"What is she doing!" Lana cried in shock as Dawn and her mantine jumped from the top of the wave and Dawn launched herself away from Matine, spinning rapidly as Mantine seemed to float through the air. I watched as a little blue head popped up and a shimmering mist formed underneath Mantine and Dawn, making it look like they were floating on clouds. 

As Mantine began to sink back towards the wave Dawn stopped spinning and did a front flip. Reaching out she seemed to effortlessly glide back to Mantine's platform as they dropped back down onto the wave.

"Woah, that's gonna score huge points with the judges!" Traavi said excitedly. 

Torterra stomped his feet in the sand in excitement, startling Torracat who had laid down on the sand next to him. The crowd cheered wildly as the Kailani girl jumped off the wave, holding onto the platform but kicking her feet out and both she and her Mantine spun in a full circle before landing back on the wave. I watched as Dawn and her mantine began to make their way towards the top of the wave and I squinted as a small yellow orb briefly broke the wave's surface before dipping down again.

What is that girl's lanturn doing? I wondered suspiciously. 

Just as Dawn's mantine was about to leave the wave behind it jerked, tossing Dawn off its back. My heart stopped when Dawn fell over the back side of the wave, disappearing from sight. A roar of concern and disappointment rang from the crowd but my eyes followed the mantine which was falling backwards down the front of the wave and crashed into the ocean as if it had fainted.

"Where's Dawn? Is she okay?" Lana asked jumping up and down to try and see where she had gone. 

Kailani completed two more tricks, earning cheers from the crowd but my eyes were desperately scanning the area where I had last seen Dawn falling past the wave. Agonizing seconds turned into a minute and I still couldn't see any sign of Dawn, but then as the ocean calmed a dark blue head burst from the depths. 

A shaky sigh of relief escaped me but then I frowned as I watched Kailani glide over to her on the back of her mantine. She only stayed by Dawn for a moment before turning and making her way back to the beach, waving regally as the crowd cheered for her.

"Look, she's swimming over. She must be alright," Traavi pointed out as Dawn began making her way slowly back to shore. 

I was about to ask Lana to send a pokemon to go help her but then the mantine she had been riding found her and brought her the rest of the way. I watched, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of my stomach as I saw that Dawn was clutching her Piplup to her and wouldn't raise her eyes as she stepped off the mantine and bowed to the crowd. Traavi instantly began pushing his way through the crowd towards Dawn and I put a hand in my jacket pocket so that no one would see me clench my hands into fists.

"I'm glad she's okay," Lana breathed out and then glanced up at me. "I'm going to go say hi to the judges. Tell Dawn that I thought she did awesome and don't feel bad for falling off." 

She didn't fall, that brat sabotaged her, I wanted to spit back but Lana had already moved off, weaving expertly through the crowds.

Torterra stepped to the side and I looked over at where Traavi had just caught up to Dawn. To my surprise, her Piplup blasted him with a Hydro Pump and suddenly my opinion of the little wimp improved slightly. The uneasy feeling strengthened as I watched Dawn stop momentarily to say something to Traavi before she took off at a run towards the tent set up by the performance stage. She was pretty far from me, but her back seemed really red and I hoped that it was a sunburn and not an injury from when she had fallen.

"Terra torterra," Torterra rumbled sadly. I looked down at him and realized that all of my pokemon were looking at the tent Dawn had disappeared into with a look of concern.

"Come on, then," I said gruffly, walking towards the tent with my pokemon trailing behind me.

As we all approached the tent I slowed down, awkwardly looking around me. I didn't think I was allowed in since it was for the performers and there was no way I was going in there if she was changing. As I puzzled over what to do Rockruff jumped down from her spot on Torterra's shell and sniffed the air. She barked once and began padding through the sand towards the back of the tent. Shrugging, I followed behind her and as we came towards the back I saw Dawn stand up straight, having crawled through the bottom of the tent wall, and immediately began sprinting through the sand.

I should let her go. I told myself angrily, but as she continued running for all she was worth towards the sidewalk, even with Rockruff barking after her, I groaned. 

"I'll follow her, return for now," I said to my pokemon. Quickly I got them back in their Pokeballs before I took off, calling myself twenty different forms of idiot as I did my best to follow her rippling blue hair.

I was pretty far behind her and my concern grew as Dawn recklessly ran through the people on the sidewalk, causing several people to dodge out of her way. My heart nearly stopped when she bolted across the street, narrowly missing being hit by a taxi, who blared its horn at her. Dawn didn't slow down and I chased after her, gaining inches as she continued to run flat out towards the Tide Song Hotel. I watched as she ran past the hotel and plunged into the palm tree forest behind the hotel.

Glancing around me to make sure no one was going to get mad at us for trespassing, I pushed through the tall foliage and bushes and listened for the sound of crashing feet through the bushes. No such sound could be heard though, and panic started welling up in my throat as I pushed through the thick bushes. 

Where did you go, idiot coordinator? I growled inside my head, pushing back a frond of a fern and then I froze in my tracks. Dawn had fallen to her knees in the middle of a small clearing and was crying. Loud, hiccuping sobs escaped her as her shoulders shook and for a split second, I saw my mother with her long purple hair crying for all she was worth.

"You're right, okay. You're right! Even if you hadn't shocked Mantine there's no way I could have beaten you... I don't belong here... I don't belong in Sinnoh... I can't do this," Dawn's voice seemed to float from the image of my mother and I was instantly transported to a memory from over ten years ago.

The funeral service was almost unbearable. So many people had been shocked when we showed up. The fact that the Champion had a wife and two sons had not been widely known but everyone who looked at Mother's tear streaked face could tell that she was telling the truth. People awkwardly offered their condolences and I had bowed so much my back hurt, but I stayed by Mom's side.

We were back home now. Reggie left immediately after the funeral, saying he needed to get back on his journey right away. I didn't say goodbye to him when he left. Ever since Mom and I watched the tunnel collapse on the news I had walked through my days numb, not really letting anything sink in. Even seeing Papa's still face in the casket hadn't really sunk in. He had looked like he was sleeping.

"He promised he'd take me to catch my first pokemon," I whispered to the little Turtwig stuffed animal that Papa had given me back when I was small. Even though I was older now it was still one of my most precious possessions. "He promised," I whispered again.

A creaking sound rang outside my room and I frowned, looking over slowly at the door. Mom hadn't said anything since we'd gotten home from the funeral, she just sat down on the couch staring at nothing and wouldn't respond to anything I said so I came upstairs. Standing up from my spot on the edge of the bed, I walked to my door and poked my head out, looking up and down the hallway to see if Mom was there. I didn't see Mom, but the door to her room was open so I walked over and knocked lightly on the door. The door moved inward as I knocked on it, so I pushed it open and looked around.

The walls were plastered with news article clippings and pictures, all of Papa, starting with when Mom and Papa were dating up until his most recent win against Bertha. Seeing my papa's smiling face from every corner of the room made me shudder slightly as sadness tried to push past the numbness that had claimed me for the last two weeks. A scraping noise caught my attention and I turned towards the large glass windows that opened onto a beautiful balcony.

Mom used to take me to the balcony and read me stories when I was little and Papa came home more often. But as Papa had gotten busier Mom cried more and stopped reading me stories. Cautiously I walked towards the glass doors and my eyes widened as a gust of wind blew the dark blinds away from the open door, revealing my mom's figure standing precariously on top of the railing that surrounded the balcony.

"Mom!" I shouted, rushing out to the balcony and stopping a foot from her as she looked over her shoulder at me. Her long purple hair shifted in the wind and caused a few strands to stick to the tear streaks on her cheeks.

"Paul baby." Her voice was light and happy but her purple eyes seemed devoid of all emotion as she looked at me from her spot on the balcony.

"Mom, come down," I said slowly, reaching a hand out to her and taking a small step towards her, afraid that if I touched her she would lose her balance and fall.

"I'm going to go meet your papa, baby. He promised he'd protect me, so I have to go find him," Mom said in that strange tone and my hand began to shake as she slowly leaned forward.

"Wait! Don't leave me, Mommy!" I yelled, not even caring that I said 'Mommy' instead of 'Mom' like a baby. Mom slowly straightened, turning back to look at me and her smile slowly turned to a frown.

"Papa was so strong. Papa was the strongest man in the entire world. I can't do this without him. Paul, baby, I can't live without him," she said in a deadly serious voice and I clenched my hands into fists.

"I'll be stronger!" I yelled desperately. 

Mom's beautiful hair danced in the wind and I gasped as she lifted one foot from the railing but as gracefully as a Gardevoir she spun on one foot so that she could face me and then put her other foot back on the railing.

"Paul, baby. You can't even go on a pokemon journey yet," she said soothingly, looking down at me with an adoring expression but her words felt like knives in my heart.

"I'll train hard, Mom. I'll study and learn everything about pokemon and when I go on my journey I'll become a Champion and protect you," I promised fiercely, feeling tears dancing in the back of my eyes. Mom's purple eyes regarded me with a confused expression as I clenched my fists with determination.

"Paul... I can't let my baby protect me. I'm supposed to be the one to protect you. Papa protects Mommy, Mommy protects her babies.... But I can't do this..." Tears began spilling from Mom's eyes and the wind again sent her long hair spinning.

"I'm not a baby anymore, Mom! I promise I'll protect you. I promise I'll be strong!" I proclaimed loudly, feeling tears stream down my face. "So please don't leave me," I said in a shaky voice.

Mom looked at me as we both cried. My knees went weak as she slowly bent down, holding the railing with her hands and hopping to the balcony. I continued to cry as she walked over to me, kneeling down and pulling me into her arms. I could feel her warm tears dripping down my neck as I hugged her tightly.

Blinking rapidly the image of my mom disappeared and once again I was looking at Dawn. The fear from that time when Mom tried to commit suicide engulfed me as I pushed through the bush, telling her that she could do this. Dawn jumped up, her eyes and voice livid as she yelled at me. The words she said didn't register though because I was too busy searching her eyes, terrified of seeing the deadness that Mom's had held back then.

She turned away from me and without thinking I reached out, grabbing her wrist in my hand and asking where she was going. Without answering me she tugged roughly against my hold, but I tightened my grip and held my ground, terrified that if she left my sight she might do something drastic. 

Not until I heard the words, "You're hurting me" did I snap out of my panic and I instantly released my grip. But at the same time, Dawn pulled back to try and break free so my letting go made her fall and she gave out a shrill cry of pain as she landed flat on her back.

"Dawn! I'm sorry!" escaped my lips before I could think and she placed her arms against her eyes and forehead and cried loudly. Her cries wrenched my heart, reminding me of the hundreds of times I would find my mom crying alone, and I opened and closed my hands feeling useless and not sure how to make her stop. After a few seconds Dawn turned onto her side and curled up against the grass, burying her face in her hands and it sounded like she was trying to stop herself from crying.

Unsure of what to do I sat down a few inches from her trembling body and waited, keeping an eye out at the bushes to make sure no one had followed us. Slowly Dawn's sobs died down and her breath only shuddered slightly as her trembling shoulders relaxed. I looked at her vulnerable, curled up position and tried to swallow past a lump in my throat. 

This is Dawn, Paul, not Mom. What the heck am I doing? I stiffened in surprise when Dawn shifted and pushed herself up, her back to me, and then turned her swollen eyes towards me.

"Don't look at me like that," she said with a shaking voice. 

I blinked and tried to remember how my face normally felt. Attempting to put up my normal mental wall I met her angry glare and realized that even though her breathing seemed normal tears were still falling down her pale cheeks.

"Just leave me alone," she begged. 

I bit my tongue as I remembered telling her the exact same thing by the river a few weeks ago, but things were different now and I knew that if I left her I would never be able to focus on training.

"No. Not until you stop crying," I said, my voice sounding a lot angrier than I meant it to. I winced inwardly but all I could do was blink like an idiot as Dawn's leaking eyes flashed with anger.

"You think I want to be crying?" she snapped angrily but as she continued to speak her tone went from angry to helpless. "How could you understand? You've beaten two pokemon leagues. You've battled Champions. How could you possibly know what it feels like to never be good enough?"

Swallowing was difficult after hearing her tirade and for the briefest second I wanted to tell her that that was how I felt every day of my life. But I quickly stuffed down that urge and tried to logically analyze what she had said.

"Are you crying because you haven't been able to win anything?" I asked through my tightening throat as the desire to reach out and brush away her tears strengthened and caused me to flex my hands in and out of fists to keep me where I was. Apparently that was the wrong thing to say though because pain and hurt flashed across her face and her tears began to fall even faster.

"So what if I am? Go ahead. Call me an idiot. Tell me I'm stupid to put stock in things like contests and showdowns." The bitterness in her voice made my chest clench and I wondered how much of her pain had actually been caused by my words to her. I watched helplessly as she lowered her face into her hands and mumbled, "What else am I supposed to do? I'm not good at anything else, but after seven years I have made no progress. I'm pathetic."

Fear ripped through my chest as Dawn's tone seemed to mirror Mom's when she stood on top of the balcony saying she couldn't protect me without Papa. Before I could think things through I reached out and grabbed Dawn's wrists, pulling them away from her face so that I could look and make sure her eyes hadn't lost their light. Even filled with tears they still flashed with frustration as she met my gaze and my fear dissipated slightly, but the fact that she hadn't stopped crying yet worried me. As I looked into her sapphire blue eyes I heard myself say something that I never once thought myself capable of.

"Will you stop crying if I agree to teach you how to get stronger?" 

Dawn's mouth dropped open in shock and her arms, which had been tensed as if she was thinking of breaking away from my hold, went slack as she stared at me.

"What did you just say?" she whispered. 

I dropped her wrists like they were hot coals and stood up, turning away from her and placing a hand over my mouth.

You've really done it now, Paul, my inner self said sarcastically. I ignored it as my mind raced a million miles an hour, trying to figure out how to get myself out of the mess I had just created. I couldn't take back what I said. Even if Dawn did pretend she hadn't heard me the thought of Dawn crying by herself alone in Alola made my head spin. But I also knew that if we traveled together my focus on achieving my goal and keeping my promise to Mom might suffer because, for some reason, Dawn was the only girl that I couldn't ignore.

An idea slowly formed and I turned around, jerking back when I saw that Dawn had stood up and was only inches away from me. Tears were still falling gently down her cheeks but the pain and anger from just a second ago was gone, replaced by a look of slight suspicion and a ridiculous amount of hope shining from her blue eyes.

"What did you say?" she repeated, taking a step closer to me. I looked away, not able to concentrate with her crying.

"I'll teach you everything I know about Pokemon battles and moves. If you want to get better you need to learn from different people, that's why I read," I said gruffly, avoiding her gaze.

"But... I thought you hated me. Why would you help me?" Dawn asked with a look of confusion and hesitancy clouding her expression and making her take a step back. 

Gritting my teeth I looked at her, her head slowly sinking down to avoid my eyes, and I knew that out of all the emotions known to humans "hate" was the one word I could never associate with Dawn. I don't think I want her to know that though, I thought with a grimace.

"Don't misunderstand. We're not friends and I am not helping you for nothing. I haven't been able to get my Z-stones to work. The book I read said something about becoming aligned with your pokemon, but I have no idea how to do that." 

Dawn slowly raised her head and tilted her neck slightly, causing her bangs to fall over her right eye. I nearly lost track of my thoughts as I stared into her shimmering eyes, but I cleared my throat and plowed on.

"I've noticed that you have an uncanny ability to connect with pokemon. So I will teach you to increase your power if you teach me how to 'align' with my pokemon," I said, grinding the words out of my unwilling throat. 

I hated admitting I had a weakness in front of anyone, but if I told her that I was worried she was going down a self-destructive path I doubted she would listen to me or think I was trying to help. Dawn regarded me for a few long seconds, her tears falling less frequently down her cheeks. Suddenly she frowned and folded her arms.

"No," she said simply and I felt my mouth drop open in shock before I quickly closed it and schooled my expression to one of annoyance.

"No? Do you know how many people have asked me to train them?" I growled out, trying to come up with another reason for her to stay with me, but I was surprised when she took a step closer to me and looked straight at me.

"I can't go to another showdown without a friend to support me," she stated firmly. 

I frowned, folding my arms and trying not to dwell on the mere inches that separated us from each other. Thankfully she didn't give me long to think about it before she continued.

"If I travel with you then I need you to be my friend when I perform in showdowns. If I win you need to congratulate me and say you knew I could do it, and if I fail I need you to tell me everything will be okay," she said, her tone drifting from bossy to vulnerable and I swallowed hard.

"Your pokemon can do that," I argued, but I knew it was a weak argument and Dawn's tears began to drip more frequently.

"If you can't do it then I'm not going to travel with you. If you're yelling at me to be better every two seconds its just going to make things worse," she said, her voice shaking. 

I closed my eyes and exhaled all of the breath from my lungs. Once I was empty I opened my eyes, took a slow breath through my nose, and looked into Dawn's puffy but determined eyes.

"Fine. On your showdown days, I will be your... friend." The word felt like a tree branch scraping up my throat. I had avoided having relationships of any kind ever since I started my Pokemon journey, I didn't think I even knew how to be a friend. "But while we're traveling I am your teacher. Nothing more," I said firmly and Dawn's lips burst into a beautiful smile, transforming her face from a dripping mess to an angelic vision.

"Thank you, Paul," she said angelically.

I felt heat rush up my neck and into my cheeks. I looked away and shrugged, desperately hoping Dawn wouldn't be able to see my red cheeks from her angle. Glancing down at her from the corner of my eye I realized that her tears still hadn't stopped and, finally at my wits end, I growled. Reaching out a hand I wiped her cheek with my palm, erasing the tear stains before rubbing my thumb under her right eye, prompting her to close that eye at the same time as her other one widened in shock.

"Would you stop crying already?" I asked gruffly, pulling my hand back and flicking it to get her tears off. Dawn laughed quietly and reached up to wipe her other cheek.

"Who knew the mighty Paul could be undone by a woman's tears," she said teasingly. 

I glared at her, wishing that I could refute that statement. I couldn't tell her that there was only one other woman's tears that caused me to react like this though, so I turned away from her and walked towards the direction we had come from. I didn't hear any footsteps behind me though so I turned to see that Dawn was regarding me with a curious smile. Swallowing past a lump in my throat I jerked my head in the direction of the hotel.

"You coming?" I asked gruffly and she smiled, wiping away the last traces of her tears and jogging over to follow me out of the trees.

"Hey Paul," Dawn said as I was about to walk through the bushes. I paused and looked back at her, meeting her mischievous gaze.

"It's a showdown day today, so that means you're my friend, right?" she asked in a wheedling voice.

I swallowed uncomfortably but forced myself to nod. Her smile turned a little hesitant as she looked down at the grass before tilting her head to the side and looking up at me with her gem-like eyes.

"Then, could I get a hug?" she asked quietly.

My entire body stiffened as I thought of wrapping my arms around her thin frame and holding her against me. Not a chance, I thought, stomping down on the mental image. I let out a scoff.

"I don't do hugs," I said bluntly before promptly turning around. 

Before I could take a step though, Dawn's pale arms wrapped around my waist and I felt her press herself against my back, leaning her cheek between my shoulder blades. Both my mind and my body froze as Dawn leaned against me silently for several seconds.

"Thanks for coming after me, Paul. I'll work hard and do my best to get stronger," Dawn's voice floated around me and I sucked in a surprised breath as Dawn's thin arms squeezed my waist briefly before she let go and stepped away from me. 

I was shocked at how cold my body felt as she moved away from me and an irrational urge enveloped me to turn and crush her against me, but I clenched my hands into fists and let out a long breath through my nose. Nodding once to show that I had heard her I pushed my way through the ferns and bushes and I could hear Dawn following behind me.

This is probably the worst decision you've made in your life, Paul, my inner voice told me bluntly. As I looked back at the only girl who had ever made me feel anything but contempt, I had to agree with it. 

A/N It took me SO long to figure out how to get Paul and Dawn to travel together. This was definitely one of the more sad options, but I think it was the best option for their story. Hopefully you enjoyed the chapter :)