Hello readers and Pearlshippers! The story is starting to pick up momentum a little now and will keep continuing to do so!
Thanks to everyone reviewing, I do read them all :P
A special thank you to Uranium235 for helping me come up with the Latias scene!
I hope you all enjoy this chapter, so with that said...
On with the fic!
Disclaimer: I dont own Pokemon.
Ages:
Bianca : 18
Chapter 14 : A Desert of Information
Unova Region - Castelia City
They were all gathered around a table in the Pokemon Center's cafeteria, eagerly awaiting what Ash had to reveal. Once everyone took their seats Ash stood and began to explain. "Alright, I learned a few interesting facts from Tobias after our match yesterday, which you all deserve to know" he waited until he had everyone's attention before continuing.
"Apparently, he was in league with a group he called Team Plasma. They were the men dressed in black poaching Pokemon that we ran into a few night's ago, the very ones we rescued Cresselia from". He let that sink in, watching everyone's faces. No one spoke up but a few of his friends gasped slightly, they were all waiting for him to continue. "He joined Team Plasma for his own ends, he gave them something, what I dont know, along with his obedience in exchange for something he wanted".
"He also confirmed he was behind the nightmare's two nights ago, he told me he was ordered to do it. It was some kind of weapons test. As for what he was doing at the Tournament... well he was there to, apparently, break US". He added extra emphasis on that last word to make it strike home.
"Us? As in all of us?" Iris asked puzzled.
"Ax axew?" Her Pokemon questioned from his perch within her hair.
Dawn nodded "Yeah, Tobias was pretty clear. He said that we had been marked by Team Plasma. They consider us threats to their goals".
Silence reigned as everyone processed the information. It was a lot to take in, finding out your on the hit list of some secret organisation, planning on attacking the entirety of Unova with some new weapon, which apparently caused nightmares.
"So what do we do?" Bianca finally asked, looking a little scared.
"For now, we keep our eye's open for anything suspicious. Unfortunately with Team Plasma being as secretive as they are, it makes it hard to get an idea what they are doing, not even Tobias knew what they're ultimate plans were, only that they were preparing a massive scale attack".
Everyone nodded sullenly, being in the dark on Plasma's motives wasn't ideal, but they didnt have a choice in the matter.
"Well if that's all?" May asked, wanting to go to bed, she was really tired after everything that had happened today.
Ash held up his hand and stopped her from leaving. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball, before placing it on the table. Everyone looked at it curiously, noticing it didn't belong to him or anyone else present, then turned their gazes back to Ash, wanting him to explain. "This is Tobias' Darkrai, I took it from him after I knocked him out. I felt sorry for it, no Pokemon deserves a trainer like that".
Everyone's eye's widened, and shot back to the ball.
"T-That's his Darkrai?" Bianca asked, a trembling finger pointing at the ball, she instinctively put a protective hand over Emboar's own.
"It's ok Bianca, without Tobias commanding it, im sure it wouldnt harm anyone" Ash reassured her. "I think it's time to see what it's really like".
Before anyone could protest, he picked up the ball and enlarged it, then opened it, letting Darkrai out in a flash of white light.
The Legendary Pokemon looked around suspiciously, noticing it wasnt with it's trainer. It eyed Ash, seeing him as the boy from the final's and the Sinnoh League, also noticing Bianca from when it fought against her Emboar. It raised an eyebrow, looking at the group sat around the table, clearly wanting to know what was going on.
"Darkrai, I liberated you from Tobias. Im not sure how he caught you in the first place, but I didnt like the way he treated you. And I'd like you to meet everyone!" Ash said with a grin, gesturing with his hand towards the table and all his gathered friends.
Everyone gave a nervous "Hello", keeping their eyes fastened on the dark type.
To their surprise it simply sighed, in relief. "I thank you for freeing me, it wasn't my choice to serve under him. But once I was captured I couldnt refuse his orders" Darkrai spoke. In their heads. In plain English.
Everyone gathered gaped, mouth's open wide. Even Ash was surprised, he knew most Legendaries had the gift to communicate with telepathy, but he'd never seen Tobias' Darkrai do it before. Iris jumped, not used to having a voice speak directly into her mind.
Ash noticed her reaction and quickly explained "It's telepathy Iris, he can talk directly into your head". She nodded at him in understanding, trying to get used to it as quickly as she could. "If you can speak, why haven't you before now? Everytime ive seen you battle, you've only grunted" he asked.
"I was forced not to, my old trainer didnt like it, so when I would try and speak, I would be punished and sent through serious amounts of pain. Eventually I learned to keep my mouth shut" Darkrai replied, a hint of sadness in it's tone.
"You poor thing..." May whispered sadly.
"I can't believe you were suffering so, didnt you ever try to escape?" Dawn asked.
"I did, but I was always caught. I wasn't the only Legendary enslaved to his will. Fleeing brought serious consequences..." It trailed off, they could just imagine what sort of 'consequences' it faced for it's attempts at freedom.
Trying his best to control his anger, Ash noticed his hands were starting to flare blue again. Forcing it down he spoke up "Well your free to do what you want now. No one here will hurt you and Tobias will never again force you to do things against your will" he smiled at the dark type.
Darkrai was surprised. These human's, in possession of it's Pokeball, were giving it it's freedom back? It wasn't aware human's were capable of doing such things... Maybe they were not all like it's former master...
"Your... giving me a... a choice?" It asked, disbelieving their words "Even though you could just control me with my Pokeball?".
"Of course!" Ash grinned "We'd never force you to do something you dont want to, you get a choice like everyone else".
"Ash is right, your free to follow your own recipe, whatever ingredients you wish to add" Cilan added with a smile.
Darkrai felt tear's welling up in it's eye's. It knew the words were genuine, it could sense so, and it felt eternally grateful to finally meet people with goodness in their hearts. For the first time since it got captured, it had the ability to choose its future. It floated there for a while, thinking what it wanted to do, not used to actually having a choice in the matter.
Everyone waited anxiously, wondering what the Legendary dark type would decided to do now it was free.
"I have decided" it finally announced, drawing everyone's attention "Freedom after so long feels alien, Ive been with Tobias for so many year's ive forgotten what it was like to roam free without a trainer. Even if I were to go back I wouldnt know what to do with myself, so with that said, I'd like you to be my new trainer, Ash".
The group let out gasps and Ash nearly choked on his own breath at the announcement. All eye's turned to him as he stuttered out "W-What? M-Me? Why me?".
"Ive never met a more worthy human, the way you treat your Cresselia, and in-turn myself with such genuine compassion, such care, I can think of no one better, if you'll have me " Darkrai replied.
Moved by the Legendary's words, the shock of them finally wore off and a big smile spread across Ash's face. "Of course! I'd love to have you! Welcome to the team!" He announced, picking up Darkrai's Pokeball and returning him.
"Thank you" he said finally, before being sucked inside by the red beam of energy.
Dawn jumped up and hugged Ash "Congratulations sweetie!".
"Another Legendary added to your team in the same city? What are the odds..." Cilan mused.
"Hey! That's not fair! If dont start share some of your Legendaries soon im gonna have to fine you!" Barry shouted.
"Your such a kid, your nearly as bad as Bianca..." Iris deadpanned.
"Pika pi, pikachu pi pika pika pi!" Pikachu chirped running off the table and up onto his shoulder, happy with their new travelling partner.
"Well, if we are all done, can we go to sleep please?" May pleaded, she was happy for Ash but it was getting hard to keep her eye's open.
Ash nodded seeing how tired his friend was "Of course, we should all go to bed. We have some travelling to do tomorrow and we need the rest".
Everyone happily agreed and they all made their way to their rooms after bidding each other good night.
Ash, Dawn, Pikachu and Piplup all entered their room and started getting ready for bed. Their starter Pokemon curled up in their comfy corner, where two pillow's had been placed down for them to sleep on. Ash and Dawn began removing their clothing until they were only clad in their underwear, before getting into bed with each other. Ash was laid behind Dawn, her back facing him, and his arm around her thin waist.
"Good night, I love you" he said from behind her, she smiled "I love you too". They snuggled up close, enjoying the close presence of the other, and fell to sleep.
It was morning when Dawn awoke to the flashing light on the video phone in their room, the sun was up and shining through their window and she yawned. She realised Ash was still asleep from the light snoring behind her, and gently lifted his arm off her waist, so not to wake him, and stood up. She had to shield her eye's from the glare of the sunlight, before her eye's adjusted. She found her Poketch and checked the time, seeing it was 9:30 am. Wondering who was calling she groggily made her way over to the phone, grabbing a t shirt on the way to make herself decent. Quickly combing her hair to make it look presentable she sat in front of the video phone and pressed the button to receive the call. She silently thanked Arceus they had it on silent mode.
The screen lit up, and the familiar face of her mother, Johanna, came into view. "Good morning Dawn!" She smiled at her daughter, but noticed her tired eye's "Did I wake you up?".
Dawn nodded "Yeah, I guess I overslept a little, it's great to see you mom, what are you calling for?".
"Well when your took off you said you'd call and let me know how it all went, when I heard nothing I worried a little and asked around to find out where you were. I managed to track you down all the way in Unova! I figured you'd probably be at a Pokemon Center for the night so I called around until I found you" she explained, before raising her eyebrow slightly "Did you get some new clothes?".
She thought her mother was talking about her new outfit she'd bought two days ago, but when she glanced down she realised she was wearing Ash's shirt. "Damn, I must of picked his up by mistake" she said out loud.
Johanna got a cheeky smirk on her face "So, im taking it you've found Ash?".
Dawn blushed like crazy "M-Mom! I really dont want to talk about THAT with you..." she said whilst trying to hide her face with her hands.
Her mother giggled slightly, before her face became serious again "It's perfectly natural, Dawn. It's nothing to be ashamed about. But remember our talk about 'The Pidgey's and the Beedrills', make sure your always protected honey".
Dawn didnt think her face could go any more red, this is not the conversation she wanted to have with her mother! "If that's all you want mom then can we end this call!".
Johanna giggled again seeing her daughter's reaction "Well as long as your ok dear, then im happy. Please give me a call later when you can, and say hi to Ash for me!".
Dawn sighed "I will... Goodbye mom! I love you!" she said blowing a kiss to her mother over the phone.
"Take care dear, I love you too" she smiled before the call was ended.
Dawn sat back and tried to force the blood out of her face, that was an uncomfortable conversation. She decided it was time for Ash to get up, they had to set off soon. "Ash sweetie, time to get up. It's 9:40 in the morning".
Ash opened one eye and looked at her, clearly not liking the idea of getting up. "Five more minutes" he replied then buried his face in the pillow.
She grinned cheekily, knowing a way to get him out of bed... She removed her shirt and underwear and walked over to the bathroom "Im taking a shower, feel free to join me..." she said in the most seductive voice she could manage.
She giggled as he jumped out of bed, and ripped off his clothes, eager to join her. "Slow down cowboy, what happened to 'five more minutes'?".
"That was before you offered a double shower" he grinned, bringing her close for a kiss.
She smiled against his lips, pulling him into the bathroom and locking the door.
The sound of the door locking woke Pikachu from his slumber. He looked up and noticed Ash and Dawn were not in bed, and wondered where they had gotten to. His question was answered almost immediately as he heard the shower turn on and Dawn giggling.
Piplup stretched and yawned next to him, looking around. "Morning Pikachu, where are Ash and Dawn?".
He motioned toward the bathroom with his head "I think they are mating in the shower, they seem to be doing it a lot lately, I think your trainer is in heat".
The Penguin Pokemon nodded "I think she is, it's the only thing I can use to explain why they are constantly mating".
"What do you think about our new team member?" Pikachu asked, thinking about Darkrai.
"It's strong for sure, I never thought it would be joining us though. It actually seems like a nice Pokemon, which I wasnt expecting" he replied.
Pikachu nodded "My thought's exactly, I can't imagine what it would be like under the command of someone like Tobias..."
Piplup shuddered "I feel sorry for the other Pokemon under his command still". He stretched and rubbed his eye's "Want to go get some breakfast? I dont think they will be done for quite a while" he nodded towards the bathroom.
"I think your right... alright let's go".
With that they got up and made their way to the door. Pikachu jumped up and opened it, and they made their way to the cafeteria for a Cilan breakfast.
Ash and Dawn finally came out of the shower thirty minutes later, having to re-wash themselves after getting more dirty than when they originally entered... They noticed Pikachu and Piplup had left and figured they went to get breakfast. Getting dressed and ready, they joined their friends themselves.
After everyone had eaten up, Ash went to take care of Darkrai's Pokeball. He excused himself from his friends and brought it out of his room, before taking it to Nurse Joy. "Excuse me, I need use of your Center's trade machine please" he asked reaching the front desk.
She looked up as she heard him speak, before smiling and nodding at his request "Certainly, right this way". She moved out from behind the counter and walking towards a set of doors, leading to a back room, she stopped just outside and turned around to face him. "You might want to go bring whomever your trading with"
Ash chuckled slightly "Well, im kinda trading with myself this time".
She looked at him with an eyebrow raised, trying to see the funny part of that joke. When she realised he was being serious, she became confused "With yourself? Why?".
He held up Darkrai's Pokeball "We liberated this Pokemon from a terrible person. I was actually going to release it to the wild but it asked to come with us. I understand if it sounds a little suspicious but if need be I can let it out and it can tell you itself".
"It can speak?" Her eye's went wide.
"Yeah, its a Darkrai" Ash replied calmly.
Again she thought he was joking, but the serious look on his face quickly dispelled that possibility, she did think it was rather curious, but she believed he was telling her the truth. "Very well if you want to claim that Pokeball as your own, their's no need to trade with yourself, we have a special device that can change the owner of Pokeballs. It's used when the Police take them off of criminals". She went behind her desk and pulled out a flat scanner like device, it had a Pokeball slot on the front.
Ash raised his brow at it, he'd never heard of such technology before. "That's amazing" he said, putting Darkrai's ball in the slot.
"Please place your Pokedex in the side slot" she motioned to the rectangular hole in the side of the device. He did as instructed and it disappeared inside. The machine whirled, engulfing the Pokeball a blue light. The device then pinged, similar to the sound when you capture a Pokemon. His Pokedex popped out from the side.
"There, your now the official owner of that Pokeball" she said smiling at him, and handed him the ball and his Pokedex.
"Thank's Nurse Joy, uve been a big help. And thank you for trusting me, I wouldnt of blamed you if you didn't" he replied.
"Over the years of dealing with a multiple variety of trainer's, you learn to read people well. I could tell you were telling me the truth" she winked at him.
He nodded and chuckled slightly "You even saved me a spare Pokeball". She laughed at that, and he took his leave, heading back to his friends waiting for him at the entrance to the Center. "Alright guys, it's all taken care of, Darkrai is officially mine".
They all smiled at him "It couldnt have a better home, I know you'll raise it with the care and respect it never got from Tobias" Bianca spoke up.
"She's right Ash, im sure he'll be much happier with you" May smiled.
"Thanks guys" he nodded his gratitude.
With that they all walked outside, before stopping on the pathway. "I guess this is were we split up for now" Bianca said turning to face everyone.
"Where are you off to next?" Ash asked her.
"Ive got some stuff to do for Professor Juniper, ive taken enough time off as it it with the Clubsplosion" she smiled sheepishly.
"And ive got to challenge the Castelia Gym! Cant let you get too far ahead of me Ash! Ill see you later guys!" With that he was off in the direction of the Gym. Everyone sweatdropped and turned back to Bianca.
"It was great meeting up with you all, and im sure we will again in the near future!" She smiled brightly at them. Her Cross-transceiver was blinking and she quickly read the message on it. "Well it seems the Professor has a task for me, bye bye everyone!" She bowed and ran off in her unique ditzy way.
Watching her rush off Ash laughed slightly, then turned to the four others with him "Well, we should start making our move to the next Gym, know where we are headed Cilan?".
He thought about it for a moment before nodding "Yes, I believe the next closest Gym would be in Nimbasa City".
"That's where the musical is! That mean's ill get to keep travelling with you guys for a while longer!" May exclaimed, clearly happy with the news.
"Well then what are we waiting for? Let's get a move on!" Iris was fidgeting, impatient as ever to get moving.
"Ax axew!" He partner agreed.
Taking Dawn's hand in his own, Ash led the group through the street's of Castelia City as they prepared to leave it behind and journey on to Nimbasa.
Johto Region - Alto Mare
The sun was high over the seaside city, the many canals snaking through its many streets glinting in the sunlight. People were moving about on their usual daily routine, and a cool sea breeze wafted in from the open ocean.
Sitting in a secluded garden, shielded from the rest of the city by magical means, were two beautiful young girls. Looking at them you could of mistaken them for twins, but this was not the case, for one of them was a Pokemon.
Not just any Pokemon either, but a Legendary Pokemon.
The girls in question had shoulder length brunette hair, with two parts spiking up on either side of their heads held in place with green hair clips, one of them had a white hat on, the other let her hair free. They wore a green short sleeved shirt with a white collar, and a short white mini skirt around their thighs. Knee high black socks coming out of pink trainer's adorning their feet. Flawless creamy skin covering their body's.
Latias put her hands on the table and rested her head on them, she sighed heavily and looked up at the sky, eye's downcast and her mouth was stretched into a thin line.
"What's up Lati? You've been acting like this for the last week or so, your starting to get me worried" The brunette sat with her spoke up, noticing her mood.
"I just feel tired Bianca, it's nothing to concern yourself with" she replied to the other girl in her head using telepathy.
"Im not buying it, ive known you for too long. Come on Lati you can tell me, what's up?" she pressed.
"I dont know... Im just fed up with being here all the time, ever since Latios left us, it's not been the same. The last time I had fun was when Ash was here..." Her cheeks darkened when she mentioned her secret crush.
Bianca knew, of course, and giggled slightly at her friends reaction. "If you want to go travel Lati, I can arrange a trip for us, if you'd like?".
The other girl perked up, her face awakening and a smile creasing her lips "You mean it?".
"Of course, id love to take you out some place, but we'd have to be careful. You can't reveal who you really are to anyone, so you'd have to keep in human form the entire time. If anyone asks why you can't speak, ill just tell them your mute and can only use sign language" she smiled at her friend, who was now practically jumping up and down.
"Thank you Bianca! I didnt think id ever be able to leave Alto Mare! I do love this town, but after so long with nothing to do, even IT'S charm fades. Won't people question it if I look just like you though?" She asked curiously, not used to dealing with people outside of her home city.
"Well I can just say your my twin, that's easy enough to believe" a thought came to her and she grinned "You know Lati, now that I think of it, their's a big Pokemon Musical event going off in the Unova Region soon, it only happens once a year and it sounds like a blast, wanna go see it?".
Latias squealed and brought her into a crushing hug "That sounds amazing! When do we leave?".
"Uh... Lati...can't...breathe" she managed to get out as her face was turning blue. Latias quickly released her hold and tried to calm down her excitement. "Well lucky for you its starting in a few days time, so we'll set off tonite. Ive just gotta go pack an-".
She was cut of as Latias began pushing her into the house. "Then go pack! The sooner your ready, the sooner we can leave and start having fun!".
Bianca giggled at Lati's reaction, she was happy to see her old friend in her old excitable and playful mood again. "Who knows Lati, you might even run into Ash when your there".
Latias' face went bright red and she turned invisible to hide her blush. Bianca giggled at her "Oh that's so cute!".
"S-Shut up" she said still invisible, but then she sighed "I dont think ill ever see him again..."
"Oh come on Lati, you never know! Alright ill go pack, and ill let Lorenzo know we will be gone for a week or so. Then we can go" She smiled trying to get her friend back into her playful mood again. It worked.
Latias transformed into her true shape and grabbed hold of Bianca's arms and carried her up to her room so she could pack faster "Alright Lati, calm down ill be done soon!".
Giggling in excitement, Latias took on her human guise and skipped down the stairs, already dreaming of all the fun new things she could get up to on their trip. She secretly hoped Ash would be there.
An hour later, Bianca was packed and ready to go. They waved goodbye to Lorenzo and made their way to the docks to board a plane to Unova. After quickly purchasing a ticket at the docks, they started thinking happily of all the fun things that awaited them.
Unova Region - Plasma Castle
Tobias was thrown before Ghetsis, he landed hard on his hands and knees and was struggling to get up. They were in the Great Sage's chamber at the top of the castle, one wall covered with monitors, each one showing a different scene.
The Shadow Triad, their charge delivered, took to the corners of the room and disappeared from view. Tobias hated it when they did that, it was really unnerving. He looked up as Ghetsis himself stood in front of him in his resplendent robes, a look of disappointment on his face. "You failed me" he said in his rough, cold voice.
"I.. I tried.. my lord...the...boy...he..." His sentence was abruptly silenced as Ghetsis punched him in the jaw, knocking out a tooth and filling his mouth with the taste of blood.
"YOU FAILED ME" he roared, almost loud enough to shake the Castle. "I dont tolerate failure, Tobias. You promised me that you could deliver on your end of the deal, a promise you can't fulfill."
Tobias shakily looked up into Ghetsis' face, trying to hold his own against the older man's intense stare. All he wanted to do was run away and hide, but he kept his gaze locked with the man he now served. "But... I g-gave you the tools to c-create your-"
Pain again filled his body as he was kicked in the stomach, winding him and causing him to double over in agony. "Yes you gave us the DNA strand to formulate the weapon and produce it on a mass scale, but with that complete and the weapon nearly ready, what further use are you to me?" Ghetsis asked, a savage smirk on his face. The one a predator wears just before he slaughter's his pray.
Fear suddenly coursed through him, and Tobias found words spewing out of his mouth in panicked rush "I can still be useful! I won the Sinnoh League! I have powerful Pokemon! I can do better-"
"Your Darkrai was taken from you after it was badly beaten in a match, you used overpowered Legendaries to beat regular trainer's in the Sinnoh League, we have possession of the rest of your Pokemon, and no you can't be useful anymore" Ghetsis quickly cut him off, in no mood for his useless excuses. He relished the look of terror that registered in the other man's eye's.
The Shadow Triad suddenly appeared around him, he didnt even notice them approach, the one directly behind him drew his knife, pulled back his hair to expose his neck and placed the edge against his naked throat, waiting for the command. Tobias was sweating, he didnt want his life to end like this! It couldnt... He looked Ghetsis directly in the eyes "Please..." He pleaded.
The Great Sage found this rather amusing and stepped closer to him, until he was stood directly in front of the wavey haired man. "Give me a reason not too?" He asked in a deadly calm voice, the predatory smirk getting bigger.
"I-I can still be u-useful! Ill do anything you s-say!" Tobias pleaded, fear leaking into his voice and making it higher pitched and shaky.
Ghetsis raised an eyebrow "Anything?".
Tobias would of nodded, if the knife wasnt pressed against his Adam's Apple. "Y-Yes" he croaked out.
"Very well, there is one project ive had in mind for a while, and now your going to help me finish it" the predator's smirk came back to his face and he snapped his fingers.
The Shadow Triad member removed the knife from his throat, before using the blunt end to strike him in the temple, knocking him out. "Place him with the others, we will begin soon" Ghetsis told them and they nodded in confirmation.
They grabbed Tobias' unconscious form and carried him out the room and down the stairs, their destination one of the hidden labs buried beneath the Castle.
"Soon..." The Great Sage mused to himself.
Unova Region - Route 4
"A desert?" Ash questioned looking at the rolling dunes, the endless sea of sand and the scorching hot sun beating down on them overhead. They had only just entered it and he was already sweating.
"Im afraid so, they're isnt another way to Nimbasa City. If you want to get your next Gym Badge this is the way we need to go" Cilan told him.
Dawn wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead "Im glad im not currently wearing my beanie, even with a sun blocking cap im sweating. Growing up in Sinnoh really doesnt help you handle hot weather". She was dreading getting through the desert.
"Piiiiiipluuuuuuup" her started moaned from her side, he wasn't feeling too good under this heat already.
"I actually quite like it! Hoenn has a lot of warm weather since it's located so far south, and ive experience temperatures close to this. There is even a desert area back home which ive been through before" May smiled, enjoying the warm air against her skin.
"I dont mind it, but I do find this heat rather oppressive, I say we get through as fast as possible" Iris added, looking ahead of them down the path.
"Well it's not like we have a choice, let's just try get through without stopping" Ash turned and gave everyone a thumbs up before they started off on their trek through the roiling heat waves.
Their walk was rather uneventful, they passed the odd trainer every now and than coming back from Nimbasa, usually drenched in sweat and swearing at the heat. Other than a few desert native Pokemon, there wasn't much to see other than the sea of golden sand and the bright blue cloudless sky. The sun seemed to be following them and the heat was becoming unbearable, Ash removed his hoodie and everyone else took off whatever clothing they could, except for May who was fairing much better than the rest.
About an hour into their trek, Dawn couldnt take it anymore and had to stop, they where about half way through the desert, but the bluenette had already finished her water bottle, and Ash's afterwards. She was drenched in sweat, her clothes sticking to her skin like she had just been swimming in them, and her legs were shaky from exhaustion. "I can't keep going guys... I... need... to rest" she moaned as she sat on the scorching hot pathway. No one looked particularly thrilled about having to stop in this heat.
"We can't stop now Dawn, we are half way there, and if we stop we will just get more dehydrated and exhausted" Ash tried to reason with her.
She nodded and tried to stand but her legs faltered, and she fell flat on her face. Ash was by her side instantly "Are you ok?" He asked worriedly, helping her sit up.
She looked at him with eye's that were pleading for help, she was at her limit he realised, living in the cold north for her entire life had made her very susceptible to extreme heat, and he was thankful that he'd travelled so much. If he'd come here straight from Kanto he doubted he'd be faring any better. He could see only one solution to this problem, and he crouched down in front of her, motioning to his back. "Get on Dawn, ill carry you the rest of the way".
In that instant Ash became the knight in shining armor again just like the one she had sometimes fantasized about when she was younger, coming in to save her. She forced herself on his back and hugged him as tight as she could, he grabbed her legs to hold her in place and nodded to his friends to continue.
"Will you be alright to carry her all the way to Nimbasa Ash? It's still over an hour's walk away and in this heat it wouldnt be wise to over exert yourself" Cilan warned him, concerned about both of his friends health.
Ash gave him a reassuring smile "Ill be fine, no need to worry!".
"Pika pika..." his travelling partner said from his side, worried about his friend. Pikachu would be glad when they reached Nimbasa, a desert was definitely not to his taste. He was doing better than Piplup though. Dawn's starter had collapsed almost instantly and had to be put back inside his Pokeball for safety reasons. Water types and deserts dont mix well.
They continued on their walk, making decent progress. Ash was beginning to feel the strain of having all that extra weight to carry, especially in this unforgiving heat, but he kept going, he wouldnt fail his love, he couldnt. Streams of sweat were pouring down his face and stinging his eye's, his clothes becoming heavy, equal parts liquid to fabric at this point.
He knew his friends kept sparing him worried glances, but he kept going, his usual stubbornness in full swing, regardless of how tired he became, he kept putting one foot in front of the other.
After another forty minutes, Nimbasa City graced their view in all its wonderful glory. The group were never quite so thankful to see civilization in their lives. And hurried down the final stretch of pathway to the place that would bring them respite from this forsaken heat.
When they finally reached the border gateway, they walked into the air conditioned tunnel and sighed in relief. Ash just collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily and more thirsty than he ever thought he could be, a headache starting to form from his dehydration. He'd given half his water to Dawn so he was especially thirsty. Everyone crowded around him and the bluenette who were both now sprawled on the floor.
Iris was quick to think on her feet, and she rushed over to a nearby vending machine and bought as many water bottles as she could and handed them to the couple "Here, you need to drink. If you get too dehydrated it could be really bad for you".
They gratefully took the water and guzzled it down, draining bottle after bottle, trying to replenish all the moisture they lost.
After ten bottles of water had gone down the throats of the pair, they stood up, feeling much better.
Dawn turned to her boyfriend, a look of utter gratitude on her face "Thank you Ash, you really saved me out there, no one has ever done more for me than you".
He just smiled at her "I'd do just about anything for you Dawn".
A tear of happiness fell down her face as she jumped on him and engaged him in a passionate kiss, in front of everyone who had crowded around in worry.
Everyone thought the scene was sweet and a few 'Aww's' could be heard.
Finally breaking the kiss, they rejoined their friends and together, they all walked through the border gate and into Nimbasa City...
Next - Chapter 15: Roses are Red, Violets are Drew, Nimbasa City, and Elesa too!
A shorter chapter than yesterday, simply because of the content involved, this is what I like to call a progression chapter, its important to the plot but nothing super major happens. I hope you still enjoyed it and what's about to come.
If your enjoying my story enough to have favorited it or followed it, I again give you my sincerest thanks. It's a nice feeling to know what you write is appreciated by others.
Next chapter out soon! So keep an eye out!
Until next time Pearlshippers and all my wonderful readers! Peace out!