[A/N]: After so many years... this has finally been posted! I surely hope you enjoy this semi-sequel to "Sleepless Nights on Lake Valor". I've decided to expand and change some of the story's aspects such as the plot/setting(s)/etc. This will probably be the lengthiest and most thoroughly-written story I've ever put together, so prepare yourselves! Ash's old friends make a comeback! (I miss them so much.) The big character lists are below, but remember, they are tentative! Some characters will be added, some may be removed. I will consistently update this section as the character list expands or shrinks.

Protagonists

Ash Ketchum, Dawn, Misty, Brock, Gary Oak, May, Max, Drew, Paul, Iris, Cilan, N, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie, The Rocket Trio

Antagonists

Giovanni, Maxie, Archie, Cyrus, Ghetsis, Colress, Lysandre, Team Rocket, Team Magma, Team Aqua, Team Galactic, Team Plasma, Team Flare

Recurring Characters

Delia Ketchum; Professors: Samuel Oak, Ivy, Elm, Birch, Rowan, Juniper and Sycamore; Gym Leaders and Elite Four from all regions; Looker; Red, Leaf, Ethan, Lyra, Brendan, Lucas, Hilbert, Hilda, Nate, Rosa, Hugh, Calem, Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor

There's No Need to Worry!

Prologue

Johanna, the mother of perhaps the greatest Coordinator in the world, cautiously approached her daughter's bedroom. The door, covered in stickers and posters— all pertinent to contests, of course—was still closed from the night before. Dawn's mother twisted the bronze doorknob and gingerly pushed against the wood so that the door was left ajar. She took a peek inside of her daughter's room. Johanna had to squint in order to discern even the tiniest hints of light. Dawn's room was extremely dark; she had shut her blinds before laying in bed and the only light in the bedroom was emanating from her Starly alarm clock.

Johanna carefully made her way through the room, trying to make sure she would not make the wooden floorboards creak. Thank Arceus she had her slippers on; they suppressed most of the sound she made while traversing through the bedroom. As soon as Johanna reached the window, she felt around for the cord tassels used to pull open the curtains.

No, those are the slats...

After a few minutes of playing guess-the-object, Dawn's mother found the cords. She pulled one cord left and the other, right. Eye-blinding sunlight instantly crept through the pitch-black bedroom. Immediately, every corner of the room was bathed in sunlight. Johanna turned around and saw her daughter sleeping soundly in her bed. She sat on the edge of her bed and smiled. Two years. It had been exactly two years since Dawn had first left home. Johanna, needless to say, was constantly worrying—was her daughter safe? It was senseless, however, for her to brood over Dawn's condition; Ash and Brock had vowed to keep her safe, and that they did.

But now Dawn's mother had full reason to fret again. After all, it wasn't every day that her daughter came home. She rarely stayed in Twinleaf for more than a few weeks at a time. As heartbreaking for Johanna as it was, she was also very proud of her daughter. Dawn had achieved everything Johanna had aspired for and even more.

After savoring the few moments she had left with Dawn before she was on the road again, Johanna decided it was time to wake her up.

"Dawn," Johanna's voice emanated from the depths of her deep dream. "Dawn, honey. Wake up! I don't think you want to miss your flight to Kanto, do you?"

The girl shifted slightly in her bed but refused to wake up. Johanna sighed.

Why today, of all days, must she be sleeping this deeply?

Dawn's mother craned her neck over her daughter to get a glimpse of the time. August 10, 9:57 A.M. Her daughter's flight was at 11:30. She shook her head in desperation. Slowly coaxing her awake did not work and gently shaking her wasn't going anywhere, either. Out of patience and ideas, Johanna left Dawn's room slightly frustrated.

On her way out, she accidentally bumped into a sleepwalking Piplup. The mother gasped as the little penguin Pokémon fell onto its behind on the hard wood floor. The impact woke up the small Pokémon and caused it to recklessly fire off Bubblebeam. Johanna had to react quickly before it broke all the furniture. As Johanna relaxed Piplup, she came up with an idea she could use to wake up her daughter.

"Piplup," Johanna sighed. "Would you mind waking up Dawn for me? I just can't seem to get her out of bed. You certainly know how long she's been waiting for this day! She'll be late if she doesn't wake up soon!"

Piplup understood her request and puffed out its chest. Johanna chuckled and shook her head. Piplup the ever prideful. With its eyes closed, the penguin marched its way to Dawn's room only to bump into the closed door.

"Pip!" It squeaked as it fell back to the floor. The little penguin clearly became agitated, maybe more embarrassed than anything, as it started to use Drill Peck on the door.

"Okay, Piplup! I think that's quite enough!" Johanna chuckled.

Dawn's mother opened the door for the Pokémon. In response, Piplup bowed in respect before heading in.

"Always such the gentleman, too. Hm, hm…" Johanna chuckled and left the door open, making her way downstairs in order to heat up the breakfast that was left unattended.

Piplup made its way to Dawn's bed where it first used Pound on Dawn's hand. Its Trainer's only reaction was moving her hand back under the covers. Next, Piplup tried a Water Gun on its Dawn's face; she did nothing. Getting frustrated again, Piplup used Drill Peck—making sure he was not pecking too strongly, but definitely hard enough to be felt. The girl finally woke up when the Pokémon's beak first hit her side.

"Piplup!" Dawn shot up. "Why did you do that?"

"Pip, Piplup!" The little penguin cried out.

"Oh, yeah! It's the day we go to Kanto!" Dawn raised her fist in the air. "It's time to see Ash again…"

Piplup noticed that tears had started welling up in her eyes, so he gently wiped them away. "Pip, lup, lup, lup!"

Dawn immediately perked up at her Pokémon's words. The coordinator held her head up high and smiled. "Thanks, Piplup! There's no need to worry! Now let's get ready. We gotta look our best when we get there!"

Dawn changed out of her pajamas and into her signature clothing: a white beanie with a pink Pokéball insignia; two yellow, triangle-shaped hair clips; a white tank top; black cotton vest; pink skirt; and pink calf-high boots. She sat down in front of her wooden vanity and immediately began on pampering herself before going down for breakfast. Dawn wasn't one who wore an excessive amount of blush. Just a tad bit here and a tad bit there, and she was done. Today did not break that exception. The coordinator had put on a few dabs of blush before putting it back in its case and replacing it with a black hairbrush. The bluenette then started to comb her hair from root to tip, ascertaining that there were no tangles left behind. The last touch—a few sprays of perfume. Its sweet, fruity aroma was enriched in her hair, clothes, and skin. After doing a final check in the mirror, Dawn headed off down the stairs to savor her mother's meal. The scent of pancakes and fruit gently wafted towards her nose.

"Mom!" The coordinator smiled at her mother. "Breakfast smells great!"

Johanna's attention was split between Dawn and the quickly burning pancake mix in the pan, but she quickly turned around to face her daughter.

"Why thank you, honey." Dawn's mother reciprocated with a grin. "You might want to take these to the airport with you. Look at the time!"

Johanna faced the stove again and dealt with the burning pancakes, while Dawn looked at the Starly clock mounted above the kitchen wall. 10:57 in the morning. Seeing it was that late, Dawn started to panic.

"It took me that long to get ready?!" Dawn was amazed.

"Well, honey," Johanna reminded her. "You aren't exactly the fastest at deciding what to wear for the day."

Dawn blushed, embarrassed. Johanna looked over at her and chuckled.

"Don't worry, Dawn. I already put some pancakes and fruits in a container. You can eat it on your way to the airport in Jubilife. All of your stuff is packed in your bag."

"Oh, thanks mom!" The coordinator rammed into the side of her mother and gave her a bear hug, causing the poor woman to topple and hit the kitchen floor.

"Sorry, mom..." Dawn got up off the floor and helped her mother stand back up.

"No need to say sorry, honey." Johanna laughed again. "I'm worried about you, though."

"Moooom," The bluenette groaned. "There's no need to worry! I'll be fine; it'll be just like those adventures I took to Hoenn!"

"When you say that, that's when I worry the most."

Dawn hugged her mom in reply. Johanna smiled and hugged her back. Dawn's mother quickly pulled away, reminding her daughter that she had to leave soon. She picked up Dawn's bag and handed it to her before leading her towards the front door. Johanna opened the door and escorted her daughter out to the front yard.

"Go ahead, honey." Johanna waved her hands in the direction of Sandgem Town. "You don't want to miss your flight!"

"Okay, mom!" Dawn started walking away from her house. "I'll see you soon, 'kay? Be sure to call me on my Holo Caster!"

"I will! Be safe! Make sure to say hi to Ash for me!" With that, mother and daughter separated again.

In Sinnoh...

"I gotta hurry! Ash is waiting for me, Piplup!"

And in Kanto...

"Pikachu... Dawn is on her way."