A New Dream

Play Nice: Paul's POV

"Dawn asked me to tell you that she was out back taking some riding lessons," Nurse Joy said an hour later. 

Sophocles's "totem calling machine" had completely malfunctioned and plunged half the observatory into a blackout. It took forever for them to get the electricity going again. By the time the huge Vikavolt that served as the totem came I lost all patience and felt like I was ready to breathe a Flamethrower myself. Suffice it to say it was a short battle and I still had a lot of steam to blow off.

When Dawn hadn't been waiting for me in the lobby of the Pokemon Center I berated myself silently for being disappointed. As I picked up Torracat's Pokeball from Nurse Joy it had eaten at my pride a little bit to ask where Dawn was, but I forced the question out; telling myself it was because Dawn was too danger-prone to leave by herself for too long and not because I wanted to see her.

I followed Nurse Joy's directions and found the stable of Mudsdale without a problem. As I walked into the large stable I instantly spotted Dawn, still wearing her white shirt and black capris, and I walked over to where she was conversing with an elderly man.

"Oh, you're finally finished! What happened?" Dawn asked while rushing over to me with a worried expression and the squishy feeling in my stomach wriggled.

"The machine malfunctioned. He got it working correctly though, so you shouldn't have a problem with it tomorrow. The totem is a vikavolt, so Growlithe shouldn't have a problem taking it on," I explained and Dawn breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, that's good to hear. I was just talking to Rasmus. He has been in charge of this Mudsdale stable for 35 years! He said that there is a lot of rare pokemon down the trails that go along the road and the only way to get there is to have a Mudsdale take you down," she explained while leading me back over to the grey haired old man who was wearing overalls and a plaid shirt with cowboy boots and even a cowboy hat to complete the look. He reached a hand out to me and I was shocked at the strength of his grip as I shook it.

"Nice to meet you, young man. Dawn here was mighty worried when the lights went out up at the observatory, but I told her that that happens all the time and Sophy would get it straightened out sooner or later," the old man said with a twinkle in his eyes and I clenched my jaw to keep from muttering a sarcastic retort. "The little lass said you'd be interested in catching some rare pokemon," Rasmus said, looking me up and down and seeming to size me up.

"I'm always looking for strong pokemon," I responded evenly and Rasmus smiled.

"Well then, you two should hop onto a Mudsdale and go exploring! The best pokemon normally come out right around twilight," Rasmus said with a wink at Dawn and she grinned at him sweetly.

Within ten minutes, two of the large Mudsdale were saddled and Rasmus led them out of the stable and showed us how to mount. To my surprise, Dawn was able to get up on her first try and I didn't have any trouble either. The big pokemon seemed unconcerned with our extra weight and were very responsive as we guided them with the reins as Rasmus showed us. Rasmus explained where he thought the best pokemon could be found, even though he wouldn't tell me what pokemon they were, and Dawn eagerly led the way.

The mudsdale confidently walked off the paved road and down the rocky, uneven trail. We followed the winding trail past several plateaus with tall yellow grass but Dawn kept going, searching for the 'rock that looks like a Wobbuffet' to indicate the clearing Rasmus told us about. Dawn tried a few times to talk to me while we were riding, but the trail wasn't wide enough to ride side by side and she eventually gave up when she nearly fell off her mudsdale as it turned a sharp corner while she was facing towards me.

Soon after almost falling off though we spotted the wobbuffet-shaped rock and both dismounted our mudsdale. After instructing them to stay here I took the lead and we walked carefully towards the grassy plateau. Movement caught my eye and I slowly crouched down, motioning for Dawn to follow my lead and be silent. I waited for the movement and was soon rewarded for my patience. Four little star-shaped pokemon floated through the grass in front of me. I had never seen one before, but their bright colors and shape meant they must be Minior, a Rock/Flying type.