It was lunchtime as many visitors of the nearby town go to their famous mall to their famous food court to buy and enjoy their delicious meals.
However, the gang will eat from Brock's famous cooking, which tops any chefs in that food court. But before checking with the girls who were waiting patiently for their lunch, the boys; Ash, Pikachu, Brock and F/Ash first filled F/Ash's motorcycle with gasoline, ready to go. But they reached a horrible conclusion;
The celestals ran out of power. With this unsettling news, the boys, mainly F/Ash, shakes, fearing the reaction as they go back to the girls, mainly F/Dawn, to tell the news. For doing so…
"What? Do? You? Mean? The? Celestals? Ran? Out?" F/Dawn shouted as she said in a rhythm while holding F/Ash's neck in the process, holding him harder as to the point where he can't breathe.
"Like…I…said!" said F/Ash with all of his strength to breathe.
"Umm… should we stop her?" Dawn said as the young versions could only watch themselves killing one another.
"Well, be my guest if you want to get in her way." Brock said, pointing at the two grownups as Dawn watches.
"Uhh… I'll pass."
"Hey! Watch it with my neck!" Ash said as he could also feel himself getting strangled from his older self as he tried to comfort his own neck.
"Pika Pika…" Pikachu said on the ground while getting worried for his future trainer's life.
"How could you not know that the celestals only works for one ride? Don't you realize what this means?" F/Dawn asked loudly as F/Ash's face was turning color.
"I… didn't… know."
"You DIDN'T know! Because of that we're now stuck here forever!"
"Hey hey, what's this about celestals and getting stuck here forever?" Brock said, completely unaware of what F/Dawn was talking about.
"Oh right, Brock doesn't know…" Ash said, reminding himself that only Brock was the only one who didn't knew about it.
"You see Brock, they got here in the first place using the powers of a celestal, a rock made from Celebi itself!" Dawn started explaining, filling Brock with the details.
"Celebi? The Time Traveling Pokémon? Ah… that makes sense." Brock now started to get the picture on how they got here.
"And there are rules when you use them." Dawn continued explaining.
"Well, with stones like that, it would be quite chaotic without some rules." Brock, already knowledgeable, already started to get it.
"And the celestals got a power like a battery, so if it ran out and you're in a different timeline…" Ash continued for Dawn.
"Then you're stuck here forever!" F/Dawn finishes, facing them while still holding F/Ash by the neck, which has probably already passed out cause of lack of oxygen.
"No way! Then you guys are really…?"
"Yeah, thanks to this idiot, we can never go back our own time!" F/Dawn let go of F/Ash, fortunately letting him breathe again as his face was regaining his color.
"Haa…Haaa… Hey… watch it with the idiot thing."
"Shut up! It's your fault we're stuck here!" F/Dawn harshly said to F/Ash, who seems to be unfazed, except the part where he was being strangled.
"Ok ok calm down. Can't you guys recharge the celestal then? That'll make things easier." Brock raised his hands and shook them trying to calm F/Dawn down.
"It's impossible! Once the celestals ran out, there's no way to use it again, no matter how much power you give it!" It seems it's not working, as F/Dawn was still mad at F/Ash.
"You know, screaming won't help either." F/Ash stood up, and sweeps his clothes since it made contact with dirt while speaking.
"Oh! And what makes you think that can help?" F/Dawn suddenly got close to F/Ash, seeming like she could punch him any second.
"How about stop screaming? That can work!" F/Ash replied back, making F/Dawn even angrier.
"Umm Ash, I don't think you should keep up with the attitude…" Dawn tried to warn F/Ash before F/Dawn could have a meltdown.
"Well I'm speaking the truth!" F/Ash shouted, making F/Dawn's anger to the point where she can't take it anymore.
"Since when does a lowlife thief ever say the truth!" F/Dawn said, causing the kids to gasp from what she said, while F/Ash slowly looks down from her response.
F/Dawn's eyes widen after her words escaped from her mouth, quickly realizing what she just said. After calming down her head, she saw what was in front of her to see F/Ash, looking down on the ground, then turning away from her and walked to the other side.
"Sorry for being a lowlife thief." F/Ash finally said after walking away from the campsite, and disappearing from sight.
"W-Wait…" F/Dawn muttered, but couldn't say anything before F/Ash was gone.
"I didn't mean… to…" F/Dawn started to really regret what she said, as she saw her Pokémon, F/Piplup and Typhlosion doing nothing but watching her, and the kids, who were shocked by what they heard.
"… I…"
"… Well now! I guess this is where I step in. I should hurry up and start making lunch to cheer up everybody! Ash, Dawn, help me out on making lunch." Brock said, and immediately started on opening his grocery bags he had with him before to make delicious lunch. Ash and Dawn felt a little awkward, but they decided to forget about it and helped Brock out, leaving F/Dawn by herself to think.
Sometime later the group was still in the campsite, all but F/Ash who is still by himself. Brock already gave out his food to the Pokémon, and now was sending out food to the gang.
"Come on guys, round up and get your food!" Brock said like a spokesman with a plate filled with sandwiches in each hand.
"Give'em to me! I'm starving!"
"Pikachu!" said both Ash and Pikachu with their tummies grumbling as they quickly took more plates than they need.
"Hey, come on Ash, don't be so greedy." said Brock witnessing Ash taking an extra plate.
"I'm not being greedy!" said Ash as he went a little farther than everyone else.
"Hey, Brock. Mind if I take another plate too?" said Dawn, pointing another plate with her own plate at hand.
"Huh? Well, sure but I didn't know you wanted to eat so much…"
"It's not for me!" Dawn got a little irritated from that and took a plate from Brock in a hurry and ran out to the forest.
"…Geez, these guys are so obvious." Brock shook his head and went back to eating his own sandwiches.
At Ash's side, we see F/Dawn sitting alone on a stump, wearing a face full of regret.
"Hey, Dawn!" Ash screamed with both plates while shouting to F/Dawn, causing her to make a surprised face when she saw him.
"Ash…" F/Dawn said as Ash walked towards her, causing her to look away, remembering that moment.
"Mind if I sit?"
"…It's not like this place is mine, so go ahead." F/Dawn said without looking, making Ash to have a happy face while sitting down.
"Here, your lunch." Ash said raising his hand holding a plate towards F/Dawn.
"I'm not hungry…"
"Oh come on, don't be like that! If you don't eat them then I'm gonna have to eat them myself." Ash said making F/Dawn reconsider her options as the grumbling in her stomach is back in full swing.
"Alright alright." F/Dawn gives up and took the plate from Ash's hands, causing him to have another smiling face at F/Dawn.
As both of them were ready to chow down, F/Dawn was still in her mind while Ash was already biting down on his sandwiches, and before long…
"Ash… I'm sorry." F/Dawn suddenly apologized right before Ash could get bite of another sandwich.
"For what?"
"For what... from what I said before."
"Oh that. It's no biggie." Ash said like it was nothing as he tried to take more than 3 sandwiches to eat.
"But…Aren't you mad at me?" F/Dawn said before she could take a bite out of her sandwich.
"Gmmh?" Ash tried to speak, but he already had so many sandwiches inside his mouth that he couldn't speak right.
"Ash, I told you a million times before, do not talk with your mouth full!" F/Dawn said as if she was back in the past, making Ash swallow all his food down to his stomach to talk.
"Haha, sorry about that." Ash said while rubbing the back side of his head.
"Anyways what did you say?"
"I-I said, aren't you mad at me? Y'know after I said all that to you…" F/Dawn said while looking down, causing the contents of her sandwich to spill a little.
"I'm not mad."
"Huh?"
"I said I'm not mad."
"I heard, but why? Why aren't you mad at me?" F/Dawn closed in a bit and asked Ash the reason.
"Cause I'm not the one you said to me." Ash said, making F/Dawn realize what he was talking about and looked down.
"You mean…"
"If you wanna apologize, do it to the guy that you actually said to, not his kid self."
"Pikachu!"
"I see that… but I don't know what you're older self might say…"
"That's easy! If it's me, then I'm gonna forgive you! Since you're my friend!" Ash said with his charming smile, causing F/Dawn to unknowingly blush a bit from her cheeks.
"…Damn, since when did you started to be wise?"
"Hey! Even I know that Dawn doesn't say anything like that, because you're that nice. What's more, you even apologized. Thanks Dawn."
"H-Hey, don't thank me when I said something nasty to you."
"No really! You're really honest and sweet. That's what I always like about you."
"T-that's… wait what?" As F/Dawn stammered, she realized something that Ash said, causing her cheeks to grow red and closed in intently near to Ash's face.
"Y-You mean, you always l-l-liked me?" F/Dawn said while stammering a bit near Ash's face, causing him to also blush from his face for having a woman's face so close near his.
"Y-Yeah, as a friend…" Ash said like it wasn't big deal, making F/Dawn to realize that, and quickly pouted while backing away from him and turned around.
"I see! Well then." F/Dawn said while still pouting and soon started eating her lunch quickly, making Ash confused on why she's so mad now. Girls… you can never understand them.
At Dawn's side, we see Dawn around the forest, looking for a certain person to give the extra plate in her hand.
"Geez, where did he go? I didn't know Ash could be so sensitive in the future." As Dawn walked around the forest in a bind and starving, she sees a similar silhouette near the lake. Obviously knowing who it is Dawn ran to the silhouette who turns out to be F/Ash.
She got closer to the bushes, but quietly steps toe to toe near him, to see him viewing the ever so beautiful reflecting light on the lake. She then suddenly goes through the bushes in a thrust.
"Boo!" Dawn yelled at the top of her lungs to scare F/Ash as she suddenly appeared from the other side of the bushes, but unfortunately for her he was unfazed and merely turned around.
"What are you doing here?" F/Ash flatly said, causing Dawn to be embarrassed after trying to scare him.
"Umm… nothing." Dawn quickly lied then walked towards F/Ash who turned back to the shining lake.
"Hey, here's some lunch Brock made. You want some?" Dawn offered her extra plate to F/Ash, who still was looking at the lake.
"I don't have the appetite."
"Wow, for the first time Ash doesn't want to eat. That's really shocking you know." Dawn giggled to at least get a laugh, but there was nothing as that giggle turned awkward.
"Do you mind if I sit near you?"
"Go ahead."
"Alright!" Dawn cheered and sits near him while watching the lake, getting some sandwiches and eating them from her plate to fully enjoy the view.
"You sure you don't want some?" Dawn said again and tried to offer his plate, but F/Ash still didn't turn around to answer.
"I'm sure."
"I see…"
"If there's something you want to say, just say it." F/Ash suddenly speaks and broke the atmosphere.
"You think just because I'm seating here near you I only want to talk with you?" Dawn asks herself, making F/Ash in an awkward stance.
"Well, don't you?"
"…Not fair." Dawn glared at him a bit, but then turned away and pouted while she blushed.
"Hahaha." Dawn was able to finally hear F/Ash laugh, getting Dawn to smile at him.
"So… since my older self wasn't thinking straight, I only came to say-"
"Dawn." F/Ash suddenly interrupted while Dawn was ready to apologize for her older self.
"Eh?"
"I know you mean well. But right now… I want your older self to come to me herself." F/Ash speaks, then got closer to Dawn and whispered the remaining sentence.
"Oh… Haha I see, so you're not mad?" Dawn knew now what F/Ash meant, saying he wants F/Dawn to apologize herself.
"Not really. You get used to it hearing that a lot y'know?" Hearing that reminded Dawn about the circumstances F/Ash is having in the future, what with being a wanted criminal and all.
"But… Don't you still-"
"It's nothing, really."
"But…"
"Like I said, it's nothing." Dawn stopped asking; knowing that F/Ash won't say anything other than it's nothing. F/Ash notices this and suddenly took a sandwich from his plate, causing Dawn to directly look at F/Ash.
"But thanks, for both that and the sandwiches." F/Ash said with a smile while taking a bite, making him have a satisfied face, since he was pretty hungry, while Dawn smiled and continued with their lunch.
Time went past, turning the day into an evening as the young gang start preparing to end the day with some sleep.
F/Ash finally came back, however both him and F/Dawn haven't spoken to each other at all. Now both of them are just eating their dinner, while the young ones were already hitting the hay.
"Waaahhh… Well, it's time for this breeder to sleep." Brock yawn a big yawn, and stood up from his seat and stretched before going to his tent.
"Yeaaah… me too!" Ash also yawn a big yawn, along with Pikachu, and went straight to his tent.
"Alright, I'm going to sleep too. Guys, have a good night." Dawn stood up from her seat to do the same and went to sleep.
All the present gang went to their tents to sleep, making F/Dawn and F/Ash by their lonesome near the lonely campfire.
"…Something tells me they did this on purpose." F/Dawn was the first to speak, and made a suspicion about their younger selves' intentions.
"What makes you say that?"
"…nothing. Just a hunch." F/Dawn looked at F/Ash who asked her, then looked away as she starts preparing her sleeping bag provided by Dawn.
"I see." F/Ash forgets the whole thing as he also goes prepare his sleeping bag provided by Ash.
The both of them were almost done with their sleeping bags, but before that F/Dawn was getting uncomfortable, and can no longer stand it.
"Ash." F/Dawn finally spoke, getting F/Ash's full attention.
"Yeah?"
"Umm… it's… about what I said before."
"Before?"
"Back at noon, I… was mad at you for getting us trapped here. But I said something awful that I shouldn't have said no matter how angry I was."
"Oh, you mean me being a lowlife thief?" F/Ash started to remember now, as F/Dawn feels like he's doing this on purpose. Is he?
"…Yeah."
"What about it?" F/Ash said while still trying to get his sleeping bad done, which by the way should have been done a long time ago.
"…I'm sorry, for what I said."
"You mean it?" F/Ash this time looked at F/Dawn in the eyes, showing by the campfire his glowing brown eyes.
"Yeah, I mean it." F/Dawn smiled, also showing her glowing blue eyes by the fire, which actually caught F/Ash and made him blush a bit.
"Then, you are forgiven."
"Eh? T-that's it? You're not gonna say anything else?"
"Yep, pretty much."
'But- But I said something bad to you, and… shouldn't you be mad?"
"Not really, I forgive you because I know you didn't mean it, because you're not the kind of person to say things like that." F/Dawn was suddenly getting a déjà-vu as F/Ash continued talking.
"I know that, since you're my friend after all." F/Ash said with his charming smile, causing Dawn to realize that she heard this before.
"I see, but still…"
"What is it now?"
"I'm jealous."
"What?" F/Ash was surprised as he heard this from F/Dawn.
"I'm jealous of you."
"W-Why are you jealous of me?"
"Because, when I was going nuts over this, you already had everything under control, like an adult do." F/Dawn looked down with her head down, thinking how embarrassing it was back then.
"Well, I guess it's because I got used to things like this, well not like THIS, but you know."
"Got used to it?" F/Dawn was peculiar about F/Ash's experiences.
"Yeah, I don't really feel like talking about it." F/Ash looked down, while F/Dawn already knows about what he meant.
"Yeah, I get it."
"Yeah." F/Ash said as that got them to suddenly stop what they're doing and getting suddenly quiet till F/Dawn spoke up.
"So… what do we do then?"
"About our little problem?"
"Not anymore. We can never go back to the future anymore, so let's try finding out what to do for the rest of our lives." F/Ash closed his eyes and thought real hard about their current situation.
"Hey, I know something, and it could get us back to the future."
"What are you talking about? There's no other way to go back other than the celestals."
"Then how about finding a Celebi?"
"W-What!" F/Dawn suddenly stood up from the ground as the sleeping bag was already finished out of surprise from F/Ash's answer.
"What? You don't have to be so surprised. If Celebi created the celestals, then the obvious choice for this situation is to look out for the source."
"Do you know what you're talking about? Finding a Celebi isn't exactly easy as finding a Caterpie! It's downright impossible!" F/Dawn said, but then F/Ash also stood up and looked at the moonlit sky.
"So we should give up?"
"Huh? I'm not saying…"
"If there's a chance, we should go at it with all we got, no matter how hard it might be. We can't just stand here and do nothing, right?" F/Dawn saw how serious F/Ash became, not knowing that he could do that again.
"…Alright. So how exactly do we find it?"
"I have no idea." F/Dawn suddenly punched F/Ash up in the head, causing him to fall on the cold, hard ground.
"You said all that talk, and yet you don't know what to do?"
"Hey, it's not like I have a plan for everything."
"I can see that." F/Dawn closed her eyes so that she wouldn't see F/Ash again, but then also looked at the beautiful sky.
"…Guess there's no other choice. For now let's get some sleep." F/Dawn slowly went towards her sleeping bag as she carefully enters it.
"Huh? Uuuuaaahhh… Yeah let's do that." F/Ash yawned as he also goes to his bag for some well-earned rest.
The both of them got into their sleeping bags as they continue to see the sky before turning to sleep.
"So from now onwards, we're gonna look for Celebi. For now we should get some equipment to capture it and then gather intel on its whereabouts." F/Dawn speaks with her eyes closed ready to sleep.
"Sounds like a plan."
"We're gonna have a long day ahead of us, so we should get some rest."
"Right."
"Goodnight Dawn."
"…" F/Ash wished F/Dawn goodnight, but she was being quiet, making F/Ash a little awkward before closing his eyes.
"Goodnight." F/Dawn said after a while, making F/Ash have a smile on his face, letting them go to sleep with a goal in mind to get back to the aforementioned future.