Chapter Twenty-One: Oh the Possibilities

"May! Slow down!"

"Maybe you guys should keep up! Ever think of that, Ash?!"

"Seriously, May! Wait up!"

"No can do, Max! We've got to hurry!"

"Ever since she had that dream, she's been intent of getting back to Lake Valor. Let's face it, the only chance we have of slowing down is if another flood hits the marshes." Misty cried. However, the weather was rather dry in the marshlands, making it a much faster trip back to Pastoria than it had been away from it. As the city's entrance came in view, the group began to slow.

"May, come back! It's nearly sunset!" Brock cried. May came to a stop and started to walk back to her friends.

"Why is it so urgent that we get to the lake?" Dawn asked.

"I already told you, Dawn. Because—"

"She thinks Drew's there." Max finished.

"May, look. I know you're worried, but don't you think he would be more likely to be back in Sunyshore?" Misty asked.

"NO!" May cried.

"What May means to say…" Sophie cut in before Misty could argue "is that it would be safer to check the lake first. We don't want to get caught ourselves and have Drew at the lake like she says."

"Uh…yes! That's exactly what I meant!" May said, grateful for Sophie's help.

"True, very true. I agree." Brock said. Ash and Misty gaped at him.

"You do?" Ash asked.

"Yes. May wouldn't lead us to the lake without good reason, and it's definitely a safer place to look than Sunyshore."

"That's true." May was glad to hear Dawn speaking up. If Dawn was on her side, maybe she wouldn't find her so crazy when she asked about the legends.

"Well…ok. But, May, you're still crazy." Ash said. Misty laughed.

"Yes, but that's what we love about you!" May rolled her eyes; at least she didn't have to mess with their cries of resentment anymore.

"Now will you follow me?"

"Even at this rate, I don't think we could make it to the resort by nightfall, May. We better stop for the night here in Pastoria." Brock said. May sighed, but she knew Brock was right—he always was.

"Ok…" she said glumly.

"Hey! Now I can show Misty the Sinnoh Safari Zone!" Ash cried as he dragged Misty toward the north end of the town. Sophie giggled.

"Those two are silly!" she cried. Max nodded.

"Yes they are!"

"We should check in to the pokemon center…" Dawn said.

"Yeah, and maybe the lovely Nurse Joy will be there!" Brock said excitedly. May and Dawn rolled their eyes.

"Brock, it's the pokemon center. Nurse Joy's always there." May said.

"Oh…right…I knew that."

"Do you think we should leave?" Leah asked.

"No. I told May we were here, if we leave and they come looking for us…"

"Got it, bad idea."

"What do you think caused it, Leah?"

"One of the lake pokemon?"

"The dream I can see…but the blood?" Drew had told Leah all about the dream—after she'd stopped teasing him about his supposed feelings for May.

"Uxie can get visions, right?"

"I think so. Do you think Uxie connected the dreams?"

"Maybe, but he was on the other side of Sinnoh."

"Unless he's in Sunyshore…"

"Even so, how would the dream have kept going after his vision interrupted it?"

"How am I supposed to know? How did he have a vision of me bleeding to death?"

"You aren't helping."

"I'm sorry, it isn't exactly my fault I miraculously know how I'm gonna die!"

"You aren't going to die, for Arceus' sake."

"I think Uxie has other thoughts about that."

"Can we please get back to my original question?"

"What question?"

"Uxie couldn't have been doing it on his own. The dream was still going; otherwise the connection would have ended during his vision."

"So all three of them were in on it." Drew said.

"You say that like a joke, but what if it's true."

"Then I'm a genius and you must admit that you're not as smart as I am."

"Ok, Mr. Genius: what are we going to eat?" Drew seemed to think about this for a while, and then he gave her a look of embarrassment.

"What?"

"I hadn't thought of that, but now that you mention it…I'm starving!" he cried. Leah rolled her eyes.

"So much for Mr. Genius."

They were asleep, she was sure of it. Dawn hadn't budged since she'd hit the pillow. Sophie and Misty were both breathing too steadily to be awake. May quietly climbed down the ladder that led to the top bunk and tip toed over to where Riolu sat.

"You awake?"

"Of course."

"The dream last night…that was your doing, right?" the pokemon smiled at her.

"A part of it was, yes."

"Can you do it again?" she asked. The pokemon laughed quietly.

"I was already planning on it. Go to sleep, May."

"Ok…and…Azelf?"

"Yes, May?"

"Last night…Drew isn't actually…"

"No. He's fine. Now go back to bed."

"Ok, thank you."

"You're quite welcome."


It was the light that woke her, its warmth and brightness. As she sat up, May realized that she was in a forest. One she could not recognize. She stood up and started to walk around. She was just beginning to feel lost when someone grabbed her arm. Before she could scream, a hand covered her mouth.

"Don't make a sound." He hissed.

"Drew?" May asked, her voice was muffled by her hand.

"Whispering works too if you have the need to talk…" he sighed as he let go of her mouth.

"Why do we have to be so quiet?" May whispered.

"Look." May obeyed. She was shocked to see that they were not alone. A little girl giggled as she ran through the trees. May took a closer look at the girl to see that a little golden heart dangled from her neck. She immediately recognized her.

"Leah." She whispered.

"Keep watching." Drew whispered back. As she watched, she saw a boy chasing after the girl; he called her name in a voice that May could just barely recognize.

"That's you." She whispered. Drew nodded.

"You're remembering something in your dreams?"

"I've always suspected that I do so. But only you will remember it, May." He said. May looked up at him. His eyes were sad as he watched his younger self chase after his younger friend.

"Tag! You're it now, Leah! And no asking Mesprit for help!" the younger Drew cried as he ran away from Leah.

"Aw…but that's the only way I ever catch you!" she cried as she ran after him. Drew started to follow her. May, not wanting to get lost again, ran after him.

"Wait!" she hissed. Drew slowed his pace to let her catch up. As soon as she was next to him, his pace quickened. She quickened hers as well.

"So, you won't remember that I saw you?" May asked. Drew sighed.

"I have no idea, but probably not."

"But the wall can't block me…can it?"

"You are the lake pokemon's doing. Therefore it might be able to."

"But you're overcoming it as we speak. What if it doesn't block any of this?"

"May…" Drew said, he stopped walking and May did the same. She could see that he'd cut himself off at the sight of the two children. It looked as if Leah had indeed asked for Mesprit's help. The pink lake pokemon was holding Drew in the air with a psychic attack.

"Put me down!" Drew giggled.

"TAG!" Leah cried as she slapped his foot.

"No fair!" Drew laughed.

"Yes fair!" Leah cried. It was then that May realized that the three seemed to be fading. As they disappeared, the scenery changed and May found that she and Drew were in a different forest—one she heavily recognized.

"Valor Lake Front." Drew whispered.

"Where were we before?"

"Verity Lake Front." Drew answered "My memory is over. Which of us came up with this dream is beyond me however."

"I wish I actually were here…But I'm only in Pastoria…"

"You're in Pastoria?"

"Yes, I convinced the others to follow me to come get you."

"Hm, good thing Leah and I didn't leave then."

"Yes, good thing."

"Here's a question: how did you get them to follow you?" he asked. May sighed.

"Quite frankly, I don't think any of them really believe me. But Sophie is too hopeful to not be on my side. She came up with a great argument that basically convinced Brock."

"Did she?"

"Yeah. It's safer to check the lake than it is to check Sunyshore."

"Huh, I always knew she was smart."

"Yeah, I felt like kissing her." May said. She could have sworn she saw a small smile on Drew's face. But it was gone as soon as it had appeared.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Drew sighed.

"How do you know if there's anything wrong?"

"If there wasn't, you would have broadened that smile."

"Ah. You caught that did you?"

"Yes."

"Huh, maybe you're almost as smart as Sophie after all." Drew smirked. May punched him and he winced.

"Hey! Bruises do not go away over night!" Drew cried.

"Then don't call me stupid."

"I didn't say stupid—you came up with that on your own."

"Oh, whatever! Just tell me what's wrong." May said. Drew seemed a bit disappointed at this. May raised her eyebrows.

"Were you…avoiding the question?"

"I was doing a good job of it too." Drew said. May sighed. The two were silent, May waited patently, knowing that Drew would get uncomfortable eventually. She was right.

"Tell me what you think is wrong." He mumbled.

"That doesn't help me at all!" May cried, getting frustrated.

"Sure it does."

"No, it doesn't! For all I know, you could just be frustrated because you think you won't remember your dream!" It wasn't until May stopped fuming that she say the blank look Drew was giving her.

"What?"

"Bingo. Sorry, I don't have a prize for you." Drew said. May stared at him.

"Did I just…guess right?"

"That's two prizes I owe you now. Can you settle with a gold star?"

"But…I wasn't even trying!"

"Well then, you know me better than you know yourself. Congrats." Drew said. It was then that the forest began to fade. Drew sighed.

"One of us is waking up." He said as he started to fade as well.

"That's not fair!" May cried as she wrapped her arms around him.

"May?"

"Yeah?"

"If I don't remember…remind me, ok?"

"The memory or the dream?" May asked.

"…both." His answer echoed through the darkness that engulfed her.