Progress...

The Jigglypuff alarm clock sitting next to Dawn's bed went off early the next morning. Slowly beginning to move, she rolled out of her soft bed and shuffled sleepily towards the bathroom. Laying her nightgown at the base of the shower, she stepped in. The model allowed the warm water to run down her smooth skin as thoughts spun through her head.

The previous night had been like a dream to her. She had indeed dreamed of meeting Ash again, ever since that last phone call before she vanished. And yet, those dreams were hollow in comparison to meeting the real man. The boy had traveled with her for years, the boy who had cheered her on during her Pokémon contests, the boy who had challenged her to be everything she, returned to her with a kind heart and open ear.

Pouring specially-formulated shampoo into a hand, Dawn began to spread it throughout her sleek blue hair. Her career had become her life. She used to love showing off all her different outfits at Pokémon Contests, but it was different to do every day with men leering at her and women judging her. Aphrodite Interregional was alright, but Dawn couldn't say that she had actually made any close friends during her six years with the production company. There were girls she hung out with, sure, but she had never been able to open up to any of them. They were all rather conceited and ambitious. None would cry should something happen to Dawn; they would merely compete for her role as the "Jewel of Sinnoh."

The girl felt cool tears emerging from her bright blue eyes, opposing the warm water flowing down her face. Ash… Brock… her Pokémon… Dawn wished she never had left any of them… She couldn't even enjoy a quick drink with a friend.

Stepping out of the shower, Dawn realized that her dream… was nothing more than a curse, one which consistently forced her to sacrifice her life to keep it alive.

But she couldn't get out. It was what she had chosen.


Dawn had hardly arrived at the theater when one of the show's attendants caught her on the way to the dressing room.

"Madame Aphrodite wants to speak with you right away," she told Dawn.

Thanking her, the blue-haired model changed directions so that she was instead going to her boss's office. Madame Aphrodite was the namesake, owner, and president of Aphrodite Interregional Modeling Agency. It was her who had asked Dawn to become a model six years ago.

As Dawn knocked on the door to Aphrodite's office, a sweet voice called to her.

"Come in, my jewel," it said calmly.

She walked into the small room that Aphrodite was working from while in Goldenrod. It was nice enough, with a large window that allowed light to pour in. The Madame herself was sitting in an elegant chair with the faces of the legendary dogs engraved into the armrests. Her hands twirled a loop of her long auburn hair, and she wore a dress of blue silk. The woman looked about twenty five, although it was known to everyone that her age was disguised by the best makeup, surgeries, and hair products available.

Ever since encouraging Dawn to become a model at the age of twelve, Aphrodite had encouraged her to do whatever was necessary to become as star; from perfecting her strides to eating the perfect diet. She was the only person to whom Dawn could turn for guidance in the hectic life of a model.

When Dawn sat down, Aphrodite smiled kindly at her, like an older sister would at a younger sister's graduation.

"Happy Birthday, Dawn," she said.

In the excitement of seeing Ash again, Dawn had nearly forgotten what day it was.

"Thank you, Madame," she replied, beaming.

"And you have taken the afternoon and evening off, correct?" Dawn nodded at her. "Lovely. It will do you good to relax. You've been incredibly busy recently. Any special plans?" asked Aphrodite.

"I'm going to spend some time with a friend of mine," answered Dawn.

"Lovely. Just remember to mind your diet," she winked. "But the more important thing is you enjoy your evening.

"In any case, there are some new opportunities that I've managed to find for you." Aphrodite looked down at a stack of papers sitting on her desk. She lifted a packet of papers from the table, handing them to Dawn.

"This isn't something you've done before, but I see it as a way for you to expand your modeling horizons."

Dawn looked at the information sheet. She was very interested to forward her career, especially when she saw the salary of the job. But her excitement quickly dissipated as she became stunned and appalled at the type of modeling it was asking her to do.

"Madame," she protested. "I model clothing… That's my career. But this… this isn't a job that I want to do."

"My dearest Dawn, to truly be a star, one must be able to model one's own skin, not merely a pretty dress."


Author's Note: Bum Bum Bum! There's those dark tones I promised. Actually, I was going to make this chapter longer, but then I felt like dividing it up to add suspense. Just so you know, the rating will be kept at "T" along with the content in this story.

I'm really sorry for the delay on this chapter. Life got a bit out of control, but the story's back. I don't think I'll be able to keep doing daily updates for both this and "The Journey Never Ends," but I'll see how it goes. Maybe I'll put just the short second half of this encounter up tomorrow. Or Sunday.

Please remember to send a review so I know you like it or how I can improve it, and favorite or follow it if you don't want to miss chapters when I fail to fulfill my release schedule. Reviews, favorites, and following are really pretty good inspiration to get me to write more, so the more I get the more likely it is I'll be able to be creative.