Chapter One

It's Not Fate

Many would claim it was fate, that there were no coincidences and everything was destined to happen at some point. A lot of people lived their lives thinking that every meeting, every goodbye, every smile and every tear happened for a reason. That the smallest, most insignificant things impacted their lives in the biggest ways possible.

Paul was not one of these people.

He didn't believe that there was some almighty force in the shadows pulling the strings. He didn't believe in things like destiny or that something from his past could impact his future in such a substantial way. He walked where he walked because he chose to. He trained how he trained because he wanted to. He battled how he battled because he needed to. Every movement, every thought and every action he did was up to him and up to him alone.

Paul walked into the Santalune City Pokemon Center just as the sun began to set. The lobby was sparse, most people leaving to get some dinner or get in some last minute training before the day ended. Just as soon as his Pokémon were checked over by Nurse Joy, Paul would take use of the practice field to prepare for his gym battle against Viola.

Nurse Joy said it would take about an hour to look over his Pokémon so Paul found himself walking outside again. He remembered seeing a vending machine there, deciding to get a drink and catch up on his reading as he waited. The machine was next to the practice field where, unfortunately, someone was occupying it. He didn't think twice about it however, they would probably be done in the next hour and if they weren't, Paul could find somewhere else to train.

But maybe it was the trainer within him that caused him to look over at the girl in the middle of the field. She stood opposite a Lopunny and was saying something to it. Then she back stepped and did something even Paul wasn't expecting.

Raising a tiny stone into the air she yelled, "Lopunny, Mega Evolve!"

Lopunny became encased by a bright light before transforming into it's Mega version. It cried its name and immediately began moving about and Paul was surprised at how fast it was.

"Lopuuny!" it's trainer called. "Use Bounce and Ice Beam simultaneously. And spin as you jump!"

Lopuuny followed it's trainer's instructions, kicking up into the air and spinning. The ice created a spiral around it that rose with the Pokémon. With the extra boost from being Mega Evolved, Loppuny soared into the air, reaching extraordinary heights. The ice caught the receding sunlight, making it glow orange and Paul was vaguely reminded of fire.

Once Lopunny had reached its peak, the trainer called out another command. "Now slide down and use Dizzy Punch behind you as you slide."

As Lopunny descended, it broke the ice into fine pieces that rained down the center of the spiral. They cascaded around Lopunny and caught the rays of the sun, making the ice look like a fire's embers. Lopunny made it to the ground and struck a finishing pose as the last bits of ice seemed to float around it.

The trainer cheered and clapped as Lopunny reverted back to it's normal form. Paul was still in a slight awe of the performance. It was obvious that the person was a coordinator(probably from Sinnoh judging by the language and accent). And while Paul was never interested in the flashy sport, he gave props to coordinators for their moves. Being able to use combinations in the heat of battle was not an easy feat.

After giving Lopunny praise, the trainer returned it to it's Pokèball and then turned around herself to head back into the Center. It was then that she noticed Paul and their eyes connected. And simultaneously they paused, eyes widening as each immediately recognized the other.

Dawn. The coordinator that traveled with Ash five years ago in the Sinnoh region.

Every so often, Paul would think about his old rival or see him competing in a League somewhere on the television. And on those occasions, he sometimes thought about the two people he hung out with, who were there almost every time he encountered Ash. He remembered Brock, the smart and mature guy, the exact opposite of Ash. And he remembered Dawn, the coordinator that talked a lot and had a short fuse.

Now that he thought about it, the two had had only one full conversation before. At the Sinnoh League when she had eavesdropped on him and Reggie's video call. The conversation had been brief but he had explained why he didn't like Ash all that much. He had expected her to jump to Ash's defense but instead she chose the middle ground. Saying that everyone was different as trainers and there was no right or wrong.

Her words had stayed with him for five years.

"Paul?" she said barely above a whisper, obviously still shell shocked that she'd run into him so many years later, in such a far away region as Kalos no less. Her mouth was slightly open and eyes huge and Paul realized he'd have to be the one to snap her out of it.

"You use Mega Evolution."

"Huh?" she blinked. Then she composed herself by laughing a little and tugged at the chain around her neck. "Yeah. I got it in Geosenge Town." She lifted the chain up, the stone shining. "Pretty cool right?"

Paul nodded, gripping his similar stone in his pocket. "Your combination was good."

For a few seconds she didn't say anything, staring at him like he had grown a second head. "You've… changed."

She said it quietly, Paul didn't think that she even realized she said it. He grunted and turned to start walking away. "That's what happens in five years."

It took a moment, maybe two but he heard her footsteps behind him until she appeared in his peripheral vision. "Sorry, I didn't mean it as a bad thing. Just… I had never imagined that i'd get a compliment out of you of all people. I don't think you ever even complimented Ash back then."

Paul didn't say anything because nothing he could say would be true.

"Thank you," she said sincerely. "It's an appeal I came up with a couple years ago but that was the first time we've ever used Mega Evolution in it. I was worried it wasn't going to work."

Paul nodded and continued walking, he knew how much changed when a Pokémon Mega Evolved. "Your Lopunny handled it well."

Dawn grinned proudly. "Yeah! It was hard at first, she wasn't used to the power surge but after a few weeks she started getting the hang of it."

Paul nodded again, not saying anything. They had made it to the front doors of the Center and Paul was about to tell her goodbye before she spoke up.

"Hey," she smiled gently. "I know we weren't friends or anything back then, but wanna get dinner with me and catch up? There's a cafe on the edge of town. My treat."

Even then, Paul would never admit that fate and destiny were real. He firmly believed that it was pure coincidence that two acquaintances from years ago would run into each other. Even if they went to dinner together one night, once the bill was paid, they would go their separate ways and maybe meet again in another five years. And if they did meet again, it would be coincidence then too.

Paul supposed one dinner between them, two people who were connected through another, would not be one of those small details that would impact the rest of his life.

"Sure." he said simply.

Part 2 up tomorrow.