The light from the full moon shinned over the small clearing where the three trainers had set up camp for the night. It was late into the night and Dawn and Ash were two only two left
awake. They sat up against a large tree, staring up at the starry night sky as Ash gently petted the sleeping Pikachu that lay beside him.
Dawn sighed with contentment, turning to look at him as she muttered, "Ash?"
"Yeah Dawn?" He replied, turning to meet her gaze.
"Can you tell me more about your other adventures?" She asked.
"Yeah! Of course! They were awesome!" Ash started, obviously excited by the new topic, "The best! Battling and training with my pokemon and making new friends! It was great…"
"Sounds nice…" Dawn said quietly, "So, who'd ya travel with?"
"Well, at first it was just me and Pikachu," He answered, looking down at the small yellow mouse, "But then Misty joined up with us, and soon Brock tagged along as well."
"Misty?" She inquired.
"Oh yeah, I guess you've never met her, huh?" He replied softly.
"Well… what's she like?" Dawn continued, twirling her hair between her fingers as she looked to the boy beside her.
"She's… umm different, that's for sure," Ash replied looking up at the sky in thought.
"Different how?" The midnight blue-haired coordinator persisted.
"Well she's impatient, stubborn and can be reeeally annoying," Ash griped, remembering the many fights they had while on their journey.
"So, like a girl version of you?" Dawn teased him, grinning brightly as she said it.
"Hey!" He protested, frowning at her.
"Just kidding," She said quickly, still grinning from ear to ear.
"Yeah, well she's also sweet and caring and really determined, not to mention strong," Ash continued, glancing down at Pikachu and then back up at the girl sitting next to him.
"So she is just like you," She repeated, grinning sheepishly.
"Ya think?" Ash replied, blushing a deep red as he quickly turned away from Dawn.
"Definitely… so… umm… do you… ya know… like her?" Dawn said casually, feeling the awkwardness of her question as she began to blush.
Ash on the other hand felt nothing of the sort.
He smiled at her, answering, "Of course I do! She's one of my best friends!"
"No, not like that!" Dawn corrected, a little annoyed.
"Huh?" Ash replied, a little confused.
She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow as if to say, really? You have no idea what I'm talking about?
Finally Ash got it, immediately blushing and exclaiming, "Oh! I dunno… I've never really thought about it…"
Dawn sighed, looking down at her lap as she continued to twirl her hair.
Ash looked over and noticing her reaction, added, "But I don't think so. I mean maybe then, but… I don't think I do anymore…"
"Okay, so what about May?" Dawn asked, immediately cheering up with his continued answer and feeling much more comfortable about probing into his personal life.
"May? No way! I mean I love May and all, but like a sister! Definitely not like that! Besides she's got Drew," Ash objected.
"Yeah, so… what about me?" Dawn asked him shyly.
"What about you?" He replied puzzled.
"Idiot!" She scolded, blushing as she whacked him in the back of the head, "How do you feel about me!?"
Ash looked at her, his cheeks emblazoned red, and answered, "Well, you're umm…"
'Sweet, caring, strong, smart and totally awesome!' Ash thought to himself as he said, "Really, umm… great"
"Thanks…" She muttered in reply, "I think…"
Ash turned, hearing exactly what she said and groaned inwardly for being such an idiot.
"I mean it, you're a really great friend and I like you a lot!" He added.
"As much as Misty or May?"
"Yeah! Definitely!"
'Way more… way, way more…' He thought to himself as he forced a smile.
"So if I'm such a good friend, can you tell me what you were talking to May about today?" Dawn asked grinning.
"Huh?" Ash said again.
"In the pokemon center!" She replied.
"Oh… hehe… umm…" Ash stuttered stalling for an excuse.
~About 12 hours earlier at the Pokemon Center
"Hey Ash! How are you doing on your journey in Sinnoh?" May asked through the video com. phone.
"Great! I've gotten my seventh badge and we're heading to the eighth gym! Brock's still going nuts over every girl he sees, but Crogunk's managing it!" Ash replied grinning, trying to catch
her up on everything.
"How's Dawn doing?" May asked curiously.
"Dawn?" Ash inquired.
"Yeah! How is she?" May repeated.
'Dawn…' Ash thought, sighing as a blush crept onto his face.
"Ash?" May asked, shaking him out of his daze.
"Oh, right…" Ash began, "Well she's won her 4th ribbon so she's only missing one before she can enter the Grand Festival!"
"Great!" May exclaimed, "So Ash, what's up with you and Dawn?"
"W-what are you talking about?" He stammered, the blush becoming evident on May's screen.
"Ash, it's obvious you like her!" May said matter-of-factly.
"Is not!" Ash protested.
"But you're admitting you like her," The Hoenn coordinator teased.
"B-but… I… ugh… whatever…" Ash replied, sighing in defeat.
"Well, whatever the case you better do something soon or she might find someone else" May warned.
"Like who!?" Ash said rather angrily.
"That Paul guy you're always talking about sounds interesting," May said seriously, only meaning to tease him again.
"PAUL! NO WAY! GOD NO! I'D DIE BEFORE THAT HAPPENED!" Ash shrieked standing abruptly from his seat.
"Calm down! I was only kidding!" May said, grinning as Ash realized it was a joke.
"I wasn't funny," Ash grumbled, "That guy's a complete jerk."
"Yeah, well you're not exactly the cream of the crop Ashton Ketchum!" May argued angrily.
"Hey! What's wrong with me?" Ash objected, already preparing to argue for his honor.
"Well, for starters you're extremely dense and totally obsessed with battling! Not to mention your other little, hmm… how should I put this… ticklish secret?" May replied grinning as she
finished her case.
"SHHHH! Not so loud! Someone'll hear you!" Ash shouted into the receiver.
"Hear what?" Dawn asked, appearing next to him and noticing May on the phone, "Oh, hey may! How are you?"
"Great and I heard you got your 4th ribbon!" May replied smiling as Ash sat back down.
"Yep! Anyway, what were you guys talking about, what secret?" Dawn asked again.
"See! She heard you!" Ash whined to his Hoenn friend.
"All I heard was secret" Dawn clarified.
"See, it isn't that bad! Anyway, if ya wanna know, ask Ash! Gotta go, bye!" May said quickly, hanging up before Ash could say another word.
"So?" Dawn repeated, an eyebrow raised.
"Umm… time for training! Come on Pikachu!" Ash replied running out the doors and into the forest as the little yellow mouse followed closely behind.
~END OF FLASHBACK
"Oh yeah…" Ash sighed, stilling thinking about what May had said.
"So, what were you talking about?" Dawn asked again.
"N-nothing! It was… ya know, just a little story from out old journey! That's all!" Ash insisted.
"Well you said that I was just as good a friend as May is so how come I can't know?" Dawn whined, looking to her friend sadly.
"W-well… umm… I guess…" Ash sighed, his will beginning to waver, "But there's no way I can tell her anything we were talking about!"
"So?" The Twinleaf girl persisted.
"Why do you wanna know?" Her friend from pallet town asked.
"Fine… if you don't want to tell me…" Dawn sighed, looking down and pretending to cry.
"W-wait! Dawn, don't be upset! If you really wanna know… I-I guess I can tell you…" Ash conceded, his will cracking under the pressure.
"Great!" Dawn replied cheering up immediately.
"But you've gotta promise not to tell!" Ash exclaimed seriously.
"Of course!" Dawn promised, still grinning.
"May… was just teasing me about…" Ash mumbled, the last couple words becoming completely inaudible.
"Huh?" Dawn asked straining to hear him.
"I said May was talking about me" Ash said, whispering the last few words again.
"Speak up!" Dawn ordered, getting a little annoyed.
"Fine! I'm ticklish! Okay!?" Ash admitted, immediately blushing, "May was teasing me cause I'm so ticklish!"
"Ticklish? Really? I never would've guessed…" Dawn replied truly surprised.
"Well it's the tru- aah!" Ash shrieked, jumping as Dawn poked him in the side.
"I guess it really is true! Where are you most ticklish?" Dawn continued, grinning excitedly as she probed deeper.
"No way! I am not telling you that!" Ash said firmly.
"Well, if you don't trust me…" Dawn replied sadly.
"Ugh… fine… it's my feet" Ash answered, his will faltering again.
"Can I…" She began.
"Nope."
"You don't even know what I was going to say!" The young coordinator protested.
"I do too! You wanna tickle my feet and the answer is a definite no! Cry all you want!" He replied sternly.
"Please!" Dawn pleaded, looking down towards his bare feet, "They just look so… ticklable!"
"Ticklable?" The trainer inquired.
"Yes. Ticklable! That's exactly what they are!" She repeated.
"They are not tickla- whatever, there answer's still no!" Ash said shaking his head.
"Pleeeeease!" Dawn begged.
"NO!"
"Pleeeeeeeeeease!" Dawn pleaded, sticking out her bottom lip in her best attempt at a cute face.
"Daaawn… that's so not fair. I can't say no to that…" Ash thought annoyed as he looked at the adorable girl beside him, "A-alright…"
"Really?"
"Yeah, but… be… be gentle, alright?" Ash repeated pleadingly.
"Yeah, sure, whatever!" Dawn replied excitedly, grabbing his feet and placing them in her lap.
"R-remember, g-gentle! My feet are really, reeeehehehally ticklish!" Ash gasped as Dawn poked his heel.
"Okay!" She replied, dragging the nail up his sole.
"Daaaaahahahawn t-thaaahahat r-reeeheheally t-ticklaaaahahas!" Ash laughed, trying not to squirm away.
"Wow! He really is ticklish! And his laugh is so cute… he is so…" Dawn thought as she continued to move up his foot.
"AAAAAAAAAAAH! DAAAAHAHAHAHAWN! NOOOOHOHOHOHOT THEEEHEHEHERE!" The raven-haired boy shrieked suddenly.
"Huh?" Dawn said confused, looking down and stopping.
"Don't tickle under my toes! That's the worst!" Ash begged.
"Well, we'll see! I'm just getting started!" Dawn replied happily as she started up again, this time with all ten fingers.
"DAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAWN! STAAAAAAHAHAHA… Mmmmm… HAHAHAHAP! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOHOHO… Mmmmm… HOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO!" Ash shrieked, trying to
keep from waking up Pikachu or Brock as he fell back onto the grass.
"No way! This is fun!" Dawn replied, tickling under his toes.
"NOOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHO! I REEEHEHEHEAAAHAHAHALLY LOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOVE YOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOU BUT I CAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAN'T
TAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAKE MUCH MOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHORE OOOHOHOHOF THIS!" Ash shrieked, unable to hold it in any longer.
"W-what?" Dawn asked, stopping abruptly.
"H-h-huh?" Collapsing to the ground exhausted as he tried to catch his breathe, amazed that no one had woken up from the noise.
"Did… did you just say you loved me?" The girl clarified.
"D-did I!?" He asked shocked himself.
"I-I think so…"
"O-oh… I… umm…" The boy stumbled trying to find the right thing to say as his face lit up bright red.
"D-do you… d-did you mean it?" She asked him.
"…"
"Well?"
"Y-yeah…" Ash replied, blushing more, "But I really don't want this to ruin our friendship! So…"
"It won't" Dawn interrupted smiling coyly.
"Are you sure? Cause I don't want to make your feel awkward" He replied, just to make sure.
"You won't" She reiterated.
"You sure?" He asked, his ever-present cluelessness showing more and more with each word.
"Yeah, cause…" Dawn began, blushing as she realized she was gonna have to spell this out for him. She looked up at the bright moon overhead and continued, "I l-love you too"
His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he processed the words that had just left her mouth.
"This is where you're supposed to kiss me" Dawn whispered, smiling.
"O-oh! R-right!" He replied, turning her cheek slowly and starting to lean in.
She wiggled her fingers on his stomach just before he got there, causing him to start giggling again.
"Heehehehey!" He protested.
"Sorry, couldn't resist" She apologized grinning.
"I knew I'd regret telling you," He sighed, rolling his eyes.
"Do you regret this?" Dawn asked pecking him lightly on the lips.
"Nope," Ash replied, pulling her into a deeper kiss.