My Little Pokémon

by Amarvax

Pokemon Dog Contest

Ponyville. Day.

Over at the Ponyville where Ash and everyone was currently located, something fairly important was happening today. But it wouldn't happen here in the Pokemon House.

"Pokemon Dog contest, huh?" Applejack spoke as Twilight had shown her a flier of the Pokemon Dog Contest taking place in Hoenn.

"It's exactly what it sounds like. A show where Trainers bring their Pokemon, more specifically dog-based Pokemon or anything related to the Canidae family. Like foxes, wolves and more." Twilight explained. "The challenges here look absolutely ridiculous? Sounds like something we can watch, right?"

"Hm...I reckon we can." Applejack nodded in agreement. "Anything Pokemon related is a hoot for sure."

"Oh yeah. We're definitely entering it for sure," said Ash. "Lucario's a Jackal so he counts."

"Lucario!"

"Does Luxray count"? Rainbow Dash looked over at her Luxray.

"I'm afraid Luxray is related to a lion which is a cat." Fluttershy squeed.

"Darn it..." Rainbow Dash lowered her head in disappointment.

"Then...what does that make Absol?" Twilight looked at Absol who was resting at the moment. "Is he a dog or something like that?"

"I thought he looked more like a cat." Pinkie Pie spoke.

"He kinda looks like both doesn't he?" Goh put his hand on his chin, squinting his eyes at the Disaster Pokemon. He then took out his Pokedex for clarity. "Maybe the Pokedex has something. Pokedex, what creature does Absol resemble?"

"Absol is a Pokemon that comes from the Field Egg Group. Its appearance is varied. The face matches a feline while the body resembles that of a wolf."

"That doesn't really help a lot..." Goh sighed.

"Ah, it's fine. I can just enter Ninetales. He's a fox so..." Twilight shrugged while Ninetals was currently laying on his back, dozing off and dreaming of whatever it is he dreams about.

"I don't know about you all, but Mew's certainly qualified." Pinkie said with confidence. "Right, Mew?"

"Mew-Mew."

"Oh yeah. Mew does have genes of every Pokemon, doesn't he?" Ash spoke.

"Pika."

"He sure does. And he can turn into any dog he wants, no problem. We're gonna ace that contest, aren't we Mew?"

"Mew!"

"Yamper! Yamper-Yam!" And of course, Chloe's Yamper also wanted to be a part of this. Chloe has been involving herself more with Ash and everyone recently ever since the whole Fossil search in Galar.

"You too, Yamper?" Chloe said to her partner.

"Yam!"

"Eevee!" And so did Chloe's Eevee. She was a mixture of a fox and a small puppy so she was definitely qualified for the job. Unfortunately, only one dog could enter the contest.

"Ah, hold on, I can't choose both of you." Chloe looked at the two Pokemon jumping up and down as each of them wanted to be in this contest.

"Hm." Applejack chuckled, admiring how her friends were eager to either watch or take part in this contest. For her, she'll just watch. But as she thought about that, running up to her was a certain dog.

This dog wasn't a Pokemon, but it was from this world. It was, of course, Applejack's own pet dog, Winona. The dog rushed over to her owner as fast as she could. After arriving here, she jumped over the sleeping Absol and slid underneath Lucario before appearing in front of her owner.

"Lu?" Lucario looked down.

"Winona? What are you doing here, girl?" Applejack turned her pet, asking her. Winona barked while wagging her tail and jumping up and down. She then lunged over, grabbing the flier that Twilight held and showing it to her.

"Oh. I think she wants to take part in the Dog Contest as well." Fluttershy translated as Winona barked in confirmation. She wouldn't dare miss out on something like this. She then thumped her tail on the ground with her tail. A Dog Show is an instant magnet for all dogs out there. This kind of contest had a mystical feeling that could instantly draw all canines in without error.

"Aw, Winona. That'd sound like a real hoot but...It's a Pokemon Dog Contest." Applejack nervously explained lowering her hat and giving an unassuming grin. Winona lowered her ears and whimpered as she already knew the answer. She wasn't a Pokemon. Just an average dog.

"Aww...don't be so sad." Fluttershy patted Winona on the head. "M-Maybe they'll allow dogs from other worlds to take part in it?"

"Maybe." Twilight looked at the rules. "The rules do say that it must be related to the Canidae family. No other species like cats, dragons, birds, etc are allowed. They probably mean Pokemon but..."

"I don't know, Winona...I mean, I wanna take you there but..." Applejack scrunched her face. Winona barked as she suddenly bolted off heading somewhere before returning to Applejack.

Applejack and the others looked at each other, wondering what she was up to as they waited for 6 minutes. During those 6 minutes, Winona found the time to enter Twilight's castle as she ran by Starlight who raised her hoof.

"Winona?" Starlight said as she saw the dog rush inside. Winona then passed Nyx, Cocoa and Rosestar each, having only one thing in mind. Once she was deep within the castle, she came across the one object that could grant her access to the Pokemon Dog Contest.

The Shift Stone.

The one that Trixie gifted to Twilight and Starlight days ago. This is what Winona wanted to use after hearing about it from Applejack. And as she found a necklace of it lying on the table, the dog then bit the stone, heading back to Applejack. And in little time too. What a fast dog.

She barked constantly, showing the Shift Stone Necklace to Applejack, obviously having a clear idea of what she could do with it.

"The Shift Stone?" said Applejack. "Hold on...you're not thinking of...?"

"Oh, that's not a bad idea." Rainbow Dash nudged Applejack. "Just turn her into a Pokemon for the contest and she counts. Then she'll be back to normal."

"Ain't that cheating though?" Applejack sighed.

"I mean if Mew can do it, so can she, right?" Pinkie Pie grinned as Mew transformed into a Ditto which then turned into Winona herself.

"Mew!" It was a bit odd seeing the sound of Mew coming out of Winona considering Mew is also meant to be a hairless cat seemingly.

"I guess. You know, let's see. If they count Winona then it's fine." Applejack shrugged as they were going to try and register. Winona for the Pokemon Dog Contest. If she gets in, then it'll be a great win.

But, competing against Pokemon, that's going to be another story. And while some Trainers who own dog-like Pokemon are raring to go, there was one Trainer, in particular, that was more prepared than them all. Two of them actually. One in Ponyville and the other in Canterlot.

One of them was Mayor Mare. Mayor Mare.

"Today's the day, Stoutland." Mayor Mare spoke to her Stoutland. "We will most definitely ace that contest and take home those medals and that trophy without fail!"

"Stoutland!"

"Now let's hurry. The gateways to the contest have just been opened up.

"Land!"

---

Canterlot.

"It's showtime, Arcanine," Celestia said to her Arcanine. "This contest might last a while, but we'll charge through the sun and moon until we emerge as the winner of it, right?"

"Arcanine!"

"Luna. Passion. Please support us all the way." Celestia asked.

"Gardevoir."

"Oh, no sister...I will not be supporting you..." Luna suddenly lowered her head with her mane hiding her face as a light chuckle could be heard from her.

"W-Why not?"

"Because it shall be me that emerges as the victor!" Luna held out a Poke Ball, sending out her newly caught partner Manectric. A Pokemon that definitely counted as a member of the Canidae family.

"Manectric!"

"Observe as Manectric and I steal the show in front of everypony." Luna patted the Thunderbolt Pokemon on the back making him pant as she hit the right spots. "I haven't been ignoring this upcoming contest, even after the invasion had come to an end."

"Hoh? Like I'd let you beat me." Celestia narrowed her eyes as Luna narrowed her eyes back.

"You don't have to let me win. Manectric and I shall do it without any handicaps or support."

"We'll see."

"We'll support you two either way!" And appearing out of nowhere without warning, Sunlight and Eventide showed up to support their daughters as they already had flags with their faces on them. "No matter who wins!"

"Oh, uh...Thank you, mother and father." Luna said as she and Celestia went in different directions, getting ready to head for Hoenn. The contest was starting soon so they couldn't be late no matter what.

---

Hoenn Region. Ever Grande City. The paradise of flowers, the sea, and Pokémon Afternoon

The city known as the paradise of flowers, the sea, and Pokémon.

The contest could be found in Ever Grande City. This city is blanketed in a profusion of colourful blooms. It plays host to the grand Pokémon League. A revered site that can only be visited by those Trainers who have dominated every last Pokémon Gym.

But aside from that, Pokemon Trainers were here for the Dog Contest instead as many of them were already lined up either inside or outside. This contest was certainly popular. Almost as popular as Pokemon Contests. Speaking of inside, Applejack and Winona had arrived at the Registration Table to see if Winona could get in.

And orchestrating the whole event was BigTime Ben. He didn't create the Pokemon Dog Contest, but he was a major part of it. He was this year's judge too.

"Hmmm? You want your dog to join?" A Nurse Joy judge said, looking at Winona as she barked.

"Eeyup. She really wants to, ya know. And I betcha she won't leave me alone until I do it." Applejack laughed while feeling a bit embarrassed.

"Should we?" A judge looked at Nurse Joy. "It's not a Pokemon and from this world but..."

"Hm. I don't know." Nurse Joy put her finger on her lip, thinking about this. "It is a dog and the rules do say that."

"So? Is it possible?" Applejack leaned forward.

"Well...Only one way to find out. "Mr BigTime!" Nurse Joy then called for BigTime Ben to solve this little predicament. As fast as his name was called, he had shown up here with his Gothitelle by his side.

"Yes?"

"Just a quick question. This Trainer here wants to have her dog take part in our contest. But since she's not a Pokemon but counts as a dog, it's difficult. We weren't really prepared for other world creatures honestly." Nurse Joy gave the breakdown.

"Oh, Applejack? Let me see here." BigTime Ben went over to the earth pony, spotting the dog that was beside her. Winona was certainly distinct from other dog-like Pokemon, that's for sure. "Ah, this is one adorable looking dog."

"Ain't she? Purebred Collie and everything." Applejack smiled as Ben rubbed Winona's chin while patting her.

"Oh, the same breed as a Boltund eh? Hm...Well, there's nothing in the rules that states dogs from other worlds can't participate. No one really anticipated two worlds crossing over anyway. So...I'll allow it."

"Oh! Really?! You mean it?!" Applejack's heart rate sped up as she gasped along with Winona.

"Mhm." Ben gave a simple response via a head shake.

"Yeehaw! Haha! Ya hear that, Winona?!" Applejack picked up her dog. "You're all in for this one!" And as a response, Winona let out a howl of victory which prompted nearby dog-like Pokemon to howl.

"But I should warn you, Applejack." Ben suddenly had one last thing to say. "Since this is a contest built for Pokemon, there might be certain parts where Winona will struggle. Are you sure about this?"

"As sure as I am honest. Even if we don't win, we'll do our best, won't we girl?" Applejack grinned at the collie who barked in agreement.

"Alright then. Let's finish setting things up." BigTime Ben walked away, allowing everything else to finish up before the show can begin.

As for Applejack, she and Winona walked off to tell their friends the good news. She didn't think Winona could qualify but since something like this doesn't exist in the rules, it was a pass from BigTime Ben itself. It pays to be good friends with someone popular. Ash should know.

"Good news ya'll! We're in!" Applejack slid over as her friends and family were already waiting.

"We know. Audino heard it all." Fluttershy nodded with a grin on her face.

"Audino!"

"Great that Winona was qualified. But this seems pretty risky. I mean...Pokemon are nsane!" Pinkie Pie outstretched her hooves and elongated her neck towards Applejack. "Can she even do all of the events there?"

"And does Winona know any tricks suitable for dog contests?" Rarity asked.

"She sure does. I taught her a lot way back then. She's got a bunch of tricks that she still knows, without a doubt." AJ nodded with confidence while Winona mimicked her nodding. "Win or lose, who cares? We'll get all the time to have fun together, Winona."

Now that Winona was certified to be in the contest, things might be a tad different. But what will most definitely stay the same is the antics and the actions the Pokemon will pull off. And what will also stay the same in every form of completion whether it be the Pokemon League, Pokemon Contests etc, rivalries will be born.

And some were about to return or be made anew at the moment as Celestia and Mayor Mare had come across each other with their Arcanine and Stoutland.

"Princess Celestia? You're taking part in this?" said Mayor Mare.

"I certainly am. Can't miss out on any summer fun now, can I?" Celestia smiled. "Plus, this is a good opportunity for me to really take part in these competitions. I couldn't join in the Canterlot Tournament and I'd rather watch Pokemon Contests. So this is perfect for me."

"Arcanine."

"Ah. Well then, I hope everything doesn't become too difficult now that you're here. But I have confidence in Stoutland and myself. Victory is within our sights."

"Stout!"

"Then it's a certified competition. Arcanine and I will excel over everyone here." Celestia pointed her hoof at herself, having her own confidence.

"Canine!"

Both Princess Celestia and Mayor Mare looked at each other for a bit with squinted eyes, pouted lips and a still atmosphere around them. This was the beginning of a rivalry that wasn't to be expected, but somehow, it worked in a sense. They stared at each other for a bit before backing away.

Many familiar faces were among the group of Trainers with their own canine-related Pokemon. Ash had his Lucario, Twilight had Ninetales, Chloe ended up choosing Yamper and Pinkie Pie had Mew with her.

Other familiar faces were Coco Pommel with her Glaceon, Roseluck with her Leafeon, Hollow with his Houndoom, Trixie was here with her Zoroark, even the young unicorn Premium Polish appeared with her Flareon, plus Gelidity her Alolan Ninetales.

Practically almost every canine-like Pokemon was here. The only ones exempt from this were the Legendary and Mythical Pokemon such as Zacian, Zamazenta the 10% form of Zygarde and the Legendary Dogs. Some even went through the effort of evolving their Eevees to take part in this contest.

But aside from that, the contest could now begin with all Trainers getting their introductions on their names, their Pokemon plus a single regular dog and then their hometown. The crowd had already sat down, ready to witness this contest go down.

Unlike ordinary dog shows, the Pokemon Dog Contest is something else with its own unique activities. Something that no one would want to miss out on, that's for sure.

Winona looked around, seeing her competition. And she certainly had some competition as she felt minuscule right now. Both figuratively and literally. Every Pokemon here towered over the collie with ease. Whether on four legs or just two legs. Even the smaller canines like Poochyena or Vulpix were bigger than her.

Winona shuddered a bit as many of them had menacing eyes of determination. She had never been around this many dogs before and was rather intimidated right now.

But, Ash's Lucario looked down at the collie, giving her a smile of confidence. Lucario essentially told Winona not to worry and give it her all, despite her opposing competitors' fierce appearances. And with that look from Lucario, Winona did receive that confidence.

The judges for today were BigTime Ben, the Nurse Joy of Ever Grande City, and some judges straight from Unova, Kalos and Sinnoh.

"Okay. Now that everyone is here and ready, we can begin the Pokemon Dog Contest once again." Ben said. "We have 30 canines here today. One of them is from another world and a full-fledged dog too. Without further ado, we can begin the first activity. Card Paw."

As the stage had been set, it also started transforming as everyone watched this unfurl. Large conveyor belts emerged from the ground as platforms. And on those platforms, cards had shown up. And on those cards were image faces of the Trainers, each on different tiles.

"This lasts for 2 minutes. Each canine must jump and pound their paws when landing on the faces of their own Trainers. It must match the card image that is shown on that giant monitor up there." Ben pointed to the biggest monitor here on the stage. "However, many cards can be variations of one card. For example, there can be a Trainer that has their eyes either open or closed. Sometimes winking. We took those pictures for a reason. Trainers can also instruct their Pokemon too. The cards will also shuffle constantly. And for the face match to be a confirmation, the Pokemon must press their paw on the image for it to count as a point. Really hard too."

"That doesn't sound so bad. Just find the real face and that's all." Applejack said.

"Zoroark can handle this, no problem." Trixie shook her head. "If anything, those illusionary tricks might make this an ace challenge without a doubt.

"We'll keep our eyes glued to that screen up there. "Ash said while Pikachu was on his shoulder.

"Pikachu..."

"And remember, the Pokemon can use the full potential of their abilities so moves are allowed. Ready...? Begin!" Ben exclaimed, beginning the activity.

All of the canines immediately scattered, rushing to the conveyor belt as they all saw their Trainers' faces on the screen. The screen was large enough to capture all of their faces. The images were also moving due to the conveyor belt, forcing the canines to also move quickly on their feet.

Winona saw that the image of Applejack's face had her eyes winking so she had to find the card with that specific image. The cards were starting to shuffle.

"Front left, Lucario!"

"Front right, Arcanine!"

"Luca!" Lucario and Arcanine lunged forward after seeing the faces of their trainers. Ash and Celestia both had their eyes open. Their jumping length was impressive as they landed on the cards that had open eyes before they could flip over, slamming their paws down as the card images glowed a green colour for confirmation.

Some Pokemon used moves such as Quick Attack, Extreme Speed or Feint Attack for extra speed, reaching the faces of their trainers as those that scored properly received 10 points for that. Winona didn't have any flashy moves, but she did have a good eye. However, keeping up with these magical creatures would be tricky since they surpass her in speed. Some Pokemon ended up mistaking the wrong cards of their Trainers.

Due to the movement of the conveyor belt on the platform and the constant shifting of cards, some Pokemon couldn't reach the faces of their trainers in time, unable to gain points. But there was still time left.

Manectric didn't find a problem with this. He was a generally fast Pokemon thanks to being an Electric-Type. So if he spotted Luna's face, he would immediately zip over and step on the right card before it could shuffle away. The Pokemon racked up 10 points each for getting the right faces of their trainers in time. But some were performing better than others. And as seconds kept passing, the shuffling increased with a new challenge.

More layers had emerged with more cards of the Trainers' faces. And this one had bluffs in the form of confetti. Just to give an example, when one of the employees tossed a rock onto the cards. Once the rock hit one of the cards, it exploded with confetti, revealing that one of them was fake and the other was real.

And as if it wasn't more risky, pressing down on the fake cards wasn't needed for them to be activated. The slightest interaction will set it off without a doubt.

"Ninetales!" Alolan Ninetales had used her ice to suddenly freeze the platforms and cards below, except for the face of Gelidity. She made it so that only her face was the one that wasn't frozen. She had also frozen the shuffling so that the card stays in place. From her giving the platforms and cards a flash-freeze, some of the canines already started slipping, losing balance and falling over.

Winona was one of them. While she ran, she ended up slipping on the ice, scurrying her feet as she tried to maintain her balance along with the others.

"On your belly, girl! Slide on your belly!" Applejack cried out. And Winona did just that. She allowed herself to lose balance, stretching all four of her legs out and having her belly fully exposed. By doing so, the collie had started moving on the ice like how a penguin would.

This allowed her to maintain some composure instead of losing said composure as she was advancing towards the next row while looking at the screen. And as she controlled her sliding speed, she stopped right below a card that had Applejack's face which matched the face on the screen. But pressing her paw on it would be tricky since everything is frozen.

"Nine!" But, Twilight's Kantonian Ninetales was going to put an end to this slippery floor. He had increased his body heat, instantly melting the ice away with ease. After melting the ice, all the other Pokmon could freely move without needing to slip and fall. Winona ended up pressing her paw on Applejack's face, turning it green before it could shuffle away for another card. A nice call and action from Kantonian Ninetales. Winona reached the next row up ahead on time right before the ice had melted.

All the other Pokemon reached the second row which forced them to try and find the real face aside from the fake one if they could. They all looked to the screen, seeing the faces of their trainers pop up.

"Manectric! Let's bypass that confetti with your amazing speed! Top right, second row!" Luna ordered as other trainers gave out their commands.

"Mane!" Manectric was essentially the fastest Pokemon here without a doubt. And by using his incredible speed, Manectric managed to move faster than the other cards could react. His speed caused delayed reactions, making the fake cards emerge confetti as he went for the card where Luna was winking.

Since the fake ones activate from the slightest interaction, Manectric had exposed them all without hitting the real cards of other trainers, which could deduct points from him.

And as he stomped his paw on the winking face, he was met with a surprise. While he got rid of the bluffs behind him, he didn't really think about the possibility of the correct bluff being a fake. Thus, the card he stepped on had erupted with confetti, blowing the Thunderbolt Pokemon back.

"Drat! A fake!"

"Arca!" Arcanine and the other Pokemon passed Manectric as they thanked him for clearing the way by getting rid of the bluffs behind them. But there were still more card images to get through. Tons of them.

"Zoro!" Zoroark's eyes glowed as she used her tricks to her advantage. The Illusion Pokemon ended up creating false illusions by transforming herself into a Ditto. After turning into a Ditto, she then turned into one of the card images, giggling.

When a Granbull came by to step on the image of their trainer with their paw, that's when Zoroark could strike. The moment the paw got close to the card, the Illusion Pokemon emerged with a Night Slash, knocking the Fairy Pokemon back by surprise with a slash of darkness.

"Gran?!"

"Zo-Zoro!" Zoroark giggled as he quickly rushed off.

"Mew!" But Zoroark wasn't the only one transforming. Mew was going through a transforming spree, turning into other Pokemon to try and find Pinkie Pie's correct face on the monitor.

"Luca!" But this was a cinch for Lucario. By using his Aura, Lucario could tell which one was a potential fake before he even reached there. A sort of foresight or looking into the future. After finding the bluff, he jumped over it and smashed his foot onto the Ash face that he saw on the screen.

The shuffling sped up along with the speed of the conveyor belt, forcing the Canidae Family to pick up the pace so that the platform doesn't force them off.

"Giga Impact, Stoutland!"

"Flare Blitz, Arcanine!"

"Stoutland!" Stoutland had used the invisible aura of Giga Impact growing it to hit the nearest faces of Mayor Mare, seeing which one was fake. He had found two fakes cards after the aura touched them, causing him to head for the ones that were real. If he could get there in time.

To make sure he could, he continued to use Giga Impact, utilizing the Normal-Type move to boost through the air. But right next to him was Arcanine with Flare Blitz. Both Pokemon were moving at high speeds, using auras of their own as they went straight for the faces of their trainers.

Winona ended up pressing her paw on a fake Applejack card, getting confetti in her face. But she quickly shook it off before running towards the next card. The cards shuffled around as Winona and the other canine Pokemon kept a close eye on their rapid movements.

After they finished shuffling and sliding, Winona made a quick turn, jumping on the back of a Lycanroc and lunging off as he stomped both her paws down on a face of Applejack's eyes closed.

"Lycan?" Midday Lycanroc had just witnessed the collie use it as a platform for a second jump. That was Winona's advantage. Because of her small size, she could pull off some tricks of her own.

"Houndoom!" Houndoom breathed fire out of its mouth, trying to coat and hide the cards with his flames. If he did so, that would mean the Pokemon would have to get through fire if they wanted to find the faces of their trainers.

It's a good thing these cards were made to handle Pokemon Moves.

"Ninetales!" But, Twilight's Ninetales wouldn't let that happen. He used his own flames to counter Houndoom's. Once the two flames clashed, they blew up, causing both an explosion and a large smoke cloud. This smoke cloud ended up obscuring everyone's vision and throwing them off.

The whole platform had been covered by the smoke as the Pokemon now had no idea where to head to. And the conveyor belt was only increasing in speed. Lucario used his Aura to see through as he was able to find Ash's face. He moved through the smoke as he was seemingly the only one here who could handle it.

Winona coughed within the smoke as she couldn't see anything at all. She started moving around frantically, unaware if she was going the right way. The view of the screen had been blocked too while the cards were shuffling.

"Umbreon!" But someone's Umbreon took care of that. The Umbreon had used Swift, spinning around and shooting star-shaped rays everywhere. These star rays had blown away the smoke from their light, making everything clear for everyone finally.

Once the smoke was gone everyone could see and finally make their move. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time for that at the moment.

"Time!" Ben exclaimed as this activity had ended. "That's that! Let's see how they did!"

The results started showing on the screen how each canine did and how many points they managed to rack up in just those two minutes.

Lucario, Arcanine and Zoroark received 40 points each, Mew, both Ninetales', Houndoom and Stoutland received 30 and Winona, Yamper and other canine Pokemon only received 20 points.

So far, Lucario, Arcanine and Zoroark had a lead with their points but this could change without a doubt. The crowd cheered for the results as they were looking forward to the next challenge.

"Oh, look at that! Winona got 30 points!" Apple Bloom pointed out. That belly sliding part helped out when other Pokemon were starting to lose their balance on the ice. Plus that jump on Lycanroc helped too.

Seems as if everything was fair game in this contest. Attacks, illusions and stage obstructions were allowed in this. But that's exactly what made it so exciting as the next challenge was coming up.

---

"Next we have the Rampardos Shove," Ben said as a new stage was being set. This stage had an upwards appearance. Just 12 feet off the floor. It even came with a pool so the landing would be safe if anyone fell.

"All canines must stand on this circular platform while the Rampardos are with you." Joy started explaining. "The Pokemon must avoid the mob of Rampardos and find gaps in the crowd to avoid being shoved into the pool of water. The Rampardos move faster each time. As they do. If the Rampardos succeed in pushing a canine into the water, that dog is out for the remainder of the game. The last Pokemon standing, or any left standing after 30 seconds, wins."

The Canidae Pokemon all stood firmly together as they weren't planning on being knocked to the side by the Rampardos. But that's going to be difficult. After all, Rampardos can take out an entire skyscraper with just one ram. And Applejack knew this.

She bit her hoof, worrying about what will happen if one of them hits Winona. She doesn't really have the same durability as a Pokemon, making her not just the smallest here, but also the most fragile.

"30 seconds on the clock. Ready...go!" Ben made the call for the game to begin.

"Rampardos!" Immediately, the Rampardos all started moving, rushing towards their targets to try and shove them off the circular stage. Swarms of Rampardos were just jetting it, looking fairly intimidating to everyone.

The Canidae family all rushed forward, approaching the Rampardos. Some of them tackled the Rampardos, trying to force them back. But pushing back a Rampardos is no easy feat. Manectric used his speed to zigzag around the Rampardos, avoiding them. But with how many of them there were, he would have to move quickly.

Zoroark and Mew ended up turning themselves into Rampardos for the sake of an illusion. They then started running beside each of the Head Butt Pokemon, acting unassuming.

"Arcanine!" Arcanine had used Extreme to charge and avoid through some of the Rampardos, sending them off the stage, evading them as they also went flying into the air. Lucario used Double Team to create illusions of himself.

Some Rampardos ended up hitting the illusions of Lucario, throwing them off as they fell off the stage for that. However, more Rampardos were coming as the numbers were aggressively increasing.

Twilight's Ninetales used Extrasensory to try and hold the Rampardos back. He was able to hold at least 20 of them, but not all of them, unfortunately. And he couldn't break his concentration. Thus, some of the Rampardos ended up shoving Ninetales to the side after charging towards him.

"Nine!" Ninetales cried out as he was almost shoved off the stage. He used his tails to create a balance, using them the same way a Spoink would. He let out a sigh of relief as he immediately sprang himself up with all nine of his tails.

Time was short, and Winona was looking around. However, this is where her small size benefited her. Since she was smaller than everyone, she was a less likely target. So, to capitalize on things, the collie had run underneath the legs of the Rampardos, lowering her head so that she wouldn't be hit by them. She even hid under the legs of other Pokemon, mainly the taller ones like Houndoom.

Canine Pokemon were being knocked off by the overwhelming amount of Rampardos. Some had already landed in the pool while others were on the verge and edge of the stage.

Mew and Zoroark's illusion had been disrupted once they realized they could not keep up with the real Rampardos. Thus, they had been shoved themselves for being slower, revealing their real forms. And after their real forms were revealed, the Rampardos shoved both Pokemon aside, causing them to fall to the water.

Glaceon and Alolan Ninetales tried freezing the Rampardos. But to their surprise, the Ramprados just broke through it with brute force. After that, they shoved Glaceon and Ninetales off. The number of canines was dropping as barely anyone could match the strength of the Rampardos.

Lucario slid back after being shoved by one of the Rampardos. But thanks to his Steel-Type body, he hung in there as Arcanine and Stoutland also slid by him. Yamper rolled on his belly as he bumped into Lucario's leg, saving him from fully falling off.

Even for such well-trained canines, the overwhelming amount of Rampardos was ridiculous. Luckily, it was short-lived.

"Time!" Joy called for the game to end as the Rampardos came to a screeching halt. "My that could've turned out ugly if it went any further. Let's see who was left standing."

Lucario, Winona, Stoutland, Arcanine, Houndoom, Yamper, Poocheyana, Rockruff and Leafeon were the only ones left standing on the platform, making them the winners. The smaller Pokemon dogs certainly benefit from this.

"Atta girl, Winona!" Applejack clapped her hooves together, proud of her pet for doing so well, despite not being a Pokemon.

If she kept this up, Winona just might make history in a way.

---

Next was something simple. A discipline test. This was to see how well behaved and obedient the canines were in response to certain things.

All Trainers had their Pokemon plus pet stand or sit down in a line as the judges would come over to each of them. It was time to see who had greater discipline. This could go either way due to the bonds of Trainers and Pokemon.

To test their obedience, they would have to seek the scent of the judges themselves. Would be easy considering the judges were right in front of them

However, that's where Gothitelle came in.

"Gothitelle." The Astral Body Pokemon coated the judges in a Psychic Aura as she suddenly turned all of them invisible before everyone's eyes. Now they would really have to try and track their scent while they were invisible.

The canines could now get to searching as they had to look for the judges. And this time, Lucario's Aura wouldn't be foolproof. It can't really see through anything invisible. But it can still sense anything nearby.

As for other Pokemon, they just did the traditional tracking. By using their noses. Since they were all canines, they were born with the innate and gifted ability to track down whatever they wanted with their scent. But some were more effective than others.

Stoutland started sniffing the floor beneath him along with Arcanine and Yamper. Yamper seemed to be on the speedier side with his sniffing. His legs moved quicker since he was a more rambunctious Pokemon than everyone here. And while not a Pokemon, Winona was fairly rambunctious too.

She was also moving her legs rapidly, tracking down the scent if she could. The judges were also moving while invisible, making things harder for everyone.

Houndoom could actually counter Gothitelle's Psychic abilities because of him being a Dark-Type. The same went for Zoroark. With their dark thoughts, they could perceive beyond the Psychic power as they started sniffing away. They were the closest to the judges.

Lucario closed his eyes, using his Aura to try and sense the Auras of BigTime Ben, Nurse Joy and the other judges. He couldn't see their figures but he could sense their presence. He then moved around, sensing their Auras were also on the move. The judges made no sound, making sure that no one would hear them at all.

Winona barked as she startled one of the judges nearby. After startling him, Winona ended up bumping into the leg of the judge, finding him.

Yamper did the same but multiple times instead of once. Zoroark and Houndoom took some time, but they eventually found the judges. In fact, practically everyone found them. This wasn't an activity that required a winner unlike the previous two.

They all had good noses as they only focused on the judges and no one else. It was official. All of them were well-behaved, obedient and had strong bonds with their trainers. Nothing more to be said here.

---

Other activities went and came where Winona would have a disadvantage because of her not being a Pokemon. But she went through them anyway with the best of her abilities.

She went through an obstacle course where she had to jump over some incoming obstacles. Her time on the farm paid off as she lunged over the incoming objects along with some of the Pokemon. They all had great jumping skills but the objects were ramping up in size, speed and intensity.

Winona didn't fully get through the course as a pillow ended up taking her out but she lasted a long while. Enough to get her some points.

She took part in an Agility course, which Manectric succeeded in, a Reaction Time course where the Pokemon had to use their reaction time to try and catch incoming objects with either their mouths or paws depending on the Pokemon.

Lucario won that one with ease without even needing to use Aura. Winona was already skilled in this after the times she and Applejack used to play Fetch together way back then. They still do from time to time.

There was a composure course where none of the canines had to break focus. And the way to challenge their focus was via tickling, foods that they enjoy and even the infamous Sweet Scent. Some Pokemon fell for it like Yamper, Mew and Kantonian Ninetales, but others like Umbreon, Glaceon, Lucario, Stoutland and Arcanine kept their focus.

Winona was already adept in something like this as she didn't fall for the Sweet Scent. Plus, Sweet Scent seems to only work around Pokemon. Must be the magic inside.

There was a Tail-Grip challenge where the Pokemon would have to hold certain objects with just their tails alone. That meant no Psychic-Type moves for this time. They would also have to carry these items to their trainers while having to deal with the weight.

The two Ninetales' did this without fail thanks to them having nine tails. But they still had to put some effort into them since the objects were heavy. And it did slow then down a bit. Some Pokemon had shorter tails like Yamper, Manectric and Granbull. Thus, the items they held slipped out of their tails, unfortunately. But, they could just pick the times up again and run anyway and hope they don't get Last Place.

Even those that had long tails were struggling with gripping these items. For example, Smeargle's tail was long, sure. But it didn't have the strength to carry the heavier objects.

Winona's tail was medium at best. She was gripping onto a comic book as she ran towards Applejack. Her tail grip strength wasn't on par with most of the Pokemon, but it actually did exceed Pokemon like Smeargle, Granbull, Poochyena and even Stoutland.

Poor Stoutland just couldn't do it with his tail strength as he was actually the one lagging behind everyone else. Winona had this advantage because of her time on the farm. Since she's an active and energetic dog, her muscles are fairly potent, allowing her to hold on to the book.

She ran ahead of her competition, running beside some of the biggest Pokemon here as she wasn't going to let her muscle give out now. And with those muscles and energy, she reached Applejack with the book, placing it down near her while barking.

"Good girl!" Applejack patted the collie on the head.

Winona came in 7th place with Kantonian Ninetales coming in 1st, Alolan Ninetales in 2nd, Arcanine in 3rd, Lucario in 4th, Houndoom in 5th, Zoroark in 6th, Furfrou in 8th and so on. Stoutland ended up being in Last Place, much to Mayor Mare's chagrin.

---

Afterwards, this day's contest came to an end. Ribbons were being handed out to the dogs that performed the best and racked up points during the games. All of them were lined up as they each exceeded in something to receive ribbons.

Som received ribbons for concentration and focus. All received one for discipline since they were all well behaved. Some received more ribbons due to the points they racked up. And Winona received a special ribbon that is rare to come by but special.

The judges spoke to all of the canines and their Trainers, congratulating them for today's contest. After all, the Pokemon Dog Contest is always open and never closed so they can come back any time for more. Ben spoke to Winona, concerning the ribbon.

"This is the Insurmountable Odds Ribbon, Winona," said Ben. "This ribbon is meant for those who manage to make it through odds that are stacked against them. It's a rare one to come by and few have had it. You've earned it for proving yourself to be a dog capable of competing against Pokemon."

"Ya hear, that girl? You're a natural." Applejack spoke as Winona barked.

"I think now we should allow ordinary animals from Equestria to join in other contests. Not a bad idea." Ben nodded as Winona's inclusion had sparked something in his mind. He then went on to speak to other canines.

"How about next time, we win that trophy when we come back here? Whaddya say, Winona?"

Winona was up for it. The next time she came back here, she'll have learned new skills and hopefully, emerges as the number one canine in this. In short, the collie felt proud of herself.

And she should.

---

Equestria. Canterlot Castle. Nightfall.

Hours after the Pokemon Dog Contest had ended. All was assumedly sound in Canterlot and most of Equestria. Many were asleep, but some were awake. Mainly Luna and a few of her Pokemon. Celestia was certainly asleep without a doubt along with Premium Polish. The guards were awake, however. When are they never?

But someone else who was awake was an intruder. Someone who isn't really meant to be here and is currently wanted. Someone who also has a strong relation to Premium Polish.

Skyblue Shine.

She was currently wearing her Umbrage Thieves outfit to blend in with the dark. And speaking of Umbrage Thieves, she had some of them by her side as they all appeared from the shadows. Only their eyes could be seen in the dark. They had one objective here.

Find any source about the origin of the Magic Siphoning Jar. The one thing Empress Twilight wishes to know about considering how much it hindered her. In the meanwhile, the Empress was attempting to make her own variant of the Magic Siphoning Jar or at least something similar to it in any shape or form.

And for Skyblue Shine and her Umbrage Thieves, the best place to be at the moment for knowledge was Canterlot. Mainly, the Canterlot Library. Luckily, it wasn't located in the castle, so they wouldn't have to infiltrate it and potentially cause trouble. However, it won't be easy either way.

Luna and Darkrai are essentially master and mistress of the night. It is under their full control. However, even if that was the case, Skyblue Shine knew of one thing.

Even if they watch over the night, for a set amount of hours, they have to watch over everyone's dreams. This was the perfect opportunity to get moving before they exit the Dream World.

Skyblue Shine and her thieves moved through the shadows, becoming invisible to the eye and making silent hoofsteps in the process. They zoomed towards the Canterlot Library while also making sure to avoid the guards.

And they've received some improvements since last time. Mostly due to how the whole invasion was a bust and some of the other Umbrage Thieves had been locked up as well.

Skyblue Shine went ahead of everypony else while the rest of the thieves would be on the lookout and guard. They slowed down, creeping around the shadows as the Canterlot Guards could feel an odd and eerie sensation behind them. But, the Umbrage Thieves were more worried about Luna and Darkrai finding them.

Skyblue Shine got out a bottle that had magical mist within it. Black mist to be exact. She opened the bottle and dropped the black mist on the ground, allowing it to flow. This mist was meant to make it look like the fog was laminating the area from all sides. And due to it also having the same colour scheme as the Umbrage Thieves' outfit, the can was perfectly masked.

The guards noticed how there was a black mist showing up unexpectedly. They looked around, seeing that every side was coated by this darkness. "What's going on?" One guard said.

"Is it foggy already?" Another guard said. They immediately put up their spears as their Golurk also got ready for whatever may come their way. Their weapons had been upgraded ever since the invasion. Due to them receiving weapons from the Empress' side, they have had some neat changes recently.

However, the black mist was not harmful at all. It was safe to breathe in. But that wasn't the point of it. Because of its colouring, the Umbrage Thieves could blend in with the mist, essentially becoming invisible and safely moving past it without anyone spotting them.

Truly a useful item.

But Skyblue Shie didn't need something like that. She just had her own skills to rely on. Mostly because she was an android at the end of the day.

Eventually, Skyblue Shine had reached the Canterlot Library. The door wasn't open so there was obviously another way of doing so. Skyblue Shine wished she had the Klefki she stole months ago since it could open any door due to its collection of keys but something else would have to do.

And that something was the obvious answer. Magic. The upgrades she received was still present here. Her magic being equivalent to Princess Luna means she could most definitely pull of spells that could open doors. And she didn't need to use brute force. By unlocking the door with her magic, Skyblue Shine had a clear entrance. She looked behind her, seeing that the black smoke had masked everything.

"Now then. Which books is it?" She got to work, beginning her search on which book could hold the origin of the Magic Siphoning Jar. She couldn't waste that much time here, especially when the morning arrives. And the other best thing she could do was just snag some of the books for herself and take them with her. So far, she hadn't been spotted and Darkrai and Luna were nowhere to be found.

At least, that's what she thought.

Unfortunately, Darkrai was active. His blue eye glowed in the dark as he noticed the black mist filling the area. The Pitch Black Pokemon does help Luna out in the Dream Word, but only when Luna really needs his help. Other than that, Darkrai is a free soul on the outside.

And once he spotted the black mist, he used his amazing perception to see through the mist, spotting the Umbrage Thieves. Their dark outfits weren't able to keep them safe from Darkrai.

The Pitch Black Pokemon immediately descended into the shadows, slithering to the outside in seconds. Once he reached the outside, he immediately held out a single Dark Void with his claw. But that one Dark Void then shot out smaller dark voids at high speeds as Darkrai could see every Umbrage Thief, except for Skyblue Shine.

The thieves didn't know what him that as they had been struck by orbs of darkness that moved faster than they could react. one by one they all started dropping, entering a sleep-state without warning. The guards heard the sound of bodies dropping as they moved around the dark mist, trying to see what was going on.

Darkrai had put them all to sleep as he then descended into the shadows, slithering away and returning to the castle to check up on Luna. The guards all came across the bodies of the Umbrage Thieves, seeing that they were asleep.

"Ah. Darkrai was here." The guards already knew that this was Darkrai's doing. "Alright. Pick them all up."

Even if the Umbrage Thieves were easily taken out by Darkrai, it didn't matter. Skyblue Shine was still undetected as she was already deep in the library, hidden from everyone else. It also helped that she used some magic to further mask herself. The thieves had kept Skyblue Shine safe, magic sure that she finds the origin of that jar.

She was going to be here for a while. As the journey continues.

Chapter 484 End.

Comments

[GamePlayer64]

I thought Jewel would enter this contest because her Pokémon Coordinator history

[ArcticAce01]

This was an amazing Pokémon dog show.

As for skyblue shine. She hasn’t been seen yet as she continues to find what she needs