Hello, everyone!

Haha, I was too satisfied with your reviews! I was like "damn, this is the reaction that I wanted!" Haha, yeaaah~

To be honest, I didn't have any plans of updating today... BUT! Since DarkestLightOfHope has updated, I just couldn't NOT update! Hehehe! I didn't want to disappoint you guys and well... Here I am! XD

I might as well live upto your expectations! ͡° ͜ʖ ͡͡͡͡°

Go ahead and enjoy this thrilling chapter, filled with agony and discomfort!

Chapter - 32

Unfair

Ash nodded as he turned to the girl next to him, "You know them, right?" She nodded as she smiled. "Guys, this is Serena… my fiancée."

...A-Ash has a fiancée?!

I looked at Ash, who wasn't making eye contact with me… he looked everywhere but me. I was so confused and shocked. I knew that others were also surprised by this news, apart from his two best friends. Then, I felt seven pairs of eyes staring at me, including Piplup and Pikachu's.

I could feel the anger rush through my veins. To control it, I clenched my fists tightly and shadowed my eyes with my bangs.

Dawn, c'mon! Don't be angry... it's not like he cheated on you. Like, he wasn't in a relationship with you, either… so why are you being so mad? Besides, you're not his girlfriend, and neither did he confess to you. You are the one at fault here... so don't express your anger.

"Pip?" I heard the concerned voice of my penguin.

I took a deep breath and unclenched my fists. I shot my head up with a smile as I grinned. "A pleasure to meet you, Serena!" I held my hand out for her to shake.

I saw everyone looking at me, surprised. I don't know why they were so tense about something like this... I saw that even Ash was looking at me, and when I looked at him, he looked away.

Serena smiled as she shook my hand. "You're Dawn, right?"

I nodded. "Yeah! And this is Piplup!"

I showed her Piplup by raising him up a bit. He waved. "Piplup!"

She gushed, "Aw, nice to meet you!"

Everyone came back to their senses and they started greeting her with a smile on their faces. Ash said, "Uh, how about we go inside? Mom and Dad are waiting for us." We nodded and followed him.

Leaf whispered to me, "Dawn, are you alright?"

I laughed, trying to hide my discomfort and disappointment. "Why wouldn't I be? It's not like he was my boyfriend or anything!"

"Alright," May said, still unconvinced.

Just then, Gary brushed past my shoulder, whispering, "Let's have a talk later."

"Huh?" Confused, I glanced at him as he walked ahead, accompanying Ash. I couldn't help but shake my head at the current situation.

"Pip?"

I looked down to see that Piplup was looking at me worriedly. I smiled. "No need to worry! I'm completely fine!" He nodded, but still looked hesitant.

When we reached the hall of the mansion, a brown-haired woman who seemed in her early forties, came up to us with her hands clasped. She was dressed in a white sweatshirt and black pants, and her hair was tied in a low pony. She cooed, "Aw, you all are Ash's friends, aren't you?" From her behavior, she must be Ash's mother.

Leaf nodded. "Yes, ma'am. We are his friends."

She smiled. "He has three young beauties travelling with him! How exciting!"

What's exciting about it? He has got a fianceé, for god's sake! Tsk!

Gary came up from behind and said, "Delia, these two girls are already booked! This girl," he pointed at Leaf, "is my girlfriend. And you know May and Drew, right ?"

She nodded frantically. "Oh my, how can I forget these two!"

"Yeah, they've been dating for almost two years, now. Only Dawn is single among all of us." He pointed at me.

May waved. "Hello, Delia! It's been so long since I last met you! You still look as healthy as ever!"

Drew took out a rose and handed it to her. "Here. A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady."

She laughed as she accepted the flower. "Oh, my! You both look good yourself! I can't believe Drew is still a flatterer… and May is still very polite." She turned to look at me and I realised that I haven't greeted her, yet.

"Um, hello, Mrs. Ketchum?" I nervously greeted her, as she was staring at me. "I'm Dawn… and this is my partner, Piplup!" Ah, for some reason, I felt like an outsider among them.

"Pip!" Piplup waved at her.

Delia rushed to me. "You're Johanna's daughter, right?"

I answered, "Um…yes."

"Oh my gosh!" she squealed. "You're just like her! The only difference is your way of arranging your blue hair! You know, I'm a crazy fan of blue hair!"

"Uh..." I stared at her, surprised. "Really? Thanks..." Whoa! That caused my heart to jump!

She caught my hands in her own, her eyes shining brightly. "I saw your picture when you were a little girl and I instantly knew that you were gonna grow up into a beautiful young woman!"

I grinned. "You're just like my mom!"

"Pip-lup!" Piplup laughed.

Just then, Ash and Pikachu arrived with Serena by their side. I saw Ash's eyes flicker at his mom's hand holding mine, and then looked at her. He asked, "Mom, where's Dad?"

"Oh, he's busy with your birthday party arrangements. You can show your friends their rooms until he's done. I'm sure he'll be free by that time!" Delia released her hold on my hand.

He nodded and told us to follow him. Just then, May whispered, "What was that all about?"

I whispered, back, "I don't know. It seems like she is one of my mom's best friends. I clearly had no idea why she was so excited to see me."

"Oh... she's pretty hyperactive, isn't she ?" the brunette asked.

I nodded. "You bet."

"Hey, you!" I looked up to see Ash. I was confused a bit at whom he was calling, so I asked with gestures, pointing at myself, and he nodded. "This will be your room." He pointed at the door next to him.

You?! Gosh... he's started to annoy me.

I frowned as I walked to the door and unlocked it by twisting the knob. I said to Ash, who was standing right next to the door, with a nerve popped up, "I have a name and it's given to human beings to prevent being called 'you.'"

"Pip..." Piplup stared at me, concerned.

I humph-ed and walked in, shutting the door behind me. I heard Serena say, "Ash, that was quite rude. You should've called her by her name. Isn't she your friend?"

Friend? I didn't even bother hearing his reply. I walked to the bed, pulled my bag and threw it on the bed. I sat down on the bed and sighed. "My life gets so messed up all the time."

"Piplup!" He patted my shoulder, trying to comfort me.

I smiled at him. "No need to worry, Piplup! I'm okay." I stood up, took out my clothes from my bag, and walked to the bathroom. "I'm gonna wash my face and get changed."

I entered the bathroom and god, it was huge! The walls were of light blue color. There was a bathtub in the corner and a shower next to it. I walked to the wash basin, turned on the tap and splashed some cold water at my face.

I'm not gonna think about Ash, anymore. He already had a fiancée and he was still flirting with me? How cheap. Ah, forget it. I'm not concerned about him nor his life.

Why did I even realise that I had feelings for him!

I took the soap and scrubbed my face, thoroughly. After that, I washed my face and rubbed it dry with the towel.

I unbuttoned my vest, and then my white shirt. I had to just change my top, so I didn't remove my pants. I pulled a red tunic over my head and then rolled it down my belly, and decided to go to brush my hair.

Once I was out, that's when I noticed the decor of the room. The bathroom was just half of the room. The walls were light green and the ceiling was dark green. The radiations were quite perfect.

The bed canopy was placed in the center of the room. The bedsheets were grey and there were white bed curtains. Next to the bed, there was a small colorful fluffy carpet. It looked ideal for a girl like me!

A few metres away from the bed, there was a closet door, and next to that door was a royal cream dressing table. It had many desks and a huge mirror in the center. There was a navy blue couch near the balcony.

I saw Piplup lying on the bed, flat on his belly. I sneaked up to him and started tickling him. He jumped in surprise, laughing and giggling. I laughed along with him and then released him.

"Pip!" He had tears in his eyes.

I giggled. "Sorry, sorry."

I got up from the bed, went to the dressing table, and sat on the chair in front of that desk. I took out the comb as I pulled out the hairband from my hair with my other hand. When I pulled out the band, I couldn't help but stare at it.

It was the same one that Ash had gifted… no, given to me, that day. All the memories of the festival came flooding back to my brain; him lending me his cap, waiting for me in the morning, the fun we had in the festival, his compliment on my kimono, spying on Leaf and Gary, and lastly… the kiss, err, the dare. I gazed at the thing in my hand blankly. I let out a distressed sigh, regretting the fact that I had to remember those happy yet painful memories. My heart felt heavy.

I massaged my temples as I closed my eyes and threw the hairband on the table, deciding not to wear it. I picked up the comb again and slowly brushed it though my hair.

I felt a small flipper pat my shoulder. "Piplup?"

I turned to him, pulled him towards me and hugged him tightly. He flinched at first, but then relaxed as he rubbed his cheek against my chest. I muttered, "Piplup, you know I had liked Ash, right?"

He nodded. "Pip!"

"Then, why did this happen to me?" I couldn't help but give a sad and a distant smile.

He comforted me, "Pip, piplup, pip! Lup!"

I nodded as I pulled away. "You're right. It's not like he belonged to me... He has his own life... I don't have any right in this." I took a deep breath, "Forget it, Piplup. Love is always complicated… no matter the situation. That's why I'm going to concentrate on the mission for now and nothing else. I don't have time to think about those useless matters."

I got up from my seat and jumped on the bed. My hair was sprawled up on it and my starter Pokémon was lying next to me. I calmed my mind completely.

Ha!

I was ready to face anyone now.

Just then, there was a knock on the door. I groaned as I got up and went to open it. I pulled the door open to reveal Drew, who was standing outside. He waved. "Hey."

I smiled, just a bit. "Hi, what brings you here? Shouldn't you be resting?"

He scratched the back of his head, "Actually, I was here to check up on you… I mean, are you okay?"

I wiggled my eyebrows, confused. "Why would I be not okay? I'm perfectly alright! No need to worry!" I smiled brightly at him, and although it was fake... he had seemed to buy it.

Drew nodded as he smiled back. "Good thing! I was worried about you, but I'm glad you didn't take it as hard as I thought you would." He placed a hand on my head and slowly patted it. "Life's cruel. It never goes as expected. But it doesn't mean that your life has ended. You still have a long way to go. You cannot be hung up on one person forever, you have to move on. Charging head-on to face what lies ahead of us is the true meaning behind living. So, no need to worry? We'll all be here for you. Alright?" He gave me a heartfelt smile.

I couldn't help but be mesmerized by him. I felt so comfortable and calm. The way he was patting my head, was making me want to cry. But, I knew if I cried, then, Drew would definitely be worried. Pushing my thoughts aside, I nodded as I looked up at him. "No need to worry!" I flashed him a genuine smile. It wasn't forced because I was happy that he cared about me to this extent. "I'm a strong girl, brother!"

I always wished for an elder brother. And I had gotten one. A very amazing one. Though, it has taken fifteen years for my wish to be fulfilled.

"Mm, good! Then, I'll get going. See you at the lunch!" He walked away as I waved at him. I closed the door and leaned on the door.

I sighed. "Mom and Dad were right, love is something that takes a lot of time to understand."

Just then, there was another knock on the door. I opened it to see that it was one of the maids. She bowed as she informed me, "Ma'am, the lunch is ready. You're requested to come down."

"Alright."

She walked away and I shut the door as I grabbed my mobile. I put on a beanie to prevent the front locks of my hair from falling on my face, since I wasn't going to wear the headband Ash had given me.

I held my mobile in one hand and grabbed Piplup with my other hand. I exited the room and walked down the stairs. "Piplup?" he questioned.

"We have to go for lunch," I reminded him.

Once I went down the stairs, I saw that there was nobody except for a small boy. I furrowed my eyebrows, curious, as I went to him. I tapped him on his shoulder. When he turned around, my eyes widened in shock.

It was a boy, who looked exactly like Ash. The only difference was their height, weight and age. It seemed like he was maybe six or seven years, old. He looked like a mini version of Ash!

He stared at me with same cold eyes as Ash, "Dawn, right?" Piplup and I nodded, still confused.

"Dawn!"

I was startled by the voice of May. "I didn't do anything!" I pointed at that young boy and panicked.

"Pip-lup!" he shouted, frantically.

She laughed. "What are you talking about, Dawn?"

I gulped as I blurted, "I didn't do anything to Ash! I didn't use magic to make him seem like a young boy!"

She frowned, confused. "Stop talking about weird stuff." She went next to that small version of Ash and introduced. "This is Ash's younger brother, Aiden."

Oh, Aiden?

...

...Didn't I keep that as his fake name?

If he knew his brother's name was already Aiden, then why didn't he tell me? I mean… I'd be happy about it. Then, I sighed. Ah, stop thinking about him.

Then, I put on a bright expression as I came down to Earth. "Oh! Younger brother!" I laughed nervously. Man, what was I thinking!

"Pip!" Piplup sighed in relief.

I bent down and greeted Aiden, "Hey, Aiden! Nice to meet you."

He jabbed his hands in his pockets. "Likewise." He was wearing a green and white striped T-shirt with light brown shorts and red sneakers. Ah, rude brothers.

"How did you know my name?" I said.

He responded with a serious face, "Mom kept talking about you and your blue hair. My elder brother also mentioned about you many a times. I was quite looking forward to meeting you. But... from what I see, you don't look like any special." He eyed me with squinted eyes.

So, it's true that siblings resemble each other, huh? Both in looks and attitude.

I saw May laughing at me and I glared at her. She stifled her laugh, still finding it hard to do so. "It's nothing funny!" I said, embarrassed.

"S-sorry!" She was still laughing at me with tears in her eyes. "Looks like Ash and Aiden both are your rivals!"

"Then, I'll take my leave." Aiden bowed and walked away.

May grabbed my shoulders, "Let's go to the dining room."

I frowned and crossed my arms. "Do they have some kind of family grudge against me or something?"

"Who knows." She giggled.

We entered the dinning room. I noticed that there was a huge table in the middle of the room, which was very spacious and large. The walls were of light cream colour and the tiles were white. It seemed similar to the dining hall of a princess!

I saw many chairs next to the table. May and I went and took a seat next to Leaf. Opposite me, Ash was sitting, and next to him was Serena on his right. On his left, Gary and Drew were seated.

Just then, Ash's mom entered and sat on one end of the table, and Ash's younger brother sat next to her.

My eyes widened when Ash's father entered. He looked just like an older version of Ash! He had the same raven hair and tanned skin. The only thing different was that he looked a bit older and was wearing glasses.

Did they get at least one gene from their mother?!

He sat on the opposite end from Delia. He looked very strict and held a stern expression. He introduced himself, saying, "Hello, kids. I'm Ash's father, Ace Ketchum."

We all bowed to him, while sitting on the chairs. We all replied, in unison, "An honour to meet you!"

He said, "I'm glad that I got to meet you all. Gary and Drew, you look a lot better than before."

Ash interrupted him, "Dad, let's start eating. My friends might be hungry."

I don't know why but seeing him was making me slightly uncomfortable. I didn't raise my eyes to look at him, so that our eyes wouldn't meet.

His father sighed. "Alright, you all may start eating." He then called out, "Um… Ash, the girl next to May, holding the Piplup, is Dawn, right?"

At the mention of my name, my head shot up. How the hell does everyone knew my name?! I mean, seriously? I wanna know!

Ash nodded. "Yeah."

Mr. Ketchum gave a nod, "Um… can you hand over Piplup to the maid, there? She will take him to the dining table for the Pokémon food."

Wow. A freaking dining table for Pokémon?! Amazing!

"Sure." I handed Piplup to the maid next to me. "No need to worry, eat as much as you can. Then I'll come and get you, but mind your behaviour, alright?" I petted him.

He nodded. "Piplup!" He saluted to me and smiled.

I could feel a number of pairs of eyes on me. Slowly, I turned to them and they quickly looked away. Did I... do something wrong..?

I looked at the table. There were so many dishes of different types of meals. I didn't even know some of their names! My eyes wandered only to the chocolate dishes… but I controlled myself. I had to be polite.

We all started eating our meals. I had to finish quickly, because I didn't think I'd be able to sit in front of Ash like this. For some reason, I was irritated at the sight of his face.

"Dawn, Gary had said that you were single. Looking at you, I think you can get any boy you like... so why are you still single?"

I raised my head, with my spoon in front of my mouth. I put the spoon on my plate and stared at Mrs. Ketchum, who had spoken.

...Is this the kind of talk you have when you're sitting at a dining table with this many people..?

I gulped as I said, "Uh… you see, my mom and dad didn't want me to get into romantic relationships since childhood, so I'm kinda used to that, now. Besides," I stole a glance at Ash while glaring at him, "I feel like love is not made for me. Hehe." I tried to finish it off with an awkward laugh. I didn't want people to pity me or anything.

Ash looked a bit surprised, but looked down at his plate and continued to eat his food quietly.

"Haha, I get it but don't you think it's okay now? I mean, you are nearing the age of getting married, right? So, why don't you choose a partner for yourself?" Delia said curiously, with a wide smile on her face.

Arceus, it's embarrassing to be talked about in the middle of the lunch with everyone on the table!

I smiled, nervously at her as I was about to reply. "Uh-"

"Uh, Delia, it's just that she isn't interested in getting married either. Her mom wants her to be the successor of her father's company. But Dawn wants to continue her job as a cop. So she conditioned that she will get married and take over his company after she receives the medal of bravery," Leaf said for me, sensing my discomfort.

Leaf! You're seriously my lifesaver! Uwaah!

Ash's mom laughed. "Oh, okay! I understand. You want to achieve your goal first, and then, concentrate on your love life... how passionate! I like you!"

I blushed in embarrassment. Wasn't I being praised a bit too much?

The rest of the lunch went in silence. After having it, we all went back to our rooms to take a rest for some time.

When I entered my room, along with Piplup, I sat down on the couch and started using my mobile to play a match of PUBG since I really wanted to distract my mind from useless thoughts.

Don't think about Ash. Don't think about Ash. Don't think about Ash. Don't think about-

Then, there was a knock on the door. I let out frustrated sigh as I opened the door. My eyes dropped at the person.

"Sorry, but we need to have a talk," Gary said as he walked straight in. I locked the door and sat down on the couch.

I asked, "What kind of talk? I don't remember anything important." Piplup was lying on the bed. It looked like he didn't want to get involved in our conversation.

Gary sat down on the bed, opposite to me. He bent down and placed his elbows on his knees. He started, "I know you might be affected by the news but-"

"I'm not affected by anything, Gary," I cut him off. Ah, I'm getting irritated at everything.

"Dawn! You and I both know that you are upset with the fact that Ash already has a fiancée! So, stop dodging the topic," he said sternly.

I sighed as I placed a palm on cheek and turned the other way. He continued, "Dawn, you don't have to act so tough. I know that girls are very sensitive when it comes to love, and you're one of them."

I blurted, "No, I'm not like them. I'm not crying my heart out like other girls, am I?"

He rolled his eyes. "Okay, fine. Listen, you don't have to be angry at Serena because she is Ash's fiancée… so don't do anything reckless, okay?"

I jerked my head in his direction as I said, incredulously, "Ha! I was not thinking of doing anything of that sort. What are you thinking?! Gary, do you think I'm that kind of girl who'd hurt another girl just because she is my crush's fiancee?" I was a little hurt by the implication. I sighed, "Besides, I'm angry but not at Serena. I'm more angry at Ash because... if he didn't act as if he cared about me, liked me and… kissed me… then I guess this would've never happened!" I vented.

He just stared at me, "It's my fault for giving him the dare to kiss you on the Festival night… don't blame him."

"Gary, please!" I showed him my hand. "If I don't have to blame him, then who should I blame? Myself?"

He nodded. "You're equally guilty, Dawn."

"Oh, really?" I asked sarcastically. "I wouldn't have been guilty if you told me about this, from the start, itself! What a great friend you are."

Gary's eyebrows furrowed. "Ash had made us promise to not tell you girls about this, especially you!"

"Really?! So only his promise matters, huh?" I snapped, totally pissed off. "Okay, fine. I understand it was a secret. But, you could've just told me that I should stay away from or make sure that I didn't fall for him! Then, I would feel 'oh, there's something secretive about Ash, so I should keep my distance!' I would think of it as a thoughtful gesture towards me, your best friend. Instead! You encouraged my feelings for him! Giving him a dare to kiss me! He's an engaged man, for god's sake! So, why did you ask him to do that?! And the way you all kept teasing me and pestering if I like him or not, isn't that definitely going to trigger some feelings within me?! Why?! I don't understand you!"

He heaved a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I'm guilty for that."

"And because of your stupid mistake, I've to go through something very terrible!" I scoffed.

"Dawn, you don't understand," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Of course, I wouldn't! Since you're Ash's best friend! Who am I? Just a girl who's been deluded with thoughts that you're her best friend and would never do anything which can hurt her!" I exclaimed, biting my lips. I was desperately wishing that my tear glands wouldn't betray me.

Gary sighed once again. "I'm a best friend to both of you. Trust me, I never wanted things to go this way!"

"Really? Then, why did you keep on insisting that my feelings for Ash were something different and all that shit?! Why would you ask him to kiss me as a dare? Did you not know that it was my first kiss?" He didn't say anything, but looked down at his feet. "Sorry doesn't solve everything, Gary."

"All I can say now is sorry," he responded.

I didn't reply as I turned the other way, feeling my breath hitch and getting sharper.

"What do you think? Ash wants to marry her?" He questioned as he laughed, scornfully. "He never wanted to get engaged to her in the first place! They are ready to marry just because of their parents! Those two are childhood friends and their parents are business partners! Serena's parents live all the way in Kalos... They want them to get married for business profit," he said.

I countered, "Then why didn't he deny it? If he doesn't want to get married, then why can't he just tell his parents?!"

"His father made the condition that he can break the engagement only if Serena and Ash both find someone else they want to marry! Since, it isn't happening… he can do nothing but go along with it!" Gary replied. "Listen, Dawn-"

I interrupted him, "Look, Gary. I'm trying to forget about all of this. I admit that I was upset, but I'm not anymore. I've made up my decision that I'm not going to go for any dumb feeling and waste my whole time over that. I'm just going to concentrate on my mission and when it's over, I'll live a happy life. Marrying a guy my mom and dad choose for me! Love is shit, I've realised it, thanks to all your efforts!"

"Listen-"

I took a deep breath. "They were right, love is nothing but a painful emotion in the youngsters' life. I'll think of Ash as just a friend and a companion in one of my missions of my life. I don't give a damn to my feeling, emotions and whatsoever!" I added, "In fact, I'm happy for those two, now."

He listened to me and raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"101 percent!" I nodded as I got up. "My main focus is to complete this mission and get that damned medal of bravery. Love and all is just a distraction from my goal."

"Dawn, please reconsider your decision," he pressed, concerned.

I faced him. "You know, how much time I wasted to make this decision? It took an hour of my life to understand it. Gary, please don't try to convince me."

He sighed. "Alright. Looks like you've made your decision but... please, don't avoid Ash. He is already very worried."

I nodded. "Sure. I'll keep that in mind." I saw him walking out of my room and shut it behind him. I slumped down on the couch with a heavy sigh and I felt tears starting to fall, which I had been holding back for a while.

Telling me not to avoid him?! He only cared about Ash's feelings and not mine!

No one can understand how I'm feeling, right now! They all are content with their love lives, so how would they know the pain I'm suffering from!

No matter how hard I tried to convince myself that I'm fine, I just... can't let go of my feelings. My heart felt like it was about to sink... it felt like it would shatter if I didn't hold onto it... but, I didnt have any strength to hold it.

I felt miserable.

I bit my lips, sniffing. I put my head in my palms and cried harder.

Everything is just too unfair for me.

Just...

Why did I have to be so unlucky?

And... That's a wrap! How did you like the ending? Did it touch your heart? Were you able to feel her emotions as if you were the one experiencing it? (I was trying really hard to convey that!) Was it right for Dawn to be mad at Gary and her friends? And did you think Gary's explanation was justified?

Damn, just post your opinions and let me know! I'm excited for your answers!

How many of you think Ash is being a jerk? Raise your hands!

Lastly, did you like today's update?