Hey all! I've been binging the XY series on AmazonVideo and so far I have really liked it! Seeing a mature Ash is so refreshing and I love Serena, Bonnie, and especially Clemont. The whole show is just great. I keep thinking how great friends Serena and Dawn would be and then my inner Pearlshipper came out and I had this idea. I hope you all enjoy. This takes place right before the Dendermille Pokemon Performance.
Finally, they had arrived in Dendermille town. Serena had been working hard for her upcoming performance. She had to make sure that it was perfect.
"Yay! We're here! I'm so excited for your performance Serena!"
Serena looked down at the little girl that was tugging at her skirt. She knew how much Bonnie looked up to her, literally and figuratively.
"Me too" she smiled back.
"Well what are we wanting for? Let's go!" Then, off went the boy that each admired so much.
Serena and Bonnie went chasing after him, like they always do.
"Slow... down..."
The scientific boy was tired. After all, they had been walking nonstop for a couple of hours. But it didn't appear that Ash would slow down. Just like always, Clemont ran (much slower) behind.
Once in the town, As looked around. Each town in Kalos was so unique and there were so many happy Pokemon running around everywhere. Here in Dendermille Town, there was a beautiful wind turbine sitting atop of a large hill.
"Piplup, I know you're excited for tomorrow but slow down!"
Ash looked around. That voice sounded familiar.
A piplup?
"Pip-piplup. Lup. Piplup"
"It's not like we aren't going to practice. No need to worry"
Piplup? No need to worry?
Serena and Bonnie were finally able to catch up to Ash. They looked around and started to take everything in.
"Wow, this place is so pretty, right Ash?"
Ash didn't respond. He didn't even hear the two girls come up behind him because he was so focused on finding who was talking.
"Hey Ash, what are you looking for?"
Ash turned to Serena and Bonnie and shrugged. "I thought I heard something familiar but it looks like I was just hearing things"
Little did he know that a certain blue-haired coordinator noticed that he was there and quickly ran to hide. Of course she was going to say hi but, she wanted to have a little fun with him before.
"Hey... guys" Clemont caught up to them feeling very out of breath.
Serena pulled out her device to pull up directions. "Let's head to the Pokemon Center to regain some energy!"
"Sounds like a great idea! Let's go" said Ash and off they went.
At the Pokemon center, someone was already expecting their arrival.
The group was giving their Pokemon to Nurse Joy when suddenly Ash's vision was covered as someone was covering his eyes.
"Guess who?"
The boy jumped a little bit. But, he couldn't tell who's voice it was.
"Is this Nini?" asked Ash.
This is not going how I expected, thought the girl.
Ash regained his vision and turned away to confront the person. As soon as he saw who it was, a smiled grew on his face. Pikachu immediately jumped off the Pokemon Center counter and towards a familiar face.
"Pika-ka, Pi-ka-chu!" Pikachu said as it jumped into Dawn's arms.
"Wow Ash, I know it's been awhile but I didn't think you would forget me completely" teased Dawn as she was petting Pikachu's tail. Then, Pikachu came down and began to talk with the coordinator's partner.
The boy let out a nervous laugh. How could he not know it was Dawn? "I'm sorry Dawn, I would have never expected that you would be here!"
"Well here I am!"
The two laughed in unison and then they exchanged one of their sacred high fives.
"Ahem, Ash, you want to introduce us?" exclaimed Bonnie. She was rather curious about the blue-haired girl. She was very pretty for sure...
"Oh sorry, everyone, this is Dawn, we travelled all through the Sinnoh Region together"
Dawn smiled at the people behind Ash.
"It's really nice to meet you all. I sure hope Ash hasn't been causing too much trouble for you guys"
That confirmed what Bonnie was already thinking. She was nice, very pretty, and even if she was friends with Ash, that means she's a great person too. She got down on one knee and extended her arm out towards Dawn.
"You're a keeper! Won't you please take care of my brother?"
Dawn was certainty not expecting this.
"Take... care?"
His trusty Aipom arm extended out and grabbed a hold of the young girl as Clemont said, "Bonnie! I told you a million times to stop this already!"
He placed the girl behind him.
"Please think about it!" said Bonnie.
The group sighed. While Dawn looked at the machine which grabbed the girl.
"Wow! Did you make that?" asked Dawn. She had never seen anything like it before.
Clemont blushed a little. Each time Bonnie had asked a girl to take care of him and then he took her away, they had never commented on his Aipom arm.
"Yeah, I designed and built it myself, thanks to the power of science!" Clemont said that last part with more confidence.
"That's so cool!" Dawn hunched over to the little girl that was taken away by the machine. "So your name is Bonnie, that's a really pretty name!"
"Thanks! And this is my big brother Clemont"
"and my name is Serena"
Dawn looked towards in the girl and saw how gorgeous her outfit was. She couldn't contain herself.
"Serena! I love your clothes! Did you design them yourself?"
Serena was taken back. She certainly wasn't expecting Dawn to take interest in her clothes. "Yeah I did!"
"Wow! You're really talented! If I ever need help with designs I'll be sure to ask you!" exclaimed Dawn.
The penguin pokemon had enough his trainer not introducing him.
"Pip Piplup!"
Dawn looked down at her partner. She then realized what he was upset about.
"Sorry, this is my trusty partner Piplup!"
Piplup lifted his chest into the air. He had to look his best in front of Ash's new friends and show them how powerful he was.
Bonnie was overjoyed at seeing such a rare Pokemon. "Wow, he's so cute!"
Dawn laughed at the young girl's response. "Thanks so much! Ash, I never thought that I would see you here, what are you doing here?"
"Serena here is competing in the Pokemon Performance tomorrow!" exclaimed Ash as he gestured towards Serena.
"Wow! You're a Pokemon Performer! That's so cool!" Dawn was so excited. She had never had a Pokemon Performer friend before!
Ash looked to Dawn. It had sure been awhile since they had last seen each other. The last time was almost a year ago back when he was in Unova. Those were such fun times. Ash noted that the girl looked different. No longer was her hair held by clips but it was put into a messy ponytail with a couple of hairs sticking out. It was messy yet put together. He smiled thinking how she would always make such a big fuss over her hair when they first met. Her dress was replaced by a light pink sleeveless shirt and a black high waisted skirt with some white accents. She was now wearing white booties with black socks. She had really changed.
"So Dawn, what are you doing here? They don't have contests in Kalos" asked Ash.
Everyone but Dawn looked at Ash confused.
"What's a contest?" Asked Clemont.
Dawn beamed. She loved it when a person didn't know what a contest was because she could show them how awesome they are. "A contest is where Pokemon trainers called coordinators show off their Pokemon in the best way they can. We all compete together in contests. They are so amazing"
That caught Bonnie's interest. "Sounds so cool! I wanna see one!"
"They really are. I haven't seen one since your performance at the Sinnoh Grand Festival!" Ash exclaimed.
"So I take it you haven't seen my performances in Hoenn on TV then" Dawn teased sticking her tongue out at him.
Ash laughed but that the same time he was a little embarrassed that he hadn't kept up much at all with Dawn.
Dawn had an idea. "Why don't we catch up over lunch? I wanna hear about all of your journeys and meet everyone's Pokemon once Nurse Joy has healed them all up!"
They all went to the tables nearby and got their food and began to eat. Ash of course, was breezing through his food. Dawn laughed at the sight.
"Somethings never change!"
Serena was very curious about this girl. Dawn was very kind and it was clear that she and Ash were very close but she couldn't tell if she had feelings for him. She hoped not. Even so, she was nice and seemed to be very passionate about her Pokemon and contests.
"So Dawn, you never told me why you're here in Kalos" asked Ash.
"Well, after I finished working with Hermione at PokeChic, she gave me the suggestion to come to Kalos to see a Pokemon performance and because Kalos is well known for all of it's beautiful designers. Then after I won the Hoenn Grand Festival, I-"
"DAWN YOU WON THE GRAND FESTIVAL AND YOU DIDN'T CALL TO TELL ME?!" Ash yelled.
"Whoa there calm down Ketchum, it just happened a couple of days ago and I haven't had much free time. It was a miracle that I even have time to be here."
Ash was so impressed. Of course, Dawn was a very talented coordinator. She was runner-up in her first Grand Festival ever and won the Wallace Cup off of May, another talented and experienced coordinator.
"You could have told me. You finally reached your dream!" Ash huffed.
"I'm sorry but I'm here now. Anyways, after I won the Grand Festival. I was offered the chance to come here and be an opening act for the Dendermille Performance to promote contests here in Kalos! How could I say no to that? I get to visit a new region and see what beautiful fashion trends they have"
Everyone was in awe of Dawn's accomplishments. She certainly kept herself busy. Piplup once again was holding his chest as high as he could. Piplup was proud of everything they were able to accomplish.
"Now enough about me! I wanna hear about all of your travels!"
After that, Ash, Bonnie and Clemont told Dawn about everything that has happened so far. Dawn was listening attentively the whole time, reacting to everything that she was hearing. Serena was quiet, staring at the blue-haired girl. She was really intimidated by Dawn. Not only did she have a great relationship with Ash, but she was beautiful and was very successful.
Dawn noticed that Serena was quiet. She didn't want to exclude the girl at all.
"What about you Serena?"
"Well... I um... At first, I didn't really know what I wanted to do and um... My mom is one of the best Rhyhorn racers, but I knew I didn't want to do that. It wasn't until my friend Shauna introduced me to Pokemon Performances and then I fell in love with them I guess"
Dawn was smiling. "So, is this your first performance?"
Serena frowned. "No, I competed in one before, but I was eliminated in the first round"
That sounded awfully familiar to Dawn.
"No need to worry, I'm sure that tomorrow you'll be great!"
They smiled at each other. But Dawn could tell that Serena was not fully convinced. Then, the whole group continued to discuss what everyone had been up to. All the talk got Ash super excited. Suddenly, he stood up from his chair.
"I can't wait anymore! Dawn can we please have a battle? It's been so long and I want to see what a Top Coordinator can do!"
Dawn looked to the boy.
"Of course! I've missed battling against you!"
Then, the group went to the battlefield outside the Pokemon Center.
Dawn looked around then said, "First, I wanna see all the new Pokemon you guys have!"
With that, everyone released their Pokemon. Dawn ran up to the group and saw so many Pokemon she was never seen before.
"Wow! You guys sure do look strong! It's great to meet you all! My name is Dawn"
Bonnie ran up to Dawn and began to tug on her skirt.
"Dawn, can I see your Pokemon?"
"Of course, everyone, spotlight!" Dawn threw her Pokeballs up into the air and out came her Pokemon. Buneary, Pachirisu, Manoswine, Typhlosion and Togekiss appeared and Piplup came to pose with them all.
Bonnie's eyes gleamed. So many new Pokemon to take care of! She quickly ran up to them and began to greet herself.
The Pokemon began to interact with one and other. Buneary was nervous, she hadn't seen Pikachu in quite sometime. She walked up to him and said hi. They began to talk just like nothing happened
Ash was beginning to get impatient, especially after seeing her Pokemon.
"Dawn! Can we please have our battle now?"
"Sorry Ash, let's do it!"
With that Ash and Dawn recalled their Pokemon and then took their places and Clemont volunteered to be the referee.
"Okay, Frogadier, I choose you!"
"Piplup, spotlight!"
Piplup came out of the Pokeball gracefully and immediately posed.
"Okay Ash, you can have the first move!"
Clemont spoke up. "The battle between Ash and Dawn is now underway. This battle will be a one on one. Battle begin!" Throwing his arm down, signaling that the battle started.
"Frogadier, use water pulse!"
"Piplup, counter it with bubble beam!"
The two moves collided and out came a beautful blue sparkle that delicately sprayed over the battlefield.
Bonnie, Serena and Clemont were in awe.
"So pretty!" Exclaimed the young girl.
"Piplup, use Ice Beam!"
Piplup launched a powerful bubble beam towards Frogadier.
"Frogadier, dodge it!"
Frogadier jumped up and dodged the ice beam.
"Now, use double team!"
Suddenly, there were tons of Frogadier surrounding Piplup.
"Wow, I've never seen a double team like that!...Piplup spin and use bubblebeam!"
Bubbles could be seen everywhere, knocking away all the Frogadier doubles and ultimately hitting the real Frogadier.
"Follow it will drill peak"
Frogadier didn't have anytime to react. Right after constantly being hit by bubble beam, he was hit directly with a powerful drill peak.
Ash knew that Frogadier wouldn't last one more hit. He needed to think of something quick, but what, Piplup is-
"Finish it with drill peck!"
Ash was starled. "Use water pulse!"
"Go through it Piplup!"
Piplup followed his trainer's interactions and when Piplup collided with the water pulse, a beautiful blue light came around Piplup's body. Then, Piplup made contact with Frogadier. Smoke was produced and filled the battlefield. Once the smoke cleared. It was revealed that Frogadier had fainted.
"Frogadier is unable to battle! Piplup and Dawn are the winners!"
Ash ran to Frogadier and picked him up.
"Wow Dawn, that was a great battle. You really have improved since the last time I saw you!"
"Thanks Ash it was really nothing, you and Frogadier were in perfect sync! I was really worried when I saw that double team!"
Ash was not the only one that was impressed. Serena was blown away by Piplup's moves. They were powerful yet graceful. He and Dawn were in perfect sync. No wonder she was a Top Coordinator.
Suddenly, Nurse Joy came out.
"Dawn, you have a call"
Dawn turned to Nurse Joy.
"Okay, thank you Nurse Joy" Dawn turned to the group. "I'll be back soon!"
With that, Dawn ran inside the Pokemon Center.
Everyone watched her run inside, each stunned by what they just witnessed. Clemont was the first to speak up.
"Wow, she's incredible"
Ash noticed that his cheeks were a little red, he felt a weird feeling inside but surely that was only because he ate something funny.
"Piplup was sooooo cute! I hope she lets me take care of it!" Exclaimed Bonnie. She loved meeting and taking care of new Pokemon!
"She really is something else isn't she?" Said Ash. He was so surprised at just how much Dawn had grown. She was always so passionate and determined and clearly she worked hard.
Suddenly, the doors swung open and out came the girl everyone was praising about.
Dawn looked a little sad. "Hey guys, I have to go to the performance hall, they want to run some checks to make sure everything goes smoothly tomorrow"
Bonnie looked sad. "Will we be seeing you again before tomorrow?"
Dawn smiled. "No need to worry, I should be back before dinner"
A big smile grew on Bonnie's face. "Yipee!"
Ash had a concerned look on his face. "You know that's when I worry the most! Are you sure you're going to be okay by yourself?"
"Ash, I appreciate your concern but I've been by myself for awhile now so no need to worry! I'll see you guys later! Bye!"
"I guess, bye Dawn" Ash didn't look so convinced.
After that, the group decided to do their own thing. Ash and Serena went off to train, Clemont was working on another invention and Bonnie went to go play with Dedenne.
Serena wanted to make sure that she won the performance tomorrow. She had to train hard to make sure that would happen. She had to prove that she was worthy of traveling with Ash just like Dawn. She was going to work relentlessly to do so.
...
Time passed on and the sun was nearing to set. Clemont was almost done making dinner.
"Man, I'm starting to get worried. Dawn said she would be back before dinner" said Ash. He was clearly concerned over the coordinator.
It was almost like it was on cue as Dawn walked up to the group holding a little bag. Chespin suddenly came out of it's Pokeball and began to run towards Dawn.
"Here I am! Sorry if I worried you, but I wanted to make Poffins for everyone's Pokemon as a dessert for dinner!"
"Chespin!"
Dawn laughed. "I'm glad they smell good, but I'll give them to you after dinner!"
Chespin signed. He would just wait until then.
After dinner, Dawn gave the Pokemon her Poffins which they all ate very quickly, especially with Chespin and Manoswine. Serena just couldn't help but be in awe of Dawn. She could do anything. She was everything that Serena wanted to be. While the Pokemon were eating, Serena went outside to think.
It was beautiful outside. There was a gentle breeze from the west and the colors that painted the sky were gorgeous and bright. Serena stared out into the landscape. Even though she didn't show it, she was really nervous about the performance tomorrow. She needed to come out and show how much she has grown since her last performance. That she was better than that. She wanted to make everyone proud, but she didn't know if she was able to.
"You're going to be great tomorrow"
Serena turned to where the voice came from. It was Dawn. Serena then turned to face the sky again.
"Everyone keeps telling me that, but I'm just not sure"
Dawn sighed and knew exactly where she was coming from. She saw a lot of herself in Serena.
"You know, I used to be a hot mess back when I was traveling with Ash"
Serena was surprised. How could Dawn be a 'hot mess'?
"Don't be so surprised. Everyone goes through a tough time"
"What do you mean?"
"My mom is a very well know top coordinator and I had always grown up wanting to be just like her"
"Wow, that's the complete opposite for me. It always felt like my mom was forcing me to become her"
"It was really helpful to know what I wanted to do when I started my journey, but I was way too confident in myself. I thought that because my mom was such a successful coordinator, I had already learned everything before my journey"
"Oh, I see"
"Yeah, then I didn't make it past the first round twice in a row and I had a hard time dealing with it. It felt like I was letting down everyone, my Pokemon, my mom, our friend Brock, Ash... I felt like I was holding Ash back on chasing his dreams. Each one was supporting me and doing everything they could to help me succeed and yet, I couldn't even make it past the first round."
Half of the sun was covered by the horizon. The colors were starting to become a bit more cool but still equally as beautiful as before.
Dawn continued. "I was questioning everything I did. I was even considering ending my journey"
Serena couldn't help but gasp.
"I was in a dark place but because of my Pokemon and friends, I was able to come out of it"
Dawn turned to look to Serena.
"I didn't really appreciate back then, but now that I'm on my own, I realize how lucky I was to be able to travel with Ash. He really brings out the best in people and he was really able to help me become me again. He is an incredible person"
Serena faced Dawn, still looking down.
"Yeah, he really is amazing"
"Remember that Ash, your mom, Clemont, Bonnie and most importantly your Pokemon will always support you and will always be with you. They will always be proud of what you do. You can't ever disappoint them"
Dawn placed an arm on Serena's shoulder and Serena looked at Dawn's face.
"There's no need to worry, you have worked hard. As long as you and your Pokemon believe in each other, there is nothing you can do"
With that Dawn gave Serena a reassuring smile and began to walk away.
"Hey Dawn,"
Dawn turned back to Serena.
"Thank you" she said with a bright smile.
"You can thank me by winning the performance tomorrow"
Dawn went back into the room and began to help Clemont and Bonnie clean up. Little did she and Serena know that a certain raven-haired boy was listening to the whole conversation.
Dawn thought she was holding me back?
How could have Ash not realized that? Dawn is one of his best friends and he didn't even notice how he made her feel. He had another strange feeling. He just wanted to give Dawn a big hug and apologize for making her feel that way.
Maybe I ate something strange again at dinner...
I've never written any battle scenes. I hope I didn't do too bad of a job! I hope to improve! Also, re-reading this, I realize that it is kind of similar to Dawn's return in Best Wishes but oh well. Ever since I saw Serena's first performance, I knew that she and Dawn would be great friends because how similar each was. Of course they weren't the exact same but still. I hope to make have only one part, maybe two. If you guys have any suggestions of this story or any future stories let me know! Hope everyone is staying safe! Bye!