A quick RileyDawn drabble to get me back into writing for Pokemon.

Usual disclaimer.

They meet up sometimes, back on Iron Island, and they look up at the stars and she whispers things to him about her dreams. Ambitious girls, he thinks, should not waste their time with him.

But still, she points her fingers towards the stars and tells both him and the sky that one day, she will shine brighter than all of them put together. He smiles at her and watches her as her shouted words die down into a murmur so only he can hear.

It's as if she's hiding things from the sky, and he smiles when her eyes shine like gemstones or even the stars that she wants to become brighter than.

"Have you always wanted to become the champion?"

She shakes her head, and looks down at him, the night sky, on the ground where they lay, and smiles to herself.

"...No, actually, I haven't. My mom was a big contest star, so when I was little, that's what I wanted to do."

She hopes it's intrigue on his face, but it's hard to tell with the little light they have. "So, what changed?"

Dawn shrugs, and, if only for a moment, seems lost, "I'm not really sure. It's just... I woke up one day with a different perspective."

Stars like Dawn do not shine as bright when they are lost, or so he comes to notice. She traces the dit on the ground with her bare hands, and the light in her eyes dims. She seems sad, like a little girl who had just lost her favorite doll, and her entire aura just seems... grayer.

"I just... wanted to prove something, I guess," she starts, "And I don't know why."

He sits up to stare at her at eye level (or as close as he can get - he is taller, after all), and she lets out a sigh, soft and cold, much unlike her warm laughter and bright attitude. Dreams are great and all, but Riley knows well enough that everyone has a dream for a different reason. He regrets trudging up old wounds, but how was he to know?

"That's okay," he says, and she looks to him, blue eyes blinking slowly, "I know what that's like."

Dawn smiles, and he can almost feel her start to lighten up. She's shining again, probably too bright for him to follow.

"But if it's any consolation," he starts, "I believe in you."

When she holds his hand, he pretends that when she really does become brighter than all the stars combined, he'll be able to see her.

(Maybe he should just wear sunglasses.)