It was a particularly warm day in the normal cool Sinnoh region and Dawn planned to take full advantage of it. It had been a while since she parted ways with Ash and Brock and even longer since her pokemon journey began.

After they went going their separate ways, with Brock going back home to Kanto and Ash heading off to Unova on his next journey, Dawn had been left to her own devices. She stuck around Sinnoh only for a couple days before making the decision to travel to Hoenn and take a run at the contest circuit in a new region.

So that's just what she did. It was a bit daunting at first for sure, a new region, with new pokemon she had never seen before, and new people around every corner. There were a few particular highlights though. One being that May had decided to take a crack at Hoenn contests once again so Dawn would often run into her at contests.

Of course, with May came her new travelling companion Drew. It took a bit of time to get used to the rather arrogant grass haired boy but after a couple encounters he and Dawn had gotten used to each other and now were rather good friends.

It turned out though, that Hoenn would provide her with some familiar encounters as well. Namely a certain purple haired trainer. She hadn't realized when she set off for the new region that he would be there as well and she certainly didn't expect to see him so much. Nearly every town she explored he was there too.

One day they met up earlier than usual when she spotted him finishing training with his pokemon for the day as she made her way along a trail toward the Petalburg Woods. Ever so slowly over their encounters Paul had started warming up to her to the point that when they ended up side by sided as they walked through the forest he didn't shrug her off or wander away from the blunette.

She even managed to pull him into a conversation until the sky began to grow dark at which point, without a word, they set up their tents in the same field and Paul started making a fire as Dawn fed both her own and Paul's pokemon. If said pokemon thought each other's presence was strange they made no sign of it other than a few sly looks at their trainers.

They continued walking out of the forest together the next day and when they failed to go their separate ways they ended up travelling the rest of the region together.

Reggie was surprised the next time Paul called him when he found out that the two were travelling together but truthfully thought it was great. Maybe some of Dawn's cheerful attitude would rub off on him.

Dawn supported Paul during his gym battles and cheered him on just as she had done for Ash in Sinnoh and Paul attended Dawn's contests and even grew acquainted with May and Drew.

There came a time, and neither of them could quite pin point just when it was, that they became best friends… and then more

After Dawn won her fourth contest ribbon which put her that much closer to qualifying for the Grand Festival Paul had unexpectedly, to Dawn at least, asked her out. It didn't take long for her to say yes.

Their relationship quickly blossomed from there and it didn't take long before it became a common occurrence to see Dawn sporting one of Paul's jackets or his arm wrapped around her waist and a smile on both of their faces.

Most people who knew Paul would never have expected the drastic change in attitude when it came to Dawn. It was a side of Paul reserved solely for Dawn and she loved every minute of it and him.

The first time May witnessed this there was a lot of squealing before Dawn was dragged off for details. Drew only smirked which earned him a glare from Paul.

Keeping up with battles and contests the couple continued on their journey to the Grand Festival and The Hoenn League.

A few months after they started dating, the Hoenn grand Festival and Pokemon League in sight, they found themselves on a boat back to Sinnoh where the Wallace cup would be held for the second year in a row.

And that takes us back to the present time.

Dawn had won the contest, becoming a two-time champion for the Wallace Cup. The coordinator decided that she wanted to see both her mother and Reggie before heading back to Hoenn and with her mother having been in attendance at the Wallace cup, Dawn and Paul made the journey to Veilstone city where they were currently at Paul and Reggie's house.

Dawn was enjoying the warm weather outside as she trained with Maylene and the pokemon while Reggie insisted he and Paul send some brotherly bonding and catching up. Paul tried pointing out the fact that he called every time he and Dawn were at a Pokemon Center but Reggie waved him off.

So now the brothers had been talking while Maylene helped Dawn create new appeals since her aqua ribbon from the Wallace Cup qualified her for the Hoenn Grand Festival as her fifth ribbon.

The sun had set before the girls finally came back inside and Paul was in the middle of describing his latest gym battle to Reggie who listened intently, reminiscing on his own travels through Hoenn. Maylene flopped down on the couch beside Reggie before throwing her legs over the arm and using his lap as a pillow as she let out a yawn.

Dawn followed her in and made her way to Paul where she crawls into his lap, wraps her arms around his neck, and falls asleep against his chest.

Without consciously thinking about it Paul smirked down at her and starts stroking her hair as he continues telling Reggie about his latest gym battle. It took a few minutes before Paul looked up and saw the shocked look on his brothers face and Maylene trying to hold back laughter.

Paul raised an eyebrow at his brother. "What's wrong with you?"

Reggie spluttered for a bit and Maylene could no longer hold in her laughter as she rolled off the couch and onto the floor, stifling her chuckles into a pillow she dragged down with her to avoid waking Dawn.

Reggie found his voice again. "What are you doing?"

"Talking to you like you insisted." Paul's reply was monotone but his eyes were starting to question both Reggie's and Maylene's sanity.

"That's not what I meant!" he shouted.

Paul gave him a warning look. "Would you keep it down. What are you talking about?"

"Why is Dawn sitting on your lap, and sleeping, and why were you stroking her hair."

Paul was about to give a sarcastic reply when a realization came to him and he stopped before a word could escape his lips before asking Reggie the big question. "Didn't I tell you Troublesome and I were dating?"

Reggie's eyes shot open and he was gaping like a Goldeen. Maylene, who had just started to calm down and was pulling herself up onto the couch again fell back to the floor in another, stronger, fit of laughter at her boyfriends bug-eyed expression. The room was silent bar Maylene's gasping for air as Reggie waited for Paul to tell him it was a joke. When that didn't happened, Reggie came to his senses.

"No, you didn't tell me! How could you not tell me you had a girlfriend! Dawn! How could you not tell me Dawn is your girlfriend!"

Dawn stirred and leaned closer into Paul who glanced down at her until it was clear she wouldn't wake up. "First of all, keep it down, second of all I thought I did tell you. I just forgot."

Reggie was about to continue that discussion when he suddenly turned to his girlfriend. "Wait a minute, did you know?" Paul raised an eyebrow at her as well since he knew he hadn't told Maylene.

"Dawn told me earlier, I just wanted to wait and see your reaction." She grinned cheekily before kissing him on the cheek and walking out the door back to the gym.

They could still hear her laughter all the way down the street.

When Maylene had gone far enough that the brothers could no longer make out her chuckling Reggie turned back to Paul. "I can't believe you forgot to tell me that you and Dawn were dating. You told me when the two of you started travelling together."

Paul sighed. "Reggie, I told you, I thought I told you. It's not like I wake up in the morning and wonder who still doesn't know about my girlfriend. We never really just came out and told many people anyway. Dawn told her mother, then May and Drew figured it out because I was holding her hand, and she was in the middle of a video call with Ash and Brock when I walked over asking her if she was ready to go out for a date and Brock figured it out then explained it to Ketchum."

Reggie looked at him seriously before asking one more question. "So just to be clear, you weren't trying to keep it a secret form me?"

Paul was beginning to look exasperated now. "No Reggie, even Dawn thought you knew. Or she did until she talked to Maylene anyway, because we assumed you would tell her."

Reggie debated the truth of this statement before silently nodding his head and looking back to the girl peacefully sleeping against his little brother.

"You're really lucky to have her, you know that Paul?"

Paul smirked at his brother then down at the girl in his lap as his smile softened.

"Yeah, I am."