As promised on the deviantART page, here's the story that I spent quite a while writing. Ideas just kept coming and coming for this commission for Akai-love, and so I kept writing and writing, until finally this ridiculously long Penguinshipping oneshot was born! For all of my readers out there, this one is NOT a Christianity themed story like my other commissioned stories have been, so just letting you know in advance. Anyways, enjoy!
_
"And that's it! The winner of the Sandalstraw Contest is Kenny from Twinleaf Town! What an incredible final round to decide the winner!" That was the voice of Marian the Contest announcer, and she had just declared Kenny the winner of the Sandalstraw Contest. While Kenny jumped up and down with joy over his victory, Dawn, his opponent and rival, watched as he celebrated his victory over her.
"We were so close…but…I guess I can be happy for him." Dawn didn't feel nearly as discouraged over her loss as she had in previous contests, perhaps it was the simple fact that it was this young man that she had known as her best friend ever since the both of them were in diapers…Kenny was more than just a rival to the blue-haired coordinator, he was her biggest motivator, albeit indirectly, as she had always had to fight to keep up with him, he was always training with his Pokémon, always trying to improve his skills as a coordinator, and she admired him greatly for that. In fact, she had even come to the conclusion that over the course of her journey through Sinnoh with her two friends from Kanto, Ash and Brock, she might have held still greater feelings for her old friend.
Kenny got up from hugging his Pokémon partner, Prinplup, and took a glance at the young girl he had just defeated. His best friend and rival Dawn, what an example of spirit and determination, no matter what happened she was always able to bounce back and make a strong comeback, this time he was just able to defeat her Ambipom and take the contest from her, but even now, she seemed happy, she was smiling sweetly at him, and he could feel his heartbeat increasing in speed as he admired her sparkling image. Dawn had always been pretty, he'd always thought so secretly, and if all went according to his plan, he'd be able to finally tell her the way he really felt. "Today's the day, today I make her mine!"
The awards ceremony took place, and Kenny received the Sandalstraw Ribbon, his fourth ribbon, now he was once again tied with Dawn. But that accomplishment was most certainly not the first thing on the young coordinator's mind. He looked into the stands and saw Dawn applauding his victory along with Ash, Brock, and Barry, who had just joined them the day before. Just seeing her smile made his heart soar, but he had to keep himself under control, the time wasn't right just yet. But he simply couldn't help but blush a little, Dawn was so beautiful, her bright blue eyes that seemed to sparkle whenever she was training for a contest, her long, silky hair that he wanted nothing more than to stroke and feel how soft it must be…he felt both awful and wonderful at the same time, his stomach felt funny, and he felt almost feverish, but he knew he wasn't sick, he knew exactly why he felt this way…it had taken him a long time to build up the courage to tell Dawn how he really felt, and it was even harder than ever, because he wasn't sure if Dawn felt the same way, in fact, his greatest fear was that Dawn had already fallen in love with Ash, whom he knew Dawn deeply admired because of his skills as a Pokémon trainer.
Not to mention that Ash, this…intruder from the Kanto Region had taken Dawn under his wing and showed her the ropes of being a trainer, he had mentored her, given her advice on how Pokémon relationships should be developed…if he had one regret in his life, it was that he hadn't done all of these things himself…he had made a huge mistake at the beginning of both their journeys, he got so caught up in the rivalry aspect of their relationship, that he had just taken off on his own with his used-to-be Piplup, leaving Dawn to fend for herself without any clue of even the basics of Pokémon training. He hated himself for a long time because of what he had done; he left his best friend all on her own! And because he didn't take the opportunity, Ash just happened to come along and help her out.
Of course, he didn't hold anything against Ash, he had no personal quarrel with him, he actually thought of Ash as a good friend…but he was still a threat. It was very clear that Dawn admired Ash, what bothered him was that he was unsure of just how deep that admiration ran. Ash didn't seem to be interested in Dawn in that way, of course he had never seen Ash be interested in any girl in that way…Brock on the other hand fell in love with every girl his age, so he felt no pressure from Brock…but Ash…Ash was dangerous, even if Ash didn't see himself as dangerous. The ultimate unknown was Dawn's feelings, how did she feel about Ash? And how did Dawn feel about him, her rival in coordinating? What had he ever done to show any interest in Dawn?
And then there was Barry, he hadn't even thought about Barry before, but now that he saw him there next to Dawn, he realized that Barry could be a very serious factor…Barry too was from Twinleaf Town, and Dawn had taken what seemed to be a bit of a liking towards him…there was nothing significant about her behavior towards him, it was pretty much the same she treated everyone, but still, he was afraid that Barry might block the way to his precious blue-haired coordinator. He wouldn't be able to bear it if Dawn decided she loved someone else, he had always imagined that one day it would be him and her together, happily in love…but what had he ever done to show Dawn that he did indeed love her?
Calling her Dee Dee all the time certainly didn't help his case any. That nickname was invented by something that had happened back in Nursery School, but that was another story entirely. Kenny had to try, he just had to try and receive Dawn's affections…he couldn't stand it anymore, he had admired from afar for far too long, he liked her way too much to stay just friends any longer…he was willing to risk it all today, he was going to do it. No matter what.
When Kenny finally left the arena, Dawn and the others had long since gone, probably back to the Pokémon Center. If he was going to stay on schedule, he would have to leave before the day was over…so his opportunity window was very small…he had to hurry. Kenny hurried to change back into his regular clothing, and came out of his room with his backpack on. When he got into the lobby, there she was, his beautiful coordinator crush, and if all went well…his girlfriend…she was with Ash, Brock, and Barry, and they were laughing and enjoying themselves.
Kenny's heart suddenly felt very heavy, he could feel his stomach doing flip flops inside of him…it felt like there was now so much pressure on his shoulders, he could feel it weighing him down in all aspects…there was no way he could do this! Would Dawn even want to hear what he had to say? And even if she did, what were the chances that she felt the same way he did? He closed his eyes, dipped his head in sadness and turned to leave the Pokémon Center through the back, feeling defeated. But then a voice stopped him.
"Hey Kenny!" Dawn called out, waving at her childhood friend.
"Looks like I have no choice now…" Kenny turned around and pasted a smile on his face, as he walked over to the others, "Hey everyone." he said, giving a small wave.
"You really did great today Kenny, you and Prinplup were in total sync with each other!" Dawn exclaimed.
Kenny blushed slightly, and he could feel his heart beating faster as he talked to his beautiful friend, he had been given the opportunity to talk to her, if he didn't take it now, he had a feeling he'd never get another one. "Thanks Dawn…" It was now or never. "Um…could we talk for a minute…alone?" his blush intensified as the eyes of all his other friends were now on him.
Dawn raised an eyebrow. "Uh, sure Kenny."
Kenny smiled brightly, "Great!" the male coordinator led Dawn to a nearby corner, leaving the others to watch and wonder what was going on, all except for Brock who was smiling warmly at the sight.
"It's about time." The breeder chuckled.
"About time for what Brock?" Ash asked curiously.
Brock smirked down at him. "You know, the same thing that should've happened between you and Misty a long time ago."
Ash blushed and looked away, "I dunno what you're talking about."
"Hey, you're blushing!" Barry exclaimed with a laugh. "Ha ha! Ash has a girlfriend, Ash has a girlfriend!"
"I do not!" Ash stomped his foot in denial, although he refused to look anyone in the eye.
Back with Dawn and Kenny, the two coordinators were having their conversation…or at least they would be, if Kenny could open his mouth. "Come on, talk!" Kenny yelled at his brain, "So…what did you wanna talk about Dawn?"
Dawn raised an eyebrow at her old friend, "Kenny…you wanted to talk to me."
"Oh yeah! Right. Heh heh…" Kenny mentally slapped himself, he was already making a fool of himself and he hadn't even said anything yet.
Dawn noticed Kenny's uneasy expression, and got concerned for him. "Kenny, is everything ok?"
Kenny looked into Dawn's bright blue eyes and saw the concern for him in them, how lucky could he be to have someone with such an amazing personality as a best friend? Even now, when she had no idea what was going on, she was still more worried about his wellbeing than anything else. "No Dawn, everything is not ok…" he said quietly as he turned his head away from her.
"Well what is it? What's the matter?" Dawn used her hand to turn his head back towards her, and she felt the heat coming from her friend's face. Did he have a fever?
"I feel really warm-"
"Yeah, your face did feel really hot," Dawn said with a frown. "Do you have a fever? Are you getting sick? I can tell Brock for you!"
"N-No Dawn, I'm not sick…" he gulped a bit as he tried to ignore the intense pounding in his chest. "But I might have a fever…" The male coordinator hoped that Dawn would be able to understand the message he was trying to send, all too aware that it was unlikely it would work since he had never hinted his feelings before.
"What?" Dawn tilted her head to the side a bit. "How can you have a fever if nothing's wrong with you?"
"Well…you see…" This was it for him; he had to get his point across now. "It's now or never…" Kenny very slowly took hold of Dawn's hand, and when he did that, the blue-haired coordinator's eyes widened ever so slightly, as she felt his thumb gently caress her fingers, "Dawn…I…feel very warm…and…a-and my heart is beating faster than it normally does…"
"Kenny…" Dawn breathed, never taking her eyes off of Kenny's.
"And I feel like I'm hungry, like my stomach's fluttering…and…and this only happens when…when…"
"When you're around me?" Dawn asked quietly.
Kenny gave a very small smile and blushed, "Y-Yeah…when I'm around you…" Kenny studied Dawn's expression in order to find any sort of reaction, but all he could see was disbelief…and knowing Dawn, there was no way of knowing for sure whether that was good or bad, "Please Dawn, throw me a bone here, what are you thinking right now?"
Dawn simply couldn't believe it, her rival, her best friend Kenny, the same Kenny she had just lost to in the Sandalstraw Contest, the same Kenny that she knew as her top rival in Pokémon Contests…the same Kenny that she had known pretty much ever since the day she was born…he was really right here? Right now? Trying to make a confession that she never would've dreamed of in a million years? Was this really her Kenny? Was her Kenny really…in love…with her? All the symptoms he had just described seemed to point towards that very conclusion. "I…I can't believe it!"After finally processing what her best friend had just said, she slowly felt heat coming up to her own face, and she too felt her heart start to beat a little faster, the revelation that Kenny loved her…ignited something deep down in her soul…feelings that…she had ignored for a long time because she always only thought of him as her rival and just a friend…now they were bubbling up to the surface, and she could feel it in her heart that she felt the same way…she very slowly allowed a small smile to be shown on her face, and that brought an even brighter smile to Kenny's, "Then I think you really are sick Kenny." she giggled sweetly.
"I-I am? What do you mean?"
"You're lovesick." Dawn replied with a cute smile.
"Oh…well…maybe I am…" Kenny laughed lightly before looking Dawn in the eyes again, "And…and you? How do you feel? A-About me, that is…"
Dawn looked deep into Kenny's raven-hued eyes and smiled at him, "I think I might be feeling the same symptoms as you…" Now it was Dawn's turn to blush, as she gave a gentle squeeze to the hand that was currently holding hers. Part of her was in denial that this was even happening, had she really fallen in love with her best friend and rival? All she knew for certain was…she liked the feeling it brought.
Kenny couldn't believe this was happening, Dawn had told him that she did indeed love him, and she was affirming that statement by holding his hand even tighter…this was a dream come true! He now had the most beautiful girl he had ever seen to call his own, his girlfriend, his love…Kenny slowly made a move to stroke her long blue hair, he could feel each individual strand in-between his fingers, it was everything he imagined it to feel like and more, like pure silk, so soft to the touch. He saw her blushing face, as she closed her eyes and dipped her head slightly with a warm smile still gracing her features…how lucky he was to now have such a sweet girl to call his sweetheart, "I really like you Dawn, and I'm so glad you feel the same." Kenny could feel his stomach flipping again, but now it didn't feel bad in the slightest, in fact, he liked it.
Dawn giggled quietly and opened her eyes again to look up at Kenny, she had never really noticed just how handsome he was, his beautiful brown hair was one of the things she decided she liked most about him…but his eyes…his piercing raven-colored eyes was what she liked the most, even with eyes as dark as his, they still seemed to shine brightly, especially now during this exchange of words and feelings. Had she always been so blind to what she was missing? Had she always been so wrapped up in being a coordinator and always trying to get the better of him, always been so easily irritated by a teasing nickname that he had given her in Nursery School, that she totally missed the fact that everything Kenny did, was done out of love? Even calling her Dee Dee which she still hated, and would probably always hate, it could very well been his way of playing around with her, trying to get under her skin and get her attention, maybe he knew no other way…maybe that was all he knew how to do, until now that is.
Dawn decided to take things a step further from a simple hand hold, and moved in to embrace the young man. She got on her tiptoes so that she could wrap her arms around his neck, Kenny had grown quite tall since their journey started, or maybe he had always been somewhat taller and she, again, had never noticed due to the constantly competitive atmosphere. But all she knew right now was this: She was really enjoying the feeling of Kenny's body against hers, it gave her a sense of internal security that she had never really experienced before…oh sure, when she was little she felt safe with her mother's love and comfort, and Ash and Brock had done their very best to keep her safe on their journey through Sinnoh…but this…this was different…so unique…the feeling of being protected and loved by someone who she could truly call hers, she wouldn't have to share his attention with anyone.
Kenny had been taken aback by Dawn's hug, but he didn't want her to stop by any means, in fact, he never wanted it to end. He had hugged Dawn before of course, and he had enjoyed it then too, but this…this had a totally different feel to it, a different kind of atmosphere, this wasn't just a casual hug between best friends like all the others that they had shared even back when they were tiny, this was a warm embrace shared by a boy and a girl that loved each other more than either of them had ever realized before. It really amazed Kenny how much being rivals had both helped and hindered their relationship at the same time. It helped it along by making them both strive to be the best at what they did, and along the way they matured as both trainers and people, and at the same time, it hindered their relationship by keeping them always in a competitive way of life. Something like love seemed inconceivable since the only thing that mattered each time they saw each other was winning, coming out on top over the other…in some ways their relationship would probably still be that way, they were both competitive by nature, but now there was something even more important in both of their lives, and that was, ironically enough…each other.
"So…what does this mean Kenny?" Dawn asked quietly, as she rubbed her chin against Kenny's shoulder.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean where does this leave us? Is the relationship between us going to change? You know, like, the way we treat each other…" Dawn lowered herself from his shoulder and looked up at him, her arms still reaching around his neck. Maybe Kenny wasn't as tall as she originally thought, since she could still reach…love did strange things to a person's perspective she supposed, he was taller, just not as tall as she saw him a moment ago.
"Oh…hmm…" the truth was, Kenny hadn't thought of that, but now that Dawn had brought it up, he realized that this new knowledge of each other's feelings would obviously mean that the way they acted around each other would change, at least a little bit. But…as he thought about it more, change didn't seem so bad, considering the payoff was so…so sweet, he truly was lovesick over this girl, this wonderful, amazing coordinator girl that he had known for so very long, now she was his, and only his. He could just imagine all the things they could do they wouldn't dream of doing before, being able to truly enjoy each other's presence, hugging, perhaps sometime in the future…kissing, "Whoa, take it easy Kenny, you're moving way too fast here, don't wanna freak her out or anything." Kenny smiled down at her and finally replied, "I'm sure there'll be some changes, good ones though! And if you want, we don't have to go all out right away, we can take it slow, as long as you're happy, I'm happy."
Dawn smiled at that. It really comforted her to know that just because they were in love, didn't mean they'd have to completely change everything, at least not right away. Kenny's offer to take it slow was by far the sweetest thing he could've said to her, he was being his usual self: a very sweet, sincere, unselfish young boy who cared deeply about the wellbeing of everyone he knew, "I like the sound of that." she giggled.
"Good…" Kenny smiled and looked around the room, and his eyes caught a clock, when he saw what time it was, his eyes widened, "Oh man, I gotta go!" he said with disappointment.
"Wha?" Dawn whined as a pout appeared on her face. "You're leaving already?"
"I have to," he frowned remorsefully, "I have a schedule to keep, I gotta keep going if I'm gonna make it to the Grand Festival. After all, we're still rival coordinators, but…I don't wanna think of you as a rival anymore." he smiled as he finished his sentence.
"I understand." Dawn sighed sadly, "When will I see you again? I mean, now that we're…together, I don't wanna go weeks or even months without seeing you, I didn't like the idea that much even when we weren't together."
"I can always call you! We can do video calls whenever we want, we can talk about what's going on while we're on the road, what we're doing as far as training goes, it'll be great! And when we see each other in the Grand Festival, it'll be even better." Kenny moved some strands of hair from Dawn's face and smiled warmly at her, "Yeah, it'll be even better." he breathed.
Dawn blushed again and smiled bashfully, as she moved her hand up to where Kenny had his hand and ran her fingers over his, "Ok Kenny, I'll see you at the Grand Festival." It seemed to Dawn that only one thing would make this momentous occasion truly memorable. The blue-haired coordinator moved up to Kenny's cheek and softly pressed her lips against it, she could practically feel the rise in heat that Kenny was giving off as he blushed, causing her to giggle inwardly. She moved back down and smiled at him, "I'll miss you, more than ever now."
"I'll miss you too…" Kenny could feel a pang in his heart as he began to walk away from his coordinator girlfriend, but he knew he had to leave eventually, after all, their journeys weren't over yet. He looked back over his shoulder one more time before walking out the doors, "Bye Dawn."
"Bye Kenny," Dawn waved exuberantly. "Call me when you get to the next Pokémon Center!"
Kenny gave a thumbs-up over his shoulder and finally looked forward one more time, that lovesick feeling seeming to intensify as if it was trying to stop him from leaving his newfound dream behind. But he knew he'd be ok, just knowing that Dawn loved him as much as he did her, gave him a feeling of both satisfaction and warmth that he had never felt before in his entire life.
Dawn sighed contentedly as she watched her new boyfriend walk out of the Pokémon Center and out into the world once more, she could feel her heart beating a little harder than usual as if to protest his leaving, but she knew they had to part ways, at least for a short while, they still had their journeys, if she hadn't become such great friends with Ash and Brock, and if she hadn't been supporting Ash this entire time they were on the road, she wouldn't have hesitated to simply join Kenny on his journey. How sad it must've been for him, Dawn had only been alone for the first few days of her journey before she met Ash and Brock, but poor Kenny had no one to keep him company, no one to comfort him when he was down, no one to talk to except for his Pokémon…yeah…if she didn't feel obligated to stick with Ash and cheer him on in his dream after all he had done for her, she definitely would've gone with Kenny.
"So…what did Kenny wanna talk about?" Brock asked teasingly, as he and the other two guys came up to check on their lovesick friend who had both hands up against her chest.
Dawn came out of her haze and looked around at all her friends, "Oh, hey guys." she said bashfully, "Well…Kenny just told me that…he likes me, as in like likes me…"
"And?" Brock pressed.
"Well, now we're together, that's all." Dawn had tried to be nonchalant about it, but she couldn't help but smile as she thought about what had just taken place.
"Wow," Ash exclaimed with a grin. "That's awesome Dawn!"
"Yeah, it sure is." she sighed again, then smirked mischievously at her mentor. "Say, when are you gonna get a girlfriend Ash?"
"Uh, well…" Ash suddenly blushed and looked around nervously, refusing to look anyone in the eye.
"He already has one." Barry laughed mockingly, "Her name's Misty."
"She's not my girlfriend!" Ash barked furiously.
"Wait a sec, Misty? Why does that name sound…" her eyes widened a bit. "You mean that girl who gave you the lure? She's your…" Dawn suddenly gasped, "That lure is what she actually looks like isn't it?!"
"Oh yeah," Brock replied with a teasing grin, "I see him looking at it all the time."
"She's cute Ash, and to think you never told me." Dawn giggled.
"Ash has a girlfriend, Ash has a girlfriend!" Barry mocked further.
"I. DO. NOT!" Ash stomped his foot for emphasis.
Over the next few weeks, the trio continued on the road to Sinnoh, all the while Dawn and Kenny would constantly call and talk to each other for hours, even separated by a video screen they could feel their love growing stronger each time they saw each other, the lovesick feeling in their stomachs and hearts intensified with each conversation they had. Dawn had gone through so much while they were on the road, some of it even life threatening…and she shared everything with him. From Ambipom leaving with a man named O to go pursue a living playing Pokémon Ping-Pong, to how they stopped Team Galactic from destroying the world. All the while, they would wish that they could be together in person, touch each other, feel the other's warmth and love, but they had to be content with merely speaking with each other…no matter how badly it hurt…
But at last the day they both waited for so terribly long came…the day of the Grand Festival! Both Dawn and Kenny had won their fifth ribbon, having overcome so many different challenges and obstacles to reach their goals. They arrived near Lake Valor where the contest was taking place, and when they saw each other, it was like time had stopped around them. All they saw was each other, despite the fact that Zoey, Nando, Dawn's newest rival Ursula, and even Jessilina were all in front of the contest hall to check things out. When Kenny saw Dawn, and likewise when Dawn saw Kenny, the two rushed towards other, their stomachs doing flip-flops, each aching for the other. Finally they met in a tight, loving embrace in which Kenny twirled around with Dawn lifted up in his arms, the two laughing happily.
"I missed you so much!" Dawn exclaimed.
"I missed you too!" Kenny put her down and hugged her tightly again. Just being able to hold her after having been restricted by distance for so long made him feel sooo good, it was just the cure for his lovesickness…or did it only intensify the symptoms? He honestly didn't care; Dawn was here at last, in his arms, where she belonged. "Looks like you survived the whole Team Galactic thing ok. I wish I could've been there to help you guys."
"Don't feel guilty Kenny, it wasn't your fault," she rubbed his arm comfortingly. "It was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, I know you would've helped if you could've."
Kenny smiled at his girlfriend, then he took her hand and headed back towards the others, who were all smirking at them, with the exception of Ursula and Jessilina. "What?" he asked.
"When did you two get hooked up?" Zoey asked with a teasing smirk on her face.
Dawn stuck her tongue out at the red-headed coordinator. "Right after the Sandalstraw Contest if you must know."
"Oh, perfect!" Ursula suddenly hissed snidely, earning glares from the others. "Now that you'll be all distracted with your lovey-dovey love life, I'll be free to take you out in round one!"
"Still the same as ever aren't you Ursula?" Ash growled.
"Oh I'm nowhere near the same, I'm so much better now than I was before, and this time, Plusle and Minun are ready to make the Grand Festival the most miserable experience that Dawn…" Ursula grinned maliciously. "Or should I say…Diamond Dandruff, will ever go through." she cackled.
Dawn turned pale at the use of her secret and unwanted nickname, but as pale as Dawn was, Kenny was ten times worse. "How do you know about that?" Dawn hissed furiously.
"Oh it's quite simple, I heard your little story about how you and your friends made fun of your shiny static hair when you were little, who was it that gave you that nickname again? His name was…oh yeah, it was the guy you're dating!" Ursula said, her hands planted firmly on her hips in pride, as if she had accomplished something amazing.
"I think we've all had quite enough of this," Nando stepped up with his hands raised in an attempt to regain control of the situation. "I suggest whatever issues that need to be worked out be done so on the contest battlefield, not here."
"I agree with Nando, there's no reason for anything to get hostile," Zoey narrowed her eyes at Ursula, "Although I will say that there's no reason for you to be nasty towards Dawn, what happens in her personal life is none of your concern."
"Oh but it really is!" Ursula said nonchalantly, "As a matter of fact, if I can take advantage of her own personal issues, it may give me a much easier win in the Grand Festival, and isn't that why we're all gathered here together? To win the Grand Festival?"
"Not like that." Zoey got up in Ursula's face and stared her down, which for a moment seemed to intimidate the brazenly selfish and mean coordinator.
But after Ursula regained her composure, she shrugged and looked away from Zoey, "That's fine, it really doesn't matter. Dawn has no chance of beating me, and in all honesty…neither do any of you. I'll see you in the winner's circle; or rather…you'll see me." Ursula walked away, cackling maniacally.
Once Ursula was out of earshot, Zoey sneered at the girl's back. "People like her need to be checked out by a doctor."
For the first time since they arrived, Jessilina spoke up, "I don't usually support anything you people do, but if you happen to go against that girl, make sure you win, I can't stand her attitude." With that, Jessilina walked away as well, in the opposite direction Ursula went.
"That's much better, now I feel comfortable." Dawn exhaled in relief as she observed that the only people left were people she knew she could trust, although she did notice that Kenny was still looking somewhat pale, "Kenny, are you alright?" she placed a hand on his chest.
Kenny didn't feel lovesick anymore…he just felt sick. Dawn had told him about Ursula, how nasty she was and how she treated Pokémon Contests, but now he had seen it first hand, and whatever Dawn had told him, now seemed like an understatement. Ursula could make even the nicest person in the world want to slap her across the face, and he had seen Dawn want to do just that, so he knew that she did make the nicest person in the world want to slap her across the face. But Ursula's personality wasn't what was making him sick. She knew. Ursula knew about the name he had given Dawn when they were little kids.
He had been so nasty to her then, so insensitive to Dawn's feelings…why had he done that? He remembered Dawn as his best friend even when they were growing up, what could have possibly driven him to be so mean to her? It was all his fault, Dawn had paid the consequences for his actions when they were little, he remembered how humiliated and devastated she had been as she listened to the jeers of all the students she thought were her friends…and it made him feel absolutely horrible, to see that even now, after all these years, Dawn was still paying for what he had done.
He didn't deserve someone as wonderful in mind, body, and spirit as Dawn was, he really didn't, "I'm sorry Dawn." Kenny broke free of her and ran inside, trying to hide the tears that were threatening to come out…he felt so awful…honestly, he was now looking for a bathroom, so he could go and throw up.
Dawn reached out with her hand as she watched her boyfriend run off, her face twisted into a look of deep concern. "Kenny…" Dawn mumbled to herself.
"Wonder what's wrong?" Ash wondered aloud, scratching his head curiously.
"I have a pretty good idea…" Brock exhaled through his nose and then turned to the others. "You guys head to the Pokémon Center, I'll wait for Kenny."
Dawn frowned and nodded at the breeder, knowing that if anyone could help her boyfriend now, it was Brock. She really had no idea why Kenny had reacted so suddenly, but she had a hunch it had something to do with something Ursula said, "Please help him Brock." she begged earnestly.
Brock gave a small smile and a thumbs-up in response, and he watched his friends all walk away. "Alright, time to find Kenny." Brock walked into the building and walked by a few Grand Festival officials, "Hey, did you see a boy about thirteen years old run through here?"
"Yeah, he ran for the bathroom," a concerned official pointed a thumb over his shoulder. "He looked kinda sick, is he ok?"
"I think so, don't worry, I'll take care of him." Brock ran into the bathroom and looked under all the stalls, and at the end he saw Kenny's pants and sneakers on the floor…he was kneeling in front of the toilet, "Kenny, you alright?"
"Yeah," Kenny strained, doing his best to hide what was happening, "Yeah I'm alr-" Kenny got cutoff by a heave of his stomach, and he then found himself continuing the process of emptying its contents…well…there was no hiding it now.
Brock pushed open the stall and saw the sorry shape his friend was in. The young coordinator had lost all color in his face; he had tears streaming from his eyes from the pain of both throwing up and apparently whatever had happened outside. Brock got down on one knee and put his palm on Kenny's forehead, and his other hand on Kenny's back to try and relax him, but after Kenny took a few deep breaths, he threw up again. Brock couldn't help but feel sympathy for Kenny, this was no case of lovesickness, this was him being violently ill towards something Ursula had said, and he was almost certain of what it was. Finally Kenny was breathing deeply again, with violent sobs in between gasps, "You done?" Brock asked patiently.
Kenny took a few more breaths and nodded slowly. He had nothing more to throw up; he was just dry heaving at most at this point. His stomach was all in cramps from the violence of his anxiety driven vomiting, "I feel awful Brock." he croaked, his throat scratchy from throwing up.
"You feel guilty." Brock said knowingly.
Kenny nodded gently, his head was throbbing and he didn't wanna move it too much, "You know?"
Brock nodded once, "You made a mistake Kenny, you were only three or four years old, and you made an error in judgment…I know you didn't mean to hurt her-"
Kenny got up slowly, forcing Brock to remove his hands. "That's just it Brock, back then, I did mean to hurt her. But I don't know what could have possibly driven me to be so mean to her." Kenny's eyes relinquished more tears now, but not because of vomit-induced pain, merely from guilt and sadness, "Brock, I don't deserve her, I don't even deserve to know her…after all these years…she's still paying for my cruelty…how can I ever say that I love her, when I purposely ruined her life?"
"Kenny, you made a mistake, that's all. Let the past go, I'm sure Dawn has, and it's clear to me that she doesn't hold anything you did in the past against you. It's time to put the past behind you."
Kenny tried to blink his tears away, but they just kept coming. He felt so…so awful after watching that revolting display of pure malevolence on the part of Ursula, and he knew that if it hadn't been for him, it never would've happened. Dawn just continued to suffer, and suffer, and suffer. And why? Because he had been so heartless towards her when they were little kids just that one time. "How can I put the past behind me when the past keeps coming back to haunt both me and Dawn?" Kenny covered his face with his hand as he fought off another sob, the guilt eating away at his all too big heart.
"I know it's not easy, but you gotta bounce back from this Kenny. Dawn always does, and that's one of the things you love about her, I know, she went on three hours straight about what you liked about her." Brock crossed his arms and smirked at that remark, hoping it would have an effect on the young coordinator.
Kenny laughed through his tears at what Brock had said, even in his state of mind, his love for Dawn was able to break through his sadness, "That sounds like Dawn alright." he wiped his tears with his sleeve and relinquished a small smile.
"Dawn wouldn't want you to be sad, in fact, she's probably at the Pokémon Center waiting for you."
"You really don't think she's mad at me?"
"I know she's not Kenny." Brock gently escorted the still weakened coordinator out of the stall, "Come on, let's get out of here, tomorrow's the Grand Festival, and you'll need to get some rest after all this."
"Thanks Brock." Kenny sighed wearily, and the two walked out of the stadium and headed to the Pokémon Center. By this time, the sun was setting. They found Ash, Dawn and Zoey sitting in the lobby. Upon seeing them, Kenny felt his stomach lurch again, and he turned his head to look up at the breeder who was still supporting him. "Brock, do you mind helping me to my room? I don't feel so good."
"You gonna throw up again?" Brock asked with concern.
He slowly shook his head. "No, I just feel really tired…I need to do some thinking by myself before tomorrow."
Brock hesitated, but eventually nodded, "Alright Kenny, let's go." The breeder helped Kenny to his room, where he laid down on his bed and almost immediately fell asleep, too tired to even change out of his clothes, "See you tomorrow Kenny." Brock sighed and closed the door behind him as he left, he could understand Kenny's feelings, but he couldn't really do much to help him get over it…if Kenny were to ever get over this, it would depend on Dawn, and just how lovesick he was for her.
The next morning, the teens were up bright and early for the Grand Festival, but two members of the group weren't at their best, "Brock, have you seen Kenny lately?" Dawn asked with concern, bothered by the fact that her boyfriend was nowhere to be found.
"Not since I took him to his room last night, the poor guy was really tired." Brock had decided not to mention the more gruesome parts of his conversation with Kenny in order to keep Dawn from being overly worried, but at this point, it didn't seem like it made much of a difference, as Dawn was extremely worried regardless of what she knew.
"I really hope he's ok." Dawn sighed.
"I'm sure he's fine, come on! You gotta get ready to win the Grand Festival!" Ash exclaimed determinedly, raising a pumped fist into the air. Pikachu did the same while on Ash's shoulder.
Dawn took a deep breath and exhaled, "You're right Ash, today is about winning it all! Kenny will be at the contest hall, and then I'll make sure everything's ok. After that, I'll beat him!" Dawn also raised a fist in determination.
Ash laughed, "That's the spirit, now get dressed, you've got a contest to win!"
The group all got ready for the Grand Festival, and the trio made their way to the contest hall, and met up with Zoey, Nando, and unfortunately, Ursula. And to a lesser extent of displeasure, they also ran into Jessilina…but one coordinator was nowhere to be found. "Alright, this is it…today's a new day, everything's gonna be ok! I can't let what Ursula said yesterday get to me; I've worked for way too long to just let some snotty brat ruin it all for me!"Kenny walked out of the changing room boldly, but he immediately shrunk back when he saw his precious Dawn standing there with Zoey and a couple of other contestants. She was wearing a brand new yellow dress with long white gloves, and her hair styled into three curly-q ponytails…she was so beautiful…he still wasn't ready to face her but…he had to, he could feel his stomach beginning to churn again, but this time he wasn't sure if it was lovesickness, or just plain sickness. Kenny shook his head and tried to sneak his way past Dawn without her noticing…no such luck.
"Kenny, there you are! I was worried about you!" Dawn immediately dropped her previous conversation to go see her boyfriend, and she gently hugged his arm as he looked up at him in concern. "Are you ok? Brock told me that you weren't feeling well."
Kenny gulped and blushed, here was the lovesickness again…but after yesterday, even with their relationship firmly established…it just didn't feel right. How could she love him? It just didn't make sense! "Dawn, I…I-I…c-could you let go please?" he stammered.
Dawn was hurt by the request, which could easily be recognized by her sad facial expression, but nevertheless she complied, "Kenny…did…did I do something to make you mad?" she asked, the hurt clear in her voice.
Kenny's eyes widened in horror…not again, he couldn't hurt her again, he had to fix this now. He quickly turned around and looked down at the young girl's beautiful face, and he felt his heart get caught in his throat when he saw her hurt expression, "No Dawn, it's nothing you've done. I just…" Kenny had to think fast, what could he say that would get him out of this, "I just don't wanna get distracted is all! It's not that I'm mad or anything but…" he started getting quiet so only Dawn could hear, "Remember I'm lovesick, and I need to be able to focus on winning!" Kenny faked a smile and hoped she would buy it. He technically wasn't lying, Dawn would distract him a little, but it wasn't the biggest thing on his mind.
Dawn smiled back at her boyfriend, but she couldn't shake this weird feeling that his smile was forced, like something was bothering him and he wasn't telling her what. It wouldn't be like Kenny to keep things from her, over the past few weeks they had shared just about everything over the phone…what could he be hiding? She couldn't worry now, she had to focus on winning, and, like he said, so did Kenny. "I get it Kenny…alright then, for now we're just rivals, but after it's all over and done with, I think we need some serious quality time." Dawn drew circles on Kenny's chest with her finger, causing the male coordinator to blush profusely, "I'll see you out there!" Dawn skipped into the waiting room, her three ponytail swishing back and forth as she went.
Kenny sighed as he watched Dawn leave, for the briefest of moments; all was right in the world, that is until Ursula showed up.
"Well well, if it isn't the infamous name caller." Ursula snickered snidely.
Kenny stiffened up and looked Ursula in the eyes, he got chills just from looking into them, there was just nothing but darkness in this female's eyes, "What do you want?" he growled.
"Oh nothing, I just wanted to wish you luck, I certainly hope that you don't lose focus or something during the appeal rounds, something like that would be absolutely devastating!" Ursula smirked at Kenny, who was obviously bothered by her verbal attack.
Luckily for Kenny, his discomfort had not gone unnoticed, as Zoey suddenly came up and came to his defense. "Well if you ask me, I don't think Kenny has anything to worry about when it comes to focus, unless it's because he's looking at Dawn."
Kenny grinned cheekily as his confidence returned thanks to Zoey's bolstering presence. "Don't worry, Dawn won't distract me, at least not until after the contest."
"Oh well in that case, good luck. I sure hope nothing goes wrong." Ursula said mischievously.
Zoey picked that up immediately, and she narrowed her eyes at the malevolent coordinator. "Why would something go wrong? You wouldn't cheat or something would you Ursula? I wonder how the officials would react if someone told them you did something like that?"
Ursula flinched ever so slightly, but her demeanor remained unchanged, "Who, little ol' me? I wouldn't dream of cheating, I just hope nothing goes wrong. Well, I'm off to start the appeals, toodles!" Just like Dawn, Ursula skipped away, her pigtails bouncing up and down as she went, and Kenny felt sick to his stomach watching her leave.
Zoey put her attention on Kenny, and she placed a supporting hand on his shoulder, "Don't let her get to you, she's just trying to throw you off. Just remember that your friends are behind you, Dawn's behind you, and we're here to make sure that everyone does their best."
"Thanks Zoey, I appreciate it." Kenny smiled sincerely for the first time all day. Zoey nodded at him and pumped a fist, and she too walked into the waiting room with all the other coordinators. Now by himself, with nothing but his Pokéballs and his thoughts with him, Kenny took a deep breath and clenched his fists in determination. "Alright, let's do this!"
Just as Ursula said, she started the appeals and tossed out two Pokéballs, and two Eevee popped out of the musical notes created by the seals on the Pokéballs. After ordering them both to use Iron Tail and then Hidden Power, she tossed out a Water Stone and a Fire Stone, and the two Eevee evolved into Vaporeon and Flareon. During the evolution, they each had a cluster of silver bubbles around them, and when the stones were caught, one Eevee got caught in a whirl of flames and then the small silver bubbles become red bubbles as it evolved into Flareon, whereas the other was covered in a wave of water and its silver bubbles became blue bubbles as it evolved into Vaporeon. The two then flew together and swirled in the air, then they fired the bubbles and then landed softly on the ground as the bubbles landed softly and popped into shimmering light.
Nando was next as he used his Kricketot and Altaria. The two started by floating through the air and spinning together. Altaria then went upward using Perish Song and Kricketot remained on the ground and used Sing. The two then combined and made the music notes glow. The judges complimented Nando and gave him high marks.
Then it was Jessilina's turn. Jessilina used her Seviper and Yanmega in the appeal round. She had Seviper use Haze to create a circular spiral of smoke around it, and then she jumped and flipped onto its head without disturbing the Haze. Yanmega then used SonicBoom and aimed it directly at Jessilina, causing a brilliant glow. The attack shed her original contest outfit, revealing a brand new one beneath it.
After several other coordinators performed, it finally became Zoey's turn, and she used a pool stage to perform on. She had Lumineon use Aqua Ring and then had her Gastrodon blast out of the tank. Gastrodon then used Water Pulse and fired it at Lumineon, causing the Aqua Ring to burst into a brilliant light. The lights formed into three rings that floated over the water's surface, which Lumineon then jumped through, as well as Gastrodon. The rings then floated closer to the surface and flattened out and shot up whirlwinds of water. Zoey finished by jumping onto the center and her two Pokémon next to her.
Finally it was time for Kenny to make his performance. He had been watching the entire time, in awe at just how good these coordinators were and what the standard had been set to. But he was confident in his coordinator skills, right now he was in the zone, he was more than ready, and he was set to put on a show, "This is it!"Kenny ran onto the stage and tossed out two Pokéballs, "Now! Empoleon, Floatzel, let's do it!" Kenny's now fully-evolved starter burst out of the Pokéballs along with Floatzel, and Kenny got things started. "Floatzel, use Aqua Jet!" Floatzel went straight into the air with Aqua Jet. "Now Empoleon, Hydro Cannon!"
Empoleon fired three shots of Hydro Cannon at the Aqua Jet trail, and in doing so created a large waterfall. "Now Floatzel, use Razor Wind!" Floatzel used the attack on the water around it, and dispersed it into many beautiful flying discs around the stage. "Metal Claw, Empoleon!" Empoleon shattered the discs with the steel-type attack, creating a large and colorful mist. "Yeah, we're doing great!"
Back in the waiting room, Dawn was watching with a proud smile on her face. "Wow! Kenny's doing great!"
"He's doing better than I thought he would, given his state of mind."
"State of mind?" Dawn's previous suspicions were now coming back harder than ever, what did Zoey mean by that? "Zoey, do you know what's wrong with Kenny?"
"You mean you don't?" Zoey looked at Dawn in shock, "I'm surprised he didn't tell you. Ursula's been preying on his emotions, making him feel guilty about the whole 'Dee Dee' thing, which really isn't such a big deal if you ask me; you were what, four at the time?"
Dawn gasped and glared at Ursula, who seemed to be doing something that she couldn't see. Armed with that knowledge, Dawn was able to figure out exactly why Kenny had wanted her to not touch him, he felt so guilty about what he had done when they were in Nursery School, he didn't want her there to make him feel worse. "Oh Kenny…I gotta fix this." she said to herself.
Zoey was able to hear her and she placed a hand on her shoulder. "Wait until after the Grand Festival's over, you gotta focus just like I told Kenny."
Dawn wanted to object, but she nodded, knowing that Zoey was right. She watched on the screen as Kenny prepared to finish up his performance, but she couldn't shake this weird feeling that something beyond what she had just discovered was wrong.
"Alright Floatzel, let's go for the big finish! Whirlpool! And Empoleon, Flash Cannon!" Floatzel created the whirlpool and held it in front of itself, and then Empoleon fired the Flash Cannon causing rainbow colored energy to come off the Whirlpool. "Yes, it's working!" But then, Kenny froze, as he looked into the stands for the slightest of moments, and saw a girl with static in her hair, and a Plusle and Minun in her arms...seeing that triggered flashbacks, and his mind conjured up images of a young Dawn trying desperately not to cry after being verbally assaulted by her so-called best friend.
"What have I done?" Kenny lost focus as the memories flooded back into his head, and Empoleon picked that up, and accidently blasted through the Whirlpool and sent Floatzel flying backwards. Kenny snapped out of it when he heard the cry of pain, and he saw Floatzel flying off as a result of the botched move, "Floatzel!" Floatzel hit the ground and fainted, ending Kenny's performance on an awful note. "It's over…" Kenny fell to his knees in disbelief, and watched as the girl with static left with the two Pokémon in her arms.
"What happened?!" Dawn exclaimed in worry. "Kenny was doing great!"
"I bet I know." Zoey looked over at Ursula, who now had a smug grin on her face, "She had something to do with this." she growled.
"That witch…she'll pay for this!" Before Dawn could have her say, an official came in to notify Dawn of her turn. She whipped her head around and folded her hands pleadingly. "Zoey, don't let Kenny leave, please. I'll do anything if you'll do me this favor!"
"Why are you getting like this? It's me you're talking to! You know I've got your back! Go on and focus on winning, I'll keep Kenny here even if I have to chain him to a chair!" Zoey shoved Dawn out the door, and just as she did that, she spotted Kenny coming through the other door, trying to just walk out.
"Well, looks like something did go wrong, that's truly a shame." Ursula remarked.
Kenny grit his teeth and tightened his hands into fists, "I know it was you, you probably hired that girl to look like she had…Diamond Dandruff, you sabotaged my whole performance you spineless excuse for a coordinator!" he growled lowly.
"Sabotage? What kind of a baseless accusation is that?" Ursula asked incredulously, holding her hand over her chest for emphasis, "I would never lower myself to sabotage, if anyone sabotaged your performance, it was you, you and your mistakes when you were a whiny little baby. Heck, I don't think there's a difference between then and now. You're just a way bigger version of what you were then."
Kenny felt the venom from Ursula's words seeping into him, he had to get out of here, or he might throw up all over again. Luckily, Zoey once again came to his rescue, "Why don't you crawl back to whatever trash can you came from and rot Ursula?"
"More snide remarks from the tomboyish redhead of Snowpoint." she scoffed. "It really doesn't matter, once I knock out Dawn in the second round, she and Kenny can both go mope together," she turned her attention back to Kenny. "That is if she's willing to forgive you for giving her that infamous nickname."
Kenny turned and ran; if he stayed any longer he would've done something he'd regret for the rest of his career as a coordinator. He had to leave, go anywhere, as long as he was alone.
Zoey watched helplessly as the boy ran off, then she turned her head and growled at the malicious coordinator. "You'll get yours." she took off running after him. "Kenny, wait!" Eventually she found the male coordinator leaning against a wall, trying to hold back his emotions that were so desperately trying to get out. It wasn't helping that Dawn's performance was being shown on a TV nearby. "Kenny, you can't leave yet."
Kenny looked up at the ceiling a moment before squeezing his eyes shut and shaking his head, his chest tight with barely contained emotion. "I can't stay Zoey, I can't face Dawn like this, I can't face her ever again. I love her too much to stay here and cause her more pain, Ursula will never leave her alone as long as I'm around."
"Leaving won't fix anything; it'll make things worse in fact, and hurt Dawn worse than if you stayed, which actually won't hurt her at all."
Kenny turned around and looked Zoey in the eye, "What do you mean it'll make things worse?"
"If you leave, Ursula would say something like you only cared about winning, and since you lost, you just left because you don't really care about her."
He growled. "That does sound like something she'd say."
"You gotta stay Kenny, Dawn wants you to stay, do it for her sake, you said you loved her, stay because you love her."
Kenny sighed, "Alright, I'll stay, I promise I won't leave, but I'm not ready to face her, please go."
Zoey raised an eyebrow at him in suspicion. "How do I know you won't just take off?"
Kenny tossed Zoey a Pokéball, "Take Floatzel as insurance, I won't go anywhere without it."
She caught the Pokéball and smiled sympathetically at her aching friend. "You're a sweet guy Kenny, Dawn's lucky to have you. Don't worry about what Ursula says, listen to what Dawn says, and she says she loves you." she placed a hand on his shoulder before walking off. "Think about that."
Now alone with his thoughts, Kenny sighed and looked up at the TV, and saw that Dawn had finished her performance with flying colors. He couldn't help but smile as he watched the angelic coordinator take her bows, she had done great, as usual. He was proud of her, how could he not be? Once again he could feel the lovesickness returning…Kenny was now really dizzy, his body, mind, soul, spirit…they'd all taken so many zigzags in the past couple of days that he felt like a four-way tug-of-war rope being stretched in all directions. He had no idea what to do, so he just sat down and put his face in his hands, and waited for the festival to end.
In the end, Ursula did indeed get eliminated, by Dawn herself no less, and she stormed off in a huff, refusing to admit that Dawn was the better coordinator. But the winner of the whole thing was Zoey, and she held up her trophy with pride, she had taken down Dawn in the final round of the Grand Festival contest, and earned the accolades she received. After she took her final bows, Zoey met up with Dawn in the waiting room, she and Dawn were the only ones left, since the other coordinators had gone off to another room in the hall for the post-contest reception, which in all honesty, was more like a celebration than anything else. Dawn looked around with disappointment, not because she lost, although she was slightly disappointed she hadn't been able to win; she was more disappointed that Kenny was nowhere to be found, "Zoey, did Kenny leave after all?"
The newest top coordinator of Sinnoh just smiled at her friend, "He's still here, he promised he wouldn't leave, he left me his Floatzel to make sure."
"What am I gonna do Zoey?" Dawn sighed sadly. "Poor Kenny must be feeling awful."
"That's easy. He's feeling sick over what Ursula said, and you're the cure. Make him feel lovesick instead, and all his worries will just wash away. I hear there's gonna be a good DJ at the reception, maybe you can get him to dance with you, that would sure help out."
"Yeah…" Dawn's expression brightened and she clenched her fists in determination. "Yeah! Thanks Zoey!" Then her eyes widened as she came to a realization. "Oh, could you give me Kenny's Floatzel? I'd like to be the one to give it back."
Zoey nodded and handed Dawn Kenny's Pokéball, "Go on Dawn, I'll be along in a second."
Dawn nodded and ran off, her heart beating wildly for what was to come. "Don't worry Kenny, I love you and I'm gonna cure you!"
Zoey smiled and went in the other direction, knowing that Kenny would be in the same place she left him before, and sure enough, there was Kenny, his face still in his hands like he had been for the past hour or so, "Poor guy." Zoey thought with a sympathetic expression. She quietly walked up to the male coordinator and tapped his shoulder, only to find that Kenny had actually fallen asleep and she had woken him up, "Wake up sleepyhead!"
"Hmm, wha-what happened?" Kenny looked around drowsily, and eventually his eyesight focused and he saw Zoey holding a trophy, "Oh, you won huh?" he chuckled with slight embarrassment. "Congrats, I bet you earned it."
"I beat your girlfriend out for it, just barely though. She did awesome."
"Yeah," he found it in him to sigh lovingly. "That's my Dee Dee."
Zoey laughed a little at Kenny's current demeanor, "Looks like a nap is just what you needed."
"I didn't mean to fall asleep, trust me."
"Well whether you did or didn't, I believe we had a deal."
"Oh yeah, Floatzel. Could you give it back now?"
"I'd like to," Zoey smirked. "But I can't, I don't have it."
"What?!" Kenny jumped to his feet to go look for his Pokémon. "Then who does?!"
"Chill out!" she grabbed his shoulder to keep him from running off. "I gave it to Dawn; I think it's in safe hands."
After relaxing, Kenny smirked back, "You planned this didn't you?"
"Well I had something to do with it, but it was really Dawn's idea, she's waiting for you at the reception." Zoey suddenly felt herself being embraced by the male coordinator, who was obviously quite grateful to her.
"I owe you big time Zoey, thanks a lot!"
Zoey smiled and hugged Kenny back, "No problem, glad I could help. But remember, it's up to you to fix this. And also remember that Dawn loves you, no matter what. What happened in the past means nothing, today is a new day, and you both are two different people than when you were babies. It's time to step up."
Kenny released the top coordinator and nodded at her, and he hurried off to the reception. Once there, he looked around to take in his surroundings; it looked like a high school prom more than anything. There were contest themed decorations everywhere, there was a dance floor, there were refreshments, and of course, there were coordinators everywhere. He looked around and spotted Ash and Brock standing next to each other, Ash was now wearing the tuxedo he had worn during the Wallace Cup, and Brock was wearing a very expensive looking suit. Kenny walked up to them hoping to find Dawn, "Hey guys, looking good."
"Thanks!" Ash offered a sympathetic grin, "Oh, sorry about losing in the first round."
Kenny flinched a bit, but decided to let it go, "Ahh, it's no big deal, there's always next time…" Kenny looked around and failed to find who he was looking for, "Hey guys, have you seen Dawn anywhere?"
"Kenny?"
Kenny felt his heart rev up and his face heat up when he heard the timid voice behind him, and he slowly turned around to see Dawn standing there with her hands folded in front of her waist. Her hair was now in a more comfortable position, just flowing naturally from her head. Everything else about her was the same…except for the fact that she looked ten times more beautiful than the last time he saw her. "Dawn." he whispered to himself. Kenny ran up to Dawn and wrapped his arms around her tightly, and Dawn did the same to him. "Dawn, I'm so sorry…" he whimpered, as he rubbed his face into her soft hair.
Dawn could practically feel Kenny's remorse leaking out of him, she felt Kenny begin to rock back and forth in the hug, and she could even feel her dress beginning to get a little wet where Kenny's head was. She felt her heart swelling with both love and sympathy for this poor boy she had come to love so dearly, "Kenny don't cry, please don't cry, I love you, please don't cry." She shushed the coordinator holding her and tried to comfort him as best she could. Thanks to Zoey, she had learned exactly what was bothering Kenny, and it was up to her to try and fix everything. "I don't blame you Kenny, you made a mistake, that's all, all that matters is now, and right now I love you, and I'll love you forever, I will."
Kenny stopped rocking to look Dawn in the eyes, and he saw nothing but sincerity and love in her luminous sapphire eyes, she was never one to tell a lie…that meant…she did love him, even though he had made such an awful mistake when they were little, "You really mean that Dawn?" he asked, blushing slightly.
Dawn blushed as well and nodded, "Of course I do."
The two just looked into each other's eyes for a moment, when suddenly the DJ got on his microphone, "Alright everyone lemme have your attention, the newest top coordinator of Sinnoh, Zoey from Snowpoint City, has personally requested this next song for two of her best friends, wherever you two are, you know who you are, so get on the dance floor and show us what you can do, and all you other couples out there find your partner and join them, we gonna have a good time tonight!" the DJ started the music, and a song by the Jonas Brothers started playing.
"I love this song! Come on Kenny, dance with me!" Dawn dragged Kenny to the dance floor, but not before shooting a smirk at Zoey, who was standing next to the DJ with a smile on her face. They reached the dance floor where a few other pairs of coordinators were now dancing. Dawn placed her right arm around Kenny's shoulders, and took her left hand into his right one, and Kenny placed his left arm around her waist, and they began slow dancing with the others.
Called you for the first time yesterday
Finally found the missing part of me
Felt so close but you were far away
Left me without anything to say
Kenny listened to the lyrics and realized that they fit his and Dawn's current relationship perfectly. They called each other for weeks, after they had found each other in the way that they had. And each call made them feel so much closer to each other than they really were. And when they were finished, it was always like he couldn't say anything else, because there was nothing to say to a blank screen.
Dawn also listened to the lyrics, and played them over in her head, she too was able to realize the resemblances, but something she also noticed was just good Kenny was at dancing, "When did you learn to dance?" she asked.
"Hmm?" Kenny had been jarred from his thoughts, "Oh, my mom used to make me dance with her when I was little, she kept telling me one day I'd need to know…guess she was right." he smiled at her.
Dawn smiled back and leaned in a little closer to Kenny, finally after being separated by distance for so very long, and then the whole day Kenny's own feeling of guilt keeping them apart, it felt so good to feel his warmth and love envelop her.
Now I'm speechless
Over the edge, I'm just breathless
I never thought that I'd catch this love bug again
Hopeless, head over heels in the moment
I never thought that I'd get hit by this love bug again
Kenny looked into Dawn's eyes again and blushed a little deeper. Boy this song was really taking a toll on him. But…like it said, he never thought he'd catch the love bug so easily, even after everything that had happened, his lovesickness was too strong to ignore, his stomach was now doing flip flops again, and his face was starting to feel feverish…all the symptoms he'd always get whenever he was close to Dawn, just like the first day he'd confessed his feelings for her.
Dawn looked into Kenny's raven-colored eyes and sighed contentedly, this, in a way, was not the same Kenny she knew growing up, this Kenny did indeed leave her breathless. He was so very, very handsome, but his personality had for the most part remained the same. He was still the sweetest boy she had ever met; he still cared for her unconditionally, albeit now he cared a lot more than when they were little. She had indeed fallen head over heels for him, she too had caught the love bug, she was so very lovesick for this young man.
I can't get your smile out of my mind
(I can't get you out of my mind)
I think about your eyes all the time
You're beautiful but you don't even try
(You don't even, don't even try)
Modesty is just so hard to find
Obviously the song was now switching gears so that it related more to Kenny now, but he didn't mind that, somehow he found it more appropriate. Every lyric the song had said was so very true about Dawn, her radiant smile, her upbeat spirit, they were some of the things he loved most about her, the way she would walk into any room and almost immediately everything felt happy, her happiness was contagious. And her eyes, her absolutely stunning sapphire eyes…they were so deep and full of love for everything and everyone she met, she liked just about everyone she met, and she would always make an effort to change someone who didn't like her and try to make him or her someone who everybody could enjoy being around.
She didn't always succeed, Ursula was perfect proof of that, but still, just looking into Dawn's eyes and seeing the love that she could have, and just imagining that right now the majority of that love was for him, it made him feel so wonderful. He had never felt as good as he did right now, not even when they had confessed their feelings. She was indeed beautiful, and he knew he was very lucky to have her.
Now I'm speechless
Over the edge, I'm just breathless
I never thought that I'd catch this love bug again
Hopeless, head over heels in the moment
I never thought that I'd get hit by this love bug again
Dawn was really getting into the music now, and apparently so was Kenny as he extended his arm out for a moment so that Dawn could do a little twirl, her beautiful yellow dress twirled along with her with the perfect flow of graceful movement, and then she was drawn back in even closer by Kenny's strong grip on her. She smiled slightly, but then she blushed greatly when Kenny stopped dancing for a moment to take off her glove and shove it in his pocket, then he grabbed her hand again, smiling sheepishly at her, she understood why he did it. He wanted to hold her hand, not her glove, and it touched her that he seemed so anxious to feel her true warmth without the touch of her skin being blocked by her glove.
"Man, they sure like each other don't they?" Ash said, as he watched the couple dance to the music.
"Yep, they sure do…isn't it romantic?" Brock replied, tearing up at the sight.
Ash and Zoey sweat-dropped at that. The top coordinator had come down from the DJ stand to join her other two friends, "Say, when are you gonna get a girlfriend Ash?" she asked.
Ash blushed, "I uh…I guess when I find a girl who likes me that way."
Brock's attitude changed after that comment, "You already know a girl who likes you that way!" he practically growled.
"Wha? I do? Who?"
"Lemme see if I can get you to figure it out." Brock sighed in exasperation. "She's a girl."
Ash made a face. "Duh, Brock, I would hope she's a girl."
Brock snickered a little before continuing, "She's got red hair."
Ash looked slightly to her right to glance at Zoey in his peripheral vision, but this did not go unnoticed.
"He's not talking about me you dunce!" Zoey smacked Ash in the back of the head, causing the trainer to bend over from the impact.
Ash got back up and growled, "Ow! What was that-" Ash cut himself off, suddenly his mind put two and two together, all that teasing they had been doing to him recently, it wasn't baseless…he got it now…and looking back on his past journeys, it was now obvious…Misty liked him, she was the only other redhead he knew, and she had been as obvious as she could be without just saying it out loud to him. "Brock…you mean Misty?"
Brock nodded, "Finally you figure it out."
Ash looked forward into the distance and blushed, as he thought about it more, he realized that…maybe he did like her more than he was willing to admit. Back then it had freaked him out, but now he was older, more experienced, and the thought of entering a romantic relationship with the redheaded gym leader…seemed like something he'd really enjoy. "Brock, what should I do?"
Brock smiled, finally Ash had gotten it, he figured out that he liked Misty, and now he was able to respond positively, "There's a videophone in the other room, go call Misty, tell her how you feel. If I know Misty, she's way too stubborn to just move on, so she still loves you just as much as she did before, if not more. Go on!"
Ash smiled and nodded, "Thanks Brock, I owe you."
"I'm not counting." Brock gave Ash a friendly slap on the back, and then watched as he ran off to start his own love life. "Now if only I could get Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny to love me so easily!" Brock just sighed and watched the couple on the dance floor continue dancing.
I kissed her for the first time yesterday
Everything I wished that it would be
Suddenly I forgot how to speak
Hopeless, breathless
Baby can't you see?
Kenny blushed profusely at these lyrics, and so did Dawn. They had never thought about kissing each other, after all, Kenny did promise to take it slow in order to make sure Dawn was comfortable with him. But instead of staying in shock, a small smile suddenly appeared on Dawn's face, as she thought about the prospect. The more she thought about it, the more she liked it. As for Kenny, he was now very hesitant, but he too could feel the lovesick feeling intensifying, urging him to take that step, and share their first kiss together. "D-D-Dawn?" he stammered. "I-I know I promised to…t-to take it slow-"
"Shh," Dawn placed her finger on Kenny's lips and smiled lovingly, "Don't worry, I know just what you feel…and…I feel the same." Dawn stared deeply into Kenny's eyes, and she saw them sparkle with love and excitement, she knew right away that they were both about to become really happy.
Kenny placed his finger underneath Dawn's chin, and they slowly moved in, still slightly hesitant about taking this step. Their hearts beating wildly as they moved in. Finally their lips touched, but their eyes were still open as if they were trying to figure out whether they liked it or not…but after a few moments, it was clear to them that they didn't like it…they loved it.
Now I'm...Yeah oh
Now I'm speechless
Over the edge, I'm just breathless
I never thought that I'd catch this love bug again
The song was speeding up and getting louder now, and all the other dancers around the couple were now getting energized, but for Dawn and Kenny, everything had been tuned out except each other, as they kept their kiss locked tight. Their eyes were now closed in bliss as they focused only on the pleasurable feeling of the touching of their lips. Dawn then deepened it by wrapping her arms around Kenny's neck, and Kenny responded by placing one hand on the back of Dawn's head, and his other hand went around her waist. What an incredible feeling it was, their hearts were beating so fast now, and their blushes couldn't possibly be any deeper than they were now. They couldn't hear the music, they couldn't hear the others around them, they couldn't feel anything but themselves, and they wouldn't have it any other way.
Now I'm hopeless, head over heels in the moment
I never thought that I'd get hit by this love bug again
Ohhh
Love Bug again
The song finally ended, and two spotlights came and rested upon the kissing couple, and everyone in the room broke into raucous cheers, applause, and whistles as they watched the two lovers. But as far as Dawn and Kenny were concerned, it was still just them all by themselves, there was no one else, there was nothing else, and time was standing still for them. What an amazingly intimate feeling this kiss was, they didn't ever want it to end, but unfortunately, they both ran out of breath at this point, and they reluctantly broke the kiss.
Kenny looked down at Dawn's blushing face and felt the love in his heart double for this girl, he wanted nothing more than to hold her and love her for the rest of their lives. He wished they were of age so they could get married right here and right now, but he knew that was impossible. But they did have now, and they would have the future, and one day, they would indeed get married, and then a whole new world of possibilities would be opened to them. He could live with that, as long as he could live it with Dawn by his side. "Can I tell you something Dawn?" he practically whispered.
"Mhmm." Dawn nodded in response.
"I'm lovesick over you…and I don't ever wanna be cured." Kenny nuzzled Dawn's cheek with his face, and Dawn smiled and giggled as he did so.
Dawn suddenly brought Kenny in for another kiss, this one so much more pleasurable than the first. Dawn loved the feeling so much; she would probably do it really often now. She had caught the love bug and she too felt Kenny's sentiments exactly. Losing the Grand Festival meant nothing to her right now; the prize she had received tonight was so much more valuable than any trophy. Trophies would rust long in the future, but love would always endure, until the end of time they could be together, and one day their togetherness would be lawfully official, as soon as they were of age, Dawn could just imagine their married life, with kids and everything that they could teach Pokémon coordinating to, but for now, she was content with what she had. She had him, and in all honesty, that was all she needed. "I love you Kenny, so much." she whispered as she broke the kiss and nuzzled into his chest.
"Me too Dawn…like I said, I'm lovesick for you, and I'll never be cured." Kenny wrapped his arms around her tightly again, leaving almost no space in between them. That was where he wanted her to be, safe and secure in his arms. And with any luck, that's where she would be for the rest of their loves together. But for now, this was nice too. "I hope I'm sick like this forever."
_
A/N: Well that's that...I apologize for the mediocre attempt at a songfic right at the end here, the Jonas Brothers was the only thing I could think of that even remotely related to the theme of the story...blame it on my poor knowledge of pop culture...the theme actually wasn't on purpose at first, but it kinda got to that as I continued writing. Well Akai, I hoped you liked it, because I really felt inspired while writing this. See all of you later!