Annddd I'm once again back with a new story while I have three others marinating in the in-progress status! But this time I've got a strategy. Every month, I'll update all of the stories. The first week will be Parallel Rivals, the second A Betrayed Champion, the third The Unknown, the fourth Scream, and so on and so forth. The updates will vary between Saturday-Monday, since those three days are where I have the most time to finalize stuff and get it published. So next week, I may or may not update something, but starting on the first Sunday of February, I'll be doing weekly updates for my stuff!

Of course, if you only follow one or two, then you won't be getting weekly updates, but that's how it's gonna be so... :D

Until then, here's the sneak peek at my newest story, The Unknown. Also, this is the first part in a two-part series, just fyi

Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN POKEMON

Sneak Peek:

The Unknown

"Holy fuck!" Jade exclaimed, grinning and pointing towards the woods. "Check it out, a lightning storm!"

The group all turned their gazes to where she was pointing, and sure enough, a bit of a ways into the forest, they could see purple arcs of lightning striking down from the huge clouds gathered above. The flashes varied from consecutive to overlapping, swapping patterns every few moments. But there was something strange about the beautiful storm...

"Why's it only over the woods?" Alain asked, eyes narrowed.

"Not even," Dawn added, frowning. "It's only over that small patch of trees."

"She's following them," he muttered, narrowing his eyes. "But why? And why are they going in there…"

"High School student Drew Hayden has been reported missing by a friend of his, Cilan Dent," the new reporter said, glancing down at the paper before him. "He was last seen at the residence of Iris Emerald, who was hosting a party between 9 pm and 1 am. An eyewitness reported seeing him head into the Viridian Forest that borders Miss Emerald's residence at roughly 11:30 pm, however that is the last account we have of his known whereabouts. If anyone else has any kind of information, please relay it to the number below."

As the screen flashed a phone number, Ash muted the TV and turned back to his friends, his face pale and a panicked look in his eyes.

"Last night, we left at around 11:27, right?" he whispered.

"Yup," Alain muttered, looking sick.

"And for sure we still don't remember what happened that night?" Jade asked, practically praying for the answer she wanted to hear.

But her hopes were crushed as every single person in the room nodded their heads, their eyes reflecting terror and uncertainty at what might have happened. For a few moments, they were all silent, unwilling to bring up what they were all thinking. But then Dawn spoke.

"You all know what this means, right?" she said quietly.

"Please don't…" Lillie whispered, covering her ears while May placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"We…" Dawn began, faltering. "We…"

"It could have been us," Gary suddenly interrupted. "We might have had something to do with Drew disappearing."

"So here's all we know," Ash began. "There was a storm. We were caught in the middle, and that was the last thing we remembered before waking up in our dorms."

"So for now, everything about us is just unknown," Jade finished.

"Dammit," he hissed, a slight tremble in his voice. "How do I stop it…"

As the beast charged closer and closer, its gaping mouth displaying an array of sharp teeth, Alain squeezed his eyes shut and held his arms up in front of him, praying for something, anything to happen that would save him.

Man, why the hell wasn't it just chained up-

And just as fast as he'd thought those words, a loud gust of wind suddenly blasted past his ear, mingled with the distinct clinking of metal. He snapped his eyes open, curiosity overwhelming the fear, and what he saw made him want to stop breathing.

"We can't change how he feels," May whispered, her voice wavering. "We can only support his happiness."

"But it's just not fair," Dawn whimpered, choking back more tears. "Why do we have to suffer, after all we've done for him…"

"So it's agreed," Paul muttered darkly. "In a months' time, once we've trained ourselves and our powers as best we can, we'll face them."

The group nodded, their eyes hardened with determination as a small breeze rustled their hair.

"They think it's our day of reckoning," Serena said softly, her voice laced with venom. "But it'll actually be theirs…"

As Misty dropped to the ground, the figure flexed their hands, letting out a breath of satisfaction as they admired their work.

"And to think, all I needed was a medium…"