On the road in Sandgem Town, Ash and Dawn, fully prepared, officially began their journey. To better travel with Ash, Dawn left her bicycle behind at Professor Rowan's lab and chose to walk alongside him.
"Aipom~"
On the path, Aipom scurried and leaped through the trees. Its playful behavior caught Dawn's attention.
"Ash, your Pokémon seem very special! Both Aipom and Pikachu love being out of their Poké Balls."
Dawn's face was filled with confusion as her blue eyes intently stared at Ash, as if seeking an answer.
"It's simple, really. Pokémon are just like humans; they all have their own needs. The reason they prefer to stay out is simply because they don't like the world inside the Poké Ball!"
Pokémon are living creatures and are just as intelligent as humans. It's completely normal for them to dislike being in a confined space. If someone tried to lock him in a cage, he would certainly be unhappy about it.
"I see!"
Dawn nodded thoughtfully. This was different from her previous understanding. She had always thought that Pokémon should stay inside their Poké Balls. Ash's words enlightened her, and she quietly released her Piplup from its Poké Ball.
"Piplup~"
The blue penguin looked around. Finding no enemies, it happily hugged Dawn. Ash saw Dawn's actions, exchanged a look with Pikachu on his shoulder, and they both shared a knowing smile.
"Starly~"
"Aipom~"
Just then, Aipom, who was still darting through the trees, bumped into a Starly. This regional bird seemed to have a bad temper and aggressively confronted Aipom.
"Ash, it doesn't look good. It seems like they're about to fight?" Dawn gasped, covering her mouth.
"It's fine. It's just a little guy that came right to me. This is exactly what I wanted!"
Ash was not at all flustered by the scene. He was, in fact, excited. Why wouldn't he be excited to have a regional bird just come to him?
"Aipom, use Swift!"
"Aipom~"
Hearing Ash's command, the apologetic-looking Aipom immediately attacked. It swung its fist-like tail, launching over a dozen sparkling gold stars at the Starly.
"Starly~"
Starly flapped its wings, using a powerful Gust to blow away Aipom's Swift. It then used Quick Attack and charged at Aipom.
"Jump up and dodge it! Then, charge up a Focus Punch!"
Hearing this, Aipom immediately followed Ash's command. It jumped up high, charging the energy needed for its Focus Punch. As Starly passed below, it brought its powerful, charged fist down.
"Starly~"
In the face of Aipom's powerful attack, Starly instantly multiplied into five shadows, dodging the attack. This surprised Ash a little. He didn't expect a Starly to know Double Team. It seemed this little one had a high level.
While Ash was momentarily stunned, the shadows all used Aerial Ace, turning back to hit Aipom.
"Oh no!"
Dawn covered her mouth, too afraid to speak, for fear of disturbing Ash's thoughts.
"Aipom, hold on! Get on your tail and spin upside down to use a sweeping Focus Punch to hit all the shadows!"
"Aipom~"
Aipom grinned and followed Ash's order, spinning like a top and sweeping its glowing Focus Punch at the shadows around it. It hit one shadow after another, until it finally hit the real Starly, sending it flying.
"Go, Poké Ball!"
Ash threw a red-and-white Poké Ball. A red light flashed slightly, and he captured his first regional bird in Sinnoh. He was quite fond of Starly's final evolution, Staraptor. After all, judging by its moveset, Staraptor was not limited to just Flying-type moves. It could learn a variety of powerful Fighting-type moves, making it quite unique among regional birds. Moves like Close Combat and Brave Bird were Staraptor's specialties. Its ferocity could definitely rival the emo hairstyle on its head.
"Wow, is that how you capture a Pokémon?"
Seeing Ash successfully capture Starly, Dawn clasped her hands in amazement, a look of admiration in her blue eyes.
"Dawn, you can try it, too! There's a Burmy right there!"
Seeing Dawn's eagerness, he quickly pointed at a Burmy in its Plant Cloak form on a tree.
"Okay! It'll be fine!"
"Piplup~"
Dawn and Piplup loudly encouraged themselves and began their first attempt at capturing a Pokémon. However, a beginner's first time is never smooth sailing. After several failed attempts, Dawn and Piplup knelt on the ground, feeling a little dejected.
"Ugh, I'm having so much trouble. Am I not very good?"
"Not at all. You almost succeeded a few times if not for a few small mistakes!"
Seeing the dejected girl, he quickly found a way to comfort her. But what she did next completely stunned him.
"Really? Piplup, let's keep going! It'll be fine if we try one more time! No problem, no problem!"
Dawn waved her hands energetically, not forgetting to encourage Piplup beside her.
"Piplup Piplup"
Feeling greatly encouraged, Dawn and Piplup were instantly revitalized.
"Alright, let's go! This time, we'll definitely succeed!"
He stood to the side with a gentle smile, watching the girl at work. He noticed that Dawn's ability to regain her confidence was incredibly fast. Even after several failures, she was still laughing and cheerful, truly living up to her energetic personality.