Taking another bite of the delicious chili that Dawn made for dinner tonight I tried not to show how much I was enjoying it while stealing glances at Dawn out of the corner of my eye. She was watching Eevee who was trying her best to copy Ribombee as she flew in large, graceful circles. We had stopped at Heahea City the other day to restock on our food supplies and Dawn had disappeared for nearly two hours while I checked the bookstore for any new battle theory books.
As much as I hated to admit it, traveling with Dawn was surprisingly pleasant. I had my growing list of reasons why I preferred to travel alone, of course, but Dawn's meals alone were worth putting up with her waking me up early in the morning. Our arguments were getting less frequent as well, which surprised me a bit. Sometimes I would say things to purposefully make her angry with me, but she would just give me a smug smile and change the subject.
We had picked a campsite a few hours outside of Konikoni city so that I could continue training her on how to battle more strategically. Her battle with the totem lurantis had been painful to watch, but if I knew Lurantis could create such a powerful Solar Blade I would have insisted on her training more before attempting the trial. She somehow pulled through, thanks to her Cutiefly evolving, and I noticed that she seemed slightly more confident in our practice battles.
"When were you hoping to battle Kahuna Olivia?" Dawn asked suddenly, turning away from her pokemon and meeting my eyes. I quickly swallowed my spoonful of chili, glad that I hadn't been openly staring at her.
What is it about this girl that is so distracting? I asked myself angrily, but I didn't dare to actually think about it because I was pretty sure I could find several reasons.
"In the next few days. Once Riolu can consistently get his Force Palm charged in three seconds then we'll be ready," I said and she nodded slowly.
"Would you mind if we paused our nightly lessons until then?" she asked slowly and I narrowed my eyes at her.
"You don't want my help anymore?" I asked, surprised at how much discomfort that thought brought me. Her eyes widened and she waved her hand back and forth rapidly.
"No! Not at all! I really appreciate you giving me these lessons and I can tell we've only barely scratched the surface of what you know," she said sincerely, and a strange desire to smile tugged at my lips but I forced myself to remain expressionless. "It's just that the Konikoni showdown is coming up soon and I want to spend some extra time really getting my dance routine polished," she explained and I blinked.
"I see."
My reply didn't seem to satisfy her though because she scooted a little closer to me, biting her bottom lip. She does that a lot. Is it a nervous habit? I found myself wondering and then I blinked and raised my eyes to meet hers, annoyed that I had been analyzing her lips like a creep.
"Actually, I am going to be doing a dance with Eevee this time," she announced. I blinked several times as I looked over at the little ball of mischief who was still jumping and twirling after Ribombee.
"Eevee can dance?" I asked in shock and Dawn smiled brightly, setting her almost empty bowl down and wrapping her arms around her knees as she brought them up to her chest.
"She's actually really good! The song I picked means a lot to me and Eevee was the only one who could keep up with my choreography. Even Ribombee was struggling since I tap the ground a lot and she basically spends every second in the air," Dawn explained and I wondered why I was actually paying attention to her. What did I care about her showdown practices?
"And you think Eevee will be okay in front of a crowd?" I found myself asking before ladling myself some more chili.
"The Konikoni Showdown is going to be held at night. It's actually difficult to see into the crowd when you have the lights shining on you on stage, so I'm hoping that it won't bother her," she remarked. Her eyes hadn't left Eevee and when she finally tripped, looking like she had made herself dizzy from all the spinning, Dawn chuckled under her breath.
"I could use the extra training time with my pokemon," I said eventually and Dawn smiled.
"We'll come cheer you on in your kahuna battle," Dawn promised with a gentle smile and I looked away from her.
The squishy feeling that she had caused in the past was an almost constant annoyance now, and having her smile at me like that made it even worse.
"Do what you want," I said gruffly before hastily shoveling chili in my mouth.
I could see Dawn smiling from the corner of my eye and after she finished her meal she left her bowl by the fire. We had naturally fallen into a routine where for dinner she would cook and I would clean and for breakfast we were reversed. That worked out fine for me because breakfast was an easy meal and she didn't seem to mind that I made honey butter toast every two or three days. She, on the other hand, had made me a different meal almost every day and I was shocked at how good she was at cooking with a campfire.
I found myself watching her as she gathered her pokemon and took them deeper into the forest where she went to practice her showdown performances. Rockruff, who had been roughhousing with Growlithe, whined petulantly and I was amazed at how quickly those two had turned from mortal enemies to best friends.
"Training starts again in fifteen minutes," I announced to my pokemon and they all looked over at me with determined expressions.
After three days of intensive training, I was feeling more than confident and Dawn seemed excited when I said I was ready to go against the Kahuna. The next morning we broke camp and walked into Konikoni City. It really wasn't much of a city; more like a glorified town. The streets were all cobblestone and the ocean was visible in between the many specialty shops and stores that abounded in the area.
"Oh look, that's the store that sells special accessories for Z stones! Can we go in quickly, Paul?"
I shrugged my agreement and followed her into the small shop. With a critical eye, I glanced at all of the many designs of bracelets, collars, necklaces, and even ankle bands that you could then place your desired Z crystal into. Dawn, as bubbly as ever, dashed around the store, holding up this or that piece and then releasing one of her pokemon to check the fit.
Glancing at the price tags on the accessories I wasn't surprised that the shop had small crystal chandeliers hanging every few feet from the ceiling. The store owner watched us inspecting the options with a smile but didn't offer any suggestions. Reluctantly I picked out a few pieces, one for each of my current pokemon, and made sure that they were adjustable for future evolutions. Walking over I gently flicked the back of Dawn's head as she went back and forth comparing how a copper and silver collar looked on Piplup. Dawn flinched from the flick and looked up at me sheepishly.
"Hurry up, I want to find Olivia," I said gruffly.
Dawn nodded, putting the copper collar back and adding the silver one to her collection. She followed me to the counter and we paid for our selections separately.
After putting our purchases in our backpacks Dawn asked for directions to Olivia's shop from two boys passing by. I noticed the guy's eyes widening as Dawn approached them and I felt my eyes narrowing as one of the guys invited her to come mantine surfing with them after she was done at Olivia's shop. Dawn politely refused though and I made sure to walk next to her as we made our way down the street.
Once we found Olivia's jewel shop I pushed open the door and felt my eyes widen at the sight. My attention was instantly pulled to the corner of shimmering evolution stones and to my surprise Dawn dashed towards the display with excitement. Glancing over I saw that the other side of the shop was filled with jewelry and as I watched Dawn stroke one of the precious stones and ignore the jewelry the squishy feeling in my stomach intensified.
"Can I help you?" a beautiful girl with tan skin and bleached blonde hair asked as she walked up to Dawn. Dawn turned to her with a smile and then looked over at me, seeming to be surprised that I was still in the doorway.
"Yes, we were actually looking for Kahuna Olivia. My friend and I would like to set up times to battle her," Dawn explained, motioning for me to come over. I rolled my eyes but walked over to stand beside her.
"Oh, I see! Kahuna Olivia isn't here right now, but she leaves her schedule behind the desk. Were you hoping to buy anything while you are here?" the girl asked, raising an eyebrow. Dawn blushed, apparently finding her intimidating.
"Um, yes. I would also like to buy this," she said, showing the fire stone that she had selected and I felt my eyebrows raise.
When I suggested she evolve Growlithe into an arcanine she seemed offended and told me that Growlithe would evolve when he was ready, not when she decided. I was quick to tell her that it was her duty as a trainer to help her pokemon become strong but she rebutted that evolving wasn't the only way to get stronger. I couldn't argue with that exactly so I walked away, and I remembered how weird I had felt arguing with Dawn after several weeks of us getting along.
"And you, Cutie?" the girl asked, looking over at me and giving me a seductive wink.
Oh, please, I thought with annoyance.
"I would like to sign up for a battle. I'll shop later," I replied bluntly. She blinked and frowned slightly.
"This way then," she instructed petulantly, sticking out her bottom lip in a pout.
I looked at her blankly until her cheeks reddened slightly and she turned, walking towards the counter. I followed her and I could feel Dawn walking closely next to me, her arm mere inches from my own. The girl ducked under the counter and pulled out a bejeweled day planner, flipping it open to this month and turning it towards us.
"As you can see," she said with a bored tone, "Olivia will be busy the day before and the day of the showdown, and she's marked the times she'll be tending the store. You can sign up for any open spot though."
I glanced at the planner and smiled when I saw that this afternoon was free. Reaching for the pen the girl dropped on the counter I signed up for this afternoon and then I passed the pen to Dawn. She took it from me with a nervous smile and then hovered the pen over the day after her showdown.
"Wait, is it really September already?" she asked in surprise and the blonde girl rolled her eyes.
"D'uh," she replied snobbily andI frowned at her. Obviously she had never gone traveling and spent weeks in a forest where it was easy to lose track of time.
Dawn mumbled an apology, which made me frown deeper, but she quickly signed her name for the day after the showdown and then placed the fire stone on the counter. The girl wrapped her stone and handed it back to Dawn after accepting her payment and Dawn carefully slipped it into a small pocket of her backpack.
"Hey, Cutie!" the girl called as Dawn and I turned away.
Not interested in what she had to say, I continued walking out of the shop without a backward glance. I heard her give an affronted scoff before the door closed behind Dawn.
"Why didn't you talk to her?" Dawn asked and I looked down at her in annoyance.
"Why would I?" I retorted and she shrugged.
"She was really pretty, and she thought you were cute," she said as if that was the only thing that mattered.
"I'm not interested in talking to someone I'll never see again," I said flatly, wondering why I was so annoyed at Dawn's question. She was silent for a few seconds as I wondered what I should do until I could meet up with Olivia for our battle.
"Does that mean you plan on seeing me in the future?" Dawn's voice asked from behind me.
I stiffened, glancing back at her and nearly losing my train of thought as her obvious happiness at the thought shone from her sapphire eyes.
"No," I retorted once I pushed through the fuzziness that had wrapped around my brain momentarily. "I talk to you because we made a deal. Once you leave I don't plan on seeing you again," I said honestly, turning away before I could see her reaction.
To my surprise, something tugged on the back of my jacket after I had only gone a few steps. I looked back to see Dawn giving me a look that bordered between hurt and curiosity.
"Is there a specific time you were wanting me to leave?" she asked sadly.
I felt myself flinch slightly at the question. When do I want Dawn to leave? I wondered and a small lump seemed to form in my throat at the thought.
"I haven't thought about it. That's your decision," I answered gruffly, beginning to turn away but halting when Dawn tugged on my jacket again. Turning warily back to look at her I saw mischief dancing in her eyes and I wondered if this is where Eevee learned her mischievous ways from.
"So if I never leave you, you'll let me keep traveling with you?" she asked with a teasing smile.
I immediately scowled, turning away and trying to stomp down on the squishy feeling that had exploded through me at her words.
"Don't be an idiot," I huffed gruffly and began walking forward, grateful when her fingers let go of my jacket and she jogged briefly so that she was once again walking by my side.
"Where are we headed now?" Dawn asked, pulling on her backpack straps absently and I glanced around until a restaurant caught my eye.
"Do you want to get some lunch while we wait?" I asked and Dawn shrugged.
"I'm not really hungry yet. I do still need to find some finishing touches for my showdown outfit, so if you want we can split up for a bit and meet at that restaurant in an hour or so?" Dawn suggested and I shrugged. "Unless you wanted to come shopping with me?" she asked with a teasing smile and I scoffed automatically.
"No, thanks," I retorted and she chuckled.
"Then I'll meet you in an hour."
With a small wave, Dawn turned and crossed the street, heading towards the clothes shop. As I watched her go in I noticed that right next door was a barber's shop. Running a hand through my bangs decided me and I went in. After twenty minutes my bangs were once again at a manageable length and I decided to let the rest of it keep growing out. There was no way I would take the time to gel my hair up.
I wonder if Dawn prefers spiky hair, I thought absently as I looked in the mirror. Suddenly my eyes widened as I realized what I had just thought and I bent over, covering my eyes with my hand. I breathed out a long, steadying breath. You've only been traveling with her for a few weeks, idiot. What happened to the wall? My inner voice asked and I rubbed my eyes.
It had become a habit to talk to myself like this since I'd traveled by myself since I started my journey. I had never thought of myself as lonely because every waking moment I was thinking about how to get stronger and how to make my pokemon stronger so I could keep my promise to Mom and become the strongest Champion in the world.
"Are you alright, young man?" an older man's voice asked and I looked up to see the barber giving me a concerned look.
"I'm fine. Just a headache," I replied, standing abruptly and handing him a tip. "Thank you very much for the haircut and shave," I said politely and the old man nodded.
With that I turned and walked out of the shop, hoping that my treacherous thoughts would stop if I kept moving. For the next thirty minutes or so I wandered the city, only stopping to purchase some healing herbs to replenish my depleted stock.
I then headed to the restaurant and scanned the area. When I didn't see a familiar blue head of hair I told the waitress that I needed a table for two and followed her to a spot in the back of the restaurant. She gave me a menu, took down my drink order of a cup of lemonade and a moomoo milk, and then whisked away to the kitchen.
Now alone, I glanced at the menu unenthusiastically. Maybe Dawn will make those BBQ cheese rolls again, I thought wistfully as I looked at the menu.
"Sorry I'm late!"
Without moving, I flicked my gaze up to Dawn who was rushing over to my table with a large bag hanging off her arm. She paused as she was about to set down her bag, looking at the table in surprise and then smiling widely.
"You ordered me a Moomoo Milk!" she said delightedly and I blinked, wondering why that was cause for happiness.
"You said you liked it back on Melemele Island," I pointed out gruffly and she nodded, sliding into her chair and putting her bag and backpack by her feet.
"It's my favorite! By the way, did you get a haircut?" she asked and I furrowed my brow.
"I just got my bangs trimmed. Is it that obvious?" I asked in surprise.
"Well, after being with you every day for three or so weeks, yah. It looks good. Are you planning to grow it out like when we were ten?" she asked and I shrugged.
"I was eleven back then," I corrected and she blinked.
"Oh, that's right, I forgot," she said, her voice trailing off and her eyes took on a far away look like she was lost in memories.
The waitress came back and Dawn hurriedly opened her menu and selected a teriyaki bowl with macaroni salad and I ordered a Manapua with some strawberry mochi. As the waitress walked away I thought back to the jewelry shop and turned to look at Dawn who was taking a long sip of her milk.
"Why were you surprised that it was September?" I asked.
She flicked her eyes at me, still guzzling her milk. After drinking half the glass she set it down and wiped her mouth delicately with a napkin.
"I just lost track of the days. I thought we were still in August," Dawn replied lightly and I narrowed my eyes, sensing that she was lying for some reason.
"I don't believe you," I said bluntly and she blinked in shock then laughed. She held her hand over her mouth as she continued to laugh and I quirked an annoyed eyebrow at her.
"I'm sorry. I'm not laughing at you exactly. I just thought it was surprising that you know when I'm lying," she commented with a grin and I looked away from her, not sure why that made me feel suddenly awkward. "Do you really want to know?" she asked with a curious smile and I leaned back, trying to look nonchalant.
"It doesn't matter to me," I said gruffly.
Dawn quirked one of her thin blue eyebrows at me, but I didn't want her to think I was interested in her personal life. After a few moments of silence passed Dawn shrugged and began fiddling with a strand of her long hair.
"It's not really a big deal, but it's my birthday this weekend," she admitted quietly and I blinked, not having expected that.
"How old are you turning?" I heard myself ask. Immediately I mentally groaned, reminding myself that I was trying to keep distance between us, and asking personal questions like this was not going to help that goal.
"Eighteen," Dawn answered with an awkward smile, lowering her hand from her hair to her lap.
"Most people are pretty happy when they turn eighteen," I commented and Dawn shrugged.
"I don't know. I don't feel like I have much to show for myself," she said sadly. "I haven't become a Top Coordinator, I've traveled all over the world but I still haven't made it to Kalos to visit my best friends, I haven't learned how to drive... I haven't even had my first kiss," she sighed and I quickly took a drink of my lemonade to hide my surprise.
The waitress chose to come back at this point and Dawn looked excitedly at her bowl of rice, veggies, tofu, and teriyaki sauce. It did look pretty good but as soon as I bit into the soft bun stuffed with seasoned veggies and cheese I was satisfied with my choice.
"How old are you, Paul?" Dawn asked before taking a bite of her food.
"Nineteen," I replied simply and she nodded.
"That makes sense. Tell me about winning the Hoenn League. What pokemon did you use? How did it feel when you won?"
Reluctantly I told her about my travels through Hoenn and the more difficult battles during the pokemon league. Lunch was over quickly and Dawn and I paid for our food before making our way back to Olivia's shop. Before we could even reach for the handle the door opened and Olivia stepped out smiling at us.
"Hello, you must be Paul," Olivia remarked with an open smile and I nodded. "And you're Dawn, right? I loved your performances that I've seen so far. You're planning on coming to the showdown next week, right?" she asked and Dawn nodded brightly.
"Is there somewhere you normally have your kahuna battles?" I asked and Olivia nodded.
"Follow me."
Dawn fell into step next to me as we followed Olivia past the city and along the coastline. We followed a dirt path that seemed to be slanted uphill gently for several minutes until it opened onto a large clear space with an imposing cave on the far end of the area.
"Will you be watching the battle, Dawn?" Olivia asked and she nodded hesitantly.
"If you don't mind, Kahuna," she said respectfully and Olivia smiled gently at her.
"Not at all. Please sit over there," she said, indicating a large rock on the edge of the area.
Dawn bowed slightly and then mouthed 'You've got this' before taking her seat. I rolled my eyes and faced Olivia confidently. She held up a Pokeball at me and nodded.
"This will be a three-on-three battle. Are you prepared?"
"Yes," I replied, pulling Riolu's Pokeball off my belt.
She smiled at me and then tossed her Pokeball, releasing a small anorith. I blinked my eyes in surprise at the fossil pokemon but smiled.
"Riolu, standby for battle," I called out, tossing Riolu's Pokeball and he materialized in a strong fighting stance.
"The battle will now begin," Olivia called out and I gestured for her to go first. Olivia raised an eyebrow at me but didn't say anything. "Anorith, use Ancient Power."
"Dodge it and use Copycat," I demanded.
Riolu tensed, watching the large rocks take shape and a sheen of light went over his eyes before he rushed to the side, dodging the rocks before they could hit him. As soon as he had a sure footing Riolu raised his paws in the air and growled, creating his own ancient power attack and shooting them towards Anorith. Anorith was faster as a pokemon than Riolu, but it was obvious that it hadn't been expecting to have the same attack thrown back at him.
"Use Metal Claw to break the rocks!" Olivia called out.
Anorith's claw gained a metallic sheen and he smashed the first two rocks thrown at him but, wasn't quick enough for the last one. It gave a cry of pain as the attack landed, pushing it back several paces.
"Copycat again."
Once again Riolu's eyes glowed before his right paw gained a metallic coating and he rushed forward, catching the injured pokemon unaware and slashing his paw down. The anorith stumbled back, and I was a little impressed that it had taken two super effective moves without fainting.
"Push him back with Water Qgun!" Olivia said firmly.
Anorith shot a stream of water at Riolu, but the Water Gun wasn't near as powerful as the Hydro Pump from Dawn's Piplup and Riolu stood his ground, shielding his face with his paws from the stream of water.
"Get Force Palm ready," I ordered as the water continued rushing at him.
Riolu grunted in understanding and his left paw began to glow. After three seconds exactly the paw was glowing at full strength and Anorith's Water Gun ran out of steam. Before Olivia had a chance to call another attack Riolu rushed forward and kicked Anorith. The fossil pokemon was tossed into the air and Riolu tapped its exposed belly with his glowing paw. A huge burst of energy exploded from his palm and sent Anorith flying back to smack against the cliff wall to our left where it dropped to the ground in a faint.
"That was incredible, Riolu!" Dawn cried excitedly and I frowned over at her.
She waved at me happily and I turned away, telling myself that having her here was an annoyance and that I did NOT enjoy her cheering for us. Riolu looked at me and I nodded at him, causing him to break his expressionless mask and smile slightly at me.
Olivia returned her pokemon and immediately sent out her next one. I was surprised to see that she chose Probopass and a small smile tugged at the corner of my lips. Probopass was an incredibly bulky pokemon, but it was four times weak to fighting type attacks and I planned to take advantage of that.
"Quick, go in for a Brick Break," I instructed and Riolu immediately began running towards the hulking pokemon.
"Use Magnet Bomb!" Olivia ordered.
Probopass launched a silver ball directly at the advancing Riolu and he neatly jumped over it, smacking his glowing hand into the bigger pokemon. Probopass fell back a bit, raising and lowering his hat-like top in a sign of pain.
"Use Force Palm," I said and Olivia smiled.
"Thunder Wave, Probopass," she called out calmly and I stiffened.
"Dodge it, Riolu!" I called, but it was too late.
As Riolu was focused on charging his Force Palm the Probopass let off a crackling wave which caught Riolu in its midst. Static electricity shocks traveled up and down Riolu's body and he winced.
"You've got to push through, Riolu. Use Force Palm!"
I clenched my hand in triumph as Riolu ran forward, seeming unconcerned with the Paralysis, and touched his fully charged Force Palm against Probopass's large nose. Another shock of power exploded from Riolu and Probopass was sent careening back into the wall where he also fell over in a faint.
"Woohoo! Two down one to go, Riolu and Paul!" Dawn cheered happily but I refused to acknowledge her. I couldn't keep from frowning as yellow bursts of electricity continued to run up and down Riolu's body.
"That is a nasty Force Palm your Riolu has," Olivia commented with obvious respect and I nodded my acknowledgment of the compliment. "Let's see if you can keep up your streak though. Lycanroc, it's your turn!"
With that Olivia released her last pokemon, an upright standing Midnight Lycanroc. I nodded and hoped desperately that Riolu would be able to push through the paralysis again.
"Brick Break, Riolu!" I commanded. Riolu moved one leg and then fell to his knees, the electricity running up and down him flaring up. "No!" I yelled as Olivia smiled and brought her arms up in a crossed position in front of her face. I clenched my fists tightly as I recognized the move she was using.
"Riolu you need to get up and dodge!" I yelled loudly.
Riolu pushed himself back to his feet but immediately fell down to both knees as the paralysis continued to afflict him. I watched, helpless, as Olivia finished her pose and her Lycanroc was surrounded by a shimmering light. Lycanroc howled up at the sky and I watched with mounting frustration as a rock the size of a small hill formed above Lycanroc and then came crashing down on my paralyzed Riolu.
"Riolu!" Dawn gasped out, jumping to her feet and looking as if she would break apart the rock herself to get to my pokemon.
"Sit down, Dawn," I ordered icily and she glanced at me. Slowly she lowered herself back to her rock, never taking her eyes from mine.
When the large rock eventually disappeared Riolu was laying flat on the ground in a dead faint. I returned him without comment, he wasn't awake to hear it anyway, and my hand hovered over my Pokeballs. The Midnight Lycanroc stood leering at me with his blood-red eyes and for the first time in my life, I went with the strategically wrong choice.
"Rockruff, standby for battle," I said darkly, tossing out her Pokeball and catching it easily as it fell back towards me. Rockruff looked at her opponent and she growled menacingly, not seeming to care that she was going against one of her evolved forms.
"You shouldn't have used your Z move so soon," I called over to Olivia and she smiled at me.
"If your second choice is a Rockruff then I don't think it was a mistake at all," she retorted and I found myself smiling.
"We'll see," I responded quietly. "Rockruff, use Howl," I ordered.
Immediately Rockruff raised her nose to the sky and howled from deep in her throat. The sheen of light showed her raised attack and Olivia shook her head.
"Use Brick Break, Lycanroc," Olivia commanded and the bigger pokemon immediately began its loping run towards Rockruff.
"Dodge it and use Iron Head," I ordered.
Rockruff crouched down and then exploded up, jumping perfectly over the surprised Lycanroc and landing behind him. She spun around and barked menacingly, lowering her head and charging. As she charged her whole body began to shimmer like metal and she slammed into Lycanroc's back, pushing him down and then jumping away from him as he rolled and snarled. Rockruff snarled right back and then her body began to glow again, but not from using Iron Head. She began to glow blue and in front of my eyes she grew taller, her body, ears, and tail lengthened, and her claws became much sharper. After the blue glow faded she howled up at the sky, now a fully evolved Midday Lycanroc.
"Congratulations, Lycanroc!" I heard Dawn yell in amazement, but the battle was far from over.
"Get close and use Brick Break!" Olivia called, now looking incredibly serious.
"Meet it with Iron Head" I ordered.
Without question, Lycanroc bent her head and once again her body began to shimmer like metal as she charged fearlessly toward the other lycanroc. As Midnight Lycanroc slammed its glowing paw towards Lycanroc she deftly rolled to the side and then jumped and smashed her head against the other Lycranroc's. He yipped in pain, stumbling back and holding his head.
"Use Accelerock!" I called, knowing that was her evolution move. She immediately responded, creating a circle of pointed rocks around her and then peppering the staggering lycanroc.
"Use Counter!" Olivia said firmly and Midnight Lycanroc shook his head before rushing towards my pokemon.
"Jump over it and use Rock Tomb!" I yelled.
Once again Lycanroc waited until the last second before using her powerful legs to propel herself up and over the other Lycanroc. Mid-jump Lycanroc howled and created a powerful Rock Tomb, sending the large rocks crashing towards her injured opponent. As the dust settled Olivia's lycanroc pushed one of the large rocks aside, breathing heavily and glaring, his red eyes flashing.
"Use Stone Edge, Lycanroc," Olivia commanded and I narrowed my eyes.
"Run in a zig zag, don't let him hit you!" I instructed fiercely.
Lycanroc exploded forward before zipping to the left just as the first of the huge rocks burst from the ground. I smiled as Lycanroc successfully dodged the attack, jumping and landing on top of the last of the Stone Edge rocks and riding it up until she was above her opponent. From her perch, she growled ferociously at him.
"Use Howl then Accelerock."
Lycanroc immediately let out a piercing howl, much more intimidating than when she had been a rockruff. Jagged rocks appeared around her as she finished her howl and Midnight Lycanroc fell to one knee, his energy obviously almost spent. He didn't have the energy to dodge so Lycanroc's attack slammed into him, tossing him from the rubble of the Rock Tomb and he landed hard on his back with his eyes closed.
The stone Lycanroc had been standing on disappeared and she dropped to the ground, her head held high as Dawn cheered loudly for her. Olivia returned her lycanroc and gave me a reluctantly impressed look. I walked onto the battlefield, briefly rubbing Lycanroc's much larger head and her tail wagged. Olivia met me in the middle of the battlefield, pulling something from the loops of sparkling chains on her hip.
"Your pokemon are very well trained. You've earned this," she announced while handing me a Rockium Z stone. I took it excitedly and bowed slightly at her compliment. "It's difficult to teach lycanrocs Iron Head, I am surprised your Rockruff was able to manage the move," Olivia commented, looking down with a gentle expression at Lycanroc.
Lycanroc suddenly turned and barked happily as Dawn rushed towards her. She fell to her knees and Lycanroc covered the little distance between them in one leap, rubbing her rocky collar against Dawn as she hugged her happily, although I saw her wince as the hard rocks scraped against her skin.
"Must be nice to have your girlfriend cheering you on like that," Olivia remarked with a smile and I flinched.
"She's not my girlfriend. I'm training her," I responded gruffly and Olivia raised an eyebrow.
"She sure seems close to your pokemon for being a student. Are you sure she's not training you too?" she asked and I scowled.
"Are you going to show me how to use this or can I go?" I asked testily and she chuckled.
Thankfully she didn't say anything else and showed me the move to activate the Rockium Z. The move seemed over the top in my opinion, but really all of them were so I shouldn't have been surprised. Dawn came to stand beside me as she demonstrated the move and I noticed that her hand was resting on top of Lycanroc's head, rubbing one of her ears gently.
"Well, that's it. I look forward to seeing your performance on Monday, Dawn," Olivia said, getting back to her feet and Dawn bowed to her.
"I hope I won't disappoint," she said sincerely.
I rolled my eyes and tapped my knuckle against the back of her head, causing her to rub the spot and look up at me.
"Let's go," I said and turned to leave.
Since Lycanroc seemed to be enjoying the affection from Dawn I decided to leave her out of her Pokeball, but I needed to get Riolu to a pokemon center. Glancing over my shoulder to make sure Dawn was following me I saw Olivia watching me with an amused expression. I briefly glared at her before turning back to face the path, picking up my pace as Dawn's familiar presence came up next to me.
A/N Phew, that was a really long chapter. Sorry about that :S But hopefully you enjoyed the chapter! I love these little ikarishipping moments XD
A/N I just wanted to explain myself really quick about something. In my fic (I don't know if this is technically correct) but there are many times when I will capitalize or not capitalize a pokemon's name. The reason for this is that I am either referring to the pokemon's species or to the pokemon's name. Example: If I am talking about a dog, I wouldn't capitalize it. However, if someone unimaginative named their dog "Dog" then I would capitalize it when I am referring to its name. That is why many times in a battle if I am referring to a pokemon general (the lycanroc, the cutiefly, etc) it is not capitalized. Sorry if this is confusing, but that's how it makes the most sense to me.