CHAPTER 3

A fierce wind blew through the area, sending shivers down my spine as I stared at the being in front of me. He was a fearsome creature… if it was a man… I couldn't tell. All I could make out were the evil, hate-filled eyes glaring at me with pure contempt. Chimchar was a mess. It had been badly beaten, and was struggling to keep from fainting. All my other Pokémon had been defeated. They all put up a brave front, but not a single one was able to defend themselves against his terrifying power.

Others were there, too. Barry and his Piplup had tried to fight off the man as well, but they were defeated even faster than I was. Lucas stood nearby, clutching his pokéball closely to his chest… He was too afraid to even try battle against the creature.

Putting my own safety aside, I ran to my Pokémon. Two others tried to stop me from running to the Chimchar, two figures I could not clearly make out. But I didn't listen. I didn't care about my safety anymore, just getting my Chimchar to safety before it fell to further harm. The being before us began to let out a monstrous laughter as I wrapped my arms protectively around its waist, attempting to pull the monkey to safety. The being knew we were powerless, and it seemed to find some sort of twisted pleasure from that fact.

"Why are you doing this?" I shouted at the creature, demanding an answer. "What's the point of all this?"

He didn't answer. Instead the sky grew dark as two large shadows appeared beside him, one on each side. Their eyes began to glow a sinister red and a terrible beam of light shot from them. I clutched Chimchar, letting out a terrified scream as everything went black…


Dawn's eyes snapped open as she shot up in bed. Her pillow was soaked with sweat as she looked around. The faint, early morning sun was beginning to shine through the girl's window. At the bottom of her bed Chimchar slept peacefully, sprawled out with a small trail of drool escaping from its lips.

Dawn fell back against her pillow, taking a deep breath as she gazed up at the ceiling.

"It was just a dream… A terrible, awful dream…" she whispered, running a hand through her hair in the process.

It terrified the girl. Having a nightmare was nothing new to the girl, but that one… it was more terrifying than anything she had dreamt before. And it felt so real…

Dawn shook her head, trying to push the thought of it to the back of her head. She was being silly. After all, it was just a dream… Silly, harmless, somewhat scary, but it was a dream nonetheless.

Lifting covers, Dawn slid out of bed and made to get ready for the day. She had quite a busy day ahead of herself, after all. The girl would also be lying if she said she wasn't curious to see what Professor Rowan had in store for she and Barry, and she was sure that the boy was probably the same way. In fact, knowing Barry he was probably too impatient about it to fall asleep. Thinking about such things brought a small smile to her lips as the girl hurried about to get ready.

After going about her morning routine and bidding a good-bye to her mother, Dawn left her house and made her way for Barry's. Wanting to avoid the incident that had happened on their way home the previous night, the girl had made sure to carry her Chimchar inside of its pokéball this time... although she made sure to carry the ball close as she walked.

Upon arriving at Barry's house, the girl hurriedly knocked on the door. She only waited a moment or two before the door swung open, and she was greeted by a blonde, middle-aged woman. Dawn smiled warmly.

"Oh good morning, Dawn! I see you're up early like Barry," she greeted.

"Yeah… We planned to go by Professor Rowan's to thank him again for our Pokémon," Dawn replied.

"Yes, yes… I know…" the boy's mother replied with a chuckle. "He's been going about it all morning! He eventually just took off, saying he'd wait for you at the edge of town."

Dawn gave a quick nod. "I see… Thanks for letting me know!"

Dawn bid the woman a quick farewell and made her way towards Barry's waiting spot. Dawn sighed as walked. She was not too surprised to learn that the boy had already left his house. A part of her wouldn't have been surprised if he was probably already banging on the Professor's front door.

Luckily, that was not the case. Just as the boy's mother had said, Barry was waiting for Dawn at the very spot where they had met Professor Rowan the previous day. He was busy rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet. In fact if Dawn didn't know any better, she could have sworn he was twitching in anticipation. She smiled as the boy suddenly looked up, a wide smile gracing his lips as he quickly ran towards the girl, nearly tripping over his own feet in the process.

"There you are! I was starting to wonder if you were gonna show up!" Barry greeted.

Dawn rolled her eyes. "My bad… I took the time to go by your house, thinking you'd still be there."

Barry seemed to ignore this as he looked around and suddenly leaned in close. "Look, here's the deal… I think we should bring the professor something when we go to see him."

Dawn looked at him curiously. "A gift, huh?"

"Exactly!" Barry shouted. He quickly covered his mouth and leaned in again. "Look, you've heard the story about the mirage Pokémon, right?"

Dawn looked thoughtful for a moment and nodded. "You mean that Pokémon they used to tell us stories about when we were in elementary school?"

Barry nodded. "That's the one! It's supposed to be at Lake Verity! Just imagine… If we bring him such a rare Pokémon, I bet he'd never be able to stop smiling! It's perfect!"

"Um… Barry, I don't thi—"

"Trust me on this! Have I ever steered you wrong?"

Before Dawn could give an answer to that, Barry had already taken hold of the girl's wrist and headed for the lake's entrance. She smiled weakly as she allowed the boy to pull her along. Surely, he'd realize an important fact in a few moments.

Upon arriving at the lake entrance, all was as it usually was… It was quiet, the sound of Starly happily chirping from their branches in the trees. A light breeze blew across the lake, ruffling through Barry's hair as the two stepped into the clearing.

Barry smiled excited as he faced Dawn. "Okay, this is gonna be easy! Let's get our Pokémon ready and do this thing! Let's roll out an—"

"Barry…" Dawn whispered, tugging on his sleeve.

The blonde boy stopped his rambling and turned to look in the direction that Dawn was pointing in. A strange man that neither of the teens had seen before was staring out at the lake in front of them. He had pointy, somewhat greasy, aqua-blue hair. He was wearing a strange silver and black suit, one that resembled something a character would wear in some cheesy sci-fi movie. He had pale skin, and dark circles under his eyes making it seem that he hadn't been a proper night's sleep in days.

The strange man was muttering to himself in a rather creepy manner. Dawn couldn't make it all out… only bits and pieces of it here or there; he mentioned something about power, the world, and Mespirit…

"Who is this weirdo?" Barry asked in a rather loud voice, looking curiously at the man.

Hearing the sudden the noise, the man turned and faced the two teens. A rather frightening expression was on his face, one that sent a shiver running down Dawn's spine. Once he realized it was only a pair of kids, his expression quickly changed to a more neutral one. Looking over his shoulder at the lake one final time, he began to walk towards the two teens and the lake's entrance.

Barry grabbed the pokéball around his belt, giving a rather-noticeable fake glare at the man. "Who are you? W-What are you doing here at the l-lake?"

"Out of my way, boy…" the man said in a deep, icy tone as he shoved past Barry.

Dawn quickly stood to the side as he passed. The man stopped for a moment as he passed, looking back at the girl out of the corner of his eye, before he exited the clearing and disappeared from sight. Upon his exit, Barry seemed to return back to his usual self. Dawn on the other hand… she still felt a bit uneasy. So much so that she still stared at the lake's entrance for a bit after he had left.

"Dawn? Earth to Dawn! Are you there?" Barry's called suddenly, snapping the girl from her thoughts. "You alright?"

Dawn nodded quickly. "I'm fine… Sorry about that."

Barry shrugged. "Whatever! Anyways, let's catch…"

The girl watched as her friend seemed to realize something very important. He began to feel around his belt, before a small blush slowly rose to his cheeks.

"Something wrong?" Dawn asked, a soft smile playing across her lips.

"Yeah, there is! We can't catch anything! We don't have any pokéballs!" the boy shouted in defeat. Dawn was doing everything she could at this point to keep from laughing as the poor boy's idea came crashing down around him. However, his eyes suddenly lit up. "Oh, well! Forget it! Let's just go, then. Maybe if we ask, Professor Rowan will give some pokéballs…"

Dawn sighed. "So we went from giving him something…. to asking for more?"

Dawn's question fell to deaf ears. "I'll race ya, Dawn! Last one to Sandgem Town owes the winner a million bucks!"

"H-Hey, Barry! Wait a minute!" the blue-haired girl protested.

But her protest fell to deaf ears. Barry was already out of the lake clearing and dashing for Sandgem like a maniac, leaving Dawn on her own once more. The girl rolled her eyes, and slowly started out of the clearing. If Barry wanted to run around like a lunatic, that was his business. Dawn was quite comfortable at walking to the town at her own pace.

As Dawn stepped out on to Route 201, she looked down at the pokéball in her hand. It wasn't going to be much fun just traveling around by her lonesome. Smiling, she was just about to press the button in the middle of the ball, when it suddenly snapped open on its own. The next thing Dawn knew, her Chimchar was jumping up and down in front of her with a rather excited grin on its face.

The teen looked at her Pokémon curiously. "I didn't let you out of your ball yet… But… Um, I guess… Lead on?"

Chimchar squealed in delight. Without a moment's hesitation, the monkey took off running into the tall grass. Dawn smiled weakly and chased after the creature. It was probably just happy to be out, wanting to explore and play much like it did when Dawn first took it to Twinleaf…

The girl couldn't have been further from the truth. By the time the girl and Pokémon had reached the small town of Sandgem, the bluenette was feeling a bit winded. She had found herself chasing the Chimchar the entire way, stopping only when it engaged a wild Bidoof or Starly in battle. It was definitely more than just a little playful and energetic… In fact, a part of Dawn felt that the creature was deliberately trying to stir up trouble. She certainly hoped that wasn't the case, that maybe it was just the Chimchar wanting to battle to become stronger instead.

Regardless, Dawn quickly made the decision that the Chimchar (as well as herself) could use a small break. She quickly returned the Chimchar to its pokéball and took a look around the town. A small smile graced her lips as she spotted a building with a red-orange roof, with a sign shaped like white pokéball hanging in the center of the roof.

"A Pokémon Center…" she whispered, quickly making her way to the building.

Dawn had actually never been inside one of them before. She was quite surprised to see that it looked incredibly similar to the inside of a hospital's lobby. There was a small computer sitting in the corner for public use, as well as several payphones. There were several couches and chairs sitting along the walls with magazines scattered about them. Dawn assumed they were amusement should someone end up being in the building for a long time.

"Excuse me, miss?" a voice called out, snapping Dawn back to reality. The blue-haired teen looked behind the counter to see a pink-haired woman wearing a nurse's uniform looking at her curiously. "Can I help you?"

Dawn nodded and quickly made her way towards the counter with an apologetic smile. "Sorry about that."

"It's no problem, dear," the nurse said with a smile. "Would you like me to heal you Pokémon?"

Dawn nodded, slowly handing her Chimchar's pokéball to the nurse behind the counter. She watched as the nurse took the ball and placed it inside of a strange machine. She hit a few buttons on the side of the device, causing it to light up and play a strange, almost melodic noise. Once the machine died down, the nurse removed the ball from the machine and quickly handed it back to Dawn.

"That was fast…" Dawn said, quite surprised.

The nurse smiled. "Oh, yes… We use only the state-of-the-art at Pokémon Centers! Very efficient, in and out, unless the damage is severe, anyways…"

Dawn nodded understandingly. The nurse bid her farewell, reminding her to come back again if she ever needed. From there, the girl stepped back outside and gave the town a good look around for the first time. She didn't see Barry anywhere, causing Dawn to wonder if he had already went home. Judging from his usual hurry, it was quite possible.

Regardless, the girl eventually spotted the building that happened to be Rowan's lab. Dawn quickly made her way towards the building and just began reaching for the door when it suddenly swung wide open on its own. Before she knew it something plowed right into the girl, causing her to flat on her backside.

"Oh, it's just you, Dawn!" a familiar voice called out.

Dawn looked up with a rather annoyed glare in her eyes. "Barry!"

She noticed he looked quite excited… even more so than usual. "Oh man, Dawn! You wouldn't believe me even if I told you!"

"Told me what?" Dawn asked as she rose to her feet, dusting off her pink skirt.

"I'm gonna be a trainer, Dawn! I'm gonna be a real trainer!" the boy announced.

Dawn brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry, what?"

Barry was practically jumping up and down with excitement. "Just you wait, Dawn! I'll be the best trainer in the history of Sinnoh! No, wait! Of the entire world! I'm gonna be the next champion! And it all starts right now!"

Having told her… or rather, everyone in the town this new information, Barry took off running once more. This time however, he did not head in the direction of Twinleaf. Rather, he ran towards the north exit to the town. She had thought about going after the boy, when another voice got her attention.

"Oh, Dawn… You're here!" The girl turned to see Professor Rowan standing in the doorway looking at her with his usual stern face. "Would you mind stepping inside, please?"

Dawn obeyed and followed the professor inside. The building was full of various machines making various clicks and beeping noises. Several men and women in white lab coats were walking about, analyzing data on the machines and then quickly scribbling it down something on a clipboard. When the girl reached the back of the lab, she found not only Rowan waiting on her, but the boy that had been accompanying the other day as well.

"That boy… He's more excitable than a Primeape on a sugar rush…" Rowan mused.

"Yeah, sorry…" Dawn apologized. "I'm used it, but I guess he comes on a little strong to new people."

"Quite… Allow me to get to the point," the professor said quickly. Dawn nodded. "I'm sure as you realize, I'm not quite as young as I used to be. As time goes on, it becomes rather difficult for me to do the field work… That's why I have Lucas here."

The said boy looked over at Dawn and smiled.

"That said, I think it would not only benefit us, but also could do you some good if you were to aid us." Rowan explained.

Lucas gave the professor a confused look. "Sir…?"

The professor took a step forward, and looked Dawn in her eyes. "Dawn… Would you like to help me with my research?"

Dawn's eyes went wide. "M-Me? The professor wants me to help him with his research? That means… This means I'd have to leave Twinleaf… and go all over Sinnoh like Rowan does now! This is the kind of chance I've been waiting for!"

Dawn snapped back to reality. "So… What exactly would I have to do?"

The professor smiled as he reached into his pocket. Dawn watched as he slowly pulled out a small, red, handheld device. "You would need to use this… It's called a Pokédex. This device will basically record the data of the various Pokémon you encounter as you travel. In other words, just travel around Sinnoh and battle like any other trainer would. All I request is that you use the Pokédex to record all of the Pokémon as you travel."

"That's all?" Dawn asked in surprise. Lucas had been called his field assistant. The girl was expecting to help carry the professor's luggage and supplies around like the boy did when they first met.

"That's all," Rowan answered with a smile. "So… What do you say?"

Dawn eyed the Pokédex in his hand for a moment. She nodded and accepted the device with a smile on her face. The professor wasn't done there, however. He then reached into his other pocket and pulled out another Pokédex, handing this one to the boy.

"Professor...?" Lucas asked.

"You are a valuable assistant to my work, Lucas…" Professor Rowan began. "You deserve it."

The boy took the device from the professor's hand, looking rather moved. "Thank you, sir… I won't let you down."

"Excellent… Now go on, you two!" Rowan began. "The world of Pokémon is a vast and exciting world! I am always on your side. Don't be afraid to ask for my help."

The two teens thanked the professor and made their way out of the lab. It was early afternoon when they emerged from the building. Lucas smiled at Dawn, extending his hand quickly to the girl.

"I'm looking forward to working with you, Dawn," he said with a smile. "I bet we'll make a great team."

Dawn felt a smile as she took the boy's hand. Lucas gave it a firm shake.

"It's getting a bit late in the day now, though… You should probably let your parents know what's going on as well," he continued. He pointed across the street to a quaint, two level house much like Dawn's own. "How about we meet up tomorrow morning at my house?"

"Sounds good, Lucas. See you then," Dawn replied as the two parted ways.

Lucas headed for his house and Dawn made her way back to Twinleaf Town.

It didn't seem to take as long for the girl to get home as it did for her to get Sandgem. For one reason, Chimchar had remained inside of its ball. Another reason though, was the thought of how her mother would react to her news. She had told her that once she turned 14 and had her own Pokémon, that she'd be allowed to go on her journey. However at the same time, Dawn didn't think her mother would be expecting her to just up and leave like that. Dawn began to worry that the woman would be deeply upset, maybe to the point that she'd refuse to let her go.

The bluenette sighed, shaking the thought from her head. No, her mother would not do that. It wasn't her way. She took a deep breath as the small town came into view, and she slowly made her way home.

"I want to do this… I've been waiting for this day for years... I can't stay here forever…"

Dawn slowly made her way to the house and quietly stepped inside. It was quiet; something that was odd considering her mother was always home at this time of the day. Slipping out of her boots, Dawn stepped inside the living room and looked around.

"Mom? Are you home?" the girl called out.

"In here, honey!" the woman called from the kitchen.

Dawn quickly made her way into the room. She was quite surprised at the sight that awaited her when she came inside. A large banner was hanging from the ceiling with the words "Good Luck, Dawn!" painted in large, red letters. On the table set a freshly baked, delicious, chocolate cake.

"Mom…" Dawn called, her voice barely above a whisper. "What's all this? The cake and the banner…?"

Joanna smiled warmly, pulling her daughter into a close and sudden embrace. "This is your party, Dawn… Your congratulations/farewell party."

Dawn blinked in surprise. "What… You knew?"

"I knew the moment you showed me your Chimchar…" Joanna explained. "You're growing up, Dawn. You have your own life to live… You have your own dreams to pursue. I know that even though I am your mother, I can't keep you from that any longer…"

"Momma…" Dawn whispered, as she felt a lump forming in her throat.

Her mother chuckled, a sad smile on her lips as she looked away. "Don't be like that, now… You'll just make this harder for the both of us."

Dawn wiped her eyes and returned her mother's hug. They held the hug for a moment, before her mother finally broke it, wiping a stray tear from her eye. They both knew what the morning was going to bring, and they were ready.

"Now… Let's have some of this cake," Joanna suggested with a smile. "I've already packed your bag with the essentials you'll need for your journey. After we're done go see if there's anything else you'll need. Remember, to pack anything extra you may want, but travel light too…"

Dawn nodded and the two sat down to enjoy the cake her mother had baked. Once they were done, Dawn went up to her room to look things over. Just as she said, Joanna had packed all of Dawn's necessities for her journey into her bag. However, there was one item that was missing.

The girl walked over to her desk and opened the drawer up slowly. Inside, there were various pencils, pens, and papers. However, the one item Dawn was looking for was right in the middle. It was an old and worn diary. On the cover was a picture of Dawn and her mother. It was taken the day Dawn received her journal, back on her tenth birthday. The girl carefully picked the journal up and slipped it into her bag. She knew it would be a long journey, and she wanted to right down every detail that happened.

"Journey…" Dawn whispered to herself. "It's hard to believe it… This will be the last time I'm home… the last time I'm in this room for quite a long time… By this time tomorrow, I'll be a trainer."

The thought of that stayed with Dawn the remainder of the night. She quickly took her nightly shower, before climbing in bed. Thoughts of the adventures ahead stayed strong in her mind as sleep gradually overtook her.


It was after midnight in Canalave City. The normally bustling port town was now calm, most of its citizens having stepped into dream land. The only sounds came from the melodic chirping of the Kricketune in cool night air.

Suddenly in the still of the night, a small boat docked at one of the untaken piers. As if on cue, several police officers suddenly made their way to the dock. They all saluted as a lone figure stepped off the boat, making his way to the pier. He was a tall, middle-aged man with short, black hair. He wore a brown, three-piece suit and a light-tan trench coat. The man looked around at the various officers and gave a quiet nod.

"You may be at ease, men," the coat-wearing man said.

One of the officers made their way towards the newcomer and gave a firm nod. "Welcome, sir. I trust you know the full situation at hand?"

"Yes. I have been busy with reviewing all the information during my traveling," the coated man replied. "The stealing of Pokémon… The strange buildings that have been being built… It is all too much to be of the coincidence. Something is definitely afoot in the Sinnoh region… And I, Officer Looker, shall be getting to the bottom of it. I am resting my badge upon it."


A/N: I spent a lot of time getting this chapter going. I dunno why, really. Once I got it started the rest just flowed, but... Anyways, I'm good with this chapter now that it's done. I wanna thank "I Dream Of Utopia", for providing the only review this story has gotten. I appreciate that you're enjoying it. Like usual, do the "Double R-Thing"... By which I mean, read and review, please. See you guys in chapter four, or anything else I decide to crank out on the side.