A/N: The Pokémon franchise is the property of The Pokémon Company and their subsidiaries. Please support the official release.


Chapter 3: Torn and Frayed

It had been hours since the two of them had left Dawn's house, but she still refused to talk, notice or even acknowledge him. Despite his best attempts to start a friendly or comforting conversation, she had yet to speak a single word. It hurt a bit, being ignored so completely, but Ash supposed he couldn't really blame her for that. After what had happened in Twinleaf, he wouldn't even have blamed her if she decided to stay silent for the rest of her life.

The sun was all but gone from the sky by now, plunging the world into deep darkness. The couple was left to navigate by the stars, something Dawn seemed able to do quite easily, even in such a broken emotional state. Normally, they would've perhaps spent the night in Dawn's house before moving on, but that had been completely out of the question. Just thinking about that… place… sent shivers down Ash's spine.

Despite worrying about Dawn, he was still perfectly aware of how dangerous it was to travel during nighttime. You never knew what could be lurking in the shadows or hanging from the treetops. He had decided they would make camp the second he found a suitable spot, but for now, they had no choice but to keep going…


After her voice finally broke down due to her screaming, Dawn remained in a crumbled heap on the floor; a broken, emotionless thing. Ash wasn't doing much better himself. With his heart pumping wildly in his chest, he slowly made his way over to Dawn's side. Midway through stretching out his hand to grab her shoulder, he stopped, thinking the better of it. She needed space, at least for now.

Standing up on shaky legs, he cautiously moved over to the corpse of the dead woman. Her blood was everywhere, and he could feel it soak into the soles of his shoes. He hadn't been able to properly inspect the corpse earlier due to the shock, but now, he finally had a clear view of her body. Dawn's mother had been mutilated beyond recognition. Her hair was the only thing that remained relatively intact. Her face had been all but gnawed away, and her belly had been ripped wide open by a pair of sharp claws, causing her innards to spill out over her legs. The decomposition phase had barely started, and the air still lingered with the sickly-sweet smell of copper, suggesting that the body was relatively fresh. She had most likely died just hours before Ash and Dawn had arrived.

He was ripped from his thoughts by the sound of Dawn mumbling incoherently to herself. Shooting a look back at her, he was surprised to see that she had stood up and was now taking off her backpack.

"Hey… Dawn… I don't mean to pry, but… what are you doing?" he asked, his voice coming out like a weak whimper. She didn't answer. She didn't even acknowledge his existence, she just kept undressing, having moved on to untying her shoelaces now. A sinking feeling settled deep inside of Ash's stomach. Whatever it was she was doing, it couldn't possibly be good.

Her mumbling gradually increased in volume, and Ash was able to make out a few sentences here and there.

"… and it's almost time for dinner as well… mother will be very angry with me for coming home so late… wouldn't want to upset her…"

Ash's heart broke in his chest as he listened to her talk to herself, tears threatening to spill out as he realized what had happened. Reality had proven itself to be so bad that her sanity had simply snapped.

"Dawn…" he groaned, desperately trying to regain control over the emotions surging through him. "Dawn… She's gone…"

Her entire body seemed to stiffen up at the sound of his words. Her mumbling stopped as abruptly as it had started. Eyes wide open; she slowly turned around to face him.

"You're… You're lying," she whispered, a lone tear sliding down the side of her cheek. And just like that, Ash couldn't help himself any longer. He started crying too.

"No… No… I wish I was, but I'm… oh God, I'm not…" he sobbed, pushing his bright red cap further down in front of his eyes to hide his tears.

"You… YOU'RE LYING!" she screamed, her voice breaking halfway through the sentence. She was crying openly now, sobs forcing their way up her throat. Seeing her like this only made Ash's heart ache even worse, and acting on pure instinct, he threw his arms around her, enveloping her in a soft hug.

Dawn instantly relaxed her stiff body, letting the grief overwhelm her. Pushing herself up against him, she sobbed and sobbed. Ash sobbed with her, old wounds being ripped open at the sight of someone else losing a loved one. They stayed like that for a while, crying into each other's shoulder, comforting each other in the darkness of Dawn's childhood home. Pikachu also joined in, rubbing his body against their legs in a comforting gesture. The Pokémon must've felt their sorrow.

Standing there like that, they both came to realize that things would never be the same again.


After wandering around aimlessly for what must've been over an hour, Ash finally found a safe enough spot to camp in. Gathering some broken branches and leaves, he attempted to make a small campfire to help keep them warm. Dawn remained silent the entire time, watching him work with meager interest. It was obvious her thoughts were occupied elsewhere.

Striking the flint for what felt like the 100th time, Ash finally managed to get a small fire going. Before long, the wood was completely ablaze, bathing the couple in warm, life-giving light. Letting out a relieved sigh, he carefully rolled out his sleeping bag next to the fire, before gesturing for Dawn to do the same. When she didn't respond, he took matters into his own hands, walking over to her backpack to do it for her.

"Wait…" she suddenly murmured, raising her head and looking at him for the first time since they left Twinleaf. "I'll… I'll do it myself."

Ash stared at her for some time, before nodding his head and returning to his own sleeping bag. Moments later, he heard a scuffling sound, before feeling Dawn's body laying down right next to him. Normally, it would've perhaps been weird for the two of them to lay so close to one another, but now, Ash honestly couldn't have cared less. Both of them had just been through hell, and however faint, there was comfort to be found in each other's presence. Pikachu also joined them, laying down next to Ash's head.

Despite everything that had happened, they were both exhausted, so sleep thankfully came easy.


The next morning, Ash was pulled from his slumber by the first glimmers of sunlight gently caressing his face. A soft breeze blew through the forest, causing the leaves to rustle and the birds to chirp. Letting out a tremendous yawn, he attempted to get up into a sitting position, only to find his body constrained under the weight of Dawn's arm. Sometime during the night, she had apparently locked herself around him, clinging onto him for comfort like she would a pillow.

Sighing, he gave in to his fate, relaxing with Dawn nuzzled comfortably into his side. Not a moment later, his head started processing everything that had happened the past couple of days.

Things will never be the same. That much was certain. Up until this point, Ash had chosen to completely ignore the underlying problem: how he had seemingly travelled from Kanto to Sinnoh in a matter of hours, without any recollection of the journey. A thousand questions revolving around how face-planting into the pavement next to his house had transported him to Sinnoh irked his mind, but no matter how many times he racked his brain in search of an answer, the question remained.

And what had really happened that fateful night, when the very sky had opened up, when that strange purple light had come pouring into the atmosphere like a venomous vapor? What had caused the gargantuan earthquake that had ultimately toppled his childhood home? What had happened to his mother? Was she okay? Was anyone in Pallet Town okay?

Shaking his head, he attempted to distance himself from these thoughts. But the more he tried, the more prominent they became. The more they bugged him, his mind craving answers above anything else. What if… What if his mother had…

Just as Ash felt his heart sink in his chest, Dawn suddenly moved her arm. Stirring in her slumber, she readjusted her position, before proceeding to let out a long sigh of satisfaction, squeezing him even tighter than before. Somehow, that insignificant little movement caused his brain to eject all negative thoughts from his mind, and he suddenly became very aware of his situation. An attractive girl was currently cuddled up right next to him, using him as her private pillow.

But... because of everything... I can't even properly enjoy it.

Carefully moving her arm away from him, Ash stood up, stretching out his sore muscles as he did so. The rejuvenating sunlight caressed his skin, and the light morning breeze felt nice and cool against his aching body. If it wasn't for what had happened the previous day, this could've perhaps been an amazing morning.

Looking back down at Dawn again, Ash couldn't help but notice how incredibly… at peace... she looked. It was almost as if all her problems had gone away the second she had fallen asleep. For a moment, he was tempted to go back to sleep with her, to chase away all the horrible memories and be embraced by the sweet relief of darkness. But he knew that he couldn't, and for some reason, that made him feel incredibly sad.

Alright, enough with the moping... I should probably start preparing some breakfast. How are we doing on food supplies? he thought to himself as he walked over to his backpack, opening it up and taking a look inside. Nothing. It was completely void of anything edible.

Damn it. Thought as much... Gonna have to find something to eat then.

Just as he was about to go out searching for berries, he noticed his magnetic belt on the ground next to his backpack. All of his Pokèballs were still attached to it (something he was eternally grateful for) and upon seeing them, his mind suddenly came up with an idea.

Gently nudging his best friend's sleeping form, Ash gingerly attempted to wake up Pikachu. He would need his assistance in order to catch their meal. The yellow rodent gradually woke to life, his brown, animalistic eyes opening wide to send Ash a questioning look. Gesturing for his furry friend to follow, Ash made his way deeper into the woods.

As Pikachu caught up with him, Ash finished preparing what he would be using as bait. A handful of berries wrapped up in a big leaf was the best he could do with such limited supplies. Pikachu was quick to catch on, and Ash didn't even need to explain what they would be doing. The Pokémon was already getting ready behind a nearby tree.

The plan was relatively simple. They would wait for a Pokémon to come take the bait, at which point Pikachu would jump out from behind the tree, electrocuting it and knocking it out. Ash would then swoop in with the pocket knife he always kept on his person, and finish the job. Voila, you had breakfast.

But things didn't go nearly as smooth as he had hoped. And after waiting for 20 minutes, Ash felt about ready to give up hope. Pikachu had long since lost interest, and was currently busy chasing butterflies somewhere nearby. But then, just as he was about to start heading back to camp, a familiar scent hit his nostrils.

Meat cooked over an open fire.

The thought of it was so appealing that, for a second, he completely spaced out, simply standing there with his mouth open. Then he realized which direction the smell was coming from. It was coming from their camp. Without as much as a second thought, he immediately abandoned his hiding spot and headed straight there.

Pikachu had seemingly also caught up on Ash's uncertainty, as he came running with him back to the campsite. Cutting through bushes and underbrush, the couple sprinted as fast as they could. By the time their camp finally came into view, Ash had received a bunch of fresh cuts from low-hanging branches and sharp thorns.

"Dawn?!" he shouted, his eyes quickly scanning his surroundings.

"Yeah, I'm right here!" a female voice answered, much to Ash's relief.

"Is there a problem?" she continued as she came into view. Her blue hair was a mess, and there were faint traces of black bags underneath her eyes. But to Ash, she had never looked more beautiful.

"Uhm…" Ash answered, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. "No, it's nothing… I just thought that, since I smelled cooked meat coming from here... someone had maybe infiltrated our campsite whilst you were sleeping and…"

He was cut off by the sound of Dawn chuckling.

"You're being paranoid," she laughed, shaking her head in amusement. "You were taking your sweet time finding us breakfast, so I thought I'd just go catch something myself." Ash's eyebrows raised exponentially at this.

"How did you manage to… what… just… how?" was the only response he could come up with. Dawn chuckled again.

"Yeah, well... Wouldn't you like to know!" she answered with a smile, before turning around to face the campfire again. "Instead of standing there looking like an idiot, why not come taste the meat instead?"

Ash immediately shook himself out of his trance at the sound of the word "meat". He hadn't had a satisfying meal in days, something his stomach could testify to. Sitting down next to the fire, he greedily eyed the meat that was currently being spit-roasted above it on a particularly large stick.

"What kind of Pokémon did you harvest the meat from?" he asked as his hunger rapidly grew in intensity.

"It's not from a Pokémon. It's boar meat," she answered matter-of-factly. Sending her a questioning look, Ash tried to figure out how she could've possibly had the time to catch a boar, skin it, harvest its meat and throw away the cadaver before he even had a chance to SEE a Pokémon or animal, much less catch one. But Dawn simply sat there, a small smile plastered on her face.

After waiting in silence for a couple of minutes, Dawn finally took the meat off the flame, cutting it up into smaller pieces with her pocket knife (actually, it wasn't much of a pocket knife, more like a top-grade survival knife) before handing Ash a portion of it.

Never in his life had he eaten anything quite as fast as he ate that meat. The succulent taste and rich flavor caused a grunt of pleasure to escape from his lips, something that earned him an amused look from Dawn.

"I'm sorry, it's just… too… good…" he said in-between bites, his focus remaining on the meal in front of him. How had she managed to get it so perfectly tender with nothing but a rough campfire and a stick?

So obsessed was he with this meal, in fact, that he utterly failed to notice the slight movement that occurred in the corner of his vision. So obsessed, he completely ignored the sound of rustling bushes coming from behind him.

One second he was sitting by the fire, enjoying the tasty meat. The next he was on the ground, writhing and gasping in pain from where the force of the sudden impact had hit him in the back. He heard Dawn scream, before an overwhelming roar swallowed the sound. Craning his neck around, he managed to catch a glimpse of what it was that had attacked him.

It was massive. Standing at well over 4 feet tall, the colossal, blue bug Pokémon let out a screeching sound as its two, huge yellow eyes with coal-black pupils fixed themselves on him. Its body was covered in what appeared to be an exoskeleton of some sorts, with one long, pronged horn sticking out of its forehead.

"Ash… stand… perfectly… still…" Dawn whispered, making sure to move as little as possible. "That's a Heracross... And before you ask, yes... They are extremely dangerous to humans. Any sudden movement will be seen as an attempt to escape... And it will be on you before you even manage to blink."

"Trust me... I wasn't thinking about running..." Ash answered, his eyes scanning for any sort of opening. He noticed Pikachu hiding behind a nearby tree, his fur standing straight up due to the massive amounts of electricity currently being stored inside of his body. He was charging up one hell of a Thunderbolt.

Making eye contact with him, Ash slowly nodded his head. And in that moment, the Heracross attacked.

The bug Pokémon was on him before he even managed to react, knocking him to the ground and using its claws to slash away at his exposed arms. Warm blood started seeping out from deep cuts, and he screamed as a jolt of intense pain flooded his senses. Somewhere in the distance, he heard Dawn let out a surprised gasp, but his brain refused to register it. It was too busy processing the huge amounts of agony currently radiating from his arms.

The Heracross screeched even louder, the sound deafening to Ash's ears. But just as he felt the strength in his arms disappearing, his body's natural survival instinct kicked in, and suddenly, he found himself holding his pocketknife. Letting out a scream of pure panic, he slammed the blade into the Pokémon's stomach, its sharp edge easily finding its way in-between the plates of exoskeleton covering its body. Hot, sticky blood came spurting out, soaking Ash's clothes and coloring him a deep shade of crimson.

Suddenly, an incredibly loud bang echoed throughout the forest, and Heracross's body went completely stiff, before falling to one side, leaving Ash panting for air and covered in blood. Pikachu had hit it with what was quite possibly his strongest Thunderbolt so far, instantly cooking the poor Heracross's brain.

"Ash, oh my God, are you okay!?" he heard Dawn scream. He couldn't bring himself to care or even answer. A wave of tiredness unlike anything he had ever felt before had washed over his body, completely subduing him. He just wanted to sleep, to take a long, good nap. His eyelids refused to stay open. Sleep. Yes. It was time to sleep.

"Ash… You have to… Are you… Ash... Please answer me… ASH!"

Finally, he closed his eyes, allowing the darkness to take him.


A/N: Another Pokémon encounter! Poor Ash just can't seem to catch a break :) Luckily enough for him, things are about to change for the better relatively soon. You'll have to wait and see what I mean by that.

I really like this whole "deadly Pokémon" thing. It makes the world a whole lot more interesting (and scary), and I can't wait to further expand on it as the story develops. As I said in chapter 1, this is still a side project for me, so I won't be devoting the main bulk of my attention to it, but it is still exciting nonetheless. I think it is important for a writer to have some variation in what he or she writes, in order to avoid writers' block and burnout. If you focus solely on one story, you have a tendency to lose sight of what makes writing so wonderful in the first place: the ability to explore all of these distant worlds at your own leisure.

Anyway, that's enough from me. If you enjoyed the read, then I would greatly appreciate it if you left a review with your thoughts on it! And as always, I will see you guys in the next chapter!

-Twisted