Pokémon Ash's Nightmare / Time To Adjust Short Fanfic by Dave Bulmer August 1999 ABOUT Hardly anybody reading this will have heard of me right now. This is my first Pokémon Fanfic, and indeed my first contribution to the Pokémon Net at all. I got into Pokémon last week while staying at my girlfriend's house; during that one week we watched the entire first series of Pokémon, barring only the few she hadn't taped. As we live in Britain, we had no knowledge of the games yet, but watching the show we were sure it would be fun. Then, on the Tuesday, we happened to find an import copy in a games store, which she bought immediately. Over the following days, we became addicted. We watched the rest of the TV series and played a good way into the game. When we then looked up Pokémon on the Net and saw what great things are planned, we knew this was a good thing to be interested in. As I went along a little story started to formulate in my mind, and this is it. So, don't expect miracles from this story. I hope you enjoy it, it is an enjoyable Fanfic, but there won't be fireworks and the earth won't move. I have probably got a lot of important information wrong, and so anyone who finds gaping holes in the logic of this story or falsities with regards to continuity, please let me know. Also be warned; the story starts out in a very strange way. It's one of those stories where you can read the start again once you figure out what's going on and it suddenly makes perfect sense. And it has two titles because I couldn't decide between them. Perhaps I'm being too pessimistic. Tell me what you thought by E-mailing me - and actually DO E-mail me, please. I've written a lot of other Fanfics etc, mostly for the Sonic the Hedgehog Internet community, and hardly anyone takes the time to write and tell me what they thought. It's only a short story, so please, drop me a line. Oh yes, and I'm English, so any Americans who find odd spellings or vocabulary should take that into account. Also the beginning does seem to be somewhat freaky, but bear with it and you'll see what I meant. DISCLAIMER All character copyright © Nintendo, the subsequent creators thereof, and anyone else I don't know about who thought the whole thing up. Kudos to you for a great little idea that turned into an international addiction. Thanks to Abby Ryder for introducing me to Pokémon, and to you guys for actually bothering to read it. Make the most of it, I don't know if I'll be doing any more. Depends on whether I get any more ideas. *B^) - Dave Bulmer o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o There had been a struggle; Ash knew that much. He strained to recall more, but nothing further allowed itself to squeeze out of his subconscious memories. The effort made his head thump more violently than before, and so he allowed his body to relax and closed his eyes, hoping things would improve when he opened them again. Unfortunately, when he next ventured a look, everything remained the same. An endless mass of bright white light, through which he had to squint to see anything at all, and that which he could see comprised only of half-perceived movements somewhere in the distance, or pinpoint spots swimming in the vast colourless ocean that surrounded him. He had to think harder. Surely there was some reason he was lying here on this cold, flat table? His spine pressed against the uncomfortably hard surface and one of his limbs dangled over the edge; he was too confused to feel the need to work out which limb it was. He allowed it to sway slowly back and forth. This was met by a loud slurred gibbering sound which emanated from above and around him. He felt something press against his bare chest for a moment, and then it went away again. And still the noise continued. Booming hums and clicks, echoing all around him, rising and falling in pitch, mixing together in one terrible roar. Ash forced open his eyelids. The intense light pushed them shut, but he summoned his remaining strength and persevered. Screwing up his face, determined to win the battle, he opened his eyes slightly further, another fraction of a millimetre every second. Fierce colours swished and danced in front of him as the booming sounds rang in his ears. Then, painfully slowly, the echoing flattened and Ash was able to force the colours to blend together into one swaying, lumbering shape, vague and watery. Its outline was indistinct and the colours still ran together as it slipped in and out of focus, but it was creeping into definition. Its groaning syllables had become clearer, but still they meant nothing to Ash. The figure turned, and as his vision cleared Ash saw the beauty in her eyes for the first time. It was deep and sincere. Brushing a stray twist of hair away from her face, she stepped elegantly to the table and smiled brightly at Ash as she stood over him. He allowed himself a sigh of relief; he finally knew he was safe. She placed a fond hand on his bruised forehead, brushing the skin gently so as not to cause pain, and spoke softly to him. The words were alien, but comforting. Ash silently cursed himself for not understanding her, recognising only the word "Pokémon", as if it held some recondite meaning. The girl reached down and stroked his arm fondly. As the light dimmed and shapes were revealed, Ash could see that she wore a badge sporting the words "NURSE" and "JOY", but he was too dazed to understand them, or even to know whether or not he could read them. She continued to speak to him in that unfamiliar tongue and to smile that heart-warming smile, while all the time walking across from one side of the room to another, collecting together items and tapping at a collection of strange stones below a glowing cube of some kind. She then returned to Ash, holding a very thin twig. She pressed it into his arm; it hurt. He squirmed and closed his eyes, he might even have tried to protest, but soon it was over. Her lulling voice filled his head as she stroked her fingers across the side of his face, down his chest and along his right leg, before pressing a kiss lightly on his cheek. Then the colours began to swim again, and Ash was soon asleep. Everything around him faded to be replaced by a dark sky, filled with stars. He stood on a wide open plain, unspoilt in any direction by obstacle or projection save one: the slender figure of the NURSE JOY girl. She stood in silhouette, her body outlined by some unearthly light coming from somewhere behind her. Her left arm was held expertly above her head, and there was something clasped in her hand. As she walked towards Ash, the light spread out and then vanished, restoring normal vision. 'What do you want me to do?' Ash heard himself ask. The girl's smile was different now. Not as warm, not as gentle, but every bit as pleasing. The words slid from her mouth and Ash struggled to understand them. But he knew this was his dream. She would not mind if he did not obey her, but he had every intention to. It was his place; it was what, right now, he was for. To follow her every command, to be controlled by her. Suddenly, the stars grew larger, and began to move, until they were a spinning dome around them, weaving in and out of one another in seemingly random patterns. The girl repeated her request, whatever it may have been, and Ash stood tall and proud. It was then that he noticed one of the stars up ahead was not moving with the others. It was stationary, as if it was staring right at him. Then as he squinted to see it better, he realised it was spinning, and moving towards him. Even now he could see it grow before his eyes as it drew nearer. And then it stopped, in the air above them both. It was huge and silver, with ten magnificent points leading into a noble jewel at the centre. The jewel glowed arrogantly as the star observed him. Then suddenly it pounced, leaping forwards to smother him. It was not nearly as tall as he was, but its limbs would easily wrap around his face, causing him to choke. Somehow he knew that he had no way of defending himself against this attack... Suddenly he was awake again, cold and sweating. This time the surgery was very clear. His heart still racing from the nightmare, Ash glanced around him at the sharp instruments which lay on every surface. Stifling a yelp of realisation, Ash hopped off the desk and pelted towards the door. He could not stay in here a moment longer. Scrambling around a corner and along a corridor, he made sure he wasn't seen as he headed for the nearest exit. He could see a door up ahead. Perhaps that would lead to the outside world, perhaps then he could be free again... But as he drew nearer he saw that the room was full of lumbering creatures, tramping aimlessly back and forth. They were a threat, and so Ash quickly ducked behind another door. This door led into a small cupboard; for now an adequate hiding place. Ash sat down heavily against one wall and closed his eyes. He didn't know what to do. In the time it took to get here he had realised that he was in deep trouble: he had no memory of his past. Who he was, where he came from, what he was supposed to do, none of it was there in his head as it should be. All he remembered was being struck down, and then ending up here. Minutes passed that felt like hours as he peeped out of a small square window in the door, ducking every time one of the monsters appeared. He knew he could not remain here for long. Glancing about him, he tried to find some other way out of the building, but there was none. When he was sure none of the creatures were present, he darted out of the cupboard and raced back down the corridor in the direction he had come from. It seemed that the whole world came to life at once. Doors were flung open by the terrifying creatures who began to let out loud, sharp roars at one another and at him. Some came crashing after him, others dived into the air to try and grab him, but he managed to dodge each one. The door was coming closer, and he could actually see outside, to where everything was bright and strange. Suddenly he saw the girl again. She turned and called out to him, and it was then that Ash realised she was one of them. She was one of the monsters. And then he was free, racing away from his former prison and the monsters and towards the enormous grey trees he could see all around him. Here, everything was new. Nothing was familiar to him out in this world of light and thick, stench-filled air. It came as a great shock to him, therefore, to see those same terrifying creatures begin to emerge from behind the giant rectangular trees and even from inside them as he ran. Desperate to escape from these creatures, Ash took a deep breath and ran yet faster, until the greyness disappeared and was replaced by the colours of the earth. Real trees swayed above him, he felt blades of grass tickle his feet instead of the odd shiny floors of the hospital, animals and Pokémon could be heard chattering far in the distance. Across the grass he darted, his feet carrying him swiftly along the warm, familiar turf. As the scenery whizzed past, his thoughts connected with the natural greens and yellows of the wood. He felt comfortable here, among the creations of nature, as if this world had played a important part in his past. So engrossed was his mind, so far linked with his surroundings, that he did not see the creature ahead until he had ploughed into its side. With a dull thud, the two of them landed heavily a few inches apart. A thick wave of pain flowed across Ash's spine for a moment, but quickly passed. He rubbed his spinning head and observed what it was he had crashed into. It was another girl. This one was younger than the NURSE JOY one he had encountered, but definitely still a girl. She brushed one arm with the other hand, but her eyes bulged when she saw the streaks of mud this left on her skin. She flipped over her palms to find they were covered with dirt and grass, picked up from her collision with the ground. Immediately she leapt to her feet and began yelling at Ash, though what she was saying remained a mystery to him. He shrank back, and to his unmeasurable surprise a wide, leathery shield unfolded to protect him. It was dark grey in colour, and reinforced along its top edge by a deep orangey-brown skeletal frame. Most bewildering of all, Ash had wished it to appear there and it had, just as his finger would consent to moving in whatever way he desired. The girl's shouting dropped away as she saw Ash cowering. Emitting a sympathetic whine, she stepped forward and extended a friendly arm to pat Ash on the head. Retracting the shield, Ash sniffed cautiously at her arm. There was a calm around her, which made Ash feel welcomed. The only other monster who had that was the NURSE JOY. The girl muttered a few words, something about "usually water" - Ash couldn't understand it. Perhaps he was supposed to be able to talk this language, but his sudden bout of amnesia prevented it. What he did understand however, due to the tone of her voice as she said the word, was that the girl's name was Misty. And then she began to pronounce those booming, indistinct sounds as she stood over Ash. As she opened her hand, Ash could see that she was holding the same object Nurse Joy had been in his nightmare. He could not recognise it, but he knew it meant something to him. He was supposed to do something. He was supposed to... avoid it. He fled. Misty let out a cry of annoyance and began to run after him. He felt guilty; he liked Misty, and didn't know why he was running away, but he knew he must. It was then that Misty did something more startling than anything that had happened to him since he woke up in the hospital. She threw the object at him. It sailed through the air ad stopped just above his head, where it made a quiet click, then swung open, hinging violently at the back. It looked like an gaping unnatural mouth preparing to swallow him whole. Ash felt himself begin to melt away. * * * Ash slowly awoke. He did not know for how long he had slept. Nothing had changed; still the vast spherical walls lurched upwards in all directions, and still his prison was as comfortable as ever. He had no idea why he was so happy to remain here, he ought to feel confined, and yet although this cell was smaller than that he had first woken in, he didn't seem to mind. He felt cared for here. Outside he could hear Misty and some other monsters shouting at one another in their typical fashion. There was a voice high in pitch but not like the girls he had met so far, and another one of the slightly bigger, deeper voiced monsters he had seen in the hospital and among the stone trees outside. It occurred to Ash that he had not told Misty his own name. It was the only thing he remembered about his former life, and yet it had slipped his mind to mention it. Suddenly, the ground lurched and Ash was thrown off his feet. Something was happening. There were louder voices outside now, and a small rasping voice which cried "Ivysaur!" That Ash understood. An Ivysaur was an evolved Bulbasaur, of both the poison and grass type, whose bulb (growing from its back) had opened upon evolution to reveal a further, more impressive pod, set to grow into a small tree-like flower upon its next stage of evolution. Ash raised his eyebrows: so he did remember something! Then, in a waving ripple, the outside world reappeared and Ash found himself no longer confined inside Misty's tiny object. The Ivysaur in question stood ahead of him, poised to defend itself. Ash wasn't sure what against. He glanced behind him. There Misty was jumping up and down excitedly. Ash had no idea what she was doing, and so chose not to react, but to wait and see what she would do next. What she did next was stop jumping, sigh, and mutter something under her breath. Ash didn't know what a Yurras Baddaz Psyduck was, presumably some evolved form of Psyduck, but it didn't sound like a complement. The Ivysaur growled. Ash eyed it cautiously. It was probably not more than a Level 19. Suddenly it jumped at him. Ash was taken by surprise. He stepped backward and his foot became entangled in some kind of leathery sheet. As the Ivysaur cannoned into his chest, Ash was sent reeling backwards, and the two of them crashed to the ground nearby. The Ivysaur wisely backed off, but seemed to be preparing for a further attack. Ash didn't know what to do. He was almost frightened of his missing memories. Would they put him in danger? Gingerly he turned his head to examine his back. What he saw astonished him. He quickly returned his attention to the Ivysaur as it began to charge towards him, puffs of air escaping from its nostrils as it ran, its feet scampering heavily across the ground. Two vines burst out from its sides and reared up in the air, ready to come cracking down on him like whips. Startled, Ash drew in breath and, wide-eyed, extended his magnificent wings to their full length. The Ivysaur skidded to a halt and looked up at him. Ash was no longer the timid figure he had been. He was now powerful and tall. He thrust forward his head and blew a thick stream of flames at the Ivysaur, which cried out as the fire engulfed it. Within a few seconds the Ivysaur blacked out, and flopped onto its side. Behind him, Misty began to cheer loudly. Ash turned and smiled at her. 'By the way,' he said, his voice filled with pride, 'my name is Ash.' And although on later reflection he wasn't sure whether that was indeed what he had said, or whether he had simply pronounced variants of the word "Charmizard", Misty seemed impressed. She rushed forwards and wrapped her arms tightly around him. Misty returned to the others, a young boy and an older one, and began squeaking happily at them in her strange foreign tongue. Ash remained, his fists placed firmly on his hips, rejoicing in his victory. He turned to see his beaten foe... A middle-aged man knelt sadly next to the fallen Ivysaur and ran his fingers through his hair, his face filled with concern. He nudged the limp, charred body with one hand; there was no movement. Ash glanced back at Misty and saw that a small Pikachu who stood with the group was watching him, as still as the Ivysaur. Its beady black eyes did not move, and yet spoke volumes. He turned back, and stepped cautiously towards the man. He reached out one hand to the Ivysaur, but felt the blow of the man's hand on his face. The man snapped something at him as he fell to the ground. Pulling himself to his feet and backing away, Ash saw the Ivysaur's eyes flutter open, before he bumped into the Pikachu, who was now standing behind him. 'Don't worry,' the Pikachu said, his voice filled with stern experience. 'It'll be fine, there's a Pokémon Centre near here, it'll be taken there.' 'Nurse Joy?' 'That's the gal's name, yeah,' the Pikachu grinned, leaning against a short tree stump. 'She's something, isn't she?' 'Who are you?' Ash asked. 'I can't remember anything... I woke up in the "Pokémon Centre" without any memory of my life beforehand. What's going on?' 'What, no memory at all?' the Pikachu asked, raising its eyebrows. It blew out a thoughtful gust of air. 'You don't know who your trainer was, or nothing?' 'Nothing,' Ash repeated. 'Why did I have to fight that Ivysaur?' 'Hoo boy.' 'What?' The Pikachu attempted to place one hand on Ash's shoulder, but its height soon forced it to give up. Instead it clapped its paw onto his side and led him away from the group. 'We're Pokémon. The humans - that's them over there - catch us in what they call Pokéballs and what I call legalised captivity. Can't stand to be cooped-up in one of them things; I like to think of myself as one of your "free-range" Pokémon. Anyhoo, they wander around aimlessly and when they find someone else who has Pokémon, or when they find wild ones, they fight us against one another.' Ash frowned. 'But... that's barbaric!' 'You'd think. 'Course we have more sense than they do, so we make sure we don't kill each other. When the enemy Pokémon looks weak, we deal a final blow that knocks it out, and we call it a win. The humans seem to be happy with that, so it works. And of course after we've spent however long pushing ourselves to the limit in hand-to-hand combat, they assume they've won.' 'Wow.' 'Yeah.' Ash stopped and looked over to where Misty was talking to her two companions. She paused and waved cheerily at Ash. He grinned back. 'I like her. Shame I can't understand a word she says...' 'Misty? Nice girl. She knows how to handle her Pokémon, if you know what I mean. Heh.' 'Listen to them, mooing to one another. Does it actually mean anything?' 'Oh yeah. You just have to know how to listen. I mean what about us? If you really listen, really stop and listen, all I'm saying is the word "Pikachu" over and over, and you're just saying "Charizard", which is what you are, of course.' 'Are we rea... oh yeah!' 'Yup. It's just the way we are. It's the same with them, you have to listen to it on a different level. Go on, try it.' He pointed over to Misty, who was still chattering away. Though the voices were far away now, Ash screwed his face up and concentrated hard. 'Yeah right, you only won because of pure luck!' said the boy, laughing in Misty's face. 'It was not!' she protested. 'I only just met it! We just need... time to adjust, that's all!' The boy responded to this by bursting into laughter, and entangling some of his limbs at strange angles as emphasis. Ash grimaced. 'They're, um... They're kinda...' 'Tell me about it,' the Pikachu replied, starting to make his way back to the group. 'Come on, come talk to them.' As they walked, Ash kept his ear trained on their voices. Every now and then his concentration slipped and he was unable to understand what the humans were saying, but on the whole he found he could now understand them. It was true what Pikachu had said: you just had to understand them, which was like a different kind of listening. 'All right,' the boy continued, 'let's put it to the test. Your Charizard against Pikachu! One on one!' 'Okay, you have a deal!' Misty cried, and folded her arms is annoyance. The Pikachu looked at Ash. 'Here we go,' he sighed. 'Oh Pikachu, Charizard!' the boy called, beckoning them over. Reluctantly they waddled towards him. Ash allowed his concentration to move on to Misty. She had started to pat Ash's head, and he was rather enjoying it. The boy was talking about another battle, and before he knew it, Ash was standing facing Pikachu, a short distance from the group. 'Go easy on me will ya,' the Pikachu said, 'I haven't evolved yet. And don't start, it was my choice.' 'Go, Charizard,' Misty shouted, 'flame attack!' Ash took a deep breath, and looked at his opponent. The Pikachu clenched its fists and shrugged at him. 'You heard the girl,' it said, winked, and shut its eyes. Ash's wings drooped. 'I.. can't,' he sighed. Misty repeated her order, but Ash turned and looked back at her. 'I won't do it,' he shouted. 'He doesn't deserve it!' The two boys exchanged glances. 'He won't do it,' the younger of the two said, his voice filled with wonder. 'I wonder why not!' 'He won't do it because he likes Pikachu,' the older one suggested. 'That's one noble Pokémon!' 'Or one stupid Pokémon!' Misty cried. 'Now what do I do?!' The Pikachu opened its eyes again. 'Wow, kid,' it muttered. A silence filled the air. Ash walked towards Misty, then stood looking into her eyes. She didn't react, and so he took her hand and pressed it against his chest for a moment. He then walked on, past Misty, past Pikachu and past the group, towards the place where the forest began. The sun rose over the trees, casting Ash into a deep orange silhouette. A few moments of still wonder passed, before Ash the Charizard spread out its wings and disappeared between the trees. 'Pi pika pi chu pikachu pi!' Pikachu breathed, and meant every word of it.