Dawn felt her head, and let out a scream.

" NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

She collapsed to the ground, the memories flooding back to her head. It was too much... Too much....

" DAWN!*

Everyone turned to see the Auburn haired boy wearing Prince clothes, cupping his mouth from the stands. " Dawn, you can do it! You just need to think! Who cares if your hair looks like.... One of the things the ' Dee' stands for? The other ' Dee' is right on target. Diamond. So stand up, brush yourself, and do what you do best!"

A cheer went up for Dawn, and she blinked.

Then she smiled at the boy, blushing , who blushed slightly back.

Dawn slowly pushed herself up from the ground, her knees wobbling as the cheers from the crowd began to swell around her. Her hands trembled as she brushed her hair out of her face, the Prince-like figure in the stands standing out among the sea of spectators.

Kenny cupped his hands around his mouth again and shouted, “Dawn, you’ve got this! Show them why you’re a Diamond!”

Dawn’s chest tightened, a mixture of emotions flooding her—embarrassment at her earlier outburst, pride in his words, and a strange warmth that made her cheeks flush.

She locked eyes with Kenny, his auburn hair catching the light as he smiled down at her. A blush crept across her face as she realized how focused he was on her, his confidence in her abilities unwavering.

Taking a deep breath, Dawn squared her shoulders, the memories that had overwhelmed her moments ago fading into the background. “I’m not giving up,” she muttered to herself, her voice gaining strength. “Not now, not ever.”

The announcer’s voice boomed through the arena. “It seems Dawn is ready to continue! This contest isn’t over yet!”

Her opponent looked stunned as Dawn’s trademark smile returned to her face. “Let’s do this, Ambipom!” she called, throwing her hand in the air.

Ambipom, who had been nervously watching from the side, perked up at her trainer’s renewed energy. It bounded forward with a determined expression, its tails waving excitedly.

Kenny, still in the stands, crossed his arms and nodded. “That’s my Dee Dee,” he whispered to himself, though his reddened cheeks betrayed his calm demeanor.

Ash leaned over to Brock, grinning. “Did you hear that? He totally called her ‘Dee Dee’ again.”

Brock chuckled. “Yeah, and judging by the blush on his face, he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.”

Zoey, sitting nearby, smirked. “Oh, he realizes it. He just doesn’t care.”

The contest continued with renewed vigor. Dawn commanded Ambipom with a confidence that radiated through the arena, dazzling the judges and captivating the audience. Every move was executed flawlessly, and it was clear that her spirit was back.

By the time the contest ended, the crowd erupted into cheers as Dawn and Ambipom were declared the winners. Dawn fell to her knees, hugging her Pokémon tightly.

As the ribbons were awarded and the crowd began to disperse, Kenny made his way to Dawn. She was still kneeling with Ambipom, basking in the moment of victory.

“Hey,” Kenny said softly, crouching down next to her.

Dawn looked up, her eyes shimmering with happy tears. “Kenny…”

“You were amazing out there,” he said, his voice filled with sincerity. “I knew you could do it.”

Dawn smiled at him, her blush returning. “Thanks, Kenny. I… I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Kenny rubbed the back of his neck, his own face turning red. “Aw, come on, Dee Dee. You’ve always had it in you. You just needed a little reminder.”

Dawn stood up, brushing off her skirt, and gave him a playful nudge. “And you just needed an excuse to yell embarrassing nicknames in front of a crowd, huh?”

Kenny grinned. “Maybe. But it worked, didn’t it?”

The two of them shared a laugh, the tension from earlier completely gone. And as they walked off the stage together, Dawn couldn’t help but feel that, with Kenny by her side, she could face anything.