Well, here's the next chapter! Sorry for the wait, but you'll have to deal. As always, enjoy!

The River's Mist

Ash hobbled as fast as he could towards the sound of rushing water, his only hope of escape. Pikachu stood a few feet ahead of him, ears twitching, his cheeks loosing nervous static, then as Ash got close to him he ran a few more feet ahead, urging Ash to continue. The sound of water was growing louder; it was easily distinguishable from the rain now. But so were the voices. Ash's heart thumped in time with the throbbing pain in his right ankle, the rain drenched his already blood-soaked shirt, and his adrenaline rush was reaching its end. He was done, he couldn't go any further. But then Pikachu suddenly stopped and did not continue, even as Ash got closer. In the dim light Ash could not see what had stopped Pikachu until he was right next to him; there was no more ground, it ended ten feet above a swiftly flowing river.

Though it had been his plan to escape in the river, Ash wasn't sure he could survive the exploit. Ash had only swam in the shallow, soft-flowing waters of the upstream river. But here, the cold, black waters rushed violently, swelled by the torrents of rain. And if he didn't drown, what was to say he didn't bash his head on a rock? But Ash pushed these doubts back, if he didn't jump here, he would certainly be killed by whoever was chasing him. Ash scooped up the unresisting Pikachu and held him tight against his chest. Then he took in as much air as his chest could hold and, with his good leg, plunged himself into nothingness. For a split second, Ash was suspended in the air, caught between the killer intent of his pursuers and the deadly force that was the rushing water, with the never-ceasing raindrops that touched his flesh the only testament of his existence. And then…

Cold. Freezing, numbing, heart-stopping cold. That was the first thing that Ash's adrenaline-shocked mind recognized as he was plunged into the icy water. And then came a fierce burning in his chest as the water carried him swiftly downstream. Still clutching Pikachu tight, Ash kicked his feet towards what he thought was up until his head broke the surface, his lungs greedily sucking the life-giving air. Then the merciless water forced him back into the choking darkness, all but ripping Pikachu from his grasp. Ash kicked towards the surface again, and once more he was pushed under just as he sucked in a mouthful of air. He hadn't gotten enough that time, and he sucked in widely, desperate for air but receiving only the cold water which burned like ice in his lungs. The cold water sucked the life from his tired limbs; his weak kicks could no longer carry him towards the surface.

But then the river took pity on him. It carried his limp form around a rock and through a rapid into calmer water, where his head could stay above the surface long enough to satisfy his and Pikachu's air-reprieved lungs. But the respite was only temporary. The water was constantly carrying Ash towards larger rapids, where his bones would be crushed against the rocks should the water not choke the life out of him. Now was his only chance. Regaining some sense, Ash kicked as hard as he could toward the dim outline of the bank ahead, treading water with one arm while holding Pikachu with the other. The rapid's pull was growing stronger, and Ash's kicks carried him less and less as he approached the deadly torrent.

But then, his foot hit the soft sand of the river's bottom, and he pushed himself forward until he could stand with his head above the water. Then he slowly made his way to the shore, his right leg becoming painful and unwilling to move once again as it left the water. Ash collapsed as he reached the bank, cold and exhaustion finally overtaking him. He hoped Pikachu was still alive, Ash thought weakly, and then he dropped off into a dreamless sleep.

Suspended between consciousness and sleep, Ash's groggy mind was still at home, in his bed, dreaming about what Pokemon he would choose. But then feeling expanded to all his limbs and… Pain! There was not a bone in his body that didn't feel sore and numb from cold. His right ankle throbbed violently, and he could hardly move it. His ribs protested angrily with every breath he took, and his left arm prickled because he had slept on it all night. But worse than any physical pain was the memories. Oak's cryptic message and Gary lying dead on the floor, Ash's blood soaked hands and Pikachu's thunder. They hit Ash like a wave, pouring over him and leaving him empty and shell-shocked. Ash couldn't bring himself to open his eyes, he just lay face down in the mud, shivering violently.

He was physically drained and emotionally spent, and Pikachu was… nowhere. This realization was enough to open Ash's dark eyes just a crack. He pushed himself into a sitting with his position with his arms, wiping off some of the mud caked on his face. The constricting darkness of last night was gone, replaced by pale sunshine that danced on the surface of the river, which looked nothing like the torrent whose cold arms had tried to drown him last night. But between the bank and Ash, Pikachu was nowhere to be seen. Where could he hav-

"Are you all right?" said a voice behind him. Ash hastily spun around, startled. The speaker was a girl about his age with orange hair and sea-green eyes.

"Ye- Yeah, I'm fi-" Ash began to say automatically, but stopped as he realized she was talking to Pikachu, who was bundled up in her arms, and that he was not fine. Not that there was much this girl could do about it.

"Pikachu, is he ok?" Ash croaked, trying and failing to stand up. The girl cast him such an angry look it would've made his mother proud.

"Ok? Ok? Of course he's not ok! He's nearly dead! What kind of awful trainer battles their Pokemon this hard?" She shrilled. "I can't believe a little, irresponsible punk like you could even get a Pokemon! What are you, nine?"

"I'm twelve!" Ash said defensively. He hated it when people thought he was younger than he was because of his height.

"I don't believe you. You're too short and irresponsible to be any older than nine! I'm twelve so I would know." Ash was about to protest, but she interrupted him. "That doesn't matter right now, though, this Pikachu needs to get to a Pokecenter! I have a bike but it only fits one, so I'll ride to the Pokecenter in Viridian, and you get there as fast as you can." She said, making her way to a red bike.

"Wa-wait!" Ash yelled after her, successfully standing up on one foot now. He half-hopped half-shuffled to where she was standing, staring at his bad foot as she realized for the first time he was injured, too. "You can't leave!" Ash said. He would not be left alone in the middle of nowhere, waiting defenseless to be picked off by the men searching for him last night. The thought of that shook him fully awake.

"What do you mean? I have to help your Pikachu!" She said, placing the yellow mouse into a basket on the front of the bike. "If you're injured, then wait here and I'll come back for you."

"No!" Ash yelled, frustrated and tired. "I need to- I can't-" He didn't know how to explain the events of yesterday to her, didn't know how to tell her how serious the situation really was.

"What's wrong with you?" She asked incredulously. Ash was now standing next to her, leaning heavily on his good foot.

"I'm sorry." He said, pushing her into the muddy bank and clumsily getting onto the bike. The first few feet were precarious, the bike wobbling dangerously on either side. But as he gained speed the bike balanced itself out.

"Hey!" she yelled after him, pushing herself out of the mud and running after him. "You bike thief! I'll report you to the police! I'll- I'll" But it was no use. Ash was already speeding ahead of her. Pedaling was much easier than walking. His left foot could do all of the work while his injured ankle simply rode up and down on the pedal. Only as her cries faded into the distance did it occur to him that he shouldn't have left her all alone, either. Or at least have warned her of the danger she was in. This thought slowed him down a little, but he didn't stop. He wasn't that noble. Instead, he sped down the dirt road to Viridian city, dust flying behind him in the morning sun.

What a jerk, that Ash, pushing a lady! Dishonor on him! Dishonor on his family! Dishonor on his cow! (tell me if you get the reference, and don't cheat!) Um, I have a big XC meet on Thursday so please wish me luck all you nameless strangers! That's all, ciao!