Dawn, Paul and Cheren strolled through the woods.
"I can't make heads or tails out of any of this," Dawn said with a sigh.
"Let me see," Paul said, taking her journal. He flipped through the pages looking them over. "Wow."
"What?" Cheren asked.
"He gets really technical and scientific," Paul said. "Yeah, you've been screwed." He handed her back the book and Dawn groaned.
"I knew it," she said sadly.
"We're here!" Cheren announced. The two looked at him before looking forward at the city ahead of them.
"Are you sure?" Dawn asked. Paul raised his watch and brought up the town map.
"Nacrene City, right ahead," Paul said.
"And that's where your next gym battles are!" Dawn said with a smile.
"I repeat, if you put on that ridiculous outfit, you will regret it," Paul said.
"What outfit?" Joltik scurried up Paul's back and onto his shoulder.
"I have a cheerleader outfit," Dawn answered. "I used it to cheer for Ash in his gym battles."
"That sounds stupid." Joltik said.
"Hey!" Dawn shouted.
"You make it so plainly obvious that you're a child," Snivy said with a sigh.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Joltik growled, glaring at the snake pokémon.
"Like I said, a child," Snivy said, turning up her nose.
"Now now, play nice," Dawn told her pokémon. Snivy 'hmph'ed and nodded.
"Joltik, behave," Paul scolded.
"She started it!" Joltik shouted in protest.
"And I'm ending it," Paul said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out some pokémon treats. "If you stop you can have these."
"Alright, I'll stop," Joltik agreed.
"Good girl." Paul smirked as Joltik scurried across his arm, eating the treats in his hand. Once they were gone she took her spot on his back, nuzzling his cheek as she passed.
"Aw, how cute," Dawn said with a smile.
"Joltik's really taken a liking to you," Cheren said with a smile. "I didn't think she'd warm up this fast."
"Can't say I'm complaining," Paul said with a shrug. "Now let's just go, we don't have all day."
Dawn froze as they walked through the city.
"What's wrong?" Cheren asked. Dawn pointed forward and they saw Ash and two others. Paul grabbed her arm and immediately hid behind a building. "You know that really doesn't clear anything up."
"What was that for?" Dawn shouted in a whisper. She yanked her arm back and glared at him.
"Listen troublesome, what do you think that pathetic trainer is going to do when he sees us together?" Paul growled out. Dawn blinked and peered around the corner and watched Ash for a moment.
"You have a point," Dawn said with a hum. "But he saw Zekrom, so we have to talk to him."
"Are you really prepared for what's going to happen when he starts asking why you're so interested?" Paul asked. "We aren't really supposed to tell anyone."
"Well I think you already broke that rule," Cheren said, crossing his arms. "They're coming this way." Paul and Dawn ducked behind a dumpster as Ash and his friends walked by.
"That was an awesome battle, right Pikachu?" Ash said happily.
"Yeah!" Pikachu agreed happily.
"And you've got your second gym badge too," his female companion said with a smile.
"Iris! What's next, what's next?" a small dragon like pokémon asked excitedly.
"Are you ready for your third badge?" a green haired boy asked.
"Yeah! Bring it on Cilan!" Ash said in excitement. The trio passed the alley, not even noticing Cheren standing there. Once they were gone Dawn and Paul came out of hiding.
"He gone?" Paul asked.
"Yeah," Cheren said. "Now do you mind telling me what's going on?" He watched them crawl out from their hiding spot and stand up.
"That was Ash, the guy I traveled through Sinnoh with," Dawn explained as she got up.
"And you needed to hide because?" Cheren raised his eyebrow.
"Because Paul's one of his rivals. If he saw us together, it probably wouldn't be good," Dawn said.
"Can we just forget this and just get to the gym?" Paul asked.
"Yeah, we should stop by the center first though," Dawn said with a sigh.
"The pokémon center is actually really close to the gym, they're both this way," Cheren said, pointing in the right direction.
"Cheren, I hate you so much," Paul hissed, glaring at the boy.
"How was I supposed to know that he was heading here?" Cheren asked. Dawn pouted as she looked inside the center, seeing Ash and his friends at the desk. "And wait! Why me? Dawn's the one that suggested going to the center!"
"Hey!" Dawn hissed, glaring at him.
"Alright, how about you just take our pokémon in to get healed," Paul suggested, holding out his two pokéballs. Dawn sighed and looked down at her egg.
"I don't wanna keep parting with her," Dawn said sadly.
"Do you wanna be spotted or not?" Paul hissed. Dawn sighed and handed over the egg.
"I'll be right back." The two watched Cheren enter the center and both sighed.
"This trip just got a whole lot more annoying." Paul huffed and crossed his arms. He leaned against the window and watched people pass by on the street. Dawn sighed and crouched down, watching them as well.
"Maybe we should stay here for a little while," Dawn suggested. "If we stay here a few days more than needed we can put some distance between us and him."
"If it's the only thing to do." Paul pulled up his watch and sorted through it. "There's a museum with a library here. We could use that to do some research. And it's also the gym. Two birds, one stone."
"That'll work," Dawn said. She crawled on the ground and glanced into the center. Her eyes widened and she scrambled up, grabbing Paul's hand. "They're coming!" Paul let himself be dragged around the corner. They watched as Ash and his companions left the center. Pikachu, who was following behind them, stopped and sniffed the air. He turned around and spotted them. Dawn quickly put a finger over her mouth and shook her head urgently. Pikachu tilted his head and ran over to them.
"Hi Dawn!" He jumped on her body, settling on her shoulder. He nuzzled against her cheek and cooed. "What are you doing here? And with him?" Paul narrowed his eyes and growled softly.
"Pikachu!" Dawn groaned. "I'm happy to see you, I am, really, but you can't be here." She set Pikachu down and looked him in the eye. "Ash can't know that we're here, alright?"
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because he just can't!" Paul hissed.
"Paul! Be a bit more nice!" Dawn hissed, glaring up at him. She turned to Pikachu and smiled. "So, can you keep a secret?"
"Hey Pikachu! Where are you?"
"Look, when we're ready, we'll let Ash know," Dawn said quickly. "But for right now he can't!"
"Alright, but you owe me." Pikachu agreed. He ran around the corner, running up to Ash.
"There you are buddy! Where'd you go?" Ash asked. Pikachu apologized and rubbed his cheek. "Alright, just don't run off again." Paul and Dawn looked carefully around the corner. They quickly raced towards the door to the center and ran in.
"Are they gone?" Cheren asked as they approached him.
"Yeah, we're staying here for a few more days," Paul said. "Put some space between us and him."
"Then we should use our extra time to train before our gym battle," Cheren suggested.
"Electric web!" Dawn yelped as she tumbled out of the way of the attack.
"You know, when you mentioned training, I thought you meant you'd be training your pokémon!" she said, glaring at Paul.
"That actually was my intention," Cheren said.
"Come on, Celestial, aren't you gonna fight?" Paul teased with a smirk.
"Oh! If you're going to be that way Titan, than fine! Leaf Tornado!" Dawn threw out her hands. Paul jumped out of the way to avoid the attack.
"Pathetic." Dawn let out a frustrated scream at his scoff.
"Stay still!" Vines grew out of her body and sped towards Paul. He jumped out of the way of them.
"You'll never catch me at this rate." Paul sighed and side stepped her attacks.
"Shut up!" Dawn shouted. The vines stopped moving and Paul looked at her in slight confusion. "Oh! You get on my nerves so much! Of all people, why did it have to be you? Why did you have to be the other Legend Catcher?"
"Took the words right out of my mouth." Paul said. "How does Emi expect me to work with such a troublesome girl like you."
"Guys, can we not fight, please?" Cheren asked nervously.
"Stay out of this," Paul ordered. "Anything else you wanna throw at me princess?"
"I've got a lot of things I can say to you!" Dawn shouted.
"I knew they didn't like each other, but I thought they had been doing well." Cheren sighed and shook his head.
"Go ahead and say them," Paul taunted. "You really think that some words said by a bratty little girl will affect me?"
"Oh! You arrogant, self-centered jerk!" Dawn stomped her foot on the ground, glaring at him hotly.
"Ouch, I think you really hurt me with that one," Paul said sarcastically.
"Just shut up!" Dawn shouted. A light glowed under her. Paul grunted as he was blasted back, slamming into a tree. "Oh my Gods!" Dawn gasped and ran over to him.
"Paul, you alright?" Cheren asked.
"Yeah...what was that?" Paul grunted as he stood up.
"I-I don't know," Dawn said. "I just – just got angry and then I felt something wash over me."
"What was that strange glow coming from under you?" Cheren asked.
"I don't know! This hasn't happened before!" Dawn said.
"You weren't angry before," Paul told her. "You've always been calm in this form."
"Maybe..." Cheren hummed, thinking.
Dawn narrowed her eyes at the targets. Cheren had his laptop set up, recording Dawn.
"Go ahead, get mad," Cheren said.
"I'm trying!" Dawn shouted, puffing her cheeks out. "But it's no use, the emotion is gone."
"Great." Paul huffed and rolled his eyes. "What good is it if you can't even get mad?"
"Oh shut up!" Dawn shouted, glaring at him. She turned back to the targets and growled. A light glowed under her once more and the targets were pushed back, slamming into the trees and breaking. She gasped and flinched back.
"Perfect! That was just what we needed!" Cheren rushed over to his laptop and stopped his recording. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed away.
"Well, at least we know how to get you mad," Paul said with a smirk.
"Funny, few things actually can." Dawn smirked right back, undoing her transformation. Paul did the same and they approached Cheren.
"Let's head back to the Center while this processes," Cheren said, closing his laptop.
"You two go ahead, I still have some training to do." Paul turned back to the field and took out his pokéballs.
"Alright." The two nodded and left him alone.
"Oshawott, Joltik, standby!"