Keep the Faith

Tsukasa: Hey guys! Originally this was going to be a oneshot, but I've decided that it's WAY too long to be a oneshot, so it's a three part fanfiction now. I've already posted the prequel, Farewell my Gliscor (Look it up if you haven't read it yet) though I'm going to leave that one as is. Anyway, let's-

Karen: Let's hear about the fabulous adventure our heroes will be going on today!

Tsukasa:…. Okay…. Well, this oneshot is a polar opposite of sorts compared to the first one, and is in no way related to the previous oneshot.

Karen: Ash has taken a break from his five and a half year regional sweep, deciding to kick back and give contests a shot.

Tsukasa: However, Dawn is what he's really taking a break for. He wants to see her finally win in the Grand Festival, the Johto Grand Festival to be exact… as well as maybe a few other things for Dawn…

Karen: What's with you and Johto? You're also using the same amount of years and months as well…

Tsukasa: Johto is my favorite region, and that amount of time just seems to fit, making them old enough for adult themes.

Karen: Why the extra half year?

Tsukasa: I… Dunno… Well, this is going on for too long, so we don't own Pokemon or the song that this fanfiction references.

Karen: Huh? Song?

Tsukasa: Enjoy!

What fun! The past few months had been so wondrous for Dawn that it took everything she had to not scream in happiness, from contests, to spending time with her friends, and most of all the time she had spent with Ash. But even with all this joy, thoughts of worry and sadness still plagued her mind.

She had won all five of the ribbons needed to enter the Johto Grand Festival. It wasn't even a challenge since despite the five year span since Pokémon Contests first appeared in Johto, the region was still rather dull… In other words, there were still a lot of newbie's taking on a pro coordinator.

The only reason she ever lost was because of two people: Ash, who was taking a break from his League Challenges, had taken a liking to contests, and defeated Dawn on two occasions. Two ribbons wouldn't get him into the festival, though.

The second person who constantly pestered her was an old friend of Ash's: May. She got to the final round of the Johto Grand Festival during the first year Dawn traveled with Ash, and then took off to try the Sinnoh region for herself. Now, she had returned to claim her third first place trophy. However, the fact that Dawn beat her on several occasions proved that all of Dawn's training put her at, if not above, May's level of skill.

Even beside all of that, one other thing irritated her…

Tsukasa: Hey guys, I'm going to interrupt for a second. This short part is going to get really, really, really weird, so much so that you may think Dawn is tripping… It's not a bad part in any way, just again, weird, and, in Dawn's case, awkward. Please, just read it and continue on. Thank you.

"And our first contest performer is Dawn Albine!"

Dawn entered with a smile, but hidden inside she held twice her weight in fear. Being the first performer, she would set the curve for everyone else. Not the best position, especially for what she wanted to do…

"Come on…!" Dawn took a deep breath, "Ash!" In a flash, her partner trainer appeared before her in a brilliant silver laced tuxedo.

"My dear" Ash offered Dawn his hand, which she gladly accepted.

On contact, Dawn's clothes shone and changed to match Ash's tux, "Ash…"

"Dawn" Ash pulled on her arm, swinging her into a spinning dance.

"And Dawn and Ash wow the crowd with a stunning dance!"

Dawn was overjoyed. Ash was the perfect partner! He had style, he had skill, and most of all, he was-

"Gah!"

Dawn shouted as she snapped out of her dream, looking around her as though she was expecting to be shot. Her breath was short, and her heart beat like crazy… for two separate reasons.

"That same dream… again…" That's right. She had had that dream before. In fact, Dawn had had it many times, one going so far into the dream contest as to win, where she… Dawn shook her head then stood, unzipping her tent. As she did, a rush of cool air blew into the tent, rousing Dawn's beloved partner Pokémon, Piplup who groaned, sleepily rubbing its eye, before falling asleep again.

Dawn smiled as she watched her friend sleep. All these years, he remained a Piplup, while many of Ash's Pokémon had evolved into stronger, more capable Pokémon. Piplup was different though, at least to Dawn. He was her first partner, and as such she has always loved him as a Piplup. If he changed, she couldn't deny she'd have to get used to having a completely different Pokémon. She didn't want that; she wanted her friend to stay the same, cute, reliable, and often times stubborn and irritating. But isn't that how all best friends were?

Her thoughts once again drifted to her other partner… And again she shook her head. She needed to clear her thoughts. She crawled out of her tent, looking around to see both of her traveling companions, Ash and Brock, still fast asleep. For some reason, she was rather annoyed that Ash was facing away from her, possibly because she wanted to see his face. Ash always looked so cute when he was asleep; always letting you know that he was dreaming of becoming a Pokémon master through the grin he would wear.

Dawn took a long breath of the chilled night air then released it in a sigh. She didn't even bother changing out of her pajamas before taking a walk. It wasn't like anyone was going to follow her right?

Ash had to hold his breath to stop himself from shifting around in his sleeping bag. He knew she was watching him, waiting for him to move. Every second that passed felt like an hour to him as he fought to keep from letting out his breath. Finally he heard Dawn walk away, and finally he took a breath of air.

What was she doing awake at this hour? That question nagged at him until he finally unzipped his sleeping bag to stand, slipping on his vest to help ward off the chill of the night. He looked down at his Pikachu, who, despite his rather sensitive ears, still hadn't woken up… but what did he know, Pikachu could be mimicking his trainer's previous stealth.

He looked at Brock: still asleep, though, again, he could be faking. To tell the truth, it didn't matter. Brock was his best friend, and his most trusted companion-beside Pikachu of course- and he knew that Brock wouldn't eavesdrop on him… not like Ash even knew if he was going to talk to Dawn or not. Either way, he started off in a light stride, heading in the direction he believed Dawn had gone.

Dawn dipped her hands into the river then brought it up to her mouth, drinking part of it then splashing the rest on her face. Those dreams had been tormenting her since she won her fifth and final ribbon, and every night she lost at least two hours of sleep because they distressed her so much.

Sure, it wasn't that bad of a dream. In fact, she had dreamt of dancing with Ash outside of contests several times in the past, even going further into the realm of romance… but still, it was unnerving to see it happen in a contest. One even had May watching them. That one was disturbing.

On that topic, May had become rather aggressive lately. She refused to travel with the group, she fought with full strength against Dawn every time she battled her, and most of all she was showing a deep hatred toward Dawn as a person. It didn't take a genius to guess why.

Dawn sighed once more, "I've got to get it together"

"You're fine"

Dawn spun to face the voice, then, without realizing it, smiled, "Ash"

The young trainer walked toward her, returning the smile, "You don't have to get anything together. You're just fine" Ash forced the sense of mind on her.

Dawn immediately glared at her friend. What was he trying to do? "I don't know…" Dawn looked back at the river.

"You haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately" Ash pointed out. He may still be a bit clueless, but he wasn't blind. Every morning she looked horrible, was cranky, and had an extremely hard time staying awake, "I wonder why?"

"I'm just really restless at night, thinking up new contest strategies, who I'm going to use, what moves…" Dawn paused for a moment, "I guess all of this thinking is just making me lose faith in my abilities."

"Keep the faith"

"Huh?"

"Keep the faith" Ash smiled as he walked up to his friend's side, "The faith you've had in yourself all this time. Don't let it fade"

"Um…" Dawn didn't know what to say… Did Ash just say something logical?

Ash quickly realized what she was thinking, turning to face away from her as he blushed slightly, "And besides, you've got Brock and Pikachu and your mom and…"

"Let me guess, I have you as well?" Dawn giggled.

"Nope" Ash said bluntly.

"Aw, that's swee- wait, what?" Dawn stared at Ash. He couldn't be serious.

He wasn't, laughing at the well set up double take, "Of course you have me rooting for you too. All of us have faith in your skills." Ash turned towards her and gave her a thumbs up, "You'll win for sure."

Dawn barely contained a tear. It wasn't exactly a speech, but it was enough to rock her emotions, especially coming from Ash. She wiped her eyes despite there being no actual tears, then looked him in the eyes, "Thanks Ash. I really needed that."

"No problem" Ash smirked as he turned and began walking away. All seemed well as Dawn began following him until, "By the way, this is the first time I've ever seen you with bed head. To be honest, I kind of like the wild look."

Dawn froze. That's right. She didn't even bother trying to fix her hair… "Grr…." Ash didn't wait for anything else. He knew she was pissed, and he took off running full speed, "Ash Ketchum! You get back here! I'm going to beat you so hard that you'll forget ever seeing my hair like this!" Dawn took off into a full out sprint, amazingly enough catching up to Ash, "I've got you!" She shouted as she dove forward, tackling Ash to the ground.

"Aaah! Please! Don't hurt me! I've got so much to live for!" Ash plead as he struggled to free himself, though he immediately stopped as Dawn hugged him. What the…?

"Thanks Ash… even though it was probably just to tick me off, that last comment really did help clear my thoughts…" Dawn hugged him a little tighter then let go, standing up, and in spite didn't offer to help him up.

"Well, you've kind of got me there" Ash chuckled as he stood.

"Hmm?"

"It was to bug you, but uh…." Ash scratched the back of his head, "I actually do like that look. It makes you look a bit more… carefree."

"You saying I look stuck up with my hair being perfect?"

Ash just shrugged, beginning to walk back towards camp.

Dawn shook her head and sighed, "Even that thickheaded child can act like a man, I guess…" This conversation caused Dawn to set a goal for after the Grand Festival, If I win, I'm going to confess to Ash.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, let me welcome you all to the Johto Grand Festival!" Laura, the Johto Contest Hostess, shouted into the microphone with a shining smile illuminating the TV screen, "It's the festival's fifth anniversary, so this year we're trying something knew with the first Appeal stage being a double appeal based on the ferocity of the moves used!"

"The ferocity of the moves?" Ash stared at the screen as he gulped down an orange soda. The Johto region was rather generous towards their Grand Festival participants, providing them with elegant room and service. It hardly took any time for the group to settle in and begin burning through the hotel resources, hence the numerous orange soda cans lying around.

"That means that the move has to be both visually appealing and powerful." Brock explained, though both Ash and Dawn had comprehended that fact.

"This means that all of my ideas are useless…" Dawn groaned.

"Doesn't matter" Ash grinned, "We'll help you think of some ideas."

"Really?" Dawn clapped her hands happily.

"Of course. We are your friends after all" Brock exclaimed.

"And friends always help each other out." Ash patted Dawn on the shoulder then took another swig of his orange soda.

Dawn couldn't help but blush when Ash made contact with her, "Thanks Ash"

"Hey, Brock's going to help too" Ash shrugged off Dawn's thanks. He didn't really mind helping at all. All of the time he spent going through contests perked up his ability to bring about unique appeals, and with all three of them thinking about it, he doubted it would take them more than five minutes to figure out the perfect moves.

Bastard… Dawn mentally growled, her hopes of Ash being at least slightly affectionate being shot out of the air. She had a few ideas already in mind, but they could definitely use work, "Let's get started. Piplup, you let me know if you think of anything as well."

"Piip!"

"Ugh…." Ash groaned from the floor as he stared up at the ceiling. They had been working on strategies for three hours, and all the three trainers were mentally whipped… and Ash could use another soda.

"Come on, there has to be something we could use…" Dawn was pacing around the room, her Piplup following her every move. The past hours had been rough on Ash and Brock, Brock having fallen asleep on the couch, while Ash was barely keeping himself awake.

The young trainer turned to look at the clock: eleven o'clock, "Dawn, I don't know how much longer I can last…" he yawned.

"That's fine Ash," Dawn growled, "Go ahead and fall asleep. I'll figure it out myself"

Ash could sense her hostility, and it came with good reason. Her friends were bailing out on her… Ash wouldn't stand for it. He stood and walked over to the fridge, digging through it trying to find, "Aha!"

"Did you think of something!?" Dawn flew over to Ash.

"Huh? No, I just found a frappuccino" Ash smiled, popping the top.

"Ugh, that's not helping, Ash" Dawn about faced and walked toward the window.

"What are you talking about?" Ash grunted in between sips, "It's helping me stay awake."

"Wonderful" Dawn said meanly.

"You know, you should be happy that I'm even still awake!" Ash shouted, "What is your problem, Dawn?! I know this is a huge deal, but you never acted like this at the other Grand Festivals!"

Dawn immediately lightened up, turning to face her friend, "Ash…"

"Usually I'm out cold in the first five minutes of these planning sessions, yet I'm still awake! And barely too! But I'm still trying!"

"Ash…" Dawn repeated. Ash was right, he usually was out before the planning sessions even started, yet he was trying even harder than she was to stay awake.

"You're right…" she began, "I really don't know what's wrong with me…"

Ash just remained silent, his glare remaining locked on her.

"I'm just so stressed lately, dealing with May and all of her bull shit, planning for my big moment on stage, and all these feelings going through me…"

"Feelings?" Ash tilted his head to the side.

Dawn caught herself, "Nothing! Just feelings of nervousness, that's all! I just… can't stop feeling nervous…"

Ash couldn't help but let out a small laugh, smiling as Dawn's head shot up, wondering why he was laughing…

"Sure is nice how we've got this snazzy job, huh, James?" the cream colored cat laughed as he and his partner walked through the hotel halls.

"Yes, if not for Mr. Looker standing up for how we 'have good in our hearts', we would probably be in the poor houses." James smiled at the Meowth. Some kid named Terry tipped off the international police of where Team Rocket was based, and they completely shut down all operations, leaving the Pikachu hunters without jobs for a time.

"Too bad a good chunk of our pay as heads of security here goes towards Jessie's Hoenn contests…" Meowth groaned, "We'd be living the big life if not for that…"

"You know, you should be happy that I'm even still awake!"

Both security officers slammed their ears to the nearest door, "I'd recognize that twerpish voice anywhere!" Meowth shouted, though he quickly quieted down when James shhed him.

"It seems the twerps are having a bit of a tuff with each other… or they were…" James corrected himself as he heard Ash laugh.

"James and Meowth!"

Both shot to attention, "Sir!?"

The man laughed, "Still haven't gotten used to being the bosses, huh?"

"Deputy Deriel!" Meowth screeched, "How many times have we told you not to do that?!"

"Sorry, sirs, but it's just so funny to do so" the deputy straightened out, "Anyway, what is it that you two are doing?"

The two ex-Rockets panicked, "Um… Um…!" James stuttered, "We're, uh…"

"We heard a ruckus in this room; however, it seems to have died down!" Meowth explained, "We were just listening in a little longer to make sure that there wouldn't be any more noise problems!"

"Ah, all right" Deputy Deriel nodded, "I'm heading down to the lower levels. Keep working hard, bosses!"

"You too!" James laughed, waiting for the officer to get out of sight range, then both he and Meowth began eavesdropping once more.

Dawn didn't understand it. Why was Ash laughing?

"You're still nervous?"

"Huh?"

"There's nothing to worry about! If anything, I'm always rooting for you! And with me cheering you on, nothing's going to stand in your way, got it?" Ash cheered, although he did have a sneaky suspicion about her 'feelings'.

"Ash," Dawn blinked a few times, replaying what he said in her mind to make sure she heard him right, "That's…" she sniffled, then tackled Ash with a great hug, "You're right! Without you, I'd never have gotten this far!"

Ash hesitated, then returned the hug, "Yeah. With me around, there's no way you can lose…"

Dawn blushed as she then looked up into Ash's eyes, "And you'll always be here, giving me strength…. Right?"

Ash immediately broke from Dawn's hold, his face beet red, "Y-Yeah! Of course I will!" Ash scratched the back of his head. What was that all about? "Let's get back to work. Got any more ideas we can pick at for the contest?"

"Well, I do have one… but it needs a bit of work…"

"Well, let's whip that idea into a perfect appeal!"

"Yeah!"

"Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the first part of the Johto Grand Festival, the Appeal Round!" Laura shouted into her mic, "As all of you have been informed, this Appeal Round will be very different from all those that have occurred before it. This Appeal is judged on how ferocious the move is!"

"So Dawn is up first…" Ash stared down at the announcer, "Come on already, just call Dawn out!"

"You sure seem excited" Brock laughed.

"Of course I am! I can't wait to see the attack we thought up work!" It had taken the entire three day intermission to perfect it, and they had to practice as far away from others as possible to keep it secret, but, "Damn, though… I sure hope that it does work after all that practice we put into it."

"Ah, you of all people shouldn't worry. You're always the one shrugging off Dawns nervousness with your commands of not worrying" Brock turned his eyes back towards Laura, "I can't wait to see it, though."

Amazingly it had just dawned on Ash, "That's right. You never came out to watch her practice. In fact, you didn't even return to the hotel room until last night." Ash glared at Brock, "Where the hell were you?"

Brock simply answered with a twisted grin as well as a sparkle in his eyes.

"You didn't…" Brock nodded to Ash's insinuation, "No flipping way… You actually got laid?"

A tear formed in Brock's left eye, "Yep!"

"Well I'll be damned…" Ash turned his stunned face back towards the center of the arena, a grin breaking through soon after, "How old are you now?"

"Huh?"

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-two, why?" Brock was starting to realize what Ash was getting at.

"Hah!" Ash burst out laughing, "I can't believe it took you this long! This is a total knee slapper!" Ash laughed as he did just as he said, "After all those women, after all those ear pulls and Poison Jabs, you finally got someone!" Even Pikachu had joined in the hysterics.

Brocks response was simple: He slammed his fist onto Ash's head as hard as he could.

"Gack!" Ash cried out in pain, "Sonovabitch that hurt!" he rubbed his now aching head, "Though… I guess I deserved it…" Ash laughed again, "It was still fun to say thou-" Ash was cut short as Croagunk slammed a Poison Jab into Ash's gut, "Ah… so… that's… how it feels…" he groaned before collapsing into his seat.

It was then that Croagunk turned to look at the still giggling Pikachu, who, after noticing the poison frog's glowing fist, quieted down.

"And our first contestant of the night is Dawn Albine!"

"She's on!" Ash flew to attention, his smile growing even bigger as the curtains parted to reveal Dawn in her updated pink dress, gold thread lining it to shape into two crescent moons on her sides and a full moon on the front.

Dawn calmly curtseyed before walking onto the stage. The entire stadium become quiet as each viewer eagerly awaited Dawn's choice of Pokémon. Her eyes drifted across the faces until she finally found Ash's face, in response to finding she smiled, reaching for her pokéball, "Piplup! Typhlosion! Spotlight!"

"And in a mix of both fiery and bubbly blasts, Piplup and Typhlosion take the stage!" Laura introduced Dawn's Pokémon, "Now let's see what this dual type team has in store for us!"

Just shut up and let me (her) do my (her) thing… Both Dawn and Ash unknowingly thought together. "All right! Piplup, Whirlpool!"

"Piiipluuup!" a large, wide waterspout formed above the tiny penguin.

"What an unusually large whirlpool! It shows off the sheer strength of that one little Piplup!"

Shut up! Both thought again, "Typhlosion, begin!"

"Begin?" Brock looked at Ash, "I'm pretty sure that's not an attack…"

"Just shut up and watch." Ash ordered, Brock's answer quickly getting answered as Typhlosion began moving it's head in a circle, flames leaking out in a similar fashion to a lasso.

"All right, Typhlosion!" Dawn pointed at Piplup's Whirlpool, "Use Flamethrower!"

"Graaaah!" Typhlosion roared as it 'threw' it's Flamethrower lasso, which collided with the whirlpool and immediately began circling around the whirlpool, tightening the water attack into a thinner and taller water tornado, steam erupting from where the circling fire touched.

"Now! Piplup! Flare Tornado!" Dawn then thrust her hand towards the attack dummy.

"Piiiiipluuup!" the Pokémon threw the dual attack, the tornado engulfing and obliterating dummy before disappearing into a cloud of steam.

"Incredible! The dummy has been eradicated completely! That is without a doubt one of the most powerful double attacks I've ever seen!"

Not like you see them that often…

"Let's see what our judges have to say!"

Mr. Contesta began, "Simply incredible! The visual image of a single Flamethrower tightening the Whirlpool into a tornado was stunning!"

Mr. Sukizo went next, "The last time I saw such a perfect combination of Water and Fire was when I first saw the Hydro Flame Spiral! Marvelous!"

Finally Nurse Joy, "The strategy of using Flamethrower like a lasso was ingenious! I've never seen something so far out!"

"And our judges have spoken! Let's all give Dawn a round of applause for a masterful performance!" Laura turned to Dawn, who curtseyed again, then left the stage, "Now! Our next contestant is…!"

"Dawn!" Ash ran up to the soon to be Festival Champion, who had just finished changing clothes, her Piplup standing by her side, "That was awesome!"

"I'm truly impressed Dawn. That was an ingenious combination."

You sound like Nurse Joy, Brock… "Well, It wasn't all my idea…" Dawn glomped Ash, leaving him blushing madly, "It was actually Ash who rounded out the idea, and even helped me while I was training…" Dawn then looked at Brock, "On that topic, where the hell were you when we were training?"

"Don't ask, Dawn" Ash laughed, "It's a topic you probably wouldn't like."

"He got laid," Dawn guessed.

"Yeah, I knew you wouldn't-" Ash stared at her, "Wait, what?! How'd you know!?"

Dawn barely contained her laughter from getting a revenge doubletake, "He's got this… unusual gleam in his eyes… I can't explain it, but it just screams 'just got laid.'"

"Well I'll be damned" Ash laughed, "But back on topic…."

"I'm just glad it worked. We only got it right three out of twenty two times when we were practicing…." Dawn sighed in relief.

"Why are you worrying? It was guaranteed you'd pull it off, because-"

"I know, I know, because you were cheering for me right?" Dawn giggled.

Ash just scoffed and looked away, "Yeah, take away my fun..." he grumbled.

"So now we have to prepare for the second Appeal round…"

"Hah, we don't even need to prepare for it, since-"

"You're rooting for me?"

"No! Damn it, quit interrupting me!" Ash growled, "It's because it's a typical single Pokémon appeal. You've done those plenty of times and won almost every single one of them, so this should be a snap."

"Good point. Still, I'd like to be completely ready. Come on Piplup, let's go train." She walked past her two friends, then stopped at the door, "You coming Ash?"

Ash couldn't explain to himself why he blushed at the question, "Um… Yeah, just give me a sec…"

"All right" Dawn smiled before continuing out the door.

"Something wrong, Casanova? Having some problems approaching a girl?" Brock taunted.

"Don't you have a girl's hole to be filling?" Ash growled before turning to follow Dawn.

Brock blinked at the comment, "Jesus, that's harsh…. But he's right" he laughed before heading out the door and towards his new girlfriend's hotel.

"Welcome one and all to the final stage of the Johto Grand Festival! Today we will watch our sixteen remaining competitors duke it out to claim victory in our Knockout Round!"

"She sure loves to talk, doesn't she…" Ash sighed. He was really getting sick of hearing her voice, especially since she hosted in every Johto contest he and Dawn had participated in.

"And our first competitors are…!" Dawn's face appeared on the big screen, "Dawn Albine!"

"Awesome, she's up first again!" Ash cheered.

"And May Coran!"

"Oh bugger" Ash groaned, putting his ungloved hand to his face. He could see the look Dawn was wearing in his mind, "This is bad…" Of all people to start out with, it had to be May. Sure, they would have both ended up fighting at one point, most likely the final battle, but at the start? Dear God…

Both Dawn and May approached the ring slowly, both of them wearing separate clothes compared to the earlier rounds. May wore a black version of her usual clothes though she lacked her usual gloves, while Dawn wore a completely new set of clothes her mother made for her: Her top was a tight red shirt that had black sleeves with an upside down crescent on the chest, and her pants were skin tight jeans that accentuated her lower body rather well. She wore her normal shoes. The one major part: She now wore gloves: Ash's gloves to be exact.

##########################Flashback##################################

"Dawn!" Ash shouted as he ran into the empty waiting room.

"Ash, you better have a good reason for making me wait here." Dawn growled. Her sudden rough attitude matched her rather aggressive clothes.

"Don't worry. This is sure to be worth your time…" Ash smiled as he took off his gloves then handed them to her, "Here."

"Huh?" She took his gloves into her hands, "Why are you giving me these?"

"I think they suit your new clothes. And that's just a little bit more of me helping you win."

"Too bad I can't have all of you beside me in these battles" Dawn giggled, even more so when Ash blushed.

"Um… well, good luck!" Ash turned and ran out of the room.

Dawn looked down at the gloves, then slipped them on. They were a little loose since his hands were larger than hers, but they fit snuggly enough that they wouldn't get in her way… She looked in the mirror, clenching her right hand into a fist, then thrusted it forward, then brought it down to her side, "Hmm… he was right, they do suit these clothes…"

"Nice clothes, Dawn" May complimented her enemy, "Especially those gloves…" she grinned evilly.

Dawn found it odd that May's eyes were locked on her gloves. "Thanks… You too…"

"All right, battlers! Prepare to-"

"Thanks Dawn, but my outfit isn't quite complete…" Her hand drifted to her pockets, pulling on two black cloths, revealing them to be well used gloves, "These gloves…" She began as she slipped them on, "Belonged to a Pokémon Master…"

Dawn's eyes widened as she continued, "These are the gloves he wore when he first began his journey…" May grinned as she saw the shock in Dawn's eyes, "That Pokémon Master's name is… Ash Ketchum!" May pointed at Dawn, "I see you're wearing his new gloves. Did he give you those as a gift, or just a temporary addition to your new clothes?"

"Gift? You mean… he…"

"Yep…" May couldn't help but release a short but maniacal laugh. There goes her morale…

Dawn's eyes shot to the crowd, trying to find Ash, but all that she saw was a blur as Ash ran for the door and into the stadium hallway. "Ash… you…"

"Quite the heated emotional battle going on here, but the true battle is about to begin! Battlers! Begin the match!"

Dawn couldn't believe it… Ash gave her his original gloves…? Then… what about…? She forced herself to straighten up as she, in sync with May's moves, both grabbed their selected Pokémon, "Typhlosion! Spotlight!"

"Blaziken, Stage On!"

"Two fire types!" Laura cheered, "This literally will be a heated battle between the hottest of the hot! Only the strongest will be able to prevail!"

"Blaziken! Blast him with Flamethrower!"

"Typhlosion, use your own Flamethrower!!"

"Blaz!" "Graah!"

"Wow! Look at the power of those two Flamethrowers!" Laura shouted into the mic as the two blasts of fire clashed for victory, "Which one's is stronger?"

"Typhlosion, Flame Wheel right into Blaziken's Flamethrower!"

"Kraah!" the lava badger spun into a blazing sphere, taking Blaziken's Flamethrower and absorbing it to add to it's power, May's performance gauge lowering.

"Blaziken, dodge-" May couldn't say it fast enough, nor could her Pokémon dodge it on his own as Typhlosion rammed into him, sending the large fire bird back a few feet, but not knocking it off balance, "Awesome form, Blaziken! Now! Blaze Kick!"

"Blazikeeeen!" the flaming chicken shouted as it ran at Typhlosion then leapt into the air with a burning kick.

"Sidestep" Dawn shouted, mimicking her Pokémon's move as it dodged the kick, "Spin!" She and Typhlosion about faced, "Flamethrower!" Dawn smiled and, as her Typhlosion readied a Flamethrower, blew a cute kiss at Blaziken, both Blaziken's miss and Dawn's synchronized movements with her Pokémon causing May's performance gauge to drop even further, followed by another drop as the Flamethrower hit the chicken in the back.

"Sky uppercut!" May commanded. Blaziken thrust it's feet into the ground, it's still flaming leg kicking up a storm of fire and dust behind it, spun and shot at Typhlosion, leaving it no time to dodge the powerful punch, chipping down Dawn's performance ratio.

"Kraaagh!" Typhlosion was propelled into the air.

"Blaziken, Blaze Kick as soon as he comes down!"

"Blaazi…" it readied it's move.

"Typhlosion! Protect!"

"What!?"

Typhlosion tucked itself into a ball and summoned a shield of green light around it just as it was struck by the blaze kick, sending it flying into the arena wall in a huge cloud of dust. Both trainers lost points due to the amount of visuals in the battle, though the protect cost May some extra points.

Both trainers stared at the cloud of dust, waiting for it to clear… Well, May was waiting. "Fire Blast!" Dawn shouted, smiling as a five pronged wave of fire exploded from the cloud and rammed into Blaziken, this time knocking it clean off of it's feet, "Yes!" Dawn cheered happily.

"Blaziken, get up!" May shouted at her Pokémon. Not like she needed to. Blaziken was far from done as it stood up and faced the now visible Typhlosion with a glare so intense it could melt a patch of Nevermeltice.

"That Twerpette seems to be doing a good job holding her ground against the other Twerpette!" Meowth laughed as he ate another potato chip.

"Which Twerpette are you referring to?" James looked at his partner before looking back to the security screens.

"Blue-head. She's upped her game since the last time we saw her in a contest!" the cat chirped, chomping another chip.

"Yes, especially after that emotional start… she looked as though she was going… to…" James' eyes drifted to another screen, "Hang on that's…."

"Huh?" Meowth jumped onto James' head and looked at the screen, "That's the Twerp!"

"Damn it!" Ash shouted as he thrust his fist onto the wall, immediately regretting it as his ungloved hand bounced off with a disgusting snap, "So… she was…"

So long ago, right before May took off for her first Johto Contest run, Ash returned home with May and Brock in tow. She had already seen his room once, yet May insisted that Ash take her to his room, causing his mother, Delia, to have a freak out session over "Proper Age" and "Boundaries". While Ash calmed his mother down, May ran up to his room, then, just as his fight with his mom settled down-approximately five and a half minutes- May came back downstairs.

She then asked if he could come with her into his room, bringing death glares from Ms. Ketchum, but he obliged… He didn't think about it much last time, especially since they did essentially nothing in his room other than talk a little bit…

A few days later, Ash was preparing for his trip to Sinnoh, and noticed that his old old old gloves were missing. No matter where he looked, he couldn't find them. At first he figured that his mother had taken them for some reason, but as it turns out, Delia had left his room just as he had left it the last time. So he figured that he moved it to another spot in the house.

Nothing, according to his mom… now, five years later, he finally realized, "That's where they went… That's why she wanted to go into my room so badly… That's why…" He didn't care about the pain as he slammed his fist into the wall again, "She's using it against Dawn… That thieving bitch is trying to screw with her…." Ash knew that Dawn could stay strong during emotional moments… for a time. It was only a matter of time before she snapped.

He spun around and pressed his back against the wall, sliding down slowly. It wasn't really the emotional situation that Dawn had been placed in that pissed him off. It was the effect it would probably have on their relationship… He sulked down further until he finally came to a sitting position, "There go my chances…" He held out his arm and slammed his fist into the wall one last time.

"Hey!" the cat smiled as the boy stood up defensively, "You'd better be ready to pay for any holes you punch in my wall, twerp!"

Ash stared down at the cream colored feline for a second, "Wait a second…" he blinked, "I…" he looked up at the cat's purple haired partner, "I know you guys…"

"Is that a twerpish call I hear-"

"You're Team Rocket!!!" Ash shouted, being silenced as the two guards tackled him and held their hands over his mouth.

"Shhh shh!" James shushed.

"Not anymore, twerp! We're on the good side of the law now that Team Rocket has been shut down!" they slowly removed their hands.

"Someone's missing…" Ash said as he looked back and forth between the officers, wondering where their third member was.

"Jessie's out doing contests in Hoenn at the moment, so it's just us two." Meowth explained.

"Speaking of contests, the Twerpette isn't doing well…" James sighed.

"Twerpette… okay, who are you talking about?"

"Blue Girl! She put up a good fight in the beginning, but now…"

"We're down to the last minute everyone! Dawn Albine has been pushed into a corner! Can she pull out of it!?"

"She's snapped…" Ash groaned sadly.

"Huh?" Both guards stared at him before James began, "Listen, Twerp…"

"Ash."

"Huh?"

"You're not part of Team Rocket now, so I'm not a twerp to you guys anymore, right?"

"Don't interrupt or I won't help you. If there's any way we can give you a hand…"

"Yeah! Unless it's us doing the snatching, stealing from your friends is wrong! I say we go in and stop that fight!"

Ash smiled, an idea popping into his head, "Can you get me on the stage?"

"Sure, easily!" Meowth laughed as the three took off running down the hall.

"We're down to the last minute everyone! Dawn Albine has been pushed into a corner! Can she pull out of it!?"

A minute, sure, to everyone else it was a minute, but to her, it felt like time had doubled. Every time she looked at the clock, three seconds had passed, until finally "Thirty seconds!" Luara shouted.

Both Pokémon and Trainer were out of breath, the Pokémon from battling, and the trainers from issuing order after difficult order, Typhlosion especially tired due to…

I can't believe it failed. In a last ditch effort to deal some major damage, Dawn attempted to use a special attack that her and Typhlosion had been trying to master… Blast Burn failed... May's now beating me…

"Looks like you don't have his strength with you this time, huh Dawn?" May laughed.

"Shut up! Typhlosion-"

"Blaziken, let's finish this! Use Blaze Kick!"

"Shit…" Dawn cursed under her breath. Was this it? With her last moments she looked to the crowd… he still wasn't there. Has he… given up on me…? Dawn had to force herself not to cry.

"DAWN!" Ash screamed as he ran out onto the stage.

"Wh-What in the world!?" Laura stared at the young trainer, "Security!"

"Ash!?" Both coordinators cried, turning their attention from the charging Blaziken and waiting Typhlosion.

Behind Ash an army of guards followed, "Ash, watch out!" Dawn shouted, then gasped as the guards lined up behind him, two very familiar smiling faces standing at the front of the group.

"You can do it Dawn!" Ash shouted, "Don't you dare believe May's lies!"

"What!?" May screeched, glaring right at Ash.

Ash pointed at his former friend, "I never gave her those gloves! She stole them from-" Ash looked at Blaziken, Dawn doing the same. In perfect sync, both Ash and Dawn shouted, "Typhlosion, Protect!"

Just in the nick of time, a green field stopped Blaziken's kick, leaving both stationary for a few moments.

"Come on Dawn!" Ash smiled as he yelled, "Use Burst Fire Cannon!"

"Burst Fire what!?" Both May and Laura shouted.

"You heard him, Typhlosion!" Dawn thrust her hand forward, "Do it!" Typhlosion began the lasso maneuver used in the appeal round, but the fire formed much faster and at a far larger amount per second, leaving almost no time for Blaziken to try to move away. "Burst Fire Cannon!"

"Graaaah!" Typhlosion screamed as he unleashed three consecutive Fire Blasts into Blaziken, which shrugged off the first one, got hit in the chest and pushed back by the second one, then finally blown away by the third, landing on it's back, knocked out cold.

May didn't even call her Pokémon's name. She just stood in shock, then in horror as the guards ran up to her, pulling Ash's gloves off her hand and giving them to James before escorting her out, followed by her Blaziken.

Dawn couldn't respond either. She was happy, and she knew she had won, but… What just happened…? Finally she snapped back into reality at the sound of his voice, "You did it Dawn!"

She turned and looked at the person she cared most about in the world, "Ash…" She took off running toward him, "I did it…" she said just as Ash was going to hug her… but she didn't hug him, not at first at least.

"Mmm!?" Ash couldn't speak, for his lips had been sealed by Dawns. His mind went blank, short of one single thought: Kiss.

"Well, talk about a victory celebration! Dawn has just won the first round with her Typhlosion, and also with the help of a special guest! The Pokémon Master of the four Regions, Ash Ketchum!" Laura screamed into the mic as the entire crowd went crazy.

Ash snapped back in reality as both he and Dawn broke their kiss and said straight to Laura, "Shut the hell up!"

Dawn continued, "You're ruining the moment…" she laughed then kissed Ash again, which this time he eagerly returned.

"There you go, Dawn! Take him into your arms and make him your own!" Johanna cheered, not noticing the passed out Delia Ketchum who lay on the couch next to him, "I always knew you'd get him!"

"My… My Ash…" Delia mumbled, "Kissed… a girl…!? Finally…" she said that last word before falling unconscious, a large smile remaining on her face.

"Um…" James and Meowth walked up to the couple, "I believe these belong to you…"

Dawn broke the kiss when she realized they were handing Ash's gloves to her, "Wait… no, they belong to Ash, right?" She looked at Ash.

"Not anymore. They're yours now…" Ash smiled. He didn't expect such a heated thank you as Dawn kissed him once more, a little bit of tongue play happening-such that Ash really didn't know how to respond- before Dawn took the gloves, removed Ash's new gloves, and replaced them with the old. "Perfect fit…" Dawn looked to Ash, giving him his cue.

Ash paused for a second, then nervously said, "Just like us, huh?"

"Exactly like us…"

Karen: And I thought the first one had an off ending…

Tsukasa: Yeah I know… This really wasn't my best work, but thankfully the next part will be much better.

Karen: Next time! The Grand Festival isn't over yet!

Tsukasa: In many more ways than one, especially since another Grand Festival Champion makes his debut on our stage!

Karen: The angst of betraying your best friend has equal positives as negatives. Keep the Faith Act 2: Memoirs of a Fateful Love.

Tsukasa: Plus there will be another writing offer!

Both: Stick around!