A/N: Who saw the Pokémon marathon on Monday? I did, I did~ xD Goes to show I don't have a life, but all worth it! I did miss several episodes, and couldn't even find it online D: THE MARATHON SAVED ME. THANK YOU CARTOONNETWORK, YOU GUYS GAVE ME INSPIRATION TO CONTINUE xDDD Ahem. Besides the point of getting no reviews, I'm good :) I write 'cause I love to, THAT'S PASSION. Hmm, maybe you guys aren't drawed in yet? Ah well, later is gets way better ;D I still want to thank all those wonderful hits I got, it was certainly many of you guys~! Read dearies, I end my talking. :D
Summary: Suddenly attacked by the enemy ship, Dawn watches as her greatest fear unfolds. With a chance safety, she is forcefully shoved into the escape pod. Now, it's up to her to find the scattered pieces of the adamant orb in Sinnoh, with a little help, that is. IKARISHIPPING/AU.
Extra note: Thoughts will be written in italics. Besides the point of Pokémon strange strength and my lack of description, hopefully I'll be later able to explain. If I can't, PM or something. I don't bite :D Still unclear? Dayum, then I really suck. :P
Disclaimer: Anybody ever sulked in a corner with this label always mocking them? Pshaw, it happened to me countless times~! I swear this is another form of emotional abuse. xD
Playlist/Song of choice: Like I do before in other previous fics, I'll repeat myself like a broken record. I have two in store for each chapter, one 'instrumental', one that is 'normal'. Go ahead; you're free to choose which one~ Just in case you have different preferences! Artist/band first, song next.
~.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.~
J.S. Bach - Toccata und Fuge BWV 565
Poets of the Fall - Locking up the Sun
~.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.I.~
Please refer back to the Prologue for any additional information.
『„ø¤º°°º¤ø„¸¸„P a r a l l e l
O p p o s i t e„¸¸„ø¤º°°º¤ø„』
Chapter 1: Quest & Partnership
Everything was almost hazy when her eyelids fluttered open, the patch on her head slid off when she arose from pink bed, checking her surroundings with her adjusting azure orbs. Peering at her clothing, it was perfectly in one piece with no smears or splotch marks of muck of any kind. What in the world happened? Her frown deepened, she expected to be in a room in Celestia's ship, waiting for the signal from Riley for their afternoon chattering. Not likely that will happened, whilst her new mission to secure the Adamant Orb that could be scattered practically anywhere in Sinnoh at this very moment, and what if someone has already taken the shattered shards? It was never likely to just give it back if they knew its true power.
Crestfallen, Dawn nuzzled into her wool blanket, pondering if she can really accomplish this task even with the help of this 'Volkner' fellow in which the note has spoken about. Glancing around to her surroundings once more, the strike of fear overpowered her when she realized her partners are nowhere in sight, even predicting the worse possible case scenario if they were taken away during her absence of consciousness. Rushing down the flight of the only stairs in the room, she froze midway when her Riolu was playing with the tail of a Raichu, nearby with a Luxray snoozing on the sofa. Around the table in the corner of what seems like a kitchen, her penguin partner ate its meal across from a blond man sipping on a mug.
Riolu was the first to notice her existence, ceasing to play with the tail of Raichu; Riolu tackled its owner neck with much love that it made her giggle to some extent. Due to the noise, the male cocked his head to the side, waving and sipping his mug nevertheless. Being a gesture, Dawn held Riolu's positioning on her arm, with her free hand she waved back. Taking the last few steps, the blue haired carefully placed Riolu on the wooden floor to continue playing with Raichu's tail as she gave a stern look at the blond stranger, "And you are?" She inquired, tilting her head to the side to give off the feeling of confusion. Detailing everything around the figure, just in case is anything was to happen. It's better safe than sorry, for all she knows, this stranger could just kill her on the spot if he wanted to. The girl shudder the thought away and stiffened.
"Is that anyway to speak to someone who saved you?" Dawn mentally grinned, it almost sounded as if he were lamenting the fake gratitude, "The name's Volkner." Approaching Dawn, he extended a hand out which Dawn quickly shook, at least her worries settled until realization came in a turmoil.
Clutching his hands in hers, she spoke with much desperation, "Riley…he mentioned you in the note! Please--" Her legs almost trembled, fighting back unneeded tears, "--help me! Riley, he is probably…dead…" Portions of flashbacks of the blue haired man, the greatest comfort with her, always there for her, vanishing from the fierce power of the enemy ship, all because the selfishness in power of that accursed Demon Emperor.
Volkner manage to get one hand freed, he ruffled Dawn's silky cobalt hair, "I'm conscious of the status, which is why I planned ahead of time." Getting his other hand free, he tugged down the clothing on Dawn's left shoulder, ignoring her small protest and the glares coming from her partners. The wing sprang out; Volkner touched the feather's texture and slid a hand between the middle of both wings. Finally patting her on the back, he slid the clothing back to her now un-bare shoulder, Volkner's blue eyes settling to the window.
Dawn: "What-what was that for?!" Cupping one hand to her face, she tried to hide away the tingling sensation of heat coming to her cheeks, the blush that seems to be deepening in color.
For the longest time, Volkner did not utter a word. Assuming so, the Celestian teen probably thought he wouldn't want to harp on the subject any longer until he spoke only four words, "Determining, protection, and experimenting."
That said Dawn took a seat beside her precious penguin partner, munching the food prepared for her, happily eating the scraps with much delight to the wonderful taste of the food. Gulping down the eggs with a cup of orange juice, Dawn finally thought it was time to break the silence, "Volkner, what was it that you 'planned ahead of time'?" Her voice appeared to break Volkner out of daze from the window, for the moment he look puzzled until he regained back composure. Crossing his arms, his gaze managed to spur a summersault in Dawn's stomach.
"My guess to where the tracked pieces of the Adamant Orb are located." Volkner pried away from the window, bending down to the level of the television. Fishing inside one of the cabinets beneath said television, Volkner grabbed a map and placed it on the table for Dawn to see with an ever-so-curious Empoleon, "There are eight gyms and gym leaders in Sinnoh, which means there are eight shards of the Adamant Orb in place. Your question might be: 'How can we so sure that they are just located in the gyms?' right?" Dawn gave a silent nod before Volkner continued, "This is only a guess, but with this I'm truly clarify since I am one of the leaders."
Dawn glanced up, gasping when Volkner held out a large shard of the Adamant Orb in his hand. Before Dawn was able to take it, he hid it behind his back, "Who said I was just going to give this away? You have to earn it, Celestian trainer Dawn."
Anger boiled in her veins, the teen pounded her fist on the table, shaking the emperor penguin's meal just a tad bit. She couldn't believe it, here the Demon Emperor wants power, how can she be certain to get Volkner's piece before the Emperor does? It was complete and irrational nonsense, "This is not a game, Volkner! The Demon Emperor is searching for them at this very moment!"
Volkner only smirked, stuffing the shard in a small bag, "Oh, this is a game, you have to begin with the first gym leader and work your way to face me, it's about time I had some enjoyment."
Dawn didn't debate further, only just asking further questions, "I'm at a disadvantage, I'm only able to own two partners, I might face leaders with more than two or I seriously need more than two to even face them! Now what am I suppose to do? Since the Emperor never applies to the rules, if I were ever to face him…I'd lose, even with the help of Empoleon and Riolu. They are just—not enough…" Her blue eyes downcast on the wooden surface, looking more interested at the small cracks than her scowling Pokémon. Yet they knew that it was still the harsh truth.
The blond grunted, "Bend the rules or get company. You are aware I'm only here to inform, not help. As much as traveling sounds nice, I have a gym with trainers always waiting. If you need more information on the way, just use this communicator." Tossing a round object in Dawn's hand, she eyed the blinking light for a moment before stuffing it inside her bag. This reminded her, the box-shaped object Riley wanted her to show to Volkner.
Searching within the bag, she took out the object and held it over to Volkner, he never commented, nevertheless took out a key, placing it on the top opening, "At least now I know what he wanted me to do with that key. Don't open it just yet until the time is right, I think he would want you to wait until you're ready."
Dawn nodded, placing the key and box in her bag, check and secured. The two departed out of the small house, along with all their partners following along. Volkner hid along the corner of the tiny town, his two partners very attached to him as the blond man unfolded his wings, he sensed Dawn's questioning look, "S-rank, I'm an S-rank. Have a safe trip on your new journey, Dawn." Volkner remarked, grinning sheepishly.
As Dawn blinked, Volkner was gone.
---
"C'mon guys, we're almost halfway to Jublife city!"
By the third trainer that asked for a battle, Dawn just couldn't refuse the small children's enthusiasm to try to win, which always ended up as a total failure as Empoleon was always the one to fight, being the strongest in the party thus far. That was until Riolu stepped into battle with trainer number three who used a very weak Shinx. Being Riolu's first time, Dawn started off with a quick attack to begin with, knocking the Shinx without mercy.
Dawn felt proud of her little Riolu, she never ordered another attack and half-expected this new blast of unpredictable and unexpected power, a blue sphere of…aura? Dawn hesitated, "Riolu, use aura sphere on Shinx!"
Nodding, the blue sphere shot to the small blue creature, ending the battle with money earned as a reward. Clutching the small blue partner in her arms, she hugged Riolu, "Whoa, I never knew how strong you really were! To think only Lucario's are able to learn that." Happily, Dawn shook the small forepaw as if Riolu was an infant.
Empoleon nodded to the comment, then twitching and growling to a rare presence, along with Riolu preparing an attack of another aura sphere. The atmosphere quickly changed, the sky felt darker than the radiant blue-sky it once was. Dawn held Riolu close her, a barely audible shuffled near the grass made the Celestian teen spin in her heels, her eyes never leaving the sound. From the corner of her eyes as she looked around, Dawn came to realize it was only a purple haired teen. Question is what is with that smug smirk of his?
"Here I thought that aura sphere came from a wild Lucario, seems I was wrong."
Dawn tensed, what just happened to those entire trainers, those children? There is just no possible way they could have gotten somewhere that quick. The intimidation of the stranger sent chills down her spine, no less of the keen look on Riolu, as if he wanted the creature of for his own. The thought gave her a fright, Dawn held Riolu even more protective and gladly smiled when Empoleon stood in front of her, the knife-edged flippers held out in a defensive position, giving off the vibe of cutting anything in two.
"Hmph, aura sphere or not, that Riolu is nothing but weak."
She glared back, "Who are you to judge my Riolu?!" Dawn growled, Riolu was never one to fully consider other individuals thoughts, but being called 'weak' made the red eyes glum down at its paws. Empoleon gave Riolu a look, the little bits of shine from the sun reflected on the edges of the flippers, radiating the sleek and sharpness for a more daunting exterior.
'Bend the rules or get company.'
Tsking to the last minute voice from Volkner, if this arrogant guy wanted to test potency, then so be it! If he's worth it, Dawn has no choice but to accompany this one for his might in battling. The faster she gets the shards, the faster she can see if Riley is truly dead or not. Between her pondering, Dawn realized her partners will definitely not enjoy themselves working beside this stranger. Gulping the lump in her throat, she dared the idea, "Let's have one-on-one battle then! I choose my Empoleon, if I'm to win; I want a favor from you!"
His smirk became grimmer of pure intent glee; he released one poké ball from his pocket, "I'm not willing to lose to someone like you."
---
In the Pokémon center of Jublife city, Dawn sat beside her injured and enraged Empoleon, her fingers sending soothing circles around Empoleon's back, "It was a tie, you did great! If we were a little bit more prepared, we could have taken down that Torterra in a heart beat! Don't blame yourself, Empoleon." Even with words, it just seemed her penguin partner just wanted to be left alone, not even Riolu's presence calmed the angry creature from its previous battle. Sighing, Dawn departed the room, returning back to the main lobby where the purple haired teen rested in one of the seating areas.
"I didn't expect you willing to keep your end of the bargain, being a tie and all." Dawn took the farthest corner of the sofa, nervously playing with her fingers from the tense and bitter atmosphere being radiated from the purple haired teen, "I'm Dawn, and you?"
He never answered, which only irritated Dawn more due to the lack or consideration or artificial partnership, Nurse Joy held out the stranger's poké ball, "Your Torterra is back to perfect heath, Paul."
A low 'thank you' escaped his lips, hiding away the capsule in the barely-seen belt. Well, at least Dawn finally found out his name—even if it had to be said by the nurse of the center—and he did agree to travel with her—he never really 'agreed', he just stayed silent around her and never answered Dawn's questions—it was at least a start, right? Though, she couldn't shake off the glare Riolu kept sending to Paul, like he was never the safest individual to be around with in the first place.
Another question is how can she convince him to cooperate to use his partners for her sake? As in, if there is a leader she is unable to withstand, how can she try to make Paul assist her to use or let her use his Pokémon? Being the sour one, she has no chance but to find another partner instead. Albeit, he is the strongest, that is something she will not deny.
Oh, life is starting to suck.
Finally in a serious mode, she crossed her legs, "Alright, I'm already aware you don't like me. That put aside, I have a…unbreakable tradition to own only two Pokémon, and I need a certain…token by each gym leaders in Sinnoh. Will you aid me, please?" Half of it was an obvious lie, oh how she could be sinned for such fowl act. Yonder the idea of getting help and trying to save this universe, consequences could be worried about later.
A pleading bow and uncertainty to what he will say.
Alas, how Dawn was scared that he will just walk away with cocky chuckle, mock her weakness.
How he might just ask questions that will cause her to breakdown and reveal all true secrets.
Never has she sensed this fear around anyone, what makes him an exception? Even Riolu felt the fright within Dawn, making it just as surprise.
The sapphire orbed grit her teeth together: Just give me an answer!
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A/N: See why this is categorized in 'adventure'? Not to speedy, right? No, it's won't be SUPER LONG TALE. Or SUPER -BORING- LONG TALE. Nah, I want to include fluffyness. No matter how hard that will be. . . Give it a chance? It IS just the beginning. Excuse any OOC, chapter 2 should be coming out any time now~! Oh, and why are the Pokémon so powerful at this moment, it might be explained in a different way, here is the easier way: Training XD :D Passing note, what Dawn is wearing is the platinum outfit, got it? Paul. . . He's wearing the same thing, like in the anime. XDDDD Hahaha, he's not special.