Chapter 5: Anticipated Win, Unexpected Gain (Part 1)
Little did Team Rocket know that, on the other side of the densely forested grove they just looked at, Ash and his friends were getting their journey underway once more. Everybody woke up early that morning, excited for the big day ahead. They ate pancakes and berry juice for breakfast. Dawn fed poffins to the Pokémon. After cleaning up, they packed their gear and continued on toward Veilstone City.
Ash looked at Brock and Dawn as they walked. Today felt like a promising one, and Ash wanted his friends to be there for his successes. Brock was a good mentor to him, so surely he'd enjoy seeing his words of wisdom put into use. And Dawn was there for emotional support. She'd always cheered him on, even when things were grim.
The rest of the way to town was short. Only an hour after setting off, they were in Veilstone City. There were many buildings in sight. The main three of interest were the gym, the contest hall, and the Pokémon center. They all stood gazing at all the sights. Brock finally broke the silence.
"So, what shall we do first, now that we're here?"
"I wanna go to the gym so I can win a Cobble Badge!" Ash said excitedly.
"Pi Pikachu!" The small yellow mouse perched on Ash's shoulder chimed in.
"Fine with me. The contest doesn't even start for another two hours, anyway, so we have plenty of time." Dawn said.
Ash smiled. "All right then, let's get going! C'mon, we can run there!"
He began running towards the gym. Brock and Dawn chased after him.
"Do you think Ash is being maybe a bit overconfident?" Dawn shouted to Brock as she ran.
"No, but I think his ego's about to outgrow his head!" Brock joked.
They both laughed as the three stopped at the gym's doors. They went inside.
To Ash, the inside of the gym looked like a fighting dojo. A large, hardwood floor was at the center of the chamber, with the standard Pokéball design painted at its center. At the other end from where they stood, a red-haired woman wearing a blue tank-top and white baggy pants appeared to be practicing some punching and kicking maneuvers. She stopped when she became aware of visitors.
"Oh, hello! I didn't see you there at first. Please forgive me. I am Maylene, the leader of the Veilstone City gym."
"Hi there! I'm Ash Ketchum, and these are my pals, Brock and Dawn."
Brock and Dawn both greeted the gym leader, who returned their greetings. Maylene turned back to Ash, who she knew was here to challenge her to a gym battle.
"So you have come for a gym battle, eh?"
"That's right." Ash smiled.
"All right. But I will do the best I can as gym leader. I take battling very seriously!" Maylene said.
Brock, who stood on the sidelines as commentator, began the traditional explanation of battle.
"This gym battle is between Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and Maylene of the Veilstone City Pokémon gym. This will be a one-on-one battle. Each trainer will use two Pokémon. The first person to eliminate the opposing team shall be the winner. Let the battle begin!"
Maylene held a pokéball in her hand. "I'll start. Go, Meditite!" She threw the ball onto the gym floor, where it opened with a flash of light. A small blue and white creature appeared on the gym floor.
Ash had never seen the small Pokémon before, and his curiosity led him to whip out his pokédex to get a reading.
"Meditite, the Meditate Pokémon. Meditite eat only one berry a day, experiencing hunger to build endurance. Its spiritual power is built through daily meditation."
Ash felt a surge of confidence as he lobbed a ball onto the gym floor. "C'mon out, Turtwig!"
"Turtwig!" The green turtle-like Pokémon exclaimed.
(Author's Note: For the following battle sequences, I recommend the song "Live to Win" by Paul Stanley. If you don't have it, use YouTube keywords Paul Stanley Live to Win. Back to the story…)
Maylene made the first move. "Meditite, use your drain punch attack!"
"Meditite!" The small humanoid Pokémon charged towards Turtwig, her fist glowing brightly.
"Turtwig, dodge it and use razor leaf!"
"Turtwig!" Meditite slammed her fist into the hard ground just as Turtwig went airborne. Mid-flight, Turtwig turned to face his opponent as he landed. He then shot several small razor-sharp leaves at Meditite. The missiles made contact, knocking her back to her half of the ring. However, Meditite got up.
"Meditite, try a confusion attack!"
Meditite's eyes glowed a light purple color. Suddenly, Turtwig was hit with a blast of purple energy. He shook off the attack.
"Turtwig, use vine whip!"
Two vines extended from Turtwig's back and wrapped themselves around Meditite's torso. The meditate Pokémon was then hoisted into the air and sent slamming into the ground.
Grunting, Meditite attempted to get back up. "Med…i…tite!" She fainted onto the floor with a dazed look in her eyes.
"Meditite is unable to battle. Turtwig wins this round!" Brock announced.
"Yay, Ash! Show Maylene what you've got!" Dawn cheered.
Maylene recalled her fainted partner into her ball. "You did great, Meditite. You've earned your rest. Guess I'm in a bit of a bind, aren't I?" She turned her attention to Ash as she readied another pokéball. "But this isn't the end, my friend! I've only just begun! Lucario, use force palm on that Turtwig!"
The coyote-like Pokémon appeared on the gym floor, and with a cry of "Lucario!", ran at full speed towards his opponent.
"Quick Turtwig, dodge it!"
Before Turtwig could move, however, Lucario sent his paw crashing down onto Turtwig's back.
"Turtwig! Are you okay?" Ash asked his combatant.
"Hang in there, Turtwig!" Dawn called.
Their words of encouragement had no effect, though. As he tried to get up, Turtwig's strength failed him, and he collapsed onto his belly.
"Turtwig is unable to battle. Lucario is the winner of this round. Each combatant is down to their last Pokémon." Brock shouted for everyone to hear.
"You did great, Turtwig. Return!" Ash pointed his pokéball at his fainted companion, and Turtwit disappeared in a red beam that receded into the ball. Ash returned the ball to its place on his belt. Brock was right – he could only use one more Pokémon in his attempt to defeat Maylene's Lucario. He smiled as he made his choice.
"Pikachu! I choose you!"
"Pika!" Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder onto the ground. He stood on all four limbs and faced his adversary with a look of determination on his face.
"Pikachu, use quick attack!"
As Pikachu began his speedy attack, Maylene gave a command to her partner.
"Lucario, intercept it with bone rush!"
Lucario produced a previously unseen bone and brandished it like a bat. However, Pikachu's movement was too fast, and the electric mouse became aware of his opponent's intentions just in time, and make the attack into an evasive maneuver. Lucario swung the bone several times, but the mouse Pokémon was just too fast. Lucario was panting as Pikachu came to a halt.
"Now Pikachu! Use thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.
"Pika! Pika-CHUUU!" The yellow mouse drew upon the energy stored in his cheeks and landed a direct hit on Lucario. The aura Pokémon shrieked as electrical pulses shot throughout his body. Exhausted and unable to take any more damage, Lucario fainted onto the floor. The battle was over.
"Lucario is unable to battle! The victory of this match goes to Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" Brock shouted. He then turned to his traveling buddy. "Hey, congratulations, Ash!"
"Thanks, Brock."
"Oh, Ash, you were simply amazing out there!" Dawn ran up to Ash and hugged him.
"Uh, thanks, Dawn…" Ash said, slowly returning the gesture. He had to admit to himself, though, that he kind of wanted to do this for the past couple days. Maybe even tell her how he felt. Maybe now was—
Dawn broke the embrace as Maylene walked up to Ash.
"Hey Maylene, that was a great battle there!" Ash said.
"Yes, it was. I shall admit defeat – you are very strong, Ash. You win. That was a tough loss. However, I learned much from it. For that, I am grateful. Here, take this badge as proof that you beat me."
Maylene reached into her pocket and withdrew something in her fist. As Ash held out his hand, Maylene placed a small orange square into his waiting palm. This square, which resembled several bricks separated by white borders, was the one and only Cobble Badge.
Ash could not contain his joy. "All right! I got a Cobble Badge!" He exclaimed.
Brock sweatdropped at his younger friend's dramatics. Dawn looked at Maylene and giggled out of embarrassment.
Maylene said nothing, but smiled.
A short while later, the trio were in the cafeteria of the Pokémon center, where they were munching on the midday meal. Ash had left all of his Pokémon with Nurse Joy, and was told they'd be returned to him in the evening. Ash was still overjoyed as he thought about the latest addition to his badge collection. Three Sinnoh League badges now resided just inside his vest. Each one an indicator of his growth and progress.
Across the table, Dawn wasn't as cheery. Although she was successfully hiding it from her friends, she was very nervous about the upcoming contest. She had signed up after they left the gym on their way here. There weren't too many entrants, but there were some on the signup sheet who were more than likely worthy foes. Dawn tried not to dwell on unpleasant thoughts as she ate. She ate quickly. The contest would begin in less than an hour, and she'd need her strength. On top of that, she'd need a clear mind to make judgements. After all, strategy played a huge role in these kinds of competitions.
Presently, they finished their lunches and prepared for the second half of the day. This time, Dawn led the way to the contest hall. Her thought were focused entirely on how she could win. If memory served, there were enough entrants that two rounds would be necessary to declare a winner.
Brock guessed what Dawn was thinking. After all, he'd spent years raising his younger siblings during his parents estrangement. Though his father, Flint, stepped in to raise the family and let Brock go on his journey (and his mother, Lola, much later), his parent-like senses were still sharp. He ran a short way to be alongside Dawn and give her any coaching she may need.
Ash paid no attention to this. His mind was also preoccupied with thoughts. Specifically, he thought about the scene in the gym following his victory. And it made sense to him, to an extent. It almost felt natural
Ash knew why he felt this way. It was shortly before he came to the Sinnoh region that he parted ways from Brock, May, and Max. Brock, of course, had since rejoined him. May was in Johto, challenging Drew and Harley in contests there. And young Max was in Hoenn. By Ash's reckoning, Max was probably ten now, and beginning his own journey. He still had Brock, but the absence of May and Max left him feeling empty, somehow. Back then, he felt drained of his spirit…and then he met Dawn. In the time they had traveled together, Dawn seemed to fill the gaps in his heart.
It was in this moment that Ash had an epiphany. He was in love with Dawn! He was sure of it. However, the feeling was strangely familiar. Something vague when he traveled with Misty, and felt stronger when he was around May. This was about the same level as with his last traveling companion. But now he knew what it was. The question was, did she feel the same way? Only one way to find out. I need to tell her how I feel, and see how she reacts.
Ash thought about how to tell her when they arrived at the contest hall. The large building was plain yet exotic on the outside. It was the same concept inside.
The contest was not yet in progress, so they had a few minutes left. Ash and Dawn sat on the couch while Brock excused himself to find the restroom.
This is it, Ash. This is your time to find out how she feels about me when I tell her how I feel.
Ash quickly and quietly took a deep breath and exhaled. Then he turned to face Dawn.
"Hey, Dawn?"
"Yes, Ash?"
"Can I tell you something?"
"Certainly. What is it?"
"It's really important, and I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't get mad or freak out when I tell it to you."
"I promise." Dawn smiled. She had a feeling where this was going.
"I just wanted to tell you that I lo—"
Ash's comment was cut short by a man's voice coming on over the intercom.
"Attention, all coordinators. Please head to the conference room, where you'll be designated to your assigned matches. The competitions are about to begin."
Dawn switched her attention from the speaker back to Ash.
"Sorry, you were saying?"
"Oh…uh…maybe later."
"Oh. Okay, then." Dawn had a look of slight disappointment on her face as she took her leave of Ash. Maybe later, he'll tell me.
Ash sighed. On one hand, he felt like he had dodged a bullet. On the other hand, that announcement destroyed the perfect moment to tell her. Obviously, he couldn't tell her that just now, as she was gone. He hoped she'd win. If she lost, she'd be so upset that he doubted anything he said would cheer her up. In fact, it might even make the situation worse. Ash would just have to trust his luck and time to see when next he'd be able to talk to her alone.
Brock came back, looking relieved to have answered nature's call. He heard the announcement as he was finishing up in the men's room, so Dawn's absence was no surprise to him. What did surprise him, however, was Ash, who was clearly sulking. Obviously, something had happened during his hiatus. He wondered if he should talk to Ash about it, but decided against it, at least for now. Whatever was bothering Ash would need time to heal before he could even think of intervening. He took a seat next to Ash.
"Where'd Dawn go?" Brock asked, trying to open a conversation.
Ash hadn't noticed Brock till now. He almost jumped out of his seat.
"She's with the other coordinators, getting ready for the bouts."
"Well, let's find seats in the stadium. She'll be up soon, and we don't want to miss seeing her compete."
(Author's Note: I have made a decision that may disappoint some of you. Since I described the gym battle with the detail that I did, I don't feel like describing Dawn's two contest battles, so I'll just summarize them here. Basically, Dawn uses her Pachirisu against another coordinator's Azumarill and wins the first round. In the second round, she uses Piplup against an opponent's Bayleef and almost loses all her points. She wins, though, when she KO's the Bayleef. Brock and Ash gave plenty of encouragement throughout the whole thing. I'll now resume the story following the awards ceremony. Sorry!)
With the awards ceremony concluded, the three left the contest hall. It was now late afternoon, and the sun was a bright orange color.
When they arrive back at the Pokémon center, they rented two rooms (Ash and Brock would share a two-bed room, while Dawn would have a single-bed room to herself). They then sat in the lobby and congratulated each on the day's triumphs. Brock stared longingly at Nurse Joy. Earlier, he had attempted to make small talk with her and confess his love, but Croagunk yanked him away by his ear. Even without Misty, May, or Max to intervene, Brock still couldn't get the time of day with any cute girls.
Ash got up to check on his Pokémon and those of Dawn. This left Brock alone with Dawn. Dawn had a long day, and she started nodding off on the couch they were sitting on. Brock looked at her with curiosity. What happened at the contest hall earlier? He wanted to ask, but thought better of the situation. She was tired. She needed to rest. At least till dinnertime.
Ash came back with Pikachu perched on his shoulder. Brock nodded. He was pleased to see Ash's Pokémon were doing fine after this morning's battle.
Ash hardly sat down when his stomach gave an audible groan. Brock chuckled. Based on that noise, he knew it was mealtime, and he knew that Ash was hungry. Come to think of it, he was also famished. He shook Dawn awake, and together, they went to get dinner in the cafeteria.
After the meal, Brock's daily energy ran out, so he wished Ash and Dawn good night and retired to the room he was sharing with Ash. Pikachu, although fresh out of Nurse Joy's care, was also tired, and he followed Brock. Ash and Dawn weren't tired yet, though, so they decided to use the rest of their energy on an evening stroll.
They walked along the dark path. Trees grew on one side of the path. The other gave a clear view of the City at night.
Ash looked up. The moon was slightly smaller from what it was yesterday night, but took its usual place amongst the stars. Ash looked down to earth, down to Dawn. Now was the time to finish what he started in the contest hall. Dawn was thinking the same thing. She turned to Ash.
"So, Ash, what was it you were going to tell me earlier?"
"Promise me again that you won't get mad or freak out at what I'm about to tell you."
"I promise, Ash." She raised her hand as if taking an oath.
Ash took a deep breath and let it out before he started talking.
"You know, Dawn, that we've been traveling together for a while now. We've done a lot of things, and we've overcome many obstacles. But lately, I've been feeling as if something has been messing around inside of me, and…"
"Go on…"
"…And I didn't know what it was. It's a feeling that's entirely different from winning gym battles or getting out of one of Team Rocket's messes. But I think I know what it is now, and I'm fairly certain that what I feel is sincere to all ends."
"What is it, Ash?"
Ash gulped. His voice started becoming shaky. "Dawn, I-I-I think I-I-I-I'm in l-l-love with you!"
Dawn's eyes grew wide. But true to her word, she neither got mad nor panicked. Instead, she took him into an embrace.
"Oh, Ash!"
Ash hugged her back. "I love you, Dawn. I'm just saying what I feel right now."
Dawn looked into his eyes. "Can I tell YOU something, Ash?"
Ash looked slightly nervous, but was ready to face what was coming to him. "Go ahead."
"I love you too, Ash!"
They stared into each other's eyes. Then they drew their faces together. Their lips locked on the other's. In this moment, they didn't care about anything but each other. As they expressed their love to each other, their only witness was the surrounding environment and dark sky dotted with the waning moon and countless stars. It was the best of anything so far. It felt normal. Almost natural.
When Ash and Dawn went to sleep that night, they thought only of each other. If destiny stepped in, it would. But for now, they had each other. Ash had one more badge, Dawn had one more ribbon, and they both had each other. They woke up friends. They went to sleep as boyfriend and girlfriend. And nobody else knew. It was their secret to reveal to the world.