I'm in Trouble: Paul's POV

 I walked out of Lush Jungle with a frustrated sigh, pocketing the Grassium Z that I just won. Torracat and I had practiced for days to get the Firium Z to work, but no matter what we did we still couldn't get it to work. The totem Lurantis had been easy to beat with Torracat's newest move Flame Charge so I hadn't needed the extra power of a Z-move, but it was still incredibly frustrating that I couldn't get it to work. 

After the trial Mallow, the trial Captain, suggested that I try to get a special holder for the Z-stones for all of my pokemon. I doubted that would make much difference, but I had written down the shop she suggested I try in Konikoni City when I went to challenge the Kahuna just in case. Trying hard not to heave another sigh, I walked into the Pokemon Center and handed my Pokeballs over to Nurse Joy.

"Oh my gosh, look! Dawn is so cool!" 

My back stiffened and I found myself glancing over my shoulder. Two girls were standing in front of a large TV screen positioned along the wall and I blinked in shock as Dawn, dressed in her showdown outfit, raised her hands and then threw herself forward in a perfect layout, landing a foot from a buff black-skinned performer and instantly going into several quick dance moves.

"That was one of the finalist dance battles for the Wela Volcano Showdown. The recordings have been so popular that I've just left them running for the past few weeks," Nurse Joy's voice suddenly said. 

I jumped, turning around to face her and feeling like I had been caught doing something wrong for some reason. She smiled at me and nodded at the TV.

"Traavi has always been popular, especially here on Akala, but a lot of people have been talking about that girl from Sinnoh. She's beautiful, isn't she? And such a dancer!" 

My head seemed to turn against my will and I found myself watching the screen as Dawn and the shirtless guy danced around each other.

Stop watching, Paul. What are you doing? I mentally yelled at myself but my body seemed to freeze in place as I watched the guy and his Marowak force Dawn and her Growlithe back using sweeping motions with their hands. Suddenly Dawn stopped and turned around and her blue eyes seemed to be dancing with a look of sassy confidence. She began advancing on the muscular teenager, swinging her leg out in a half circle shape before stepping forward and flicking her ankle up sassily. Somehow her Growlithe was using Ember to leave a trail of flames behind her feet as they moved, making it look like she was exhaling fire from the bottom of her soles.

"Wow, if I was dancing against Traavi I wouldn't even be able to breathe. But she doesn't look like she even cares!" One of the girls watching the dance commented. 

My eyes went to Dawn's opponent and I instantly disliked him; he looked like he was trying to eat Dawn with his eyes.

"Oh, oh, this is my favorite part!" the girl's friend squealed as Dawn spun away from Traavi and began a complicated movement, her Growlithe bouncing back and forth by her. Traavi began to copy her moves almost perfectly. I narrowed my eyes, wondering if they had planned this somehow but the flicker of surprise across Dawn's face as she glanced over at Traavi told me that they hadn't.

Suddenly Traavi spun around, putting his back to Dawn's shoulder and began doing a complicated dance move. Dawn turned around so they were back to back, nearly touching, and then began sinking down towards the ground as her hips swung in a way that could only be identified as sexy. 

Blinking rapidly my foot moved back a millimeter as I desperately told myself to stop watching, but then Traavi grabbed Dawn's hand and spun her around, leading her back towards the middle of the stage. I felt my throat tighten with irrational anger towards this guy I had never met. I was shocked when a smile tugged at my lips as Dawn pulled her hand out of his and began hopping sideways as if she were trying to hit him with her hip as he continued to back up.

"Here it comes, here it comes!" The first girl squealed in a high-pitched voice. 

Once again Traavi grabbed Dawn's hand. She took a step away from him, looking away and reaching out her other hand as if she were reaching out for something to hold onto, but then Traavi pulled on her arm and like a yo-yo she spun into his chest so tightly that his arm went all the way around her waist and he dipped her so low her back was being propped up by his leg. Both of their pokemon exploded into flaming wheels and flew over them.

"Kyaaaaa!" Both girls screeched in excitement. 

I wrenched my gaze from the screen, turning to see that Nurse Joy was leaning against the counter with her chin propped in her hand and she sighed dreamily at the TV screen.

"How long will it take to check on my pokemon?" I asked gruffly and she blinked, seeming to shake herself out of her reverie and she smiled at me.

"As long as everything is normal then no more than fifteen minutes," she replied with a cheerful smile. 

I nodded, trying to ignore the girls' hyper comments about how amazing Dawn and Traavi looked together. Good for her, maybe she'll finally leave me alone now that she's found someone to flirt with, I thought caustically as I turned away and walked out of the PokeCenter, wanting to get away from the excitable chatter from the two girls. 

As I walked outside my mind seemed to clear. I sat on the first bench I came to, taking a moment to enjoy the soft breeze blowing the smell of salt and decomposing seaweed toward me. Not my favorite smell in the world, but it was better than the smell of smog and smoke from a city.

I sat silently for a minute before pulling out my travel library capsule from my backpack. Releasing my pile of books on the bench next to me I sifted through them until I found the book on Z-moves that I bought back on Melemele Island. Placing it on my lap I returned the rest of the books and dropped the capsule into my backpack. For the next fifteen minutes, I skimmed through the book, which I had already highlighted and written notes in the margins of nearly every page, and felt my frustration mounting.

"Z-moves are reachable when both the trainer and pokemon's will to fight align. Using the required pose will summon a special aura that elevates the pokemon's existing move into the Z-move associated with the stone they carry," the book read and I snapped it closed, feeling an unusual desire to toss it as hard as I could. 

How do I align my will to fight with my pokemon? What am I missing? I thought with frustration and gripped the hardcover book tightly between my fingers before I sighed and returned it to my storage capsule.

Shouldering my backpack I walked back into the PokeCenter, grateful that the two squealing girls had moved on. From the corner of my eye, I could see that the TV was now showing a video of the shirtless guy dancing against another guy who had a Charmeleon. Nurse Joy greeted me with a smile and asked me to wait as she went to get my pokemon. 

When they were returned to me I left the PokeCenter quickly, avoiding the TV, and began my walk back to Heahea City. After walking for the better part of the day, doing my best to try and puzzle out how to align myself with my pokemon while shoving any thought of Dawn from my mind, I decided to make camp and go into Heahea City the next day.

Following the sound of water I walked until I found a river and then released my pokemon, portioning out food for them all. Torracat seemed particularly proud of himself and stretched languidly under the fading sunlight, purring loudly as he regarded his food for several seconds before deigning to eat.

"We're going to be challenging the Kahuna soon everyone," I announced and they all looked up at me with serious expressions except for Torracat who looked uninterested. "Mallow said that she's a rock type specialist, so Riolu I want you to take point." 

Riolu looked up from his food and a rare expression of excitement lit up his red-brown eyes before he nodded seriously and ate another bite of pokemon food.

"Torterra tor," Torterra rumbled in a deep voice. 

I turned to see that he was giving Riolu a grave look as if saying that he expected him to fight hard. That made me smile and absently I reached into my pocket and pulled out the Grassium Z we had won today. I looked at the green stone and then up at Torterra. If I was "aligned" with any of my pokemon, it was definitely Torterra... But the thought of the grass pose that Mallow had shown me actually made me feel ill and I couldn't imagine actually doing such a cheerleader-esque move.

Guess I'll have to wait until I win the ground Z stone to try it out, I thought with disappointment, tucking the stone back in my pocket. 

The memory of Piplup creating a raging whirlpool popped in my mind, and I was quick to cut it off before I started thinking about Dawn in her see-through undershirt. Thinking about the move made me frown though as I wondered if Dawn had been able to get her Z stone to work for her and Piplup. 

I doubt she's even considered using her Z stones, I thought, leaning back on my hands and looking up at the sky. I really need to stop thinking about her. I thought tiredly, closing my eyes and letting my mind slip into numbness.

Once my pokemon were finished eating and I made myself a quick sandwich, Rockruff and Riolu came over and we went through our meditation practices. Riolu had shaved off another second of charge up time for his Force Palm, but I was hoping that he could take it down to 3 seconds flat. Even a five second gap between moves could spell disaster against a speedy pokemon with a type advantage.

Rockruff was doing much better with her accuracy and she had mastered Rock Slide just the other day. I'd been trying to teach her Iron Head for the past few days but she was struggling with the move. I had a feeling that when she mastered it she would be strong enough to evolve, so I would have to be careful to only battle with her during the day so she would evolve into the midday form I wanted.

After meditation exercises were done I stood up, shed my jacket, and began my nightly physical exercises. Riolu and Rockruff had gotten in the habit of running with me and Riolu even copied me as I would do my pull up, sit ups, and push ups. I wasn't sure if Riolus could actually gain muscle, but it made me feel a little proud to see him so motivated to train himself.

The next day I made my way through Paniola Town and trudged through the path of tall grass. To my surprise I nearly stepped on a rattata which prompted a quick battle where I called out Riolu and he knocked it out with one Brick Break. I smiled in satisfaction, patting him on the head once as congratulations for using the move properly for the first time and he nodded at me. 

I continued through the rest of the grass without any more surprises and made my way towards the city's main street. Mallow had explained that I would have to walk through Diglett Tunnel to get to Konikoni City where the kahuna lived. I hadn't noticed the path that supposedly led into the tunnel when I first arrived in Heahea, but after checking my navigation device I thought I knew where I would find it.

I was just considering whether I wanted to stop at a restaurant for a quick lunch when something bumped into me. Looking down in annoyance I instantly froze as the tiny girl rubbed her forehead and then looked up and up to reveal wide blue eyes. Lana's lips stretched into her crazy grin and before I could run for the hills she latched onto my arms like a persistent Pineco sticking to a tree branch.

"Let me go!" I demanded, trying to pull my arm away from the infuriating midget but she held fast and continued to smile creepily at me.

"Paul! I'm so happy to see you! I was just on my way to watch Dawn in the Hano Beach Showdown! We can go together," she said excitedly and I felt the blood rush from my face in horror.

"No way! Let me go," I growled, reaching down and trying to pry off one of her hands as her fingers dug into my arm painfully. 

Suddenly she let me go and lunged for my hip. With the dexterity of a ninja she unclipped one of my Pokeballs, grinned mischievously at me, then began running as fast as her tiny legs could carry her.

"You crazy midget, get back here!" I roared, taking off after her. 

With my longer legs I thought I'd catch up with her quickly, but the sidewalk was crowded and her small size allowed her to duck and weave easily through the people. Growling I yelled for people to move out of the way as I tried to keep an eye on her light blue head weaving through the crowd. She led me further into Heahea than I had been before and suddenly the shops to my right ended and an open stretch of beach appeared. Turning away from the unexpected change in scenery I looked where Lana had been a second ago and came to a halt when I saw no sign of the blue imp.

Breathing hard I craned my neck and tried to spot her when a loud whistle caught my attention. Turning to look towards the sound I saw Lana standing on top of the small concrete wall that separated the sidewalk from the beach below. Waving my Pokeball at me tauntingly she turned and jumped off the sidewalk, bolting across the sand towards a large stage where a small crowd of people were gathering. 

Gritting my teeth in fury I put a hand on the wall and vaulted it, dropping down to the sand below to follow after the pest. Just as I was about to catch up to her Lana pressed the button on the Pokeball and released Torterra, who blinked and looked around him in confusion.

"Give me back my Pokeball you thief!" I growled, snatching the Pokeball from her hand and she giggled, not seeming to even be winded from her flight.

"Hi again, Torterra!" she said to my pokemon who gave her a wary glance. "Dawn is going to be performing over there in just a little while, do you want to watch her with me?" she asked expectantly.

I smacked a hand over her mouth but it was too late. Torterra's eyes had already lit up with excitement and he started making his slow way through the shifting sand towards the edge of the crowd that was surrounding a wooden stage with a tall blue backdrop. Lana looked up at me with a victorious expression and I dropped my hand from her mouth. Glaring down at her I wondered how severe the punishment would be if I buried her right here in the sand.

"If you ever touch my Pokeballs again I will make you regret it," I seethed threateningly.

She held a hand against her mouth and giggled, turning from me and skipping over to walk next to Torterra. After weighing the chances that Torterra would forgive me before our battle with the Kahuna if I dragged him away from this showdown I clenched my hands into fists and unwillingly began walking after Torterra. Once I had caught up he looked up at me and let out a low, "Tor" as if he was thanking me. Gritting my teeth I rested a hand against his shell and tried not to ruin his excitement with my sour mood.

Why is it that I keep being forced to watch these things? I wondered and was surprised when I felt a tap on my shoulder. Looking down I saw Torterra had created a vine to get my attention and used it to point at my hip and the other Pokeballs clipped on my belt.

"You think everyone else will want to watch too?" I asked with unconcealed annoyance and Torterra nodded, ignoring my tone. 

Rolling my eyes I released the rest of my pokemon who all blinked and looked at the growing crowd in front of us. Torracat unquestioningly sank onto his belly and purred loudly, soaking in the sun leisurely.

"Oooo your pokemon are so cute! I thought all of your pokemon would be beasts like Torterra," Lana said, quickly smiling down at Torterra. "You are a lovable beast, though," she added and he blinked slowly up at her without reacting.

"All pokemon start out unassuming," I stated with a growl, not wanting to even look at her.

Torterra turned to the confused Riolu and Rockruff and spoke to them in his rumbling voice, seeming to explain what was going on. After speaking back and forth for a little while Rockruff and Riolu both climbed onto Torterra's shell so they would have a better view of the stage.

"I guess that's true. Did you see Dawn's last performance?" she asked, moving around so that she was standing right in front of me and grinning widely. 

I glared down at the girl who was more than a foot shorter than me and shook my head, trying to get the image of Dawn dancing with that shirtless guy out of my head.

"That's too bad. I didn't go to the showdown but I saw the recording in the PokeCenter! She was amazing. Honestly, I think she should have won," Lana said brightly and a deep laugh rang out from behind me. Glancing over my shoulder I stiffened as the performer who had been dancing with Dawn in the video I saw walked up towards us, grinning at Lana.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Lana," he said with an easy smile and I narrowed my eyes at him. 

I hadn't realized it in the video, but seeing him up close it was obvious that he was somehow related to Kiawe, the fire trial captain. They had the same black skin and they both spiked their hair up, and apparently, they shared the same sense of style since he was shirtless once again today.

"Hey Traavi! You're not participating in this showdown?" Lana asked, waving crazily even though he was only a foot away. He came to stand next to me and patted Lana's head affectionately.

"Nah, I don't have any pokemon that swim, so there's no point," he said with a shrug. 

I took a small step away from him and closer to Torterra. Traavi's eyes shifted from Lana to me and I almost wanted to smirk when he had to look up to meet my eyes.

"Who's your friend, Lana?" he asked, not breaking our silent staring contest. There was something calculating about his gaze and I met it with an unconcerned expression, not about to back down.

"This is Paul! He's a super strong trainer. His Torterra beat my Wishiwashi in two moves!" she recounted enthusiastically and Traavi blinked, finally breaking eye contact to look at Torterra beside me.

"No kidding?" he said, seeming reluctantly impressed.

"Yup! He and Dawn are friends so I dragged him here to watch her perform," Lana said with self-satisfaction, rocking between her toes and the heels of her feet. 

Traavi's gaze immediately went back to me at that comment and he narrowed his eyes at me. I felt myself stiffen at the mildly challenging look.

"Really? How do you know Dawn?" he asked and I folded my arms.

"None of your business," I remarked bluntly and he frowned slightly.

"Look, look! They're starting!" Lana said with excitement. 

I turned away from Traavi, briefly glad that the showdown was starting so I wouldn't have to deal with him. The same woman emcee from the Melemele showdown came on the stage, once again in her blue, flower-printed dress with a ring of flowers around her head. She welcomed everyone to the showdown and the crowd, most of them in their swimsuits I noticed for the first time, all cheered and clapped excitedly.

I folded my arms, stubbornly not joining in with the audience's applause. Keanu explained that this first dance round was going to be the performers and just one pokemon with them. As Keanu introduced the judges I perked up when she announced Kahuna Olivia. A middle-aged woman stood and waved at the crowd who was cheering for her and I was surprised when I got my first look at her. She had short black hair and seemed to be wearing as little clothing as she could, but she was dripping with jewelry. Necklaces, bracelets, and earrings adorned her and I remembered that Mallow said that she owned a store that specializes in evolution stones, fossils, and jewelry.

After the judges were introduced Keanu announced the first performer and left the stage to be replaced by a girl wearing a skimpy bikini. A reggae song began to play and the girl released a Toxapex. I was soon bored as the girl bounced around the stage, barely on beat with the music, and her Toxapex's moves seemed elementary at best. 

Torracat meowed in disgust, coming over to sit next to me and I briefly rubbed his ear in a silent agreement. The girl finished her song and the crowd clapped politely, although there were a few guys that catcalled at her and cheered loudly. I rolled my eyes, not seeing what they could find attractive about a girl who couldn't even teach her fully evolved pokemon a decent move.

"Thank you very much for that energetic performance, Naia. Next up is a girl that many of you have seen by now, please welcome the Angel of Sinnoh, Dawn!" Keanu said dramatically and to my surprise a huge cheer came from the crowd with Traavi and Lana joining in. 

Angel of Sinnoh? They obviously have never seen her angry, I thought with a smirk. My smirk slackened when Dawn walked onto the stage, holding a hand over her bare stomach and waving with an embarrassed expression at the crowd.

Blinking in surprise I took in her outfit. She was wearing a purple and white halter top where the straps ended in a choker that fastened around her neck. There was some sheer purple fabric that flowed down from under the bust line and draped down a few inches, getting longer as it circled her ribs to her back. Her bikini bottom was covered by a flowing dark purple wrap that hung down to her left knee, covering most of her upper leg, but was tied at her right hip, showing off her pale, thin right leg completely. Dawn wasn't as curvy as the last girl but I wasn't sure when I had ever seen another girl wear a swimsuit better... Stop! I thought, shocked at myself, and quickly looked away.

What the heck are you doing, Paul. This is exactly why you need to avoid this girl, I thought to myself angrily and then jerked in shock as something pointy dug into my side. Glaring down I saw that Lana was looking at me with a mischievous expression and nodded towards the stage.

"She's about to start!" she whispered loudly. 

I glared at her but felt my eyes raise up back to Dawn. Suddenly I found myself staring right into Dawn's eyes, her expression showed her shock. Even though I was in the back of the crowd somehow I knew that our eyes had met and I watched as her expression turned from shocked to gentle happiness and a beautiful smile spread across her face. A lump formed in my throat and I tried to swallow past it as she almost imperceptibly nodded at me and then turned away, looking over at the DJ and flipped an "OK" sign to him.

I'm in trouble, I admitted to myself as Dawn turned to face the crowd and began her performance.

A/N *Happy sigh* I feel a little bad because I really do torture poor Paul, but I love writing from his POV. Thank you all for reading this! 

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