As N found his seat in the Contest Hall, surrounded by an excited crowd and with Mimikyu moving from his shoulder to his lap, he tried to immerse himself in the mood of those around him, attempting to reach a point where he could actually appreciate one of the few enjoyable aspects of trainer culture. He had come here to support Dawn after all, and if she saw him in the crowd without a smile on his face, he didn’t think that would do wonders for her confidence.

He was struggling, though.

It’s not like he was upset or angry about anything, or at least no more than he usually was in a world that treated Pokemon the way it did, but he couldn’t stamp down on the lingering feeling of… disappointment, maybe? He wasn’t quite sure what to call it.

Mimikyu was his own Pokemon, he could make his own decisions. N would never dream of taking that away from him. Just like he had no problem with Rotom sticking around Lucas for the duration of the contest, even if it meant his phone was unavailable. Not like he really used the thing anyway…

But when Lucas was so generous as to offer up a free technical machine, or perhaps it was more accurate to say that Torterra offered one up on his behalf, N had allowed himself to grow a little bit excited over the idea of Mimikyu learning Return. Not that he’d only felt excitement. It had been mixed in with anxiety and self doubt, of course. But with all the secrets between them, he had been hoping that the little specter would allow N to get a glimpse of how he really felt about their relationship. For better or worse. If it had been strong, then that was great! If it had been weak, well, that was something to work on if N was going to keep travelling with him. Not that he thought it would come to that, but…

…but it didn’t matter either way, because Mimikyu hadn’t gone with Return.

Which was fine! Perfectly fine. Reasonable even, once he had laid out why he’d chosen it. At least with N’s admittedly poor understanding of the intricacies of battle.

According to the little Fairy in his lap, the Shadow Claw that Fantina had gifted them was one of the strongest moves that he was capable of learning. Once he really got the hang of it, it would probably be his go-to in terms of damage output, even if he learned other moves like they were hoping.

He’d started using a lot of strange terminology at that point, stuff that neither N nor Torterra understood in the slightest. From what he’d seen, Shadow Claw was more of a slashing motion than a stabbing one, so Mimikyu saying stab over and over just didn’t make sense.

But the long and short of it was that while Return would realistically only serve as a coverage option when up against a Normal type, Taunt could be useful in a variety of scenarios. More importantly, in a way that didn’t involve Mimikyu getting up close and personal with a Pokemon that actually knew how to battle.

Mimikyu wanted options, not a moveset that would grant him the power to take on the League.

“Yer doin’ an awful lot of thinkin’, ain’ ya?” The subject of his thoughts spoke up, making N startle.

“Perhaps,” he replied. “I’m just lost in thought, is all.”

“Well ya can get lost when the shows over, I’m pretty sure they’re ‘bout ta start.”

While he had been ignoring the ramblings of the announcer, the building’s ceiling slowly retracting to allow natural light in was a pretty good indicator that Mimikyu was right. He ignored the introductions given to the judges, but he did take note of the fact that this event was apparently focused on doubles.

That wasn’t something you saw often in the world of trainers. So often it was just a case of “my Pokemon can hurt yours harder and faster”. Doubles would require strategy and teamwork. Not to the same extent that would be necessary for the Triple or Rotation battles that had been cropping up recently back home, but those seemed to be more of a novelty than anything trainers were taking seriously.

Eventually, the first contestant stepped out onto the stage.

He looked more like an old-timey minstrel than a Pokemon trainer, especially with the rather sizable harp he had in his hands. A dark green cape covered most of his body, and he had a matching giant hat, stuck with a feather from a… hmmm. He wasn’t sure what that feather was from, but perhaps that shouldn’t surprise him, given how unfamiliar he still is with the Pokemon outside of his home region. The giant golden pauldron hanging from his shoulder was an odd touch, but the man seemed accustomed to its weight as he made his way into the sunlight, throwing two Pokeballs forward.

“Sunflora and Kricketune, make your mark!”

He must have rigged the balls with something, because as the two Pokemon were released a huge cloud of glitter encapsulated the stage, shiny music notes raining down.

As the Kricketune materialized, it gave a flourish with its arms that the announcer called out as a Swords Dance, disrupting the air and sending the glitter flying off in a different direction.

Alongside it was a Pokemon he’d never seen before, yet was vaguely familiar all the same. Those petals… was this the Pokemon that Meowth had been mimicking during Team Rocket’s attempted robbery of the museum near Eterna? He had to give the Pokemon credit, his costume had been fairly accurate now that he knew what the inspiration was.

The contestant called out for his Pokemon to use Grasswhistle, and N gasped.

“Is he trying to put all of us to sleep?”

It wasn’t often that he saw a Swadloon use the move, but he at least knew its effects.

But instead of ruining his performance, when his Pokemon started to make music they instead caused the glitter still in the air to dance, pulsing rhythmically, almost as if…

“Is that s’posed ta be the soundwaves?” Mimikyu pondered. “It’s a neat effect, bu’ sound moves way faster than that. Makes ya wonder ‘ow they’re doin’ it.”

There was some sort of trickery at play. N suspected that the Pokemon weren’t using Grasswhistle at all, and were simply using their musical talents instead. It was beautiful to watch and listen to, but why try to cover that up? Was there some sort of requirement in the rules that so many moves had to be used or something?

When their song came to an end, the glitter fell to the ground and the three of them gave a bow. N’s questions went unanswered, but the judges seemed to enjoy it, and N got the feeling that this guy would be moving on.

There were plenty of interesting performances after that. A Solrock and a Lunatone, a Steelix and a Smoochum, a Duskull and a Psyduck…

The pair of Cubone made him think back to the one he had befriended back on route 203. Had it evolved yet, like it wanted to? Was it still good friends with Nuzleaf? He would have to check it out the next time he was in the area.

Those thoughts were put on the back burner when Dawn came out in the same pink dress she had used in previous performances. His eyes scanned for injuries leftover from the Alamos incident, but there wasn’t a bandage in sight anymore, and if there were any marks left behind then they weren’t visible. She paused for a moment, a Pokeball in each hand, and seemed to take a steadying breath, her eyes roaming the crowd. N made sure to wave, and his friend somehow managed to spot him in the crowd, a wide smile breaking out on her face.

“Piplup, Pachirisu, spotlight!”

Her Pokemon appeared next to each other in a flurry of red confetti, though it fell to the floor much faster than the glittery music notes that the minstrel from before had used.

N watched with bated breath as he saw the Electric type emerge, but Pachirisu seemed just fine, filling the air in front of the duo with the pink hearts of a Sweet Kiss.

“Guess she musta gotten over that stage fright, eh?” Mimikyu muttered.

“So it would seem,” N agreed. Pachirisu’s last performance had been concerning, even if Dawn had managed to get the ribbon in the end.

The Sweet Kiss was followed up by a Bubblebeam from Piplup, each of the hearts being absorbed by a bubble, floating through the air like they were meant to be together.

It was an impressive move, to N’s eyes at least. He wasn’t sure how they had managed that without the two moves interfering with each other, but it seemed their practice had paid off.

When Dawn followed it up with a Whirlpool that managed not to draw in a Discharge that surrounded it, it was still a spectacle, but he didn’t think it had the same impact as her opener. It seemed like more of a technical display of skill rather than something that was beautiful.

But what did he know? Dawn’s participation was the full extent of his contest knowledge, and the judges seemed to approve.

She gave him another wave as she left the stage, though he caught a concerned look off in a different direction. Did she know someone else in the audience? It would be pretty awkward if Ash and Brock were here too…

He started a halfhearted search of the crowd, but his attention was brought back to the stage when “Jessilina” stepped out.

“Am I the only one who thinks its weird that a Rocket keeps participating in these?”

“It’s a bit of an odd combination, sure, but it sorta makes sense. The trio after Ash and Pikachu are always putin’ on costumes, pretendin’ ta be things they ain’, focusin’ on their looks more than practicality…. What’s a contest compared ta that? ‘Sides, ain’ like they’re hurtin’ anyone when they’re busy with this.”

“You might have a point there,” N admitted. That trio really was an odd bunch, given what he’d heard about their organization. “Do you think she’ll outperform Dawn?”

Stolen novel; please report.

Mimikyu turned around in his lap so they could see eye to eye. “Do ya really think I ‘ave any idea how these things are judged? If it ain’ a knockout in the battle round, I don’ ‘ave a clue.”

Huh. With all the answers that Mimikyu seemed to have, he just sort of assumed the fae would know. “Fair enough…”

----------------------------------------

Dawn felt like her heart was about to beat out of her chest.

Sure, her performance was already over. Yes, it had happened exactly how they practiced, with no surprise stage fright to make her look like a joke in front of the crowd. Plus, she’d been cleared as fully healed just that morning. That was all good, right?

But her mom was watching. In person.

It was one thing to know that her mom would be watching from home, to know that all sorts of people had their eyes on her as she and her Pokemon performed. The pressure was there, and she definitely felt it, but it wasn’t… as heavy. She could look at herself in a mirror, tell herself there was no need to worry, and hold herself together long enough that eventually the nerves went away, for the most part.

But with her mom here? And with Mrs. Platinum and their other contest friend too…

Having the person that she was constantly compared to, the standard she was held to, the shining example of what she should be in the stands watching her… it was more than she could take.

But she’d gotten through it! Piplup and Pachirisu had gotten through it. Everything was going to be just fine, there was no need to worry.

…

Her mantra felt hollower than usual.

So caught up in her insecurities, she didn’t focus on the screen left for the competitors at all, completely missing the performances from Jessilina and Zoey. She felt a bit guilty about that when she realized, but by that point they were already announcing the contestants moving on to the next round, headshots of the coordinators filling eight spots.

Nando made it. Zoey made it. Neither of those were really a surprise. Spot after spot was quickly filled, and she struggled to match faces to performances, but she had a sinking feeling that she might not need to know which performances had made it through.

One spot left.

Had any of the remaining coordinators done better than her? Jessilina wasn’t on the board yet, and if Dawn didn’t watch her performance she couldn’t be certain.

She’d spent so much time practicing. She had drilled her Pokemon over and over. Maybe it hadn’t been giving their all, not with… not with what had happened looming over them… both the physical injuries and… but she’d really tried!

Her mom was here. Watching. Waiting, just like her.

Dawn didn’t want to know what expression her mom was making when Jessilina’s face took the last spot.

Someone tried to speak to her, but it was like there was static in her ears.

She had failed. And in the first round at that.

Dawn ran.

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“How did she lose?!” Mimikyu complained, but none of the people N was maneuvering his way around understood a word of it. “The Marowak routine was somethin’ a single one of ‘em could ‘ave done! I guarantee ya any Marowak off the street could juggle some bones! If anythin’, ‘avin’ two of ‘em there just made it easier! And the Solrock ‘n’ Lunatone! They only got in because they’re a natural duo, I’m tellin’ ya! I can’t even remember what their act was! Can’t ‘ave been worth a pass to the battle round if it ain’ memorable! The way this is judged don’ make any sense!”

“While I’m inclined to agree, I would appreciate it if you spent less time complaining about it and more time helping me find Dawn.”

He entered into the waiting area, hoping to find the bluenette there, but to no avail. “Where could she have gone…”

“We could ask Zoey? She migh’ know if ya catch her before she ‘as ta go out.”

Right. She and Dawn were friends of a sort, weren’t they? Or maybe they’d prefer the term rivals… N shook his head. Now wasn’t the time for semantics.

Approaching the ginger, who was clad in a light blue suit for her performance, he opened his mouth to ask but was preempted by the tomboy.

“You’re friends with Dawn, right? You’re part of her travelling group?” She asked, but continued on without waiting for an answer. “I’m assuming you're looking for her. I’d have gone after her myself, but,” she glanced at the screen which indicated she was in the next match, grimacing. “She ran off that way, but I couldn't tell you where she went specifically.” She pointed down a long corridor.

That was at least a start. N thanked the girl for the information and started down the hall, peeking into every open door he passed in hopes of finding Dawn. He briefly considered checking the closed ones as well, but given that the coordinators were changing into costumes, he assumed that would end poorly.

He found her at the very end of the hall, standing outside on a balcony. So far from the action, the announcer's voice could just barely be heard from the speakers in the stadium, but it wasn’t enough to cover up the sound of her sniffling.

He’d come here without a second thought, assuming that Dawn would need some cheering up, but…

He didn’t really know what to do.

Throw him in front of a Pokemon in any mood and he could help, no problem. But a little girl? Sure she was old enough to be out on her journey, but compared to him….

He wasn’t sure that he had the tact to handle something like this, now that it was right in front of him.

“Are ya jus’ gonna stand there, or are ya gonna say somethin’ to ‘er?”

Both N and Dawn jolted at Mimikyu’s prompting. N stepped out onto the balcony, and Dawn quickly wiped away her tears before turning around, trying to pretend that they were never there as she plastered a smile on her face.

“Hey, N! Glad you made it out to watch me! Um, sorry it ended up being so disappointing though…” she said with a slight grimace.

Right. Fix this without making the ten year old cry. He was going to be a king one day, surely he could handle something like this, right?

He walked to the edge of the balcony, leaning over the railing so that she couldn’t see the uncertainty on his face.

Mimikyu quickly climbed down to the floor, apparently not happy with being held over the edge.

“Dawn, I know you’re not happy with the result,” he tentatively started, “but I think you did a good job. You’re not going to win every contest you’re in, and this is just one of those times. You’ll just have to do your best the next time as well.”

“If I did a good job, then why did I lose?” she asked in a bitter tone.

“‘Cuz those judges are blind or somethin’, I dunno. Maybe it’s all rigged. Ya think that Marowak guy bribed ‘em?”

N sighed. “Mimikyu, perhaps we should avoid accusing people of bribery without evidence.” It wasn’t completely unthinkable, but N did think it unlikely, and if word got back to those Marowak… he’d seen the ones on route 203 crack bone with just their hands. He didn’t think that he nor Mimikyu wanted to end up on their bad side.

He heard Dawn lightly giggle behind him. “You think it took a bribe to make me lose?”

“I’m sayin’ it’s a possibility!” Mimikyu exclaimed.

Dawn leaned over the railing next to him. “That’s sweet of you, but you don’t have to lie to me.”

“Dawn, we’re being serious. Each time I’ve seen you perform has been better than the last. You lost your first contest, right? What’s different about this one that has you so worked up?”

“Worked up? There’s no need to worry, I’m totally fine!” Dawn tried.

N turned his head to look at her. “Dawn.” He tried his best to imitate Anthea when she was at her sternest in his younger years.

He wished his sisters were here instead. They would surely know how to handle this better than him.

Dawn hesitated. “I… My mom was in the crowd.”

“Your mom?”

“Her mom is some bigshot coordinator or somethin’ like that, ain’ she?” Mimikyu supplied. N couldn’t recall if they had discussed the topic previously or not.

“Yeah, my mom,” she said softly. “She… she was amazing. She is amazing, but she was a great coordinator at my age. The first year of her journey, she managed to win the Grand Festival. My whole life I’ve grown up in her shadow and I just…”

“Oh,” Mimikyu sounded surprised. “Dawn ‘as an inferiority complex ‘cuz of her mom?”

“I see…. Growing up in someone else’s shadow is difficult, isn’t it?” It wasn’t a one to one comparison, but N could draw some sort of connection with his fa- Ghetsis. The man was one of the Seven Sages after all, and if N was to become King… Granted, that was entirely his own ambition. Plasma was centered around securing N’s goals, and Ghetsis was just one of many who were doing what they could to support him.

But relatability was good for this sort of thing, wasn’t it? So he could stretch it a bit if it helped.

“I… well…” Dawn struggled. “My mom is great, and supportive, and… I just… it’s a lot of pressure.”

How did he relate to that? Was he under a lot of pressure? Sure he felt the need to save Pokemon as fast as he could, but that wasn’t quite the same…

“Have you ever heard of Volcarona?” he asked instead.

“Is now really the time for non sequiturs, N?” Mimikyu asked with a bit of worry.

But N ignored him.

Dawn looked at him with clear confusion. “No? Is that a Pokemon?”

N nodded. “It is. Back home, I’ve heard that they were once depicted as the concept of fire given life. The sun, when the sky was darkened. A source of life giving heat in the cold. I’ve never seen one myself, and they’re apparently exceptionally rare. Some people lump them in with Legends.”

He paused for a moment when he heard a quick intake of air. Perhaps he shouldn’t have used that word so lightly around her.

“But a Volcarona can only exist after a Larvesta evolves. And that takes a very long time. Where Volcarona is like the sun, Larvesta are more like… torches. They’re still amazing in their own right, just as all Pokemon are, but many don’t see their value when compared to a Volcarona. Now, tell me Dawn, how do you think a Larvesta feels when it hears what we think about Volcarona?”

She thought for a moment. “...like that’s a bright spotlight to step under?”

A bit more contest-ish than he would have liked, but whatever analogy worked for her.

“Maybe. I’ve never gotten the chance to ask one, but I imagine that a lot of Larvesta see that bright spotlight shining over Volcarona and think I want that spot. And so they work at it, day after day, always trying to move towards their evolution. Some of them take decades to accomplish it. They probably run into all sorts of setbacks, but so long as they have their eyes on evolving, they can keep at it.”

His explanation ran out of steam there, and they fell into a somewhat comfortable silence. He could feel Mimikyu fidgeting at his feet, but the little spirit didn’t say anything.

“...thank you, N. I think I feel a bit better now.” She gave him a quick hug. “I should go change and find my mom, she probably wants to talk to me too.”

“Not a bad idea,” N agreed.

She walked away, and N and Mimikyu were left alone on the balcony.

“...dude, what was that analogy? I got so lost tryin’ ta follow yer weird Volcarona spotlight nonsense.”

N flushed. “It worked for her, didn’t it?”

“We gotta work on that, you’re so rambly.”

The next time N needed to have a moment with someone, he would be leaving Mimikyu behind.