PearlShipping - The Last Night

[Instrumental]


The night in the forest was quiet, the only sounds coming from the wind rustling the foliage and from a small camp fire.  Ash sat staring into the flames, deep in thought about a particular blunette for whom he cared for very much.  After Ash had returned from the Unova region, he decided to pay Dawn a surprise visit, during which, she showed her eagerness to go on another journey with him.  Luckily, a new contest circuit had just started in his own region of Kanto, and Ash wasted no time in inviting Dawn over.  But it was clear from the start that something was wrong, as her wins were few and far in between.

Dawn had just suffered a crushing contest defeat only a few days previous, and she was taking hard... very hard.  Ash knew that adding another loss to her streak wouldn't sit well with her, but he never would have imagined that she'd take this particular one as hard as she was.  She'd hardly spoken since then and the bright, energetic smile that he enjoyed so much had all but vanished.  Ash closed his eyes, the thoughts of Dawn's sadness only making him want to think of a way to help her even more.  Just then, he heard a rustling coming from Dawn's tent.  He opened his eyes just in time to see Dawn slowly crawl out, seeming like she was trying to sneak out without being noticed, and if he hadn't already been awake, she very well could have.

"Dawn?" he asked.

Dawn jumped slightly then slowly turned to face him.  She looked at him with a look that clearly said "oh no".  They stared at each other for a few seconds before a small smile grew on Dawn's face as she timidly walked over to Ash.


You come to me with
scars on your wrist,
you tell me this will be the last night
feeling like this.


As Dawn approached, Ash could easily tell that the smile she had was false.  He knew her well enough to know when she was upset, and as he looked into her eyes, he could tell that her sorrow was still fully evident.  I was bad enough seeing her so sad, but seeing her trying to hide it like this was heart breaking.  Her latest loss... it was as if it had outright scarred her.

"Hi Ash," she greeted him sweetly, "you're still up?"

"Yeah... I couldn't sleep." Ash replied, trying to sound as comforting as he could as Dawn sat down next to him, "How ya feelin'?"

"Okay..." she sighed, staring into the camp fire.

As much as Ash wanted to take her word, he knew that she was lying.  He could still see in her eyes that she was no better than she had been all day... or the day before... or the day before...

"Dawn," he started softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder, "don't let yourself get so down about the contest Dawn, you've lost contests before and you've always been able get right back up and learn from it!"

Dawn responded with a silent nod, though refusing to turn her gaze from the fire.

"So why?  Why are you so torn up over this one?" Ash then asked.

Dawn finally turned to him, eyes now glimmering.  Seeing her look at him like that, Ash had to try hard not to cry himself.

"Because..." Dawn began.

But the explanation never came.  Rather, the two of them continued to stare into each others eyes as if it was their last night together.  Finally, after a full minute, Dawn finally spoke again, shaking her head then turning from him.

"...Anyway, there's no need to worry about me anymore Ash." she said.

"Yeah, why's that Dawn?" Ash asked as his blunette friend as she stood up.

After another brief silence, Dawn turned to him again, tears now beginning to form in her eyes.  Ash's eyes widened, afraid of what she might have on her mind.

"This is... the last time you'll have to see me like this Ash, I promise." she stated, trying desperately trying not to cry.

Despite her promise, Ash couldn't help but feel like something was wrong.


I just came to say goodbye,
didn't want you to see me cry,
I'm fine.
But I know its a lie!


"W-What do you mean by that Dawn?" Ash asked shakily.

Dawn wiped her eyes.

"You're right Ash, I do learn from each contest I loose," she explained as more tears fell, "and... and I think I've finally figured out how to break this loosing streak."

Ash tensed up as Dawn continued.

"I can't... travel with you anymore..."

Ash felt his heart sink as Dawn smiled.  He couldn't believe it, did she really think that he was reason she had lost so much lately?  At that though, another question came to his mind: was he?

"Dawn..."

Dawn turned from him again and began to walk toward the brush.

"So I just wanted... to say... goodbye Ash, and I'm sorry." she whimpered.

"Dawn stop!" Ash pleaded as he quickly rose to his feet, "You don't really believe that... do you?"

Dawn turned back to him.  Her face was now drenched by her tears, though she refused to fully break down and cry.

"I'm sorry Ash, but... this is all I can think of.  Just... please... don't follow me."

Dawn's voice finally broke and the sobbing began.  She wiped her face again and again, trying both to wipe her tears and to hide her face.  Ash just stood in shock, Dawn was really about leave.  His eyes too started to become blurry as Dawn spoke again in between sobs.

"I didn't want you... to see me cry like this Ash," she sniffed as she began to turn, "goodbye... and don't worry, I'll be... fine!"

And at that, she fully turned from him and ran into the brush.  Ash remained motionless, tears now streaming from his eyes as well.  Was he really the reason Dawn had lost her coordinator drive recently?  Was this really the only thing that could be done?  As the questions bombarded his mind, Ash began to remember back to when he and Dawn had first traveled together.  He remembered how the two of them would always help each other practice and train, and they were always there for each other after a tough loss or or if they were just feeling down.  Ash wiped his eyes, he knew there was more to this.

"No, she won't be fine." he thought, "Dawn..."

Ash took off after her.  He could hear Dawn's sobs through the brush, so he knew where to go.

"DAWN WAIT!" he shouted to her, "COME BACK!"


This is the last night you'll spend alone,
look me in the eye so I know you know
I'm everywhere you need me to be.
The last night you'll spend alone,
I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go,
I'm everything you need me to be.


"ASH PLEASE, JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" Dawn shouted back as she ran.

"No Dawn, you don't have to do this by yourself," Ash called, continuing to give chase, "let me help you!"

"YOU CAN'T HELP ME ASH!" she screamed.

"Yes I can!" Ash retorted, "Dawn, stop and look at me!  You know you can trust me!"

Dawn kept running, pushing branches and small plants out of her path as she torn through the forest, tears flying from her face.  Ash struggled to keep up.  Though he had a path to follow in the form of a trail of tears on the ground, Dawn had descent lead on him.  When he didn't hear a reply, he called out again as he continued to run.

"I'll always be there for you Dawn!  No matter where I' am, I'll always be supporting you!" he called.

"IS THAT SO!?!" Dawn yelled back, "THEN WHY... AAH!!!"

Dawn's question was cut short when she found herself tripping on an uprooted tree root.  She fell to the ground, scraping her knee.  It wasn't bad, but it was enough to cause her pain when trying to stand back up.  As she desperately struggled to her feet, Ash finally caught up to her, rushing to her aid.  As he approached, Dawn snapped.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" she cried.

"No Dawn, this isn't something you have to do alone." Ash replied softly, kneeling down next to her.

Dawn didn't respond and tried again to get up, though both the pain in her leg and the tears on her eyes seemed to be too much.  She was still crying, Ash always hated seeing her cry, but this was the first time he'd seen her cry this hard.  He'd had enough, he was done seeing her this upset.  As Dawn fell to her knees again, Ash wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing her into a tight hug.  Dawn's eyes widened, never expecting that kind of move from Ash of all people, but almost immediately rested her head on his chest, both accepting and rejecting his hug.

"Let me go..." she whimpered despite nuzzling into his chest a bit more.

"No, I'm not lettin' go Dawn," Ash replied warmly, "not until you tell me how I can help you."

Dawn looked up at him.

"Just tell me what I need to do Dawn, I'll do anything, be anything!" he grinned looking down at her.

Dawn blushed.  After all that time of being away from him, she'd forgotten how sweet Ash was.  He was always willing to go above and beyond to help others, especially her.  She thought for a moment before giving him an answer.

"Can you... help me up Ash?" she asked sheepishly.


[Instrumental]


Ash helped Dawn to her feet, her arm hitched on his shoulder.  He helped her over to a nearby tree where he sat her down so she could stretch her leg out, then sat down next to her.  Dawn began to explain how she had been dealing over the past few weeks.  She told him how see'd went through all of her combinations and strategies with her Pokemon and nothing seemed to be wrong.  She then said that she'd contacted her mother for advise, only to receive an unhelpful "try harder" form of response.  Ash now began to understand why Dawn felt so down.


Your parents say...
everything is your fault,
but they don't know you like I know you,
they don't know you at all.


"So your mom just said that you're just goin' through a faze, huh?" Ash asked after Dawn had finished.

Dawn gave a silent nod.

"Heh, that's easy for her to say." he chuckled, "She hasn't seen what you've been up against."

Dawn turned to him, surprised that Ash would be so quick to take her side.

"You've had to compete against some really great coordinators Dawn," he explained, "if it was anyone else, I bet they'd be in same spot!"

Dawn nodded silently again.  Ash leaned forward, bring his eyes level with hers.

"I know what your goin' through Dawn, that's why I can help you." he said softly.


I'm so sick of when they say...
its just a faze, you'll be okay,
you're fine.
But I know its a lie!


"I know Ash," Dawn replied quietly, "its just... I hate it when she does that to me, cuz she's said that before, while I was in Hoenn."

"Yeah?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, she always says something like "all coordinators go through this, you'll be fine" or "Just keep trying honey, I know you can do it" or something like that." Dawn explained.

Ash shook his head.

"No way, its more than that," he argued, agreeing with her, "the other coordinators you've faced have all been really good, and just trying harder won't change that."

"That's... right..." Dawn whimpered.

Ash had started thinking that he'd finally figured out why Dawn had been so broken, but he response said otherwise.  He still see in her eyes that she was still as down as she had been, only now, there was something else evident.  Her deep blue gems shimmered nervously, almost as if she was afraid.  Ash knew then that there was something else that Dawn wasn't telling him.

"But that's not it, is it Dawn?" he asked slowly.

Dawn's eyes widened for a slip second before she got to her feet, her knee apparently feeling better.  Ash quickly did the same, afraid that she would start running again.

"No need to worry Ash," Dawn said with another false smile, "I'm... just glad someone agrees with me, that's all."

"C'mon Dawn," Ash pleaded, "I know you're lying to me..."

Dawn turned and began to walk away.  Before she could take even three steps, however, she felt Ash's hand grasp her wrist.


This is the last night you'll spend alone,
look me in the eye so I know you know
I'm everywhere you want me to be.
The last night you'll spend alone,
I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go,
I'm everything you need me to be.
The last night away from me.


"Dawn, I promise," he said firmly, "I don't want you to feel like this anymore, but you need to tell me what's really wrong."

"You... don't care..." Dawn said at just barely a whisper.

Ash heard her, however, and ran around in front of her, placing both of his hands on her shoulders.

"Of course I care Dawn," he reassured her, "c'mon, look at me.

Dawn kept her eyes shut and her head turned as her shoulders began to tremble.

"Dawn, I'm always here for you, why don't you trust me?  What happened to the Dawn I traveled with in Sinnoh back then?  That Dawn and I trusted each other more than anyone else, what happened to her?" he asked, his voice starting to show a bit of frustration.

"You don't... care..." Dawn whimpered.

Ash let out a discouraged sigh and wrapped his arms around her shoulders again, hoping it would comfort her as it did before.  This time, however, Dawn didn't return the hug and remained still.

"I do care Dawn," Ash repeated himself, "you're my best friend, why wouldn't I care?"

"Your best friend, huh?" Dawn suddenly asked.

Ash released her and took a step back, surprised at her sudden change in tone.  Dawn's shoulders were trembling even more as she spoke, her eyes remaining locked on the ground.

"Then why Ash, why didn't you care about how I was while you were gone?  Why didn't you try and call me to say hi or check on me?  Why didn't I even once cross your mind?"

Ash just stared at her, shocked by her accusations.  Suddenly, Dawn brought her face up to his, tears flying from the side of her eyes.

"ASH, WHY DID YOU LEAVE?!?" she shouted before breaking down into tears again.

Ash hadn't the faintest idea of what to to say.  Dawn had just tried to get away from him and now she was yelling at him for leaving her?


[Instrumental]


"Do you have any idea of how I felt when you left Ash?" Dawn exclaimed as she cried, "After the two of us had been through so much together, you just left as if nothing had happened all.  I... I didn't know what to do.  I finally decided to continue my journey in Hoenn, thinking that maybe if I did well enough I'd get to see you again.  I even tried calling you, but no one knew where you were!"

Ash turned his gaze to the ground in shame.  It was true that he hadn't really told anyone about his trip to Unova before hand.  Dawn continued.

"I tried so hard during my time in Hoenn, hoping that if I saw you again I'd be able show you how far I'd gotten.  But... during my contests there, it just wasn't the same without  having you cheering me on like you did.  It was hard, so hard that I almost felt like giving up... but... I remembered the way I felt whenever you would congratulate me whenever I won a contest and wanted to feel that again, even if you weren't with me.  So I pushed on eventually made it into the Grand Festival... but in the end, I didn't do any better than when you were with me during the Sinnoh Festival.  After that, I went home, trying to decide what to do next... and then..."

Ash brought his eyes back up, knowing where the story stood.

"Then you came back, and I was so happy to see you again!  It felt like it had only been a few days since you left and I... I wanted stay with you again.  When you told me about this contest circuit here in Kanto, I though I was dreaming.  I couldn't wait to travel with you again, and since it would be just the two of us, I..."

Dawn began to blush.

"I was even more excited."

Ash couldn't help but blush as well.

"When we finally started traveling again, I felt like everything was right again, like I finally had you back for good!  Then I competed in my first contest and... something happened..."

Ash tensed as Dawn's voice became softer.

"When I saw you cheering me on from the stands like you used to, I started to feel like I was hanging on to you by just a thread.  I felt like I had to do well to keep you around, like if I performed too badly you'd... you'd..."

Her tears returned to her.  Ash was amazed at what she was telling him.

"Dawn..."

"Now... whenever I think of that, I freeze up, my legs start to shake, I can't think straight... Ash I... I just don't want you to leave me again!"

And so the truth came out.  Dawn was so afraid of doing badly in front of him, that she would freeze up.  Ash couldn't help but feel guilty.  He never would have guessed that Dawn had valued his support so deeply.  Then again, he'd been with her from the beginning of her journey, so it shouldn't have come as too big a surprise, but either way.  Ash watched as Dawn cried into her hands, her tears seeping through her fingers.  If she wasn't around, he would probably let a few tears far as well, but she needed him now, so he couldn't let that happen.  Dawn soon spoke again, her face still concealed in her hands.

"Ash I..." she sniffed, "I let my Pokemon down, I let my Mom down, I let myself down, but the worst part is... I... I let y-"

She was cut off when she felt a gentle hand cup her cheek.  She looked up see the two deep brown eyes she adored so much.  Ash shook his head, showing that she wasn't one to blame.


The night is so long when...
everything's wrong, if...
you give me your hand, I will help you hold on.
Tonight.
Tonight.


"I know what you mean Dawn," Ash began, "believe me, I know that without knowin' that someone is supporting you, nothing seems like its really worth the effort."

Dawn wiped her eyes again and nodded.

"I'm really sorry Dawn, but just because I wasn't with you didn't mean I wasn't thinkin' about you or I wasn't cheering for you."

Ash stroked her cheek as Dawn's sobs began to fade.

"And I'd never leave you just because you weren't doing that well Dawn, I'd never do that to you.  Give me another chance Dawn, I'll show you that no matter how many times you win or lose, I'll always be right here for ya!"

Dawn let out a content sigh and took his hand in hers.  She knew that Ash was speaking in his confident, absolute voice that he used only when he was making a vow that he swore upon with all of his being.  He meant every word, which gave her a new sense of relief.  Even though he had made it clear that he wasn't going anywhere, she held it tightly like she had no intention of letting go.

"You really... mean that Ash?" she sniffed.

"Of course!" Ash grinned.

At that, Dawn leaned forward and rested her body against his, wrapping her free arm around his torso.  Ash knew then that he'd finally broke her out of her depression and placed his free hand on her head.  As they hugged, Dawn spoke again.

"Hey Ash?"

"Yeah Dawn?"

"How much DID you think of me while you were gone?" she asked innocently.

"Uh, what do mean?" Ash replied nervously, blushing a bit.

Dawn let out a small giggle and leaned back to meet Ash's eyes.  Despite his nervousness, he couldn't help but smile at her.  Dawn's smile had returned, and though it showed a hint of playfulness, it was real this time. Dawn began to slowly lean toward him again as she spoke.

"Maybe... enough to do... this..." she cooed.

Their lips met.  Though Ash hadn't at all expected something like it, he happily returned Dawn's kiss.  Throughout his travels in Unova, he had come to the realization that he did care for Dawn much more than just a good friend, though it was now that he realized exactly how much he did so.  And from the looks of it, Dawn felt the same way about him.  He whisked any further thoughts from his mind and allowed himself to become lost in their kiss as he ran his fingers threw Dawn's beautiful blue hair.


This is the last night you'll spend alone,
look me in the eye so I know you know
I'm everywhere you want me to be.
The last night you'll spend alone,
I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go,
I'm everything you need me to be.


After about half a minute, the two of them broke away from their kiss.  They stared into each others eyes lovingly, knowing that they would always be there for each other no matter what.

"I promise Dawn," Ash said warmly, "I'll always be around when you need me."

"Ash..." Dawn cooed dreamily as she fell into him arms.

The two of them shared another hug, one that only two people who were truly in love could experience.    Dawn let out another dreamy sigh, now completely convinced that Ash would really do or be anything she needed as long as she was happy.


I won't let you say goodbye,
and I'll be your reason why.


"Dawn, don't think you need to be away from me to get better, alright?" Ash whispered.

"No need to worry Ash," she replied, "your the whole reason why I want to get better... besides..."


The last night away from me.
Away from me.


The two of them exchanged another quick kiss before meeting each other's gaze again.  Ash knew what Dawn was about to say and Dawn knew that he knew.  They looked into each other's for another few seconds before saying the three words that they'd both wanted to say to each other for so long...

"I love you."

The End