A/ N: This is my first fanfiction that's i have ever posted! I am absolutely thrilled to be able to share my works here. Criticism is accepted and expected. Thanks! Also, as i upload these on a mobile device, they may appear odd on a computer, so please don't spam me with messages telling me to fix the format. Let me know if it's flawed, but don't be a troll about it.
Ash didn't recognize her at first. Then again, it was hard to recognize someone while they were being dragged downriver by a current. If not for the Blaziken, he wouldn't have seen her.
It was early spring, a surprisingly warm day despite the recent snowfall. March had brought an onslaught of winter storms, and the last of the snow had only just melted. Colorful flower buds peeked through the ground.
Ash, Dawn, and Brock had been on their way to Lilygrove. Upon getting all of the Sinnoh ribbons, Dawn had decided to get the Hoenn ones too, and thus they went there.
But now Ash wondered why it had to be Hoenn.
The bridge they were crossing over looked down on a deceptively slow-looking river. Ash hadn't paid much attention to it, as usual. His ADHD mind tended to overlook big things and focus on lesser important details, like the fact that Dawn's socks didn't match. It had been bugging him for a while now. Like his mom said, he'd find the needle but miss the haystack.
A sudden cry made him look up from Dawn's socks. A Blaziken was leaping in huge strides near the riverbank, raising a hellish din. Pikachu, who had been peacefully lounging on Ash's shoulder as usual, sat up bolt-right and perked up his ears.
Ash frowned. "Brock, are Blaziken native to this area? I don't remember seeing them here."
"No-wait. That Blaziken looks familiar!"
Dawn was already running across the bridge and towards the Blaziken, in all of her mismatched sockish glory. Ash and Brock followed, despite the fact that they couldn't possibly follow a blazing chicken at full speed. (A/N: I never thought I'd write a sentence quite like that.)
"Go, Staraptor! See what that Blaziken's following!"
"Staaar!" The falcon (?) flew ahead, catching up with its distant avian relative quickly, and flew at the river, talons outstretched. It seemed to be struggling to carry something.
As Ash and co. drew closer, Ash saw something. A familiar flash of red in a familiar shade of red. But that didn't make sense.
(A/N: Cue Taylor Swift's Are You Ready For It?)
Ash saw a dark figure in the water, making feeble movements. Ash put Pikachu down and jumped into the fast water.
In retrospect, that was pretty dumb. Any fifteen year old should have known better. But impulse control wasn't Ash's strong suit.
But luckily, swimming was.
He muttered a few curses that Arceus wouldn't approve of as he struggled to get the person ashore. He managed to get to the riverbank and gasped for air as Blaziken pulled him out. He blinked water out of his eyes and breathlessly thanked the Pokemon.
His eyes seized random details. Red bandana worn like a headband. Black tank top. Ponytail. Hey look, a bidoof. And oh crap, is she breathing? That's an important detail. But her chest seemed to rise and fall faintly. Wet hair was plastered to the trainer's face, but he knew it. He knew the face like the back of his hand. Or his glove, since he wore gloves a lot. Dammit, he chided himself. Gloves aren't important right now.
He sat up, trying to catch his breath and organize his thoughts. He didn't have much time to, though, as the girl started to cough up water.
Ash decided not to run away, even though he kind of wanted to. Yeah, he had wanted to see her again, but not like this.
He looked desperately at Brock. However, Brock's expression mirrored his own. Confusion.
Ash tentatively sat still as the girl groaned and looked at him. Her face was muddy and a nasty cut stretched the length of the left side of her jawline.
She was the first to talk.
"Ash, Brock."
May's voice was croaky and soft.
"Are you okay? Why are you here? What happened?"
"Get away, as quickly as you can."
She promptly coughed up more water and passed out.