Chapter Two: The Champion's Visit

Jubilife City: Lucas


"Wake up, you guys! We've gotta get a move on!"

Ugh. It was only six in the morning, and Damion was already up. I could tell that Dawn was used to this, because she sat up immediately, allowed herself a yawn, and pulled the blankets off without further comment. I, on the other hand, was a lot more reluctant to get out of bed.

"It's six. Gym's not even open," I muttered, allowing some annoyance to seep through my voice.

"Yeah, but it's never too early to train!" he shot back, seemingly unaware that his shouting was making my head hurt. Dawn just shot me a sympathetic smile, which somewhat lessened my sour disposition. Well, we were both in the same boat; might as well grin and bear it.

Or not. I mean, we got to Jubilife around ten at night, spent hours looking for a decent hotel, and the guy just decides to wake us both up at daybreak! At least I got a few hours of sleep. I had planned to spend the rest of today reading up, dorky as that sounds, and didn't want to do it with a set of tired eyes.

Come on, Damion. I groaned and buried my head in the pillow. Maybe they'd just leave me alone for a second or two. If I was lucky, maybe even a minute.

"Well," Dawn piped up suddenly, trying to nudge me out of bed. "At least you didn't grow up with him. He once woke me up at three in the morning to do some exploring at Lake Verity." She gave up on trying to get me up and walked over to the nightstand that divided our respective beds, rummaging through the drawers until she found her clothes. "We didn't find anything, and we had school the next day!"

"Well, there was this really cool news report, and I wanted to see if there-" Damion stopped, shaking his head as he realized that Dawn wasn't listening. "Fine, fine. Sorry. I know I'm being annoying. But still, it's my sixth gym battle, and I don't want to lose."

"So you're just going to train until the gym opens?" I muttered into my pillow. Dawn shrugged, even though the question wasn't directed at her, and took her beanie from the nightstand.

"I thought you'd be used to it by now, Luke. We've been doing this for, what? A few times, every week or so?"

"Huh." I responded incoherently. Damion snorted, and Dawn just sighed and walked off.

"Well, there's no use in pushing the guy," I heard her say as she walked to the bathroom to change. Part of me wanted to stay under the covers, where the world was warm and sleep pulled me in. But part of me wanted to get out and stop the two from treating me like some hopeless nutcase.

Rest or pride? I fought with myself with a second or two before muttering, pulling my head from the pillow, and forcing myself out of bed. Dawn stopped and shot me a smile, while Damion just nodded and tapped his fingers on the wall, impatient as always.

"Here? Happy, Damion?" I managed. "You forced me out of bed. What else do you want?"

The remark went unnoticed, drowned by a "Look, he's up! You should do that a lot more, Dawn. The guilt trick or whatever you just pulled."

"It wasn't anything I did. He got up on his own accord." She shot me a look that could be interpreted as gratefulness, but for what, I wasn't certain. All I knew was that I felt slightly better about having to get up early.

Again, for no particular reason. At all.

"You know," Damion remarked as the bathroom door closed. "You seem to listen to Dawn a lot. Why not me? I'm certainly much more charming."

"If only you could be as tolerable," I thought, but decided against saying it. Instead, I said nothing, which evidently gave him time to think of another snark.

"And you always give her a hand. Never me! I mean, remember yesterday? You just stood by and said nothing when I agreed on going back to Jubilife! And when she wanted to stay at that old inn that was practically falling apart, you called your Staraptor out to ram the door open? What's up with that?"

"Nothing. She's a girl and I helped her," I muttered, thinking of nothing else and hoping I didn't sound like a sexist pig. If Damion had any complaints about that, he just stood by and said nothing about it. I relaxed, thinking that his rant had ended, when he spoke the most idiotic thing I had ever heard him say.

"It's not just that, huh? You like her, don't you?"

He leaned against the wall, probably thinking that he was some great detective or something. But to my surprise, even under the circumstances and the subject matter, I actually thought about what Damion said.

For a split-second or two. Then I shook my head.

"No. No, I don't. And you have a problem if you think that at all."

"Oh, come on!" Damion persisted, evidently unaware of what the word "No" meant. "You help her all the time, you do whatever she says, and you're always in a better mood whenever she talks to you. Even I've caught on! There's no denying it!"

... I'll interrupt this little scene we've got going on here to add some of my own thoughts on the matter.

For one, no, I did not like Dawn. Not in that way. Certainly not in that way. She was just a nice escape from all those girls who thought of nothing more than makeup and such. She had her vanities, but she was extremely intelligent. And besides, she was calm. Not wild and reckless like those other screaming females in the world.

Second of all, Damion needed to learn what "No" meant. When somebody asks you the question "Do you like him/her" and expect you to give them a coherent, definite answer, they usually warp your answer so that "No" means "Yes" and "Yes" means "YES".

In conclusion, NO MEANS NO, and the world needs to learn that.

Moving on. Damion was too smug. Too smug for his own safety. I had to fight the desire to walk over there and smack that self-satisfied little knowing smirk off his face, but before I could do that, his best friend in the whole entire world entered the room, fully dressed. I didn't know how Dawn could stand wearing tiny skirts and sleeveless shirts the entire day, with the weather getting colder and such. Luckily, she was practical and had planned to go shopping for warmer clothes that afternoon.

And for that, you have my respect, Dawn. Finally someone that puts practicality over fashion.

"Hey, Dawn!" Damion grinned, as if he hadn't been completely stupid in the last few minutes she had been absent. "That was fast. Usually, you spend a few more minutes in the bathroom. Fixing your hair and stuff, right?"

"Right. But there's not much of a point. The wind'll mess it up anyways," she pointed out. I nodded, hoping that Damion wouldn't misinterpret this simple gesture, and walked over to the nightstand to pull my clothes out of the drawer.

"You guys can head out to the lobby. I'll meet you guys there."

"It's alright, we'll wait. I'm not in any rush to head out there," Dawn nodded at the door. "And besides. It's better if we stick together."

"Of course, you'd really want her to stay, right?" Damion cut in. Dawn raised an eyebrow, eyeing the guy with that strangely intuitive way of hers. I shrugged, trying to act like I was unaffected by that question, and cut a clear course to the bathroom to change.

"You guys can go if you want. But if you insist on staying, stay."

That seemed to be the best answer, since I heard no audible retaliation from Damion and no sound from Dawn. Taking that as a positive sign, I slipped into the bathroom and closed the door, trying to ignore the fact that Damion could've been telling Dawn anything- anything- while I left them alone in that room.

--

"You," I turned to Dawn, "Want to go shopping." She nodded yes, and I then turned to Damion.

"And you want to go training, and then gym battling in the afternoon." He nodded, rolling his eyes. I just simply liked to stay organized, and if annoying Damion was the only way I could go about it, then cool, I had no complaints.

"Alright then. I think the best way to kill time is to travel to Canalave on foot. The department stores are still closed this early in the morning, but I expect them to be open by the time we get there. And we could train by battling the wild Pokemon that appear as we travel, so there's Damion's plans for you."

Dawn gave me an appreciative thumbs-up, while Damion shrugged in that way of his. We were walking down the paved roads of Jubilife, the huge grey towers hanging over us in the early morning darkness. The streets were empty, obviously, so we made good time. I wasn't usually in a hurry, but this morning, I felt some excitement flooding me and compelling my legs to move quicker.

It was the thought of the Canalave Library, but I wasn't about to admit that to Damion, who would probably elevate me to the position of "King of the Geeks" in his mind. I wasn't going there for leisure reading, I wanted to remind him. This is serious stuff. Stuff that could help us save Sinnoh's guardians!

"And so," Damion was telling Dawn as we walked through the empty streets as I remained silent. "I think this battle's gonna be one of my easiest. Empoleon can tear Byron's Steelix down, no matter how big that thing is! And I bet that the rest of his team's gonna be a breeze. You'll see once we get there."

"I'm sure I will," Dawn replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice. I nodded along, not really wanting to contribute anything. Battling had never been my strong point, and I really had no intentions of forcing my own Pokemon to fight. Of course, unless those Galactic freaks wanted to blow a city up or something insane like that.

"So," Damion continued. "I'm thinking that once we get to Snowpoint, I'll need to think of some strategy, you know? I've heard that the members of the League have been training hard, and it'll take more than just pure power to get past the champion."

"No kidding. You're going to need an intricate battle plan to beat Cynthia," Dawn responded. Cynthia was the champion of the Sinnoh Pokemon League, and despite Damion's obsession with beating her, she was one of his idols. Dawn and I looked up to her in our own ways- for one, she was an old friend of Professor Rowan's, which heightened our respect for her. And she was incredibly strong- there was no doubting that after all we'd seen. We had only met her once or twice during our journey around Sinnoh, and we usually ran some errands for her when she seemed like she needed help. Though she could be somewhat pushy at times, she was also a pretty neat person.

I knew that Damion was looking forwards to running into her again. Probably just to fanboy over her, though.

"... beat that Garchomp of hers," Damion finished. I, as usual, had half-heartedly listened as Dawn and Damion exhausted several conversation topics in one sitting. Finally, in that restless way of his, Damion stopped talking (finally), adjusted his green scarf, and yelled a "Let's go, then, Slowpokes!" into the empty morning sky.

He took off like a rocket, and I half-expected Dawn to go after him. She just sighed, the wind messing up her hair like she predicted it would, and hung back, feet hitting the pavement in time to mine.

"I don't know where he gets the energy," she mused. "Probably wants to run off all that pre-gym battle anxiety, right?"

"Something like that. He must have taken some getting used to."

"I'll say," she responded good-naturedly, a faint tiredness still in her voice. "I want to get back into bed. Wish I had your stubborn will."

I didn't know how to respond to that, so I shrugged it off and didn't acknowledge her last statement. "It's only five, so we're all tired. It's fine," I announced feebly, as if it weren't apparent enough. She didn't show any signs of disdain, just continued walking as Damion jogged up ahead.

"It really is cold. I let pride get in the way of practicality, you know?" she changed the subject quickly, sensing my unwillingness to say anything more. "I thought I could actually explore Sinnoh's entirety by summer's end. Guess I miscalculated by a long shot."

"Oh," I managed. How did she know exactly what I was thinking? Dawn was strange like that.. like I said, oddly intuitive. Sometimes, it felt like she could sense our emotions, even if we used our best efforts to hide them. It was vaguely creepy at times, but it also lent me some relief. I didn't have to say anything to her; she already knew. With Damion, it took a lot more explaining to get everything out, which was why I usually avoided lengthy conversations with the guy.

"Should we catch up to him?" She nodded at the person in question, who was sprinting down the length of the road. "I'm not in any mood for running, but I don't feel enthusiastic about hearing Daim complain about us again." She fidgeted with her scarf, which was a dark pink color.

"Go ahead, if you want," I responded, watching 'Daim' pass buildings at light speed. "I don't think I could catch up."

That last statement proved wrong, as we both saw Damion stumble and nearly go flying off the street. He regained his composure, though, and ran on.

"He's nervous," she murmured, and raised an eyebrow. "I'd better go, then. Something's off about him."

"See ya," I mumbled, but it went unheard as Dawn, scarf flying, went heading towards her best friend.

--

Countless wild Pokemon, trainer battles, and traveling mishaps later, the three of us made it, panting, to Canalave City. By now, the streets were full of people. Sailors lined the docks, singing ditties or shouting incomprehensible things to passerby.

"So," I heard Damion ask above the din, "Should we ask if there's any room at the Pokemon Center? It can't hurt to check, and if we book a room now, we won't have to worry about sleeping at Jubilife again."

"Sure. You up for it, Luke?" Dawn nudged me with her elbow, and I turned around, somewhat annoyed. I had never really liked loud noises, and with the exhaustion of the morning run added to the unbearably stuffy atmosphere... well, Dawn had only asked a question. I shrugged, trying not to make my displeasure too evident. The last thing I needed was the two of my traveling companions asking me what was wrong.

"You can stay here, if you want," she went on. "Damion and I can go check, and you can just head to the library."

I did like the sound of that, but something compelled me to answer "No, I'll go with you guys. It'll be easier to meet up."

We walked into the Pokemon Center, a gust of cold air enveloping us as we stepped inside the air-conditioned lobby. A swarm of trainers crowded the room, and I could clearly see that nobody was checking out. Dawn went to one of the counters to ask about the vacancy, while Damion just collasped onto a nearby chair and groaned.

"We walked all this way, now we have to walk back again at night. Figures. This sucks. Why'd we even bother trying?" he grumbled to himself. I listened half-heartedly, then looked up when Dawn headed our way, two cards in hand.

As quickly as he had fallen into it, Damion jumped off the chair and ran to her. "Oh, so we've got a room? Awesome!"

"Not exactly," she murmured. Catching my eye, she handed a card to me. "Can you make any sense of it?"

I turned the card over in my hand. The color was all but scratched off, and the words were barely legible. "Membership Passes? What's this all about?"

"Everything's booked here, so I asked about rooms at Harbor Inn. Turns out that the inn used to have some sort of joint program with the Center." I handed the card back to her, and she pocketed both. "Nurse Joy gave me these passes. She didn't say anything about nightmares, so I'm sure it'll be fine."

"Says you," Damion muttered under his breath, but I ignored her and ventured, "How many nights?"

"As long as we want. It's all but vacant, so I think they're desperate for business. It was cheap, no worries."

"So we have enough for food, water, the necessary things?" Damion asked. Dawn hit him over the head playfully, and I fought the urge to groan.

"I'm sure Dawn's been reasonable with the money. Now let's head off, or the Gym's going to be crowded."

--

"Sorry, kids, but Byron's not acceptin' any more trainers."

"But why?" Damion groaned deplorably. The bespectacled man shrugged, propping his arm up against the door of the gym as if guarding it.

"Some incident in the Underground. They're makin' repairs."

"So the Gym's off-limits until the problem's figured out? For about how long?" The trainer persisted, pacing a little. The man was looking more than a little annoyed at this point, but Damion remained unfazed, more preoccupied with the issue at hand.

"I'll say 'bout a week or so. 'Course, what with all those nightmares flying 'round Canalave, I suspect it's more than that. Byron could be having personal issues, I guess. Only explanation I got was something about the Underground." The man shrugged and leaned against the doorways, towering over us. "I told you all I know. Now scram. Makes my job easier."

"Oh, come on!" Damion complained again, and I fought the urge to hit him over the head. Dawn was somewhat relieved at the prospect of getting more time to train with him, and remembering how the two had barely made it past the trainers that flooded the streets that morning, I knew that they both needed the help. But when I remembered how much Damion was probably going to complain until the Canalave Gym reopened, I started to resent Byron as much as the trainer in question probably did at this point.

"Okay, so what now? Studying or shopping?" I asked in an effort to change the subject. Damion just huffed in indignation, while Dawn shrugged and said, "It's really up to you, Lucas."

"Well, we could split up."

"And just meet back here, then? That's alright with me."

I shrugged, then turned to Damion. "You fine with the plan?"

"I don't really care... but who am I going with?"

"Your choice," Dawn broke in, much to my dismay. Pleasenotmepleasenotmepleeaasenotme, I begged internally, hoping that Damion would somehow acquire the ability to read minds.

He thought for a moment, and I knew he was debating with himself. An afternoon shopping with Dawn or an afternoon studying with me... both were equally undesirable to him, I could tell. At last, he scrunched up his face in a great show of deep thought, and then pronounced, "I'm going with Luke, here."

"What?" Dawn exclaimed, a little more than just surprised. I bit my lip, myself a little shocked by his conclusion, and could only muster an inaudible "Wow."

"And the reasoning behind your choice is...?" She prompted, and I waited for the explanation, thinking it would probably be pretty nonsensical.

Damion shrugged and, to our amazement, said:

"If I go shopping with you, Dawn, I have to haul your bags around, give you fashion advice, and sit around in waiting rooms while moms give me pity looks. The library's got computers, they've got the PokeNet up and running... yeah. And Lucas is probably going to get so lost in his reading that he won't give me a second thought. On the off chance that he does, though, it'll give us lots of buddy bonding time."

I tried not to gag.

"Well..." Dawn mused. "That's... understandable, I guess." I could tell that she was somewhat disappointed at having to go off alone, but she evidently found "buddy bonding time" to be of equal importance.

"So you're just going to go by yourself, then? You really don't need Damion to tag along?" I asked- no, pleaded. Nevertheless, my thoughts of a quiet afternoon shattered into pieces as Dawn shook her head.

"It'll be fine. You guys have a nice time reading or something. So we'll meet back at the Gym around..." She studied her Poketch. "Four-thirty? Is that alright?"

"Sounds good to me," Damion agreed, while I let my silence answer the question. Nobody seemed to notice, however, and the plan carried on as Dawn skipped away, heading back across the wooden bridge that divided Canalave into two halves.

"See you guys later," she waved, leaving me with the worst guy to bring into a library. Ever.

--

"Buddy bonding time? What's up with that?" I fumed as soon as Dawn was out of hearing range. Damion shrugged.

"Dawn's the type that believes everybody should get along and have a good, happy time together. Who am I to shatter her dreams? To deny her world peace?"

"And who are you to deny me peace right now?" I knew it was a weak retaliation, but Damion evidently didn't care. He practically pranced up ahead, a spring in his step, seemingly recovered from the fact that the gym was closed.

We walked for a while, and nobody spoke. The library was relatively close to the gym, so I estimated that the journey would only take within a few minutes of weaving through crowds and busy people. The waves crashed against the harbor, and it seemed as if the entire city was getting engulfed by noise. Not a minute of silence permeated the air.

"Come onnnn, Luke! The library caaalllls!" Damion sang once we sighted the library. I began to think that the world was going to end in a few minutes, and truth be told, I almost would've wanted it to. This was getting too out of hand for my own good. First of all, Damion yanked me from bed to get to a gym that wasn't open in the first place. Second, Damion was starting to think that I had some secret thing for Dawn. And third of all, he was going to a library. A library.

Instantly, I felt unspeakable self-pity.

"OHMYARCEUSLUKELUKELUKELUKELUKE"

"What now?" I responded, more irate than curious, at the same time scanning my surroundings for anybody who could be a witness if I strangled him on the spot. Damion had ran on ahead while I continued behind him in a steady walk, and, if I saw correctly through the swarm of people, he was at the front of the library.

"LUKELUKELUKELUKELUKEIT'SCYNTHIAAA" he breathed/yelled through the incessant chattering of passerby, doing a sort of spasming dance while onlookers pretended not to notice. I suppressed a groan.

I didn't waste time to protest, but pushed my way through the people, running up until Damion was in clear view. Ahead of him was a huge throng of people, screaming and gushing. Maybe what they were swarming around was the source of the huge crowds this morning.

"Yeah, that's Cynthia," I muttered, and it didn't go unnoticed by my companion, who immediately started to tug on my arm.

"Come on, Luke, let'sgo! Letsgoletsgoletsgo!" He pleaded until his mutterings became incomprehensible, and he all but knelt on the floor in desperation.

"We came here to visit the library, and that's what we're doing." Scowling, I took a hold of his collar and dragged him in the direction of the front door. "This way."

"But Lucaaaas!"

"Shut up! People are looking!"

(They weren't, but hey. Whatever worked.)

He tried again, trying to take advantage of my so-called weakness. "It's what Dawn would've wanted!"

"That's not going to work, you know," I managed, trying not to let my resolve weaken out of annoyance.

He paused for a moment, and I knew this was the moment where, in a stroke of genius, Damion would magically make me agree with him.

"If you let me go, I'll stay outta your way when you research." He looked like some kid who was begging for candy, but in all actuality, I didn't quite have the heart to refuse him after that argument. "And besides, my dreams have been shattered enough today!"

"Then go." I sighed, trying not to let Damion's look of utter admiration soften my demeanor. "I'll be on the fourth floor of the library. Don't do anything stupid."

"Yeah. Alright, thanks, Luke." He stood up, then shot me a look of gratitude. Amazingly enough, his little-kid act had vanished as quickly as it came...

...then he sprinted head-on into the mob of people, shouting "CYNTHIA!" at the top of his lungs.

--

The Poketch read 4:30. Dawn was waiting by the bridge when I walked to her, alone. A large paper bag dangled from her arm, and a plush white scarf was draped in a bulky mass around her neck. She raised an eyebrow as I scrunitized her new outfit, warning me not to say anything about it unless I wanted to face certain doom.

"Where's Damion?" Were her first words after a moment of awkward quiet. I shrugged, trying not to let the disdain show.

"Cynthia's in Canalave," I explained, and she got it instantly, nodding halfheartedly and staring out into the sea.

We were silent for a while, letting the breeze and the ocean waves break the quiet. The streets were all but empty by now. It seemed as if the people had all gone home, despite the sun still being up.

"We should head back to the library, then," she suggested after a while, reluctance tinging her voice. I complied without a word, walking ahead before she had to tell me.

"What did you learn?"She pressed on after she had caught up to me, paper bag bouncing as she fought to keep up with my impatient stride.

"Little to nothing."

She nodded, understanding completely. Feeling a small pang of guilt when I saw how tired she was, I took her shopping bag and slowed my pace until we were walking at a steady rate.

"I think we know more about the three guardians than anyone. That is, other than TG," Dawn remarked quietly as we continued. "We actually got to meet them, if only for an instant. Others still think they're myths."

"If more people knew, don't you think we'd get tons of help on our side?"

"Yeah, sure." She scoffed, dragging her feet. "The word of three kids isn't going to help. Even if one of us is going to be Pokemon Champion one day-" she rolled her eyes good-naturedly, referring to Damion, "- And another's probably going to take over Sandgem Lab when he completes the National Pokedex, people would still believe that none of us are capable of telling the truth."

"Don't sell yourself short," I responded. "What, so you think they won't take your word for it?"

"No. They'll think the adorable girl has a lovely imagination, but she's as strange as all the others." She managed a small smile, but I noticed that there was a certain dejection in her voice. Sensing my curiosity, she abruptly changed the subject. "Hey, you said Cynthia's in town, right?"

"Yeah," I confirmed, feeling sudden pity for the champion. As if she didn't have enough on her hands, she now had to endure dragging Damion and a swarm of fans around all day.

"Cynthia studies myths and legends, doesn't she? If we could get her to vouch for us, we'd get credibility and help from someone who knows what she's doing."

"Nice plan. If we can pry Damion away from her and manage to worm ourselves into her schedule, we'll be all set."

"Lucas. Ever the pessimist." In a rare show of playfulness, she tugged my scarf, nearly knocking me over. "Have some hope, won't you?"

"Don't do that," I retorted weakly, and she smirked, taking hold of it and dragging me across the street. I was glad that nobody was around (much less Damion, who would've taunted me for ages), but was less enthusiastic about the choking sensation that was sending ripples of pain throughout my chest.

"Hey, for once, I've bested you in something other than cooking. I'm going to cherish the moment." She gave the scarf another tug, enough to send me reeling but not enough to cause me unbearable pain. We were making good progress, actually, and had managed to manuever our way to the front of the library.

"So what have you bested me in? Brute force?" I managed to yank myself out of her grip, taking a second to readjust the scarf around my sore neck. Dawn smirked.

"Trust me, it's not as painful as eating the food you cook," she retaliated, a hint of amusement in her eyes. I said no more on the subject, but meandered my way to the nearest bench and collasped onto the wooden seat, the paper shopping bag landing with a thud next to me. Dawn walked her way over, but didn't sit down.

We scouted the front of the library for a few minutes from where we were. None of us had the energy to do any more walking, so we remained stationary.

"So where did Damion say he'd meet you? Did he say that he'd stay near the library?" Dawn finally ventured. I shrugged halfheartedly.

"He didn't say anything about that, actually."

"So you're saying he could be anywhere in this city. Anywhere."

"To the extent of my knowledge, yes. I assumed he'd still be here, though."

A look of utter annoyance crossed her face, and I started to regret even bringing her to the libary. Exasperated, she turned her gaze to the bench, and I moved over to give her some room.

"He knows that we're supposed to meet at the bridge," she muttered as she sat down. "He'd be there if he couldn't find you. And if not, he'd be here."

"Who knows? Maybe he's back at Harbor Inn," I tried, hoping to appease her. Dawn just bit her lip in contemplation, then took her handbag, sorting through layers of supplies before finding her Pokedex.

"Organization's important," I remarked, and she shot me an icy stare.

"Well, finding Damion comes before that." She extracted the bright red device, flipping it open as if it were more of a toy than an expensive research instrument. Trying to hide my annoyance, I watched as Dawn's fingers moved at lightning speed over the small keypad, typing in the registration number of Damion's Pokedex.

"Why didn't I think of calling him sooner?" She muttered as she waited for the device to contact the aforementioned trainer. Translation: why didn't you think of calling him sooner? I felt a bit embarrassed, but not enough to let it faze me.

A couple of seconds, and Damion's voice came out of the speaker; calmly, clearly.

"Hey, yeah. Um, where are you?" Dawn asked oh-so-eloquently.

"That weird old inn. Cynthia's with me, too. Not many people are around here, so we're sorta hiding from her rabid fans."

"Oh, and you're not part of that rabid fanbase?" She queried, a small grin lighting her face.

"Uh, no. I kinda led her here. Figured she could stay the night with us, right?"

"Right, if that's okay with Luke." Dawn raised an eyebrow at me, and I shrugged. "He's alright with it. Of course, you guys need to share a room. I only got three, so Cynthia and I will take the other two. Is that alright?"

WHAT?! I suddenly started flailing around in a desperate attempt to communicate my displeasure to Dawn, but she remained oblivious. Sure, I had stayed with them all in one room before, but not with Damion alone. What was he going to do to me without Dawn there?

"Yeah, that's fine," Damion replied, almost too cheerfully. Maybe because a certain blond female trainer was with him? "So we'll stay here and wait for you guys. Okay? See you later."

"Okay." She hung up and flipped the Pokedex shut, stuffing it with the rest of her belongings and turning to me.

"Let's get going. You have your, um, 'membership pass'?"

"Yeah. Yeah," I agreed wearily, not in any position to refuse. "But next time, give my thoughts some consideration."

"Is this about sharing a room?" I let my facial expression answer, and she rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Come on, Lucas. If Damion can live with it, why can't you?"

"He's just agreeing because Cynthia's with him. Come on, Dawn. You know him."

"I do know him. I have known him," was the prompt, curt answer. Without warning, Dawn snatched her shopping bag, grabbed hold of my scarf yet again, and dragged me away from the bench. "We should go. There's no telling what he'll do without us around."

"Bad stuff," I mumbled. Dawn, surprisingly, heard that and smirked, tugging my scarf yet again.

"Exactly, Luke," she muttered, amusement in her eyes. "Exactly."