Part 26

Everyone that had been in the restaurant including other customers and staff had left the building in a hurry, spotting the scene of the crash just a small distance up the street. They could see a car sticking out of the corner of a building, the bricks of the outer wall of the building being scattered all over the street while a body lay sprawled out in the street, face down. Some people went to investigate the car while others had gone to the body to try and identify the person.

"Someone call a hospital!" Jimmy shouted as they spotted the bruised and battered person resting on the cold cement.

"Come on guys, let's flip him over and see who it is. They need help." Ash said as they neared the body, kneeling down beside the person.

"Wait!" Paul barked at Ash who had just placed his hands on the body. Paul was no longer looking at any of them, his stare was on his feet and his hands were in balled up into tight fists. "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Why not Paul, he needs help right now." Ash protested, carefully turning the person onto their side to see their face which resulted in Ash becoming frozen as if he were statue. The group surrounding the body could only stare in disbelief for a moment, many of them trying to believe that their eyes were fooling them. But reality lay before them.

"B…Brock!" May muttered in a whisper before she found Drew arms around her. Initially she believed that he was trying to comfort her as tears rolled down her cheeks, but May soon realized that Drew was looking for comfort as well.

Marina threw herself into Jimmy's chest, feeling his arms wrap around her body. He was trying to keep a level head, but this proved to be one of the most difficult challenges he had ever faced as he struggled to swallow the huge lump that had formed in his throat. Dawn had dropped to her knees beside Ash, reaching out toward him, but the boy rose up abruptly, looking up toward the dark skies above. He let out a loud scream, trying to vent the shock, the anger, the sadness. But none of it went away.

In a flash all of the puzzle pieces fit together, and Ash concluded that the bastard behind the wheel of the car that was now protruding from the building was responsible for this. Everyone's eyes were on Ash as he made his way over the car, snatching one of the bricks from the ground as he made his way over the car. When everyone caught sight of the makeshift projectile Ash held, they all began to back away from the car where he chucked the brick into the window of the front door.

There were several gasps as the window shattered, giving Ash access to the car. Ash silently pushed his hand through the remains of the window, not even grimacing at the cuts he received before he unlocked the door from the front door. He then tore open the door to search the car for the driver. But no one was present inside.

"Who!" Ash growled at the group, shifting his gaze to the people behind him. "Who did this to Brock!?"

Ash bent over, picking up another brick this time which he began to beat the frame of the car with, leaving a dent with each hit. With each hit, Ash would yell at the crowd, expecting them to answer his calls. Smashing in the rest of the windows, Ash picked up another set of the bricks, continuing to beat away at the car as he were hitting the owner as punishment for their actions.

"Ash, enough!" Paul shouted at him, rushing over to the enraged boy who lashed out at him with one of the bricks he held. Paul took a hit to the jaw which knocked him down to his side with a heavy grunt. Paul's pain brought Ash back to his senses as he realized he had hit someone, leaving him to drop to his knees as he begged Paul for forgiveness.

Holly came rushing into the intersection followed by Gina, the two of them appearing to be incredibly distraught at the sound of a car crash. Holly had rushed straight over to see what had happened, but Gina appeared to be struggling to get a grasp on what had taken place. As if she unintentionally had something to do with Brock's great misfortune.

The blare of sirens rang out as two ambulances came rushing onto the scene, their red lights flashing in the darkness of the street.

Veilstone Hospital

Fortunately, a hospital was close to the scene of the accident which resulted in Brock receiving treatment in record time the moment they arrived.

Unfortunately for the Tsugi Top 10, all of them had been taken to the hospital with Brock because there was only one adult with them as a chaperone. And he certainly wasn't going to let any of them travel alone after this incident. The Tsugi students were scattered throughout the large lobby, Brock's friends seated together as a group. although Ash had singled himself out after apologizing grieving a group while Ash had singled himself out of the group after apologizing profusely to Paul.

"Ash?" A soft voice called out to the boy that was seated on the steps in front of the hospital, getting his attention. Looking back, Ash spotted his blue haired girlfriend, taking note that her makeup had been running because of her tears, although it didn't seem to bother her at all.

"Oh…Dawn." Ash said, returning his gaze to the dark road out in front of him.

"Are you feeling alright?" She asked, approaching him to take a seat beside him on the stairs.

"…Yeah." Ash said after a pause.

"Oh really, because you don't look like it." Dawn commented as she leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I just can't get over what happened to Brock or the fact that I actually hit Paul like that." Ash explained with a heavy sigh. "I really need to learn how to control my anger."

"Ash, Paul already forgave you." Dawn said sternly, a bit tired of seeing Ash acting like this. She hated seeing Ash withdraw himself as if he were a Squirtle. "But I think you've got the wrong idea Ash. While I don't like seeing you so angry, it also proves how much you care about Brock and all your friends. I think it's sweet."

Ash looked toward Dawn, keeping his body still to make sure her head didn't slide of his shoulder, an expression of confusion on his face.

"Really Dawn?"

"Yes Ash." She replied, raising her head to place a soft reassuring kiss on his a cheek as a reminder that she would always be there for him. The two of them remained on the steps, beginning to talk about trivial matters to pass time and help Ash calm down. Eventually Dawn fell asleep on Ash's shoulder, leaving him in the silence to think about her words when she first approached him.

Unknown to the happy couple, a brown haired male had been watching them from within the hospital lobby, anger evident in his eyes.

'Ash Ketchum…' David muttered, grinding his teeth.

'Well, isn't this interesting.' Blake said to himself as a smirk formed on his face, taking note of the harsh stare David was directing at Ash and Dawn who were outside.

It was about four in the morning when the Tsugi Top 10 finally returned to the Sinnoh Academy. Brock had been taken straight to the emergency room where he received a full treatment from multiple Chansey's who repaired what damage they could to reduce the chances of a serious complication. After that Brock was left in intensive care, unable to receive visits at the time. There were many protests when the chaperone tried to get the group to leave the building and return to the Academy, but eventually things settled down.

Ash was the biggest problem. He had begrudgingly left the hospital, practically being dragged out by his companions. He had made a scene in front of quite a few people in the dead of the night, and he was more than willing to fight if it meant staying, but Dawn had managed to talk him into returning to the Academy with them.

Upon returning to the Academy, everyone made their way to their room where most of them instantly feel asleep. All of them accept Ash. He couldn't sleep knowing that there was someone out there responsible for putting one of his dearest friends in intensive car. His body just refused to relax.

Instead of remaining in his room, Ash went outside for a walk.

May 6th – Morning

Ash sat alone on a bench with bloodshot eyes and bags under his eyes. He hadn't caught a wink of sleep last night. His last words to Brock rung in his head, and it was pushing him to a dangerous point.

"Brock…go after her!"

While Ash may not have been the most observant person, he had taken note of Dawn who had been closely watching Brock interactions with Holly. Then she sat down with Ash one afternoon and told him that Brock was clearly in love with Holly. Ash, wanting to support his friend as best he could, decided to encourage Brock that night after Holly had shot him down. But now Ash was beginning to wonder that if he hadn't told Brock to go after her, maybe that accident wouldn't that happen.

Was all of this his fault?

"David!" Blake called out to the sophomore which caused him to jump from the unexpected shout. David whirled around on his heels to face Blake, giving him a questioning glance.

"What do you want?" He asked in return, receiving a stoic stare from Blake.

"I don't have much time so I'll get straight down to the point. You like Dawn, don't you?" Blake asked, waiting for David to prove that his hunch was true.

"How do you know that?" He shot back, raising an eyebrow at Blake who cackled.

"And you're jealous of Ash for taking her." Blake went on, watching as David's eyes widened as Blake made light of one of his most well kept secrets. "It's funny how similar you are to an acquaintance of mine who passed away recently."

"So why does any of that matter to you?" David asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I need you in order to advance to the finale." Blake said with his usual, getting a look of confusion from David.

"Why should I help you?" David asked skeptically.

"Because I can help you get Dawn."

May 8th

Veilstone Hospital

Lobby

It had been two very long days for Brock's closest friends as they painstakingly waiting for the news on how Brock was doing. Since they had no classes to attend while they were at the Sinnoh Academy, the group had the ability to spend the entire day at the hospital in the lobby, waiting for an update.

Most of the time was passed by the group relating all of the times they had spent with Brock, sharing the laughs they had with Brock to the tears they may have shed alongside him. Ash was the biggest contributor to these discussions, and a certain brown haired female had been listening to these conversations intently, although she didn't have much to share.

"I remember during the tournament back in November, Brock was so busy trying to impress Holly that he didn't pay attention to the battle and lost after Fiona ordered the first attack." Jimmy said with a laugh, recalling how Brock and Croagunk had been knocked off the field by Feraligatr's Hydro Pump. The entire group which consisted of Ash, Dawn, Jimmy, Marina, Drew, May, Paul and Holly let out a laugh together before all eyes went to Holly.

"You know, Brock has been acting really funny ever since he met you during his junior year Holly." Ash noted, looking toward Holly who tilted her head, unsure of what that meant.

"Yeah, he has been." Dawn added with a nod. "He stopped going after every girl he saw. In fact, all he could think about was you."

Everyone nodded in agreement as Holly looked down.

"He really likes you Holly. I've never seen him act this way before." Ash commented, showing the minuscule bit of romantic knowledge he had.

It was then everyone heard a sniffle come from Holly.

"Holly, are you okay?" May asked, approaching the girl who could no longer hold back the emotions she had been burying. She hiccuped followed by a sob.

"Brock got into this accident because of me." She exclaimed which caused Ash to perk up, focusing on Holly intently now. "I left the restaurant to get some fresh air. I decided to take a quick walk around the block, but as I rounded the corner of the street, someone grabbed me and I panicked."

Holly took a few moments to steady her breathes.

"Then I heard Brock calling for me so I screamed. I was sure he would come and find me, but he never showed up. Then there was a loud crash and the person that was holding me let go." She went on. "I rushed out of the alleyway I was in and I found all of you standing on the street around Brock. If I hadn't screamed, I'm sure Brock wouldn't have chased me only to get hit by a car. It's alright if you guys hate me…I understand."

Everyone remained quiet for a moment, allowing Holly's story to settle into their minds. Ash was thinking even harder than he normally would, the proof being the expression he wore that made him look as if he were constipated.

"No…you're wrong Holly. It's not your fault." Ash began, trying to formulate the best words he could to make sure he comforted her instead of making it worse by something stupid unintentionally. "You did the sensible thing…a cry for help. And Brock did what he would always do. He rushed to the damsel in distress. But he got hurt, and never made it there…"

Everyone watched raised their eyebrows at Ash.

"I thought it was my fault Brock was hit by that car, but it was a time and unforeseen occurrence…and we couldn't hate you Holly. Not when we can see how much you care about Brock." Ash said, making eye contact with Holly who was at a lost for words as well as Dawn. Ash had taken her words of comfort for him, and used them to help someone else. "It's sweet."

"He's right Holly." Dawn added. "When I first met Brock, I never thought he would settle for one girl, but you've completely monopolized Brock in that department. I'm really happy for him, and I was hoping that-that girl would return his feelings. You have no idea how happy I am to see you crying for Brock like this."

Holly found herself receiving several warm smiles from everyone but Paul who only gave her a nod of acknowledgment.

"You guys think I like Brock?" Holly asked, looking around at the group.

"Don't you?" Drew inquired.

"Well…I'm not really sure." Holly began. "I never really talked to Brock before until the time he asked me to dance with him at the Winter Dance. But since I was invited onto this trip, I really got to know Brock. And he's really is an awesome guy."

"So you like him." Drew finished, getting a shrug from Holly in reply.

"I really don't know. He's gone to so many extremes for me already that I didn't know whether or not I could return his feelings properly." Holly explained. "I've never had a guy take on someone from the Top 10 to save me, or get hit by a car searching for me."

"There's no reason to be afraid Holly." Dawn chimed in. "Ash has too much love to give, and at first I was worried whether or not I could match that, but I discovered that being in a relationship isn't about making sure everything is split fifty-fifty. No one is perfect so that never works out, but when I can't do my entire share, Ash is always willing to go the extra mile, and I would do the same for him."

Ash thanked Dawn with a kiss on the cheek, causing the bluenette to blush before he returned his gaze to Holly.

"So please Holly, if you really do like Brock, tell him how you feel." Ash was practically pleading with her now. Brock was one of his closest friends, and Ash wanted to see him happy.

Holly sat in silence for a few moments before she wiped away her tears, giving the group a small smile.

"I sure will." She said, receiving a cheer from the group before the double doors from the intensive care area. There stood the doctor that had told them three days ago that Brock would need to be placed in intensive care if he wanted to live.

Everyone stood up abruptly, waiting to hear the news about their friend.

"I know it's been two days since I last gave words to all of you, and I tell you this. He's going to live." The doctor explained, getting a loud shout of thanks from Ash and Holly. "And it is possible from him to attain the physical fitness he had before, but it could take sometime. The Chansey team managed to mend the fractured ribs as well as his hip bone, but for him to achieve his previous physical ability, he'll have to spend a lot of time in rehabilitation and receive treatment from a Chansey on a daily basis."

"Is he awake right now?" Holly asked, looking toward the doctor who sighed.

"No, he's still out cold. He must still be recovering from the shock as well as the concussion he received. Right now we're still trying to determine if he is going to fall into a coma." The doctor explained, causing all of the happy expressions on the group to vanish.

"Brock…might be in a coma?" Ash asked, watching as the doctor readjusted his glasses.

"Possibly. If he doesn't awaken within the next few days, we'll have to declare that he fell into a coma." He replied.

"Please, let me see him." Holly cut in.

"I'm sorry miss, but hospital regulations won't allow me to do that." He replied.

"Please, I just want to see him one last time!" She begged the doctor who only sighed.

"I am very sorry, but I can't allow you to do that." The doctor repeated, realizing that he should take this opportunity to retreat while the news was still settling in.

The room was a deathly silent for several minutes. On one note, Brock would live and that was reason for good cheer. But if he was left in a coma, it appeared as though they would still be living without Brock.

'We have to do something.' Ash said to himself, trying to think of a solution to this situation.

May 9th – Night

Vielstone Hospital

"Excuse me, can you tell me what room Brock Slate is in?" Holly asked the receptionist in the politest voice she could muster.

"Brock Slate…" The woman quickly typed the name in to a search bar, bringing up Brock's location in the hospital database. "He's in the east wing, in room two thirty six."

While this information would be useless if Holly tried to go directly to the room, she needed this for another reason. One that would hopefully save Brock before it was too late.

"Thank you!" Holly said, giving the woman a small smile before rushing out of the lobby. Once she was outside the building, Holly found Ash, Dawn and Paul waiting for her along with Ash's Mr Mime.

The group of four were seated around a floor plan of the hospital, helping Mr Mime get a visual lay out of the hospital for the next part of their plan.

"How'd it go Holly?" Dawn asked, looking up at the senior who gave them a nod.

"He's in room two thirty six." She replied, looking down at the map of the hospital which Paul was looking over.

"That would be right here." He said, pointing to a room that was in the far corner of the building. "Let's head over there."

Traveling to the location was quick and easy, and they easily spotted the window to Brock's room which was well out of reach for them. Although going through the window wasn't part of the plan either.

"Mr Mime, it's that room." Ash said, pointing toward the room on the second floor. "Can you take us to that room?"

"Mime!" It said, giving Ash a nod with a large smile.

"Alright Mr Mime. Everyone put you hands on its shoulders." Ash said, looking around at the group who followed his orders. "Use Teleport."

The cool night air outside the hospital was replaced the cozy warmth of Brock's room where the group spotted their friend resting on a bed, hooked up to an IV machine. It was quiet in there, and the group of five who had just entered remained silent.

"There he is." Paul whispered as everyone crowded around the bed to get a closer look at Brock's sleeping figure. Holly leaned in, closely examining the small bruises that were still present on his face that hadn't vanished completely despite the treatment he was receiving from several Chansey.

"Brock…" She said in a whisper. Her only reply was the steady beep of the heart monitor. "Brock…please wake up. Please!"

Holly drew a shaky breath before she let out a sob.

"Holly…all of your feelings right now. Don't tell them to Brock, let him feel them." Ash said, motioning for Mr Mime to step forward.

"How…How can I do that?" She asked, looking back at Ash.

"Mr Mime can project your feelings to Brock, even in his current condition." Ash explained as Mr Mime moved over to Holly, mimicking the expressions she was giving Ash.

"Really?"

"Yup, just put your hands on its back and think." He stated. Holly did as she was told, feeling as though she had been separated from her body once Mr Mime placed both its hands onto Brock's head.

It was hazy. Despair hung in the air. Darkness clung to every part of his skin. Brock rested at the center of the area, unable to see anything beyond the thick hazy that surrounded him.

Where's the light? The question had been on Brock's mind since he found himself in this state, but the answer never came.

He couldn't even move the search the area. His limbs refused to respond, so sitting up was a great challenge, and walking seemed to be out of the question. It seemed as though he would never find the light.

"Brock?!" A soothing voice echoed through, causing Brock to take two slow blinks, wondering if his mind was beginning to play games with him. He hadn't heard anyone speak to him at all since he woke up like this.

He wasn't sure whether or not he should trust his ears at the moment.

"Brock!" The voice called out again.

So his ears weren't deceiving him.

A silhouette appeared in the hazy which appeared to the be the source of the voice which became louder as the figure became clearer in Brock's vision.

"Ho-lly?" Brock said slowly as he finally caught a glimpse of some color that wasn't white, black or gray. There was a head of brown hair and large bright eyes that were filled with concern. It was definitely Holly.

"Brock! I'm so sorry that all of this happened to you." She began. "I don't know how much of this will actually get through to you, but I want you to know how I feel about you before it's too late."

It was taking sometime for Brock to process all of her words, but he was able to keep up with Holly as she spoke.

"I may not have been awake for most of it Brock, but I want to thank you for saving me from Gina. And for all the other times you would stick your neck out just to try to get my attention. I was always flattered Brock, but I was never sure about how I felt about you." Holly explained. "But after all of this, I can tell you exactly how I feel. With all of the recent events and some help from your friends, who are really awesome by the way, I can finally see how much you cared about me. And…I ready to return those feelings Brock."

There was a pause as Brock caught up to that point in Holly's declaration.

"I want to be in a relationship with you Brock, where the two of us will help and support each other!" Holly shouted at him. "Where the two of us can love each other!"

A ray of light broke through the haze from behind Holly, falling down on both Brock and Holly, bathing the two of them in light. Brock felt his lips curve upward at the warmth of the light before he felt a body fall down on top of his. Then he felt a pair of lips on top of his own.

Ash, Dawn and Paul watched as Holly broke off her line of communication with Brock to place her lips on his. The kiss was short, not because Holly ended it quickly, but because the heart monitor began to speed up which sent out an alarm to the medical team that had been watching over Brock.

"Please come back to use Brock." Holly said in whisper as she broke the kiss before she found a hand on shoulder. It was Ash's.

"Come on, we should go now before the doctors show up." Ash said, motioning the heart monitor which was beeping at a faster rate than it had been earlier. "Mr Mime, take us out of here with Teleport."

The group disappeared in a flash of light, leaving Brock alone on his bed. For a moment, Brock's eyes fluttered open before they shut again, a wave of pain washing over him now that his body had finally awakened. Within a minute, a medical team had burst into his room, quickly beginning to examine Brock.

What they found was nothing short of a miracle as the teenager lay awake on his bed, softly complaining about his hip.

'How…How is this possible?' The doctor asked himself as he called for them to inject a pain killer into Brock to help ease the pain he was experiencing.

May 12th

Sinnoh Academy

Brock rested in his own personal room in the Sinnoh Academy that had been given to him as he recovered from his injuries. After an impressive three day treatment from the Chansey team at the hospital, the doctor had released Brock from the hospital after a therapist showed Brock what he'd have to do to rebuild himself from the damage his body had taken. He had started these exercises with Holly by his side and his friends at his back. Brock couldn't ask for anymore support with all the help he was getting from all of his closest friends.

"The doctor says that in a month's time I should be able to walk normally again, but only for a limited amount of time." Brock explained to the group, getting many cheerful smiles since things were finally looking up for him.

"So you'll be good enough to attend graduation?" Ash asked.

"Hopefully." He replied, followed by a knock on the door of his room. "Come in."

Nurse Joy opened the door, peeking into the room before she gave the group a wave.

"I'm looking for Dawn Berlitz." She said, her eyes falling on the bluenette who gave her a wave.

"What can I do for you?" Dawn asked.

"There's a young man outside that is looking for you." Nurse Joy explained, receiving a thanks for the notice from Dawn before she left.

"Do you want me to come with you Dawn?" Ash asked, looking up at his girlfriend as she began to move toward the door. His protective side was showing, which gained a groan from Dawn. While she could understand Ash's intense desire to make sure she was safe after the Conway incident, it could be annoying from time to time.

"I'll be fine Ash." Dawn assured him before she moved over to the window the room which she peered out of for a moment. "Plus, you'll be able to see me from this window."

Ash rose from his seat to check for himself before he gave a sigh of defeat.

"Alright Dawn." He said, allowing the bluenette to leave after she gave him a quick kiss.

Dawn exited the Academy though its front entrance, searching for the person who had summoned her. So far she hadn't seen anyone.

"Ah, there you are Dawn." A voice called out to her, causing the girl to whirl around. Standing at the entrance to the Academy was none other than David, Rank 3 of the Tsugi Academy.

"David?" Dawn said, looking up at the boy who had his hands in his pockets.

"I'm glad you remember my name. Although it's a shame that's all you seem to remember about me." He said, speaking a voice that became oh so familiar to Dawn. "I never thought you would forget me so thoroughly Dawn, but I guess that's what happens when you go to the Tsugi Academy. I still can't believe you just left me here without so much as a good bye."

Dawn couldn't figure out what was so familiar about this person. She had never spoken to David one on one since he came to the Tsugi Academy last year, but now that she was watching him speak, she noticed he had the same speech mannerisms as someone she knew while she was Sinnoh.

"I can sympathize with you for not recognizing me since I changed my appearance and battling style, but I guess now will be an appropriate time for me to reveal myself." David went on. "Deedee."

*Gasp* The closer to chapter 26! What the hell is going on!?

So there ya have it. The secret admirer I had mentioned earlier finally reared his face, but all is not what it appears to be.

I must apologize for taking so long with this update. I just got a new DSi and Pokemon White to go with it so I've been playing it obsessively for a while, so everything kind of took a backseat. Anyway, I finally got around to posting this chapter. What did you all think?

Seriously guys, I must thank you for all of the reviews for the last chapter. :D Much appreciated. I'll try to make sure the quality of the entire story remains that high.

And just in reply to the person who said Umbreon's can't learn Psychic, you might want to do a quick fact check. They can.

So, until next time guys!