The Journey Never Ends

Chapter 38: Homecoming

After escaping the wreckage of the Aircruiser Ubume, Ash and Allie reunited on New Island, the very site from which Mewtwo tried to destroy the world nearly ten years ago. It was there that Ash made amends for betraying Allie and promised to never do so again. The two companions met Mew, who unlocked Ash's memories of Mewtwo's first attack. Armed with the knowledge of the identity of the Creature, the trainers resolved to return to the mainland to defeat Rocket Nation once and for all.

On their way back to Pallet Town, Ash and Allie had made a quick stop in Cinnabar, but only to pick up Pikachu and the rest of Allie's things. Blaine handed her backpack over to her, before wishing them luck on their mission. He had healed well from the poison, though he still needed a cane to walk. The old gym leader explained that Lucian and Janine were at the contest being held in downtown Cinnabar. Part of Allie wanted to stay with them rather than go with Ash, but she had promised that she would accompany him. She was even a little worried how he would go about destroying Rocket Nation if she didn't monitor him.

They were back in the air very soon. Allie had changed into her usual travelling clothes, wearing her favorite purple jacket again for the first time since embarking on the SS Seagallop Emperor. Now with four badges pinned to its collar, the jacket made the flight much more comfortable and warm.

Ash looked at her, dangling in the air from the foot tall eaglet. Rufflet was working so hard to keep them in the air. His strength and determination were remarkable.

Soon, they would all be in Ash's hometown. They would be able to rest at his mother's house, Oak and Allie would be able to meet again to talk about her travels, and Ash would have time to plan his grand assault on Rocket Nation.

The Kanto sun warmed the air as they flew across the sea, making their flight incredibly enjoyable. It was hard for the trainers to talk while in the sky, but they cast glances at each other on occasion, just to check that the other was still there.

In the distance, smoke rose from the landscape. Ash felt like he should be suspicious, but he was too tired to be overly concerned. It must be nothing. He yawned.

They landed just south of Pallet Town. Although Rufflet had performed his duty admirably, he was absolutely beat from flying so far. He might have made it the last few miles, but neither Allie nor Ash wanted to push him much harder. And so they finished the last few miles on foot, walking through meadows and woods. Allie hummed while they walked.

As they climbed the final hill blocking Pallet Town from their view, Allie's eyelids grew very heavy. Exhaustion consumed her, and she was glad to be arriving at a nice town where they could rest awhile.

"Allie, welcome to Pallet Town," Ash announced loudly, his arms spread in a display of hometown pride.

From their vantage point on the grassy knoll, they could see all of Pallet Town. It was a quaint little town, but surprisingly lively. Residents walked around accompanied by their Pokémon, greeting each other cheerily as they went about their daily routines.

"Let's go," he said, beckoning her to follow him down a dirt path that intersected the main road. They strolled through town, and everyone they passed greeted Ash. Allie looked around in amazement; everything about the storefronts and passersby captivated her. "What do you think?" he nudged her.

"I love it," she exclaimed, laughing as a boy and his blue Nidoran dashed past them.

After walking for a few miles, they reached Ash's house. It wasn't large, but Allie loved it anyway. The beautiful garden complemented the house's white exterior perfectly. The front door opened and a middle-aged woman stepped through. Her brown hair was turning gray with age, but she wore a beaming smile on her face, announcing her love of life to the world. Allie knew right away that this must be her companion's mother.

"Ash!" she exclaimed, dropping her gardening tools in surprise. Mimey picked them up as the woman ran forward and embraced Ash. "You didn't tell me you'd be coming home. Where have you been? Who's this?" she inquired, turning her attention to Allie.

"Hi Mrs. Ketchum," Allie greeted her friend's mother politely. "I'm Allie."

"She's been travelling with me for the past couple of months." Well, the past few months except for a few weeks in the middle.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you Allie. I'll have Mimey make something for lunch. Come inside, it's a little chilly this time of year."

Delia led Ash and Allie into the Ketchum residence, with Pikachu and Mimey hopping along after them. The inside was as quaint as the exterior, but no less beautiful. It was a simple house, but to Ash it would always be home.

They sat down around the kitchen table and Mimey poured them some tea.

"We'll probably be staying overnight. Is the extra bedroom set up?" Ash inquired, taking a sip of his drink.

"Ash, I'm sorry," his mother apologized. "You haven't been home for so long, and you don't have many friends over anymore. I converted the guest room into a storage room years ago. But I can sleep on the couch and Allie can use my bed." She beamed at the girl, clearly hoping to make a good impression on Ash's first friend in years.

As Allie smiled back at her, she knew she couldn't let the aging woman do that. "It's alright, Mrs. Ketchum. I'll use the couch. I don't mind."

"No, dear… what kind of host would I be if I made you sleep on the couch?"

Clearly anxious to end the conversation between the overly considerate females, Ash interrupted. "Don't worry about it, mom. We've got the old air mattress, right? I'll set it up in my room and Allie can sleep there." He had no idea what had compelled him to think that was the best solution, but he said it anyway.

"But what about her privacy? She should have some space to herself."

"It'll be fine, we've shared the same room before," Allie reassured her.

Delia glanced back and forth between the two companions, seemingly trying to determine their age difference and the status of their relationship.

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry Allie. Ten years of him travelling across the world and I'm still not used to the idea that my little Ash is all grown up. Of course you two will want to be together. Do you even want the air mattress?"

Allie almost blushed, but her amusement at Ash's reaction overrode the embarrassment.

The Pokémon League Champion looked as if he wanted the bash his head against the wall with each additional word his mother spoke. He loved her, but she wasn't always the most eloquent speaker.

"Well, we'd better get going," he declared, hastily wolfing down the rest of his curry. "I told Allie that I'd take her to see Professor Oak, and she just can't wait."

"Alright, you lovebirds," Delia cooed after them.

Ash realized that he had pulled Allie out of the kitchen by her hand and hadn't let go. He dropped it awkwardly, looking away. They crossed town together, speaking only occasionally. Allie loved looking in all the shops and restaurants as she went. It was one of the smaller towns she had been to, but she loved it. Not too busy, and everyone stopped to greet each other.

Unlike the rest of Kanto, everyone in Pallet knew and recognized Ash. He had grown up there, of course, so it was natural that people would consider him a hometown hero. He was even a bit of a celebrity.

At one point, a group of middle school girls walked past them. A second later, they started squealing and swarmed Ash, pushing Allie out of the way. They forced him to sign autographs and hugged him repeatedly. His companion thought he would react negatively and scare them away, but to her surprise, he accommodated their requests.

The girls eventually walked away, some shooting jealous glances at Allie. She raised an eyebrow as she returned to Ash's side. "I thought you didn't the attention."

The champion shrugged. "I don't really mind it in Pallet Town. I mean, I know most of the people here. They were all really supportive of me throughout my life."

They arrived at Oak's lab a few minutes later, a large building on a hill. Behind it, a wind turbine turned gently in the early winter wind. Ash knocked on the door and it flew open a few seconds later. Standing in the doorframe was the first person Allie had met on her journey. The old professor beamed at her.

"Hello there," he cried, evidently very pleased to see them. "Welcome Allie. Welcome back Ash."

"Where is everyone?" Ash wondered as they stepped inside. "This place seems so quiet."

"Gary, Tracey, and the others are all out doing research. They left an old man to himself. No consideration for my aching bones," he groaned, rubbing his shoulder.

"Come on professor," the champion grinned. "We both know that you'd get mad if they treated you like a senior."

"True enough, true enough," Oak chuckled. "So what bring you all the way home? Have you made progress in your mission?"

Allie noticed the champion's face darken, and he issued a subtle "hush."

"I think we'll be staying in town for a few days, professor," Ash told his mentor. "We can talk about things then. For now, I was hoping to show Allie some of the Pokémon."

"I have plenty of those around. Without Bulbasaur, though, it's a bit harder to keep an eye on them."

"Sorry about that professor," Ash grinned. "I'll have your guard Pokémon back to you as soon as he's done helping me."

Oak led them down a flight of stairs leading to the fields in the back. When they emerged from the house, they were

Allie had never seen so many different types of Pokémon in one place: Snorlax, Kingler, Heracross, over two dozen Tauros, Torterra, Infernape, Torkoal, Noctowl and so many others. There were even ones she had never seen before and didn't know the names of.

"Professor Oak takes care of lots of trainers' Pokémon, doesn't he?" Allie asked.

"He does, but all the ones you see right now are mine."

"No way," Allie gaped at the many species of Pokémon around her. "They can't all be yours."

"I've been at this for a while," he reminded her. "This isn't even all of them. Lots are still training with different trainers across the world, but they'd come back to help if I ever needed them."

"Amazing," Allie whispered, watching as Heracross and Infernape sparred with each other. The Tauros ran freely across the open plain, and it seemed like Torkoal and Torterra were competing in some sort of tortoise race.

They watched the Pokémon for a while, although Ash was paying more attention to the joy on Allie's face. It had been a long time since he could share his achievements with someone without being ashamed of what it had cost.

Eventually, Allie, who was exhausted from the flight, asked Ash if it would be alright to go home. She was having an absolute blast seeing all the Pokémon, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to keep her eyes open. Thanking Professor Oak, and promising to return the next day to talk about their adventures, they returned home.

Delia and Mimey had a magnificent dinner prepared for them. Ash and Allie told Mrs. Ketchum some of the stories about their travels, intentionally leaving out the most harrowing tales. Even though Ash was an adult now, he didn't think his mother would be too keen on hearing about the Dante Club or the airship.

After desert, Allie excused herself to prepare for bed.

"Isn't she a bit young for you?" his mother asked while Allie was in the shower. "Not that my thoughts matter. I actually like her a lot."

"She's four years younger than me," Ash grunted moodily, collapsing in an armchair by the fireplace. Pikachu hopped onto his lap. "And we're not like that."

"I was a lot younger than your father, you know."

"No, mom. I don't know. He hasn't been around for half of my life."

"I know he's out there somewhere, dear."

"I've used every resource at my disposal to try to find him. He's gone."

"I know he let you down, but I'm sure you'll find him someday," Delia smiled reassuringly, as only a mother could.

"I'm sorry mom. I just don't believe that anymore." With that, Ash stood up and went to his room. He wasn't about to get into another drawn-out conversation about his father.

A few minutes later, the door opened a crack. Allie peaked in, a towel over her shoulder, her hair still wet from her shower. She saw Ash lying on his bed, tossing a Pokéball hacky sack up and down.

"Is it alright if I come in?" she asked before entering.

"What? Oh, Allie," he said emotionlessly. "Yeah, of course. My room is your room, for now at least. Shut the door then, could you?"

The girl stepped into his small bedroom, dressed in her pajamas. It was surreal to look at everything around her. The room itself was furnished like any bedroom. The astounding part about the room was the amount of memories stored in it. Many trophies sat on the dressers and the walls were lined with plaques containing the gym badges of different regions. On his desk, there were several seemingly random items: a broken Pokéball, half of a contest ribbon, and a fishing lure painted like a girl, among other things.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, noticing Ash's silence.

"It's good. Will you be comfortable here?"

"Yeah, your room's incredible," she said, sitting down on the air mattress. Mrs. Ketchum must have inflated it and put linens on while they were at Oak's lab. "All of these things are mementos from your travels?"

"Yes. I usually live at my apartment near the Indigo Plateau, but I like to keep the special things here. It gives me a place to come home to when everything there gets to be too much." His voice trailed off.

Knowing there was something else on his mind, Allie decided to get him to open up about it. She thought it might make him feel better to talk. "I've been with you long enough that I know when something is wrong. What's going on?" the girl inquired.

"Nothing's wrong."

She glared at him. "I'm not with you for your secrets, remember? Tell me what's going on, or I'll make you tell me."

"I'd like to see you try," he snorted jokingly.

In response, she stood up and climbed onto the lofted bed. She edged up against his horizontal body, sitting in a nook near his elbow with her legs crossed. Knowing that she wouldn't be pacified easily, he decided to tell the truth.

"Fine," he rolled his eyes. He sat up next to her and let his legs hang over the edge. "I wasn't very pleasant to my mom just now. I really do love her. But now that I'm older, a lot of the things she says really bother me."

"You mean about us?" Allie asked, hoping it wasn't her presence that made Ash and his mother fight.

"No, don't mind that. She's just getting overeager for grandchildren. All mothers become like that. I keep telling her she'll have to adopt." A faint smile appeared, but Allie felt bad for him, not understanding why he would be so adamant about it. "It was that she mentioned my father."

Allie was started to break in, but Ash cut her off. Even though he had told her about his father before, the champion retold the story.

"A couple of years before I started my journey, he started his. During the first couple of months, he kept in touch, and called us constantly. I was so excited to follow in his footsteps, but he never came home. Eventually, it was like he just vanished. My mother was crushed, but she still believes he'll come back. I've grown too cynical to believe it. Even being the champion hasn't helped me find him."

Immediately, Allie realized something was wrong. Last time they had spoken about their parents, Ash had told it differently. He had claimed never to have met his father. "I thought you said back in Pewter City that your father left before you were born."

Ash paused and looked up, alarmed by what she said. "I did say that, didn't I?" Now that she pointed it out, he too realized that he had unintentionally changed the story.

"Are you feeling okay?" The girl pressed a hand against his forehead, but he wasn't running a fever.

"Yeah, I feel fine. I just don't know how I could have forgotten that I knew my dad. I definitely did. I remember playing with his Rapidash around town." He remembered the conversation near the hydroelectric plant, when Allie had tripped over him during her escape from James. She had started talking about her family, about growing up as an orphan. But then, for some bizarre reason, he had unintentionally lied about his father.

Remembering what Allie had told him that night about her own losses made him feel bad about complaining. He had at least one parent, after all, while she had raised herself for eight years.

She stared at him, not sure what he was thinking. Ash sighed. "Never mind. It's nothing," he reassured her. "I must have just been confused."

They sat there for several minutes, each contemplating. Allie's mind soon wandered back to what happened aboard the Rocket Nation Airship.

"Ash," she began. "There was one thing on the Ubume that you never fully explained."

"What's that?"

"Mina."

"Oh." He sighed. "Do you remember what Mew showed you about Mewtwo's original plan to take over the world?" Allie nodded, recalling the tragic battle between natural Pokémon and their clones. "Unlike the Pokémon clones, these ones aren't as complex. They're imperfect clones; effectively just copies of the original's image. So they don't think or feel like the old clones. Something has to control them like puppets. Mewtwo is the puppeteer."

"How did you know about them before we went to New Island?" she inquired, sipping a cup of hot tea.

Ash's face morphed into a frown that expressed his regrets and bitterness. "They were part of the training I received as a Rocket commander. I was even taught to how give them commands. Of course, it was really just a way of telling Mewtwo what to have them do." He shook his head. "I wanted the grunts to know the truth so they could understand what they were participating in. That's the same reason I invited your squad to watch the interrogation.

"Is Mina alive, then?" the girl asked, seriously worried about the answer.

"It's possible. If the director wants to continue making copies of her, then she's probably being kept in stasis somewhere. If he doesn't need her for anything… then anything could have happened to her." He hated being so blunt about it, but he could no longer allow himself to keep secrets from Allie, at least not ones that involved her.

"It'll be alright," Allie murmured. "We'll do everything we can to stop Rocket Nation, and we'll protect as many people as possible."

"That's right," the champion agreed grimly. Still fixated on what he did for Rocket Nation, he took the opportunity to apologize again. "I'm so sorry. For everything." He would say it until Allie knew it was true.

"It's alright," she promised him. "Everything's going to be okay. And for what it's worth, you played a pretty good villain."

Great, thought Ash somberly. Maybe I missed my calling.

Allie grinned, and forced him to make eye contact. "But you make a better hero," she assured him, patting his leg. Ash smiled inwardly, watching as Allie hopped off his bed. She lay down on her own mattress and adjusted the covers on top of her.

"Are you sure you're comfortable down there?" Ash checked, just to make sure. "You can sleep in my bed if you want."

Allie's face turned bright red. "I… er… a… but…" she stammered, unable to even form a coherent thought.

Ash rolled his eyes at her reaction. "I meant that we'd switch places," he clarified.

"Oh, of course," Allie exhaled. "No, it's fine."

"Okay, if that's alright with you. Good night, Allie."

"See you in the morning."

Sleep tight, he thought, throwing his hacky sack at the light switch. The room was plunged into darkness.

They fell asleep as they were not long after. In the morning, Allie awoke to see Ash standing at his window, staring at the unblemished blue sky. From the window, it appeared completely empty.

"This isn't right."

"What isn't?" Allie asked groggily.

"Every day in my childhood, the sun would come in through this window. But it looks like it rose on the other side of the house. The sun rose in the west."

"What's that mean?" The girl still didn't understand the significance of it.

"It means that none of this is real."

As soon as the words were spoken, the illusion was broken. Ash's bedroom vanished around him, to be replaced with sheer darkness. Allie stood up and moved closer to Ash, terrified of what was going on. They were floating in space, with nothing around them.

"What do you do mean it's not real?"

The champion's response was interrupted as a blurry image of Professor Oak appeared in front of them. He was almost motionless, except for his mouth, which moved awkwardly as he spoke.

"Hello, there!" he greeted them. "Glad to meet you! Welcome to the world of Pokémon! My name is Oak! People affectionately refer to me as the Pokémon Professor. This world is inhabited far and wide by creatures called Pokémon! For some people, Pokémon are pets. Others use them for battling. As for myself, I study Pokémon as a profession. But first, tell me a little about yourself. Now tell me. Are you a boy? Or are you a girl?"

The companions stared at each other, completely bewildered.

"Ignore it," instructed Ash, regaining his poise. "It's just an illusion, a really bizarre illusion."

"How can't he tell our gender?" Allie wondered aloud. She immediately regretted it, as the strange words of the alternate Oak mattered little compared to their current situation.

"Take my hand," Ash instructed her. She did as he ordered. The fingers of Ash's other hands crossed, a rare prayer for luck from a skeptical man. He had no idea if his plan would work, but neither did he know anything else about their current situation. This was their best chance.

"Your very own Pokémon legend is about to unfold!" Oak was saying, just as Ash and Allie dove straight through his body.

The shock of running through Professor Oak was enough to shake them from the illusion.

They woke up, with a start.

They were lying at the top of the hill they had come over when they first entered Pallet Town. The view from there was indeed Pallet Town, but the place looked nothing like in the illusion.

Ash struggled to his feet and gaped at the destruction. There was no building in town that was anything more than charred ruins. The edges of the forest around the town had been singed by the recent flames, and the grasslands were barren and covered with ash.

"Impossible," he muttered, stunned by what his mind could scarcely process.

"What?" his companion asked groggily. Ash was already attentive, but Allie, despite the gravity of the situation, could not keep her eyes open. Then she caught sight of the destroyed town.

"Oh my God."

"What happened?" Ash demanded of no one in particular. Pikachu stood at his side, patting him on the leg reassuringly.

"Should we call someone?" Allie wondered, taking her Xtransceiver from her pocket. "The police or the Pokémon League, maybe?"

"It wouldn't do any good. What happened here is done." He struggled to swallow down the bitter words. "Pallet Town is gone. We need to stop Rocket Nation, soon." He raised an eyebrow at the girl's horrified expression. She seemed thrown off by what she saw on her device. "What's wrong?" he inquired.

It took her a moment to compose herself, but then she finally gulped down the shock. "It's the calendar, Ash," she said shakily. "Four weeks have passed since we arrived here."

"What?" She showed him the date and he swore. "This can't be happening. It felt like only a day passed, but it was a month... They must have been stalling us, but why?" He racked his mind for any clues. Doubtless, must be the work of Rocket Nation. He decided to confirm what had just happened with his companion.

"What do you remember about the dream?" he demanded.

Allie, who felt terrible for Ash, struggled to get the words out straight. "I… I remember going to your house. Your mom was really nice. We talked with Professor Oak and then stayed up late talking."

The champion nodded. "I remember the exact same thing, except from my point of view. I think it's safe to say that our conversations with each other were real, along with our emotions and reactions. It was only everyone else who was an illusion. Oak, mom, even the little girls and Pokémon acted realistically."

"So was it all a dream?"

"Not exactly. I think it was more of an illusion that we believed we were interacting with. Mewtwo must have fooled us. He preyed on our thoughts, memories, hopes, and fears."

"But what about your father?" Allie wondered, still confused by the discussion. "Did you ever meet him?"

"I did," Ash realized, blinking with sudden enlightenment. "But somehow I had forgotten that. I don't… I don't know how. For some reason, thinking that I was at home reminded me. Something made me forget that I had ever met him. But that would mean…"

"That means that Rocket Nation has been messing with us for a while," Allie finished, hoping her guess was the same as his. "Even way back when we were in Pewter City."

"Right."

Rocket Nation had dared to destroy his town. They had taken advantage of his memories and feelings toward Oak, his mother, and the others. They had even tampered with cherished memories of his father. They would pay.

A ringing sound alerted Ash to his own Xtranseiver. He checked the device and wondered why there were so many messages. He opened the most recent one and began to read it.

He felt like he was going to be sick. So that was why Rocket Nation had stalled them. Pallet Town was only the beginning of their trail of destruction.

Allie watched as the normally stoic champion sunk to his knees in horror. "Northern Kanto has fallen," he whispered weakly. "Rocket Nation has control over almost half of the region."

The Rebellion Begins March 16.

Author's Note in profile.