Chapter 4

Disclaimer: moi-moi819 does not own Pokémon, or any of their titles therein. This is a nonprofit fan fiction. No copyright infringement was intended.

Moi-Moi: You know what just brightens my day regardless of what kind of day I'm having? A positive review. So this chapter goes out to EpicShadowNinja for your last review! :D In the middle of my Organic Chemistry lab, I got your review and it made the lab that much more bearable. :DDDD Let's get to it!

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"Dad, isn't the picture you were talking about the same picture that you keep in your desk drawer?" Reggie asked and pointed to the desk. Surgio raised a questioning and slightly nosy brow. Charlotte moved quickly, opening the top drawer and pulling out said picture and several other papers at once. "Pretty!" Charlotte exclaimed with stars in her bright eyes. Surgio and Reggie moved in closer to stare down at the picture in their sister's hands. It was older now- the ends were slightly bent and the color faded slightly.

"Just how old is this picture?" Surgio asked and took the picture from his sister to observe it more closely. Charlotte fussed from Paul's lap as she tried to take the photo back, but Surgio kept her at bay. Paul took the photo away before any harm could come to it. "It's around twenty-one years old," Paul answered Surgio.

"You're really old, Daddy," Charlotte said with a giggle before she starting fingering the slight wrinkles on her father's face.

Paul scoffed once with a smirk and took her hand away. "I'm old, am I? Does that mean your mother is old too?" Paul asked.

"Mommy's not old. She says that she's twenty-five…" Charlotte said while sorting through all the papers she'd pulled onto Paul's desk. Paul put the papers away for her before shifting her to sit more comfortably on his lap.

"So what happened after Mom sent you home with lipstick on your cheek?" Surgio grinned. Reggie rolled his eyes at his younger brother, but moved to listen in to his father's words nonetheless.

"She harassed the living daylights out of me for the next few weeks," Paul answered with an exasperated sigh. "She didn't give me a moment's peace. She was always around."

"Geez. Mom sounded like a pain," Surgio muttered before freezing. He did his best deer-in-headlights expression as he waited for the chewing out he expected from his father.

"She was and still can be. But, she's a good pain," Paul answered with a fond smirk as he stared down at the photo he still held.

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Paul cracked his eyes open to stare out at the bright day through his window. There was a Starly chirping away happily before it took off to share its song with the rest of the world. Paul sat up slowly before stretching out his back and standing. There was still some dull pain in his feet from last night, but he ignored it. Slowly, he shuffled into his bathroom to get his day started. After catching a glimpse of himself in the bathroom mirror, Paul almost decided to crawl back into bed. He made it a point not to go to bed late. It made waking up hard to do. It was terrible when he had a full day's worth of plans. Once his teeth were brushed, Paul took the steps downstairs to get the breakfast he could smell Reggie cooking. Maybe once he had eaten something, he would have the energy to get ready.

"That's really tasty. Where'd you get this recipe again?" Paul heard Reggie ask. Paul raised a brow. Who was he talking to? Paul stepped into the kitchen and stopped. Reggie was standing in front of the stove with someone. Reggie spotted Paul before he could quickly shuffle back up to his room and hide away for a bit longer. "Paul! I didn't hear you come in," Reggie smiled.

"Hm?" Gabi hummed as she turned around. She was standing next to Reggie with her brown hair up in a high ponytail, a white sundress, with what looked like purple, bikini straps tied around her neck. She sent Paul a dazzling smile before approaching him with a plate of food. "Morning, Paul. Try one of these," she said while offering him a light brown cookie that was covered in sugar crystals.

With an unsure look, Paul took the cookie from her before trying it. It was still warm and practically melting in his mouth. Gabi must have seen something in his expression that pleased her because she smiled gratefully at him. "I'm glad you like it. I got the recipe from a friend of mine. Her name is Serena and she's a master baker," Gabi said while brushing away some sugar from the corner of Paul's mouth.

"What are you doing here so early? I thought you were taking the day off," Paul spoke after clearing his throat and finding his voice.

"I am. Today's Beach Day," Gabi informed him. Paul was surprised at the sound of cheering from the other side of the room. Paul noticed that some of Gabi's Pokémon were mixed in with his own and they all were eating breakfast happily.

"Beach Day?" Paul asked with a raised brow.

"Yes. I always go to the beach every other week or so with my Pokémon. Usually, Vicky comes with us, but she's in Snowpoint City right now. Then I thought, 'maybe Paul would want to come'. I even asked Reggie, but he says that he has cleaning to do today and a Pokémon to drop off for its Trainer," Gabi explained to Paul.

Paul raised a brow at Reggie. He knew that Reggie wasn't taking care of anyone's Pokémon right now. Reggie was carefully avoiding Paul's gaze as he went about fixing some food and placing the containers into a basket. "Why me? I thought you would have asked Dawn or someone else," Paul commented.

At his words, Gabi's mood looked slightly deflated, but she didn't stop now. "I'm friends with a bunch of Coordinators and the Wallace Cup is going on in Kanto right now," Gabi explained. "I figured that you must still be tired from last night so I came to insist that you take the day off too."

"I don't want to get your hopes up, Gabi. Paul isn't much of a beach goer. I think the last time he went to the beach was when our family went out while he was still young," Reggie told her before closing up the picnic basket and placing it down on the counter close to her.

Paul could see Gabi's mood steadily sinking. She seemed to think about Reggie's words before nodding to herself. "I just wanted to offer up the opportunity. I could spend the day with just my Pokémon or maybe I could invite Stefan or Volkner. Although I doubt Volkner will say yes. He's always busy," Gabi pouted.

"Stefan's still in town? I figured that he would have gone back to Unova by now," Reggie commented.

"He's leaving soon, but he keeps saying that he wants to hang out before he goes. I'm not sure if he's free today, but I'll give him a call," Gabi started and grabbed the picnic basket by the handle.

"Don't bother," Paul spoke up. He got a surprised look from Gabi and a knowing one from Reggie. He purposefully ignored Reggie. "I'll go with you. Just let me get ready," Paul said. As soon as he said it, Paul's Pokémon let out loud cheers with gleeful expressions on their faces. Paul scoffed at them all. "But tomorrow we'll be working harder than ever to make up for the day lost."

At the sound of his Pokémon groaning, Gabi laughed lightly. "Go easy on them, Paul. You can't really blame them," Gabi smiled before using her fingers to comb through Paul's purple locks. "I've never see you with bedhead before. It's cute," she grinned. Paul felt his face flame before he politely removed her hand from his hair and left to get ready.

"I think you're right, Gabi. My little brother's more adorable than a Teddiursa wrapped in Lillipups," Reggie chuckled.

Paul chose to ignore his brother's comment and instead hurried out of the room. Once he reached his room, Paul began rooting through his clothes for anything he could wear to the beach. Reggie had been right- it had been a while since Paul had been to the beach. He was sure that Reggie had bought him a pair of trunks not too long ago while subtly hinting at him going to the beach with Gabi. Paul rolled his eyes. Looks like Reggie got his wish.

The trunks were blue with a white floral pattern. Luckily, they fit as well. Paul pulled on a white t-shirt before rooting through his closet for shoes. He wasn't surprised to see no flip flops in sight. Paul wasn't one for open-toed shoes. Satisfied with his choice in clothing, Paul quickly ran a brush through his hair while trying to keep the blush off his cheeks. Gabi'd actually liked seeing his hair messy… Mentally shaking himself out, Paul left the brush behind and made his way out of his room. Reggie caught him in the hallway. "I already packed it for you," Reggie said and offered Paul a bag. Peering into the bag, Paul could make out a towel, an extra set of clothes, and sun block. Paul nodded at his brother in thanks. "See you later, Paul. Have fun," Reggie smiled.

Paul made it back downstairs to see Gabi and Gardevoir waiting for him patiently. "All ready to go?" Gabi smiled. Paul nodded at her before letting Gardevoir take his hand and Gabi's and Teleport them away. A second later, they were standing on one of Sandgem Town's less populated beaches. "Come on, Paul. I guarantee that we won't be mobbed today. Barely anyone ever comes to this beach," Gabi said while looping Paul's arm with hers. Paul walked silently with Gabi's arm through his, growing increasingly at ease with the physical contact. Where he used to feel unease at such close proximity, now Paul only felt tingly fondness.

"I was thinking," Gabi started. Paul waited for her to continue as they released all their Pokémon. "I said, 'I was thinking'…"

Paul rolled his eyes with a scoff. When Paul looked down at Gabi with a smirk on his face, he asked, "What were you thinking about?"

Gabi smiled brightly up at him before speaking, "Thank you for asking. I was thinking that since you haven't been to the beach in so long that it's my duty to reintroduce you. So, gather up your Pokémon and get ready to have your butt handed to you at Tag."

Paul stopped to raise a brow at Gabi in question. "Tag?"

"Yes. Don't tell me you've never played before. Oh Paul. Where would you be without me?" Gabi sighed and shook her head. Paul grinned and let a small chuckle escape him. Gabi seemed happy to have made him laugh, even if only a little chuckle. Paul listened to her explain the rules of the game while drawing boundaries in the sand with a stick even though he was well aware of how the game was played. The game seemed simple enough. Under normal circumstances, Paul never would have bothered to spend a day at the beach playing games and goofing around. But, that was one of the many things Gabi was capable of. She was extremely skilled at the art of persuasion as well as making the simple things extraordinary.

Paul had been staring off into space for so long, he hadn't noticed when Gabi had stopped explaining the rules to him and starting setting their things down. It wasn't until Paul felt one of his Pokémon nudge his side that he came back down to earth. "…so don't think I'll go easy on you. Paul? Paul?"

"It's not like it would matter either-" Paul started in a slightly cocky tone. Just then, Paul had turned to face Gabi where she crouched on the sand behind him, but froze up instantly at the sight of Gabi disrobing. He was right. She was wearing a purple bikini. Suddenly, the beach felt too warm and… quiet? It was as if all the sounds he was hearing faded into muted background noise until the only sound he could hear was the sound of his heart pounding away in his chest. And then she smiled at him.

"Too much? Dawn picked it out and insisted that I wear it. She wouldn't let me leave until she'd seen me in it. You think I could just change once I hung up the phone and she couldn't see me, but she got my Mom in on her plans too," Gabi started in a nervous tone.

Paul could tell that she was waiting for him to say something. He wanted to, but when he tried to think of something to say, his mind came up blank. Even if he could get his thought process back on track, his voice had suddenly disappeared. "It's not too much. You look great," Paul finally choked out. He tried clearing his throat lightly before abruptly turning to face his Pokémon. Maybe he should just dive into the water now? It might just be the only way to get his body to cool down. Who knows? Maybe the water might wash away his embarrassment.

"Thanks, Paul. But flattery won't keep you from getting your butt kicked," Gabi smirked at him as she passed him by to join her Pokémon on their side of the beach. She stood with Infernape, Lucario, Gardevoir, Dragonite, Pepper, and Luxray. "You guys are it. We're going to try to make it all the way across the beach passed their boundaries. Let's go!" Gabi exclaimed and took off in a mad dash with her Pokémon. They all went different ways at once- Pepper and Dragonite flying overhead, Gardevoir vanishing at once, Lucario and Infernape ducking and dodging Paul's Pokémon as they ran, and Luxray sticking to Gabi's side. Before Paul knew what was happening, his own Pokémon rushed into the fray- Honchkrow initiated a sky battle with Pepper and Dragonite, Ursaring and Magmortar attempted to stop Lucario and Infernape, Weavile used its speed to try to pin down Gardevoir, Torterra defended their goal, and Electivire stuck to Paul's side.

Paul tried his best to pin Gabi down, but she was more slippery than a Quagsire. Every time he thought that he had her, she would quickly turn and avoid him, moving just out of his reach. She had a large grin on her face as they played and Paul quickly found that he was gaining a grin as well- despite him and his Pokémon quickly losing the game. Finally, Paul saw his chance. Just as Gabi turned right to dodge him, Paul shot out his arm to grip her around the waist, effectively halting her movement. In the middle of her laughter, Gabi was objecting loudly. Paul soon found the laughter infectious, a round of chuckles escaped him of their own will. It took a few seconds, but when their laughter slowed their situation started to dawn on them. With a fresh blush on his cheeks, Paul quickly pulled his arms away from Gabi's waist to release her. Paul was attempting to calm his heart when Gabi turned to him with a grin. "Alright Paul. You caught me. But it looks like your Pokémon weren't so lucky," she said and gestured to where all her Pokémon were relaxing beyond the boundary drawn in the sand. Paul felt his jaw drop. He looked around the beach for his Pokémon only to find them in various states around the beach. Some were half-buried in the sand, some were making their way out of the way- completely soaked- and others were seeing stars on the sand. "I'd say that since all six of my Pokémon made it, that's six points for us," Gabi smirked before patting Paul's cheek consolingly.

Gabi was a master at games. Her and her Pokémon took delight in thoroughly trouncing him and his Pokémon at watever game they played. Paul had only been mildly embarrassed at the amount of physical contact her games required. He seemed to always find himself with his arms around her. Not once did Gabi ever object to it, however. And after having her tackle him to the ground and straddle him before prying away the football from his fingers (in total disregard for the rules of the game mind you), Paul slowly stopped caring. There was no one around to see them and Gabi seemed totally at ease. Why shouldn't he be? And just like that, all the pointless emotions that contributed to his embarrassment and unease faded away.

Once the time for games was over and lunch had been had, everyone decided to find a plot of sand to relax on. Paul rested on the towel Reggie had packed for him under the shade of a tree with Gabi resting on her own towel at his side. "I'm glad you came to the beach today, Paul," Gabi's soft voice spoke up, breaking the silence between them. Paul looked down at where she was laying on her stomach before adjusting his back against the tree trunk.

"It's was fun. Thank you for inviting me," he replied.

"Don't worry about it. I could tell that you needed the day off. You and your Pokémon have worked so hard to get where you are. You deserve a break once in a while," Gabi said before yawning softly. Paul looked down at her again to see her breathing softly with her eye closed. He wasn't sure if she had fallen asleep on him, but he couldn't bring himself to touch her to see if she was awake. She looked so peaceful- angelic almost. And she wanted to spend her day with him? Paul felt incredibly lucky then. She chose him of all people. She was so confusing.

"Gabi," he finally said to gain her attention. She cracked an eye open to peer up at him with a sleepy, "hm?" "Why did you want to spend your day with me? You could have chosen someone else. You could have just spent the day with your Pokémon," Paul pointed out.

Gabi sat up with a stretch, momentarily distracting Paul before he was able to refocus his attention. "I know that. But I wanted to spend the day with you. Can you blame me? Today was amazing. I… like spending time with you," Gabi told him with a small smile. He didn't see why she would. He wasn't the friendliest person around. Even he had to admit that he wasn't as cruel as he used to be, but he was far from perfect. As if sensing where his thoughts were heading, Gabi rolled her eyes at him before shifting toward him slightly. "You don't see things very clearly, Paul," she said while moving in.

In the back of his mind, Paul could feel the little, red flags shooting up at the invasion of his personal space. He wasn't one to let anyone get too close. But, this was Gabi. He didn't mind her presence. Right? Before Paul could make the decision of whether to move in towards her or scoot away, Luxray's head shot up from where he rested nearby. A low growl rose up out of his throat just as a loud gasp rang out. "Gabi and Paul!" Paul heard Rhonda's voice exclaim. Luxray was in full-defense mode now with his hackles raised and death glare focused on Rhonda and her entourage. "Who would have guessed that I'd find you two here at this beach of all places. Today must be my lucky day…" Rhonda smirked.

Paul rolled his eyes at her. Rhonda nor her cameramen were dressed for the beach. Somehow, she must have found out about their trip to the beach and come to invade their privacy. Paul was annoyed with Rhonda for sure, but after taking a glance at Gabi he noticed that she looked more than annoyed. She looked nearly as threatening as Luxray. Paul shifted his eyes between Rhonda and Gabi. He almost felt sorry for the reporter. "You two look mighty close. We weren't interrupting anything. Were we? If we were, I'm sure your fans would be more than happy to get a few words from you two," Rhonda winked. Strike that. Any sort of pity Paul felt for the woman was gone now.

"Luxray, Wild Charge," Gabi commanded. She hadn't even fully gotten the command out before Luxray pounced.

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Moi-Moi: Poor Gabi. There went her moment. Poof. Just like that.

Edited: 11/28/14