A/N: Thanks a lot for clicking on this story! This is my WishfulShipping story, so… I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

Tomboy

Chapter 1

The wind was soft and warm, rustling the leafs. The starry sky was clear, except for a few clouds passing by occasionally. A Hoothoot welcomed the night, and a late Kricketune ended its song. This was the true beauty of nature.

And it was all missed by the girl in the sleeping bag.

With her eyes wide open, face set in a frown and her hands clenching the edge of the sleeping bag, she didn't exactly seem asleep. In fact, she seemed more awake then most other beings in the forest.

After bolting upright for the third time that minute, she sighed and stepped out of her sleeping bag.

"This is ridiculous," Iris mumbled, "I'm the only human in a radius of 10 miles, and I'm still afraid of being snuck up by some crazy guy."

A small green Pokémon popped out of her hair, groggily opening up its eyes and then looking confused at its Trainer.

"I'm sorry Axew," Iris apologized to her Pokémon, "I just can't fall asleep. I keep waking up by every sound, thinking it's some mad rapist or something."

"Axew," the Pokémon replied, before snuggling up in her hair once again.

Sighing, the purple haired girl plopped down on her sleeping bag, pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them.

Staring mindlessly at the trees in front of her, her thoughts drifted off to the reason of her insomnia.

A phone call. No, three phone calls. And an invitation. And her own stubbornness, but she refused to admit that.

First came the invitation.

Misty Waterflower and Ash Ketchum
invite you to join us at the celebration of our marriage.
Wednesday, the seventh of November
at two o'clock in the afternoon.
The Green Park of Viridian City,
Kanto.
Dinner and dancing follow.
R.V.S.P.

Then the stubbornness. Or well, first the happiness, then the stubbornness. Because this would be a perfect opportunity to travel a while. A plan had formed in Iris's mind – if she boarded the plane to Sinnoh this week, she could travel through Sinnoh, Johto and Kanto, AND be in time for the wedding. It was the perfect opportunity.

Then came the first phone call. Dawn.

"Oh my Arceus, Iris, have you heard from Ash and Misty?" The blue-haired girl on the screen was bouncing up and down from excitement. "I'm so thrilled, I mean, marriage! Imagine being married! Oh, I'm so happy for them! Aren't you happy? You are going, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm very happy for them. And yes, I'm going… In fact, I'm planning on leaving this week," Iris replied, regarding Dawn curiously, never quite understanding why she could be so happy all the time.

When Dawn only looked confused by her answer, Iris reluctantly explained about her plan to travel through Sinnoh, Johto and Kanto.

"I'm not visiting Gyms though, I just want to travel to see the Pokémon and nature of those regions."

"But- But you are taking your Pokémon with you, right?" the bluenette asked with concern clear in her blue eyes.

"Of course," Iris smiled, gesturing to the Pokémon in her hair, "my Axew."

Upon seeing the mess that Iris called her hair, a brief look of disgust appeared on Dawn's face. After a short shake of her head, concern replaced it and she continued.

"Only Axew?"

"Yeah… why?" Iris asked when Dawn started to panic.

"Don't you know how dangerous that is? Traveling alone, with only one Pokémon? Especially as girl?" Her eyes were widened in fear and concern.

Iris shook her head, not believing the older girl. "How bad can it get? I have Axew, and I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself."

"I know, but…" Dawn continued in a whisper, "there could be murderers, or kidnappers, or thieves, or…" now she was talking almost inaudible, "rapists."

"I don't think it's that bad, Dawn," Iris laughed away her worries. "Thanks for the advice though, but I really have to go now."

"But-" Dawn protested, but Iris had already broken the connection.

She didn't need to go, but she had enough of Dawn and her worries. It was making her anxious, even though she didn't want to admit it.

It wasn't that Iris didn't like Dawn, but they were exact opposites. Dawn was girly and easily scared, and Iris was, well… not. Dawn probably considered them best friends, Iris more thought of them as good acquaintances. In truth Iris was probably a bit jealous of Dawn, because she could make so easily friends. Iris always had been a little more distrustful of strangers.

The second phone call came from May.

"Hey Iris, long time no see!" the brunette greeted her.

"May! Good to see you!" Iris grinned, liking May better than Dawn. Even though May was still a bit too girly according to Iris, at least the girl had a decent taste in Pokémon.

"Isn't it great that Ash and Misty are finally going to marry?" May asked excited.

"Yeah…" Iris agreed, a bit suspicious. May never called for 'just a talk' – she always had a reason.

When May continued rambling about the wedding and how happy she was, Iris felt her suspicions confirmed. Deciding to take action, she interrupted the Coordinator – who was in full wedding dress mode – with a sharp, "Get to the point, May!"

May flustered, and looked down, scratching her head in embarrassment.

"Sorry," she grinned, "It's just…"

Iris looked at her questioningly.

"Are you really planning on travelling through Sinnoh, Johto and Kanto?" May blurted out.

Iris face palmed. "Dawn told you, didn't she?"

When her question was met with sheepish laughter, Iris sighe, "That girl should keep her nose out of other people's business."

"You know that's her nature, plus, she's really concerned about you, you know," May defended her best friend.

Sighing, Iris said, "I know, but-"

"And I'm worried too, Iris," May interrupted her. "You may not believe this, but traveling has become a lot more dangerous, especially for girls alone. Maybe it's in Unova different, but here, when girls start their journey, they travel in groups, and only split up when they have all a full team of strong Pokémon."

Concern was etched on the blue-eyed girl's face, and Iris found herself involuntary getting worried too. Quickly she pushed those feelings aside – she would travel, alone, no matter what everyone said.

May noticed the look on her friend's face, and quickly continued, "At least think about it, okay? Maybe… maybe you can travel with a friend for a while, or… or you take your other Pokémon with you!"

"Er-"

"You could do that! How many Pokémon do you have? Five, six? They're strong, right? You would be a lot saf-"

"May!" Iris interrupted the rambling Coordinator. "I'm taking only Axew with me, okay?"

"But wh-" May was again interrupted by Iris.

"Because my other Pokémon deserve their rest, I don't want to be tempted to battling again and I want room in my team for maybe some new Pokémon," Iris responded, slightly irritated. She felt like she was trying to convince herself, and she hated it.

When May opened her mouth again, Iris cut her off again.

"I can take care of myself May, thanks, but..." she trailed off.

May sighed and shook her head, muttering something about stupid stubborn girls.

"Okay, you win, but promise me that you'll be careful AND that you'll visit Dawn when you're in Sinnoh."

"Do I have to?" the Dragon-Master-to-be whined.

Grinning evilly, May nodded, causing Iris to sigh deeply.

"Okay, fine, whatever. I promise."

"Great! Well, good luck and don't forget about your promise, 'kay?"

"Yes May, see ya!"

"Bye, and don't forget-"May started again.

"Bye May!" Iris said, putting the phone down, ignoring the churning in her stomach.

Maybe they were right, a little voice had whispered. Maybe it's too dangerous, maybe you shouldn't go, maybe this isn't such a good idea. But Iris didn't listen, her pride blocking the voice of reason effectively.

The last call was from Misty, the bride-to-be. It was short and to the point.

"You're coming to the wedding?" the redhead started the conversation.

"Yes, of course."

"And you're planning on traveling through Sinnoh, Johto and Kanto? On your own, with only one Pokémon?"

"Yes, but-"

"And there's nothing I can do to stop you from leaving?" Misty continued the interrogation.

"Nop,." Iris replied, trying to feel happy that someone finally understood her. She only felt more anxious, though.

Misty nodded, her blue-green eyes staring at Iris intently.

"Take a knife with you."

Expecting Misty to say something like take care, Iris was already half nodding before she realized what the Gym Leader had said.

"What, a- a knife?"

"Yes, a knife. You know, that sharp, shiny thing you cut yo-"

"I know what a knife is," Iris cut her off, "but why a knife?"

"Because since you refuse any other kind of defense, you could at least take a weapon with you. And a knife might come in handy in other situations too."

Iris paled, then answered shakily, "Thanks… I think."

"No problem," Misty replied as if it was normal to talk about knifes over the phone – or about knifes in general, "well, I should go, and you should too, I imagine you still have a lot to pack."

"Yea-Yeah."

"Good luck, take care and don't forget to call sometimes," Misty smiled, and after a wave the screen went black, leaving Iris more insecure about her plans than ever.

It took her a moment to realize that Misty had used reverse psychology on her. And that it had worked too.

"That little…" Iris muttered, before clenching her teeth. Balling her fists, she made a decision.

She would travel through Sinnoh, Johto and Kanto – no matter what it would take.

And now she was here, in the middle of Route 222, alone. Alone. With only one Pokémon, that also happened to be fast asleep. Only armed with a knife.

An easy target.

She shook her head – she couldn't think like that. It would only make her more afraid.

Lying back on the sleeping bag and closing her eyes, she tried to sleep again.

In fact, she tried all night. And failed the same number of times. Occasionally she would drift off, but was always quickly awakened by some twigs breaking, or a Pokémon scurrying around.

As soon as the sun started to rise, a drowsy Iris packed up her sleeping bag, grabbed a few berries from a nearby plant, and continued on her way to Veilstone City. She hoped she would get there before sunset – sleeping in a Pokémon Center would be a lot more comfortable. And safer.

"Oh Axew," Iris mumbled to her Dragon Pokémon, who was now sitting on her shoulder. "What I'm supposed to do? I can't stay awake every night."

"Xew, Ax," the Pokémon answered wisely.

"I wish I was a boy," Iris sighed. Then she froze mid-step, as a plan started to form in her mind.

If she… What if… A smile crept up her face as she thought about it. Just some right clothes and no one would see the difference.

Making a decision, she sprinted off to Veilstone City, even more determined to get there before sunset.

It was time to switch genders.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I really hope you enjoyed it – I did, it was fun to write. I've never written Iris or Cilan before, so I hope it's good enough. Anyway, tell what you think about it! Was it good, bad, worse or even worst? Maybe you saw some terrible mistakes? TELL ME! I wanna know!
Thanks again, and please please REVIEW!