Saviour of the Night

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON AND THE COVER IMAGE!

Paul couldn't get her out of his mind. He got distracted all the time because she entered his thoughts through the day, night and even his dreams (although he would deny the fact and describe them as nightmares because she was in them).

What made her so special? Why did she stay in his mind, but no other girl her ever met? What did she have that they didn't? Was it the blue hair? Her clothes? Her personality? The Pokémon she used? The people she hung around with?

He lay in a bed, staring at the ceiling thinking about her...again. Paul groaned silently in frustration. Why did she keep haunting his thoughts? Was she trying to torture him? No, she probably doesn't even know that I'm thinking of her...Troublesome. His mind pictured her in her usual outfit, Piplup in her arms and smiling. Her blue eyes sparkled as they reflected the light of the sun. Her hair was smooth and blew with the wind. Her smile brightened her face and her Piplup's smile mirrored hers.

Ugh, I sound like a lovesick moron, he thought. Paul sat up and shook his head, hoping the motion would make the picture of her disappear. No luck. He still saw her in his mind. Deciding some fresh air would help, he headed outside. The cool autumn breeze felt good and refreshing. The boy walked along a path, hands in his pockets and his mind thinking again. The fresh air didn't seem to be helping.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" he heard someone scream. He looked in the direction of the scream, but saw nothing; it wasn't helping that it was already 10:30 at night. Who else would still be out here at this time? He decided to ignore the scream and keep walking. It worked well until he heard another scream. "Help! Please somebody! Help!"

Paul decided that he would investigate. He wasn't usually a curious person or cared about what anyone did, but the person sounded distressed, scared and desperate. He ran off into the direction he heard the scream come from. As he got closer to where he thought the scream came from, he heard loud sobs and a man telling someone to shut up.

As Paul got closer, he saw a man that had a girl pinned to a tree and was roughly kissing her. As he looked at the girl, he saw tears streaming from her eyes and her body was shivering; he wasn't sure if it was from the cold temperature, what the man was doing to her, or perhaps both. He decided that he had watched enough. Paul ran up to the man, grabbed his shoulder and yanked him off the girl. The man looked at Paul and lunged towards him with a fist aiming for Paul's face. Paul easily dodged it and kneed the man in the stomach. As he was recovering from the blow, Paul knocked the man unconscious and turned back to the girl. She was now sitting at the base of the tree, still sobbing. Paul approached the girl and she raised her head. As soon as he saw those blue eyes, he realized who she was. It wasn't easy to forget her; after all, she's been plaguing his mind for months now.

"Dawn!"

Dawn stopped sobbing as she heard the familiar voice and quickly stood and hugged the boy. She felt him stiffen at the contact, but he seemed to give in. He placed his arms on her back and around her waist, while hers wrapped around his neck.

"I was so scared. Thank you! Thank you so much! You don't know how glad I am to see you," she whispered to him. He gently rubbed her back in a circular motion to try and comfort her. He noticed how she seemed to wobble and realized that she was exhausted as she fainted in his arms. He didn't want to leave her here, especially since he didn't know when that man would wake up again. He decided to carry her (bridal style) back to the hotel that he was staying at. He laid her on the bed that he was previously on.

She looked peaceful and at ease. Her face looked calm and complimented the rest of her body and personality. He lay next to her and was waiting for sleep to take over. While Paul waited, Dawn subconsciously snuggled up to his body. Her head was now resting on his chest and her hands were gripping his shirt loosely. Paul softly placed his arms around her waist and pulled her even closer. He closed his eyes and waited for the sun to rise.

The sun shone through the window, signalling a new morning. Paul's eyes flittered open and he looked around him. The first thing that caught his attention was soft, dark blue hair. As he kept looking, he noticed that it was Dawn in his arms and memories of last night replayed in his mind. He walked into the bathroom and refreshed himself. He quietly opened the door to the room and went outside to get some breakfast for him and Dawn.

When he entered the room again, Dawn was already up and looking out the window. When she heard the door open, her eyes snapped to Paul and she smiled at him. "Morning," she said. The cheeriness in her voice sounded genuine and he believed that she was already feeling better.

"Morning," Paul replied before he placed the breakfast on the table that was situated in the room. They both sat down and ate in silence. He wasn't the type to strike a conversation. No, that was more Dawn's element; although he didn't think she would talk more than needed after last night.

After they finished eating, he decided he needed to ask her how she was feeling. "How are you...after last night?" She looked at him, her eyes distant. She blinked and her eyes focused on him.

She smiled, "Much better. Thank you for everything Paul. I know it's not like you and you probably thought that it was a waste of time to save me. Anyway, I should get going. I guess I'll see you around." Dawn walked towards the door until she heard him mumble something under his breath.

"Sorry, what did you say?" she asked.

"I said: What makes you think that it was a waste of my time to save you?" he replied without looking at her. She turned to look at him, surprise written all over her face. She let the words sink in and tried to figure out the deeper meaning of what he said.

"What do you mean?"

He sighed, knowing he wasn't going to get out of this. When this girl wanted something, she wouldn't stop until she got it; it was one of the things he admired about her (although he wouldn't ever admit it aloud).

"I didn't think it was a waste of time at all. What he was going to do to you wasn't right and I couldn't let him go through with it. I'm glad I saved you. To see you save...it felt like a burden was lifted off my shoulders. I felt relieved."

She stared at his back in astonishment. Firstly, that was probably the most she ever heard him talk at once. Second, he cared. What other explanation was there? He felt relieved when he saw that she was save. What else could it mean, but that he cared?

Paul felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see Dawn smiling at him. "Thank you," she said softly before connecting their lips. He felt her arms snake around his neck while his encircled her waist. He responded to her kiss and he could feel her smile against his lips. As the need for air came, they broke apart.

"Paul, I love you."

She looked at him, hoping to see a sign that showed that he felt the same. Nothing. His face looked as emotionless as ever. She stepped away from him and lowered her head so that he wouldn't see her tears. Before she knew what was going on, her head was against Paul's chest, while he hugged her tightly.

"And I love you."

Maybe midnight walks weren't such a bad idea after all.