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Following a Maiden's Voyage! (Japanese: 旅立ち！フタバタウンからマサゴタウンへ!! Setting Off! From Futaba Town to Masago Town!!) is the first episode of Diamond & Pearl, and the 469th episode of the overall meta-series. It aired in Japan September 28, 2006, the same day as the Japanese release of the Nintendo DS games, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. It aired in the US on April 20, 2007, two days before the American release of Diamond and Pearl.

This episode begins the journey of Dawn, a ten-year-old girl living in the Sinnoh region. On this day, she travels to Professor Rowan's laboratory and obtains her first Pokémon, a Piplup.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

Synopsis

The episode begins early in the morning, with the sun shining brightly into the bedroom of a young girl who is just waking up on the dawn of one of the most important days of her life: the start of her adventures with Pokémon. The girl sleepily turns her alarm clock off, and then slips back under her warm bedsheets. After a short time, the girl, Dawn, pushes back her covers and opens the windows of her room to breathe in the fresh clean air. Today she will get her first Pokémon.

Sometime later, Dawn is already half-way dressed and is adjusting the clips in her hair in front of the mirror. A knock then comes at the door and Dawn's mother calls and asks if she can come in. Dawn says that it's fine and Dawn's mother comes in along with their pet, Glameow, and the two exchange morning greetings. Dawn then bends over and says good morning to Glameow, who doesn't respond and slinks off to go and lie on the young girl's bed. Downstairs, mother and daughter discuss Dawn's plans and Dawn pulls out a postcard that she received from Professor Rowan inviting her to his laboratary to pick up her first Pokémon. The postcard also contains a map to his lab, and pictures of the three Pokémon that she will be able to choose from. Dawn's mother wonders what Pokémon her daughter will choose and Dawn looks over at the pictures of the three Pokémon: Turtwig the Grass type, Chimchar the Fire type and Piplup the Water type. Dawn then comments that regardless, all three Pokémon would make a great partner in her bid to become a top Coordinator just like her mother.

Major events

• Dawn receives Piplup from Professor Rowan.
• Ash Ketchum reaches Sinnoh, only to have Pikachu taken away and lost by Team Rocket, who followed him to the region.

Debuts

• Dawn
• Johanna
• Professor Rowan
• Yūzō
• Dawn's Piplup
• Johanna's Glameow

Pokémon debuts

• Turtwig
• Chimchar
• Piplup
• Starly
• Staravia
• Staraptor
• Bidoof
• Bibarel
• Budew
• Buneary
• Glameow
• Mesprit (projected soul)

Characters

Humans

• Ash Ketchum
• Dawn
• Tracey
• Jessie
• James
• Professor Oak
• Professor Rowan
• Johanna
• Marion (fantasy)
• Nurse Joy (fantasy)
• Contesta (fantasy)
• Sukizo (fantasy)
• Yūzō (Seiyū: 小西克幸 Katsuyuki Konishi)
• Professor Rowan's assistant (Seiyū: 逢坂力 Chikara Ōsaka)
• Ramen shop operator (Seiyū: 仁科洋平 Yōhei Nishina)
• Audience (fantasy)

Pokémon

• Pikachu (Ash's)
• Meowth (Team Rocket)
• Wobbuffet (Jessie's)
• Aipom (Ash's)
• Piplup (Dawn's, new; debut)
• Glameow (Johanna's; Seiyū: 西村ちなみ Chinami Nishimura)
• Weedle
• Pidgey
• Rattata
• Magikarp
• Ariados (Seiyū: 川上貴史 Takafumi Kawakami)
• Dunsparce
• Mantine
• Zigzagoon
• Ninjask
• Turtwig (Seiyū: うえだゆうじ Yūji Ueda*)
• Chimchar (Seiyū: 津村まこと Makoto Tsumura*)
• Starly
• Staravia
• Staraptor
• Bidoof
• Bibarel
• Budew
• Buneary
• Chatot (flock)
• Mantyke
• Mesprit

* No official credit was given for this character.

Trivia

• This originally aired as a two-hour special on September 28, 2006, together with DP002 and DP003.
• An instrumental version of By Your Side ~Hikari's Theme~ is played as background music.
• Piplup's behavior when Dawn offered it food is exactly as described in the Pokédex: Piplup have high pride and hate to receive food from people.
• Dawn seeing Mesprit is mentioned in DP004 where Ash links it to his seeing Ho-oh as a starting trainer, though the scene is more similar to his seeing Suicune on the way to New Bark Town.
• The half time shots are of Dawn alone.
• Professor Oak's lecture: Sinnoh starter Pokémon.
  • All of the scenes in this segment come from this episode.
• Pokémon senryū: シンオウで　たびがはじまる　ポケモンと Shin'ō de tabi ga hajimaru Pokémon to. "In Sinnoh, a journey begins with Pokémon."

Errors

Dub edits

In other languages

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This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.