Taking a deep breath I released Cutiefly and the seal on the pokemon released a dazzling firework show, with one streak of the sparkles following Cutiefly as she flew as quickly as she could in a full circle around the stage. The music started and I grinned as Serena's favorite french song, "Un Fille du Solei" began to play. 

Swaying back and forth I began clapping my hands above my head to the beat, prompting the crowd to clap along with me. I began skip-jumping around the edge of the stage, continuing to clap as Cutiefly flew around me while spinning and doing backflips. Bending to the side I put a hand to my ear and gestured with my other hand for the crowd to be a little louder. They obliged, nearly all of them clapping along to the happy beat.

Smiling widely I spun and took my position in the middle of the stage just as the music slowed and a female vocalist began speaking. Clasping my hands loosely behind my back I took two exaggerated grapevine steps to the side and lowered my right hand so that it was gesturing to Cutiefly as she let off a small Struggle Bug that looked like small green fireworks before I moved to the left and we did the same thing. As the verse continued I danced gracefully around the stage, at one point spinning on the ball of my foot like a ballerina while my other was raised high behind me.

As the verse came to an end though I moved back towards the middle of the stage and raised both arms above my head as the words "Je Suis" were sung loudly. As the note ended I nodded up at Cutiefly and she used her double team to burst into dozens and dozens of copies of her. I heard gasps of astonishment and as the chorus began I dropped down into a wide stance placing my hands on my knees and then dipped one knee and shoulder down, followed by the other, and then leaned back on my left leg and clapped my hands together, signaling for all of the cutiefly copies to let loose a shower of Struggle Bug sparks, before going back and doing it again, but leaning back on my right foot and lifting up my left leg.

As the male vocalist began to join in with the chorus I began dancing around the stage and the many cutieflies populating the stage created a gentle Fairy Wind that flowed around the stage. This caused Cutiefly and its doubles to bob up and down to the beat, creating a beautiful pattern as I continued to dance first to one side of the stage and then the other.

The female vocalist dropped out and as the male vocalist sang his verse I began spinning back to the middle of the stage. Once I was in position I stood on my tiptoes, raising one hand up, I threw a wink out at the audience and as the vocalist belted out a long note all of the Cutiefly doubles converged on me, covering me completely from sight, but as soon as the girl joined back in I flung out my arms and all of the cutieflies explode out trailing Struggle Bug sparkles behind them as they went back into their chorus positions. As the chorus rang out I used the same knee twist move, clapping and eliciting sparks from the cutieflies.

The male singer began singing "Ole" repeatedly, vocalizing beautifully, and as I danced I reached under the wrap around my hip, pulling loose the packet of flowers that I had bought and tossed them into the air. Cutiefly and her doubles used Silver Wind, using the sparkling silver streaks of wind to blow the flowers around the whole stage and cause them to spin and twirl around us. I lifted my arms up in the air and spun around, dancing amidst the shower of flowers.

As the song slowed down for the bridge and only the male vocalist was singing I glided to the middle of the very front of the stage and raised my hands up. Delicately I moved them down to cover my face then gently lowered one arm at a time to my side, signaling Cutiefly's doubles to form two lines on either side of me. 

When the girl's voice joined in again Cutiefly began creating a weak Fairy Wind and as I glided backward my face dropped down and to the side. I could feel both the wrap around my hips and my hair being tossed gently by the wind as I made my way back to the middle of the stage. But as the song strengthened and the girl joined in I jumped and I could feel Cutiefly blast me with a whirlwind of Fairy Wind, lifting me so that I was raising face-first up to the sky and I could hear shouts and cheers from the audience.

I knew that Cutiefly's doubles were weaving around in intricate patterns down below me but as the Fairy Wind tornado spun me gently I slowly and calmly stretched out one leg and arm after another, as if I were swimming through the air. Exactly on time to the girl vocalist's yell of excitement I felt a strong, concentrated blast of Fairy Wind hit my lower back and legs which flipped me backward. I landed back on the stage dramatically before I launched back into my chorus knee-twisting move and my cutieflies released their Struggle Bug sparks to the timing of my claps. As the song came to an end I struck a pose, holding up one hand so that the real Cutiefly could land on the back of my hand. As the last note died down she released her doubles, leaving just us two on the stage.

The crowd immediately burst into thunderous applause and I grinned, dipping down into a curtsy while holding my hand still so Cutiefly wouldn't be displaced. The cheers and whistles continued as I rose from my curtsy and I found myself looking past the large crowd at the front of the stage to look over at Torterra and Paul. 

My heart jumped a little bit as my eyes seemed to once again connect with Paul's and his expression was filled with surprise and what almost looked like approval. When he realized I was looking though he quickly schooled his expression into a scowl and I pressed my lips together so I wouldn't laugh. Looking back at the crowd and judges who were still cheering for my performance I waved happily at them all and then turned, leaving the stage with Cutiefly flying along beside me.

As I walked towards the prep tent Jonny, the guy who had made it to the finals in the last showdown against Traavi, walked out and smiled brightly at me. I returned his smile and wished him luck as he walked toward the stage. When I slipped through the tent I was surrounded by several other performers all begging me to teach them the trick where Fairy Wind made me fly. Before I could say anything though someone cleared their throat loudly and all of the girls stiffened and turned to see Kailani standing behind them.

Kailani was a beautiful girl; her hair was left to flow freely down her back and she wore a precious bikini with ruffled fabric both on her chest and the small skirt-like bottoms. The fabric started as white and then gained color until the bottom layer of ruffle was a dark pink. I had been excited and intimidated when she walked into the prep tent without saying a word to anyone. Everyone seemed to give her a wide berth and do their best to avoid her gaze, which surprised me since she seemed so sweet when I watched her perform in Iki Town.

"Stop fawning over her; cheap tricks like that won't get her anywhere," Kailani said, a dark glare transforming her innocent-looking face into a mask of evil maturity. 

I swallowed in shock and I could see several of the girls surrounding me shiver before they slunk away to watch Jonny's performance on the TV provided in the tent.

"You didn't like my performance?" I asked as she continued to glare at me. She folded her arms across her flat stomach and let out a 'hmph' sound.

"The point of the Ka halu round is to show off the beauty of your pokemon and your bond with them, not to show off yourself," she said snidely and I frowned. 

Several retorts and arguments flashed through my head but I took a small breath and decided to not let this little hellion rile me up.

"You don't think I showed off Cutiefly's beauty?" I asked and she raised an eyebrow.

"Just because it can use Double Team doesn't mean people can see it. Cutiefly is too small to be effective as a solo partner," she criticized bluntly and I frowned as I saw Cutiefly droop onto my shoulder in obvious sadness.

"I see. Thank you for the advice, Kailani," I said curtly and she arched a perfect eyebrow at me.

"Just so you know Miss 'Angel'," she said with obvious sarcasm, "I just turned fifteen. I may look young but there is no way I am letting you beat me in this showdown." 

I glanced down at her, debating on how angry she would be if I told her she looked twelve. She was taller than Lana, but not by much, and everything about her looked delicate and breakable, except for her apparent iron will.

"Happy Birthday," I said simply and she frowned at me. 

Stepping to the side I walked around her and took a seat to watch the performances. Cutiefly was still sitting dejectedly on my shoulder so I gently scooped her into the palm of my hand and brought her around to look at me.

"Hey, Lovely, don't listen to her. I chose you as my dance partner today because I knew you would do brilliantly. Thank you so much for a wonderful performance," I whispered to her. 

Cutiefly stood up on my palm, looking at me as if trying to tell if I was lying. Moving my hand up to my cheek I nuzzled her affectionately and to my delight, she cuddled my cheek as well.

Since none of the other performers had their pokemon out I decided to not release mine and just watched the performances with Cutiefly flitting from my knee, to my shoulder, to my head, and back again. There were even fewer guys than usually performing in this showdown and I watched as one after another girl dressed in a bikini danced around with varying degrees of success in their routines.

Kailani went last and as much as her comments and obvious hostility had set me on edge, I had to admit that her dance was absolutely beautiful. She partnered with an Alolan Raichu for her dance routine this time and the combinations of psychic and electricity created a dazzling spectacle that made the whole crowd cheer for her. I watched her smile and wave sweetly to the crowd and couldn't help but wonder what made her so standoffish when she was with other performers.

After Kailani left the stage Keanu returned and commented on how magnificent Kailani's performance was 'as usual'. I could feel the whole room hold their breath as the Nurse Joy at the judge's table stood up and handed an envelope to Keanu. 

Cutiefly flew up from my knee, buzzing in nervous excitement as Keanu pulled out the sheath of paper and read off the names. To no one's surprise, Kailani's name was called first, but the second name was me! Sighing in relief I jumped up and spun Cutiefly around, kissing my fingertip and tapping it on her little body before returning her to her Pokeball. Jonny and a girl named Leia also were called. Leia was one of the girls that had come up asking about my flying trick. To my surprise, she rushed over and hugged me excitedly so I hugged her back and congratulated her.

We all walked back onto the stage as Keanu asked us to join her to wild cheers and catcalls. Several girls were calling out Jonny's name and he smiled, putting two fingers to his lips and then holding them out in a peace sign, causing a few girls to scream enthusiastically and I looked over at him with amusement. 

I wonder if all alolan boys are flirts.

"Here they are! Your top four contestants." 

Another round of cheers rang out and Keanu clapped for us as well. As I looked out over the crowd I felt relieved when I saw Torterra and Paul hadn't left, even though Paul didn't seem to be paying attention. For the first time, I realized that Lana and Traavi were standing in the back with Paul as well. Lana was jumping up and down and waving enthusiastically while Traavi was grinning widely at me. He winked when I met his eyes and I smiled wryly at him before waving both of my hands at Lana to show I had seen her.

"Now these four contestants will have to battle it out, but this time it won't be a battle of pokemon, but a battle of skill!" Keanu called and I blinked several times in confusion, glad when I saw that many of the audience members seemed confused as well. "Each contestant will choose one pokemon to come with them as they take turns mantine surfing against each other! Whichever contestant that does the best trick while surfing without wiping out will win the battle round!" Keanu announced.

The audience exploded with applause and cheer but I felt the blood drain from my face. I hesitantly looked out at the ocean where four mantines with red and black saddle-like boards attached to their backs were waiting in the shallows.

"First up will be Jonny and Leia. Good luck you two! And everyone let's head to the water to watch!" 

Swallowing past a lump of nervousness in my throat I followed Leia across the sand and towards the mantines. With practiced confidence, both Leia and Jonny climbed onto their mantine's back, bending their knees and leaning forward as their mantine's took them out a little way where large waves were swelling.

I couldn't tell which pokemon they had released, but when they both dropped down into the same wave and Leia guided her Mantine to make the first jump a beautiful Fineon jumped out of the wave, seeming to chase after her. Fineon let out a Bubblebeam attack, making bubbles fall all around Leia as she held onto her Mantine and flipped twice to the left before dropping back onto the wave. Similarly, as Jonny burst up the lip of the wave and did a backflip with the mantine a tirtouga jumped up surrounded by water in a beautiful Aqua Jet attack as he flipped with his trainer.

I released Piplup, picking him up in my arms so that he could watch and I squeezed him tightly as fear and inadequacy raged inside of me. Sure, I could use Piplup's ice board to surf a wave, but I had never tried to do any tricks! And I was up against Kailani! I wanted to curl up under a bench and hide, but I forced myself to watch Leia and Jonny carefully as they made jump after jump until the wave ran out and they turned to come back to shore.

The audience, which had been cheering exuberantly at the show, clapped loudly as the two performers came up and awaited their judgment. It didn't take long for the judges to announce Jonny the winner of the battle and Leia sighed but she clapped for Jonny as well and I instantly liked her.

"Next up will be Dawn and Kailani! Good luck, girls!" Keanu called and I looked down at Piplup who was looking up at me.

"Just stay close behind me. Try to use Mist to make things look mysterious and shoot Mantine with a Hydro Pump if we don't get enough air, okay?" I whispered nervously. 

Piplup saluted, hopping down from my arms and running over to say hello to Mantine. Swallowing hard I untied my wrap, not wanting it to accidentally get caught on Mantine's fin, and I heard several catcalls and whistles as I let the cloth drop on the sand.

Not wanting to encourage them, I kept my attention on the mantine in front of me and watched out of the corner of my eye as Kailani gracefully mounted her Mantine, standing on top of it as calmly as if it was solid ground. Taking a deep breath I waded through the cold water to the last Mantine and I looked down at it.

"I've never done this before, so if I hurt you then I am so sorry in advance," I said nervously and Mantine trilled as if it was laughing at me. The sound loosened some of my nerves and I grasped the hand holds on either side of the platform on Mantine's back. 

Before I could talk myself out of it I boosted myself out of the shallow water and put both feet flat on the board. To my surprise, the material was actually quite grippy and some of my fear of falling as soon as I stood up eased. Taking one more calming breath, looking down at Piplup who was cheering for me encouragingly, I straightened, only wobbling slightly as I stood up to my full height. 

Mantine bobbed gently in the water and I took a moment to make sure I had my balance before looking up at the crowd. Several of them were calling my name, telling me that I could do it. I gave a shaky smile at them before bending my knees and leaning to the side, prompting Mantine to turn around and follow Kailani towards the larger waves.

The journey to the waves was nerve-wracking but I didn't lose my balance and soon found a kind of rhythm to Mantine's movements. Kailani was folding her arms, the picture of impatience as I slowly got to where she was waiting. Looking down next to her I was surprised to see a Lanturn instead of her Vaporeon swimming next to her in the water.

"Haven't you ever done this before?" Kailani snapped at me as I guided Mantine to a position a foot away from her. I shook my head, wishing I had thought to put my hair in a ponytail, and she rolled her eyes at me. "Just don't crash into me," she snapped and I nodded, inwardly hoping I could stop myself if we really were in a collision course situation.

A massive wave started towards us and Kailani crouched down, holding onto the handholds on her saddle and I quickly copied her. As the wave caught up to us Mantine swam in front of it for a time but then slowly let itself get caught up in the swell. My breath came out in terrified gasps as I watched the ocean getting farther and farther away as we climbed up the wave and then I saw that Kailani had popped up and dropped into the middle of the wave. 

Closing my eyes briefly I whispered a desperate plea and then propelled myself into a crouching position. My mantine turned and lunged forward, free-falling for a few seconds before we hit the middle of the wave and a shudder went up my legs, nearly causing me to fall off, but I somehow kept my balance.

As the wave continued its path towards the beach I watched as Kailani swooped up the wave and jumped off the top, managing to spin Mantine in two back flips as her Lanturn shot out sparks of electricity around her before landing perfectly back on the wave. Gritting my teeth I twisted my knees, grateful that Mantine seemed to understand because it steadily climbed up the wave. As we reached the lip of the wave Mantine sped up and burst out of the water.

Closing my eyes for a split second I yelled, "Piplup!" then pushed myself off of Mantine's back. 

I opened my eyes and pulled myself into a spin as I kept an eye down at Mantine who was gliding underneath me. As Mantine began to fall back a beautiful mist spread out under him and I pulled my body into a front flip, reaching out and snagging one of the handholds on Mantine's saddle. My knees jarred painfully when I smacked my feet back onto the firm platform as Mantine touched down on top of the wave again. My heart was beating so fast I thought it would burst from my chest but somehow I managed my "trick" and I steeled myself before standing back up in my crouched position.

Kailani was already going up the wave for another pass and as her Mantine jumped up from the wave she kicked her feet out and she and Mantine spun in a complete 360 with her Lanturn spewing a ring of water around them. She landed perfectly and glanced over her shoulder at me, glaring. Gulping I steered Mantine towards the top of the wave again. 

I don't know how to flip with Mantine, but if I go airborne again there's no guarantee I'll be able to get back to Mantine, I thought in a panic but something strange passed the peripheral of my eye. Just as we crested the wave a bolt of electricity shot through the wave, hitting my mantine.

Mantine bucked and since I hadn't been holding on to the handles I found myself flying by myself through the air. I watched in disbelief as Mantine dropped down the front of the wave, seeming to have fainted, and I flew up and over the wave, crashing onto my back into the ocean. My back screamed with pain at the impact and for a few terrifying moments, my body spun, tossed, and turned as the waves above pounded me mercilessly under the water.

Something small pushed against my stomach, pointing me towards the surface and I desperately swam for the light of the sun filtering through the water. I burst up past the surface of the water and sucked in a breath of air into my flaming lungs. Water dribbled from my nose and was expelled from my mouth as I coughed and coughed. Once I could finally breathe I wiped the salt water from my stinging eyes and looked up to see Kailani standing over me on her mantine giving me a cold look.

"You don't belong here, foreigner," she said with a sneer. "You'll never be able to beat me." 

With that, she turned her mantine and began making her way back to the shore. Piplup, who I realized must have been the one to rescue me from the wave, peeped angrily, looking like he was about to create an Ice Beam and shoot it at her.

"No, Piplup," I coughed, reaching out and hugging him to me as I tread water. 

Tears streamed down my eyes as I hugged him to me and for a second I considered turning and swimming for Melemele Island and the boat that would take me back to Sinnoh. But my body felt battered and I doubted whether I even had the strength to get back to shore, so I released Piplup and began to swim. 

My back still felt like the ocean had slapped it with all the force of an angry Mankey but I ignored it and kept swimming. Something bumped up against me and I jerked back but then calmed down when I saw it was my mantine. It trilled sadly at me and swam up to rub against my shoulder.

"It wasn't your fault," I said gently, stroking its smooth, rubbery wing. 

Mantine dove under the water and I felt it position itself so my feet were on top of its platform before slowly rising up, pushing me out of the water as it surfaced. Piplup peeped up at me and I reached down, scooping him from the water and holding him to me. He wrapped his wet flippers around my neck, resting his head against my cheek and I hugged him to me as Mantine brought us back to shore.

Kailani had already gotten back and I turned away as the crowd clapped politely for me as I came back to shore. I jumped from Mantine, bowed stiffly to the crowd and judges, and then turned and began walking silently towards the prep tent, never letting go of Piplup. I knew that as soon as I put him down I would start to cry and I didn't want anyone to see that.

"Hey, Dawn!" Traavi's deep voice called and I turned away from it, hugging Piplup closer to me. "Dawn! Wait for a second, your back looks like a Tentacool stung you. Would you stop?" 

A strong hand grabbed my shoulder and I winced. Piplup didn't hold back and I was splashed with the spray of a Hydro Pump which apparently hit Traavi with full force because the hand was ripped from my shoulder as he spluttered. Guilt gripped me and I stopped and slowly turned around to look at a waterlogged Traavi.

"Sorry, Traavi. I just want to get changed," I mumbled, my voice sounded dull and emotionless and Traavi wiped the water from his eyes and gave me a concerned look.

"Dawn, if you are hurt you should see a doctor. Wiping out on a wave like that is no joke," he said, taking a step towards me but I skipped back. 

Looking past Traavi I saw that Kailani, who was waiting in the shallows for Jonny to mount his mantine, was glaring at me with a look of pure hatred. Flicking my gaze from Traavi, who was looking at me with concern, and back to Kailani's hate-filled expression understanding clicked into place and I chuckled without humor.

"I'm fine, Traavi. You should go congratulate Kailani," I said and then turned and sprinted through the shifting sand towards the prep tent. 

I heard Traavi call after me but to my relief, he didn't follow me. I knew I had left my wrap on the beach but I didn't care, I just wanted to get out of this swimsuit and away from here as fast as possible.

To my relief, everyone had already vacated the tent so I set Piplup down and told him to use Bubblebeam on me. I stiffened as the water cascaded down me, cleaning off the salt and sand, but not removing the feelings of pain and frustration welling up inside of me. To keep myself from thinking, I dried myself briskly and then stepped into a changing cubicle. Quickly I stripped off the swimsuit, leaving it on the ground and not bothering to pick it up as I changed back into my street clothes.

After whispering a quick emotional thank you, I returned Piplup to his Pokeball, pulled on my backpack, and walked to the back of the tent. The bottom of the tent wasn't held down tightly so after some wiggling I was able to raise it up enough for me to crawl through and I ran, not looking back. My vision blurred from the tears that were trying to spill out but I stubbornly blinked them back as I ran off the beach and towards HeaHea City. Without a destination in mind, I ran blindly.

I didn't know how many streets I crossed but eventually, I found myself in a group of palm trees with lots of bushes growing all around. Looking around me I gasped for breath, realizing that I had somehow left the city behind me in my desperate run and had no clue where I was. As I looked around me one more time to assure myself I was alone I slowly sank down to the ground.

My legs trembled with pain and a choked splutter sounded from my throat. I coughed and as I coughed the tears I had been trying to keep back spilled out of my eyes. I coughed and sobbed, unable to stop myself. My whole body hurt. My head hurt. But most of all my soul hurt. 

I just can't do it anymore. What's the point in trying?

"You're right. Okay? You're right!" I gasped through my sobs as I thought of Kailani looking at me from the back of her mantine, telling me I'd never beat her. "Even if you hadn't shocked my mantine there's no way I could have beaten you... I don't belong here... I don't belong in Sinnoh... I can't do this." I cried, pouring out all of my sorrow and anger as the tears fell continuously down my cheek. "I can't do this," I repeated through my sobs.

"Yes you can," a male voice said from behind me. 

I looked over my shoulder, my eyes widening as Paul pushed his way through bushes to come stand in the small clearing I had stumbled into. He regarded me with a strange expression and I quickly turned away from him, desperately wiping at my eyes but my tears wouldn't stop.

"Are you going to let a brat like her tell you you can't do something?" Paul asked. 

Not knowing where the energy came from I exploded to my feet turning around to meet his eyes with all the fury I had ever felt towards him.

"What do you know about it? What do you know about me?" I yelled, not even caring if anyone heard. 

Paul didn't react, just continued to stare at me. My tears wouldn't stop so I turned to leave and was shocked when a large, gentle hand clasped around my wrist.

"Where are you going?" Paul asked gruffly. I pulled my arm, but his grip tightened, not letting me go. "Tell me where you are going, Dawn," Paul said through gritted teeth, holding on as I jerked my hand, trying to break free.

"Let me go! You're hurting me!" 

Paul let go so fast that I was mid-pull and immediately fell onto my back, eliciting a cry of pain as my sore back once again smacked into a hard surface.

"Dawn! I'm sorry," I heard Paul say but I lifted both arms and pressed them against my eyes, crying loudly and not bothering to move. "Dawn, please. Where are you hurt?" I heard him say in a strangled voice. 

I turned away from him, curling up in a ball on the ground and biting my bottom lip. Desperately I tried to stop my sobs as I shifted and covered my eyes with my hands. My tears didn't stop but my breathing began to return to normal and my sobs quieted. I knew that Paul was sitting next to me so I pushed myself up and turned to face him, feeling completely drained. My eyes met his and he looked almost as miserable as I felt.

"Don't look at me like that," I warbled, and instantly Paul schooled his expression into his normal, unfeeling one. I glared at him and wiped the continuous stream of tears falling down my cheeks. "Just leave me alone," I said, echoing his own words from a few weeks ago. 

Paul's eyebrows furrowed. "No. Not until you stop crying," he declared gruffly and a disbelieving laugh ripped from my throat.

"You think I want to be crying?" I asked angrily and he blinked once, but I didn't let him say anything. "How could you understand? You've beaten two pokemon leagues. You've battled Champions. How could you possibly know what it feels like to never be good enough?" I asked, bitterness creeping into my tone as silent tears continued to slip down my cheeks. 

Paul met my eyes and I thought I saw a flash of pain go through them but they returned to their normal coldness too soon for me to be sure.

"Are you crying because you haven't been able to win anything?" he asked gruffly. A stab of pain ripped through my heart and my tears began to fall faster.

"So what if I am?" I retorted sharply, but my voice shook which took away most of the edge from it. "Go ahead. Call me an idiot. Tell me I'm stupid to put stock in things like contests and showdowns," I said bitterly, lowering my head into my hands and covering my eyes again. "What else am I supposed to do? I'm not good at anything else, but after seven years I have made no progress. I'm pathetic," I whimpered as I continued to cry. 

Suddenly Paul's large hands wrapped around my wrists and pulled them away from my face. I lifted my head, preparing myself to yell at him but his serious expression made the words stick in my throat.

"Will you stop crying if I agree to teach you how to get stronger?" he asked. My arms and hands went slack as I gaped at him in shock.

"What did you just say?"

A/N Was that too much of a cliffhanger? Hopefully not.  Am I doing okay portraying Dawn and Paul? Thanks for reading as always!