Chapter 192: The Final Victory!

Words : 928 Updated : Oct 12th, 2025

"Dear audience members, whether you're here live or watching from your TVs at home, how are you all doing today?!" Inside the Solaceon Town Contest Hall, the ever-energetic hostess Marian was already whipping up the crowd into a frenzy. Marian's contests were just as beloved as those hosted by Vivian and Lilian—her charisma and energy were unmatched. "Everyone seems to be in high spirits today! Our three judges are ready, and with no more delay, let's all look forward to what kind of dazzling performances today's Coordinators will bring to the Solaceon Town Pokémon Contest!" "Here we goooo!" Boom! The atmosphere in the hall completely ignited, roaring with excitement. The first contestant took the stage with a Yanma, using its speed and flight agility to display its charm beautifully. Back in the waiting room, Dawn watched the performance on the large screen and nodded thoughtfully. "Ash was right... A Pokémon Contest is really about the Pokémon themselves. Back when I was training with Aipom, I was way too focused on moves. I've adjusted a lot since then, but still... I wonder if it'll be enough..." Her palms were clenched tight with nerves. "Piplup, pip!" Piplup chirped encouragingly, trying to calm her down. "Yeah! I'll be fine. I've grown since the last setback—I'm not who I used to be!" The crowd outside roared louder and louder with each act. Finally, it was Dawn's turn. She took a deep breath. With a heart full of nerves, excitement, and newfound confidence, she stepped onto the grand stage. "Aipom, let's go!" "Aipom, start by spinning and use Swift!" "Guuuoh!" With a flick of its tail, Aipom launched shimmering golden stars one after another. Because of the spinning motion, the Swift attack formed a dazzling spiral in the center of the stage, each star perfectly aligned through Aipom's control. Then, with a final flick, Aipom slammed one star into the spiral—setting off a chain reaction! The stars burst and bounced in a synchronized sequence. "Now, use Double Team!" "Guuoh!" Swish swish swish! Dozens of Aipoms appeared across the stage, each one doing different things—some danced, others made silly faces at the crowd. The audience burst into laughter. "Great! Let's wrap it up! Use Focus Punch to disperse all the clones!" Aipom jumped high into the air, focusing its energy—then with a powerful strike, it shattered every illusion! All except two. Dawn's expression shifted—was this a mistake? But then, in the blink of an eye, Aipom canceled its Focus Punch and instead landed two rapid strikes with its tail. Double Hit! As soon as it landed—whoosh—a brilliant white light burst out. Aipom was evolving! Those two tail strikes just now... they were Double Hit—exactly what Aipom needed to evolve! "Woooow!! Aipom is evolving, everyone! What an incredible surprise—right here during a Contest performance! It just learned Double Hit mid-show! This is truly a one-of-a-kind moment!" Marian exclaimed, seizing the chance for a high-energy commentary. The three judges nodded in agreement, clearly impressed. The evolution was the perfect finale, elevating the entire performance to a whole new level! Now Ambipom stood on stage, smiling with Dawn, as they bowed and thanked the audience before exiting. Meanwhile, her rival Kenny had also entered the Solaceon Town Contest. Kenny's choice this time was his Shroomish, which he had trained to learn Energy Ball—just for this very event. After Kenny came... Jessilina—Jessie in disguise, of course. Once all performances wrapped up, it was time for the second-round selections! "Now it's time for the moment you've all been waiting for! Let's take a look at the screen and see who made it to the second round!" Marian gestured dramatically. Boom! Eight names appeared on the screen. Kenny. Jessilina. Dawn. All advanced! "Looks like Ambipom's evolution earned Dawn a solid boost in points. She made it through no problem," Ash commented from the audience with a small smile. He could already predict how this would go—Dawn was always stronger in Contest Battles than performances alone. And just as Ash expected... With her newly evolved Ambipom, Dawn crushed her next two opponents with ease—advancing to the finals. Kenny had prepped well this time. But Jessilina, was on some kind of wild winning streak. With the five-minute time limit reached, Kenny was narrowly defeated by Reina. That set the final matchup: Jessilina versus Dawn! Jessilina used Dustox. Dawn stuck with Ambipom. From the crowd, James and Meowth peeked through the seats, waving pompoms and cheering on Jessie with unrelenting spirit. But in the end, Dawn edged out the win! Ambipom, thanks to Ash's help, had already grown strong enough to rival a standard Gym Trainer's Pokémon. Jessie might've won if not for Dawn, but it wasn't meant to be. The winner of the Solaceon Town Pokémon Contest—was Dawn! At the award ceremony, the Contest's sponsor, Mr. Contesta, personally handed her the Ribbon. And just like that, Dawn had earned her second Contest Ribbon! After leaving Solaceon Town, Ash, Dawn, and Anabel set off toward their next destination. Dawn, still riding the high of her win, was practically skipping along the road. "Hey hey, Ash, Anabel—I have a childhood friend who runs an open-air hot spring near the next town. You can bathe there with your Pokémon—it's so good for relaxing and recovering! Wanna go together?" (Author's Note: Kept this Contest arc light!) -------------- T/N: Access Advance Chapters on my P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals

Chapter 192: The Final Victory!

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