Chapter 149: Signing In at the Oreburgh Gym!

Words : 1174 Updated : Oct 8th, 2025

Although Dawn and her Buneary had developed strong teamwork, Zoey was still the more experienced and skilled Coordinator. By the end of the allotted time, Dawn had lost more points than Zoey. "I lost... just like that..." Her Buneary was still lying on the ground, defeated. Dawn forced herself to swallow her disappointment, quickly running over to help Buneary up. Zoey advanced to the finals. The final battle turned out to be a rather one-sided match. Zoey's opponent wasn't nearly as strong as her, and she easily secured victory, winning her second Contest Ribbon. With the Jubilife City Pokémon Contest concluded, Dawn made her way to the Pokémon Center. On the surface, she was there to get Nurse Joy's help in healing her Pokémon. But deep down, she just wanted to cry. She reached for the videophone, intending to call her mother and vent her frustrations. However, before the call could even go through, a beeping sound signaled that the line had been cut. Dawn turned around in confusion—only to see Ash and Anabel walking toward her. "Ash... Anabel... I'm sorry... I lost..." Her eyes reddened slightly. Ash and Anabel exchanged a glance. Ash was the first to speak. "Who said you lost? In my eyes, participating in a battle or a contest isn't just about winning. Dawn, don't you realize? This was your very first Pokémon Contest. Even though you didn't win, you still gained something far more valuable than just victory, didn't you?" "Pika, Pikachu!" Pikachu, perched on Ash's shoulder, smiled and nodded in agreement. Anabel added her own thoughts. "If you only focus on winning and losing, you'll miss the most important part of traveling. The purpose of a journey isn't just to defeat others—it's about what you gain along the way. "I've learned to understand the hearts of Pokémon, and I've gained their trust and friendship. Traveling with Ash has given me experiences I never had before. I even got to capture this little Stantler!" She gestured to the young Stantler standing beside her. "Stannn~" Now fully healed from its previous injuries, the baby Stantler rubbed its head affectionately against Anabel's leg, looking content. "Dawn, Anabel's absolutely right," Ash continued. "I used to only think about winning. No matter who I battled, I just wanted to win. "But because of that mindset, my Pokémon suffered serious injuries for my sake. It took me a long time to realize that I needed to think about things from different perspectives. "Think about it—haven't you gained more from this contest than just a result?" Dawn hesitated, thinking about everything that had happened. "I... I met Piplup, I caught Buneary... and they chose to travel with me because they believe in me..." "Exactly!" Ash grinned. "This contest was just the beginning. We'll keep improving, and next time—next time, or the time after that—we'll win! Just keep pushing forward!" Dawn finally smiled, her spirit rekindled. She wasn't alone—Ash and Anabel were with her! Even though she didn't win this time, she had gained experience from participating in a real Pokémon Contest. "Thanks, Ash, Anabel. But I still want to make that call! I haven't introduced you both to my mom yet!" Now in much better spirits, Dawn reattempted the call, excitedly introducing Ash and Anabel to Johanna. Johanna, seeing that Dawn had such great travel companions—especially Ash, whom she recognized as a skilled Trainer—felt completely at ease. With their business in Jubilife City finished, the group set out toward Oreburgh City. The first Gym in Sinnoh was located there, and it wasn't far from Jubilife City. In just two days, Ash and the others arrived near their destination. Today, before officially entering Oreburgh City, Ash decided to spend time training Turtwig in the nearby forest. "Turtwig, you need to learn from Sceptile. Speed is your current advantage, but once you evolve into Grotle, you'll slow down significantly. So, for this training session, we'll focus on defense. Learning how to withstand attacks will be important for your future battles." "Turtwig!" Turtwig nodded seriously. "Sceptile, take care of Turtwig, okay? I see the same fiery determination in him that you had back when you were a Treecko." "Sceptile!" Sceptile flashed a thumbs-up, signaling his approval. "Alright, Sceptile, use Bullet Seed! Turtwig, pay attention to the trajectory of the attack and dodge with minimal movement!" "Turtwig!" ... The training session continued throughout the day. Ash also sought out wild Pokémon in the forest, allowing Turtwig to battle and gain more experience. Despite already being above the typical level for evolution, Turtwig had yet to evolve. Ash was used to this by now. Many of his Pokémon had long surpassed their evolution thresholds but remained unevolved for extended periods. Meanwhile, Dawn was practicing with Piplup and Buneary, preparing for her next Pokémon Contest. Anabel was busy training her young Stantler, helping it refine its battle skills. By the time the sun set, the three of them wrapped up their training and made their way toward Oreburgh City. This upcoming Gym Battle would be the first for both Turtwig and Aipom. Ash's goal was for these two to defeat Roark's first two Pokémon. That would leave Roark's final Pokémon—Rampardos, the strongest physical attacker among non-Legendary Pokémon. Of course, at this stage, it was probably still just a Cranidos. As for the third Pokémon he would use against Roark... well, that would depend on the situation. Pikachu, Sceptile, or even Tyranitar were all possible choices. However, relying too much on experienced powerhouses wouldn't help train his newer Pokémon. That night, they arrived in Oreburgh City and spent the night at the Pokémon Center. Early the next morning, they headed straight for the Oreburgh Gym. This would mark Ash's first official Gym Battle in Sinnoh! [Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have successfully arrived at the Oreburgh Gym! Beginning sign-in process...] [Ding! Sign-in at the Oreburgh Gym complete! Rewards are now being distributed...] Here it was—his first sign-in reward in Sinnoh! Ash eagerly anticipated the rewards, hoping for something new! — Author's Note: Regarding the Pokémon Contest segments— I understand that not everyone enjoys these parts. However, Dawn's journey is also an important part of the story. It wouldn't be fair to only focus on Ash's Gym Battles and Pokémon captures while completely skipping over Dawn's progress. That said, if some readers really don't like the Contest portions, I can shorten future ones and condense them into just two chapters each. Dawn is a Coordinator, and her growth deserves to be shown too! After all, the journey isn't just about battles—it's about the adventures and experiences shared along the way. If you're not interested in the Contest parts, feel free to skip them. They won't affect the overall storyline. -------------- T/N: Access 40 Chapters in Advance on my P@treon: [email protected]/PokePals

Chapter 149: Signing In at the Oreburgh Gym!

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