Happy Valentine's Day to all! And just as I promised, here is a one-shot celebrating this special day! And hopefully you all like my one-shot. I've noticed in my other stories that there were a lot of errors. And that's something I need to work on. Add that to a list of things I need to improve: Proofreading.

I'm so glad that I have a day off school!

And this is in Ash's POV.

[Update:] This is the revised version of The Promise. All elements from the original are here; this is just an enhanced version. I hope you enjoy! And I hope I didn't make any mistakes this time . . .

I don't own Pokemon. All rights go to their respective owners!

Anyway, on with the story!

The Promise

"How do you think we can cheer up Ash?" I heard Brock say, probably to Dawn.

It was nighttime, and the festival was set up in the park. Coloured flags on cables were hung in a decorative manner. Lampposts were brilliantly lighting up the dark night. Booths were built and placed throughout the park. Balloons were tied to the benches and were softly blowing with the wind everyone was in a festive mood: people laughing and having a good time, their Pokemon just as happy.

We were in that park. But I wasn't included in that picture. Everyone was happy. And me? I was the only person in the entire festival with a frown on his face.

My friends were sitting on a bench in the park. I was sitting on another that wasn't too far from them. I may have been distant from them, but that didn't mean I couldn't hear a word they were saying. I mean, it was bad enough that I was feeling down today, but they were making it worse my talking about me.

I wait for a few minutes, just hoping they would stop. If you were down in the dumps already, would you like it if your so-called "friends" were talking about you behind your back? I sighed. Great, they're still talking about me.

And that's when I snapped. "Will you just quit it! I know I'm feeling upset. And just because you're far away from me doesn't mean I can't hear you!"

And with that, I just ran—faster than I had before. I just wanted to be alone! Tears were streaming down my face—some of them flying from my eyes as I ran. And I didn't look back.

I ran toward a nearby forest. The Hoothoot were . . . well, hooting. The darkness was covering the landscape and trees. And hopefully the darkness was covering me up. The music and laughing and talking were fading and were drowned out by my thoughts.

I then heard her calling. What does she want? Doesn't she get the hint that I just want to be alone?

"Ash!" I heard her call out once more. "Wait up!"

I tried drowning out her yelling. And in doing so the recent events of the morning flashed in my mind . . .

"And here we are!" Brock exclaimed. "Floaroma Town!"

Brock thought we needed a break from our travels, so we decided to revisit Floaroma Town. Well actually, it was Dawn's idea. She said that since Valentine's Day was coming up, there was no better place in the Sinnoh Region that was more perfect than the town of flowers.

As we entered through the wooden arch set overhead, there were a variety of different flowers each with their own unique scent. From Gracidea flowers to roses—they were all available. A warm breeze welcomed us, the smell of honey and the flowers filling the air. The residents were just as welcoming, waving at us as we walked by. Some were even friendly enough to say, "Hi!" and offered us some of their prize flowers with smiling faces.

The town was also filled with Pokemon—most of them being Budew and Roselia. There were some Roserade roaming around as well, helping with the gardens. But there were other Pokemon, too. Starly could be seen flying overhead, the Driffloon no too far behind them. Butterfree and Beautifly hovered near the flowers. I also thought I saw a small green hedgehog. What was its name again? Sonic? No, he's blue. Shaymin . . . that was it. I thought I saw Shaymin. But it must've been my imagination. I shook it off.

Everything in this town was so peaceful: the people, the Pokemon—everything. No one needed to worry, as Dawn would say. From fending off Team Rocket and Team Galactic, to the Sinnoh Leauge, it was sometimes easy to forget to relax. And this town reminded me that we did need to just relax and have fun.

I looked back at Dawn and Brock, both of them being just as happy. But I was more focused on Dawn. What with her bubbly personality, her radian smile, and her midnight blue hair, she looked prettier than the flowers. And—no! I can't be doing this—thinking about Dawn like that. I made a vow. And I wasn't the kind of person to break it.

"Dawn, no need to worry," I assured her, putting on a fake smile. "Your hair looks fine. There's nothing wrong with it. It's just . . . I don't feel like celebrating Valentine's Day. You understand that, right?"

Dawn noticed my sadness. "Is there something wrong, Ash?" She panicked for a bit, before giving the assumption that her hair wasn't okay and said, "It's my hair isn't it? Where's my comb?"

"Dawn, there's no need to worry," I assured her, putting on a fake smile. "You hair looks fine. There's absolutely nothing wrong with it. It's just . . . I don't feel like celebrating Valentine's Day. You understand that, right?"

I felt Dawn's uneasiness. "Okay, if you say so. But that doesn't mean we still can't have fun!"

She started to run after she finished her statement.

"Hold up!" Brock and I said in unison.

We tried catching up with her, but she was fast. Faster than me, even.

"Ash!" She kept calling my name. I guess she didn't get it.

We were still running. I didn't know where I was going, and I was losing stamina. But despite that, I kept going.

"I want to alone!" I yelled back, my heart aching even more than it did this morning. It hurt—hard and strong, like a meteor impacting the Earth. But seeing Dawn run after me just made it more hurtful and painful.

Faster than me, even. It was true. She was gaining on me. I looked behind me. I didn't see her due to the darkness, but judging from her voice and how loud it was, I assumed she was getting closer to me. I put all of my remaining strength in this last sprint.

My heart was pounding in my chest, and was aching more than ever. Tears were clearly still flying from my eyes. But I didn't care. All I wanted was to be left alone. Was that just too much to ask?

I saw clearing up ahead and toward it. When I got there, I stopped, my breathing heavy. Except for my breathing, the Hoothoot, and the gusts of wind, I didn't hear any sounds. I closed my eyes, silently thanking Arceus that I was alone and in silence.

I checked my surroundings. I was in a flowery meadow. The moon was out and provided enough light to just make out what the majority of the flowers were. It was a Gracidea flower, emanating its beauty.

The forest was behind me. And in front of me was a flat landscape.

I sat down on the grassy field as I wiped the rest of my tears. Looking around for the second time, I felt the sense of calm that I felt yesterday, and the days before that.

"You guys are sure slow," Dawn commented. She was standing at the entrance of the Pokemon Centre. She giggled as she watch me and Brock making fools of ourselves, trying to catch up to her.

"Hey, no fair!" I complained. "You had a head start, so it wasn't fair!"

Dawn tried to suppress a smile, but failed. She giggled even more. "Even if you did have the head start, I'd still beat you!"

I was too tired to argue. But she was probably right. I'd never admit that to her face-to-face, though.

We entered the Pokemon Centre where we saw the whole place decorated in hearts. Everywhere we looked hearts were in our line of sight. And I wanted to tear every last one. Every heart that I saw pained my own heart. I know it wasn't anyone's fault except my own. The Nurse Joy in charge of this centre couldn't have possibly known that this was the day my heart always gets broken instead of feeling the love.

I then noticed Dawn looking at a piece of paper. She took it off the wall and began reading it:

"Midnight Valentine's Dawn Festival

Where: Gracidea Park

When Valentine's Day

Everyone is welcome."

A new voice spoke behind us: "So, you guys thinking about going the festival?"

We turned around to see Nurse Joy smiling at us. And just as I expected, Brock randomly stepped in, proclaiming his love of her. His eyes shined brightly.

"Nurse Joy," Brock began in what he calls his "romantic voice". "Today is Valentine's Day—the day where love always flourishes. And just like this town's beautiful flowers, I hope that our love will bloom and—ack!"

"Croa, croagunk," Brock's Croagunk croaked. The blue frog-like Pokemon started dragging the now unconscious Brock away.

The rest of us laughed nervously, and me momentarily forgetting about today. "That's Brock for ya," I added.

"That's for sure," Dawn agreed.

Then Nurse Joy said, "You guys should come to the festival. You don't actually have to have a date; we just want you guys to have fun. So, how about it? Are you guys going?"

Dawn turned to me. I hoped my face wasn't red—or at least as red as I think it was—but I highly doubt it.

"So, how about it, Ash?" Dawn asked sweetly.

Her eyes . . . blue like the ocean. Cliché, I know, but that was the truth. I was tongue-tied trying to decide how to answer her. Part of me said, "Yeah! Go for it!" But at the same time, another part of me was saying, "Remember your vow."

I was torn—from going to the festival with Dawn as my date, or trying to keep my vow that hurt every fibre of my being. My heart, my soul . . . Everything.

"I—I . . ." I stared at her eyes. For some reason, just by staring at the two pools of sapphire made it very hard for me to say no. And I just didn't want to disappoint Dawn. "Sure . . . Dawn."

Then I saw Dawn jumping for joy and squealing with delight. Just then, Nurse Joy leaned in close to me and whispered, "Just to let you know, Ash. Every year that this festival was held, all the couples that attend are certain to fall in love."

I gulped. There was no way on this Earth that I wanted to disappoint Dawn. That's why I said yes. If I had known that couples that attended were certain to fall in love, I wouldn't have said what I said. But the damage was done.

I lost count. I didn't how many times my heart was pained. And it hurt even more as I remembered that fateful day. I turned away so Dawn couldn't see the tears streaking down my face.

I looked at the moon. It didn't give the same light as the sun did, but it did give out intense beauty that the moon only can. Like Dawn.

Snap out of it, Ash! I scolded myself. The vow—I must always remember the vow.

As I was scolding myself, my mind wandered elsewhere, and another memory was taking place. But this one took place before Sinnoh. Before I met Dawn . . .

"Misty!" I yelled. Tears were welling up in my eyes. This could not be happening. It couldn't believe it—I wouldn't believe it.

We were on a fork in the road—one path leading to Pallet Town, the other leading to Cerulean City. Tears were in her eyes as well. I tried to looking at her, but her eyes just wouldn't meet mine. We left Johto a couple hours ago and were back in Kanto, our home region.

The sun was setting, but it wasn't a beautiful sight. Nothing was beautiful anymore. Nothing deserved to be beautiful. Not the wind quietly and softly whistling in my ears. And definitely not the bird Pokemon flying and soaring through the sky like one big, graceful, coordinated dance.

Johto was the best place I have ever travelled to—or used to be. It was where Misty and I had gotten together. The kiss we shared . . . it sparked the love that I was hoping would last. Even Brock complimented that we would be together forever. He was wrong.

"I—I'm sorry, Ash," Misty said sadly. "But I can't do this anymore."

"But you said that—"

"I know what I said." She wiped her tears. "But if you keep travelling, there's no way we could be. I'm sorry."

And those were her last words. She began walking down the path to Cerulean. She kept walking, not once did she look back. It was her path in life. Only she could be the one to walk down her winding road. And I never realized I wasn't walking with her. Not even when we kissed. After Johto, that's when our paths diverged. And that was symbolized through the real fork, one leading to Pallet and the other to Cerulean, and we could only walk one path. And we couldn't walk on the same one.

And even though her back was to me, I saw her wipe the rest of her tears out of her eyes. Only later did I realize that I was doing the same thing.

Fresh tears were forming in my eyes, remembering that day. Every February 14th after that fateful day, I would run off someplace distant from everyone else—some place secluded. If you looked closely, one could see the brown in my eyes—something that only happens when I'm showing emotion. At least that's what my mom told me. And speaking of my mom, she had tried to cheer me up the first Valentine's Day I started acting like this. It didn't work. She tried again the next year—same results. So the following year, she decided that she couldn't be bothered with me anymore. That was when I was fourteen. I'm fifteen now.

I never knew what it was like to be truly alone on Valentine's Day—until now. Heartbreak is always difficult to go through. I knew it was something that everyone went through. And I guess that this was my time.

I heard a rustle in the bushes. I thought it was Dawn, so I said, "Don't even think about it, Dawn."

I was sadly mistaken. It was a Shaymin. So I hadn't imagined it when we were at the entrance of Floaroma Town. It wasn't everyday one would see a legendary Pokemon such as Shaymin, so I automatically assumed that I had imagined the little green hedgehog.

"Shay, Shaymin!" it squeaked happily. It had such a cheerful expression on its little face. I laughed bitterly. What was there to be cheerful for?

I'm pretty sure I saw a Shaymin before. Yeah, that whole mess with Giratina and the Reverse World. But don't think I read its entry. So, I took out my Pokedex to read what the entry would say:

"Shaymin, the Gratitude Pokemon. The blooming of Gracidea flowers confers the power of flight upon it. Feelings of gratitude are the message it delivers."

"So, you're a Shaymin, huh?"

"Shaymin! Shay!" It nodded.

It cautiously waddled toward me, to see if I was hostile or friendly. It blinked. Then it must've sensed that I meant it no harm because it jumped onto my lap and started cuddling with me. It looked like it was comfortable. When it landed on my lap, I got started. It wasn't too often that a Pokemon—much less a legendary Pokemon—jump on your lap.

Then something dawned on me. Feelings of gratitude are the message it delivers. It must have been trying to tell me something. Mom . . . Dawn . . . They were trying to help me. But I wasn't letting them. They were trying to come inside my heart and ease the pain. But I locked it. And gratitude. The little hedgehog Pokemon was trying to tell me to thank those who have helped, or have been trying to help me.

I smiled for the first time today. "Thanks, Shaymin." I petted the Gratitude Pokemon as it hopped off my lap and started towards a new location.

I spent the next hours with Dawn, looking for her "perfect" dress. It was a gruelling process, but I somehow managed to get through it. By the time we had found her dress, the sun was already touching the hills. It would be a few more hours until the townspeople would start preparing for the festival.

I was still dreary, and Dawn started to look worried. I guessed my expression didn't match the current mood, which would have been happy and joyful.

I put on a fake smile and said, "No need to worry." But that didn't sound convincing—not even to me.

"Ash, you know that's when I worry the most." I heard genuine concern in her voice. Did—did she actually care? "You're not fooling me," she continued. "Please tell me what's going on."

"No—no, I'm alright." I was clearly not alright. I was she Dawn had figured that out. Fortunately, she didn't say anything.

"We should head to the park now," I suggested. "With a big festival happening, we should help with the preparations."

Dawn nodded, and we were in consensus. We headed toward Gracidea Park.

While we were walking, Dawn tried talking to me, but I constantly ignored her. And pretty soon, she looked about as sad as I did. That was the last thing I wanted Dawn to feel. It was my problem; not hers. She doesn't deserve to go through what I'm going through. But the thing was, I couldn't shake the feeling that this might tear our friendship apart. And that was something I was fearing.

We entered the park only to find Brock waiting for us. For the first time he seemed to notice my sadness. And he says I'm dense. And of course, being the friend he was, he tried to see what my problem was. "What's the matter, Ash?" he asked.

I didn't utter a single word. Then Dawn whispered something in his ear and he nodded. He understood—or at least got the gist of it.

A few hours later, after we had helped with the decorating, the festival started. But as soon as it did, I sat on a bench, sulking, and my head down. Luckily I had my hat on. The rim hid my sad and pained eyes. Dawn and Brock were smart to keep a distance from me.

"How do you think we can cheer up Ash?" I heard Brock say, probably to Dawn.

It was nighttime, and the festival was set up in the park. Coloured flags on cables were hung in a decorative manner. Lampposts were brilliantly lighting up the dark night. Booths were built and placed throughout the park. Balloons were tied to the benches and were softly blowing with the wind everyone was in a festive mood: people laughing and having a good time, their Pokemon just as happy.

We were in that park. But I wasn't included in that picture. Everyone was happy. And me? I was the only person in the entire festival with a frown on his face.

My friends were sitting on a bench in the park. I was sitting on another that wasn't too far from them. I may have been distant from them, but that didn't mean I couldn't hear a word they were saying. I mean, it was bad enough that I was feeling down today, but they were making it worse my talking about me.

I wait for a few minutes, just hoping they would stop. If you were down in the dumps already, would you like it if your so-called "friends" were talking about you behind your back? I sighed. Great, they're still talking about me.

And that's when I snapped. "Will you just quit it! I know I'm feeling upset. And just because you're far away from me doesn't mean I can't hear you!"

And with that, I just ran—faster than I had before. I just wanted to be alone! Tears were streaming down my face—some of them flying from my eyes as I ran. And I didn't look back.

I heard another rustle in the bushes. I was half-expecting Shaymin again. But that wasn't possible. It scampered off in the other direction. So my only other option as to who would be there was Dawn.

"Hey, Ash," she said. She sounded so sincere, and that's what made it hurt. "How are you?"

I gave her a sad smile, assuring her that it was okay. "Better than earlier."

She sat on a patch of grass near me. I was aware of our proximity, but I had more pressing issues in my mind at that moment. "So," she said. "Are you going to tell me?"

I was a little hesitant at first. Then I remembered Shaymin. Dawn was just trying to help. And deep down, I was really grateful.

I sighed. I couldn't keep this bottled up inside. I needed to tell someone. And it might as well be Dawn. And I was glad it was Dawn. She was like me; we had so much in common. I knew she would know I what I was going through—or at least understand.

"Fine, I'll tell you," I said finally. But there was one thing I had to do first. "But first, I just wanted tell you: thank you."

I then proceeded in hugging her—of which took her by surprise. It was a nice, warm feeling. It was like hugging one of your parents—but different, if that made any sense. And just by that one hug, I felt like all my worries and sadness evaporated from my body. And for once—from that one moment—I forgot about everything. Her favourite line echoed in my mind, and it helped me, too: No need to worry. There really wasn't. Now that Dawn was here.

She recovered from her shock and tightened the embrace. We held it for a few more moments and then released. She asked, "What was that for?"

"For trying to help me, Dawn," I answered.

"Oh. Are—are you going to tell me now?"

"Right," I said. "It started at the end of my Johto journey. I—" A sudden tear escaped my eye. I was about to wipe if off when Dawn did it for me. I continued: "I was together with Misty then. And when were at crossroads, she . . . she—"

"It's okay, Ash," Dawn said sweetly and softly. She was comforting me. And it helped me more than I realized. Another reason to thank her. "You don't have to continue."

"I—I want to, Dawn. You deserve to know. As I was saying, Misty said that there's no way we could be. And those were exact words. She basically said we weren't a couple anymore. And it hurt. It hurt me. A lot. And so that day I promised myself this: that I wouldn't love another. But that scene with Misty . . . it wasn't the first time that my heart fell to pieces. It was ten years ago. My dad had died protecting me and the rest of Pallet Town when I was just five years old. He did save my hometown. But it had cost him his life. And it wasn't the first time I made that vow. I had made that day—the last day I saw my father alive. I forgot about it when I was with Misty. Back then, I didn't remember the pain I went through when I last saw my dad."

Dawn's eyes widened. I didn't think she thought I went through a lot. And it looked like she was feeling my pain: that distant look in her eyes, her expression like glass—like at any moment she might shatter. So it felt natural when she said: "I . . . I'm so sorry, Ash"

I smiled a slightly happier smile. "Don't be. It was hard to keep that promise. And with Misty, it reminded me what the pain was like. I don't think I could go through it again. And that's why I didn't want to get close to another—for fear that my heart would shatter once more. But thing was, it was especially hard to keep my promise when I met you."

"Ash, what—what are you saying?" I saw Dawn's face lit up.

"What I'm saying is this." I inched a bit closer to her, my hand now absently resting on top of her hand. "I like you, Dawn. I really like you."

Her eyes shone in the moonlight. And if anything, they looked more stunning, more beautiful. I took in her facial features: her winning smile; her dark blue eyes that made me lost every time.

When she didn't say anything, I repeated, "I like—no, I love you, Dawn."

She finally said, barely audible, "I like you, too, Ash." Then she said, in her speaking voice, "I promise—no I vow to not let you suffer anymore heartbreak. You've gone through so much, and I couldn't stand it if you were hurt even more. But I do need you to promise me something in return."

Her words stunned me. But nonetheless, I managed, "What do I need to promise?"

"To love me, too."

Tears were again streaming down our faces. But for the first time that day, they weren't from sadness. They were of joy. "I promise you, Dawn, I promise. I promise to love you."

She leaned in, and it took me a while to notice I was leaning in, too. Pure bliss ran inside me. My heart leaped and soared—to cloud nine and never leaving. The Butterfree in my stomach were dancing. And I knew that Dawn was feeling something similar.

The promise we just made was sealed with that kiss. And I knew that it could never be broken.

After the kiss had ended, Dawn put her head on my shoulder. I wrapped my arm around her. And we stayed that way for Arceus-knows-when. But apparently it was a while because we saw the sun rise, signalling a new day. It also signalled the beginning of my new relationship with Dawn—a relationship that I knew would last forever, passing the test of time.

I turned to Dawn.

"What is it, Ash?" Dawn asked.

I smiled wholeheartedly. It felt good to smile. It seemed like forever that I was grinning from ear to ear. "Thank you, Dawn"

"For what?"

"For giving me another chance at love."

And there you have it: my first one-shot, The Promise! I really hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed rewriting it. Mind you, this took a lot of my time to revise and edit. Yeah, that's how slow I am.

So tell me: love it? Hate it?

Please review! I need to know what I'm doing well and what I need to improve on. I do enjoy reviews that are like: "Love it, please continue", and they help me in their own right. Those kinds of reviews give me confidence to write more. But constructive criticism is helpful, too.

Well, I hope you guys enjoyed. And no need to worry, there are more stories and updates on the way!

Sincerely,

~Lux (Rising From Ashes)