Paul and Dawn: First Light

Chapter 2: Route 115

Chapter 2: Route 115

By the time I got to Route 115 the sun was setting. I looked to my left and watched waves crash up on the shore, spraying the beach with mist. Wingull floated in the air, drifting in a care free way over the water. To my right were mountains. Straight ahead, still too far away to see, was Meteor Falls.

I began walking, the sound of my shoes against the path the only thing to keep me company.

I gritted my teeth together as I remembered Dawn and how bothersome she was. She and Ash always tried to poke and prod their way into my life as if they wanted to get to know me.

I rolled my shoulders back, feeling the weight of my backpack tearing into my skin as I continued walking. The wind blew my hair out of my face, the cool breeze keeping me from working up a sweat.

Regretfully, I remembered losing to Ash in Sinnoh as I made my way north. The imbecile had guts, I have to admit. And since then, I had been kinder to my Pokemon. Slightly.

And then hearing that Ash had defeated Brandon when Reggie and I had both been defeated so easily had been nothing less than shocking.

Unwilling to think of the horrible memories of losing any longer, I noticed the sky was now twinkling with stars. Surprised, I stopped walking and ate a quick dinner before pulling out my sleeping bag and huddling inside it, feeling even more cut away from the world than usual as my whole body was submerged in darkness.

This is all I need, I thought, adjusting my body into a more comfortable position as my eyes closed. Just me, my Pokemon, and my sleeping bag to keep me warm. What else would anyone need to get stronger?

I slept in for once, lost in strange murky dreams that I couldn't remember when I became conscious. They felt right at the surface of my brain, haunting my sluggish morning thoughts.

The first thing I noticed was something didn't feel right. The instinct that I was being watched didn't fade as my alertness became less groggy. I ignored the instinct as best as I could. The dreams I couldn't remember, surely, were to blame.

Still, I opened my eyes to find another sleeping bag about five feet away from mine.

I groaned mentally and unwrapped myself from my sleeping bag to go kick the unwanted guest awake. What were they thinking??? I could have been a member of Team Magma or Aqua for all they knew, ready to steal their Pokemon while they slept. Or I could have been a serial killer or rapist, a willing victim just parading up to me. This person must be the stupidest, most senseless person in the entire-

Before I could prepare a nice, hearty kick the sleeping bag stirred. I froze and watched with a mix of horror and anger as the person rolled over, facing me.

Surely I was still in the middle of a nightmare.

Curled up, sleeping soundly like the big baby she was, was Dawn, hugging her Piplup tightly against her.

There was a new definition to the word "leech" and it was right in front of me, refusing to leave me alone.

"Get up!" I roared. Dawn opened her eyes wildly and scrambled upright, Piplup being squished in the process and sending a Bubblebeam out of the sleeping bag, narrowly missing me. I stepped backward, slipped, and ended up falling over.

I swore and Dawn screamed. Wincing, I stood back up and attempted to look unhurt, though my tailbone told me differently. Stupid Piplup.

"What are you doing here?" 

"Trying to sleep. Why'd you shout at me?" Dawn screamed again. I cringed, hating the noise. It was like an obnoxious Supersonic attack.

"Because no one ever sneaks up on me, including you." I suppressed the urge to push her away from me. Instead, I turned and packed my bag, rolling my sleeping bag up and hurriedly beginning my journey again.

"Wait up!" 

"For the love of Arceus!" I muttered, kicking the dirt road in frustration as I heard Dawn trying to get her own things together and her running footsteps growing louder. As she caught up to me, I stopped and pointed at her threateningly. "Leave me alone."

She held her head high. "No."

Good to know she was stubborn. Such a wonderful trait, really. Stubbornness. It went well with her ability to stalk me and ask stupid questions that were none of her business.

"What's the appeal of following me around?" I asked, not understanding.

"You said I haven't changed since Sinnoh. That I'm not worthy of even battling you for fun." Dawn crossed her arms.

"Everything you said is correct, congratulations on having a mediocre memory," I said sarcastically. "Your point?"

"I figured if I traveled with you for awhile maybe I'll become a better Coordinator-"

I laughed. "So by following me around you think you'll be able to win more pretty bows? Think again."

"That's not what I meant." Her face turned red. "I mean, I can't deny that you're one of the best Trainers I've ever met." Hm. I studied her as she bit her lip in embarrassment. "And I want to learn what it takes to be one of the best."

"And you think by just spending time with me that some miracle will happen in which you may improve slightly?"

She shrugged. "I'm a visual learner. I'm just looking for inspiration. You're right, I haven't improved at all since leaving Sinnoh and it's been months. I could really use your help."

I stared at her. She was being sincere. "Hmph. Nice use of flattery Dawn, but I'm afraid I'm too busy-"

"Oh, come on! All you're doing is walking right now. Why can't I just tag along?"

I cringed at the girly whining yet again, then asked, "And what about your boyfriend? I'm sure he's not too happy with these arrangements."

I hid my smile at that thought- it was obvious that Kenny liked her. Dawn, as naive as she was, obviously didn't share or even realize his feelings.

"He's not my boyfriend," she answered tiredly. "And I didn't really tell him my plans."

"Oh? You lied, then?" I asked, intrigued.

She blushed. "Um, I just didn't tell him my plans."

I smirked, very interested in how Dawn operated. Maybe she wasn't made fully of sugar.

"Ok, you can travel this Route with me. I'm not promising anything else."

"Oh, yay!" Dawn looked like she was about to throw her arms around me if she wasn't holding Piplup- thank God. "We're going to have such a good-"

"I have rules."

"Rules?" Dawn repeated.

"No talking. No giggling. No hugging, no asking questions, and no smiling at me like you're high. You do that a lot."

"I don't smile like that!" 

"You probably don't even know what being high means," I muttered before saying louder, "We're wasting time. Let's go."