Chapter 5: Heart-to-Heart; Fire and Flight!

The boy kept his hands stuffed in his sweater pockets. A pit grew in his stomach the more time went on, even as Dawn had eventually gotten her smile back as the sun set in the Sinnoh sky, the beautiful shade of orange returning to the horizon before it would fade to twilight. Goh could tell that Dawn's rebound on her attitude couldn't betray how conflicted her heart was, and how much the prospect of her friend entering into the contest alongside a rival, no, an enemy of hers, tugged at her mind.

While Piplup and Grookey were already fast asleep from devouring their dishes, Dawn didn't say much during dinner, the wheeled cart and table that came with the room service showing how untouched Dawn's meal was. Goh blinked at the image of Dawn's plate, still bountiful with food. The sight gave him an unnerving reminder of the meals he had skipped in favor of squeezing in just that much more time to catch Pokémon.

His eyes narrowed at the empty plate, then shot back up to the bathroom door that was opening. Out stepped Dawn in her pajamas, her day outfit bundled in her arms, "Finished! The bathroom's yours."

Looking away for a second to get another look at the room service table, Goh then turned his face back to Dawn, speaking up in a concerned tone, "You've… barely touched your dinner."

Dawn blinked, tossing her clothes back into the drawer by her bed, "Oh, I'm just not too hungry tonight. No need to worry!"

Whenever Dawn said that, it usually meant that Goh would be worrying the most, and this was the time that had become undeniable. He knew that her mind was aching. He could hear it in her voice; the slightest tone of heartache and quivering.

Goh had respected Dawn's personal troubles by complying with her wish for him to head away from the conversation that she and Kenny were having when they were in the contest hall. But now, the young boy couldn't sit idly. She hadn't been in pain when she walked back to him, Grookey, and Piplup after she had wrapped up whatever it was with Kenny. This time was different.

"Dawn, you told me that I shouldn't be skipping meals… and… I'm not asking you to eat your dinner like I'm your parent, but what Conway told you back there… about Kenny partnering up with someone named Ursula," Goh began, instantly spotting the smile that was on Dawn slowly fade away as she was still busy closing the nightstand, "You're helping me out, just as much as I've been trying to help you. I know this is personal, but… please, can we talk?"

The girl sat down on her bed, her back facing away from Goh. Her head sunk into her shoulders as she inhaled, then exhaled. Goh could hear the shiver in her breath as Dawn replied, "It's… complicated. It really is."

Goh crossed his arms, "But I know you're hurt. You don't have to bottle it all up inside just because I'm here. I'm your friend, too. You can talk to me."

Dawn turned her head towards Goh. A genuine, albeit uneasy smile beamed back at her. The young coordinator could tell that her friend was really concerned for her, and that he wanted to help her as much as she was helping him. By keeping all of this inside and not revealing what had shattered her heart so much, she knew that it would eat her alive. That wasn't fair to Goh, either. He wanted to offer his hand to her just as Dawn did to him, but now she was actively slapping it away.

"Okay," Dawn spoke in the quietest, softest voice Goh had ever heard come from her lips. She gave a weak nod, and met Goh's eyes with her own, "W-We can talk about it."

Goh sat on the edge of his bed, as did Dawn on hers. Dawn's hands were clasped together, with a thumb rubbing the top of her other hand's finger. Her contest partner's attention was placed solely on her, with not even the chirping of nocturnal Pokémon outside being heard by him. Goh waited for Dawn to say something, and eventually, she began to.

"I'm worried about what's going on in Kenny's mind after I spoke with him," Dawn kept rubbing her thumb in her hands, "Or rather, I yelled at him."

Goh could remember a brief flash or two of outbursts from Dawn when he was waiting for her by the registrar. He couldn't make out much of the conversation from the distance he and the Pokémon were standing at, but very clearly, he picked up Dawn exploding at Kenny, telling him to "grow up". That must have been the breaking point in that exchange between the two childhood friends.

"I mean… teaming up with Ursula of all people?" Dawn shook her head in deep concern, "He knows how horrible that person's been to me and my Pokémon. But… no. I double-checked the registration list. Conway was right."

The young girl now took one of her hands, and rubbed her arm, "I think… Ursula found Kenny just after I walked away from him. She has to be taking advantage of what I said to him in order for her to use him to get even with me.

"I just- I just feel like I've done this to myself, and I've done this to Kenny," Dawn then tightened her grip on her arm, quivering, "But I can't forgive him for what he said to you. Those things I said… I-I had to say them."

Chin rising up a bit, Goh's mouth slightly opened, "Dawn…"

"Someone putting me down is one thing, but acting that way to my friends… that's unforgivable!" Dawn raised her voice, and looked back at Goh, who was unshaken by her sudden return to ferocity, "And now Ursula's just swooped in to take advantage of Kenny! She's probably doing everything in her power to make him believe he's trying to get even with me!"

Dawn then sighed, looking into Goh's eyes, "And with you too."

Piplup and Grookey had awoken from their slumber, both peeking up from behind Dawn's bed, watching the two without making a peep. Goh shuffled on his bed before selecting his words carefully.

"I really appreciate you standing up for me, Dawn. I really do," the boy smiled, and turned away, "It's not the first time I've been insulted, but… I'm sorry if I ended up making things worse when I talked back at Kenny. I guess I should have figured earlier that most of this was between you two, and stuck with that," Goh shared his uneasy thoughts.

"Goh, it wasn't just between me and Kenny the moment he called you a random guy who doesn't know anything about contests," Dawn crossed her arms, "And… no. Please don't think that you did anything wrong. I… actually… really appreciate that you stood up for me at first." A tiny smile broke Dawn's troubled expression, "It actually really means a lot to me. Even if it was against another friend of mine. But, Ursula… I can't believe that she would even do something like this. Well, come to think of it… no. She absolutely would."

Goh exhaled. His mind had been brewing possibilities inside that tried to rationalize why one of Dawn's friends would do such a thing to her. The troubling thing for him was that while Dawn definitely had hurt Kenny's feelings, there had to be more at play than Ursula just pouncing on an opportunity. He worried that telling this to Dawn would be insulting to Kenny. However, he had to inform her of his theory.

"Dawn… I've been thinking a little bit, and what I have to say might be taken pretty roughly in regards to your friend. But, I don't think it's just Ursula using Kenny. I think it might be a two-way street at this point," Goh began to reveal his theory.

"Two-way street? What do you mean?" Dawn asked with confusion. Goh noted that there wasn't any discernible offense taken in her voice, so he took that as a signal to continue.

"Who's to say that Kenny isn't also using Ursula to get back at you?" Dawn's contest partner continued to roll out his hypothesis, "Kenny could have just said no to her, especially if he knows what kind of a person Ursula is."

At this, a twinge of hurt arced into her heart. Goh could visibly see the reaction, as well as Dawn's growing anger on her face at such a proposition. She was about to open her mouth and tell Goh to shut it, but it only took a few seconds of thought for her to begin considering Goh's theory. He had a point. Kenny could have said no, but he didn't. He was her childhood friend, her friend since kindergarten, and even with all his teasing and overbearingness at times, he should never have taken up Ursula's offer. A friend wouldn't have done that.

In truth, Goh didn't want to see Dawn experience more pain than she already was, but he felt that this message had to get across in order to make her realize that none of this was her fault. Kenny had brought all of this onto himself, and rather than sit down and think over how he acted, he decided to double down.

Then, Dawn placed her hands on the bed sheets beside her.

"You're right, Goh."

The Pokémon catcher blinked at Dawn's response. She spoke again.

"If he really was my friend, he wouldn't have partnered up with Ursula. He knows what kinds of things she's said and done to me," Dawn gave a defeated expression, "It's just that… it feels awful knowing that a friend of mine turned himself into an enemy."

Goh nodded, "Yeah. It must."

Then, Dawn managed to crack another little smile, "But that's that. Maybe Kenny will come around and realize he's doing the wrong thing. Maybe… he… won't. But there's no need to worry. We need to focus on the contest, and our training."

Her smile grew as she faced Goh once more, "Thank you, Goh. I actually feel a lot better now."

"That's great to hear, Dawn. Really," Goh managed to grow a grin, and rubbed the back of his head, "Besides, who even is this 'Ursula' girl? She sounds absolutely awful!"

Dawn's demeanor changed to one of unrivaled annoyance, "Ursula?! Don't even get me started! She's the nastiest and most ill-mannered coordinator I've ever had to face!"

"What makes her so?" Goh asked out of morbid curiosity.

"Ugh! I could list a hundred things! Calling my Pokémon terribly raised, saying that my wins in previous contests were 'accidents'- I mean, what does that even mean?! How do you accidentally win a contest?!" Dawn threw her arms into the air as she pointlessly tried to reason with Ursula's line of logic.

"Sounds like she's a little jealous, huh?" Goh cracked a sly grin, pointing at Dawn.

"Oh, big time!" Dawn nodded, her arms coming back down to fold into a cross, "She calls me a loser and my victories flukes, and then says something like 'Oh, Dawn~! I'm looking forward to seeing what graceful moves you and your Pokémon come up with~!' Like, really?! You insult me like that and expect me to take that backhanded compliment just like that?! The nerve of that girl!"

Disgust was an understatement for what Goh felt about this Ursula girl as Dawn went on detailing her. Actually gaslighting Dawn like that truly could only come from a wicked and petty mind.

"That's awful! And none of that even follows any logical sense!" Goh himself was beginning to get angry at Ursula, and he hadn't even met the person.

"Oh, and get this. She'll then follow it up with some cheesy laugh like- 'AH-HA-HA-HA~!'" Dawn mimicked Ursula's demented smile and laughter along with holding up a hand with sprawled fingers by her cheek.

Goh's cheeks swelled, and he covered his mouth. Dawn's impression nearly made him explode in laughter. The same couldn't be said for Piplup and Grookey, now revealing that they had listened to the whole conversation, as they doubled over in laughter on top of Dawn's bed, earning a blush of embarrassment from Dawn, "Y-You two were awake this whole time?!"

That was the final straw. Goh exploded in laughter, his hands barely able to contain the fits that escaped his mouth, "I-I'm sorry! Your impression was really, really funny!"

Dawn snorted, holding a hand up to her lips and stifling her own giggles… but not for long. The dam broke on her end as well, and the two coordinators and their Pokémon all joined in hysterics in the hotel room. It took some time before everyone had managed to settle down, with Dawn wiping a tear off of her cheek.

She couldn't help but giggle one last time before warmly smiling at her contest partner, "Thanks for letting me talk to you, Goh."

Goh then gave a smug grin at her, "So, there's no need to worry?"

The boy's vision was instantly filled with white as a pillow was thrown at his face.

If Goh and Dawn hadn't shared that talk together, there would have been no telling how well Dawn would have slept. Thankfully, she had managed to get a good night's rest, as did Goh. This was indicative of the fact that, already in the early morning, the two had gotten their breakfast, and were hard at work with their training for the Performance Stage.

"Lup! Lup! Piplup!" Piplup cheered from the sidelines as Cinderace and Togekiss were doing their warm-up stretches.

"Rooook!" Grookey joined in with the little penguin Pokémon as well, both trainers mimicking their Pokémon and their exercises.

"Alright, let's give it another try! Remember, we need to get the timing just right!" Goh instructed his Pokémon partner, who gave a firm nod and a smile, "Great! Are you ready, over there?"

Dawn and Togekiss waved, "We're good to go! Alright, Togekiss, let's get Sky Attack charged up!"

"Togeeeeee~!" Togekiss hummed as it wrapped its wings into itself once more, the harsh and bright light emanating from its body once more.

"Not yet, Cinderace. We'll use Pyro Ball when Togekiss's Sky Attack is fully charged up!" Goh commanded.

"Cinder…" Cinderace steeled itself, still dribbling a pebble between both of its feet.

Then, Togekiss gave off a gigantic flash of iridescence as Dawn threw her hand forwards, "Togekiss, use Sky Attack!"

The grass that Togekiss was standing on was instantly disintegrated as the Pokémon took off, becoming a burst of light that Dawn braced herself against the backblast of. Sky Attack transformed Togekiss into nothing more than a stream of energy, the graceful Pokémon now rocketing towards Cinderace and Goh.

Goh had made a miscalculation. Togekiss's velocity was far faster than he anticipated, and he panicked in his next order, "C-Cinderace! Pyro Ball, now!"

"C-Cinder… Cinder…" Goh's partner mouthed to itself as it kept dribbling the pebble, trying to ignite the stone in time with the top of its pawed feet. By the time the stone sparked, however, Togekiss was seconds away from colliding with the two.

"Change of plans! Hit the deck!" Goh shouted.

The growing fireball fizzled out as Cinderace and Goh dove for cover, Togekiss barreling past them mere inches above their prone positions. The Jubilee Pokémon climbed up into the air as its Sky Attack dissipated, watching the scene below in shock. Dawn ran over to the two, still cowering on the grass, "Is everyone okay?!"

Goh blinked, realizing that he was in one piece, and quickly sat back upright to rid himself of his embarrassing position, "W-We're good! Man, the timing's proving to be a lot more narrow than I thought it'd be…"

Dawn crossed her arms in a huff, "Yeah… same here. But no need to worry, I know we can pull it off! We have to be getting closer!"

Cinderace helped Goh up from his sitting position and nodded at its trainer. It was ready for another try.

"You're up for another one, Cinderace?" Goh asked, just to make sure.

"Ace!" Cinderace clenched both of its paws into fists, nodding.

"Alright! We'll take our positions again, Dawn," Goh affirmed to his friend that he and his Pokémon were about to give it another shot, earning a smile from Dawn.

"Okay! Togekiss, come back down, and we'll try again!" she called to the graceful and elegant Flying- and Fairy-type.

As Goh went back to his side of the grass field with Cinderace, something caught the corner of his eye.

It was… a shimmer of some kind. Goh couldn't tell what it was from where he was standing, but something about that sparkle seemed familiar. He gave a signal to Cinderace to have it turn its attention as well, earning a confused look from Dawn. Together, both the Pokémon catcher and Cinderace brought their hands above their foreheads to block out the sun shining in their faces to get a better view of this strange phenomenon that had appeared in front of them by some bushes.

"Hey, Cinderace… do you think that's-"

Then, the bushes rustled, and a Pokémon trudged on out. It was a Glameow.

Goh's eyes widened. It wasn't any regular Glameow he'd seen before. Its coat wasn't the usual gray that covered its slender physique, but rather a more pinkish-violet color. Its fur shimmered in the sunlight as it stretched in the warmness of the morning sun, the Pokémon falling asleep just outside of the bushes.

"That Glameow… i-it's…" Goh quite literally couldn't believe his eyes, rubbing them and blinking to make sure what he was seeing was truly there, "It's shiny!"

"C-Cinderace!" Cinderace hid behind its trainer in a bit of an embarrassing fashion, as it was making itself more subtle to not wake up the sleeping creature.

Without a thought, Goh began to panic and motion backwards, "Cinderace, I need you to distract Dawn and Togekiss for a second! Do you know how rare these kinds of Pokémon are?!" Goh was already fishing in his pocket for an empty Pokéball to give a toss, but then he stopped the moment his fingers felt the metal of the capsule.

This… this was wrong. Asking Cinderace to distract Dawn? Trying to catch a Pokémon behind his friend's back? Going back on his promise to not relapse like this?

Goh narrowed his eyes.

Surely he could pull it off before she noticed. But…

No. Especially not after the heart-to-heart they had last night.

Goh's fingers quivered around the Pokéball, feeling the shrunken sphere nestled within his sweater.

Goh sighed as he reached backwards, and put his hand on the shoulder of Cinderace, who was already heading back to keep Dawn occupied while Goh made his capture, "No need. I'm not going to."

" CINDERACE?! " the Striker Pokémon gasped, its paws on its cheeks. It, of all living things, knew how much Goh loved to catch Pokémon, let alone a Pokémon as rare as a shiny one.

"It's not right. Even if it's a super rare Pokémon like that. It wouldn't be fair to Dawn, and… it's not fair to me right now. We're supposed to be taking a break from all of that," Goh couldn't mask the sadness in his voice, but deep down, he knew he was doing the right thing, "It's not the end of the world."

At this, Cinderace's eyes instantly welled with tears, and the Pokémon wrapped its trainer in a hug, so proud of Goh's decision to stay true to his word, jumping up and down, "O-Okay! Not agaaaain!"

"Goh? Cinderace? Is everything okay?"

Both trainer and Pokémon blinked, stopping their affectionate display as Dawn and Togekiss approached the two. Goh gave a sorrowful, yet dignified nod, "Y-Yeah we're fine. It's nothing."

Dawn crossed her arms, "Are you sure about that?"

Goh let out a sigh. He figured it wouldn't hurt to explain, "Well, Dawn. You see that Glameow over there?"

"Huh? What Glameow-" Dawn suddenly gasped, "Oh wow! It's a shiny Pokémon!"

"Yeah, but… I'm not supposed to catch anything right now, so I'm not going to," Goh reaffirmed, stuffing his hands back into his sweater pockets, "Even… if it's a shiny Pokémon."

Dawn couldn't believe her ears. Goh. Goh of all people… was passing up the opportunity to snag such a rare Pokémon? Some people go their entire lives without ever coming across Pokémon with such a rare complexion, and yet here was Goh, standing firm on keeping his impulses in check, even if was just a single Pokémon.

At this, Dawn couldn't help but feel honored. Yet at the same time… it didn't sit right with her at this exact moment. It wasn't just some ordinary Pokémon, after all.

The young coordinator pointed over at the Glameow.

"Goh, I think you should catch it."

The boy's eyes shimmered, "Wh-What?! You really mean it?!"

Dawn smiled warmly, "Yeah. It's just one Pokémon, and, well, it's a shiny one too! With all of the training and research you've been doing, I think you've earned this one!"

Goh suddenly threw his arms over Dawn, wrapping the girl into a tight hug, and causing her face to instantly turn red at the display as Goh began to rapid-fire thank-yous at her, "Thank you so much, Dawn! I-I promise not to catch anything else after this! I swear!"

Dawn gave an embarrassed laugh, "O-Okay, Goh. Now get to it before-"

"Woah! Look at that Glameow!" another voice came out from behind the bushes the Glameow had emerged from, "Pokéball, go!"

The flustered look on Dawn's face was replaced with one of guilt and dread as the Glameow disappeared inside of another trainer's Pokéball, the boy running out of the bushes to inspect his capture.

The Pokéball shook once.

It shook again.

It shook one last time.

Sparks flew from the capsule.

Goh didn't have to see what happened. He heard every bit of it. In Dawn's arms, he felt his soul leave his body as Cinderace and Togekiss patted his back to comfort him.

"A-Are you sure you're okay?" Dawn saw Goh performing rapid-fire stretches and aerobics, fire burning in his eyes.

"I'm better than okay! I normally don't believe in superstitions, but THAT was a sign! A sign that I can't get distracted by anything anymore! Only a Pokémon second to Mew could pull me away from our practice, so let's get it on!" Goh spoke in perfect breaths as he was doing squats, earning exasperated expressions from Dawn, Togekiss, and Cinderace.

"I don't think I've even seen Ash get this psyched about training…" Dawn giggled to herself, "At least he isn't depressed…"

Dawn clapped her hands, "Alright, Goh! I like your enthusiasm! Let's give it another go! How about it, Togekiss?"

"Kiiiss!" Togekiss patted itself off with its wings, getting into position.

"Alright, Cinderace, I think I've got it now! We need to launch Pyro Ball the moment Togekiss has finished charging up Sky Attack! Think we can do that?" Goh looked up at his partner.

"Aaace!" Cinderace gave him a thumbs-up as it kicked up a pebble from the ground.

"Okay, let's get this started again! Togekiss, use Sky Attack!"

"Kiiiiiiss~" once more, white light emanated across the grass field as the Pokémon began to concentrate to unleash its most powerful move.

"Cinderace, let's get that pebble burning!" Goh called to his partner, who was already busy bouncing the tiny stone up and down, sparks already jumping from the rock.

Piplup and Grookey both hid behind Goh and Dawn's backpacks, making use of them as a makeshift blast-barricade.

"Togekiss, go!" Dawn shouted, and Togekiss rocketed off at breakneck speed.

"Let's do it, Cinderace! Pyro Ball!"

"Cinder-"

KA-CHUNK.

"C-CINDERACE?!" the Striker Pokémon yelped in surprise as it was yanked off the ground by a gigantic metal pincer claw connected to a massive steel arm, the pebble dropping off of its foot and bouncing uselessly onto the grass below. Cinderace was pulled backwards away from Goh and hoisted into the air. It struggled to free itself as Goh, Dawn, and Togekiss all gasped in horror at the sight, the Sky Attack being charged instantly reverting from the surprise.

Piplup and Grookey ran back to their respective trainers, wondering what on earth was happening.

"Cinderace!" Goh called up to his partner, who squirmed and strained against the metal claw, its legs dangling uselessly.

"What's going on?! What happened to Cinderace?!" Dawn managed to run up to Goh's side, watching in fright at the scene of Cinderace being stolen away by the machine. Then Piplup chirped and pointed up into the air. Both of the trainers ran their eyes along the long, metal arm that the claw was connected to. The cable was protruding from a green balloon basket that was hooked up below an all-too-familiar balloon designed as a Meowth's head.

A faint chuckle came from the basket.

"Well, well. I hope we're not interrupting anything there~!" a woman's voice echoed from above.

"But you can't expect us to resist such an opportunity to snag a Pokémon!" her partner chimed in, crossing his arms in a look of superiority.

"No way! It couldn't possibly be-" Goh was interrupted as the criminals onboard their aerial ride spoke over them once more. Their figures within the basket were now clearly visible to Dawn, Goh, and the Pokémon down below. As their forms came into view, Goh and Dawn's demeanor changed to that of anger as the Team Rocket trio began to recite their tireless motto.

"Prepare for trouble; you twerps never change!" Jessie sounded off.

"And make it double; coming at you from any range!" James twirled his signature rose in his fingers.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

The two team rocket grunts joined each other, back to back, "It's Jessie!"

"And James~"

Together, the two stood with their arms crossed as Cinderace was reeled in with the grappling claw that came from the bottom of the balloon basket, "Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!"

"So surrender now, or prepare for quite the disadvantaged fight!"

"Meowth! Daaaaat's right!" Meowth hopped up atop both James and Jessie's shoulders.

"Woooobbuffet!" Team Rocket's fourth member popped out of its Pokéball, the big and wobbly blue blob saluting as per usual.

"Team Rocket?! Out of all of the times for the lot of you to show up!" Dawn shouted with an antagonized temperament at the sight of the criminals showing up to crash their training.

"Don't mind us! We'll be making use of our new claw to catch ourselves quite the prize!" James then snickered to Jessie and Meowth out of earshot of the trainers down below, "And double up by knocking a Pokémon out for the contest!"

"Give Cinderace back right now!" Goh pointed at the Rocket trio, earning mocking faces in return.

"Not a chance! It's no Pikachu, but a Pokémon this powerful will make an excellent Team Rocket member! Speaking of which…" Jessie gave an irritating sing-song call, "Oh, Pelipper~!"

Dawn and Goh took a step back, waiting for a machine to descend from the sky that would reinforce the crooks with an assortment of Pokémon, as did Team Rocket themselves. Then, seconds began to roll on without such a device falling from above. Goh raised an eyebrow.

"Hey, isn't something supposed to… happen right now?" the boy asked, stupefied.

"C-Cinderace?" Even Cinderace, caught tight in the claw, wondered the same thing.

"Uh… just a minute!" James called out in a sarcastically cheerful voice to their two adversaries down below as he dug into his pants pocket, feeling his bottle cap, warming his heart inside, then pulled out his Rotom Phone, "Hey, what gives?! Pelipper was supposed to get us powerful Pokémon by now!"

The black Rotom Phone sighed in annoyance, "Bzzzzt- you two really should check your email… Pelipper's on vacation right now. It was even nice enough to send you an electronic postcard…"

An image popped up of Pelipper sitting in a beach chair, sipping from a Pinap Berry-shaped cup with a tiny umbrella in it. The card read "It's lovely in Alola! Glad you're not here!"

"The nerve of that thing! Argh!" Jessie pulled on her hair in anger, "Fine! We'll just do it the old-fashioned way! Get up there, Wobbuffet!"

"Wobbuffet!" Jessie's fourth-in-command saluted and took a front position at the edge of the balloon basket.

Dawn already had enough of the two, and the battle hadn't even begun until now, "All of you are just the worst! Quick, Piplup, we need to get Cinderace free! Use Bubble Beam on that arm!"

"Piiiip-lupupup~!" Piplup fired off a volley of bubbles; the projectiles dashing up towards the arm connecting the claw to the basket, scoring numerous direct hits. To Dawn and Goh's shock, not even a dent was scored against the machine.

"Dig it! Reinforced against puny attacks like that!" Meowth chuckled, "I think it's about time we made our getaway! Adios!"

"No you don't! Cinderace, try and free yourself with Blaze Kick!" Goh called out to his ensnared Pokémon.

"Ace! Ace! Ace!" Cinderace's feet enveloped in fire, but Goh quickly found that with its arms bound to its body, there was nothing to kick at but air. Team Rocket laughed at the second attempt. Running out of options, Dawn gave her next command against the Team Rocket trio.

"T-Togekiss! Use Aura Sphere on Team Rocket!" the young girl desperately called.

"No, wait! They have a-" Goh reached out with his hand, as if trying to stop Togekiss from lobbing its attack at Team Rocket, but it was too late. Wobufett patted its belly as it prepared for Jessie's instructions.

"Oh, an attack just for little old me? How kind! Wobuffet, send that right back with Mirror Coat!" Jessie gave a lazy point at the incoming blue sphere of energy.

"Wobbu-Wobbu-Fet!" the blue blob stammered as it leaped from the basket, and allowed the move to collide against its body. Energy crackled against the Pokémon as the Aura Sphere enveloped the Pokémon, then fired back as a striking blue beam, blasting Togekiss with double the strength of the attack it had taken, sending Wobbuffet perfectly back into the basket from the recoil.

"Toge!" Togekiss shrieked in discomfort as it took the full, redirected attack, getting swatted out of the air and tumbling towards the ground.

"Togekiss, no!" Dawn cried out, as both she and Goh ran to catch the falling Pokémon. However, Togekiss grit its teeth and managed to recover, flapping its wings to hover over the ground.

"Cinderaaaace!" Cinderace called out, realizing that its time was limited before Dawn and Goh couldn't rescue it anymore.

"W-We're coming, Cinderace! Just hang on tight!" Goh shouted in desperation, trying to formulate some sort of plan to retrieve his friend from the clutches of Team Rocket. Dawn wasn't going to stand by any longer.

Then, Dawn got an idea, "W-Wait a minute! Goh! Maybe Cinderace can use Pyro Ball, and Togekiss can use Sky Attack! We can get the appeal move right this time! It's our only shot!"

Goh shook his head, the words coming from his mouth being painful to speak, "We can't! Cinderace needs a pebble or a stone to use Pyro Ball! It doesn't have one up there!"

The young girl's eyes went blank, and she clenched her hands into fists, pointed at Team Rocket, "T-Togekiss! Use Sky Attack on Team Rocket!"

"Dawn…" Goh muttered, knowing what was going to happen next. Togekiss shrieked as it began to fly up towards the balloon, picking up speed and surrounding itself in harsh white energy. Jessie yawned, waving her fingers at the approaching Togekiss.

"Twerps really never learn… Wobbuffet, please be a dear and use Counter," Jessie leaned back in the balloon basket. Wobbuffet, once more, jumped from the basket to meet Togekiss in the air, bracing itself for the damage it would sustain. Togekiss collided, and the blue blob groaned in pain as it absorbed the force of the attack before smashing one of its arms down onto Togekiss's back. Togekiss gasped as it faltered out of the air, crashing into the ground.

"N-No!" Dawn dashed towards Togekiss's crash site, feeling over the shivering Pokémon, "I-I'm so sorry!"

Wobbuffet was sent backwards with much more force this time, smashing back into the basket and causing the Rocket trio to scream and stumble. James sailed into one of the bars of the basket, knocking him back forwards and causing the contents he was holding to fall from him; a particular one flying from his grasp.

"My bottle cap! Come back here!" James leaped after the tiny piece of metal with Jessie and Meowth grabbing his legs and hoisting him back into the balloon, "I need it! Without it, I'm lost without a purpose!"

The tiny speck fell down from the balloon, passing by the arm of the grappling claw that was holding Cinderace. The Pokémon's eyes caught the shiny piece, and without a second thought, it extended one of its legs out to catch the bottle cap with its foot. Tilting its head in wonder at the little object, it began to bounce it up and down on its foot, its eyes instantly widening at the possibility it had unlocked.

"Cinder! Cinderace!" Cinderace called from the grappling claw, getting Goh's attention as Dawn tended to Togekiss.

"Huh? What is it?!" Goh shouted up. The only thing he could see was Cinderace's free legs doing the same kicking motion they performed when charging up a Pyro Ball. Cinderace's trainer immediately understood the situation, "Dawn, I think Cinderace has something it can use Pyro Ball with!"

"It does?!" Dawn gasped in shock. At these words, Togekiss pushed itself up off the ground with its wings, struggling and straining to do so, "Y-You're too injured, Togekiss! You couldn't possibly-"

"Kiss!" Togekiss chirped with unbridled determination, earning concerned, yet shocked faces from Goh and Dawn.

"You…" Dawn closed her eyes and smiled, "Alright, Togekiss. Let's do it for Cinderace! Charge up Sky Attack!"

Togekiss spread its wings and hummed fiercely as, even through the damage it had suffered, it prepared itself for a Hail Mary of an attack. Light arced around its white and battered figure, visible discomfort coming from the Pokémon as it fought through its injuries to give it another go at saving its friend.

"Cinderace! If you can hear me, use Pyro Ball!" Goh shouted with all his might to get the message to Cinderace, who easily picked up the order with its powerful ears, and began to dribble the bottle cap on its foot.

"Hey, hey, hey! That's no soccer ball! That's a limited edition-" James's voice was cut off as the metal piece disappeared in a sphere of fire, the man shrieking in absolute agony, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

"This is our only shot! Togekiss, use Sky Attack!" Dawn twirled and threw her hand out towards the balloon.

"Toge-kiiiiiiiss!" Togekiss cried as it shot off from the ground, becoming a screaming missile of iridescence slicing through the air once again.

"Cinder… Cinder… Cinder…" the ensnared Cinderace kept bouncing the growing fireball on its feet before lining up with the incoming Togekiss, completely enveloped in light, and smashed the orb of incineration with its foot at the Pokémon, screaming, "Cinder- ACE! "

The Pyro Ball sailed through the sky as Togekiss flew straight at the attack, despite its injured condition. Togekiss didn't even close its eyes as it braced for impact, the Sky Attack meeting the fireball, both of them colliding in midair, seemingly fighting against one another to see which of the moves would overpower the other.

Together, Dawn and Goh gasped in happiness and amazement as the Pyro Ball enveloped Togekiss's Sky Attack, spreading waves and arms of fire around its body, branching out into gigantic wings and tails of burning might, trailing silver energy in combination with the fire. Team Rocket screamed in horror as the combination attack sliced straight through the arm that Cinderace was being trapped by, sending the Strike Pokémon free. Togekiss spun around in the air to shake off the energy, creating a beautiful and dazzling display of white rings and circles of fire to flick off its body as it dived for the falling Cinderace.

"K-Kiss!" Togekiss clamped onto Cinderace's shoulders with its soft talons, earning a thankful breath from its friend. Coming back down to the ground, Goh leaped at Cinderace, pulling it into a tight embrace.

"C-Cinderace! You're okay!" Goh was on the verge of tears, as was Cinderace.

"M-My bottle cap… gone…" James drooped himself over the edge of the basket.

"I think there's no sense in sticking around! Let's bail!" Meowth began to operate the balloon in an attempt for the Rocket trio to escape. Both Goh and Dawn noticed, and were not about to let the crooks escape scot-free.

"Oh no you don't!" Dawn shouted, then looked at Goh and gave him a smile, "How about we show them that our combination move isn't just a one-off! What do you say?"

Goh and Cinderace had fire burning in their eyes, "We're with you!"

Dawn gave a determined grin to Togekiss, who mirrored her enthusiasm for another round, "Let's wrap this up! Togekiss, use Sky Attack!"

"Toooogeeeeee~!" Togekiss hummed as it put all of its remaining strength into this final attack before unleashing it all in its takeoff, rocketing straight into the fleeing balloon, "Kiiiiiiss!"

"Pyro Ball, Cinderace!" Goh pointed, and Cinderace launched another flaming pebble at the speeding Togekiss, the fireball growing and growing in the air until it impacted from behind, coating Togekiss in a trailing inferno, the Jubilee Pokémon racing to impact into the balloon. Jessie, now extremely concerned, pointed at the devastation they were about to endure.

"W-Wobbuffet, use Counter and-"

"Wobb!"

Wobbuffet took a good look at what it was about to endure and decided that there was a better option for its well-being. Wobbuffet leaped behind Jessie, James, and Meowth, and shoved them forwards, cowering behind.

"What are you doing?!" Jessie screeched in shock.

"Uh-oh, I don't think this is gonna end well!" Meowth closed his eyes and embraced what was to come.

The trio screamed in complete terror at the betrayal of their Pokémon before turning back to face the approaching flame-wrathed Togekiss, their faces coming into clearer view by the white Pokémon as it collided into the aircraft, detonating it as it pierced straight through and arced around to fly back down to the ground.

From the smoke, four contrails ejected away, with Jessie shouting in pure rage at her Pokémon and shaking it as she realized that there was no neck to strangle, "You idiot! You were supposed to take that attack! Not us, you big blue buffoon!"

James sailed through the air, also trailing smoke, tears streaming from his eyes, "My Nimbasa City Limited Edition Elesa-sponsored Cola cap! Gone! My life has been all for naught!"

Meowth gave an exhausted groan, "We couldn't even knock out one of the teams for the contest, and that catching twerp didn't know a thing about contests, let alone makin' moves like that! How are we going to stand a chance?!"

Together, the bundle of criminals sailed into the afternoon sky until they were no bigger than a star seen from the earth, "We're blasting off agaaaaaaaain~!"

"Wobbu-wobbu!" Wobbuffet whined in the distance.

Ding!

Togekiss gave a few more weak flaps before collapsing onto the ground. Dawn and Piplup came over at once, running their hand and flipper over the exhausted Pokémon, "Togekiss… I can't believe you managed to go through all of that. You were absolutely amazing!"

"Piplup!" Piplup chimed in, earning a faint smile from its graceful and larger friend.

"Right?! That was incredible!" Goh knelt down and showered Togekiss with praise.

"C-Cinder~!" Cinderace rubbed its shoulder, thoroughly impressed with what the Pokémon went through for its sake, and what the two managed to accomplish together.

"K-Kiss…" Togekiss faintly chirped, just thankful to see its friend safe and sound back on the ground.

"Here, you deserve a good rest after all of that," Dawn cooed as she produced Togekiss's Pokéball, and recalled it back inside.

Goh gave an exasperated pant, falling down onto his rear, "I guess it took Team Rocket to get the appeal move right… man, that was close…"

Dawn also collapsed down onto her back, her chest heaving up and down, "Hah… I think we deserve to go for a swim in the pool. Whaddya' all say?"

"Piplup! Grookey! 'Ace!" the Pokémon sounded off in agreement to the notion.

"After all of that, we deserve a vacation!" Goh chuckled. Dawn couldn't help but giggle in return.