Sunlight flooded in through the treetops, covering the ground in a warm light. A cool, yet comfortable breeze blew through Ash's hair as he ever so slowly opened his eyes. The strong morning light blinded him, forcing him to raise his arm to protect his fragile eyes. As soon as he did, a wave of fresh pain flooded his senses, making him drop his now raised arm to the ground again. A groan of agony escaped his lips as he blinked in an attempt to make the pain go away.
"Oh, you're awake". A feminine voice broke the silence, followed by the sound of boots hitting ground coming closer and closer to him. "You look like shit," the voice said, this time a lot closer.
"I feel like shit," Ash answered, his voice nothing but a hoarse whimper. His entire body ached, and moving only seemed to make it worse.
"Now, I don't mean to "kick you when you're down" or anything like that, but you're probably one of the most incompetent trainers I have ever met, and that is saying a lot, since I've only known you for about 24 hours," the voice stated matter-of-factly. Ash couldn't help but chuckle at that. He instantly regretted it though, as doing so caused his already dry throat to hurt even more.
"I'm sorry, you must be dying of thirst. Drapion's poison usually causes extreme dehydration, amongst a plethora of other equally deadly things, of course," the voice said. Ash heard the sound of someone rummaging through a backpack, before a canteen suddenly pressed itself against his lips.
"Here, drink this".
Ash's mouth moved on its own, gulping down as much water as it could. The cold liquid felt like heaven as it ran down his throat. Before long, the entire canteen was empty.
"Th… thank you," Ash gasped before letting his head fall back onto the ground. On his way down, he caught a glimpse of the owner of the feminine voice. She had dark blue hair running down her back, with a white cap covering the top of her head. Her eyes matched her hair in color, and if he had to guess, he would say she looked to be about 17 years old. Her stare was fixed on him, an eyebrow raised in confusion.
She's pretty.
The thought came to him out of nowhere, and he immediately coughed to break the awkward silence that had erupted between them.
"So, I guess I owe you, huh?" Ash asked, pushing himself off the ground.
"Well, I suppose you could say that… You're lucky I came along when I did, you were on your last legs when I found you," she answered, twirling a strand of her hair in between her fingers. "Actually, how did you manage to get stung in the first place? Drapion can usually only be found in deserts".
"Ahh, so that's what its called. Drapion… Well, I've never even seen a Pokémon like that before. As for how I got stung, it kinda just jumped at me from a bush. The thing was so damn fast I didn't even have a chance to react," Ash answered whilst scanning his surroundings. "Where are we, by the way?" The girl sent him a confused look.
"We are in Route 201, the first Route in Sinnoh, of course!"
Ash's mind went completely blank. Sinnoh? As in the region of Sinnoh? But that made absolutely no sense! Last night, he had been in Pallet Town! Despite not being the most well versed in geography, Ash knew enough to understand that there was quite a distance between Kanto and Sinnoh. And as far as he could remember, there was no Route 201 in Kanto.
Ahh, now I get it! She's joking! I mean, she must be, right? Right?
"Ahahah, that's real funny. No but seriously, where are we?" Ash said, shaking his head. The girl gave no response, and simply stared at him with a blank expression. A long moment of silence that seemed to last forever filled the void left by Ash's question.
"You're… not joking, are you?"
More silence.
"But that's absolutely, completely, totally not possible! Like, it is impossible on so many levels that I can't even begin to describe it! How can… what the…," Ash exploded, waving his arms around. The girl looked at him, before doing something completely unexpected: she laughed. Bending over, her entire body convulsed as she laughed and laughed. Ash, on the other hand, was too stunned to react. Before long, the laugh faded, and the girl wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Hahaha… haha… haa… Oh, that poison must've really messed with your brain or something," she giggled before taking a deep breath to regain her composure. "Alright, funny guy, where do you think we are?"
"Last night, I was in Kanto," Ash pouted, clearly unhappy with not being taken seriously. "Something happened, and I fell unconscious. When I woke up again, I was here in this forest, which I've never seen before". The female trainer went completely silent at that.
"You said… something happened? What exactly was it? Did… Did the sky turn purple? Did the ground shake with such ferocity you thought the very earth was going to rupture?" she asked, the laughter from before all but gone now. Ash's blood froze to ice in his veins as he listened to her describe the exact phenomenon he had witnessed earlier.
"Yes… That was exactly what happened. Did you… see it too?" he asked carefully. The girl stared at him, before nodding curtly.
It was at this moment that Pikachu decided to make his entrance. Looking like a yellow lightning, the rodent-like Pokémon darted towards Ash at an astonishing speed. Before Ash even had a chance to react, he found himself lying on the ground again, Pikachu covering his face with friendly licks.
"Hahaha, hey Pikachu! Oh, you must've been worried about me… I'm sorry old friend, I didn't mean to scare you," Ash smiled, scratching Pikachu behind the ears. All the while, the girl watched them both with growing interest.
"You have an abnormally good connection with your Pikachu," she noted, sending Ash a weak smile. He didn't have an answer to that, so he simply shrugged and pushed himself off the ground.
"Yeah, we've been through a lot together. I wouldn't want it any other way though". His travel companion and best friend let out a satisfied purr as he started wandering around the clearing, keeping an eye out for any threats.
"My name is Dawn, by the way," the girl said, hands casually placed on her hips.
"Nice to meet you, Dawn. I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town," he answered, nodding his head. "And thank you for saving my life. I definitely owe you".
"Dont sweat it," Dawn smiled.
Stretching his arms and looking up, Ash noticed a group of black-and-white birds flying across the sky. The girl followed his gaze to see what it was that had captured his attention.
"Oh, that's nothing to worry about. It's only a group of Starly. They're not hostile, unless aggravated, of course," she said. Ash nodded, but couldn't bring himself to look away. There was something… odd… about how they were flying. It was almost as if they were shifting into formation...
As they were watching, the group slowly circled back around before… flying straight towards them?
"Uhm, Dawn? Are they supposed to be doing that?" Ash asked as he kept his eyes fixed on the birds. He heard Dawn muttering curses under her breath as she suddenly dived for her backpack.
"No, they are definitely NOT! Time to go, and fast!" she shouted. Ash reacted instantly, grabbing his own backpack and putting on his magnetic belt. Pikachu, on the other hand, ran around in circles, bewildered and afraid. Before long, all of their possessions had been packed down, and Dawn was pulling Ash by the arm out towards the end of the clearing. The group of Starly had come considerably closer, and Ash couldn't help but feel panic starting to creep into his bloodstream. He could imagine their sharp beaks piercing into his flesh, tearing it apart like paper. Dawn on the other hand remained calm, guiding him with clear determination.
But despite her best efforts, Ash knew they wouldn't make it. The nearest bunch of trees remained far away, and the birds came closer and closer every second. Turning around, he saw the first Starly approaching, only a couple of meters behind.
Everything around him seemed to slow down. His breathing was controlled, his movements precise. He knew what he had to do, despite how idiotic the idea seemed. It was their only shot.
Ash threw himself forwards, pushing Dawn to the ground. Landing on top of her, he created a protective barrier around her, using his back as a shield. She had saved his life just hours earlier. Time for him to repay the favor.
The first couple of Starly flew straight over them, missing them with a good bit. But ever so slowly, the group of birds inched closer, until Ash finally felt the first one collide with his back. Luckily enough for him, the bird was taken by surprise, and hit him at an awkward angle. The Pokémon bounced off his back like a ragdoll, the impact sure to give him a bruise, but leaving him relatively unharmed.
The second Starly that hit him was a little bit more lucky. Its beak slashed across the skin on his back, tearing open a cut that bled viciously. Ash gritted his teeth and continued to weather the storm. A couple of seconds later, the onslaught of birds stopped, and Ash fell down next to Dawn, exhausted and bleeding. Shooting a quick glance at her, he was relieved to see that she had escaped completely unharmed.
"Why… Why did you do that?" Dawn gasped, pushing herself up into an upright sitting position.
"You saved my life. I thought I would do the same for you," he answered, panting for air. "There was no way we were going to reach those trees in time". Dawn sent him a concerned look, before grabbing his arm and pulling him up.
"Well, we can't stay here. They might come back, and this time, we won't be so lucky. Follow me". She immediately headed for a cluster of nearby trees, Ash clumsily scrambling after her. He was happy to see that Pikachu had also somehow escaped the attack without suffering a single cut.
When they finally reached safety, Ash fell to the ground as Dawn took off her backpack and opened it up.
"At least let me bandage your wounds. I only have a few medical supplies left, so you'll have to make do with what I've got". The tone she said it in left no room for questions, so Ash obediently sat up and removed his shirt. He noticed Dawn stealing a quick look at his toned body before scooting over.
"You are so incredibly reckless! You could've… no, you SHOULD'VE died there. Pure luck saved you," she ranted as she applied the bandages to his bleeding back. "I can't believe you even thought something like that would work!"
"But it did," Ash offered, letting out a short laugh. Dawn didn't seem to think it was nearly as amusing. Finishing her work, she took a step back to inspect the bandages. Satisfied, she nodded her head and returned the last scraps of medical supplies she had left to her backpack.
As Ash was about to stand back up again, Dawn did something completely unexpected. She sat down right behind him, and wrapped her arms around the top of his torso. Ash immediately felt his heart beat a little faster, and sat perfectly still.
"Thanks. I really mean it," she whispered in his ear. They sat like that for a while, feeling each other's presence and warmth. Moments like these were rare in a world inhabited by monsters, where every journey was a fight for survival. The embrace ended. Ash took a deep breath to stop his face from turning red, before standing up.
Nothing more than a friendly hug, he told himself as he put on his clothes again.
"I suppose we should head back to Twinleaf Town then. Professor Rowan will know what to do," Dawn said whilst pulling out a compass. She was surprisingly well equipped, Ash noted to himself.
"Sure," he answered, nodding his head. "We don't really have any other options, so I guess that makes sense".
With Dawn in the lead, the duo ventured forth towards the town that Ash had never heard of.
Twinleaf Town was, in many ways, very similar to Pallet Town. Its discreet location made it a place of little activity, rarely visited by travelers. The fresh scent of new leaves filled the air, and despite being a town placed in the middle of the wilderness, there was no hostile Pokémon to be seen. The entire place had a certain peacefulness over it, as if no trouble had ever befallen any of its citizens.
The duo took a break on top of a small hill overlooking the town. The sun had begun to set; the orange light making the trees cast long shadows over the grassy plains.
"That is Twinleaf Town, probably the most peaceful place in all of Sinnoh, and my hometown," Dawn proclaimed whilst rubbing her sore feet through her boots. The trip from Route 201 had been strenuous, but calm. Few words had been spoken between them, but Ash enjoyed the company of a fellow trainer nonetheless.
"Over there you can see Professor Rowan's house. He usually stays in his laboratory in Sandgem Town, but he has a spare home here in Twinleaf. Right now, he's our best bet at finding out exactly what it was that we… saw…," she let her sentence trail off as her eyes darted across Twinleaf Town, scanning for any signs of life. "Huh, that's weird… I can't see anyone. The town should be bustling with activity right about now…"
Ash squinted his eyes in an attempt to see for himself, and he quickly noticed that Dawn was right. He couldn't see a single person in the small town.
"You're right, it looks completely abandoned. Let's go take a closer look," he said, already up on his feet and ready to go. Pikachu jumped from his spot on the ground up onto Ash's arm, and sat down on his shoulder. The party quickly made their way towards the silent town, keeping an eye out for any threats.
When they arrived in Twinleaf, the first thing they noticed was how dead quiet everything was. Not a single sign of life could be found, and even after looking through the windows of several homes, they still couldn't find anyone.
"This is… not right. Everyone was here when I left to explore Route 201 two days ago. Where could they be?" Dawn muttered as Ash peered through yet another window.
"Don't ask me, I don't know any more than you do. What I do know, however, is that I'm absolutely famished. Do you have any spare food in your backpack?" Ash asked, rubbing his stomach with one hand.
"No, but my house isn't far from here. There's probably some food left in the fridge," Dawn answered, nodding towards a moderately sized house in the outskirts of town. The couple slowly made their way towards Dawn's home, constantly scanning for anything or anyone.
Stopping at the front door, Ash noticed a couple of huge claw marks scratched onto the wooden surface. Turning around, he saw Dawn's face turning pale, her hands clenched into fists. Pikachu saw it too, and carefully jumped down from Ash's shoulder to rub himself against her legs in an attempt to comfort her.
Ash grabbed a hold of the doorknob, and looked at Dawn. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded her head, and Ash opened the door ever so slowly. The wooden door creaked as it swung on its hinges.
Red. Red everywhere. The floor, the walls, the ceiling, all covered in specks and pools of red. At first, Ash couldn't quite comprehend what it was that he was seeing. The crimson liquid was everywhere, surrounding him on all angles.
Then it hit him. It was blood. Human blood. Blood smeared across every surface, splattered like from a mad painter's brush.
He heard Dawn gasp as she entered the room. Scanning the room, he spotted something in the corner of the living room. A shadow.
As he watched, the shadow turned around, and he saw red eyes staring back at him. Ash felt his heart skip a beat as he stared into those red whirlpools of pure malice. The Pokémon looked like something resembling a black and grey wolf. Its fangs and mouth was covered in blood, the liquid dripping down like water from an icicle. Behind him, Dawn fell to her knees, eyes wide with shock, her mouth agape.
Before he even had a chance to react, Pikachu was there, sparkling with electricity. A bright flash followed by a loud bang filled the room, blinding both of the trainers. The wolf-like Pokémon howled in pain, and Ash could hear it thrashing about wildly. Pikachu released another Thunderbolt, shocking the wolf yet again. This time, it didnt make a sound. The thumping sound of a corpse hitting the floor told him the Pokémon had lost its life. Pikachu had killed it.
Slowly regaining his senses, Ash spotted the wolf lying in a smoking pile in the corner of the room. Pikachu, looking satisfied, let out a short chitter before proceeding to hide behind Ash's legs. He couldn't blame him for that. Ash himself wanted nothing more than to go hide in a corner.
Throughout the entire attack, Dawn had remained on her knees, her face an emotionless mask. And as Ash scanned the room for any other signs of life, he spotted yet another shadow, this one a lot bigger. Slowly making his way over to it, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what the shadow actually was.
Oh my god… She's dead.
Before him, the mutilated corpse of a woman rested against the wall. Her stomach had been ripped open, her entrails covering her knees. A pool of blood had colored her clothes red.
Every logical thought in Ash's mind disappeared. He wanted to scream, scream as loud as he could, but his body refused to move. Then the nausea hit him.
Vomit flooded his throat, making him fall to his knees, gasping as wave after wave of stomach-fluid splattered onto the wooden floor. Dawn, on the other hand, sat perfectly still, her eyes flat and lifeless.
When he finally stopped vomiting, Ash dared look once more at the corpse. That's when he saw it. Her hair. It was dark blue.
Dawn screamed. Screaming at the top of her lungs, she leaned backwards, her entire body convulsing. When one scream ended, she took a deep breath and screamed again. Never stopping. Ash felt tears welling up in his eyes. She didn't stop. Ash heard it again and again. The scream of a girl who had just lost her mother. The scream of someone who had lost it all. A scream he had heard before, many years prior. Only this time, he wasn't the one screaming.
A/N: Wow, that got way darker than I originally intended. The world of Pókemon can be horrifying, that's for sure!
And with that, we have reached the end of yet another chapter! This one was a tiny bit shorter than the last one, but I felt like that was a good place to end it. I would like to thank everyone for the quite frankly amazing support on the first chapter, it completely blew me away! I understand that there was a couple of formatting issues with the story, but those should be fixed now!
As always, if you enjoyed the read, please be sure to leave a review, as it makes me eternally happy! And I will see you guys in the next chapter!
-Twisted
