"Buneary, Ice Beam! Clefairy, Magical Leaf!"
"Bun…!" Buneary hopped back several steps, twirling in the air before spraying chilling rays of blue. She was followed up by Clefairy, who gestured with her claws to summon a swarm of glowing leaves that converged towards Prinplup in a pincer attack.
"Use Bubble Beam, Prinplup!" Dawn commanded in succession, as her starter jumped into a twirl like a spinning top, spraying bubbles around him to shield himself from the coming moves. Dawn smiled; the maneuver looked to be a success. A chain reaction of popping bubbles reflected in her eyes as glimmers of green and gold, refracted by the collision of moves.
"Now, Buneary, use Bounce!" Dawn gestured a hand upward. Prinplup's defense against projectiles was picture perfect. It was time to test his capabilities, up close!
Buneary took to the air, and dive bombed Prinplup with a drop kick. "Bun!"
"Prin-plup!" Leaning on the tip of his foot, Prinplup swung his weight around with a turn of his hips and wings. He swiveled and danced just out of Buneary's path, and her collision with the ground clouded the two in dust and dirt.
"Metal Claw! On Buneary, and Clefairy, too!"
Bright silver gleamed within the debris, and Prinplup backhanded Buneary, knocking her away. Prinplup caught his weight on both feet, and charged Clefairy to swipe at her with steel.
"Defense Curl, Clefairy!"
Clefairy tucked into a forward roll, making her fluffy, pink body small and compact. Prinplup's swipe of his claw passed right over her, and she unfolded to stand up safely. "Fairy!"
"Great job, everyone!" Dawn praised, smiling widely at the results. On the eve of the Vermilion Contest, stars were scarce in the sky of the populated city. But the training field closest to the Pokémon Center was alight with the flashy moves and maneuvers of Dawn and her team practicing. And, she wasn't the only one putting in for self-improvement!
On the next practice field over, Ash's tiny Riolu, Rosa, was sparring with Tyranitar, who was fending off her swift and aggressive attacks with his arms, and destructive sweeps of his tail.
Meanwhile, Ash led Gengar and Pikachu in a practice match to emulate the challenge they'd encounter in Surge, days from now. There was no one better on Ash's roster than Pikachu to emulate that shocking experience! Ash led him with a wave of his arm. "Pikachu, Iron Tail! Gengar, dodge it!"
"Chu…!" Pikachu sprinted towards Gengar and tumbled forward, striking with his silver tail. "Pika!"
Instead of impacting with Gengar, Pikachu's tail bashed into the ground, making a small crater in its surface. "Pi…!" Pikachu exhaled, balancing himself by using Iron Tail to hold himself upright. Gengar's erratic movements eluded him, snaking behind Pikachu before he was any the wiser.
"Now, Shadow Ball!" Ash commanded.
Gengar conjured a crackling purple orb, and flung it overhead towards Pikachu.
The snapping of supernatural energy was caught by Pikachu's ears, ever vigilant. He uprooted himself from the dirt and swung his tail around, smacking Shadow Ball back towards Gengar.
"Ghe!?" With wide, red eyes, Gengar swiftly swerved out of his own attack's path.
Grinning, Ash closed a fist. "Thunderbolt!"
"Pika-chuuuu!" Pikachu flipped back onto all fours, and fired a potent bolt of electricity towards Gengar. The latter was too busy avoiding Shadow Ball to properly register Thunderbolt, until it was far too late. Like a Stantler in headlights, he could do nothing but wait for the shock to ripple through his gaseous body.
Gengar shrieked. Electricity far above his caliber dropped him nearly to the ground; he hardly felt capable of moving. But the idea of falling so quickly again didn't sit well with him. Spite and frustration welled up in the ordinarily jolly creature's body, and manifested in a horrific howl.
"Pika!?" Pikachu recoiled at the sound, watching Gengar. A horrible image spawned in front of Gengar, blocking him from view. Pikachu couldn't believe his eyes.
A large, floating array of eerie blues and purples took the shape of a creepy, leering red eye. The sight made Pikachu shiver, leaving him wholly unprepared for the eye and its tendrils to launch towards him.
"Pi!" Panicking, Pikachu sprinted aside, avoiding the move.
"What in the world…!?" Ash shuddered at the sight of the move. Whatever it was, Pikachu had avoided it handily… but, it was headed straight for…! "Shoot! Dawn, watch it!"
"Huh?" Dawn responded to Ash's voice, looking over her shoulder. The sight that greeted her was the last thing she expected; color drained from her face, and eyes widened in abject horror. She shrieked, before being drowned out by a deafening boom.
Ash and his Pokémon cringed in sympathy, guarding themselves from the smoke.
That… had certainly not been part of their game plan.
"Wh…" Dawn coughed, stepping out of the smog to wave it away from her face. "What the heck was that!?"
"I… I don't know," Ash stammered, pulling out his Pokédex. "Dexter?"
The mechanical device beeped to life. "Hex: Ghost type. This relentless attack does massive damage to a foe afflicted by status problems."
Ash gasped. "Woah… that's amazing, Gengar!" He marveled at the ghost. "What a scary move!"
"Gehe!" Proud, Gengar grinned, floating around Ash.
"Well, I'm glad you're so excited about it!" Dawn spat venomously, dragging a wincing Ash back to reality.
"Hey, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Ash frowned, waving his hands in front of him. "Not even Gengar saw it coming, we swear!"
Dawn observed herself with her pocket mirror, and groaned. Her hair was in total disarray, frizzed and burnt in several places. Her outfit sported a number of burns and soot marks, to boot. "We were really in our groove, too... " She sighed. "C'mon. Let's check into the Pokémon Center for the night. I can clean up and take a proper shower, there."
"Sounds like a plan." Ash frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. "C'mon, everyone, Back to your balls."
Everyone but Pikachu sadly agreed; even little Rosa was rubbing her eyes tiredly, and didn't complain. Flashes of red recalled them, and Dawn's Pokémon returned soon after.
The teal toes of Dawn's boots tapped fast pace against the tile floor of the Pokémon center. Her blue eyes bore into the back of Ash's black shirt; his red jacket was held atop her own head, hiding her tangled hair and some of her dirty face. Ash had assured her a few times on the walk back that she didn't look bad; the conversation had ended with him giving her his jacket to hide within.
"Let's see… We have one free room almost ready. We're just completing the bathroom restock. Here's the keys, but give us five minutes to finish that up, huh?" Nurse Joy suggested.
Ash nodded. "Awesome! Thanks." Taking the electronic card in hand, Ash turned to his traveling partner.
Pikachu let out an amused snort when he noticed Prinplup mimicking his trainer's posture. The Sinnoh native duo was a delightful handful, as always.
"Oh, wow, Empoleon looks good… See you soon!" came a new voice.
"Huh? He's a Prinplup, not an Empoleon," Dawn corrected, turning on her heel with her hands at her side.
The source of the voice, a lavender haired girl in a buttery yellow sweater, blinked in surprise. Behind her, the screen of the video phone was darkening. She looked as shocked to hear Dawn answer her as Dawn had been that someone confused her starter for its more evolved form.
Introducing himself, Prinplup gestured to his chest with a flipper. "Prinplup!"
The mystery girl's brows furrowed, eyes darting around the center's lobby. "I was, um, I…" She raised a hand to her cheek, glasses-covered eyes flicking to the floor. "I wasn't talking to you," she finally squeaked. She looked back up, then, eyes lingering on Dawn's face.
Dawn caught a glimpse of red on the ground. Ash's jacket had slipped off. Squawking in horror, she covered her head with her arms.
Ash bent over, retrieving his outer garment and slipping it back on. "It's not that serious," he assured Dawn, eyeing her warily. She was bound to do something dramatic. Harmless, sure, but dramatic all the same.
And, what she did was begin a frantic explanation of her appearance to the other girl. This stranger was undeniably cute. She looked like the best parts of spring! Dawn didn't want such a fashionable person thinking she, a fashionable coordinator herself, was frumpy! "I don't normally look like this!" Dawn insisted. "I just had a run in with a really strong move, so I'm not looking my best!"
Ash's chest puffed out. That's right! Gengar's move was strong. He perked up. Wait, was Dawn blaming Gengar?
Pikachu, sensing Ash's thought process, patted the top of the Kanto native's cap. Best to just let it go.
"Oh," the girl answered. "That makes sense… Um, my name's Ciara, by the way, and I, uh, I keep a lot of fire types…" She dug her toe of her shoes against the floor. "So, I keep a lot of hair supplies that deal with damage…"
Looking at the beautiful volume of Ciara's hair, Dawn surmised that the other girl probably knew what she was talking about. So, Dawn skipped over, took Ciara's hands in both of hers, and smiled. "Oh, that's awesome! I'm Dawn from Twinleaf Town, and this is Prinplup! He's got a great move that makes for an impromptu shower! I'd love to know about new products!"
"I mean, the Pokémon center has showers, and the sink faucets extend," Ciara meekly answered.
"Oh, that's true!" Looking over her shoulder, Dawn waved Ash off. "Why don't you guys go have a boys' night or something? I'm gonna have a sleepover with Ciara!"
"Huh? Okay!" Ash agreed. He grinned at his starter. "Hey, remember that scary movie we saw an ad for? Wanna try and catch it?"
Pikachu regarded Ash for just one moment before he snagged the electronic key card and ran off. "Pika!"
"Hey, I was kidding!" Ash yelled. "We don't have to watch it, really! Don't lock me out!"
With that, Dawn looked back at Ciara. "So! Where's your room?"
"When… did we agree to a sleepover?" Ciara softly asked. Nonetheless, she gave in. "Alright. Um, follow me… We don't have to hold hands the whole time."
The golden, shiny Vulpix's tiny body radiated gentle heat as it laid on the bed behind both girls. Ciara and Dawn both sat, chatting away while their hair masks soaked in beneath plastic hair caps.
"You really know your stuff," Dawn praised, her pajama top damp at the top from the sink-wash each had done.
Yet more heat settled over the lavender haired girl's cheeks at the praise. "Oh! Um, thank you."
"So, what do you do? You're definitely a trainer, but… you don't really strike me as a gym challenger." Dawn jerked a thumb towards the snoozing Vulpix. "Breeder? Your starter's in great condition."
"Actually, I'm a coordinator!" Ciara explained with a smile. "My parents are breeders, though, yes. So, um, not a bad guess!"
Dawn gasped. Prinplup, who has been dozing on one of the two twin beds in the room, sat up sharply before flopping back into his nap.
"We'll be rivals in tomorrow's contest!" the blunette insisted. "Oh, I'm so excited!"
Ciara shook her head, frantically waving her hands. "Oh! N-No, there's no way I could compete with you!"
"Oh, well, I mean, I'm definitely going for the ribbon, so, uh, good luck, but I'm sure you'll make it past the appeals!" Dawn insisted, reaching over to smoosh Ciara against her cheek in a hug. "You've got a great eye for detail!" A beat. "Oh, yeah, how old are you, anyways? I just realized you seem… a little young."
"Oh, I turned thirteen a little while ago," Ciara softly answered, pushing away from the affectionate coordinator.
"No way! I'll turn fourteen this summer! We're twinning right now!" Dawn gushed. "Let's see, you've probably had at least a year, maybe two of experience… Oh, this'll be so fun!"
"I've had three years, actually," Ciara explained. "I've been preparing since I was ten."
"Oh, that's good. I was kind of an accident prone and sickly kid, so I didn't get to start my journey until—did you say… preparing?"
Under Dawn's scrutinizing gaze, Ciara nervously giggled and wrung her hands. "I've… I've never actually been in a contest," she admitted.
"You've WHAT?!" Dawn shrieked. "You've… you've just been waiting?! For TWO YEARS?! I almost went crazy having to wait for two, and I wasn't even healthy the whole time!"
"You're awful lively for a kid with a weak constitution," Ciara softly said. "But, um, anyways, I've just… I'm worried about messing up and embarrassing myself, so I want to wait until I'm sure I'm really ready."
With a frustrated groan, Dawn dragged her hands down her face. "You'll never be ready if you don't just do it!" With a wave of her hand, Dawn dismissed Ciara's worries. "Losing is sad, but never trying is way worse! Sometimes, you've just gotta take the spotlight! Turn up the charm!"
"Turn up the charm," Ciara echoed. "Oh, I like that… Turn up the charm. Charm up!" She giggled. "Oh, I could make something like that my catchphrase."
Gleeful, Dawn clapped her hands. "Oh, cool! My li'l phrase is 'Spotlight!'" She winked. "Now, we both have something to say when we take the stage!"
Ciara looked over, noting the time. "Oh my, it's time to wash out the masks… Come on, I'll go first in the sink."
"Coming!" Dawn sing-songed, walking after Ciara.
Prinplup, meanwhile, snuggled a bit closer to the relaxing warmth that the sleeping, shiny Vulpix radiated.
The following morning came soon after, and Ash, Dawn, and Ciara filtered into the Contest Hall. Pikachu sat comfortably on Ash's shoulder, while Rosa clung tensely to his opposite.
"Well, this is it! Looks like you girls ought to get on the registration line, huh?" Ash asked.
"You bet!" Dawn agreed enthusiastically. "Let's go, Ciara!" She reached for the girl's wrist to pull her along. Fate was merciful, as Ash called back to Dawn to grab her attention.
"Wait!" He grinned. When Dawn turned back to him, his hand was held high over his head.
Catching on, Dawn laughed, slapping her hand up against his. "Y'know, you should've saved that for after we win," she teased.
"Well, excuse me, your royal highness." Ash rolled his eyes with a smile. "I'll save it for the victory lap, next time.
"Erm… Dawn…" Ciara lightly tugged Dawn's jacket.
"Hm? Yeah, Ciara?" Dawn turned back to the girl, raising a brow.
A rebuttal about assuming victory too quickly got caught in Ciara's throat, as she twiddled her thumbs. Instead, she squeaked out, "we should really get in line, now, or we'll be late!"
"Oh, right! Later, Ash!" Dawn waved. "Make sure to get some good seats!"
"You know it!" Ash laughed, waving the girls off to head for the stands. That was when he heard a quiet, but persistent whine, right next to his ear. "...Rosa? What is it, girl?"
~Too many people! Too loud! I hate it here.~ She pouted, holding her paws over her ears.
"Aw, but you said you wanted to watch Dawn's contest." Ash frowned.
~Next time!~ The Riolu excused, climbing down Ash's jacket to slap her paw against her Poké Ball. Without further ado, she recalled herself in a flash of red light.
Ash felt multiple eyes on him for the small scene, laughing nervously. "Eheheh… Oh, well. Maybe next time. Let's go get those seats, Pikachu!"
"Pika!"
There were many coordinators here today, crowded behind the scenes with their Pokémon. Some were grooming and pepping up their Pokémon, while others chatted and bragged amongst their fellow competitors. The competition left Dawn both nervous and grateful. Many coordinators meant the show would get more viewing, meaning she would earn a better reputation! However, that also meant an increase in competition… It didn't help that she was first up today!
'That's fine with me, though! We've been working hard for this… There's no way I'll lose!'
An all-too-familiar voice could be heard from beyond the curtains, then. "First up is a coordinator all the way from Sinnoh! Dawn, take the stage!"
Stepping out from the cool shade behind the velvet curtains and into the bright spotlight of the stage on the master of ceremonies cue, Dawn felt electric. Bundled nerves did little to inhibit her in front of the crowd, which was admittedly rather large. Gripping her Poké Ball in one hand, the teen spun with grace, tossing it into the air above. "Clefairy, spotlight! And use Magical Leaf!"
The glimmering entrance provided by the Poké Ball took shape as the cute, pink puffball, Clefairy. With a cute chime of her name, Clefairy conjured a gathering of glowing, emerald leaves, and cast them in her path in front of her.
"Now, use Defense Curl!" Dawn followed up.
"Fairy~!" Clefairy tucked into a ball, somersaulting through the gentle, but shimmering Magical Leaf. Her entrance was well-coordinated, as if she'd been trained to jump through hoops. But the performance didn't end there. She landed in the center of the stage, crouched down.
Dawn threw her hands up in the air. "Now, use Stored Power, Clefairy!"
Clefairy stood up tall - as tall as a Clefairy could, at least - and chanted happily as she unleashed her power. A bright, pink and purple aura washed over the stage in all directions, highlighting the remainder of Magical Leaf that was kept afloat by Stored Power. Although they'd started with a green tint, the influence of the new move painted them in similar, passionate hues.
The small fairy took advantage of the beautiful setting she'd procured, dancing around happily on the tips of her toes. "Fairy~ Clefairy… Clefairy~!" She cooed, striking a pose.
The crowd seemed to sense that Dawn's appeal was done, as a warm round of applause came in for her and Clefairy.
"You did a great job, out there!" Dawn praised, as she ran a tiny, gentle brush meant for short fur through the puff on Clefairy's head. The pink Pokémon sat in her lap on one of the backstage bleachers, while the remaining appeals cycled through on the television screens.
"Fairy," Clefairy curtly replied. Her beady eyes were fixed on the closest screen, thoughtfully watching the other appeals play out. A Gloom bathed the stage in a cozy green glow, followed by a Sweet Scent that the Pokémon looked positively pleased to breathe in.
The smile it wore… Gloom truly looked to be in its element, didn't it?
"...Hm? Is something the matter, Clefairy?" Dawn frowned. "You've barely made a peep since we got back here." The girl's eyes widened, then. "You're not nervous about the competition, are you?"
"Cle?" Clefairy turned back to Dawn, and vigorously shook her head in denial. "Fairy, fair!" Had she shook a bit too vigorously? Was the smile she plastered on selling it too hard?
Perhaps not, as Dawn seemed to accept it, smiling, herself. "I guess it was just my imagination. Maybe I'm the one who's a little unnerved, here!" She chuckled lightly. "Sorry, Clefairy." The blue-haired girl returned to watching the appeals; this time, an older man who was showing off a cool appeal with his Voltorb.
"...Cle." Clefairy's smile gave away when Dawn stopped paying attention. She watched a Sonic Boom coast coolly across the screen, and sighed.
"Our final performer is a fiery young lady from Kanto! Please welcome Ciara, of Scissor Street!"
Was the master of ceremonies being ironic? Timid and slow in her steps, the lavender-haired coordinator stepped out, trembling a bit. Stopping under the attentive glow of the spotlight, she took a deep breath, a certain boldness flashing in her gaze.
Tossing her Poké Ball into the air, she spoke with command that seemed uncharacteristic, booming through the arena. "Flareon! Charm up!"
The Poké Ball burst open, allowing a cute, shiny-coated Flareon to land with grace.
Swallowing her fear, Ciara began her appeal. "Flareon, use Tail Whip!"
Flareon began to prance about the stage with playful enthusiasm, letting out chirps of glee under the spotlight. It then crouched, cutely wagging its tail about. While the move offered no special effects on its own, it was awfully cute
"G-good!" Ciara affirmed, bundling her fists. "Now, add in Fire Spin!"
"Flarrrre~!" Flareon continued to swish its fluffy tail, now working it into a spiral pattern, adding touches of embers to the Tail Whip that quickly roared into a spiraling flame. The climbing fire followed the Tail Whip, showing a great deal of control from Flareon, on top of its cute appeal.
"Oh, how adorable! Flareon has managed to balance a skilled Fire Spin from that to-die-for Tail Whip! A true combination of cuteness and beauty!" Lilian echoed the cooing audience's sentiments.
Ciara crossed her hands over her chest, gathering her confidence under the audience's undivided attention. "Good! Now, use Flame Charge!"
"Flare!" With a shake of its rear, Flareon flung the rising Fire Spin out of its control. A fiery aura burst around its dense coat, and it shot into the center of its own Fire-type attack. The swirls of Fire Spin expanded and fanned away from the epicenter, broken up by Flareon's Flame Charge.
Now, for the finisher. "Now! Use Baby-Doll Eyes!"
Flareon reached its Fire Spin's zenith, and with it, its many loops caught up with it in dispersing into many bright red, orange, and yellow embers. With glimmering heat highlighting Flareon themselves as the center of attention, Flareon cooed, flashing a cute, curved smile and an adorable wink towards the crowd. "Flareeee~!"
Pink hearts came from its black, beady eyes, popping in conjunction with the fleeting embers.
Ciara teetered unsurely onto the stage, shifting back and forth to properly catch Flareon in her arms. With some trepidation, she succeeded, nearly buckling under the weight of her Pokémon. Luckily, half of its body mass seemed to be dense fur. She collected herself, flashing a shy smile at the crowd. Whether the faint ruddy red in her cheeks was from stage fright or the heat was hard to say.
Her heart was pounding, when she passed the stage's curtain and filtered into the locker room, backstage. Ciara suddenly regretted dressing herself in a dense sweater, after standing under the Contest Hall's spotlights. Hugging her Flareon to her chest probably didn't help matters, but his soft, fluffy mane was soothing to touch.
The Pokémon poked his nose out of the groove of her arm, and tilted his head up at her. "Flare?"
Not wanting to worry him, Ciara smiled, shaking her head. "You were great, Flareon… That was so much fun! Wasn't it…?" If not just a tad nerve-racking.
The Pokémon cooed in agreement. Just about then, she heard the familiar clack of platform boots quickly coming closer.
"Ciara!" Dawn beamed, bundling up her fists in front of her. "Ciara, that was great! Flareon looked so cute, out there!"
"Flare~!" Flareon boasted, smugly turning up his head.
"I knew you were holding out on me." Dawn grinned, nudging the girl's side.
"Th-thank you…" She winced, taking just a step back. Dawn seemed to put in a bit more force than that than intended. Ciara had the awful feeling she had a tendency to roughhouse. All things considered, though, she did feel her heart swell with the praise. Had it really been good!? "Flareon did an excellent job; just like we practiced. Oh, and your appeal was nice, too! Clefairy looked like she was having fun!"
"You think…? I was actually a little worried she didn't." Dawn flashed a weak, half-smile. "She seemed a little off, when I took her backstage."
"Well… I can't say I blame her." Ciara absently stroked Flareon's fur. "I-it's pretty frightening, out there. Especially if… you said it was Clefairy's first contest, right?" She blinked.
"...Oh, yeah! I guess it is. That does make sense." Dawn held a finger to her lip, thoughtfully.
"Okay, everyone! The judges have made their decision!" Lilian's voice could be heard over the loudspeaker, as well as her real voice echoing it, muffled by the curtain. "We're about to show the eight coordinators who put on a show worthy of making it to the battle round!"
"Oh, that's our cue!" Dawn chimed, leaving the conversation behind, for the moment. Three different faces from the appeal round appeared, before Dawn's showed on the screen.
"Alright! I made it!"
Ciara swallowed thickly, hugging Flareon against her chest. She could feel the Pokémon's tail swishing anxiously. One, two, three more coordinators appeared that weren't her… Had she embarrassed herself, that easily!?
Then, there she was. The lavender-haired Ciara in the last frame.
"There you are, Ciara!" Dawn grinned. "See!? I knew you'd make it! Now, we can face each other in the battle rounds!"
"Y-yes!" Ciara stammered out, before reality hit her, in the form of the brackets. Dawn was placed in the very first bracket on the left, and Ciara on the far right. "...If I make it to you, that is."
Dawn blinked slowly. Suddenly, she felt a very odd sense of Déjà Vu. A battle in the finals…
"Well, how about this?" Dawn smirked, waiting until she had Ciara's full attention. "Promise me you'll give this your all, so we can face each other in the final round!"
The challenge left a look of surprise on Ciara's face. Perhaps a tint of fear. But she quickly swallowed that fear, and smiled. "O-okay, then… It's a promise!" With just an ounce of hesitation, she held out her hand to shake.