Third chapter done, I usually don't update so quickly in a short period of time, but I want to take advantage of being committed to this story and write as much as possible before following the normal pace, but before I continue, let's go to the comments.
The Counting Reviewer: ...OK? Honestly, I don't know the purpose of your comment, but thanks anyway.
DGJabberwocky: Hm...about my other stories, I can't promise a fixed date of updates, my focus at the moment is on the 'Sage' story, however, I intend to update the other stories as I get this project further along. About 'Pokémon: Anomaly', I will take a while to update it, because I need to think carefully about how to develop the plot. That story is practically a complete (AU), so more caution is needed to make a cohesive story.
Guest: First, thanks for the comment. About your question, I still haven't decided if there will be any real pairings in this story, or if it will become a harem, I already answered a similar question in the previous chapter, but I'll add to this answer. I am primarily committed to the plot that will be the core of the story, the pairings, if any, will occur over time naturally.
After answering the questions, enjoy the third chapter of 'Sage'.
OBS: This chapter deviates from the mold I used in the previous ones. Be warned.
"We only properly value something when we are faced with a loss. It is in pain that we know the true value of those we love." – Someone who sacrificed everything for the dream.
May Maple, one of the most famous Top Coordinators in the world, has come a long way to success. Born and raised in a family where being a pokémon trainer could be considered something natural, it was a curious fact that she was afraid of pokémon, and just wanted to travel the world, without any commitment to take over Petalburg's gym in the future, or battle for gym insignia.
However, on her first day of the journey, May met a person who changed her life permanently.
Ash Ketchum, from Pallet Town, Kanto. A boy who honestly didn't give her the best of first impressions, burning the bike May had been given to travel by her parents, and slightly childish attitude left her unsure if she really should socialize with him.
Fortunately, thanks to Professor Birch's suggestion, May decided that she would continue traveling alongside Ash, at least until they reached Petalburg. That decision was most certainly the trigger for everything that would happen next.
Quickly May began to understand the character that was part of the person called Ash Ketchum. A naive boy, but extremely talented in training Pokemon. Impulsive but kind in dealing with Pokémon and his friends, and ultimately courageous, unafraid to risk his own safety to save those he loves.
How could anyone not want to be friends with a person with such qualities?
A friendship quickly emerged, and Ash gently helped her train her little Torchic, slowly making her learn to love pokémon as much as he did, it was certainly one of the great experiences she had during the beginning of her journey.
But it still felt like something was missing. While Ash and Brock, a pokémon breeder and old friend of Ash who joined the group, had clear goals and dreams, May just kept traveling, without a defined direction.
It was frustrating at one point, it felt like she was out of place in an environment full of dreams, where everyone except her had a true purpose.
However, that all changed when May first saw a pokémon contest.
The way coordinators strive to enhance the pokémon's beauty, associating it with the power of training in battles made the girl's eyes shine, May had decided at that moment that she would be a coordinator.
Surprisingly, Ash helped her train her pokémon for contests, even though she knew practically nothing about the modality. An experienced trainer took her under his wing without asking for anything in return, always being by her side to help when needed, but with enough respect to allow her to make mistakes, and learn from mistakes.
Many people considered Ash at that time to be a childish and reckless boy, and although May accepted that he acted this way most of the time, she knew firsthand that before all that, Ash is a great friend, her best friend, and a teacher May couldn't ask for anyone better.
Traveling through Hoenn was an amazing experience, of course, it had its scary moments, like dealing with two criminal organizations, which bordered on terrorism, dealing with Hoenn's trio of legendary pokémon, or his overly annoying brother, Max Maple, somehow making friendship with JIrachi and this triggers several problems.
Sure enough, traveling with Ash is sure something unexpected is going to happen, and honestly? May couldn't complain.
The journey through Hoenn was the most fun she had ever had in her life.
But it wasn't all fun times, while traveling alongside her friends was something enjoyable, she also met some rivals, and while some were friendly, others were extremely difficult to deal with.
Drew Hayden was initially someone May saw as extremely arrogant, and looked down on her for the smallest of reasons. She found that coordinator her first great rival, and since then she has made it her goal to surpass him at the great festival. Her relationship with the green-haired boy was strange, one moment, Drew was acting arrogantly and irritating her, and the next, he was handing her a rose and flirting shamelessly.
And the worst of it is that the flirting really was working!
Who could blame her? A young girl who had no experience with boys, thanks to her extremely overprotective father, and now a handsome boy complimented her on her beauty a few times, it makes a woman's ego soar, and May would be no different.
The other rival was Harley. Honestly, May didn't understand much about the personality of that cross-dressing coordinator from Cacturne. That man acquired enormous dislike for her and never revealed the reason, always trying to cheat in some way and failing miserably most of the time. It would be comical if it didn't seem pathetic to see a man bullying younger teenagers.
May suspects that Harley was jealous of Drew, but that was just a moment when a girl's mind went overboard.
Soledad was a rival, but among all the notable names that competed on her way to becoming Top Coordinator, the girl from Petalburg is the least relevant, not because of her ability, after all, she won a big festival, but the fact is that the impact of that woman in his life was practically nil apart from the competitions.
A memorable opponent? Surely.
A striking rival? Not necessarily.
After competing to collect the ribbons and seeing Ash successfully beat Hoenn's Gyms, it's time to see his best friend compete in the Hoenn League. It was a mind-blowing experience to see the stadium packed with Ash competing against other extremely talented trainers. As Ash progressed by defeating Adversaries, May began to believe that her friend would only stop by winning the final.
However, an abrupt defeat came.
But that defeat made May gain enormous respect, which was already high, for Ash, seeing the way his friend handled the defeat. Many would give up, or start blaming something or someone else. However, Ash allowed himself to embrace the sadness, but used it as motivation and moved on.
Ash is a resilient person, and May could only hope that one day she was as strong as he is.
So, the Hoenn Grand Festival began. A tournament where Hoenn's best coordinators competed against each other for the coveted Ribbon Cup and the title of Top Coordinator, the highest level a coordinator can reach.
When May started competing in the Grand Festival, she finally understood a basic difference between coordinators and trainers. While trainers act like athletes in pursuit of a goal, coordinators are treated more like celebrities, while still having respect for competitive accomplishments.
It was hard to get used to the media attention and all the glamor of the event, but over time May learned to enjoy the attention she received and was able to get even more involved in the pageants.
However, everything changed with the defeat in Hoenn.
Losing in an ordinary contest is difficult but quickly overcome, however, losing on a Grand Festival stage with thousands of people watching in the stadium and around the world on TV was something else entirely.
Sadness mixed with frustration and embarrassment, and honestly, at that moment May seriously considered giving up everything and going home. It would be easy to tell her friends a lie, say she was going to Petalburg to rest before her next journey, and never come back.
And in her weakest moment, Ash appeared again to comfort her. Knowing that her best friend was proud was something that warmed May's heart, and motivated her to pursue her dream even more fervently.
If Ash never gave up, even after several defeats, why would May Maple give up so easily?
The journey through Hoenn ended with mixed feelings, but with the certainty that it would only be the beginning of something even bigger.
Intending to reunite with Ash again, May and her brother went to Pallet Town. And it was a nice feeling to get to know his best friend and mentor's hometown. Pallet is an agricultural town with few residents, having found harmony with nature, very different from Petalburg or the big cities around the world.
May personally met Delia Ketchum, Ash's mother, and finally discovered where her best friend's personality came from. A woman who raised a child on her own and still maintained an unblemished heart along with a bubbly personality would be the only mother in the world capable of molding someone like Ash.
And May is deeply grateful to Delia for that.
Her little brother almost had a heart attack when he met the famous teacher Samuel Oak, whom May also respected but wasn't as devoted a fan as the brat.
It was then that the journey to Kanto, Ash's homeland, began, where May competed to enter the Grand Festival, and Ash participated in a new challenge, Battle Frotier.
Each of the battles that Ash faced were electrifying, much more difficult than a common gym, and May also felt that she had grown as a coordinator, having a pleasant surprise to defeat her Hoenn rivals with less difficulties as she competed more and more.
Then the events of the Samiya Temple took place.
Meeting Manaphy and being recognized by legend as a mother was something that permanently scarred May's heart, but it could have turned into a painful memory if something had gone wrong with Ash's reckless decision to place her, Pikachu and Manaphy, inside a survival module.
She had gotten used to the fact that Ash was reckless, and would put his life on the line to save those in need, but what he did that day would be etched in her mind for the rest of her life. Ash didn't hesitate to risk drowning at the bottom of the ocean if it meant saving her. May had never felt so helpless in her life, and when the reality of what could happen hit her, May fell into despair.
Ash could die.
Thanks to Arceus, or whatever deity was looking out for his friend, Ash survived, and managed to stop the psycho pirate from getting his hands on Manaphy. May felt immense relief that Ash had survived, and refused to let go of the boy for any reason.
May's unique experience in that temple transformed her relationship with Ash permanently. She began to see him as more than just a friend, someone May wanted by her side.
Someone she could love.
When she came to that conclusion, she was scared. May was sure she only liked Drew, but now she was stuck in a dilemma, follow Drew to Johto, or stay by Ash's side?
The closer the moment when the journey through Kanto would end, the more scared May became, and after another conversation of Drew trying to convince her after the defeat in the great festival of Kanto, May decided that she would travel to Johto.
It would be the wisest decision, abandoning the conflicting feeling and preserving a great friendship, while moving on to a new stage of his dream alongside great rivals and a love interest. She knew she was just justifying her cowardice, but she refused to change her mind, and after a bittersweet farewell, she set off for Johto, this time without Ash, Brock or Max to accompany her.
Johto was difficult, traveling alone proved to be a completely new and unique challenge, with no one to support or help whenever she needed it, May had to quickly learn to overcome adversity, and while it was a way to jumpstart her career, it was risky , and above all, painful.
For a long time May thought if she had made the right decision, deciding to abandon one feeling to follow another, which was proving to be something more and more unfeasible. Drew got even worse in his attitude as he gained fame, acting like a more irritating version of Brock with any pretty woman he came across, and this hurt May several times, Drew still flirted with her a few times, but May knew she wasn't the only one, and that made her more and more sad.
Then, May discovered that in Sinnoh there would be a championship for coordinators, where the winner would have a valid ribbon for any region. It was the perfect opportunity for May to visit her best friend again and compete alongside him once again.
But when May arrived in Sinnoh, she was faced with something that left her speechless. Ash continued traveling with Brock, but he had a new companion, Dawn Hikari, a rookie coordinator, daughter of Johana, a famous retired Sinnoh Top Coordinator.
What bothered May wasn't the girl's presence, but the way she and Ash acted towards each other, the proximity of both of them, and the fact that Ash seemed more mature than he had been in Kanto and Hoenn, made May feel as if had missed something important, and deep down she knew what it was.
It was a chance to build something new from a beautiful friendship.
May wanted to be angry with Ash, but she couldn't, after all, it was her decision to separate, go to Johto and let Ash continue his journey in another path, but now another girl apparently took the chance that May wasted.
And like a good friend, May would wish her mentor, best friend, and now possible impossible crush happiness.
Honestly, May liked Dawn, and could see the beginnings of a beautiful friendship, but the fact that she was traveling with Ash, and the way the girl acted so closely around her friend meant that May had to pretend a lot. times I wasn't bothered.
But nothing was as impactful in her short stay in Sinnoh as the defeat in the Wallace Cup final, precisely for Dawn, a rookie coordinator.
It was the biggest embarrassment of his entire career, but nothing hurt as much as Ash's genuine happiness for the blue-haired girl.
May felt sad, ashamed, hurt and betrayed. She knew they were all silly, petty feelings, but who could blame her? Her best friend and someone she has a little crush on is congratulating another girl, the same person who just beat her in such an important competition.
That day, May accepted that she had lost more than a competition.
After returning to Johto, May decided to focus only on contests, embracing competitions with everything she had, to forget about what happened in Sinnoh, and get away, at least for a while, from Ash.
Her sheer focus paid off, and with a surprise victory at the Johto Grand Festival, May became Top Coordinator.
Since then, her life has completely changed. With the title of Top Coordinator, May gained international fame, becoming a famous celebrity. It was during this time that she met Lísia Mekuri, a Hoenn Idol and Top Coordinator. Later, May found out that Lísia was Wallace's niece, and that caused the green-haired girl to laugh sincerely when she saw May's incredulous face.
The years passed, and May carved a place for herself in the world of coordinators, later Dawn and Drew also reached the rank of Top Coordinators, which brought them closer to the point where they became a group of close friends.
It was surprising, however, when May, at a contest in Sootopolis, watched on TV in the waiting room before a performance, her best friend, who she hadn't kept in touch with for years, defeat Leon, the undefeated champion of Galar, and become the champion of Masters 8, and consequently, Pokémon Master.
May felt enormous joy and pride, but was also slightly ashamed of herself for not being personally present at such an important moment in Ash's life.
Little did she know that it would be the last time she would see Ash alive.
Ash mysteriously disappeared shortly after being crowned Pokémon Master, but May wasn't updated on the news for months as she was swamped with appointments with the Pokémon Contest Committee. But it was when she finally returned to Petalburg that she received the worst news of her life.
May opened the door of her house, but saw her parents and Max crying in the living room. Immediately she ran towards the family. "Mom, Dad, Max, what happened?!" Her whole family stared at her, and no one dared to say a word, which made May even more distressed.
It was Norman who plucked up the courage to stand up and walked slowly towards May. As he approached, Norman placed both hands on May's shoulder, and gave her the worst news of his life. "May...I'm sorry to say this, but your friend, Ash, he's dead."
With those words, May felt like a part of her had just died, just like her best friend.
It was a horrible feeling attending Ash's wake in Pallet Town. After receiving the news, May slowly left the house and took the first flight to Kanto, where she continued on to her best friend's homeland. Upon arriving in Pallet, she was met with many familiar faces, including Dawn, Drew, and so many other people she met during her journey.
May was informed that Ash has disappeared, and no one has found any trace of him. After months of searching, they decided to declare him dead. Delia was inconsolable, and although May wanted to say something, she felt unworthy.
For she had decided to abandon her friend, and now she would never have the chance to speak to him again.
It wasn't fair, Ash died just when he achieved his dream, and May heard some people in the background discussing who would be the new champion of Alola, the region where Ash was the first champion.
May decided in that moment that she would hate all trainers for the rest of her life. Her anger was mixed with sadness and shame, the result of a painful and unexpected loss, it was at that same time that May began the relationship with Drew, which seemed to start correctly, but soon proved to be a foolish decision.
It was an impulsive act to get her to forget the pain she was feeling, and Drew came across as someone who wasn't really interested in a relationship, but didn't turn down the chance to date a beautiful woman. Fortunately, even after May was extremely furious about what led to the end of the relationship, she and Drew managed to save some of the friendship they had. They both knew it would never be the same, but May refused to lose another friend.
She failed to appreciate her most important friend, May would not forgive herself if she lost another friendship.
All these events led to a contest in Sootopolis, where May faced Lísia, and was surprised by the friendship's evolution in such a short time. Dawn and Drew had decided not to compete in that contest, as they had just come out of a publicity recording, but upon learning that Lísia would compete, May did not leave the chance to face her friend and rival.
After the defeat, May felt that she should train even harder, and made this clear to her friend. She won this round, but the next one would be May's.
But what was even more surprising was the discovery that Lisia, of all people, had found a man she really liked! That girl never showed real interest in anyone, it got to the point where May became suspicious of her friend's sexuality, something that obviously she never commented on.
Although May was already suspicious since Lísia started making jokes about her big bust, it's not May's fault that men are looking at the talents of the Maple family.
Maple women flower quickly, or so her mother told her.
The curiosity to find out who was the man who became Lísia's object of interest left Dawn and May intrigued, and after much insistence, Lísia finally showed the photo.
Initially, May didn't notice anything too strange, of course, he is certainly a very handsome man, with long white hair, tall and with strong muscles, considering the size of his arm. But something immediately caught May's attention, something that scared her.
The 'Z' marks on the cheeks.
Something only one person owned, someone May thought she'd never see again... someone who should be dead.
The pieces quickly fell into place. Her face, although mature, still retained features of the boy she knew, and the marks on her cheeks helped to emphasize that even more. Her eyes, though they weren't brown anymore, had something in them that was impossible to mistake for anyone who'd known Ash in the past, the kindness with an ounce of innocence that was her trademark.
And finally, the very name that Lisia spoke, Ashura Draconid. May found out that 'Ash' wasn't her friend's real name, only when she saw the headstone in Pallet. Ashura Ketchum is his real name, and now, someone else was using the same name, with the nickname, 'Ashy', something that made it even clearer what was going on.
Ash is alive! Living under a different name, with a different appearance, and he didn't try to get in touch with her, instead it was Lisia who found him, completely at random.
Tears began to fall from the eyes, of sadness, hurt and joy. A unique mix of feelings, but that promised just one thing.
She's going to find her friend if it's the last thing in the world, or her name isn't May Maple.
Dawn Berlitz is a girl who, since she was a little girl, dreamed of following in her mother's footsteps, a successful Top Coordinator who only retired when she got pregnant, and decided to be a present mother for the daughter she would give birth to.
Since she was a little girl, Dawn has lived with the expectation of the people of her city, that she would become a successful coordinator, and this caused her to have a childhood with few friends. Kids tend to be jealous of what they can't match, and Dawn was no different. The only 'friend' she had during her childhood was Kenny, a boy who constantly teased her, and was the creator of the nickname she hates...'Deedee'.
Honestly, it was a ridiculous nickname that could easily be ignored, but it turned out to be an effective weapon to get her out of her mind. The years passed, and Kenny became a friend who still teased Dawn sometimes, but never with the intention of really hurting her.
As Dawn grew up, the dream of being a coordinator blossomed more and more, and finally the time came when she would go on a journey towards her dream. For a moment, she considered traveling with Kenny, but thanks to her mother's advice, she decided against the idea.
And thanks to that, Dawn met the most important person in her life after her own mother.
It all started when she found a slightly injured Pikachu, and excited, tried to capture the pokémon that was rare in the Sinnoh region. Unfortunately, she soon found out that Pikachu had a trainer, and this made her furious.
Who would be evil enough to abandon an injured Pokemon in the middle of the forest?
Decided to help the poor little mouse, Dawn headed towards Professor Rowan's laboratory. Unfortunately for the pair, an incident involving several Ariados ended up with the bike she got from her mother completely destroyed.
Pikachu's Thunderbolt claimed yet another victim.
With a destroyed bicycle, and a pokémon possibly abandoned, Dawn arrived at Professor Rowan's laboratory, and there she met Ash Ketchum, an experienced trainer from the Kanto region.
When she found out that Ash was Pikachu's trainer, she was very furious and wanted to punish him in some way, but thanks to Pikachu himself and a good explanation, she understood that Ash was innocent.
But still, that didn't stop her from punching the boy in the ribs for the bicycle that was destroyed. The events of that day surprisingly gave Dawn a traveling companion who was an experienced trainer and a few years older.
Traveling alongside Ash proved to be a unique experience. She was initially apprehensive about traveling alone with an unknown boy, but quickly learned that Ash is the last person in the world who would try to take advantage of a girl, as he was so dense as to be annoying.
For a moment did she question whether Ash liked boys, a thought born of wounded female pride? Perhaps. Were you influenced by a secretly perverted mind? Surely.
Dawn wasn't innocent, and although she wasn't looking for anything more than a friendship, she recognized that Ash was a good-looking boy, and his personality only added to the appeal. The way he treated her, the patience to help her in training for the contests, and her willingness to protect her from danger were factors that made a huge appreciation for the boy from Kanto arise.
Ash was by her side through defeats and victories, through happy and sad moments, and he never let anyone hurt her in any way. Brock, a Pokémon breeder from Kanto, was a great friend who she saw as an older brother, and although he was irritatingly perverted, he was someone to be trusted.
The group she traveled through Sinnoh couldn't be better.
However, as time went by, things began to change in the way she saw friendship with Ash. Alongside him, she faced events that could only have come out of a movie or book, witnessed incredible events and stories, and through it all, she saw that their friendship was slowly evolving into something bigger.
The thought of liking Ash scared her at first, but Dawn quickly accepted that it would come naturally. Why should she run away from this opportunity? Ash is a good friend, and although he was annoyingly dense, he was someone any girl would be lucky to call her boyfriend.
With that, Dawn didn't hesitate to make her intentions clear, even fulfilling a long-held fantasy of posing as a cheerleader in gym battles. She admitted very early on that she's a bit of an exhibitionist, after all, it's not too hard to notice that boys would stare at her short skirt whenever she pretended to look away. And as long as no one tried anything really racy, the attention did wonders for her ego as a woman.
But a single boy continued unabated.
The attempt to win over Ash Ketchum failed miserably, but not because of a rejection. The problem was that Ash never had the experience of dealing with a girl acting as anything more than a friend, and everything to him was just a show of friendship.
Dawn tried everything, even talking to Brock privately, and the response she received left her dismayed but hopeful.
"Ash is an innocent boy. Not gonna lie, other girls must have felt the same way about him in the past, but Ash is either too naive to see it, or he's a born actor. But we both know he would never play with someone's feelings. If he wants advice, keep trying, but know that in the end the result may be different from what you want."
Brock's answer made Dawn afraid to fail, but nothing scared her as much as the news that May, an old traveling companion of Ash, was going to the Wallace Cup. Dawn saw the glint in Ash's eyes at the news, and knew she had to do something, or she might miss out on another girl's chance of a lifetime.
With May's arrival, Dawn immediately understood that she might be threatened. May was a beautiful girl, and thanks to genetics, or any female deity, that girl developed faster than most girls her age, turning her into a beauty that attracted the gazes of countless people.
It didn't help that May was very close to Ash, always trying to get his attention. Dawn knew she couldn't let her guard down, and she stayed by Ash's side at every possible moment, not giving May a chance to be alone with her love interest.
Just before the Wallace Cup final, May and Dawn met at the entrance to the stadium, and both stared at each other. No words needed to be said, they both knew that this battle had more at stake than a ribbon contest.
It was a defining battle for both girls, who would have the chance to seek love from a love interest they both share.
The battle was close, May was an amazing coordinator, and Dawn can recognize where she got her inspiration from to create the coordination style. It was a frightening mix of Ash's battle style and a coordinator's grace, Dawn could practically see in May a version of Ash if he was a coordinator.
And that was why Dawn won.
When fighting similarly to Ash, Dawn had the advantage of being able to predict some moves, something May was unable to do, and this earned her enough points to leave Dawn at the top of the Wallace Cup.
Winning an international tournament was amazing, but nothing compared to seeing Ash congratulating her with a smile on his face. Dawn saw May leaving the stadium, and although she was slightly worried about the girl, she couldn't contain her happiness.
Dawn won, and May left for Johto. Under other circumstances, May would have become a friend at that moment, but things don't always go as planned, and she wanted fate that they both wanted the same thing.
And when that happens, one side tends to lose.
The rest of the journey through Sinnoh had its ups and downs, like dealing with an international smuggler, Hunter J, saving Arceus and dealing with Giratina, and stopping a power madman from rewriting the universe in his own image...just an ordinary day for anyone traveling alongside Ash Ketchum.
Although the adventures were incredible, the result in the Grand Festival did not happen as Dawn imagined, having failed to win the competition when she was defeated by Zoey, her main rival, in the grand final of the Grand Festival. She was sad, but thanks to Ash, she understood that losing is part of the path to success, and they would have other opportunities to compete.
Surprisingly, it was Ash's defeat in the Sinnoh League that made the blue-haired coordinator indignant. Ash was competing masterfully, having bested even Paul Shinji, the purple-haired rival with an irritating personality, and brutality in the way he dealt with his own pokémon. The literal antithesis of Ash in every way.
Ash overcame his rival, but soon after faced Tobias, a mysterious trainer who appeared out of nowhere with legendary pokémon. It was unfair that Ash was defeated by someone who used Pokemon worthy of being legends, and even so, Ash was able to take down Darkrai and Latios before being defeated.
Yet another testament to the amazing trainer that is Ash Ketchum.
Ash was shaken by the defeat, but refused to give up, and quickly snapped out of his depressive attitude to revert back to being the old Ash everyone knows, a dreamy boy unafraid of a good fight.
Everything was heading for Dawn to follow her friends in another region, but the proposal to work as a pokémon stylist shook her. It was the opportunity of a lifetime, and for a long time Dawn thought hard about what she was going to do, about everything that had happened since she started her journey, the countless attempts to win Ash's affection, and all the times she questioned whether she really it was worth continuing to run after a love that proved to be more and more impossible.
It broke Dawn's heart to admit to herself that Ash would never see her as a woman, and only as a friend. And Dawn couldn't bear to travel to another region with her friend knowing that all her attempts to conquer would end up failing.
Most of all, Dawn's heart would be destroyed if another girl conquered Ash, and she was there to witness it with her own eyes.
Ash left for Unova, and Dawn embarked on a new stage in her life as a stylist.
Years passed and Dawn gained a great reputation as a fashion designer under Paris' tutelage, but the urge to compete in pageants continued to consume her day after day. After a long time reflecting on what she would do, Dawn decided to return to the stage, and left for Hoenn in search of a new adventure.
It was in Hoenn that Dawn conquered the Grand Festival and finally became Top Coordinator. It was an incredible moment in her career, but nothing could prepare her for all the responsibility that would come with the title. Being a Top Coordinator meant that Dawn had become an example to be followed by other Coordinators aspiring to achieve what she achieved, and with that, Dawn ended up becoming a celebrity, as did most of the Top Coordinators.
For Dawn, it was a surprise to discover that May had become Top Coordinator 1 year before she returned to the stage, and thanks to the insistence of Lísia, a Top Coordinator and Hoenn Idol, Dawn ended up approaching May, and the coordinator of Petalburg became a great friend, as well as Lísia, who, in addition to being a friend, served as a guinea pig for her newest creations in the field of fashion.
Which Lisia gladly accepted.
Life as a Top Coordinator was filled with publicity events, public presentations and trips to promote contests in other regions. It was during one of these trips that Dawn was reunited with Ash, and imagine her surprise when she discovered that her best friend, whom she hadn't seen in years, had become Alola's champion.
Dawn was extremely happy for her friend, and although she had gotten over her old crush, she couldn't help but feel overjoyed to see that just like her, Ash was close to his dream.
Ash had changed, still retaining his unique personality, but he became a respectable and extremely powerful Trainer. Just like her, Ash grew up and showed that he really had the talent to be a true champion.
Watching her best friend take on champions from other regions was breathtaking, and when Ash beat Cynthia, Dawn couldn't believe her eyes. He had taken down Sinnoh's most feared trainer in a blistering battle.
However, nothing would compare to what came next.
Leon, the invincible champion, considered the most powerful trainer in the world, was the final barrier between Ash and his dream. The battle was brutal, and Dawn felt like she nearly had a heart attack several times during the epic clash between two regional champions.
In the midst of so much tension, seeing Pikachu be the Pokémon that gave Ash the victory over Leon was one of the most beautiful things Dawn has seen in her life. He had achieved the impossible, Ash became the Masters 8 champion.
Ash became a Pokémon Master.
The coronation ceremony was emotional, and Dawn returned home with enormous pride and happiness for her best friend. Unfortunately for the Twinleaf coordinator, the upcoming events would be the hardest of her life.
Without any explanation, Ash simply disappeared. The world went into a frenzy, and a global task force was assembled to find him. Dawn lost days of sleep worried, imagining that something bad could have happened, and unfortunately, time would give reason for her concern.
It was a winter day in Twinleaf, with snow covering the small town where she was born, when Dawn arrived home, to find her mother teary-eyed. Afraid of what could have happened, Dawn dropped the bag she was holding on the floor and ran to find out what had happened.
"Mommy! What happened?" Johanna looked at her daughter and brought her in for a hug.
In a hoarse voice, the older woman broke news that would mark Dawn for the rest of her life. "Daughter, I'm so sorry…Ash, he's dead."
Dawn's heart seemed to stop beating, she started to breathe uncontrollably, and with the impact of the news, Dawn passed out.
It was only the next day that Dawn woke up, believing that everything had just been a horrible dream, but when she found her mother, she was sure it wasn't a dream.
Ash, his best friend and old flame, was dead.
Traveling to Pallet would normally be a joyous event, but this time it was one of the most painful things Dawn had ever done. Arriving in the small town where Ash was born, and seeing so many famous people in tears was horrible.
Poor Delia couldn't stop crying, and Dawn couldn't even go and comfort her best friend's mother.
An empty coffin was buried in the Pallet Town cemetery, not even Ash's body was found. The boy who made Dawn's dream possible, the same boy who protected her so many times, and who was once someone she wanted to conquer, didn't get a proper burial.
Pikachu, Ash's oldest Pokemon, never left Delia's side, the once cheerful little yellow mouse became an expressionless Pokemon, and when Pikachu looked at Dawn, what she saw hurt her deeply.
It was anger.
Pikachu somehow blamed her for what happened, and as illogical as it was, Dawn was starting to believe in the little pokémon. This feeling was too much for Dawn to bear, and she left Pallet at the first opportunity.
Three years have passed since that incident, and the world has slowly moved on after Ash's death. May started dating Drew, giving Lisia an endless amount of teasing material, and amid the couple's many fights, Dawn found a remnant of joy, slowly conforming that Ash wouldn't come back, and that she should live happily.
Honoring your best friend's legacy.
As expected, the relationship between May and Drew was doomed from the beginning, and it was surprising that both had maintained some degree of friendship, especially given the fact that Drew betrayed May without any resentment.
Honestly, if Dawn had been in her friend's shoes, she would never have looked that womanizing coordinator in the face again.
Drew tried a few times to get close to her, but Dawn quickly made it clear that she wouldn't give him the chance to play with feelings the way she did with May. Although Dawn didn't hate Drew, he was at best an acquaintance, and she put up with him because he was a friend of May, and consequently, of Lisia.
It had been a particularly tiring day when Dawn had to shoot a commercial for a brand of soda with Drew, surely journalists would start creating ridiculous rumors to sell headlines.
The burden of a famous person is to have his life used as mere entertainment.
May and Lisia competed in the Sootopolis contest, and Dawn cursed herself for missing the opportunity to watch the battle between her friends, but luckily she made it in time to congratulate the winner. Lísia beat May, and although this result was not surprising, what really surprised Dawn was discovering that Lísia Mekuri, the woman she considered 'impossible to conquer', was interested in a man.
Obviously, both Dawn and May pestered the green-haired Idol, and when they finally managed to convince their friend to show her a photo of the lucky, or unlucky, who captured her attention, Dawn went into shock.
That man, with long white hair and a beautiful face could go unnoticed by most people, those eyes were different from what Dawn remembered, but quickly she knew that the person she saw was someone who should not exist in this world.
It was Ash Ketchum, he was alive! But why didn't he come back to the public, what happened that made him change so much? Why did he change his name?
...Why didn't Ash tell her that he was alive?
Dawn was caught up in a mix of emotions. Joy at seeing her best friend alive, anger at knowing that she mourned unnecessarily, hurt at knowing that he didn't tell her that he was alive, and indignation at Lísia being the person who found him.
Of all the people in the world, it was Lysia who found Ash in a small village!
Dawn will find Ash, and when she finds him, nothing will stop her, she failed once, she won't make the same mistake again.
Or maybe, Ash will disappear for good, and Dawn won't have a chance to redeem herself.
Lisia didn't know what to do, why were May and Dawn crying? "Uh…girls? What happened?" May was the first to recover, and grabbed Lisia by the collar of her shirt and pushed her hard against the wall.
That scared Lisia, but nothing was as terrifying as the furious look on her brown-haired friend. "How did you get that photo?! Don't lie to me, or I swear even your uncle won't be able to save you!" May spoke with barely contained fury. Lisia knew she could get away, but she didn't understand the reason for so much commotion.
Angry, but controlling herself not to hurt her friend, Lisia, in a display of skill that her friends didn't know, freed herself from May's hands and walked away. "What the hell! What is your problem? It's just a picture of Ashy!" Those words made something snap in Dawn's mind, and she rose from her chair as angry as May.
"Just a photo…JUST A PHOTO?! HE IS MY BEST FRIEND, THE SAME MAN I BELIEVED WAS DEAD OVER THREE YEARS AGO!" Dawn started to cry amidst her anger, she was shaking with anger and despair for what was happening, and that scared Lisia.
"May, Dawn...I honestly don't understand, why is Ashura so important?" Lisia spoke in a calm tone, not even using the Draconid male's pet nickname, it was obvious that both of her friends were emotionally unstable, and the last thing they needed was to start a pointless fight.
May wanted to scream, do anything to vent her anger, but she couldn't blame Lisia, she was being honest and really didn't know what was going on. Taking a deep breath, May hugged Dawn, who began to cry into her friend's chest. Looking at Lysia with a neutral expression, May only spoke one word. "Ash Ketchum."
Lisia tilted her head, not understanding at first. "What does Ash Ketchum have to do with that, he's…dead." Slowly, the pieces began to fall into place, and Lisia remembered the last image she saw of the famous world champion who died prematurely. And after recording the image in her mind, Lísia looked at the photo in her Pokétch, to finally understand what led her friends to enter a nervous breakdown.
Apparently, her future boyfriend (in her own opinion) had just returned from the dead.
Now, a dilemma has arisen. Would Lisia hand Ash over to her friends, or let him live in peace? The girls' piercing gaze made something very clear.
They won't give up easily, not without a fight. And honestly, Lisia doesn't know what to do.
Third chapter completed. This one in particular had few dialogues, but served the purpose of creating a narrative involving the characters in the main plot.
From the next chapter, the story begins to develop more fluidly.
Anyway, thanks so much for reading. Comment, criticize, give suggestions, I am open to listening to all opinions, as long as they are respectful.
See you soon in the next chapter of 'Sage'.