Chapter eight
The streets of Lumiose City were alive with vibrant energy as Alain and Dawn made their way through the city's sprawling avenues. Dawn's excitement was contagious as she darted from one shop window to the next, her eyes lighting up at each new sight.
"Look at this, Alain!" Dawn exclaimed, pressing her hands against a glass window that displayed rows of fashionable hats and accessories. "I didn't know Kalos had such cute stuff!"
Alain, walking several paces behind her, gave a half-hearted sigh. "You don't exactly have time to shop for hats, you know."
But his words were lost on Dawn, who had already spotted another store and was running ahead. "Oh! Look at the Pokémon plushies in here! They're so adorable!" She leaned into the window of a toy store, her Piplup perched on her shoulder, equally mesmerized by the display.
Alain, now jogging to catch up, tried to keep his composure. "Are you always like this in big cities?" he asked with a hint of exasperation.
Dawn looked back at him with a wide grin. "What? Don't tell me you've never gotten excited about exploring new places!"
He raised an eyebrow. "Not quite like this."
Dawn laughed and grabbed his hand, tugging him along. "Come on, lighten up! We've got a whole city to explore, and I want to see everything!"
Before Alain could protest, Dawn took off again, running toward the next block. Alain shook his head but found himself smiling despite his initial reluctance. There was something infectious about her boundless energy, and though it wasn't his style, it wasn't entirely unpleasant either.
The two weaved through the bustling streets of Lumiose, with Dawn's enthusiasm never waning. She stopped every few minutes to admire something—a café's outdoor seating with sweet-smelling pastries, a store selling elaborate Poké Ball designs, and a group of street performers playing music alongside their Pokémon.
"I've never seen so much in one place!" Dawn exclaimed as she spun in a circle, taking in the city's beauty. "Kalos is like a dream come true!"
"Oh, look at this!" Dawn gasped, pointing to a boutique that had an elaborate display of sparkling Poké Puff treats. Without waiting for Alain to catch up, she sped toward the next shop that caught her eye.
Alain sighed but couldn't help the small smile tugging at his lips. Dawn was relentless in her enthusiasm, and while he admired her energy, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up. She disappeared into the bustling crowd every few seconds, only for him to spot her again racing ahead.
"Dawn!" he called, picking up his pace as she weaved through the crowd.
But she was already too far ahead, her voice drowned out by the din of the city. Alain glanced around, feeling a flicker of concern when he realized he'd lost sight of her entirely.
"Fantastic," he muttered under his breath, scanning the area. Dawn could be anywhere in this sea of people, and knowing her, she wouldn't even notice she'd lost him until she was halfway across the city.
Dawn, completely unaware that she had gotten separated from Alain, had stopped at another shop window. This one displayed an array of elegant Kalosian dresses, and she leaned in closer to admire the intricate details. Piplup, perched on her shoulder, mimicked her movements, peering at the display with equal interest.
"Piplup, wouldn't this be perfect for the Showcase? So Kalos!" Piplup chirped in agreement, flapping its little wings with excitement.
But just as she was about to move on, a voice from behind her caused her to freeze.
"DeeDee? Is that really you?"
She recognized the voice immediately, her stomach sinking slightly before she even turned around. When she did, she was greeted by the sight of Kenny—her childhood friend from Sinnoh. His familiar smile was wide, his eyes bright with excitement.
"Kenny?" Dawn forced a smile, her voice a little higher than usual. "Wow, what are you doing here?"
Kenny's grin broadened. "I could ask you the same thing! I'm here for the Pokémon Showcase, of course. I didn't expect to run into you, though. This is a nice surprise."
Dawn smiled awkwardly as she bumped into Kenny, her hands fidgeting slightly as she answered his question. "Oh, I'm just doing some sightseeing with Alain."
Kenny's brow furrowed. "Alain?"
Dawn blinked, realizing that Alain wasn't standing next to her. Her head swivelled in every direction, searching the crowd. How did they get separated? He had been right there moments ago. Her heart sank at the realization that in the chaos of the busy market, she must have lost track of him.
Kenny's confusion deepened as he looked around. "Who's Alain? I didn't see anyone with you."
Dawn forced a nervous chuckle, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Uh... we must've gotten split up in the crowd. He was just here a second ago."
Kenny's eyes narrowed slightly, trying to piece together the situation. Alain? Who was this guy? And since when was Dawn travelling with someone else? It wasn't like her to just disappear with some stranger, and the way she'd casually mentioned him left a strange knot in his stomach. Something wasn't adding up. Maybe she is just saying this because she doesn't want to be with me.
"Oh. Right," Kenny said, his voice quieter, uncertainty creeping into his tone. "I thought maybe you were here for a contest or something."
"No, no contests this time," Dawn quickly replied, biting her lip as she scanned the street again. Her pulse quickened slightly, realising she needed Alain's steady presence. Her thoughts began racing. Oh no no no, where is he, when… how did we get separated?
An awkward silence fell between them, Kenny still standing there, staring at her with a mix of confusion and—something else. She couldn't quite place it. Annoyance? Disappointment? She wasn't sure. Either way, the longer the silence stretched, the more she wished Alain would suddenly reappear.
Kenny's gaze flickered with curiosity. "Alain" he whispered to himself. "Wait… did you mean to say…Ash." Kenny began to lean in closer, "Don't tell me you're still travelling with Ash?" A tone of sadness radiated as he spoke. "You told me you needed to travel alone for a while."
Dawn waved her hands awkwardly, signalling him to step back. "No, no, no, Ash went to Unova to start over again. You know Ash, he's probably adventured across half the region by now. I'm sure the news will start reporting on the Pokémon population of Unova rapidly declining, only to turn out it's just Ash catching them all out of excitement."
She let out a nervous giggle. Oh no, I'm doing it again, why do I ramble so much when I'm nervous. I know where he wants this to go, maybe if I talk enough, we can get so far off topic it will be fine, right? Yes, no need to worry.
Kenny sighed in relief, the tension easing from his shoulders. Good, he thought. If Ash is out of the picture, then I still have a chance. But then, who is this Alain? NO! I need to stop overthinking, she's clearly excited to see me, I mean just listen to the way she's talking. We're alone together in a romantic city, this is it.
His confidence bolstered, and he decided to make his move.
"You know that dress would look great on you," Kenny continued, his voice dipping. "Especially if you wore it as my date for the performance tonight."
Dawn's smile faltered slightly. She appreciated Kenny's friendship, but his persistence was wearing on her. This wasn't the first time he'd tried to push her toward something she wasn't ready for. She glanced around, her heart racing, hoping to spot Alain.
"Kenny, I—" she hesitated, trying to find the right words.
Kenny quickly backtracked, not catching the reason for her hesitation. "But no pressure! You'll look great in anything, really." She's just shy. She'll come around if I'm patient, he thought.
Dawn's discomfort grew. She scanned the crowd, wishing Alain would appear to help her out of the conversation. Where was he?
Kenny stepped closer, his voice softening. "We had some great times together, DeeDee. I thought we made a good team. Don't you miss that?"
Of course, she does, Kenny assured himself. She's just playing hard to get. We always had something special, and now I've matured. This time, she'll see what she's been missing. He was sure Dawn just needed a little nudge, a reminder of the bond they shared.
Dawn's heart pounded in her chest. She didn't want to hurt Kenny's feelings, but this wasn't a conversation she was prepared to have—especially not in the middle of a crowded street.
From across the street, Alain finally spotted Dawn. He had been searching for her for the past few minutes, weaving through the thick crowds to try and catch up. He saw her standing with a guy who was talking earnestly, and something about Dawn's posture immediately set off alarm bells.
Alain's eyes narrowed as he observed the scene. Dawn was stiff, her shoulders tense, and she kept glancing around as if searching for an escape. The guy standing with her leaned in just a bit too close, and Alain didn't miss the way Dawn subtly shifted back.
Alain quickened his pace, determined to reach her.
Kenny saw Dawn looking around, and for a second, his confidence wavered. Was she trying to get away from him? No. That couldn't be it. She was probably just nervous. He just needed to press a little harder, make her see that they belonged together. He took a deep breath and was about to say something when—
"Dawn!" Alain's voice rang out from the crowd, and Dawn's head snapped toward him. Relief flooded her as she saw him approaching, weaving his way through the bustling street with his usual calm but determined demeanour.
"There you are," Alain said as he reached her, his gaze flickering between her and Kenny. "I've been looking for you. Are you alright?" There was a note of concern in his voice as he placed his hand on her arm.
Kenny's face fell, his expression tightening. Is this Alain? He quickly forced a grin, masking his surprise. "Hey, I'm Kenny. DeeDee and I go way back to the school days in Sinnoh. We travelled together a lot." Kenny positioned himself beside Dawn and began to put his arm around her shoulders.
Alain offered a polite nod, though his eyes remained on Dawn for a moment longer. He noted how tense her body language became and took action. "Alain," he responded vaguely. "We need to get going, Dawn. We're running late." He held out his arm for her to take.
Kenny's heart sank, watching the subtle way Dawn seemed to latch onto Alain's arm. There was something more there—something that Kenny wasn't a part of. His mind raced as he tried to figure out what had gone wrong. She wouldn't just leave him, not after all this time. She couldn't be serious about this guy, right?
Dawn took the hint and quickly wrapped her arm tightly around Alain's, grateful for the escape. "Sorry, Kenny. We've got to go."
Kenny's smile slipped, his expression tightening. "Ah, right. Well, it was good seeing you, Dawn. Maybe we can catch up later?"
Dawn nodded, but her voice lacked enthusiasm. "Yeah, maybe. It was good seeing you too, Kenny."
Kenny lingered for a second longer, as if hoping for something more, but when it didn't come, he finally waved and disappeared into the crowd.
As soon as Kenny was out of sight, Dawn let out a long breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding.
Alain raised an eyebrow, his expression curious but not pressing. "Have you actually ever met him before?"
Dawn looked up at him confused "Yeah, why are you questioning that?"
"Well, you were clearly uncomfortable, I thought he may have been a stranger, only saying that because I appeared"
Dawn couldn't help but laugh. Alain, now the one confused asked "Why is that funny?
"It's not" she smiled and tightened her grip on his arm again. "It's more shock"
Alain stopped walking and lowered his gaze to meet hers. Dawn knew he wanted her to elaborate. "who knew you could understand human emotion"
Alain rolled his eyes while letting out a small smirk and they began walking again.
"Very funny, so what then, an old friend?"
Dawn gave a small, embarrassed smile. "Yeah, kind of. We've known each other since nursery school. Then we used to run into each other the odd time when I was doing contests back in Sinnoh, but things… got complicated."
Alain nodded slowly, sensing there was more to the story. Something about the way she spoke, the tension in her voice — it stirred an unexpected protectiveness in him. It wasn't like him to ask about things like this, but he couldn't ignore this feeling.
"So you never travelled with him then? Seems like you both remember that time very differently."
Dawn chuckled nervously. "You could say that. Kenny's sweet, but he's always had… the wrong idea about us."
She hated the way her chest tightened when she talked about Kenny. It wasn't his fault, not entirely. He'd been a good friend, and she'd cared for him... just not in the way he wanted. But how could she explain that without breaking his heart? The thought of confrontation twisted in her stomach. Maybe that's why she'd avoided it for so long.
Alain's eyes flickered with understanding. "Any particular reason he calls you DeeDee?"
Dawn's face immediately flushed, looking mortified. "Don't go there."
Alain smirked but respected her reaction, deciding not to press the matter. "Alright, I won't, but you know you need to tell him."
"I know, but—"
"But nothing. What exactly are your plans if you're alone next time you run into him?"
Her breath caught. He had a point. A part of her had hoped she wouldn't run into Kenny again—that maybe distance would make the whole issue disappear. But she knew that was just wishful thinking. Alain's words were blunt, but they cut through the fog of her indecision.
Dawn had a clueless look plastered on her face and eventually stuttered out her famous saying with a nervous chuckle. "No need to worry."
It was her default response, the phrase she used whenever things got too complicated, but even she didn't believe it this time. She didn't have a plan, and truthfully, that scared her.
"You've tamed those wild Pokémon of yours, but this makes you nervous," Alain said with a hint of a smile, though his tone remained serious.
Dawn frowned at his teasing. "You make it sound so easy. He's still a friend, and I don't want to hurt him."
Her mind flashed to Kenny's hopeful smile. How could she possibly shatter that? She knew Alain was right—she was dragging this out longer than she should. But the thought of that confrontation? It made her heart race with anxiety.
"The longer you leave it, the more hurt you'll cause him," Alain replied matter-of-factly.
"Well, excuse me. Didn't realize I was dealing with the love police," she retorted sarcastically. But her voice lacked bite. She knew Alain wasn't wrong.
She hated this—hated that he was right, and hated that she hadn't done something about it sooner. But it was so much easier to pretend everything was fine... until moments like this forced her to face the truth.
Alain didn't need to reply. He knew by the look on her face that his words had sunk in. He wasn't one for playing therapist, but he couldn't just stand by and let her continue stringing this guy along, even if it wasn't intentional. Dawn deserved better than to be stuck in a situation that clearly made her uncomfortable—and so did this Kenny, whoever he was.
"Anyway, thanks for showing up when you did. I was starting to feel a little cornered."
Alain smirked. "Next time, stay close and don't run off in the crowds."
The words came out more protective than he intended, but he couldn't help it. There was something about the way she looked so relieved, like she had finally exhaled after holding her breath for too long. It tugged at something unfamiliar inside him—a feeling he hadn't quite been able to place since they'd started traveling together.
Dawn laughed, the tension easing out of her shoulders. "Alright, alright. I'll try not to lose you next time."
She felt a lot lighter now, but deep down, she knew she couldn't avoid this forever. Kenny deserved an answer, even if it wasn't the one he wanted to hear. But right now? She was just glad Alain had found her in time.
Alain felt an unfamiliar tug of protectiveness when he saw how relieved she was. He wasn't used to this. Caring. It wasn't something that came easily for him. But with Dawn, it was different. There was something about her energy—her openness—that made him want to watch out for her. It was strange. Unexpected. But not unpleasant.
"Let's keep going then," he said, gesturing toward the next street. "Before you get lost chasing after a pastry."
"Shut up," Dawn giggled and gently nudged him.
From the corner of the street, Kenny stood, his fists clenched at his sides, watching them walk off arm in arm together. His heart sank as he saw Dawn laugh, her head tilted back, Alain smiling beside her, as they nudged each other playfully.
That should've been me, he thought, the ache in his chest deepening with each step they took.
Dawn was his friend—his first real friend—and he'd always believed that someday, things would fall into place. But watching her like this, so carefree with someone else, made him feel... left behind. She'd always been a little distant, but he figured that was just her way of dealing with things. Now, though... it was different. She didn't look distant at all. She looked happy. Happier than she'd been in a long time.
The easy way she nudged Alain, the way her laughter rang out without a care—it twisted something deep inside him. How long had this been going on? He wondered if Alain was the reason she'd stopped responding to his messages as much, the reason she seemed to be avoiding him.
He'd always assumed their connection was special—something beyond just friendship—but maybe he'd been wrong all along. Maybe he'd just been another face in the crowd for her, another friend to travel alongside until something better came along. And now, looking at Alain... it was clear. He was the 'something better.'
His chest tightened as they disappeared into the crowd, side by side, laughing as if nothing else mattered. She never laughs like that with me anymore.
Kenny forced a smile, though it felt bitter and hollow. Maybe I was always just the kid she used to know, the one who tagged along hoping for something more... while she'd moved on without me even noticing.
He sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets, his heart heavy with the realization that maybe... it was time to stop chasing someone who didn't see him the way he saw her. But even as the thought crossed his mind, the hurt lingered. I just wish she'd told me.