Ash's Last Dance

Relishing in Defeat

Ash POV

I hadn't realized just how long I was just sitting on my bed, just staring off into space. A knock at my door, brought me back from my trance, making me jolt slightly. Getting up slowly, I made my way to the door, somewhat presentable.

Opening the door, I came face to face with Dawn who had a slightly worried expression on her face.

"Hey, Dawn," I said, doing a quick take at her outfit. She had dressed up for the occasion, a little to my surprise. She had switched out her usual pink skirt for tight black leggings and a long pink and white sweater, giving her a more classy but relaxed look. She still wore her classic beanie, but had her long blue hair tucked inside, with only a few strand dripping out. To be honest, I had to admit I looked for a second longer than I should have, but I had never seen her dressed up like this.

"You ready to go, Ash?" she asked.

"Um, yeah, let me just get Pikachu," I responded, turning around to see where my yellow starter was at. To my surprise, he was snoring away on the bed, completely oblivious to his surroundings.

"Well, I might as well let him rest. He's had a rough day," I sighed, walking out and closing the door behind me.

"Are you sure you're okay? You've had a rough day too, you know," she asked as the two of us walked down the hallway to the elevator.

"I'm fine, do I not look fine?" I responded, trying to play off my obvious down mood.

"No, you don't," she said firmly. "Usually you're still upbeat and lively after a tough loss. I've never seen you take a defeat this seriously."

"Maybe, I just need a little bit of time to let it blow off. Trust me, I'm fine, and I'm definitely looking forward to whatever food that restaurant's got on the menu."

That last comment from me earned a slight chuckle from the blue haired coordinator, hopefully pushing away her concerns about me for a while. She knew me well enough to see when I was upset, and I didn't want to ruin her night just because I was a shitty trainer.

Once we made it to the lobby, the two of us saw Iris and Cilan both waiting for us near the the entrance to the Pokemon Center, the two of them also better dressed than usual. Well, just Iris, Cilan was always in a tux.

Noticing my appearance, Iris spoke up.

"Come on Ash, I thought you'd dress a bit better than your usual outfit. We're going to a fancy restaurant after all."

I gave her an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I didn't know you guys wanted to go this all out. I can go change if you guys want me to."

"No its alright don't worry about it," Cilan chimed in. "We've gotta hurry anyway, our reservation is in 10 minutes."

With that, we all filed out, briskly walking down the street and following Cilan's lead.

Once we turned the final corner, we came face to face with a huge establishment down the street, one which had many people in fancy clothes coming in and out.

"Wow, that place looks amazing," I said in awe.

"Yeah, had to use my name from the restaurant to get a reservation here. You gotta be pretty important to get a booking on the spot," Cilan replied, scratching the back of his neck.

"Thank you, Cilan," I said gratefully. "You guys didn't have to do all this."

"Nonsense, you deserve it Ash," Iris said, waving me off.

"She's right, you've had a great tournament," Dawn added, smiling softly.

"I guess so," I replied, shrugging.