Chapter 2: A Night Under The Stars

Author's Note: This story takes place at the current point in the anime series. I'm also going to assume that the characters' ages are as follows: Brock-18, Ash-15, May-13, Drew-13, Dawn-10, and Max-10. Sorry for the interruption.

Ash Ketchum sat on the makeshift log bench. He, Brock, and Dawn had been travelling most of the day, and decided an hour ago to stop at this clearing for the night. Ash was excited. Tomorrow, they'd arrive in Veilstone City, where Ash would challenge the gym leader, Maylene, for the Cobble Badge (which would be his third Sinnoh League Badge). But that was another day, another time.

Presently, the smell of Brock's cooking filled Ash's nose. His stomach gave a low rumble, making him realize just how hungry he was. It had been several hours since his last meal. Brock, who was putting the finishing touches, looked up from his work and gave his longtime friend a smile.

"Don't worry, Ash, dinner will be ready in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Brock. I've been looking forward to this meal since lunch!" Both boys had a good laugh at this statement.

"Say, Ash, why don't you go find Dawn and tell her to come back to camp? I'd prefer nobody going hungry tonight."

Ash nodded, and headed off into the trees near the trail. A short distance in the forest, Ash came upon a clearing, where he saw Dawn. When they had camp set up, Dawn came here to work on training her Pokémon for the contest in town, and borrowed Ash's Pikachu for this purpose. Ash wasn't the only one who had plans for Veilstone City. From what Ash could see, Pikachu had a bit of a bout against Buneary. The two looked as if they could go on for a short while longer, however. Ash had no intention of letting them continue, though.

"Hey Dawn, Brock's got the food ready!"

"Ok, Ash, I'll be right there!"

By the time the aspiring Pokémon trainer and dark blue-haired coordinator arrived back in camp and let their companions out of their pokéballs, Brock had distributed everyone's food. They all sat around their campfire and enjoyed Brock's stew. As usual, Brock's cooking received no complaints and plenty of cheery compliments.

After dinner, Ash went to the nearby stream to refill canteens while Brock and Dawn washed up. At this point, the sun had set entirely, but it was not too difficult to see anything. Returning to camp, Ash laid out his sleeping bag on the grassy ground, while Dawn and Brock got themselves set up around the dying fire. They felt like tonight was a perfect night to sleep under the stars.

Ash was awake for a few moments after his companions fell asleep. Pikachu, who was also dozing, slept in his own sleeping bag, which had little lightning bolt designs on it. Ash stared up at the night sky. The half-moon shone brightly amongst the countless stars. As he felt himself losing consciousness, Ash wondered if anyone else was looking at the same nighttime sky. Then everything went black as Ash fell into deep slumber.

May's mind was too active for her to fall asleep yet. She reflected on what had happened to her in recent weeks. It all began when she went to Johto to compete in contests. Her decision separated her from Ash, who went to the Sinnoh region, Brock, who went home to Pewter City, and Max, who was back home in Petalburg City in the Hoenn region.

She started her own journey in Violet City, where she defeated Harley in the contest, her Squirtle trouncing his Ariados. Then came the long, ardous trek through the Union Cave and sidestop to Slowpoke Well before arriving in Azalea Town. There, she faced off against Drew, where his Absol defeated her Munchlax. Now, they both were headed toward the contest in Goldenrod City. To get there, however, May would have to pass through the ever dark Ilex forest. Drew had offered to accompany her through the woods and into town. May accepted this offer. He may be my rival in these competitions, but there's a definite charm about him, May thought.

Looking around, she saw the embers of their campfire. Opposite the fire pit, Drew lay sleeping. May smiled. Traveling was tough enough. Going alone made things more difficult, and May was never really happy without someone to travel with. She was glad Drew kept her company through the forest. Tomorrow, they'd be in Goldenrod, entering the contest. After that…who knew.

May's eyelids grew heavy at this time – sleep was finally coming to her. She laid her head on her pillow, but before she drifted off into oblivion, she looked up at the night sky. The moon was only half-full this night, shining brightly along with the stars. I wonder who else sees what I'm seeing. Unable to stay awake any longer, May fell into the depths of sleep.

She did not know it, but somewhere else, someone was looking at the same sky and wondering the same thing.

So how's my work so far? I have chosen a song to go along with this scene. It's "Wake Up Screaming" by Paul Stanley (yes, the Paul Stanley of KISS) on his solo album "Live to Win". If you have neither the album nor the song, and would like to hear it, go to YouTube and use keywords Paul Stanley Wake Up Screaming. Remember, listening to music throughout this story is optional, but adds something extra to the overall effect, so I recommend this course of action. Anyway, when you're ready, go on to chapter 3.