Pokemon: Fire and Ice

Chapter 2

"Scraggy, Hi Jump Kick!" Ash cried.

"Dodge it, Axew!" Iris ordered in the same manner.

Both trainers gritted their teeth as Scraggy lunged towards Axew, its knee glowing. At the last second, Axew sidestepped out of the way, having Scraggy's attack miss by less than an inch. Ash watched in dismay as Scraggy kept going and slammed onto the ground. The young Pokémon cringed in pain. Iris was quick to take advantage of Scraggy's weakness.

"Now Scratch!" she yelled, throwing her hand toward her baby dragon.

"Axew!" Axew confirmed, charging toward his training partner.

His tiny claws glowed before Axew raked them across Scraggy's head. Scraggy fell to the ground, not knowing what hit him. Ash noticed Axew was making the mistake of staying near its opponent for too long. Having faith in his Pokémon, Ash called out, "Scraggy! Get up and use Headbutt!"

Scraggy's eyes were shut tight, but after hearing his trainer's order, they shot open. The rebellious Pokémon jumped to its feet and head-butted a distracted Axew right on the forehead. Axew cried out in pain and stumbled backwards, holding its throbbing head. Iris cried in dismay. Ash was just about to order for another attack until Cilan's call from the other side of the clearing interrupted him.

"Guys, lunch is ready!" the teenager hollered.

"Alright!" Ash immediately exclaimed. He dashed toward the portable table filled with food without a second thought. His loyal Pikachu followed him, leaving Axew and Scraggy standing alone in the clearing. Along with Iris, of course.

"Ash!" Iris cried. "What about our battle?"

"Eat first!" Ash replied.

Iris watched after him, twitching. Finally she let her body go limp with a sigh. She signaled Axew and Scraggy to follow her as she trudged toward their supplies. But when she sniffed the food's aroma, she found herself sprinting toward Cilan much like Ash.

***

The door opened with a long creaking sound. The building was well-furnished and looked new, but the intruder had an idea it was actually quite old. The building looked like a small hotel or a fancy bed-and-breakfast. It was two stories with a dozen rooms on each floor. The rooms varied: some would be studies, lounging areas, bedrooms, etc. And of course, some looked better than others: some would look like a ruined apartment; others would look like a regal suite. The owner had interesting taste.

The intruder was on the second floor now. This floor was mostly bedrooms, but most of them were run down. He calmly walked toward the end of the single hallway. He was cautious, but he understood the owner wouldn't be coming back soon. So why waste time on your toes?

Finally, the intruder came to a wooden door. He jiggled the doorknob to see if it was locked. It was open, not even some sort sensor or back up lock. Pathetic.

He crept inside into the bedroom. This one wasn't regal or ruined—more like a room one would find in a plain cabin. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all made of wood; some parts polished while there was some rot in the corners. A small desk rested on each side of the head of the king-sized bed that rested in the center. The bed had a post on each corner, metal bars connecting the tops. A thin ivory canopy hung over the bars, but the curtains were pulled back to reveal the center.

Cuddled on top of the satin white sheets lay a boy. He was probably not much older than ten. He wore black pants that reached to his ankles with a blue and white jacket. It was unzipped at the moment, showing an all-black T-shirt. He had spikey raven black hair, and even though they were closed at the moment, the intruder knew he had chocolate brown eyes. The intruder noticed a pair of shoes, gloves and a hat thrown at the foot of the bed. The boy was completely motionless except for the gentle rise and fall of his body as he breathed.