Today was the day Dawn set out from Twinleaf Town to Sandgem Town to receive her first Pokémon. She had woken up early, filled with excitement.
Her mother, Johanna, stood at the doorway, watching her daughter embark on her journey.
"Mom, don't worry! I'll definitely become a top Pokémon Coordinator like you! Now, I'm off!"
Dawn had already mounted her bicycle, ready to go.
"Be careful on the road, and send my regards to Professor Rowan."
Johanna and her Glameow waved her off.
"Got it! No problem at all!"
Dawn confidently waved back with one hand while steering the bike with the other.
Crunch!
A small rock beneath her wheel made the bicycle wobble violently.
"Ahh! Stay steady, stay steady…!"
Panicking, Dawn quickly grabbed the handlebars with both hands, trying to maintain balance.
Back at the house, Johanna let out a sigh as she watched the scene unfold.
She exchanged glances with Glameow. "Dawn always says 'no problem' at the exact moment when she's about to have the biggest problem…"
"Meow…"
—
Bursting with confidence, Dawn pedaled toward Sandgem Town, ready to choose her first Pokémon. Though she hadn't yet decided whether to pick Turtwig, Chimchar, or Piplup, she was sure that, with her natural charm, she could get along with any of them effortlessly.
"No problem! Sandgem Town is just ahead. Professor Rowan, here I come!"
Ten minutes later, Dawn stopped her bike in front of a building that smelled delicious.
The entrance was closed, but she double-checked the postcard in her hand.
"No problem, this has to be Professor Rowan's lab!"
With her unwavering confidence, she boldly pushed the door open.
"Hello! I'm here to receive my first Pokémon!"
And then… dozens of pairs of eyes turned toward her.
The place was filled with the delicious aroma of food.
It was a restaurant.
Dawn's face turned beet red.
SLAM!
She quickly shut the door, then looked down at the postcard again.
"No problem, no problem! The real lab must be… over here!"
"…No, wait! Maybe it's this one!"
"…Or that one?!"
After wandering around for a while, Dawn had to admit—she was lost.
Fortunately, she ran into Professor Rowan, who had just returned from a trip outside Sandgem Town.
That was how she finally arrived at the correct place: Professor Rowan's Pokémon Lab.
"Alright, Dawn, this is my lab. Your mother was an excellent Pokémon Coordinator, so I expect great things from you. Let's head inside."
The notoriously stern Professor Rowan led Dawn into the lab—only for both of them to stop in shock.
The entire room was in chaos.
Lab assistants hurriedly explained that Chimchar and Piplup had gotten into a heated argument and trashed the place in the process.
Determined to prove herself, Dawn volunteered to track them down.
However, she only managed to find Piplup—who had somehow ended up tangled in a Ariados's web deep in the forest.
"Oh no, Piplup! Don't worry, I'll get you out!"
"Aliyaaa!"
Ariados appeared!
It had sensed something caught in its web and came to investigate—only to find a girl tampering with it.
Unacceptable!
Ariados fired a Poison Sting attack at Dawn!
"Heh! Just as planned!"
Dawn grinned, dodging swiftly to the side.
The poisonous needles struck the web, tearing it apart!
"Piiipluuup!"
The impact flung Piplup into the air, and Dawn caught it just in time.
"Piplup! Piplup!"
Piplup flailed in her arms, clearly upset and throwing a tantrum.
"Okay, okay, let's get out of here first!"
Dawn smiled awkwardly, but Ariados wasn't about to let them off the hook.
They had destroyed its web.
Unforgivable.
"Aliyaaa!!"
Ariados called for backup!
"Piplup, we have to run!"
Dawn held Piplup tight and tried to escape, but another Ariados shot out sticky webbing, wrapping around her ankle.
She tripped, and Piplup rolled out of her grasp.
"Piplup! Run! Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!"
"Aliyaaa!"
A dozen Ariados surrounded them, aiming their Poison Sting attacks.
Dawn gulped.
This… was bad.
Just as Piplup braced itself to protect Dawn—
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
"Pika… CHUUUUU!!"
A powerful burst of electricity cut through the air, neutralizing all the incoming poison needles and shocking every single Ariados in the area.
"Aliyaaa…!"
Realizing they were outmatched, the Ariados scattered and fled.
"Phew… Looks like we made it in time."
Ash and Anabel stepped into the clearing, accompanied by Pikachu.
"Pika!"
"Are you okay? Can you stand?"
Anabel hurried over, helping Dawn to her feet and carefully removing the webbing from her ankle.
"Ah… No problem, no problem! I'm fine!"
Dawn's confidence returned in full force.
Piplup, just as stubborn, puffed out its chest proudly.
The two of them were definitely a perfect match.
Just then, a Staraptor and a Starly flew overhead.
Dangling from Staraptor's claws was… Chimchar.
"Oh no! I need to get Piplup back to Professor Rowan's lab first—excuse me!"
Dawn quickly ran off with Piplup.
But…
She failed to notice something.
Pikachu's Thunderbolt had hit more than just the Ariados.
Her bicycle, parked nearby…
Had been completely fried.
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