The bonfire crackled. On a spit a Magikarp was roasting, the smell making Ash's belly rumble.
He watched Yellow feed her Pikachu with some berries she had picked in the woods near route 2. His face was pure exhaustion and his mind exploded with a collision of thoughts.
It had been days since the two had walked tirelessly along route 2, accompanied only by the blazing sun and the distant view of a dirt road that seemed to have no end. On the sidelines of the routes, during the night, they rested and recovered their energies to, on the next day, do it all over again.
Soon his antidepressant would run out and he didn't know how he would be able to move on if he suddenly stopped consuming the medication that gave him the minimum amount of energy to live.
If I still had my bike I would have made it to Pewter by now,he thought, regretting his bicycle being torn apart by the Beedrills of the Viridian Forest.
And, of course, he was quite anxious thinking about the gym battle that was to come.
He took a piece of the fish with an ate stick.
"Worried about something?", asked Yellow, sitting on a log on the other side of the fire and staring at him. There's no doubt she had noticed his worried expression.
"Nothing... It's just that this road never seems to end. Are you sure you know how to get to Pewter?"
"Of course! Relax, if my calculations are correct there are only three days left for us to get there."
"THREE DAYS?", Ash spoke in a loud tone expressing his dismay.
She nodded. "You need to calm down, you're very anxious. I believe you're going to challenge the Gym Leader, right? Brock. The rock-type Pokémon specialist. Have you thought about what strategy you're going to use?"
Ash chewed another piece of Magikarp.
"That's what's worrying me. I can't use Ember, after all, it's a fire type and has a disadvantage to rock. Poly is a normal type and rock resists it. So there's only Luna left... Besides, I think I need to train more ..." he replied thoughtfully. "Are you sure you don't want to eat?", he asked the girl, regretting that she wasn't hungry.
"No, thanks. I don't eat meat, I told you."
Ash shrugged.
He looked at Clefairy who was leaning against a tree, looking at the moon in the sky with a melancholy expression, totally oblivious to the conversation.
In the moon world, he thought. There were moments when she was dissociated from reality and seemed to sink into her own. He didn't judge her because sometimes he was like that too.
"I can help you!", said Yellow suddenly, surprising him.
He turned his gaze from Luna to her.
"Help... how?"
"Well... What do you think about battling me?"
He thought for a moment. It would be a good opportunity to train his Pokemon for the battle that was coming soon. Furthermore, he was curious to know the battle style of the wild girl he had met in the Viridian Forest.
"THAT'S FINE!", he ended up answering with his mouth full of food.
The girl laughed. Before he knew it, redness had risen to Ash's face. He turned his face away trying to hide the embarrassment.
"Pika Pika", had spoken Chuchu randomly.
"Can you translate it for me?", asked Ash, curious to know what Pikachu had said.
"She's excited for battle," Yellow replied. "But don't you think I'm going to take it easy just because you're my friend."
Ash looked at her, determined.
"I would be disappointed if you did otherwise!"
His vision was kind of blurred, as if he was seeing through a fogged up mirror.
The ground he walked on was gray, moon dust floating through gravity as he navigated this desolate land. Everywhere he looked there was destruction. Several pink figures were lying on the ground, lifeless. Destroyed houses and ruins everywhere.
The feeling of despair and anguish took over.
Suddenly, he looked up at the sky.
Several boulders in flames descended at high speed towards the colony. He knew he would have the same fate as the others seconds before the foreshadowed tragedy happened.
Father, mother, brother... I'll be with you soon!
Ash woke up panting.
His heart was beating fast and sweat was trickling down his arms.
What a weird dream, he thought, after calming down.
He had dreamed so livid that he had the impression that what he had witnessed was for real.
He looked at his side inside the tent. Luna writhed from side to side as she slept.
Did...,a thought came into his mind.
What if what he had dreamed was not a dream? What if he was sharing Luna's memories through the psychic link formed between the two?
He couldn't go back to sleep and spent a sleepless night thinking about it.