Dawn closed her locker. She was glad her school day is over so that she and her friends can focus on more important things now. The stack of books she was carrying felt a lot lighter than usual. All those workouts she did improved her daily life without even using a hint of her powers. She got why some people are so obsessed with fitness now and train to improve their lifestyle.

Walking outside the school she saw Kenny at the front porch of the school. His gym bag probably carrying his training gear the auburn haired male came off from leaning against the wall and approached her.

"Hey Kenny. What's up?"

"Can I walk you home today?"

"Sure." She figured it's about time she held her promise to him as she can make up the lost time as Umbreon anyway. May and Zoey already went ahead to explore Veilstone City and she'd catch up later. Seeing Kenny relax a little and sighing relief they walked home together considering they only lived a few houses from each other. Dawn wanted to make small talk because this silence between them was killing her.

"Dawn? Can I ask you anything? We're friends right?"

"What kind of dumb question is that? No need to worry." She smiled saying her catchphrase.

"So when a friend asks another friend to do something he'll agree to it right?"

"What do you need?" Dawn a little annoyed he didn't get straight to the point. What could be so important he actually…Kenny reached into his bag for something. He pulled out a small stuffed animal which is shaped like a penguin, Dawn's favorite animal.

"Would you like to go to prom with me?" Hearing his request she couldn't believe it as she stopped walking. The penguin held out in front of her, Kenny clearly offered it as a gift to with him pondering her dilemma.

For Ash taking her to prom might have been an excuse to go out fighting bad guys if something happened and he could go without standing up his date and making her upset. But the talk after their sparring match he was genuine in showing her a fun time. Kenny seemed also genuine in his offer and really looked forward to it going with her. The hopeful look on his face meant he really wanted it as well.

She had to be careful that someone else didn't ask her making her potential list of suitors even longer. As cheerleader of course she was popular but it never got to her head thanks to her mom always eclipsing her peak popularity.

"Be glad. I always was more attractive then any of my sisters were."

"Now is not the time!" Dawn not needing Umbreon's ego or her sister rivalry right now.

"Earth to Deedee!" Now that he asked her his nervousness was gone calling her by the name she hated.

"You and me, prom?" He still held out the penguin plushy. Dawn hated it. How to let a guy down gently was not in her hero training. Still he deserved the truth.

"I'm sorry. I already am going with Ash."

Kenny's happy smile melted like snow in summer. Somebody best him to it. Ash wished him the best of luck in his after school activity only for the same guy to ruin it without him knowing.

"Are you ok?" She began to worry for him now. His hopeful smile turned sour as if he was angry at himself. Or angry at the one who took her from him.

"Why him?"

"He asked me a while ago but I wanted a favor to show he's serious. He did it so I have to keep my promise."

"What was the favor?" Dawn needed to come with something quick cause the sparring they did on their level would give away their powers right away. She thought about it for a few seconds till she came up with something reasonable.

"That internship I have with Lila needed me to have a male model for showing off and tailor some of her clothes."

"Why didn't you ask me then?"

"She wanted to get a model with black hair."

"I would've dyed it if you asked me."

"I don't think black is your color."

"It certainly is ours." Umbreon joined in with her childhood friend still unaware. So much for having aura powers or a hint of her blood in the family line.

"Is that why you walk to school so often with him and after the games?" He put the penguin back in his bag. The turning him down only made him mad and she wished it won't escalate if she explained herself.

"We're friends like we are. Ash just walks with me because he's worried something might happen."

"So you're calling me weak and that I can't protect you?"

"What!? No! Why would I say that!?" Dawn shocked he thought himself as weak. Sure he might not have any powers as far as she is aware but calling yourself weaker than others is too far. He seemed to lose all self worth at losing her to another guy for prom.

"You're not weak. Don't talk yourself down like that." The second part bothered her too.

"And who says I need protection? I'm a big girl. And besides, those people who stopped the jailbreak are patrolling."

Dawn telling him it surely was a part she spoke about with excitement. Now that she has a good idea on what it is and proven herself to be capable enough for it she was riding a wave of confidence currently.

"Are they really heroes?" Kenny not sharing her enthusiasm in the matter Dawn looked to him. From the corner of her eyes she saw his fist tremble. Not sure if it was rejection talking or he did not like them.

"Ever since they showed up things have gotten worse." The auburn haired boy that all this madness started ever since the museum footage aired on the news.

"You got to have faith Kenny. They helped putting back all those people in jail too. I'm sure that whatever they did was necessary."

"You're not mad for them for all the damage they do in fights? The people they put at risk? We could've been dead by now if that guy did more than try to cut May's head." Clearly Kenny was one of the people that were afraid of them. She wished she could tell the truth that he couldn't be more wrong about her and her friends.

"You really think they aren't responsible for what's happening now?"

"No."

"What about that shaolin who's after the 'Glow' or whatever it is."

"That's one thing compared to all the good they've done. I'm not badmouthing them and I won't allow you to do it too. They're the good guys."

"They rescued my mom. I can't be mad at them if I tried. And they prevented worse if all those escapees were still free to walk around like they own the city. We might've run into them now." Dawn gave him a perfectly valid reason if she said so herself. Besides Leona this was the first time she had to throw out lie after lie to cover herself. So far she figured it was going well.

"What about that thing with the roses? Are you forgiving him too? He killed a few escapees though."

"No. He's not one of them. I trust the others but him I'd stay away as far as you can." Roserade not part of her group Dawn warned him of the risk of trying to do something against him as her phone went off.

"Where are you two? We're waiting."

Dawn seeing May's text she looked at the time. Running late she had to finish her talk with Kenny fast before Glaceon and Leafeon would leave her behind.

"I gotta go. Lyla needs something from me and I can't leave her waiting. We'll finish this talk some other time ok?"

"Sure. Good luck." Kenny said bland as Dawn raced off. Leaving her old friend behind she felt a little guilty of standing him up the way she did. Still she promised Ash and she didn't want to break it out of respect for all he did in Veilstone City. Her back turned Umbreon saw the auburn haired boy kicking a stone on the street in frustration behind Dawn's back. Pulling out his phone he texted with an angry look on his face.

"Oh. He's one of those."

"One of what?"

"Just a warning. He's going to cause some problems with Ash if you don't handle it the right way."

"I don't understand."

"You're a bit slow. That's fine. You'll mature faster than you think."

"Slow in what?"

"Not important for now. Get a move on. May and the others are waiting."

Game cabinets were lit up and made loud noises and flashes attracting players to see what they were about in the arcade. Not having been here in forever to his commitment as Veilstone's aura guardian the place changed a lot since he was a child. A bunch of test of strength games drew his attention. A bit of extra strength in his swings of the hammer on the tower of strength or an arcade punching machine. The second one in line with what he did as a hobby Ash picked it out and lined up his punch when it was his turn.

Ash punched the machine hard enough to get a decent score but not to raise suspicion by beating pro boxer punches on his first go he held back tremendously relying purely on technique. Having been taught by Riley who followed some boxing classes in his youth Ash made good a hit easily outscoring Brock by a hundred points or so every time.

"All about technique." He bragged a little as the machine kept spitting out tickets to exchange for prizes. Brock's phone went off. The vibrating made sure he knew he was being called even if he could not hear his ringtone.

"Hey Ash. It's Kenny."

"He's not in trouble is he?" Ash ready to help him defend Kenny in case he ran into issues. Brock read the message and was expecting him to give him good news. Instead he read something completely opposite to it.

"Not coming to the arcade. Also tell Ash to go…I'm not saying it." Brock not finishing the text Ash asked if he could read it. Brock holding it out, Ash seeing the language and icons used in them Kenny seemed incredibly pissed at him. Brock still couldn't believe himself that Kenny is capable of such outbursts. He normally alongside himself is the calmest guy on the team. Something probably went wrong with his after school walk.

"What did I do? What was he doing after school?" Ash trying to figure out where the hostility came from.

"He was going to ask Dawn to be his prom date before he would join us so unless you took…"

Brock could see Ash starting to sweat a little. Immediately the aspiring doctor knew why his teammate told Ash to go and die in a gruesome way. The honor among men for a fair lady stood between them with the raven haired boy as the winner of their duel.

"Oh… Yeah. I get why he's mad. You stole his prom date." Brock bluntly said. Of course Dawn was pretty popular and Kenny wanted to be the first to ask her out before anyone else even got an idea. His teammate even slower than the boy with him currently the girl Kenny was crushing on for the longest time taken.

"Can we talk about this outside?" Ash didn't needed a talk like this in the busy arcade. Him and Brock collected their tickets and got out to a more quiet area. Passing a vending machine Ash got a pair of drinks for him and Brock. The aspiring doctor took a gulp as they walked over the streets towards their bus stop.

"So yeah. You stealing Dawn from him. What's that about?"

"I asked her weeks ago." Ash claimed innocence. How was he supposed to know Kenny also had a thing for Dawn? Brock determined to solve the mystery of Ash and Dawn on why she ditched Kenny for him continued to interrogate him.

"And neither of you told anyone this because…?"

"Dawn only decided a little while back. She asked me for a favor and if I did it she'd go with me." Leaving out the part of what the favor actually is, as even he can't explain throwing punches and kicks to a girl you go to with prom without sounding like a jerk or making her sound crazy. Brock placed his hands on his hips and looked down disappointed.

"You shouldn't have let Kenny get his hopes up. Should have just told us you got Dawn as your date. Now he had to go through rejection."

"He should've said he was going to ask Dawn so I could warn him." Ash did not see it as his fault.

"You need to watch more of our games. It's obvious to every one on the team. Even Paul told him to just go for it and stop worrying."

"Even Paul?" Surprised it came from him as he was the most obsessed about getting a college offer to play basketball there before going to the national division despite his size not towering over others yet.

"Don't mistake it from the bottom of his heart. He was worried it would affect his game."

"Figured it had something to do with it." Ash saying that's more in line with Paul's thinking process.

"So what do I do now?" Ash didn't want Kenny to hate him. But if he was as hooked on Dawn as Brock told him he was it might take a while.

"I'll go talk to him. You just try to avoid him until things calm down."

"Pretty hard when we go to the same school and classes." What's done is done. Plus Kenny would've been stood up by Dawn and Umbreon anyway if anything happened that evening. The bus which Ash was going to take home nearly arrived.

"There's my ride. Gotta go."

"Just remember what we talked about. Guys among us." Brock promised it be a talk that only was between them. No one else needed to know about the current state of events in this love triangle although he was pretty nervous about how he will bring it to Kenny without causing a scene at school or anywhere else.

As I said to someone in my review section. I wouldn't be a Pearl story without Kenny getting shafted in a way.

See you around.