Despite myself, I couldn't help but take a deep breath of clean, non-filtered air that I had not been able to breathe for weeks. When the first aliens had made their way to Earth a decade ago it had opened the proverbial floodgate. No longer were we alone in the universe. We learned that Arceus and the other creation legendaries had been very busy and that there were dozens upon dozens of planets out there with sustainable climates for intelligent life. And not only were there other life forms that were similar to humans, but each planet had their own set of unique pokemon to boast of as well.

The thought of traveling to other planets had never really entered my mind since my goal was to become an unstoppable force in the pokemon world on my home planet. But after competing in every single pokemon league across the regions of Earth and beating most of the champions, I found myself feeling annoyingly empty. I had completed my goal, but the idea of becoming champion and having to spend years in one spot seemed almost abhorrent to me. So when I had faced off against a pokemon trainer with an unusual pokemon and found out that she had caught it on an expedition to another world on friendly terms with earth, I had made a decision.

Not one week later I found myself aboard a spaceship bound for the waterlogged planet of Inundatio. Being in space had been fascinating... for a day. It was no luxury cruise and the facilities were incredibly sparse. I spent most of my time in my cabin reading any book I could find from their meager library about Inundatio and the pokemon that resided there while dreading my next meal of dehydrated space rations.

Now that I had made it through the arduous customs office and proclaimed for the millionth time that I was Paul Shinji, a professional pokemon trainer staying for an undetermined amount of time, I could finally look around with interest at this new world. I had heard people call Earth the blue planet because of how large the oceans were, but THIS was the planet that truly deserved the nickname.

Inundatio was a planet that was 93% covered in water and the only land masses were small islands no larger than the Alolan islands. Because of this, the native residents of the planet had actually evolved to be able to live both in the water and on land. My eyes scanned the busy port where only a dozen space ships could touch down at one time. Skin tones that ranged from the palest yellow to the deepest purple with every shade of blue and green between flooded my vision and made me feel very out of place.

Other than their unique skin colorings though, the natives of Inundatio were quite humanoid in their overall shape. The biggest difference in their anatomy were their ears, which had intricate frills like a fish's fins, and as I walked among them I could see several raised lines on their necks which could open once they were under water and become gills, allowing them to breathe easily in both ecosystems.

As I moved from the main port into the city portion I was surprised to see how rustic it was. The streets were unpaved and I didn't see any sign of vehicles making their way through the wide streets. What I did see in abundance though were street performers. Many humans who were obviously here on vacation were crowded around the natives that were singing, dancing, or juggling.

Not one for wasting my time, I walked past them without hardly a glance. That is, until a huge iridescent bubble floated right in front of me, nearly bouncing off my nose. I blinked and glanced to my right where a huge crowd was gathered in a large semi-circle that took up half the street width. Bubbles were sparkling all above the crowds heads and I could hear oo's and ah's coming from adults and children alike.

Just as I was about to turn away a beam of blue and white light shot up into the air. My eyes widened at the show of power and I immediately turned and began wading my way through the crowd. I was not surprised when I heard a few people that I nudged aside whisper my name. I wouldn't go so far as to say I was a celebrity on earth, but I was well known in the pokemon circle for beating nearly all of the champions in an official battle.

Strange that there are so many humans visiting Inundatio, I thought to myself. If I were picking a vacation spot I'm not sure I would have traveled for weeks through boring space just to be stuck in the middle of an endless ocean. But to each their own.

Once I had finally made my way to where I could see, my eyes widened as I zeroed in on the precise pokemon I had been researching about. The Water/Dragon type was the pseudo legendary of this specific ring of islands. To my great annoyance I could not find exactly WHERE they were supposed to be found, but I drank in the details of the pokemon in front of me. It looked like a mix of a Lapras and a Tirtouga. It was mainly a pale blue color with a vibrant green frill behind its head and cheeks and matching green frills along its tail. Silver-gray plating like armor covered its back and the front of its four flippers while three spikes of the same color jutted from above its eyes and in the middle of its forehead. It was a beautiful but intimidating pokemon, even though it looked to only come up to waist height, compared to its trainer.

I blinked briefly as I realized that the pokemon was not alone. My eyes moved from the Nerite (which was in its middle evolution stage) over to its trainer. It appeared to be a female girala (what the natives called themselves) and I found myself captivated for a moment as she danced energetically along with her Nerite as it released moves at specific points to add drama to their performance. The trainer had pale green skin, deep blue hair the color of the night sky and equally deep blue eyes.

Her performance came to an end with a soft command to her Nerite, who immediately lifted its snout into the air and released a shimmering purple light that outlined its body then floated up and away from it in a beautiful arc up into the sky.

Dragon Aura, I thought to myself in excitement. It was a move that was specific to this evolution line, as far as I knew, which served both to increase the pokemon's overall stats, as well as captivate any pokemon that was touched by it and cause them to become confused.

Many of the people around me threw strange-looking coins at the performer as she curtsied to the audience and her Nerite bowed its reptilian head. I watched in fascination as the Nerite used a move that I assumed must be psychic, although there was no pink glow, to float the tossed coins up and towards its trainer, who had a money bag open and waiting for them.

The crowd began to move away but I immediately walked over to her. A stream of steaming water suddenly blasted at my feet and I came to a halt, moving my gaze towards the trainer's Nerite who was narrowing its red eyes suspiciously at me.

"Can I help you, earthling?"

I whisked my eyes from the protective pokemon over to its trainer and was surprised to see that there was not a huge height difference between us. Although I had noticed that most girala were tall compared to humans, so for her people she may be considered on the shorter side.

"You speak English?" I asked in mild surprise. The woman smiled at me, revealing pearly white teeth and as her cheeks lifted I was surprised to see the sun glinting off of green scales that spread from the corner of her eyes out until it joined her fin-like ears.

"Many of your kind visit here. I can speak several of your earth languages," she said with a smile before patting the money bag at her hip. "You get paid more if you can speak with the tourists."

I narrowed my eyes at that but decided not to insult her for her profession choice since I had a favor to ask of her.

"Would you be willing to be my guide?" I asked bluntly, not one for beating around the bush. The woman raised one dark blue eyebrow at me before folding her arms.

"What do you look for?" she asked me slowly. The phrasing was a little odd, but honestly I was impressed that she seemed to have mastered at least conversational English. It would be useful for me, anyways. Without preamble I pointed at her Nerite, who was still glaring at me with obvious distrust.

"I want to catch a Naiad," I said firmly.

Naiad was the first stage of the Nerite's evolution line. I already had big plans on how I would use its unique typing and moves that no one on earth would be ready for and I could hardly contain my excitement at the thought of completing my new goal. I barely held back a growl though when the trainer burst out laughing and even had the cheek to hold her stomach as she laughed right at me. Feeling thoroughly unamused, but knowing I needed a guide if I were to find the elusive pokemon, I waited until her laughter had ended and she straightened up.

"No earthling could make the journey to the Naiad breeding grounds," the woman said with tears in her eyes from her laughter. "You are too weak," she said with a mirth-filled grin.

My entire body tightened at this declaration and I narrowed my eyes at her. Weak? I repeated to myself with disgust. No one has had the guts to call me weak since I was 11.

"I think you are mistaken," I said after a slight pause. "I am not someone who runs away from a challenge."

The woman cocked her head to the side in a look of puzzlement before she repeated, "Challensh?"

I blinked, searching for a moment of another word I could use before I scowled at her.

"It means something difficult," I said with a sigh before reaching into my backpack and pulling out my own money pouch.

I had already exchanged some of my earth money for the swirled coins made from shells here in Inundatio and I tossed it easily in my hand, which made a satisfying clinking sound as I caught the full bag on the way down. The girl's blue eyes widened at the full-to-bursting bag and I smirked at her.

"Just take me to the Naiads and I will pay you whatever you want. I am not afraid. And I am NOT weak," I said firmly, shaking the bag of coins in my hand in front of her for emphasis.

Her eyes remained glued on the bag in my hands for several long seconds before she glanced down at her Nerite. After several silent moments passed she finally looked up and held out her pale green palm.

"Half now, half when we get to the Naiad's," she said firmly. The conditions seemed reasonable and I was not hurting for money so I honestly didn't care, but I wasn't about to just let her have her way without some sort of haggling.

"How much in total?" I asked suspiciously and was surprised when a slightly shifty smile graced her green lips the color of grass before she pointed to my bag.

"All that is in your bag will do," she said with that shifty smile. I cocked one of my own purple eyebrows up at her and scoffed.

"All of this? Just to be a guide?" I asked with a huff and she shrugged.

"You can try to find someone else," she said with a lazy wave of her hand. "Meet me at Hruala Trail if you decide to take my offer tomorrow when the sun comes up."

With that, the woman turned and walked away. I was surprised at how well her Nerite was able to keep up with her, until I realized that a sheen of liquid seemed to appear just underneath its body so it was practically swimming on top of the dry land.

I have got to catch one of those, I thought to myself firmly before turning away and beginning my search for a less pricey guide.

The next morning I found myself walking out of the small tourist town well before the sun had risen. I could hardly believe what rotten luck I had had yesterday. Of the dozens of people I had approached, half of them didn't speak English, and the other half laughed in my face just like that woman had and walked away before I could even get a word out. I was not used to being treated this way, and I sorely wanted to release my Electivire I had brought with me and let him show just how wrong they were about me being weak. But none of them stuck around long enough for me to challenge them to a match, so now I was reluctantly making my way towards the direction someone had pointed me in order to find Hruala Trail.

A light giggle floated through the still morning air, and I looked up to see the girala woman popping bubbles that her Nerite was creating to amuse her. I rolled my eyes at the ridiculous use of a perfectly good Bubble Beam and wondered how this small woman could consider ME the weak one.

She noticed me approaching after spinning around to chase after a bubble and her gem-like green lips lifted up in a smile. Her Nerite did not seem half so pleased to see me and I frowned at the pokemon when it actually started to growl at me as I approached.

"Could not find anyone willing?" she asked with a triumphant grin as I came to a stop a few feet from her. I scowled down at her and reluctantly shrugged my agreement. "Then we have a deal?"

I blinked down as the woman took a long stride forward and offered her hand to me. Heaving a sigh, I reached out to shake her hand but she yelped and pulled her hand back to her chest. I frowned at her strange reaction and was surprised when her pale cheeks began to turn an alarming purple color.

"What? It's a handshake," I said defensively, glancing at my hand to make sure I didn't have something weird on it. My hand looked fine though so I frowned heavily at her as she gulped and shook her head, seeming more nervous than I had ever seen her before.

"Girala don't touch another's hand on land..." Her cheeks once again turned purple and she shook her head, causing her silky hair to whip across the tight fabric covering her shoulders. "I just want my money. Half now, like we agreed."

I rolled my eyes but pulled out my money pouch. I had already transferred half of the shell coins into a second pouch I had purchased and I held out the bag towards her. The woman narrowed her deep blue eyes at me and cautiously stepped forward, being very careful to cup the bottom of the money bag, as far away from my fingers as possible. I released my hold on the top of the bag and she swiftly pulled it towards her. She weighed it experimentally in her hands and I was surprised she didn't demand to know how much was in there. She just opened the top and shifted the coins around a bit to make sure I hadn't filled it with rocks, I supposed, before slipping her lightweight backpack from one of her shoulders and placing the bag inside.

"Alright," she said, her usual confidence apparently restored as she gave me a cheeky grin. "Let's see if you can actually survive the trip ahead."

To my utter humiliation, the first leg of the trip was actually incredibly difficult. The "trail" we were apparently following only lasted for about a mile before everything turned into a dense swamp. My guide and her Nerite easily made their way through the murky goopiness like they were taking a stroll through a field of tall grass, whereas I was slipping and faltering every few steps. I was covered in mud and algae but I refused to let out even a hint of a complaint. I could see the amusement dancing in the woman's eyes whenever she turned around to make sure I was still following her, but at least she didn't openly mock me. In fact, she hardly said a word to me. Instead, she kept up a stream of conversation in her native tongue to her Nerite, who swam along beside her without a care in the world.

When we finally got out of the swamp and I could see the strange trees that's limbs hung down like limp noodles beginning to thin I could not keep myself from letting out a sigh of relief. A small chuckle caused me to stiffen, but my guide kept looking forward, making no other sign that she had heard me. I nearly groaned when I saw that the swamp was leading us right back to the beach front but I kept it in that time and doggedly followed after my guide.

She and her Nerite walked confidently towards the beach and my mouth dropped open when the woman suddenly burst forward in a sprint.

"Hey!' I called after her, internally swearing at myself for having trusted her.

My muddy clothes squelched horrendously as I chased after her and watched as she dived into an oncoming wave. I splashed into the shallow water of the beachfront, whipping my head around and searching for any sign of her dark blue hair under the surface of the water. A string of curses was on the tip of my tongue when suddenly a jet of cold water slammed into my side, knocking me off balance and sending me tumbling into the ocean water.

I spat the water and sand from my mouth and immediately reached for my pokeballs on my hip. But I paused when I heard clear laughter coming from my left. Turning with an annoyed scowl, I saw my guide and her Nerite bobbing in the water, both laughing at my awkward tumble. I growled, thoroughly annoyed, and pushed myself up.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to take me to the Naiads breeding grounds," I reminded her with a huff. My anxiety at thinking she had left me calmed down as she gently swam towards me and gave me an innocent smile.

"You're all dirty. No dirt allowed on the boat, so wash in the water," my guide said with a cheeky smirk.

"Boat? If we were taking a boat we could have got one at the main harbor!" I growled, thoroughly annoyed at this point and stubbornly refusing to take a step further into the ocean.

The infuriating girl rolled her eyes at me and hooked one arm around the neck of her Nerite, giving it an affectionate squeeze.

"Only girala can go to Nereid island. And girala don't use boats," the girl said with another eye roll before moving so she was floating on her back and kicking up one of her legs. My eyes widened when I saw that her foot, which I was sure had looked very humanoid when we had first met, had elongated into a foot long flipper. She slipped her flipper-foot back under the water and I glanced at her arm that was still draped over her Nerite. I could see that she also had grown webbing between her fingers, making them look much more fin-like.

"So... where is the boat?" I asked, not entirely sure how to react to seeing her hands and feet transform so unexpectedly. Perhaps if I had studied a little more about the people that lived here instead of just the pokemon I might have been aware of this metamorphic ability of theirs, but I hadn't so I just tried my best not to seem dumbstruck by it.

"Wash first," the woman ordered me before leaning back and diving under the water's surface again.

Feeling strange, I slowly walked deeper into the ocean, which was a surprisingly pleasant temperature, not warm exactly but not cold either. Once the water reached my waist, I gingerly crouched down and began rubbing at my jeans and jacket that had become covered in the swampy muck. As the brown muck slipped away from me, being pulled by the waves deeper into the ocean, I took a deep breath and dunked my head under, scrubbing hard at my scalp to get the mud from my hair too.

Bathing fully clothed and in salt water was a strange experience, but I was surprised at how refreshed I felt afterwards. To my surprise, my guide had somehow slipped past me and was sunbathing on the shore when I straightened up from the water. I trudged over to her and sat down a few feet from her sprawled out position.

"You did well, Earthling. Most aliens that come across the swamp get pulled under. Have you done training?" my guide asked me with her eyes still closed. I blinked at this unexpected praise and question and I looked out at the ocean.

"I'm a professional pokemon trainer. Of course I train. I can't expect my pokemon to become strong if I'm not willing to be strong myself," I said bluntly. My lips turned down in a slight frown and I glanced at the woman from the corner of my eye. "My name is Paul, by the way. Not earthling."

My guide slowly opened her eyes and turned her head slightly to meet my gaze. I found myself turning to face her more fully and was surprised when a small smile graced her dark lips.

"My name is Gwawr," she said and I could not help but blink, not having caught the strangely pronounced word that sounded like a pokemon and she chuckled. "In English I believe it translates to Dawn. You may call me this if you prefer."

I nodded slowly in agreement and we fell into a surprisingly comfortable silence. Once we had mostly dried off, Dawn stood up and led me down the beach to some rocky outcroppings. I narrowed my eyes with displeasure when I saw the floating contraption that seemed to be made of nothing but rushes and string tying it together. Dawn was undeterred through and she hopped dexterously across the uneven rocks until she jumped and landed on the bobbing dingy. Her Nerite slipped into the water and swam easily up along the 'boat' and I watched as Dawn lifted up a long piece of rope that had been secured to the front of the primitive contraption which Nerite bit onto and then began swimming ahead.

"Come on, Paul. Long trip to make without fins," Dawn said with a mocking grin. I could feel my eyebrows scrunch up in annoyance at her obvious jab, but I walked confidently over the protruding rocks and jumped down to land on her version of a boat.

"Whether you make fun of me or not, I can't sprout fins," I said blandly. To my surprise, Dawn let out a bell-like laugh that only held pure amusement. I blinked over at her to see her smiling brightly.

"I know. Maybe you can tell me about your home planet while we travel?"

I was surprised at her almost bashful expression as she looked at me with hope making her dark eyes sparkle. It wasn't really like me to indulge in idle chatter, but I decided as long as I was stuck in the middle of the ocean being pulled along by a pokemon to who knew where, I might as well humor my guide.

We ended up talking until well after the sun had set for the day. Our meals had been simple and I was extremely glad I didn't get sea sick since you could feel every single wave on this little raft. Dawn was much more interesting than I had given her credit for. It turned out she was a rather experienced pokemon trainer in her own right, since catching a Naiad was only something allowed after you had completed what sounded like an incredibly treacherous set of trials that were set all over the planet. She even showed me the rest of her team, half of which I hadn't even heard of.

I didn't even remember falling asleep, but I woke up to the sun rising past the horizon. Dawn was stretched out across from me on the small raft, breathing gently. For a few seconds, I observed this strange woman. I had already become accustomed to her pale green skin and despite myself I found the green scales at the corner of her eyes almost pretty. Ever since she had asked for my name and started talking to me about Earth she had seemed to open up to me. But I wondered why she was willing to take me, an outsider who had not completed the necessary trials, to the sacred home of this planet's most prized pokemon. Not that I would try to dissuade her, but I felt like I might be missing something.

Dawn's eyelashes fluttered slightly and I tried to keep my face impassive as she slowly opened her eyes. Our gazes almost immediately connected and I was surprised when she remained silent, just staring at me without a word. A strange, echoing bark came from ahead of us and Dawn finally pulled her gaze away from mine. I felt as if I had been released from some sort of spell and I immediately sat up, stretching my arms and glancing over to see Dawn reaching out a hand to pet her Nerite.

"We're nearly there, Paul," Dawn said, glancing over her shoulder at me. "Nerite has pulled all night so he will rest in his pokeball until we reach our destination."

I blinked in surprise to hear that her Nerite had not rested at all throughout the night. Its stamina was incredible for a middle-tier evolution and I could feel my heart speeding up in anticipation of catching one of these extraordinary pokemon for myself. Dawn returned her Nerite to his pokeball and instead released one of her other members that was reminiscent to a Jelicent in size and shape, but its tentacles were much thicker, almost like an Octillery's. This new pokemon took up Nerite's position and within an hour a small island began to take shape in the distance.

When we made it to the island I immediately stepped aside to take a much needed bathroom break. Upon my return to the shore though, I was surprised to see a small fire waiting for me and the smell of fish being roasted. How she had managed to catch, gut, and then begin cooking fish, not to mention starting a fire, all while I had been relieving myself I had no idea. But I gratefully sat down near her and accepted one of the sticks holding the dead fish from her to continue roasting it to my preference.

After our simple but surprisingly tasty breakfast, Dawn stood and began guiding me into the heart of the island. This island was made of much more solid ground rather than the swampy muck that the last island had been abundant in. The trees were still just as droopy though. They reminded me of really tall willow trees, but they lacked the gentle beauty of a willow. They just looked... limp.

"Are you in some kind of trouble?" The question surprised me even more than it did Dawn and I could hardly believe it had left my mouth. Typically I didn't care about anyone unless it would help me become stronger, but I felt a genuine curiosity about this strange woman.

"Trouble? Do I look like I'm in trouble?" Dawn asked with a small chuckle, still forging her way through the thick underbrush of the island. There was no true path that we seemed to be following, but that didn't seem to be deterring Dawn so I continued to follow after her.

"I mean... you're taking me to catch a Naiad even though only those who pass a test are supposed to be allowed to come here. And you seem to be in need of money... Do you have debts you have to pay or something?"

Dawn froze midstep and slowly turned around to face me. I was surprised at the obvious annoyance in her expression, but it wasn't like it was undeserved. I wasn't typically the nosy type after all. This was a first for me. But I looked back at her stubbornly, genuinely interested to hear her answer. It didn't seem like she was going to respond at all, but she slowly turned towards me while leaning her shoulder against one of the sickly-looking trees next to her.

"I do not know the word 'debt'," she responded slowly, but she had continued before I could think of how to rephrase. "But I do not need to pay anyone money. I... have a wish."

Her white teeth bit down onto her bottom lip as uncertainty seemed to bubble up and make her entire body curl into itself. Unsure of what made me do it, I slowly walked over to her and leaned against a tree opposite from her, assuming a casual stance as I met her troubled expression.

"What is your wish?" I prompted her blandly, hoping I didn't seem like I cared THAT much.

Dawn frowned at me, but she did not move from her spot leaning against the thin tree trunk. After a moment she sighed and leaned her head back so that she could look up at the cloudy sky above us.

"I wish to explore other worlds," she said in a voice barely above a whisper. I cocked one eyebrow up in surprise at the poignant longing that I could hear in her soft voice and I glanced around me.

"Do you dislike Inundatio?" I asked, completely understanding why this might be after what I had seen of it. Although I supposed that the cities under the water where most giralan's lived must be prettier than this island filled with its pathetic plant-life.

To my surprise, Dawn lowered her head and scuffed her toes against the soft dirt underneath us before answering me.

"Inundatio is my home," she said quietly, "But you cannot make a living as a pokemon trainer here."

I blinked in shock at this revelation. As far as I knew every world that had pokemon had their version of pokemon trainers that played a major role in the world's economy. It seemed impossible to have a planet where you couldn't have a viable career as a pokemon trainer if you were good enough to keep winning.

"After a giralan pokemon trainer completes the Quest of the Naiad, you are expected to join the normal workforce. There is a yearly tournament that has prize money, but it is very small," Dawn said with a small shrug. "I wish to spend all of my time with my pokemon. So I want to go to another planet. But Inundatio coin is worth very little compared to other world's money. I have been saving for two years, but I still don't have enough for a ticket."

I blinked in surprise at this but remembered back to when I had gone to the coin exchanger. I had been shocked at the huge amount of coins I got for just $10 worth of my money from Earth. It hadn't really clicked then the difficulties such a steep exchange rate might mean for someone with Inundatian coins though.

"Huh. Where do you want to go?" I asked, pushing myself up from the thin tree trunk and grimacing when I realized that some of its damp bark had peeled off and stuck to my jacket. I brushed it off with mild disgust and Dawn also straightened up, this time with a smile on her face.

"I don't care! Anywhere I can have a job as a pokemon trainer," she said with a broad grin. Although it faltered slightly. "Even with your coin, I may not have enough. But I believe I will be able to leave. Someday."

Dawn began walking confidently through the ferns and trees once again and I slowly followed after her. I had to admit, I admired her pluck. It must seem like a daunting task to go against her culture and try to make her dream a reality, but she was obviously working as hard as she could towards it. It made me curious to know how she would fare in a pokemon battle against me.

It was a little past midday when I noticed that our surroundings were beginning to change. The limp trees were beginning to be replaced by slightly more healthy-looking specimens, although their vibrant orange bark made me nervous to touch them. Even the ferns were beginning to change from a deep green into a purple so dark it was nearly black. The drastic change in color scheme left me feeling uneasy.

The strange vegetation abruptly came to an end though and I very nearly tripped into a gigantic pool of water that was nearly black in color and looked like nothing had disturbed the surface in years. Dawn reached out, grabbed the fabric of my jacket behind my shoulder, and tugged me backward, keeping me from stepping into the edge of the strange lake.

"We're here," Dawn said in a whisper.

I blinked and looked nervously around me. There were no obvious signs of any pokemon life and I warily glanced at the mirror-like surface of the black water in front of me. It was so still it seemed uncanny and I could feel goosebumps marching up my spine.

"To catch a Naiad we'll have to get to their breeding grounds," Dawn said quietly as she slipped her backpack off her shoulders. "Which is at the very bottom of this pool."

I blinked at her as she rummaged in her backpack, then at the eerily still water, then back at her.

"How far down is the bottom?" I asked, hoping I did not appear as concerned as I was.

"I don't know earthling measurements," Dawn said with a small shrug as she continued to fumble around in her backpack. "But it will take us about 20 minutes."

I could feel my heart drop at this news and I scowled down at the water in front of me as anger began to grip me.

"Dawn. Humans can't hold their breath for that long. And we can't breathe underwater either," I said, my words coming out much more biting than I had meant.

Just then though, Dawn pulled a strange mask out of her backpack and a box that fit in her palm. She looked at me triumphantly and rolled her eyes.

"I understand earthling anatomy," she said, seeming very pleased with herself as she said the word 'anatomy'. Even though she had pronounced the o as if it were an oo. "Put this on."

I gingerly held my hands out and waited for her to drop the mask into my palms. I inspected it curiously, realizing that it seemed to be a diving mask that covered my eyes and nose, but that was it.

"Okay... so I can see, but how will I breathe?" I asked, now feeling more curious than defeated. Dawn opened the box in her hands and gingerly pulled out a small metal tube that looked almost like a whistle. She stepped closer to me and I actually felt a little weird at our proximity but forced myself to pay attention to the metal in her hands instead of how silky her hair looked.

"If you hold this with both hands and twist," she said, demonstrating the motion and causing a strange rod to shoot out from the middle of the metal in the shape of a y, "It will act as gills and give you air if you bite on this part."

Dawn pantomimed placing the y-shaped rod into her mouth before holding it out to me. Once again I carefully held my hand palm up under the device and she dropped it into it. It seemed foolish to be so worried about touching someone's hand, but I didn't want to offend her so I tried my best to go along with it. I hesitantly slipped the metal piece into my mouth to try it out. Thankfully it didn't taste like metal, and I was surprised that when I bit down it actually seemed to mold itself against my teeth to the point where I could close my mouth completely around it without any discomfort. I didn't understand how I was supposed to breathe through my mouth with my mouth closed, but I hoped I wouldn't take too long to get used to it.

"Put your mask on and take off any... eeeh... clothes that don't hold tightly," Dawn said, cocking her head to the side with obvious confusion. I cocked an eyebrow up at her because of her awkwardness, but apparently, she thought I hadn't understood her because she tentatively reached out for the bottom of my jacket and flapped it around, showing what she meant.

The cute gesture made me chuckle, but it sounded weird since my mouth was still closed around the breathing device she had given me. I pulled it out for a moment, watching with fascination as the material morphed back into the seemingly solid rods and then nodded down at her.

"I understand. The English word is loose," I said patiently as I unzipped my jacket.

She smiled and quietly repeated the word "loose" to herself. After a moment I chose to remove my shoes and socks as well. I considered taking off my jeans, but since Dawn had kept both her skintight capris and T-shirt that looked like it was made of woven seaweed I would have felt strange removing more than I already had.

Once we were both ready, Dawn guided me around the pool over to a strange outcropping that jutted from the edge of the forest and out to nearly the middle of the pool. She walked along the narrowing rock silently and I followed a step behind. Once Dawn had made it to the edge I nearly flinched when her cold fingers unexpectedly gripped onto the edge of my T-shirt sleeve.

"You have a pokemon that can fight under the water, yes?" Dawn asked in a whisper. I swiftly nodded and patted my belt that held three pokeballs carefully chosen for my trip to a waterlogged planet.

With a silent nod, Dawn gripped my sleeve harder, pressing her knuckles against my skin and without warning leaped forward. I was only a second behind her and managed to leap with her instead of being dragged into the water. The temperature of the water was shocking. It was so cold that a scream nearly ripped from my throat, but I kept my mouth firmly clamped over the breathing device I had. The strangest sensation of crisp air filtering past my teeth and down my throat to my lungs confused me for a moment, but I was able to breathe out through my nose that was covered by the mask Dawn had given to me and when I glanced up at the surface of the pool I saw a small stream of bubbles of my released carbon dioxide that was somehow filtered out of the mask and released into the water.

Fascinating, I thought with genuine interest. I had no idea how this worked, but another tug from Dawn on my shirt sleeve pulled my attention away from the strange devices that were allowing me to breathe and towards my goal.

It was extremely dark as we swam further and further down. Dawn never let go of my sleeve though, and she even gripped my bicep a few times if I was beginning to veer off accidentally. Honestly, the contact seemed much more intimate than if she had simply held my hand, but I couldn't exactly speak with the breathing device in my mouth, so I just accepted her guidance and swam as best as I could with one arm. Although it was more like I was being pulled along by Dawn. She was incredibly fast in the water, and more than once I caught myself admiring her webbed hands and feet that glimmered slightly as her scales refracted the little light still seeping down from the surface of the water.

I could feel Dawn changing directions at one point and I frowned around my breathing device slightly. It seemed like she was moving towards the edge of the pool. Just when I was about to tug on her arm to get her attention, something swished through the water and Dawn straightened up, pulling me so she was floating protectively in front of me. One of my eyebrows quirked up automatically at the strangeness of someone shorter and thinner than me actually shielding me like this, but then my eyes widened within their mask when a hulking shape seemed to meld out from the murky water in front of us.

It was a Nereid, the final evolution of Naiad. It looked both majestic and terrifying with its silver plating along its flippers and back. The green edges on its tail began to glow as it swam silently through the water and brought its face up to inspect Dawn's form as if it didn't even register that I was there. It tilted its head (which was the size of Dawn's entire body) and I realized with a start that its eyes were murky white, unlike the almost fluorescent fuschia color that Dawn's Nerite sported.

It must be blind, I thought to myself silently. Not sure what was going on, I decided to take my cue from Dawn and remain behind her for now. She released her grip on my arm and chose a pokeball, releasing her Nerite. I watched as Nerite swam up excitedly to the imposing Nereid before rubbing its cheek along the massive pokemon's jawline.

A rumbling so cavernous that it felt like the water around me was warping echoed out and I gripped Dawn's shoulder tightly. I sucked in a breath when Dawn tilted her neck to brush her cheek against my fingers soothingly, nearly choking from the strangeness of inhaling without letting my mouth open. After Dawn's Nerite finished greeting its much older relative, the blind Nereid swam away, blinking the glow out from its tail and ear fins and disappearing once again into the deep depths of the pool.

I was surprised when I felt Dawn's webbed fingers pat my hand on her shoulder. The almost elastic feeling of the webbing that had sprouted between her fingers was strange and I released my grip on her shoulder immediately, surprised that she had actually touched my hand. I guess she did say she didn't touch others' hands on land... I thought with unusual curiosity.

Dawn gripped my bicep once again and pulled me along even deeper into the pool. For a brief minute, everything was almost completely dark. Without Dawn's hand and her Nerite's glowing tail guiding me I was sure I would have been completely lost. But not long after the eerie blackness, several more glowing tails began to wink into existence. As we kept swimming deeper, not only the glowing tails and ear fans of Nerite and Naiads could be seen, but also beautifully intricate corals that glowed in shimmering blues, greens, and purples lent an almost mystical glow to the bottom of the pool, which was MUCH wider than the entrance up above had been.

"Take your pick." I jerked slightly when I heard Dawn's voice. Even though we were under water, somehow she was able to speak without sounding garbled and I looked over at her in amazement, noticing that the gills on her neck were expanding and contracting in a relaxed rhythm. She was gesturing towards the many Naiads that were swimming in along the bottom of the pool of water, apparently not concerned with the appearance of two strangers in their midst.

I nodded to her since I definitely wouldn't be able to talk while underwater, and then reached for one of my pokeballs. Afraid that I might lose the pokeball if I tossed it, I simply pressed the button to release the pokemon within and I grinned with my lips closed when a hulking Gyarados appeared in the water in front of me. I had been training with my Gyarados for several years now and I had not thought twice about bringing it along to this water-covered planet.

Luckily for me, I had trained with Gyarados where we were both submerged in water, so he understood when I gave him a hand signal to stand by. His large body swam easily through the dark water and I could feel his presence come to rest about a foot from my side, awaiting his instructions. I scanned the seemingly endless possibilities of Naiad's and Nerites, but I had to admit I was curious to raise this pokemon from the very first stage up to see all of its special moves that it could learn and see how it progressed.

Noticing one particular Naiad that seemed more energetic than the others, I swam up a little bit to be eye level with Gyarados and then gestured towards the Naiad I had chosen. Gyarados let out a low grumble of understanding, and then I made the signal for Hurricane. I grinned with my lips closed tightly as the flying type move made the water around the Naiad spin almost like a cyclone, separating it from the rest of its school.

The Naiad shook its head after its unexpected spin but I was shocked when it raised its snout and fired off a Dragon Pulse attack. I dived to the side as Gyarados split off the other way, both of us narrowly avoiding the attack. My heart was beginning to race with excitement and I swiftly gave the command for a Brutal Swing attack. Gyarados flung an arc of dark energy towards the little Naiad, and my eyes widened when the water dragon easily swam up and over the attack before launching its own countermeasure of the same shimmering bubbles that Dawn's Nerite had created to entertain the crowd of tourists a few days ago. It didn't look like an ordinary Bubble Beam attack, so I signaled Gyarados and he used Aqua Tail to burst the bubble before they could cause any damage.

Gyarados, anticipating my next call, streaked through the water and followed up with an Aqua Tail that hit the little Naiad directly in its unprotected stomach. The direct hit sent the little water type flipping end over end through the water. Deciding to take the chance, I reached for one of the special Dive balls I had ordered before coming to this planet and took careful aim. When the Naiad finally began to slow its tumbling, I launched the blue pokeball towards it. The special pokeball streaked effortlessly through the water and smacked the Naiad's neck, triggering the red light that engulfed the pokemon and sucked it into the device. I swam after it eagerly, watching carefully as the pokeball shivered and shook in the water as it slowly began to descend toward the bottom of the pool. When it finally came to a rest on the sandy floor I heard a tiny ding and the red light around the middle of the pokeball faded to white, signaling a successful capture.

I grabbed the pokeball eagerly for the floor of the pool and turned to show off my success to Dawn. A bone-shattering roar sounded through the quiet deep though, and I spun around to see that all of the other Naiaids and Nerites were swimming away in terror as the blind beast from before came streaking through the water straight towards me. Even as I tried to backpedal away from the charging pokemon, Gyarados suddenly let out a challenging bellow of his own and rushed directly in front of me, creating a current that flipped me end over end.

Disoriented couldn't even begin to describe how I felt. Somehow I managed to clip my newly captured pokemon onto my belt though and I tried to figure out which direction I was facing. Even the corals with their luminescent light seemed to have dimmed from the presence of the livid beast who Gyarados was doing its best to keep at bay. Two arms were suddenly wrapped around my chest and I could feel Dawn's legs kicking furiously behind me, trying to get me away from the danger zone.

The gigantic Nereid let out a screech and a familiar purple glow seeped off of its body and expanded through the water, illuminating the dark space. I tried to yell a warning around the breathing device in my mouth but it was too late. Gyarados was hit with the Dragon Aura and he began thrashing about, shaking his massive head and obviously underneath the confusion effect that this move caused.

While Gyarados was struggling to get a grip, the blind beast opened its gigantic mouth, rearing its head towards my Gyarados. My entire body stiffened as I tried to figure out how to stop this beast from chomping my pokemon in two, but then Dawn's arms suddenly released me and I saw a flash of sparkling green dash past me.

"Nerite, use Scale Shot now!" Dawn called out firmly. Just when the giant Nereid was about to clamp its mouth onto Gyarados, glimmering silver scales suddenly burst from Nerite and smacked into the blind Nereid's neck, exploding on contact and forcing the giant pokemon back a bit.

"Return your pokemon," Dawn ordered me. I swiftly complied, although running away was never my style. But I was not in my element here and with Gyarados confused he would only cause problems. I reached for the other pokemon that I had brought that could swim under water but Dawn fiercely shook her head at me.

"I think the Guardian will attack if doesn't know the pokemon's scent. Start swimming, we'll fight," Dawn said firmly.

I gritted my teeth, watching as Dawn's nimble pokemon engaged the enormous Nerite while doing its best to avoid the larger pokemon's attacks. Feeling like a pathetic coward, I finally did as Dawn instructed and turned my eyes upwards. Even as I pushed myself up though, I couldn't help but look down to see how the battle was going. My eyes widened though when I saw the tip of a tail that was easily three times as long as my own height streaking through the water towards me.

"Paul!" Dawn cried out in shock just before the glowing tail smacked across my entire body.

Pain exploded throughout my body and like an idiot my reaction was to yell in pain, opening my mouth in the process. This, of course, led to the breathing device I had been biting onto to slip away from me and fall who knew where. I clamped my mouth shut and desperately tried to stop my momentum, but I was spinning helplessly with no end in sight. Sharp pricks of coral dug into my back, finally halting my endless spinning through the water.

I pushed myself away from the coral and then did a quick analysis. Even if I swam as fast as I could, I would never be able to get to the surface without air. The blow from the Nereid's tail had already dangerously depleted the remaining air in my lungs so I had two options. Search for the breathing device or drown.

Ignoring the spasms of pain going through my body, I pushed myself down towards the sandy floor of the pool of water, desperately searching for a flash of silver. My lungs were beginning to pulse and I could feel my neck muscles spasming as if they were trying to pull air from the oxygen in my blood. But it was no use. My vision was becoming spotty and I was barely keeping afloat now. I dug my fingers into the sand, searching desperately for my breathing device.

A blue glow from my right caught my attention and I turned slightly, feeling my body screaming at me with pain and desperation as I used up the last wisps of air in my lungs. The glow intensified and my stuttering brain registered that Dawn's Nerite apparently was evolving because of the fight it was waging. But I narrowed my eyes slightly when I saw a fuzzy shape in the middle of the blue glow. The shape became slowly clearer as it got closer and I realized that it was Dawn streaking through the water faster than a Sharpedo.

My eyes fluttered as I felt my lungs begin to cave in on themselves from the lack of air. I had just about decided to give up when scaly hands circled my jaw gently. I felt something soft nudge against my cheek just below my mask and my eyes fluttered when I felt something plump envelope my lips. A groan from deep inside me bubbled up when Dawn's thumbs pressed on my chin, forcing my lips to part. Then suddenly warm air began to pass through my mouth and seep down into my lungs.

I gasped, I couldn't help it, and I could feel a burning need to cough. But to my dizzied surprise one of Dawn's hands moved from my jaw to my throat and she gently stroked it with the tips of her scaly fingers. The touch soothed my clenched throat muscles and I let out a long stream of carbon dioxide through my nose.

Slowly the fog that had been descending over my brain from lack of oxygen cleared and I blinked my eyes open, staring at Dawn's closed eyelids which were directly in front of me. Her long lashes were resting against her pale green cheeks and I could feel my cheeks heating up in embarrassment when I fully grasped just what Dawn was doing in order to save my life. I was acutely aware of my tongue and how close it was to the edge of where Dawn's lips were sealed against mine.

After what seemed like an eternity, Dawn slowly and purposefully closed her lips, making sure they remained sealed against mine so no water would leak into my mouth. She pulled back and I watched as the gills on her neck flared agitatedly and her chest rose up and down quickly. I felt guilty, realizing that as she had been diverting all of the oxygen she had been taking in she had essentially been suffocating herself.

An explosion came from somewhere behind Dawn and I glanced around her to try and see what was going on. Her Nerite had indeed evolved into a Nereid, but even though it was evolved it was a third of the size of the gigantic guardian. But Dawn's Nereid seemed to be holding its own against its blind counterpart.

A tug on my wrist pulled my attention back to Dawn who was floating in front of me and I flinched when she wrapped an arm around my waist.

"Hold onto me, we'll go faster if I swim. And squeeze my shoulder when you need to breathe again," Dawn instructed me.

I was NOT used to relying on someone so much and I desperately glanced down at the ground to see if I could spot the breathing device. Dawn had already started kicking though and I grabbed onto her shoulders from the unexpected speed that we were now traveling at.

Not knowing what else to do, I spread my legs slightly apart so that her knees didn't knock into mine as she swam and reluctantly allowed her to drag me up. I held my breath for as long as I could, hoping beyond hope that at this speed I wouldn't need to ask for more air, but I could tell when I was at my limit and I grit my teeth before awkwardly squeezing her shoulder.

Dawn immediately stopped kicking and turned her face from looking up to looking directly at me. We had left the pool floor behind and were in the expanse where it was incredibly murky and only the faintest bit of light from the surface far above us could penetrate. Her hand that wasn't holding onto my waist slipped along my jawline once more and I couldn't help but press my lips together tensely as her face drifted towards mine. Her nose nudged my cheek again and she gently placed her lips around mine and pressed hard to make sure they created a false seal.

Feeling incredibly strange, I forced myself to open my mouth slightly. Immediately my lungs relaxed as life-giving oxygen filtered through Dawn's mouth into mine and down to my lungs. I let myself breathe normally to clear out my fuzziness, but then I awkwardly breathed in deeply. At first, the stream of air remained the same, but Dawn seemed to understand what I was doing and her gills flared slightly and the stream of air coming down into my lungs increased. I gingerly closed my lips, nodding awkwardly to her in thanks and she took a moment to recover her own breath before once again rocketing towards the surface.

Dawn had to give me air five more times before I could finally see that the surface was in reach. I wanted to breathe a sigh of relief but I decided that would be wasteful of the air Dawn had shared with so I just kept holding it. I was fantasizing about bursting up past the surface and breathing in fresh, cool air when suddenly I realized that we were slowing down.

Cautiously, I looked away from the surface and blinked over at Dawn. Her flippers really were going slower and her head was drooping slightly. I wondered if maybe she had overexerted herself carrying me up to the surface and I began to gently push against her shoulder, pointing towards the surface and trying to show that I could swim the rest of the way. To my utter shock though, Dawn's grip on my waist tightened, and her other hand slipped around my waist, locking us together with our bodies pressed against each other tightly.

I blinked mutely, wondering what was going on, but when I looked into her face I was surprised to see that her usually pale green cheeks were turning into a deep purple. One of my eyebrows quirked up in a silent question, but Dawn continued to keep her head facing down, her legs moving even less. Wondering if maybe she needed me to swim for her now, I started to gently kick to propel us upward but I flinched when Dawn pressed her forehead against my chest and shook her head silently.

My lungs were beginning to become uncomfortably tight, and not knowing what else to do I cautiously wrapped my arms around her shoulders once again. To my surprise, Dawn nuzzled even further into my chest, and even being surrounded by the cool water I could feel my cheeks heating up. I had never really held a girl like this before. I was always too busy with training to bother with any romantic nonsense, so I wasn't sure what had happened for Dawn to be cuddling up to me like this... After a moment she raised her head up from my chest and I could see a strange hesitance in her expression.

"Do you need air?" she asked quietly into the dark of the still pool.

I flicked my gaze up to the surface that was clearly visible not ten feet above us... but I slowly lowered my gaze to meet hers and was a little shocked when I felt my head nod through the water. Dawn's dark green lips curved up slightly in the corners and I bit my tongue when she pushed against my hips to slide her body up along my chest so that she could reach my face easier.

Dawn's lips once again met mine and this time I didn't hesitate to open my own. Warm air once again trickled from Dawn to me and I couldn't help but wonder why she had stopped. This transfer of air, with her pressed up close to me, was much more intimate than the other ones had been. It felt strangely nice though, to have her fitted so snugly against me as she allowed me to breathe using the oxygen her gills pulled from the water.

My eyes flew open though when I felt something slick nudge against my bottom lip. Dawn's eyes were closed as she continued to filter air into my mouth, and her tongue retreated as soon as it had touched me, but I narrowed my eyes when I saw her cheeks turning purple.

A strange tingling began to spread from the tips of my toes up through my fingers and an urgency I had never experienced before gripped me. Throwing caution to the wind, I deftly moved my tongue from where it was resting on the bottom of my mouth and pushed it past both of our lips, running it firmly against the inside of her bottom lip. Dawn's eyelashes fluttered but then she squeezed them together tightly and I felt the barest hint of a flick from the tip of her tongue against mine.

Something ignited inside me. My own eyes closed tight, my grip on Dawn's shoulders tightened, and I plunged my tongue fully into her mouth. Dawn's body twitched in my arms, but it only took her a moment to respond. I shuddered violently as her tongue slowly stroked the side of my own, silently inviting me in. I was no longer aware of the flow of air that was or was not being shared between us. All I could think of was Dawn's adventurous tongue and her webbed fingers that she had slipped under my shirt and were drawing small circles against my sides, making me go crazy.

I was getting slightly light-headed and I pulled my tongue away from Dawn's teasing strokes, but I was unprepared for her to suddenly breathe a huge burst of clean air down my throat. I gulped it down automatically and Dawn closed her mouth... but instead of closing it around both my lips as a seal like usual, she clamped down on my bottom lip and sucked. Hard. I was shocked at how weirdly good it felt and it was taking a lot of self-control to not let go of the breath of air she had just given me.

I have no idea how long we had been making out underwater, but finally, Dawn let go of my bottom lip and with one massive kick of her flippers she sent us both shooting up to the surface. Once my head breached the water I instantly sucked in a deep breath and moved away from Dawn. She had also released her death grip on my waist and she turned away from me, ducking under the water for a moment before resurfacing as she pushed her midnight blue hair from her face. The simple gesture was wildly attractive to me and I instantly turned away from her and began swimming to shore.

What the heck even got into me down there? I scolded myself internally even as my blood felt like it was on fire from the stimulation I had just gone through.

"Hey," Dawn called after me, causing me to pause in my attempt to swim to shore and cautiously look over my shoulder. "I'm going to go check on Nerite. I mean, Nereid. I'll be back."

"Wha.." Before I could even get a full syllable out Dawn had dived back under the water and the black surface of the lake was soon calm once again. Feeling weirdly abandoned, I turned away from where I had last seen her and swam to the shore. I pulled myself up through the mud, my body reminding me that I had taken a blow from a Godzilla-sized pokemon and I gritted past the pain.

I lost track of the time I waited for Dawn to come back up. My eyes lazily glanced up at the weirdly colored trees and I blinked, narrowing my eyes slightly. They had come to rest on a weirdly bushy plant with white berries that seemed to be growing out of the tree limb itself.

"Mistletoe?" I asked myself incredulously. Of all the plants to recognize, why did it have to be that one?

"What is Missletow?"

My entire body stiffened and I leaped to my feet, whirling around to see that Dawn was standing behind me, her hands and feet having reverted back to their humanoid shape. She was ringing the water from her hair gently and I nearly cursed when I realized that my eyes had been practically glued onto her shapely neck that was unusually exposed with her hair all on one side. I swiftly turned away from her and gestured awkwardly toward the plant hanging from one of the orange trees.

"It's a parasitic plant that latches onto trees and uses their nutrients to grow and sustain itself. Some human in the past got the brilliant idea that it would bring good luck in love to kiss under the mistletoe so it became a Christmas tradition," I said, wondering why I was even explaining this.

"Parasic? Nutrients... Krismus?"

I looked over my shoulder to see that I had royally confused her and her open bewilderment was actually really adorable. I growled inwardly at myself and tried to tamp down on these weird feelings and thoughts and I waved my hand dismissively.

"Basically it's a plant that feeds off another plant," I said. "And Christmas is a holiday most of Earth celebrates."

"Oh," Dawn says, glancing up at the plant I had noticed. She didn't say anything for a while, and I flinched when she suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me forward. I was about to rip my arm from her hand when she stopped suddenly, looking up at the plant that looked like mistletoe.

"We should keep the Krismus tradition, right?" Dawn asked, looking up at me with her cheeks turning a pale purple.

My mouth dropped open in shock at her boldness and I took a step back, shaking my head. Dawn frowned petulantly, which was again super adorable, but I stubbornly shook my head even more.

"Dawn, we can't," I said firmly. She arched one of her blue eyebrows at me and gave me a look as if she thought I was simple.

"Yes we can. We already did," she said while pointing towards the pool of water behind us. I could feel heat creeping up my neck and the tingle that I had experienced under the water began to come back but I stubbornly shook my head.

"No, I mean... I don't just kiss anyone." As soon as the words came out of my mouth I could feel myself cringe. What kind of sappy nonsense am I spewing right now? I thought internally while Dawn frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?" she asked slowly. Grimacing to myself, I cleared my throat and tried my best to sort through my thoughts.

"It... may be different here," I said slowly, peeking down at Dawn who was glaring up at me with a closed-off expression. "But on Earth usually you only kiss someone you are committed to. There are exceptions, but I don't want to get in the habit of just kissing someone because it feels good."

Dawn blinked and then a slow smile spread across her lips.

"You liked the kiss?" Dawn asked with a teasing expression. I could feel heat exploding up my neck and into my cheeks but I glowered down at her.

"That doesn't matter," I said fiercely, not able to actually deny it. "The point is, I don't want to kiss someone that I am not in a committed relationship with."

Dawn's expression had softened but her piercing blue eyes had not left my face. I angrily pushed my damp bangs away from my forehead and wondered if I had ever had such an awkward conversation before. Silence descended over us for several torturous seconds and I was just about to walk past her when she cocked her head to the side.

"Committed means that you are only in relationship with one person at a time, right?" Dawn asked innocently.

I could feel my cheeks beginning to heat up again but I forced myself to nod in acknowledgment. To my shock, Dawn's cheeks began to turn purple and she smiled up at me delicately.

"But I do want that with you, Paul."

My mouth dropped open in absolute shock. Never in a million years would I have expected an alien to fall in love with me during my search for a Naiad. But even crazier was that her confession actually made my heart flip with excitement. Something I was not in the least prepared for. Dawn finally moved her eyes away from me as the purple in her cheeks deepened.

"You are very strong for an earthling. And you didn't laugh at my wish for being a pokemon trainer. When I saw the Guardian hit you... I thought my heart would stop." My mouth was clamped shut as I listened to Dawn with wide eyes and I saw one of her pale green hands curl up into a fist as she laid it on her chest where I assumed her heart was. She peeked up at me through her long lashes and I felt a lump form in my throat. "I'm really glad you didn't get hurt."

I attempted to swallow past the lump in the throat and was shocked at how painful the experience was since every single muscle in my body seemed to have clenched up. My mind was spinning and I was trying to decide how to handle this crazy situation. My gaze fell on the scales beside her eyes and I frowned slightly.

"We... don't even know if our species are... compatible." As soon as the words left my mouth I regretted them. I pressed my hand firmly to my mouth and turned away, shocked that I was even entertaining this absurd possibility. To my mortification, when I felt Dawn's hand touch my elbow I actually jumped. I turned to scowl down at her and I was shocked to see an echoing annoyance in her own expression.

"But we are!" she said with an insanely adorable pout. "My friend Mynydd fell in love with an earthling and they had a baby a year ago."

My entire face went red and Dawn blinked before slowly taking a step closer to me and giving me an infuriatingly smug smirk.

"We only kissed ten minutes ago... Are you already thinking of our anatoomy?" she asked, her tone heavy with teasing mirth. I glowered down at her, wishing I could refute her, but I just shook my head.

"Look, I'm not an easy guy to get along with. And I take being a pokemon trainer seriously. I'm not going to stop exploring and adding new pokemon to my team," I said firmly. "You'll get bored of being with me."

Dawn blinked up at me and I was surprised at the depth of sadness that entered her expression. She slowly looked down and took a step away from me, hugging her arms to her chest.

"I forgot... I won't be able to follow you if you leave Inundatio," Dawn said with pain in her tone.

Blinking rapidly I thought back on this crazy adventure I had been on with Dawn and how she had weirdly wormed herself into my thoughts. Which of course led me to think of the euphoric moments we had unexpectedly shared underwater... I had no idea how to act like a proper boyfriend... But I didn't exactly relish the thought of leaving Dawn behind either...

"I... don't mind paying for your ticket," I said slowly, only looking at Dawn out of the corner of my eye as her head perked up and I could see her shocked expression. "You're probably going to get sick of me during the trip though and then you'll be stuck."

Dawn crinkled her nose at me and she firmly shook her head.

"No. I want to earn the money to buy a ticket for myself. I do want to be with you, but I don't want to rely on you for money," she said with a shudder. I blinked, surprised at this declaration of both her feelings and her independence, but I couldn't help but smile. After mulling over the situation for a moment, I glanced up the small hill where the weird trees became thicker.

"You know... there were a few more pokemon I was interested in here on Inundatio," I said slowly. Dawn blinked and cocked her head to the side, her wet hair spilling over her shoulder in a beautifully tousled manner. "I could use a guide to find them. As long as there are no more killer Guardians to worry about," I added hastily.

Dawn's eyes slowly widened and before I knew it her face had exploded into a wide grin. Suddenly she exploded forward, launching herself towards me and circling her arms tightly around my neck. I stumbled back a bit from the unexpected leaping tackle, but I got my footing and internally shrugged before wrapping my arms tightly around her in return.

Dawn let out a beautiful laugh and nuzzled against my neck before planting a kiss against the sensitive skin right below my earlobe. I stiffened at the unexpected touch but then goosebumps erupted down my spine when I felt her tongue, which I had become very well acquainted with, lap gently against the edge of my ear. Her tongue pulled back to be replaced by the bridge of her nose that she rubbed against the length of my ear before she giggled.

"You earthlings have such strange hearing holes," Dawn said with an impish giggle. "I like it," she declared before beginning to nibble on the edge of my ear where most of the cartilage was.

My entire body flushed with heat at the strange sensation and I gently pulled back, making sure she didn't end up actually biting it. Dawn was still dangling a few inches from the ground, behind held up by my grip on her, and I was shocked at the radiant happiness in her expression. No one had ever looked at me like that before, and I could feel my cheeks heating up.

"Yah well, try not to eat it," I said with a huff, trying to hide my own embarrassment as I bent down so that her feet were once again on the ground. "We should get going. The sooner you earn enough for a ticket the sooner we can leave."

I released my hold on her and moved to straighten up, but was suddenly dragged to a halt by Dawn's arms tightening around my neck. My lips tugged down into a frown as I tried to keep my pulse from racing while I stared at her pouting face that I could tell was going to become my weakness in the future. Dawn took several steps back, pulling me along with her until she looked up with a smile. I closed my eyes and sighed before forcing myself to look up at the plant that looked like Mistletoe. My eyes fell from the white berries back to Dawn and my heart clenched at the self-satisfied expression on her face.

"It's a Krismus tradition, right?" Dawn said with a faint blush on her cheeks.

I gave a world-weary sigh before reaching down and hooking my hands behind her thighs. Dawn immediately hopped up, understanding instantly as I guided her to wrap her legs around my waist until she was now at my height. She looked at me with a devilish glint in her eyes that annoyingly made my heart race and I finally gave into my desire and gripped the back of her head in my hand, pushing her towards me and my waiting lips.

Time seemed to stand still as I lost myself entirely to the feel of Dawn. Minutes passed like seconds and I honestly could have kept going for what felt like hours but subconsciously my hand had traveled to her own during the heated kiss. When my fingers intertwined with hers Dawn's body tensed though and she gasped, pulling away from my lips and looking down with wide eyes at our linked fingers. I was panting slightly from the insane amount of endorphins the kiss had released and kept both Dawn and me upright, but I gripped my hand more firmly around hers and waited for her to meet my eyes.

"Is this okay?" I asked, my voice huskier than usual.

Dawn slowly moved her eyes from mine down to our hands and she timidly squeezed my hand back.

"Mmm," she agreed simply. "My people hardly ever come up on land and with our webbing we can't usually feel anything between our fingers... It's considered... indecent?"

Dawn glanced at me as if making sure she had chosen the correct English word. I chuckled and squeezed her hand even tighter, moving my face so close to hers that our noses were touching.

"Well it's a pretty normal show of affection on Earth, so they'll just have to get used to it," I said with a smirk.

Dawn blushed and I could feel her cheeks heating up where my nose was resting against it. She slowly rubbed her thumb against the back of mine and I chuckled when she tilted her head so she could press her forehead to mine and brushed the tip of her nose against mine in a butterfly kiss.

Maybe mistletoe isn't such a dumb tradition after all, I thought to myself before claiming Dawn's lush lips again.

A/N Yikes... I feel like my "oneshots" get longer every year! Thank you for reading this though. Hopefully, it was interesting for you all ;)