Chapter 1: Our Next Adventure

Dawn was on her flight to Kanto. She was going to compete for the Kanto Grand Festival. The blunette was hoping that after Ash had finished up the Kalos League, that maybe he'd come and travel with her again just like the old times. The last time she had talked to him, he had already got seven badges and was on his way to get his eighth and final badge.

Dawn looked at the window of the plane as it began its decent into Saffron City. To the west, she could see the mountain range that divided Kanto and Johto. In the center she saw a very tall mountain that she could only assume was the famous Mt. Silver. To the south she could see part of the vast ocean that sat underneath the region. Dawn took in all of the sights of the Kanto Region and felt a sense of excitement and adventure that she had not felt since she began her journey in Sinnoh all those years ago. She couldn't believe it had been almost four years since she first began her Pokémon journey. The coordinator looked down at her starter Pokémon that slept soundly in her lap. She thought about how much the two would grow together and become stronger. Dawn was ready to take on the Kanto Region.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we will be landing in just a few moments, so please sit tight and make sure you are buckled up." The flight attendant spoke as Dawn buckled in and prepared to land. The plane began to vibrate and shake as the landed, but none the less came to an easy landing and taxied its way over to the gate. Dawn finally made it off the plane and began looking for Gary Oak.

Dawn had talked to Gary shortly before she left Sinnoh, and he too was headed to Kanto. Gary offered to pick Dawn up from the airport whenever she did arrive.

"Dawn! Dawn over here!"

Dawn looked to her left and saw the Pallet native running her way. "Hey, Gary."

"You ready? We got a long drive back to Pallet Town," he told her.

"Great, let's go."

The two began their drive back to Pallet Town. It would be a long, 14-hour drive as they had to drive north to Cerulean City, west to Pewter City, and then finally south to Pallet Town.

"So, Dawn, what do you think of Kanto so far?" Gary asked her. They had been driving for several hours now and had already made it through Cerulean City.

"It's a lot less populated than Sinnoh is. But I can't wait to get out and really explore the region!" Dawn exclaimed.

"I know you're gonna love Kanto. And I'm positive you're going to do great in the Grand Festival."

Dawn nodded her head and looked out the window to take in more of Kanto. She let her thoughts flow freely and her mind began to drift to Ash. She wished he was here to help her and guide her through his home region and help her with her appeals. She hadn't seen him since she traveled to Unova two years ago, and Dawn sure did miss him.

Hours and hours went by and the pair had finally made it to Pallet Town. "Wow, Gary. It's so similar to Twinleaf Town!" Dawn took in the sights of the small Kanto town. The few houses the town did sport weren't particularly close together, with most being two story houses. On the far side, Dawn saw a hill with a building and a windmill at the top. "Gary, what's that up there?" Dawn asked, pointing to the hill.

"That is my Grandfather's lab." The young Oak boy informed her. Dawn's eyes seemed to sparkle when he said that. She couldn't wait to hear some of Professor Oak's famous poetry. "We'll stop there first because that's most likely where he'll be. You can stay with us tonight before you leave."

"That'd be great Gary! Thanks."

Gary parked the car at the base of the hill, and the two climbed up the stairs to the lab. The two walked inside but it appeared as if no one was there. "Gramps? Gramps, where are you?"

"Gary, I'm in my study."

Gary and Dawn walked in to his study where he was engulfed in some sort of research. The Professor looked up from his work and was surprised when he saw Dawn standing next to his grandson.

"Hey, Dawn. I didn't know you were coming to Kanto," Prof. Oak told her.

"Yeah, I came to compete for the Kanto Grand Festival. Have you heard any news from Ash?"

"Not recently. I do know that the Kalos League is in three months, but he has still yet to obtain his final badge. Delia and I will be going to Kalos to watch him compete, if you would like to come along."

"I would love to come, Professor." Dawn could barely hold in her excitement at getting the opportunity to travel to Kalos and watch Ash compete for another regional conference.

"I'm sure he would very much enjoy it if you came," Gary told the blunette teen. He then looked up at the time and jumped from his desk. "Oh heavens! I'm going to be late. Hey, how about you two come with me to Delia's for dinner? Dawn, I'm sure she'd enjoy meeting you."

"Yeah, that'd be great!"

The three made their way over to the Ketchum residence. Delia answered the door with Mimey peering from behind her. "Professor Oak! Gary! And oh, my goodness, you must be Dawn? It's so good to finally meet you!" Delia exclaimed as she pulled Dawn into a hug. "My Ashy-boy has told me so much about you."

Dawn felt her cheeks start to burn with embarrassment. "It's good to finally meet you too. Ms. Ketchum," she replied careful not to let anyone see that she was blushing.

"Please, call me Delia."

Dawn nodded her head as Delia welcomed the three into her home. Dawn looked around as she walked in. She walked over to some frames hanging up on the wall. It was all of Ash's badges that he had collected over the years. She saw all his Kanto, Orange Island, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and Unova badges. The blunette took a particular interest in one of the Sinnoh badges, the Coal Badge. It was Ash's first Sinnoh badge and the first gym battle in which she dressed as a cheerleader to cheer Ash on. The memory brought a smile to Dawn's face. She'd give anything to cheer him on again. Delia came out of the kitchen and exclaimed that dinner was ready. She had made lasagna and garlic bread. They all sat down and ate together. Piplup sat on the floor and ate with Mimey. Piplup tried to steal some of Mimey's food but was given a nice Double Slap by Mimey in return causing the four humans to laugh at the exchange.

"So, Dawn, Professor Oak tells me you want to come along with us to Kalos to watch Ash compete in the Kalos League." Delia said to the blue-haired coordinator.

"That's right. I haven't seen Ash in over two years and I would love to watch him compete and battle again."

"I'm sure he'd love it if you came, too!"

Dawn smiled at the thought of meeting up with Ash and watching him battle again. She always enjoyed watching Ash battle. It always gave her new ideas for contests, plus it brought her joy getting to cheer him on. They finished dinner and sat around talking for a little bit, with Delia and Professor Oak getting to know Dawn better. Gary brought them up to date on the research he and Professor Rowan, even though he was currently visiting his grandfather for a couple months. He told them that they were currently researching more into Giratina, considering it was mostly considered a legend until a few years back when rumors of its appearance starting swimming around. He explained how the rumors were eventually confirmed when it was again seen a few months back in the Kalos region.

"I remember Giratina. Ash and I were dragged into its Distortion World," Dawn spoke up, talking about the events that occurred a little over 3 years ago with Giratina and Shaymin.

"You were in the Distortion World?" Gary asked shocked that not Ash, Brock or Dawn had ever told him. To say the young Pokémon researcher was surprised would be an understatement. He was truly appalled. Not even in the legends he read and heard about did it ever talk about anyone ever going to Giratina's Distortion World.

Dawn nodded her head before replying. "We saw Giratina again when Arceus came back to impose its Judgment on the world. It along with Dialga and Palkia battled Arceus to prevent it from destroying humans. They lost though, and if it wasn't for Dialga sending us back in time to prevent humanity's betrayal of Arceus, then it would've succeeded in imposing its Judgment."

Gary had now grown skeptical. It's not that Dawn was untrustworthy, but he just wasn't quite convinced someone had gone to Giratina's Distortion World and came back. Plus, he didn't believe for a minute that Arceus was real. Even if Giratina's existence was finally confirmed, that didn't mean all Pokémon legends were true. Everyone knew Arceus was nothing more than legend made up by the residents of Michina Town. The only time Arceus was ever reported to have been seen was in Michina Town and that was centuries ago when humans were beginning to settle into towns. Besides, no one had ever seen the Jewel of Life either, and that was reported to have still been somewhere around Michina Town. Gary decided not to press his skepticism upon Dawn, mostly in fear of angering her, but he for sure would have to talk to Professor Rowan about this.

"That's incredible, Dawn," Professor Oak replied, convinced that Dawn was telling the truth and nothing but the truth. "You know, I once watched the three legendary birds battle each other and then against Lugia. They almost destroyed the world if it wasn't for Ash." Delia nodded her head, remembering the crisis that occurred almost six years ago.

Dawn was awe. "Wow, the legendary birds of Kanto and Lugia? What I would give to get to see them."

"Well, you are in Kanto, dear. Perhaps you will," Delia told the girl from Sinnoh. "Ash has so many stories like that. I can't believe he hasn't told you them before."

"I'll have to have him tell me some more when I see him next."

The group continued to converse for a little while longer before it was time for Dawn and the two Oak men to leave. They said their goodbyes and went to the Oak residency. Gary helped Dawn get her sleeping arrangements together before he himself went to his room to sleep. Dawn and Piplup both fell asleep, ready to get a jump on their big day tomorrow.

"You ready to begin our next adventure, Piplup?"

"Lup, Piplup."

The pair waved goodbye to Gary and Professor Oak as they began heading north. Gary had informed her that she would want to go north to Viridian City and continue through Viridian Forest and then she'd reach Pewter City where her first contest would be held. The Sinnoh native and her starter Pokémon crested the hill that led out of Pallet Town. Dawn took a deep breath and pressed on, anxious to see what adventures the Kanto Region would bring her. The pair were walking along when something shot out from the tree line and snagged Piplup. As Dawn turned to see what had taken Piplup, the ground underneath of her gave out and she fell into a hole.

"PIPLUP!" Dawn shouted, unsure of what had just happened. Just then, an all too familiar balloon rose up from the woods.

"Prepare for trouble,"

"And make it double,"

"To protect the world from devastation,"

"To unite all peoples within our nation,"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love,"

"To extend our reach to the star above,"

"Jessie,"

"James,

"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light,"

"Surrender now or prepare to fight,"

"Meowth, that's right!"

"Not you guys. I hoped I never had to see you again," Dawn groaned angrily. "Give me Piplup back!"

"Hey, it's the twerpette from Sinnoh," James said.

"And da twerp ain't 'ere to save 'er," Meowth said.

"Which means, we finally won!" Jesse cheered as Meowth and James high fived.

"Charmander, Flamethrower!"

From out of nowhere, a stream of reddish-orange flames scorched towards the Rocket trio and engulfed them. Team Rocket's balloon caught on fire and blew up sending the trio spiraling off into the sky. "Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again."

Piplup was thrown back down towards the ground in the explosion. The penguin Pokémon screamed as he fell to the ground, but he was thankfully caught by a mysterious teen boy. They boy set Piplup down and went over and helped Dawn out of the hole.

"Thank you so much for saving Piplup," Dawn thanked the boy.

"It was no problem," he replied.

The boy was several inches taller than Dawn was. Dawn had to guess he was around six feet tall compared to her average 5' 4". He had short, brown hair and green eyes. He had a faint tan to his skin with slight freckles across the bridge of his nose. He was wearing a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a black t-shirt with a Pokéball on it.

"I'm Dawn and this is Piplup."

"My name's Dallas and this is Charmander," the boy said gesturing to the orange lizard Pokémon standing at his side.

Dawn took out her pink and white Pokédex and opened it up to scan Charmander. 'Charmander, the Lizard Pokémon. The flame that burns at the tip of its tail is an indication of its emotions. The flame wavers when Charmander is enjoying itself. If the Pokémon becomes enraged, the flame burns fiercely.'

"It's nice to meet you. So, what were you doing out here?"

"Well, we were out playing and heard someone yelling. We ran over and saw Team Rocket."

"Thanks again for saving Piplup and helping me out. So, you're a Pokémon trainer, then right?"

Dallas shook his head no. "I used to be. I started out six years ago when I was ten. Charmander and I felt unstoppable, until we came across this guy named AJ and his Sandshrew. He defeated us very quickly, and it devastated us. We were his 97th win, and after that, we headed back home."

Dawn wasn't sure what to say. Dallas said goodbye and began to turn and walk away. He started to get farther away, and Dawn herself turned and headed the other direction. She stopped and ran after the boy. She yelled at him to wait. He turned and saw the blunette chasing after him. When she caught up to him, he asked her what was wrong.

"Would you like to come with me?" she asked him. He was taken aback by this question. Dawn continued, "You're Charmander seems to be really strong. You should become a Pokémon trainer again. Go see faraway places and meet and make new friends and Pokémon. I won't let you quit this time around either. I'll help you and you can help me."

Dallas stared at her blankly. He hadn't given any thought to even try going and competing for the Pokémon League again ever since he stopped. He thought for a second before looking down at his partner. "What do you think Charmander?"

"Charmander char!" The fire Pokémon smiled and clenched his paw.

"Alright then, let's do it! Dawn, do you mind waiting while I go get some things?"

The Sinnoh native shook her head no as Dallas bolted back into town with Charmander perched on his shoulder. Dallas came back fifteen minutes late with a backpack that was solid black. He also showed Dawn the Pokédex he got from Professor Oak. It looked very similar to Dawn's Pokédex she got from Sinnoh, but there were some obvious differences. The coloring of it was mainly red with gray secondary spots. The two then turned and began heading north to Viridian City. The pair talked and got to know each other better. Not long after they headed out, they came across a group of Pidgey. Dallas took out his Pokédex to scan the Pidgey. 'Pidgey, the tiny bird Pokémon. Pidgey has an extremely sharp sense of direction. It is capable of unerringly returning home to its nest, however far it may be removed from its familiar surroundings'

"Let's capture one. Charmander use Flamethrower."

Charmander unleashed his fire attack and it hit the Pidgey. The powerful fire type move knocked the meager Pidgey out in one hit. Dallas threw a Pokéball and caught the tiny bird.

"Way to go, Dallas," Dawn told him.

"Thanks. Nice job Charmander."

"Char. Charmander."

The two arrived in Viridian City. Dawn noticed the hills that surrounded the city. The city itself had a few skyscrapers, but for the most part looked like a quiet little city. She and Dallas went and checked into the Pokémon Center. Dallas was in a room on the second floor, and Dawn was on the first. They healed their Pokémon and then went to get some dinner. They had dinner at a small diner that looked like it didn't get a lot of service. There was only a handful of people inside. Dallas ordered a cheeseburger and fries while Dawn got a salad.

"So, Dawn, why'd you come to Kanto?"

"Well, I choose Kanto because mt traveling partners from when competed in Sinnoh are from here and I was hoping maybe I'd get a chance to run into them while I was here."

Dallas nodded his head, but before he could reply, the waiter brought them their food and even brought some Pokémon food for Piplup, Charmander, and Pidgey. After they finished dinner, the two trainers headed back to the Pokémon Center. Dallas went to his room and Dawn to hers. Dawn flopped down on the bed and was asleep in minutes. Her first day had been an eventful one.

Dallas woke up to a knock on his door. He groaned as he got up and answered the door to find Dawn standing there. Her hair was already done, and she looked like she was ready to get moving.

"So, I was talking to Nurse Joy, and she said that it's a 3-day trip to Pewter City. So, I got some supplies for us."

"Great! I'll meet you downstairs for breakfast. I need to shower."

"Okay."

Dallas went down to the cafeteria after showering and found Dawn. He got his food and sat down, and they ate. When they finished, they left Viridian City and headed for Viridian Forest. The pair made it to the beginning of the forest around midafternoon. As they entered, Dallas told Dawn about the last time that he had come through Viridian Forest.

"I came across the Bug-type trainer who called himself Samurai. He challenged me to a battle, and I gladly accepted. Charmander here battled his Pinsir and won handedly. That was the start of a hot streak that we started until we lost at the hands of the AJ guy and his Sandshrew."

Dallas continued to tell the blue-haired coordinator stories from when he first tried to journey Kanto. Eventually the sun began to fall, so Dawn suggested they stop and make camp.

"I only have my tent, so... Uhh..."

Dallas chuckled, "It's okay, Dawn. I enjoy sleeping outside anyways."

Dallas got a fire going, thanks to Charmander, and they sat around the campfire while Dawn told Dallas about her adventures through Sinnoh. She told him about the day she started her journey.

"I had arrived to pick up my first Pokémon, but the Chimchar and Piplup and a Starly and Staraptor had both escaped, and I went to go retrieve all of them. I found Piplup stuck in a web from a group of Ariados. I was able to free him, and we tried to escape, but I got tripped by one of their string shots. Piplup then used Bide to defeat them. We got back to Professor Rowan's lab, and the birds and Chimchar had made it back. I decided to pick Piplup as my starter Pokémon."

"Wow, that's amazing. Hey, Dawn. How about you and I have a battle tomorrow before we finish making our way out of the forest."

"Hey, that's a great idea. Piplup and I against you and Charmander."

"Yeah!"

With that, they each decided to get some sleep, with Dawn going inside her tent with Piplup while Dallas slept in his sleeping bag next to Charmander.

"Alright, Dallas. I know it's been awhile since you last battled, but I'm not going to go easy on you."

"I wouldn't expect you too," he replied with a grin.

"Piplup, spotlight!" Dawn called out as Piplup appeared in pool of bubbles.

"Charmander, to battle!" Dallas called out.

Charmander and Piplup stood across from each other awaiting their trainers' commands.

"Alright Piplup, let's start this off with Bubblebeam."

The barrage of bubbles headed straight for Charmander.

"Charmander, dodge and use Flamethrower."

Charmander jumped to the side and spewed the flames from his mouth.

"Piplup, Bubblebeam again."

Piplup once again shot bubbles at Charmander, but this time they clashed with the Flamethrower causing an explosion in the middle of the field.

"Charmander, Smokescreen followed by Skull Bash."

Black smoke billowed from Charmander's mouth and covered the entire field.

"Piplup, use Ice Beam and spin in a circle."

Piplup did just as his trainer told him to do. The next thing Dallas knew Charmander was sliding around and slid right into a tree.

"Now, Piplup. Hydro Pump."

Dallas widened his eyes a bit. There was no way Charmander would be able to keep fighting if he was hit by that.

"Charmander, get up and dodge."

The fire lizard Pokémon did as he was told and got out of the way just in time causing the Hydro Pump to hit the tree.

"Flamethrower."

"Bubblebeam."

Both attacks once again hit head on and caused another explosion. The two trainers could now see each other as the smoke from the Smokescreen had started to clear up.

"Piplup, Drill Peck."

Piplup's beak grew bigger and glowed white, and he jumped and spun at Charmander.

"Skull Bash, Charmander."

Charmander lowered his head and ran at the approaching Piplup.

Both Pokémon and their attacks met sending both of them tumbling back towards their trainers. Both Pokémon were tired but could still fight.

"Alright, Charmander. Flamethrower."

"Whirlpool, Piplup."

Piplup created a large whirlpool above his head and then threw it at Charmander. The Flamethrower dissipated when it hit the Whirlpool, and then Charmander was swallowed up by the vortex of water. When the water washed away, Charmander stood, severely weakened from the super effective attack.

"Piplup, use Ice Beam then follow up with Drill Peck."

"Charmander, use Flamethrower."

The Ice Beam and Flamethrower collided with each other, and just as the Flamethrower and Bubblebeam had, an explosion rocked the space between them. A cloud of smoke covered their view, but Piplup came shooting through the smoke. Dallas was given little time to order Charmander to dodge, as both trainer and Pokémon, were surprised. The fire-type was hit directly by the flying-type move and was set tumbling back towards its trainer. Charmander came to a stop in front of Dallas, swirls in his eyes. Dallas ran over to his Pokémon to tend to him.

"You did awesome, Charmander. I'll get you to the Pokémon Center as soon as we get to Pewter City." Dallas then picked Charmander up to go let him rest. "That was a great battle, Dawn. You and Piplup sure are good."

"Thanks, Dallas. So are you and Charmander. We had better start packing and heading towards Pewter City."

"Right."

The two trainers began packing their gear, and as they were about to leave, a Caterpie came out of the bushes.

"Hey, it's a Caterpie. I'm gonna catch it."

"Go, Pidgey."

Dawn stood by and watched as Dallas battled the wild Caterpie. She pulled out her Pokédex and scanned the bug Pokémon. 'Caterpie, the Worm Pokémon. Caterpie has a voracious appetite. It can devour leaves bigger than its body right before your eyes. From its antenna, this Pokémon releases a terrifically strong odor.'

"Alright, Pidgey. Use Gust."

Pidgey flew up in the air and flapped its wings creating a strong wind that hit Caterpie sending it into a tree.

"Alright, now Tackle Pidgey."

Pidgey flew at Caterpie, striking it as it got back up. Dallas then threw a Pokéball. It wiggled around a little bit before stopping and dinging, signaling the capture.

"Nice job, Dallas. Now I need to capture some Pokémon. I left the rest of my Pokémon back home with my mom."

"I'd like to see what other Pokémon you have someday."

"Definitely," Dawn told him as the two began heading out of the forest.

Soon, the two trainers found their way out of the forest and had only a day's walk to reach Pewter City.

"Dawn, hurry up!" Dallas yelled beating on her door.

"I'm doing my hair and getting around."

"You've been doing your hair for the past hour now," Dallas mumbled to himself.

Dawn opened the door and glared at him. "What was that?"

"Uh.. I.. Um.. Nothing. I.. Uh.. I said take your time. No need to hurry."

"Mhm.. That's what I thought you said." And with that she shut her door and went back to finishing her hair, leaving Dallas to sigh and head downstairs.

Dallas decided to go get some training in before his gym battle today. He had been working with Charmander to learn Metal Claw as it would be super effective against the Pewter Gym's Rock-type Pokémon. So far, Charmander was able to make the attack, but he couldn't hold it.

"Alright Charmander, Metal Claw."

Charmander's claw began to glow white, but when he went to use the attack on a nearby tree they were using to practice, it faded away.

"You got this Charmander. Try it again."

Charmander once again tried the Metal Claw but failed yet again. Charmander hung his head and sat down on the ground, ashamed in himself that he could not do what his trainer asked of him. Dallas walked over to his Pokémon and kneeled down and put a hand on him.

"Don't worry buddy. It'll be alright. You and me, we'll get it down. Maybe not today or tomorrow, but we will get it. You see, we're partners. I'm not your master. You're not my servant. We're a team. We'll figure things out together."

Charmander seemed to perk up a little, and Dallas gave the fire lizard a hug.

"Come on. Let's get ready for our gym battle."

The two walked back inside and found Dawn waiting in the lobby with Piplup sitting on her head.

"You ready to go?" she asked.

"You ready to watch me win my first badge?" he said full of confidence with just a tad bit of arrogance. Dawn just rolled her eyes as she followed him out the door.

Once they finally made it to the gym, they went inside to find a young boy, who to Dawn looked a lot like Brock, standing at the other end of the gym. She could only assume this was his younger brother Forrest.

"I'm here to challenge this gym," Dallas informed the young boy.

"Very well. I am Forrest, the Gym Leader here in Pewter City. And who is it that is challenging me?"

"My name's Dallas."

"Alright, Dallas. This will be a 2 v. 2 match with no substitutions and no time limit."

Dawn sat in the bleachers ready to watch as Dallas prepared.

The judge explained the rules and introduced the trainers. "This will be a 2 v. 2 Pokémon match between the challenger Dallas of Pallet Town and the Gym Leader Forrest. No substitutions and no time limit. Began."

"Pidgey, to battle!"

"Go, Geodude!"

Dallas took out his Pokédex and scanned the Rock-type Pokémon. 'Geodude the Rock Pokémon. The longer a Geodude lives, the more its edges are chipped and worn away, making it more rounded in appearance. However, this Pokémon's heart will remain hard, craggy, and rough always.'

"Alright Pidgey, let's start this off with Sand Attack." Pidgey flapped his wings whipping up some dirt from the field into Geodude's eyes causing him to have a difficult time seeing.

"Geodude, Rock Throw." Geodude began punching the ground causing rocks to be thrown at Pidgey.

"Pidgey, use Gust and send the rocks back at Geodude." Pidgey whipped up a violent gust of wind and caught the rocks in midair and hit Geodude with it. The attack did more damage than it should have with the rocks mixed in. "Now use Tackle." Pidgey flew at Geodude and struck the Rock Pokémon head on sending him flying back to his trainer knocked out.

"Geodude is unable to battle. Pidgey is the winner!" Brock exclaimed.

Dawn thought to herself, 'That was very clever using Pidgey's Gust to send the rocks back at Geodude. That helped a lot in giving Pidgey a quick win.'

"Let's go, Steelix."

Dallas once again pulled out his Pokédex and scanned Steelix. 'Steelix, the Iron Snake Pokémon. Steelix lives even further underground than Onix. This Pokémon is known to dig toward the earth's core. There are records of this Pokémon reaching a depth of over six-tenths of a mile underground.'

"Steelix, use Sandstorm." Steelix began spinning around in a circle creating a huge sandstorm in the arena. Pidgey was taking damage from the debris but could still easily see Steelix thanks to its Keen Eye ability.

"Pidgey, use Tackle." Pidgey found its target but it did little damage.

"Steelix, Rock Throw." Steelix slammed its tail on the ground throwing rocks everywhere. Pidgey was hit by the attack and took serious damage but was still up and ready to fight."

"Gust, Pidgey" Pidgey once again used its Gust attack, and Dallas saw, when it did this. It cut a hole through the Sandstorm. "Pidgey, use Gust over the whole arena." Pidgey did just that and blew the Sandstorm away.

"Now, use Tackle once more." Pidgey flew down at Steelix, but this time it flew at a very fast rate. Dallas thought to himself, 'That's Quick Attack.' Pidgey struck Steelix and came back around. Dallas decided to have Pidgey strike again. "Pidgey, Quick Attack."

"Steelix, turn and use Dragonbreath." Steelix turned and faced Pidgey and fired a yellow beam from its mouth that struck Pidgey. Pidgey fell to the ground with swirls in his eyes.

"Pidgey is unable to battle. Steelix is the winner."

Dallas returned Pidgey and said a thank you for how awesome he battled.

"Alright, you're up Charmander."

"Char. Charmander, Char."

"Steelix, Rock Throw, now!"

"Charmander, dodge and use Flamethrower." Charmander started dodging the incoming rocks but was eventually struck by one.

Forrest wasted no time in striking again. "Steelix, Bind." Steelix wrapped around Charmander, squeezing him tight and sending immense pain into the small lizard Pokémon.

Dallas had to think, and he had to think fast. Flamethrower would just do damage. It probably wouldn't free Charmander of that Bind. There was only one thing he could think of that would free Charmander.

"Charmander, use Metal Claw!"

Dawn thought to herself, 'But they haven't been able to get that move down? I wonder if Charmander will be able to use it?'

Charmander's claw glowed white, and he swiped down at Steelix, striking the Iron Snake. He continued striking Steelix; until, finally, Steelix released Charmander. Both Pokémon were tired and breathing heavily.

"Charmander, finish this with Flamethrower."

"Steelix, avoid it with Dig." Steelix just wasn't quick enough as the Flamethrower struck him and engulfed him in flames. Steelix then collapsed to the ground, obviously unable to fight.

"Steelix is unable to battle. Charmander is the winner, which means the victory goes to Dallas of Pallet Town."

"We did it Charmander!"

"Char!" Charmander ran and jumped up into his trainer's arms.

Forrest walked over to the duo to hand them the boulder badge. "Congratulations Dallas! You have earned this Boulder Badge."

"Thank you, Forrest." Dallas took the badge. "Look Charmander, we got the Boulder Badge."

"Charmander!"

"Great job, Dallas!" Dawn ran up and congratulated her traveling partner.

"Thanks, Dawn."

The two then headed back to the Pokémon Center to train and wait for Dawn's upcoming contest. They went outside to practice for her contest. She wanted to come up with some new appeals for Piplup, something she'd never done before.

"So, Dawn. You have any ideas for the appeal round?"

"I got a really good idea, but it involves teaching Piplup Waterfall."

"Hmm… That could be a tough one. We would need someone that knows how to use Waterfall."

"Did someone ask about someone who could use Waterfall?" said a new voice, a voice all too familiar to Dawn.