Starting From Dawn

(Pearlshipping)

(X)

"Last call for S.S. Sinnoh! I repeat! Last call for S.S. Sinnoh!" A man yelled into his megaphone.

The sidewalks around the port were crammed full of people of all ages and genders. The people filled the air with conversations and positivity with the warm air being a blanket to everyone.

Ash Ketchum and Pikachu were heading towards the entry gate onto the ship to catch a tour of Sinnoh. This trip was mainly to relive old memories that he had created with his friends on his journey through the Sinnoh region.

Brock had saved the day many times by providing great food and sweet survival tips. He was always a trusty friend when it was necessary and didn't hold back from helping a pokemon in need.

Dawn...

Dawn was something else.

Ash had traveled with women before - many. He wasn't so caught up on them at all. He was aware Serena was dying for his affection and attention but it was the least important thing on his mind. May was simply a rival in the sense of accomplishments and Misty was always at his throat viciously. Because of this, Dawn was his happy medium.

It was a habit to not cry when departing from his friends because there was always going to be a day when everyone meets up again and the journey carries on.

For Misty, he could see her all the time since he lives in Kanto. For May, he visited Hoenn a little less often and for Kalos - it was fresh blood.

Sinnoh, however, didn't stick out to him unless Dawn was in his head.

"I wonder how Dawn is doing..." Ash whispered to himself.

"Pika?" Pikachu asked as his ears tweaked to his voice.

"It's nothing, buddy. I'm alright. Let's hurry up and catch this boat, huh?" Ash said with a chuckle as they looked around. "There... sure are a lot of people boarding."

Pikachu nodded but said nothing, the crowded pathway was becoming more and more condensed by the second. It took him a solid ten minutes before he could show the guard his ticket for the S.S. Sinnoh. Once aboard, he found his designated cabin down below the deck. There, lots of different hallways branched off and a whole section of small rooms and bathrooms were dominate in the back half of the ship itself. The rooms were small but large enough for two people to stay in them and Ash found himself sharing a bedroom with someone else - an older man by the name of France.

When he arrived at his cabin, France wasn't there quite yet. He had probably thirty minutes before the crew stopped allowing people aboard and casted off. That meant that he and Pikachu had a full half hour maximum to enjoy their time in solitude.

"Being in Sinnoh really brings me back, Pikachu." Ash said quietly as he closed his eyes.

Vivid memories of the journey he, Brock, and Dawn ventured out on played through his eyes. The flashback of him beating the first gym leader all the way to losing to Latios in the Sinnoh Finals. Every step of the way, every pace of the journey he always found Dawn or Brock by his side even if he didn't fully believe in himself.

"Pikachuuuu..." Pikachu remembered as well, laying beside Ash and staring up at the ship ceiling intently. "Pika."

Ash grinned.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Ash said before closing his eyes again. "Dawn is probably doing very well right about now. I can't help but miss the adventure we all went on, though."

A silence fell into the room disregarding the sounds of footsteps down the hallway as new people were introduced into their rooms and room service conducted their jobs. It was growing quieter and quieter as time went on and before he knew it, the door opened slowly.

An old man came into sight with a Starly on his shoulder, perched and examining the room as soon as he entered it.

He was a shorter build but it wasn't for certain whether he was short due to not growing up much or if he was shrinking due to age. Regardless, the Starly eyed Ash and Pikachu relentlessly.

"Ah, hi!" Ash said enthusiastically as he sat up in his bed. Pikachu hopped up onto his shoulder and perched similar to that of a bird. "My name is Ash Ketchum. You must be France?"

The old man chuckled and set his bags down slowly before closing the door behind him.

"Hello, Ash. My name is definitely France. I come from Sinnoh originally - It was always my wish to tour the other side of the region." France said with a laugh. "When you're young you just what to go-go-go! But when you get old you just want to rest and enjoy the views."

Ash chuckled. "I'm still at the go-go-go phase, I guess." France laughed in response. "I just wrapped up my Kalos adventure a couple of weeks ago. I decided a trip down memory road was in line."

"Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed as he hopped off of Ash's shoulder and approached the old man's Starly.

"Your Pikachu seems very friendly. You must have raised him well!" France said with a smile. "That reminds me of my Starly for sure."

"Star!" Starly agreed as it hopped down onto the bed beside France.

The room was sort of mirrored. Ash's bed was placed in the far left corner of the room and France remained in the far right corner. They had miscellaneous items such as dressers and mirrors all positioned along the wall along with a large T.V. positioned above the door entering the room.

"I used to have a Starly as well. It evolved into a Staravia and into Staraptor as well!" Ash said with enthusiasm. "Staraptor have a very high battling spirit."

"My days of battling are behind me. I used to travel around like you do now! Except I was a little older. I battled the Sinnoh Gym Leaders up until the fifth gym. I lost to the old ghost gym leader - way before the late Fantina took over. I'll never forget losing that battle." France said with a smile. "Ever since then I've just devoted my time to enjoying family and spending my time wisely."

Ash smiled - this conversation was exciting. Rarely did he get to have conversations with people who went on adventures - nevertheless someone who actually took on the badge challenge.

"I'm sorry you lost! Why didn't you try again? Whenever I lose I just look to my friends or my buddy Pikachu and I pick back up where I left off!" Ash exclaimed, balling a fist with Pikachu not chiming in, instead playing with Starly.

"Well..." France started before he looked down at the ground. "I fell in love with a woman I traveled with. It's hard to make a solid judgement call when you're too busy thinking about that person you love."

Ash's eyes widened before he realized what was happening in his head. Before it was noticeable, he dropped his gaze.

"But... Couldn't you have just carried on with her? Why didn't you just travel with her?" Ash asked, his interest growing by the second although the reason remained unknown to his elder friend.

"We didn't need to battle gym leaders to be happy together. See, she didn't like battles and the more time I spent with the woman the less I felt the need to do it." France said. "Besides, having fun is what really matters. Right?"

"Right..." Ash responded. "I guess that's true."

France chuckled before asking for his Starly.

"Hey, Starly. Can you fetch me my glasses?" France asked.

Starly hummed in agreement before hopping off of the bed and swooping to his bag where it used it's beak to properly open up a small slot in the large backpack. With delicate precision, Starly grabbed the glasses by the bridge and crawled back to the old man. As soon as it made it back, France took the glasses and put them on.

"Your Starly sure knows it's way around town!" Ash chuckles. "You two are very close for sure."

France frowned which made Ash raise his eyebrows curiously. Pikachu stopped and watched as well.

"Well... you see." France started. "Two years after my wife passed on I started to go blind. That's around the time I met Starly. I was burdened with sorrow and depression but this Starly didn't leave me alone. One day, I was walking home from my grandson's house and I was about to get attacked by a pokemon!"

"What!? Why!?" Ash exclaimed.

"Pika!"

"I don't know why even to this day! But, Starly swooped down and helped me out! I was terrified for sure but when Starly came down and defended me I knew I had a friend for sure." France said with a smile. "Now that I'm 60% blind I have to rely on Starly to help me see around the areas that I go. That's why I don't have a pokeball for Starly at all. She stays out at all times just incase!"

Ash grew slightly teary eyed at this news.

"I'm so sorry, sir. I can't imagine how hard that was for you... Losing your wife and going nearly blind shortly after. I can imagine you'd be an unstoppable trainer if you got back into it!" Ash said, trying to lift the spirits of the room.

"Star!" Starly agreed as she fluttered onto France's shoulder. There was a short period of happiness before the room intercom began sounding out.

- Greetings passengers! This is your captain speaking, Captain Michael Vincent of the S.S. Sinnoh. This is the ten minute warning for the battle tournament on the deck! If a trainer has two or more pokemon at their disposal than we encourage you to join other trainers for the battle to S.S. Sinnoh Victory Gem! The winner will earn fifteen thousand dollars and a Victory Gem from one of seven ships! Also, tonight there will be the meteor shower which will be peaking at midnight. If you'll be awake we encourage your eyes to witness the rare meteor shower! Take care, all of you and enjoy the ride! -

Ash balled his fist and smiled.

"Yes! I was hoping for this battle tournament!" Ash exclaimed. "We can totally win! Right, Pikachu!?"

"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu exclaimed in response, climbing onto Ash's back.

"You two are going to take on the tournament challenge? I wish I could come watch but I promised Starly I would read to her tonight." France said with a chuckle. "I can tell you'll do just fine, boy."

Ash smiled.

"You're right! We'll do everything we can!" Ash exclaimed with a thrust of his fist.

(X)

Dawn stood on the deck on the exterior of the boat. The wind sent strong vibes through her hair which fluttered with the breeze. It was a cold breeze that filled her clothes and skin with a chilling temperature.

Piplup was tucked into her chest softly with its small feet standing on the metal guard bars of the ships exterior. The breeze was nice to both of them but much better appreciated by Piplup over Dawn hence the main reason she stood outside.

"I can't wait to see the battle competition, Piplup." Dawn exclaimed. "I wonder what kind of new Pokèmon we will see here!"

"Pip! Piplup!" Piplup agreed in excitement.

Dawn closed her eyes and let the past flow into her eyes. She recalled the battles her and her recent adventure partners partook in.

Ash was the person who battled to the end no matter the cost. His burning passion to succeed and push the limit of his pokemon as well as his body to achieve that sweet victory he started his adventure craving.

That's what drew her to him and caused her to want to travel with him in the first place, after all.

Dawn wanted to experience that fire and that hope. She wanted to feel that extreme pressure for herself to help propel her farther into her adventure. That, he did as she found herself enjoying every second of the long adventure they went through together.

Brock was also a strong point but she was no where near attracted to him as she was for the nappy hair boy that showed up in Sinnoh and took her breath away.

It was such a shame that she would never see this boy again since they departed at the seaport when Ash and Brock both returned to Kanto to prepare for their next adventure - Ash to the Unova region and Brock most likely back to his family and job as a gym leader.

What she would do for a chance to see this boy again even if it was just for a second.

One. Second.

"Well! It should be starting any time now!" Dawn exclaimed. "I hope you planned on giving it your all, Piplup!"

"Pip!" Piplup agreed, showing a very determined and battle ready look.

From there, they would need to head to the other side of the ship to check in her two pokemon for this tournament.

(X)

"Your two pokemon will be?" The woman asked Ash, her clipboard out in front of her with a pen in her right hand.

"Pikachu and Talonflame, please." Ash responded as he showed her the two pokeballs and sent out the two to prove that they were real.

Well, he only sent out Talonflame since Pikachu refused to ever use the pokeball. Because of this, only one was needed. So, she wrote down both Pikachu and Talonflame.

"Right. Come with me, right this way, sir." The woman said, ushering Ash to follow her as she guided him to the stadium.

Ash was instantly registered to be the first trainer and he was up against another boy who was around his age as well.

With that, he commenced the battle and showed the crowd of people watching his true colors and strength.

(X)

Dawn and Piplup stood at the reception area waiting for the woman to return with the clipboard.

"I'm so excited to see what kind of pokemon we run into on this tournament!" Dawn exclaimed. "I'm sure Ash would jump at the chance to join this."

"Pip! Piplup! Pip!" Piplup agreed energetically, showing it's determination to battle it out no matter what happens from now until the end. It wasn't clear whether Piplup learned this mindset from Ash or from Dawn herself.

Finally, the woman returned and held the clipboard.

"Hello! You are?" The woman asked with a polite smile.

"I'm Dawn! I want to attend the tournament, please." Dawn responded, already holding the second choice pokemon in her right hand.

"Right! Those Pokèmon you enter with will be...?"

Dawn showed the woman her Piplup and sent out her Mamoswine as well.

"Piplup and my buddy Mamoswine! We are ready to battle for sure." Dawn responded with enthusiasm.

"That's great. There's currently a battle taking place but if you would like to watch we have a surrounding guideline where people are standing if you feel like watching." The woman said nicely. "Otherwise, we will call through the lobby intercom when it is your turn to battle."

Dawn thought long and hard about this. Could she stand there with a group of strangers and watch a complete stranger battle or should she just sit around and wait?

The cramp space seemed like a better option if she wasn't so afraid of new people but since she was, she decided to wait it out.

"Thank you. I'll just wait outside on the deck for my turn, ma'am." Dawn said before bowing politely.

"Very well! We will call you when it's time! If you fail to show up within five minutes then you will automatically be disqualified and your opponent will be reigned victor. Do you agree to this?"

"Yes." Dawn said, ignoring the screen displaying the faces of the two trainers battling.

The face that belonged to the boy she was struggling to come to grips that she loved.

Ash Ketchum.

Was facing off with another trainer just around the corner and she didn't know.

With that, she turned around and returned to her position outside.

(X)

"Iron Tail, Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he balled his fist and casted it outwards.

The competition was flawless for Ash, standing at the Pre-Semi Finals for the competition.

His opponent was an adult by the name of Rylee. His opponent was down to his last pokemon, a Frostlass.

"Dodge that and use Shadow Ball!" Rylee ordered his pokemon, which phased away from the Pikachu attack and began charging a shadow ball attack immediately.

"I knew you were going to do that." Ash said quietly to which Rylee flinched.

"What!?" Rylee exclaimed.

Ash casted out his finger, his plan coming together as he saw his opportunity.

"Use your tail and fling yourself upwards!" Ash directed, watching Pikachu launch upwards, barely avoiding the shadow ball but appearing up in the air. "Now! Use thunder!"

Pikachu charged in its attack.

"Piiiiiika!" Pikachu finished charging and fired a large bolt of electricity into the sky which cleared a small area of clouds before condensing again. "Chuuuu!"

The electricity formed one large bolt of lightning which clapped into Frostlass like a hammer, launching it backwards completely unconscious, unable to battle.

"Frostlass is unable to battle! Which means the winner is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!"

The world seemed to stop for Dawn as she spun around and nearly threw Piplup in pure shock.

She had heard the trainers leaving the tournament in defeat complain about a really strong trainer named Ash but she assumed it was just another trainer she didn't know. But when she happened to tune into the intercom in the lobby to hear the full name of the boy she was now undoubtedly infatuated with, she felt her world halt.

"A-Ash!?" Dawn exclaimed before slapping her hands over her mouth.

"Pip! Piplup!" Piplup exclaimed in excitement as he now realized that Ash and Pikachu were nearby for the first time in ages.

"Did I just hear...?" Dawn spoke quietly to herself before she turned her body around to the live camera footage on screen of the battle.

Pikachu had jumped into Ash's arms like normal after a battle and she could swear she saw him say.

"Great job, Pikachu! We're almost there!"

Piplup took it better than Dawn who was frozen in shock.

The boy she loved. The boy she missed so terribly much was now only meters from herself and she didn't know it until now. Given that he hadnt said a word to her neither that must mean he didn't know as well.

All of this started making sense and excitement began building up before she heard her name.

"Dawn vs. Daniel for the final round of the Pre-Semi Finals! I repeat, Dawn and Daniel please report to registration for your entrance! Thank you."

Oh no...

"I have to battle now...!?" Dawn cried out. "B-But! Ash is here! What if he sees me!? I can't make a fool of myself now!" Dawn continued crying out, which began stressing out Piplup as well. With this mindset and mood, the battle was surely only going to go one way.

Until...

"Come on, Dawn. You can't give up until it's over."

Ash Ketchum stood at the bottom of the stairs with his hands in his pocket and Pikachu sitting on the top of his hat with a huge smile. His right hand slid out of his pocket, the gloves tight on his skin as he extended two fingers from his forehead to the side in a wave.

"Long time, no see~"

(TO BE CONTINUED)

Here's my first chapter of the small Pearlshipping FF I started recently! I used to ship Ash and Dawn so much when I was a kid and oh my god when I saw an old episode of Sinnoh League Victors I just reminisced so badly.

Anyway!

I hope you enjoyed and keep an eye out for part two which could come out sooner or later! Until then~