The part where Dawn thinks about having each of the Sinnoh starters echoes Ash's dream in the first episode. Incidentally, Ash's first choice for a starter was also the Water-type of his region, Squirtle.
Dawn, a beginning Trainer and aspiring Coordinator, leaves Twinleaf Town to start her Pokémon journey. At the end of the episode, Dawn chooses Piplup as her starter Pokémon and receives a Pokédex and six Poké Balls from Professor Rowan.
This is the first appearance of Dawn in the series. Unlike Misty and May's debuts, Dawn gets her debut episode dedicated entirely to herself as Ash, Pikachu and Team Rocket do not appear until the very end. This is also the only episode between There's No Place Like Hoenn (2002) and Iris and Kibago!/To the Isshu Region! Zekrom's Shadow! (2010) in which Brock does not appear.
This episode marks the only appearance of Tracey during the Diamond & Pearl series.
This episode aired in the United States on April 20, 2007 as part of a special preview, two days before the American release of Diamond and Pearl. It was later broadcast in sequence in the US on June 4, 2007.