A/N: Here it is, pearlshipping comes to fruition. If you don't like it, go complain to someone else.
"Congratulations Dawn, I knew you could do it."
Dawn blushed when her best friend said that, and thanked him for the support.
"What do you say we have a celebration dinner, just for you?" Ash asked, now putting his hand on her shoulder.
"What, really? You would do that much for me?" she was taken back by his suggestion.
"Come on, it's my treat. I'll pay!" he now grabbed her hand and tried to pull her off her bike, but she wouldn't budge. He slowly walked beside the girl riding the bike, and stopped in front of a large building called Le Palais D'arôme.
"Ash, will you be able to afford this? I heard this place is so expensive!" she said, beginning to lose her balance as she got off her bike and locked it into a nearby bike rack.
"For you Dawn, anyway." he said with a smile, causing her to blush. He pulled her into the restaurant and were seated by the window. The menus arrived, and Dawn broke the silence.
"Ash, this is amazing. I have you to thank for all of this." she said, putting her hand on his and smiling.
"No problem Dawn." he replied smiling back at her. Later, the two kids ordered some cuisine. When the food arrived, Dawn dug in and noticed Ash just staring at his food.
"What's wrong?" she asked in a concerned voice.
"I've just got something on my mind." he replied, putting a small bit of food in his mouth.
"What is it? Ash, girls can always tell when something's wrong." she said sweetly.
"sigh….Dawn, what was that kiss for, back at your house after our walk?" he asked, eating some more. Dawn blushed as she thought back to when she kissed him and ran inside.
"Well….I really like you, and I felt you earned it somehow." she said, putting some food in her mouth. She felt his hand on hers, and looked up to see Ash staring at her.
"How did I deserve it?" he said, smiling.
"Well…I…uh…." she stammered, now blushing deeper. Ash began laughing.
"It's okay Dawn, you're just feeling normal behaviour as you grow up." he reassured her, smiling and eating some more.
"I thought so…but, I'm just scared it was with you." she said, looking down at her feet under the table.
"Scared?" he asked, tilting his head.
"Yes. I only had one friend before you came along, and he left on his journey before me. But then you came along, and I felt something deeper than what I felt with him." she said, not taking her eyes away from her feet.
"Dawn, it's okay. It's okay to be human, you'll find love someday." he said smiling, with a visible tinge of pink on his cheek. She looked back up to his face, and stared deep into his auburn eyes.
"…I want it with you, Ash." she said.
"What did you say Daw-?" he started, but was cut off by her lips coming in contact with his. He felt something strange, like a flame had just lit inside him, but never came out until this happened. He thought it had been impossible, but he knew….it was love.
"Awwwww!"
Ash and Dawn snapped their heads to see a group of adults looking at them, who now had deep blushes on their faces.
"Honey, they're so cute!" one girl squealed to a man beside her.
"Remember when we were that young, and I first confessed to you?" a different man asked another woman. The moment went on and on with the adults asking each other various questions about their love life. Ash looked back at Dawn, who was now blushing and staring at her feet again.
"Dawn, it's okay again. I feel the same way." he said putting her hand on her hand, snapping her attention to him.
"R-r-really?" she stuttered, and then felt the second kiss of her life. Dawn closed her eyes, but then the adults started cooing about them again.
"What do you say we get out of here?" he asked her, pointing to their empty plates.
"Sure…..sweetie." she said, blushing as she said the last word. Ash nodded, and payed the bill.
"I still can't believe you payed $3500 for our dinner." she said, unlocking her bike and getting on.
"It's alright, you won't believe how much they pay you for making top 8 in the Silver Conference." he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. Dawn just giggled, and hugged him.
"I had a great time, Ash." she whispered into his ear.
"I did too." he replied with a peck on the cheek, causing her to blush once more.
"I guess we better get used to the 'sweetie' thing…and I hope my mom doesn't kill me!" she told him, now covering her mouth and gasping.
"It's okay, Something tells me she'll be okay with it." he told her, thinking back to what Johanna told him before he left.
"Really?" she asked him.
"Absolutely." he put his thumb up to the girl. She giggled at him again, and pecked him on the lips.
"Thanks for the reassurance." she smiled sweetly. He smiled back and they headed off for Oreburgh City, but Ash stopped.
"Oh wait! I have to make a phone call first!" he told her, running into the pokemon centre right beside them. Ash dialled a number, and soon a blunette face appeared on the screen.
"hi Johanna." he said, beginning to blush a little.
"It's okay Ash, I don't mind." she replied smiling. Ash was taken back by her greeting.
"What do you mean?" he asked, confused on what she was thinking.
"Ash, I can tell by your face that you said to to my daughter, and I'm thankful you respected my request to call me when it happened." she stated pointing a finger in the air.
"So…you're okay with it?" he asked.
"I'm perfectly fine, just make sure you treat her like a princess…..otherwise she'll get angry." Johanna giggled, and was joined by Ash.
"It's okay, I will. Thanks again." he said.
"My pleasure, I'm glad someone like you was who she chose." she said smiling.
"Uh….okay. I better go now, she might've left without me." he chuckled, thinking about his impatient….new girlfriend.
"Maybe. Just try to teach her some thing about manners, helping out, and not going crazy about coordinator stars." she giggled.
"I will. Goodbye Johanna."
"Goodbye Ash."
Ash turned off the monitor and ran back outside, and met up with the girl where he left her. He smiled nervously at her, and started down the path with her following him.
"Dawn, wait up!"
The next morning, Ash couldn't catch up with the girl again and she was far ahead of him on her bike….again.
"Ash, keep up!" she shouted back to him.
"You don't even know where you're going!" Ash replied, now panting. Then he heard a screech, and saw Dawn coming back.
"Sorry, I guess I'm just happy." she said, rubbing the back of her head.
"It's fine. The first couple is always your happiest I guess." he chuckled, and was soon joined by the girl.
"Where are we headed anyway?" she asked him.
"Oreburgh City, there's a gym there." he told her.
"Then let's go win your first badge!." she said sweetly and pecked him on the cheek, then starting riding beside Ash, who was walking. Soon, they arrived in the stone grey town, and Ash was clearly pumped up.
"Yes! Let's go quickly!" he shouted to Dawn and started to run, but Dawn grabbed his arm.
"Come on Ash, I haven't eaten since yesterday! Can't we at least stop for lunch first?" she asked.
"Well….." he started, but saw the puppy eyes Dawn was giving him.
"…Fine, we'll stop for a quick lunch break. I heard somewhere there's a restaurant just up ahead, let's go." he said, pointing towards a building in the distance. Dawn squealed, and sped off away from him towards the aroma filled building, and Ash somehow managed to catch up.
"Mmmm! This place smells delicious!" she squealed.
'Not as good as La Palais D'arôme….and I'm not only talking about the food." he told her. She smiled back at him.
"Thank you, it's my little secret." she said sweetly, and ran inside the restaurant. Ash walked inside and followed her and the waitress to the table, when they sat down the waitress held Ash up when Dawn was looking out the window.
"She's a keeper Mr. Ketchum, that's all I'm gonna say." she whispered to him, and walked to another table. Ash sat down and the menus came quickly, when Dawn started browsing through, Ash gave the waitress a quick nod, and she nodded and smiled back.
"I think I'll have….the chilli cheeseburger….with a caesar salad on the side." she said as the waitress wrote on her pad and took her order.
"And you, Mr. Ketchum?" she asked turning to him.
"I think I'll have… a hamburger with fries on the side… and a light salad." he told her, handing her his menu. She wrote on her pad again, took the menus and walked back to the kitchen. Dawn and Ash looked at each other and smiled.
"Well, seems the waitresses know you here in Sinnoh." she said holding a fake smile, but Ash saw right through it.
"Dawn, don't worry. You're the only girl for me, and I wouldn't take a waitress of all people." he replied, taking her hand into his own.
"I wasn't worried about that." she stuttered blushing, and looked quickly out the window.
"I can see right through you Dawn, I know when something's wrong." he told her.
"Hmm, you're as good as a girl." she giggled looking back at him.
The orders arrived and Ash dug in, while Dawn took it slowly.
"Come on Ash, how can you eat like that?" she giggled at him.
"It's just a habit." he replied with a mouth full of food, but she understood.
"Well, maybe I can help with that." she smiled, taking a bite of her burger. Ash smiled, but his attention was drawn out the window to a boy and a man heading towards the gym, and a girl headed towards the restaurant entrance. Ash looked at the girl, and she appeared to have some tears rolling down her cheek.
"What's wrong, sweetie?" Dawn asked him.
"Dawn, look at that girl out there. Do you think she went through a bad breakup?" he asked, pointing to the girl and Dawn saw her.
"It does. I guess some people aren't good when it comes to love." she said, frowning.
"It's sad, but it's not like we can just walk up to strangers and ask them about their personal life." he chuckled.
"Yeah, that would be kind of creepy." Dawn giggled.
They both looked over towards the worker at the front door, as he looked down a list and handed the girl a piece of paper. She hugged the man jumping up and down, then ran inside.
"Wow, she seems excited to be here. Maybe she's meeting someone." Ash thought out loud.
"Well, let's watch her and find out." Dawn said, pointing towards the entrance inside and seeing the girl walk through the doorway. She seemed to walk around looking from the paper to a table over and over again , until she looked over at them. She squinted her eyes, and the smiled and ran zigzagging through the table design towards them.
"Maybe she's a fan of you, you did just win the pokemon contest after all." Ash pointed out.
"I think she's your fan, she wouldn't have cried about a girl who won one contest. But a boy almost winning two pokemon leagues, she must be crazy for you." Dawn pointed out, fake smiling again.
"Dawn, you have to work on your acting with smiling." Ash sighed, taking a bite of his burger and looking back at the girl darting for them. She was now on a straightaway or them, and she jumped into Ash's seat and tackled him in a vicious bear hug.
"Uhh…hello?" he said unsure of what just happened, but his only response was Dawn quietly growling and the girl sobbing with a grip getting tighter and tighter.
"Dawn, I think you were right." Ash whispered, and Dawn nodded with a hardened face. He looked down at the girl, and she looked up at him.
"Ash….I'm sorry." she sobbed, tears still coming down.
"…Beg your pardon?"
She continued to stare at him, but them started crying in his chest as she nuzzled deeper and deeper into his gut. Dawn got really annoyed by this, and Ash saw it. He started making gestures for her to calm down, and she slowly calmed down.
"Ma'am, do I know you from somewhere? Or are you a fan?" he asked the girl. She quickly got out of his arms, and looked angry at him.
"Ash Ketchum, don't act like you remember me! I've apologized to you… twice now!" she shouted at him, sitting down beside him.
"Look girl, he says he doesn't know you and he doesn't lie. Now if you want an autograph, just say so and-" Dawn started but stopped when she stared at the girl. She all of a sudden leaped out of the seat and got really close to the strange girl.
"Oh my God, I can't believe you're right in front of me in real life! I'm a huge fan, I've seen every one of your contests!" Dawn started rambling on at the girl. The girl only looked back at Ash, then to Dawn.
"Umm…..are you a fan?" she asked unsure of what happened.
"Of course I am! Ash, this is Hoenn Princess May from Petalburg City on Hoenn!" she shouted, pulling out a book filled with pictures of May in her various contests throughout Hoenn.
"Oh, that's nice." he said calmly.
"Ash, I know you're angry, but aren't you a little excited to see me?" she asked, staring into his eyes.
"How should I know? You're a famous coordinator I've never met before and this all happened so quickly!" he said, putting his face into his palms.
"Ash honey, it's okay. No need to worry!" Dawn put a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and he looked up and smiled at her. May however, had a shocked expression on her face.
"HONEY?" she screamed, getting the attention of the couple.
"Yeah, is something wrong?" Ash asked confusingly.
"Miss May, why are you shocked we're a couple?" Dawn asked her, which only made May faint on the floor, alarming a few people. Ash told them it was nothing serious, and the couple put her on the seat and woke her up. She snapped her eyes open, and sat up quickly.
"I don't believe the dense Ash I knew has a girlfriend." she said quickly with a hint of anger in her voice.
"Is this enough proof?" Ash asked, and kissed Dawn on the lips, When the kiss ended, they smiled at each other…but saw May had fainted again. They woke her up again and she snapped up again.
"How did this happen, when did this happen, and are you sure this is not a prank for popularity?" May attacked them with the barrage of questions, which startled them. Ash and Dawn explained everything from their meeting to the dinner of their hookup. May looked at Ash, and a few tears rolled down her cheek.
"What's wrong May?" Ash asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder.
"I can't believe you act like nothing happened between us." she sobbed, and fell into his chest again.
"How can I act like nothing happened between us…when nothing happened between us?" he asked confusingly, making the girl slowly get off him.
"What do you mean? We travelled through Hoenn, remember? We were best friends." she told him.
Ash thought about his past, but only remembered leaving Johto alone and going straight to Sinnoh.
"Ash, did you get amnesia?" May asked, getting the boy's attention again.
"No. I went through Johto then came to Sinnoh and met Dawn, that's it." he said, shrugging his shoulders. He noticed May crying again, and put his hand on her shoulder, but she jumped up and ran away leaving Ash and Dawn confused.
Outside, May had bumped into a boy and a man.
"May, did you find anything?" Max asked his sister. She stood there crying, but wiped some away and sobbed;
"No, let's go."
"Maybe he won already and went to Eterna City, come on!" Brock exclaimed, and gently dragged the two siblings down the path.
"Ash…" May thought sadly.
END
There you have it, Pearlshipping at the peak, with Advanceshipping tumbling down slowly (stupid cliffhanger joke).
PREVIEW: Brock, Max and May settle a camp in the woods on their journey for Ash. As May begins to question whether or not she should tell them the truth of what happened with Ash earlier. But soon, as if a miracle of fate, Ash and Dawn run into the group while they set up camp! Brock and Max's reaction to Ash's memory? And what's this about a new pokemon for Ash?
Stay tuned to find out in chapter 7, entitled…'Glittering, Forgotten Memories'!