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With Dawn's call hanging heavy in his mind, Ash's number one priority was getting to Sinnoh as soon as he could. Speed was the name of the game, and waiting a day or two for a flight just wouldn't do.
So, why buy a ticket for a plane, when you have a jet in your back pocket? With a few test flights to get them comfortable, Ash and Latias were off, making it to the far north region in record time. That led them to their current situation— While Latias was a capable flier, and Ash a very capable trainer, there wasn't half a navigator between them.
They were lost.
"How the hell did we miss an entire town?" Ash's eyes flashed across the horizon. Everywhere he looked, he found nothing but thick evergreen forests covering the earth down below.
"Honestly I prefer to lean on the bright side— We made it to Sinnoh!" Latias, for her part, was keeping it calm, despite her new trainer's frustrations. Ash couldn't help but cool it a little when he heard her response.
"If we'd somehow missed a whole region, I'd be worried. Right now I'm just annoyed."
"Pikapi, kachu—" With a snickering chuckle, a third party joined the conversation. It was Pikachu, popping out from inside Ash's jacket to throw in his own ribbing. "Pi!"
"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up! Ash Ketchum can't find his way outta paper bag, huh?" Ash scowled, his annoyed look doing nothing to Pikachu but making his partner chortle even more. The two's exchange was particularly funny to Latias, who giggled to herself. Her laugh put a little rumble into the flight.
"You should cut him some slack, Pikachu. It's not like I'm used to flying around here anyways," she explained, taking a look across the forest below them. "Well, I mean I've flown out this far, just never in this direction. I usually headed south, or sometimes to the west— Lots of really cool sights out west, and Pokémon too. I'm sure Sinnoh has—"
Before Latias's runaway ramble could get much further, Ash snorted and patted her side. His touch brought her to pause, as he gave her a cheeky grin.
"Guess it's the first time for the lot of us. I ain't used to riding one of my friends around either!" The comment broke through Latias's still quiet, as she burst into a snicker. The ride jostled for just a second until she let out a happy sigh, content.
A moment of calm quiet passed.
"Seriously though, we're lost."
"Yeeep. Maybe we could stop by that lake down there and try to figure out where we're going?"
"Oh hey, that's not a bad id— Wait a second, a lake? Twinleaf Town should be near Lake Verity!" Ash immediately shot to attention, looking over Latias's side to the lake she'd spotted. It was small, barely the size of a fist from how high up they were, but it was there!
"...Pika, pikachu, kapichu." Despite the two's excitement, Pikachu couldn't help but note the obvious. So they had missed an entire town.
"Not by that much at least!" Latias reasoned, squinting as she brought herself to a stop. "Hey Ash. This friend of yours, Dawn. How would you say she looks?"
"Uhhh. Long blue hair. White hat. Pink and gray outfit. Why do you ask?"
"Cause I've just spotted her!"
"Huh?!"
With an excited start, Latias rolled to the side and began a rapid descent, sending the trio barreling to the ground below. In seconds, the three crashed through the tree canopy, a good fourty or so meters from the lake itself.
While Ash struggled to regain his senses and waited for his stomach to catch up with him, he felt Latias gently depositing him onto the ground.
"We seriously need to work on your acceleration," he muttered, catching his breath turning into a laugh as he sat back. After a moment, Pikachu crawled out of his coat and took a woozy seat on his shoulder.
"I can go from 0 to 50 in about two seconds, so I think I'm good." Latias floated over to the edge of the clearing the trio stood in, parting some foliage to reveal exactly what she had claimed— The bodacious Dawn, standing on a path leading to Lake Verity. She hadn't changed a bit it seemed, still sporting that same iconic outfit she'd been rocking since Ash's days traveling with her.
"Heh. I've been keeping an eye on Alto Mare from the skies for years. Spotting someone who stands out as much as she does was easy peasy!"
Ash grinned as he rose to full height.
"Yep, that's Dawn alright! Standing out is her whole deal." Dawn seemed to be waiting for something, tapping her toe and starting down the path leading away from Lake Verity. Occasionally, she'd take a glance at her phone, before tapping a message into it.
After a moment, Ash felt the phone in his own pocket vibrate. She was waiting for him.
"Well, no point in gawking. Let's go see what's up!" At Ash's declaration, Latias stiffened up, her lively attitude from moments ago fading as she floated away from the edge of the clearing.
"Yep. Let's, go dooo… that." A pause came, before Latias shoved her hand into Ash's jacket pocket. "Have-fun-I'll-be-in-here-okay-bye!"
In a flash of red light, she disappeared, recalled into the confines of her Poké ball. Ash couldn't help but snort at that, as he adjusted his cap and looked ahead.
"Come on buddy, let's go say hi!"
"Pika!"
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"Come on Ash, where are you?" Dawn muttered under her breath, impatiently tapping her foot as she laid in wait. She'd not gotten one message back from the boy in hours, and the path coming from Twinleaf town was absolutely bare. Frowning, Dawn let her crossed arms fall. "We don't have much more time."
"Hey Dawn!" A sudden shout startled her, as she whipped around to find Ash hopping out from the treeline at her back.
"Ash? What're you doing—" She glanced back to the path leading to Twinleaf Town, before smiling and letting out an exasperated sigh. "I guess expecting you two to arrive the normal way was a fool's errand."
"You know it!"
"Pikaka!" Beating Ash to the finish line, Pikachu leapt ahead, landing on Dawn's shoulder and pulling a laugh from her as he rubbed his cheek against hers. "Pikapi, Pikachu-pi, pika!"
"Heh, I've missed you too, Pikachu!" Dawn giggled, before letting Ash's partner jump back to his shoulder. "You guys haven't changed one bit, huh?"
"Nope!" Finally arriving himself, Ash flashed Dawn his old grin, before standing straight. As excited as he was to see one of his best friends again, there was business to get to. "Speakin' of errands— What's going on! You seemed pretty serious about me getting here ASAP."
"And not a moment too soon!" Despite the apparent urgency in this whole arrangement, Dawn was oddly smiling. "I definitely couldn't have you missing today!"
"Today? What's so special about today?"
Now Dawn's smile became a grin, one that only grew as she put a hand to her chest.
"It's my birthday!"
A moment of pause, as Ash blinked and Pikachu deadpanned.
"...Huh?"
"Pika."
"It's my birthday!"
"No, I heard you, it's— I thought you said this was super important!" Ash frowned and crossed his arms, joined by Pikachu a moment later. Despite that, Dawn didn't seem to miss a beat. She turned and struck a pose.
"Of course it's important! What could be more important than celebrating one of your best friends's birthday!"
Her sheer assuredness left Ash deadpan, unsure for a moment if this was a joke or not. He almost wanted to be mad. Yet, looking at her with her cheeky grin and completely unflappable attitude, Ash quickly found his sense of humor. He broke into a snorting chuckle, before a full force laugh.
Dawn was the eccentric type, just like him. It's why he loved her.
"Heh, you're right. That is pretty important!"
"Exactly! Now come on, the party's already started! Everyone's already over by Lake Verity!" Without even a moment to pause, Dawn hooked her arm around Ash's and began down the path to the lakefront. All the while, Ash was blinking.
"Wait, a party?"
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A party indeed!
The duo plus Pikachu quickly made their way to the lake, where festivities had been set up. Rows of tables, stacked high with snacks and drinks, cordoned off an area of the lakefront, creating a space for guests to idle and mingle. On one side, a tall set of speakers stood, playing upbeat, yet quiet, music. Across from it was a grill, ready to surely cook up a real feast later.
All of that though was just set dressing. What caught Ash's eyes first wasn't the party, but the partygoers; It was all their friends from Sinnoh!
Among a handful of faces Ash had never seen, he spotted Zoey and Angie talking by one of the drink tables, Nando playing his lyre alongside the speakers (of course), and Barry and Lyra taking a dip into the lake. Even Conway was there, sneaking his way around where the partygoers' Pokémon were gathered.
Ash beamed, taking a sharp breath in preparation to holler out to his friends— Only for Dawn to beat him to the punch.
"Hey everyone! Ash is here!" With a shout that sent even Ash reeling, Dawn announced his arrival, grabbing the attention of the other guests in an instant. A few came to approach, the first of which being Barry.
In a frankly impressive feat, the energetic blonde shot straight out of the lake and marched over, still sopping wet in his swim shorts.
"Ash Ketchum! Arriving so unfashionably late I see! What took you!? I'm going to have to fine you for this!" Not even taking a second of pause to let Ash respond, Barry began digging through his pockets, struggling to find something. After a moment, Ash noticed his clothes strewn in a pile over by the water.
"Missing your wallet there, bud?" he asked with a bit of a sarcastic tone.
"Yeah! I'm giving you a pass this time, Ash! Just because it's Dawn's birthday!" Before Ash could jab back with the fact it was obviously because he had misplaced his wallet, Barry took a running dive for the lake.
A half breath passed before Ash broke into a snicker.
"So, he hasn't changed."
"Nope!" Dawn smiled and crossed her arms, right alongside Ash. "Same old Barry."
"Can't say the same for you, Ash!" Right on time, Zoey entered the scene, approaching the two with Angie at her side. The former was decked out in a stylish maroon jacket, while the latter had a more plain outfit on, a hoodie in her usual colors. Zoey whistled as she gave Ash a once over. "Loving the new outfit. Blue fits you way better than the black and yellow."
"Yeah, you're almost looking good, Ketchum!"
Ash let out a laugh. "You guys aren't too bad yourselves! How've you been?"
"Ah, you know. Traveling around, kicking butt in the Hoenn contest circuit. Nothing much." Taking the lead, Zoey immediately went into a humble brag, her nonchalant attitude returning after a moment. "Almost couldn't make it here, actually. But Dawn caught me right when I was back in town."
"Dawn's really pulling in people from everywhere, huh?" Ash barely had a chance to glance over, before Dawn went off in her response.
"Ugh, I wish! Like half the people I invited couldn't make it!" she explained, sighing and slumping over in a suitably over dramatic fashion. "May's stuck back in Johto for a contest, Brock had a final to study for— Cynthia sent a card at the very least, even though she couldn't come."
Raising a brow, Angie jumped back into the conversation.
"Did you seriously invite the champion of the whole region to your birthday?"
"My 16th Birthday! That's the most important one!" Dawn stood straight, making her declaration with the pomp and circumstance worthy of a contest star. Her sheer energy sent Ash into a laugh.
"You know, I turned 16 like two weeks ago! It's not that big of a deal, Da—" The moment Ash uttered those words, he came to a stop, as Pikachu leapt off his shoulder in a single bound. Before Ash could ask what was up, his partner chittered out a warning and ran off. "Huh? What do you mean I did this to myself?"
Confused, he turned back to Dawn and immediately found his answer.
"It was your birthday!?"
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Pikachu skedaddled from the scene, holding back a cackle as he watched Ash get his just deserts. His partner's mouth always seemed to get him into situations like these, so he'd just have to use it to get out this time.
For now, it was time for him to peruse and enjoy the party at his own pace, maybe check out those yummy snacks he spotted—
"Bun!"
Or not.
Pikachu froze as a familiar voice called his way. He didn't even have a moment to turn, before he was subsequently tackled and sent rolling across the ground.
"Bun! Buneary! Neary-bun!" It was Dawn's Buneary! The exuberate Rabbit Pokémon had launched herself into Pikachu in an excited start, with familiar affection underlying each word. "Buneary-eary! Bun!"
She had missed him!
"Pikachu-pi. Pika—!" Pikachu barely got to his feet before Buneary tackled him with another hug. She had really, really missed him. The reason for why wasn't lost on him. His cheeks grew redder than usual as he responded. "Pikachu-pi, Pikaka-chu."
He'd missed her too.
"Buuuun!" Squealing, Buneary hopped up to Pikachu's side and hooked her arm through his. With a confident tug she indicated towards where the rest of the Pokémon were mingling. She wanted him to join her. "Buneary!"
For a moment, he was almost ready to go along with her— Until he noticed the Pokémon at the head of the group: Dawn's Piplup. The prideful Penguin Pokémon was giving the two a look and snickering, before indicating towards a spot next to him.
Ripe embarrassment froze Pikachu in place, confusing Buneary as she came to a stop alongside him. He was never good with this lovey-dovey affection stuff, and this was exactly why.
He should just pull away from Buneary, he thought, go enjoy the party himself. He should—
"Buneary?" All at once, Buneary pulled Pikachu from his train of thought with a squeeze. She was leaning her head onto his shoulder, and giving him a welcoming smile. It felt… nice, really nice. With a nod, she asked again. "Bun, Buneary-eary?"
Do you want to join me with the others?
Hesitating for just a moment more, Pikachu snorted. Ah, what the heck. Let's lean into this.
"Pika!" With a face still bright red, Pikachu forged ahead, Buneary at his side and a nervous grin on his face. Of all the challenges he had faced, some embarrassment wouldn't do him in.
Buneary smiled.
"Bun, bun!"
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The light-hearted small talk from moments before had become anything but, as Ash and Dawn went back and forth— All the while Zoey and Angie watched on in mild amusement.
"I can't believe you didn't tell me your birthday passed!" On one side, we had Dawn laying out her grievances. To say she was upset was an understatement, though the reason for why was utterly befuddling to Ash.
"Ah come on, Dawn. It's not a big deal!" On the other side, there was Ash, trying his best to defuse what suddenly became a tense social situation. Would he succeed? "Hell, I didn't even celebrate! My mom wished me a happy birthday and that was it!"
No, no he would not.
"That's terrible! That just won't do!" Dawn stood straight and took a deep breath, before putting on a wink and a grin. "No need to worry! We can fix this right now!"
"Oh, no, Dawn. That's—"
"—When we worry the most!" Chiming in unison, Angie and Zoey completed Ash's anti-catchphrase, before laughing between themselves. Unfortunately, not even that could derail Dawn's runaway train of enthusiasm.
"This party is for the both of us now! Dawn and Ash's 16th birthday party!" With a tone that matched a declaration of victory, Dawn laid out her decree— A decree that left Ash as befuddled as he was charmed. He watched her turn from her confident, hands-on-hips pose, and look at him with an old familiar grin.
Before Ash could say a word in protest, Angie beat him to the punch. "Can you just, do that?"
Dawn opened her mouth to respond, but she too was beaten to the punch.
"Not typically."
Jumping to the side, Dawn turned to reveal another person joining the conversation. With glasses shining white and a grin cocksure, a familiar figure had arrived on the scene. It was—!
"Conway? When did you get over here? I didn't even see you!" Ash took a quick glance to confirm no one else was sneaking up on them.
Conway grinned.
"Do you ever?" Readjusting his glasses, Conway stepped forward, taking center stage in the group of five. "While it certainly isn't typical for someone to be able to just declare it's someone else's birthday, Dawn has special privileges as the Birthday Girl!"
With an overly confident flourish and sneer, Conway looked to Ash.
"You wouldn't deny her that privilege, would you, Ash?"
Realizing that Conway was coming to her aid, Dawn lit up.
"Yeah! You wouldn't deny me that, huh, Ash!" She hopped to Conway's side, raising her fists and beaming at Ash in perfect time. "It's two against one, so you gotta agree!"
Ash opened his mouth, ready to offer a witty remark as he so often did. Yet, instead, he paused and laughed. Utterly 'defeated' by Dawn's perfect argument, he conceded.
"Heh, alright, alright, you win!" With a flick of his thumb beneath his nose, Ash took Dawn's side and threw his hand over her shoulder. "Happy Birthday to me! So, what did you guys get me?"
A round of laughs and bemused sighs took the group, but none of them came from Dawn. No, she was grinning, a pride in her face that matched Ash's tit-for-tat.
"Happy Birthday, Ash."
Ash gave a smile.
"Happy Birthday, Dawn."
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After the logistics of whose birthday it was finally sorted out, Ash proceeded to go greet the rest of his friends, catching up with Nando, Barry, Conway, and more. In the two years since they'd seen them, things had certainly changed.
Nando had been traveling in Hoenn the last year or so, participating in a new kinda contest that was being run. Contest Spectaculars, he called them. Conway and Barry, meanwhile, were challenging the Indigo League together. Though to hear them tell it, they just happened to end up at the same cities to challenge the same gyms at the same time.
Sure, Ash told them.
After that, Ash could finally settle down, taking a breather as he leaned against one of the tables.
"Whatcha waiting for, Ash? You should bring out the rest of your Pokémon!" Of course, the moment he started to take said breather, Dawn came by with a drink and a very good point.
"Oh yeah!" Taking the punch she offered him in one hand and digging into his pockets with his other, Ash quickly went to do just that. Yet, just as he did, he paused. Something had caught his eye. Before Dawn could walk away to go chat with another party guest, he caught her by the arm and pulled her in.
"Am I going crazy, or is that Paul?" He blinked once to check, and yep, the man himself was right there, standing apart from the rest of the party. His attention was seemingly elsewhere as he looked onto the other partygoers, and wordlessly ate snacks from the table he stood near.
"Hm? Oh yeah, it is! I was surprised he showed up too. I'll admit, I mostly invited him to be polite." With an awkward laugh to cushion her confession, Dawn joined Ash's side. "I didn't think he'd actually come."
"Yeah, a birthday doesn't really feel like his thing."
There was something odd about Paul, though exactly what Ash couldn't tell. Perhaps it was the way he looked at the rest of the party with a neutral, tolerant gaze, rather than his typical scowl. Or his new outfit— A loose, floral shirt, a strong contrast to the practical tracksuit he usually wore. It all pointed Ash to a single thought about his old rival.
"Does he seem weirdly… chill to you?"
"Well that makes sense. He mentioned he just got back from a vacation!" Dawn's explanation surprised Ash, mostly because that meant Paul managed to talk to her without being a jerk for once. "He's been off in some other region for a few months now. Alola, I think it's called?"
"I'm trying to imagine Paul on a vacation." Ash closed his eyes. A moment passed. "Yeah, no, I can't."
Without a moment more to pause, Ash downed the drink Dawn had given him, before marching ahead to go face his old rival.
"Yo, Paul!" His call did little more than catch Paul's gaze, but that was more than enough for Ash. "How've you been!"
Ash expected quite a few reactions from Paul— An annoyed groan, a snappy bite back —and got none of it. Instead, Paul simply faced him and replied.
"I've been fine. Training, mostly." It was straight and to-the-point, practically polite. "I participated in the Indigo League last year."
"No kidding! You kick some serious butt?" Ash snorted. He could get used to this.
"Lost in the finals. An ace trainer with an axe to grind against Lance blew straight through me." There was a distinct non-chalantness in his answer, which was accentuated by the casual swig of the punch he took. When he finished, he looked to Ash. "And you?"
"Heh, faced the league in Unova last year. Didn't… do that well." It was a slightly embarrassed confession, but a confession nonetheless. It seemed that neither of them had a league win yet. Ash chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "I heard you've been taking it pretty easy since though! A vacay, huh?"
"Yep." Another sip of his drink. "I thought it was trite at first but slowing down, had its benefits."
Paul pulled his gaze away from Ash, turning to the rest of the party, to all the people who'd taken time to come for Dawn's birthday.
"It was a recommendation, actually, from that trainer who beat me. She said I could use the break."
Now that was a surprise to Ash— That Paul would both take advice like that so readily, and that he'd actually find something to enjoy on a vacation. The picture of Paul relaxing on a beach still couldn't form in his head, no matter how hard Ash tried to imagine it. It left him with just one thought at the front of his mind.
"Man, you've changed Paul." Was it blunt? Perhaps. But Ash was rarely one to be subtle with his observations. His rivals were the same.
Paul snorted.
"It's funny. You haven't, Ash." The comment caught Ash by surprise, Paul's gaze snapping back to him as he continued "I can read you like an open book. You want a battle, don't you?"
Ash paused, Paul's words hitting right on the money. Was he really that easy of a read?
After a moment, a smirk cracked through Ash's lips.
He may be an easy read, but he was never easily jostled.
"Course I do. But you're not any better, buddy." His sneer was practically a whisper. "You wanna battle too, don'tcha?"
Standing firm, Paul tried to not give Ash a reaction. Soon, though, his flat deadpan became a grin, and then, a snort.
"…Yeah, I do. There wasn't a challenge to be found in that whole region." With a turn, Paul started towards the forest, to a path leading away from Lake Verity. He only paused for a moment to flash a Poké ball— One that was black with yellow stripes. "Think you'll be any better?"
"Oh you know it!" Gripping the brim of his cap, Ash gave his old rival a confident nod. "Pikachu! Let's go!"
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"Huh?" Dawn paused, her curious observation of Ash and Paul coming to an end as the two began towards the forest's edge. "Are those two, leaving?!"
"Pi-pika. Pikachu-pi, Kachu!"
Dawn turned back, spotting Pikachu and Buneary exchanging some words. Despite the redness in his face, Pikachu was holding Buneary's hands in his own, offering her some words of promise. After a moment, Buneary smiled and nodded.
"Bun!" With a salute, she let Pikachu go, watching as he took off to follow Ash.
At that, Dawn realized what was happening.
"Ash and Paul are going to have a battle!" She grinned, leaving the drink she held behind as she took off after them. "No way am I missing this!"