"Piplup, Spotlight On!"
The girl, feeling a little nervous, threw out a capsule decorated with bubble stickers, sending her starter Pokémon, Piplup, onto the stage.
"Bubble Beam!"
As soon as it was on stage, Piplup began to spew out a large number of blue bubbles from its mouth, mixing them with the bubbles from the sticker effect as they floated into the air.
"Piplup, Peck!"
Under the girl's command, Piplup was given a very standard Peck command. However, the Peck that Piplup used had been specially trained and enhanced, with a beak two to three times the normal size. This was the result of the girl's training during her travels.
"Piplup!"
Piplup swiftly moved between the countless bubbles, using its enhanced Peck to pop each and every one. As all the bubbles burst, they created a beautiful shower of colorful light. Dawn and Piplup bowed, having successfully completed their performance. The audience applauded the girl. For a rookie coordinator, achieving this was quite remarkable. Although it helped that her mother was a top coordinator, it was impossible to deny Dawn's natural talent.
Soon, the first round of judging was over, and the contestants in the waiting room nervously watched the big screen. Only eight of the many performers advanced to the second round. Among the qualifiers were Ash and Dawn, as well as Zoey, who had helped Dawn, and Jessie, disguised as Jessilina.
The second round of the Pokémon Contest was a battle performance, focusing on the skill and elegance of the Pokémon's moves. Ash's first opponent turned out to be Jessie, or rather, Jessilina. Since they were scheduled for the first match, after a brief rest, they both returned to the stage.
"It's you, you little brat! This is my chance to teach you a lesson!" Jessie said, gritting her teeth. Lately, their plans to capture Pikachu had been foiled so easily by the kid that they were all going crazy.
"Let's go, Aipom!"
Ignoring Jessie's expression, Ash threw out his Poké Ball, and the energetic Aipom appeared, expertly propping itself up on its tail.
"Hmph! Go, Cacnea, and give them a good beating!" Jessie yelled, baring her teeth. She sent out Cacnea, a green, flytrap-like Pokémon. Its menacing mouth was enough to make anyone shiver, and it was hard to imagine how Jessie could withstand its bites.
"Cacnea, Pin Missile!"
A shower of seeds with a green energy aura flew toward Aipom.
"Swift!"
Likewise, Aipom flicked its tail, and a shower of glittering stars flew out, colliding with the Pin Missile and canceling each other out.
"Focus Punch!"
As the two attacks were locked in a stalemate, Aipom's tail glowed with power. It spun its body like a top, sweeping away the incoming Pin Missiles. It then proceeded to slam a devastating punch into Cacnea's head, giving it a heavy blow.
"Cacnea, hold on! Use Bind to restrain it, then use Bite!"
"Roar!" Cacnea endured the pain from Aipom's charged attack and used the vines on its hands to forcefully restrain Aipom. It then opened its menacing jaws, ready to avenge itself for the punch.
"Aipom, stay calm! Use Tickle!"
Seeing Aipom's slight panic, Ash quickly reassured it.
"Aipom!" Hearing Ash's command, Aipom calmed itself down and began to tickle Cacnea all over with its hands and tail.
Tickle: A move that tickles the opponent's sensitive spots, making them laugh and drop their guard, which also lowers their Attack and Defense stats by one stage.
Although it was a small, inconspicuous move, it was very effective in this situation. The horrifying laughter coming from Cacnea showed just how effective the move was. Aipom, which had been restrained by Cacnea's vines, was now freed, and Cacnea was still laughing, clearly suffering from the aftereffects of the Tickle. No matter how much Jessie roared, Cacnea continued to laugh.
"Focus Punch!"
Ash seized the opportunity, and a fully charged Focus Punch once again struck Cacnea's forehead. The powerful blow slammed it to the floor. The Tickle had lowered Cacnea's defenses, so the punch made it cry out in pain.
"Swift!"
Seeing that the opponent hadn't been completely defeated, Aipom gracefully used a spiraling Swift to deliver the final blow to the grounded Cacnea. With Cacnea unable to battle, Ash and Aipom were victorious and advanced to the next round.
On the other side, Dawn also succeeded in advancing to the semifinals, thanks to the strong Buneary and her opponent's relatively weak skills. However, advancing to the finals would not be so easy for Dawn, as her next opponent was Zoey. Given their disparity in experience, the match would be very unfavorable for the rookie Dawn.
"Dawn, your next opponent is the formidable Zoey. You have to give it your all!" Although the odds were stacked against her, Ash clenched his fists and cheered for Dawn.
"Don't worry, I'll give it my all!" This time, Dawn did not say her signature catchphrase, "No problem!" The opponent was truly not simple, but even so, the girl still maintained a positive and optimistic attitude. This made Ash breathe a sigh of relief. With that attitude, even if she lost, she would recover quickly, so he didn't have to worry too much about her.
As the semifinals began, the two contestants met in the hallway.
"Zoey, thank you for your help earlier!" Dawn said first, expressing her gratitude. "But in this match, I'll be giving it everything I've got!"
"You're welcome!" Zoey stared at the serious girl for a moment, then smiled and waved her hand. "That's a very cute expression! To return the favor, I'll be giving it my all as well!"
The two of them went on stage and sent out their respective Pokémon. Both of their Pokémon were Normal-type, Buneary and the elegant Glameow. An intense battle began, with Ice Beam and Shadow Claw clashing, and Iron Tail and Dizzy Punch fighting. Although Buneary and Dawn tried their best, their opponent was the experienced Zoey and her skillful Glameow. The match ultimately ended with Dawn's defeat.