Part XXIV: Debuting In Kanto
"Ash, Misty, it's been too long." Dawn said opening her door almost as soon as they rang the doorbell. "I've been waiting for you to arrive for days."
"Dawn, it's only been a month or so since we last saw you." Ash said as she pulled him into a tight hug. "But I missed you too."
"I know but it's harder when I actually know your showing up to see me." Dawn said closing her eyes and resting her head against Ash's chest as he held her. "I always miss you Ash."
"Dawn." Misty coughed as loudly as she could.
"Oh yeah how can I forget about you." Dawn said breaking her hug with a slightly startled Ash and pulling Misty into a close hug and whispering. "My door is open tonight, the only way you two will share a bed is with me in it as well."
Misty didn't have anything to say she just grumbled as Dawn held her close, closer than she thought was appropriate but she should have expected from Dawn. All she could do was hug Dawn back and pat her awkwardly on the back while Ash smiled at them getting along, completely oblivious to their little war.
"So you two are in the same rooms as last time." Dawn said as she finally released Misty and stepped back from them. "Same rules as before of course."
"Yes Dawn." Ash said respectfully while Misty continued to grumble at Dawn's rule but knew that she had to honor it as Dawn's guest. "It will be good to have a bed again. We have been sleeping out for a few weeks now while we were training for our challenges here so I for one can't wait for a bed."
"Same." Misty admitted. "I don't mind camping out but after a few weeks a bed is desperately needed."
"Well drop your stuff off and come out back, I want to hear all about your training and adventures on the way here." Dawn said as she led them into the house. "And I want a full accounting of your match in Pewter City Ash. I expect some good stories."
"Oh there are a few." Ash confirmed with a nod. "And a few new Pokémon."
"Really, I want to see." Dawn said happily smiling at them. "Trust you to get new Pokémon."
"Actually I only had one catch, Misty caught 3." Ash said and Misty smirked at Dawn. "She was the real star of our training."
"Huh well I still want to see the new Pokémon and you can show me what you have in store for the Contest tomorrow." Dawn said. "We can also go over the plans for the next few days. With the Contest tomorrow I decided to close the gym for the day so people can watch it, including me. I am looking forward to seeing Misty in her element."
"I won't let you down." Misty promised. "I will show you what I can truly do, what I train for. Last time was a little different for, well, reasons."
"It certainly was." Dawn agreed. "Alright I will leave you two alone and head out back. Politoed is upstairs again to make sure nothing happens."
With that Dawn left them and headed out back to a small training field that she had set up behind her family's place. Ash and Misty just shrugged and headed upstairs. They knew not to mess with Dawn in her own home so they would have to bear with it for a few days, they could manage.
Dawn was true to her word as her Politoed was upstairs watching them, not doing anything, to make sure they went to their respective rooms. Ash and Misty exchanged a quick, chaste, kiss before heading to their rooms and dropping their stuff off.
They were looking forward to their time in Cerulean. Between the Contest and Ash's full battle with Dawn it was going to be a good time for them. It would start with a quick catch up with Dawn that Ash was really looking forward to for one specific reason.
-break-
"So tell me everything." Dawn said as they joined her out back. "How was the match in Pewter City? What new Pokémon do you have? I want to know everything."
They were all outside the back of Dawn's family's place. Here there was a simple battlefield and some equipment that could be used for training but it looked like it was used more as a place for Dawn, and more likely her sisters, to relax in.
Dawn was sitting at a small outdoor table off to the side under an umbrella with a jug of water, ice and 3 cups just waiting for them. They had gone straight to her and joined her. Dawn had started speaking as soon as they had sat down, pouring them some water as she spoke.
"Well I easily beat Forrest in our match." Ash said with a smile as he took a sip of the water. "I only lost 3 Pokémon in the battle but it was tough and his Rhyperior is something else, clearly the ace of his rotation. It took out my Charizard and Glalie, the two strongest I had on me, before Gabite beat it."
"What else?" Dawn asked curiously. "Like blow by blow, I want to know all the details. That will be me in 2 days' time so I need to know what to expect from you so that I can beat you."
"2 days?" Ash asked. "That's when my challenge is?"
"Yup." Dawn confirmed with a nod. "As I said I have decided to close the gym for the Contest and then with your challenge it made sense to keep it closed an extra day to face you. There have been a fair few challengers lately, including a bunch coming from Unova who I didn't meet at your birthday so I need a little break. Plus I want to dedicate the day to our battle. Everything is planned out, I can't wait."
"Same." Ash said grinning at Dawn. "It has been a long time since we faced off and never in a full battle before."
"I know it will be epic." Dawn said with a grin and mischievous twinkle in her eye that Ash missed. "I have everything I need already prepared for it. I will blow both you away."
"Why do I get the feeling that I'm not going to like this." Misty mutter to which Dawn just gave her a sideways smirk that Ash also missed but that did nothing to comfort Misty. "Yup thought so, well at least I am prepared for anything Dawn."
"We shall see." Dawn said still smirking at Misty and Misty knew that they would have another round in their war tomorrow.
"Well I will tell you about my match against Forrest but I won't show you my Pokémon for tomorrow." Ash said still oblivious to his girlfriend and his best friend's war and bringing the conversation back to their adventures. "No point in giving you any advantages against me and you already know one Pokémon that I will be using."
"Pikachu." Dawn said with a nod. "That is to be expected and against mee Pikachu is a good choice. Very well, I will wait to see the Pokémon you intend to use. However, I still want your run down of your battle with Forrest."
"Well it was a complicated and powerful match given the nature of the Pewter Gym." Ash said thinking back on it. "The losses don't reflect the match itself; it was a lot closer than I it appears despite my 6-3 win."
"It always is." Dawn said with a nod. "Alright so how did the battle go?"
"Well I started with Charizard against Steelix." Ash said causing Dawn to give him a confused look. "Oh yeah guess you didn't know, Forrest got Brock's Onix to evolve sometime during my challenge of the Battle Frontier."
"Ah that makes sense." Dawn said with a nod. "I am surprised it took so long. Go on."
"The evolution is good but it makes Steelix a steel type so it was a win for me but I recalled Charizard for a break." Ash continued. "Then it was Heracross against Golem, that I lost but Forrest decided to recall Golem as well to send out Sudowoodo against me and save Golem for later, likely due to it knowing Flamethrower. However, that was what I needed to secure a in as I was pretty sure that Sudowoodo is male."
"Why is that important?" Dawn asked a little confused. "Did you have a Pokémon on you that knew Attract or has a special ability like Cute Charm?"
"Yeah my Snivy knows Attract." Ash said with a nod. "It's what makes her so dangerous in battle."
"Snivy?" Dawn asked a little confused. "That's a Unova Pokémon, right? I think I faced its evolved form, a Servine I believe."
"Yeah she's the grass type starter out there." Ash confirmed. "And Servine is the evolved form though she hasn't evolved yet. I caught her while I was there and she's been really useful since, she was one of my surprise weapons while in Unova. Her Attract really comes in handy. I used it against Sudowoodo and easily won as my assumption was correct."
"I bet." Dawn said. "So did Forrest counter it? The Attract, not the Snivy I mean. The Pokémon can be countered easily if that Golem knew Flamethrower but that move is a problem."
"Yeah Forrest got lucky and found a way to counter it." Ash said. "He sent out his Golem again because as you deduced it was the best as it knew Flamethrower. I kept up the Attract until it hit…and did nothing. Turned out that the Golem Brock's dad has and that Forrest uses is a female and none of us knew."
"Yeah that would change the battle." Dawn said. "A sudden reveal like that will shift the momentum in Forrest's favor. Snivy may have a type advantage but by sheer power a Golem, as a fully evolved Pokémon, is better."
"Yeah so I recalled her and sent out my next Pokémon as I knew Snivy wouldn't and I might need her later." Ash said. "So I decided to go with Glalie. It was an even match despite my type advantage but in the end Glalie won. Then Forrest send out Brock's Geodude so I sent out Pikachu for the experience against a significant disadvantage and won with Iron Tail."
"Pika, pi." Pikachu said helpfully from the side where he, Piplup and Azurill were lounging in the sun.
"Of course you would." Dawn said with a chuckle. "That is such an Ash thing to do. I am expecting at least one Pokémon of yours to be a type disadvantage against me. So after Geodude it was?"
"Crobat." Ash said and Dawn remembered that Brock had one so it made sense that he would leave it with his brother. "Pikachu wanted to stay in but Forrest and I had a training match on our way through Pewter City to Pallet Town and was expecting Pikachu after that and had planned so that he wouldn't lose again. He got the upper hand and hit Pikachu with a Confuse Ray. I had to pull Pikachu immediately so that he could recover send out Glalie again to end it. That was another victory for me but it was close, Glalie could have been removed from the battle if Crobat's Whirlwind had landed."
"So by that point it would have been 5-1 to you." Dawn said counting on her fingers as she pictured the battle in her head. "And you said Forrest has a Rhyperior and I already know how that worked out for you. Sounds epic for sure. Of course I won't be as easy and I intend to beat you."
"I expect no less." Ash said with a smile. "Though hopefully less destruction that either me and Forrest in out battle or when you and Misty battled."
"No promises." Dawn said before turning to Misty, for once no mischief in her eyes. "What about you Misty? Ash said you caught 3 new Pokémon, are they on you?"
"Yeah they are." Misty confirmed. "I left Togekiss, Pachirisu and Typhlosion at Professor Oak's lab for various reasons and had my Furret sent over when I registered Professor Oak's lab for my Pokémon as we are in Kanto now so it is easier to have them all there. So when I caught my new Pokémon they stayed with me."
"Well show me." Dawn said happily. "I want to meet your new Pokémon. We aren't battling, this time at least, so I can see them."
"Sure." Misty said finishing her drink and getting up. "I need some space because of Mamoswine, he's a little big as you know from meeting him after our battle. Alright guys, come on out!"
With that Misty threw her 5 Poke Balls in the air and they bust. Materializing was Mamoswine at the back where he had space, Pinsir, Oddish, Buneary and Eevee, the last one coming out in a series of sparkles. Instantly the latter two ran over to Pikachu to shower him with affection while also glaring at each other.
"Aww looks like Pikachu has a new admirer and Buneary has a rival." Dawn said getting up and hurrying over to look at the new Eevee, amazed at its odd, light gray color and the fact that it had sparkled when it came out of the Poke Ball, it was unlike any that Dawn had ever seen. "Is this a Shiny Eevee?"
"She is." Misty said proudly. "A real rarity. She was being targeted by Team Rocket because of that and somehow leveled me. I defended her, defeated Team Rocket with Ash and then Eevee let me battle her to capture her so long as it was Buneary who battled her. Clearly I won that battle though Buneary and her aren't the best of friends yet."
Dawn was about to comment on it and Team Rocket when she was interrupted by a cry from one of the other Pokémon. Dawn turned and just laughed at what happened. She had a feeling that she would like this Pokémon, it had a style that Dawn could respect.
"Oddish!" Oddish had yelled while Dawn was looking at Eevee before leaping up behind Misty, grabbing her hair in its mouth and dragging Misty down to the ground again. "Oddish."
"I see that your Oddish likes your hair." Dawn laughed enjoying the sight of Misty sprawled on the ground with a cute Oddish happily chewing Misty's hair. "Keep it up Oddish."
"Yeah she is really fond of it." Misty grumbled. "That was how she found me actually, I think she likes the smell my conditioner or something. She needed someone to help her friend and decided I was that person by sniffing me out it seems. She then dragged me part of the way by my hair but I was able to get up and help her friend out. As a result they both let me catch them."
"I like this Oddish, she understands how to annoy you." Dawn said still looking at the Oddish. "What do you mean by friend? I assume that it isn't another Oddish or eels you would have said so what is the last Pokémon you caught?"
Misty was about to respond when Dawn heard the distinct chittering that only a bug type Pokémon could make and went rigid with fear. Slowly Dawn looked down to her side and saw the last of Misty's Pokémon had come over to say hi and check up on the Oddish. It was a gleaming and well cared for Pinsir that was a lot calmer than any Pinsir that Dawn had met before. However, it was still a …
"BUG!" Dawn yelled in fear shocking the timid Pinsir into cowering away while Mist ran and hid behind a startled and confused Mamoswine as he was the biggest thing around. "You caught a bug Misty!"
"Huh, yeah Pinsir and Oddish are friends and Oddish would only join mee if Pinsir did as well so I caught both because I couldn't separate them and I had bonded with Pinsir when I healed her." Misty said as she stood, Oddish now happily dangling from her hair like a living ornament, and went over to kneel down and hug her Pinsir close, giving the Pokémon a special poffin to calm her down. "Pinsir here was badly hurt so I nursed her back to health and they both joined me because of that. What's the matter, don't you like bug Pokémon?"
"No they are disgusting and icky." Dawn yelled holding tight to Mamoswine's fur in a way that he would take notice of. "I hate them."
"Dawn and bugs have never really gotten along." Ash said getting up and coming over to Misty and Pinsir to help out with the easily frightened bug type and reassure her. "It's nothing on you Pinsir, your still as beautiful and powerful as ever. Ignore Dawn, she will never understand the beauty of bugs. My first Pokémon after Pikachu was a Caterpie so I have always loved bog types, they remind me of how I started out."
"Yeah and the fact that you scare her makes you even more special to me." Misty cooed and Pinsir who nuzzled up to her affectionately, feeling a lot better now that Misty as reassuring her. "Dawn is my rival of sorts so if she is afraid of you then that helps me and I am so happy you let me catch you, we are a team Pinsir, we always will be. Here's another poffin for scaring Dawn."
Misty gave Pinsir another poffin that she happily ate. Misty meant everything she had said, she loved all her Pokémon and found them all cute in their own special ways. Now Pinsir had an advantage she couldn't deny, Dawn was afraid of her and her reaction was hilarious. Misty would use that to her advantage. There was also another problem for Dawn unrelated to bug Pokémon.
"Of course you would have one." Dawn bawled from her position. "This is not great, I thought I had the edge and you managed to equal it."
"Um Dawn, I wouldn't hold onto Mamoswine that tightly or in that position." Misty said cautiously as she noticed the irritation on her tank's face. "He doesn't like that and well he also doesn't know you at all. I would suggest backing away quickly."
"Huh." Dawn asked. "What…"
That was all she could get out before Mamoswine finally got pissed off, bend his hind hoof forward and them kicked back and up, right into Dawn's gut. The wind was driven from her lungs before she was thrown back and landed a good 10 feet away with a crash, lying motionless on the battlefield and groaning in pain. Mamoswine just nodded, walked away to some shade off to the side and with and earth trembling thud sat down and went to sleep.
"I did warn her." Misty said with a shrug. "Best check her out while I have a word with Mamoswine Ash. I don't want to scold him but I think it is for the best."
"Sure." Ash nodded as he and Pikachu, followed by a silently feuding Buneary and Eevee, went to see on Dawn.
Ash knew that she would be ok in a little bit, he had seen Dawn hit with a lot worse than that. It certainly made the afternoon more exciting and soon it would be time for Misty to go over her last-minute preps for the Contest tomorrow. Ash couldn't wait to show Dawn what Misty could do in her chosen field and see Misty in her element again. Tomorrow was going to be fun for sure.
-break-
It was the next day and the Cerulean Contest was about to begin. Ash and Dawn had taken their seats in the front row of the small but regulation size Contest Hall that had been built to host the new Cerulean Contest as it was the first year that the Contest was being held. It was going to be a good one, Ash was certain of that.
They had all gotten to the hall early so that Misty could register for the Contest and get her pass that would allow her to compete on the Kanto circuit this year. It had taken a little longer than expected given Misty's record over the last two years but once she was registered and had chosen her two Pokémon, she let the others out so that they could cheer and Ash and Dawn had gotten seats with the Pokémon.
As such they were joined by Pikachu, Buneary, Eevee, Oddish and Pinsir in their small area of the stands. It was mainly to support Misty but the new Pokémon also got a chance to see how Contests worked and what to expect when they debuted in their own Contests.
Dawn had made sure to sit as far away from Pinsir as possible with Ash and the others between them given her rational fear of them. Dawn would do her best to tolerate the bug Pokémon because she was Misty's and because Misty was Ash's girlfriend Dawn had to deal with Pinsir being around. It was just another blow in their war and Dawn hated how it would add to Misty's win total. That would change tomorrow, Dawn would win the next round.
Ash had no idea that any of this was going on. He was just looking forward to the Contest and seeing Misty in action once again. He had been reluctant to leave her but both knew that Misty needed to be in the zone so that she could win and Ash had to get good seats for it. They exchanged a final loving kiss as he wished her luck, Misty making sure that Dawn could see everything, before leaving. Now it was time to begin the Contest.
"Hello and welcome to the start of a new Kanto Contest Season here in the beautiful city of Cerulean." Lilian, the Kanto announcer said as she walked out to the center of the arena. "This marks the first ever Contest in Cerulean City as well as the first Contest of the year. The winner of this Contest will get this; the Cerulean Ribbon."
The Cerulean Ribbon had the usual gold center that was in the shape of a drop of water, a clear tribute to the water type gym that the city was known for, and Ash was certain that the design had been inspired by the Cascade Badge Dawn gave out. On either side of the ribbon, beneath it, were the typical two strands that made up most Kanto Ribbons. For the Cerulean one they were a deep ocean blue, another tribute to the city's history with water types.
"As you can tell, this ribbon pays homage to the Cerulean Gym and its famous leader Dawn." Lilian said to the cheering crowd. "And we are honored today with Dawn's appearance as a spectator in the first Contest to be held here."
"I am here in a private capacity." Dawn called out to silence any more attention. "I just want to enjoy the Contest that's all."
"Of course." Lilian said quickly as she put away the ribbon and turned to the panel of 3 judges for the Contest. "As always we have on out panel of judges, Mr. Contesta, head of the Contest Committee."
"Hello." Mr. Contesta said with a nod.
"Sukizo, President of the Pokémon fan club."
"Remarkable." The small man called from the middle of the panel.
"And of course Cerulean's own Nurse Joy."
"A pleasure to be here." Nurse Joy said happily. "I look forward to a lively Contest."
"With that out of the way it is time to quickly go over the rules for this Contest." Lilian said. "Each coordinator will be using one Pokémon in the Appeals Round. The judges will score all the appeals based on a variety of factors and the top 8 will advance to the Battle Round. In that competitors will have 5 minutes to use grace, style and power to knock off as many points of the other coordinator, or knock out their opponents Pokémon, to advance. Coordinators may change Pokémon between rounds but they must use the same Pokémon for the entire second stage. That is it so are you ready?"
The crowd cheered at that and Lilian waited for a moment while the crowd really got into the spirit of the Contest. When it was done she brought the mic to her lips again and introduced the first coordinator.
"Well then it is time to start and we have a real treat for you to kick off this season." Lilian said as the crowd got even more hyped for the first appeal of the year. "Our first coordinator is a two-time Grand Festival finalist, first in her home region of Sinnoh in her rookie season and then last season in Johto. I present, from Twinleaf Town, the Prodigy of Sinnoh herself, Misty."
-break-
Misty sat in the coordinators' room, waiting for the Lilian to start speaking so she could go to her place in the wings. She was nervous but at the same time she was excited, it was her usual Contest feeling. This was her element, her zone, her thing and Misty was back where she belonged. It was time to return to doing what she loved.
Misty had missed Contests during the break after the Johto Grand Festival but she was ready to get back in the swing of things. She was on a new circuit, in a new region and she had more motivation then ever after her loss in Johto a few months back. That had yielded one great thing however and now she had the love of her live beside her side as she returned to the Contest Circuit. This time nothing would stop her.
Of course Misty first had to adjust to the new Contest rules that Kanto had. Unlike in Sinnoh or Johto, coordinators in Kanto and Hoenn for that matter did not dress up, they just wore street clothes the way a trainer would. It was not something Misty was used too and she liked to dress up so she was actually more uncomfortable competing in her usual clothes than her dress.
They also did not use ball seals. Those were a uniquely Sinnoh thing with the exception of the Johto Grand Festival. In Kanto it was all about the Pokémon with no additional points for how they entered the rounds. All in all it was a simpler style but it felt alien to Misty but she could adjust to it. After all the great coordinators did so and Misty wanted to be one of the greats.
In addition, Kanto allowed coordinators to register 2 Pokémon for a Contest and you could change up between the appeals and battle rounds though it was not required. It was more restrictive than Sinnoh in a sense but still familiar enough to Misty to not require much adjustment in her style.
Regardless, Misty had decided who would be her appeals Pokémon and who would be her battle one should she advance. This Contest was about getting back into her groove, getting that first ribbon to boost her confidence and starting the season strong. Misty was here to win and win convincingly. After this one she could experiment more but she needed the reassurance that first ribbon brought her.
Of course it didn't help that she had been assigned the very first appeal of the entire season. The order was supposed to be selected at random but Misty knew that it wasn't, not when s a 2-time Grand Festival finalist was present for the opening Contest. Still, Misty didn't have time to dwell on it as Lilian began her opening of the Cerulean Contest.
With a sigh, Misty stood and left the waiting room, ignoring the plethora of new and returning coordinators who were fretting and went to the starting position. She had to focus on her appeal, after that she could worry about potential opponents in the second round.
"I present, from Twinleaf Town, the Prodigy of Sinnoh, Misty." Lilian said and Misty knew that that was her sign.
Grinning with the rush of excitement that came from competing in Contests, Misty ran out from behind the curtain, still feeling odd to be in her normal clothes, and pulled out her Poke Ball. Reaching the coordinator's box Misty threw it high into the air, it was time to start off in style and set the bar high.
"Piplup, spotlight!" Misty yelled sending out her starter and best Pokémon, she was taking no chances with this Contest.
Piplup burst into existence in a white light and spun gracefully in the air before he landed causing the crowd to cheer. It was a little showy but that was what Misty was going for and what Piplup excelled at. It was time to show Kanto what she could do. Misty knew exactly what her appeal would be as she was in Cerulean City so there was only one combination she could do after her last visit to the city.
"Piplup, start with Whirlpool." Misty ordered pointing out to the middle of the stage.
Piplup tilted his head back and opened his beak wide. Instantly a whirlpool of water formed above him spinning strong and fast. The water was clear and shone with power as it sped up sparkling in the lights of the arena.
"Now uses Drill Peck!" Misty called out. "Spin with the flow of the whirlpool and use it speed up the attack to launch yourself."
Piplup stopped the Whirlpool, elongated his beak and began to spin with the still moving Whirlpool. Then Piplup leapt up and into it. Going at the same speed and direction of the Whirlpool allowed Piplup to gain more speed as he kept the attack up, visible because of the clearness of the water. Then Piplup shot up maintaining the Drill Peck and spin in a display control that few Pokémon could manage.
Piplup shot up through the center of the whirlpool without touching the sides and out the top gaining a lot of height and cheers as he did, the water showing off his groomed feathers to perfection. Misty and Piplup had practiced what to do next and as soon as Piplup reached the apex of his height his stopped his Drill Peck and flipped to face down and the still spinning water.
"Now freeze it with Ice Beam!" Misty yelled. "Start at the bottom and work up."
Piplup didn't speak, he just opened his beak and outshot the ice type attack. It hit the center of the water and formed a point. Then Piplup spun with the water as he fell, freezing it as it spun perfect timing with his fall so that the water kept spinning until it was all frozen.
As soon as the last of it was frozen, Piplup created a walk way of ice from the edge to the center, flipping upright as he did so that he could land and stand in the center atop the ice visible to all. He had barely made it in time but he had and that was all that mattered to him.
With his work done, the Penguin Pokémon stood tall and proud in the center as the combination ended. The point he had made dug slightly into the ground and the now frozen whirlpool balanced on it like a giant ice spinning top that wouldn't fall over. Piplup then bowed, as did Misty at the same time, to show that the appeal was over.
"Wow what a start." Lilian said her eyes wide at the appeal as the crowd went wild. "What a display of power and control to maintain all those moves while also forming such a pretty structure. Timing had to be perfect at every stage for that to work. Truly the work of a great and experienced coordinator like Misty. What to our judges think?"
"Amazing." Mr. Contesta said with a nod. "A combination and water an ice in seamless harmony that few could manage."
"Yes, truly remarkable." Sukizo said his smile as wide as ever.
"A real tribute to our city here." Nurse Joy added happily. "I am sure our gym leader was thrilled with this tribute by Misty to Cerulean's water type heritage."
Misty just turned and smirked at a dumbfounded, gaping, Dawn and a cheering Ash, and her other Pokémon who were loving it. She caught Ash's eye and blew him a kiss, making sure that Dawn saw it while the crowd awed at the sight. Then Misty and Piplup bowed again before she opened her arms and caught Piplup who leapt down into them.
Turning, Misty left the arena to take her place in the waiting room feeling good after that appeal. Now, though, it was the toughest part, waiting for the results.
-break-
"You did great Misty!" Ash said pulling her close and giving her a kiss that she returned enthusiastically as he and Dawn came into the waiting room. "As amazing as ever my love."
"Thanks." Misty said with a smile as they pulled apart but she stayed in his arms, enjoying the simmering jealousy she could feel coming off Dawn at their display of affection in front of her. "It feels good to be back on the Contest scene after thee Grand Festival. Still, I am always nervous waiting for the results."
"After that opening, you will advance." Ash said and Misty wished she could share his confidence but let it was over her and comfort her. "I know it."
"I must say it is certainly interesting." Dawn said joining them and ignoring the looks she got from the coordinators who were amazed that the city's gym leader was here with them. "The appeals were certainly attractive but I personally still don't get it."
"It's all about showing off your Pokémon and their moves to the best of their abilities and styles." Misty said. "Not everything is about battling and destruction you know."
"Meh I don't see the fun in that." Dawn said with a shrug. "But you do you I can tell. Clearly this is popular given how many people come to these things. I certainly liked what I saw, some of these combinations as they are called will work great for gym battles. The one you used for example Misty, that was very familiar."
"It should be, with the exception of the Ice Beam at the end it was the same one I used to beat your Starmie last time I as here." Misty said and Dawn nodded in remembrance of that part of the battle, even if it was hard to remember anything before the final between Togekiss and Gyarados. "I felt it as best to do that here in Cerulean City seeing as it as what I did last time."
"Yes I remember." Dawn said. "I can see how the style would help at times in a gym battle but I will reserve my final judgement until after the second round and I see how the battles go."
"They will be different than you're used to." Misty said. "Contest battles are a style all their own."
"Though I often incorporate Misty's Contest styles into my own battles." Ash said causing Misty to blush a little. "It has come in handy more than once. Sometime grace is better than simple power, sometimes."
"Same here." Misty admitted. "Sometimes Ash does something in battle that makes me think about how it could be used in Contests. Then I adapt it to fit my needs."
"And the judges are done with their scoring." Lilian said breaking their conversating to cause them to all look at the TV, Misty taking Ash's hand for support, while the room fell silent as they nervously awaited the results. "Congratulations to the following 8 coordinators who will be advancing to the next stage."
On screen 8 pictures appeared. They were in no order so as to not let the coordinators know who scored what and the battles would be randomly assigned to start anyways so Misty didn't know how well she had done overall. However, when her face appeared she knew that she had advanced to the battle round and breathed a sigh of relief. She had overcome the first major hurdle, now it was onto the next one.
"Now our system will randomly generate the bracket for the Battle Round." Lilian said and suddenly a bracket appeared showing Misty in the first match again against a male coordinator. "Will the first coordinators take their spots; we will begin in 5 minutes."
"I gotta go." Misty said. "Go get your seats and I will see you at the end after I win the Contest."
"I love you." Ash said as he kissed Misty once more.
"Love you too." Misty said happily as she and Ash broke apart and went their separate ways while Dawn reigned in her anger at the display of affection.
It was time to get ready for the second round battles and Misty had just the Pokémon for it. It also didn't hurt that she could feel Dawn's anger and jealousy at her actions with Ash. That only added fuel to Misty's drive to win the Contest. It was time to win her first ribbon in Kanto.
-break-
As with Johto Grand Festival, the battles were a breeze for Misty. She was using Mamoswine as her Pokémon and he was no slouch when it came to battles. While it was a little overkill to use him, Misty did like to keep Mamoswine on his toes and try to actually be graceful in her battles, rather than just rely on his brute strength, even if they often ended with a Battle Off because of her Pokémon's strength.
Her first match had been against a coordinator with some experience but apparently no ribbons to his name. She beat the guy easily with a Battle Off in the third minute of the battle. Her second opponent was from the Hoenn region and had won 3 ribbons there last season so he was tougher and pushed Misty to the end of the 5 minutes but she won on points in the end.
Now it was time for the final. Only one more coordinator stood between Misty and her first ribbon of the season. Misty hadn't really been focused on the other coordinators because she was in the zone with the finals in mind but she would focus on her final opponent. This coordinator had made it all the way to the finals and as such deserved her respect. That and the last time Misty had overlooked her final match it had been Ursula and that hadn't ended well for her.
"We are down to our last 2 coordinators." Lilian said as the final began. "The winner of this match will win the Cerulean Ribbon and be one ribbon closer to qualifying for the Grand Festival. Our first coordinator needs no introduction; it's the experienced coordinator from Twinleaf Town, the Prodigy of Sinnoh, Misty."
Misty walked up and waved to the crowd, smiling as she did. She was already a favorite due to her past and her actions of good sportsmanship in the competition. There was only one cheering person she cared about though and once again blew Ash a kiss as she took her position, basking in the jealousy radiating off Dawn as she did.
"And against Misty is a new coordinator this season competing in her first ever Contest." Lilian said loudly. "So give a warm welcome to the newest coordinator on the scene, from the Mt. Moon area, it's the rookie, Emily."
The crowd cheered as the other finalist took her position, Misty joining them to show her support for a fellow coordinator by clapping with and smiling at her opponent. She was impressed, the other girl had gotten all the way to the final on her first try, something Misty had failed to do. Misty had a feeling that this Emily might be one to watch going forward.
Emily was a girl of about 12 or 13, Misty couldn't say for sure, but she was clearly younger than her. She was a short, slender fair skinned with very rosy cheeks and a smile on her face though Misty saw the nerves under it. The girl had wide, warm brown eyes with oddly thick upper eyelashes, two longer on each side that really drew attention to her eyes. He hair was the same color as her eyes and cut in a bob that fell to just above her shoulders. The exception was a pair of longer bangs at the front that fell past her shoulders and framed her face well.
Like Misty, Emily was in street clothes that most trainers tended to favor. She wore a simple dark pink shirt and white shorts with matching white and pink sneakers. It was a look that suited her though Misty felt that she couldn't pull it off, she was more a light pink girl.
All in all Emily looked like the kinda girl that Misty would expect to be a normal trainer and not necessarily a coordinator but she figured that coordinators were all sorts and Misty was used to facing coordinators dressed up, a fact she had to remember now that she was in Kanto. Emily was clearly nervous in her first final but at the same time she was excited with a bubbly energy that Misty felt was infectious.
"Wow, I can't believe I am here and against a coordinator like you Misty." Emily said excitedly almost bouncing up and down in her box. "I watched you in the Johto final on TV last season, that was a tough loss but you were doing amazing in it. It is an honor to face a coordinator like you in my first ever Contest."
"Thank you." Misty said with a genuine smile even if it was a little uncomfortable being remembered from the TV. "It was a tough loss but I am here in Kanto to win, as we all are."
"I can tell." Emily said with a nod, her hair bouncing a little in the process. "And your boyfriend is here watching you, how sweet."
"Um." Misty said taken a little aback by the other girl's bluntness.
"I saw you kiss him in the waiting room." Emily admitted. "And you keep blowing him kisses during the Contest. It was pretty obvious who he was to you."
"Oh yeah that's Ash." Misty said blushing slightly at being called out by a rookie coordinator over her lack of decorum with her boyfriend. "I wouldn't be here without him so I kinda lose myself a little around him."
"Cute." Emily said as she pulled out a Poke Ball. "Shall we? We can save the ideal chit chat for later as I really want to talk to you more but I have a final to win first."
"We shall." Misty said recovering a little as she pulled out her own Poke Ball. "Come at me with all you got, you're going to need it to win."
Misty hadn't really been focused on the other coordinators and now kicked herself for that oversight, again. She really had to stop doing that. it was a bad habit from her Johto days that she needed to kick now. She had no idea what Pokémon Emily had or how she would use it against her. Still she had her Mamoswine and he was tough to beat unless Emily had a type advantage over him.
"Clefairy, Fairy Lights!" Emily called out sending her Poke Ball out.
Out popped a small, cute, pink Pokémon with a curled tail and brown ears. It had what looked like a blush on its cheeks and smiled happily and cutely at Misty as it danced in front of Emily. Misty grimaced at the sight of the Pokémon, it was small and didn't look like it would hold up against Mamoswine but Misty knew from Pikachu and Piplup that size didn't always matter.
"Mamoswine, spotlight!" Misty said throwing out her own Pokémon.
Mamoswine materialized with a roar of challenge, landing hard enough to shake the ground slightly. Emily took a step back at Misty's Pokémon and Clefairy looked a little scared at the huge Pokémon though Misty knew that if Emily had been paying attention, unlike herself, then she would have known which Pokémon Misty was using. Still, Misty felt a little bad but it would be a good learning experience for Emily and she could talk to her after about the whole final.
"Alright 5 minutes on the clock in the final." Lilian called out bringing Misty's focus to the battle. "Begin!"
"Clefairy, Sing!" Emily ordered at once clearly trying to get the first move in.
"Mamoswine, Ice Shard!" Misty called out. "Break it up and form a counter shield around yourself. Do not let the attack hit you."
As Clefairy began to sing Mamoswine roared and quickly formed a ball of ice between his tusks. He then smashed it with his tusks and swirled it around himself as Misty had trained him to do. It was just in time as the notes of the Sing attack reached Mamoswine only seconds after his shield was up.
The Sing attack smashed into the ice and broke it but the ice had been enough to countered it and the attack didn't hit Mamoswine. If it had it would have given Emily a significant advantage that would be hard for Misty to overcome until Mamoswine woke up. The sound of Emily's points dropping could be heard over the battle but it was only a small drop done for a defended attack.
"Now Mamoswine, Earthquake." Misty called.
"Mamo!" Mamoswine roared as he reared up and then slammed down with his front feet creating the powerful ground type attack that would be hard to dodge.
As Clefairy yelled and was thrown down in pain, Emily froze her eyes wide at the powerful attack as her points dropped significantly and Misty knew she had her. Emily had potential, that was clear from her use of Sing against a Pokémon like Mamoswine who had a clear power advantage but she was still a rookie and prone to mistakes.
Misty knew that Mamoswine couldn't dodge and defend against it all battle and given the versatility of normal type Pokémon like Clefairy, Misty was worried that if Clefairy managed to put Mamoswine to sleep then she would have a water or grass type move ready to win. As such Misty needed to end this, now. It wouldn't be pretty or graceful but it was needed and a sign of respect to Emily that Misty was going for the win this way.
"Take Down!" Misty ordered. "Finish this."
Mamoswine bellowed as he charged at full speed in the wake of the last tremor from his Earthquake to keep Clefairy off balance as long as possible. The move worked and Clefairy didn't have a chance to recover before Mamoswine crashed into it at full speed sending it flying up and into the air before it crashed down behind Mamoswine as he came to an abrupt halt.
Misty winced as Clefairy hit the ground hard, its eyes swirls before even landing. She had done what Dawn had done to Piplup with Gyarados and used overwhelming power to win in a single move and felt bad for it. It wasn't what Contests were supposed to be about, at least to Misty. However, Misty would make it up to a now stunned Emily when they spoke afterwards. The girl had potential, Misty felt certain of that, she just needed some guidance.
As the judges all gave Xs to show a Battle Off and a win, bringing Misty's attention back to the battle, she noticed something that she hadn't expected. Mamoswine had stopped and turned to looked at the defeated Clefairy with hearts in his eyes and not moving at all. He had become infatuated after making contact with Clefairy.
The sight meant two things. It showed that Clefairy was a female with the Cute Charm ability as Misty knew that Mamoswine as a male. It also meant that Mamoswine had the Snow Cloak and not Oblivious ability but Misty didn't know that yet.
"What a lucky break for Misty." Lilian said breaking the stunned silence to the end of a final that had lasted less than a minute. "Mamoswine's Take Down overcame Clefairy but Clefairy got the last word by showing that it has the Cute Charm ability. Had this not been a Battle Off, Misty would be on the back foot until the infatuation wore off. However, it is a Battle Off which means that the winners of the Cerulean Contest are Misty and Mamoswine!"
With that cannons went off and confetti rained as Mamoswine came too looking confused and embarrassed at what had happened to him. He knew something bad had happened to him despite the win and he might get teased for it but he had still won and that was what mattered in the end.
Rather than celebrate her win right away, however, Misty ran to the center to check on Clefairy and Emily who had already run out to scope up her Pokémon. It was the right thing to do after a final like that.
"Emily I'm sorry." Misty said as she reached the rookie coordinator.
"Why?" Emily said with a smile at Misty that made Misty sigh in relief. "You won fair and square and taught me something new about my Clefairy. This was our first Contest and I got to finals, that was beyond my wildest dreams and a great experience. I also didn't know she had Cute Charm as her ability until just now. That will come in handy I am sure of it."
"Yeah but I used Mamoswine, that was a little overkill against a Clefairy." Misty pointed out. "Not the best thing I could have done."
"Yeah but you registered Mamoswine as one of your Pokémon and after the amazing appeal with Piplup you decided to use Mamoswine in the battles." Emily pointed out. "I only have Clefairy at the moment so I was stuck with her. That's not your fault, it's mine."
"True but that doesn't make it any less tough for you." Misty said.
"It is a Contest; I should expect some tough matches and touch coordinators." Emily said with a shrug. "And you are one of the toughest on the circuit Misty. You may not know this but from what I could tell, you are the clear favorite this year and the one to beat, that isn't a position I'd want to be in but it means that anyone who faces you is in for a challenge. I know that this won't be the last time I have a tough match, be it against you or another one of the top coordinators this year. Whatever the case, I look forward to our next match."
"Same." Misty said with a smile as she extended a hand and Emily shook it as the crowd cheered at the sportsmanship. "If you're willing to wait a little, I want to have a chat with you after the presentation about the match. I understand if you want to get Clefairy healed first though, I have been run into by Mamoswine a few times and know how painful it can be."
"I can wait, Nurse Joy has a lot already and Clefairy will be fine, she's sturdier than she looks." Emily said as she returned Clefairy. "I'll wait, it will be an honor to talk to you about this."
"The honor is all mine." Misty said with a smile before Emily bowed her head in respect, turned and left to wait for her.
"What a touching display of sportsmanship from a veteran and rookie." Lilian said snapping Misty back to the reality that she was still on the Contest stage. "That is the spirit we love to see in Contests and expect from all our coordinators. However, now it is time to present the first ribbon of the Kanto Contest Season."
"Misty that was an amazing start to the Contest season, I hope that all our contests are just as good as this one." Mr. Contesta said as he approached her and Mamoswine with the ribbon in a box, Misty letting Piplup out as well so that he could join in for the celebrations. "As such, it is my honor to present you with the first ribbon of this Kanto Contest season, the first ever Cerulean Ribbon. Congratulations."
"Alright, I got the Cerulean Ribbon." Misty said as she picked it up, holding the metal between her thumb and forefinger and holding it up high as her Pokémon leapt up next to her in the pose they always used to celebrate a win.
"Pip, Piplup."
"Mamo."
Misty let the cheering wash over her as she brought her arm down and held her first ribbon to her chest. She had started strong and was going to continue this up until the end of the season, she knew it. As Misty looked up she saw Ash coming to her and she knew he would embrace her just as she had done when he had beaten Forrest, something she was really looking forward too.
She was also looking forward to tomorrow and thee match between Dawn and Ash. It would be his second full battle challenge against a gym leader but today was for Misty and her victory, today she had begun her part of their journey. Only 4 more ribbons to go.
