FicWad

I always hated that stupid princess stuff—all of them relied on men to come save them from their towers and slumbers. Were they so incapable of sticking up for themselves and showing all the evil villains who was boss? Because I knew that somewhere within them, they were just as capable as their saviors of dealing punches.

That was why I always took a liking to Pokémon battling. I watched it on television before I got my first Pokémon, just waiting for the day when I could get mine. I would deal out those punches like lightning, and the world would never stand a chance. As a strong, independent girl, I could take on all of my challenges.

And then the day came—by accident, admittedly. My best friend had somehow convinced me that taking a Poké Ball from a stranger's bag was a good idea, and maybe it turned out to be one. I grabbed the first once I found, setting it loose against the Starly that had attacked us. Just as I hoped, it was no problem. The small grass-type did well.

The old man's assistant wasn't pleased with either neither Barry nor me, though. Lucas or whatever his name was. I had seen him around, but I didn't know much about the guy. All I knew was that he didn't have to work hard for what he wanted—he came from a wealthy household, and I was sure he hadn't got his job just by his wits.

Well, I would show him what I could do with a little hard work. For those of us not born into the privilege that he was, we needed to prove ourselves through our actions. And when Professor Rowan took a liking to me, Lucas could see exactly what I wanted him to see: I was going to do well on my own accord.

"Hey, I'd be happy to teach you a couple of things," Lucas offered once Rowan finished his speech. The old man had given me a Pokédex, and I was so ready to go fill it up! But I didn't need Lucas' help with that. This was—and I had decided this perhaps the minute I was born—a solo journey. I just wasn't born to work with people.

"That's all right," I said, trying to let him down as gently as possible. Even though I didn't particularly like him, I still felt I should respect him. Besides, I judged him too quickly. I didn't know much about the guy other than the family he came from and his work experience. It was rude of me to make assumptions.

So, he just shrugged, walking out of Rowan's lab without another word. But when I made it outside, there he was waiting for me. He smiled at me, the hat on top of his head casting a shadow over his eyes so I could barely see them. It was highly suspicious that he started being nice to me the second Rowan gave his approval.

"I know this place really well," he told me, and I put my hands on my hips. "I can show you—"

"I'm fine," I snapped, a bit colder than I meant for it to come out. I put a hand on his shoulder, forcing a smile and shaking my head. "Thank you a lot for the offer, Lucas. But I want to do this on my own. So, just forget about showing me around town, forget about teaching me how to catch Pokémon. I don't want your help."

He stared at me, the shadow over his eyes seemingly darkening. He nodded all the same, backing away from me. "Well…" he muttered, forcing a smile of his own. "Well, Dawn, you should probably go check in with your parents. You shouldn't leave home without telling them first. So… I'll see you around."

I was about to retort that I only had a mom, that my father left us when I was little, that we didn't need him, anyway. But Lucas walked away, heading off into the forest path without giving me time to explain. That was all right, though. I didn't need to explain anything to him if I wasn't going to see him again.

I tried to avoid help from everyone as much as possible. I didn't want it, nor did I need it. But some people just loved hearing their own voices; some just couldn't help but spill their secrets. And then some people, like Lucas, just seemed to pop up in the most inconvenient of places and try to offer me the help I didn't want.

I didn't know what his deal was. What part of "I don't want your help" did he not understand? Did he think that just because he was Professor Rowan's assistant that he was the end-all-be-all of Pokémon expertise? Well, I would show him. He wouldn't be offering help to me anymore. Someday, he would be asking me for help.

And that day came sooner than I expected.

"Hey, Dawn," Lucas greeted after I stepped out of the Veilstone Gym with my new badge. I twirled it in my hand, making sure that he could get a good glimpse of it. This was the second time today I had seen him, and, frankly, that was two times too many. "Listen, I kind of need your help with something. It's important."

I smiled, pulling out my badge case and sticking the badge into one of the empty slots. "Oh, I'm sorry," I said, keeping my gaze away from his. I could almost feel the roll of his eyes; we hadn't gotten along particularly well since I told him to buzz off, and yet he still tried to talk to me. "Did you just ask me for help?"

"At least I'm not afraid to ask for help."

This got my attention. I snapped my eyes up to his, narrowing them as I stared at his beneath the shadow of his hat. He crossed his arm, raising his eyebrows and licking his lips. Oh, so that was how it was? I knew a challenge when I saw one, whether it was a Pokémon challenge or otherwise. And I always won.

"I'm not afraid to ask for help, I just don't need it," I countered, and he laughed.

"You just don't want to admit when you're wrong—"

"I'm pretty sure that's not what I said—"

"And I'm pretty sure that you're scared to ask for help because you don't want to have to rely on anyone. I get it," Lucas finished, and I pursed my lips. That was unfair. "Listen, sometimes you can't do everything by yourself. Sometimes you need help, and it's okay to ask for it. Relying on someone means making a friend."

I coughed, rolling my eyes. I wasn't here for the pep talk or the friendship speech. "I don't want any friends."

"You don't want friends?" Lucas repeated skeptically.

"I don't need them," I corrected, and Lucas rolled his eyes. His temper with me was shorter than I ever knew it back at school, but it made no difference to me. He just didn't like me because he knew I didn't like him. Any guilt that I had felt about judging him too quickly had vanished months ago, and now I just didn't care.

"What do you need, considering that you don't need help and you don't need friends? Are you ever going to let anyone get close to you? Because it sounds to me like you're afraid of anyone getting close enough to hurt you," Lucas accused, and I laughed at him. That was absolutely ridiculous. "In fact, I'm sure that's it. You're pompous, and you play it off as independence. But being independent means asking for help when you need it."

I was done. I wasn't going to stand here and fight with him all day. I had places to go, people to battle, Pokémon to train. And I would, if I could, stand here forever and prove to Lucas that he was wrong. But he would see on his own.

I started off, brushing past him without getting the final word. But he called my name again and again as I walked away. Finally, he caught up with me, grabbing my shoulder and pulling me back. I narrowed my eyes at him, and he narrowed his at me. Our noses were only inches apart, but I wasn't the first to back away.

"I still need help," he said in a soft voice, his face relaxing. "Team Galactic took my Pokédex."

"They what?" I demanded. Those cowards… "Well, all right. I'll help you just this once. But don't think you owe me anything."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Lucas shot back, and we ran off together, fighting as a team to get his Pokédex back.

I never expected Team Galactic to be such a problem, and I never expected to get so involved in that situation. Whatever I had said about princesses may have been said a bit too soon—I was starting to realize that maybe they couldn't take care of themselves. Maybe it was impossible sometimes. All I knew was that I was starting to feel like one of them.

"Lucas, you take Lake Verity. Barry, you take Lake Acuity. Dawn, I need you to take Lake Valor," Professor Rowan was telling us in the Canalave Library. It was seconds after this that I realized how dangerous Team Galactic was. The whole building began to shake so violently that books fell out of shelves. I tumbled off my seat, falling on my knees on the floor and holding onto the table just so I had something to grab.

"Is everyone all right?" Rowan asked. He assumed it to be an earthquake, and for a moment, I did, too. But I knew there was something fishy about this whole thing. "We should go outside… see what's going on there."

Everyone rose to their feet, hurrying towards the stairs. But Lucas lingered back, pausing when he saw that I hadn't yet gotten up from the floor. Walking back towards me, he squatted down by my side. Something like concern filled his always-shadowy eyes, and when I looked up at him, he cleared his throat.

"Are you all right? Are you hurt?" he asked, and I shook my head. When he offered his hand to pull me to my feet, I shook my head again. "Come on, Dawn. We need to get out of here—sometimes the aftershocks are just as bad."

"That wasn't a normal earthquake," I muttered, and Lucas raised his eyebrows. "There was something wrong with it."

"I…" Lucas began, but I could tell he didn't know quite what to say.

I finally pushed myself to my feet, ignoring Lucas' hand. We hurried down the stairs together, Lucas keeping close behind me. When we made it outside, we saw a sailor talking to Professor Rowan. The only words I heard were the only ones I needed to hear: explosion and Lake Valor. I knew there was something wrong.

"I need to get over there," I said, and Rowan agreed. But as I reached for a Poké Ball, Lucas grabbed my hand to stop me.

"Dawn—"

"We'll meet you there when we finish," Rowan promised, if only to get Lucas to let go of me. I didn't know why the boy was worrying so much—I thought we mutually disliked each other. Although, I had to admit, if anything happened to Lucas, I wouldn't be okay with it. In fact… I'd be really upset.

"Dawn, please be careful. Ask for help if you need it."

I didn't know why I did it. But I nodded. I agreed. I would ask for help if I needed it. And this, to me, meant one thing: I couldn't need to ask for it.

Help Lucas, help Lucas.

As soon as the words were out of Rowan's mouth, I was flying. I zipped through the Team Galactic grunts, never resting for a minute if I could help it. Lucas was in trouble… somewhere around Lake Verity. I couldn't let him get hurt. I couldn't let Team Galactic get away with anything anymore. This was done.

Lucas never looked happier to see me (but, admittedly, this wasn't saying much considering neither of us was ever pleased to see the other no matter how many times Lucas tried to help me). Mars, on the other hand, was less than pleased to see me. As she pushed Lucas to the ground, kicking him with one of her boots, she turned to me and pointed a finger at me.

"Because of you, I got in a whole lot of trouble for the mess at the windworks," she snapped, grabbing one of the Poké Balls from the belt on her waist. "You two are so cute—you're some lovey-dovey couple to the rescue? Well, guess what? You're both going down. I can't afford to screw this one up again."

"Dawn," Lucas breathed, and Mars stepped on his hand.

"Shut up!" she screamed, and I clenched my fists. "This one is mine."

"Dawn!"

I flinched at the sound of my name; having just defeated Team Galactic and fearing the beast standing before me, I admitted myself a little on edge. The princesses, it turned out, had it pretty easy, and I couldn't help feeling a little bit jealous. I kind of wished I was the girl in the coffin waiting to be kissed awake.

But I had come all this way without any help. I proved exactly what I wanted to prove all along. I was a strong, independent girl who didn't need to rely on anyone but myself. Sure, it wasn't the easiest road, but I never expected it to be. I just thought it would be different. Happier, maybe. I didn't think I'd be scared right now.

I turned my back on the beast, turning to face the two people approaching me. Professor Rowan hurried towards me, never once letting his attention flicker from Dialga behind me. Lucas, though… he never let me out of his sight.

I had to stop Dialga. I was the only one who could.

And now, when I wanted help the most, I couldn't have it.

"Dawn, I…" Lucas began, and he swallowed. "We ran into Barry on the way up here. He said he… he believes in you, Dawn, and he knows you can do it." He let his eyes jolt once towards Dialga, but he brought his attention back to me in seconds. "I feel the same way. You can do this. And if you need help… just look at me, okay?"

I nodded. And I stepped away from my professor and his assistant, ready to face the great beast. As I battled, facing the test the monster set for me, I found myself always looking back to Lucas. I beat the test with flying colors.

I heard Rowan's praise for me, but I couldn't repeat any of it if I was asked to. Everything seemed to blur together, sounds instead of words. Even Lucas' lips just moved, registering in my brain but leaving a second later.

Only one thing Lucas said stuck with me: "Let's go home."

He held out his hand, ready to help me again. And this time, I slipped my hand right into his, letting him lead the way back home.

I did everything I wanted to do: I beat all the Gym Leaders, beat the Elite Four, and beat the Champion. I did it all. So, I should have been happy. I knew I should have been. But when I returned home, I felt anything but happy. And I knew the reason why: Lucas. He was always the reason why.

I should have asked for help.

I walked to his house, trudging through the grass and not sending out a single Pokémon along the way. I arrived at his house with cuts from wild Pokémon pecking at my legs. And when I knocked on his door and he answered, he pulled me inside and forced me to relax at his table while he chastised me for being foolish.

"Lucas, I need help," I finally said, and he raised his eyebrows.

"Oh," he responded, dropping into the seat opposite mine. "Oh, you do?"

I smiled, shaking my head. "And here I thought you would make fun of me for asking for help after all this time," I said, and he pursed his lips. "But no, you're too kind for that. You've wanted me to ask for help for a long time. And, you know, I think you were right. About why I didn't want to ask for help, I mean."

"Oh," Lucas said again, and I nodded.

"Yep. But I think maybe it's all right that I get attached to someone. I mean, that's why the princesses let their princes take care of them, isn't it?" I asked, and Lucas shook his head in confusion. "It's not that the princesses can't take care of themselves. It's just—they have someone to trust. They have someone to rely on. So… it's okay to ask for help."

"You've been basing your logic off of old fairy tales?" Lucas asked skeptically, and I laughed. Well, when he put it like that… But I couldn't help it. Every girl grew up with those old fairy tales. And I didn't want to be a princess.

I folded my hands together, leaning across the table towards him. "So, it turns out… I have this problem. You see, I just became Champion—you'd think I'd be really happy. But I'm actually really unhappy," I admitted, and Lucas frowned. "There's this guy I can't stop thinking about. I hated him a lot once…"

Lucas, realization apparently having dawned on him, smirked. "Did you?"

I nodded somberly, and Lucas laughed. "I thought he was completely obnoxious. And I have a feeling he hated me once, too, for the exact same reason. But I don't hate him anymore. In fact… I think I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum now. He's always been there for me, and I don't think I've been there for him."

"Oh, well, I'm sure you have been. You may not have wanted his help, but you probably helped him out more times than he can count." Lucas held up a hand, counting on both of his hands and then throwing his hands up in the air. "Yup, I lost count."

"You're assuming it's you?" I asked, but I was unable to hide my smile. "Well, I guess I'm asking for help because I'm afraid he doesn't feel the same way."

"He does," Lucas responded quickly, and I raised my eyebrows. He stood up, walking around the table to my side. "I do. I do feel the same. And I need help because I can't get this girl out of my mind. I was afraid I wouldn't see her again."

I grabbed his hand, pulling him down towards me. "Seems like we both have problems," I whispered before pressing my lips against mine.

Princesses and princes… there was a reason they belonged together. I could still be everything I wanted to be—strong, independent—and rely on someone for help. I could still be the princess and ask my prince to save me.

Because sometimes we needed to be helped.