"I could have been there for him, he might have been fine If I were there..."
Out on the grassy fields that surrounded the little village known as Twinleaf Town shadowed by the clear black sky, a familiar blue haired girl, black and pink skirt with a white undershirt, pink boots, and white beanie cap lay sprawled out alone on the grass clearly in a deep state of depression; she went by the name of Dawn.
She stared out into the black starry night sky with only the moonlight breaking the pitch black abyss, her face filled with regret and sorrow among other things.
It had been a week since the funeral of her dearly beloved, and good friend named Ash Ketchum, stabbed 5 times in the stomach and chest by a paranoid schizophrenic man whos relatives claimed he would often be seen pacing around the house late at night saying he was been watched and said that Ash had 'stolen his identity' and that he had said that he had told lies to some of his friends about him doing drugs and other things which were untrue since he had never met Ash. The man was later shot and killed after the attack when he started a hostage situation. Thinking of what Ash went through during his final moments made tears well up in her eyes.
The winds picked up blowing across the field, the whisper of the wind and the dark of the night created a looming sense of emptiness and gloom. Dawn wrapped her arms around herself feeling the cold breeze. "I should get back home soon," She said to herself, "Mom's probably worried sick about me." She sat up and looked down upon her dimly lit hometown in the distance then lay back down again. "I remember the day like it was yesterday, I'll never forget when he was taken away."
It was a bright sunny afternoon in Twinleaf town, not a cloud in the sky. Our heroine was getting her things together to leave for a contest run in the Kanto region the next morning. She paced around in her bedroom writing off a checklist of things she needed. Piplup sat on her bed watching.
"Food supply: Check. Pokemon food supply: Check. Pokemon: Check. Money: Check. Extra clothes: Check. Personal Hygiene products:
check. Means of personal transport..." Dawn glanced out her bedroom window and looked at the rusty, burnt out hulk resembling a bike frame laying in a bush beside the front of the house. "Not quite... I'll deal with it when I get there but other then that I've got everything I need."
The little blue penguin Pokemon stood up. Dawn sat down on the bed with Piplup.
"I bet you're as excited as I am aren't you?" Dawn said.
Piplup jumped up and chimed happily in agreement.
"I thought so," Dawn smiled, standing back up, "and from our past experiences I'm certain we're gonna slay the crowds across the nation!"
Piplup jumped up once again, even though his master was a little full of herself.
Dawn continued to ramble on and on about her optimistic state of mind when her mother brought her back to reality.
"Dawn!" She shouted from the doorway.
"Yes?" Dawn said softly, being surprised by her mom's sudden entry.
"I called you at least 3 times."
"Well what's up then?" Dawn asked finally.
"I need to talk to you." Johanna said
"Well, tell me then."
Johanna walked in the room and sat on a chair. From the look on her face, one could tell that what she had to say was very serious.
"It's about your friend Ash."
Dawn's head perked up when she heard Ash's name. Dawn shared a very close relationship with Ash, she had a couple male friends but for her, Ash was different. They really got along together, Ash often helped Dawn train before contests and Dawn (along with Brock) would cheer Ash on during battles, even wearing a cheerleading outfit on two separate occasions.
All those combined, they seemed to form a special bond with eachother. One could say they were soulmates. Even after they had parted ways, Ash and Dawn kept in touch with eachother. Chatting over the video phone at least a couple times a month. The serious nature of her mom's voice worried our heroine.
"What? What up with Ash?"
Johanna looked out the window. "He... was attacked; stabbed actually, quite a few times just inside Hiun City in Isshu."
Dawn gasped and put a hand over her mouth.
"How's he doing."
Her mom's solemn expression stayed the same.
"It's not looking good for him unfortunately."
Dawn looked down at her feet.
"Oh man that's terrible..."
"I know Dawn," Johanna sighed "but try not to worry about it too much alright."
Dawn said nothing, just nodding in agreement.
Johanna stood up and changed over to a lighter subject. "Now then, dinner is almost ready dear."
"Alright mom." Dawn said also standing up and walking downstairs following her mother.
The supper that Johanna had prepared was delicious as usual, what would one expect from mom's home cooking? Dawn didn't speak during the meal, only stared out a window and slowly ate her plate of food. Not that she was trying to mind table manners or anything, she could only think of her ailing friend. She wished she could do something but could do nothing as he was so far away from her. Once she finished her plate she quickly washed her plate and her hands and returned to her room.
She sat down on her bed again her gaze was drawn to the window. Piplup climbed on the bed and poked Dawn's shoulder, worried about his master's well-being.
She turned to face her penguin esque companion and patted him on the head.
"No need to worry about anything Piplup," Dawn said trying to reassure him, "I'm sure he'll be fine."
A considerable amount of time had passed and Dawn was getting sleepy, she quickly changed and got under the covers. There she began to wonder of there really was no need to worry.
"Gee I sure hope he's alright," She thought, "I mean he's been to hell and back countless times before, I can't imagine this would stop him."
That being said (or thought) Dawn turned off the lights and went to sleep.
Morning came; actually it was around noon time and the sun had since risen f
rom behind the mountains and shone brightly above the little village.
Dawn rubbed her eyes as she sat up in her bed.
"I wonder how Ash is doing..." was the first thing that came into her mind.
She got out of bed and stretched a little bit and went to get a shower since she was at home. She turned on the shower and got undressed as she waited for the water to warm which only took a couple seconds. She got in and instead of immediately starting to wash her hair, she began to daydream (hasn't everyone done that in the shower?) about Ash again. "I hope he pulls through like before." Dawn sighed softly, proping herself up against a corner in the shower stall, eyes closed. She stood there in her trance for a minute before remembering she was in the shower and immediately began to cleanse herself as planned.
Once out of the shower she spent a moment to dry her hair and brush it straight, mercifully it worked with her today.
"That wasn't so hard," She said to herself, examining her work in the mirror, "for once my hair likes me today. Now..."
She then proceeded to change into her usual travel clothes and styled her hair into her usual styling and grabbed her bag and was just walking out her bedroom door when she found herself face to face with her mother.
Dawn took a step back in surprise, not expecting her mom to be right there.
"Oh, hi mom."
Johanna sighed, reluctantly she let out. "Dawn, your friend Ash..."
"What is it?" Dawn interrupted, "is he okay?"
Johanna turned her head away.
"He... passed away from his injuries last night."
Dawn's eyes widened and she dropped her backpack.
"W-w-what?"
"I was told just a moment ago by Brock." Johanna explained and turned back to her daughter, "The doctors didn't believe he would make it given the state he was in when he arrived. Dawn... I'm so sorry."
Johanna turned and walked back downstairs. Dawn stood in her doorway frozen by the news just broken to her. Piplup looked up at her.
"Please leave me be for a little bit Piplup." Dawn whispered, choking back tears.
Piplup promptly followed Johanna downstairs leaving Dawn alone. Dawn walked back into her room shutting and locking it behind her.
A short time later Dawn's room looks like a riot just ran through, if you consider only a broken alarm clock and a few holes in the walls a riot. Dawn lay face down on her bed silently bawling her eyes out.
"Of all the people it could have been," She sobbed, "it had to be him!"
She clutched her pillow trying to help release her angers and sorrows but that did little to help.
Johanna was listening to her daughter from downstairs pondering her actions, so she walked up the stairs and knocked on her daughter's bedroom door lightly.
"What?" Dawn sniffled.
"Are you going to get going for your next contest run?" Johanna asked.
"Forget it!" Dawn yelled, "I'm not up to it anymore."
"But you talked about it for weeks, and now you're blowing it off?"
"That was when my friend was alive!"
Johanna understood her daughter's despair but felt that there were still questions that needed answered.
"I've never seen you react in such a manner when you were told of a friend's passing." Johanna pointed out.
"So?"
"When I told you that Ash had died you went hysterical," Johanna continued, "I've never seen anyone react to losing a traveling partner like that."
Dawn lifted her head off her soaked bedsheets and turned to the door.
"I don't think you fully understand what Ash meant to me!"
Johanna was silent, listening to her daughter had to say.
"Ash helped me to get where I am. I mean he didn't help me all the way but without his help, I might have taken alot longer then I did to get to the grand festival. Contests aside me and Ash just worked so well together. Sure we had a couple arguments along the way but we never really stayed mad at eachother for long. He may not have been the smartest guy I knew but he was a down-to-earth, funny, caring and just an all around good person to be around. He was really nice to me and his pokemon. I... loved him, why do you think we kept in touch with eachother after he left?"
Johanna remained quiet, she didn't feel that Dawn had answered anything but was also surprised she had strong feelings for the now deceased boy.
"Well, will you at least go to the funeral service in Kanto two days from now?" She said at last.
Dawn swung her bedroom door open, causing her mother to jump back.
"Of course I'm going!" She shouted, "It would be downright disrespectful for me not to."
Johanna's left eyelid twitched looking at the mess her daughter's room was in. "Alright, I can't really go myself I've got business to take care of."
Dawn looked back and remembered her little rampage and scratched her head.
"Uhhh... sorry to hear about that mom..."
Johanna nodded, "Now Dawn, I think it's a little late now."
"Wow really?" Dawn wondered then looked at her broken clock and at the night sky out the window.
"Oh, you're right mom!" Dawn gasped aloud, "I completely lost track of time."
Johanna cracked a small smile at her daughter's realization. "I think I'll get ready for bed as well. Good night Dawn."
"Night mom!" Dawn said, and got changed into her night gown.
Before getting into bed Dawn looked in the mirror, her eyes were a little puffy from crying and her hair was a bit messy too but she didn't bother fixing her hair like she normally would.
"It'll be messy again when I wake up tomorrow anyway," She figured, "so why bother?"
Dawn slipped under her covers and flipped her pillow over because it was still a little damp from the tears she cried into it.
As she began to drift off to sleep Ash returned to her mind. The tears returned to her eyes but she kept calm by taking a deep breath and went to sleep with sorrow in her chest.
The following morning Dawn woke bright and early and went about her morning routine and got her things ready and walked down stairs. Her mom was down there as usual just finishing up her breakfast when her daughter coming down the stairs in travel clothes caught her eye.
"Where are you going so early?" Johanna asked.
"I'm going to Kanto mom, I figured I'd go early so I could be there for the service."
Johanna nodded. "Alright then dear, say 'Hi' to Delia for me."
Dawn opened up the front door and stepped out, when her mother stopped her again.
"One more thing Dawn," Johanna added, "try to take it easy okay?"
"I'll try mom," Dawn said with a smile, giving her mother a hug.
Johanna watched from the front porch as Dawn walked her way down route 201 till she was no longer in sight.
"That was a whole week ago..." Dawn sighed to herself, gazing up at the moon.
All around was silent except for the mournful whistle of the wind in the distance.
"The funeral was the hardest part for me," Dawn recollected, "I just almost broke down when I saw him in the casket. He looked so peaceful in there. I don't think I cried harder after the service was over."
Dawn rubbed her eyes dry and sat up looking down at the dim light of Twinleaf Town. The winds began to run down the field and around Dawn's legs, she shivered and looked back at the sky. "I don't know if you can hear me Ash," She whispered, "I just don't know what to do anymore."
The gusts from the wind seemed to pick up after she spoke. Then she swore she heard a voice.
"Go on!"
Dawn looked around; there was no one around.
The voice came again.
"It's your dream, don't stop pushing!"
Dawn recognized the voice. "Ash?"
She looked around again, seeing nothing at first she briefly caught sight of a familiar looking silhouette disappearing into the shadows of the unknown.
Dawn couldn't speak. What did she just see? She thought about it for a second and stood up with a smile on her face.
"You know, I shouldn't give up! I'm gonna live my dream for you Ash! Because I know you're there with me to cheer me on wherever you are..."