"And when it rains, you always find an escape, just running away, from all of the ones who love you, from everything. You made yourself a bed, at the bottom of the blackest hole, and you'll sleep 'til May, and you'll say that you don't wanna see the sun anymore" - Paramore "When It Rains"

11 The Storm

I had a very strange dream that night. I sat on top of a mountain, staring down at the clouds swirling below. They emanated power so great that it made me quiver. This was a storm I wanted to see.

My hand glimmered from the bracelet that still rested on it. I found, glinting in the dirt, the medallion Madame Eulixia had given me. There were words engraved in the medal's gold. The third time is the charm, it said.

Then the words began to glow with a fierce orange fire and burn away, and I settled back with an evil smirk on my face to watch the storm unleash its fury on the wretched earth below.

When I woke, the bracelet still felt warm. I was looking directly into Misty's closed eyes. She sighed softly, and I wondered what her dream was about. Guiltily, I hoped it was about me.

Brock was already up and about, cooking breakfast. Grinning, I sauntered over to where he knelt. I cleared my throat and sang, "Yodel-ay heeeeee hoo!"

He swatted me away. "That was not funny," he growled. "And if you want to eat you'd better shut up."

Well, of course I buttoned my lip immediately after a threat like that. Contentedly, I gazed around at our happy little campsite. May and Drew slept strangely close to each other, though I guess after a display like last night it was to be expected. Max was on his sister's other side, his glasses resting next to him. Paul, of course, slouched against a tree off by himself. Dawn's tent stuck out like a sore thumb, remote civilization against our primitive sleeping bags.

I noticed once again how close Misty was to my abandoned sleeping bag, and racked my brains to recall what we had talked about. Had I mentioned…?

I shook myself, unable to remember. That was strange, of course. I usually prided myself on having a decent memory, so the lack of recollection had me stumped. "Hey," I said to Brock, "whacha makin'?"

"Hm? Oh, um, rice balls, eggs, the usual."

I found myself nodding. "Cool. Pikachu," I called.

The little yellow mouse flicked an ear and was awake in an instant. He scampered over happily and leapt onto my shoulder. "Pi!" he exclaimed.

"Yup," I agreed. "Beautiful day, huh?"

Well, that was a lie if I ever said one. The clouds continued to be a swirling gray pool that refused to allow any sunlight—let a lone a piece of blue sky—through its veil. It smelled of rain, and the whole scene was a little depressing. Six teenagers asleep under a storming sky, so deep in their slumber that they may as well be dead. Wow, that was deep, huh?

At that instant, May stirred. She sat up, rubbed her eyes, stretched, and yawned like a Snorlax. With drooping eyes she surveyed her surroundings. Her gaze fell upon Drew, and pink flooded her cheeks. With every breath he took, his obnoxious bangs fluttered, forever in his face. She shot him a glare and stood. "Hey Ash," she greeted.

I smiled. "What's up?"

"Me!" Dawn cried, emerging from her tent with a dramatic flourish. It crumpled into a heap with her excited exit. "I'm up!"

My eyes met May's, and we started to laugh. Dawn was so childish. Hard to believe it was the same girl I saw last night. "We're very proud of you," I encouraged, still chuckling. "Now scream a little louder."

Apparently the sarcasm in what I said didn't exactly register in Dawn's mind, because the rambunctious blunette threw her arms in the air and screamed, "I'M AWAAAAAAKE!!!"

This caused our remaining sleepers to jump into consciousness with yelps of fright. "Dawn!" Drew cried. "What the heck was that for?"

Dawn looked at him with her innocent blue eyes. "Sorry, Drew, I wasn't thinking."

"Damn right you weren't thinking," Misty grumbled. She groped around. "Where did I put my mallet?"

"Hey Paul," Brock called, grinning. He held up his kettle of espresso. "Got coffee if you want any."

Paul glared at him and didn't reply.

"Time to start cleaning up," May said responsibly. She rolled up her sleeping bag with two quick flips. "I'm ready."

Drew smirked at her and flipped his bangs. "Don't you look wonderful?" he mocked.

May went redder than a beet, and it wasn't just because he pissed her off. It was my guess that she was remembering her wonderful moment with him the night before. Her sapphire eyes sparkled in indignation. "You," she began, "ignorant, selfish, pompous, leaf-headed fag," she said with emphasis, "do not deserve to even stand in my presence."

Drew looked taken aback. "Is that any way to treat your future lover?" he teased.

Furious, she swung her bag at him. He ducked, and it sailed over his head while he laughed triumphantly. "You're terrible!" she screamed.

"You only hurt the ones you love," Max reminded her in a half-asleep tone. He jumped into full wakefulness when May turned her rage on him and swung her bag into his back. "OW!" he cried.

"Don't fight," Dawn pleaded.

"My money's on May," I said.

"What?" Drew exclaimed, staring at me in disbelief. May, ever resourceful, took advantage of his momentary distraction and whacked him on the back of the head. "HEY!" he said in pain.

"Ash, did you take my mallet?" Misty asked.

I looked away from the fight to see the water Trainer scrambling around her sleeping bag, frantically searching for her weapon. "No," I replied. "Is it in your bag?"

She snatched it up and searched. "Ash!" she cried, her blue eyes flaming.

"What?" I questioned, genuinely confused.

Misty took a deep breath and massaged her temples. "If you tell me where you put it, I promise not to hit you for taking it."

"I didn't take it, Mist," I promised.

She glared at me. "You are so immature, you know that?"

I gaped. "What did I do?" I cried.

"I mean, first of all you take my hammer, and second you won't give it back, even when I ask nicely," she continued.

"Oh, so saying you won't hit me if I give it back is asking nicely?" I shot back. "Whatever happened to 'please'?"

"Why should I say please when I'm not the one at fault?" retorted Misty. "You should be begging me to please not beat you to a pulp!"

Whoa. That was a little harsh, huh? "Well, uh, you… just shut up," I finished lamely. My supply of witty comebacks had been exhausted.

Drew snorted. "Fae-yil," he enunciated.

May caught my eye and bashed him on the head with her bag for me.

"No!" Misty barked. "I will not shut up!"

I was beginning to feel uncomfortable. However, I felt a twinge of amusement that caused my lips to twitch up. Even at the lamest, most pathetic comeback in the world, Misty still got riled up.

"ARE YOU LAUGHING AT ME ASH KETCHUM?" Misty screamed. Her face was scarlet.

Terrified, I jumped back. "No! No, no, why would I laugh at you? You're pissed! The last thing I would do is laugh at you!"

"Pika, pikachu pi," Pikachu interrupted, which translated to, "Hey guys, knock it off." He looked up at us sadly.

I shot him a sour glare. "This is exactly what you wanted me to do just two days ago!" I cried.

The little yellow mouse shrunk away, sweat dropping. I sniffed. "That's what I thought," I snapped.

"Don't be mean to him!" commanded Misty. "He didn't do anything!"

"Oh, so now you're bossing me around, too?" I cried, outraged.

Misty put her hands on her curvy hips. "Well maybe if you told me where you hid my damn mallet this never would have happened!"

I gave an angry sigh. "Would whoever took Misty's precious mallet please return it to her before I get pounded?" I pleaded with annoyance.

"No way," Brock laughed. "It's too much fun to watch you guys fight."

Misty rounded on him. "YOU'RE DEAD, BROCK!" she informed him. "GIVE ME MY HAMMER!"

Brock cowered and gingerly pulled the mallet out of his apron pocket. When it was back in Misty's capable hands, she cracked Brock on the head with it. "Never do that again," she warned.

Our older friend nodded fervently and turned back to his cooking, casting wary glances behind him.

Dawn skipped over, grinning like an idiot. "Yay, everyone's happy!" she cried, clapping.

"You're a little too happy," Drew remarked. He dodged May's bag, having been expecting it this time.

"Hey, be nice," I defended. "At least she has some personality!"

Drew, cool as ever, flipped his bangs. "If I'm as bland as you say, why do girls love me so?"

The look on May's face was absolute shock. I guess after doing what they did last night, I would expect a personality change, however slight. Her weapon of a bag slipped out of her hands and fell to the ground with a dull thud.

And Drew calls me an idiot.

Abruptly the awkward silence was interrupted by a tremendous clap of thunder, causing all of us to jump. Brock began shoving food in all of our arms. "Quick, quick, eat before it starts raining!"

I didn't need telling twice. I stuffed my face with rice balls and eggs, not even noticing their taste (I'm sure it was delicious. Brock's food is ALWAYS good). Out of the corner of my eye, I saw May pick at her food disinterestedly, Paul retreat under his tree, and everyone else scramble for shelter while simultaneously trying to eat.

The rain fell down in big, splattering drops that made a huge plopping sound when one landed on your head. I imagined the rain as missiles falling from the sky, whistling as they fell. To annoy Dawn, I made little explosion sounds when they shattered on the ground.

"What should we do now?" I heard Drew ask.

"Aw, my hair!" Dawn shrieked, devastated.

Misty was not sheltering with Dawn, Drew, and me. She had found her own little cove of trees, impossible to see in the sheets of rain. Brock had wound up with Paul, which, like I said earlier, is a nice way of saying you were alone.

"Hey!" Misty called over the thundering rain. "Where did May go?"

"I thought she was with you!" Max replied. He was still curled up in his sleeping bag, having inched his way into cover. His glasses rested on his nose, and he wiped the water off them before looking out onto the downpour.

"May!" Drew yelled with his hands around his mouth. "This isn't funny!"

Max blinked, confused. "What's that?" he asked.

"What?" I questioned. I didn't like the idea of Max seeing weird things. "What's what?"

He reached out a timid hand, straight forward. "That," he said, and his hand came into contact with something solid.

My eyes widened and I thrust my hand out in front of my. Pain shot through my hand as I hit whatever it was too quickly, jarring my fingers. It felt like the glass of a window, or a mime field from a Mr. Mime, possibly.

I looked around wildly for the mischievous Pokemon, but I couldn't see one. That left me with no explanation for the phenomenon of the glass barrier that rested in front of us.

"May?" I heard Misty continue to yell.

"MAY!" Brock shouted. "Where are you?"

I couldn't see May, or anyone who wasn't in my shelter of scarce trees, for that matter. The rain was too thick.

However, the barrier blocking us from the rest of the world unnerved me. "Pikachu," I said, glancing down at him. "Thunderbolt it!"

His red cheeks sparked with power, and with a mighty battle cry, the bright flash of lightning I had seen so many times before hit the barrier…

… and nothing happened. The glass wall flashed a soft lavender color, and absorbed the attack.

"Wha…?" I gasped.

Pikachu stared at the wall, puzzled. He tried again, this one even more powerful than the last. All it did was make the wall shimmer purple. His attacks didn't even rebound.

"Pika!" he cried in fright.

"Step aside," Drew commanded, pushing me out of the way. "Your Pokemon are too weak to handle this." He enlarged his pokeball and tossed it forward. "Go, Masquerain!"

The butterfly Pokemon burst out of its prison with a titter. It fluttered back into the trees when it saw the rain, afraid of getting wet.

"Masquerain!" Drew commanded. "Silver Wind, now!"

The Pokemon looked hesitant, but it complied. Unlike Pikachu's lightning attacks, this one rebounded and knocked Masquerain out of the sky. Drew was left to gape at his prize Pokemon, defeated by its own attack.

I was about to sneer something demeaning when Max leapt to his feet. "Oh God," he said in a strangled voice. His eyes were suddenly glassy with tears as he gazed out into the rain. "May."

I whipped around so fast that I nearly lost my balance. My eyes squinted into the downpour, but I honestly couldn't see anything. "Where?" I pressed. "Where is she?"

"You can't see her?" Max cried. He rushed at the barrier. "MAY!"

The young boy hit the barrier and flew backwards, a cut glistening on his forehead and a trickle of blood running from his nose. "MAY!" he yelled again.

"Max, be careful!" Dawn commanded, cringing at the sight of his blood.

Max ignored her and sprinted at the barrier again. He rebounded again, a dazed expression on his face. If he did it again I was sure he would cause himself brain damage. Unexpectedly he conjured a pokeball from his pocket. I had forgotten the kid had started his Pokemon journey. "GO KIRLIA!" he screamed.

A dainty Kirlia appeared in the flash, smiling broadly.

"Kirlia," Max huffed. "Use your Magical Leaf with Imprison and break the barrier!"

"Kir!" the Pokemon exclaimed, and it obeyed.

I didn't expect it to work, but it did. The wall glowed a faint purple, then shattered with such a tremendous crash it left my ears ringing.

And then the ringing turned into screaming. May's screaming.

*AN: Okay, I've been getting a few questions about the name "Cináed". Here is my source, from Baby Names Pedia, so you'll all know I'm not a liar.

The boy name Cináed is of Celtic origin and it is used mainly in the Scottish language. The name's meaning is 'born of fire'. Derived from the element aed meaning 'fire'. Cináed was the Gaelic name of the 9th-century Kenneth MacAlpin, first king of the Picts and the Scots. The name is often Anglicized as Kenneth.

Cináed is a variation (Scottish) of the English and Scottish Kenneth.

A variation of Cináed is the Irish Cionaodh.

Cináed is infrequently used as a baby name for boys. It is not ranked within the top 1000 names. Among the group of boy names directly linked to Cináed, Kenneth was the most regularly used in 2008.

Baby names that sound like Cináed include the name Chandey, the English Chandie, the English Chandy, the Spanish Chanti, the Indian and English Chand, and the Irish Cionaodh.

I hope that clears it up for ya!*