Paul and Dawn: First Light

Chapter 50: Sketches

Bagon's whining aside, I felt back in my element helping my Dragon Pokemon get stronger and it was invigorating. We'd been working on Protect, though I doubted we'd ever really use it. Still, it could come in handy. It was difficult work- a move that failed after repetitive use was challenging and required a lot of concentration. Even with Electivire's help, Bagon could hardly maintain the move for more than a few seconds.  

After the strenuous training session with little progress, not that I had been expecting much, we went to lunch. We made it to camp before Dawn, so I started unpacking all the food. By the time I'd finished she walked through the trees and greeted me happily. 

I smiled back at her, my heart feeling a bit less tense than it had during training. I hadn't noticed the odd heavy feeling before, but it was obvious that I felt more relaxed and at ease when she was around. As a person who'd never felt dependent on anyone else, I wasn't sure if I liked that or not.  

Our conversation was energetic and we both talked about what kind of training we planned to do. I talked more than usual, though Dawn didn't tease me about it, which I was grateful for. I knew she wouldn't forget me falling anytime soon. Neither would I, quite frankly.  

During lunch I noticed Bagon had fallen asleep due to exhaustion before even finishing his food. A bit disappointed, I decided he needed the rest and would train with him that night. His endurance still needed work, obviously, if he couldn't even last half a day of my training. He'd grown lazy in his time off. 

Without any other necessary training coming to mind for today, it seemed best that I go watch Dawn work with her Pokemon. She'd happily accepted my request to watch and led me to a pond after lunch. True to her word, she was practicing the counter shields that Ash had somehow developed (discovered by chance, I still say) and was currently working with her Quilava on both a Swift and Flamethrower counter shield. 

I watched quietly under the branches of a tree, using my backpack as a pillow. I was about thirty feet away from the pair of them and Dawn was paying no attention to me, her concentration unwavering as Quilava attempted his counter shield once again. I shifted my weight as I observed the pair, then noticed my shoulder blade hitting something unfamiliar in my pack. 

Curious, I unzipped it. The sketchbook was what had bumped against my shoulder and I opened it to the first page, wondering if I should draw something. Looking around the pond, the only thing that really interested me at all was Dawn. I pulled the pencil out of its holder, staring at the paper, wondering if I should actually draw her. 

Too interested to turn the opportunity down, I stared at Dawn and began a light sketch of her kneeling in the grass and smiling as she petted her Quilava on the head from his first success at a counter shield. The task was peaceful. My arm moved with precision, my wrist flicking to form certain angles and shading. I looked up every half minute or so to study Dawn to match the exact shape of her legs, the length of her arms, the way her hair flowed from underneath her hat. 

I focused especially on her face after a light sketch was done of the rest of her body, making sure I got her smile and that light in her eyes just right. 

After what seemed like no time at all, though I noticed the sun was in a completely different position in the sky than when I had started drawing, I stared down at the results. It wasn't perfect, but considering I hadn't drawn in such a long time I mentally approved of what I'd just produced. Putting my pencil down on my lap, I continued looking at the picture, trying to decide on a title before signing my name. 

The sound of footsteps coming toward me interrupted my thoughts and I quickly shut the notebook before looking up at Dawn and her Quilava moving closer to me. She seemed to be in a good mood as she skipped.