Half Friends

"Stupid Paul, how could anyone like him after you see the way he treats his Pokemon?" Dawn questioned herself as she followed Ash and Brock. They were on their way to Sunnyshore town, where Ash and Paul would battle, finally deciding who was the best. Ash, being the stubborn wannabe that he is, was insulting Paul as they trekked through the mess of trees and sticks beneath them.

Ash had all his Pokemon out, telling them tips on how to beat Paul, but at the same time being encouraging, telling them to try their best. Dawn was trying to tell Ash to stop being so full of him self, because, she personally believed that Ash didn't really have a chance against Paul. Sure, Paul was a great trainer, but if he treated his Pokemon with love and care, he might just appeal to her a little bit more.

"Hey Dawn, why don't you call some of your Pokemon out? I'm sure they'd love to be outside, it's so warm. Maybe we could give 'em a break, you know? Maybe just relax. Paul obviously will be tough to be, so maybe the key to winning is just to be calm, know what to do, and master the attacks, power, and accuracy. Then maybe we can battle to our full power, because, with all of this training, I think I'm being kind of harsh, you know? Starting to sound like Paul," Ash said, the last line spoke with sarcasm.

Dawn and Brock laughed, and decided it was time to take a break. While Brock called out his Pokemon, Dawn helped Brock unpack the bag. When everything was finally settled, Dawn went on to call her Pokemon out. Explaining that she'd be back in an hour, Dawn left all her Pokemon except for Piplup with Brock and Ash before running of to get in some last minute training for her contest in Sunnyshore.

Play-racing Piplup to the river, she could've sworn she had seen a purple-haired teenager talking to his Torterra next to the path. Grabbing Piplup, she made a quick move and jumped behind the thickest tree.

"Come on, Torterra, can you just get this move already! You better not take so long, or next time you'll end up like Azumarill." Paul yelled angrily at Torterra.

Infuriated, Dawn was just about to go and face Paul until Piplup pecked her gently. Staring at Piplup, she realized that Piplup was trying to tell her not to get involved. Sighing, and knowing that Piplup was right, Dawn stayed behind the tree. Unsure of what to do now, she decided, against Piplup's wish, to stay and watch Paul train his Pokemon. Maybe later she could tell Ash, and he could… no, that wasn't fair at all. Besides, Paul would know someone had been spying on him, whether it was Dawn or one of Ash's Pokemon. Paul, sadly, as mean as he was smart, wasn't an idiot. He would recognize his 'style' is Ash copied him. Much to Dawn's amazement, She would've never thought she'd hear the words that came out of Paul's mouth next.

Paul looked around, sighed, and then gently patted Torterra's head. "It's okay, Torterra, you'll get it sometime. Until then, we'll just have to practice some more, okay?" Torterra grunted in reply, and then continued to practice the move Double Edge.

The now shocked Dawn was still standing behind the tree, watching Paul. Suddenly, an idea occurred to her, and she stepped out from behind the tree with a crazy smile on her face. "HeyPauldoyouwanttotrainwithmeandPiplup?"

Dawn blushed, and then continued. "I, I mean do you want to train with me and Piplup? We could try to help your Torterra to learn Double Edge."

Paul stared in disbelief. The stupid brat pre-teen, wanted to help him, the cold emo kid, train his Pokemon? She was out of her mind. Going mad. Yup, that had to be it. Until a sudden thought occurred to him. Could Dawn have possibly overheard him talking to Torterra? Paul automatically blushed in embarrassment. "What do you want? Why aren't you with the "master" wannabe, and the stupid breeder?"

Dawn flushed in anger. Who did Paul think he was, talking to her like that! And talking about her best friends rudely. She was offering to help him, not insult him! "Oh, I'm so sorry that I offered to help you, maybe it's better for me and Piplup to go drop ourselves Mt. Coronet, if that's what you want. Go force your stupid Pokemon around, but don't talk to me like that!" Dawn yelled, and than stormed off back to the campsite.

Paul sighed, and rethought his choice of words. That brat girl wasn't as bad as the breeder and the wannabe. With some of his views on life and training, maybe… he could change her. Into someone who could really help in life and training. And to know Ash's training secrets. Cursing himself for his stupidity, he ran to find the blue-haired girl. Seeing her trailing back to the camp with Piplup, he called quietly "Dawn!"

Dawn, hearing something behind her, turned quickly to see Paul motioning for her to come over. Still angry, she stuck out her tongue and turned around.

Paul rolled his eyes. Still a silly, ignorant, girl. He gently put his hand on her shoulder, waiting for her to turn around to face him. Seeing the look in his eyes, Dawn closed her mouth to stop the argument she had planned. "Dawn, I'm really sorry for saying those things about you and your friends. Now, will you please help me train with Torterra? I know if you help, maybe we can get done faster. We need a happy, optimistic person to help us. Please?"

Dawn, who was busy staring into Paul's intense purple eyes, snapped up when she heard him talking to her. He was… apologizing? Was that even possible? Listening to him, she realized he was serious. She broke into a smile, and hugged the purple-haired teenager lightly. "Okay, why not. We can always try again if we mess up, right?"

Paul cheeks colored a little when Dawn hugged him, but it didn't matter that much. Punching her lightly, he said "Let's go,"

Running back to the campsite 2 hours later, Dawn thought excitedly about the next time she would see Paul, at the battle. As for her cheerleading, well, she would yell encouraging words to both sides. Ash and Brock would understand that, wouldn't they? After Paul had thanked her, she had promised not to tell Ash and Brock, but meet him again soon. To her surprise, he had held her hand for a fraction of a second before she left. She took that as a sign of gratitude, or maybe more. While she was around, she had also noticed that he had become more relaxed. Maybe the rudeness was just to put up a tough front. That could be it, couldn't it?

Yes, getting that girl to help him was definitely a good idea. Not only had she helped him, she'd also understood him more than any other person he'd ever met. Maybe, just maybe, he and that blue haired girl could be friends. After all, as long as no one else found out, what could be the harm?

Well, this was my first fanfic. Please no flames! If you have have something bad to say, please give me advice on how to make it better.