"Hey! May, Brock, Lucy — long time no see!"
Anabel was the first to wave.
She already knew Lucy as well.
May, Lucy, and Brock disembarked from the cruise ship together.
"Haha, this is awesome!"
Without hesitation, May sprinted over and leapt straight into Ash's arms.
It had been too long — she really missed him!
Dawn, standing nearby, instinctively tensed up a little.
Ash had been wondering how their reunion might go, but May — she just clung tightly to him right away.
Although… she didn't stay in his arms for long before letting go, blushing slightly.
"May, you're as passionate as ever. Ash, Anabel, it's been too long! Lucy and I came all the way here to cheer you on!" Brock said, laughing.
He glanced at May, then at Anabel, then at Dawn, and finally at Ash himself.
In his heart, he silently gave Ash a huge thumbs-up.
Ash was still Ash — strong as ever, no doubt about it! His Sinnoh journey now had another beautiful girl accompanying him.
Ash introduced everyone. Dawn had often heard Ash and Anabel mention their past travels, including tales of May and Brock.
So, while she knew their names, this was her first time actually meeting them in person.
And now, finally — they stood right before her!
"I brought gifts for everyone!"
May giggled mischievously, pulling out a bag stuffed with presents — for Ash, Anabel, and Dawn.
For Ash, it was a hand-carved wooden model of a Teddiursa.
For Anabel — because Ash had mentioned Anabel had recently caught a baby Stantler — May had lovingly prepared a small carved figure of a baby Stantler.
"And for you, Dawn! Ash told me so much about you. It's our first meeting, so I prepared a special gift just for you!"
Smiling warmly, May handed Dawn a small gift box.
Dawn thanked her, then eagerly opened it — inside was a pendant, featuring a round, adorable Piplup charm.
It was absolutely adorable!
Dawn fell in love with it instantly.
"Even Pikachu gets a present!" May said happily, placing a little hat with Pikachu's face on Pikachu's head.
"Pika!"
Pikachu cheered in delight.
"I'm so happy we're all together again! It's getting late — let's head to the hotel for lunch!" May suggested excitedly.
She had already reserved a place. Laughing and chatting, she and Dawn linked arms and led the group ahead.
Anabel and Lucy walked together, chatting quietly in the middle.
Ash and Brock trailed behind them, whispering to each other like conspirators.
"Ash, you're something else! Misty, May... then Anabel... and now another one? Man, you're unstoppable!" Brock said, shaking his head in amazement.
Ash gave him a faint smile, his eyes gleaming as he said seriously, "Why don't you give it a try too?"
"No, no, no...!"
Brock waved his hands frantically in refusal.
Then Brock began telling Ash about what he'd been up to after they parted ways — his adventures with Lucy.
It turned out that Brock and Lucy had been traveling through the Sinnoh region too.
But it wasn't so much an adventurous journey — more like sightseeing, exploring, and simply enjoying themselves.
Brock had even caught a particularly odd Croagunk and a very timid Bonsly. After Bonsly evolved into Sudowoodo, it finally became reliable.
They also got a Pokémon Egg, which later hatched into a Happiny — a surprisingly strong Happiny!
While chatting, the group arrived at a restaurant.
"Welcome to our establishment! As you all know, in order to enter and enjoy the services of our Seven-Star Restaurant, you must first defeat the restaurant's owners — Mr. Roman and his fiancée, Miss Kylie— in a Pokémon battle!" a middle-aged man explained as he greeted them.
Apparently, he was the restaurant's host.
This was the famous Seven-Star Restaurant — widely regarded as serving the best food in all of Sinnoh!
Its owners, Roman and Kylie, were passionate about Pokémon battles. Only those who could defeat them were worthy of tasting the chefs' masterpieces.
"Hey, Dawn, both of us are competing in the Wallace Cup. Why don't we team up for this double battle?" May suggested, eyes sparkling.
"Of course!" Dawn readily agreed, equally excited.
Led by the host, the group soon faced Roman and Kylie.
"A double battle, huh? That's perfect. Now then — who's stepping up first?" Roman and Kylie asked, smiling at the group.
Ash and Brock exchanged a look — and stepped forward together.
Brock sent out Sudowoodo. Ash chose Riolu.
Roman and Kylie released their Pokémon — a Snorlax and a Munchlax!
"Snorlax, use Mega Punch!"
"Munchlax, use Focus Punch!"
They opened aggressively, launching heavy attacks!
But Ash immediately saw through them — these two Pokémon… their levels were actually super low!
Basically — squishy bananas.
"Sudowoodo, use Double-Edge!"
"Riolu, Aura Sphere!"
BOOM! BOOM!
In two dazzling flashes, both Snorlax and Munchlax were instantly knocked out!
Ash heard the system's notification chime in his mind, but he didn't bother paying it much attention. Their levels were just too low — even with a Experience Multiplier Card activated, Riolu wouldn't gain much.
"As expected of Ash and Brock — so strong! Dawn, we can't fall behind. We have to win cleanly too!" May said, energized.
"Yeah! Let's do this!" Dawn agreed, full of confidence.
"Those two were scary strong… Now let's see if these two ladies are just as powerful! Go, Girafarig!" Roman called out.
"My Munchlax was taken down too easily. Time for something different — go, Drifloon!" Kylie said, tossing her Poké Ball.
May and Dawn exchanged a nod and sent out their own Pokémon.
"Go, Blaziken!"
"Piplup, it's your time to shine!"
Blaziken and Piplup — Fire and Water!
"Girafarig, use Bite!"
"Drifloon, use Constrict!"
The opponents lunged at them, fast and fierce.
"Blaziken, Fire Kick!"
"Piplup, spin and use Bubble Beam!"
As Girafarig charged at Blaziken, it suddenly dodged backward, causing Blaziken's Fire Kick to miss!
Meanwhile, Drifloon spun in midair, expertly deflecting Piplup's Bubble Beam with its long tendrils — then grabbed Piplup tightly!
"Piplup, Whirlpool, now!" Dawn commanded confidently. After all, Drifloon was right above Piplup — the perfect angle!
A swirling Whirlpool exploded upward, catching Drifloon — and Girafarig too!
"Ah! Girafarig!"
"Awesome!"
Roman and Kylie, not being professional trainers, couldn't react in time.
"Blaziken, jump up!"
"Piplup, Bubble Beam again — while spinning!"
Piplup's rotating Bubble Beam hit both Girafarig and Drifloon hard!
Blaziken soared high into the air, positioning itself above both opponents.
"Now, Fire Spin!"
BOOM!
A massive whirl of fire burst forth — fire and water spiraling together — creating a dazzling spectacle.
It was reminiscent of Ash's legendary battle against the Frontier Brain Greta, combining flame and water into a breathtaking performance!
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T/N:
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