"Ash, damnit, run!" But he stood there, frozen. TheDialga opened its mouth for a super-powerful Roar Of Time attack. "Ash!" I chucked a Quickball at it, running towards Ash and pushing him out of the way. The ball clicked and I picked it up.

"NO!" yelled Cyrus. "You can't keep that Pokemon! I won't let you! Go, Crobat!" A purple bat with a tiny body and long legs and wings erupted from a regular pokeball. "Crobat, use leech life!" The pokemon darted forward and nipped my neck. My energy started draining.

"Ember!" That was the last thing I heard.

I told him. I told him this would happen. One or the other would get hurt. Except… I used the word die. One of us would die. But at least… at least it's not him.

Ash is so stubborn. Like a Psyduck with a huge headache, where the only way you can get them to move would be to use SecretPotion, and I'm fresh out. And what's worse, his headache is not only stubbornness; it's the urge to get himself into trouble, though he might not realize it right now.

"Ember… Ember, wake up." Hunh? What's happening? "Ember, damnit, wake up! Please, wake up." That familiar voice cracked around that last sentence.

"Ash?" I managed to whisper. My throat was dry, and it felt tight, so the word that came out was no more than a low moan.

"Ember, you've got to wake up." I felt a warm, sweaty hand on mine. "You've got to." I turned my head to the voice and opened my eyes.

We were still in the ruins. Brock and Nikki stood behind the slumped figure that leaned towards my body. His hand was on the hand that still held the Quickball. He flipped his head toward the sky, the rain melding with his tears.

"Please," He whispered.

His hat lay on my stomach. His hair dripped. I was only barely conscious of the oddly formed rock under me. I swallowed once, twice, three times until my throat finally loosened.

"Ash. Ash, I'm here." He looked down at me.

"Ember!" I sat up, his hat falling onto my lap, and he hugged me.

"Didn't I tell you to run?" He laughed and let go, looking me in the eye.

"Next time," he said, "let me die."

"Never. Ash-." I looked around again. "Where's Misty?" He looked confused.

"She chased Cyrus off, why?"

"No, oh no, oh no-!" My chanting was cut off by a blood curdling scream, one I had heard only once before, that had come from the mouth of-

"MISTY!" we all yelled at once.