Paul and Dawn: First Light

Chapter 10: Beginning

Chapter 10: Beginning 

That night we ate our food and departed into the realm of dreams without a word to each other. I assumed Dawn was just as tired of yelling as I was; either that or she wanted to prove she could win at the silent game, which was far too optimistic of her.  

Even in our silence, throughout the night her eyes always landed on me. I knew she was thinking of what I'd said to her, how I'd admitted to at least trying to be kind hearted. I'd brushed every look aside, ignoring her as if she wasn't even there. 

Now, it was morning. A new slate with Dawn seemed impossible and my well of patience was nearly dry, but at least I had the distraction of training Bagon today. Maybe it would even keep Dawn entertained long enough to keep her mouth shut for a good five minutes.  

I suppressed a groan and got up out of my sleeping bag. I released all of my Pokemon and we had breakfast. Dawn, hearing the noise, came out of her stupid tent five minutes later and ate peacefully with her own Pokemon. 

She seemed determined not to irritate me today. Interesting. Or maybe, perhaps, she was normally mute before a certain hour of the morning. Either way, I silently thanked whatever was responsible for the lack of chatter, finished my meal, and went to stand over Bagon. 

"Are you ready to begin training?" I looked into his eyes as he nodded- one sharp bounce of his head, "Good. Let's get started. No distractions." 

I returned all of my other Pokemon to their Poke Balls- they didn't need to be present for this. Bagon needed to concentrate and an audience was not something I deemed required for our first training session. 

Dawn returned all of her Pokemon too, except for Piplup who had been sitting on her lap, watching me silently. It was a very odd gesture, this staring. Hardly anyone ever looked at me for more than a second before lowering their gaze, which suited me fine. Still, I decided not to question Dawn's refusal to stop looking at me.  

"Ok, Bagon. What moves do you know?" I stuffed my hands in my jacket pockets and gestured to a tree. That would be his practice opponent. 

Bagon squared his shoulders and ran at the tree, throwing himself head-first at the trunk. His head hit the bark with a thunk, denting it, before landing on the ground, looking unharmed. 

"Headbutt. Alright. Anything else?"  

Bagon opened his mouth, the large two teeth on the sides of his upper jaw glowed and extended. He jumped upward, easily snatching a low hanging berry from a branch, and bit into it, pulverizing the fruit. He landed and swallowed, staring up at me. I heard Dawn giggle behind me as she watched, but ignored her. 

I was impressed with his jumping ability- especially for a newborn. He'd jumped about six feet in the air on his short, yet powerful legs. Considering he was only two feet tall, it was a feat I wouldn't have thought possible. "And you know Bite. Very basic moves. Do you know any moves that are actually impressive?" 

"Paul!" Dawn yelled, obviously offended by my lack of patience with a mere hatchling. 

I turned. "Don't meddle in my business." 

"You can't just put Bagon down like that! He's young. How's he supposed to know stronger moves? It's amazing that he knows so much already, just instinctively." 

"A Goldeen knows how to swim without being taught and a Pidgey can fly right after it hatches. Why should a Dragon Pokemon not be able to breathe fire, Dawn? What do you know?" I sneered. 

"What's a Goldeen?" Dawn looked at me blankly. 

"Thanks for answering my question. You know nothing." I turned back to Bagon. "Prove you're a Dragon Pokemon. Otherwise, you're not worth my time." 

I heard Dawn make an exasperated noise, but held my hand up to stop her from interrupting further as I stared at Bagon whose eyes seemed to be glowing with determination. His nostrils smoked, the black smog twirling upwards in spirals. He opened his gaping jaws and a small flame sprouted. It looked more like a meager accident, a fiery hiccup, than an attack. 

I sighed in disappointment. "So you need to learn Ember. It's a start." 

Bagon frowned. 

I crouched down and stared him directly in the eyes, unblinking. "If you're going to be a part of this team, you WILL give one hundred and ten percent, do you understand me? If you want to evolve, you will follow my every command. You will get strong. You will become the most ferocious Dragon Pokemon in this world." 

I stood up. "So what will it be, Bagon? Are you ready to train?" 

Bagon growled, low and deep, and nodded. 

"Good. You may be worth my time after all." I smirked. "Now do fifty Headbutts against that tree. Don't stop until you've either done fifty or the tree has fallen over." 

Bagon began, unquestioning, ramming into the tree. Over and over. 

I felt Dawn approach behind me and whisper into my ear with worry, "You're going to kill him." 

"You have no knowledge of how much someone can truly go through and still live," I said simply, but my voice gave away a hint of sadness. 

Her eyes searched me again, which I ignored, before she walked away. I watched Bagon hit the tree repeatedly until the tree fell, conquered by his might. 

"Again," I barked.