Although there was a small accident in the middle, Dawn and Ash still set off from Twinleaf Town together at the agreed time, heading towards the nearest town, which was also the location of a Pokémon Research Lab—Sandgem Town.
Today should have been a celebratory and joyful departure day, but....
"So tired..."
After walking for more than two hours, Dawn finally let out a sigh of lament.
It wasn't that Dawn stayed at home all day long, resulting in insufficient physical strength, but...
"Why does traveling feel a little different from what I thought? It's so ordinary."
Dawn revealed the truth of why she felt tired.
They stopped and went along the way, and didn't just walk for more than two hours straight. Logically speaking, even if they were tired, they shouldn't say it out loud, but for Dawn, the fatigue in her heart was much more fatal than the physical fatigue.
"Why can't I encounter anything interesting at all?"
Ash: "..."
How should he answer at this time? That was a problem.
"You've only walked for such a short time, how could you encounter anything interesting? If you could encounter interesting things in two hours, then interesting things would also become uninteresting."
"Why are you so old-fashioned?" Dawn pouted and complained.
"That's the way it is..." Ash didn't think there was anything wrong with his words at all. "By the way, Dawn, have you ever walked from Twinleaf Town to Sandgem Town before?"
"Before?" Dawn thought for a moment and slowly replied, "I haven't walked there before... but I've ridden my bicycle to Sandgem Town several times, because there are more types of goods in Sandgem Town."
"So that's why you don't feel any novelty, right." Ash said. "If it were places you haven't been to, you would think the scenery on the road is also very rare, like forests, grasslands, deserts, and snow mountains..."
Dawn, who was originally tired from traveling, suddenly cheered up again after hearing Ash tell her about the places she had never been to.
"Of course, even in places that are already familiar, you might encounter fun things by discovering some small paths, but it's best to walk small paths in towns, otherwise it's easy to get lost."
"Small path... is that so....?"
Dawn pondered Ash's words, and then suddenly clapped her hands as if she had remembered something.
"Ah! That's right! It seems that there is a shortcut to Sandgem Town at the road sign ahead! But because it's close to the forest, I've never been there. Let's go there this time! Okay?!"
"Aipom!"
Dawn's proposal was quickly supported by Aipom. It was already a restless nature, so of course it would agree to have the opportunity to go to a more exciting place. Contrary to Dawn and their performance, Ash and Pikachu were, after all, veterans of getting lost, and they knew how big the risk of walking on small paths was.
Seeming to understand Ash's concerns, Dawn immediately added, "It's okay! Many people have walked that small path. They said that there is nothing special inside except for some wild Pokémon living there. The road is a one-way street, so there is no risk of getting lost!"
Ash: "...Okay, I know, don't look at me with that kind of look... Aipom, you too!"
Ash finally couldn't resist Dawn and could only nod and agree to her plan.
Just treat it as a special treat for the newcomer, after all, as Dawn said, since there is no risk of getting lost, then it is also good to walk on a small path. Although the main road is flat and safe, it still lacks some of the vitality of wild Pokémon and is not so interesting. It was only Dawn's first day traveling, so it would be nice to bring her some freshness.
Of course, it's best if this freshness isn't being chased by wild Pokémon.
Ash recalled his experience on the first day of his journey and couldn't help but shiver.
In this way, after the proposal to change the route was accepted by Ash, Dawn's spirit returned to the way it was when she first left the house. She walked and ran along the way and quickly arrived at the road sign she mentioned, which was the entrance to the small road.
"The road ahead has not been repaired, please proceed with caution."
Ash stood in front of the road sign, reading the warning words next to the road sign, and his expression became strange.
"How bad is the road condition here that it needs to have such a warning? Is there really no problem?"
Ash turned his gaze to Dawn, consulting her opinion.
"No problem, no problem!" Dawn patted her chest and said nonchalantly, "That road sign is already several years old. The road surface here has already been repaired in the middle, so there won't be any problems!"
"Is that so..."
(Usually, when Dawn says there is no problem, it is often the most problematic time.)
For some reason, Ash's mind suddenly flashed with the words Johanna said before leaving.
It shouldn't be so mystical, right?
Ash had, after all, traveled with Dawn for so long, and there had been no less than a few hundred times that Dawn had said there was no problem. Although there were often problems, most of the problems were easy to solve. They were just walking on a small path, so there shouldn't be any problems, right?
"Okay, okay! Stop thinking! Let's start quickly!"
Ash: "???"
Ash looked at Dawn, who was pushing him forward from behind, with confusion.
If you want to start, then start, why do I have to walk in front?
"Um~ If wild Pokémon suddenly attack, wouldn't it be troublesome if I walked in front? If it's you in front, then at least Aipom and Pikachu are by your side, so nothing should happen, right."
"That makes sense."
Ash suddenly understood.
He had indeed been inconsiderate in this regard. If he had thought of this in advance, even if Dawn hadn't done so, Ash would have taken the initiative to walk in front.
"Then let's go."
Ash shrugged, beckoned to Aipom, who had been eager to jump into the trees, and planned to enter this forest.
"Although there shouldn't be any dangerous Pokémon in the area near the starting town, Pokémon like Beedrill are more special. If you see them, you should run away as soon as possible. After all, when they appear, they usually appear in large numbers."
"I know~ Besides, I wouldn't dare to be arrogant in front of Beedrill without having obtained a Pokémon yet~"
Dawn puffed out her cheeks, as if she was very dissatisfied with Ash treating her as a child and urged him to move forward quickly.
Just as Ash took a step towards the stone step leading to the forest, he suddenly felt a soft texture under his feet, rather than the feeling of stone or mud that he had imagined. Under this difference, Ash's body also began to shake. Before he could hold on for two seconds, he heard a scream.
"Ah——!"
On the first stop of the journey, Ash fell heavily onto the ground, face first.
But before Ash could complain about what was underneath, he heard a faint, sad, and resentful whimper behind him.
...