Painful Memories

Pike woke up with the moon shinning on his face. He was in a confortable bed, not drowning on cold waters. He was at home, not running as a criminal. Then, as his eyes got used with the low light, he noticed he was in a strange place, neither the bad nor the room were familiar to him, he also felt week.

Painfully Pike tried to sit, making his eyes go blank with the effort. For a couple of minutes he waited, he was dizzy and hungry.

When he felt he could risk move a bit more, Pike took out the blanket and placed his feet on the wooden floor. A Pidgey decided to land on the window sill, staring briefly at the human before taking up flight. Seen a pokemon made him remember of his beloved Seel, of all the tragedies that befallen him in the last couple of days, the raging Gyarados, and his loss.

The sound of laugh caught his attention, voices he didn't recognised. With herculean effort and clumsy movements Pike stood up. The open window let a cool breeze into the warm room, making him shiver, making him remember the cold water.

He shook his head. He had lost much, and he had too much to grieve, but now he had to learn where he was. The thought that maybe, his Seel was somewhat safe, having being found besides him, maybe. That thought gave Pike the extra strength he needed to cover the distance between bed and door, opening and interrupting the light chat.

'Oh. You made it.' Said an old man sitting at a table. Gray hair and deep black eyes. Next to him was a old woman with similar features.

'Let me help you.' She said coming in aid to Pike who could barely keep himself standing, let alone walk more. 'I'm Daisy by the way. But my friends call me May.'

'And I am Gary.' The old man said. 'We found you a couple of days ago, barely alive. Please sit, I'll make you a light soup.'

'Don't worry. I'll do it.' May said after helping Pike to a sofa. Gary sat next to him.

'Do you think you can talk?' He asked.

'Y-yes.' Pike answered with difficulty. Not only his body was weak, his mind as well. He might be able to talk, if he only used short sentences. 'My pokemon? My Seel?'

Gary hesitated for a minute. 'I am sorry. But we found only you and pieces of what I believed was the ship you were at. That was a strong storm on that night.'

Pike didn't said nothing else. He had hoped. He had dreamed. But reality was harsh.

They spoke more as Pike ate his soup. Having some food on his belly made a big difference. His mind was getting clear and with each spoon he felt strength slowly return. He was still far from ideal, though, but it was a beginning.

During the dinner, Pike was able to tell about the accident. The Gyarados and the lost pokemon. He didn't mention his family or his status as a refugee nor he was asked about it.

For a few days Pike stayed with Gary. He learnt that Daisy was his sister and that he was acquainted with a big name, the famed Ash Ketchum. Though he confessed he would rather not be reminded of the link, as Ash had grown arrogant and greedy after a few tragedies. 'Tell me about tragedies.' Pike thought.

The house was built on a hill foot. Blocking the only road to the top where the some old ruins could be seen.

'My Grandpa laboratory.' Gary said when he caught Pike looking at it. 'The area around it is a pokemon reserve, a place for pokemon who had lost their owners, a place for them to slowly return to the wild. You may walk up to the laboratory but it is not recommended to enter the ruins or go beyond it. That place might fall at any time.'

As he grew stronger, Pike started to walk in the town, not only around Gary's house. His first journeys were to the beach in the south, to where he was found. Day after day he searched and called for his Seel. But all he could find was the wreckage of the boat and all he could hear was the calm waves.

While exploring the town of Pallet Pike came upon another ruin, the burned remains of a small house. A wooden sign had the name Ketchum on it. It was defaced of obscenities.

Its surviving walls were filled with even more messages of hate. Strangely enough, in the house's backyard, a grave was well cared. The grass around it short and with flowers encircling it. Undoubtedly belonging to someone from that family, someone who was somewhat still loved even when that Ash wasn't.

It came to no surprise to Pike when he came across a young man's statue in the town's gate. It said Ash Ketchum and Pikachu on a sign underneath it. But the statue was missing the head and what seemed to be a striking right arm from Ash and the Pikachu altogether.

'We don't understand.' May said later that day when she came to visit him at Gary's. 'He was an accomplished pokemon trainer, married with an ex-gym leader and waiting for his first kid. Then she disappeared and he lost his mind. He would talk to anyone, not even with his mother. A couple of weeks later, he also disappeared, leaving everything behind, even his pokemons, even Pikachu. His mother passed away not long after that.

'A year later, he showed up again.' May continued. 'Rich and powerful. Ash proceed to buy out the bankrupting PokeCenters, everyone thought of him being heroic, saving the Thrust. But soon as he monopolised all Kanto's PokeCenter he started to charge for the service. The result, you can see on this small town.'

'He was a naïve kid.' Gary said. 'He wanted to be the best of best. I guess this all went through his head and when tragedy struck, he lost it all.'

'It doesn't make sense for me.' May replied. 'Naïve, yes. Filled with dreamlike ideals, yes. But nothing could change a person like that. You knew him Gary, you were always competing.'

All that talk only set a gloomy mood on them. Worst, it made Pike remember of all his tragedies once more. Would he change like that? He didn't think so.

May bid goodbye and soon after Pike went for a walk.

On the fading lights of the sun he made his way uphill. It was a pretty view from there. The sea slightly tinged of red, the house lights sparking to light one after another. Slowly the waning moon rose on the clear sky. Few stars could be seeing.

Out of nowhere Pike felt a cold breeze that immediately reminded him of when he woke up. He took his eyes from the town and began to examine the ruined laboratory. The breeze seemed to come from there. And that was something inside.

'Hello.' He said, feeling foolish afterwards. 'That are pokemons here. Could have being any of them.' Once more, a shadow moved inside the building. 'A pokemon for sure.' He forced himself to think. But why did he felt so uneasy he couldn't tell.

Pike went into the old lab against his best judgement and Gary's warning. Once more he saw the shadow moving in the corridor ahead. Just a glimpse before it disappeared in a passage. It made so sound at all. 'That's weird.' He thought as he noticed that even outside sounds of Pidgeys and Rattata had silenced.
With uneasy steps he approached the place where the shadow disappeared. Slow steps. One after another. The shadow came through the wall a few feet ahead of him and the wall came crashing straight after.

A sudden jump backwards was barely enough to save him. 'Either this place is haunted or I am.' Pike thought making his way out of the ruins and back to Gary's house. 'Most likely it is me.'