Hey, it's chapter 12~!

Yep, I know I've had a lot of errors in the past and I try to cover it up by saying over and over again how confident I am or will be the next time. But this time, don't hurt me when I say it again, but I'm super confident this time!

Gratitude:

Once more, Cid Neha, thanks for dropping by to read! It means a lot that you can keep up with my updates!

Hey, PolarDawn, great to see you again! Thanks for making time to read and review! Your corrections and critiques came in handy while writing this chapter!

Hello, L.R! I think it's awesome that you finally got an account! And, I really appreciate all the support you've given. Yes, Leaf is definitely a favorite of mine too, she's a lot of fun to write about!

And thanks to anyone else who's been reading since the beginning or just now!

So that's the end of my little Gratitude paragraph.

What am I doing in real life?

Yep, I've got absolutely no life. All I do is homework, anime, reading, painting, maybe play with my guinea pig, and write. Although I know I'm going to die when I get into high school and college e.e. So although I'm enjoying having almost nothing productive to do, I feel so lazy, haha. Hopefully I'll be updating more frequently, but I'll be absent again this week because of class field trip/camp and a family trip... They just keep dragging me left and right over and over again, don't they?

Well, I guess it's better than sitting at home and doing nothing, right?

Anyways!

Onto the story!

Disclaimer:*

I don't own Pokemon

Chapter 12:

'Alright, get moving.'

The silence was killing her.

She didn't understand how Paul could simply stay quiet and listen all the time. Surely he'd love to say something more than the shortest sentence possible when responding to people. When he did say something lengthy it was usual when he was enraged. Talking to him was like talking to a rock. You couldn't get any useful or interesting information out of it. At the moment, the mood was incredibly awkward and it seemed very tense as well.

Now if Lucas were here instead of Paul, Dawn could be engaging in a deep or funny conversation. It would be great if she could have a good laugh, but of course, that would make Paul think she was mentally ill again. The look that he gave her during the incident was one she simply could not forget. Even so, aside from keeping his distance from her, he showed no signs of remembering or dwelling on what had happened. Maybe he was trying to forget it? If only it were that easy for her.

Sunlight broke through the trees, early morning was long gone as noon crept up on them. Usually she would be hungry by now, but that uncomfortable feeling of something watching her from earlier was draining her appetite. Pulling down her dusty white beanie just a bit, Dawn sped up her pace to catch up with Paul. Did he always walk this fast? That day when he took her with him was he slowing down just for her?

Her eyes flickered upwards and observed his stiff looking back as she lowered her head into the scarf around her neck. The stiffness she saw in his posture. Was he nervous? Or maybe he would decide she was a threat to the group's survival and kill her. Those thoughts made her very uneasy. Maybe, just maybe, was it still possible to become his friend? He wasn't Lucas, but everybody has things that make them different. Different from her ideals, humanity's ideals. Even so, they should still be accepted.

"Hey, Paul!" Taking a deep breath, Dawn plastered a small, warm smile on her face. No matter how much he scared her, making him her friend was still worth a shot.

"What do you want?" His voice seemed to be coated in ice. It didn't exactly seem like he wanted to talk to her, but she wouldn't back down just yet.

"I feel like our first impressions each other seemed very off. Also, I feel like the person you met on the plane wasn't really real either. So, I'd like to start over." She stopped a couple feet behind him and gave him a soft smile. Paul also came to a halt. Turning around, his emotionless eyes locked with her warm eyes. Extending a hand, a confident look spread over Dawn's face, this one less feminine than the one he had received on the plane.

"Dawn Berlitz, fifteen-year-old coordinator. Nice to meet you!"

Although it wasn't as fiery as Bandana Girl's, her passion seemed to be unusually audible to Paul. Hesitantly, he took her soft hand as he had done on the plane with his right hand. Even if his face was still stone cold and unreadable, Dawn refused to let her smile falter, expecting a proper introduction. With a sigh, the grip he had on his spear slackened as he opened his mouth to reply.

"Paul... Shinji. sixteen-year-old trainer.."

The patient expression on her face turned into a look of content. Satisfied with his response, she nodded. For a couple minutes the two stood in silence as Paul had no idea what else to say. That is, until Dawn began to look a bit awkward and antsy.

"I'd appreciate it if you could let go now." She spoke formally for reasons unknown to Paul or even herself. It just felt natural.

"Ah... Sorry." Muttering an apology, Paul let go of her hand. All of the warmth that he felt vanished in just seconds. Hopefully, the girl didn't notice the slight look of regret that flashed across his face. How long had it been since he'd had physical contact with something living aside from Reggie? Not really that long, but he couldn't help the feeling that arose in his chest and face. This feeling was completely foreign to him. Smiling over something other than success or strife? It wasn't like him.

"It's nothing." Dawn's smile faded as she began to look around. There was something. Something was still watching them and it wouldn't go away. It was behind her, she could feel it.

"A-anyways! Should we get going?" Eager to move onward, she quickly began to move forward through the woods. Grunting in response, leaves crackled as Paul followed after her. Could he sense it too? Or was it just her head messing with her?

Silent murmurs entered her ears. The only question was, 'where were they coming from?' Many questions filled her head as she pondered over it. Shuffling her feet, she could feel her shoulders tense as the thoughts circled her head. Where? What? Why? Curiosity. It was something that she possessed and loved. Mystery. Suspense. Secrets. Problems. Dawn loved to read about those types of things in books, but this island was far beyond different compared to novels.

"What's up with you?" He grumbled quietly, picking up on her uneasy behavior.

"Oh, uhm, there's just something that's been bugging me." Glancing around, she nestled further into her scarf. Almost as if she were trying to hide behind it. She could almost sense the scowl that appeared on his face. It felt as if his eyes were burning into the back of her head, slightly disturbing. Even so, Dawn couldn't help but find his coal black eyes slightly intriguing.

"And what might that be?" Paul inquired, feeling the smooth shaft of the spear. Her eyes landed on it, watching as he rid it of the dirt clung to it. Dawn wasn't exactly sure how to explain it to him. Not that he would believe her if she said anything, but it was worth a shot.

The atmosphere seemed to be getting thicker, colder, definitely not the most pleasant. Faster. Faster. Speeding up her face, that was the only thing she could do. If she kept moving than whatever was lurking around couldn't touch her. Especially not with Paul right behind her.

"Don't you notice it?" Whipping around, Dawn fumed, frustrated with the feeling. Even if she had slightly repaired the tension between them, she didn't care. She was mad. Angry. Frustrated. Afraid.

"No... Maybe it would help if you showed me where it was?" His tone seemed to be coated with annoyance. How on earth could he not see it? Her bunneary would have done a better job noticing it.

"It's right ther-" As she moved to point in the direction of the feeling, two figures burst from the bushes with savage screeches.

Headed straight for Dawn.

"That was a great nap!"

Stretching, Ash lazily walked out to the campfire with a yawn. He cracked his neck before licking his lips as the scent of cooking fish entered his nose. It was noon now and he had decided to sleep just to avoid the tension that built up after Leaf and May ran off. Drama wasn't really his sort of thing, not only did he not understand it, but it was just pointless. Like, why fight over a guy or a girl when you could be chowing down on pizza? At least, that's what he thought.

With a thump, he flopped down on an open log across from Drew. The chartreuse haired boy seemed to be incredibly depressed. Something that Ash didn't like to see. Plastering a big, warm grin on his face, Ash flicked a small pebble at him.

"It's alright, Drew! I'm sure she understands that you were just messing around, right?" His eyebrows furrowed together with slight worry. Drew's head shook back and forth in response as he held his head in his hands, staring out at the blazing fire.

Ash looked around, listening to the ocean. Dawn and Paul had gone off somewhere, Leaf and May were also probably floating through the woods. Then he and Drew were here, which left... Red. Where was Red? Just before he had gone to sleep, Ash had seen him wandering around the ocean shore. However, he hadn't even thought to count up the group members again. Well, Red could probably handle himself. Surely, their leader wouldn't run off and do anything too reckless. Then there should be two more? He had only identified the red haired one, uncertain about the brunettes identity.

"Ngh.." Reaching up, Ash began to rub his temples. Usually he didn't have to think too hard about these sorts of things. Normally it was his traveling partners or mother who did a lot of the work for him. Following directions was pretty much the only thing he could do well, aside from eating and training his Pokemon.

Pokemon... Something felt missing. He had woken up right after the crash feeling perfectly normal. Of course, there were Pokemon in his luggage, he knew that much. However, Ash felt as if he were forgetting something very important. Maybe a friend? Was he depressed because he may never see his loved ones again? That would make sense, but this sort of feeling felt a bit different than depression.

Unconsciously, he reached up and touched his right shoulder. It felt cold and somehow empty. Pain struck his head.

Yeah, he'd done enough thinking for today. Great job, he mentally praised himself.

"'Scuse me... Hey!... I'm talking to you, hey!"

An angry, rough voice snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked up, expecting Drew to be shouting at him, but the other boy simply stared on into space. Turning his head in the direction of a frustrated growl, Ash's eyes locked on a certain fiery girl. Smile creeping onto his face, he laughed and shifted on the log he was sitting on.

"Misty!" Ash lurched forward and gave her an overly affectionate hug, not that he noticed though. "How've you been?!" He exclaimed excitedly.

"Ash, you dunce! I wake up next to some stranger and come out to see you with another stranger so the first thing you say is 'how've you been'?!" She fumed, narrowing her eyes and placing her hands on her hips. It'd been several days since the crash and after the second day they had stopped rinsing the unconscious with water. Because of that, Misty's face had visible grease clinging to it along with multiple burns just below her lip. Even so, she still had a very attractive looking face.

"Well, should I explain it to you or-"

"Yes!" Misty scowled as he laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head.

So chapter 12 is finished!

I'm sorry that it's so short, but I figured I might as well update before I leave, you know?

Well, Red is still missing, Drew is depressed, both Ash and Misty are confused, and Paul and Dawn are in yet another predicament.

Will this group ever get a break? Gary's still out cold as far as we know.

Ahaha, yeah, so I'm sorry for Ash and Misty's very short scene. But I needed to get everything together and organized, uahaahaha.

Has anyone noticed the pattern for the more violent events/chapters?

I'll leave it to you guys to figure it out.

Yep, so, thanks to everyone who's supported me up until now. I honestly didn't think I'd get this far in my fanfiction, my intentions were to write one chapter and then leave, but something's been keeping me here. Writing is fun, right?

Thanks again!
Feel free to stop and leave a review!

Bear~!