Chapter 17 is right here c:!
I decided that I'll try and post a chapter every week on either saturday or sunday. Although I may get too excited and post a second one.

Sound good? Great!
Anyways, I've been juggling a lot of things. However most of them are stuff I don't even really have to do. School, art, music, anime c:

Same old things as last week and the week before that.

Gratitude/Comments:

Yep, you were the first reviewer for chapter 16, haha. Alpha The Loyalist, thanks for reading c: I'm glad you thought that the last chapter was well written. To be honest, I thought I had overdid it but I guess not ^-^! I guess I'll try to explain this the best I can. Red is 6'6" but he's more on the lanky side than large. Leaf is about 5'4 but she doesn't just reach his waist. Now that I put some deeper thought into it, her arms would have probably ended up around his mid torso. So I made a small mistake when I was writing it. Anyways, I thought that I should include the other character's heights too. Paul would be the third tallest as 6'0" since Gary is 6'2". So hey, what do you know? Paul isn't Dawn's "Tall hunky beast" in this fanfic xD Drew is 5'9", not that much shorter than Paul or Gary and you can say that Lucas and Ash are the babies both being about 5'8". As for the girls, Dawn is only a little bit shorter than Leaf as she's 5'3". Misty and May are the two who are tall af compared to Dawn c: Misty's actually the same height as Drew with the height of 5'9" and May is 5'7". So their heights are pretty close, but you know, that's how it is ^ ^'. So yeah, thanks for your review!

To Electrophoenix, uhuehuehue, yes, I'm glad it raised suspicions.

Mr Squirtle6, thanks for reading C:! I'm really glad that you enjoyed it. There will be more backstories revealed but I'm trying to be a bit subtle about including them. Lucas is a jerk, but I'm afraid you'll just have to see how things turn out.

Cid Neha, thank you for reading and reviewing once more ^-^! Dawn can be a little insensitive, but don't we all have moments like that? She'll clean up her act soon, I promise you ^ ^

PolarDawn, thanks for dropping by to read! I'm glad you thought improvement was made on the last chapter and I REALLY like your suggestion. It's interesting and I think I'll include that soon! The chapters will get longer, but they may be sort of lacking compared the to chapter 16. I suppose it's because I went all out for that one with medical research, methods, etc. I'm sort of curious as to what happened to your friend last summer, but I won't pry. You'll just have to see, a little hint for the future, Dawn will experience a little bit of trouble involving Lucas, Drew, and Paul. How I love drama, but I assure you that I'll try to stay on the survival aspect as much as possible. C:

MarronChestnut, thanks for reading! Leaf and Drew's conversations were fun to write, so I'm glad you liked it! And I might as well tell you that a little story about Gary just moving away and forgetting would be too cheesy as it's been used multiple times in stories already. Uhuehue, trust me, I'll come up with something great. Lucas is a very concealed character. Maybe I am trying to manipulate people into hating him, but that really does bring Dawn and Paul together, right? I hope to see you on the next chapter!

Banana Bomb, thanks for reading and reviewing! I'm glad I made Drew seem more realistic and that the character interactions were okay!

Alright, people.

Requested by miss ASSASSIN MASTER I will now clear up all the misunderstandings on people's relationships, 'kay?

First up: Dawn

Is dating Lucas

Trusts/respects Paul

Has a friendship with May

Likes Drew as a friend

Admires Red

Thinks Gary is amusing

Adores Leaf like a sibling

Likes Ash as a friend

Has a small friendship with Misty

Paul:

Envies Lucas and finds him irritating

Loves Dawn

Thinks May is a hot-headed glutton

Thinks Ash is a air-headed glutton

Finds Drew irritating but could never hate him

Has not properly met Gary

Thinks Red is very respectable

Isn't the biggest fan of Misty because of her aggressive and slight know-it-all behavior

Would probably choose to hang around Leaf over any of the other females

Gary:

Often directs sexual or romantic actions/jokes towards Leaf, thinks she's cute/attractive but never 'hot' or 'sexy'

Thinks Drew is pretty rad

Doesn't exactly know Paul

Thinks Dawn is adorable

Doesn't like Lucas yet doesn't hate him either

Likes Red a lot

Does not necessarily have a relationship with Misty or May

Thinks Ash eats a lot but has yet to say anything about it

Leaf:

Absolutely despises Gary's romantic advances and comments towards her

Loves Red as he reminds her of her father

Thinks that Paul isn't exactly a cruel, emotionless jerk and likes him as a friend or older sibling

Likes Dawn for her upbeat personality but envies her as she is the complete opposite of her

Thinks May is very caring and thoughtful

Is slightly afraid of Misty but maintains her friendship with her anyways

Likes Ash as a friend due to his air-headed remarks coming across as intentional humor

Trusts Drew enough to speak normally and more clearly around him

Likes Lucas as a friend but doesn't like it when he says bitchy things

May:

Tends to argue with Drew a lot but doesn't exactly hate him, may in fact have a crush on him

Thinks of Dawn as a close friend

Likes Misty as her personality is about as temperamental and feisty as hers

Gets along with Ash because of their eating habits and slightly clueless behavior

Doesn't hate or like Paul

Thinks Red is a good leader

Despises Lucas for his insensitive comments towards Paul

Thinks of Leaf as a good friend

Sees Gary as an outgoing, bold playboy

Drew:

Thinks May's exterior looks and personality are attractive yet finds her pessimistic side annoying

Sees Paul as a very close friend

Trusts and respects Red

Is a little afraid of Misty's temper

Likes Leaf because she's the opposite of May and give him a breather after an argument with May

Thinks Dawn is good looking and way more feminine than May

Finds Ash to be very funny but sometimes a threat to the group's survival

Dislikes Lucas for his cruel rambling about Paul

Thinks of Gary as a friend already

Lucas:

Is madly in love with Dawn

Has some sort of burning hatred towards Paul

Likes Gary as a friend

Is skeptical of Drew due to his friendship with Paul

Doesn't like May because she seems to be slightly wary of him and Dawn

Dislikes Misty because of her earlier accusations of him doing something to Gary while he was in a coma

Doesn't have any serious relations with Ash

Kind and respectful towards Red, doing whatever the man says

Likes Leaf as a friend because she never voices an opinion against him

Ash:

Literally friends. with. everyone... Except for Paul

Misty:

Had a crush on Ash the moment she met him on the plane, but worries about him and his eating habits affecting the group's survival

Isn't too fond of Paul's attitude

Thinks Dawn makes the mood seem a lot happier

Doesn't have any certain opinion of Gary

Thinks that Drew is very observant and medically essential to the group's survival

Isn't particularly fond of Lucas for going on a rant about Paul's personality

Likes May as a friend already

Finds Red to be very admirable

Envies Leaf for her less flamboyant personality and cute, quiet behavior

Red:

Has a father-daughter relationship with Leaf to help her cope with the situation

Knew from the beginning that Paul wasn't exactly who he looked like

Likes Gary a lot

Worries about Ash and is kind yet strict towards him

Loves Misty's sense of authority

Appreciates May's ability to cooperate without question

Sees Drew a bit as an assistant however appreciates the things he does to contribute

Finds Dawn to be very mysterious yet doesn't question her about it

Doesn't hate Lucas at all, sees him and everyone else in the group as family

~Whew~! Well, that was really long, haha. So, feel free to use the stuff above as reference for the future, uhuehue. I hope this cleared up any confusion with the character relations. I'll just say this now as a reminder, just because a person refers to someone as attractive doesn't mean that they necessarily harbor romantic feelings for them.

Did that make sense? Okay, lets go!

Oh! And I'm just going to say that my chapters will get longer as we go along. Lately I've had a lot more to say and write so don't be surprised if this chapter is as long as the last, haha.

Onto the story!

Disclaimer:*

I don't own Pokemon c:

Chapter 17:

"Well, that couldn't have gone worse."

Gary laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. He shuffled away from Lucas and back to his seat on the empty log where Paul, Leaf, and Red had sat only hours ago. It was getting late and it seemed that a foul mood was beginning to overtake most of them. Misty had gotten so agitated with Ash and their supply situation that she went from hitting him to ignoring him completely. The one called Drew and the one called May were at each other's throats, arguing. Eyeing Drew just a bit closer, he noticed a circular bulge in the pockets of his pants. It looked about as small as a marble which was suspicious as the shape highly resembled a pokèball.

"Hey..." Gary tried to get his attention but his arguing with May only seemed to get louder and more intense.

"Even someone like you should know that they've probably already given up on us!" May growled, slamming her good fist onto the log she sat upon in frustration.

"How the hell would you know that?! I'm certain that our families won't give on us just like that!" Drew frowned, crossing his arms either in anger or because of the cold temperatures.

"Drew, wake up! It's been four days and we have yet to see a single helicopter! There haven't even been signs of a plane or jet passing by!" She shifted her splint before sending him an icy glare.

"I-it... That doesn't matter! Stop being so pessimistic, why can't you just act normally like everyone else?!"

"Maybe I don't want to act 'normally' because I'm too busy living realistically!"

"Hey!" Raising his voice, Gary interrupted them, clenching his fists. He could feel the angry or confused gazes focusing on him, making him slightly nervous. Fumbling around for the words, he took another glance at Drew's pocket before taking a deep breath and speaking. Lifting his hand, he pointed his finger towards Drew's pocket. "What is that?" Trying to direct their attention away from each other, he directed the stares from him to the circular object in his pocket.

"Hm? Oh, this? It's a pokèball that May and I found." His casual tone irked Gary off a bit, but he decided to simply ignore it. Drew's once intense looking expression turned into a relaxed look with a small amount of excitement detectable as he casually replied. Reaching into his pockets, he pulled the circular object from his pants. From his pocket, he pulled a shiny red and white capsule which set off a great reaction from the group. Red and Leaf were still tending to Paul and getting him cleaned up just a bit more so the atmosphere seemed a bit wild.

"Why didn't you show us sooner?!" Misty spoke up, breaking her long period of silence. Her eyes seemed to blaze almost as much as her hair which was almost glowing due to the fire in front of her. It lit up her face and made her look more threatening than she already was. Drew laughed light-heartedly, squeezing the pokèball and giving her a apologetic smile.

"Oh! Who's Pokemon is in it?" Ash leaned forward, eyes sparkling. His usual goofy grin formed on his face.

"'Dunno, it won't open." Drew shrugged, pressing the capsule button several times. Gary's eyes narrowed as the anticipation for the ball spread and grew among the others. He could see Misty's jaw tighten and Ash's eyes lose their twinkle after several moments of nothing but the crackling fire. The boy with the scarf, Lucas, didn't seem to be interested in any way at all and it was obvious that May and Drew weren't expecting anything big.

"...What won't open..?" A soft, quiet voice broke the delicate silence.

"Oh!"

Shooting up from his seat, Gary rushed over to the petite girl and nearly threw himself onto her. His arms held her tightly as she took a moment to process what was going on before beginning to thrash about wildly. He winced slightly as she kicked him in the shin but refused to let go. Her eyes were wide and she seemed to be very uncomfortable with the direct contact.

"Ah, my Leafy! It seems like it's been ages since I've last smothered you with love!" He rubbed his cheek against hers while she applied immense effort to get away from him.

"G-get away from me!" Leaf raised her voice a little but Gary obviously wasn't the type to care. She was small and somewhat lovable, thus reminding him of a certain girl from his hometown. Although he couldn't exactly remember what the girl looked like as it had been years and years since he'd last seen her. Her brown hair looked pretty, illuminated in the light of the fire and her natural scent was a little bit intoxicating, especially with the light scent of smoke. It took Gary back a little, almost every girl who'd thrown themselves at him had usually overwhelmed his nose with perfumes. Although it was quite embarrassing for even him to admit, he had picked up on her scent the day she boarded the plane and sat down next to him. Even though several days had passed without the opportunity to properly bathe, she still smelled the same. Just as he was about to say something suggestive, pain rippled through his ear.

"Shit!" Gary screeched, letting go of Leaf and falling backwards onto the sand. Blood trickled from his right ear and onto the sand, staining it a russet red. A panicked look spread across his face before relaxing as he found his ear to still be perfectly intact. No flesh taken out. Thank god.

"A-answer my q-question!" Her bright, visible blush which once rested on her cheeks vanished as she began to calm down.

"Eesh, Gary, what did she do?" May laughed, clearly forgetting her earlier clashing with Drew. As suspected, girls were that simple. He scowled before sitting up and holding the side of his head.

"She fucking bit me!" For some strange reason, everyone was getting beat up, specifically in the face. His eyes flickered over to Lucas' bruised forehead. It took him a moment to think about it, but afterwards his usual confident smile returned to his face. Looking to Leaf he smirked, wiping away the blood which had dripped from his ear to his neck. "Feisty much?"

Snorting, Leaf stomped over to where Misty and Ash were sitting. Gary frowned a little bit before chuckling, she obviously didn't want to sit next to him or Lucas. She gave Ash a small shove earning an approving smile and nod from Misty before squeezing in between them.

"Anyways, we were just talking about a pokèball May and I found in the remains of the plane." Drew yawned, staring up at the stars in the sky. He followed his eyes to the bright, shining stars which dotted the pitch black sky above. It looked beautiful and almost seemed to distract him from his bloody ear.

"P-pokèball?!" Gary watched as Leaf's face suddenly lit up. Was it hope or excitement displayed across her face? Maybe a mixture of both? Either way, it looked sort of cute which he found odd because usually he'd only ever refer to a girl as 'hot' or 'sexy'. Turning his focus back to Drew he twiddled his thumbs just a bit.

"Yeah!" Ash exclaimed, just a little too loud for Leaf as she flinched and scooted more towards Misty. The upbeat, raven-haired boy's smile suddenly faded as he finished speaking. "But it's broken."

"There's a chance a Pokemon is in it but simply rejected the person who calls it. Both May and I have tried but nothing has happened." Drew sighed, holding the pokèball up to the light of the fire. A yellow hue enveloped the shiny sphere capsule and glowed. Gary found himself staring until Lucas burst upwards, walking over and snatching the ball from Drew's hands.

"Hey!" May hissed, sounding a bit more vicious than usual. Most likely because of the things that he had said earlier. Unconsciously nodding as he drew his observations to a conclusion, which was that May had some sort of hatred stored up for Lucas. A genius he was. Was it possible that girls were easier to figure out than he thought they were?

"Chill out, I just want to try something." Lucas responded, reverting to his usual kind, gentle, can-do-nothing-wrong state. Gary narrowed his eyes, peering at the black-haired boy. The boy's friendly smile seemed somewhat suspicious in a way that he just couldn't describe. He could obviously detect the questioning looks that everyone sitting around the campfire was sending him because he laughed a bit before explaining himself. "Maybe the Pokemon will respond to me."

"To you? No way in hell." May rolled her eyes, letting her splint slack and rest on her thigh. Curiosity coursed through Gary as he thought about how she'd broken it. It was the one of the many things Gary was proud of, curiosity. With it, he was able to enjoy the Pokemon research which his grandfather usually forced on him. If it weren't for curiosity, humanity wouldn't have gotten anywhere. It was his key trait.

"Whatever," Lucas rolled his eyes before holding the pokèball out, "Magmortar, present yourself!" A grin formed on his face.

Nothing.

Only the familiar pop, crackle, snap which came from the fire.

"Doofus." Gary muttered with a slight smirk. He slouched, letting his head rest in his hands due to boredom. His grandfather hadn't gotten to the part in his lessons where it showed how to tell if a pokèball is broken or not. There must be something inside it, the only question is how to get it out. Yawning, he watched Lucas shove the pokèball back into Drew's hands before stiffly walking back to the log he was sitting on. Both Misty and May seemed to be muffling their laughters and Drew's expression was practically blank. Looking towards Leaf, he frowned as his gaze settled on her small smile. It looked as if Ash had said something funny which wasn't necessarily bad, but rubbed him the wrong way.

"You brought a Magmortar onto the plane?" Misty looked at him as if there was something wrong with him. "And you had it in your seat with you?"

"Pretty much, Magmortar's my best buddy." Lucas shrugged, eyeing her frown.

"I thought unnecessary cargo was to be shoved in the storage area." She spat, before flashing a small look of regret in her words. Gary suspected that she didn't mean for it to come out as viciously as it sounded. But Lucas obviously took no notice of her expression or tone.

"Say that again, you fucking bitch." Lucas' more friendly nature dissolved into anger. Gary's eye twitched a little. It seemed that without Dawn, he had so self-control over his emotions. Although, he wasn't exactly sure if this guy was mentally stable in the first place. A rustling of clothing rubbing together was heard as Ash stood up, locking eyes with him. His warm chocolate eyes turned stony as he smiled at Lucas.

"Excuse me, but could you not use language like that?"

Ash's formality and horrifyingly normal tone took him back a little. Closing his eyes, Ash held his smile, tilting his head just a bit to the side. From his first impression, Gary had thought that this boy was a moronic child who couldn't stand up for himself. Or maybe it's just that he didn't want to argue with the ginger at all.

"Shut up, dumb ass!" Lucas snarled, keeping his focus on Misty. The fiery ginger showed no signs of regret now. Her light, cerulean-blue eyes were so sharp and cold, Gary shivered. It seemed as if they would be able to pierce through him and cut him like a knife. Lucas' look was just as bad, in fact, seeing someone who played it as friendly for the first couple days so furious was terrifying. Although Gary couldn't help but think that Misty's rage would be even fouler.

"You've got some nerve, acting like that." May grumbled, ready to defend both Misty and Ash. Scarf trailing behind him in the air, Lucas whirled around to face May. His teeth almost seemed to be bared in an aggressive expression. Gary frowned at the boy's actions, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Look, you man-whore, I suggest you shut it before I decide to take action."

"I think we should just forget about the pokèball for now and get some rest." Drew finally spoke up after several minutes of 'shining' the capsule with his shirt. A calm yet hostile gaze was directed towards the other group members. When did he get so mature? Keeping quiet as usual, Gary watched as Lucas snorted before looking away from everyone's eyes. Taking pity on him immediately, he opened his mouth to say something but closed it as May began to talk.

"I suppose there are better things to worry about." May nodded, standing up. Without another word, she disappeared into the shadows, headed straight for the grass clearing.

"Where'd she go?" Ash questioned, still staring after her. Now that he looked a bit closer at him, Gary could see the clear resemblance between both Red and Ash. It was almost as if he was looking at an almost twenty-year-younger version of Red. The only major differences were their personalities and height.

"Probably to bed." Misty snorted, reaching over Leaf and flicking his forehead. Although her hair was a bright ginger color, her once light blue eyes seemed to be darker in the lighting and the opposite of friendly. At least, that's what Gary thought. They began to lose their sharp, cold look after Ash laughed and gave her a sheepish smile. Each of the personalities, habits, and traits piqued Gary's interest. Everyone was different one way or another and they each had a story of their own to tell. But of course, it would be rude to simply go around asking for people's backstories. Sighing, he set his gaze onto the blazing fire.

Warmth spread over his face as he continued to stare. His ear had stopped bleeding, however it wasn't like it bled a whole lot in the first place. A small amount of stinging could still be felt but he shrugged it off, entering his own world. Home. Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine himself sitting on the desk at school lively chatting with his friends. What were they doing now? Were they hanging out, going to the movies, picking up girls, and talking without him? The thought made him slightly depressed. Sighing, he opened his eyes and took another look around.

Gary hadn't noticed anyone leave while he was thinking. Conversations were more like soft, mixed up murmurs which couldn't be understood. When he opened his eyes Misty, Lucas, Ash, and Leaf were gone. Drew's returned stare was the next thing to attract his attention. Searching for the right words, Gary began to speak.

"What's up, man?" Clearing all signs of nervousness in his voice, he smiled at Drew. The green-haired boy laughed at his sudden attempt to break the silence and respond to his look.

"Red and I are on watch duty tonight, you can get to the clearing and sleep if you want." Drew rubbed his eyes a little before picking up a long stick and jabbing at the coals of the fire. Sparks of red and gold suddenly flew up and into the air above. Once again, Gary found himself staring intensely at the dazzling specks of light.

"No way, it's super cold! I don't know how those guys can sleep in this weather." The brunette ran his fingers through his hair before standing up and stretching out his limbs. A wave of relief and a somewhat pleased feeling swept through him as he moved his arms and legs. It seemed like forever since he had last gotten up and moved. His joints felt like they were hard and rusted. "Besides, I was in a coma for what Red said was three and a half days."

"It's gotten tough, but at the end of the day, we're all so tired it doesn't matter. Although we may need to find and kill something like a deer or wolf and take it's furs to stay warm." Drew responded with a much lower and heavier voice. Signs of fatigue were easily detectable and rings had formed around his eyes. Was anyone really getting enough sleep? His last sentence caught Gary's attention.

"Wolf? Deer? As in mythology? What are you talking about, aren't those extinct?" Gary's dark, shiny orbs met Drew's lighter, emerald eyes. Was that amusement he saw in the other boy's eyes? Was he the only one who still had no clue as to what was on the island? He had yet to see a single Pokemon so he figured that the island was simply uninhabited. But to think that Drew was implying there were real animals was very intriguing.

"Well, we were eating actual fish earlier so I suppose these are the last of the animals. I don't think you'll find animals anywhere else. Paul and I even found the head of a boar a couple days back."

"T-that's amazing!"

"It's definitely cool, however we'll have to be very careful. According to textbooks, some of the animals are more vicious than a raging Pokemon." His eyes narrowed and seemed almost as if he were analyzing Gary. The excitement disappeared from Gary's eyes as he nodded in understanding and agreement.

"I see... So we'll have to... Eventually kill one to survive?" Gary was never a fan of those who mistreated their Pokemon. And he didn't think that anyone would be, it'd be just sickening. He knew that they would need more food and protection from the harsh weather. But never in his life would he think he'd have to kill a living creature. As a scientist, he was strictly limited to observations by his grandfather as any experiments would lead to potential death of either him or the Pokemon.

"Unless you want to freeze to death." Drew shrugged, directing his gaze from Gary to the sky above. He seemed to have a habit of looking upwards, although it may be because there's nothing better to do.

Gary couldn't bring himself to say anything else. This guy was nothing like his friends back home who's personalities were just like his. Drew's personality seemed to be different in some way he couldn't explain. Maybe it was because he had a smaller ego than Gary himself. No. He saw him arguing with May earlier, only those with pride would bring themselves to argue as childishly as that. For some odd reason he seemed as hard to approach as Paul. Certain that everything would sort itself out, he walked around the fire and began to head towards the ocean shore.

"Where are you going?" Drew's voice seemed a bit wary of him. Right. Here on this island nobody had any trust for anyone. It was either that or Drew didn't like the idea of him going out in the dark.

"I'll be back, I just want to look out at the ocean and the stars. It's a nice combo." Gary stopped and looked over his shoulder, giving him a thumbs up. Without waiting for a response, he walked off towards the ocean. The bright moon in the dark sky seemed to send rays of cool-blue sparkling light down on him and the ocean. Rolling waves were soft and almost seamed like a lullaby sang by the sea.

"Don't go out too far and come back quickly!" Drew's voice yelled through the air, just barely audible. Ignoring him, Gary looked around a bit before letting his eyes rest on a silhouette of a figure sitting on the sand close to the sea. He could just barely see from the bluish glow of the outline that whoever was sitting there was female. She seemed to be sitting completely still and simply watching as the tide pulled in and out. As he quietly and carefully approached the figure, he noticed her small figure and long hair. It was far too dark to clearly see the details, but the girl had glistening auburn brown hair.

For a moment he thought that it was May before stepping a bit closer. Gary was now just yards away from where the girl sat and she didn't seem to notice him with her back turned towards him. He was just about to call out the tom-boy's name when she shifted, moving her arms so that they were placed in the sand beside her. She sat with her knees bent and pulled towards her chest. Peering closely, he noticed that neither of her arms had the bulky makeshift cast on them. A wave of realization hit him.

"Leafy? What are you doing out here alone this late at night?"

"C'mon, Dawn!"

"Stop it, I'm not in the mood right now." She had gotten a couple moments of silence until the others had decided to come back and rest. And that included Lucas. Dawn was furious with the way he had talked about Paul and was considering breaking off her ties with him.

"Look, I'm sorry, let's just settle down and go to bed." Lucas gave her that familiar kind, warm smile before sitting down on the grass beside Ash. The raven haired boy was sprawled out, snoring loudly. For a while now she had been using Lucas to keep her warm during the night. Without him she'd freeze to death in her skirt and sleeveless black shirt. Scowling, she crossed her arms and decided to give him the cold shoulder until he genuinely apologized for the things he'd said.

"You'll just have to cling to Misty or something for tonight." She replied, trying not to let any of her slight regret showing in her voice. It would be a long night but Dawn was definitely not the type of person to give in so easily. After all, even if Paul wasn't awake, she could still somehow prove that she wasn't some weakling hanging back in the protection of the other group members.

"Hey, don't be like that, I love you." Lucas murmured silently, pulling her by her wrist down onto the ground. Dawn shivered, feeling his warm breath on her neck. Feeling something burn up within her, she roughly shoved him away before standing up. A light scarlet color appeared on her face due to embarrassment, anger, and the cold wind.

"Clean up your act and we'll talk." She spat bitterly, speed-walking over to where Paul lay, propped up against the large oak. Beside him sat Red who was constantly checking his wounds for bleeding and signs of healing. Doing her best to ignore Lucas' loud begging for her to come back, she kneeled next to Paul and locked eyes with Red. "He's going to be alright?"

"Of course, I won't let anything happen to him." The man flashed her a brief smile before gently dropping Paul's arm and sitting back, leaning against the tree. Large roots reached out and disappeared into the grass and the tree stood tall and proud. However it wouldn't provide much shelter and soon they'd have to begin building a more suitable shelter. Sitting down on a large, fairly flat root, Dawn began to think about more important things to do when the sun rose.

"How are we going to build a proper shelter without anything to cut wood..?" Her fingers combed through her hair as she awaited his response. Glancing up, she watched as he tilted his head upwards to look at the glistening sky. It was going to be difficult to find resources to make a shelter big enough for ten people to comfortably fit under.

"I suppose we'll have to look around and take branches that have already fallen. Worst comes to worse we just take the scrap metal of the plane and try and make a saw out of it. I've never worked with metals but I'll come up with something." Red laughed with what sounded like uncertainty. A soft smile spread across her face as she thought about his confident yet unconfident attempt of reassurance.

"You don't need to worry about making a saw." Dawn shook her head, taking off her dirty beanie and running her thumbs over the soft fabric which was beginning to tear apart. A child's security blanket was what it reminded her of. Something there to pacify her in the toughest of moments and always there.

"What do you mean?" He looked at her curiously before letting out a yawn. In the light of the moon and stars, she could see the dirt and blood smeared across his face. There was a bit of soot around his forehead. She felt a little bit of pity for him as he was carrying the burden of everyone's survival on his own. The most she could do is help keep the group's mood positive with Ash. However so far, she was doing a terrible job. Turning her attention back to Red's question she stretched before walking off to the area where she and Lucas had usually slept.

He lifted his head to look at her before deciding not to say anything. Quickly, she blindly fumbled around for what she was looking for. Pulling them out from under a bush which was in the same area, she rushed back towards Red and a sleeping Paul. Flopping down on the flat root across from Red, Dawn grinned and hid them behind her back.

"Guess what it is."

"Is it a saw?" Hope glimmered in his eyes but she simply laughed.

"As if I'd be able to smuggle that onto a plane." Dawn laughed lightly at his thoughtless question before holding the items out. It was a pair of slightly dirtied steel-knit gloves. Dark leather covered the palms for firm gripping and light reflected and shined off of the silver-gray gloves. She could tell that he was confused as to why someone like her would have the metal work gloves.

"Why do yo-" As if on cue, Red opened his mouth and said exactly what she expected. Smiling, she slipped them on one by one and held them up to her face.

"My father is a blacksmith and a former welder. He makes thing like gates, railings, and cooking utensils. When I was about thirteen he began to teach me how to do those things but he'd never showed me how to make a weapon." Dawn stared into Red's eyes, forgetting about everything around them and getting absorbed in sharing about herself. If this was the best way she could contribute, then she'd make sure to give it her all. "It should be easy enough, right?" She could see her own eyes sparkling within his dark brown, almost black eyes. Did she really look like that? Was she really that passionate?

"That's great, we could really make something great! But why do you have those gloves on you?" Her smile disappeared as curiosity began to break into his expression. We? Why? By 'we' he meant he was going to try and make the tools himself, right? And that stupid yet reasonable question! Nervously shuffling her feet, she inhaled before looking down at her feet. This again. Of course everyone always asked why she carries such items around with her. In fact, now that she thought about it, the gloves might not even come in handy at all. There didn't seem to be any essential tools needed such as an anvil, hammer, furnace, or chisel just laying about. It was only natural that life wasn't that easy. Although, she might be able to scrape by with a rock, a makeshift hammer, and the campfire.

"I... I just... I um..." Dawn suddenly stopped herself as she recognized the familiar words slipping out of her mouth. She was making excuses again. Those who made excuses were cowards. Living with people on a island, they were bound to find out personal things about each other eventually. It'd be better to just say it loud and proud rather than be embarrassed or nervous as people slowly found out. That's right. No more pathetic excuses for things. Taking another deep breath, she lifted her head upwards and met Red's eyes directly.

"My father is gone and these gloves are special. Although he's not here anymore, I'd like to use this as an opportunity to contribute and show everybody what I've learned from him." Her tone came out a bit more confident then she thought it would. "I'd like to make it by myself." She added quietly as if to sum it all up.

There was a moment of silence between them. Nothing but Ash and May's snoring which could be heard faintly from where she, Red, and Paul were. Was he trying to comprehend what he had just heard? Would he look at her and tell her that metal work was something for men? Her eyes looked at Paul's stiff and somewhat peaceful peace, as if they were trying to avoid Red's gaze. It seemed as if all her previous confidence to ask for a independent task was drained. Of course people would think it's strange. A small girl lifting a big, heavy hammer and pounding a red-hot, large piece of metal was almost unheard of. Apparently smithing didn't 'suit her image' at all.

"Okay."

Dawn's head snapped upwards, eyes wide.

"What?"

"I said 'okay'. If you think you can do it, then please do so, nobody's stopping you." Red smiled, leaning back against the tree and closing his eyes. She wasn't sure if he was still listening, but didn't think he'd be the type of person to end a conversation by falling asleep.

"You don't think that a man would be more suitable for the job? You don't think that my body is too weak to even lift a hammer? You don't think that it makes me look unappealing and brutish? You don't think it'd look pitiful? You don-"

"Whoa, whoa, why on earth would I think those things?" He opened one eye to look at her.

"I don't know, people usually rudely comment on it when they find out." Dawn replied with a awkward smile. Had she always been so insecure about it? Now that he'd said that, it didn't really seem like a big deal or secret anymore. People do whatever they want nowadays. What had she been so afraid of? Being nothing but feminine? Keeping up a cute image so that people would like her? She suddenly felt like she'd made a complete fool of herself.

"You're you. Do what you want while you still can." Standing up, he walked out to the campfire where Drew was sitting. Dawn was left frozen in place. Was that all there was to life? You just had to ask and people would consider letting you do things? You didn't have to have some sort of special permission to do what you love most? Shaking away the thoughts running through her head, she looked towards Paul. He looked so much less agitated while asleep.

"Now look what you've done..." She moved to sit down in the spot next to him where Red was. Gently, she poked the side of his head wondering what was going on in his mind. "You're so reckless, you know? So reckless you've beaten yourself to the point where you're all tuckered out."

Paul shifted as she poked his cheek. Dawn pulled back, slightly frightened of his abrupt movement. He was asleep for sure, right? It wouldn't hurt to just 'talk' with him, right? After all, he couldn't say anything rude and couldn't hear anyways. Sighing, she leaned her back against the tree as Red had done and looked up at the stars. At the moment, she just wanted to selfishly talk about her stuff and her problems to someone who couldn't hear and judge her for it. 'Just this once, no one has to hear about it.' She thought to herself.

"So, I love Lucas with all my heart, you know?" Dawn murmured, closing her eyes before continuing. "But you're my friend, at least to me you are. And he's said some pretty terrible things about you, not that anyone believed him, you know? Or I hope not. Sometimes he can be real mean."

Glancing over at Paul's face, she couldn't help but notice how captivating it seemed. Staring for a moment, she inhaled the cold, dry air before exhaling.

"Ash has been eating all our food and lately I can't help but notice Drew's efforts to help out. Sometimes I wonder whether we'll even last a week out here. We've already gotten past four days, almost five, but I still worry. Anything can happen, right? After all, you almost bled to death. Did you know that?" Dawn's eyebrows furrowed together in worry. Pulling her knees to her chest, she crossed her arms. Had it gotten even colder than it was before? Her scarf didn't seem to be helping block out the cold around her face and neck either.

"Do you like Leaf? I saw that you're pretty close to her. Or maybe it's just that she's clinging to you because you're the first person she met out of all ten of us. May said you two would look cute together, you know? I think you'd look better as siblings though... Did you get bigger or did I get smaller?" She waited. Almost as if waiting for a response. It was almost as if he was simply resting his eyes and listening to everything she had to say. Nothing came in return. Dawn mentally smacked herself. Here she was, talking to a sleeping person, no, herself as if someone was really listening. Even so, she couldn't fight back the urge to continue her rambling.

"I know it's really wrong to think this while I'm dating Lucas, but the new guy, I hadn't noticed it earlier, but he's kind of good-looking. So is Drew, but I suppose that finding someone attractive doesn't necessarily mean you love them. Maybe it's their personalities not their looks, you know? Admiration is often confused with love. No, no, never mind. Let's talk about something way more interesting than romance!" The blue haired girl shook her head. She looked at Paul's face again. Yeah. He really wasn't listening, was he?

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here alive or is getting rescued just a fantasy now..?"

No response as expected.

"To be honest, I keep telling Misty and May that someone will eventually come like Drew has. But I really am starting to lose my faith in the rescue teams."

Quiet.

"Where do you think those strange people came from? You know, the ones that almost... took you away from us?"

Nothing.

"Why do I find 'talking' with you so relieving?"

Silence.

"Hey, wake up soon, okay? I want to talk lots more with you. Although I doubt you'll want to hear it... Whatever!"

Peaceful.

"I may not show it, but I'm actually really worried about you.."

Tranquility.

"Do you actually hate me or do you think of me as a friend?"

A shuffling sound and a grunt.

"Was that a response? Can you hear me?!"

More movement.

"Hey, Paul!" Dawn poked him in the side.

Dead silence.

"You seem really silent and strange lately. You've been avoiding eye-contact with me and you're always finding a way to get at Lucas' neck. They keep calling you a rainy storm-cloud of rage, but in reality you're just not a big talker, right? You're mysterious and you're careful. I've spent enough time around you to know that you can't be genuinely mean. However I still think it was wrong of you to accuse Lucas of doing something like murdering Gary. He wouldn't do something like that, you know? He can be harsh but he's really sweet. He means well, you know that right?"

...

"Promise me you'll forgive him for anything he says. He doesn't mean it. And Drew, he's real nice. Maybe you could be his friend? I think you've noticed it too, he's real focused on becoming your friend. Ash too, he may be floating up in the clouds a lot, but he's real helpful when it comes to lightening up the depressed moods everyone gets. I haven't known Gary for very long, but he seems like someone who'd be happy to be your friend too. They're all extremely nice to me and everyone else. Especially Drew and As-"

... An icy interruption.

"Can you stop talking about how wonderful your boyfriends are?"

Hey! That's a wrap for Chapter 17!

I'm sorry if it was a bit more lacking than other chapters, but I figured, why not get some romance involved. And I suppose that I spent a bit too much time on the author notes when I could've been writing. But I thought that it just might be helpful for future references. Slight Ikari in this chapter, but unfortunately, not enough. Once again, sorry for the poor writing, I will try and write way more for each chapter!

Not to worry, things will clear up and this will certainly end up an Ikarishipping story. Lucas can go die in a hole, right?

Oldrivalshipping is on the rise and the pokèball was discussed just a bit more. Gary's knowledge on pokèmon and real animals is hinted along with his 'key trait', curiosity and Dawn is revealed to be good with metal work. Not only that, but Lucas seems to have unlocked a new, more judgmental side in himself.

A good, sturdy shelter is in question as the weather gets colder and the possibility of cutting wood with a handmade saw is opened up.

All of Dawn's worries and thoughts on most of the other survivors are revealed to Paul and Dawn's insecurity was cleared away.

Yep, I sort of ditched the survival aspect a little bit, but there will definitely be chapters WITH that as the main focus and romance as a side-subject. I just figured I'd add a bit of character development in there.

EVERYTHING WILL HAPPEN WHEN THE SUN RISES... But we have to get through the night scenes first.

So yeah, that's my conclusion.

Warning:* Major Oldrivalshipping moment in the next chapter, uhuehueu

Anyways, feel free to leave a review, tell me what you thought!

Bear