Pokémon Legacy: Come Back to Me

Chapter Forty-Three

Dawn couldn't believe it. She had lost. She lost Queen, she lost Ash, what was she going to do? And now Gary's head was turned by little miss emerald eyes. Blinking tears away, she walked off the stage. The thunderous cheers made her sick. She was better, she should've won Queen. She was prettier, she should've won Ash. She didn't have any unsightly scars across the middle of her forehead, or big doe eyes. She didn't look like a child.

She lost her best friend, the love of her life, and her crown all in the span of 5 minutes. She didn't have anything else, she wasn't important anymore. She had nothing. Her life was over. Dawn sank to the ground, tears blurring her vision. Then she sobbed.

"Dawn?" Dawn stopped suddenly and looked up, seeing a familiar face. Narrowing her eyes, confused, she looked around. She had walked out a door and was behind the stadium, next to a little fountain. She looks back at the face, messy brown hair framing the now striking features.

"Kenny?" Dawn blinked. Tears were still wetting her cheeks, but she ignored them.

"Dee dee! It is you!" Kenny exclaimed. "I mean I saw your performance, but I didn't think I'd see you out here."

"You saw my performance?"

"Yeah. You were incredible."

"Thanks, but if I was incredible, I would've won. And now Serena is still Queen, and she got the boy. I have nothing left to live for."

"Dawn, don't ever say that!" Kenny exclaimed. "You have your Pokémon, your mom, Professor Rowan, and.."

"And?"

"And me." Kenny muttered, glancing away and blushing.

"What?" Dawn asked, taken aback. She had known he had a silly crush on her, but that was long ago, when they were kids. "After all this time?"

"I've loved you since we were kids. I know you're not that heartless bitch that you were projecting. What happened to you Dawn?" Dawn's mouth dropped open slightly. Kenny just called her a heartless bitch? What the fuck? Dawn's first instinct was to get angry, to tell him he had no idea what she was talking about, to yell and scream and hit him. She wasn't heartless! She had never been heartless!

But then she realized that she was, she must be. If Kenny is sitting here telling her this, a man who had loved her since they were kids, it must be true. What did happen to her? Why was she being so mean?

"I..I really don't know Kenny. I grew up. Maybe you should too." Dawn snapped. She hated how easily he pegged her, especially when she didn't even know she was peggable material.

"See that? That right there." Kenny said, raising an eyebrow. "That isn't growing up. That is changing into a completely different person. Turning into someone who would snap at one of their oldest friends for no reason, someone who became so obsessed with looks that they completely fucked up their relationship. Someone who was so focused on beating someone, on besting them, she completely lost sight of her identity. She completely forgot what it means to be a Pokémon trainer, Performer, and Coordinator. You want to know why you lost? Because you weren't focused on the Pokémon, or having fun, or making people happy. You were focused on yourself. What can I do to make me look good, what can I do to beat her."

"Why don't you just abandon the poor, mean, heartless bitch like everyone else then?" Dawn yelled angrily. She stood up and walked off, fuming.

"Because I love you. And I want to help you get back to who you really are. Because this is not you." Kenny was silent for a little bit, but then he was right in her ear. "Because I voted for you." Dawn's breath hitched. She heard him walking away. "Think about it. Then let me know. We can go on another journey together." And he was gone.