Chapter 2


The talk that night had lifted his mood quite considerably.

During the last few weeks he had mentally worn himself out dreading about going to sleep, scared to fall asleep into that nightmare.

But now he knew what had to be done, he had to take that nightmare and kick it to the curb. He was going to save that girl in his dream, even if it killed him in the process.

Well, maybe not that far, he wasn't ready to kick the bucket quite yet.

But how or when he would save her, he did not know.

However despite the dreams importance, that was not his primary focus at that moment.

His goal was to get his seventh Gym Badge by the end of the week, and that would take everything he had to win.

"Ash?"

Thinking about it, this would officially be the first time he took on a Gym Leader without some sort of support group.

He would be alone for this one, only he and his Pokemon-

"Ash! Ash hold up!"

He jumped, startled at the shout, and looking back over his shoulder he saw that he had put some serious distance between him and the others who had stopped at a split in the path.

Sheepishly he jogged back, "Sorry," He said, "I was lost in thought,"

"Sheesh," Serena murmured, "anyways, this is the place..."

Ash looked up at the sign on the road, and saw the two individual arrows pointing off in opposite directions. One to Verdant Town and the other to Anistar Town.

"I guess it is,"

"Are you sure you don't want either of us to come along with you?" Clement asked curiously looking down to Bonnie.

He nodded, "That's alright," he said, "Serena needs the support right now after all. And it'll be a good chance for me to think about... Things,"

Serena and Clement caught his emphasis and looked a little troubled, "Are you really sure Ash?" Serena asked quietly, "it really is alright, you know in case things get... Rough at night or-"

Ash smiled at her, "I'll be alright," he reassured her, "all you need to worry about is winning that sash to meet the deadline."

"You know the way?" Bonnie asked reaching up to be Pikachu, "Cause you know... Getting lost and all is kind of a habit of yours..."

Yeah... It kind of was.

"All I need to do is follow that road, and try not to get distracted by any wild Pokemon in the forest." He looked to all of them, "I'll be fine guys, really, I'm not all that hopeless," he joked.

"If you say so,"

"So this is it then," He grinned, "I'll see you all in a couple days then?"

"Absolutely,"

"Right!"

"Ah..."

Giving them a final nod he turned away and started down the road. When he was far enough away, he looked back over his shoulder to the party who still stood at the split and raised a hand in farewell, Pikachu copying his action from his shoulder.

Getting a wave in response, he looked to Pikachu, "Well buddy, it looks like we're on our own once again."

"Ka pi, Pikapi,"

Ash grinned and looked down the long stretch of trees ahead, "We've got a long road ahead of us, so we better get a move on!"

-x-x-x-

Kneeling next to the crackling fire, Ash set on a second log and looked into the sky. The bright blue had darkened to black, and the sky was now rippled with twinkling stars and a full moon.

After hours of walking and when he was sure that they had gone far enough, he called it quits for the day and had gone and set up camp a short walk into the treeline.

The fire would last another couple of hours, and since the summer season would just be beginning, he figured he wouldn't need to wake in order to keep it going.

Ash lay down on his rolled out sleeping bag next to Pikachu who had long since fallen asleep, and stared up at the endless blanket of stars overhead.

Now that he was alone, with only the sounds of the fire popping, and Pikachu's deep breathing, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax.

He knew that he would doze off in a couple of minutes, or seconds possibly, and would be dead asleep.

But what set him on edge was whether he would dream or not. He had thought through dozens of scenarios to save the girl throughout the day, and all of them seemed plausible.

Except for the fact that she always jumps.

No matter what he did.

A soft sigh came from his mouth as sleep worked its way into him, "I'll save you... I promise..." His voice trailed off, and soon he joined Pikachu as sleep claimed him.

-x-x-x-

Ash awoke, eyes opening drearily and not at all amused.

Above him the sky was still black, and the moon was still shining brightly only moving a short distance in it's cycle from when he must have fallen asleep.

Standing quietly he looked at the fire and saw that the log had been eaten through and was going to be dead in another hour.

'I'll have to replace that soon,' he thought tiredly, 'but first...'

But first he had to go to the bathroom. So it was not that night that a nightmare struck him, it was the urge to pee.

Sighing he started towards the treeline for some privacy. He stumbled around in the dark, reaching out with his hands to make sure he didn't walk face first into a tree.

When he figured he was far enough in, he undid his zipper and relieved himself.

Looking around in the dark, he was surprised at how cold it felt on his bare arms and the back of his neck.

He had slept out of the sleeping bag because he figured the summer night would have been plenty along with the fire to keep him warm enough.

But now that he felt the small chills biting at his neck he felt unsettled.

Finished his business, he turned around to go back to camp.

However he froze.

He felt himself choke in fear at the thick grey fog which had risen from the ground and hidden the fire light and site from view.

'I-I can't be dreaming... This had never happened in the dream before!'

He wet his suddenly dry lips and stared.

He couldn't hear anything, nothing at all. It was like the fog had swallowed up the noise of the earth in order to conceal it's presence from him.

"T-The camps... It's over there..." He muttered, I-I just have to go straight through the fog... Straight through."

His legs wouldn't move however. He remained petrified as the fog crept towards him, encircling him in it's grasp.

And before he knew it, all he could see was the canopy overhead, and the black dirt underfoot.

'This isn't real Ash!' He shouted at himself in his mind, 'This is a dream so WAKE UP! WAKE UP RIGHT NOW! PIKACHU SHOCK ME RIGHT NOW!'

A chill nipped the back of his neck making his hair stand on end.

'This... Is a nightmare. Nothing more.'

But then how come it felt so real?

It was the realism that finally made him move. After living through this nightmare dozens of times, feeling the fogs silent crawling on his skin, he forced himself to go to where he thought the campsite was.

The fire would appear.

It would.

He was sure of it.

But as he walked, his breathing becoming more and more frantic. He found himself running and tumbling through the overgrowth in the forest.

And then he found himself sprinting, sprinting for his life.

The claustrophobia he felt over and over again was choking him, pulling him back into the-

He tripped over himself falling hard to the ground. Groaning he got to his knees and looked around.

The fog was still as thick, but now he realized he no longer stood in the forest.

He had found his way back onto the road.

'No... This... No. No. No.'

"This can't be real..." He whispered weakly standing up nervously, "it can't be."

But Ash turned and looked down the road he had seen time and time again, and realized that this was no dream.

He knew that should he walk down this road, he would find that girl.

Ash pinched himself on the arm and felt the dull sting meaning he was awake.

He had two choices now.

Stay put. Just stand there in the road with his eyes shut until everything blew over. Until the fog disappeared and the girl had killed herself-

Or he could go.

But this would be his last chance.

He had to save her or else he would let her die.

He had lost each and every time.

And there was no reset at the end of this road.

"I'll save you," He muttered clenching his hand to his fist, "I won't allow you to jump. I promise you."

So he took a step forward, dirt crunching beneath his foot, and started to run.

There was the small thought in the back of his mind that this was all happening inside his head, that small part of him that wanted to believe that he never would be the deciding factor between a person being dead or alive.

But then there, like Brock had told him the other night, there was a part of him that wanted to see her.

Wanted to meet her with his own eyes.

God he wanted to know her name at least.

The fog kept coming, feeling thicker and thicker and he found himself clawing through it to reach the end.

But then like a switch had been flipped, the fog simply vanished, and he now stood on the edge of a cliff beneath a moonlit canyon where a single rope bridge was suspended.

And a girl, the one he knew who would be standing there, stood at the center.

Bouquet of roses held in her hands.

He felt his breath catch in his throat, and even from the distance between them he could see that in person she was far more beautiful then in his dreams.

'What can I say? What can I do to stop you...'

Run to her.

Call out to her.

Hide and see if she changes her mind.

But now that he was out in the open not hidden by the fog, should she turn her head like he knew she would, she would see him clear as day.

And he would see those eyes filled with hopelessness.

He realized he was shaking, that the adrenaline, or his nerves had pushed him to the edge as well.

Without thinking, he took a step forward onto the bridge just to get closer to her even if it meant that the events, whatever the hell they may be, were set in motion.

They were.

At first, she remained unmoving, staring out into the drop lifeless. But just noticeably her head perked as her awareness alerted her to his presence.

Time seemed to grow heavy as she turned to look at him. The way her bangs slowly parted with the action revealing the rose red eyes beneath. Like her beauty in person, her eyes were even more terrifying.

There had been... Something at least, the loss and hopelessness in his dreams.

Here. He saw nothing. Her eyes were still.

Dead.

Like the life from her had been sucked dry.

He had to save her.

Save her so she never looked like that again.

And then, if you were to ask him later about it he would have said that he couldn't remember how it had happened, Ash saw the small flicker in her eyes, and the look of relief fall onto her lips.

He knew she was about to jump.

Ash had gone from a standstill as soon as he saw the bouquet begin to slip from her hands into a sprint down the bridge.

Before they had hit the ground, she had looked away from him and had placed her back to the railing. Ash saw the small intake of breath as she closed her eyes, accepting fate, and then she leaned back, falling over the rope, towards the rapids below.

And Ash dove off right after her.

He dove beneath the railing, grabbing one of the supports as he went over - outstretchingfor the girls hand with the other.

He didn't know how or why.

If it was fate, destiny or luck.

Bur he caught her wrist. And then grimaced in pain as he was stretched to his limit.

He held onto the rope with everything he had as they swung dangerously over the waters. The girls eyes had opened as she was jerked into an upright position by her wrist.

She stared at him, eyes filled with confusion at his presence. Only momentarily did she look away from him and around her, only to see the thousand foot drop below her.

Looking back at him, he saw something new.

Terror.

Horror.

Fear entered those eyes. Fear at what she had just been about to do, what was about to happen to her.

Her wrist slipped, and she screamed as his hold tightened at the final moment on her hand. His adrenaline was pumping, and his hands were sweating dangerously, "I won't let you go! But I can't pull you up on my own! I need you to pull yourself higher!"

She didn't move right away, only continued dangling by their hands as tears started to run from her eyes down her cheeks.

"You're slipping!" He shouted desperately, "I need you to do this! Please!"

His arms felt like lead, and as soon as he was sure she was going to fall, she reached up with her other hand and gripped his wrist.

And slowly, starting from his hand, she climbed her way up to his back where she could then reach the tilted planks from their weight.

When he finally felt her weight leave him, he felt relief like no other hit him.

But then his hand gave way. His fingers buckled, and before the cry of terror was out of his mouth a pair of hands grabbed his wrist.

The girl clung desperately to his wrist, using every ounce of strength she possessed to pull him up onto the bridge.

Once both of his arms and the upper part of his torso had gotten up, he quickly scrambled away from the edge with the girl who had her hands clenched onto his shirt.

They sat on the bridge in silence beneath the moonlight, minds reeling, and hearts racing.

His mind was blank, and in a trance like motion he turned and looked at the girl who was breathing hoarsely.

He had thought it before, and he guessed he would think it again.

But this close in person, he could say he had never seen someone so beautiful. Her hair was a dishevelled mess, sweat ran down her forehead and down her neck, and her eyes now that he could see them clearly were brimming and shining with tears.

Like she felt his eyes on her, she in turn looked at him.

He couldn't understand the emotions in her eyes, or possibly begin to think about what she was thinking about.

But he saw the slow mental breakdown on her face from petrified terror to emotional wreck.

Her lips quivered and her body began to shake as the first tears fell from her eyes. She choked once, and then before he knew it she had broken down, burying her head into his chest as sobs racked violently against her body.

She held the front of his shirt with clenched fists as her wails echoed into the late night sky.

Ash simply shut his eyes and put his arms around her pulling her closer to him, something he had wanted to do for a while now.

He let her cry, he didn't say a word the entire time, but all the while he thought one thing.

He would never allow that look of sadness to come on to her face again. She would never cry again unless they were tears of joy.

Ash held her tighter.

He'd be damned if he let anything drive her to this point again.

He simply wouldn't allow it.


Thank you all for taking time out to read this chapter, and please leave a review to let me know what you all thought! I love feed back, positive or negative!

Thanks! And I'll see you again next chapter!