A little while later, Dawn went back into the back and changed back into her usual clothes, and as she smoothed out her skirt, Zoey also walked up behind her, "Hey, do you have a plan on getting out of here?"
Dawn looked back, tilting her head, "Huh? What do you mean?"
Zoey chuckled and shook her head, "Well, you're kinda popular now, so if you go out the front, you're gonna get swarmed. I'm guessing you don't want that."
Dawn felt a sweat drop fall from her head, "Err...yeah, good point."
Zoey chuckled and nodded with her head, "Come on, we can get out through the back. There should at least be way less, if any at all."
"But I have to meet up with my friends," Dawn said helplessly.
"I'm sure they can understand. After all, I doubt they also want to be chased around by your fans," Zoey said, and Dawn seemed to understand, so they went out to the back door.
Zoey peeked her head out first, looking left and right. Coast was clear, and she stepped out with Dawn behind her, "Okay, looks like no one is here."
As she was looking, a head slowly appeared behind her and whispered, "Who are we hiding from?" he said. It was Ash.
Zoey immediately jumped back, raising her arms in a defensive gesture, but Dawn brightened when she saw him, "Ash, you're here!"
Zoey blinked, "This is your friend?" She asked, slowly lowering her hands.
Then Verity, behind the conveniently placed tree, peeked out and waved, "I'm here too!"
Ash stepped out from behind the door with a grin, "Yep. We figured you two might try sneaking out the back."
Dawn blinked, "How did you know?"
Ash shrugged, "Because I know you."
Dawn puffed out her cheeks, "That doesn't explain anything."
Verity stepped out from behind the tree, brushing herself off, "What really happened is a bunch of people were waiting out here, but Ash scared them away for you. You can thank him~" she said happily, exposing Ash.
Ash gave her a side-eye while Verity kept her smile, like she was telling him, 'What are you gonna do about it, you big old Tsundere?'
Ash sighed and rubbed the back of his head, "I was just trying to make sure Dawn could get out without being mobbed."
Dawn's eyes widened, "You scared them away?"
"Not really."
Verity immediately interrupted, "He absolutely did."
Ash looked at her, "Verity."
She grinned innocently, "What? It's true."
Dawn looked at Ash curiously, "What did you do?"
Ash shrugged, "Nothing too crazy. I just told them they should probably give you some space."
Verity snorted, "And then you stared at them until they left, then when they didn't, you beat them up."
Ash immediately turned toward her, "I did not beat anyone up."
Verity raised an eyebrow, "You shoved one guy into a bush."
"He was trying to climb over the fence."
"You told another guy, and I quote, 'If you take one more step, I'm going to break every bone in your lower body.'"
Ash shrugged, "He took a step."
Dawn stared at him, "Ash!"
"What?" Ash asked innocently, "I was protecting you."
"You threatened people!"
"I gave them a warning."
Verity nodded, "A very Ash-shaped warning."
Dawn stared at him for a few seconds before her expression softened, "Still...thank you."
Ash blinked, "For what?"
"For protecting me." Dawn smiled, "And for everything else."
Ash immediately looked away, rubbing the back of his neck, "Eh, it wasn't a big deal."
Verity raised an eyebrow, "You spent the last twenty minutes standing outside threatening random people."
"I wasn't threatening them."
"You literally threatened to break someone's legs."
"I said might."
Dawn giggled, "That's not better."
Ash sighed, "Look, I just didn't want you getting mobbed the second you walked outside. You just won your first Contest. You should actually get to enjoy it instead of spending the next hour trying to escape a crowd."
Dawn smiled warmly at him, "You really were worried about me."
Ash glanced away again, "Maybe."
Dawn smiled, and she walked up and gave Ash another hug, making Zoey cover her mouth slightly and Verity look away with her hands on her hips, letting out a short breath.
Dawn buried her face against Ash's chest, "Thank you."
Ash's arms slowly came up around her, and he gave her a small smile as he rested one hand on the back of her head, "You're welcome."
Dawn squeezed him a little tighter, "I mean it. I wouldn't have been able to do that without you."
Ash shook his head, "Nope."
Dawn pulled back slightly and looked up at him, confused, "Nope?"
"You won that Contest." Ash gently tapped her nose, "I just helped you see what was already there."
Dawn smiled, "Still...you taught me the [Counter Shield]."
"Yeah, and you were the one who actually used it."
"And you trained me."
"You trained yourself."
"And you gave me Aipom."
Ash paused.
Dawn smiled knowingly, "See? You're not getting out of this one."
Ash sighed dramatically, "Fine. Maybe I helped a little."
Dawn laughed, "A little?"
"Okay, a lot."
She smiled and hugged him again, this time much shorter, before pulling away.
Ash looked at her with a small grin, "You know, if you keep hugging me every time I do something nice, I'm going to start doing nice things more often."
Dawn laughed, "Maybe that's the point."
Zoey laughed softly, "I have to admit, you two are pretty entertaining."
Dawn suddenly remembered something and looked toward Zoey, "Oh! Right, Zoey, we should probably get going."
Zoey nodded, "Yeah, I figured."
Dawn smiled, "I'm really glad I met you."
"Same here." Zoey held out her hand, "And congratulations again."
Dawn shook it, "Thanks. And congratulations to you too."
Zoey smiled, "We'll have to battle again sometime."
Dawn's eyes lit up, "Definitely!"
Zoey looked over toward Ash, "And you must be the teacher she mentioned."
Ash pointed at himself, "Me?"
Dawn nodded proudly, "Yep."
Zoey smiled, "You did a pretty good job."
Ash shrugged, "Oh, I'm not that good."
Verity immediately interrupted, "He'll be talking about that compliment for the next three weeks."
Ash looked at her, "I will not."
"You absolutely will."
"I won't."
"You already look proud."
Ash straightened slightly, "Well, I mean, if a professional Coordinator compliments my teaching, it'd be rude not to appreciate it."
Dawn giggled.
Zoey shook her head with a smile, "Well, I guess I'll see you two around."
"See ya!" Dawn waved.
Ash gave her a small wave, "Take care, Zoey."
Zoey nodded before turning toward Glameow, "Come on."
Glameow hopped onto her shoulder, and the two disappeared down the hallway.
Dawn watched them leave for a moment before turning back toward Ash and Verity.
"So..." Dawn said.
Ash raised an eyebrow, "So?"
Dawn smiled brightly, "I won my first Contest!"
Verity immediately jumped up behind them and wrapped them each in one of her elbows, holding them both close, "And we're celebrating!"
Ash nodded, "Absolutely."
Dawn's eyes widened, "Really?"
Ash nodded, "Of course. You just won your first Contest. You think we're going to let you go back to the hotel like nothing happened?"
Verity grinned, still holding both of them around the shoulders, "Absolutely not. Tonight, we're celebrating properly."
Dawn's face immediately brightened, "Where are we going?"
Verity put a finger to her chin, pretending to think deeply, "Hmm...somewhere fancy."
Ash raised an eyebrow, "You mean somewhere expensive?"
"Those two things aren't mutually exclusive." Verity nodded seriously, knowing full well she wasn't the one paying.
Dawn tilted her head, "I know a few places."
Verity slowly turned toward her, "A few?"
Dawn nodded, "Yeah. There are a bunch of really nice restaurants around Jubilife."
Verity stared at her for a moment, "How many is a bunch?"
Dawn thought about it, "I don't know. Maybe twenty?"
Verity's expression slowly went blank.
Ash snorted.
"What?" Dawn asked innocently.
Verity pointed at her, "You cannot just casually say there are twenty fancy restaurants you've been to."
Dawn blinked, "Why not?"
"Because that's insane!"
Ash put a hand on Verity's shoulder, "Don't worry. She's rich."
"I know she's rich!"
"Then why are you surprised?"
"Because I keep forgetting just how rich she is!"
Dawn looked between them, genuinely confused, "Is it really that big of a deal?"
Verity slowly rubbed her temples, "You really have no idea how much things cost, do you?"
Dawn shook her head, "Not really."
Ash snorted and whispered something in Verity's ear.
Dawn immediately looked at him, "What?"
"Nothing."
"You said that like you're making fun of me."
"I would never."
"Yeah, Ash would never say anything about how funny this situation is."
Dawn puffed out her cheeks, "You're both mean."
Ash reached over and lightly poked her cheek, "And yet you still love us."
Dawn's cheeks puffed out even more as she tried not to smile, "Unfortunately."
Verity sighed, "Okay, rich girl. Where are we going?"
Dawn thought for a moment before her eyes lit up, "Actually, I know exactly where."
Ash nodded, "Lead the way."
Verity looked between them, "Wait, we're seriously letting Dawn pick?"
Ash shrugged, "Why not?"
"Because this is how I end up eating something that costs more than my entire wardrobe!" Verity sighed.
"You're talking like you're the one paying," Ash raised an eyebrow.
"Fair enough, and hey, it can't be that bad," Verity said confidently.
Not even 30 minutes later, Dawn led them to the most luxurious restaurant in town, where the servers knew her by name and put her in a private room with Ash and Verity. Then, when Verity opened the menu, she nearly fell over looking at the prices.
And what's worse, Dawn didn't even bat an eye. She just ordered a round of appetizers that cost more than her entire outfit.
And at this moment, she nearly cried her broke tears, thankful to Arceus she had two rich friends she could mooch off of, though she still tried to order the cheapest thing on the menu. Little did she know, Dawn had already ordered for them.
—
{Later that night}
After dinner, they went back to the hotel and said goodbye to each other. Tomorrow, they would hit the road again, but today they could sleep in the hotel again, so Verity quickly ran and hugged the bed for the last time.
Meanwhile, Dawn went to a computer and called her mom to tell her the news, and Johanna didn't even let the phone ring twice before she answered. Dawn excitedly explained everything that happened today to her mom, even though Johanna watched everything on TV.
"...And then we went to that restaurant we went to for Aunt Yanase, who took us there for her anniversary, oh, but I ordered, but Ash didn't let me pay. Can you believe it?" She said the last part with a slight huff, making Johanna chuckle.
"He didn't let you pay?"
Dawn huffed, "No! He just paid for everything before I could even do anything."
Johanna smiled, "Ha, I think this may be the first time in history a girl complains about a boy paying for her dinner."
"It's the principle. I wanted to, but he didn't let me." Dawn leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms, "And Verity nearly had a heart attack when she saw the menu. I don't know why."
Johanna laughed, "It's a wonder. I can't imagine."
"I know, she looked like she was gonna cry. Maybe she just didn't like the food. Maybe I should take them to another place," Dawn wondered, tapping her chin.
"I think if you do that, she may die of a heart attack." Johanna let out another chuckle under her breath.
Dawn smiled before continuing, "But today was really fun, Mom. I mean, the Contest was amazing, and I met Zoey, and then we all went out to celebrate, and-"
Johanna smiled as she listened, but after a moment, she gently interrupted, "Dawn?"
"Hm?"
"You know you don't have to tell me every single thing that happens, right?"
Dawn blinked, "What?"
Johanna chuckled, "I'm glad you want to tell me. I really am. But you don't have to feel like you need to call me every time something happens."
Dawn stared at the screen for a moment, "But...I like telling you."
"I know."
Dawn looked down at her hands, "I just...I guess I don't want you to feel like you're missing anything."
Johanna's expression softened, "Sweetheart, I'm your mother. Of course I want to hear about your life, but that doesn't mean you have to report everything to me."
Dawn was quiet.
"You're traveling now. You're meeting people, making friends, learning new things. You're allowed to have experiences that you don't immediately have to tell me about."
Dawn smiled faintly, "I guess."
Johanna nodded, "Besides, you have friends with you now."
Dawn looked toward the door of the room, thinking about Ash and Verity.
"Verity's always there," Johanna continued, "And Ash seems to be someone you can talk to about just about anything."
Dawn looked down, playing with the hem of her shirt, "Yeah...he is."
Johanna noticed the expression and smiled knowingly, but decided not to tease her about it, "You know, when you first left Twinleaf, I was worried that you were going to feel lonely."
Dawn shook her head, "I'm not."
"I can tell."
Dawn smiled, "Ash always makes things fun. Even when he's being annoying."
Johanna laughed, "I'm sure he does."
"And Verity is...well, Verity."
Johanna smiled, "I still remember how you two were when you were younger."
Dawn giggled, "But she's really nice. And Zoey was really nice too. I think we're going to become friends."
"I'm glad."
Dawn leaned against the back of the chair, "I guess I don't really need to call you every time something happens."
Johanna shook her head, "No. Call me because you want to talk to me, not because you think you have to."
Dawn's expression softened.
"And if something important happens, obviously tell me."
Dawn nodded.
"But if you have a silly little story, or you eat something funny, or Ash says something silly, or Verity does something ridiculous..." Johanna smiled, "You can tell me those things too. Just don't feel like you have to."
Dawn smiled, "Okay."
Johanna looked at her daughter for a moment before her expression became a little more serious.
"And Dawn?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't spend your whole journey worrying about what I think."
Dawn blinked.
Johanna smiled gently, "You don't have to be afraid of disappointing me. I don't care if you win every Contest. I don't care if you lose your first ribbon, your second ribbon, or every ribbon after that."
"I just want you to enjoy yourself," Johanna continued, "If being a Coordinator makes you happy, then I'm happy."
Dawn stared at her mother for a few seconds, her fingers still playing with the hem of her shirt. Then a small smile slowly appeared on her face, "You really mean that?"
Johanna smiled, "Of course I do."
Dawn looked down, a quiet laugh escaping her, "I guess I was worrying about that for nothing."
"Maybe a little."
Dawn smiled, "Thanks, Mom."
"You're welcome, sweetheart."
For a few seconds, neither of them said anything. Dawn just sat there smiling at the screen, feeling a strange sense of relief. She smiled, then finally bid her mom goodnight and turned off the computer. Then she slowly got up and went to the bed. Laying down, she looked at the roof and smiled, pulling out her ribbon and letting the moonlight shine on it.
She was really doing it, and Ash and Verity were there the whole time, cheering for her. She'd have to find some way to pay them back for that. She wondered what would be fitting. Hmm, then again, they are both going to go after the Gym…
—
{With Ashtwo}
D was sitting at a small shop called Sun Sun, with his Meowth resting on his lap, purring. Meanwhile, he was working on his computer while he changed out the mask for a scarf again. Of course, it wasn't his original. Anabel had that one, and she decided that she wasn't gonna give it back. This was one he borrowed from Taka.
It wasn't even that strange, since in Sinnoh, even now in the spring, people wearing long scarves was normal. It wasn't even cold, so no one paid him any attention for covering his face.
Speaking of Taka, Ash and him had to change their plans. Ash let him borrow his Ditto to change his face, and then he went off to search for more information about Team Galactic and New Meteor.
Now, he suggested maybe he should join Galactic or Meteor to get information, but D told him that was a horrible idea. After all, Meteor had Lin as the new leader, and she was crazy, crazy. And Galactic did brainwashing, like straight-up, no joking, no nothing. It was pure brainwashing.
So those were immediately out. Sure, it's possible to do that, but from what he's seen, only high-ranking members are allowed to keep their minds, like Sird or Io. It was better not to risk it.
And D didn't want Taka joining Team Rocket. Heck, he barely wanted to be here, so they made a compromise, just for Taka to wait for the people he called to get here. He was off in another town since they would take a few days to get here.
But more on that later. D came here because he still had duties as a member of Team Rocket. Matori sent him on a simple mission. Apparently, a rich tycoon allegedly has ties to the black market. It's also possible that he is involved in human and Pokémon trafficking.
D's main job was to get to this guy and see if he was part of it, then use his connections to get Team Rocket a foothold in the black market. After that, Matori gave D authority to do whatever he wants to the guy.
As he was working, he heard some ladies nearby gasping. He tried to block them out, but unfortunately, they were not hiding it, so he could hear everything.
"Have you heard about Pokémon 7? They say he only takes things stolen by bad people and returns them to their rightful owners!" one woman said, showing her friend a news story where it said Pokémon 7 strikes again.
D raised an eyebrow at that, but he didn't say anything.
As he did that, a boy around 14 or 15 walked up to him and put his order on his table. The name on his nametag was Hiori, and he was just someone helping out the shop and keeping his head down while he was listening to the girls' gossip.
Unfortunately for the girls, someone stomped up in front of their table and said, "But his true identity is unknown, right? Hmph! He should mind his own business is what I say. He's still a thief and a menace. The police should catch him already."
The girl's name was Nazuna, the daughter of the owner of the shop.
Nazuna crossed her arms and huffed, "I don't understand why everyone keeps praising him! He's a thief! Just because he claims he's stealing from bad people doesn't make him some kind of hero!"
The two women looked at each other awkwardly, "But...he does return everything he steals," one of them pointed out.
"That doesn't matter!" Nazuna snapped, "He still broke into someone's property! What if everyone started doing that? What if I decided I didn't like someone's business and just stole from them?"
The women exchanged another glance before one of them slowly nodded, "I...suppose you have a point."
Nazuna smiled triumphantly, "Exactly!"
D barely glanced up from his computer. He decided to sit this one out. This was not his problem.
Nazuna suddenly turned toward Hiori, who was standing nearby with a tray in his hands, "Hiori!"
Hiori froze, "Y-yes, Nazuna?"
"You agree with me, right?"
Hiori's eyes widened slightly, and a tiny sweat drop appeared on the side of his head, "Uh..."
He looked around like he was begging for something to drag him out of this, but nothing came, and D wasn't gonna help him.
Nazuna stared at him expectantly, "Well?"
Hiori swallowed, "Y-Yeah. Of course."
Nazuna immediately smiled, "See?! Even Hiori agrees!"
Hiori's smile twitched.
"Pokémon 7 is a menace!"
"Y-Yeah."
"He needs to be stopped!"
"Definitely."
"He's probably going to get someone hurt eventually!"
"...Probably."
D looked up slightly, half expecting Nazuna to start demanding pictures of Pokémon 7, but she didn't. It's a shame. He would have liked to see that.
But then finally, something came to save Hiori. Three kids walked into the shop and called out excitedly, "Hey, Hiori and Nazuna! Let's have a battle!"
"Oh, I'm busy right now, so-" Hiori tried to say, but unfortunately, Nazuna stopped him and grabbed his hand.
Taking off her apron, she dragged him behind her, "Come on, how will you ever be able to train weaker Pokémon if you're like that?" She said, going to the door and calling to the back of the shop, "Papa, I'm taking a break!"
Hiori could only helplessly let out a groan, and that left the shop quieter. You know, D was actually happier it turned out like this. He was worried that they were gonna start apologizing to him and get attention on him.
But while he wanted to work, unfortunately, he was sitting next to a window, so when he looked out, he saw the battle getting set up.
The boy that challenged him sent out a Cranidos, while Hiori was standing there helplessly, muttering how he said no, but Nazuna looked over at him and glared, making him flinch and sigh. He had no choice.
He threw out his Poké Ball and let out a Lucario, which made the trainers gasp and think this was so cool.
Even the kid that challenged him flinched and felt a cold sweat fall from his head, but he pretended to be calm, "N-no problem. S-since I've been training my Cranidos, there's no way I'm l-losing."
They started the battle, and immediately the trainer called for his Cranidos to use [Headbutt]. The attack was slow and sloppy, but Lucario didn't dodge or try to block. Or rather, he looked like he did, but D from the shop could tell that it was pretending to act inexperienced.
The Cranidos hit Lucario, and D noticed that Lucario jumped back at the last moment based on the shift in Lucario's feet. He went flying back and hit a tree, sliding down and letting out a pained groan, but again, D could tell that was fake. This entire thing was fake. Lucario was pretending to be weaker than he was.
Then Hiori returned Lucario to his ball and lowered his head, "That's enough. You happy? I'm going home," he said, already turning and walking away.
The boys that challenged him were blinking in surprise, but the leader raised his nose and scratched his nose, gloating to his classmates that he was just that good, and that soon he'd go and become Champion, and his two lackeys were praising him.
Hiori had barely taken a few steps before Nazuna quickly caught up with him, grabbing the back of his shirt and stopping him in his tracks, "Hey! Where do you think you're going?"
Hiori looked over his shoulder, "Home?"
Nazuna stared at him in disbelief, "You're just going to leave?!"
Hiori blinked, "Uh...yeah?"
Nazuna's eye twitched, "Are you not embarrassed?"
"About what?"
"About that!" She pointed back toward the battlefield, "You just stood there and let Cranidos beat up your Lucario! You made yourself look like a complete fool!"
Hiori shrugged, "I don't really care."
Nazuna's mouth dropped open, "You don't care?!"
"Nope."
"But everyone is going to think you're weak!"
Hiori shrugged again, "That's fine."
Nazuna clenched her fists, "And Lucario?! Don't you feel bad for him?"
Hiori paused for a moment before shaking his head, "Not really."
Nazuna stared at him, completely baffled, "How can you say that?! He's your Pokémon!"
"I know."
"Then why don't you train him?!"
Hiori looked down at the Poké Ball in his hand, "Because I don't really like battling."
Nazuna's expression twisted in frustration, "You don't like battling?"
"No."
"Then why do you even have a Lucario?!"
Hiori scratched his cheek, "I like Lucario. I just don't like battling."
Nazuna's eye twitched again, "That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."
Hiori shrugged, "Okay."
Nazuna stared at him for several seconds, her anger only growing because of how completely nonchalant he was about everything, "Are you even listening to me?!"
"Yeah."
"Then why aren't you doing anything?!"
"Because I don't want to."
Nazuna's face turned red, "You're just saying that because you're scared!"
Hiori blinked.
Nazuna pointed directly at him, "That's it! You're scared of battling! You're a coward!"
Hiori's expression remained completely blank.
Nazuna huffed, "You know what? Maybe you should try being more like Pokémon 7!"
That finally got a reaction out of Hiori. He tilted his head slightly, "Pokémon 7?"
"Yeah!" Nazuna crossed her arms, "At least he's not afraid to do something!"
She stomped her foot before turning around and marching back toward the shop.
Meanwhile, Hiori continued walking down the street, hands tucked into his pockets. He didn't look angry, embarrassed, or even particularly upset. If anything, he seemed almost relieved that the whole thing was over.
Back at the shop, Nazuna stormed through the door and slammed her hand on the counter, grabbing her apron again.
Her father looked up from behind the counter, "Everything alright?"
"No!"
He blinked, "What happened?"
"Hiori happened!"
D, meanwhile, zoned them out. The only reason that Nazuna's dad was out here was because he stepped out to apologize for him and offer him another pastry for his daughter's ramble, which he accepted. But right now, he quietly put Meowth inside his scarf and packed up. Putting down money on the table, he walked out of the shop.
She sighed. He has a feeling he knows where this was going. He was aware of the Phantom Thief Pokémon 7 storyline. Well, most of it. Unfortunately, only the first 12 chapters in Volume 1 were really sent out and translated. The second volume and the next 12 chapters weren't translated, so D actually doesn't know what happens since he can't get his hands on it now that he is in the Pokémon world.
But hey, that is a problem for his future self. After all, he already made some changes. Things are probably not that similar, and before you think that's him jinxing it, no, it literally can't be the same, because he already captured Io, the big bad of Volume 1. Without her, the Darkrai subplot won't happen. Not that he cares; he has his own, and he isn't worried.
Anyway, he had to get a move on. He had some things to prepare before he went to get to work, and since he will be working here, he needs a new disguise.
He quickly went and got into a secluded spot, where he pulled out a long black trench coat and a new mask he had custom-made. This one covered his entire face and had a single purple design down the middle. Seemed like the perfect suit to have some fun.