The sun was shinning brightly over the small, suburban town of Twinleaf. It was still early, with many residents still in bed. This held true for a trio who had returned to Twinleaf in wake of the recently closed Sinnoh League. It was here that they would plan the next steps of their individual journeys.
The bedroom was suddenly overrun with the sounds of a Starly-shaped alarm clock, signaling that the day was to officially begin. A sleepy arm weakly hovered toward it and silenced it before returning to its place under the covers.
"Piplup, piplup!" Piplup chimed, attempting to wake its sleepy trainer.
Dawn stirred slightly, but didn't even get as far as opening her eyes.
"Mmm, just a little longer Piplup..." she mumbled, still very much asleep.
Piplup jumped onto the bed. It had been through this routine countless times over there journey across the region together and it not knew exactly how to remedy this dreary situation. Piplup powered up its beak, causing it to extend slightly, and gave its trainer a round of its Peck attack. The attack seemed to do little at first, but was soon met with startling success.
"NYAHH!" Dawn cried as she shot up to a sitting position. Piplup was thrown of the bed in the process.
"Man, you really know how to give a wake-up call Piplup." she groaned, rubbing her now sore head.
"Hey!" she suddenly exclaimed, perking up instantly,
"I just remembered, we're back home!"
She jumped out of bed and headed straight for the window. She joyfully opened the screens and gazed out at the new morning. It was a sight that she was all too familiar with, having grown up with it, and the sight, sounds, and smells of a new morning that she experienced from that window never got old for her. Despite the amazing times that she had during her travels, made even better when she first realized that she had fallen in love, she was truly glad to be home.
She didn't take too long at the window, as today was to be a very special one. Today was the last day that Ash and Brock were going to be in Sinnoh. Even thought in deeply hurt that they (particularly Ash) weren't going to be around anymore, she was determined to not let that sadness bring her down. She wanted to make their last day together a day to remember. She quickly fixed herself up, dawning here usual wardrobe (minus her white beanie), and headed downstairs, Piplup following close behind.
She cheerfully trotted downstairs.
"Good morning!" she bid in a slight sing.
"Good morning!" Brock greeted her.
"Piiika!" Pikachu chimed, rolling in on top a large rubber ball.
"Good morning Dawn." Johanna greeted warmly, preparing breakfast.
Dawn took a quick look around and realized that someone was missing.
"Anyone know where Ash is?" she asked.
"He's still fast asleep." Brock said with a chuckle.
"Pikapi" Pikachu squeaked, jumping off of the ball.
"Wow Pikachu, your up early." she said.
She then knelt down, speaking to Pikachu and Piplup.
"Alright you two," she said in a mischievous tone, "I say... we wake up mister sleepy-head!"
Pikachu and Piplup both cheered, anxious to see what Dawn had in store.
"Dawn, you could let him sleep in..." Johanna said.
Her words fell on deaf ears as Dawn and the two Pokemon made their way back upstairs.
Dawn, Pikachu, and Piplup quietly opened the door to the guest room where Ash was staying. Sure enough, he was still in a deep sleep, his left arm and foot dangling off the side of the bed. The sight tickled Dawn. She had always thought Ash looked cute while he slept, but sometimes, usually when he would dream, he would end up in some very odd positions that made her laugh.
"Sound asleep alright." Dawn quietly commented before turning to Pikachu and Piplup.
"Okay guys, listen up..." she said.
Pikachu and Piplup huddled around Dawn as she whispered her little plan to them. When she finished, the two of them could barely their laughter. Even though all three of them knew that Ash might very well get mad, it was well worth it.
The three slowly crept over to Ash's bed, now being extra careful not to make a sound. When they were in position, Dawn began to count down on her fingers.
...3...2...1...
"DOGPILE!" Dawn cried as she, Pikachu, and Piplup pounced onto their sleeping victim.
"GAAAAH" Ash cried, now very much awake from the sudden shock. His yells caused Dawn and the others to burst out into laughter, content in the success of their little wake-up call.
"Ugh, give me a break Dawn," he groaned, "its still so early."
"Sorry Ash, but you can't sleep in today!" Dawn teased, grinning.
Ash looked at her a bit confused. She was usually the last one up during their journey, and now here SHE was waking HIM up. Not only that, but she was surprisingly cheerful considering that it was his and Brock's last day with her.
"I don't see what the big deal is," he said bleakly, "today's our last day together. I don't really feel like jumpin' for joy."
"I know Ash," Dawn said softly, a sad look washing across her face, "and I really wish you could stay longer..."
She suddenly perked up, her expression returning to her normal bright, cheeriness.
"But that doesn't mean that the whole day has to be ruined, right?"
Ash merely stared at her, surprised at her optimism.
"You're still here now, right? Let's make the best out of the time we have left!" she said sweetly.
"Dawn..." Ash muttered before coming to his senses.
"Yeah, no need to worry, right!"
"Right..." Dawn said quietly.
The two of them became lost in each other's eyes. Throughout their time together during their travels, they had always been there for each other, cheering each other up when down. And now was no different.
Ash stared into Dawn's bright blue eyes. He had always felt a sense of comfort around her. Now, he wanted to take refuge in that feeling, knowing that it would be a while before they'd see each other again once he left. For some reason that he couldn't put his finger on, he knew that saying goodbye to Dawn would be much harder than saying goodbye to any of his friends before now. He saw a lot of himself in her, and now whenever he would find himself close to her, especially when she was happy, his face would heat up slightly and his heart would begin to race.
Dawn returned Ash's gaze, his deep brown eyes beckoning her. She still couldn't believe how much he had done for her throughout their time together. He had, extensively, made her into the coordinator she now was; teaching her how to battle, how to catch Pokemon, etc. What's more, even thought contests weren't really his thing, he never objected to helping her train when she asked him. Not only that, but he was confident, strong, eager, yet at the same time, he was kind, gentle, understanding (usually), and protective. When the two of them first met, she had already known that traveling with him would be fun, but as they spent more time together and got to know each other more, she was convinced; he was the one.
They stared at each other for nearly a minute before Ash broke the silence.
"Anytime you wanna let me up Dawn." he said with a chuckle.
Dawn looked back. She had unknowingly brought herself on top of him, extensively pinning him to the bed. She blushed when this realized.
As Ash shifted, he ended up pulling on the covers that Dawn was propped on, causing her to loose her balanced. She stumbled forward, only to have Ash stop her before their heads could collide.
"Um, sorry Ash." Dawn said nervously.
"No worries Da-" Ash was suddenly cut off when realized the position they were in.
When Dawn lifted her head back up, their faces were merely inches away from each other. The two of them couldn't bring themselves to speak, their faces immediately lighting up bright red. Ash finally attempted to say something.
"S..Sorry Dawn, I-" he stopped when he noticed Dawn eying him again, a sweet smile on her face.
Dawn said nothing, now lost in the moment, and slowly began to lean in toward him. Ash slightly jumped at her action, but soon was overtaken by a strange feeling of comfort and began to mirror her action, only slower still.
Dawn continued to lean in, closing her eyes. This was what she wanted more than anything in the world. She had already decided to tell Ash how she felt later in the day, but now, it was looking like that wouldn't be needed. She had butterflies in her stomach, if this really happened, if she and Ash kissed right here, right now, they could very well spend the rest of their time together... as a couple.
Ash could hardly believe what was happening, even thought his face hid it. He had never been in this kind of situation with anyone before, and yet, he kind of liked it.
They were close, very close. They could feel each other's lips, but only just. As they were about to seal the small gap between them, they were suddenly thrown out of the moment by Dawn's mother's voice.
"Dawn, Ash, you'd better hurry up, breakfast is ready!" Johanna called from downstairs.
Ash and Dawn quickly rebounded. They stared at each other briefly, unsure of what the other was thinking. After a few seconds, the two of them simply broke out in laughter, able to find humor in the whole situation.
When their laughter subsided, they were finally able to speak again.
"Oh well!" Dawn giggled, still a bit red in the face.
"Maybe later..." Ash said, scratching the back of his head.
Dawn was a bit surprised in his response, but took comfort knowing that he hadn't minded.
"Hmm... but until then!" she said cheerfully.
She then lurched forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before jumping off of him and making her way out of the room. She then stopped in the doorway and turned back to him.
"Meet'cha downstairs!" she said with a wink, before making her exit.
Ash remained on the bed, has face now bright red once again. Though he had been kissed on the cheek before, this was the first time is was by one of his close friends, Dawn no less. He sat still, trying to process what had just happened, before a big, toothy grin became plastered on his face.
"Maybe today won't be so bad after all!" he said.