"That was so good, Vulpix!" I squealed happily, scooping her cold body into my arms and spinning us around. Vulpix squeaked in surprise but I grinned widely when she leaned her cold nose against my neck affectionately.

Vulpix had taken a while to warm up to me, but being surrounded by my affectionate pokemon day in and day out started to loosen her unobtrusive behavior. She still seemed closest to Arcanine, but when I asked her to help me and Piplup with our dance performance for the Paniola Town showdown she had agreed immediately and had been practicing with me diligently day in and day out. I set her back down on the ground and then gathered Piplup into my arms for a spinning hug, which he accepted happily.

"You were wonderful as well, Piplup. I think this is going to be a great performance!" 

Piplup tapped his flipper against his chest and I noticed that he was still breathing a little hard. We had been practicing since lunchtime and we were all getting tired. Feeling guilty, I set Piplup down and told him and Vulpix to go rest for a while. Piplup immediately walked towards the small creek we were practicing by and Vulpix jogged over to Arcanine, who was sitting alone on the outside of the clearing and acting his chosen role of bodyguard. I smiled as Arcanine's expression softened and he knocked his large muzzle against Vulpix's body in a gentle greeting.

The guilty feeling surfaced again and I wondered if I was pushing Vulpix and Piplup too much. Usually I took weeks to prepare a new performance routine, so I had used the excuse of needing more extra time for practice to avoid my lessons with Paul. As the days went on and Paul seemed to loosen up around me I was noticing more and more things about him that were making my feelings for him grow. Just this morning when he offered to teach me how to make toast over a fire I was only able to watch his practiced movements for a few minutes before I realized that I was staring at his handsome face instead of his hands. His amethyst eyes seemed gentler than normal the last few days, and I found any excuse I could to touch his arm or his back to get his attention.

Groaning I sat down and leaned my forehead against my bent knees. I need to get a grip. Either I need to come clean and tell him how I feel or figure out how to hide it better. 

A gentle weight landed on my shoulder and I raised my head to smile at Ribombee. She buzzed at me in concern and I shook my head.

"It's nothing, Ribombee. I'm just being silly," I said and she tilted her head slightly. With a finger I stroked her small scarf and she closed her eyes and smiled happily at the attention. "Even though you don't speak I think it's easier to understand you than Paul," I said with a sigh and Ribombee covered her mouth with her little hands and buzzed a giggle.

The day of the Paniola Ranch Showdown came faster than I could believe and I found myself sitting in the prep tent putting the finishing touches on my makeup. I was wearing the dress that Serena sent me for my birthday and I had accessorized with a snowball theme. My necklace, bracelets, and shoes all had cute little pompoms that looked like snowballs.

"Well, if it isn't the Angel of Sinnoh," a deep voice said from behind me.

 I glanced up to see Traavi walking toward me in the mirror. I rolled my eyes and dipped my makeup brush back into the shimmering silver color that I was working with and finished painting the pattern of snowflakes going down from the corner of my eye to my jaw bone.

"Hi, Traavi," I mumbled, concentrating on my makeup and hoping that the design didn't look strange since I was doing it in a mirror.

"How many pins have you gotten so far, Dawn?" Traavi asked while coming over and leaning against the vanity I was using. 

He was once again shirtless but he had changed out his black shorts for a pair of cream and red ones, which created a contrast to his dark skin. I continued my work on my stage makeup and was surprised when having a half naked, muscular young man sitting within inches of me wasn't making me even a little fidgety.

"I've got three. This will be my last one to qualify," I replied slowly as I tilted my face and smiled as the shimmery makeup sparkled.

"Nice, except this is going to be MY last one," Traavi declared and as I glanced up at him I saw he was grinning with a competitive look in his eyes.

"You beat me at Wela Volcano, but I won't let it happen again," I retorted teasingly, quirking one eyebrow up at him. To my surprise, he reach out and pinched my nose.

"You are really cute when you talk back to me, Dawn," he said with an adoring expression.

I felt my cheeks heat up and batted away his hand before rubbing the tip of my nose. I wish Paul would tell me I'm cute, I thought wistfully and turned away, trying to keep my cheeks from flaming up at the thought.

"After I win this showdown how about I travel with you to the next showdown and give you some tips?" 

I blinked into the mirror and then turned to look at Traavi to see him smiling confidently down at me.

"Sorry, Traavi. Even if you do win, I'm already traveling with someone," I replied and his confident smile dropped into a straight line.

"Oh yah? Is it a guy?" he asked casually and I nodded, turning away from him and beginning to carefully apply some eyeliner. "It's not that purple-haired guy from the Hano Beach showdown, is it?" 

I flinched and frowned as the eyeliner smudged a little.

"His name is Paul, and yes. You were standing with him at that showdown, weren't you?" I asked as I repaired the damage.

"He seemed like a grumpy jerk. Why are you traveling with a guy like him?" Traavi asked and I glared up at him.

"Why do you care?" I asked, not sure why I was so annoyed. I called Paul grumpy all the time, but for some reason hearing it from someone else made me feel defensive.

"Because..." Traavi glanced down at me and I waited for him to continue but he blew out a breath from his nostrils and shook his head. "I'm glad you didn't give up on showdowns after the wipe out."

I blinked at the change of topic and thought back to how close I came to giving up not only showdowns, but contests too. If Paul hadn't found me and convinced me to try to get stronger, I probably would be back in Sinnoh now lost and unsure of what to do with my life.

"Thank you. Good luck with your performance today." 

Traavi locked eyes with me and it seemed like he was trying to communicate something to me without using words. The look went away after a few seconds though and I flinched as he reached out and stroked my cheek with the back of his knuckles.

"All the luck I need is to see your beautiful face," he said with a wink and I rolled my eyes.

"You really are a playboy," I scoffed and turned away but I smiled when he laughed. 

He left shortly after that and I finished my makeup. Traavi was called first for his performance and I wasn't surprised to see him choose his Marowak and Braviary for his performance partners. As always he performed a powerful dance routine and I watched how his pokemon were able to stay in sync with him but still create spectacular effects with their moves.

When he came back from his performance he was once again surrounded by performers congratulating him and I was surprised when a few minutes later he came to sit next to me to watch the next performance. He didn't try to flirt with me this time, but he would comment every once in a while on the performers. When it was my turn he wished me luck and I thanked him, not sure if he wanted to be my friend or if he was just waiting for another chance to flirt.

Putting thoughts of Traavi from my mind though I walked onto the stage and smiled at the crowd of people gathered. My eyes lifted and a sense of relief washed through me when I saw Paul and all of his pokemon in the back of the crowd. He noticed my look and nodded once, causing a rush of excitement to go through me.

I nodded to the DJ and he started my song. The song I chose this time was the softest I had danced to so far and as the vocalists sang out plaintively I released Piplup and Vulpix and they both appeared in a flurry of snowflakes. To set the mood Piplup created a large flood of mist to cover the stage and I nodded at Vulpix who used Aurora Veil. All three of us began to dance with graceful, flowing movements as Vulpix's move spread a beautiful backdrop of a colorful aurora borealis behind us.

As we danced I began to lead Piplup and Vulpix in a small circle around the stage. As we danced around, Piplup released a stream of translucent bubbles that floated and bobbed at different heights across the stage. After the bubbles were set up I turned, dragging my hand briefly through the mist and causing it to wrap around me and Vulpix jumped, landing on my shoulder. I straightened and she let loose a powerful Frost Breath. I leaped, smiling as Piplup followed after me, and carried Vulpix across the stage so she could freeze all of the bubbles which still somehow floated in the air like circular crystals.

Bending over I let Vulpix slide down my arm and we continued our graceful dance, only this time instead of Piplup shooting up bubbles Vulpix began to use Powdered Snow to create a false snowfall. As the song came close to an end Piplup used Drill Peck, concentrating so that his beak elongated to nearly three times its normal size before bending and running in circles through the mist. As the mist twisted around his beak it was tossed up in long strings to mingle with the frozen bubbles and falling snow. Vulpix and I danced in the middle of the stage amidst the beautiful winter wonderland we had created.

To end our performance Vulpix ran around the stage blasting the bubbles with an Icy Wind that caused them to crash into each other with a tinkling sound and shower Piplup and I with their sparkling remains. As the last note of the song rang out I dropped to the ground, tucking my legs to the side while my skirt fluttered over my knees and legs. Vulpix and Piplup came and sat on my lap as Vulpix let out one last Aurora Veil that caused the wisps of mist in the air to gleam with color.

The crowd cheered loudly and I smiled, hugging Piplup and Vulpix to me and whispering my thanks to them. They both hopped off my lap and I stood, curtsying slightly before waving at the crowd and looking for Paul. Our eyes met once again but I was too far away to see his expression, although I thought he was smiling. Feeling a rush of accomplishment I curtsied one more time before leaving the stage, trailing Piplup and Vulpix behind me.

"Vulpix you did so well in front of a crowd!" I complimented her and she looked up at me with a curious expression, as if not sure why I would say that. 

We walked back into the tent and several of the other performers came up and congratulated me. One girl bent down to pet Vulpix but she instantly shied away from her and crouched behind my legs. I was curious as to why Vulpix had done so well on the stage, and yet seemed to dislike being near other people. Squatting down I pet Vulpix and told her she didn't have to worry before returning her to her Pokeball. Piplup, on the other hand, was a ham and lapped up the attention that the girls lavished on him.

"Keanu's going to start calling you the Ice Queen," Traavi's deep voice joked.

I stood back up and wasn't surprised when several of the girls looked over at him with obvious longing.

"I don't want any nicknames," I said as Piplup walked over and glared up at Traavi suspiciously. "Let's go watch the other performances, Piplup." 

Piplup jumped into my arms and I went and sat down with Traavi trailing after me. We watched the rest of the performances together and Piplup rubbed my arm as Keanu came out to announce the top four.

Traavi's name was called out first, but mine was second and I breathed out a sigh of relief as Piplup puffed out his chest proudly. I returned him to his Pokeball and followed Traavi as he walked out of the tent. As the crowd cheered for us I was surprised to see that I was the only girl to have made it to the finals in this showdown.

"Well done, finalists! Your performances were all magnificent," Keanu said with a grin and the crowd cheered once again. "For this battle round we're going to do something a little old fashioned. We're going to have a race!"

I glanced over at Traavi and he grinned and winked at me conspiratorially, as if he had known this was going to happen.

"For the race, you may choose only one pokemon to help you. The race will take you through the sugar cane fields, past Paniola Ranch Daycare, and then there will be a marker for you to turn around and race back. Whichever trainer crosses the finish line first will be named the winner!" 

A loud squeaking sound came from above me and I turned to see that a large screen was being lowered to cover the back of the stage.

"The crowd will be able to watch your progress throughout the race on this big screen," Keanu announced and I looked out over the crowd to see if I could spot Paul. Large hands clapped onto my shoulders though and I looked up to see Traavi grinning at me.

"Don't forget our bet, Dawn," he said, leaning down and whispering in my ear. I pulled away from him and scowled.

"I didn't agree to that," I hissed as I walked off the stage. 

Keanu led us to the starting point and after only a moment's hesitation I released Arcanine. He barked loudly upon his release and Jonny, one of the other finalists, flinched from the intimidating sound.

"There's no way an Arcanine can outrun a Tauros," Traavi laughed as he released just that. I frowned and turned away from him.

"We have to race for the battle round this time, Arcanine. Do you think you'll be able to carry me on your back?" I asked worriedly.

He barked confidently, kneeling down to make it easier for me to climb on. Grateful that I had worn workout shorts underneath my dress I straddled Arcanine's back and yelped when he stood up and my feet dangled by his sides. After apologizing guiltily I gripped two bunches of his mane into my hands and looked over to see that Traavi had somehow procured a saddle for his Tauros. Jonny was standing beside his fully evolved Charizard and the other performer had released a Mudsdale as his pokemon helper.

"Anything goes in this race as long as it doesn't harm the other performer," Keanu announced as she stood in front of us finalists. "Help me count them down! Five... Four...," Keanu and the crowd all counted down and as the crowd yelled "START" I felt Arcanine's muscles tense before he leapt up and over Keanu's head. I held on for my life as he touched down and shot forward.

Arcanine was going so fast that tears were streaming from my eyes but I could see that Traavi and his Tauros were gaining on us. A trail of flames burst in front of Arcanine and Tauros, causing Traavi's Tauros to rear in fright, but Arcanine leapt over the flames without missing a beat. Looking up I saw Jonny salute me sarcastically on the back of his charizard. Smiling despite myself I leaned forward as Arcanine's powerful legs churned against the road.

"Think you could aim a Flamethrower right next to Charizard?" I yelled.

Arcanine instantly raised his muzzle and let loose a Flamethrower of his own. It sailed harmlessly next to Charizard but the shock of the move caused Charizard to jerk to the side and the added weight of Jonny on his back pulled him into a spin. I was a little worried until they finally righted themselves and then I laughed as Jonny held a hand to his head, as if his world was still spinning.

"Remind me not to get on your bad side!" 

Turning I saw that Traavi was racing up behind us, his Tauros obviously having gotten over his fright from the Flamethrower attack. Arcanine barked and I was shocked to see us pass the daycare where we had gotten Eevee's egg. 

Wow, we're almost halfway! I thought in shock.

My body had found the rhythm of Arcanine's running and I encouraged him to keep going, hoping that I wasn't too heavy for him. Traavi and I circled the halfway point at the same time and I saw that the performer with his Mudsdale was still several yards behind. Jonny and his Charizard were streaking towards the halfway point, but it seemed like his Charizard was getting tired. Traavi and Tauros were beginning to inch past us as we once again raced along the path between the fields of sugar cane. Arcanine didn't seem to be slowing down at all but they were still pulling ahead.

"I know you can do this, Arcanine!" I yelled over the whipping wind that his speed was creating.

Arcanine barked once in response and I squeaked quietly as something shocked my finger buried in Arcanine's mane. Shaking off the strange shock I tried to keep my body pressed against Arcanine, doing anything I could to help urge him forward. As the end of the path began to come into view and I saw the finish lane Tauros suddenly burst forward, leaving a white streak behind him signaling that he was using Quick Attack.

"No!" I yelled, an unusual feeling of despair shooting through me as I watched Tauros pull ahead of us. 

Another electric shock crackled against my fingers and I yelped. Arcanine howled and suddenly his entire body began to crackle with electricity as he raced forward, faster than I could even believe. I held on, gritting my teeth as electricity crackled all around me and I could feel my hair starting to stand on end.

Just before the finish line Arcanine zoomed past Traavi and his tauros to cheers from the crowd. As Arcanine came to a stop, I immediately jumped off. Huddling behind his large body I desperately tried to smooth down my staticky hair that I knew from experience was shimmering like a freaking disco ball. Arcanine whined and looked at me with obvious worry. I reached out and patted his muzzle.

"That was absolutely amazing, Arcanine! But can you keep anyone from seeing me for a bit?" I asked desperately. 

Arcanine woofed in agreement, standing in front of me and growling threateningly at anyone who came near. Desperately I pushed against my spiky hair, trying to keep it down.

"Dawn!" 

For once I did not feel excited as I heard Paul's baritone voice calling my name. Groaning lightly I looked down at myself, looking for any way to rectify the situation. My stretchy bracelets caught my eye and I quickly wrenched my spiky hair into a braid and awkwardly wrapped one bracelet around the top of the braid at the nape of my neck, and the other at the bottom.

"Dawn, are you alright?" I looked up as Paul ran up to me.

Arcanine didn't even blink as Paul skirted around him. I guess he didn't think I meant Paul, I thought wryly as I looked up at him miserably. Paul blinked as he took in my shimmering hair and a laugh burst out of him before he turned his head and covered his mouth.

"Jerk," I muttered miserably as his shoulders shook from repressed laughter. 

He reached out as if to touch my hair and I quickly scooted backward, afraid that any kind of disturbance would make it burst from its current braided state and become a spiky ball of craziness.

"Just get up already. Everyone thinks you got electrocuted from Arcanine's Wild Charge," Paul said with obvious amusement. 

He held a hand out to me and I reluctantly took it, allowing him to lift me to my feet. Arcanine pranced on the spot in excitement.

"Thank you for your hard work, Arcanine. You even learned a new move!" 

Arcanine barked happily and I hadn't realized that Paul was still holding my hand until he slipped his away and took a small step back.

"Are you alright, Dawn?" Keanu's magnified voice called from the stage and I cautiously waved at her. 

Paul smirked at me and jutted his chin, as if telling me to hurry it up. I stuck my tongue out at him but tried to hold my head high as Arcanine and I walked onto the stage.

"Wow, your hair is sparklier than your makeup!" Keanu said in amazement and I gave her a tightlipped smile.

"Dawn!" I turned just in time to see a small blue head before Lana crashed into my waist and squeezed me tightly. "That was such a great race! Congratulations!"

"Thank you, Lana," I said while hugging her small form awkwardly.

"Here is your pin! You earned it," Lana said with a grin as she held up a small pin with the picture of a checkered flag.

"Thank you, Lana," I said while taking the small pin from her. The crowd cheered and I curtsied, trying to keep my hair as still as possible so that it didn't explode into a spiky mess. "Oh! Lana!" I said, grabbing onto her arm as she walked away.

"What's up, Dawn?" Lana asked with her normal grin and I followed her off the stage.

"Do you have a flower petal for the Poni Island trial?" I asked and Lana grinned wider.

"You and Paul have already made it to Mina's trial? That's wonderful! I'll get your petals for you. Meet me at the Pokemon Center in thirty minutes, okay?" 

With that she gave me one more hug and skipped away, dodging expertly through the crowd. I only watched her go for a minute because I could feel my hair starting to tug against my impromptu hair ties so I returned Arcanine and ran into the prep tent.

"Wow, who dumped glitter on you?" Traavi's deep voice asked but I ignored him and quickly ran into a changing room. "Dawn? Dawn come on out, I want to see your sparkly hair," Traavi teased and I scoffed.

"Go away, Traavi," I huffed through the thick black curtains that hung up from the tent ceiling to create a changing area.

"You let that other guy see you. Why's he so special?" Traavi asked, all the teasing gone from his voice and I frowned, pulling my bracelet from the bottom of my braid.

"He's helping me get stronger... " I responded awkwardly. 

I didn't hear a response from Traavi so I quickly changed back into my white pants, pink shirt with flowy sleeves, and black boots. As I changed I let my hair go back to its static spikes and I carefully brushed one piece at a time until it was lying down flat. I knew it was still going to look like I had used glitter shampoo, but at least it wasn't going to impale anyone with its spikiness.

As I pushed back the curtains I jerked back when I came face to face with Traavi. He looked down at me with a serious expression and I fiddled nervously with the straps of my backpack.

"Umm... can I get by? I need to wash off my makeup," I said awkwardly but Traavi took a step closer to me, prompting me to take a step back into the changing area. "What are you doing?" I asked nervously and he took another step towards me, prompting me to retreat further.

"Are you scared of me, Dawn?" Traavi asked quietly as I continued to back away from him. I stopped and looked down, considering his question and wondering if I was overreacting.

"You're acting strange and I feel nervous," I answered honestly after a few minutes. Traavi let out a burst of air from his nose in a silent laugh.

"You are so strange, Dawn. I think I might actually like you," he said and I blinked up at him in surprise, not seeing any teasing in his expression.

"I'm not the one for you, Traavi," I said awkwardly and he took a step closer to me, drawing the curtains of the changing area closed behind him.

"And why do you say that?" he asked and I looked him square in the eye.

"Because I already have someone that I like," I responded simply and Traavi's eyes widened. His red eyes seemed to be searching mine and then he chuckled.

"Well.. this is a first," Traavi commented and I raised an eyebrow.

"What? Has a girl never told you no?" I asked and Traavi gave me a devilish smile.

"Why would they?" he asked arrogantly and I rolled my eyes. "Are you sure you don't want to be with me? I can show you a much better time than that expressionless guy," he said suggestively/

I promptly slipped past him, opening the curtain and walking out of the changing area. To my surprise Traavi followed after me and I hoped that if there were any other performers in here they didn't get any weird ideas if they had seen us in there together.

"I don't travel with him to 'have a good time'. He's seriously teaching me how to become a better trainer and I won't leave him until he tells me to," I declared firmly as I pulled out my makeup wipes and began taking off the snowflakes I'd painted on my left cheek.

"He hasn't done anything yet? Sheesh, he's either blind or has another girl," Traavi huffed with a contemplative look. I glared over at him and made a shooing motion with my hand.

"I beat you, right? So that means you can stop hanging around me, I'm not going with you," I quipped with annoyance, but a part of me wondered if Traavi might have a point. Paul hadn't mentioned any other girls when I asked him about his travels... but what if he really did have someone else he was in love with?

"I'll see you at the Showdown Tournament then, Dawn," Traavi said. 

I nodded and turned my attention back to wiping off the sparkly makeup from my cheek. Suddenly Traavi's dark shape came back towards me in the mirror and before I could react he placed his hands on the back of my chair, leaned down, and kissed my cheek. I jumped up and slapped a hand to my cheek, feeling my entire face heat up with both embarrassment and anger as Traavi grinned and winked at me.

"Don't forget about me," he said with another grin before turning and walking out of the prep tent. 

Most of the other performers had already left and I didn't think anyone had seen Traavi's show of affection but I couldn't help but mistrust the guy. I just told him I like someone else and he pulls something like that. What's his deal?

A/N Sorry for the late update. But thank you all who comment, vote, and read! I am really grateful