Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon

It was a rainy night within a deep valley. Due to the constant dangers of this particular valley, there has been little chance of sleep. The Pokémon in the area were known to be nocturnal hunters and prowled almost constantly. For most trainers, this valley would be an off limits area.

But to Ash Ketchum, this was a test of valor and skill.

Unfortunately, he paid for it with his poor sleeping habits.

Sitting by the entrance of the cave they sought shelter at, Ash kept a close watch for wild nocturnal Pokémon. He felt exhausted in every sense possible. Pikachu rested comfortably next to him, but slept lightly in case Ash needed his help. No matter how hard he tried to convince Ash, the trainer refused to let him overexert himself. After all, If Pikachu was unable to fight, it would be trouble.

"Maybe I should've listened…" Admittedly, his stubborn nature, followed by his determination to do what others didn't dare to attempt, fueled his want to surpass this treacherous valley.

Stubborn…

Dense…

Stupid…

Ash had been called numerous things in his lifetime. So many, in fact, he didn't think a dictionary had half of the words he had heard. "Heh, maybe that's the case…" He whispered to himself. The insomnia he's been suffering as of late was not completely wasted, for he had a lot of time to reflect on some matters. More specifically, an important one he had not shared with anyone else.

Love.

The boy had run into hundreds of girls, all interesting in their own way; living by their own rhythm and full of surprises. However, very few stayed with him for a large portion of his life.

Yet, one stayed in his heart and held fast.

"I probably should've said something sooner." The words like dense or dumb weren't that far from the truth.

However, their reasoning behind it was way off.

He wasn't an expert in the world of love, that fact was certain. But, he wasn't completely oblivious either. The trainer couldn't help but sigh. "Really, like I couldn't notice something so obvious. Give me a break, people." It's simple if one stopped to think about it. Why would a girl hold onto such a vain (but valid, he confessed) excuse to travel the continent with a brat who couldn't tell left from right.

It wasn't for kicks or cookies, that's for sure.

The first time he realized this fact started with Misty.

It was also the first time he died.

"Man, I still can't believe I died that day." But more importantly, he got a glimpse of the true side of Misty. The girl cared for him, and even cried for him.

It touched him greatly that someone cared about him in such a way.

But the fun didn't stop there, because Misty wasn't the only one who cared about him.

"Misty is pretty obvious, but who can forget about May…" Though less obscure, Ash had a feeling May fell for him too. He was pretty sure during the moment when he and May watched and Illumise and Volbeat perform a dance. It was there she spoke about love being a beautiful thing and he would understand when he got older.

But the twist is the fact he was older than her.

"Ha, and they call ME dense!" Of course, there's always the chance it was Drew she had in mind, but that's a story for another day. There IS a wild card girl for whom there might be possibilities with, and she was resting with Brock at the end of the cave.

Dawn.

"I don't know whether to call myself lucky or unlucky, though it's probably the latter." Yes, of these girls, only one had embedded herself permanently to his heart. He didn't want his adventures to end with her. He wanted to be her protector, lover, partner, and some other word that ended with an –er.

But that is where his unluckiness begins.

The first reason was pretty simple, at least for him.

"Hey, guess what? I love you tons, and I have a feeling you love me too! So let's start getting lovey dovey together! …Yeah, that would go really well." Despite his wish, Ash was never good with talking to girls in the desired manner, nor was he the romantic type. Though sometimes it was his stubbornness that held him back, he also feared doing something that would damage his chances and make things awkward with her. His next reason, though, was the primary basis for his hesitation.

Misty wanted to be a master Water Pokémon trainer.

May wanted to be the world's best Pokémon coordinator.

Dawn, too, wants to follow her mother's footsteps and become an accomplished coordinator.

"…How the heck would they accomplish their dreams hanging around me?" Selfish as it sounded, he was on this journey for himself and would never stop at anything to reach his goal.

The problem entirely was the fact his dreams and their dreams didn't completely coincide.

"…Dreams suck." He didn't have the heart to see their heartbreak should they have to separate in order to accomplish their dreams. The woman of his dreams was too wonderful for him to be a hindrance, but the least he could do was enjoy her company and help her get closer to her goals while trying to attain his own.

It was selflessly selfish.

"If I meet any more girls on my journeys, I pray to heaven that they have a better excuse than me burning their bikes…" It was seriously growing cliché.

Cute, but cliché.

But…he won't give up on her. One day, he will reveal the emotions he had been skillfully hiding. Someday, they can enjoy a casual walk together, holding hands, fighting, laughing, loving each other to their fullest.

After all, unconditional love meant having your love's happiness before your own, and he would never put her after his own personal gain.

"Someday…I will go up to her and tell her how I feel. Until then, I have to press onward. I wonder if she will wait for me…"

"Hey Ash, it's my turn to keep watch. Get some rest." Brock spoke, emerging from his sleeping bag.

"Wha? Oh, okay." Fatigued, Ash stood up and sauntered over to his blue sleeping bag, finally able to get some rest.

Dreams could be annoying at times, but there was one good thing he could say about it.

"If I can't have her, I can at least dream it."

In a sense, this is a possibility I think Ash (a mature one at least) might have as a mindset. Interpret this however you like. The person he may be talking about is up to you to decide.

Because I won't tell!