A/N: Who still writes Pokemon fanfics in 2025? Apparently I do. I have just finished replaying Platinum after such a long time and somehow decided to write 4k words. Alas, whoever reading this, please enjoy.
Title is taken from the song Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
and in the streets you run a-free
The sun was shining relentlessly over her head as Dawn trekked through the rough expanse of Route 228. She squinted against the blinding light, straining to peer through the swirling dust that swept across the terrain.
Beside her, Barry power-walked without much hassle. Somewhere along his journey, he had curbed his habit of darting off at a moment's notice. Yet, Dawn could still catch glimpses of his boundless energy in the way his hand twitched restlessly. Just this morning, it took all her effort to strap a google onto his head and slather sunscreen into his face– an activity that had become all too familiar ever since their first week in the rugged Battle Zone.
After nearly a year of living miles away from mainland Sinnoh, Dawn has grown accustomed to Battle Zone's harsher weather, but she still often caught herself longing for Sinnoh's familiar icy climate. Especially on southwestern Sinnoh, where the level of coldness struck a perfect balance. On Twinleaf Town, to be exact.
Come to think of it, how long has it been since she last visited her hometown?
Most people who grew up in small villages and chose to leave often faced a distinct, universal kind of inner turmoil. After spending some time away, they would find themselves missing the simplicity and slow-paced comfort of their hometown. Yet, after returning for more than a week, they might feel suffocated by that very peace.
That's probably the thing with hometowns, Dawn pondered. They are only reserved in the small corner of our mind, a figurative place of solace when things get rough, but never a permanent fixture in our lives.
There wasn't much to do in Twinleaf itself. Looking back, Dawn definitely owed it to Barry and his ever-spirited mind for always thinking of new ways to make the sleepy town alive with adventures. With so very few children their age, it was a given that they spent their entire childhood stuck together.
Barry, however, always seemed too large for Twinleaf. All he ever talked about, ever since they were very little, was leaving Twinleaf and becoming the world's greatest Pokémon trainer, just like his dad. Dawn, who constantly got swept away by Barry's antics, often found herself either sprinting or quickening her steps to match his pace. His limitless energy, fueled with his desire to catch up to his dad someday, seemingly could not be contained by the narrow streets of that town.
And it had become evident now—how he returned even less often than Dawn, to the point where both of their mothers had joined forces in begging them to visit home.
But it was different for Dawn. Even after experiencing the bustling grandeur of Jubilife City and seeing the colossal ships in Canalave Port, she always pictured Twinleaf as the place where she would spend her old age. The crisp cold air, the scent of her mother's freshly baked pie, the familiar faces of the people who had lived there their whole lives, the bushes growing on the edge of the pond beside her house—all of those things held an irreplaceable spot in her heart.
But lately, remembering Twinleaf leaves a bitter taste in her mouth, for some reason she couldn't fathom. Whatever it is, it is what caused her to subtly dodge her mother's constant requests to come home these past few months.
Make no mistake, Dawn has countless fond memories of her hometown. But one thing she definitely won't miss is the nosiness of the townsfolk.
She could still recall all of the harsh whispers and disapproving glances her mother had endured for raising her as a single mother. It had even taken years for her grandmother's sharp gaze to soften after Joanna returned from her contest stint with a baby in arms and no man in sight.
Yet Joanna never paid any heed to those murmurs or sideways looks. Or maybe she did, but she never let it show in front of Dawn.
"Mom," Dawn remembered asking one time. "Do you ever want to leave Twinleaf again someday?"
Joanna had fallen silent for a moment, before smiling ever so tenderly. "Why would I? I have everything I need right here," she answered, her voice soft and certain. "Sometimes, you have to leave first before finding out what you really wanted."
Although, when Dawn set out on a journey after receiving her Pokédex, her mother was filled with inexplicable emotions that Dawn couldn't fully grasp at the time. There was sadness, of course—being left behind by her only daughter—but there was also pride, and something close to longing painted across Joanna's face. Dawn also remembered how her mother had gone a bit overboard in helping her pack, as if trying to make up for what she hadn't received when she embarked on her own journey long ago.
By now, Dawn's memories of her grandmother were a bit hazy. She had passed away when Dawn was only ten years old. Nowadays, Dawn only remembers her as a stern and old-fashioned maternal figure, who would often chastise Barry for running and speaking too loudly.
"When you grow up, don't be too much," her grandmother had once said. "Don't dream too high, you'll only set yourself up for disappointment."
Men won't want to marry you if you're too much, too ambitious. Those words had been uttered with so bitterly resigned, that it etched in Dawn's mind like a faded echo. They won't want to do the extra work of catching up to you if you're out of their league. Just find a decent man, settle for what's available, and make the best of it.
Back then, Dawn hadn't truly understood what her grandmother meant. But now, she couldn't help but wonder whether her grandmother was referring to Joanna or herself.
However, it was during her grandmother's funeral that Dawn saw Joanna cry for the first and only time.
That time, frustrated by her inability to console her mother, Dawn had retreated to her room to have a crying session on her own. It wasn't until Barry, the ever persistent, took her by the hand and dragged her to the outskirts of Lake Verity—tiptoeing through the tall winding grass—that Dawn felt a sense of peace.
Together, they watched the summer fireflies dance across the lake surface. Barry was unusually silent at that time, as though he was offering a wordless comfort with his presence.
And in that quiet moment, bathed under the gentle glow of the fireflies, Dawn came to a profound realization. She would never want to trade Barry for anything in the world.
She didn't want to settle for just any decent man and go along with life. She wanted more—something real, something that wasn't shaped by the need to compromise her dreams.
Later on, they ended up being grounded by their mothers for putting themselves in danger by venturing into the tall grass, but in Dawn's mind, it had all been worth it.
Suddenly, Dawn's musings of the past were abruptly shattered when Barry, as expected, complained. "Dawn, you're walking so slowly! At this rate, we won't get to the Survival Area until evening, I'll definitely fine you when we get there."
Dawn rolled her eyes, unfazed by his usual antics. "Shut up, you're the crazy one, dragging me around at seven in the morning."
Barry, in turn, ignored Dawn's grumbling, but his pace took a slower turn. He didn't even seem to realize that he was doing it, Dawn observed quietly. Has it become a habit for him lately to adjust to Dawn's pace?
Dawn huffed. "You've battled everyday in the Battle Frontier already, why are you still not tired of battling?"
Since Palmer had been temporarily assigned to Hoenn's Battle Frontier several months ago, he had asked Barry to run the Battle Tower in his place. True to form, Barry had performed exceptionally well, with many challengers noting how formidable his team was.
"Well, the world doesn't stop just because I beat my dad," Barry shrugged, as the air around them suddenly turned heavy.
Dawn fell silent, feeling the instant need to apologize to him. But before she could, Barry interrupted her, his tone light yet insistent. "C'mon, let's pick up the pace!"
Looking back once more, perhaps it was one of the circumstances that bonded them as children—the fact that they both grew up with absent fathers.
The difference, however, while Dawn's father had vanished into thin air since her birth, Barry's dad still made sporadic appearances from time to time whenever he had time off from his duties at the Battle Tower. Palmer was undoubtedly a great trainer, and Dawn respects him very much, but there was no denying that much of Barry's childhood had been spent without his presence. As they grew older, it became sort of an unspoken rule between the two of them— to leave that subject untouched.
And when it happened—when Barry finally defeated his dad, right before Palmer went to Hoenn—it was far less celebratory than Dawn had expected. She always pictured Barry bursting through her villa door in elation, cackling maniacally along the way. Well, the door bursting part did happen, but the following night, he became quiet and strangely contemplative.
They had simply ordered pizza and sat by the villa's pool, where Barry, in a rare moment of vulnerability, confessed that beating his dad didn't bring the sense of triumph he had always imagined.
On the contrary, it made him realize that aside from being a Tower Tycoon, his dad was just an ordinary man. It was as if the pedestal he had once placed Palmer on as a child had crumbled away. Instead, he felt that now he could separate his admiration for his dad's accomplishments while still acknowledging the pain his absence had caused.
He went on to explain that Palmer had offered for him to take over the Battle Tower altogether, but Barry had turned it down. Filling the role in Palmer's stead while he's away was one thing, but he no longer knew whether following in his dad's footsteps—his once biggest childhood dream—was what he truly wanted to do.
Upon hearing that, Dawn felt an overwhelming urge to tear up and hug him tightly. Since when Barry had become so mature? Hell, she wasn't sure she was ready to face her own dad—should he somehow materialize again in her life—with that level of maturity.
Then afterwards, the next day, Lucas dropped by at the villa with a bottle of celebratory wine, now that they are old enough for it.
"I guess now Dawn's the only one you haven't been able to beat, huh?" Lucas remarked offhandedly, long after the previous conversation had fizzled out.
Barry simply grinned like a blockhead in response before lunging to put Lucas in a playful headlock, teasing him about still being the same nerdy researcher. But as the two of them bantered, a sudden rush of panic jolted through Dawn like a Luxray's Thunderbolt. However, she quickly shoved that uneasy feeling under the rug, just like all the other inconvenient thoughts she preferred to not entertain.
Worryingly, during the week that followed, Barry lingered in an lethargic state, burrowed under Dawn's bed covers, looking like a man who lost all sense of purpose or direction.
Once, while Dawn was tidying up around the villa, she found Barry's Pokétch lying around, with its screen displaying a checkout page for a plane ticket to Kalos. Frowning, she considered asking him about it, but felt it wasn't the right moment. She chose to ignore it, though the thought gnawed at her already uneasy mind.
But then out of nowhere, he snapped back to his usual energetic self and instantly went back to dragging her out for another match at the Survival Area.
She sometimes acted as if it were a hassle—being dragged for rematches—but if she was truly honest with herself, having Barry around undoubtedly beats the solitude of the Pokémon League quarters. That's why she chooses to reside on this island—despite the daily hour-long commute on her Staravia to reach the League.
It's not like she could ever find it in her to refuse Barry either. Somehow, Pokémon battles seemed to be the only time she could win against Barry. At least he was sane enough not to demand battles in the Resort Area. Then again, perhaps that was due to him not wanting Dawn to be kicked out by the neighbors and lose his luxurious free accommodation.
And so, that's how Dawn found herself in her current predicament.
Having spent most of the journey lost in her own thoughts, Dawn didn't realize they had arrived at the rugged, grassy expanse of the Survival Area.
The area itself was fortunately empty that day, save for a few trainers scattered around the town.
Truth be told, despite having held the title of champion for quite some time, Dawn never grew accustomed to the spotlight that came with the role.
With a quiet sense of familiarity, she and Barry began releasing their Pokémon. First, Dawn sent out her Lucario, letting the Fighting-type charge forward against Barry's Snorlax.
"Hey, it's the champion and her boyfriend practicing together again!" a voice called out from the distance, five minutes into the battle, likely coming from one of the trainers nearby.
Another voice chimed in. "Ah, it's so nice how they still make time for each other. I heard the champion is really busy."
Those kinds of remarks should no longer faze her, not after hearing them so many times. But with her mind already elsewhere, she became momentarily distracted, failing to guide Lucario with her usual precision. In an instant, Snorlax's massive foot slammed into the ground with an earth-shaking thud, with Lucario barely managing to dodge it by the skin of his teeth.
Dawn mentally chastised herself, pulling her thoughts back into the match. Across the arena, instead of the triumphant whoop of victory she had expected from Barry after almost landing a close-range strike, Barry's face was twisted in a slight exasperation.
The thing is, contrary to everyone's belief, Barry and Dawn are not together.
Despite the fact that they slept in the same bed whenever Barry crashed at her villa (which happened more times than Dawn could count—but it was practical, as both of their workplaces were nearby). Despite everyone and their mothers constantly asking them when the wedding would be. Even despite the hour-long lecture Joanna gave her after seeing Barry's clothes scattered around the villa (in which Dawn had furiously explained that nothing was going on, but to no avail).
Dawn didn't think the word romance even registered in Barry's mind.
And then there's also the issue of her being a champion.
Begrudgingly, her grandmother's words echoed once again.
They don't want to do the extra work of catching up to you if you're way above their league.
"Heeey! Focus!"
While she was lost in her thoughts, Barry's Torterra sent her Luxray tumbling to the ground. A wave of panic surged through Dawn as she recalled Lucas' words from several nights ago.
She snapped back and quickly switched in her ever-dependable Empoleon, commanding her to Ice Beam the entire arena—hastily apologizing when the blast nearly struck a bystander near them.
Because what Lucas had said back then wasn't just a passing remark—it held a weight of truth that she couldn't ignore.
These days, she battles very little. Only few people get past the Elite Four, and people aren't so keen on challenging her in the middle of the street like they used to do in the good old days— before she somehow traveled to another dimension to save the world and became the champion by a twist of fate.
To be frank with herself, if it weren't for Barry constantly challenging her, she probably would have lost the title of champion long ago.
It wasn't just the fact that Barry is basically the only few people who could provide her a formidable match (beside Cynthia of course, but she'd been travelling to other regions a lot lately), but he also served as an anchor for Dawn.
A constant in her life— a comforting reminder of a simpler time that kept her grounded amidst the unrelenting publicity that came with being a champion.
And she never admitted it to anyone, but the reason she kept making regular solitary trips to Stark Mountain, training her treasured Pokémon in the stifling heat, was not just to maintain her title as a champion, but also because she selfishly didn't want Barry to surpass her.
Because, knowing Barry, once he did, he'll find a new fixation and move forward, leaving her behind as easily as he had left Twinleaf.
Now, with both of them down to their final Pokémon, Dawn is definitely on the verge of losing. This is all Lucas's fault, she cursed inwardly. Lucas and his stupid words.
Sensing her trainer's growing unease, Empoleon unleashed her final burst of strength, summoning a torrent of tsunami-like waves that crashed down upon Barry's Heracross. The fighting bug staggered under the onslaught before fainting, leaving Dawn as the victor.
"Whaa?! What's that about?!" Barry exclaimed, although it lacked real heat and surprise. "I'm going to get tougher though next time!"
Next time.
What if there wasn't a next time?
What if Barry did leave, and Dawn's going to come back to Twinleaf and live the rest of her life… settling with someone that could never match up to him?
"Because you beat me, you have to treat me to lunch!" Barry huffed, crouched over his Heracross as he carefully tended to its wounds, displaying a gentleness that he rarely showed to anyone but his Pokémon. "C'mon, let's go to the cafe down the hill!"
"I'm not hungry," Dawn mumbled absent-mindedly, fixing her attention on Empoleon as she rummaged through her bags for her favorite berries. The penguin's sharp, inquisitive gaze lingered on her, as if silently urging her not to run away.
Barry frowned but said nothing as he turned and began walking down the hill. Dawn trailed behind, inwardly trying to come up with an excuse so she can head back to the villa by herself and sulk in peace.
She almost thought she'd succeeded until Barry suddenly spun around and closed the distance between them. "Okay spill!" he cried out, shaking her shoulder. "What's gotten into you this past month?"
Dawn, caught off guard, almost jumped. "What? There's nothing wrong with me."
"Lies!" Barry shot back. "I know I've been acting weird after beating my dad— because, yeah, I had a lot of crap to figure out. But I'm fine now! So what's wrong with you? Daddy issues too?"
His expression was so uncharacteristically serious that Dawn almost laughed and teased him, but the intensity in his eyes stopped her.
"And it's not just me," he continued, his tone softening slightly. "Lucas said you've been super moody lately too."
"So, you're allowed to have an existential crisis, but I can't?" Dawn rolled her eyes, stepping back to put some distance between them. "And since when do you gossip with Lucas about me?"
"Well, yeah," Barry pouts, and Dawn melts, just a little bit. "You're not allowed if you are not sharing it with me!"
Silence stretched between them for what seemed like centuries. Then suddenly, before she could stop herself, words began rushing out of her mouth without permission.
"What are you going to do when you finally beat me?"
She instantly regretted it, realizing how condescending she must have sounded. But there was no taking it back now. Instead, she held her breath, half-hoping he would just brush it off and jump to another subject instead.
Alas, her pipe dream was in vain. He blinks at her, looking almost confused. "Then we'll find someone stronger and beat them," he said in response, as if it's the most obvious thing in the world.
"We?" Surprised, she repeats softly, almost unsure.
"Of course, you're my rival!" he exclaims, loudly. "Without you, battling won't be fun at all!"
For a moment, Dawn simply stares at him. The weight of his words sinking in slowly, piece by piece.
Barry, still perplexed, lunged forward to grab her arm again. "Wait, don't tell me you've been sulking over that this whole time?"
Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but she quickly masked it by rolling her eyes. With a dismissive shrug, she shook him off. "What are you even talking about?"
"Uh-uh, don't try to gaslight me!" Barry shot back, pointing an accusatory finger at her. Since when did he even know the word gaslight? He must've been hanging out too much with Lucas. "What makes you think I'm going to leave you behind?"
"Well…" she hesitated, casting her gaze downwards, the words caught in her throat before tumbling out lamely, "It's just that… you leave."
You left Twinleaf and never looked back. You would never put your feet back there again if not for your mom's constant begging.
"I leave," Barry repeated, face scrunching up in confusion. He stared at her like she'd just kicked a Bidoof.
Well, it's now or never, Dawn sighed. "You're going to leave Sinnoh soon, right, for good?"
"Huh? Where did you get that idea?" Barry asked, completely baffled.
"You beat your dad. You've conquered all the Battle Tower facilities. Unless you changed your mind about being a Tower Tycoon, there's nothing left for you here," Dawn said, her voice tightening. Nothing except, well, beating the champion. "And you hate Twinleaf."
"Okay, now you're not making any sense," Barry frowned. "I don't hate Twinleaf. We grew up there!"
"That's precisely why!" Dawn exclaimed, her tone growing more insistent, even though she knew she probably sounded ridiculous. "You're off to Kalos, aren't you? I accidentally saw you looking for a plane ticket once."
Realization flickered across Barry's boyish face. "Dawn," he began, his voice hushed.
But she wasn't done. "And that's totally okay," she said quickly, though the words stung. After spending nearly their whole lives together, it felt like a betrayal to not be included in his future plans, but Dawn reminded herself that Barry didn't owe her anything. "It's your life."
"It was supposed to be a surprise!" Barry burst out, looking equal parts annoyed and sheepish.
"Huh?"
"The tickets to Kalos!" he huffed, crossing his arms. "And I don't hate Twinleaf—are you crazy? I've been saving all my prize money from the Battle Tower to buy us a house back home!"
Dawn froze, her mind short-circuiting. "Wait, what?" she raised her hand to stop him from talking. "A house? Kalos?"
Barry rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, appearing shy for the first time since Dawn had known him. "You've always talked about wanting to visit Lumiose because of that weird drama you like," he mumbled. "And we've never really traveled outside Sinnoh. Plus, there's a Battle Maison there. It's where we could become Dukes or Duchesses or something—"
The whole Kalos trip sounded like something out of a dream, but Dawn couldn't stop herself from backtracking. "Wait… what's that about a house?" she asked hesitantly, almost afraid of the answer.
"Well…" Barry grinned, his excitement bubbling over. "We can't crash with our parents forever, right? It'll be our house, for whenever we want to come home!"
Home. Dawn blinked, her mind struggling to catch up. Since when did Barry plan ahead? For their shared future nonetheless? Was this the same Barry she'd known all her life? Even Empoleon seemed invested, her sharp gaze flicking between the two of them from behind. Beside her, Torterra lumbered along, as if he, too, were quietly enjoying the unfolding drama.
"But you hate Twinleaf," she managed weakly, still in disbelief.
"I don't hate Twinleaf! You really are gaslighting me!"
"That's not the meaning of gaslight!" Dawn flailed her arms. "But ever since we're little, you always talk about leaving Twinleaf!"
"That doesn't mean I never want to come back AT ALL," Barry shot back, his tone laced with exasperation. Luckily, there were no passersby around, given all the shouting they were doing. "I mean, I know I haven't come back lately, but we lived our whole lives there. I just want to see the world, you know? And it doesn't mean I hate our hometown. I just—" He paused, running a hand through his blond hair. "Look, you've been letting me crash at your villa pretty much all the time. It's only fair that when we both come back to Twinleaf, it's my turn to take care of our place, right?"
Dawn felt her heart stutter as he went on. She could see Barry's eyes lighting up with that childlike enthusiasm she couldn't help but adore.
"I'm thinking," he went on, gesturing animatedly. "About that one spot near the lake. Imagine it, a big house with a wide garden in the front and back, plenty of space for our Pokémon to hang out. Torterra's gonna need room to stretch, and Empoleon…" He grinned at the steel-blue Pokémon at her side. "She'll probably want her own pond or something, right?"
Empoleon let out a low, approving rumble, and Dawn couldn't help but laugh, a little giddy and a bit overwhelmed.
She had no idea if Barry fully realized the weight of what he was saying, but right now, it didn't really matter.
"Barry, you're…" She trailed off, shaking her head as a soft smile tugged at her lips. "You're unbelievable, you know that?"
He grinned, careless as ever, and shrugged. "Yeah, but you'd be bored without me."
And just like that, the worries that had plagued her for weeks melted away. A genuine smile spread across her face and before she knew it, Dawn was laughing, suddenly filled with an unexpected sense of joy and disbelief—much like the feeling she'd had when she defeated Cynthia for the first time.
And that is, undeniably true. As Barry kept rambling on about his grand plans for the house, Dawn was suddenly reminded of that day at Lake Verity after her grandmother's passing, and realized that she had been worrying over nothing.
With Barry, there was no such thing as settling.
He had set the bar for her years ago, back before legendary gods existed and the wild grasses were still too tall for them.
So she did the most logical thing. Amidst his rambling, Dawn gently tugged down Barry's scarf, and kissed him.
Perhaps it might have been five years overdue, and it might not have been the epitome of kisses, but it was perfect. It was warm, like curling up beneath her favorite comforter at home, yet also new and exhilarating, like the first time she'd set foot on Route 201.
Barry yelped in surprise. When he finally caught on to what's happening, he awkwardly wrapped his arm around her as he fumbled to deepen the kiss.
When they finally broke apart, he asked with a dazed expression. "What was that for?"
Dawn grinned cheekily. "Repayment for all my fines up until now."
Barry blinked, then threw his head back and laughed, the sound ringing warmly in the heat of the air around them. "Well, in that case…" He leaned in again, grinning mischievously.
And just like that, the thought of coming back to Twinleaf didn't feel so scary anymore. She's even looking forward to coming back soon. The weight she'd carried for so long had lifted, replaced by something brighter, something that felt a lot like hope.
She cannot help but think of the home they'd built, the battles they'd fought together, and the countless adventures still waiting for them ahead.
But first, they have got a trip to Kalos to look forward to.
A/N (again): To anyone who somehow stumbled upon this story and read it to the end, thank you for giving it a chance! It's been a long time since I last wrote anything, and it feels so good to be doing it again.