Chapter 4

Small Steps to Becoming Whole

A/N: So here we are. Thought I'd delay it again, huh? Almost did, not going to lie. Time to finally reach the point we started at in the original. At least now, we have some story and context built around it. In case you missed it, I edited some parts of Misty's info dump at the end of chapter 2 so as to make it more... realistic as to what happened in the final 3 years leading to Ash's loss at the Silver League. This chapter is going to be a bit of dialogue dump. Some explaining, some banter, and some emotions. Nothing else to add, let's get going

########

Dawn woke to the sound of her name being called. The warm Kantonian air whipped against her face as she sat up on Aerodactyl's back. She glanced over towards her traveling partner, Gary, who was staring at her with clear worry, "Gary, what...? What's wrong?"

Gary shook his head and simply pointed at his eyes, signaling her to check her own. She wasn't surprised to find her sleeve was wet after wiping them; she had dreamt about that night ever since they found their final lead, "If only I had done more... Why didn't I stop him, why didn't I stand my ground?" She berated herself, even going as far in the past as questioning why she didn't just kiss him right there, in a desperate hope that her feelings for him would snap him out of it. She knew, however, that those were just wishful thoughts for a time that can never be repeated. Now she had a way to fix her wrong, her lack of decision making back then. Maybe I will just walk up and kiss him this time. His face would be priceless.

Ahead, Pallet town loomed in the distance, the trademark windmill of the Oak Pokémon Lab towering over the small burg. It would only be a few more minutes before Dawn would be finishing her preparations to journey to Mt. Silver. Where all of this mess began, and where it all would end. "Didn't get lonely without me to talk to, did you Gary?"

Even with the wind howling past them, Dawn still heard the young professor scoff, "Please, I had some things to work out in my head for research I'm going to look into once I get home, so that killed the time and helped drown out your snoring!" She appreciated that he didn't comment on her tears any further, no doubt she was also making some rather meek whimpers near the end. She normally slept alone, even keeping her Piplup in his pokéball so as not to worry him. She could make it through the dream to still wake with some rest, she just couldn't make it without the sadness pouring out from its only outlet.

"What all is going to happen when we arrive?" when Gary gave her a quizzical look, she continued, "Is he just going to give me a note? Does Professor Oak have to accompany me? Oh, please don't tell me you're holding a surprise party for my journey!" she shared a smile with Gary at that last comment. He had truly been a wonderful friend these last few months, and as much as she tried to keep her old self hidden, she knew that it hurt him more than just about anyone.

Just about. As they came in for a landing, her eyes caught a flash of red near the Ketchum household, though her mind was brought back to Gary as he responded, "No, Gramps has already called ahead. He'll give you a signed permission slip just to confirm who you are, and you'll be good to go," both of their Pokémon flapped their wings strongly before coming to a halt, "Most of the security personnel are aware of the situation now and are more than happy to see the mountain vacated, though they aren't happy that it requires you to go."

Dawn plucked an Oran berry from one of the numerous pockets on the legs of her jeans and gave it to Aerodactyl thank you gift and patted the side of his head as he squawked happily before turning to Gary, swearing she saw red out of the corner of her eye again as she responded, "Sadly, we can't all get what we want. Hopefully I can handle at least the first part." She made her way towards the door to her second home and knocked gently, waiting patiently for the usual greeter to open it.

"Mr. Mime!" a clown like face chimed as he opened the door and greeted Dawn with a strong handshake, followed by a call down the hall asking who was there, "Mime Mime!"

A brunette woman poked her head out from one of the adjacent rooms, a bright smile cresting her face, "Well, look what the Tauros dragged in, welcome Dawn, Gary!"

"Mr. Mime, Mrs. Ketchum, hello." Dawn said politely, though she was thrown off by the older woman's phrasing. What the Tauros dragged in? That was a new one. Though she had a feeling it was a reference to Ash's small collection up at the lab, it sounded rather off for her, "I'm guessing you know what we're here for?"

Delia Ketchum made her way to the door and nodded, "Of course. Professor Oak called ahead to inform me. It only seems appropriate I give you a place to prepare before you go to bring my little Ash back home!" Dawn smiled warmly at her and nodded, welcoming the kindness as she and Gary made their way into the living room, "the professor said he would be showing up soon, so make yourselves comfortable dears!"

Dawn and Gary exchanged glances as they sat on the couch, Gary making the first move to ask, "He's not already here?" That was odd. He was more than eager to get this whole debacle taken care of, what could be keeping him?

"He said he's been stuck on the phone all day. On that note, Dawn, when was the last time you spoke to your mother?" Dawn shifted uncomfortably at the question. It had been a good while. All this time she gave Ash so much trouble for not keeping up with friends and family, and here she had gone at least two months without even sending a message to Johanna to let her know she was alright. Before she could respond, there was another knock at the door, "Oh my, so many visitors today! Mimey, would you get that?"

"Gramps was on the phone? With who? He told me everything was prepared for you to go. Who could he have been talking... to...?" Gary's words drifted off as he stared at the entry to the room, Dawn tracing his gaze only for her eyes to widen in shock.

"Well now, thought you'd go and leave without telling me anything?" Red eyes met blue with a smirk, "How's it going, Dawn?"

"Z-Zoey, wha... what are you?"

The redheaded girl shrugged as she walked into the room, sitting in a lounge chair close to Dawn, "I heard through the grape vine that you finally had a lock on Ash, and I figured it had been a while since we had had a chat. Couldn't hurt to catch up before you go up and die on Mt. Silver, could it?"

Neither Dawn nor Gary acknowledged that little jab at the end, Gary chiming in, "And by grapevine, I'm guessing gramps called you?" Zoey smugly grinned at him, all but confirming his suspicion, but one caller wouldn't be enough to hold him all day on the phone.

"Gary Oak! Good to see you too," Zoey laughed, "Tell me, have you been taking good care of Dawn for me?"

"Like she were your own girlfriend, Zoey." Gary responded with appropriate snark, enjoying the blush that crept up Zoey's face as she turned back to look at Dawn, "Don't worry, I didn't let her get into too much trouble."

"Not like you can stop me, Gary," Dawn giggled lightly, catching the crimson eyes gazing at her, "I'm glad you came, Zoey. I'm sure that... it wasn't-"

Zoey shook her head, "What we had was temporary. But I enjoyed every minute of it, even if I knew the entire time it wouldn't last. I'm just glad I was able to be the shoulder you needed to lean on to pick yourself back up, Dawn." Her blush betrayed her thoughts as memories returned to Dawn, which brought another genuine laugh from Zoey, "Come on Dawn, don't get all shook up now, you'll never make it to your man!"

Dawn knew Zoey was trying to pick her up at her own expense. Not just from knowing her, but because of her aura. Damn, she wished she could turn it off at times. It made conversations like this awkward because she could see the fluctuations in the person she spoke to, "Hey, how's your Lucario? Last I heard, you two went all the way to Cameran Palace and made quite the stir in the stadium!"

Dawn reached into her bag and brought out a pokéball, tapping the front to release her Lucario. It took only a moment for a clear grin to curve the usually serious look the jackal always wore as it stepped up to Zoey to offer a paw, Zoey happily shaking it, "We went to discuss more about Aura with the castellans. They're very knowledgeable of it, as the Aura Guardian Sir Aaron once served there... The power that I seem to have. Apparently, if we hadn't been walking through Route 217, it's very likely I never would have discovered it. I also discovered that Ash is a descendant of him."

"Well, that just proves more how much you two were made for each other!" Zoey chuckled to herself, noting Gary deep in though across from them, "Something up, Prof?"

Gary scrunched his eyebrows, "First the incident at the orange islands, then the Unnown incident in Johto, the Deoxys-Rayquaza incident, does that guy ever not attract craziness? Now he's the descendant of some knight of Aura? No wonder he rarely calls home. He'd never get off the phone explaining everything!" They all shared a good laugh at that. Ash did seem to get into trouble, and always seemed to be right at the right place at the correct time, and doubly so always seemed to be the right person for the job. Dawn couldn't help but reflect on their time with the lake trio of Sinnoh, and even the incidents with Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina and their leader, Arceus. It certainly made saying 'for Arceus sake' all the more impactful.

"From what I saw, you and Lucario completely dominated the Rota festival. Must have been quite the shock for them, huh?" Zoey noticed the crestfallen look on Dawn's face a Lucario moved back to his trainer's side, "Dawn... Did something happen there?"

The blunette remained silent, staring down at her hands for a few moments before shaking her head, "I found out a lot about Aura... Again, if I hadn't found Lucario here as an egg, I wouldn't have ever known I had an innate connection to it. When I mentioned Ash to the castellans, they were convinced it was no coincidence that he and I crossed paths." Once more her thoughts wandered to Mesprit, and her connection with it. Fate certainly hadn't hesitated to show her that it had Dawn in her sights, but it seems the Spear Pillar wasn't the last of its time with her.

"Damn mystics. This whole aura thing is confusing as hell," Zoey sighed, dismissing Gary's quick 'I know, right' with a flick of her hand, "Though I have bumped into some people in Hoenn recently that have some connection with it. All of them had Riolu's with them, so I have to guess that has something to do with it, right?"

Dawn remembered a time her, Ash and Brock had met a trainer with a Riolu, and Ash had mentioned Aura back then too. "Maybe... but-"

Once more, the door was rapped on. Before long, the elder Oak made his way into the living room to join the conversation, "Well, sorry it took me so long, Ms. Berlitz. Gary, Zoey, good to see you both." The three nodded, nervously awaiting his approval for Dawn to make her perilous journey. The older man made his way to Dawn, "If I may, Dawn, I need to see your pokéballs." Without question, Dawn handed five out of six pokéball to him, though before she could return Lucario, she saw his ears perk. He quickly made his way out of the living room and out the front door, though Oak dismissed this casually, "It's fine, I only need the pokéballs." He took out a set of twelve gray rings and snapped two on each pokéball, one on top, one on the bottom, "There. Even if they give you trouble at the gate, the fact that your pokéballs will no longer set off the alarms will be more than enough to convince them. You have no idea how troublesome it was to get these in such a short time, Dawn."

Dawn's attention had stayed on her Lucario, feeling his aura shifting dramatically after he made his way outside, though she brought her eyes up to meet the older professor's before politely saying, "And you have no idea how much it means to me that you trust me with this, Professor Oak. I hope I don't let you down."

Samuel smiled kindly down to the young lady, "I have no doubt you will be able to do this. The only person I have ever met with such endless determination, even to a fault, as you is Ash himself. If anyone can drag that young man home, it most certainly is you, Dawn."

Dawn couldn't help the small blush as she felt her chest tighten. She certainly knew seeing Zoey again had cracked her mask a little, but the pride she felt in those words hit far closer to home than she cared to admit. The world renowned Pokémon Professor, Samuel Oak, just gave her the utmost praise, and without even the slightest drop of sarcasm or faux confidence. "I... Thank you..." She barely said as he handed her a signed card, the final key to her accessing the gauntlet that was Mt. Silver. She stood and curtly bowed in respect to the elder, before looking to Gary and Zoey. Gary gave her a strong smile and a thumbs up, and Zoey stood with her and brought her into a hug, sneaking a quick kiss on her ex's cheek, "Zoey...!" Dawn groaned, not even trying to hide the huge blush that had erupted.

"Come on, can't blame me, this may be the last time I can before Ash will be the one to call me out," the redhead said with a quick wink as she patted Dawn on the back, "Go get him, Dawn! We all know you can do it!"

The Twinleaf coordinator clapped her cheeks gently to recompose herself before nodding confidently, "You know it! No need to worry, I'll bring Ash home, no doubt!" She spun on her heel and made her way toward the door, seeing her Lucario being pet by... someone? Who in the world would be-?

Speaking of Twinleaf coordinators. Dawn's breath hitched in her throat and her stomach fell like a lead weight as she stared at another blue haired coordinator from Twinleaf. A Top Coordinator. Her mother, Johanna Berlitz, "M... Mom...? What... What are you...?" Once more, her mask cracked.

"Well, when you don't call in so long, your mother has to find a way to see you again, doesn't she?" Dawn gasped, realizing exactly what Delia was hinting at earlier, "And when Samuel gave me a call, well... What kind of mother would I be if I didn't come to see my little girl off on such an arduous adventure?"

Dawn stumbled on her words, the façade falling more and more, "I'm not... I'm not your little girl anymore, mom..." her eyes lowered guiltily.

Johanna giggled at the remark, "You're right. You're not," she locked eyes with her daughter again as Dawn gazed up at her in shock, "You're a strong, beautiful young woman. The blooming Forget-Me-Not of Twinleaf, the top coordinator-to-be who makes everyone remember her name and ingenuity. I can still so vividly remember the day you set off for your first Pokémon, so energetic and determined, yet you hadn't a clue what the world held for you. You were so clumsy and even ditzy at times!" She placed her hands on her daughters shoulder, pride beaming from her face as she continued, "And now, all these years later, you stand here, ready to take a challenge almost no coordinator, trainer even, has dared to take. You aren't my little girl anymore... You're my beautiful daughter, the young lady who never gave up on the man she loves. You're Dawn Berlitz"

That did it. From seeing Zoey and remembering the months with her rival, Professor Oak giving her unrestricted praise, and now her mother. Hearing these words from Johanna was enough. The mask shattered, and the dam broke. Dawn leapt into her mother with an Ursaring sized hug, crying out over six months of held back tears into her chest, "M... Mom... I..."

"The strongest people are the ones who hold back the most tears..." Johanna cooed as she stroked her daughter's hair gently, "I can only speak from my own experience... As time passes, Dawn, you will hurt. As distance continues to widen as the world continues to turn, your love will continue to grow to overcome that pain... Ash is only getting what is coming to him, making you wait this long and keeping you so far from him." She felt the crying blunette nod strongly. Johanna had mentioned that before in regards to Dawn's missing father in the past, and how she continued to stay strong even when alone. A few moments of silence passed before Dawn slowly lifted herself up, her eyes puffy, but now dry, instead filled with even stronger determination. Johanna took this moment to bring out a gift for her daughter, an ocean blue scarf to replace her old pink one, matching her current attire to a 'T'. "Dawn. Bring him home."

Dawn gingerly wrapped the scarf around her neck, noting it was much thicker than her old one for how cold the mountain would be. She gave one last meek look into her mother's eyes, steeled herself, and then looked to Lucario. Her partner nodded before she returned it to its pokéball. Behind her, Aerodactyl squawked in anticipation, clearly ready to take off again. She certainly would have to thank Gary profusely for yet again allowing her to borrow this ancient beast, but for right now, her thoughts were locked onto a single thought as she mounted it and took off for Route 25.

"Ash Ketchum... I'm coming for you."

A/N: Well, we're finally where it all began. It's pretty obvious it's different from the original in many ways, but anyone familiar with the opening of the original will notice some similarities and partial quotes too. Next chapter will be the Mt Silver approach and maybe ascent, we'll see. I'm kind of enjoying these mid-sized chapters instead of the monsters I used to make, but next chapter may be a bit longer just due to the content. Reviews are appreciated as I'm really trying to make a PROPER romance adventure here, and critiques are ESPECIALLY welcome. Thanks all, see you next chapter.