Capítulo 1283: Meeting Dawn Again
Yuga had barely settled back in Verdanturf Town when he received another notice from the League. This time, he was asked to attend the upcoming Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup in Lacunosa Town, Unova, as a guest. He was also scheduled to participate in an exhibition match during the opening ceremony.
The notice was first sent from the Unova League to the Hoenn League, and then forwarded to Verdanturf Town.
Like Yuga, another guest invited to the event was Sinnoh Champion Cynthia.
"So, Sinnoh gets Champion Cynthia. What about our Hoenn Champion?" Yuga couldn't help but grumble internally, feeling like the League had been treating him like a workhorse lately.
What Yuga didn't know was that Steven had already started preparing to step down as Hoenn's Champion. Most of the League's higher-ups had agreed to this, and Hoenn was now in the transitional period between the old and new Champions. As such, Steven wasn't exactly having an easy time either.
The transfer of a Champion's title requires meeting many stringent conditions. It's not something that can be done on a whim.
Speaking of the Junior Cup, Yuga recalled the plot from the anime. He seemed to remember that in the original story, the guests at Lacunosa Town were Cynthia and Caitlin. So, how did it end up being him this time?
The butterfly effect is truly frightening!
Still, this wasn't an earth-shattering change, so Yuga didn't dwell on it.
Regarding the Pokémon World Tournament, Yuga's understanding in the past was limited to what the anime had depicted. But after arriving in this world, he learned that it was an extremely grand League event, far more significant in scale than the annual League tournaments held in various regions.
The Pokémon World Tournament are held once every four years, open to trainers from all regions. The Junior Cup in Lacunosa Town was merely a warm-up and precursor to the event.
The real highlight would be the Pokémon World Tournament Regional Cup, which would follow soon after.
The day after receiving the notice, Yuga boarded a flying craft bound for Unova.
Midway through his journey, Yuga unexpectedly received a call from Cynthia. During the call, Cynthia suggested that Yuga head to Undella Town, not far from Lacunosa Town, to meet her there first.
It turned out that Cynthia, upon learning Yuga was also a guest for the Junior Cup, worried that he might have trouble finding a place to stay in Unova. Coincidentally, she owned a house in Undella Town and decided to call him with the suggestion.
Undella Town was right next to Lacunosa Town, and with several days remaining before the Junior Cup began, there was plenty of time to head over.
Undella Town was famous in Unova as a luxurious vacation spot. Staying there would definitely be more enjoyable than staying at a hotel or a Pokémon Center in Lacunosa Town.
Cynthia, ever the wealthy lady, even owned a house in Undella Town, leaving Yuga feeling a bit envious.
So, upon arriving at Mistralton City in Unova, Yuga boarded another flying craft to Undella Town.
When Yuga finally reached Undella Town, he was surprised to discover that Cynthia hadn't arrived yet!
In Undella Town, Yuga was received by Cynthia's butler, Jamiel, someone he was already acquainted with. Back when Yuga visited Celestic Town, it was also Jamiel who had greeted him.
Jamiel informed Yuga that Cynthia seemed to have been delayed on her way due to some unforeseen matter and would arrive later. Yuga didn't ask further questions—given Cynthia's strength, there was little she couldn't handle, even if she encountered trouble.
So, Yuga settled down comfortably in Cynthia's house in Undella Town.
However, by noon, Yuga encountered an unexpected visitor.
"Brother Yuga, you're here too?"
"Dawn? What are you doing here?"
At that moment, Yuga remembered that in the original story, Dawn had indeed appeared in Undella Town.
"I heard from Miss Cynthia that she's going to be a guest at the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, so I decided to come and see it. It was Miss Cynthia who told me to come here," Dawn explained happily, delighted to see Yuga.
It turned out that Dawn had hitched a ride with Cynthia to Unova. However, since their destinations were different, they parted ways along the journey.
Cynthia had gone to visit her close friend Caitlin, while Dawn had detoured to Mistralton City.
Mistralton City was currently hosting a Pokémon musical stage play, which Dawn wanted to see to inspire her ideas for the Pokémon Contests. She had also attended a fashion show by Elesa while she was there.
Dawn had already spent several days in Unova, enjoying her time in Mistralton City before coming to Undella Town.
"So that's how it is," Yuga said, suddenly understanding. He hadn't remembered why Dawn had come to Unova in the original story.
Yuga then explained to Dawn the reason for his own visit to Unova.
"Piplup~ Piplup~"
At that moment, the Piplup perched on Dawn's shoulder excitedly greeted Yuga, flapping its tiny wings energetically.
"Wow, it's been a while, Piplup!" Yuga said, lifting Piplup from Dawn's shoulder. He gave its round, plump body a gentle squeeze—it was soft, bouncy, and delightful to touch.
Dawn's Piplup had never evolved because it was holding an Everstone. While Yuga didn't personally agree with this method of training, he refrained from saying anything.
Yuga believed that evolution was a unique gift from nature to Pokémon, a choice aligned with natural laws. Suppressing their growth seemed to go against the natural order.
However, everyone had different perspectives. Trainers viewed Pokémon through varying lenses and thus adopted different training methods. While Yuga didn't agree, he respected Dawn's approach.
In Yuga's hands, Piplup struggled incessantly, but no matter how much it wriggled, it couldn't escape Yuga's grasp. Resigned, it could only obediently endure his playful "torment."
Dawn's arrival was a welcome relief for Yuga, who had been bored. After lunch, the two decided to explore the town together.
It would be a shame to visit Undella Town without taking the opportunity to look around.
Originally, Jamiel had offered to act as their guide. Although he hadn't been in Undella Town for long, he was still more familiar with the town than Yuga and Dawn. However, both of them declined his offer.
Jamiel's overly respectful attitude made them feel uncomfortable having him tag along.
Undella Town was bustling, almost on par with Verdanturf Town. The streets were filled with people coming and going. There were plenty of attractions to enjoy and countless food and drink options. Dawn and Yuga had a great time exploring, and Piplup ate so much that its belly, already round, became even rounder.
After tiring themselves out, the two of them found a park and sat on a bench to rest.
As they relaxed, they suddenly heard cheers and applause coming from a nearby area.
Dawn, always eager to join in the excitement, perked up her ears and listened for a moment before asking, "What's going on over there? It sounds lively."
Yuga thought for a moment and replied, "It's probably a battle taking place."
Hearing this, Dawn's eyes lit up: "Then let's go and have a look!" Piplup's expression at this moment was exactly the same as its trainer's, full of eager anticipation.
"Alright," Yuga agreed.
Although Yuga wasn't particularly interested in these kinds of roadside battles, seeing Dawn and Piplup so keen, he had no choice but to give in.
The two of them, along with Piplup, headed toward the square at the center of the park. Sure enough, they saw a crowd gathered there, watching a boy and a girl battling against each other.
The boy was using a Serperior, while the girl had a Watchog. However, Watchog was no match for Serperior and was being thoroughly overwhelmed. The girl and her Pokémon were met with disdain from the opposing trainer.
"If you're this weak, don't bother coming up here to humiliate yourself!" said the boy arrogantly after Watchog was defeated.
The girl, still young, flushed red with embarrassment, cradled her defeated Watchog, and ran off crying under the boy's ridicule.
Seeing this, Dawn was indignant: "That guy is too much! He's acting like he owns the place just because he won a battle. Does he really have to be so smug?"
The trainer of the Serperior didn't care about the girl's reaction and continued speaking arrogantly.
"Anyone else want to challenge me? But think carefully before coming up here—if you're too weak, it won't look good to cry after losing!"
The trainers gathered around exchanged nervous glances, but none stepped forward.
This was usually a casual spot where local trainers played friendly battles for fun. No one expected this arrogant boy to show up. His strength far exceeded theirs; several of their companions had already lost to him. Stepping up now would only invite humiliation.
Adding to their discomfort, a few troublemaking onlookers, who were already at odds with them, began cheering loudly for the boy, making the situation even more unbearable.
"I... I'll go!"
Finally, Dawn couldn't stand it anymore. She pushed through the crowd and stood across from the boy. Yuga didn't try to stop her.
Seeing Dawn step up, the boy frowned in dissatisfaction. "Another little girl? Don't start crying after you lose!" His face was full of arrogance.
"Who's crying, huh?!" Dawn snapped, jumping up in frustration. "Just wait—you'd better not be the one crying later!"
Piplup, eager to battle, immediately prepared to jump in, but Dawn grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and pulled it back.
"Piplup, how about letting Lurantis battle today? Let's show Yuga how strong she is!"
This Lurantis was the same Fomantis that Yuga had given to Dawn, now fully evolved.
Hearing this, Piplup reluctantly let out a small whine, clearly disappointed. In truth, Lurantis's strength had long since surpassed Piplup's.
When Lurantis entered the field, the boy was slightly surprised but maintained his arrogance. "Not bad, looks decent. Remember, the name of the one who'll defeat you is Trip." He proudly announced his name.
Dawn didn't react much, but Yuga was slightly startled.
Was this the same Trip from the original series, the rookie trainer who had defeated Ash when he debuted? Yuga studied the boy carefully. He did seem familiar, but Yuga couldn't clearly recall Trip's exact appearance.
However, he remembered Trips personality didn't seem to match this. Was he mistaken?
Trip must have come here to participate in the upcoming Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup, Yuga thought to himself.
In the original anime, indeed, Trip debuted by defeating Ash. However, now that Ash's circumstances have changed, Yuga wasn't sure if things would progress the same way as they did in the original story.
Although the two often stayed in contact, Ash wouldn't go out of his way to inform Yuga about such an incident, nor would Yuga have remembered to ask about it.
While Yuga was lost in thought, Dawn and Trip's battle had already begun.
Trip's Serperior was extremely fast. In the blink of an eye, it closed in on Dawn's Lurantis, raising its tail to strike with Dragon Tail.
However, Dawn's Lurantis was no pushover. While Lurantis might look elegant and gentle, in the wild, it was a ferocious Pokémon. The moment Serperior raised its tail, Lurantis reacted immediately. Crossing its twin scythes, it executed a powerful X-Scissor, slashing forward with force. Serperior was sent flying, tumbling and rolling in a rather sorry state.
At the instant Serperior was struck and sent flying, Lurantis followed up with a Petal Blizzard. A flurry of pink petals filled the air, their sharp edges hidden by their beauty, raining down toward Serperior in a stunning display.
Serperior had no time to react and was hit directly, letting out a pained screech.
Seeing this, Trip's expression finally shifted, and his arrogance began to fade away.
"Lurantis, use another Petal Blizzard!" Dawn seized the momentum and shouted.
Once again, pink petals, under Lurantis's control, soared through the air toward Serperior. Trip urgently called out, "Serperior, dodge quickly!"
Serperior's reaction speed was exceptional. Before the petals could reach, it disappeared from its original position, narrowly avoiding the attack. In retaliation, it opened its mouth and launched an Energy Ball, a green sphere of energy.
At this moment, Serperior's Overgrow ability had activated, significantly boosting the power of its Grass-type moves.
Lurantis tried to use its scythes to cut the Energy Ball apart, but the moment its scythes made contact, the Energy Ball exploded. Lurantis was caught in the blast and injured.
Unlike the extremely swift Serperior, Lurantis was rather slow in terms of movement. When faced with the exploding Energy Ball, it had no time to dodge.
With a loud crash, Lurantis fell to the ground. Its beautiful kimono-like leaves were now stained with dirt. Seizing the opportunity, Serperior closed in, raising its tail once again, preparing to finish Lurantis with Iron Tail.
However, while Lurantis was slow in movement, its reaction time was not. The moment Serperior's Iron Tail swung down, Lurantis raised one of its scythes and used Leaf Blade to block the attack.
Due to the hurried nature of the counter, Lurantis wasn't in great shape after blocking. It rolled across the ground to distance itself from Serperior and immediately launched another Petal Blizzard as a counterattack.
Serperior instinctively tried to evade, but it tripped over something and fell face-first to the ground. It was then struck head-on by the barrage of petals, losing its ability to continue the battle.
As it turned out, Lurantis had quietly set up a Grass Knot trap near Serperior earlier. Lurantis hadn't intended to inflict much damage with the trap; it only needed to hinder Serperior's movements. After all, Serperior's speed was its most significant advantage.
Sure enough, the strategy worked.
Dawn's victory earned cheers from the surrounding crowd. Imitating Trip's earlier tone, Dawn threw some mocking words back at him, leaving him red-faced with embarrassment.
Seeing that things were getting out of hand, Yuga reminded Dawn, "Dawn, that's enough!"
Getting her frustration out was fine, but there was no need to go overboard. Since she disliked how Trip behaved, she shouldn't stoop to his level.
Hearing Yuga's words, Dawn playfully stuck her tongue out at Trip, then obediently stopped.
"Let's go," Yuga said, gesturing to Dawn.
"Okay, coming!" Dawn replied cheerfully. She recalled Lurantis, picked up Piplup, and happily skipped over to Yuga's side.
The two of them left together, disappearing into the distance.
Watching their retreating figures, Trip's eyes glimmered with an indescribable light.
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