Paul and Dawn: First Light

Chapter 8: Southward Bound

Chapter 8: Southward Bound 

The journey out of Meteor Falls was faster and less troublesome than the way in. Perhaps it was just the affects of accomplishing my goal of capturing a Bagon, but even Dawn seemed like less of a pain as we exited the cave the way we came in, gladly not claimed by the mountain as it was rumored would happen for those who entered. 

"Where to next?" Dawn shielded her eyes from the sun, which was setting. The sky was a mix of yellow and orange while the sun burned red. I could see the reflection of colors on the ocean's surface, often broken by surfacing Pokemon playing in the water. How ironic it was that during this same view of the sunset I was alone and now I was being forced to accompany a girl who didn't understand what the meaning of "quiet" was. 

As I studied the scenery, my thoughts went through the plans I had made when my traveling part was one pest shorter. I had no idea how well she could take care of herself, especially when it came to food, and cringed at the idea of having to babysit her. "We're going back to town to restock supplies. I don't want to hear you complaining about not having steak every night, either. You're in charge of your own food, your own comforts. If you whine about anything, leave and don't come back."  

"Why would I want steak for dinner?" Dawn followed me to the trail that led to Rustboro. 

"I was under the impression that your cooking friend always made you delectable meals every day and you have no idea how to feed yourself," I answered almost resentfully. "Don't expect me to give you more than a crumb of my own food." 

"You're such a gentleman, Paul." Dawn rolled her eyes. "And I think I can manage preparing my own meals." 

I snorted. "Doesn't look like it." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Dawn raised an eyebrow. 

I eyed her- since I'd seen her in Sinnoh, she'd grown a couple inches and her body looked easier to break than ever. Skinnier, wider in some places, thinner in others. Not to mention how much paler she looked, suggesting she spent more time inside than she did when traveling with Ash, always in the fresh air. "A Pidgey's Gust attack would send you flying all the way to Kanto. You look anorexic." 

"I'm not anorexic!" 

"If you're traveling with me, you're eating. There's no way I'm going to deal with some dramatic girl problem because you refuse to eat. And if you attract wild Pokemon by leaving food out-" 

"Paul!" Dawn roared. "You're not scaring me away. I'm going to travel around with you and that's final." 

"You're telling me there's no way you'd change your mind?" I raised my voice, disbelieving. 

"Absolutely no way." 

"You really are stupid."

"Can we just walk in silence, please?" Dawn asked. 

I smirked at how agitated she seemed. My tactic was still the same- pierce her armor with as many rude statements as I could to force her out of my life. So far, it had led to a victory- the silent treatment. 

Refusing to chuckle to give away my approval of silence, I merely continued walking.

We walked to roughly the same spot I had picked the night before, which Dawn had found me at, and preceded to eat a quiet dinner with our Pokemon before going to bed. I watched Bagon interestingly as he ate slowly, ignoring my other Pokemon as they peered at him, wondering how tough he was and if he would take well to our intense training. 

I unrolled my sleeping bag after finishing my meal and unzipped it. Taking off my shoes and socks, I heaved myself into the sleeping bag and adjusted my body until I was comfortable. Closing my eyes, I imagined my first training session with Bagon tomorrow. 

The sound of hammering made my eyes snap open. The sound continued. It felt like it was pounding against my brain no matter how much I tried to ignore it. When I couldn't take it any longer, I sat up to see Dawn struggling with a tent, trying to make it stand upright. 

"What are you doing?" My voice was steely. 

"Putting up my tent." Dawn panted, pushing up a flap to see that the inside was still caved in. 

"Why?" 

"Because tomorrow morning my hair will be a mess and I don't want you to see it!" Dawn replied shrilly. 

I snorted. "I don't care what your hair looks like. You could wake up bald and it wouldn't make a difference to me." 

Her eye twitched as she stared at me. "I think appearance is much more important than you do." 

I sat up straighter and raised an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?" 

"Nothing." Dawn held her chin up high, tightening the ropes that held up the tent. It was no longer caved in. Piplup ran inside, looking happy, as if he had raised the tent himself. 

"Hmph." I highly doubted that meant 'nothing', but her obvious judgment on my appearance didn't sting. "So you won't be making any more noise? I can sleep in peace?" 

"I'll be quieter than the grave," Dawn said angrily. 

"Good." I turned over in my sleeping bag, hearing a small strangled grunt leave Dawn before she was true to her word.

The next morning I woke up grudgingly and walked over to Dawn's campsite. I thought the whole thing may have been a dream till I saw the blue and pink nightmare of a tent next to my sleeping bag.

"Ready to go?" I yelled into her tent, hoping to scare her. 

"I'm still doing my hair!" she called back. I heard Piplup chattering to her. 

If the tent had been strong enough, I would have wanted to smash my forehead against it. "Hurry up. We don't have any food for breakfast. We need supplies." 

"So that's why you're so grumpy this morning. I knew it was just a temporary thing." 

"Stop joking around and get outside. I'm leaving in five minutes, with or without you." I scowled, and then went over to pack my bag. 

Dawn emerged a couple minutes later, her hair looking exactly like it had the night before, stupid hat and all. I tried not to insult her for it as she hurriedly packed up her tent, taking less time taking it apart as she had putting it together. 

"I'm ready!' Dawn announced to the world. 

I'm not, I thought sourly, then began heading south without another word. 

Dawn commented throughout our morning, saying things like "Wow, it's such a beautiful day! Don't you think so?", "I can't believe Hoenn is just as big as Sinnoh. Can you believe it, Paul?", and "Piplup, did you see that Pokemon in the bushes? I wonder what it was." 

"That was a Poochyena, one of the most common and well known Pokemon in Hoenn." I sighed. Pokemon related subjects were the only ones I felt like answering. It might make her, at the very least, less questioning if her brain was filled with something other than flowers, hair products, and Contests. 

"Oh. I've never heard of them before."  

"Of course not." 

Dawn frowned. "Paul, can't we just get along?" 

"Dawn, can't you just be quiet?" 

"I can't help it. I'm excited." 

"About what?" I rolled my eyes. She was probably excited that the sky was blue or that she had ten toes. 

"I'm going to get to see you train today!" she exclaimed. "There's just so much to learn." 

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you hated my training style." 

"Hasn't it changed at all?" Dawn asked. 

"That's for me to know and for you to keep wondering about. Now be quiet." 

Dawn obliged, besides humming softly to herself and Piplup.