"A Night at the Festival"
By MisterAnimeFan
Part of the DP Love Series
Disclaimer:Did you know that "Earthbound" on the SNES is the best RPG anyone could ever play...even better than Pokémon? I'm serious. Everyone must play "Earthbound." Oh and Pokémon belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak. The fan fiction exists out of fun and entertainment.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
Paul stood outside Dawn's door, tapping his foot impatiently. He had just changed clothes a few minutes ago. Instead of his T-shirt and baggy pants, he decided to go for a nice long-sleeved purple shirt and slim black jeans. Dawn was in her room, changing clothes. It had been twenty minutes since Dawn went into her room and she had yet to come back out. Paul checked the time on his watch. "Come on Dawn! Hurry up!" he shouted.
"Hold on! I'm still looking for the right outfit!" Dawn shouted back.
"We're only going to a festival," reminded Paul.
Just then, Paul heard the front door opening. "We're back!" shouted a feminine voice. Paul already recognized it as his mother's voice. He walked down the hallway to greet her and Reggie. "Hey mom," he greeted.
"Oh Paul! You're back!" Regina said as she placed her bag on the kitchen counter. "Welcome home! So how did the training go?"
"Good," replied Paul. "How did the walk go?"
"Good. Reggie and I got to see the festival going on in the city square."
"Yeah, me and Dawn are actually going to go to that festival right now, just the two of us."
Regina turned to her son, surprised. "Just the two of you?" she asked.
"Yeah," confirmed Paul.
"Oh, how cute! My little boy is going on his first date!"
Regina then noticed the nice clothes that he was wearing. "Oh...look at you," Regina said. "Where did you get something like that?"
"I found it in the closet in my room," Paul said.
"It looks good on you," Regina told her son.
"Thanks," replied Paul.
Paul then turned towards Dawn's door and knocked on it. "Dawn, are you ready yet?" he asked.
"Will you just wait for a few more minutes?" Dawn asked, angrily.
Paul let out a frustrated sigh. "Now Paul, one thing you need to know is that you can never rush a woman," scolded Regina, "especially when she's getting dressed."
"Oh come on mom, how much time do women really need?" Paul asked.
"Well, much like how you're dressed to impress, she's only trying to look her best for you," Regina told him.
"I don't see why. Dawn's already pretty to me."
Regina smiled at her son's remarks. "Awww...isn't that a sweet thing for you to say?" Regina asked, playfully.
Before Regina could say anything else, the door to Dawn's room opened up and Dawn stepped out, wearing a light blue dress. "Okay, I'm ready!" she shouted, excitedly.
Paul and Regina turned their attention towards her. "Well...it's about time you got ready," he remarked.
"Well excuse me, Mr. Impatient!" argued Dawn. "But it was really difficult to figure out what dress to wear!"
"Dawn, any dress you wear would have been fine," replied Paul.
"I know, but I wanted to wear something special. This is our first real date after all."
Paul's face turned red at the idea of him and Dawn going out. He had never been on a date with a girl before, so it was all so new to him. "Well…a-anyway, we better get going," stammered Paul.
"Right," replied Dawn.
The two of them then made their way towards the front door. They passed by Reggie, who was playing with Growlithe in the living room. Reggie looked up and saw the two. "Wow...look at you two!" he said, impressed by their attire. "If it isn't Mr. and Mrs. Hollywood."
"Shut up," snapped Paul.
"I'm just teasing with you," joked Reggie. "Where are you guys going?"
"To the festival," answered Dawn.
"Sounds like fun," replied Reggie. "Hope you guys have a good time!"
"We'll be back around nine!" announced Paul.
"Alright, have fun you two!" sang Regina.
Regina then got a little closer to her son. "Remember Paul, always open the door for Dawn and let her go before you," she whispered to him.
"I know mom," Paul whispered back.
"And be sure to say nice things to her," continued Regina, this time a bit louder.
"I know mom," Paul said, a little more annoyed.
"And make sure to remember your table manners. You can sometimes be rude at the dinner-"
"Okay, we got to go! Bye!" Paul said, frantically.
Paul and Dawn then walked out the door. They stepped down the stairs and walked their way to the Eterna City Square. "This is going to be so much fun!" smiled Dawn.
Dawn waited for her boyfriend to say something, but Paul said nothing. She looked towards him and saw that Paul was looking at the ground, red in the face. Like a contagious virus, Dawn also looked towards the ground and blushed. The two still felt strange going out with each other.
As they were approaching the first crosswalk, Paul finally broke the silence. "I like your dress," he said to her.
"Thanks," Dawn replied. "I like your shirt. It looks good on you."
"Thanks," Paul replied.
The two of them stopped as the crosswalk and waited for the signal to turn green. "So, is purple your favorite color?" Dawn asked. "Because I notice that the jacket you wear is purple and the shirt you're wearing right now is also purple."
"Umm...well, I guess you could say that," answered Paul. "I just think purple looks good."
Dawn only smiled. "It does," she said.
Eventually, the signal turned green, the cars stopped, and the two of them were able to cross the street. The two walked briskly across and continued on their way to the festival. As they walked, Dawn got a little closer to Paul and tapped his hand. Paul, getting the message, grabbed onto her hand, enjoying how warm and soft it was. The two held hands all the way to the festival.
Eventually, the two could see the festival at a distance. "Look! We're almost there!" Dawn shouted, as she pointed towards the bright lights radiating from the city square. They were only a short distance away from the festivities.
Dawn turned to her boyfriend. "Come on Paul, let's hurry up!" she smiled.
"Alright, hang on!" Paul replied. "We'll get there when we get there."
The two of them eventually arrived at the festival. The normally quiet city square was now bustling with people, vendors, and carnival games. In the center of the city square were statues of Palkia and Dialga, the two legendary Pokémon of the Sinnoh region. Small bright lights were hung all around the city square, illuminating the area. Nearest to the Eterna Museum was a large concert stage where various bands played live music. There were also a collection of carnival rides, from a Merry-Go-Round to spinning tea cups to even a moderately-sized spinning roller coaster!
"Wow...look at this place," gasped Dawn. "So many people here..."
"So, what do you want to do first?" Paul asked.
"I don't know," she answered. "Let's walk around and see what they have here."
The two did just that. Still holding hands, they walked around the city square. They eyed the various stalls, listened to the live music, and smelled the food.
Eventually, the two caught the attention of a vendor running a ring toss game. "Hey there, you young lovebirds!" he called out. Paul and Dawn turned their attention to him. "How would you like to try your hand at my ring toss game?"
Dawn turned to Paul. "Come on Paul," she said. "Let's try it out."
"I don't know," Paul said. "This game looks a little shifty."
"Oh, you worry too much. Come on!"
The two of them walked up to the booth. Behind the booth was a wall of various prices, from stuffed dolls to small trinkets, knick-knacks, and toys. In front of each price was a small square box, in which the rings were to land on. The vendor placed ten rings on the counter. "Okay, here's how it works," he began. "You get ten rings to throw at those little small boxes in front of the prizes. If you manage to get one around a rod, you win that prize! Go and give it a shot."
Dawn picked up the rings. But then Paul stopped her. "Hold on Dawn, let me try this," offered Paul.
"Oh, want to win a prize for your little girlfriend? How romantic," commented the vendor.
Paul ignored what the vendor said. He grabbed onto the rings and eyed the prizes carefully. "So Dawn, see anything you like?" he asked.
"Oh! Um...let see," stammered Dawn. She glanced at all of the various prizes on display. She then saw a Pikachu doll sitting on the top row. "Oh...that Pikachu doll is pretty cute," she swooned. Although Paul was a little less than enthusiastic about it, and Dawn saw this. "Umm...I mean...unless you want to get something else," she said.
"No, if you want the Pikachu doll, that's fine," Paul told her.
"Well then, don't keep the girl waiting," the vendor said. "Go and take your shot!"
Paul held one ring between his index finger and thumb and aimed for the box in front of the Pikachu doll. He reared his right arm back, ready to throw the ring. But then he stopped. He raised his eyebrow at the prize. "Something wrong, Paul?" Dawn asked.
"Hold on one moment," he said.
Suddenly, he stepped over the counter and walked over to the prizes. "Hey! What are you doing?" the vendor asked, angrily. "You can't be here! Get back on the other side!"
"Paul, what's wrong with you?" Dawn asked.
Paul paid no attention to either of them as he reached up and placed the ring around the metal box in front of the Pikachu doll. "That doesn't count!" warned the vendor.
Paul then removed the ring from the metal box. "Just wanted to check and make sure this game isn't rigged," explained Paul, as he made his way back to the other side of the counter. Dawn groaned while the vendor pinched his forehead, frustrated. "Alright then, now you know that the game's not rigged, have at it!" the vendor told Paul.
Paul grabbed a ring, aimed carefully, and snapped his wrist. The ring flew into the air, but only bounced off the metal box. "Oh! Try again!" the vendor said. Paul grabbed another ring and threw it towards the metal box, but he missed again. "Come on, you can do better than that!" taunted the vendor.
Paul grew more and more frustrated as every ring he threw continued to miss. Eventually, he was down to his last ring. "Alright, it's your last ring!" the vendor told him. "Make it count!"
"Just relax Paul," Dawn murmured. "Take a deep breath and focus."
Paul did what Dawn told him to do. He took a deep breath, focused on the doll, and threw the ring. The ring landed perfectly around the metal box, to everyone's surprise. "Look at that! We got a winner!" the vendor shouted, happily.
"Alright Paul! You did it!" Dawn cheered, happily.
The vendor took down the Pikachu doll and handed it to Dawn. "There you go!" he said. "The doll's yours!"
"Thank you!" Dawn said to the vendor.
"Thanks for playing!" the vendor said as the two left the stand.
As they walked around the city square, Dawn hugged her Pikachu doll tightly. "Oooooh! He's so soft!" swooned Dawn, as she rubbed the doll against her face. Paul turned away. Dawn noticed this and saw that he looked annoyed. She quickly stopped swooning and held the Pikachu doll at her waist. "Umm...thanks for winning the doll for me," Dawn said. "I know you didn't want me to get a Pikachu doll-"
"No, it's fine," reassured Paul. "I understand why you would want one. It's because you miss him, right? At least that Pikachu doll will keep you company until you meet Ash again."
"O-Oh! Um...r-right," stammered Dawn. "M-M-Meeting him again..."
Dawn then focused straight ahead of her, refusing to look at Paul. He, however, stared at her suspiciously. This was the second time Dawn had acted nervously whenever Ash's name was mentioned.
But before Paul could say anything, Dawn pointed straight ahead. "Oh, look Paul!" Dawn said, pointing at another stand. "They have face painting here."
"Face painting?" Paul asked.
"Let's go get our faces painted!" Drew said.
"I don't know," worried Paul. "I don't know about getting my face painte-"
"Oh come on, it'll be fun!"
Dawn then grabbed Paul by the hand and dragged him over to the line for the face-painting stand. The line was short, but it moved slowly due to there being only two people working at the stand.
Eventually, Dawn and Paul were next in line. The face-painter was just finishing up painting the face of a small child. The small child has his face painted like a Pichu. Dawn only giggled as she watched the small child pretending to be a Pichu with his friends.
"Alright, next in line!" shouted the face-painter.
Dawn and Paul turned to each other. "What to go first?" Paul asked.
"Nah, you go first," Dawn said.
Reluctantly, Paul sat down in the chair in front of the painter. The painter handed Paul a small pamphlet with various options for painted faces. "So how would you like your face to be painted?" the painter asked Paul.
Paul looked over the various choices. He didn't like any of the choices. He thought that everything in the pamphlet (as well as face-painting in general) would look silly on him.
He looked over towards Dawn and saw her smiling face, which reminded him why he was here at the festival in the first place: to have fun and relax.
He smiled and handed Dawn the pamphlet. "Here Dawn," he offered, "you pick."
"You...want me to pick?" Dawn asked.
"Yeah, I can't pick, so surprise me," smirked Paul.
Dawn took the pamphlet from Paul's hand and looked it over. She worried about what Paul would like. Paul saw this in her and reassured her. "Dawn, don't worry about what I think. Just pick something that you would like on me."
"Oh, um...okay."
Dawn continued browsing through the options until she finally found one she would like. She showed it to the face-painter, who nodded his head in agreement. "Oh, I think that'll look good," he said. He took the pamphlet from Dawn's hands and set it on the counter. He then picked up his tools and walked over to where Paul was sitting. "Okay, close your eyes and keep your head still," instructed the face-painter.
The face-painter dabbled his small brush into some paint and began to apply it to Paul's face. Paul winced as he felt the cool paint on his face. "I said hold still!" scolded the face-painter.
"Sorry," apologized Paul. "I'm not used to doing this."
"Oh relax," smiled Dawn. "He's only painting your face. There's no need to worry!"
Despite her reassurance, Paul continued thinking about silly he was going to look once he was done. It felt weird for him to be doing something that he thought was dumb and childish. Throughout the whole thing, Paul anxiously worried about how silly he would look.
Eventually, the painter finished. He put his brush down and backed away from Paul. "Alright, I think I'm done," he said.
Dawn leaned over and looked at Paul's face. "Wow...that actually looks pretty cool," she said.
"Let me see," demanded Paul.
The face-painter reached for a mirror and handed it to Paul. Paul grabbed the mirror and looked at himself. He was surprised to see that a skull, similar to the skull of the Pokémon Duskull, was painted on his face, spreading from his eyes to his nose. Paul's eyes were painted black with the white skull covered the rest of his face.
"What in the hell?" he asked, surprised.
"Do you like it?" Dawn asked. "I tried hard to find one that looked the least silly on you. I think it looks good."
"I do too," agreed the face-painter.
Paul only stared at his reflection some more, still trying to figure out what exactly was on his face. Dawn grew worried. "You don't like it?" Dawn asked, sadly.
"No, no!" Paul replied, frantically. "I actually do like it. You're right. It is the least silliest."
Paul took one more look into the mirror. He backed away and realized that it didn't really look too bad on him. "It...actually looks pretty cool," he said.
"Really?" Dawn asked, happily. "You like it? Oh! I'm so glad to hear that you liked it!"
Paul only smiled as Dawn continued to admire his newly painted face. Paul got up from his seat and offered it to his girlfriend. "Okay, you're next!" he said.
Dawn happily took his seat. The face-painter offered Dawn the same pamphlet he offered Paul, but Paul quickly snatched it from his hands. "I'll pick hers," he explained.
"Hey, I wanted to pick mine!" protested Dawn.
"You picked mine, rebutted Paul.
"You asked me to!" reminded Dawn.
"Don't worry, I'll pick something nice for you."
Paul looked through his options and quickly picked one for Dawn. He showed it to the face-painter. "Can you do this one for her?" he asked.
The face-painter nodded in agreement. "I sure can! Alright, coming up!" he said, happily.
He took the pamphlet from Paul's hand and set it on the counter. He then got to work on painting Dawn's face. Paul smirked as the face-painter worked on Dawn's face, switching to different colors frantically. "Bare with me," the face-painter said to Dawn. "This is actually going to be quite elaborate."
"What is it?" Dawn asked
"You'll see," Paul replied.
After a while, the face-painter finally backed away from Dawn. "Alright, you're done," he said.
"Let me see," Dawn ordered, requesting the mirror. The painter handed her one. Dawn looked in the mirror and was stunned to see her face decorated with the colorful wings of a Beautifly, which nearly covered her entire face. The wings were very vibrant and colorful. Some parts of it even glittered and sparkled in the light. From a distance, it almost looked like a mask. "Wow," she gasped.
"I thought a Beautifly would look best on you," explained Paul.
Paul then suddenly remembered some of his mother's advice.
"Be sure you say nice things about her..."
He was hesitant at first. He thought what he was going to say would sound stupid. But he shoved those thoughts aside and pressed on. "I picked the Beautifly because it looked pretty...like you," he muttered quietly, but just loud enough for Dawn to hear him.
Dawn jumped up from her seat and hugged her skull-faced boyfriend. "Oh Paul, I love it!" she shouted, happily.
The face-painter, as well as everyone else in line, went "aww" as they watched the two hug each other.
The two thanked the face-painter and continued walking around the festival, looking for more stuff to do.
As they walked around the city square they couldn't help but notice everyone looking at their faces. "There sure are a lot of people staring at us," observed Dawn.
"That doesn't surprise me," replied Paul. "Our faces do look strange. I mean I have a skull on my face and you have a Beautifly on yours."
"Meh...I don't care what they're thinking," Dawn said, "I like the way our faces look."
"Yeah...me too," agreed Paul.
Dawn looked over towards Paul and noticed that he was smiling. Dawn loved it when he smiled. She always felt like she was seeing another side of Paul that not many people got to see from him. "What are you so smiley about?" she asked, happily.
"Nothing, it's just," began Paul, "before, I would never think about doing something as stupid as face painting. That was the first time I ever did something like that...and..."
"You like it, don't you?" Dawn asked.
"Are you kidding?" Paul asked, still smiling. "I look ridiculous."
That comment lowered Dawn's hopes for a moment. "But hey!" continued Paul, "at least I look stupid with my girlfriend, right?"
Dawn suddenly cheered up and giggled. "Right," she said.
The two smiled at each other and looked into their eyes for a moment. The two were glad to have gone out to the festival with each other. Paul was feeling a bit of joy that he hadn't felt in a long time. Dawn could see this in him, and was all the more happier for him. "So you want to go on some of the rides?" Dawn asked.
"Sure!" Paul replied. "How about that roller coaster they have set up in the corner right there?"
Dawn turned towards the spinning roller coaster (A/N: to get an idea of what I am talking about, look up "compact spinning roller coaster" on Google images). She watched the small cars navigating its convoluted maze of steel track, spinning the riders on board as it goes along. "Oh...I don't know," she said, worriedly.
"What? You scared of roller coasters or not?" teased Paul.
"No! Of course not! Come on, let's go!" Dawn said, boastfully.
The two of them then quickly made their way to the ride.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
MEANWHILE...
Back at Regina's condo, Reggie and Regina sat down on the couches, watching a movie on T.V. Reggie was gently brushing Mightyena's fur while Regina's mind was drifting off. She thought about how Dawn and Paul were doing. Reggie noticed this. "Umm...mom, are you okay?" he asked.
"Hmm?" Regina asked, coming to her senses. "Oh yeah, I was just thinking. You think Paul and Dawn are having fun?"
"Mom, I'm sure they're alright," reminded Reggie. "Just relax and let them have their fun."
"Still...it's Paul's first date. I just want to make sure he doesn't screw up."
"Oh come on mom, have some faith in him. I'm sure he'll treat Dawn right."
Regina turned towards the television, trying to get her mind off her son's date. "Yeah, I guess you're right," she said.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Growlithe immediately began barking at the door. Regina got up from the couch and walked over to the door. "Quiet, Growlithe!" she shouted at the small dog Pokémon. She opened the door and there on the other side was Justin. "Justin, hi!" she greeted. "Come on in! We were just watching a movie."
"Hello everyone!" Justin said as he walked into Regina's home. Growlithe quickly ran up to Justin and sniffed his feet. Reggie turned his attention to Justin. "Justin! What brings you here?" Reggie asked.
"I was just at home bored. So I thought I would stop by and see how you two were doing."
"Oh I'm doing well," Reggie replied, happily.
"And you, Regina?" Justin asked.
"Oh, I'm great! I've never felt better," Regina replied, cheerfully.
"That's good to hear," Justin said. "You all look much better than you were before."
Regina then walked back to the couch she was sitting on. "Please Justin, come in and sit down," she offered.
"Why, thank you Reggie," Justin replied, sitting down next to her. He then turned his attention to the movie playing on television. "So, what movie are you two watching?" Justin asked.
"The Man and his Skuntank," answered Justin. "It's about a detective and his Skuntank trying to clear their names after they were framed for a heist they didn't commit (A/N: Just go with it XD)."
"It's actually really good," Reggie added.
Everyone then turned their attention to the T.V. screen.
On the screen was a tall man in a brown coat standing next to his Skuntank. The entire movie was in black-and-white with orchestral music playing in the background. The man, despite being thrown out of the precinct he was working for, had a strong, determined look on his face. He then turned to his Skuntank. "Ah, forget them Skuntank," the man in a gravelly voice. "Those people don't understand you the way I do. Sure, you may have a stench that could make a person sick fo rmonths, but you also got gumption and a taste fo rjustice, something no other Pokémon has."
The Skuntank only nodded his head in agreement. The man reached down and grabbed his briefcase. "Now then, there's a group of thugs out there lifting another piece of art from a famous museum. And us standing around won't bring them any closer to their capture. Let's go, Skuntank!"
As the movie went on, Justin looked around the place and noticed that Paul was nowhere to be seen. "Say, where's Paul?" he asked.
"Oh, Paul and Dawn are at the festival," answered Reggie.
"Yep, just the two of them!" Regina added, happily.
"You mean like a date?" Justin asked. "I see. Paul was telling me about it today."
Regina and Reggie quickly turned towards Justin. "Wait...you talked to him today?" Reggie asked, excitedly.
"Yes I did," answered Justin. "He was in Eterna Forest, training his Pokémon. I just so happened to be hiking in the forest when I ran into him."
"What did he say to you?" Regina asked.
"Oh, he and I talked for a little bit about his feelings towards Dawn and why he's in love with her," began Justin.
"Did he say anything about...well...you-know-who?" Regina asked.
Justin already knew who she was talking about. While he did promise Paul that he wouldn't tell his mother or brother about what happened and that he won't ever bring up Paul Sr. again, he still wanted to help Paul. And he had just the idea, but it would require Reggie and Regina's help.
"Well..." he began. "He did say a few things about the father. Or rather, he completely snapped and shouted about why he hated his father. Paul told me that his father never praised him on anything he did. In fact, the night big Paul left, he told him that..."
"...he failed him as a trainer and as a son," finished Regina, mournfully. "I know. I was there when he said that to Paul."
"I was in bed when he said that to Paul and mom," reminded Reggie.
"I imagine those words really tore Paul up inside," continued Justin.
"It did," Regina said. "After that night, he wouldn't talk to me or Reggie. He then slowly became the miserable, pessimistic person that you know him as now. And sure, Dawn has made him a little bit happier, but I can tell he's still upset about what his father told him."
"Tell me Justin, did you offer any advice to him about it?" asked Reggie.
"I didn't," answered Justin. "After his rant, it was quite clear that he wasn't willing to listen to what I had to say, so I decided to say nothing and leave him alone."
"Oh," Regina replied, disappointingly. "I was hoping that maybe you would do what you did for me and Reggie and say something encouraging to him."
"It was better that I didn't," Justin continued. "However, Paul did let out what whatever was bothering him, so it's a start."
Justin looked at Regina and Reggie. He could tell both of them were disappointed. Despite promising Paul to drop the subject of his father, he still felt that Paul has more to say than what he told him. Fortunately, he had a plan. He looked up at Reggie and Regina. "I can see that you are disappointed in me, as you should," he began. "You two desperately want me to help Paul. But I failed to do that. However, I have a plan. I think I may know a better way that will not only help him, but you two as well."
Justin then turned to Reggie. "But for it to work, I need your help Reggie," he said.
"W-what do you need me to do?" Reggie asked.
Justin only smirked at him, making both Reggie and Regina a little uncomfortable.
0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0
"Tonight was just amazing," Dawn said, as she and Paul made their way back home. The two of them still had their face paint on and Dawn still carried the Pikachu doll in her hands. "I don't think I ever had so much fun before tonight!" she said, happily.
"Yeah me too," agreed Paul. "The festival was pretty fun."
Paul reached into his pocket and took out a folded picture. The picture was of him and Dawn standing in front of the two statues of Palkia and Dialga. They were both smiling brightly.
Dawn leaned over to take a look at the photo taken of them. "Paul, I was surprised," she said. "You actually looked like you were enjoying yourself today. I think you probably smiled more tonight than you have in your entire life."
Paul let out a small laugh. "Yeah...probably," he replied.
"You know...I think tonight was also the night that I actually saw you scared too," added Dawn.
"What do you mean?" Paul asked.
"When we were on the roller coaster," reminded Dawn, "you looked like that you were scared for your life."
"Did you see how rickety that thing was?" argued Paul. "I'm amazed that thing held up for the night."
"Still I thought it was a fun ride."
The two then arrived at the Eterna City Condominiums. The two stopped at the base of the main stairs heading up to Regina's condo. "Paul," squeaked Dawn.
"Yeah, what is it?" Paul asked.
"Well...before we go back upstairs," Dawn murmured. "I...just want to say...thank you for taking me out to the festival tonight. I had a lot of fun."
"Yeah, I had a lot of fun too," replied Paul. "Not bad for this being our first date, right?"
"Right."
The two then walked closer together. Paul put his hands on Dawn's shoulder and they both leaned in to kiss.
Before their lips could touch, however, they heard a loud crash. They quickly broke away from each other and looked up the stairs. They both knew where that noise could come from. "You don't think that was-" began Dawn.
"Come on, let's go!" Paul answered, quickly.
The two booked it up the stairs and to Regina's condo. Paul frantically took out the spare key and opened the door. The two burst inside. It was dark, with only the glow from the T.V. providing any light. "Hello, mom? Reggie?" Paul asked, out loud.
"We're back!" shouted Dawn. "We heard a loud noise. Is everything okay?"
The two quickly scanned the room and were shocked to see Regina lying face down on the kitchen floor. Reggie lied on the couch. "Mom!" Paul shouted, worriedly. Paul quickly ran to his mother's aid and rolled onto her back. "Mom? Are you okay?" Paul asked, nervously. He didn't get any reply. He looked around and tried to figure out what had happened to her.
Meanwhile, Dawn tended to Reggie, lying face down on the couch. "Reggie, what happened here?" she asked him. She shook him gently, but got no response. "Reggie? Reggie!" she said, shaking him a little harder. Still, Reggie said nothing.
"What is going on here?" Paul asked.
"Paul, look! Justin's here too!" called Dawn.
Paul turned towards Dawn and saw that Justin was indeed here in the condo too, unconscious in a recliner. "Justin?" Paul asked. He walked up to him to take a closer look. "I should have figured," Paul said. "Everything goes wrong whenever he gets involved!"
"Paul wait!" pleaded Dawn. "I don't think Justin had anything to do with what's going on. Now let's turn on the lights and figure everything out!"
Dawn then made her way to the kitchen to turn the lights on. But before she could flip the switch, a Haunter suddenly appeared in front of her, scaring her and making her trip backwards, almost into Regina! "AAHHH!" she shrieked.
"Dawn, what happened?" Paul asked, shocked.
"There's...a...a...ghost here," stammered Dawn.
He then saw the Haunter, glaring right at his girlfriend as she slowly backed away from it. "Hey! Get away from her!" he shouted.
The Haunter took no notice and went back to tormenting Dawn. Paul stomped his way over to the Haunter. "I said back away from her!" he threatened.
The Haunter then finally turned its attention to Paul. "What did you do to everyone?" Paul asked, angrily.
The Haunter didn't answer. Its eyes began to glow red. It waved its disembodied hands back and forth while laughing quietly. For some reason, Paul stared directly into its eyes and began to feel light-headed. Paul then dropped to the floor, unconscious. "Paul!" Dawn shouted, frightened.
The Haunter then turned its attention back to Dawn, still with red eyes. Dawn's heart started beating rapidly as the Haunter hovered closer and closer to her, glaring at her with red eyes and waving its arms back, hypnotizing her. Dawn did everything she could to stay awake, but she felt her mind becoming foggy and her eyelids heavier. The last thing she heard before finally passing out was a loud, cackling laugh.
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TO BE CONTINUED...
A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed all the little fluffy parts between Dawn and Paul. Admittedly, I may have made Paul act out a little more than he would, but that actually will come to play later in the forthcoming chapters.
Nexttime: What's going on? What happened to everyone? Why is this Haunter here? Why is it putting everybody to sleep? Is this all part of Justin's plan or something else entirely? Either way, things don't look very good. What'll happen to everyone now?