[Ash Ketchum]

Ash Ketchum
HP: 170 / SH: 60

HP: 120 SH: 35	HP: 150 SH: 50	HP: 130 SH: 40

---

BGM: Route 209 - Pokémon Diamond/Pokémon Pearl - Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

This was a battle he was looking forward to; a match against his old friend, Dawn! Well...sort of...not his version, but she seemed almost like his Dawn...at least as much as he could remember. He recalled that his Dawn was confident in becoming a top Pokémon Coordinator, but this Dawn seemed a little doubtful in her abilities when she had powerful Pokémon. He wanted to fix that by having a Pokémon Battle with her in a stadium to show everyone how strong she was!

He did text her his challenge, but...he wasn't entirely clear on where he wanted to battle. He just told her to follow his signal. She'll understand, right? "...uh, you think she won't be mad, right Pikachu?"

"Pika..." He's pretty sure that she'll be pretty mad that they're gonna fight in front of a crowd. That girl seemed like the type to get stage fright.

---

About some time ago, Dawn would get this message.

Hiya, Dawn! You have some amazing Pokemon that you must be a great trainer! But I noticed that you don't seem to think so. I can't count how many times people say that I'm a lousy trainer, and how many times I goof up. But I never let that stop me, and you shouldn't either. So I challenge you to a battle right now! Just follow my signal from your phone. There's a thing that lets you do that, right?

--Ash Ketchum

[Dawn "Platina" Berlitz]

Dawn received Ash's text and eagerly showed it off to Piplup, who was currently standing on a table next to her. “Hey look Piplup! That boy thinks I'm a good trainer!” she exclaimed. Piplup looked it over for a few moments before striking a proud pose, promptly taking credit for this achievement. He then did a double take, however, as he noticed something else. (Wait a moment, he's not a fan. He's challenging you to a fight!) Piplup squeaked out. Dawn gave the pokemon a funny look. “No way! You think he's only saying that because he likes me?! That stinks!” Dawn blurted out in dismay, drawing an annoyed stare from Piplup. She hadn't understood a word he said. (S'il vous plaît, la force du destin vous contraint!) a disembodied voice chimed in in an uncharacteristically urgent tone. A moment later, Dawn's chair was gone and she fell over with a yelp. Looking up from her poketch, she found herself sitting before the inner gates of a sports stadium. “...You can just ask you know. And would a please hurt so much?” Dawn remarked with a huff. However, she received no response from the voice.

“Ask you what?” an unfamiliar voice asked. Dawn looked up to meet the eyes of an older woman leaning over her desk to get a better look at Dawn. She was squinting suspiciously, and Dawn abruptly realized that her appearance here looked a lot like she had snuck in. Welp. “Uhhmm....” Dawn awkwardly replied, frozen in place. (Excellent form.) the voice commented rather sarcastically. "Be quiet..." Dawn irritably mumbled under her breath. The lady at the desk scrutinized her for a long moment before rolling her eyes. "...Let me guess. Another child whose parents didn't love them enough to keep them safe from eating dirt in the stadium." she dryly asked. Dawn was briefly taken aback. “--What'd you say?!” she blurted out, clumsily jerking upright to lean against the counter and confront the secretary face to face. Her expression was immediately awash in anger.

"...You're Dawn, aren't you? You're scheduled for a match with Ash... Ketchum?" the woman asked, completely unfazed. “Uh--...Yeah, actually.” Dawn replied, briefly stunned by the fact that this woman knew her, or had at least been gifted enough to guess. The lady made a fist and stuck out her pinky finger and thumb, imitating a phone and holding it up to her head. Her tone abruptly changed from the distant and dry tone she'd used earlier to a mock valley girl impression. "Ring ring! Dawn's parents? Does she have your permission to fight today?" she asked, before dropping the impression and returning to her dry tone. "...They didn't answer because they don't love you." she remarks, before miming dropping the pretend phone and pouting at Dawn in mock sympathy.

...A moment later, two piantas in suits and shades could be observed dragging Dawn by her arms into the arena while she thrashed her legs, trying to free herself from their grasp with no success. “You jerk--Let me... go!” Dawn grunts out before being unceremoniously dropped on the ground. "Yeah yeah..." one of them dismissively remarks. The other chuckles. "Miss Caroline said to eat all the dirt you want." the other replied, before doing their best imitation of a pig snort as the two began walking back to the gate, leaving her behind to her match. Dawn stood up and fumed for a moment at them, a muffled growl of frustration escaping her as she watched then go. After a moment, she gingerly brushes down her clothes to make sure they're all hanging right and try to brush imaginary dirt off of her. She then turned to face her opponent!

“O-Oh, hi Ash! I hope I'm not late...” Dawn nervously greets. She felt like she'd gotten here quite quickly, but wasn't entirely confident in her own perception of things either.

Dawn 150/150 HP 50/50 Shield		Piplup 180/180 HP 65/65 Shield		Lopunny 140/140 HP 45/45 Shield		Pachirisu 130/130 HP 40/40 Shield		Giratina 200/200 HP 75/75 Shield

[Ash Ketchum]

Ash Ketchum
HP: 170 / SH: 60

HP: 120 SH: 35	HP: 150 SH: 50	HP: 130 SH: 40

---

As he waited, Ash kept moving his arms, pulling them around him to stretch his muscles. "...yup...yup...just screeeetch...!"

You know, Pikachu never understood that in situations like these. In a mission, you definitely need to do some stretches, but this is a regular Pokemon Battle where the trainer isn't going to be on the field...unless battles put the trainer in the middle of the field. He heard that there're battles like that in Pokemon Adventure/Special from that girl...uh...Green, was it? Blue? Wasn't that Oak's grandkid's name?

"Huh?" Hearing screaming from Dawn, Ash turned around, spotting two guys dragging her into the arena before what looked like making fun of her. Oh, that just reminded him of how he was treated by the kids back home in Pallet Town. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" he shouted.

"Pika!" the rodent barked. Jeez, he heard that Dawn has some bad luck, but he didn't expect it to be like that. That was highly unnecessary.

She must've had one bad day. Yeah, maybe he can treat her to a snack after they have their battle. "Uhh...no, uh...you're on time. But...what was that about?"