A short one. I just wanted to put a little chapter between the last and the next one.

The three were back on the road the next morning. Really having no reason to stay in the city made them head out pretty quick. Hop was catching up on Ash and Marnie's stories. He claimed he had a pretty lack luster life. His brother had the fun story's apparently.

"So anyway, that's how I won. Pikachu really came through at the end." His Pikachu gave a proud "Pika!".

"Wow that's neat. I cant wait till I get to have my champion battle!"

Marnie giggled. "You really want to be a champion huh?"

"Well my brothers been champion for a while. Like the top Champion at that. Everyone looks up to him and cheers him on. I would love to have that. What about you Ash?"

Ash just chuckled lightly. "Nothing that amazing. I really just want to."

Hop shrugged. "That's not a bad reason. Besides, now I have a good rival and friend because of your reason."

The three talked a bit longer before a raindrop came down.

"Oh... That's not good." Ash said right as it started to pick up.

All three started running trying to find a place to get out of the rain. It started coming down soaking them in no time. Pikachu started to speak up and motion to a small cabin. They all ran to it and started knocking.

"Hello? Is anyone home?" Ash asked.

"Please! We need to get out of the rain!" Marnie yelled.

No one answered but the door opened.

"...Should we go in?" Hop asked.

A bolt of lightning flashed across the sky.

"YES!" They all yelled and got in.

The cabin was pretty dark at the time. Still they could make out a fireplace, a table, a bed, a table, and a cabinet. Hop went over and started to try and get a fire going. Took him a bit but lucky there was some wood already in the cabin and after a bit of work he got a nice fire going.

Ash looked around. "Looks like no one lives here." He said after checking everything and finding out the cabinet was empty.

"But someone had to open the door." Marnie pointed out.

It was a good point. The door was clearly closed and Ash had knocked a few times. The door was clearly firmly closed. Hope even noted he saw the knob twist. Ash had an idea what was going on.

"Its perhaps a ghost type." This wasn't the first time something like this happened on her adventures.

Marnie nodded. "I wounder why it let us in?

Hop shrugged. "Well we are here now. Lets get out of our wet cloths..."

Marnie shot him a look.

"Oh I know what to do. Anyone got a blanket?"

Lucky Marnie did have one. Pikachu helped him set it up as a divider giving Marnie the privacy she needed. The three changed into their PJ's. After setting their cloths up to dry by the fire they all sat down at the table and ate. All three finally decided to settle down for the night. Marnies realized she forgot her sleeping bag. She must have left it back at the Pokemon Center as she took it out to be cleaned. Lucky there was the bed for her. However right when they were to go to sleep, something else happened.

"What! Oh this isn't good." Ash yelled out. His sleeping bag was soaked.

He had got a new one before he left, what he did not know what the bag it when in was not waterproof. Now he had nothing to sleep in. He let out a sigh and grabbed the blanket to sleep on the floor.

"...Ash come on up. There's room for two." Marnie said.

"Huh? Marnie? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, Come on." She gave him a reassuring smile.

He Slowly slipped into the bed keeping respectable space from her.

"Enjoy you two. Behave!" Hop said. Marnie and Ash nailed him with pillows and Pikachu thumped him on the head.

Ash stood before a stadium, Pikachu was down on the ground beaten. Ash had just lost the league. In fact he did not even beat his opponents first Pokemon. As it set in how bad he lost he heard laughter all around the stadium and even the announcer was heckling him. All he could do was look to the sky and yell out.

Ash bolted up in the bed. It was all just a nightmare. He heard whimpering beside him and looked down to see Marnie tearing up. Hop was thrashing about also.

"Marnie, wake up. Calm down." He started to shake her awake. "Pikachu get Hop."

Pikachu ran over and landed on Hop gut waking him up instantly. Marnie slowly got up and looked around.

"OOOOF! Oh my stomach... Huh? Oh thank goodness it was just a nightmare." Hop said.

Marnie was catching her breath. "You had one also?"

"I did to. Strange..." Ash noticed that it was day but the rain was still going strong. "Looks like we aren't going anywhere."

Marnie looked at the table. "Wow! Look!"

They all looked to see food was on the table. Not only that but a deck of cards was there also. It would seem over night someone had delivered food to them. Hop jumped up and looked at the nice spread.

"Wow this is amazing!"

Marnie looked also. "Whatever is here must be trying to help us."

Ash shrugged. "Wouldn't be the first time."

The three sat down and ate. After that they started to play cards together. Hop clearly had no poker face and was beaten rather soundly. After a bit they let there Pokemon out.

"So this was what you had when you came over?" Ash asked looking over the three.

Before him was his Wooloo, a Rookidee, and a Scorbunny. Ash was enjoying the three as he had never seen them before They were all pretty interesting.

"Yep! I did not get very far. I have to say yours are pretty neat also."

"Thanks! I got Muk from a city that had a pollution problem. He used to have a strong stench but apparently he can control it and the professor taught him how to stop it. Snivy traveled with me in the Unova region."

"And your Pikachu?"

"Heh, we have been together sense I first started." he patted his head as Pikachu gave a happy "Pika".

"And Murkrow joined us after we helped him." Marnie spoke up. "It's around when I got my Starly."

"All pretty neat!" He looked outside. "I wish we had some way to know how long this will be going on..."

"I agree." Ash said looking out also. the Rain did not let up at all today.

"Ash I have some bad news..." Marnie said. "Your Sleeping bag seems to have some mold growing in it. You can't use it. anymore."

"Aww man..." He let out a sigh.

"Guess you will spend another night with me."

"Your doing this on purpose I bet." Pillow attack.

That night Ash was plagued with another nightmare. This time his own mother was there to call him a failure. He woke up a bit earlier this time.

"Huh? Oh another one..."

He felt something tight around him. Marnie was clinging to him whimpering in her sleep. He was about to wake her when movement caught his eye.

He looked to see a Darkrai at the table. It had a few bags and was setting out some food. He then pulled out a small battery operated Radio and set it out. He noticed it pulled out some paper and jotted something down. He then turned to the door and took on his shadow form and slipped out.

After seeing that he quickly woke Marnie.

"Marnie! Get up. It's just a dream!"

"H-huh? Ash!" She hugged him. "I had such an awful dream"

"Hey calm down. I will explain. Pikachu, can you get hop up?"

After getting Hop up he explained to the three that a Darkrai was in there cabin. They saw that it had left them food and a battery operated radio. The note had the channel for where the weather was reported on. It would seem that it was taking care of them and the Nightmares were just a side effect of it being around.

"Wow it sure is nice of it." Marnie said.

"I just hate the nightmares." Hop said.

"It can't be helped. That's how it defends itself. It puts foes to sleep and gives them nightmares."

"I guess. I will admit its nice of it to help us." He turned on the Radio. He found out it would stop raining tomorrow.

"You know we need to thank this Darkrai." Ash said.

"What a good idea! You got anything?"

"Just one idea..."

The four worked on something later on that day. They made sure to keep it hidden as it would seem at one point the Darkrai does listen into what they are saying. After perfecting it they left it out and pretended to sleep. The four were not wanting another nightmare tonight. Much later right when they were about to drift off Darkrai came in. It was about to set out the food when it noticed something. It picked up a home made care thanking him for his help. Ash couldn't tell if it was smiling but it still seemed happy as it left the food and went out.

The next day they all ate up and left the cabin.

"I wounder what was up with that Darkrai." Hop pondered.

"I don't know. I guess it was just a very nice Darkrai helping anyone who stops by." Marnie said.

"Well I am glad we were able to thank it." Ash smiled.

The three walked the path to the next city.