Well here it is, the twenty-fifth part of the fourth installment in my 'Heart' series released right on time as promised. With this Part, the 104th overall, I have officially achieved an average of 2 Parts a week in the main Hearts series as we are nearing the 1 year anniversary of Part I as it came out on May 20th 2020. It's been a wild journey and in addition to the 104 Parts (106 by the time of the anniversary if things go well), this universe has seen 28 Supplemental chapters and 15 spinoff chapters in the two spinoff works, which is a lot in a year but I'm not slowing down anytime soon. Anyway, that is all I have for now as there are no Supplements or Problems coming out in the next week or two. There were two guest reviews, one with questions, to respond to here that I will address now.
To Reader (guest), as always thank you for your review and support and I will do my best to answer your review and questions now. A lot of people forget about things like what happens in the appeals, especially with the minor characters, so I had to actually think on it when you brought it up and that was the only instance I knew, though Dawn did have a dream of her mother evolving a Feebas into a Milotic in a battle with her and getting a lot of points one time when a Mismagius put her under. As for the SM characters, I don't even know who they are so I can't say on either Ryuki or Ida. I have not, nor will I ever, watch SM as I find the animation style horrible and a blight on the Pokémon franchise but that is just me. There will be some stuff to do with Alola and some of the characters from SM but all in good time. Not sure how a meeting between Kenny and Iris would go but that is pretty accurate for how it might be. Alas Ash was never going to get a Phantump, it's not canon and with Ash I want to keep it to pure canon Pokémon in Winning, even the non-canon catch is of a canon Pokémon (same with the first catch in Hearts 5). Of course, this is subject to random, unplanned change as will be seen soon as I did end up adding a sudden, non-canon catch for Ash but y'all will have to wait and see on that front. No worries about the long review, I like hearing from y'all so long reviews are good as well as short ones.
To Guest (guest), thank you for your review, it seems we are on the same page regarding the evolution in Dawn's Pokémon induced dream. As for the points, honestly I don't think a coordinator would lose points if their opponent's Pokémon evolved mid Contest battle, it's neither a hit, miss, or anything flashy, just a natural event. I think the points lost in that scene were more likely due to Dawn's own insecurities and fears regarding her own coordinating as that is what Mismagius was likely tapping into when it put Dawn under. I do think that stone or other item-based evolution (as canonized by Ash's Gligar's evolution) would be banned in a Contest battle as it would require interference and as the anime (and this this fic) does not use held items as boosts in battle, it is safe to assume that randomly chucking an evolutionary stone into a Contest battle could be seen as cheating. Natural evolution, be it experience, or friendship based, probably would be allowed as it couldn't be controlled. I used it once in the HopHopHop Town Contest back in Dreams (Part XXXVII) for Ash's Dratini but as it was at the end and Dragonair secured a Battle Off, points weren't part of it. It is a shame the show never truly addressed that though, it would have been interesting. Anyway, keep reading and enjoying my work.
Anyway, that is all for this really long pre Part note, and the latter one is long as well so sorry, but that dies mean that it is once again time to sit back and enjoy the latest installment in Winning Takes Heart. Part CIV: Poffins and Puffs.
Part CIV: Poffins and Puffs
"What do you think Ash?" Dawn asked as she and Serena approached him holding boxes in their hands as he sat on a bench with Pikachu by the outdoor battlefield of the Pokémon Center in the town they were currently in going over potential battle plans for the upcoming battle at the Shalour Gym. "It's my first attempt but Serena helped me a lot with them."
"For a first timer she did amazing but then again all that poffin making really helped." Serena said with a smile as they opened the boxes in front of him. "She even used her poffin recipe in one though each is slightly different."
"Wow they look delicious." Ash said his eyes wide at the sight.
Inside the boxes were 12 delicious looking cupcakes each one different with 6 in each box. Ash's mouth watered at the sight of them and instantly wanted to try one to see if they were as good as they looked. In addition, they smelled amazing as they were freshly baked.
"Well, they are for Pokémon not people." Serena said as Dawn slapped Ash's hand away from taking one and stuffing it in his mouth. "We will bake some macaroons for everyone when May gets back but seeing as we have the time while we wait for May and are healed up I figured now was as good a time as ever to teach Dawn how to make Poke Puffs. She may need to know how for a Showcase in the future and they are Kalos's equivalent of poffins, so I got to repay her for teaching me how to make them."
"Only they can be more tailored that poffins due to them being baked so I can be more creative with them." Dawn said picking up a bright yellow one and handing it to a happy Pikachu. "This is for you Pikachu; it's specially designed for electric types. I made one for Helioptile in the first batch and he loved it though I could tweak it for his normal type as well in the future."
Pikachu happily ate it and was instantly taken with the treat, munching on it as he sat next to Ash while Ash looked at his best friend jealously. Trust Ash's mate to make really tasty Pokémon treats for them that also helped with them at the same time.
"Let all your Pokémon out." Dawn said as Ash noticed that each of the Puffs seemed to be different except two of them that were both bright orange. "I made one for each of them based on their types."
"What about your Pokémon?" Ash asked Dawn as Serena let her own out and began handing out the Puffs she'd long perfected for each of them except Vivillon who was testing her first bug type Puff. "Don't they have some."
As Ash spoke Piplup waddled out of the Pokémon center a light blue puff with royal blue frosting in his hands that looked a lot like one in the box between his flippers. He was happily eating it as he made his way over to Pikachu to eat with his friend glad that for once he wasn't getting hurt by Dawn's antics.
"Already done and it helped with both Pikachu and Frogadier's puffs." Dawn said. "I have their types as well, so it wasn't too hard to make a few of them. I made two designed for fire and flying types that use Tomate Berries, so they are very hot to improve their flames, those are the orange ones for Charizard and Fletchinder. The reddish one is for Riolu, it is designed for fighting types."
"And the last one?" Ash asked looking at a brown one with dark frosting on it.
"A normal cupcake for my sweet boyfriend." Dawn said causing Ash to blush. "I didn't forget about you or your stomach."
"Thanks Dawn." Ash said pulling out all his Poke Balls and throwing them up into the air. "Come on out guys, it's time to sample Dawn's Poke Puffs. They should be almost as good as her poffins."
A second later Ash's 4 other Pokémon on hand appeared and Dawn handed them each their special Puff so that they could enjoy them. Ash took his cupcake and ate it while his Pokémon all tried the treats, each enjoying it and Charizard belching flames into the air in delight at how the treat improved his fire. Ash had to agree, Dawn's baking was pretty good though still not at Serena's level but that would take a while as Serena was really good at it.
Dawn just smiled at the sight as she and Serena sat on either side of Ash and let their Pokémon all play together once they were done, Dawn letting her own ones out before she sat down. Well, all except Malamar who was in a time out for annoying her earlier. Still, it was a nice moment albeit one they hadn't plan on having.
It was the day after they had reached the last decently sized town before the forest and the Kalos Canyon that were the last main obstacles between them and Shalour City, and they'd been forced to stay in the town a little longer than planned. May had powered ahead of them to get here and get her Aegislash that had just evolved all healed up and call in her new Phantump in place of Glaceon. It had been when she'd arrived that she'd ended up causing them a delay.
It turned out that Sukizo was supposed to officiate a nearby Contest with Nurse Joy and Mr. Contesta but had been forced to pull out to aid a Top Coordinator with a Contest near his current location when Yuma was forced to withdraw due to food poisoning. It was looking like one of the Contests would have to be canceled.
That was until it had become known that May and Dawn were expected in the area the day before the Contest following a report from the Nurse Joy in Geosenge Town meaning that both Contests could go on as scheduled. May had been the first one in and as such had been roped into heading to a nearby village for that Contest that morning. Well, that and her pace had forced Dawn and Serena to go faster to catch up to her and Ash, and Dawn had popped a stitch in her thigh because of it.
That meant that Dawn was forced to avoid too much walking as Nurse Joy patched her up again so May had to head out to the Contest to judge it. Serena had decided that as they were here for the rest of the day and wouldn't leave until tomorrow at the earliest as that was when May was expected to return that she would give Dawn her first lesson in making Poke Puffs.
Dawn had turned out to be a natural at it from all her poffin making similar to how Serena had done well with poffins the first time she made them. It was clear the skills were transitional between the two treats even if they required different cooking appliances.
It had taken them most of the morning but between them they'd made the first batch for Dawn's Pokémon and then moved on to make some for Ash's and Serena's as well. They would make some together for May's but that was the afternoon's plan. For now, they were taking a break before lunch and then getting back to work, a break that was suddenly broken.
"Why hello there Serena." A voice that she knew instantly said in her ear close enough that she could feel the speaker's breath on her ear. "I didn't expect to see you here."
"Miette!" Serena practically screamed as she leapt off her seat and turned in the air before falling on her ass to look up at her friend and rival from the year before standing over her behind the bench. "Don't sneak up on me!"
"Still not used to my greetings I see." Miette said walking around the bench before offering Serena a hand and pulling her to her feet then embracing her Kalos style which meant a kiss on each cheek. "Who's are your friends?"
"Oh, this is Ash and Dawn." Serena said as they broke apart from the friendly greeting, something they hadn't done until after the Master Class as their rivalry was intense but still friendly. "Ash, Dawn, meet Miette. She was one of my two main rivals last year, like with Shauna, she really pushed me to be better. More so if I had to guess given how similar we are."
"What can I say, I was Serena's equal in everything but public opinion." Miette said with a shrug before holding her hand out to Ash where he sat. "Pleasure to meet her friends."
Ash and Dawn had been startled by the sudden appearance of the new girl that they'd never heard of and here interaction with Serena. That was why it took a moment for them to recover and study her, something Dawn did as she shook hands with Ash, and they stood up so that they were all standing.
Miette was a pretty girl around Serena's age so about a year older than Dawn with short blue hair and red eyes. Her hair was even shorter than Serena's and barely fell past her earlobes while being held back by a frilly orange and light blue headband that made it puff out at the back and gave Miette an uneven fringe.
Like Serena, Miette showed that she knew Kalos fashion wearing a light green blouse and medium green skirt that was only just too long to be called a mini skirt. Over it she wore a dark green waistcoat the fell down past her waist and had a pocket on the side, a useful accessory and uncommon in female clothing. She livened it all up with an orange tie thing that some girls favored but Dawn felt didn't work for her.
Overall, it was an image that worked for the girl as Dawn shook her hand. She also noted that Miette had the steely look in her eyes of someone who knew their abilities and was confident in them though possible a bit too confident. If Dawn hadn't have known she would have guessed this girl was performer just by her style and poise alone. She was clearly a girl who knew what she wanted and had no problem going for it.
"So, what brings you here Miette?" Serena asked once they were all greeted.
"Practice mainly." Miette said. "I was going to hit the Contest nearby but it has a one ribbon requirement so I can't compete in it yet. I heard that there was a Poke Puff baking contest this evening here though so figured I'd check it out and make sure my skills are still sharp. I had a feeling I'd run into you here when I heard that May was judging the Contest."
"Wait you're a coordinator this year?" Serena asked confused, she hadn't seen Miette's name on any coordinator list.
"Of course, did you really think you'd be the only one of us who was going to use them to improve now did you?" Miette asked with a grin. "Nina is out in Galar right now doing the same thing, but I knew you'd be here, so I had to stay. We're rivals after all; I want to compete against you."
"No, I am not surprised." Serena said with a smile, and she wasn't given how competitive she knew Miette was. "I am glad actually, another thing to compete at with you and make myself better."
"True but this time I will win out in the end." Miette replied. "I already have a finals appearance in my most recent Contest, so it is only a matter of time before I get my first ribbon. I failed in the appeals the first time though."
"I lost in my two Contests so far as well, but I didn't fail in the appeals." Serena said with a grin knowing that it would annoy Miette. "I got to the finals of my first one before losing to one of the four favorites this and the semis in my second before losing to another big favorite."
"My finals was a loss to Jessilina who's another big name this year." Miette said as Ash and Dawn watched the odd exchange between the girls. "Which favorites did you lose to?"
"Emily and Brianna." Serena said repressing her irritation with the latter and her actions. "So, you can see I have some impressive attempts. I've lost to two of the four while you've only lost to one."
"Are they really comparing losses." Ash whispered to Dawn confused at the competition the girls seemed to be having.
"Apparently." Dawn whispered back. "Not what I expected."
"Oh, and you could do better." Miette said putting her hands on her hips and glaring at them. "Are either of you coordinators?"
"No, I'm a trainer challenging gyms." Ash said simply. "I have 3 gym badges already. I have done a few Contests for practice in my life, even won one in Kanto last year where I'm from but they're not for me and that win was more an accident than actually winning one using Contest style battling."
"And I'm not a coordinator." Dawn said and Serena had to repress her amusement at what she knew was coming as Dawn built it up. "I'm a Top Coordinator."
"Wait what?" Miette said blinking in shock. "But you weren't one of the promoters last year."
"That's because I was still on the circuit then trying to become one." Dawn said. "It was why we were in Kanto."
"Miette, I should probably have been more specific with who Dawn is." Serena said trying and failing to stifle her laughter. "Dawn is known as the Prodigy of Sinnoh and until last year when she won the Kanto Grand Festival, she was considered one of the best to have not won one having being a two-time runner up; first in her native Sinnoh as a rookie and then Johto."
"Wait you're the Prodigy of Sinnoh?" Miette asked her eyes wide. "I've heard of you."
"I see my reputation precedes me." Dawn said with a smile. "Though I always hated that nickname."
"Your reputation is legendary even amongst rookies." Miette said. "The only Battle Off final winner in the last decade and to do so with two ghost types despite being, well, not known for them gets around. I never saw your final, I just know your title. Is it true that one of your ghost types is really rare?"
"It is." Dawn said with a nod. "I have a Spiritomb, and I've only ever seen two of that Pokémon and heard of a third. He's apparently only the second in the last few decades to appear under a trainer so yes, he's rare."
"Wow and you won with him." Miette said amazed. "No wonder you're name, well title, is well known."
"Alas, that is in the past." Dawn said with a sigh. "I can't compete this year in Contests, so I am probably going to try my hand at performing and see what it is like so long as I like the first Showcase I see. I even made my first batch of Poke Puffs this morning and they were pretty good."
"I bet they aren't as good as mine." Miette said pulling out a box and showing her puffs. "If you have any fairy or psychic types then mine will blow their minds. These are the ones I specialize in though I have begun making ones for poison, fighting and water types for my new Pokémon."
"My one fairy type is back in Kanto." Dawn said thinking of Togekiss. "And she's the one who started that discovery path. I have one of my two psychic types on me but she's in a time out right now."
As if on cue a Poke Ball at Dawn's waist opened and Malamar appeared her tentacles crossed as she glared at Dawn. She hadn't been allowed out because she'd slapped Dawn during their initial baking because Dawn did something stupid.
"Malamar." Malamar said annoyed before reaching over and taking the psychic puff from Miette and eating it in Dawn's face. "Malamar."
"Right back in the ball you go missy." Dawn said recalling her annoying Pokémon who clearly liked the Puff, but Dawn was not in the mood as she looked at the ball. "Time out means time out; you are not coming out for the rest of the day."
"I take it Malamar did something earlier." Ash said and Dawn nodded. "What was it?"
"Slapped Dawn for trying to touch a hot oven without gloves." Serena said. "She deserved it."
"That's not the point, she needs to learn that if she is going to help me she can do so without slapping me." Dawn said rubbing her cheek. "And she always does it so hard."
"Well, she seemed to enjoy my Puff." Miette said with a grin. "But if you want to really settle this then enter the contest today. You, me, and Serena going at it to see who's best at baking Poke Puffs."
"You're on." Dawn said getting up and grinning as her competitive side took over. "Let's go, I haven't been in a competition in a while. I need to try and win something."
"And you know I can't resist showing you up Miette." Serena said as she recalled her Pokémon. "Lead the way."
"Yeah come Piplup." Dawn said recalling her own Pokémon and picking up Piplup who was suddenly a little nervous as usually when Dawn got like this he ended up hurt. "We have a competition to win."
With that the three girls all strode back to the Pokémon Center following Miette leaving a bewildered Ash to sit down on the bench with his Pokémon all around him. He had no idea what had just happened.
"Anyone know what's going on." Ash asked his friends.
All his Pokémon shook their heads and shrugged at him. They were equally confused by the females and their weird alpha competition thing. Course all of Ash's current Pokémon were males and just as dense as he was for the most part, so they were clueless with what was going on.
"Thought so." Ash said standing and recalling them other than Pikachu who leapt up onto his shoulder. "Well let's get going and check this out. I think they will need me there supporting it and who knows, this is usually how something interesting starts for us."
"Pikachu." Pikachu agreed with a nod, things like this were never as they seemed in his experience.
With that Ash headed back into the Pokémon Center hoping to find out where this baking competition thing was happening. It would be a nice evening to enjoy it, so he was looking forward to a good time.
"There it is all the food we could need for weeks." Meowth said his mouth watering as he looked at the pile of food that was reserved for the baking competition that night. "Just sitting there for the taking."
"Why are we stealing it again?" James asked confused. "Don't we actually have an operations fund that pays for food."
"Yes but there are three reasons for this." Meowth said. "First is that it is practice, we haven't stolen anything in a while we don't want our skills getting rusty."
"What skills, we can't steal anything?" James asked which earned him a slash to the face for it. "What? It's true."
"That's why we need to keep our thief skills sharp." Meowth said with a growl in his voice. "The second is that if we steal food we have more money for our operations."
"Ok I get that." James said understanding now. "And the third reason."
"Jessie keeps using the food budget for her Contest and Showcase outfits." Meowth said with a sigh. "Seeing as we don't have a budget for that stuff, so she uses the operations fund for it."
"You can't put a price on my beauty." Jessie said posing in her latest dress and jewelry combination with Gourgeist popping out to do the same. "It's too great to quantify."
"Apparently you can, and it gave the accounts manager at HQ a heart attack when he saw your last expenses report." Meowth muttered. "Anyway, gather up, here's the plan…"
James and Jessie gathered in with their third member as he went over their plan to steal all the food for the upcoming Poke Puff bake off. It was a simple plan that would work well as there were no twerps here to get in the way.
All they had to do was grab the food and hightail it out of town with it. Then they would have enough food to last them for a while as they prepared their attack on the Shalour Gym. What could go wrong?
Ash was in the front row of the outdoor amphitheater place just outside of the town they were in where the Poke Puff bake off would take place as it was the only place large enough for it. There were 3 stations set up on the stage for the spectators to watch and right now Dawn, Serena, and Miette were on the stage getting told the rules by the host of the competition.
The rules were simple. Each girl would be allowed the use of one Pokémon assistant in her baking, they would produce a single Poke Puff that could be appealing to any Pokémon, and then they would be judged by a Poke Puff master called Gena who would get in just before the competition started.
Usually there would have been a preliminary round but with a Contest nearby, they had decided to just have one round. Also, the three girls were the only ones who had signed up for it, so they didn't have enough for a preliminary round.
It was just as the host was finishing the instructions to the girls that a harried assistant came out. Ash saw the look on the girl's face and instantly knew that something was up, so he got up and hurried to join the others. He wasn't wrong that something was up.
"Someone stole the food." The assistant said as Ash reached them. "All of it."
"What!" The host said clearly shocked at what he was hearing.
"The food for the bake off and the celebration afterwards." The assistant said. "We had it all locked up backstage so that it could be brought out for the competitors to decide what they needed to make their Poke Puffs. I turned my back on it to help make sure the electricity was working fine and when I returned the lock had been picked and all the food was gone."
"This isn't good." The host said worried as he began to pace the stage. "We can't have a bake off without it."
Ash and the girls were listening to this. Ash didn't like the sound of this one bit, it sounded like thieves had gotten the food, but he had no idea how to find it. Usually, it was easy as Team Rocket left a mark by blowing something up but whoever had stolen it this time had been more competent than them and taken the food without a trace.
"I wish May was here." Ash said remembering what happened when the food was stolen in Sinnoh when May was with them at Lake Valor. "Last time this happened she used Munchlax's stomach to find it."
"Yeah that Pokémon can eat for days if he didn't have her special Pokeblock." Dawn said but as soon as Serena heard that she got an idea. "His appetite helped us find the food."
"Miette." Serena said turning to her friend. "You still have your Slurpuff on you, right?"
"Always." Miette said her eyes going wide. "Of course, that's brilliant. I was too shocked to think of it otherwise I would have."
"Same but hearing about May's Munchlax reminded me that she has a Slurpuff as well and yours is better than hers." Serena said. "We need it now. No food thief can outrun a Slurpuff."
"Of course." Miette said pulling out a Poke Ball and opening it to reveal a Slurpuff. "Slurpuff, the food has been stolen, we need you to find it."
"Slurpuff." Slurpuff said with a nod and a salute to Miette before she began to sniff the air her eyes closed.
"Er what's going…" Ash began when Slurpuff suddenly opened her eyes and began running towards the wooded area behind the stage.
"Slurpuffs have a sense of smell a million times better than humans." Miette said as they began running after Slurpuff. "There's no way she won't be able to find the food. She's why my Puffs are so good; she can always determine the freshest ingredients without a problem."
"Alright then let's follow her." Ash said determination in his voice. "Everyone else, make sure a Pokémon is ready to go but chose one that won't destroy the food. We need to get the food back and stop the thieves without damaging it."
"Any ideas Ash?" Dawn asked as they ran, Piplup clinging to her for dear life wailing as this was what he was expecting might happen.
"One." Ash said. "Does anyone have a Pokémon that knows Psychic."
"Slurpuff does." Miette said as they ran. "And I have another that knows it as well just in case."
"Alright then we will need it to separate the food and the thieves as soon as we catch up to them." Ash said as they entered the woods. "After that we attack the thieves and their Pokémon."
The others just nodded as they continued to run. It didn't take them long to find the thieves. They hadn't been able to get far with all the food weighing them down and with a Slurpuff on their tail they didn't stand a chance of getting away.
They had made it as far as a clearing where they were smirking and looking over the sacks of food they had likely planning how to transport the food. Ash groaned when he saw them. Of course, it just had to be them.
"Why does it always have to be Team Rocket." Ash said with a groan.
"What, who's there?" Jessie asked looking, her face contorting in rage at what she saw. "Twerps. Why are you here?"
"The blue haired one not from Sinnoh is new." James pointed out.
"We could ask you the same." Dawn said. "Give that food back, it's for the bake off and town afterwards."
"We have liberated this food for a better cause." Jessie said striking a pose.
"Yes so press pause." James said getting into a pose as well.
"Here we go again." Dawn said with a sigh as Miette just looked on confused at everything going on before her.
"Prepare for trouble!" Jessie began.
"And make it double!" James said.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Meowth that's right!" Meowth added flipping in front of them.
"Wobbuffet!"
"Mime, mime."
"Are you done?" Ash asked deciding that he didn't have time for any banter with the incompetent trio in front of them. "Good. Miette, have Slurpuff use Psychic to bring the food back and place it behind us."
"Right." Miette said. "Slurpuff, Psychic on the bags of food. We need to protect it."
"Oh no you don't." Jessie said throwing out a Poke Ball as the bags glowed with blue light and lifted up. "Stop them Gourgeist."
"I'll join you; I don't want that food going to waste." Meowth said as Gourgeist appeared, leaping with her his claws extended. "It's our food, we stole it fair and square."
"Malamar go, intercept with Brutal Swing." Dawn said tossing her own as well.
The bags were yanked back by Slurpuff's Psychic and gentle placed behind them so as to not damage any of it. At the same time Gourgeist flew after the food with Meowth by her side his claws flashing in the sun.
They didn't get far before Dawn's Malamar appeared, a shock to the villainous team as they didn't expect her to have Inkay's evolved form and swung her tentacles hard. They slammed into the pair of Pokémon and the strong dark type move blasted them back and into Jessie and Wobbuffet to cause all of them to crash to the ground in a tangle of limbs and bodies.
"Inkay, Psybeam." James said throwing out a Poke Ball.
"Braixen, come and help." Serena said finally getting in on the action and sending her starter out to join the fray.
"Serena, I got this covered, hit Inkay as soon as it is over." Dawn said seeing an opening. "Malamar, that's a psychic type attack, it won't affect you so block it with your body for Braixen."
Malamar just nodded and leapt in front of her friend as the Psybeam from her pre-evolved form was shot at them. The psychic type attack did nothing to her thanks to her dark type and she just grinned at a now nervous looking Inkay before she leapt aside to reveal Braixen there pointed her stick at Inkay and James, the fire burning in her eyes.
"Flamethrower." Serena said.
"Braixen." Braixen said with a grin as a gout of flames shot out of her stick.
The fire slammed into a still shocked Inkay and blasted him back and into James, burning him and sending both of them into the pile with the others who were still tangled together. Ash smiled, it was his and Pikachu's turn now and they were going to end it.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt." Ash said.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu said leaping off Ash's shoulder and blasting the mess with his favorite move like he had done countless times before.
As expected, they all yelled and screamed in pain, frying for a second before an explosion happened from the intensity of the attack. As always, they were blasted into the sky.
"We almost had all that tasty food." Jessie wailed.
"It was ours." James moaned.
"Now we have to pay for our food, and we don't have the cash for it." Meowth moaned.
"We're blasting off again." They all yelled as they disappeared into the sky with a twinkle.
"Well, that was an interesting experience." Miette said as they all recalled their Pokémon, grabbed the food, and began heading back to the amphitheater. "I take it that you know those people?"
"I've been dealing with them ever since my first year as a trainer, pretty much since my first day in fact." Ash said with a sigh. "They're criminals who steal Pokémon. They've been after Pikachu for years but never gotten him. We didn't see them much last year, which was refreshing but now they're in Kalos apparently, so they are showing up more often again."
"Yeah I had to deal with them in Sinnoh when I first traveled with Ash." Dawn said. "But we only saw them three times last year in Kanto. Now we've seen them as many times in Kalos and I expect it to be more seeing as they seem to be based here this year."
"They're annoying but incompetent from what I've seen." Serena said. "And we got the food back safe and sound thanks to Ash's plan so let's get it back to the event so we can bake so Poke Puffs."
The others just nodded as Miette smirked at Serena, but no one saw it as they walked. She heard how Serena had spoken about Ash and the way she'd looked at him earlier confirmed it, she had a massive crush on him.
Miette could see why. Ash was an attractive and strong man who burned with a passion that was desirable in a partner. Add in his ability to think on his feet and come up with plans like that that saved the food and defeated the thieves without an issue and Miette could see his potential as more than a friend.
As she thought on Ash in that light, a warm feeling in her chest began to develop and it made her happy. It looked like she had a new thing to compete with Serena over, they did have similar tastes, so this was only natural. She'd confront her friend about it after the bake off though, first she had to beat her and her new friend Dawn in it. Then she could tease Serena about her crush on Ash and set up another competition with her friend and rival.
"Stop." The host said as a timer went off. "The bake off is over. Will the competitors please step back while our judge looks over their Puffs."
Serena, Miette, and Dawn all stepped back and sighed after the intense back off and decoration of their Poke Puffs. They stood there as Gena, a famous Poke Puff baker, looked over their creations.
It was a few hours after the incident with Team Rocket and finally the day was coming to a close. They had gotten the food back without incident and the host had been thrilled that they had managed it. After that things had gone by without event.
Ash had returned to his seat and waited for them while mentally going over his battle strategy for the Shalour Gym, a fighting type gym that was next on his list, so he had to figure out what to do there, and the girls waited for the baking to start. An hour passed before Gena arrived and the baking started as people came out to watch it and enjoy a celebration afterwards that was being held in the Town Square to honor the winner.
Ash didn't care for the celebration, though they would go to it for the food, he just wanted to enjoy the bake off. Dawn was baking in the center station with Piplup helping her while Serena and Braixen manned the right hand one and Miette and Slurpuff the left. The baking itself was interesting to watch as they all worked hard and diligently to make their Puffs, working well with their Pokémon, and adding their own flairs to their creations.
Time went by fast once the baking began and Ash lost himself in watching the girls' work. Each girl was keeping their final creation a secret until it was over as they and their Pokémon diligently worked on their creations. Now though, it was over, and a camera appeared to show the three Poke Puffs as Gena judged them.
The master baker started with Miette and Ash had to admit it looked amazing. It was a dark blue creation with white streaks blended into it, a swirled white and blue frosting, and an Oran berry atop it to complete the presentation and restore a Pokémon's health when eaten. Gena looked over it for a bit, took a bite and nodded before moving onto Dawn, drinking some water as she did.
Naturally, Ash was supporting Dawn in this and looked at her Poke Puff intently. It wasn't what he was expecting. He'd expected her to go with one of the ones she'd made earlier but instead hers was a bright pink creation with speckles of green in it that didn't look like any of the ones she'd made earlier. It was the same with her frosting though she'd put shaved pieces of what Ash thought were her poffins atop it as a garnish.
Gena paused at Dawns and muttered something to her which Dawn nodded at and replied but no one could hear what they were saying. Gena seemed surprised but smiled before trying it with a smile and moving on, again drinking water afterwards for some reason. Then she reached Serena's creation.
Ash had to admit, aesthetically Serena's looked the best. It was bright orange with white and red frosting that was beautifully crafted to resemble Braixen's ears rather than a typical frosting swirl. The base even had a tail thing poking out of one side that was incomplete likely due to time. Serena had gone all out for it and Gena seemed to appreciate it as she spoke with Serena before trying it and moving away.
The girls just had to stand there and wait as Gena returned to her judge table and began to write things down on a notepad she had there. Miette and Serena were glaring at each other across the stage in typical rival fashion while Dawn was just smiling and having a good time. It wasn't until a mic tap was hear and the host began speaking that they all realized what was going on.
"And we have a winner." The host announced and the crowd went silent. "For pulling off a unique blend of two treat styles, something our master baker has never seen before, the winner is…Dawn."
Dawn just blinked in surprise. She'd basically just used her poffin recipes, mainly her main one but had added in a small amount of Pinsir's, to see what happened when she blended the styles into a Poke Puff. She'd added the crushed poffin to the frosting as a last touch as tribute to her region's specialty and had confirmed it all to Gena when the woman asked her. She hadn't expected it to win though.
Ash just smiled as he headed to the stage to congratulate Dawn on her win. Serena smiled at her friend before returning to her station to clean up and give the couple some space, she'd seen Ash coming and knew what was going to happen. She didn't want to see what she could never have.
"Looks like we lost again." Miette said interrupting Serena and holding her hand out to shake after the bake off. "We can't seem to win these."
"I guess fate won't let us win a Poke Puff bake off." Serena said with a smile shaking Miette's hand and then yelping as Miette pulled her in for a hug.
"Though next time I will win." Miette whispered into her ear. "Both in a Contest and for Ash."
"Huh?" Serena asked her eyes going wide.
"Don't deny it, I know you like him." Miette said as they broke apart and she crossed her arms. "I see it in your eyes, you're totally smitten with him. I suggest telling him before I next see you or else I will tell him how I feel."
"Wait, you as well." Serena said things going a little fast for her to process. "Already?"
"What can I say, we may be rivals but we clearly have the same tastes." Miette said with a shrug. "Including in men it seems. Remember, I know myself well and know what I like so I don't see any point in denying it until it forces me to accept it. I'll just accept it right off the bat."
That was when everything hit Serena regarding what Miette was referring to and all she could do was burst out laughing causing Miette to back away and look startled at her. She had not been expecting that reaction from Serena. She had been expecting a stutter, blushing, denial from Serena, not a fit of laughter. For the first time it seemed that Serena had gotten into Miette's head and not the other way around.
"Sorry." Serena said as she finished laughing and recovering from everything. "I couldn't help myself. You were trying to get a reaction out of me at that weren't you? Messing with me is kinda your thing."
"Yeah but that's not the reaction I was expecting." Miette admitted still confused. "I expected a blushing mess, not laughter."
"Oh, that is what would have happened if you'd said it and I knew I still had a chance with Ash." Serena said as she recovered and the pain of her loss returned briefly, she may as well be honest with Miette seeing as it wouldn't do anything to change the situation. "Yes I have a crush on Ash, it's pretty blatant apparently and it is only getting deeper but alas I had lost him before I even had a chance. Looks like you're going to be in the same boat as me."
"What do you mean?" Miette asked still confused by what was going on.
"Take a look for yourself." Serena said before turning knowing what she'd see. "Aren't you curious as to why one of us is missing?"
Miette narrowed her eyes at Serena before agreeing and turning her gaze to Dawn's station, her eyes widening at what she saw. Dawn was there in a passionate embrace with Ash celebrating her win and ignoring the fact that she was making out with him on a stage.
It was actually a little uncomfortable to watch so Serena turned away from it, but Miette didn't. That meant that she finally got the chance to return a whisper to Miette as Malamar appeared behind Dawn ready to break them up and slap her for being inappropriate again.
"Welcome to the club Miette." Serena whispered getting as close behind Miette as she usually did to her. "You just need a few more things to officially join us. Dawn has beaten us on many levels, it's your turn to experience that."
"I can see." Miette said her teeth clenched. "Right then there is only one thing to do."
"And that is?" Serena asked suddenly confused by her rival's behavior.
"Confront Dawn of course." Miette said walking to the couple causing Malamar to pause at her approach and pause, she was going to watch this new development rather than intervein to see how Dawn handled a rival for her mate. "I need answers. I will not roll over and lose right as I realized that I liked this guy."
Serena just stared in disbelief as Miette strode up to them, ignoring the curious Malamar that was watching her closely. This was classic Miette, the girl was confident and forward, it was her biggest difference from Serena, so Serena could see her doing this, but there was only one way for it to end. She knew all too well what was coming next only this time things were going to be faster and slightly different.
Dawn had suddenly gained a new rival and was about to find that out. This was going to get interesting, and Serena couldn't wait to see how Dawn handled her sixth rival for Ash.
Ah a nice little cliffhanger for y'all to enjoy before the next Part, one y'all can easily guess the title of. There you have it though, another rival for Dawn has made herself known and one few if any ever mentioned in Miette, who will also be a rival for Serena on the Contest circuit. She's a little different to the past one, I wonder how Dawn will handle her in the upcoming chat Part, y'all will just have to wait and see on that front. Also, now Dawn can make Poke Puffs and that will be important in future Parts. One last thing, whenever a character talks about macaroons in this fic they are pronouncing them correctly and not incorrectly as the show did. That was one of my biggest pet peeves with XY, along with Serena's obvious crush (they could have made it subtler and still be more obvious than Misty's), was that whenever Serena made macaroons she and everyone else mispronounced them. Ok, technically it is an acceptable pronunciation, but it is an anglicized pronunciation of them, and it annoyed me a lot because it doesn't sound good with the word. Macaroon is pronounced with a long o sound at the end similar to goon, not with a short o sound like in on. This is just my preference, sorry for the rant but this was one thing that really did bug me in XY. Anyway, that is all for this note, as always please favorite (both this story and me in general to be notified of any new content I post), review as I really like hearing what you think of my work and your suggestions that help complete this story (and respond as best I can) and just in general keep enjoying my work. Until next time.
Stringdog