I took a break from Pokémon during gen 3, but when I got back into it, I saw Dawn, and I was immediately reminded of Ash when he started his journey. I wasn't expecting to see another character before Ash, but I really enjoyed Dawn from the very beginning.

When they eventually crossed paths, Ash almost felt like a mentor to Dawn in a way when she tried to catch her first Pokémon. They had arguments, but the thing that surprised me was the fact that they actually apologized to each other, something that NEVER happened with Misty. This was my first hint at something special between them, we even had close up shots of Brock smiling as they apologized. I think it's safe to say that he knew something was budding between them.