A/N Sorry for the random picture with the song. Please play the song as you read the dance battle part if you can. It'll make it more fun :D

I sank to the ground panting and both Piplup and Cutiefly followed suit. We had been practicing our dance routine for the Showdown tomorrow for nearly two hours now and we were all exhausted. Running in the mornings with Growlithe had really helped him build up his speed and endurance, but I was still getting used to the extra exercise every morning. My legs we shaking from exhaustion and I fell back onto the grass with a groan.

"If I dance another step I'm not going to be able to walk tomorrow," I complained loudly and Piplup peeped in agreement. 

Growlithe nudged my cheek with his wet nose and I rubbed his ears affectionately.

"Thanks for keeping watch on our egg, Growlithe. I sure hope it hatches soon." 

My pokemon and I all looked at the egg incubator where the egg was sitting. It had been wiggling and flashing once every couple of minutes for two days now and I wondered why it was taking so long to hatch.

"Lup pip pip," Piplup said, pushing himself up and waddling over to the egg. 

I rolled onto my stomach and followed him. Piplup pressed himself against the glass of the incubator and I smiled fondly at him. Reaching down I twisted the glass case off and lifted the squirming egg onto my lap. Growlithe, Piplup, and Cutiefly all gathered around me with excited expressions and I sighed.

"I don't know why it's taking so long. Cyndaquil's egg hatched almost immediately after it started glowing like this," I said with some worry as I stroked the egg gently. 

Suddenly the egg flashed brighter than ever and continued to glow. I gasped and my pokemon all cheered as the egg's glowing shell slowly began to change shape, morphing into a small body with tall pointy ears and a bushy tail. Once the glow faded I stared in amazement at the baby eevee in my arms who was blinking rapidly as if adjusting to the light of the sun.

"Eeevoy?" the baby pokemon cooed up at me and a rush of love and amazement flooded me as I looked at its sweet little face.

"Hello, little one," I said softly, using the back of my fingers to stroke its soft cheek. "My name is Dawn and I am your trainer. And these are your brothers and sister," I said, pointing to my three other pokemon. Piplup had his flippers on both cheeks and looked like he had never seen anything cuter while Growlithe and Cutiefly were both looking at Eevee with excitement.

"Evoy," Eevee gurgled, turning in my arms so she could sniff Cutiefly as she flew up to her face.

"Are you hungry, Eevee?" I asked.

She nodded enthusiastically so we went over to our campsite where I quickly found the baby pokemon food that I bought from the daycare after beating the Wishiwashi totem pokemon. Eevee ate the soft food happily and once she was full she began walking all around the campsite, exploring and discovering every new thing with childish delight. I followed her happily, explaining whenever she saw something that seemed to excite her. As we were all exploring together I scanned Eevee into my Pokedex and looked through her information curiously.

As I had suspected from the rounded cream tip of her tail, my eevee was a girl and it seemed that she had fairly average stats for a newly evolved Eevee. When I looked at the moves she knew though I was shocked. Glancing down at my little Eevee, who was dipping her paw cautiously into the river before dashing away in shock and then slinking back to the river's edge to try again, I was amazed that a newly hatched pokemon already knew Natural Gift, Wish, and Tackle. 

What perfect moves for a contest! I thought excitedly as I slipped my Pokedex back into my pocket and knelt down next to Eevee. With a grin, I dipped my fingers into the river and then flicked Eevee with a small splash of water. She jumped in shock and dashed away, sinking down to the ground with wide eyes as I laughed.

The rest of the night we spent playing with our newest addition. I watched Eevee closely as she interacted with the world around her and especially how she reacted when she saw each of my pokemon's moves, wondering which evolution she would eventually choose. To show her what we would be training for, Piplup, Cutiefly, and I performed our dance routine one more time and afterward, I showed her all of Growlithe's moves. Eevee seemed amazed by everything and whenever music was playing I saw her tapping her paw and moving her head to the beat. 

When it was time for bed I stretched my sleeping bag a little way from our fire under the stars. Eevee immediately came over and slipped into my sleeping bag, cuddling up next to my left arm while Piplup slipped next to my right side. Cutiefly took her favorite position, sleeping on Growlithe's tuft of fur on his head, and he stretched out next to my feet.

"Goodnight, everyone. I love you," I said softly, closing my eyes and smiling as I listened to the peaceful night.

The next morning I was up early to go on my daily run with Growlithe. We didn't go for as long as we normally did though since I wanted to conserve my energy for the performance. After feeding everyone breakfast I returned each of my pokemon to their Pokeballs, tapping Eevee with a Pokeball for the first time and officially capturing her. 

I broke camp as quickly as I could and made my way to the path that would lead me to the performance platform at the top of Wela Volcano. Nurse Joy had explained that this showdown was a really popular event and I was excited to see all of the performances that the other trainers would show.

The trip up the mountain took me longer than I was expecting, but I was still one of the first performers to be assigned a section of the large preparation tent. The Wela Volcano Luau Showdown was an evening performance so I enjoyed the nearly empty tent as I got changed into my performance outfit and curled my hair. Performers slowly streamed through the tent, filling it with nervous energy. I could hear people starting to gather outside, chatting happily as they waited for the show to start.

"There's Traavi!" I heard one of the girls getting ready next to me say in a hushed whisper.

Turning, I saw the dark-skinned boy that had impressed me in the Iki Town Showdown walk confidently through the tent flap. He was still shirtless and his black hair was spiked up in a haphazard fashion that I couldn't help but think was charming. Traavi walked around the tent saying hi to his friends and chatting easily with people.

"I hope I get to battle against him," the girl beside me said with a dreamy sigh.

I turned back to the mirror so I could finish applying a thin layer of black eyeliner around my eyes. Nurse Joy had said the battle round for this showdown was unique, but another trainer had come up needing her help so she hadn't explained to me how it was different from normal.

As long as it's not another mud fight then I'll be fine, I thought with a grimace. An image of Paul's amused face popped in my head and I frowned at my reflection in the mirror. It was a little annoying how often I found myself thinking about Paul and why he acted the way he did. On one hand, I wanted to strangle the jerk and on the other, I wanted to sit him down and force him to tell me why he was so set on being a loner.

"Dawn Berlitz?" a voice called behind me and I turned around in my chair, raising my hand.

"That's me," I answered, standing and walking through the other trainers to the front of the tent. Everyone kindly moved out of my way as I walked toward the worker.

"You'll be the first performance after the opening entertainment is over. Are you ready?" the woman asked and I nodded, touching the Pokeballs that I had clipped to my hip. "Very good. Please wait here and when I open the tent flap just walk up to the platform. You've already submitted your song to the DJ, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," I replied politely and she nodded in understanding before slipping past the flap that covered the entrance. 

I waited by the entrance as an alolan drumbeat began to be played over the loudspeakers placed all around the clearing we were in.

"My uncle Kiawe always opens the showdown with a traditional dance using Marowak as his backup dancers," a deep voice said. I startled slightly as Traavi came to stand next to me.

"Is that right? I wish I could watch," I responded and he grinned down at me. 

Traavi wasn't as tall as Paul, but he was a couple of inches taller than me. Casually he held out one of his dark hands at me and I took it in my own pale one.

"Traavi," he introduced himself simply and I smiled.

"My name is Dawn. I saw you perform in the Iki Town Showdown, your dance was amazing," I complimented and he grimaced.

"Thanks, but I messed up big time with my battle round," he said with a sigh and I blinked in surprise.

"Really? I thought using tailwind to bring in the salty smell of the ocean was really clever," I responded sincerely and he looked at me with surprise.

"Oh yah? I didn't think anyone noticed," he said and I smiled encouragingly at him.

"I thought it was a great idea. But Kailani really hit the typing hard, so I guess it made sense she won," I admitted and Traavi nodded.

"Yah, that girl is a force of nature. But I'm going to beat her this year for sure!" he declared with a determined expression. I smiled, remembering when I had the same drive to beat Zoey back in the day. "Is this your first showdown?" Traavi asked me suddenly and I shook my head.

"No, I actually won the Hau'oli City showdown before coming to Akala," I said with a small smile and Traavi looked at me again with a surprised expression.

"No way? Congrats!" he said with an easy smile which I returned. "Well, I'll be watching you," he said with a grin and I furrowed my eyes in confusion. 

Traavi pointed to the far wall of the tent where a TV was set up and showed a man who looked nearly identical to Traavi dancing vigorously with a pack of Marowak behind him.

"Oh! Why didn't you tell me we could watch it?" I asked, immediately turning and watching the dance with amazement. Traavi chuckled and I looked up to meet his dark red eyes which flashed with amusement.

"I wanted to talk to you," he said simply and I felt a faint heat enter my cheeks.

I turned back to the TV screen so he wouldn't see me blush and watched the ending of the powerful dance. The audience's applause was easily heard from the tent and as Traavi's uncle and his alolan marowak left the stage Keanu came on and began the showdown. Taking a deep breath I turned back to face the tent flap to await my turn and Traavi patted my bare shoulder.

"Good luck, Dawn. It was nice to meet you," he said with a grin.

I waved as he walked away and went to join his friend standing in front of the TV screen. I tried not to dwell on the sight of his broad shoulders as he walked away from me and luckily Keanu's introduction was short. As she announced me as the first performer the tent flap opened and I squared my shoulders. I walked out of the tent smiling brightly as the audience clapped politely for me.

Once I was in position and Cutiefly's and Piplup's pokeballs were in my hands I nodded at the DJ who started my song. As Piplup and Cutiefly were released in their shower of flower petals I began my dance, gliding through the moves as easily as breathing. The audience seemed to melt away as I danced with Piplup and Cutiefly, calling out softly the moves they each needed to perform. 

Before I knew it the song came to an end and we were all in our finishing pose at the exact right moment, the sparkle of burst bubbles and Fairy Wind mixing together around us. Just like last time the audience was silent for a few seconds before they all began clapping and cheering loudly.

Sighing with relief I curtsied and walked off the stage with Piplup waddling after me, his chest puffed up proudly. Keanu announced the next performer as I was walking back to the tent and I gave the girl an encouraging smile. She nodded at me as we walked by each other and I re-entered the prep tent.

"Dawn!"

 Piplup jumped in surprise at the loud call of my name, pressing his back against my legs as Traavi pushed his way through the crowd that had been gathered in front of the TV. It was now displaying the girl I passed as she released a Butterfree and a Pidgey to start her dance.

"Hey, Traavi," I greeted, slightly surprised that he was approaching me again.

"That dance was amazing! I've never seen a Mist attack used like that before!" Traavi said with a wide smile, showing off his pearly white teeth and I felt my cheeks heat up slightly.

"Thank you. My pokemon worked really hard," I said, bending down and lifting Piplup up so he could see Traavi better while Cutiefly landed on the shoulder my hair wasn't spilling over.

"I've never seen this pokemon before. He was really powerful!" Traavi complimented with a grin, reaching out and rubbing Piplup's head. Piplup puffed his chest out and stuck his beak in the air snootily and I gently tickled him under his flipper, deflating his chest and making him squirm in my arms.

"He's a Piplup, and he's been my partner since I started on my journey," I explained and Traavi nodded in understanding.

"Where are you from originally?" Traavi asked curiously.

Throughout the rest of the performances, we chatted easily. Traavi told me all about growing up surrounded by Kiawe's dancing marowak. Apparently he worked on his family's farm until Luau Showdowns were created and ever since then he'd been competing and doing his best to become a Tournament Star. As we talked Traavi was always quick to turn the conversation back to me and I told him all about competing in contests and my travels throughout the different regions.

"Wow, I've never left Alola before. I can't imagine leaving my family for such a long time," Traavi said and I smiled awkwardly. 

I wasn't sure why, but throughout all of my travels, I had never really felt homesick. Piplup peeped excitedly, pointing towards the TV screen and I watched in amazement as a girl with an abra and a lilipup used Psychic to fly them all around the stage elegantly.

"Having a psychic type would be so cool, right, Piplup?" I asked and he peeped happily in agreement. The girl's performance ended and Keanu came back onto the screen, announcing the next act.

"I wonder why Kailani didn't come to the showdown," I commented as a young boy came onto the stage dressed up in a cowboy outfit and released a Tauros and a Comfey.

"Because she knows she can't beat me, that's why," Traavi said with an arrogant smile.

Turning to look at him, one of my eyebrows raised in silent question. A deep chuckle came from Traavi's throat and his red eyes sparkled with mischief as he continued to explain. 

"Kailani and I have been rivals since the beginning and for the last three years, I won the Wela Volcano Showdown. The girl hates to lose, so for the last two years, she hasn't come to this showdown. She always gives her excuse that she likes the Hano Beach Showdown better, but I know she really just doesn't want to break her perfect streak," he said with a grin.

"Perfect streak?" I repeated and Traavi shrugged.

"Kailani has this thing where she only performs in one showdown on every island. It's kind of her way of showing that no matter where she goes she's the best and will win no matter what," Traavi said, and both my eyebrows raised in surprise. 

When she was performing she seemed so sweet and innocent. It was hard to believe that she could really be as prideful as Traavi was making her out to be.

Just then the boy's dance ended and Keanu came back, announcing that the last performer of the evening would be 'none other than' Traavi. A roar of excited applause erupted from the audience and I looked up at him in surprise. He shrugged with a cocky grin and stood up from his seat.

"Time to go defend my winning streak. Cheer for me, okay?" he said with a wink. 

I rolled my eyes but wished him luck as he strode confidently out of the tent. As I watched him come onto the stage I released both Eevee and Growlithe. Growlithe shook his head and barked and seconds later Eevee mimicked him, letting out a cute mewing sound instead of a bark and I giggled.

"I wanted you all to watch the performance," I explained, patting the seat next to me that Traavi had vacated. Growlithe and Eevee jumped onto the seat and watched as Traavi released an Alolan Marowak and a large Talonflame.

Gone was the easy smile that Traavi had been showing me just a second ago. Now his face was a mask of seriousness and his red eyes seemed to blaze with fire. A powerful drumbeat began to echo through the clearing. Traavi stomped one of his feet forward, widening his stance and bending his knees. His Marowak copied him, and suddenly a circle of inch-high flames burst up from the stage, creating a circle around them all. Talonflame lit himself on fire and swooped around the circle using Flame Charge. Traavi and Marowak began a powerful dance, filled with stomping and smacking the ground with their hands as Talonflame swooped around them, switching between Flame Charge and Brave Bird constantly to create a dazzling backdrop for the two dancers.

Eevee's tail was wagging so much that it was thumping against Growlithe's back, but Growlithe simply sat and watched with a serious expression. I hadn't realized that I was holding my breath until the last note rang out and I let it out. Traavi and his pokemon grinned, bowing to the audience which was jumping up and down with excitement and chanting his name.

"No wonder he's so cocky," I said under my breath but I couldn't help but smile and wish I was out there cheering with the crowd. It really had been an incredible display. 

Traavi threw a flirtatious wink toward the audience before leaving the stage and I could hear several girls screaming at the gesture. Keanu had taken the stage before Traavi re-entered the tent but it took her some time before the enthusiastic crowd stopped cheering Traavi's name.

Unsurprisingly as soon as Traavi came into the tent he was surrounded by other performers who were either congratulating him or telling him how unfair his performance had been. Not wanting to fight the crowd I returned all four of my pokemon and turned my attention to the screen, feeling anxiety begin to build up in my chest as I wondered if my performance had been enough to make it into the top four. By the time the crowd finally calmed down the judges had made their decision and a Nurse Joy brought the envelope with their choices up to Keanu. Keanu opened the envelope and smiled brightly.

"The four trainers who will be performing in the battle round will be..." a drum roll picked up as Keanu paused dramatically. "Traavi!" she yelled and the whole audience exploded in cheers again while several of Traavi's friends gave him high fives and slapped him on the shoulder. "Maleah," another cheer sounded and the girl with the abra and lilipup squealed with excitement in the tent. "Jonny," Keanu announced and another cheer sounded and I couldn't help but cross my fingers. "And last but not least, Dawn!"

I sighed in relief as my name was called and a feeling of happiness rose up through me as a loud cheer followed the announcement of my name.

"Will the finalists please come out to the stage again?" Keanu called and I rose to my feet. 

It felt like I was floating from the excitement as the crowd of performers around the tent flap parted and let me and the other finalists through. We lined up in the order we had been called and I smiled and waved a little as the crowd cheered for us.

"Now, the battle rounds will begin soon but first let me remind you all of how this particular battle will work," Keanu said and the crowd hushed so she wouldn't have to yell her explanation. "As always the Wela Volcano Battle will be a dance battle fought between the finalists."

A few hollers and whistles sounded at the announcement and I blinked in surprise. A dance battle? But didn't we just dance?

"For the dance battle a preselected song will play and the trainers can either take turns dancing or dance at the same time. The type theme will be, of course, FIRE!" Keanu called out loudly and everyone repeated the word back to her as she turned her microphone towards the audience.

"That's right! However, the judges have asked that the performers choose only one pokemon to partner with during the dance battle. So let's start out the Dance Battles with our very own Traavi versus the Angel from Sinnoh, Dawn!"

My cheeks flamed up in surprise at Keanu's nickname for me. I thought I caught Maleah giving me a jealous look as she and Jonny left the stage, leaving me on one end and Traavi on the other. Taking a deep breath I took a few steps back so I was on nearly the edge of the stage and released Growlithe. He looked up at me with an excited bark.

"Growlithe, this time it's a dance battle with fire as the theme. I'm going to need you to get ready to give me your flashiest moves and just do your best to keep up with me, okay?" I said, a little worried.

Growlithe hadn't joined in on any of my dance practices yet since I had assumed he would be more comfortable with the battle portion, but I needed every advantage I could get with Traavi as my opponent. Growlithe stood on his back legs, resting his front paws on my leg, and barked up at me confidently. I ruffled the tuft of hair between his ears fondly and looked over to see that Traavi had chosen his marowak as his partner and was smiling at me.

"Don't hold back on me now," he called teasingly and I placed a hand on my hip, batting my eyelashes at him.

"I would never," I called back and I thought I heard a few catcalls from the crowd. 

Glancing over at the DJ I saw him raise up a hand with all five fingers stretched out then slowly lowered one finger at a time. As the last finger lowered he hit a button and a spicy Spanish guitar trill sounded. Smiling in surprise and delight I looked over at Traavi who was looking at his Marowak with a grin. As the beat started I raised my hands up and began clapping and bouncing my hip to the beat.

As a quick vocal part began Traavi immediately began taking rhythmic steps around the edge of the stage, sweeping his arms out to his sides as his Marowak followed him. I also began moving in the same direction, making eye contact with Traavi as I grapevine stepped to the side. Traavi and I both began to spin lazily as we continued our way around the edge of the stage but as the music picked up in intensity Traavi lunged forward to claim the middle of the stage and began dancing. His footwork was flawless as he jumped around and called for a Heat Wave from his marowak, which whipped up a crackling wind that snapped with tiny sparks of flame.

He paused and gave me a challenging look. Not willing to let him have the spotlight I threw my hands up above my head took a step and then kicked off, landing on my hands. I spread my legs apart slightly while bending my knees as they flew up and over me in the layout I had been practicing all week. As my feet hit the ground I pulled myself to a standing position, now only a foot away from Traavi, whose eyes had widened to the size of saucers. Growlithe landed next to me, obviously having completely a flip himself and I answered Traavi's quick footwork with some of my own, adding in a spin while calling for a Flame Burst from Growlithe. Without hesitation, Growlithe lifted his snout and fired a spray of nearly liquid-looking flames up and out in a fanlike shape.

Traavi was now grinning widely and he began dancing again, matching my Spanish flare as he and his marowak danced around. The song slowed for a second and then a rap section began. Traavi was quick to take advantage of it, taking gliding steps up to me and throwing his hands up in almost gangster-like motions as his marowak let out short bursts of a Flamethrower. I spun away, acting as if I was running away until the Spanish rhythm came back. Then I froze turning back to face him as I swung my shoulders and arms around dramatically.

Deliberately I began to walk towards him flicking my ankles out briefly before swinging my other leg forward and "pushing" him back with my arms, instructing Growlithe to shoot an Ember every time I lifted my foot from the ground and making it look like I was leaving flaming footprints. Then I turned away from him and began to dance towards the audience. Holding out my arms I spun around quickly and then dropped my hips down in a zigzag motion before pumping my fists forward and back to my sides. To my surprise Traavi came up and began mimicking my moves, following my lead as if we had rehearsed this a dozen times as the chorus rang out.

Another brief rap section came back and Traavi spun around me, putting us almost back to back and I could feel him doing some kind of footwork so I planted my feet and began bending my knees. I lowered myself down while circling my hips and at the same time I raised one hand up and caressed my neck with the other.

Suddenly the song turned back to the normal rhythm and I felt Traavi grab the hand that I had raised above my head. He pulled me up and spun me quickly before he began leading me back to the middle of the stage. I pulled my hand from his and turned sideways. With my hip leading, I began to hop towards Traavi and I raised one hand and pumped my fist in the air each time I hopped. I watched with pride as Growlithe hopped lithely after me, matching my own small hops almost exactly. Traavi continued walking backward as he held his hands out to me and curled his fingers and arms towards himself as if he was waiting for me to come into his arms.

Once we were in the middle of the stage we began dancing around each other, both dipping and waving our arms with Spanish flourishes. Traavi grabbed my hand again and I spread my other arm out, looking away from him, but then Traavi tugged on my arm so I spun towards his chest. He wrapped his one arm around my waist and suddenly dipped me, bending his knee so that my back was leaning against it and our noses were almost touching.

"Growlithe, use Flame Wheel over us," I called breathlessly and Traavi grinned.

"You too, Marowak." 

Both pokemon burst into flame and jumped over us from opposite sides as the music came to an end.

The cheers and applause from the crowd were thunderous and I was breathing heavily as I met Traavi's red eyes that seemed to be dancing with excitement. His face inched down closer to mine and I turned away from him quickly, looking at the audience where many people were catcalling and whistling. 

Traavi put his other hand on my back and lifted me up to my feet, but kept a hold of my hand so I spun out from him and lifted our joined hands. Smiling at the audience I curtsied as Traavi bowed. Then I removed my hand from his, feeling like my whole body was tingling after being held by a guy I barely knew.

"Well, I don't know about you but I have never seen a dance battle as passionate as that one! Give it up for Traavi and Dawn!" Keanu exclaimed and the applause strengthened. 

Still trying to catch my breath I waved both my hands at the audience and blushed as a distinct "I love you, Dawn!" floated through the cheers.

"I have no idea how the judges are going to choose a winner after that dance battle! Judges?" Keanu asked, looking down at the table positioned directly in front of the stage. 

I recognized Nurse Joy and the original Tournament Star that had come to the Iki Town showdown, but the other two judges I hadn't met. One of them was Kiawe, Traavi's uncle, and the other was a beautiful woman with an islander's skin and short black hair. The judges were all discussing, their voices lost with all of the cheering that was still going on and I glanced down at Growlithe who was sitting with his head held high next to my legs. The crowd was finally calming down when Traavi's uncle stood and smiled brightly, meeting both Traavi and my eyes before speaking.

"This was the best dance battle any of us judges have ever witnessed, so thank you both for dancing from your soul and freeing the fire within!" Kiawe said loudly and another short burst of applause rang out. "However, after calculating the scores there was a trainer that pulled ahead by five points," he said, holding up one hand with all five fingers spread out and I bit my bottom lip. "And that trainer is Traavi," he announced.

I let out a sigh. But my sigh was quickly replaced with a smile and I turned to Traavi and clapped my hands, knowing that it had been the right call.

To my surprise, Traavi was looking at me as I began clapping for him and there was a strange look on his face. The look soon disappeared and he smiled, reaching out and taking my hand in his dark one and raising it up again, dipping down into a bow towards the audience and I followed suit, allowing him to move my hand down and back as we bowed to the audience. Once we had taken our final bow though I quickly removed my hand from his and we both left the stage, allowing Maleah and Jonny to come on and release their pokemon for their dance battle.

As I moved the tent flap to let myself into the tent Traavi and I were swarmed by the other performers who had changed back into their street clothes. Congratulations were given to Traavi and several girls came up to me asking where I had learned to do a layout in a skirt like that. That made me laugh and I lifted my skirt slightly to show the spandex shorts I was wearing underneath.

Just then the music for Maleah and Jonny's Dance Battle began and the performers moved towards the TV screen to watch. Feeling tired and disappointed I quietly made my way to the back of the tent where large black curtains were hung in a square shape so the performers could get changed. Growlithe padded behind me and I knelt down and stroked him lovingly as he looked at me with sad eyes.

"Oh sweetheart, thank you so much! You were absolutely brilliant," I said sincerely and he whimpered sadly. "Don't worry, your moves were absolutely beautiful and you kept up with me really well!" 

Growlithe's bushy tail wagged once and I ruffled his ears between my hands.

"Really, Growlithe. Thank you so much for dancing with me. It was so much fun," I said with a smile. 

Now Growlithe's tail wagged happily as he barked and leaned his forepaws on my knees so he could lick my face. I giggled at the doggy kisses and scooped him up into my arms, spinning him around and holding him to me tightly.

"You two really were amazing," a deep voice said behind me and I turned to see Traavi. I smiled at him but kept Growlithe in my arms.

"Thank you. You and Marowak were incredible. I was really impressed," I admitted honestly and Traavi grinned.

"There's no way anyone could put on a better performance than yours, so I'll make sure to win the pin," he said arrogantly and I felt the corner of my lip quirk up with chagrin.

"I'll hold you to that," I responded and he took a step closer to me.

"Can you wait here after the showdown? I want to talk to you a bit more," he said and I blinked in surprise. 

Well, that is about as opposite from Paul as you can get, I thought wryly and shrugged, bouncing Growlithe's head that had been resting on my shoulder.

"I'm pretty sure you're going to be swarmed by fans after this is over," I pointed out and Traavi frowned slightly.

"You're probably right," he admitted but then he smiled. "Well, then why don't we meet up at the PokeCenter at the base of the volcano? I'll come by as soon as I can." 

I bit my tongue lightly as I considered his offer. I had been planning on going to the PokeCenter anyways since I wanted to make sure Eevee and everyone else was doing fine after the performance, and I had to admit that Traavi was fun to be around.

"Sure," I agreed and he grinned.

"Awesome! I'll see you there, don't forget!" he said, walking back towards the crowd of performers watching the dance battle. 

I nodded and he winked at me again before turning and watching the battle. I turned away, returning Growlithe to his Pokeball after a swift kiss on his head, and quickly changed into my normal black capris and white shirt with petal sleeves. I stepped out of the changing area just as the judges declared Jonny the winner and Maleah ran off the stage crying.

Traavi's friends all wished him luck, following him as he strode confidently towards the tent flap. I quietly sat down in one of the chairs along the back of the tent that still faced the TV. I once again released all four of my pokemon, instructing them to watch the dance battle closely. This time Eevee claimed my lap and I absently stroked her back and tail as I watched Traavi and Marowak face off against Jonny and his Charmeleon.

The song that they had to dance to was fast-paced and had a reggae feel to it. Both Jonny and Traavi were wonderful dancers, but it was obvious that Marowak was much more comfortable matching his trainer's pace than Charmeleon. As I watched I couldn't help but be amazed at how in synch Traavi and Marowak were even though this was completely ad-lib.

I wonder if I'll ever be able to be that in tune with my pokemon, I thought wistfully as the two trainers took turns sharing the middle of the stage to show off their best moves. 

Traavi and Marowak ended with an explosive backflip, landing at the same time and lifting their arms to show off their biceps and the crowd went wild. I rolled my eyes at the egotistic pose but smiled and clapped along with the crowd. Traavi was announced the winner and Keanu proudly presented Traavi his pin which was in the shape of a musical note on fire.

I felt disappointed to have lost, but I hadn't expected to win every showdown I entered. Taking a deep, rejuvenating breath I hugged Eevee to me, catching her off guard and making her squeal happily. With that, I returned all of my pokemon after thanking Piplup and Cutiefly for their hard work and shrugged my backpack on. Ducking through the tent flap I kept my head down and skirted the crowd of people who were all still cheering for Traavi. I managed to make it past the crowd without getting trampled and made my way down the volcano.

A/N The song that Traavi and Dawn danced to is sung by a Kpop group (SF9) and the original song is really good, but it just wasn't fast enough for my mental image of their battle, so I used the nightcore version for their dance. If you wanted to look up the normal version though it really is good.