"Learning the Truth"

By MisterAnimeFan

Part of the DP Love Series

Disclaimer: Did you know that you're better off waiting until GameFreak releases the third game for Black & White? Well, that's what I'm doing. Trust me. It'll be the best one out of the bunch. Oh yeah, and Pokémon belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak. The fan fiction exists out of fun and enjoyment.

I am so sorry that I took so long with this chapter. As much I love to entertain you all, school and real-life has to come first.

Now before I begin this chapter, I would like to give a shout-out to "Ikari Ice Princess Girl!" Fight on, girl! I know it's tough right now, with all the drama you're dealing with, but you'll make it out okay! I know you will!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

While Justin and Dawn continued talking in the living room, Paul searched Justin's laundry room, looking for any proof of his real identity. Right now, he was going through his linen closet, swiftly throwing aside small towels and rags, bed sheets, and pillow cases. He left nothing unturned. He threw a brown pillow case aside after searching it. "Damn, nothing!" he cursed. He quickly picked up everything he threw around, shoved it back into the closet (not folding or organizing anything), and shut the door.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"So Dawn, you and Paul make a nice couple, huh?" asked Justin.

Dawn closed her legs and blushed. "Umm...yeah," she muttered, quietly.

"Don't be embarrassed, dear," continued Justin. "I think it's great that you and Paul are together. Between you and me, he always seems very negative and pessimistic."

"Oh no! He got better," Dawn replied, frantically. "He seems like that and he was like that at the beginning, but deep down, he just has a few emotional issues and...well...he's actually a nice person. Believe me."

"Emotional issues? Of course," Justin muttered. "Am I to assume his father had something to do with that?"

"Well...yes," Dawn reluctantly answered.

"Figures. Ever since I came to the Eterna City Condos, all I hear is "Paul Sr. this" and "Paul Sr. that." It gets very annoying real quick."

"I'm sure they didn't mean it intentionally."

"Well eventually, I'm going to have to talk to them about this."

"It's going to be hard to do that. I try talking to Paul about it once, and even then, he seemed unwilling to talk about it."

"Hmmm..."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Paul was currently searching through Justin's bedroom. As with every other room he searched through, he was quickly turning the place into a massive pigsty. He opened every drawer, took down every painting and picture hanged on the walls, and nearly ripped out every pillow from their pillow cases. "Grrrr...ah!" he roared. "There's still nothing! I don't get it! There has to be something that proves how much of a liar this guy really is!"

Paul got onto his knees, placed his knuckles against the floor, and began to take deep breaths. "Maybe Dawn is right," he murmured to himself. "Maybe Justin really isn't my dad. I mean, yeah, he looks similar to how dad did when I first saw him at the Sunmoon Islands, but it could just be a coincidence."

Paul rubbed his eyes. "No! There has to be something!" Paul thought. "I refuse to believe that this guy is innocent! He looks way too much like my dad to be a coincidence."

Paul then looked up and spotted a bulky photo album, sitting on the nightstand next to his bed. Paul quickly looked behind him, making sure no one was coming. He quietly snuck up on the photo album, picked it up, and began skimming through the pages. "Maybe one of these pictures can be my proof!" he thought.

He searched through the pictures, looking for anything suspicious. However, most of the pictures were nothing but photos of Justin as a child, various locations from his traveling around the Sinnoh region, and the people he had met. Paul grew even more frustrated as he examined the pictures. He had nothing he can use! Justin was off the hook and was clean of any accusation! "Even his pictures have nothing suspicious," groaned Paul. "This guy is really hiding something big! I just know it!"

Paul began to furiously turn the pages of the photo album. He growled through his teeth as he threw the photo album aside. He took several deep breaths while he was on his knees. He stared at the ground, his mind cluttered. Paul then looked up and saw himself in a mirror, hanging off the wall. Paul's mouth opened as he saw a frazzled young man in the mirror. He looked away from the mirror and saw the mess he created in Justin's bedroom. "Oh man...I really lost my mind, didn't I?" he asked himself.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Dawn, let me ask you something," continued Justin.

"Yes?" Dawn asked.

"You and Paul love each other," reiterated Justin. "Well...what exactly do you love about Paul? What keeps you from leaving him and going off with someone else? What makes him different from the others?"

"Oh...uh...well..." she stammered.

She closed her eyes and looked back at all the times that she spent with Paul. "Well...it's not really...it's hard to say," she answered.

"Well, I understand that love and emotions are a very confusing thing, but surely there's something about Paul that draws you in."

"I guess the one thing that draws me to Paul is how much he keeps inside," continued Dawn. "Before we even got to know each other, Paul came off as this uncaring, unoptimistic tough guy who didn't joke around. But really, he's like a vanilla ice cream cone with a hard chocolate shell. He may be hard on the outside, but once you break through, he's actually really sweet."

Justin just began giggling. "What's so funny?" asked Dawn.

"Oh nothing. Just...you're comparing Paul to an ice cream cone," laughed Justin.

"Well, how else do you expect me to put it?" Dawn asked.

Justin sat back in his chair, sipping more of his tea. He then glanced at the clock on his wall. "What's taking so long?" asked Justin.

"I better go check up on him," offered Dawn.

"No, no. I think I'll check up on him," replied Justin.

Before Justin was about to get up from his seat, Paul suddenly walked back into the room, this time with the photo albums in his hands. "Hey, there you are!" Dawn said.

"You sure took a while," Justin mentioned.

"Ummm...well...yeah..." Paul muttered quietly. "Anyway, my mom's probably waiting for me and Dawn, so we better get going."

"Ohh..." complained Dawn.

"Let's go Dawn. I don't want to keep my mom worried. You know how crazy she gets when she worries about me."

"I can imagine."

Dawn got up from her seat and began to walk with Paul outside the door. "Bye Justin!" waved Dawn. "It was really nice meeting you!"

"Feel free to stop by anytime!" replied Justin.

Paul and Dawn then left Justin's condo. Justin only smiled as he picked up the cup, which still had a little tea left inside. He placed them in the sink. He looked out his kitchen window and saw that it was dark outside. "It's getting late," he muttered. "I think now's the perfect time for a bath."

Justin walked to his linen closet to fetch a towel. When he opened up the linen door, a bunch of unfurled towels fell out. "What?" Justin asked, confused. He looked inside and saw that all of towels were all over the place. "How in the world did this happen?" he asked.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

"Paul I wish you were with us when Justin and I were talking," Dawn said. "Despite what you and the rest of your family say, I think Justin is a really nice guy. And I don't believe that he's actually your father."

"Yeah...about that..." began Paul. "After visiting him, I think you maybe right."

"Wait...I am?" Dawn asked. "How do you know it's not him? You were in the bathroom for the whole time."

"Uhhhh...not quite," replied Paul.

"What do you mean?"

"Well you see, you guys thought that I was going to the bathroom, but actually I was going through his whole condo to look for anything suspicious."

"You did what?" Dawn asked, angrily. "Are you seriously that freaking paranoid that you would go and invade someone's privacy like that?"

"Will you just calm down for a minute?" Paul asked.

"Well tell me, Mister Detective! Did you find anything worth finding in his home?" Dawn asked.

Paul then turned away and bit his lip. Dawn knew exactly what the deal was. "It's just as I thought, you found nothing," boasted Dawn.

"Okay, yeah. Fine, I didn't find anything that proves that he's my dad," admitted Paul.

"So you were paranoid over nothing."

"Well, I wouldn't say that I was paranoid."

"Well, you, Reggie, and Regina were always paranoid about if Justin really was your father. You three were always coming up with sneaky ways to try and prove that he's your dad."

"Well, that's them. Not me!"

"No, you had a little bit of paranoia within you."

"Did not."

Paul then took out the spare key to his mother's condo and opened the door. "We're back!" shouted Paul.

"Well, you two have been gone for a while," commented Reggie.

"Yeah, we...um..." stammered Paul.

"We were just at Justin's place," spoke Dawn.

The sound of silverware clanked as Reggie and Regina slammed down their silverware. Dawn and Paul looked and saw Reggie and Regina staring at them. "Seriously?" Reggie asked.

"What did he do to you?" Regina asked, frantically.

"Nothing!" replied Dawn. "We just sat down, had some tea, and talked."

"Are you sure that's all he did?" Regina asked.

"Yeah, that's all!"

"Yeah...that's all we did," repeated Paul.

Paul then sat down besides Reggie at the kitchen counter. "Uh listen mom, about Justin," began Paul.

"What? What is it?" asked Regina. "What did he do?"

"I'm starting to think that maybe Justin isn't dad," said Paul.

"What do you mean? Of course, it's him!" Reggie shouted.

"He has that look in his eyes!" added Regina. "It has to be him!"

"Look guys, I searched the entire place and I didn't find anything suspicious," continued Paul. "I even looked through all of his pictures! He's clean!"

"I don't believe it," refused Regina.

"I don't know guys," Dawn said. "If Paul didn't find anything, then maybe Justin is innocent."

Regina and Reggie continued pouting at Dawn and Paul. "Regina, he does seem like a nice guy," said Dawn. "When he and I were talking, he didn't seem like a bad guy. He was kind and gentle."

Regina then looked down at the table. "Well...I guess maybe we have been a bit paranoid," admitted Regina.

"Or maybe that's what Justin wants us to think," theorized Reggie. "We'll drop our guard and then he'll swoop in and attack us!"

"Reggie, come on," Dawn pleaded. "What do we have to do to prove to you that Justin isn't your father?"

"Come to think of it, Looker assured us that both our dad and Pokémon Hunter J would be placed in maximum security," remembered Paul.

"Looker..." murmured Dawn. "Wait! Looker! That's it!"

"What's it?" Regina asked.

"Hey Paul, are you still a Junior Officer of Interpol?" asked Dawn.

"I...I guess. I don't know," answered Paul. "I just took the title to shut Looker up."

"But didn't Looker say he'll do anything you ask him to do?"

At that moment, everyone had the same idea.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

After a moment of searching through his bag, Paul found a small index card that had all of Looker's contact information, specifically his phone number.

Everyone huddled around the telephone as Paul dialed the number. He held the phone up to his ear and waited for someone to pick up.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

INTERPOL HEADQUARTERS...

Looker sat at his desk, filing out paperwork, when suddenly, his phone rings. He picked it up and answered in an authoritative tone, "International Police Headquarters...this is Looker!"

"Hello Looker, this is Paul," Paul replied.

"Paul?" Looker asked.

"Yeah...remember me? I helped you capture Pokémon Hunter J and my dad back on the Sunmoon Islands."

"Ah yes, my Junior Officer!" exclaimed Looker, as he remembered Paul. "How have you been?"

"I'm doing okay," replied Paul. "Look, I didn't call to shoot the breeze. I just want to know where my dad is right now."

"Your father?" Looker asked. "Oh don't worry about him. He's locked up tight. He's going nowhere!"

"So my dad is still in prison?" Paul asked.

"Oh yes he is! Don't worry. I got him and Pokémon Hunter J under 24/7 surveillance. I'm watching their every move."

"So...they're in jail, right?" Paul asked again.

"I already told you, didn't I?" asked Looker.

"Okay. That's good to know."

"What's the problem? Is everyone in your family paranoid that he's going to break out of jail and torture you guys?"

"Uhhh...no. Just want to check up on him."

"Hey, you got nothing to worry about. Pokémon Hunter J and your father will not be getting out anytime soon. So just relax and enjoy your normal, everyday life."

"Okay...thanks Looker. Bye."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Paul then hung up the phone. "So, that's it then. Justin is not our father," sighed Paul.

"See?" Dawn asked. "You guys were paranoid over nothing."

"No...Justin has to be dad," refused Reggie.

"Reggie, Looker said it himself," continued Paul. "Dad's still in prison and he's not getting out."

Regina took her hands and began rubbing her face. "Mom, are you okay?" asked Reggie.

"Looker? Why didn't we call Looker to begin with?" Regina asked, stressed. "Oh god...was I stupid!"

"No, mom! You're not stupid!" replied Paul.

"No! The moment I saw Justin, I immediately thought of your father."

"We all did, mom," said Paul.

"I feel like such an idiot! I let my paranoia get the best of me."

"Mom, it's okay," comforted Paul. "We were all a little paranoid."

Paul then turned to Reggie, who had his head turned down to the table. "Reggie, are you okay?" Paul asked.

"I don't want to talk," muttered Reggie. "Let's just...forget about it and have dinner."

"Yeah, that's probably a better idea for now," agreed Dawn.

The four of them had dinner and went to bed early. Regina, Paul, and Reggie remained quiet throughout the rest of the night.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

TO BE CONTINUED...

A/N: Once again, I'm sorry for how long I was gone. As I said before, school and real-life got in the way, along with the other fanfictions I have to work on. To make it up to you guys for how long I've been gone, I've put up two chapters instead of just one! And the next one is very long! I hope you guys enjoy it!

Regina, Paul, and Reggie still feel guilty about falsely accusing Justin of any wrongdoing. To make it up, Regina meets up with Justin early morning and has breakfast with him. There, she reveals everything about Paul Sr.

By the end of the day, many secrets will be revealed, but not all of them will come from Regina and her family. Justin has his share as well...