Kathy: Hey guys! Sorry for not updating in the longest time ever, but…here's Chapter 2!
Gary: No one cares.
Kathy: And, by the way…Lucas is not an OC, for those of you who haven't figured out. He's actually Lucas from the Diamond and Pearl games, the male playable character of those games. (: …Hopefully, you guys know who I'm talking about.
Gary: No one cares.
Kathy: *glares at him* WILL YOU QUIT IT ALREADY?
Gary: *smirks and chuckles* Awh, you know I just like to mess with you, Kathy!
Kathy: Actually, no. I didn't know that.
Gary: …Oh. Well, this is sort of awkward now.
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon.
Chapter 2: A Certain Someone
"I win!" I cheered in triumph, speeding past the open gates of the entrance into Professor Rowan's lab. I gradually slowed to a walking pace, breathing heavily, but beaming with a huge smile on my face.
"That's 'cause— you started— before me!" Lucas managed to yell through his short heavy breaths. I looked behind me, stifling a giggle as I watched Lucas running through the gates as well. Once he passed them, he immediately stopped and rested his hands on his knees, bowing his head and breathing hard.
I laughed softly and walked over to him, waiting for him to recover from that long run.
He continued to take breaths, slower and deeper this time to get himself to calm down. "Geez, Dawn!" he said, a joking tone in his voice. "How can you run that fast?"
I shrugged. "…It must be from all the traveling I've done," I proposed. The old days with Ash and Brock, and even the time traveling I spent with May and Zoey flashed through my mind once the thought of traveling came up. But I quickly shook it off.
Lucas sighed, regaining his posture, his breathing becoming normal again. "Must be," he breathed out. He then turned to me, a gleam in his eyes. "Okay. Let's go!"
We began to walk towards the building of the laboratory. The building wasn't something ordinary. It was one of the biggest structures in the whole town. In fact, it was the town's landmark. So why wouldn't it be big?
Once we reached the front door, Lucas held it open, letting me walk through first and following behind shortly afterwards. Walking through the enormous lobby of the lab, we made a turn into a wide hallway that led to various other rooms and sections of the lab.
"Professor!" I called out. I then turned to Lucas, and asked him, "Is he in the lab room?"
He nodded. "Probably. I mean, that's where he usually is whenever I come."
So with that said, we started to make our way to the end of the hallway, where the laboratory room of the building was located. As we neared the room, I began to hear Professor Rowan's voice, and two other voices conversing with him. The closer we got to the lab room, the more distinct and familiar those two voices sounded.
"I wonder who he's talking with…" I wondered out loud.
"Oh, Professor Oak from Pallet Town, Kanto and his grandson came over this morning. They're staying for a couple days," Lucas explained to me. "Another guy about his grandson's age came along with them as well. But, he left as soon as he got here, so I didn't get to see who he was. I wonder where he was such in a hurry off to…" He looked to the ceiling with a thoughtful expression, as if that would help him figure out the answer.
"Oh," I breathed out.
It took me a few seconds to realize what he had said.
I suddenly stopped in my tracks, my eyes widened and my pulse beginning to race.
"…Wait," I said. I turned around to find a confused Lucas looking at me with a raised eyebrow.
"What? …Why'd you stop walking?"
I ignored his comment, and asked him, "…Did you just say that Professor Oak was here? The Professor Oak? And his grandson?"
He nodded slowly. "Yeah…why—WHOA!"
"PROFESSOR OAK! PROFESSOR OAK!" I screamed, dragging Lucas along as I sped off to the lab room with the hugest smile on my face.
Professor Oak was here! And Gary was too! I haven't seen them in such a long time, I couldn't help myself.
I crashed through the doors of the lab room, still screaming Professor Oak's name, still smiling that huge grin. I was running so fast that I forgot how to stop, everything just became a blur, and all of a sudden, I collided into a hard, yet soft surface. An "OOF!" escaped my mouth once I made the impact, and I fell to the ground, hard.
I remained on the ground, rubbing my head. "Ow…" I groaned.
Three figures came running to my side, towering above me and looking down on me. I looked up back at them, and saw Lucas and Professor Oak laughing their heads off at me, and a slightly angered Professor Rowan eyeing me like I was some rotten little child that needed some disciplining.
"Geez Dawn, were you that excited to see Gramps?" a voice came from underneath me.
Hold up…underneath me?
I looked down, and saw that I was lying on top of a guy about my age; a guy with spiked up auburn-brown hair and coal black eyes. He wore a white long-sleeved button-up collared shirt with the sleeves casually folded up, gray jeans, and black sneakers. But the thing that stood out about him was the cocky smirk he wore on his face. It was easy to figure out who he was.
"…Gary?" I breathed out.
He chuckled. "Yeah," he said. "Now, if you don't mind, could you get off of me?"
Professor Oak chuckled. "Gary, where are your manners?"
"Come on, Gramps. It's just Dawn."
Realizing the awkward position we were in, I blushed and quickly stood up. "Oh! Gary, I'm sor—"
Before I could even apologize, Professor Rowan began to yell. "Dawn! That is no way to treat our guests! Apologize immediately!" he scolded me. I couldn't help but whimper a little and stare back at him with frightened eyes. But what can I say? An angry Professor Rowan was one of the scariest things ever.
"Heh, it's okay, Professor!" Gary reassured him. "It's really nothing!"
Professor Rowan just ignored him. He glared at me. "Apologize!" he demanded.
I gulped. "Y-Yes Professor Rowan! Will do!" I replied, laughing nervously.
"Weren't you just about to apologize to him?" Lucas muttered to me, bits of laughter still escaping him.
"I know," I muttered back. "It's fine though. No need to worry."
I turned to Gary, still on the ground rubbing his back, and held out a hand to him to help him up. "Sorry Gary, I really didn't mean to hurt you," I apologized as I helped him up.
He grinned at me. "It's alright, it's not like I need to go to the Pokémon Center or anything," he said. "Anyway, seeing you makes up for it! It's really great to see you again!"
I laughed, and gave him a short hug. "Same goes to you!" I beamed. He laughed as well and returned the hug.
"Dawn! It's wonderful to see you again!" a hoarse, yet cheery voice called out. I turned my head and saw Professor Oak, a happy and amused expression on his face, probably because of the commotion I caused a moment earlier.
I flashed a smile and walked over to him and gave him a short hug as well. Once I pulled away, I grinned at him again and said, "It's nice to see you too, Professor Oak!"
He chuckled. "So, how are you and your Pokémon? Are you back on co-ordinating yet?"
That caught me off guard.
The smile on my face weakened as I winced in the inside.
'Out of all the questions in the world, why did he have to ask about co-ordinating?'
I quickly shook the thought away. It wasn't his fault. He was an old man, and he's much too busy with his work to pay attention to what's been happening with me; he didn't know any better. "Uh, um…we're fine," I answered. "And…I'm still on break. It's been…almost a year since I've officially participated in a contest, ahaha."
The cheeriness in him slowly evaporated, and the smile on his face formed into a straight thin line. "…Oh. Why's that?"
I laughed nervously. "It's a really long story, Professor."
He chuckled. "Oh, I've got time," he beamed. "I'm going nowhere. Gary and I are staying here for two weeks!"
"You are?" Even though Lucas already mentioned it before, I decided to say that in order to change the subject. I didn't want the conversation to linger on my co-ordinating career.
He nodded with a smile on his face. "Yes," he answered. "We've decided to take a short vacation from work."
"Oh," I breathed out. "That's understandable. But…why here in Sandgem Town? Out of all the places in the world…"
"Well, I wanted to visit Professor Rowan's lab here and see how he was doing. After all, we are friends," he explained. "And, the peacefulness and serene state of a small town like Sandgem Town is just what I need to take a break from all the restlessness and bustle of radio stations and tending to Pokémon."
"Plus, a certain someone wanted to come and visit Twinleaf Town," Gary added, a smirk on his face.
I raised an eyebrow, curious. "What do you mean a 'certain someone'?"
"Oh!" Lucas suddenly exclaimed. "Are you talking about the other guy who came with you guys? Is that where he headed off to; Twinleaf Town?"
Gary laughed. "Yeah, exactly!" he said. "How'd you know?"
Lucas grinned. "Lucky guess."
"But who is that someone?" I pressed on. "Who came with you? Do I know him?"
Gary smirked, and laughed again. "You'll find out soon enough."
I groaned. "Oh, come on! Tell me who it is!"
He shook his head. "If I did, it would ruin the surprise," he told me, that smirk still on his face. He then repeated, "You'll find out soon enough."
"Hmph," I puffed, crossing my arms. That was typical of him.
"So, Dawn," Professor Oak interrupted, "weren't you going to tell me that story of yours?"
I froze.
"Uh…well, actually, Professor…we've got to head back to Twinleaf now!" I lied, attempting to escape telling Professor Oak the whole sob-story of my co-ordinating career so far. "Me and Lucas promised my mom that we'd eat lunch with her."
Lucas raised an eyebrow. "What? We never—OOF!" A simple nudge and glare gave him a clue.
A confused look came upon Professor Oak's face. "But it's already two thirty in the afternoon!"
I sweatdropped. "Er, we eat lunch late on some days!" I made up, slowly making my way to the door with Lucas following behind. "We've really got to get going though. It was great seeing you again, though! See you tomorrow!"
Professor Oak looked like he was about to protest, but then he gave up. "Oh…alright. See you tomorrow!"
I smiled, happy that my escape plan worked. "Kay! Bye Professor Rowan! Bye Professor Oak! Bye Gar—"
"Wait," Gary cut me off. "…If you guys don't mind, could I tag along with you?"
I beamed at him. "Sure!"
Lucas smiled as well. "We don't mind!"
Gary grinned. "Okay, thanks!" he exclaimed. He then turned to the two professors, and said, "Bye Professor Rowan! See you tomorrow! Bye Gramps! See you too!"
He walked to a nearby table, grabbed a backpack that was on top of it, and slung it onto his back. He made his way over to me and Lucas, and after waving goodbye to the two professors once more, we headed out the door and made our way out of the building.
"You two really didn't have to eat lunch with Mrs. Berlitz," Gary proposed, a smirk on his face. "That was just an excuse to get out of talking with Gramps, right?"
Lucas laughed nervously. "How could you tell?"
Gary shrugged. "Lucky guess," he said, reusing Lucas's line from before.
"But, I'm gonna head over back to Twinleaf anyway," I told him. "I haven't eaten lunch yet, and I wanna check up on my mom. Do you guys wanna come too?"
"Sure," they both said.
I smiled. "Kay," I beamed. "Lucas, can we take your car? I'm still tired from all that running." Even though Twinleaf Town was right next to Sandgem Town, it was about a thirty minute walk from Professor Rowan's lab, and I didn't feel like walking for thirty minutes under the raging afternoon sun.
He chuckled. "Sure thing. It's parked right outside," he replied.
We headed out of the building and Lucas led us to a sleek silver sports car. Being Professor Rowan's assistant sure paid off, so it's no wonder Lucas had a car like that.
Lucas climbed into the driver's seat, Gary slipped into the passenger's seat, and I sat in the backseat. Lucas started the car, and soon enough, he started to pull the car out of the grounds of Professor Rowan's lab and drive out to Twinleaf Town.
"So, we're eating lunch at your house, Dawn?" Lucas asked.
"That's the plan," I simply replied.
"Okay, to your house it is."
We remained silent for a little while. I looked out the window, watching Sandgem Town become a blur of small houses, trees, and people as we drove through the town. It all looked so peaceful, even as the car sped through it.
"I heard that Twinleaf Town is a lot like Pallet Town," I heard Gary breathe out. I almost forgot that he was with us.
Wait.
"Twinleaf Town is a lot like Pallet Town."
Now where did I hear that before…
I remember someone saying that a few years ago, during one of my visits to Twinleaf Town for the festival that year…
"Twinleaf Town…reminds me of Pallet Town!" a boy exclaimed. He was about the same age as me, fifteen or sixteen years old around that time. A red cap with a blue pokéball symbol embroidered on it topped his messy raven-black hair. His brown eyes gleamed as he took in the scenery of Twinleaf Town. A beaming Pikachu sat on his shoulder, chirping in agreement to his statement.
Red cap, messy black hair, brown eyes, Pikachu…
…Could it be?
Could it really be?
…Could it really be Ash who said that?
Is Ash the one who told Gary that?
Is Ash the one who came along with Gary and Professor Oak?
"Really? Who'd you hear that from?" Lucas asked him, interrupting my thoughts.
I shook my head. 'Nah, it couldn't be. He's far too busy with his travels and his journey to become a Pokémon master to come and visit Twinleaf Town…' I thought to myself. 'It couldn't be.' I decided to just abandon the whole thought completely.
Gary smiled. "A certain someone," he said, answering Lucas's question.
I raised an eyebrow. Why couldn't he just say who it was? "Is it the same certain someone who came with you and Professor Oak?"
Gary looked back at me and smirked. "You'll find out soon enough."
I looked at him with narrowed eyes. "…I'll take that as a yes."
Gary and Lucas laughed at my comment, and I couldn't help but join in. It was nice to be hanging out with Gary, and Lucas seemed to feel the same way too. It was also nice to have someone other than Lucas, Leona, and Kenny to hang out with. And, this was the perfect chance to catch up with Gary. And, maybe he could even tell me about Ash, and how he's been doing. I wonder how he's doing without me…
I quickly shook the thought away.
"So, Gary," I started, "where are you staying at? Are you staying at Professor Rowan's house?"
He shook his head. "Gramps is staying at Professor Rowan's house, but I'm not. I've decided to stay in Twinleaf Town, because I heard that Twinleaf Town is a lot like Pallet Town. So I wanted to see it for myself," he explained. "Plus, staying with two Pokémon Professors for two weeks isn't exactly my idea of a vacation, if you know what I mean." He chuckled at that last comment, and me and Lucas did as well. It was true; I could imagine Professor Oak and Professor Rowan going on and on about their research while Gary just sits there, bored out of his mind.
He continued on. "I rented a house down there, and that's where I'll be staying for the whole vacation."
I smiled. "Oh, nice," I said. "But…what are you gonna do for the next two weeks? Hang out with us?" I joked. I seriously doubted he would wanna hang with us when he could be doing something else that he considered more…extravagant. After all, he was the famous and popular Gary Oak. And I was Dawn Berlitz, the sad little co-ordinator on one of those "where-are-they-now?" shows.
He chuckled. "Actually, yeah," he answered. "I was hoping that you guys could show me around Twinleaf and Sandgem."
I laughed, not believing this. "You're not actually serious."
I looked at him, awaiting him to laugh along with me. But he remained silent, not a single laugh came out of him.
"…Are you?" I asked him.
He simply nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"It's just that…nevermind," I stopped. I then smiled, and said to him, "We'd be happy to show you around. It's not like I have anything better to do…"
"And with Professor Oak here with Professor Rowan for the next two weeks, I could probably ask Professor Rowan for a two week vacation as well," Lucas added, a small grin on his face. "So it all works out!"
"Awesome!" Gary and I cheered in unison.
It only took a couple more minutes of catching up with Gary for us to arrive at my house.
"We're here," I breathed out.
Lucas parked the car, turning it off, and then he and Gary stepped out of the car, and I did as well. Once I got out, I saw Gary looking at the house, his eyes moving from the bottom to the top. "So this is your house, Dawn," he said.
I nodded. "Yeah."
It was nothing much. It was just my house. But then again, I thought that it was an amazing place to live.
It was a simple two-story house with black roofing and white planks with a blue-ish hue to them that composed the house's walls. A small staircase led up to the front porch aligned with white railing. The patio contained a few chairs and a porch swing, and the red front door, which led into the building. Green lush grass and flowers could be seen everywhere around the house, creating a bright and cheery atmosphere. Mom took good care of the flowers around our house.
"Come on," I said, leading them to the front door.
I took out my house key out of my shorts' pocket and unlocked the door, walking into the house with Gary and Lucas following behind. "Mom, I'm home!" I called out as I walked in.
I expected an "I'm in the kitchen!" or something like that, the usual. But…I didn't get any reply. "That's weird…" I muttered. "I thought she was home. Where is she?"
I tried again. "Mom, where are you?" I called out, a hint of paranoia in my voice. "Mom!"
Finally, I got a reply. "I'm coming!" a voice yelled back. I sighed in relief. She was home.
Soon enough, she came running out of the kitchen, stopping at the sight of me, Gary, and Lucas.
"Hi Dawn," she greeted, softly laughing. She looked a bit apologetic. "Sorry, I was in the kitchen with a guest."
"Oh, haha," I breathed out. "Wait…someone's here with you?"
Before she could answer my question, Lucas cut her off by greeting her. "Hi Mrs. Berlitz!"
"Oh, hello Lucas!" she greeted back to him, flashing him a smile. "I almost didn't see you there!" She chuckled for a bit, and then turned her head, noticing Gary. "And you are?"
Gary smiled. "Gary Oak," he replied. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Berlitz." He held out his hand for her to shake.
Mom gladly shook his hand. "Yes, nice to meet you too, Gary," she beamed. "Dawn's told me about you."
"She has?"
She merely chuckled. "Yeah," she replied. She then looked at all of us, and asked, "Do you guys want to have some lunch? I still have leftovers from mine, that is…if my guest didn't eat all of it, haha." She walked back into the kitchen, and I heard her speak again. She was probably talking to the guest…I wonder who it was.
"Eat all of it? What does she mean?" Lucas wondered aloud.
"I have a feeling…" Gary muttered. What? What did he mean?
"Come on, guys. There's lunch in the kitchen," I reminded them. "Let's eat." They replied with "Okay" and headed into the kitchen. I stood there for a few seconds, blinking, and soon followed behind them, still wondering who that guest was. 'It's probably one of mom's old co-ordinator friends, or one of her fans,' I guessed.
As I walked, I heard Gary sigh and say, "I had a feeling that you were here." He sounded disappointed, yet amused at the same time.
"What do you mean?" a voice asked. It sounded like it belonged to a guy about the same age as Gary. And…it sounded so familiar, very familiar.
Gary chuckled. "It's nothing."
The moment after he said that, I casually walked into the room. The first thing I saw was mom grabbing some plates and silverware, probably getting it for Lucas and Gary.
The second thing I saw was Lucas, except he didn't look alright. He was quiet, standing somewhat far away from Gary and the guest. He looked speechless and shocked, like he'd just seen a ghost. And for some reason, he looked a bit annoyed, or maybe even angry. …Why?
The next thing I saw was Gary smirking and chuckling, probably after talking with the guest. He then turned his head, noticing that I entered the room, and this caused him to smirk an even bigger smirk.
And the last thing I saw…oh boy.
I almost died.
The last thing I saw…was Ash sitting at the kitchen table, staring directly at me, with those big brown eyes and that grin on his face, and…God, I just couldn't take it! I could feel my eyes widening at the sight of him, and I could feel heat coming to my cheeks.
Everything just started to become a blur. My pulse began to race, my breath began to quicken, but…there I was, standing, like a fool frozen in time.
"A-Ash?" I managed to scream out.
I felt everyone's eyes on me, and that just seemed to make everything worse. I felt like such a nervous wreck. "W-What are— what in the world— why—" Why couldn't I speak right? "…Ugh!" I yelled, frustrated.
And I decided to do the best thing for the situation.
I ran away.
"Dawn!" I heard him call out, worry in his voice. "Dawn!"
But I ignored him, and I just kept going.
I ran out the back door and into the backyard, slowing down to a walk once I reached mom's flower garden. I heard and felt myself gasping for air, panting. And I still felt my heart pounding in my chest, and my pulse racing, like it was running a marathon. The heat was still in my cheeks; I was still flushing.
And then, when I finally came to my senses,
I realized something.
"He's the one. The one that Gary was talking about," I breathed out.
I sighed, realizing that my guess before was right. 'I knew it.'
"Ash's the certain someone."
Kathy: So, that's it! Hope this chapter was good enough for you guys! (:
Gary: I thought it was.
Kathy: *smiles* Awh, really?
Gary: *smirks* 'Cause I was in it!
Kathy: *narrows her eyes at him and sighs* Figures. Well anyway, please review! It would make me very happy if you did! :D