Might be a little OOC? I hope it's not, but, honestly, I can't say.
And I have no idea how this site works. Sorry.

Dawn knew well she shouldn't be working this late, but her inspiration had come unexpectedly, and after over thirty years experience in occupation focused on some kind of art, she was aware of the volatility of afflatus.

Mrs. Ketchum was sitting at the glass table in the kitchen of her house. The room, currently bathed in overwhelming midnight darkness, with only one movable lamp giving faint yellow light, didn't seem to be a good place to sketch, but she was already experienced in working that way.

Despite having her own atelier next to the bedroom, on the first floor, she preferred to plan everything in that quite unexpected place. A kitchen was said to be the heart of every house which always made her imagine it gave her projects the same warmness. Of course she'd have to move to atelier at some point, to start working in three dimensions, but the beginning was always the most important.

At least that's what she believed in.

Now, when she thought about that, it wasn't just a beginning of one of her projects, but also Danielle and Aurora's adventure. She couldn't believe how much time has passed - it felt like just the previous day these two were only four or five, learning how the big world works, but now they were already ten and prepared to face labours of being a Pokemon Trainer. Dawn probably won't even notice, when Damara and Alastair will be ready to leave as well…

A quiet sigh escaped her mouth as pride and sadness began to fill her heart. Her little children weren't that little anymore. There was nothing she could do - only accept the fate of every living being - growing.

She wondered if that was how her own mother felt, when she was beginning her own journey…

Dawn glanced at the piece of paper she was working on - countless variously curved lines which created an outline of the dress she was imagining. The base was ready, but she still needed to add more details. It was supposed to remind people about Pawniard; the lines of patterns had to be sharp at the first sight, yet soft when you look closer.

The woman placed her yellow pencil next to the paper sheet and leaned against the back of the chair, closing her eyes and breathing deeper. Her afflatus was fading and she couldn't help but feel tired. It was far too late to stay up.

Suddenly, the lamp on the staircase was turned on and someone's quiet footsteps began to float the whole house. At first Dawn thought about Ash, but quickly reminded herself, he wasn't at home yet. The next person who came to her mind was Damara but to her astonishment, it was the kid she expected the least, Danielle.

The girl subconsciously noticed her mother's stare and turned her head in the woman's direction.

Navy-haired girl looked tired which wasn't that surprising considering the hour, but at the same time it was clear she hadn't just woken up - her way too aware of the situation eyes had betrayed her.

"Oh… Um, hey mom…" Danielle whispered, starting playing with her fingers and looking away. "I, uh, only wanted something to drink…"

Dawn smiled lightly. She knew her daughter well enough to at least slightly understand what she was feeling right now.

"How about warm milk then?"

Danielle came to the kitchen and sit at the table as her mother started to prepare an easy to make drink. It was a very good occasion to make one for herself, so after less than five minutes both of them were sitting and drinking in silence.

So Dawn decided to break it.

"How are you feeling?" she asked softly, hoping her daughter will open up at least a little this night… and go to sleep right afterwards.

Danielle, instead of meeting her mother's slightly worried eyes, stared at the milk in her green mug, saying nothing.

So Dawn decided to take matters into her own hands.

"It's about tomorrow, isn't it?" the woman asked with much more confidence than before. "No need to worry, Danny. You'll be a great trainer, or a coordinator, or whatever you'll decide to be. And we all will support you no matter what."

She wondered if it was enough to make Danielle feel better. She was always so faint-hearted and unsure when it came to making a decision. Her daughter needed to have more confidence in herself.

"What if I'll lose…?" Danielle whispered faintly, almost noiselessly.

"What?" It took Dawn few seconds to understand her daughter's words. "Honey, a Pokemon journey isn't about being the best at everything you do. Of course we all want to, but it's not the most important part! Pokemon journeys are supposed to help us grow, find ourselves, make friends and rivals, both human and Pokemon, and just having fun! Of course you will lose sometimes, but it doesn't mean you're not good enough or shouldn't try anything at all."

Dawn stopped and waited a moment, but as her daughter's response hadn't come, she began to speak again.

"Look at us. Me, your dad, our whole family and all our friends… We were all losing countless times, but it never stopped us, and now we are all here…"

"But what if I'm not as good as you?" Danielle almost yelled her question while standing up, which made Dawn fall silent. Navy-haired girl quickly noticed what she had done and covered her mouth whispering apologizes.

Dawn took a deep breath and stood up, bracing her hands on the table.

"Danielle Ketchum," cold anger in her voice surprised even the owner, "if you want, you can be as good or even better than anybody else, including me. But to do so, you cannot compare yourself to other people." She took another deep breath and began to speak much calmer, "That's one of the things I needed to learn as well. I'm sure you will, too. Sooner or later." She smiled playfully. "But for now, go to sleep, it's almost midnight. You'll oversleep like your father otherwise, and we don't know if Gary has some Pikachu left."

Surprisingly, Danielle laughed a little, which made Dawn feel a little better as well.

"No need to worry, sweetie. Good night."

"Night, mom." the girl said as leaving the kitchen.

As soon as she left, Dawn's smile faded, and she sighed quietly. She could only hope Danielle will understand one day.