AAML: Diamond and Pearl version

by EchidnaPower

Follow me as I remake the DP episodes in order and in sequence, all so I can add the biggest star besides Ash himself. Misty! Watch her and Ash's love grow as they go on their journey. A Pokeshipping series. Also includes Penguinshipping, Handymanshipping, slight mentions of Contestshipping, and a Brock shipping to be named later. Oh yeah, there's PikachuXBuneary here too.

52. To Thine Own Pokémon Be True

I guess I can only apologize for taking forever so many times...but I suppose I should say it again huh? My loyal readers, I once again apologize for taking so long to bring you an update to this story, it's just that I have so many projects and so many real life obligations that I can't keep up the way that I used to...not that that's any excuse for keeping you all waiting...you know, I think I'll take this opportunity to throw a little shoutout to some authors you should probably check out if you need a good read while waiting for me.

Texas Longhorn: TL is one of the few authors I look up to on this site, his amazing ability to make you feel the pain (or happiness) the characters feel in the story is absolutely uncanny. And everything connects! And one thing I REALLY admire his ability to write battles, they're just INCREDIBLY realistic, I feel like I'm watching it happen! Write on Texas Longhorn, write on.

EeveebethFejvu: She's amazing, what more can I say? She hasn't written anything Pokéshipping in a VERY long time, but to this very day I still consider her one of the best AAML authors I've ever read. Her expression of emotion, her incredible ability to stay in-character even during the transition proces from best friends to boyfriend and girlfriend, it feels so natural with her. When she writes fluff, it's REALLY fluffy, and when she writes drama...get ready for a heartstopper, because she knows what she's doing. Outstanding author she is.

nyislandersgirl: Her future fics are some of the best I've read on the internet, not just this site, the ENTIRE internet. I love her OC AAML children: Aiden, Michelle, and Elizabeth. They feel so real that it's almost like they belong together in a big Pokéshipping family. I honestly can't imagine having an AAML family without those kids. Even when I myself would imagine writing an AAML family story, I find myself wanting to ask her if I can borrow her OCs because they just fit SO perfectly. Oh yeah, and if you want fluff, she's the answer to your problems, because she writes SUPER fluffy. Keep up the good work!

SprucetonSpook: Another version of an AAML family, except Ash and Misty aren't the parents. In her world, Ash is still a kid, and so are the others, Misty, Brock, you know. But now Ash's dad has returned, and no, it's not Giovanni, don't be so disrespectful. =P (Sorry, had a Stephen A. Smith moment) Like all the other authors mentioned above, she's an outstanding writer, and everything I can say about her has already been said above, so take my word for it, she's AWESOME. xD

livezinshadowz: Awesome story he's got, he doesn't update often either, kinda sounds like me. xD But at any rate, he's got an awesome story as well, he's a really good author, and I'm out of adjectives so just go check him out. xD

KeytoDestiny: Now this is an author I can say something different about. But not because she's anything less that the above authors, but because her specialty is not Pokéshipping. No, her specialty lies in the couple of Dawn and Kenny. This author was instrumental in my development of the Penguinshipping aspects of my story, and I thank her so much for that.

Just for the record, none of the authors I mentioned know that I gave them this plug, at least not yet anyway. xD So go on and check them out, if I like them, I guarantee you will too. ^^ Anyway, now I have a few anonymous reviews to reply to.

Hoenn Master: I'm sure what you said was in Latin, that's part of the Catholic thing right? At any rate, the way I say "Ok" is my own style, and it's too small of an issue for me to even worry about. I'm sure you liked the chapter, and that's all that matters to me.

lightningblade49: Sorry to tell you dude, but the Ping-Pong episode WILL be important, because I'm making it very important, hence why it's happening here.

Darky: Here you go D

Agent900: Your review saying you were out of fics to read is what inspired me to mention all those authors up there. xD

sparky1001: Yep, he's lots of fun. xD

Anna: Well I can't go too fast, remember I've got a whole series to go through.

Polly: Well I thought about it, but it seems to be more along the lines of fangirlish enthusiasm than actual crush, so that didn't click with me.

Aditya Shukla: Dunno, guess we'll see.

That's everything. I would like to once again apologize to all my readers regarding how long it took for me to get this out, and I will try my hardest to get the next one out faster. But for now, enjoy this chapter! I own nothing except the story.
_

Chapter 52

Misty's POV

Yesterday proved to be really stressful for all of us, and for a whole bunch of different reasons. The day started out great, for Dawn at least. Everyone was outside watching Ash and Barry train for the Pokémon Ping-Pong tournament, and Dawn's Ambipom was training alongside with them. Dawn had a plan to use those techniques in the contest I guess. Eventually Kenny came out too, and Dawn was really happy to see him, since she was still feeling the effects of the affectionate gesture Kenny had made, giving her an Everstone so Piplup wouldn't evolve. I was in our room, trying to think of a plan to get Dawn and Kenny together, so what else was new?

I was so frustrated with the whole situation, anytime Barry came into the equation; I lost my train of thought. There was just NO WAY I could keep Dawn and Kenny together, without Barry being right there with them. Especially since Barry all of a sudden came up with this whole "Twinleaf Trio" idea. What's that all about anyway? I was just about ready to give up, and just like my usual temperamental self, I decided to act dumb and throw my clothes all over the room in frustration. And of course, just when one of my bras landed on my head, Ash walked in. Of course he had to walk in at that EXACT moment. I shrieked, of course I did, I don't care HOW close Ash and I get, until the day we're married, my undergarments are my business and my business alone. Only Dawn's seen me in them, which really makes no difference since we're both girls, so she's the only exception.

But back to the matter at hand, I quickly put away all my "important" clothes and shoved them back into my backpack before heading back to the desk I was sitting at and trying to get Ash to go away. I still had work to do after all. But then something in Ash suddenly took over his mind apparently, as he all of a sudden became very affectionate towards me. I wasn't going to complain obviously, I love it so much when he puts his arms around me; he asked what I was doing that I was cooped up in the room…so…I told him, I told him how I needed to find a way to get Dawn and Kenny together without Barry interfering. Naturally he didn't get it, he's still a real dope sometimes when it comes to romance, I suppose I can only be grateful he's not a dope about being romantic with me.

Either way, I gave him another rundown and he finally managed to get the idea of what was going on, and he promised to give me a hand with my mission. After that, I left the room with Ash and found the gang, sitting around doing nothing it seemed. All except for Brock, who these days always seems to be pounding something into a medicinal paste. Dawn and Kenny were having a friendly rivalry moment, when I suddenly turned it around and got Kenny to blush when he realized something he had said. I've gotten to be an expert at finding hidden messages in things, so it was really easy to do.

Eventually Ash managed to distract Barry with a battle challenge, which left Dawn and Kenny to get a little time to themselves. And it worked, she and Kenny sparred with each other all day long, and for them, it was great for bonding time. Dawn rushed into the Pokémon Center though, totally frazzled by Kenny's playful teasing, she had had a blush attack to be perfectly honest. I offered to give her a quick dinner, just her and me so I could help her get her head back together, but I knew I needed Ash's help, once again to be Barry repellant. I hurried over to him, and coincidently, he was currently with Barry, discussing Pokémon Ping-Pong…then things got bad…

Ash accidently got Barry all riled up with a dumb bet, and he went to try and make Dawn his girlfriend just to prove him wrong…I got so mad…he got so mad…we actually broke up with each other, that's how upset we were. If it weren't for the unconditional support of our friends, I'd probably be on my way back to Cerulean by now. Brock got Dawn's help, and together they convinced both me and Ash that we had made a grave mistake. Ash later came up to me, and confessed his love to me once more, and in my brokenness, I was so, SO happy to accept him back as my boyfriend, I never thought the feeling of Ash's hugs could feel better than they already did, but I was wrong…this was the most heartfelt discussion we'd ever had as a couple. I love him; I love him like no one else. Oh yeah, and Kenny won the contest after all, did I mention that? He beat Dawn in the final round.

After the contest, Kenny wanted to leave and get a head start on the next contest, but Dawn managed to convince Kenny to stay one more day and join the Pokémon Ping-Pong tournament with her, Ash, and Barry. Dawn had made a serious turnaround in her relationship issues too…she decided through our fight, don't ask me how, that if either boy wanted her, they would have to earn her. It's definitely a different way to approach things, and it should work out the way I want it too, since it's obvious Kenny likes her, Dawn admitted that fact herself actually…you know what, all this stuff going on around me, contests, gym battles, I'm getting tired of only being involved in drama, I wanna get involved in something I can enjoy…I'm gonna join Pokémon Ping-Pong too!

Normal POV

Ash rushed outside, and upon getting the breath of fresh air he needed to get going, Ash leaped into the air and shouted with excitement, "Alright! Ok Pikachu, it's time for some Pokémon Ping-Pong training!" he swung his arm like he had a paddle, and Pikachu did the same with his paw down on the ground.

Then Barry came from around the corner with Kenny, and he too was extremely pumped, laughing from all the excitement, "It's finally time for my Sinnoh Pokémon Ping-Pong conquest!" Barry faced off against Ash, and the two began swinging at air, although Barry actually had a paddle in his hand.

Kenny on the other hand, made his way over to Dawn, who had just come outside with the others, "That's all I've been hearing all day long, I didn't even get a good morning from him." he laughed.

"Well I got a good morning, but that was about it from Ash, he's so excited about that tournament, I'm actually thinking about joining in myself." Misty replied.

"Now you're talking!" Barry exclaimed, breaking the stare down between him and Ash, "How about you Brock? You gonna join up too?"

"I think I'll sit this one out thanks. I'd much rather just sit in the stands and watch, it's kinda my thing these days." Brock replied.

"That's fine, the Twinleaf Trio doesn't need any extra competition anyways, we're gonna make it all to the way to the top of the heap and then I'll show just who's the best out of the three of us!" Barry exclaimed, going back to swinging his paddle towards Ash.

"Just for the record, I agreed to stay because Dawn asked me to; I didn't say I was entering the tournament." Kenny clarified.

"Oh come on! It's not a trio if we're not all in it! How can I be the champion of the trio if the trio is only a duo?" Barry whined.

"Not to slow you down or anything CHAMP, but you've been going on and on about Pokémon Ping-Pong ever since we got here, and yet you've never even explained to us how it works! What are the rules?" Misty asked, her hands on her hips with annoyance towards the blonde.

Barry fell over sideways and groaned, which earned laughter from the whole group. Then Barry got up and sighed, "Alright, I'll tell you…ok first of all you have a Pokémon and its trainer that form a team…" Barry got cutoff.

"We could figure that out on our own Captain Obvious, how about telling us something we don't know?" Misty said, her arms crossed and her eyes closed. It was still very clear to everyone that Misty had a personal problem with Barry, since she very rarely acted more than barely civil towards him.

Well, it was to everyone except Barry himself, who thought Misty just enjoyed driving people crazy, "If you'd stop interrupting I'd get to some new stuff." he growled. After taking a deep breath to regain his composure, he continued, "Anyway, the only one allowed to use a Ping-Pong paddle is the trainer, while the Pokémon gets to use a part of its body instead."

"Is that it?" Dawn asked, not believing that it could be so simple.

"Weeellll, other than the fact that the trainer always serves the ball that's really about it." Barry replied.

"And the scoring, Mr. Know-It-All?" Misty asked smugly, her hands on her hips once more.

"You know Ash, I think your girlfriend needs a lesson in treating people nicely, if she treats everyone the way she treats me, it's amazing that anyone can stand being around her." Barry growled.

"I don't treat EVERYONE that way, in fact I only treat people like Paul this way, and since you insist that Paul is so awesome despite the way he uses his Pokémon as tools instead of companions, it seems only fitting you get the same kind of treatment." Misty hissed back.

"You keep saying he does these things! Paul is a powerful trainer, why shouldn't I wanna be like him?" Barry asked incredulously.

"It's the METHOD that makes the difference." Misty replied, "Why don't you try training a Pokémon from the ground up instead of just catching a new one every time one doesn't work out for you?"

"What do you think Empoleon is? It didn't start out as an Empoleon you know! I raised it from a Piplup to a Prinplup, all the way to what you see today, a powerful Empoleon ready to climb to the top of the heap of not just the Pokémon Ping-Pong world, but the top of the Sinnoh League as well!" Barry exclaimed determinedly.

"You'll never win if you try to get there using Paul's methods!" Misty hissed furiously. Misty was now right in the face of the blonde trainer, although Barry still had the obvious height advantage.

"I don't use Paul's supposedly 'cruel' methods, when have you seen me treat my Pokémon badly? Like you keep insisting Paul does?" Barry asked.

"I haven't, but you need to understand that the most important thing about Pokémon is friendship, not strength, that's why me and Ash keep beating you in battles, our friendships with our Pokémon is where our strength COMES FROM, and when you understand that, then, and ONLY then, can we ever become friends!" Misty replied.

"Then we can be friends right now! I get that your friendship with your Pokémon is what makes you strong! What more do you want from me?" Barry exclaimed.

"I want you to acknowledge that Paul's method of training is not appropriate. Ash has two of Paul's castoffs! Do you realize that? Both Chimchar and Staraptor were deemed 'unworthy' by your so-called trainer idol, and Ash took them in and turned them into awesome battlers!" Misty said.

Misty and Barry continued at it, while the rest of the group watched in shock. "Uh Brock, shouldn't you stop them or something?" Kenny asked.

"I'm not getting involved in that; I like my head where it is thanks." Brock replied.

"Well someone has to do SOMETHING! I don't wanna stand here all day and watch them argue!" Dawn exclaimed.

Everyone looked at Ash expectantly, "Waah! What are you all looking at me for?" he asked worriedly.

"Go over there and cool your girlfriend off." Kenny said.

"Are you crazy? How am I gonna do that?" Ash asked.

"There's only one way." Brock snickered, moving his eyebrows up and down.

Ash sighed and started over to Misty, "You guys better not mess with me about this later." he warned. Ash carefully made his way to Misty, who was still shouting furiously at Barry, and naturally Barry was shouting back. He took a deep breath, grabbed Misty by the shoulders and forced his lips onto hers.

Misty shouted protests through the kiss and tried to pull away at first, but Ash was too strong and kept the kiss locked, and eventually, Misty mellowed out as the pleasure of Ash's lips on hers soothed her fury and she deepened it, while Barry just watched in annoyance, "Ok, I get it, I'll stop." Misty sighed, as she finally broke the kiss, her face now red with blush rather than fury.

"Look, can we just get back to the subject of Pokémon Ping-Pong?" Barry asked wearily.

"Fine, but we're not finished here." Misty assured, pointing a finger at the blonde.

Barry rolled his eyes and pulled a Pokéball off his belt, "Alright Empoleon, let's get some training done!" Barry threw the ball, and out came his starter who immediately came next to its trainer and began swinging its flipper while Barry swung his paddle, "Let's show these guys who the best Pokémon Ping-Pong players here are!"

"You keep saying that Barry, but I'm still willing to bet that me and Pikachu will come out on top in this thing!" Ash replied determinedly.

"If I were you I'd be careful about throwing the word 'bet' around." Misty warned.

Ash laughed nervously as he remembered the last time he made a bet with Barry, albeit unintentionally. "I still think I'm gonna win!" Ash repeated.

"We'll see about that!" Dawn exclaimed, "Don't forget Ambipom and me are entering too! We're not entering just for the fun of it; we're going for the win too!"

"Now you're talking!" Barry replied.

"Let's do this thing!" Ash added.

"Hey wait a minute!" Misty exclaimed, I already said I was thinking about entering myself, and if I'm entered in something, you better watch out!"

"That just leaves two! Come on guys, join in!" Barry said excitedly.

"I dunno…" Kenny said hesitantly.

"Oh please Kenny? It'll be so much fun!" Dawn pleaded.

Kenny once again felt his heart melt when Dawn looked at him with her big, blue eyes. How could he say no? "Why is she able to do this to me all of a sudden? It almost feels like I can't control myself!" he thought. "Alright, I guess I could join in with Prinplup." he said.

"Alright!" Dawn hugged Kenny and soon let go, but that quick embrace was enough to heat Kenny's face up, "So now that leaves Brock."

"I already said it, I'm sitting this out, someone's gotta be in the stands to cheer you guys on." Brock replied.

"Fine, it's your loss." Barry shrugged.

"So Misty, who are you going with?" Ash asked.

"Uh…" Misty suddenly realized she hadn't thought about that, "I don't know…" she admitted bashfully.

"You could use Vaporeon, "Ash suggested, "She could use her tail to hit the ball."

"I've got it!" Dawn snapped her fingers as an idea came into her mind, "Misty, you should use Azurill!"

"Azurill? In a Pokémon Ping-Pong match?" Misty pondered it for a moment, "Well a Ping-Pong match shouldn't be nearly as intense or dangerous as a battle, so I don't think it'd be so bad."

"It'd also be a great training experience too. Azurill could sharpen its coordination and raise its overall strength and stamina." Brock explained.

"Perfect Mist! It's a win-win! You get to train with Azurill without the danger of Azurill getting hurt!" Ash exclaimed.

Misty smiled and called out Azurill, who leaped into her arms upon release, "How'd you like to be my partner in a Pokémon Ping-Pong match, Azurill?" Misty asked her young Pokémon. Azurill squealed and nodded excitedly, nuzzling Misty's cheek affectionately, "Alright then! Azurill is my Pokémon Ping-Pong partner!" Misty declared.

"Great! Now there's only one thing left to do!" Barry exclaimed excitedly.

"And what's that?" Ash asked.

"We gotta go register for the tournament! Come on! Let's get going!" Barry took off running towards the arena, with the others following closely behind him. After a short jog, the group made it to the arena, and there was already a large group of young children and teenagers, and a few adults as well, all in line to register for the tournament.

"Gangway! Coming through!" Barry ran at full-speed through the crowd, knocking over a few unlucky people as he stopped abruptly at the registration table, where a now upset woman was glaring at Barry angrily. "I'm here to register!" Barry declared proudly.

"So are all these other people!" the woman hissed.

Barry looked back at the large group he had shoved through, and noticed that they were all snarling at him, "Guess I got a LITTLE overexcited…heh…" Barry lowered his head and nervously made his way to the back of the line, he could feel the eyes of everyone he had knocked over shooting daggers into the back of his neck. When he finally made his way back to his friends, who were smart enough to stay in line, they laughed, "Shut up, just shut up." Barry grumbled.

"Maybe you should get in the back of all of us, just in case." Kenny suggested.

"Or the middle might be better, so we can protect you from any angry bowling pin people you knocked over." Misty snickered.

Barry growled and got in-between Ash and Kenny, but the decision would prove to be justified, as one young girl came by after registering and stomped on Barry's foot. "Ow! You little brat! I'm gonna fine you for that!" Barry yelled, as he hopped on one foot in pain.

"She probably doesn't have anything for you to fine anyway." Kenny said.

"Then I'm gonna fine her parents!" Barry growled.

The group sighed and just rolled their eyes, and after a short wait, that felt ten times longer than it really was because of Barry's constant impatient complaining, they made it to the registration table, where the woman had since cooled off, and greeted them cordially, "Alright, just write your name in here, along with the Pokémon you're going to be teaming up with. After you turn in your paperwork, you're registered." she explained.

"Great, and thanks for everything!" the group replied.

"Obviously I'm going with Pikachu as my partner, right bud?" Ash said.

"Pi ka chu!" (That's right!) Pikachu replied excitedly, punching the air with his paw.

"And I'm choosing Ambipom!" Dawn exclaimed, "I get the feeling Ambipom really likes Pokémon Ping-Pong, and Barry agrees." Ambipom chattered happily, affirming Dawn's statement.

"I'm next! Azurill and I are gonna wipe the floor with you guys!" Misty exclaimed determinedly.

"Azu Azu!" (Yeah!) Azurill affirmed.

"Me next, I'm entering with Prinplup." Kenny said, "I guess this could be fun, maybe it'll be worth staying an extra day."

"Of course it'll be worth it! Come on, stop being such a party pooper, you're with your friends, you're with me! This is gonna be great!" Dawn exclaimed.

"If you say so." Kenny sighed, smirking at his childhood friend.

Finally Barry was the last one, and the woman glared at him as he filled out the information, "I'm going with Empoleon." he said quietly. Barry handed the woman his paperwork, and slinked around the corner of the building, not wanting to feel the woman's sharp gaze on him anymore.

"That was…un-Barry-like to say the least." Dawn commented.

"He probably wants to get as far away from her as possible." Misty laughed.

"Well after the rude introduction, I'm not surprised." Kenny added.

"So Brock, are you sure you won't join us?" Dawn asked.

"I'm sure. Which means it's the bleachers for me and Piplup." Brock replied. Piplup didn't mind staying back to cheer everyone else on, he actually enjoyed Brock's company a lot, "Hey, what happened to Barry?" Brock asked.

"I think he went around the corner." Ash replied.

"Guess we should see what's going on then." Kenny added.

The group walked over to where Barry had snuck away to, and saw a designated area with at least half a dozen Ping-Pong tables ready and waiting to be practiced on, "Wow, look at all the practice Ping-Pong tables they have available." Brock said.

"That's great! That means we'll be able to get in plenty of practice Ambipom!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Ambi pom!" (Great!)

"Well Mist, seeing as there isn't much time until the competition starts, whaddya say we have a practice match to warm things up?" Ash suggested.

"I get the feeling it won't be long before things get heated between you two, given your overly-competitive natures. You won't need much 'warming up'." Brock replied.

"Give us a break Brock, we're not kids anymore, we can control ourselves! You got a deal Ash! C'mon Azurill, let's go show Ash what you're made of!" Misty exclaimed.

"Azu azu!" (Yeah!)

The two ran towards a Ping-Pong table, and the two Pokémon hopped onto the table and got ready to play, "Alright Mist, I'll serve first! Remember, only the trainer is allowed to serve!" Ash said.

"I heard the rules the first time; you don't have to remind me! I'll be sure to remind YOU when YOU forget though!" Misty countered.

"Oh now you've gone and done it! Now we're going all out! Here it comes!" Ash served the little plastic ball and it bounced across the table towards Misty and Azurill.

Misty easily swung the ball back at Ash and Pikachu, "You're gonna have to do better than that if you wanna beat us!"

Pikachu smacked the ball with his tail back towards Azurill, "Nice job buddy!" Ash exclaimed. Azurill readied herself to swing back, but the ball bounced too high for the Polka Dot Pokémon, and the ball bounced off the table and into the nearby bushes, giving Ash and Pikachu a point, "Yeah! Way to go Pikachu, you scored a point!" Ash cheered.

Misty came back after retrieving the orange Ping-Pong ball, and consoled her disheartened young Pokémon, "Don't worry about it, we'll get that point back!" Misty said. Azurill sighed sadly and turned away from Misty, "Hey, come on now, no crying! You're a big Pokémon now, remember?" Azurill hesitated, but eventually turned towards Misty, who gave Azurill a thumbs-up in return. Azurill smiled and turned back towards the table, ready to go. "That's the spirit! Ok Ash, serve it up!"

"Ok Mist!" Ash served the ball again, and Misty once again hit the ball back over the table. Pikachu then hit the ball again, and again the ball took a high bounce. But instead of allowing the ball to go over her head, Azurill leaped up and did a forward somersault and smashed the ball back down over the net with her tail. The ball bounced over Ash and Pikachu, much to their shock, and gave Misty and Azurill the point.

"Azu zu!" (I did it!) Azurill cheered, bouncing up and down on her tail.

"Alright Azurill! That was incredible!" Misty grabbed her young Pokémon and embraced her tightly, Azurill had really stepped up, and Misty couldn't be prouder even if she tried, "Now let's keep this going and win this match!"

"Your serve Mist." Ash said.

So while Ash and Misty duked it out on the Ping-Pong table, Dawn and Kenny moved on to their own table, "I wonder where Barry went." Dawn said curiously.

"He's probably cowering in a corner somewhere, after the bowling ball act he pulled; I'd be trying to lay low too." Kenny laughed.

"Yeah probably." Dawn grabbed a paddle and Ping-Pong paddle, while Ambipom joined her on her left, "Ready to go a round?"

"You got it! Alright Prinplup, come on out!" Kenny tossed a Pokéball, and his starter Pokémon emerged and joined Kenny by the Ping-Pong table, "I'll serve first; I might as well try to get into a groove early on." Kenny served the Ping-Pong ball, and it bounced over to Dawn's side of the table. The female coordinator crossed over and smacked the little orange ball back over to Kenny's side, and the two volleyed for a while, just trying to get the other to falter. Finally Dawn was able to hit the ball hard enough that Kenny couldn't react fast enough, "Get it Prinplup!" Kenny shouted.

Prinplup spun and did a hard backhand smash with its flipper, and the ball bounced on the tip of the corner of the table, and bounced high up into the air out of Dawn's reach. "Oh no!" But before the ball could get very far, Ambipom leaped up and used her two tails and smashed the ball so hard, that it actually ignited with flame from the speed it was moving at and forced Kenny and Prinplup to leap out of the way to avoid being hit in the face, but by doing that, they paved the way for the ball to fly towards a man who had been watching the match intently, "Look out!" Dawn cried.

The man didn't even bother to move; instead he caught the ball without so much as flinching, and smiled as he examined the ball that had just been hit by Ambipom. Kenny and Dawn hurried over to the man and apologize, "Sorry! Are you ok?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine! That Ambipom of yours has excellent reflexes and good thrusts in those power shots that I'm guessing comes from rigorous daily training right?" the man asked, as he handed the Ping-Pong ball back to Dawn.

"Well…actually if you REALLY wanna know, this is her very first time." Dawn replied bashfully. Ambipom chattered behind her in agreement.

"Impressive. It's great to see new teams involved, I would say the main thing is don't worry about making mistakes and do your best, have fun!" the man walked away and waved goodbye to the two teens.

"You bet!" they replied, as they watched the man walk away.

Brock walked up to the two coordinators with a smile on his face, "Check this out you two." Brock showed them a pamphlet he was holding.

"Whoa…that's the same guy we were just talking to!" Dawn exclaimed.

"He must be the reigning champion, or a Pokémon Ping-Pong celebrity or something!" Kenny added.

Just as their minds were getting over being star-struck, they heard Ash cheering with joy. They looked and noticed that Misty was sulking with her arms crossed over her chest bitterly, "Looks like Ash beat Misty this time." Dawn laughed.

"That's a very dangerous thing to do." Brock also laughed.

A few more matches took place, and eventually an announcement came over the loudspeaker that all the contestants were to enter the stadium. When that happened, Barry came out of nowhere and rejoined the group, and together they all walked in and looked on in awe at the size of the event.

They noticed a giant electronic screen that showed how the competition would work, with brackets for all the contestants entered, "So it's tournament style huh? Well Dawn, it looks like that means if we both win in the first and second round, we get to go up against each other!" Ash said.

"Then I'll see you in round three!" Dawn replied.

"You keep forgetting that Azurill and I are entered too, and guess what? If Ash and I win our FIRST rounds, we get to go up against each other!" Misty exclaimed.

"Hey yeah! But I don't have to worry about that, me and Pikachu already proved we can beat you outside!" Ash replied.

"You got lucky, that's all! You won't win again!" Misty quipped back.

"Well, looks like I won't be running into any of YOU unless you somehow make into the semi-finals." Barry said cockily, his hands on his hips with pride, "Of course WE'LL be fine but YOU guys it'll be near impossible."

"We'll see about that!" Dawn replied.

"Yeah, don't underestimate us, 'cause we'll surprise you!" Kenny replied.

"Hey guys, what's up with that bracket all by itself?" Misty asked.

They looked closer, and Dawn gasped, "That's the same guy from before!"

Barry practically squealed in horror at Dawn's description and his pupils shrunk from his frustration, "NYAAAH! GUY? Excuse me folks but for your information that GUY happens to be none other than O! He's last year's winner with a rep of being the strongest ever! And the fans really respect him because he searches high and low for strong trainers and Pokémon to help spread the good word of Pokémon Ping-Pong, and he does it all over the world!"

"Who knew?" Ash said, "Sounds like a cool guy alright."

"He's cool alright, but we're gonna beat that cool guy and shove him off the throne!" Barry leaned in towards Ash and grinned smugly, "Now PLEASE make sure to give it all you got ok?" he said mockingly.

"No problem, you better give it your all too, because I'm coming for you!" Ash replied.

Suddenly a whistle blew, which got the attention of the group, "Attention all Ping-Pong athletes, it's time to begin, so gather around here please!" a woman announced into a microphone.

"Well this is it; we'll see you guys in the tournament!" Brock was about to walk away and head to the bleachers, when a light flashed from Ash's Pokéball belt, "Hey, it's Riolu."

Riolu leaped up and down with excitement in front of Ash, "What is it Riolu?" he asked.

"If you ask me, I think Riolu wants to play too." Misty said.

"Aww man…" Ash knelt down in front of Riolu and smiled sadly at him, "I'm sorry Riolu, but I already registered with Pikachu as my partner." he said. Riolu drooped his head in sadness at that statement, "Hey, don't worry about it," Ash tilted Riolu's head back up towards him, "Why don't you go with Brock and Piplup and go cheer for us?" Suddenly another light flashed, this time from Dawn's belt, "And Buneary too apparently." Ash laughed. Riolu thought about it for a moment, and gave a small smile to his trainer, "That's the spirit." Ash hugged the baby Pokémon and handed him to Brock, who placed the Emanation Pokémon on his shoulder, "Take good care of Riolu, Brocko."

"You have nothing to fear, Pokémon Breeder Brock is here!" Brock replied heroically, joking with his younger friend. Brock then went back to his usual responsible behavior, "Come on you guys, let's all get going." Brock walked away with Riolu on his shoulder, and Piplup and Buneary hurrying after him.

Finally all of the competitors had gathered together, "Alright athletes, the winners of this competition will receive these solid gold Ping-Pong balls, and the supplementary prize is a year's supply of special Pokémon food! So best of luck in winning a prize!" the woman announced.

"That was the prize for the Squallville Pokéringer competition; does that Pokémon food company sponsor all these events?" Misty asked.

"That could be, I would think it's a great way to get their product out there." Kenny replied.

"Oh who cares about the prize? I'm here to kick some can!" Barry shouted excitedly.

"We'll see whose can gets kicked…" Ash grumbled to himself.

"Alright competitors, get to your tables and standby!" the announcer exclaimed.

The competitors did just that, and Dawn found herself matched up against a scientist with an Alakazam, Ash was ready to take on a hefty boy with a Farfetch'd, Barry was set to take on a teenage girl with a Grovyle, Misty was going up against a young girl with a Chikorita, and Kenny was going up against a guy with a cowboy hat and his Machamp.

"Ok guys; don't forget we're here to have fun!" Ash yelled a little too loudly.

"Ash that's a fan!" Dawn shouted.

Ash blinked a few times and shouted in shock, it was clear that Ash was either nervous, or overexcited, as he had actually grabbed a hand fan instead of a Ping-Pong paddle, "Aah! Oh no!" Ash dropped the fan and grabbed his paddle and stared at it.

"Ash what's the matter with you? Why are you panicking?" Misty asked.

"I'm not panicking! I'm just really excited!" Ash shouted angrily.

"Ash, just try to relax, please?" Dawn asked.

"Yeah, you're not getting anywhere if you're freaking out." Misty added.

"Alright, alright…" Ash took a deep breath and regained his composure, "Ok, let's get this competition started!"

"That's the way! Just have fun! That's why I'M here!" Kenny exclaimed from the table across from them.

"Oh good, that means I'll move on ahead and leave you in my dust!" Barry cackled.

"I'll show you who'll move on ahead…" Kenny growled silently.

Back in the stands, Brock and the Pokémon were watching intently, "So the guy with the Farfetch'd is well known too…looks like Ash has his work cut out for him in this first round…" Brock said to himself.

Ash's first round began, and he won the coin toss which allowed him to serve first, "Alright, here goes!" Ash smashed the ball back to his opponent, and they volleyed the ball back and forth for a few rounds before the ball got past Ash, "Pikachu, get it!" he shouted. Pikachu leaped up and smashed the ball back with his tail, and their opponent was caught off-guard as it bounced in front of him and went way up over his reach, "Yeah, that's a point for us!" But Ash was premature in his celebration, as the boy's Farfetch'd flew up and smashed the ball back down with its stick, and the ball nailed Ash right in the chin, knocking the trainer down to the floor with a painful thud, "I'm fine! Sorry Pikachu."

"That's a point for Wilkinson!" the referee announced.

Wilkinson snickered with his Farfetch'd, it was very clear to him now that he had the advantage over Ash and Pikachu.

"Hey! I saw that creep! NOBODY abuses my boyfriend without paying for it!" Misty hissed from her table.

"You gotta win if you wanna try and bill me though." Wilkinson chortled.

"You just wait!" Misty snapped.

"Don't Worry Mist; I'm not going down that easy!" Ash exclaimed.

Meanwhile at another table, Dawn was facing off against her opponent and his Alakazam, and the four players volleyed back and forth with fierce intensity, none of them willing to give up a point for anything. Finally Dawn got off a really good hit, but the Alakazam got in front of the ball and crossed its arms to try and confuse Dawn as to which the direction the ball would go, "Right or left…so which way will it go?" Dawn carefully studied the Alakazam's hand movements, and determined which way the ball would go, "Ambipom, to the left!" she shouted. Ambipom switched places with Dawn and got ready to receive the hit, but then Alakazam swung a vicious backhand, that made the ball bounce in the opposite direction, graze the corner of the table, and bounce away from Dawn, "No way!"

"Good! Scientist team, point!" the referee announced.

The scientist and his Alakazam chortled with pride, just like with Ash and his opponent; they felt that Dawn was clearly no match for them.

"Hey you! If you beat Dee Dee you're gonna have to get through me afterwards!" Kenny shouted from his table.

"Kenny!" Dawn hissed angrily.

"Dee Dee huh? What's that? His petname for you?" the scientist laughed.

"Even if it was I wouldn't tell you!" Dawn growled, "And YOU!" she shouted, turning her attention back towards Kenny, "Don't call me Dee Dee!"

"Sorry, it was a slip of the tongue I swear!" Kenny defended.

Misty watched from her table and sighed, she was doing alright against her opponent, as Azurill was really stepping up and playing hard, "Maybe having him stay wasn't such a good idea…"

Dawn took the ball and got ready to serve again, "I guess I won't be able to tell whether they're going to hit to the right or to the left until right before they actually do it…" Dawn served the ball, and Alakazam immediately got into position to hit the ball again, "Which direction?" Dawn exclaimed to herself. Alakazam hit the ball, and again the ball had a backspin on it. Dawn shielded herself thinking she was about to get hit, and the ball flew right by her, but this time Ambipom had taken it upon herself to be ready, and faked hitting the ball with one tail, and then slammed it back towards the scientist with the other, "Hey, that's an idea! We can return fire using your two tails!" Dawn exclaimed. The ball flew towards the scientist at high speed, and he too shielded himself from getting hit out of instinct. The ball bounced lazily into the air towards Ambipom, and the two-tailed monkey leaped up and hit the ball even harder than last time. Once again the ball ignited with flame, and it passed the scientist and his Alakazam before they could even react, giving Dawn and Ambipom a point. "Thanks so much Ambipom! Now let's keep this up!"

The rounds continued. Ash and Pikachu were eliminated by their expert opponents and moved on to the second round, while Dawn and Ambipom were able to defeat the scientist and his Alakazam. Misty and Barry also moved on against their opponents, while Kenny wasn't as lucky as his opponent's Machamp's four arms caused too much unpredictability for them to keep up.

"Man…we lost…" Ash grumbled.

"I gotta say, this is tougher than I originally thought it'd be, I'll take Pokémon contests over this any day." Kenny added, as he too sat down on the bleachers.

"Don't feel bad you guys, it was your first time." Brock replied.

"Yeah, but I let Pikachu down…I'm sorry buddy…" Ash sighed, rubbing his Pokémon best friend's head. Pikachu squeaked in reassurance for his master. Then Riolu, who had sensed his master's sad aura, hopped over to him from next to Brock and fell into Ash's lap, smiling at him in an attempt to cheer him up, "Aww, thanks Riolu." Riolu squealed in response.

"At least YOU have someone to make you feel better, Dawn's probably really mad at me." Kenny sighed.

"Well you DID use that name she hates so much again." Ash replied.

"I didn't mean anything by it! I was trying to defend her!" Kenny exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it Kenny, just stay here and cheer her on, she'll get over it eventually." Brock reassured.

"I guess so, but I still don't like the idea of her hating me…" Kenny replied.

"She doesn't hate you Kenny, you're her best friend!" Ash said.

"You really think so?" Kenny asked.

"I KNOW so! Just relax and cheer her on and she'll appreciate it!" Ash replied.

"Yeah…thanks Ash!" Kenny said happily.

"You know, we may have lost, but on the other hand, Misty and Dawn are doing pretty good, that first round really showed what they can do!" Ash said.

"Yeah, Azurill's really stepped up and is giving Misty a lot of help. And as for Ambipom, it's INCREDIBLE what she's been able to do, you would never know that it's Ambipom's first time after what we just saw." Brock replied.

"Well…" the man who had been sitting next to Brock said, "That team that beat Jess…alinlin…Halverson and Marowak is who she'll be facing in the second round."

"Yeah, they seemed good." Kenny commented.

Suddenly Riolu started growling at the man, which earned confusion from everyone, except for the man himself who was now worried. "Hey, what's the matter Riolu?" Ash asked.

"Perhaps your Riolu is merely upset at the fact that you lost in the first round!" the man exclaimed suddenly, "Well I must be off! Unfortunately I do have business to attend to! Ciao!" the man hurried off, leaving the teens confused once again.

"Is that it Riolu? You're upset that we lost?" Ash asked. Riolu shook his head almost feverishly, he had sensed something evil nearby, but now the feeling was gone, "Then what was it Riolu?" Ash asked. Riolu dropped his shoulders and sighed, unable to give Ash any sort of answer. "Hey, don't worry about it, look, Misty's still in the competition! She'll take out that guy with the Farfetch'd!" Ash said. Riolu sighed and turned back around in Ash's lap so that he was facing the competition, Ash hadn't gotten the message, but it didn't matter, since the evil feeling was gone.

Back at the tables, Misty was ready to go up against Wilkinson and his Farfetch'd, who was still snickering at his previous victory. "You're gonna pay for smacking my boyfriend in the face like that!" Misty hissed.

"Oh please, I'll take you down just as easily as I took down your loser boyfriend…of course if you wanna ditch the dork and attach yourself to a real Ping-Pong celebrity, I'd be more than happy to take you as some personal arm candy, having a sexy chick like you would get me past O on the Ping-Pong popularity scale." Wilkinson snickered.

"That guy just made a pass at Misty!" Ash growled furiously, both his and Riolu's fists clenched in anger.

Misty smirked at Wilkinson and chuckled almost evilly, "You my friend, have just crossed the line, now you're REALLY gonna get it, whether you win or not." she replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Wilkinson asked suspiciously.

"Oh I wouldn't wanna spoil the surprise, let's just play this match, and if I happen to win, MAYBE I'll let you off the hook." Misty replied.

"Kick his can Misty!" Ash shouted from the stands.

Misty turned towards the bleachers and winked cutely at Ash, her fingers placed in a peace sign.

Then the match started, and they volleyed the Ping-Pong ball back and forth for a little while, before Wilkinson managed to smack the ball hard enough that it bounced over Misty's head, "Jump Azurill!" she cried. Azurill jumped up and used her tail to smash the ball back down towards Farfetch'd, "Nice save Azurill!" But unfortunately, Farfetch'd was more than ready to counter, and used its stick to smash the ball back towards Azurill, who got hit in the face and fell into Misty's arms with a welt on her face, "Azurill, are you ok?" Misty asked worriedly. Misty growled with rage towards Wilkinson, who just chuckled smugly.

"Guess that makes Farfetch'd two for two." Wilkinson snickered.

"You disgusting…slimy pile of trash, how dare you even THINK about doing something so cruel to a Pokémon? And then to consider it as an ACCOMPLISHMENT? You make me wanna hurl…" Misty gave Wilkinson a sneer like she never had before. She may have been treating Azurill more like an adult Pokémon, but she still refused to allow any sort of abuse to come to her precious baby, and in this case, it was well-justified, however what Azurill did next was next may not have been. Azurill fired a 'Water Gun' at Farfetch'd in pure anger, and the normal/flying-type was knocked back onto the floor with a wet plop, "Azurill…" Misty said in shock.

"Hey, that was a clear violation of the rules! I demand that you have her disqualified from the competition!" Wilkinson shouted at the referee.

"You can't disqualify me, I quit! And by the way, I WAS gonna hit you in the head with my trusty mallet…" Misty pulled out her mallet and swung it threateningly, which made Wilkinson flinch in fear, "But I think I'll let Azurill have the last move instead!" Azurill fired another 'Water Gun', this time towards Wilkinson, and he coughed up the water that had hit his face before growling at Misty in anger, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a boyfriend to go to and friends to cheer on."

"You tell him Misty!" Ash cheered from the stands, with Riolu jumping up and down in happiness. Pikachu would've been doing the same, but he was busy getting a soothing back rub from Buneary. There was also some scattered applause in the stands that was caused by Misty's standing up to Wilkinson, it was obvious that not a lot of people approved of his attitude towards what he had done to the young Pokémon.

"Hey you! I hope you wind up going up against me, because I wanna get you back for messing with my friend!" Barry shouted angrily.

"Did you hear that?" Ash asked.

"Barry just called Misty his friend…" Kenny added.

"Guess Barry has a chivalrous side too." Brock also commented.

By now Misty had come to the stands as well, not at all regretting forfeiting the match, "I heard what he said, and I'm glad he feels that way about it…because if he didn't, I would've been VERY angry." Misty said jokingly.

"Well, this leaves just Dawn and Barry in the competition, let's cheer them on!" Ash exclaimed.

The rounds continued on without further interruption. Barry was able to defeat his second round opponent, a boy and his Hitmontop, and Dawn was also able to defeat Halverson and Marowak thanks to an incredible diving save by Ambipom, and that match had not gone unnoticed by a certain bystander. "They COULDN'T have just started playing Pokémon Ping-Pong already could they?"

Unfortunately for Barry, the tournament branches didn't allow Barry to take on Wilkinson in round three, instead, it would be Dawn who would get to take on the overly pompous Ping-Pong player. "Since Barry won't get to, it looks like I get to be the one who makes sure that justice is served!" Dawn exclaimed.

Unlike he had done for his previous two opponents, Wilkinson did NOT snicker at Dawn and Ambipom, he had observed very carefully what they could do, and he knew that they could be a serious threat to his continuation in the competition. And that assumption would prove to be correct, as Dawn and Wilkinson rallied for quite a while, neither one of them willing to give up a point. It did take forever, but eventually it came down to one final point between the two of them. "Alright Ambipom, let's do this for our friends!" she exclaimed.

"It all comes down to this; Dawn either wins or loses here and now." Misty said, as she literally sat on the edge of her seat.

"Come on Dawn, take this loser down!" Kenny shouted.

Dawn felt a slight adrenaline rush when she heard Kenny's cheer, she hadn't quickly gotten over the Dee Dee comment, in all honesty, she KNEW right from the start that Kenny had every intention to defend her at that time, she knew very well that he didn't want to offend her, and truth be told, if he had used the name in private, she wouldn't have reacted so violently towards him. But now his voice was bolstering her forward, and she was more determined than ever to come out on top. Dawn served the ball, and Wilkinson decided to go for broke and start right off with a powerful smash shot that bounced in front of Dawn and began flying high into the sky and way out of range of retrieval, "No, Ambipom get it!"

The referee was about to declare Wilkinson the winner, but Ambipom was not going down without a fight. The two-tailed monkey ran as fast as she could to get into range of the ball, leapt off an empty table to get airborne, and swung her tails with all her might to return the ball back to the correct table. The entire audience gasped in either shock or horror as the ball flew through the air, waiting to see whether or not it would make it all the way to the correct end of the table. "Come on…come on…!" Dawn thought fearfully. She could feel her heart pounding furiously in her chest, she was afraid that if she even breathed the wrong way, the ball would catch her breath and fall short of the table. Finally the ball reached the table, and it started losing altitude at a scarily fast pace. Dawn felt her heart skip a beat as it flew past her head, and grazed the top of the Ping-Pong net and bounced onto Wilkinson's end of the table, "You did it Ambipom!"

Wilkinson swung his paddle to try and return, but the ball bounced too high and fast for him, which left only Farfetch'd to save the match. Farfetch'd flew up and swung its stick, but the sheer speed that the ball was moving caused Farfetch'd to aim its swing wrong, and the ball shanked to the left and bounced way out of bounds, giving Dawn and Ambipom the win. "They…won?" Wilkinson groaned in agony.

The crowd was so awed that for a few seconds after the ball landed, you could hear a pin drop. Then the referee made the call, "Game and match, Team Dawn!"

The entire audience erupted into applause, as Dawn had pulled off the biggest upset of the entire competition, and also salvaged the honor of Misty and her Azurill, who had been purposely hurt by Wilkinson and his Farfetch'd. "Misty said you'd pay for what you did! And guess what? Payment is usually REAL expensive!" Dawn exclaimed smugly, sticking her tongue out at Wilkinson. Then Dawn knelt down and hugged Ambipom tightly, "Thank you Ambipom, it wouldn't have happened without you? You ran after that Ping-Pong ball and saved the match!"

Wilkinson threw his Ping-Pong paddle onto the floor and stormed out of the stadium with rage, earning boos from most of the audience because of his bad sportsmanship. He had been so smug about beating Ash and Misty, but after running into Dawn, his streak had been abruptly and shockingly put to an end. And just like her previous match, one very important person had observed her match very carefully, "Incredible talent…"

"Dawn and Ambipom did it! I can't believe it!" Ash exclaimed.

"I can! I always knew she had it in her!" Kenny replied.

"Are you talking about Dawn or Ambipom?" Misty asked.

"I guess I'm talking about both of them, after all, if it weren't for Ambipom, it'd be Wilkinson moving on instead of Dawn." Kenny replied.

"I REALLY can't believe how Dawn and Ambipom just keep getting better and better with every Ping-Pong match." Brock said.

"But after seeing what Ambipom could do when I was practicing with Dawn, somehow I'm not TOO surprised with what I've seen so far, if I didn't know that we had all learned about Pokémon Ping-Pong a few days ago, I would've assumed that Ambipom had been trained to play Ping-Pong all her life." Kenny added.

Dawn and Ambipom had earned a break after their match, and Dawn was currently wiping her face with a cool, damp washcloth, while Ambipom just sat on the bench they were sitting on next to her. A few moments later, Barry and Empoleon came up to her, "Hey Barry." she said, her fatigue making itself known through her voice.

"I gotta admit Dawn, you and Ambipom have made it a lot farther than I thought you would, and you really made that creep Wilkinson and his Farfetch'd look like total losers, I was laughing out loud! And to top it all off, you gained vengeance for Ash and Misty! I wanted to take that job on myself, but I'm proud to say that the Twinleaf Trio has more than one strong branch!" Barry said.

"Uh, thanks Barry…I guess…" Dawn sweat-dropped at Barry's attempt at a compliment, as sincere as it sounded, it still sounded pretty arrogant…but…it WAS Barry after all, so she didn't expect anything less, "Looks like you're gonna have your work cut out for you this time, going up against O."

"Nah, just watch this, I'm gonna dethrone that Ping-Pong celebrity and take his spot on the top of the Pokémon Ping-Pong universe!" Barry exclaimed confidently.

"Well good luck then Barry, we're all rooting for you." Dawn replied.

"Even Misty? I gotta say, I don't like the idea of knowing someone who hates me." Barry said with a sincere frown.

"Oh Barry, I'm sure Misty doesn't HATE you, she just…disagrees on some of your…certain views." Dawn replied.

"Gah, I'm worrying about something stupid, something asinine! In fact it's not just asinine, it's asinine, asi-ten, asi-eleven, asi-twelve! I've only got one thing to focus on, and that's beating O! Wish me luck Dawn, I'm gonna take you on in the semi-finals!" Barry rushed off to his table, but not before saying, "Don't ask me how I know what asinine means, it's just something I picked up one day."

"What in the world does asinine mean?" Dawn asked herself. Ambipom just chattered with confusion.

The announcer began speaking again, as the next two competitors, Barry and O, got ready to face off against each other, "Our two hardworking new competitors Dawn and Ambipom have made it to the A block all the way up to this point, but while they take a well-deserved breather, up next we've got Barry and Empoleon versus O and Shiftry!"

"Well Empoleon, Dawn and Ambipom are REALLY going for it, but first up we're gonna make quick work of O, and THEN we take those two on! After all that's what totally awesome champions do! You ready to go Empoleon?" Barry asked, getting into his ready stance.

"Empoleon!" (Sure am!)

Barry served the ball, and O quickly returned the ball back to them. Empoleon then swung at the ball with a strong backhand that made the ball bounce up over O's head. "Way to go Empoleon!" But then O ducked, and Shiftry leaped up over O's head and got ready to strike back, "Huh? What's up with that?" Barry yelled in total shock. Shiftry smashed the ball right through the gap between Barry and Empoleon, which caused them both to gasp in shock.

"That's it! The famous delayed attack!" the announcer exclaimed.

"The O and Shiftry team, point!" the referee shouted, raising his right arm to signal the point.

"Incredible technique…whoa…" Dawn said in awe, her eyes wide from what she had just seen. Ambipom on the other hand, was getting herself pumped for the next round. And after a relatively quick match, it was revealed that Dawn and Ambipom would face off against O, as he had made quick work of Barry and Empoleon, not the other way around.

"And the winner is the team of O and Ambipom!" the announcer exclaimed.

"Oh man…I got my paddle handed to me…" Barry groaned.

"Don't feel bad, you and Empoleon put up a great effort, I had a lot of fun!" O replied.

"Gee, thanks Mr. O!" Barry said excitedly, happy to have gotten a compliment from the legendary Ping-Pong player.

"I hope to see you and your Empoleon again in future competitions, don't ever give up!" O said with a thumbs-up.

"You got it!" Barry ran off in high spirits, and ran by Dawn before heading off to the stands, "It's up to you Dawn! Make the Twinleaf Trio proud!"

"Alright Ambipom…let's do this!" Dawn said. The duo got up and headed over to the table, where O was waiting for them.

"The winner of the B block has already been decided, the team of Theodore and Gliscor. We still have one match left remaining in the A block, it's the Dawn and Ambipom team versus the O and Shiftry team, so don't anyone move from their seats!" the announcer exclaimed.

"What do you think Misty?" Ash asked.

"I really don't know, after seeing how easily O and Shiftry took down Barry and Empoleon, it's obvious that they're real experts at this, but on the other hand, Ambipom's raw talent has been the big factor in all of their matches." Misty replied.

"I have no doubt they can pull this off, just you watch!" Kenny exclaimed.

Kenny's optimism would prove to be slightly premature, as O and Shiftry were able to get into an early ten to six lead, with Ambipom doing all sorts of acrobatic moves to prevent half of their opponents' scores. After yet another delayed smash, both Dawn and Ambipom dove to the ground to try and save the ball, but neither one of them were able to get there in time. "Incredible…they're just too strong for us…"

"O and Shiftry team, game point!" the referee announced.

"What's wrong with Dawn? They're not moving as well as they were before!" Ash said nervously.

"They've been completely dominated by O and Shiftry's moves, and their teamwork is falling apart!" Brock replied.

"It's no wonder, even I was intimidated by O and Shiftry, the only reason Dawn's lasted so long is because Ambipom's been jumping all over the place!" Barry added.

Back down on the field, Dawn was indeed feeling very intimidated by O and Shiftry, as she suddenly felt very small and helpless against their incredibly effective teamwork. She shut her eyes and tried to slow her shaky breathing, "Relax, relax, relax, relax!" Dawn then felt a large hand tap her shoulder, she looked and saw Ambipom jumping up and down with determination…she appreciated the effort to encourage her but, she still felt there was nothing she could do.

"Dawn's looking defeated…" Misty said sadly.

Kenny looked at Misty, and then back at Dawn. She had a point, Dawn looked like she was ready to drop to her knees and give up, and it hurt him to see her so low, so utterly helpless…he could feel his heart aching for her, although he wasn't sure why exactly. But…he could make a good guess; he decided he had to try something, for Dawn's sake. "Hey Dawn!" he shouted, "Don't you give up now! You gotta stay true to you and Ambipom, and the true you NEVER gives up! You hear me? Never! NEVER!"

Dawn heard every word Kenny had said, and she suddenly felt an unexplainable energy boost flow through her body like water bursting through a broken dam. She had just needed some cheering on, but not from just anyone of course, the fact that it was Kenny, who at this moment in time was the frontrunner to earn her affections, made the encouragement that much more effective. Dawn turned towards the stands and locked eyes with Kenny, who was raising a fist in the air to try and give her more reassurance. Dawn nodded and returned the gesture, and turned back towards O and Shiftry, who didn't look so big and scary to her anymore, her confidence had been puffed back up by Kenny's heartening words, "Alright Ambipom, we're not finished yet, let's do our best and get back in this thing!"

O smiled as he held the Ping-Pong ball in his hand, he had to admit, the scene was touching, and Dawn and Ambipom had impressed him all throughout the tournament. If anything, he was glad the small delay had reignited Dawn's fire. O finally got ready to serve the ball, "Glad to see you're focused in again! Here it comes!" O served it, and Dawn got ready to return, when suddenly the ball made a funky bounce towards Ambipom's end of the table.

"Ambipom, quick!" Dawn exclaimed. Ambipom got there in plenty of time and faked hitting the ball with one tail and spun around to hit it with the other. O countered by following Shiftry to the ball, and getting out of the way at the last possible moment to allow Shiftry to make the return, "No! Not this time!" Dawn had been reenergized by Kenny's cheering, and she was ready for their signature move. She swung her paddle and hit the ball…but she suddenly felt horrified when the ball started floating lazily high in the air, "My paddle! No!" Dawn's paddle had been shattered by the sheer power of Shiftry's smash, leaving her without any means of winning.

"Well, a win is a win so I'll take it." O smashed the ball back; confident that without a paddle, there was no way Dawn could do anything to stop him. Dawn gasped and shielded her face from the incoming ball, but Ambipom refused to say die, and jumped in front of the coordinator and returned the ball back to O, who was shocked at what he had just seen, "How did it return my shot like that?" O smashed the ball back at Ambipom, who simply returned it again, "Unbelievable…"

"This is beyond belief! Ambipom is covering for Dawn's paddle by taking on O AND Shiftry at the same time!" the announcer exclaimed.

"Ambipom…" Dawn gasped. Ambipom shifted into overdrive, and was now making save after save and preventing O and Shiftry from getting even one more point, while at the same time evening out the score and eventually getting to a tie of eleven points. Dawn's eyes filled up with tears as she saw her beloved monkey fight her way back from the incredible deficit, never had she seen such determination come from her Pokémon before, Ambipom was just SO locked in, it was almost as if Ambipom knew what was going to happen before it did…it astounded Dawn just how much Ambipom cared, and it moved her that this incredibly passionate Pokémon was in her possession, "You can do it Ambipom!"

"I can't believe this is really happening!" Ash exclaimed in awe.

"Ambipom's covering for Dawn, and it seems like there's no stopping her!" Brock added.

"But Dawn's just standing there watching, she has to get back into it!" Misty also commented.

"Dawn, don't just stand there! Grab a paddle and get back in it!" Kenny shouted, earning glances from his friends.

Dawn blinked a few times and wiped her tears hastily, as Kenny's outburst had once again broken her self-inflicted trance. She grabbed a replacement paddle and got back into place next to Ambipom, who smiled brightly at her return, "Ambipom, thanks…now let's win this!"

"I'm impressed." O said, "But I'm the champion," he got ready to serve, "And there's NO WAY I'm gonna let you win! This! Match!" O served the ball with a strength and determination that outdid any of his previous serves in his whole career, never had anyone gotten so close to beating him in a match before, so he decided to go all out and finish it with one power serve. Dawn and Ambipom tensed as the ball whizzed towards them at amazing velocity, and Ambipom made her move and smashed the ball with both tails, which ignited the ball once more, "Now Shiftry!" O shouted. Shiftry jumped up and returned the ball, and due to the speed the ball was already moving, not even Ambipom could move fast enough to save it, which gave O the win. "An amazing match I have to say." O chuckled.

"I…can't…believe it…" Dawn mumbled in disbelief.

"Game! And the winner is the team of O and Shiftry! But what an incredible match to decide the finalist!" the announcer exclaimed.

The crowd gave Dawn and Ambipom a standing ovation, as the two walked out, feeling defeated and downhearted.

"Aww Dee Dee…" Kenny whispered sympathetically, as he watched his best friend walk out of the stadium.

"Come on guys, let's go after her." Brock said.

"Right Brock." the group replied. Together the whole group left the stadium, with the exception of Barry who was curious to see who would win the entire competition, and he had informed his departing friends that he wouldn't be going back to the Pokémon Center, he had to get a head start on Ash after all, after the competition was over, he'd be back on the road. He also had to make sure his bet with Ash was won, but he told them to give Dawn his condolences on the loss.

Back in the Pokémon Center, Dawn had taken Ambipom to Nurse Joy, since Ambipom had just about passed out on the way there, her adrenaline had finally worn off and she began feeling the fatigue from all the Ping-Pong matches. As Dawn sat and waited for Nurse Joy to return with Ambipom, she heard over the Pokémon Center intercom that O had indeed won the entire competition. She wasn't surprised of course, O was the champion for a reason, he and Shiftry moved as one all the way through. The light above the door of the recovery room dimmed, and out walked Nurse Joy and Chansey, "Nurse Joy, how's Ambipom?"

"Ambipom was extremely exhausted but there were no actual injuries, you have nothing to worry about." Nurse Joy reassured.

"Thanks so much Nurse Joy." Dawn bowed with relief, and then Ambipom walked out to greet her master. Dawn squatted down in front of Ambipom, "Ambipom, I'm sorry I put so much responsibility on your shoulders, while…I did nothing." Dawn said. Ambipom just chattered happily, she held no ill-will towards Dawn whatsoever.

"Dawn?"

Dawn looked up and saw O walking towards her; she stood up to face him, "Mr. O."

"I witnessed tremendous skill during our match; I would love to train what could be the most powerful Pokémon Ping-Pong players yet!" O said excitedly.

Dawn gasped and then giggled bashfully, "I do appreciate the offer but it's Pokémon CONTESTS that really interest me. Today I realized that I still have a whole lot of training to do."

"I'm sorry, but the truth is it's AMBIPOM I wanna train with, not you." O said.

"Uh…Ambipom?" Dawn asked hesitantly, looking down towards her Pokémon who was also confused.

O leaned over and directed his attention directly towards Ambipom, "You see, I'm very impressed with your abilities, I wanna take you to the very top of the Pokémon Ping-Pong world!" O exclaimed, as he swung his arm to simulate swinging a paddle. O's excitement riled Ambipom up, as she began swinging her tails as if she was playing Ping-Pong again. O then turned her attention back to Dawn, "Dawn, I do hope that you'll think about it." O walked away without another word, leaving Dawn with a serious dilemma on her hands.

"Oh dear…I really don't know…" O had placed something very troubling inside of Dawn's mind, the thought of just giving up one of her best friends tore her up on the inside, but on the other hand, would Ambipom be happier staying with her, or doing Ping-Pong with O?

"Dawn, there you are!" Kenny had come around the corner and saw Dawn staring off in the direction O had walked, "I've been looking for you everywhere, you and Ambipom did great in that competition, I'm really proud of you…and Ambipom that is!" he corrected himself, when Dawn didn't respond, he noted her troubled expression, "Dawn, are you ok?"

Dawn blinked and turned her head to Kenny, who was looking at her with concern, "O just came…and asked me if…I would be willing to let him take Ambipom so they could train for Pokémon Ping-Pong together."

"Oh…are…are you going to let him?" Kenny asked hesitantly.

"I really don't know…I…I don't…I just…oh!" Dawn leaped towards Kenny and wrapped her arms around him, she was so confused, so torn, she needed some source of comfort, and Kenny was all she had at the moment.

Kenny was taken aback by Dawn's sudden lunge towards him, but he could understand why she had done it, she was feeling awful, he knew her well, the thought of losing a friend was something she had never taken lightly, even when they were little. And now here she was, faced with the biggest decision of her Pokémon Trainer career to date, give up her friend for the sake of a possibly brighter future for Ambipom, or hang on to her and deprive her of what could be the biggest opportunity she could ever have offered to her? Kenny wrapped his arms around Dawn and tried to comfort her as best he could, but it wasn't easy since he could feel his heartbeat increasing rapidly, "Dawn…um…" he stammered, "I think maybe you should get a little rest, it might help to clear your head for a while…do…do you want to get something to eat? I'm gonna be staying overnight so…we could if you want."

Dawn backed away slightly and looked at her best friend and rival in coordinating with watery eyes, the idea of trying to relax sounded good to her right now, anything to push away this feeling of sadness she was feeling right now. But even in her state of confusion and internal turmoil, she hadn't missed that Kenny had virtually asked her out on a dinner date, without actually using the word of course. She noted that would be another point for Kenny, but for now, she was content to just accept the offer. She released Kenny completely and wiped her eyes of the tears that had been trying to escape, sniffling a little as she did so. "Y-Yeah, I'd like that. Thanks Kenny. Just…let me go clean myself up a bit ok?" she said.

"Sure thing Dee Dee." Kenny said tenderly, "That's what best friends are for." He smiled at her and walked away to get ready for his dinner with Dawn. Had he really just asked Dawn out on a date? He doubted Dawn thought of it that way, but the thought of it being a date…didn't seem entirely bad to him. What was more shocking however, was that he had used the "Dee Dee" name, and Dawn didn't bite his head off about it…was she really so troubled that she didn't care? Or was it how he had said it? The truth of the matter was, Kenny was looking for Dawn to tell her goodbye, that he was going to leave before it got too dark to travel, but seeing her the way she was, changed his mind in a heartbeat. He couldn't leave her now, not in her current state. He would leave in the morning, after knowing for sure that she safely on her way with Ash, Misty, and Brock.

Dawn headed off to a nearby bathroom, forgetting that Ambipom was there, and that she had seen everything. Ambipom too now felt a feeling of anxiety; she needed something to do too. The two-tailed monkey walked away and decided to let Dawn enjoy her time with Kenny, she would come back later to check on Dawn after she got her mind off of the situation for a while. Dawn walked out after washing her face and looked around, and noticed that Ambipom was missing. "Ambipom?" Dawn called. Ambipom didn't appear to her, so she began to get worried, "Ambipom?" she called louder. Still no response. "Oh no, oh no…I gotta find everyone!" Dawn hurried to where their room was, and she burst through the doors to find Ash, Misty, Brock…and Kenny. Tears were beginning to form in her eyes again as she tried to control her oncoming sobs.

"Dawn, what's the matter?" Kenny asked with concern.

"Ambipom is missing!" Dawn cried.

"What did you say?" Brock asked worriedly.

"Come on, let's start looking!" Ash exclaimed.

The group hurried outside and started calling for Ambipom…after calling for a few moments, Brock caught a sound that was coming from around the corner of the Pokémon Center, "Wait a minute…" Brock said.

"What is it Brock?" Misty asked.

"What's that noise?" Brock replied.

They listened for a minute, and realized brock was right, "Sounds like it's coming from the back!" Ash exclaimed.

The group hurried around the corner of the Pokémon Center, and they saw Ambipom playing Ping-Pong with herself by bouncing the ball off of the wall and hitting back with her tails. "Look at how much fun Ambipom's having…" Dawn sighed.

"Yeah, I've never seen Ambipom so inspired." Brock added.

"Wow, Ambipom seems to be totally hooked on playing Pokémon Ping-Pong." Ash also commented.

"(Sigh)…I still don't know what to do…" Dawn said sadly.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Ash asked.

"I know what she means…" Kenny said.

"YOU know? Know what?" Misty asked.

"Earlier today the guy named O I played against made me an offer to train with Ambipom and make her a powerful Pokémon Ping-Pong player." Dawn replied.

"Well…Ambipom WAS really amazing out there today." Ash said.

"What would you do if you were me Ash?" Dawn asked, turning towards the more experienced trainer. Dawn then turned back towards Ambipom, who was still blissfully unaware of their presence.

Ash had a flashback of all the times he had shared with Ambipom, from the first time they had met when she was an Aipom, all the way to the day she evolved into Ambipom saving them from the Unown. He could already sense another goodbye coming on, but he was well experienced in what the right thing to say was, having dealt with this very issue many times before, "What's important is what AMBIPOM wants to do." Ash said.

"But there's a decision the trainer needs to make, between what a Pokémon wants, and what's best for it. It's part of your responsibility see?" Brock added.

Dawn sighed and dipped her head, "Yeah, I guess you're right Brock."

Misty placed a hand on Dawn's shoulder, "We know what you're going through Dawn, whatever decision you decide to make, we've got your back."

"Thanks Misty." Dawn replied gratefully.

The whole time this conversation was happening, Kenny's wheels were spinning inside his head, as he began to think of something that he decided was necessary for him to do. He suspected he knew what Dawn's choice would be, and he decided that he was gonna make sure Dawn was happy, and he had a good idea of how to do it.

The next morning, O and the other Ping-Pong officials were getting ready to leave; he had waited until the last minute for Dawn to appear, and had just about given up. He sighed, understanding that Dawn didn't want to part with her Pokémon; he was positive that any trainer would have reacted the exact same way. He had taken one step into the van, when he heard a voice calling him.

"Mr. O?" Dawn said.

O turned around and saw Dawn walking up to him with Ambipom, and the rest of her friends as well, "Well hi there Dawn!"

"I thought a lot about what you asked me last night, and I've decided the best thing is to let AMBIPOM figure out what it wants to do." Dawn replied.

O's face brightened, what an amazing example of a loving trainer. "That's great Dawn." he said.

Dawn turned around and leaned over towards Ambipom, "So Ambipom, do you want to continue doing Pokémon Contests with me, or do you wanna play Pokémon Ping-Pong?" she asked. Ambipom chattered at her with confusion. Dawn then held out both her hands, one hand held a Pokéball with a contest seal, and the other held a Ping-Pong ball, "Come on, choose." Ambipom looked back and forth between the two objects, before grabbing the Ping-Pong ball, earning a sad gasp from Dawn. But then Ambipom grabbed the Pokéball as well, and then snagged Dawn's hat, and finally Ash's too, "Ambipom?"

"Ambipom, have you decided what you're going to do?" Ash asked, as he watched Ambipom juggle the four objects playfully. Eventually Ambipom placed the hats back on their respective owners, and once again looked between the Pokéball and the Ping-Pong ball, thinking hard about the decision she was to make.

"So what is it going to be?" Dawn asked. Ambipom thought long and hard about it, and eventually a smile graced her face. Dawn nodded and held out her hand, and Ambipom placed the Pokéball in her hand, "So that means…you want to play Pokémon Ping-Pong, right?" Dawn asked, wanting clarification. Ambipom chattered affirmatively, and Dawn knelt down and embraced her now former Pokémon, and began to feel tears starting to prick at her eyes, this would be her first official goodbye of one of her Pokémon. Dawn got up and faced O, "Take good care of Ambipom, promise me?"

"I promise. That's something you'll NEVER have to worry about, I guarantee it." O replied. Ambipom scurried over to O, and gave a thumbs up with her tail to her friends, "You know Dawn, my Pokémon Ping-Pong training center is located in Vermilion City, you can come visit anytime!"

"But…Vermilion is all the way in the Kanto Region…" Misty said.

"What's wrong with that? Aren't you all from the Kanto Region?" O asked.

"Um…well…the truth is, Ash, Misty, and Brock are from Kanto, but I live in Twinleaf Town here in Sinnoh…" Dawn replied, gulping down the pain in her throat she was starting to feel from the inner sadness.

"Oh…I see…" O said, almost regretting the choice of asking Dawn for her Pokémon.

"Ambipom…before you go, I'd like to give you something…you know…to remember me by." Dawn took her hat off of her head and gave it to Ambipom, "I know you always loved to play with me, you know, how you'd always take my hat when I least expected it," Dawn laughed sadly at that, "I'd like you to keep that, as a memento of all the times we've had together…don't worry, I have a spare." she laughed again.

"Yeah…I like where you're going with that Dawn." Ash pulled off his backpack and took something off of it, "Here Ambipom, it's my old Hoenn League cap…I'd like you to have it. You know Ambipom, I traded you to Dawn for Buizel because you were more interested in contests than battles, but…I always felt like you were still my Pokémon in a way, you and me are friends, no matter who's training you."

"Same goes for me too Ambipom, you and me will always be friends." Dawn added.

Ambipom used her tails and brought both her masters in for a final farewell hug. "We're all gonna miss you Ambipom." Dawn sniffled, as a lone tear escaped her eye.

"Hey O! Come on already, we gotta get going!" a man shouted from the van.

"Um, listen, we have to go…Dawn, if you'd like to reconsider I would be ok with you keeping Ambipom." O said.

"No…" Dawn stood tall and held back her sobs, "No, this is what Ambipom wants, I'm not going to stop her…just…make sure you make Ambipom the best possible Pokémon Ping-Pong player she can be."

"I will, I promise…and thank you Dawn." O replied. O and Ambipom got into the van and closed the door, and the van drove off.

The teens chased after the van for a while before stopping and just waving, "Goodbye Ambipom! And good luck!" Dawn cried. Ambipom rolled down the window to the van and waved goodbye to the group, which only got Dawn to finally break down. "I'll miss you Ambipom…" she sobbed.

The group sighed as they watched Dawn cry over the fact that she might never get to see Ambipom again. Kenny moved in and decided to give his best friend a comforting hug, and Dawn just accepted it and hugged him back, allowing the calming feeling of Kenny's embrace sooth her. If she had a totally clear mind, she would probably have chosen then and now that Kenny was the obvious suitor for her, but she was in a fog, she couldn't think beyond the fact that Ambipom was gone. Finally, Kenny released her, much to her dismay, "Listen, Dawn…I'm sorry…but…I gotta get going." he said, almost regretting it the moment he said it.

"I…I know you do. Thanks for staying Kenny; I appreciate it, a lot." Dawn replied, wiping her face of her tears.

"Hey," Kenny took his thumb and wiped a tear that was rolling down her face, "What are best friends for?"

"Sometimes they're for this." Dawn gave Kenny a quick kiss on the cheek, causing the male coordinator to blush, "Thank you so much Kenny, for everything."

"Yeah…well…don't forget, we're still rivals! Next time we meet, I'm gonna give it my all to take you down again!" Kenny exclaimed, backing up a few steps so he could finally leave.

"You got it Kenny, but next time I'M coming out on top, and I'll be getting my fifth ribbon before you!" Dawn replied.

"Yeah, we'll see. Seeya later guys!" Kenny waved and walked away.

"Bye Kenny, seeya!" Dawn called out.

"Sometimes the best cure for a sad time is some…more than friendly rivalry." Misty whispered to Ash.

"Yeah Mist, I getcha." Ash replied just as quietly.

"Well…what are we waiting for guys? We've gotta get to Snowpoint City for Ash's next gym battle!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Alright then, we'll get packed and head out." Brock said.

The group headed back into the Pokémon Center, where Misty ambushed Dawn to talk to her, "You ok Dawn?" she asked.

"Yeah…although, I probably wouldn't be as ok if it weren't for Kenny." Dawn replied, blushing slightly.

"He really cares for you Dawn; he stayed an extra night for your sake." Misty said.

"What?" Dawn turned to Misty, "He told me last night he was staying overnight anyway!"

"I figured he'd say something like that," Misty shook her head, "He was looking for you to say goodbye, but…I guess he cared so much that he changed his mind."

"Kenny…" Dawn mumbled in awe.

"Still need any more convincing that he loves you?" Misty asked.

"No…" Dawn replied, "But…I'm not going back on my decision. I can't keep going back and forth on my attitude on this; I'll go out of my mind! If he wants me, he'll have to say it straight out. Besides, I don't really wanna think about that right now, I just wanna keep moving, and try to get over Ambipom." Dawn grabbed a new hat, looked at it for a moment, and then put it on.

"I understand." Misty said with a nod.

Dawn nodded back, and finished packing her things. When they were just about ready to leave, Nurse Joy confronted them. "Excuse me, Dawn?"

"What is it Nurse Joy?" Dawn asked.

"You have a phone call from a Mr. O; he says it's very important that he talks to you." Nurse Joy replied.

"Um…ok, thanks Nurse Joy!" Dawn hurried off to the videophones, with her friends following closely behind. Dawn sat down and turned on the camera, and there was O with a sympathetic smile on his face, "What is it Mr. O?"

"Um, Dawn…I think we need to discuss something." O replied.

"What is it? Is Ambipom misbehaving or something?" Dawn asked.

"No, it's nothing like that, in fact, she hasn't done much of anything ever since we left…in all honesty, she's been looking at the two gifts you and Ash gave her." O replied.

"Oh, I see…so, what did you need to discuss with me?" Dawn asked.

"I was thinking, it might've been a little unfair for me to catch you off guard the way that I did. I was just so impressed with Ambipom's skills that I never even stopped to consider how you would feel about me taking one of your best friends." O replied.

"No no, it's ok, really! If Ambipom's future is brighter playing Ping-Pong, then I just want what's best for her." Dawn said.

"See that's the thing, I don't think Ambipom would be as happy with me…she may like Pokémon Ping-Pong more than Pokémon Contests, but she likes you and Ash more than she likes me, there's no question about that…I was thinking we could come up with some sort of compromise." O said.

"Compromise?" Dawn asked curiously.

"Yeah. I was thinking that I could still take Ambipom with me, FOR NOW…but I was thinking that if you ever need Ambipom for another contest, or if you ever just want to see her, I could transport her over to you. And likewise if she wanted to visit you for any reason, I could transport her to you then too." O suggested.

"So…you mean we would…share Ambipom?" Dawn asked.

"That's exactly what I mean. I talked to Ambipom about this, and I told her it would mean she'd have to work extra hard for both of us, and she seemed to be up for the challenge! So whaddya say?" O said, "Just like you, I wanna make sure Ambipom's happy, and she's happy with you, and with Pokémon Ping-Pong. Together we can give Ambipom the best of both worlds."

"Mr. O…oh yes, I would LOVE that!" Dawn's eyes started getting watery again, this time with tears of joy, "Thank you Mr. O! Thank you so much!"

O nodded and hung up, leaving the others to just smile at the miracle that had taken place. "Well how do ya like that?" Ash said with a smirk.

"I guess Ambipom loved you and Dawn too much to just leave like that." Misty replied.

"Guys, is it selfish that I'm GLAD that Ambipom was too sad to leave permanently?" Dawn asked.

"I don't think so, either way you still wanted what was best for Ambipom, it just turns out that what's best for Ambipom is that you and O split training duties." Brock replied.

"Although I gotta admit, this is the first time I've ever head of two trainers training the same Pokémon from two different regions." Misty added.

"For Ambipom's sake, we'll make it work!" Dawn exclaimed determinedly, "I just wish I knew what made O decide to call me."

"Who knows? I just think we should be happy that Ambipom's still on our team, and we should get back on the road and win for her!" Ash exclaimed.

"You said it Ash!" Dawn replied.

Flashback

"Uh, hi, is this Mr. O?" someone said over a Pokétch.

"Yeah, that's me, who are you?" O replied over the built-in videophone in his van.

"Um, this is Kenny, Dawn's friend." Kenny said.

"Kenny…Kenny…oh yeah! You were the boy who was playing against Dawn when I first met her and her talented Ambipom!" O exclaimed.

"Right!" Kenny replied.

"So what can I do for you Kenny?" O asked.

"Um, actually…this is about Dawn and Ambipom…see, when you left with Ambipom…um…Dawn was really sad about having to say goodbye and all, she's never liked having to and…I was hoping that you could maybe, possibly, give Ambipom back to Dawn?" Kenny requested.

"Hmm…you know it's funny you called, I was just thinking that maybe it was unfair for me to ask Dawn on such short notice." O replied.

"Well I didn't wanna say anything, but since you brought it up, I didn't think it was fair either!" Kenny exclaimed, his temper rising just a smidge.

"Yeah…well, as it turns out, Ambipom hasn't done much since we left, she seems unhappy being here with me, she's just looking at the two hats that Dawn and that other boy left for her." O replied.

"Ash, his name is Ash. He was Ambipom's original trainer; they used to train for gym battles together before he traded her to Dawn because she had taken more of an interest in contests." Kenny explained.

"I see…well the thing is, Ambipom has such raw talent for Pokémon Ping-Pong, with a little polishing, she could become unbeatable!" O exclaimed.

"I realize that Mr. O, but…I think Dawn's happiness counts too, since Ambipom was her Pokémon, and her friend. So could you please give Ambipom back to Dawn? Please? It'd mean a lot to both me AND her." Kenny said, practically begging.

"Hmm…" O scratched his chin thoughtfully, "You know what, I have an idea, let me talk to Ambipom a minute." O got up from the seat and walked out of view for a few minutes. When he came back, he was smiling happily, "Ambipom agrees with me." he said.

"Agrees with what?" Kenny asked.

"My idea is that Dawn and I would SHARE Ambipom, you know, transport her back and forth depending on who needs her at the time. If I need her for a Pokémon Ping-Pong match, I could have her transported to me, and likewise when Dawn needs her for a contest, I can send her to Dawn." O explained.

"Sounds great to me! Thanks a lot Mr. O!" Kenny replied gratefully.

"No problem. I'm really glad you called me, I wasn't sure if I should give Ambipom back or not, but after talking to you, I know I'm doing the right thing. Dawn's lucky to have a friend like you." O said.

"I would do ANYTHING to make Dawn happy, no matter what the risk." Kenny declared boldly.

"Such dedication, it's something I don't often see in teenagers anymore. It makes me happy to know that real love still exists." O replied.

Kenny blushed, "Well actually I'm NOT her boyfriend or anything, I'm just her best friend."

"Whether you love her 'that way' or not, the fact that you called me proves that you do love her, either as a friend or something more. Don't be embarrassed Kenny, I'm impressed by your courage." O explained.

"Thanks." Kenny replied shyly, still feeling the effects of the blush.

"Well if you'd hang up, I'll call Dawn now and let her know!" O said.

"R-Right! Thanks again Mr. O!" Kenny exclaimed a little too loudly, "Oh! Could you…not tell Dawn it was me who talked to you, in case she asks?"

"Ok, but why?" O asked.

"I just…want to keep it a secret is all, just knowing that Dawn will be happy is enough for me." Kenny said, blushing again.

O smiled and nodded, and Kenny's Pokétch soon went blank. He thought about what O had said…and realized, he was right. "I do love you Dawn, and I'd do anything to make you happy." He had a lot of thinking to do now, and the next time he met up with his best friend and rival coordinator would prove to be very, very interesting.
_

A/N: Well, looks like Ambipom isn't completely gone after all. Sorry folks, I just couldn't bring myself to say goodbye, so yeah, Ambipom will be back eventually, temporarily of course, now that O and Dawn are gonna be sharing her. And it appears that Kenny is almost to the point of realizing his full feelings for Dawn, not much more before he realizes he's really in love with her I'd say, of course I would say something like that since I'm the author. xD At any rate, I really hope there are still people out there reading this, I've taken so long on these past few chapters, I'm afraid I've lost you all...please prove me wrong everyone, prove to me you still exist by reviewing!

Oh yeah! I wanted to say a few things, first off, the video-comic I'm working on has been updated, so head to YouTube and type down Sonic and Amy: The Dark Doppels if you're interested in Sonamy, my buddy RaianOnzika is the master artist behind the thing, I just put it together and got the voice actors.

schuffitrunks of deviantART has been commissioned by me and she'll be responsible for FINALLY drawing that prize pic I promised you all. Don't worry, soon you will get to see Ash and Misty's first kiss in all of it's fully colored glory. And that's about it, REVIEW PLEASE! Prove to me all you readers out there that you still exist!