Disclaimer: No ownership of Pokémon. Done for a Facebook group.
Summary: What if when Ash and Dawn reunited that the young coordinator let feelings that she's bottled up for sometime...and in front of Iris, Cilan and Cynthia.

The Virtue of Patience

Undella Town...home of the Unova Junior Cup. At a villa, Dawn was waking up to the sunrise. She knew that Cynthia was coming back from Virbank City to prepare for the Junior Cup which was a week away. As she got ready to shower up, the phone rang. Not thinking about it, Dawn picked up the receiver. "Cynthia's Summer Villa," she identified. "This is Dawn."

"Hey, Dawn," Cynthia replied. "It's me, calling from the Virbank Airport. Just letting you know that Ash and his friends are with me." Dawn's heart skipped a beat. Ash was coming to see her?

"Really?!"

"Yeah, we'll arrive in Undella Town this afternoon. Just making sure you're up to date." Dawn glimpsed at the clock. 7:45. There was time to freshen up before Ash, Cynthia and their friends reached the town, let alone the villa. A curious Piplup waddled to the living room where Dawn got the call. She hung up knowing that they'll see each other later today.

("Who was that?") the penguin chick wondered. Hearing her prized Pokémon, Dawn spun to see him.

"Piplup, Cynthia called and told me that Ash and Pikachu will be here soon!" Piplup's eyes bulged in anticipation. It has been a long time since he and Pikachu traveled together and when they broke up in Twinleaf Town. It was some time since he and she were together. Jervis grabbed keys and headed out the door.

"I'll go and pick up Miss Cynthia," he informed. "Keep the place tidy, will you?"

"Sure thing, Jervis." Watching the butler driving off, Dawn wondered how she should welcome Ash. Food? He's always one to pig out. Her Pokémon? He'd have an idea. "Wow, I'm having a hard time trying to find the perfect surprise for Ash." Why go through this complication?

("Why not just say hi?") Piplup suggested. That would be a decent idea.

"I don't know. I missed Ash since we saw them leave for Kanto after our trip through Sinnoh...and in some sense, actually grew pretty fond of him." This was something Piplup wasn't familiar with.

("What's fond?") Whatever it was to Dawn's Pokémon, she wasn't telling him squat. She rushed to the bathroom to freshen up. She wanted to smell real nice when Ash and his friends came by.

"I wonder if Brock came along as well. It's unlikely since he wanted to be a Pokémon doctor. He might still be in Pewter City." If not Brock, then who? The clock ticked towards noon. The anticipation to see Ash once again was killing her. She ate with Piplup, did some exercises but it wasn't helping her anxiety. 1:00 PM. Finally, the car returned to the villa. The moment she's been waiting for. Jervis exited the driver's seat to open and let out Cynthia, Ash and Pikachu...before three others jumped out. One was a heavily tanned, giant violet-haired girl wearing ivory-colored clothes with a pink sash around her waist and a young green-haired teen man in a tuxedo and bow-tie and last was a tiny floating green-haired girl in a black dress and wearing some note-shaped headgear. This got Dawn excited for Ash but curious about that tiny girl, nearly forgetting about the others. "Is that a Pokémon?" She pulled out a Dex and aimed it at the girl.

"Meloetta, the Melody Pokémon," it computed. "Meloetta's songs are known to comfort even the most angered Pokémon." So that last girl was a Pokémon.

"This is your summer villa?" the tanned girl asked Cynthia.

"This is," she replied. "It's a nice getaway from all the bustle in Sinnoh." Jervis turned the knob but the click told Meloetta that someone could be in there to take her away, forcing herself to vanish.

"Hey, Meloetta?!" Ash called out. "Where did you go? Please, come back." The green-haired had an assumption to why Meloetta got out of there.

"Meloetta is afraid of who might be inside," he thought. Dawn watched on when she finally had an idea. A smirk filled with intrigue and evil.

"He won't suspect a thing," she muttered. Dawn made her way down the steps while Ash and Pikachu entered. Wandering in the living room, Ash began to admire the lifestyle the Sinnoh Champion inherited. He was totally unaware of Dawn and Piplup sneaking from behind. This was the perfect opportunity and her blushing was excitement for this surprise. Stealth like a ninja, she crept to Ash and poked his shoulder. Ash felt the poke and turned to the poked shoulder. Dawn remained directly behind Ash, waiting for that moment to strike. Ash turned to the other way. Nothing. Back to the first shoulder. Nothing. Annoyed, Ash was done playing around but Dawn figured now was the moment to strike. 'Here we go!' She was unaware that Ash's new friends and Cynthia came in at the moment she decided to play the cat-and-mouse game.

"Alright, what's-" Ash tried to argue but was cut off when Dawn lunged in and connected her lips with his in a sudden kiss. The others were shocked. It was so sudden, they couldn't make out what they're seeing. Parting lips, Ash got a better look at his "attacker."

"I wanted to do that before you left Sinnoh." The blue-haired coordinator with the confession of the year. Ash was left dumbfounded. The green-haired was speechless but the tanned girl fumed at the scene.

"What are you doing?!" she snapped. Hearing the yelling tanned girl, Ash and Dawn turned to her.

"What's up, Iris?" he asked.

"Little kids don't deserve kisses!" That's her complaint? It's weak...

"Anyone can be loved, Iris," Cynthia proclaimed. "Even you." The green-haired nodded to Cynthia's words. Iris didn't want to believe her. During the rest of the day, Dawn was introduced to Iris, Cilan and the Pokémon from the Unova Region. This also brought out Meloetta who quickly warmed to Piplup and stirring a romantic rivalry between him and Ash's Oshawott. Dawn and Cilan had a battle that ended with a draw. As the sun settled to the horizon for nightfall, Ash was still thinking about Dawn's kiss to him as he laid on a mattress in a guest bedroom. Thinking back to Sinnoh did it dawn about Dawn that she wasn't as upset or angry like Misty or May or Iris for that matter.

"I know Dawn was happy when we traveled around Sinnoh," he pictured. Pikachu and Meloetta wondered if Ash was also appreciating Dawn as what she did while in Sinnoh and why she waited until today to express feelings.

("Why wait until this afternoon to kiss you?") Pikachu questioned. ("I know we had a great time in Sinnoh.") The curiosity got to Meloetta as well.

("Dawn did look happy with Ash,") she pointed out before a theory opened. ("Is that how humans show happiness?") It's more than that and Pikachu pondered about it.

("I think there's something else to Dawn. That wasn't casual happy.") There's such a thing as "casual happy?" Before the thinking went further, in entered Dawn in her pink pajamas and carrying a pillow.

"You're still awake?" she wondered. Sitting up, Ash gazed at the blue-haired he befriended in Sinnoh.

"That kiss you gave me is still in my head," he admitted. Dawn huffed a giggle, amused that something like a kiss would still bother him.

"I'll admit that it was my first kiss." For a first kiss, it left a remarkable impression. "Was that yours, too?"

"Well, first on the lips, that much I can say." So Ash had been kissed before but they were elsewhere but the kisser. Meloetta flew over, wondering if it was okay to kiss Ash. Has Ash become a kissing magnet? Without a second to ask, she sneaked a little peck on the raven-haired. Ash was awed that the Melody Pokémon had the urge to give him a little smooch. "Meloetta..."

("That was for rescuing me,") she complimented. How sweet.

"Cute!" Dawn laughed at the moment. "Meloetta didn't want to be left out." That's when Ash saw the pillow, thinking Dawn wanted to sleep with him.

"You're not comfy with Piplup?" he questioned.

"No, it's not that. I wanted to try to sleep with you. It's been sometime since we've slept near each other for when something came up." A silly reason but Ash didn't mind.

"Okay, I'll cave. Come on." Accepting, Dawn threw the pillow perfectly by the one Ash crashed his head on.

"Promise me that you'll keep your shorts on." Someone's getting ahead of themselves.

"Never crossed my mind." With a chuckle, Dawn hopped under the blanket while a relieved Ash fell fast asleep. Dawn followed but instead of using the pillow she brought in with her, she rested her head on Ash's shoulder. Did she bring the pillow for Pikachu or Meloetta? Pikachu remained on the drawer, sawing logs while Meloetta tucked herself under the blanket and between Ash and Dawn. A peaceful evening...unless you're Iris who grew frustrated seeing Ash get cozy with someone he was friends with.

"They're both little kids!" she quietly roared while walking away from the doorway. Sucks to be her.