Chapter eleven: Competition

Prompt: #4 Rivalry

Universe: Game-verse

Rating: K+

x

"Betcha can't stay underwater longer than I can!"

"You're on!"

The two exclamations came from Barry and Dawn respectively, who were sitting by Lake Verity in their swimsuits. Lucas was lying down, soaking in the sunlight and relaxing, but he sat up upon hearing Barry taunt Dawn. He gave uneasy glances to both of his friends but chose not to comment. Their pokémon glanced up from their activities, Torterra giving a big yawn, but ignored them and resumed their fun.

At Barry's challenge, Dawn immediately jumped into the lake and dove as deep as she could, blowing bubbles lightly to sustain her breath. She watched Barry jump in, neon orange trunks contrasting sharply against the navy background and almost laughed but held it in. She herself was wearing a two-piece navy bathing suit, but had the upper waist area covered by a rectangular article of clothing rather than a bra.

Barry spun around to face her and gave a closed smile, crossing his arms. His hair moved around of its own accord, and Dawn was sure her hair was doing the same. They stared at each other, bubbles blowing from their noses before Barry suddenly began clawing at his throat, a panicked expression on his face. Dawn paled and immediately swam to meet him but he shoved her away and laughed at her glare.

They looked up and noticed a vague shadow that looked like a head and waved, assuming it was Lucas. Sure enough, Lucas was there but he sighed at his friends' rash behaviour, choosing to watch and come to their aid if anything were to go wrong.

"Those idiots..." he muttered.

Back underwater, the two idiots began to feel lightheaded but their pride refused to allow them to give up. Barry began making weird faces and Dawn was clenching and relaxing her jaw muscles. Finally deciding she had enough, she began swimming upwards and noticed Barry following behind her. Breaking surface she gasped for breath, colour returning to her face. Barry rose next to her and swallowed gallons of oxygen as well, but he splashed her lightly. She turned to him and glared at him, treading water.

"What the hell, Barry! We could've died!" she yelled.

"Whaddya mean? It was a bet! You're just upset that you lost!" Barry yelled back.

"I didn't lose! You were right beside me!"

"I think you mean behind!"

Suddenly, they turned to Lucas, who had gotten annoyed and had made himself a sandwich while they argued. He started to sweat when they climbed out of the lake and approached him, crouched in front of him. He had a piece of lettuce sticking out his mouth, which Barry abruptly pulled out and threw away.

"Hey!" he complained.

"Okay, Lucas, who stayed under the water longest? Your bestest friend in the whole wide world, or Barry?" Dawn asked in a demanding tone.

"Uhh..."

"No fair, that's cheating! You're clearly using some sort of cheap wordplay tactic to get him to pick you, when he should be picking me!" Barry shouted, shoving Dawn to the ground.

Dawn glared fiercely and stood up, stomping her foot to the ground. "You jerk! I'm going to kick your butt!"

Barry stood as well, pointing in her face. "You touch me and I'm fining you one billion pokédollars!"

Dawn shoved the hand away and tackled the blond boy, putting her hands around his throat. "You won't be fining anybody when I'm through with you!"

They rolled around in the grass, shouting and beating each other up. Lucas sat watching them but snapped when he realized his sandwich was ruined. He stood up, broke them apart and threw Barry into the lake.

"AHH!" Barry shouted, before his voice was cut off by a loud splash.

"Heh... serves him right," Dawn muttered, panting to catch her breath.

Lucas rounded on her, glaring. "Don't make me throw you in there too," he warned. Dawn crossed her arms and lied down, closing her eyes.

"What would Cynthia think, if she saw you fighting with Barry like that instead of being responsible?" Lucas asked, trying to calm the vengeful teen down. He sat down next to her and watched Barry climb up on the shore, shaking his head and spraying water everywhere.

She sighed in response, sitting up and bowing her head. "She'd be disappointed and mad at me..."

"You and Barry are so full of yourselves, you especially. Ever since you beat the Pokémon League you've gotten so much confidence, not to mention dating the Champion has gotten you in over your head," Lucas said, "and I won't leave Barry alone, 'cause beating his father has given him a bigger ego than before. Just wait 'til he takes over for his dad, he'll explode," he joked, smiling when Dawn giggled.

They sat in silence and watched their pokémon swim in the lake or frolic in the grass. Barry stayed seated at the shore, knees pulled to his chest and gaze vacant.

"I guess I shouldn't have gotten mad like that," Dawn admitted, "he did win, after all... I was just so upset 'cause he tricked me into thinking he was choking underwater."

"He did?" Lucas asked, shocked.

Dawn nodded. "Uh huh... but I'm not mad anymore, and he's okay, so it's fine."

"You should go apologize," Lucas suggested, nudging the girl's ribs.

"...okay," Dawn reluctantly agreed, standing up and walking to Barry. The boy looked up when he saw Dawn but turned away, frowning.

"I don't wanna talk to you," he muttered.

Dawn sighed and sat beside him, dipping her feet into the lake. "I just wanna apologize for the way I acted... you won, fair and square. I'm sorry, Barry.. can we be friends again?" Dawn said softly, trying to peek at Barry's face.

Barry remained silent but eventually turned his orange eyes to Dawn, smiling. "Okay, I'm sorry too... I shouldn't have tricked you like that underwater," Barry admitted, regret in his eyes.

"It's okay. Hug?"

Barry laughed. "Okay, but only if we team up on Lucas and hug him too."

"Deal."

The clearing was filled with girly shrieks as the duo chased the dry teen, eventually all falling into the lake.

x

Later, Dawn sat in the comfort of her home, dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and sweat pants, sipping her mug of hot chocolate. Beside her, Cynthia chuckled as Dawn finished recounting her activities for the day. The Champion had been busy in a meeting with her Elite Four, so Dawn had spent the day with her best friends instead, who were more than happy to hang out.

"What a wild day," Cynthia mused, raising her own mug to her lips.

"Yeah," Dawn agreed, "Barry and I always got into crazy fights when we were kids... doesn't surprise me that we still do it now."

"They say bickering is a sign of attraction," Cynthia remarked.

Dawn choked on her beverage, glaring at the blonde. "Don't joke like that. There's no way Barry likes me, especially since he knows I'm with you."

Cynthia smirked. "I'd say I still have my competition regarding your affection... maybe Barry's plan is to wait until you get tired of me," she commented.

Suddenly, Dawn grabbed both their mugs and set them on the table. She pushed Cynthia back on the couch and climbed atop her, palms on either side of the blonde's head. She leaned closer and stared into her eyes. Cynthia blushed lightly but hooded her steel orbs.

"I'll never get tired of you," Dawn whispered emotionally before kissing Cynthia passionately