"Finally found you, what are you doing here?"
After walking for a few minutes, Ash finally found Aipom hiding in a tree. Just as he was asking, Aipom suddenly turned around. When Ash saw the Berry in its hand, he roughly knew why Aipom had run away. It probably smelled the fragrance of the Berry after seeing that there was no problem here, right?
But wasn't this guy full? Why is it still so gluttonous?
Ash wordlessly returned it to its Poké Ball, and then walked towards the way he came with Pikachu.
"I wonder if Brock has found the other lost Pokémon. If he hasn't found them, we probably won't be able to leave until tonight."
"Pika~ka~"
Pikachu also drooped its ears helplessly. They originally thought it would only take a short time to find the Pokémon, but now the only Piplup they found jumped out on its own, and the price was a battle in the wild.
If you think about it from this perspective, Ash could probably understand why Aipom felt hungry again. It was such an active guy, and it had just gone through a battle. Its lunch should have been used up without a snack.
...
"Has Piplup been fed? If it's been fed, let's go... let's meet up with Brock first, so much time has passed..."
Ash came to the starting position, and originally wanted to call Dawn to leave here together, but Ash found that Dawn's current state seemed a little strange.
"Dawn?"
Ash called her name again, and only then did Dawn come back to her senses. She pointed to the lakeside in front and said, "There... there seemed to be a Pokémon in the lake just now..."
"Pokémon?"
Ash was puzzled by this, but in the next second, he remembered that this was Lake Acuity, which meant that Dawn saw Uxie.
"Really! I didn't lie to you! Although I don't know where the Pokémon in the lake went! But it really appeared just now! Right, Piplup?!"
"Piplup Piplup!"
Piplup nodded repeatedly in agreement. Looking at the two of them, Ash's thoughts were now elsewhere.
Uxie, huh...
He thought to himself.
Does that mean that I have to go through the Team Galactic event again? Speaking of which, can I prevent it in advance this time? If I tell Cynthia that Cyrus is the leader of Team Galactic... but I don't have any evidence, which is troublesome.
Ash sighed in his heart. It would be easy if he could directly tell Cynthia the truth and solve the problem. After all, they were able to be captured by Team Galactic in the past because the leader of Team Galactic had been lurking around them. Even though Ash, who has relived the past, knows so much truth, Cynthia would be more willing to believe Cyrus if there is no evidence, right? Who told him to stay in the League's vision for longer?
But if Professor Oak guarantees it, maybe... never mind, even if Professor Oak doesn't have any evidence, it shouldn't work.
With these disheartened thoughts, Ash and Dawn returned to the intersection. After seeing Brock with Chimchar and Staravia, the two finally breathed a sigh of relief. No matter what, today's mission seemed to be able to come to an end.
....
"What... what are you doing? Not only did you let the starter Pokémon and Staravia run away, but you also needed others to help you clean up your mess? Is that how you act?!"
"S-sorry!" ×n
After returning to the lab, Professor Rowan finally came back. During the time Ash and the others left, Professor Rowan had learned about what had happened in the lab, so he didn't shy away from scolding his subordinates in front of Ash and the others.
It must be said that Dawn's previous worries seemed to be correct. Professor Rowan's appearance was a bit scary when he was scolding people... especially that thick stubble, which made Professor Rowan himself look more majestic.
"I-it's okay... anyway, it didn't waste much time..."
Because Professor Rowan's apology was mainly aimed at Dawn, who was a rookie Trainer who had just set out, only Dawn could say words of forgiveness. However, this was also because the researchers behind them were constantly winking at Dawn, begging her to help.
"Sigh... I'm really sorry, I didn't expect this to happen. As compensation, I can give you some more Poké Balls. Speaking of which, have you decided which starter Pokémon you want to choose?"
After Professor Rowan said this, he turned to the side, so that Dawn could clearly see the Piplup, Chimchar, and Turtwig standing in a row behind him.
If it were before, Dawn would have been struggling to make a decision, but now, after experiencing the Ariados incident, Dawn didn't hesitate and walked directly to Piplup, squatting down and firmly saying, "I want to choose Piplup!"
"Piplup~!"
The moment Dawn chose it, Ash clearly saw Piplup's body tremble. It should be happy to be chosen by Dawn, but Piplup deliberately pretended to be indifferent, turning its head away pretentiously, giving people the feeling that it was rejecting Dawn.
"Okay, stop being stubborn~ I know what you're thinking in your heart, in short, it's decided!"
"Pi~ Piplup?!"
Before Piplup could express its meaning, it was hugged by Dawn. Looking at the two who had just met and were so close, Professor Rowan nodded in satisfaction.
For him, nothing was more joyful than seeing a rookie Trainer and her starter Pokémon getting along well. In short, looking at Dawn and Piplup's feelings and their personalities, there shouldn't be any problems in their future journey.
"Since you've made your choice, that's good. Also, this is a Poké Ball and a Pokédex for you. With the Pokédex, you are officially recognized as a Pokémon Trainer. Not to mention what your dream is, but you must remember to focus on Pokémon, so that you can go further."
"Yes, I understand! Thank you, Professor Rowan!"
Dawn bowed slightly to Professor Rowan with gratitude and respect. Only after receiving these rewards did Dawn truly feel the feeling and responsibility of being a Pokémon Trainer.
....