One would think that the Skarmory's presence would disturb Ryan in some way, but he had instantly fallen asleep as soon as his head fell upon Kage's shoulder. He had only been sleeping for a few short minutes before a scene began to develop from the black mists of his dreams.
When he began to focus on the scene, he realized that it was inside the stadium. His family caught his attention from the stands. Then again, it's not like it was unusual, what with Jason's tendency to hop over Wally to fulfill his constant desire for love and passion. Suddenly, the speaker crackled and a voice spoke through it. "Ryan Johnson is our next contestant. A battler who, while skillful, often let's his emotions take over his actions. This quality can be good, but also an incredible hinderance in battle." The shpiel continued, and the scene focused on the exit to Phoebe's waiting room, but the door never opened. "Is he even here?" But still, nothing. The scene focused back to Ryan's family. Their faces seemed disappointed to see that Ryan wasn't entering the arena. The door burst open, and an unidentified student ran out screaming.
"Ryan's missing! No one can find him!" The faces of the Johnson family turned ghost white. Jason's face began to develop tears and Lexis' face was overwhelmed with worry. Wally, even with a distraught face, held his family closer to him, in an attempt to comfort them.
The loudspeaker spoke again and suddenly Ryan jolted back into reality. His eyes instantly focused on a Skarmory in the middle of the room. The small hairs running down his neck suddenly bristled. His knees were suddenly drawn to his chest. His eyes began to glaze over as he scanned the bird pokemon. It doesn't seem hostile. But, I have to say, after that dream, I'm not too happy to see it here. I can't afford to give up at this point. I'll take it one step at a time. Get through this tournament. Then I'll deal with this.