Chapter #7- 1Couple Down… 1To Go
"Dawn, get up! Breakfast is almost ready!" Brock called, finishing up with the scrambled eggs he was whipping up over the fire. "Oh, and can you get Ash up, too. You know how late he can sleep."
"Okay," Dawn replied from her tent, grabbing her brush and stretching. Every morning, it took her about 10 minutes to get ready, (her morning bees nest was often the reason why,) but with the help of Piplup's bubblebeam, she was done before Brock had finished setting the table, (which was a first.)
She waved a morning greeting to him before setting off toward Ash's sleeping bag, bullhorn in hand, (Ash was a very heavy sleeper…) The only problem for Dawn was that when she pulled back the top covers, Ash wasn't there! She looked around for Pikachu, noticing that he was still nestled at the foot of the bag, Ash's backpack beside him, but where was Ash?
"Uh, Brock…" Dawn called, still staring at Ash's empty bed, puzzled," Ash isn't here!"
"Huh," Brock asked, eyebrows furrowed, placing eggs on three plates, not bothering to look up. "What do you mean 'he's not there'?"
"He's not here!" Dawn yelled, getting agitated at Brock's ignorance, "Look!" She gestured toward the limp bag.
Brock glanced over from the plate he had been filling, shaking his head at the sight of Ash's absence. "You're right, he's not there. Well, why don't you go check down by the lake, maybe he went down there to wash up early for breakfast?" Brock suggested, squinting at the lake, trying to see any sign of Ash.
Dawn groaned as she made her way down to the lake. Ash didn't usually have a habit of washing up for any meals, and she figured she was wasting her time checking down there in the first place. He probably wasn't even down there. Dawn reached the surface edge and scanned every side of it for Ash. Sure enough, he wasn't there.
"Brock, he's not down here!" She was beginning to get annoyed with Ash's disappearing acts, first yesterday and now today. Where could he be going?
"He's not?" Brock rubbed his head, confused as to where Ash was. He shrugged, "Oh well. I guess there's no point in you staying down there and letting your food spoil. You can head back up."
"Coming!" Dawn began walking towards the camp, when she heard something that stopped in her tracks. Voices; and they were coming from that same path that Ash went exploring on the day before. Was it just her, or did one of those voices sound just like Ash's… Dawn hatched an idea.
"Uh, Brock, actually I think I'm gonna skip breakfast, and continue searching for Ash. I think I may know where he is…" her voice trailed off,
as she veered off onto the path, following the voices, just as Misty had done the day before.
"What, am I the only one that appreciates my cooking anymore?" Brock wondered aloud, staring at the now three overflowing plates on the table in front of him, sweatdropping.
Dawn crept along the sides of the trail, ducking behind bushes, shielding herself behind trees, pretty much trying every stupid idea that came to her to try to keep out of sight of the oncoming voices and who they belonged to. Let's see, Dawn concentrated, there are two voices, a girl's and a guy's, and that guy voice definitely belongs to Ash, I mean, come on, she laughed, who else has a voice like that?
She could hear Ash talking from just over the bushes in front of her, so she chanced a peek over to see who he was talking to. Ash was standing in the middle of a clearing, but he wasn't alone, he was standing there with some red-head girl, who he seemed to be hugging… no wait, kissing! Ash's eyes were closed and he appeared to be enjoying himself, and when they broke apart, a huge grin spread across his face.
Wow! No wonder Ash was so happy and upbeat yesterday, Dawn figured, He got himself a girlfriend! How sweet is that? Awww, they're so cute together. Why, Dawn thought, thinking of her "someone special," can't he eve act like that with me? Better yet, why can't we both act like that?
Dawn slumped on the ground, remembering how now, whenever she got around the guy she liked, all she did was babble like an idiot and yell at him, while all he ever did was tell the most embarrassing stories about her from their childhood! She knew she liked him, which was probably why she yelled at him all the time, to hide how she felt, but she was always to shy to tell him.
He probably doesn't even feel the same, considering how he treats me. Why do I even bother? Dawn wondered miserable. Another voice in her head answered, Because, you think of him as the sweet caring kid that you grew up with, and deep down, you know he cares, too.
Dawn broke out of her trailing thoughts and tried to focus more on what was happening between Ash and that girl he was with. She couldn't hear well, but from what she could make out, he was asking the girl something about if that was a present or something, then the girl said something, (Dawn didn't really know what,) that caused Ash to smile and kiss her again. Dawn began to feel slightly jealous, they looked so happy being with each other, but whenever she was around Kenny, all she did was feel miserable. She just could never find the courage to tell him…
This time when she snapped out of her train of thoughts, she looked up to see them kissing again. They sure do like doing that don't they? Dawn thought, agitated. She zoned out again, imagining what it would be like if that was her and Kenny instead of Ash and his girlfriend, out there in the clearing, all alone, kissing…
Ash's voice brought her back this time. She blinked and shook her head, no more daydreaming. I'm here to find out what Ash is up to, and that's what I'm going to do. She nodded and tried to recall what Ash had said that had cut right into her fantasy. He said something like, "Oh, c'mon Mist, (could that be short for Misty!? Dawn's heart raced,) did you think I wouldn't get you anything…" She couldn't remember the rest, but she was still excited. She had at least found out who that mystery girl was, and that Ash had gotten her something.
She figured that she probably should head back up to camp, and tell Brock the news, but she found that she couldn't move. Her love for gossip prevented her from leaving until she found out what the gift was. She tried to get a closer look, by moving just a tad bit closer, but her clumsiness got the better of her, and she accidently stepped on a twig. Eeeeeppp, she thought, ducking down just as she heard Misty say something to Ash. He laughed and said something about Misty trying to stall, so he obviously hadn't heard.
"Whew," she let out a quiet sigh of relief, sitting up and looking over the bush again. Misty and Ash both had their backs to her now, and Ash was pulling something out of his pocket. She craned her neck to get a better glimpse of it. It was a locket, a heart-shaped, white-gold, locket on a fine white-gold chain! She could hardly believe it, those two had only met back up with one another yesterday, and he was already buying her solid gold jewelry!? Wow, she thought, watching Ash lower the necklace over Misty's head, I never knew Ash could be so romantic. Maybe he ought to give Brock pointers on how to charm a girl, since he is a pro. And maybe, Dawn blushed; he could give Kenny a few pointers on how to charm me.