Playing Cupid
~By Lil Miss Roxylicious

Summary: Sick of Paul's cold attitude towards everyone, Dawn comes up with the perfect plan: get Paul a girlfriend that can melt his frosty heart. What she didn't plan on was Cupid's arrow backfiring onto her. Ikarishipping!

Prologue

A voice that was as cold as winter began speaking, making Dawn's lips purse together. His words were as harsh and sharp as a knife. His words sending a chill down Dawn's back.

"You are weak, and so are your pokémon because you are soft on them. You spoil them rotten, so they become weak."

Fists clenched.

"You are also annoying, always telling me I should 'be nicer to my pokémon' and 'praise them'. Always trying to rub your goody two-shoes-ness off on me."

A growl begins to rumble in her throat.

"All in all, you're just plain pathetic." He was about to walk away. "Along with the rest of your good two-shoe friends."

Silence.

And then…

SNAP!

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!?!"

Uh-oh.

That outburst only meant trouble.

Dawn was seething with anger. And surprisingly, only twenty-five percent of the reason why was because he just called her and Brock goody two-shoes (or all of Ash's friends, to be exact, including the trainer himself).

Nope.

She was PO'd at Paul because he just had the nerve to bad-mouth her friend-slash-traveling partner, Ash Ketchum, right in front of her. HE, Paul, rival of Ash, was NOT going to get away with bad-mouthing any friends of hers! Whether it was her childhood friend, Kenny, her rival-slash-friend, Zoey, or heck, her little poké buddy, Piplup.

"Who do you think you are?! Talking to Ash that way?!" The blunette continued to shriek, her face a vibrant shade of pink. "Don't you have any manners or anything?! You can't keep on treating Ash like dirt, you—"

She stopped, realizing he was examining her, doing one of those "once-overs". This fact made her feel a little angrier since that meant he probably wasn't even listening to her, but still she couldn't help but feel just a little self-conscious.

"H-Hey! Are you even listening to me?!" She shrieked at him, her face flushing red, partly from embarrassment, and partly from her steadily increasing anger at the plum-hair man.

"Hmph." He turned his back to her, shoving his hands in his pant's pocket indifferently. Her eyes flared and he smirked. "Well, I'm so sorry for telling off your boyfriend." He sneered, sarcasm heavy in his voice.

Dawn's hand twitched with the urge to slap him. But also with the urge to slip her hands around his neck and strangle the haughty plum-hair man.

"He is not my boyfriend!" Dawn yelled. "He's a friend of mine!" She hissed, her fingernails starting claw into the palm of her hand. "You know what! You better—"

"I'm not doing anything some annoying girl tells me to do," Paul cuts her off, his cold eyes flickering with annoyance. "So don't waste your breath, girly. You're like an exact replica of that idiot over there." With a final snort and one last cold glare that sent goosebumps up and down Dawn's arms, he finally left.

Dawn was seething with anger.

"JERK!" she screamed after him before turning on her heels, heading deep into the forest. Her eyes watered slightly, but she refused to cry over something that cold, heartless jackass said. He held back her tears, beginning to hiccup instead.

"He thinks he's so—hiccup!—great! Who does he think he is? Insulting Ash and then—hiccup!—daring to call me and Brock goody two-shoes!" Dawn rubbed at her eyes, but she still refused to cry. "I freaking hate him!" She declared, kicking at a rock and sending it flying towards an old oak.

"He's so—hiccup!—cold-hearted! No – heartless! He's heartless! Thinks he's all—HICCUP!—" Dawn sighed, slumping against one of the forest's large oak trees.

"Why am I getting so frustrated over this?" She asked herself quietly, slumping until she was by the base of the tree. She sighed, resting her chin between her folded arms. "It's no big deal… he's always being a jerk…" She mumbled.

"Dawn! Dawn! Daw—There you are!" Dawn gave an exhausted sigh as she spotted Ash and Brock who were of course, looking for her. They ran towards her, concern clear on their face.

"Are you okay?" Ash asked concernedly, like any good friend would ask. "You shouldn't let Paul get to you. I mean, it's not like you can take half the stuff he says seriously anyway…" Ash told her with a low, almost sad chuckle.

Dawn sighed for a third time. She faked a smile. "Don't worry guys, I'm fine now… I just overreacted some, that's all. But man, I don't know how you can put up with everything he says to you Ash!"

Ash just shrugged. "I'm use to Paul's bad-ass attitude by now, I guess…"

Dawn gave a short nod. "You know what Paul needs?" She said all of a sudden, standing back up as she dusted off her pink skirt and black tank top. "A girlfriend! Maybe a girlfriend could warm that arctic heart of his!" She laughed at this. Her laughter slowly died down though as an idea began to formulate in her mind.

Click!

"That's it!" Dawn exclaimed, her eyes bright and shining. A grin began to take over Dawn's face as she exclaimed excitedly, "That's it! That's it! That's it! That's exactly what Paul needs!"

"Um… What exactly is it that Paul needs?" Brock questioned curiously. The breeder cocked his head a few degrees in confusion, frowning at the happy blunette who was grinning happily like a toothy two-year old that was just given a lollipop.

"Think about it Brock!" Dawn told the breeder. "If Paul has a girlfriend, he will become nicer! I mean, who wouldn't be nicer if they were in love? It's perfect! The perfect idea!"

Ash frowned. "Wait – are you saying Paul needs a girlfriend?"

"That's exactly what I'm saying!" Dawn chirped, still bathing in self-glory from such a brilliant idea.

Her eyes began to glint mischievously. "And I'm going to find him the perfect somebody to melt that iceberg of a heart he has!"

And that's how the idea came to mind.

Short, I know, but this is the prologue. So, how does everybody like it? xD; Your opinions like always are appreciated~ So leave a review to let me what you thought, blah blah blah. Thanks in advance! ;D (Also sorry for any mistakes; I didn't bother to doublehcheck this *is shot*)

~Roxylicious