The hike down the Volcano in the dark was uneventful and I found myself replaying my dance battle with Traavi. For my first time I didn't think I had done bad, but I wished I had thought to teach Growlithe a showier move like Overheat or something like that. When I got to the PokeCenter I dropped off my pokemon and attacked the dinner selection with gusto.
After downing a whole bowl of delicious udon and drinking two cups of moomoo milk I leaned back, pleasantly full. I felt my eyes wandering among the people in the cafeteria and jerked when I realized that I had instinctively been looking for a flash of purple hair. Slumping back in my seat I sighed, going over our last conversation once again.
Paul seemed to instinctively know the exact buttons to push to make me angry at him and sometimes I wondered if he actually did it on purpose. When he told me to leave him alone I was too upset with him to realize that it actually hurt that he rejected my offered friendship once again. I'd never had such a hard time getting along with anyone before. What really stumped me though was that there were times when he seemed to let his guard down, like on the ferry ride to Akala, and I had seen a side to him that I didn't outright hate.
With a sigh I shook my head, not getting anywhere by thinking about that jerk, and instead I thought about Traavi. From the first time I saw him perform in the Iki Town Showdown he had impressed me. He was obviously a talented performer and his pokemon knew really advanced moves. He also wasn't bad on the eyes and seemed to be at least a little bit interested in me.
What I'm not sure, I thought to myself, is if he is a flirt and acts like this with all the girls he meets, or if he is genuinely interested.
I didn't have much experience with guys. The only guys I had traveled with were Ash, who was my best friend, Brock, who was a cool older brother type, and Kenny who for obvious reasons I had no romantic interest in. Traavi was attractive, I would admit that in a heartbeat, and dancing with him had been exhilarating... But if I was right and he was interested in me... was I interested in him?
Shaking my head once again I stood up from the table and returned my dirty dishes to the kitchen. No point thinking about it if I don't know how he feels. I need to focus on my performances anyways. I decided and walked towards the nurse's station to see if my pokemon had finished their check-up.
Nurse Joy was come back from the showdown and told me that all of my pokemon were looking great. She gave me some tips on how to make sure Eevee grew up strong and healthy through her baby stage and recommended I mix in some special vitamin powder with her food.
Traavi still hadn't shown up so I decided to head to my room, asking Nurse Joy to let Traavi know where I was if he ended up asking. Nurse Joy smiled widely at that but simply nodded and I walked away, trying to keep myself from blushing.
He probably won't come anyway, I told myself to calm my burning cheeks as I headed to the room Nurse Joy had assigned me.
Once I closed the door behind me I released all my pokemon and they pranced around the room energetically, causing me to smile. I did not have a large abundance of energy at the moment so I sat down on a bunk bed and flopped back, sighing lightly. A bounce in the mattress signaled the arrival of someone and I cracked my eyelid open to see Growlithe padding over towards me.
I smiled at him and rubbed his ear affectionately. He stood still and let me play with his ear as Eevee chased Piplup around the room. I let my hand fall back to the mattress after a minute and Growlithe came over to me, pushing his cold nose against my cheek.
"I'm fine, Growlithe. I'm just a little sleepy," I giggled and he barked once before jumping off the bed and joining in on the fun. Listening to the sounds of my happy pokemon I felt peaceful and before I knew it I drifted off to sleep.
"Dawn! Dawn, are you in there?" a deep voice pulled me from my sleep.
I groaned, rolling over and finding my nose buried in the furry collar of a sleeping Eevee. Pushing myself up I looked blearily around the dark room before the knocking on the door prompted me to leave the bed I had been half lying on and walk over to the door. Covering my mouth as I yawned I opened the door to see Traavi standing in the bright hallway. I blinked several times, adjusting to the light and Traavi looked me up and down.
"I wish I could look as good as you when I first wake up," he said with a flirtatious grin and I squinted at him, my tired brain registering a faint annoyance at the comment.
"If you just came to flirt then let me go back to sleep," I mumbled sleepily, starting to close the door. He immediately slapped his hand on the door, keeping it from closing all the way.
"No, no, I wanted to talk," he said hurriedly and I frowned at him but opened the door all the way.
Clicking on the room light I walked over to the bed where all of my pokemon had curled up around me. Piplup was rubbing his eyes groggily but Eevee, Growlithe, and Cutiefly were all still sleeping soundly so I returned them to their Pokeballs so we wouldn't disturb them.
"Do you have a thing against pajamas?" Traavi asked as he leaned against the doorway and watched me pull Piplup onto my lap as I sat cross-legged on the bunk bed on the left side of the room.
"Do you have a thing against shirts?" I responded, trying not to stare at his defined abs and he flashed me a cocky grin.
"Alola is too warm for shirts," he explained simply and I rolled my eyes, feeling a little more awake.
"How did it feel winning the showdown for the fourth time?" I asked and he walked into the room and sat down on the bed across from me.
"It felt great but not as good as it felt dancing with you," he said with a flirtatious wink, and Piplup peeped, giving him a suspicious look.
"Dancing with you was fun," I replied carefully while rubbing Piplup's head soothingly. "Is that what you wanted to talk about?"
"Among other things," Traavi said, giving me an amused look. "I also wanted to know what your plans were now that the showdown is over."
"I was thinking of going to the Hano Beach showdown next," I replied and Traavi leaned forward eagerly.
"Great! You've got a swimsuit, right?" I blinked and then narrowed my eyes at him.
"Why do you ask?" I asked suspiciously and Traavi laughed.
"Are all Sinnoh girls as suspicious as you?" Traavi asked with a grin and I shrugged, not sure how to respond. "The Hano Beach Showdown is performed right on the beach and all of the participants wear swimsuits because the battle almost always takes place in the ocean afterward."
I blinked in surprise and then leaned my chin on Piplup's round head.
"Hmmm, I have a swimsuit, but it's nothing fancy. I guess I'll have to buy a new one," I muttered and Traavi's smile widened.
"I can help you pick one out," he offered and I scoffed, trying not to blush at the thought.
"Thanks, but no thanks," I rebutted and Traavi laughed. "Are you going to be in the showdown?" I asked nervously and he shook his head.
"I don't have any pokemon that can battle in the water, so I'll be skipping that one. But I'll come to watch you if you want me to," he offered while smiling and I cocked my head at him.
"Were you planning on watching it?" I asked and he leaned his elbows on his knees as he moved a little closer.
"If it gives me an excuse to see you again? What do you think?" he asked flirtatiously and I shook my head.
"Traavi, you seem like a very nice person, so please don't be offended, but are you like this with all girls?"
Traavi blinked at me and then straightened, regarding me with a look of amusement.
"Only the interesting ones," he answered with a smile and I nodded.
"I see. Then if you would like to come and watch me as a rival I would be happy to see you there," I said, moving Piplup off my lap and walking to the corner of the room where I had deposited my backpack.
"Wait, what?" Traavi said, standing up and walking over to me. I dug through my backpack, removing my pajamas before turning to look at him.
"I'm flattered that you find me interesting, Traavi, but I don't have time to mess with a playboy," I stated flatly and his eyes widened in surprise.
"Playboy? You've got the wrong idea," Traavi said seriously. I leaned against the desk, placing my pajamas on top of it and folding my arms.
"Okay, how should I have taken that comment about you flirting with 'only the interesting ones' then?" I asked, watching as Piplup lowered himself from the bed and waddled over to stand protectively in front of me. Traavi winced and held up his hands in a peaceful gesture.
"I just meant that I am naturally flirty, not that I go dating multiple girls at once," Traavi explained awkwardly and I shrugged.
"I'm sorry for misunderstanding then. Was there something else you were wanting to talk about?" I asked, and Traavi shrugged.
"I wanted to get to know you better. When we were dancing it seemed like we clicked..." he trailed off and I felt a bit bad for being so cold.
"Sorry, Traavi. I had a lot of fun dancing with you and I would like to get to know you better too. Howver, when you show up at midnight acting all flirty and suggesting you can help me pick out a swimsuit, I assumed you wanted something other than just to get to know me," I admitted and Traavi glanced away from me briefly.
"That makes sense, I guess," he muttered.
I bit my lip, wondering if he wouldn't meet my eye because he felt guilty or because he felt awkward by my bluntness. Silence stretched between us and I searched for something I could say when he sighed and smiled, meeting my eyes again.
"I admit, I was kind of hoping tonight would go different, but I would still like to get to know you. How about I leave you alone for tonight and then we can hang out sometime before or after the showdown?" Traavi suggested and I smiled at him, grateful that he still wanted to talk to me.
"That sounds great," I agreed and he held out his hand. Without hesitation I shook on it, sealing the deal. He gave me a hesitant smile.
"You're a little intimidating, you know, Dawn?" Traavi said and I laughed in surprise.
"I just believe in being honest. Plus I have basically no experience with situations like this," I admitted with a chuckle and Traavi quirked an eyebrow at me.
"What? Having a guy show interest in you?" he asked and I felt my cheeks heat up.
"Mmm," I agreed, embarrassed, and Traavi grinned.
"Then you should've come to Alola sooner. Jonny practically begged to take him with me when I told him I had a date with you today," Traavi said with a grin and I spluttered.
"Date?" I asked in shock and he shrugged.
"I had hoped to go for a late-night stroll and do some stargazing," he admitted casually and I felt my cheeks temperature turn up a few more degrees. Traavi glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "We still could if you're up for it. You never know, the mood might turn romantic and we could actually try out that kiss you avoided earlier," he said in a deep, suggestive tone.
My mouth dropped open before I grabbed a loose notebook on the desk and threw it at him. He laughed brightly, ducking the notebook smoothly, and I glared at him.
"You wouldn't have actually kissed me like that," I retorted, mentally chiding myself for blushing so much at the thought.
"I dunno, your beauty makes me lose track of my sense," he said dramatically.
I saw Piplup mock gagging and I looked for something else to throw at him. He put his hands up protectively and took a few steps backward with a large smile on his face.
"I get it, I get it. Too soon," he said with a wink and I stuck my tongue out at him.
"Oh, don't do that. Now I really want to kiss you," he said while wiggling his eyebrows and I quickly retracted my tongue and glowered at him.
"Piplup, use Bubblebeam," I ordered. Traavi yelped, ducking as Piplup immediately complied and shot a stream of water and bubbles where his head had just been.
"Alright, I'm going! Take it easy," he said with a laugh and I couldn't help but smile as well. "I'm going to head to Heahea City. I hope I'll see you there soon," Traavi said with a real smile and I nodded.
"Thanks for the tip about the swimsuit," I said and he opened his mouth but I held up a warning finger. "Don't even think about it."
Traavi grinned but kept his thoughts to himself. With a wave he left my room, closing the door behind him and I slumped down to the floor. Piplup glared at the closed door, peeping angrily and stomping back and forth in front of me.
"Thanks for protecting me, Piplup," I said with a chuckle.
He gave me a disapproving look as if I wasn't taking this situation seriously enough. My eyes went back to the closed door and the young man who had just left through it. His interest in me had seemed genuine, but it seemed pretty obvious that he was the kind of guy that wasn't used to getting told 'no'. He was funny though, I admitted to myself. And it didn't hurt that he had the six-pack of a professional athlete. Shaking my head I picked up my pajamas and turned to the bathroom, telling myself that I didn't have time to be thinking about flirty playboys.
For the next week and a half, I took my time traveling back to Heahea city and focused on practicing for the Hano Beach Showdown. This showdown only allowed one pokemon partner for each round, so I decided that I would have Cutiefly dance with me this time. We practiced for hours at a time while I had Growlithe and Piplup practice their moves and play with Eevee. Eevee was already starting to pick up on some of my dance moves and I was excited for when I could perform with her, but I wanted her to get a little bigger before I made her go up in front of a crowd of people.
Every once in a while I would think about Traavi and his mischievous smile. He was a lot smoother than Brock had been whenever he tried to hit on a beautiful girl, but I almost preferred Brock's honest and obvious declaration of love to Traavi's flippant flirtations. My thoughts never led me anywhere so I tried to remove him from my mind only to have him replaced by thoughts of Paul and his obsession with being alone.
Why is it that I chased away a guy who obviously wanted to be with me, even if his intentions were unclear, and yet I keep thinking about a guy who equally obviously hates my guts? Groaning at my thoughts I rolled over in my sleeping bag and tried to fall asleep.
Two days before the showdown was scheduled to start I walked into Heahea city with Piplup in my arms. Today I was going to look for the bathing suit that Traavi had said was a necessity for the showdown. It had been years since I had bothered to by myself a swimsuit so I was excited to find a new one here. To my relief, the Heahea clothes shop had a whole wall filled with swimsuits and accessories and I looked at my choices with a critical eye. Since I would be dancing while wearing it I was leaning towards a one-piece, but they all seemed a little too plain for my taste.
After hemming and hawing for several minutes, I chose my three favorites and wandered over to the different wraps and covers. There were a few really cute options so again I picked my top three and told Piplup to go play while I tried my things on. He waddled off happily to find another pokemon to play with as I stepped into the changing room. After trying on the three swimsuits I decided on the purple one and paired it with a dark purple skirt-like wrap with a flower detail.
With that decided, I changed back into my normal outfit and walked out of the stall, calling for Piplup who had found another Pyukumuku to play with while I tried on clothes. I looked at the strange pokemon and giggled as Piplup peeped excitedly at it, seeming to be telling a story of some sort. I left them to it and went to the cash register, paid for my selections, and waited as she wrapped them and put them in a cute red bag for me.
Not for the first time I was grateful to Lopunny, who had become a pokemon clothes model back when she was a Buneary. Because of her I never had to worry about spending money and it made me happy to see her in magazines doing what she loved. Because of Lopunny's modeling career, I hadn't been able to use her very often in contests, but I knew that Lopunny was happy so I didn't mind.
"Come on, Piplup," I called over my shoulder and he ran over to me, waving at his little friend.
We walked out of the store side by side and I squeaked in surprise when I nearly collided with a muscular, black chest. I took a step back, still holding the door open with one hand, and looked up to meet familiar red eyes.
"Dawn?" Traavi said, surprise evident in his voice.
I glanced at the beautiful young woman with curly brown hair wearing a summery mini dress that was hanging onto his arm.
"Hey, Traavi," I said with a smile, backing farther into the store so there was room for them to walk in together.
"Oh my goodness, you're the girl!" the girl hanging on Traavi said with wide eyes, pointing at me.
"Excuse me?" I asked in confusion. The girl suddenly squealed, rushing away from Traavi's side and coming to grasp my hands.
"You're the girl that danced against Traavi in the Wela Volcano Showdown!" she said enthusiastically and I blinked then nodded cautiously.
"Yah, that was me," I admitted hesitantly and she squealed again, jumping up and down slightly in excitement.
"That dance was SO hot! I've never seen Traavi get so into a dance battle with anyone before!" she gushed with an adoring look at Traavi and he was watching us both with amusement. "I'm Jessica, by the way. I'm a member of Traavi's fan club," she said with a perky grin.
With a shocked blink I looked mutely over at Traavi. He noticed my look and flashed his arrogant smile and shrugged his shoulders.
"What can I say? I'm a bit of a celebrity around here," he bragged loftily. Jessica walked over and wrapped herself around his arm again with a brilliant smile.
"After every Showdown, we draw names from the club and whoever's name is picked gets to spend a whole day with Traavi. He's the best," Jessica said dreamily before turning her smiling face towards me. "I'm a big fan of yours too though after that dance battle. Are you going to be performing in the Hano Beach Showdown?" she asked me.
I nodded slowly, not quite sure how to take this new development.
"Is that a new swimsuit?" Traavi asked, pointing with his unoccupied arm at the bag in my hand.
I nodded again and Traavi flashed me a grin that seemed almost teasing. Before I could think of what to say though Piplup walked under my clothes bag, pushed it up so that he was carrying it, and began walking towards the still open door. I let him drag me towards the door with a smile and waved at Jessica.
"It was nice to meet you, Jessica. I hope you enjoy your date," I said and she held onto Traavi's arm even tighter. Traavi didn't seem to notice though because his eyes followed me as I walked through the door.
"I'll come cheer you on at the showdown!" he called out as the door began shutting behind me.
I waved at him before turning and following Piplup as he led me onto the sidewalk, seeming to be muttering under his breath as he continued to pull on my clothes bag.
"Thanks for rescuing me again, Piplup," I said, not able to keep myself from chuckling a little at the absurdity of the situation.
Piplup moved out from under the clothes bag and held his flippers up, signaling that he wanted to be carried. I immediately complied, scooping him into my arms and hugging him tightly to me for a moment before making my way back towards the PokeCenter. As I walked I thought back to how Jessica had clung onto Traavi and I realized that it hadn't bothered me.
I guess I didn't like him that much, I thought to myself and smiled, looking down at Piplup who still seemed to be pouting slightly.
"Don't worry, Piplup. There's no one I love more than you!" I declared, nuzzling my nose against his little neck and he peeped out a laugh.
A/N Honestly I was expecting Traavi to be more of a love interest, but he kind of became a playboy accidentally :P I guess my Ikarishipping heart just can't let anyone worm their way between my darling ship... At least for now ;) Hopefully the chapter wasn't too boring for you all. Things are about to get interesting in the next two or three chapters :D