"Thank you, Ash." Professor Rowan told me, as he re-entered the Lab. "Paul needed to hear that."
"Don't mention it," I replied. "I know that there are different kinds of trainers out there and I've learned my lesson about getting involved. As long as there is no abuse I won't try and… 'fix' the other's training methods. As much as I hate people catching and releasing pokemon because they don't fit their criteria… I am happy Paul did that."
"Why?" Dawn asked me, shocked.
"It is not something I would ever do or something I would advise people to do." I smiled at her. "But Paul's methods are too much for any pokemon who doesn't follow his ideology. If he had a pokemon who doesn't fit his criteria and kept it training him as he trains the other… that would be borderline abuse."
"Like with Chimchar," Dawn commented.
"Yes, like with him." I sighed. "I know for a fact that the only reason Paul kept him is that he is a Regional Pokemon. Otherwise, he would have released him a long time ago. Let's just hope he listens to me."
"Then, why don't you take Chimchar from him?" Dawn asked me, confused. "Professor Rowan already inscribed you to the Sinnoh League and entered you to the Sinnoh Ranger database."
"It's because he is not a bad trainer… he is simply lost and inflexible. He is set in a way and nothing else is going to change that. At least not now. Also, he doesn't abuse his pokemon. You've seen them, Dawn. Their fur or scales were shining, and they all look healthy, even Chimchar. The issue with Chimchar is that he is completely exhausted trying to keep up and not being able. If he keeps going like that he'll break, even if he is not abused." I explained to her, hating how my hands were tight in this situation. "Do you get it now?"
"I do," Dawn pouted. "But I hate it."
"Me too," I replied, with a tired smile- kneeling to pat Jolteon when she tried to comfort me. "You were fantastic out there, Princess. Your first battle outside the family and you crushed it!"
"Teon!" Jolteon exclaimed happily, tail wagging.
"You're going to Oreburgh City, right?" Professor Rowan asked. I nodded my head as I stood up. "Then why don't you both travel together? Jubilife City is on the way and there's a contest being held there soon."
"Are you sure?" I asked them both. "I am an Ace Ranger and trouble follows me everywhere I go. It will be dangerous."
"Being on my own will be dangerous." Dawn cut me off. "I almost died today," I noticed the Professor flinch. I felt slightly relieved, seeing that the Professor was really apologetic and won't be making the same mistake again. "I have a lot to learn. I realized today that though my dream is to be a coordinator I need to become strong to defend myself and my pokemon."
"Piplup!" I looked down at the water pokemon, who stood proudly next to his trainer nodding his head.
With such a bond from the get-go, how can I say no…
"Ah, ok. Let's travel together." I accepted, chuckling when Dawn exclaimed in celebration.
She's quite the excited girl, reminding me a lot of myself during my first journey. Excited and confident, knowing I'll win it all… how wrong I was. But at least, she seems much more down to earth and prepared than I was.
Saying our goodbyes to the Professor and his assistants we left for Jubilife City, getting to know each other better… and my fight.
"And that start vortex was so cool!" Dawn exclaimed excitedly, still going about my fight with Paul. "How did you get that idea?"
"Honestly it was an accident," I answered her. "As I said my Aipom," I nodded to the monkey, swinging from one branch to the other, "loves a contest and decided to play around during a mock battle and threw Swift after Swift until some kind of vortex was created. So, I asked her to do it again but this time bigger. It worked as a great defense and attack at the same time, not only does it cage the enemy but attacks them too. Now every pokemon I have that knows Swift uses it. Though there's an issue for it."
"Issue? I didn't see any," she asked me confused.
"In battle, there's none… for a contest pokemon, however…" I said. "You see, what is the most important thing in a contest?" I asked her.
"To make your moves look good and pretty," she answered immediately.
"No," I quickly replied, surprised by her answer. I would think that a Top Coordinator's daughter would know the answer by now. "It is to showcase the pokemon the best way possible. Not to make it look pretty, there are many pokemon who are not pretty in the normal sense but coordinators around the world showcase other abilities they possess. The coordinator's most important job is to show off their pokemon the best way possible, be it by beauty, strength, grace, power, even by causing fear on the crowd."
"Fear?!" Dawn asked me shocked.
"Of course, how else would a Ghost Type be shown off?" I replied with a question of my own. "Your style might be cute and pretty, but that doesn't mean you'll show off your pokemon in the same way. Like I told Paul, each pokemon is different and you need to adapt to them. You can't make a ghost cute; you'll need to make them ethereal in a phantom way. Each pokemon has its own nature, you need to show off that. But at the same time, each pokemon has its own behavior, nature, that has nothing to do with its type. You'll need to find the perfect combination of both."
"That's hard," Dawn commented, less excited than before.
"It is, but so is any kind of training," I replied. "But, isn't it awesome at the same time?"
"What?" She asked, confused.
"It just makes catching a new pokemon and training them much more exciting! It will never be the same! Even if you catch another one of the same species." I explained with a beaming smile, enjoying how her excitement returned just a little bit. "Now, going back to the first question. If you use Swift after Swift without knowing how to control it and you end up with a block of stars that coverup your pokemon before bursting into pretty sparks. But in the end, your pokemon ends disappear and what is shown off is the move. A coordinator does not show off pokemon moves but the pokemon."
"How do I do that? How do I show off a pokemon in another way than making pretty sparkles?" She asked me, looking down the floor.
I looked at her for a little while, she is surprisingly levelheaded for someone who just started her journey. Good, she'll grow fast.
"Let me show you then," I finally said and turned to Pikachu on my shoulder. "Help me out buddy?"
"Pika!" He nodded, happily.
"Good," I turned to Dawn, finally stopping from walking. "Take out Piplup, you both need to see this."
"Ok. Piplup, come out!" She kneeled before her starter and smiled. "Ash and Pikachu have something to show us. Pay attention."
"Piplup!" He replied.
"Then, Pikachu uses Agility!" I commanded, and Pikachu obeyed. He jumped off my shoulder and started running in zigzag. "Now Discharge!"
"Wow! It looks as if thunder is moving on the ground!" Exclaimed Dawn. "It shows off his speed and electricity so perfectly, in such a simple way!"
"Bolt Tail!" I announced.
Pikachu jumped, the Discharge leftovers made a halo around Pikachu who was on the air, making him look cool and like the Electric Type he is. Then he suddenly moved down and hit the floor with his Iron Tail, making chunks of ground fly off to only be hit by Pikachu's Thunderbolt. But his Thunderbolt did not come off his electrical pouches, but the electricity was directed to the ground by his Iron Tail. A tail that turned metallic yellow, with thunder like stripes coming up all around him- like an electric flower blooming.
"That… speed, type, power…" Dawn mumbled. "You showed off your pokemon's type characteristic perfectly and the power that represents you both and your bond. But also, his speed was shown off at every turn without even the use of Agility, the speed that represents your Pikachu. It was all so simple yet brilliant… how do can you do that? How do you know when something is too much or too simple?"
"Practice," I answered. "Experience helps a lot too. I've been traveling for four years, don't expect to be on this level overnight."
"Can you train me?" She asked me, excitedly.
"No," I felt bad for deflating her mood so soon after she just recovered her excitement. "I am a trainer and I cannot teach a coordinator. You can be both, Wallace proves that. But that doesn't mean I can." I explained. "I might be good at appeals, just because I know my pokemon too well and am totally mad. So, I have plenty of creativity. But battling wise, I get too excited and forget this was supposed to be a contest. I can give you some advice and my opinion of your appeals, but just that. You need to find your style yourself, without anyone tainting it."
"Really?!" She asked, excitement coming back.
I smiled, relieved that she was happy again, and nodded my head. As I was about to go on, a brown small pokemon jumped out of the bushes and Dawn squealed in excitement.
"That's a Buneary! I want them!" She exclaimed, taking out a Poke Ball to throw.
"Dawn," I said, with an amused smile, grabbing her hand before she could throw the Poke Ball which she did not even expand.
"What?" She growled annoyed.
"You need to fight the pokemon before catching them or convince them to join you," I told her. "Also, you didn't even expand your Poke Ball."
She blushed embarrassedly, before expanding the Poke Ball and calling out to Piplup: "Piplup use Bubble Beam!" Her starter followed the command, only to be blocked by an Ice Beam.
"Ice Beam? They might be quite strong to be able to learn such a move in the wild." I commented, impressed. "Watch out! That's a Dizzy Punch, if it touches Piplup he'll be confused!"
"Piplup jump!" She rapidly reacted, her starter jumped in the air right above the Buneary. "Now Peck!" A point-blank attack. "Bubble Beam again!" It hit the Buneary, sending them against a tree.
"Now it's your chance! Throw your Poke Ball!" I told her.
"Poke Ball go!" She threw it. It struggled a bit but in the end, she caught the Buneary. "We did it Piplup!" She exclaimed, picking up her starter and spinning him around. "I caught my first pokemon!"
"Well done Dawn!" I congratulated her. "Let's go and find a place to set camp, it's getting late. We also need to treat Buneary."
"Ok!" She replied beaming with happiness, she picked up the Poke Ball and marched away.
I chuckled and thought: She truly reminds me too much of myself. Let's just hope she has a better first year than myself.