Chapter 4: The Team's All Here!
"Alright, everyone! Come on out!" Dawn gleefully exclaimed as she gave all five other Pokéballs in her hands a hurl into the air, each of them snapping open and releasing the creatures housed inside.
The first two Pokémon to emerge were of similar size, those being Dawn's Pachirisu and Buneary, with the latter making a quick scan around in hopes of spotting a certain Pikachu, but to no avail, its mood slightly souring. The next of Dawn's partners to appear in the fields was Quilava; the Pokémon had been asleep as it was sent out, and now woke up by stretching its body and igniting the fires on its head and rear.
The final two Pokémon were much larger in stature, with Togekiss sailing into the air in a graceful display of flight before landing on Mamoswine, the largest and burliest of the Pokémon to round out Dawn's team.
Dawn greeted everyone with a smile, "Hey guys, I hope you got some rest, because practice is about to begin!"
All of Dawn's Pokémon gave their cries of excitement and approval before looking around to see who their trainer's partner would be, as she had briefed them about the Doubles Contest and what that entailed. To state their anticipation and excitement to be working with another coordinator to be bursting with energy would be an understatement. However, the Pokémon quickly became puzzled when the only other person standing near Dawn was Goh.
The young boy in question then stepped forwards, "Heh… yep. I'm actually Dawn's partner for this contest, so we'll all be working together! Whadd'ya all say?"
"P-Pacha?" Pachirisu glanced up at Dawn, wondering if this was another one of her jokes.
"Toge!" Togekiss was already looking forward to working with any one of Dawn's friends.
Mamoswine, Buneary, and Quilava looked at each other with unsure looks, causing Goh to pout, "H-Hey! I've been doing my homework about contests! I'd say it's safe to state that I know a thing or two!"
Dawn couldn't help but giggle at Goh's frustration before turning to address her team, "Come on, everyone! I really think Goh's going to be a great partner for me and all of you! I'm sure we're going to have lots of fun together and do really, really well! But… we'll only manage to do so if you all give him a chance, and let me get all of you on track. Okay?"
The Pokémon that previously doubted the circumstances either shared shrugs, or took genuine support from Dawn's speech, each sounding off with their varying cries and giving a nod, earning a smile from Dawn, "Fantastic!"
The young coordinator then crossed her arms at her partner, "So, I wonder what Pokémon you decided to take with you to Sinnoh. Oh! Do you happen to have your Raichu with you? I think I could come up with something great for our Performance Stage!"
Goh pursed his lips, and rubbed the back of his head with an uneasy and quivering grin, "Oh, well… I don't have a full team with me here. I already transferred the Pokémon I caught back to Professor Cerise's lab. I only have my usual three partners on hand, with one of them being out right now."
The Pokémon catcher pointed to Grookey, who was busy thumping its stick against a rock, clearly enjoying the sound it was producing.
"Huh, is that so?" Dawn tapped a finger on her chin, "So what Pokémon do you have with you?"
"Let's see… ah, here they are! Come on out, you two!" Goh tossed the two capsules into the air, with each releasing a bright white flash onto the ground that materialized into Goh's two most faithful Pokémon companions.
"Cinderace!" the tall and athletic Fire-type popped out standing up, its long white ears twitching as it was finally free to move around. Cinderace was already doing warm-up stretches as it emerged from its Pokéball before it waved a friendly and excited hello to Dawn and her partners, earning cheerful responses from the coordinator's entourage.
"Inteleon…" the next Pokémon made its appearance, the slender, yet refined and dashingly mannered Water-type stood by its trainer. Dawn's Pokémon gave sounds of awe at Inteleon, with Piplup trying to hold in its unbridled excitement at seeing such a cool and suave Pokémon appear in its presence again.
"Wow, Cinderace and Inteleon! They're gonna be fantastic for our performances!" Dawn gawked at the two creatures, both now turning to each other and wondering what was going on, as well as looking for where Ash would be.
"Hey, you two. So… I know this is really coming out of nowhere, but… I'm going to be participating in a Pokémon Contest with Dawn and her Pokémon here, so we're all going to be working together and practicing with each other to really put on an amazing show!" Goh tried his best to explain the situation to his two Pokémon. Inteleon raised an eyebrow and stroked its chin with its tail. This was certainly an unusual turn of events for the Pokémon, but adaptability was one of Inteleon's strong suits in both battle and in the very DNA of its species. If anything, it welcomed the opportunity to try something new. It was also relieved that Goh had apparently found something else to focus on than catching Pokémon to the point of passing out and starving.
On the other hand, Cinderace's eyes shimmered and sparked in utter amazement and glee, the Pokémon running over to its beloved trainer and wrapping it into a cheek-to-cheek hug, the Striker Pokémon's powerful legs bounding Goh up and down along with it, causing Goh to laugh in exasperation, "Okay, okay! You really seem to be happy about this!"
"Ace! Cinderace!" Cinderace was absolutely elated for Goh to give it an opportunity to perform, the affectionate display continuing as Dawn and her Pokémon shared uneasy smiles filled with second-hand embarrassment.
With such a sight to behold finally coming to an end, and with Goh's eyes no longer seeing the world bouncing up and down, Dawn pointed up a finger, "Alright! Our first order of business is going to be figuring out what Pokémon will be performing for each of the rounds!"
That same finger made its way to her chin, tapping it as Dawn was deep in thought, "Let's see… the Performance Stage is going to be really, really important, since a lot of the competition is going to get cut just from that stage… hmmm… we really need to come out swinging right from the get-go!"
At this, Piplup puffed up its chest, and began to walk forwards, content to know what name was about to be called.
"A lot of the contestants will be eliminated just from the first round? Huh… you're right. We really do need to open strong…" Goh crossed his arms, "Cinderace's Pyro Ball is a really spectacular move, that's for sure. Maybe we could work something off of that!"
Cinderace gushed at the praise as Inteleon chuckled. Piplup was already imagining what kinds of displays it would create in the first round, giving a heartily, "Luuuuup…"
"Cinderace sounds great! But as for me… I'll need to match that kind of power with- I got it!" Dawn snapped her fingers as Piplup was ready for its name to be happily mentioned, "Togekiss!"
Piplup froze and collapsed, as if suffering from a heart-attack.
Togekiss gave a hum of joy as it made its way over to Cinderace, the two sharing budding greetings knowing that they'd be partners in the all-important Performance Stage of the Doubles Contest. Inteleon walked on over and picked Piplup up gently by its head, centering it upright so it stood on its two feet again. It gave it a little comforting pat with a suave and supportive, "'Teleon."
Piplup had to recover its demeanor in the face of Inteleon, so it shook its head to rid itself of its prior embarrassment, earning an accepting smile from the much taller and fully evolved Water-type Pokémon.
"Alright, Cinderace! Show Dawn what you can do! Use Pyro Ball!" Goh commanded Cinderace to start up its signature move.
The Pokémon kicked up a pebble from the ground with its right foot, and began to dribble the tiny stone as if it were a soccer ball. Dawn and Togekiss watched with anticipation as Cinderace prepped itself as it kicked the rock, with Cinderace giving concentrated and deep, "Ace-ace-ace…!"
Then, Dawn and her Pokémon partner gasped as a bright spark ignited on the pebble, coating the rock in a luminescent and powerful red fire, the rock disappearing into a growing fireball that was still being kicked up and down, alternating between Cinderace's feet. The orb of fire crackled and kissed with ferocity as Dawn was already running the possibilities the move could have in her imagination.
"Alright, give it a kick!" Goh, with a fist held high, gave the final command.
"Cinder- ACE! " Cinderace kicked the fireball up, and jumped after it, sending the globule streaking through the air with a round-house kick. The Pyro Ball grew five times its original size, hissing and feathering fire as it crackled and accelerated at breakneck speed.
"Way to go, Cinderace!" Goh cheered his Pokémon.
"Unbelievable! There's so much power behind that!" Dawn gawked, her enthusiasm echoed by Togekiss. The four witnessed the maelstrom of incineration smash against a boulder, dissipating in a showering of sparks and embers, visibly heating up the rock to attain a slight pink hue from the glowing of the heat that Pyro Ball caused.
"Toge~! Toge~!" Togekiss applauded with its big and fluffy wings in a clapping motion.
Cinderace's cheeks burned as red as the Pyro Ball as it received the compliment from Dawn and Togekiss, tugging one of its ears, "C-Cinder…"
"So, what do you think?" Goh stuffed his hands back into his sweater's pockets, "Pretty cool, right?"
"Cool? That was incredible! I never got to see the whole attack with such a close-up view!" Dawn was giddy from Cinderace's display, "And… hold on! I just had an idea!"
The girl began to tap on her Pokétch, and motioned for Goh, Cinderace, and Togekiss to come over, "Sorry for the small screen, but check this out!"
On the little device displayed a photograph from the Grand Festival, a contest that Dawn had participated in to claim the title of Top Coordinator, but had ultimately, narrowly lost to her friend, Zoey. The picture depicted Togekiss, surrounded by a striking red aura as it sailed through the air in an astonishing display, with Dawn pointing out the tiny detail on top of and at the front of the flying Togekiss: Piplup, using Peck.
"Woah, how did you pull that off? That looks incredible!" Goh was having trouble processing how such a display could be performed, "It's almost as if I'm looking at a streaking rocket in the air…"
"Cinderace…" Cinderace muttered in amazement, earning a humble thanks from Togekiss.
"Y'see, that's a move I like to call 'Rocket Formation'! I pulled it off by having Togekiss use Sky Attack, with Piplup riding on top and using Peck!" the young coordinator gave her breakdown of the contest combination, "I think we can do something like that with Togekiss's Sky Attack and Cinderace's-"
"Pyro Ball?!" Goh took a step back in shock.
"C-Cinder?!" Cinderace gasped as well.
Togekiss gave a smile and nodded, approving of the plan, "Toge~!"
With a snap of her fingers, Dawn pointed at Goh and Cinderace, "There's no way to know unless we give it a try! I'm sure we can pull it off!"
"Hmmm, Pyro Ball and Sky Attack… if we can get the timing right, and the angle as well… oh! I see! Togekiss can envelop itself in the Pyro Ball!" Goh began to see the formula coming together, "I wonder what it's going to look like! Oh, and we gotta come up with a name for it too!"
Dawn giggled, "Well, first we actually have to succeed in making it work. Care to give it a try right now?"
"You bet! Ready, Cinderace?" Goh asked his partner, who gave a worryful agreement to the question, which unfortunately had gone unnoticed by Goh, "Alright, let's do this!"
Both coordinators and their Pokémon took their positions, standing at opposite sides of the grass field. Togekiss waited patiently for its trainer's order, while Cinderace slapped its cheeks with its paws, trying to psych itself up. This time, Goh took notice of Cinderace's demeanor.
"Hey, Cinderace, what's the matter?" the boy asked.
"A-Ace…" Cinderace pointed at Togekiss with a guilty expression, kicking the pebble on its foot with half-hearted intent.
"Is everything okay over there, Goh?" Dawn asked from her end, with Togekiss giving a quizzical, "Kiss?"
"Oh, I get it… you don't want to use Pyro Ball against Togekiss," Goh began to talk in a whispered and hushed voice, "Look, I know it's a little scary to do such a thing, but Togekiss is waiting for you to use Pyro Ball to make an awesome-looking move. It's just practice right now, anyways. And if you get something wrong, I doubt Togekiss will hold it against you, and neither will Dawn."
Cinderace blinked, and then nodded, its heart still aching at this prospect. The Pokémon was excited to perform, but it never expected that it'd have to launch an attack at its friend, "Ace!"
"Alright, Dawn! We're ready!" Goh called out to his contest partner.
"Great! Alright, Togekiss! Let's charge up a Sky Attack!" Dawn gave the first order to Togekiss, who began to hum and condense its wings into itself with closed eyes, a harsh and iridescent glow emitting from its pure-white body.
"We're up, Cinderace! Use Pyro Ball!" Goh pointed, with Cinderace beginning to juggle a pebble with its feet, instantly sparking up and lighting the stone ablaze, much to Dawn's horror.
"W-Wait! It's too soon!" Dawn screamed, waving her arms.
"What?!" Goh gasped as Cinderace heard the concerns too late, and launched the devastating attack at the stationary Togekiss.
"Quick, dodge it, Togekiss!" the young girl desperately called to her Pokémon, who opened its eyes and quickly dissipated the charging move, flapping its wings in panic to avoid in the incoming fireball, with Dawn also diving out of the way with a shriek, the Pyro Ball hurtling past the two and detonating against a tree behind them, splintering the trunk into burning ashes and knocking it from its roots. Goh and Cinderace watched in horror at what had just occurred, with Dawn and Togekiss sharing terrified looks with one another as the tree fell down with a mighty crash.
Both Goh and Cinderace dashed over to their friends, with Goh helping Dawn up with a hand, and Cinderace profusely apologizing to Togekiss.
"Jeez, I'm so sorry about that! Are you two okay-"
"We gotta go! Now!" Dawn grabbed a hold of Goh's hand, and pulled him along, running off with him from the scene of the accident.
Togekiss realized what was happening, and descended to get ahold of Cinderace's shoulders with its talons, and lift the Pokémon up to dash after both of their trainers. As the group ran off, a completely shaken and singed Team Rocket rolled out from the tree, coughing and wheezing from their hiding place being destroyed and toppled over.
"Ugh, how did those twerps know we were in there?!" Jessie screamed in pure rage.
"M-My bottle cap! It's… oh. Phew! Safe and sound…" James felt relief as he held the tiny piece of metal between two fingers.
"Uh oh, we got company! It's time to scram!" Meowth was already on his two feet as he began to take off.
"Hey! Did you cause all of this?!" a groundskeeper shouted at them, holding a rake. His Roselia, who was standing next to him, appeared to be utterly offended at the presence of Team Rocket, coinciding with the fallen tree.
The groundskeeper raised his rake, and began to chase after the fleeing Rocket trio along with his Roselia, "Get off of the property!"
Dawn, Goh, Cinderace, and Togekiss shared labored breaths of exhaustion, the four believing they'd distanced themselves from the location where the tree got knocked down on hotel property. Goh and Cinderace were in absolutely horrified hysterics over what the two had just caused.
"Oh man, we're gonna be in so much trouble!" Goh gave a groan, sinking down against the wall of a building the two were hiding behind, "I can't believe that just happened!"
"Ace…" Cinderace wiped a flurry of sweat from its forehead, its chest rising up and down as its adrenaline began to wear off.
Shaking her hands in front of them, Dawn gave a nervous fit of laughter, "N-No need to worry! It was an accident! I-I'm sure the hotel staff would understand!"
"Hmmm… I don't know about that. The tree you knocked down was probably an over 100-year-old import from the Kanto Region… heh… heh…"
A voice crept out from behind Dawn, with Goh taking notice of a boy in a green jacket, wearing wide-rimmed glasses that shined harshly off of the sunlight beaming down on them.
"Uh… Dawn? Who's that behind you?" Goh pointed past his contest partner's shoulder.
"Huh- waaaaaagh ~!" Dawn shrieked in surprise as she turned around to end up face to face with the spectacle-faced intruder, his nose inches apart from hers, and still chuckling, "C-Conway?!"
"In the flesh," the boy chuckled again, "You two really are going to be in a lot of trouble if management finds out about the identities of the culprits. Heh…"
"You really have the most uncomfortable entrances… what are you even doing here?" Dawn asked, slightly annoyed and majorly creeped out.
"Wait, you know this guy?" Goh asked Dawn.
"Oh, how amusing. I was about to ask Dawn the same question. But I already know that answer, so there's really no point. You must be Goh, Dawn's contest partner. For… some reason," Conway looked over Goh with his glasses, adjusting them once more, "I've never heard of you competing in one before."
Goh, at this point, was beginning to tire of comments directed at his lack of experience in the field of contests, and immediately got defensive, "No, I haven't. And what does that matter? I'm a fast learner, and I'm making great progress."
"You mean progress in knocking down hotel property?" Conway gave a snide remark, "It's only logical that the moment I decide to get a room booked here, something happens, and Dawn's close by. Really makes you think, huh?"
Dawn pouted at Conway, "Oh, what are you implying now?"
Conway wiggled his finger, "Ah, ah, ah. I was actually hoping to run into you. Just a pure coincidence I'd catch you on hotel grounds. Heh, heh…"
Both Dawn and Goh's faces displayed uneasiness around Conway, with Dawn deciding that a second of Conway in a day was more than enough, "Well, I'm here if you want to tell me something, so go ahead."
Conway pushed the glasses up his nose, light reflecting off of them, "Sorry, but only for Dawn. I feel like she'll make use of the information more than you will… um…"
"The name's Goh."
The young girl crossed her arms, "You can tell both me and Goh. He's my partner, after all."
"Hmmm… I'm not certain. This one doesn't seem to be the brightest bulb in the batch compared to me. The information would suit you, Dawn. But as for him-"
"Hey, knock it off already! I've been doing lots and lots of research about contests just in an effort to help Dawn out! I've even been trying to refrain myself from catching Pokémon just so we can concentrate on practicing!" Goh pointed a finger at Conway, "So maybe you should quit acting like some know-it-all, or take a hike with your 'information'. It's probably nothing to get all worked up about anyways."
At this, Conway raised an eyebrow, "Well, I'm flattered by your labeling of me as a know-it-all. That wouldn't be that far from the truth-"
"Guys, seriously…" Dawn moaned in anguish.
"Do you have the Pokédex data on Suicune?" Goh whipped out his Rotom Phone.
Conway's snarky demeanor instantly collapsed, his glasses becoming crooked on his face, "Wh-What did you just say?! I had to have heard that wrong!"
In an instant, Goh tapped his phone, and sure enough, the fully registered data of Suicune, the legendary Pokémon was on full display for everyone to see. Conway instantly pounced at the device, "G-Give me that! I have to see it with my own eyes!"
Dawn put a hand on Conway's chest, stopping him from touching the Rotom Phone that Goh dangled in front of him, "Not so fast! You're gonna tell both of us what's so important!"
Conway protested again, but then realized that the price of walking away from such precious knowledge far exceeded being petty in who he spilled the bean to, so he collapsed against Dawn's hand, and then straightened himself out, "Very well. I suppose…"
Conway crossed his arms before adjusting his glasses again with a finger, "So, I take it that both of you know about the four judges that will be present to score and judge the contest during each of the rounds, right?"
Before Dawn could answer, Goh nodded, "Yeah. Mr. Contesta, Chief of the Pokémon Activities Committee; Mr. Sukizo, the head of the Pokémon Fan Club; and… uh… right, Monsieur Pierre, a guest judge from the Kalos Region, who's the announcer of Pokémon Showcases. And then there's also Nurse Joy of Hearthome City."
At this, Conway was impressed as he began to warm up to Goh's propensity for knowledge, "Hmm. You really have done your research. But… what if I were to tell you that one of the judges won't be present at the contest?"
Dawn looked up in confusion, "One's not going to be there? That's strange…"
Goh snapped his fingers, "Wait, it's Nurse Joy, isn't it. I didn't see her along with the other judges when I was in the contest hall."
"Correct again, Goh. She had to go on standby in preparation for the upcoming Sinnoh League Tournament," Conway's glasses shined once more, "But the judge that agreed to step in… oh, I'm not so sure you two are going to be thrilled… heh… heh… heh…"
Goh and Dawn both affirmed their lack of knowledge on who the other guest judge would be, so Conway muttered a single name, waiting to drink in the two's reactions, "Headmistress Matilda."
Dawn and Togekiss instantly went into panic mode, with Dawn pulling down the sides of her beanie, and Togekiss backing up against Cinderace, "M-M-Matilda?! Headmistress Matilda?!"
Goh raised an eyebrow, "Who's Headmistress Matilda?"
Dawn turned to Goh, fingers clenched into fists, and speaking with pure fear and uneasiness, "Headmistress Matilda is the Head Judge of the Galar Pokémon Contests, and she's infamous for having almost unattainable standards for judging! They say… that when she takes out that silver pen and gives it a click… the moment it touches her notepad… you're through! Just like that!"
At this, Goh and Cinderace began to share in Dawn's dread, "J-Just like that?"
Conway pointed up in the air, "The highest score she's ever given anyone is a six. And that was only once. To May, when she performed at the Grand Finals in the Galar Contest Circuit."
"She only gave MAY a six?! A-Are we sure we're talking about the same May here?!" Dawn asked, already knowing the outcome.
"The Dancer of Hoenn? Yes, that's the one," Conway nodded, "Looks like you two are going to have your work cut out for you."
There was initially no need to worry for Dawn, but now there certainly was, "Oh man, just when I thought things might go smoothly if we sort out our practice in time…"
"Well… seeing as how your first attempt at it went, you're really going to need to get on track," Conway snidely remarked.
"Gee, thanks," Goh sarcastically responded.
Then, Conway looked back at Dawn, "So… did you see the full roster of teams that are signed up?"
Dawn shook her head, "Well, not recently. Why?"
Conway did feel a little bit of hesitation about telling Dawn, but he might as well break the news to her early before it would come up at a worse time, "Your friend, Kenny. He's in the competition."
Goh narrowed his eyes at the news, while Dawn blinked, feeling a bit of hurt in her heart, "O-Oh. He is? Who is he partnered with?"
"Ursula."
The news of Headmistress Matilda was enough to shatter Dawn's confidence, but this was something else entirely. Her mind ran through what on earth could have caused this team to be formed, but deep down within her, she had a firm suspicion as to why Kenny would pair up with someone like Ursula.
"I-It can't be. Th-There's no way he would-"
"You can look it up yourself," Conway's cocky and sly attitude was now replaced with a neutral one, "I just thought you should know now, rather than you seeing them together when you're ready to perform."
"Ursula…? Who's that?" Goh asked Dawn. She didn't respond to him. Dawn began to remember how she had chewed out Kenny for insulting her and Goh at the contest hall. She remembered the exact words she had chosen. She realized that never, ever in her life before, had she said such horrific things to another person, let alone to someone like Kenny.
That boy's heart had to have gone into turmoil, and out of pure spite, he had sided with the worst-behaved person Dawn ever had the misfortune of competing against. A pang of doubt arose in her heart. Dawn began to wonder if what she said to the boy was too harsh, but it couldn't get past initial doubt. Insulting Goh proved to be the breaking point, and she felt that what had come out of her mouth, while perhaps being overly harsh, had to get the message across.
"Uh… Dawn?" Goh walked in front of his friend, "Are you okay?"
Dawn then came to another realization. Kenny had to have the wrong idea about her and Goh. The image of some boy he'd never seen before, and Dawn would pick him over her childhood friend for the Doubles Contest…?
Dawn adjusted her beanie, "Goh, let's… head back to the hotel room, okay? We'll practice tomorrow."
The boy's mouth opened just a bit, wanting to ask more questions, or say something. But this news about Kenny not only being in the contest, but also pairing up with someone that Dawn obviously had history with proved that it was a major blow to her cheer and positivity.
Even Conway didn't enjoy this reaction, but he stood firm on his decision to be the one to break the news to Dawn early. He exhaled, "I'll leave you to it. It's better you know now."
Dawn began to walk away, with Goh, Cinderace, and Togekiss following suit.