Chapter 4
The Game Begins
Sabrina teleported us to the middle of Viridian City, a short distance away from the Pokémon Center which was currently undergoing reconstruction. We decided that there was no time to lose in searching for Ethan now that the entire region of Kanto was ruled out as a possibility for locating him. Deciding that beginning another aimless search in Johto wouldn't get us far, we believed it to be best if we talked to the Nurse Joy who was on duty when the blaze started and Ethan was kidnapped.
"I don't know about this…" Sabrina shook her head in uncertainty as we started off to the hospital. "The Nurse Joy probably wouldn't have regained consciousness as of yet. Although Crystal said she's in a stable condition, we can't do anything if she doesn't respond."
"That's why we need your help, Sabrina," I looked over my shoulder. "If you can reach out to her in her mind and wake her from her current state, it just might work out."
"Well, alright, then," Sabrina shrugged. "I'll give it a try. But I'm just afraid that the trauma she suffered might not let me do that."
We entered the general hospital and went up to the reception desk, where a brown-haired woman was working at a computer. Her eyes slightly widened with surprise as she turned her head and saw me – I was widely known in both the Kanto and Johto regions, something which made me ever so slightly regret winning the title of Pokémon Master all those years ago. She spun her chair sideways to speak to me. "Oh! Hello, Mr. Ketchum. How may I help you?"
"Hi there," I replied. "We'd like to see the Nurse Joy who was present in the Pokémon Center when the fire happened. Would it be possible for us to see her? It's rather important."
"Of course, sir," the receptionist smiled and pointed to the corridor to her right which lead to all of the hospital rooms. "She's resting in room number 27, and currently has a visitor. But I'm afraid that…erm…"
"What is it?" Misty asked.
"She still hasn't regained consciousness," the receptionist shook her head. "We're all very worried for her. The trauma must have been very great indeed, for her to be out for so long."
I let out a small sigh, also worried for the Nurse Joy. "Well, thank you for the information. We'll see how she's doing."
"Alright, Mr. Ketchum. Good day," she nodded and returned to her duties.
We walked to room 27 as she told us, and inside was Crystal, sitting by Nurse Joy's bedside and holding her hand. Nurse Joy was still breathing uneasily and her forehead was strewn with sweat, which Crystal periodically wiped away with a towel. Upon seeing us at the door, Crystal rose to her feet and invited us in with a hand gesture.
"How is she, Crystal?" Misty asked her in a soft voice.
"I'm…really worried for her," Crystal sighed. "She's been like this for so long. I don't know if she'll ever wake up. She's a childhood friend of mine, and…"
"It's ok, Crystal. I'll try to help her," Sabrina said and stepped forward after we exchanged looks.
"You will? But how?" Crystal nervously asked.
"I can use my psychic powers to tap into her mind and find the source of her anxiety. If I can just reach out to her, then maybe she'll wake up," Sabrina told her, sitting on the chair that was beside the bed. "I'll need your help, though."
"My help? But why?"
"If you give me your hand and focus with me, I can enable her to hear your voice," Sabrina explained. Crystal walked beside her and lent her a hand, which Sabrina placed over Nurse Joy's. She then placed her hand on top of Crystal's and continued. "Now, focus your mind. Try to reach out to her. I can create a channel between your minds so that your words will get to her."
Crystal swallowed nervously, having never undertaken such a task before. Nevertheless she complied, and closed her eyes and focused herself, whispering to her friend. "It's okay, Mia…it's me, Crystal. It's over now…you have nothing more to fear…"
A light blue hue surrounded Sabrina, Crystal and Nurse Joy as Sabrina moved her left hand and lay it upon Nurse Joy's forehead. Moments later, Sabrina's aura dissipated and Joy's tense expression softened, the darkness finally having been lifted from her mind. She took a quiet, sharp breath in and slowly opened her eyes to be met with the sight of Crystal smiling in sheer joy at her awakening.
"C…Crystal? Is…is that you?" Nurse Joy hoarsely whispered. "I…I feel so…weak…"
Crystal placed her hand gently on her shoulder, lowering her back onto her pillow from which she rose. "It's okay, Mia. I'm here. You've been through a lot. Just rest for now, and we'll call a doctor to see you."
"Who…who are…you?" Mia drearily looked at Sabrina.
"I'm Sabrina, the former leader of the Saffron City Gym. I managed to wake you just now," Sabrina said. "Look, we…we have a few questions we'd like to ask you, when you're properly recovered. Is that ok?"
"Of…of course," Mia spoke between pants. "Just…just give me some time."
"I'll take care of her," Crystal smiled at us, applying a fresh towel to Mia's forehead. "Meanwhile, can you guys go and call the doctor for me and wait in the foyer? Mia might get a little nervous with everyone watching."
"Sure thing," Misty agreed and turned to exit the room. "We'll do it right away. Come on, Ash," she pulled at my arm, causing me to slightly lose my balance as I wasn't expecting it.
Gary spoke to me as we all walked back down the hallway to the receptionist to tell her to inform the doctor that Mia had just woken. "Now remember, Ketchum, no more flirting with more Nurse Joys than necessary, ya got that?"
I gritted my teeth, clenching them together as I jokingly grunted at him. "Shut up, Gary…"
"Oh. Looks like someone's a player, huh?" Julia giggled from behind my back.
"Julia…" Misty closed her eyes and growled in the same way I did to Gary.
"Okay, okay, geez! You're such a hot-headed couple!" Julia sighed and rolled her eyes.
(Later)
"So, you're feeling better now?" I asked Mia at her hospital bed after a little over an hour had passed. Her pulse was back to normal, and her expression had much more life in it than previously. She nodded calmly, still taking care not to strain herself in any way. "Then…could you please tell us exactly what you saw that night? You see, my son went missing after the fire started in the Pokémon Center, and we haven't seen him since. We're confident that he's alive, but we have absolutely no definite clues as to who may have taken him."
"Well…" Mia looked down and let out a sigh. "I can't remember exactly what happened. It all occurred so quickly, and before I knew it, I fell unconscious to the ground. But I remember looking out the glass of the front entrance of the Center, when suddenly, a light shone from out of nowhere. It was the brightest I'd ever seen, and as soon as I covered my eyes, the light was gone, replaced by absolute darkness. It…it was darker than night itself." She stopped, her voice now shaking and a small tremble settling in her shoulders.
"Please, do go on," Misty implored, giving Mia a reassuring rub on her shoulder. Mia then swallowed nervously and nodded before continuing.
"Just when I moved to take a closer look out of curiosity, the shadowy mist disappeared in an instant. Then I heard a loud explosion coming from the room where our guest was sleeping. I rushed over there and saw that it was all on fire. I could just barely make out a tall, dark figure looking back at me with such a hateful look in his eyes. I was so shocked by his eyes that…my mind simply froze. I couldn't focus on any other part of him but his eyes. They…they weren't normal. They were glowing – brimming red. He snarled at me and raised his hand out at me. The flames suddenly intensified, and then…I remembered nothing else." Mia then started to cry into her hands. "I'm sorry, Mr. Ketchum…I should've taken better care of him…If I knew he was your son, then I would've…"
"It's all right, Mia," I sighed in disappointment, patting her on the back. "You did your best. Misty and I couldn't have asked for more."
"So you're sure that you couldn't see any of his other facial features? Nothing but his eyes, is that right?" Sabrina asked.
"Yes. I had a brief look at his whole face before I was frozen by fear from the look of his eyes. As the moon shone against it, it was…paler and more luminescent than the average face. He might… might have been wearing a mask, from what I saw," Mia thought hard, but not much more came of it. "I'm sorry, but that's all I can remember. I'm truly sorry for your loss."
"It's ok. We'll take care of things from here," Misty told her.
"You guys probably have a lot of things to do from here on," Crystal said to us. "I'll stay here and take care of Mia. Try searching in the Johto region, but make sure to plan things out carefully before you do: knowing Team Rocket, they probably have spies here and there in many of the cities. Their Kanto HQ and hideout have been deserted, but their Johto bases are probably intact."
I nodded. "You're right, Crystal. We should get going. Well, Mia, I hope everything goes well with your recovery. Thanks for the information you gave us."
Mia smiled delicately from her pillow. "You're welcome. Thank you for helping me wake up, Sabrina."
Sabrina blushed. "It was nothing. Take care, now."
As we walked out of the room, I didn't lift my gaze up from the floor for one moment. The nervousness was overwhelming; I couldn't tell whether my heart was pounding, or beating at all, as I brought myself to ponder on whether or not the event that Julius had spoken to me years ago was now finally happening.
'Apothes has the power to possess mortals, by locking within them a small fraction of his corruptive power. They may seem like normal people at first, but given time, the effects may prove to be devastating…But you have little choice, other than to wait. Minions of Apothes act silently and discretely at first, rendering them nigh undetectable, until at last they gain the power and confidence to commit their terrible deeds on a much wider scale.'
I shuddered at the thought that Apothes was finally back. I desperately hoped that it wasn't the case. For my entire life as a Pokémon trainer, I was embroiled in quest after quest, journey after journey to save the world from one evil after another. And for that whole time, all I wanted to do was to simply enjoy life and achieve my lifelong ambition of winning the title of Pokémon Master. All I wanted was…to be together with my Misty. I never realized that all those ordeals and hardships – seemingly insurmountable ones that felt as if they were truly grave threats to the entire world – were nothing but stepping stones and petty obstacles standing between me and my destiny as the Chosen One, selected by Arceus himself, to destroy the evil that was Apothes. Suddenly, it all seemed to be too much…
'But you understand that, now,' I heard Sabrina's voice in my head as my eyes darted to my left, where she was walking behind me. 'You understand that as the Chosen One, it is your destiny to stop Apothes once and for all. I know how you feel, Ash, but you can't let up now. Remember what I told you – you're not alone in this fight. We'll all be there to lend you a hand when you need it. We're all family, and we'll stick by you till the end.'
'…Thanks, Sabs,' I replied using my Aura powers. I could feel that Misty wanted to give me words of support as well, but decided not to: her feelings alone were enough to comfort me, and she knew this.
"So it's off to Johto then, huh?" Brock said after we exited the hospital. "The place is huge, and cities like Goldenrod aren't exactly spots that I'd look forward to searching."
"As fruitless it may turn out to be, we have to try," Julia replied. "We can't just sit here in Kanto and pull through on wishes and hopes."
"Then let's go now! What's the waiting for? Just zap us over there, Sab!" Gary said with confidence.
"Gary, as much as I'd also like to go there asap, we can't just decide out of the blue to go there without coming up with some kind of plan. We're all exhausted from days of searching, as well. Misty and I want to find him more than anything, but we know it's just not possible to begin a search without planning things out in advance," I told him.
"You're right, Ash. We should go home for now and rest for just a day or two. Let's go back to Pallet and pick up Claire," Misty agreed, the fatigue evident in her voice.
"We should meet back up at the lab in two days to discuss where we'll be searching in Johto," Julia said. "I'm sure we can come up with something. And Ash?"
"Yeah?"
"You should call Lance at the Indigo Plateau. He's heavily involved with things in the Johto region, so he should be able to give you some information and advice."
"Good idea, Julia," I nodded. "We'll give him a call when we get back home."
Sabrina sighed. "Well, I guess it's zapping time again. Where to, first?"
Misty smiled. "That's ok, Sabs. We'll just take our flying Pokémon home. You must be tired after today."
"I'll get back to Pallet on my gramps' Dragonite," Gary said, holding his Pokébelt. "Teleporting kinda makes me a little sick, to be honest."
James drooped his shoulders. "Oh…we don't have any flying Pokémon…Could we get a lift, perhaps?"
Sabrina chuckled. "Of course. Come around, and I'll teleport you guys home."
"Bye, guys," Misty turned and smiled as I released Charizard from his Pokéball, and Gary released Dragonite. We all waved goodbye to each other and went our own ways, Gary flying with us to Pallet Town while the others teleported to James's mansion.
"Mist, I've been thinking…" I said after a few minutes of silent flight, gently holding her arm while she sat in front of me. "Maybe it'd be best if you…stay at home with Claire, or stay with Mom and Dad while we search for Ethan in Johto."
"What? How could you say that, Ash?" Misty winced in objection to the idea. "I'm not going to sit around and do nothing while my son's in danger!"
"Please, Mist. I'm worried about you, as well as our baby. I can't help but feel as if we'll be watched by Team Rocket, even as we search for them ourselves. I don't want to take the risk," I insisted, squeezing her hand.
"But I…but I want to…" Misty exhaled, looking down in dismay. "All right, Ash. I'll stay behind. For you and our baby."
"I know how you feel, Mist. I know you'll get nervous just waiting at home for news from us, but trust me – we'll find him. We'll find him if it's the last thing we do," I vowed.
"I trust you, Ash. Just make sure he comes home safe. I miss him so much…" Misty wept, and I felt a teardrop fall onto my hand. I fondled her hand to console her, and saw Gary looking sympathetically at us from our left. He turned his gaze forward again, deciding not to disturb Misty in her grief.
(Meanwhile, at Team Rocket's Johto HQ)
(3rd-person narrative)
Apothes had called for a meeting with the Rocket leaders once again, as they all sat before him in the meeting room. Silver looked at him with a slight irritation in his gaze; it still irked him that he had to relinquish his rightful power to an individual who was not even truly affiliated with Team Rocket. Apothes himself could sense and feel this hatred towards him, and yet took gleeful pleasure in it. He was convinced that Silver's inner anger would serve him well in the future.
"So they have finally uncovered the abandoned base beneath Rock Tunnel…" one of the executives said, gathering his fingers together.
"Hmph. Took those fools long enough," scoffed another. "If they took that long to find that base, then they'll never discover our hideout here."
"How can you be so sure of that?" Silver barked. "Don't you know that because they've now searched every corner of Kanto, they can only come here to carry out their search? And besides, they have a psychic on their side! How do we know that some of our spies haven't been compromised already?"
"I have ensured that the spies we sent to Kanto to track their progress are of the highest state of mind, personally trained by me," Apothes said gruffly, his tone being evidence enough that he was growing tired of the executives' bickering amongst one another. "They are few in number, but their abilities are far beyond the measure of the average spies your organization had been using before my arrival. They have been trained to cloud their thoughts not only from others, but even themselves if the situation calls for it."
And he was right: Apothes's personally selected spies were nothing of the kind Team Rocket had ever trained and utilized. Their cold and unerring efficiency branded even the most elite of Rocket agents such as Miyamoto and Julia as mere amateurs. They had been trained to feel absolutely nothing but servitude; individuality, emotions and conscience were ideas completely alien to them, such was the extent of Apothes's training regimen.
Each of Apothes's elite spies were assigned a fake identity in their mission. These 'identities' were in fact not of the trivial sort such as the simple carrying of fake identification documents and cards, but rather the actual life of any poor soul who had the fatal misfortune of being deemed as an ideal 'pawn' in Apothes's plan. Through the elimination and disposal of such persons, the spies disguised themselves as common townsfolk who would hardly be noticed due to the unrecognized status of their victims: single, average in wealth, unemployed, and relatively unknown in society with a sparse number of contacts. Such seemingly unremarkable people would be the last ones that any psychic would heed any attention to, if any.
"If your spies are so efficient as you say, sir, then why not just order them to take care of Ketchum and his meddlesome friends?" an executive suggested. "With them gone, we can finally concentrate on our own plans, instead of having him constantly in the back of our minds."
"Hmph. Do you truly believe that anyone is capable of disposing of him directly?" Apothes mocked. "No. That is impossible even for me, due to my weakened state. In order to end him once and for all, we must first lure him out. We are already doing just that, by compelling him to venture into the Johto region. And this…" he evilly smirked, the shadows enveloping his face so that only his wicked smile was visible, "…is how we shall see to his undoing…"
"Do you really think that your plan will work, master?" Ethan asked Apothes as they walked out of the room following the conclusion of the meeting. He had a cynical gaze aimed at Silver, who looked as discontent as ever with his current subordinate position and predicament. "Not only that, but why do you insist on letting those fools continue to exist? I can constantly see through their ulterior motives as clear as day. They are bound to turn on you sooner or later. Why not be rid of them and take full control of this organization? You already have enough loyal people as it is to do so by means of force."
"Hahaha…still brash and calculating, I see," Apothes chuckled. "To answer your first question, I strongly believe that it will. I will wait until those fools have traveled deep into the heart of Johto before I spring the trap that I have set for them. They will see the need to split up in their search just like they did in Kanto, of that I am sure. We will then seize them, one by one. And as for the second…I choose to make the best use out of all my servants until they are no longer useful to me, or choose to make the foolish decision of turning against me, as many have tried and failed to do so. Those Rockets are still of use to me, so it is only logical that I expend them as I see fit. Of course, I must give them the illusion that they have power of their own in the short term, but with time, they will all come face to face with the truth. Or their death, whichever suits them."
"And does that include me, as well?" Ethan snidely puffed.
Apothes stopped in his tracks and slowly turned, looking at Ethan from the corner of his eye over his shoulder. "Why yes…"
"Then what is the point of me being your apprentice? Why should I follow you when I know you will just turn on me when you find another whom you deem worthy to take my place? What's to stop me from leaving you in order to gain power and influence in my own right?" Ethan questioned, folding his arms.
"Hehehe…you misunderstand, young Ethan," Apothes looked down at him. "There's absolutely nothing to stop you from taking whatever course of action you wish. Even if I do find another who has the potential to take your place, I shall not protect him, nor you for that matter. I believe you humans have a saying that states…what was it now…'survival of the fittest'?"
"What of it?"
"This is precisely that. If I do find another suitable apprentice whom I believe is worthy of my teachings, I shall teach him, that is true. However, I will not do anything to protect him from you, if you deem him to be a threat. In doing so, I am always left with a most able apprentice who perpetually grows in both power and cunning. It has always been so, and it is also why Julius had been my apprentice for millennia: he eliminated any and all threats to him without mercy or second thought, until his demise at the hands of your father. Now then, have I indulged all of your questions? For your training will soon resume, and I must warn you that it will be…substantially greater in difficulty from here onwards."
Ethan smirked darkly, his mind now bent on nothing more than enhancing his power. "…Bring it on…"
(Seafoam Islands)
(Ash's POV)
After a long day of trudging through Rock Tunnel to find Team rocket's secret hideout, staying at Viridian City to talk to Mia, and later undertaking a long flight back home, Misty and I were exhausted beyond measure. Claire's energetic insistence that we immediately go to Johto to look for her brother after we came back to Mom and Dad's house to pick her up gave us a smile on our lips due to her cute enthusiasm, but we knew that we had to go home. Sometime after having dinner and letting Claire go off and play with Pikachu and Marill, Misty and I collapsed together onto the sofa, overcome by fatigue.
"You called Lance, right?" Misty whispered to me as she lay her head back against my chest.
"Yeah," I replied. "He said that he'll send a team to clear out the base at Rock Tunnel, and that he'll contact the Johto HQ and relay the message. He'll tell us if he gets reports of any strange activity over there."
"Do you really think we can find Ethan in Johto? There's so many places to look…such a huge place to search for anything, let alone a son who could be kept hidden in a place where we'd never dream of finding him…"
"Mist, we've been through so much, and faced so many trials together. How could you even doubt it?" I put on a smile to convince her, but in truth, I couldn't even convince myself.
"Ash, I know you're trying to comfort me in my distress, and I appreciate that, but we've got to face reality now," she insisted. "What will we do if we never find him in Johto? What then?"
"Mist, I…" I trailed off, unable to find words to answer her. I embraced her tightly, kissing her gently beside her mouth. "Mist…no matter how long, or what it takes, I swear to you that I will find him. Please…be patient with me."
A long silence followed as we both reflected on the time that we spent apart from each other during's Misty's captivity in Julius's former lair. What was two years at that time felt like an eternity; we had both lost our other half after the boat disaster, and words couldn't describe the sorrow we felt every passing moment of our lives until we were finally reunited. And still, that paled in comparison to the time that Mom had lost Dad for: over twenty years. The fact that Mom was finally rewarded for her undying love and devotion to Dad, through his return, gave us a newfound hope in our hearts.
Misty murmured, a tear trickling down her face as she threw her arms around me. "I…I know you will, Ash…Just…just bring him home…"
Looking across the night sky to the waxing moon, we prayed with our hearts that we'd find Ethan soon. That we could all just laugh happily after finding him, and pretend that it was all just a bad dream. But I couldn't shrug off a doubtful feeling I had that festered in the back of my mind, no matter how hard I tried.
The thought that we could lose everything we held dear.
(End of Chapter 4)
A/N: Well, things are finally going to get a real move-on from this point. The next chapter will be substantially different from what I've written so far in this series, and perhaps even darker than the latter parts of Book II, so be prepared :D .
I'm now going to work on the next chapter of my KOTOR fic, so please be patient for the next chapter in this book. I'm also itching to start a new fanfic for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, as well as one on Napoleon under the Horatio Hornblower fic section, but ideally I want to get this story as well as my KOTOR fic over with before starting on something else.