Pokemon Ash comeback

Ch 12 Suprize Visit

Twinleaf Town, Sinnoh Region

"Dawn, dinner's ready!" Johanna called to her daughter. Almost immediately, Dawn burst out of her room and ran down to the kitchen.

"Thanks mom! It smells great!" Dawn explained with vigor. Johanna smiled at her daughter.

"Well, since you're leaving tomorrow, I decided to make your favorite meal." Johanna turned on her best french chef voice as she presented the platter. "Tonight we have the fried chicken and mashed potatoes along with chocolate chip ice cream for dessert."

By now, Dawn was salivating. Even though she wasn't known for her eating like Ash and May were, Dawn felt that with this food, she could easily keep up with her two friends. She sat down across from her mother and began to dig in.

"Mom this is delicious!" Dawn exclaimed between bites, still keeping her table manners.

"I'm glad you like, it sweetie. So, are you excited for tomorrow? I still can't believe how lucky you are to have gotten one of the last tickets to Kanto for tomorrow's ferry. I also bet you're happy that I made you wait a while to start your journey now huh? If I hadn't, then you never would have met Ash" Johanna beamed a bright smile. It all just seemed like one big play of fate.

Dawn nodded her head in agreement, "Yeah mom, I really am. I can't remember the last time I've been this excited. It's almost like tomorrow is Christmas or something. I really can't wait to see him again after so long. I mean, I haven't even talked to him on the phone in over a year and a half." Dawn appeared to become a bit melancholy toward the end her statement.

Johanna looked confused. "Why haven't you two been talking?"

Dawn gave a sad smile, "With both of us traveling all the time, it's hard to know where he is so I can call him. If only someone would invent some kind of mobile phone, they would become a billionaire!" Dawn exclaimed.

Johanna nodded her head in both understanding and agreement. "Well, at least he never forgets your birthday. Every year, there's always a card waiting for you, whether you are here or not."

Dawn had a dreamy smile on her face as she thought of Ash's kindness. "Yeah, Ash is the best isn't he?"

Dawn meant this to be a totally innocent question, but her mother gave her a sly smirk. She saw this and scoffed, she was getting too tired to deal with this.

"Oh shut up." Dawn said, realizing how she must've sounded.

Despite the teasing nature of the last few things said, there was something that Joanna really wanted to talk to Dawn about, and now seemed like the perfect time.

"Dawn, you know how highly I think of Ash. From what I've seen and heard from you, he's the best kind of person this planet has to offer. He would give his own life to save anyone he cares about and that's an incredible thing." Dawn followed her mothers words, happy to be hearing them, but still wondering why she was saying this things. Joanna recognized her daughter's confusion and addressed it. "I'm saying this because I want you to know that if you ever do think that you might have feelings for him, that you want to be with him, then I am 100 percent okay with it. I have no doubt in mind mind he will protect you and treat you like you deserve. If I'm being honest, I think he's absolutely perfect for you, Dawn."

Dawn began blushing halfway through her mother's long winded speech, but it only intensified near the end. "Mom, I-I don't like Ash that way. If anything, he's like an... an older brother to me!"

Dawn spoke, not even half-believing what she was saying. Her mother also knew not to believe her words.

The way she would speak about him, the way she acts with him. Johanna had no doubt in her mind that her daughter harbored deep feelings for the boy, she just hadn't fully realized them yet and was clearly slightly embarrassed about it. In all honesty, Johanna hoped that she would become more confident of her feelings while she was visiting him.

Like Norman and Caroline, Johanna considered Ash to be like a son. After all the times he had risked his life to save Dawn's and how well he treated her, how could she not feel that way? She knew that if Dawn and Ash were together, then her daughter would always be happy, and she desired that more than anything else in the world.

After the pair finished their ice cream dessert, as well as a bit of small talk, Dawn excused herself back up to her room to continue packing. She also had to plan out the route she was taking from the port in Viridian to the actual city of Pallet. Kanto was an unknown territory for her as for some reason, her journey had yet to bring her there.

She shrugged as she headed to her dresser to resume packing. However, before she could, her eye caught a framed picture. It was a photo of herself, Ash, and Brock, taken immediately after she had won her first contest back in Sinnoh. She was incredibly proud of herself that day and knew that Ash was even prouder.

Seeing this, she allowed her mind to drift back to the times when they were all together, traveling around Sinnoh. So often did she find herself regretting ever leaving Ash in the first place to go to Buneary's photo shoot, but she knew she couldn't have taken that opportunity away from her pokemon; sometimes life just brought people apart. But that didn't matter anymore because soon, they would be together again. And honestly, she hoped they would never be apart again.

"I'll see you soon" Dawn whispered as she rubbed her hand over the picture.