Stranded in Petalburg

Chapter 9: Between Time and Tension

Chapter 9: Between Time and Tension

"Ash.." someone called from afar.

Ash turned his head from side to side, trying to find out where he was and who was calling his name. He surveyed his surroundings and realized it was somewhere familiar. He had been here before..

The Sea Temple.

All around him, the ancient stone interior of the temple seemed to loom over him, and he could see the water entrance just below him. It all looked just like it did when he was last here, everything just as he remembered it; stone pillars and walkways that seemed to go in every direction. He gazed down at his surroundings again and paused to think. This specific room looked extra familiar. He turned around towards the stairs at the front of the room and saw a large, green capsule.

"Ash..." he heard again from somewhere distant.

"May!" Ash yelled aloud. Memories instantly filled his head of the room. This is where he had stowed away May, Pikachu, and Manaphy in the capsule so that they'd be safe while he tried to save the sea temple. Ash quickly darted over to the green life pod that sat motionless at the top of the stairs. He kneeled and peered through the window of the device, anticipating his beautiful, sapphire-eyed friend.

However, she was not there.

All so suddenly, Ash felt the temple and stone shake beneath his feet and all around him, followed by the water at the bottom of the stairs beginning to rise, filling up the room. Ash snapped his gaze in every corner of the room, surveying, observing, trying to find any sign of where his friend might have gone. She had to be around here somewhere and she could be in danger now. He wanted to save her.

No.

He needed to save her.

"Ash!" he heard once again, seemingly from another part of the temple. In less than a second, he was up on his feet and full sprinting down the walkway in which he heard her voice. He was running as fast as his body would possibly let him, with no signs of stopping. He needed to save her. He needed to embrace her and tell her everything was going to be okay.

"Ash!" came once more, this time in the complete opposite direction. Ash skidded to a stop on the stone floor and snapped his head back behind him from where the voice came. He looked down to his feet and saw the water begin to swiftly rise up to his shins. He had no time to waste. He sprinted back down the other direction of the walkway, grunting and breathing hard, pushing himself beyond his limits. He felt like he was getting tired too quickly, but he wouldn't stop. He couldn't stop.

"ASH!" the voice now yelled at him, this time seeming to be from right above him.

He turned his gaze upwards, but he couldn't see anything other than the roof of the temple. Where was May? Ash began to panic as he looked in every direction, trying to find the person he cared about so much. Where was she?

At this point, the water began rising much faster than it had been before, and it rose past his head and fully submerged him. Ash suddenly felt immense pressure on all sides from the water, he tried to swim up, but he couldn't. Something was keeping him down. Ash began to slowly lose consciousness, and the last thing he could hear was...

"ASH!" the voice filled his ears again.

Ash felt completely different sensations all around him. There was no longer water submerging him, rather, a soft and cushiony feeling under him. He was actually laying on his back, instead of floating in the water submerged rooms of the sea temple.