(??? Pov)

"So, I trust things are going as planned?"

"Yes sir, thanks to Prince Calem we've established perhaps the best line of field communication that we could possibly ask for."

"Excellent, that's just what I wanted to hear. And what of the princess and that boy, how are they fairing? You did give them that tip on the girl, correct?"

"Yes sir, I did. They are currently pursuing Ms. Berlitz. Although they seem to have gotten a bit....distracted."

"I see, well just continue to monitor them and correct them if necessary. Also, if you happen to notice any suspicious activity, contact me immediately. Are we clear, Lillie?"

"Crystal, Director Nanu."

(Serena's pov)

I stared into the bathroom mirror.

It had been 15 minutes since Ash and I left the cafe to look for Dawn, and my heart was still beating as fast as it was when we drank that stupid soda. I can't believe I allowed myself to get distracted so easily, especially when the fate of the school is at stake!

I sighed.

Well, I guess I can't exactly blame myself. In that moment, everything seemed to stop and the only thing, or person rather, that was on my mind was Ash. I know it must sound painfully cliché, but I just can't describe it any other way. It felt just like that stormy night, the night when we almost...kissed.

I began to blush madly at the thought of that. I then smacked my hands on my cheeks. I took a deep breath and I adopted a serious and determined look.

'Geez, come on Serena, get it together! You've got an important job to do and you can't go getting yourself sidetracked again!' I thought to myself.

I then headed out back to Ash.

"Sorry about that." I said as I ran over to Ash.

He was sitting on a bench waiting for me.

"Hey it's no biggie. So are you ready to keep looking?" Ash said.

I nodded.

"Yeah, let's get moving." I replied.

On that note, Ash and I began to scout out the area. Knowing Dawn's shopping habits, she couldn't have gotten that far. At least I hope not.

20 minutes passed.

"Uggg, come on! Where the heck did she go?" Ash said, clearly frustrated.

"Calm down Ash, we've still got a lot of ground to cover and I know we can't be far behind her." I said.

Ash sighed.

"You're right Serena, sorry. I just really wish there was some way to cover more ground faster." Ash said.

He was right, we aren't making much progress at this point. I pondered for a moment. Then it hit me.

"Ash, I have an idea!" I said.

"Really, whatcha got?" He replied.

"Well, I say we split up. You can take the West wing and I can take the East. That way we'll have a better chance of catching her than we would just taking one route at a time." I said.

"That's a great idea Serena! Let's do that." Ash said.

"Alright, be sure to text me if you find her or anything else that might be helpful to us." I said.

Ash pumped a fist in the air.

"You can count on me! I'm off, good luck Serena!" Ash said as he took off.

"Same to you Ash!" I called to him.

I started heading my own way. I searched store after store and Dawn was still nowhere to be found.

"Come on Dawn, where did you run off too!?" I mumbled to myself.

All of a sudden, a thought came to mind.

'What if....what if she knew all along that we were following her! Could it be that she was leading us on? No, that couldn't be, could it?' I thought to myself, feeling my anxiety levels rising.

I just hope Ash is having better luck than I am.

(Ash's pov)

Dang it, where is she!? I've made it almost a quarter of the way through the West wing and I haven't seen jack!

I looked at my phone to see if Serena had texted me yet, and of course she hadn't. I continued to run around frantically from store to store. I bet these people think I'm some kind of crazy person. There were only four stores left to check at this point, and needless to say I was beginning to feel a little discouraged.

"Come on Dawn, please be in here!" I mumbled to myself.

I ran around the corner into the shop, when all of a sudden I heard a familiar voice.

"Watch out!!"

"Huh?"

I regained my focus, but before I could react...

*THUD*

The next thing I knew I flat on my back.

"Ouuuch!" I said as I slowly sat up.

I looked over and saw a girl lying on the ground.

"Oh my gosh are you okay!?" I asked.

I moved closer to get a better look, and oooh crap, it was really her.

It was Dawn.

"Nngg, y-yeah I'm fine. Huh, Ash is that you?" She asked.

"Uhh, h-hey Dawn, sorry about that. I guess I wasn't watching where I was going." I said trying not to sound suspicious.

Dawn shook her head.

"No it's not your fault, I wasn't paying attention either." Dawn said as she started to stand.

I stood up and held out my hand.

"Here, let me help you up." I said.

Dawn smiled and took my hand.

"Thanks Ash. Umm, do you mind if I ask you something?" Dawn said.

'Oh crap, is she on to me!? Play it cool Ash!' I thought to myself.

"Sure, what is it?" I asked with a fake smile.

"What were you doing hanging around a make-up store? Did Serena send you over here or something?" Dawn asked innocently.

I sweat-dropped.

"Uhhh, n-no I was just passing by!" I said laughing awkwardly.

Dawn cocked her head to the side.

"Oh Okay..." She said.

Aw man, I gotta change the subject and quickly! Ah-ha, that's it!

"Hey those bags look pretty heavy, want me to help you carry 'em?" I asked.

Dawn's face lit up.

"Would you really!?" She asked.

I nodded.

"Sure, I'd be happy to!" I said as I held out a hand.

"Thanks so much Ash!" Dawn said.

She handed me all but one small bag.

It as a thick black plastic bag.

"Here, I can take that too if you want." I offered.

"No!" Dawn snapped.

I jumped at her tone, which she noticed.

"S-sorry! I mean, it's fine I've got it." Dawn said lowly.

"Alright...if you say so. So are we headed back to the dorms?" I asked.

"Yeah, we are. I need to hurry up and get back as it is." She replied.

"Okay then, let's get going." I replied.

We started making our way out of the mall. Dawn wasn't really paying much attention to me, probably because she felt guilty for snapping at me like she did. Regardless, I decided to take this opportunity to text Serena and bring her up to speed.

(Texting)

Ash: Hey Serena I ran into Dawn.

Serena: Really!? Where is she now?

Ash: We're heading out of the mall now and back to the dorms.

Serena: Wait what do you mean "we're"?

Ash: Uhhh I may or may not be helping her carry her groceries...XD

Serena: YOU'RE WHAT!? Seriously Ash you're supposed to be spying remember!? I'm on my way right now.

Ash: WAIT!! I think I may be onto something here. Gimme a chance will ya?

Serena: Fine, I trust you Ash. I'll just hang back and watch from afar.

Ash: You're the best Sere, thanks alot!

(End of Texting)

I put my phone away. At this point we were about a quarter of the way back to the dorms. I picked up my pace so I'd be walking beside Dawn.

"You know, if you feel bad about earlier, don't. It's really not a big deal." I said.

"No...that's not it." Dawn said looking away.

"Oh? What is it then, if you don't mind me asking." I replied.

Dawn stopped walking and turned to me, she had a very serious expression on her face.

"Ash, can I trust you?" Dawn asked.

This caught me off guard. I could tell this was going to be very important.

"Of course you can trust me, if there's something bothering you, please tell me! I might be able to help you!" I said.

Dawn smiled.

"You really are sweet Ash, I trust you." Dawn said.

I bashfully rubbed the back of my neck.

"That's so nice of you to say Dawn. So what is it that's beem bothering you?" I replied.

Dawn motioned toward a bench that was a few yards away from us. We both took a seat.

"Ash, you probably aren't going to believe me when I tell you this, but the truth is...

(Ash's pov)

"Ash, you probably aren't going to believe me when I tell you this, but the truth is I am not really who I present myself to be." Dawn said lowly, looking down at the ground in shame.

So she really is in on all of this. Man I hope Serena's close enough to hear all of this. Though I was already suspicious of her, I tried my best to give the impression that I was completely clueless about all of this.

"Not who you present yourself to be, what on earth do you mean? Are you saying you aren't Dawn Berlitz?" I asked in a oblivious tone.

Dawn shook her head.

"No, that's not what I mean. My name is Dawn Berlitz, but I'm not exactly the person you and your friends have come to know." She said.

My gosh, could she be more vague? I had to get her to get to the point quickly, otherwise I'm going to lose a golden opportunity to get some major info. And Serena would surely kill me if that were to happen.

"I still don't understand, what are you trying to say Dawn?" I asked.

Dawn hesitated for a few seconds. I could tell that she was extremely stressed out about telling me this.

"Ash, are you sure, no, are absolutely sure that I can trust you? Promise me that you will not to tell a soul about what you're about to hear." Dawn said.

"Yes of course! Like I said before, you can definitely trust me!" I said, staring her straight in the eyes.

Dawn took a deep breath and exhaled. Dawn adopted a very serious expression.

"I'm not just a student at this academy, neither is my brother. The truth is we're spies, spies for my father and the Berlitz Foundation." Dawn said.

I can't believe it, she's...actually confessing to the crime! But....why?

"A....spy, but why?" I asked.

"It's...it's my father, he wants this academy for himself. He believes if he has the Kalos National Academy, then he will be able to become the most powerful business man in the world." Dawn said.

I honestly had no idea how to respond to any of this. It was hard to comprehend what I was hearing.

There was only one word I could utter.

"Why..?" I asked.

"Why? I...I really don't know." Dawn replied.

Tears began to well up in her eyes.

"He was always such a kind man, he was really strict, but only because he cared so much for Paul and me. However, after mother died he just..." Dawn said, tears rolling down her face.

Dawn then started crying into her hands. I put a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.

"Dawn it's alright, please don't cry! I'm sorry for making you bring up something so personal." I said in a soothing tone.

"I-it's not your fault, Ash. It's just...I had to tell someone about this, I can't take it anymore!" Dawn cried out.

"Dawn..." Was all I could say.

We sat in silence for a few minutes, I could tell Dawn had been holding this in for a while, so I decided that it would be best to let her get it out of her system. I took the opportunity to glance around and see if I could spot Serena. She was sitting on a bench not to far away from us. She noticed that I saw her and made a motion as if to say, "Do I need to come over there?", but I held up my hand and shook my head as if to say, "not yet."

Not long after Dawn stopped crying.

She whipped her eyes with her sleeve.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, I'm better now. Thank you for listening to me Ash." Dawn said smiling lightly.

"You're very welcome. I do have one question though." I said.

"What is it?" Dawn replied.

"Why would you tell me of all people about your father's plot." I asked.

Dawn started fidgeting with her fingers.

"It's because I hate this, I hate everything about it. I can't just sit by while my father manipulates his own children for his own selfish goals. I know that Paul feels that way too, but he doesn't want father to to anything to hurt us so he plays along." Dawn said, her voice filled with a mix of sadness and anger.

"I...I see. Now let me ask you this, if you had the opportunity to stop him, would you?" I asked.

"What kind of question is that!? Of course I would! But, I'm afraid there's really nothing Paul or I can do..." Dawn replied.

"Actually, you're wrong" Said a familiar voice.

We quickly turned our attention to the voice. It was Serena!

"Y-your highness! D-did you...?" Dawn asked in a slightly intimidated tone.

Serena nodded.

"Yes Dawn, I did, but you don't havve to worry, we're here to help you." Serena said.

Dawn looked absolutely shocked.

"W-what is this? You mean....you mean you knew all along!?" Dawn asked.

We both nodded. Dawn looked at the ground.

"So I guess that means I'm under arrest huh?" She asked.

"What? No of course you aren't!" Serena said.

Dawn looked back up at her.

"B-but, I'm an accomplice-" Dawn said before being cut off.

"You are our friend, Dawn! And even though you're involved in this crime, you are being used as a tool by your father, and I, Princess Serena Yvonne, will not stand for this!" Serena said.

I'll be honest, I'm still amazed at how much her personality changes when she goes all princess mode. Dawn's eyes began to water, though this time they were tears of pure joy.

"Will you...will you really help us? Will you really help my brother and I stop my father?" Dawn asked.

"If you are willing to help us with your knowledge, then you will have the might of Kalos behind you." Serena said holding out her hand.

Dawn jumped up and hugged Serena.

"Thank you! Thank you so much your highness!" Dawn said through her tears.

I smiled at the scene before me. It felt good to know that Dawn wasn't really a criminal and it felt even better to know that our job was just made a million times easier.

After that very touching moment, Serena brought Dawn up to speed on our operation and what our next move is.

"So, that about does it. Did you get all of that." Serena said.

Dawn nodded.

"Yeah, I read you loud and clear. You need me to keep playing along with my father's plans and provide you with the intel you need." Dawn said.

"Good, then it's settled. Dawn thank you again for this." Serena said.

"Are you kidding!? I should be thanking the two of you for this! If it wasn't for you two, I never would have been able to stop my father." Dawn said.

I was about to chime into the conversation, but suddenly, the bell from the bell tower rang. It was already 6 P.M.!?

"OH NO! I can't believe it's already so late! If I don't hurry up Paul's going to get suspicious! I'll see you later, thanks again for everything!" Dawn said as she took off towards the dorms.

Serena and I waved her goodbye headed that way as well. We made it back to the dorms and plopped down on our beds. We both sighed a huge sign of relief.

Serena sat up.

"Hey Ash, I just wanted to say, you were pretty amazing back there." Serena said.

I turned to her and looked at her with a slightly confused look.

"Hm, was I really? I thought you were the amazing one." I said with a chuckle.

Serena shook her head.

"I'm serious! If it wasn't for you, we probably never would have found Dawn in time and we'd be none the wiser!" Serena said.

I chuckled.

"Yeah, I guess. But it was your idea to split up in the first place. If you hadn't made that call then who knows what would've happened." I replied.

Serena giggled.

"I guess we'll just call it a group effort then. Sound good, partner?" She said with a wink.

"Yeah, I like the sound of that." I replied with a smile.

Serena and I then proceeded to submit our report and were just getting into the bed. But...a certain thing kept coming to mind. It was that moment we had in that cafe. I looked over at Serena, she was sitting at her desk brushing her hair.

'Should I...should I ask her?' I thought to myself.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and went for it.

"H-hey Serena..." I said.

"Hm? What is it Ash?" She replied.

"I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to....you know....go shopping together again sometime, just the two of us?" I asked my voice filled with embarrassment.

Serena stopped brushing her hair and turned around to face me. She had the brightest smile I have ever seen on her face.

"Yes Ash, I would love to!" Serena said with exitement.

"Great, I'm looking forward to it!" I replied.

That night, the two of us went to bed very happy. We were able to help our friend and in doing so made leaps and bounds with our investigation and Serena and I had become even closer.

"Good night, Serena." I said.

"Sweet dreams, Ash." She replied.