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- First Battle -
July 10th, 2021. Noon. Hearthome City, Sinnoh.
"Zoey!" Dawn scolded, her raised voice causing Zoey to back away from the screen of the video phone. "I can't believe you turned it down!"
Zoey groaned, rubbing her ear. "Come on, I didn't call for a lecture. I just want to be there for Candice, ya know?"
It had been two months since the Association for Pokemon Coordinating offered Zoey a job in their scouting department. Zoey had been flattered, but the job required extensive traveling, and with her up in Snowpoint with Candice, she didn't want to just ditch her. She called to politely decline, but they assured her that the offer would still be on the table if she were to ever change her mind.
Dawn let out a huff. "And what did Candice have to say about it?"
Zoey flinched. She fidgeted with the phone as she averted her gaze some place off screen. "…I didn't exactly tell her," she admitted, and Dawn's eyes widened. "Look, it's not a big deal!" Zoey defended quickly. "Promise you won't say anything."
"I won't," Dawn assured before giving Zoey a look. "Because you'll be the one to tell her."
Zoey winced before clearing her throat. "Enough about this job thing," she dismissed hurriedly, quick to shift focus. "How have things been on your end?"
Pausing, Dawn glanced away as she began nervously twirling her finger through the ends of her hair. "The same," she replied, not particularly wanting to talk about work either.
Picking up on Dawn's signal, Zoey decided to change the topic. "Have you run into Sergeant Grouchy Brows at all?"
Dawn sighed at the nickname. She had told Zoey that she had met Paul, and Zoey was hardly thrilled, advising Dawn to avoid him as best she could.
"No, actually," Dawn admitted. She pulled a strand of hair behind her ear. "Just seeing him in passing is pretty rare—I don't think he's even home most of the time."
She had found the basket of cookies she had given Paul outside of her door, empty, a week after the two had met. Since then, she had barely seen him. It was as if he didn't live in this apartment building at all.
"Maybe you scared him off," Zoey remarked slyly. "A pretty girl like you."
Dawn scowled at the implication. "Zoey," she warned, and Zoey snickered.
"What?" she asked. She held up her hands in feigned innocence. "I'm just saying." Dawn shot her a glare, becoming flustered as she rose from her seat.
"I have laundry to do," she said curtly, and she hung up the phone before Zoey had the chance to protest.
Letting out a long breath, Dawn ran a hand through her bangs. She turned away from the screen and looked around her apartment. It was small, but it was cozy, her contest ribbons on the wall and a photo of her, Ash, and Brock posing beside it. Spare fabric was on the floor of her living room from the night before, and the waste basket by her desk was filled with crumpled papers.
Her eyes trailed to the sofa where Piplup was curled up, asleep. Dawn couldn't help but sigh and smile, and she carefully tip-toed around him to her laundry basket. She picked it up quietly before making her way to the door.
Dawn struggled to close her apartment door behind her, her laundry pressed against her waist with one arm as she stepped out into the hallway. When she heard the click of her lock, she sighed and grasped her basket with two hands. A dark red blouse lay on top of the neatly folded pile of clothes, its buttons staring up at Dawn as if they were alive. Dawn pursed her lips into a hard line.
This blouse could have been on the mannequin in the front window of Lila's boutique, but instead it was sitting in her laundry basket.
"Hearthome City Fashion Show—come buy your costume for the Hearthome Super Contest!"
That was the yellow flyer that was taped to the store window. The fashion show was small, but it was popular with local coordinators. When Dawn stared at the flyer, she knew she had to have her design on that runway.
But the pages of her sketchbook were torn and crossed out, and Dawn bit her lip as she held the laundry basket closer to her chest.
Her head was spinning, but her thoughts were suddenly broken by a crash, and she stumbled back as she let out a yelp in surprise. Her laundry basket slipped from her grasp and fell to the ground, the contents of it spilling around her. Blinking away her disorientation, Dawn inhaled shortly before her face turned red.
"I-I'm sorry!" she stammered, embarrassed. "I totally wasn't watching where I was going! I—!"
When she lifted her head, she paused. Paul stood across from her, his hair unkempt and black smudges underneath his weary eyes. Dawn felt her neck heat up, and she swallowed as she stood up straight.
"O-oh, Paul!" She quickly bowed her head down. "I'm sorry!"
Paul watched her, and his eyes sparked with remembrance. "You," he said simply. He raised an eyebrow. "Ash's friend."
Becoming flustered, Dawn raised her head. "Dawn."
Paul said nothing, and Dawn shrugged him off in a simmer. When he didn't say anything more, she simply bent down to begin collecting her clothes back into her basket. Paul watched, clenching and unclenching his fist in his pocket. Dawn could feel him towering over her, and she had to keep herself from stealing a glance. Paul eyed down the hallway before looking back to Dawn, and he got down on one knee as he picked up a skirt.
Dawn paused, taken aback, and her cheeks flushed light red in embarrassment. "Oh, thank you," she said. She took the skirt from his grasp and placed it back into her basket.
Paul only nodded in response, keeping his eyes anywhere but on her as he helped pile her scattered clothes into the basket. Dawn felt a little uneasy at the uncomfortable silence, and she picked up her pace to snatch the last of her clothes.
A faint gleam caught Paul's attention from the corner of his eye, and he flicked his gaze down to Dawn's wrist. When he saw a familiar stone attached to her bracelet, he suddenly halted his action.
"You have a Key Stone."
Dawn lifted her head in surprise, and Paul stared at her wrist with focused eyes. She looked down to the stone hanging from her bracelet and then back to Paul. She perked up, eager to cut through the awkward air.
"O-oh! Uh, yeah, I do!" she said with a nod, grazing her finger tips over the rainbow stone.
Paul stared a moment longer before meeting Dawn's gaze, and Dawn stiffened just the slightest. "Can you use Mega Evolution?"
Dawn let her shoulders relax. She smiled and lifted up her wrist so he could get a better view of the stone. "Yeah!" she confirmed. "My Lopunny has a Mega Stone."
"Lopunny," Paul repeated quietly, more to himself than to Dawn, and Dawn tilted her head. After another beat of silence, Paul nodded and put the last of Dawn's clothes back in the basket. Rising to his feet, he looked down at her. His face became firm, and Dawn looked up at him curiously.
"Let's battle," he decided suddenly.
After replaying what he said in her mind once over, Dawn's face twisted in surprise and confusion at the blunt request. Stumbling to her feet, she knitted her brows together.
"W-what?" she managed. "But—!"
"I want to see Mega Lopunny's power for myself," Paul interrupted firmly. "Can you show that to me or not?"
Dawn opened her mouth to counter, but she stopped when noticing the dark and unwavering look in his eyes. She ran her finger over her Key Stone again and sucked in her lips. She took a quick breath before becoming serious.
"This afternoon," she started, and Paul perked up. "How does 3:30 sound?"
There was a gleam in Paul's eyes as he nodded sternly. "We'll meet at the entrance of Route 209," he stated, and Dawn repeated the number in her head.
"Route 209. Got it," Dawn breathed before picking her laundry basket back up. She stood there a moment longer before offering Paul a smile. "I'll see you then."
Without a word, Paul nodded and walked past her. Dawn glanced behind her, and she watched him open the door to his apartment and disappear inside. Balancing her basket properly, she took a step forward and looked straight ahead.
She had just agreed to a battle with Paul.
This was the same Paul who had beaten Ash, who had beaten the Elite Four, and who almost had beaten the Champion. She didn't stand a chance, and she knew it.
But still, she hadn't remembered the last time her heart pounded so heavily in excitement and apprehension.
July 10th, 2021. Afternoon. Route 209, Sinnoh.
The air was clean and warm, and Dawn breathed it in contently as she stood at the entrance of Route 209 with Piplup at her side. She was always in the city lately, cooped up inside and hunched over her sewing machine. She couldn't remember the last time noticed the mountains against the sky.
Piplup sat on the ground pouting, his fins crossed bitterly.
"Behave yourself," Dawn warned, and Piplup turned his head away stubbornly.
Dawn let out a sigh in defeat. Shifting her attention, she looked out to the road, then to the watch on her Poketch.
Piplup suddenly jumped to his feet in anger, letting out a "Pip!"
Startled, Dawn looked at Piplup before turning on her heel. She gasped in alarm when seeing Paul standing right behind her.
Dawn pressed a hand to her chest and caught the breath she had just lost. Collecting herself, she shot Paul an accusing glare. "Don't do that!"
"Sorry," Paul responded unsympathetically. Piplup glared harshly at him, but Paul took no notice as his eyes glanced to the Key Stone on Dawn's wrist. "Are you ready?"
Dawn blinked in surprise, quickly lifting her head. Inhaling, she straightened herself out.
"U-uh, yeah! I'm ready," she said, and Paul nodded before taking his place across from her. Dawn looked down to Piplup, who was still staring angrily at Paul. "Piplup, you'll be sitting this one out."
Piplup looked up at her disapprovingly, but Dawn didn't falter. After a moment, Piplup reluctantly let out a, "Pip" and begrudgingly walked to the side.
She looked across the field to Paul, who was watching her carefully. Suddenly, she felt nervous, her heart racing in her head. Biting her lip, she shook it off before becoming firm.
Slipping out a Poke Ball from her purse, Dawn tossed it into the air. "Lopunny, spotlight!"
Lopunny emerged from the white light, and Paul instantly looked to the Mega Stone it wore attached to a thin chain around its neck, the colors shining in the sun. Studying the Pokemon before him, Paul reached into his pocket, enlarging a Poke Ball.
"Froslass, standby!" he called, tossing the ball forward.
When Froslass burst onto the field, Dawn paused. Staring at Froslass, she looked her over once and then twice, pursing her lips into a hard line. There was no Mega Stone.
"Are you ready to start the battle or not?" Paul asked, his arms crossed.
Dawn snapped out of it, her focus returning to Paul. He watched her with unwavering eyes. Suddenly, she remembered Paul and Ash in the tag team tournament, Paul throwing Chimchar into a powerful fire in order to get stronger.
This wasn't just a battle to Paul. This was his training. His focus was beyond Dawn.
It was on Cynthia.
Dawn furrowed her brows together, becoming serious. "I'm ready," she affirmed, and Paul clenched his fists. Lopunny kept looking to her with uneasiness, and Dawn offered her a reassuring smile. She looked her in the eyes, lifting her wrist so her Key Stone gleamed in the sunlight. Lopunny's eyes shined brightly when seeing the stone.
Dawn cracked a confident smile before saying, "Then let's do this!" Becoming firm, she clenched her fist and raised it to the sky. "Lopunny, Mega Evolve!"
Letting out a, "Lo," Lopunny clenched her fists and her body became encased in a bright, blue light. Paul's eyes widened in amazement as he watched Lopunny's form change right before him. The light burst, and Mega Lopunny stood before them. "Lopunny!"
Beaming proudly, Dawn looked to Paul who watched on in silent awe. Becoming stern, he pushed his hand forward. "All right, let's get started," he said firmly. "Froslass, use Ice Beam!"
"Fros!" Froslass said, a blue ball of light forming in front of her face before shooting a beam of ice towards Lopunny.
"Lopunny, dodge!" Dawn ordered.
"Lo!" Lopunny said before swiftly moving out of the way, the missed Ice Beam hitting the ground.
Paul inhaled sharply. "It's fast…!"
Piplup cheered from the sidelines, and Dawn couldn't help but smile. "Good work!" she praised, and Lopunny looked back at her happily. "Now, let's show Paul an Ice Beam of our own!" she said, pointing her finger forward. "Go!"
Standing her ground firmly, Lopunny leaned her head back just the slightest, letting out a "Looo!" before firing a beam of ice from her mouth.
"Counter it with your Psychic!" Paul called without hesitation.
"Fros!" Froslass' eyes began to glow blue, and Lopunny's Ice Beam came to a halt. Lopunny's eyes widened in surprise when suddenly her own beam took a sharp turn backwards, aiming directly for her.
Dawn gasped in alarm. "Lopunny, watch out!"
But it was too late. Lopunny let out a cry of pain as she was struck by the attack, skidding backwards.
Dawn looked at her Pokemon with concern. "Are you all right!?"
Lopunny gritted her teeth, regaining her balance before straightening out as if nothing had happened. "Lopunny!" she said confidently.
"Hidden Power!"
Dawn's train of thought was interrupted as Paul wasted no time to call for his next attack. Quickly gasping, Dawn turned to see Froslass firing a green ball of energy directly towards Lopunny. "Lopunny, use Bounce!"
Lopunny looked into the oncoming attack, furrowing her brows as she forcefully sprung high into the air. The Hidden Power crashed into the ground, a cloud of dust puffing into the air.
"Now, Fire Punch!" Dawn called, swiping her arm in front of her.
Paul turned his head up, watching as Lopunny hovered just above Froslass, her fists igniting in flames. Before Paul could even open his mouth, Lopunny quickly dived down, nailing her fiery fist into Froslass' side.
Froslass omitted a yelp as her body went crashing into the ground, Lopunny landing smoothly beside her.
"Lopunny!" Lopunny said, jumping away a safe distance.
Dawn smiled, clapping her hands together. "Nice combination, Lopunny!"
Paul gritted his teeth, watching as Froslass managed to rise, her side scorched from the Fire Punch. It was a super-effective hit, and Froslass had taken great damage. They didn't have any more time to waste. "Shake it off and use Hail, Froslass!"
Perking up, Froslass shook away her exhaustion, though the uncomfortable sting in her side remained, likely the result of a burn. Taking a deep breath, Froslass let out a "Fro," before she began to levitate towards the sky.
Dawn watched in amazement as Froslass's figure began to glow in a bright blue light against the gray clouds that were starting to form around her. Dawn studied her carefully, taking in her beauty as she felt something spark inside of her.
She snapped out of it when she felt a piece of hail hit her shoulder. Gasping, Dawn shielded herself as the weather picked up, hail falling from the sky like rain. Looking back to Froslass, the blue light had vanished, and Froslass was gone. Dawn quickly darted her eyes around her surroundings, but saw nothing. She could only assume it must have been the result of Froslass's Snow Cloak ability, which let her become hidden in hail storms.
Dawn pursed her lips. Paul was smart. He knew Froslass had taken serious damage from that Fire Punch, so he was protecting her from further attacks. She looked to Lopunny, who was attempting to shield herself from being jabbed by the falling hail. Even Piplup was trying to do what he could to avoid being hit, hiding under a nearby bush as he glared at Paul.
"Lopunny! Be on the alert!" Dawn warned.
"Lo!" Lopunny affirmed, holding an arm over her head and she quickly looked around the field for Froslass.
Paul stood across the field, unaffected by the storm. His hair blew wildly from the wind as he watched Lopunny with stern eyes. Looking to the sky, he called out, "Ice Beam!"
As if out of nowhere, a ray of blue light shot through the hail and hit Lopunny directly in her center. Dawn gasped and Lopunny skidded backwards and took a knee, wincing in pain.
Dawn pressed her lips into a hard line as she attempted to search through the storm. Suddenly, she saw a flash of white from the corner of her eye, and she pointed forward in haste. "Lopunny, use Bounce!"
Shaking off her pain, Lopunny let out a confident, "Pun!" as she spotted Froslass just for a moment in the clearing. Obeying Dawn's orders, Lopunny bounced straight towards her, but as soon as she was in the air, Froslass disappeared. Lopunny let out a gasp in surprise before landing back onto the ground, wincing in pain as she continued to be struck by hail.
Letting out a scowl, Dawn clenched her fists by her sides. There was no way that Lopunny would be able to land a hit on Froslass in this storm. An image flashed in her mind of Pikachu being struck by hail over and over, a frustrated look on Ash's face as both Thunderbolt and Volt Tackle failed under Froslass's elusive movements. She knew she had to find a way to clear this storm—otherwise Lopunny could be in trouble.
"Froslass, Hidden Power!"
Dawn gasped as she saw yet another bright green ball of energy hurdling Lopunny's way. Her eyes widened, and that was when the idea struck her.
"Lopunny, hit that Hidden Power into the sky with your Fire Punch!"
Paul paused. "What?"
Looking towards the oncoming attack, Lopunny stood her ground firmly. Once it was in close enough range, her fists lit up in bright red flames and she punched the Hidden Power ball into the sky. The combination of Lopunny's hot attack and the intensity of the Hidden Power caused the ball to burst with color, letting off a powerful wave of heat in the sky.
Paul's mouth went slightly ajar as he stared in amazement. He watched as the hail storm began to subside due to the sudden temperature spike, red and green sparks of light falling to the ground.
Suddenly, Froslass was visible again. "L-Lass!" she stammered. Caught off guard, she quickly looked around in panic, desperate to conceal herself again.
"There you are," Dawn said lowly before cracking a confident smile. "Okay, Lopunny, let's finish this!" She pushed her fist forward. "High Jump Kick!"
Paul paused at her move choice, fighting-type moves having no effect on ghost-type Pokemon. But before he had much time to think about it, Lopunny obeyed and sprung into the air, landing a hit directly beneath Froslass's jaw with her powerful legs.
Paul felt his blood run cold and he froze up, watching his Pokemon let out a cry of pain as she crashed into the ground. He was barely able to manage, "That's impossible!"
Lopunny jumped back to Dawn and waited to see if Froslass would rise to continue the battle. When she didn't, Paul inhaled sharply, staring at his fainted Pokemon as a bit of the color drained from his face.
Dawn couldn't move. She stood there, frozen, her eyes unmoving from Froslass's fainted figure. Her heart was racing, and she hadn't realized until now just how heavily she had been breathing. The rush that was running through her body began to slow down and her eyes widened in realization.
She had actually won.
Lighting up, Dawn ran to Lopunny, hugging her tightly. "Lopunny, we did it! You were amazing!" she praised, laughing.
Lopunny was obviously run down, but her face brightened upon receiving her trainer's embrace. "Lop!" she said excitedly, hugging her back. Even Piplup waddled over to them happily, joining in the congratulatory huddle.
Paul watched from across the field in disbelief, trying to take in everything that had just happened. His eyes wandered to his Pokemon laying on the ground, who was struggling to rise back up again.
Closing his eyes, Paul took a knee and held out her Poke Ball as she looked to him with a frown. "You did well," he said, absorbing her into the red light.
He stared down at Froslass's Poke Ball for a moment before returning his gaze onto Dawn. He studied Lopunny as her form suddenly burst back to normal in an instant. The raw power of Mega Evolution took his breath away, and he realized there was still so much more he didn't know.
His focus shifted onto Dawn. Mega Evolution aside, her combination attacks had caught him off guard. He had never seen Fire Punch used in such a way to break his Hail attack. Staring at Dawn, he realized Mega Evolution wasn't the only thing he knew little about.
Letting out a huff, he rose to his feet.
Piplup was the first to notice Paul as he approached, stiffening before shooting him an angry glare, but Paul took no notice.
Dawn blinked and glanced down at her Pokemon questioningly before following his gaze, noticing Paul. Her mouth opened, but she wasn't sure what to say as he towered over her. Pursing her lips, she knitted her brows together before hesitantly asking, "How's Froslass?"
"She'll be fine," Paul said simply, glancing at the Lopunny that stood by Dawn's side. He then looked back to Dawn, his eyes locking with hers. "You battled well."
Taken aback, Dawn straightened out, swallowing. She had never been so close to him, never noticing the gray color of his eyes. Shaking it off, she smiled, pride fluttering inside of her. "O-oh, thank you!" she said, looking to Lopunny happily. "But I think I really have Lopunny to thank for that!"
Lopunny smiled and happily threw a hand into the air. "Lopunny!"
"Lopunny was strong," Paul agreed, looking to her. "That was a lot of sheer power."
Dawn smiled sheepishly, scratching her cheek lightly. "Thanks—but Froslass was really strong, too!" she said, and Paul nodded. Dawn took a deep breath before letting it out slowly. "It's… been a while since I've had a battle that exhilarating." She smiled. "It felt good."
Paul closed his eyes. "It was a good battle," he admitted before opening an eye and glancing at the Mega Stone that hung from Lopunny's neck.
Dawn took notice of this, and couldn't help but think that he had been staring at her Key Stone and Lopunny's Mega Stone several times today with a certain look in his eyes. Dawn rubbed her arm as she studied his face. "…Tell me," she said suddenly, catching Paul's attention. "Did you ask me to battle today because of your loss to Cynthia's Mega Garchomp?"
Paul raised his brows in alarm, unsure of what to say as he stared at Dawn in silence.
Feeling her shoulders tense just the slightest under Paul's gaze, Dawn gripped at her arm. She didn't say anything, but she didn't let her eyes leave his.
After a few seconds, Paul took a short breath. "…There's still a lot I don't know about Mega Evolution," he started, closing his eyes. "I wanted to test the power of your Mega Pokemon for myself."
Dawn blinked, but then smiled knowingly, glancing towards Lopunny and Piplup, though Piplup simply turned his head away. She stayed quiet for a moment longer before looking back to Paul. "Have you eaten?"
Paul looked back to her, scrunching his brows together. "What?"
Dawn shrugged. "I know this little café in the city—I'm starving and could use a bite to eat." She could tell Paul wanted to say more, and thought it might be nice to be able to sit down and talk for once rather than stand face to face. "So, what do you say?"
For a moment, Paul said nothing. After taking a second to think it over, he closed his eyes.
"…All right."
July 10th, 2021. Late Afternoon. Hearthome City, Sinnoh.
Paul sat at a small table by the window, feeling out of place in the quiet coffee shop.
"Black coffee," Dawn announced, and Paul lifted his head as she handed him a cup. He nodded a thank you, and she sat down, flattening her skirt as she did so.
"I bought some pastries," Dawn continued, emptying the small paper bag onto the table. She smiled, embarrassed. "I couldn't help myself—they all looked so good!" She picked up a chocolate pastry, holding it out for him. "I didn't know what you liked, so I just took my best guess."
Paul stared at the pastry for a moment before reaching forward. "It's fine," he said simply, taking it from her. He had only told her to get him a cup of coffee—he had offered to pay, but she insisted it was her treat. He broke off a piece of the pastry, taking a bite. Swallowing, he spoke up suddenly, "High Jump Kick is a fighting-type move."
Dawn blinked a few times, a straw in her mouth. "Eh?"
"Fighting-type moves have no effect on ghost-type Pokemon," Paul elaborated.
Dawn lowered her iced coffee, letting out a short, dry laugh. "You're always right to the point, huh?" Paul didn't falter, and Dawn let out a sigh before smiling. "When Lopunny Mega Evolves, it takes on the Scrappy ability," she explained, and Paul looked taken aback. "So any fighting or normal-type moves will be able to hit ghost-type Pokemon."
"I didn't know Pokemon could change their abilities during Mega Evolution," Paul noted, and he suddenly felt like he had gone in challenging Cynthia completely blind. He stayed quiet for a moment, looking into his coffee in thought before looking back to Dawn. "What else can Mega Evolution do?"
Dawn picked up a strawberry pastry, putting a finger to her temple in remembrance. "Well, Mega Lopunny gets boosted speed and attack power," she recalled, taking a bite. After a pause, she swallowed, quickly adding, "But it depends on the Pokemon—different Pokemon have different stat increases when Mega Evolving."
"I see," was all Paul said, and Dawn let out a nervous laugh.
"It's a big change," she admitted, wiping her mouth with her napkin. "When I first got my Mega Stone, it was a little hard for us to control."
Paul perked up, his interest caught. "Where did you get your stones?"
"Funny you ask," Dawn said with a light laugh. "I actually got them from Maylene." Paul raised his eyebrows in surprise, and she smiled sheepishly. "I was in kind of a funk. I kept losing contest after contest," Dawn remembered, scratching the tip of her nose. "I was passing through Veilstone, and that's when I ran into Maylene and your brother." She shot him a knowing smile, and Paul gripped his coffee mug at the implication. "They invited me back to their house, and I ended up spilling to Maylene about how I was feeling."
Dawn knew Maylene would understand. She had remembered a time when the two of them sat side by side on the grass, looking to the sky with uncertainty.
"Maylene told me she had something that she thought might help," Dawn continued, and Paul leaned forward a bit. "She came back with this box, and when I opened it, I was totally surprised to see a Key Stone and a Mega Stone!" She held up a finger. "She told me that she had found them during her training around the meteorites just outside of Veilstone. She said she had been planning on sending them to Roark, but she hadn't gotten the chance to contact him yet." She paused for a moment before smiling. "I was lucky."
Paul didn't say anything, and Dawn glanced down at her Key Stone, lightly touching it with her finger.
"So to Mega Evolve, you need a Key Stone and a Mega Stone," Paul observed, eyeing her bracelet.
"Mm," Dawn confirmed with a hum in her throat. "And a strong bond."
"Bond?" Paul repeated, and Dawn smiled, closing her eyes.
"Mega Evolution can only happen when a trainer and Pokemon are able to link their hearts as one." She lifted her wrist, looking at her Key Stone warmly, as if it was a piece of her. "It's why Maylene gave this to me. She thought that if I could link my heart with my Pokemon's, we could overcome our slump—the same way she did with her Lucario."
"And did you?" Paul questioned, not sure why he asked at all. Dawn smiled at him confidently.
"I won the Grand Festival and became Top Coordinator," she said proudly, but then let out a nervous laugh, waving her hand. "But that's another story!"
"I see," Paul said, and Dawn went quiet, watching him carefully.
"You can't be asking these questions with no reason," Dawn spoke up, and Paul glanced at her. "Is this about Cynthia?"
Paul hesitated, but nodded. "I don't know much about Mega Evolution," he started slowly, looking down to his coffee. "If I challenge Cynthia again like this, I won't be able to win."
"You should talk to Maylene," Dawn perked up, and Paul pursed his lips in annoyance. "She's your sister-in-law, right? Maybe she—!"
"She's already offered me a Key Stone," Paul said, and Dawn looked taken aback. "But I turned her down."
Dawn didn't understand. "What? Why? Don't you want a Key Stone?" she asked. "I mean, they're really rare—it's not like you're just going to stumble across one. If you have one being offered to you, then you should take it."
"I'll find one on my own," Paul dismissed shortly. "If Maylene is finding them around the meteorites, then I at least know where to look."
Dawn let out a long breath as Paul merely took a sip of his coffee. She shouldn't have expected anything less from Paul. Sighing, she brought her own cup to her mouth before sucking the last of her coffee through her straw.
"So, are you planning to rechallenge Cynthia?" she asked absentmindedly, and Paul paused, turning his attention to her. She suddenly went red, inhaling sharply in a panic, thinking she accidently treaded on thin ice.
"…I am," Paul said after a moment, and Dawn lost tension.
Relaxing, Dawn leaned back in her chair. "I'm glad," she smiled, and Paul looked at her, a bit surprised. She drummed her fingertips against the table thoughtfully. "You know, you and Ash are a lot alike. You're both totally stubborn." Paul deadpanned, and Dawn couldn't help but giggle before adding, "And you both never give up."
Paul let out a huff, breaking off another piece of his pastry, and Dawn smiled.
"It's amazing you even made it to the Champion League," she pressed, her eyes shining. "And to make it all the way to the Champion? You really are a super strong trainer."
When a trainer won a Pokemon League, they had the opportunity to challenge the Champion League. To complete in the Champion League, trainers were required to visit all four Battle Arenas of the Elite Four throughout the region, collecting emblems as proof of their victory. If a trainer could manage to obtain all four, the Champion would be waiting.
It was hard, a test of skill and guts. Trainers often took years to collect all four emblems, many giving up or losing hope. For most trainers, the Pokemon League is enough, and don't proceed to the Champion League at all. But to Paul, there was no other direction than forward.
"It doesn't matter if I can't win against her," Paul dismissed, eyeing Dawn's Key Stone.
Dawn watched him wordlessly, gripping her empty coffee cup, her words stuck in her throat. Breathing in, she opened her mouth, but suddenly jumped in her seat, startled.
Paul looked over as Dawn fumbled through her purse, taking out her buzzing phone.
"A-ah—!" Dawn's eyes widened. "It's my boss!" She looked at Paul apologetically. "Sorry, I have to take this." Paul simply nodded, and she pressed her phone to her ear.
"Yes?" Dawn said. Paul kept eating his pastry, watching her. "…Oh! R-right! Yes, I'll be there!" she stammered, standing from her chair. "All right… All right. Bye." Paul looked up as she clicked the end call button on her phone.
"I have to go," Dawn sighed, slipping her purse over her shoulder. "I have to take care of stock at the store tonight."
"That's all right," Paul said, and Dawn picked up her empty coffee cup before turning to him with a smile.
"Thanks for the battle—it was fun."
Paul nodded, and Dawn waved good bye before turning on her heel to the door. Stopping, she stared forward for a moment before turning her head back.
"Do you want to grab coffee tomorrow morning?" she asked, and Paul paused, caught off guard. He stared at her, finally nodding his head, and Dawn couldn't help but smile.
When she closed the door to the coffee shop, she just stood there, staring out into the city. She wasn't quite sure why she asked him to coffee. It had been a long time since she battled so fully, since she had spoken with someone about what it means to battle side by side with your Pokemon.
She hadn't realized how long it had been. Taking a step forward, she let a small smile escape her lips.
Paul glanced at her as she walked by the window of the coffee shop, his eyes on the Key Stone that shined white in the sun.
...