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After the Suíyì Competition ended, Dawn walked towards Ash, holding the ribbon in her palm, examining it over and over as if it were a rare treasure.
The smile brimming on Dawn's lips made Ash smile involuntarily as well.
Upon approaching Ash, Dawn finally put the ribbon away, her beautiful blue eyes reflecting Ash's figure.
"Ash~"
Dawn called out excitedly first, and before Ash could respond, a fragrant breeze rushed into his nose, followed immediately by a warm, delicate body throwing itself into his arms.
"Arigato, Satoshi!" Dawn looked up, her beautiful eyes shimmering, blushing as she expressed her gratitude.
She knew that a large part of the reason for this victory was thanks to the boy in front of her.
Not only did he successfully point out her mistakes and patiently correct them for her, but he also encouraged her before the official competition began.
It was hard not to be moved by such an understanding boy.
"Verbal thanks are too insincere; can't you do something more practical!" Holding the rather cute girl, Ash couldn't help but tease.
Because of her shyness, Dawn subconsciously wanted to refuse.
But not to mention how much Ash's help had played a role, the suggestion her friend Zoey gave her last time was still vivid in her mind.
"Find a chance to make a move," this was a very important point.
"Then I'll give you a..."
So, after thinking it over seriously, amidst Ash's pleasantly surprised expression, the shy girl slowly stood on tiptoe and carefully pressed her lips against Ash's sunny, handsome face.
"Finally, there's been some substantial progress!"
"Pikachu~"
Pikachu, who had been following behind Ash, and Brock exchanged a glance, then tacitly turned their heads away, not wanting to disturb the couple's intimate moment.
Ash only felt a wave of warmth coming from the left side of his face, accompanied by the girl's faint fragrance.
Before he could slowly savor it, the girl had already lowered her head again, her face flushed with red, and buried it into his chest.
That it ended as quickly as it began made Ash feel quite a pity.
However, the girl's boldness surprised Ash quite a bit.
Although it was only for an instant, it still made Ash feel a sweet sense of satisfaction.
Furthermore, their relationship had entered a new stage.
...
After obtaining the ribbon at the Suíyì Competition, the three of them rested briefly for one night, then left the town and embarked on their journey to Veilstone City.
Perhaps because she had successfully obtained her second ribbon, Dawn walked with a bounce in her step the whole way, her heart still filled with the Nurse Joy of victory.
Along the way, Dawn would occasionally reveal a flushed red face.
Because every time she turned back to look at Ash, Dawn couldn't help but think of her bold action yesterday, and her face would suddenly heat up.
However, this was a pleasing sight for Ash, sometimes making him even forget to pay attention to the pokémon egg in his arms.
But this actually allowed Dawn to successfully find a way to divert her attention.
"Uh, Ash, when will the pokémon egg that Cynthia gave us finally hatch!" Dawn asked, blushing slightly while also showing some curiosity.
Because quite a long time had passed for this pokémon egg.
Ash had been taking meticulous care of it day and night, yet there was still no sign of the pokémon egg hatching.
If it wasn't for the fact that this pokémon egg was given by Cynthia, she would have thought it was a bad egg!
It wasn't just Dawn who was curious about the pokémon egg; it also attracted the attention of Brock on the side and Pikachu on Ash's shoulder.
"It's hard to say; Nurse Joy said it would still take some time!" Ash responded with a smile, looking down at the pokémon egg in the incubator.
He had used Aura to observe the condition of the Pokémon inside; the little one's Aura was very active, and there were no issues, approaching the time of hatching.
At the same time, he also used Viridian Power to nurture it, increasing the little one's potential.
After all, besides healing, Viridian Power has the ability to improve potential to a certain extent.
Although it wasn't much, over time, it could still bring about a qualitative change.
This can be referenced by Giovanni's Beedrill.
"Then..."
With her curiosity piqued, Dawn continued to ask questions, and Ash answered patiently, the two of them chatting back and forth like that.
Brock, however, ignored them, focusing intently on leading the group.
However, he was holding his carefully crafted special notebook in his hand, and looking at a special location on the paper, his face actually revealed a lecherous smile.
After a day of traveling, the three of them, led by Brock, arrived at a vast, boundless prairie.
The boundless grassland came into view, and in the distance, there were snow-capped mountains connected together; that was Mt. Coronet, which served as a landmark.
This meant that they had actually arrived at the grassland at the foot of Mt. Coronet.
"Mmm~ The air here is so fresh!"
Seeing the beautiful scenery, Dawn strode forward, stretching her body in a "big" shape, enjoying the breeze blowing from the prairie.
"It's a rare and beautiful sight on our journey!"
Ash imitated the girl, also stretching out his hands, his black hair gently blown by the breeze, feeling the coolness coming towards his face.
"Pikachu!!"
Pikachu nodded in agreement, the two of them striking the same pose.
"Tsk tsk tsk, too superficial!"
Looking at the two of them and the Pokémon, Brock shook his head in strong disapproval, holding up the travel guide in his hand and speaking to them.
"Although the prairie scenery is beautiful, there is another place even more beautiful than this!"
"Eh, where is that?"
Dawn was surprised, looking at the beautiful scenery before her, and asked in disbelief.
"Come, come, come, follow me!" Brock didn't say clearly, choosing to be a detestable riddle-maker.
He led the curious Dawn and the suspicious Ash to another location.
During this time, he kept skipping and jumping along the way, shouting loudly, causing the eyes of the two and the Pokémon to become surprised.
Judging from this point alone, Brock didn't have good intentions.
Following Brock for another distance, the three of them soon arrived in front of a café themed in pink.
It seemed to be a special little shop, because in front of the café, the words "Maid" were added as an embellishment.
"Ta-da~ The Maid Café Mountain Cottage is a top-notch place!"
Seeing the familiar name, Brock's squinting eyes revealed a glimmer of light, and he introduced it excitedly.
"Eh, Maid!"
Dawn reacted immediately, noticing the title "Maid."
"This is a famous attraction I've been looking forward to!" Brock said, excitedly pulling Ash to introduce it, "Inside, there are gentle, cute, beautiful Big Sisters in uniforms; it's a travel destination that boys dream of!"
"It should be the one you dream of, Brock!" Ash rolled his eyes and said speechlessly, but in his heart, he didn't despise Brock.
Because Maid = uniform temptation, which every boy would like.
And Dawn, who was behind them, was also looking at Ash thoughtfully.