Dawn, Verity, Barry, and Lucas were walking down the path, being led by Lucas to wherever the heck they were going.
After walking for a while, they eventually came across a fork in the road, with one path leading to the left and another leading to the right. Lucas stopped and looked between the two paths, then reached into his bag and pulled out a donut, taking a bite as he thought.
"Hmm, looks like they might have gone one of these ways, I think."
Dawn stared at him, "You think?"
Lucas shrugged, taking another bite, "Yeah."
Verity crossed her arms, "That's not very reassuring."
Barry pointed toward the two paths, "So what do we do now?"
Lucas swallowed his bite and looked toward the forest, "Well, I could probably figure it out."
Dawn blinked, "How?"
Lucas reached down and grabbed a Poké Ball from his belt, "Munchlax."
He tossed the Poké Ball forward, and with a flash of light, a Munchlax appeared in front of them.
"Munch!" Munchlax looked around, then looked at the donut in Lucas' hand.
Lucas looked down at the donut in his hand, then tossed the rest toward Munchlax. The Pokémon's eyes immediately lit up as he caught it and happily shoved the entire thing into his mouth, "Munchlax!"
Barry stared at him, "You just carry donuts around?"
Lucas nodded casually, "Yeah."
"Why?"
"Because I like donuts."
Barry paused, "...Fair enough."
Dawn sighed, "Can Munchlax actually track them?"
Lucas nodded as he walked over to his Pokémon, "Yeah. He's got a pretty good sense of smell."
Lucas got down on one knee and pulled a small rag out of his bag. He held it out toward Munchlax, letting him sniff it.
Munchlax leaned forward and sniffed the rag several times, his nose twitching as he analyzed the scent. After a few seconds, his expression changed, and he looked toward the two paths. He pointed two fingers toward the left.
Lucas nodded, "Two of them went that way."
Dawn blinked, "Two?"
Munchlax nodded.
Verity looked between the two paths, "Then the third one went right?"
Munchlax nodded again.
Dawn crouched down slightly, "Do you know which one?"
Munchlax looked between the four of them, seemingly thinking about it. Then he looked toward Verity's Piplup and pointed at him with one hand, then with his other he pointed to the right.
"Oh, I see, so the Piplup went down the right alone and the other two went down the left," Dawn nodded, as she tapped her finger on her chin, "I wonder why they split up."
That made everyone think for a bit.
—
{10 minutes ago}
Piplup, Chimchar, and Turtwig were marching together down the path, with Piplup leading the way proudly and the other two following.
Piplup walked with his chest puffed out, his little flippers held behind his back as he confidently led the group. Chimchar and Turtwig simply followed along, occasionally looking around at the unfamiliar forest.
Eventually, they reached the same fork in the road. Piplup stopped. He looked to the left, then he looked to the right.
He stared down both paths for several seconds.
Chimchar tilted his head, "Chim? [Are we lost?]"
Turtwig looked at Piplup, "Turtwig? [I think we might be.]"
Piplup didn't move. He had absolutely no idea where they were. The problem was, he had absolutely no intention of admitting that.
Piplup slowly looked between the two paths again, then raised one flipper and confidently pointed toward the right.
"Pip! [It's this way!]"
Chimchar blinked.
Turtwig looked down the right path, then back at Piplup, "Turtwig? [Are you sure?]"
Piplup nodded confidently, "Pip pip! [Absolutely!]"
Turtwig shook his head, "Turr- [He's wrong.]"
Piplup froze. He slowly turned toward them, "...Pip? [What?]"
Chimchar pointed toward the left, "Chim-char! [We're supposed to go that way!]"
Turtwig nodded in agreement, "Turt-wig! [He's right!]"
Piplup's eye twitched, "Pip. [No.]"
Chimchar shook his head, "Chim. [Yes.]"
Piplup pointed toward the right again, this time much more aggressively, "PIP! [I SAID THIS WAY!]"
Turtwig simply shook his head, "Turtwig [No.]"
Piplup's feathers began puffing up. He flapped both of his little wings furiously, "PIP! PIP! PIPLUP! [I'M THE LEADER! WE'RE GOING THIS WAY!]"
Chimchar and Turtwig both took a small step backward.
Piplup huffed, turned around, and marched down the right path by himself, his little feet stomping against the dirt, "Pip! Pip! Pip! [We are going this way, end of discussion!]"
Chimchar stared after him, "...Chim? [Should we stop him?]"
Turtwig looked at Chimchar, "Turtwig [No.]"
Chimchar nodded, "Chimchar [Yeah, probably for the best.]"
They both watched Piplup continue walking away.
After a few seconds, Chimchar shrugged, "Chim [He'll figure it out.]"
Turtwig shrugged too, "Turt [Probably.]"
Then they turned around and went down the left path together. Piplup continued marching confidently down the right path, refusing to look back. He didn't even notice that the other two weren't following him.
—
They all shrugged. It was probably nothing.
Barry grinned, "Alright! Then we know where they went!"
Dawn looked toward the two paths, "So two of them went left, and one went right."
Verity nodded, "We should split up and search both paths."
Dawn hesitated, "Are we sure that's a good idea?"
Before anyone could answer, Barry immediately threw an arm around Lucas's shoulders.
"Obviously! We'll split up!"
Lucas looked at Barry, then at his arm around his shoulder, but didn't seem bothered by it.
Barry pointed toward the left path, "Lucas and I will take this path and find the two Pokémon."
Then he pointed toward the right path, "Dawn and Verity can go find the Piplup!"
Dawn looked at Barry, "You just decided that?"
"Yep!"
Verity shrugged, "Honestly, that's probably the easiest way to do it."
Dawn sighed, "Fine, but we need to be careful. We're supposed to bring them back safely."
Barry grinned, "Don't worry! We'll find them!"
Lucas nodded, "Sounds good."
Munchlax raised his hand and pointed toward the left path again.
Lucas looked down at him, "Yeah, yeah. We know."
Munchlax crossed his arms.
Lucas sighed, "Fine. You can lead."
Munchlax immediately started walking down the left path.
Barry's eyes lit up, "Wait for me!"
He immediately ran after him, with Lucas casually following behind.
Dawn watched them go before looking toward Verity, "Well, I guess it's just us."
Verity smiled, "Yep."
Piplup looked between the two groups, then sighed as he followed after Verity.
Dawn adjusted her bag and looked down the right path, "Alright. Let's go find our missing Piplup."
Verity nodded, "Let's do it."
And so the two groups went their separate ways. Now, for Barry and Lucas, their walk was pretty chill. They walked, talked together, and actually both learned they had quite a bit in common, including the fact that they both loved to tell jokes.
"So you like jokes?" Barry looked over at Lucas as they walked.
Lucas nodded, "Yeah."
Barry grinned, "What kind?"
Lucas thought for a moment, "Pretty much anything. Why?"
Barry's grin grew wider, "Because I happen to be really funny."
Lucas stared at him for a few seconds, "Are you?"
"Absolutely."
"Prove it."
Barry stopped walking and pointed at himself, "You want me to prove I'm funny?"
Lucas nodded.
Barry thought for a second before putting on a serious expression, "Okay, so why did the Pokémon cross the road?"
Lucas raised an eyebrow, "Why?"
"To get to the other side."
Lucas stared at him and slowly shook his head, "That's terrible."
Barry immediately pointed at him, "Exactly! That's what makes it funny!"
Lucas paused, then slowly nodded, "...I hate that I kind of get it."
Barry laughed, "See?! I'm hilarious!"
Lucas sighed, "You're something."
Barry grinned, "Come on, you have to admit that was good."
"No."
"Come on!"
"No."
"Not even a little?"
"No."
Barry put a hand over his heart, "You're hurting me."
Lucas shrugged, "You'll survive."
Barry pointed at him, "You know what? I like you."
Lucas nodded, "I like you too."
Munchlax continued walking ahead of them, completely ignoring their conversation.
Barry looked at Lucas again, "Okay, your turn."
"My turn for what?"
"Tell a joke."
Lucas thought about it for a moment, then shrugged, "Okay. What do you call a Pokémon that tells bad jokes?"
Barry blinked, "What?"
"A pun-charm."
There was a moment of silence.
Barry's eyes widened, then he burst out laughing, "THAT WAS TERRIBLE!"
Lucas grinned, "I know."
Barry pointed at him while laughing, "You did that on purpose!"
They continued walking, occasionally stopping to practice their jokes and arguing over which one was funnier. Eventually, they reached a small clearing where Munchlax suddenly stopped.
Barry looked around, "What's up?"
Munchlax pointed ahead.
Lucas looked in the direction he was pointing, and they spotted two small Pokémon sitting underneath a tree. Chimchar and Turtwig were sitting there and seemingly watched their entire little comedy duo thing.
"Oh wow, we have an audience!" Barry said excitedly.
But Lucas looked at him, then at the Pokémon, "I think they were just confused about what we were doing." But Barry ignored what he said.
"We have to give them a great show now! Come on, Lucas!" Barry said excitedly, and Lucas sighed helplessly, joining in.
Meanwhile, Munchlax walked over to Chimchar and Turtwig and sat down next to them, as the three Pokémon watched this 'show' go down. This could only be bad, and they all knew it.
—
{Meanwhile}
Dawn and Verity continued down the right path, with Verity's Piplup waddling along beside them.
Dawn looked around, "It's weirdly quiet."
Verity shrugged, "Maybe that's a good thing."
Piplup nodded proudly, "Pip!"
Dawn smiled, "See? Even Piplup agrees."
Verity laughed, "Of course he does. He thinks he's invincible."
Piplup puffed out his chest proudly, "Pip!"
"Yeah, yeah."
They continued walking for another few minutes before they suddenly heard something.
"Pip! Piplup!"
Dawn and Verity stopped. Both girls looked at each other.
"That wasn't your Piplup," Dawn said.
Verity shook her head, "Nope."
Her own Piplup looked up at them, then toward the forest, his expression suddenly becoming concerned.
Another cry echoed through the trees, "PIPLUP!"
Dawn immediately turned toward the sound, "Come on!"
The two girls broke into a run, following the cries deeper into the forest. Verity's Piplup hurried after them, struggling to keep up as Dawn pushed through the bushes.
"Piplup! Where are you?!" Dawn shouted.
They heard another cry, much closer this time, "Pip! Pip! Piplup!"
Dawn pushed through another set of branches and froze. There, hanging from a large tree, was the missing Piplup. The little Water-type was completely tangled in a thick web, desperately struggling to free himself.
"Piplup!" Dawn shouted.
The Pokémon looked toward her, tears in his eyes as he cried out for help.
Verity immediately stepped forward, "Don't worry! We'll get you out!"
But then they heard something moving behind them. Dawn and Verity slowly turned around at the same time.
And they saw several Ariados crawling out from between the trees, then more, and even more.
Verity's expression dropped, "Oh...that's a lot of Ariados."
Piplup's feathers puffed up as he stepped in front of Verity, "Pip!"
Dawn looked around nervously, "We need to get him out of that web!"
One of the Ariados suddenly fired a [Poison Sting].
"Look out!"
Dawn ducked as the attack flew over her head and embedded itself into a nearby tree.
Another volley came flying toward them, but this time Verity countered, "Piplup, [Bubble Beam]!"
Piplup opened his mouth and fired a stream of bubbles toward the Ariados, forcing several of them to retreat as the bubbles exploded against them.
"Keep them back!" Verity shouted.
Dawn nodded and immediately started moving toward the trapped Piplup. More [Poison Stings] flew through the air, but Dawn ducked under one, stepped around another, then jumped over a third.
She reached the tree and grabbed the web, "Hold still!"
The trapped Piplup desperately squirmed.
"I know, I know! I'm getting you out!" Dawn pulled at the web, but it was much stronger than she expected, "Come on..."
She pulled harder and the web finally tore. Piplup dropped, and Dawn caught him against her chest, "I got you!"
"Pip!"
Dawn turned around and saw Verity and her Piplup still holding the Ariados back.
"Verity!"
"RUN!"
Dawn didn't need to be told twice.
She adjusted the Piplup, then took off running, while Verity quickly scooped up her Piplup and ran to keep up with Dawn, but the Ariados immediately gave chase.
"Why are there so many?!" Dawn shouted.
"I DON'T KNOW!" Verity shouted back.
[Poison Stings] flew past them, but Dawn ducked as one flew over her head, and she reached and grabbed Verity, pulling her to the side, letting her dodge another one.
They sprinted through the forest, branches whipping past them as the Ariados chased them.
Verity looked back, "They're catching up!"
"Then run faster!"
"I'M TRYING!"
Another volley of [Poison Stings] came flying toward them.
Verity's Piplup jumped back out from her arms just as one of the attacks came toward them.
"Piplup, [Bubble Beam]!"
Piplup fired a stream of bubbles, knocking several [Poison Stings] out of the air. But one slipped through, and the [Poison Sting] struck Piplup directly in the side.
"PIPLUP!"
The little Pokémon stumbled and fell.
Verity immediately stopped and scooped him up, "Are you okay?!"
Piplup's eyes were already beginning to droop as a purple tint formed on his cheeks.
Verity's expression turned serious, "He's poisoned."
Dawn looked back at the approaching Ariados, "We need to go!"
Verity nodded and held Piplup tightly against her chest. They both started running again. Ahead of them, the forest suddenly opened up.
Dawn's eyes widened. There was a steep drop, "Verity, stop!"
Dawn tried to slow down, but her foot caught on a loose rock, "WHOA!" She slipped.
"DAWN!"
Dawn went tumbling down the slope, still holding the rescued Piplup tightly against her chest, "AHHH!"
She rolled down the hill, bouncing off the dirt and sliding through the grass before finally coming to a stop at the bottom.
For a moment, she didn't move. Then she slowly lifted her head, "Ow..."
The Piplup in her arms was shaken but unharmed.
Dawn sighed in relief, "Okay...you're okay."
She tried to stand, but the moment she put weight on her right foot, pain shot through her ankle, "Ah!"
Dawn immediately dropped back down. She gritted her teeth and rubbed her ankle, "Okay...that's definitely not good."
Above her, Verity was still coming down the slope, "Dawn!"
Verity slid down the hill while holding her poisoned Piplup tightly against her chest. She landed beside Dawn and quickly checked Piplup, "Come on, buddy..."
Piplup weakly opened his eyes, "Pip..."
Verity's expression softened with worry. Dawn reached into her bag, "Wait, Moon gave us antivenom, remember?"
She quickly pulled out one of the small vials and handed it over.
Verity immediately opened the vial and carefully gave it to Piplup, "Come on, drink it."
Piplup weakly swallowed the medicine. Verity sighed in relief, "That should keep the poison from spreading."
Dawn nodded, then looked back up the hill. The Ariados were still there. And they were beginning to crawl down after them.
Dawn's face went pale, "Uh...Verity?"
Verity looked up, "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me."
The Ariados began descending the slope. Dawn looked at her injured ankle. Verity looked at her poisoned Piplup. Then they both looked at the swarm.
Dawn sighed, "We need to get back to the lab."
Verity nodded, "Yeah."
Dawn tried to stand again, but her ankle buckled, "Ah!"
Verity immediately caught her, "You can't walk."
"I can walk."
"You just fell over."
"I can still walk."
"Dawn."
Dawn looked at her.
Verity gave her a deadpan stare.
Dawn sighed, "...Okay, maybe I can't walk."
Verity looked toward the forest, then back at Dawn, "Then I'll help you."
She pulled Dawn's arm over her shoulder.
Dawn held the rescued Piplup tightly against her chest while Verity supported her weight, "Ready?"
Dawn nodded, "Ready."
The two girls started limping away together, desperately trying to put as much distance between themselves and the Ariados as possible.
"Where are we going?" Dawn asked as she jumped on her good foot. Meanwhile, her Piplup decided to finally try to lock in, and got on her shoulder and was firing [Bubble Beam] behind them at the spiders.
Verity bit her lip, but then she saw something in the distance: the lake, Lake Verity, "There, if we can get there, I can get Lapras to carry us away."
"Wait, you have a Lapras? Why aren't you using her now?"
"I'm rusty, okay?" Verity said defensively.
Dawn stared at her for a moment, "You have a Lapras, but you forgot you had a Lapras?"
"I didn't forget! I just...haven't used her in a while."
"That's basically forgetting."
"It is not!"
Another [Poison Sting] flew past them and struck the ground beside Dawn.
"Less arguing, more running!" Dawn shouted.
Verity looked back and grimaced, "They're getting closer!"
Dawn glanced over her shoulder, "How close?"
"Too close!"
"That's not a measurement!"
"It is when you're being chased by a swarm of Ariados!"
Dawn gritted her teeth as she continued hopping along, "Okay, okay, just keep moving!"
They were getting closer to the lake now. The sound of rushing water was becoming louder, and through the trees they could see the sparkling surface of Lake Verity.
Verity's eyes lit up, "We're almost there!"
Dawn smiled in relief, "Finally!"
Then an Ariados suddenly launched itself forward, skittering across the ground much faster than the others. But just as the leading Ariados lunged toward them, a voice suddenly echoed from above.
But then a voice called out, "[Thunderbolt]!"
Two massive bolts of electricity suddenly crashed down in front of the girls, striking the ground with a deafening crack.
The Ariados skidded to a halt as electricity spread across the ground, forcing them to recoil.
Dawn and Verity both froze, "What...?"
Another voice called out from above, "Looks like I showed up just in time."
Someone slid in from above them, landing directly in front of Dawn and Verity, his back facing them as his jacket fluttered in the wind from the impact. He slowly stood up, crossing his arms as he stared down the swarm of Ariados.
"You guys have a lot of nerve. Attacking people I care about isn't exactly something I'm willing to overlook."
The Ariados began skittering forward again.
The boy sighed, "But I'm feeling generous today." He uncrossed his arms and casually pointed toward the forest, "So here's what we're gonna do. You all turn around, go back into the woods, and we forget this whole thing happened."
The Ariados hissed angrily.
The boy raised an eyebrow, "...No?"
The Ariados continued advancing.
His mouth slowly curled into a smirk, "Good, that's the answer I was hoping for, you walking bags of EXP~"
He snapped his fingers.
"Pika!"
"Vee!"
Two figures suddenly shot past the girls.
Pikachu leaped through the air, electricity already crackling around his body, while Vee followed beside him, his fur glowing with energy. Then together they used a [Pika Pow Pow] and [Vee Vee Volley]!"
The two attacks erupted simultaneously. Pikachu and Vee moved together like bolts of lightning, weaving between the Ariados as their attacks struck one after another. The Ariados were launched through the air one after another, their bodies tumbling across the clearing before crashing harmlessly into the grass.
The remaining Ariados froze.
Pikachu landed on one side of the clearing while Vee landed on the other, both turning toward the remaining swarm.
The boy slowly lowered his hand as the wind caught his jacket again, making it flutter behind him.
He looked toward the Ariados, "Last chance."
The Ariados stared at him, then they turned around and began fleeing back into the forest.
The boy watched them disappear between the trees before sighing, "Good choice."
Behind him, Dawn was staring in complete disbelief, Verity's mouth was hanging open. Even both Piplup were staring.
Dawn slowly lowered her gaze toward the boy's Pikachu, then toward Vee, then back toward the boy, who turned back and was smiling at them, and she recognized that face. It was Ash.
His familiar grin spread across his face, "Hey, Dawn, and you too, Verity. It's been a while, huh?"
"ASH?!" the two girls said in unison, then they looked at each other, wondering how the other knew their 'secret' friend they were bragging about.
Dawn blinked, "Wait...Ash is the friend I was talking about."
Verity pointed at Ash, "He's the friend I was talking about!"
Ash raised an eyebrow, then looked between the two girls before slowly grinning, "...Oh."
Dawn stared at him, then at Verity, then back at Ash, "You're kidding me."
Verity crossed her arms, "You knew Ash this whole time?!"
Dawn pointed at her, "YOU knew Ash too?!"
"I didn't know he was YOUR friend!"
"I didn't know he was YOURS!"
Ash scratched the back of his head, trying not to laugh, "Well, this is awkward."
Dawn immediately pointed at him, "Don't you dare laugh!"
Ash's grin only grew wider, "I'm trying."
"You're failing."
"Yeah, I noticed."
Verity stared at the two of them, then narrowed her eyes, "Wait a minute."
Dawn looked at her, "What?"
"You said your friend was stronger than mine."
Dawn's eyes widened slightly.
Verity slowly pointed at Ash, "You said your friend was awesome."
Dawn pointed at Ash too, "And you said yours was really strong."
Verity stared at Dawn. Dawn stared at Verity. They both slowly looked at Ash.
Ash smiled awkwardly, "So...funny story?"
Verity groaned and covered her face with one hand, "You've gotta be kidding me."
Dawn sighed, "We spent like ten minutes arguing about who had the stronger friend."
Ash blinked, "Really?"
"Yep."
"Who won?"
Dawn immediately pointed at herself, "Me."
Verity pointed at herself, "Me."
Ash laughed, "Well, I guess I'm the winner either way." Ash said, putting a finger on his chin with his cheeky little grin.
Both girls stared at him.
Ash shrugged, "What? I'm apparently the prize."
Dawn rolled her eyes, "You are so annoying."
Verity snorted, "Yeah, that sounds like him."
Ash placed a hand over his chest dramatically, "Wow. I save you from a swarm of Ariados and this is the thanks I get?"
Dawn smiled, "You did kind of show up dramatically."
Ash grinned, "I try," he said, giving a small bow.
But as he did, he finally saw Dawn wasn't putting pressure on one foot, and she was still leaning heavily against Verity, putting almost all of her weight on her good leg.
Ash's expression changed instantly, "Dawn."
Dawn blinked, "Hm?"
"What happened to your foot?"
Dawn looked down at her ankle, then back at Ash, "Oh, this? I just twisted it a little."
Ash raised an eyebrow.
Dawn smiled innocently, "It's fine."
"You're limping."
"I can still walk."
"You were literally hopping."
"That's walking with enthusiasm."
Ash stared at her.
Dawn stared back.
Verity sighed, "She fell down a hill."
Dawn immediately looked at her, "Verity!"
"What? You did!"
Ash frowned, "You fell down a hill?"
"It wasn't that bad."
"You fell down a hill."
"I said it wasn't that bad!"
Ash walked over and crouched down in front of Dawn, looking at her ankle, "Alright, let me take a look."
Dawn blinked, "Ash, I'm fine."
"Dawn," Ash said, taking her by the hand and pulling her over to a nearby rock, making her sit down, "We both know you're not gonna stop me from making sure you're okay."
Dawn's expression softened slightly, and she nodded, "Okay."
Ash carefully placed one hand underneath her ankle and the other against the side of her foot.
Ash frowned slightly, "Looks like you twisted it pretty badly. Nothing's broken, though."
Dawn sighed in relief, "Thank Arceus."
Ash opened one eye, "Although I have to say, falling down a hill is a pretty impressive way to start your journey."
Dawn's face reddened, "I was being chased by Ariados!"
"Uh-huh."
"I was!"
"I believe you."
"You don't sound like you believe me."
Ash grinned, "I'm mostly wondering how you managed to lose a fight with gravity."
Dawn's mouth dropped open, "ASH!"
Verity immediately burst out laughing.
Ash laughed too, then he looked at her foot and put his hand over it. Even if it was over her boot, this would still work, so his palm started glowing a soft light blue, and a warm feeling spread across Dawn's leg.
"Wha?" Dawn said, confused.
"WhAT are you doing?" Verity asked, leaning in closer.
"It's something I can do. It's called Aura. Basically, think of a Lucario, and I can do everything they can do, and I can use Aura to help Dawn heal," Ash gave a quick explanation, "You guys were gonna figure it out eventually. No point in hiding it."
Dawn stared at Ash's glowing hand, feeling the warmth slowly spread through her ankle, "Aura...?"
Ash nodded, "Yep. It's pretty useful for stuff like this." He concentrated for a few more seconds, the soft blue glow becoming slightly brighter before slowly fading away, "There. Try moving it."
Dawn carefully moved her foot, then rotated her ankle slightly. Her eyes widened, "Oh...wow."
Verity leaned closer, "Does it still hurt?"
Dawn shook her head, "Not nearly as much."
Ash smiled, "Good. It's not a replacement for actual medical treatment, but it'll help the healing process. You should still take it easy for a while."
Dawn smiled, "Thanks, Ash."
Ash grinned, "Anytime."
Dawn suddenly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Ash, hugging him tightly.
Ash slowly looked down at Dawn, who was happily hugging him, "...Well."
Dawn smiled against his chest, "What?"
Ash put a hand on her back, returning the hug with a small smile, "I didn't know I was getting a reward."
Dawn pulled back slightly and looked up at him, "Reward?"
Ash nodded, "Yeah. I save you from a swarm of Ariados, heal your ankle, and then I get a hug? I might have to start charging."
Dawn rolled her eyes, "Oh, shut up."
Ash grinned, "You hugged me first."
"Because I missed you."
Ash's grin softened, "Yeah, missed you too."
Dawn smiled and hugged him again.
Verity watched the two of them for a few seconds before shaking her head with a smirk, "You two are disgusting."
Dawn immediately looked over at her, "What's wrong, are you not close enough to Ash to give him a hug and not make it weird~" Dawn twisted.
Verity sputtered, "Wha, what are you talking about, that's not-"
"I mean, hey, I give all my friends hugs, Verity. Why are you acting like it's weird?" Ash joined in, seeing what Dawn was doing, "What, do you want a hug too?"
Verity's face immediately turned into one of disbelief as she looked away with a bit of red on her cheeks, "You know what? Never mind."
Ash laughed, "What? I'm just being friendly."
"You know what you're doing."
"Maybe a little."
Verity shook her head, "You haven't changed at all."
Ash smiled, "You say that like it's a bad thing."
Verity walked over and gave Ash a light punch on the shoulder, "It's definitely not."
Ash rubbed his shoulder dramatically, "Ow."
Verity stared at him, "I barely touched you."
Ash put a hand over his heart, "And yet my suffering is immense."
Dawn laughed, "You're such a dork."
Ash pointed at her, "And you like it, otherwise you wouldn't have bragged about me."
Verity groaned, "Oh brother."
Ash looked past them toward the forest, "Anyway, we should get back to the lab."
"Yeah, but um," Dawn slowly looked up the steep mountain that she fell down, "How do I get back up there?" Sure, her foot was better, but she should absolutely not put any pressure on it if she can help it.
"Oh, that's easy." Ash tapped his back, "Hop on. I'll carry you up the mountain."
Ash crouched down in front of Dawn, "Come on, hop on."
Dawn smiled and carefully climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. Ash stood up easily, adjusting her legs so she was comfortable, "Good?"
"Yep," Dawn said, resting her chin on his shoulder.
Verity watched them for a moment before sighing, "You are still ridiculously strong."
Ash grinned, "Thanks."
Verity shook her head, "I wasn't complimenting you."
"Still counts."
Dawn giggled from behind him, "Come on, dork, before it gets to your head."
"And yet here you are, willingly riding on my back."
"Because my ankle hurts."
"Sure, sure."
"Ash."
"I'm just saying."
The three of them started making their way along the edge of Lake Verity, Ash carrying Dawn while Verity was carrying both Piplup in her arms.
But as they were walking, Ash noticed something from the corner of his eye. From the lake, a small mist had formed, and Ash could see a small figure looking at him.
Ash could tell it was Mesprit, thanks to his Aura, and he gave a small smile but said nothing. But that smile was enough for Mesprit to notice that Ash noticed it, so it quickly fled. Ash said nothing. He just kept walking.
—
A bit later, they finally got back to the lab. Once they were in town, Dawn got off of Ash's shoulders and quickly tried fixing her clothes from the dirt and leaves so that her uncle wouldn't get too worried about her.
Then she took a breath and walked in first, "We're back!"
Immediately, they saw everyone in the lab, including Barry with the Chimchar on his shoulder and Lucas with the Turtwig on his head.
Mr. Berlitz immediately looked relieved and opened his arms, grabbing Dawn in another hug, "Thank goodness, I was worried when you took so long. I was about to hire the police to go find you."
"Haha, yeah, I'm here." She avoided using the word 'fine', "Ash found us in time and brought us back, and look, I brought back Piplup."
"Speaking of which," Verity cut in, holding her Piplup up, "Can I get some help here?"
Selene walked over and took the Piplup in her arms and cradled it, "Don't worry, I'll deal with this. It's my specialty," she said as she walked off to the back room to prepare the medicine.
Meanwhile, Barry saw Ash and waved him over, "Ash, it's you! Look what I have!" he said, holding up the Chimchar proudly, "I found him, and I think he likes me. This just goes to show that I'm already on the path to be the best," he said proudly.
Ash looked at Barry, looked at Chimchar, then looked past him and looked over at Lucas, "Hey, you're Lucas, right? Professor Rowan told me about you."
"Oh, nice to meet you too," Lucas quickly swallowed something that he was chewing and gave Ash a polite smile.
Barry nearly fell over from getting ignored, and he stood up, pointing at Ash accusingly, "Hey, don't ignore me! I'm gonna have to fine you a billion!"
Professor Rowan cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention, "Alright, everyone, now that we're all back safely, I suppose this is usually the part where Dawn and Barry would choose their starter Pokémon."
Dawn looked down at the Piplup in her arms, who was happily looking up at her.
Barry looked at the Chimchar sitting proudly on his shoulder.
Rowan smiled slightly, "Although, it seems like the two of you have already made your choices."
Barry grinned and lifted Chimchar up slightly, "Yep! This guy is my partner!"
"Chimchar!" Chimchar cheered, happily clinging to Barry's shirt.
Dawn smiled as she held Piplup closer, "And this little guy is mine."
"Pip!" Piplup happily nodded.
Rowan nodded, "Then I suppose there isn't much left to discuss. It seems both of you have already found the Pokémon you were looking for."
Barry puffed his chest out proudly, "Told you! I knew I'd find my partner!"
Dawn smiled, "And I think Piplup is great."
Rowan smiled before turning his attention toward Lucas, who was standing nearby with Turtwig still sitting comfortably on top of his head.
Lucas blinked when he noticed Rowan looking at him, "What?"
Rowan gestured toward Turtwig, "What about you, Lucas?"
Lucas looked up slightly, then reached up and gently picked Turtwig off his head, holding him in his arms.
"Turtwig," the little Pokémon said happily, looking up at him.
Lucas looked at Rowan, "What about me?"
Rowan smiled, "You've been working here with me for quite some time now. You've helped around the laboratory, assisted with research, and you've certainly proven yourself capable."
Lucas nodded slowly, "Okay..."
Rowan pointed toward Turtwig, "And it seems that this particular Pokémon has taken quite a liking to you."
Lucas looked down at Turtwig.
Turtwig smiled up at him and happily rubbed his head against Lucas's chest.
Lucas smiled slightly, "Yeah. He kinda has."
Rowan nodded, "So why don't you keep him?"
Lucas blinked, "Keep him?"
"Yes. Take him with you."
Lucas stared at Rowan for a few seconds, clearly not expecting that answer.
Rowan continued, "You've spent enough time here helping me. You're still young, Lucas. You don't have to spend the rest of your childhood sitting in a laboratory helping an old professor organize research papers."
Lucas looked around the laboratory.
Barry quickly put an arm around his shoulder, pulling him in, "Yeah, why don't you come with us? I'm not ready to give up on our comedy routine yet, so if you say no, I'll fine you."
Lucas looked down at Turtwig again.
Turtwig looked back up at him, "Turt?"
Lucas smiled, "You really want to come with me, huh?"
"Turt!"
Lucas sighed, but there was a small smile on his face, "Alright."
Rowan smiled, "Good."
Lucas looked back at him, "So I'm actually going on a journey?"
Rowan nodded, "Why not? You have the opportunity, you have a Pokémon who clearly wants to travel with you."
Rowan chuckled, "Then it's settled. Dawn, Barry, and Lucas, you will each officially begin your Pokémon journeys today."
Dawn smiled brightly, "Yes!"
Barry pumped his fist into the air, "YES! Finally!"
Lucas simply nodded, though he had a small smile on his face.
Rowan then reached into his coat and pulled out three Pokédexes, and handed one out to each of them, "Here, you will all need this to help you on your way."
They each quickly took one and looked at it happily, scrolling through the features like they just got new phones.
Meanwhile, Ash cleared his throat, "By the way, Professor, the only requirement for getting a starter Pokémon from you is that you need to fill out a card, right?"
"Well...I suppose when you put it like that, it does make it sound more simple than it is," Rowan tilted his head.
Ash smiled and reached into his jacket, pulling out a filled card, "Well, I happen to be starting over here in Sinnoh, so I kinda need a Pokémon too, so do I qualify?"
Rowan looked at Ash, thought about it for a moment, then shrugged, "I don't see why not," he said, walking over to a shelf and pulling out a suitcase, then placing it on the table and opening it. There were three more Poké Balls. He did say he had more Pokémon; it's just that they were the ones that insisted on going after the misfit ones.
Ash looked them over and knew his choice. He went for the one on the left, "Well, someone's username convinced me that I have only one choice here."
Dawn quickly blushed, "Wait, no-"
Ash opened up the ball, and out came yet another Piplup, landing in Ash's hand. He held it up, or more accurately, her. It was a girl Piplup.
Conveniently, at that time, Selene came back with Verity's Piplup, and both Dawn and Verity's Piplup saw Ash's new Piplup, and immediately both their eyes filled with hearts as they had dreamy expressions on their faces.
Meanwhile, as Ash held his new little Piplup, and he was going to check her, they heard a knock on the door, and then a voice spoke, "Professor Rowan, I am here for my Pokédex."
Everyone turned toward the door, and standing there, with his purple hair and violet jacket, was Paul. When Paul noticed them, his eyes scanned the room and locked on with Ash's, making his eyes narrow.