Chapter 3 == Run Away! ==

Ash looked at his surroundings; there were buildings on either side of the road which he was standing on and May was beside him. He had to keep moving he told himself, get away from those criminals who called themselves Team Flygon. He looked at May who had a worried look on her face and he thought back about what had happened.

As soon as the members of Team Flygon had started their attack, he was already running, trying to help his friends as well. However the members of Team Flygon were well trained and had efficiently brought down Brock and Max by ordering their pokemon to use dragon pulse on the humans.

Ash remembered the scared look in May's eyes as she watched her brother being attacked and not being able to do anything about it. But May knew that it was her top priority to escape and then get help for her friends. Ash and Pikachu, however, did all they could to save Max and Brock, Pikachu sending thunderbolt after thunderbolt towards the Flygon who weren't being affected by the electric attack because of them being part ground type. Also Pikachu couldn't get close enough to perform a physical attack because of the raging sandstorm. Ash remembered how hard his best friend had tried to help but its effort was futile and eventually Pikachu got hit by a flamethrower which had been fired by a flygon.

"Ash!" May shouted, "We need to get going, you look like you're in a dream, we need to escape they must still be on our tails."

Sure enough as Ash looked behind him he saw a dust cloud appear from an alleyway and he knew that they had to keep running.

"Quick May! Keep running" He told the young girl, taking her hand and leading her as she looked immobilised with fear.

As they continued to run in any direction away from the dust cloud Ash continued to reflect on what had happened after Pikachu had been hit.

His vision had been obscured by all the sand but all he could see was a mixture of flames and dragon pulse beams as he scurried backwards away from the commotion trying to formulate a way in which he could save Pikachu. Ash had then tripped and his pokeballs had fallen off when he hit the ground. But he was moving so quickly at the time that he didn't notice. May had pulled him to his feat and they both ran together, both knew that there was nothing they could do against such force.

Ash stumbled and returned to the very alarming present as he ran round a street corner, tripping on the curb. In front of him he noticed a pokemon centre which had neon lights on the roof reading "Pokemon Centre"

"Quick inside the pokemon centre," He told May as they approached it.

They entered the pokemon centre through the automatic doors and went up to the counter were Nurse Joy was standing.

"Hello, welcome to the Pokemon Centre, you're out late, how can I help you?" Time had passed rapidly since the attack and was now approaching 11 O'clock.

"Err…Hi!" Ash said, "Can you help us?"

After five minutes Ash and May had both explained what happened and were anxious to know if anyone could help their friends and pokemon.

"I will call the police immediately," Nurse Joy assured them "And in the meantime would you and your girlfriend like to stay the night here?" She asked Ash.

"Oh! Err she's not my girlfriend!" Ash replied rapidly blushing and slightly bemused.

"Yeah, we're definitively not boyfriend and girlfriend." May told Nurse Joy hurriedly. Nurse Joy noticed their reactions and smiled.

"Oh, I'm sorry I just thought because you were holding hands you must be."

Ash and May quickly released each other's hands which they had been holding subconsciously since they were escaping from Team Flygon.

"…Anyway, yes we would like a room please." May asked looking slightly shy.

"Okay," said Nurse Joy handing them some keys with "11" engraved on them. "Its room 11, just down there and on the left," Nurse Joy told them whilst pointing at a lit corridor.

"Thanks," Ash and May said together and walked off together to their room.

"Sorry about that," Ash told May as they entered the room.

"Ash it's not your fault," May told him, "After I was holding your hand as well."

"Well okay then," Ash told her as he sat down on the nearest bed to him.

May walked over to the other bed and copied Ash by sitting down. They were both tired so they both lay settled into their beds wearing their day clothes seeing as they didn't have anything else to wear. Ash just took off his cap and jacket and pulled the covers up over him. May undid her bandana and put it on the small table beside her and then snuggled into her bed.

"Night Ash," She said and switched of the lights.

"Goodnight May, sleep well" Ash replied quietly.

******************

At the Team Flygon Headquarters where Brock wasn't sleeping too well

"Oww," Brock groaned as he sat up rubbing his head, which was throbbing with pain along with the rest of his body. He looked around at his surroundings and soon stopped after he released that it was pitch black and it wasn't just his head blurring his vision. He tried to move around to see if he could feel anything or even find a light switch. However his attempts were thwarted by his right leg which had a big bruise down one side of it. Brock however couldn't see the bruise and as he felt his leg he thought it might be something much worse and began to worry and panic.

"Ash, May, Max!" He called out weakly, hoping somehow his friends would hear him although he highly doubted as he could hardly hear his cry let alone his friends who were probably far away.

No reply came and realisation struck him, he had probably been captured by Team Flygon along with his friends who couldn't have escaped. Brock thought back to the fight earlier:

A giant dust cloud had formed and he had been hit by a pokemon attack with Max at his side. He struggled to get up again and ran towards the vague outline of a flygon which was actually a signpost and he had knocked his head as he tried to rugby tackle it. And everything after that, understandably, was a blur.

Brock sighed and lay down again, the muscled in his back complaining as he did so but he tried to ignore the pain and closed his eyes. He thought about his friends as he slept and hoped that they were better off than him and he silently vowed to rescue them.

******************

Back at the Pokemon Centre

May woke up disturbed, she had been dreaming about her captured brother and Brock and her mind was going through all of the pain which they could be in at the moment. She glanced over her clock and realised that she had only been asleep for half an hour.

"This is no good." She told herself and out loud she said:

"Ash?"

"Yeah May?" Ash replied also immediately, he too couldn't sleep.

"I can't sleep Ash." She said, "I'm just so worried about Max and Brock and what they must be feeling now."

"I know, me too, it's horrible." He tried to consolidate but it ended up making May even more worried as her hero and the person whom she also looked up to for guidance was also scared. Ash realised that May's lack of reply was a bad think and he tried to re-assure her.

"May, I'm sure they'll be fine, Nurse Joy's called the police and in the morning I'm sure there'll be could news. Either that or I'm going to go right up to Team Flygon and rescue them myself." He told her boldly.

He heard her give a small laugh which didn't sound too good and Ash realised that she was crying.

"May, don't cry." He told her.

"A-ash, I just can't help it, you're being so brave and I'm just so worried about them I can't do anything." She wept after she said this.

"May-it's okay," Ash said and May heard him get out of his bed. She felt his warm body lie down next to her and wrap his arms around her, pulling her closer to him.

"Don't worry." He whispered into her hair and she hugged him tightly.

That was the last word said between the two of them before they fell asleep at the same time, locked in the embrace.

End of Chapter 3