Well, here it is, the fortieth part of the fifth and final installment in my 'Heart' series. It was an eventful trip to Circhester for Ash and Dawn what with Ash catching his latest Pokemon but now they are in the cold city in the Galarian mountains and it is time for Dawn's second Contest in Galar and second attempt at getting the Galar Ribbon that she needs. Nothing will stop her after the last Contest, right? Well let's see that is all the administrative stuff I have for this Part and while there are no questions to answer there is guest review to respond to so I will do that now. Do please keep your reviews coming as I love hearing from y'all.
To Mario 64 (guest), thank you for your review and support, glad to see that you're still enjoying this story. The Hearts Series is still going and won't be slowing down anytime soon as I've got 90-100 more Parts left in this final installment in it. It's certainly come a long way since I began, longer than I ever anticipated, and it's been a fun ride to get here. This will be the final story in the main Hearts Series but not the end for the Hearts Universe as I have the Supplement for Champions to eventually do, 4 planned standalone spinoffs following the journeys of 4 characters and their stories there (May's story during Dreams, Serena and Alain's stories during Champions, and a special one for Sabrina's road to recovery) as well as a few special tales and eventually a sequel trilogy so I've got years and years of material to add. There's plenty of stuff to look forward to in this universe so do keep reading and enjoying my work.
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 CCXXIX: Surprise from Slateport.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
Part CCXXIX: Surprise from Slateport
"Welcome to the Circhester Contest Hall, are you here to register for today's Contest?"
The question came from the smiling receptionist who looked up as Ash and Dawn entered and walked up to the desk in the well-appointed, and for the most part normal looking, reception room still a little taken aback by the whole set up. It was something that neither of them had expected when they learned where the Circhester Hall was mainly because it was, well, located inside one of the mountains that bordered the northern part of the city.
The couple had arrived in Circhester a few days ago having made quick work of the rest of the journey after Ash met and caught a Grookey in a wood that they had to get through before reaching the mountains north of Circhester. That part of their journey had been uneventful as they'd quickly found one of the mountain paths to Circhester the next morning and took it right away so that they reached the city by midafternoon as it was a bit of a winding and long path.
Thankfully, it was well lit and clearly designed for cutting through the mountains for those coming into or leaving the city from the north so there were no issues or surprises along the path. In fact it was totally unremarkable, which was a stark contrast to when they exited it and entered Circhester for the first time as they were impressed by what they saw.
The city itself was decently sized, about what the couple had come to expect from cities that were large enough to hold a gym in a region, though they had been to a few large cities that lacked a gym as well, and comprised mainly of brick buildings built in a style that they'd learn was an old fashioned one for Galar. What impressed them, however, was the whole setting of the city nestled in the snowy mountains of Galar and bordered almost entirely by them except for the southern part.
It was almost picturesque in a way that neither had experienced but they didn't have that much time to marvel at it because the first thing that they noticed was the temperature in the city. It was bitingly cold and a chill breeze ran through the streets as they walked through them with snow piled up all over the place to show that either there had been a recent snowfall or that it was just so cold here that it took a while to melt. Whatever the case, they did notice that as a result of the climate plenty of ice type were out and wandering around with their trainers.
Even with the temperature and ice types out and about, it wasn't snowing when they arrived and thankfully Ash and Dawn had had the sense to bring cold weather gear for their time in Circhester. They had been informed about the weather here back when they were in Wyndon and as they would have to pass through Circhester regardless they'd made sure to bring what they needed and as such were already kitted up by the time they left the tunnel and entered the city.
Besides, this wasn't unusual for them having experienced perpetually cold and snowy cities like Snowpoint and Snowbelle before so they knew how to handle cities of this nature. They were ready and so were quickly able to make their way through Circhester while taking it all in and to the Hotel Ionia, a fancy hotel that the city was known for, and checked in there without much of an issue.
While they would have liked to have stayed in the Pokémon Center like they normal would, they remembered what had happened in Wyndon when Ash had shown up. He had been instantly recognized and mobbed by trainers looking for battles, advice, or to just talk with a regional Champion.
With the Circhester Contest approaching there would be people from out of town coming in for it so there was little doubt that Ash would be recognized again and likely mobbed as he had been in Wyndon which would be annoying to deal with when Dawn had to focus on preparing for said Contest. Therefore it was easier to pay the extra money and stay in the hotel where they could get a measure of privacy but they'd decided that when the Contest was done they'd check out of the hotel and check into the Pokémon Center for a few days to enjoy the city.
That was something that both of them were looking forward to because just walking through Circhester to the hotel they'd seen a lot to intrigue them. There were interesting and new shops, a cool and apparently famous restaurant that Ash really wanted to try out, natural hot springs that the city was built over including one called the Hero's Bath to enjoy, and of course the Circhester Gym, or Circhester Stadium as it was called, to check out.
The last one they'd seen with ease as the massive stadium was at the top of a ramp overlooking the whole city so it was impossible to miss. It was their first glimpse of a Galarian Gym showing just how big they were and the spectacle that gym battles were here.
Of course the reason for this was because like almost all gyms in Galar it was built over a Power Spot so as to allow for Dynamaxing and so the location of the gym had to be there for it to occur but the size of it was impressive. While Ash wouldn't battle in this particular gym, he was already excited about getting to battle in a gym of that size when they got to Hammerlocke and hopefully Dynamaxing in it for the first time.
Naturally, that was contingent on winning in Spikemuth of course and Piers giving him a Dynamax Band before Ash and Dawn went to Hammerlocke. Of course Ash was already prepared for that but that wasn't pressing at the moment, Dawn's Contest was and so they focused on that from the moment they arrived in Circhester.
Everything else that they wanted to do could wait until after the Contest and Dawn had a gut feeling that she had to win this Contest though she didn't know why. Likely it was because their time in Galar was tighter now that she'd lost her first Contest here so she was going all out in this Contest and win it so she needed to maximize her preparations. That was just what the couple did with the only break being the day before when they all took the day off and went to the Hero's Bath for a relaxing soak to refresh and prepare for the coming Circhester Contest.
Now that Contest was at hand and they'd been directed to the Contest Hall they were ready for it. Where they weren't ready for was learning that the Contest Hall wasn't actually in the city but had instead been built into the natural cave system in one of the mountains to the northeast of the city. The path to it was simple given how well laid out Circhester was and the entrance well-advertised but it was a strange feeling for them to walk into a mountain tunnel and up to a set of doors built into it rather than to a building or temporary structure.
It was a fist for the couple but they pushed that to the backs of their minds as they doors opened into a standard Contest Hall reception room. It was just like the ones that they were used to entering complete with a desk, terminals, a Pokémon transfer machine, poffin and Poke Bloc making stations, a grooming zone, and general congregation area that had a few people in each location making final preparations or just relaxing before the Contest.
Yet all of this was under a mountain and built into what was clearly a natural cavern that had been modified to fit the room. This was clear by the walls and ceiling still being rough rock and Ash and Dawn took it all in as they approached the desk and the receptionist greeted them. This got their attention and Ash and Dawn turned to her and noticed that there were two doors on either side of the desk for some reason but they paid the doors no heed as they approached her.
"Yes, I am, my fiancé is just here to support me." Dawn said with a smile as put down Piplup who she'd been carrying before she reached into her pocked and pulled out a card holder before removing the gold Coordinator Card that she had that marked her as a Top Coordinator competing in regional Contests in her quest to qualify for the Majestic Festival and handing it over. "I'd like to formally register for the Circhester Contest."
"Excellent, I'll just…oh my." The receptionist said as she took the card to scan it in and only then seemed to notice its color and her eyes widened. "A Top Coordinator, that is an unexpected honor. Welcome, we're pleased to have a prestigious coordinator enter today and look forward to seeing you in the Contest."
"Thank you." Dawn said with a smile, she'd gotten this at other registrations since her first one in Kalos and had come to expect it and so was polite about the praise. "But I'm just another coordinator looking to get a ribbon today."
"Of course well still it's a pleasure to have you…" The receptionist began as she scanned Dawn's card in and officially registered. "Dawn from Twinleaf Town in the Sinnoh region. Huh, so you're the Prodigy of Sinnoh, I'd heard that you were in the region just didn't expect you at this Contest."
"I was beaten in a recent rural Contest to the north of here so this was closest and my fiancé has to be in Spikemuth soon so we came straight here." Dawn said as she took her card back. "Plus we get to see more of Galar this way while I try to qualify for the Majestic Festival."
"Yes that recent Contest has been all the talk on the Galar Contests blogs as it was a big upset, I just didn't expect that you'd head straight here afterwards." The receptionist said. "I've not seen the replay yet though, been busy helping set this up, but I heard that it was a really good battle."
"It was, Emily's come a long way since I first met her." Dawn said with a smile. "She earned her win there."
"Yes she's become quite the fan favorite here and that's before she beat a Top Coordinator." The receptionist said. "Well, best of luck to you in your second Galar Contest then. Please take the first door on my left and then the elevator down to the stage level. There you will find changing rooms where you can select your outfit if you need to borrow one and store your clothes and belongings along with the coordinator waiting room. That is only for registered coordinators, however, your fiancé must take the second door on the left to the stands. With that you're all set for the Circhester Rock Contest."
"Thank you, I'll…" Dawn began before it hit her. "Hold up, did you say Circhester Rock Contest?"
"I did." The receptionist said with a smile. "We confirmed that that will be today's Contest yesterday when the weather report came in."
"Why's it called that?" Dawn asked confused. "I thought that this was just the Circhester Contest."
"It's listed as that because the first Circhester Contest is somewhat weather dependent as we've got some leeway there." The receptionist said. "The next one will be later in the season when the snows are worse so it was decided that this would be the Rock Contest."
"Wait first Circhester Contest?" Dawn asked. "There are two Contests here?"
"That would be correct." The receptionist said with a nod. "Due to the need for as many Contests as possible during the expansion period, the cities of Stow-on-Side and Circhester host two Contests each year. This is the first of those two in Circhester while Stow-on-Side's first was last month."
"Huh, why is that?" Dawn asked. "I'm just curious as I've never known a city to host two in a year before."
"Perfectly understandable as no other region does this and the reason is simple, we have two Gym Leaders here in Circhester so we have two Contests with stages and terrains specialized to their types." The receptionist said. "The Circhester Rock Contest which is held deep underground on a rocky stage and rock battlefield with the stands carved out of the rocks and the Circhester Ice Contest held atop this mountain in the open air with an ice stage and battlefield and stands erected in the snow, preferably during a snowstorm for added atmosphere. As we're not slated for snow for a bit we decided that the Rock Contest would come first this year as that stage is fully ready so can be decided at the last minute."
"Why do you have two Gym Leaders?" Ash asked more interested in that part. "I've heard of a city having a pair of leaders or even three but I get the feeling that this isn't like the twins I faced in Mossdeep or the brothers of Striaton."
"You'd be correct." The receptionist said looking to Ash and clearly not recognizing him or Pikachu on his shoulder. "For whatever reason, Circhester has two separate and fully recognized Gym Leaders in Gordie and Melony who specialize in rock and ice types respectively. They alternate weeks and it makes our gym battles rather interesting so we never changed it. It's the same in Stow-on-Side in the west of Galar where they have the fighting specialist Bea and ghost specialist Allister as their gym leaders. As such there is the Stow Fighting Contest held in their main dojo and the Stow Ghost Contest held at night in the city's cemetery. The latter is, in fact, the only nighttime Contest in all of Galar."
"Woah that is rather different." Ash said. "But cool as well as it allows for more gym strategies."
"Not really." The receptionist said surprising Ash. "You have to decide which leader you want to face and declare it upon registering to challenge that Gym once you're eligible to face it. Once you do make your declaration, your decision is locked in so you can only beat that particular Gym Leader and as we have a set order they must be your fourth in Stow and sixth here."
"I see well still that's something that I've never seen in another region." Ash said. "Shame I never got to try my hand here but oh well."
"No need in complaining Ash, you'll get some battles as you are the Kalos Champion." Dawn said smiling at him and noticing the receptionist blink in surprise and turned back to her to bring the conversation back on topic. "But I like this, it's a good reason for two Contests, opens up two more on the circuit, and honors the uniqueness of Circhester and Stow-on-Side. The Galar Contest Committee has done a good job deciding this and playing to the nature of these Contests."
"Thank you." The receptionist said. "Now the Contest starts in three hours so please go and get ready for it. You know our dress requirements having already been in a Contest and there are plenty of fresh styles and dresses to choose from. You've got plenty of time as registration doesn't close for another two hours. Once it does and all is sorted, a random draw will occur here and one of the staff members will come down with your assigned appeal spot."
"Sounds good and having time to change and get ready is precisely why we came early, it's one of the things that I really like about Galarian Contests." Dawn said as the door to the reception room opened and a new coordinator walked in to register. "Reminds me of home. Thank you."
The receptionist just nodded at that and Ash and Dawn smiled back before they turned and headed around the desk and to the doors just as the newcomer approached it not noticing them as the newcomer was focused on checking in, getting ready, and winning this Contest. The newcomer was so ready in fact that the person was producing a coordinator card as the newcomer neared the desk.
"Welcome to the Circhester Contest Hall, are you…oh well that was unexpected, a second gold card! We're really in for a treat today with two Top Coordinators!"
"Two?" The coordinator, his voice oddly familiar to Ash and while it was oddly high pitched he could tell that the newcomer was male. "Who's the other one? I've not faced a fellow Top Coordinator this year."
"She's over there actually, she just checked in." The receptionist said clearly indicating to Ash and Dawn as they began to turn back to the desk to see who this newcomer was just as he was turning to look over at them. "She's known as the Prodigy of Sinnoh, Dawn from Twinleaf Town. I'm sure that you've heard of her."
As the woman spoke Ash and Dawn turned full circle and saw the man with shoulder length purple hair standing there. He wore a navy blue, V-necked, shirt with a diamond cut out on his midriff exposing his naval under a bright green jacked that came to just above his waist with sleeves and four dark green diamond patches on each arm from his shoulder to cuff that matched his green pants down to the diamond pattern down the outsides of the legs. He completed the look with a silver belt with a gold buckle and a dark green triangular hat on his head.
It was an odd look and clearly had some reason behind it but as he was someone who Dawn had never seen before she had no clue what that reason might be. That said, she wasn't well versed with who the other Top Coordinators were as there were several that she'd never met, and this one just stood there arms over his chest and a smirk on his lips as he saw the couple.
While Dawn might not know him, he certainly knew who she was hence the smirk at finally meeting her in person. More importantly, Ash did know he was and recognized him instantly a bad feeling settling in his gut as he looked at the other man.
"Well, well, what are the chances of this?" The man asked in his oddly high voice clearly enjoying this little meeting. "To think that I'd run into the Prodigy first, a shame that you're not my dear Princess but this will be a good warmup for when I next get to play with her. Oh this will be fun."
"I see that you know who I am but I have no clue who you are." Dawn said simply though the reference to Princess and playing with her tickled something in Dawn's brain as she was sure she knew which of her two friends with that epithet the man was referring to. "So I can't say I that feel the same just yet."
"Don't listen to him Dawn, this is part of his underhanded tactics." Ash said causing Dawn to blink at the statement and look at Ash as it was clear that he knew who the other man was. "He's trying to get into your head, don't let him. Not that it's worked in the past, has it?"
"Bad boy Ash, giving away some of my secrets right at the start, tut, tut." The man said looking to Ash. "Don't ruin my fun now, not when it's just beginning. I hear that you and Dawn are engaged. I wonder, how'd she take the news? Even back then I knew that she liked you, I bet this devastated her. Oh how I wish I'd been there when she learned of you two, it would have been so sweet. A shame but this will be great to bring up when I finally do cross paths with my dear Princess."
"Let's cut this, what do you want?" Ash asked before he added. "Harley."
As soon as Ash said the man's name his smirk turned into a grin and Dawn's eyes went wide at that. She didn't know what the man looked like but she did know the name, she'd helped comfort May after she was forced relive all that had happened in Johto when Drew resurfaced in Kalos and knew full well who Harley was and what he'd done. The name put it all together and Dawn understood exactly what he was now saying. She was glad that she'd brought in a strong team for this Contest because now she had extra incentive to win this one.
"Why win my fourth region on my first try and keep heading towards the Majestic Festival of course." Harley said his grin never fading. "And to do meet dear May again along the way though maybe waiting to beat her in Lilycove at the Majestic Festival would be better. Now, though, I get the chance to take down another of her friends and add more to my arsenal for when I see her again. That I can tell her how I met the woman she lost in love to. We all knew that she was just using Drew to get over you, Ash, and never truly did, so I can't wait to give her my impressions of the woman who bested her."
"Another?" Ash asked as Dawn felt her anger rising the more Harley spoke.
"Some honey blonde country girl I beat out in Unova who's name isn't even worth remembering." Harley said as Ash took Dawn's hand the action calming her. "Beat her with ease for my second regional ribbon. She was May's protégé, and clearly not a talented coordinator, and now I get to face one of her other rivals and beat her when May's never beaten her be it in love or Contests. Oh this is going to be good."
"Jokes on you then because not only are May and I on good terms regarding our mutual love for Ash but I've lost to May this year already as she beat me in the Laverre Contest out in Kalos." Dawn said keeping her voice calm and level as she mentally prepared to face someone like Harley. "But I've heard all about you, Harley, so I look forward to facing you today. You've hurt one of my closest friends on multiple occasions and I don't take something like that happening to my friends lightly."
"Oh I like that; you've got spirit Dawn." Harley said with a grin not at all bothered by Dawn's words. "And as you're used to losing, I am aware that you're what 2 for 5 since returning to the circuit in your Quest for the Majestic Festival, so you'll be expecting it today. I'm 3 for 3 on the same quest by the way."
"Unlike some I always know that I could lose in any given, I learned that as a rookie in Sinnoh." Dawn said just as unaffected by Harley's words as he was hers. "So I wasn't at all hurt by losing three Contests this year and yes two weren't to Top Coordinators and even that doesn't bother me. You can't affect me that way."
"Plus, if I recall, you lost to May more times than you beat her, right?" Ash asked calmly. "What's your record against her again? 4 losses to 2 wins, right?"
"I've beaten her three times, actually, and I did so where it really counted in the Johto Grand Festival final." Harley retorted a little irritation creeping into his voice. "And thus became a Top Coordinator before she did."
"Right that final where Drew betrayed her and handed that win to you because he's a spiteful ass who couldn't deal with his girlfriend beating him in the semifinals or for the second year in a row." Dawn said recalling it. "You can't win a Grand Festival on your own, can you? You have to use unsportsmanlike tactics to win and even then you needed to be spoon fed a victory in the cheapest way possibly. Rather pathetic, isn't it? You may have become a Top Coordinator before May did but at least she earned it fair and square the next year in Sinnoh."
"I didn't need Drew's aid but I gladly accepted it as we had a common enemy at the time following May's betrayal of him and his pure love for her." Harley said clearly pissed at that. "You'll eat those words later; I'll make sure of it."
"Bring it, I've faced far worse than someone like you." Dawn said recalling how bad Kenny had gotten at the end when she faced him in the Kanto Grand Festival Final and what she'd seen from Brianna and Drew in Kalos. "Let's try to meet in the final, I want all of Galar to see this."
"As do I." Harley said recovering. "And they will seeing as we're both Top Coordinators. I'll make sure that they have a show that they never forget."
"Um sir, your Coordinator Card." The receptionist said getting Harley's attention before Dawn could retort that she intended to do the same. "It's all set and must I say, having the Prodigy of Sinnoh and the Sly Speaker of Slateport in the same Contest is a real treat. We've not had a Top Coordinator final in Galar this year and I for one am hoping for it. Please use the first door on the left to access the elevator down to the male changing and coordinator waiting room."
"Don't worry, I'm sure that I'll give the people of Galar a final worthy of my status." Harley said turning to the receptionist to take his card before turning back to Ash and Dawn. "Now if you mind, I'm going to go and change, gotta look my best for this win."
"By all means, do go first." Dawn said as she stepped back and out of the way, pulling Ash with her and allowing Harley to pass and entered the hallway as he just smirked at her. "I'll see you in the waiting room. Better bring that Top Coordinator game because I am."
Harley didn't bother to respond to that, he just waved at Dawn as the door closed behind him. Dawn could have gone down as well but she wanted to wait and let Harley get down first so as to not deal with him anymore. That and she could have a moment with Ash beforehand while the receptionist and a few of the others in the reception room clearly began to post on some of the Galar Contest blogs about the potential Top Coordinator battle brewing in the impending Circhester Rock Contest.
Dawn also needed this moment with Ash because she couldn't lie and say that she wasn't at least a little rattled by meeting the man who'd beaten May in the Johto Grand Festival Final the year before she lost to Ursula, and who did so so badly that it really shook May. However, that was also what motivated Dawn to beat him because she wasn't going to let Harley remain on a high from that or his no doubt crushing win over Serena as well given how dismissive he was of another of Dawn's good friends.
"You ok?" Ash asked looking at Dawn after a moment.
"Yes, more than ok." Dawn said as she turned to Ash determination in her voice. "I'm going to win this Contest and Harley just lit the fire I needed to ensure it. I've got to go and get ready; I'll see you after."
At that Dawn lent up and kissed Ash putting a bit more passion into it than normal as she was fired up but she quickly pulled away before it became too inappropriate for a public setting. She then backed up, bent down to pick up Piplup again, before looking at Ash.
"Good luck then, I know you'll win." Ash said with a grin. "You've got this."
"I know, nothing's going to stop me." Dawn said and with that she turned to the same door that Harley had used leaving Ash in the reception area knowing that Ash would make his own way down to the spectator area when he was ready. "Come on Piplup, let's get ready for a Contest that Galar won't forget."
"Pip, Piplup!" Piplup said from her arms just as determined to win as Dawn was as he sensed her feelings as they went through the door and entered a corridor leading to a closed set of elevator doors. "Piplup, pip, pip, Piplup!"
Dawn smiled at Piplup's support and as she walked she thought on all that she knew about Harley and his character from what May, and to a lesser extent Ash and Max, had told her about him. What she knew was nothing good to say the least as the man was a sly, calculating, underhanded, and unsportsmanlike coordinator who was not a fan favorite but was technically skilled so liked by the judges and talented enough to make Grand Festivals at least.
In a few ways he was similar to Amelia in that regard only he was far subtler than Amelia was and acted outside the bounds of competition while Amelia focused on the competition itself. That made Harley a bit more dangerous as he played mind games while Amelia wore her hostility on her sleeve so Dawn would have to be careful on that front.
Thankfully, she was fully aware of Harley's tricks thanks to the stories she'd heard of him. That said, it was because of those tricks that Dawn couldn't full assess his skills because as far as she was concerned Harley's victory in the Johto Grand Festival was tainted by what Drew had done to betray May before the final. It wasn't a fair battle because of that but even though Harley didn't truly earn that victory, Dawn did know that he'd beaten May once in Kanto and had been recognized by a coordinator of Solidad's caliber so Harley wasn't a slouch at least.
Still, as the elevator opened and Dawn entered it to descend to the coordinator area of the rock part of the Circhester Contest Hall, she couldn't help but note all the terrible things that Harley had done to May. To say that it was a lot was an understatement and the way he beat her in Johto with Drew's help was just the icing on the cake as he'd been an ass to May for a long time before that moment.
Why Harley had it out for May was beyond Dawn as May didn't seem to understand it either but it was clear that he didn't like May and hadn't since their first meeting in Hoenn. This was actually due to series of petty reasons stemming from their first meeting such as May not being familiar with his Cacturne, calling it scary, and referring to his cookies as 'not half bad' and so from the very start he'd tried many underhanded, but not illegal, tactics to try and beat May, in Dawn's mind, were not what a coordinator, let alone a Top Coordinator, should do.
These tactics ranged in style and complexity with the first of them occurring in that first Contest where Harley and May met when he pretended to be Max's friend so as to learn and record an embarrassing secret about May's past. In that instance Max who told Harley of a time when his and May's mom had tried to catch her as she'd mistaken May for a Tentacool after May got stuck in the water with a swarm of them, a story that Harley gleefully played for the entire Contest venue. Despite this May rebounded from the embarrassment and beat Harley in that Contest.
After that Dawn was aware of Harley going as far as to pretend make up with and be friends with May so that he could use that to give her bad advice. To make it even worse, he pretended to be sorry for what he'd done and claimed to be working hard to make up for that so as to fool May with bad advice a second time.
According to May, the first time had been in Hoenn Grand Festival in Slateport City where he'd told May to just use one move in her appeals with her Beautifly and Skitty rather than mix it up with a variety of moves in hopes that she'd fail to pass the appeals stage. Thankfully May managed to pull it off thanks to how she used the variety of her Skitty's Assist and would go on to beat Harley in the battle round of the Hoenn Grand Festival.
The second time came in Kanto when May tried to register for her first Kanto Contest and Harley was pretending to be making amends for his past wrongs. There he told her that she could use her Hoenn Contest Pass for Kanto Contests and gave her the wrong time to register causing her to almost be left out of the Contest.
Thankfully, Team Rocket decided to try and raid the Pokémon Center and as thanks for May's help in repelling them Lilian gave her a Kanto Contest Pass, a Ribbon Case, and an exception into the Contest as a result. May would go on to beat Harley in that Contest's final and earned her first Kanto Ribbon despite Harley's attempted machinations.
He would beat May in their next Contest matchup, so his fourth attempt to beat her, and this time without any real attempt to mess with May as she was wise to him by that point. That didn't stop him though as he did try to sabotage May's final Ribbon that she needed to qualify for the Grand Festival, a ribbon that she had to win in the final Kanto Contest of the season, by enlisting James and Meowth to help sabotage may behind the scenes while lending his Pokémon to Jessie to help her win.
Ash, Brock, Max, and Drew thwarted the formers' sabotage back when Drew was still decent while May would beat Jessie in a thrilling overtime final to win her final ribbon in Kanto. This part wasn't actually known to Dawn but it showed the lengths to which Harley would go to try and prevent May from reaching the Kanto Grand Festival.
That of course failed and so when the Kanto Grand Festival rolled around Harley used the oddest and most disturbing tactic that Dawn had heard of up to this point. According to May, Harley had been acting all mysterious wearing a cloak to hide his clothes when the Grand Festival was starting, he then ripped it off right before his appeal to reveal that he was fully crossdressing as May herself and asked to be called Mayley before he performed his appeal.
All of this was done to throw May off and he kept the act, and outfit, up until the advancers were announced and he ended up drawn against May in the first round of the battles. Again he would lose in that battle and May would then record her first win over Drew before going out to Solidad in the semifinals.
This was what led to May going to Johto where Drew, Harley, and Solidad were also competing even though the last one was already a Top Coordinator. Over that season May would face Harley four times including the Grand Festival and split their matches each winning 2 of them but Harley won the important one with his worst move yet thanks to Drew and since then he'd been doing whatever a Top Coordinator did. He wasn't in Kalos promoting the circuit before and during the first year of expansion, he was in fact in Alola for it, so he'd not been seen by Ash or May since then.
Dawn was aware of almost all of the pre-Johto stuff along with the Johto Grand Festival incident and it played through her mind as the elevator reached the bottom and opened up to another long hallway that was clearly originally a natural tunnel under the mountain with a door at the far end that said 'Waiting Room' on it and a door on each side of the hallway halfway down. Those were the changing rooms and Dawn walked to the women's one on the right hand side and opened it to enter a large, nice, and classically Galarian changing room albeit one that was a mountain.
Seeing it put Dawn at ease a bit, she wouldn't admit it but meeting Harley for the first time and knowing his past with May had riled her up more than she would have liked. However, now that she was in the changing room and looking at the lockers and line of dresses to borrow along with mirrors, makeup, and accessories, Dawn relaxed and got her anger under control.
Dressing up was part of Sinnoh's tradition so being able to do so always eased her mins and put her in a good, confident, mental space. Add in her desire to win this and beat someone who'd hurt at least one, if not two of her friends and she was ready.
Thankfully, Dawn was already prepared for the Contest Pokémon wise and so she set Piplup down on the counter in front of the mirrors and went to the dresses to find one that fit what she was looking for while enjoying having the changing room to herself for a moment. As with the last Contest, and all Contests in Galar, the dresses were all white and in various different styles, cuts, and patterns but clearly both formal and functional for a Contest so Dawn just had to choose what she wanted and she quickly found what felt like the perfect dress for this Contest picked it off to make sure that it was her size.
It was and she smiled as she took it to the mirror to check it out as she placed it over her body. The dress was a simple shoulder strap dress with an unassuming bodice that didn't have a cut to it with a white sash around the waist for her Poke Balls to go on her left hip as the right hip had a nice bow that tied it there and a slightly pleated skirt that came to her knees. There were additional sleeves that came to Dawn's biceps and attached to her hands via a loop over her middle fingers so her palms and the backs of her hands were covered along with a set of white tights, both of which Dawn opted for.
With the dress in hand Dawn wasted no time in changing into it before finding a pair of nice white shoes with bows on the front to pair with it. It was less elaborate than the last outfit that she'd borrowed but perfect for this Contest, all she needed to do was style her hair to match and pick up a purse accessory to complete the look.
For this dress Dawn went with a pretty straightforward hairstyle opting for having it down in a nice blue sheet over her back while she took her bangs and looped them around her head and pinned them in the back with a white rose clip to keep with the simplicity of whole ensemble though she would have preferred her Pikachu clip. That also applied to the purse as she opted for a small clutch style bag on a long golden link chain over her right shoulder and put it on last so as to transfer her Poke Balls and a few other necessary items she knew that she'd need for the Contest to it to finish her look.
When she was done Dawn smiled and twirled in front of the mirror, pleased with how everything had come out. It was just what she wanted for this Contest and now she was ready for all that was to come so she she gathered up her clothes and bag quickly stored them on one of the provided lockers that she then locked and took the key from to put in the purse.
With that done she picked up Piplup and left the changing room just as two more girls got off the elevator having clearly just registered for the Contest. Dawn and Harley were some of the first to arrive but more would be registering soon so Dawn just nodded to the newcomers before she went to the waiting room as they went to the changing room.
Said waiting room already had a half dozen coordinators in it who were either sitting on the provided benches or at one of the few tables that had been set up for them while another table ran the length of one side and was laden with snacks and drinks, all Galarian classics which included several types of tea, for the coordinators. Dawn ignored that and found a bench along the other wall to sit on with Piplup and go over her final strategy for the Contest while keeping an eye on the large TV that was on the wall opposite the entrance and over a second door that clearly led to the Contest stage.
All of it was pretty standard really other than the whole being deep under a mountain thing and the walls and ceiling showed this but Dawn paid that no heed as she mentally prepared for the coming Contest. She did glance at the door whenever a coordinator came in to see how many would be in this Contest, and keep an eye out for Harley so that she could ignore him, but other than that she was fully in the zone and ready.
Dawn was calm, prepared, and knew what she had to do so even when Harley showed up 20 minutes after her in a full three piece suit comprising of a white button up shirt, black ascot, gray waistcoat with a pocket watch on a chain in it, and matching gray pants under black coat with a forked tail she paid him little heed. Of course, Harley was over the top with his entrance and the fact that he'd opted for a top hat, cane, and for some reason a monocle along with fine white gloves only added to it but Dawn just ignored him and Harley thankfully ignored her.
He didn't, however, ignore other coordinators and quickly engaged many of them in conversations that were loud enough to carry through the waiting room so that everyone could hear him. Some were receptive but others ignored Harley and did their own thing.
It was clear to Dawn, however, that this was part of Harley's game and mental tactics before the Contest so she ignored it. She'd dealt with negative coordinators in the past, she'd seen how bad Kenny, Drew, and Bianca were and had even faced Amelia this year, so to Dawn this was nothing beyond a different style of negativity than what she'd experienced in the past. She was motivated to beat Harley and that was all she needed to ignore him and prepare for the Contest.
As such Dawn was able to sit there for the rest of the waiting period while the room filled up until there was a total of 19 coordinators by the time the registration period ended. Dawn knew this because she counted and that was the number when an attendant came in and handed out their randomly assigned appeal slots before leaving confirming that this would be it.
Dawn looked at her slot and noted that she'd been assigned to 18th so she had the penultimate slot which was good as she'd get to see enough to know the standard she'd need to secure advancement before her own appeal. It also meant that the Contest was at most an hour away so Dawn got a drink of some local tea and some snacks for herself and Piplup and settled down to wait.
She wasn't sure if it was because of getting here early or the fact that she had someone who was both a Top Coordinator and a negative rival of a friend who was present but time seemed to tick away slowly as Dawn patiently waited for the Contest to begin. Finally, though, the buzzer went off to indicate that the Contest was about to begin and the screen in the room flickered on as the coordinator who would be appealing first began to leave the room.
Dawn ignored that as she looked to the screen to see the underground stage for the first time. Unlike a usually smooth stage, this one was in a natural cavern under the mountain and used the actual rocky ground so it was uneven and filled with rock formations rising from it the way she'd seen some rock type gyms have while the stands cut out of the rock around the stage and rising on three sides. It was a new kind of stage for Dawn to see as even the few nontraditional ones like water and ice were smooth or undisturbed but she didn't mind as it played really well into her appeal.
Clearly the Galar Contest Committee had found this cavern and adapted it into a Contest Hall for the Circhester Rock Contest. It was an intriguing, and to Dawn original, use of natural formations to say the least. That said there was still plenty of human touches as a jumbotron mounted to the one untouched wall and lights hung from the rocky ceiling so there was clearly a generator somewhere while the three judges, the traditional three likely due to how close they were to the last Contest, were sitting at their usual podiums under the jumbotron.
There was a lot to take in but Dawn did so so that she could adapt her appeal to the new stage she'd be competing on. As she did she saw Lady Killian walk out from somewhere off screen and onto the stage a microphone in her hand and wearing the same outfit as she'd worn for the last Galar Contest that Dawn had been in. It was time and Dawn fully snapped to it ready to win her Galar Ribbon and to do so against someone who she really wanted to beat.
"Hello folks!" Killian said raising the mic to her lips as she took center stage. "And welcome to the Circhester Rock Contest!"
Ah a little cliffhanger, been a while I feel and this feels like a good spot to leave this Part on. Originally I was going to do this as one full Part with the Contest following Harley's confrontation but after I got through that I realized that it would make more sense to just end it at the start of the Contest and then have the full Contest between Dawn and Harley as its own Part as it deserves that and this teases it up good. There really isn't much more to say here other than of course this is the surprise debut of Harley in the Hearts Series just as I always planned so I hope y'all enjoyed his unexpected arrival. Other than that I've got nothing else to say so I'll leave this Part off here with the anticipation of the Contest to come. 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