A Cry in the Night

Jake walked happily through the forest by Ash's side. Ash was lost in his own thoughts as the forest slowly grew darker. "Tori?" Jake asked, breaking Ash out of his thoughts, "How far is it to the Pokemon Center?" Ash looked around, "It shouldn't be far," Ash said, but what he thought was, Good question. What direction did I come from? "Tori?" Jake asked again, "what? Ash replied. "We're lost, aren't we?" Jake asked calmly. Ash didn't answer instead he wandered in front of Jake, "I think it's this way," Ash said trying to sound like he knew where they were.

The two boys and their Pokemon walked in one direction for what seemed like forever. Pikachu was riding on Ash's hat and Eevee was in Jake's arms. Ash walked ahead looking for..... looking for.... Where is it? Ash thought. Ash was looking inside himself for that feeling that had led him to Jake. He thought that the same feeling would lead him back to the Pokemon Center, but the feeling had long since passed. It stopped when I found him, Ash thought, looking down at Jake.

Ash was starting to worry, the sun had gone down and it was getting hard to see where they were going at all. Ash had thought about sending out Charizard for some light, but Ash didn't fell like getting barbequed at the moment. The night wouldn't have troubled Ash so much if he had just taken his backpack with him. Then at least, he would have had a sleeping bag and maybe some food, but no. He was wandering around the woods at night, totally lost, and all because he had been given a strange message from Jacob while he slept.

It was then that Ash realized he hadn't mentioned the strange dream to Jake at all, maybe now was a good time. "Hey Jake, were you uh....trying to talk to me earlier?" Jake gave Ash a confused look, "trying to talk to you?" Jake asked. "Yeah," Ash said unsurely. Jake's gaze wandered off into the darkness, he seemed to be thinking, "When do you think I was trying to talk to you?" Jake asked curiously. Ash kicked at a stone trying to act like it was no big deal, "Well, you know, a little while before I found you." Jake looked at Ash strangely, "Before? I think I was taking a nap, Tori." Of course! Ash thought, In my dream he was asleep on that couch. "But you don't remember trying to talk to me? You didn't have any strange dreams?" Ash asked, growing slightly desperate. Jacob looked down at the ground and mumbled something. "What?" Ash asked. Jake looked up from the ground and sighed, "I said I don't remember my dreams."

Pikachu had been listening to Ash's conversation with Jake and the little electric pokemon was starting to worry about his trainer. "Pikapi, Pi chu kachu pika?" Pikachu asked. Ash sighed, "I feel fine, Pikachu." Jacob looked at Ash with worry, "Are you sure? You aren't making sense. You didn't hit your head or anything like that?" Jake asked. Ash stopped dead in his tracks, "I said I'm fine! Now let's just stop talking and get walking so we can get to the Pokemon Center," Ash said irately.

They started to walk again, but Ash and Jake didn't talk anymore. Finally after a few minutes of walking Jake broke the silence, "How are we supposed to get to the Pokemon Center if we're lost?" Ash continued to walk, deciding he wasn't going to answer that question. Then Ash got an idea, "Pikachu why don't you get down and see if you can smell anything. Maybe you can pick up our trail we used to find Jake." Pikachu nodded and hopped down from Ash's hat. Pikachu began sniffing the ground he went around a tree and then his ears perked up. "Pikapi, Pikachu!" Ash smiled, "Alright! Come on Jake, Pikachu found the trail." Jake simply nodded and smiled, "I know what he said Tori." Ash looked at Jake surprised. "Did you forget that I know what Pikachu says too?" Jake asked. Ash laughed nervously, "Uh, of course not! I remember." With that the two boys set off towards the Pokemon center.



****

After Ash and Jake followed Pikachu for a few minutes Ash became more confident that they were going the right way. He was sure that some of the trees looked familiar. Jake had started to slow down until he finally came to a complete stop. Ash had continued on ahead, not realizing Jake had stopped. When Ash realized Jake wasn't beside him he started to panic, but Jake called out to Ash first. "I'm here Tori!" The small boy yelled. Ash whirled around, "Jake! What are you doing? It's too dark for you to wander off." Jake made a sad face, "But Tori, you were walking so fast and I'm so tired. I wanted to rest," Jake whined. Ash sighed, "Well I guess we can rest a little." Jake smiled and sat down on the nearest tree stump, cradling his Eevee as always. Ash picked up Pikachu in his arms and leaned against a tree.

They had only been resting a few minutes when Jake leaped off the stump as if something had startled him. Jake whirled around and slowly started backing away from the trees that he had been facing away from. Jake backed up right into Ash's legs, this startled Jake and he let out a yelp and spun around. Eevee had been frightened so bad the small pokemon had leaped out of Jake's arms. "Jacob are you ok?" Ash asked. Jake put a finger to his lips, "Shhhh, be quiet," Jake whispered. Jake turned around and started scanning the trees farthest from him. "Jake? What's going on?" Ash asked, with a hint of worry in his voice. Jake ignored him and took a step forward, he tilted his head to the side as if listening carefully.

That's when Ash noticed Eevee was acting strange, the small Pokemon kept darting back in forth in front of Jake. Pikachu was also acting jittery, the electric Pokemon had been startled and climbed up on Ash's hat. Jake had been slowly walking forward toward the trees, but then he stopped suddenly, and so did Eevee. Ash was about to ask Jake what had happened, when it hit him. A wave of fear, but not just fear. It was some horrible wave of dread, like the feeling you get when you trip and fall a distance, and right before you hit the ground you think, Oh man, this is going to hurt. That was the feeling that ran through Ash, but nothing happened. He just stood there in the silence, but the feeling didn't leave. Pikachu had started to tremble, for the dreadful feeling had gotten to him too.

For a moment no one dared to move, but then Jake stepped forward confidently. "Hey out there! What do you want?!" Jake had broken the silence with his yelling, which had startled Ash so bad he had jumped a good foot off the ground. Jake didn't take in any of this, he seemed to be in his own world. "What do you want?!" Jake yelled again, he paused and tilted his head to the side. "Come out! I know you're there! What do you want from me?!" Jake called. Eevee started growling at the darkness. As soon as Ash was able to find his voice he started inching his way toward Jake, "J-Jake?" Ash said, his voice shaking more then he wanted it to. Jacob quickly turned his head toward Ash, "Tori, Shut up! When something is trying to kill you, you don't go around saying names!" Jake then snapped his head back toward the darkness and continued to listen.

Ash stood, totally stunned. Trying to kill you? Ash thought. Ash's mind went numb, as if he couldn't even comprehend those words. Ash shakily turned his head in the direction Jake was facing. He didn't see anything, or hear anything for that matter. He finally got his courage up again after a few minutes. "There's nothing out there. I don't see or hear anything," Ash said in a hushed voice. Jake shook his head and glanced up at Ash, "I don't see anything either, but....." Jake trailed off and he took a step back, as if he had seen something. Just then Ash felt another wave of dread, this one was stronger then the last, and it made Ash's stomach clench up. Jake took another step back and glimpsed up at Ash, "You feel that?" Ash looked at Jake in surprise. "You do don't you? You feel it too Tori," The last part Jake had put as a statement not a question.

Just then Jake's head snapped back and he looked up toward the trees. As soon as he did the wind started to howl and it blew the branches of the trees back and forth. Jake started breathing hard as he darted his eyes back to the trees and then to the darkness he had been searching into before. Jake slowly reached up and grabbed Ash's hand. "Tori? Does Pikachu know the way back?" Ash nodded. "Even in the dark? And even if we were running really fast? He would still be able to find the way back?" Jake asked in a strangely calm voice. Ash looked down at Jake, trying desperately to keep from panicking, "What do you mean by tha-" Jacob quickly cut him off, "Yes or no?" Ash cleared his voice, "Pikachu can do it," Ash said confidently, trying to hide his growing fear.

That's when they heard the tree fall, it hadn't been far off. In fact, by the way it sounded, the tree had met its demise only a little out of there sight range. Jake tightened his grip on Ash's hand. They heard more loud noises, bushes being crunched, trees being pushed out of the way and the whole time, the wind howled. Pikachu jumped unsurely off of Ash's hat and looked like he was ready to run for it. Jake quickly bent over and scooped up his Eevee with his free arm. "Tori?" Jake said in a shaky voice, "Pikachu needs to lead us away now." Ash looked down at the trembling child with concern and a mixture of fear. Jake did not share the look, the boy looked at Ash and tugged his hand hard, "NOW would be a good time!" Jake yelled as the noises of destruction came ever closer. Ash broke out of his trance and turned to Pikachu, "Pikachu! GO!" Ash yelled and Pikachu darted off in the direction that would hopefully lead them to safety.

The two ran for what seemed like forever. The sound had been lost after a few minutes of running, but that feeling, that horrible feeling was still there as they followed Pikachu as it darted though the forest. In the dark of the night Pikachu seemed like some kind of ray of hope that told them they would soon be safe again. Ash clung desperately to the thought that soon they would be able to see the Pokemon center lights and they could put this whole hellish experience behind them. Ash ignored his legs, which were screaming for a break, for it seemed that some kind of strange survival instinct had kicked in that let Ash become aware of two things; one, the horrible feeling of dread that just refused to leave and, two, the darting Pikachu in front of him. Nothing else mattered, the world around him could collapse and it wouldn't matter, just as long as he didn't lose track of the sprinting electric rodent that would lead them out of this nightmare.

Jacob clung to Ash as if his life depended on it (And for all he knew, it did). Somehow he had been able to keep up. He guessed fear had that effect on people. Unlike Ash he wasn't concentrating as hard on Pikachu, he was to busy trying not to trip over the plants that were in his path. The feeling had hit Jacob just as hard, but for some reason he hadn't been so shocked by it. It was a horrible feeling, but something about it was...... familiar. Maybe that's why it scared Ash more then me. I've felt it before, but when? Before? Before what? Before I met Ash or Misty. Too bad I don't remember that far back. Jake was savagely jerked out of his thoughts when his foot caught on something and he was sent tumbling forward. Jake felt his hand jerk out of Ash's and he hit the ground with a hard thud. Ash was so startled that he tripped not very far after and he turned on his heel awkwardly as he tried not to fall.

Ash was able to catch himself and he jogged quickly to Jake's side. "Jake? Are you ok? Get up, we've got to keep going," Ash said tugging on Jake's arm. Jake groaned, "oh, Tori, I tripped over somethin'...." Jake trailed off as he reached back to find what the heck had gotten in his way. Ash was already inspecting it, "it's a log...." Ash trailed off, and then, "Hey Pikachu! Come here!" Ash called. Pikachu had stopped when he realized that Jake had fallen. Now Pikachu wandered over to Ash, "Pika Pikapi?" Pikachu asked. Ash motioned to the log, "isn't this the log I tripped over when we first started looking for Jacob?" Pikachu sniffed the fallen tree and looked happily at Ash, "Pika!" Pikachu confirmed. "But that means that the Pokemon Center is.........." Ash trailed off and then quickly got up and wander over to the bushes, "Over there!" Ash finished happily as he pointed to some not too faraway lights. Jake got up quickly, "Let's go then!" He said happily. The two headed off toward the direction of the lights, feeling like none of any of the frightening experiences had occurred.



To Be Continued.........

WOW! Another part done! This was sure a strange one wasn't it? What WAS that thing in the woods? Or maybe it was THINGS? Hahahaha, You'll all just have to wait till I put up the Next Chapter, in (Dramatic music here) JACOB'S STORY! Of course not all questions will be answered in the next one, I like to keep ya'll guessing. MWAHAHAHA! -ahem-




Disclaimer: No I do not own Pokemon, I just borrow the characters so I can entertain others. If I did own Pokemon I would start showing the episodes in order! And I would make sure there weren't any "lost" episodes to begin with. I do however own Jake, he's MY character, he was created from MY funny little mind.

Thanks again to all the Reviewers! -Cough, even if there are only two of you, Cough, ahem- Thanks anyway people