Dawn had borrowed forks, knives and spoons from Lila's kitchen but Ash said he didn't need them. He took the two small wooden sticks that came with all the food boxes and ate with them instead. Dawn has always seen people eat with them but could never figure out how they worked herself.
Ash was feeling a bit mischievous. He smiled and took a piece of meat from his box between his chopsticks. He tossed the piece of meat into the air and caught it again with his eating sticks. He flicked his wrist and the piece of chicken flew through the air again. This time Ash leaned backwards, opened his mouth and caught the meat like a dog trained to catch his treats.
"Whant meh to feach fou?" He talked with his mouth full making Dawn cringe a bit. Didn't his mother ever tell him not to play with his food? For him being a hero of the city he sure is childish at some times.
"Sure." Wanting to make the most of the time they had left Ash showed her how to hold them. Dawn fumbled with her fingers trying to get a piece of tofu in between her chopsticks. Her hand shaking she lifted it up to her mouth but as she turned it a bit it fell off. Being lightning quick Ash caught the piece with his own sticks.
"Careful. Whatever you're dropping I'm eating." Before she can protest he already put the piece in his mouth and chewed on it.
"Stay with your own food!" Dawn threw a swipe to his right arm while Ash was eating from his box. The box flying out of his hand he leaped up and caught as much as he could in his mouth not to let any food go to waste. Having gotten some stains of sauce on his outfit it wasn't much of a loss seeing that his Greninja persona was being worked on.
"STOP IT! It's nice you kids are playing tag but can you do it after you digested your food and your stomach content isn't going to end up on the floor!"
"Yes ma'am!" Being put down by the elder spirit they sat down quietly again embarrassed at their playfulness. Eating in silence Ash finished his meal. Filled up he needed to let it drop for a dew minutes before.
"So what's your motivation for doing this?" Umbreon started talking. Ash swallowed his food down and looked towards Dawn's left ear.
"Motivation?"
"Why do you use your aura powers the way you do?" Wanting to know a bit more about the young guardian this would also count as a lesson for Dawn. Ash took a chug of his can of soda to clean his mouth and started a little about his youth.
"My mom always said it's easier to do the wrong thing than the right one. It's easy to ignore somebody doing something wrong and be afraid to speak up. It's harder to speak up and do something about it." It sounded familiar to Dawn.
"Is that why you always go out of your way to stop bullies who harass others?"
Ash had always gotten into fights that weren't his ever since elementary school. It always seemed to Dawn that he took on bullies bigger than him and protected those who didn't dare to hit back. And that was even before he discovered he had skills with aura others don't have.
"I just can't stand the idea I can do so much more than others and not do anything. I'm given the chance to do the right things easier than others thanks to my aura. Having these powers and not using them, I won't be able to live with myself if I can do something about it and I don't."
"That's a good motivation." She said having learned a bit more about him.
"What's yours Dawn?"
"May and Glaceon asked me the same thing when we met. I haven't figured it out yet." She owed him an answer she couldn't give.
When she found out about her family heritage she only wanted to help Ash solve his issue that plagued him in the museum. But that seems so minuscule compared to what she heard from May and Ash as their reasons to fight. Riley himself probably had a good reason as well training Ash in aura so they left her behind again.
"You really should find one. Whenever I'm fighting someone strong I always think about it. It helps me ignore my doubts and push me on to do better. It sounds weird but your motivation is more important than your powers."
"It is?"
"You're spoiling too much Ash."
"Sorry." The spirit again warning the guardian to let Dawn do it on her own. At least with that out of the way it was time for Dawn to uphold her end of the deal they made.
"Since you fought me I'll keep my promise. You can take me to prom."
"Sweet. Thanks Dawn."
Happy she agreed to his offer. He wanted this ever since the final date was announced and was pretty early with his request for it. Dawn was bound to receive a few offers from a lot of guys in school and he wanted to make sure his got in before everyone else.
"Well. I know I said I'd take your prom request after we fought…but…" She hesitated for a second.
"Why didn't you ask May when you found out she's Glaceon?"
"Someone else asked you?" Thinking Dawn found someone else when he was fighting bad guys or slept in she elaborated.
"No…I mean. With you two together no one looks weird if you both leave early if something comes up."
"I just wanted to go with you." He quickly shut her off explaining why he didn't switch to the other earring holder.
"Even before you got your earring you always kept me fed and an extra roof above my head to rest up. I really wanted to thank you for always having time to let me in your room. The best I could think off is to show you an evening you wouldn't forget. Make you see I'm still me despite beating criminals as a hobby."
Ash didn't wanted her to think he's some superhero that is so much superior they don't even think about the common man anymore. He liked hanging with some of the guys in the basketball team at school and it kept him more down to earth to have someone discuss just regular stuff away from the difficulty of crime fighting. Making her his confidant he at least had an outlet for some of the crazy stories he could tell her.
"You do know you have to get a suit for it." Dawn imagining him in a black tie she started to giggle. Never before since they've known each other did she Ash wear a suit voluntarily even for some school plays where it was mandatory. She wasn't going to let her prom date just show up in anything he threw together from his wardrobe.
"Already have one."
"You do!?"
"Riley once saved a man from getting robbed when he did his shopping. Turned out he was the owner of a small clothes store. As a reward for saving his life and doing a few jobs for him Riley made a deal that if there's any old suits the owner was about to throw away he sends it to him first. We keep the ones that fit but donate the rest to charity."
They may not be of the highest quality but it gets the job done. If Riley and him ever had to go undercover in a gathering or a funeral they were at least dressed for the occasion.
"With how creased it probably is from all that stuff in your closet you better bring it to the drycleaner." He smirked confusing her.
"My closet is neat." Dawn held her laugh back.
"Liar."
"Don't believe me?" Ash took out his phone and went to his picture gallery. Showing Dawn a picture of his closet doors open all his clothes were neatly stacked and filed in order and colors. Checking the date on the photo it was taken today Dawn still didn't believe it. The tidiness came close to how Dawn herself organized her outfits.
"You cleaned it up!?" Looking in amazement Ash gave her a smug smirk.
"It's always been cleaned up. I know where everything is because if there's an emergency it saves time."
"So why did it always look like a pigsty when I come over!?"
"Just to mess with you." Her blue eyes turned red not because of Umbreon and her mouth frowned with her cheeks swollen puffing in annoyance. His sign to leave she reached out for him but he rolled out of the way.
"Still too slow Dawn!"
He jumped out through the hatch that brought him up to the roof again. She stopped her attempt considering there's no way she'd catch him now. Still fuming she fell for his stupid prank she sat back down and tried to find a way to get back at him without using her powers.
"He sure is something alright."
"In his skills as a fighter or his dumb pranks?"
"Both."
"These are the most boring nights."
As May and Glaceon scouted the area from a safe distance not to be spotted the night was extremely uneventful. For such a mass gathering of people the police had basically everything under control preventing people from trying to touch the meteors in a vague attempt to get powers as well. The girl sat down frustrated. Babysitting her brother used to be more eventful than this.
"At least we can keep each other company."
Glaceon looking on the bright side of it the last thing she wanted was for her host to get injured. Having a long weekend ahead of them where they will try to locate the necromancer and his puppets they and the aura guardians needed to be in top condition.
A small thud came from behind her. Turning around quickly for a sign of a human May saw nothing. Looking down there was a red flower with its thorns cut from the stern standing up straight.
"A rose?" Wondering how it got there she carefully scouted around her. Going to it she picked it up trying to find a clue where it came from.
"Behind you!" May turned quickly round at the order of her companion.
A character dressed mostly in green with a small green cape attached to a yellow collar. He seemed to have white hair that was shaped like the bloomed bud of the rose that disturbed her. Wearing a dark green mask over his red eyes the bottom half of it was light green ith his arms and legs the same color. His hands were the most peculiar thing about him with his right hand being a red rose and his left a blue one.
"I thought you already had powers? Or are you so selfish that nobody else can get them?"
"If that rumor of the meteors is true it looks like you slipped through or got them before." Freezing the rose she picked solid in her hand the flower shattered into tiny pieces. Ready for a fight May sized him up. He sure got the look for it down. It was no question where the now broken rose came from. Seeing his flower shattered he found what he was looking for.
"So you're really the ice hero. If you really were a protector those blue guys would've been arrested already."
"Those blue guys are my friends!" Figuring he was talking about the aura guardians Glaceon said they did as much for Veilstone City as she did.
"So why are they leaving you by yourself? Some friends they are."
"Fight me and I'll show you I can take care of myself just fine Mr. Know it all." The girl challenging him to a fight kicked up a few ice pikes around her.
"You're not worthy of those powers." Insulting her for her hotheadedness he was annoyed at her quick judgement.
"You're wasting time here. The event down there is nothing but a distraction to keep you away. The cops are wasting resources here so the deal there can go off uninterrupted."
"What deal?"
"You don't even know what's going on in your city while someone who's not from here is."
"Watch…your…mouth…" Turning a bit hotter than her icy exterior normally allowed she had enough about this guy talking down on her and her friends. Still the spirit advised her to at least listen at what he had to say for before turning him into a human popsicle.
"There is a massive drug deal happening tonight in the Veilstone Casino That social media post was made by a fake account. I've seen it before in other places. The dealer always does pull a trick like this when he has a lot of money on the line. Instead of wasting your time here do something useful. Show you actually care about this place."
He turned his back to her.
"Why should I trust you?" Glaceon called him out.
"Sit here doing nothing or actually come with me and do something of value. Keep up." He leaped away leaving her standing. His jumping capabilities matching her own May started to doubt on what to do.
"How am I going to tell Ash and Riley? Glaceon?"
Even with all her age the spirit had to think. Weighing the options quickly on everything that's going on and trying to connect it all together.
"Don't go. It's most definitely a trap. Lure you away to that hall where you'll get ambushed.
"But what if the drug deal is true?"
"It's out of our hands. I hate it too but there's too many unknowns to go on. He might be from the same group as the one who wanted to cut your head off. And the trust Ash and Riley put in us to watch this area is more important than a maybe deal."
May not arguing any further watched the character disappear in the distance to the casino he talked about. Her parents always warned to make her stay away from such sketchy places because every night there is at least one homeless pwrson coming out of it.
"Who was that guy?"
Mass gathering of people. I had to laugh when I wrote that.
Stupid virus.
See you around.