Here is the fourteenth Supplement for the Heart, as usual released in the correct chronological point in the Hearts Series. The events of this Supplement take place the day after the events of Part LIV and a few days or so before Part LV which should be out a little sooner than expected due to my constant underestimation of my speed with this series. This will be the first of two Supplements set during the Islands arc, the second one will come out after Part LVI and will be very different as it is much more rich in pearls. There really isn't much more to say in this pre Part note as there were no questions or guest reviews to address here so please relax and enjoy the latest Supplement for the Heart: Relaxing on the Beach.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Relaxing on the Beach
"I could get used to this." Dawn said lazily as she stretched out on the beach chair she'd set up on the Chrysanthemum Town beach enjoying the warm rays of the sun on her fair skin, her teal colored bikini helping her get as much sun as possible. "It's good to take these moments when they come up, they help recharge you when on your journey so you don't get burnt out or sick."
"Yeah I can see that." Emily said from the chair next to Dawn, she'd gone with a cute pink bikini with a frilly thing on the chest to be more modest and was already starting to tan much to Dawn's jealousy. "Other than my trip home I haven't really taken the time to laze about like this. I've been too focused on reaching the Grand Festival."
It was the day after the Chrysanthemum Town Contest and as agreed, Dawn and Emily were enjoying a day of basking in the sun on the town's beautify beach with maybe a dip in the sea later. Dawn was enjoying the break after her win and she'd ensured that Emily knew that taking these moments were necessary to take on one's journey.
Training was important, it was what Ash was doing with his Pokémon on the beach in front of them right now, but you also needed these rest moments. Even if Dawn felt that she'd been resting a lot more than usual lately it all helped so long as she trained a little every day as well.
That was why the girls were on the beach right now chatting and enjoying the day. Dawn had enjoyed her last two post Contest talks with the bubbly brunette, she had missed not having it after HopHopHop Town as Emily had to leave immediately and wanted another one to see how the girl was doing and learn of her plans going forward. Though Dawn didn't want to admit it just yet, Emily had become somewhat of a protégé to her over the last few months since Dawn had taken her under her after the Cerulean Contest.
"It is a good to be focused on your goals but sometimes you need to just take the moment." Dawn said. "You don't want to over exert yourself and get sick or crack completely, it can happen and be hard to recover from."
"True I just want to get to the Grand Festival though." Emily said with a sigh. "The money coordinators receive for just qualifying is more than enough to keep my parents in business for a whole year and if I get far in it then I can really help them out."
"That is a noble goal." Dawn agreed. "And you're having fun doing it which helps a lot but you can't help them if you're too wiped to win your next 2 ribbons and fail to reach the Grand Festival this year."
"True which is why I am listening to you right now." Emily said. "You have been through this before and I trust you Dawn. I know competing as much as possible will give me the chances I need to qualify but you are right, I can't overwork myself."
"In time, as you grow in confidence and experience, you won't need to worry about that as much." Dawn said. "You have the skills and are getting that experience so I wouldn't be surprised if next season you don't need more than 10 Contests to qualify. Depending on where you go it could be as little as 8 or even fewer. Just don't expect a clean sweep, those are hard to do."
"Thanks, that means a lot coming from you." Emily said and Dawn saw the girl's rosy cheeks darken at her complement. "Though I could win it all this time and not need to worry about qualifying if I already have the title of Top Coordinator."
"True but you'd have to go threw me and I'd never make it easy." Dawn teased. "When the Grand Festival starts we're rivals again and I'm there to win."
"Agreed, same here." Emily said and Dawn saw the younger girl look over at her. "I will beat you one day Dawn."
"I look forward to that." Dawn said. "It will show just how much you've grown as a coordinator; it is the same with me and either my mom or Zoey. Similarly, just as I know that one day I will hoist a Ribbon Cup, so too will you."
"I'm honored you believe in me Dawn and I promise that I won't let you down." Emily said. "I'll train hard until then but I will take your advice and not push myself too hard. There's still plenty of time before the Grand Festival and plenty of Contests to try and win. I already have a break planned after I get back."
"You do?" Dawn asked. "That friend you mentioned yesterday, right?"
"Yeah I met her at a Contest a while back." Emily said with a nod. "She'd snuck off to compete in it against her parents' wishes and I beat her in the finals. She can't compete as much as she'd want because she's an heiress and has to focus on the family business. I helped her compete and persuade her parents to allow her to do so again so we became friends because of it. She invited me to her family's estate in the north east of Kanto for a break and a gift she has for me. I couldn't refuse so I have decided to make my way there tomorrow."
"So that's your plan when you get back to the mainland?" Dawn asked and Emily nodded.
"Yeah I return to Fuchsia City by boat tomorrow, a trip that will take a few days, and then I am making my way north to see her." Emily explained. "I will hit any Contest that I find on the way so that I can try and get the 2 ribbons I need but if I don't then I will take a break with her before resuming my journey."
"Sounds like a good plan." Dawn said with a smile at her friend. "The opposite of mine but we are both going at it in our own ways and I know that we will meet at the Grand Festival."
"I am sure of it." Emily said with a grin at Dawn. "So anything new to your own plan?"
"Just one thing." Dawn said looking lovingly at Ash as he and he Pokémon ran, slithered, or flew up and down the beach in some form of odd physical training regimen. "I want to catch more Pokémon, different kinds then what I usually go for, and really expand my skills in both raising and training. I don't want to become too predictable."
"Really, what brought this on?" Emily asked confusion in her voice. "Other than your Pinsir, you seem to have a specific style of Pokémon, presuming that your Mamoswine and Typhlosion were in their first stage when you got them that is as those two are powerhouses than I'd expect from you."
"They were, in fact Typhlosion was an egg when I got it so I've raised it from hatching." Dawn confirmed. "And you are right, I have a particular taste when it comes to Pokémon but I once advised you to branch out and now so will I. As for what brought this on, well you're looking at him."
"Ash?" Emily asked confused and Dawn saw her gaze drawn to Ash's workout in confusion. "He's the reason?"
"Ash has never had a preference when it comes to Pokémon with the exception of always catching a flying type well this and his time on the Battle Frontier I believe." Dawn said. "He's also always caught a regional starter Pokémon when he's in a new region."
"I mean variety is a good thing." Emily said clearly thinking on Dawn's words. "Range is more than moves, I've been learning that as I go."
"Variety does take all shapes and forms." Dawn agreed. "Just look at Ash's team now, it represents 8 types, different evolution levels, mobility ranges, and personalities but they all mesh together because of Ash. I want to be like that one day, to be able to use any Pokémon no matter what they look like or what their moves are in both appeals and battles."
"I see, having a wide range is a good thing." Emily said and Dawn knew that she was starting to get it. "It is why I began to branch out when you suggested it. I take it Ash has many Pokémon then. I don't recognize two of them with him right now and he used 3 surprising choices yesterday, well the battle pair was a surprise pair as either on their own would have been good in battle. Who knew a Tauros could be used as an appeal Pokémon?"
"Ash apparently." Dawn said with a chuckle. "Though his choices were limited there. As for Pokémon, Ash has many. At least 30 or so I believe, counting his herd of Tauros as one that is. He's been trying to give them all at least some time with him on our journey this year. The two you don't recognize and the three from yesterday were supposed to be part of his roster for the Viridian Gym battle but we still haven't heard back from that gym leader so Ash decided to use them in the Contests here and in Gardenia Town instead to get them that experience."
"I see, makes sense I guess." Emily said sounding thoughtful. "And what about you? How many Pokémon do you have Dawn? I've never actually paid much attention to it but I know you have more than just the 6 on you."
"I have 11." Dawn said as she mentally counted them. "Well I've had 12 total but I traded Buizel to Ash for his Aipom who is now Ambipom and in training with a Pokémon Ping Pong master called O. She will be in the World Championships later this year. We traded Pokémon when it became clear that they were more suited to the other trainer. Ambipom loves Contests and Buizel loves straight battles with no flash so it was the right decision and I've never once regretted it."
"But you used Ambipom in the Wallace Cup." Emily pointed out sounding confused at that. "I remember watching that great appeal you did with her."
"I did because I had promised her I would if she was free to come back to me for the Wallace Cup." Dawn said with a sad smile. "We ran into her and O in Vermilion City where he's based after Ash's battle with Surge. She chose to remain playing Ping Pong but she still loves Contests and I wanted her to be in the Wallace Cup if it worked out. it did and she returned for it but she's back training with O now."
"I see." Emily said. "And the others? Either on you or wherever you store them I take it."
"Correct." Dawn said with a nod. "I keep 6 on me at all times these days. Right now it's the 3 I have caught in Kanto this year, Piplup who is always by my side."
"Piplup." Piplup said lazily from his own small beach chair where he lay with a special pair of shades and a miniature tanning mirror next to Dawn, though she had no idea where he'd gotten any of it from.
"Yeah I always have Piplup with me and unless he's competing he's out of his ball at all times." Dawn said with a smile at her character of a Piplup. "He's my starter, after our initial adventure there was no other Pokémon I could chose for that honor, and my best friend just as Pikachu is with Ash. The other two on me are, as you saw yesterday, Buneary and Mamoswine though if I catch any other Pokémon I'll send them back to Professor Oak's ranch where the other 4 are currently based so I can work with the new captures."
"What are they?" Emily asked curiously. "The other 4 I means. I know you have a Togekiss, it's a beautiful Pokémon by the way and I saw it face Misty and her Gyarados in that epic battle in the Wallace Cup which I was glued to from the start. I also remember your Typhlosion from the Johto Grand Festival Final but the other 2?"
"A Pachirisu and a Furret." Dawn said with a smile at her other Pokémon. "Pachirisu was the third Pokémon I got, so the second one I caught, back in Sinnoh. She's an excitable electric type that is cute and small just as I prefer. We had a rough start though, I even released her briefly, but we mended our relationship and are close though she does still occasionally electrocute me. She chose to stay at the ranch enjoying it too much to come with me."
"And Furret?" Emily asked. "I think I remember seeing you use it in the Johto Grand Festival, where did you get it?"
"Furret was the only Pokémon I caught during my brief time in Johto." Dawn said with a smile at the memory. "I don't use him much but he's playful and fun to have around at times. He got on really well with some of Ash's Pokémon so stayed at the ranch as well."
"How did you catch him?" Emily asked. "You were in Johto for a few months, right?"
"Correct, I was only there for 3 months and I basically had to hit a Contest and win every other week to qualify for the Grand Festival there." Dawn said with a nod. "It was a blitz really, I pushed myself harder than I should have and I didn't know the region at all. I tried to reach out to my friends Lyra and Khoury who live there but couldn't get in contact with them so I was on my own. I was focused on Contests and winning so I could then track Ash down, not catching Pokémon but Furret was an exception."
"How so?" Emily asked clearly eager to know about Furret.
"I was on my own so I camped out alone a lot." Dawn said remembering how only her Pokémon and the reason for her Johto journey, Ash, keeping her sane while there. "So one of my Pokémon would guard me each night as they can rest in their Poke Balls but I can't. One night, shortly after winning my second Contest there, a wild Furret came into my camp one night and started playing with Quilava, this was before it evolved into Typhlosion. I woke up that morning to find them still playing together and Furret didn't want to leave so I asked him to join me and he did. I had already sent Pachirisu home to help mom out for a bit so I had the spot for him."
"Ah well that is one way to catch a Pokémon." Emily said with a chuckle. "Bonding before catching is always a good thing I feel."
"That it is." Dawn agreed. "But my focus back in Johto was different. Now I can enjoy my journey with Ash and we have the time to focus on more than just Contests like catching new Pokémon and being more like Ash in my own way."
"You love him deeply don't you?" Emily asked surprising Dawn with the shift in topic.
"It's obvious but yes I do." Dawn said with a smile as she looked at her boyfriend and blushed a little at how gushy she was being. "He's amazing, one of a kind and I thank Arceus each day that I met him. I didn't even realize I was falling for him until it was too late to stop, not that I would have wanted to, and now I know that he's the one. Course I'm not the only one who thinks that, I'm just the one who landed him which was a miracle in its own right."
"That's nice." Emily said with a smile at Dawn's feelings for Ash. "I've never had a crush so I don't know what it's like to fall for someone."
"One day you will find a guy, or girl if that's your preference, who will amaze you and steal your heart whether you want it or not." Dawn said. "You may not know it at first, sometimes it's hard to realize your feelings until something makes you realize them, but when you do you will know you're in love. It's an odd feeling at first but accept it and if you can, pursue it."
"Well if that day comes and I find the right guy I will see what happens and what is the best course of action." Emily said. "Until then though, I will just do my own thing and let the world come to me."
"Speaking of your own thing." Dawn said deciding to shift the topic back to the future less she get all mushy over Ash which would be embarrassing. "Have you thought about what you will do after the Grand Festival?"
"No I haven't." Emily admitted shaking her head. "Though I think I want to go to one of the 4 regions that Contests are expanding to, Kalos, Unova or Galar most likely but if it's the right fit I'd consider Alola as well."
"Interesting, any reason why?" Dawn asked curiously.
"Dunno, they're far away and very different from the ones in this part of the world." Emily said with a shrug. "So it would be fun to go there with just Clefable, maybe another Pokémon if I catch it late in the year and have an adventure while participating in an inaugural Contest season, those don't come by often so it would be a waste to miss one."
"True they don't so it is an experience for sure." Dawn said, it was a good idea but she knew that Emily could do more than just that and she would tell her friend as much. "Though can I give you a piece of advice for it."
"Of course." Emily said eagerly. "I'm always willing to listen to your advice Dawn."
"Find someone to travel with." Dawn said. "I know that my Sinnoh journey wouldn't have been nearly as good had I not gone on it with Ash and Brock by my side the entire time, and of course my Kanto journey with Ash this year is amazing. Whatever happens at the end of the year, Ash and I will go to a new region together next year, that much we have already decided on."
"I see, yes that is a good idea." Emily said with a slow nod of her head. "It would be more fun to do it with someone else, so long as they're the right fit. I have to ask; how did you end up on a journey with Ash in the first place?"
"Ha that, that was a day and what a way to start my first journey." Dawn said with a chuckle. "It was on my very first day as a trainer after getting Piplup, a story in its own right,. I was on my bike when I ran into an injured Pikachu that had stumbled out of some bushes I think. I decided that I wanted to catch it as my first catch and tried battle it with Piplup."
"A water type against an electric type?" Emily asked with a raised eyebrow. "That usually doesn't end well unless Piplup is part ground type which I know it's not."
"Well I was a complete novice back then." Dawn said defensively. "But yes, it was not my best move because Pikachu fried Piplup, me, and my bike, destroying the last one entirely which apparently is his calling card."
"Calling card?" Emily asked confused.
"Pikachu has fried either the girl who travels a region with Ash, her bike, or in my case both, as if he is marking the start of a journey." Dawn said smiling at the fact that Pikachu had such a habit. "Not sure why he does it but it always happens. After that happened to me I tried to catch him but it didn't work because he was already owned by Ash who wasn't present. He was injured and on his own though so I rushed him to a nearby Pokémon Center to get him healed up."
"Why was he on his own?" Emily asked. "And not with Ash. Those two seem inseparable."
"Oh they are but back then Ash and Pikachu had thus trio of Pokémon thieves obsessed with them." Dawn said. "They belong to Team Rocket, have you heard of them?"
"The criminal gang based here?" Emily asked her eyebrow raised. "They were in Sinnoh?"
"Only these three morons." Dawn said. "They'd followed Ash there because they want his Pikachu and have spent millions trying and failing to steam him. A struggle happened and Pikachu was injured and separated from Ash. Ash had his Aipom with him, the one that I would later trade for, and quickly caught a Starly to help him find Pikachu before finding us at a Pokémon Center. Then Team Rocket struck again and I saw Ash for the man he was for the first time that day when he risked his life to save Pikachu from their weird machine. I knew in that moment that I wanted to travel with, and learn from, him."
"So you just invited yourself along?" Emily asked.
"More I asked if I could join him on his journey which apparently hadn't been done before or since." Dawn said with a shrug. "Misty had just followed him under the pretense of getting her bike fixed but quickly fell for him, May had guilted him into accepting her after he destroyed her bike, and Iris just invited herself along I believe. I asked politely and he accepted me without hesitation. it was rough at the start, I was a bit of brat in fact and he was a little arrogant, but Nando put us straight and we've been great since."
"I see." Emily said and Dawn got the feeling she was pondering what she had said. "So if I find someone I want to travel with, I should just ask him or her if it's ok to travel together?"
"Probably the best thing to do as it is the polite way to find a traveling companion." Dawn said with a nod. "But enough of the past. I'm getting hot sitting here and could use a dip. Care to join me?"
"Sounds nice." Emily said as Dawn got up. "I could use a little cool off so sure."
"Come on Piplup, time for a swim." Dawn said bending down to pick up her starter, the idea of swimming enough to make him not protest too much at being interrupted from his nap.
"Should I let Azumarill out?" Emily asked as she got up to join Dawn. "It's also a water type so can join us."
"That might not be a good idea." Dawn said hesitantly as she looked at Dragonair training with Ash and Gengar at the moment while Pikachu worked with the others. "Probably the one Pokémon that shouldn't be out at the moment."
"Why not?" Emily asked sounding confused. "I'll respect it but why?"
"Ash's Dragonair might not react well to seeing it." Dawn said. "And while he's well trained, Azumarill might be the exception."
"That's odd." Emily responded. "Why would a Dragonair have an issue with an Azumarill?"
"Out of contest sure but in context it makes sense." Dawn explained. "You see, Ash caught Dragonair as a Dratini after he helped Dratini learn Thunderbolt so that he could defeat an Azumarill that was bullying him and his friends and running a lake with a group of Marill sycophants."
"Um what?" Emily asked blinking in surprise at that. "An Azumarill was a bully?"
"This one was." Dawn said with a sigh. "It's uncommon for sure but Pokémon, just like people, have different personalities. One day I will tell you the story of the evil Togepi I met back in Sinnoh."
"You met an evil Togepi?" Emily asked as they made their way down to the water, Dawn noting that Emily hadn't let Azumarill out at her recommendation. "How does that happen?"
"Travel with Ash and you have crazy adventures that become normal." Dawn said with a shrug while Piplup agreed with her in her arms. "It was after the Twinleaf Festival and at Team Rockets temporary base there. We ran into an evil Togepi that used Attract to take command of Piplup, Pikachu, Croagunk and Team Rocket's Meowth so that she could take control of the base. She then locked us in a prison in that base and launched us into space for some reason were we had a run in with Rayquaza. It was an interesting day."
"Sounds it." Emily said her eyes wide at Dawn's tale. "You have some incredible adventures Dawn."
"Ash is a magnet for that." Dawn said with a grin. "I've only experienced a fraction of what he has experienced and I still don't know it all, it would take weeks I think for Ash to recall all his crazy adventures. How about I tell you about our adventure in Reverse World and its deity Giratina as we enjoy the ocean."
"Reverse World?" Emily asked. "Giratina?"
"So it happened like this…" Dawn began as they got into the cool water.
Dawn continued with her story as Emily listened in wrapped amazement at the tale. Dawn smiled enjoying being able to share the adventure with her friend as they enjoyed the cool ocean. Tomorrow they would be resuming their respective journeys but for now they were just two friends playing in the ocean. This was just what Dawn needed after her win.
Another fun little post Contest chat between Dawn and Emily as they further their mentor/mentee relationship. This will be the last time Emily is seen before the Grand Festival but she will be back for that and all that it entails. For once there really isn't much more for me to say after this Supplement so as always please continue favorite and follow both me and this story to keep abreast with new releases and keep the reviews coming. Until next time.
Stringdog