Well, here it is, the eighteenth part of the fifth and final installment in my 'Heart' series on the right day as promised. The Haunted Contest was a shock to all of Kalos but now that is behind May and Dawn and they've made it to Laverre City for their second Kalos Contest to quickly bounce back from that as both aim to be the first of the pair to secure a regional ribbon for the Majestic Festival. Only one can though and after the last Contest anything could happen so both are ready and rearing to go in the city of fairies and fashion. That is all the administrative stuff I have for this Part and as there are no guest reviews to respond to or questions to answer I will leave this off here but do please keep your reviews coming as I love hearing from y'all. That is it for this pre-Part note which means that it is once again time to sit back which and enjoy the latest installment in Heart of Champions. Part CCVII: Bouncing Back in Fashion.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
Part CCVII: Bouncing Back in Fashion
"I'll admit, these outfits are cool." May said as she looked herself over in the coordinators' waiting room as the time ticked down to the start of the Laverre Contest. "The way Valerie and her team make them for this Contest is unreal but touching at the same time. Plus we get to keep them afterwards which is really nice of her. I don't know when I'd wear it but it's the thought that counts."
"I know, they're amazing and as this is aired on TV it's great advertisement for her fashion line so it's no wonder we can keep them." Dawn said with a smile and twirl. "Though Valerie made this last year for me, she just didn't have time to give it to me then because we had to get a move on if we wanted to reach Dendemille in time for the Contest and Showcase there. Well that and the dress had to be specific."
May nodded in agreement as she recalled how after their escapades in Laverre the year before. While she and Serena had been training the latter for the Dendemille Contest and Ash had stumbled upon a piece of Gengarite that he'd eventually use to defeat Drasna in his final Elite Four battle, Dawn had had a private tea with Valerie to tell her the tale of how the emergence of the fairy type was discovered and show the gym leader the Pokémon that started it all, Dawn's Togekiss.
It had made sense that Dawn do that given her own extensive role in the discovery and how Valerie had become the first recognized fairy type specialist. Naturally, Valerie had loved Togekiss and had offered to make Dawn a dress that was themed specifically to her Togekiss as apparently no two Togekiss had the same pattern which Dawn had agreed.
That would take time though as Valerie needed pictures of Togekiss, as well as precise measurements of her and the markings on her plumage, and to prepare it so when they returned to Laverre for the second Contest here the eccentric woman had done the final adjustments on the dress so that it was fully tailored to Dawn's frame and presented it to Dawn. Dawn loved it and then revealed that she was going to wear it in the Contest, confirming that she'd registered Togekiss as her appeals Pokémon, which had thrilled Valerie.
May had to admit, the dress was something else. Dawn was in the classic Valerie Pokémon themed design with long sleeves that that had the excessive cloth from the wrist to elbow, a V on the upper chest from the fold of the upper portion of the dress, and a mini skirt of sorts held at the waist by a sash belt with hers being pure white.
That was to be expected, all the girls wore that style with slightly different cuts and styles to reflect their appeal Pokémon, but in Dawn's the detail was evident. That was where the true nature of the dress was shown as one look at the excessive parts of the sleeves and you'd see that at the end of them there were swirls that perfectly matched the designs on her Togekiss's wings and the skirt part replicated the style of her tail.
The final detail though, and what truly made the dress exceptional, was that the pattern on the front of the dress was the exact same, down to a scaled distance between them so that it fit on the dress, as Dawn's Togekiss had on her chest. Not only that but the colors and precise orientations of the markings matched as well.
Valerie had wanted to preserve it so much that she'd even gone with a matching white sash so that pattern could be replicated with it as otherwise the markings would be off. In order to ensure that it worked though she'd given Dawn detailed instructions for how wear the sash so that the markings all lined up. It truly was an all out effort but a fitting one to represent the very Pokémon that had started to path to the discovery of the newest Pokémon type.
To complete the look and theme, Dawn was wearing simple white tights and shoes and had her hair in a simple, high, pony tail with two clips in the side to replicate the blue and red plumage on Togekiss's head with the blue on the left and the red on the right. It was an homage to her Pokémon and no doubt in anyone's minds which Pokémon Dawn would appeal with.
As for May, despite the reputation of Laverre as the first city with a fairy type gym, she wasn't going with a fairy type for this appeal. She'd considered using her Slurpuff but after realizing the Pokémon that Dawn would be using she decided for a different strategy for her appeal and that was reflected in the dress she wore.
It was the same style as Dawn's only with a different coloration and a little more elaborate. The sleeves were gray from the wrist to elbow including the hanging bit of excessive cloth before going to red to the shoulders but the chest was cream and fully covered May's bust while the skirt part was red with a light yellow hem that was jagged where the colors met. As for her sash, it was a slightly darker yellow.
As with Dawn, May was also wearing tights but hers were a red that matched the skirt part and she wore a pair of formal ankle boots that were a light yellow so she had the same color mix on her legs as she did on the skirt. Finally May wasn't wearing her bandana, though she did keep her choker on which held her Key Stone in it, and had her hair expertly styled and slicked back in its pigtail style to match her appeal Pokémon's plumage thing.
All that was bright and colorful but the most striking part was the mask that May wore. She had a red mask over her eyes and nose with a wide V coming off it as and over her head. It was the finishing touch and the little detail that Valerie added to all the costumes to really show the appeal Pokémon the coordinators had chosen. As such it was clear that May had gone with Blaziken as her appeal Pokémon.
There were reasons for this but May didn't explain them as she was being measured and Blaziken photographed for the outfit that Valerie and her girls would make, along with all the others they had to make for the 28 other coordinators who'd entered the Contest. To add to it all there were 10 male entrants they had to go to the male template style they had as well which added time and effort but really showed Vallerie and her girls' dedication to this. All May said when asked, though, was to wait and Dawn and Valerie agreed to that.
That had been the start of their time in Laverre but after the measurements and pictures were done Valerie had taken tea with the girls and chatted with them as she took a break before getting down to making the outfits for the registered coordinators. Given all the prep work the gym was closed for the week up to the Contest and Valerie couldn't see Ash just yet, though she wanted to because of his Florges, so that would have wait until after the Contest for that, but she could at least enjoy a chat with Dawn and May before getting back to work.
That chat had been eye opening for the girls as in it Valerie had revealed that she may be leaving Laverre and the gym at the end of the year much to their shock. When asked Valerie had revealed that she was a former winner of the Silver Conference in her home region of Johto and that was the reason for why she might leave.
It turned out that Valerie had won that Conference early in her trainer journey though she'd not told Dawn that the first time they'd chatted about Valerie's past, but that she had failed to beat any of the Elite Four at the time and moved on. From there she'd traveled extensively before eventually ending up in Kalos and settling in Laverre when they offered her the chance to become the, at the time, normal type gym leader here as she'd built a reputation as a specialist in the type by that point.
Valerie had really enjoyed her time in Kalos so she'd taken that chance and never looked back. However, now that Johto was going to get a Champion of their own, one who would be drawn from the current Elite Four, there was a guarantee of at least one open spot on the Johto Elite Four that would be up for grabs. The might actually be two as apparently a man called Bruno served on both the Kanto and Johto Elite Fours and would have to decide which he wanted if he failed to win the title of Johto Champion.
As such all former Silver Conference winners had been contacted about the guaranteed open spot and told that they could register for a tournament if they wished to compete for it. Naturally, the winner, or top two if there were two spots, of the tournament would be elevated to the Elite Four and if it was the latter there would still be a final match as the members of the Johto Elite Four were ranked from 1 to 4 so there was a need for it.
It was a seriously tempting offer and the requirement that they specialize in a single type that they declare before the tournament added to it as there were no fairy type Elite Four specialists so Valerie had accepted the offer to compete. She was still unsure how she'd do but she knew that if she did reach the finals of it then she'd have a strong chance of becoming a member of her home region's Elite Four. That was something she'd realized that she'd like and not just for herself but for her type specialty as well.
It would mean that she'd have to renounce her status here, only Paldea had a gym leader in the Elite Four apparently though Valerie didn't know the precise details about why that was the case or how it worked out there, but she was willing to do that to join an Elite Four. She'd pass the gym onto her top Furisode girl, a girl called Kali who also specialized in fairy types though that had been incidental as hers were all other types before adding the type when the change happened, if it came to pass but Valerie didn't want to think too much about it. She just wanted to make sure she was doing the right thing and chatting with Dawn and May had helped on that front.
That had been the main part of the tea they'd had with Valerie and afterwards the gym leader had resumed the dress making while the girls went back to the Pokémon Center to wait for the dresses to arrive. It was certainly something to keep an eye on as that tournament was going to happen after the Silver Conference in several months' time but for now the girls had to focus on the Laverre Contest and that's what they'd done as soon as they got back to the Pokémon Center after their time with Valerie.
Now it was time for said Contest and they were in the waiting room as the time to start neared. One thing that the girls noticed as they chatted was that there were no favorites for the Kalos Grand Festival or other Top Coordinators going for the Majestic Festival here unlike with the Haunted Contest when Amelia, a clear Kalos favorite now, had been present.
There were certainly favorites on the circuit and Top Coordinators had started to appear in Kalos looking for the Kalos ribbon they needed for the Majestic Festival but for this Contest it would be just May and Dawn and that was fine with them. Naturally that meant that the goal was to meet in the final and for one of them to finally get that first ribbon, providing the random draw went in their favor if they made it past the appeals that is.
"Still, yours came out amazing as well." Dawn said breaking May's thoughts as she'd been thinking on everything leading up to this moment as she'd looked over Dawn's dress and the fact that with no real challenge it seemed that this would likely be their last few days together until the Wallace Cup because one of them would have to leave if all went according to plan today. "It's a lot more elaborate than mine."
"True but yours is so detailed to Togekiss, that's what makes it special." May said with a smile pushing thought thoughts away and focusing on the fun to come. "And that pure white is really pretty."
"It is though white gloves would have worked with it as well but this is a gloveless Contest." Dawn said smiling as well while noting the one oddity of the Laverre Contest, other than the outfits, was that none of the girls were wearing gloves like many usually did in Kalos Contests as Valerie didn't incorporate them into her designs. "This just shows how the same dress style can look so different depending on the coloration and subtle accents."
"It's why Valerie is one of the best out there." May said. "And I love that she does this for the Laverre Contest, it's a great advertisement for Contests and brings more into them who otherwise might not realize that they're an option. If things go Valerie's way though, I hope that Kali keeps it up if she's the gym leader next year."
"I'm sure she will, all of Valerie's girls understand how she does things and while she'll add her own touches she'll keep the legacy I feel, if Valerie leaves that is." Dawn said. "This feature makes the Laverre Contest so attractive to people. There are 30 in it this year, that's a lot even for an expansion region."
"It's more impressive though, especially because there's at least one other Contest going on today." May pointed out. "Two Top Coordinators who have come to Kalos to get their ribbons are judging it with a Nurse Joy while Pierre is hosting it as it's in a Showcase city but this is the one they're paying attention to."
"Any coverage of Contests is good." Dawn said. "Expanding Contests was a bold decision but it's going really well and the Majestic Festival is only going to add to it. Having former Top Coordinators compete in normal Contests again with a special ultimate festival at the end of the season was genius and allows for us to continue our passion even after winning a Grand Festival without having to worry about being seen as arrogant or disrespectful."
"That it does, it was truly a great idea from the Committee and the success of the expansion really helped." May said grinning as the time ticked down to the start and the crowd could be heard cheering while Jillian appeared on the stage with her mic in hand as the three traditional judges sat at their panel behind her to announce the start of the Contest. "And it's time one of us made up for that upset the other day and get our first ribbon for the Majestic Festival, rival."
"Can't wait, rival." Dawn said grinning back. "It's time we really shook off that rust from the last one and show why we won Grand Festivals."
May just nodded, there wasn't more to say and besides Jillian had just opened her mouth so it was time to listen to the opening of another Contest even though they fully knew what she was going to say so they could also focus on their own strategies. They were both appealing later in the order so they had time to make sure they were ready as the Laverre Contest got underway.
"Well that was something for sure, it was almost there so can't wait to see it come together." Jillian said as the coordinator shook her head and turned to leave the stage after an ambitious appeal that just wasn't there yet so had backfire on her but had potential once she got it down as May watched from the wings. "Next up is someone who needs no introduction as you all know her well from the last few years, one of the Top Coordinators who's been with us since the start of the expansion process and who is now gunning for a spot in the Majestic Festival. She's looking to bounce back from that shocking Haunted Contest the other day and get that Kalos Ribbon that she needs. Give it up for the Princess of Hoenn herself, May!"
May walked out was a smile and wave at the cheering crowds as she made her way to her starting spot. She was here to do just what Jillian had said, make up for her failure in the Haunted Contest and get that first regional ribbon that she needed to qualify for the Majestic Festival. To do so she was going to really punctuate it with her appeal that would set the tone for her whole Contest and she already had her Poke Ball in her hand as she reached her starting point so that she could toss it out the moment she could.
"Blaziken, On Stage!" May said as she threw out her Poke Ball and it burst open with Blaziken flipping in the air as it did and landing in front of her in a fighting stance, his Mega Stone glinting in his belt and that was just was May wanted to show off as she raised her right hand to the choker at her throat and placed her fingers on her Key Stone. "Let's show what you can do with all your power, Mega Evolve!"
As soon as May touched her Key Stone the tendrils of Mega Energy flared from it and connected to the tendrils that flared off the Blazikenite on Blaziken. The moment they did Blaziken glowed with Mega Energy and began to change, his plumage and facial markings shifting and two tendrils of fire bursting from his wrists though unlike most Mega Evolutions he didn't grow. When it was done the light faded revealing his new coloration that was black and red compared to the red and light yellow of before.
"That's it now show that boost in power with a Fire Spin but create the vortex around yourself like we practiced." May said as Mega Blaziken roared at the change. "And then blast it upwards with Sky Uppercut!"
Mega Blaziken roared again as he unleashed his Fire Spin as May instructed so that rather than blast it towards a foe, he blasted it around himself so that the vortex of fire burned in the air around him. As it was in rings he could still be seen in the middle of it, calm and collected as he clenched his right fist. In fact if anything the fire accentuated his appearance and showed the care May had gone to in grooming him along with how she used Poke Bloc and Poffins to really make his feathers look great.
That was all part of the plan and the judges would note that but the next part was the big one as Mega Blaziken let out another roar and punched upwards. The force of the powerful fighting type move, added to by the boost that Blaziken got when he Mega Evolved, displaced the air and blasted the Fire Spin off him and skywards while not destroying the move in the process.
Not only did it stop any potential obfuscation from occurring if the Fire Spin continued to burn around him but it also showed off both Mega Blaziken's secondary type and the advantage of Mega Evolution. It was just as May planned and now it was to move into the second half of the routine.
"Now leap and destroy it with Blaze Kick." May said raising her hand to the air. "Just like we practiced Blaziken!"
Mega Blaziken roared again as he tensed his knees, his right foot wreathed in flames, before he leapt off the ground and shot up at the vortex of fire that was still heading upwards. Thanks to his strength boost he reached his first attack before the Fire Spin reached the apex of its flight and then passed it so that Mega Blaziken could execute a perfect bicycle kick and ensure that his Blaze Kick slammed into the upper ring of the vortex as it reached its apex.
The force of the hit blew apart the Fire Spin move in such a way that it really accentuate Blaziken while also sending trails of flames everywhere below Mega Blaziken as he finished his flip and began to fall feet first towards the ground, the light of the flames illuminating him above them as they died out. As that happened May gave her final order for the grand finale of her appeal.
"Overheat!"
Mega Blaziken grunted and as he fell his body began to glow bright red so that all could see him. Then, as he landed on the ground and his knees bent, he unleashed the Overheat at its most powerful in a circle around his body so that it roiled over the stage and really showed off his primary type. As he did he roared and rose to his full height, already facing the judges thanks to subtle movements in the air when he leapt up to kick the Fire Spin, which would also be noted by the judges.
It was all how May had choregraphed it and as such when the fires subsided Mega Blaziken was fully upright and facing the judges so that he could bow properly at the waist as his Mega Evolution fell to show that he was done. At the same time May curtsied to them as best she could, head low and respectful and confirmed the end of her appeal ended as the crowd erupted at it.
"We didn't expect to see the Mega Evolution in the appeals but we knew that May could do it and boy did she show us." Jillian said as May and Blaziken rose to look at the judges. "Do our judges agree though."
"The true showing of a coordinator is the ability to use all that he or she can to show of every possible aspect of his or her Pokémon." Mr. Contests said with a smile and a nod. "That might mean Mega Evolving, it is why we've started to allow it in Contests this year, and an appeal like that really highlights why that was a good idea. Well done."
"Yes, remarkable." Sukizo said in his usual excited tone when his remarkable meant that he was impressed.
"Mega Blaziken looked really strong there, May's raised it well." Nurse Joy said smiling at Blaziken as she spoke. "And it was nice to see an appeal with that kind of Mega Evolution."
May just smiled at that as she curtsied again while Blaziken bowed for a second time before she recalled him and headed to the waiting room as Jillian began to introduce the next coordinator. She was sure that she'd done enough to advance and now it was time to wait and watch to see how Dawn did in her appeal as May knew that it would be good.
"Another bold appeal, there really have been several today." Jillian said as the guy before Dawn recalled his Pokémon, turned and walked off looking relieved and Dawn had to admit the appeal did look good enough to advance so following it was going to help her if she could do better than that and she intended to. "But next up is someone who can match that I'm sure. You all know her as the Prodigy of Sinnoh, a noted Top Coordinator going for the Majestic Festival this year and a Master Class finalist last year, but she's going beyond in this Contest as the Pokémon she's about to use is the very Pokémon that started the research that revealed the emergence of the fairy type. From Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region, give it up for Dawn!"
Dawn just smiled and waved at the cheers from the crowd as she walked out and towards the starting point her dress all but confirming the Pokémon she'd use to any who knew fairy types. It was an overhyped intro but a fitting one for the location if Dawn was being honest as she walked towards the starting point.
Still, she put that to the back of her mind as she focused on what was to come. This appeal was critical and she had to make it to the battle rounds so she was going to give it her all just like she always did. May had done so and Dawn was sure that her friend and rival would advance so she couldn't let May down now as she came to a stop, Poke Ball in hand and took a breath before throwing it out.
"Togekiss, Spotlight!" Dawn said as she threw out her Pokémon and her fully evolved fairy and flying type burst out with a song of jubilation and a graceful flip in the air as Dawn gave her first order. "And start off with the type you helped realize you'd changed to, Fairy Wind! Cover the stage as you fly with it."
Togekiss let out a cry and she flipped in the air before she flew out and over the battlefield and stirred up a pink wind as she flew that was the fairy type move. It was an interesting way of doing it but it showed that she could fly while using the attack and cover the stage in it at the same time just as Dawn planned. However, the use of the move, recently taught as part of Togekiss's training, was purely to set up what came next as it would really show off the next move.
"Now, Air Slash!" Dawn called out as Togekiss neared the other side of the stage. "Send it back at me!"
Togekiss cried out again as she reached the other side of the stage, her Fairy Wind coming to an end, and then she turned on a dime, her body 45 degrees as she pivoted on her left wingtip in the air to face Dawn, finishing the move with a slash from her other wing in a smooth motion that Dawn knew would look really good. As such, Togekiss slashed the air with her right wing as soon as she could and sent a slice of air shooting across the battlefield.
The moment she did the purpose of the Fairy Wind became apparent as it was neatly parted in two, the pink mist allowing for the Air Slash to be seen with ease, and dissipated right before it reached Dawn who stood there unmoving and smiling at her Pokémon. As it did Togekiss had fully turned so that she was in position for her next move, a combo that would really end this in style just as they'd practiced.
"Now, send an Aura Sphere up and above the stage." Dawn said and Togekiss cried in agreement as she tipped back, wings in, and formed the blue sphere of fighting type power between them though the whole motion looked totally natural as part of the appeal just as Dawn had intended it to. "Then fly through it as it reaches the middle with Sky Attack!"
"Togekiss!" Togekiss cried out as she blasted the Aura Sphere up at the right angle, backflipping as she did and activating Sky Attack as she finished the backflip.
Then, as soon as she could, Togekiss could, she shot up at the Aura Sphere with a cry flying faster than it to reach the fighting type attack. This would take timing and coordination to pull off but Dawn wasn't a Top Coordinator for nothing, she knew that Togekiss could do it and do it she did.
It wasn't perfect, the Aura Sphere had been slightly faster than Dawn or Togekiss had planned for, so Togekiss hit it as a few feet past the middle of the stage as it was rising. Regardless, she still managed to slam into and then through it causing the Aura Sphere to explode outwards in blue light as the two moves collided.
Thanks to her speed, the explosion didn't obscure Togekiss at all and the blue light actually highlighted her bright white and well kept feathers as she cried again and gracefully danced her way down to the stage as the remnants from the final combo ended. Thanks to being in the air she used the dance to correct her slight mistake in hitting the Aura Sphere later than planned and ensured that she landed daintily on her toes right in the middle of the stage facing the judges with her wings spread.
As soon as she did she bowed her body forward and Dawn executed a near perfect Kalos curtsy to the judges to show that the appeal was over. As Pokémon and coordinator did that the crowd erupted in cheers and Dawn had to fight back a smile as she knew that had been a good appeal.
"Another great appeal from the Prodigy of Sinnoh!" Jillian said as Dawn and Togekiss rose to face the judges. "At least I think so but my opinion doesn't matter, only the judges' does so what do they think of Dawn's appeal?"
"Togekiss was a fitting Pokémon to use in the city with the first fairy type gym and given her history in the discovery of this change it was more so." Mr. Contesta said with a nod. "And for Dawn to live up to that choice, it was impressive but as a Top Coordinator that is expected. Well done."
"Yes, remarkable." Sukizo said with as much enthusiasm as he had for May's appeal.
"Togekiss really had a great time in that appeal, it looked so happy there." Nurse Joy said with a smile. "And it's been really well cared for, Dawn really knows how to look after a Pokémon like that."
Dawn smiled in response and curtsied again as Togekiss bowed before rising and recalling her Pokémon. She then turned and headed off the stage as Jillian began to introduce the next coordinator. Dawn was sure that she'd done enough to advance, now all she had to do was wait with May and confirm that. There were still 6 more coordinators to go so Dawn hurried back to the waiting room to be with her friend as they awaited the results of the appeal.
"And with that the appeals are over." Jillian said as the final appeal ended and the coordinator walked off shaking her head as it was a bad appeal that everyone watching knew wouldn't advance while the judges sorted out the scores and May and Dawn just waited. "And, yes we have our 8 coordinators who have advanced to the battle round. They are…"
Jillian trailed off as the screen in the waiting room changed to show the backs of 8 trainer cards that then flipped over to reveal the 8 who'd advanced. As expected both May and Dawn were in the 8 with May starting the first row and Dawn the second row of pictures. The girls smiled as the cards flipped back over and shuffled while Jillian spoke though they only heard her through the PA system.
"And now the draw!" Jillian said excitedly as the cards fell to the bottom of the screen and flipped over as the bracket formed above them to show the 8 remaining coordinators their paths to the Laverre Ribbon. "Looks like it's a good one. Well, we'll see you after lunch for the battle round as we move towards the end of the Laverre Contest and find our winner."
Dawn and May had to admit, it was an interesting one. As with in the Haunted Contest, the girls weren't slated to face until the final with May in the second and Dawn in the third match to start the battle round. That was just how they wanted it to unfold though and now it was time to get some food, relax, and prepare for the battles to come.
"Best of luck Dawn." May said as the coordinators who hadn't advanced left with head shakes, disappointed looks, or smiles depending on how they felt they'd done or what they were trying to get out of the Contest. "And this time I won't fall before the final."
"I know you won't." Dawn said as they headed to where the food was being set up for the coordinators who wanted it regardless of whether or not they'd advanced. "And I won't either. This time we will face off in a final and for the first time it won't be the Wallace Cup so let's shake things up."
"We have to, I don't have Glaceon on me." May said with a chuckle. "Besides, that matchup is for the Wallace Cup. Gotta save it for then."
"True and we'll get one more chance to have that match I feel." Dawn said with a nod. "But for now let's focus on what is to come because I don't intend to lose."
"Neither do I." May said as they reached the food.
Dawn didn't respond to that, there was no need to, so they girls just got some food and went to relax, chat a bit, and then get in the zone for the battles to come. The Laverre Contest had been going pretty well so far but as they both knew all too well a Contest could take a turn at any moment so they had to be ready for anything as they got ready for the coming battles.
While anything could happen in any given Contest, Amelia had shown that in the Haunted Contest and Ash had shown in a few of the Contests he'd entered in the past, that wouldn't be the case in the Laverre Contest. May and Dawn lived up to their reputations and showed their recent intense training by blowing through the bracket without a second glance. The only thing going on seeming to be the girls competing with each other to see who could reach the final with more style.
May started it with her first battle where she did break out her fairy type and used her Slurpuff against a fellow Hoenn coordinator using a Nuzleaf. The other Hoennite had actually come to Kalos to be a performer but was still doing Contests to hone her freestyle skills via appeals and that was showing by her ability to advance but in battle she was clearly lacking and May secured a Battle Off win before the halfway mark. Admittedly that had been more due to the type advantage than anything else as the choreography of Nuzleaf's movements showed the performer potential in the other girl.
Dawn was next and she advanced with a Battle Off as well, using Machamp in a surprise to her opponent, the guy who'd appealed before her only an hour before who Dawn learned was from Alola and had come to Kalos for better Contest competition after losing in the quarterfinals of the Alolan Grand Festival the year before. He'd clearly not expected Dawn to use a Pokémon like that though he also clearly didn't follow the Top Coordinators as he'd not heard of Dawn either which didn't help him.
To make matters worse Dawn's first battle had another type advantage situation as the Alolan coordinator used a Gumshoos, a fully evolved, rodent-like, Alolan normal type Pokémon so it only took a few hits to knock out. He did last longer than the girl who'd faced May as Gumshoos was smaller than Machamp and evaded a few hits showing that he had a good grasp of coordinator style battles but in the end it wasn't enough to overcome Dawn's skills or Machamp's power.
The girls kept this up in the semifinals and switched things up more as May started it off using her Munchlax in an impressive display of coordination to win by more that 20% points after the full 5 minutes were up. It was made more so because she was facing a Unovan girl using Mienfoo so there was a type disadvantage in the battle, as well as an agility one as Munchlax wasn't the most mobile Pokémon. However, a lot of surprising evasions from Munchlax and some key hits on well-timed counters led May to victory and her first finals berth of the year as she waited for Dawn to meet her in it.
Naturally Dawn did just that and matched May's style in winning on points despite using a first stage Pokémon against a type disadvantage as she used Piplup in the semifinals to great effect, he was her starter and understood Contest battles the best so that was only natural, against a Kalos native using a Skiploom. Piplup really showed off his movements as he easily evaded a lot of attacks thrown at him, enough to frustrate the other coordinator, and run out the timer with a few solid hits of his own so that Dawn had more than 25% more points that her opponent did.
That set up the final, with references to Dawn increasing her consecutive record streak of Contest finals, that many in the crowd wanted when it was announced that two Top Coordinators would be in the Laverre Contest. Dawn just ignored that and focused on the final to come as she remained where she was having recalled Piplup and pulled out her final Poke Ball as her opponent left and the crowd buzzed awaiting it. It would start immediately and as soon as the other coordinator left, May headed out as Jillian began the commentary.
"Folks, this is it! The final of the Laverre Contest and what a final it's going to be!" Jillian said excitedly as May walked ready to face Dawn in a non-Wallace Cup final for the first time. "Before their recent Contest we'd have said that two Top Coordinators in a Contest were bound to be in the final if the draw went their way but as we saw in the Haunted Contest when Kalos native, and now a favorite for the Grand Festival, Amelia upset May in the semis it might not happen. That isn't the case today, however, because in Laverre we're getting the final we thought we'd get in the Haunted Contest."
The crowd roared at that and May couldn't help but agree with what Jillian was saying as she reached her starting point across the battlefield from her friend and smiled, which Dawn returned. This was what the idea of the Majestic Festival had hoped for, two Top Coordinators in a normal Contest facing off for that shot at the Majestic Festival while others tried to stop them and show their potential if they triumphed. It was gold for Contest popularity and the fact that this was the second attempt from the girls to set it up only added to the hype of it finally happening.
"By the way, this is actually the fourth Contest matchup between these two great friends and rivals, and like this all three previous ones have come in the finals with the ribbon on the line." Jillian said furthering the hype. "They've met three times in the Wallace Cup final and to top that off they did it in three straight years with the same one winning each time. However, they've never met outside the Wallace Cup or when both were Top Coordinators but now they have and we can't wait for it. Folks, give it up for a matchup we've been eagerly looking forward to as the Princess of Hoenn takes on the Prodigy of Sinnoh in the Laverre Contest final! It's May verses Dawn!"
"Well, here we are." Dawn said still smiling as the crowd roared around them. "The first of what will probably be a few matchups this year."
"Probably, we do have the Wallace Cup to live up to later in the year." May said. "And I will get my revenge there for those loses I've suffered, Dawn, but I will also win today. It's high time I finally got one off you after all."
"Bring it on May." Dawn said Poke Ball at the ready. "I'm more than ready to keep that streak alive and this time we're using different Pokémon so who knows how this will go. Show me what you can do, Princess."
"Oh I intend to, Prodigy." May said grinning as she drew her own Poke Ball. "Let's do this and put on a great show."
"You heard it folks, it's finally time for one of the most anticipated battles on the Kalos Contest Circuit and the season has only just begun!" Jillian said excitedly. "Battle Begin!"
"Tyrantrum, On Stage!" May said as she threw out her Poke Ball.
"Malamar, Spotlight!" Dawn said as the same time tossing her own Poke Ball out.
The Poke Balls burst and the large, fully evolved, and to many in the crowd somewhat unexpected Pokémon though Dawn's Malamar was a known entity from the Showcase circuit, landed in front of their trainers as the timer started. Tyrantrum let out a roar while Malamar just flexed her tentacles ready to take down this overgrown lizard and let the world see how much stronger Dawn had gotten.
"Dig!" May said starting off the attack. "Make sure it can't use Psychic right off the bat."
"Malamar, into the air." Dawn countered as Tyrantrum dove into the ground. "We may not be able to use Psychic on Tyrantrum right away but you can use it on yourself to fly so do so and avoid that Dig attack."
"Malamar." Malamar said in agreement as she used her move on herself, her whole body glowing blue, and she rose into the air so that she wouldn't be affected when Tyrantrum burst from the ground with Dig. "Malamar."
This was the right call and she commended Dawn for making it as she got nice and high above the battlefield and looked down to keep an eye out for the incoming rock and dragon type. She was sure she was higher than her opponent could burst out so she'd be safe and from there all she had to do was wait for it to fall back down as it missed and then counter.
She knew that Dawn wouldn't miss an opening like that as they had been training hard for this Contest and while she'd earned one slap for that loss she'd had to Greninja and Florges, Dawn had learned from it. As such, Malamar was certain that together they'd win this and she'd secure the first ribbon Dawn needed for that tournament she was aiming for at the end of the year.
Of course May had other ideas and she'd partially expected this as a defense to Dig. Dawn was smart and like May she used a lot of tactics that Ash favored, or improved on them after seeing Ash use similar ones in his own battles, and the use of a move like Psychic on your own Pokémon was one such Ash style move. However, it was also one that May had seen an evil Malamar and its cohorts use on themselves during her first year in Kalos so she was already aware that it could work.
That was why she and Tyrantrum had prepared for such a thing, as well as for using Dig to get close to an unsuspecting flying type, and worked hard on a specific aspect of Dig to overcome such an evasion. The fact that it also allowed for what May really wanted from Dig, albeit without the desired combo, was an added bonus. Now it was time to put that aspect into effect as the ground began to bulge beneath where Malamar was floating.
That aspect was of course the exit from Dig. Rather than just burst out under a Pokémon and toss them up, May and Tyrantrum had practiced hard to really thrust out from the ground with as much force as Tyrantrum could muster, jaws open and already prepared for the next attack that would utilize Tyrantrum's Strong Jaw ability to the fullest.
They'd learned from facing Ash that they needed more power so they had really focused on that. Now as Tyrantrum burst from the ground and officially missed Malamar costing May some points it was time to show that training to its fullest as the Despot Pokémon neared the Overturning Pokémon that was currently floating above it.
"Crunch!" May yelled the moment that Tyrantrum was free. "This is what we worked on!"
"Evade!" Dawn shouted as she realized that the force at which Tyrantrum had thrust itself from the ground was easily enough to reach Malamar where she was in the air. "Don't let it clamp its jaws on you Malamar!"
Malamar agreed and began to move but it was already too late. The sheer force that Tyrantrum had put into the attack ensured that it reached her, jaws now glowing with dark type power, before she could move far enough away to avoid it. As such, the formally extinct Pokémon managed to swallow Malamar's leg things and lower body all the way up to the top pair of dots on her chest into its gaping maw before she could get away.
Then, the moment that Tyrantrum had Malamar in its mouth in clamped its jaws down hard, teeth slamming into Malamar and ending her Psychic attack and causing her to cry out in pain from the blow though at least she didn't flinch from it. Also her dark type mitigated her psychic type's weakness to Crunch which helped but the boost of Tyrantrum's ability still added to the Crunch so it was stronger than it normally would be on Malamar.
However, even in Tyrantrum's maw and still rising a little from the momentum of its thrust upwards, Dawn was calm and ready for the next move. Just as May had anticipated an evasion like this from Malamar, Dawn had a plan in case Malamar ended up in a bite or bind based attack.
"Now Malamar, break free with Brutal Swing." Dawn called out. "And then send it back with Psychic to get some breathing room in this battle."
"Malamar." Malamar agreed and before May could say anything to counter Dawn's move, Malamar violently swung her body inside Tyrantrum's mouth.
Thanks to the contact there was no way for Tyrantrum to avoid the attack and its jaws were forced open by the dark and psychic type as she spun and imparted the blow that Tyrantrum was neither weak nor resistant to within its mouth. Then, as soon as the jaws were open and Malamar could get out she kicked off the roof of Tyrantrum's mouth and arched her body so that she could back flip out of his mouth entirely, eyes now glowing blue, as both Pokémon began to fall back to the ground.
They didn't get near it before Malamar grabbed Tyrantrum in her psychic hold and tossed it backwards with all the strength she could muster as they both fell to the ground. As she did though, May was already planning her next combo and called it out as Tyrantrum flew through the air and no longer glowing blue as the Psychic had been used solely to toss Tyrantrum away rather than hold it. This would really show that even a Pokémon like Tyrantrum could have the grace you'd expect from a Contest Pokémon.
"Land on your feet and use Stone Edge as soon as you can." May said as Malamar tossed Tyrantrum away from her, the hit being recorded and costing May points but she could live with that as it was still early in the match. "Then immediately follow the stones and use Dragon Tail."
"Evade those and counter with Payback to stagger it." Dawn said as Tyrantrum roared and showed its skills by twisting its large body in the air with surprising grace and landing on its feet with a thud that shook the battlefield and caused two groves as it dug its claws into the ground so that it didn't slide back too far. "And then Psychic again, best to keep it at a distance and avoid a move like Crunch again."
"Mala…" Malamar began but as she was speaking, and Tyrantrum was still sliding back, it raised its right leg and slammed it into the ground to send out the Stone Edge.
The move had been surprising to Malamar, it was some impressive coordination to pull off that neither she nor Dawn had expected, and as such the stones shot up in a jagged line and slammed into her gut before she could properly set herself to evade it. It didn't help that Tyrantrum had landed on the ground before her so it was able to prepare better.
To add to this, Tyrantrum had finally come to a stop when the final spike of rock burst up and hit Malamar so it was able to bellow and charge forward behind the stone spikes that fell away now that the move was over, tail glowing with dragon type power as it ran. It was a seriously impressive display of coordinating to pull off and May was grinning as Tyrantrum reached the end of the stones as the last one fell away from Malamar who gasped out only to plant its right foot and execute a pirouette on it so that it could bring its tail around and slam it into Malamar's side before she or Dawn could react to the whole sequence.
The blows dropped Dawn's points by a good bit but she and Malamar ignored it as Malamar grunted and slid to the side from the blow, staying on her feet as she did and glaring at Tyrantrum as it finished its turn facing Malamar so that it could launch another attack at her. The grace the big Pokémon had was surprising but Malamar was going to show it and she already had an order so the moment she could she lashed out with her tentacles, her Payback going to be twice as strong thanks to it being after an attack that had been used on her.
"Dodge and counter with Crunch." May yelled as Malamar lashed out.
"Evade as soon as you can, don't let it hit you again Malamar." Dawn countered. "And then use Psychic, we still got this."
"If you miss, move right into Dig to evade it." May said keeping pace with Dawn and using the momentum shift to her advantage. "Don't let Malamar grab you with Psychic."
Malamar's beak was a snarl as she tried but Tyrantrum leapt back, the angle better for it and allowing it to evaded the attack and Malamar's tentacles lashed thin air instead. However, that leap backwards was a double edged sword because as Tyrantrum's teeth glowed with dark type power and it bent its head down to snap it's jaws on Malamar it was too far away from her for a clean hit.
That was shown by Malamar using that time to leap to the side with an easy grace and evading the attack, her eyes glowing blue as she did and just like her tentacles hitting thin air, Tyrantrum's jaws clamped down on it. However, Tyrantrum had its orders and the moment it missed it used its forward momentum from the lunge to keep going and dove into the ground just before Malamar could grab it in a psychic hold.
The exchange had been a flurry of misses that cost both girls points but they paid their points no heed as they focused on the match at hand. The Dig wouldn't be recorded as a miss as it wasn't used as an attack though but the Psychic would be and Malamar grunted as her eyes returned to normal.
"Don't worry Malamar, that's still a win for us as it got Tyrantrum off our back for a moment and we won't take that Dig." Dawn said encouragingly as she used the brief moment Dig allowed to think of what to do next to capitalize on this. "Now, get ready and use Psywave as soon as you've got a clean shot after it appears."
"Malamar." Malamar said as she set herself but she wasn't fully thinking about that, she was getting pissed at the lizard that was currently upstaging her so she was going to really show it that she was better the moment it reappeared on the battlefield. "Malamar."
Alas that meant that her emotions were running the show so as soon as Tyrantrum burst out of the ground, dirt and debris exploding up in the process, Malamar let out a cry and unleashed her Psywave too early, her eagerness to land the hit after the last exchange getting the better of her and the wave of psychic power shooting out across the battlefield as Tyrantrum returned to the battle. As a result, and an unintended boost for May, the wave hit the debris that Tyrantrum's exit had caused and blew up from it obfuscating Malamar and Dawn from the result so they couldn't see.
If they'd been paying attention they would have noticed that May's points didn't go down at the hit as the judges did see that it was technically blocked, though Dawn didn't lose points for a miss either as it was a hard to score what had just happened. Had Dawn noticed she may have been ready but she wasn't though her command did at least produce some result.
"Stone Edge!" May said as soon as the cloud obscured her view of Dawn and Malamar but trusting that Tyrantrum had the shot. "You can do it Tyrantrum, I know it."
"As soon as it comes evade and use Psychic, we…" Dawn began before there was an unexpected roar and a line of stones shot out from the dust, clearing it and revealing that Tyrantrum was on its feet behind the hole it had made having clearly not been hit by the Psywave.
Malamar was too stunned to react in time and again took the blow to her gut from the last stone, a fourth hit for her to the two hits that she'd landed and equal misses and evades, by her count at least, which wasn't good. She needed another hit and Dawn had said to use Psychic so she pushed through the blow, eyes glowing blue and glaring at Tyrantrum. This time she managed to grab him in her hold as the stones fell away showing that Stone Edge had ended.
"That's it." Dawn said. "Raise and slam. Keep it up and let's run out the time this way. Each blow will knock points down, we have it now and Tyrantrum doesn't have a good, ranged move to break it."
"Malamar!" Malamar cried as she raised Tyrantrum high into the air and brought it savagely down, her frustration clear as she slammed the other Pokémon into the ground so hard the battlefield cracked, which inadvertently widened the hole before Tyrantrum, and dust billowed up. "Malamar, mal, Malamar!"
Malamar didn't care about that as she raised Tyrantrum up again to bring it down for another crash. May grit her teeth knowing that Dawn was right, this wasn't the best situation for her as Tyrantrum didn't have a solid ranged attack to break it so all Dawn could do was run out the time this way and win by chipping away at May's points. However, Stone Edge was ranged and in the instant that Tyrantrum hit the ground it could activate it so May had a plan.
"Use Stone Edge as soon as you hit the ground." May called out as Malamar began to accelerate Tyrantrum down to the ground for a second slam. "That's how…"
Before May could finish, and as Malamar was bringing Tyrantrum down to the ground, the buzzer suddenly went off showing that the 5 minutes was up though the girls had totally lost tract of time by that point. This was something that Dawn had really drilled into Malamar, the moment that buzzer sounded stop any attack as that was it and to her credit Malamar did just that ending her Psychic as soon as the sound went off.
Of course Tyrantrum was still in the air and falling to the ground so the result was kinda the same as the Despot Pokémon slammed into it with a crash but at least it wasn't an illegal hit that would have resulted in Dawn's instant disqualification. Naturally neither girl noticed that though as their heads wiped to the jumbotron to see the score on it.
"That is it folks, that amazing final is over and the winner of the Laverre Contest is…" Jillian said as she and everyone in the stands looked at the scoreboard to see that Dawn and May were both low on points but they could just make out that one was 2 or 3 percentage points higher than the other so there was a clear winner. "…May! After falling to Dawn in not one, not two, but three straight Wallace Cup finals she's finally defeated her friend and rival in a Contest final and in the process secured her Kalos Ribbon, the first of the 8 regional ribbons she needs to qualify for the Majestic Festival."
"Malamar return." Dawn said with a small smile as she recalled her Pokémon as the crowd cheered and looked at the Poke Ball in her hand. "You did great my friend; I was the one who messed up there at the end, that was likely the decider so we'll review this to see what when wrong. May's as good as ever, so credit to her, she earned this win and we've got to get stronger if we want to avoid losing to her again. It's been too long since I lost two in a row, can't make it three now can I? Take a rest, we'll learn from this and next time that ribbon is ours."
"Tyrantrum, return." May said recalling her own Pokémon, who'd gotten up during Jillian's announcement, at the same time as Dawn recalled Malamar and looking at her Poke Ball with a smile of her own. "That was amazing, you did so well out there, I'm proud of you. You really showed that appearance and size mean nothing in a Contest battle, grace can be shown by any Pokémon. Take a good long rest, you earned it after we finally beat Dawn. She's still as strong as ever though, we might not be so lucky next time so we're going to train extra hard for when our paths next cross, which is likely the Wallace Cup and I won't lose that to her again."
At that May put the Poke Ball away and walked out just as Dawn did the same, both girls avoiding the holes that Tyrantrum made during the battle as they walked to the middle of the battlefield. As neither wore gloves due to the outfits they didn't need to take them off so the next part would be easy as they reached the center at the same time.
"Well, it was bound to happen, you beat me May." Dawn said holding out her right hand as she came to a stop before her friend. "Well done, looks like I still have work to do to get my first ribbon for the Majestic Festival."
"I don't doubt that you will Dawn and thank you." May said taking Dawn's hand in hers and shaking as any two coordinators should, this was a professional and respectful exchange after all and the crowd was loving it. "It's been a while but I finally beat you in a Contest, shame it's not the Wallace Cup, I still need to win that."
"That's my domain though." Dawn said as they ended the handshake. "And we are going to be in it again so we're going to see if we can meet in the finals for a fourth time."
"You bet; the others will try but they can't compete with us in that." May said with a chuckle. "And we'll both be stronger with new Pokémon by then."
"And several more regional ribbons." Dawn concurred. "But for now, this is your moment May, enjoy it. See you later to celebrate this."
"Of course." May said with a nod and Dawn turned to leave and May sighed and whispered. "It will be our last night as a group for a while after all so we should make the most of it."
Before May could dwell more on what she'd said though, or solidify her decision, Dawn had left the stage and walked back into the wings and Mr. Contesta had walked up to her a small, light pink box in his hands as the crowd quieted in anticipation of the ribbon presentation. Inside the box, on a dark pink, velvet cushion, was a bright, hot pink ribbon in the Kalos style with the crest of Laverre City as the golden seal in the center. It was a fitting ribbon for the city where the first of only two fairy type gyms in the world, as far as May knew, was located.
"Congratulations, May, after a hard fought battle you have won the Laverre Contest." Mr. Contesta said as he held the box out to her. "And I now present to you the Laverre Ribbon, your first ever Kalos ribbon and the first of the 8 you need to qualify for the Majestic Festival. I look forward to hearing from my compatriots on your progress this year towards getting the other seven."
"Thank you." May said as she took the ribbon and knew just what she was going to do with it as she held it the way she'd held the other 15 she'd won in her career and thrust her arm into the air triumphantly. "Alright, I won the Laverre Ribbon!"
May held it high above her head while the crowd cheered soaking in her victory while Mr. Contesta backed away to give her this moment, the jumbotron flashed to show her trainer card and the 4 Pokémon she'd used in the Contests, and the cameras captured the moment she won her first ribbon of the year. May kept her arm up for a few moments before she pulled it down to look at the Laverre Ribbon smiling as she held it in her hands and spoke quietly to it to confirm her earlier thought.
"You are the first of 8 on the road to the Majestic Festival." May said to her first, and only, Kalos ribbon that she'd won and she wouldn't have had it any other way but to win it against Dawn. "Now, though, it's time for me to take my leave from Ash and Dawn as we both seek out own routes to the Majestic Festival."
May had made up her mind the moment it was clear that one of them would win the Laverre Contest, they had to break the group up. Whoever won would move on to a new region and seek her next ribbon there while the other remained in Kalos to get the one needed here. The one to leave would be her.
It was for the best and May had her explanation ready for when it came up the next day so that she could convince Dawn that they really did have part ways. May was ready for that talk but for now she'd enjoy this moment as she took her first step towards the Majestic Festival.
Well, there it is, the Laverre Contest is in the books and May has finally triumphed over Dawn in a Contest final (or Contest battle at all for that matter). The girls are back and while Dawn suffered another loss, this wasn't an upset and she knows she still has more work to do to get back into things, she can't help but be pleased for May in her moment of victory. Now, though, it's time for May to make her departure for obvious reasons so there is only one more Part left before Champions moves to a pure Ash and Dawn adventure with the other characters coming and going as the story progresses through the other 7 regions on its meandering way to the final tournaments. The only other thing to add here is that I know I teased up some stuff on Valerie that will be relevant latter in the story so there's that to look forward to and I will do that Supplement in time once my life and fanfiction workload ease up in the coming months. For anyone who may be confused as to why I've got Valerie as being originally from Johto, the reason for that is that in the original Japanese version, the VA who voices Valerie does her voice with the same accent as the region Johto is based off so it's a nod to that. That is all that I have for the Part, however, so I will leave it off here. As always if you like my work then please favorite (both this story and me in general to be notified of any new content I post), if possible leave a review as I really like hearing what you think of my work and your suggestions that help complete this story (and respond as best I can) and just in general keep enjoying my work. Until next time.
Stringdog