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The morning air of Jubilife City was electric, the grand lobby of the Contest Hall filled with the scent of perfumes, hairsprays, and the nervous hum of hundreds of coordinating partners. Ash and Brock stood in the contestant lounge, looking around for a familiar blue-haired girl.
"Still no sign of her?" Brock asked, checking his new Pokétch. "The briefing starts in five minutes."
"Sorry! I'm here!" Dawn sprinted into the room, her pink dress fluttering. She was breathless but wearing a relieved smile. "I lost my necklace in the hallway, but a girl named Zoey helped me find it. We got to talking and I lost track of time!"
"Just in time," Ash said, giving her a reassuring nod. "The first round is about to start. Focus up, Dawn."
Brock headed for the stands to lead the cheers, while Ash and Dawn took their seats among the competitors. The first notable performance came from the very girl Dawn had mentioned—Zoey (Nozomi).
Zoey moved with a seasoned grace that commanded the stage. Her Misdreavus drifted through the air like a phantom, weaving a tapestry of Double Team clones illuminated by the eerie glow of Confuse Ray and the crackling gold of Thunder Wave. It was a masterclass in highlighting a Pokémon's ghostly nature, and the three judges—Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, and Nurse Joy—nodded in synchronized approval.
The following acts were a blur of standard appeals, occasionally interrupted by the sheer absurdity of "Jessilina." The disguised Jessie took a Carnivine's Bite directly to her face, a "self-harm" performance style that somehow won the crowd over. Ash watched with a mixture of confusion and professional respect for her physical durability; even by "Super Pallet Town" standards, Jessie's constitution was a marvel of nature.
"Next up: Contestant Ash from Pallet Town!"
Ash handed Pikachu to Dawn, adjusted his collar, and stepped into the spotlight. The roar of the crowd hit him like a physical wave. He reached for a Capsule Ball decorated with star-shaped seals and flicked his wrist.
"Aipom, center stage!"
Aipom emerged in a burst of rainbow-colored five-pointed stars. She didn't just land; she used Swift the moment she materialized, the golden stars of the move colliding with the seal's energy to create a shimmering explosion of light. She landed perfectly balanced on her hand-like tail, her face split into a confident grin.
"Wow..." The audience let out a collective gasp.
"Double Team!"
Aipom blurred. In a heartbeat, a dozen identical clones filled the arena, some standing on the ground, others floating in tiered layers in mid-air.
"Focus Punch!"
The real Aipom's tail began to glow with a brilliant, concentrated white light. She began to spin like a high-speed top, tearing across the stage. Bang-bang-bang! She shattered every clone on the ground in a single second, leaving only four lingering "Substitutes" hovering in a perfect square above her.
"Now—the Galaxy's Edge! Swift!"
Aipom, still balanced on her tail, used her feet to anchor herself. She unleashed a torrent of golden stars, but they didn't fly toward the judges. Instead, she used her tail to manipulate the air currents, causing the stars to orbit her body in a swirling, cosmic ring. For a moment, the stage looked like a deep-space nebula with Aipom at its heart.
"Fling!"
With a series of rapid, whip-like snaps of her tail, she divided the orbiting stars into four clusters and flung them toward the four mid-air clones. Simultaneously, she launched herself into the center of the square.
Boom!
The stars hit the clones and detonated. The resulting light connected the five points, forming a gigantic, glowing golden five-pointed star that spanned the entire stage. As it shattered, a rain of glittering dust fell over the silent audience. Aipom performed a 720-degree backflip, landing in a final pose that showcased the strength of her tail.
The silence lasted for three heartbeats before the hall erupted in a standing ovation.
"Magnificent! Spectacular!" the MC, Marian, shouted into her microphone. "The technical precision of that Fling-Swift combination... I've never seen anything like it!"
In the lounge, Dawn stared at the screen, her mouth slightly open. "Ash... he's not just a trainer. He's an artist."
"Pika-pi!" Pikachu cheered, far more composed since he had seen the midnight rehearsals.
As Ash walked back through the tunnel, he met Dawn heading for the stage. She looked nervous but determined.
"That was amazing, Ash," she whispered as they passed.
"It's your turn now," Ash said, meeting her eyes. He held up his hand. "No problem, right?"
"No problem!" Dawn smiled, her confidence returning. She gave him a sharp, clear high-five—the sound echoing in the stone passage—and stepped out into the light.
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