There were only two things Dawn truly hated in her world. One, vegetables of any kind. Two, being woken up at the butt crack of, well, dawn by another of Barry's hare-brained schemes. Okay, maybe a third: Having to use her name in a context that referred to the time.

While this had happened plenty of times, Dawn still let out a yelp of surprise when she awoke to a gleaming pair of enthralled orange eyes staring at her a mere nose away. "Dawn! What are you still doing in bed? It's time to get moving!" Barry probably would have said more animated nonsense if a pillow wasn't slammed over his head like an Onix's Ion Tail.

Dawn, ironically not a happy camper in the morning, looked over at the electric clock on her nightstand. Its red numbers seemed to mock her as they read 4:30 A.M.With her hair a shaggy mess and her eyes like a hurricane, she continued to bash Barry with her pillow. "How many times do I have to tell you that it can wait until eight?" Her words were punctuated with grunts of Barry's mild pain (more surprise of Dawn's surprise violence) and her own grumpy breaks in speech.

After a few good hits with her pillow, Dawn flopped back onto her bed with an annoyed groan. "What is it this time, Barry?" Barry got up from his huddle on the floor, and after subvertly moving any pillow in arm's length, flopped down next to her.

"Only the greatest thing ever! I found a way we can go on a journey!" Seeing Dawn's skeptical eyebrow raise, he excitedly bounded to his feet before continuing. "I was watching this program tonight about Lake Verity. The River Pokémon Monsters dude found a red Gyarados inside its waters. I have a fishing pole, and I found some of my mom's old Pokeballs! We have to leave now because they almost caught it in the morning! Let's go, Dawn!" The blonde grabbed Dawn's hand and attempted to drag her out of bed, and he forgot two important things. One, Dawn was still in her pajamas. Two, he had woken up Ms. Diamond to let him in, who was coming up the stairs now.

The two Diamond women stared at Barry for a long moment before simultaneously sighing. "It's 4:30 in the morning, and I know you'll just come back in two weeks if it doesn't work this time." Johanna, used to Barry's wild and often ill-thought out antics, went back downstairs to make herself some strong coffee and pay a call to Barry's mother, Pearl.

Barry, a little retrospectively sheepish, struck a nervous glance back towards Dawn. With a frustrated sigh, Dawn stood back up and walked over to her best friend. "Just let me get dressed, and I'll meet you outside." The boy's citrine eyes crinkled at the corners from his smile. Barry ran down the stairs and out the door before she could say "ADHD".

As Dawn pulled on her black Levis and matching long top, she came thought back to the reasoning of the last 20 times a similar incident had happened. Despite both teenagers being 16, neither had a Pokémon or had been on a journey, unlike many adolescents their age. It hadn't been a choice for either Dawn or Barry, but their mothers'. Both teenagers understood that their families had good or rational reasons for their children to stay in the safe harbor of Twinleaf Town.

Neither child had their ancestral abilities'; the evolutionary genes designed to protect them were simply not there. Humans in Sinnoh had evolved to adapt to their environment over time, but due to geographic distances and divergent evolution, the people of Sinnoh were almost separated into tribes based on whatever genetic trait allowed to survive in their ancestral homeland. These abilities were not superpowers or magic; they were simply adaptive traits passed on from parent to child.

It was extremely unheard for children like Dawn and Barry to be born. Barry, originally from Snowpoint City, was not able to handle the extreme cold of where generations of his ancestors had lived and died. He did not have the fire that was supposed to burn through his veins. When faced with either her son dying or staying married, Pearl had chosen to leave behind everything she had ever known and moved to Twinleaf Town.

Twinleaf Town was a relatively new town of about a hundred years of history, along with neighboring Sandgem Town. It was a boiling pot of outcasts, families who were usually running away from something and their descendants or people looking for a fresh start or safety, like Johanna and Pearl. The two towns only had a combined population of 6,000 individuals, but their lives were seemingly intertwined with the exposure of so many different accents and cultures in such small towns. Even in a town of pariahs, one would always be able to find people to bond with and belong to. That was the only trait that the people of Sinnoh had in common: the need for community.

For Dawn and Barry, the need of belonging was driven by their curiosity and the stubborn youthful curse of needing to find others like them. But for these two, lack of a better word, mutants, there simply weren't many people who were like them, at the basis of their DNA. But being teenagers, they needed to prove that, and their mothers' couldn't stop them forever. That's why Dawn always put up with Barry's desperate attempts to get them Pokémon; they were the only two people on the planet who understood each other. Empathy is a good attempt, but experience was the only true way to truly walk in someone's shoes. It's a lot easier when you're the same size.

Dawn yawned as she took the stairs two at a time, blearily grabbing a thermos of hot coffee from her mother. Johanna pecked her daughter on the forehead as Dawn drudged out the door. She good-naturedly rolled her eyes at the duo she saw through the window, as Barry grabbed Dawn's hand and started high-tailing it to Lake Verity. She knew this day would come sooner or later.

Meanwhile, Dawn sprinted after her best friend all the way to the trail that led to Lake Verity. "Barry, it's too early in the god danged morning for this." Her best friend slowed down and waited for the slower girl, waving an arm for her to hurry up.

Out of breath, Dawn grabbed Barry's elbow, hooking it through hers. Now that she was awake and had all her grumpiness out of her, Dawn was her regular self. Orange eyes met navy as the two friends silently communicated in a secret language that inseparable souls could understand. The spark of adventure was apparent in their eyes, and with a single step, the friends stepped into their future.

Thanks for reading! Super hugs for Leona and Lucus Varentel for reviewing. *hugs*

I never really liked Dawn's outfit, so I changed it just a little. Instead of knee socks, she wears black pants, but everything else is the same.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. I also don't own a car. Not related, just felt like saying it.

Reviews are realty appreciated, and I love to know what I could work on in my writing. Have a lovely day!