FOOL, BOY
Chapter One
Fool Me Once
"I think – oh, God – I think I love him, Dawn."
"You love him? Aw, that's so cute!"
"...Really? That's all you have to say?"
"...I don't get it..."
"Look, you travel around with him all over the place – some advice, maybe?"
"Oh! In that case, I have the perfect idea!"
"Wait - what are you doing? Let go of my hand!"
"Nope, we're doing this."
"We're doing what? Where are we going?"
"We're going to tell him!"
"Hold it!"
"Hey, what's wrong? He's only just through these tre-"
"Stop it! We can't just tell him - mostly because he's probably too dense to understand a relationship with another guy, let alone a girl, but I can't just tell him – I might die!"
"Um… Why would you die?"
"Because I would be telling my life-long crush and past-rival that I think I love him, Dawn. Seriously, are you an idiot or something?"
"Of course not! Everyone tells me I'm just as intelligent as Ash is, and Ash isn't stupid, is he?"
"Oh, what the Hell have I done?"
Fool Me Twice
"Okay! I have another plan!"
"And what masterful strategy have you fabricated this time, almighty genius?"
"Genius? Aw, no one's called me that befo-"
"Dawn!"
"Yes?"
"The plan?"
"Oh, my plan! Well, you're the Grandson of the Professor Oak, the legendary Pokémon know-it-all and also, a poet!"
"So?"
"I think you should write him a poem!"
"A...poem?"
"Yep!"
"Eh, sorry Dawn, but I don't think Ash has the cultural knowledge to appreciate a haiku, let alone a full on, this-is-my-declaration-of-love-to-you-because-I-think-you-are-amazing-and-I-want-to-snog-your-face-off poem."
"You want to snog his face off?"
"Is that all you picked up on?"
"Aw, that's so cute!"
"Stop fantasising about us, Dawn. We have more important matters at hand."
"Like what?"
"Is there anyone home in there?"
"..."
"What have we been talking about for the past hour?"
"Oh... that."
"Yes, that."
"Like I said – write a poem!"
"I really-"
"Look, I could give it to him if you want. He won't know it's from you and I can say some person in a cape gave it to me."
"I don't want him thinking Lance gave him a love poem. That would just be creepy, and annoying, and weird. And God knows; he would do something like that..."
"Who's Lance?"
"Never mind."
"..."
"..."
"So, will you do it?"
"I don't know… Give me tonight to think about it."
Fool Me, I'm a (Love-sick) Idiot
"So… I'm going to give you three days to write this poem and then we'll meet back here. I'll take the poem to Ash – not looking at it, obviously. I wouldn't be so rude as to peek at the private love poem of the great Gary Oak just because I love his poetry and I think that he's-"
"You can proof-read it if you want to."
"Yes! Oh my God, this is so totally - I mean, uh, only if you want me to."
"Just let it out, Dawn"
"Eeeeeeee! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Hey, what do you think you're doing? Get off!"
"I love you so much but not like that because I only like Zoey like that but still – I love you!"
"Uh, thanks, I guess, but I still mean it – get off of me!"
"Sorry. Oh, this is so exciting!"
"You can be ecstatic for me."
"…"
"Dawn?"
"I'm trying not to explode with ecstaticness - whatever that is."
Three long sleepless nights.
Three stretching days filled with emotional anxiety.
The seconds, the minutes, the hours of waiting, waiting, waiting.
On the third day, the nesting Starly and Pidgey finally saw the solemn return of Gary Oak to the place of his confession.
He could not have looked more like living death if he tried.