Chapter Text
The first thing Dawn noticed about Sinnoh was the smell. Saltwater and wind. She stood at the railing of the ship with both hands wrapped around the cool metal, her hair blowing wildly around her face. Somewhere behind her, a Wingull cried out as it circled overhead. The sound was familiar enough to make something warm twist inside her chest.
Ahead, just beyond the endless stretch of blue water, was home. Sinnoh. Dawn took a slow breath. She glanced down. Piplup stood beside her feet with his little flippers resting against the railing. He stared out at the approaching shoreline with an expression that was surprisingly thoughtful.
Dawn smiled. “We’ve only been gone a few years,” she said.
“Piplup.”
“Okay,” Dawn admitted. “Maybe it feels a little weird.”
Piplup nodded firmly.
The ship rocked gently beneath them as it continued toward the harbor. Dawn’s eyes wandered across the distant buildings, trying to make out anything familiar. It had been years since she had stood on Sinnoh soil. Years. The thought still felt strange. When Dawn had first left for Kalos, she had barely known what to expect.
She had been excited, of course. Terrified, too—but mostly excited. Studying abroad had sounded like the opportunity of a lifetime. Kalos was famous for its fashion, its performances, and its incredible Pokémon Stylists. The region was full of people who could take something as simple as a ribbon or a piece of fabric and turn it into something breathtaking. Dawn had wanted to learn from them.
So, she had packed her bags. And left. At first, she had only planned on staying for a year. Then one year had turned into two. Two had become three. And somehow, before Dawn had fully realized it, she was eighteen years old and standing on the deck of a ship headed back toward the region she had once called home.
“Pip?”
Dawn looked down at Piplup. He was staring at her. “What?”
Piplup tilted his head.
Dawn blinked before letting out a small laugh. “I’m fine.”
Piplup narrowed his eyes.
She sighed. “Okay. Maybe I’m a little nervous.”
Piplup’s expression softened.
Dawn turned back toward the water. The shoreline was closer now. She could see the harbor. Her heart began to beat just a little faster. It wasn’t that she was afraid to come back. Not exactly.
Sinnoh was familiar. She had grown up here. She knew the routes, the cities, the mountains. She knew where to find the best poffins in Hearthome and which streets in Jubilife were always too crowded during the afternoon. She knew the sound of snow falling in Snowpoint. She knew the smell of flowers in Floaroma. She knew the way Lake Verity looked in the early morning. Sinnoh was home. But home had changed. And, Dawn realized, so had she.
She was no longer the same girl who had traveled across Sinnoh with nothing but a dream and a stubborn Piplup at her side. She had traveled. She had competed. She had lost. She had won. She had made friends. She had said goodbye to some of them. And she had spent the last few years in a completely different region, surrounded by people who spoke differently, dressed differently, and saw Pokémon styling in ways she had never considered before.
Dawn looked down at her hands. They weren’t shaking. That was good. She smiled to herself. “No need to worry.”
“Piplup!”
Dawn glanced down at him.
Piplup puffed out his chest proudly.
She laughed. “Exactly.”
The announcement over the ship’s speakers caused both of them to look up. “Attention, passengers. We will be arriving at Canalave Harbor shortly. Please gather your belongings and prepare for departure.”
Dawn felt her stomach flip. “That’s us.”
Piplup jumped. “Pip!”
Dawn pushed herself away from the railing. “Come on. Let’s get our things.”