Pokemon Indigo League stories

Nightmares and how to survive them

Eight year old Gary sighed and snuggled closer to the warm thing in his bed, peacefully sleeping....

Wait..... Warm thing?!

He opened an eye and peeked through.

There was a raven haired kid in his bed.

Gary yelped and jumped.

Then he looked closer.

Ash

Wait.... ASH?!

what was this dude doing here, in the middle of the night?!

Oh wait..... Ash was sleeping here.

He was having a sleepover with Gary.

Gary sighed. Typical Ash.

He slipped back under the covers and put them over Ash.

Who had small water droplets on his face.

Gary furrowed.

Then Ash sniffed.

And Gary understood.

Ash was crying in his sleep.

He was having a nightmare.

Gary's heart sank. He stared at his friend, who lay there quietly crying, small whimpers escaping from his mouth. Ash’s fists were clenched tightly around the blanket, and his face was scrunched up in a mix of sadness and fear.

Gary bit his lip, unsure of what to do. He had never seen Ash like this before—so vulnerable. The confident, energetic boy he always competed with looked scared and fragile.

"Ash..." Gary whispered softly, not wanting to startle him. He reached out a hesitant hand, resting it gently on Ash's shoulder. "Hey... wake up, Ash."

Ash flinched at the touch, curling up tighter. Gary felt a pang of guilt, but he didn't pull his hand away. Instead, he started to rub Ash's back in small, slow circles—just like his grandfather did whenever he had a bad dream.

"It's okay," Gary said softly, barely above a whisper. "It's just a dream... You're safe, Ash."

Ash stirred, his breathing hitching. Gary watched as his friend’s eyes fluttered open, blinking away tears that continued to stream down his cheeks. For a moment, Ash looked confused and disoriented, his gaze darting around the dark room. Then he focused on Gary, his wide eyes filled with panic and fear.

"Gary?" Ash croaked, his voice shaky and small.

"Yeah, it's me," Gary replied, trying to sound as calm as possible. "You're okay. It was just a bad dream."

Ash sniffled, wiping his wet eyes with the back of his hand. He looked so embarrassed and lost that Gary’s heart ached.

"Wanna tell me about it?" Gary offered gently, sitting up in bed. He pulled the blanket around both of them, creating a small cocoon of warmth.

Ash hesitated, then slowly shook his head. "No... it was just... bad. Really bad," he muttered, his voice barely audible.

Gary didn't push. Instead, he just nodded. "Alright. Well, whatever it was... it's over now. You're here, and you're safe." He gave Ash a small, encouraging smile.

Ash took a shaky breath, still trembling slightly. "I-I thought... I was all alone," he admitted, his voice cracking. "And... I didn't know what to do."

Gary felt a surge of protectiveness. Without thinking, he pulled Ash into a tight hug, wrapping his arms around his friend. "You're not alone," Gary said firmly, holding him close. "You've got me. We're friends, remember? I'll always be here."