Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ Iron Royalty ❯ Chapter 5: Moon Stroll ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Riley breathed a sigh of relief.

He watched the Nurses tell that to Reggie and to another Nurse Joy. Riley felt a bit jealous that Reggie, a well-mannered and gentleman, was so close to Reina, but, he shrugged it off. It wasn’t like Reina deserved less.

He went into the room. Iron Island had a small center, but, it was better than the make-shift tent she’d been in. Riley stood at the foot of her bed, watching her breath on her own.

She’d only had a slight relapse from the injuries. Now, however, she was perfectly fine. She was going to make it, that was for sure.

Riley closed his eyes. What a relief it was to know that.

---Paul---

He was clutching his hands tightly. His black, long-sleeved shirt felt more uncomfortable than a sack made of twigs and twine. This waiting for news was getting old and he kept glancing sideways at his bag of things. He was half expecting the Nurses to come back with good news about Swellow and bad news about Reina. The other half was expecting bad news about both Pokemon and Reina.

But when the Nurse Joy came back, she simply asked that Paul come to the phone. He didn’t understand, but walked to the phone all the same. When he hit the hold button, Reggie’s house came into view. At first, nobody was there, until Paul called out.

Reggie came out of nowhere and gave Paul a weary, down-trodden smile. “What’s up?”

“I don’t know. How’s Reina?” Paul was pulling on his vest as he spoke. He was ready to jump ship at anytime. If Reina was okay, he’d leave. If she wasn’t, he’d go for a walk and come back later for news. Either way, he was going outside.

“Well,” Reggie smiled again. “Someone’s in a hurry. She’s fine, so far. They said that Iron Island’s Pokemon Center can take care of her until the morning. She’s going to be shipped back to the Island, though. She just needs some meds.”

Paul nodded and was about to hang up when Reggie stopped him in six words.

“But she’s been beaten by father.”

Paul’s hand fell onto the small ledge in front of the phone. His heart sank into his shoes and he knew why Swellow had found him. Reggie had too many Pokemon to worry about, why would it stay there? It came to Paul, knowing Paul would be the first to feel that tug towards Reina.

“Paul, get back to Vilestone City as soon as you can. We can’t stay separated this much.”

“No. I’m going to Iron Island. I want to see her for myself.” He picked up his bag and raised his hand to push the button. “I’ll stay here for a while. I’ll leave in the morning.”

When he pushed the button, Reggie had waved. When he walked off, Paul was sure he’d need to find a little niche to hide in. He wasn’t going to stop the crying this time. Deciding his room was safer, Paul retreated up the stairs. He passed Dawn, who was probably restless and going out for a little midnight stroll.

Once he’d entered his room, Paul threw his bag against the wall and it fell near the window. He stripped off his vest and tossed it on the foot of his bed. Looking around, Paul found that he had left the window open, letting in a bit of night chill.

He sat on the window ledge again, but this time, he curled up along it’s edge. He watched the ground, illuminated by the moon.

The trees weren’t green anymore, they were aqua, like water. The grass was like a sea of little water spouts. Along the cobbled path to the entrance of the center, little drops of dew from the grass being watered shone in the moonlight. They were like little liquid diamonds. It was enchanting and romantic. Of course, the cobbles seemed to glow with the resonation of such beautiful light.

Movement caught Paul’s eye and his head came up just a bit.

Dawn was twirling down the cobbled path. She was wearing her usual outfit, but her hair was down and she was barefoot. She held her shoes in her hands. She might’ve been cold, but she certainly didn’t show it. Her eyes were closed and she held her arms out so they were parallel to the ground. When she stopped, her hair settled over her shoulders.

Paul noticed her scarf was missing. He started to wonder if she had just up and left without her Pokemon, too. He watched her come to a stop near a hedge of roses right below his window, just to sniff them.

Dawn stood up straight and shook her head. “I wish I hadn’t known. Huh, would’ve been better if I hadn’t asked! Stupid.”

Paul felt a bit safer, knowing that he wasn’t the only one with worries. He watched her walk about outside and a smile crept onto his face. She was a magnificent girl who probably would be a good wife someday to somebody.

“Paul?”

He jumped when she’d called him. Staring down at her, he tried not to show his thundering heart or the fact that he felt like he was blushing.

“Can’t sleep either?”

He looked away. How typical of him. He had always been this way, unable to face the music. He finally looked back. “Why?”

“Well, I’m kind of bored walking by myself. C’mon. We’ll go down to the stream!” She smiled.

Paul’s face changed colors faster than a light bulb turning on. She was beautiful. He could clearly see that, now that he knew how he felt. “Fine, I’ll walk with you.” He hopped off the sill and grabbed his vest. He tried not to hurry, just to get his composure back. His hands were a bit shaky, but when he came back to the window, he saw she was putting on socks and shoes while she waited.

Once down the stairs and following her, Paul felt a bit awkward. He’d never been quite able to express more than irritation, annoyance, and anger to anybody except Reggie and Reina. So, this was quite hard to keep from breaking his bad habit.

“Paul, look!” Dawn had stopped and pointed. A wild group of Bellossom were dancing in the dew-ridden grass. The moon shone down on them as they glittered. “It’s so beautiful.”

Paul couldn’t stop the surprise on his face. It was beautiful, but reminded him of Reina. She was a coordinator, something he despised. The surprise returned to annoyance and he looked away, unable to stop the boiling heat in his stomach.

“Hey, wanna see something cool?” Dawn asked.

Paul shrugged. “Whatever.”

Dawn grabbed his hand and lead him to the stream. Once there, she let go and pulled out a Pokeball. So, she wasn’t ‘alone’ after all.

“Piplup, let’s show Paul our hard work.”

Paul stayed well clear of them, just in case.

Piplup performed a Whirlpool. The large funnel of water sparkled with Bubble Beam. The small orbs exploded and showered Piplup with an elegant rain. Piplup then used it’s small body and spiraled through the shower and through the Whirlpool, dispersing it in every direction. It made a circular rainbow.

Paul suddenly recalled Reina and looked down at Dawn. Was it possible that he might not be falling for Dawn and rather trying to make her like a sister to him? He didn’t understand.