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"See? I told you that you weren't quite good enough! After all, you were facing Ash's Pikachu!"
Seeing Kenny's downcast expression as he knelt on the flowery pavement, Dawn couldn't resist the urge to twist the knife. She walked up to him, covering her mouth as she giggled, her earlier resentment for his "Dee Dee" stories fueling her teasing.
"Not... good enough..." Kenny murmured. He felt a sharp, phantom pain in his chest.
"To challenge Ash's Pikachu with a Prinplup right off the bat... I don't know whether to call you courageous, or just..." Dawn's gaze became clinical, almost pitying.
To Kenny's ears, those words were a devastating mental attack. It wasn't just a comment on the battle; it was his childhood friend essentially calling him a reckless fool who lacked a basic understanding of type matchups. The damage was quadruple-effective.
"But don't worry, Kenny! Ash is so strong, losing to him is only natural!" Dawn added, her eyes shimmering with genuine adoration as she looked at Ash.
She was thinking of the "G-Max" level of power she'd seen when Pikachu's Iron Tail became a giant silver cleaver, shattering Roark's Tyranitar. To her, Ash was an immovable mountain.
"Only natural..." The final finishing blow pierced Kenny's heart, leaving him at exactly 1 HP.
Ash, standing nearby, actually began to feel a twinge of sympathy for the guy. Rule number one of childhood friends: never bring up the kindergarten stories unless you're prepared for the fallout. Dawn might be optimistic, but she clearly held a grudge, and she was currently using Ash as a blunt instrument to settle the score.
Even Brock, a veteran of a thousand heartbreaks, couldn't bear to watch the carnage. He felt a kinship with Kenny—two men suffering on the path of love while a "pseudo-single" Pikachu and a "blockhead" Ash reaped the rewards.
"Ahem... Dawn," Brock interrupted, stepping forward to save what was left of Kenny's soul. "Please, don't say any more. Let Kenny have some peace and quiet."
"Are you feeling sad, Kenny?" Dawn asked, genuinely puzzled. "But isn't it normal to lose to Ash? Even the Oreburgh Gym Leader couldn't beat him when he was giving his all!"
Dawn thought she was comforting him. In reality, she was securing a total victory. By highlighting that even a professional Gym Leader couldn't match Ash, she was effectively telling Kenny that he wasn't even in the same league as the boy standing next to her.
The Team Rocket Relief
Thankfully, the Team Rocket Trio chose that exact moment to intervene. They had been stealthily approaching, their eyes set on Prinplup as a "consolation prize" since Pikachu looked too dangerous today.
"Darn it! Prinplup, use Metal Claw and send them flying!" Kenny roared.
He finally had an outlet for his frustration. He channeled all his battered pride into the command. With the assistance of Piplup and Pikachu, they sent the trio spiraling into the Floaroma sky.
"This is a nasty feeling!" the trio wailed as they became a distant twinkle.
"Wow, Prinplup is actually pretty strong!" Dawn noted, seeing the penguin fight with renewed vigor. "I guess you're a formidable opponent for the Wallace Cup after all."
Kenny's fighting spirit flickered back to life like a dying ember. He stood tall, clenching his fist. "Ash! You won today, but I won't give up. I'll keep challenging you until I win!"
"Ah... that seems a bit unrealistic," Dawn said, her tone "tactful" but her words once again freezing Kenny's soul like a Sheer Cold attack.
"Kenny, don't mind her," Brock said, quickly changing the subject to avoid another casualty. "The Wallace Cup starts tomorrow. You should focus on that!"
"Don't worry about me!" Dawn said, turning to Ash with a spark in her eyes. "Ash, you just watch my performance! I'm going to be perfect!"
"Are you sure?" Ash teased, a playful glint in his eyes. "I remember your mom saying that when you say you're 'fine,' that's exactly when the trouble starts!"
"Don't talk nonsense!" Dawn's face flushed a brilliant red, and she pouted, grabbing Ash's hand. "Come with me! I'll show you my special combination right now!"
She pulled Ash toward a secluded corner of the park, leaving Kenny and Brock in the dust.
The Support Group for the Broken-Hearted
Kenny stood dejectedly, watching the two disappear into the greenery. A large, heavy hand clapped onto his shoulder.
"Young man, don't be too disheartened," Brock said, his voice deep with the wisdom of the rejected.
"Pika-pi..." Pikachu added, putting on a somber expression and patting Kenny's foot.
"What do you two want?" Kenny snapped, wiping a stray tear.
"Join us," Brock said, his eyes squinted into a gaze of profound understanding. "Let us resist the 'great terror' of love together. We are the same kind of people—men who have stumbled on the path. But as long as you keep persevering, you will find your true love... eventually."
"Nonsense!" Kenny pushed Brock's hand away and marched off in the opposite direction.
"Alas," Brock sighed, watching him go. "A young man persistent in his folly. It's almost poetic." He looked down at the mouse. "And you, Pikachu! Why are you hanging out with us? Go find your Buneary!"
Pikachu waved his paws frantically in denial. Don't look at me, I'm just here for the drama!
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