"So, to kick off the second round of this year's Wallace Cup, our first battle will be Dawn-" Vivian started, motioning to one side of the battlefield as Dawn emerged from the backstage area and took her place in the trainer's box.

"-versus Layla!" The other girl, who had light blonde hair and a serious expression, walked out into the opposing trainer's box.

"Five minutes on the clock, and... begin!"

"Quilava and Pachirisu, spotlight!"

"Servine and Vaporeon, take the stage!"

The four Pokémon appeared on the battlefield with all kinds of effects, all ready to battle.

"Alright! Quilava and Pachirisu! Those two should work well together." Ash commented.

Brock nodded. "Yeah. Especially with Quilava's calm, collected nature, and Pachirisu's frantic, unpredictable nature, the contrast alone should be enough to throw people off."

"I'm so excited to see all the battles today! You'll help us understand them, right Ash?" Mallow turned to the boy sitting next to her.

"Yeah, of course!" Ash nodded.

"I'm so curious to see all the Pokémon that the coordinators will use! It looks like they're allowed to use different Pokémon in the second round, so this'll be fun!" Lillie said excitedly.

"It should be a lot of fun!" Lana agreed. She had volunteered to take care of Piplup, excited at the prospect of being able to take care of a new water-type Pokémon. The penguin Pokémon sat in her lap.

"Alright, we'll start! Vaporeon, Water Pulse, and Servine, Energy Ball!" Layla called, a confident grin on her face. Her Pokémon complied with her commands, hurling the attacks at Quilava and Pachirisu, respectively.

"Dodge it, both of you!" Dawn commanded. Her Pokémon jumped straight up to avoid the moves, letting them crash into the field. Dawn's Pokémon did a full frontal rotation and landed back on the field with grace. Layla lost some of yellow circle that measured her points.

Mallow tapped Ash on the shoulder. "Hey, Ash, why did her points go down if all Dawn did was dodge the attacks?"

The rest of Ash's classmates looked over to him for an explanation. "Oh yeah! So the points in contest battles are measured kinda weird. So they each start with a certain amount of points, and they decrease from there. The points each coordinator loses is subjective to the judges. So it isn't like a normal battle. The main goal of contest battles is the same as the performance: to make your Pokémon shine. But in the contest battles, now your goal is to do that at the expense of your opponents. So, like just now, when Dawn's Pokémon dodged those attacks, it made Layla's team look bad because Dawn's Pokémon were able to dodge. Bonus points for those front flips they did, since it made them look really agile and graceful."

Lillie nodded in understanding. "I see! So, per se, if a coordinator used a move or a combination, and their opponent was able to turn it against them, that would be the most potent way of making someone lose points? Am I understanding that right?"

Ash nodded, smiling at his friend's obvious cleverness. "That's exactly right, Lillie."

"Let's kick this off with a combo! Quilava, Flame Wheel, and Pachirisu, Discharge!" Dawn called out.

Quilava curled up, spinning and engulfing itself in flames, creating the Flame Wheel attack. It charged forward at a high speed. Pachirisu fired its Discharge attack at the Flame Wheel, surrounding the attack with sparkling blue electricity.

"And look at that! It's our first combination battle move of the Wallace Cup! Quilava's using Flame Wheel surrounded by Pachirisu's Discharge! Pretty stuff!" Vivian announced. Layla's points went down. Quilava crashed into the ground right in between Vaporeon, causing an explosion that forced the two Pokémon back, passing off the electricity of the Discharge to them, causing extra damage. Layla's points went down again.

"So right there." Ash pointed at the scoreboard as his classmates turned to him again. "So when Dawn used that combination, Layla's points went down because it was visually appealing. So even though no damage was actually done yet, it still looked nice, so Dawn scored for that. So even if it doesn't hit, Dawn still gets points for it. But then, since it did hit, she got a lot more points."

"So, it sounds like the judges have a certain amount of points they give to a combination; pulling off the combination by itself gets you a small portion of those points, and hitting the move gets you the rest of the points. Is that right?" Lillie asked.

"Something like that. But that's a good way to about it." Ash nodded. "And then Quilava's aim was classic double battle strategy; when you have a physical move only meant for one opponent, you can aim for the ground in between your two opponents to cause an explosion and deal damage to both at the same time."

The rest of the battle went by smoothly for Dawn; she ended up winning by a comfortable margin at the time limit. The girls let out a sigh of relief after seeing Dawn win. Ash and Brock smiled with confidence.

Fourteen coordinators were still left to battle. The next two or three battles went by quickly. Ash and Brock provided the "expert commentary", while Ash's classmates observed the battles with awe. This was their first time seeing coordinators compete in Contest Battles, which were unlike any competition they'd seen before. Even Ash's teacher and his wife were amazed at the skills of the coordinators competing here.

Brock turned to Ash after one of the battles had ended. "So, Ash, when is Serena competing?"

Ash perked up hearing her name. "Oh! Last, I think... but I can't remember for sure. You reminded me that I need to go wish her luck before she goes on stage!"

Ash stood up, after Pikachu jumped to his shoulder, and started making his way out of the aisle of seats.

"Tell her good luck from us, too!" Lillie said happily. Ash nodded, smiling at her.

Professor Kukui smiled knowingly at Ash as he passed him. "Don't be too long, Ash."

"Pikachu, take care of him, won't you?" Mallow called, winking playfully.

"Pika!" Pikachu raised an arm in affirmation.

Ash ran down to the ground floor of the stadium and took off in the direction of the backstage area. He nodded at the security guards and found his way to the waiting room. As he turned into the doorway, he quickly located Serena, with Braixen and Sylveon out by her side. Ash assumed they were to be her partners for Round Two. Compared to yesterday, there were much less coordinators in the room, leaving it much more open with a lot more breathing room. He also saw the blonde boy, Austin, from yesterday, amongst the coordinators.

Ash approached Serena from behind and placed his hands on her shoulders, causing Serena to jump in surprise.

"Eep!" She quickly turned around and saw Ash and Pikachu, and quickly relaxed, sighing in relief and placing a hand over her heart. "Oh, it's just you two. Don't scare me like that!"

Ash chuckled, removing his hands from her shoulders, moving to stand next to her on her left, both facing the screens in the center of the room. "Sorry about that, Serena. Just wanted to come and wish you three good luck before your battle!"

Serena smiled, blushing slightly. "Thanks, Ash. We're gonna battle the best we can! Right, you two?"

Braixen and Sylveon agreed, looking as determined as ever. Pikachu also seemed to wish them good luck, to which Serena's Pokémon smiled up at him in gratitude.

"And our time travelling with you and watching you battle has helped us here in Hoenn so far. So, I guess we have you to thank for how well we've been doing." Serena smiled sweetly.

Ash frowned and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look up at him in surprise. "Serena, you may have watched me battle a lot, but as for how well you're doing; that's all you. It has nothing to do with me. I'm sure you and everyone have practiced a lot for those battles, since before Hoenn, you hadn't battled all that much. You may have picked up a few things from me, but you only have yourself to thank for how well you're doing. Don't credit me for stuff I didn't do. You're crazy talented."

He grinned at her, and rubbed her shoulder lightly in encouragement. Serena was caught off-guard by Ash's praise, and was giving him a surprised look, her blush turning into a deep shade of red. She then smiled affectionately, moving closer to Ash and laying her head on his shoulder. "Thank you, Ash. You're too sweet."

Ash smiled, not minding that she was being so affectionate in public. He leaned his head over to rest on hers, moving his right arm around her neck for his hand to hang down freely. Serena smiled and placed her right hand on his arm that was around her, and her other hand on Ash's back, deep blush still present on her face. She pushed herself into his side, finding a more comfortable spot on his shoulder. Pikachu took the opportunity to hop off Ash's shoulder and chat with Braixen and Sylveon.

Serena couldn't stop blushing; she couldn't help but notice that both she and Ash had been much more affectionate towards each other since reuniting. When they had travelled together, she had been a lot more conservative with her affection. They had barely even hugged at all during their travels. But both she and Ash had matured, and she loved being cozy with him. Just being close to him was enough to make her heart race, but she felt incredibly happy while being snuggled up to him. He was warm, and his shoulder was as comfortable as any pillow she had ever used. And he didn't seem to mind her affection; he always seemed to return it in kind. She knew that he and the class would probably leave later today or tomorrow, so she wanted to spend all the time she could being close to him. She hoped he felt the same.

"My battle is last, Ash... you wouldn't mind staying here for a while, would you?" Serena asked shyly, tilting her head up to look at Ash.

He grinned. "Sure thing."

Austin, on the far opposite side of the room, fumed at the sight of Serena getting cozy with Ash. He always got what he wanted, and he refused to let someone that he considered a 'lowlife' and 'insignificant' steal his prize from him.

As the fifth battle was nearing its conclusion, Austin walked closer to the pair and their Pokémon, eyeing Ash angrily. Serena frowned and wrapped both of her arms tightly around Ash, as if she were claiming him as her own. Ash put his arms around Serena protectively, angrily looking at Austin.

The blonde boy looked over to Serena. "I hope you'll meet me in the semifinals, Serena. Let's hope you're not just all looks, and you can actually win a battle here at the Wallace Cup."

"Oh, don't worry, Austin, we'll meet you there." Serena said, smiling confidently.

"And that'll be as far as you go." Ash grinned confidently as well. Serena smiled up at him cutely, happy that he immediately spoke up in her defense. Pikachu, Braixen, and Sylveon all shared the same confident smiles as their trainers.

"Tsk!" Austin frowned angrily, storming away towards the entrance to the stage.

Ash saw Serena smiling at him and grinned down at her in response. "Good riddance."

"Mm-hm." Serena agreed, giggling. She moved back to Ash's side, laying her head back down on his shoulder and nuzzling into it. "You're a nice pillow."

"Oh, so all I am is a pillow to you?"

Serena smiled teasingly up at him. She poked his chest playfully with her right hand and started making little circles with her finger. "Maybe~"

Ash smiled playfully. "You're lucky I think you're cute."

Serena blushed darker, but decided to fire back. She stopped drawing circles and placed her hand flat on his chest. "Hey, you're the cutest pillow I've ever had."

"Gee, thanks." Ash rolled his eyes, smiling. "Although, I don't know how much of a good idea it is to be trying to sleep right before your battle."

"Hey! I'm not trying to sleep! I'm just trying to find the sweet spot on your shoulder for future reference." She tilted her head up to look at him and winked playfully.

Ash couldn't help but smile at that, as he let his head rest on top of hers. They fell into a comfortable silence, returning their collective attention to the Contest Battle going on. Ash lifted his hand that was hanging around Serena and began to play with her hair, twirling a lock of it around his pointer finger. Serena began using her finger to draw on Ash's chest again. He felt her slowly write 'X', 'Y', and 'Z', before sighing contentedly and placing her hand flat on his chest again, nuzzling into his shoulder.

"Okay, I found it." Serena closed her eyes and smiled.

"Well, what about the other one? It could be different, you know."

"Ooh! Good idea." Serena giggled as she playfully pranced out of Ash's grip and made her way to his opposite side, laying her head down on his left shoulder. She let out a sigh of content as she re-snuggled into Ash. He smiled at her playfulness and began to rub her back lightly. Their Pokémon smiled at each other, enjoying their trainers' playful, cute interaction.

"Mmm... nope, same spot." Serena concluded.

"Got a preference?"

"Hmm... right, I think. It feels more natural for me."

"Well, you can use either whenever you feel like." Ash smiled down at her.

Serena lifted her head and smiled back up at him, blushing. "Thanks, pillow."

Before Serena could get cozy again, both of their attentions were caught by the screens in front of them. Austin was about halfway through his battle. The score was heavily in his favor. His Breloom and Crawdaunt were aggressive; he was almost treating it more like a battle than a Contest Battle. Most coordinators relied heavily on special moves; Austin seemed to be simply battering his opponents with moves like Mach Punch and Crabahammer.

"This Austin guy doesn't really seem to get Contest Battles all that well, does he?" Ash noted, crossing his arms.

Serena frowned at the screen. "Maybe not, but he has won three ribbons; same as me. It may be an unconventional way to battle in contests, but it works, because he still wins if he's able to knock out his opponents."

"And it's not like he isn't a performer, either. He did make it through the first round, after all. He's talented, that's for sure. He just takes a different approach to Contest Battles than most of us do." Serena finished.

"Well, then, that makes it easy for you!" Ash said.

"Hm?" Serena turned to look over at him. "How so?"

"All you have to do is dodge his physical attacks, and work your performer magic! If you have good-looking combos, and the agility to dodge, he shouldn't really even get any points at all. Just out-perform him!" Ash encouraged, shooting a glance down at Serena's partners too.

Serena giggled at his enthusiasm. "You make it sound easy. We need to be at our best and on our toes for anyone who made it through the first round of the Wallace Cup. But you do have a good point."

"Have you battled him before?" Ash inquired curiously.

Serena nodded. "Only once. I lost, because he caught me off-guard with that aggressive style. I didn't really know what to do against it at the time. But that was only our second contest here; we've learned a whole lot since then. We're ready for anything. Right, you two?"

Braixen and Sylveon let out cries of agreement, their faces showing confidence and determination.

"Time's up!"

Ash and Serena looked back at the screen to see the final scores; Austin had won by a fairly wide margin. "And the winner, moving on to the quarterfinals, is Austin!"

Austin ran his hand through his hair, a smug smile on his face. "Naturally."

"Ew." Serena pretended like she was going to vomit. "That smugness is so repulsive."

"You can say that again." Ash agreed, frowning.

As Austin found his way back to the coordinator waiting room, he immediately spotted the honey blonde girl and made his way towards her. As Serena saw him coming her way, she immediately turned her head away from him angrily. But Austin would not be discouraged.

"Lovely Serena." He said as he approached. "Surely, you must now see that you require the company of a supremely talented coordinator, a real gentleman, for you to succeed. Don't you?"

Serena continued to look away. "Go away, Austin. I don't need or want to be around you."

Ash had to hold himself back to keep from intervening. He wanted nothing more than to stand up for Serena, but he knew she wanted to do this on her own.

Austin frowned angrily at Ash, knowing he was the reason why Serena had newfound courage. "I refuse to let a beautiful girl like you hang around this, this... low-life."

He looked over at Ash in disgust, walking up to her and attempting to grab her hand. "Now, you're coming with m-"

"That's enough."

Ash walked in front of Serena, pushing Austin's hand away from her. "You can put me down all you want, but I won't just stand here and let you harass her like this. Serena told me what you did when she refused to go out with you. You're the low-life out of the two of us, dude. I don't go around harassing women in public, trying to win them over with money, or whatever it is you have. Unlike you, I have respect and admiration for Serena. So back away from her. Now."

Austin fumed at Ash's words, doing as he was told. No matter how he tried to compose himself, he failed. "I will prove to you, to her, to everyone, that I am easily the best coordinator in all of Hoenn. I will get what I want, no matter what it takes."

Ash continued to keep his arm extended out in front of Serena as he watched Austin storm out of the waiting room and into the hallway. Ash sighed in relief as he left. He looked over to Serena. "You okay?"

Serena nodded sadly. "Mm-hm. Thanks, Ash. Thanks for standing up for me. I know I said I would defend myself, but I don't think he would actually leave me alone without you here."

Ash smiled empathetically. "I'm sure you could've done it on your own. I just couldn't stand back and let him harass you like that. It's despicable, if you ask me."

Serena smiled sheepishly. "He's certainly not pleasant to be around."

"For sure." Ash agreed, looking back up at the screen. Two minutes had gone by in the seventh battle. "Alright, I'd better get back up to the stands. Don't wanna miss your battle!"

Serena smiled, nodding. "Right!"

Ash brought her into another quick hug for good luck. He kept one arm around her and offered her a fist bump. "Good luck out there! Everyone else wishes you good luck, too. We know you'll all be great!"

Serena giggled, fist bumping Ash. "Thanks!"

"Pika!" Pikachu held out both of his arms, to which Sylveon lifted a paw and Braixen used one of her own paws for fist bumps of their own.

Pikachu then jumped up on to Serena's shoulder, and nuzzled her face, making Serena giggle again. "Thanks to you too, Pikachu."

Pikachu jumped back to Ash's shoulder as he started towards the exit of the room. He stopped just before the door, turning around and giving her his signature grin. "I have one more thing to say, but I think you already know what it is."

Serena nodded, a determined and confident look on her face. It ran through their heads simultaneously as they grinned at each other.

"Don't give up 'til it's over."

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

Both Serena and Dawn had comfortably found their way to the semifinals. It was now nearing the end of the first of the two semifinal bouts; Dawn versus Jessalina. One minute left.

"Alright, Pachirisu, Electro Ball! And Quilava, use Flamethrower!"

Dawn's Pokémon aimed their attacks at Jessalina's Mimikyu and Meowth respectively, both landing direct hits. After the smoke caused by the attacks had cleared, Meowth and Mimikyu had both fainted. The judges all threw up their 'X' to the big screen, signalling a knockout.

"And that's it! Both Mimikyu and Meowth are unable to continue! Which means the first coordinator moving on to the finals is none other than Dawn!" Vivian announced.

"Alright! Well done, you two!" Dawn exclaimed, petting both of her partners in excitement.

With that, Dawn retreated towards the back room, while Jessalina stormed off in a fit of rage. On the way back to the backstage area, Dawn passed by Serena, giving the honey-blonde a grin of confidence. "Good luck out there, girl!"

Serena nodded, grinning confidently as well. "Let's meet in the finals!"

"Sounds good to me!" Dawn held her hand up for a high five. Serena flashed a smile at this and high-fived the bluenette as they passed each other in the hallway.

Serena made her way out onto the battlefield as Vivian called her name. She knew who she would be battling: Austin. The blonde-haired boy soon showed up on the opposite side of the battlefield, giving Serena a cocky smile.

"So, you actually made it here."

"Of course I did! It's about time I finally get my win back." Serena smiled at her Pokéballs as she brought them out.

Austin ran his hand through his hair. "We'll just see. I think if I win, you owe me a date."

"So moving on to the finals of Wallace Cup really isn't enough for you, huh?" Serena said, a hint of disgust in her voice. "Well, you can forget it. Because no matter what happens, I'm not going on a date with you. But you won't even have to worry about that."

"Because we're not going to lose!" Serena proclaimed confidently.

"Tsk!" Austin scoffed. "Breloom and Crawdaunt, get out here!"

"Braixen and Sylveon, take the stage!"

The four Pokémon all appeared amongst all of the effects of the seals. Breloom and Crawdaunt looked cocky, overconfident. Braixen and Sylveon looked determined, as they both shared a look of understanding with their trainer. They knew that not just a spot in the finals was on the line; but also Serena's pride as a coordinator, and even as a female coordinator.

Ash, from his spot in the stands, looked at Austin and his Pokémon, then at Serena and hers. He smiled.

The outcome was obvious.

Ash leaned back in his chair, almost as if he wasn't even worried about what was happening before him. Pikachu curled up for a nap in Ash's lap, mimicking his trainer's attitude. Brock noticed this, and turned to his friend in the adjacent seat. "Ash? Aren't you gonna cheer on Serena?"

Ash put his hands behind his head, slightly messing up his hat's placement in the process. "Nah. I already know how this is gonna go down. She doesn't need me. She's really strong."

Brock raised an eyebrow, but seemed to trust his friend's judgement. The older boy looked again down at Serena and her opponent, seemingly understanding what Ash meant. One side was cocky with an eye on only winning, while the other side looked determined, and showed a shared trust between the trainer and the Pokémon that the other side clearly lacked. Brock smiled.

"But how can you be so sure, Ash?" Mallow asked, turning to him from the opposite adjacent seat.

"Just a feeling I got." Ash grinned. Mallow gave Ash a look of confusion, before smiling in spite of herself. She turned back to the battle about to begin, eager to watch more Contest Battles. Her classmates, minus Ash, seemed to share her enthusiasm.

"Five minutes on the clock, and begin!"

"Let's not wait, you two! Braixen, Psybeam, and Sylveon, Swift!" Serena called, prancing around her trainer's box as she did so, adding an element of charisma and performance to the battle right from the get-go.

Her Pokémon fired off their attacks at Breloom and Crawdaunt, respectively. Austin smirked smugly. "Switch! Crawdaunt, take it, and Breloom, Mach Punch!"

In the blink of an eye, Austin's two Pokémon had switched their places. Crawdaunt took the Psybeam like it was nothing, while Breloom used it's lightning-quick Mach Punch to knock away all of the speed stars heading its way. As the smoke cleared, both Pokémon as well as their trainer's faces all exhibited an increased overconfidence. Serena lost a small amount of points.

Serena grinned, leaping up and spinning around once, and landing gracefully back on her feet. "Braixen, Sylveon, dance!"

Serena's two Pokémon grinned and began to do exactly that. Their agility and grace was able to shine through; they pranced around the battlefield, jumping around in high arcs, with Braixen twirling her wand and Sylveon waving around her ribbons. They occasionally swapped sides of the battlefield, jumping past each other to land on the opposite side of the field. They both danced towards their opponents.

"We've no time for dancing! Crawdaunt, Crabhammer, and Breloom, Iron Tail!" Austin called angrily.

His Pokémon quickly complied, leaping towards Braixen and Sylveon aggressively. However, they both passed right by their targets; Serena's partners had danced their way into graceful dodges. They had swapped sides of the battlefield during their dancing; and now, their opponents had all their momentum going in the opposite direction, toward Serena.

"Now, Braixen, Flamethrower! And Sylveon, Moonblast!" Serena called, grinning.

Her Pokémon complied, sharing the same grin as their trainer. Braixen used her wand to fire Flamethrower at Breloom, while Sylveon aimed the moon's power at Crawdaunt. Because their opponents couldn't stop their forward momentum in time, both attacks were direct hits, causing major damage to both of them. Austin lost points not only for the two direct hits, but also for missing his attacks and for Braixen and Sylveon's dancing.

"I've definitely never seen that before. She didn't even use that strategy in her last two battles." Brock noted. "She's always had this graceful dance element to her coordinating style, but I've never seen it to this extent."

Ash nodded. "Yeah. And that's not even close to how good they really are. You wouldn't believe how many times I've seen those two dance just like that when they practiced back in Kalos. Given all the time since then, I'm sure they're way better now than they were then. Those two are graceful beyond words, dude."

"Not to mention Serena! She's almost as much of a part of the performance as her Pokémon!" Lillie noted excitedly.

"Well, that's how Pokémon Performances are." Ash said, smiling down at his honey-blonde friend. "They're a lot more freestyle than Pokémon Contests, which have set rules. Serena won't actually get any points for performing herself, but it gets the crowd really into her performances and battles. She's totally in sync with her Pokémon."

"It's easy to tell that much." Kiawe said, watching intently.

"It's incredibly fascinating." Professor Kukui started. "Dawn and Serena are so different. Dawn seems like a much more traditional, well-rounded coordinator. Her moves are precise and she excels at both performances and contest battles. But Serena's different. She's equally talented, but in a different way. She brings this completely unique style to her performances and battles; one that involves grace, much more smooth motion. She's not necessarily a skilled battler, but she excels so much at performing that she's able to adapt and use her performing skills to catch her opponents off-guard and win the match using grace and agility. Not to mention that her and her Pokémon are totally in sync with each other; which isn't something you see very often in Pokémon Contests."

Ash smiled. "And that just makes her all the more special."

"Don't let up, you two! Braixen, Fire Blast, and Sylveon, Dazzling Gleam!" Serena called.

Braixen and Sylveon fired their attacks again, this time closer together. The light of the Dazzling Gleam gave the Fire Blast a beautiful backlighting and glimmer, causing Austin to lose points due to the combination.

"Dodge, now!" Austin called angrily.

Crawdaunt and Breloom attempted to move away from the oncoming combination attack, but they only got so far before the explosion caused by the attack forced them both in opposite directions, towards the long ends of the battlefield. Austin lost points again for still being affected by the attack.

Austin growled, rage building up intensely on his face. "Crawdaunt, Bubblebeam, and Breloom, Energy Ball!"

Austin's two Pokémon retreated back to their side of the field before firing off their respective special attacks.

Serena spun around once gracefully. "Now, dance!"

Braixen and Sylveon danced again, easily dodging their opponent's attacks. However, Austin's Pokémon had used the smoke caused by the attacks as a cover. They crossed each other in an X-pattern, racing toward Serena's side of the battlefield under the smokescreen. The soon emerged from the smoke, already practically on top of Serena's Pokémon.

"That was just a distraction! Crabhammer and Iron Tail!"

The two Pokémon slammed their brute-force physical attacks into Braixen and Sylveon, each a direct, super-effective hit. The collisions sent Serena's partners were sent flying back towards the wall of the stadium. Serena had to act fast. "Quick, snap out of it!"

Braixen and Sylveon opened their eyes and recovered their wits just in time to land on the stadium wall, and leap back to the battlefield, each landing gracefully back in front of their trainer. However, they were noticeably injured now, each panting heavily.

Austin ran his hand through his hair. "You may as well give up now, sweetheart."

"We won't give up until it's over!" Serena called out, determined.

Austin growled. "If you insist on being persistent... Breloom, Energy Ball!"

Breloom fired the attack straight at the ground in the very center of the battlefield, creating another massive smokescreen.

'So, they're trying to cover up another physical attack.' Serena thought. She quickly noticed that the smokescreen stretched unusually high.

Serena grinned. "Sylveon, launch Braixen into the air with your ribbons!"

Braixen jumped onto Sylveon's awaiting ribbons before being launched high into the air by the Eeveelution. "Quick, Sylveon, Fairy Wind!"

Sylveon quickly executed the move, clearing out the smokescreen almost instantly. Austin panicked.

Serena's thoughts had been exactly right. There Breloom was, high in the air, just in front of Braixen. Crawdaunt was rushing towards Sylveon on the ground. They had been trying to launch a ground and air combination attack, with one acting as a distraction and the other aiming for the hit.

"Quick, Breloom, Mach Punch!" Austin called, in a panic.

"We won't let you! Braixen, Fire Blast!" Serena called. "And Sylveon, use Moonblast!"

Before their opponents could ready their moves, Braixen and Sylveon landed direct hits, both super-effective on their opponents. Crawdaunt was sent flying back towards Austin while Breloom was sent crashing to the ground. After the smoke cleared, Austin's Pokémon lie on the ground, both fainted.

The judges put up their 'X' signs. The battle was over.

"And that's it! Just like Dawn before her, Serena wins her battle with a brilliant double-knockout! That means Serena will face Dawn in the finals of the Wallace Cup!" Vivian announced.

"Well done, you two!" Serena rushed onto the field and embraced her partners. They happily embraced their trainer back, despite still being injured.

"Tsk!" Austin growled, returning his Pokémon to their Pokéballs. He stared at Serena; probably for too long. Serena caught him staring and looked at him angrily.

"Oh, Austin. Don't you dare call me another pet name again. As a matter of fact, don't treat me as some kind of prize or object. And you know what? Don't talk to me at all. Or I'll-" She stopped herself, and began to grin confidently. "Or we'll make sure you never get close to me again."

Austin fumed, his face becoming bright red with anger. Serena and her Pokemon shot Austin confident smiles as they turned around strode out of the battlefield together.

"That was incredible! How did she know exactly what her opponents were planning?" Mallow asked in shock.

"She reminds me of you, Ash." Brock said knowingly, smiling at his old friend.

Ash simply smiled.

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

"The Wallace Cup's final round is upon us! On my left, it's Dawn! And on my right, Serena! These two coordinators have made it through three battles each to get to this point, and now, the Wallace Cup Ribbon is on the line!" Vivian announced.

Ash and his friends watched from their seats with anticipation. His classmates were sad that it was coming to an end, but everyone was on the edge of their seats, wondering which of their friends would take home the win.

"Hey, Serena! Good luck, and may the best coordinator win!" Dawn called to Serena across the battlefield.

Serena nodded, smiling confidently. "Let's have a great battle, Dawn!"

Dawn nodded, grinning as well. "Quilava and Pachirisu, spotlight!"

"Braixen and Sylveon, take the stage!"

The four Pokémon appeared on the field with type-matching effects adding to their entrances.

"Five minutes on the clock, and-"

They were interrupted when the big screen sparked, then shut off. Almost immediately after, there was a huge explosion on the directly beside the battlefield, just underneath the big screen.

Someone had invaded the Wallace Cup.

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

So the real shit starts next chapter. It's been all fun and games so far, but all hell breaks loose starting in the next chapter. Be prepared! It may not be exactly what you think, either. Although, if you've been paying close attention, you might have an idea.

Sorry that this one went long! I wanted to include the entirety of a Contest Battle (even though this particular one was shorter than I would've liked) before the conflict really beings. Hope you all liked it!

Song: "Roundtable Rival" by Lindsey Stirling from her 2014 Album "Shatter Me"

If you have somehow never listened to Lindsey Stirling, PLEASE do yourself a favor and listen to all of this album. You will not regret it. (Click the External Link to see the Music Video for Roundtable Rival.)