Well, here we are. Chapter 2. This one has the first movements in the direction of the plot, which should be revealed at least in part, in the next two chapters. Keep reviewing, and enjoy!

Chapter 2: Battles, Rehearsals and Doubts

"Go Blaziken, Blaze Kick!" May commanded her starter.

("Blaze Kick!") the Blaze Pokémon confirmed.

"Infernape, counter right into it with Mach Punch!" Ash ordered.

("Got it!") the simian Pokémon replied.

The powerful attacks collided in midair, shrouding the battlefield in smoke.

"Now, use Flamethrower!" Ash yelled.

"Blaziken, you too!" May countered. She knew that the Flamethrowers would cause another explosion, resulting in another smokescreen, and she intended to use that to her advantage.

From the dust cloud, the glow of two superheated jets of flame could be seen. The attacks collided and, like May hoped, caused another explosion.

"Now Blaziken, Quick Attack!" she yelled. 'Come on, Ash, do what I hope you'll do…' May thought silently.

Ash complied. "Infernape, use your Counter Shield!"

Whirling whips of fire broke out of the dust cloud and spun around, creating a shimmering heat haze that spiraled into the sky.

"Blaziken! Time it, go through, then Sky Uppercut!" May told her starter. She saw the shock on Ash's face as he realized his mistake.

Counter Shield had given away his position in the dark clouds, and now Blaziken could easily zero in on Infernape. Suddenly a white glow emanated from inside the whirling flames, and with a loud thud Infernape was blasted out of its defensive move.

"Quickly, use Mega Kick before he recovers!" May yelled, already anticipating her soon to come victory.

"Infernape, go underground with Dig!" Ash ordered, thinking quickly to avoid May's attack.

Infernape dug his hands into the ground and dug himself in, causing Blaziken's powerful kick to miss.

"Blaziken, fill the hole with fire using Fire Spin!" May said.

"Clever move, May…" Ash muttered. "Infernape, beat her to the punch, use Fire Spin underground!"

As Blaziken prepared to use her attack, a spiral of flames shot up from the hole Infernape had dug. "Now, Mach Punch!" Ash continued.

Blaziken braced herself, knowing she wouldn't be able to dodge Infernape at the close range. Infernape burst from the ground a few inches in front of Blaziken, his fist glowing for the Mach Punch.

"Blaziken, Overheat!" May yelled. Blaziken roared, her wrists blazing true to her name as the Blaze Pokémon, and she fired a white hot jet of flames point blank at Infernape. It wasn't entirely on time, however, and she took the hit from the Mach Punch before blowing Infernape away with her flames. Both Pokémon rolled over the ground and stood up, trembling. For a moment it seemed the two would continue their fight, but then Infernape grunted and collapsed, no longer capable of fighting.

While Ash and May thanked their Pokémon for their hard work, Dawn was practicing her appeals with Piplup.

"Alright, use BubbleBeam!" she yelled.

("Okay!") A stream of highly pressurized bubbles shot from Piplup's beak as he performed his attack.

"Now catch them in Whirlpool!" Piplup summoned a huge twister of water above his head and launched it after his bubbles, causing them to be trapped in the vortex. "Okay, stop the Whirlpool and destroy the clustered bubbles with Hydro Pump," Dawn gave the command to finish the routine.

The diminutive Pokémon nullified his twister and shot a powerful blast of water out of his beak, popping the bubbles from the bottom up, leaving a haze of rainbow colored droplets.

Dawn smiled, "Well done! I'm sure we'll win with this!" She walked over to Piplup and scooped him up in her arms.

("I do wonder what Ash and May were up to though,") Piplup said thoughtfully. ("Their battle sounded quite fierce.")

Dawn didn't reply immediately. Instead, she thought about Ash and May. For some reason, them being together all the time annoyed her. Could it be that she…was jealous? She shook her head furiously, trying to dispel the thought.

("Dawn? What's wrong?") Piplup asked, concerned for his Trainer.

Dawn smiled at him and said, "Nothing, just a weird thought."

In her head though, she still couldn't suppress the feeling. 'Why am I suddenly thinking like this? Why would I have to be jealous? Unless…unless I like Ash as more than just my friend…' she thought to herself. She bit her lower lip, pondering the notion that she might have a crush on Ash.

("Are you sure you're okay?") Piplup asked again, eyeing his Trainer. He knew Dawn too well to just let it slide.

"Yeah…" Dawn muttered, but Piplup wasn't convinced.

Dawn forced a bright smile and said, "Really, I'm fine. I was just thinking about…something," she finished rather lamely.

("Riiiight…") Piplup said, rolling his eyes. He knew Dawn wasn't going to say anything else, but he decided to keep an eye on her and see if he could figure out what was bothering her.

Ash, having brought Infernape to the Pokémon Center for a checkup and to rest, lay on his back, enjoying the warmth of the afternoon sun. Pikachu did the same, lying spread-eagled next to Ash.

"May really did a good job drawing out my Counter Shield, huh?" Ash said.

("Yeah, but I do think you were a bit too eager to use it. I guess you still like to show off,") Pikachu said, opening one eye to watch Ash's reaction.

Ash just sighed and said, "I guess so. But if it had been someone else, I probably wouldn't have used it."

Pikachu sat up, intrigued now. ("Why's that?") he asked, ears twitching in anticipation.

"Well, I've…I've been thinking quite a lot about May lately," Ash said, feeling his heart speed up and the blood rush to his face. He looked at Pikachu and continued, "I think I may be in love with her…"

Pikachu got a wide smile on his face and said, ("Well, it's about time you admitted it.")

Now Ash sat up as well, and he gave Pikachu a quizzical look. "What do you mean?"

("Well, you're always trying to impress her. You're always looking out for her, protecting her, you know,") Pikachu said.

Ash looked at the clear blue sky, doubt in his eyes. "Yeah, but I'd do that for all my friends. I mean, I'd protect Dawn and Brock too, even though Brock doesn't really need it," he added.

Pikachu shrugged. ("It's still different. You and May are…I don't know, there's something about you two that just says 'I love you',") he said.

Ash turned to face Pikachu so quickly that he startled his little friend into falling over. "Are you saying she likes me too?!" he nearly yelled.

Pikachu got back on his feet and said, ("Well, yes. Come on, would she have come all the way here for Contests if you hadn't been here as well?")

Ash looked troubled. "I think she would, actually. I don't know, I always get the feeling she likes Drew," he said.

Pikachu thought about that for a moment, before turning to Ash again and saying, ("Well, there's only one way to find out, right? Just ask her.")

Ash looked scared now. The thought of actually telling May he liked her wasn't a pleasant one. Although in some of his thoughts…Ash shook his head and hoped he didn't blush too much.

"I don't know…" he said.

("Look, I'm sure you're worrying over nothing. Anyway, I'm going to get some rest at the Pokémon Center for now. Do me a favor and don't worry too much, alright?") Pikachu said.

"Okay..." Ash said, already lost in thought.

Pikachu sighed deeply. Ash was in deep. With a last look at his Trainer, the Lightning Mouse headed for the Pokémon Center.

Dawn's heart was racing. She was going to ask Ash if he liked May, but deep inside she hoped he'd say they were just friends, that he actually liked her instead.

She walked over to the training field Ash and May had been using, spotting Ash on a small hill. He was talking to Pikachu, but they were too far away for Dawn to make out what they were saying. Then Pikachu ran off into the undergrowth, and Dawn knew that she wouldn't get a better chance.

("Dawn, what are you up to?") Piplup asked from right behind her.

"Um, Piplup, why don't you go and rest for a while?" Dawn asked semi-innocently.

Piplup frowned, but he said, ("Yeah, sure. Will you tell me what's going on at some point?")

Dawn heard the irritation in his voice and she looked at the Penguin Pokémon to see the accusing look on his face.

"I will, I promise. But first I need to find out…" she didn't finish her sentence, but Piplup got the idea and sighed.

("Alright. I'll leave you to your shady plans, then.")

Dawn gave him an annoyed look. "There's nothing shady about it!" Then she sighed. "Well, I'm off."

Piplup looked after her, shaking his head as the blue-haired Coordinator approached Ash. He had no idea of what she was going to do, but he knew that she wouldn't be stopped anyway and so the little blue Pokémon turned around and went inside.

Ash was having an inner conflict, anxiously thinking about his next move. Would May really like him back? If so, what would he tell her? How did one confess to linking someone?

He was shaken from his musings by a girl's voice, but it was not May.

"Hey Ash. Resting for a bit?" Dawn asked.

Ash looked up at her and smiled. "Yeah. Just enjoying the sunlight," he replied.

Dawn sat down next to him, hoping he wouldn't see her nervousness. "Hey, um, I…was wondering something," Dawn began vaguely.

Ash gave her a puzzled look and replied, "Well, what are you wondering?"

Dawn began blushing and fidgeting, and Ash felt his heart rate quicken. He had a feeling Dawn was going to ask him something really big.

"I, um…do you like May?" Dawn blurted. She closed her eyes, waiting for Ash's answer. She knew she had to be as red as a tomato, but she still wanted to know the answer.

"Yeah, I do, I guess…" she heard him say. Dawn's heart stung at that, but she was relieved at the same time, relieved she didn't have to doubt anymore.

"But, why did you want to know?" Ash asked.

Dawn still had her eyes closed, but she could hear the confusion in his voice. She opened her eyes, but instead of looking at him directly she gazed at the grass next to him.

"I was training with Piplup earlier, and I…I don't know, I guess I felt jealous that you and May are so close. And then I wondered why I'd have to be jealous and realized I…like you as more than just my friend…" she finished so softly Ash could hardly hear her.

She didn't know what else to say, or what to do, so she just kept staring at that same patch of grass, noticing it had gone out of focus due to the tears that had formed in her eyes. Then she felt Ash's hand on her shoulder.

"Dawn, just because I like May doesn't mean you're suddenly less important. Besides, I don't even know if she likes me back or not," he said, uncertain now. Dawn finally looked into his auburn eyes, and she could see the anxiety in them.

Well, that's it for now! See you in a few days, I hope. Don't forget to review!