Ash and Dawn where flying to the pokecenter near the Dimensional Research Lab on Charizard, but weren't on the friendliest of terms.
"Completely ridiculous that we couldn't leave the pokemon center until the afternoon because you can't fix your hair!" Ash shouted.
"Well sorry I don't care about my hair like you, Ash!" Dawn replied.
"I don't know why I didn't just leave you! Poor Kukui has to be held up because you can't figure out your hair!"
Dawn glared at him with teary eyes. "Well, that's all your fault, not mine!"
Ash's pikachu and Piplup stared at their trainers with a sad look, as their trainers crossed their arms and didn't talk to each other for the rest of the ride.
They arrived at the lab.
"Don't take too long, or I'll leave!" Dawn shouted.
"At least if I take too long, it'd be for something far more important that hair!" Ash shouted.
Dawn crossed his arms and faced away from him with an irritated look. "Maybe I should leave now!"
"Do whatever you want! I don't care!"
Piplup gave Ash a sad look. "P-pip…"
Dawn started to walk off.
Ash's pikachu shouted at her and ran up to her.
Dawn stared at him with a said look.
"Nebby, use… Splash!" a familiar voice shouted.
Dawn and Ash gasped, and ran towards the lab.
Nebby looked at Lillie with a confused look. "Pew?"
Lillie smiled. "Oh. I was just pretending I was Ash!" She narrowed her eyes. "It always pains me when I see you get hurt, so I never liked the idea of pokemon trainers." But then she looked up at the sky. "…But when I see Ash and Dawn… it opened up a door that I always thought would be closed."
Nebby looked over at her for a bit, then noticed Ash and Dawn and floated right towards them.
Lillie looked over, and started to walk over to them. "It's… been awhile. Hello. This lab here studies the dimensions, and the professor is waiting for you, Ash!"
Ash nodded. "Right. I'm heading up there now to see him!" Ash and his pikachu then ran off in the building.
Lillie then focused on Dawn. "So… how did Ash do? It must have been trying for him to have to do three trails in a row!"
Dawn looked away with a sad look. "… He did alright, I guess."
"Oh…" Lillie found her behavior strange, but thought it best not to push it. "Anyways Dawn… I'd like you to meet someone here."
Dawn gave her a confused look.
"I-I mean… if you don't mind."
"No, no! It's fine!"
Lillie smiled. She slowly walked into the building and Dawn followed.
Lillie looked at the ground with a serious look. "After Nebby saved me… I went to go look for Bernet. But, I got a little lost and pasted out before I could find her."
Dawn frowned.
"But then… she found me, and got Kukui to clear the loft for me. And helped me all she could with Nebby." Lillie smiled. "She's… been like a real mother to me."
Dawn smiled. "Wow. She sounds like a great person. I can't wait to meet her!"
They went up the stairs, but saw everyone talking. So Dawn and Lillie stood out the way while they talked. The conversation that Dawn heard is that they weren't completely sure about it, but didn't get what she was talking about. She even noticed Hau was here and had a surprise look on his face. After the conversation, Hau ran off toward Diglett's Tunnel. Lillie and Dawn walked over to Burnet.
"You must be Dawn. Lillie and Kukui has told me a lot about you!" Burnet said.
"That's right! And you must be Burnet. It's really nice to meet you!"
Dawn talked with her a bit before leaving.
As Dawn walked out of the building, she looked up and saw something weird happening in the sky. "W-what was that?" Dawn asked.
"Pip…lup," Piplup said.
Dawn then looked ahead by the lab gate and saw Ash, who was still looking up at the sky were Dawn was looking. She frowned, realizing how inconsiderate she was today. Ash agreed to have her come along, but not only did she do the whole mess keeping Nebby from him, but she's been holding him back as well. Dawn walked up to Ash.
Then Lillie and Nebby came running out. "It… was good to see you two again! B-but, I think that I'll stay here a little longer."
Dawn smiled. "That's fine! Stay here as long as you'd like!"
Lillie smiled. "And… Good luck with your match against Oliva, Ash!"
"Thanks Lillie!" Ash said. He then knelt down towards Nebby. "And I just want to apologize for trying to capture you Nebby! If I knew Lillie was trying to help you, I wouldn't have done that!"
Nebby happily bobbed around with a "pew!"
They all laughed.
Ash stood up. "Well, we'll see you later, Lillie!"
"Right! Goodbye!"
They all waved to each other as Ash and Dawn walked off towards Diglett's Tunnel.
"Ash…I," Dawn started.
"… I'm sorry!" Ash shouted.
Dawn looked at him with a surprised look. "D-Don't be! I…" Dawn looked down with narrowed eyes. "All I do is burden you on your journey."
"Come on! Don't say that! I don't know what I'd do without you here." Ash smiled at her. "I… am glad to have you here, and wouldn't want anyone else here with me!"
Dawn smiled.
"I… I never would just leave you! I don't know why I said that!"
"I'm glad… I never would do that to you ether, so…"
They looked at each other with a smile. Then they hugged.
Then Ash looked into her eyes with a serious look. "I'm guessing you saw that weird hole like thing in the sky, right?"
"Y-yeah," Dawn replied.
"Well… I think that's what Kukui and Burnet just talked about with me and Hau."
"What…?"
"Remember… back with the lake trio and Dialga and Palkia? What Cyran was after?" Ash asked.
Dawn thought for a moment. "…A different dimension."
"There at the lab, they think… some sort of beasts are coming from another dimension into ours."
"Beast? Pokemon beast?"
"Yeah, and they said that… they are fearsome and go beyond just attacking people."
"Why would they do that?"
"…They don't seem to have all the details on that, and I didn't really understand what all they were talking about ether, but… from what they said, I think that's that hole they were telling us about."
Ash and Dawn followed their rotomdex to where Konikoni city that they were headed for next. They arrived in Diglett's Tunnel. But they didn't make it very far in before a bunch of digletts came and attacked them, so they had to retreat outside of the tunnel.
"Gezz, what was that for?" Ash asked.
"I don't know, but man was that scary!" Dawn said.
"There must be another way to arrive to where Oliva is!" Ash shouted.
"Incorrect! Diglett's Tunnel is the way you can reach Konikoni city," Ash's rotomdex said.
Ash groaned. "Then how do you suggest we get through all those mean Diglett?"
"… That is very strange. Diglett don't normally come above ground and attack people like that," Dawn's rotomdex said.
Dawn frowned. "So then… someone must of upset them, and that is what is making them attack us?"
"That sounds like a logical conclusion," Ash's rotomdex said.
Ash furrowed his eyebrows with a frown and clenched his fist. "Well, I'll show those people what for, for upsetting the diglett like that!" Ash started to stomp back into the tunnel.
Dawn gently held onto his wrist with both of her hands. "Ash, don't! The diglett will just attack you again!"
Ash smiled at her. "Don't worry Dawn! I'm sure they won't attack us if they understand that we'd like to help them." Ash put his arm around her shoulder as they walked over inside the tunnel. "We will help you diglett! So there is no…" Once they walked past a certain point, a bunch of diglett came out and used Dig on them.
Ash and Dawn hid in a corner while Dawn bandaged up Ash's leg that got injured.
"Man… Why can't they understand that we just want to help?" Ash asked.
"They must be quite confused and shocked," Ash's rotomdex said.
Ash's pikachu ran up to him with clenched fist and started shouting at him.
"…Are you saying you think you could get to the bottom of this, Pikachu?" Ash asked.
"Pika!" Pikachu shouted. And then it jumped pretty high.
Dawn smiled. "I get it! You're saying with your abilities you should be able to get around the diglett!"
Ash's pikachu nodded.
"Well, I'm sure you're going to need some help!"
Piplup smirked and pounded it's chest.
"Come out, Buneary!" Dawn sent out Buneary.
Piplup fell to the floor, but instantly got back up and started shouting at Dawn.
"Hey Piplup, of course you'll be a big help too! You are super effective against diglett, after all!" She sent out Oricolo. "You'll help out Piplup, won't you?"
Oricolo nodded and Piplup hopped on it.
Buneary quickly went over to Ash's pikachu, who just happily smiled at her.
Ash sent out Dartix. "You help cover everyone too!"
Dartix nodded.
"Take down whoever is messing around with these diglett! Good luck!"
Dawn's pikachu popped out and started shouting.
Dawn smiled as she petted her pikachu. "Right! You should go too! I believe in you!"
"Pika!" He happily shouted. Then he ran over to Ash's pikachu and Buneary.
Bunary sighed, and Dawn's pikachu gave her a confused look.
"Me and Ash should be fine with the rest of our pokemon. You guys go and find whose at the bottom of this!" Dawn said.
The pokemon who were out nodded and left.
Splitting into groups, the pokemon went around the tunnel. The pikachu's and Bunary went one route, while Oricolo, Piplup, and Ducleye went another. A diglett popped out behind Ash's pikachu, but Buneary quickly used Dizzy Punch and knocked it out. Ash's pikachu thanked her, while Buneary came up and hugged him.
Meanwhile, Dawn's pikachu got knocked out by some diglett.
Ash's pikachu and Buneary ran up to him.
Dawn's pikachu told them to go on without him.
Ash's pikachu told him he won't, and started to shout out for his other buddies.
That got the attention of the other diglett.
Ash's pikachu explained to them that they just want to help them.
Then a couple of people dressed in white and Oliva appeared.
"Don't worry, dear diglett. We will return you safely deep underground," a girl dressed in white gently said.
All the diglett turned their attention to them. Some of the diglett questioned if what they were saying were true. But when they attacked, Oliva protected them with Lycanroc. They used a machine to help the diglett return to the deep underground.
"It was great that a huge number of diglett appeared in one place," the guy in white said.
Oliva looked over to the pikachu's and Buneary. "Well, it's all thanks to that pikachu there…" she looked over at Dawn's pikachu. "But, that wasn't your plan, was it?"
The girl in white came over to Dawn's pikachu with a potion. "Here, this will sting a little." She spayed the potion on him.
Dawn's Pikachu whined a bit, but afterwards, Dawn's pikachu hopped right onto his feet.
"I'm so glad you are feeling better." The girl pulled out an Oran Berry. "Since you were so good, you deserve a treat."
Dawn's pikachu took the berry and quickly ate it. Then it happily hopped up and nuzzled the girl.
The girl smiled and laughed. "You're welcome, dear sweet Pikachu!"
Ash's Piakchu and Buneary ran up to them.
Oliva placed a hand on her chin, thinking she's seen one of these pikachus before.
"We better continue with our work," the guy in white said.
"Right." Oliva turned to Ash's pikachu and Buneary. "You and your group should be careful if you need to pass through here!"
Ash's pikachu nodded.
The girl in white put Dawn's pikachu down on the ground. "I have to go now. But be careful, okay?"
Dawn's pikachu nodded.
She smiled as she petted him on the head. "Good luck, my friend." Then she got up, and they all left.
The pikachus and Buneary made it to the other side of the tunnel, but with two team skull grunts. They just knocked out a couple of digletts with their pokemon.
"Yo, so annoying! We are just doing our work, and these stupid diglett have to come out and attack us!" the guy grunt said.
Ash's pikachu turned to the other two, and told them it must have been them who upset the diglett. Both of them nodded, and the group ran up to them.
"Hey, these are weird wild pokemon that are running about in a place like this, dawg!" the girl grunt shouted.
"Might be interesting pokemon to catch!" the male said.
They sent out a flomantis and a sandlit out.
Ash's pikachu stood in front ready to battle, and so did Dawn's pikachu.
But Buneary came to Dawn's pikachu to ask if she could battle instead.
Dawn's pikachu faked thinking about it, but then quickly told her nope.
Buneary glared at Dawn's pikachu and started shouting at him.
Dawn's pikachu just shrugged and told her he was there first.
Ash's pikachu pated her shoulder, and told her it's alright for her to take his spot to fight them.
Buneary blushed, and got all teary eyed. This is why she loved him, he was sweet as well as a very skilled pokemon. Even though she rather have fought alongside Ash's pikachu, Buneary was extremely grateful, and gave Ash's pikachu a hug.
Dawn's pikachu narrowed is eyes, muttering to himself, 'how annoying…'
"Da hell is going on, yo?" the male grunt shouted.
"…How adorable! The buneary hugged the pikachu!" the female grunt shouted.
"Whatever man. Let's just attack em while they have their little moment!"
Their sandlit and flomantis came in fast.
Ash's pikachu was shouting as they came in, and Buneary noticed that they were coming in before she could do anything. But Dawn's pikachu used Electro Ball before the two enemy pokemon touched him.
"What! Dang that other rat!" the male grunt shouted.
"…I think they're mouse's, yo!"the female stated.
"Girl, who cares! Let's just teach it a lesson!"
The grunts pokemon went after Dawn's pikachu this time.
Dawn's pikachu smirked as it used Double Team, and confused the enemy pokemon.
Buneary took out the flomantis with Ice Beam, and Dawn's pikachu took down the sandlit with Quick Attack.
"What? Yo, this is wack! We lost to some weird wild pokemon!" the male shouted.
The Pikachu's had their checks sparking, while all of them where glaring at the skull grunts.
"Man, we should get outta here!" the female grunt shouted.
"Yeah!" the male grunt said.
The two then ran off out of the tunnel.
Buneary looked back at Ash's pikachu with a blush. She asked him how he thought she did.
Ash's pikachu smiled at her.
Dawn's pikachu told her that she was nowhere near as awesome as he was.
Buneary attacked Dawn's pikachu with a Dizzy Punch, telling him no one asked him.
Dawn's pikachu used Quick Attack on her, telling her it's not his fault she's such a burden.
Buneary mocked Dawn's Pikachu, telling him at least she didn't get knocked out by a diglett.
Dawn's pikachu sent an Electroball her way, but she dodged it with Bounce. Dawn's pikachu told her if she just let the pikachus fight, then the battle would've gone so much better.
Ash's pikachu has been trying to tell them there's no point in fighting and has been trying to convince them to stop, but it was no use. Ash's pikachu's ears flatten as he watched them fight.
The other group arrived due to the noise. Ash's pikachu noticed that the diglett have calmed down, so he told the other pokemon they can go and get Ash and Dawn while he'll continue to try and get them to stop fighting. Oricolo and Piplup nodded, while Dartix decided to help him.
Nurse Joy came in to help the injured diglett, while the people dressed in white helped the diglett get in deep underground. Dawn and Ash have made it to Konikoni City and were resting up there to let Ash's injury heal up.
"You all did great, thanks everyone!" Ash said.
They all happily shouted.
Ash's pikachu looked over at some different looking pokemon that was with them.
"And Dewspider evolved while protecting me and Dawn. So now he's Araquanid!"
All the pokemon told him congratulations.
Then Dawn came out with some food for them, and the pokemon. Nurse Joy was busy tending to the diglett in Diglett's Tunnel, but she told them feel free to cook yourselves whatever you want in the pokecenter.
"Wow, thanks Dawn!" Ash shouted.
Dawn smiled. "Don't mention it! You're hurt, so of course I'll be happy to cook for us!"
Ash smiled at her. "You're the best, you know that?"
Dawn blushed, but laughed.
