Chapter 2
A game of dares...
It was the day before everyone was due to set off on their task. Ash had been preparing all day, boring though it was. As he lay in bed late that night, he tried to remember his last day before leaving on his voyage. It went something like this:
Ash wandered into the classroom rubbing his eyes. He had not slept well at all. As a coinsidence he was very tired and was not thinking straight.
"Hi Ash," Dawn waved from across the room. Why did I just do that? She thought.
"Hi," Ash said back coming to sit in his usual place beside her.
"Good morning class!" Professor Rowan had walked into the room and everyone quietened down.
"Today is your last day here before you leave, so you must all revise for the last time, now I know you'll all be excited about the party tonight, I have some leaflets here for you about it, but just now, we are in school, and we will work!" Every one sat down and began to work from there books. There was a low murmour as Professor Rowan handed out the sheets and the children read them. When Ash read it he was astounded. Would school really through a disco/BBQ/pool party? Dawn seemed amazed too. At the end of the day the children broke out of school. Dawn and the girls ran home to sort out their costumes for the party. Ash trudged home along the dusty path with Gary, Brendan and Ethan. As they exited the school gates Brendan showed his apreciation of the schools work with his finger and Gary let all his pokemon out to walk home with. Gary quickly withdrew all his pokemon though as tempers began to rise with Pikachu. When Ash got home he packed his bag ready for tomorow. He had all he needed for the journey, except one thing. He chuckled to himself at the thought. Besides, that thing was to big to fit in any bag.
Later that night Ash turned up at the school for the party. To start off it was the disco. As Ash walked in, immediately he spotted Dawn. She was beautiful, like on that first day he met her, it must have been a year he knew her now. He thought back to that day. The way when he looked into her eyes he saw the sky on a cloudless summers day, sprinkled with glittered so it sparkled. When he looked up again he saw the same picture he'd seen that day.
"Hello! Hello! Wanna dance?" It was Dawn waving her hand infront of his face.
"Huh? What? Y-you, wanna d-dance with m-me." He spat the words out like he couldn't understand what he was hearing.
"Uh! C'mon!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the middle of the dance floor. A group of giggling girls stood watching from the side. Ash knew they wee up to something, he just didn't know what yet.
"I, I - but I can't..." Ash was cut off by Dawn.
"Just! Dance, it comes to you with the music." Dawn put one hand in Ash's and then one hand on his waist, Ash copied this action on Dawn, and they began to swiftly glide round the dance floor together to the calm music. Ash knew lots of people were watching, but what could he do now?
At the end of the song Ash went outside for a breathe of fresh air.
"How did you do that?" Said Gary coming out behind him. Ash shrugged. "No, I mean, how have you become such a hit with Dawn over a years time, when I've known her for about half my life, it just doesn't make sense?" Gary places his head on the railing and looked out over the lake. The sun was setting and the reflection in the lake made everything looke orangy green, it was a beautiful sight. As Gary walked back in Dawn came out. Dawn scowled at him as he brushed past her. She put her arm around Ash's waist and looked out following Ash's gaze.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Dawn said as she wachet the still, calm water.
"Nearly as beautiful as you." Ash so wanted to say it, but he didn't, instead he remained silent. Dawn walked back in. As Ash walked back in Dawn was there to grab his hand again.
"C'mon," she said, "I've signed us up for karioke together!" She giggled as she pulled him up to the front of the stage.
"But-" Ash protested, but by now he had given up hope of arguing. When the song ended Ash noticed the giggling girls again. Dawn had walked back over to them and began giggling along with them.
"And now! The pool party shall begin!" Prof Rowan bellowed from the front of the class. Everyone cheered and ran outside. They all began to change into their swimming costumes and then the once cool, still water turned into a battle field. The sun was just finishing setting and the water was warm from the sun being on it all day. Ash was watching the group of girls from where he was, he noticed Dawn wasn't there. Now May, and Misty were going off. He watched as May began to walk over to Brendan, and now Misty got out of the water, which she rarely did, and walked over to Brock, building his hopes of a relationship up. Suddenly a shiver of cold ran down ash's back as he realised he had been splashed with water. He turned to see Dawn, a massive grin on her face. A smile widly spread across Ash's, he couldn't help it. He cupped his hands and sent a splash of water back. Before long they were playing a full water fight. When Ash got out to get dry, so did Dawn. The two sat together for a second.
Ok, here goes! Thought Dawn. She leaned across and planted a full on kiss on Ash's lips. Ash's eyes lit up.
What the...? Ash thought, but he still reacted.
Oh no! He's kissing me back...
Hm, so this is what strawberries and cream tastes like?
This is actually quite good!
Ash's nerves came to him as he realised everyone was watching, everyone was silent, and watching. The two broke apart as Ash heard shouts. His head was spinning.
"Stop! This was a dare, to make you feel uncomfortable!" Ash's vision was blurred and he couldn't see who it was.
"Just because you don't like Brendan and Misty doesn't like Brock doesn't mean I don't like Ash!" Ash recignised Dawn's voice. As he realised what was going on he began to back away. He turned and began to walk away, and before long he was running. Running away, to anywhere but where he was.
"Ash come back!" He heard Dawn cry, but he would not go back. Dawn ran following him, but it was to late, he was gone.
Ash ran and ran, he didn't know where he was going. His ears rang and his eyes distorted everything. Suddenly he tripped and fell. His ankle twisted at an angle, and all his pokeballs fleww from his belt, he couldn't move his foot. He watched helplessly as they rolled away into the distance, all his lifelong friends, gone in the blink of an eye. He dragged himself up to the stem of a tree and sat there. Tears began to form in his eyes, he couldn't stop them. His mind was fuzzy. As darkness fell he knew he would not survive, alone with no pokemon deep inside a forest. As his head span for one last time he let out a echoing cry in hope someone would find him, before his head dropped and his eyes closed.