Chapter 1:
The Hike
Dawn was washing up the dishes from this morning, when her roommates, Misty and May walked downstairs into the kitchen. They were still in their pajamas, and their hair was not brushed.
"Good morning," mumbled May, as she stretched before landing on the couch.
"Morning, May," Dawn replied, then looked at Misty, who seemed to be more awake than May. "Morning, Misty."
"Morning," Misty said grumpily. "Sorry if I sound grouchy. It took me a while to get May's lazy butt out of bed!"
"Whatever," May retorted sleepily, as she began to close her eyes on the couch.
"Uh-uh!" yelled Misty, as she grabbed May's fragile arms and yanked on them, causing May to sit up. "You are NOT falling asleep again!"
"Just five more minutes!" May begged, her head dangling lifelessly. "I'm so tired! I was watching a movie all night!"
"Well, that's your fault," Misty argued, getting impatient. "Now get some breakfast, go upstairs to get ready and pack your bags for the hike."
"We're going to Mount Coronet, right?" Dawn asked, as she put the last dish away. "I'm so excited!"
"Yeah, we are," Misty answered, as she watched May go up the stairs in a zombie-like matter. "Oh, and I forgot to mention, the boys are coming with us."
"What?" Dawn questioned, secretly hoping that Misty was joking. "What do you mean as 'the boys'?"
"Well, you know," Misty began slowly, knowing her friend was not going to like who exactly was going on the morning's hike with them. "Ash, Brock, Drew, Barry, Kenny, and Paul..."
"PAUL?" Dawn stared at Misty's aquamarine eyes with her own ocean blue eyes. "You can't be serious! I know Ash is your boyfriend, and I went on a journey with him and Brock through the Sinnoh region, so I don't mind them coming. Drew, I've only met a few times, and he's nice and I know that May has a major crush on him, so again, I don't mind him coming either. Barry and Kenny live in Twinleaf Town as well, and they're like my brothers, so of course, I am excited that they are coming, too. But Paul? I know after the Sinnoh League, him and Ash became friends, but I just can't get over how he used to be!"
"You are so critical!" Misty argued back, not believing what her best friend was telling her. "You know Paul is now a nice and honest guy! Why don't you like to talk to him that much? It seems like you're always finding a reason to avoid him!"
"I honestly don't know," Dawn answered, looking down at the counter she was circling her finger on. "I just, well, it just feels weird...him being Ash's best friend. It's just not like before. I want to like Paul, but for some reason, I can't."
Misty just sat on the couch and continued looking at her friend. "Well, then maybe this hike will help you two become good friends."
"I guess," Dawn replied."We won't find out until the hike."
Dawn was secretly hoping that Misty wouldn't noticed that she was being lied to. Dawn really liked Paul. He was nice, funny, considerate, honest, and very cute. Dawn actually had a crush on Paul, one that has lasted since she first met him near the beginning of her journey. That day Ash and Paul had fallen off the side of a cliff due to Team Rocket's mishaps, and Dawn was actually worried more about Paul being hurt than Ash. She didn't want to admit this to her friends, unsure of how they would react.
I bet they would make fun of me, Dawn thought to herself. They can't know I really like Paul, but I want to tell somebody. I can't even tell my mom!
May came running back down the stairs, with her small hiking bag full of camping supplies. "Don't forget to pack extra clothes for tomorrow," she reminded Dawn and Misty. "I almost forgot we're spending the night at the campsite!"
"Me too," Dawn added. "I'm gonna go upstairs, change, and pack for the hike."
"Okay," Misty replied. "I'll just wait for the boys to get here."
Dawn walked reluctantly upstairs and down the hallway until she got to her bedroom. Piplup was still asleep on the bed, so Dawn woke him up, then walked over to her backpack and set it on her bed.
She changed into her normal attire: a black tank top with white underneath, a red scarf, a pink mini skirt, black knee-high socks, her pink boots, and her white hat with half of a pink pokeball symbol on it. She grabbed her pajamas, and extra clothes for the next day, and put them in her backpack along with her food and Pokemon supplies.
"Piplup," Dawn started. "Paul's coming with us on the hike today."Dawn sat on her bed beside Piplup. "Misty and May as well as the other boys are going to find out that I like Paul!"
Piplup put his flipper on her cheek, trying to comfort his trainer. "Pip!" He exclaimed, as he put that flipper in the air, making a fist, and the other flipper on his hip.
Dawn looked at Piplup, and laughed. She stood up and made the same position that Piplup was making.
"You're right, Piplup," Dawn replied, more cheerfully than before. "I've just gotta keep on trucking!"
Dawn walked quickly out of her room and halfway down the stairs, stopping when she heard voices that didn't belong to either Misty or May.
The boys must be here already, Dawn thought to herself, as she tackled the rest of the stairs. She looked into the kitchen and living room to see Drew, Barry and Kenny sitting on the couch, while Brock stood by the sink with Ash and Paul sitting on the bar stools in the kitchen. Her gaze stopped at Paul, then quickly looked away when his gaze met hers. She walked to the coffee table in front of the couch and placed her backpack beside May's.
"Hey, Dawn," Drew said happily. His emerald eyes slightly covered by his green hair met Dawn's as she looked at him. "Are you ready for the hike?"
"Yup," Dawn replied simply, now walking towards the singular chair near the couch. May had taken her place on a similar chair next to Dawn's, while Misty sat on the counter top next to Ash. "Are you guys ready?"
"Are you kidding me?" Barry shouted as he stood up, pumping one of his fists in the air. His orange eyes gleamed as his spiky blonde hair glistened in the sunlight let through the window above the front door. "I've been ready for this hike for ages! Even Empoleon is excited!"He eventually sat back down on the couch, sinking into the soft yellow cushions.
"I'm excited, too," agreed Kenny. His maroon-red hair fell neatly over his soft black eyes. "Barry wouldn't stop talking about it! Whenever he called me, I just left the phone on my bed and went outside to train for the next contest here in Twinleaf Town."
"What?" Barry asked, now looking at Kenny. "I can't believe you did that! That's so mean." With a huff, Barry looked towards the wall across the room and folded his arms and legs, attempting to pout and give Kenny the 'silent treatment.'
Dawn laughed as her two friends that were like older brothers to her were fighting so ridiculously. Her laughing was interrupted when Ash began asking Dawn a question.
"Dawn," Ash began, still holding Misty's hand. His spiky black hair was kept somewhat neatly under his hat. His chocolate-brown eyes searching her for an answer for whatever question he had for her. "Are you excited? You seem a little distant today."
Dawn stared at Ash in surprise. "Of course I'm excited," she finally admitted, even though she was partially lying. "In fact, I'm very excited!"Trying to reassure one of her best friends was harder than she thought. Ash continued to look at her for what it seemed like an eternity, then finally looked at Paul, who began talking.
"This is going to be an interesting hike on Mount Coronet," Paul added, his onyx-black eyes piercing into the ocean blue eyes of Dawn. "I heard once you get about a mile away from the top, there are few caves that lead down to steep tunnels. They're the home to many different Pokemon. It seems quite interesting. We should go and see them on our way up."
"Sounds like a plan,"Brock replied, holding a thumb up towards Paul. "How about we leave now."
"Alright!"May shouted excitedly. "Let's go!"
Dawn sighed to herself, then grabbed her backpack and headed towards the door, quickly stealing a glance at Paul, who stood up, and began looking back into her eyes. They continued to stare into each others' eyes as if they were each searching for some answer from the other. The eye contact broke away when Dawn looked towards the door instead.
Why do I like him so much? Dawn thought to herself, opening the door and leading the way to the cars. She stopped suddenly, and glanced back at Paul once more. But I still wonder...does he feel the same way?