I started this as soon as the last one was uploaded, because I want these two to be uploaded near each other, so that at least the basic premise of the story is out and about for everyone to see. Let's start things off.
Also, I put out the disclaimer on Chapter 1, and I don't plan to do that every single chapter. Just like with Joined Worlds. I don't think anyone expects Akira Toriyama or Satoshi Tajiri to be writing Fanfiction, but I'm not them, and considering that I'm still in highschool, yeah… I'm not working at Toei or Pokemon. I don't own the base material, just the story I use it to create.
Pallet Hospital
Ash sat, clenched tight in a seat, just down the hall from the operating room. His sodden clothes didn't bother him, he payed his aching muscles no heed, and didn't bother to rid himself of the tears that traced their way down his cheeks. His hat had flown off, carried away in the gale of his trek down the mountain, but he hadn't even realized it.
His fists were closed tight as tight as a Cloyster's shell as he dripped in his seat. People walked left and right past him, but he hardly noticed them. All he could think of was May, and how he had let her down.
"Why did I have to recommend that stupid hike!" he yelled internally. "If I had said the park, or the movies, or even just training, none of this would've happened. May would still be okay!"
"DAMN!" Ash suddenly yelled out. Everyone in the hall froze at this, but he didn't care. The pain he was feeling was beyond him feeling awkward about a few weird stares.
He looked back down at the floor, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes as the tears leaked out. He heard footsteps approaching him, and a familiar voice entered his ears. "Ash?"
It was Tracy's voice. Ash looked up at him with red eyes. "Tracy?" he asked.
Tracy nodded and sat down next to Ash. "Now what was that about? I've never heard you yell that loud, or swear for that matter."
Ash looked at his lap. "What do you mean? You know exactly why I'm like this. You must have seen" he muttered.
Tracy looked concerned. "Ash, I don't even know why you're here. All I know is that I was looking out the window after Charizard took off, and then I saw you run this way. I had no idea what for."
Ash's throat closed up. He let out a small wheeze when he tried to talk, not getting anything out. His face scrunched up as a fresh wave of sorrow threatened to burst forth. Alarmed, Tracy set his hand on Ash's shoulder. "Ash, come on, tell me what's wrong."
The dam broke, and another flood of tears were let out. "It's my fault, it's all my fault" he sobbed out.
Tracy was incredibly worried. "Ash! What happened?!"
Though choking sobs, Ash managed to speak. "I... and May... storm... she fell… and…" Ash couldn't go on. Even the scattered words freshened the experience and stabbed his heart with a cold knife.
Tracy grew wide eyed. "May's here? She took a fall in the storm?"
Ash nodded shakily.
Tracy's eyes grew wide. "No, just because she took a fall, doesn't mean that she's a goner. If she's here, there's still hope."
Ash felt soothed by these words, but he wasn't sure how much he could believe them. Tracy hadn't been there, cradling her limp body in her arms. He hadn't felt her pulse, while a sign of life, how weak it was. He didn't know how long she lied at the foot of the mountain before she got here. Nonetheless, Ash felt his mind open up slightly, a feeling of relief, fain, like a spark, flared up inside of him.
Ash's hands loosened slightly. "Thank you Tracy" he wheezed, his throat sore from his tears. "I needed even a shred of hope."
Tracy smiled faintly. "And I am glad to give it. Knowing you, you would just keep beating yourself into the ground as long as you thought you had anything to do with it."
Ash stood up and took off his soaking jacket, setting it on the seat behind him. Then he reached into the breast pocket of it and pulled out a small object.
Tracy noticed this and looked at him. "Hey Ash, what you got there?"
"Hm?" Ash asked. "Oh, this? This is my good luck charm" he said, stretching his hand out and revealing. The object in his hands was a small medal, looking like half of a sun with two strands of ribbon stretching out of the bottom. "Me and May, before we split up, at the end of my journey in the Battle Frontier, we entered a contest in Terracotta Town. We tied, and since there was only one ribbon, we split it. We each keep half, to remember each other by, to remember the times we had when we travelled together…"
Ash's voice broke off, but Tracy understood. "May means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Tracy asked.
Ash nodded, his gaze averted downwards again. "Yeah, she does" he said.
Tracy nodded and smiled. "Well, I guess I was closer than I thought the other day. Ash really does have someone he really cares for" he thought.
Tracy patted Ash on the shoulder. "Listen Ash, you stay here and keep an ear out for May, and I'm going to go make some calls."
Ash looked up and nodded. His hand closed around the half of the Terracotta Ribbon as he sat back down in his seat, and he put his head in his hands.
Tracy frowned and walked back towards the front of the hospital. "Gee, he's really down in the dumps over this. I wonder just how bad of a fall she took" he thought.
Tracy's shoulder bumped into a passing person as he walked by. "Oh, sorry" he said, looking up.
"No problem, young man" the person said, continuing down the hall.
Tracy shook his head. "I should probably keep an eye on where I'm going."
Keeping an eye on the hall rather than let his mind wander, Tracy made his way to the video phones at the front of the hospital. Standing in front of the nearest free one, he sighed. "Well, I have to let the Professor know where I've gone. I'm sure Misty and Brock will need to come, because they were friends with May. And of course," Tracy shuddered at the thought, "I'm going to have to tell her family, although I don't know how they're going to react."
Tracy audibly gulped at how they would react. Even if he hadn't been there when it happened, families tended to react badly to news like this, and he was sure to get blasted as soon as the words left his mouth. Then another thought struck him. "Oh damn, if I'm worried like this about me, I can only imagine how they will react on Ash" Tracy thought. He sighed. "I know that Ash did everything in his power to save her from taking that fall, I just hope that they see it that way also."
Tracy felt sweat starting to gather on his forehead. "Alright, I'll call the others first, that way I can spend time thinking about how exactly I want to deliver the news."
Sighing with resignation, he picked up the phone. "Professor first then Misty and Brock, and her family last. Easy to hard, I guess."
Dialing in the number, he held the phone to his ear and waited for a response. A burst of static came through the speaker, and the image of Professor Oak appeared on screen. "Oh, Tracy, is that you? I was wondering where you ran off to. What is going on?"
Tracy let out a huff. "Nothing good, Professor. I'm at the hospital with Ash. Apparently, the two were hiking, and they got caught up in the storm, and May took a very bad fall."
Oak's eyes went wide. "Oh my! That's just awful. Does anyone else know about this yet?"
Tracy shook his head. "Besides Ash, me, and now you, no. After I let you know where I went, I was going to go call Brock and Misty to let them know, then get her family on the line."
"Oh, wouldn't it be imperative to contact her family first?" Oak asked.
"Yeah, well, I'm worried about how they'll react when they hear the news. Ash made it sound like she was in really bad shape. He wasn't very confident about her survival chances" Tracy said in a bad tone.
Oak frowned. "Well, her family should be the first to know, but I can understand how you worry. Tell you what, you take care of contacting Misty and Brock, and I'll take care of her family. I have the direct line to the Petalburg Gym from May's stay in Kanto."
Tracy let out a sigh of relief. "That would be great Professor. But let them know that it wasn't Ash's fault. He did everything he could to try and keep her from taking the fall, but it was out of his power."
"Right, Tracy. I will try to get that point across." Professor Oak grew a worried look on his face. "Norman, from what I've seen, is very protective of his family. If he thinks that this is Ash's fault, then he will be bound to react poorly to it. I would hate to see exactly what would happen."
Tracy nodded. "Right, thanks Professor. I really appreciate you talking to May's family for me."
Oak smiled grimly and nodded. "No problem, Tracy. I can understand how hard something like that is. Send May my greatest wishes towards a speedy recovery."
"Will do, Professor" Tracy said respectfully.
The screen blipped out and Professor Oak vanished. Tracy let out another sigh of relief. "Well, now I should probably call Brock and Misty to let them know what's up."
Dialing in a new number, Tracy stared intently at the screen as he held the phone to his head. After a flash of light, a split image of the Pewter Gym and the Cerulean Gym came onto screen.
"Agh, double voicemail? Are you kidding me?" Tracy facepalmed. "Alright, I'll just leave them a message." Tracy cleared his throat and began speaking into the phone. "Hey, Brock, Misty. It's Tracy, here at the Pallet Hospital. I'm here with Ash. May came to visit Ash, and while they were out, a storm picked up, and May got heavily injured. We're going to be here for a while, so if you guys need to come check in, I would do it as soon as possible. We're hoping, but we don't know how well she's going to do. I'll talk to you guys later."
Tracy hung up the phone and the screen went black. He sat there resting for a few minutes, having not gotten much rest the night before, and the stress of today affecting him. Then he looked off, back to where he came from. "Well, that's all I can really do right now, I guess. Might as well go check on Ash and May."
Tracy pushed himself up from his seat and turned back towards the depths of the hospital. Sticking his hands in his pockets, he shuffled down the hall.
Rounding the corner, he stopped in shock when he realized that Ash was still in the exact same position as he was when Tracy left, as if he hadn't moved a muscle.
Tracy walked up lightly. "Hey Ash, are you okay?"
Ash slowly sat up, looking terrible. His eyes were bloodshot and his face was pale. Tracy flinched back in shock. "Geez, Ash, I was only gone for about fifteen minutes. What the heck happened to you?"
When Ash spoke, his voice was hoarse. "It's just, May, it's hitting me in waves. Every couple minutes, it gets fresher and hits harder."
Suddenly, a blue spark leapt from Ash's hand, singing a spot on the chair he was sitting in. As it happened, Ash seemed to grow ever whiter. Tracy's mouth fell open. "Ash, what was that?"
Ash looked down at his hand. "It's difficult to explain. I guess that it's just happening because of my stress and emotions, but I didn't know that it could happen that way."
"Can I do anything to help?" Tracy asked Ash.
Ash shook his head. "No, the only thing that can stop this would be me calming down, but there's a fat chance of that right now. I don't feel like it, but I need to get this under control. Otherwise, I might end up fading."
"Fading?" Tracy asked.
Ash nodded. His hand sparked again, and his expression grew more pained. "I met a friend here in Kanto, a long while back. He was a Lucario."
Tracy nodded. "Lucario, the Aura Pokemon, right?" Then something clicked in his head. "Wait, I once saw a video of a Lucario battling. It used a move called Aura Sphere, and the ball of energy that it created looked exactly like that stuff coming out of your hand."
Ash nodded. "Yeah. Lucario was a strong Pokemon and aura user. He was actually the partner of a legendary hero who lived in the past. Anyways, during our adventure with Lucario, we went to a landmark in the northwest, called the Tree of Beginning, in the Valley of Rota. We went inside, and we eventually came to a sick Mew. The only way to save it was to replenish it's aura."
"Replenish it?" Tracy asked.
"Yeah. Lucario tried to do so itself, but it wasn't experienced enough to do it alone. On a hunch, I tried..." Ash said, trailing off as he stared at his hands again. Mentally shaking his head, he continued. "And I was able to use it to an extent. We both used our arua to save Mew, but at the last moment, Lucario pushed me out of the way to save me from fading."
"But what is fading?" Tracy asked.
Ash sighed. "Fading is when you use up all of your life force. You die, but it's different. Your body fades away, but I still felt Lucario's energy around me after he faded. It could've been Mew, or Lucario's spirit still around us."
"So basically, if you deplenish your aua, then you die?" Tracy asked.
"More or less, yes" Ash said.
Tracy stood up suddenly. "Then you've got to get yourself under control, Ash!" he said forcibly. "May wouldn't want you to die just because she's in the hospital, now would she?"
Ash looked down at the floor, in an expression that was half pain, half guilt.
Tracy sighed and patted Ash on the shoulder. "Listen, I think that you should try to wipe your mind clean for now, then get some rest. My guess is that after today, you really need it."
Ash looked like he wanted to argue, but didn't. With resignation, he looked back up at Tracy. Ok, fine, I'll get some sleep."
"Good, Ash, best choice" Tracy said, extending his hand. "Here, let me help you home."
"No" Ash said.
"What? But you just said that you would get some rest" Tracy asked.
"Yeah, but I didn't say that I would go home" Ash said. "I don't think that I could leave right now, anyways. I'll just rest here."
"Ok, Ash, fine" Tracy said resignedly. "I'll head back to the lab for the night, but I'll be back first thing in the morning to check on you."
Ash nodded. "Right. You get some rest too, Tracy."
Tracy nodded. "Sure thing, Ash. G'night."
Ash bent his leg up on his chair and put his head in his arms. Tracy walked back out into the storm, sprinting towards the lab to spend as little time out in the shower as possible. Looking over his shoulder as he ran, Tracy thought "Ash better keep his head down. He doesn't need to literally kill himself over what he did."
Busting through the doorway, the soggy Tracy stood panting in the entrance hall for the lab. As a puddle formed around his feet, Oak's voice came from across the lab. "Tracy, is that you?"
"Yeah, it's me, Professor" Tracy said, taking off his sodden jacket and hanging it up.
Oak came into view from the back of the lab and walked over. "How is May?" he asked.
"I actually didn't see her myself" Tracy said. "According to Ash, things were still looking pretty bad though."
"Oh, I see. And where is the boy now?" Oak asked.
"He's spending the night at the hospital tonight, to stay near her" Tracy explained.
"Hmm, he's really feeling responsible for it all, isn't he" Oak said in deep thought.
"Yeah, he just won't let up on himself" Tracy said. "I tried to explain to him, that there was nothing that he could've done differently. You can't fight the forces of nature, but he just keeps going on about how it wouldn't have happened if he hadn't said that they should go on that hike up the mountain."
Oak sighed. "Ash was always very protective of his friends, and he was often one who took it upon himself to hold himself accountable for anything that went wrong."
"Yeah, you're telling me" Tracy muttered. "So, how did it go with her family?"
"Very fast" Oak said grimly. "I had barely gotten as far as to tell them that their daughter had landed in the hospital, before they said that they would be on the first boat over, and then they hung up."
"Well that certainly sounds cryptic" Tracy said. "They should probably be here by tomorrow. Hoenn is only about 16 hours away by boat."
"Indeed" Oak replied simply. "You really have been studying your geography. That is quite precise."
Tracy felt a yawn coming on. Barely stifling it, Tracy knew it was time to turn in for the night. Waving the the Professor, Tracy said "Good night, Professor."
"Good night to you as well, Tracy" Oak said.
Next Morning
Ash paced back and forth down the hall near May's room as he waited for news on her. His walking, though, was brought to an early stop by Tracy's arrival.
"Hey, Ash. At least you're up and moving today" Tracy said. He held a dripping umbrella at his side, proving that the storm had not let up overnight.
"Yeah" Ash said. "Not a big deal."
"Well, maybe not for you, but if you saw how you were yesterday..." Tracy said. "Anyways, do you know what time it is?"
"Yeah, it's about a quarter after eleven" Ash replied, with an obvious lack of enthusiasm.
Tracy studied Ash's face hard. While it wasn't as pale as it was last night, it was definitely still pretty white. "Ash, did you calm down like I said to last night?"
Ash shrugged. "I went right to sleep."
Tracy facepalmed. "Ash, I told you to calm down first. I learned a lot about the habits of living creatures, and I know that sleep doesn't wipe the slate clean. All it does is put it in stasis. You didn't get much actual rest last night, did you."
Ash sighed and looked down. "I couldn't help it, Tracy. I've had this pit weighing in my stomach for the past day, and getting to sleep alone was a challenge, let alone benefitting from it."
Slapping his face again, Tracy sat down in a chair near Ash. "I understand, Ash, but you won't be much good to her if you run yourself into the ground before anything happens."
"Yes sir" Ash grumbled.
"'Sir?'" Tracy asked, bemused.
Ash went back to pacing the hall, with his eyes focused on the ground. Sighing, Tracy leaned back in the chair, and was about to pick up the Pokemon Monthly magazine sitting on the table beside him, but then a new figure entered the area.
Ash raised his head. "Brock?"
The young Pokemon Doctor nodded. Striding over to Ash, he got straight to business. "How's May? Tracy told me that she was in pretty bad shape."
Ash nodded. His eyes betrayed the look of oncoming tears, but he had no more moisture left in them to expend. "Yeah, it was a bad fall. I haven't seen her since, but the Doctor told me that he would come and let me know the moment anything changed."
Brock nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Tracy. Walking over, he sat down by the Pokemon Watcher. "So, you haven't seen her either?"
Tracy shook his head. "No, not a glimpse. All I know is what Ash told me. Is Misty on her way?"
Brock shrugged. "Dunno, she hasn't contacted me. If she grabbed a car, then she could be here soon. Pewter City is a lot closer to here than Cerulean, so Steelix was able to get me here pretty fast."
"I see" Tracy said. "May's parents should also be here in about an hour."
Brock's face was impassive. "Figures. Family is probably the most important thing anyone in a hospital could have. Moral support is actually a huge factor in recovery."
"Really now?" Tracy asked.
Brock nodded. "Yeah, there are tons of similarities between Pokemon and humans, from what I've seen in my studies. Besides typing and a Pokemon's body taking in natural and elemental cures more easily than a human, we are very similar creatures."
"I've found a lot of similarities in my field expeditions with Professor Oak, too" Tracy said. "It really is quite something."
"Yeah, if only we weren't so fragile, we might be exactly the same" Brock said. "I've seen Ash's Swellow fall from hundreds of feet up, and only get knocked out. Us, on the other hand, we break way too easily."
As Ash continued to pace up and down the hall past them, Brock let out a sigh. "Well, I guess that all I can really do at this point is wait with you guys for some news."
"Yeah" Tracy said. "We'll just have to see…"
45 Minutes Later
Ash had worn himself out of stamina a while ago. He was now sitting down, popping up every time someone in a white lab coat walked by.
While Brock and Tracy continued to share their knowledge of Pokemon with each other, for once, Pokemon were the furthest thing from Ash's mind. All he could focus on was his need for information.
His stomach continued to twist into knots, kneading itself over and over again, like dough. He barely felt it, however, his mind was far too detached for feeling pain right now.
Even if it was physically impossible for him to cry right now, he felt ghost tears welling up. "I still can't believe that that happened" he thought. "Tracy keeps telling me that it wasn't my fault, but that doesn't change the facts that if I had checked the weather this morning, I would never have taken her up so high with a storm on the way."
"And just as, just as I began to work out, those feelings I had. As soon as I figured out what it might have been, she fell. I never, I never even had a chance to tell her, to ask her…"
"Hey Ash, look" Brock said suddenly.
Ash looked up from his lap and saw a familiar redhead coming towards them. "It's Misty" Ash said.
As they all stood up to meet her, Ash perceived that something was wrong. She was wearing a very angry expression upon her face, and she appeared to be marching towards them, rather than walking.
All the same, Ash got out in front to meet her. "Hi, Mist-"
*SMACK*
Ash stumbled backwards as the furious redhead delivered a blazing slap to his face. Holding his face, the one pink area in a pale surface, looking at Misty in shock.
"What the hell, Misty?" Brock roared.
Misty paid him no heed. Shaking her finger at Ash, she spoke. "How dare you, Ash Ketchum! Why didn't you keep her from falling? You do it all the time, why not this time? You know that it's your fault that she's here!"
Ash felt as if his soul had slipped away, leaving the husk of his body behind. Or at least, that's how he wish he felt. Her words pierced his heart like glass shards, cutting deep and painfully. His expression grew to a point of agonized pain which most humans would lose consciousness before reaching. His arms became jelly, and he collapsed on the floor. It was as if, with those few words, Misty had finished him off more that it could have if he had lost all of his aura.
Brock stood between Misty and Ash. "Alright, Misty, that's taking it way too far" he said angrily. "Do you think that Ash just stood by and watched one of his best friends plummet off the side of a mountain? DO YOU?"
Misty didn't respond, but it was obvious that she was biting her tongue. Her face hovered somewhere in between rage and shame.
Ash, on the other hand, didn't feel remotely comforted by Brock standing up for him. Misty's accusations had reignited his certainty that May wouldn't be here, if not for him. He felt his insides shriveling as he laid on the floor. Then, his hand sparked.
A new voice came across the group. "Hello, is one of you, Ash Ketchum?"
Ash somehow found the strength to stand up and meet the doctor face to face. "I'm him" Ash said hoarsely.
The doctor frowned. "I, have an update on the friend that you brought in."
Ash felt energy resurging through his limbs. "How is she? Is she doing better?" he almost yelled.
The doctor averted his gaze with a dark expression. Ash didn't need to wait much longer for an answer. He translated that look himself.
"Oh no" Brock gasped.
"No…" Ash's voice was weaker than it had ever been, more defeated than the trainer had ever been before. The brief energy that he had felt upon the doctor's arrival flooded away, taking more that had been there when it came. He lost all power in his body once more, and collapsed backwards into a chair.
Lowering his head, the doctor continued to speak. "Listen, she's stabilized, but she's fading fast. It's not your fault. You did everything right. If she had taken that fall right on our doorstep and landed on a gurney, then she would have still had little chance at all. I would get in there, and say your good-byes."
Ash felt his mind go completely blank. It was as if he had fallen asleep, but was still aware of everything going on around him. An indescribable, heart-wrenching pain washed over him, and he gave a dry sob. "No, no, no, no, no…" he continuously muttered.
With one look, Bock knew that Ash wouldn't be able to make it on his feet, let alone go in there right now. Kneeling down in front of him, Brock looked at him with a soft, fatherly expression. "Listen, Ash, I can't even begin to imagine how you are feeling right now. You were closer to May than any one of us. We'll give you time to gather your thoughts, and come get you so that you can, you know…"
Ash heard these words, and perceived their meaning, but his body wouldn't allow him to give any sort of acknowledgement. However, it must have shown in his eyes that he heard, because Brock stood back up and walked, with the other two, into the room.
Dead to the world, Ash laid motionless in the chair, oblivious to his surroundings. All that was in his mind was a dull ringing sound, that blocked out all forms of thought.
Time moved faster around him, but yet, seemed to move through amber. His heartbeat stilled, while everyone raced through the hall past him. Before he knew it, Brock was shaking his shoulder. Pulling himself out of the murk he was dwelling in, it all came, completely crashing down on him. Brock pulled him into his embrace, comforting Ash in a way he could only imagine a father would. The pain he was in was beyond tears and simple comfort, but nonetheless, it fueled Ash for what was to come next.
Pushing himself away, Ash stumbled towards the open doorway. He barely noticed Misty, bawling her eyes out, or Tracy, who stood beside her, comforting her. All he could see was the wooden frame, behind which stood the young girl who had fallen.
Stepping into the room, Ash made his way over to the bed. May lied on the bed. Her eyes were closed, and her breathing was faint. She was in one of those hospital gowns that are put on patients. The cluster of machines next to her bed displayed the heart monitor, reading at 62.
Ash stumbled into the chair beside her bed, and looked at her. Even so close to the end, she still looked beautiful in every single way. Her smooth skin, her content expression, her silky hair…
Ash felt the words coming on, and he didn't stop them. "May when I first met you, I was just another trainer on a journey. I was immature, in way over my head, stupid, and as I've been told so many times before, dense. All I knew is that I wanted some company on the road, and I liked helping people reach their potential, so I let you come with me."
"I felt a friendship between us grow as we went through Hoenn and Kanto together, but it was different than the one I had felt with Misty, Brock, Tracy, Max, all of them. At the time, and for a long time after that, I had no idea what it was that made it so different, but I do now."
*BEEP* 51...
"As time went on, and I went through Sinnoh, my journey felt like it was missing something. Brock was with me again, and I had made a new friend in Dawn, but it didn't feel the same. When you visited for the Wallace Cup, that feeling vanished without me even knowing. It came back when you left, and I hadn't even noticed it when it was gone. Then, as I went through Unova, the feeling grew, and ate away at me inside. I didn't know where it was coming from, or what it was, but I knew that something was wrong, something was missing."
"Then, as I came home this last time, I realized that I had matured. I wasn't so ignorant as I had once been, and I started to learn more about how the world worked. I learned what love was, without even knowing it. And when you came back, I realized how I had learned about it. I learned about it the same way I learned how to be a trainer. From experience."
*BEEP* 34...
Taking a deep breath, Ash let it fly. "I love you, May Maple. I don't know for how long, or why it took me this long to come to terms with it, but I do know, that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you, and a life without you, that's a life that I don't want to live."
As these words left Ash's mouth, everything came into sharper focus. He meant every word of what he said, and he realized, a life without May wasn't a life worth living. His hands sparked again, and so did his memory.
The only way to save it was to replenish it's aura…
Replenish it's aura…
Replenish it's aura…
Ash gasped. "I, I can still save you!"
Trembling, Ash put both of his hands out in front of him. Concentrating with all of his might, he willed all of his energy to go out, through his hands.
A blue spark leapt from his hands once more, and slowly, a faint, opaque ball of swirling blue energy began to come out of his hands.
A small gale picked up in the room, papers on the tables shifting as Ash exerted more effort into the transfer. The sphere swelled, touching May, causing her skin to glow blue. Straining his muscles, he expanded it even further, each ounce of energy causing another pain to shoot through his body. Sparks of energy rippled up his arms and down his torso. Pushing on through it, the aura sphere enveloped May completely, as if she were caught in a spotlight. The blue light now filled the room, and a wind picked up blowing all the papers in the room up in a whirlwind.
*BEEP* 5…
"May, hrrgh, I need, to save you" Ash grunted as he continued his aura transfer. "I meant it, when I said, that I don't, want to live, arr, without, you."
Thundering footsteps entered the room. He didn't look, but he recognized the voice. "Ash, what are you doing?!" Brock yelled.
Ignoring him, Ash unleashed his full aura into May. The sphere grew larger, and faded to green as it grew. His last bit of life force left his fingers and flooded into May's body, and he collapsed, sparks of aural energy flowing up and down his body, shocking him. He felt lightheaded and distant, but he was aware of one thing.
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep
May had flatlined. The number on the heart monitor read 0.
"I, couldn't do it" Ash muttered in an almost delirious fashion.
Brock ran over to Ash. "No, Ash, you didn't…"
"I couldn't save her, Brock" Ash sobbed. "Even with everything i had, it wasn't enough to save her. I just couldn't…"
Brock brought Ash up and slung his arm on his shoulder, ignoring the pulses of energy.
"I'm a failure, Brock…" Ash cried.
"Stop beating yourself up, Ash" Brock said. "You have saved everyone hundreds, if not thousands of times, and the one you can't you give up everything to try and stop, and you can't. Ash, you aren't a failure, you are the best friend anyone could ask for."
Brock's praise fell on a deaf shell. Ash didn't perceive anything he said, all he knew is that he failed.
Stepping outside of the room, Ash freed himself from Brock's shoulder and leaned against the wall. Tracy and Misty watched them come out, and were shocked when they saw Ash's body, pulsing with what looked like electricity.
"Ash, please tell me that you didn't lose control in there!" Tracy begged.
"I didn't" Ash muttered. "I did exactly what I meant to…"
Tracy and Brock looked in each other's eyes. "You know what's about to happen, don't you?" Brock asked.
Tracy nodded, fighting back tears. "Ash, he explained enough to me, to know…"
Ash knew they were there, but he couldn't hear what they were saying.
Misty stood up. "Brock? Tracy? What is going on?"
Brock looked at Misty with a pained expression. He didn't want to hurt the young girl even more. She had just lost one friend, and was about to lose another. She was hardly any older than Ash or May, but he knew he had no choice. "Misty, I'm afraid, that Ash is, well, he's about to-"
"YOU!" a booming voice rang out through the hall.
The sheer volume of the voice got Ash's attention, as well as everybody's in a 10-mile radius. A large man with short, dark hair stormed towards them, with a lady and kid right behind him, looking almost scared.
Norman, May's dad, approached Ash with speeds that would make a Jolteon jealous. "So, you decided to go and get my young girl hurt, did you!?" he shouted.
Caroline reached up and pulled on Norman's arm. "Honey, this is a hospital, keep it down!"
Ignoring her, Norman shrugged her off and kept staring down Ash. "It's a good thing that you're already here, because by the time I'm done with you, you're going to need a good long visit in the ICU!"
Max ran out around his mother and father and got between him and Ash. "Dad, stop this, Ash would never do anything to hurt my sister! What don't you get about this?"
Norman moved his son out of the way, gently but sternly. "This is a grown up matter you wouldn't understand" he told his son. Facing Ash, he scowled fiercely enough to scare a Raikou into running. "Well, punk, do you have anything to say?!"
Ash sobbed. "I, I couldn't protect her. I couldn't save her. This is my fault" he said miserably.
"Oh, that it is!" Norman assured.
Norman brought his arm back, then swung at Ash. While he was beyond the point of caring, reflexis made him close his eyes. However, the blow that he expected to come never came.
"What the-?" Norman asked, bewildered.
Ash opened his eyes and saw that Norman's fist had gone straight through him. Looking down, he saw that his body was fading like a hologram.
Feeling the pain of fading shooting through his body, Ash felt a strange sense of relief. Looking around at everyone, he mentally said goodbye. Brock and Tracy now had tears streaming down their faces, Norman continued to look bewildered, and Caroline, Max, and Misty all looked scared.
Ash closed his eyes. "Maybe, I might, see May there" he thought.
"No, Ash!" Tracy yelled, but his voice seemed so far away, for someone who was standing right next to him.
Ash felt his body becoming lighter, his essence spreading. The pain was a welcome feeling, the first physical feeling he had had in the last day. Ash spread his arms, the blue glow filtering through his eyelids.
Ash opened his eyes one last time and looked at his friends. His eyes lingered on Brock, Tracy, and Max. His face hardly changed, but there was a small, imperceptible motion, one that his friends knew what it meant. "Goodbye."
Then, in a flash of green light, everything went black.
Pallet Hospital
"Hey, where'd that punk run off to?" Norman growled.
Brock glared daggers at the grown man. "You are a piece of work, you know that?" he seethed. "Attacking a kid in that condition? Have you no shame?"
Norman stumbled backwards. Brock appeared to be radiating waves of hate and anger, directed solely towards the man. "I don't have to explain myself. You will understand my course of action when you have kids. Now, get away from me, and let me see my daughter."
Tracy stepped forward. "Yeah, about that…"
"Hmm..?" Norman raised an eyebrow.
Tracy sighed. "This is exactly what I wanted to avoid when I called them, but I have no choice. How can I be that selfish after what Ash just did?"
"Listen, sir. I'm sorry, but you, you are too late. May, she passed on, just a moment ago" Tracy said.
"WHAT?!" Norman bellowed.
"Nnnnnoo…" Caroline mumbled, fainting.
"What, no, not, she can't be, no!" Max mumbled, unable to believe it.
The two boys ran into the room, Caroline being brought by Norman. They stopped dead still at the sight of the young girl. The monitor was still flatlining. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep…
Max sobbed and ran over. "No, sis, you can't be gone, you just can't be!" he cried, throwing himself on his sister.
Norman set his wife on the chair and walked over. "My precious little girl, it, it can't be, you were still so young…"
Norman set his head on the bed, looking at the body of the young girl on the white sheets. He stuffed his face in the sheets and too, began sobbing.
Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee- Beep, Beep, Beep.
Suddenly, the heads of the two boys shot up. The monitor no longer read 0. The number was climbing. 21, 36, 43, 64, 78…
"...Dad?" a voice came from the top of the sheets.
The two looked up at the body of May, and saw that her eyes were wide open.
"Honey/Sis!" the two shouted, hugging May as tight as they could.
"Ow, okay, that's too tight, guys" May grunted, smiling lightly.
The two let May go, and she began to look around. "Where am I?"
"You're at the hospital, May" Max said.
May put on a confused expression. "What am I doing at the hospital?"
Norman stood up and growled. "That punk Ketchum landed you here, knocked you off of a cliff from what I've heard."
"Not true" a voice said from the doorway.
Tracy stood in the doorway, with Brock right behind him. Walking in, Tracy continued talking. "You know, I don't know why you're so predisposed to hating Ash when you hardly know anything about him besides the fact that he's a Pokemon Trainer. You really think that he pushed May off of a cliff?"
Suddenly, her last moments on the mountain came back to May.
May gasped. "Ash, I, I'm pulling you down" she said with fright. "I'm going to bring both of us down!"
"No, you won't, just hold on May" Ash grunted. "I can, I can save us."
One of Ash's feet came loose, but he was able to jam it back into place before he came too loose.
May shook her head. "Ash, you've saved me so many times before, but this time, you can't. All you're doing is dragging yourself down with me."
"May…" Ash said weakly.
May looked up with tears in her eyes. "Ash, I'm sorry, but this time, you can't save me."
"No, May, I can!" Ash said, pulling up as hard as he could.
"Ash…" May said, closing her eyes. "...Goodbye."
May gasped as her memories flooded back into her.
"All I know is that that hooligan had my May up on some mountain during a storm, and didn't help her stay on the mountain" Norman said.
"You're wrong, Dad!" May said forcibly.
Norman looked back in shock. "May?"
May was furious at her father. "I'll have you know that the storm came while we were already up there, and he did everything in his power to keep me safe. He was prepared to go down with me, until I let go."
"What, you let go?" Brock asked.
May nodded. "And Dad, Ash is NOT a hooligan. He's saved me so many times that I can't even remember, been there for me when you NEVER were, comforted me, helped me become a coordinator, everything! And he saved me this time, and you have the nerve to be this rude to him?"
May threw her sheets off and stood up, shocking everyone around her. She was moving as well as if she had never been admitted to the hospital. She looked at Brock dead in the eyes. "Brock, where is Ash?"
Brock couldn't meet her gaze. "May, you may want to sit back down."
May shook her head. "No way, where is he?"
Brock sighed. "May, do you remember Lucario?"
May was perplexed. "Yeah, why?"
Bock met her eyes with difficulty. "May, you were fading fast. Ash, he didn't want you to die, he felt like a failure. So, he did the same thing to you that Lucario did for Mew."
"That Lucario did for-?" May wondered what he meant, but then it struck her like a freight train. "No, NO, that's not true! Ash is not gone!" she yelled.
"May, I know it's hard to hear, but-" Brock began to say, but May cut him off.
"NO, HE'S NOT, HE CAN'T BE, THERE'S NO WAY!" she yelled.
"ASH USED UP HIS AURA TO SAVE YOU MAY! HE'S GONE!" Brock yelled louder, overriding May's pitch and making his point heard.
May's yelling stopped abruptly. Her legs shook beneath her, threatening to give way. "Ash, he's, he really..?"
Tracy stepped forward. "Yeah, then this airhead," he said, jutting his thumb at Norman, "attacked Ash for not keeping you from falling, just before Ash faded."
May turned around so fast, she may have teleported. "You, did, what?" she seethed.
Norman was genuinely afraid of the look his daughter was giving him. "ANSWER ME!" she yelled.
"Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't know-" Norman said.
May was now filled with rage and sorrow. She fell to her knees, sobbing on the ground. Bock kneeled next to her and put his hand on his shoulder, comforting her. Norman tried to come over and do the say, but she swatted his hand away with such ferocity, he had to check to see if he had lost a few layers of skin.
"I, I never even, got the chance, the chance to tell him…" she sobbed out.
Brock's eyes widened as he heard this.
"I,-I, I love him…" she muttered, before falling unconscious.
Unknown Area
"If this is death, then why does it hurt so much?"
This was the only thought Ash had. Even after vanishing, he didn't feel anything fading away. If anything, it was coming back into sharper focus.
Suddenly, he became aware of a green light enveloping him. He couldn't see, but the light permeated his eyelids. "Wh-what?" he muttered weakly.
As the pain began to fade, he became aware of his surroundings. He was collapsed in a grassy field. He heard the steady trickle of a stream close to his right, and he heard the distant sounds of Pokemon.
He also became aware of a presence behind him. The light that had covered him was restoring his energy, and he felt certain that whoever was behind him, was behind it.
Which meant he had a bone to pick with them.
"The light, when I was fading, wasn't death. It was a Teleport…" he muttered.
The green light faded. "Well deduced. I didn't think that you would have figured it out that quickly, based upon your intellect when last we met" a voice said.
Ash rolled over on his back to look at whoever was talking, but he saw no one there. Painfully pushing himself to his feet, Ash looked around. In the distance, he saw many Pokemon, but none in the vicinity of himself.
"Who's there?" Ash asked.
"Then again, I may have been wrong about you last time, as I never saw much of you" the voice came again, this time from above.
Ash turned his head upwards, but only saw dark, empty sky. "Whoever this is, I'll have you know that I'm not in the mood for games."
A pulse of energy ran up Ash's body, flooring him with pain once more. He dry heaved on the ground from the sheer force of the after effects.
Looking back up, he grimaced. "Listen, whoever you are. I don't know why you saved me, but it was in vain. I don't want to live anymore, so just leave me be."
"So, the great Ash Ketchum, protector of life, is giving up on it?" the drawling voice asked.
Ash knew the voice from somewhere, but didn't care to recognize it. Looking around, he saw that the small river he had been right next to turned into a waterfall not 30 feet away.
"Falling off of a cliff, fitting end" Ash thought miserably. Ash took off as best he could towards the edge of the cliff, and jumped, sailing outwards over the long fall below. There was a river and forest below, not that he cared. "Finally, it can all be over" he thought.
However, just as he began to fall, he stopped. He was frozen in place by an invisible force. Looking at his hands, he realized that he was glowing blue. "Psychic…" he muttered.
The force dragged him back to the field and dumped him down. Ash struggled to get back to his feet. "If only I had Krookodile or Pikachu, whatever Psychic Pokemon that's keeping me here would be sorry" he thought.
"Dark-Types may do well against most Psychic-Types," the voice said, "but not me. And I have enough experience with your Pikachu to know that it too would stand no chance against me."
Ash gripped his head. "What are you doing in my head?" he moaned.
The voice laughed. "Are you kidding? With how much negative aura, charged with your emotions that you are putting out, it would be harder to ignore it."
"Yeah, and what do you know about aura?" Ash shouted.
"Enough" the voice said simply.
"Listen, if you are going to be too cowardly to show your face, I suggest letting me go. I don't want to have to exert all of my aura again, but I will if it's my only way out" Ash growled.
"What a foolish boy you still are" the voice said scathingly.
A purple light came down out of the dark sky, descending right in front of Ash. As the glow faded, Ash recognized the being who had him here.
"Mewtwo" Ash muttered.
Mewtwo grinned, or at least did the closest it could. "The one and only."
"Not true" Ash said. "I met another Mewtwo in Unova, and I have to say, it was much more powerful than you."
Mewtwo frowned. "I was unaware that there was another one like me out there."
"Yeah, well, you appear to be unaware of a lot of things, like how I'm not in the mood to be kept from moving on" Ash shouted.
"You irk me" Mewtwo said sternly. "It is not because of some fascination with you that I saved you. It is because of a rule that all of us sentient Legendary Pokemon follow."
"Sentient?" Ash asked.
"Us few Legendary Pokemon that communicate and act on the level or beyond of you humans" Mewtwo said. "Those of us who have conquered our primordial instinct to become truly intelligent. We act upon a message that was given to us."
"And who exactly has the time to go around, looking not just for Legendary Pokemon, but for the sentient ones, and give them messages?" Ash asked.
"Why, the one who made all of us in the first place" Mewtwo said. "Arceus."
Ash gasped. "Arceus, really?"
"Yes, you know of him?" Mewtwo asked.
"Met him, saved him, and yeah, know of him" Ash replied sarcastically.
Mewtwo glared at him. "Well, I'm sure that you have heard some others refer to you under special titles before?"
Ash was perplexed. "Nothing that I didn't earn. I was runner up in the Lily of the Valley Conference, Aura Guardian for the Year-"
"I'm not talking about petty attachments" Mewtwo said. "I'm talking about a special title, a lore worthy one. 'The Chosen One' ringing a bell?"
Ash frowned. "Yeah, I was a Chosen One for the Shamouti Prophecy, that's it. I just happened to fit the description."
Mewtwo put it's hand on its face as if it had a migraine. "So many of you humans are dull minded, it's hard to go slow enough to keep down with you."
"I was a Chosen One once, so what? That's passed" Ash said.
Mewtwo glared once more. "Prophecies are never just 'one and done.' Arceus himself has chosen you to be his tool of balance while you are on this planet. It is a special right that is rarely given. While he slumbers in the space between dimensions, it is you job to keep the balance here."
"Right, and why am I supposed to believe this?" Ash asked.
"Think about it, you fool" Mewtwo said hotly. "Just how many times have you been a vital instrument in stopping calamity?"
"Well, I guess a little over a dozen times" Ash said slowly.
"And you are still an adolescent" Mewtwo said, sealing his point. "More than a dozen times before reaching maturity. Isn't that sign enough for you?"
Ash sighed. "I don't care if i'm supposed to be a balancer. Something just happened, and I don't want to live with it."
Mewtwo shook its head. "Don't you see, that this is bigger than you? The balance of everyone on the planet is supposed to be in peril because a prepubescent man lost the will to live? That sounds like a severely selfish choice to me."
Ash saw the logic in that, and, with a sigh, gave in. "If there is one thing I try not to be, it's selfish."
Mewtwo nodded. "So, now that you won't be running off to kill yourself anymore, I suppose I can send you back?"
"No" Ash said quickly.
Mewtwo raised its eyebrows. "Oh, why not?"
Ash sighed. "I can't go back, ever. Because of me, a friend died, and there are too many bad memories with them now. Too many people blame me, and I'm not sure that I can handle that."
Mewtwo looked bemused. "What do you expect to do then?"
Ash turned to Mewtwo. "What if I lived in this valley with you? I've met you once before, and it was right here. You know that I don't harm Pokemon, even those I don't know, not without them attacking first."
Mewtwo had the look of someone who just remembered something important. "Well, you are half right. We've met here before, but that was not the only time."
"Unless you changed your voice to a girl's when I was in Unova, I'm pretty sure I've only met you once" Ash said.
Frowning, Mewtwo shoved his fingers towards Ash and spread them apart, glowing with blue psychic energy. Suddenly, a stream of memories entered Ash's mind.
Ash collapsed for a moment, then got back up. "Hrrgh, well, I guess you're right, I really have met you twice."
Mewtwo nodded. "Anyways, now that we have that addressed, what do you plan to do here? You lack your partners, and it does not sound like you want any of your old one's back."
"I would love to have some of them, but they would be missed" Ash said. "I have some partners scattered around that don't live at Oak's Ranch, though."
"I could ask them if they would like to rejoin you. Of course, they would have to get along with the clones" Mewtwo said.
"My Pokemon are friendly" Ash assured.
"Very well. I suppose, if you are to be living here, your Pokemon may as well come too. Who are they, and where" Mewtwo asked.
Ash looked at Mewtwo. "If you can read my mind and erase my memories, I'm pretty sure you can figure out which one's they are."
Mewtwo looked surprised. "Fair enough. You really aren't the boy I remember."
"It's called maturity" Ash muttered. "And it comes with a price."
Mewtwo nodded, but didn't press the issue. As it turned around to Teleport away, Ash spoke up.
"By the way, what are the other sentient Legendary Pokemon" Ash asked.
Mewtwo looked back at him. "There is Lugia of the Orange Islands, Hoopa of Dahara City, and, of course, my counterpart, nestled at the Tree of Beginning."
"Mew's sentient? And what's Hoopa?" Ash asked.
"Hoopa is, well, you'd have to meet it" Mewtwo said. "And yes, Mew is sentient. However, it doesn't consend to using human speech that often, even through telepathy."
"Huh, could've fooled me" Ash said. "Mew looked smart, but not like it could use telepathy at all."
"Mew is smart. Not as smart as me, but smart" Mewtwo said, smirking.
Ash nodded. "If you say so. That's all for now."
Mewtwo nodded, disappearing in a flash of purple light.
Ash walked over to the edge of the waterfall and sat down. He had not shown his weakness to the Psychic-Type, but his emotions were still very much in pain. He was grateful for the home, but his gratitude could not override the despair of that day. Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out his half of the Terracotta Medal. As he held it, memories of all of his times with May began to surface.
Putting his head down in his arms, Ash began to cry. Not sob, not wail, not collapse, but just cry. The tears flowed down his cheeks as he came to a stop, letting everything crash down on him. "I'm still alive, but she, she's gone forever" he said through the tears.
Turning around to lay down in the grass, Ash allowed his true exhaustion to finally take hold, and fell asleep, with the tears still pouring from his eyes.
He felt as if he had only been unconscious for minutes, however, when he was nuzzled awake. When he opened his eyes, he saw a large, beaked face, looking down at him.
Scrambling to his feet, a small smile came to his face. "Hey, Pidgeot!" he said.
Pidgeot cawed and nuzzled in Ash's chest again, knocking him on his rear end. The sight of one of his first Pokemon brought a smile to Ash's face.
Looking over his shoulder, he saw that Pidgeot wasn't all that Mewtwo had brought. Flying around his head excitedly, the first Pokemon he had ever caught, Butterfree. A young Lapras splashed in the river looking at Ash with joy, and nearby, a powerful looking Primeape stood, looking at Ash.
Ash truly smiled for the first time that day, and spread his arms. Primeape rushed forward and tackled Ash with a hug, while Butterfree land on his head, tickling him with its wings. Lapras couldn't get in on the action, so she sprayed a Water Gun in the air, showering Ash with mist.
Once Ash feed himself from the many bodies, he sat back down, with his four old friends near him, and looked at them, proud of how well they had been doing.
However, Ash was not completely happy. For obvious reasons, he was much less joyous that he would have been. Looking at Mewtwo, they nodded at each other, and Mewtwo floated away, towards the clone Pokemon.
With a sigh, Ash knew that his life wasn't the one he wanted, but it was the right choice. He had to step up, put the past in the past, and help the people and Pokemon of the world.
He had to be, The Chosen One.
Alright, that's a wrap on chapter 2. These last two have been, more or less, the prologue, so next time, the real part of the story gets going. I have you all have enjoyed it, and I hope that more people find it. Until next time, I'm signing off. Cya in chapter 3!
