Chapter 4: Overreacting
Ash woke up to sunlight streaming on his face. He sat up and looked around. Where was he?
Suddenly, memories of what had happened last night flooded back to him. He remembered that he had been running, he couldn't remember from what, but he knew he had been running. He had fallen… a girl with brown hair… the storm… a Clefairy… That's right! Lisa rescued him. Where was she? She wasn't in the cabin.
Ash got up and looked out the window. He saw a small wooden building in the distance, and Lisa was walking into it. Ash ran outside and headed to the building. When he reached the door, he heard noses coming from inside. He quietly slipped inside. What he saw nearly made his eyes pop out.
Inside, there were dozens of Pokeballs, all labeled with a different name on each. Lisa was at the far side of the building, along with a Chansey and a Girafig.
"I want you guys to make sure that everything goes okay while I'm gone. I can rely on you two more than any of my other Pokemon that I'm leaving, okay? I trust it that you two won't try to burn the place down when I leave." The two Pokemon seemed to laugh and both nodded in agreement.
"Good," said Lisa, and turned around to see Ash standing in the doorway.
"Ash!" she said in surprise. "I thought you were-"
"Still asleep?" he said, walking towards her. "What do you mean by 'When I leave?' Where are you going?" Lisa backed up against the wall. "I… I meant… when I leave to go with you as you look for your friends! What did you think I meant?"
Ash kept walking towards her, slightly suspicious. "Why the sudden defensiveness? Should I even trust you?"
Lisa was getting a little scared now. "Ash, I… You're beginning to freak me out, okay? Can we just get out of here?"
"Not until you tell me the truth!" Ash lunged at her. Lisa ducked out of the way just in time for Ash to crash straight into the wall. She ran over to where the Pokeballs were lined up and threw one at Ash.
"Bulbasaur!" she cried, "Tie him down with vine whip!" In a flash of red light, a green Pokemon had its vines around Ash and was pulling him to the ground.
"Damn! What's your problem?" he yelled.
"What's your problem? You just attacked me for no reason! What's your deal, man?"
Ash sighed. "You're right. I overreacted. I just get freaked out when people act as if they're hiding something."
Lisa's expression softened. "So do I. Bulbasaur," she said, turning to the Pokemon, "release him and go back in your Pokeball. Chansey and Girafig, go gather some firewood for tonight." The Pokemon did as they were told, and soon it was just Lisa and Ash standing alone, face-to-face in the building. Ash took a step closer, and realized that Lisa's eyes were filling with tears.
"Hey," he said, stepping even closer to her, "I'm sorry. I guess I just thought that you meant… something else."
Lisa nodded and wiped a tear away. "It's fine. I just got scared so I had Bulbasaur attack you."
"You had every right to." By now, Ash was standing so close that he could see the true depth of her eyes. Neither one of them moved closer or farther away from each other's face. Moments later, Lisa broke away from Ash's gaze. "We should get going," she said. "Your friends must be really worried. And I'm not sure how long the good weather will hold out."
She walked around Ash and moved out the door. Ash stood there, staring blankly ahead. What had he just done? Had he really just attacked Lisa? And why did he feel strange when he looked in her eyes? He would have time to think about that later. He followed Lisa out the door.