Chapter 9: Kole-Hearted


The T-Ship arrived back at the tower where a young black teenage girl saw Cyborg's flier enter. She had dark brunette hair in buns while wearing a yellow/black turtleneck midriff and skinny black pants. One more addition would be her bee-like wings. As soon as the vessel landed, Cyborg and Starfire emerged. Cyborg saw the girl, knowing they'll need help. "Bee, could use another hand!" he requested.

"What's the deal?!" she asked. "And where's Robin?" Starfire reached Ash's capsule before beginning to pull the injured trainer. Bee saw the boy and flew to help. "He's the new Titan? Rather young, don't you think?"

"He stopped Doctor Light by himself!" pleaded Starfire. "He is a Titan!" Bee got her T-Communicator to radio some assistance.

"Aqualad, can you bring a stretcher?"

"On my way, Bumblebee!" a young man's voice answered. In a minute, a raven-haired young man in blue and black suit came to Ash, Bumblebee and Starfire with a stretcher. The girls placed Ash on the wheeled cart. The young man gulped at Ash's busted body. "Man, he took a beating." Cyborg returned to the T-Ship, his mission not complete.

"I'll bring the other Titans back here," he informed.

"Alright," Bumblebee nodded. "We'll try to control the bleeding before you return."

"Please hurry back with Pikachu!" wished Starfire. The T-Ship left for the Arctic again as Aqualad and the girls wheeled Ash to the infirmary. On the same bed that he laid on after crashing onto Cinderblock, Ash remained motionless, clinging to life. Cyborg escorted Pikachu and the other Titans back to the Tower which the part-man/part-machine started to operate on Ash while everyone, even Kole waited word. Bumblebee held Pikachu, keeping the Pokémon calm despite the nature of the crisis. Ash's X-ray appeared on the monitor over the bed he laid on. Several ribs shattered, gashes over his body, organ lacerations, irregular heart rhythm…

"No one could survive that kind of impact like you did," he noted. He proceeded with the operation. While Cyborg fought to save Ash's life, the Titans and others waited for any word. Robin paced around, wanting to now know of another Titan to fall in the line of duty. Bumblebee decided to ask the head of the Titans.

"So how long has Ash been with you guys?" she questioned.

"A little over a week," Robin informed. "You could say that Starfire liked him after he fell on Cinderblock. I don't know about you but he's got the traits of a Titan and he's proven his worth." After a few hours, Cyborg emerged. All the Titans stood, including a pair of small redhead boys in white.

"Well, the operation's a success," he relayed. "But he's still comatose. Who knows if Ash will pull out okay." The news offered little comfort to the group. All they could do was hope for the best. The next day, Cyborg closed his room, sign reading "INVENTION IN PROGRESS." Meanwhile, crime took to the streets again, this time by a ragged teen redhead in dusty clothes. Unshaven and rather overweight, he decided to give Robin, Pikachu and a redhead that looked mostly similar to Robin but wore a quiver than a cape.

"Robin, is he really a villain?" the masked redhead questioned about the other. That redhead seemed offended.

"What do you mean, really?" he scowled. "I am a villain, an arch-nemesis to the Teen Tights!" Robin's eyebrow lifted above the mask.

"Never thought you'd resort to that, Control Freak," Robin scoffed. "Still, you're no match for us!"

"Not even when I've upgraded my universal remote?" He pulled out a remote control but before he could use it, Pikachu struck Control Freak with Thunderbolt. It stunned the "villain" long enough for the redhead to pull an arrow from the quiver.

"Yeah, so much that I don't even need a trick arrow," he shrugged before pulling the arrow on his bow and firing, striking and destroying the remote. Control Freak gawked to the weapon of choice demolished.

"Never doubted your accuracy, Speedy," Robin snickered as he tossed bolas to Control Freak's legs, tripping him to the ground. Stunned and shackled, Control Freak wasn't going anywhere except prison. "One of these days, real life is gonna show you real consequences." Speedy removed DVD cases from Control Freak, his crime apparent. Control Freak snarled at Robin before a wagon arrived to carry the "villain" away. The city girls came to Robin and Speedy, one petting Pikachu and offering him an apple.

"Robin, where's Ash and why is his mouse with you?" a black girl wondered.

"I'm sorry, but Ash is in a coma after fighting Doctor Light." The girls gasped to the news. They became instant fans after how Ash manhandled Gizmo and Mammoth.

"If it's okay, can we write to him?" another girl pleaded.

"That would be thoughtful. I'm sure he'll appreciate it when he comes to." Back at the tower, Ash remained in bed, still cold from his fight with Light. Kole and Starfire stood bedside, hoping for his awakening. His mouth and nose covered by a breathing mask, Kole could wish he'd be awaken soon while holding a hand. Starfire held the other hand, clasped between hers in a will to pray. She spoke in a language unknown to Kole, but information from the other Titans clarified the tongue.

"Tamaranean prayer?" she assumed.

"Yes," Starfire confirmed. "It is an ancient prayer taught to me by my father. If the hearts within the prayer are pure, wishes are bound to come true." After completing her prayer, she rested Ash's hand back to his side. "When he first awaken after helping us stop Cinderblock, I adored him for the longest time since I have been on Earth, if only second to Robin." Starfire got to his head and offered a kiss. It was a soft peck to the forehead. The sight prompted Kole to do the same.

"When I talked to him after we came together at the hut, we seemed to have… connected in mind and heart… and when he saved me from that tower, I felt more than thankful. He protected me and I wanted to help him. Maybe I can when he comes to." Still holding his hand with one of hers, Kole came to his head and kissed him in the same spot as Starfire's kiss. Days passed. Piles of Get Well cards mounted, along with gifts like flowers and hand-made string bracelets. Each night, Pikachu slept on Ash and sometimes joined by Silkie, one day in hopes of waking to see him. At times, other Titans like Bumblebee and Gnarrk came to see Ash. Starfire and Kole never wanted to stay away, knowing he helped save everything in the arctic. Robin entered to see Ash, a comforting palm to Starfire's shoulder as a method to keep faith for him. The longer Ash stayed asleep, the hopes started to fade. Starfire gave another prayer to Ash. Kole copied Starfire without saying the words. Suddenly, a groan.

"Hm?" Starfire and Kole felt Ash's fingers trying to move. Pikachu got to Ash's shoulder and watched. His eyes began to open, Pikachu catching the sight.

"Pikachu?" he weakly groaned. Pikachu squeaked in delight as the girls saw him coming out of his coma.

"You have finally awaken!" Starfire removed the breathing mask as Pikachu squeaked, happy and in tears in knowing of his revival. She snagged his head and hugged it, overjoyed to see him once again awake. Her pull exposed Ash's body completely wrapped in bandages. The pink-haired grew fearful to Ash's condition.

"Easy, Star!" warned Kole. "He's been out for five days!" Still not in the loop, Ash didn't catch Kole's information. Ash found Kole, a little surprised.

"Are you okay, Kole?" he asked. Kole blinked, surprised to hear Ash asking about her condition.

"Silly!" She dove and hugged Ash, tears flowing down her face. "You kept me from getting hurt!" Ash smiled, knowing Kole was okay.

"I'm glad, then." Lifting herself a little, the pink-haired morphing girl realized Ash's selflessness.

"Maybe you should be more glad about this!" She leaned in and kissed Ash on the lips. Watching the moment, Pikachu chimed while Starfire squealed in delight.

"This is wonderful!" she cheered. After the kiss, Ash's face bled red, shocked to the smooch.

"For all you've done, I can admit that I'm in love with you." Ash seemed eager to see the other Titans. He wanted to escape the bed he's been in for about a week.

"Anyway, are the others okay, too?" he questioned.

"They are, and Titans East wanted to meet you as well," Starfire answered. Hearing more company, Ash tried to move.

"Easy, dear!" warned Kole as he nearly fell on his face. The girls caught him before any damage continued. They helped him onto his unsteady legs. "You've been out since you took down Light Man five days ago." Ash looked surprised to hear of his long sleep.

"That long?" He shook his head, shocked to the news. Arms draped around Starfire's and Kole's necks, they headed into the main room. Once they entered, the Titans and those new came to meet Ash. Seeing a bunch of new faces, Ash felt welcomed by Aqualad and Bumblebee.

"So, this is the guy who earned all those fangirls in the city?" wondered Speedy. "I'd say he's not much but from Robin… looks aren't much." Ash shook Speedy's hand.

"Believe me, those girls can be a handful." Aqualad came to also the hero.

"It's nice to meet you, Ash," he greeted, also shaking hands. "I'm Aqualad." Ash snickered at the name.

"Aqualad, huh? A Cerulean Gym Leader and a friend of mine would take a shine to you." The two redheads in white also came to Ash.

"¡Hola, Ash!" the one with the "Plus" sign greeted. "¿Cómo estás?" It took a second for Ash to recognize the language.

"Todavía estoy recuperando, gracias," he replied. The twins awed that he understood their language.

"¿Puedes hablar español también?" the one with the "Minus" sign gawked. "¡Eso es increíble!" Beast Boy came over to see Ash, grateful to be alive.

"Looks like you and Mas y Menos could get along well," he viewed. "Who knew the great trainer could speak Spanish?"

"I didn't want to use it unless there's someone who spoke it," he admitted.

"Yeah, we could've used you on the Atlantic Coast," Bumblebee scoffed as she met with Ash. "Heard you got a lot of pop. Bumblebee's the name." She and Ash shook hands.

"Nice to meet you. Now that I think about it, there are bee-like Pokémon that could dig your look."

"Oh, you don't say!" Meeting the members of Titans East helped Ash's mood. The week since his recovery, Kole and Robin helped Ash with rehabilitation. This included strength and balance. Raven, Beast Boy, Gnarrk and Starfire participated in the rehab. They knew Ash wanted to get back on his feet. During that time, Kole snuggled with Ash every time they slept. Gnarrk saw the two. Despite him knowing Kole more than Ash did, he smiled at the sight. One night, Kole had a plan.

"I've been thinking..." she started. "I know our relationship's still early on..."

"Yeah, I'm still trying to make sense how we're now a couple," Ash chuckled, Kole joining.

"I know, right? I'm thinking we cap off our new relationship with a date." Ash gulped. He's still recovering from taking a blast from Light.

"A date?"

"We can have it at the Tower. That way, it won't exert much energy and those fangirls out there won't know about our new coupling." Ash laughed and reeled Kole closer, not trying to aggravate any injuries from his fight.

"Deal! Never been on a date..."

"Really? Neither have I." Seeing the pair, Beast Boy walked from the infirmary to the rest of the Titans with Pikachu and Silkie nearby.

"I think we can help Kole on her request," he announced. Others blinked to the news.

"B, what are you talking about?" asked Cyborg.

"Kole wants to take Ash out on a date." The Titans and Gnarrk gawked to the idea.

"Their flowers are blooming fast!" cheered Starfire. Gnarrk agreed with his grunts.

"I'm surprised you actually agree to B's report, Nark," Cyborg again misnamed.

"That's… Gnarrk!" the girls and Robin snapped.

"Okay, okay! I'll get… Gnarrk down before we send him home." The next night, Robin helped Ash dress for their date. Cyborg ordered a carryout for pizza and Starfire and Beast Boy rented a movie. Beast Boy wanted an alien invasion flick, but a slap across the back of the head said otherwise. That evening, Kole and Ash were alone in the infirmary. They enjoyed pizza as Ash wore a blue button-down shirt with a black t-shirt underneath and clean slacks. Kole wore a pink dress, nothing complicated.

"Have you thought about how your friends will react when you return to your world?" she asked.

"Considering I fell from a bridge, I believe they think Pikachu and I died," Ash pondered. "I hate to think that they've given me and my Pokémon a funeral already." Kole had a slice but instead of eating it, she gave it to Ash.

"Open wide!" Playing along, Ash opened his mouth and took a bite before Kole reeled the slice back. After their meal, they two watched a romantic comedy. There were scenes which the dating shared laughs.

"Never thought a 'Robin Hood' movie had this much humor going for them."

"Right? That number and dance, that's burned in my mind for a long time." At a love scene, Kole scooted to Ash, nuzzling her head to Ash's. Elsewhere, Cyborg exited his room where Beast Boy stood.

"What are you doing in there?" he asked.

"Just finishing my latest creation," Cyborg reported. "It's my gift to Ash and Pikachu… and maybe his friends when we see them." That's when Cyborg lost his smile. "Of course, I think it will be the last time we do." Beast Boy could only wonder what Cyborg meant. What could Cyborg have worked on? Ash and Kole slept after their date together. If Cyborg's honest, this would be the last night together.


TO BE CONCLUDED...