Again, a one-shot made to contribute to the 5 story requirement of Beta Readers :P While I do enjoy writing I feel that I'll get writers block far to often should I try to write a chapter fic. So yeah.

I don't own Pokemon etc etc

Writer: AimlessVanity

Pearlshipping

Hopeless Ambition.

'Ambition is the last refuge of the failure.' – Oscar Wilde.

'Pikachu is unable to battle – Paul of Veilstone City wins!'

These words hung in Ash's ears as he fell to his knees – The roars of the crowd felt distant, despite being deafening in reality. He stared blankly at the unconscious body of his best friend, unable to register the outcome. He had been so sure, that this time Paul would be the one walking away the loser. But reality was not as kind as one would hope, and so Paul recalled his Electivire and, with a smirk, watched as Ash scooped up Pikachu and ran out of the stadium, the sound of the crowd dying out as he sprinted to the Pokemon Centre, hoping to at the very least cut short the pain of his Pokemon.

'Let's go.' Was as much as Brock could manage to say, as he urged a shell-shocked Dawn out of the stadium. The pair walked towards the Pokemon centre, where they knew they would find their friend. While Ash had face losses before, Brock knew that this was one that he would take particularly badly. Everything he stood for when it came to Pokemon, had been tarnished by Paul, and to be beaten by him after all the training he undertook – That would be emotionally draining, even on those with the strongest resolve.

'I'm going to check on Ash's Pokemon' said Brock, once they had arrived at the Pokemon centre 'You should see how Ash is.' At this, Dawn nodded and headed towards the lodging of the centre. She had known Ash for close to a year and always saw him as the optimist with unbreakable will and determination – But the look in his eyes when he saw Pikachu collapse, was something that would stay with Dawn for years to come. Usually, Ash's eyes would speak volumes about him – Bright, filled with hope and ambition. But after the match, when the screen zoomed in on Ash, they had been replaced by empty pits, lacking in any of the emotion that could usually be seen. The change was jarring, and because of this, Dawn could only hope that she would find him before he did something reckless in his confusion.

Ash sat on the edge of his bed, head in hands, missing the familiar weight of Pikachu on his shoulder. Everything he had worked towards over the last year had been for naught, and the fact that it had been Paul he had lost to, was pushing Ash to breaking point. Furious thoughts and misguided accusations swirled around his head as he sat.

'You should have trained harder.'

'You let your Pokemon down.'

'It's all your fault, Ash, everything. They'll all hate you for this.'

Ash's inner monologue continued much along the same path as his fists tightened around his hair. He understood that losing was always a possibility, but he couldn't help but feel like he hadn't come anywhere since the Silver conference 3 years ago.

'Ash?' a voice inquired, bringing him back to reality. But he still refused to move, keeping his head firmly in his hands.

Ash felt someone sit beside him on the bed, and judging that the voice had been female he could only assume that it was Dawn.

'Just leave Dawn, please. I don't want to talk' Ash muttered, hoping that she would respect his need for solitude.

'Look at me.' Said Dawn in a somewhat harsh voice. Reluctantly, Ash lifted his head and complied.

'You've never been affected this badly by a loss before, why is this time any different?' Dawn asked gently, satisfied that she now had is attention.

'Because it was Paul. And because this is the third tournament in a row where I've only made it to the top eight. You can only take so many hits before you stop moving forward altogether. That's why.' Ash spat out in reply.

'So what now? You're just going to give up? What about your Pokemon?' Retorted Dawn, her temper rising.

'They deserve a better trainer than me. They gave everything today, and it was because of me that they got hurt. Why should I even bother tryi-' Ash was cut off by a hand striking his face. When he turned his head back, he found himself face to face with a furious Dawn.

'Why? Because you've been working towards your goal ever since you became a trainer, and not just you, your Pokemon too. If you quit, you're giving up on them too. Every hit they took today, they took for you because they care about you, apparently more than you can understand. And me? You've taught me everything I know about Pokemon, so how could I, in good conscience, continue to train knowing that I might just throw in the towel like you're doing? So stop being so damn selfish.' Shouted Dawn, tears threatening to fall due to the predicament her friend was in.

Ash stared at Dawn, mouth slightly ajar, in complete shock. Never had he known Dawn to have an outburst like the one he just witnessed. She had always held an upbeat outlook on things, and so to have her scream at him was something he wasn't used to in the slightest.

'I-' Ash started, but Dawn interrupted him again.

'Save it. When you decide to stop feeling sorry for yourself, that's when we'll talk. But just in case you haven't realised yet, whatever you do, wherever you go – your Pokemon will stand by you.' She said as she walked towards the door.

'Will you?' Dawn stopped at the sound of Ash's voice.

'Always.' Dawn said simply, before exiting the room.