Hey everyone! Facescar here, back with Chapter 4 of "What's Left Unsaid".
I want to thank everyone who left a review, gave advice, or "motivated" me to finally finish this chapter. It's quite a doozy... XP Specifically, Syugecin, Betamax16, and NeoMiniTails deserve a lot of credit, you all helped a ton!
Anyways, on with the show! (I've noticed a pattern with the chapter names, have you?)
Chapter 4 - The Dark Night
Intense nothingness.
What was so noticeable now was not some towering tree or fledgling Pidgey, but instead the ink-black "world" itself, if utter lack could be a world in itself. The Moon and its usual backdrop were gone, hidden by self-cloaking clouds. Even the incessant lights of man could not violate the dark preserve.
In the abyss, nothing stirred, almost as if nothing existed. Only the shapeless, inconsistent sounds of seeping liquid and broken gusts could permeate the wall from light.
…
"Nrrrmmm…"
…Cold…
A brisk breeze blew over bare arms, rousing a young man roughly into a barely conscious state. As his sense of touch began slowly returning to him, he became, slowly, aware of his surroundings. Inhaling deeply, he could feel his lungs chilling, rousing him from sleep further.
It's cold… Why? Why is it so cold…? How long was I out?
Ash's eyelids strained open slowly, struggling to overcome their newfound weight. His eyes, black of course, expected to once again ensnare the deep, fire-like sky. They were, instead, shocked by the dark void that surrounded him. For a moment, Ash thought he was alone, awaking to some new reality. Perhaps he was in a dream, a vision of some alternate, black, formless realm. As he began to stir physically, stretching hesitantly yet violently to awaken himself, he realized that the sounds carried differently in the cold, open air. It was not that they were distorted, necessarily, but rather that they carried a much sharper tone. The popping of some undetermined joint as he stretched his arm sounded like a gunshot, and the noise of the fabric of his shirt adjusting itself to his movements sounded like a tarp reacting to a strong snap of the wrist. He could hear every sound with precision- or… maybe it was just his still-groggy mind creating another dreamscape through sound. Ash felt totally self-contained, uncertain of anything anymore. He still wasn't sure where he was, or even what time he found himself in.
Then he noticed Dawn.
Dawn was still asleep with Ash's jacket limply draped over her shoulders. Ash jumped slightly when he realized that she was resting her head heavily on his otherwise isolated shoulder. Adjusting awkwardly, now mindful of her light yet weighty presence, Ash realized too that Dawn had wrapped one of her arms loosely around him in her sleep, pulling them even closer together. Trying to make out her face as his eyes worked desperately to adjust to the darkness, he noticed a slight tint on her cheeks.
His progressively awakening brain raced… or, it tried to race, but there was some sickeningly darkened gum on his brain's foot, and it couldn't keep up with itself.
She's… blushing? I- I wonder what she must be dreaming… about? Or maybe she's… she's warm from wearing my jacket? Should I take it off? I am cold… I could use it now… But would it be mean? I mean…
Ash sat in stunned silence for what seemed like an eternity, uncertain of what to do, or if even speaking in this unusual existence would break some fittingly unspoken code. After sitting and attempting to think, a futile effort, for what felt like an hour, although it wasn't nearly that long, Ash realized that they had to get back to her house, and fast. Now that his eyes had adjusted and his brain had fully awakened, he started scanning his surroundings for the forest's edge, hoping to spot the narrow trail that Dawn had used to bring them here.
He still couldn't see anything past her.
He had long ago noticed the massive tree behind him, and that they were still near lake Verity. But finding a way out of this unfamiliar terrain in the dead of night seemed daunting, to say the least.
What time is it? It must be well past curfew by now…
Realizing that he and Dawn had to get moving, but uncertain of where to go or how to do it, Ash tried to wake Dawn up. Shaking her shoulder gently, he spoke in a near-whisper, "Hey, Dawn?" Despite shallowly waking from her sleep, Dawn only replied with a few incoherent mumbles, before burying her head deeper into Ash's shoulder.
Ash probed again, "Dawn? Come on, we need to get up now." He felt increasingly awkward with each word.
With a slight shudder, the voice on his shoulder replied with a small, weak sound, "J- just five more minutes Ash… I'm tired."
Realizing that being Mr. Nice Guy wouldn't work; he decided to have a little fun. Raising his voice in fake alarm, he yelled, "Dawn, what happened to your hair?"
Dawn's eyes shot open as her face drained. Mysteriously gathering strength, she immediately threw herself away from him, grabbing frantically at her hair. Realizing that it was all still in place, her sudden burst of energy faded as quickly as it had appeared. "ASH KETCHUM! I'M GONNA… I'm gon-… I…"
And then she was falling. Ash hastily scrambled over, reaching her just in time to catch her near-lifeless form. Realizing that Dawn wouldn't be able to walk for a while, Ash sighed and closed his eyes. Now he had to figure a way out of this forest of no shadows…
As Ash set Dawn down to think, a dark, heavy mist rolled silently through the forest.
Pikachu… Where's Pikachu?
He hadn't seen his electric companion since he and Dawn had fallen asleep against the tree. In fact, he hadn't seen Piplup and Buneary either.
Where could they be? I'm sure they wouldn't have strayed far.
Suddenly, a bold of small lightning arched out, contrasting violently with the black, nearly liquid air. Ash, his eyes startled back into blindness by the sudden flash of light, stumbled back a bit before scrambling in the direction of the flash. Where there was lightning, there was…
"Pikapi!" A small but familiar lump landed on his head, just as -
"Bun-eary!" another one landed on his gut [1], although he was pretty sure the Rabbit Pokemon hadn't intended to slam into him headfirst. Concerned, Pikachu jumped down and picked his slumping companion up off the ground. Out of embarrassment, Buneary pulled away, falling on her face in the process.
Ash watched with restrained amusement the scene unfolding below him, but he noticed a problem. "Hey, Pikachu, where's Piplup?"
Pikachu, who was picking Buneary up yet again, quickly dropped her and waved his short arms dramatically. After listening for a bit, Ash finally understood what he was saying.
"He left?" Ash blurted out, covering his mouth and checking behind himself nervously. Seeing that Dawn was still asleep, Ash turned back towards the flailing mouse and dejected bunny. "So this wasn't too long ago, huh? Then he must still be close by." Standing up, Ash stared off into the still-dark horizon, searching desperately for a way out. He didn't know the region, Dawn was barely conscious, and now her most prized Pokemon was gone.
Regardless, Ash knew he had to stay positive. "All right, let's go find him!"
Walking back towards the still-unconscious form of Dawn, Ash thoughtlessly ran his fingers over the five minimized Pokeballs resting on his belt.
Find Piplup and bring Dawn home… Well, maybe I can get both done in one shot. If Piplup ran away from here, he's probably headed home…
"Gible! I choose you!" The Land Shark Pokemon landed with a light thud, staring, unfazed, into the darkness. "Gible, Draco Meteor!"
Gible's whole body lit up with a glowing orange light, made all the more spectacular as it contrasted violently with the liquid darkness around him. As the light began gathering steadily in his gut, a large sphere of Dragon energy formed in his mouth. Given Gible's small size, the powerful attack soon overwhelmed him, forcing his mouth wide open. When the odd, Pac-Man-shaped Pokemon couldn't take it anymore, he fired the attack into the blackened sky. The sphere seemed, not to rise, but to shrink against the clouded sky before it finally reached its apex. The ball "popped" in a small puff of smoke, and a single, smaller sphere made its way gently down into the distance. To Ash and the Pokemon, who were watching the attack intently, the failed Draco Meteor seemed to be arcing across the sky, growing smaller and smaller as it weaved over the invisible horizon. Finally, the attack slammed into earth, creating a sizable explosion.
"Piplup must be over there! Let's get Dawn and go!" Ash said, quickly turning back to where he had left her. Somehow finding her in the dark, Ash knelt over her still-sleeping form, uncertain of how he was going to pick her up. In the past, if Dawn had fallen asleep on the trail, Ash had relied on Brock to carry her. But now, Brock was long gone, and Ash would have to find a way to carry her.
Ash tried first to wake Dawn up but, like before, she didn't stir. Undeterred, Ash propped Dawn up against himself, trying to get a feel for her weight. Realizing that there was probably no other way, Ash stood slowly, struggling to pull Dawn up with him by the shoulders. Finally, he'd reached a point where Dawn was upright, but leaning against him heavily for support.
She's almost as big as I am… so how is this going to work? I'm not nearly strong enough to carry her, so I guess the only solution is to…
And so, Ash Ketchum dragged Dawn the several miles back to her house, at an excruciatingly slow pace. It wasn't exactly the most refined way to move Dawn, but it worked.
Every once in a while, to check his course, Ash would call out another Draco Meteor, following the squirming path of the bright orange ball as it found its way to Piplup. Ash had long since learned from his electric buddy that Piplup had indeed run back home. The Penguin Pokemon had felt ignored by Pikachu and Buneary, who had apparently had an interesting night of their own. The whole way back, Buneary wouldn't stop blushing, and Pikachu wouldn't stop being embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
I'll have to ask them what's going on… Ash noted to himself
Finally, the four reached Dawn's house, where a series of still-sizzling craters littered the walkway to the house. Ash sweatdropped when he saw the carnage, "Maybe I shouldn't have called out so many…"
"Pika…"
Nevertheless, Ash was thoroughly relieved to have finally made it back, and started to ease Dawn off his shoulder. But Dawn, who was still stuck firmly in dreamland, seemed to have other plans. Somehow feeling herself slip off Ash, her previously peaceful face swiftly changed into one of discontent, and she unconsciously reacted.
"WAH!"
Dawn had thrown herself on top of Ash, wrapping her arms tightly around his shoulders. Her head planting itself sideways into the back of his head, making Ash fall forwards. With a small grunt, Ash landed face-first, quickly followed by a now content Dawn. "So warm…" she said with a smile.
"Pikapi!"
Ash, with swirls in his eyes responded in a dazed voice, "N-no need to worry, Pikachu."
Suddenly, the front door to Dawn's house flew open, revealing a rather worried looking Johanna and a peeved looking Piplup. Seeing Gible, Piplup immediately launched himself into a frenzy, ruthlessly attacking the oblivious Pokemon. Soon, Gible disappeared in a flash of red light, leaving Piplup swinging at a puff of dirt.
"Dawn! Ash! Where have you two been?" came a concerned voice from the doorway. Johanna stood there, leaning forward slightly, obviously expecting some kind of explanation. Ash felt incredibly awkward. Here he was, lying underneath her sprawling daughter while Johanna stood above both of them. Luckily, however, she seemed to be ignoring this.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?"
Ash sweatdropped, "Sorry Johanna, but we kinda dozed off by the lake, so I didn't really know."
Johanna seemed visibly more relaxed, "Hmm, I see. Well, take Dawn inside and I'll get you something to eat. You must be starving!" Excited at the prospect of food, Ash quickly got up and found the strength to carry Dawn in on his back. As he dragged her along, her feet collided somewhat with the tips of the wooden stairs. Pikachu and Buneary followed close behind, happy to once again reach civilization. Piplup kicked the dirt, stubbing a toe, before he finally made his way back to the house.
After eating his fill and making sure Dawn was comfortably resting, Ash stood up. He felt rather well rested from his sleep earlier, and could already see the sun starting to peek up above the distant mountains. As he walked over to the door, Johanna interrupted him, "Ash, where are you going? Shouldn't you be getting some more rest too?"
With a small smile, Ash replied, "No need to worry! I'm going to go take a quick walk while Dawn's still snoozing." With that, he left the house and started a short walk around Twinleaf Town.
As Ash trudged through a dirt path on the outskirts of Twinleaf, he watched the Sun slowly rise over the horizon.
Twinleaf sure seems cool. It's so peaceful here, just like Pallet Town.
Maybe that's why he loved to keep moving. The fresh morning air, the way it always recharged his spirit, there was just something about it; something that kept him motivated. He knew one thing was for sure, that he couldn't stop here. As much as he didn't want to make Dawn sad, as much as he had loved traveling in Sinnoh, it was time for him to move on. He was getting restless.
As he walked, he noticed a slight rustling in his pocket. Reaching his hand in, his fingers caught the edge of a small slip of paper.
That's the note Brock gave me. I wonder if Brock meant for me to read it now…
Ash grabbed the note between his thumb and forefinger and pulled the roughly crumbled note from his jeans, staring at it as he reached the top of a large hill. As he sat on a large rock near the peak, he began unfurling the paper. Flattening the mysterious note against the rock, Ash quickly read through the short message.
So I want to move on… but what about Dawn? What about her?
Today was her day. She was finally going to fly. She wasn't sure where her companion had gone, but she knew that, in order to catch up with him, time was of the essence. So she climbed the short yet tall wall, and stood at the edge.
The world swam out of focus beneath her. Never before had she peered over the edge and looked down. From this mammoth tree, the ground was some distance blob, blocked from view by the occasional branch or passing fogy cloud. She chirped slightly out of shock, but immediately reminded herself of her goal. After one last practice flap, she was ready.
And so the second Pidgey left her nest.
"Spend more time with Dawn. She would like that." Ash just stood in place, not sure what to think of the message.
Spend time with her? What does he mean? He knew we were still going to be traveling together for a while.
Unable to make sense of the note, he looked up, noticing a golden Pidgey flying unsteadily across the sky, almost gliding towards the rising sun.
Ash let himself in through the front door, taking off his shoes and walking towards the videophone sitting in the living room.
"Welcome back Ash!" Johanna said from her seat in the next room. "Dawn's still asleep, but she'll probably be awake again soon."
"Thanks Johanna, can I make a quick call on the phone?" Ash said, gesturing to the dormant device.
"Of course!"
Ash dialed in his home number, waiting a few seconds before his mother's overly enlarged face appeared on the screen.
"Ashy-kins? Honey? Is that you? How's your you-know-what? Are you still changing it everyday?" his ecstatic mother almost screamed into the screen, running through her usual questions [3].
"Come on mom…" Ash replied, embarrassed. Hearing snickering beside him, he turned to see Pikachu bouncing down the stairs, a large ketchup bottle resting, lopsided, in his grip.
"Oh hi Pikachu!" Delia said, her face pressing up against the display glass, "Where did you find that bottle? Put it back this instant!" Pikachu hugged the bottle tighter, obviously unwilling to leave his tomato love.
"It's all right Delia, it's good to see you again!" Johanna said, coming up on the other side of Ash.
"Oh! Johanna! It's so nice to see you too! How's Dawn do-" Ash quietly crept out of the motherly conversation, following Pikachu up the stairs to Dawn's room. Even if she was still sleeping, he had to still pack up for today.
Reaching the hallway outside the room, Ash quietly slid the door open, poking his head in. Dawn was sleeping on her bed, as usual, with Piplup and Buneary both resting near her feet. Ash's entrance seemed to have no effect, but the moment Pikachu stepped in, Buneary leaped into action, tackling the electric rodent to the ground.
Laughing a bit at Pikachu's embarrassed reaction, Ash made his way over to his stuff, and began to pack up his stuff. Soon, Buneary noticed and bounced over, poking suspiciously at his pack. Ash quickly realized what was wrong.
"You want to know what this is for? So… Dawn didn't have a chance to tell you, huh?" Buneary just stared at him, more confused than ever. "Well, Pikachu and I are leaving today."
Buneary stood rooted to the ground, motionless for what seemed like an eternity. While her body was still, it was clear something profound had changed. As she understood what Ash meant, her eyes changed from beady and questioning to teary and absolutely horrified.
This was going to be a long day.
Just across the dim room from the rummaging trainer was his Sinnoh traveling companion's still-sleeping form. Despire her relaxed state, her face showed a clear sign of dissatisfaction and- oddly enough, a cool temperature.
She had been sleeping for hours now, but was finally coming back from her inward excursion. Inwardly, the gears began to turn, but her outward appearance remained peacefully unhappy.
…Where am I? This fells like… could it be? The last thing I remember, I was by the lake with Ash, and he was yelling about my hair… MY HAIR!
Dawn's eyes shot open as she lurched upright and screamed, grabbing wildly at her bed-head. Ash, who was just finishing to pack up, fell over sideways out of surprise, but recovered quickly. From the floor, he quipped, "Hey Dawn, nice to hear you're awake."
"Ohh," she replied irritably as she continued to mess with her hair. "Stop looking at me!"
Ash, though, was way ahead of her, already opening the door to leave. "I'll get Piplup for you."
Dawn, surprised by his calm reaction, called out after him, "Wait Ash! Where are they?"
Ash stopped at the doorway, his silhouette framed nicely by the much stronger hallway lights. He answered her question, but didn't look back at her. "Piplup's tring to make friends with Glameow[4] and Buneary's refusing to let go of Pikachu. I… I kinda told her about what's happening today." Ash walked out of the doorway, closing the portal to light behind him.
"Oh…"
-END CHAPTER-
AN: Hey everyone! You might have noticed that this style was slightly different. I struggled to write the first 30% or so, but the rest flowed nicely. And, for those wondering why the start is so jagged, it's supposed to be like that :)
Next time: Ash Says Goodbye!
References:
[1] A reference to DP009, "Setting the World On Its Buneary", when the then wild pokemon ran into a tree headfirst. At the time, she was blinded by her own fur; this time, she was blinded by the darkness, much as Ash was.
[2] The color of a shiny Pidgey is golden. What's interesting is that, in M11's ending Japanese Theme, Dawn (who the song is clearly from the perspective of) says that someone (almost definitely Ash) shines. I reversed this for their Pokemon representations.
[3] A running gag in Pokemon (which we haven't seen in a while, unfortunately) is that Ash's mother, Delia, keeps asking Ash if he is changing his underwear everyday. I love this joke, obviously :).
[4] You may remember that, in the episode where Dawn fought Johanna, Glameow AND Umbreon both ignored Piplup's friendly advances. Since, however, Umbreon isn't seen as often, I chose to just mention Glameow.