XashXdawnX - Here's the newest chapter and sorry for the long wait. Enjoy!
PokemonFreak90 - Wow, it's been an entire month since we last updated! Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait!
Ash and Alex had just left to go home for the night. Dawn made her way up to Julia's room and knocked on her door before she entered. She found Julia dressed in her pajamas, shutting off her game.
"Ready for bed?" Dawn asked.
Julia nodded her head and climbed into bed, getting under her covers. Dawn walked over and sat on the edge of Julia's bed.
"Did you have fun with Alex tonight?" Dawn asked as she began stroking her daughter's blue hair.
"Yeah, we played some games, drew some pictures, and grandma make some snacks for us!" Julia said happily. "Did you have fun at the dance?"
"Yes, I did. I found out that dancing is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it. Thank you for suggesting that Ash I should go."
"You're welcome, mom. You know, I think that Mr. Ash cares about me almost as much as you do."
"Yes, I'm sure that he does." Dawn said, thinking of the man that she loved.
Julia then let out a yawn and Dawn decided that it was time to let her daughter get some sleep. She stopped stroking Julia's hair and leaned in closer to her face.
"Goodnight, sweetie." Dawn said, kissing Julia's forehead.
"'Night, mommy. I love you." Julia said, kissing her mom's cheek.
"I love you too, baby."
Dawn got up and walked to the door. She flipped the light off and closed the door. Dawn walked into her own room to change. She stepped out of her flats and put them in her closet. She removed her necklace, earrings, and bracelets, along with her hair clip. She then took off her red dress and hung it up in her closet. Walking over to her dresser, she found some pajamas before walking into her bathroom.
Dawn locked her bathroom door and washed off all of her makeup before deciding to take a quick shower. After showering and drying off, Dawn walked out of her bathroom dressed in blue silk pajama pants and a pink tank top. She pulled her now wet hair into a bun on the top of her head.
"That feels much better." she mumbled. All of the dancing that she had done that night had made her feel a little sore, but her hot shower had made her feel a lot better.
Dawn walked into the living room to find her mom watching some drama on the TV.
"Thanks for watching the kids, mom." Dawn said, sitting down in one of the chairs, tucking her feet underneath her.
"You're welcome. They were both well-behaved. I've been talking to Alex quite a bit in the times that I've watched the kids. He's almost become like a second grandchild to me."
"That's good to hear. Alex and Julia...It's amazing how easily the two of them get along with each other and with other people." Dawn paused for a minute before asking, "Do you want to stay and chat or are you going home for the night?"
Johanna looked at Dawn and said, "I'm going to stay. I want to hear about how your date went." Johanna enjoyed hearing about how Dawn's dates with Ash went, since he always made Dawn so happy.
"Well, I had a great time with Ash. It was a lot of fun. We went to the dance...and I'm still shocked that I even went to a dance! Mom...I was so nervous, but Ash he taught me how to dance!"
"That's wonderful, Dawn. I remember when you were younger, you weren't exactly the best dancer around."
"He was very understanding and patient with me as I tried to dance. I followed his lead for the most part and after practicing through the first three songs, I could dance! I never expected dancing to be so fun! Honestly...I wouldn't mind dancing with Ash again if another dance comes up."
Johanna smiled at Dawn. She was happy that her daughter had such a wonderful time and that she was able to enjoy it, even though it involved dancing. A dreamy smile then came over Dawn's face and Johanna had a feeling that Dawn was about to tell her something big.
"After the last song; which was a slow song...Ash took me outside. He told me...he told me that he loved me, mom. He told me that I had helped him realize that it was possible for him to love again after he lost his wife. I told him that I loved him too, and that I was afraid to trust anyone again after my divorce. I was afraid to follow my heart, but I'm so glad that I did. Mom...we're a couple now."
Johanna smiled. "I'm so happy for you, Dawn. Ash...he's a good man and he cares for you deeply. I've seen how much you two care about each other and I know the love that you share is very special. I'm glad you've moved on, sweetie. I'm happy for both of you."
"Thank you, mom. I love him so much." Dawn said softly as she hugged her mom.
Two months had passed since Valentine's Day and it was now early April. Shortly after confessing their feelings for each other on Valentine's Day, Ash and Dawn had revealed to their children that they were now a couple. Alex and Julia pretended to be surprised, even though they had known the whole time. The kids no longer had to set up dates for their parents. Now that they were a couple, Ash and Dawn had asked each other out on dates on their own several times since confessing their feelings for one another.
It was now spring break; the first day of spring break, to be exact. The weather was warm and Alex and Julia were out of school for a whole week. To start off their spring break, Alex and Julia had decided to play a board game at Alex's house; Life. Ash and Dawn decided to play with them, too.
"...Five. You've earned a hundred dollar bonus for a job well done at the convention." Julia said, reading the spot that she had landed on.
Dawn handed Julia the game money. Ash was next and was about to spin the spinner, when the phone rang.
"You can skip my turn." he said, getting up to answer the phone. He walked out of the room and Alex went next, since it was his turn.
"Two. Your child is sick, pay the doctor fifty dollars." he read. He handed Dawn the money.
Ash walked back into the room and sat down.
"Who was it?" Alex asked.
"The Elite Four. They called to inform me that the Sinnoh Pokemon League Tournament opening ceremonies start tomorrow. The Elite Four want me to attend the tournament and battle Cynthia during the ceremonies. Also, Dawn, they want you to attend as well and take pictures of the battles during the tournament." Ash explained.
"Really?! I've never done photography of an actual Pokemon battle." Dawn said, shocked.
"I told them about you and your pictures. They want you to be their main photographer."
"Thank you, Ash. This is a major opportunity for me."
"You're welcome. Oh, and the tournament will last the whole week. Do you two want to come?" Ash asked, looking at the kids.
"No, we'll stay and watch it on TV." Alex replied and Julia nodded.
"My mom should be able to watch them while we're away." Dawn said.
At the Pokemon League, the stands were full of fans, their voices mixed together to create one loud uproar.
"Good afternoon, everyone! It's time for the opening ceremonies of the Sinnoh Pokemon League Tournament! And boy, do we have a treat for you! To kick off the tournament, we will see a battle between the Pokemon Master, Ash Ketchum and Sinnoh's Regional Champion, Cynthia!"
The crowd erupted into cheers. All were excited to see Ash battle, since he had taken a break from battling after leaving Kanto and hadn't been in a major battle in a while.
Cynthia walked out onto the field and gave a few waves. Cynthia was now in her mid-forties. Her blonde hair was still long and she was in her usual attire.
Ash walked out onto the field and waved. He was dressed in black jeans, a white shirt with a red and white jacket over it, and blue sneakers.
Dawn was standing at the top of the stands so she could get her pictures. Other photographers for various magazines and the press stood there, too. Dawn got ready so she could get a picture right when Ash and Cynthia released their Pokemon.
Cynthia removed a Pokeball. She raised it and threw it. "Garchomp, battle dance!"
"Garchomp!"
Dawn pulled her camera down and looked at the pictures. She had gotten the perfect picture. The Pokeball light faded just enough to see what Pokemon Cynthia had called out.
"And Cynthia calls out her most trusted Pokemon, Garchomp!"
Ash removed his Pokeball. "Charizard, I choose you!" he cried, throwing the Pokeball.
"Char!"
The picture came out exactly like the previous one. So far, the pictures were coming out perfectly. But Dawn knew that battles moved at a very fast pace so she would have to be quick when taking her pictures or she might miss the chance for a good shot!
"And Ash calls out Charizard! It's a battle of the dragons!"
"Garchomp, use Dragon Rush!" Cynthia commanded. A blue aura surrounded Garchomp's body and it shot towards Charizard.
"Charizard, use Mega Punch!"Ash yelled. Charizard's fist glowed and when Garchomp was close, it struck forward. Garchomp was stopped in its tracks.
"Incredible! Garchomp's powerful Dragon Rush was stopped!"
Dawn had gotten the picture right at the Mega Punch's moment of impact.
"Flamethrower!" Ash cried. Since Garchomp was still there in front of Charizard, the Flamethrower hit it full force.
"Perfect!" Dawn cried, looking at the picture. Flames were sprouting from Charizard's mouth and in the next picture, a beam of fire was hitting Garchomp.
"Impressive, Ash, very impressive. It seems that you still have your battling prowess." Cynthia said, looking at him.
"Always, Cynthia." Ash replied.
"Garchomp, use Stone Edge!" Garchomp crouched down and sharp rocks surrounded its body, which then flew towards Charizard.
"Dodge it!" Ash cried. Charizard tried to fly up, but the rocks hit it before it could fly.
"Char!" Charizard cried.
Dawn looked at the picture. Rocks were pelting Charizard.
"Now use Giga Impact!" Cynthia cried. Garchomp flew into the air and an orange energy surrounded it. As Garchomp neared Charizard, a purple energy surrounded its body.
"You use Giga Impact, too!" Ash called.
Both Pokemon collided as their attacks fought against each other, trying to overpower the other.
Dawn snapped another picture. This time, it showed the struggle that Charizard was having to keep Garchomp away. Both moves were fighting for dominance, and canceled each other out in a huge explosion!
"Charizard, Seismic Toss!" Charizard grabbed Garchomp and flew into the air, spinning around with Garchomp. Charizard zoomed back down towards the ground and once it was close, it slammed Garchomp into the field.
Dawn winced slightly and looked at the pictures. The sun was in the background when Charizard was in the air, outlining its body in one picture, Charizard diving straight down in the air in the next picture, and then Charizard slamming Garchomp into the ground in the last picture. You could see pieces of the field breaking up in the picture. That hit was painful.
"Gar..." Garchomp said, getting up.
Garchomp and Charizard were both hurt. Garchomp was hurt more than Charizard, but Charizard's breathing was slightly uneven.
"Garchomp, use Dragon Claw!" Cynthia cried.
"Dodge, Charizard!" Ash cried.
Garchomp's claws glowed light green and it sped towards Charizard. Since Garchomp was faster, it reached Charizard before it could dodge. Garchomp started to slash Charizard repeatedly with its claws.
Dawn had gotten a few pictures of Dragon Claw doing its job. You could see the pain that Charizard was receiving.
"Flamethrower, Charizard! I know you can do it!" Charizard opened its mouth and used Flamethrower, hitting Garchomp successfully and stopping Dragon Claw. Garchomp was blasted backwards.
"Wow!" Dawn cried. That was an impressive move. She had seen Ash battle before, but that was only on television. Seeing him battle in person was totally different!
Garchomp had taken a good bit of damage from the Flamethrower. Garchomp's breathing was heavy.
"Charizard, use Seismic Toss one more time!"
"Garchomp, don't let it get you. Stone Edge!"
"Flamethrower, full power! Melt the rocks!"
Rocks flew at Charizard, but Charizard didn't stop. The fire from its Flamethrower was so intense that it melted the Stone Edge! Dawn, the audience, and even Cynthia were shocked! They didn't know that Ash's Charizard could breathe fire THAT powerful!
Once Stone Edge had been burned through, Charizard grabbed Garchomp. Once again, Charizard spun in the air and flew back down towards the field. And once again, Garchomp hit the field very hard, landing painfully.
Dawn snapped a picture. Garchomp laid on the field and Charizard was hovering over the field.
"Garchomp is unable to battle! Charizard wins! Which means the victor is the Pokemon Master, Ash Ketchum!" the ref cried.
"Well done, take a rest." Cynthia said, returning her fainted Pokemon.
Ash rubbed Charizard's head. "Great job, now take a rest." he said, tapping the Pokeball against the dragon.
Dawn had gotten a picture of Ash congratulating his Pokemon. She also got a picture of Ash and Cynthia shaking hands.
It was proven that even though Ash had taken a break from battling, his skills hadn't weakened at all. He was still the same Pokemon Master who earned that title all those years ago.
Ash walked out through the hallway that lead to and from the battlefield. He was heading up to the stadium's private box where the other Elite Four members were so they could watch the tournament. Dawn stayed in the stands, since the actual tournament was about to begin and she had to get some more pictures of the battles being held that day.
After a full day of battles, the tournament concluded for the day and the next round of the tournament would begin the next day. Dawn had E-mailed the pictures she had taken that day to the Elite Four for approval. It was now nighttime and Ash and Dawn were in the hotel room that the Pokemon League had arranged for them to stay in during the tournament. They were getting ready for bed, tired after a busy day.
Ash was wearing black and grey striped shorts and a black T-shirt. Dawn walked out of the bathroom after changing into her usual sleeping clothes: a pink tank top and blue silk pajama pants.
"What an amazing day. Seeing you battle live is far better than seeing you battle on screen." she said.
"Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. But the tournament is just getting started. There's even more battles to see this week." Ash replied.
"I know, I'm so excited! Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to be here."
"Anything for you, Dawn." Ash said, giving Dawn a quick kiss. "So how did your pictures turn out?"
"Look," Dawn handed him her camera and he scrolled through the pictures of himself and the other battles fought that day.
"Wow...are you sure you've never taken pictures of a Pokemon battle?" he questioned.
"Never."
"You could never tell with these pictures. They're that good."
Dawn yawned and said, "I think I'm going to go to sleep, I'm tired. Are you going to bed yet?"
"Yeah, I'm tired, too." Ash replied.
The two of them climbed into the large bed and slid under the white sheets, getting comfortable.
"Goodnight, Ash."
"'Night, Dawn. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Their lips met as Ash and Dawn gave each other a romantic kiss goodnight. There was even a little tongue activity from Dawn, which Ash willingly accepted. Their lips slowly parted and Dawn wrapped her arms around Ash's waist and leaned her head against his chest while Ash wrapped one arm around her back and his other hand began stroking her hair.
Dawn had the softest hair that Ash had ever felt. It was no wonder that she spent so much time fixing it in the morning. Dawn occasionally stroked Julia's hair when she said goodnight to her daughter, but Dawn had never had anyone do it to herself before. She smiled as Ash stroked her hair, since it felt really nice. It made it easier for her to relax and fall asleep.
They snuggled down and fell asleep with their arms around each other, with smiles on their sleeping faces, and with love in their hearts.
The week had now ended and the Pokemon League was over. Ash and Dawn had their suitcases packed and they were about to leave.
Dawn zipped her suitcase and faced Ash. "That's everything." she said.
"Okay. Well, we ca-" he started when the phone rang. He walked over to the phone and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Ash. I would like you and Dawn to come and see me before you leave."
"Sure, no problem, Cynthia. We'll be down in a few." He said and hung up the phone.
"Cynthia would like to see us before we leave." Ash said to Dawn.
"Okay,"
The two walked towards the lobby where Cynthia would be waiting. After a few minutes, they walked into the lobby and Cynthia was sitting on one of the red couches.
"Hello," she said.
"Hey,"
The two sat down and Cynthia faced Dawn.
"Dawn, the Elite Four are very pleased with your photos of the tournament. After looking over the photos, we would like to pay you extra in addition to your promised pay if you will let us keep a copy of the pictures. The photos will be for the official Pokemon League archives."
"Sure, of course. I'm glad that you all liked the pictures."
Cynthia removed some money and handed it to Dawn. Dawn's eyes widened as she stared at the money in shock. She had never been paid this much for her photos!
"Wow..."
"We also want to know if you would consider coming back next year?"
"Yes, I would love to come back next year! I had a blast watching all of those battles!"
"Wonderful! Thank you very much."
Ash pulled to a stop in front of the Berlitz household. Ash and Dawn got out of the car and walked to the door. As soon as the front door closed, Alex and Julia came around the corner and tackled their parents into a hug.
"Dad, you were awesome! It was so cool seeing you battle again!" Alex cried.
"I wanna see the pictures you took, mom. Please?" Julia asked.
Dawn, Julia, and Johanna looked through the pictures of the battles as Ash and Alex began talking. Alex told his dad that he forgot to mention something to him before he left for the tournament: his hockey team would begin their playoff games next weekend, hoping to win the championship.
Ash and Dawn begin their relationship as an official couple and they are off to a strong start. Ash rediscovers his passion for battling and gets Dawn a great job opportunity and Dawn's reputation and career are furthered through the Pokemon League and the Elite Four. Not to mention that they have an entire week by themselves away from the kids to let their relationship grow some more.
We hope you enjoyed this chapter and keep sending in suggestions for what can happen to our favorite couple!
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