This fanfic is dedicated to maycontestdrew!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUNA! (infinite exclamation marks) *Hands over virtual birthday present* Hope you have an amazing day!
I know how much you LURVE humour, so I tried making this story humorous. Obviously, it didn't work too well. XDDD
Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
And special thanks to Pikachaaaa for organising the birthday one-shot thing! :)
Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokemon.
"Hydro Pump!"
A tremendous amount of water was blasted from a small blue penguin's beak. The powerful attack collided with a tree, knocking it over, producing glimmering dewdrops that flew in all directions. The penguin Pokemon stood in satisfaction, looking at the result with pride.
Dawn smiled brightly, "Good job Piplup! We'll win that contest for sure!"
"Pip-lup," the Pokemon chirped.
Dawn reached for Piplup's Pokeball, "Why don't we call it a day? We've been training extra hard today."
Piplup nodded. A red laser engulfed him, returned him into the sphere.
Dawn started walking back towards to Pokemon Centre and noticed Paul standing new the training grounds. She flushed red when she realised Paul may have saw her training.
She walked over to him and started feeling quite self-conscious, which made her trip over her own feet, landing face first into the ground just before she reached him.
She frowned as she got up, glaring at a smirking Paul.
"What the heck?" Dawn whined, causing Paul to raise a brow. "Why didn't you catch me? All you had to do was reach your two arms out!"
Paul continued to stare a Dawn blankly, almost as if he was looking past her.
"Are you just going to stand there, or what?" Dawn asked, obviously annoyed. When she got no response from Paul, she let out her temper, "Why do I even bother? You're obviously just a-"
"Who are you?" Paul had cut Dawn off before she deafened him.
Dawn opened and closed her mouth several times, mainly from disbelief, "Are you serious? You don't know who I am? I've been traveling with Ash, your rival, for-"
Dawn stopped short when she saw Paul walking off already.
"Hey! Don't you walk away when I'm talking to you. It's rude!" Dawn yelled, running after him.
When she got closer to him, she heard him mutter, "Troublesome."
"Well excuse me for living, Sir Rudeness. And the name is Dawn!"
"Where's Dawn? She should be back from training by now," Ash asked his other travel companion, while staring at the door of the Pokemon Centre.
He waited for a few moments, but then noticed Brock wasn't next to him.
"B-Brock? Where are you?" Ash looked around the room frantically, not wanting to be split up from both his companions at the moment.
"Are you a Pikachu? Because you are shockingly beautiful," flirted Brock, clasping Nurse Joy's hands.
Croagunk came out of it's Pokeball and used Poison Jab on Brock, dragging him away from an awkward-feeling Nurse Joy.
Ash watched the scene and laughed sheepishly. What else could he have expected from his flirt of a friend?
A loud noise came from the centre of the room as a very familiar hot air balloon came through the roof.
The thought of Dawn's whereabouts had completely vanished from his mind, now focused on the pathetic excuse of criminals in front of him.
A girl with long magenta hair jumped out of the hot air balloon, "Prepare for trouble~!"
Paul picked up his speed, trying to get a pissed blunette off his path. The said girl narrowed her eyes and tried to match up to his large strides.
Paul suddenly halted and turned around, giving a cold hard glare, "Why are you following me?"
Dawn crossed her arms, rolling her eyes, "You wish! Why would I follow you?"
"Troublesome," muttered Paul, again. Dawn opened her mouth to retort, but decided not to bother. Why should she even bother if all he was going to do was insult her?
Paul sighed, it was almost inaudible to Dawn. Dawn thought she heard something but when she looked at Paul and saw the scowl on his face, which made her think she was just imagining things.
"Why are you still following me?" Paul asked, not satisfied with the answer Dawn provided earlier.
"I am NOT!" Dawn gritted her teeth. If there was one thing - or person - that really got on her nerves, it was Paul.
"You are," Paul stated. The way he said it, the tone, everything just annoyed the heck out of Dawn.
"Am NOT-" Dawn said, before tripping over a rock. She squeezed her eyes closed expecting to feel the impact of the cold hard ground, and she did.
Dawn glared at Paul angrily, "Why didn't you catch me? In stories, this is the part where the girl expects to hit the hard ground but the boy catches her instead, then they fall in love! Do you really have to ruin everything?"
Paul's eyes widened slightly, quite shocked at what Dawn was implying, but only replied with a simple, "Hn."
The small change in expression did not go unnoticed by Dawn, "What? Did I say something?..." She drifted off, thinking back to what she said. She blushed, "Nonono! I didn't mean that. I just..."
Paul looked at her, a smirk present on his face, "You just what?"
Dawn looked flabbergasted. Paul was always talking in talk monotone of his, showing no interest in anything, and he decides to listen to her now. He was such a poohead.
"And make it double~!" a male with periwinkle hair jumped out next to his teammate.
"To protect the world from devastation~!"
"To unite all people within our nation~!"
Officer Jenny came running into the centre, "Who do you think you are? You are committing actions which are-"
The female criminal glared, "Don't interrupt! Now we have to start again."
"What are you doing here Team Rocket?" Ash asked.
Jesse glared, "Let us finish our motto. It's rude to interrupt people!"
Everyone groaned, but let them finish since it would take longer if they argued.
"So where was I? Hm... To denounce the evils of truth and love~!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above~!"
"Jessie~!"
"James~!"
By this point, everyone was getting bored and barely paid any attention anymore.
"Are you even listening?!" Jesse complained once more.
Brock was daydreaming about Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy... no need to go into details. Officer Jenny was discussing Team Rocket with Ash and Nurse Joy was behind Chansey, trying to stay away from Brock.
"Pi-ka, chuuuuu!"
A large bolt of thunder struck the three intruders.
"Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light~!" Jesse had decided to continue to motto, even in midair.
Meowth rolled his eyes, "Like we are now?"
"We're blasting off again," James said, it was a force of habit.
"SHUT UP!" his other two teammates yelled at him.
"Are you going to tell me or what?" Paul asked, getting impatient.
"Tell you what?" Dawn asked, even though she already knew what he was referring to.
Paul's glare intensified, "Don't played dumb with me Troublesome."
"Don't call me troublesome! My name is Dawn. It's one syllable, four letters. It can't seriously be that hard to remember. D-A-W-N, Dawn!"
Dawn got a roll of the eyes and a sarcastic remark in response, "Wow, Troublesome can spell her name."
"How dare you!" Dawn was too busy death staring Paul and mentally killing him in her head several times that she didn't notice she had already arrived at the Pokemon Centre.
She blinked a few times, trying to register how she got where she was. She was just following Paul, it made sense he wouldn't just walk around for no reason. Of course he was heading somewhere.
She sighed, walking into the centre. The first thing she noticed was a huge hole in the roof.
She gasped, "What in the world happened?"
Ash shook his head, "Team Rocket." He sighed, it was crazy what lengths they would go just to get a Pikachu.
Paul walked up to Nurse Joy, asking for a room to stay in and to heal his Pokemon. She handed him a key and Paul left without another word.
Dawn didn't notice Paul leave, he was so quiet and low-key.
"Where's Paul? Dawn asked, frowning.
Ash looked confused, "Paul's here?"
Dawn shook her head, "Never mind about that. Let's go get Brock and head up to our room."
The two were just about to get Brock until they saw Croagunk dragging said person, heading up to their shared room.
Paul stared out the window with the same expressionless face as usual. But there were sixty thousand, five hundred, nine hundred and seventy-two thoughts running through his head. However, there was one main thing he was thinking about that at the moment. In this case, it was a person.
"I still remember the first I saw you," he whispered to himself subconsciously. He frowned, "I remember all the times we've crossed ways."
He chuckled slightly, though there was no humour, "Too bad you don't know. I wish you did, but you don't."
"Why'd you have to travel with male companions?"
If someone saw him in this situation, they'd think he was insane.
He heard loud footsteps fade away from the open door. He didn't hear the door open, was he really that deep in thought?
He wondered who it was and if they heard anything, but soon dismissed the thought.
"It's about to rain sweetie. Are you sure you don't want an umbrella?" Nurse Joy asked politely.
Dawn smiled, "No thanks, I'll make it back before it starts drizzling."
Nurse Joy gave a nod, then went to heal another trainer's Pokemon. Dawn walked out of the Pokemon Centre, not knowing where to go. She decided to try taking the route on the left, hoping she wouldn't get lost.
After walking for a few minutes, with no one in sight, she decided to stop and just lean against a tree. She just wanted some time to herself, to figure out her thoughts.
She kicked at a pebble, trying to figure her relationship with a certain trainer. She was frustrated at herself, for falling in love with someone who could never return her feelings.
But what was that Paul had said to himself?
"Why'd you have to travel with male companions?"
The line echoed over and over. What did it mean?
Dawn sighed, she couldn't think anymore without her brain going overload.
Small pitter-patter noises could be heard, drops of water speckling the ground. Dawn looked up, finally noticing it was raining. Maybe bringing an umbrella like Nurse Joy advised would have been a good idea.
Dawn walked back to the centre, speeding up her pace at almost every step. She heard a sound of thunder and squealed in surprise. She went into panic-mode when the gloomy sky flashed white for a split second. This was not good.
She hurriedly took cover by a large tree and curled up into a ball, trying to pretend there was no thunder or lightning. Hiding under a tree wasn't the best thing to do, but Dawn couldn't think straight. She was scared, and there definitely wasn't anyone nearby.
Tears ran down her face, along with the raindrops. She would be stuck her for at least half an hour, scared out of her mind.
"Where's Dawn?" Ash asked Brock, looking around the lobby, worried.
"I don't know. Why don't we ask the beautiful Nurse Joy," Brock suggested, still trying to flirt.
Ash walked up to the counter, "Excuse me, have you seen a girl my age with blue hair around here?"
"Oh yes. She left the Pokemon Centre a tad over half an hour ago," she said, a look of concern crossing her face. "Has she not returned?"
Ash shook his head, "Thanks."
"Don't worry Ash, she can look after herself. She's probably taken cover somewhere," Brock reassured him.
Unknown to them, there was a plum haired trainer who heard their conversation.
"Dawn," the word rolled from his tongue naturally.
"What do I do? What do I do?" Dawn repeated to herself over and over. Thunder struck again, making Dawn let out another squeal.
"I'm going to die! I'm going to die!" she chanted to herself as a poor attempt for reassurance. She obviously wasn't thinking straight. In fact, she wasn't thinking at all.
She held her head tightly, and soon realised she couldn't feel the wetness of the rain anymore. She looked up, and found an umbrella being held above her.
She was grateful someone came to help her, and decided to help them by passing out. The owner of the umbrella stood there glaring before muttering, "Troublesome girl."
"She still isn't back," Ash said, looking down.
"Are you a Magnemite? Because I'm attracted to you," Brock said, hoping he had more luck this time.
Nurse Joy looked around awkwardly, and Chansey jumped at Brock.
"Chansey!" the Pokemon chanted, slapping Brock in the face.
"The physical pain hurts nowhere near as much as the feeling of not being with you!" Brock called out while being dragged away my Croagunk, again.
"Pi, pi-ka," Pikachu said in attempt to cheer Ash up, though he was worried about Dawn too.
Ash gave a smile, "You're right Pikachu. Dawn should be fine."
Nurse Joy walked up to them, "Hi, are you Ash Ketchum? A girl called Misty called you using the centre's phone."
Ash blushed, walking over to the phone.
Dawn was being carried bridal style to the Pokemon Centre. She was still unconscious, but at least she was safe. The rain growing heavier, leaving not much time to get to the Pokemon Centre. Although, a small cafe was nearby and open.
As the door opened, Dawn woke up. "P-Paul?"
Paul looked at Dawn and put her down without a word.
"Why?" Dawn asked. "Why did you save me?"
Paul ignored her and ordered a serve of hot chocolate. Dawn looked at the waiter, "I'll take one too please." The waiter gave a nod, leaving to serve the only other customer.
"Why'd you save me?" Dawn asked again. Paul ignored her as usual.
Dawn gave a huff and picked up a menu. "Why does it say 'Chocolate and Milk' as well as 'Milk and Chocolate?" Dawn questioned, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.
As expected, Paul didn't respond so Dawn continued, "There's no difference! They're the same thing, just written in a different order. It's ridiculous."
Paul raised a brow, as if amused at Dawn's little rant. The waiter came back with two cups of hot chocolate, handing one to each person.
Paul grunted, which really annoyed Dawn.
"Thank you," she said kindly to the waiter, glaring at Paul for his poor manners.
They both sat in awkward silence, occasionally taking a sip of their beverages. Dawn decided to break the tension, "So... What have you been up to lately?"
Paul, being Paul, just had to make the situation more awkward by not replying. He stared out the window, and the pair were engaged into more silence.
Paul finally answered after a few long minutes, "Training."
Dawn frowned, "Do you ever do anything other than training?"
"Yes."
Dawn's frown deepened at the brief answer. She gestured for him to go into more detail. Paul either didn't catch the hints, or he chose to ignore them.
Dawn sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to start a decent conversation with him. "Why are you like that?" she thought to herself, not meaning to say it out loud.
Seemed to catch Paul's attention. "Why am I like what?"
Dawn's eyes widened, embarrassed she said it out loud. "O-oh, nothing."
"Doesn't sound like nothing to me," Paul pressed.
Dawn glared, trying to suppress her blush, "It was nothing."
"You're blushing," Paul said nonchalantly.
Paul's comment made Dawn's blush deepen. "I am not!" she denied.
Pau moved his face closer to Dawn's, just to see how reaction. Dawn blushed like crazy, she was as red as a Lady Pink apple dipped in tomato sauce with firetruck stickers on it.
Dawn closed her eyes, expecting a kiss. She waited for a couple of moments, before opening her eyes and noticed Paul walking out the door. The weather had cleared up too.
"What the heck?!" Dawn yelled at him, obviously embarrassed.
Paul stopped in his tracks. "What now?" he asked in annoyance.
"W-why did you... why.. you!" she stuttered, not being able to put the right words together.
"Hn." Paul left the cafe without another word.
She glared at his retreating figure, then directed her attention to the table. She gasped when she saw a lavender rose. She was speechless, Paul was so unpredictable...
"You're turning into Drew!" she yelled, blushing for the millionth time that day.
"Surrender now or prepare to fight~!" James chanted, though Team Rocket had face-planted into the dirt.
"Now's not the time to be finishing the motto!" Jesse scolded.
"Meowth, that's right," agreed Meowth, finishing the motto unintended.
"Hello there hun~!" a feminine looking person sang.
Team Rocket all had the same thought going through their heads, "Oh no."
Guess who the person at the end was! :D
Anyway, hope you liked the story! I have to admit it was a bit rushed... Sowy! ^-^"
Once again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAUNA! XDDD
-CookiesNCreamNess