Hey guys, dawncole12345 here. I apologize for taking so long. Life kinda got in the way, but I wrote three chapters in advance so you should expect a new one soon :)

I DO NOT OWN POKEMON!


*Dawn's POV*

The group sat in silence, listening to the clock tick. No one wanted to sit in the silence any longer, yet no one wanted to started the conversation ahead of them. We remained in the silence until I couldn't take it any longer.

"Okay," I said. "I guess I'll start this year." I paused. I really didn't want to do this. I didn't want to be blamed if something happened and we weren't able to reach an agreement for the treaty.

"Leaf, wou-"

"Sure, Dawn. Anything to get this over with." She said quickly, as she picked up the parchment and pen set out for the treaty. Everyone tried to hold back a laugh with the exception of Paul and Gary. Paul just smirked and Gary scowled at Leaf.

"Aww!" May chimed in. "Is Gary upset that "his little Leafy" (and yes, she physically emphasized the air quotes) doesn't want to spend time with him?" Her voice was dripping with sarcasm. Everyone laughed at this (even Paul!), with the exception of Gary, who glared daggers at May.

"No… I know my Leafy loves me!" He replied, crossing his arm and giving a childish pout. It was obvious that, if it wasn't for May and I, he'd be sitting next to Leaf and flirting with her. Leaf gagged at his statement.

"You just keep telling yourself that." Leaf sarcastically replied. Most of the group, once again excluding Gary, laughed at the interaction between the two. I felt bad for Leaf because, no matter what she tried, Gary never took the hint.

"How about we just get back to the important discussion at hand." Paul asked. "The faster we get back to the discussion about the treaty, the faster we all get to leave and go home. Troublesome continue…" Oh. No. He. Didn't!

"I have a name you know! My name is Dawn. D-A-W-N. DAWN! It's not that hard, so GET IT RIGHT YOU STUPID JERK!" I got up to attack him, but Leaf and Misty held me back.

"Well, someone needs to work on her anger issues." I tried to fight Leaf and Misty's grasps but to no avail. I couldn't break free.

"Dawn, it's not worth it!" Leaf tried to calm me down as best as she could, but I just couldn't as long as I could still see that stupid jerk smirking at me. I excused myself from the group and went out to the balcony to attempt to calm down. I looked out and the beautiful garden below. This sight somehow always managed to calm me. I rested my arms on the balcony's railings and closed my eyes, letting the smell of the flowers and the gentle breeze calm me to the point where I did not even realize that someone had come out and was now standing beside me.

"Hey." I recognized the voice well. Out of everyone who could've come out here and joined me, why did it have to be him?

"Why are you of all people here? I came out here so I could get away from you." I kept my eyes closed in an attempt to remain calm. Wasn't it obvious that I didn't want him here?

"I was told that I'm not allowed back inside until I apologise or you throw me off of the balcony." I knew him well enough that I was not going to get an apology out of him, so I opened my eyes and gave him an "innocent" smile. Now that we were alone, no one was going to stop me from winning one of our many fights.

"So… Are you going to climb down yourself, Sir Rudeness? Or do I actually get to push you off the balcony myself?" I purposefully got more excited when I said the second question. He looked at me like I was a complete and total maniac. This was going to be fun. For a guy who always tries to not show any emotion, for some reason, I was able to break through his emotionless facade. I examined his face further to truly capture this rare glimpse of emotion from him. His mouth formed a gaping "O." His eyes were wide, and, in the sunlight, I could see what seemed to be small golden flecks that were mixed in with those alluring onyx eyes... Wait, what? No. His eyes aren't beautiful or anything. Neither is his purple hair, or his rare smile, or laugh, or… or… You know what! Never mind! I hate the stupid jerk so none of this matters… Right?

"What's that face for, Paul?" I asked, pretending to be concerned. I tried to keep the innocent facade to keep from lashing out and strangling him. He immediately went expressionless again, but I knew I had shaken him.

"I knew you were stupid, Troublesome, but I didn't know you were completely insane! I guess I probably should've expected it though, since something has to be wrong with your head to be so happy all the time." He replied sarcastically. Okay… That's too far. Now I definitely would not willingly lose this fight. I took a step towards him.

"One, I am not stupid. Two, my name is Dawn. And three, there is nothing wrong with my head!" I grew more and more angry by the minute. I don't know how he constantly brings this anger out in me. I made sure to not react under his gaze, no matter how frightening it became. There was no one here to force me to back down, and this is a fight that I. will. not. lose.

"One," He took a step closer, mimicking me. "You are stupid if you are friends with Ash. Two," He took another step. "I will continue to call you troublesome until you stop being troublesome, and three" He took a third step. "You are able to go from "sweet" to "angry" in a matter of seconds. Something's definitely wrong with you." This made me even more upset, but I had a hard time focusing on a reply because of how close we now were. I realised that we were now only a few inches away from each other, and, for some reason, my heart wouldn't stop pounding. I tried to move back, but his eyes kept me trapped in place. "There's a spark that comes to your eyes when I pick a fight with you that confuses me. I won't stop egging you on until I know the reason, so, tell me Princess, what's your reason? He took yet another step closer. He began scanning my face for any answers. I tried to come up with a response, but I couldn't think clearly because of how close he was to me. I wanted him to leave, yet I wanted to just close the now inch or two of distance between us. No… I needed to leave. I needed to back away from him. I didn't care about winning anymore. I felt overwhelmed, and my heart was beating way too fast for my liking.

"Paul, I-" I was cut off by his lips on mine. My eyes went wide in shock for a moment, but, for some reason I couldn't fathom, I closed my eyes and kissed him back. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me as close to him as possible, deepening the kiss. I brought my hands up to play with his hair. I wanted the kiss to stop but continue at the same time, so, when he licked my bottom lip to ask for entry, I obliged. We continued for a few minutes, only stopping to breathe. When we finally broke away, he rested his forehead on mine for a moment before he jumped back, a look of realization dawning on his face. I was shock as well, but I was more concerned at the random feeling of sadness that washed over me when he jumped away. It left my waist cold where his arms used to be just a moment ago. I refused to let him end the moment like that, so I went and kissed him on the cheek. He looked at me confused. I didn't show it, but I felt the same. I don't understand this warm feeling in my chest. It's different from how I felt towards my mother or my pokemon. Honestly? It scared me.

"I guess you bring out that spark in me." I left him with those words and returned to the group. They looked at me terrified when I came back alone. Did they really think I would be stupid enough to kill him? "He's alive. No need to worry." The group looked at each other with a worried expression.

"That's when we worry the most." Ash gulped.


I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Make sure you leave a review saying what you think, or if you have any ideas for upcoming chapters. I'd love to hear your input.

-dawncole12345 signing off