Pokemon Ping Pong

The next day...
It was time for the Pokemon ping pong contest. Ash and Barry decided to get some more practice in before it started. Dawn didn't really understand the rules about Pokemon ping pong and she admitted it. So Barry explained them. The rules for Pokemon ping pong were a trainer and any of their Pokemon team up together for the game. The trainer got to use a ping pong paddle while the partner Pokemon uses it's body in the ping pong match. It was also forbidden for the Pokemon to use moves to hit the ball. The team who got 11 points first wins the match. After hearing the rules Dawn decided to enter the tournament too and she and Ash registered for it right away. Dawn decided to enter with Ambipom as it really started to like Pokemon ping pong. 
After registering, Ash and Dawn decided to practice before the tournament started. There were plenty of practice Pokemon ping pong tables. Dawn used her heads and tails app and Ash won with heads. Winning trainer got the first serve, so Ash gave the first serve. Soon Ash and Dawn were hitting the ball back and forth at each other with the paddles. Unbeknownst to them, a man was watching them practice. Just then Pikachu struck the ball with his tail, but Ambipom struck the ball back with one of her tails. The ball sky rocketed off the table and headed towards the man, who had been watching. The man caught the ball with ease and was impressed by what happened.
The gang ran over to the man to see if he was okay.
"Sorry about that." Dawn apologized.
"I'm impressed with Ambipom's reflexes." The man said. "Have you two been practicing ping pong a lot?"
"This is actually the first time we competed in Pokemon ping pong." Dawn admitted.
The man was impressed.
"Do your best." He said, and then left.
Brock noticed the man on the front of a magazine he was holding, which made the gang wonder who the man was.
Later on it was time for the tournament to begin. Ash, Barry and Dawn made their way into the stadium with their Pokemon. Brock and Tomo took their seats. There was a big TV screen that showed the match ups in the tournament. It revealed that if Ash and Dawn won their first matches they would be up against each other. They were in block B while Barry was in block A. Just then Dawn noticed the man from earlier on the screen. 
"That's O. He was the winner of last year's Pokemon ping pong tournament." Barry explained. "He has a reputation for being the world's strongest ping pong player."
"I'll beat him and show him how strong I am as a ping pong player." Barry boasted.
Just then the announcer revealed the prize for first and second place. The participant who won the tournament would receive 6 solid gold ping pong balls and the runner-up would receive a year's supply of Pokemon food.
The tournament was soon underway. Ash was up against a trainer named Wilkinson and he had a Farfetch'd. Dawn was up against a scientist and he had a Alakazam. Ash tried his best, but since this was his first time playing ping pong he lost to Wilkinson as he had more experience. Dawn on the other hand was doing well. At first it seemed like the scientist would beat her because this was also her first time playing ping pong, but Ambipom gained the upper hand especially after making the ball skyrocket like she did earlier.
Dawn ended up winning her first round and went up against Wilkinson. Ash joined Brock and Tomo in the stands.
"I'm sorry you lost big brother." Tomo said.
"It's okay, Tomo." Ash replied. "This was my first time playing and he was more experienced. That sport is a lot harder than I thought."
The group watched Dawn and Ambipom during her second match.
"Dawn and Ambipom are good at this despite it being their first time playing." Ash noted.
"Yeah, you wouldn't think this was their first time playing at the rate they're going." Brock said.
"It's like Ambipom had the talent to play this whole time." Ash said.
He never knew that because he hadn't heard of Pokemon ping pong back in Kanto. After beating Wilkinson, Dawn and Ambipom won the third match against a trainer named Halverson who had a Marowak. O had been watching Dawn and Ambipom the whole time and found it hard to believe Dawn and Ambipom had just started playing Pokemon ping pong. He thought Ambipom had a real knack for it.
After defeating her opponents Dawn rested with Ambipom while waiting for the semi-finals. Right now Barry was up against O. Barry still boasted that he would win the whole thing. After the match started Barry found out just how strong O and his Shiftry were when it came to Pokemon ping pong. Shiftry could hit a ping pong ball really hard. Barry lost without a chance to turn things around.
Soon it was time for Dawn to face O. She and her Ambipom did their best, but O and his Shiftry were very tough to try and beat. Dawn ended up losing her nerves, but Ambipom gave her encouragement which made her feel better again. Then there was trouble. Dawn tried to hit a ball back that O served but her paddle broke. Ambipom moved in to take over while Dawn got another paddle. Dawn could see how hard Ambipom was working.
"Stay strong." She told Ambipom.
In the end, Dawn was defeated by O who won his next match against a trainer named Theodore and his Gliscor. O was the Pokemon ping pong champion again. Ambipom was exhausted and needed rest in the Pokemon Center.
"Sorry Ambipom." Dawn apologized.
Ambipom was okay.
Just then O stepped forward to speak to Dawn.
He was impressed with how Ambipom performed during the ping pong tournament and he wanted to train Ambipom to become a ping pong champion like him and Shiftry. Ambipom liked the idea because of her love for ping pong. Dawn on the other hand wasn't so sure as this request came out of nowhere. 
"Will you think about it?" O asked Dawn.
Then he left.
Dawn didn't know what to do at that moment.
Later that night
In the Pokemon Center Dawn rushed into the boy's room in a panic.
"Dawn, what's the matter?" Ash asked.
"I can't find Ambipom anywhere." Dawn said.
The gang ran outside to look for Ambipom. Brock heard a noise coming from the side of the Pokemon Center and the gang went to find out what it was. It was Ambipom. She was playing ping pong against the wall. 
"Wow, I've never seen Ambipom so psyched about something." Ash said. "She really does like ping pong."
"O wants to train her to become a great ping pong player." Dawn admitted.
"Ash, what would you do?" She asked.
Ash thought about all his memories of Ambipom back when she was a Aipom and after she evolved into Ambipom.
"Well Dawn." He finally said. "You and I have many memories of Ambipom and it would be a bit hard to let go of her. I know that because I've seen Pokemon trainers let go of their Pokemon in the past. But remember what Brock and I said before, your Pokemon's happiness comes first and we always decide what to do eventually. So the best thing to do is ask Ambipom what it wants to do; the choice is hers." 
Dawn knew he was right as usual.
The next day
O was getting ready to leave Sandalstraw Town in a RV. He had been waiting for Dawn to make a decision, but she hadn't shown up yet. It seemed at first he wasn't going to get a answer, but then Dawn and the others appeared with Ambipom.
"Mr. O." Dawn said. "I've been thinking about what you said last night. And I've decided to let Ambipom choose."
She turned to Ambipom.
"Ambipom, what do you want to do? Do you want to continue competing in contests with me, or do you want to continue playing Pokemon ping pong."
Dawn held a ping pong ball in one hand and Ambipom's Poke Ball in a capsule in the other. 
"Choose carefully Ambipom." Ash said. "This is about what you really want to do."
Ambipom stared at the two balls in Dawn's hands; she really liked competing in contests, battles and Pokemon ping pong equally. But then she picked up the ping pong ball. 
"I see, you really want to play Pokemon ping pong, don't you?" Dawn asked.
Ambipom nodded yes.
So it was official. Ambipom had chosen the path of Pokemon ping pong champion. Dawn handed Ambipom's Poke Ball to O.
"Will you take good care of Ambipom?" She asked.
"Of course." O promised to do so.
"I have a Pokemon ping pong training center in Vermilion City. You can visit whenever you want." The gang was surprised, especially Ash, as they didn't know that.
"You take care of yourself Ambipom and grow stronger as a ping pong player." Dawn said.
"Good luck to you." Ash said.
Ambipom placed her big hands onto Ash and Dawn's hands. Then she got in O's RV and they started to leave. Ambipom waved goodbye to the gang and they waved goodbye back.
It was sad watching Ambipom leave. However, the gang knew Ambipom would have a happy future as a Pokemon ping pong player.