"Greetings and a warm welcome to Coordinators and Contest fans of all ages! We've all come together for one very special reason, and that's to find out who will take home the coveted and fabulous Jubilife Contest Ribbon! Now, I know you've all been waiting patiently, and now it's time for you to be rewarded!" Marian stood in the center and looked excited as she began introducing everything, "We're coming at you live and on stage from the stadium located in Jubilife City. The city of joy!"
As Marian gave the announcements and introduced the judges, the screen lit to life and chose the first person, who happened to be Zoey.
Zoey quickly made her way out, and as the curtains opened, she walked out. Now, instead of her travel outfit, she was wearing a white tuxedo with a long tailcoat. She stepped out and started with her Misdreavus flying out of her Poké Ball, with smoke coming out with her thanks to the Ball Capsule that she chose.
As Misdreavus was covered in steam, Zoey raised her hand, "Let's give them a show, [Double Team]!"
Misdreavus' silhouette spread, creating multiple Misdreavus silhouettes that all moved, creating a design in the smoke.
Then Zoey called out for Misdreavus to use [Confuse Ray], gathering up all the smoke and finally turning it into a cyclone around her.
Meanwhile, Dawn in the back room was watching. She saw Zoey's entire choreographed performance. She took a breath and let it out, then slapped her cheeks slightly and focused. It's okay. She could do this, especially after Ash helped her learn 'that.'
By the time she snapped out of her thoughts, Zoey's performance was already over, and the judges gave their verdict. The one that gave her the highest score was, of course, Nurse Joy.
Marian smiled brightly as she turned toward the enormous screen hanging above the stage, "You don't hear Nurse Joy say 'first rate' all that often, so when you do, it's a rave! Next up, we have contestant number two!"
Dawn's eyes widened as she looked up at the screen. Her own face appeared.
For a moment, the excitement she'd been feeling all morning disappeared, replaced by a sudden knot in her stomach. This was it. She had spent so much time imagining what it would be like, but now that she was actually standing backstage, with hundreds of people watching, it suddenly felt a lot more intimidating.
Dawn took a deep breath and looked down at her partner, "Okay, Piplup...this is our chance."
Piplup chirped confidently.
Dawn smiled, "Yeah! Let's show everyone what we've got!" she said as she recalled Piplup to his Ball. Then she put the Ball Capsule on Piplup's Poké Ball and placed the bubble stickers on it.
She stepped onto the stage, waving toward the crowd as the applause filled the stadium. The lights were brighter than she'd expected, and for a second, she almost forgot what she was supposed to do.
Okay, Dawn. Don't panic. You practiced this.
She took her position.
Marian raised her microphone, "And now, contestant number two is ready to take the stage!"
Dawn pulled out a Poké Ball, "Piplup, let's go!"
The Ball opened, and a cyclone of bubbles quickly flew out and spiraled around her. Piplup landed right in the center of them, puffing out his chest proudly as several bubbles floated around him.
Dawn smiled and raised her hand, "Piplup, let's start with [Bubble Beam]!"
Piplup jumped into the air and fired a stream of bubbles upward. The bubbles scattered across the stage before beginning to fall around him, creating a sparkling rain. Piplup spun underneath them, batting several away with his flippers and making them burst into tiny flashes of light.
Dawn could hear the crowd clapping for her as she spun around with Piplup, but as she looked at the judges, her heart skipped a beat. As far as she could tell, they weren't as dazzled as she wanted them to be.
Dawn started getting scared, but then she stopped and blinked, thinking back to what Ash told her: to not care what others think, to just do things her own way.
Once she thought back to the way Ash told her that, her breathing calmed down, and she looked down, taking one more breath, "Alright, then." She looked up and had a very familiar grin, the same one Ash always had on his face, "Time to put on a show."
Just as Piplup threw out the last of the bubbles from his first attack, Dawn raised her arm into the sky, "Now, Piplup, you know what to do, [Counter Shield]!" she called, because the thing that Ash taught her, after looking at the way Dawn and Piplup tried to use [Bubble Beam], was a variation of the [Counter Shield].
And when Piplup heard that, he grinned and jumped up into the air. Then he puffed out his chest and started shooting out more [Bubble Beam], but this time, the bubbles and the bubbles from earlier all began flying off the ground and floating toward Piplup, creating a ring around him.
Dawn raised her hand and pointed toward the sky, "Now, bring them all together!"
Piplup gave another cry and threw his flippers outward. Every bubble suddenly shot upward, gathering together above him and forming a giant, shimmering sphere.
Hundreds of bubbles scattered across the stadium, reflecting the stage lights as they floated through the air like tiny stars. Piplup landed gracefully in the center of the stage and struck a pose as the bubbles popped behind him like small fireworks.
The entire field was covered in the small exploding bubbles, and with one last bow, all of the remaining bubbles popped in unison.
Dawn heard the crowd clap for her, and she held her head up high, taking a breath of relief. She did it. Then, when she opened her eyes, she looked around. She passed right by the judges and searched the crowd until finally her eyes stopped where she saw Ash and Verity sitting together and clapping for her. That made her smile wider and give a grin.
—
After all the contestants went and gave their performances, finally the judges convened. You see, Sinnoh Contests work a little differently than Hoenn ones. Instead of giving points, the judges watch all the performances and then choose the top eight to move on to the next round.
Dawn was sitting in the back room as she hugged Piplup, but on the other hand, she had her phone out where she was texting her mom excitedly, asking if she was watching the broadcast.
And while she was texting, Zoey came up behind her and quickly put a hand on her head, catching her attention, "Hey, how come you're not more excited? Check it out." She pointed up.
Dawn blinked, then looked up and saw it. She did it. She moved on to the Top 8. She was moving on to the finals, and she didn't even realize it.
Dawn stared at the screen for a few seconds, completely frozen. Her name was there, right alongside the other seven contestants who had made it through.
She blinked, then blinked again, "Wait...I made it?"
Zoey laughed and gave her another little pat on the head, "You did! You're in the Top 8!"
Dawn's eyes widened as the realization finally hit her, "I-I actually made it into the finals!"
Piplup chirped happily from her arms, bouncing up and down as Dawn hugged him tighter.
"We did it, Piplup! We're in the finals!"
"Pip-lup!"
Zoey smiled at the sight of Dawn's excitement, though she quickly crossed her arms and gave her a more serious look, "Don't celebrate too much yet. The hard part is only starting."
Dawn looked at her.
"The next round is the battle portion," Zoey continued, "And unlike the appeals, you don't get to rehearse exactly what your opponent is going to do."
Dawn's smile slowly turned into a determined grin, "Then I guess I'll just have to figure it out when I get there."
Zoey raised an eyebrow, "That's the attitude I was hoping you'd have."
Dawn looked back toward the screen. The names of the eight contestants were displayed one after another, with Zoey's name near the top and hers just below it. She looked out at the other faces on the screen. None of them were anyone she recognized, but she didn't really know any of them.
She looked down at Piplup, then at her two other Poké Balls on her belt as she thought about it and tried to think about who to use. I mean, not like it matters much. The only battle practice she has had was against Ash, and he was probably going easy on her. There was no way that helped that much.
—
{30 Minutes Later}
Dawn had no idea how she got here. At first, the rounds were announced and she went to face her opponent. Then she let out Aipom so that she could have some fun, but she didn't expect that much. She thought she would just go with the flow and hope for the best.
But immediately once the battle started, Aipom ran up, flipped over the opponent's Pokémon, then slapped them across the face, basically one-shotting them. And that happened twice, in her first and second battles. Aipom just one-shot them, then did a little dance over their body.
And now she was standing here across from the final opponent, Zoey, and she was still kind of trying to process all of it. She didn't entirely believe she didn't slip on a ribbon and was currently in a coma right now, imagining all of this.
As she was lost in thought, Marian's voice got her out of her shock, "And welcome to the final stage! It's Zoey and Dawn, and both corners are raring to go! I wonder how these two Coordinators will shake things up!"
As Marian was hyping them up, Dawn looked over at Zoey and scratched her cheek, "Heh, guess we're really here at the finals, huh?"
Zoey nodded and smiled, "Not bad for your first Contest. Of course, I'm not gonna go easy on you just 'cause you're a newbie."
Dawn smiled and nodded, "Fine by me, and I get to battle a high-level Coordinator like you."
Zoey smiled, "Oh, that's sweet of you to say. So! The last thing I want to do is let you down! I hope you give it your all, too."
Dawn nodded, but then looked down at Aipom and Buneary's Poké Balls, one in each hand. Part of her wanted to use Aipom again, thinking maybe if she did, she could guarantee a win. Maybe since Aipom was trained by Ash first, she could keep riding that power and win.
But then again, it didn't feel right to her. She wanted to win her own way, not just because her friend helped her every step of the way. She was grateful to Ash, but she had to do this for herself, and this was what she wanted to do right now.
As Marian finally stopped and announced for the battle to start, Zoey and Dawn threw out their first Pokémon. Zoey threw out her Glameow, while on Dawn's side, Buneary jumped out, looking around. Then, when she saw Pikachu on Ash's lap, she waved excitedly, forming a little heart with her ears.
Dawn smiled slightly, but she quickly snapped out of it and took a breath. She couldn't afford to get distracted.
The battle had started.
"Alright, Buneary," Dawn called, "[Quick Attack]!"
Buneary took off running forward toward the Glameow, who sat down and was waiting for her to get close.
"Wait for it…" Zoey tilted her head slightly. When it was time, she called out, "Glameow, [Fake Out]!"
At the last second, Glameow clapped her hands right in front of Buneary, making her flinch for just a moment, and that moment was enough.
"Now!" Zoey called.
Glameow immediately spun around and slammed her tail into Buneary with [Iron Tail], sending the little Pokémon tumbling backward across the stage.
"Buneary!" Dawn shouted as Buneary rolled several times before catching herself with her ears and landing on her feet.
The crowd reacted with a mixture of gasps and cheers, while the judges watched carefully. Dawn looked up at the points bar and saw her score drop slightly.
"Okay..." Dawn muttered, taking a breath, "She got us with that one."
Buneary shook herself off and looked back at Dawn, her ears drooping slightly.
Dawn smiled, "Don't worry! We're still in this!"
Buneary nodded determinedly.
Zoey smiled from across the field, "You're doing pretty well for your first real Contest battle, Dawn. But it's not enough. My turn. Glameow, [Iron Tail] again!"
Glameow immediately took off running, trying to close the distance between her and the bunny, while her tail glowed silver.
Dawn called out immediately, "Buneary, [Double Team]!"
As Glameow tried hitting Buneary, Buneary suddenly became multiple little clones, and when Glameow hit the one that she thought was Buneary, it turned out to just be a fake.
Then all the Buneary jumped into the air, and Dawn called out, "[Ice Beam], now!"
Buneary puffed up her chest, then shot out the bright blue beam, hitting the ground and quickly going toward Glameow.
Zoey immediately understood what Dawn was doing, "Glameow, [Shadow Claw]! Break the ice!"
Glameow leapt into the air, her claws glowing with dark energy as she began slashing, cutting the ice into small chunks before it could get to her.
"Nice!" Zoey called, "Keep going!"
Glameow continued slicing through the incoming [Ice Beam], breaking apart the attack piece by piece until the last chunk of ice shattered harmlessly against the floor.
Dawn looked down at Buneary, "Okay...that didn't work." Then she clenched her fist, "Then let's try something else!"
She raised her arm, "Buneary, [Quick Attack]!"
Buneary immediately burst forward, moving faster than before.
"Glameow, [Shadow Claw] on the ground!"
As Buneary got close, Glameow slammed her claw into the ground, kicking up pieces of the field and ice, blocking Buneary's view for just a second. And in that second, Glameow reached her tail and caught her by the ears.
Glameow smiled as she began spinning, causing Buneary to get lifted off the ground and then sent up into the sky when Glameow threw her.
Buneary fell back, but she managed to use her ears to catch herself and land back on the ground, letting out a quick breath as a small bead of cold sweat fell from her head.
However, Dawn was thinking something different. She was wondering one thing: why did this not seem as hard as she thought it would be? I mean, sure, it's challenging, but compared to the stuff Ash puts her through daily, this isn't that bad. It's not easy; it's just not bad.
In fact, Dawn was starting to get the hang of this. She began tapping her foot gently against the ground and was getting a rhythm down. It was actually kind of fun.
"Alright, Buneary, let's speed things up!" Dawn called, "[Quick Attack]!"
Buneary immediately shot forward.
"Glameow, get ready!" Zoey called.
Glameow lowered herself, watching Buneary approach.
Dawn didn't slow down, "[Double Team]!"
Buneary suddenly split into several copies, all of them rushing toward Glameow from different directions.
Zoey's eyes narrowed, "Glameow, [Play Rough]!"
Glameow spun around, her claws glowing pink as she started slashing through Buneary after Buneary, but none of them were the real one.
And Dawn was already giving another command, "Now, [Ice Beam]!"
The real Buneary appeared above Glameow, firing a beam of ice downward.
"Glameow, jump!"
Glameow leapt away just as the ice struck the ground, freezing a large section of the battlefield.
Dawn grinned, "Gotcha! Now close the distance!"
Buneary landed on the frozen ground and immediately began sliding across it, getting right underneath Glameow as she was falling back to the ground.
"Now, [Drain Punch]!" Dawn continued her command.
Buneary's fist began glowing, and as Glameow came down, Buneary delivered a supercut into the cat's stomach, sending the cat Pokémon stumbling backward across the frozen battlefield. Glameow managed to catch herself before falling, shaking her head as she recovered.
Buneary turned toward her and happily pumped both of her little paws into the air, "Buneary!"
"Not bad," Zoey said with a smile, "But don't think I'm going to let you keep that momentum."
"Then don't!" Dawn shot back, her grin growing wider, "Buneary, let's go!"
Buneary immediately charged forward.
"Glameow, [Iron Tail]!"
Glameow's tail glowed silver as she swung it toward the approaching Buneary.
"[Bounce], then [Ice Beam]!" Dawn immediately commanded.
Buneary immediately jumped over Glameow as she swiped in the place she was. Then, while she was still in the air, she fired the beam downward, freezing the ground beneath Glameow's paws and freezing her in place.
Dawn took that chance, "Now, [Quick Attack]!"
Buneary shot downward, aiming her ears like little fists.
"[Fury Cutter]!" Zoey called.
Glameow's claws became coated in green energy, and she swung upward, but Buneary twisted in midair, barely avoiding the attack. And as the second swing came in, Buneary ducked and Dawn called out, "[Drain Punch]!"
Her fist glowed green as she slammed it into Glameow's side, making the cat go flying backward before quickly recovering. But she was starting to get tired.
Meanwhile, Buneary landed and bounced from one foot to the other, looking like she was just waiting. And she didn't have to wait for long.
Dawn quickly swiped her arm, "Now, [Jump Kick]!"
Buneary ran forward and threw herself feet-first at Glameow, aiming to hit her with a dropkick to end this.
But this time, Zoey quickly countered, "Catch it!"
Glameow's tail caught Buneary's feet right before she could reach her. Glameow grinned, lifting Buneary off the ground.
Zoey immediately realized she had stopped Buneary's charge, "Got you!"
But Dawn's grin only grew wider, "Yeah."
Zoey blinked, "What?"
Dawn raised her arm, "Because that's exactly what I wanted!"
Dawn pointed straight toward Glameow, "Now, Buneary, let's dedicate this one to Pikachu, [Counter Shield]!"
Buneary's eyes lit up as she looked at the crowd and gave a wink before she used her ears to dig into the ground. Using her ears, she began spinning.
Glameow's eyes widened as the force of Buneary's rotation twisted against her grip. Glameow tried to resist, but eventually, it was too late, and Glameow ended up being the one getting pulled off her feet.
This variation of [Counter Shield] used [Play Rough], so as the speed began picking up, slowly, instead of a brown and grey blur, it turned into a pink ring that formed the shape of a heart before finally Buneary let go and sent Glameow flying and slamming hard into the wall, making the cat slowly skid to the floor, knocked out.
For a second, Dawn was coming down from her high, and she only snapped out of it when she heard Marian calling it out.
"And we have a winner! Dawn has done it!"
Dawn stood there looking around at the crowd that was now clapping for her, and she couldn't help but laugh and wave, especially when Buneary jumped up into her arms and hugged her. They waved together.
Soon after that, Raoul Contesta stepped up and presented Dawn with the Jubilife Ribbon. Dawn held it in both hands as she stood out there. Zoey was standing nearby since she was second place, so as Dawn was lost in looking at her ribbon, Zoey gave a soft nudge with her elbow.
"Hey, how about you show it off for the photos?" She gestured with her eyes over at the people wanting to take photos of her with the ribbon.
Dawn blinked, then nodded quickly, "Oh, right, yeah," she said quickly as she held it out, and the photographers immediately began snapping pictures.
Zoey smiled at her, "You know, for a newbie, you're pretty good, you know that? Makes me want to train harder for next time."
Dawn smiled fondly as her eyes looked out at the stands, over where Ash and Verity were. Her eyes stayed there for a moment, "Yeah, well...I guess I had a really good teacher."