A/N. Ok, here's the second chapter and thanks for the reviews! Onto Review Replies (for those no answered in PMs.)

To Ted: Thanks for the review and I'm so glad you liked it! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well and continue to find it interesting!

To PokemonKnight: Thank you and I'm glad you think it is cool. I hope you enjoy the rest of the story and thanks again for review!

Summary: Ash's mom discovers that her daughter has run away from home and tension runs high as she rushes to try and get her back home, but the rebellious eight year old isn't ready to go back just yet.

Disclaimer: I own nothing!


No Longer Here


It was calm and quiet, the scent of bacon and pancakes filling the air as a young woman busied herself in the kitchen, humming quietly as she set the last of the food for breakfast on the table. The woman, somewhere in her late twenties, sighed as she tucked a strand of reddish brown hair behind one ear, stretching slightly before heading upstairs.

"Ash, Ash sweetie, breakfast is ready." The woman called gently as she opened the bedroom door. She surveyed the room, a gentle smile on her face as she spotted a familiar looking bulge lying curled under the comforter. "Ash, Ash, it's time to get up." She called again, approaching the prone form to try and shake it awake. Releasing a sigh of exasperation when she got no response from the figure supposedly lying in the bed asleep, she reached for the pale yellow comforter, yanking it from the bed easily as she released a gasp in shock. Looking around the room frantically, the woman began to panic as it slowly sunk in that her daughter wasn't in the bed, having been replaced with a pillow instead.

"Ash?" the woman called out concern, hoping and praying that her daughter, Ash, was just hiding somewhere in the room, waiting to jump out and surprise the woman, there was nothing but silence to meet the woman however. The woman quickly ran over to the dresser, opening several drawers as true panic began to settle into her being. She mentally took note of the fact that there were clothes missing, running to the closet, she also found that her daughter's backpack had been missing as well. She backed up, nervous and hyperventilating as the situation finally, and fully registered in her mind: Her eight year old daughter was missing, and she had no idea where she could have gone. She dropped to the floor, the bed up against her back as the world around her seemed to start spinning out of control.

"Ah…" she choked out as her hand landed on the nightstand sitting next to the bed to her right, the sound of something crumpling slightly and the feel of paper under her hand grabbing her attention immediately. She closed her hand around the folded piece of paper, opening it slowly as she began to read the contents inside;

"Dear Mommy,

If you're reading this, then I'm gone already. I've left to go on a pokémon journey like Daddy and Gary, I won't get left behind any longer. Sorry, promise I'll be okay, I got Fantasma with me, and I'll call you when I get to a Pokémon Center.

Love Ash

P.s. Could you apologize to Prof. Oak for borrowing his Pokémon without telling him?"

"Oh Arceus…" the woman said, head dropping into her free hand as she held back the urge to cry. She looked at the note again, reading the last line before getting up, albeit shakily, to her feet and slowly walking out of the room and back down the stairs. Running out of the house, she quickly made her way to Prof. Oak's lab, praying that he was home and hadn't gone off somewhere.


The woman soon found herself standing in front of a tall, slightly old and faded wooden door, pounding on the door harshly before backing up slightly as she began to fiddle with her fingers, waiting for the door to open. She didn't have to wait long, as an old man, hair completely white and clad in a lab coat, opened the door, blinking in slight surprise at the sight of the woman.

"Oh, good morning Deliah." The old man greeted the woman, taking a moment to glance back inside, worry etched on his face before he turned back to face her, "Listen, I'd love to chat but now's just not the time, there's been some trouble and-"

"Ash is gone." Delia interrupted, voice dripping with her urgency.

"Wait, what?" the man stopped, expression one of utter shock as he openly gaped at the haggard mother standing before him.

"Ash is gone, she ran away from home, and I think she took one of your pokémon with her."

"Oh dear…" the old man said, voice grim and filled with trepidation, "Oh my…Delia…Come in, come in, tell me exactly what happened." The man said as he ushered the woman in to the lab.


"Now sit and tell me what happened." Deliah nodded, twisting the edges of her knee length pencil skirt as she began explaining what exactly happened that morning,

"I had just finished breakfast, when I went upstairs to go wake up Ash." She began, still wringing her skirt, "I didn't get a response right away, so I thought it was just one of those days that Ash just refused to get up on her own. But when I pulled the covers from off of what I thought was my daughter, I found a pillow. I checked her drawers and closet, and I found her clothes missing along with her backpack. I panicked, and then I found this note, Ash, she wanted me to apologize to you for borrowing one of your pokémon without asking Prof. Oak." Delia said, voice obvious showing her confusion at her own daughter's behavior.

"Calm down, Delia, was there anything else that she said in the note that might reveal what she might have been thinking when she planned this out?"

"She said that she wasn't going to be left behind any longer…" she answered, eyes widening as realization finally dawned on her, "Oh my lord… Gary left on his Pokémon journey yesterday…"

"And her father left several months ago, without any warning yet again. She must have felt that everybody was abandoning her, so she decided to do something about it." Prof. Oak added on, thinking over these recent events.

"She stole one of your pokémon at some point last night, and left with Fantasma."

"A pokémon isn't the only thing she stole; she also took several pokéballs and a pokédex with her." Prof. Oak informed the woman.

"What? I-we need to…"

"Delia, please calm down."

"Calm down, Prof. Oak, she's only eight; it's still too early for her to be running around out there!"

"I know Delia, but Ash will probably try this again if we try and drag her back now…" the old man said, trying his best to keep the woman calm while he thought of a plan,"…Now, you said Ash had Fantasma with her, isn't that the Lampent her grandfather gave to her for her birthday five years ago. That means she's not out there on her own at least…But that doesn't make the situation any better, at least we know she's not completely defenseless."

"I guess…Prof. Oak what should we do…"

"Simple, we call the police, file a missing persons report. She can't have gotten too far." Prof. Oak replied as he stood up from the sofa, heading for the video phone so he could call Officer Jenny.

"Prof. Oak?"

"Yes Delia?"

"What if… What if Ash doesn't want to come home…I mean…"

"Don't worry, Delia, I'm sure everything will turn out fine in the end, we just have to stay hopeful."

"I…thank you…"

"Of course Delia, anything for my student."


A/N. Ok, so this is the aftermath of Ash's decision. I have to wonder if Ash is acting to mature for an eight year old though…Well anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed the story, sorry if the ending sucked, we'll get back Ash next chapter, and I'll try and make it longer too. Well please review, thanks for reading and see ya!