Chapter 9

A Joyride of Sorrow

(Eight months later)

"Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Ketchum, you have a beautiful, healthy, baby boy!" the nurse returned to Misty's hospital room with our baby in her arms after washing him up, his loud cries filling the room. Misty had a fatigued smile on her face as she held out her hands towards the nurse. Receiving the baby in my arms, I cradled him briefly and kissed him on the forehead before handing him delicately to Misty, who shed tears of joy upon embracing our baby for the first time.

Taking out the handkerchief she gave me when we were just children, I leaned forward and wiped away the fresh sweat drops which were forming on her forehead. She had gone into labor for many hours beforehand, before finally giving birth to our first child at 11:05am, on the 17th of April. "I'm proud of you, Mist," I smiled, kneeling by her side.

"Ash…thank you…for always being there for me these last few months…" she panted softly, still tired from her ordeal.

"Ssh, ssh…try to get some rest now, Mist. You've been through a lot," I said, kissing her cheek and holding my face next to hers, stroking her cheek softly.

"Ash, the baby…" she replied, "What will we name him?"

I pondered awhile in thought, before coming to a suitable choice. "How about…Ethan?"

"Ethan…it's a good name, honey," Misty smiled, patting Ethan on the back to sooth him. The once-loud and crying baby was now completely calmed by the sight of her angelic face, his wails replaced by a pleasant smile as he laid his soft hands on her face, before being turned around. "Ethan, say hello to daddy."

The sight of Ethan's beaming face as he reached his arms out to me brought pure joy to my heart. If there were three events in my past which I could genuinely consider to be the happiest memories in my life, it was these three: the present, the day of me and Misty's wedding, and that fateful day when the two of us met each other…albeit the memory of a painful slap across my face and Misty's scolding and temper soured that happy memory, to the smallest degree.

"Aaaauwaaa," Ethan laughed as I took him up in my arms. He immediately started pulling at my cheek, taking a strange kind of childish pleasure at it. Then, when Pikachu popped up on my shoulder to see Ethan, Ethan looked up and sighted Pikachu's tail, watching attentively as it wagged about.

"Pikapi…" Pikachu whined at me, after he could feel Ethan playing with his tail and occasionally putting it in his mouth. It was sure a good thing that Pikachu learnt over the years to control his electrical currents in such nervous moments, in order to prevent any shock damage to others.

"Come on, Ethan, don't suck on Pikachu's tail! It can be dangerous!" I said, taking Pikachu's tail out of his mouth. "Hey, I know!"

Looking down at my Pokébelt, I picked out Bulbasaur's Pokéball and released him on the floor.

"Bulba! Bulbasaur!" he cried happily upon release.

"Hey, buddy, could I ask you a favor?" I asked, crouching down to his level.

"Bulba?"

"This is Ethan. Misty's just given birth to him a few minutes ago…could you keep him occupied while I go and sign some papers at the counter?"

"Bul…"he pondered. To him, Ethan looked more like a miniature version of Heracross than a baby, as Ethan looked and reached out with great interest towards the top of his bulb. "Saur…" he sighed, agreeing to my request and reaching out with his twin vines and began to lift Ethan up and down gently with them, entertaining the newborn.

"Thanks, bud," I smiled, before going back to the main counter. After signing Ethan's birth certificate, I took it over to Misty by the bed, upon which she filled out her own details.

"There," she said, putting down the pen onto the clipboard which the birth certificate was attached to. "Do you mind if I…sleep for awhile, Ash? I'm still rather tired."

"Go ahead, Mist. You've been through a lot, and you deserve some rest," I said, kissing her on the lips and hand, which I held with both of mine. "I'll be here when you wake up, and then we can go home."

After Misty fell asleep, I looked down at Bulbasaur, who had a dejected and bored look on his face as he continued to play with Ethan, who was now poking at his bulb. Pikachu stood by, laughing softly at his friend's misfortune.

"Bulba, Bulbasaur. Bul, Bul, Bulbasaur." ("This sort of actually makes me miss that sap-sucking beetle, a bit.")

I smiled at them before leaving the room, to give Mom and Brock a call. Walking down the hallway, I took out my PokéGear and called home, waiting awhile before the dial tone was replaced by Mom's voice.

"Hi, honey, how are you? Is Misty well?" her cheerful voice responded.

"Hi, mom! Wonderful news – Misty's just given birth!" I smiled.

"Really? That's fantastic to hear, honey!" she squealed, "What did you name the baby? Is it a boy or a girl?"

"It's a boy. We named him Ethan. He's playing with Bulbasaur and Pikachu, and Misty's sleeping at the moment."

"That's good that she's getting some rest, honey. From my own experience, I'm sure she needs it, after all she's been through."

"Alright. Well, I guess we'll give you a call once we're back home from the hospital. We'll probably drop by at Pallet Town in about a week to visit. Until then, take care, mom!" I said.

"OK! Take care of yourselves, dears!" she replied, as the line cut off. I promptly called Brock's number and waited for him to pick up at the other end. And to my surprise, it wasn't he who picked up.

"Hello?" called a voice, with the sound of numerous children talking loudly in the background.

"Huh? Sabrina?" I said, "What are you doing at Brock's again? It's only been a few months since you last visited!"

"Haha. Well, he said to me that they're renovating the place, and by chance, I was contacted by the Pokémon HQ from the Hoenn region, who said that Tate would be coming over for some training of some kind. I also happened to have another two weeks' break, and I trusted in Tate's abilities, given him and Liza's reputation in Hoenn, so I decided to leave the gym temporarily until Tate's care and help out Brock over here," she explained.

"Huh? Tate? I thought he and Liza were full-time gym leaders at Mossdeep City!" I wondered.

"Apparently, the Pokémon HQ wanted them to develop their solo battling powers as well for some new program they're developing," Sabrina said, "So they're training separately for two weeks. Dad's at the gym as well, so there won't be any worries."

"Cool!" I smiled. "But Sabrina?"

"Yes?" she asked.

"Where do you sleep while you're over there? I mean, given the number of siblings Brock has, I can't imagine there being any room or spare beds…"

"I…erm…ahh…hehehe," she chuckled, "…it's a secret…"

"Oohhh…" I teased, "Well, forget that I ever asked, then, if it's too embarrassing, Sabrina!"

"Oh, shut up, Ash!" she laughed, "Now I know why Misty gets frustrated at you so often!"

I sniggered very softly, but chances were that Sabrina could hear me from the other line. But I couldn't help myself laughing – being a psychic, how couldn't Sabrina see this one coming?

"So, anyway, Sabrina," I changed the subject, "Is Brock over there? I've gotta talk to him about Misty."

"Oh? Misty? How is she? It's been nine months, hasn't it? Has she given birth yet?"

"Yeah, she has. She's sleeping right now."

"Oh…wow! That's wonderful! I'll go and get Brock right away – he should be either making lunch, or helping his parents and Forrest with the renovation work," Sabrina said, as I could hear the soft patter of her running down the corridors of the house. Shortly after, Brock answered the phone.

"Hello? Ash?" he said.

"Hey, Brock! How are you guys?" I greeted.

"Good! We're touching up on some painting on the walls, and we've almost finished moving the furniture around. How's Misty? Oh, and congratulations, by the way – Sabrina just told me about it!"

"She's fine, just resting at the moment. She's quite tired after giving birth. We named the baby Ethan," I told him.

"Ethan, huh? Good name, Ash! To tell you the truth, Sabrina was right in predicting that it would be a boy," he laughed as I chuckled along with him.

"Well, we're thinking about coming by to Pallet Town to see everyone again sometime next week. Can you make it, Brock?" I asked.

"Sure! Sabrina can come too, seeing as how this is the beginning of the first week of her break! We'll see you there, so tell us exactly which day you'll arrive!" he cheerfully responded.

"Great! Well, I'll call you sometime, Brock. Take care over there! And take care of Sabrina as well!" I smiled.

Brock chuckled in embarrassment. "Sure will, Ash! You take care too! Tell Misty that Sabrina and I said hi!"

"Alright. Bye, Brock!" I said, ending the call. "Now, there was someone else who I had to call…" I wondered, "Oh yeah, that's right."

Calling the Cerulean Gym, I waited a short time before Daisy's voice sounded from the phone. "Hello? Cerulean Gym here."

"Hi Daisy, it's me – Ash!" I said.

"Oh, hi, Ash? How are you and Misty?" Daisy said, surprised.

"We're both fine over here. But I should tell you this," I said, "As of today, you, Violet and Lily are aunts!"

"Huh? Aunts?" Daisy spoke, dumbfounded. "You mean…"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh my God! She's given birth! Violet, Lily! Come quick!" Daisy cried out. All at once, I could hear rummaging noises as Violet and Lily both came to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Ash, is that you?"

"Hi. Misty just gave birth to our baby a short time ago, and we named him Ethan," I told them, before covering my ear as I was bombarded by shrill, high-pitched cries. I might have to get my ear checked by a doctor down the hallway after this…

"Oh my God! That's so great! I can't wait to see the baby!" Daisy cried.

"I wanna see and hold him!" Violet chimed.

"I wanna…ooh, I dunno what I'm gonna do, but I've gotta do something!" Lily wailed.

"Hahaha. That's fine. We'll make sure to come back to Pallet Town sometime next week with the baby, so could you three possibly come down? I'm sure Misty will be happy to see you all in person again," I said.

"Oh, sure! In fact, it's a perfect time! We haven't got any challengers for the Cascade Badge for awhile, so we should be able to come by," Daisy said.

"Great! We'll be sure to see you with all the others! I'll talk to you again soon! Bye now!" I said.

"Bye, Ash! Tell Misty that we said hi and are all happy for her!" Daisy spoke, followed by Violet and Lily.

"Bye, Ash!"

"Take care of Misty!"

After hanging up, I returned to the hospital room to find Bulbasaur exhausted and lying on the floor, as Ethan was now playing with Pikachu again. Chuckling, I lifted up Ethan in my arms again, but this time he didn't wail or complain, instead looking at me in the eyes as I looked back at him.

"Ethan, soon, you're gonna be seeing your grandma, aunts and future-godparents in our hometown. Everyone can't wait to see you!" I smiled, lifting him high into the air with both hands, as a brilliant ray of sunlight beamed upon us. I looked down again at Misty, who had a content, warm smile on her face as she slept peacefully. Then, sitting back down on the chair next to the bed, I watched over both Ethan and my beautiful wife, waiting for her to wake again.

Hours later after Misty awoke and had properly rested, we returned home, with Misty cradling Ethan in the front passenger seat while Pikachu and Bulbasaur slept leaned up against each other at the back, exhausted from playing with Ethan. Raising a baby was not something I was truly ready for, but with Misty by my side, I was convinced that we could now make it through anything that life threw at us, and more.

Then, finally, after deciding on the day of our return and contacting the others, we would set off one morning on what would surely be a happy homecoming.

(The next week, on the southern oceans of Kanto)

"Look out there, Ethan! Look at how pretty the ocean is!" Misty said to Ethan whom she held in her arms, as they looked over the railing of the boat we had purchased. "Oh, look! Dolphins! Look ,honey!"

Peering over the side, we could see a small group of dolphins swimming by the side of our boat and making small jumps, giggling merrily. Ethan was really enjoying the view, with an ecstatic smile on his face. I then decided to release my Pokémon from their Pokéballs, reaching to my belt and calling them out one at a time; Charizard, Swellow and Pidgeot immediately began to flex their wings in the sky, while Squirtle and Bulbasaur sat with Pikachu and talked like old times. (*)

"The sea's really calm and peaceful today, Mist," I said, walking over to her side. "Hell, I don't even feel seasick!"

"Ash! Don't swear in front of our baby!" Misty scolded me.

"Hey, hey, relax! I'm still getting used to having him around!" I insisted, shaking my hands in front of me before holding her around her waist.

"I wonder what they'll all be like when they see Ethan," Misty grinned.

"Well, I think we both know how Mom'll react," I laughed, "Your sisters would probably react in the same way as her, judging from the phone call I gave them last week."

"Yeah, well, they're always like that, whenever something happens to me that's worth them gossiping about," she smiled. "I wonder if Tracey's gonna play peek-a-boo with Ethan? He used to love playing it with Togepi…"

"Probably will, haha," I chortled. "Well, I should probably get back to the wheels – we're almost there, just about two miles left."

"Okay, Ash, I'll just sit down here with Ethan while you're at it," Misty said, walking over in front of the cabin and seating herself on a wide beach chair and placing Ethan on top of her. Ethan waved his arms about, as a gesture to Misty signifying that he wanted to be lifted into the air. Recognizing this, Misty lifted him up above her, as Ethan began to stretch his arms and legs wide like an aeroplane, expressions of sheer joy on his face. Smiling, I looked forward again to the sea line, before grimacing and peering forth to get a better view of something in the water that was coming towards us.

Scaly skin…dark shadows…a dark, black carapace…

No…It couldn't be…

"Misty! Take Ethan and get inside the cabin! Now!" I yelled frantically.

"Huh? What's going on, Ash?" she replied, flustered.

"Just go! It's happening again! Charizard, Swellow, Pidgeot, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Pikachu, assume battle positions!" I bellowed.

"What's happening again, Ash?" Misty shrieked.

"The same thing that happened to my parents when they were out at sea!" I called back, looking at Misty's face which went white with fear and horror. She promptly held Ethan tightly, before running into the cabin.

And then…chaos…

A horde of Gyarados rocked the entire boat, causing it to sway madly from side to side. Soon enough, another group of Tentacruel rushed up to the boat and rammed their powerful tentacles on the ship's body, tearing off some of the weaker sections and forcing it to take in water. Charizard, Swellow and Pidgeot fought back furiously with a flurry of Flamethrower, Aerial Ace and Wing Attack, backed up by Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Squirtle's own attacks, but to no great effect. Even the Thunder Armor technique used by Pikachu and Swellow proved to be ultimately ineffective against the great Gyarados, who merely seemed to be annoyed by it. This served only to make me gain an insight of how much more powerful than me that my dad was, in his prime.

Then, with a titanic surge of water from beneath us, the boat was catapulted into the air, spinning madly before splashing back into the water. But unlike Mom and Dad's boat, ours wasn't so lucky – we were now completely capsized and overturned into the water.

Swimming desperately underwater, I rushed over to the cabin where Misty and Ethan were, but to my horror, they were now gone. Pure disbelief and fear overtook me, rendering my every muscle powerless, as if I was paralysed. Squirtle was swimming about swiftly on my left, doing the best he could to help Pikachu and Bulbasaur who were also in the water. Then, as I looked downwards, my eyes were met with the sight of a black Gyarados lurching towards me, upon which I gave up all hope, closing my eyes to accept the inevitable…

(Some hours later)

After feeling life within me for a reason I could not know why, I let out several wheezing coughs – the water was freezing. I opened my eyes to see that I was actually in my own room, with Mom, Brock, Professor Oak, Tracey, Gary, Sabrina and Misty's sisters all standing together, looking at me with eyes of both sadness and concern.

"Wha…what happened? How did I get here?" I panted.

"Relax, Ash. Charizard flew here carrying you in his arms after what happened out at sea. Pidgeot and Swellow came with him, with Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Squirtle on their backs. You were lucky you made it in time – a few more minutes, and you would've been lost forever, for sure," Brock said, placing a hand on my shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

I didn't care of how I felt, or if I was in a good condition or bad. "…where is Misty? Where is Ethan?"

All of them then had glum and sullen looks on their faces, looking at each other as if something was wrong.

"Ash…" Mom sobbed.

"…where…are they…mom?" I asked again, my voice hardly audible due to the shock I was currently experiencing.

"They're gone, Ash," Daisy cried, wiping away tears from her eyes. "…they're not coming back…we never found their bodies, either…"

My eyes drew wide as the world around me seemed to go dark and silent. She…she couldn't…she couldn't be gone from my life forever…our baby…barely one week old…we've been married for not even year…

"Misty! Misty~~!" I wailed and kicked, tossing away my bed covers violently.

"Ash! Ash! Calm down! Control yourself!" Brock shouted, pinning me down on the bed as I continued to twist and turn.

"Settle down, Ashy-boy! Throwing tantrums isn't gonna help!" Gary chimed, helping Brock. Professor Oak and Mom were silent, only looking down in dejection.

"Ash…" Sabrina cried softly, along with Misty's sisters.

"Someone control him! He's in no physical condition to be behaving like this!" Brock cried over his shoulder. "Bulbasaur, use Sleep Powder! We have no choice!"

"Bulba!" Bulbasaur nodded, leaping on top of the bed and preparing his sleep-inducing scents from his bulb, before a soft hand came onto him, stopping his actions.

"…I'll do it…" Sabrina said softly, as Bulbasaur agreed and hopped off the bed. All at once, I could feel her psychic energy rushing into me, but I felt no pain... Only peace. "Sshh…I'm here for you, Ash. We all are. Your pain is difficult to bear, we understand. But please…please calm yourself, for now," her soothing voice flowed in my head.

"Sabrina…" I sighed, as she planted a soft kiss on my forehead to comfort me.

"I'll let you see her again…any time you wish to, you will see her in your dreams," her voice said again, as I soon fell into a state of deep sleep.

"Ash?" a familiar voice called out to me as I found myself standing in a field of pure-white flowers. Looking behind, I was shocked to see none other than Misty, who was sitting under a large willow tree, with Ethan in her lap.

"Mist…y…" I whispered, holding out my right hand and walking towards her.

"Dada…" Ethan smiled, waving his arms about in the air.

As I finally stood before her, I collapsed onto my knees, before rushing forward and embracing her tightly. "Mist…I thought I lost you…"

"You never lost me, Ash," she replied, gently rubbing my back and planting a kiss on my lips, which I returned. "I'll always be with you here," she said, placing her hand over my heart, "And so will our child."

"Mist…I need you by my side…I can't live without you..." I sobbed, dampening her white silk gown with my tears.

"I'm sorry…Ash…" she cried, as her figure suddenly began to float away from me along with Ethan. The beautiful scenery of flowers was then replaced by a pitch-black void, as I reached as hard as I could to hold her again, but to no avail.

She was gone.

"Mist!" I jolted up from my sweat-drenched pillow. It was only a dream…

A funeral service for Misty and Ethan was held, two days after the accident. There were no bodies to bury, so two small gravestones were put up instead, in the garden of our house.

I couldn't bear to lift my head once to see the inscription on the gravestones – I would not believe that they were dead, until I saw them with my own eyes. I would get them back…

I dearly wished that such thoughts could be true…but the reality of things was quite different…Misty and Ethan were not coming back.

My beloved wife and son, for whom I would gladly give up my own life in an instant…taken from me forever…

(End of Chapter 9)

A/N: I'll get to working on Chapter 10 right away, but I have to think up of some ideas so that it'll be a longer chapter. It will probably be up by next week.

Please leave your reviews.

(*) I decided to switch around Ash's Pokémon from the party which accompanied him to the Seafoam Islands, as he would've shuffled them around during the nine months.