The girl clearly hadn't expected to run into someone helpful, either.
Her gaze shifted from Dawn and swept over Xia You, Cheryl, and Makomo. Seeing that none of them looked like bad people, she broke into a smile.
"Really!? That's great! I was just worrying about not being able to find the way!"
As she spoke, she tried to point out a spot on the map, but as soon as she raised her hand, she realized she was holding it upside down. With an embarrassed smile, she hurriedly turned it around and pointed. "I want to go here-Professor Juniper's lab in Nuvema Town!"
"Huh!?" A little surprised, Dawn instinctively turned to look at Xia You and Cheryl before looking back at the girl. "Nuvema Town? Professor Juniper's lab? That's exactly where we're going, too!"
"Really!?" This time, it was the girl's turn to be delighted. "What a coincidence!"
"It certainly is..." Dawn looked a little sheepish. "But don't you just have to follow this road straight ahead to get there? How did you get lost?"
The girl stuck out her tongue. "Is that so? Haha... This is my first time traveling, and I have a little trouble reading maps, so there are some things I don't really understand."
This wasn't really a question of understanding.
From those few words alone, Dawn, Cheryl, and Makomo could tell that she was a somewhat scatterbrained person who must have been very well sheltered before.
But none of that had anything to do with them. Dawn merely asked curiously, "Um... Do you mind if I ask what you're going there for?"
An embarrassed blush flashed across the girl's face, but excitement soon took its place. "Well... I'm going to get my starter Pokémon! Though I might be a little late..."
Her voice grew slightly