Author's Notes:
Eh, hi everyone. Long time no see...?
Ash: -o- three months and two days to be exact
Me: *sigh* look, just understand that life got in the way and I can't promise this will not happen again, okay? I also have become obsessed with three new animes recently so I'll be sure to be making time with them alongside basketball and (shoot me) religion classes. Also, I've taken up the challenge of learning Japanese online and I'll be devoting time to that, too. So no worries, I won't die off for more than six months, but as you can see, I made this chapter 12,000+ words so it's pretty crazy. o~o I will go back and fix errors on this tomorrow when it is not late at night.
Ash: fine...
Me: But I admit sometimes I did procrastinate and just didn't feel like writing, so I would frequently turn to my favorite anime (Ghost Hunt) and fangirl for hours with my friend so...I'm sorry. And I thank all of those who have reviewed and that you're the reasons I still update.
Please enjoy! And review me what you think of taking Japanese and if you know Ghost Hunt c; they're amazing mangas and so is the anime. I actually have characters coming up in this chapter based off some people so...HEREWHERE WE GO, FINALLY, CHAPTER 7!
Chapter 7-
"Zoey?"
The five of them looked at Dawn in confusion, and then looked around for Zoey themselves. The redhead wasn't visible in the crowd of coordinators, the eliminated ones leaving the waiting room glumly. She wasn't anywhere to be seen.
Where had she gone?
"We should split up to go look for her," May instructed, glancing around as she spoke, as though hoping Zoey would pop up any moment. The blunette could see the worry in her eyes, the surprise that careful, calculating Zoey had disappeared. It wasn't like her.
"Group of twos, and one should stay behind in case she comes back," added Dawn, who was fidgeting restlessly. Ash slipped his hand around hers, trying to console her, but she just gripped his hand tightly and kept looking over the heads of the crowd.
"Sounds good," Drew said, taking charge when nobody spoke. "Me and May will go check the stands, Iris and Cilan can go check the dressing rooms, and Dawn-"
"I'll go with her," Kenny chimed in, a mischievous glint in his dark eyes.
"NO!" May and Ash shouted together. The others looked taken aback, surprised at the teens' outburst.
May recovered first. She cleared her throat and said, "What I meant was that I think Kenny should stay behind and keep a lookout for Zoey. Ash and Dawn can go check the hallways. If we don't find her in a half hour, we'll all meet back here. Agreed?"
The others nodded, Kenny reluctantly. He shot a malevolent look at May and Ash before the three groups separated in the direction of their designated areas.
The first hallway the blunette and raven haired boy came to was deserted. Dawn peered ahead, calling Zoey's name and continuing forward. Ash stayed a step behind her, listening and holding his breath.
'Where could Zoey have gone?' He wondered, absentmindedly gripping Dawn's gloved hand tighter. 'She's been acting weird since we got here. I've never seen her act so antsy...'
"Ash," whispered Dawn suddenly.
"What's up? Do you hear-"
She put her free index finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet. The hallway ahead of them was dark, and as they tiptoed nearer, Dawn tensed and suddenly stopped.
"What is it?" The dark haired boy asked her. She didn't answer. "Dawn, what-" This time she spun around and clamped her right hand over his mouth and put his own hand holding hers over it. Under normal circumstances Ash would have been blushing and his heart would be hammering like mad at their close distance, but the small shake of her head squashed the romantic mood.
She mouthed, "Listen."
Slowly lowering her hands off his mouth, Ash inclined his ear toward the hallway, trying to catch a sound. He heard a soft rustling, as though fabric was being moved, and a low voice whispering inaudibly. He raised his eyebrows at Dawn, who shrugged and went back to squinting into the dark hallway. He leaned in with her, brushing her hair aside so he could look over her shoulder.
He could definitely see movement, the outline of two people standing close to the wall, and one of them was wearing something that glimmered silver in the semi-darkness, but it was hard to tell what it was as they kept shifting around. Ash couldn't stand the suspense anymore; he pulled out his Pokedex and flashed its light across the shadows.
Dawn gasped at the sight. The two people were embraced, and had apparently been locked in a passionate kiss before the light hit them. The girl's back was pressed up against the wall, lifted up with her legs around her lover's waist and her hands tangled in his dark hair. When the girl turned her head, Ash's eyes widened and he breathed out:
"Zoey?"
Zoey flushed as dark as her hair, the light sparkling off her dark eyes and silver jewelry. She relinquished her hold on her lover's waist, slowly lowering herself to her feet, not meeting their eyes.
"Uh.." Ash exchanged looks with Dawn, then stared at Zoey, completely lost for words.
Dawn broke the silence. "We were worried about you, ya know." Her voice was low and controlled, but Ash knew that it wouldn't hold.
Zoey gulped, fidgeting with her hair. "I, um, I-"
"We didn't know what happened to you!" Dawn scolded, her voice becoming stronger. "We thought you had a bit more responsibility than that, Zoey. We're there worrying ourselves sick while you were shoving your tongue down some guy's throat-"
"Please, do not blame Zoey," said Zoey's lover, his voice quiet and musical and strangely familiar. "It was my idea for us to meet in private."
A pair of deep purple eyes flickered in the small light cast by Ash's Pokedex. At first distracted by Zoey, the blunette and raven haired boy hadn't even noticed the tall, dark haired man standing beside the redhead. His shirt was unbuttoned, his clothes ruffled, his green cape and hat lying on the floor behind him.
Ash and Dawn's jaws dropped at the same time, and both burst out, "Nando?!"
The battling coordinator inclined his head to the pair, strumming his Mew harp with leisure strokes. "A foretold reunion, yes? It is quite lovely to see you two again." 'Where did he pull that harp from?' Dawn thought.
"Nando...and...you?" Ash asked Zoey slowly, looking at her carefully for signs of deception. She nodded, not looking at him but at Dawn, wanting to see her reaction.
Slowly, very slowly, a small smile tugged at the corners of the blunette's mouth, a mischievous smile that soon brought a frenzy of girlish giggles out of her. The trio stared at her, astonished at her sudden mood swing.
Ash raised his eyebrows, unable to fail to notice how adorable she looked with her hands pressed to her mouth to hold in her giggles. "Uh, why are you laughing?"
In between giggles, Dawn managed to say, "Zoey...has...a boyfrieeend!" She started laughing some more.
"Why's that so funny?" Zoey demanded, immediately colouring up again.
With a great hiccup, she exclaimed, "Because this is so exciting! I've always wanted to see you with one so I could tease you like I do with May!"
Zoey frowned. "You...wanted me to have a boyfriend? From the beginning?"
"Yep!"
"Oh." Zoey looked away, awkwardly plucking at her gloves. "Well I'm glad you're happy." She looked slightly crestfallen.
Dawn failed to see her sadness as she was so happy for her best friend. "When did you two become an item?"
"Three months ago, I believe," Nando chided in, adjusting his cape and hat on himself with one hand and draping his other arm around Zoey's bare shoulders. "We met up at a contest in Johto, and had a fierce battle in the final round. She defeated me, easily it seemed, and offered to buy me dinner."
Dawn shared a laugh with him. "How sweet. Whenever Zoey defeated me she just clapped me on the back and admonished me." Ash and Nando tittered whilst Zoey picked at her gloves, staring gloomily at the wall. "But how did that spark a relationship between you two? Do you find a woman endearing when she defeats you?"
Nando smiled. "Well after dinner, it began to rain rather heavily and as I like to sleep outside I didn't have anywhere to stay and I didn't much feel like getting wet. So Zoey offered me her couch for the night." He paused, and Dawn noticed a frown line crease his forehead. "We weren't particularly tired so we kind of just relaxed in her hotel room and talked about ourselves. She'd always fascinated me even though at first she seemed to dislike me."
"Because you liked battling in gyms and doing contests at the same time," Ash cut in, grinning at Zoey with a teasing air. "She felt that way about me when she found out I was doing a contest with Dawn. Almost socked me in the eye for ever thinking such a thing."
They laughed jovially again (Zoey nodding her head absentmindedly) and then Nando continued,
"And suddenly, we ended up kissing, and neither of us stopped for awhile. I admit I think I came onto her a bit strong at first, but Zoey's a honest girl, and she told me outright she wasn't ready to do anything serious and that our relationship may or may not last for a long time. She had her reasons, and I'm sure they were more closely fixed on-" Zoey elbowed him suddenly, and he cleared his throat, recovering with, "-the fact I am a few years older than she is."
The blunette and dark haired boy exchanged quizzical glances, both wondering the same thing. Zoey didn't often talk about herself, and when she did she was very discreet about the details. She usually wasn't the sneaky and secretive type though, which heightened Dawn's curiosity. 'Maybe I'm being too nosy...'
"But why didn't you tell us, or at least me, about you two?" She prompted Zoey. The redhead shifted uncomfortably under her gaze, fidgeting with her dress, her gloves, her hair.
"I wasn't sure if I wanted to say anything," Zoey admitted softly, not meeting anyone's eyes. "Like Nando said before, I wasn't sure if it would be a lasting one because it was my first one and I didn't know if these feelings I had for him would have lasted."
A pause. Ash was scrutinizing Zoey carefully, seeing something familiar about her behavior. Something about her shuffling fingers, her eyes flickering uneasily between Dawn and Nando, not once making eye contact with Ash, as though he was invading their privacy. He remembered seeing her disappointed face when the matter of her secret relationship with Nando had been resolved.
Something that had to do with Dawn.
But what? Shouldn't she be relieved that Dawn hadn't been furious about her foolish choices? The Zoey he knew wouldn't have made such a careless decision without first considering the circumstances or the outcomes of the situation in careful detail. She'd make sure no one got hurt (except for herself, the girl didn't seem to mind what she suffered through) and that no one would be in danger. But erratic behavior like this from Zoey seemed bizarre, almost impossible. The fact that Dawn didn't seem to notice Zoey staring at her with gloomy eyes and beaming like she couldn't be happier told Ash that the blunette was oblivious to the vibes Zoey had wanted to convey to her.
He had no idea what to think.
"I'm really happy for you guys, but we should get back to the others and let them know you're okay," Dawn said, after a long silence. She was still smiling widely.
"Of course," Nando agreed, squeezing Zoey's shoulder lightly. "I must be going though, I only came to see Zoey. Nice seeing you all, though." He tipped his hat, strummed his harp, and strolled down the hallway, his robes swishing. Dawn linked arms with both her friends and dragged them in the opposite direction.
"No offense Zoey, but this is not staying a secret," Ash said quietly as they passed a group of coordinators departing the contest hall in dampened spirits. "Dawn won't let this go, especially since she caught you when she was worried."
Zoey gnawed her lip for a second, then replied, with a sigh, "I'm screwed."
The trio slipped into the room for the remaining contestants, glancing around until they spotted Drew, May, Kenny, Iris, and Cilan grouped together in the corner, seeming to be in deep conversation.
"Yoohoo!" Dawn called, sauntering up to five with a smirk etched across her face. They turned and smiled in relief at the sight of Zoey attached to Dawn's left arm, even though the redhead looked tense and was bracing herself for the worst.
"Where were you?!" exclaimed May, hugging Zoey tightly and then holding her at arm's length with a frown across her face. "You better start talking."
Zoey swallowed, but before she could speak, Dawn jumped in, "Well, let's just say she was particularly busy with a certain specimen."
Everyone but Ash raised their eyebrows at Zoey and Dawn, who was smugly rubbing underneath her nose with her finger, eyes closed and snickering to herself (o.O).
"Uh...clarification, please," Iris said, exchanging quizzical looks with Cilan.
"Zoey was, eh, romancing a certain coordinator," Dawn said playfully, opening her eyes and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively. Zoey's cheeks burned an incredible shade of ruby as all eyes turned on her with surprise.
"OHMIGOSH!" May and Iris squealed, both grabbing Zoey's hands and dancing around her, singing, "Zoey's got a boyfriend! Zoey's got a boyfriend! Zoey's got a-"
"Headache!" yelled Zoey, pulling free from their grips and looking mortified. "How can you be so giddy? I mean, it's just a boy."
"Wait," Drew cut in, flicking his chartreuse colored hair out of his eyes and fixing Zoey with a calculating look. "Who is this boy?"
"Uh...he's a battler and a coordinator named Nando," muttered the redhead, but loud enough that they all heard. Kenny gasped, being the only one who knew Nando out of the five while the rest looked to Dawn for help.
"We met up a few times during me and Ash's Sinnoh journey," she explained, blushing as Ash smiled at her for mentioning the best days they had together. She knew full well what he was thinking, could see the affection reflecting off his chocolate orbs with blissful and hard memories buried just beneath. She looked away and released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.
"He helped me and Dawn get out of some sticky situations and always gave the best advice. He's a very good trainer as well, and he's very caring and considerate of others," Ash finished with a sideways smile.
Iris giggled. "He sounds like a really great guy!"
Cilan cleared his throat. "Of course, he sounds like a perfect match for Zoey. Like, his one and only." He seemed to drag out those words in a slightly irritated tone. Dawn recognized it immediately.
"Oohhh, somebody's jealousss!" Dawn teased the gym leader, who flushed and looked away. Although nobody saw it, Iris smiled to herself.
"Alright, contestants, we have eight battles to get through in the first round!" Marian's voice said from the television, and the eight of them turned towards it. "The first set of battles shall be determined by the shuffle of the computer." The trainer cards flipped over and were mixed up, until eight pairs appeared on the screen. Dawn saw herself facing a girl with dark purple spiky hair and heavy eyeliner. But Dawn had seen the girl's appeal and knew she was good. Ash was matched with a blond teen that grinned with white, even teeth. The blunette's evaluation for the boy had marked high as well, and she hoped Ash would use his expertise to defeat him. Kenny's opponent was a burly man in his late twenties with a Gyarados tattoo. Kenny seemed unfazed, but Dawn, knowing him since childhood, could see the tensity in his jaw. And finally, Zoey's opponent was a tiny redhead with two wavy pigtails and a big smile. Again, she was not to be underestimated.
The battles were about to begin!
The announcer called for Ash and his opponent. Ash turned to the others, who wished him good luck, and started to walk away when a thought occurred to him and he turned back around.
"Good luck kiss?" The raven haired boy asked the blunette, a cheeky grin appearing on his face. She rolled her eyes but smiled.
"If you win, I'll think about it," she responded slyly, giving him a slight push. "Get going."
He gave her a hundred kilowatt smile before darting off towards the stage, excitement bubbling in the pit of his stomach. 'If you win, I'll think about it.' That was more than enough motivation to get him in the fighting spirit.
Turning his Pokeballs in his hands, he waited backstage, his heart hammering in his throat. It was almost the same adrenaline he got from the anticipation of a good battle about to go down. He felt beads of sweat trickle down his forehead, to which he hastily wiped them away, and shuffled his antsy feet instead, unable to push down the emotions of nervousness and anxiety. The dark haired boy wouldn't be quick to forget the last battles he'd recently done and how badly he screwed up when he felt the suffocating sense of loneliness and longing consume him suddenly at the thought of Dawn so far away and not cheering him on on the sidelines in her cute cheerleading costume. But now that she was here, and he knew she would be cheering him on, he felt a rush of confidence that relaxed him.
'I can do this...'
The curtains parted, revealing himself and his opponent across the stage, who was smiling confidently and passing his Pokeballs between his hands.
"Our first battle consists of Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and Jace Wayland from Veilstone City in the Sinnoh region," exclaimed Marian, beaming falsely from ear to ear at the cheering crowd. Ash knew the woman was full of herself as well the attention she got from her "sporty" outfits. He didn't particularly like her, but he gave her a sideways smile when she looked in his general direction and swore she blushed a light crimson.
"Both trainers have incredible skills and some tricks up their sleeves, I'm sure, so I believe, ladies and gentlemen, we'll be in for an exciting battle!" She probably would have comprised a monologue about her thoughts on the boys for another twenty minutes, but a clearing from the throat of Mr. Contesta silenced the auburn haired woman and she retreated to the sidelines to watch the battle.
Jace, leaning on one hip, twirled his Pokeballs between his fingers and then tossed them gracefully into the air, showering sparks and a yellow light across the stage. When it cleared, a black and blue lion-like Pokemon and a tangerine colored Dragon stood center stage, poised with an elegant air that lifted a low gasp from the silent audience. Ash watched grimly, sweat beginning to trickle down his temple. This guy meant business and he had the talent; now Ash had to top that.
"Staraptor, Charizard, I choose you!" Ash bellowed, throwing his Pokeballs far up into the air; bursting forth were the chosen Pokemon, flapping their wings and shimmering with stars from the ball capsules. The crowd cheered as the fiery Dragon and the hawk-like pokemon swooped in low around the stands, blowing a pleasant breeze across the audience's faces.
"What amazing introductions!" cried Marian, wheeling this way and that in an attempt to follow the flying types' progression around the stadium. Staraptor and Charizard issued their cries and flew gracefully back their positions on the battlefield, both staying airborne and both wearing determined expressions on their faces, scrutinizing their opponents closely.
"So, let the battle begin!"
The battle was fierce, and it used up all the five minutes just to end it. Dragonite and Luxray had proved that they were capable of competing with Charizard and Staraptor, who in return had shown their worth as well, firing their best moves back and forth. By the end, both Pokemon and trainer were caked in sweat, chests heaving with heavy breaths; they'd been so caught up in their fight they hadn't realized the time limit had run its course and was now determining the victor.
"And so the winner is…"
Jace and Ash's heads whipped around in unison and squinted up at the board, hearts pounding, adrenaline slowly easing out of their systems and fists clenched. The points were close, so close it was impossible to tell which had more or who had less just by staring at the screen.
"Oh goodness," Iris muttered, her hand involuntarily closing over the tall green haired boy's. "It's so close...and Ash gave his all…"
"I'm sure it'll be okay," Cilan whispered back to her, gently gripping her trembling hand back. He glanced sideways at his other companions, each wearing grim expressions. He noticed Dawn had her fingers crossed as her sides, her teeth gnawing her lip in anxiety. Unable to stand the tensity, the connoisseur began counting the seconds, waiting...waiting…
Marian suddenly wheeled away from the judge's table, her bright smile fixed in place again. "The judges have determined the winner!" She called out into the silence, which had become increasingly heavy. "They have determined that the victor won by just over a point...and he is.." She paused, the quiet growing louder with the suspense. No one appeared to be breathing. "Ash Ketchum!"
The crowd roared, the majority in excitement, and the sudden noise startled the raven haired boy, who stood dumbfounded. His Pokemon cheered in euphoria and tackled him in a hug, jerking him to his senses and bringing a big grin to his face. His opponent complimented his own Pokemon, then returned them and slowly approached Ash. The blond had a Mona Lisa expression on his face, and stopped in front of the darker haired boy.
"Congrats, man," Jace told him, and Ash turned his brown eyes to meet Jace's cat-like ones, which were regarding him with respect. Ash rose to his feet and extended his gloved hand.
"You too; I thought you had me beat there," said Ash in a light-hearted voice as Jace shook his hand. The corners of Jace's lips turned upward more.
"We'll battle again sometime, Ketchum. Good luck. You have some tough opponents."
The next few battles went by, shaking the odds around and building anxiety in the remaining coordinators' hearts. More were being intimidated by the ferocious fights taking place and Ash had been placed near the top of the coordinator pile of worries. Jace, being an experienced battler as well as a coordinator, had been many of the coordinators' biggest fears, and now that someone had defeated him, the made Ash an even bigger threat.
Kenny's first battle had been shaky, the man with the Gyarados tattoo proving to be quite the match. He managed to scrape the win, but his confidence as well as his pride had been wounded, and he took some time for himself to rethink his strategies. Zoey's first battle had almost been exciting as Ash's, however she bested her opponent in the last minute and fainted her Pokemon with some powerhouse moves from her Glameow and Lumineon. A similar outcome had happened for Dawn's first as well; she had some competition in the beginning of the battle, but had rattled her opponent's emotions with her strength and sent the gothic girl out of sync with her Pokemon, thus causing Dawn to best her in the end.
The four friends had been observing each other over the last few days and it was hard to keep their battle secrets private. They were wary of each other and did not dare underestimate the tricks they had up their sleeves. Rivals they were today, and friends tomorrow, for better or worse. Only one of them would take home the Viridian ribbon, so giving each other advantages was out of the question, even about other coordinators. Each watched the battles, and took mental notes on possible future opponents. When finally the first round was over, the remaining eight coordinators were flashed onto the screen, and, just as Dawn suspected, the two coordinators that had stood out as potential threats were pictured on either side of hers. Two girls; one had long, dark curls, a sly smile, and had flashed a peace sign for the camera. Her name was Lucy, and she sent alarm bells off in the blunette's head as a powerful trainer. Her Appeals Round Pokemon were different from her first battle round Pokemon, and the two pairs had been tough. She'd crushed her opponent, and not too gently, but she'd been a good sport and didn't seem at all haughty about her victory. She'd be a tough egg to crack. The other girl had straight as a stick, waist-length dirty blond hair, and twinkling grey eyes. She appeared innocent with a cute violet bow on top of her head, but she was wise and particularly clever with manipulating the battlefield to her will. The girl, called Alice, had smartly took out her opponent in the first two minutes, having quickly figured out his strategy and turning the battlefield into a chaotic mess of toxic spikes and fierce blows. If these girls were matched up together, Dawn would never guess the winner. All she knew was that they were biggest threats beside her three friends.
"Now, the computer will shuffle the remaining eight coordinators to determine the four battle pairs for the second round!" Marian's voice said, and the coordinators watched in hushed silence as the eight cards whirled around the board and then stopped, fixed in pairs.
Ash was against a girl with a dark bun and coffee colored skin, smiling a smile that showed she wasn't afraid to twist your arm to get what she wanted. The blunette was paired with a good-looking olive skinned boy that smiled shyly at the camera.
"Ooh, your opponent's cute," May said quietly to Dawn, who nodded in agreement and giggled. "He kinda looks like Ash, but he has a cuter hairstyle."
"Hey!" protested Ash, looking indignant as Dawn attempted to suffocate her laughter into her gloved hands. He felt annoyed that Dawn seemed to appreciate May's comments as though she'd been thinking them herself. That brought an angry curl to his lip, and he looked away to glare at Dawn's opponent, imagining the boy's "cute hairstyle" erupting in flames.
"Kenny, Zoey, looks like you guys got your hands full," Dawn said, changing the topic with a sideways glance at Ash. She felt her stomach drop when he didn't meet her eyes and noticed he was looking angrily at her opponent's picture. 'Is he jealous?' She thought, leaning over to tap his shoulder. He shot her an irritated look.
"What? Aren't you going to fon over that guy some more?" The raven haired boy snapped at her. She narrowed her eyes.
"It was an innocent comment," She replied tersely, her blue eyes dancing with a building flame of annoyance. "Don't get your panties in a twist. Jeesh." She turned away from him with a huff, listening in on the conversation about the redhead and auburn haired boy's opponents, not catching Ash's hurt look nor Kenny's smirk of triumph.
"...had some tricky moves," Zoey was saying to May, Drew, Cilan and Iris, who were listening animatedly and nodding on occasion. "Lucy's not going to be an easy opponent to defeat."
"Definitely not," May coincided, her head resting against Drew's shoulder as she sighed longingly. "I wish I could've participated; this contest seems to be full of powerful trainers."
"But you have all five of your ribbons here in Kanto, right?" Iris questioned, having heard a little of May from Dawn before they met.
"Oh yeah, and so does Drew," replied May, smiling fondly at the chartreuse haired boy. "He's beat me enough times to tell you." Drew inclined his head smugly, and roused a laugh out of the rest.
"The first battle is about to begin!" Marian called over the speaker. "It will be Dawn vs. Nico!"
'Nico...even his name's annoying,' Ash thought with a snort, folding his arms and watching Dawn leave the room with a spring in her step, as though excited to face her foe. He saw the curtains on the stage part and reveal both coordinators as they entered. Watching them shake hands and smile at each other drove hot spikes of anger into his stomach.
"Ash?" Someone prodded his arm. He found the brunette's curious expression scrutinizing him carefully and spotted the others looking at him as well. "Are you okay? You look like you want to break something."
The dark haired boy narrowed his eyes and snorted. "I'm fine."
May cocked an eyebrow. "You don't look fine." The weight of her cerulean blue gaze made him feel exposed and giving him the feeling he was being interrogated.
"Well I am," he grunted back, not meeting her eyes.
"Don't lie to me, Ash."
"Could you just mind your own business, May? Dammit, you don't need to know everything that goes on in my life."
"Ash!" Iris admonished, looking furious. "She was just worried about you, you don't have to talk to her that way."
"Seriously," added Drew, putting a protective arm around his girlfriend. "She wanted to make you feel better, dude."
Irate and stung by this injustice, Ash ground his teeth and spat back, "Well, she can't-"
"Is it about Dawn?" May interrupted.
He blinked. She sighed. "Yeah, I knew that was it. And is it about her opponent?"
The blood rushed to the raven haired boy's face. "I-"
"Oh, I see." May looked bemused and appeared to be holding back a laugh. It made Ash's temper rise close to the boiling point. 'Oh, so that's funny, May May? You know you'd be pissed if Drew was making moon eyes at another girl-'
"Ash, I actually know who this guy is. He's from Hoenn and he grew up in Petalburg with me." She laughed at his confused expression. "We weren't close friends, but he was kind to me and sometimes we met for coffee and such. I even faced him in contests throughout Johto."
Ash sighed impatiently. "Get to the point."
Rolling her eyes, the brunette said, "He even introduced me to someone special to him and confessed something personal to me. He said he trusted me with the secret and he was afraid to tell his parents about it, but they ended up finding out anyway and threw him out."
She waited, as though she had delivered the punch line. Ash raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to finish, still looking annoyed.
"Aargh! Are you that dense? Nico's gay, he has a boyfriend!"
Surprised, Ash gave her a stupefied look and she sighed in exasperation. "Meaning the boy likes other boys and has a boyfriend, so unless he became bi in the last year, I don't think he'll make a move on Dawn."
Ash opened and closed his mouth, feeling stupider by the second. May wasn't helping him; eyebrows arched and mouth set in a line, the expression in which he knew she usually reserved for Max whenever he made an ignorant comment.
"Alright alright, I get it," Ash said hastily because May had opened her mouth to explain -yet again- the situation. He puffed out his cheeks, folding his arms and staring at the ceiling. "Now I regret being mad at her...even though she did snap back at me."
Zoey shook her head with a smile. "She's not going to let you beat her down, she's a tough girl," she responded simply, with a fond smile.
"You're right." Ash glanced at the screen and realized the battle was just drawing to a close and the timer went off. He chided the others to be quiet and listened as Marian announced the winner.
"Dawn Berlitz!" called the announcer, and the crowd roared and stamped their feet. She curtsied and beamed, holding her Buneary and Pachirisu close to her. She approached her defeated opponent, who had returned his Pokemon and was watching her. The blunette held out her hand and he accepted it, shaking it gently. They smiled at each other and walked out together, the audience still applauding. Even though Ash knew Nico's secret, he still didn't like he'd made instant friends with Dawn.
When the pair entered, both were laughing. The others grouped around Dawn to congratulate and tell Nico he'd done fantastic.
"Don't be silly, she had me long beat," Nico said with a small laugh, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment.
Dawn rolled her eyes. "You did awesome, so shush." She ruffled his hair and he giggled like a young kid, trying to shake off her hand. Ash, watching closely, saw more of Dawn treating him like a younger brother than a lover. Tentatively, he approached and touched the blunette's shoulder. She glanced sideways at him, her expression blank, waiting for him to speak.
"You d-did really well out there," He stammered slightly, brushing back his messy hair nervously. "And I'm sorry about how I acted."
She grinned and tugged him into a hug, pleasantly hugging him tight. "All is forgiven." The blunette gave his head a pat (while smirking) and then turned to Nico. "Is Elijah here? It'd be nice to meet him."
Nico's cheeks turned a dark crimson and he shuffled his feet. "Oh, y-yeah, he should be around here...um…"
"Who's Elijah?" Iris inquired, and May and Dawn shot her cross looks.
However, Nico responded quietly, "M-my boyfriend…"
At that moment, someone behind them said, "Nico, I didn't know you had a private fanclub." The group turned to see a tall teen with his hands crammed in his pockets and wearing a slightly amused expression. His dark hair flopped into his face lazily, but the part they could see was handsome.
Nico slipped through them to wrap his arms around him, his head just reaching his chest. He looked even smaller next to the guy, who's muscled arms encircled the smaller boy easily and pulled him close (*internal fangirling*). The girls cooed quietly at the adorable sight.
May smiled. "Hey, Elijah, its been awhile." The taller boy smiled crookedly at May.
"Yeah, it has." He spoke with a sort of Eastern accent. "Nico here said you were finally dating that boy you were in love with. Drew or whatever his name was…?"
"Uh…" May's face turned a tomato red. "Yeah yeah, but besides that-"
"Whoa, you told other people you were in love with me?" Drew interrupted, smirking so broadly it almost broke his face in half. The others clamped their hands to their mouths, fighting not to laugh.
"AHHH, ELIJAH!" May moaned, not looking at anyone as she covered her face with her hands. "You had to blurt that in front of everyone! ERGGH, his head is already inflated!" Everyone erupted into laughter, watching the brunette duck her face in her hoodie and wrap her arms over her head.
"Sorry, May," Elijah said with a small hiccup, holding onto Nico's shoulders to keep himself upright. "I didn't know he was right there or I wouldn't have spoken."
"You raised his ego farther into space," May muttered with a muffled voice, still not showing her face. Drew was still smirking, trying to pull May close to him but she kept fighting him.
"Anyway, me and Eli have got to get going; we're going back to Sinnoh," Nico told them, wrapping his skinny arms around one of Elijah's. "The next ship's sent to leave in an hour from Vermillion City."
"Aww, too bad, we were just getting into a good conversation," Cilan said.
Dawn smiled. "That's alright, we'll meet up again I'm sure since we're going back to Sinnoh next week. We'll have to meet up."
Nico's dark eyes lit up. "Really?"
"Of course, silly," She said with a laugh, grabbing him in for a hug. "I always wanted a younger sibling. Would you like to be my younger brother?"
"Yep!" He said excitedly, clasping her hands. "Promise we'll meet again."
"On my life," She said with a wink.
Nico hugged her again, and she smiled into his shoulder, feeling extremely giddy. She felt eyes on her and she looked up to see Elijah regarding her with a kind smile. She just nodded her head and watched her new baby brother walk away with his lover, the pair holding close to each other.
"They're so sweet together," Dawn sighed with a smile, feeling slightly sad now they had left.
"Yeah, it's great." May bumped Dawn lightly with her hip. "You always wanted a sibling? What am I, chopped liver?"
"No...it's just...I wanted a younger brother and none of my guy friends are younger than me nor nearly as sweet as Nico is."
"Hey!" The three boys protested. The blunette and brunette ignored them.
"I'm glad you said that though," May told her, her expression now grim. "His parents freaked when they figured out the truth about him and he doesn't have any siblings to support him. He's been lonely for a long time, until Elijah saved him."
"Elijah...saved him? What do you mean?"
May chewed her lip. "Nico was homeless for a long time. His parents disowned him and refused to house him after he returned from his journey, which was when he figured out his sexual orientation."
Dawn clenched her fists. "They must be the scum of the earth. Let me have a go at them-"
"No, Nico won't let you." May sighed. "He's too nice to wish revenge on anyone, even them. But anyway, Nico was wandering through the Sinnoh region, which is where he met Elijah. He found him digging in his garbage and took him in."
"Sounds like love at first sight!" exclaimed Iris. "That's so adorable."
They heard a shout from the television and turned their attention to the disturbance.
"Wow, we were talking so much I didn't even realize Kenny and that Alice girl were battling," Zoey informed them, watching Kenny's Empoleon and Floatzel battling fiercely with Alice's Glaceon and Umbreon. There was only a minute left and three-fourths of Kenny's points were gone while Alice's were barely missing twenty-five percent.
"Kenny's getting a smack-down," breathed Ash, watching Glaceon and Umbreon pull off a simultaneous iron tail combo.
Alice had a determined smile on her face as she clapped her hands and called, "Alright, Khione, use ice beam straight down!" A beam of light blue light erupted from the Glaceon's mouth and hit the stage, freezing over the entire battlefield and leaving a cold, slippery floor of glittering ice layer that Empoleon and Floatzel couldn't stay balanced on.
"Alright, Luna, slip 'n slide time!" Alice called to her Umbreon, who began skating gracefully across the ice, apparently trained especially for this sort of plan. Her claws grazed the ice lightly as she slid, sending sparkles of ice floating around her and shining against the light, standing out beautifully against her dark coat. Kenny lost major points, reducing the amount to a small slit.
"Shadow balls, let's go!" She commanded, Kenny too stunned and flabberghasted to spit out an order. Dark orbs formed around the Eeveelutions' mouths while Kenny's Pokemon slipped and tried and failed to get up again.
"Floatzel, water gun from the ground!" Kenny yelled desperately, his forehead drenched with sweat. The sea weasel Pokemon sprayed a jet of water at the two, but they slid to the side with grace and fired their dark orbs at both Pokemon. The explosion brought thick smoke around the stage for a minute, and when it cleared, it revealed the two water types leaning on each other, panting. However, the board beeped loudly and it showed Kenny had run out of points. It zoomed in on Alice and her two Pokemon's faces with the caption "Winner!" in gold letters across it.
"He lost," May said quietly, each exchanging looks of displeasure. Kenny hadn't been the greatest friend of late, but they still knew how it felt to lose and how helpless the feeling of being unable to help your Pokemon could consume you.
Kenny didn't immediately return after his defeat. Instead, they wished Ash good luck as his battle was up next. They waited and waited for Kenny, but he seemed to be taking time for himself and wouldn't be returning for a little while. Standing in silence, they watched Ash and his opponent trade off strong moves, back and forth, almost in an even match, nearly in sync, almost like watching a dance. The girl was no pushover, and had Ash on his toes 'til the very end. He managed to pull through with a lucky shot in the end, using Bulbasaur's vine whip to unbalance her Ursaring and having Totodile water gun her Beautifly out of the sky while she was distracted with Ursaring. They shook hands and Ash returned with a cheeky grin, receiving a high five from Dawn and congratulations from the others.
The raven haired boy suddenly frowned. "Kenny didn't come back?" All of them shook their heads. He sighed. "Well, he'll be okay, won't he?"
"He tends to bounce back quickly, I'm sure he'll be okay," Dawn said in a confident voice, trying to raise their spirits. "C'mon, we have Zoey to cheer for right now! We can't have her going on the stage in a bitter mood, right?"
Zoey smiled gratefully at the blunette and squeezed her shoulder. "Thanks. I'll be sure to win." She winked at her and departed the room.
"Now it'll be Zoey vs. Lucy," Cilan commented into the silence, drawing their attention to him. "She looked like a tough cookie, and she certainly had a lot of flavor in her appeal and first round battle."
"But Zoey's stronger, I know she can beat her!" Iris piped up, looking thoroughly excited at seeing another epic battle.
"Careful, don't jinx it," Drew warned, his green eyes serious and no longer twinkling with amusement from earlier. No one spoke, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. Now feeling grave, they turned to the TV to watch the battle. Zoey had sent out her Gastrodon and her Mismagius, and Lucy had sent out her Zorua and Ninetails.
The battle begun, and Zoey started assertive, bringing out a well calculated shadow ball from Mismagius and a clean mud shot that collided and made a shadow ball packed in dirt that slammed the stage in front of the two fox-like Pokemon, sending them flying. Zoey called out several more commands, and more attacks were flung at their opponents.
However, Lucy wasn't going to quit so easily. "Spin and use Flamethrower, and Zea, use nasty plot!" The Pokemon obeyed, Ninetails scattering Zoey's Pokemon and giving time for Zorua to charge up.
"Don't let them, use hidden power!" Zoey bellowed. Gastrodon obeyed, but it only collided with the flamethrower and a big cloud of dust appeared. Zoey heard Lucy call out something, but she couldn't hear her words.
Suddenly, Zorua appeared, twirling gracefully and her paws glowing purple. She knocked Zoey's Pokemon aside with a furious sucker punch. Both yelped, particularly Mismagius, and both went flying. They recovered, but looked slightly shaken. The sides seemed even.
"Ready guys!" Lucy yelled out. "Use will-o-wisp and dark pulse combo!" Ninetails barked something and Zorua leaped onto her back and scurried up, her body beginning to glow a dark, dark purple. She halted on the many tailed Pokemon's head, feeling the heat of her partner's attack beginning to blossom along with her own.
Zoey's jaw went slack, her next commands caught in her throat like a mouse trap as she watched the combination play out. Little fires circled the pair of foxes, glowing a blue-ish gold, and next came dark pulses of energy from Zorua, spiraling upward and flowing out around the flames, making a barrier and passing smoothly underneath the flames back into Zorua. A cycle. It was a hauntingly beautiful sight, and it left the judges and their opponents in awe. The foxes' eyes glowed the same color as their power, staring down Gastrodon and Mismagius, challenging them to come closer. But the stunned pair only stared blankly back, and we're startled by Lucy, who suddenly clapped her hands together.
"Forward, let's go!" She called, her dress swishing around her as she paced from side to side, her and her Pokemon's feelings so in sync she felt their rushes of adrenaline, their excitement and mostly their determination. Ninetails charged forward, the lights of her and Zorua' attacks leaving a trail of purple and blue in their wake. Before Zoey's stunned Pokemon could react, the foxes collided with them in a flash of light and a loud explosion followed, blowing a fierce wind across the whole stadium and blinding everyone with sudden smoke.
"Mismagius, use psychic and clear the field!" yelped a startled Zoey from among the smoke, her voice carried away in the heavy wind. At first, the smoke stayed put, and she could only hear the roaring of the wind in her ears as she fought to stay balanced. But then she felt the air shimmer and come to a sudden halt, and when she turned her head, the smoke was clearing. The two Fox Pokemon were back in position, panting but still on their feet. Mismagius and Gastrodon were barely standing, both looking battered and worn out. The impact of Lucy's combination had taken a definite toll on their strength, particularly Mismagius because of the amount of dark type moves she'd been hit with and it looked like a sticky situation.
"We won't yield so easily; Gastrodon, whirl up a blizzard, Mismagius, use double team!" Her Pokemon obeyed, Mismagius splitting clones of herself in different directions while Gastron whipped up a frenzy of flakes to encircle the foxes. Both went back to back, watching the attack warily.
"Now Mismagius, psybeam, let's go!" Zoey screamed, and the ghost type and its clones fired waves of psychic energy through the blizzard that sent foxes flying and flailing, spiraling high into the air.
Lucy gasped, but quickly recovered with, "Regain your balance and ease yourselves back down!" The foxes obeyed, flipping gracefully through the sparkles the blizzard and psybeam had created. They landed, both panting heavily now, but still managing to stare down their opponents with determined expressions.
"TIME'S UP!" Marian yelled just as the timer blared to declare the end of the battle. Heart hammering, Zoey spun to see the board. She'd lost over half of her points, and yet Lucy had lost some as well from Zoey's beginning assault and latest combination. But..
"Our victory goes to Lucy!" The audience rang with applause, and Lucy curtsied before tackling her Pokemon in a big hug. Slightly dazed, Zoey said some hasty, encouraging things to her Pokemon and returned them. She was greatly disappointed, but privately, she had known she wouldn't have the won the contest to begin with. She was too busy thinking about two particular people with a side of another certain person she had to investigate and her head hadn't been fixed on the battle. The only reason she agreed to enter this contest was to sort out her feelings with the two people she couldn't get out of her head. And now that everything had been settled, the redhead felt hollow with disappointment and confusion. As supportive as she was for the budding relationship, there was the selfish side of her that wanted it to go the way she wanted, which was-
"You did reallly well, I thought you had me beat at the end there," said a voice from behind her, and the redheaded coordinator glanced back at the dark haired girl smiling at her with her Zorua in her arms and her Ninetails by her side.
Zoey half-smiled and let out a bitter laugh. "No, trust me, I was long defeated, but I had too much pride to give up so easily."
Lucy let out a small laugh and shook Zoey's hand. "Lets battle again sometime."
"I'll be looking forward to it," she replied, which was mostly true, but for now she had other problems to deal with.
"Oh...oh no," whimpered Iris, clutching her face in her hands as she watched Zoey leave the stage. "I d-did jinx it! Oh no nonononono.."
"Don't say that, it was not your fault," Cilan said sternly, putting a comforting arm around the purple haired girl. Dawn caught Iris's eye and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at her, but Iris was too upset to be squealing with delight. Frowning, the blunette took hold of Ash's hand for some solace, feeling terrible that both her friends had suffered defeat while she and the raven haired boy were moving on to the semi-finals. He squeezed her hand, and she knew he was thinking the same thing. Kenny still hadn't returned, and Dawn knew he wanted to be alone, but she felt the need to comfort him and now Zoey as they had done for her before.
"Look, here she comes," May said quietly, and the others turned to see the redhead approaching with a solemn expression on her face. They trotted up to meet her, trying to smile for her sake.
"You did really wel-"
"Don't," Zoey interrupted Dawn in a steely voice, wiping the smile off the blunette's face. "I don't want a pity party. I'm fine. My Pokemon did awesome, but I sucked. That's all there is to it."
The others fell silent, glancing at each other cautiously, daring each other without words to speak first. Dawn took the assertive.
"Okay, Zoey," she said quietly, causing the redhead to turn. "If that's what you think, fine, but that doesn't mean it's true." Zoey watched her expressionlessly, no hint of gratitude or even denial at the blunette's words. It was as if she didn't hear her at all and was just staring through her.
"Good luck, you two," Zoey replied tersely, the last two words hardening with slight anger. She turned in a sweep of her burgundy dress, and disappeared into the dressing room.
Everyone's eyes were now on Dawn, whose hanging hair obscured her expression from the others' vision. After a minute, she slowly lifted her head and looked grimly among her companions. "I guess another person is hurt because of me."
Before they could reply, Dawn walked away from them towards the television and watched herself and Ash match up with their remaining opponents. Nobody dared to comfort the blue-haired girl, fearing a negative response out of her, and she seemed to be fine by it.
This meeting of the times was proving to be less than enjoyable by the minute...and this wasn't even the end of it.
The semi-finals were over. Zoey watched the screen, which was showing playbacks of Dawn and Alice's epic battle. Seeing her Arcanine and Gardevoir take on Dawn's Piplup and Quilava with epic flashes and bursts and combinations made Zoey feel ashamed that she hadn't broken into furious sweat and determination like both girls had during their battle when she hadn't. Dawn's creative mind had conjured more gorgeous combinations that ended up besting Alice's manipulation of the stage and carried her into the finals. Next were the flashing images of the two dark haired teens going toe to toe with their epic battling styles; both with their teeth gritted and their morale pushed throughout the battle. Ash had had a disadvantage of trying to put up a better offense in the beginning and rashly shot move after move at her, and Lucy had turned them to her advantage. He backed off, and she pushed, so he took that as a chance to make his Pokemon shine. He pulled off some very edgy and awesome combinations that left the crowd stunned as well as Lucy. In the end, the raven haired boy managed to get some lucky shots in 'til the very last second and had just a few more points than Lucy.
It had given Zoey some ideas for her own combinations, but also left her feeling empty. Dawn was going to the finals with Ash. Ash had proved himself to be a worthy opponent, and had gotten farther than Zoey herself, who was suppose to be more experienced. He had defeated the opponent she lost to. What did that make her? A loser? A failure? She felt a spark of rage towards the dark haired boy, which was just one of many she had felt towards him through the years. So Ash was this big shot now? Mr. Battler that walks through the competition like its nothing to face his most powerful enemy yet. He'd probably try to go easy on his darling and figure out it was mistake then magically catch up. It was disgusting. I mean, shouldn't it have been her facing Dawn, not him?
'Whoa, hold it Zoey, what're you saying?' The logical part of her brain asked the irate part, its voice shaking the emotional one out of its rambling. 'This is Ash you're talking about, the one who has been nothing but kind and supportive of you and the others. Ash Ketchum, the compassionate and hotheaded boy from Kanto and who graciously allowed you to stay at his house.'
That was true enough, Zoey thought, but that didn't stop the feelings of hatred from boiling to the surface of her mind. Losing to the opponent he succeeded was just the cause of these buried feelings to excavate.
But Zoey was a rational person, she'd always been, and she wasn't going to allow her latent feelings get in the way of her friendship with Ash. She wouldn't hurt anyone because of her own selfish desires.
As always, she'd tackle the problem alone.
The finals were about to start, and a certain blunette was nervously making her way backstage. Facing the raven haired boy sent shivers up her back, not only because she feared distraction from his good looks, he proved to be a tough opponent. He had managed to defeat some accomplished coordinators that could compete with her, and that made her anxious. She hadn't seen Ash more determined and showing such integrity in a long time. And the thought of him going against his best friend probably heightened his desire to win more than anything, and when Ash set a goal in mind, it was difficult and nearly impossible to stop him from achieving it.
Dawn, tugging on her dress, was just crossing to the door labeled "Backstage: Contestants Only" when she heard someone say, "...has her hands full with him, doesn't she?"
She turned to see a group clustered near the door, all their attention focused on a girl with waist length dirty blond hair and a bow perched on top of her head.
"Alice?" The blunette blurted out before she could stop herself, and the girl turned and, sure enough, it was her previous competitor, smiling jovially at her. Dawn glanced at her fellow companions and recognized Lucy standing a couple feet away from the other six. She gave Dawn a half smile and inclined her head respectfully towards her.
"Speak of the devil!" Alice giggled, walking forward to grab the blue-haired girl's hand and leading her over to her friends. "We were just talking about your competition." She winked. "He'll certainly be a hard egg to crack, right? I heard he's your boyfriend too, but that shouldn't be an excuse to go easy on him."
"EH?!" Dawn yelped, waving her hands wildly and blushing furiously. "Oh, nonononono, me and Ash aren't, I mean, we aren't together, that would be...oh jeez…"
Alice's friends and Lucy chuckled at this, except one of Alice's friends, who seemed impassive and humourless. "Wow, where have we heard that before?" A man in his mid-twenties with scruffy brown hair asked his companions, who snickered as though this joke had been mentioned among them many times.
Alice frowned. "Leto, what're you talking about?"
One of her friends, one with violet red hair that looked about the same age as the man called Leto, said, "You do it all the time about a certain guy, don't you, Alice?"
Alice flushed, but she made the stink eye at her friends to shut them up. "I don't know what you're talking about, Carmel," she hissed at the woman.
"It's okay to be in love," a short blond haired boy said, looking slightly nervous at this exchange. He was a teenager, maybe close to his twenties, but he looked younger.
"John, I am not!" protested Alice, her face coloring steadily darker. Dawn was utterly confused, her head swishing back and forth between Alice and her friends like a tennis match.
"It's alright, don't be embarrassed that you're in love with K-"
"NUUU!" Alice cried, clapping both hands over Leto's mouth and suffocating the unfinished word. Her face with the color of a strawberry and she looked antsy, as though this subject gave her anxious and confusing jitters.
The silent companion, the tall one with dark hair and a closed expression, suddenly sighed in irritation. "Are you guys done, or should I just start out by myself?"
"Sorry, Kenji, Alice just wanted to talk with Lucy and Dawn for a minute," one of Alice's companions apologized, adjusting his glasses and smirking pointedly at Alice.
She just turned her head away and adopted a smile for Dawn. "Sorry 'bout that, but it's a silly matter. It was cool to meet you, and we should totally battle again sometime." She wrote on a piece of paper, and handed it to the blunette. "That's my number if you want to hang out or battle sometime. I'll be heading to Sinnoh in a few days so our meeting might not be for awhile…"
Dawn smiled. "No, I'm heading back there soon myself, so maybe, if you and your friends want to get together-" she politely smiled at her friends, "-then I'd be happy to accompany you."
"That sounds wonderful!" Alice said, clapping her hands together in delight. She turned to her friends. "Would do you think guys?"
They responded with a polite "Yes" except for one…
"I don't think so," the dark haired boy called Kenji said quietly.
"EH?! B-but…" Alice pouted. "Kenji." The way she said his name sounded familiar, like Dawn herself had addressed someone like this before. Then it clicked; the guy she was in love with must be this guy! The way she said his name...it was similar to how she said Ash's name.
But how could sweet, bubbly Alice be in love with this cold-hearted guy?
"Kenji…" She approached him, and he looked down at her with emotionless dark violet eyes. She gave his black sleeve a tug and smiled pleadingly at him. "Please? It'll be fun and...well, I think it would do you some good to get out of that office and hang out with your friends."
Dawn didn't see his walls crumbling down, but she noticed a short girl with chin length dark hair beside Kenji that was glaring at Alice. She seem to be regarding Alice with full-on jealousy and didn't appear to be trying to hide it, like she didn't mind that Alice could see. 'Competitors in love…'
Wow, this group was bizarre. Dawn, however, smiled to herself. It reminded her of her own group of friends and it made her feel warm inside.
"It's not work related," Kenji replied tersely, apparently trying hard not to meet Alice's grey eyes. Dawn smirked a little bit. So he did have a weakness, maybe even several, and this girl was apparently well informed of them, maybe even being one of them, though Dawn guessed Alice didn't know that or she might have used that to her advantage.
Alice sighed. "Well, I won't be like some people and blackmail you into it," She said stonily, shooting a glare at the girl with the short black hair. "But...I wish you would. It wouldn't be the same."
'Damn, she's good at guilting,' Dawn thought appreciatively as Alice turned away with a huff, 'But I don't think she realizes it.'
A sigh. "Ugh, alright. I'll go."
Alice's eyes lit up in surprise and joy. "Yay!" She looked like she wanted to tackle him in a hug, but she restrained herself and turned back to Dawn. "Well, I guess we'll be seeing you soon!" She hugged Dawn briefly, and as she was about to head for the stage, Alice said quietly, "Good luck with you and Ash."
Dawn blushed, but then replied in a teasing undertone, "Good luck with Kenji." She winked. It was Alice's turn to blush.
"Thanks, but I think it might be a lost cause," She replied sadly, shaking her head.
"Don't say that; have hope! I don't think he can resist you." It put a smile on Alice's face, which put a bigger one on Dawn's.
Waving to her new friends, Dawn strode to the backstage door, took a deep breath, and entered.
The stage lit up and the two finalists were revealed in a shower of golden light. The raven haired boy and the blunette, both looking grim and confident, stared across the field at each other. Neither softened their expressions in a lovey dovey manner like they usually did in each other's presence, but they did allow a confident smirk of competition cross their faces briefly.
"And so, we finally reach the final battle- Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town vs. Dawn Berlitz from Twinleaf Town. Both have striven far and battled fiercely with their previous opponents, and have come to face their toughest opponent yet!" Marian smirked. "I'm sensing this will be the most intense battle yet. And without further ado, let the battle begin!"
"Torterra, Infernape, I choose you!" Ash bellowed, throwing his Pokeballs in a high arc into the air. They burst into a flash of red and green sparks, illuminating the continent and flame Pokemon in a flash of multi-colored lights.
Dawn grinned. "Alright, Mamoswine, Quilava, spoott~light!" She called, gracefully leaping into the air and tossing her capsules high into the air. They burst with glittery stars and lights, shrouding the two Pokemon in a lovely light.
'Right off the bat with something beautiful, I should have known,' Ash thought with a cheeky smile, watching the four Pokemon stare each other down and carefully began plotting some possible combos in his head.
"Infernape, start with mach punch and Torterra, use leaf storm to surround Infernape!" called Ash, his gloved hands clenching with the starting adrenaline that had begun to fill his veins. Infernape charged quickly, his fist glowing with blue energy while a storm of ferocious leaves enveloped him and stood out against his color.
'He shouldn't have given away Infernape's position with those leaves,' thought Dawn, smiling grimly. 'It's cool though...' "Mamoswine, step in front of Quilava and catch Infernape with your tusks!"
Mamoswine obeyed and managed to stop Infernape in his tracks, causing him to struggle to free himself. "Now, Quilava, burn away those leaves with a flamethrower!" A flaming vortex of heat burst from Quilava's mouth, showering Infernape and his protection of leaves with a fierce blow. Infernape was thrown back, but he didn't have much damage inflicted.
"Counter with flame wheel!" Ash yelled, and quick as lightning, Infernape curled into a wheel of flames and slapped Mamoswine back, which almost knocked him into Quilava. Dawn smirked a little.
"Quilava, quick attack, and Mamoswine, use ice shard!" Quilava darted around and around Infernape, confusing him in a tizzy. Torterra wasn't fast enough to dodge and was blasted backward by the impact, but he managed to clamber up. Infernape's eyes were swirling with dizziness, and Quilava was starting to slap him around with swift, stars bonking off his head and chest. Ash grinned.
"Alright, Torterra, use rock climb!" Torterra slapped the ground with brute force and knocked both Quilava and Mamoswine up into the air on stacking boulders, startling them and breaking their concentration.
"Hit it!" The raven haired boy shouted and Torterra spun and collided with Dawn's Pokemon, sending them toppling off the mini cliff he had created. "Off the rocks, and then, Infernape, use mach punch rapid fire!" Shaking his head, Infernape managed to recover and swiftly began to take out the boulders, creating shards and sparks, showing off his strength.
"Hidden power, Mamoswine, let's go!" called Dawn, swinging her arm in a sweeping motion, and Mamoswine understood. He fired his energy in a wide sweep and knocked Infernape flying into Torterra, spiraling them backwards in a flash of light. "Quilava, jump in with a flame wheel and Mamoswine, cover her with hidden power!"
The flash of white-ish energy absorbed into the fierce flame and reflected a blinding light on their opponents, who stumbled and tried shielding their faces with their arms. The flames tinged with the glowing light licked Quilava as she advanced and smashed head on into her attackers.
"Stand your ground and use mach punch and crunch!" Ash screamed over the crash, his face breaking out into sweat, his eyes huge. The strain his Pokemon were feeling was starting to get to Ash, and as his command was carried out, Quilava flew backwards and Infernape managed to connect his fist with Mamoswine. Dawn's eyes were wide as Ash's, and she looked surprised at the sudden velocity of flailing limbs.
The battle was just about to reach its climax when, out of nowhere the lights turned off. The stage that had been bathed in a bright yellow spotlight was now a sea of darkness. Screams emanated from all around the stadium, and flurries of movement could be heard as the panicked audience tried desperately to escape the blindness.
Shouts were heard, trying to restore calm, but to no avail. Dawn whispered for her Pokemon, and she felt Quilava's warm fur brush her knees. She knelt down and let the fire type crawl into her lap and snuggled her close. She felt a cool substance on her arm, causing her to jump a little, but recovered when she felt the familiar smoothness of Mamoswine's tusk.
"It's okay, guys, we'll be fine," the blunette consoled her Pokemon, stroking both with her gloved hands. "Probably a fault in the electrical system." 'A mighty big fault, though,' She thought in annoyance.
"Dawn? Are you okay?" She lifted her head at the sound of the voice, and her face was illuminated by the small fire Infernape had conjured in his palm. Ash was holding Infernape's other hand (paw?!) and his left hand was resting on Torterra's back.
"We're fine...just...the dark…" Now that she glanced around, Dawn was reminded of the nightmare she'd had a few days, the one Ash saved her from, and she shivered a little. That nightmare had been utter blackness like this, with the feeling of being stuck, however, in this scenario, she had the comfort of her Pokemon and Ash…
And Ash was alive in reality.
The thought of Ash's slaughter in her dream froze her in place, causing the world to warp and send her emotions into a frenzy, which resurfaced irrational fears and drove logic from her mind. Remembering the blade slashing his neck brought bile to her throat and left a paralyzed scream stuck with it, unable to escape her trembling lips. His body had fallen at her feet and a cruel laugh reverberated around her ear drums, leaving it impossible to think straight. And the blood, the stained scarlet, had been splattered across her, weighing her down, drowning her and leaving her breathless with fear...
"Dawn?" Someone squeezed her shoulder. "Dawn? Hey! Hey!" 'His voice sounds distant…'
Suddenly, her body was shaken roughly and she bonked noses with someone. "Ow!" She yelped, rubbing her face. She squinted at the person holding her and found a pair of familiar chocolate colored orbs close to her face, examining her in a panicked way.
She smiled dopily. "Ash...your eyes are gorgeous, you know that?"
The raven haired boy sighed, but to his relief, it was too dark for her to see his blush. "Thank Arceus, you suddenly passed out for awhile and wouldn't wake up. The lights are still out."
"Oh...lights.." She'd forgotten. "It'll be okay though."
Ash laughed nervously. "I guess so, as long as you didn't hit your head and damage your sanity."
This time, the blunette reddened. "Oops, I felt really delirious for a second, haha." She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly in a sort of gesture that Ash often did in an awkward situation. He smiled a little at her cuteness.
A crackle, and suddenly, the stadium was dazzled by light. The pair glanced around, gripping each other's hands while calm was restored. Marian made her way over, shaking her microphone and cursing quietly.
"You kids okay?" She asked in a false, perky voice, eyeing their intertwined hands with a cocked eyebrow.
"Just a bit startled is all," the dark haired boy answered, getting to his feet and pulling the blunette with him. "How's the power?"
Marian sighed. "Unfortunately, the scoreboard and judges' table is busted and unable to be repaired today since we're only renting this place for this evening and we cannot carry out the contest into tomorrow."
"But..if we don't finish the contest, and the scoreboard is erased, how will we determine the winner?" asked Dawn, her brow creasing with worry.
"We might just have to call it a tie."
"Marian, c'mere please!" Nurse Joy called from the judge's table. The auburn haired woman turned from the pair and made her way over to the three judges, lowering her voice in a deep discussion with them.
The trainer and coordinator stood side by side in silence, neither one exchanged looks with the other just held onto each other, letting their worry pass between them. If they decided a tie, then no one would receive the ribbon and their trip here would be for nothing. Neither the blunette nor the the raven haired boy would have closure that they had improved with each other and wouldn't know if they had defeated their fears of doing what they loved; battling and being a coordinator.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Maria's voice carried out around the stadium, her microphone back on as well as her smile. "We have determined the winner of this competition and who will be receiving the Viridian ribbon! Now, since Mr. Ketchum and Miss Berlitz have stayed neck and neck through most of their battle, we have decided that a quick, one minute battle will decide the victor."
Ash felt excited, and he turned to high five Dawn when he saw her expression. She looked grim and her lips were visibly trembling, and Ash wondered why until she saw her petting Quilava's head. Quilava looked exhausted and pretty beaten, but she also looked determined and even though Dawn was whispering to her that they should forfeit, she kept shaking her head.
He knew would he had to do. Ash strode forward and stopped in front of Marian. "No, we can't do that. I quit." The audience gasped. Dawn stared at him, stunned with her mouth agape.
"You realize by saying this Dawn will be the victor, correct?" The announcer asked slowly, as though Ash was a small child. He nodded.
"She deserves to win. She's been working hard, staying in tuned with her Pokemon and has been worried about messing up their opportunities up to this point. It would be wrong of me to screw this up for her. I forfeit."
"Ash..." Dawn said softly. She looked half exasperated, half grateful. Ash stood firm, his mouth set in a grim line, daring to be defied.
"Well," Marian said awkwardly, looking between Ash and Dawn in surprise. "I guess if that's the case, the Viridian ribbon goes to Miss Berlitz!"
The crowd cheered, but only a little as they recovered from the shock of Ash's statement. Mr. Contesta approached Dawn with a rectangular box in his hands and carefully placed it into Dawn's shaking, gloved hands.
"Congratulations," He told her, glancing at Ash with a small smile. "You or Ash would deserve this ribbon."
Before she could think, Dawn pushed aside the old man and threw her arms wildly around Ash, causing him to topple backwards and fall with a crash to the stadium. The crowd erupted in fury, until they realized Dawn was squeezing Ash in a tight hug and whispering soft "thank yous" in his ear.
The raven haired boy laughed. "Don't thank me, Princess, you earned it." The crowd cooed. Before he could think twice, Ash quickly leaned in and pecked her nose. Wolf whistles could be heard, but the blushing faces of the pair was the greatest sight to see. Until..
"You missed," the blunette said teasingly, indicating her mouth with a gloved finger. He blushed darker, and when she leaned in, both started to close their eyes…
"Okay, kids, take the PDA outside!" Marian chuckled, nudging them with her boot. Both looked away, nervously fidgeting with their clothes. Almost, almost. Almost kiss.
"And so that concludes our contest, folks!" The announcer said in a light-hearted tone, waving her arm in a sweeping motion. "I hoped you enjoyed this action packed and very interesting contest today! Have a good evening everyone!"
Exiting was awkward. The blunette and the raven haired boy walked side by side backstage, heading for the door. Dawn just reached for the handle when Ash stopped abruptly. Dawn turned to him. "You okay?"
Ash smiled slyly. "More than okay. Feeling pretty good, I mean, you did tackle hug me and it felt really nice."
"Eh…" Dawn had barely stopped blushing when her face started getting red again. "No problem, you deserved it. I mean, you deserved more, but, well…"
He smirked a little. "So, where's that kiss you promised?"
She arched an eyebrow. "I told you if you won."
"You said if I won that battle against Jace!"
She let out a tinkling laugh and raised her hand into the air. "You sure are persistent, Ketchum." She winked. "I like that."
The raven haired boy rolled his eyes and rose his arm as well. "Ugh, you're such a tease, Berlitz." And slapped her hand into one of their famous high fives.
author's notes:
Emotional joy ride, no? What did you guys think?
-What's up with Zoey?
-What did you think of my OCs? (x
-What was your favorite scenes?
-How about the romance? Enough jealousy/good shippy moments?
I based most of my OCs off characters from books and animes. Jace, who was inspired from Jace Wayland from "Mortal Instruments". c; Nico, who was inspired from one of my sister's OC characters/Nico di Angelo from "Percy Jackson" and Alice and her group of friends were inspired by Mai Taniyama and the cast from "Ghost Hunt", which is amazing *flail*
I hope you enjoyed this chapter- please stay tuned for Chapter 8 and review review review!
PS- those drawings of Zoey and Dawn are finished, and will be posted on my devianart soon so keep checking my bio for weekly updates (; peace and I am changing my username to "dark alice." So don't worry, it's still me! :D
