aLRIGHT, SO i WENT AND EDITED THIS STORY. for the first time, im going to do the no capitalization thing. might be a permadent thing from now on. also, uh, i think the title is cheesy but...this is sort of cheesy. Thank you for the review!

In Which Lucas Has News

Dawn was many things.

She was a relatively upbeat and spunky girl who often peppered her speak with unexpected sarcasm. A girl who raised a slow Pokémon such as torterra without a single complaint or gripe about speed. Someone who you could depend on to babysit anyone, be it human or animal. Dawn was known by many as the trustworthy girl around Sandgem Town who was currently on her way to fill up the Sinnoh Pokedex.

One thing Dawn wasn't was oblivious.

Of course she noticed as Lucas was slightly off in behavior around her. He averted his eyes more, stuttered more, and seemed overly embarrassed by things. In fact, what was odd was he hadn't been acting like this around a week and a half before, and it was a new attitude of him.

Two years ago, at only the age of eleven, that timid-yet-determined chubby boy had saved the entire world from destruction against all odds. It was an amazing feat, and the aftermath had shown that. He had become brave, not as shy as he was before as his journey went on. But at the moment, Lucas seemed to revert back to those times.

Maybe it seemed like a crazy idea. Maybe it was just the weather. (Bah! As if she'd take that excuse from anyone but herself.) But could it be…? Did Lucas have a crush on her? The thought made Dawn blush. It wasn't as if it was totally unusual at the age of thirteen, but Dawn didn't feel the same way. She didn't have a crush on anyone, at least at this age.

Come to think of it…maybe he did really have a crush on her! From what she gathered from cheesy movies and the most excruciating conversation with her mother in her life, nervousness and blushing were common signs of attraction. It was a flattering thought that someone would like her. In fact, she thought back to when that Team Galactic commander or whoever called her and Lucas a couple.

She had to get Lucas to spit this out. She didn't want to deal with his nervousness like this forever.

Well, Twinleaf Town it was, then! She took out the pokeball containing her staraptor and flew to the rural town. She knew Lucas after these years and knew he found comfort in those homely, remote areas such as his hometown, so he had to be there. She knocked on the door to his house three times and shuffled her feet as Lucas' mom appeared at the door.

"Oh, hello Dawn!" his mother chirped cheerfully. She let the girl in, closing the door behind her. "Lucas was actually planning to see you. He's in his room now, so go up and see him!"

There was something strange here. Lucas was a mommy's boy, and told her a lot about himself, his friends, what was going on in his life. Shouldn't a mother be all giggly about a girl her son likes visiting him? Perhaps she respected the privacy of her son's love life.

Dawn nodded and voiced her thanks, then went up to Lucas' room. On the door there was a collage of various pictures taken with his pokémon team as time went by. There was him and his chimchar, and as pictures progressed more pokémon were added to the team, replaced, or evolved. It was a creative project, and if Dawn had access to a camera at the time, she would have done it too.

She knocked on the door and Lucas answered. His eyes widened as he saw the girl standing there. "Hey Lucas," Dawn greeted. "I wanted to stop by and see how you're doing." She walked into his room, which was pretty minimalistic, and placed her bag on his computer desk.

"Oh, w-well that's niiice of you," Lucas muttered, looking at the wall. There was a photograph of him and his mom when he was little. There was also a picture of his entire team after becoming champion of Sinnoh, a true accomplishment that marked him a victor. That kid who never spoke up because of being teased for his stutter had become one of the most power trainers!

Dawn plopped down on his swivel chair, causing it to spin across the wooden floorboards. "So Lucas, I'm going to cut to the chase," Dawn said, a sudden seriousness to her tone. Lucas paled.

"What chase?" He asked, confused. Lucas nervously rapped his fingers on the edge of his bed where he sat. With a gulp he replied. "Puh-p-please go on."

With some sort of satisfied smirk, Dawn continued. "Well, for the past week you've been nothing but nervous!" Dawn bluntly stated. "You're not that much fun anymore. In fact, you've had quite some suspicious behavior…"

Lucas held back a gasp. Oh, great, he didn't even have to tell her for her to figure it out! Dawn was too smart for her own good, too observant, too –

"You must have a crush on me, right?" Dawn dramatically pointed with her finger at Lucas to emphasize this point. Lucas gasped in his own sense of shock. Dawn then shrunk back as there was just silence between them, playing with her hair.

"Um…that's nooott it…" Lucas strained. He was blushing like crazy and had started to scratch the back of his head, a nervous tic. He cleared his throat and started again. "S-sorry if you like m-me though…I don't like you like thaat."

Dawn nodded, though she still blushed. "Well, that's the thing. I don't have a crush on you Lucas, but I thought that you did have one on me." However, there was still the question of what Lucas was embarrassed about. In fact, she might as well voice that concern. "But, Lucas, if what you were doing wasn't because of a crush on me, why were you acting like that?"

Lucas wrung his hands together and inhaled. "That's the t-thing, Dawn…I was g-going to tell you something i-i-important." His closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts. He had thought about telling Dawn for a week, but chickened out each time. He made plans to tell her, and he might as well do it now.

"Dawn, you're my b-best friend, so d-don't tell aaannyone else this, okay?" Lucas stated. He leaned in closer to Dawn, whispering. "I-I-I don't like…umm….uhhhh…." Lucas suddenly blanked. Dawn looked at him with a bit of impatience and confusion. "…girls." He finished, and then leaned back.

Dawn's face remained blank as she realized. Oh. OH. Crap, Lucas was trying to come out to her the whole time? The possibility never crossed her mind. She looked at Lucas, who had a look on his face that was impossible to read. Dawn tilted her head. "That's not a problem, Lucas."

Lucas released his breath in relief. "Oh t-thank God," he laughed. "I just…d-didn't know what to say." He hugged Dawn, and she hugged back. It was pleasant. But deep down, his embarrassment was eminent. He had gotten worked up over that anticlimactic scene? Typical Lucas.

Dawn giggled. "Well, I guess that's a mystery solved," she commented. She picked up her bag and made preparation to leave. "Next thing I know is you'll tell me you have a crush on Barry!" She joked. However, she looked back over at Lucas, who was blushing.

"A-about that…" The boy started, becoming nervous once more.

Oh boy.

OH MAN THE ORIGINAL NOTE AT THE BOTTOM HERE WAS SALTY.