Ash Ketchum woke up startled from his dream in a sweat. He sat up in his sleeping bag, gently rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. The soft glow from the dying embers from the fire was enough to see that he had not woken his friends with his gasp. Even Pikachu slept soundly by his side.
He muffled his yawn and rose out of his sleeping bag, careful not to wake the small Pokémon. His mother once told him to let sleeping Pokémon lie. He always wondered what would happen though.
After walking a few paces, he sat down on a giant boulder the overlooked the still, silver lake. The moon, hanging radiantly in the dark sky, was surrounded by thousands of twinkling stars.
Ash put his bare feet into the water. The icy sensation was wonderful. He, Misty, and Brock had been on their feet all day, walking home. He wished that he had a huge flying Pokémon that could carry them everywhere. Perhaps a Pokémon like Articuno. Or Moltres. Or Zapdos. Or…
He paused in his train of thought. Lugia. The God of the Sea. The Great Guardian. Now he would make an excellent Pokémon. Ash shook his head. What am I thinking? he thought. I can’t catch a Legendary Pokémon like him. It wouldn’t seem right. He’s the only one.
Lugia. He was in my dream. And another Pokémon. A small, pink one. What did they call it? A Mew? It seems so familiar…his thoughts trailed off. And a baby. A girl with an ancient marking on her hand. It felt so real. Why did I dream this?
Ash sat pondering at the lake for a few minutes, trying to figure out his dream. He then shrugged his shoulders. It’s probably something I ate, he thought. It’s Brock’s fault.
He returned to his sleeping bag and settled in. Pikachu sleepwalked naturally to his head and curled up right next to him. He could feel his friend clawing at him in his sleep. He must be having a dream, too, Ash thought. He closed his eyes, trying to fall back asleep. But the dream remained fresh in his mind.
* * * * Ash awoke to the pungent smell of something cooking. He couldn’t figure out what Brock was making, but it smelled delicious. He rose out of his sleeping bag and stretch, reaching for the sky.
“Finally, you woke up,” a voice came from behind him. He whirled around and gave an annoyed look at his red-haired friend.
“Don’t start with me, Misty,” he said. “I had trouble sleeping last night. I had a really weird dream.”
“Was it involving you being a Pokémon Master?” she asked with a smirk on her face. “Because that would be really weird.”
“Shut up!”
“Make me!”
“Quiet you two!” Brock broke into the bickering. “My goodness! You guys really have to start acting more mature,” he struck a pose. “Like me!”
“If you act so mature, Brock,” Misty started. “Then, how come you always go gaga every time you see a Nurse Joy or an Officer Jenny?”
“Uh, hmmm, er,” Brock began to blush. “Let’s have breakfast! I’m hungry. What about you guys?”
“Yeah,” Ash crawled out of his sleeping bag and rolled it up. “Let me go change real quick, though.” He grabbed his clothes out of the green backpack and went into the forest.
“Remember what your mom said about the underwear, Ash!” Misty called after him.
That Misty, he thought after hiding behind a tree. She thinks she so great. Why does she still follow me around? Is it about that stupid bike?
His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by something that attacked him from behind. He spun around to see who his assailant was, but the creature clung to his neck. He only managed to catch a glimpse of a familiar, yellow tail.
“Pikachu!” he cried. “What was that for?”
“Pi pi pi pi,” his friend giggled and jumped off his shoulder.
“It wasn’t that funny,” Ash glared at him.
Pikachu continued to laugh as the two walked back to the clearing where Brock was preparing breakfast.
“So, what are we eating today?” he asked, sitting next to Misty. She turned to face him and stared at him.
“What?” he asked her.
“Aren’t we forgetting something?”
He looked down and ran back into the forest, screaming.
“My pants!”
They packed their belongings within the following hour, and headed for the next town. Ash finally finished the Orange League, defeating the final gym leader. The three friends decided to take a break before returning to Pallet Town and took a detour to visit the infamous Valencia Island to watch a small tournament. There, they dropped of Tracey and picked up Brock. However, it was time to return home, see his mother, and give the GS Ball to Professor Oak. He has been waiting for so long, Ash thought. I hope he hasn’t forgotten about it.
Brock pulled out his trusty map and said that the quickest route was through the Mystic Forest. They headed in that direction and met the outskirts by that afternoon.
Misty stared at the dark forest, pondering on why it was so mystical. The trees stood so close together that barely any light peaked through the leaves. She felt a shiver go down her spine as her mind wandered to the possibility of ghosts.
“Are you sure we have to go this way?” she asked, after being startled by a twig snapping when Ash stepped on it.
“If we went around the forest, it would take us four extra days,” Brock said without looking up from his map. “We’re already late as it is, and we’re running out of food. We have to go this way.”
“Besides, we might find some forest-dwelling Pokémon that I could catch,” Ash added.
“Or befriend them and they’ll follow you wherever you go…” she muttered under her breath. She was about to mention something else when a loud, rustling sound came from the bushes on her left.
“What was that!?” she cried, grabbing onto Ash’s arm.
“Maybe it’s a Pokémon!” Ash said, pulling his Poked out of his pocket. He pointed it to where the sound came from and pushed the button.
“No Pokémon identified,” Dexter’s computerized voice said matter-of-factly.
“I am NOT a Pokémon!” a young boy’s voice yelled from the shrubs. He emerged from the underbrush, a few leaves tangled in his dark hair.
“I’m sorry I scared you guys,” he said, pulling out the leaves. “But I heard your voices and I wanted to know if you wanted to battle.” He paused a moment, catching his breath. “By the way, my name’s Seth.”
“I’m Ash,” Ash said, thrusting his hand out to shake his opponent’s. “And I accept your challenge. How many Pokémon are we using?”
“Two on two,” Seth said, whipping out a Pokéball from his bag. He pushed the white button and the Ball enlarged within his hand.
“Fine!” Ash yelled. “Let’s go!”
“Go, Graveler!” Seth threw the Pokéball into the middle of the clearing. It landed with a faint thud, but opened with a bright flash of light. A second later, the round rock Pokemon stood, prepared for the upcoming fight.
Hmmm… Ash thought to himself. What is good against a Graveler? He reached down and snatched a Ball from his belt loop.
“Bulbasaur! I choose you!” he cried out as he threw it. The Pokéball burst open and the grass Pokémon appeared on the field.
“Graveler! Tackle Attack!” Seth yelled.
“Bulbasaur! Attack him with your Vine Whip!” Ash shouted.
The two trainers concentrated with anticipation as their Pokémon fought each other. Bulbasaur’s Vine Whip was only able to stop Graveler’s rolling rampage. Ash could sense that the opponent was weaker. This trainer must not have been practicing for very long, he thought.
“Bulbasaur,” he called out. “Use your Solar Beam to finish him!”
Bulbasaur nodded and began to absorb the sunlight into his small bulb. Graveler had recovered from the previous attack and stood up. He charged the grass Pokémon, but Bulbasaur was too quick for him. He turned around a shot a large beam of light from his back. Graveler fell to the ground and fainted.
“I won!” Ash exclaimed, jumping into the air. “Great job, Bulbasaur!”
Seth called back the defeated Graveler and grabbed another Pokéball
“Oh yeah,” Ash mumbled. He turned his head and looked at Pikachu. “Are you up for a battle, buddy?”
“Pika!” the small, yellow mouse replied with enthusiasm. He stepped up to face his next opponent.
“Go Butterfree!” Seth yelled. He tossed out the Pokéball and a second later, the large flying bug Pokémon emerged.
“Awwww…” Ash said towards his friends, who had been watching the match from behind him. “I had a Butterfree. Do you remember how great my Butterfree was?”
“I’m sorry,” Misty said sarcastically. “But you’ve mistaken me for someone who cares.”
Ash glared at her from over his shoulder. Why do girls always have to act so immature, he pondered. He shook his head from the memory and returned his concentration to the battle.
Seth made the first move. “Butterfree! Use Stun Spore on him!”
Butterfree swooped down over the small, yellow Pokémon. As he did, he released a sparkling powder from his wings. Pikachu dodged most of the attack, however, he did breathe in some of the spore.
Ash had no idea that Butterfree’s attack had weakened Pikachu, since he was not able to see his face. “Pikachu!” he commanded. “Use your Thundershock!”
Pikachu gathered what remaining energy he had left and let it rip out of the electric sacks in his cheeks. The flying insect had no chance at all. He fell out of the sky and landed a few feet in front of Seth, completely exhausted.
“I won! I won!” Ash shouted for joy.
“Ash?” Misty called from behind him, her voice extremely serious. “What’s wrong with Pikachu?”
Ash whirled around to see what she was pointing at. Along with Butterfree, Pikachu had also collapsed on the battlefield, remaining very still.
Ash sprinted and slid by his friend’s side. “Pikachu, are you all right, buddy?” he asked softly. Pikachu murmured something and closed his eyes, his body limp.
“We need to get him to a Pokémon Center,” Ash said seriously, his voice wavering slightly.
“Ash, we’re out in the middle of nowhere,” Brock pointed out. “There isn’t a Center anywhere near here.”
“Then we’re not stopping until we find one!” He picked up the unconscious Pokémon and cradled him against his chest. “Let’s go!”
“You’re going through the forest?” Seth asked him, his voice trembling.
“Is there a problem with that?” Ash snapped back at him. He paused. “I’m sorry but my friend needs me right now, and I’ll do anything!”
“Are you sure you can handle the Forest Witch?”
“Huh?”
“The Forest Witch. She lives here in the Mystic Forest and protects all the Pokémon that live here. Many trainers go in, but they don’t come back out.” Seth’s voice lowered. “I wouldn’t go any deeper if I were you.”
“Have you actually seen her?” Misty asked, her voice beginning to quiver. Misty is such a sucker for ghost stories, Ash thought.
Seth paused. “Not exactly. But, now and then, I get that feeling that someone is watching me. When I turn around to see who’s there, but there’s nobody.”
“I’m going to take my chances with the witch,” Ash said matter-of-factly. “This route is the quickest way through the forest and that’s the way for me!”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Seth said. “But good-luck.”
The trainers all shook hands and parted ways. Ash hid Pikachu inside his shirt to keep him warm. Little did any of the three trainers notice was that someone was watching them, sitting in on a tree branch and observing the entire battle and conversation. A smile crept on to the stranger’s face as the kids ran deeper and deeper into the dark forest.