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"What's going on? How could Kenny just run off without saying a word!"
After a brief tour of the Solaceon Ruins, they found that aside from the Unown, there was nothing unique about it, so they immediately returned to the Pokémon Center.
Along the way, Dawn kept grumbling about Kenny running off every day.
Because he ran so fast, she hadn't even had the chance to counterattack!
After all, having been called by a nickname all the time, the girl held a particular grudge.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, that's unexpectedly tragic!"
Seeing that the girl actually wanted to "flog a dead horse," Brock offered another three seconds of silence for the other party.
"Alright, stop fooling around! Instead of that, you should be more concerned about the Contests!"
Ash nudged the girl with his elbow, a wry smile on his face, while trying to divert her attention.
"Don't worry, Piplup and I have done a lot of preparation this time. There definitely won't be any problems!"
Despite her words, the girl's overly confident posture made Ash frown slightly, and he spoke up with some concern.
"Forget it, you'd better show me once, and I'll help you as a reference!"
Without giving the girl a chance to refuse, he used Machamp to pull her to a nearby clearing for some intimate one-on-one coaching, fearing she might go astray again.
"Hmph, you actually don't believe me!"
Dawn immediately threw a small punch at Ash's body of steel, but unfortunately, he didn't react at all, instead staring at her with a mischievous look.
This action suddenly made the girl realize something; her face began to turn bright red, and she hurriedly walked to the side, picking up a Poké Ball to prepare for her performance.
"What a pity, this girl has actually become clever!"
Seeing Dawn run away, Ash, who had intended to tease her, could only stand there helplessly, admiring the girl's bashful performance.
"Pikachu, have we been ignored?"
The dark-skinned Brock stood alone in place. Compared to the two in the distance who seemed to be showing off their affection, he seemed to only have the Yellow Rodent at his feet for company.
Pika!
Pikachu nodded calmly, looking at its Trainer, Ash, having long since grown accustomed to this scene.
It didn't care anymore; after all, his most important partner was still itself.
...
During the unconscious training, the day of the Suíyì Competition soon arrived.
The rules of this competition were different from the The Tournament of Fate; it was just a regular solo performance.
For Dawn, who had already won a ribbon, it should have been a very simple matter.
However, facing the excellent performances of the other contestants, coupled with her previous failure at the The Tournament of Fate, Dawn, sitting alone in the contestant hall, suddenly felt immense pressure.
"Dawn, don't be nervous. I'm going up to perform first!"
Kenny, who was about to go on stage, saw Dawn's state and gave her a kind word of comfort.
"Thanks!" Dawn gave a polite smile, though it looked a bit forced.
Due to indescribable reasons, Kenny's comfort didn't have any effect.
Knowing he couldn't help, Kenny could only sigh slightly and head to the stage alone for his performance, leaving the girl sitting there worriedly by herself.
"Ah, there seems to be a bit of a problem!"
Dawn clutched her chest, feeling her heart thumping wildly, and spoke with a bit of a headache.
Because when she faced the Contests again, she found an inexplicable sense of nervousness surging into her heart, and she could no longer be as calm as she was when she first participated.
She was terrified that the performance of the moves would be too flashy again, overshadowing Piplup's body and resulting in a failure to showcase Piplup's own charm.
"What should I do, what should I do? This doesn't seem like 'no problem' at all!"
As messy thoughts flooded her mind, Dawn, dressed in a pink gown, began to stomp her feet in anxiety, not knowing what to do at all.
Just as the girl was in a state of extreme anxiety, a familiar voice came through. Just this voice alone allowed Dawn's nervous heart to settle slightly.
"Ash, why are you here!"
Dawn quickly turned her head and happened to lock eyes with the smiling Ash, and her heart couldn't help but settle down further.
"I was worried about you, you little dummy, so I came over to support you!" Ash replied while walking toward the girl.
"Hmph hmph!"
Although Ash's form of address was quite improper, the girl didn't care; her beautiful eyes were filled with surprise and joy.
Thump~
"Ow, what was that for!"
While Dawn was giggling foolishly, Ash suddenly gave her smooth forehead a flick.
The girl cried out that it hurt, and he took the opportunity to put his hand on her shoulder and press her down into a chair.
"Look at yourself, your hair is tied so poorly!" Seeing the girl's aggrieved look, Ash said unmoved, while also criticizing and tidying Dawn's hairstyle.
Being nervous is one thing, that's only human, but what's with this horn growing on your head?
Do you think you're a certain Ran from next door? Do you want to copy her and have anti-gravity bangs?
"Blehh~"
Taking the mirror Ash handed over, Dawn found that it was indeed as he said.
But the girl's mouth was still stubborn, and she stuck out her tongue at him.
"Th... thanks, Ash!"
Shaking her newly tied hair and fixing her gaze back on the smiling Ash, Dawn thanked him somewhat shyly.
"Sigh, don't be so formal!"
This sentence immediately broke Dawn's shyness, and she shouted out generously.
"Then please enjoy my performance. This time, I will definitely take the victory!"
"Good luck, I believe you'll be fine!"
With him supporting her this time and after watching her repeatedly, there wouldn't be any problem at all in passing the first round of judging.
"Sigh, no matter what, I still have to say thank you!"
Ash's unconditional trust moved Dawn quite a bit, and she didn't know how to repay him.
Thinking carefully, all she could give back was a "thank you."
"Miss Dawn, please prepare to go on stage!"
While the two were looking into each other's eyes, a staff member walked over and gave a kind reminder.
"Okay!"
Dawn responded and then turned to reach out both hands toward Ash.
Clap clap~
Understanding the girl's intention, Ash high-fived her, making two crisp sounds.
"Ash, I'm going now!"
The girl waved her hand and held up her skirt as she headed toward the contestant tunnel.
"Good luck! Brock, Pikachu, and the others will be cheering for you together!"
Leaving those words, Ash watched the once-again confident girl depart.
When she disappeared from his sight, he immediately turned around, preparing to head to the audience seats.
But he found Kenny standing right behind him with a look of dissatisfaction.
"I really envy you, being able to leave with Dawn!" Kenny's tone was sour.
In his view, it was only because Ash was traveling with Dawn that the two had become so close.
"This is destined fate!"
Realizing Kenny's words had a hidden meaning, Ash didn't argue and simply left after saying that.
Leaving Kenny standing there with a complicated expression.