Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon… Man it's been a long time since I've said that o-o;;
BOOM~! And just like that, I'm back betches~! :DDD
Paul: … I thought that you died or something…
Me: And like a phoenix I revive from the ashes~! XDXDXD Pun totally intended… Get it…? It's funny because it's Ash's turn to kidnap Dawn! XDXDXD
Paul: Whatever… .
Anyways, enjoy! –Glomps Dawn- Hehe… It's been a while since I've glomped widdle Dee dee… =w=;;
Dawn: -Sweat drops- Not you too…
Chapter 8: Gotta Ketchem all
The next day, Dawn and Paul find themselves nearing the end of the forest. The Pokemon Center was not too far away, the two of them walking by foot.
"Are we almost there yet…?" Dawn asks with line eyes, sulking from the intense forest heat. "It feels like we've been walking for hours…" She muses tiredly while lumbering along, fatigued by the long journey. Paul turns back as Dawn complains and snorts.
"We're not that far from the Pokemon Center, so pipe down, troublesome and stop complaining…" Paul grumbles irritably. Dawn simply pouts at this and crosses her arms as Paul says this.
"Boo, grumpy meanie!" Dawn says as she sticks her tongue out at him childishly. Paul simply snorts at this dismissively. He then turns around a bit and has his eyes narrowed, having a feeling that they were being watched.
Not too far away, Ash was seen in the distance, having his eyes on Dawn and Paul. He puts down his binoculars and smiles with Pikachu perched on his shoulders.
"That's them alright!" Ash says with a smile. "Paul's a sharp one though… I think he already knows we're here! Anyways, let's get to work, Pikachu! He says as he hops off the tree and dusts himself off. Pikachu nods his head as Ash sends out his Staraptor as he descends from the tree, landing on its back and taking flight, trailing after the two teenagers.
Moments later, Dawn and Paul arrive at Jubilive City. Dawn has sparkling eyes upon arriving at the town and admires it comically.
"… Civilization… I had almost lost hope…" Dawn says in an exasperated, exhausted voice. "Finally, we've arrived!" Paul has a slightly annoyed look on his face at this and snorts.
"You're being dramatic, troublesome…" Paul snorts bluntly. "Now don't go off on your own and stay close. We're here to restock on supplies and rest up our Pokemon. Nothing else, got i-" Before Paul could finish, Dawn was already gone, haven gone off ahead to explore. Paul scowls at this comically with a vein mark popped on the back of his head.
"That troublesome girl…" Paul exclaims comically and irritably. "Where did she wander off this time?!" He muses before heading the opposite way, trying to find her through the crowd of people. As Paul wanders off, conveniently at the same time, another group had arrived at Jubilive, just missing Paul and Dawn. It was Lucas and Barry, apparently the two of them had the same idea Paul had to gather supplies for the long journey and possibly find clues about Dawn's current location.
"Well, here we are!" Lucas muses, looking at the map and navigating for the group. "Jubilive City, we've got to find something here…" Barry has a wide, goofy grin and looks eager upon arriving at a the city.
"Oh boy~! This place is huge~! Just the place I want to be exploring~!" He exclaims excitedly. "This is Barry the Adventurer speaking~! I leave for adventure in 3…2… Bah, who has time for counting?! He exclaims before jolting off comically before Lucas has a time to react.
"Barry, wait! We aren't here to play around…" He begins while reaching out to him. He then sighs and has line eyes as he goes after him. "That boy… What am I going to do with him…? He muses comically while sweat dropping.
Meanwhile, with Dawn, the excited, blue haired teenager was wandering around, looking at all the buildings cheerfully and in awe. She then stops by one stop in particular and squeals with sparkling eyes.
"A Pokemon clothes shop!" Dawn exclaims excitedly. She then smiles a bit as she reaches out for a Pokeball and holds it in her hand. "I know who would be right at home here! Come on out, Buneary!" She says as she lets the small rabbit Pokemon out from its ball. As the Pokemon emerges, it smiles and looks up at Dawn happily.
"Bun!" The Pokemon says brightly. It then perks up and sees all the fancy Pokemon clothes and gets sparkling eyes as it perches itself on Dawn's shoulder in admiration with Dawn doing the same with sparkling eyes.
"Right?! I knew you'd be right at home here!" She exclaims cheerfully. She then realizes she was missing something important and sulks a bit. "Too bad I don't have my wallet on me… and even if I did have it, there's no way I could afford any of this…" She muses while sulking a bit. Buneary has line eyes at this and sulks with her trainer adorably. Dawn then lightens up suddenly, recovering quickly. "No need to worry, a little window shopping has never hurt anyone! She exclaims cheerfully as she skips into the store cheerfully with Buneary eagerly cheering along with her. Not too far away, Ash notices Dawn entering in the store and trails along after her with a smile on his face.
Back with Dawn and Buneary, the two girls are happily enjoying themselves, Dawn trying all sorts of dresses on Buneary and taking pictures excitedly. The two of them hadn't had this much fun since she had been kidnapped by Paul, and this was a definite much needed break for her with all that had happened lately.
"Ah, this is fun! I haven't relaxed and had this much fun since Paul kidnapped me!" She exclaims cheerfully while petting her Pokemon's head. The Pokemon nods its head cheerfully and eagerly, in complete agreement with her trainer. Dawn then smiles a bit. "But we should be heading back now. Paul is probably wondering where we are." Buneary nods her head at this, but then perks up as she notices something. A Pikachu sitting on the shoulder of a 17 year old teenager.
"Bun…" The Pokemon says before curiously hopping off of Dawn's shoulder, curious about the yellow electric mouse. Dawn's eyes widen at this as she goes after her Pokemon.
"Buneary? Wait, come back!" She exclaims, chasing after her Pokemon. Meanwhile, Pikachu notices they were spotted and tugs on Ash's collar, alerting him that they were spotted.
"Pika, Pika pi, Pikachu!" The electric mouse says as it alerts him. Ash scratches the back of his head sheepishly at this and sweat drops.
"Ah, I guess our cover is blown…" Ash muses sheepishly. "We'd better retreat for now… This isn't an ideal location for us to be in…" He says before heading out the door. Buneary was in hot pursuit, however and meets up with them just as they reach the door.
"Bun!" The Pokemon exclaims with ^^ eyes as it tackles Pikachu to the floor. Pikachu's eyes widen at this as it's completely shocked and falls off of Ash's shoulder and onto the floor. Buneary seemed completely infatuated with Pikachu and had a deep blush on its cheeks while covering half of her face with her fur while cuddling with the electric mouse affectionately. Pikachu sweat drops at this and looks a bit puzzled as the rabbit Pokemon cuddles with it affectionately. Ash sweat drops at this and scratches the back of his head.
"Ah… I didn't expect this to happen…" He muses sheepishly and comically. Just as he says this, Dawn catches up, taking a second to catch her breath.
"I… finally… caught up…" Dawn muses in an exasperated manner while having line eyes. She then looks up and sees Ash's face and her face pales a bit as her eyes widens, backing away slowly. "Y-You're Ash… Aren't you…? Paul told me about you… You're one of the guys out to get me! Buneary, stay back! He's our enemy!" She exclaims, warning her Pokemon. She then narrows her eyes and backs away, reaching for a Pokeball and ready to defend herself. Ash has ^^;; eyes sheepishly and holds out his hands in protest.
"Relax, relax, I'm not here to kidnap you… Well, I was sent here to kidnap you, but let me explain!" He exclaims sheepishly and comically. Dawn has her eyes narrowed, not really trusting him haven just met the boy.
"I don't trust you…" Dawn muses with her eyes narrowed cautiously. "But I'll listen to what you have to say…" She says as she lowers her guard just a little bit. Before Ash is able to say anything, Paul arrives at the scene and sees Dawn with Ash. Paul's eyes widen at this.
"Oh no, I knew it… It's Ash… He was sent here to finish the job… Dammit…" He curses before running after them. At the same time, Barry spots Ash with Dawn and Paul running towards them, completely misunderstanding the situation and charging towards them barbarically and comically.
"It's Paul and his accomplice! They're going to get away with her! I'll stop them though~!" He exclaims comically and boisterously while Dawn is taken completely by surprise from this sudden turn of events.
"P-Paul…? Barry…? Wh-What's going on he-" Before Dawn could finish her train of thought, she gets O-O eyes as Ash scoops her up bridal style and sweat drops sheepishly.
"Tough crowd…" Ash muses while having line eyes with Dawn feebly protesting and flailing her arms to get him to let her down. He then slips through an alleyway with Dawn still in his arms. "Let's go somewhere a bit more private…" He muses as he takes her away. Pikachu bows apologetically to Buneary with line eyes before it picks her up bridal style as well, following his trainer. Buneary is completely flustered, embarrassed, and over-joyed by this and covers her face completely with her fur. As Ash and Dawn slip away, Paul and Barry are unable to stop their momentum and comically wind up crashing into each other hard, the both of them falling to the floor and cringing from the impact. At the same time, Lucas finally catches up to them, catching his breath as he joins up with Barry.
"Never… run off… again like that…" He says to Barry in an exhausted voice. Barry rubs his head and cringes from the impact.
"Yeah, sorry about that… Jeez… That smarts… He mutters comically. He then looks up at Paul and the three of them just stare at each other for a bit in silence before speaking.
"Ah! You're that guy who I lost to in that tournament!" Lucas exclaims comically. Paul snorts at this and retorts back.
"You're that pathetic loser who lost to me in the finals…" Paul says bluntly and comically. Finally, Barry comes in and adds in a comment comically.
"You're that jerko that got away with Dawn and made her mom cry!" Barry says comically. "And now your accomplice is getting away with her…" As Barry says this, the realization dawns on them and there's a comical brief and awkward silence, before the three of them are comically seen scrambling to get through the alleyway, pushing and shoving to get to Dawn and yelling at each other irritably.
Back with Ash and Dawn, Ash looks back and sees that they were isolated and smiles, breathing a sigh of relief.
"Looks like we lost them…" He muses with a sigh. He then feels a small, sharp pain on his cheeks as Dawn is slightly chibified and has her cheeks puffed in a slightly tsun manner. A vein mark was popped on the back of her head comically as she pinches his cheeks hard and irritably.
"… You can let me down now…" She retorts matter-of-factly and bluntly in an irritated voice. Ash sweat drops at this comically and lets the blue haired girl down. Dawn pouts at this and dusts herself off, backing away from Ash a bit and having a slight red on her cheeks at how bold he was with her. She never faced anyone who was that bold with her before, and she was taken completely off guard. Pikachu also sets Buneary down and apologizes to the small rabbit Pokemon, but she didn't seem to mind and was completely lost in daydream.
"Haha… sorry about that…" He says sheepishly. "I sorta just acted without thinking!" Ash exclaims sheepishly. Dawn simply pouts at this, not saying anything as she picks up Buneary and uses her to cover the slight blush on her cheeks, hugging the Pokemon as she covers her face.
"So, what did you want to say to me?" She says finally while still having her back turned away from him. "Make it quick, I have places to go and things to do…" She says in a slightly tsun manner, still a bit upset from the whole incident. Ash scratches the back of his head and sweat drops.
"Ah, I guess you really didn't like it when I did that, eh…? Which I find weird, because Misty likes it when I pick her up like that… I don't get girls sometimes…" He muses to himself obliviously and comically. He then gets line eyes as he continues. "Anyways, what I was trying to say was, I was sent here to capture you, but after meeting you in person, I thought about it long and hard, and I just can't bring myself to go through with it after all. I mean, we have no justified reason to target you of all people, so I fail to see the reason why we should capture you. So I'm willing to... 'fail' at my job and let you go… I would've said so sooner, but I couldn't exactly explain myself fully back there because, well… Those guys back there were completely misunderstanding me and I doubt I would've been able to properly explain all of this to them… And with the both of them charging at me full-speed, I had no choice but to run… hehe…" Dawn blinks at this while a bit surprised when Ash says this.
"… You're letting me go…?" She asks while still surprised. She then pauses a bit and looks the other way silently. "How do I know you aren't lying to me to let my guard down…?" She asks quietly. Ash smiles at this and slowly backs away giving Dawn space to get away, holding his hands out in surrender. Pikachu also backs down, standing next to Ash in a sign of surrender.
"See? I have no intention to fight. You're free to go back to Paul." He says with a smile on his face. "I'll be taking my leave now. Good luck! He says as he turns around for a bit. He then takes out his Staraptor's Pokeball and takes off, flying away. Dawn looks up as Ash leaves and pouts while still holding Buneary in her arms, a slight red in her cheeks as he watches him fly off.
"I don't like him at all…" Dawn muses bluntly and comically, in denial that she was a bit embarrassed with how he had played with her feelings. Buneary on the other hand is feebly twiddling her fingers and is completely red in the cheeks, haven completely crushed and fallen for Ash's Pikachu. Just then, Paul, Barry and Lucas finally manage to get through the alleyway and catch up to Dawn.
"There you are, troublesome…" Paul says with a snort. He then gets line eyes as he raps her lightly on the head. "Don't run off like that again!" He says bluntly and comically. Dawn pouts at this and rubs the top of her head.
"Ow, that hurts…" She exclaims. "It's not my fault I ran off like that… I haven't seen a huge city like this since I was 7…" She muses with an adorable pout. She then looks behind him and sees Lucas and Barry, and looks surprised. "Barry…? Lucas…? What are you two doing here…?" She asks curiously. Lucas goes up to Dawn and just pulls her in for a hug, his eyes shadowed with Dawn taken by surprise by this sudden action.
"… I'm glad… you're okay…" He says softly and protectively. "We came here to rescue you and bring you back home. You're better off with us than this kidnapper!" He says as he shoots a nasty look at Paul, holding Dawn protectively. Dawn blinks at this and pushes Lucas away to explain.
"Lucas, you have it all wrong!" Dawn begins explaining. "Paul isn't here to kidnap me. He's helping me get away from his comrades. I can't go back home and I had to lay low, which is why I never said anything. If I came back, I would be bringing trouble to Twinleaf Town, which is the last thing I want to happen." Lucas pauses as Dawn explains, but then narrows his eyes.
"… I'll trust your word, Dawn, but I still don't trust you being alone with this jerk…" He says protectively… and admittedly, in a bit of a jealous manner. "So I'm going with you…" Barry grins at this and nudges Lucas with his elbows.
"Ooooo, Lukie is jelly~! Looks like he has some competition~!" He says teasingly and knowingly. Lucas gets line eyes at this and raps Barry on the head comically. Barry has a lump on his head and scratches the back of his head. "Anyways, anywhere Lukie goes, I go!" He says with a proud, goofy grin on his face. Paul scowls at this irritably and snorts.
"We can't have this much people accompanying us…" Paul snorts matter-of-factly. "It'll attract too much attenti-" But before Paul could finish his train of thought, Dawn interrupts with a smile and nods her head in approval.
"That's fine with me! The more the merrier!" She says with ^^ eyes. "Besides, it'll be like how we always dreamed back when we were kids! A Pokemon journey after we graduate with the three of us… Oh, well, we have one more person with us, but close enough… ehe…" She muses sheepishly while scratching the back of her head. Lucas blushes a bit at this and looks away while slightly nodding his head.
"Y-Yeah…" He mumbles softly. "E-Exactly like that…" He mutters softly, remembering their dreams when they were still kids and growing a bit red from the sweet smile on Dawn's face. Paul snorts at this while slightly annoyed at this, but saw no point in arguing with Dawn about this.
"Fine, they can come… but as long as they don't get in our way…" He snorts irritably. "Now let's get going… We've already lost a lot of time as it is…" He says as he storms ahead. Though he seemed a bit jealous that Dawn had those dreams with Lucas and Barry. Dawn sweat drops a bit at this and nods her head.
"Right…" She says, returning Buneary back into her ball. She then turns around to Barry and Lucas and smiles. "Let's get going, guys!" She says in a cheerful manner. Barry and Lucas nod their heads and follow along with them as the sun sets in Jubilive City. Meanwhile, Ash watches the four of them from afar, smiling, before flying off.
To be continued
-Phew- It's been a long time since I've written one of these chapters… I'll admit… It's really reigniting my passion! XD
Paul: … I liked you better when you were dead…
Me: Silly Paul… Authors never die! (Overwatch Reference? XD)
Paul: Ugh… whatever…
Anyways, about that little Dawn moment with Ash… Yeaaaah… I admit… I've become a bit of a pearlshipper over the years. Don't worry your pretty little heads. Pearlshipping won't happen in this story since I've already committed to Pokeshipping. Dawn is just a little tsundere with Ash, that's all. Nothing will come out from all this. Also, about Dawn knowing about Ash, well, obviously Paul isn't going to sit quiet about his comrades, so let's just say he told her about them off-screen XDXDXD
Dawn: … I feel like I'm being shipped with all the boys lately…
Me: Cuz yur sho cuuuuuuuute~! –Glomps affectionately-
Dawn: … I'll take that as a compliment… -sweat drops-
Anyways, hope you enjoyed! And it's good to be back! XD Be sure to leave a nice review, and don't leave a nasty flame. Coz if haters gonna hate, I'll throw you out as bait! XD Oh god, why…? Never again… =.=;;
~Honou