After registering for the Pokémon Contest, the three of them returned to the training grounds in the Pokémon Center's backyard for a day of Contest practice. The main focus was solely on Aipom, who was interested in Contest battles. The other five Pokémon were all focused on the battle between Pidgeot and Scizor.
Ever since Ash and his friends returned, the two Pokémon's duel hadn't ended. Because both Pidgeot and Scizor are speed-focused Pokémon, they are among the fastest, and their moves couldn't seem to land on the other. Their high stamina meant the battle had been going on for a long time. However, this didn't stop Ash from giving Aipom some individual training.
"Now, how can I bring out Aipom's charm?" Ash thought, looking at the Aipom in front of him on a separate field.
"Aipom!" Aipom's mischievous face seemed to understand what Ash meant. It immediately did some rolls and tumbles, creating some distance from Ash. It then created five copies of itself with Double Team and used Focus Punch on each one, showing off its incredible strength and speed. Finally, it threw a bunch of Swift stars from its tail that swirled around its body, colliding with each other to form shimmering lights that decorated its cute form.
"Uh..." Aipom's impromptu performance left Ash a little stunned.
"I have to say, you have an incredible talent for Pokémon Contests!" Ash said with a smile, bending down to praise Aipom while stroking its head. Its performance was outstanding and gave him a sudden burst of inspiration for how to approach the Contest.
"Alright, let's start with our performance training now!"
"Aipom!" Ash stood up and began to give Aipom instructions, starting their training for tomorrow's Contest.
As the saying goes, time flies like water. When a person is focused on one thing, time passes incredibly quickly without them noticing.
Soon, evening arrived. The three of them and their Pokémon had already finished dinner and were now in the Pokémon Center lobby, on a video call with Dawn's mother, Johanna.
"Hello, everyone! How are you doing?"
At that moment, Dawn emerged from the dressing room, wearing the dress her mother had sent her. She proudly turned around in front of everyone, showing off her pink dress. Her long indigo hair, which was usually down, was now tied up in a high ponytail. The whole look gave her a sense of youthful vitality and innocent charm.
"Very pretty!"
"...You look great! Really good!" Ash quickly followed Brock's lead, trying his best to come up with some good words to praise the lovely girl. But it was clear he hadn't paid much attention in language arts, as he could only stammer out those few words.
"Hehe!" The girl let out a happy chuckle when she heard their praise, and she grabbed the hem of her dress to spin around again.
"Oh, Dawn, you really are..." Johanna, who was on the phone, smiled helplessly when she saw the scene. "I'm sorry, Ash, Brock. My child must be a lot of trouble for you two."
Before they could answer, Dawn, who was admiring her dress, immediately got defensive. "I'm not!" she retorted to her mother, clenching her fists. "I already said there's no problem!"
As the saying goes, a mother knows her daughter best. Johanna knew exactly what her daughter was like. "The moment you say there's no problem is when there's a big problem!"
"I... I..." The girl's face puffed up like a steamed bun, but she couldn't come up with a rebuttal. Johanna's words had perfectly shut Dawn down, causing Ash and Brock to stifle their laughter. Even Pikachu and Piplup nodded in agreement.
"Hmph! Anyway, there's no problem!" In the end, Dawn resorted to a move all kids use: a tantrum.
"Okay, okay, I get it!" Under her ultimate attack, Johanna had no choice but to give in. "Good luck tomorrow! Mom will be watching your performance!"
"Yeah, this time it's definitely going to be fine!" The girl nodded forcefully. Johanna, like any mother, wanted to give a few more words of advice, but Dawn's confident promise made her hang up the phone.
After the call, the trio chatted in the Pokémon Center lobby for a bit before going to their rooms to rest for the big day.
"Sigh... I still can't sleep." It was the middle of the night. Dawn was too excited and nervous about her first Pokémon Contest. She tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. In her frustration, she got up to take a walk by herself.
"Huh!" She went to the Pokémon Center's backyard and saw a familiar figure sitting on the steps. The girl's eyes darted playfully, and a mischievous smile appeared on her face. She tiptoed forward, ready to surprise him by tapping his shoulder. But the boy suddenly turned around, a teasing smile on his face as he watched her.
"Ah! That's not fair! How did you know I was there, Ash?" Dawn said, dropping her hands in frustration and sitting down next to him, pulling down her short skirt. She looked at his side profile and asked.
"Easy. I heard you," he said simply, pointing to his ear. Although his Aura abilities weren't awakened, his five senses seemed to be enhanced. Even with Dawn's tiptoeing, he could still hear her coming.
"Hmph!" Dawn scoffed, thinking it was a lame excuse.
"What's wrong? Too nervous to sleep?"
"Yeah, the competition starts tomorrow!" The girl looked up at the crescent moon and nodded before asking him, "What about you, Ash?"
"I'm a little nervous, but that's not the main reason," he said. As a young man from a modern world, his average bedtime was around midnight. Since it wasn't even 11 PM yet, it was simply too early for him, a self-proclaimed night owl.
"Hehe, do you want to borrow my lucky charm for the night?" The girl proudly took out her pink ribbon, showing it to him. "This is my mom's first Contest Ribbon. It's my good luck charm now!"
"Thanks, Dawn, but I have my own good luck charm," he said, shaking his head and declining her offer. He then pulled out the golden ribbon he had, which was now only half.
"Is... is a part of it missing?"
"Yeah. The other half is with one of my friends. We tied in a Contest, and we each took half of the ribbon as a lucky charm," he explained.
"Is it a girl?"
"Yeah."
"Is she pretty?"
"Of course!"
They went back and forth, but a subtle smile appeared on the girl's face. Her big blue eyes were fixed on the boy. "Compared to her, who's prettier?"
A bead of cold sweat appeared on Ash's forehead. Why do girls always ask these tricky questions? After a moment of thought, he weighed the two girls' strengths. May had a more developed figure, and boys usually prefer that. Dawn's figure was a bit less developed, but it wasn't small, and her short skirt was a huge bonus. A short skirt always made people want to explore what was underneath. In the end, Ash could only say, "You're both very pretty!"
"Hmph. Smart answer." With a satisfied expression, Dawn chatted with him for a bit longer, spending a peaceful night. They didn't return to their rooms until Dawn started to yawn, ready to get some rest.