Pokémon: Dreams Come True Starting in Sinnoh

"By the way, why have you always liked playing pranks? Although you are naturally a lively and active person, it doesn't seem to have any necessary connection with liking pranks. Besides, if you were born with a love for pranks, you wouldn't have suddenly stopped recently, would you?"

Ash's words made Aipom fall into deep thought. It hadn't really considered what it truly wanted before, whether it was coming to the Sinnoh region with Ash, its endless pranks, or now interfering with Piplup and Pikachu's battle and showing off its talent in flashy battles.

What exactly does it want?

"You just want everyone's attention, right?"

"OKI?!"

Are you paying attention...?

Perhaps the word "concern" is also good, but rather than causing others to worry, Longtail prefers to make others happy and bring smiles to their faces.

"If what I'm guessing is true, then I have to apologize to you first... I haven't been paying enough attention to you lately, and the changes in you... let me think... it started when you were with Ursaring, right? Or even after I caught Stark and Stark became my main training partner every day, you started to look a little different from before."

Aipom began to ponder Ash's words.

"OKII!"

It tapped Ash on the head, agreeing with him.

“Right?” Ash laughed. “If all you want is attention, then stay with me. If you want to shine in the Contests, then stay with Dawn… She’s very talented. If it’s Dawn, she can definitely train you into a dazzling new star.”

Ash then took Aipom off his head and placed it on the ground, before putting the hat back on his own head.

So, what's your choice?

Ash asked this question while holding a Capsule Ball in one hand and an Aipom Poké Ball in the other.

.......

"Wow, that's so slow. What did you say to Aipom?"

Brock, who was at the Contest registration desk, noticed Ash's figure and asked him this question.

"Yes, it's just a small thing, nothing at all."

Ash smiled, and his grip on the Aipom Poké Ball seemed to tighten a little.

He hadn't realized that Aipom just wanted attention; he simply assumed it was genuinely interested in Pokémon Contests and Pokémon Ping Pong, and made those immature decisions.

Looking back now, Xiao Zhi wishes he could disappear into a crack in the ground. If he didn't have the experience and insight he had accumulated over so many years of travel, he probably would have made the same mistakes again.

"Hmm? By the way, who's that over there...?"

In the brief moment between talking to Xiaogang, Xiaozhi noticed Xiaoguang, who had already changed into a formal suit, and the orange-haired woman standing opposite Xiaoguang, chatting with her.

"Oh, that's Xiaowang. Like Xiaoguang, she's a contestant in the Zhuqing City Grand Prix. Xiaowang just helped Xiaoguang find her lost item, and the two of them are sharing their competition experiences over there."

What are your thoughts on the competition?

Xiao Zhi thought to himself, "That's what I'm complaining about."

She's supposed to be sharing her experiences, but this is Xiaoguang's first time participating in the Grand Contest, isn't it? What experiences could she possibly have? At most, she probably just imagines the contest scenarios in her mind, right?

"Okay, see you in the finals then."

"Huh? The finals...?"

"Goodbye."

As Ash and Brock walked over, Dawn and Nozomi finished their conversation. Nozomi didn't seem to notice Ash and Brock and went straight into the waiting room to prepare, leaving a panicked Dawn standing there.

"Are you nervous?"

"Huh? You startled me! It's Ash Ketchum..."

Not only did Xiaowang not notice the two figures, but even Xiaoguang, who was facing Xiaozhi and Xiaogang, only noticed them after Xiaozhi spoke.

"I'm not nervous at all! I'm just a little overwhelmed... After all, since Xiaowang has already received a ribbon medal, doesn't that mean she's my senior? I feel a little flattered that she told me we'd meet again on the final stage."

Xiao Guang took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, but his racing heartbeat was impossible to hide.

"By the way, Ash, are you going to participate in this Contest with Aipom? If so, the registration is over there..."

"No, we won't participate," Ash said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Eh--"

Xiao Guang looked very frustrated.

She had assumed that Ash's participation in the Grand Contest was a done deal, but to her surprise, Ash directly denied her guess.

"What a pity... It's rare for Aipom to come up with such a brilliant idea..."

"Well... how should I put it? Aipom is indeed somewhat interested in Contests, but that's just an interest... Maybe I'll bring Aipom to a Contest sometime in the future, but not today."

"Hmm... okay..."

Thinking back to the atmosphere between Ash and Aipom before, and looking at how relaxed Ash is now, Dawn thinks that he and Aipom must have communicated well, otherwise he wouldn't seem so relieved.

"Anyway!" Ash walked behind Dawn and pushed her back towards the waiting room. "Just go for it with your usual fearless, silly spirit! Since you've already signed up for the competition, don't worry about anything else. Just fight to the very end!"

"Who are you calling a goofball all the time? That's so rude! If anyone should be saying that, it should be you, Ash—"

"Okay, okay~ that's settled then. Xiaogang and I will go backstage to watch your performance."

"Let me finish what I have to say!"

Hikari puffed out her cheeks and glared angrily at Ash's departing figure, then muttered to herself in a voice only she could hear, "What... talking to yourself like that, of course you wouldn't be nervous since it's not like you're participating!"

However, despite complaining, when Xiaoguang moved his hand to his chest again after complaining, he suddenly found that his heartbeat gradually returned to normal, and he felt like... he really wasn't as nervous as before?

That's strange...

She muttered this to herself, but then quickly shook her head and walked towards the waiting room. After all, she had finally calmed down, and her top priority was to have a good talk with Bogaman and adjust her mindset.

.......

Xiaozhi