Chapter Fifty-Six: Parent-Child Duel
After leaving Lulu’s house, the group pressed onward and soon arrived at Dawn’s hometown—Twinleaf Town.
“Look, look! That’s Twinleaf Town right over there!” Dawn exclaimed with excitement.
The others soon spotted the small town ahead.
“So this is Dawn’s hometown. We’re almost there.”
“Let’s hurry up,” someone urged.
With that, Dawn broke into a run.
“Piplup, let’s have a race!”
Piplup dashed after Dawn, both visibly delighted.
Upon entering Twinleaf Town, they ran into the Troublesome Duo. Brock didn’t want to deal with them and quickly urged Dawn to move on.
A few minutes later, they reached a house. This must be Dawn’s home.
“I’m home!” Dawn called, pushing open the door as she walked inside.
“You’re back! I didn’t expect you all so soon. Brock, Ash, welcome,” her mother greeted. “Oh, and you are?”
At this, Ayako noticed Cheng.
“Mom, this is my new friend. His name is Cheng.”
“Hello, ma’am. My name is Cheng Qimu, but just call me Cheng.”
“Alright, Cheng. Welcome to our home.”
Ayako then turned her attention to Piplup, standing beside Dawn.
“And you must be Dawn’s partner. You look so lively!”
“Piplup—piplup!” Piplup greeted Ayako, then spotted the Glameow and Umbreon by her side.
“Piplup—piplup!” Piplup greeted them as well, but they ignored it, leaving Piplup quite dejected.
Cheng also studied the two Pokémon. He noticed their stats were impressive—even if their moves weren’t the strongest, their training was impeccable. No wonder Ayako was a top Coordinator.
“Ms. Ayako, the rooms you requested are ready,” a girl announced as she descended from upstairs, a Bellossom at her side.
“Thank you so much, Noah.”
“Noah, you’re here too?” Dawn greeted her.
“Yes, I’ve been attending Ms. Ayako’s Pokémon Coordination lectures here for a week now.”
“That’s great! We’ll have time to hang out,” Dawn replied.
“You’re full of energy as always, Dawn. How have you been lately?”
“I’m doing well. I’m about to challenge my fifth Ribbon for Coordinators,” Dawn said, producing four ribbons she’d already earned.
Suddenly, Brock squeezed past her and knelt on one knee, taking Noah’s hand.
“Miss Noah, my name is Brock. My dream is to become the world’s greatest Pokémon Breeder. You, as a Coordinator, and I are a perfect match. Meeting you here today must be Cupid’s blessing! Please let me join your Pokémon Coordination lectures!”
At that, Brock’s body went stiff—he was paralyzed, not only by Toxicroak’s Poison Jab but also by Bellossom’s Stun Spore.
“Wow, look at all those trophies!” Ash exclaimed, eyeing the cabinet filled with awards.
“That’s because my mom used to be a top Coordinator. She hasn’t participated in Contests for a long time, but she still gives coordination lectures to students and often battles with them.”
“Oh, Mom, can I have a battle with you?” Dawn asked.
Ayako was briefly surprised, then smiled and agreed. “Of course, Dawn. I’d love to see how much you’ve grown.”
“But let’s eat first. I made lots of delicious dishes since I knew you were coming, and it’d be a shame if they got cold.”
“Yay!” Ash cheered excitedly, only to quickly realize everyone was staring at him. Embarrassed, he scratched his head.
Soon, they all sat down to eat together. Ayako’s cooking was delicious—homemade meals always seemed to have a special touch. Cheng thought of Aunt Muzi, who had spent so many years mostly alone. He resolved to visit her more often in the future.
“Brock, I heard from Dawn that your cooking is excellent too,” Ayako remarked.
“Oh, it’s nothing, I just cook often,” Brock replied.
Ayako glanced at the two Pokémon. “Umbreon and Glameow both love your Pokémon food.”
“I’m glad they enjoy it. My dream is to be the world’s best Pokémon Breeder, so I put a lot of effort into making their food.”
This time, Brock had prepared the Pokémon food instead of Cheng. Cheng tried some and found it indeed exceptional. There was a special warmth in the taste—he realized it must be the taste of love. Brock truly poured his heart into making food, something Cheng himself lacked. He realized how much he still had to learn.
“Brock, could you teach me your recipes for Pokémon food?” Noah suddenly asked.
“Of course, Miss Noah!” Brock replied at once, dropping to one knee again.
“Miss Noah, I shall place my recipe for Pokémon food in a Love Ball, marked with a heart, and present it to you. Let our first collaboration be a dish that boils over with passion in a food filled with love!”
“Ah—I’m paralyzed again!”
Once more, Toxicroak appeared and paralyzed Brock with a swift Poison Jab. Cheng laughed at the scene—Brock and Toxicroak truly were a pair.
After lunch, Dawn and her mother washed the dishes in the kitchen, while Ash used the video phone to call Professor Oak.
“Long time no see, Professor Oak!”
“Ash! Where are you all now?”
“We’re in Twinleaf Town, at Dawn’s house.”
“Oh, wonderful. And who is this?” Professor Oak spotted Cheng on the screen.
“Hello, Professor Oak. I’m Ash’s friend, Cheng.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m delighted Ash has made a new friend.”
Cheng was thrilled—communicating with Professor Oak was a rare opportunity, and it would make his future endeavors far easier.
“So, Ash, how long do you plan to stay in Twinleaf Town?”
“We’re going to do some special training here for a while.”
“That’s great! Ms. Ayako is an excellent Coordinator. I’m sure you’ll all learn a lot from her.”
“Oh, Professor, you flatter me!” Ayako said as she joined them.
“Ms. Ayako, thank you so much for inviting me to help.”
“Not at all! I’m looking forward to it.”
“Mom, what help did you ask Professor Oak for?” Dawn inquired.
“I invited Professor Oak to attend the upcoming Twinleaf Festival!”
“That means we’ll get to see Professor Oak soon!” Ash exclaimed, brimming with excitement.
“That’s right, Ash. Do your best, and we’ll see each other at the festival. I’ll end the call here.”
“Goodbye, Professor Oak!” Ash said, and both sides hung up.
Cheng was delighted to know Professor Oak would be coming—this would be a perfect chance to meet him.
“Dawn, weren’t we going to have our battle? Let’s get started!”
“Okay, Mom.”
They moved to the battlefield outside the house to prepare for their match. However, the Troublesome Duo appeared again, getting bogged down in trivial issues until Ayako had to step away to help them.
“I’m so sorry, Dawn. Our battle will have to wait a bit.”
“It’s alright, Mom. Go ahead.”
Once everything had been settled, the parent-child battle finally began. Ayako sent out her Umbreon and Glameow, while Dawn chose Piplup and Pachirisu.
“Dawn, you can go first. Let’s see how much you’ve grown.”
“Alright! We’ll start! Piplup, use Whirlpool! Pachirisu, Swift!”
Piplup spun a swift Whirlpool, and Pachirisu’s Swift merged with the swirling water, creating a dazzling display.
“Piplup!” Piplup hurled the electrified Whirlpool toward Glameow and Umbreon.
“Glameow, Umbreon, use Quick Attack!”
The two Pokémon dodged the Whirlpool with elegant Quick Attacks, their movements graceful and precise.
“Glameow, Umbreon, Shadow Ball!”
Their Shadow Balls shattered the Whirlpool, with the remaining force striking Pachirisu and Piplup.
Cheng was impressed by this display—their moves were powerful and the Pokémon were clearly well-trained. Dawn didn’t stand much chance against such opponents.
“Piplup, use Bubble Beam!”
The Bubble Beam shot out, but Glameow and Umbreon swiftly dodged. Pachirisu, however, hid within the stream of bubbles.
“Pachirisu, use Hyper Fang!”
Pachirisu’s Hyper Fang struck both opponents successfully.
“Now it’s time to counterattack. Glameow, Umbreon, use Attract!”
Both Pokémon used Attract, charming Pachirisu and Piplup so thoroughly they were left helpless.
“Glameow, Umbreon, finish with Swift!”
The Swifts hit their mark directly—Piplup and Pachirisu were knocked out by the overwhelming difference in strength.
“It looks like the battle’s decided.”
“Yes, I lost. Piplup, Pachirisu, are you okay?”
“Piplup!”
“Chii!”
“Mom, you’re amazing! No wonder you’re a top Coordinator.”
“You’ve made great progress, Dawn. Keep it up.”
And so, the family contest ended. The Twinleaf Festival was just around the corner.