The Dawn's Edge

She sat perched on the tree. It was a grassy forest, with canopies so heavy, light could only peer through in groves. She was bathed in shadows, becoming one with the light darkness. Her fingers slowly began to spread apart, as she pressed her back up to the tree's trunk. A slow, steady gasp, escaped her young lips. Her hand began to glide across the sharp and rough bark; if she pressed any harder she'd surely cut herself. It didn't stop her from doing so, however. She pressed even harder into the tree's bark, as if attempting to cause injury. When the painful prickle finally got to her, she gasped out.

"Ah!"

Her hand finally left the tree bark she tried to injure herself upon. Lifting her finger, she brought it to her vision. Her peachy skin was broken by a red swelling, no doubt caused by her own antics. It would go down in a few minutes; there was no lasting damage. Yet she still waved her hand, as if she could make the swelling vanish sooner than possibly.

Who was this girl who sat on this powerful tree branch? Her black hair spilled out upon the trunk. Her frilly pink skirt, patted down as to stop any prying eyes. Her sleeveless black shirt, holding close to her body, in spite of the white shirt underneath which covered her cleavage. That white and red beanie hat, which owned the imprint of a capsule upon it. And lastly her scarf, which had become synonymous with her appearance. It flowed from around her neck; one end hung off the edge, the other laying upon her leg.

She slowly rose her arms to cross them. A few moments later, she closed her eyes as well. This was nice. An enjoyable time away from the hustle and bustle of city-life; all of that paled in comparison to the silence of this forest. Nature was a beautiful thing; it was one with her mind. Silent, harmonious, not bothersome in the least bit. She lightly bit her lip, while this not so heavy groan flowed from her mouth.

"Uffff..."

She could see multiple creatures, flying to join her on this tree side. All of varying shapes, sizes, weights, heights, species, even. A beautiful butterfly, one with a long nose and white face, blue eyes of the skies, wings orange and black. Beautifly. Crawling along her body, not so small bugs. Grey bodies, with wings to small to fly upon. Eyes black, with golden rings within. Nincada. From the canopies above, creatures which looked like cocoons were descending. Some green, some yellow, these looked alike. Both small and skinny. Metapod and Kakuna. Others were also sprinkled in the canopies above. One, a bright red with a single eye gazing out, another a snowy white, also with a red eye. They were wide, disk-shaped as well. Silcoon and Cascoon. There were many more creatures which stalked this tree side, not just these describable bugs. Such as, the rarely seen puffs of poisonous gas. Gastly. What of the creatures which were slowly climbing the tree trunks, which were bright red? Wurmple. Those derpy looking ones which would remind you of raccoons. Bidoof. The rabbits, with ears clamped tightly upon the tops of their heads. Bunearys.

This forest was filled with life. From one end to the other, the compact grassy land within this area, was filled to the brim with creatures which rose at one point or another. Well, that's debatable in the case of Gastly, of course. But in this land where time seems to stand still, there were still many which woke in the morning, and slept at night. And of course, many which awoke in the night, and slept in the morning. This, was the wonderful world of Pokémon. The perfect personification of life.

And this was where she found herself. Sitting upon a random tree, within Eterna Forest. When her nose wiggled, she was taking in the smooth fragrance of this clean air. Jubilife City was only a few miles away, yet its city air did not permeate the forest's clean atmosphere. Good. She wanted it that way. She didn't want this place to be touched by the cities unnatural smells. It would ruin everything, at least, that's how she saw it. She didn't really know.

Beep... Beep... Beep...

There was no fighting against it. Despite her attempt to flee technology, she still held the machine around her wrist. The sound of it, setting off and flashing like it did, scared off the creatures which were enjoying her company. They scurried up the tree, down the tree, flew away into the air, all in a fervent attempt to escape her. She didn't blame them. She'd attempt the same thing as well, if she were them. But she's not them. She's the Champion, after all.

Her fingers pressed the sides of the buttons, upon the device which sat around her wrist. She lifted it to eye level. She gazed inside, seeing the image of a man whose age far dwarfed her own.

"Dawn... Nice to see you."

"Professor Rowan..." she answered.

She stepped through the doors. Her eyes, gray-blue, combed over the men and women who sat in this science hall. For some reason, they were all star-struck by her. There was little reason to be, however. It wasn't like her appearance was a rare occurrence; she came by this place often. Many called it a home away from home for her, actually. Yet they still stared upon her like she was some celebrity. But, yeah, she was a celebrity. She's the Champion of the Sinnoh region, Dawn Pearl.

Briefly, she tugged onto the edges of her beanie hat. With the door closing behind, Dawn stepped deeper into the halls of this laboratory. They tried to ignored her existence, but it wasn't working. They still stared over their shoulders to the person who not only held the class of Champion, but also the class of hero. For multiple reasons to long to talk about.

Dawn tugged on scarf as she walked through the lab's desks and science equipment. One caught her eye because there was a Pichu swimming around within the vial. The less she knew about that experiment, the better. Dawn continued inside, moving deeper and deeper, trekking through their halls, only to stop at a door. She grabbed the door's knob, holding tightly upon it.

It was dark on the other side, so the open door poured light into the area. Much like the lab she walked through before, there were many vials and tubes around. Some flashed eerie colors, others were as silent as could be. She ignored those, for she had eyes for only one. The older man who sat at the end of this area, testing the tube which currently sat in his hands. He seemed to be ignorant of her existence, which only made her angry. Now inside the room, Dawn slammed the door behind her.

It jolted the old man at the end, but it did not scare him. It only made him straighten up and turn to face her.

"Dawn..." he said as he fastened his tie around his neck, "You got here faster than I expected. Did you fly?"

That was a stupid inquisition; of course she flew. The walk from Eterna Forest to here, Sandgem Town, would have taken forever. Sure, it would have been a nice walk, but not a time efficient one. But Dawn was beating around the bush with this conversation. No, to put it better, he was beating around the bush. It wasn't like him to make small talk, unless he was going to break out into a long rant. And, honestly, if he was going to rant, he would have started by now.

"Sit down, Dawn," the old man said as he turned a seat around toward her.

"Professor Rowan," the Champion murmured whilst sitting down in said chair, "Why did you call me here today?"

Yes, Pokémon Professor Rowan. Evolution major and genealogy major, no one knows more than him when it comes to the evolution of Pokémon. An older man, he's seen his fair share of years, and his fair share of adversity. But why had he called his favorite assistant here today? Was Lucas not here? Probably; that kid was always going abroad.

"I'm surprised I got you to talk," Rowan said as he turned toward office furniture which sat in the room's corner, "Especially how you detest talking..." well that's not entirely true; he made it seem like Dawn hated to talk. It was just a simple dislike at best, "I called you here for a reason, Dawn..." he reached into one of his filing cabinets, "Have you ever heard of Pokémon island?"

Yeah, Pokémon Island, such an amazingly original name. An island which sits near the Kanto region, close to the Orange league, yet not to far off from the Sevii islands. Despite its location in that corner of the world, the island is known to house Pokémon that aren't just the original 150. From Johto to Unova, Pokémon of all kinds inhabit the land where man once roamed. Yet, even though it holds so much Pokémon, it's an international rule that trainers of any kind are not allowed to step foot on the island. Why? Well, as Professor Oak himself stated, if a Pokémon were to be caught, it would throw the island's natural balance out of whack.

Whoops. I got out of hand there.

"Why there?" Dawn inquired.

Rowan looked over his shoulder toward Dawn, as he began walking back with a manila folder in hand.

"Pokémon island's flora and fauna has been tampered with," he said as he handed her the folder, "Professor Oak said it himself. Unfortunately, he can't send over one of his trainers to deal with it," he shot Dawn a glare, stopping any words she may have said, "And, no, Blue can't do it himself..." oh shoot, that's exactly what she was about to ask, "Because you're always on hand, I put forth the idea of sending you there."

Of course. Of freaking course. Whenever something was wrong, or not wrong for that matter, Dawn was sent to deal with it. If she knew this was going to be the outcome, she would have surely stayed on that tree. Or gone home. Or gone up to her villa; that would have been nice too. But, no, she decided to speak with her resident professor, as usual. Rowan may be a smart, slightly serious man, but he sure did enjoy sending her on dangerous requests. And she was sure this was one of them.

But was it unwise to make decisions before she knew what she was, or was not, getting herself into? Opening up that manila folder, Dawn started to scan the information on Pokémon Island. Of course it had the information it usually had, but somethings were different. Specifically, how the abandoned factories on the island were found with renewed energy sources, and how Pokémon traps were spotted in random areas.

Yeah. Pokémon traps. Traps are big deals in the Pokémon world, mainly because they're the go to tools for poachers. Usually, trainers just capture the Pokémon with their own hands. But when one brings traps into the mix, they're usually kidnapping the Pokémon for money. Besides, they ruined the sanctity of the Pokémon game. To capture Pokémon in such a demented way, it made Dawn angry.

"It looks like you understand the seriousness of the situation," Rowan said as he gazed upon the Champion's face, "Have you made your decision?"

"Why me?" she asked instead catching him off guard briefly.

"Is it so hard to believe that I trust you above anyone else?" Rowan asked, "I need Lucas here to help, and between you and Barry, you're less... how should I say it... gung-ho..." he moved a bit closer, "I know if I send you in, you won't disturb the Pokémon population anymore than they already have..." he smiled; that was rare, "Besides, maybe you'll learn something about the Pokémon on the island."

Dawn couldn't help but to squint. She was a smart girl, so she noticed how Rowan jabbed at her intelligence. It was meant to be a joke, but she took it as more. 'Learn something about the Pokémon' he says, as if she were some common trainer.

Or maybe he said those words specifically to get her to come. That mind manipulating old man.

"Okay..." Dawn said as she leaned back into her chair, "How exactly are we going to get there?"

"Not we," Rowan said as he returned to pages of his work, "Just you..."

The silence had thus returned, and he knew why. It was just Dawn's way. And, he did just drop some need-to-know information upon the Champion. Turning around, he faced the Sinnoh Heroine. Dawn was gazing at him, mouth agape, one eye twitching in confusing. She was used to leaving areas for hours on end alone, yes, but an entirely different island? She's never gone somewhere that far all alone.

But she wouldn't let him noticed her displeasure. After shaking her head clear of these haunting thoughts, the Sinnoh Champ glared at Rowan.

"Hmm... you seem startled," he stated, "Care to talk about it?"

"There's more to this than you're letting on, Rowan," Dawn said, wisely enough, "Is this some sort of experiment or something?"

"No, no," he assured, "We just can't have poachers running freely around upon the island. It's bad for the environment, you know that."

"Then why are you sending me?" she asked, growing a bit more talkative than usual, "Why aren't there, like, an army of Officer Jennys there right now?"

"That's the thing," Rowan replied, "As I said before, we cannot disturb the natural balance of Pokémon Island. Unfortunately, this included technology..." Dawn rose an eyebrow before raising the Pokétch which sat on her wrist, "Yes, Dawn, that technology. We can't send people there with all this machinery. It would-"

"Ruin the natural balance," she interrupted with a curt snarl, "I get it, Rowan..." she leaned deep into her chair, "But... what about..." she reached away into her satchel, pulling out the red and white capsule device widely used throughout the world; a Poké Ball, "This? Is this allowed?"

She peered into the red top of the capsule, seeing through the seal which held the Pokémon within. The fire monkey inside was sleeping lazily, which was to his liking and personality. The lazy ape.

"What do you think, Dawn?" Rowan inquired, "Poké Balls aren't allowed, I'm sorry," he squinted next, "Which means you aren't allowed to run through the island throwing Poké Balls at everything all willy-nilly. This island is not to be disturbed in any way. I want it to be the same way when you leave, as it was when you arrived," his stern disposition lightened, "Do you understand?"

Dawn nodded, though that may have been a lie. She would remain neutral when it comes to the Pokémon she sees, unless its one she really, really, wants. Like a Lapras. If she sees a Lapras, all bets are off.

"Then what am I going to use to hold my Pokémon?" she inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Easily, you won't..." Rowan said, making Dawn cock her head, "You'll release your Pokémon when you arrive on the island, and then that's it. You can't put them back inside until your departure."

"You aren't making this any easier for me," she stated whilst lifting her fingers, "So let me get this straight: I'm being sent to an island that's an unspecified distance away from the Sinnoh region, I have to hunt down and stop poachers who are illegally trafficking Pokémon, I'm going alone, I'm not allowed to use technology of any kind, meaning if something insane happens, I can't talk with you, can I?"

"Oh yes... that is important isn't it? Hmm..." he reached away before returning with a strange green device in his hands, "Have you heard of this? It's called a Holocaster. They're all the rage over at the Kalos region," Dawn took the device in her hand, "I'll make an exception with this, okay? I'll be able to reach you, and you'll be able to reach me?"

"So my only piece of technology... is this...?" Dawn said as she lifted the device, "A... Holocaster, right?"

"Indeed. But I recommend you keep it hidden," Rowan stated, "Hmm... we can't let the natural Pokémon of the land get their hands on it. It could ruin things, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." she answered as she fiddled with the device, "I know..."

Once again, the Sinnoh Champion put her eyes upon the contents of the folder in her hands. Maybe this was a bit out of her league. Even though she was used to living off the beaten trail, she was never really that far from civilization. If her Pokémon were injured, all it would take to get them back to normal was a quick jaunt over to the nearest Poké Center. But now, there, on Pokémon Island, how was she supposed to heal them?

Well, obviously, like they used to all those years ago. Old fashion nursing. She's done it before, but she's not really the best when it comes to these kinds of things. Ask her Lopunny, Veneticus. Though a proud Pokémon, she still owns faded scar marks along her body from a bout with a wild Ursaring. If only Dawn was a tad bit better with her hands.

"Hmm... So what will it be?" Rowan asked.

Dawn wasn't sure. What if she were to hurt herself? What if her Pokémon were to be hurt? There were many 'what ifs' in this situation, all of which racked her brains. But, to be honest, these were the same thoughts which permeated her mind when she first started out on her Pokémon adventure. But this was slightly different. She was truly on her own this time. No other humans in sight.

"Yeah... I'll go..."

Rowan's eyes seemed to gleam.

"So you're just going to leave!?" her mother inquired, obviously enough, "I swear, Dawn, you make it seem as if I'm not important! I am your mother after all! You should tell me some things before you just run around these places!"

Johanna Pearl, mother of Dawn Pearl and famous Super Contest Pokémon Coordinator. Though retired, it her life seemingly hasn't slowed down. She's still just as active as ever. Though, this may be because her daughter is the Sinnoh Champion.

Right now she stomped through her home, giving her daughter an earful, while Dawn sat upstairs packing for the coming adventure. Her book-bag sat in the very corner of the room, being filled to the brim with multiple tools and items. She was heading to a distant land with little to no connection to human life; she would need these items. To hell with whatever Rowan said, she wasn't about to kill herself. So far she had the usual, first-aid kit, hatchet, flint and other flammable objects, you know, the usual items needed to survive life in the wilderness.

She was finished packing, though there were a few things missing. Books. Yeah, books. Most people don't know this, but Dawn is quite the book-worm. The solace of reading for hours on end, the silence it hands her, she enjoys it all. Yet there's nothing she enjoys more than the tales of Sinnoh's myths.

Opening one of those mythological books, she read the first passage which was handed too her.

There once were Pokémon that became very close to humans.

"Dawn! Are you listening to me!?"

The door to Champion's room opened behind her, making her look over. Johanna was there, holding one of her cooking utensils, as usual. She was flustered and angry, and rightfully so. Her daughter decided to leave the land, for an island whose location wasn't exactly known. She had every right to be angry, regardless of who her daughter was. Being on the other end of Sinnoh is one thing, being on an island populated only by Pokémon is something entirely different.

"Dawn..." she said, growing a bit crestfallen, "Dawn, are you listening to me?"

The Sinnoh Champion nodded as she stared up to her mother. She understood her feelings.

"Why do you keep making decisions without consulting me?" her mother asked.

"I'll be fine, mom," Dawn answered, "It's... going to be alright... I promise..."

"How do you know that, hm?" Johanna inquired instead, "If something were to happen, I won't be able to take care of you..." she grew serious, "Dare I remind you about that little issue with Uxie some time ago?"

"No, no, no!" Dawn said, her hands waving to and fro, "Nothing like that is going to happen, I promise!"

"You're always promising, Dawn..." Johanna said as she pulled her daughter over into a hug, "But how do I know you're being honest? How do I know you'll go over there and be completely fine?"

It's not like Johanna's fear was misplaced, she had every right to be terrified. Her daughter, Dawn Pearl, is a walking danger zone. Wherever she goes, terror and danger is bound to follow. Hey, she traversed into the Pokémon equivalent of Hell, after all, and faced a ghastly dragon. Not once, but twice. And in that last venture, she had her entire memory wiped clean.

But hey, that's a story for another day.

"I swear on Arceus, mom," Dawn stated, "I'll be fine. I have my Pokémon, and they too understand the seriousness of this mission."

"They better," Johanna growled, "If you come back injured, no matter how small, I'll make sure myself that your Pokémon understand how bad that is..." she shot her daughter a glare, "Or my name is not Johanna Pearl."

Dawn found her mother's change to be terrifying, yet lovable. Johanna was just being over-protective, like any mother would be.

"Mom... your hug... it's hurting..."

"Just take it a little bit more..." Johanna assured.

There were still some signs of human life, on this abandoned isle. They were few and far between, but they were there. A factory, and entire city, a few roads and highways, all of which reclaimed by nature. Though it was obvious this island once held civilization, it was equally as obvious that nature had reclaimed it. For the better, it would seem.

She placed her hand on the see-through seal, which separated her from the outside. The sharp blades above were rotating furiously, cutting through the air with speed and sound. Within this black vehicle however, she was safe from the loud roar.

"We're almost there!" the helicopter's pilot yelled, chipperly too, might I add, "We'll be landing on the eastern side of the island, where the grass is comfortably flat! I hope you're ready!"

Dawn looked over to the red-head which piloted the vehicle and smiled.

"I am," she said, as she tugged on her backpack, "I think I'm ready," her smile grew weaker as she stared up to the pilot, "Thanks Skyla. I'm sorry we had to call you all the way from Unova to bring me here.

"It's okay!" the Unova Gym Leader said with a smile, "I don't mind! I am the only one who could bring you here, after all," she giggled that last part as she obviously stroked her own ego, "So, what are you doing down here?"

"You know, the usual," Dawn stated, "Taking down some poachers. If there are some, of course."

"Poachers?" Skyla stated, "Oh! I hate poachers! The other day, I found a Swanna whose wing was injured by a bastard poacher!" she began to growl, which made the helicopter bounce, which made Dawn grow tense, which made her begin to scream, "Oh! If I get my hands on that monster! I'll! I'll!"

"Skyla!" the Champion yelled as she tried to not lose her lunch, "Stop! The helicopter!"

"Whoops!" she responded all ditzy-like, "Seems like I got out of hand," things calmed down soon after, "Okay, Sinnoh Champ, we're about to land. Oh, wait, yeah, Dawn. The Unova Champion said she wants to fight you some time!"

"Which one would that be?" Dawn inquired as she placed her hands upon the helicopter's door, "Hilda or Rosa?"

"Uhh... You'll have to wait for me to come back with that one..." the flying-type Gym Leader answered with a blush of embarrassment.

Dawn merely chuckled as she began to tug on the door's latch. The helicopter was hovering a few calm feet over the land; a simple jump the Champ could easily make. Tugging on the handle, she slid it apart. The heavy howl of the helicopter above ran in her ears, while the rushing wind blew into her face. Dawn tightened the hold her backpack had on her and got ready to jump when...

"See ya later!" Skyla yelled.

The call came as a shock and ruined Dawn's concentration. She tripped up from her lift-off, landing face first into the grass. Pulling up her head, she spat out the contents she unintentionally took in when falling. Turning skyward, she shot a glare up to the pilot of the helicopter. Skyla was waving, whilst taking off to leave for far off lands. Dawn would have flipped her off, but that wouldn't have been nice.

Before long, Skyla's personal helicopter vanished over the blue horizons. With the sound of that howling helicopter gone, Dawn was left in silence once more. The wind was calm around her, blowing just strong enough to ruffle her scarf and hair. She was alone now. Separated from the kind of people she associated herself with.

Hand reaching away, she zipped open a pouch in her heavy backpack. Now she knew how those backpackers feel, these things are heavy! But from the pouch she opened, a Poké Ball slid out into her hand.

"Alright! Go! Scorch!"

She tossed the Poké Ball sky-high, where it opened up in the air. From the capsule, a plethora of vibrant lights were expelled. The light fell upon the land, where it took a humanoid form. A creature, with a long brown tail, a crown of fire upon his head. With golden on his hands, chest, elbows and knees, he was a pretty powerful looking creature. Despite his ape nature, there was nothing playful about this being.

"Infernape!" the ape said quickly, as he hopped from toe to toe.

"Calm down Scorch," Dawn ordered, making him grow wide eyes as she hugged him close, "There's no fight going on?"

"Fer... nape...?" he responded, as the flames on his head died out.

"C'mon... we need to find a place to sleep at..." she gazed up around the land, "Shouldn't be too hard..." she pulled out multiple Poké Balls, "Let's get to work, okay?" then her face grew serious, "I choose you! Go! My Pokémon!"

Dearest Journal,

This is the first night here on Pokémon Island. I still have to get used to that name. My are also getting used to this place as well. They still find it odd how I've told them none of them will be put back into their Poké Balls, and they seem to be unsure of my words. Only Courage appears to be okay with this decision. Scorch is keeping watch outside tonight; it looks like he's unsure of the land. Speaking of the land, I haven't run into any wild Pokémon. Yet. I know they're here, I just don't know when they'll show up.

Anyway, I'm going to start searching for poachers tomorrow. Hopefully, that won't take to long.

"Lucario..."

Dawn pulled up, as her eyes drifted toward the tent's lamp. From the lamp, her eyes moved further to the tent's opened seal. There was an Anubis-like creature standing there, one which was black, cream, and blue, with spikes upon its chest and hands. Upon this creature's head sat a baseball cape, one which did not constrict the sharp canine ears it owned.

Seeing this Pokémon brought a smile to Dawn's face, making her call over the creature with her hand.

"Courage," the Champion called, "Is everything alright?"

"Lucario," the Aura Pokémon answered, as she nodded her head.

Dawn cocked her head, because it was unnatural for her Lucario, Courage, to bother her randomly like this. But it didn't appear to be urgent, for Courage quickly slipped back through the tent's entrance. Tapping the edge of her chin with her cheek, Dawn wondered what had her Pokémon so tense. Maybe that's why they were all outside the tent, sitting side-by-side in a ring around the camp. Maybe something was outside, something dangerous.

Then again. Maybe not.

Grabbing her lamp, Dawn brought her lips close to blow out the flames. It was going to be a long night.

Yet. A thought came to her mind as she laid into her makeshift bed. One which came from the book she brought along with her.

There once were Pokémon that became very close to humans.


Maverick Talks...

You'll have to excuse me here. I feel like I'm embarking on untreaded territory. Well, untreaded for me, at least. I've never written a story of this kind before. This... this... Pokefilia, is what it's called, right? Or maybe I'm giving it a name it shouldn't own. I don't know.

Well, this was a story floating around in my head for the longest now. A story kind I've never really written about before. I've written romance before, but not of this kind. Jeeze, I sound so stupid right now. But, like all my stories, I'll write it to the best of my abilities.

But, as usual, let me give me my trivia. This is a romance, between Dawn and... well, read the title, its obvious. That being said, I'm wondering if I should make this adult or not. For now, it'll be teen, unless I decided to ramp up the rating. We'll see.

Just so you know, this takes place in the same universe as my other story Shadows from Before. I.e., this is the same Dawn from that story. Don't worry though, Shadows from Before doesn't need to be read at all to enjoy this. I may make a few references to it, but I this is not going to be treated as a sequel. But, just so you know, this takes place after that story. Sorry, no Leaf for you!

Just so you know, Pokemon Island, which is where this story takes place, actually exists. Its from the game Pokemon Snap, one of my favorite N64 games, actually. Originally, it only had Pokemon from Gen I, but in this story, it has Pokemon from all Gens. If I write them in, of course.

Well, no more of this talking stuff. Here's to hoping this story is... different... It is for me, I know that much. I can only pray its up to my own standards.

Thumbs up for my first Pokemon romance!

Maverick Kay Prime