~Tired Hearts~
                               Ch.2

	“Ash...Ash...” His own name echoed through his head.
	“Misty!” Ash yelled, his voice tired and frustrated.
	He felt someone grab his shoulders and shake him roughly. “Open your eyes!” the feminine
voice shouted.
	With utter obedience, Ash’s eyes snapped open. He was lying in a bed in a lit up room. A
young girl, still in her pajamas, was sitting there on his bed, hunched over him with her hands tightly
grabbing his shoulders. A drowsy young man stood near the light switches with his arms crossed.
	“Oh, Ash! Are you ok?!” the girl asked as she bent down and hugged him.
	“M-May?” Ash had a blank expression on his face as he felt her warm body press against
him.
	“Hmph, you were having a nightmare,” Brock said in a slightly annoyed tone.
	“A nightmare?” Ash paused for a moment to recall his dream. “Yeah...it was,” he quietly
continued.
	Brock looked at May still clinging to Ash. “Well, you can tell us all about it in the morning.
Right now I need sleep!”
	“Uh...Ok, Brock.” Ash said while gently pushing May off of him.
	The room quieted down as the trainers went back to their own beds. Max had slept through it
all, along with Pikachu. The two were curled up on the top portion of the bunk bed they shared with
May.
	Brock switched off the lights and used the bright glow of the moon to guide him back to the
bunk he shared with Ash. He started to climb the ladder to the top, but stopped part way. He looked
down at Ash who was just getting ready to fall back asleep.
	“Ash,” he began, “I heard you mumble Misty’s name in your sleep.”
	Ash felt his body tense up and heat suddenly rush to his face. He knew he was blushing but
he hoped it was too dark for Brock to notice.
	“It’s been months. I think you should call her. See how she’s doing. She’d...appreciate it,”
Brock finished after a slight pause.
	Ash silently nodded and quickly turned over in his bed so that he now faced the wall instead
of his friend’s tired, but knowing stare. Brock climbed the rest of the way up the ladder and got
comfortable once again, in his own bed. Soon, they all resumed a peaceful slumber.
	Dawn anxiously approached as the giant moon drifted behind the trees and was slowly
replaced by the fiery sun. It’s bright rays peered through the partially opened window shades and
danced across Ash’s face. His eyes opened slowly and he sat up realizing it was morning. Ash
noticed right away that he was the only one in the room.
	“They all must’ve gone to get some breakfast,” Ash thought aloud. They were staying at a
Pokémon Center and since it was so close to the “Pokémon Festival of Souls,” the Center provided
free breakfasts and diners to all trainers.
	Ash got out of bed and went into the bathroom to get dressed. He stopped and looked at his
reflection in the mirror. Strange thoughts crept into his mind as his eyes stayed focused on his own
reflection. He grabbed the edges of the sink placed below the mirror as visions of his dream flashed
in his head.
	First, he saw Misty. Then she was gone. Then there was blackness...It was all around him.
An unpleasant silence, but...somehow he felt it was his right to be there. He sat for a moment in the
quiet darkness that filled his mind. Suddenly he bit down hard and was, again, staring back at his
own reflection.

To be continued...