It was nighttime out, and only moonlight shined down on Dawn and Ash. They were on a Swanna boat that was big enough for the two of them and luvdiscs were swimming around them. They were staring at each other while standing on the boat. Ash caressed Dawn's cheek, and she felt her face flushed. His hand stopped as he looked deeply and loving into her eyes, and slowly moved his lips closer to Dawn's. But suddenly, he stopped right before his lips touched Dawn's.
"Oh right… You don't want to kiss me anymore," Ash said.
"W-What?" Dawn questioned.
Ash starred at her with a pained look. "Sorry. I really did love you Dawn."
Dawn gasped and starred at him with wide eyes.
Ash looked away from her. "I guess… it doesn't matter though." He held out his hand, and Iris appeared.
"You're such a kid!" Iris shouted. Then Iris shoved Dawn in the water.
Dawn tried to reach and shout out to Ash, but he never looked at her. Instead he embraced and caressed Iris, and went in to kiss her. While Dawn just sank down father in the water, the vision of them lessens by the second.

"… Ash no! I…!" Dawn started to shout, but was stopped by Piplup using Bubblebeam.
Dawn looked around, and realized they never left the pokecenter. "… It was all just a dream." Dawn sighed in relief. But she then held a hand to her heart with her eyes watering up with the dream still fresh in her mind.
Piplup waddled over to her with a concerned look. "…Pip lup?"
"Ash… he's always just completely honest with me." Dawn narrowed her eyes. "Ever since I got here… it seems all I've done to Ash, is lie to him."
Piplup patted her arm and talked to her in attempt to comfort her.
She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes and petted Piplup. "But… no more. There's no need to hide things from him. He's… sweet, trusting, and gets me so well!" She opened her eyes, and gave a serious look at Piplup. "From now on, I'm going to be completely open to him!"
Piplup smiled at Dawn and happily shouted.

Ash, Dawn, and their pokemon quickly ate breakfast and headed back to where those sudowoodo where.
"Hey Dawn, I've been thinking…" He pulled out the Waterium Z. "I think you should have this! You would benefit from this more than I could at the moment. I just caught a water pokemon, and I'm sure it's usage would be much better on Piplup."
Dawn smiled. "Alright. Thanks Ash!" She took the Waterium Z and had Piplup learned Hydro Vortex.
They arrived to were the sudowoodo where at and sure enough they did not move and where still blocking the road to continue on. Piplup started shouting at them with a smirk on his face, but they paid no mind to him. But then Dawn showed them the Waterium Z. The sudowoodo looked at it with a horrified look, then down at the smirking piplup. Then they quickly ran off.
"Heh. They're smart enough not to mess with that again!" the kid that was around said.
"Again?" Ash questioned.
"Yeah! Lana taught those two troublemaking sodowoodo a lesson before with the Waterium Z!"
"Woah, she takes care of the trouble around here? That's so cool!"
Dawn crossed her arms and huffed. "I guess she isn't all bad!"
Both guys gave her a confusing look.
"What's so bad about her?" Ash asked.
"She knowingly lied to us! That's what!"
Ash smiled. "I'm sure that was just part of her challenge. To see what we are willing to face and go on!"
Dawn looked away with a frown. "So…"
"Anyways, thanks for getting rid of those two!" the boy said.
"No problem! Well, we will be seeing you around!" Ash said. Then Dawn and Ash waved goodbye to him and left.

It was a nice clear day out. Not a cloud in the sky and it was nice and humid.
Dawn looked at Ash with a smile. She was happy being with him, and hates that she has been giving Ash the wrong idea. She figures it is time for her to be open to him now about everything so she does not have to hurt Ash about him getting the wrong idea. And she remembers something from what Ash said after his match with Lana that she needs to clear up with him. "Hey Ash…" Dawn said.
"What is it?" Ash asked.
"About you kissing me…" Dawn looked away with a small blush. "That has nothing to do with me not wanting to kiss you."
Ash gave her a confused look. "Then… what happened?"
"Nothing…" She looked into his face with a bright smile. "It's just that… we are just friends, right?"
Ash looked down with a frown. "Yea…"
"And… you want to figure out you feelings for me. Kissing won't help at all with that."
Ash clenched his fist. "What about you?"
Dawn gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"
"Are you saying… that you want to be more than just friends with me?"
Dawn's face turned bright red. "W-where did you get that idea?"
"You were the first to kiss me! And you said that we shouldn't be doing that if we are just friends!"
Dawn let out a nervous laugh. "R-right. Well, that's true! But, uh…"
Then the two heard some shouting, and they went to go and cheek it out.

"… Yo! You better be giving us those pokemon, or you'll be regretting it, hear?" a team skull grunt said.
Ash and Dawn arrived, and they saw a woman they never seen before with a drifloom and a pokemon they never seen before.
"Hey! It's you brats!" the other team skull grunt shouted.
"…You acquainted with these goons?" the girl asked.
"Unfortunately we are," Dawn said.
"Don't worry ma'am! We'll take care of these goons!" Ash shouted.
"We'll show you, punk!" a team skull grunt said.
A battle started, but Dawn and Ash quickly defeated the team skull grunts.
"Dang! Not again, yo!"
The woman frowned. "If you two don't skedaddle out real quick, you'll meet the backend of my Mudsdale's hooves. How does that sound to you?"
Both their eyes got wide. "Oh man! Let's get outta here!" They both ran off as quickly as they could.
Dawn smiled. "Wow! It looks like you can handle yourself well enough!"
She smirked. "Of course! As long as Mudsdale is with me."
"So this is a mudsdale! He's so cool!" Ash commented.
"And pretty strong too! I mean, even those goons aren't dumb enough to mess with him!" Dawn said.
Mudsdale happily nayed.
"Mudsdale appreciates the kind words." The woman then turned to drifloom. "You're free to go home now!"
"Floom!" the drifloom happily shouted to her. Then it floated off.
Ash smiled. "So you came in and helped Drifloom to get away from those guys!"
"Exactly! Anyways, my name is Hapu!"
"I'm Ash!"
"And I'm Dawn!"
"It's really nice to meet the both of you. I got to go now, but I reckon we'll meet again someday!"
"That'll be great!" Ash shouted.
"But for now… I need to get going! Good luck with your travels!"
"You too! Bye!"
Both Ash and Dawn waved at her as she left and she waved back at them as she rode on the back on her Mudsdale going the opposite way of them.

As they continued on, Dawn looked down at the ground. Remembering what they were talking about not too long ago, she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, then looked at Ash. "… I really like you Ash."
Ash looked at her with a surprised look on his face.
Dawn blushed as she looked into Ash's eyes. "I-I know you said… you aren't sure how you feel about me, but…"
"You…"Ash stared into her eyes deeply.
She looked away from him. "I like you… way more than just a friend!"
Ash beamed. "…I'm glad."
Dawn looked at him with a surprised look. "H-huh? But…"
Ash gave out a nervous laugh. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately… I mean, I'm not the best with understanding love or anything. But, I like you, way more than my other friends!"
Dawn gave a shocked look, and then smiled. "S-so, would you… like to go out sometime?"
Ash gave a shocked look.
"You know… a date?"
Ash beamed. "Of course! You got any places in mind?"
Dawn smirked. "Of course!"
Dawn smiled softly. "Ash… you make me the happiest woman in the world!"
Ash lifted Dawn up and embraced her. "Same here!"
Dawn giggled.
"Well… You make me the happiest man, that is… the happiest man in the universe!"
Dawn laughed. She could not believe what just happened. It almost feels as though she is in a dream. She was really happy at this moment, and hoped from this moment onward she can make Ash happy as he can be as well.