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On their way to Hearthome City, Ash, Dawn and Brock had stopped at an open field behind a Pokémon Center for training, Ash and Dawn now sat catching their breath.
Dawn lay back on the grass, chest rising and falling. “Piplup you were incredible today,” she said, smiling up at the sky.
Piplup puffed out his chest. “Pip-lup!”
Ash chuckled. “You’re getting stronger every day. That bubble beam looked way cooler than before.”
Dawn sat up, brushing hair from her face. “You think so?”
“Definitely,” Ash nodded. Pikachu agreed with a cheerful “Pika!”
Brock started packing up the picnic blanket and training supplies. “If you keep this up, Dawn, you’ll be ready for your next contest in no time.”
Dawn’s eyes lit up. “Thanks, Brock!”
Ash stood, stretching his arms over his head. “We should train again tomorrow morning. I bet-”
“Well, well… traveling with Ash sure keeps you busy, doesn’t it, Dee-Dee?”
Dawn froze.
She didn’t even turn around, instead she squeezed her eyes shut. “Kenny. Don’t call me that.”
The familiar boy walked closer with the teasing smirk he always wore. His Prinplup marched beside him, chin high in superiority.
“Hey Kenny!” Ash greeted, clueless as ever. “Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Kenny shrugged casually. “I’ve been doing the Contest circuit. Unlike some people, I’ve been winning lately.”
“Hey!” Dawn protested instantly. “I’ve been doing well too!”
“I never said you weren’t,” Kenny replied innocently. “Just saying I might be moving ahead of you again.”
Brock sighed. “Uh-oh… rivals reunited.”
Dawn crossed her arms. “Well?? Did you come here just to brag?”
Kenny grinned. “Partly. And… partly because I heard Dawn was nearby.”
Dawn blinked. “Wait- how did you know that?”
Kenny pointed at Prinplup. “Prinplup here overheard some trainers talking. Something about a pretty blue-haired coordinator and a loud boy with a Pikachu training out back.”
Ash frowned slightly. “Loud boy?”
“Yeah,” Kenny said. “Could only be you.”
Ash was about to argue, but Dawn was already walking toward Kenny. “So? Why are you here? Seriously.”
Kenny looked at her a moment, longer than usual, then shrugged. “Just checking in. Childhood friends do that, you know.”
Ash noticed something in Kenny’s tone… something almost gentle. Dawn seemed to notice it too, softening just a little.
They chatted for a bit. Kenny asked about Dawn’s last Contest win, Dawn asked about Kenny’s Appeal strategies, Ash chimed in about a Gym Battle technique, and for a few minutes everything felt natural. However Kenny kept slipping in comments.
“You still rely on Ash to motivate you?”
“Careful, Dawn. Battlers don’t always understand coordinators.”
“Must be convenient having someone to cheer for you all the time.”
Each remark was subtle, but sharp enough to sting both Dawn and Ash.
Eventually, Kenny’s teasing side resurfaced. “So Dawn… are you still following Ash around because he needs help tying his shoes or something?”
Ash spluttered. “HEY!! I don’t-”
“Kenny!” Dawn snapped. “Ash is a great partner to travel with, okay?”
“Oh?” Kenny asked, leaning forward. “You sound very proud of him.”
“W-Well… of course I am!” Dawn said. “We’ve been helping each other improve!”
Kenny raised an eyebrow. “Helping each other… or helping him?”
Dawn opened her mouth, then closed it again, cheeks warming. Ash rubbed the back of his neck, unsure why his heart sped up at her flustered expression.
Kenny looked between them, his smirk fading a little. “Hmm…”
Ash frowned. “What was that?”
Kenny waved a hand. “Nothing. Just noticing how close you two have gotten.”
Dawn’s face grew redder. Ash suddenly couldn’t meet her eyes.
For a moment, the mood grew quieter and more awkward until Kenny broke it with a chuckle.
“Actually, Dawn,” Kenny said, reaching into his backpack, “seeing you two just reminded me of something.”
Dawn gave him a warning stare. “Please don’t be another embarrassing photo.”
“No, no,” he said. “This is… a little different.”
He hesitated,then pulled out a small folded paper. It was creased at the edges clearly old.
Dawn’s eyes widened in dread. “Kenny- no- don’t you-”
But he didn’t open it.
Not yet.
He simply held it in his hands, staring at it with a small thoughtful smile. “Do you remember this? The day we drew this together? You were crying because your mum said you’d have to grow up eventually. You said you never wanted to leave Twinleaf.”
Dawn’s breath caught. She did remember.
Ash looked between them, quiet and unsure.
Kenny looked up again, his voice softer. “Back then… you grabbed my hand and said we’d travel together when we were old enough. Always. No matter what.”
Dawn opened her mouth but no words came out.
“And I told you I’d protect you,” Kenny added. “Just like in the stories we read.”
Ash felt something twist in his chest. “Dawn had never told him this”, he thought. “I mean why would I care anyway?”
Finally, Kenny unfolded the paper and held it where everyone could see a childish crayon drawing of Dawn and Kenny holding hands beside a giant star-shaped Pokémon. Above them was Dawn’s messy handwriting:
“Kenny + Dawn adventure forever!”
Dawn’s face went bright red. “KENNY!! Why do you still HAVE that?!”
“Because,” he said quietly, “it meant something to me.”
Ash’s heartbeat thumped loudly in his ears.
Dawn stepped forward carefully. “Kenny… I never meant- We were kids… I didn’t-”
“I know,” Kenny cut in gently. “But seeing you two now… I guess I finally realised that promise isn’t mine anymore.”
That sentence hit harder than either Ash or Dawn expected.
Kenny tucked the drawing back away, clearing his throat as if trying to recover his usual confidence. “Anyway… just thought I’d show it before you forget who your oldest friend is.”
Dawn finally found her voice. “Kenny… I didn’t forget you. I never have.”
Ash stepped back slightly, suddenly feeling like an outsider in someone else’s memory. “Uh… I just remembered! Brock asked me to help him with dinner. I'll go check on him..,” he said quietly.
Dawn watched him leave, panic flickering across her face. “Ash wait!”
Kenny exhaled slowly. “You care about him.”
Dawn rounded on him. “Of course I do! But that doesn’t mean-”
“It means everything,” Kenny cut in quietly. His voice was tight now, jealousy no longer hidden. “You never looked at me like that.”
Dawn faltered. “Kenny…”
He folded the drawing carefully, shoving it back into his bag. “Relax. I get it. I’m just the childhood friend who got left behind.”
“That’s not true,” Dawn said firmly. “You matter to me. But Ash isn’t a replacement. He’s… different.”
Kenny laughed under his breath. “Yeah. I noticed.”
He turned away before she could say more.
Ash sat alone at the lakeside dock, legs dangling over the water. Pikachu rested beside him, ears drooping.
“A promise like that…” Ash whispered. “I guess I never thought Dawn had stuff like that before we met.”
Pikachu nudged him. “Pika?”
“I’m not mad,” Ash said. “I just… don’t want her to regret travelling with me y’know?”
He sighed, watching tiny ripples in the lake.
Footsteps approached.
“Ash?” Dawn asked softly.
He didn’t turn until she sat beside him, close enough that their arms brushed.
“Are you upset?” she asked.
“No,” he said quickly. “Just thinking.”
Dawn tucked her legs to her chest. “Kenny shouldn’t have shown you that.”
Ash shook his head. “It’s okay. You two have history. I don’t wanna get in the way of-”
“Ash,” Dawn interrupted, turning to him fully. “You don’t get in the way of anything.”
He finally met her eyes.
“I left Twinleaf to become a coordinator,” Dawn said. “That drawing… it was something little-kid me believed. Kenny and I dreamed small back then. But when I met you… everything changed.”
Ash blinked. “Changed… how?”
“You made me stronger,” Dawn said softly, feeling her cheeks warm. “You made me braver. If I hadn’t met you… I wouldn’t be the coordinator I am today. I wouldn’t believe in myself at all.”
Ash swallowed, a small blush appearing. “I… Dawn… I think you’ve helped me too. More than you realise.”
She smiled, bright and sincere. “I don’t regret travelling with you. Not for a second.”
“Sooo… you're not gonna leave us and travel with Kenny?” Ash asked nervously.
Dawn giggled and closed the gap between them. Wrapping her arms around him. “Of course not silly!”
Ash’s eyes glistened as she hugged him. He proceeded to shock Dawn by hugging her back tightly.
“Oh man I was so scared you would leave!” Ash let out.
“Oh Ash…” Dawn said coyly as she rubbed his back.
Kenny packed his stuff as he got ready to leave the Pokemon centre.
Prinplup nudged him gently.
Sigh “She’s not the same Dawn from that drawing isn't she.”
He folded the drawing away carefully.
“Hey Kenny wait up!” Brock yelled.
Kenny turned around as the breeder ran up to him. Holding a bag?
“Dawn told me to make sure you got something to eat. So here, enjoy! My very own special sandwiches".
Kenny accepted the bag and thanked Brock.
“Heh I can’t seem to stay upset with you can’t I Dee-Dee”, he said to himself.