Part I of my tribute to Lyra. :) She's an awesome character.

"Wow, Dane, you look so pretty!" Lyra complimented.

Dawn giggled and blushed. "Really?"

"Yeah! You're number one of the bunch, no doubt!" Lyra replied. She turned to face Ash. "Hey Ash, don't you think so too?" she asked, suggestively.

"Of course she's number one," Ash exclaimed, putting up a confident look. "Because Dawn's gonna win!"

Dawn grinned. "That's for sure," she replied as Pikachu and Piplup chirped happily in agreement.

"That's not what I meant by 'number one'. It went over Ash's head, didn't it?" Lyra noted, disappointed.

Brock nodded. "And Dawn's too."

"Huh?" Lyra asked, turning to look at Dawn.

"Hey, thanks a lot Ash," Dawn continued. "I know that today's the day for my fifth ribbon!" She had on the same confident look as Ash had moments previously.

"Yeah! Let's show them how, Dawn!" Ash exclaimed as the two high-fived. "All right!"

"Like two peas in a pod," Lyra giggled, smiling.

Ash sighed as he thought about Lyra. She was certainly an interesting girl. But damn her, getting the idea permanently into his head that he liked Dawn.

He closed his eyes and lay on the grass, smiling contently as the sun's ray's warmed his skin.

Those few seconds were some of the most agonizing seconds of my life. No one else had ever noticed how he would stare at Dawn just a second too long while she talked, or how his eyes glimmered as he watched Dawn glamorously dance with Piplup and Mamoswine on the contest floor. But Lyra did.

Ash tried to act innocent. His many years being an ignorant little boy unaware of anything had prepared him well. He had completely avoided Lyra's question. Don't you think so too? And he pulled it off, too, by the looks of it.

Ash shook his head and opened his eyes. He grimaced painfully as his eyes readjusted to the bright sunlight.

Lyra was gone now. She would no longer be there, silently and inconspicuously prodding Dawn and Ash slowly together. But somehow, even in her absence, her actions while she was present had lasting effects.

Hey Ash, don't you think so too? Ash had been prepared for this question ever since he heard Lyra prodding Dawn at The Valley Windworks. He was no longer that instinctively ignorant young boy any longer. He planned his steps carefully now. He covered his traces. Because he was deeply afraid of rejection. Dawn's rejection.

But what if he hadn't been prepared to sidestep the question? Would he have answered truthfully? Yes. He would have.

Hey Ash, don't you think so too?

Even with his careful preparation, his carefully crafted act to be a complete airhead, still the truth had almost slipped out.

Yes.

Because Dawn looked very pretty.

Thanks for reading! Please Review :D