Chapter 1: To Catch a New Coordinator!
"What?! What do you mean you've already found a partner?!"
The outburst was powerful enough to send the surrounding Starly perched on the forest's tree branches scattering away, shrieking in shock. The young girl's partner Pokémon, a Piplup, fell backwards onto its rump from the cry of anguish and anger that came from its trainer. Rubbing its rear in a bit of exasperation, it turned its attention back to the fashionably dressed girl, sporting a black V-neck tank top with a white undershirt. Her free hand that wasn't being used for the call on her Pokétch was balled into a fist by her pink skirt. A white beanie with a pink Poké Ball print sat atop her long, dark hair that was held up frontally by gold hair clippings.
Her chic, yet functional appearance did little to betray the fact that her blood was boiling over as she shouted once more, "You're really going to enter without me?!"
A raspy, yet solid voice came from the other end of the Pokétch, "I'm sorry, Dawn. But… Nando asked me to be his partner for the Pokémon Doubles Contest, and considering how I acted towards him in the past, I felt it was the least I could do. Especially considering that he would trust me that much after what I told him."
Dawn was practically at her breaking point. Ever since the announcement of the Pokémon Doubles Contest in Hearthome City, she had envisioned the unstoppable team she and her old friend and rival—not to mention the girl who beat her in the Grand Festival finals to claim the title of Top Coordinator—would have made as they bested the other coordinators, sweeping them aside with both grace and ferocity. However, that entire plan had instantly gone up in flames the moment Zoey revealed to Dawn that not only would she be unavailable as a partner, but that she would also be competing against her alongside someone as talented and elegant as Nando, both a master-tier coordinator and a Sinnoh League competitor.
And yet, from Zoey's explanation of the circumstances, Dawn knew deep down in her heart that her friend's decision was rational and warranted. Dawn was there when Zoey chewed out Nando for only partially dedicating himself to contests rather than fully doing so, and when Zoey learned to suck up her prejudices against those who didn't dedicate their whole time to Pokémon Contests, the coordinator had to have some lasting guilt about her attack against him in the first place. Perhaps it was Nando giving her an opportunity to ease her conscience.
But that still put Dawn in an awful predicament.
"I see… sorry for getting angry at you like that," Dawn's balled fist released by her side, "I'll wish you and Nando the best of luck!"
"I really appreciate that. And I'm sorry too for skipping out on you. I hope you'll find a new partner soon!" Zoey replied over the voice call.
"No need to worry! You'll be seeing me soon in Hearthome City!"
"I'll be counting on it!"
The call ended.
"Lup?" Piplup looked up at its trainer, wondering what on earth could be cooking in Dawn's head. It definitely understood that Dawn had a major setback, and considering the voice on the call was Zoey's, the Pokémon deduced that her friend skipped out on her. With the conclusion it had come to, Piplup stamped its foot in a frustrated manner. How dare she abandon her friend like that!
"Hey, hey, hey, we'll be fine, Piplup! We just need to get in contact with another coordinator, and we'll be practicing in no time!" Dawn gave her partner a smile and a determined clenched fist.
"Luuup…" Piplup wasn't too sure about her lack of a need to worry. Considering the signup's deadline was rapidly approaching, Dawn had to begin making progress immediately to partner up with someone before it was too late.
As the two continued walking through the forest, Dawn tapped a finger on her chin, a look of deep thought forming onto her face, "Let's see… I know that May's unavailable… I think that guy named Drew managed to get a hold of her? Serena… well, she's obviously going with Lisia. Ugh… the choreography round against them is going to be a nightmare…"
Then, Piplup's stomach rumbled, with Dawn picking up on the sound as her partner grew more frustrated at all the time they had spent walking.
"Oh, sorry! We'll get something to eat real soon! Hearthome is pretty close by!" Dawn showed her partner, pointing at a clearing that revealed the silhouette of the bustling city ahead of them, "Here, why don't you come up?"
Dawn took a hold of Piplup's waist and brought it up to rest atop her head, the little blue Water-type Pokémon sitting comfortably on her beanie.
"Piplup! Lup!" Piplup bonked its flipper on top of her head, ushering Dawn to walk faster.
"Okay, okay! Jeez!" Dawn took the hint, picking up her pace, "I'm hungry too, so there's no need to get that pushy with me!"
As the two took off in a sort of fast-walk through the edge of the forest, Dawn's mind began to wander through various other possible coordinators that she knew. Or even people that have at least some experience with contests.
Was she really getting that desperate already?
Dawn's mind raced faster still. Never in a hundred years could she consider Ursula to be a suitable partner for her. There wasn't any time to try and put aside their beef with one another in the time that practice demanded, so that was most certainly out. Maybe… Jessilina? Apparently she had returned in a few recent contests despite hearing that she swore off them a while ago. She was talented, no doubt about it, having been a Grand Festival semifinalist, but… something told Dawn that she would be impossible to work with, especially recalling those last words she told her after their semifinal battle, with her saying that she'd "never forgive her as long as she lived" if Dawn didn't become Top Coordinator that year, and well…
Then, a familiar face flashed through the back of her mind.
"Oh… maybe…"
Dawn opened up her Pokétch again, and began cycling through her contacts. She thumbed down the extensive list of names she had stored until her finger hovered above one name in particular.
"Well, it would certainly have been a while since-"
"Gible! Gible!"
From her right side, a bundle of blue and red leaped from the shrubbery by her feet, staring up and blinking at the girl, causing Dawn to take a step back in surprise at the sudden appearance of a Gible in the path.
"A… Gible?" Dawn gave a puzzled look at the small Dragon- and Ground-type Pokémon in front of her.
"Piplup?" Piplup mirrored Dawn's puzzled expression.
Then, more voices came from within the forest.
"I think it went over there!"
"I can get it from here!"
The voices sounded exceptionally familiar to her. They were coming from two different boys-
"I'm going for it! Pokéball, go!"
The Gible in front of her immediately made a run for it across the other side of the path, scurrying off into the bushes just as it had popped out of them before. As Dawn opened her mouth and looked to the right to get a better look at who was making all of that commotion, her vision and face became filled with red and white.
As if it were pitched by a professional baseball player, the Pokéball sailed straight into Dawn's forehead, crashing off of her temple and sending her stumbling backwards onto the dirt with Piplup squeaking and flailing off of her head, also crashing down to the ground. Dawn could only let out a surprised and pain-filled shriek as the thrown capsule bounced off of her head and landed back down at her side as she lay sprawled on the ground, stars filling her vision and leaving her face with a dopey smile.
"Ughhh…" Dawn groaned.
Piplup was squirming on the ground, trying to get itself back up after its plummet down to the earth.
It was at this point that another Pokémon leaped from the brush, sniffing around until it looked up and found both Dawn and Piplup in their dazed states. It immediately grew a huge grin and ran up to Dawn, burying her face in a thick, white mane.
"Evevevveh!" Eevee nuzzled into Dawn's face, earning a bewildered and fluff-filled response.
"Ack! Now an Eevee?! What's going on now?!" The growing frustration was back, and Dawn wrapped her hands around the playful Pokémon, holding it up in front of her. The expression of the brown-furred creature was one of pure joy and playfulness. This got something to click in Dawn's mind, and she immediately looked at the tail of the Eevee. There was a heart-print design created by the separation of the Eevee's different fur color.
"Wait a minute… then that must mean…" Dawn looked over towards her right, and heard another familiar voice, this time a girl.
That confirmed it.
Dawn's mood instantly improved.
"Guys, I think Eevee found something!" the girl's voice called out.
"We're right behind you!"
"Please tell me that I caught it!"
The trio stepped out of the brush and gasped in unison.
Dawn quickly tried to scramble to her feet as Ash, Goh, and Chloe, three of her best friends, emerged from the forest onto the path that Dawn and Piplup were walking down.
"H-Hey everyone! What are the odds?" Dawn chuckled as Eevee quickly leaped from her arms and scurried back towards its trainer, Chloe.
"It's Dawn!" Ash blinked, then smiled in surprise, "I knew we'd run into you in Sinnoh!"
"Pikaka!" Ash's partner Pokémon was overjoyed as well to run into a friend.
"Wow, it's great to see you again!" Chloe enthusiastically spoke up before turning to Goh, "Y'know, I think you just knocked Dawn off her feet with that Pokéball you threw."
Goh felt a sense of dread wash over him, scratching the back of his head, "Oh man, is that what happened? Sorry about that, Dawn."
Dawn gave a closed-eyed smile back to Goh, waving with a hand, "No need to worry! I'm okay! How about you, Piplup?"
Piplup managed to scramble back to its feet, crossing its flippers and turning its head away from Goh in a huff. Dawn could only manage a laugh at Piplup's rejection of Goh's apology, "Well, what are you all doing out here in Sinnoh?"
Ash pointed to Pikachu with his thumb, "Me and Pikachu are looking for a rematch at the Hearthome City Gym for old time's sake, so we've come to Sinnoh in order to get some hands-on training!"
Chloe brought Eevee back into her arms before speaking up, "I've decided to do a bit more research on Glaceon and Leafeon for the sake of possible evolutions for Eevee. Considering this is their home region, I decided to travel with Ash and Goh since they were already planning on taking a trip to Sinnoh."
Goh tossed up another Pokéball, "And I'm just doing what I do best! Catching Pokémon! And wherever Ash goes, there's always bound to be Pokémon to catch."
Dawn couldn't help but adopt a smirk, putting a hand on her hip and pointing up at her bruised forehead with a finger, "Y'know, I don't think I count as a Pokémon."
At this, Chloe, Ash, Pikachu, Eevee, and Piplup gave a hearty round of giggles and laughter at Goh's expense, the Pokémon catching fanatic trying his best to recover from the embarrassment, "Come on, I said I was sorry!"
The boy then crossed his arms and puffed his cheeks, mumbling quietly to himself, "Too bad about that Gible…"
After Chloe recovered from her laughing fit, she turned her attention back to Dawn, "So, what are you up to this time? Got another contest to attend?"
Dawn snapped her fingers, "As a matter of fact, I do! Check it out!"
The coordinator produced a poster from her satchel, unrolling it to present the paper to her curious friends. The poster detailed silhouetted illustrations of pairs of people and their Pokémon competing in the contest, "It's the Pokémon Doubles Contest, a new kind of contest being held in Hearthome City! The first place pair gets two special ribbons that, when joined together, makes a beautiful big one!"
"Hey, just like the one I got with May!" Ash pointed out, earning a giggle from Dawn.
"Right, but you won't have to cut the ribbon with Leaf Blade, Ash," Dawn rolled her eyes with a smile.
"Wow… won't the competition be fierce?" Goh raised an eyebrow as he kept one of his hands in his sweater pocket, "Chloe's told me that Hearthome City is the home of contests in Sinnoh, and sometimes internationally."
"Oh yeah, the lineup I know of seems-"
"Wait, a doubles contest? Who's your partner?" Chloe asked, causing Dawn to immediately stumble and wipe the smile straight off her face. Dawn groaned along with Piplup, earning uneasy looks from her friends.
"I…I don't have one…" Dawn let her head hang low, the poster falling out of her hands, "I really should've been worried about this sooner… I was so caught up in figuring out what the actual appeals and performances would consist of…"
"You don't have a partner?!" Chloe exclaimed, "Wow, I'm so sorry! When are the sign ups due?"
Dawn brought her head back up, a look of pure suffering and pain scrawled onto her face, "Tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?!" all three of her friends gasped.
"S-Surely there's someone who can go with you, right?" Chloe tried her best to cheer her friend up. Then, Dawn gasped, and gripped Chloe's hands, pulling her close, "W-Woah! Dawn?!"
Dawn was practically on her knees in a pleading position, earning an embarrassed look from Piplup, "Chloe, I know you performed in a Contest Spectacular once before! Please, please, please, pleeeease come with me! I promise we'll do amazing together!"
Goh pursed his lips, rubbing the back of his head, "Guess this is the bargaining stage…"
Chloe was taken aback by Dawn's sudden outburst, stuttering on her words initially before she managed to compose herself for a response to Dawn's offer, "I'm… sorry, but me and Ash are heading back in a couple of days. I've got schoolwork that needs to be done, Ash has battles he needs to attend back in Kanto, and Goh's still got more Pokémon to catch in Sinnoh." Chloe then turned to Goh, "How many have you caught today? You've really been catching a ton of Pokémon ever since we got here."
Goh quickly counted on his fingers, whispering the names of the Pokémon he'd manage to capture before lifting his head back up, "Nine. Actually… I don't even think I've had lunch. I've just been on a spree."
Chloe gave an unimpressed look, "That's Goh for you."
Ash put his hands on his hips as he looked at his downtroughten friend who was now having to process Chloe's rejection, "I'm sure you'll find a partner in no time! You're an awesome coordinator, and you'll do amazing no matter who you pair up with!"
Dawn sighed and got back on her feet, "Thanks, Ash."
She brought Piplup back to the top of her head, and gave her friends a smile that she could barely hold up, "Why don't we all get to Hearthome and find something to eat?"
"Y'know, Goh, I get catching Pokémon is… well, your thing, but you need to keep yourself in good shape! Skipping lunch isn't ever a good idea," Chloe lectured Goh as he was scarfing down his meal, the boy swallowing the spaghetti in his mouth before replying.
"If I had lunch, I wouldn't have been able to catch Shellos and Finneon! And Finneon are extremely elusive to snag… I'd say the decision paid off," Goh resumed gorgeing on his meal. Even Ash took a bit of concern about the intensity of Goh's dining, and he was usually the big eater of the group.
Sitting with them, Dawn caught a glance at Piplup, Pikachu, Eevee, and Grookey eating their Pokémon food from their bowls. Piplup, despite being hungry, wasn't keeping pace with the other Pokémon and their meals.
She knew that Piplup was beginning to pick up on her concerns about the deadline approaching, and it was taking a toll. Dawn could only exhale. Her usual attitude of not having a need to worry was beginning to stab her in the back all due in part to her procrastination.
Chloe caught onto this, and tapped Dawn's hand that was resting on the table with her finger.
"Dawn, it's just like what Ash said. You'll think of something and make it through. You always do. Right, Eevee?" Chloe called out to her partner, who responded positively with barking, "See?"
Dawn managed a grin.
"Thanks. You know what, yeah! I'll figure something out," Dawn winked at her, earning a bright smile from Chloe at seeing her friend cheer up.
Goh managed to dive through two entire main courses, much to the surprise of Ash, and the dismay of Chloe. He patted his belly before he held up a Pokéball, and extended an arm to Grookey, "You guys can head off to the Pokémon Center! I gotta make up for losing that Gible by catching some more Pokémon!"
As Grookey, without a second thought, climbed up onto his shoulder and rooted, Chloe stood up from the table, planting her hands on the tablecloth, "Absolutely not! You need rest!"
Ash stretched his arms, yawning, "Yeah… I'm kinda beat. I'm shocked that you're even still standing after that meal, Goh."
Goh chuckled and pointed a thumb to himself, "Can't stop, won't stop. Now come on, Grookey! I saw on a bulletin that there was an outbreak of Bronzor outside of the city!"
"Rook! Rook!" Grookey cheered as it waved its stick around.
"There he goes…" Chloe sighed.
Dawn watched Goh's form slowly disappear into the city streets, the boy rushing off to capture who knows what, "He's really dead-set on catching a ton of Pokémon, huh?"
Ash nodded, "Yeah, he didn't really capture a whole lot when we were in Sinnoh before, so I have a feeling he's trying to make up for it. Still… I'm a little worried that, even for Goh, he's beginning to overdo himself."
"Wow, Ash. That's a pretty articulate concern coming from you," Chloe raised an eyebrow.
Dawn then turned back towards Ash and Chloe, "Well, I'm sure there's no need to-"
Her eyes widened.
An idea crossed by her in a split second, but was caught before it nearly managed to slip away.
Ash had to head back because he had scheduled battles that he needed to compete in… and Chloe had school to attend… but Goh? Surely if he was just capturing Pokémon, he could have more time later on to do so, right? And he was already pushing himself to his limit, despite not admitting to doing so.
But what if…
Maybe Dawn could…
Perhaps… could she really pull it off?
"-worry."
"Uh, Dawn? Are you okay?" Chloe waved a hand in front of her friend's face to try and get a signal through her stupor.
Then, Dawn gasped, "I-I'll see you all later! Get a good night's sleep, okay?!"
She bolted off in the direction that Goh went in, causing Piplup to gasp in surprise and furiously waddle after its trainer, chirping for Dawn to come back. Ash and Chloe looked at each other in bewilderment.
"Alright, now where would that bulletin be… it'd tell me where Goh went off to..." Dawn spoke to herself as the orange sunset began to make way for twilight in the Sinnoh sky.
"And… ahhhhh… that's a Bronzor…" Goh yawned, the Pokéball slipping from his hand as he brought it up to his mouth to cover it with his hand, "And, well, since we're here, I think we can go look for that Gible again. What do you say, Grookey?"
Completely oblivious to the mental and physical exhaustion its trainer was experiencing, Grookey waved its stick around and hooted in agreement.
"Alright, we gotta make the most of… it…" Goh blinked, and began to fall forward, already snoring.
"G-Grook!" Grookey hollered as Goh began to tip forwards, towards the ground.
Then, a hand gripped the back of his sweater and yanked him from falling face-first into the dirt. This, however, still didn't get Goh to awaken from his slumber.
"Jeez, look at you! You can find that Gible some other time, or catch another one later!" Dawn groaned as she yanked back on Goh's sweater, and Piplup was pushing upwards on his legs to stop him from tipping forwards, "Alright, this isn't working! Piplup, Bubble Beam!"
Grookey, this time, got the message about what was about to happen, and leapt off.
"Piiiip-lupluplup!" The Water-type Pokémon unleashed a stream of volatile bubbles straight into Goh's face, blasting him with cold water and soaking his head, hair, and the top of his sweater. The boy scrambled awake, his arms flailing about as he came to his senses.
"Agh! Wh-What's going on?!" Goh rubbed his eyes and sputtered, shaking his head to fling water off of his hair before his vision cleared, and he could see Piplup standing below him, snickering, "You?! What was that for?!"
"Goh, you need to give it a rest."
Goh's head perked up, "Dawn? What are you doing out here?"
The girl crossed her arms at him, "I came out looking for you, because I knew something like this was going to happen. You're overdoing yourself, and your friends are worried about you."
The boy sighed, wringing out the front of his sweater, "Well.. alright. But Ash and Chloe also know how important this is for me. It's my goal to catch every Pokémon there is. Including Mew. The faster I can get ahead, the faster I can complete my goal. Isn't your goal pretty important for you too?"
"Of course it is, but not getting any sleep and skipping meals over it is a recipe for disaster," Dawn kept her arms crossed, "I should know. I got knocked out of a contest in the first round because I spent two days straight practicing with no sleep!"
Goh exhaled and dropped the Pokéball in his hand, the sphere clattering to the ground and startling Piplup as it hit the dirt next to it, "You're right. I'll head off to bed and-"
"Well, y'know what? I have something planned for you that'll keep you from catching so many Pokémon your legs will give out," Dawn pointed a finger at Goh's nose, whose eyes stared at Dawn's hand, then back to her eyes.
"What? Don't you have a contest that you need to find a partner for-"
Goh swallowed.
"O-Oh no. Dawn, y-you can't possibly be implying that-"
"That's right! You're going to be my partner for the upcoming Pokémon Doubles Contest!" Dawn now pointed her finger up with a smile, "Besides, you owe me for throwing a Pokéball into my face, and for me saving you from face-planting into the dirt just now."
"But I've never been in a contest before, let alone even seen one in person!" Goh pointed out his lack of experience, which earned a scoff from Dawn.
"No need to worry! When I'm done with you, you and your Pokémon will be amazing in contests!" Dawn then giggled, "Almost as amazing as me!"
"I'd fall behind on catching Pokémon! I came to Sinnoh to do just that!" Goh opened up with his next excuse, which was quickly shut down by Dawn.
"And with the rate that's going, you'll end up falling asleep right in front of a Hippowdon you'd be trying to catch from exhaustion," Dawn continued, "It'd be a nice change of pace for you, and besides, contests are super fun! I assure you that getting you ready will take no time at all under my wing!"
"Piplup!" Dawn's partner puffed its chest out and smacked it with a flipper.
"Oh, right! And Piplup too!" the coordinator laughed.
"B-But-"
"No more buts! Get some sleep, and the first thing tomorrow, we're going to sign up!"
Dawn took Goh's wrist and began to drag him along. The young boy had a nagging suspicion that he was being freed of one form of stress only to be roped into another.