So before I start I want to announce the winner of my contest! And that is...

...PeachyKeenx088! Her title, Don't Dream It's Over, fits this chapter perfectly! Thanks to all others who submitted (mainly adventurerXD). I secretly snuck your title in this cahppie somewhere, so look out for it! I wish I could have gotten more but, meh, I'll deal. And PeachyKeen,x088 I'll PM you an OC form for your OC so I can include him/her in future chappies.

And I have another playlist, much to adventurerXD's chagrin. xD Even though there's really only two songs I could put down. It goes like this...

Ghost – Fefe Dobson – The dream sequence.

Do Somethin' – Britney Spears – Proton chases Ashley

Kayzies, onward to the seventh chappie!

Chapter 7

Don't Dream It's Over

As I watched the setting sun, I could feel my heart drop with it. I was not going to get to Ecruteak before dark.

Sure, I'd escaped Team Rocket and had finally gotten a breath of fresh air without one of them breathing down my neck. But I had wasted a sufficient amount of time trying to con my way through their Executives. Trust me, it wasn't easy. Ariana was less-than willing to bend and Archer was the interim head. For some reason, though, I had made it. And I wasn't planning on going back. The only good thing about them was that their HQ kept me safe from the weird things that lurked in the cover of night. I didn't know how to tell the time using the sun, so I took a wild guess and assumed it was around eight o' clock. Great, I thought with a sigh, that's Hilary's bed time. Right now I would've been hogging the computer and typing away at my homework.

Thinking about my home made my heart twang in sadness. I was starting to miss the familiarity of my room, with all of its anime posters and CDs scattered on the floor. The yells from my mother telling me to clean it up, my father's monotone voice shouting at me to 'listen to my mother'. I'm not a very...cleanly person. But who is when you're a teenager and would rather read manga then take the initiative to clean your room?

Continuing on the gravel path, I passed Moo Moo Farm with all of the miltank lumbering around a paddock. Since night was about to fall and there weren't any streetlights on the road, I tripped over a rock and landed on my face in the gravel. I must have made a loud thud when I fell because the door to the house on the property opened. I ducked behind a tree to avoid being caught. A young girl with dark pigtails came out and scanned the area.

"Hilary, what is it?" An older woman, who was most likely her mother, came out. Hilary looked around again and shrugged her shoulders. "Please, come back inside. It was probably just a rattata or something." Feeling pleased with the answer, she hopped back in the house.

I had to fight back tears as I thought of my own Hilary. The similarities between the two defied definitions. They were both curious, loved to wear their hair in pigtails and shared the name 'Hilary'. Gosh, I missed her. Even if she could be annoying as heck sometimes. She just wanted my attention. I was her older sister. Now I didn't want to stay here anymore. I wanted to go home.

But with the sun just a sliver against the waters of the ocean, I couldn't leave. At least not tonight. I needed to find a place to hunker down for the night and rest my weary bones. Taking out a pokeball from my belt, I released Flannery and commanded her to use ember to light the way. With a little ball of flame bouncing above the path, I now knew I was bordering Route 38. I still had a long way to go before returning to Ecruteak. Finding a little part of grass that was away from the sights of the farm but close enough to the path that I wouldn't know where to go in the morning, I sat down and huffed.

"I think this is good, Flan," I said. She dropped onto the ground and the ember dimmed slightly. Using my hands, I pressed the grass down until it was flat enough to be a sort of bed. I curled up into a little ball and returned Flannery. The ember went out and I stared at the stars. For a parallel dimension, this sky is really pretty. And the stars are something else. I wish I knew what constellations they have here. That would help me go to sleep. Or at least help me get Team Rocket off of my mind. I shouldn't sleep in too long. Those pesky trainers will be back in the morning and will most likely challenge me. And there's no way to decline their nosey offers. I turned on my side and sighed.

Maybe my dreams will help me escape.

xxXXxx

Once I fell asleep, I started to dream. I was standing in the forest behind my house. The trees rustled with a sudden wind. I felt it on my arms and it sent Goosebumps up and down them. I kept spinning around to try and find a way out, but the trees were blocking any exit. Clutching my shoulders, I closed my eyes and wished I was awake. Something grazed my leg and I let out a small scream. Thankfully, it was only my Umbreon who was trying to keep warm by staying close to me. I knelt down and hugged it, its fur warm. It started to hiss and growl and I lifted my head to see a figure emerging from the shadows. "W-who's there?" I called, trying to stop my voice from shaking. Umbreon backed away and bared its teeth as the figure emerged from the shadows. I gasped as I noticed the darkness clinging to his skin. How was that even possible? I shook my head and kept chanting in my head 'it's just a dream, it's just a dream'. Thinking that I was finally awake, I opened my eyes. Sadly, though, it hadn't worked and the figure was getting closer and closer. Only a few meters separated us. I bit my lip and sprinted from my spot, thinking that I would rather bear bush-whacking my way through the forest then have to stare at the oncoming creeper. Umbreon followed suit. When I reached the trees, I extended my hand to try and push aside the snarled braches. As soon as I touched one of the branches, I felt an electric current rip through my muscles and zap me. I gasped and held my hand close to my mouth. How did trees get the ability to shock people whenever they feel like it? That meant that, unless I gained the ability to jump high in thirty feet into the air, I was screwed.

Facing the figure face on, I swallowed my pride and closed my eyes. Pretending to be confident, I said, "This is my dream. You're not welcome here."

This didn't seem to shake him in any way, as he proceeded to laugh quite maniacally at my feeble attempt at trying to make him leave. Balling my fists, I grinded my teeth and tried to find another way to get him out of my dream. In the middle of my thoughts, however, the mystery person spoke.

"Even in your dreams, Ashley, you can't escape your destiny."

The voice was deep and definitely male. Suddenly, I started to see him. The shadows started to lift and it revealed a pure white outfit; the exact opposite of what I assumed he'd be wearing. His bright hair looked like a shining beacon on his head. A large 'R' was emblazoned on his shirt and a malicious grin was spread across his face. His eyes stared at me, a hint of curiosity glimmering in them. I now recognized him.

"Archer."

xxXXxx

I awoke from my dream drenched in sticky sweat and panting like a dog in the middle of summer. The sun was up again and I could see a few trainers standing around waiting for passers-by. It must not have been that early in the morning, or else there would be a lot more trainers out. And it would've been degrees hotter. I brushed off the twigs and leaves that had attached themselves to my clothing during the night. I shuddered as I started to wipe the sweat from my face. I never liked sweat. That's why I avoided any sport or physical activity that made you sweat excessively. After I had cleaned my face, I stretched out my now cramped legs and wished I had picked a more comfortable position to sleep in. I stood up, collected my things and scanned the path for any trainer that could see me and challenge me to a battle. Not seeing any immediate threats, I continued walking down that path I had the previous evening.

I started to space out and reminisce on last night's dream. Of all the people to dream about, why had it been Archer? How could I have been shocked by a TREE? How could I have been so stupid and not command Umbreon to use some sort of attack on either the trees or Archer? And why did he say that 'even in my dreams, I couldn't escape my destiny'? It sounded a bit cryptic for Archer. I tried to shake off the weird feeling I got when I thought back to what had occurred in my subconscious. I had never had such a crazy dream before. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that I was in some kind of alternate dimension. Did that make any sense whatsoever? Should this dimension even exist?

Since I had been too immersed in thinking about last night's dream, I hadn't heard the approaching footsteps. As soon, as I stopped walking, so did the noise. Okay, this is creepy. Focus, Ashley, focus. It's probably just some psychotic Pokémon! Yeah, that's it! Just keep walking and it'll leave you alone. Trying my best to ignore the looming footsteps, I walked a little and then froze. The footsteps stopped too. Okay...this guy must be a ninja or something. I have to get out of here.

"Lost, little girl?"

I spun around, almost giving myself whiplash in the process, and noticed a man who was standing a few meters away from me. I couldn't get a good look at his features, but it looked like it was a man in a shady outfit. This could only mean one thing...

I'm being stalked...AGAIN!

"No, actually," I retorted, thinking that this was a stalker who was intending on mugging me. "Sorry to disappoint you." I promptly turned away and started to walk again. My mind started to race. Oh, great, it's not a psychotic Pokemon that's stalking me it's a psychotic HUMAN! Ten times worse! If I run, he'll probably run to catch up with me. But if I continue to walk, he could easily catch me off guard! If I was closer to the city then it wouldn't be so bad. At least then people would notice if he tried to mug me...

"Think you can walk away from reality like you do in your dreams, Ashley?"

At the mention of my name, I looked again and noticed who it was. I gasped a little louder then I had intended. Instead of the man I was anticipating (and ultimately hoping NOT to run into again)—Archer—someone else stood in his wake. A face I hadn't seen in a while...

"P-Proton?"

"In the flesh," he replied nonchalantly. He started to walk towards me.

In an attempt to try and stop him from getting any closer to me, I put my hand out in front of me, swallowed my pride and said, "Don't come any closer to me!"

He tilted his head to the side a little and blinked. Did he not think I had any confidence? I could prove that I wasn't just a shy teenager who didn't know how to go back home. I could show him that I knew what I was doing and that I knew where I was going, even though I'd never been to this place in my life before. Heck, I could try and pretend to make him think that I was born here! Or at least, I tried to look that way. In reality, I was screaming inside thinking, 'now you've done it, Ashley! Team Rocket's found out where you ran off to!' Mentally berating myself would not only distract me from him, but would also send me into paranoia.

A bout of hysterical laughter rang through the area and I looked to see Proton clutching his abdomen and trying not to die of laughter. Did he think my whole 'fake confidence thing' was a joke? I was trying to tell him to back off without looking like an idiot! I cracked my knuckles menacingly and felt myself growling a bit. Being laughed at was NOT something I enjoyed.

"What's so funny?" I said, folding my arms over my chest, huffing loudly and tapping my foot on the path.

Proton stopped his hysterical bout of laughter and straightened his posture. A Cheshire grin spread across his face and I gulped back a gasp of terror. Not only had he quickly recovered from his fit of giggles, but he now looked...devious. Conniving. Thinking of a plan. This didn't look good anymore. I think I prefer the laughing one.

"Do you know why I followed you here?" Proton asked, walking slowly towards me. I started backing up, trying to make the distance between us the same as it was before. Or maybe longer.

I shook my head, not thinking to say that he followed me by using some sort of hidden tracking device that Archer had slipped somewhere onto my pack while I was still their captive.

"It's quite obvious," he said, chastising me like a five-year-old. "Want to take a guess?"

"Not really," I said, being truthful.

He chuckled slightly. "Are you sure? Well, I can't hold it any longer. I came so I could kidnap you."

I paused. "Again?"

Proton tipped his hat and said, "You should thank me: it's better that I'm coming to get you instead of Archer or Ariana. Boy, you should've seen her face when she realized that you had escaped!" I shuddered, thinking of what the scenario would look like if it were either one of them. "She almost had a cow, she was that ticked!" Proton stopped for a minute. "But I have to hand it to you. No other captive of ours has been able to escape numerous times." I felt my heart skip a beat to hear such a compliment from him. "Though, it has been fairly easy to get you back." That just turned the tables. He extended his index finger and motioned for me to come to him. "Now, be a good little girl and come quietly."

"No."

"That's not the answer I was looking for."

"Oh, I know it wasn't. And I don't intend on going back there anytime soon."

"Really now?" he said coyly. "I didn't want to do this, but you've forced me to take desperate measures."

What did he mean? Was he going to call for backup? Was he going to call Archer? Ariana? Petrel? My mom? Knowing that he was a man that went by the nickname 'the scariest and cruelest of Team Rocket', I decided to book it out of there. It was the only thing my stupid brain could think of.

Bad idea.

As soon as I turned, I could hear him thundering after me. Adrenaline surging through my veins, my pace began to quicken, but so did his. I almost got to the building connecting Ecruteak and Route 38 when I felt an arm snake around my waist. I was hoisted back and I felt my guts squeeze together painfully. Wincing, I tried to break free, but he pulled me over his shoulder in one quick swoop. I screamed in terror and tried desperately to get out. I guessed that this was his 'desperate measure'. I sure thought it was desperate. I was heavy! None of my friends could lift me off the ground. That made Proton extremely strong. OR he was able to carry me weight easily. Those made my friends look weak. Kicking my legs furiously and beating my hands on his back, I tried to weaken him.

That didn't work. AT ALL.

"I told you that if you didn't come quietly, I'd have to take desperate measures." Proton chastised as he started walking back in the direction of the HQ, with me flailing like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum.

"LET ME GO THIS INSTANT!" I yelled.

"Ah, ah, ah," he said, "you had that chance. But you blew it. Not only will you be embarrassed to death, but you'll be back in our—"

Before he could finish his sentence, a leaf with razor sharp edges skimmed over Proton's hat. He turned around to see a large meganium and a small girl poised behind it. I heard him growl a bit as the girl walked closer to us. She had dark brown hair, which was in two extremely high pigtails. She was wearing overalls and had a huge hat was on top of her head (it was probably bigger then her head!) I recognized the girl almost instantly.

"K-Kotone Soul?" I whispered.

"Let her go, Proton," she said confidently. Dang, she sounded so fearless! I wished I was like her, both in boldness and power.

He laughed. "You think a little leaf will stop me, Kotone? Think again."

He released his golbat, now full of energy and commanded it to use poison fang on the meganium. It dodged and hurled a storm of leaves at the bat. It grimaced at the pain, but did not faint. Knowing he wasn't down for the count, Proton told it to use air cutter. The meganium wasn't fast enough and it braced for the hit. The Pokemon collapsed on the ground. Instead of fainting, it slowly got back up, taking the golbat by surprise. Kotone commanded it to use synthesis, making the meganium regain its power. Quickly, it charged the golbat and used body slam, completely knocking it out. Proton growled under his breath and returned the bat to its Pokeball.

"It seems you haven't lost your touch," he praised.

"Nor have you," she said.

"But I'm afraid I'm too busy to catch up on old times." He started sprinting away from Kotone, making me bob up and down uncontrollably. I felt nauseous. I heard her scream at him to stop, but he didn't even glance back. He was so fast, the trees blurred together, making a green montage. I was screwed! My only hope at escaping...gone. Was I ever going to get out of Team Rocket's grip?

As soon as I had accepted my fate, I heard a whirring sound whoosh by me. In a matter of seconds, I was falling, the ground coming closer and closer with every second. I crumpled on the grass and rolled over a little. I noticed Proton being knocked away from me. That Kotone must have used solarbeam or something on Proton! That's why we were broken apart.

Whoa—did I just say 'broken apart'?

Looking over at him, I noticed that he had been knocked unconscious. That must have been a powerful solarbeam if it was powerful enough to not only make Proton let go of me, but also knock him out cold!

I felt a hand help me up and I saw Kotone leaning over me, a worried expression on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked, genuine worry evident in her voice.

"Yeah...I guess..." I said, rubbing the back of my head.

She lifted me up and I dusted myself off. I didn't have a second to breathe before Kotone was releasing another Pokemon. A gigantic pidgeot came out and Kotone heaved herself on top of it. She started waving at me to hop on.

"Come on!" she yelled, "There's not much time!"

Shaking the doubt from my head, I walked over to the bird and grabbed for Kotone's outstretched hand. She lifted me up and I held onto the bird's soft feathers. I knew I could trust Kotone: after all, she was the main protagonist of the games and was known as a general good girl. As we soared higher into the sky, I couldn't help but look down on Proton, who was now getting up from the ground. All I could see was his glare piercing through me.

His eyes were full of sorrow.

A/N Hello again! ^,^ I'm back! So, did you like this one? I thought of adding Kotone fairly late in the story, so her appearance was a last-minute thing. And I'm using her Japanese name instead of her English name, Lyra. And I thought it was cool to merge both her Jap. And her game name together! :D I hope that this was good and I haven't left anyone in the dark on anything! I'll see you in the next chappie! – Haine-chan

P.S. Hey, PeachyKeenx088! Don't forget to send me your OC, kay? :) Thanks!