Disclaimer: I don't own any characters or ideas from the Pokémon franchise. Though this story is based off of the ideas of Satoshi Tajiri, Game Freak, Nintendo, and Shogakugan, As well as The Pokémon Company International outside of Asia.

'Don't worry.' He said. 'I've taken this shortcut millions of times.' Millions of times my ass. I can't believe I let him talk me into this. We were on a forest path that was supposedly going to help us get to Veilstone City a few days faster than it would have been following the official routes. Apparently it didn't.

"How long until we get to Veilstone City? I thought you said this was a shortcut Barry." I told him in a frustrated voice. We've been walking for weeks to get to Veilstone when originally it was supposed to take a few days.

"It was a shortcut and it still is. Y'see, we've been walking way too slow for this to be an actual shortcut. If I was walking on my own I would've been there a long time ago." Barry remarked.

"What? How can you be blaming it on me? If we just followed the road we would've been there weeks ago!" I raised my voice causing the blond to recoil a little.

"Pip Piplup!" added on my starter Pokémon, Piplup. He seemed tired from the long walk as I was and complained with me.

Barry raised his hands in front of him to try to reassure me. "Don't worry Dawn. If I'm right, we should be seeing a clearing in the forest pretty soon. Trust me."

I looked at him for a few moments and sighed to show that I trusted him. It's not like he was getting us purposely lost in this forest, well, I hoped not at least. Professor Rowan had sent Barry and I, well me but Barry wanted to come along, to Veilstone City with a package to give to the local Gym Leader, Maylene. He seemed to be in a hurry to send us off to get there as soon as possible so we wouldn't be late getting there. Or maybe it was to save us time to get there since Barry had a tendency to take his "shortcuts" to get to places faster. Something told me not to give into his idea but in the end I gave in. I really shouldn't have any regrets to this but I had a bunch of them.

I looked over to Barry and noticed that he was a few paces ahead of me with Piplup. He seemed to be talking to Piplup about something though I couldn't make out what it was since they were talking in low voices. I suppose he was talking to Piplup about his winning streak he's had lately. That's all he's been talking about on our trip so far. He's been on a eighty-five match win streak. Or was it ninety-five? Well it doesn't matter I suppose but it was a really long streak. I wish he would shut up about it though. I would try and beat him myself but Pokémon battling outside of Contests exactly isn't my forte though I battled Maylene well once. Even if I did beat him though, he'd probably ask for a rematch until he beat me.

"Hey Dawn. Dawn? Dawn!" Barry shouted in my ear. I snapped back to reality as I stepped back from the volume of his voice.

"What the hell was that for Barry?" I shouted at him.

"There's the clearing, see?" He pointed ahead of us and I turned around to look. Just as he said, there was a clearing in the forest just a few yards away. I guess he was right before. He began to run and shouted at me. "Last one there has to buy lunch when we get to Veilstone!"

Piplup ran after him even though he had no stake in the matter. I pondered on whether to run or not but I decided to just walk there since I had no way of catching him anyway. As I got closer to the clearing I could see some of the city coming into view. The large buildings were the first thing to come into view as I came up next to Barry. He was leaning against a railing that signified the city's border while Piplup sat on the railing. I smiled at the sight of the city. In the distance I could faintly make out the Veilstone Gym. I looked over to Barry as he was looking at the city. He had determination in his eyes. I could guess what he wanted to do here.

"Are you going to battle every second that we're here?" I asked already knowing the answer. He seemed to give my question a quick thought and answered:

"Not every second Dawn. Every moment."

His answer made me smile a little. I should've guess that would be his response.

Later that night we arrived at the local Pokémon Center. After we received our rooms, separate from one another of course, we said good-bye to each other and that was the last time we saw each other that night. Piplup was swimming in the bath while I was brushing my teeth. I went back to my bed and laid down. I looked around the room. It was a plain room with a wood floor and only one room connected to it and that was the bathroom as well as a small table with papers laying around. The large bed was quite soft and when I sat on it; I practically fell through it because it had so little resistance.

As I was laying on the bed, I looked at my bag beside me. It was a large white duffle bag that contained the package that Professor Rowan wanted us to deliver. I unzipped the bag and took out the package. It was a small brown box that had nothing on it. No sticker or stamp. Nothing. I shook the box and heard a large thump hit one of its sides.

'I wonder what it is.' I thought. I took a small knife from my bag a decided to open up the box. One look wouldn't hurt. I opened it and looked inside of the box and discovered a small wooden box with a piece of paper to the side. I opened up that box and found a small case with a see-through top. It was a USB drive. I picked up the piece of paper and began to read:

'Maylene- I hope you don't mind the lateness of this project. You see, I've been quite busy creating a new program for the Pokémon Transport System with the assistance of Professor Rowan and he has become quite ill. Hopefully, the next package won't be as late. -Bebe'

So that's what it was. Something for the Pokémon Transport System? Well, I suppose it doesn't concern me.

I got up from the bed and went to the bathroom again to get Piplup.

"Come on Piplup," I told him. "It's time to go to bed."

"Pip." He said in a disappointed tone. As we walked back I looked at the table and saw an ad. I picked it up and noticed a picture of Pokémon Champion Cynthia. My eyes sparkled and I smiled as an idea sprung into my head. I guess me and Barry can do one more thing before we leave.

The next day, after we delivered the package to Maylene, we decided to get lunch that Barry reminded me that I had to pay for. It would be our last day together for a while. He was going to travel to Kanto to participate in the region's Battle Frontier while I would actually be leaving Japan to whole new country to participate in Contests. I looked over to Piplup who was trying open a can of his favorite food. I took the can from him and opened it for him. He took the can from my hands and started to eat it ravenously.

I looked over to Barry as he was battling someone. It was a young boy, probably a beginner, with a small red hat, an orange shirt, blue pants, and white sneakers. Not the best thing to wear in the coming weeks due to winter being right around the corner. Barry was using his Empoleon against the boy's Chimchar. Not the best match-up especially against a trainer like Barry who had been traveling for a long time now. As Barry's Empoleon used Hydro Cannon on Chimchar, I couldn't help but think back on how much skill he had obtained. Not too long ago, he was far below Ash's and Paul's level of talent. He could barely beat either of those in a match and it was rare that he did beat them. It's not like he's at their skill level yet but he's certainly getting there. Someday he will become a Pokémon Master, I can tell.

I snapped back to reality with Piplup cheering in my ear. It seemed that Barry beat the kid he was battling. I got up to go congratulate him but stopped when I saw him go over to the kid who glumly returned Chimchar to its Poké Ball. The small child looked up and saw Barry kneeling next to him.

"Don't worry," the small boy said. "I have your prize money." The boy took out a small bag of coins and gave it Barry. Barry promptly returned the bag to the boy.

"I don't need your money so keep it. You have to promise me something though." Barry said in a gentle voice. I looked on without saying a word. "Promise me that the next time we battle that you'll be stronger than you are right now."

I smiled at his comment as did the boy. The child nodded and ran in the direction towards the Pokémon Center. I walked over to Barry who looked up at me.

"So are we going to go back to Professor Rowan now?" he asked me getting up.

"How many wins is that Barry?" I asked.

He puffed out his chest and proudly said: "One hundred and fifteen in a row."

My original estimation was a bit off. I opened my bag and took out a piece of paper and handed it to him. He took from me and looked at it.

"It's an announcement," I said. "Pokémon Champion Cynthia is in Veilstone studying the meteorites nearby and I thought that it would be kind to pay her a visit while we were here. Maybe you can convince her to have a quick battle with you . . . ." I trailed off. I looked up to see him smile and the thought of battling the Champion.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he told me. "Let's go!" He ran off quickly to try to get Cynthia before anyone else could. There was only one problem:

"Barry? Barry! You're going the wrong way!" I yelled at him. He didn't hear me. "What am I going to do with him Piplup?"

"Piplup." he sighed.

After chasing Barry down, he was battling another Trainer when I found him which earned him win number one hundred and sixteen straight, we headed to the famous park in Veilstone City where meteorites crashed a long time ago. It was dark when we finally arrived there with only a few people around. Some were having Pokémon battles while others were relaxing. As we looked around to find Cynthia, I looked up at the moon. It was a full moon. It looked beautiful. I went and spotted a rock and sat on it. Barry joined me on the rock. Piplup was had been tired of chasing Barry around and had fallen asleep so I put him in his Poké Ball. Together we looked at the moon as it shone around all of the people in the area. A smile formed on my face at the sight.

I looked over at Barry and saw that he was smiling as well. I couldn't help but lean against him as he was looking up. I caught him off guard and he fell back a little but I held onto him even as he was falling. I looked up at him and he was smiling at me.

"I didn't think you thought of me in that sense Dawn." he commented. I got off of him immediately and looked at him.

"I don't think of you in a romantic sense." I said though I think I sounded unsure. "It's just that--we won't see each other for a long time soon." I looked down after saying those words.

"You shouldn't think of it that way Dawn." he told me in a sincere vice. "Sure we're not going to see each other for a long time but it's to pursue our dreams isn't it? Remember the promise that we made with Kenny before we first left for our journeys? We said that no matter what we wouldn't give up on our dreams and no matter what we would achieve them. There isn't any reason why I should hold you back from trying to become the best Pokémon Coördinator, right?"

I was about to speak when a voice came from behind us: "Dawn, is that you?"

I turned around and saw a tall, blonde-haired woman standing behind us.

"Oh, hello there Cynthia," I said. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine thank you. Who's your friend?" she asked tilting her head to the side.

"I'm Barry. It's nice to meet you." replied extending his arm toward her. She accepted it.

"Oh right I remember you, you were eliminated by Paul in the last Sinnoh League Tournament weren't you?" she asked innocently. Barry's hands clenched when she mentioned Paul's name. Though he ever was affected by Paul's harsh battle style, he was eliminated quickly by the violet-haired trainer which left a lasting impression on him. Ever since that loss, Barry had been training his Pokémon and himself tougher than ever to try to catch up to him and Ash. "So what are you both doing out here this late at night?"

"Actually, we were looking here for you." Barry spoke up. His voice sounded much harsher than it had been just a while ago. "Cynthia, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

He shouted the last part out. I could see determination on his eyes as he challenged her. Cynthia looked at him for a couple of seconds giving him a stare that would chill most people's bones though it didn't seem to have any affect on Barry.

"Fine then," she said. "I accept your challenge. She smiled. Barry smiled. I smiled. I honestly believed that he could at least give her a decent battle.

I sat on the same rock as I watched Cynthia and Barry walk onto an open field.

"Would it be alright if I were the referee for this battle?" I asked them. I needed to shout for both of them to hear me.

"It's fine by me." Cynthia turned to with a smile on her face.

"Me too." Barry said not taking his eyes off of Cynthia as though she were going to try to shoot him with a gun or something. I could tell he was nervous about the battle.

"Alright then. It will be a one-on-one battle with the winner being the first Trainer to knock-out the other's Pokémon or when one Trainer forfeits the battle."

"Battle dance, Gastrodon!" Cynthia declared as she took out a Poké Ball and tossed it into the air. A flash of light erupted from it revealing large brown and pink Pokémon which resembled a large slug. The Pokémon said nothing as it stood on the field waiting for its opponent.

Barry threw his Poké Ball out and a large bird blue and black Pokémon came out. The large penguin was mainly blue and black with a large yellow beak that covered much of its face. Its arms resembled large iron shields and it had small yellow feet. Barry didn't say a word when he called out his Empoleon. Was he determined or scared? It didn't seem to matter to Empoleon because it gave a loud cry and stood ready for battle.

"Alright then. Let the battle begin!" I cried.

"Alright Empoleon, use Hydro Cannon!" Barry ordered. Empoleon shot out a large torrent of water at Gastrodon that made direct contact with the Western Sea Slug. The Pokémon was pushed back a little by the attack but stood its ground.

"What the hell?" Barry said to himself. He seemed surprised that Gastrodon could take such a powerful attack. "Okay then, use Hyper Beam!"

Empoleon formed a large orange ball of energy in its mouth and aimed it at Gastrodon. It then released the large beam and shot it at the opposing Pokémon.

"Protect." Cynthia commanded. A small green shield formed around Gastrodon as the Hyper Beam was about to collide with it. The attack tried to break through the shield but ultimately exploded causing a large amount of smoke to cover the field. Both trainers became blind to their opponents whereabouts as sounds began to come from the field. "Dig, Gastrodon!" Cynthia shouted.

The smoke finally began to clear to reveal Empoleon standing in the field alone. A hole was spotted in place of where Gastrodon had been a few moments before. After a few moments, the ground began to shake as a tremendous force of water exploded from the hole where Gastrodon dug its hole. The water spread in all directions fiercely causing Empoleon jumping back as it tried to avoid. The ground became a field a mud which caused Empoleon to lose a little amount of its footing.

'Was that Surf?' I thought after seeing the attack.

"Where is it?" Barry panicked looking around in all directions. I looked over at Cynthia who began to smile when he said this. She wanted him to panic. I couldn't say anything to try to calm him down though no matter how much I wanted to because I was the referee.

"Earthquake Gastrodon." Cynthia said coolly. The ground began to rumble as her Pokémon executed the attack. Parts of the ground began to collapse on itself due to it being mud and weakened from her previous attack. The ground where Empoleon stood collapsed on itself and caused the Emperor Pokémon to go down with it.

"Empoleon!" Barry cried. His orange eyes filled with worry as the Pokémon became injured greatly due to the super-effective attack. I couldn't see Empoleon anymore and I don't think Barry could either as he was looking around for it.

"Let's finish this Gastrodon. Use Stone Edge!' Cynthia said. Empoleon began to get up from its pit when Gastrodon appeared from the ground. Two white rings appeared around it and formed a cluster of rocks floating around it. It fired the group of rocks towards Empoleon who tried to defend itself with its arms. Its arms began to glow white as the rocks collided with it. It was using Steel Wing to try to reduce the damage but it soon became to strong for it. Empoleon collapsed from the amount of damage and laid on the ground exhausted.

"Empoleon is unable to battle," I declared with my right arm up and my head down. "The winner is Gastrodon and the match goes to Pokémon Champion Cynthia." My worry became apparent in my voice. As I said this as Barry ran over to Empoleon. The mud was plentiful and splashed all over him and his clothing as he tried to help out his partner Pokémon. I stayed where I was knowing that couldn't help at this point.

Cynthia walked over to Empoleon easily trekking through the mud from the battle. She looked down at Empoleon and began to inspect its wings where it took most if its damage. After a minute or so she looked at Barry and said: "Don't worry about Empoleon, it's going to be just fine."

The next day, Cynthia helped Empoleon re-cooperate from its injuries and left Veilstone on a journey to Johto to explore the Ruins of Alph. She never seems to change.

After we checked out of the Pokémon Center, Barry and I left Veilstone and headed back to Sandgem Town to rest before we headed our separate ways. Barry had been quiet for most of the trip back to Sandgem and it really started to worry me.

"Are you okay Barry?" I asked. "You haven't said a word since we left Veilstone." I looked at him and he had yet to respond to me.

After a few minutes of silence, Barry responded to my question: "I'm alright but . . . ."

" 'But . . . .'" I tried to egg him on.

"I was humiliated. Cynthia, treated me as though I was noting but gum stuck on the bottom of her shoe." he replied glumly. "I'm thinking about leaving for Kanto sooner than I planned."

"Really, how much earlier?" I asked wanting to know the answer even though I already knew what it was going to be.

"When we get to Jubilife City I'll head for Canalave City. You understand don't you?" he asked me looking into my eyes. I looked into his eyes and tried to show that I agreed that he should do it. It seemed that he bought it even though I didn't put much effort into it. It was about our talk we had earlier in Veilstone. Even though I didn't want it to happen I knew it had to happen. Part of me was saddened by this news but another part of me was happy for him. I needed to follow his suit and take charge of my own future. Barry was doing the right thing for him and I needed to do the right thing for me as well.

As we approached Oreburgh, Barry called out my name. I turned around to see that he wasn't there. I looked around to find him and noticed that he was a few yards ahead of me.

"Hey Dawn! Last one to Oreburgh buys dinner tonight!" he yelled back at me. Once again Piplup ran after him to try not to be the last one there. I sighed as Barry turned back to his old self all of a sudden. I guess I should've expected this from him. I pondered on the thought of trying to out run him. At this point I wouldn't be able to catch up with him but I ran this time anyway. I mean why not? It would be the last time I see him again.

A/N: Okay, so that was my first story that I bothered writing in years though none of them are posted on this site due to being outdated. Anyway, I hope that the point of the story was clear and straightforward though since I find it to be a simple story. I in no way shape of form support this pairing but I thought it would fun to write this story. I hope that the title wasn't misleading though that should've been remedied by the summary below.

I tried to base them on their animé counterparts as shown by their Pokémon and they way they act though I might've made Dawn act too harsh at some points. Well, that's all for now you can review if you want to leave some helpful criticism or want to rant on how bad some parts or the overall story was. I don't mind really.