Heart of Champions

by stringdog

Dreams have been achieved, what needs to be won has been won, but now there is a burning question that needs to be answered; what comes next? That is a question that Ash and Dawn will soon have answered in this fifth and final installment in 'Hearts' series. One thing is certain though, going forward they will need all the heart they have to rise to what is coming. Pearlshipping.

28. Part CCXVII: Contest on the Coast

Well, here it is, the twenty-eighth part of the fifth and final installment in my 'Heart' series. I know that this has taken longer than I expected but such is life and I always knew that eventually it would slow this series down and as such I will no longer promise a Part a week as I can't manage that, especially with the longer chapters, though I will try. Regardless I have this whole story planned out so it will be completed you can count on that. Anyway, after a few interesting captures it's time for a bit of a break for Ash and Dawn as they wait for the final thing they need to do in Alola so what better way to enjoy that break than by watching Iris and some of their new friends in a Contest on a different island. Who knows, they may pick up some inspiration from this. That is all the administrative stuff I have for this Part and while there are no guest reviews to respond to or questions to answer there is a review that to respond to and clarify some things so I will do that now. Do please keep your reviews coming as I love hearing from y'all.

To Reader946, thank you for your reviews and suggestion, there are a few things to clarify regarding how I decide what non canon Pokémon Ash and Dawn (or any other character for that matter) catch, along with my stance on the Pokémon movies and how they fit into this story. In terms of catching Pokémon, so long as it is in line with my Pokémon diversity rules a Pokémon is fair game to be caught and yes because Goh will not appear in this story or any other works in my Hearts universe, any of his Pokémon do not count against the rules so a Pokémon like Golruk is fair game for one of the characters to get so I will consider it for Ash or Dawn though it may already be caught by another notable character, I'm not sure as I'll know more when I get to the Unova arc but it will be on my mind then regardless. Also, while the exceptions allow for multiple trainers to have the same Pokémon if it meets one of the exceptions, the best example is Dawn and Lana having Popplios, I won't be giving Ash and Dawn the same Pokémon as I want them to have unique teams all their own so they won't get the same one. Lastly, as you pointed out, I'm only going to show a few legendaries and none will be captured though some may form an alliance with Ash while other than Meltan I'm unlikely to show mythical Pokémon in this series. As for the movies, as of right now the rule with them is that if I have seen the movie it is fair game to be included (providing that it occurred before the divergence point in this series which is the end of the Vertress Conference) and I have in fact made references to a few of the movies already but if I have not seen it then it is likely out with one exception and even then I intend to watch that film because it's important to one of the arcs in Champions. When it comes to post divergence films, again if I see them they will be fair game only with Ash replaced by either May for the Kalos ones or Iris for the Alola ones. In terms of the movies, however, I've never seen a post Sinnoh movie, though I've seen all but 2 pre Unova. I hope this clarifies things and you understand my reservations on this front.

That is it for this pre-Part note which means that it is once again time to sit back which and enjoy the latest installment in Heart of Champions. Part CCXVII: Contest on the Coast.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.

Part CCXVII: Contest on the Coast

"Welcome to the Konikoni Contest!" Gillian said excitedly as she took the stage in the open air stadium in Konikoni City that was similar to the one in Iki Town only larger to the cheering crowd. "Are you ready for another great Contest?"

The crowd cheered louder at this though Ash and Dawn didn't join in with their enthusiasm more than smiling and applauding as they sat in their seats in the front row they were just as ready to enjoy the Contest and watch their friends in it as the rest of the crowd was. This was why they were here in Konikoni City on Akala Island and they were eager to see how Iris, Lana, Mallow, and Lillie did and potential gain some inspiration of their own by watching the girls compete as inspiration could come from any source.

It was a few days since the incident at the Pokémon School where Ash had caught his latest Pokémon, one no one knew the species of at the time, and since then the focus had been preparing the four girls for this Contest. Well other than the report from Samuel Oak regarding the new Pokémon that Ash had caught that is because it was big news. It turned out that it was a new species entirely, a pure steel type called Meltan, the Hex Nut Pokémon, and was classified as a mythical Pokémon making it the first of that classification that Ash had caught.

That was a major development in the Pokémon research world and naturally the data of a new Pokémon discovered in Alola was making waves in the Pokémon Professor community. None of the Professors who knew Ash, so all but Magnolia in Galar and Sada and Turo in Paldea, were at all surprised that Ash was at the center of yet another notable discovery, albeit one smaller than the discovery of the emergence of a new type. The fact that he'd caught a Meltan, something that was officially recorded for him but not made public, was just the icing on the cake.

Naturally all the Professors, including the ones he'd not met, wanted to see and study Ash's Meltan so Ash was going to show it off when he next could though as they'd still not decided which region they were heading next they'd have to wait. Plus, as interesting as it was, they did have other things to focus on and right now that was the Konikoni Contest.

What made it easy to focus on was the fact that Gladion still hadn't officially issued his challenge to Ash. All was in place and the formal declaration was expected within the next 2 days, which was good for Ash and Dawn as they could only stay at most one more week after today before moving onto the next region that Dawn needed to win a ribbon in, but until then they had time to train and prepare the girls for this Contest. They did so and it also ensured that they got to see a new island and city in the process.

In that vein they'd come to Konikoni by boat two days ago to see the city, enjoy the sites and food that it had to offer, and give the girls time to be settled, rested and prepared for the Contest. They were so Dawn at least knew that it would be a good Contest for sure.

Unfortunately, while Kiawe and Sophocles were supposed to be with them, Kiawe had got a call that something was up at his family's ranch shortly after they arrived in Konikoni so he and Sophocles decided to head there right away. Ash had volunteered to go with them to help out but with Gladion's challenge still coming they'd recommend he stay and enjoy Konikoni and that they'd see him after the Contest when he was preparing to face Gladion.

Ash had done just that and remained in the city helping where he could with the training while also working with his two new Pokémon. He couldn't use either against Gladion as neither had enough experience for such a battle but he intended to keep both with him when he left for the next region so they'd get that kind of experience over time and to that end it was time to start training which Pikachu and Florges helped with.

Yup, there was a lot to look forward to and with nothing eventful had happened since the Meltan incident so things were relaxing, well as relaxing as it can be for Ash and Dawn, and now they had a Contest to enjoy. They'd made sure to come here early so that the girls could register with time to spare and they could get good seats as Dawn needed Popplio and Jangmo-o out so that they could watch the Contest and Dawn could explain things to them for when they made their Contest debuts. Naturally Piplup was out as well and on her head eager to enjoy another Contest.

For Ash Pikachu was out but so was Rowlet. It seemed that Rowlet really liked Ash's backpack and preferred it to his Poke Ball so that was where he usually went though right now he was on the ledge looking out and next to Jangmo-o and Pikachu while Popplio sat in Dawn's lap looking forward to seeing his second Contest only this time with Dawn rather than her mate. All was in place and it was time to begin but before they could there was a surprise.

"Unfortunately Mr. Contesta has been held up in Malie City and can't make it today." Gillian said as she gestured to the judges and reveal that instead of the Alola Contest Committee Head a rotund man with a round face, dark blue hair parted over his left eye and wearing a yellow collared shirt and orange overalls was sitting in his seat alongside Sukizo and the local Nurse Joy. "However, in his place is a real treat, a Top Coordinator from the Hoenn region who will be going for his Alolan Ribbon on Poni Island next week and who you should know from his service during the expansion period. Give a warm welcome back to Konikoni to Anthony, a Kanto Grand Festival winner from 3 circuits ago."

At this the crowd cheered and Dawn and Ash applauded but Dawn certainly didn't know who this guy was. However, based on the timing he was the Kanto Grand Festival winner the year before her so naturally he had talent and was clearly going for the Majestic Festival this year like she was which made him a potential rival. It was also good thing that he was here then as she couldn't judge due to the girls being in it, her training of the other three had made them also ineligible though Iris alone was enough to prevent Dawn from judging, so things would go smoothly.

"Do you know who he is?" Dawn asked quietly as the applause died down and Gillian began her usual introduction regarding the rules of the Contest and the unique ones to Alola that they didn't need to listen to. "I don't recognize him. Clearly he did his two years of aid in Alola but I'll admit I don't know many of my potential rivals in the Majestic Festival which I should probably rectify."

"Yeah I do actually." Ash said as he racked his brains and recalled Anthony. "He was in the Hoenn Grand Festival with May. I think there was a Team Rocket incident involving his Pokémon but we resolved it like we always did so he was able to compete."

"Of course there was." Dawn said though the complete lack of Team Rocket since midway through the year prior had been nice so perhaps they were finally retiring from that line of work. "So that's where you know him from, I'm not surprised. You would have been in Kanto the year after that and he clearly wasn't there so Hoenn is the only place it could be now that I think about it. Anything else that you know about him?"

"Only that he lost in the last 16 to May." Ash said the memories coming back to him. "He's good, got through the appeals and first round of double battles in Hoenn but May beat him to set up a quarterfinal with Drew which she lost. Not sure what happened to him after."

"Likely he ended up in Sinnoh for a year and then Johto before going to Kanto while you were in Unova if I had to guess, unless he took a year or two off." Dawn said. "I don't recall May mentioning him in Johto so I bet that it's the latter. Regardless, top 16 in Hoenn and then winning in Kanto is impressive. He's got talent for sure. Hopefully we cross paths and get to face off though it will have to be in a different region."

"That would be interesting to see." Ash said as Gillian finished her spiel and began introducing the first coordinator who was one that they didn't know. "But now it's time to enjoy the show because I think Iris is the second one up."

Dawn nodded at that as she and her Pokémon settled in to enjoy a Contest, cheer on their friends and likely get some inspiration for her next Contest. This was a bit more relaxing for them but it was still a good time and all they were eager to enjoy the Konikoni Contest.

-break-

Iris waited in the wings as the first coordinator finished up his appeal. It wasn't bad, a good bar setter to start a Contest off but Iris was sure that she could do better. She'd trained hard over the last few days under Dawn, all the girls had, so she was sure that she'd improved her appeals. That was all that Iris really needed, a good appeal because the battles were a different matter and once she got there she knew that she'd be fine but as she needed the battles for training improving on the appeals was a must.

All the girls knew this, they'd been able to advance often in the past and now thanks to Dawn all were sure that they could do it more frequently. Still, they'd been relatively quiet in the waiting room as they individually prepared for the Konikoni Contest with only a few words of encouragement as they waited for all the registered coordinators, a total of 17 for this Contest, to arrive and for the Contest to begin. They'd arrived early so they had the time to wait and as all four had been in Contests together in the past they were used to it.

The only difference with this Contest compared to the other ones was the fact that Dawn was watching it and cheering them on. Iris was close with Dawn and due to her actions in Unova would always be special to the blue haired girl from Sinnoh but the other three had all come to like Dawn and while they were roughly the same age as her they all looked up to her for her skills an accomplishments as a coordinator. While all had their own dreams, to meet a girl who'd accomplished her main dream already was an inspiration and all wanted to do well with her in attendance.

Only Iris had been bold enough, or in all honesty skilled enough as she'd beaten Dawn in a standard Pokémon battle the one time they faced off, to enter a Contest with Dawn back in Iki Town. That was different though as it was a Contest battle not a normal one so they all saw how Dawn had anticipated Iris's style well and countered it despite the intimidation and surprise of Iris's Alolan Exeggutor with a grace that showed her pedigree.

It was impressive to watch, more so when she faced Jessilina in the finals and they saw why Jessilina was the overall favorite in Alola by going toe to toe with Dawn in a close battle. Now they had the chance to show off for Dawn and all, even Iris, would take it as this would be their only chance to do so so they had to do a good job.

"Well that was a good start!" Gillian said excitedly as the coordinator left the stage and passed her while Iris snapped back to focus on the appeal at hand. "Next up we have one of the more experienced coordinators on the circuit this year who's going for her 3rd ribbon this year which combined with her two from last year would qualify her for the Grand Festival. You know her well from her stunning run in the first Manalo Conference where she fell just short of winning it in that epic final but she's also reached a Wallace Cup semifinal a few years back and is the only non-Top Coordinator to defeat Jessilina this year. From the Village of Dragons, it's the Dragon of Unova, Iris!"

Iris smiled as she walked out to the cheering crowds and gave them a little wave to show her appreciation for their support as she made her way to the starting point. She loved her moniker and was about to live up to it once again though she was a little nervous. Not for the appeal, she was set on that, but for, well, what she was about to do as it would be the first time doing this since the revelation that Ash, because of course he'd be at the center of something like this, had helped cause when he faced Drasna in his challenge in Kalos.

Regardless, Iris was ready as she reached the starting point and pulled out her Poke Ball and tossed it as she came to a stop for a fluid beginning to her appeal. It was time to show off something she'd not shown Ash and Dawn yet and get used to the oddity that this was.

"Altaria, go." Iris said as she tossed out her Poke Ball.

However she didn't immediately give a command as her Altaria burst from its Poke Ball with a song and soared into the air. As it did the sun shone down and glinted of a golden crown that encircled Altaria's head with a pink stone with a white and blue swirl set into the center of it. That got a gasp from the crowd as it was clearly Altarianite and if it was on then everyone knew what was coming.

This was confirmed as Iris reached back into her mane of hair and pulled out a special golden hairclip from it that had a glowing Key Stone set into it. The clip, crown, and stones had been gifts from Drayden and the Village of Dragons after Iris's run last year in the Manalo Conference, a boost to get stronger so that one day she could return to Unova and take over the Opelucid Gym when Drayden retired. She still wasn't ready for that but she could do this as she clenched the clip in her hand and raised it over her head.

"Unlock your dragon's heart Altaria and become the one dragon who can manage the bane of all dragons!" Iris said trembling a bit as the Key Stone in her hand began to glow along with Altaria's Mega Stone. "Mega Evolve!"

At that the tendrils of Mega Energy connected while Altaria was flying and the Humming Pokémon began to glow. Just like Drasna's had, Iris's grew a bit and got significantly more plumage before the light faded and Mega Altaria was there soaring in the air. This was just the dynamic start as Iris braced herself for what came next.

"Start us off with a display of your new type." Iris said a hint of fear in her voice that she forced herself to push past as she announced the fairy type attack. "Disarming Voice!"

As soon as he heard his human's order Mega Altaria let out a charming cry as he flew, the cry working well to fill the stadium, show off the new type that he had as a replacement for his flying type, and showed off one of the sound based attacks that an Altaria could do. Plus Iris only briefly shivered at the use of the move but it was the just the start, a warmup to show the range of Mega Altaria as she moved onto the next move, or more precisely moves that would be a strong combo.

"Now add to the cry with a Sing." Iris said the fear ebbing away from her as she got into the appeal. "And then dance to your song with Dragon Dance!"

"Altaria!" Mega Altaria trilled as the last reverberations of the Disarming Voice faded and he began to Sing.

As he did the notes of the song filled the air and he kept up his flight this time timing his graceful flight to the song to show off how he could fly and sing with ease. This was the big aspect of the coordination that Dawn had helped with, even bringing in her Togekiss for assistance, as it showed how well Mega Altaria flew while using a move with the timing of the graceful flight to the song only adding to it. However, this was just the start as Mega Altaria finished his Sing attack just as he reached the middle of the battlefield and transitioned into his Dragon Dance.

This time he moved through the air over the middle as the notes of Sing hung in the air, the echoes of the song coming from them audible to the whole stadium as he began the vigorous performance of the mystic dance that was Dragon Dance. This would boost his attack and speed in battle but right now it was a sign of grace and coordination as he timed the dance to the vestiges of the song all while remaining in the air and really showing off what he could do. This was the meat of the appeal but there was still a final move to use to end it on a high note and accentuate it.

"Finish it with a Dragon Breath as you come down to the ground!" Iris said. "Show your primary type that you gained when you evolved from a Swablu."

"Altaria!" Mega Altaria sang as the Dragon Dance ended and he tipped his head to the sky and unleashed his Dragon Breath as he began to fall to the ground rotating steadily as he did so that he covered a wide area with his move.

The result was an incredibly blast of breath that blew away the last of the notes still in the air showing the power of the move and the rotation while adding a few final chimes to the song. Mega Altaria kept this up all the way to the ground where he finally touched down on it for the first and only time in the appeal close to the center of the stage and facing the judges, an act that would not go unnoticed by them.

Then, as the Dragon Breath ended Mega Altaria bowed to the judges that he was facing as the Mega Evolution fell and he returned to his normal dragon and flying type form while Iris offered a similar bow to them. It was a clear sign that the appeal was over and the crowd burst into cheers at it.

"It's been a while since we've seen Mega Altaria but as usual Iris shows how well she can use Mega Evolution in an appeal." Gillian said as the crowd died down so that she could be heard while Iris and Altaria rose from their bows. "But do the judges agree with me?"

"It was certainly an interesting use of Mega Evolution and Iris incorporated both types that Mega Altaria has well." Anthony said. "The juxtaposition of dragon and the still relatively new fairy types in one Pokémon, and the only one that has that combination and only when Mega Evolved following the recent discovery of the change in Kalos, is certainly an eyecatcher."

"Yes, remarkable." Sukizo said with a smile that showed that he was impressed.

"Mega Altaria looked as cute as a fairy and as strong as a dragon." Nurse Joy said her usual happy smile on her face. "Iris knows how to raise one well, especially the plumage."

"Well there you have it, words of encouragement from our judges." Gillian said as Iris and Altaria bowed again before she recalled her Pokémon and headed off. "Next up we have…"

Iris wasn't paying attention to that as she headed off the stage while muttering a thanks to Altaria before putting his Poke Ball away. She'd done a good job, she knew it, and with the number of coordinators present she was sure that she'd advanced. Now all she had to do was make it make back to the waiting room and see how her friends did in their upcoming appeals.

-break-

Unlike Iris, Lana was nervous as she waited in the wings as the girl before her got her feedback, which was polite but her appeal hadn't been great and likely wouldn't advance even in the lower competition level that Alola currently had, as she thought on what her appeal would be. Lana was 5th up in the Contest so near the start which would give her a good spot to analyze those after her, including Iris who'd so far had the strongest appeal it seemed, but all that would do would add to her worry and Lana had good reason to worry.

That was because while she was a strong battler, second only to Iris amongst the girls and third overall in their class behind Kiawe as well, she wasn't the best when it came to the showmanship of appeals. It wasn't that she couldn't do it, she could and had advanced before and won a sponsored Contest that had been held on a floating platform between Melemele and Poni, it was that she knew that she was the weakest of the three Alolan girls at appeals, especially when she didn't have access to water to maximize Primarina's physiology.

Naturally Dawn had helped her a lot recently and seeing a Top Coordinator in action in Iki Town had given Lana a lot of inspiration but she knew that this was going to be tough despite that. Thankfully she had an additional advantage that had helped in her training and she was about to use it as the coordinator before her turned and left putting her Poke Ball away as she shook her head in disappointment.

"Well that was certainly something else." Gillian said as the coordinator passed Lana. "Next up we have one of our local girls who made a name for herself in the Manolo Conference last year when she got out of the Battle Royale and made it past the first battle round to reach the quarterfinals. Even before then she was a fixture on the Contest Circuit and finally earlier this year she won her first Contest out on the ocean and is now going for her second ribbon. From Hau'oli City on Melemele Island give it up for Lana of the Deep Blue!"

Lana smiled nervously at that as she walked out to the cheers of the crowd her Poke Ball already in her hand and her eyes focused on the starting point to avoid any distractions. Still hearing her moniker was a bit of a distraction as she'd earned it following her first win as it was something that she wasn't sure she deserved after only one win though at least it wasn't as specific as Iris's or as notable as Dawn's though Dawn's was more than well earned. No for Lana it was tied to how she won her first Contest with a water type while on water and how her color of choice was blue.

It worked but this appeal wouldn't play into that as Lana came to a stop at the starting point and tossed out her Poke Ball in a smooth move similar to how Iris had done it. This was to show off her other Pokémon and because Dawn had had the same Pokémon before it evolved she was sure that she could pull it off following the tips that Dawn had given her.

"Sandy, go." Lana said as her Poke Ball burst open. "And start us off with Tackle, use it to head to the center of the stage."

"Eevee!" Sandy, which was of course an Eevee, said happily as he burst from his Poke Ball with a flip before landing on his feet and setting off to the middle with a strong Tackle attack as the appeal began.

It was a fast, simple attack but it showed off the importance of fundamentals with the normal type attack, which also mirrored Sandy's type for a slight boost, and Sandy pulled it off as well as expected quickly reaching the middle and leaping at the end as if attacking a Pokémon to show that the hit had happened. The result of this was that Sandy passed the center a bit and landed with a slight skid that would cost a few points but Lana saved it well by quickly transitioning into her next move.

"Now use Double Edge to get to the other side and then another to come back to the middle." Lana ordered. "Show off on the turn Sandy!"

"Eevee!" Eevee said excitedly as he leapt off the ground from his skid and rushed the other side of the battlefield with the life risking tackle that was more powerful than his Tackle attack.

Thankfully there wasn't an opponent to hit so the recoil damage wouldn't happen but it still showed off the move well and got Sandy to the other side with ease though again he overshot things slightly. It wasn't too bad and the transition between the two powerful tackle based normal type attacks looked good, as did the front paw stand that Sandy did to turn around, a trick he'd been taught by Dawn's Espeon during the training, before he launched off the ground the moment his hind leg touched it with another strong looking Double Edge in a display of coordination that made up for the overshoots.

This time there was no overshoot thanks to the last one and Sandy reached the middle with ease. Lana smiled at that as Sandy reached the center and gave her final command, a diametric combo to really look good, at least she thought it would, and aimed right at the judges for added effect.

"Now finish this with Fake Tears." Lana said. "Into…"

However, Lana held off at that point as Sandy turned to face the judges, again the lack of coordination to be in that spot naturally would hurt her but with them being in Alola it wasn't a dealbreaker the way it might be in a larger and more experienced field, and began wailing with fake tears. It was designed to make an opponent flustered but in appeal the goal was to show how realistic it was and Sandy did a good job with that. Plus it was a great setup for the final move that would sharply contrast with it.

"...Charm!" Lana said finishing it off.

Abruptly the Fake Tears ended, another good sign showing the fakeness of them, and Sandy suddenly became cute and appealed to the judges with that instead. That sharp contrast of the two moves, along with the different types that they were and how those types interact with each other, was what Lana was going for and was the culmination of the appeal. It wasn't flashy like Iris's had been but Lana was sure that it had done well thanks to the technical aspects of it and the finishing combo.

To show that this was it, as the Charm ended Sandy bowed and Lana matched him as best she could her nerves on fire now that the appeal was over. It hadn't been great, she knew it, but a lot would come down to the judges in the end.

"Interesting and different from her last Contest." Gillian said with a note of intrigue in her voice. "Judges, your thoughts?"

"I haven't seen Lana before so I am new to her style but it was still decent and showed the versatility of normal types while also reminding us that Pokémon can tug at the heart in various ways at the end." Anthony said. "A good performance and there is heart in it, I can tell. This is the kind of thing I like to see in the expansion regions."

"Yes, remarkable." Sukizo said with a smile but his tone showed that he wasn't as impressed as he could be though not disapproving either.

"Sandy was certainly well groomed and looked strong." Nurse Joy said in her typical chipper tone. "So Lana knows how to treat a Pokémon right."

"There you have it." Gillian said as Lana and Sandy bowed again before she recalled him and turned to leave the stage. "Next we have…"

Lana knew that at best this was a fringe appeal. If she was in an established region, hell if she was in Kalos or Unova as well, and there was more than 17 coordinators vying for the 8 battle round spots then she might struggle to advance but between the location and the number of people in she might just scrape through. The battles would be a new ballgame and she was ready for them but still it showed that she needed to improve if she wanted to consistently advance. Now it was time for the nerves as she watched the remaining appeals and cheered her friends on.

-break-

Mallow waited patiently in the wings as her appeal, the 11th of the day, was about to begin now that the guy before her had finished with an explosive backfire that wouldn't see him advance though it had potential if he could get the coordination of it correct. She wasn't nervous, she knew that she had this and while Iris had set the bar high, and at this rate was all but a lock to advance while Lana was still top 8 but in the lower half of that if Mallow had to guess, Mallow fully intended to reach the bar and then raise it.

Of the three Alolan girls she was the dead middle, second in battles, second in appeals, but with Dawn's tutelage she'd grown stronger in the latter for sure. Now it was time to show it and Mallow was more than ready as the judges finished giving their feedback and the dejected guy recalled his Pokémon and headed off the battlefield clearly annoyed at his failed appeal.

"That's why Alola is the perfect place to hone a risky appeal like that, I know I speak for many when I say that we can't wait to see it come together." Gillian said as the guy passed Mallow. "Next up we have another local girl, one of the pupils at Professor Oak's Pokémon School on Melemele and a notable battler who made it out of the Battle Royale in the first Manalo Conference before losing to her friend in the first battle round. In addition we've seen her grow as a coordinator as well and recently she won her first Contest, a location one in the Lush Jungle right here on Akala Island, and now she's going for her second ribbon. From Hau'oli City, give it up for Mallow of the Verdant Green!"

Mallow smiled as she walked out of the wings while the crowd cheered. Gillian had mentioned another thing that was in her favor, her only Contest win had come on Akala so it was time for her to keep that streak up with another win. Like with Lana, and Lillie for that matter, her moniker had come from the location of her win and she was more than happy with it as she was a grass specialist who liked green. She was going to really show that off now as she reached the starting point and pulled out her Poke Ball which she tossed in a smooth motion as she came to a stop.

"Tsareena, go." Mallow said as she through out her Poke Ball. "Start with Magic Leaf and then leap on it with Stomp!"

It was a bold start to the appeal but Mallow knew that it would work thanks to her training while showing off both Tsareena's type and physiology. The fact that it would also using the move she had to learn to evolve was just an added bonus.

Tsareena knew that as well as she burst from her Poke Ball with a cry and sent out the strange leaf that could not be before she landed on the ground. Then, the moment that Tsareena landed she bent her legs to leap after it in the dynamic start to the appeal.

It was a single smooth motion as the moment that Tsareena was in her crouch she let out a cry and leapt from her position and at the Magic Leaf. This would take expert timing and precision but she'd worked hard on this opener and knew that she could do it. Plus Mallow trusted her to do so, so Tsareena would reward that trust as she raised her leg before bringing it down in a power stomp right as she passed over the leaf.

The result was a boom as the two moves clashed and Tsareena brough the leaf down to the ground with a thud, pinning it there under her foot stem thing and showing that it was held there thus ending both moves at the same time. The precision and skill to pull this off was the goal and it worked well, even passing the center was ignored as the coordination alone was enough to earn her a lot of points from the combo. This was just the start; it was time for the booster.

"Now leap into the air and use Sweet Scent as you rise to your apex!" Mallow said the order designed so that Tsareena was never covered by the move. "Leap as high as you can."

Tsareena let out another cry and did as ordered as she tensed her legs and rather than the impressive forward leap that she'd done before she showed off her height this time as she leapt skyward her strong legs getting her on the level of the top row of seats in the stadium and above the jumbotron behind the judges. However, the big thing about this part of the appeal was that as she leapt she let off the colored mist that was Sweet Scent, her ascension into the air ensuring that she wasn't covered by it just as Mallow planned but showing off her focus to send the attack out all around her while traveling upwards.

There was also the added benefit of the smell that was pleasant and added a good atmosphere to the appeal that would go over well with the judges. Mallow grinned at that as it was time for the next part of the appeal, the finale of it and culmination so as Tsareena neared the top of her leap and the Sweet Scent ended Mallow gave the final order.

"Trop Kick!" Mallow called out. "Bring it own on the stage itself!"

"Tsareena!" Tsareena cried in acknowledgement as she raised her right leg above her head and activated the move as she reached the apex of her leap and began to fall to the ground.

The result was that she brought it down with the aid of gravity and unleashed the intense kick of tropical origin right on the stage just off the center as her leap upward had also slightly moved her into position, something the judges wouldn't miss when awarding their scores. They'd also not miss how Tsareena had brought down the kick such that she spread the force out in a wide circle that cracked the stage but didn't billow up dust and cover her.

It was damn impressive and even Mallow was amazed by it as this was by far her best appeal to date and she'd just ended it with an exclamation point. She had to credit Dawn with helping out as the style at the end was designed for an appeal not a battle and it had worked almost as well as Mallow could have hoped.

During this Tsareena rode the Trop Kick out before she rose from the crack she'd made in the center of the stage, well just off center but close enough, until she reached her full height before she bowed to the judges that she was facing as Mallow did the same. The appeal was over and the crowd cheered upon realizing that while Mallow smiled as she knew it had gone well.

"As always a strong grass type appeal from a budding specialist in the type." Gillian said as Mallow and Tsareena rose and the crowd died down to hear the feedback. "Do our judges concur with me though?"

"An interesting appeal for sure that really showed type and physiology well." Anthony said with a nod. "Along with the latter can play into power. Not bad at all."

"Yes, remarkable." Sukizo said with a smile and tone that showed that he'd liked it.

"Tsareena looked lovely and well cared for there." Nurse Joy added also smiling. "It's clear that Mallow has raised her with love and affection."

Mallow smiled at that and bowed again along with Tsareena as Gillian wrapped up the appeal not listening to the MC. She knew that she'd done well and as Gillian began to introduce the next coordinator she recalled Tsareena and turned to leave the stage while whispering her thanks to Tsareena for her performance. It was time to return and support Lillie in her appeal while waiting for the results to see if they all advanced.

-break-

Lillie was the last of the quartet to go though she wasn't the last overall as she was the 14th to appeal but she was ready as she waited and heard the feedback on the person before her. She'd watched the appeal to see what she was following and the guy had done alright with what was likely a fringe appeal just like Lana's though Lillie thought Lana's was better.

So far Lana was the only one of them who was nervous about her appeal. Iris and Mallow had done well and Lillie was confident that she too would manage to advance without an issue but she made sure that she wasn't overconfident, she'd heard Dawn's cautionary tales from her first year as a coordinator and wouldn't make those mistakes with her planned appeal.

Of the Alolan girls, Lillie knew that she wasn't the best at battles but based on results she was the best at appeals as she'd advanced more than the other two in the contests that they'd entered. That was because she understood the grace and beauty better than Mallow and Lana did.

This was Lillie's strength in Contests and was what would help her advance where she hoped the draw would at least ensure they didn't face each other in the first round but that would have to wait. First she had to get there and Lillie was sure that she could. The battles, well they would be as they were and she could manage them as she'd won a Contest this year, which include a win over Mallow in the final of it, so she knew that she could do it once she reached the battles.

Now though it was time to focus on the Konikoni Contest and Lillie was ready for it as the coordinator finished getting feedback and turned to leave with his Pokémon. Now it was her turn and Lillie got in the right mental space for it.

"A good appeal but with a bunch of good ones today we'll see how the scores playout." Gillian said as the coordinator left and passed Lillie. "Next up is another one of our local girls who attends the Pokémon School on Melemele and who made it out of the Battle Royale in the first Manalo Conference before she lost to the eventual winner and current Alolan Champion Gladion in the first battle round. She's also a talented coordinator who's got one ribbon this year in the most inhospitable Contest on Mt. Lanakila showing her strong spirit and now she's going for her second ribbon. From Hau'oli City, give it up for Lillie of the Frigid White!"

Lillie gave a small smile as the crowd cheered for her and she walked out as Gillian was introducing her. Just like Lana and Mallow her first win had come in a location based Contest that played to her type specialty, strengths and color preference hence the moniker though in Lillie's case it had been more as there had been a blizzard that day that had really benefited her.

However, she knew that she couldn't rely on that now, well not without a little aid from Snowy, and needed to get stronger in battles in general. Experience would give her that but first Lillie had to get through the appeals which she was sure she could.

As such she had no hesitation as she came to a stop at the starting point and tossed out her Poke Ball in a smooth move just like the others had done. It was time to show off her skills that had been sharpened by Dawn's training.

"Snowy, go." Lillie said as she tossed out her Poke Ball. "And start us off with Hail. Show off your ability!"

Snowy let out a cry as it burst from its Poke Ball with a flip before landing on the stage in front of Lillie and looking up to the sky as it blew out the ice type attack from it's mouth. The ice shot into the air before it exploded over the center of the stage and suddenly a hailstorm fell down covering the stage pelting Snowy, Lillie, Gillian and the judges but all of them ignored it and the sudden chill from the ice type attack as they focused on the results of it, Snowy's ability activating.

The ability in question was Snow Cloak which made it harder to see in a hailstorm and that was shown as while Snowy didn't move it was suddenly obfuscated by the hail giving it an evasion advantage. Normally this wouldn't be a good thing, Dawn thought so in the stands, but it was an ability display which worked well and it was necessary for the next move that Lillie called out moments later.

"Now, Aurora Veil!" Lillie ordered.

Snowy, from the midst of the Hail and now in a different position showing the use of its ability to reposition without notice, let out a bark and suddenly a rainbow colored veil appeared originating from a spot on the other side of the stage showing that Snowy had made its way over there in the hailstorm and now was using Aurora Veil to protect itself from damage. Not only did this reveal where Snowy was as it was now visible but it was practical as it greatly reduced the damage that it was taking in the Hail and showed how two moves are tied together because it could only be used with Hail which would go over well.

Still, though, Lillie wasn't done as she gave the next order. This would be where things really heated up, well cooled down given the type that was involved but that was a matter of semantics.

"Powder Snow." Lillie ordered. "Play in it until the final order."

"Vulpix!" Vulpix cried as it unleashed a snowy gust from its mouth that could be seen thanks to the Aurora Veil.

The snow mixed with the Hail and Aurora Veil to add to the swirling mass of snow, ice, and rainbow light filling the stage and creating a full winter wonderland in the Alolan sun. Within all of this the judges at least could make out Snowy as it bounded forward and began to dance and move in the snowstorm it had created without a care for the world. It was moving similar to how Dawn's Kantonian Ninetales had taught it to move on stage and it really showed how happy and carefree that Snowy was but all this was part of the grand finale that Lillie was setting up.

"Now end this." Lillie said as she got her timing just right and Snowy was near the center and raising her hand to the sky. "Leap up and out of this wonderland with Tackle!"

It was a surprise ending but the reason became clear a moment later when Snowy let out a cry and leapt up and through the Hail, Aurora Veil, and remnants of Powder Snow to tackle the air above the mix in such a way that it cleared the mass and burst from it and into the air above the storm. As Snowy did everyone could see that it was facing the judges, which showed an impressive coordination to be in position when it used its move before it fell to the ground.

As it fell the Hail ended leaving just the rainbow veil which also fell a few seconds later and just as Snowy's front paws hit it and thus the ice type was able to land on the now clear but cold stage slightly off the center and closer to the judges than it should be to finish the appeal. The timing had been the critical part of it and Lillie knew that it had worked, as did Snowy who bowed to the judges as Lillie curtsied with it to show that the appeal was over. With that the crowd cheered though the effects of the cold did mute it somewhat.

"Another strong and cold appeal, thankfully it's a warm day so we'll warm up soon." Gillian said a slight shiver in her voice though given her attire it was perfectly understandable. "Do our judges agree?"

"It was a good display of ice type attacks and abilities using a regional variant." Anthony said his tone contemplative which surprised Lillie but she brushed it aside. "There's power there and this was new for me to enjoy."

"Yes, remarkable." Sukizo said his smile and tone showing he was pleased but not overly so.

"Snowy was just adorable." Nurse Joy said happily. "And the way the snow worked with its fur shows how well-groomed and cared for it is."

Lillie smiled at that as she curtsied again while Snowy bowed and Gillian wrapped things up. To Lillie it was good, something Dawn actually disagreed with in her seat, but time would tell as there were only three more appeals so Lillie recalled Snowy and hurried back to the waiting room as Gillian was introducing the next coordinator. It was time to watch the end of the appeals with the others and see who advanced. Lillie was hopeful that all of them would.

-break-

"Alright folks the appeals are over and the judges scores are in." Gillian said as the four girls watched the screen in the waiting room. "And the 8 who advanced are…"

They'd not really spoken after Lillie's appeal as there wasn't much need to do so. They'd all done the best they could and the results would be seen soon enough as there'd only been 3 left after Lillie and none had been as good as hers they all felt though one was better than Lana's. Now they were in and all four waited with baited breath as the 8 cards appeared face down on the screen in two rows of 4 before they flipped over as Gillian's announcement tailed off.

As soon as they did all four breathed a sigh of relief as all four's images were in the bottom row and in the order in which they'd appealed from left to right making it easy to confirm that they'd advanced. They'd all made it despite Lana's weaker appeal and, to Dawn at least, what was a weak appeal by Lillie but for the latter the use of the type and ability had impressed the judges enough to push her over edge even if it might not have managed that in an established region. It was something that would work in Alola, however, and would show Dawn that regional tastes differed a bit depending on the region.

Regardless, all 4 were going to be in the battles and now it was time to find out what the bracket was as the cards turned over and shuffled on the screen to show that the draw would be random. They then fell to the bottom of the screen and a bracket formed over them though the cards remained face down.

"And the path to the Konikoni Ribbon will be…" Gillian's voice said over the speakers as the cards flipped over as the coordinators who'd not advanced began to leave the room with mixed emotions depending on how they felt they'd done and what they were trying to get out of the Contest. "This! Congratulations to all our coordinators today and to those who didn't advance we look forward to seeing you in the next Contest. We will now take an hour break for lunch before we resume with the battles as the 8 remaining battle for the Konikoni Ribbon!"

The girls weren't really listening to that as they blinked at the bracket. They'd hoped that if they'd advanced they'd avoid facing each other until the semifinals when it would just be the four of them left but alas the second battle in the first round showed two of the other four who'd advanced confirming that they wouldn't. That was fine though and as Lana was the one in the first battle it gave her the best path to the final, which she was more than happy with.

However it wasn't as easy for the others. Mallow would be in the third battle against one of the others who'd made it to the battles that the girls didn't know but the final battle of the first round would pit Lillie against Iris. That would be tough on both as Iris only had one Pokémon that wasn't weak to ice types so Lillie, who only had an ice type, wasn't a good matchup for Iris. That would give Iris a lot of thought and now they had an hour to prepare for the battles.

"Well, that wasn't how we would have liked but still." Iris said turning to the other girls and grinning at them. "Good luck."

"You too." Mallow said smiling. "If all goes well then you'll have to beat all of us to win and I fully plan on winning my first battle to set up a match with you or Lillie."

"And I intend to." Iris said.

"Not if I stop you." Lillie said. "Then I'll have to beat Mallow and Lana to win."

"We've got an hour to prepare." Lana said. "So let's get some food and get ready for the fun. Dawn and Ash are watching, we can't let them down now that we've all advanced to the battles."

The others nodded as they headed out to go and get food and prepare for the battles to come. One thing was clear as they left, the battles were going to be really good.

-break-

"Interesting." Dawn said as she and Ash returned to their seats with their lunches and Pokémon and settled in to chat for a moment while looking at the bracket. "The bracket means that Iris or Lillie may have to beat the other two to win thus beating all three of her classmates but that's just how the draw goes. What I'm more interested in is the judging."

"You are?" Ash asked as he began to eat. "Why?"

"If this Contest had been held in an established region, or even Kalos based on the talent we saw there last year, then I doubt that Lana or Lillie would have advanced." Dawn said after swallowing her first mouthful of food. "Lana I can understand, she's a strong battler but her appeals aren't the most innovative outside of water which we don't have here so she did decently with Sandy but a higher threshold for qualification, or even a large field, would have knocked her out."

"That I can see." Ash said as he ate. "I may not understand the judging but even I can tell that a larger field for the 8 spots would have been hard. What about Lillie?"

"That's the strange one." Dawn said thinking on Lillie's appeal. "Lillie looked the best in training as she understood grace and movements but she went for an obfuscation style with Snow Cloak which is risky though necessary with the moves and how Aurora Veil works. Normally that would be tough to pull off and hinder her but clearly these judges liked it enough to advance her. I'm not sure I'd rate it highly but my judging is different."

"Presumably all judges are different, right?" Ash asked. "That is the nature of judging after all."

"To an extent yes, there is some leeway for personal interpretation but there is also a form for judging that the judges have to follow." Dawn said. "It's different to a Showcase which is all on how the crowd liked it, it's more technical which is why Amelia is good at Contests. Here Lillie obscured her Pokémon and while it showcased an ability which is better than the mistakes that I've made there but it can backfire if not done well. A more crowded or talented field would have knocked her out as well. Still, this is Alola which is different and a great place to hone skills and styles. Add in Jessilina on the circuit and it will improve."

"I see, well not really but you're the expert here." Ash said as he finished his first meal and moved onto the next one that he'd bought from a different vendor. "What about the other two?"

"Both were good, easily at an established region level though not top 4 in one of them." Dawn said. "Which doesn't matter as advancing is all you need and it would have taken a really strong field to knock Iris and Mallow out of the top 8. I'd say Mallow was better in general but Iris's use of Mega Evolution and moves were strong. Plus she only shivered a few times from what I could see so she's getting over the fairy thing."

"That or Mega Altaria is an exception." Ash said. "If I recall she had it before the revelation or at least knew of Altaria's Mega Evolution before then."

"True." Dawn admitted. "Still, it was a good showing."

"It was cool to watch." Ash agreed. "So what about the battles? It is a new competition now so who's got the edge there."

"That it is which is why rankings in appeals don't matter so long as you make it through, especially because the draws are random." Dawn said looking at the bracket as she finished her meal. "The biggest beneficiary of this is Lana. She's got talent when it comes to battles though she's not got the Contest style fully locked down. Still, the weaker competition allowed her to advance so she can make the most of it with an easy path to the final."

"She does avoid facing friends before then and I can't assess the battle prowess of the other 4 as I've never seen them in battle though of course you can never count someone out just because you've not seen them battle." Ash said to which Dawn nodded and mentally corrected herself on that front as she'd made assumptions of the other 4 with a bias for her friends that she shouldn't have done. "And the others? They have a tougher path for sure but what do you think?"

"Mallow should win though of course we're biased in favor of our friends and anything can happen in a Contest battle as they are different from a normal one." Dawn said and Ash agreed as he knew full well that people he'd easily beat in a normal battle could beat him in a Contest battle due to how it worked. "As for Iris and Lillie, that's going to be tougher. They start off with a battle against each other and then have to likely beat the other two to win it. A harder path but if they manage it then they'll come out stronger in the end because their friends pushed them every step of the way. Of course you understand battles better and know Iris well so you might have a better assessment Ash."

"I do and this is interesting for sure." Ash said thinking on it. "Lillie's got one Pokémon, her Alolan Vulpix which is a pure ice type so one of the two that Iris fears though it would be both if it evolved. Thankfully she's been around it long enough to be used to it, at least I think, plus she has one Pokémon who can counter it well. It will all depend on how much she wants to win compared to general training. I'd take this as training but that's just me."

"Likewise I would just in case but this is different for them especially as Iris only needs one more ribbon and without me or Jessilina in the way she can secure it if she goes all out." Dawn said. "Plus they all know each other well and their styles so they can train anytime and it would be harder to use surprises in this which would mean that going for what's best is a good idea. Add in the type advantage and I'd say that Iris will go all out. It's also a sign of respect to Lillie and the danger she poses Iris, she's not going to be cute or try to use this to train, she's going for the win."

"That does sound like Iris." Ash agreed. "Which means, based on what I remember, that she's got one Pokémon for Lillie and one for Lana if they're both on her at the moment and we don't know who she has on her. Course Lana could go back to Sandy if she faces Iris but she might not. Iris is the strongest of them so it makes sense to use Primarina against her. Add in the fairy v. dragon type situation and that's just an obvious choice for Lana if she faces Iris in the final."

"Plus Primarina has a water type which negates a steel type's advantage and Iris tends to favor steel over poison for her fairy counters." Dawn said recalling the training she'd done with Iris since arriving in Unova. "But it does open other avenues up like Exeggutor's grass type."

"Agreed but if I know Iris I think she's got something else in store for Lana, especially if she uses who I think she'll use against Lillie." Ash said thinking on it. "If she does then Iris will likely win, Lillie's got talent but in a battle like this you need to be at a regional favorite level, or at least highly skilled in a certain aspect of Contest battles, to overcome what's coming from Iris. Jessilina could manage it but she's not in the competition. Of course you, May, Serena, Zoey, and Miette all likely could as well. Same for Tierno and Nando actually but I've not seen enough of Lillie to assess that."

"It will be a good test regardless." Dawn said. "And if Iris beats Lillie? Presuming that Mallow does as well who's got that battle."

"Iris." Ash said simply. "It's more even in terms of types as Iris doesn't have something that is explicitly strong against grass types but Iris will use a dragon type and all her dragon types except her Gabite are resistant to grass type attacks and Gabite's dragon type negates the ground weakness. She could use any of them against Mallow, all she needs is one that has something good against grass and can match the mobility of Tsareena. There are a few choices for Iris there based on what we know she has."

"Agreed." Dawn said as their Pokémon finished their own lunches that they were eating on the edge between the stands and the stage and returned to their trainers. "And even if Iris loses, Lillie has the edge on types but that doesn't mean much. Lana's apparently beaten Mallow a few times despite Mallow having the edge in their matchups so it really could go either way there."

"True." Ash said as Pikachu settled in his lap. "It really is quite open when you think about it."

"A little bit but I do feel like it will be Lana v. Iris in the final." Dawn said as she helped Popplio and Jangmo-o up. "But that will be seen so let's enjoy what is to come."

Ash nodded at that as they settled back and just chatted while the lunch break continued. This was different for Dawn at least; it had been a while since she'd just watched from the stands but she was enjoying it and already had gotten some inspiration from the appeals so she couldn't wait to see how her friends did in the battles. One thing she was certain of was that regardless of who won, they were in for a good show and she was going to thoroughly enjoy it.

-break-

Iris stood in the wings as she watched Mallow's Tsareena land a Trop Kick on her opponent's Mudbray's head driving it to its knees before it keeled over to thump down on its side with swirls for eyes. It was a victory by Battle Off with just over a minute left but that had been expected the moment that Iris saw the first stage Alolan ground type come out of Mallow's opponent's Poke Ball.

It was at a serious disadvantage and with Magic Leaf, which Mallow strategically used twice, and some good dodging she'd been able to bring it down with relative ease though the Mudbray had evaded some attacks with a surprising grace and landed a few of its own showing talent. Still, Mallow had it and had now advanced to the semifinal to face either Iris or Lillie in it.

Lana had already advanced to start the battles off, she'd switched to Primarina for her first battle and while it was an even matchup with a Herdier used by a Unovan trainer, Lana showed her battle talent by winning on points thanks to a few good hits and a final dodge that tipped her over the edge right at the end. Now Mallow had advanced as well and at least one more would advance, and one would certainly make the final, thanks to the bracket.

Iris smiled at the result as Mallow and her opponent bowed to each other before they left and headed back to their sides. Iris wasn't on the side Mallow had been on, Lillie was, so she couldn't congratulate her friend on her victory like Lillie was doing at the moment but she would later. Now, though, she had to focus on the battle, which no doubt Lillie was as well.

"That was an exciting battle but it's time to end the first round and find out last semifinalist!" Gillian said excitedly as Lillie and Iris walked out of the wings and headed to their spots on the stage to the cheers of the crowd. "And we've got two friends and rivals going at it in this one which will no doubt make it a good battle. They're both students at the Pokémon School on Melemele and have notable records in battles and Contests but one is the clear underdog though she does have the advantage in type specialty. Looking to beat her friend and upset the Contest, from Hau'oli City, it's Lillie of the Frigid White! Standing in her way is the accomplished Dragon of Unova herself, from the Village of Dragons, Iris!"

Iris just ignored this as she made her way to the starting point. She'd long debated which Pokémon she wanted to use in this battle and in the end she'd decided that she couldn't take any chances with Lillie. Of the girls Lillie was the biggest threat to her. Even with Primarina's fairy type Lana wasn't as big a threat to Iris as she'd worked hard to get around that type but ice types had been Iris's original fear and with the emergence of fairy types the focus had shifted to them. As such Iris wasn't going to hold back against Lillie in this battle.

For her part Lillie was nervous. She knew she had the type advantage on paper but that was the only place that Lillie had the advantage as Iris was talented and had shown an ability to overcome fairy types so ice shouldn't be a problem for her either. Of course Lillie wouldn't go down without a fight and she'd received support and encouragement from Mallow so she was ready for this as well as she and Iris came to a stop in the starting spots.

"Good luck." Lillie called out as the crowd cheered though both girls were ignoring it. "I know I can't hold back Iris so I'm coming for you."

"Same, you've grown a lot since I met you Lillie." Iris said with a smile recalling how Lillie had gone from being afraid to touch Pokémon due to an incident in her past to a confident up and coming trainer. "So I won't take you lightly. I know I have to match you if I want to beat you."

"Thanks, that means a lot." Lillie said smiling back at Iris as she pulled out her Poke Ball. "And I'll do my best to live up to that."

"I know you will." Iris said as she pulled out her own. "And let this be a sign of the threat you pose to me."

That got Lillie's attention as she wasn't sure what it meant but she had a good idea of what it could be based on the Pokémon that she knew Iris had in her rotation. However, before she could think more on it Gillian was already speaking.

"That's just what we love to hear ladies!" Gillian said clearly excited for the battle to come. "And with that, battle begin!"

"Snowy, go."

"Excadrill, go."

The girls spoke at the same time as they tossed out their Poke Balls and the timer started to tick down the moment Gillian announced the start of the battle. Their Pokémon burst forth and landed before their trainers almost in unison and Lillie's suspicions had been concerned, Iris was using the only Pokémon she had that was guaranteed to be good against ice types and not weak to them in any way.

It was also the only one good against fairy types for that matter but the likely fairy that she'd face had a water type to negate Excadrill's steel type and counter his ground type so Lillie was a better choice to use him against. It was an honor indeed as it showed that Iris considered Lillie a true threat to her 5th ribbon so Lillie knew that she had to be careful which meant tactics right off the bat.

"Start with Hail." Lillie ordered.

"Rush in and get close for Metal Claw." Iris countered as the battle began in earnest. "Don't lose it before it can use its ability because it increases evasiveness in Hail."

"Excadrill!" Excadrill cried understanding what Iris wanted from him as he pushed himself off the ground and rushed forward as fast as possible, claws spread and to the sides as they glowed with steel type power.

He knew that he had to come in hard and fast to land his attack on his opponent because once the Hail started things would be a lot harder. Right now he had the advantage in this battle thanks to his steel type being strong against Snowy's ice type while also negating his ground type weakness to ice type attacks. It was why he was in this battle; he was Iris's primary guardian against ice types, and fairy types for that matter, so he'd show that now as he closed the distance as Snowy tipped its head back, mouth open, and blew out the Hail attack.

Excadrill pushed himself even harder as the Hail shot into the air and burst when it hit whatever point it had to hit to activate and spread out over the stage before it began to pelt down onto the Pokémon, their trainers, Gillian and the judges. He had to land this hit to set it up and his strong, long, bond with Iris gave him the needed strength to reach Snowy and rake his right claw across its face just before the first balls of hail hit the two Pokémon.

Snowy wailed in pain from the super effective attack and staggered back a few paces but as it did the Hail reached them and quickly obfuscated Snowy as its Snow Cloak was activated. At the same time Excadrill came to a stop and grunted as he took a little damage from the Hail. It wasn't much but it was going to start adding up over the course of the battle and Iris lost a few points from the hits though it wasn't many as it was passive damage rather than a direct hit or dodge. Plus it was nothing compared to the decent chunk of points that Lillie lost from the exchange.

It was worth it though as now Lillie had the upper hand and her plan was in full effect. It was the plan that she'd come up with Snowy during the lunch break when they were strategizing for Iris and was applicable to any of Iris's Pokémon as despite the type advantage Iris had stronger Pokémon and at the very least her Dragonite knew a move to counter ice types.

As such Lillie had to fight smart and tactical if she wanted to win this battle. It was something that she'd noted from when Iris had them all watch Ash's battles in the Lumiose Conference and his subsequent challenge, and which Dawn had driven home in training, regarding Contest battles and how they were different to normal battles.

The point had been that a Contest battle was about grace, execution, and battle smarts, not battle prowess so you had to be clever in it in a different way to a normal battle. The goal wasn't to knock your opponent out, it was to have the most points remaining after 5 minutes were up.

Yes you could go for the Battle Off and many coordinators like Kenny the year before did just that, but it wasn't the key to winning if you wanted to be one of the best. That said, sometimes it was a necessity as Dawn gave the example of her first battle in the Sinnoh Grand Festival when her only chance of advancing against Ursula was a last second Battle Off, but that wasn't the case in this battle so Lillie had dismissed going for a Battle Off from the start.

No, as Dawn made clear to them in training, the key to a Contest battle was understanding the nature and flow of one and how it differed from a normal battle. If you understood this you could take control of it and focus on what counted most, landing hits and evading attacks to whittle down points all while looking graceful in the process. This way you could counter type disadvantages, Pokémon power levels, and trainer skill if done right.

The best example Dawn had for this was Serena as Serena had developed a style that played to her Showcase background but embraced the nature of a Contest battle and allowed her to overcome stronger battlers like Tierno, Miette, Amelia, and even Ash though that was more a well-timed one hit K.O. that Serena had managed due to her new found understanding. It even allowed Serena to beat a favorite in Emily in the Kalos Grand Festival semifinals in a surprise upset and almost beat Brianna in the final.

It wasn't foolproof of course, no tactic was, but it was a good way to even the scales so long as you played to your Pokémon's strengths in the battle. Against a more traditional battler like Iris that was what Lillie needed and she had just the advantage with Snow Cloak so taking the hit was worth it as Snowy became hard to see and Excadrill was in the middle of the hailstorm raging.

"That's it Snowy now it's time for what we practiced." Lillie said as she felt herself taking control of the battle. "Hit and run with Powder Snow. Don't let Excadrill find you."

"Not bad and just what I feared would happen so we're ready for this." Iris said shivering a bit because of the sudden cold and her own general fear of ice types. "Excadrill, this is a ranged attack that can come from anywhere. Be careful and prepared. The moment it comes counter with Focus Blast."

It wasn't the best strategy, Iris knew that when she thought it up to counter Snowy's Snow Cloak, as Focus Blast was wasn't the most accurate attack but it was the only ranged attack that Excadrill knew and it was super effective on Snowy so if it landed it would do a good bit of damage. As such Excadrill heightened his mental focus and got ready, his senses alert so that he could counter the moment that he got the chance.

That came a few seconds later as the hailstorm shifted and the snowy gust cut through it to slam into Excadrill's back and stagger him forward a pace from the blow. He grunted in pain from it and quickly turned to the area and unleashed the ball of fighting type at the spot the attack came from. Alas Snowy had already moved thanks to cover of the hailstorm so the attack missed but as the Focus Blast hit the ground behind where Snowy had been it blew up creating a brief window in the hailstorm that nagged at Iris's mind.

It wasn't until another attack from Snowy and subsequent miss from Excadrill, the second combo fully dropping Iris out of the first bar of points and cutting a fair bit into her second one while Lillie still had half her first bar left, that Iris put it all together. This gave her an idea, a crazy one but as anyone who'd spent a year with Ash Ketchum and watched many of his battles Iris knew that sometimes crazy was just what you needed.

"Excadrill slight change." Iris said as the hailstorm filled back in from the miss and her idea solidified in her mind. "The moment either of us sees the hail shift from the Powder Snow, leap into the air while preparing your Focus Blast."

"Excadrill." Excadrill said understanding as he again heightened his mental focus ready for the attack to come.

It came from to his right this time, he just caught it out of the corner of his eye as the gust of snow shifted the hail from where it was blown thus indicating the impending attack. As ordered he leapt into the air just as Iris gave the command and the attack shot under him registering a miss for Lillie but that wasn't the only thing that Iris wanted.

This would go against most Contest tactics but, well, Iris wasn't a focused coordinator so she didn't care especially because this would be great in a normal battle as well. Ultimately that was what she ultimately wanted to develop from participating in Contests.

"Blast that attack directly down and at the stage with all you've got." Iris shouted. "And then use Metal Claw the moment you see Snowy!"

"Huh?" Lillie asked, unlike Iris she wasn't fully used to the out of the box tactics that Ash was known for and Iris didn't employ such radical methods often as they weren't part of her normal battle style, well that and the fact that Iris just ordered a deliberate miss in a Contest battle. "What are…"

Before Lillie could finish her thought, Excadrill looked down as he was falling back to the stage and blasted out the ball of fighting type power that he'd been building up with all that he had. It shot down and hit the stage below him with a boom that blew up and sent the hailstorm flying away from the impact and explosion creating a brief window in the hailstorm. A window that revealed Snowy braced to the side and hunkered down a bit after the explosion with its eyes closed.

Excadrill didn't miss Snowy and so, as soon as he landed and the hail began to fill back in, he pushed off the ground, claws out and spread as he activated his Metal Claw. Lillie barely had the time to call out before Excadrill was on Snowy and raked his claws over the Fox Pokémon's face causing it to stagger back with a wail as the super effective steel type attack hit it for the second time that battle.

Iris would have pressed the advantage but she couldn't as the hail had closed in and once again Snow Cloak was active obscuring Snowy and giving the advantage back to Lillie. However, the second blow was good as it added up thanks to Lillie not using Aurora Veil due to the fact that it would have given away Snowy's location if used and brought Lillie's points down to near Iris's. That wasn't all, Iris knew that it was only a matter of time before what she knew was coming did.

"Powder Snow." Lillie ordered. "We've got the hail back in out side and we know this trick now."

"Focus Blast but hold it until I say so." Iris said as the hail right in front of Excadrill shifted. "Brace and take the hit, you can manage it. We've got this, I know it!"

Excadrill grunted as he heighted his mental focus once again. He trusted Iris and knew that she'd pull through so he was ready as another Powder Snow hit him in the chest and staggered him back a pace as he once again thanked his steel types resistance to ice type attacks ensuring that this wasn't bad. Any of his other teammates would struggle, especially Dragonite and Gabite as both of their types were weak to ice type attacks, but he could manage it without an issue.

That trust paid off as a second or so after the hit the Hail attack ended having run it's course and Snowy suddenly became visible again right in front of Excadrill. He grinned as Snowy and Lillie's eyes went wide but before the latter could give an order Iris shouted as her plan was revealed.

"Now!"

Excadrill roared as he unleashed the Focus Blast. It tore across the stage and despite it's less than ideal accuracy was on target this time as it slammed into Snowy's face with a boom that blasted Snowy back. The ice type didn't wail, it couldn't as the super effective fighting type attack, the third super effective attack that it had taken all battle which were all compounded by the small damage that Hail caused, was way too much for Snowy to handle and it was knocked out the moment the Focus Blast hit.

As such Snowy was limp in the air for a few moments before it hit the ground hard and rolled over before coming to a stop on its side just in front of a stunned Lillie with swirls for eyes. The moment that the judges saw that they hit the buttons and the Xs appeared on the podiums and the timer stopped. The battle was over and Iris had won despite having less points remaining thus showing how a Battle Off can sometimes be necessary.

"And there it is, with just over 2 minutes left Iris has won by Battle Off!" Gillian said as the crowd erupted into a roar now that they'd had time to process the results. "That was intense for sure. I can't say we've seen that strategy to overcome an ability like Snow Cloak before."

"Excadrill return." Iris said smiling and ignoring Gillian's commentary as she recalled her Pokémon and looked at the Poke Ball in her hand. "You were great there. Lillie's tactic was good and against anyone else in the team it would have been a problem but you held out and won it with a bit of a flare showing that it was for the best that I went with you. Well done. Take a rest, you earned it."

"Snowy, return." Lillie said a small smile on her face as she recalled her only Pokémon. "You were great out there; I couldn't have asked for more from you against one of Iris's strongest Pokémon. Our plan was solid and could have won if we'd hung on for the full 5 minutes but in the end Iris adapted which was impressive and what I'd expect from someone who can push Gladion to the edge. Take a rest, it's time to support the others."

"That is the benefit of traveling with Ash." Iris called out as Lillie put away her Poke Ball and looked up to meet Iris's eye across the stage. "He was the one who taught me that sometimes you had to think out of the box and do something drastic to win a battle. That plan of yours was really good though, it would have been hard for any of my other Pokémon to counter it and even Excadrill struggled there. You've come a long way since I met you Lillie."

"Thanks Iris." Lillie said happy at the praise from her friend. "That means a lot, just a shame that you have an ice buster in your roster."

"Yeah my Excadrill protects me against the two great banes of dragon types." Iris said with a chuckle. "Been doing so since I ran into Georgia back in Unova. Good thing that Snowy doesn't want to evolve, I don't know if I could face an Alolan Ninetales after the revelation of the added type that I helped reveal."

"It really is the ultimate anti-dragon though your Mega Altaria isn't far behind when you think about it." Lillie said as the stage was quickly repaired from the slight damage Iris had caused it. "Anyway, I'm going to go to the waiting room and support you lot, good luck against Mallow. At least one of us will make the final for sure and I can't wait to see who it will be."

"Thanks." Iris said and both girls bowed to each other before turning and leaving the stage.

While Lillie did head straight back to the waiting room, after a comforting word from Lana and Mallow following her loss as that was the side Lana was waiting in, Iris didn't bother going back to the waiting room as she left the stage and passed the coordinator she didn't know who was heading out to his semifinal against Lana as the introductions were made. There was no need to do so after all as Iris would go out right after the first semifinal so it was better to just watch from here while she knew that Mallow would watch from Lana's side after some words of support before Lana went out.

It turned out that it was the right decision as the battle ended up being notably in Lana's favor. Her opponent, a guy from Galar who'd come to Alola for the easier circuit, had clearly expected Lana to change Pokémon after the first round and used his Alolan Persian but Lana hadn't and had stuck with Primarina who's fairy type was a good matchup for Persian's dark type.

That was shown in the battle as the guy tried to compensate for that with quick attacks and evasions that played on Persian's grace and physiological advantage over the bigger, aquatic, Primarina but Lana remained calm and easily countered, landing a strong fairy type attack that it knew which put Persian on the backfoot. Lana pressed this advantage and landed two Icy Winds that slowed Persian down enough for a second hit from that fairy type attack to land that ended Persian and gave Lana the win by Battle Off with just under 2 minutes left.

With that Lana had made it to the final ensuring that one of them would win the Contest and heading back to the wings to watch after bowing to her opponent who returned it before leaving and walking past Iris clearly annoyed and muttering that he should have used Perrserker instead. Iris didn't know what that meant and just ignored it because it was time to face Mallow and she was going to be ready for it.

"We now have one finalist decided, it's time to find out who will be the second." Gillian said as Mallow and Iris began walking out of the wings. "And once again friends, rivals, and fellow students will go head to head in this battle to decide who will face another classmate of theirs in the final. Like last round the underdog is from Hau'oli City but she's looking for the upset to advance and show her skills while the favorite is from the Unova region and gunning for her fifth ribbon and confirmation of favorite status with a qualification for the Grand Festival. That's right, it's time for Mallow of the Verdant Green to face off against the Dragon of Unova, Iris, in our second semifinal!"

Again Iris paid this little heed as she walked to the cheers of crowd that Gillian had worked up with her hyping of the battle as she was focused only on Mallow. Of the three Alolan girls, Mallow was the easiest for Iris to face but her style was still more straightforward and battle orientated than a typical Contest Battle usually had.

Mallow on the other hand was a bit more flexible and could use that to her advantage in a Contest battle. Iris wouldn't let her and she had just the Pokémon for this, one which would surprise both Mallow and Lana who was no doubt watching from the wings to see who she'd face in the final.

For her part Mallow was ready and determined to face Iris. Lana and Lillie had had some encouraging words for her after Lillie's loss and as Mallow wanted to face her Lana in the final she was going to give her all to win this. Of course she just had to go through another friend and the strongest battler of them all, and in their class as a whole for that matter, to do so. It would be hard; she didn't have the advantages that Lillie and Lana had when facing most of Iris's Pokémon but she'd still show that she could hold her own in this battle.

Plus she'd lost to Lana in the Contest that Lana had won earlier that year, along with in the first battle round of Manalo Conference, and only beating Lillie in the one that she'd won so she wanted to face Lana again to make up for that. It just meant that she had to beat Iris to do so.

"Don't expect your reputation to intimidate me, Iris." Mallow said with a smile at her friend. "You're not Dawn after all, you can be beaten by one of us in a Contest."

"Yes but I can face Dawn, you opted not to try though as she beat all of you in practice with ease I can understand why." Iris said grinning back. "She may have beaten me in Iki Town but still I showed that it can be done. Course I'm not taking you likely either."

"Neither am I taking you likely." Mallow said pulling out her Poke Ball. "So let's see if I can cause an upset and then get some revenge on Lana for the losses she's handed me in the past."

"Show me because I'm not going to go down easily." Iris said pulling out her own Poke Ball. "I know how strong you've become; I have to match that."

"Yes, ladies, this is just what we love to hear from friendly rivals!" Gillian said excitedly. "And with that, battle begin!"

"Tsareena, go!" Mallow said tossing out her Poke Ball which was the Pokémon that Iris had expected as it was the only one that Mallow had due to that Shaymin being a friend rather than an official catch.

"Dragonite, go!" Iris said a second later using her strongest dragon type in a move that surprised Mallow as the timer began to count down.

"Interesting, you went with him instead of one of your others, I'm honored that you consider me worthy of facing your best." Mallow said. "And it shows that I really need to get more Pokémon this year. That will come, for now hit it with Magic Leaf! This isn't about damage after all."

"Agreed but I can't allow that in a Contest Battle." Iris said as Tsareena whipped her body around and sent out the strange leaf. "Incinerate it with Flamethrower and follow it up with Ice Beam."

"Dodge as soon as you can and then use Stomp!" Mallow countered as the battle began to heat up.

Dragonite grunted as the strange leaf shot up and at him. He still had a slight attitude but he was Iris's strongest Pokémon and he enjoyed a good challenge no matter the kind of battle it was, mainly because he was going to win it on his terms not Iris's. He knew this Tsareena as she was the Pokémon to one of Iris's friends and a decently strong Pokémon so a worthy challenge for him to beat. Plus this was an attack that didn't miss and while would be but a minor annoyance to Dragonite beating it would show his power.

As such he opened his mouth and blasted out an intense gout of flame right at the leaf that hit it as it was just over halfway towards him, incinerating it in seconds and sending the flames on towards Tsareena but the Fruit Pokémon had already leapt back so the fire torched the ground where she'd been instead. However, as it was an attack to cancel another, which it did, it wasn't recorded as a miss and Iris didn't lose any points while Mallow lost a couple for the blocked attack.

Alas the same couldn't be said for the Ice Beam that Dragonite then used, using Tsareena's leap back to his advantage to form the ball of ice in his mouth before blasting it out and at Tsareena as she was still in the air. However, Tsareena landed on the ground before the Ice Beam reached her so she had the time to leap up with her leg things and easily get over the attack that hit the ground and froze a patch of stage there. The leap also took her towards Dragonite and above him as the Ice Beam was running its course.

Just like Lillie, Mallow knew that her best plan against Iris was a hit and run style that showcased evasion and grace to avoid Dragonite's attacks while Tsareena landed her own attacks in return. Unlike Lillie, though, she didn't have any advantages over Iris's Pokémon or a useful ability to provide cover, so she had to rely fully on Tsareena's mobility to secure a pure points win. Add in that Dragonite knew two moves that were super effective against Tsareena and things were going to be tense but Mallow was ready for that as Tsareena closed in on Dragonite.

Thanks to the Ice Beam, Dragonite didn't have the time to fly away as Iris called for it before Tsareena was on him, her leg stomping down in the air and driving into the top of Dragonite's head. He grunted from the attack and lost a little altitude from the blow but not much as he was a strong Pokémon that wasn't weak to normal type attacks so all it did was cost him a few more points that he didn't care about.

That was because Dragonite was here to win and knock this overgrown plant out and Iris knew that so she played into Dragonite's personality to maximize his potential in this battle. Thankfully Mallow had made a miscalculation with her attack as it put Tsareena in the air where she was vulnerable as she flipped back and off Dragonite and Iris took full advantage of that.

"Flamethrower!" Iris called.

Dragonite grunted and smirked as the fire filled his mouth and Tsareena's eyes went wide. Mallow grit her teeth at her miscalculation. Her overall tactic was a good one for a Contest battle in general but it wasn't the best against a flying type and that was shown as the gout of flames shot from Dragonite's mouth before she could give an order and washed over Tsareena as she fell.

The fully evolved grass type wailed in pain from the hit as the flames engulfed her for a moment before she fell from them and landed on the stage in a crouch as Mallow's points ticked a fair bit. However, that wasn't enough to take Tsareena down and she grit her teeth as Mallow adapted and gave her next order.

"Magic Leaf into Trop Kick." Mallow ordered. "Then another Magic Leaf as you fall to keep Dragonite distracted. It can't block all of them and we will whittle down Iris's points the more hits we land."

"Don't have to." Iris said grinning adapting her own strategy to Dragonite's personality as Tsareena whipped her head around and sent out the strange leaf again before she suddenly leapt up and after it. "Take that Magic Leaf, it's insignificant to you in this battle, and block that Trop Kick before you counter with Thunder Punch."

Dragonite grunted and smirked glad that Iris understood what was actually important in this battle as he focused on the approaching grass type. The Magic Leaf was nothing but a sting on his gut as both his types were resistant to grass type attacks. Destroying one earlier looked good and showed his power and intentions in this battle but now they weren't worth his time as he didn't even move after the hit right as Tsareena was on him, twisting in the air and lashing out an intense, sideways due to her angle, kick imbued with the power of the jungle right at Dragonite's head.

However, Dragonite was ready and he got his left arm up and intercepted the kick on his forearm with a boom as he hovered there the force only moving him a few inches. It stung a bit and Iris lost some points but it wasn't as bad as it could have been, and even then it wouldn't have been that bad, and Dragonite just smirked as electricity coated his right hand.

Then, just as Tsareena was removing her leg, Dragonite lashed out slamming his arm into the center thing of Tsareena's body as hard as he could manage winding her and causing her to double over his fist before she was blasted down and into the stage with a crash that cratered it a bit and kicked up dust around her. It wasn't that effective, she was resistant to electric type attacks after all, but it was still annoying to deal with. Plus Iris didn't mean it as an effective attack, it was meant to drive Tsareena back down and give Dragonite an opening.

"Ice Beam." Iris said. "Keep it up until you hit Tsareena. This is a battle for us not a Contest one and we'll win it like one."

"Dodge and use Magic Leaf to distract it before using Stomp again." Mallow said her tone a little worried now as the ball of ice formed in Dragonite's mouth. "If that's how Iris wants to play it then fine we'll use it against her."

Tsareena grunted from in the dust as the Ice Beam shot down and at her. She was still in this and with a groan she rolled to the side to evade the attack so that the ice hit where she'd been thus costing Iris some points as she exited the cloud of dust and popped up onto a knee the last vestiges of sparks leaving her body as she whipped her head around and sent the strange leaf up at Dragonite as the next Ice Beam was forming in his mouth.

Dragonite just ignored that as he blasted down the Ice Beam making sure that it traveled over the strange leaf. As such both attacks landed at the same time with the Magic Leaf hitting Dragonite's gut for the second time and being nothing more than a sting that cost Iris some points while the Ice Beam slammed into her face driving her to her back on the ground with a wail of pain from the super effective attack.

Still it wasn't enough to take out Tsareena and she had her orders so she tried to force herself to roll with it and flip back to land on her feet and then use the momentum to leap up and at Dragonite. However, as she did her body suddenly spasmed and sparks appeared all over it shocking Mallow and Iris but the latter quickly realized what it was. It was the potential side effect from the Thunder Punch, paralysis, and it had just triggered which was a great opening for Iris and Dragonite.

"Flamethrower!" Iris ordered.

"Stomp!" Mallow countered her tone now desperate as the fire formed in Dragonite's mouth.

Alas the paralysis meant that Tsareena couldn't move so she was stuck there for a moment and all she could do was lie on her back and look up at the flames coming for her and brace for them. She did just that determined not to pass out as the fire type attack slammed into her and she wailed in pain despite trying not to as she was covered by the flames. However, she was a fully evolved Pokémon so she still had a bit of health left and pushed through the pain to push off the ground as the fire raged over her and into a crouch within the flames though they did hide her from view for a moment.

Then, as the Flamethrower ended, Tsareena cried out and leapt up from the fire as it burned over the ground and into the air gaining height and showing that she was still in it despite the char marks on her body. She was going for a Stomp as ordered and she'd land it. However, Iris saw this and countered knowing that the battle was well in hand at this point.

"Dragon Rush!" Iris called out. "Meet and push through it."

This time Dragonite roared as he flew up with overwhelming malice and at Tsareena who was now above him and falling towards him her leg raised for the Stomp. As he reached her she brought her leg down, hard, and Dragonite's head slammed into it. Tsareena pushed into it for a moment trying to push through the Dragon Rush but in then end Dragonite was too strong for her and pushed through the Stomp to tackle her in the air instead.

That was a strange sight for sure as Dragonite slammed into Tsareena and grabbed her in his arms before spinning a few times as he continued to ascend higher as the Dragon Rush ran it's course. Then, when it was over, he simply let go of her at the end of the spin and tossed Tsareena to the ground below him.

It was clear from her body that it was over as Tsareena fell limply through the air without making a sound before she slammed back first into the ground with a thump that didn't kick up any dust. Tsareena lay on the ground unmoving, limps splayed and swirls for eyes as Dragonite smirked from above pleased with his victory and the Xs went off to signal a Battle Off.

"And there it is!" Gillian said as the crowd roared. "With 92 seconds remaining Iris has won by Battle Off and advances to the final to face Lana! That will begin in just a moment folks, first we need to fix the battlefield as there's been a little damage from the last battle."

"Tsareena, return." Mallow said recalling her Pokémon with a small smile on her face before she looked at the Poke Ball in her hand. "You did well there my friend, I couldn't be prouder of you. That battle was against us from the start and we know that Dragonite is Iris's toughest Pokémon, he almost won the Manalo Conference for her last year in that epic final clash with Gladion, and you put up a good show against him despite the disadvantages we had. Take a rest, we'll get her next time."

"Dragonite, return." Iris said recalling Dragonite with a smile of her own and also looking at her Poke Ball. "You did great just as I knew you would. You helped me make the final and we're ready for that as well. Take a break, you earned it."

"That was certainly something else." Mallow said as Iris put her Poke Ball away and looked up at Iris across the stage from her. "I've never faced your Dragonite. He's rather strong."

"He always has been and loves a good challenge, it's why it took a while to get him under control, so I had to adapt my strategy to fit his personality." Iris said as she put Dragonite's Poke Ball away. "But he was the best against Tsareena. I know how good she is and how close you too are so I had to go for who was the best matchup if I wanted to win and advance to the finals. I really only have moves to face grass types with Dragonite."

"Yeah and you showed them there along with that Thunder Punch that was a lot more annoying than I'd expected it to be." Mallow said. "And now you've beaten two of us leaving only Lana. Good luck, she is the strongest battler of us and you know what's coming."

"Oh I'm ready for it." Iris said only a faint quiver in her voice at facing a fairy type even if she was prepared for it. "Don't worry."

"I'm not worried but I expect you two to put on a good show." Mallow said. "I'll be watching with Lillie to see which of my friends wins this Contest."

"I will." Iris said with a smile. "And so will Lana."

Mallow just nodded at that before she bowed to Iris, which Iris returned, and the rose and turned and walked off to head back to the waiting room where Lillie was to watch the final between Iris and Lana. On the way out Mallow passed Lana who gave her a few words of support while Mallow wished her luck in the upcoming final.

Iris, meanwhile, just rose from her bow and waited. There was no need to move as it was time for the final and she already had her plan for how to deal with Lana. She'd had it since she saw the bracket and it was time for another good surprise as Lana walked out and Gillian began to hype up the final.

"Well here it is folks, the final of the Konikoni Contest!" Gillian said her excitement at an all-day high as the crowd cheered in agreement. "And what a final we have! Two good friends and rivals, both of whom made it to the top 8 of the first Manalo Conference with one making it all the way to the final. They've never met in a Contest though, nor did they meet in the Manalo Conference in fact, but now they do and we all can't wait to see who will claim the Konikoni Ribbon! Looking for the upset and her second ribbon, from Hau'oli City it's Lana of the Deep Blue. Facing her and going for that fifth ribbon, from the Village of Dragons, the Dragon of Unova, Iris!"

"You've face two of us and now it's my turn." Lana said with a smile as she came to a stop as Gillian's commentary ended and the crowd cheered even louder now that the intros were over. "So it's my job to prevent you from sweeping us, Iris."

"Bring it Lana." Iris said with a smile of her own. "I didn't expect this to work out this way but I'm not complaining about it. It's a great challenge for me to face all of you on my way to my fifth ribbon and shown me how much all of you have grown. You're the best battler of the three so this is just how it should be."

"Perhaps but now I've got a chance to beat you and be the best girl in the class, at least for a bit." Lana said as she pulled out her Poke Ball. "So there's no point in delaying this any longer. Let's do this Iris."

"Let's." Iris said grinning now as she pulled out her own Poke Ball. "Bring it, I'm not afraid of that particular fairy anymore."

"Ladies this is too much, we can't take it anymore!" Gillian said her excitement now through the roof. "Let the final battle of the Konikoni Contest…begin!"

"Primarina, go!" Lana said tossing out her Poke Ball.

"Emolga, go!" Iris said at the same time as she through out her own Poke Ball.

"Emolga?" Lana asked blinking in surprise as her fully evolved starter appeared before her while the Unovan electric and flying type appeared before Iris and glided towards Primarina with a chitter. "Of course, I should have expected it after your choice against Lillie. Still, it's unlike you to use more than one non-Dragon type though."

"You girls are just that good." Iris said with a grin as the timer began to count down. "I have to bring my best if I want to win this and against you that's Emolga. Now Emolga, use Discharge."

"Brace and counter with Icy Wind." Lana said as Emolga sparked and the final of the Konikoni Contest took off. "Even with our main advantage removed we still have one against Emolga."

"Dodge if you can." Iris said as the flare of electricity shot off Emolga. "You've got this Emolga."

The flare landed short as Primarina opened his mouth and blasted out the gut of chilled air but a move like Discharge didn't need to hit the target, in fact it didn't as it struck the area around the Pokémon and effected the whole battlefield making it a useful move in double battles as well as standard ones. As such there wasn't a way for Primarina to dodge it and he let out a wail of pain from the super effective electric type attack but his own attack was already off so he knew that he'd repay this hit with one of his own.

Emolga tried to fly upwards, she really did, but when she could only glide there was a limit to what she could do and while she got some height she wasn't able to escape the blast of chilled air that struck her. The moment it did she let out her own wail of pain at taking a super effective attack and her speed fell from the hit.

The final had begun hot with an exchange of super effective attacks but it was only going to intensify as Iris had a move that could, if her predictions based on known gender ratios that they'd learned in class were right, all but guarantee the win for Iris if she landed it. After all, the odds were in her favor and even if she didn't land it right away she'd force Lana on the defensive to avoid the risk of it.

"Attract." Iris called out knowing from her time with Ash and Cilan in Unova that Emolga was female and that there was only a 12.5% chance that Primarina was as well. "Let's see what gender Primarina is."

"If you're using that move then I can guess Emolga's gender already." Lana said surprised by the move as Emolga gave a coy wink at Primarina though Iris rarely used Emolga in battle so this was going to be tough on multiple levels and showed how much of a threat Lana was for Iris to use Emolga on her. "So we'll block that and force you back with Surf."

Right, you've got that." Iris muttered as the hearts shot out from the wink and at Primarina just as the water bubbled at Primarina's base. "Forgot about that move, it's annoyingly useful defensively. Emolga, fly up and get over it and then hit it with a Discharge."

Emolga gave a cry as the wave formed and again tipped her membranes so that she glided upwards. Unfortunately right now things weren't on her side as the wave formed a barrier between Primarina and Emolga sweeping up the hearts thus negating the attract and with her speed reduced she was just short of clearing the wave. As such the top of it hit her and she was sent crashing to the ground right before the wave of water crashed down on her.

Thankfully it was just annoying as Emolga was neither weak nor resistant to water type attacks so she could handle it as Iris lost points and besides she still had an order and after this indignity, well Emolga wouldn't let it go unpunished as her body sparked. Then, before Lana could give an order, a flare of electricity shot from her as the water sluffed off her where she lay and soaked into the ground.

Once again it hit the area around Primarina and electrified it thus hitting Primarina once more and frying him causing him to let out a wail pain from the blow though the potential side effect again wasn't triggered. Regardless, Primarina was a fully evolved Pokémon so he could take the hits for a bit even if they were super effective and already Lana had the next move that she gave even as the Discharge was running its course.

"Pay Emolga back for that." Lana ordered. "Icy Wind."

"The angles are ours this time." Iris said realizing that this was a better position for Emolga than she had been in at the start of the battle as Primarina, still smoking slightly, opened his mouth and blasted out the chilly gust of air. "Into the air and then use Attract."

"Counter it with Sparkling Aria." Lana said as Emolga pushed off the ground and extended her membranes to take to the sky and gain even more altitude as the gust of chilly air neared her. "Use the bubbles to block the hearts."

Thanks to the push off and the angle that the attack came in at Emolga was able to get high into the air and clear of the attack this time causing Lana to register a miss that knocked a few points off. Then, as soon as Emolga was clear she winked at Primarina once again sending the hearts at him.

However this time Primarina burst into song and began to emit bubbles. This was a move that Iris knew that Lana's Primarina knew, it was required for her Primarium Z to work so it was one that Iris had expected at some point in the battle. It was a strong move and useful move as right now Lana was using it in a rather Ash-like way as the as the bubbles filled the stage and burst whenever they came into contact with a heart that had come from Emolga. The move lasted until all the hearts were gone thus canceling out both moves and costing neither trainer anything.

It was an impressive display but Iris still held the upper hand in this battle and it was time for that once again. There was another reason for the attack though as it had a higher chance of causing paralysis than Dragonite's Thunder Punch had so if she could trigger that then this battle was theirs, so long as it activated when an Attract was used but naturally Iris knew better than to rely solely on all this lining up for her. She needed a backup plan but didn't have it at the moment so she stuck with her main one as she knew she'd get a hit at least.

"Discharge." Iris ordered.

"Icy Wind." Lana countered as the sparks coursed over the airborne Emolga before the flare of electricity shot off her. "Make Emolga pay for that move."

"Primarina!" Primarina cried as he opened his mouth and focused on Emolga so that he didn't miss before he blasted out the chilly air once again.

Primarina was focused on the attack and knew that he was strong enough to take a third super effective attack so he ignored the flare of electricity as it hit the ground and electrified the area around him as he put his all into the Icy Wind. The result was that the electricity hit him as he was finishing his own move and he let out a howl of pain and grunted from it but was still in it while the Icy Wind tore across the stage and slammed into Emolga's face before Iris could give and order and sent her flipping back with a wail of her own as she took her second super effective attack.

This was worse on Iris than it was on Lana because Primarina was a fully evolved Pokémon while Emolga didn't evolve and wasn't as robust to start with so she was likely nearer the end of her ropes compared to Primarina. Iris knew this too and as Emolga flipped she called out her next order.

"Attract." Iris commanded.

"Block with Surf." Lana said Emolga said as she got her wings under her and steadied herself so that she didn't crash into the ground. "We're close Primarina, I know it."

Iris didn't show any emotion but internally she was grinning as Emolga winked and the water bubbled around Primarina. It was time for her own Ash-like strategy that had come to her after seeing Lana's and one that would shock Lana while getting Emolga in close enough so that Attract couldn't be blocked.

"Blast a hole in that Surf." Iris said. "And then follow it so that you can fly through it!"

"Huh?" Lana asked blinking in surprise at Iris's command. "That's not going to work."

"Emo!" Emolga cried understanding the command as the wall of water rose up and began to bear down on her, sweeping the hearts up in the process, while Iris just ignored Lana's comment.

Hidden Power varied from Pokémon to Pokémon but right now Iris wasn't using it to attack, she was using it to break through the Surf and Emolga understood what was being asked of her while Lana and Primarina were confused on the other side. That confusion change to shock as Emolga blasted her Hidden Power at the wall of water that was approaching her and it slammed into it blowing a hole through the wall and ending the attack.

That was odd to begin with but Emolga had glided after her attack the moment she released it before she tucked her limbs in to increase her speed. Thanks to said speed, which while slower than she'd like was still good, and her small size that was made smaller by her actions she was able to thread the needle and shoot through the hole and close in on Primarina. It was just what Iris needed and knew that Emolga could pull it off and now she grinned as she gave her next order the moment that Emolga was through the water and opening her arms again.

"Attract!"

"Moonblast!" Lana countered as Emolga, now closer than ever, winked at Primarina. "Intercept that Pokémon!"

Primarina let out a cry as he borrowed power from the moon and a beam of fairy type power blasted down from above him and slammed into Emolga's back as she was nearing Primarina driving her chest first into the ground with a soft thud. Alas even with the hit it was too late as just before the beam hit Emolga the hearts hit Primarina and instantly his eyes were hearts and he was infatuated.

"So, Primarina is male, I expected as much." Iris said as Emolga gave an annoyed groan and pushed herself off the ground revealing that she was still in it before she hopped back and smirked at the sight before her as she'd finally done it and hit this guy with Attract. "Rare for a starter to be female though I know that Ash has one. Sorry Lana but this battle is mine. End this Emolga. Discharge."

"Block it with Surf." Lana said desperation creeping into her voice now that Primarina was vulnerable as Emolga, still on the ground, sparked. "You can do it Primarina."

Unfortunately Primarina couldn't do that as he was infatuated with Emolga so he just stood there hearts for eyes and moving his upper body back and forth a bit as part of the status condition that he was suffering. Emolga on the other hand could attack and she had no compunctions using a super effective attack on an infatuated foe as the flare of electricity flew off her and hit the ground around Primarina.

As with before the ground was electrified and the super effective attack hit Primarina however this time there was no wail as the infatuation was preoccupying Primarina so he just wobbled there as he was hit. However, to everyone's surprise, especially Emolga's as she gaped open mouthed at Primarina, the attack didn't take down Primarina. He was still there, smoking and scorched from the electricity but still standing as Lana's points dipped down and into her last bar.

"That's it Primarina, I knew you could withstand it." Lana said with a sigh of relief though she was worried and there was no doubt that Primarina was on his last legs as one more attack, even one that he could resist with either of his types, would take him down with the exception of a dragon type attack wouldn't but, well, Iris wouldn't use one of those for the obvious reason. "Now let's try something different. Sparkling Aria!"

"Damn that is one tough Primarina." Iris admitted as to her surprise Primarina actually listened to the order and began to sing, bubbles coming off him as he did showing that there were ways around an infatuation. "I forgot how strong he is but he is a big reason why Lana made it to the quarterfinals last year. Dawn will love it when her Popplio fully evolves. Well, he's near the end of his health so let's finish this. Emolga, glide around to void those bubbles and then use Hidden Power to end this."

Emolga nodded and she pushed off the ground as the bubbles began to fill the stage and spread her membranes to glide on the air. Then she tipped them such that she was able to glide upwards as fast as she could and thus get clear of the bubbles and thus registering a miss with the attack.

This was it; everyone knew it and as the last of the bubbles popped to confirm the miss and dip Lana's points even more Emolga prepared for the attack as she looked down at a still infatuated Primarina. She had this win in the bag though Lana and Primarina would go down swinging.

"One more time!" Lana called out as Emolga was about to blast her attack off. "Sparkling…"

However, before Lana could finish or Emolga could attack the buzzer suddenly went off to signal that time had run out and that the battle, and therefore the Contest, was over. That had taken the girls aback, it usually did for anyone in an intense battle, and Emolga let out a huff as she aborted her attack and glided down to the ground annoyed that she didn't get to finish off her opponent. As she did the infatuation ended and Primarina blinked in confusion before bowing his head upset he'd let Lana down by taking that hit and getting infatuated.

"And that's the buzzer, the final is over!" Gillian said the moment that there had been time to process the end of the match and to make sure that any planned attacks had been aborted and the infatuation cleared up. "And the winner is…"

Both girls, along with everyone in the stadium, looked to the screen behind the judges but after what had happened in that battle it wasn't really much of a surprise. It had been a good battle and Lana had given a good accounting of herself but between the type advantage that Iris had and the use of Attract at the end it wasn't going to be close. That was reflected on the screen as Lana was halfway into her final bar while Iris still had over half left in her penultimate bar but the announcement was a formality.

"…Iris!" Gillian confirmed and the crowd roared and fireworks went off at the confirmation of the winner.

"Primarina, return." Lana said recalling her starter and smiling at the Poke Ball she was holding. "You were great my friend but in the end Iris showed her talent and preparations for you in particular. The problem of facing a dragon specialist with a fairy type is that she's so scared of you that she's planned for it and we didn't expect her to actually use Emolga or find a way to land that Attract. It's easy to forget based on your appearance but as Professor Kukui said, only 12.5% of starters are female so Iris had the odds in her favor there. Don't worry, we'll be ready next time."

"Emolga, return." Iris said her own smile broad as she recalled her Pokémon at the same time as Lana did. "You were amazing out there, just like I knew you would be. You were perfect counter for Primarina and it all went to plan though we had luck on our side with that Attract as there was a slim chance that Primarina was female. Next time won't be so easy but I can't wait. Take a rest, you earned it and all the food you can eat in our celebration later."

With that Iris put her Poke Ball away and walked out onto the battlefield a moment before Lana did the same, heading out to meet her friend in the center of the stage. This was the custom and expected and other than with Kenny who didn't do it when he lost and thus no one did it when he won, well that and his horrible attitude, but it was also the right thing to do at the end of a tough match that decided the winner of the Konikoni Contest.

"Well done Iris." Lana said holding out her right hand as they reached the center of the stage. "You were prepared for Primarina and I wasn't. I should have anticipated Emolga especially after your battle with Lillie but I didn't. That's on me and I will learn from this."

"You still adapted well and did a great job." Iris said as she took Lana's hand and they shook. "That Icy Wind is annoying to deal with for any of my Pokémon except Excadrill and just adds to why I'm afraid of your Primarina. It came down to Attract and I've personally seen how useful that attack is so I had to at least land it to see if it would work."

"Agreed though you really took me by surprise by using Hidden Power to blow a hole in Surf so that Emolga could fly through it, I wasn't expecting that." Lana said as they ended their handshake. "I'll have to be wary of it for next time because I won't lose to you then be it in class, the Grand Festival as I fully intend to make it as well, or the Manalo Conference."

"I look forward to it because I won't lose." Iris said. "And as for that move, it was an out of the box tactic. Ash is the master of those so you pick up a few quirky ideas traveling with him. We'll show you some if we have time though the way you used Sparkling Aria to counter an Attract is just the kind of thing that Ash would do."

"We're all coming for you after today so be on your toes so we'll take the training from Ash for sure." Lana said though with Gladion's challenge coming none of the Alolans were sure when Ash would be able to help them train as he would have to focus on that. "But for now this is your moment, enjoy it. We'll all celebrate and get feedback from Dawn later."

"Thanks." Iris said.

Lana just smiled and nodded before she turned and walked off. Iris watched her leave until Lana had left the stage and walked into the wings before she turned just as Anthony was getting up from the judges' podiums and making his way over to her with the case that was always used for the presentation. Iris was smiling at this as she had already decided which Z-Crystal she'd choose.

"Iris, congratulations on winning the Konikoni Contest." Anthony said as he reached her and opened the box revealing the 18 standard Z-Crystals laid out in it. "As you know you're allowed to choose one Z-Crystal as a prize for your victory here today. Which one will you take?"

"I already have the dragon, ground, grass, normal, and flying ones from other Contests or challenges since coming to Alola." Iris said as she reached in and went right for the Z-Crystal she wanted. "So it's time for the one that will be great against the banes I face but haven't taken until now as the others were more pressing. I'll take the Steelium Z."

With that Iris pulled out the diamond shaped gray Z-Crystal with a marking in the center. She'd toyed with the idea of Electrium Z as Emolga had won it for her but Steel was the most important one she was missing. Her next Z-Crystal, however she obtained it, would be Electrium Z though.

"A good choice for a dragon specialist." Anthony said as he closed the case before he opened the special compartment for the ribbon as Iris put away her new Z-Crystal. "And now your ribbon. I hear that it is your 5th ribbon and while it's taken over a year that means that you've qualified for the Alola Grand Festival so congratulations."

"Thank you and as I'm not a coordinator by training this is mainly to help me improve so taking a little longer than normal is fine with me." Iris said as she pulled out the rosette style ribbon that was bright yellow due to the daytime nature of the Contest with the crest of Konikoni City engraved into the golden center. "But my competitive spirit is driving me to train hard for it and win so I'll be doing that for the rest of the year."

"I look forward to hearing about that." Anthony said smiling as he closed the case. "And again, congratulations on winning the Konikoni Contest."

Iris just nodded as Anthony stepped back and gave Iris a moment now that she'd claimed her Z-Crystal and ribbon. She knew just what to do and she turned to the crowd grinning as she thrust her arm into the air.

"I won the Konikoni Ribbon!" Iris declared and as she did the crowd roared and fireworks once again went off around the rim of the stadium.

As they did the WINNER banner appeared on the Jumbotron over Iris's trainer card picture with the images of the Pokémon she'd used to win around her and she held the pose in front of the crowd. This was her moment and Iris was going to enjoy it especially because it meant that she was guaranteed a spot in the Alola Grand Festival so she'd be training for that which would really help her in her second run at the Manalo Conference after the Grand Festival. It was all going great and she couldn't wait for the celebration tonight as the Konikoni Contest came to an end.

Well there it is, a rare Contest without Dawn in it but I wanted to show off what the Alolans are up to and give Ash and Dawn both a break and a chance to watch a Contest to get inspiration. I'm sure after that both will have some ideas and with what's to come who knows how they'll use what they saw. With this Contest over there is only one thing left for the Alolan arc and that process will start next chapter as we move ever closer to the conclusion of Ash and Dawn's time in Alola with the challenge that is to come. That is all that I have for y'all however so I will leave this Part off here and hopefully I won't take as long to get the next one out. As always if you like my work then please favorite (both this story and me in general to be notified of any new content I post), if possible leave a review as I really like hearing what you think of my work and your suggestions that help complete this story (and respond as best I can) and just in general keep enjoying my work. Until next time.

Stringdog