First time writing a Pokémon Fanfic so let me know what you think, besides the pairing. This will just be one of many I'll do. What I do is mostly see how well I can do with characters from different shows and the like and try to add them to my other stories. I won't do any Original Characters in the first few chapters, only when needed as this will be a collection of One-shots. You can expect quite a few AU's here. There will also be mentions of other pairings, but only certain characters will have the honor of being bashed *cough*Conway*cough*.
Enjoy. I don't own Pokémon. If I did, Ash would've aged up throughout the series, not stay as a ten year old for twenty five freaking years!
Also, as a quick note, I know that Americans will definitely know the reference for a restaurant, but I'm sure many others will know as well. Besides, the food is Finger Lickin Good!
Also, I know many of you won't be getting any updates for stories for a while if you do add this one due to an ongoing issue. Just try to be patient and wait it out. (Trust me. I know how annoying it is)
Waves crashed into the side of the ship as the storm began to grow. On their trip back to the Kanto region, Ash and Brock were caught in the middle of a massive storm. Both were returning from the Sinnoh region, where Ash had placed 4th in the Lily of the Valley Conference. Despite not coming in first place, Ash was very proud of how well he was able to do after only coming in Top 8 in his last two league runs. From Top 16 during his first adventure all the way to top 4 in Sinnoh.
Brock was also happy for his friend who he considered another brother. They had been through a lot together and was happy that Ash did as well as he did. He knew that part of what helped Ash do as well as he did was the fact that he took some time off before heading for another league. He noticed it after he went from top 16 in the Indigo to Top 8 in the Silver Conference. That time in between, he had traveled to the Orange Islands and won the championship there.
By the time they made it to Hoenn, Ash was starting to show signs of being a true trainer and leader, even if he still had a few slip ups. Ash had learned to adapt and challenged himself by just bringing Pikachu with him. That had ended with Team Rocket attempting to once again steal Pikachu and another person's bike being fried like Colonel Oaks Fried Chicken. Despite all that, Ash had improved and Brock had expanded his knowledge on Pokémon for his own goals.
Now, with the two returning from Sinnoh, Brock noticed that Ash had looked down after leaving. While he could chalk it up to not winning another league, he had a feeling that it was something else. Brock watched Ash stare back at Sinnoh even when the ship had long left its shores. The look in Ash's eyes told him everything as he looked down at his right hand. The same one that he had given their travel companion throughout Sinnoh what might be their last high five in a while.
"Ash," Brock began. "Are you doing ok?" Ash looked at Brock and gave a small smile.
"No need to worry," Ash replied. "I'll be fine. Just sad that our time in Sinnoh was over." Brock however had known Ash for quite some time. He knew when something was bothering him and how to get him to talk.
"I know," Brock said. "Definitely one of our more crazy ones. Even to the point of the world ending from Team Galactic. It's sad that I actually preferred Team Rocket over these guys."
"I know," Ash commented. "I'm almost worried what organization I'll run into next. Still, it was a lot of fun seeing the region during everything."
:"I noticed that you started adding more contest style moves to your battling," Brock said, getting ready to finally get to the point. "Plus, you actually participated in a few. You never did that in Hoenn and only once in Kanto when we traveled with May and Max. Besides Ambipom, what made you want to try them more this time?"
All Ash could do was start going red in the face, thinking back at the two contests he did enter. Thinking about the contests also reminded him of his recent companion and best friend. His face dropped as he remembered her. The last thing he wanted was for Brock to start teasing him, but he knew that once Brock had his mind on something, he wouldn't stop until he got what he wanted. As much as Ash loved traveling with the Breeder turning Doctor, he could get on his nerves.
"I honestly don't know," Ash answered. "I mean, it was fun the one time I did it, but when I did them here, it was like something was different. The first one was because Ambipom wanted to try it, but when the Wallace Cup was around, I know Wallace said that I should, but I still hesitated. It was actually Dawn who told me to give it another shot and see how well Buizel could do."
"Wasn't Dawn the one that helped you pick out the outfit?" Brock asked, knowing that Ash had no true fashion sense. Still, seeing him dressed as an Aura Guardian at Rota was pretty cool. Brock just wouldn't admit it to Ash himself, lest he deal with a massive inflated ego at the time.
"Yeah," Ash replied. "She said that made me look more professional." Ash soon looked out the window and started to frown again. "I don't get it. Why is it that I feel way worse about separating than I did with Misty, Tracey, May, and Max? I know for Tracey that I still see him when I go to the lab, but with the others, why does it feel worse with Dawn than the others?"
Brock knew where Ash was coming from. Ash had grown up with just his mom for years with his dad nowhere in sight. While he would get a letter from him once and a while, all ending with a reminder to 'Change his You-Know-What's', causing Ash to blush severely for a few minutes, he wasn't around to help Ash with what he was feeling right now. While Brock knew that he wasn't an expert by any means, also because Misty, Max, and now his Croagunk, had made it impossible to find the perfect woman. Brock took a deep breath knowing that Ash needed to hear this.
"Listen Ash," Brock began. "This emotion you're feeling, it's the same one that many others feel. It's not just that feeling of leaving your travel companions or separating from your best friend. When Misty went to take over the gym, we were all sad, but we bounced back. It was only hard because we had traveled through two regions together. May and Max, they were harder since we had all been through so much more than us and Misty. We were sad to see all of them go, but we all agreed that it was for the best since we all had different goals."
Brock took a deep breath to allow Ash time to think. While Ash wasn't the greatest thinker in the world, being as dense as he was for years before his journey, even that denseness had a limit.
"Remember when Misty said that she and Tracey were together?" Brock asked.
"Yeah," Ash replied. "I think we all saw that one coming. Still surprised me, but she did say that they were still together last I heard. Even May said that Drew had gotten his act together and they're dating now."
"Wait!" Brock exclaimed. "You mean that May got a boyfriend before I could even get a girlfriend? I must go and correct thi.."
Before Brock could continue, a pokeball opened and out popped Croagunk, tired of listening to Brock complain about his lack of a love life. As Brock collapsed, Croagunk dragged him away, leaving Ash and Pikachu in their cabin.
"What do you think buddy?" Ash asked.
"Pi pika chu ka kachu, Pikapi," Pikachu replied, starting to get what Brock was saying. He was glad that Ash was starting to understand more, but he knew that his trainer would need help. Just as they were about to go check on Brock, Ash heard something ringing from his backpack. When he opened the front pocket, he saw a yellow and black Poketch. Ash turned on the answer button and a familiar face popped on the screen.
"Hi, Ash!" The person exclaimed.
"Hey, Dawn," Ash replied at the caller. "Did you put this in my bag?"
"Yep," Dawn said, smiling brightly. "I figured that you might need a way to contact everyone when you're traveling and decided that this might help. I actually got it after your battle with Paul. They were customizing them. I figured I would get one with Pikachu's colors on it for you."
"I really appreciate this, Dawn," Ash replied.
"Where's Brock at?" Dawn asked, already having a guess as to what Brock was doing.
"Croagunk dragged him away when he started going on about how he needed to up his game at getting a girlfriend," Ash stated. "He didn't know about May and Drew being together."
"Brock will never learn," Dawn said, shaking her head. She then noticed that Ash seemed a little tense, as if he was afraid of something. "What's going on Ash? You look like you don't want to be on the ferry."
"We're going through a storm," Ash answered. "I had a bad experience with ships on rough seas. Last time I dealt with this was on the S. ."
"I heard that five people were killed with their Pokémon when it went down," Dawn said, not having heard the news when it announced that the five people had actually survived. Her and her mom had avoided all news of it due to how depressing it was.
"Dawn," Ash began. "Brock, Misty, and I were those five people. Us and Team Rocket." As those words left Ash's mouth, Dawn nearly dropped from where she was sitting.
"Please tell me that this is a joke," Dawn's eyes were starting to water, knowing now that her best friend had nearly drowned on that ship.
"I'm not joking," Ash replied, sighing. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I'll try to keep in contact the best I can."
"Don't you dare turn off that screen, Ash!" Dawn exclaimed, anger in her voice now. "Why didn't you tell me about this before? We could've found a different ferry for you guys on a calmer day!" Dawn was near hysterics now. What Ash didn't know was that Dawn considered him more than just her best friend. After all the times that Ash had nearly gotten himself injured or killed trying to help Dawn, she had grown feelings that went far beyond friendship. While Ash was also feeling the same way, he still didn't know what he was truly feeling himself.
"It's still a subject I don't like talking about," Ash answered. "Nearly drowning on a ship and barely surviving everything that happened after, it's something that still bothers me to this day. If it'll make you feel better, I'll let you know when we make it to Kanto."
"Please do," Dawn stated. "I want to know the moment the ship docks and the moment you are on land again. Let me know when you plan on traveling again and if I have to, I'll go with you. I'm not going to let you be alone the whole time." Ash just shook his head.
"Dawn," he began. "Don't give up your dreams. You have a great chance for something. Don't throw it away. I want you to achieve your goals and make everyone proud."
"I can't do that if someone I care for is in peril though," Dawn said, her voice quiet but Ash still heard. Ash then realized why he was feeling so down earlier and why he was more cheerful when Dawn called. Ash would feel the same if Dawn was in trouble and if he had to, at the drop of a hat, he would be there for her. It was the same feeling that his mom said that she and his dad felt. The same feeling that Misty and Tracey felt. It was love.
Ash Ketchum was in love with Dawn Berlitz.
"Dawn," Ash said, getting her attention. "I'll let you know when I get back to Kanto and when I make it back to Pallet Town. When I head to another region, I'll let you know. I'm not going to let someone I love suffer from much more emotional pain."
As soon as he finished his statement, his face went completely red. He tried to hide his face from the camera by tilting his hat over his face, but Dawn knew what he was trying to do. She herself was blushing as well, but she knew that she would have to help Ash.
"I love you too," Dawn said. "Ash, I love you. I'm coming to Kanto on the next ferry in a few days. Turns out, my first assignment is to take Buneary on the road and let her model at different fashion events. I'm making Kanto my first stop. When I get there, I expect to see you at the docks."
"I will," Ash replied, smiling a true smile. "Take care of yourself. I love you, Dawn."
"I love you too, Ash," Dawn then hung up, knowing that Ash would let her know when he made it back home.
Ash smiled just as Brock came back.
"So," Brock began. "Anything interesting happen while I was being dragged all over the ship?" Ash just looked at Brock and said.
"I'll tell you in a few days," Ash said, laying down on his bed, thinking of his next adventure. That is, after he officially asks Dawn to be his girlfriend.
That's the end of that chapter. Most written in one night. Still unsure of some grammar and I type fast so I might miss some mistakes I made when looking over. If anyone sees any, let me know so I can fix it for next time. No, different spellings for the same word doesn't count all the time. -_-