Of Creation and Destruction

Chapter Three: Rebuilding Shattered Bonds and Broken Hearts

Misty sat quiet next to Ash. Well, not all of Ash, but his spirit, at least, and that was the part that mattered. She had been talking to him for the past two hours, and she was starting to feel very tired. They had talked about the old times, about Brock's travels, about how Misty had been and how the gym was doing with her in command, and they had finally run out of things to talk about. She had ended up with her arm around his shoulders, sitting together on her bed while Ash idly scratched Pikachu's head on his lap.

"Where will you go next, Ash?" Misty questioned, breaking the silence that had been building between them.

"Well, I figured I would go to Pewter tomorrow morning and show Brock that I'm still here, at least. And then I'm going to see my mother. I don't know how she'll take it, though. She seemed kind of… fragile, the last time I saw her. I'm worried about how she'll react to me now."

Misty hugged him closer. "I imagine she'll be happy that you've come home at last, just like I was."

Ash scoffed. "Just like you were? Well, that's promising. I thought you were going to attack me! 'You're dead! You're not supposed to be here!' Remember that? I'm glad you weren't any happier to see me; I was totally smothered with love as it was!"

"Hey, I was in shock! I needed time to take it in! And I was nice enough after you gave me a minute to relax!" Misty retorted.

Ash's pale blue cheeks darkened a bit, remembering Misty's embrace. "Yeah… you were…"

"And I'm sure your mom will be just as happy to see you as I was then," Misty finished.

"I hope so." Ash said, still sounding a bit worried. They sat in silence for a few minutes more, before Misty broke it once again.

"Ash… I don't want to end this, but I have to get to sleep…. The gym still needs work tomorrow, and I'm going to be tired enough as it is. So…" Misty trailed off.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I keep forgetting about sleep, since I don't need it anymore." Ash gently placed the sleeping Pikachu in his lap in his normal spot at the foot of Misty's bed, and stood up. "I'll be back tomorrow morning to tell you goodbye before I leave. It won't take me long to get to Pewter from here."

"But what will you do tonight, Ash?" Misty asked.

"The same thing I do every night, Misty." Ash rose from the floor to hover in the air above her. "I'll explore the world around me, and I'll think of you, and Brock, and Mom… but somehow… I think I'll enjoy it more tonight than usual." Ash flashed her that old, familiar smile, then flew out of her bedroom window into the night.

"Good night, Ash!" She called after him.

Faintly, she heard him reply, "Good night, Misty!"

Misty lay down in her bed, and she was asleep a few minutes later. She slept very soundly, and a small smile lingered on her lips all night.


"Umm… Misty. Misty. Uh… There's some weird guy here cleaning the gym… Is that normal?"

Misty opened her eyes to find Ash's translucent face six inches from her own.

"AHH!" Misty yelped, jumping out her bed and knocking him into the air. Pikachu also flew into the air, sparks flying from his cheeks already. Angered at being woke up so rudely, he tried to shock Misty and Ash. Tried, because Ash was totally untouched, while Misty was charred. Pikachu looked satisfied with that result, though, as he jumped back onto Misty's bed and tried to go back to sleep.

"Misty! Are you alright?" Brian (for of course it was he) yelled from the main battle pool. Misty heard something clatter to the ground as he started running to her aid.

"Brian, I'm fine! I just… woke up from a nightmare. Everything's fine in here. Just don't come in!" Misty called through her closed bedroom door.

"Um… okay… you do realize that it's ten o'clock, right?" Brian said, now standing outside her door.

"WHAT?" She glanced at her clock, which only confirmed his statement. "What the hell, Brian? Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I tried! I was pounding on your door for, like, twenty minutes! And I'm sure as hell not gonna come in your room uninvited while you're asleep. So I just gave up and started working myself, so at least one of us would be. What, did you throw a party last night? In over a year now, I've never, ever seen you oversleep before... Is something wrong?" He really sounded worried saying the last few words.

Misty didn't know what to say. She couldn't tell him the truth. Well, Brian, remember Ash? Well, last night, his ghost came back out of nowhere, and we talked for hours on end! Oh, and he's in here now. Wanna meet him? Even if he didn't just think she had lost it, she didn't want him to some reason, she wanted Ash kept secret, for now at least. So…

"What, am I not allowed to oversleep once in a while? I'm sorry, since when were you in charge? I believe I'm still the gym leader around here, and I'll sleep as long as I damn well please! So shove off!"

He was silent for a moment, before quietly responding, "Fine, Misty. Sorry for trying to care." He walked back to his work.

Misty turned to Ash. "What are you doing! You don't just show up in my room, ever! Ever!"

"Well, I was coming to tell you goodbye, and there was some guy in there! I just wanted to warn you!"

"And you never thought that he might work here? He's my assistant, you stupid kid!"

"Oh." Ash paused. "Since when did you get an assistant?"

"Since my sisters left. Don't you have something you're supposed to be doing?"

"Oh, right!" He flew over and gave her a quick hug. "Bye, Misty. I'm glad you didn't try to kill me again last night." He stopped by Pikachu, and rubbed his head quickly. He barely lifted his head, still miffed at being woken up. "Bye, Pikachu. I'll be back soon. Now…" Ash struck a grand pose. "To Pewter City!" He turned a loop in her room before rushing out the window once more, arms spread wide like a bird. Showoff, Misty thought. Then she remembered again what time it was. "Crap! The inspection! There's still so much stuff to be done!" She got ready for the day as fast as she could, before running off to join her assistant in his work.


Ash flew through the trees for a minute then rose high above the forest surrounding Mount Moon. At this height, he could already see Pewter City, miles away. Once he caught sight of it, he put on as much speed as he dared, which is to say, he flew, very, very, very fast. It took him only a little less than twenty minutes to reach the outskirts of town, where Pewter Gym lay.


Brock was bored.

He always seemed to be bored, these days. His gym, being made mostly of rock, was pretty low-maintenance, so there wasn't much to do with it unless there was a challenger. Since all of his brothers and sisters had grown up and either moved out or gone on their own Pokemon journeys, he lived alone (finally). When he had returned and declared his intentions to reclaim the title of gym leader, he had utterly destroyed his father in a battle, and so his father had conceded the title and moved back to his shack, happy to be free again. Flint stopped by sometimes, but those visits were pretty rare, coming at most monthly. Brock was twenty-one now, after all; he wasn't a kid anymore, and Flint respected that. And, of course, there was training his Pokemon that had to be done, but that never took more than two or three hours a day, and that might have been a bit much as it was. Pokemon got tired, too.

But, before and after all that, Brock was left with a lot of free time on his hands. He wished that he could leave to visit his friend Misty more often, but even though he had a lot of time to kill, he still needed to be at the gym in case a challenger came along. And they did come along. Almost every day, at least one trainer challenged Brock for the Boulder Badge.

I really need a hobby, Brock thought as he sat alone in his normal spot in the main battle arena. Maybe… knitting? Nah, too girly. I'm already a cook and a maid half the time; How am I supposed to win a woman's heart with knitting? I could collect something, but I don't have the time. I could write, I suppose… Yeah, that's deep. Chicks love writers, don't they? I think so. Hmm… maybe I should ask Misty. She's a girl. Although she doesn't act like it, so much. Do I know any other girls? No, not really. Hey, is that a challenger? Brock saw the doors to the gym open, but there didn't seem to be anything there. I guess not. Huh. Weird. What was I thinking? Oh, girls I know... Nope, none but Misty. Yeah, I really need to get out more. Well, I guess Misty will have to do.

Is Ash floating in front of me? Brock blinked, and rubbed his eyes. The ghostly image of Ash obstinately hovered there. Hmm. He's still there. Well, that's new. Well, I guess the boredom must have driven me insane. At least it's something to do.

"Hey, Brock! Didja miss me?" Ash said.

Oh, good, the specter speaks. This would have gotten dull otherwise. Wait…

Brock's mind finally made the connection between past and present, found some rather disturbing discrepancies, and decided to shut down for a while and mull this over. In the meantime, the rest of Brock freaked out.

"AHHH!" Brock jumped up and away from Ash. "AAAH! ASH! GHOST! DEAD! AAAH!"

"Well, actually, that's a pretty good three-word summary of what's happened," Ash replied, laughing. Then he was hit in the face with a rock. "Hey! Cut that out!" Brock had retreated behind one of the many boulders that littered his battlefield, and was now throwing rather large rocks over it at Ash for some reason. Not that it actually hurt him, but it was still annoying. "Seriously, how does throwing rocks at me help?"

"AHH!" Brock responded.

"Well, this could have gone better," Ash mused.

"AHH!" Brock agreed.

"Okay, Brock. Since you're obviously not going to listen to me right now, I'm just going to follow you around until you calm down. Then I'm going to tell you my long, long story. And you're going to listen to it. Got it?"

"AHH!"


"… And so, here I am, visible, audible, and tangible," Ash finished (again).

"Well, Ash, that's… quite the story. So… good to have you back!" Brock was grinning ear to ear at seeing his old friend for the first time in six years.

Brock had stopped panicking after about twenty minutes of Ash just sitting around watching him (silently taking rocks to the face), and had decided to try actually talking to Ash, much to his relief. So, Ash had once again told his story of what he'd been doing for the past six years, Brock listening quietly.

"Well, enough about me, Brock, what about you? How have you been holding up the past few years?" Ash asked.

"Well… Travelling was great. I met a lot of new people, and seeing the world was amazing. But it was never as fun as the times I had with you and Misty. I got tired of travelling, and came home. But… it wasn't what I expected here. When I got back, I expected all the kids to be here, waiting for me, I guess… You know, Ash, it was hard to take care of them, but it never got dull. And I loved having them depend on me, sometimes. It made me feel useful. I wasn't looking forward to doing it again, but I wasn't really dreading it, either. And then… I got here, and it was just my dad and the twins. Everyone else was gone on their own journeys. Then I claimed the leadership from my dad, and just a few weeks later, the twins were ten, and ready to start training themselves. What are the odds, really? Ten kids from the same family, and they all grew up to be trainers. I guess living in a gym will do that to you. So, without—"

"Wait!" Ash interrupted. "I thought you didn't want to be a gym leader. You said you wanted to be a breeder. So… what happened with that?"

"Well, I still have a dream of opening a breeding center here in Pewter, but… I guess I just needed something to do. I don't like to sit around. Actually, though… that's a lot of what I do, now. Without the kids running around like they always used to, it's pretty boring around here. The gym pretty well takes care of itself, so all I really have to do is train, battle, and eat. I really need a hobby, or something," Brock finished.

"Well… why don't you try starting a breeding center as part of the gym? That would keep you busy enough."

Brock shook his head. "No. Believe it or not, I don't have the time. I may not have much to do, but I still have to be ready for any challengers who come by."

Ash stared. "That's stupid, even by my standards! A trainer could wait for thirty minutes while you finished what you were doing, couldn't they? There's no reason not to follow your dreams, Brock, unless you're afraid to! Think of yourself for once, and do what YOU want!"

Brock sat, kind of stunned by this. Was that it, then? Am I really the only thing holding me back? What he says sounds true. But… "What about money? Running a breeding center isn't cheap, you know."

Ash snorted. "Come on, Brock. How much money do you have, anyway? Misty told me the League pays pretty well. She'd be rich, if her gym wasn't so costly to run, and she's pretty well off as it is. And it doesn't sound like your gym takes that much. Do you even know how much you have?"

Brock didn't. He hadn't checked in a while. He knew he made more than he spent, but he never really had a reason to check, so he didn't. He had an account, and the League directly deposited his salary in every month. He wasn't even completely sure how much money he made. It had never been a problem.

"No…" Brock muttered.

"Well then, how do you know you don't have enough to start a center?" Ash exclaimed.

"I guess I don't."

"Well, then there you go. First thing, do you really want to do this?" Ash asked.

"Yes, of course…" Brock said. But it can't be this simple, can it?

"Then, second, you need to find out if you can do this. How can you check?"

"By looking at my money!" Brock yelled, getting excited. Maybe it can!

"Then what are you waiting for? GO!" Ash cheered.

"YEAH!" Brock ran out of the gym, leaving Ash in his dust.

Ash floated, stunned for a moment, before calling after him, "Hey, wait up!" and chasing after him.

Brock sprinted through his living quarters to his computer, and opened up the League's page. He had his account with them, like most leaders and trainers did. He typed his barely remembered passwords in quickly, and opened his accounts.


"Buhh. Wuhh. Huhwuh…" Brock was mumbling in shock when Ash found him.

"Oh, Brock… was it not enough? Crap, Brock, I didn't mean to get your hopes up, and… wuh. Buh. Muh." Ash caught sight of the numbers, as he spoke, and nearly fell out of the air. It was enough. Mew, was it enough. When Misty had said leaders were paid well, she had apparently made an understatement. Ash wondered just how expensive her gym was, anyway? Brock, with his frugal ways, was sitting on a small fortune after just two years! Ash finally regained his tongue.

"So… I'm thinking you can probably do it. Now what?"

"I… uh… I don't know. There's so much to do! I think… I'll need facilities the gym doesn't have, so those will have to be built… probably a helper or two, I doubt I can do it all on my own… eventually I'll need to advertise, so people will bring their Pokemon… And I'll need some other Pokemon to start with, so… Ahh! Ash, how am I going to do all this?" Brock cried.

Ash grinned at him. "Well, at least you won't be bored anymore."

Brock stared at him. "Yeah… thanks, Ash. I guess I just needed someone to tell me to get up and go. Since when did you get so smart, anyway?"

"Well, when you're by yourself for a long time, all you can really do is think. I've just had a lot of time to myself."

"Good to know something good came out of it," Brock said with a smirk. "You were pretty dense before you died."

"I'm still dense, actually, I'm just a bit smarter now… but I would rather have just been stupid forever with you guys than have gone through that to get here." Ash said seriously.

"Yeah…" Brock said. He was a bit preoccupied with all the possibilities before him now, and Ash saw his attention wavering. He thought now was a good time to leave now.

"Well, Brock, I've got to get to Pallet Town. It'll probably take me an hour or so to get there, so…"

"Wait, an hour? How fast do you fly?" Brock said, stupefied by that kind of speed. There were some Pokemon that traveled that fast, like the Dragonite that had brought them the invitation to New Island, but even by car, it would take at least a couple of hours to drive that distance.

"I don't know. I don't think there's a limit; really, I just travel as fast as I think is safe. I've never gone faster than… I don't really know, but I can tell that it's fast. It's not like I've ever timed myself. I just make sure I can still recognize things on the ground," Ash explained.

"Well, it's still getting on in the day. And you've given me a lot to think about, so… Go! Your mother's waiting for you!" Brock said. As he spoke, he was shooing Ash out of his room, through the arena and out of the gym.

"Yeah, she is! Bye, Brock! I'll be back soon!" Ash said, as he turned in the air and flew away, leaving so quickly that Brock lost sight of him almost instantly.

Brock walked quickly back inside, thinking of all that he would have to do in the next few days to get his dream started on the road from fantasy to reality. Before he started any of that, though, there was something else he wanted to do. He walked over to his videophone, and called a familiar number. It rang twice before a teenage boy answered. "Cerulean Gym, Brian Edwards speaking… oh. Hi, Brock. You'll want to talk to Misty, I assume?"

"Yeah, Brian. Could you get her?"

"Of course." He stepped away from the phone, yelling "Misty! Brock's on the phone for you!"

Faintly, Brock heard her call back "Okay! I'm coming!"

Even more faintly, Brock heard Brian mutter away from the phone "You're welcome, Misty," before turning back to ask aloud "So, are you coming over anytime soon?"

"Well, I don't know, it depends. I might be. Something's come up, but I just need to talk to Misty right now."

Misty, with Pikachu sitting on her shoulder, barged in, pushing Brian away from the screen, and opened her mouth to speak. Then, she seemed to think better of it, because she turned to Brian and said, "Brian, go to the pools behind the gym and… check on Seadra and Dewgong."

Brian started to protest that he had just done that, but then seemed to get the point, and answered curtly "Yes, ma'am," before turning and walking briskly off.

When he was gone, Brock asked "What's his problem?"

Misty replied, "Oh, I yelled at him this morning because I was trying to cover for Ash, and he's been like that ever since, I don't… Oh! Ash! Brock, you must have seen him! Isn't it great? He's back again! Oh… I've been dancing around all day. It's just… a miracle!"

"Yeah, he's been here. He just left, as a matter of fact. He's going to see his mom."

"He told me that last night. He's really worried about it, but I doubt anything bad is going to happen."

Brock thought of that for a moment, and an awful thought came into his head. "Misty… when's the last time we talked to Mrs. Ketchum?"


Ash flew past Viridian City, approaching his final destination, his childhood home of Pallet Town. Ha, childhood home… I wonder if I'm still a child? I haven't aged any, but I'm sixteen in my head... Ah, I've got to stop thinking about that kind of thing. There aren't any answers to my problems in this world. Just more questions.

He flew over the forest, and spotted a flash of yellow, a rare family of Pikachu, through the trees. He thought of his Pikachu. No, not my Pikachu anymore. Misty is his trainer now... I'm glad she took him. I know he'd rather be with her than stuck on Oak's ranch forever. Ah, but I wish I had got more time with him. At least I can still see him now… and he can see me. Even if I can't come back completely, at least I can be halfway here. That's better than the alternative… I wonder why I'm still here, anyway? Misty was right, last night, the dead aren't supposed to stay here… I know there aren't many other spirits, or I'd have seen some when I travelled. I don't have any good reason to stay… so why am I here? Ah! I've got to stop thinking philoso… plato… crap, what's the word? Oh, well. I guess I'm not that smart. Okay, Ash, focus. You've got a job to do.

Ash cleared his mind and prepared himself to see his mother as he spotted Pallet in the distance.

He was soon over the town itself, seeing people and places he hadn't seen in years pass him by. No matter how long he spent away from it, this place always felt like home to him. He basked in his memories for a moment, taking it all in, making sure every bit was impressed into his mind. One thing he was sure of was that he never wanted to forget his home, no matter how long he existed.

Ash soon made his way to his own house, on the outskirts of the town.

He noticed, like he did when he was last here, that it wasn't the same as when he had lived here. From the outside, it had a look of emptiness. It was clean, the grass was cut, it was all well kept. But the little homey touches his mother had added to it, like flowers in the windows, or her garden, were all gone. Ash expected that the house was now mostly being kept up by Mr. Mime, rather than his mother. He knew why. Delia had never gotten over losing him. She still grieved for Ash, and it was hard to live a normal life through that kind of sadness. Ash had hated to see her that way, the last time he was here. But he was sure that his old mom was still in there, just waiting to be brought out. And that was something Ash intended to fix, right now.

He floated through the front door, into the house. He decided that now was a good time not to freak out his mother, and so he let go of his visibility, for once not wanting to be seen. He searched the house. He found Mr. Mime in the kitchen, cleaning up as usual. He went upstairs, and checked each room. His own room was exactly as he had left it… His mother had obviously not had the will to clean it out, or perhaps she just wanted to keep some piece of him close to her. He moved on to her bedroom. There he found her.

She was lying in bed, reading a book. She looked terrible. Her hair was unkempt and messy. Her eyes looked dull and empty. Her clothes looked thrown together carelessly. That basically described everything about her now: careless. She just looked like she didn't care about anything anymore, and it was probably true.

Ash thought for a moment how best to reveal himself. He wanted to do it gradually, but that was a problem. He didn't have a bunch of ways to appear. In the end, he was just going to have to become visible to her, whether he walked around a corner or simply appeared. But he did have one trick he could pull. He focused on his voice, wanting to be heard first. Soon he felt the change in himself that he had finally come to recognize as his voice becoming audible. He spoke softly.

"Mom?"

Delia's head snapped up so quickly that he heard her neck crack. "What? Who's there?" She called out, seeing nothing. She knew that voice, she heard it almost every night in her dreams, but… it couldn't be…

"Mom… it's me. It's Ash. I'm here… Don't be afraid. I'm going to appear now. Please… just stay calm." Ash's voice trembled. This was the moment he had waited years for. He turned his mind to making himself seen, and a moment later he felt it. He knew immediately that he had succeeded, because his mother gasped and jumped back, terrified.

"Mom! Mom, it's okay. I'm real, it's me, I'm here now. I'm back. Please don't be scared of me." Ash pleaded. Seeing his mother like this was making him lose his resolve. He didn't want her to fear him like this.

"No… no no no, it isn't real. Just… ignore it, it'll leave… it always leaves, it always does. Stay calm, Delia… He's gone. He's not coming back." Delia muttered to herself as she rocked back and forth on the bed, her legs curled up under her arms.

" B-But… I'm really here… Mom… please. I know I've been gone a long time, but… just listen to me, I can explain!" Ash's voice shook as he watched her. She was starting to weep while she rocked, and Ash was afraid for a moment to say anything, afraid of pushing her over the edge… what proof did he have that he was real, anyway? Nothing that couldn't be an illusion of the mind…

He spoke to his mother for a very long time. He tried to tell his tale like he had done twice before, but he couldn't keep his head together. He tried to tell her what it was like, how he had thought of her so much. He tried reminiscing about his childhood, hoping to get her attention. He tried everything he could think of. In the end, it didn't really matter what he said. His mother wouldn't listen to a word.

Shining points of light dropped from Ash's eyes. He was crying miserably as he flew away from his home, trying in vain to push it out of his mind as he left to find someone who would listen, someone who would care. He was barely able to see the ground under him through his blurred vision, but he knew where he was going. Deprived of his mother, there was only one other person he could go to for comfort now. He raced towards Cerulean City. She may have had a short temper, but Ash remembered from years past that he could always count on Misty to support him when he really, truly needed somebody to lean on. She would listen. She would care.


Misty was really feeling rotten. She had had a long talk with Brock, and they had each realized something. The last time either of them had spoken with Delia was over two years ago, and that had been Brock. Misty herself hadn't done so in almost four years. For all her assurance to Ash, she really had no clue how Mrs. Ketchum was. She could be dead or insane, for all they knew… Misty quickly pushed that thought away. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't. Ash didn't deserve to lose anything else. He had lost so much already.

Misty had just sent her assistant home. They had worked furiously all day, and at last Misty was satisfied with her gym. It had never looked so good. She glanced at each sparkling fixture, the clean walls, and the pristine pools as she walked through the gym. She just wished that she could enjoy them…

"Alright, everybody, lights out!" Misty called. She lowered the case that held the Pokeballs belonging to the Pokemon the gym owned and opened it. "Dewgong, Seaking, Seel, return!" She held up each ball one by one, and pulled in the gym's three Pokemon. Then she recalled her own Staryu, Starmie, Goldeen, and Seadra. But where were Pikachu and Psyduck?

"Pikachu? Where are you?" She called. "Psyduck?" No answer. Fantastic.

"Seriously, you guys, it's time for bed! Come on!" She walked outside, where she found them. Pikachu was in one of the outside pools, showing Psyduck his swimming technique. Psyduck was watching, but he didn't really seem that interested.

"Okay, Pikachu, lesson's over. Time for bed."

"Pika…" Pikachu swam to the edge and jumped out of the water. He shook himself off, and ran over to Misty. She returned Psyduck to its ball, and together the two walked back towards the gym.

"So how long are you going to keep trying to teach him, Pikachu?" Misty asked.

Pikachu said "Pika pika chu!" determinedly. He was willing to try as long as it took.

"Well, I'd say you're in for a long haul." Misty said. "I mean, it took forever for—"

"Misty!" Out of the woods, Misty heard Ash crying for her. Misty stopped and whirled. That wasn't a cry of victory, or happiness. That was despair she heard racing out of the night. She ran towards the voice, hoping desperately that his mother was okay… she had to be okay…

She saw him. Immediately she saw that Ash had been crying all the way there. Misty was struck for a moment at how… beautiful it was. Without any actual tears to shed, Ash's spirit was scattering tiny orbs of light from his eyes that lingered in the air for a few moments before vanishing. The sight was almost transfixing in its beauty. But the beauty of it didn't change the fact that something must have happened to make him cry like this. Misty had rarely seen Ash weep during the year of travelling with him. Please don't let her be dead… she can't be dead… Misty prayed silently. "Ash, what's wrong?" She said as he approached her. Unable to see, he had misjudged his distance and crashed into the ground in front of her. The impact was so strong it left a small crater. "Ash!" She cried. But he pulled himself up, unharmed. Apparently it took a lot more than that to break a spirit. In a better mood, Ash would probably have been making a joke about it. But not now. Ash sat desolately on the ground and looked up at Misty.

"M-Misty… she… mom…" He couldn't say it, and Misty's heart froze as her mind jumped instantly to the worst conclusion. I could have called, I could have visited, I could have done so much, and now… she's gone…

"Oh, Ash…" She knelt in front of him. Pikachu jumped into his arms and nuzzled him. "What happened to her?"

"She… she won't… won't believe I'm real. She thinks… I'm in her head. I tried to prove I was real… but… there was nothing I could do. She just… sat there, and she cried. Maybe she's still there. I don't know, I don't know…" Ash sobbed out.

Misty was, of all things, relieved to hear this. If she wasn't dead, there was still a chance. "Ash. You can't give up. I know it hurts, but you have to keep trying."

"How?" He cried. "What can I do? Nothing that couldn't be a trick, that her mind couldn't create. And… I think she's seen me before. She said 'It always leaves.' I think she might be… gone. Insane. I don't know what to do anymore. How do I make her see?" He stopped, crying again.

Misty sat beside Ash and put an arm around him as she thought. What made her and Brock believe? There wasn't anything, really, except that… a companion. Misty had Pikachu; Brock had called her, and she had confirmed. They had someone to back them up, somebody with the same story. But Delia had been alone for so long... So, really, the only thing to do was…

Misty stood up as the answer came to her.

"Ash, I think I know what to do. I need to go to Pallet Town. If she won't believe in you, we'll have to give her something she knows she can believe in. I'll go, and I'll tell her you're real. That'll work." I hope… Misty added silently as she finished.

Ash looked at her. "But… how will you get there? You can't fly like me… I don't know if I could carry you that far, and I don't think it would be safe anyway."

Misty bit her lip. She hadn't thought of that. This was something she wanted done ASAP, because Ash was going to be suffering until it was fixed. She didn't have a car or any Pokemon who could fly that fast… An idea sprang up at that. "I think I can make it there by morning." She said. "Come with me."

"To where?" He asked, standing up.

"To get some help." Misty replied. She ran into the gym, and got her bike. She put Pikachu in the basket and they rode away, towards the town. Ash flew beside her, turning invisible in case they saw people. But his voice remained.

"So… where are we going?" He asked glumly out of the air.

"To someone who can help, I already told you. And please don't talk when I can't see you. It's weird, and people are looking! It looks like I'm talking to myself." Misty snapped.

They reached the other edge of town, and Misty pulled her bike into the empty driveway of a small house. She knew one person who definitely had a strong, fast flying Pokemon, and luckily for her, he would probably be willing to help. She walked up to the door, and turned to Ash, who had once again appeared

"Stay out of sight. He doesn't know about this; let's keep it that way." Misty said. Ash nodded, and began looking around for a hiding spot. He settled behind a tree, clearly visible. Misty slapped herself at the sheer stupidity. "Ash… you can turn invisible. Please do that."

"Oh… yeah, I forgot," He replied sheepishly. He complied. Misty sighed, and knocked on the door.

"What in the… who is knocking at this hour?" A young man was heard walking through the house. The door opened, and he stepped out. He stared at Misty incredulously. "Misty? I'm… what? Misty?" He glanced at his watch. "You realize it's ten o'clock again? The other one. The one where you don't visit people anymore because they're probably in bed, so they can go to the job you make them do tomorrow. So… you're here… why?"

"Brian, I need your help." Misty said quickly.

"Okay… how?" He asked uncertainly.

"I need to borrow Komodo." She replied.

"…And you need a Charizard at ten o'clock for what now?" He asked.

"I have to get to Pallet Town as soon as possible."

He stared again. "Okay… this has to be a joke. There is no way that… what?"

"Please, Brian! I'm serious!" Misty pleaded. She pulled out her trump card. "It has to do with Ash!" She expected this to shut him up, and so it did. He went from confused to concerned in an instant.

"Really?" He asked. She nodded. "Can I ask how?"

"I can't tell you that, Brian." She replied sadly. "Can you just trust me? Please?"

"I… yes. I can trust you… But I can't let you take Komodo." He said.

"What? But… why not?" She cried in return. It had been going so well…

"Because he's not fast enough. If I'm going to help you, Misty, I'm going to help the best I can. If you really need him, then..." He stopped and went back inside. He returned a few moments later with a Pokeball. "Slifer, come on out!" Misty was shocked to hear this, he couldn't trust her with…

The light faded to reveal Brian's Dragonite. It roared once, and then turned to face him.

"Slifer, I need your help. Or, rather, Misty needs your help. Can you take her to Pallet Town right now? I know it's a long way, but I know you can do it. Can I count on you?" Brian asked. Slifer roared his assent. Brian handed Misty Slifer's Pokeball. "Take good care of him, Misty."

"Brian… Thank you so much. I knew I could count on you. I know I've asked a lot already, but… can you watch Pikachu tonight?" Pikachu glared at Misty. "I'm sorry, buddy, but I don't want to risk you falling off in midair." He huffed.

Brian grinned. "Well, that's hardly a lot to ask. You know I couldn't refuse that." He opened his arms. "Come on, Pikachu. You know you love me." Pikachu walked stiffly over to him, and stood beside him.

Brian had one more concern. "Misty, what about the gym? What if you're not back by tomorrow? Should I turn challengers away until you get back?"

"No, I have a better idea. Brian, I officially declare you the temporary Gym Leader of Cerulean Gym, until such a time as I return."

"W-What?" He sputtered. "Me? But… the inspection might be tomorrow! And I've never been a gym leader before!"

"Brian, if the inspection comes tomorrow, tell them I went away for the day on extremely urgent business. The gym is ready, and you know enough to show them around if I'm not back. As for the battling, we both know you can do it. Oh, and do try to use Water Pokemon. You can use the gym's Pokemon if you want."

"Misty… I don't know what to say. I'm honored." He said solemnly.

"Good, you should be. Just remember, if you screw this up, I'll kill you. But no pressure." She climbed onto Slifer's back, and they flew off into the night.

"Sure, no pressure…" Brian said. He looked at Pikachu. "So… do you want to tell me what's happening?" Pikachu turned and marched inside as haughtily as he could manage. "I thought not." Brian sighed. Then he followed the yellow mouse in.


Ash followed Misty silently. Dragonite flew extremely quickly, faster than even Ash usually flew. But he could still keep up. He wasn't even sure if he had a top speed. He didn't seem to need energy to move. Not that Ash thought that. He just didn't see a reason for him to have one. Anyway, he kept pace easily. He was staying out of sight, so Slifer wouldn't see him. He wanted to say something to Misty, but he wasn't sure how well Dragonite could hear. It might have been safe, but he didn't want to risk it.

Misty was just hoping that Ash was still with her, since she couldn't see him. There was still a lot of basic knowledge about the way he was she still didn't have. Did he have limits? He couldn't get physically tired, but could he tire mentally? Could Ash be hurt? What was he, exactly? Thoughts like these ran through her head for a while, keeping her occupied. She also thought about picking up Brock, but quickly decided against it. She didn't want to overtire Slifer, and that would just be adding extra distance and an extra person to the trip. So they flew directly to Pallet, as fast as Slifer could. It would have to be enough for Mrs. Ketchum to hear the truth from Misty.

They arrived in Pallet Town almost two hours later. Misty led Slifer to the Ketchum house, and he descended onto the front lawn.

"Thanks, Slifer. You're the best," Misty thanked the Dragon Pokemon. He roared in reply, and Misty recalled him. She didn't want him to see this; Slifer might keep Ash's secret from Brian if she asked, but then again, he might not. He needed to rest, anyway.

"Ash?" Misty questioned the air. I hope he didn't fall behind…

"I'm here, Misty." Ash appeared several feet away from her. She sighed in relief.

"Good. Now… We don't want to scare her, so… disappear again. You'll know when to come out. And stay quiet. I'll do the talking first."

"Aww, but I hate being ignored!" Ash whined.

"Ash…" Misty started angrily. He went pale (well, paler), remembering exactly who he was dealing with. He did as she said.

Misty walked to the door, and only then did she realize exactly how much she had neglected Mrs. Ketchum. The last time she had actually been here was the day of Ash's funeral. Mrs. Ketchum had called a few times in the following years, but Misty had never made any attempt to reach back to her. At first, it had been too painful, but Misty really had no excuse for the rest of her negligence. Well, at any rate, that was over, starting now. Misty knocked on the door.

There was no answer.

Misty knocked harder, making sure anyone in the house could hear her. Finally, she heard Mrs. Ketchum's voice saying tiredly through the house, "I'm coming!" The door opened, revealing a very disheveled Delia.

"Misty? Is that… what on earth are you doing here? It's midnight! I'm glad to see you, it's been so long, but couldn't this wait for a more reasonable hour?"

Misty shook her head. "No, Mrs. Ketchum. I need to talk to you, and it needs to be now."

"Well… okay…" Mrs. Ketchum looked skeptical, but she let Misty in. Ash came after her, unseen. They walked to the couch, and Misty sat down. Mrs. Ketchum took a recliner across from her.

"What is it, Misty?" Delia started. She rubbed her eyes, trying to clear them.

Misty stopped for a moment before she began. "Mrs. Ketchum… first, I want to say how sorry I am. I never meant to leave you behind, honestly I didn't. It was painful, at first, to see you and remember Ash, but I should have thought about you. You needed support, and instead of providing it, I left you alone. I… I'm so sorry."

Delia smiled at the girl. "Thank you, Misty. It was hard for all of us. I could hardly blame you for looking after yourself first."

"Maybe you should have. You tried to be there for me, and I turned you away. I'm glad you feel that way, though. And I'll do better now. I promise."

"I hope you do, Misty." Delia said. "But was that all you came to say? It seems like a phone call would have been enough…"

"No, Mrs. Ketchum. That isn't why I'm here. I'm here for something much more important." Misty stopped, and calmed herself. This was the moment of truth. This was why she was here.

"Mrs. Ketchum… you saw Ash today, didn't you?"

She shot awake, startled. Impossible… Delia thought. How could she know? "Yes… I did. It wasn't the first time. I've seen illusions of him… usually in my dreams, but I've seen him here as well. But… how did you know?"

Misty smiled. "Because I've seen him, too. And so has Brock. It isn't an illusion, Mrs. Ketchum. It's him. I know it is."

Delia shook her head. "No, no, no… he's gone, Misty. You know that, you saw him die. Dead people are gone. I've accepted that. Haven't you?"

"I had… but then he came to me. It wasn't just me, Pikachu saw him too. There's no way it isn't him. He knows everything Ash knew. He talks like Ash, he looks like Ash. It has to be him!" A blaze erupted in Misty's heart as she spoke. Delia had to see the truth. She had to!

"No! He's gone! He can't be here. It's impossible!" Delia cried out with a broken heart. She wanted to believe, but too many years of suffering and false hopes had taught her not to hope, ever. Her mind couldn't handle it.

"He is! Look at me, Delia!" Misty's eyes burned fiercely, and Mrs. Ketchum locked onto them. "Ash is back. You have to accept that. You must! He's not alive, we know that, but he's here! You can see him again. You can talk to him again. Don't you want that?"

Mrs. Ketchum did, very much. She wanted to believe that she could see her Ash again. Her unbelief was starting to crack, to waver, just a bit. But it wasn't gone yet.

"But…" She started.

Misty cut her off. "And if you won't believe, think what that will do, to you and to Ash! He'll go through eternity, knowing his own mother basically disowned him! And you, you'll never see him again, even though you could see him right now if you wanted to! So, Mrs. Ketchum, are you going to try to believe? Or will you lose your last chance to see your son?" Misty finished.

Where reason had failed, love did not. At the thought of losing Ash again, of being for a single instant the cause of his suffering, her heart lashed out at her unbelief, shattering it. Delia whispered "I want to believe."

Misty grinned. She knew that the battle in Mrs. Ketchum's head had been won. All that remained now was for Ash to show himself. "Good. Then… Ash. Where are you?"

"I'm here." Ash's voice spoke from the couch next to Misty. He materialized next to her. His mother stifled a gasp, just like the first time he had appeared, but this time it wasn't fear she felt. It was joy. She saw Misty looking at him. There could be no doubt. He was real.

"Hi, mom," Ash said softly.

"Ash… my Ash… you've come back to me." She said. She laughed. It was a sweet, light sound, and Ash always loved to hear it. Together, Ash and his mother rose and rushed into each other's arms. They laughed together. Misty smiled at the sweet display of affection. As she did, she felt the weight of her tiredness hit her full-force.

"Well, I think my work is done here. Mrs. Ketchum, do you think I could sleep here tonight?"

The pair separated after a moment, and Delia turned to Misty. "Yes, of course. You can sleep in Ash's bed, it's still made up. You remember where it is?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you."

"Thank you, Misty. I nearly missed out on something wonderful. I can't thank you enough for what you've done for us," Delia replied warmly.

"Yeah, thanks, Misty." Ash chimed in.

"It was the least I could do. Good night." Misty walked up the stairs to Ash's room. She was too tired to do more than remove her Pokeballs and set them on Ash's old desk before she fell into the bed. As she drifted off, she faintly heard the start of the conversation between Ash and his mother.

"I'm glad you came around, mom. There's just so much to say, I don't know where to begin!"

"Well, if you don't know where to start, then I say you should start at the beginning."

"Well, then… the first thing I remember is remembering…"


NOTES (in other words, you can pretty much stop reading now)

Ahh! That chapter was waaaaay harder than it should have been. I got stuck on so many scenes… and it still didn't come out as good as I had hoped. But I've stalled far too long already, and I really can't make it much better. Sorry, it's just beyond my current skill level. Perhaps one day I'll return and rewrite this better, but for now this is as good as it's going to get.

Well, I knew something had to go wrong with Ash's revelations from the beginning. The hard part for me was thinking which of the three would be least inclined to accept Ash. I decided on Mrs. Ketchum, obviously, because she was alone. Misty had her friends, Brock had Misty and his father, but Delia was left alone to more or less stew in her misery. The question stands, would they have really done that to her? Perhaps not, but I felt it was likely enough for me to believe it could happen. But with Ash as a uniting factor, the three (or four, if you count Ash) are going to become closer than ever before. For a while, at least… heh heh heh…

I'm terribly sorry to everyone who's been waiting for this (all four of you, ha ha), but life has gotten in the way so many times… It's been a nightmare finding time to write this. And the next chapter might be delayed too, because I'm going home this week for Thanksgiving Break. But I'll try to have it up in two weeks. Don't hold your breath, though. Finals are coming up, and I really don't know how much time I'm going to have for this. I'll do my best, though. Believe it!

By the way, I asked you to guess the reference with Joey Spinner. And one person tried. But, surprisingly, she got it right! So, massive props to Pikagurl23, who is, incidentally, one of my favorite writers, for guessing correctly that it was to YuGiOh! Joey Spinner, Joey Wheeler. Get it? Yeah. That's where I got his name. The rest of them were drawn from people I know, though I didn't match up any first and last names.

So… yeah. I probably have more to say, but I can't think of it right now. Oh! The disclaimer!

I don't own Pokemon, or any of the characters from that anime. I do own Brian, though I'll probably let you use him if you ask nicely. Just don't steal him.

Well, that's really all I've got to say. Please write me a review and tell me how I did, or how you liked it, or give me a recipe for sesame chicken! Whatever you want to say, say it!

Until next time, this is James, signing off! Thanks again for reading, and I'll get back to you soon!