Chapter 3: Hour of Discontent
"Pikapi!" Pikachu yelled out desperate to find his trainer. He just knew something had happened to him, and couldn't stand being away from him.
"Ash!" Brock called out as well really starting to worry about him. They had been searching for him for the past ten minutes and found no trace of him. He couldn't have gotten that far just collecting firewood. They were all drenched, as they wondered around looking for Ash.
"I don't understand where could he have gone?" Dawn asked as she let out a bone wrenching shiver. Brock turned his attention to Dawn when he took in her appearance. She was freezing out here in the rain. As much as he wanted to stay out here and look for Ash, he knew they had better get back to the cave to dry off before any of them got sick. Plus it was really starting to get dark now. He was about to suggest that they resume again in the morning when Pikachu's cry stopped him.
"Pika!" he exclaimed pointing towards a steep muddy cliff. Dawn's turned her gaze in the direction Pikachu had been pointing when she noticed a heap of timber scattered about by the edge of the cliff. They all rushed over examining the scene. Brock did not fail to notice the skid marks down the side of the cliff.
"Brock," Dawn began as realization hit her, "You don't think…" She trailed off as she glanced over the edge. The same thought had occurred to Brock as he peered out over the edge.
"Ash!" He called down hoping to receive some kind of response from him, but became extremely worried after receiving none.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried out in vain. It was really starting to get dark now, and Brock knew they would only manage to get lost themselves if they mounted a search at night. Plus this rain did not seem to be helping any. As much as he hated to suggest it, they had to leave Ash out there for the night.
"Brock what are we going to do?" Dawn asked.
"We'll have to resume or search in the morning." He answered. "Let's get back to the cave and get some sleep."
"Brock, we can't just leave him out here, what if he is hurt?" Dawn protested not liking the idea of abandoning their search for Ash. Brock sighed in thought. That possible outcome had crossed his mind, and he did not like the situation any more than Dawn, but what could he do?
"Dawn, I can't do anything about the weather." Brock replied. "We ourselves might slip down a cliff, and then what? A lot of good we are going to do Ash, if we get lost or hurt ourselves. It's best just to dig in our heels and resume our search in the morning."
Dawn realized that all Brock had said made perfect sense, but that did not mean that she had to like what he said. She casted a worried glance over the ledge, wondering just how far down it was. She was about to protest again when a sudden gust blew down upon them nearly causing Pikachu and Piplup to be blown away.
"Besides," He said, "this is Ash we are talking about, he is perfectly capable of taking care of himself. In fact he is probably sheltering somewhere from the storm, trust me Dawn this is not the first time this has happened, and the conditions this time aren't nearly as bad as the previous time." With that said the four of them all returned to the cave.
Meanwhile…
"Sir" the man greeted as the salamence landed.
Hunter J coolly jumped off her obedient pokémon and walk over to where the man stood waiting for her.
"Report" she demanded.
"Sir we had the target, but it managed to slip away." The man began; almost fearful of what kind of reaction he would receive from the hunter concerning their failure. The hunter gave no reaction to the news, so the man continued. "He won't get very far in this weather, my men will have him again before morning." he finished as he watched the hunter, waiting for any kind of response.
Hunter J however seemed to be lost in thought and the man wondered if she had heard a single word he had just said. The wind ruffled her blue hair as she sensed the subtle change in the weather announcing something more to come. "Sir?" He called out to her wondering what their next move was going to be.
"Was he alone?" She asked as she continued scanning the immediate area.
"Yes sir." the man replied immediately as he watched the hunter as she smiled upon hearing his answer, it was almost too easy, she thought to herself.
"Call your men off." J said as she turned her attention back her foot soldier now masking confusion at hearing her command.
"Sir?" He asked attentively not quite sure if he had heard her right.
"I said call them off." She commanded more forcefully this time causing the man to jump back a little in fear.
"Have them return to the ship for the night, like you said the target will not get very far in this weather." She continued.
"Sir?"
"Regroup with your men and in the morning find the others and secure them." The hunter commanded him.
"Sir" The man replied as he stiffly brought up his hand to salute. "And the boy?" He asked.
Hunter J smiled once again as she pulled out a pokéball from beneath her cloak. "Leave the boy to me." She said as she nudged salamence to take off.
Elsewhere…
Rain continued to patter down on the forest below creating a rhythmic sound that was hypnotic. The steady flow of water seemed to drown out the sounds of the chase below. Boots harshly slapped the water pooling as they gave chase to their prey. Then it came.
Far off in the distance, Ash could hear its approach. The sound of wind barreling through the trees echoed loudly in the valley as it grew closer. The cold winds pushed him along as he pressed forward. The entire forest was brought to life by the powerful gust. The trees began to sway back and forth violently as it continued to blow. It seemed to pick up power, tossing about the entire forest. Leaves were ripped from their branches as trees crackled and moaned under the intense strain.
High above the clouds rumbled with thunder, and miles below the chaos of the oncoming storm, Ash fought through the chaos now surrounding him.
Every breath he took pushed him further. The sounds of thunder growling above were drowned out by his own pounding heart. He had to get away . The water beneath his feet worked to slow him down but he only pumped his arms harder, striving to reach for freedom. Determination and fear drove him forward through his labored breathing.
The fierce front of the storm tore its way through the valley, as Ash ran for his life. The winds became erratic, seemingly blowing at him from every direction. Branches snapped under the intense winds, as they came crashing down. The rain pounded down upon him making it difficult to see. He fought for every step forward, but it felt as if he were not even moving.
He no longer knew if they were even chasing him anymore, he just continued to run. The heavy rains weighed down his already soaked clothing, the cold of night seemed to sap his strength until his entire body felt the strain of his efforts. He seemed to run for hours until suddenly his body gave out, refusing to take another step as he was sent crashing to the ground.