Morning light pierced through the forest canopy, scattering fine golden rays that gradually dispersed the morning mist.
Shinji and Dawn finished breakfast in a forest clearing, and after briefly tidying up the picnic cloth and utensils, they prepared to continue toward Jubilife City.
"Shinji, wait, look over there!" Dawn had just picked up her backpack when she caught a glimpse of a white figure near a bush not far away. Her tone instantly became excited as she reached out to grab Shinji, who was about to set off.
Shinji looked in the direction she pointed and saw a small Buneary with curled ears crouching on the ground, sniffing the earth with its pink nose as if searching for food.
"It's a Buneary! I'll definitely catch it this time!"
A determined glint shone in Dawn's eyes. Recalling her previous failure and Shinji's guidance, she took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.
Before she had even finished speaking, Dawn had already stepped forward quickly. She pulled out a Poké Ball and shouted loudly, "Piplup, I choose you!"
"Piplup!" With a flash of white light, Piplup landed on the ground full of energy, puffing out its chest as it looked at the Buneary, brimming with fighting spirit.
After training together during this period, its level had risen to 12, and it had become much more composed than before.
Sensing the movement, the Buneary snapped its head up. A hint of wariness flashed in its eyes upon seeing Piplup, and its body arched slightly, ready for battle.
This time, Dawn's performance was much more composed.
She calmly observed the Buneary's movements, and catching the gap during its jump, she decisively ordered, "Piplup, Bubble Beam!"
"Piplup!" Piplup opened its mouth, and a series of crystal-clear bubbles gushed out in an orderly fashion, flying toward the Buneary like a beaded curtain, the attack rhythm steady and coherent.
The Bubble Beam accurately hit the Buneary, which didn't have time to dodge.
The Buneary was knocked back several steps by the bubbles, a pained expression appearing on its face as its movements slowed considerably.
"Now's the time, Piplup, use Peck!" Dawn seized the moment and decisively issued the attack command.
Piplup flapped its wings and leaped up, its sharp beak glowing with white light as it charged straight at the Buneary.
The Buneary had just steadied itself and hadn't yet had time to counterattack when it was struck solidly by Piplup's Peck. It stumbled and fell to the ground, clearly having lost the ability to fight.
"Great!" Dawn clenched her fists in excitement, a bright smile blossoming on her face.
She turned around triumphantly and tilted her chin toward Shinji, her tone full of boasting, "Look, Shinji, how did I do this time? No problem, right?"
However, what greeted her wasn't the expected approval, but an unabashed eye-roll from Shinji.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"
Just as Dawn was about to lose her temper, she heard Shinji's cold voice: "What are you so proud of? It's getting away."
"Ah! Oh, right!"
Dawn finally realized. In her excitement, she had almost forgotten the main task.
She hurriedly fumbled an empty Poké Ball out of her backpack and nervously threw it toward the Buneary.
Perhaps because she was too excited, she didn't control her strength or direction well.
The Poké Ball traced a strange arc; instead of flying toward the Buneary, it flew straight toward Shinji's face!
"Ugh!" Shinji hadn't expected this sudden disaster at all. Unable to dodge in time, the Poké Ball hit him squarely on the bridge of his nose with a dull thud.
He instinctively covered his nose, his brows furrowing tightly.
Meanwhile, the Buneary that had finally been defeated took the opportunity to struggle to its feet and vanished into the bushes in a flash.
Seeing this, Piplup couldn't help but cover its eyes with its small wings, letting out a helpless "Piplup..." as it couldn't bear to watch.
"It's over..." Dawn instantly wilted, the triumphant smile on her face vanishing, replaced by total frustration.
She knew that this capture attempt had fallen through again.
Dawn ran over quickly to pick up the Poké Ball, then hurried to Shinji. Lowering her head and clutching the Poké Ball tightly, she said in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, "S-Sorry, Shinji! I didn't mean to..."
Shinji, holding his still-aching nose, glared at her with annoyance. "What's the excitement for? Focus on both the battle and the capture. What are you doing?"
His voice was still cold, but it carried a hint of obvious helplessness.
Seeing Dawn's sincere apology, Shinji's anger mostly dissipated.
He rubbed his still-sore nose and ultimately said no more, only giving a faint reminder: "Just remember the lesson. Let's go."
"Mm!" Seeing that Shinji wasn't going to pursue it further, Dawn nodded quickly, and Piplup followed obediently behind him.
They hadn't gone far when the melodious sound of a harp drifted from the forest. The melody was soft and soothing, refreshing the mind and heart like a clear spring flowing through, instantly dispelling the previous awkward atmosphere.
"Wow..." Dawn was instantly captivated by the music and stopped in her tracks, her eyes full of enchantment. "It sounds so beautiful; it's truly pleasant music."
Shinji also paused slightly, his gaze turning toward the direction of the music.
Under a large tree not far away, a gentle young man dressed in a classical-style robe sat on a stone, playing a harp.
Beside him, a small Budew was gently swaying its body to the rhythm of the music, its head nodding along, looking very content.
Dawn, unable to contain herself, ran toward the young man with a bright smile and said loudly, "Hello! The music you're playing is fantastic!"
Hearing the voice, the young man slowly stopped playing and stood up, bowing slightly to Dawn with polite manners. "Thank you very much for your appreciation. My name is Shōshi. I am a Pokémon Bard, currently traveling to sing praises of the world with this Budew."
"That sounds really cool!" Dawn's eyes sparkled with admiration as she quickly introduced herself. "I'm Dawn, a rookie Trainer. This is Shinji, my traveling companion."
Shinji walked up beside Dawn and gave Shōshi a slight nod as a greeting.
Dawn's gaze fell on the Budew beside Shōshi, and her eyes suddenly became determined. She said to Shōshi, "Mr. Shōshi, could I please have a battle with you?"
After speaking, she turned to look at Shinji with a hint of expectation. "Shinji, you watch too; I've made a lot of progress lately!"
A hint of surprise flashed in Shōshi's eyes, then he smiled warmly and asked, "Miss Dawn, is your goal to compete in the Sinnoh League?"
"No!" Dawn shook her head and said firmly, "My goal is to challenge the Grand Festival and become a top Coordinator!"
"I see." Shōshi realized, then suggested, "In that case, how about we use the Contest style for our battle? It's a better way to showcase a Pokémon's style."
"No problem!" Dawn agreed immediately, pumping her fist excitedly. Then she turned to Shinji and said, "Shinji, please help us keep time! Contest Battles usually have a five-minute limit!"
Shinji nodded slightly. "Mm."
So, they all went to a nearby clearing.
Dawn and Shōshi stood at opposite ends of the clearing, while Piplup and Budew each stepped in front of their masters, ready for battle.
Shinji stood at the edge of the clearing, his gaze on the two of them. With a thought, the pale blue system panel instantly appeared in his mind, aimed at Shōshi's Budew.
The panel clearly displayed Budew's detailed information:
[Budew ♦]
Level: 17 (Advanced)
Type: Grass + Poison
ability: Natural Cure
potential: Good
base stats: 28
Moves: Sunny Day, Bullet Seed, Solar Beam, Mega Drain
Shinji's gaze swept over Dawn's Piplup, and he understood.
After training during this time, Piplup's level had risen to 12, with only a 5-level gap between it and Budew.
Such a gap wasn't huge; for Dawn, it was a good opportunity to gain practical battle experience.
He wasn't too worried about it; after all, Dawn's growth would ultimately have to be tempered through actual combat.
"Time starts now." Shinji glanced at the two, his cold voice ringing out.
"Piplup, use Bubble Beam!" Dawn was the first to give an order, her tone full of energy.
"Piplup!" Piplup opened its mouth, and a series of crystal-clear bubbles gushed out like pearls, tracing graceful arcs in the air as they flew toward Budew.
The bubbles shimmered with iridescent light under the sun, looking brilliant and highly ornamental.
"Budew, use Sunny Day!" Shōshi's command was gentle and composed.
Budew gently swayed its body, a faint green light emanating from around it.
In the next moment, the originally soft sunlight suddenly became intense, and golden light enveloped the entire clearing.
Under the influence of Sunny Day, the power of Fire-type moves is increased, and the charging time for Solar Beam is shortened.
Just as the Bubble Beam was about to hit Budew, Shōshi ordered again: "Budew, counter with Bullet Seed!"
The bud on top of Budew opened slightly, and countless green seeds sprayed out like a machine gun, accurately colliding with the Bubble Beam.
A series of "bang bang bang" sounds rang out as the bubbles burst and the seeds scattered, forming a brilliant display of light and shadow in the air.
"So strong!" A hint of admiration flashed in Dawn's eyes, but her movements didn't stop for a second. "Piplup, while you're at it, use Peck!"
Piplup flapped its wings and leaped up, its body flexibly weaving through the scattered seeds and bubble fragments, its sharp beak glowing faintly as it rushed quickly toward Budew.
Its movements were light and swift, tracing a smooth trajectory in the air.
"Budew, dodge it and use Mega Drain!" Shōshi commanded calmly.
Budew's reaction was very agile. Just as Piplup was about to hit it, it gave a light jump and flexibly avoided the Peck attack.
At the same time, the bud on its top aimed at Piplup, and a green energy beam shot out from the bud, flying toward Piplup.
"Piplup, dodge quickly!" Dawn shouted urgently.
Piplup hurriedly adjusted its direction, flapping its wings hard, and just barely avoided the green energy beam.
The energy beam hit the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
"Budew, Solar Beam!" Shōshi ordered once more.
With the boost from Sunny Day, the charging time for Solar Beam was greatly shortened.
Intense yellow energy gathered in the bud atop Budew, and a thick yellow beam of light instantly blasted out, booming toward Piplup.
"Piplup, use Bubble Beam to form a barrier!" Dawn shouted, thinking on her feet.
Piplup immediately understood Dawn's intention, quickly adjusted its posture, and sprayed out a large number of bubbles, forming a thick bubble barrier in front of itself.
The moment the Solar Beam and Bubble Beam collided, the bubbles were smashed to pieces, and then the attack continued toward Piplup with undiminished force.
"Piplup, get out of the way!" Seeing this, Dawn cried out in alarm.
Piplup hurriedly dodged to the side, and the golden Solar Beam grazed its wing as it flew past, hitting the large tree behind it and leaving a scorched mark on the trunk.
Although it avoided a direct hit, Piplup's wing was still burned by the aftershocks of the Solar Beam. It let out a painful whimper, and its body became somewhat unsteady.
"Time's up!"
Shinji's voice rang out; five minutes had passed in the blink of an eye.
On the field, Piplup was panting heavily, with obvious scratches and burn marks on its body. While Budew had also consumed a lot of stamina, its condition was clearly much better, and its posture remained elegant.
This five-minute Contest Battle ended with neither Pokémon being knocked out.
This was different from the original ending in the anime; Dawn had successfully avoided the tragic outcome of being directly defeated.
But anyone with a keen eye could see that Piplup's injuries were much more obvious than Budew's, and during the battle, Budew had been very good at using its opponent's moves to showcase its own style. If judged by the actual rules of a Contest Battle, Dawn had undoubtedly lost.