Hey, Guys! Here's the next chapter! Now, I know you've waited a very long time for this one, and I apologise for the long gap. Now that I've almost caught up on all my Uni homework, I have more time to write. So I hope to update this story every two weeks again.
Now this chapter is not as long as I had originally intended, I have decided to split it into two parts because this chapter itself is in fact less than a quarter of how long the whole chapter was going to be before I decided to split it.
Anyway, Enjoy!
Chapter 29 – Secrets and Regrets
The wind blew through Ash's messy hair as he stared out amongst the open fields of Pallet Town. The sun was shining high in the sky on a beautiful cloudless day, and yet, none of that interested him.
He couldn't understand how he had gotten to where he was; the last thing remembered was watching Magmar fall during the Gym Battle. But still, here he was, standing only a short distance from his house, kilometres away from Cinnabar Island.
The wind suddenly picked up violently as a Pokémon flew narrowly above him. He shielded his eyes from the wind as he barely made out the silhouette on the Pokémon's back. The Pokémon landed in front of his house, the silhouette climbing off its back.
Trying to get a closer look, Ash approached his house slowly and quietly, trying not to draw the silhouette's attention. But as he got closer, he became more confused as the silhouette became clearer.
He knew the person the second he laid eyes on them, and yet, the silhouette appeared to be far younger than the man he had encountered on the St. Anne. But as he recognised the man in front of him, he couldn't control the rage that raced through him.
He wanted so badly to run up and yell at the man, and yet, he also didn't. Perhaps it was because the man entered the house, or it was because he didn't want to get into a fight in front of his mother.
The restraint waned on Ash, he knew he wouldn't be able hold in his rage for long. But still, he had to find out what his father was doing there, and why he had so casually walked up to the house without even questioning himself.
Red, the man that he watched enter the house, didn't act like a person who had never disappeared, had never seen his family in six years. He acted as if nothing had happened, he acted as if everything was alright, and yet, in Ash's mind; nothing was alright.
But the way his father had acted intrigued the boy, causing him to creep closer to the house. He sure as hell didn't want his father to know he was there, at least not yet. The first time he had seen his father in six years, he had yelled at him and ran away.
But this time he would make sure his father knew of the pain he felt, the emptiness inside his heart that could never be filled. He hoped this would break his father's heart, make him feel the pain he had caused his own son.
But he couldn't, he wanted to so badly, but when the time came for him to do it last time, he chickened out. Whether it was from the rage that had consumed him in that moment, or that fact that he never wanted any one to feel the pain he felt, he would never know. But he knew in his heart that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice, no matter the consequences.
Slowly approaching the window, he was surprised that the Pokémon outside hadn't discovered him yet. But it wasn't like he wanted to be found, he was, in fact, glad that the Pokémon hadn't heard his footsteps as he neared the house.
Finally, he reached the window, opening it slightly to hear the voices inside. "Welcome home, darling," he heard Delia say, making him more angry. How could she have forgiven him after all he had put them through? And in such a short amount of time to! "Was your trip alright?"
"Yes," Red replied. "It was very eventful. The Pokémon League is very happy with the latest influx of trainers into the region."
"I imagine they would be," Delia smiled. "After all, it's the largest amount of Pokémon trainers the Indigo League has ever seen. I'm sure Dan is having a hard time keeping up with the demand for Gym Battles."
'Wait! The Pokémon League. The influx of trainers. A Gym Leader called Dan. What are they talking about?' Ash thought. He didn't know any of this. There wasn't any report of a record number of trainers vying to a chance to enter the Indigo League. In fact, with the push forward of the League, very few new trainers had decided to try and get their Badges in the shorter time period.
"That's true," Red chuckled. "But don't forget, his wife is also a Gym Leader there."
"Ah, yes," Delia realised. "Well, I hope they're coping."
"They are, Delia," Red reassured. "I talked to Dan yesterday during the Masters meeting, and he said that very few were in fact challenging his Gym. They're afraid of the strength of his Pokémon, even though he's not allowed to use his strongest Pokémon."
"Well, anyway," Delia's smile grew. "Do you know what tomorrow is?" she asked in a high pitched voice.
"How could I forget," Red's smile grew as he leaned towards his wife. "Tomorrow is Ash's birthday." And with that, he kissed Delia passionately on the lips.
Wait! Tomorrow wasn't Ash's birthday! That was still months away. How could they have forgotten when their own son's birthday was? The whole conversation had been extremely confusing to Ash, but that last bit had completely derailed his thoughts. Nothing made sense, nothing. It was as if his parents were talking gibberish.
Deciding to find out what was going on, he marched towards the front door, the powerful looking Charizard not even batting an eye as he marched right past him. He swung the door open violently, making sure that his parents would know he was there.
And yet, they hadn't even moved. The sound of the door wasn't enough to stop his parents from making out, a sight he surely wished he had never saw. Trying to get their attention again, he reached for the opened door, but found it wasn't there.
He turned towards it, only to find that the door was now closed, something he was sure was open only a moment ago, and he certainly hadn't heard it close. But something else was off; there was no draft coming in from the slightly opened window.
He looked towards the window, only to find it was also closed. He couldn't understand it, his parents hadn't even looked his way, and yet he had made so much noise. But the door and window were closed, as if they had never been opened at all.
"Hello," Ash tried, but with no effect. If he didn't know any better, he would have believed they were ignoring them. But suddenly, something caught his attention near the stairs; his cousin. And yet, it wasn't his cousin, his cousin certainly wasn't a small child. He was eleven, not two.
"Hello!" Ash tried again, only louder. But it was of no use, no one was listening to him, and he was certainly confused by everything he was seeing. "What is going on here?" he asked.
But an answer never came as he suddenly heard a high pitched wail coming from a small crib near him. He watched as his mother raced up to the crib and picked up the crying baby. "Oh, it's alright, Ash, Mummy's here," she cooed.
Ash's eyes widened as he recognised the baby in front of him. But if that baby was him, what was he doing here? How did he get here? And most importantly of all; how would he get home?
Misty sat beside the hospital bed, watching silently, praying for any sign from her frien- Well, she didn't really know if they were friends anymore. The last time she had talked to him, he had really hurt her feelings, badly. And now, now she was desperate for him to be ok, to wake up from the coma he was in.
"Hey." Misty turned her head, realising that Brock was now standing behind her. His face showed very little emotion, but she could easily pick up the sadness in his.
"Hey," she solemnly replied. "So…" Misty sighed, she didn't know how to continue the conversation. They hadn't really talked since the incident, the only one they were able to have a full conversation was with Zoey, and she wasn't in the room.
"How's he doing?" Brock finally broke the silence after what felt like forever.
"Fine, I guess," Misty replied, sadly looking at her 'ex-friend'. "He hasn't changed since they brought him in. The doctors say his brain activity is minimal, to none, and they're waiting for Mrs. Ketchum to arrive before taking any further action."
"And how are you doing?" Brock asked, hoping for Misty to finally open up after several days.
"I don't know," Misty answered, taking a quick glance at Ash. "I don't know if I'll ever be alright. I don't want our fight to be the last thing we ever did together, the last thing I remember of him." Misty tried hard, but she was unable to hold back the tears in her eyes.
"Hey, come here," Brock consoled, pulling Misty into a hug. "Everything is going to be alright, I promise."
"How…" Misty sobbed. "How can you know that?"
"Because I believe in the doctors," Brock answered. "But most of all; I believe in him," he added, turning his head towards Ash. "He's just like you; too stubborn to give up, and as long as we're here, by his side, I'm sure he'll return to us."
"Thanks," Misty buried her head in Brock shoulder. "Thanks for everything you've done for me these past few days."
"Think nothing of it," Brock reassured. "It's what friends do."
Misty turned her head back towards Ash, her eyes filled with a glimmer of hope for the first time in days. "I know if anyone can do it, he can."
What? How? When? So many questions were going through Ash's mind as he listened to himself cry. He paced around the room, pasting is cousin without notice, trying to understand how he had gotten there.
He remembered the battle against Blaine, he remembered Charizard's finally stand against Magmar, and yet, he could only remember certain parts of it. Most of the battle was a blur, as if he wasn't there.
He realised the pain in his torso was gone, as well as his headache. What happened to him during that battle? Even he didn't know.
"Delia, dear," Red said, pulling Ash from his thoughts. "Perhaps you should give him to me, I may be able to help."
"Is that what you want?" Delia asked 'baby Ash.' "Do you want daddy?"
"No," Ash answered for himself, but he went unheard.
"I think he does," Delia concluded. "Here you go sweetheart, here's daddy," she added, handing 'baby Ash' to Red.
"Hey, there, my little man, how are you going?" 'Baby Ash' immediately quieted down in his father's arms, transfixed with wonder for his father.
"I don't understand how you can do that," Delia envied. "You just hold him and he immediately stops crying."
"Awe, don't be jealous, honey," Red cooed, kissing Delia on the cheek, making Ash want to vomit. "It's because of our Aura's, nothing more."
"Still, I wish he would do that when I pick him up sometimes," Delia moaned.
"I know, I know," Red appeased. "But, how about I take Ash outside for some fresh air while you relax in here?"
"Are you sure?" Delia questioned, worry clearly evident in her voice. "It's not too cold outside now?"
"Nonsense," Red reassured. "The sun is still setting and its late spring, I'm sure he won't catch a cold."
"Fine," Delia relented. "But don't be out there too long, I don't want my too handsome boys catching a cold out there." Red blushed, while Ash gaged, disgusted by what he was seeing.
"Thanks, honey," Red smiled, leaning in to kiss Delia on the lips. "We won't be long."
Red carried his pacified son onto the front porch of his house. Sitting down on the bench located close to the door, Charizard watched curiously as Red talked to his son. "You've grown quite big," He mused. "I remember the day you were born like it was just yesterday."
"I'm surprised you were even there," Ash stated, leaning against the door, listening to his father.
"And I know you still don't understand me," Red added. "But I want you to know that I'll always be there for you."
"Heh, that promise didn't last long."
"Even when I'm gone, or disappeared, I'll always be watching you, silently protecting you when don't even know I'm there," Red finished.
Ash had a hard time believing every work coming out of his father's mouth, but one thing he couldn't refute was the sincerity in his father's voice. "You sound almost believable, as if you cared about me, but you never did."
"You don't know how important you'll be to this world, how important you're to me," Red placed his finger on 'baby Ash's' chest, feeling their Aura's pass between them. Suddenly, he felt a surge in his own Aura as the connection they held grew stronger.
Ash watched in shock and amazement as his younger self began to glow blue. He didn't know how, be he could feel it; the raw power that was emanating from his younger self's body. The glowing intensified as it travelled up Red's arm, heading towards his own chest.
And suddenly, as quickly as it appeared, the glowing disappeared. The connection between the baby and his father broke, surprising Red as he struggled to catch his breath. "What was that?" he asked, exhausted. "I have never felt such power come from anyone, especially not from a child."
But before Red had the chance to contemplate what had happened, a wormhole opened, revealing something truly surprising. This white, large creature, resembling a qilin, appeared from the wormhole, standing tall and proudly as it stared at the house in front of it.
The creature's long mane rotated with its head as its green eyes narrowed in on what it had come for. But most of all, the most defining part of this creature's majestic body was wrapped around its abdomen.
Its golden cross-like wheel stood out from the rest of its body as it approached Red, never taking its eyes away from the child in his arms.
Red looked back, his eyes asking why the creature was there.
"It's time," the Pokémon spoke, as if he had read Red's mind. "It's time for the ceremony."
Will Ash wake up? Will Ash and Misty's relationship ever be fixed? And what is the Ceremony? Find Out Next Time!
Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I'm setting up the rest of this Arc and the next chapter will further set it up. Now, I hope that this chapter was well written, on par with my other chapters. After not writing for more than two months, I'm a bit rusty, so I would love some feedback on how well I had written this chapter.
Review Reply
Great:
Review: I wonder... Why is he in a coma? Developing powers, maybe? Looking forward to more!
Reply: All of this will be explained by the end of this Arc.
Guest:
Review: Why are Brock and Misty's Pokémon with the professor? I kind of get Misty as her sisters are irresponsible but Brock usually goes out of his way to give Forrest Pokémon.
Reply: The reason Brock's Pokémon are at Oak's Ranch will be explained in the next chapter. It is something I have been planning to explain for quite some time.
Jim:
Review: Please stop using versing in your writing. It is not a word. You could say we are battling. But versus is not a verb.
Reply: Yes, I know it is not proper English, and I have tried to not use it as a adjective, but if you'd notice, most of the time I've used the word 'versing' or 'versus' it was when someone was talking. This is because the word 'versing' is a slang word and is generally used when someone is describing two or more people who are about to fight or challenge each other.
Anonymous:
Review: Will Ash, Misty, and Brock's Pokémon Mega Evolve? Also, HURRY UP WITH THE STORY, also check your spelling and sentences. And it is MOM, not MUM. and it is centER not centRE
Reply: Ok, Firstly, Ash, Misty, and Brock's Pokémon will not Mega Evolve for quite some time, most likely during the Hoenn Arc. Secondly; I am trying to write this as fast as possible. I have other commitments at the moment, some way more important than this story. If you would like to write your own story, I think you'd find how hard it is to not only make time, but also have the drive to actually be committed to the story when you could spend your time doing other things. This may be fun to write, but it is bloody hard and taxing. It's work; that's how hard it is to write this. It may take you half an hour to read a chapter, but it takes me several weeks of planning to come up with each new chapter. I'm not talking about just the writing, I'm talking about all the planning and researching of the world of Pokémon before I can even start to write. And finally, I have barely enough time to write this and even less time to check for spelling and grammar mistakes. (May I suggest that you should check your own review for spelling and grammar mistakes before submitting it next time, I'm sure you have more time than me) So once I've finished writing this Arc I will be going through one chapter a week and fixing all my mistakes. Also, I'm assuming you live in America, if I'm wrong I apologise, but here in Australia, we spell Center, CENTRE, and Mom, MUM.
Thanks to all those who Reviewed!
Review Reply End
Ok, sorry about the rant at the end there, but those comments really peeved me.
Any questions, Pokémon suggestions, ideas for the story, or OC's you have that you would like to see in the story, just PM me or send it in a review! All are welcome!
Ash's Pokémon:
Pikachu (Male)
Raticate (Female)
Gyarados (Male)
Butterfree (Male)
Pidgeotto (Male)
Umbreon (Male) (Shiny)
Sandslash (Male)
Ivysaur (Male)
Charizard (Male)
Wartortle (Male)
Krabby (Female)
Absol (Male)
Haunter (Male)
Primeape (Female)
Muk (Male)
Tauros (Male) (x26)
Rhyhorn (Female)
Growlithe (Male)
Nidoran (Male) (Shiny)
Dratini (Female)
Mew
Riolu (Male)
Misty's Pokémon:
Seaking (Female)
Staryu
Starmie
Tentacruel (Male)
Horsea (Female)
Vaporeon (Female)
Pelipper (Female)
Psyduck (Male)
Feebas (Female)
Seel (Male)
Kabutops (Male) (Shiny)
Togepi (Male)
Brock's Pokémon:
Geodude (Female)
Onix (Male)
Zubat (Female)
Marowak (Female) (Shiny)
Gengar (Male)
Honchkrow (Male)
Vulpix (Female)
Magnemite
Tauros (Male) (Shiny)
Doduo (Female)
Kangaskhan (Female)
Exeggutor (Female)
Aerodactyl (Male)
After this Arc is done I will be putting the Pokémon Ash has on my Profile Page and will only put Pokémon that Ash, Misty and Brock gain in each Arc in the story Arc.
Please Follow, Favourite and Review!
Until Next Time, AshleyH30 Out!
