I'd just like to start by saying thank you for reading my first attempt at a fanfiction. If you have any suggestions or feedback on what I could do differently/better, I'm open to them.
Dawn, Ash, and Brock were nervously waiting in the backstage area of the Solaceon City Contest Hall. All that was on Dawn's mind was thinking whether or not she had done enough to wow the judges during the appeal round.
"Ambipom, spotlight!" Dawn cheered as the Long Tail Pokémon was released from it's pokéball with confetti raining down upon it due to the seal Dawn had given it. "Double hit, let's go!" In an instant, a barrage of powerful shockwaves were sent through the auditorium. "Now use swift!" Ambipom performed a backflip and landed on one arm as it began to spin in a circle, with stars emitting from its tails. As the stars continued to fly upward and collide with each other, it sent beautiful sparkles showering across the audience.
"Awesome!" Ash yelled.
"That's an even better swift than when those two were practicing it!" Brock added. Piplup, Pikachu, Bunneary, and Pachirusu stood in awe as the sparkles continued to rain down.
"Ambipom faster!" Dawn encouraged. Following it's trainer's orders, Ambipom began to spin faster causing an abundance of stars to twirl in the air. While impressive, it didn't have the desired effect on some people.
"Gotta love that rainbow swift!" Ash commented.
"Hm, don't you think it's a bit much?" Brock retorted.
"But Brock, it's gotta catch the crowd's attention y'know! Right?" Ash responded as he turned to the Pokémon cheerleaders to his side. All the Pokémon agreed by cheering in unison. However, one could easily tell the judges weren't as dazzled as Ash made it seem, as they kept a straight face, seemingly unimpressed.
"Now finish it off, Ambipom!" Dawn said. With that, Ambipom's spinning gradually slowed until it came to a stop. Once it did, the crowd erupted with cheering. Dawn, whilst giggling, ran over to embrace her Pokémon. "Wow! You were so great!" Dawn complimented. Both her and Ambipom smiled at each other before turning to the audience as she continued to laugh and wave.
A voice came over the television backstage, breaking Dawn out of her thoughts.
"We have a decision!" Marian exclaimed. "The coordinators that have made it past the first stage!" Dawn looked down at Ambipom, who had a worried expression.
"C'mon Ambipom, no need to worry! It's time for us to get ready for the second round!" Dawn said, trying to ease it's nerves.
"And now, here are the official results!" Marian returned. "The eight coordinators moving on to the second stage! And they're on screen!" The first four faces appeared. Seen could be Jessilina and Kenny. In the crowd, James and Meowth were overjoyed, happy to see their fellow companion advance. Meanwhile backstage, Dawn, Ash, and Brock were congratulating Kenny. The next three coordinators were shown, with Dawn nowhere to be seen. She clasped her hands together, praying that she would be the last one. The face appeared on screen, and Dawn was crushed. She hadn't made it past the first round.
"What happened?" Dawn questioned. Ambipom looked to the ground, disappointed that they were eliminated. It wasn't hard to tell that it blamed itself for their quick departure from the contest. Back in Twinleaf Town, Dawn's mother got up from her television and made her way over to a wall of photographs consisting of both hers and Dawn's achievements.
"Poor Dawn…" she muttered out. Back in Solaceon City, Ash tried to reach out his hand to comfort Dawn, but was stopped by Brock. Understanding the situation, Ash sighed and lowered his hand, frustrated that he couldn't help one of his best friends. Dawn's head was lowered, looking to the ground. A mix of emotions were flowing through Dawn at the moment, mostly disappointment. Knowing she had to stay strong, at least in front of her friends, she put on a brave face.
"Congratulations on making it to the second round Kenny!" she said.
"Uh, thanks." he replied.
"Now come on, you have to go get ready for the second round!" Dawn encouraged as she shuffled Kenny towards the door.
"Ok, I hear ya. Root for me!" he exclaimed as the door closed.
"Thanks for coming!" a familiar voice said from behind Dawn. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out!" she said as she pivoted Dawn towards the exit.
"Jessilina! Hi." Dawn nervously said. As she was being shoved towards the door, she stopped. "I'm staying. Right through to the end!" Ash and Brock stood in shock, but that changed when he noticed Dawn's hand clenched in a fist, shaking. That's when Ash's concern for Dawn rose even higher. The three travellers watched backstage as Jesslina won the Solaceon Ribbon. After leaving the contest hall and saying their goodbyes to Kenny, Dawn was deep in thought about whether or not she would participate in the next upcoming contest. As it was getting late, the trio decided it was best to head back to the Pokémon Center. On their way there, Brock let out a gasp, catching the other two off guard.
"What's up, Brock?" Ash questioned.
"I FORGOT ABOUT MY DATE!" Brock exclaimed? Ash and Dawn looked at each other, confused about what date, but more importantly, with who.
"Wait, you got a girl, to say yes, to a date, with you?" Dawn asked. Brock's eyes turned to hearts at the thought of it.
"Yeah… While we were making our way to our seats in the audience, I saw this beautiful girl walk by. So I asked her out and she said yes!" Shocked and speechless, all Ash and Dawn could do was stare at the lovestruck boy.
"Well you better hurry up and get going then." Ash said as he broke the deadlock.
"R-right!" Brock stuttered as he ran off. "I'll see you guys later!"
"They grow up so fast." Dawn teased, making Ash chuckle. He was happy to see that Dawn wasn't completely down in the dumps. Unbeknownst to him though, Dawn was practically broken inside. They continued their way to the Pokémon center and met Nurse Joy at the counter.
"Could you check up on our Pokémon Nurse Joy?" Ash asked.
"Certainly!" Nurse Joy replied enthusiastically. Ash handed Pikachu and his pokéballs over to Nurse Joy, but Dawn hesitated, staring at Ambipom's pokéball in her palm.
"You okay Dawn?" Ash asked.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. No need to worry!" she replied, but Ash had travelled with her long enough to know that's when he needs to worry the most.
"Oh and are there any rooms left?" Ash added.
"Let me see…? Nurse joy replied as she turned towards her computer. "Ah yes, there is one left."
"Perfect!" Ash exclaimed. However Ash noticed a concerned look on Nurse Joy's face. "What's wrong?"
Nurse Joy looked up. "Well you see the only room available is a single, meaning there is only one bed." Once given this information, Ash and Dawn turned to each other. Looking into Ash's auburn eyes, Dawn couldn't help but blush. Over the course of their journey together, Dawn began to slowly think of Ash as more than a friend. Not knowing whether or not he would reciprocate those feelings was scary to Dawn. Ash was one of the most important people in the entire world to her, and she didn't want to lose him. Ash however was oblivious to her reddening cheeks.
"That's fine!" Ash replied, leaving Dawn in shock. "I'll just sleep on the floor or something." He flashed Dawn a quick smile. Disappointed, but at the same time relieved, she smiled back knowing she avoided quite the awkward situation. Once reaching their room, Dawn put her backpack on the bed while Ash put his on the floor. Whilst getting ready for bed, Dawn was contemplating whether or not she should offer to share the bed with Ash.
"You feeling okay, Dawn?" Ash questioned. "Your cheeks are looking a little red." Realizing how hard she was blushing, she shook her head and tried to dismiss the situation.
"Yeah I'm okay, thanks for asking." Dawn replied
"No problem! If you need anything let me know." Ash said.
"It's now or never." Dawn thought to herself. "It's not often we get to spend time alone together." Preparing to confess her affection, she turned to the raven-haired boy. "Well, actually Ash, there is one thing…"
"Sure, what's up?" Ash asked.
"Well, you see-" Dawn started before she was cut off by a knock at their door.
"One sec." Ash said as he walked towards the door.
"There goes my chance, that's probably Brock coming back. All he'll do is cry about how this girl left him and blah blah bla-"
"Here, I found a spare pillow and blanket since you'll be sleeping on the floor." A familiar voice echoed. Confused, Dawn looked to the door to see Nurse Joy handing Ash a pillow and blanket.
"Thanks Nurse Joy!" Ash thanked.
"Of course!" Nurse Joy said as she left. Ash then turned back towards Dawn as he set up a makeshift bed on the floor.
"So what was it you needed, Dawn?" Ash continued. Dawn was riding the momentum of the moment, but all of her confidence went down the drain after that.
"It's nothing, nevermind." Dawn replied.
"Alright then. I'm pretty tired so I'm gonna go ahead and sleep. Goodnight Dawn." Ash said.
"Goodnight Ash." Dawn said as she pulled herself underneath the covers of the bed. And at that exchange, Dawn drifted off to sleep.
Dawn looked to the screen, praying that her efforts weren't in vain. She continued to look for herself as face after face was shown on screen. Seven people went by, and Dawn was nowhere to be seen. Time stood still as the eighth had yet to appear.
"Please…" Dawn begged. But it was no good, as she was devastated to see she hadn't even made it past the first round. She had failed. Not just herself, but she felt as if she failed her Pokémon, her family, her friends, Ash… Dawn spun around to face her companions, only to see them filled with disappointment.
"How could I call someone who can't even make it past the appeal round my rival." Kenny said.
"Kenny…" Dawn pleaded.
"You're a failure." Brock muttered.
"Brock…" Dawn sputtered as she felt tears welling up in her eyes.
"I can't travel with someone like you." Ash said.
"Ash…" Dawn cried. At that, her tears couldn't be held back any longer. All she could do was watch as they turned around and walked away. She tried to chase after them, but her legs were giving out. Soon, she collapsed to the floor, left to cry by herself on the floor. "Don't leave me." Dawn sobbed. "Don't leave me Ash…" The contest hall began to shake and the floor beneath Dawn began to crumble. Next thing she knew, she was being swallowed by a pitch black abyss, falling endlessly. As she fell, she could faintly hear a voice.
"Dawn!" it called out. "Dawn! Dawn!"
Dawn abruptly awoke from her slumber, tears still streaking down her face. She quickly sat up to find a familiar voice trying to grab her attention.
"Dawn! Are you okay?" it cried out. She looked to her side to see a raven-haired boy with deep concern on his face.
"A-Ash?" Dawn stuttered. "You're still here?"
"Of course! Why would I leave?" he responded. Dawn stayed silent, continuing to look into Ash's eyes. "You were crying in your sleep and saying 'don't leave'. Did you have a nightmare?" Dawn nodded her head, finally getting her tears under control. Out of pure instinct, Dawn reached out and wrapped her arms around Ash, burying her head in his chest.
"Don't leave me Ash…" Dawn whispered. "I-I need you." Ash, taken aback by her words, put her mind at ease.
"I would never." Ash responded. At those words, Dawn's grip tightened around Ash. The two stayed in this position for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, Dawn released from the embrace.
"I'm sorry Ash…" she started.
"Sorry for what?" Ash asked.
"For letting my Pokémon down, for letting my family down, for letting you down." she whimpered. Ash was astonished, not believing a single word that came out of her mouth.
"Don't think like that. No matter what you do, you will never let me down." Ash replied. Dawn looked up at that comment. "As long as you do your best and never give up, you won't have to worry about letting me down." Dawn looked just as surprised, expecting Ash to say something silly. She took his words to heart, and brought him into another tight hug. Once again, after a while, the hug was broken by Dawn.
"Thank you, Ash. I needed that." Dawn said.
"No problem," he said with a thumbs up. "If you need anything else, just let me know." Ash then made his way back over to his makeshift bed for the night. But before long, Dawn found herself with the feeling of emptiness, the same feeling she felt in her nightmare after she watched her friends abandon her. Not being able to take it, the words fell out of her mouth without her realising it.
"Ash, do you think you could sleep up here for tonight?" she asked. As the words she spoke set in, a deep blush overtook her face.
"Yeah, sure." he responded. Dawn was always aware of Ash's denseness when it came to love, so it wasn't a huge surprise that he obliged her request. As Ash climbed in next to Dawn, she immediately grabbed his arm, catching the trainer off guard.
"Sorry…" she started to apologize.
"Don't worry about it," Ash interrupted. "If it makes you feel better, I don't mind." Dawn's mind was racing. He is so kind, so caring, so generous. He always puts his friends and Pokémon before himself. He never gives up and sees everything to the end.
"That's why I love him." Dawn whispered to herself. "Did I say that outloud?" she thought. Ash looked over to Dawn with a confused look.
"Love who?" he questioned.
"Oh my Arceus! I did!" Knowing she'd been backed into a corner, she decided to come clean. "Um, you actually…" she said. "I've had feelings for you for a while now. Honestly, ever since I watched you risk your life for Pikachu that first day I met you, I'd always admired you." Ash just looked at Dawn, speechless at what she had just confessed to him. "I can tell you don't feel the same way." Dawn continued. Ash had never given a thought about love in all of his journeys. He had travelled with Misty and May previously, but had always seen them as a sister-type relationship. Thinking back on it, that wasn't the case with Dawn. He always felt… different. He never understood what he was feeling, so he always ignored it. The warmth and happiness he felt whenever she cheered for him and vice versa, the connection whenever they high-fived, was this love?
"How do you know?" Ash finally spoke up.
"Huh?" Dawn responded.
"How do you know if I don't feel the same way." he repeated with a smile. Dawn couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.
"What do you mean?" she pushed.
"I've always felt different with you, in a good way. I don't know what I'm feeling, but I'm willing to try and figure it out as long as you're by my side." he said.
"I'll happily help you figure out what you're feeling." Dawn said. She then looked up at Ash, and leaned in until her lips met his cheek. "Thank you, Ash. For everything."
"No need to worry right?" Ash joked. Dawn let out a giggle, forgetting all about the nightmare she had experienced, as it had transformed into her dream turning into reality. Ash and Dawn dozed off, knowing they would never leave each other.
I have plans on making a multiple chapter story based on Amourshipping, but I want to get a few chapters done first before I release it. Expect the first chapter within a week or so. Thanks for reading!