"I have to hand it to you."
Kashiwagi admitted to himself that Dawn and Piplup possessed a unique kind of strength.
Even without "protagonist plot armor," they were capable of those sudden flashes of brilliance—much like Ash Ketchum—pulling off miraculous feats that could turn any battle on its head.
Liquidation, huh? Kashiwagi mused. A move from the Alola region... Piplup must have picked that up from a traveling trainer.
But unfortunately for Dawn, miracles require a solid foundation to stick.
"Misty Terrain!"
At his command, the Great Jaw behind Mawile's head exhaled a thick, pale blue mist.
The vapor flooded the arena instantly, swallowing the stage and completing enveloping Mawile's silhouette.
"Piplup-pip!?"
Piplup spun around, his eyes darting frantically. His "goddess" had vanished into the fog.
Dawn's heart tightened as she stared at the dense clouds swirling toward the ceiling.
She bit her lip and shouted, "Piplup, use Drill Peck to blow the mist away!"
"Piplup!"
The little penguin leaped, his body spinning like a top.
His short beak glowed with golden energy, extending into a sharp point as he became a localized hurricane, tearing through the fog!
A clear path opened where he charged, but Mawile was nowhere to be found.
Piplup veered left, then right, desperately trying to scrub the stage clean of the mist.
Nothing.
Piplup landed, panting heavily. The fruitless effort and the eerie, mysterious atmosphere of the Misty Terrain caused Dawn's point bar to bleed out.
More than the points, however, it was the psychological pressure of the "disappearing act" that was getting to her.
How can a Pokémon just vanish?
Wait.
"Listen for the sound! Listen for the bell!" Dawn screamed, a sudden realization hitting her.
Both trainer and Pokémon sharpened their hearing. And then, they heard it—a faint, rhythmic, metallic chiming.
The source—was the sky!
Dawn and Piplup looked up in shock. Vivian followed their gaze, and the audience gasped.
High above the mist, Mawile was "walking" on air using pulses of electricity. She was performing a mysterious, rhythmic war dance, her aura intensifying with every step.
"Unbelievable!" Vivian cried.
"While the mist rose, Mawile used the cover to ascend silently into the air!"
Kashiwagi grinned.
This was their finisher.
"Swords Dance—into Ice Punch!"
Crackle! Snap!
With the sound of flash-freezing air, two long, slender blades of ice formed over Mawile's hands. They shimmered under the stadium lights with a lethal, crystalline glint.
"Go!"
Mawile manipulated electromagnetic forces to plummet, spinning her body into a terrifying vortex of frost.
She became a literal "Ice-Blade Tornado" screaming down from the heavens!
"Whirlpool!" Dawn countered desperately.
"Piplup-pip-lup!"
Piplup summoned every ounce of his strength, launching a water vortex twice the size of his previous ones directly at the descending storm.
BOOM!
The Whirlpool met the Ice Tornado in mid-air. For a heartbeat, they were deadlocked.
But the water was no match for the high-speed centrifugal force of the ice blades. The Whirlpool was sliced into frozen ribbons, its droplets turning into snow that only served to fuel Mawile's blizzard-like descent.
At that moment, Dawn knew. Standard tactics wouldn't work anymore. This was the end.
"Let them see we won't back down! Charge through the spray—Liquidation!"
"PIPLUP-MAAA!"
Piplup roared, leaping into the heart of the remaining water.
Deep blue energy swirled around him as he became a sapphire bullet, soaring upward to meet the icy comet head-on!
COLOSSAL EXPLOSION!
The two energies collided like celestial bodies.
Blue and white light blinded the stadium, followed by a shockwave that felt like a physical wall of wind hitting the judges and spectators.
The light slowly faded, and two figures tumbled from the clouds of smoke, falling toward opposite sides of the stage.
On the jumbotron, Kashiwagi's points were draining fast—but the countdown hit zero first.
PHREEEEEE!
"Time is up!" Vivian shouted, her hair slightly disheveled from the wind.
The stadium went silent as everyone looked at the board.
...
Kashiwagi: 1/16th of his bar remaining.
Dawn: 0.
...
Piplup lay on his back, his eyes replaced by dizzying black swirls.
Mawile was standing, but she was trembling, her chest heaving as she fought for breath.
"The winner of the finals is... Mr. Kashiwagi and Mawile! Let's congratulate them on their victory at the Slateport Contest!"
The silence broke into a roar of thunderous applause. People stood on their seats, screaming and cheering as confetti rained from the rafters.
"We did it!"
Kashiwagi's face broke into a massive grin. Mawile didn't care about "lady-like poise" anymore; she let out a cry of joy and tackled Kashiwagi, burying her face in his chest.
"Mawile~!"
Only she knew how hard she had worked for this.
Only she knew how truly terrifying Dawn and Piplup were on the Contest stage.
It took Kashiwagi a few moments to calm his racing heart.
Mawile, realizing she had lost her cool, quickly disentangled herself and began primping her messy "hair" as if nothing had happened.
They walked over to Dawn, who was kneeling and comforting her defeated penguin.
"That was an incredible performance," Kashiwagi said sincerely.
"Your instincts are amazing."
"You're too kind,"
Dawn smiled, looking up.
"The way you merged Swords Dance and Ice Punch into a storm... I've never seen anything like it. Congratulations! You really earned this Ribbon."
"Thank you!"
The two trainers shared a high-five. Snap!
Nearby, Mawile walked up to Piplup.
She offered a small, friendly smile and extended a paw. "Mawile~" (Good fight~)
She had to admit, the little guy was tough. Especially that Blizzard trick. She wasn't one to withhold respect from a worthy opponent.
As Kashiwagi always said: Yesterday's rival is today's friend.
However, Piplup didn't move. He just stared at her with a blank, dazed expression.
Mawile tilted her head, waving her paw. "Mawile?" (You okay? Did I hit you too hard?)
Little did she know, Piplup was currently experiencing a spiritual crisis.
...
She smiled at me?
Was that a smile?
And she's reaching out?!
Is this heaven?
..
No! Stop!
I decided to give up on this love!
Don't let her tempt you, Piplup!
Stay strong!
Don't become a prisoner of her charm again!
...
A tiny version of Piplup was screaming inside his head, begging him to stay sane.
But then, Mawile leaned in closer, her eyes full of genuine concern as she asked if he was hurt.
The "tiny Piplup" was promptly and brutally murdered by the "romantic Piplup."
The little penguin... fell in love for the second time.
"Piplup~~~~~!" He began swaying back and forth, his eyes turning into giant pink hearts.
Mawile stared at him for a second, then sighed and shook her head.
He's having another episode... Good grief.