Unrevealed Affection
Ash's POV:
I awake to the sound of a twig snapping. I shoot up. Is something there? I see and hear nothing so I lay back down. Dawn's fast asleep next to me. Why are we out of our sleeping bags? I remember last night's conversation. Somehow, I'm not convinced that she doesn't like anyone... I always have this feeling that she does...
I look over to where Lyra, Khoury and Brock are sleeping and find no liveliness at the camp. No one's awake... just me.
Dawn's eyelids begin to flicker. At least she's waking up. She's always up before everyone else and it would be the same today if I hadn't heard that twig snap. Was there even anything there or was it my imagination?
I close my eyes and pretend to be asleep so I can annoy Dawn. It's funny seeing her slowly get irritated by my apparent laziness and sleepiness.
"Ash! Ash! Wake up, you lazy oaf!" Dawn says, shaking me. I suppress a smirk. One false move and she'll realize I'm awake. "Ash! Get up! Come on! It's morning and I really want to hurry up and get to Lilypad Town and win that Pokemon Contest!" Dawn says slightly louder. "Ash! Come on! How lazy can you get?! Hurry and wake up! Ash!" Dawn's beginning to get annoyed. "Ash!" I'm beginning to get amused. This is hilarious. "Ash! Ash! Okay, you've left me no choice! Piplup, use -"
"I-I'm awake now, Dawn!" I say with panic. The last thing I want it to get soaked. "I don't want to get soaked!" Dawn grins at me.
"Well, too late, you annoyed me so much! I was going to use Bubblebeam, but you gave be a better idea! Piplup, use Hydro Pump!" Dawn yells. Piplup immediately takes action, resulting in me standing there soaked to the bone. Dawn collapses in hysterics. I glare at her.
"It's not funny!" I say, taking out a Pokeball, smirking to myself. "Buizel, I choose you!" I throw the Pokeball and a sleeping Buizel comes out. "Buizel, wake up!" I urge. Dawn laughs again.
"Piplup, show them who's boss by using Whirlpool!" I gasp as the Whirpool comes down towards me and Buizel. I scream as it hits us. Dawn walks off into the forest. Despite the horrible feeling of my clothes sticking to me, I run after her.
"Where are you going?" I ask.
"I'm getting berries! Fruit for breakfast is really healthy!" Dawn smiles at me. "You know, you look really cute with wet hair," I look down as my face grows hot. I wonder if she can see me blushing.
"Th-thanks..." I stutter. Dawn suddenly screams. I look up, my blush vanishing as I see a Feraligatr in front of us. I freeze in fear. I want to command my Pokemon to do something, but I can't. I've always been afraid of Feraligatrs.
"Pachirisu! Use Discharge! Piplup, use Hydro Pump on Pachirisu's Discharge!" Dawn yells. Her Pokemon do exactly as she says as soon as she does it. The Feraligatr takes a lot of damage but then uses Bite. However, it doesn't aim for Dawn's Pokemon, it aims for her. I unfreeze as I hear Dawn's piercing scream ringing in my ears. The Feraligatr then goes away, looking satisfied.
"Dawn!" I rush over to her side watching as blood rushes out of the huge bite on her arm. I see tears flowing down her cheeks. "D-Dawn... I'm so sorry..."
"A-Ash... why... a-are... y-you b-blaming your... self?" Dawn sounds so weak.
"I didn't do anything! I just froze in fear and now... your hurt!" I say, angry at myself.
"I-it's okay..." Dawn says before fainting in my arms. I pick her up and run back to camp.
"Brock! Brock!" I yell as I near camp. "Dawn... got bitten... by a Feraligatr!" I gasp for air. I ran faster than I ever have. Brock rushes over in panic.
"What?! How?!" he takes her into his own arms.
"She attacked one! It was standing, preparing to attack and then... after she attacked it, it bit her!" Brock quickly places her down and examines her arm. He cleans it with some antiseptic and wraps a bandage around it tightly. Then he gets up and walks towards the woods.
"I'll be back, Ash. I'm going to get a few berries!" I kneel beside Dawn. Why am I such a coward? If I had done something, she wouldn't be in this state. I look around to check that no one is there and then quickly kiss Dawn's cheek.
After a while, Brock comes back with a basket full of berries. I recognize some. There are Pecha Berries and Sitrus Berries, but I don't know the rest. Brock quickly mashes them up, then adds a few drops of a liquid I've seen before. It's an antidote. It heals any injury in four hours.
"Why not just put that on her?" I ask, pointing to the antidote.
"Because it won't draw out the real damage - the burning. Also, a Feraligatr's bite has a trace of poison which, if left in the body, can affect the whole bloodstream, eventually killing the person affected,"
I watch Brock rub the mixture of berries and antidote onto Dawn's burn and then add some more on a new bandage. He wraps her arm up and then feed Dawn a Cheri Berry.
"Wait, that's for paralysis,"
"I forgot to mention that the burning causes paralysis in the limb that it enters, so this should flush it out of her system,"
Dawn's POV:
My eyes flutter open, the sun nearly blinding me. I feel huge waves of pain in my left arm. I remember being bitten by a Feraligatr. My body is stiff, my throat is dry and I feel so weak and limp. My vision is blurry.
"Dawn!" I hear Ash yell. His head blocks the sun. I try to force a smile but I feel so lifeless. "It's been three and a half hours! The antidote Brock used on you should finish its work in about half an hour! You'll be fine I promise!" Ash smiles. His expression dulls. "Dawn... I'm so sorry... if I hadn't been such a wimp, you wouldn't be hurt right now. It's my fault and I apologize. I almost lost you, Dawn,"
I want to tell Ash that it's okay and that it's not his fault but I can't get the words out of my mouth.
"Go to sleep, Dawn. Half an hour and then, you'll be fine," Ash says soothingly. He strokes my hair and my eyes begin to close as I fall asleep.
About an hour later, I wake up, full of energy. I immediately get up. Ash sees me and runs over.
"Dawn! You're okay!" I smile and nod.
"Yeah, Brock's a really good healer!" Ash holds his hand up for a high five. Our hands clap together. I feel so much better.