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.

74. Knight In Shining Steel-Type Armor

Ta da! Just as I promised! I got this next chapter out sooner! I'm going to start using my spare time for writing more so that way I can give you all more chapters, kinda like back in the days of old...of course in the days of old, chapters weren't necessarily 15,000 words long. xD Being descriptive and adding better continuity (and relationships) is time-consuming lol.

But anyway, I'm not gonna spend a lot of time talking this time, there isn't much to say...unless I'm apologizing for taking a long time, which I don't have to do this time! Ha! Alright, anonymous reviews!

Guest: Yes, Ash can understand Pikachu in this story, how long have they been together? They should be able to understand each other by now, at least in this writer's opinion.

And...that's it. xD I didn't exactly give everyone a lot of time to pile the reviews in, but I did appreciate the ones I got! And now you're all being rewarded with another chapter! Enjoy! I own nothing except the story.

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Chapter 74

Misty's POV

Lyra and Khoury...those two certainly make an interesting pair. They aren't a couple by any means, but they tend to fight like an old married couple, even with Lyra trying almost desperately to pair Khoury up with Dawn. Yeah, that was kinda annoying; a couple days ago when we went out to capture the rogue Gible at Mt. Shady, Lyra decided to take it upon herself to get Dawn to fall for Khoury.

Like that was going to happen.

Predictably, Dawn freaked out and I had to try and lay down the law for Lyra; Dawn's become the little sister I never had, you better believe I'm gonna be there to defend her. Strangely enough though, through that discussion, I apparently was able to plant a seed in Lyra's heart, as she seemed to start viewing Khoury through a different set of eyes, one that took a closer look at the qualities he possessed, rather than the qualities he lacked. Khoury is smart, in fact he's very smart, and he's also practical, and he's an absolute sweetheart who would do anything to make Lyra happy. That final quality is probably the only one that he and Ash truly have in common, as Ash isn't exactly the smartest guy around. He's not an idiot or anything...as much as I tend to call him that when he gets on my last nerve, but he's definitely not going to be using a stethoscope to figure out where to find a lost person inside of a cave anytime soon.

Where he lacks in brawn, Khoury makes up for it in brains, and after using all of his knowledge and unearthed courage, he not only managed to eventually capture the rogue Gible, but he was able to rescue Lyra who was apparently suffering from a severe case of monophobia while we were all lost and separated in the cave...according to Khoury, that's the fear of being alone.

Khoury seemed like a whole different person while we were hunting for Gible, and apparently the rescue was the final piece of the puzzle for Lyra, who almost immediately did a complete 180 and - instead of trying to pair Khoury up with Dawn - seemed determined to go out of her way to make sure he knew that she appreciated him. Talk about your sudden changes of heart.

Not that I'm complaining.

It's been interesting, that's for sure. Watching Lyra shamelessly compliment Khoury and constantly making him blush has been very amusing, and I get the feeling that before their tenure with our group is over, either Lyra or Khoury will say something that just might take their relationship to a new level, call it women's intuition.

Speaking of women's intuition, I'm getting this strange vibe that something also happened between Dawn and Kenny...but I can't quite put my finger on it. Dawn's acting pretty much the same, all she's been talking about since we left Mt. Shady has been the Lilypad Contest...but Kenny on the other hand, he's been...off. There have been times these past couple of days that he seems to be off in his own little world, and when one of us would bring him back to reality, he would blush and try to act naturally, sometimes succeeding, sometimes not.

I asked Dawn about it and she dismissed it as pre-contest mental strategizing , so she's not going to be any help.

Maybe I'm thinking too hard about it; truth be told, I would rather not think about relationships for a little while, there are other, more pressing matters to deal with, like the fact that the Lilypad Contest is coming up really soon, and Dawn's probably going to want to do some last minute training just to work out any leftover kinks in her routine.

I better get ready, even with Kenny in the group, Dawn still tends to come to me when she wants to practice, not that I mind or anything, I've actually started using that time as a means to train my own Pokémon. Before this Sinnoh journey, I never would have imagined that using some coordinator flare would actually be a viable means of improving one's Gym Battle prowess, but now that I know, I intend to take as much advantage of it as I can.

Normal POV

When Misty woke up the morning of the contest, she stretched out in her bed and looked down to her right, giving a small melancholy smile at the empty space next to her. With the group as large as it was now, it just wasn't practical for Misty to keep sharing a bed with Ash, so instead they simply rented two rooms, one for the guys and one for the girls.

Quickly shaking off her brief moment of longing, Misty looked around the room and saw Lyra snoring on the top bunk opposite of her, clearly she wasn't accustomed to the concept of getting up early to prepare for a Pokémon Contest. Giggling quietly to herself, Misty got up out of bed and climbed halfway up the ladder of her own bunk to check and see if Dawn was awake yet. "Psst, Dawn?" But when the redhead actually got a look at the bunk directly above her own bed, she was mildly surprised to see that Dawn wasn't there. "Huh, that's strange, normally she'd wake me up to go train with her." She quickly glanced behind her, and saw that the bathroom door was open and the lights were off, meaning that Dawn wasn't currently occupying that space either. "Did she go without me?"

The redhead climbed down the ladder and started changing into her regular clothes, and by the time she was finished, Lyra was sitting up and stretching in her own bunk, apparently having just woken up herself. "Why're you up so early?" she asked with sleep still evident in her voice.

"Today's the day of the contest, which means Dawn's probably outside doing some last minute training." Misty went over to her backpack and grabbed a Pokéball from inside. "Usually she wakes me up to train with her, but since she's not here, I guess she decided to choose Kenny as her partner instead." she tossed the ball up and down for a moment before catching it with a sweep of her hand. "But I figure it can't hurt to be prepared to battle all the same."

"Say...Misty," Lyra smirked as she climbed down the ladder of her bunk. "Maybe it's just my imagination...but do you get the feeling there's something going on between Dawn and Kenny?"

Misty had to suppress a laugh, and she just a shot a mischievous smirk back at the Johto-based trainer. "Tell ya what Lyra, if you figure it out, just let me know." And with that, the redhead ran outside, leaving a very confused Lyra to futilely voice her displeasure at being left in the dark. Grabbing an apple from the Pokémon Center cafeteria for a quick breakfast, Misty headed outside to the battlefield to search for Dawn, and sure enough, the redhead found her blue-haired little sister-figure training for the contest, with none other than Kenny, who had Breloom facing off against Mamoswine. "I should've known."

"Alright Mamoswine, use Ice Shard!"

"Breloom, let's try Energy Ball one more time!"

The two Pokémon both charged their attacks, and then at the behest of their trainers, they both swallowed them, and within seconds, the fur on top of Mamoswine's body became sharp and rigid before finally turning into ice spears, while Breloom's mushroom-cap head and its tail began glowing with green energy similarly to the bushes that glowed on Grotle's back when the concept was first discovered. "Alright Kenny! Looks like we've both got this down!"

"Yeah! I can't wait for the contest!"

Misty smiled and finally made her presence known. "Hey guys!" She waved when the two coordinators acknowledged her with smiles of their own. "So you decided to train with each other today huh?" Misty nodded almost to herself. "As much as I enjoy the opportunity to train with you Dawn, I think practicing with Kenny is actually the better move since he has more experience in a proper Contest setting."

"Hey, don't sell yourself short Misty!" Dawn exclaimed. "You know I love training with you!" the female coordinator suddenly smirked. "In fact...Kenny, go over there for a few minutes, I wanna try something with Misty!"

Kenny's eyes widened a bit at the sudden decision, but he eventually smiled and gave a quick nod before taking Breloom over to the other battlefield. "Alright Breloom, let's work on the rest of our routine."

Now with Dawn paired up with Misty, the redhead watched as Dawn went back over to stand by Mamoswine, the smile never leaving her face. "So what's going on Dawn?"

"Did you bring Vaporeon with you?"

Misty glanced at the Pokéball she brought and tossed it onto the ground, and seconds later Vaporeon emerged with a stretch and a yawn. "I always do, why?"

"Because," Dawn's smirk only grew. "I wanna see if Vaporeon can do what we've been practicing too!"

The water-type Gym Leader raised an eyebrow at that. "Is that really important right now? I mean, the contest starts in a few hours!"

"We've already been training for at least half an hour, we can take a quick break." Dawn said as she patted the side of her large ice/ground-type, whose fur had since gone back down to normal. "Right now, I wanna see if Vaporeon can do what we've learned to do. Imagine how much it would help when you, Ash and Brock eventually go back to Kanto, don't you intend to take back over as the Gym Leader, at least for a little while?"

"Well, probably." Misty shrugged. "I'd like to think I'll be able to go with Ash to whichever region he visits next, but either way I'll probably help Daisy out and take some of the battles off her hands in the meantime." Misty then glanced down at Vaporeon, who was looking right back at her expectantly. "Well, alright, guess it can't hurt to give it a try! Alright Vaporeon, you've seen how it works, so let's do it! Water Pulse!" The Bubble Jet Pokémon formed a ball of energized water in front of her mouth. "Now swallow it!"

Once Vaporeon did as she was told, she choked a bit on the water before it took effect, not used to the sensation of swallowing an attack. But after a few moments, Vaporeon began to glow an ethereal blue, with water patterns seemingly flowing across the Pokémon's body. "Wow Misty!" Dawn exclaimed. "That looks so beautiful!"

"Yeah it does," Misty smiled and squatted down to stroke Vaporeon's back, noting with some interest that her hand was wet after doing so. "Huh, it's almost like swallowing the Water Pulse halfway activated Vaporeon's Acid Armor move, she's both a solid and a liquid at the same time."

"What's going on out here guys?"

The girls looked over to see Lyra and the others coming out to join them, and as soon as Dawn saw them, she went over to her backpack and released the rest of her Pokémon so they could watch the training as well. "We're training," she exclaimed after she retook her spot on the battlefield. "And take a look at Misty's Vaporeon, look what happens after she swallows a Water Pulse!"

"Whoa, that's awesome!" Ash exclaimed as he ran over for a closer look. "It's like Vaporeon is actually made of water!"

"Wait," Lyra spoke up. "Vaporeon swallowed a Water Pulse?"

"Why would it do that?" Khoury added.

Dawn just smirked and waved for Kenny. "Come on over here Kenny, let's show them what we've got!"

"You got it Dawn!" Kenny hustled over and took Misty's spot on the battlefield. "You ready?!"

"You know it! Alright Mamoswine, use Ice Shard, one more time!"

"Breloom, Energy Ball!"

The two Pokémon again formed their attacks, and just like before, they waited until their trainers ordered them to eat them, and then swallowed the moves whole, much to the confusion of the two Johto-dwellers on the sidelines. "They ate their moves too!" Lyra exclaimed in shock.

"Why would they do that?"

Brock just chuckled at Lyra and Khoury's confusion, his arms crossed as he smiled knowingly. "See, it all started with an energy charge that Ash's Grotle discovered by accident." he explained as he watched the effects of swallowing the Ice Shard and Energy Ball begin. "Apparently, when a Pokémon swallows an energized move that's the same type as itself, and then releases the energy throughout its body..." Brock stopped his explanation, as the moves had taken full effect and now spoke for themselves.

"Amazing!" Lyra exclaimed.

"Yep," Brock nodded in approval. "Looks like Mamoswine and Breloom really get it now."

"One surprise after another," Khoury said in awe. "Asking to travel with you guys was the best decision I've ever made, I've learned more this past week than I have in months on my own."

Dawn then turned to face her friends on the sidelines. "So whaddya think guys?"

"It's awesome Dawn!" Ash exclaimed. "You guys got it down!"

"Thanks!" Dawn then glanced at her Twin Tusk Pokémon. "We did it Mamoswine! We're gonna wow them at the contest!" After a receiving an affirming nod from Mamoswine, Dawn was surprised to see Cyndaquil run in front of her feet and wave his arms to try and get her attention, squeaking up at her excitedly. "Hmm, Cyndaquil?" she looked down at the baby Pokémon. "What's wrong?"

Then Cyndaquil crouched down and ignited his back, as fire came shooting out in a pair of pillars. "Wow!" Kenny exclaimed. "Did you teach him that Dawn?"

"No I didn't! That's amazing Cyndaquil!"

"I know what Cyndaquil wants," Brock chuckled on the sidelines. "To be in a contest."

"Oh..." Dawn smiled soberly and placed her attention back on Cyndaquil, who was still giving his best audition to impress his trainer. "Cyndaquil, I'm sorry," she said as gently as she could as she squatted down in front of her baby fire-type. "I really want you to watch us from the audience." Cyndaquil's fire immediately went out, and he fell flat on his face in utter disappointment. "I was already planning to compete with Mamoswine, see?" Dawn got no response. "Well...here's my strategy. I'll be using Piplup in round one because he's already a pro on stage."

"Pi plup!" (That's right!) The penguin responded with a cocky grin and his flippers on his hips.

Cyndaquil just puffed up his cheeks in distaste. "Then...in round two, Mamoswine will show off his flashy battle moves."

Mamoswine snorted smoke from his nostrils as he nodded in determination, but Cyndaquil still didn't seem to care as he just turned his head away angrily, giving his trainer the silent treatment after his plea to perform was rejected. "Aww, someone's a brat." Lyra giggled.

"Pip pi plup!" (You said it!)

"Sweet Cyndaquil," Piplup was shocked to see Dawn take the grumpy fire-type into her arms and grace him with a motherly smile. "See, if you cheer us on, it'll really energize us, and then the Lilypad Ribbon is as good as ours," she gave Cyndaquil a gentle squeeze, much to Piplup's horror. "Okay dear?"

The next thing Dawn knew, she was screaming at the top of her lungs as Cyndaquil inadvertently roasted her face after his back ignited.

"Dawn, you okay?!" Kenny shouted in concern.

"No need to worry," Dawn groaned a little and smiled sheepishly, her hair now a puffy and scorched mess. "I know Cyndaquil didn't mean to do that...and I also know this...today, I get my fifth ribbon for sure!"

"Well..." Kenny chuckled a bit and gave his friendly rival a pointed look. "If you wanna wow the judges, you better make sure you get your hair fixed up, it looks like it just went through a furnace."

"Huh?" Dawn put Cyndaquil down and felt her hair, and she screeched in horror as she ran in circles around the battlefield. "This is so bad! I only have a few hours to get this hair fixed before it's time for the contest!" She suddenly stopped and slid on her knees until she was right in front of Misty, her hands folded pitifully. "Please Misty, you gotta help me!"

"Oh gosh," Misty sighed and rolled her eyes. "Stop groveling, like I was gonna say no anyway." the redhead helped Dawn back to her feet, then Misty pointed behind herself with her thumb. "If we're gonna do this, we better get started now. You need a shower and then we'll have to brush your hair, so return your Pokémon and let's go."

"Right." Dawn nodded and pulled out her Pokéballs, and moments later, multiple red beams shot from them and returned her Pokémon to their confines. "Alright you guys, it's gonna take a while for Misty to make me pretty, so we'll see you later!"

"You're already pretty..." Kenny blushed despite no one else hearing his statement, as he watched his blue-haired crush hurry into the Pokémon Center to prepare herself for the contest. "No...head in the game Kenny, head in the game." he turned his back to the others and slapped his face a couple of times to shake off his infatuation. "You can deal with this after you win the contest, Dee Dee and I are rivals today, can't forget that!" But despite his self-pep talk, the male coordinator still felt a lingering warmth in his cheeks, as he allowed himself a small smile as he imagined her smiling face. "Alright, that's enough of that. Time to get serious, it's game on from here on out!"

However, Kenny wasn't the only one feeling rather flushed, as another certain coordinator was feeling warm as well...feverishly warm. "Gotta...be...in the...contest."

"Jessie!"

"You gotta chill!"

"No...my ribbon...it's...crying for me!" In a small shack near Lilypad Town, Jessie was slowly crawling on her hands and knees, desperately reaching for her Jessilina outfit so she too could participate in the Lilypad Contest.

"Jessie, you're ill!" James exclaimed as he gently took the nearly collapsed woman into his arms. "First conquer your cold, then compete in your contest!"

"Look sicko," Meowth added. "I tink ya betta sit dis one out!"

"Sit this one out?" Jessie slowly turned her head to glare at her two male teammates. "I don't know the meaning of the phrase! Get it?!" she shouted through a hoarse voice. Then the woman slowly stood back up onto her feet, forcing herself to stand tall as she raised her arm into the air in determination. "Top coordinator is my..." Jessie collapsed again on the spot, forcing James to catch her before she fell. "Destiny..." she coughed miserably a few times, offering no further resistance when James took her back to her makeshift bed.

"Stop woman," James tucked her back in and placed a rag on Jessie's feverish head. "If you don't get some rest you're going to shatter! Now, please, get some sleep. Dr. James' orders."

"But..." Jessie looked past her teammate to look longingly at her outfit. "I'm already registered!"

"There will be other contests, just lay back and let me take care of everything."

Jessie's eyes suddenly widened, and for a brief moment she looked like her old self as a smirk spread across her face. "Let you take care of everything? Actually, that's not a bad idea."

"Uh..."

---

The stands of the Lilypad Town Contest Hall were packed as pink puffs of smoke exploded into the air over the hall, signaling to the rest of the town that the contest was about to begin, as Marian took the stage and began her announcements. "The flowering beauty of Lilypad Town beckons and welcomes you to this star-studded, flower-studded contest stage, where Pokémon will shine and coordinators compete! Ladies and gentlemen, your patience will be rewarded because it's finally time for the Lilypad Town Pokémon Contest! And of course, today we are coming to you live and in person right from Lilypad Town!"

As Marian continued her announcements, showing off the prestigious Lilypad Ribbon to the crowd and the viewers at home, Dawn and Kenny were sitting next to each other in the waiting area, both clad in their usual contest outfits. "You know that ribbon's totally gonna be mine right?" Kenny grinned mischievously.

"In your dreams Kenny!" Dawn smirked back at him. "There's no way I'm gonna let you beat me now, not with my fifth ribbon on the line!"

"Hey guys!"

The two coordinators turned around to see Ash and the others coming in to see them before their performance. "Oh, hey everyone!" Dawn said.

"Wow!" Lyra got up close and gaped at Dawn with her eyes shining. "Dawn you look so pretty in that pink dress!"

Dawn giggled bashfully and blushed a little. "Really?"

"Yeah! You're number one of the bunch no doubt!" Lyra then turned to Kenny. "Hey Kenny, don't you think so too?"

"Uh..." Kenny gulped and rubbed the back of his head, his heart racing after having been put on the spot. "W-Well..." he cleared his throat. "I don't know if she's the number one coordinator in the room, since I'm here and all..."

"Hey!"

"But uh...when it comes to who's the best looking..." Kenny relinquished a small smile as he dared to look the girl in the eyes. "There's no contest, Dawn wins by a mile."

"Oh..."

Lyra couldn't hold back a happy giggle as she watched the two blushing coordinators. "Like two peas in a pod," she thought to herself. "Now I know why Misty didn't want me to match Dawn with Khoury, Kenny already has a crush on her!" But then Lyra's smile fell just as an eyebrow raised, as she observed another coordinator in an orange dress huddled into a ball in the back corner of the room, with a Meowth perched on her shoulder. "Wow," Lyra walked up to the woman and smiled. "I think your dress is so cute!"

"Oh hey, it's Jessilina!" Dawn exclaimed as her focus was taken off of Kenny. "How are you?"

"Oh, hello!" Jessilina turned around with her eyes closed and a...rather forced smile on her face.

"You two know each other?" Lyra asked.

"Well..." Jessilina cleared her throat. "More or less!"

Then Lyra leaned in closer, reaching for the dark ribbon around Jessilina's collar. "This outfit is adorable, where did you get it?"

"Well...you see...uh...the store name escapes me!" Jessilina giggled and suddenly zipped past the group of trainers, slowly walking towards the double doors in the back of the room, away from the other coordinators. "Well, it's time I mentally prepared for the contest! Ta ta for now!" But Jessilina's escape was abruptly aborted when she slammed into Ash's Lucario, who had suddenly emerged from his Pokéball with a hostile expression on his face. "Oh dear..."

"Lucario, why're you so angry at Jessilina?" Dawn asked.

Lucario turned to his aunt with an incredulous expression. "Seriously? You all know who this is right?" Lucario's eyes widened further when no one - not even his aura-wielding father - came to his conclusion. "I don't believe it...Dad, scan his aura!"

"His?" Ash glanced over at Jessilina again, who now appeared to be ready to collapse on the spot. "Wait a minute..." Ash closed his eyes and reached out with a hand, and after a moment, his eyes shot open and he glared fiercely at the so-called woman. "I can't believe this, we really are easy to fool."

"Ash, what's going on?"

Everyone turned to see Misty walking in with two paper cups filled with water, clearly wondering why Ash and Lucario both looked ready to thrash Jessilina within an inch of her life. "Let's step outside for a moment." Ash stepped behind Jessilina and prompted the taller person to walk out, and the others followed him out to try and figure out exactly what was going on. "Close those doors Kenny."

Kenny did as he was told and closed the doors, though his level of confusion was just as high as everyone else's. "Mind filling us in Ash? What's going on?"

Instead of answering, Ash just glared at Jessilina again, who was in a cold sweat. "Well? Why don't you go ahead and tell them...James?"

"JAMES?!"

Now the other trainers suddenly surrounded "Jessilina" to prevent any possible escape, and the supposed coordinator gulped and glanced nervously at the perched Meowth. "It would appear the jig is up."

"Guess our days of foolin' the twoips wit disguises really are over."

"What are you doing here James?" Dawn hissed at the cross-dressing male. "Does this mean that every time 'Jessilina' competed in a contest, it was just a distraction for you all to steal Pokémon?"

"No, I swear!" James shook his head and waved his hands in defense. "I know our normal M.O. would dictate that we're here to poach Pokémon, but in these particular cases, Jessie really is just here to compete!"

"Ash?"

Ash scanned James' aura after Brock's prompt, and the black-haired trainer nodded in affirmation. "He's telling the truth." Then Ash intensified his glare. "But my question now is why are you the one wearing the outfit if Jessie is usually the one who competes?"

"Well..." James chuckled nervously. "I'm afraid that our recent run-in with the Sharpedo from Mt. Shady left our dear Jessie feeling a bit under the weather."

"A bit?" Meowth commented. "Try dead on her feet, sick as a dog-Pokémon. It was either get some rest or go delirious from da fever she's rockin'!"

Lyra scratched her chin. "So you agreed to dress in her clothes and compete for her because she's sick?" Her question was answered with a nod. "That's so romantic! You must really care about her!"

Everyone, James included, face-faulted at that statement.

They all quickly recovered though, and Ash took it upon himself to issue an ultimatum. "Alright James, here's what I'm thinking. Since your aura shows you're not here to steal any Pokémon, we're gonna let you stay and compete...I can't imagine you'll get very far, but there's no reason we shouldn't let you try."

"You mean, besides the fact that he's James from Team Rocket."

"Yeah," Ash smirked at his girlfriend. "Besides that."

"Well, I suppose that's all we can ask for!" James began to slowly back away from the group. "Now then, since we've gotten that squared away, I believe I need to use the facilities! Toodles!" And with that, James was gone before anyone could say another word.

"Well..." Kenny rubbed the back of his neck. "That was awkward."

"Maybe," Dawn shrugged and smiled. "But at least I can relax a little bit now, if I end up facing off against James in the contest, it won't be hard to beat him. All I'll have to do is send him blasting off again!"

"Hey, I just realized something." Ash spoke up. "Are you and Kenny both going to use the same power-up trick? Wouldn't that cause the judges to become a little suspicious?"

"We thought of that actually," Dawn briefly glanced at Kenny who nodded and smiled back at her. "That's the reason I'm using Piplup in the appeals round, it's so Kenny can use Breloom and use Energy Ball for his appeal. When the battle rounds start, that's when I'll come in and use Mamoswine and his Ice Shard, while Kenny uses Prinplup."

"Wow, you two make a really awesome team!" Lyra exclaimed.

"I'd like to think so." Kenny rubbed the back of his neck, then he put a determined expression back on. "But make no mistake, once we get to the final round, it's going to be every coordinator for themselves!"

Back with James, the man was walking through an empty hallway - aside from a few construction supplies, trying desperately to calm down after having his cover blown so easily. "This can't be good for my heart. This is an idea whose time has not come."

"Suck it up and be more confident!" Meowth said back, sitting atop his teammate's head. "That's the way Jessie always rolls and you know it!"

"Perhaps so, but Jessie's a coordinator and I'm anything but!" James gulped. "Not to mention the very obvious fact that the twerps are onto us and will no doubt do everything they can to make things even more difficult for me." he frowned and bowed his head in defeat. "I regret to say I'm going to lose round one and get out of this mess."

Then Meowth's claws extended for Fury Swipes. "I don't tink so!"

"What? How dare you?!"

Meowth hopped off of James' head and landed in front of him, glaring up at him with his claws still extended for battle. "Look here, if you don't win this whole mess, Jessie's gonna stay sick!"

"Perish the thought." James sighed, then shook his head and pumped his fists to build determination. "Very well...I'll do my best. This is for you Jessie!"

Minutes later, the contest was on the verge of starting, and the non-competing trainers all filed into the stands to watch what their friends would be able to accomplish. "Wow, this is so amazing!" Lyra exclaimed as she looked around and saw all the cheering fans. "I haven't seen this many people pack into a stadium since the last time the Granbulls played in the World Series!"

"It's definitely impressive, that's for sure."

Misty glanced over at Lyra and Khoury and smiled. "I thought the same thing the first time I watched one of these contests, it's amazing how many people enjoy watching these things!"

Then Marian retook the stage, and the crowd cheered as they knew what her appearance meant. "Thank you all for your patience, and now it shall be rewarded as the Lilypad Contest is now officially ready to begin!" the announcer paused for a moment to allow the crowd to cheer even louder. "Let's begin with round one! Each coordinator's Pokémon will display an array of dazzling moves on the performance stage, and here's entrant number one!" Marian gestured towards the curtain behind her, and when the coordinator was revealed, the crowd cheered once more.

"Wow! It's Dawn!" Lyra exclaimed as she looked around the stadium after the reveal. "Listen to that crowd!"

"Dawn's definitely got a following from what I can tell." Khoury added. "So guys," he turned to his friends. "What exactly happens during the performance stage?"

"It's the round where coordinators see who can show off their Pokémon and their moves the best." Brock explained. "Since Dawn's waiting for the battle rounds to use what you saw them practice this morning, I wonder what she's got planned for Piplup."

"Guess we'll just have to wait and see!" Ash turned back to the stage below and shouted as loud as he could. "Go Dawn! Show 'em!"

"Alright Piplup!" Dawn wound up her throw. "Spoooootlight!" the Pokéball went sailing through the air, and in a flurry of multicolored stars, Piplup appeared and landed on the stage in front of his trainer, basking in the glow of the attention he was currently receiving.

"Whoa!" Lyra gasped. "How can a Pokéball do that?!"

"The stars come from what's called a ball capsule and seal," Brock explained. "They can make all sorts of different special effects that can make a Pokémon's entrance really shine."

"Wow, that's amazing!" Lyra glanced over at Khoury and gently nudged his ribs with her elbow. "Guess what we're gonna have to go shopping for!"

Khoury just sweat-dropped. "My poor wallet."

"Now Piplup, Whirlpool, go!" At Dawn's command, the little penguin formed a massive whirlpool over his head, and then somehow tossed it up into the air. "Follow it with Bide!"

"Wait, Piplup's using Bide?" Lyra asked in confusion.

"But why?" Khoury added. "Piplup's not being attacked by anyone."

Then as if on cue, Marian chimed in with her own commentary. "Piplup's Whirlpool is coming straight down on it!" Then the whirlpool came all the way down and surrounded the small water-type, but instead of being washed away, he emerged in the middle of the swirling water with his body glowing a shimmering blue sheen. "And now, Bide and Whirlpool have joined forces, leaving Piplup glowing an intense blue from the energy reaction!"

"Unbelievable!" Lyra exclaimed in awe. "I had no idea you could do anything like that!"

"That's just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Pokémon Contests." Ash grinned. "Dawn's done all sorts of awesome combinations that got the crowd cheering even louder than this!"

Then the Whirlpool faded, and the coordinator and her Pokémon took a bow to signal the end of their appeal. "We did it Piplup!"

"They really nailed that appeal," Misty nodded in approval. "Looks like Dawn's a shoe-in for the second round."

"It was obvious that Dawn wanted to show off Piplup's blue body." Khoury said.

"I think so too." Lyra grinned and snapped her fingers in realization. "I guess you could say that the first round of a contest is kind of like a talent show!"

Khoury just smiled. "Works for me."

"That's...one way to look at it," Misty and the others sweat-dropped. "I guess."

Meanwhile, back in the coordinator waiting area, Kenny was eagerly waiting for Dawn to return with Piplup in tow after receiving rave reviews from the usual judge trio of Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo and Lilypad Town's Nurse Joy. "Man, she and Piplup did awesome!" Then Kenny heard the doors behind him open, and he grinned widely as he hurried over to her. "Amazing performance Dawn! Looks like you set the bar really high today."

"Thanks Kenny," the blue-haired coordinator beamed at him. "You just make sure you and Breloom wow everyone with our new trick, and I'll see you in the final round!"

"You know it!"

The contest continued as each competing coordinator took their turn on stage, showing off their best appeals as they fought for the Lilypad Ribbon, with a Sentret, a Jumpluff, and a Tyranitar being the first ones to go after Dawn's stunning leadoff performance.

"Well," Kenny glanced at Dawn after the coordinator with a Tyranitar left the stage. "Looks like I'm next!"

"Knock 'em dead Kenny!"

"Will do!" Kenny gave his rival and crush a quick thumbs-up, and he hurried over to the dark hallway with the curtain at the end as he awaited Marian's announcement. "Alright Breloom...you ready?" he looked at his seal-covered Pokéball, then squeezed it tight in his hand with a determined expression on his face. "Let's make Dee Dee proud."

"And now, here's our next competitor!"

Marian's announcement prompted the curtains to be pulled back, and Kenny ran on stage with his usual performance smile as he tossed the Pokéball into the air. "Breloom, let's do it!" the Pokéball popped open, and a large pillar of light surrounded by a coney swirl shot into the sky before arching downwards and hitting the ground in front of Kenny; then Breloom appeared and struck a pose as he awaited Kenny's orders.

"Looks like Kenny's up next!" Ash exclaimed.

"Let's hope all that practice paid off." Misty added.

"Alright Breloom, let's show our stuff!" Kenny shouted. "Use Energy Ball!" Breloom formed the ball of energy in front of its mouth, and after a few moments to build anticipation, Kenny made the call. "Do it Breloom!" Breloom swallowed the Energy Ball, much to the shock of the judges and the crowd who couldn't believe what they'd just seen.

"Breloom has just eaten its own Energy Ball! What could this young coordinator possibly have up his sleeve?!" Marian got her answer when Breloom's mushroom-cap head and tail suddenly started glowing green with energy. "Unbelievable! Breloom's body appears to be reacting to the Energy Ball it just swallowed, as it's now shining bright with power!"

"Now, use Stun Spore!" Breloom began shaking its body, causing yellow powder to come flying off of it and into the air around it. "Spin and use Mach Punch, then leap into the air with Sky Uppercut!" The grass/fighting-type's fist glowed white, and with the power of Mach Punch, it began spinning in place faster and faster.

"Wow, Kenny's using the wind from the Mach Punch to get the Stun Spore to swirl around Breloom!" Brock exclaimed. "They must have been working on this for a while, and the Energy Ball trick must have become the finishing touch!"

"Do it Breloom!" Now with the Stun Spore swirling around it and the glow of the Energy Ball still going strong, Breloom quickly switched into Sky Uppercut, using its power to leap high into the air with the powder of the Stun Spore following it like a shimmering trail. "Now back to the ground with another Mach Punch!" Breloom crashed back down to the ground, causing the ground to shake a little from the powerful impact its fist made. "We're done, strike a pose!" Breloom did just that, putting its fists on its hips and posing like a superhero, just as the Energy Ball boost wore off and the Stun Spore finally dispersed.

"Way to go Kenny!" Ash cheered from the sidelines.

"I gotta tell ya," Misty chuckled. "After seeing that performance, I think it's safe to say Dawn's gonna have her work cut out for her getting that fifth ribbon. Kenny's not giving up any ground."

Back in the waiting room, even Dawn herself was somewhat in awe over the act that Kenny had just accomplished. "Whoa, Kenny's even better than I thought he was." she allowed a small smile to cross her features. "Looks like he was serious when he said he wanted to beat me to my fifth ribbon, so I'm gonna have to give it all I've got!"

Minutes later, Kenny arrived in the waiting room just as a coordinator with a Magby got started on stage. "Hey Dawn, what'd you think?!"

"You were amazing Kenny!" Dawn exclaimed. "Breloom totally looked like a superhero, complete with a sparkly trail while it flew! Just like my favorite cartoons growing up!"

Kenny laughed. "I remember that old show, we used to watch it all the time when we were younger." The boy then cleared his throat and looked away from Dawn. "Actually...that was what inspired me to plan that performance to begin with."

"What? The show?"

"No..." Kenny rubbed his arm. "Watching it with you."

Dawn was about to reply, but then Marian appeared on stage again and announced who the next coordinator was. "Oh look Jessilina," Dawn smirked at the disguised Team Rocket member. "Looks like you're up next."

"So I am." James walked out without another word, the last thing he wanted was to further antagonize the twerps, especially now that they were aware who he was. "Blast those twerps and their blasted Lucario, I feel ready to pass out and I haven't even gotten on stage!"

"Don't you worry about a ting Jimmy boy," Meowth's face twisted into a sneaky sneer. "Just stick wit da plan and you and me will have us an instant ticket to da next round."

"I certainly hope you're right." As James stopped in front of the closed curtain, waiting for his moment to appear, Meowth discreetly made himself scarce as he got into position. "Oh the things I do for that woman, why do I put up with it?"

"We both know de answer ta that, just keep your yap shut and do whatcha gotta do, and den Jessie'll be so thrilled that she might even reward ya."

"W-What?!" James blushed profusely. "How dare you imply such a thing?!" But James didn't have any more time to protest, as Marian made her announcement and the curtains were pulled back, revealing 'Jessilina' to the world once more. "There's no turning back now...this is for you Jessie!" James swallowed his fear and whatever pride he had left and ran onto the stage with his hands behind his back. "Alrighty then Meowth! Rocket launch!"

"Meeeeooooowth!"

"An entrance without a ball capsule!" Marian announced excitedly. "Unique!"

"You know what I just realized?"

The group in the stands all turned to look at Misty, who had her arms crossed in disdain at the sight of James and Meowth competing. "What Misty?" Ash asked.

"All this time I couldn't figure out why 'Jessilina' always seemed to be ripping off the techniques of trainers and coordinators we met on the road, and now I know exactly why! Wallace, Fantina, Team Rocket's been following us around and Jessie's been taking their ideas and stealing them!"

"Good point." Ash crossed his own arms and looked down at the stage with a frown. "Wonder if they have another dirty trick up their sleeve."

"Well, as much as we'd like to think they're going to cheat somehow," Brock spoke up. "There is something we have to keep in mind. The most likely technique that Team Rocket would try to steal for themselves would be Grotle's power-up trick, but Meowth can't learn any moves that fit the requirements to activate it, so that can't be it."

Misty hummed and nodded. "You have a point there Brock."

"This goes out to all the little fans out there in TV Land!" James, still using his falsetto 'Jessilina' voice, tossed a ball of what appeared to be dough into the air to the airborne normal-type. "Meowth, use Fury Swipes!"

Meowth's claws extended, and the Scratch Cat Pokémon put on a show worthy of his species name, slicing and dicing the ball of dough at lightning-fast speeds. "You know...as much as I hate to admit it, that's some serious speed Meowth's showing off." Ash grumbled.

"He's a one-trick Pokémon." Misty scoffed. "Fury Swipes is all he's good at...and it drives me crazy that they actually found an original way to show it off."

Meowth finally finished his attack, and the ball of dough suddenly became strands of noodles, which were then caught by him and James in three separate bowls of piping hot soup, and they bowed to signal the end of their performance, and the crowd went wild. "A standing ovation!" Marian exclaimed in wonder. "The audience is going wild over seeing a performance style that's fresh and new, standing the normal fare of performance styles on its head!"

And somewhere in the middle of a mountain noodle shop, a young man was crying tears of pride after seeing the very same performance James and Meowth had given. "A true noodle master. Well done Meowth."

"I still can't believe what I just saw." Misty spat. "Somehow James managed to come up with a totally original idea, and it actually worked!"

"Served up with amazing finesse as well..." Brock added begrudgingly.

"And uh..." Lucario spoke up. "I know it's Team Rocket and all, but is it bad that I want some of those noodles?"

The trainers just fell over in their seats.

"Here you go!" James placed the bowls of noodle soup in front of the judges. "It's Meowth's noodle special, so please eat up while it's still hot!"

The judges did just that, and within minutes they were slurping down the last of the broth in the bowl.

Mr. Contesta: "Who would have thought that using Fury Swipes could make delicious noodles?!"

Mr. Sukizo: "Remarkable too!"

Nurse Joy: "The noodles are somehow al dente, great broth too!"

The two Team Rocket members continued to bask in the limelight, unaware that in the little cabin in the woods she was holed up in, Jessie was feeling somewhat slighted despite the obvious masterpiece her second persona had just performed by proxy. "Louder cheers than me...? I demand a recount."

Meanwhile in the coordinator room, neither Dawn or Kenny had managed to say anything after what they'd just witnessed. Finally it was Dawn who broke the silence. "Did...did that just happen?"

"It did..." Kenny replied numbly. "I think James is a better coordinator than Jessie is."

Dawn then twisted her face into a scowl as she clenched her fists determinedly. "I don't care what kind of gimmick they pulled off! I know I'm a better battler than James is! Mamoswine will show them what for!"

Several minutes later, the last of the performances were completed, and Marian came on stage one last time to announce the end of the performance rounds. "Ladies and gentlemen, that brings us to the end of an exciting round one! So please be patient while our judges' results are tabulated!"

By this time, Ash and the others had come down from the stands to rejoin Dawn and Kenny in the coordinator room, and as soon as Lyra saw Piplup, she immediately began showering the penguin with praise. "You were awesome Piplup!"

The penguin puffed up his chest in pride and closed his eyes smugly. "Plup!" (Naturally!)

"And you guys say I have an ego."

Piplup glared at Lucario after that comment. "Pip pip plup!" (And you do!)

"Alright, that's enough of that." Dawn scolded gently before turning her attention back to the others. "Glad you liked the performance Lyra."

"Oh for sure! Watching contests is a whole lot of fun!" Lyra closed her eyes and placed the back of her hand on her forehead. "But still, waiting for the results can sure be a nerve-wracking time!"

"I wouldn't sweat it," Misty spoke up. "After the performances Piplup and Breloom put on, they're both a shoe-in for the battle rounds..." she suddenly scowled and looked over her shoulder where James and Meowth were once again huddled in the corner. "Thankfully that just means some wannabe coordinators are due for a swift exit."

James just rolled his eyes, not even letting on that Misty's barb had been acknowledged. "I won't even dignify the tall twerpette's words with a response," he mumbled to Meowth before relinquishing a smile. "These contests aren't half bad, my gleeful ears are still ringing with cheers!"

Then the sound of Marian's voice coming across the screen garnered the attention of everyone in the room. "And now ladies and gentlemen, thank you all once again for your patience! After careful consideration by our panel of judges, the eight coordinators who will be moving along to round two are..." a graphic with eight red cards appeared on the screen, replacing Marian's face. "On the big screen now!" the cards flipped over, and the eight coordinators were revealed to everyone.

"We're golden!" James shouted in glee, but then he felt the stares of the young teenagers behind him, and he sweat-dropped nervously. "That is to say...I'm so happy my precious Meowth and I will be able to continue to wow the fans!"

"You're not doing a very good acting job," Misty scoffed. "I look forward to seeing Dawn or Kenny knock you out the first chance they get."

"That's right Jessilina," Dawn said in a sickeningly sweet voice. "The real contest starts now." the blue-haired coordinator grabbed a Pokéball and looked down at it, no longer focusing on the two Rocket members. "I'm counting on you Mamoswine."

"So Mamoswine's stage debut is finally here." Brock said.

"Can't wait to see how it goes." Ash added. "This contest has your fifth ribbon on the line, so I get the feeling you're gonna put on one heck of a show."

"But wait, I just realized something!" Lyra exclaimed with a frown. "Isn't Kenny's fifth ribbon on the line too?"

"It is." Kenny nodded as he got up from his seat to face his friends. "And believe me, I don't intend to make it easy on Dawn when we get to the final round!"

"But...what happens if one of you knocks the other out?"

"No need to worry." Dawn dismissed Lyra's question with a wave as she glanced at her friendly rival. "This isn't the first time Kenny and I have faced off against each other in a contest...in fact, he managed to beat me out back during the Sandalstraw Contest, though I think he just got lucky." she giggled when Kenny just rolled his eyes at that. "But even though we're rivals, we've never lost sight of the fact that we're still best friends, so no matter what happens today, that won't change at all!"

"Wow..." Lyra smiled brightly. "I really have to admire you two for your dedication to your relationship."

"Uh...yeah." Kenny scratched his nose and chuckled nervously, but he quickly balled up his fists and smirked as he made an attempt to throw off any suspicion. "But just don't forget, for now we're rivals! And I'm taking that ribbon for myself!"

"That's not gonna happen Kenny! That fifth ribbon is all mine!"

---

As the crowd cheered for the beginning of the battle rounds, Ash and co. headed back up to the stands to retake their seats, just as Marian appeared on stage once more to kick things off. "And now it's time for the battle stage! With just five minutes on the clock, coordinators must land their attacks as stylishly as possible, while lowering their opponents' points in the process! So enjoy the dazzling display of moves!"

"So round two is a battle round," Khoury commented. "Does this mean it's going to be like gym battle?"

"Not quite." Brock replied. "See, unlike a gym battle, coordinators and Pokémon are judged on the style of their moves and their ability to dodge their opponents' attacks."

"But keep in mind, flashy or not, this is still a battle," Misty added. "So if one Pokémon happens to get knocked out, that means the other coordinator gets an instant win, regardless of who was more stylish."

"Alright, let's meet the coordinators for our first match!" Marian gestured towards one end of the stage. "On my left, it's Dawn! And on my right, it's Mario! We've got five minutes on the clock...and...begin!"

As soon as the clock started ticking, both coordinators sent out their Pokémon.

"Mamoswine, spoooootlight!"

"Now, Granbull go!"

After the effects of their Pokéball seals wore off, the two Pokémon - as well as their trainers - stared each other down waiting for one of them to make a move.

It was Mario who made the first call. "Granbull, use Fire Fang now!"

As the Fairy Pokémon charged forward with a fire ignited in its mouth, Lyra took notice of the fact that Dawn's points had lowered ever-so-slightly, which caused the Johto-dweller to gasp. "Hey! How come Dawn's points just went down?!"

"Don't sweat it," Misty smiled comfortingly. "In contests, a successfully pulled off flashy move can lower the points of an opponent, so since Fire Fang looks so cool, Dawn's points went down just a little bit, but I get the feeling Dawn's got more than enough firepower to make that up and then some."

"Quick, dodge it and use Ice Shard!" Mamoswine moved back just before Granbull could bite down with the super-effective move, forcing a clean miss that caused Dawn's opponent to lose the same amount of points she herself had lost previously. Then as soon as enough space was put between them, Mamoswine opened his mouth and formed the Ice Shard. "Let 'er rip!" Then Mamoswine swallowed it, and the crowd was again knocked off their feet, not expecting another coordinator to use the same bizarre strategy.

"Mamoswine has just eaten its own Ice Shard! Could this strategy have been concocted between two of today's competitors?! All we can do is wait and see what happens!" As if in response to Marian's commentary, the fur on Mamoswine's body spiked up with ice, and the Twin Tusk Pokémon stomped the ground in a show of force. "Incredible! Mamoswine's fur has just frozen over and its body is covered in icicles! It's as if Mamoswine were wearing ice armor!"

"We're on a roll Mamoswine!" Dawn exclaimed as the sound of the cheering crowd pumped up her Pokémon. "Alright, now Hidden Power!" Then orbs of energy courtesy of Hidden Power appeared and swirled around Mamoswine's body, the light of the orbs reflecting off of Mamoswine's icy armor. "That's the way!"

"That's beautiful!" Lyra exclaimed. "Dawn must have practiced that move for a long time when we weren't looking!"

"By combining those moves, Dawn's making Mamoswine look even more fearsome!" Brock chuckled and crossed his arms. "Guess Dawn's been keeping some things close to the vest after all."

"Makes sense," Ash shrugged. "Since Kenny's been hanging around with us all this time, it's not like Dawn's going to be completely open with all of her ideas."

"Take Down!" Now with the Hidden Power orbs and the ice armor both active, Mamoswine rumbled forward with his tusks glowing with energy, and all Mario could do was whimper and order a fearful dodge, which unfortunately came too late for Granbull, who had no time to react and was sent tumbling through the air after being slammed by the massive ice/ground-type. Once Granbull finally came to a stop, the swirls in its eyes signaled that the amount of sheer force it had been hammered with was more than it could take. "Wait...that's it? The battle's over?"

"Using a triple combination move of Ice Shard, Hidden Power, and Take Down, Mamoswine masterfully takes the match! And Dawn is the first of our talented coordinators to reach the semifinals!" Marian shouted as the crowd roared its approval.

"Bet you wish you'd just gone home, eh?" Kenny snickered with his arms crossed as James gulped at the sight of the amount of power that had just been put on display. "It's not too late to back out ya know."

Meowth grabbed the cowering man by the ear and hissed at him. "Ignore dat arrogant twoip! If you bail now Jessie'll neva forgive us!"

"But you saw that battle Meowth! The short twerpette's Mamoswine will rip my poor Carnivine in two!"

"Yeah I saw dat battle," Meowth sneered evilly. "And I tink I just came up wit a plan dat'll use dat overgrown pig's muscle against it! Here's what we're gonna do."

As Meowth shared his idea with James, the doors opened revealing Dawn and her friends, just as it was announced that Kenny would be going on stage next for his own battle. "Nice work Dawn, I'm up next, so I'll seeya in a minute!"

"Hmm? Oh. Okay, good luck Kenny." Kenny raised a curious eyebrow at Dawn's demeanor, but he paid it no mind as he ran out the doors with another coordinator who was his opponent, leaving Dawn to sit down on one of the cushions in the room with her arms crossed over her chest. "Man...that was a letdown."

"A letdown?" Lyra asked with a baffled expression. "Dawn, in case you didn't notice, Mamoswine won that battle! And to top things off, it was a one-hit K.O.!"

"I think I know why Dawn's feeling down." Brock smiled soberly. "Mamoswine was into it, but that was only in the beginning of the battle. And since Mamoswine won with Take Down alone, I bet Dawn wishes she could have done more."

Dawn chuckled through her nose and relinquished a small smile as she looked up at her friends. "As usual, Brock's right." she frowned again as she placed her hand under her chin. "It's true, there were a lot more things I wanted to try."

"But...isn't a win a win?" Khoury asked.

"Usually yeah," Misty hummed. "But I think Dawn wanted to win with her coordinator skills, not with brute force."

"Hmm..." Khoury crossed his arms. "Guess contest battles are even more complicated than I thought."

"Well ya know what?" Dawn suddenly got up and clenched her fists in determination. "I'll just make the semifinal round even flashier!"

And in the corner, James and Meowth cackled quietly to themselves. "Poifect...dat's just what we want ya ta do."

The rounds continued. Naturally, Kenny was easily able to bring down his opponent: a Protect using Shuckle that ultimately couldn't handle Prinplup's combination of Bubblebeam and Steel Wing.

Then there was another matchup between a little Tyrogue and a Meganium, and in a shocking upset, the tiny fighting-type was able to take down the more evolved Pokémon and come out on top.

But much to the shock of the others, James had also managed to make it to the semifinals, as Carnivine - after biting down onto its trainer's head as usual - was able to quickly bring down a Corsola who never really stood a chance thanks to its massive weakness to grass-type moves.

"Guess that means one of us will be facing off against James after all." And just as Kenny said that, the semifinal matchups were revealed. "Oh...well, I guess it's you after all, Dawn."

"Good." Dawn smirked. "This should be a piece of cake." Dawn watched as Kenny got up as his round was up first, battling against the coordinator with the Tyrogue, and she winked at her friendly rival. "See you in the final round Kenny!"

"Seeya." Kenny left, and only then did he allow himself a slight blush. "Man, can't believe just a wink has me melting."

Once again, Kenny came out on top, as the combination of Steel Wing and Drill Peck brought down Tyrogue after a tough match, ultimately ending in the small fighting-type fainting.

Then, it was Dawn's turn.

"Folks," Marian announced as the next two coordinators took their places on the stage. "It's been one stylish contest battle after another, and your applause shows me how much you love it! And now we move on to our last semifinal match! On my left, it's Dawn! And on my right, it's Jessilina! And with Dawn having won four ribbons, and Jessilina having won two, who will win the contest battle and move on to the final round to go against Kenny?!"

"That's an easy question, Dawn of course." But then Misty heard a low growl coming from the seat below her, and she saw that it was Lucario who had a grim snarl across his face. "Lucario, what's the matter?"

"James' aura is starting to flash red...something's not right."

"We have five minutes on the clock!" Marian suddenly exclaimed. "Begin!"

"Alright Mamoswine, spooootlight!"

"Mwah! Carnivine, show time!" But of course, despite the shower of hearts that was sprayed out thanks to the ball capsule, it didn't stop Carnivine from zipping over for a friendly nibble on James' head. "Not chow time! Show time!"

"And once again, Jessilina puts everything into her act!"

Dawn just stifled a laugh. "Sure Marian, we'll go with that." she shook her head to regain her focus. "Mamoswine, Ice Shard!"

"Alright, if Dawn can just activate that ice armor again, this battle should be over before it even starts." Misty said with her fists clenched.

"I'm telling you, something's very wrong!" Lucario snarled down at James who had just gotten Carnivine off of him. "They're planning something sneaky!"

"Use Vine Whip!" Carnivine's vines whipped forward, and just before Mamoswine could chomp down on the Ice Shard, the vines ripped the energized ice ball away, leaving the ice/ground-type biting down on nothing but air, much to his rage and Dawn's horror, as her points took a significant dip thanks to the failed move. "Now return that Ice Shard to sender!"

"Mamoswine, dodge it!" Mamoswine had been throwing a tantrum after having his Ice Shard stolen, and he only regained his focus long enough to see the Ice Shard coming towards him, only to get slammed in the face by his own move, causing Dawn's points to drop even more. "Mamoswine are you alright?!"

But Mamoswine didn't even turn to look at Dawn, as the Twin Tusk Pokémon stomped his foot over and over again, as if he were preparing to go on a rampage. "Whoa! It appears Mamoswine is getting all fired up!" Marian announced.

"Why didn't Dawn just order Mamoswine to eat the Ice Shard while it was coming?!" Lyra looked over to her other friends in worry.

"I don't know..." Ash shook his head slowly. "I think James threw her off her game plan and she might have panicked!"

"We might have a bigger problem on our hands guys," Misty pointed down towards the stage in concern. "I think Mamoswine's about to have a temper relapse!"

"Please Mamoswine, calm down!" But Mamoswine didn't even hear Dawn's worried shout, the fire in his eyes was burning too strong and too hot, and all Mamoswine could see was the rotten grass-type in front of him, shamelessly mocking him. Mamoswine was not about to let that insult stand. "I didn't say use Take Down! Mamoswine stop!"

"Oh no, Mamoswine attacking without Dawn's command is bad news!" Brock exclaimed. "If Dawn doesn't get Mamoswine under control in a hurry, this battle may be over before it really gets a chance to begin!"

"Mamoswine, chill out!" Ash shouted.

But Mamoswine was in a blind rage, as he charged forward with speed unexpected of his size; James, however, was not even worried. "Jump and dodge it Carnivine!" And jump it did, over and over as Mamoswine ran back and forth with Take Down, failing each time to make any contact as Carnivine effortlessly jumped over him, even doing twirls in the air which only further enraged the giant pig Pokémon.

"Mamoswine, you've got to listen to me before it's too late!"

"Carnivine now twirl and dance, keep them in a tipsy trance! They don't stand a chance!"

The song only fueled the raging fire in Mamoswine's eyes, as the Twin Tusk Pokémon's vision went red. "Mamoswine, you've got to calm down!"

Dawn's desperate pleas continued to be ignored, as her points plummeted bit by bit as her Pokémon continued to attack without her permission. "It's like Mamoswine doesn't even hear Dawn screaming at it!" Lyra exclaimed in worry.

"Even with my untrained eye, I can tell Mamoswine's attacks are not normal," Khoury said. "That's a Pokémon that's lost complete control of itself, and Carnivine is completely in control of this battle."

Then Mamoswine finally stopped using Take Down, as he slid to a stop in front of Dawn. "Mamoswine, listen to me, we can still make a comeback!" But Mamoswine was only switching tactics, as it suddenly formed a Hidden Power. "No! Don't attack unless I tell you to!" Once again, Dawn's cries fell on deaf ears; Mamoswine launched the attack, and James had Carnivine counter with a Bullet Seed, causing an explosion in the middle of the field that briefly blocked everyone's view. "Mamoswine, PLEASE!"

"Oh Dawn," Kenny closed his eyes and bowed his head back in the coordinator room, only barely managing to look back at the screen even as Mamoswine attacked once more, using Ancient Power this time, only for Carnivine to gracefully twirl away and leave Dawn with barely a fourth of her points left with only a minute on the clock. "It's...over..."

"Mamoswine, you've got to listen to me!" Mamoswine used Take Down again. "MAMOSWINE STOP!"

"Now Carnivine," James grinned. "Use Vine Whip to grab onto Mamoswine's tusks!" Carnivine did just that, and when the vines wrapped around his tusks, Mamoswine stopped in his tracks as the shock briefly snapped him out of his rage. "Now Carnivine!"

"NO!"

"Lucario, where are you going?!"

"Show that showoff who wears the pants around here!"

"Aunt Dawn look out!"

Everything seemed to go in slow motion from that moment on. Lucario had leaped out of the stands and went into a full sprint just as Carnivine used its vines to swing Mamoswine around and throw him back towards his frozen trainer. "I can't look!" Lyra turned her head into Khoury's shoulder as she desperately tried to avoid watching the inevitable collision.

And there was a major collision, just as the battle timer ticked to zero.

"Time is up!"

But no one registered Marian's voice as she announced the winner of the battle, instead everyone in the stands waited with baited breath as the dust settled to see if everyone down below was still okay.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

"I need a gurney, stat!" Nurse Joy ran over from the judging panel as her medical training instincts kicked in, and within moments, a pair of Chansey that were on hand ran onto the field with a gurney.

As they prepared to transport an unconscious Lucario to the Pokémon Center.

"Lucario, no!" Dawn could do nothing but watch in horror, as Nurse Joy and the Chansey wheeled Lucario into the inner bowels of the stadium, after he had taken a brutal hit from her own over 640 pound Pokémon after he had pushed her out of the way, only to be rewarded for that act of valor by slamming into the concrete stadium wall, leaving a huge hole. "Oh Lucario..." Dawn then looked back up at the stands, and she saw Ash, Misty, and Brock all urgently trying to make their way through the crowd so they could hurry to the Pokémon Center, leaving Lyra and Khoury to watch in stunned silence. "I'm so sorry Ash."

Ash stopped, his aura sensing Dawn's utter sorrow, and he took a moment to give his younger friend a thumbs-up that he hoped would buoy her spirits, or at the very least, let her know that he didn't blame her for what happened to his Pokémon. "Hang in there Dawn."

Dawn didn't smile, though her heart very briefly felt lighter after receiving that reassurance. But then she heard the sound of movement, and she looked slightly to her left to see Mamoswine walking up to her, his eyes tilted downwards in a sincere apology. "Don't worry Mamoswine." she forced a smile and patted her Pokémon's face, despite the tightness building in her throat. "Everything's going to be okay."

"Alright everyone," Marian got the crowd's attention. "Please take your seats, we sincerely apologize for the upcoming delay, but we will have to put the final round on hold until we can get everything back in working order! Once we're finished, rest assured we will have our final round and we will hand out the Lilypad Ribbon to one of our finalists, so stay tuned!"

Dawn returned Mamoswine to his Pokéball, and she wordlessly walked out of the stadium, her arms wrapped around herself and her head bowed to hide her eyes as her lips quivered without her consent.

"Dawn!"

The blue-haired coordinator looked up, and she saw Kenny running towards her before she could make it to the changing room. "Kenny...congrats on making it to the final round." she choked out as she forced one more smile.

"Never mind that!" Kenny shook his head and looked at her earnestly. "Are you okay?"

Dawn dropped her fake smile, and she took a few steps towards the wall before she collapsed onto her knees, tears that had been fighting to get out finally being let loose. "Kenny...that was a nightmare."

"I'm sorry." he kneeled down behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder as his heart began to ache for his weeping crush. "James must have done something...something to cheat!"

"No," Dawn shook her head and stared blankly at the wall. "No, James didn't do anything. He did exactly what a coordinator is supposed to do. He took advantage of what I gave him and used it for himself...he knows Mamoswine has a temper...it's my fault for assuming that Mamoswine was ready when he actually wasn't...I...I didn't think about what could happen if something went wrong during Mamoswine's performance."

"Dawn, you-"

"You know, i-it's almost funny," Dawn laughed bitterly. "I was so sure that James couldn't beat me, even I wasn't taking that battle seriously...in a way, I deserve to lose!"

"No, that's not-!"

"B-But..." Dawn gasped out a sob as she wiped her eyes. "I-I'll tell you who didn't deserve to be punished! Lucario! He...He ran out and saved me...pushed me out of the way so I wouldn't get crushed by my own Pokémon, and instead, he's the one who Nurse Joy is giving emergency care to...it should have been-" Then Dawn stopped and gasped, as she suddenly felt a weight on her shoulder, and arms wrapped tightly around her waist. "Kenny?"

"Just stop."

"But-"

"No!" he squeezed her a little tighter, and he felt little droplets of water falling onto his hands as Dawn continued to cry. "I don't want to hear you tell yourself anymore lies! That's all you're doing right now! Telling yourself lies!"

"It's...it's not a lie...Lucario..."

"Will be fine, I know it. He's a steel-type, they're built tough!" Kenny felt Dawn turn her head, and he offered her a smile as their eyes made contact, even with his own head still on her shoulder. "Listen to me," he whispered. "What happened out there was a mistake. Was it a bad one? Yeah. But believe it or not, I've made worse ones in other contests...I just...never told you since I kinda don't feel like sharing all my bad moments with my rival, y'know?"

Dawn raised a skeptical eyebrow before wiping more tears from her eyes. "You expect me to believe you lost control of your Pokémon in the middle of a contest battle?"

Kenny sighed. "No. I didn't do that...but, I've had moments where I wound up knocking out my own Pokémon thanks to some of the moves I planned being a little too hard to execute on stage. That's worse than having a temperamental Pokémon lose it, since there really is no one to blame but myself. I knew that my Pokémon might not be able to handle it and I still went through with it."

"But...I can't just blame Mamoswine."

"No, you can't. It is still partly your fault, I won't deny that. But you're still an amazing trainer, and you're still an amazing coordinator. So you lost, big deal, you've lost before, and I guarantee it won't be the last time either, the same goes for me. Even your mom made mistakes, right?"

"Yeah...she did..."

"Then," Kenny graced her with a gentle smile and briefly raised his hand to wipe away one last tear that was rolling down her cheek before reinitiating the embrace. "Just get up and try again, just like you always have...that's part of why...I admire you so much."

Dawn let out a breath, and she looked back down towards Kenny's arms which were still wrapped around her waist. She felt her heart start to feel lighter as his comforting warmth soothed her, and after a moment, she slowly maneuvered her own arms so that hers were covering his, and she leaned back to press against his chest, a small smile finally gracing her features. "Thank you Kenny," she tilted her head up towards him. "I really needed this."

"Glad I could help." Kenny blushed as Dawn's sapphire eyes shined up at him in thanks, and this time he made no attempt to hide it. His heart felt full, and despite his current position, he felt strangely calm...as if, this was where he was meant to be. "Dawn?"

"Yes?"

"Can I...can I tell you something?"

"Of course."

He leaned forward to get even closer to her face, and now his heart was starting to beat wildly as he mentally acknowledged to himself that he was actually doing this. "Dawn, you're my best friend...a-and...and there's no one else I know that's quite like you..."

Now even Dawn's eyes were starting to widen, her debacle on stage forgotten as a whole new set of feelings flooded her heart, could this be the moment she'd been waiting for? "Kenny?"

"What I'm trying to say is..." he leaned even closer. "Dawn, I-"

"Thank you once again everyone for your patience!"

The sound of Marian's voice coming over the speakers abruptly pulled the two coordinators out of their own little world, and they both blushed profusely as they quickly put distance between each other, as Marian announced that the final round would start in five minutes. "Y-You better go!"

"Y-Yeah..." Kenny cleared his throat and pumped a fist as he tried to get his head back in the game. "This is it I guess."

"Yeah."

They stared at each other for a few moments, until Kenny muttered something under his breath and suddenly lunged forward, pulling Dawn into another hug that she was once again unprepared for. "I'm gonna win this battle Dee Dee...and I'm gonna win it for you!" he pulled back to look her in the eyes with the most determined expression she'd ever seen on his face. "I promise."

The next thing Dawn knew, Kenny was gone, and she was left alone in the hallway with nothing but a rapidly beating heart, a flushed face, and tear stains. "Kenny..." she placed a fist over her heart and bowed her head and closed her eyes, a small smile gracing her features. "You're right. What happened today was just a minor setback, I'm just feeling embarrassed because I lost to James..." she opened her eyes, a small spark flashing in her eyes. "But I'll bounce back, just like I always do...and I'll see you in the Grand Festival!"

Once she got back to the coordinator room to pick up her things, she was greeted by Lyra and Khoury, who had Piplup and Cyndaquil with them, and they both ran up to her to try and offer their comfort. "Dawn, are you alright?" Khoury asked.

The blue-haired coordinator nodded briefly and knelt down to hug both of her worried Pokémon. "No need to worry, I'm just fine."

"Maybe you should have used Piplup and a different Pokémon instead." Lyra said.

"You might be right." Dawn got up to look at her two new friends. "But the truth is, there are a lot of things you don't know until you actually get up on stage, and now I know what it is that Mamoswine and I need to work on for the next contest."

"Amazing," Lyra smiled. "You lost, but you're still so positive in spite of it...but when you were leaving the stage earlier, you looked devastated...what changed?"

Dawn hummed and turned around to face the screen. "Well...let's just say a special friend gave me a much-needed pep talk...and also helped me get back on the right track and the right frame of mind."

Lyra and Khoury didn't get a chance to comment further, as the battle was about to begin between Kenny and James on the stage.

"The moment you've all been waiting for has finally arrived! This final match will decide who gets to go home with the coveted Lilypad Ribbon! On my left, it's Kenny, and on my right, it's Jessilina! It's been a wild day of battling, so there's no telling what will happen next, except for the fact that after these next five minutes, we will have a winner! And now that the clock is ready, begin!"

As Marian finished her announcement and the battle clock began, Kenny wound up and threw Prinplup's Pokéball onto the stage, and moments later, Prinplup appeared in a flurry of multicolored stars, ready to make his trainer proud. "I know what you did Jessilina, and mark my words, you won't leave here with that ribbon!"

"Another hotheaded child, I'll pay you no mind." James chuckled in his high pretend voice as he released Carnivine once more. "Carnivine dear, let's just wait and see what he has planned!"

"I'll show 'im what I've got planned." Kenny growled to himself. "Alright Prinplup, let's start with a Drill Peck!"

"Ah, I've seen this play out before! Carnivine, Bullet Seed!"

"Bubblebeam!"

"What?!"

Already spinning with its beak glowing bright with power, Prinplup opened fire with a stream of energized bubbles that countered the Bullet Seed, and moments later Carnivine was brought down by the super-effective flying-type move. "And Prinplup manages to avoid being countered by using a quick counter of its own! Quick thinking by this young coordinator!" Marian announced.

"How did you do that? I saw my previous opponent counter that very move in Sandalstraw Town!"

"Unlike you, Dawn and I learn from our mistakes! You're not as clever as you think you are, and I'm going to prove it!" Kenny pointed towards the still reeling Carnivine and barked out another order. "Now! Jump up and use Metal Claw!" Prinplup did just that, putting its flippers together as Metal Claw kicked in and the penguin spun like a drill into a nosedive towards Carnivine.

"Don't assume I don't know what your plan is! Carnivine, use Vine Whip and wrap up Prinplup!"

Carnivine jumped back up and its vines shot out and caught Prinplup in midair, wrapping it up and keeping it trapped, much to Kenny's shock. "And Carnivine's Vine Whip has Prinplup completely immobile!" Marian exclaimed. "Will Prinplup be able to find a way out of this situation?!"

"I don't intend to go home with anything less than complete victory!" James cackled as he allowed the persona of Jessilina to completely take over. "Now Carnivine, let's press our advantage!" Carnivine began slamming Prinplup against the ground, over and over again from side to side, with each hit taking even more points away from Kenny's total. "Now what was that you were saying?"

"Prinplup, hang in there!"

"Oh no, Kenny's in trouble!" Lyra looked to Dawn. "You're a coordinator Dawn, what should he do?"

"I don't know..." Dawn's face shifted to determination. "But I know he'll find a way to win, somehow."

"Prinplup, try using Mist!" Prinplup's eyes snapped open, and the penguin opened its beak and started spraying a cloud of cold mist all around the battlefield, much to Carnivine's apparent confusion and discomfort. "Now! Break free Prinplup!" Taking advantage of the grass-type's lapse in focus, Prinplup was able to break free of the Vine Whip and get back to its side of the battlefield before the Mist attack wore off. "Are you okay?"

"Prin plup." (For now.)

"You won't escape our grasp! Carnivine, use Vine Whip again and let's end this battle!"

"Dodge it Prinplup!"

Prinplup hurried around the battlefield as fast as he could, trying everything to ward off the vines reaching out from Carnivine's body, but it didn't take long for Carnivine to finally grab onto one of Prinplup's flippers, and the two Pokémon soon found themselves in a tug-of-war. "And Vine Whip has Prinplup trapped once again!" Marian exclaimed. "Could this be the end?"

"This time we'll just use a combination! Hold it still and use Bullet Seed!"

"Counter it with Bubblebeam!"

While Prinplup couldn't shake free of Carnivine's vine, it was able to counter the Bullet Seed attack with its own move. Unfortunately, about four minutes into the battle, it was still clear who had the advantage. "No more games Carnivine! Back to what works, suplex that penguin!"

"Prinplup, no!" But Prinplup just wasn't strong to resist the pull of the vines, and it was lifted into the air and slammed down on its head, barely hanging onto consciousness as it fought to get back up after taking another hard hit. "Come on Prinplup, you gotta get up! We promised we'd win this!"

"Promises are meant to be broken!" James sang. "Once more Carnivine, let's use Bullet Seed!"

"No! PRINPLUP!"

Then Prinplup began to glow white, much to the shock of everyone around.

"I don't believe it!" Dawn exclaimed. "Prinplup's evolving!"

The white figure grew in size and took on a bulkier shape, and the yellow ridges on its neck reformed and became three pointed horns that formed a trident-shaped crest that connected to its wide, yellow beak. Then the light faded, signaling the end of the transformation, and the newly-evolved Pokémon shouted its name with a renewed vigor. "EMPOLEON!"

"No fair! We had this!"

"This is great, you're an Empoleon now!" Kenny grinned. "Which means we can still win this! Alright Empoleon, let's see how much stronger you are now! Jump up and use Drill Peck!" Now with the extra size and speed that came with its evolution, Empoleon leaped up and rushed down in a nosedive, spinning at a speed so fast that it literally looked like a massive drill.

And all James could do was gasp in horror. "Carnivine, try to keep it away!"

But there was no chance of that happening, the vines were now nowhere near strong enough to grasp onto Empoleon while it was spinning that fast, and Carnivine took the super-effective attack and fell onto its back in pain. "Yeah! We're rolling now!" Then Empoleon opened its mouth and a shining light seemed to start forming inside it. "Whoa, what's that?"

"Wow, if I'm right, I think Empoleon just learned Flash Cannon!" Khoury exclaimed. "It's a really powerful steel-type move!"

"Hey, you know what? I may not know exactly what it is, but I say let 'er rip Empoleon, give it all you got!" That was the prompt Empoleon needed, and it fired the blast at the still downed Carnivine and sent the grass-type flying towards its trainer, where it landed just a few feet in front of him. Then Kenny looked at the clock, and saw that despite the evolution, he still had less points than James, and there was only fifteen seconds left. "Alright Empoleon, it's all or nothing! Drill Peck, and go for the knockout!"

"We've made it this far, come on Carnivine, show some spine!" But Carnivine got up in vain, as it once again took the hard hit and wound up getting slammed into James, who fell down from the impact as Carnivine laid on top of him...with swirls in its eyes. "Carnivine, NOOOOO!"

"That's it! Carnivine is unable to battle! Which means that despite the slow start and being on the verge of defeat with only seconds left, the winner of the Lilypad Town Contest is...Kenny!"

"We did it..." Kenny smiled widely and ran onto the field to embrace his now larger Pokémon. "We did it! Thank you Empoleon! You came through in the clutch!"

"They did it!" Dawn cheered and embraced both of her Pokémon, celebrating along with them in glee for her friend.

"That was so close!" Lyra exclaimed. "I tell ya, if Empoleon hadn't evolved when it did, I think we'd be seeing a completely different result right now."

"Pretty amazing," Khoury wiped his brow of the nervous sweat. "It looked like Kenny was finished, but Empoleon must have felt Kenny's desire to win and responded to it, pulling victory from the jaws of defeat."

"But I do have one question."

Dawn turned to face her friends. "What's that Lyra?"

"Kenny mentioned something about making a promise. What promise was he talking about?"

"Oh," Dawn giggled, her cheeks turning the faintest shade of pink as her heart warmed at the remembrance of her earlier encounter with Kenny. "Well, he promised he'd win for me."

"He did?!" Lyra's eyes began to sparkle. "Ohhhh that's sooooo sweet! He became your knight in shining steel-type armor and regained your honor for you! How romantic!"

"Yeah," Dawn turned around to look back at the screen, where Kenny was facing Mr. Contesta as he was presented with the Lilypad Ribbon, and a soft smile adorned her features as Kenny winked towards the camera and put his fingers up in a victory sign as his other hand held up the ribbon. "Yeah, I guess it was."

"And with that, the Lilypad Town Contest has come to a close! With this win, Kenny now has five ribbons and is eligible to enter the Grand Festival! This contest has had its ups and downs, but together we all made it through this exciting ride, and I'm sure that we'll have more fun during the next Pokémon Contest! I'm your announcer Marian, and from all of us here at the Lilypad Town Contest, we wish you farewell and safe travels!"

---

The group reunited at the Pokémon Center, where Dawn - now in her usual outfit - apologized profusely to both Ash and Lucario over and over again for what happened. "Enough Dawn, for the hundredth time, we forgive you!" Ash exclaimed with a sweat-drop.

"Yeah Aunt Dawn," Lucario spoke up, as he slowly got back to his feet with a low groan. "I couldn't just let you get smashed, I knew that Team Rocket was gonna try something, I had to save you."

Dawn's eyes watered a bit as she lunged forward and embraced Lucario, who fought back a pained groan as she squeezed him. "Thank you Lucario, you're a sweetheart."

"No problem!" he gasped. "Let go please!"

"Oh, sorry."

"Don't worry Dawn," Misty smiled reassuringly. "Lucario's a big boy, he'll be fine in no time, right Lucario?"

"Yeah, right." Lucario sweat-dropped. "But I still wouldn't mind taking the week off."

"Actually, I'm gonna call Riley and ask him something when I get the chance," Ash said. "I think I might be able to do something for ya pal. In the meantime, you just rest up. It probably would've been much worse if you weren't part steel-type." Ash then turned his attention to Kenny, who had been quietly watching and offering moral support for Dawn during her apology rant. "Kenny, we watched your battle on the TV while Nurse Joy was patching Lucario up, you sure cut it pretty close."

"Yeah, I guess I did." Kenny shrugged. "But you know what? I don't think I could've done it without Dawn."

"Huh?" Dawn looked at him in surprise. "What do you mean?"

"Well duh," Kenny grinned. "You were our inspiration during that battle! I promised you we'd win and we just couldn't break that promise! So...I think Prinplup evolved into Empoleon just to make sure we could keep it."

Dawn smiled and decided to allow herself to take the initiative, as she leaned in and kissed the boy on the cheek. "You're sweet Kenny, thank you." she giggled when she observed his rigid and blushing state. "But don't sell yourself short, you earned that ribbon, and now you're finally eligible to enter the Grand Festival!"

"So what are you gonna do now Kenny?" Lyra asked. "I mean, now that you've got your fifth ribbon, what's left for you to do?"

"Uh well..." Kenny cleared his throat and tried to get his beating heart under control. "I uh...actually, I'm not sure what I'm gonna do now. It's still up in the air I think."

"Well whatever you decide, you'll have our support." Dawn smiled. "And as for me, I need to take care of some unfinished business." Dawn walked a few feet away from the others and summoned Mamoswine, who still looked extremely depressed over what he had done in the contest. "Here you go Mamoswine." she held out two handfuls of poffins, and after a few moments of hesitation, the Twin Tusk Pokémon accepted the offering and ate the treats from her hands. "There you go." she rubbed his face affectionately and looked into his eyes. "I know you feel bad about today, but this isn't the end of the world, there are still plenty more contests to compete in, and we only have to win one more ribbon! From now on, we'll just train even harder and be ready for anything that could go wrong, okay?"

After a few moments, Mamoswine's face grew serious, and the large Pokémon snorted smoke from his nostrils as he nodded an affirmative. "Looks like Mamoswine's stoked!" Ash exclaimed.

"And we'll do everything we can to help you Dawn," Misty added. "You can count on that."

"Thanks you guys." Dawn giggled. "We're going to do our best, that I can promise you!"

"Nice," Khoury glanced at his best friend. "At times like this, isn't it great to be with friends?"

"I think you're a sap, Khoury." Lyra giggled teasingly. "But you're right," she finally hummed with a nod. "Whether you win or lose, you'll always have your friends."

As the sun set over the Lilypad Town horizon, the trainers all headed off to get a good night's rest, anxiously awaiting what adventures were in store for them the next day.

Although, there were two individuals who weren't at all looking forward to what came next, as they traversed the forest in the dark. "Guess it's time to face the music."

"Yeah, and I get da feelin' it's gonna be off key and screamin' like a banshee."

"Well...all I can say is, I did my best."

"Dat's da spirit Jimmy boy."

"I just hope Jessie is feeling the spirit...but knowing her, that won't be the case." Taking a deep breath, James opened the door to their cabin in the woods, and he was greeted by the sight of Jessie sleeping on her cot. "Well, maybe she didn't see what happened? How fast can you conjure up a fake ribbon?"

"James."

The man and the Pokémon both cringed at the voice, and they looked over again to see Jessie looking their way. "Yes Jessie?"

"Come here James."

"Hey, she only called you, I'll just start diggin' your grave!" And just like that, Meowth was gone, leaving James to brave the wrath of Jessie on his own.

"Jessie," James slowly walked over and kneeled down next to Jessie's cot, where the magenta-haired woman was still staring him down. "I humbly beg your forgiveness, I did my very best...I just...I couldn't foresee the twerp's Pokémon evolving!"

"Stop sniveling James," Jessie sighed and coughed once. "I'm not mad at you."

James blinked blankly. "You're...you're not?"

"No," she slowly shook his head, even gracing the bewildered man with a small smile. "I watched the whole thing, you did an amazing job upholding the pristine reputation of Jessilina," Jessie's mouth briefly morphed into a scowl. "Although I will admit I'm a little salty over the fact that you as me got more applause than me as me."

"Well," James sweat-dropped nervously. "Y-You know how delicious Meowth's noodles are, it is rather hard to resist the power of the stomach."

"I know," Jessie's smile returned, and James only grew more confused. "I am disappointed that you didn't manage to come out on top and win me my ribbon, but you did make it to the finals and even have that twerp on the ropes...and more importantly, you certainly cut that short twerpette down to size by handing her that humiliating loss."

"Jessie...what are you saying?"

"What I'm trying to say is..." Jessie slowly sat back up and embraced the lavender-haired man, who went rigid at the show of affection. "Thank you James."

"Y-You're welcome."

"Besides," Jessie released the embrace and laid back down. "In a way, I'm sort of glad you lost, it just wouldn't be right if anyone other than me won that ribbon, there's no Jessilina like the real Jessilina! I'm never getting sick again after this! Because top coordinator is my-!"

Jessie was cut off by another coughing fit, and that finally snapped James out of his stupor as he went over to fetch some medicine for his ill teammate. "I know Jessie, you'll get the ribbons you need, but for now, just rest and recover. I'll take care of everything."

"Thank you again James." she smiled and took the medicine. "I know I can always count on you."

James nodded and walked over to hang the Jessilina outfit back on the hanging rack he got it from, and the man stared at it for a moment and smiled, with just one thing on his mind after everything that had just taken place. "Jessie must be delirious."

---

A/N: And that's it! Phew! Man, what a ride! I gotta say, there were a lot of changes I needed to make for this chapter. Adding two extra battles for Kenny, finally revealing the fact that Jessilina is just Team Rocket in disguise, and of course, that moment for Dawn and Kenny in the hallway after that embarrassing battle.

Seriously, I get that Mamoswine has a temper, but holy moly that battle was painful to watch. Dawn just kept screaming for Mamoswine to stop and of course he wasn't going to listen...and because of that, I raised the stakes even more and uh...well, yeah...Lucario kinda got whupped. But don't worry, he's a steel-type, he'll be okay.

So yeah, Kenny's got his fifth ribbon now! And if you feel like Prinplup evolving when it did was a bit of a deus ex machina...well, you're probably right, but in the canon anime, Prinplup evolves off-screen, I didn't like that. So I changed it, and I couldn't think of a better time for it to happen than in the middle of a contest battle when Kenny's on the ropes.

Also yay Penguinshipping lol.

Now then, with that said, I just have one more thing I would like to say...and that's HOLY COW THIS STORY HAS A PAGE ON TV TROPES!

I don't know which one of you decided to make it in the first place, but let me just say that I am extremely flattered. Maybe it's normal for fics to get that sort of recognition, but I still never even dared to imagine it could happen to me, so thank you!

Now, when will the next chapter come out? I don't know. School has started back up so it won't be as fast as this one, but I am going to do my best. That I promise. Until next time dear readers, and please review!