Okay, the story's still in the works and I'm not promising a schedule when it comes to the updates. To be honest, you'll be lucky if you see me more than once a month. Now, this follows the basic plot of BlackWatch v.1, but actually makes sense and has a few surprises. Enough of my rambling.
This applies to all future installments: I DO NOT OWN POKEMON, ANYTHING RELATED TO POKEMON, OR ANY OF THE FRANCHISEES THAT WILL BE MENTIONED IN THE STORY. I OWN THE PLOT AND MY OC. THAT'S ALL. Although, I'm sure that through some loop-hole I don't even own the plot... *Grumbles*
If you wish to forget anything on the spot, make a note that this thing is to be remembered.
Edgar Allen Poe
Act I
Memories of Past Lives
I breathed deeply and felt the crisp night air swell in my lungs. The moonlight revealed a dusty dirt road and ominously still grass. Dawn, a blue haired, blue eyed, thirteen-year-old Coordinator shivered and drew her arms across her chest. The lean, tanned, and now silent, nineteen-year-old Brock simply placed his hands in his pockets and continued to walk against the breeze. The electric mouse, Pikachu, that normally rode upon my shoulder now resided inside my backpack, having taken refuge there against the cold, and I almost wished that I could join it, curled up with a blanket around me and not a care in the world. We were walking to Hearthome City and making good time seeing as we couldn't set out from Route 208 before noon, mainly because Dawn had to sleep in. Alright, I overslept too, but only because I was training Pikachu and Turtwig until midnight. Anyway, we had about an hour more of walking to do until we even reached the city limits and I found myself replaying past memories in my head, the day that I became a Trainer and received Pikachu, it didn't like me at all back then, but after I risked my life to protect it I guess that it started to respect me, and from there we became friends. After that I made friends with Misty from Cerulean City and Brock from Pewter City, with the three of them by my side (Pikachu included) I set out to earn all eight of the Badges from the Kanto Gym Leaders. I succeeded and took the part Indigo Conference and placed in the top sixteen.
Afterwards I hung around in the Orange Islands for a while, collected a few badges and moved onto Johto, there I collected the standard eight badges and placed in the Top Eight of the Silver Conference.
I returned home for a vacation and left for Hoenn alone, Brock had to help his parents back in Pewter City and Misty had to stay in Cerulean to help her sisters with the Gym. In Littleroot Town I met May Maple, she was about to receive her first Pokémon and wanted to tag along with me, I let her and soon we met her brother, Max and Brock, who had been able to catch a ferry over to Hoenn. While we were traveling together I noticed that I started to feel very attached to May and was more protective of her, I almost got into a fist fight with her rival, Drew, after he reduced her to tears after losing to him in a Contest. I asked Brock about what I was feeling, he laughed and told me I had a 'crush' on her. I didn't know much about romance at the time and didn't know what he meant by a 'crush.' It wasn't until a few months ago, when we each went our own ways after our adventures in Kanto, May to Johto for her Contests, Max to Petalburg to receive his first Pokémon, Brock to Pewter to help around the Gym, and me to Sinnoh for the Gyms. I remembered vividly when May came to me the night before she boarded her ferry.
The room in the Pokémon Center was dark, the only light spilled in through the window. The bed, bathed in moonlight offered peace, serenity, and comfort, beside the bed stood a nightstand, on top of which sat a Pokédex, a hat, and half of a ribbon. A backpack was propped against the desk in the corner of the room, inside was the average badge case, change of clothes, and toothbrush. The door opened softly and a girl, about thirteen padded across the soft carpet and to the bed.
"Ash?" She asked quietly, almost nervously.
"May? What's wrong?" The boy lying on the soft bed beneath the warm covers asked sleepily.
"I've…I've wanted to tell you something for a while now, I… I would give up Contests to stay with you." May began to stumble over her words now, "Don't get me wrong, I love Contests and all, but they don't mean as much to me if you're not there to cheer me on. I wish I could still travel with you but I don't-know-what-to-do-and-I'm-scared-of-being-alone." May hadn't meant to add the last part in, but once she started she couldn't keep the words from tumbling out as her eyes became misty and her breathing became irregular.
'May, don't worry, you'll be fine over in Johto, I'll go with if you want, Sinnoh isn't going anywhere.' Is what Ash should have said, but he was tired and anxious about the day to come and instead said, "May, you'll be fine, I felt the same way when I was about to go on my first journey, you just have a bad case of nerves, that's all. Don't worry, you'll knock 'em dead over in Johto, I know you will."
May nodded and tried to compose herself, she thanked him and left the room, allowing the boy to explore the darkness that pooled around his eyes and the slightly fuzzy feeling in the back of his head as he fell headfirst into dreamland.
I berated myself constantly from that night onward, which was for the better part of a year, I didn't know how or why, but I felt that something I had said had pushed May away, made her think that I didn't care. Of course this was completely untrue; I cared for May more than I cared for life itself. I had proven this more than once, when May fell into the fissure in the Valley of Steel, when May got stuck in the Forbidden Forrest, and in Samiya when I closed the door on the mini-sub and went to help Manaphy rescue the underwater 'castle.' If I ever saw May again I'd tell her that I missed her, I'd tell her about how I felt like I was missing a part of myself after we'd parted. I'd tell her that I felt almost unbearably happy around her, I'd tell her that-
"Ash!"
I snapped out of my thoughts just in time to see the sign that leapt out of nowhere just to make contact with my face. The impact startled me and more stunned than hurt, I fell on my back. It was only while I was falling that I realized that Pikachu was still inside my backpack. A split second later I was on my back, and for a beat nothing happened. Then I heard the sound of what was almost certainly scarier than Death itself.
"Chu…PIKACHU!" I felt every inch of my skin burn with the intensity of a thousand suns and suddenly go numb, my mind went blank, as if someone had taken a swipe at it with steel wool, my tongue felt like I had licked a shag carpet, and I was faintly aware of the smell of burning flesh and singed fabric. Somehow I had the presence of mind to roll over onto my stomach. Wait, I didn't roll, I was rolled by Brock and Dawn.
"Are you okay?" Dawn asked worriedly as my senses slowly began to return.
"Been better…" I groaned.
"You'd think that a fifteen-year-old Pokémon Trainer that wanted to be a Pokémon Master would be a bit more observant." Dawn joked.
If I had been on my own two feet I would've glared at her and made a remark about her hair, but it's hard to act condescending while you're sprawled out on the ground twitching.
"Can you two try not to fight until we can get to the Pokémon Center?" Brock asked tiredly.
"Well Ash, while you were inspecting that sign so 'thoroughly' did you happen to read what it said?" Dawn asked in such a tone that I didn't even have to see her face to know that she was smirking.
"Enlighten me…" I muttered as I started to examine the dirt that I was so close to. Interesting pattern, almost looked like the face of a Smeargle.
"We just entered Hearthrome's City limit, we'll be able to stay at the Pokémon Center in about an hour. If you get up off the ground that is." Brock said as he helped me onto my feet so I no longer had to stare at the dirt-Smeargle.
As we started to walk again I allowed my mind to wander and before I realized what was happening we were approaching the Pokémon Center and being bathed in neon lights. Despite the late hour an unusually high amount of people were out enjoying the city and it's many stores and the occasional club. Maybe it was just that Hearthrome was the most populated city in Sinnoh but I wasn't used to seeing so many people out in the middle of the night, a check of Dawn's Pokétch showed that the time was 24:31 and that most people should be in bed fast asleep.
People chattered happily and casually as we walked by, a few even recognized Dawn and jogged over asking for autographs. Brock's swooning for three different girls and Dawn signing shirts, paper, and one kid's hat stretched what should've been a ten minute walk into a twenty minute one, when we finally stumbled through the doors of the Pokémon Center Dawn sat on one of the benches while Brock booked us a room and tried to flirt with Nurse Joy.
I walked over to a small table where a group of teenagers were playing a card game, one boy with impossibly spikey hair sat across from a brunette girl.
"What's the brown furball thing?" I asked one of the onlookers, a blonde guy wearing a blue jacket and jeans, and gestured to a card that the boy was holding.
"Hey, don't tell her what cards are in my hand!" The boy said, obviously annoyed.
I took the hint that it was probably a good idea to back off; card games are serious business with some people.
"Hey guys, I got the rooms." Brock called over to Dawn and I. Together we walked down the hallway and went into our rooms, Dawn into her own, Brock and I into the one that we would share.
The room was decorated in the same style as every other room that you could rent at any other Pokémon Center; one window, two mattresses, a small study desk, three lamps and the two overhead lights, plush blue carpeting, a warm crème color for the walls, and two nightstands, each with a complimentary bottle of water. On the far end of the room sat a comfortable looking chair next to an end-table with copies of Contests Daily, PokéNews and, Card Games Today all stacked on atop the other.
I tiredly slipped out of my vest and shoes and very gently lowered my backpack to the ground and unzipped it partially so that Pikachu could get out if it wanted. After placing my hat on the nightstand I gently lowered myself onto the soft foam mattress and closed my eyes.
"I'm setting the clock for 09:00 that okay with you?" Brock asked from across the room.
"That works." I replied as I rolled onto my side and pulled the covers a bit higher.
I heard the light click off and Brock ease himself onto his bed.
"Goodnight." I said into the darkness.
"Goodnight." Brock replied.
And with that I felt my eyes droop, my mind fade into oblivion, and my breathing grow shallow.
A girl with long brown hair, a green bandana, and an orange blouse sat beside a boy with green hair and a purple jacket at a small table. Both of them had their individual meals, a bowl of noodles with fresh steamed-fish mixed in sat in front of the girl, while the boy had a burger and French fries. The girl playfully snatched a couple fries from the boy's plate.
"Aren't you going to ask, May?" The boy asked with a small sigh.
"Are you going to stop me, Drew?" The girl, May, replied as she giggled.
"No, I don't think I will."
"Then I don't see a reason why I should stop." May replied lightheartedly as she snatched another fry from his plate for emphasis.
"How many Ribbons do you have now?" Drew asked as May took a sip of her beverage, a dark fizzy liquid.
"Three so far, I should be able to get into the Wallace Cup, if all goes well." May replied once she swallowed her drink.
"That's great; as long as you keep your Pokémon well trained you should breeze right through."
"Aw… don't give me all the credit, I would never have gotten this far without your help. And I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for Ash."
"I'm glad you ditched him, he was hurting you more than helping." Drew said offhandedly.
"No he wasn't! He's the reason I even became a Coordinator, don't insult him!" May retorted angrily.
"All I'm saying is that you were influenced by him too much, that did a lot of damage to your style in the Contests." Drew said in a calming tone.
"First you insult my mentor and now you're talking down to me?" May asked, the hurt in her voice obvious.
"May, I'm not talking down to you, you're being a bit touchy right now, how much sleep did you get last night? Are you on your period?" Drew asked gently as he placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder, unaware that with every word he was hurting her more.
"I got plenty of sleep and no I'm not on my period. I haven't even had my first period yet." May replied, slightly offended by the question.
"Look, I'm just trying to help, I can't know what's wrong if you don't tell me." Drew said as he tried to calm down his girl- no, they weren't a couple, they liked each other a lot, but, it was…complicated. Either way his patience was beginning to wear thin and people around them in the restaurant were starting to stare.
"Why do you care so much, it's not like you love me!" May said as tears began to roll down her cheeks.
Drew flinched visibly at this, recoiling slightly as if he'd been slapped. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, neither looking the other in the eyes but both longing to catch the other staring.
"Maybe we should take a break for now." Drew said quietly, almost emotionlessly, as he stood from the table and tossed his Trainer ID down on the table to pay for the meal.
"Maybe we should." May said just as apathetically as her rival had.
The boy and the girl walked out of the restaurant together, but not with the lightheartedness, and nervous feelings that they had entered with.
I awoke with a start as I felt a hand press itself flat against my shoulder. Opening my eyes as I grabbed the hand by the wrist I saw that Brock was bent over me, trying to wake me up.
"C'mon man, it's time to get moving." Brock said as he shook me.
"I'm up…" I groaned as I opened my eyes, the light that streamed in through the open window and the sounds of the typical city hustle and bustle filled the room.
I gingerly rolled out of bed and stood, my legs burned from walking so long on uneven terrain, my shoulders ached from the straps of my backpack cutting into them for hours on end, a nice bruise had formed above my left eye, and my knees felt like they'd buckle at anytime.
"You okay?" Brock asked as I wobbled a little.
"Yeah, I need a shower." I replied as I walked across the carpeted floor to the small bathroom that came with the room.
I closed the door and stepped into the small shower cubicle and turned set the water as hot as I could stand it, it poured onto my shoulders and back, relaxing the muscles in my back and neck. I just stood in the shower for close to ten minutes, staring at the tiled walls and the floor the anti-slip floor thinking about the dream that I had, did it mean that I missed May more than I knew, or had the event actually happened? I didn't know a lot about romance, but it was obvious that there was something going on between May and Drew, and what was a 'period?' Something to ask Dawn about… I suddenly realized that I was ridiculously hungry and stepped out of the shower, toweled off, and dressed in clean clothes in hopes of getting some breakfast before having to get moving for the day.
Dawn was sitting on my bed with a plate of eggs, pancakes, and toast, across from her sat Brock, who was eating a bowl of cereal. I looked around and saw a tray with a plate full of pancakes and a small berry salad.
"What do we have to do today?" I asked as I sat down.
"I need to register for the Contest and Fantina already left for that Silver Conference or whatever." Dawn replied before she speared part of a pancake with a fork.
"Looks like we'll be staying here for a week or so then, when do we get set for your Contest?" I asked.
"Well I need to get my hair done so I can dress up, I need to give Piplup and Pachirisu baths, and I should probably go shopping for a few accessories for both of them, then seeing as the Appeals are tomorrow I'll have to practice." Dawn ticked off on her fingers.
"I need to get more supplies for us," Brock began, "and I think that you two should go together, you're safer that way." Brock advised as I groaned.
"But Brock… she wants to go shopping." I whined.
"You'll survive." Brock replied as he stood and moved towards the door.
Dawn and I finished our breakfast in silence and together we walked into the lobby, past the group of people playing card games, this time it was a stoic brown haired boy playing against a blonde haired guy with an accent that I had never heard before, and onto the street.
Together Dawn and I walked to the closet hair salon, where Dawn was told that they could fit her in in an hour and a half.
"Will that be okay for you?" The receptionist asked with a smile as she handed Dawn a pager.
"Oh, it's perfect! I need a bit of time to get some accessories for my Pokémon, and I don't want to do that right after I get my hair done." Dawn replied happily as she took the electronic and hooked it to her backpack strap.
"You're participating in the Contest?" The receptionist asked in surprise.
"Yup!" Dawn answered with a grin.
"I've heard that there are going to be some top-tier Coordinators there, you'd better bring you're A-game." The girl advised politely.
"Even if I don't win this one I should be able to get the next Ribbon easily enough." Dawn laughed.
"Well you certainly don't lack confidence, that's good! Anyway, don't let me keep you, go get your accessories girl!" The receptionist giggled.
"Oh, you're right; we'll be back in an hour and a half." Dawn replied as she dragged me out the door and onto the street.
Dawn and I walked down four streets before she finally decided that a shop met her standards and together we walked in.
"Hey Dawn," I began as I remembered my question from earlier, "what's a 'period?'" I asked.
Dawn froze for three seconds flat as she started to blush.
"Th-the thing that goes at the end of a sentence." She finally stammered.
That didn't make sense, why would Drew ask May if she was on her 'period' if it was just part of a sentence? And why would Dawn get so embarrassed about it if it was something so innocent?
"But why would a guy ask a girl if she was on her period then? It doesn't make sense." I pressed.
"Ash, where'd you hear about periods?" Dawn asked as her blush spread to her neck.
"I had this dream where-" I started before Dawn cut in with, "I don't want to hear about your perverted dreams!" and clamped her hands over her ears.
"What? I just-"
"Shut up, Ash!" Dawn cried as she clapped a hand over my mouth.
I decided that if Dawn was so adamant about me not knowing then I could easily ask Brock or someone else later, so I let the issue drop.
For the next hour I leaned against a wall as Dawn hurried around the store, which was set up with tall shelves lining the walls while smaller cases were placed around the floor space in the shape of a rectangle.
For the most part I daydreamed about what battle strategies I could use when Fantina would get back, her Pokémon would definitely be stronger from the Silver Conference, but they'd also be tired out, which would make them much easier to defeat. I'd heard that she had a Drifblim, that'd be the hardest one to take down because of that psychic thing it does; if you knock it out with a physical attack, your Pokémon would take the excess damage. Pikachu's Volt Tackle was always an option because of how little damage electricity would do to him, but then there was still the physical trauma… Defeating Fantina would be no easy task… Maybe if I had Turtwi-
"Ash!" I heard my name and whipped my head up, slamming it into the wall by extension.
"What do you need, Dawn?" I asked as I rubbed the back of my head.
This proved to be a big mistake as I accidently touched the large bruise from falling last night, and while yanking my hand away, slapped the fresh one that was already starting to blossom. Color exploded behind my eyes and I was almost driven to my knees from the pain.
As I said at the top, I don't plan on updating regularly so I'd advise subscribing. If you want to Review then please let me know what about the story you like, hate, are annoyed by, or want to 'borrow' for your own purposes.
