Dawn stretched her arms above her head, grunting as she heard her shoulders pop. "I never want to be transformed for that long again."
"I agree." Paul covered his mouth as he yawned.
"Do you mean you two still haven't recovered?" Cheren looked at the two of them with worry.
"We've recovered, we're just still tired," Paul said.
"I'm shocked, you two were out for over a whole day. You should be rested up."
"We're still new to this. Being transformed for that long without training takes a lot out of us." Paul jerked his head, cracking his neck. Dawn pulled off her bag and took out her journal. She flipped through the pages, before settling on one.
"According to the book my dad left me, being transformed for too long is actually harmful. And not just for us." Paul looked over at her as she turned the page. "We're taking energy from our pokémon, and not just energy for attacks. The number of pokémon and training we have actually affects our time. We have to train in endurance and catch stronger pokémon that don't tire easily. Or at least that's what's suggested. Befriending an electric type legendary pokémon can improve our time as well."
"Then I have an edge with Joltik." Paul reached into his bag and pulled out his journal as well.
"How much of those things have you guys read?" Cheren looked at the journals in interest.
"The basics so far," Paul said.
"Not much." Dawn looked guilty as she admitted her progress. "My dad just gets really technical about these things and it's a little hard to understand. He writes things down like he's a scientist."
"You two are the ones that are entrusted to protect the world." Cheren nodded to himself before gulping. "I'm starting to get nervous."
"Hey!" The two catchers hit him with their books.
"We'll get better with more training!" Dawn said.
"Let's train now." Paul stopped and looked off to the side, finding a small clearing.
"Us or our pokémon?" Dawn asked.
"Both," Paul answered with a smirk.
"Alright, it's Oshawott vs. Snivy!" Cheren declared.
"Snivy? Are you ready?"
"Yes!" Snivy glared at the otter pokémon in front of her.
"Oshawott, let's not waste any time!"
"Alright!" Oshawott smiled as he leaned forward, ready to fight.
"Begin!"
"Oshawott use water gun!" Water shot out of the pokémon's mouth.
"Spin and use vine whip to deflect it!" Vines shot out of Snivy's neck. She spun around quickly, using the vines to neutralize the attack.
"Did you see that Paul? I'm gonna show you just how intense contest battles are!" Dawn smirked and leaned forward. "Snivy! Use leaf storm." Snivy threw her arm forward. Glowing leaves appeared and went straight for Oshawott.
"Dodge it!" Paul ordered. The otter pokémon shouted as he ran away from the leaves, trying to escape them.
"Leaf storm again!" Dawn commanded. Snivy spun, and threw her arms out, like she was conducting an orchestra. The leaves followed her every move, chasing Oshawott.
"Use razor shell to block!" Oshawott grabbed his shell and held it out. A blue aura surrounded the scalchop and extending, hardening until it became a blade. He swung the blade, knocking away the leaves.
"Tackle!" Dawn shouted. Snivy ran through the leaves, heading straight for Oshawott.
"Dodge it!" Oshawott jumped out of the way as Snivy charged. "Now use razor shell!" The otter swung his blade, striking Snivy.
"Snivy!" Dawn gasped. The snake pokémon hissed as she got back up.
"Battle over!" Cheren shouted. They turned to him in shock. "You don't want them to use up all of their energy do you? How else will you train?"
"Good point." Snivy walked over to Dawn. The blunette picked her up and smiled.
"You battled great."
"You did good," Paul said to Oshawott.
"Thanks!"
"What do you have to say about contest battle style, Paul?" Dawn asked.
"Still pathetic," Paul said. Dawn and Snivy glared at him.
"Come on now, why don't we heal up your pokémon and get started on your training." Cheren said nervously.
"Alright, are you ready?" Cheren asked.
"Ready!" Tepig oinked in happiness. Embers flew out of his snout.
"Let's just start training." Paul rolled his shoulder back.
"Alright Tepig, use ember!" Tepig cheered and fired the move at the two. Dawn and Paul jumped away, dodging the attack.
"String shot!" Paul shot the attack towards Dawn. The girl shrieked and ran out of the way, dodging the webs.
"Leaf storm!" She sent a storm of leaves to intercept the sticky string.
"Thundershock!" Dawn screamed and slid to the ground to avoid the attack.
"How are you so good already?" Dawn jumped up and dodged another attack.
"I'm a natural," Paul said with a smirk.
"That's not fair!" Dawn shouted, swinging a vine at him. Paul knocked it back with string shot.
"Paul also has the advantage with two pokémon," Cheren said. Dawn shrieked as a Thundershock flew right in front of her. The three trainers paused when they heard a scream.
"Shit." Paul cursed under his breath. He and Dawn returned to normal and ran into the forest, finding a small pokémon.
"Are you okay?" Dawn asked, picking it up. Paul held up his watch and scanned it.
Patrat use food stored in their cheek pouches, so they can keep watch for days. They use their tails to communicate with others.
"Ow…" Patrat groaned.
"Patrat!" A boy shouted, running up to them. He had his hair held back by a green bandana. He wore a green apron over his clothes.
"Is this your Patrat?" Cheren asked.
"No, I'm taking care of it," he said. "I work at a pokémon day care and this Patrat kinda ran off."
"I'm sorry Patrat got hurt," Dawn said.
"Don't be, it wasn't you're fault. I should have kept a better eye on him." The young man looked at the Patrat and sighed.
"Do you want some help?" Cheren asked.
"Really? You would help me?" He asked.
"Sure, it's the least we could do." Dawn agreed.
"I'm not helping," Paul said.
"That's fine, we can do fine on our own," Dawn said.
The young man, who they learned was named Emmet, worked not that far away. As it turned out, they were actually training on the property of the day care center.
"There you are Emmet, did you find Patrat?" An elderly woman asked.
"Yes ma'am!"
"Such a good boy." She hummed.
"Actually, they found him first," Emmet confessed, gesturing to the three trainers.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Dawn." Dawn smiled as she bowed politely.
"My name is Cheren." He bowed as well.
"Paul." He crossed his arms and glared into the distance.
"I'm Caroline," the elderly woman smiled.
"Dawn and Cheren have offered to help us," Emmet said.
"You didn't force them, did you?" Caroline looked at Emmet suspiciously.
"No, we volunteered," Cheren said.
"We kinda felt guilty. We were training and a stray attack hit Patrat." Dawn explained.
"I feel fine though! Honest!" Patrat said.
"Well he looks to be fine." Caroline said. "Why don't you kids come in and have some tea before you help out."
Dawn looked over at a few Lillipup that were looking at her in curiosity.
"Can we help you with something?" Paul huffed, noticing the pokémon as well. The Lillipup flinched and herded together, looking at him in fear.
"Paul! Don't be so mean to them," Dawn said, glaring at them.
"Don't mind them, they're a curious bunch," Caroline told them.
"Are you new workers here?" one of the Lillipups asked. Her voice was tiny and slightly growly.
"No, we're just here to help out for the day," Dawn told them.
"So Caroline and David are still going to take care of us?" She asked.
"Yep," Dawn said with a smile.
"And Emmet?" another asked.
"He's staying too," Dawn said.
"That's good! We like them! They take really good care of us!" The Lillipups cheered.
"So what are they talking about?" An elderly man asked, setting down a tray of tea and snacks.
"It's nothing to worry about," Dawn said, standing up. She sat down on one of the couches and accepted a cup of tea.
"So I heard you gave Patrat quite the shock," David said.
"We were training and an attack missed the target," Paul said.
"I see. Well, accidents happen, and Patrat's fine now. His trainer isn't going to pick him up for another few days, so everything'll be fine," David assured them.
"I'm glad Patrat is fine." Dawn sipped her tea and smiled.
"Yes, so are we. This Patrat tends to get into some trouble. His owner is coming to pick him up today," Emmet said. They suddenly heard crying.
"That's our cue." Caroline set down her drink and stood up. "Dawn, dear, would you like to help me? The younger pokémon can become such a handful."
"Sure." Dawn stood up and followed her up the stairs.
"Well, it's time for me to get back to work too," Emmet said.
"If you don't mind, I could help you," Cheren suggested.
"Thanks, I could use all the help I could get." Emmet smiled and lead him outside. David turned towards Paul and smiled.
"So what do you do?" Paul asked.
"We'll be taking care of the pokémon that are here specifically to train," David said.
"Perfect," Paul said with a smirk.
"Our job is to keep the young ones entertained," Caroline said.
"That shouldn't be too hard," Dawn said.
"You would think, but we also have to keep them out of trouble," Caroline said to her. A Lillipup ran around her, barking. "And that's where it gets hard."
"It shouldn't be that hard." Dawn laugh, picking up the Lillipup. "I have a few curious pokémon too. No need to worry!"
"If you say so." Caroline searched through some cupboards and Dawn looked at the pokémon in her arms.
"Now, why were you yelling?" Dawn asked.
"It was Sewaddle!" An Emolga said. Dawn looked around and spotted the pokémon. Sewaddle was sniffing and trying to hold back his tears. Dawn set down Lillipup and approached the sewing pokémon.
"Sewaddle, what happened?" Dawn asked.
"I-I was t-tyring to reach a toy and I fell." Sewaddle sniffed.
"He fell on his head and tore his hood," Emolga said. Dawn looked at the leaf and saw that it was torn down the center.
"Poor thing." Dawn hummed and picked up Sewaddle, looking at the leaf on his head.
"M-Mama made my hood. I said I would take care of it while I was here. N-Now it's ruined." Sewaddle sniffed and cried.
"Oh my, what happened to your hood Sewaddle?" Caroline asked, noticing the commotion.
"He was trying to reach a toy and fell," Dawn said.
"Poor thing," Caroline said with a hum. She took Sewaddle from Dawn and rocked the pokémon.
"Hey there Zebstrika," Emmet said. He rubbed Zebstrika's snout.
"So what are we supposed to be doing?" Cheren asked.
"We're feeding the pokémon." Emmet grabbed a bag of pokémon food and carried it to the yard. "Grab the bowls." Cheren nodded and grabbed the food bowls, setting them down. Emmet opened the bag of pokémon food and the pokémon lounging around slowly got up and walked over to them. Emmet filled up each bowl with a cup of food and Cheren placed a bowl in front of each of them.
"After their done eating, we have to groom them," Emmet said. "It's actually an easy job. But they can get pretty rough and rowdy if you move to quickly. You have to stick to the schedule, but you also have to go by their schedule."
"Just seems to me that you have to get a feel for each pokémon." Cheren stroked a Sawsbuck.
"Bring it on!" Sawk shouted, punching his hand with his fist. A Throh let out a battle cry and charged at the karate pokémon. They collided and pushed against each other.
"I'm guessing those two are fine to continue," Paul said, pointing at them.
"Throh has been training since he hatched. He's a good sparring partner for everyone," David said. He sat down on a bench and watched the pokémon battle each other. "They mostly train themselves, we just have to sit back and tend to them when they get hurt."
"Sounds boring." Paul muttered. He heard various attacks being called out by the many pokémon.
"It isn't really active, but seeing these pokémon battle and train reminds me of when I was a young trainer. It's nice." Paul glanced at David. The elderly man was smiling brightly, watching the pokémon with intensity. Paul turned back to the battles and focused his mind on other things.
Dawn hummed as she rushed through the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" Paul asked, entering the kitchen. He leaned against the island and picked up chopped berry, taking it.
"Hey! Don't take those!" Dawn shouted. "I need those."
"Which brings me back to my question," Paul said.
"Sewaddle tore his leaf and is really upset. I thought I'd make a treat to cheer him up." Dawn dropped the fruit into the boiling pot and stirred. Paul took out his pokédex and searched through it.
"Says that he should just make a new one."
"Yeah, but his mom made it for him and he promised to take care of it," Dawn said. She took the pot off the stove and grabbed a tray mold. She started pouring the batter into the mold. "Where's Cheren?"
"Hell if I know," Paul said. "He decided to help the kid."
"He's not a kid," Dawn said as she pushed the tray into the oven.
"Do you consider yourself a kid anymore?" Paul asked.
"I haven't been, not since I started my journey," Dawn said. "When did you stop considering yourself to be a kid?"She turned around to face him and smiled.
"I don't know. Didn't really think about it." Paul answered with a shrug.
"Are you seriously going to be like this the whole time we're here?" Dawn asked, setting her hands on her hips.
"To be honest, I'd rather be heading towards the next city and completing our job. I don't want to waste time," Paul said, glaring at her. Dawn glared back at him.
"Well guess what, you're not the only person on this team. I want to get this done too. But I also want to have a little fun."
"Things like this will only get in our way," Paul said.
"Ugh, you're such a downer." Dawn muttered.
Carolina walked down the stairs, the baby pokémon following her.
"What is that delicious smell?" she asked.
"I'm making some poffins!" Dawn said. "They're a pokémon treat from Sinnoh. I thought it might cheer Sewaddle up."
"That was sweet of you," Caroline said with a smile. "How about we have some juice to go with them?" The pokémon cheered at the idea of juice and poffins.
"I still don't get how something so simple can cheer you guys up," Paul said.
"Newborn pokémon enjoy the simpler things in life." Caroline smiled at him. Paul sighed and shook his head. The timer dinged and Dawn smiled, pulling the tray of poffins out of the oven.
"All done!" The baby pokémon cheered and crowded around her. "Alright alright, just hold on!" She laughed. She took the poffins out of the mold and placed them on a plate. Emolga flew through the air and swooped down and grabbed one. "Hey! Put that back now!"
"I won't eat it! Promise!" Emolga said, landing on the floor. Dawn crouched down and offered the plate. Each pokémon grabbed one. They took a bite, cheering.
"Lillipup? What's wrong?" Dawn asked, noticing how he was frowning.
"It's too sweet," he said. "But I don't want to be rude, so I'll eat it."
"That's perfectly fine." Dawn told him. "Pokemon have different tastes. To be honest I didn't expect all of you to like them. What do you like?"
"Umm...I like things a little bitter." Dawn stood up and looked through the berries.
"How about a rawst berry?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah!" Dawn gave him the berry and he ate it happily.
"How are you feeling?" Dawn asked Sewaddle.
"Better. I'm still a little sad though," he said.
"Why don't you make a new hood?" Paul asked.
"We'll be going into the forest later to find a new leaf for him," Caroline said.
"That's great Sewaddle!" Dawn smiled.
"Thank you," Sewaddle backed away in embarrassment.
After a long day of work Dawn, Paul, and Cheren were ready to leave.
"I want to thank you for all the help you gave us today," David said.
"It was no problem," Dawn said with a smile.
"Nonsense, you went out of your way to help us," Caroline said, smiling at her.
"I got what you asked for," Emmet said. He held out an egg that was white and green.
"It's a pokémon egg," Cheren said in amazement.
"I would like to give this egg to you, Dawn," Caroline said.
"You want me to have it?" Dawn asked.
"Call it a gift. You were so good with the children today, I just know you'll be the perfect trainer to take care of this egg," Caroline said.
"Truth be told we've had this egg for a few weeks," David said. "The trainer declined keeping it, so we wanted to find a perfect trainer for it."
"And I'm sure you'll be the perfect trainer," Caroline said.
"Do you want it?" Emmet asked. Dawn looked at the egg in his arms and nodded, taking it.
"Thank you, I'll be sure to take good care of it," Dawn said.
"If that's all, we need to get going," Paul said.
"Thanks for letting us help," Cheren said.
"Oh, we're the ones who should be thanking you," David said.
"Have a safe journey," Caroline said.
"We will!" Dawn replied. The three turned around, Dawn cradling her new egg.
"Dawn, you have an important job to do," Cheren said. "Do you really think this is a good idea?"
"It's her choice," Paul said. "If she wants to take on the burden of a pokémon egg, then let her. She'll have to deal with the consequences."
"Can't you hear it Paul?" Dawn asked.
"Hear what?" Paul asked, looking at her.
"The egg, it called out to me," Dawn said.
"You can hear the pokémon already?" Cheren asked.
"Yeah, I can't explain it," Dawn said. "It was the same when I got Cyndaquill's egg, and when Brock got Happiny's egg. I could always hear them. Do you not hear it?"
"I don't hear anything," Pail said.
"Maybe it's something exclusive to Dawn," Cheren suggested. "It might have something to do with her empathic nature."
"I'll look for something in my dad's journal when we stop tonight," Dawn said. She held the egg closer and rubbed her cheek against it. "Don't worry, I'll keep you safe. And when you hatch I'll make you some nice poffins, you'll just love them."