"Here is it, Miss. Have a great day."
"Thanks."
Misty smiled at the merchant as she grabbed the vegetables he handed her.
He quickly asked. "Do you need help, Miss?"
"No, I'm okay. Thank you."
Misty has been getting that a lot lately; after all, everyone could tell she was pregnant. She was on her eighth month. Everyone saw it, and children pointed at her all the time and shouted "Mom! This woman is soooooo fat!"
"Are you sure, Miss?"
"I'm-I'm fine." Misty flashed a small nervous smile and tried carrying the bag with one hand. She had no idea it'd be such a pain to carry a bag of groceries. Damn Ash, deciding to travel only when she needs him.
It was the bad side of dating the Pokemon Master, and carrying his child as well. The cravings were impossible. Misty knew they were having a boy even before the doctor confirms it; he just had Ash's appetite.
Misty succeeded in moving few steps away on her own. She placed the bag on the ground for a second and started breathing heavily.
"I'm hopeless... I should have accepted Delia's help..."
Misty took a deep breath and reached for her bag again, only to see it get taken from the back by another hand. The redhead turned around.
Her eyes widened. "P-Paul?"
The purple haired stared.
"P-what? Paul-what are you doing he-what? I mean what?"
"What's wrong?"
Misty's mouth opened. She tried to straighten up. "Uhm, hi Paul?"
Paul looked up slightly. He started walking away.
"Hey! Give me back my vegetables!"
Paul turned around before he said, "I need you. Follow me."
Misty watched him with wide eyes.
"What?"
-
Paul was a gift from God. At least Misty didn't have to carry anything around now.
She knew that he and Ash weren't very good friends. Paul has always wanted the title, and Ash battled hard so that won't happen. Misty still remembers the time when they started a fight over a lunch at Gary's and if it weren't for the guys, they'd have crashed each others' faces.
Not even Gary likes him that much, but only because Ash thinks of Paul as a strong rival that Gary was. There is also the fact that Paul has beaten Gary in the Professional Pokemon League (and he won the league anyway, after knocking out Barry and all others). Misty was sure it is the main reason why he doesn't like him that much.
In all, a visit from him wasn't expected, if not reassuring. Misty only shared a very special bond with his girlfriend, Dawn, whom she knew thanks to Ash, and she had nothing to do with Paul-
Wait,
Dawn...
"Paul?"
Paul turned around.
"Is something wrong with Dawn...?"
-
"Oh, that's... bad."
Paul has taken Misty for a cup of coffee (well, she ordered an orange juice, since caffeine was a big no-no for her). She's stolen a sip from Paul's cup, and he's given her a harsh glare because she did.
"I understand Dawn must be really mad now, but she's not really the type who'd let a five-years relationship go to waste. Give her more time, Paul."
"She grabbed her things and left the house."
"Uhm, do you know where is she?"
"No... I thought she'd be with you."
Misty frowned. So that's why he came to Pallet. Paul was looking for Dawn.
"It was just a fight, Paul. Everyone gets in fight. I've been together with Ash for seven years and we still fight."
"She's convinced I don't care-"
"We all know you care about Dawn, even if you're away all the time. She knows too. Maybe she just needs a moment on her own to think. Give her time. I'm sure she'll call back and go back home."
"Damn it," Paul mumbled under his breath in a low voice and rubbed his face with his hands.
"Heh, this Dawn of yours is really spoiled. I mean, Ash's situation is worse than yours; he's not even there sometimes for holidays. To make it even better, he made me effing pregnant and now I look a ball that could roll on the floor forever, I have to carry this son of his, eat for two and get fat while he's enjoying his time all over the world being a Pokemon Master and being friends with super skinny female gym leaders. Do I keep going?"
Paul smiled weakly. "No, it's enough."
"I'll try to call her. She'll be home in no time. Just don't worry. When I'll tell her about my misadventures with Ash, how I have to cook for him six times a day instead of three, and how I have to deal with his mother and her OCDs, she'd realize how lucky she is."
Misty was really succeeding in making Paul smile, which was a very rare sight. "Thanks."
"You have to thank me twice; one for me, and one for my baby."
"Thanks, you too."
"Uhm... stop smiling and help me up. Ever saw a ball get up on its own?"
-
"Don't mind Gary. He only doesn't like you because you beat him. He's a kid. He's Ash's best friend after all. They're alike."
Paul slowly nodded and chuckled once. He and Misty have come across the brunette and he showed a pretty ugly attitude. He even offered to walk Misty home and told Paul he "could leave now".
"Right here, Paul. Don't step inside Mrs. Ketchum's house. Sunday is cleaning day. She could kill you if you dirty the floor then start crying about her deceased husband who 'always appreciated her efforts'. I still have to hear about him and he died twenty-five years ago."
"Fine."
Paul placed Misty's groceries right in front of the main door. "At least she was nice enough to invite me for lunch. I won't have to struggle moving my ball-self around the kitchen."
"You look okay."
"Oh, Paul, my closet doesn't agree with you." Misty grinned widely and rang Delia's doorbell. "I think we could let you step in, after all. You could have lunch with us, and then we'd make you do the dishes."
Paul chuckled. He was getting ready for leaving. "No, I can't. I have to catch my ferry."
"You're going back on the same day? Oh Lord. All this for Dawn? She's just a troublesome. You said it."
The front door opened. "Hi Mis-!..."
Misty's eyes widened. It was Dawn who opened the door.
Dawn and Paul were just looking at each other.
"Holy Miltank. You're here? Oh, damn, that's why Delia called me then. This is just so weird."
"What are you doing here?" Dawn shot at her boyfriend, looking completely mad.
Misty looked between the two. "Okay, I think I'm going to move my pathetic ball-self from here and leave you two alone..."
The redhead instantly got inside. Dawn got outside and closed the door. "What do you want from me, Paul?"
"For your information, I had no idea you were here."
"Yeah, I believe you. Misty told you, right?"
"She didn't even know-"
"It doesn't matter now. What do you want? I'm busy."
"Dawn... you need to get back."
"Why? You're not even home. Why should I?"
Paul remained silent. Suddenly, the front door opened and revealed Misty. "Hey, Ash is always away to-"
"Ash is a Pokemon Master; he has to be everywhere for leagues and conferences. Paul is the Sinnoh Champion; he doesn't have to be everywhere. Those are two different things, Misty. Now, go before I do something stupid and stop eavesdropping."
Misty cleared her throat. "Okay, sorry." She instantly got inside and closed the door.
"Dawn."
"What?"
"I'm sorry."
"Being sorry is not enough. Bye Paul. Have fun in Unova."
"It was just for training."
"Go back to your training then."
Dawn turned around, opened the door and got in. She slammed the door shut at Paul's face.
Paul was immobile. He still couldn't believe Dawn said those things to him, and that they were over. It was impossible.
"Hey-hey!"
Paul stepped to the back as the door opened again. Misty pushed Dawn outside.
"What is your problem?" Dawn was yelling at the redhead.
"Hey! I may be a pathetic ball-shaped woman but I can't not react to this! Paul was looking for you everywhere! He came all the way to Kanto to ask me about you!"
Dawn turned toward Paul. He showed no emotion.
"You just made a pregnant woman mad, and that's not very good! I'm telling you! I'm... very mad right now!"
Dawn narrowed her eyes at the redhead. She rolled her eyes when Misty quickly got in and closed the door.
Dawn gasped when she heard the door get locked. "Misty!"
"I told you! I'm very mad! I'm not opening the door until you two sort things out!"
"I don't want to talk to him!" Dawn banged on the door.
Paul flinched.
"I don't want to give birth too but I will anyway! Is there anything worse than-oh shit, the baby effing kicked me!"
"This Misty..." Dawn sighed, giving up. She turned toward her boyfriend. "You came looking for me?"
"I thought... you'd be with Misty or something."
Dawn suddenly started sobbing. Paul freaked out. She jumped at him. "I miss you, Paul! I miss you! You're never there for me! I miss you!"
"Dawn, don't cry, please-I'm sorry."
"I just-I hate being alone-I don't want you to go away-I miss you!"
Paul knew this had something to do with Dawn's mother passing. Dawn was all by herself now; she only had Paul in her life. If Misty was left alone too, and both her parents were deceased, at least she had three sisters, she had Delia and Ash's paternal uncles and aunts, who helped raise Ash in the past and now cared a lot about Misty and her well-being.
Paul's brother was married and he rarely came. Dawn had no one.
No one.
"Paul..."
"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry." Paul hugged her tight and kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay..."
"I'll stay by your side all the time. Is that good?"
"Paul, don't be silly."
"No, really. I'm not leaving. I'll train around Sinnoh. I'm not going anywhere anymore, ever again."
Dawn finally smiled. "Okay. Kiss me."
Paul smiled and kissed her. Dawn giggled through the kiss. "Is that good?"
"Yes!"
"You spoiled troublesome..."
THE END.
The implied Pokeshipping is just so-