Strange Emotions

Chapter One: Realization

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Lucas prodded the crackling flame gently with a stick, before once again returning his attention to the sleeping girl. Silently, he fished a blanket from his backpack and laid it over the girl, who was already in a thick sleeping bag.

Sighing, he returned back to the fire, sitting down on the snow-covered Route 216. An igloo of ice surrounded him; his Pokémon helped with that. He was on his way to Snowpoint City when he found her.

Dawn.

The bane of his life.

Oh, yes, the girl was possibly the greatest nuisance he would ever meet in his life. Ever since they first met just outside of Twinleaf Town, her happy, giddy, crazy self completely obliterated any sense of control that Lucas had. Just the last time he had seen her, she had drenched him with water, dumped a bowl of rice on his head, and stolen his hat for at least two weeks.

Lucas looked back at the sleeping girl and sighed once again. She had a fever, and a high one at that. He had taken her temperature when he found her, and, sure enough, her temperature was far beyond normal: he had read the temperature as 48°C, about 118°F. Muttering slightly, he grabbed a pot and placed it over the fire after filling it with some water, preparing to make a stew.

In about fifteen minutes, he ladled out some of the stew and brought the bowl up to his mouth.

"Food!"

Choking, Lucas spat out the stew he had just drank. Wiping his mouth, he turned around to see Dawn, perky as usual, coming over to get some stew.

"Something smells good Lucas is it stew I really like stew in fact in winter Mom always used to make it for me whenever I got sick," babbled the girl as she ladled the stew from the pot directly into her mouth, emptying it in less than five minutes.

"Well," he muttered, "you're sick right now."

"Am I?" asked Dawn curiously.

Lucas sighed and grabbed his contaminated thermometer, thrusting it into her mouth. After about three minutes of uncontrollable fidgeting and twitching, Dawn spat it out.

"Well?" prompted the girl as Lucas lifted the end not covered in spit.

"…" Lucas shook his head wearily. Somehow, it didn't surprise him that her temperature was normal now.

"Well, I'll be leaving, Lucas. See you around!" she said cheerfully as she crawled out of the igloo with her things.

Lucas watched her leave before turning back to face the fire.

He sighed.

He couldn't help but feel a twinge in his mind as he saw her again, this time in Hearthome City. She was shopping (predictably) for Seals when Lucas nearly crashed into her.

Averting a near disaster, Lucas dived to the side of Dawn, whose view was completely obscured by shopping bags.

"Oh, Lucas!" she giggled, seeing him to the side. "When did you get here?"

The twinge started again.

"A day ago," he said morosely, adjusting his skewed beret.

Dumping all of her shopping bags on the street (and earning lots of scorning from the citizens of Hearthome City), Dawn leaped to hug Lucas tightly.

That twinge again…

Feelings for Dawn?

Yep.

Dawn let go and tried to organize the bags into a maneuverable load. Lucas, sighing, helped her by assembling the bags into a tall tower.

"Thanks!" she said cheerfully, as she grabbed the base of the stack and tottered away to the Pokémon Center.

"…"

Lucas sighed.

Feelings… Lucas contemplated the word. What normally came to one's mind when thinking of the word in the context of "feelings for another person"?

Love…adoration…soppiness…

Lucas shook his head. So that's what his feelings for Dawn were?

Nope…

Smiling ironically, he realized one thing. His feelings for Dawn were true. Very true.

Annoyance… from her constant, uncontrolled emotions and actions.

Anger… more subtle. But (and Lucas smiled sadly at the thought) it spawned… only from how she did so much better than him. And how his father never looked at him in a respectable manner.

Oh, yes, it was always, Dawn this, Dawn that, Dawn caught this, Dawn did that. Never did Lucas's father appreciate Lucas's achievements. Only Dawn's.

And Lucas knew that his father regarded him as one thing: a failure.

And he hated Dawn for it.

In Jubilife City, Lucas walked into his dark Pokémon Center room. He flicked on the light switch and –

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" shrieked Dawn, popping out of nowhere.

"Ah!" yelled Lucas, falling backwards and landing flat on his back. "Why are you in my room?"

Dawn giggled and hugged him after he clambered to his feet.

"Nurse Joy let me in since I told her it was your birthday and I was planning a surprise. I can't believe that you're 15, Lucas!"

"You're going to be in a few months," reminded Lucas.

Dawn shrugged.

"Well, let's party!" said Dawn, bringing out a small cake and setting it on the table.

Lucas smiled. Anger…

It was gone.

But there was no way he could fall for a girl like her.

Even though he just did. In more ways than one.

"So," said Lucas, walking with Dawn in Veilstone City. "Would you… well… would you like to…"

"Hey, look!" yelped Dawn excitedly. "CANDY!"

"…"

Lucas sighed.