"wow, it sure is busy around here. it's even more crowded then when I was here earlier" dawn says to herself
"...oh, looks like I got separated from the others..just great. oh well, I'll have a little fun around here then look for them later" she says stopping to look around and back where she came from.
soon after she continues walking up the path in the direction she was heading before. eventually dawn comes across some large mirrors placed on the edge of the pathway. she stops to look at her reflection in one of the mirrors focusing on her hair.
"aww no, my hair got messed up. well, better fix that" says dawn taking off her hat
she then pulls a hairbrush out of her pocket and starts vigorously brushing her hair down. she keeps brushing for about 10 seconds and looks in the mirror to check herself. after straightening her hair and checking it in the mirror she puts her wool hat back on.
"ah perfect hehe" she says with a smile
she then takes a step back and looks at her whole reflection in the mirror. she turns left, then right, then twirls around once still looking at the mirror.
"hee hee, yup I still look good as always. I wish ash was here right now, I wonder if he thinks I'm cute. oooh I really need to have some alone time with ash away from all those other girls. then I can use my feminine charm on him, hehe" says dawn striking a pose with one hand behind her head facing the mirror
after a few seconds of posing she sighs leaning forward a bit then turns away from the mirror standing straight and looking determined.
"I won't give up! no need to worry. I'll have plenty of chances to be with ash while I'm here" says dawn giggling a bit
"but for now I think I'll get a bite to eat. I wonder what the food here tastes like" she says as she starts to walk up the pathway again
a minute later dawn walks near a bunch of food stands, all of which have lines of 3 or more people. she waits in line at one of the stands behind 4 people. about half a minute later she comes up to the stand and gets a hot dog then walks to a clear side of the path and starts eating. after a while she finishes eating, balling up the napkins and paper the hot dog was in and throws it in a nearby trash bin.
"mmm that was delicious, maybe I should get another... hmm... no, one is enough" she says stretching a bit
"hmm I'll get something to drink now, then after that I'll see if I can win a prize at one of those carnival game things"
dawn continues up the path looking around for a place that sells beverages, which with the crowd's numbers growing being able to see around them has gotten harder as well. as she pushes through the heavily crowded area she eventually spots a vending machine in the distance.
"ahh a vending machine, great" she says
she continues walking towards the vending machine as the crowd gets a bit thinner. soon she walks in a wide open area where 3 paths converge into a big circle like spot. dawn comes over to where a couple of vending machines are lined up next to each other. she stops in front of one, puts some coins in, presses a button and picks up a can of soda pop from where it dropped. she then turns around to walk away but notices another person approaching. the teen boy stops right in front of her as dawn immediately recognizes him, paul.
"huh? wait, are you... paul?" says dawn
"hmm?... oh, you're that girl who hung around ash all the time. dawn or something" says paul
"yeah that's me. what are you doing here paul?" says dawn
"well, I was about to get some soda pop. is that a bad thing?" says paul
"that's not what I mean! what are you doing here in pallet town?" says dawn
"... I heard about this celebration.. and ash's victory at the indigo league.. so I decided to come to take a look. also, I'm come to challenge ash.. to test my skill as a trainer against his" says paul
"I knew it, you just want to battle ash again cause you lost to him in the sinnoh league! well forget it! today is ash's day and he doesn't have time for that so go battle someone else!" says dawn
paul stares blankly at dawn for a few seconds then smirks while dawn looks back at him confused.
"actually... I ran into ash not too long ago, and he said he'd be up for a battle against me anytime. I could tell he's gotten much stronger since last we battled.. and I certain he wants to test his skill too.. as do I" says paul
"ehh? really? he did?" says dawn a bit surprised
"this isn't merely about avenging my loss to him, I want to see just how much better he's gotten. but you say... I should battle someone else?.. perhaps then, I should battle you" says paul
"hmph, fine by me" says dawn intensely
the two stand their ground having a staredown as if about to battle, then seconds later a voice breaks their focus.
"paul!" said the familiar voice