Ash's Story (Part 5: Modern Sinnoh)

Chapter 3: First Battle Lines

By the time we returned to Professor Rowan's lab, Sandgem Town felt calmer than the road behind us. Pikachu was back on my shoulder, but I still kept one hand near him.

Dawn and Tox hurried ahead the moment Professor Berlitz stepped into the main room. Dawn looked like she wanted to act mature, but the relief on her face was too strong to hide.

"Dad!" Dawn called, rushing to him with Piplup at her heels.

Professor Berlitz caught her carefully, then looked her over like he was checking for hidden bruises. "I heard enough from Professor Rowan to worry. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Dawn said quickly. "Piplup got checked too, thanks to Tox."

Tox smiled as he stepped closer. "I made sure she did not pretend everything was fine after Team Rocket."

Professor Berlitz placed a hand on Tox's shoulder. "Then I am glad you were there."

Lillie smiled at the family reunion, and Gladion stood beside her with Umbreon near his boots. Daniel watched quietly while Meowstic and Girafarig looked around the lab.

Professor Rowan came from the back room carrying several packages. "Before anyone runs toward another crisis, these arrived for you."

Professor Rowan gave me a look that somehow felt like a lecture and a welcome at the same time. He did not scold us for bringing trouble to his lab, but I could tell he was already measuring how much trouble followed us.

Professor Berlitz guided Dawn toward a chair while Tox checked the supply cabinet without needing directions. They moved around each other like this lab had been part of their family long before I arrived.

Seeing that made me think of Mom waiting at home, pretending she was not worried every time I entered a new region. The package in Professor Rowan's hands suddenly felt heavier, even before I opened it.

One package had Dawn's name, and another had mine and Lillie's. My heart jumped when I saw Mom's handwriting on the label.

Lillie opened our package carefully. Inside were new clothes folded neatly, along with a short note from Mom that somehow sounded like her voice.

I found a black and yellow shirt waiting for me. Lillie lifted a pink dress from the package, and her eyes softened with surprise.

Dawn held the ribbon from Johana's package with both hands, and for a moment her excitement became quiet. I recognized that look because I had felt it every time someone trusted me with something important before I knew if I deserved it.

"Mom sent her first ribbon," Dawn said softly, showing it to Tox.

Tox smiled in a way that made him look less like a medic and more like an older brother. "Then you better make sure your first Contest gives her a story worth hearing."

Dawn's nervousness flickered, but Piplup stepped beside her with his chest out. He did not understand every word, yet he clearly understood that Dawn needed confidence.

"Wow," Lillie said, holding the dress against herself. "They look so great."

"They look like Mom wanted us ready for Sinnoh before we were ready ourselves," I said.

We changed in separate rooms, then called Mom as soon as we returned. She appeared on the screen, and her face brightened before I said anything.

Lillie touched the fabric carefully before changing, as if she was afraid to wrinkle something chosen with love. When she returned in the pink dress, the color made her look gentle, but the way she carried herself reminded me of every battle she had already won.