1. Ash's Story (Part 10: Galar)

Chapter 38: Cuddled Spotlight

Returning to Literally Town felt different from entering a Gym city or a job site. The streets were bright with ribbons, banners, flower stands, and vendors selling shine powder, stage ribbons, and snack boxes shaped like Poké Balls. After the overcast Fighting Job, the Contest hall looked like someone had polished the whole town until it remembered how to sparkle.

I stopped outside the entrance and looked up at the sign. Two Ribbons already rested in my case. Today, I wanted the third.

Pikachu leaned forward from my shoulder, tail brushing my jacket, "This stage is not asking whether you are strong. It is asking how gently strength can shine."

"That is the hard part," I said.

Alice smiled beside me. "You can do hard parts."

Inside the lobby, Coordinators hurried between registration desks and practice rooms. Some wore formal outfits. Some wore lucky jackets. A few Pokémon practiced turns near mirrors while their Trainers argued with themselves about timing. It had that Contest feeling I remembered from older journeys: nerves hiding under glitter.

Then I heard a familiar voice. "Ash!"

Dawn waved from near the audience entrance, Piplup at her side. She wore a blue travel coat and the kind of smile that made a Contest hall feel like home even when the region was different.

"Dawn!" I hurried over, and Pikachu jumped down to greet Piplup.

Piplup puffed out its chest at once, but its eyes were warm. Dawn laughed before looking at my Ribbon case. "So this is your third Ribbon attempt?"

"Yeah," I said. "I am using Sirfetch'd for the appeal and Eevee for the battles."

Dawn's eyes brightened. "I am not entering, so I will watch from the stands. But I am absolutely giving comments afterward."

"Would not expect anything less," I said.

Dawn turned serious in the way only a Coordinator could. "Sirfetch'd can be beautiful if you let its dignity be the appeal instead of forcing flash. And Eevee can win a Contest battle if you remember charm has timing too."

Eevee's Poké Ball shook lightly at my belt.

Alice noticed. "I think Eevee heard you."

Backstage, Sirfetch'd stood before the mirror with its shield angled across its chest and its leek blade held like a ceremonial sword. It did not fidget. It did not pose too much. That made it look even more impressive.

I knelt in front of it. "The appeal round is yours. We do not need to show everything. We show who you are."

Sirfetch'd lowered its leek in a formal salute, eyes steady beneath the green crest, "A stage is also a battlefield if honor chooses where to stand."

"That is exactly it," I said.

Eevee waited beside us, fluff brushed and eyes bright. Its role would come later, but it kept watching Sirfetch'd with the eager expression of a Pokémon learning that Contests could have many kinds of courage. I placed one hand against Eevee's head.

"Your part is the battle rounds. We need movement, charm, and trust. The final plan includes Gigantamax if we reach it."

Eevee pressed into my palm, ears lifting, "If the stage grows huge, I will make the hug bigger than the fear."

I laughed softly. "That sounds like G-Max Cuddle to me."

Alice helped adjust the stage ribbon on my jacket. "Do not think about the Ribbon too much."

"I thought that was the point."

"The Ribbon is the result," she said. "The performance is the point."