A/N: The Pokémon franchise is the property of The Pokémon Company and their subsidiaries. Please support the official release.
Chapter 2: The Girl With The Blue Hair
Sunlight flooded in through the treetops, showering the ground with warm light. A cool, yet comfortable breeze blew through the forest, ruffling Ash's hair as he ever so slowly woke to life. The strong morning light was beyond blinding, forcing him to raise his arm in order to protect his fragile eyes. As soon as he did, a wave of fresh pain flooded his senses, making him groan in agony as he clenched his teeth.
"Oh... you're awake," a feminine voice said, breaking the silence. The sound of boots hitting ground filled his ears, and Ash couldn't help but curse as the unknown person came closer and closer to him. Just who in the world could that voice belong to?
"You look like shit," the voice commented, stopping somewhere to his right.
"I feel like shit," Ash answered, his voice coming out as nothing but a hoarse whimper. His entire body was aching, and moving aroumd only seemed to make it worse.
"Now, I don't mean to "kick you when you're down" or anything like that, but you're probably one of the most incompetent hikers I have ever met, and that is saying a lot, since I've only known you for about 8 or 9 hours," the voice continued, causing Ash to chuckle. He instantly regretted it though, as doing so caused his already dry throat to hurt even more.
"Oh, I'm sorry... you must be dying of thirst. Drapion's poison usually causes extreme dehydration, along with a plethora of other, more deadly things, of course."
Ash heard the sound of someone rummaging through a backpack, before a canteen was suddenly pressed up against his lips.
"Here, drink this."
He couldn't have refused even if he wanted to. His mouth moved on its own, gulping down as much water as it could. The cold liquid felt like heaven as it ran down his throat. Before long, he had emptied the entire canteen.
"Th… thank you," he gasped, before letting his head fall back down onto the ground. From there, he finally had the chance to get a good look at the owner of the voice. It was a girl, wearing a white cap that covered dark blue hair which ran down her back. Her eyes matched the hair in color, and if he had to guess, he would say she looked to be about 17 years old. Her stare was fixed on him, one eyebrow raised in confusion.
She's pretty.
The thought came to him out of nowhere, and he immediately coughed to clear his mind of it.
"So... I guess I owe you one, huh?" he asked, pushing himself off the ground with great exertion.
"Well, I suppose you could say that… You're lucky I came along when I did, you were on your last legs when I found you," she answered, twirling a strand of her blue hair in-between her fingers. "Actually... how did you manage to get stung in the first place? Drapions can usually only be found in deserts."
"Ahh, so that's what its called. Drapion… Well, I've never seen a Pokémon like that before. And as for how I got stung... well, it kinda just jumped at me from a bush. The damn thing was so fast I didn't even have a chance to react," Ash responded whilst scanning his surroundings. "Uhh... Where are we, by the way?"
The girl sent him a confused look.
"What do you mean, "where are we"? We are in Route 201, the first Route in Sinnoh, of course!"
Ash's mind instantly went blank. Had she just said... Sinnoh? As in... the region of Sinnoh? But... that made absolutely no sense! Last night, he had been in Pallet Town! And despite not being the most well-versed in geography, he knew enough to understand that there was quite a distance between Kanto and Sinnoh.
Ahh, now I get it! She's joking! I mean, she must be, right? Right?
"Ahahah, that's real funny. No, but seriously, where are we?" Ash said, shaking his head. The girl gave no response, and simply stared at him with a blank expression. A long moment of silence came and went in the void left by Ash's question.
"You're… not joking, are you?"
More silence.
"But that's... absolutely, completely, totally not possible! Like, it is impossible on so many levels that I can't even begin to describe it! How can… what the…" Ash exploded, waving his arms around. The girl took one long look at him, before doing something completely unexpected: she laughed. Bending over, her entire body convulsed as she broke down into giggles. Ash was too stunned by this to react, and as such, was left looking like a question mark as she rode out the sudden bout of humor.
Once her laughter finally subsided, the girl wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Hahaha… haha… haa… Oh, that poison must've really messed with your brain or something," she giggled before taking a deep breath to regain her composure. "Alright, funny guy, where do you think we are?"
"Uhh... Well... Last night, I was in Kanto," Ash coughed, sending the girl a serious look. "Something happened, and I fell unconscious. When I woke up again, I was here in this forest, which I've never seen before."
The girl went completely silent at his words.
"You said something happened... What exactly was it? Did… Did the sky turn purple? Did the ground shake with such ferocity that you thought the very earth was going to rupture?" she asked, the laughter from earlier all but gone now. Ash's blood froze to ice in his veins as he listened to her describe the exact phenomenon he had witnessed the night before.
"Yes… Yes, that's... exactly what happened. Did you see it too?" he asked carefully. The girl stared at him for a moment, before nodding curtly.
It was at this moment that Pikachu decided to make his entrance. Like yellow lightning, the rodent-like Pokémon darted towards Ash at astonishing speed. Before he knew what was happening, he found himself laying on the ground again, Pikachu covering his face with friendly licks.
"Oh! Hahahah, hey Pikachu! Ah, you must've been worried about me… I'm sorry old friend, I didn't mean to scare you," Ash smiled, scratching Pikachu behind the ears. It was a huge relief to see that his friend was safe.
"You have an abnormally good connection with your Pikachu," the girl noted, nodding towards the Pokémon currently leaning into his touch. Ash didn't really have an answer to that, so he simply shrugged and pushed himself off the ground.
"Yeah. We've been through a lot together, me and him. I wouldn't want it any other way though."
His travel companion and best friend let out a satisfied purr at his words, before starting to wander around the clearing, keeping an eye out for any threats.
"My name is Dawn, by the way," the girl suddenly said, hands placed on her hips.
"Oh... Nice to meet you, Dawn. I'm Ash. Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town," he answered, nodding his head. "And... thank you for saving my life. I definitely owe you one."
"Yes, you do," she smiled in response.
Stretching his arms to the sky, Ash took a moment to relieve some tension from his much-abused body. Every fiber of his being ached with dull pain, but he was alive, and that was all that mattered.
It was in that moment, however, that he noticed a group of black-and-white birds flying across the sky far off to the north. He had never seen anything like it before, and fixed his eyes on them to get a better look. Dawn, who had been staring at him, followed his gaze to see what had captured his attention.
"Oh, that's nothing to worry about. It's just a group of Starly. They're not hostile. Unless aggravated, of course," she informed him. Ash nodded, but couldn't quite bring himself to look away. There was just something a little bit… off… about how they were flying. It was almost as if they were shifting into formation...
As the two of them watched, the group slowly circled back around before… heading straight towards them?!
"Uhm... Dawn? Are they supposed to be doing that?" Ash asked as he kept his eyes fixed on the birds. To his left, he heard Dawn muttering curses as she suddenly dived for her backpack.
"No, they are definitely NOT! Time to go!" she shouted back. Ash reacted instantly, grabbing his own backpack and putting on his magnetic belt. Before long, they had both strapped up, and Dawn was pulling Ash by the arm out towards the end of the clearing. The group of Starly had gotten considerably closer by now, and Ash couldn't help but feel the familiar sensation of panic starting to well up in his chest. He could already imagine their sharp beaks piercing into his flesh, tearing it apart like paper. Dawn on the other hand, remained surprisingly calm, guiding him with clear determination.
But despite her best efforts, Ash knew they wouldn't make it. The nearest cluster of trees remained far away, and the birds were coming closer and closer with every second that passed. Turning around, he saw the first Starly approach from only a couple of meters behind.
Everything around him seemed to slow down. His breathing was controlled, his movements precise. He knew what he had to do, despite how idiotic the idea seemed. It was their only shot.
Throwing himself forwards, Ash pushed Dawn to the ground. Landing on top of her, he created a protective barrier around her by using his back as a shield. She had saved his life just hours earlier. Now it was time for him to repay the favor.
The first couple of Starly flew straight over them, missing them by a wide margin. But the rest quickly corrected their aim, and it didn't take long before Ash finally felt the first one collide with his back. Luckily enough for him, the bird hit him at an awkward angle, and simply bounced off his back like a ragdoll. The impact alone was sure to give him a bruise, but there would be no permanent damage.
The second Starly that hit him got a little more lucky, however. Its beak slashed across the skin on his back, tearing open a cut that bled viciously. And from there on out, it was complete pandemonium, with the main bulk of them crashing straight into him, causing him to scream with pain. Nevertheless, he grit his teeth and continued to weather the storm. He was not going to back down, no matter how bad it hurt.
A couple of seconds later, the onslaught of birds finally stopped, and Ash fell down next to Dawn, exhausted and bleeding heavily. Shooting a quick glance at her, he was relieved to see that she had escaped relatively unharmed.
"Why… Why did you do that?!" she gasped, pushing herself up into an upright sitting position.
"You... saved my life. I thought... I would do... the same for you," he answered, panting for air. "There was no way... we were going to... reach those trees in time."
It only took her a couple of seconds to digest his answer, before she got up and grabbed his arm, forcefully pulling him to his feet.
"Well, we definitely can't stay here. They might come back, and this time... I don't think we'll get that lucky. Lean on me," she instructed him, supporting him as she headed for a cluster of nearby trees. Pikachu came up next to her, and Ash was happy to see that he had managed to escape the attack without suffering as much as a single cut.
When they finally reached the safety of the trees, Ash fell to the ground as Dawn took off her backpack and opened it up.
"At least let me bandage your wounds. I only have a few medical supplies left, so you'll have to make do with what I've got." The tone of her voice left no room for negotiation, so Ash obediently sat up and removed his shirt. Much to his chagrin, he noticed Dawn stealing a quick look at his toned body before she walked over to him.
"You are so incredibly reckless, you know that?! You could've… no, you SHOULD'VE died there. Pure luck saved you," she ranted as she applied the bandages to his bleeding body. "I can't believe you even thought something like that would work!"
"But it did," Ash offered, letting out a painful chuckle. Dawn didn't seem to find it very amusing. Finishing her work, she took a step back to inspect the bandages. Satisfied, she nodded her head and returned the last scraps of medical supplies to her backpack.
But as Ash was about to stand up again, she suddenly did something... completely unexpected. She sat down right behind him, and wrapped her arms around his torso.
"Thanks..." she whispered in his ear, causing Ash to blush. "... I mean it."
He didn't really know how he was supposed to react to this, and as such, allowed himself to simply enjoy the sensation of it. They stayed like that for a while, reveling in each other's presence and warmth. Then, the embrace finally ended. Ash took a deep breath to stop his cheeks from burning, before standing up.
Nothing more than a friendly hug, he told himself as he put on his clothes again.
"I suppose we should head back to Twinleaf Town, then. Professor Rowan will know what to do," Dawn said, getting to her feet and pulling out a compass from the side of her backpack. She was surprisingly well equipped, Ash noted to himself.
"Sure," he answered, nodding his head. "We don't really have any other options, so I guess that makes sense."
So with Dawn in the lead, the duo ventured forth towards the town that Ash had never heard of before.
Twinleaf Town was, in many ways, very similar to Pallet. Its discreet and remote location made it a place of little activity, rarely visited by travelers. The fresh scent of wet leaves hung in the air, and despite being in the middle of the wilderness, there were no hostile Pokémon to be seen. The entire place had a certain peacefulness to it, as if no trouble had ever grazed this part of the world.
The duo took a break on top of a small hill overlooking the town. The sun had begun to set by now; the orange light making the trees cast long shadows across the grassy plains.
"That... is Twinleaf Town. Probably the most peaceful place in all of Sinnoh, and... my hometown," Dawn informed him whilst rubbing her sore feet through her socks. The trip from Route 201 had been strenuous, but calm. Few words had been spoken between them, but Ash had enjoyed travelling with her regardless. It was clear she was an experienced hiker, as she always seemed to know where she was and where she needed to go.
"Over there you can see Professor Rowan's house. He usually stays in his laboratory in Sandgem Town, but he has a spare home here in Twinleaf. Right now, he's our best bet at finding out exactly what happened last... night..."
She let her sentence trail off as her eyes darted across Twinleaf Town, scanning for any signs of life.
"Huh, that's weird… I can't see anyone. The town should be bustling with activity right about now…"
Ash squinted towards the buildings in an attempt to see for himself, and quickly noted that Dawn was right. He couldn't see a single person in the small town.
"You're right... It looks completely abandoned. Let's go take a closer look," he said, gesturing for Pikachu to follow. The yellow Pokémon jumped from his spot on the ground up onto Ash's arm, before settling down on his shoulder.
"Alright... Let's go," Dawn nodded.
The two of them quickly made their way towards the silent town, keeping an eye out for any threats along the way.
When they finally arrived, the first thing they noticed was how quiet everything was. No sign of life could be seen nor heard, and even after looking through the windows of several homes, they still couldn't find anyone.
"This isn't right. Everyone was here when I left to explore Route 201 two days ago... Where could they be?" Dawn muttered as Ash peered through yet another window.
"Don't ask me, I don't know any more than you do. What I do know, however, is that I'm absolutely famished. Do you have any spare food in your backpack?" Ash asked, rubbing his stomach with one hand.
"No, but my house isn't far from here. There's probably some food left in the fridge," Dawn answered, nodding towards a moderately sized home in the outskirts of town. They slowly made their way towards it, searching for anyone or anything as they moved.
Once they came to a stop in front of Dawn's house, however, Ash noticed several huge claw marks scratched into the front door. Turning around, he was surprised to see that Dawn's face had gone completely pale, her hands clenched into fists. Pikachu must've seen it too, as he carefully jumped down from Ash's shoulder to rub himself against her legs in an attempt to comfort her.
Walking up and grabbing ahold of the doorknob, Ash sent Dawn an inquisitive look. After a moment of hesitation, she nodded in response, and he opened the door as slow as he could. It creaked loudly as it swung on its hinges.
Red. Red everywhere. The floor, the walls, the ceiling; all covered in specks and pools of red. At first, Ash didn't quite understand what he was seeing. The unknown, crimson liquid was everywhere, surrounding him on all sides.
But then... it hit him. It was blood. Human blood. Blood smeared across every surface, splattered like from a mad painter's brush.
He heard Dawn gasp as she entered the room. Scanning it with his eyes, he spotted something in what he presumed to be the corner of living room. A shadow.
As he watched, the shadow turned around, and suddenly, red eyes were staring right back at him. He felt his heart skip a beat as he stared into those whirlpools of pure malice. The Pokémon looked like something resembling a black and grey wolf. Its fangs and mouth was covered in blood, the liquid dripping from its jaws to hit the ground with a soft thud. Behind him, he heard Dawn falling to her knees.
Before he even had a chance to react, however, Pikachu was there, sparkling with electricity. A bright flash followed by a loud bang filled the room, blinding both him and Dawn. Somewhere in front of him, the wolf-like Pokémon howled in pain, and Ash could hear it thrashing about wildly. Pikachu released another Thunderbolt, shocking the wolf yet again. This time, there was no movement. The thumping sound of a corpse hitting the floor told him the Pokémon had lost its life. Pikachu had killed it.
Slowly regaining his senses, he spotted the wolf lying in a smoking pile in the corner of the room. Pikachu, looking distinctly pleased with himself, let out a short chitter before proceeding to hide behind Ash's legs.
As Ash scanned the room for any other signs of life, he spotted yet another shadow, this one a lot bigger than the last. However, seeing as this one wasn't moving, he eventually decided to make his way over to it, stopping dead in his tracks when he realized what it actually was.
Oh my god…
Before him, the mutilated corpse of a woman rested against the wall. Her stomach had been ripped open, her entrails pulled out to cover her knees. A pool of blood had begun to spread from beneath her, coloring the wooden floorboards crimson.
Every logical thought in Ash's mind evaporated like water in hot fire. He wanted to scream, scream as loud as he could, but his body simply refused to move. Then... the nausea hit him.
Vomit flooded his throat, making him fall to his knees, gasping as wave after wave of stomach-fluid splattered onto the floor. Dawn, on the other hand, sat perfectly still, her eyes flat and lifeless.
When he finally stopped vomiting, he dared look at the corpse once more. That's when he saw it. Her hair. It was dark blue.
Dawn screamed. And once she started, she didn't stop. Every time she ran out of oxygen, she would took a deep breath and scream again. There was simply no end to it.
Ash could feel tears welling up in his eyes now. She wasn't stopping. He was forced to hear it again and again. The scream of a girl who had just lost her mother. A scream he had heard before, many years prior. Only this time, he wasn't the one screaming.
A/N: Okay, that was perhaps a tad bit darker than I originally intended.
Decided to give you guys one more chapter before I went to bed, as I didn't want to leave you with just one. I still have a couple more that are halfway through editing, but I probably won't be posting those anytime soon. Expect the next chapter in two to three days, possibly more.
As always, if you enjoyed the read, please be sure to leave a review, and I will see you guys in the next chapter!
-Twisted
