In the darkness, slowly, they walked. Stumbling every once in a while, Jared and chikorita trudged their way through the dense forest. Having no clue where they were headed, Jared and chikorita were quiet, listening closely for any wild pokemon. Chikorita was on Jared's shoulders, looking over, and Jared, still very injured, was limping his way through the brush.

"Hey, dont be so afraid, we will be there soon." Jared reassured chikorita.

"Chii..."

We can't be that far away from Lemon Town, thought Jared, I dont know how much longer we can endure.

Suddenly, their newfound spark of hope shown through the woods, the first street lights of Lemon Town! He stepped out unto the path leading from Lemon Town to Banana Town, a path he deliberately did not take so as to not get caught, and sighed a huge sigh of relief. The pokemon center was about a block away, and the red roofed building filled Jared with such ecstasy he did not realize what was happening twenty feet to his left. Two large men in purple clothes were holding down a grown man, demanding for money. But Jared did not see this, nor was he in the condition to deal with it, so he rushed over as fast as his limped legs could carry. He opened the doors and rushed to the front counter, where a nurse joy was snoozing.

"Hey! Excuse me? Please this is an emergency!" Yelled Jared.

"Huh...wha?" Nurse joy replied, "...ummm...oh..oh! OH!" She seemed to have come back to planet Earth at this moment.

"Please help me! My pokemon and i are badly hurt! We need help!"

" Ok! Let me get the stretcher!" Said Nurse Joy.

She came around the corner a minute later with a stretcher, and Jared laid chikorita on it, and hobbled around to push it. All the while, Nurse Joy was staring at him like he was a madman.

"Kid! That thing was for you!" Said Nurse Joy.

Jared was getting impatient, "I dont need it! Help her! PLEASE!" yelled Jared very loudly.

Looking stunned, the nurse pushed the stretcher around the corner, and Jared followed.

The pokemon center was getting darker to Jared, his vision was fading, the world was spinning. He was running through the hall, he couldn't leave chikorita, he couldn't lose her! She was not just a pokemon, she was a friend, and this was the moment he saw it, just as his visions were fading. The Darkness.

He was in a room. No, a space, an open plane. There was no solid ground. There was no up or down, left or right. Just, The Darkness. This is what he wanted, the whole of existence, to be like this, in The Darkness. Not Jared, this isn't what he wanted!

'Why am i thinking this? This is not what i want! This is not real!' Thought Jared.

"And yet, you struggle with believing even yourself..." Said a dark, bellowing voice, if you could even call it a voice. It sounded more like a thousand low ringing bells somehow manifesting a voice, and it made Jared sick to his stomach. "You will soon see, Jared, all will be revealed in due time, although, it will already be too late..."

Jared shot up, leaned to the side, and threw up. There was light, thank goodness there was light! But why was he thinking that? Theres always light, isn't there? What was he dreaming about, what was that mysterious voice?

"Oh you will be fine, and so will your chikorita!" Said Nurse Joy's voice from across the room. "I'll call in someone to clean that up, don't worry, right now you need rest."

"So she is going to be alright?" Asked Jared.

"Well thats what i said wasn't it?"

"Oh, well excuuuse me!"

"Don't you cock and attitude with me you little shit! I saved your ass!" Said Nurse Joy, probably really tired from staying up all night.

"...Sorry..." Said Jared

"It's fine, I understand, natural trainer's worry in you, that's a good thing you know!" Said Nurse Joy, "But you know what isn't a good thing? These!" She said as she pulled out the cigarettes from her drawer, "These can kill you know! Why do you have these!"

"Oh" was the only thing that Jared could even comprehend saying at that moment.

"You know what? I don't even care! Im just going to throw them away! And you wont get them back!"

"...oh...ok..." Said Jared, he couldn't really even care less, he was just ready to leave. He was sad that his only shot at money was gone, but he could find other ways of getting money.

A few hours later, jared and chikorita were released, and chikorita was doing great. Not only great in health, but she was excited to be able to tag along with Jared.

"So chikorita, you wanna travel with me?"

"Chii! Chiii!" Chikorita jumped in excitement.

'Well that answers it,' thought Jared, 'now where off to?'

That internal question was answered immidiately by a woman's scream. Jared didn't even think, he just ran towrds the scream, he didn't care who it was or what might have been around the next corner, he was just determined to help who was in need. And it was this perfect sence of selflessness that would get Jared so far in his journey. What happened to the mystery woman? What happened to the man Jared didn't notice? Where will his journey take him next? And who else will he meet? Find out, in the next chapter of, Pokemon! Eternal Darkness!