Chapter 13 – Through Passion and Fear

"Ladies and gentlemen! This is a battle you'll sure to marvel at. One is an exceptionally talented coordinator who has come close to winning many Grand Festivals! Across from her is her long-time friend and decorated veteran of many Pokémon league competitions, and a man known for weaving his way out of nearly any tight spot. I give you Dawn and Ash! The first battle of our competition!" Lilian Meridian shouted out to the cheering crowd, "So! Let's get busy!" She threw a set of sideways punches as she emphasized her catchphrase, revving the audience even further.

True to Lilian's words, Ash and Dawn stood across from one another on the battlefield with locked eyes. They were smiling, but they were also glaring at one another. Neither was angry with the other, but both were determined to outdo the other in an effort to test each other.

They nodded to each other and each pulled out a pokéball. Ash smirked as he reached for his. But there was something different about it. This did not escape Dawn's notice and her face took a puzzled form. She shouted across the field, "Ash... don't tell me you forgot to put a seal on your pokéball."

Ash only continued to smile deviously and he returned the criticism with a sly, if somewhat cryptic answer, "Oh, this Pokémon doesn't need a seal to make flashy entrance."

Dawn raised a curious eyebrow and then shook her head. Already she realized she was getting distracted by something trivial, and she needed to concentrate on the match to come. Together they released their Pokémon.

"Typhlosion! Spotlight!"

"Noctowl! I choose you!"

The bipedal fire-type burst into existence in a flurry of red flames, which he quickly dispersed with a roar of dominance as he slammed feet-first into the dirt battlefield. Meanwhile, Ash's perfectly normal pokéball yielded a cascading ring of sparkles which emanated from the form of Ash's brilliantly coloured owl.

"Oh wow! What a unique and vibrant looking Pokémon!" Lilian adored the smaller-than-average-sized owl, "Its yellow and red plumage is such a delight to see! And those shimmering sparkles weren't from a seal folks. That was the rare nature of his Pokémon on display!"

"Wow... didn't expect that," Dawn spoke, her voice flat but her eyes wide in surprise. Dawn had seen many of Ash's pokemon as he rotated them through his journey in Kanto and Sinnoh, but to that point, she had yet to meet this one. She honestly didn't know what to expect.

"Your Typhlosion is looking really good! Hard to believe it used to be that little Cyndaquil!" Ash complimented, "I know this is gonna be a great battle! Let's give them one they won't forget!"

Dawn's face returned to its original, steely ready arrangement and she replied eagerly, "Absolutely!"

"Begin the match!" Lilian cried out as the five-minute timer appeared on the electronic board above them.

"Ascend!" Ash commanded immediately. The owl took off from its resting position on the field, temporarily putting it out of reach of the Volcano Pokémon.

"Hurry and use eruption before it gets too high!" Dawn countered.

The giant badger roared in fury before pounding his forelegs into the earth. Immediately, the earth shook and a geyser of flame erupted beneath Noctowl. The bird's eyes bugged out before it was struck dead-on by the searing attack. The sheer power caused Noctowl to shoot up further into the sky before beginning to plummet downwards again. A portion equivalent to nearly an eighth of Ash's points disappeared from the ring that denoted his total on the scoreboard.

"That was really fast," Ash commented. He had seen Dawn's Pokémon in action before, but she had clearly been training him hard recently, and didn't realize just how well they had been able to cut down on the execution time of the attack. But he was determined to not let the match end there.

"Now! Jump and use wild charge!" Dawn followed up. Typhlosion stomped on the ground once on all fours before taking on a layer of electricity around itself, making him glow a brilliant gold as he began his dash towards the falling opponent. The fire-type jumped into the air once he got close enough and beamed straight towards Noctowl. This impressive display only served to help diminish Ash's points further.

"Hypnosis!"

"Use-," it was no good. Dawn's command to save her competitor had no chance of being finished before Ash's Noctowl spun out of its apparent limp fall. Its eyes took on an ethereal blue glow before launching a purple psionic ring which struck Typhlosion without warning. The great badger lost his electric sheen and fell back to earth in a ragged heap. Ash smiled as he saw Dawn's points take their first hit of the match.

Ash's satisfaction only grew wider with his next attack, "Dream eater!" Once again, Noctowl's eyes glimmered with light; but this time it was a more potent red. The same colour of energy seemed to rise out of Typhlosion, who shivered in his sleep as a result. The cloud of red energy was sucked into the feathered 'horns' atop Noctowl's head, which glowed brilliantly afterward. Noctowl spread its wings wide and cried victoriously as its previous burns and charred feathers took their original shade of red and pale yellow. Noctowl was completely healed.

"What a brilliantly executed maneuver!" Lilian cheered as Dawn's points took a rather large hit.

"Ah! Typhlosion! You need to wake up! I need your help if we want to win this contest!" Dawn pleaded to her slumbering Pokémon.

"Wow, Ash is doing pretty well," Zoey admitted as she looked on the TV screen from the waiting room.

"I used that same strategy on him with my Politoed this week," Misty told her with some pride, "Except it was my Politoed that came in close for the attack so it couldn't be avoided. But he was patient enough to wait for Dawn to do it instead."

"I still can't believe he has such a unique Pokémon. I've never seen a Noctowl coloured like that before," Zoey admired.

"Yeah! He caught it in Johto when I still used to travel with him. It's been a pretty powerful member of Ash's team for a long time," Misty recounted.

"I actually have to admit; not using a seal to show off his Pokémon's natural flair was a great move on Ash's part. It's actually something many coordinators might forget," Zoey spoke with an impressed tone. But her tone grew critical and she continued, "But Ash can't get comfortable. If I know Dawn, she'll figure a way out of this. If there's one thing those two have in common, it's their knack for unprecedented comebacks."

"Sky attack!"

Ash's command was followed by a loud caw from Noctowl as it soared into the open-air of the battlefield and began to glow a brilliant white. Dawn's points suffered once again as a result, bringing her close to half. Soon the owl began its shrieking descent on the prone badger.

"Please! Wake up!" Dawn screamed to her companion. It seemed that the cries of his trainer finally woke him up, because Typhlosion's eyes snapped open. However, it was not soon enough to save him from the perfectly executed sky attack. Noctowl swooped past, marring the fire-type as it smashed into him, only to gracefully soar back into the sky. The successful attack once again stole some of Dawn's points.

Despite this new injury, Typhlosion stood up quickly and angrily. He roared a challenging cry at his opponent, to which the owl merely tilted its head in an analytic manner.

"Air slash!" Ash ordered quickly. Noctowl began flapping its wings quickly, conjuring spinning blades of white wind energy that hurdled towards the grounded fire-type.

"Dig!" Dawn instructed. The badger dug his way into the dirt field. Leaving the blades of spinning air to merely impact the dirt and throw up some dust to conceal his escape. It was Ash's turn to lose some points.

"Keep an eye out, she's planning something," Ash counselled his flying-type. The bird nodded and kept making visual sweeps of the field below. It was smart enough to know this wasn't all the fire-type had to offer.

"Flame-wheel!"

Bursting straight out of the ground directly beneath Noctowl's airborne position, the flame wreathed badger launched himself in a flurry of flames and rocks. The beast soared intently towards the alarmed bird.

"Hypnosis!" Ash called as he saw its quick approach.

"Not this time! Counter-shield!" Dawn ordered enthusiastically.

Spinning in mid-air, the flame wheel that enshrouded the badger grew into a set of rings emanating from his mouth. As the spin went on, the rings grew in size and in their distance from the source. It was a marvellous sight, and caused Ash to lose points not only because of the spectacle, but because the hypnosis dissipated on contact with the barrier. Both Ash and Dawn's minds immediately snapped back to years earlier, when Ash first adapted the move against Fantina to counter the exact same hypnosis tactic.

"Get away!" Ash cried desperately, realizing he had dawdled too long in the distant memories. The owl began its hasty retreat, but was clipped at the last second, sending the bird spiraling towards Dawn's end of the field. Typhlosion, seeing this, cut his counter-shield and landed deftly on his hind legs, letting out a roar of victory.

"Well done, Dawn," Ash complimented slyly, "But we've both used counter-shield for a long time. I've come up with ways around it!"

"How?"

"You'll see," his tone turning confident, "Noctowl! Hypnosis!"

Dawn didn't want to give him to opportunity to implement his new strategy, so instead she took a different route, "Dig!"

The badger burrowed into the earth again, much to the chagrin of both Ash and Noctowl. Ash gave Noctowl an odd order, "Stay on the ground this time. Feel for the vibrations with your feet."

Noctowl did just that, holding its position and closing its eyes. Soon enough, the bird felt the rumble beneath its feet, and squawked to warn Ash, "Now get up and use air slash straight down!"

"Typhlosion, stop!" Dawn tried to warn her fire-type. However, it was too late, as the badger burst from the ground, only to find several blades of powerful wind pounding him back into the earth from which he sprang.

"Hypnosis!"

"Not again!" Dawn growled, "Back underground and come out away from Noctowl." The ring of psychic energy impacted harmlessly in the now vacant hole. As ordered, Typhlosion emerged from the field near Dawn while Noctowl sat contentedly on the field with its gaze leveled at its opponent.

"Now are you willing to see what I was talking about?" Ash asked coyly.

"By all means," Dawn retorted.

"Hypnosis!"

"Counter-shield!"

The wave of psychic energy began its journey across the field while Typhlosion created his barrier once again. Ash was smiling widely as he executed his plan, "Air slash on the ground near Typhlosion!" The air slash was quickly conjured and streaked across the field, overtaking the hypnosis and cutting into the earth just in front of the fire-type. The force of the impact and the dust cloud it shook up caused Typhlosion to lose balance and the counter-shield grew unstable, collapsing unceremoniously.

"Dig to get away!" Dawn nearly panicked as she gave the order. As the dust cleared, a large hole was seen and Ash nearly cursed. The Volcano Pokémon had just managed to barely escape.

Ash managed to glimpse the point totals before turning his attention back to the field. With barely a minute left, Dawn had a quarter of hers left, while Ash had just a sliver more after the recent deduction for his missed attack.

"Eruption! Turn the field upside down!" Dawn smiled as she gave the order. She knew there was no way Noctowl would avoid this, flying or not. As predicted, the field began to shake as parts of it glowed red. Soon, columns of fire burst from underground, throwing chunks of rocks with it. Soon the airspace was riddled with chunks of stone of all sizes.

"Protect yourself with air slash!" Ash instinctively instructed. Noctowl did just that, turning and flapping its wings in a hectic frenzy to split and bat away large stones that threatened to impact the bird with its razor sharp air attacks.

"Hurry! Come out and let's finish this the way we practiced!" Dawn ordered.

Even as rocks were still landing, Typhlosion burst from the earth once again and began to surround himself lightning as it began to use wild charge.

"Hypnosis!" Ash commanded, seeing the imminent threat.

"Jump and spin yourself into a flame wheel!" Dawn called confidently. Even as he jumped and fire poured from its mouth, the lightning sheath persisted along the fur of Typhlosion. Soon he was engulfed in a sparkling combination of blazing fire and crackling electricity. Ash couldn't believe his eyes. The hypnosis glanced right off the menacing combination attack as though it were nothing. Ash realized what this was. It was a combination of a compacted counter-shield and a moving attack. It was invulnerability incarnate.

Brilliant, Dawn, as always, he thought to himself, pride welling up inside him.

I really wanted to save this for the finals, it was my secret weapon! But I have no choice. Ash pushed me to my limit. I should have expected nothing less from him, Dawn's thoughts rang in her head with mutual respect for her boyfriend and opponent.

Ash knew that he was finished, but he wouldn't let that stop him from trying, "Sky attack!"

Noctowl barely had the time to store up the energy necessary before launching itself at its opponent. The collision caused an explosion of energy which caused two forms to fly in two directions. Typhlosion landed on his back, and recoiled at the coursing electricity that temporarily overloaded its body. Noctowl crashed to the ground right in front of Ash. It's feathers were scorched and a few sparks of electricity pervaded its shaking form as well. Regardless of its injuries, both parties stood up to face each other. They glared at each other, but not with contempt or hate, but respect. Noctowl nodded to its opponent before finally allowing itself to slump to the ground.

With three seconds on the clock, the judges all buzzed the unconscious owl to indicate a victory by knockout in favour of Dawn, which was further confirmed by Lilian's enthusiastic announcement. Dawn's face and that of her Typhlosion took up the entirety of the scoreboard as a confetti-adorned title of 'winner' flashed beneath her name. The blunette jumped and cheered as only she could.

Ash kneeled down to his valiant owl and patted its head as it slowly regained consciousness. He told it softly, "That was a fantastic battle Noctowl. You should be proud. Both Dawn and that Typhlosion are very tough." The owl cooed into Ash's arm in thanks. Ash was about to return it to his pokéball when a loud grunt came from in front of them. Typhlosion stood there with one of its forepaws extended. Ash picked up the small owl and brought it forward. With all the strength it could muster, Noctowl raised one of its wings and allowed the badger to grasp it. They shook like real sportsmen-like competitors, which elicited another loud cheer from the already deafening crowd.

Dawn came up from behind her large Pokémon and smiled sweetly, and it was all Ash could do not to pull her into a kiss right then and there. Despite his reservations against public displays of affection, he couldn't help but think that he loved her more right now than he ever did before. They did the next best thing though: the two competitors gave each other a high five.

"That was fantastic Dawn! That last move was probably your greatest invention!" Ash praised.

"It was only possible with you, Ash. You inspire me every day," Dawn whispered. Ash only barely heard her over the cheers of the crowd which was only now beginning to die down. The compliment brought and even wider smile to his face as he locked eyes with his girlfriend. He returned Noctowl to its capsule and walked off stage with Dawn as she mirrored his actions. They barely got to the hallway before Ash shoved Dawn into the adjoining side hall yet again and pulled Dawn into another wild kiss. He wanted to make it last, but he knew that they were expected back in the waiting room.

"We need to meet up with Misty before her match," Ash told her, his voice still dripping with need.

Just as breathlessly, she responded, "Yeah. I guess we should." They giggled at one another, knowing what the other wanted, but knowing at the same time they had a responsibility as friends.

"I honestly don't know if I've ever seen Ash so focused in a battle. Maybe I saw shades of that in my battle against him this week, but this was... different somehow," Misty speculated, staring at the replays on the TV of the battle that had just finished.

Zoey had to resist the urge to just say why. She knew the exact reason. It was some strange combination of their love for battling, coupled with their love for one another that seemed to give the battle an intensity that she had never seen. Rather than divulging this information though, she respected Dawn's request and simply said, "Yeah, this is the most focused I've seen Dawn. And I've met her in battle in many Grand Festivals. There's something about those two when they battle."

As though summoned, the two battlers walked through the door to meet the two conversing redheads. They heard the footsteps of the arrivals and turned to meet them.

"Ash! Dawn!" Misty gave her adulations, "That was a fantastic battle! Probably the best contest battle I've ever witnessed, and I usually watch the Wallace Cup every year, so that's saying a lot!"

Dawn launched herself into another flying hug which latched onto Misty with perfect accuracy. Misty was taken by surprise, but relaxed into the hug after regaining her balance. Dawn squealed into Misty's ear, "Thank you! Thank you! That means a lot! It was such a great battle! And it was so fun!" She finally unhooked herself from Misty and Zoey caught her attention.

"That was really intense, both of you should be proud," Zoey smiled sincerely as she shook Ash's hand and then received a hug from Dawn.

"Misty, you're up!" the usher interrupted.

Misty took a deep breath and spoke with confidence, "Ok. I know I can do this!"

"Of course you can, Misty!" Ash cheered.

"You'll do great! No need to worry!" Dawn reassured her.

"If your appeal was anything to go by, you'll have no issues," Zoey joined in.

"Thanks guys. I'll try to not to disappoint you," Misty bowed her head in affirmation and thanks to her friends' support.

"You could never disappoint us, Misty," Ash told her confidently. Misty's heart fluttered slightly at his comment. She could only hope that he would see her as she saw him one day, though she was happy with the fact that Ash still thought so highly of her, even after she had shut him out for years. She turned and walked through the doors to the hallway.

The light of the stage at the end of the hall was still somewhat unnerving to her. It reminded her of the water shows she performed when she was younger alongside her sisters. She wasn't a huge fan of performing in front of an audience in that way, but it was nice to be adored in the same manner as her sisters. This was different though. This wasn't about her beauty being on display. Rather, it was a showcase of her Pokémon. In that sense, it was even more important. She suspected it was a trait that she had picked up from Ash; that the welfare of her Pokémon and their desires and goals may have surpassed even her own.

She met her cowboy hat-wearing opponent at the threshold to the arena. He nodded wordlessly to her as they were called forward to the field. Lilian began her announcements, "Now, once again, Cerulean City's own gym leader! Kanto's best Water Pokémon Trainer, Misty!" Misty almost blushed at the idea she was best in Kanto. She didn't know if that was true, and she definitely knew she still couldn't hold a candle to her hero, Lorelei, who was just as much a water-trainer as she was an ice-trainer. Misty took her place at one end of the arena while her opponent did the same at the opposite. Lilian concluded her introduction, "And challenging her is an up and coming coordinator who made a good name for himself in last year's Sinnoh Grand Festival. He made it to the top 16. Some call him the Sinnoh's Pokémon Pilgrim. It's Wayne of Oreburgh City!"

The boy across from Misty tipped his hat politely and gave her a low, "Howdy ma'am."

Misty honestly didn't know what to make of him. He seemed nice enough, but his western getup what almost beyond ridiculous. He had it all: the hat, the boots complete with spurs, cotton shirt with a tauros emblem capped drawstring, tight jeans, and a black half-done-up vest with a golden sheriff's star on his upper left chest. In the sight of this she gave an awkward, "Hi..."

"No disrespect to your position ma'am, but I do believe I heard something rather disturbing come from you when we were waiting in the back during the appeals," Wayne began.

"What?" Misty was confounded by this boy and the direction he was taking this conversation.

Her opponent continued in his southern accented voice, "It appears that you are not a fan of a particular type of Pokémon. That's a shame, because I happen to hold some of that particular breed very close to my heart."

Misty still held a look of confusion on her face before her eyes widened in realization. The boy was tossing a pokéball up and down in his hand. She knew what was coming, and didn't like it one bit. Misty began to shake as the man tossed the ball into the air and she almost cringed. It released a blast of energy, flanked by green confetti, which formed into a shape she knew would send shivers down her spine. Floating lightly above the field with periodic flaps of its wings was a Mothim.

Misty, not wanting to embarrass herself had to restrain herself from screaming out in terror. Even with the passing of the years, her dislike of bugs had not abated; not even a little. She managed to, barely, keep her composure as she reached for her pokéball.

"It's just a Pokémon, like any other," she told herself quietly, "It's just a Pokémon, like any other." She repeated it to herself in a mantra as she focused on the coming battle. She looked up at what she perceived to be a 'vile and disgusting creature' and held her gaze strong. As gym leader, she had to deal with a bug type now and then. She had developed strategies to help steel herself against what was perhaps her greatest fear; and right now she was employing all of them. Coupled with the crowd in the stands watching her, not to mention the TV cameras showing the contest to what was certain to be at least millions of viewers at home, she was quickly becoming a nervous wreck. Still she wouldn't let this beat her. "I am a trainer, gym leader, aspiring Water Pokémon Master. I haven't come this far just to just let my fears get the better of me!" she whispered to herself determinedly. Her eyes leveled from the hovering Pokémon to the trainer that commanded it.

"Are you gonna send out your Pokémon, or can I just declare myself the winner, here?" the boy taunted, "I would prefer a fight to show you that bug types are more than the slimy vermin you think they are, ma'am." He tipped his hat back to reveal his strong eyes. He was ready to fight for his partner it seemed.

"This can't be good," Dawn remarked worryingly as she saw the Pokémon Misty's opponent sent out on the TV screen.

"What's her deal with bug-types?" Zoey asked, "I don't get it."

"No one knows. Never talks about it," Ash stated plainly.

"Has anyone asked?" Zoey pressed.

"She goes off in a list about all the things she hates about them when you ask," Ash answered dryly, "But if you keep it up and find out what caused it, she just gets all angry. Last time I tried to pry, she hit me with a mallet."

Zoey raised a curious eyebrow at the response and just turned her head slowly back to the TV. Dawn was growing more worried for her best friend and began to wail, "She hasn't sent out her Pokémon yet! If she doesn't she'll get disqualified!"

"Calm down Dawn," Ash reassured her, holding his girlfriend close, "She might not like them, but there's no way she's letting a bug get the best of her. When push comes to shove, she'll hammer a bug. Believe me; I've been on the wrong end of that exchange."

Just as Ash said, they saw the TV projection of Misty reach back and grab her pokéball. She drew back her arm and tossed it onto the field to reveal her Pokémon. Through the cloud of bubbles emerged a pink, coral-like Pokémon.

"OH! Corsola! It's such a cutie!" Dawn gushed. Ash couldn't help but chuckle at the similarity in his girlfriend's reaction to Misty's own when she saw one for the first time.

"It's a good match-up," Zoey commented, "In terms of type-advantage, Misty has got it covered, but with her state of mind, it will still be a hard fight for her."

"Misty's got this," Ash enthused, "I know it!" He turned and ran from the room without a moment's notice while Pikachu hung on for dear life on his shoulder.

"Ash! Where are you going?" Dawn screeched, seeing her boyfriend almost vanish from beside her.

Ash managed a response from the hall just before leaving their line of sight, "She needs support out there! I'm not in the competition anymore so I can go sit in the audience!"

Dawn was left standing there wide-eyed while Zoey's eyes narrowed in suspicion. The redheaded coordinator made an almost imperceptible growl as thoughts raced through her mind.

"I'll be back," Zoey stated bluntly as she walked out in the direction Ash went.

"Are you going to cheer for Misty too?" Dawn asked in puzzlement.

Zoey stammered for half a moment then answered, "No, I need to use the restroom. Tell me how Misty did when I get back." Dawn nodded and turned back to the screen as Zoey walked out. The top coordinator followed the route she knew led to the stands and she climbed the stairway to the upper level, the only place she knew there were empty seats left. She scanned the rows of seats and finally found Ash, sitting in the row closest to the balcony edge. She didn't join him, instead choosing to watch him from the stairwell entrance. She could see he was on the edge of his seat and incredibly eager.

The crowd was especially loud, but one voice managed to catch Misty's ear. It was a familiar voice that echoed from the upper stands. Her attention was snatched to its source and her heart grew a few pounds lighter than it had been the last few dreadful minutes. She saw the distant form of Ash and he was practically leaning against the rails and shouting down to her, "You've got this Misty! I believe in you! We all do! Do it for us!"

Her nervous frown managed to twitch up into a small, relieved smile. Despite all her attempts to shut him out, and then her sudden and possibly unfair confession to him out of nowhere; he still was her greatest supporter.

Damnit Ash, you make it too hard to stop loving you. She focused her thoughts on the field again as her eyes fell back upon her opponent.

"Let the battle begin!" Lilian announced.

"Mothim, give the lovely lady's pokemon a taste of your bug buzz!" the hat-toting trainer called out. Harsh, high pitched sound waves streaked outward from the bug-flying type, threatening to cause great harm to Corsola.

"Mirror coat!" Misty called strongly. Corsola began to shimmer with all the colours of the rainbow as the uncouth sound waves approached. Once they hit, they simply changed direction, rebounding towards Mothim.

"Dang!" the cowboy shouted angrily, "Fly high to dodge!" The moth, eyes widening at the return of its own attack, eagerly complied and flew above the waves to safety.

At least that's what it thought. "Scald!" Misty commanded with a smirk. Corsola knew exactly where to aim the boiling water that was ejected from its mouth. Aiming ahead of Mothim's flight path, it easily struck the flying insect which let out an unholy shriek as it plummeted back to the earth. It was sizzling by the time it struck the dirt of the battlefield.

"Earth power!" Misty continued her momentum. Corsola began to glow a brilliant white before it bounced on the ground, striking it with great force. Cracks stretched quickly across the field and surrounded the bug-type who was now vulnerable to ground-type attacks.

"Hurry and get out of there!" Wayne cried out to his bug type. But it was no use. Soaked and burned at the same time, Mothim was in terrible shape and could barely move its wings. The cracks spread, moving from their misshapen circle around the bug to directly under it, where they began to erupt in powerful golden energy. The bug screeched out in terror before the battle ended with its knockout.

"Wow! Only forty-five seconds into the match, Misty pulverizes her opponent!" Lilian was in awe, "Congratulations!" Misty looked up to the board to see her face now took up most of the screen along with the cute visage or her Coral Pokémon. Wayne could only stare with his mouth agape at how soundly he had been beaten.

Misty quickly ran onto the field to hug her dual water-rock type and immediately began praising it, "That was great! I knew you would take down that awful, awful bug for me! Wonderful job, Corsola!" The pink Pokémon began chanting its name cutely as it basked in both her compliments and the cheers of the crowd. Misty returned it to her pokéball and began walking to the stage exit and decided to look up to the balcony to see if Ash was there. He was not.

Her expression drooped slightly, but it was short lived as she saw someone round the corner from where the main hallway intersected the stairwell. Ash stood there, beaming at her. Misty returned his gaze, her eyes glistening with emotion. She ran over and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks, Ash," she spoke into his shoulder, "You always were there for me when it mattered."

"Not as much as I would've liked to have been," he returned, rubbing her back to comfort her.

"That was my fault. Not yours," Misty told him pulling her head from his shoulders and looking straight at his wonderful face.

"I understand why you did what you did. I just wish I knew earlier. Maybe things might've gone differently. I was just too stupid to see it when I was a kid... and a teenager," Ash confessed.

"Oh... you were so dense... but it's ok. I love everything else about you," Misty spoke to him sweetly, but gasped as she realized she told him yet again the embarrassing truth about herself. But Ash didn't let go of her. He held her just as tightly as a moment ago. He didn't seem awkward or scared off about it. Not like the night at the club.

Is he just being nice? Is he hiding the fear he showed that night. Or... have his feelings for me changed? Or did he have them all along and just didn't understand? Misty's mind reeled with the possibilities and the thrill of the conclusion that each successive one brought to her mind. Each speculation brought her that just another drop of hope in a well that she had thought had run dry.

They just stared into each other's eyes. Ash could see the very clearly evident look of love that burned in her shimmering orbs. Misty, for the life of her, thought she could see the same fire. It was tempered by something, and didn't burn as hotly as hers, but it was there all the same. The fact that she saw it all filled her to the brim with an almost euphoric level of happiness. All that had to be done now was figure out what kept that fire burning as lowly as it did, and maybe she would finally get through to him.

Ash's mind was at war with itself. He loved Dawn, he truly did. But at the same time, this vision of Misty before him was utter brilliance. Her sweet smile, sea-green eyes that made him want to dive straight in, her vibrant red hair that seemed like a fire that threatened to draw him in like the moth she had just vanquished, and that dress that fitted her form so perfectly yet left her looking so regal. He was suddenly, and was very nearly overwhelmed by, the urge to kiss her. He wanted to taste her for real, not just in his dreams. But he didn't. He had so very nearly done so at the club, but had halted himself at a fraction of an inch from contact. She was a dream to him. He briefly wondered if he was asleep right now, but the feeling of her arms on him that was slightly tight, though enjoyable, reminded him this was blissfully real. Yet at the same time, the guilt gnawed at the back his mind like so many pins being jabbed into him. Misty and Dawn tore at his mind from different angles, and he knew it was going to drive him mad sooner or later.

An announcement on the PA in the hall broke their concentration and they finally separated. Ash let out an awkward cough and told Misty, "We'd better get back. Dawn and Zoey will want to see you and congratulate you for that curb-stomp match you just had." He said the words as though he intended it to sound more excited, but it came off as somewhat disappointed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," she said in the same dreary tone.

The two of them walked down the hall, not in any rush at all, and clearly enjoying each other's company. Ash kept sneaking peeks when he thought Misty wasn't watching, admiring her in that dazzling dress. Misty did the exact same, giving approving looks of Ash in his sharp suit when he averted his gaze. It was only when the two rounded the corner that led to the waiting room that a third person revealed herself from her hiding spot. From her place in the stairwell, Zoey poked her head out, her face written in anger.

Ash and Misty arrived back in the waiting room to and overjoyed Dawn, who once again nearly clobbered Misty in a bone-crunching hug. Misty managed to pry herself for the jubilant girl's grip as the blunette continued to shower her with compliments, "You did it! I knew you could beat those bugs! Overcoming your fears is always a great step! And you beat it so quickly! Three moves? Unbelievable! Corsola was so powerful... and SO CUTE!" The line of praise seemed to just pour from Dawn mouth before Misty was able to get a word in edgewise.

"Dawn! Dawn!" Misty managed to overcome the energetic younger girl, "Thanks, it means a lot. I know without yours or Ash's support... I would have never been able to do that."

"See, Misty! You're born for the stage!" Dawn twirled to punctuate the point.

"Oh... I don't know about that. Coordinating has its appeal to be sure, but I think working to a master water trainer is still more my thing," Misty humbly replied.

"Either way, you're fantastic! I hope to see more of it." Dawn gushed, taking both of Misty's hands gently.

"Thanks, Dawn. That's so sweet of you to say," Misty accepted. She couldn't get over how nice Dawn was being. She suspected that maybe Dawn was trying to give her a road to follow that might get her out of the gym. It was nice of her of course, but she wasn't that interested in coordinating. But it was still something she felt like experiencing at least once. She was glad that Dawn had persuaded her into doing it. She couldn't help but want to please the vibrant coordinator and the bond they were forming over the event was one she would certainly cherish.

"Whoa! We missed most of it," Ash said quietly. In all the time that they had been chatting since they got back from the stage, they saw that not only had they missed the match that had come before Zoey's but they now saw Zoey on the television screen. Her face was the picture of stone-faced determination as she was completely dominating her match against her opponent's Ampharos.

"And that's a knockout! Zoey certainly showing off why she's a top coordinator today as she expertly controls her opponent's every move," Lilian's voice filtered through the television.

The trio watched her as she left the stage, and they noted something odd. Even though she had just won, and by quite a fair margin, she still had a cold look on her face. It was as though she didn't feel any joy from her battle.

"She looks different since she left the waiting room," Dawn remarked quietly.

"I didn't see her when we got back," Ash observed, "Where was she?"

"Oh... she said she had to go to the restroom, and then I guess she went straight to her match," Dawn explained.

"I hope she's alright. She seems in a downright bad mood," Misty spoke, her voice laced with concern.

Zoey returned to the coordinators' waiting room with the same cold, almost detached look as before. Dawn ran up to her and asked her quickly, "Zoey, is something the matter?"

Zoey's face softened as she looked at Dawn. Her glance flickered towards Ash almost unnoticeably and her face turned rigid again. Zoey's stern, low voice told Dawn, "I'll talk about it later. Let's keep our mind on the contest for now."

"Ok..." Dawn accepted awkwardly. She wasn't sure what this was about, but she knew that anything that made Zoey like this was serious.

Zoey went to stand off by herself while Dawn returned to the group. They looked at her expectantly and Dawn merely shrugged and told them, "She said she'd tell me after the contest was over." Both Ash and Misty raised puzzled eyebrows as they glanced over to the top coordinator who was now absentmindedly looking at the television screen.

"And here are the matches for the next round!" Lilian's voice rang from the screen. The room's denizens turned their heads towards the TV to see the semi-final match-ups. The portraits shuffled around briefly before arranging themselves into two pairs.

The first pairing was Zoey versus a blonde-haired woman with a pink sun-hat with a pair of stylish sunglasses perched atop the brim.

The second was Misty versus Dawn.