Hello dear readers! I'm back with a new chapter! It's kind of killing me, though. This chapter is fairly short. I just felt like I couldn't write anymore! It's fairly powerful in itself (you'll see what I mean) and I just felt like I couldn't go into much more detail, because I've already planned out the next chapter so I just needed to get this part in. I hope it's not dissapointing...

Something was wrong. Very, very wrong.

Misty lay awake in her bed, staring up at the ceiling. Glancing at the clock, she groaned when she saw it was only six in the morning. She'd been awake for awhile now, but hadn't bothered to look at the clock. And as hard as she'd tried, going back to sleep didn't seem to be an option.

Misty had a very ominous feeling, and she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was because she still didn't like this place, and she still had a sneaking suspicion that something strange was going on. But right now, something within her mind was screaming at her; trying to alert her to some kind of emergency.

But why couldn't she figure out what it was?

She sat up slowly, red hair falling around her shoulders. Misty hugged her knees to her chest and closed her eyes tightly, trying to think of what it could possibly be. Maybe she was missing Ash? No, that couldn't have been it. She did love him, although she was still somewhat angry with the Pokémon master, but she didn't often suffer from separation anxiety. She had in the past, back when he had first returned for good and she hardly gave him room to breathe. But she knew that wasn't the problem at the moment.

Suddenly, her heart began to beat so hard it hurt. It was as if her mind had finally woken up completely, and had finally given her a clear idea of what was wrong.

"Aiden, Michelle," she gasped, jumping out of bed. It was her mother's intuition that was torturing her. Something was wrong with her children. She could just feel it. Reaching over to the nightstand, Misty snatched the room key for Delia's room. The older woman had given Misty the card and told her to use it at any time to check on the children.

Swinging open the door to her own hotel room, Misty raced down the hallway as quietly as she possibly could. When she finally reached Delia's room at the end of the hall, she quickly swiped the key through the module and opened the door slowly, slipping quickly into the room. Misty eyed the bed closest to the door and saw Delia fast asleep. Breathing out slowly, she began to approach the second bed, and nearly screamed when she saw it.

Aiden and Michelle weren't in the bed.

She began to look around frantically, wondering if the two could have been playing hide and seek. They loved to play unannounced rounds of the game with their parents, and it never failed to scare Ash or Misty half to death. Unfortunately, in this situation, she couldn't call out the toddlers' names.

Kneeling down on the floor, she began to open up cabinets and peek inside all of them. She searched behind the TV and chair, in the closet and the bathroom. But the two little children were nowhere to be found.

Misty stood back up, nervously rubbing her upper arm. When she turned back towards the bed, a gentle breeze rolled into the room, causing her to shiver ever so slightly.

Wait, Misty furrowed her brow, a breeze…?

Looking up slowly, her eyes nearly shot out of her head, and now, she couldn't help but to scream at the top of her lungs.

Delia's eyes snapped open, and she whipped up, surprised at the sight of Misty in her hotel room. Even from behind, she could tell the red head was shaking quite heavily.

"Misty?" Delia rubbed her eyes, climbing out of bed, "what's wrong dear?"

"Aiden and Michelle are gone!" Misty cried without turning around, "and…and the window is open!"

"What?" Delia gasped, hurrying over to Misty. She, too, stared at the open window, and began to tremble.

"Do you think they could've gotten out?" Misty cried, "Oh, of course they could have. They're so adventurous…" She whined softly and tears began to fall from her emerald eyes.

"Misty, I'm…." Delia began, but was interrupted by the door smashing against the wall. Spinning around, she caught sight of Ash and Brock standing in the doorway, their expressions a mixture of confusion and worry.

"We heard someone screaming from all the way down the hall," Ash furrowed his brow, "did you hear it too Mom?"

"Yes," Delia sighed deeply, before adding sadly, "it was Misty."

"Misty?" Ash blinked and looked around his mother, where he saw Misty sobbing heavily. His heart shooting all the way up to his throat, Ash ran forward and hugged his wife tightly, her anger towards him be damned. "Misty, what's wrong? Why'd you scream like that?"

"A…Aiden and Mi-Michelle…" Misty quivered, her words coming out broken and barely understandable.

"What about Aiden and Michelle?" Ash frowned. A bad feeling suddenly overtook his stomach.

"Th…they're g-gone!" Misty wailed, burying her face deeper into Ash's chest, "the…the bed is e-empty, a…and the wi…window is o…open!"

"What?" Ash looked around the room, the sound of his racing heartbeat quickly becoming all he could hear.

"Ash, I had no idea!" Delia cried over Brock's gasp, "I would never let them out of my sight! And I'm sure I locked the window! I'm so sorry!"

"It's not your fault Mom," Ash comforted. He grasped Misty's back more tightly, and nervously bit his lip. Where in the world could they have gone to? Are they alright? If something bad happens to them… Ash thought to himself, before quickly shaking his head, no! I can't think like that! I've just got to find them, and get them back into my arms. And then everything will be fine!

"We have to find them," Ash looked up again, staring diligently at Brock. The darker skinned man instantly nodded, and Misty let out another soft hiccup. "Misty," Ash breathed, pulling her face up, "I'm going to find them. I swear to you I will."

"What makes you think I'm staying here?" Misty asked blankly. Ash simply blinked, and Misty's eyes finally came to life like emerald fire. "I'm coming with you! I can't just sit around here while our babies are out there somewhere! You and I will find them together. Got it?"

Ash breathed out, but he soon gave her a melancholy smile and a nod. "Of course."

"Come on, we have to get dressed," Misty yanked at Ash's shirt, "we have to go!"

"Right," Ash nodded, gently prying Misty's delicate fingers from the fabric. Turning towards Delia, he added, "Mom, I think it would be better if you stayed here."

"Why ever would you say that?" Delia asked nervously.

"Just in case the twins happen to be around here somewhere. If you stay here, you'll be able to keep an eye out for them. We need to look everywhere they could've possibly gone. And for all we know, they could still be in the hotel somewhere."

"That's a good point," Delia nodded slowly, "I'll stay and look around."

"Brock, are you going to come with us?" Ash inquired gruffly.

"Of course!" Brock answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "I'm their godfather. I need to look out for them just as much as you and Misty do."

"Thanks," Ash allowed a gentle smile to form on his face. He glanced over slightly towards Misty and noticed her shifting impatiently. "Alright, let's all get changed and meet in the lobby. Then we'll get going."

XXX

Surprisingly enough, Misty was the first one down to the lobby. She had gotten changed as fast as lightning, barely bothering to put any make up on. Although she had gotten ready in an effortless flash, she was still completely beautiful, as any person could see. Appearances were the last thing on Misty's mind, however. She just wanted her children back, and safely.

As she rocked nervously on the red and gold satin couch, Ash came running out of the elevator, a look of determination plastered on his handsome face. The young master's raven hair was a complete mess: tangled and flying all over the place. He clearly hadn't brushed it, and normally, Misty would've berated him for looking like such a wild Pokémon. But in this case, she couldn't care less.

"Where's Brock?" Misty cried, immediately standing up from her spot.

"He's coming," Ash responded breathlessly, "he was just making sure he packed everything we'll need in his backpack. You know, like food and stuff." Misty nodded mindlessly. From Ash's shoulder, Pikachu sighed sadly, his slender ears drooping with disappointment.

"Pika," Pikachu murmured Aiden's name, "Pipika." And then Michelle's.

"Don't worry Pikachu," Misty scratched the electric type's head reassuringly, "we're going to find them." Pikachu whined softly. He adored the twins, and had ever since they were born. And the fact that the two children were missing was greatly distressing the little yellow mouse.

As Misty withdrew her hand, Brock came hurrying from the same direction that Ash had, his old green backpack hauled over his shoulder.

"Alright, let's get going," Brock shifted his gaze between the anxious couple.

"Come on," Ash motioned his head towards the door, "the faster we go, the faster we'll find them."

"Wait!" Misty called out as Ash and Brock ran towards the door. They turned to look confusedly at the red head, who simply stared back at the men for a few seconds. "Ash, what're you going to tell Scott? Are we just going to leave without him knowing?"

"My Mom said she'd take care of it," Ash replied.

"And...and the tournament?" Misty nearly whispered.

Taking in a deep breath, Ash answered strongly, "I don't care about the stupid tournament. Our children are way more important than anything that competition has to offer. There'll be a million more tournaments, but there's only one Aiden, and there's only one Michelle. And I'm not going to lose them."

Misty felt her eyes fill up with tears, and she smiled softly. Ash gave her a reassuring smile and walked back over to her, squeezing the slender red head's shoulders tightly.

"We're going to find them," Ash repeated, "together. And we'll never let them go again."

The tears began to cascade down Misty's cheeks, and she wrapped her arms tightly around Ash's strong body. He was right. They would find the twins. And she'd never have to doubt him again.

See, I don't feel like I could elaborate this much more. The fact that they've just figured out their children are missing kind of speaks alot for itself. Next chapter is (hopefully) going to be very interesting, so I'm going to try and get it up as soon as possible! But right now, my brain is completely fried (yay for 5 hour SATs!) I'm going to try though, because I hate to keep you all waiting ^^