"So, Ash, you came all the way from the Kanto region? That's quite a journey…"
After getting to know each other a bit, Ash and Dawn started chatting as they walked, and during their conversation, Dawn learned quite a bit about Ash, prompting her to remark with admiration.
"It's not that bad, really. It just feels far. Once you start traveling, a distance like that doesn't seem like much at all."
When talking with Dawn, Ash took on the air of an experienced senior. Whenever Dawn got something wrong or didn't understand, Ash would patiently explain or elaborate. To Dawn, who hadn't yet officially started her journey, Ash seemed to know just about everything.
"Pika~"
"OKI~"
Just then, Pikachu and Aipom let out some ill-timed cries.
Ash looked down and saw their bodies starting to wobble, clearly from hunger.
Normally, Pikachu and Aipom could suppress their hunger with willpower, driven by the goals ahead, but now it seemed they'd reached their limit.
"Are they hungry?" Dawn asked, unable to help herself as she saw the pitiful state of Pikachu and Aipom.
"Yeah, they haven't eaten much since we were on the plane. We were planning to grab some food at a nearby restaurant after shopping."
At this point, Ash was about to bid Dawn farewell, but to his surprise, upon hearing that they hadn't eaten yet, Dawn immediately made a suggestion:
"In that case, why don't you come to my house for a meal? My mom's already planning to cook, and we have plenty of Pokémon food at home. There's probably something Pikachu and Aipom would like, right?"
"Pika!"
"OOKI!"
The moment they heard Dawn mention Pokémon food, their spirits instantly lifted. Come to think of it, Ash had Pokémon food in his backpack too… but eating on the street felt a bit odd. If they really wanted to eat quickly, they could've just found a nearby diner, right?
Still…
"Well, then, we'll take you up on that."
Seeing that Pikachu and Aipom's hearts were already set on it, Ash decided to go along with their wishes. Besides, he'd only visited Dawn's house once before in the past. Getting this chance again felt pretty fortunate.
"No problem! I'm sure my mom will welcome you too! Plus, I've got a ton of questions to ask you. I'm heading out to travel tomorrow, and I'm a bit nervous."
"Tomorrow, huh…"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Nothing, just thinking about something else."
Ash smiled, steering the conversation away. In truth, when Dawn mentioned she was leaving to travel tomorrow, he realized he had a sense of what point in time this was. Though many of his past memories had grown blurry, the troubles he faced when he first arrived in Sinnoh were things he'd never forget.
Pikachu getting lost because of Team Rocket.
Meeting Dawn.
And her bicycle, fried to a crisp by electricity.
Speaking of which, with a do-over, Dawn's bicycle might actually be spared this time, right? Thinking about it that way, he felt a bit less pressure. After all, Pikachu wrecking bicycles seemed to have become a tradition in the first few regions, but his wallet really didn't want to shrivel up over something so bizarre.
…
Knock knock~ Knock knock~~~
"Coming, coming~~"
At Dawn's house, Johanna was sitting on the sofa watching TV, waiting for Dawn to return from her errand. Just as she was starting to think Dawn had been gone a bit too long, the sound of knocking came from the door.
"Did you forget your keys again? Honestly, can't you be a little more careful, Dawn? Right, Glameow?"
"Ni~ya~~"
Glameow, napping on the table, merely flicked its tail lightly in response to Johanna's question, acknowledging it but not really answering. Johanna just shook her head, saying nothing more as she walked to the entrance to open the door for Dawn.
Click—
Johanna turned the doorknob, and with a crisp sound, the door swung open. But just as she was about to remind her daughter to be more mindful in the future, she noticed a boy standing behind Dawn.
"Sorry for the intrusion. I'm Ash, from Pallet Town in the Kanto region," Ash said with a slightly awkward smile, greeting Johanna.
Johanna: "???"
Hold on, what's going on here? I sent you to buy something, and you come back with a person?
"Um… sorry, could you wait here for just a moment?"
Johanna said apologetically to Ash, then pulled Dawn inside to start questioning her.
"Hey, what's this about? Didn't I just ask you to buy soy sauce?"
"Here, soy sauce."
"Oh, thanks… No, wait! That's not the point!" Johanna pushed aside the soy sauce Dawn handed her and asked, "What's with that kid named Ash? An old friend? Why haven't I heard you mention him before?"
Dawn: "Because I just met him today."
Johanna: "That makes it even weirder…
You're not exactly socially anxious, but you're not some social whirlwind either, are you? Why would you suddenly invite a boy you just met to our house? Unless, Dawn, you…"
"Don't jump to conclusions!" Dawn hissed through gritted teeth, exasperated. "Ash gave me something, and I saw that he and his Pokémon hadn't had lunch yet, so I invited him over as thanks!"
With that, Dawn pulled out the Poké Ball Seals Ash had given her, showing them off to Johanna.
"Oh~ So that's how it is… I can understand that, but that kid's awfully generous, isn't he? Even if he's not a Coordinator, that's a prize he worked hard to win, right? To just give it to you like that… unless, Dawn, you did something…"
"Arghhh! Please, stop asking! Can we let him in now? If we keep going like this, we'll never finish!"
Dawn knew full well that if her mom kept tugging at this thread, they'd be talking all day. So, she cut the conversation short, not even waiting for Johanna's approval before heading to the door to invite Ash inside.