Chapter Three
As the duo made their way off the beach, Dawn was full of excitement. Her blue eyes sparkled as they darted around, taking in all the new sights. Thinking of all the new Pokémon she had yet to discover, she realized her mother was right getting out of Sinnoh had already done wonders for her.
Alain could feel the excitement radiating off his new travel companion and sighed, making a mental note to himself: This is going to be the longest journey.
"Hey, you're a professor's assistant, right?" Dawn exclaimed, her voice bubbling with enthusiasm.
"Umm, yeah," Alain replied in a flat tone, refusing to match her energy.
"You must know so much about the region and Pokémon here. Wow! First I travel with a trainer and a breeder, now a professor's assistant. Talk about hitting the travel buddy jackpot. It almost feels like I got a cheat code."
"Figures you would need a cheat code," Alain muttered, rolling his eyes.
"Rude!" Dawn shot back, crossing her arms. "I'll have you know I've done very well for myself on the contest circuit."
"Very impressive," Alain said dryly. "You passed a cheerleading class."
Dawn's eyes narrowed. "You have no idea what a contest is, do you? Great, you're just as clueless as Ash."
"It sounds like something that's a waste of time," Alain replied, his tone dismissive as he looked away.
"Now, now, shouldn't a professor's assistant do some research before making a judgment?" Dawn teased, hoping to get a rise out of him.
"A professor's assistant has better things to do."
"Shame they don't have contests here," Dawn continued, undeterred. "They would have a lot to teach you."
"Oh really?" Alain's voice dripped with sarcasm as he braced himself for a ridiculous response. "Like what?"
"Well, let's see... how to have fun, experience joy, and excitement, just to list a few things."
"So, I was right—a complete waste of time."
"All right, that's it. Piplup, come on out, spotlight!" Dawn threw the Pokéball, and a bright light burst forth, releasing Piplup in a cascade of bubbles.
Alain stopped in his tracks, unsure what was happening as he watched the display.
"Now, use Drill Peck on the bubbles!" Piplup's beak lit up and extended as the small penguin Pokémon spun its body, bursting all the bubbles and leaving behind a sparkling mist. Piplup landed with grace and took a bow.
"You were just amazing, Piplup!" Dawn praised, her voice filled with affection. Piplup jumped and chirped back excitedly, clearly loving the attention. Alain couldn't help but smile at the dancing Piplup, reminded of when his Charizard was a Charmander. I suppose there's something endearing about it, he thought, though he quickly pushed the sentiment aside.
"See what you've been missing out on?" Dawn continued, a triumphant smile on her face. "And that's only the performance. After that, you have to win a bunch of battles to win the contest. But they're no ordinary battles; every move you make has to make your Pokémon look their best and be strong enough to fight."
"So, it's a battle with extra rules," Alain remarked, his expression returning to its usual deadpan as he tried to hide the glimmer of happiness the performance had brought him.
"Ugh, you are such a boy," Dawn groaned. "Come on, I saw you smile. You have to admit you enjoyed it. I learned so much traveling with a trainer, watching him compete in gym battles. And I know he learned by watching me in contests. In fact, watching my battle helped him figure out a way to beat a gym leader he'd already lost to twice."
Alain's eyebrows raised slightly, betraying his curiosity despite himself. Dawn noticed and seized the opportunity. "Aha! I knew you'd find it interesting. I think you'd be surprised what you could learn being out of the lab."
"I get out plenty to do my research," Alain replied, though the defensive edge in his voice suggested he wasn't entirely convinced.
"I'm guessing your research doesn't include talking to other people," Dawn said with a knowing smile. "If I only spent time with other coordinators, I wouldn't have come to Kalos and seen Mega Pokémon. I really think that could be the next big thing for me in contests. How about we make a deal? You teach me what you know about Mega Evolution, and I'll teach you about contests."
Alain scoffed at the idea. "I have no need of your help. I will get you to Professor Sycamore's lab safely, and you hand over Professor Rowan's paper. That is our deal."
Dawn's expression turned mischievous. "Well… you know, I could always just turn around and head back to Sinnoh. I'll bet Professor Sycamore wouldn't be too happy to learn you scared away such a poor, defenseless girl."
"What are you talking about now?" Alain asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.
"I want to learn about Mega Evolution, and in exchange, I will continue with you to the lab. That's what you get for underestimating me."
Thinking he had caught the girl in another trap, Alain replied smugly, "And how exactly do you plan on returning to Sinnoh? Do you really want to risk another incident?"
"I'll just fly back on my Togekiss this time, ha!"
"So you have another Pokémon that can fly, and you didn't think to mention that so we could have been at the lab by now?"
"Togekiss is only big enough for one person, and excuse me for wanting some company. Besides, my plan always was to land Braviary somewhere secluded, put her back in the ball, and walk the rest of the way. This is my first time outside Sinnoh, and I want to take in all the sights."
Alain sighed, realizing he was outmanoeuvred. "Alright, if it will shut you up, I will teach you about Mega Evolution. Just promise not to do anything stupid like run off and get lost. I already told the Professor I'm bringing you back to the lab."
"All right, it's a deal!" Dawn exclaimed, grinning.
"Now can we finally get back on the road?" Alain asked, already dreading whatever mischief she might get them into next.
Piplup jumped up onto Dawn's shoulder, ready for adventure. As they continued their travels, Piplup was constantly chirping, taking in all the new sights. "Pip, pip, lup!" Alain secretly enjoyed the excitement of the starter Pokémon, bringing back more memories of his early adventures with Charmander. I've got to stop thinking like this, he chided himself.
They approached an area densely populated with lush green trees. Tiny bird Pokémon were hopping through the branches under the protection of one large bird Pokémon. "Look, Piplup, aren't they adorable?" Dawn said, her voice filled with wonder. Piplup chirped and flapped its wings in response.
"Hey, Alain, what are they?" Dawn asked, her curiosity piqued.
"It's a flock of Fletchling and a Talonflame," Alain answered, his tone more neutral.
Dawn giggled, "Wow, Piplup, we've got our very own Kalos Pokédex. It must be on the fritz though," she added with a playful side-eye at Alain. "Don't they usually give some information about the Pokémon?"
Alain glanced back at Dawn, sighing. How did I get myself into this situation? he wondered. "Yes, I spent all this time training with the Professor to become a living Pokédex," he replied, his voice laced with sarcasm.
Sensing his mockery, Dawn decided to try and get a normal response out of him. After all, why not make an effort to get along with your travel companion, even if it is only temporary? "Would you prefer 'tour guide' instead?" she quipped, hoping to break through his sarcasm.
Seeing the look Alain shot her, she knew the answer was no.
"Alright then, Piplup, we'll just get a closer look and learn for ourselves." Dawn dropped her backpack and ran off to the nearest tree with Fletchling, beginning to climb. Alain shouted after her, "We don't have time for this!"
Dawn, halfway up the tree, turned her head and laughed, "Would you relax? Besides, who exactly gave either of us a deadline?"
Alain gave up, knowing she had a point. They technically could get back to the lab at any time. He was the only one who wanted to rush back, and he knew that wouldn't be a good enough reason for her. "Fine but try to be quick about it."
Dawn smiled back. "I'll try," she said, though she couldn't help but take her time as she climbed. A tiny Pokémon holding onto a flower floated past her, and she stared in awe, missing the next branch to grab. Alain rolled his eyes, seeing what was about to happen, and ran towards her.
Dawn let out a small scream as she began to fall and closed her eyes bracing for the impact. Confused by her soft landing, she slowly opened her eyes to see Alain holding her in his arms. She laughed nervously after seeing his intense look that screamed, I told you so.
"I think it's about time you started to worry about the consequences of your actions"
Dawn's eyes widened and she held onto Alain's chest and screamed out "I think I'll start now!"
Alain turned around to see what Dawn was talking about.
"It's a Mega Beedrill," Alain said, his voice low and serious.
Dawn's eyes widened. "A Mega Beedrill? What should we do?"
Alain tightened the grip he had on Dawn. He let out a frustrated grunt trying to figure out his next move. Charizard was still resting from his earlier battle and his others couldn't Mega Evolve. He briefly considered Dawn using her Braviary but even if she wasn't clinging onto him terrified it was still too risky.
Piplup jumped off Dawn's shoulder and ran to the backpack. Using its beak, it unzipped her bag and its flipper to knock over the bag. As the contents fell out, Piplup scanned everything searching for one Pokéball in particular. After finding it Piplup hit the seal with its flipper and unleashed a blinding light.
A monstrous shape began to take form between Alain holding Dawn and the Beedrill. Dawn screamed internally knowing what was happening as she now realised Piplup had left her shoulder. An intense look of fear appeared on Alain's face as he was having a hard time figuring out how the situation was quickly getting worse.
A massive Garchomp at least twice the size of any he had ever seen before emerged from the light. It let out a deep aggressive roar at the Beedrill causing it to flee. Alain knew he had no choice; he would have to bring out Charizard and hope they could fly off without being noticed. Dawn's legs fell to the ground as Alain dropped his arm reaching for Charizard's Pokéball. His other arm was still around her waist ready to throw her on Charizard. Dawn saw his hand reaching into his pocket. As he was about to throw the ball, Dawn grabbed his wrist stopping him.
"Stop!" she shouted.
Alain froze and looked down at her. "What are you doing, we need to get out of here". She tightened her grip on his wrist and her hand that was still on his chest.
"Please I need you to trust me, don't let out Charizard and everything will be fine, my Garchomp has already scared off the other Pokémon, just give me a chance to calm him down"
Alain's eyes widened in shock. Dawn took his silence as reluctant agreement and slowly let go of him to turn to Garchomp. As she called out to him the giant Pokémon turned around and lowered his head to see Dawn. After letting out a gentler roar than the last one it went down on its knees and lowered its arms to get closer to her. After lowering its head even more Dawn was able to place her hand on Garchomps head.
"Thanks so much, Garchomp" Her Pokémon gently nudged its head against Dawn knocking her back slightly. Seeing her Pokémon was relaxed she turned her head and looked to Alain.
"Garchomp, this is Alain he's going to be travelling with us for a bit. So, there is no need to fight him or his Pokémon, ok". His eyes darted towards the boy wanting to make the decision if he was a threat for himself. He moved a few steps forward slowly for a closer look while growling.
"Don't worry Alain just stay calm and you'll be fine"
Alain's breathing was getting heavier. As the Pokémon got closer to his face his rose he removed his glove and raised his hand that is visibly shaking. Slowly placing his hand on its head.
Garchomp moved back and stood up and let out a roar and Dawn put him back in the Pokéball.
"You can relax now, Alain, he seems to have accepted you"
Alain still feeling his heart racing looked at the girl and said "Ok start talking" desperately needing an explanation for the crazy events that just happened, again.