This is when things start getting real, guys. I'm super excited. I have most of this planned out, but a lot of the time I get new ideas and throw them in and sometimes I change the direction of the plot completely. If I told you how many of these ideas were just randomly thrown in during the typing, you'd be like "Do you even plan anything?" Yes. I do. They get changed into better ideas though. Enough of my rambling.
A guest reviewer pointed out that I've spelled Sinnoh wrong. Thank you, and I will spell it correctly from this point forward.
Here's chapter 25!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or the song lyrics used in this chapter.
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"This. City. Is. Huge!" said May.
"I've never seen anything like it!" Dawn agreed.
"Thank god there's a map over here," Leaf said, walking over to a large billboard and studying it. "Where do we want to go first?"
They had all arrived in Castelia City the previous night, and they'd gone straight to the hotel they were staying in and gone to sleep so that they'd be ready to get the most out of the next two days they would be spending there. Now, it was morning, and the group was more than ready to begin delving into the wonders of the city.
"I don't really care what we do, as long as at some point, I get to visit the Battle Company," Ash said.
"I'm sure you two nerds want to go to that statistics place," Misty said to Leaf and Gary with a wink. Leaf blushed. She actually did want to go there.
"I just want to go shopping!" Dawn said enthusiastically. "I mean, look at all these stores!"
"Gosh... Maybe we should all just split up for day one," Leaf joked.
"Great idea! See you later!" Ash yelled, dragging Misty away. "Let's go challenge that Battle Company!"
"Ash! You didn't even look at the map!" Misty shrieked.
"Come shopping with me, Paul!" Dawn squealed, grabbing his hand and dragging him away. "You can help carry my bags!"
"Dear god..." Paul shuddered.
"Drew and I are going somewhere!" May told Leaf.
"Somewhere?" Leaf questioned.
"Yep Bye!" May said hurriedly, and the two of them went running down the street.
"They are all going to get lost," Leaf said bluntly.
"Agreed," said Gary. "They all have their Pokegears though. We'll call them later and meet up somewhere."
"Good idea. We can all meet for dinner or something and then maybe we'll all be able to spend time together as a group."
"Don't worry, Leaf. Tomorrow is your birthday. We'll all hang out then. Right now, let's just you and me take a stroll around the city."
"Okay. But no holding hands."
"Oh, I know, Leafy. I know."
"Stop being weird."
"Sorry. Let's look for a bar that we'll want to go to tomorrow night."
"Maybe," she reminded him. He nodded his head.
"Maybe."
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"Is this not the cutest thing ever?!" Dawn asked, holding up a glittery pink top for Paul to inspect.
"What is it with you that makes you so obsessed with the color pink?" he asked, pushing the top away from him.
"It's my favorite color! I like it because... umm... I don't really know why it's my favorite. I just like the way it looks!"
"I think you would look better in light blue," Paul said. "It would blend well with your navy hair."
"And you're such a fashion expert," Dawn said, rolling her eyes. "But fine. I'll buy something light blue and I'll wear it tomorrow just to show you how much better pink is on me." She looked around the store for something light blue. "Oh! I like this!" she said, grabbing a light blue strapless sundress with elastic in the top to keep it from falling down. "I could wear it with my black tights!"
"Or not," said Paul. Dawn glared at him. "What?" he asked, feigning innocence.
Dawn suddenly made a connection in her head. "I know why you like light blue so much! It's because that's the color hair Samantha has!"
"Why would I care what color hair Samantha has?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Paul. I know you're sleeping with her."
Paul's eyes grew wide. "What the h*ell are you talking about, Troublesome? You couldn't pay me to be with a s*lut like her!"
"Or me, right? You used to call me that, remember? Maybe you just like calling girls s*luts so that no one will know how perverted you really are."
"Don't bring that crap into this. Why do you think I'm sleeping with Samantha?"
"Because I say you go into her house when she was wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt! That's why!" Dawn shouted.
"You followed me!? You're an idiot, Troublesome! That wasn't even her house and that's not who I was there to see anyway!" He lowered his voice. "I was there to get pot. She just happened to be the one who answered the door. She's dating the guy I was buying from."
"If she's dating someone then why is she helping the other girls try to steal Drew and Gary and Ash and probably you away from us?!"
"Slow down the train. First of all, none of us were dating each other when that all started. Second of all, they gave up on Ash when he and Misty got together. Third, Gary and Drew don't belong to Leaf and May. They aren't dating. And lastly, you and I are not together. So how can you really justify that they're trying to 'steal' us from you?"
Dawn sucked her cheeks in. He had a point.
"As for Samantha, I don't know what her motive is. She's probably just helping out her stupid friends or she really is just a s*lut. But I am not sleeping with her. I have enough problems without that."
Dawn sighed. "I believe you. But why did Abby try to drown me? Why did Samantha trip me in the race when it was May who beamed Abby in the face with the volleyball?"
"I don't know. I knew that it was Abby who tried to drown you after you guys looked totally P'd off during that conversation with Drew. I don't know why they want to attack you and not the other girls, but I'm about ready to kick all three of them over the nearest goal post."
"Why, Paul? Because you care about me?"
"Yeah. I guess I do."
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"This is the biggest book store in all of Unova," May said in awe as she stood outside the building with Drew. "I'm glad we were able to sneak off alone so that we could both go totally crazy in there."
"Me too. What the heck are we waiting for? We need to run in there. Now." The two of them dashed into the book store and began browsing through all of the books. They drooled over the romance novels together, picking out the ones that they wanted to buy. A few older people were sitting in chairs and drinking coffee a little ways away, and they stared at the young duo in annoyance. May and Drew had calmed down though so they just shook their heads and went back to reading.
May was trying to reach a book on the highest shelf. She stretched for it, standing on tip-toe but still not tall enough. Drew noticed that she was having trouble, so he reached up to get the book for her. His arm accidentally bumped her, and she lost her balance. Ungracefully, she fell right into Drew, and he caught her in his other arm by dropping his books on the ground.
"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't mean to make you fall. I was just trying to help you reach the book."
"I know," May said. Her heart was beating quickly from the adrenaline rush. Or maybe it was from Drew's arm being tightly wrapped around her waist while she was leaning heavily into him. He smelled good. Like roses and cologne.
"You always did strike me as the type of girl who likes to be rescued. You are so needy after all," Drew teased.
"I'm not needy," May denied. "You're the needy one, because you have to play the hero in order to feel like a man."
"Oh, I always feel like a man," Drew said.
"Well, I guess I'd be a bit disturbed if you ever said you felt like a woman."
"I should certainly hope so. I should probably let you go now."
"That would be preferable, yes," May said. She didn't want to admit that she'd honestly like to spend a few more minutes pressed against him. She almost couldn't believe it herself.
"Hey, have you noticed how much time Paul and Dawn have been spending together?" Drew asked once May was back on her own feet.
"Yes. We all have. None of us have said anything to her about it though."
"Do you think they're... I don't know, flirting or something?"
"It's hard to imagine Paul flirting," May said. "Us girls have talked about it though. We don't think Dawn would cheat on Kenny while she's overseas. Besides, Paul isn't exactly a desirable partner - especially for someone like Dawn."
"That's true. Although, Paul has seemed a bit... different these past few days. At first he was super grumpy, and you can tell he's sleep deprived, but he almost seems... happy."
"Hmm... I wonder if there is something going on between them," May wondered aloud. "You know, I honestly don't care for Dawn's boyfriend all that much. Dude's weird. She caught him watching Sesame Street and singing along one time. But aside from that I've never been very impressed with him. As weird as it sounds, I wouldn't mind if she dumped Kenny and started dating Paul."
"And it would do a world of good for Paul. He really needs someone. He won't let any of us guys in, but he might let Dawn."
"Being around him has made her less girly than she used to be. I mean, she's still more girly than the rest of us, but she doesn't freak out about being sweaty or chipping her nail polish anymore. She seems happier too. As creepy as it is, I think she and Paul are actually good for one another."
"Should we try to hook them up?"
"Definitely."
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The crew all met up for dinner in the evening. Dawn showed the girls all of her new purchases, and Ash told the guys about his victories at the Battle Company. They'd gone to a restaurant that had a wide range of food on the menu and a chatty atmosphere. The lights were dimmed and an over-played pop tune was heard in the background.
Everyone was just talking and having a good time, when a waiter came up to their table to refill their drinks and inform them that tonight was karaoke night, and if any of them wanted to participate he had the sign-up sheet. May volunteered instantly.
"You're actually the first to sign up tonight," said the waiter. "You should go over to that platform and work things out with the DJ. Thank you for participating!"
"No problem!" said May, sliding out of the booth and shooting a quick wink to Drew. What was that all about?
Paul was hunched down a bit in the booth. He was sitting in the innermost section, pushed against the wall by everyone else. It felt safe to be surrounded and hidden. He'd always liked that feeling. Everyone continued talking, but Dawn was oddly silent. He looked beside him to see that she had dozed off. He found this horribly unjust. He'd carried her bags all day! He should be the one falling asleep!
"We're now going to start the karaoke," someone said over the microphone. "Please give a warm welcome to May Maple, everyone!" May walked onto the stage. Her music started and she began to sing.
Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
Hey Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better
And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah
Hey Jude, don't let me down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin
You're waiting for someone to perform with
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude, you'll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder
Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah yeah
Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her under your skin
Then you'll begin to make it
Better better better better better better, oh
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude
Paul was still staring at Dawn when the song ended. May's voice was so rich and sweet, giving power to the lyrics. He felt a longing in his heart - a longing for Dawn. He pulled her a little closer so that she was leaning on him a little. No one would notice with how close they were seated anyway. He felt the warmth of her body against his, and it seemed to spread through his arm and side until it reached his cold, hard, lonely heart.
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Special thanks to PokeLocked13 for the song suggestion! Hope you liked it!
Thank you to everyone who is reading this! We only have five chapters to go, and everything from this point on should be really spectacular, especially the next three chapters. I'm hoping that's enough motivation to get me to write this stuff faster! Sorry for being a day late, by the way. I'll have to update two in a row on back to back days at some point, but I don't know which chapters I'll do that with. I hope you're all excited that we're finally nearing the end! Thanks, guys!