I have lots of fun imagining scenes and creating the storyline. It really gives me something to do. Unfortunately, this is going to be the last part of the story. Boo! Just a warning, some characters might be a little OC but how else is Ash supposed to realize love is a thing? Anyways enjoy!
To celebrate Ash's win at the Anistar City Gym, the group decided to head over to a local cafe. Everyone was cheering and having a good time with one and other, everyone except the boy who had won the gym badge.
Serena noticed that the usually hungry boy was not even touching his food. She knew that something was wrong and it worried her.
The performer wasn't the only one that noticed that Ash wasn't being himself. Dawn knew that something was on his mind and with her leaving soon, she wanted to make sure that he was feeling himself.
Dawn turned to the boy and smiled "Let's have a battle, one more before I leave"
Ash couldn't even look at the girl. "Dawn please not right now"
Dawn was mad. How could Ash turn down a request like that? Not only was Ash rejected a battle, but one last battle with her. Dawn just walked into the city out of frustration.
"Hey Dawn! Wait!" Yelled Clemont.
"Clemont let's go!" Said Bonnie.
Then, the two siblings went and followed Dawn into the city, leaving Ash and Serena behind.
Serena went to approach the boy.
"What's wrong Ash?"
He didn't respond, still looking at the ground.
"Ash, please you can tell me anything"
A few moments of silence passed. Ash signed, "I can't protect her"
Serena looked at him, "What do you mean?"
Ash stood up and yelled, "No matter what I do, I can't protect Dawn!"
Serena realized what this was about, the vision that Olympia had of Dawn in the unknown room.
"Ash..."
"Sometime in the future, Dawn is going to be really hurt and..." He stopped. "there's nothing I can do about it"
Ash walked away into the forest, not even making eye contact with the performer.
Serena just watched him as he walked. She knew that the only person that could make him feel better was the same person that he was so concerned about.
He really cares for her, doesn't he?
...
Clemont and Bonnie looked all around looking for Dawn.
"Hey Clemont, there she is!"
Dawn was sitting on the edge of a fountain. She was holding Piplup in her arms and just staring at the people walking right past her.
Clemont and Bonnie walked up to her and sat on either side of the coordinator.
"You know he's not mad at you?" said Clemont.
Dawn continued to look out into the city. "I know he's just thinking about something but I'm leaving in a couple of hours! I don't want to remember our last few moments together as him not even speaking to me!"
Bonnie put her hand on Dawn's shoulder and smiled "Running off isn't going to solve anything!"
Dawn sighed and looked down towards her partner. "I know, but I just couldn't handle seeing him like that"
Clemont stood up and faced Dawn and offered his hand towards her. "Come on, let's go find Ash and fix this as you said, you don't want to remember your last hours with him, not even talking to him"
Dawn looked up at him.
Bonnie jumped up. "Yeah! Come on!"
She looked towards the young girl, then back at Clemont. She nodded.
"You're right!"
They went then went back towards the cafe, hoping that Ash would still be there.
...
When they arrived, they saw Serena sitting alone at the table, just stirring her drink around.
"Where's Ash?" asked Dawn.
Serena looked towards the girl. "I tried to talk to him, but he stormed off into the forest!"
With that Dawn went off and ran towards the trainer.
Clemont and Bonnie sat down at the table. They all just sat in silence.
"You do know why Ash is so upset?" asked Bonnie.
Serena looked down. "It's because of the vision Olympia had of Dawn" Serena paused, "He kept saying 'I can't protect her"
The silence roared once again, realizing why Ash had been distraught over the vision. It was hard for them to not worry about their friend.
Clemont looked towards the forest and smiled. "They really care for each other, don't they?"
Serena repeated Clemont's actions, except her smile was more forced than the inventor. "Yeah... they really do"
...
Dawn was running all over the forest looking for Ash.
If I was Ash, where would I go?
Then, and an idea came to her head. Dawn headed towards an open field, somewhere perfect for training.
Just saw she predicted, there was Ash, commanding Pikachu to use thunderbolt on some nearby boulders.
"Ash?"
Ash turned around to face where the voice was coming from, immediately recognizing who's it belongs to. He didn't make eye contact though, his hat was covering his eyes.
Dawn walked up towards the boy. "Ash, what's wrong?"
Ash didn't respond. By then, Piplup and Pikachu walked away together, knowing that their trainers needed to be alone.
"Ash, you can tell me anything"
Still no response. Even though the silence was frustrating Dawn, she wanted to make Ash feel better and nothing was going to stop her from doing that.
"Ash, you know I'm always here if you-"
"That's just it"
Dawn didn't understand.
"What do you mean?"
Ash still looked down towards his red shoes. His hands became fists. They trembled because of how hard he was squeezing them.
"You're not always going to be here. You're leaving in a couple of hours Dawn and I-I..."
Ash stopped and looked into Dawn's sapphire eyes. "
"I can't protect you"
Dawn then realized what caused him to be so upset. She then rushed over to the boy and gave him a hug. At first, Ash was shocked at what the coordinator did. But then, he returned the hug and buried his face into her shoulder.
"Ash, I know Olympia's future scared you. It scared me too. But right now, I'm here with you, let's enjoy that for as long as we can" Dawn released her grip on Ash so that they could see each other face to face. "I really appreciate your concern. But there's no need to worry about me. I promise you that I will be okay"'
Ash just hugged her tighter. "That is when I worry the most..."
Dawn laughed and released the boy. "Come on, let's go meet up with the others. Piplup, Pikachu, let's go back!"
...
At the cafe, the rest of the group was waiting for Ash and Dawn to come back. Suddenly, they saw the two approaching them, with them laughing about something. Everyone smiled, it was great to see that everything was back to normal.
Once they were all reunited, the group decided to head back to the Pokemon Center. Dawn had only 2 hours until she had to be at the dock for her boat.
"Serena, Bonnie, let's go shopping! A little girl time before I leave! I want to bring back some presents for my mom, Hermione and a couple of friends and I know you guys can help me!"
Serena and Bonnie nodded in agreement.
Ash huffed "But Dawn! What happened to enjoy our time together for as much as we can!"
Dawn laughed. "I promise it will be quick! I know you don't like shopping anyway which means you won't enjoy it too!"
Ash couldn't argue with that. "Fine but be back quick!"
Dawn laughed and grabbed with two girl's hands and ran off saying "No need to worry!"
Ash just signed and laughed.
You know that's when I worry the most
...
The girls were going into many different stores to help find Dawn's gifts. Bonnie had directed them towards a toy store, insisting that everyone loved toys.
While looking around, Bonnie saw something that caught her eye. "Wow! Look at this! It's such a cute Dedenne keychain!"
She chose a little key chain of the Pokemon which was inside her bag. Every time a button was pressed, the little Dedenne figurine would light up.
Dawn smiled at the excitement the little girl had. "I'm gonna ask to use their restrooms if you guys want to go on to the next store, that would be great!"
"Okay, sounds good!"
...
Clemont and Ash were sitting in the lobby of the Pokemon Center. Ash was tapping his foot impatiently. Clemont on the other hand had something on his mind.
"Hey Ash, I have a question."
Ash looked to the inventor. "Yeah, what's up?"
"I know I asked you this before, but do you like Dawn?"
'Of course, I do, she's one of my best friends"
Clemont sighed, this time he was going to get his answer.
"Not like that, do you like Dawn as more than a friend?"
Ash stopped.
"W-What makes you think that?"
"You too just get along so well! You guys always are seen to understand each other"
Ash didn't really know what to say. "I mean, she is really nice, and cares for her Pokemon a lot... and she's really talented. She also knows how to make me laugh! I like her laugh too and also her smile! She's really pretty too! I really like being around her...But that doesn't mean I like her as more than a friend!"
Clemont just watched in shock. How could someone be so dense? He literally just confessed to liking her!
"Hey Clemont, did I say something wrong?"
"Ash, what does love mean to you?"
Ash looked up in thought. He never really thought about it. "I guess, it means you're willing to do anything for them. Also that they are always there for you and you can count on them for anything"
Clemont walked up and started to head towards the Pokemon Center's back garden. "Doesn't sound like there's a difference to me. Even if he had started to take a liking towards the coordinator, he knew that Ash and Dawn fit together perfectly. He wanted to do whatever he could before Dawn had to leave.
Ash just watched him walk away, stunned by what he just said.
"There's no difference?" Ash turned to his partner. "Do I like Dawn?" Pikachu just gave Ash a smirk.
Isn't the only love that will blossom? Was Olympia talking about Dawn and me?
Ash just sat in the lobby, lost in thought.
I mean, she is really nice and funny, and supportive, and determined, and courageous, and I would do anything for her. Wait 'no difference'. I love Dawn? Dawn...
...
After a little while, Ash and Pikachu were discussing a certain topic for a while but all that serious talk caused them to fall asleep.
"We're back!" yelled Bonnie.
Ash woke up and turned to see Bonnie, Serena, and Dawn walking towards him with Dawn holding two bags in either hand.
"Did you find everything you were looking for?" asked Ash.
"Yep! And then some!" smiled Dawn. She then set her bags down and looked at the boy. "Now, can we please have our battle? I've been itching at it all day!"
"Hey wait, where's Clemont?" asked Serena.
"He went towards the back garden, so we'll meet him there anyways"
Everyone nodded in agreement and headed towards the garden. There, they found Clemont working on an invention. When they told him of the battle that was going to take place, he said he would watch but he still had to work on his invention.
On the battlefield, Ash and Dawn stood at opposing sides. With Bonnie standing in between as she insisted on being the referee
"I'm not going easy on you!" yelled Ash.
Dawn smiled, "I wouldn't have it any other way!"
"Let's hurry and start! This is one and one battle! Go!" yelled Bonnie.
"Okay, Togekiss, spotlight!"
"Pikachu, I choose you!"
"You can have the first move Ash!"
"Alright, Pikachu! Use electro ball!" Commanded Ash.
Togekiss then gracefully dodged the attack and started to flying elegantly threw the air.
"Use, aura sphere!"
Togekiss lifted its wing and then launched the attack which collided with the thunderbolt, launching firework-like type sparkles.
"Now use Air slash!"
Pikachu dodged the attack and landed right on Togekiss's back.
"I saw that coming, Togekiss, spin and dance around to shake off Pikachu!" Instructed Dawn.
Togekiss did as it was told and Pikachu struggled to stay on.
"Pikachu, stay strong, and use thunderbolt!"
Pikachu launched the thunderbolt which was causing lots of damage to the Jubilee Pokemon, Suddenly, Togekiss spin around so quickly that Pikachu wasn't able to stay on.
"Use thunderbolt"
"Sky attack!"
As Pikachu was falling, it was able to release another thunderbolt. Togekiss spun around the thunderbolt and was able to successfully land a sky attack.
"Togekiss, use-" Suddenly, Dawn's Poketch began to beep.
"Oh no! I have 30 minutes before my boat leaves!"
Ash was upset that he couldn't finish their battle but he knew that Dawn had to go. With that, everyone quickly gathered their things and began to run off towards the dock.
...
The sun was beginning to set and the group ran to where Dawn needed to board the boat. Right by the entrance of the boarding area, the group stood, getting ready to say their goodbyes.
Dawn put her bags down. "Thank you guys so much for letting me tag along for your journey. It was so much fun!"
"It was so much fun Dawn! Thanks for letting me play with your Pokemon!" said Bonnie.
Dawn smiled "It was no problem! As a thank you and so you don't forget me," Dawn winked and grabbed something from her bag. "I got everyone's gifts!"
Everyone looked at Dawn in shock.
"You didn't have to do that Dawn!" said Clemont.
"But I wanted to, anyways Bonnie, here, it's the keychain from earlier!" Dawn said as she handed the little girl the Dedenne keychain.
Bonnie's eyes lit up. She ran up to Dawn to give her a big hug. "Thank you so much Dawn!" She then put it in on her bag. "I'll put it right here so it's always with me!"
Seeing how happy Bonnie was made Dawn really happy. She then turned to the inventor, "And for Clemont..." Dawn handed Clemont a small square device that had lots of buttons on it "Depending on what button you press, different kinds of tools appear, I figured it could be helpful for you to make even more awesome inventions!"
Clemont tried out the gadget and once he saw what it did, his eyes lit up just like his sister. "This is so amazing! Thank you so much Dawn, not just for this but for everything!"
Dawn giggled. She turned went into her bag and pulled out another small box. "This is for Serena". Dawn handed Serena the small box. When Serena opened it, inside was a necklace that was in the shape of a triangle with each tip having a different item. One being Pancham's sunglasses, another being Braxien's stick, and finally, a flower which represented the place she captured Eevee.
"So you never forget again that your Pokemon will always be with you and believe in you!"
Serena started to tear up at the necklace. She then looked up at Dawn and gave her a hug. "This is beautiful, I don't think I can ever thank you enough. I'm going to miss you so much!"
"For Pikachu... I wrote down my recipe for pancakes so you can make them for the group whenever you want!"
Pikachu jumped into Dawn's arms. "Pikachu, Pika, Pika-ka!"
"Finally, for Ash..." Instead of reaching for her shopping bags, Dawn reached for her backpack. She then handed Ash the first ribbon she ever won in Floaroma Town.
"Dawn, I can't accept this..."
Dawn set the ribbon into Ash's hand and closed it. "You can and you will"
"Dawn..."
"Ash, that ribbon was a reminder of our journey and everything I learned from you and Brock while I was on it. I hope this ribbon will bring you good luck for your journey to follow your dream and become a Pokemon Master"
"But what about your dream?"
Dawn smiled "I don't need any more luck, I'm a Top Coordinator and most importantly, I have amazing friends like you"
Then the horn of the ship blew, indicating that it would be leaving soon.
Dawn signed. "I guess, I need to get going. Bye everyone!"
Dawn picked up her bags and began to turn around.
"Wait!" yelled Ash.
Dawn turned around "What's up Ash?"
Come, Ketchum, just tell her.
"Um... please take care"
Dawn smiled "No need to worry"
She then held her hand up. Ash knew what this meant. Ash and Dawn shared their high five and stared at it. Afterward, they hugged. Just like when they parted ways in Sinnoh, their pokemon reflected their actions.
"I'm going to miss you so much" Ash said while still hugging.
"I'm always going to be with you," Dawn said
The two broke apart their hug.
You can do it. Come on tell her.
The horned sounded again. Dawn said her last goodbyes and then ran onto the ship. She ran to the back end of the boat as it started to pull away. The group ran with the boat.
"Ash, Pikachu, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie! Thank you for everything! Stay safe!"
"I'm going to miss you Dawn!" yelled Bonnie.
"Take care!" hollered Serena.
"Make sure to send us the Pokechic!" Yelled the inventor.
The group had reached the end of the dock, they stood there and waved goodbye.
"Please stay safe Dawn! I miss you already!"
"Pika-Chu, Pika, Pikachu, Pika-ka!"
The boat was barely in sight but the group could still hear Dawn yell "No need to worry!"
Bonnie, Serena, and Clemont turned around so they could start to walk back to the Pokemon Center. Ash just stood there and looked at the water which was still disrupted from the boat.
"I love you..."
That's the end!!! I'm sorry this chapter was shorter than the rest but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless. Sadly, this is the end of the story, but that is not to say there isn't going to be a sequel. Wink wink, nudge nudge. Stay safe!