Chapter 2: Gestures

It's a warm and sunny morning as our heroes are just waking up to a new day, their first day of training together for the Pokemon World Tournament Junior Cup. There, Ash and company will compete for the chance to battle the champion of the Unova region, Alder.

"Breakfast is ready, everybody! Come on down and dig in!" Cilan shouted, who had just finished frying up a few dozen pancakes. Pansage was walking around the kitchen, helping its trainer with the cooking.

Iris slid down the railing of the staircase and practically skipped into the dining room, with Axew's head poking out of her hair. She sat down next to Cynthia, who had already been up for a few hours.

Dawn had been awake for about fifteen minutes, and she had smelled the tasty aroma of the food. But her hair just wasn't cooperating.

"Ugh, my hair just won't fall straight!" Dawn cried out in frustration as she brushed and brushed frantically. If she were to make a list of things she absolutely hated, bad hair days would definitely be ranked number one.

Piplup offered to use his Bubblebeam on her hair, but Dawn didn't want to risk damaging anything in the extremely nice bathroom. She was going to have to deal with this herself.

Having not heard Cilan's call, Ash was still fast asleep, with Pikachu comfortably snoozing on the floor beside his bed. But when the smell of pancakes slowly wafted through the air into his room, he gradually started to wake up. He opened his eyes slightly and started getting up. How long was I asleep? He thought. Then he felt that feeling down there. Man, where's the bathroom? He thought as he made his way into the hallway.

Dawn was still struggling with her hair when she heard a knock on the door. Having been cranky because of her hair, she was about to angrily shout when she heard Ash's voice.

"Hey, whoever's in there ya think you can hurry? I really gotta go!" Ash said. He really did need to go.

Despite the catastrophe she was stuck in, Dawn smiled to herself. Ash was so cute sometimes. But oh my gosh I can't leave this bathroom with my hair like this! Ash would think I'm a total slob! She thought. She quickly returned her attention to her hair, shouting, "Um, I'm almost done, Ash! Just a few more minutes maybe?"

Ash sighed. "A few whole minutes? I think I'll just go look for another bathroom," he said, his voice fading as he walked down the hall, away from the door.

Thank god he's gone... Dawn sighed with relief. She frowned at the sight of her hair, which was still a hopeless tangled mess. After ten more minutes of brushing, her hair was finally somewhat straight. She put her white hat on to try to cover up the few stray strands and walked downstairs to breakfast.

Everyone had already finished eating by the time she had gotten there. They were all leaving to go train outside when Dawn sat down to her plate of relatively cold pancakes. She smiled and waved to them.

Iris frowned. "You sure you want to eat alone, Dawn? I feel terrible just leaving you here all by yourself," she said.

Cilan and Ash both nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you want some company?" Ash asked.

Dawn just smiled and said, "No need to worry! You all just go and train. I should've gotten up earlier."

Iris and Cilan both nodded and left. Cynthia walked out with them. Ash, however, closed the door after them and walked back into the kitchen. "I think I'll just stay here a bit. I'm still sorta hungry," he said, getting another pancake and a piece of bacon. He sat down right next to Dawn, who's cheeks were so red you'd confuse them with Pikachu's.

"Oh, um, thanks Ash. That's so nice of you," Dawn said. She glanced over at him and it appeared to her that he wasn't really interested in his food. The Ash she knew never ate so slowly. Is he staying just for me? She wondered, blushing even more at the thought.

Ash looked up from his plate, which was still half-covered in food. "So...you talk to Brock at all lately?" he asked. The two of them fondly remembered their friend, who had quit his journey to become a Pokemon doctor.

Dawn shook her head shamefully. "I haven't had the chance...I've been so busy with Buneary's Pokemodeling and contests I don't use the video phone very often," she replied, with regret in her voice. She really should have talked to Brock at least once. He was one of her best friends, after all.

Ash nodded understandingly. "Well, don't feel bad about it. Great coordinators like you have a busy schedule, and there's nothing you can do about that! Brock probably understands," he said cheerfully, smiling at Dawn, who blushed and nodded.

"Yeah, I guess you're right Ash," she replied somewhat quietly.

Ash shifted in his seat a little as he casually asked, "So, have you been traveling with Kenny after I left?"

This question surprised Dawn a litte bit, and she hesitated before answering. "Well, I did travel with him for a little while. But we kinda got into a fight...a bad one...and now I'm not speaking to him," she said, with a hint of sadness in her voice.

Ash frowned; he didn't like seeing his best friend so down. He put his hand on her shoulder and said, "I guess you probably don't wanna talk about it, do you?"

Dawn shook her head slowly. "Maybe...maybe some other time. Right now, I'm still just a little confused," she said, starting to tear up.

He nodded and smiled. "How about we go train for the Junior Cup? That'll cheer you up no doubt!" he said excitedly, his face full of that usual confidence and determination. Dawn could've stared into his eyes forever.

She nodded her head. "Sure, Ash! But just because you've been so nice to me doesn't mean I'll go easy!" she teased, getting up from her chair.

"I wouldn't want it any other way!" Ash said cheerfully as the two of them ran out the door together. Outside, they saw Cilan's Pansage battling Iris's Axew. Naturally, both Pokemon seemed to be working really hard, seeing as how the Junior Cup was only two days away.

Ash and Dawn battled against each other for a good two hours. Their Pokemon gave it everything they had. No one could wait to compete against trainers from all over the world at the Junior Cup.

Cynthia had to leave for a few hours for a reason that she had not made apparent. The rest of the group was relaxing in the living room of the villa. There were two couches: one with Cilan and Iris, and one across from that seated Ash and Dawn. The four of them were all having a good time after a long day of intense training. Cilan was telling a story about the restaurant he and his brothers owned back in Striaton City.

"And I remember this one time where a customer brought a Phione into the restaurant, and Cress couldn't take his eyes off of it. After all, Phione is one of the most rare water-type Pokemon ever discovered; and since Cress specializes in water-type Pokemon, he wouldn't stop begging the poor young lady for a trade. It was very difficult for him to see them leave," Cilan chuckled at the thought of his brother. He missed him – Chili too of course – and he longed to see them again.

Dawn's eyes lit up at the mention of Phione. "That reminds me! This one time Ash, Brock and I were passing through Chocovine Town during the day of the Phione Festival! That was the day where the Phione visit the waters that border the town. They say that seeing a Phione brings you good luck. Remember that, Ash?" she asked, looking at him with a radiant smile.

Ash nodded with enthusiasm. "Of course I do!" he replied. "I remember we took that submarine deep down into the ocean to search for Phione. We got lucky enough to see three of them!"

"Yeah, and not only that, we got to see some other different kinds of water-type Pokemon! I remember seeing a big school of Luvdisc..." Dawn turned away slightly, blushing. For her, seeing that school of Luvdisc with Ash had been the most memorable moment of that day. She couldn't have cared less about Phione at that moment.

Ash rubbed underneath his nose. "Yeah, I remember that, too! Man, we had a lot of good times back in Sinnoh, didn't we?"

Although Ash's demeanor was cheerful, Cilan noticed there was a hint of sadness as he spoke. He himself knew what it felt like to miss the days of the past. Seeing Ash talk about it now, he deduced that Ash's nostalgic tone had something to do with the blue-haired girl sitting beside him.

Dawn blushed even more. It's good to know that Ash misses those days, too, she thought to herself. Then she looked down, her heart feeling kind of heavy. But...he's just going to keep on journeying...new regions, new Pokemon, new challenges...that's what Ash's life is all about. And if those things don't particularly involve me, then...what if I never see him again after this?

Iris stood up with Axew in her arms. "I think I'm gonna go to bed now. I'm exhausted after all that training today! Good night, guys!" she said as she waved and walked upstairs to her room. The rest of the group bid her good night as she left.

Dawn rubbed her eyes and said, "You know, I think I'll turn in for the night as well. I pushed myself pretty hard today, and I'm gonna need a good rest for tomorrow's training! Good night you two!" She walked upstairs, leaving just Ash and Cilan in the living room.

Ash was just about to get up and leave when Cilan stopped him. "Hold on for just a moment, Ash. I have some questions to ask you," he said. His expression was somewhat serious, yet lighthearted at the same time. Ash remained sitting down, slightly confused.

Dawn had just gotten into bed when she heard a soft knock on her door. She got up and opened it, seeing Iris standing there in her pajamas. "Oh, hey Iris. Did you want something?"

Iris smiled and said, "Oh, not really...I just thought it's time we had a little girl talk." For the first time since they had met, Axew was not with Iris.

Dawn stared at her blankly. She blinked as she said, "W-What? What do you mean?" she stammered, possibilities running through her mind rapidly. Does she...know?

"You look like you've got a lot on your mind, Dawn. That's why I figured you could use someone to talk to!" Iris said cheerfully. "Ash can be quite a handful. Trust me, I would know," she added, a slight smirk on her face. Dawn took a step back, shocked that Iris really did know.

"H-how did you figure it out?" Dawn didn't know how to react. All this time this had been her little secret...what if the others knew too?

Iris smirked again. "No offense, but it's pretty obvious. I see the way you look at Ash, and how you talk to him. And I can tell those high-fives you guys do aren't just friendly gestures, just by looking at you. Sometimes I can't tell who's cheeks are more red; your's or Pikachu's," she said jokingly.

Embarrassed, Dawn blushed and scratched the back of her head. "I...I don't know what to say. Well...except one thing...please don't tell anyone, Iris. I want it to be a secret for now."

The aspiring Dragon Master chuckled and nodded understandingly. "I wasn't going to tell anyone, Dawn, don't worry! What I wanna know is this...you had traveled with Ash for almost a year in Sinnoh. How come you never said anything to him then?"

Dawn looked down at the floor, her eyes starting to tear up. "I...I didn't have the courage," she said, her voice full of regret. "And I had a lot of other things going on in my life at the time, and so did Ash. But our friendship was still the strongest and most meaningful friendship that I've ever had...I just wasn't able to confess the other feelings I'd been harboring all that time..."

– –

"So how much did you miss her? A lot? A little? I must ask that you be more specific, Ash," Cilan said with an urgent tone. He hadn't realized just how dense Ash could be until now.

"What's up with all these questions anyway, Cilan? You've never done anything like this before," complained Ash, who had been sitting there for 10 minutes talking to Cilan about Dawn.

Cilan frowned. "Don't try to change the subject, Ash. My goodness, and I thought this would be easy!" he said, exasperated.

– –

Iris nodded. "I get it. Of course it wouldn't have been easy for you to tell him. After all, he's such a kid, he probably wouldn't even understand," she joked. A small smile tugged at Dawn's lips.

"You're probably right. Besides, maybe it's best if we just remain friends..." Dawn said, although she knew she would never truly want that.

Iris smiled and rolled her eyes. "Okay, Dawn, you're not fooling me. But anyways, it's getting late. We should probably go to bed. I wonder what the guys are doing..."

Dawn yawned and nodded. "You're right. I'm pretty sleepy right now. Good night," she said as she started to close the door. Iris stopped her abruptly.

"One last thing, Dawn. If you really like Ash and you want to confess your feelings to him, then maybe you should consider traveling with us!" Iris said cheerfully, with a big smile on her face.

That possibility had never occurred to Dawn for some reason. Hmmm. Maybe that would be a good idea...although I would have to put my own long-term journey on hold since there aren't any coordinator contests here... she thought. She would have to think long and hard about this.

"I would...love to, Iris. I'll think about it," Dawn said. "Good night," she said. Iris bid her good night as Dawn closed the door to her room and got back into bed. She lay there, staring up at the ceiling. Ash...or my dream? She kept asking herself.

– –

"-And that's about all the advice I can give you, Ash. Now I'm going to bed now, I'm exhausted. Just think about what I said, alright?" Cilan said as he stood up and walked away.

Ash sat there on the couch for a while, thinking. Just as Cilan had told him. He was tired from that day's training, but he just couldn't get the thoughts out of his head. Contrary to the norm, he wasn't thinking about Pokemon.

– –

Do I want to be with Ash...more than I want to become a top coordinator? Dawn thought, still laying in bed. Despite having been tired just minutes before, sleep was escaping her at the moment. No need to worry, she thought. I can figure this out easily. It's gonna be okay.

Somehow, she already knew that this was going to be far from easy.

– –

After sitting in the living room for about half an hour, Ash finally went to his room upstairs. He walked past Dawn's door, and stopped for a moment. He stared at the brown wooden door, contemplating whether to knock or not. He shook his head. She's probably sleeping, anyway, he thought, and continued walking down the hallway. He opened the door to his room and saw Pikachu sleeping on the bed. Smack dab in the middle of it. Ash smiled and changed into his pajamas. He got into bed and made sure he lay just on the edge, to avoid disturbing his little electric partner.

Dawn, he thought. Who knew I could be so oblivious...?

He slowly, very slowly, drifted into a deep slumber. He dreamed about Pokemon, and the numerous possibilities awaiting him on his journey; like he always did. This time, however, there was someone by his side as he dreamt about the future.

– – – –

And that's the end of the chapter. I know, I know...meh. I've written better. Sorry if not much happened, I swear next chapter will be more interesting. I just sort of needed some filler because I plan on having 10 chapters total, epilogue included, like my Amourshipping story. But I hope you guys at least find the story somewhat interesting! I've been really busy lately with school and sports, but I'm trying my best to spend most of my free time writing. Please review! Can't tell you how much it means to me.