What's it been, more than a year?

Yes, I am back, everyone, finally with another chapter to give you all. I've been really busy and pretty much overwhelmed with college and other responsibilities, as well as my other stories. There was a writer's block or two in there somewhere, too. A number of you have asked if I abandoned this story, but I haven't, no. I'm still intent on finishing. Thankfully, I've managed to find some time and creativity to finally concentrate and get this out. Being this is currently my most popular story, I'll be dedicating my efforts on ROAM for now, for a good while.

Now, I'd also like to address a few things related to those notifications you got when I updated. All this time, I have been working on this story whenever possible here and there. During that time, I've edited the chapters here and there for grammar and plot purposes. Also, after several reviews and critiques, I've ended up rewriting entire blocks across the chapters. Hell, a lot has changed. The chapters have been reposted with the new changes. Mostly for grammatical reasons, there are some significant changes that I suggest you go back and read for to avoid people asking constantly why things have changed.

...But of course, a good number of you won't, so these are the immediate changes:

-Time stamp added across chapters (this is mostly for my benefit, to spread out the journey in an accurate form)

-Despite my best intentions, I've come to the conclusion that I honestly can't portray all 30 of Ash's Tauros with equal time and treatment. As such, only five of the herd will be active battlers. See Ch 3 and profile.

-Ash's training session was extended to just under three months. See Ch 3 for details.

-Larvitar has evolved on the ride to Sinnoh (this is to meet a plot idea I have down the line). See Ch 4.

-The Original Ch 3 has been cut entirely, with elements of it infused into the new Ch 2 & 3. This is to he;p the story go along faster after I've received critique about it. See said chapters.

-To differentiate from the story "Sinnoh Revamped," the status of Legendaries have changed. Those with specific charges are now called "The Ordained," being they are Ordained by Arceus to their charges. See Ch 4.

-After help constructive critique from several readers, I've edited the battle between Ash & Paul: namely the Chimchar v Aipom, Elekid v Totodile & Nidoking v Meganium. The first two for length, and the third for length and Paul's battle style.

I would suggest reading those chapters again to see the changes in full depth. This will avoid questions and complaints. This is all to provide a better reading experience. Recommendations were made to show me how this story could be better, and I acted on them as best I could. Hopefully, I did the right move. We'll see where go from here.

Well, that's enough from me. Enjoy this long-needed chapter.

*Insert Disclaimer here*

Key:

"Human/Human form Speech/PokéSpeak"

'Telepathy/Thought'

"Human Speech via telecommunications"

PokéDex Entry

Chapter 7: On the Road to Jubilife City! Pt 1

5:54 AM Sinnoh Time. 1 July, Sat

"Alright, guys, that's enough for now."

A sweating Ash, fully dressed save for his jacket and wide awake, slowed his jogging to a stop, Pikachu stopping next to him. Behind him, Totodile, Meganium, Primeape and Aipom did the same, Pupitar hopping to a stop next to them. Pidgeot, Starly and Latias descended from above, having followed their friend's jogging by flying. All of Ash's Pokémon were filled with energy, eager to really start their training regiment.

Only Starly was panting, the young new addition unaccustomed to Ash's regiment. Ash took note of this, deciding he'd have to work on Starly's stamina and endurance before anything else. He was eager to get better and stronger, though, his instincts pushing him to do so. The Flying Type wanted to make up for his loss yesterday against Paul's Starly, too.

Besides, after finding out he was traveling with a Legendary earlier (that had been a shock), Starly knew he had his work cut out for him.

Ash stretched his arms as he looked at the small clearing he had found just a small distance from their campsite, the first rays of sunlight shining upon it. Waking up at the crack of dawn had been a pain in the ass when he first started, but after getting used to it, he found he came to enjoy it.

'So why didn't you get Dawn to come train with us?' Latias asked as she floated next to Ash.

"She's still starting out," the teen replied with a shrug. "It'd be too much to expect something like this from her so soon. Besides, most Trainers don't start as early as I do, after all. If she wants to join in, though, I'm sure she'll just ask."

'Knowing her, she'll probably do just that,' the Legendary mused. 'She has that determination in her. It kind of reminds me of you, actually.'

That was a mild surprise to Ash, but he found he had to agree. "Yeah, she kinda does." After a few moments, he added, "I think today I'll tell Dawn about you, break it to her."

'Oh, really? How do you plan on doing that?'

"...I'll think of something."

"Pika," Pikachu added with a roll of his eyes. That never ended badly...

Latias chuckled at that, Ash glaring at his Starter before gathering his Pokémon around. "Alright, team, it's time to start out first training session in the great Sinnoh outdoors."

As his Pokémon cried out in glee and determination, he continued, "We'll split into pairs again. Meganium with Pupitar, and Aipom with Totodile. Latias, I want you to work with Pikachu on how to gather the electricity necessary to use Thunder. Pidgeot, I want you to work with Starly, help him build up his agility; I'm thinking that we work on mastering Aerial Ace in time. I'll work with Primeape. We'll switch up after a while, and you know the rest of the drill."

With that, his Pokémon paired off and claimed their own parts of the field, Pidgeot and Starly taking to the skies, and began training. Only Ash and Primeape remained in place. The Trainer nodded to his Fighting Type, who gave a grunt of affirmation, taking his place next to Ash. With another grunt, he shot his fist into the air, Ash following his movements. The teen cleared his mind, focusing only on training, the cries of his Pokémon around him.

Ash grinned. It was just another day on the road to be a Pokémon Master.

7:13 AM Sinnoh Time. 1 July, Sat

Slowly, blue eyes opened to the sounds of chirping Pokémon and sunlight trying to break into the tent.

With a yawn, Dawn awoke with a stretch of her body. Looking around instinctively, she remembered she was in her tent, her Piplup curled up asleep next to her bag, beginning to stir. Dawn smiled as she took in the fact that she was now on her first full day of being a Trainer, a Coordinator and traveling the world.

Sleeping out in the forest was certainly a new and interesting experience, what with Dawn so used to her bedroom. Now that she was a Trainer, it was clear that she would be sleeping out in the wilderness more and more. What she hadn't expected was all the cries of Pokémon that filled the night. Dawn had spent almost an hour just listening to the noises of the woods, finding herself in a bit of awe, even if it made it a bit difficult for her to fall asleep at first. Dawn figured that it would just get some getting used to for her; she was sure Ash was more than used to it, and had no problem with it.

Piplup awoke just moments after Dawn, having had a refreshing good night's sleep. It had certainly been no problem for the Water Type. Piplup offered a smile and good morning chirp to his Trainer...before taking a good look at Dawn's hair. Yesterday, his Trainer's hair was sleek and straight, like a near perfect waterfall of blue. This morning, it was puffy and messy, bushy and standing on end all over. The Water Type immediately burst into laughter. "Piiiip Luuup!"

"...Oh, this," Dawn muttered with a sigh, her infamous bed head on full display. Thank Arceus she was in her tent and only Piplup saw it; she'd die from embarrassment if Ash and Atia had seen her bed head. Taking a brush out of her bag, she began her daily chore of straightening it out, managing to force a few locks into submission after a good 15 seconds. It lasted for all of about three seconds before it messed itself up again.

Piplup began laughing even harder. The blunette shot him a glare before rolling her eyes at her laughing Starter. What she wouldn't give for her straightener right now. And some running water. And with that, a sudden idea popped in her head. "Hey, I have an idea, Piplup. You think you can help me?"

"Pip?"

Several minutes later, the two came out of their tent, the rising sun greeting them from the horizon. Dawn's hair was now back to it lustrous shine and straightness, if not a bit damp. A few bubbles followed them out the tent before popping harmlessly in the air.

The two quickly noticed that Ash, Pikachu and Atia were nowhere to be seen. The fire was out, and the only sign of the three of them even being here was Ash's rolled up sleeping bag, jacket and pack set a few feet from where the fire had been.

Dawn suddenly frowned, suddenly realizing something. Where had Atia slept?

It was at that moment that Dawn noticed the sounds of distant rumblings, as well as distant Pokémon cries, coming from off deeper into the woods. She and Piplup exchanged looks of curiosity before the two headed off in the direction they had heard the noises. As they kept walking through the trees, the noises grew steadily louder, and Dawn could begin to make out Ash's voice yelling out.

Several minutes later, Dawn and Piplup arrived in another clearing, the source of the noise now clear.

"...getting even better with Bite, too. Crunch shouldn't be too-oh hey there, Dawn, Piplup; good morning."

"Toto!"

"Uh, morning," Dawn replied. Before her, Ash stood with Totodile chomped on his hat, the grass around them either soaked or frozen. The rest of Ash's Pokémon were spread around the clearing: Pikachu training with Starly, Meganium and Primeape sparring, and Pupitar testing his endurance against Aipom's Focus Punch. "How long have you been up?"

"Since just after dawn," Ash replied as Totodile jumped off, "training with my Pokémon."

"Oh...wow," Dawn replied in surprise. While aware that Ash took training seriously, Dawn didn't suspect anything like this. Only top tier Trainers were this dedicated, from what she knew; then again, Ash had shown yesterday that he was indeed on that level. She wondered why Ash hadn't tried to get her to train with him, but internally cringed at the thought of waking up at the crack of dawn. Then again, she had asked to travel with Ash and Atia to learn from them. If they trained that early to maintain the skills they hand, then tagging along would only help her.

Still...waking up at the crack of dawn?

As Ash called his Pokémon back over, the blunette noticed that someone was missing. "Hey Ash, where's Atia?"

"Atia?" Ash repeated as Pikachu leapt onto his shoulder. Pikachu turned to his Trainer, curious to see how Ash would explain the Legendary. "Right...Atia is, well, she's…"

Before Ash could figure out a response, Pidgeot and Latias descended from the skies at that moment, the latter floating over to Ash and nuzzling his face.

"Oh my Arceus, what a beautiful Pokémon!" Dawn exclaimed, seeing the Legendary Pokémon. "Ash, is she yours?"

"Um, yeah, she's my Pokémon," Ash nodded. This was a mild surprise; he didn't think he'd be telling Dawn about Latias so early in the day.

Seeing Dawn and Piplup approaching her, Latias tensed ever so slightly. While she was trusting of Dawn to never expose her secret, the young Legendary still was cautious by nature, thanks to her years of solitude on Alto Mare and Team Rocket's attempt on her. A quick look to Ash helped her ease her tension, though. Ash wouldn't allow anything or anyone to harm her. Besides, Latias could sense that Dawn would do nothing to harm her.

Now in front of Latias, Dawn offered a smile as she introduced herself. Latias came closer to the blunette, subtly taking her scent in before she began to circle around her, looking her over. Unsure of what to do, Dawn looked to Ash, who just gave her a reassuring smile and nod. When the Eon Pokémon stopped to float in front of Dawn again, the blunette slowly raised her hand to her. Latias held Dawn's gaze as the blunette began running her hand through her down on her neck. Dawn was awed by the feel; it felt smooth like glass, and yet feathery at the same time. The Dragon/Psychic Type gave a gentle coo, enjoying Dawn's touch.

Dawn gave a small giggle before saying, "You really are a beautiful Pokémon." Looking back to Ash, she continued, "So, how come you didn't show me her last night?"

Ash spent several moments in thoughtful silence, trying to think of the words to say. "Dawn," he soon said, "since you're going to be traveling with me, there are two things you need to know; you have to keep them both a secret. There are dangerous people out there that would like nothing more than to get their hands on this Pokémon for a number of reasons. You need to know that as her Trainer, I will do anything to keep her safe; anything. Do you understand?"

Taken aback by Ash's tone and sense of seriousness, Dawn nonetheless nodded her agreement. "I do, I promise." Piplup nodded his agreement with a chirp.

"Ok. This is Latias, a Pokémon usually native to Hoenn. She's a Dragon/Psychic Type...and a Legendary."

It took several seconds for Ash's words to fully sink in. Eyes widening in shock, Dawn and Piplup stood there in stunned silence, turning to Latias after a few moments. They couldn't believe what they had just heard. A Legendary? A Legendary?! A Pokémon revered almost like a deity?! Dawn tried to say something, anything, but each time she tried, words failed her. What could she even say?

"...A Legendary?" Dawn finally whispered. The Eon Pokémon smiled in response with a gentle coo. She had to admit, Dawn's shocked look was kind of amusing.

After almost a minute had passed, Dawn's mind processing what she had just learned, she finally said, "Wow...ok, um...wow. It's...it's nice to meet you, Latias."

"...Piplup," the Penguin Pokémon chirped, still in shock by this revelation. Pikachu quickly patted the Water Type on the back, assuring him he wasn't seeing things.

'It's nice to meet you too, Dawn. You too, Piplup.'

Needless to say, that shocked Dawn and Piplup even more. They looked at the Legendary with wide eyes. "She…she talks? You talk?"

'...Well, it's actually telepathy,' the disguised Legendary replied.

Dawn looked to Ash in surprise. "Being a Legendary, she's easily able to use telepathy," the teen offered. "Being a Psychic Type helps, too."

"Wow," Dawn breathed, turning to Ash. "I-I...I can't...you train a Legendary. I can't believe it..."

"Then hold on to that hat of yours," Ash said. "There's more. Atia?"

Dawn's momentarily surprise turned to extreme shock as Latias began glowing softly, transforming herself into her human form of Atia. "Hi, Dawn," the disguised Eon Pokémon greeted with a small smile and wave.

"PIP?!" Piplup exclaimed.

Dawn's jaw fell. She was barely processing the fact that she was traveling with a Legendary, and now she was slammed with the fact that said Legendary was Atia in disguise?! She turned to Ash, looking for an answer. Ash quickly summarized how Latias could disguise herself as a human and also seemingly communicate.

After another minute of stunned silence, Dawn slowly nodded. "...Ok, yeah. Right." Finally recollecting herself, she continued, "So...this is how she disguises herself...being a Legendary, right?"

"Yup," Ash nodded as Atia returned to her true form. "Latias doesn't like staying in her PokéBall, so she disguises herself as a human. We still have to be careful, though, watch out for poachers and the like. Even among Legendaries, Latias is pretty special."

"I can't believe you train a Legendary," Dawn sighed in awe. "It's only my second day as a Trainer...and I've already met my second Legendary…"

Ash and Latias frowned in surprise. "Wait, your second Legendary?" Ash asked.

"Yesterday, I saw a near invisible Pokémon at Lake Verity. Professor Rowan says it might have been the Legendary Lake Guardian, Mesprit."

Latias' eyes widened. 'Mesprit only appears to those with a pure heart. If Mesprit appeared to you, it's a great honor.'

At that, Dawn smiled. It was nice to know that she had a pure heart, and was deemed worthy by a Legendary.

"You're pretty lucky, Dawn," Ash added, Pikachu jumping onto his shoulder. "Most people never see even a single Legendary in their lifetime. It looks like your journey will be pretty exciting."

Dawn couldn't help but chuckle as she took Piplup in her arms. "I don't know, Ash. I mean, I met two Legendaries, sure, but I doubt that means my journey will be an epic story or something."

'...oh, you'd be surprised,' Ash thought to himself as he shot a glance to all his Pokémon, who promptly snickered.

XXX

A half hour later, Ash, Dawn and their Pokémon were back at their campsite having breakfast. As the Pokémon ate their fill, Dawn and Ash talked about the former's hopes and training. Ash wanted to get a sense of what Dawn hoped to achieve to help her out as best he could while still giving her the space to grow on her own.

"So, what attacks does Piplup know?" Ash eventually asked.

"Let's see," the blunette replied as she took up a pensive thought, remembering her encounter with the Ariados the day before. "I know he can use Bubblebeam and Bide...but that's all I know."

"Scan Piplup with your PokéDex. It gives you information about your own Pokémon, not just wild ones you meet."

"Right, Professor Rowan explained that to me, I forgot." Within seconds, Dawn's PokéDex was out and Piplup was scanned.

Piplup, the Penguin Pokémon. Type: Water. Designated Water Type Starter of Sinnoh. Piplup is very proud, and its thick down protects it from the cold. A poor walker, it often falls down. However, its strong pride makes it puff up its chest without a care. This Piplup is male and has the ability Torrent. Currently, this Piplup knows the moves Bubblebeam, Peck, Bide and Pound.

"Pip Piplup," Piplup chirped as he puffed his chest out in pride. Not that he was one to brag (all the time, anyways), but he thought those were some pretty decent attacks to have. Dawn couldn't help but giggle at her Pokemon's attitude.

"These are some good attacks to start off with," Ash said with a nod. "You and Piplup can definitely work off of these."

Dawn nodded in response, looking at her Dex for several more moments. "Hey, Ash, what's Torrent?"

"That's Piplup's ability. Each Pokémon has an ability unique to them, and they can be pretty useful in battle. Piplup's Torrent, for instance, strengthens his Water Type attacks when he's low on energy and health in battle. It's an ability unique to the Water Type Starters."

"That's pretty cool."

"Many species have two or three possible ones available to them; a Primeape, for example, can either have the ability Vital Spirit or Anger Point, like mine does. There's two kinds: primary abilities, which Pokémon commonly have, such as Piplup's Torrent and Pikachu's Static; and Hidden abilities, which are rarer amongst each species. Pikachu's Hidden ability would be Lightningrod. The PokéDex would let you know whether an ability is primary or Hidden."

"What's great about the PokéDex," Ash also added, "is that it doesn't just show you what moves your Pokémon know, but what they can potentially learn. Not just in their current stage, like in Piplup's case, but in their evolutions, too."

"So that means I could use it to see if Piplup can learn any super strong moves?" Dawn asked eagerly, clutching her PokéDex. "Maybe I can train Piplup to learn some of them! Those would be awesome for the Jubilife Contest!"

Ash chuckled at Dawn's enthusiasm; it reminded him of his younger self. "Hold on, Dawn; remember, you're only just starting out. Some of those super strong moves take hard training and experience to learn. You and Piplup will get to that point in time, but you need to work your way up there. Baby steps, you know?"

Dawn pouted, sighing as she glanced at her PokéDex again. "Yeah, I guess…"

"Don't worry," Ash added. "There are other moves that Piplup can easily learn at his current level. And since you're a Coordinator, think of the moves he knows right now and the combinations you and he can make from them."

"Like what?"

"Beats me."

"Ash...!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Hey, they're your Pokémon," Ash replied with a smile. "You can't expect me to give you all the answers, right?" Dawn playfully stuck her tongue at that, to which he laughed. "Don't worry, though, I'll be here to help you all along the way."

"Thanks, Ash," Dawn smiled, appreciation in her voice. "I really appreciate all this."

Breakfast was soon over, and Ash recalled his Pokémon before clearing their campsite, Latias helping Dawn take down her tent, and Pikachu and Piplup putting out the fire. After several minutes, though, a rustling in the bushes nearby caught their attention, and moments later a small Pokémon hopped out and towards the campsite. It was covered in brown fur with a large cream-colored fluff around its waist and ear tips. It noticed the group, and hopped twice more closer towards them, a curious expression on its face.

Was she seeing things...or was that a Latias she was looking at?! "Buneary?"

"A Buneary!" Dawn exclaimed, excitement all over her face. "It's so cute!" She quickly pulled out her PokéDex and eagerly scanned the curious Buneary.

Buneary, the Rabbit Pokémon. Type: Normal. Buneary slams foes by sharply uncoiling its rolled ears. It stings enough to make a human adult cry in pain. When it senses danger, Buneary perks up its ears. This Buneary is female and has the ability Klutz. Currently, this Buneary knows the moves Quick Attack, Bounce, Dizzy Punch and Ice Beam.

"Ice Beam, huh?" Ash said with a tone of surprise and impressment. "That's a surprising move to have."

'Why?' Latias asked as she flew over to him. 'It isn't normal for a wild Buneary to know something like Ice Beam?'

"Not really, from what I've learned."

"In that case, I definitely have to catch it!" Dawn said with excitement. She quickly took out an empty shrunken PokéBall and made to throw it at the Rabbit Pokémon. "Alright, let's go Po-!"

"Dawn." Taken by surprise, the blunette froze in mid-throw before turning to Ash. The older Trainer had his arms crossed, and amused smirk on his lips. "Aren't you forgetting something?" Ash asked, nodding at the PokéBall in Dawn's hand, and then at Piplup. "And someone?"

Dawn blinked before realizing her mistake. "Oh, right," she chuckled nervously. With a simple press, she enlarged the PokéBall, blushing in embarrassment. "Wow, that's embarrassing…" This definitely wasn't a good second impression of her Trainer skills.

Upon seeing Dawn's embarrassed blush, Ash continued, "Hey, don't worry about it, it's your first catch. It's normal to be this excited."

"Right," Dawn sighed before turning to her Starter. "C'mon, Piplup, today's the day we make our first catch!"

Piplup chirped with confidence as he quickly took his place in front of Dawn, eager and ready. He was going to do it today. Sure, yesterday had been failure after humiliating failure, but today was going to be different. Today was the day he would help Dawn catch her first wild Pokémon!

"Piplup!" the Water Type called out to Buneary in challenge, thumping his fin on his chest. Buneary stared at Piplup for a couple of seconds before she, in turn, began hopping in place, punching the air with her small furry paws like a boxer.

'Good luck, you two,' Latias offered, wanting to show some support.

"Just stay calm and focused, and you'll do fine," Ash added as he stood just a few feet behind Dawn. "You got this!"

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu cheered, jumping onto a nearby rock.

It was at that moment that Buneary noticed Pikachu. The Normal Type stared at the Electric Type for a moment before her eyes widened. With a squeal, Buneary quickly hid part of her face in her fur skirt, tinges of pink under the fur of her face.

That took Latias by surprise, following the Normal Type's gaze to where Pikachu stood.

Dawn, meanwhile, paid this no heed at all. "Alright, Piplup, start off with Bubblebeam!"

With a proud chirp, Piplup fired the stream of glowing bubbles that went straight for Buneary. The Normal Type was quick, however, and leapt out of the way before striking with a Quick Attack.

"Oh no!" Dawn exclaimed as Piplup crashed into the ground in pain. "Quick, hit back with Peck, while she's close!" Piplup quickly acted, jabbing Buneary's head repeatedly. Crying out in pain, the wild Pokémon jumped away, sporting bruises on her face. Before Dawn and Piplup could react, Buneary leapt several dozen feet into the air.

"Heads up, that's a Bounce attack," Ash mused as Buneary began shooting down. "It could paralyze Piplup if it lands."

Dawn only nodded. "Dodge it, Piplup!"

Ash immediately saw the mistake as Piplup moved out of Buneary's line of impact. Buneary simply adjusted her trajectory, and soon slammed the Water Type into the grass. With a cry, Buneary leapt back and spun in midair, landing with a twirl as she brought her paws to her face…and winked at Pikachu.

"What the…?" Ash muttered, turning to Latias, who also saw the action. It seemed Pikachu hadn't noticed, though, cheering on as Piplup got back to his feet.

Dismissing the action, Dawn yelled, "Piplup, use Bubblebeam again!" Piplup quickly sent the bubbles flying at his opponent. Distracted by Pikachu, Buneary saw the attack too late, crying out as Bubblebeam hit her.

"Quick, go in for Peck!" Piplup raced forward, his beak glowing with power. Just as he was about to hit the Normal Type, though, Buneary leapt to the side, her ear glowing with power. With Piplup off balance from missing his target, he was an easy target for Buneary's Dizzy Punch.

"LUP!"

"Piplup!" Dawn cried out as Piplup was sent into the ground, several bruises coloring his side.

Buneary then did another twirl before again raising her paws to her face and winking at Pikachu, giddy that he had saw it that time.

"Why does Buneary keep winking at Pikachu?" Dawn asked, turning to the Mouse Pokémon.

"Uh...I think this Buneary likes Pikachu," Ash said with a shrug.

'Looks like it,' Latias agreed.

Pikachu blinked. Wait, what? "Pika?"

Upon hearing those words, Dawn's face morphed to immense surprise. That sure came out of left field.

Piplup's pained chirps suddenly returned her attention to the battle. "Piplup!" she cried, watching as Buneary launched yet another Quick Attack, sending Piplup into the dirt face first again.

Dawn bit her lip as she watched Piplup struggle back to his feet, her fists clenching in frustration and slight panic filling her. The battle wasn't going well at all, and she had been so sure that this would be the one...

"Dawn." The blunette turned to Ash, standing close but still far enough to show her this was her battle. Their eyes meeting, she could see the faith and encouragement in his. "Remember, stay calm and focused. You can still turn this around. This is your battle and you can do this; I believe in you."

At that, Dawn felt a new surge of confidence in her, her determination and spirit boosted. With a smile and nod, she turned back to the battle, ready to keep going. Ash had taken a chance with her, and she was going to show him that Berlitz' were a class on their own. This was her catch, guaranteed.

Seeing Buneary return her focus from Pikachu to Piplup, Dawn then came up with an idea. It was pretty unorthodox...enough that it could work. "Piplup, can you still battle?" Shaking his head and refocusing himself, Piplup chirped his readiness. He wasn't about to quit on Dawn. "Alright then, use Bubblebeam!"

Piplup attacked again, his vigor and determination returning in tune to Dawn's. He was going to get Dawn the win. Buneary was keen on refusing, though, shooting a glowing beam of light blue freezing energy at the bubbles. They froze and fell to the ground, shattering as the Ice Beam continued towards Piplup.

"Run to your right, and get your Peck ready!" Ash was surprised by Dawn's order, but watched with interest as Piplup obeyed, the Ice Beam freezing the grass he had been standing on. As Piplup dashed with his Peck at the ready, Buneary shot forth with Dizzy Punch, closing the gap between them. It was then that Ash saw that Dawn was having Piplup lead Buneary near the rock were Pikachu was on.

"Jump, now!" Piplup quickly obeyed, just barely missing Buneary's blow. Skidding to a halt, the Rabbit Pokémon then saw that she was just over a foot away from Pikachu. She instantly froze, staring at Pikachu as she blushed deeply. Pikachu just stared back in confusion.

"Now!"

"LUP!" Buneary reacted too late, Piplup blitzing her from behind with Peck. He was unrelenting, his drive to win for his Trainer behind each hit.

"Finish it with Pound!" Piplup leapt away from the dazed Buneary, only to ready his fin. With a determined cry, the Penguin Pokémon struck Buneary on the head as hard as he could. Crying in pain, the Normal Type fell to the ground, the full brunt of the attack almost too much for her.

"Now's your chance!" Ash yelled out. "Go for it, Dawn!"

That was all Dawn needed; taking the PokéBall from earlier, she then flung it at Buneary. "Let's go, PokéBall!"

With a burst of red light, Buneary was sucked into the Ball before it fell to the ground. The next several seconds were tense as it shook and blinked, Buneary struggling within. Dawn clenched her teeth in anticipation, Piplup standing at the ready. Behind her, Ash, Latias and Pikachu watched on with bated breath. And soon...

Ding!

Blinking, Dawn stood there in shock, until Piplup began chirping and jumping in joy, a huge grin on his beak. That was all that the blunette needed before she herself broke into a grin and burst in pride and joy.

"We did it! Piplup, we did it, we caught our first new Pokémon!" Dawn leapt into the air for joy, catching Piplup in a hug and spinning. "I'm so proud of you!"

Pikachu sprinted over the two, cheering his congratulations. As Piplup leapt down to meet him and exchange high fives, Latias flew over to Dawn. 'Congratulations, Dawn, that was great,' she offered with a shy smile.

"Thanks, Latias," the blunette smiled back.

"Congratulations, Dawn," Ash praised as he came over. "I'm really happy for yo-"

"Thankyouthankyouthankyou!" Dawn interrupted with glee as she grabbed Ash into a hug, catching him off-guard. "I don't know if I could've done it if you hadn't snapped me out of it! Thanks, Ash!"

As Dawn quickly went to get Buneary's PokéBall, Ash stood there in surprise, Dawn's hug catching him off-guard. That had been a first; May hadn't done anything like that when she first caught her Wurmple, nor Misty with any catch. Ash simply shrugged; Dawn was just grateful for his help, however small it was. He was proud of her.

"And thank you, Piplup," Dawn said as she scooped her Starter into her arms. "I especially couldn't have done it without you. You were amazing out there; you're the best Starter a girl could ask for."

"Lup…" Piplup replied bashfully, blushing slightly at her praise.

Giggling, Dawn set Piplup down before she threw Buneary's Ball into the air. The Normal Type was released in a brilliant flash of light, and she looked around curiously before settling her gaze on Dawn and Piplup.

"Hey there, Buneary," Dawn greeted with a smile, crouching down Buneary's level. "I'm Dawn, your new Trainer. I know we just met and all, but I want you to know that if you travel with me, I'll make sure to bring out the best in you and show the world just what you can do! What do you say?"

"Piplup Pip Piplup!" Piplup added with a chirp, offering his new teammate a smile.

Buneary studied Dawn and Piplup for several before she smiled. "Buneary!" She had been beaten and captured fairly, and this human looked to want to do right by her. She seemed friendly enough, too.

Dawn smiled. "Well then, welcome to the team, Buneary!"

The Normal Type gave another smile and happy cry before wincing slightly, her wounds from the battle regaining her attention. Dawn quickly took her into her arms, worry taking hold. Ash came over and crouched next to them, an Oran Berry in hand. Handing it to Dawn, the blunette took it and offered it to Buneary; she eagerly ate it up, feeling her energy returning to her. Buneary then looked over to Ash, then Latias as she floated over, and then Pikachu as he hopped onto Ash's shoulder.

"This is my friend Ash," Dawn introduced. "He'll be traveling with us. That's his Pikachu, and Latias is traveling with with, too."

While the fact that she was faced with one of the essential deities of the world was overwhelming, Buneary found herself blushing as she waved at Pikachu. Pikachu offered a cheerful wave in reply, causing her to blush even more. Latias giggled at the sight. 'Aw, Buneary has a crush on Pikachu.'

Pikachu wasn't exactly sure how to react to this.

Despite wanting to spend a little more time with Buneary, though, the blunette knew that she had to rest and recharge. With a promise to let her back out soon, Dawn returned the Normal Type to her PokéBall. "I can't wait to see what combinations Buneary and I can come up with," she mused with a smile, excitement starting to build up in her.

"Being that she likes Pikachu, that should help her ease into being your Pokémon," Ash offered.

"Pika Pika," Pikachu interjected, a somewhat annoyed look on his face. "Pikachu."

'It's just a harmless crush,' Latias replied. 'What's the worst that can happen?'

Pikachu simply shrugged in response.

"Argue about it later, you two," Ash said with a roll of his eyes as he got to his feet "We got to hit the road."

'Fine.'

"Pika."

With that, Latias took on her human form and Pikachu leapt onto Ash's shoulder. Ash gave Dawn another Oran Berry to give to Piplup for his wounds, who was all too happy to accept. Checking that nothing was left behind, the group took to the road once again, Jubilife as the goal and eagerness for the journey there on their minds.

"...So," Ash said a minute later, turning to his Starter. "You know once he finds out, Sceptile won't let this go, right?"

Pikachu sighed in exasperation. He was never going to hear the end of this, definitely.

XXX

The rest of the morning passed relatively uneventfully as the group continued towards Jubilife. Atia, having been on Alto Mare all her life, was beside herself with the beauty of nature and everything it offered.

She'd never been in a forest before leaving Alto Mare. The trees, large and small, filled with all kinds of Pokémon she'd never seen before. Vibrant patches of color here and there as they passed by the occasional flowerbed. The air was fresh and light, the slight morning breeze rustling the leaves, carrying the noises of nature in all directions. The smells, sights and everything in between were an all new experience for her. And she loved every bit of it.

"Atia, be careful," Ash called out, the disguised Legendary several meters ahead of the rest, smelling some of the wildflowers. "You're disguised, sure, but we still have to be careful."

"I know," Atia called back with a smile. "I'm still using my Psychic to check up ahead and around us, don't worry!" Looking up, she was lucky to see several Mothim fly through the trees. "Everything is just so beautiful!" The Eon Pokémon had immediately decided that she loved nature and the woods. Pokémon were all over, and everything was so new to her. And this was only a small corner of the world. What else did Sinnoh have to offer?

"She's really enjoying herself," Dawn chuckled, Piplup in her arms.

"I can't blame her, really," Ash smiled with a shrug, Pikachu on his shoulder. "All she's ever known was Alto Mare. You should've seen her on our ferry ride to Sinnoh. It was like she was discovering a whole new world." Looking at Dawn, he added with a grin, "You're looking pretty excited too. I know that look, like you can take on the world and win."

"It really does feel like it," Dawn beamed. "Ever since I caught Buneary, I feel like there's nothing Piplup and I can't do!" Dawn's high spirits had been shining since breakfast, her confidence boosted immensely thanks to having successfully caught Buneary.

"I can't wait to tell my mom that I caught my first Pokémon," she sighed with joy. Gazing down at Piplup, she added, "And don't worry, Piplup, she'll be happy to meet you, too. You're part of the family now, after all!"

"Piplup," the Penguin Pokémon chirped with a smile. He was eager to meet the rest of his new family. He was also in high spirits from his and Dawn's battle against Buneary.

It wasn't long, though, before exhaustion began setting in for Dawn. The longer the group walked, the more tired she became. Unused to the travels of a Trainer's life, she was caught unprepared for the tiredness that seemingly taxed her body with every step. It seemed like every five minutes, she was taking out her canteen and taking another large gulp of water. She began dreading when it would run out.

"How much longer?"

Ash turned around, arching an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Dawn raised tired eyes to her new mentor. "To anywhere that's civilization."

"I thought Jubilife was at least a three day journey," Atia mused.

"Don't remind me…what about that Pokémon Center that's supposed to be on Route 201?"

"That's the halfway mark of 201," Ash replied, looking into his guidebook. "Dawn, we barely got through the beginning of the route."

"Great..." the blunette sighed. "It feels like we've been walking forever."

"It's only been about three hours."

"Three hours?!"

"Welcome to the Trainer life, Dawn."

"Maybe I should've brought my bike, after all," Dawn sighed.

"Trust me," Ash replied as he closed his eyes, Misty's rants echoing in his head. "It's better for all of us that you didn't."

"Pika," Pikachu nodded sagely.

"Easy for you to say," Dawn muttered back, pausing to stretch herself. "You've been traveling for years…"

While he chuckled to himself, Ash couldn't help but feel sorry for the blunette. Dawn was accustomed to the small town life, a comfortable one as they usually were in small towns; Ash knew that first hand. Dawn had only been a Trainer for a day; she wasn't yet used to the rough life that Trainers led, the constant traveling and training they undertook. She'd get used to it, sure, but for now it was still a taxing way of life for her. Being that Jubilife was a three to five day journey certainly didn't help the matter for Dawn.

This had been the same with May, but Dawn was thankfully taking this in stride much better that the Hoenn Coordinator...at least, so far. This would take some getting used to, though, on Dawn's part. Ash could tell that there would be more than a few breaks along the way to Jubilife.

That was what had to be, though. This would all benefit Dawn in the end, no matter how much it sucked for her. She'd just have to learn to trudge through, just as Ash and all Trainers did at the start.

Besides, it wasn't like he could just volunteer to carry her on his back the rest of the way or something. They literally just met yesterday. That'd just be creepy.

"Well," Dawn continued, "what time is it?"

"It's…" Ash said, looking up at the sun through the trees. "...about mid-morning, maybe around 10:30-ish."

"You mean you don't know?"

"Looking at the sun gives a rough estimate. I found that it's been good enough up to now.".

"...first thing when we get to Jubilife, I'm getting a Pokétch."

Stretching her arm one by one, due to Piplup still being in her arms, the blunette spared another look around the woods before she turned to Atia. The disguised Legendary had been mostly quiet for the last few hours; she spoke here and there, sure, but not so much, and it was mostly to Ash. Now that she noticed, Atia seemed to stick closer to Ash. Dawn figured it was because she didn't know her so well yet, as she knew the Kanto native. Being that they would be traveling for a good while at the least, Dawn didn't want Latias to be uncomfortable around her in any way. She had to break the ice somehow, and she had a nagging question that could help start that.

"Hey, Atia?"

Atia turned to Dawn, slight surprise gracing her face. "Yes?"

"I wanted to ask you, how did you and Ash meet? I mean, Legendary Pokémon almost never appear to humans, right?"

Atia didn't answer right away, instead turning her gaze to the ground. After several moments, Dawn figured that Atia didn't feel comfortable sharing this story yet, and was just about to assure her that she didn't have to answer if she didn't want to. But to her surprise, she was beaten to the punch.

"That's true, yeah," Atia nodded. "But when I was younger, I was more mischievous and tended to get into trouble. The year Ash and his friends came to Alto Mare, he entered the annual Water Type race with his Totodile. I was invisible, so I may have messed with Totodile and cost them the race." A smile began to form on her face. "I began following them after the race; I don't know how or why, but I felt a connection with him from then on. He's just really special."

Of course, Atia knew exactly what the connection was, but she didn't think it was best to tell Dawn about Ash possibly being the Chosen One of the Ordained Legends.

"You know, for some reason, I can believe that," Dawn smile. "I've only known Ash less than a day, and I can already tell that he has something special with Pokémon, even being a Legendary."

Atia smiled in agreement. "Anyways, after the race, I met him in this disguise and brought him to the garden I lived in with my brother Latios, guarding the Soul Dew. Latios didn't trust him at first, but he soon warmed up to Ash. He also thought that Ash was really special. We spent the rest of the day playing together. It was one of the best days of my life; Ash became the first new friend I made in years."

"That sounds nice," Dawn smiled. "Is your brother still in Alto Mare?"

Atia's smile disappeared, and she sighed. "Yes and no. See, some Team Rocket criminals came to the island and hunted me and Latios down, stealing the Soul Dew. Ash helped me stop them, but Latios didn't make it. He sacrificed himself to save the island, and became the next Soul Dew. It's still there in the Garden, now protected by another Latios and Latias. He's right there with me, and yet I've missed him all this time."

Dawn couldn't help but feel the pain in Atia's voice, the loss of her brother clear in her eyes and voice. She even noticed the darkened looks on Ash and Pikachu's face. "I'm...I'm sorry to hear that," Dawn said softly. "I can't imagine what that must be like."

With a small nod, Atia continued, "After Ash and his friends left, I realized that I had to let go of my immaturity and get stronger, to be a better guardian for the city and Soul Dew. And that's why I'm traveling with Ash now: to become stronger, be the Legendary I'm supposed to be. And I know Ash can help me."

"Wow, that's really nice," Dawn smiled. Remembering what Atia had told her earlier, she added to Ash, "It looks like you're a really worthy person, Ash."

"I still can't believe she chose me as her Trainer, honestly," Ash admitted. "It amazes me how much she believes in me."

The disguised Legendary smiled at her Trainer. "I trust no one else to do so. You're my special friend, after all."

Dawn couldn't help but smile at the interaction between Ash and Atia. It was clear that the Eon Pokémon adored and trusted her Trainer; hell, all of his Pokémon did, from what she had seen earlier and last night. Ash certainly had an unshakable bond with his Pokémon, all of them as one large family.

Looking down at Piplup in her arms, Dawn knew she wanted to have that same kind of bond with her own Pokémon. She definitely considered Piplup and Buneary as family already. If she gained nothing else in her journey, she would form a bond with her Pokémon like that. That alone would make her journey worth it.

After what seemed like forever for the beginning Trainer, the group finally stopped for lunch. They had found a beautiful spot just a ways off the path: a small clearing next to a gentle flowing creek. Taking on her true form, Latias was quick to dive into the water, Piplup not far behind. Ash quickly set up a small fire and got to getting the food ready, while Dawn and Pikachu went to the creek. As Pikachu joined Piplup and Latias in the creek, Dawn was content to take of her boots and socks and dip her feet and legs in.

Dawn sighed in content as the cool water soothed her sore feet; she needed this. So bad.

When lunch was ready and everyone was eating, Buneary found herself in awe around the Pokémon Ash had. Even the gentle-looking Meganium gave off a vibe of power like she never felt before. While initially unnerved, Dawn and Ash were quick to help her get acquainted with the gang. Dawn also took the time to explain to Buneary they would be performing in Contests. Buneary was thrilled, to say the least. Showcasing off her talent and her beauty? She was born for this!

Showing off around Pikachu was, of course, an added bonus.

With lunch soon over, Ash and Dawn recalled their Pokémon before gathering up their stuff, Pikachu and Piplup playing near the water while Latias was content to just float in the waters.

Latias suddenly lifted her head, her eyes glowing as she looked off into the brush. 'Someone's coming.' With that, she quickly transformed back into Atia and stood near her Trainer.

"Budew."

The group was greeted by the sight of a young man coming out of of the brush, wearing an almost royal-looking outfit. A dark green hat covered his long black hair, with a similarly colored cape hung from his neck with a red pendant. It partially hid his satchel, beige clothing and green vest, going down all the way to his black boots. In his hands rested a gold colored harp in the shape of Mew. Standing next to him stood a small green bulb-like Pokémon.

"Hello, fellow travelers," the man greeted. "I apologize for suddenly intruding; I was unaware that there was anyone else in this part of the woods."

Ash cast a subtle glance at Atia. After a second, the disguised Legendary gave a subtle nod; she sensed no malice from the stranger. "It's alright," Ash then greeted the man, his natural friendliness coming to light. "No harm done, really. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise. Please, allow me to introduce myself; I am the wandering bard Nando Naoshi, and this is my faithful partner, Budew." Budew cooed her greeting with a smile.

"I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town in Kanto, and this is Pikachu." Pikachu offered his usual greeting, sending a wave to Nando and Budew.

"I'm Atia from Alto Mare in Johto, a friend of Ash's," the disguised Eon Pokémon greeted with a wave.

"Dawn Berlitz, from Twinleaf Town," the blunette added. "And this is my partner Piplup." Piplup offered a wave and chirp.

"A pleasure," Nando replied with a slight bow of his head. Dawn quickly took out her PokéDex, her curiosity piqued as she scanned Budew.

Budew, the Bud Pokémon. Type: Grass/Poison. Sensitive to changing temperature, Budew's bud is said to bloom when it feels the sun's warm touch. As a result, it releases pollen.

"Your Budew is really beautiful," Dawn offered with a smile.

"Thank you," the bard replied. "Budew has actually only been under my care for two weeks."

"I wouldn't have guessed," Ash said, crouching down to pet the baby Pokémon, who cooed under his touch. "I can tell she's pretty strong, and well taken care of."

"I thank you, Ash, but credit of course must go to Budew as well. After all, growth is but a shared effort."

"I hear that."

"You said you're a bard, Nando?" Atia asked curiously. "What is that?"

"Indeed." Nando strummed his harp, a light and soothing rhythm filling the air. "Bards are those who travel spreading stories and tales, as well as song and music wherever they go. I travel with Budew and the rest of my Pokémon, bringing music and joy to whoever we come across, for several years now."

"That sounds nice." While she wasn't familiar with the concept of bards, there were people like them on Alto Mare here and there. Atia enjoyed listening to them back then.

Dawn, meanwhile, suddenly had an idea. She was on her second day as a Trainer, a new capture under her belt. She knew what the best way of bonding with a new Pokémon was, and she was eager to show Ash that she was on the road to being a good Trainer. That said, her mind was made.

"Hey, Nando?"

"Yes, Dawn?" the bard replied.

"I was wondering...I'd like to challenge you to a battle, you and your Budew."

"Oh?" Nando soon smiled, taking that moment to strum his harp again. "Very well, I accept your challenge. I believe this clearing will be enough for our needs."

"Thanks!" Crouching to Piplup's level, Dawn added, "You don't mind sitting this one out, Piplup, right? I want to see how well Buneary and I battle together." Piplup chirped his agreement with a smile.

"Don't forget, Dawn," Ash said as he turned to her. "This is your first Trainer battle; it's much different than facing a wild Pokémon. Just keep your head in the game and an eye on your Pokémon, and you'll be fine."

"Got it," Dawn replied with a smile, taking out Buneary's PokéBall.

"Dawn, if I may," Nando asked, "are you on a journey to enter the Sinnoh Grand Festival or the Sinnoh Pokémon League's Lily of the Valley Conference?"

"The Grand Festival. I'm aiming to be a Top Coordinator."

"I see. Very well, Budew, let us demonstrate our capabilities." Budew cooed as she followed her Trainer to the other side of the clearing and makeshift battlefield.

"Buneary, spotlight!" The Rabbit Pokémon materialized onto Dawn's side with a twirl, voicing her readiness for battle.

"Hey, can I be the referee?" Atia suddenly asked.

Ash turned to the disguised Legendary, thoroughly surprised. "You want to referee?"

Atia shrugged. "I've seen people doing it on Alto Mare a bunch of times. It's not that hard."

"Very well then," Nando agreed with a smile.

"Um, sure," Dawn shrugged, as surprised as Ash.

Turning to Pikachu as Atia made her way to the middle of the makeshift field, Ash muttered, "Talk about ironic…"

Pikachu simply laughed.

"Alright then," Atia said, Dawn and Nando ready for battle. "The battle between Dawn Berlitz of Twinleaf Town and Nando Naoshi the wandering bard is about to begin. Both Trainers will use one Pokémon and the battle ends when one is knocked out. Let's start!"

"Dawn, the first move is yours," Nando offered with a small bow of his head.

"Ok, then. Buneary, use Dizzy Punch!" Dawn yelled. With a nod and cry, Buneary shot forward towards her opponent, glowing ears and all.

"Please dodge," Nando said with calm.

"Dew." With surprising reflex, Budew jumped into the air just as Buneary was about to land her attack. As Buneary looked up in surprise, Dawn couldn't help but marvel at how fast Budew had moved.

"Please, Bullet Seed." Budew quickly began firing the seedy barrage, gravity adding to the power and momentum of the attack as it shot for Buneary.

"Quick, dodge!" Not needing to be told twice, the Rabbit Pokémon quickly jumped out of the way. She landed gracefully in front of Dawn again as the Bullet Seed sent dirt and grass bits shooting up with each hit, forming a cloud. Seeing that Budew was coming back down, the blunette quickly acted. "Use Quick Attack when it lands!"

"Bun!" Buneary shot forward again, silver energy trailing after her. As Budew landed back on the ground, she yelled in pain as Buneary rammed into her. The Grass Type was sent flying into the dirt and dust cloud.

"Yes! Great job, Buneary!" Dawn cheered...only to be surprised at Nando's chuckle and smile. Why was he chuckling and smiling?

"Budew!" To the surprise of Coordinator and Pokémon, Budew leapt back out of the cloud, landing with grace back in front of Nando. Looking no worse for wear, Budew had even topped off her landing with long whiffs of smoke swirling around her, dissipating them around her bulb with a wave.

Dawn grit her teeth, clenching her fist slightly. This could be harder than she initially thought.

"Wow, that looked really nice," Atia commented.

Ash nodded in agreement. "Nando's really trained his Budew well." Not only did Budew take Buneary's attack relatively well, the Bud Pokémon had also used the smoke around her to her advantage, showing off a nice appeal. Was Nando a Coordinator?

"Growth and Pin Missile, please," Nando called out. Budew suddenly began glowing a light red, several seconds passing before her bulb opened and shot several glowing projectiles. Before Dawn could react, the Pin Missile hit Buneary hard and true, the Normal Type crying out in pain.

"Buneary!" Dawn called in worry. Thankfully, Buneary got back to her feet, albeit with several bruises and cut marks. Vaguely remembering her mother saying something about Growth and special attack status, Dawn pressed on. "Alright, now Ice Beam!"

Eager to repay her opponent in kind, Buneary fired the light blue Ice attack. Nando's eyes widened in surprise, Ice Beam catching him off guard. Before the bard could respond, Budew was struck face first with Ice Beam, the Bud Pokémon sent flying back several feet.

"Now, Dizzy Punch!" Buneary shot forth once more, her glowing ears striking Budew and sending her crashing into the ground. "Alright, Buneary, that was great!"

"Looking good, you two," Ash called out, Pikachu and Piplup cheering. Buneary couldn't help but blush at the praise, especially from Pikachu.

"Are you alright, Budew?" Nando called out, concern lacing his voice.

"...Dew," Budew grunted, getting back onto its stubby legs. The Ice Beam had hurt, the pain of the super effective attack chilling her body. But she wasn't about to give up. She was still in the battle, and would give Nando her all, like always. With that, she stood tall again and cried with determination. "Budew!"

And promptly began to shine brightly.

Dawn, to say the least, was shocked. "Wait, is that…?"

"Looks like Budew's evolving," Ash mused.

Atia, meanwhile, was in awe; she'd only seen evolution happen on Alto Mare on a few occasions. It always looked mesmerizing, and this time was no different. "Wow…"

The nomadic bard grinned; he had been waiting for this moment. "At last."

The light soon died down, revealing a bipedal green Pokémon with red and blue roses for hands, a crown of thorns on her head and what appeared to a dress made of leaves. "Roselia!"

"Wow, it looks so beautiful," Atia offered, taken by the Grass/Poison Type's beauty.

"...Uh, sure, I guess," Ash shrugged with an indifferent expression, Pikachu mirroring his Trainer. Not to be a drag or anything, but after meeting up with Drew in every other city across Hoenn and Kanto...well, you see one Roselia, you've seen them all.

Dawn, meanwhile, quickly pulled out her PokéDex and scanned her opponent.

Roselia, the Thorn Pokémon and the evolved form of Budew. Type: Grass/Poison. The beautiful flowers on a Roselia's arms have toxic thorns; it is unwise to try and pick them. The more healthy the Roselia, the more pleasant its flowers' aroma. The scent deeply relaxes people.

"Ok," Dawn told herself as she put away her PokéDex. "This doesn't change anything. Buneary, no need to worry," she added to her Pokémon. "We can still win this!" Buneary nodded her agreement; she wasn't about to let this Roselia show her up!

"Alright, Roselia, let us shine into victory!" Nando yelled to his Pokémon. "Mega Drain, if you please!"

"Selia!" Two beams of sickly green energy fired from the Thorn Pokémon's flowers, quickly engulfing Buneary. The Normal Type cringed and cried in pain, feeling her health and energy being sapped out of her. All the while, Roselia absorbed the stolen health and energy into her body, her own energy being rejuvenated.

"Buneary, hang in there!" Dawn called out, hoping that Buneary would hold out. The Mega Drain soon dissipated, Buneary huffing in pain and Roselia looking no worse for wear.

"Please, Sunny Day," Nando pressed. Roselia pointed her now glowing flowers into the air, shooting brilliant white energy into the skies and brightening the sunlight around them.

The bard strummed with harp, a glimmer in his eye. "Now, Solarbeam!"

As Roselia made to gather the necessary sunlight, Dawn saw her chance. She knew that the attack required time to gather enough power. They had to capsize on that now and go for broke. "Alright, now's our chance, Buneary. Use Ice Beam!"

"Buneary!" Buneary called out as she opened her mouth, blue energy forming . With everything she had, she shot forth the Ice Beam, intent on ending this for Dawn here and now. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.

"Fire!" Nando suddenly yelled out. To Dawn's shock, Roselia unleashed Solarbeam faster than expected, the beam of compressed sunlight crashing into the Ice Beam. The two attacks clashed for dominance for only two seconds before Solarbeam overwhelmed Ice Beam.

KARAOOOOM!

"NEARY!"

"Buneary!" Dawn yelled in worry. She could only watch as Buneary was struck with Solarbeam, the impact creating a smoke cloud. The Normal Type flew out of it moments later, crashed into the ground and skidding through the dirt and grass before skidding to a stop just behind where Dawn and Piplup stood. Swirls in her eyes, the result was clear.

"Buneary is out cold, so Roselia is the winner!" Atia called, waving a hand towards Nando and Roselia. "Nando Naoshi wins the match, then."

"Excellent job, my dear Roselia," Nando said with pride, hand on his harp. The Grass/Poison Type cooed in joy at the praise.

Meanwhile, Dawn gently picked up her fallen Pokémon. "Oh, Buneary," she sighed, cradling Buneary. "You did the best you could. Thank you." Slowly coming to again, Buneary gave a small smile. Looking up, she couldn't help but ask, "How did Roselia fire Solarbeam so fast, though?"

"Sunny Day," Ash replied as he came over to her, Pikachu on his shoulder. Dawn had almost forgotten he was there. "It not only strengthens Fire Type attacks, but also shortens the time of Solarbeam."

"Dawn." The blunette looked up to see Nando had approached her, Roselia at his side. "I must say, that was an excellent battle. I wouldn't have guessed that this was your first battle as a Trainer."

"Nando's right," Atia agreed with a smile as she also came over. "Considering you just caught Buneary this morning and haven't trained much together yet, you and Buneary really did a great job."

"Piplup!" her Starter chirped, trying to cheer her up. In his eyes, she was amazing.

"I guess…" Dawn frowned uncertainly, Buneary looking up at her.

She then felt a hand on her shoulder, seeing it was Ash. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, Dawn," Ash said, a reassuring smile on his face. "You did pretty good for your very first Trainer battle; take this as a learning experience. With some more training and practice, you and your Pokémon'll get stronger before you know it."

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

Taking in the older teen's words, Dawn stood up with Buneary in hand, Piplup jumping onto her shoulder. A smile formed on her face, Ash's encouraging words taken to heart. "You're right. Thanks, Ash." Turning to the others, Dawn continued, "Thanks, all of you, and thank you for the battle, Nando."

"Thank you for letting us be your first opponents, Dawn. And for pushing my Roselia to evolve." Strumming his harp, he looked to the skies a peaceful smile and a content expression. "I believe you will make a fine Coordinator. I would love to meet you one day on a Hall battlefield."

"Roselia!"

"So you're a Coordinator, then?" Ash asked. "Are you going to participate in the Jubilife Contest?"

Nando was silent for a moment before responding, "Alas, no. My Pokémon and I seek to do some more training and introspect before we participate in a Contest, mostly the latter." Ash nodded, deciding that it was probably better not to pry.

Atia, being the ever curious Legendary Pokémon, didn't have such restraint. "Well, what's on your mind, if I may ask?"

Blinking in surprise, Nando nevertheless offered another smile. "I have been contemplating the path I want to take, and I cannot seem to pick between my two choices. I am torn between choosing to follow the path of a Coordinator or a League Trainer."

"Really?" Dawn asked.

"Yes. Both appeal to my liking, and with an affinity to performance, Contests would no doubt fit many of my Pokémon. However, engaging in intense battle would also demonstrate their great power, show their growth and might in ways otherwise unfeasible."

Ash couldn't exactly relate to Nando's current situation, but he did understand where he was coming from in a way. Upon winning the Battle Frontier, he'd been given the opportunity to become a Frontier Brain. Ash had spent a good while thinking if it'd be worth it to leave his then current path to become a Pokémon Master and settle down in a sense. In the end, he declined the opportunity and hadn't regretted it.

"If you ask me, you should do Contests," Dawn soon offered. "The way your Budew used the smoke in our battle before she evolved really showed off her bulb. It was a nice contest appeal. Right, Ash?"

"Well, you're right," Ash nodded before turning to Nando. "You definitely trained Roselia to use the field and such to look good and showed off her features. But she's also a good battler, and really held her own. You both were really in sync in that battle. You could also do well in Gym battles." Taking off his cap, he ran a hand through his hair before continuing, "You'd do great in either, so I guess it comes back down to one thing: what do you want to do, Nando?"

"The eternal question, it would seem," Nando chuckled. "My journey never was a typical Trainer journey. We have traveled across Sinnoh and other regions over the years, and we have grown in both experience and strength, of course, but we've never formerly participated in tournaments and such, save for the occasional small one here and there. But I feel that it is time to show that my Pokémon can leave a mark on this world, not just with music and story. But how to do so, I cannot decide. To stand in the halls of the Grand Festival, showing off the grace and finesse of my Pokémon to the world. Or to unleash their full power and strength in battle in the League, to prove their prowess. Both fill me with passion and joy. To choose is a difficult matter."

"So...why not do both?"

Nando turned to Atia with surprise. "Both?"

"Why not?" the disguised Legendary shrugged hesitantly. "You love both of them. I mean, people do that, right?"

"It is a good idea," Ash agreed. "The Grand Festival and Lily of the Valley Conference are only a month apart. Plus, cities with Gyms are almost always near ones with Contest Halls; sometimes they hold both."

"My mom knows a few Coordinators that also compete in tournaments and Leagues once in awhile," Dawn added. "She even knows about a Trainer from Hoenn who's not just a Top Coordinator but also recognized as the most powerful Trainer in the whole region."

Ash blinked in surprise. From what he remembered, Steven Stone wasn't a Coordinator at all. Had a new Champion Master arisen since he left Hoenn?

"...I believe you are right," Nando soon said with a smile. Silent for several moments, the bard began filling the air with soothing music again, a new vigor vibing off of him. "Ash, Dawn and Atia, I thank you; I have made my decision. What better way to leave our mark than to take two fields by storm? I shall compete as both a Coordinator and as a League Trainer."

"Good to hear," Ash smiled. "With how you battle, I'm sure you'll be excellent at both. Here's hoping that we see each other at the Conference then."

"Indeed, Ash, and you in the Grand Festival, Dawn," Nando humbly replied.

"Thanks and same to you!"

"I am pleased to have met you all," Nando said with a small bow. "I am sure we'll meet again. Until then, Roselia and I must depart, and so we bid you farewell."

"Nice to meet you," Ash replied, both shaking hands. Dawn did the same, while Atia simply offered another wave, Piplup, Pikachu and Buneary bidding farewell to Roselia as well. Soon, the bard and his Pokémon had disappeared into the surrounding woods, thankful that these young new friends of his had provided him valuable insight.

"Well, he was really nice," Atia smiled, turning to her Trainer and his companion. "Much nicer than that Paul guy from the other day."

"Definitely," Ash agreed. "I'm interested to see what other Pokémon he trains. And it looks like you now have your first rival in the Contest circuit, Dawn."

"I guess so," Dawn nodded, Piplup chirping his agreement. "And that's only going to make me try all the harder to reach my goal."

7:34 AM Sinnoh Time. 2 July, Sun

After another night under the stars, the next day started off like usual...for Ash and his Pokémon, at least.

"Dawn?"

"Oh, good morning, everyone."

The Kanto native, back from his early morning training session, was genuinely surprised seeing Dawn already fully dressed save for her beanie and clips, Piplup and Buneary alongside her. Pikachu and Latias shared his surprise, with the rest of Ash's Pokémon also looking on in surprise and interest. It was evident that the three had been training.

'Good morning, Dawn,' Latias smiled as she flew over to the blunette. 'How long have you been up?'

"For the last half hour, more or less. Piplup, Buneary and I've been training, trying to get ready for the Jubilife Contest. I'm mostly just having Buneary and Piplup spar against each other; I remember seeing Meganium and Primeape doing the same yesterday morning, so I thought I'd start there. Beyond that, though, I haven't thought of anything."

"Solid start," Ash nodded. "It's good to compare your Pokémon, see where they stand as a team." Seeing the proud looks of Piplup and Buneary, he continued, "You've really gotten eager to start training, Dawn."

Dawn nodded eagerly. "After losing to Nando yesterday, I figure that I have to do everything I can to get stronger and better. Besides, you took me under your wing, and I don't want it to seem I'm not doing my part."

"Piplup!" Piplup nodded with a determined chirp.

"Buneary!" Buneary agreed, smiling with eagerness.

Ash was again amazed by passion Dawn gave off, just like when he first heard her talk about contests, and it reflected in her Pokémon. Dawn was eager to do better and help her Pokémon do so as well. He could easily see that Dawn was determined to do whatever she could to get stronger and be ready for her first Contest. And her Pokémon, only recently under her care, already shared that same determination.

"Well, I can't argue with that kind of spirit," Ash grinned. "It's good to see you this eager. It not only shows how dedicated you are to your Pokémon, but to yourself also."

"Thanks," Dawn replied, a sheepish smile now forming. "I, uh, I was thinking of asking to join you in your early morning training, I really was. But, well, I honestly don't think I could wake up that early to train. I don't think I'm ready for that yet."

"That's totally fine. Remember, Dawn, you're just starting out. No one expects you to just start jumping into that kind of hardcore training right off the bat. Maybe in a month or two, if you ease into it. Like I said yesterday, baby steps."

Dawn nodded, glad that Ash was so understanding.

"And of course, I'm here to help you along the way."

"Pika Pika!" Pikachu agreed, his paw balled into a fist.

'Me, too,' Latias offered.

Totodile chose that moment to head on over and jump onto Dawn's shoulder, offering a jovial growl and toothy grin. It was clear he was also eager to help out. Aipom quickly hopped onto Dawn's other shoulder, chittering with excitement as she twirled her hat with her tail. Pupitar hopped up to the blunette, eye smiles all around as he did the best he could to nod. Meganium nuzzled Dawn while Pidgeot and Primeape offered encouraging cries. Even Starly offered his own chirp as he landed on Ash's vacant shoulder.

"Well, looks like you have the whole gang ready to help out," Ash laughed.

Dawn couldn't help but feel touched. "Aw, thanks everyone." Happily patting Totodile and Aipom, she asked, "So, now what?"

"Well, we'll set a training regiment that's good for you and your Pokémon at your current level. You have to pace yourself since you're still just starting out. The stronger you get, the more we adjust your regiment and intensify it."

Ash had a specific training regiment for himself and his Pokémon, one he built over the intense months they had been training. With Dawn only just starting and her Pokémon unused to any real regiments, he knew that they'd have to work differently and form a different regiment for them. Of course, as they got more used to it, they'd add on to it.

Dawn nodded; that made sense to her. No use tiring herself and her Pokémon right off the bat.

"Setting up sparring partners is a great way to train," Ash continued. "Before anything else, let's first concentrate on building Piplup and Buneary's stamina and attack power. This'll help build their endurance, which'll help them as you keep training them. The more endurance and stamina they have, the more resilient they'll be in taking hits, and the stronger their moves will be."

"Got it."

"I'll start getting breakfast ready for us and the Pokémon, and then I'll come back to help you out."

"Thanks, Ash," Dawn beamed. "Just watch; Piplup, Buneary and I will show you all that we have what it takes, no need to worry!"

Ash watched Dawn with Piplup for several moments before looking to his Pokémon with a grin. "She's going to go far, guys. I can feel it," he mused before heading off to get breakfast started.

His Pokémon all offered a cry of agreement. They wholeheartedly agreed, despite only knowing the girl for a few days, that's Dawn would be an excellent Trainer, especially under Ash's tutelage.

"Buneary!"

Pikachu then felt something soft on his head. To his surprise, he turned to face Buneary standing right next to him, gently rubbing one of her ears on his head with a smile on her face. "Bun Buneary."

The Mouse Pokémon sighed. "Pika." Buneary's crush, while endearing in a way, wasn't something Pikachu was all too keen on dealing with throughout their Sinnoh journey. The Mouse Pokémon didn't want to hurt her feelings, obviously, but didn't know how to let her down gently. Until he figured out how, he'd just have to put up with Buneary's crush, and that currently included her rubbing his head with her ear.

Well...it felt nice, at least.

Upon seeing this, many of Pikachu's veteran teammates found themselves initially surprised. It wasn't long before they all simply shrugged and chuckled to themselves. Starly simply looked on in surprise. Meganium especially found it amusing. She couldn't wait until Sceptile found out; he'd never let the Mouse Pokémon hear the end of it.

Latias just shot him a smile and knowing look. Apparently, she a bit of a romantic.

"...Pika Chu…"

1:37 PM Sinnoh Time. 2 July, Sun

The rest of the day was uneventful: breakfast, walking, a break, walking, lunch, training and walking again, all the while making decent headway to Jubilife. For Dawn, though, their afternoon training session had been mind blowing, to say the least.

"So it doesn't hurt at all?"

"It hurts, don't get me wrong. It's just not as much pain as you would think."

"Primeape punched you in the stomach. Meganium smothered you. Pikachu literally hit you with a Thunderbolt. How are you still standing?"

"Must be a buildup of tolerance over the years, I guess."

"Maybe I should shoot an Energy Ball at him. Or a Mist Ball?"

"Wha-?! No, no! You're a Legendary! I do have some limits, you know!"

"But Pikachu gets to do it..."

Dawn had been amazed at how seriously Ash took his training during their afternoon session: training right alongside his Pokémon, taxing himself as they did themselves. It had been something else to see him actually spar with his own Primeape.

"I've heard of Trainers that take their training seriously, don't get me wrong" Dawn remarked, Piplup in her arms, "but it's a whole other thing to see it up close right in front of me."

"It's a great experience," Ash grinned. "It strengthens the bonds between you and your Pokémon. Training alongside them shows your dedication to them, how you're there for them. Your Pokémon will see that and their trust and love for you will grow as well. Soon, all of you will be inseparable."

"Like you and your Pokémon, right?" Dawn replied. "They all love you to death, especially Pikachu."

"Well, would you believe Pikachu started off hating me?"

Dawn's was agape at that. "Wait, what? Seriously?!"

"Yep," Ash chuckled. "Pikachu wouldn't listen to me at all in those first few hours. I literally had to drag him out of Pallet Town with a rope. I ended up on the wrong side of a Spearow for years because of him."

"Pika Pika," the Mouse Pokémon agreed sheepishly. Piplup couldn't help but laugh.

"So, how did you two become so close?" Dawn asked, desiring to know. "I mean, you and Pikachu seem inseparable. What happened?"

"We almost died."

…

…

"...what?"

"...Pip?"

"Yep, we almost died," Ash repeated nonchalantly. "That Spearow I mentioned, he and his flock chased us into a vicious river, off a cliff and through a heavy thunderstorm. But hey, Pikachu and I bounced back and we've been best friends ever since."

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu added with a smile.

They might as well have been talking about the weather.

Dawn and Piplup stared at the two in shock for several moment before turning to Atia. "Near death experiences are the best ways to bond," the disguised Legendary offered with a shrug. She spoke from experience.

"..." Dawn couldn't even think of a response. What the heck had Ash gotten into during his Trainer career?

Then again, who was she to talk? She and Piplup had undergone a near similar experience, not even three days ago. "Well, I guess it's not too different from those Ariados we met on our first day."

"Piplup," Piplup chirped. Thank Arceus for Bide, or he and Dawn would've been goners.

"What do you mean?" Atia asked curiously.

"Well, before I could choose a Starter, Piplup and a Chimchar had run out of Professor Rowan's lab. I volunteered to find them, and I found Piplup in an Ariados web. After I got him out, we had to fight off a lot of Ariados, and Piplup managed to beat them all with Bide. That was when we saw Mesprit. After that, we both knew we were meant for each other. Right, sweetie?"

"Lup!"

"Well, it sounds like you and Pikachu, definitely," Atia mused to Ash. "You two are a lot more alike than I thought."

"Right down to the Legendary," Ash chuckled.

Dawn nodded, unable to hold her grin. Ash's words then fully registered in her mind, though, and she was about to ask Ash what he meant when she heard a peculiar sound.

"Croa...Croa…"

"What's that?" the curious Dawn mused, stopping and looking around. Ash and Atia followed suit, soon hearing the same noise. The group then noticed a small Pokémon sitting against a tree along the path. It was blue with orange sacs on its cheeks, its hands and feet a pure black and white stripes on its stomach. The blue Pokémon turned towards the group, lazy yellow eyes glancing over them.

"Croa...Croa…"

"Eee…" Dawn said, slight disgust creeping onto her face. "That's a creepy looking Pokémon."

"I don't know about that," Ash smirked. "I think it looks kind of cool." Ash remembered seeing one like it on his PokéDex in the ferry ride to Sinnoh, but couldn't remember its name. He quickly fixed that problem as he took out his PokéDex and scanned it.

Croagunk, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon. Type: Poison/Fighting. A Croagunk's cheeks hold poison sacs. It tries to catch its foes off guard to jab them with toxic fingers. Croagunk rarely fight fairly, but this is strictly to insure survival. It is a popular mascot in Southern Sinnoh. This Croagunk is male and has the ability Anticipation. This Croagunk currently knows the moves Poison Jab, Brick Break, Poison Sting, Mud Slap and Meditate.

So it was a wild Croagunk, Ash mused. "He must just like sitting there all day. Best if we just leave him alone."

"No argument from me," Dawn agreed quickly, continuing down the path. "Way too creepy looking."

"You're not going to judge catching Pokémon just on appearance, are you?" Atia asked curiously as she went after the blunette. "I mean, that kind of makes you seem like that Paul kid Ash battled the other day, doesn't it?"

"What? Arceus, no; I'll happily take any Pokémon I can get. That one just...happens to look too creepy for me. Not something I'd think of catching, that's all."

Ash spared a final glance towards the wild Croagunk before hurrying off after his companions. "Wait up!"

And Croagunk just kept sitting them, croaking to himself. "Croa...Croa…" He then turned his head in the direction Ash and the rest were walking in. "Croa...gunk."

With Ash and Pikachu quickly rejoining their travel companions, Dawn then turned to her human companion. "So, how far to the Pokémon Center, Ash? We've been walking forever, I mean."

"It's only been a few hours since lunch, Dawn. We should be there by sunset."

"Great…" Dawn sighed, resigned dejection on her face. "Any chance of another break on the way?"

Pikachu's ear suddenly twitched, the Mouse Pokémon turning around behind them. "Pika? Pika Pikapi."

"What's up, buddy?" Ash asked as Pikachu pointed down the path behind them. The Trainer followed Pikachu's finger, and was surprised by what he found. Sensing that Ash had stopped walking, Dawn, Piplup and Atia followed suite, turning to see what had happened.

Sitting there was Croagunk, staring right back at them. "Croa...Croa…"

"Um...Ash, I think Croagunk's following us," Dawn said uncertainly, taking a step back.

"I...guess he is, yeah," Ash mused in agreement. This was a surprise.

Atia came over to Croagunk and crouched down at his level. "Hi, Croagunk, how are you?"

Croagunk simply continued croaking, his eyes gazing lazily at the disguised Legendary before blinking slowly.

"Not much for taking, are you?" Atia mused before she turned back to Ash and Dawn. "I like him; he seems nice to me."

"Uh huh...right," Dawn replied, still looking warily at Croagunk. "Yeah, I'm not seeing it." After several more moments, she began heading off again. "Ok, I'm leaving now; I still want to get to the Pokémon Center."

Shrugging, Atia headed off to follow her. "Bye, Croagunk, nice meeting you."

Ash and Pikachu, though, stayed in place. Croagunk hadn't moved to follow either of the other two. In fact, once they had headed off, Croagunk returned to staring at Ash. "Ash, c'mon!" Dawn called as she and Atia waited for him. "You said the Center is only a few hours away! I want to get there before nightfall!"

"...Croagunk isn't following you two," Ash replied, looking back at his two companions.

"Ok, so?" Dawn shrugged. "I thought that was the point here!"

"Wait, Ash has a point," Atia replied. "Why was Croagunk following us in the first place, then?"

Frowning, Ash and Pikachu looked down at Croagunk, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon lazily meeting the Trainer's gaze. After another moment, realization hit the teenager and Starter. Exchanging knowing glances, they knew exactly what the other was thinking. Ash then started walking off again, never taking his eyes off Croagunk.

Croagunk began following him.

Ash stopped, and so did Croagunk. Ash then started again, with Croagunk following suite.

"Look at that," Atia chuckled. "Croagunk isn't following us, he's just following Ash. There must be something about him that Croagunk likes."

"Hmm," Ash smirked, stopping and turning around to crouch down to Croagunk's level. The Poison/Fighting Type stopped as well, meeting Ash's gaze. "So you want to follow me, huh?"

"Croa...Croa…"

Grinning, Ash continued, "Well, how about this? I'm working to be one of the best Trainers in the world, a Pokémon Master. There's always room in the family for one more. You in?"

"Pika Pikachu!" Pikachu added, smiling at Croagunk. "Pi Pika!"

After several seconds of staring at the teen, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon gave a single nod. "Croagunk."

"Alright, then." Ash took out a spare PokéBall and gently tapped it onto Croagunk's head. The Poison/Fighting Type was sucked it and the Ball dinged almost immediately, signifying an effortless capture. Walking back to Atia, Piplup and Dawn, he held the PokéBall up and smiled widely. "Well, it looks like I got a Croagunk."

"Pi Pikachu," Pikachu added, flashing his victory sign.

"Nice," Atia smiled. "I really like Croagunk, having him in the family should be fun!" Turning to Dawn, she added with a giggle, "Well, so much for you trying to get away from Croagunk, huh?"

Her face a mix of surprise and uncertainty. Dawn nevertheless shrugged and offered a smile. "Oh, well; maybe I'll grow to like him. Although...I thought you had to battle a Pokémon before capturing it."

"Sometimes, a Pokémon just wants to tag along," Ash replied with a shrug, putting away the PokéBall. "It's happened to me a lot, honestly; Latias here included. Either way, I can't wait to see what Croagunk can do."

"I just realized something," Atia added. "How come you didn't do your pose after catching him?"

"What, you want me to do the pose?"

"Hmm, honestly? I think the pose is stupid."

"...you take that back."

"Pika Pi Pika!"

"You're his Starter, you're biased by default."

"Pose?" Dawn asked. "What pose?"

"Trust me," Atia chuckled. "Don't even get him started."

"...no idea what you're talking about…" Ash muttered, Pikachu glaring at his Legendary teammate.

With no idea what was going on, Dawn and Piplup could only exchange confused looks.

6:38 PM Sinnoh Time. 2 July, Sun

The sun was just starting to set as Ash, Pikachu, Dawn, Piplup and Atia finally arrived at the Route 202 Pokémon Center, much to Dawn's joy and relief. Heading inside, they made their way through the somewhat filled lobby to the main reception desk, where the world famous pink-haired nurse and her Normal Type partner awaited any and all arrivals.

"Hello, and welcome to the Pokémon Center," Nurse Joy greeted sweetly, Chansey mimicking the action. "How can I help you?"

"Hi, Nurse Joy," Ash replied with a smile. "We'd like to drop off our Pokémon for a check up." Taking out and handing over his PokéDex over to her for validation, he added, "And a room for the night for three please." Being that they were arriving with Latias disguised as Atia, they had to keep up appearances.

"Of course," Joy nodded. Scanning his PokéDex, she handed it back with a trio of room card keys. Thanking the pink haired nurse, Ash, Dawn and Atia each took a key before the two Trainers handed their Pokémon to Joy, Dawn recalling Piplup.

"Oh, Nurse Joy," Ash added, "I have another Pokémon for you to check up on. She's pretty rare, to say the least; just to let you know. I'll bring her down to you once we settle in our room."

"Of course, that's fine. I'm sure it's nothing I haven't seen."

Ash highly doubted that.

With that, the three headed off to their assigned room. Once inside, Dawn quickly sighed in content as she took in the sight; while it wasn't her room back in Twinleaf, it was still very inviting. Placing her pack on one of the room's chairs, she headed over to the pair of bunk beds and quickly collapsed onto one of the one of the bottom bunks, claiming it for herself. The mattress welcomed her with a warm, inviting embrace. Camping just couldn't compare to this feeling.

"Oh, I missed civilization…" she sighed in content.

Ash chuckled at that as he threw his bag onto another chair before turning to Latias, who had by now reverted to her true form. "Alright, so I know you don't like being in your PokéBall, Latias, but you'll have to get in it for the sake of keeping you a secret. I doubt Nurse Joy would say anything up front, but I just want to be careful." Seeing that Latias had a confused and uncertain look on her face, Ash asked, "What's wrong?"

'I thought Nurse Joy works in Alto Mare,' Latias replied, confusion on her face. 'What's she doing here?'

"...You know, I was thinking about that, too," Dawn added with a frown as she sat up. "But I thought I saw Nurse Joy in Sandgem Town before I got Piplup."

"Right, you wouldn't know about this either," Ash realized. "Well...remember how there's Jennys all over the world? Now you've met the Joy family."

Dawn and Latias didn't respond for several moments, exchanging shocked looks. After several moments of trying to say something, Dawn finally managed to reply, "So...so there's a bunch of Nurse Joys all over the world, just like Officer Jennys? And they all look exactly the same?"

"Oh, yeah."

'But...how…?' Latias stuttered. 'How is that even...how?'

"Like I said before about Jenny, it's best just to not question it."

Dawn wanted to say more, but decided against it. Latias simply just couldn't believe it. Apparently, this was just something about the world that they just had to accept.

'Well, why do I have to get checked by Nurse Joy, anyways?' Atias asked curiously. 'I haven't done anything to need it. I've rested after every training session more than enough.'

"It's just a checkup," Ash replied, taking out her PokéBall, "to make sure nothing's wrong or anything. As your Trainer, I just want to be sure everything's good."

'Well, I guess...it won't take too long though, right? I hate being inside there.'

"Ten minutes at most, promise."

Fourteen minutes later, Nurse Joy returned Pikachu and Ash and Dawn's PokéBalls, Latias' PokéBall amongst them. Unsurprisingly, she told Ash that she'd have to alert the rest of the Centers in Sinnoh about Latias. Her shock was well hidden, but still there. She hadn't expected anything like this.

...It was that blue haired man from last week all over again…

7:03 PM Sinnoh Time. 2 July, Sun

"Hi, Mom!"

Dawn was currently seated by one of the Center videophones, Piplup and Buneary on her lap. Ash and Atia stood behind her with Pikachu on his usual perch.

"Dawn!" Johanna Berlitz happily replied. She was a woman in her mid thirties with ocean blue hair, deep blue eyes and warm smile. Ash, Pikachu and Atia were surprised that Dawn was the near spitting image of her mother. "I was wondering when you'd call. How's everything going? It looks like you got to the Route 202 Pokémon Center safe and sound."

"Yep; it took a while, but here I am. And guess what? I chose Piplup as my Starter...and I caught Buneary yesterday!" Piplup and Buneary quickly gave their greeting to Johanna, waving and smiling.

"I can see that. It's nice to meet you, Piplup and Buneary, and welcome to the family. Piplup is a wonderful choice, Dawn, and congratulations on catching Buneary."

"Thanks! It was a pretty tough battle, but Piplup really pulled through. He and Buneary are pretty excited for the Jubilife Contest, too."

"Well, it's good to see that things are going well so far. But don't get overconfident, dear; it's still a long road to becoming a Top Coordinator." It was then that Johanna noticed Ash, Pikachu and Atia behind her daughter. Naturally, her motherly concern momentarily flashed within her. "And who are those people behind you?"

"Oh, these are my new friends!" Dawn replied. "This is Ash and Atia. Ash has been a Trainer for five years and is aiming to get into the League this year, and Atia's traveling with him."

"Nice to meet you, Mrs. Berlitz," Ash greeted with a smile and wave. "I'm Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town over in Kanto. This is my partner, Pikachu."

"Pika Pikachu!"

"Like Dawn said, I'm Atia, from Alto Mare in Johto," Atia added. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Berlitz."

"It's nice to meet you too, Ash and Atia," Johanna replied with a smile. "And please, it's just Miss Berlitz. So, how did you two come about meeting my daughter?"

"Well, we happened to find her on our way to Professor Rowan's lab and she showed us the way. She asked to travel with us, and here we are!" Ash replied.

"Ash took Dawn under his wing, helping her out as a Trainer," Atia added. "He's been showing her the ropes so far, and how to best train her Pokémon."

"I see. Well, thank you, Ash. I'm a little more at ease knowing that Dawn has someone to guide her on her journey. Of course, I do realize she can be a bit of a handful…"

"Mom…!" Dawn exclaimed, a small blush tinging her cheeks.

"Don't worry, Ms. Berlitz," Ash chuckled. "It's no problem, honestly. Dawn's really been working hard. She's got that fire in her; I can tell she'll go far."

"See? I told you, no need to worry!"

"That's when I worry the most, Dawn," Johanna chuckled back. Dawn just sighed in exasperation. "But I'm happy to know you have friends who believe in you. And thank you for sharing your journey with Dawn, Ash and Atia. I know it'll be an even greater experience for her."

"Of course," Atia replied. "It's been really fun traveling with Dawn and her Pokémon." Dawn smiled at that, knowing that the Legendary was enjoying her company, or at least was warming up to her.

Johanna smiled, the small pit of worry from the last few days all but gone. "Well, I'd love to chat some more, but I still have to meet with some of the other planners for the Twinleaf Festival; some of them are anxious to get a head start this year."

"Alright then; I got to get some Contest training in, too. Tell Mrs. Diamond I said hi. Bye, Mom!" Piplup and Buneary waved their goodbyes.

"Bye, Ms. Berlitz."

"Take care, Ms. Berlitz." Pikachu added his own farewell.

"Actually, if it's alright," Johanna quickly said, Dawn's hand hovering over the hang up button. "I'd like to speak to Ash for a minute. Just him and me."

Taken somewhat by surprise, Ash nevertheless shrugged in agreement. "Sure, that's alright."

"Perfect! Remember to call me when you get to Jubilife, Dawn!"

"Got it, Mom," Dawn replied, mentally shrugged to herself. She wondered what she wanted to talk to Ash about. "I love you! Tell Glameow, Umbreon and Kangaskhan I miss them!" With that, Dawn headed off, her two Pokémon in tow. After a nod from Ash, Atia and Pikachu went after her. He'd join them shortly.

Ash sat down on the stool, never noticing Johanna's narrowed stare at him. "So what did you want to talk about, Ms. Berlitz?"

"Just two things, really," Johanna replied, her stare disappearing. "Ash, I have to be honest, I was worried when Dawn left home on her journey. She's becoming a young woman, and it's a dangerous world out there, after all. Dawn means well, but I can't help but worry that she'll bite off more than she can chew. I want you to promise me that you'll keep your eye on her, that you'll keep her safe. I can trust you to do that, right?"

"Of course you can," Ash readily replied. "Trust me, I'll look after and out for her. Dawn's safe with me, count on it."

Johanna smiled. "Thank you, Ash. I appreciate it." A few moments silence passed before Johanna continued. "So...you and Dawn are going to be traveling together. With your friend Atia, of course."

"Yeah," Ash replied, missing the subtle accusatory tone under Johanna's voice. "We'll be heading on back out to Jubilife in the morning. Shouldn't take more than another day; two, the most."

"And, how long will you be traveling together, may I ask?"

"Hmm, don't know. She initially asked to travel with us at least until she's established a solid footing as a Trainer and Coordinator. But the way things are looking, I'd say probably for a lot longer than that. It's no trouble, of course."

"Is Atia a Trainer also?"

"No, she's not. She's been trying to figure out what she wants to pursue, so she's been traveling with me to see what the world has to offer."

"I see…hold on a second, Ash?" Before the teen could reply, Johanna turned off to her side all yelled out, "Kangaskhan, come here!" After several moments, the Normal Type Pokémon appeared on screen. Ash was all too familiar with Kangaskhan, being they were originally from Kanto. This one appeared to be a hardier one, not yet a mother, and even through the screen, Ash noticed the more than several scars on its rough skin.

"Ash, Kangaskhan here is my strongest Pokémon," Johanna said. "She never liked contests, always more of a battler." The Normal Type seemed to be looking over the Trainer, like she was judging him.

"...Oh. Well, that's pretty cool," Ash replied with a shrug. That was a random tidbit, but whatever...

"She's very protective of the family, ever since I caught her," Johanna continued. "She's especially protective of Dawn, something I've always encouraged, being a single mother and all."

"...well, that makes sense. She's your only child, after all."

"Yes, I take Dawn's safety very seriously, as does Kangaskhan. In fact, I feel that you should know that I won't hesitate to unleash her on anyone who tries to harm Dawn...or take advantage of her in any way."

Ash blinked, taken aback by Johanna's words and her narrowed gaze towards him. Kangaskhan also glared at the Trainer, much more fiercely at that. It was several moments before Ash's eyes widened in realization, understanding what Johanna was saying.

"Do you get my drift, Ash?"

"Kangas Khan."

Ash suddenly felt a chill down his spine. It was subtle, but it was there in Johanna's voice: an icy, dangerous tone that conveyed exactly what Johanna meant.

His mouth dry all of a sudden, Ash unconsciously swallowed, something Johanna noted and took pride in. It was several more moments before he finally answered, "Uh...right. Right. I understand perfectly, Ms. Berlitz. Y-You have nothing to worry about, I promise you."

"Good!" the older blunette smiled cheerfully in response, the sudden flip of character making Ash start. How did she switch character like that? "I'm glad we have that out of the way. Well, I have to go meet with those planners. It was nice to meet you, Ash, and good luck with your Gym battles; take care!"

"Uh, right. Take care, Ms. Berlitz." With that, the screen went black, leaving Ash in a state of shock and uncertain...was that fear he was feeling?

"...okay," Ash finally said. "Um...I guess that happened...Yeah."

Legendaries dueling for global dominance, criminal syndicates, dangerous poachers and a starving Aerodactyl...and they paled in comparison to the potential wrath of a protective mother.

XXX

"PIPLUP!"

"...Lup…"

"Are you ok?" Dawn said worriedly as she ran over to where Piplup had landed, picking up the dazed and tired Pokémon. Slowly regaining his bearings, the Water Type raised his fin and chirped his ok.

For the past half hour, in the training field behind the Center, Dawn and her Pokémon had been hard at work practicing. Dawn had several ideas that she wanted to try with Piplup and Buneary. One that stood out in her head in particular was having Piplup spin around while shooting Bubblebeam.

The good news was that it was definitely an eye catcher. The bad news was that Piplup wasn't exactly able to execute it properly just yet.

"Well, Piplup is doing better than the last few times," Ash offered as he, Buneary, Aipom, Pikachu and Atia came over from where they had been sitting and watching. Figuring that Aipom would want to watch, Ash had called out the Normal Type. They were all wet thanks to the barrage of Bubblebeam falling on them moments before. "He's able to hold the spin for a little longer now, at least."

"Yeah, I guess, but still…" Dawn lamented as Atia crouched down next to her. "It looks like it still needs some work."

Placing a hand on Piplup, Atia quickly used Healing Pulse to revitalize the Starter. Piplup chirped his thanks, to which she giggled before turning to Dawn. "It took me a long time to learn Ice Beam," she offered, "and that was before I became Ash's Pokémon. With enough practice, I'm sure you'll get it down."

"And in time for the Contest, guarantee," Ash grinned. "It's like you say, no need to worry, right?"

"Pika!" Pikachu quickly agreed. Even Aipom chittered her support as she leapt up onto Dawn's shoulder, offer her an encouraging grin.

Seeing the confidence they had in her and her Pokémon, Dawn couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, you guys," she giggled in reply, before she began petting the Normal Type. "And thanks, Aipom."

"Aipom!" The Normal Type then suddenly quickly launched herself into the air. Spinning in midair, she began firing Swift in a circle. As she began to fall back to the ground, she unleashed an Iron Tail onto the ring of stars, causing them all to collide with each other and erupt into a golden display of fireworks. With a proud cry, Aipom landed with grace, bowing as she tipped her hat with her tail.

"Wow," Dawn exclaimed in awe, unable to look away from the sparkly display. "Aipom, that was amazing, and what a pretty finish!" The Long Tail Pokémon chittered her thanks with delight as she leapt onto her shoulder. "You really know how to make a great appeal."

"Yeah, Aipom really loves Contests," Ash smiled as he came over and petted Aipom. "I actually caught her at the Kanto Grand Festival a few months back. She really loved watching the appeals. Honestly, when I read in the guidebook that there were Contests here in Sinnoh too, I thought about doing a couple with her."

"I'd love to see Aipom in a Contest," Dawn mused before turning to her Pokémon. "Aipom did a pretty good job there, didn't she?"

"Bun!"

"Pip…" Piplup didn't exactly like that he couldn't perform what Dawn wanted him to do, but Aipom could do an even better job. Sure, she was more experienced and whatnot, but he was a prideful Pokémon! He couldn't let this failure stand!

Seeing Piplup's dejected look, Dawn was quick to reassure him. "Hey, no need to worry, Piplup. We still have time to get this right. We'll get it down soon enough. I know you can do it." Encouraged by his Trainer, Piplup's spirit was lifted, and he offered a chirp of determination.

"That's the spirit," Atia added with a smile, "just keep working hard and stay determined."

"Just wait, you two!" Dawn grinned, striking a pose. "We'll train until we get it down, and we'll get that ribbon! No need to worry!"

"Piplup!"

"Bun Neary!"

"Chimchar!"

...

"Chimchar?"

All eyes snapped towards down to where a new Pokémon stood alongside with Piplup and Buneary. Smiling up at the blunette was a Chimchar.

"Whoa," Ash muttered. "Where did this Chimchar come from?"

Piplup, to the surprise of the rest save for Atia, began chirping in joy before rushing over to the Chimchar. The two immediately hugged each other before playfully chasing each other in circles.

"...Well, it looks like Piplup knows Chimchar," Dawn mused. Walking over to them, she crouched down and made to speak before realization dawned on her. "Wait...Chimchar, are you…?"

"Char!" the Chimp Pokémon chittered back, leaping up and landing on one foot with her hands in the air.

"Oh my Arceus, it is you!" Dawn exclaimed. "The Chimchar from the Professor's lab!" Chimchar cheered at that, happy to see Dawn again and that she recognized her. She quickly leapt up and landed on Dawn's shoulder, nuzzling her face into her cheek. Dawn giggled, rubbing the Fire Type's head.

"This is that Chimchar from the lab?" Ash mused with surprise as he and his Pokémon came over. "She actually followed us all the way from Professor Rowan's Lab?"

"Well, yeah, she has," Atia offered, much to Ash and Dawn's surprise.

"You knew Chimchar was following us this whole time?"

"I sensed her following us since an hour or two after we left Professor Rowan's lab. I also sensed that Chimchar wanted to surprise Dawn, so I didn't want to ruin it for her."

"...Atia, Professor Rowan might be worrying right now about Chimchar, probably going crazy about it. You should've told us."

Atia blinked; she hadn't thought of that. "Oh. I...I didn't think of that. Sorry."

Knowing that Atia had good intentions at heart, Ash wasn't mad at all. Not that he really could be, anyways. "It's alright, don't worry. Still, though, we're going to have return Chimchar to the Professor. She's still his to give to other beginning Trainers, after all."

Dawn sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Professor Rowan must be worried about her." Taking Chimchar into her arms, she sighed while offering an apologetic look. "Sorry, Chimchar. I like you, I really do, but you do have to go back to Professor Rowan; he'll be really worried about you."

"Chim…" Chimchar chittered sadly. She didn't want to head back to the Lab. "Chim Char," she chittered quickly, shaking her head.

"What's wrong, Chimchar?"

"I don't think Chimchar wants to go back," Atia remarked, coming over to Dawn. "If you ask me, Chimchar's set on staying with you, Dawn. I mean, she doesn't want to be with any other Trainer except for you. She did follow you here all the way from the Lab, after all." Chimchar nodded, chittering and looking at Dawn hopefully.

"Wait, what?" Dawn was filled with surprise. Looking at Chimchar, she continued, "You...you want to be my Pokémon, Chimchar?"

"Char!"

Silent for several moments, Dawn finally continued, "But...I already chose Piplup as my Starter. I'm not supposed to get two Starter Pokémon, right?"

"But Ash has a bunch of Starters."

"I caught them in the wild. There's a difference."

"Couldn't Dawn just take Chimchar as her Pokémon, anyways?" Atia asked. "I mean, if the Pokémon chooses the Trainer, shouldn't they go with them? Croagunk did it with Ash." That was how the process worked, wasn't it? She really had to ask Ash about this whole thing sometime.

The idea made sense to Dawn. She did like Chimchar, after all, and would love to have her as her own; Chimchar obviously felt the same. But still... "Ash, is that even allowed? Would the Professor let me keep Chimchar, be her Trainer because she chose me?"

Ash frowned, crossing his arms in thought. "...I don't know. It's usually one Starter per Trainer given, as far as I know. I mean, that's the accepted rule, at least. I don't doubt that something like this has happened before, but I've never heard of it myself." Silent for several moments, he added, "Honestly, you'll have to call him and just see what he says."

"Yeah, I guess," Dawn sighed. "He's probably going crazy, worried about Chimchar. I hope he isn't too upset or anything…"

"Chim Chimchar…"

*About 10 minutes later*

"...Well, at least Chimchar is alright and well."

"I'm sorry for what happened, Professor," Dawn sighed, offering an apologetic smile. She was sitting in front of one of the Center's video phones, Piplup, Buneary and Chimchar in her lap. Ash and Atia stood behind her, still in Rowan's view, Pikachu in his usual spot.

"Please, don't fret, my dear," Rowan replied, his expression as gruff and stoic as ever. "You're not responsible for the actions that Chimchar takes, after all."

"Char…" the Chimp Pokémon chittered, fidgeting under the stare Rowan then set her way.

"It does concern me that Chimchar went so far as to actually follow you, though," Rowan continued. "She's never displayed this kind of behavior before, or anything close to it; she's usually so well behaved. You wouldn't happen to know why Chimchar chased after you, by any chance?"

"Well…that's the thing," Dawn said somewhat hesitantly. "Chimchar seems to...she, well, she wants to be...be my, well...Pokémon."

The next seven seconds rang with silence, though it felt like hours.

"...she wants to be your Pokémon." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"...yes," Dawn replied, not sure what to expect.

"...I see." Rowan's brow furrowed. "Chimchar must have been more attached to you than I initially thought." He could see Dawn nodding in response before he cast his eyes onto Chimchar. The Fire Type Starter offered a shy smile, and Rowan noted how tightly she clung to the blunette's arm. It was clear that Chimchar was already committed to Dawn.

"Um, Professor?" Dawn offered, gaining the Professor's attention. "I, well, I know I probably don't have room to ask this of you, but...I know I only get one Starter, but Chimchar wants to come with me on my journey. I think I can raise and train her to her best potential. If I can, I would like to take Chimchar as my own. She doesn't want to go with anyone else." Rowan didn't reply, instead focusing on Dawn for several seconds with an intensely scrutinizing stare. Understandably, it made Dawn nervous.

"Ash."

"Hmmm, yes?" the older teen replied, caught off guard.

"What is your opinion of Dawn?"

"...I'm...I'm sorry?"

"You and Atia have been traveling with Dawn for almost three days now. You've taken her under your wing, if memory serves. From a Trainer's perspective, what is your opinion of Dawn Berlitz thus far?"

Ash blinked. This was a first; he'd never been asked his opinion of another Trainer so upfront before. Or for his friends and companions, much less so early into the journey. Nonetheless, he wasn't going to get out of this, judging from Rowan's glare. From his perspective as a Trainer, what was his opinion of Dawn? What had he seen these last three days since they met, what had he noticed?

Not noticing how Dawn had seemed to tense in anticipation, he finally gave his answer.

"...She's confident; maybe to a fault, but she means well. A little rash, sure, but eager to learn and grow. She loves her Pokémon, and wants to do everything she can to bring out the best in them. Her Piplup and Buneary, she's only had them for the last few days, but they're already set on giving their all for her; they see the dedication she has for them, and it's becoming mutual. She has a passion that I don't see a lot in others, and it's that passion that I know will drive her to reach her goals and care for her Pokémon. I'm teaching her some basics here and there, sure, but the real talent lies in her. I fully believe Dawn will make an excellent Trainer and Coordinator."

"...I see." Rowan was silent for several seconds more as he again focused his glare at Dawn and Chimchar. After what seemed like forever, he spoke again. "Dawn."

Snapping away from Ash, the blunette quickly refocused on Rowan, a blush on her cheeks. "Y-Yes, Professor?"

"I am sending you Chimchar's PokéBall and I will be updating your Trainer Page information. However, I am not doing this lightly; based on what Ash has said, I expect you to care for Chimchar and bring out the best in her."

Dawn blinked as the words hit home. "You-you mean…?"

"Chimchar has clearly chosen you as her Trainer. As such, it is only right she remains with you."

"Chimchar!" Chimchar was clearly more than happy at the verdict.

"You really mean it?" Dawn asked. After another moment, a brilliant smile shone on her face. "Thank you, Professor Rowan, thank you! I promise you, I'll take good care of Chimchar, no need to worry."

Rowan's expression remained stoic for another moment before morphing into a gruff smile. "Very well. I have full confidence in your abilities. If that is all, then I'll leave you all to it. Have a goodnight."

The screen went to black as Rowan ended the call. The Ball Transfer hummed to life moments later, Chimchar's Ball materializing within seconds.

"Well, congratulations, Dawn!" Ash offered. "Looks like you're now officially Chimchar's Trainer."

"Pika!"

"That's really lucky," Atia added. "I mean, Ash has a bunch of Starters, sure, but getting two from so early on from your Professor? I'd say Ash's luck is rubbing off on you."

"Yeah, I guess so," Dawn smiled as she turned in her seat towards her companions. She could still barely believe it. Looking down at Chimchar, her smiled grew brighter. "Welcome to the team, Chimchar. And welcome to the family." The Chimp Pokémon chittered in joy, not hesitating to embrace her new Trainer. Piplup and Buneary quickly joined in, Dawn laughing as they group-hugged.

"Well, let's celebrate by getting some dinner!" Atia offered. "I'm starving!"

"Pika!" Pikachu agreed, leaping off of Ash's shoulder in favor of Atia's. He could just hear the ketchup calling his name!

"Wait-seriously, Pikachu?" Did that just happen? "Seriously?"

"Pi Pika Chu Pi."

"Traitor…"

"Pika Pika Chu."

"I stand by my statement. The fact that she's part of the family doesn't change anything."

"Jealous, who knew?" Atia giggled.

Ash just stuck his tongue out as Atia and Pikachu headed off to the cafeteria. Unable to stay mad, the teen finally laughed before sparing a glance at Dawn. "Well, I guess we should go get some food then. I am pretty hungry…"

"...Hey, Ash?"

The teen turned to see Dawn slowly getting back to her feet, Piplup, Chimchar and Buneary still her arms. Her face seemed to be mixed in surprise, awe and joy, and a small blush was forming on her cheeks. "What's up?" Ash replied, meeting her eyes.

"Ash...did you really mean what you told Professor Rowan? About me being able to become a great Trainer and Coordinator?"

"Of course I did. Every word. Don't even think otherwise."

Dawn was silent for a moment, absorbing the Trainer's words. She then placed Piplup, Buneary and Chimchar onto the floor before tightly grabbing Ash into a hug.

"Thank you, Ash."

After a moment of surprise, Ash smiled as he returned her hug. "Don't mention it, Dawn."

They continued for several more moments before letting go, with a nervous but well meaning smile and a small blush on both their faces. Piplup, Chimchar and Buneary watched their Trainer and her friend for several moments before smiling at each other.

Catching up with Atia and Pikachu, it was on the group's way to the Center cafeteria that things took a turn for the unexpected.

A pretty young woman, probably around 20, was leaving the cafeteria with her Scizor. She and Ash bumped into each other by accident, both quick to offer an apology. It was at that moment when a flash of light burst for Ash's Ball belt, Croagunk materializing with a gentle croak.

"Hmm?" Ash hummed in surprise, all eyes looking down at Croagunk. "Croagunk? What's wrong?"

"Croa...Croa?" was all Croagunk responded with, looking up at Ash before glancing at the young woman he had been bumped into. Then back to Ash, and then back to the woman. A sense of confusion then filled the Toxic Mouth Pokémon. Why had he suddenly popped out of his PokéBall?

Quickly apologizing and saying goodbye to the woman and her Scizor, Ash crouched down to Croagunk's level. "Are you alright, buddy?"

It had just happened out of nowhere, a spur of the moment action. And now, it felt like there was something Croagunk was supposed to do. His relaxed mind could come up with no reason for doing so, however. And yet, here he was.

"Atia, a little help here?" the teen asked the disguised Legendary.

"...Sorry," the reply came several moments later. "Croagunk is...just as confused as you are. He has no idea why he popped himself out."

Ash turned back to Croagunk, who just offered him a seemingly blank stare of confusion. "...Huh…"

"Is this normal, Ash?" Dawn asked. "Pokémon coming out of there PokéBalls, I mean?"

All the while, Croagunk was still wondering what made him pop out. It was as if...it felt like he was now on a mission he never knew he had. But what was it?

"Croa...gunk?"

Well, that's that. Long, yeah, but after so long a wait a long chapter was probably best. We only have one more chapter of travel before arriving in Jubilife. Hell, that might happen in the next chapter after all.

So, Ash has now captured Croagunk and Dawn has caught Buneary, as well as receiving that Chimchar. Save for Cyndaquil, this will be the only other Starter Dawn gets. Johanna has also laid down the law with Ash. That should be fun later on, right? And there's that hint somewhere in here...

With that, I ask for your judgment. Review, critique, all that jazz. Flames ignored as usual. I'm currently working on the next chapter; not making any promise for when it'll come out as that almost never pans out, but I'll have it out as soon as possible. Again, remember to read over the previous chapters for several important changes.

Final thing: Abilities, movesets and gender of Ash and Dawn's Pokemon will be posted on my profile within 24 hours of this update.

That's all. Until next time, readers.