Wheeze- I'm alive but not for long lmao. - Don't take that seriously. It's just because summer's rolling around and I just remembered that highschool dumped a load of homework on me. Haha, it's great to be alive.
Now to address some reviews:
St Elmo's Fire, I'm not really sure where you came from but your review was interesting. Thanks for the input, I'll consider it heavily. I was told by one other person that my first chapter had a heck ton of grammatical errors. So, I suppose that's just something that I have to work on ^^
Istwill56, thanks for the heads up. As much as I appreciate it, I think that I can't overlook decently worded criticism. Although I'll admit that your quick note eased my tension when the story first got uploaded.
ShesPeaches, thanks for the feedback! I'm really glad you liked the first chapter as well as my other... more strange stories ^ ^! Thanks for the encouragement and good luck in high school! We can surely fight through this together :
QUEENSPELLER67, thanks for the continuous support! In case you're curious as to why I kept Paul out of Sinnoh: I didn't want Dawn or Paul to have any connection at all in this AU. Even though they were both in Sinnoh at some point in time, I wanted to use part of the conversation to take a jab at Paul's family background.
Welp, time to get rolling before I forget how this story was supposed to play out.
Chapter 2: Slush Rush
-o-
"Want to get a slushy at Slush Rush?" Drew elbowed Dawn gently in the side, causing her to look up from her phone.
"Slush Rush? Isn't that a pokemon's ability?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, but it's also a gas station. It's about a five-minute walk from UP." Drew shoved a history textbook in his locker before slamming it shut. "You, me, Paul, and May could go."
"Paul and May are moving stuff into May's dorm room today. Besides, don't you have stuff to move as well?" Dawn walked with him to the front entrance of the school. Yesterday's freshman orientation started off interesting. However, it quickly turned into a lecture about what it meant to be a proper Unova Prep student. Though Dawn supposed that UP wouldn't have such a good reputation if the faculty didn't enforce the rules.
"Nope! I moved into my dorm yesterday night," he replied. Dawn detected an overwhelming dose of pride within his tone.
"But didn't you tell May that you were going to be moving in today so you couldn't help her?" The blue haired girl reached behind her and slid her phone into the side pocket of her backpack. She crossed her arms and gave Drew a frown, suspecting that he had lied to May because he was too lazy to help a friend.
"Relax, Dawn. Don't give me that look. I just saw that she and Paul were hitting it off and I figured that it would be a nice chance for Paul to become friends with someone else here aside from me." Drew noticed that she wasn't next to him anymore. Dawn was walking slightly behind him. He figured that after realizing that neither of them have plans, she must have decided that she was going to follow his lead to Slush Rush. "Don't you think this is a good thing?"
"I never said it wasn't a good thing. I guess I was just making sure that you weren't flaking out on May." Her voice relaxed as she let out a sigh.
"It's not really flaking. I never said I'd help her," Drew laughed.
"Whatever." Dawn shook her head at him. "Is Paul a good roommate? I haven't met mine yet."
"It's only been a day, Dawn," Drew rolled his eyes, "but I guess he's pretty cool. Last night we just sort of sat around and watched pokemon battles on tv."
"Very fun," she said sarcastically.
"It wasn't that bad." He shrugged his shoulders. "How come you haven't met your roommate yet? Wasn't she sleeping in the same dorm room as you?"
"No. For whatever reason, her stuff was there but she wasn't. I don't know where the hell she went. She didn't even come after orientation," Dawn explained. "I checked a roster and apparently her name is Leaf Green. Kind of a unique name, right?"
"Yeah, but I've heard some even stranger names. One time, in elementary school, there was this kid named Silver. Like dude, who names their kid after a metal? I remember asking him if he had siblings named Bronze or Gold and he punched me in the face." Drew grinned as he reminisced.
"He sounds charming." Dawn rolled her eyes.
"Wow, Dawn." Drew snorted.
"What?" she questioned.
"You're being a little sassy pants today," he said. A playful glint appeared in his eye.
"Whatever you say," Dawn replied simply. She went quiet and Drew could tell that his teasing wouldn't get under her skin very easily. He decided that it wouldn't be as fun messing with Dawn as it would be with May.
The two walked in silence for a minute or two. Dawn thought it was peaceful but beside her, Drew kept thinking about how awkward it was to go more than thirty seconds without a single word.
He coughed before finally asking, "So about your roommate not coming back," he made sure Dawn was paying attention before continuing, "maybe she did come back. Maybe she came back really late at night while you were asleep and then left super early in the morning before you were awake."
"Maybe, but I don't see why someone would want to do that." Dawn pondered Drew's theory before dismissing it with a shake of the head. "After this, I'm going to go hunt her down. I was talking with a girl in math today who apparently knows her. Do you know Misty Waterflower?"
Drew shook his head.
"Well, we were talking about roommates today. She told me that hers is some girl named Hilda. So I told her the name of mine and she recognized it. I was told that my roommate recently signed up and became co-manager of the UP soccer team!" Dawn exclaimed. "Which means I should be able to find her if I come back after we get slushies. If I come back during practice then there's no way that we'll miss each other."
"Smart," Drew admitted. "But what does a co-manager even do?" He held back a snort.
"Usually the manager just sort of keeps things organized. I guess from what I've seen, they usually just help guide the team. They've got like schedules and information about games. In middle school, my friend was the manager of the girl's basketball team. But I think middle school is a lot different from high school," the girl responded. She tapped her cheek gently with her index finger as she thought. Then she remembered, "I think they also do a lot of setting up and preparing for games."
"Alright. So if that's a manager, then what's the co-manager supposed to do?" He sped up his pace. The sun shining down on them was getting increasingly hot. It was especially blinding as they stepped out from the shadows of the trees. The trees were planted and spread out neatly on the grass by the sidewalk. Drew wasn't sure if the number of trees and shade to walk in was decreasing or if he was just being paranoid.
"I don't know. They probably help the manager. Maybe they get all the tiny or tedious tasks. I bet they have to refill water bottles and stuff like that," said Dawn as she moved to catch up with Drew.
"That sounds like it sucks. Why would your roommate want to do stuff like that?" A disgusted look appeared on Drew's face. "Sounds like work."
"Maybe she's trying to find a boyfriend on the soccer team," Dawn laughed.
"You're probably right," Drew laughed back, "but if that's the case, then sign me up to be manager of the Unova Prep cheerleading squad."
"Gross. I was going to look into joining the UP cheerleaders but if you're going to be the manager then I'll take a pass." Dawn jokingly scrunched her face up to flash disgust. Drew flashed her a pained look. "Relax, Drew, I wasn't serious. I was just messing with you."
His frown broke into a grin. "I know. I was messing with you too."
"You almost got me for a second," Dawn replied. She stopped behind Drew, who came to a halt. "What's up?"
"We're here!" Drew announced.
"So this is Slush Rush," Dawn said slowly as she followed Drew into the gas station. The gas station doors slid open and cold air enveloped the two.
"Let's go fill 44oz cups!" Drew rushed over and grabbed a cup. He snatched up the corresponding cup top from the counter. Dawn watched him fly to the Mountain Dew flavor dispenser on the massive Slush Rush slushy machine. "Heck yeah!"
"That's gigantic! I'll just take a smaller one." Dawn walked over to where Drew had gotten his 44oz cup. She was debating what to choose based on the price when she saw a large decal that read 'Any Size: Fountain or Slushy is $0.99'. She picked out two medium cups and tops.
"Why are you getting two?" Drew looked over at her as he finished filling up his slushy cup.
"I'm going to give one to Leaf Green when I get back to the school," she answered as she first filled up one with blue raspberry slushy. "Do you think she likes blue raspberry?"
"You're actually going back to try and meet her?" The cold substance dripped down the side of his right hand so he grabbed a napkin with his left and wiped it off. He heard no response so he went to tap Dawn on the shoulder as she quickly topped off the medium cup. "Dawn?"
"Yeah, I'm going. I thought it'd be rude if I came to the soccer practice to see her without bringing her a drink as well. You don't have to come with me." Dawn started filling up the second cup. "You can just head back, I'll be fine on my own."
"Well, in that case, I'll head back to my dorm after this. I'll walk you back to the school's soccer field and then take off," Drew followed Dawn to the counter. He dug through his pocket and got his wallet. At the same time, Dawn fished her purse out of her backpack.
"Thanks, Drew. I can find the soccer field on my own though; shouldn't be too hard. I just need help getting back to school from here. I can't backtrack easily," Dawn said. Her dark blue eyes scanned her purse for a nickel to go with her four quarters. Though the price was $0.99 per cup, the tax was bound to be about $0.06.
"Alright, sounds like a plan." Drew had already finished paying. He backed up and waited for her as she went up to the counter.
"one o' five, please," said the clerk. He then thanked Dawn as he received the correct amount of money. "By the way, would you like a Rushy Card? Free slushy rewards?"
"Sure." Dawn shrugged, figuring that it couldn't hurt to have one.
"Awesome," the clerk responded. With a flick of a wrist, he scanned a small rectangular card and handed it over. "Have a great day!"
"Thanks, you too!" Dawn picked up both drinks and met Drew at the entrance. Together, they exited through the sliding doors and began walking back towards the Unova Prep campus.
"Well, here we are," Drew declared.
"Yep! Thank you for walking me back." Dawn smiled at him. "Whoa, you practically drank that entire thing."
"Yeah, I was pretty thirsty." Drew laughed and then pointed his thumb over his shoulder to the left. "If you go around that way, you should see the soccer field. But it sounds like they might be taking a break."
Dawn stopped and listened. It was quiet until a loud whistle blew through the air. She heard a faint shout from someone in the distance followed by even more yelling that seemed to be from a large group of people. "I guess they're starting up again. Drew, we took way too long to get back."
"Thirty-five minutes isn't bad," Drew said as he checked his watch.
"Thirty-five minutes is bad when the Slush Rush is literally a five-minute walk from UP," Dawn retorted. "But don't worry. I think the practice runs on until 5:00 pm."
"Hey, you have to admit that cat was pretty cute." Drew took a sip of slushy.
"Drew, only fourth graders go around chasing cats." She rolled her eyes. "I need to get going."
"Alright! Good luck finding your roommate!" He bid her farewell before heading off towards the male dorms.
Dawn watched him for a few moments before turning and heading in the direction he previously pointed her to. With two slushies in hand, she wandered. She felt so small compared to the massive building. There was so much open space to move around campus too. Luckily she didn't feel too lonely since there were other people moving throughout the campus grounds. However because most students had gone to clubs, it felt more like she was walking through a public park rather than around a high school.
She took the first step onto the soccer field grass. It was cut short and it was easy to move across. Dawn made her way over to a girl on the sidelines who was standing next to a large man. She presumed he was the coach as he was wearing a whistle and intently watching the boys on the field. In addition, he wore a stopwatch around his neck.
"Hey kid, what're you doing here?" He turned, having seen her out of the corner of his eye. Dawn froze and met his eyes. She was 5'4" while the man was about 6'1". She heard herself gulp.
"Coach Surge, it looks like Kenny and Jack are in a scuffle again," the girl beside him said as she pointed.
"What the-" he whipped around, "Play on! Don't worry about them!"
Dawn watched the man rush onto the field to separate the two boys. Meanwhile, the others dispersed and resumed their scrimmaging. Her eyes flickered to the girl. With fair skin and bright blue eyes, the pink haired girl wiped sweat from her brow. She noticed Dawn standing there. "Can I help you?"
"Oh yes," Dawn jumped at her voice, "are you Leaf Green?"
"No, my name's Solidad. I'm a junior and the student manager of the UP boys soccer team." She smiled and put her hands on her hips before speaking again, "Leaf Green's over there."
"Well nice to meet you, I'm Dawn. I'll be off," Dawn said. Just a yard or so away was a brown-haired girl. She was wearing a black zip-up fleece that had 'Unova Prep' on the back of it. It was neatly spelled out in white letters that were each bordered with a pale blue. The fleece could make her pop out from a distance.
"Come on, Gary! Let's go! Pick up your feet! You can do it!" she screamed loudly, not noticing Dawn. Her hands cupped around her mouth as she cheered on a player with spiky brown hair. Dawn followed her eyes to a player whose jersey read '#19'. Over top, he wore a loose and transparent red mesh currently had the ball and was making his way towards the opposite team's goal. "Don't look at the ground, Gary! Keep your eyes forward!"
"Leaf Green?" Dawn spoke as the girl stopped to catch her breath.
"Hmm...?" she turned to look at Dawn, "who are you?"
"Dawn Berlitz. I'm your roommate. I brought you a drink if you want it?" She moved to offer the second slushy to Leaf. "I thought I'd come and meet you here since I didn't see you yesterday."
"You're my roommate? And you brought me something?" Leaf eyed her suspiciously, unsure if it was wise to take a drink from a girl she just met.
"Yes, room #2176 of the Oshawott girl's dormitory. You own a mint-green and white ukelele. It was left on the couch," Dawn said slowly.
Leaf, knowing that the security at UP was of high caliber, decided that the girl in front of her must be her roommate. "Well then thank you! Hi, my name's Leaf Green!" She introduced herself formally as Dawn handed her the slushy.
"Nice to meet you! I'm excited to be your roommate." Dawn flashed her a small smile. "Can I stay and watch?"
"Hmm... Solidad told me not to let anyone stick around for too long. The boys get easily distracted when girls group around the field. It's my first day on the job too," the brunette replied slowly.
"First day? It doesn't seem like it. With the way you were cheering on Gary I thought you must be used to this," Dawn commented.
"Oh! I just shout super loudly at Gary because I know that it embarrasses him," Leaf laughed. "By the way, how do you know Gary?"
"He's in my friend group. I met him when I moved to Unova with my mom in middle school," she paused before asking, "So how do you know Gary?"
"Gary and I spend a lot of time around each other since our parents are friends," her tone of voice was more casual.
"Childhood friends, huh? I thought you were dating him or something," Dawn teased lightly.
"Nah, he's too focused on proving himself to the soccer team so that he can become a regular. I don't think he'll ever have time for stuff like that." Leaf looked back at the field. Coach Surge had broken up the fight between Jack and Kenny. He was now standing back beside Solidad. The two stared long and hard at her. "Hey, can we talk later? Maybe back at the dorm tonight or something. We could get dinner at the campus cafeteria or maybe we could go out and get something."
"Sure, that sounds good." Dawn smiled at her, sipping her slushy which she had almost forgotten about.
"I don't mean to shoo you away, it's just that Coach Surge and Solidad are giving me a look," said Leaf in a hasty manner.
"No, no, I get it," she waved her hand in a gesture meant to dismiss it. "I'm going to head back to the dorm. I'll see you around!"
"Alright, bye!" Leaf shouted after Dawn as she made her way off the soccer field. The brunette whirled back around to face the players as soon as Dawn's feet left grass and hit the pavement, "Gary, no shoving!"
Whoop- I decided to cut this chapter short.
If you're wondering about what happened with May and Paul... You'll just have to see in the next chapter.
I was actually going to go further than this but I think that a good calm introduction chapter helps get the story locked in.
Though I gave preview quotes last time, I'm just going to give an update:
A majority of those quotes were supposed to be used in the scene with May and Paul moving May's things into her dorm room. Which is why they might not have been used this time, but they'll definitely be used next time. Though the "Hi, my name's Leaf!" will definitely not be re-used.
I made so many false promises in my last chapter lmao. Okay so although I said we were going to meet a bunch of new characters, I guess we really only got to introducing Leaf, introducing Solidad and Lt. Surge - Minor characters, as well as hinting at Kenny - another side-character, and hinting at Gary, who may or may not be important as well as dropping a hint of Misty and Hilda's presences at UP. I haven't decided where I want to go with OldRivalShipping. And actually, the clerk was supposed to be Ash, but I didn't think that it'd be realistic for a freshman in high school to work at a gas station after school. I actually don't know if that's legal-
I'm going to hopefully shoot for a longer chapter. We're going to dive into the May-Paul friendship that Drew was supporting.
This chapter was just to sort of stabilize everything that was set up in chapter 1.
Personal Notes Because I'm Forgetful:
•Dawn and Drew have a healthy friendship but Drew doesn't get as much joy out of teasing Dawn as he does May.
•Paul and May = ? - For those who read Lovely Mine, you might be surprised about the role of their relationship in this story.
•Dawn and Leaf have a blooming friendship which kicked off with positive vibes.
•Dawn and Gary are friends.
•Leaf and Gary are close friends.
•Misty is in Dawn's math class and her room mate is Hilda.
•Drew went to elementary school with Silver.
•Misty and Leaf are acquainted.
•Gary's #19 on the soccer team.
•Dawn moved to Unova from Sinnoh in middle school where she met Gary.
•Solidad is a junior and manager of the boy's soccer team while Leaf is a freshman and co-manager of the boy's soccer team.
•Drew has a fascination with cats.
•Jack*Just a random side-character I made up** and Kenny are both on the soccer team and frequently get into fights.
•Leaf can play the ukelele; she has a mint green and white one.
•Leaf and Dawn are in room #2176 and their assigned girl's dorm is Oshawott *Each of the dorms is assigned a Pokemon and a specified gender because the school is fairly large.
*There's Oshawott girls/Oshawott boys, Tepig girls/Tepig boys, and Snivy girls/snivy boys. A total of six different dorms. Each are three stories tall, but each dorm room is moderately large.
If you don't know why, it's because those are the Unova starter pokemon.
•Unova Prep's security is high tech and tight.
(I think that's all I need to remember to write future chapters *Sorry for the review notes, they're more for me than they are for you lol)
Honestly I only started writing for Ikarishipping so that I could satisfy my own needs. There's been a heavy decline in Ikarishipping fanfics. there's rarely any good ongoing ones these days. Some have pretty generic plots, others are just so good that they take a lot of time to develop. /raises hand/ I'm at fault for abandoning two of my stories lmao. But hopefully this one has potential because this time I'm just gonna write whatever the hell I want. I haven't gotten to the climax and I intend to get there this time-
Cya
