I'm pleased with myself, it's not been too long since my last update! Hopefully, you'll like this chapter as much as I do, I know I certainly did my best. My inspiration came in the middle of what I had been planning, a friend of mine who I've not spoken to for a long while -seen, even longer thanks to the 'Situation'- suddenly contacted me again, so I felt like it would be nice to let that happen to Ash as well. It was a good feeling, to be remembered.

Hope you all enjoy!

Lance was hurrying over towards the hospital. He had just received a call from CPS, after having gone to aid with an intervention inside the hospital. It was only after his return towards his office that he realised the two cases were connected, he'd just come from the hospital too! A sad truth was playing out in front of him and he couldn't leave Ash on his own when it was clear both his mother and father were failing to provide. Red was… being real bizarre, Lance had sent him to have a bit of a chat with a different kind of therapist a good while ago, who had promptly decided to keep Red in view for a while. And now he had needed to drop off Delia as well, who seemed to be suffering from some kind of burn-out.

Honestly, he had wanted to smack some sense into her as well, but she claimed she didn't even remember screaming at Ash, or slapping him. Tough luck that a nurse had come in the exact moment when the woman had done it, so there was no way she could talk her way out of that one. But tch, he hated the kind of people who claimed they 'forgot' about something so important, it was the same tactic Giovanni had used for years and it had always allowed him to get away with the worst kind of crimes. That kind of things wasn't going to fly with him and besides, if she had suffered from a blackout, she damn well needed the heavier type of help as well. This time, one of those sleazy therapists blaming everything on 'the kids and their behaviour' wouldn't cut it, as Ash's doctor was at the end of his tether. Lance understood all too well, hence why he was on his way to the hospital once more, to go see the boy's doctor.

"… Are you here on a case, sir?" the man asked, clearly confused to see him again, this time specifically called to meet him.

"Ah, no, I'm sorry, I mean, I am a police officer, I was here to pull one of your nurses off Mrs. Ketchum, after all. But I'm also the boy's uncle and I wanted to know if it was okay for you if I alerted CPS of my willingness to have Ash stay with me for the time being. Because I am very willing to have him."

The doctor looked at him for a little while, as if to gouge whether or not he was being serious. Lance gave him some time to think about it, people usually were quick to judge but seeing what had happened recently... Well, he had also been one of the people Delia had fooled as well and even if she was innocent, that something else was at play, it still felt like he had been cheated on, all on the expense of a young man who had done nothing to deserved this treatment. Besides, he hadn't forgotten people were often intimidated by him and some even running off when he came near, so the man waited patiently until the doctor was done thinking.

"I see," the other man said, giving him a sharp look. "I hope I won't have to teach you to have some respect?"

"I only mean well for the boy, sir, I promise you that. I have no idea what my sister-in-law and brother have been thinking and I'm greatly disappointed, I mean, the idea that Delia hit her son, no matter the condition he was in, I… Hitting a child is never the answer."

"Will you be able to come around often?"

"Absolutely, if my colleagues can take leave for their families on a whim, so can I. Besides, Ash is well-liked in the pokémon leave and his health is of great importance to all of them. I feel like you might see a couple of them coming by as well."

"Good," the doctor said. "We have already tried to bring the news to Ash but he's in disbelief, ready to forgive his mother and unwilling to have her punished. So please, avoid the subject at all cost, he is already in extreme distress right now."

"Did he respond that heavily to a mere hit?" Lance asked, his brow frowning in worry. "Surely not?"

"He expressed unease before his mother's tantrum. There was a tension between the two of them before as well… but still, even if the boy was somehow responsible for angering her, his condition excuses any sort of unruly behaviour instantly!"

"Of course, doctor, of course… Thought… the unease might come from the fact he and his mother… Well, I remember having been told they had a falling out just before Ash's accident happened, the one that ended up… permanently handicapping the boy."

"So she fails again…" the doctor sighed, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, sir, I'm extremely distraught and disappointed. That his mother's hit jarred memories of such a traumatic incident is even worse news… and I'm afraid I can't trust you enough to leave you in the room on your own. There will be a nurse sitting alongside, to keep events in check. It's for the boy's safety, please understand."

"I do, doctor, I'm perfectly alright with whatever safety measure you decide on, I mean the best for Ash to and I will keep your opinion in regard too."

"Thank you, sir," the man said, sounding relieved. "I… assume your haste to talk to me stems from the fact you weren't willing to leave Ash in the hands of others?"

"I do like him. But I… never want him to feel rejected, not because of who he is, or his abilities."

"… Yes, true."

It was kind of laughable that the doctor assumed Ash would just go along with anyone. True, he was forgiving, but his mother had spurred some terribly unhealthy reactions inside the boy. That they had put a trainer inside a place they hated…? God, everyone seemed to forget they dumped ten-year-olds into such a cruel, unforgiving world, with just one, tiny pokémon at their side and then expect them to deal with whatever came on their way. This fourteen-year-old was completely independent by now and more importantly, Ash could get very destructive and worse even, secretive. Luckily, Ash was sociable and even more luckily, he had associated Lance with talking and actually getting stuff done. Granted, the man realised he had caused a great deal of hurt, but none of it would have happened if some grown adults had pulled their heads out of their asses and didn't leave a defenceless child to deal with the brunt of their frustrations!

Lance would be vocal about it and damn if the kid rejected him, but at least he had tried. He was convinced he had a better shot at getting the boy to accept him because well… a complete stranger? The nurses here had been an excellent example of how an ordinary person responded to the magical and Ash had gotten no feedback from his mother and father whatsoever. Tch, dr. lotus was a very naïve person alright, thinking Ash would accept just any kind of helping hand, without his mother in the picture. Whether or not she had been a bad mother, they had just taken the walls of his home, leaving the boy bare and alone. Because Ash didn't understand what it felt like, getting appreciated for just being there. He didn't get the normality every other pubescent teen screamed in frustration at because he had never been faced with it.

Besides, Ash's love for his and all other pokémon of the world could easily become on obsession and the kid was allowed to follow that path… but damned if that kind of habit didn't run in the family, Lance himself had made the same mistake years ago. Thinking life was better with just pokémon at his side. It had taken five years of war with team Rocket to understand that pokémon didn't necessarily need love or affection to respond to someone and it had hurt a lot, seeing Team Rocket abuse the pokémon who had willingly left their trainers… but it had given him a good perspective of the difference between good and bad. So yeah, he knew what signs to look out for and what things he shouldn't say to the boy… but it all depended on Ash whether it would ever work and if he would even need to use the knowledge.

He didn't want to worry too much, Agatha always told him his worries showed up on his face and Ash was just as good at reading people, mostly because well… when kids feared a certain response, they would look out for it, seeing all the rest of it too. The doctor wasn't talkative either, stomping through the hallway, his white coat billowing in motion as he walked. But as the man rounded the corner, coming to a stop in front of a room, an explosion sounded out close by. Lance had run towards the doctor to catch him, getting only the faintest glimpses of a world of reds and golds, before the colours dissipated, leaving nothing but a strange kind of black soot behind.

"W-what… What was that?" dr. Lotus stammered, scrambling to his feet.

Lance helped him up, also startled, but very concerned for his nephew. They ran inside the room, straight through the soot and the man very much tried to ignore the nurses soiled with it, because it would be a shame to laugh at these people who were doing their jobs as well as this. They were desperately trying to locate the source of the explosion, but it was hard because everything was covered with the soot.

"Damn, damn, triple damn!" the doctor exclaimed. "Everyone, get out. Mr. Lance, can you carry the patient, please? The nurse will follow you with the IV drip."

"Yes, yes, of course."

He understood the urgency to move out of this room, if something was on the verge of exploding, it wouldn't do to keep a patient inside that some area. But he was kind of an expert on explosions, Lance had followed detonation classes and how to defuse stuff. Yeah, police sometimes blew things up to make the training feel like a real situation… yet, he had never encountered an explosion with those peculiar colours before. Of course, he had not seen a lot of it, just the end, so it was possible the detonation had pulled something along with it. Nevertheless, it was strange enough but it was going to be something he was going to keep in mind. His instinct was telling him something was up and he'd always trusted it to get him out of any situation. This time, it would not be different.

Daisy had enough of this waiting game, which was only causing more grief to her sister than the good it was supposed to bring. It had been a week since she had called Mrs. Ketchum and since then, there had been no reply despite the woman's promise to contact her again. Misty's initial happiness at hearing Ash wasn't dead at all was quickly fading because she'd not gotten any proof of it yet. And any calls Daisy made to Mrs. Ketchum's number weren't answered, so she did the next best thing. She took the bus towards Pallet Town, to go and speak to the woman herself. She counted her blessings when the bus driver didn't stop or feel like taking a detour and drove straight to Pallet… but as she reached the house, she noticed all the blinds were closed and the whole house looked… pretty desolate. Ringing the doorbell or knocking the door gave no response, which made her huff in annoyance.

"Well, this sucks," she said to herself.

There really wasn't anyone around, one of the reasons she disliked Pallet Town so much. You could walk around in your birthday suit, deliberately trying to pull attention to you and no one would notice. But oh, if you wanted to keep it a secret, then somehow, everyone would be interested. It was the kind of two-faced people she disliked and for that reason, she didn't have a contact here… Unless…

Her new plan of action took her to go towards professor Oak's laboratory, surely the man would be home, right? It would just be her luck that today would be one of those rare, full-closures of the place, right? However, as she approached the building, Daisy heard nothing except the sounds of nature.

"You're kidding me," she groaned, realising that the laboratory was indeed closed today.

"Huh?" a voice said, causing the young woman to look down and see the professor crouched down on his knees, probably tending to some of the plants in his garden, from the looks of it.

"Oh, hello, professor!"

"… Daisy? My girl, what brings you all the way here?" professor Oak asked, straightening with a bit of difficulty.

"I was actually meaning to talk to Mrs. Ketchum, but it looks like there's no one home."

"That's possible, yes. I'm not entirely aware of Ash's unfortunate accident this time around, Delia has been very scarce with information, which is her very right… But it leaves me with very little to tell you."

"Anything would be good right now, actually," Daisy said eagerly. "Misty's not doing well at all."

"Yes, I can imagine, I… The funeral business, hm?"

"Yeah, I called Mrs. Ketchum for that one, she wasn't happy at all. But I needed facts, my sister's suffering greatly."

"… I'm sorry, there's not much I can tell you, Daisy," the man repeated, clearly not going to invite her into the house, for some reason. "Delia wasn't happy with me, as such, she hasn't said anything. All I know is that one of my assistants saw Ash alive and fairly well, a good two weeks ago, I think. Other than that, I just was a witness to the intervention that happened to take Ash back to the hospital, with a helicopter."

"Oh…"

"I'm sorry, Daisy."

'Sure,' she thought, saying her goodbyes to the man.

It was clear something was bothering professor Oak to the extent he wasn't even willing to sit with her for a while, but if he rather wanted to sit hunched over his weeds all day, so be it then. Daisy sure knew she wasn't going to come back to this place any time soon, even if Misty begged her to. And the next bus to Cerulean wasn't coming by for three hours, so she was going to need to go home on foot too. You could say she had a bit of a mood by the time she was in Viridian and she absolutely was not looking forward to walking through Viridian forest. That Daisy suddenly saw Mr. Lance's car, was nothing but a relief.

"Yoohoo!" she exclaimed, waving her arm to get his attention.

She succeeded and the car swerved her way, parking a little bit further.

"Miss Waterflower?" Lance asked, rolling down the window. "Is something the matter?"

"I know you're probably heading a different way, but I don't suppose you could give me a lift to Cerulean?"

"… If you can stand sitting in the car for a bit, yes, I suppose so."

"Sure!" she said, happy with this stroke of luck.

Lance, however, wasn't a man with many jokes and Daisy knew better than to start a conversation, knowing the man would shut her up and chide her for mindless blabbing… But she couldn't stop herself when the man drove back into Pallet.

"God, that place again," she groaned.

"Oh?"

"I had a moment with professor Oak just now, that's all."

"I don't think he will be in a happy mood anytime soon, with his grandson in a reformatory, as well as doing community service in Celadon Central," Lance answered, not taking his eyes off the road.

"Reformatory? Community service? What on earth did he do?"

"Fraud, mostly. I'm sure your youngest sister would have been contacted to fund a funeral?"

"O-oh… Oh, yeah, professor Oak isn't going to be happy with me for a long time either, I totally told him I was the one who complained to Mrs. Ketchum about it," Daisy confessed.

"Don't feel bad about it, things like these come out someday. Gary is a young fool for thinking he could keep it a secret and the professor an old one for holding you responsible for his failure at raising the kid right. I can only hope either two are still perceptible for help, or I fear I won't let my nephew set one foot in Pallet as a whole."

"It's a bloody hellhole, that place," she grumbled. "I might not know your nephew, but I'd understand your decision to keep him away from this town."

"Is that so?" the man chuckled. "Then, you would be the first person inside the pokémon league who has never met Ash. That I know of, at least."

The young woman paused.

"Oh, I know him alright… How is he your nephew?"

"It's not that hard, his father is my brother," Lance answered, clearly finding her confusion amusing.

"… Can I ask you for a bit more information, then? I mean, my sister is heading straight for depression, at the rate she's been hiding in the her room all day."

"Of course, you can," the man answered, as he parked the car right in front of the Ketchum family's house. "Later, though."

"Sure! Misty's going to be ecstatic if she's got my word to vouch for what poor Tracey has been saying all along, oh, Mr. Lance, kids can be so cruel sometimes. The poor kid was verbally murdered and Gary even got into it, getting angry for spreading lies, while the idiot was the biggest liar out of all of them!"

"Ironic. But, if that's how you feel about it, why not allow me to pick up your sister in Cerulean and take her to see Ash herself. Seeing a couple of familiar faces might do him some good. Then again, make sure she can compose herself, he's upset as it is."

"Oh, yes, yes, she's just gonna fall asleep next to him, I know that much. Kid's not been sleeping properly for weeks and he's like her rock in life… But what happened to get him back in the hospital anyway?"

"His brilliantly stupid parents somehow managed to miss each other giving him his daily dose of medicine, which ended up in a severe overdose of the stuff. He was brought back to the hospital with seizures and he was unconscious for a while. And just when he wakes, his mom hits him in the heath of an argument about something. But then again, Ash is not the only one upset, so there you have it."

"You're joking… Surely she's lost custody of the kid now."

"Yes, for now, indeed so. That's why I'm going to pick up some of his stuff," Lance answered. "Why don't you contact your sister in the meantime?"

"Yes! Yes, I will!"

In fact, Daisy was already fumbling with her phone when the man entered the house, happy to finally have unravelled this story. Oh, this was going to be such a nice surprise for Misty, if this wouldn't cheer her up, Daisy couldn't think of anything else that would do the job. While her little sister seemed a bit dubious about her sudden and rather strange request, Misty agreed eventually and would be waiting at the bench straight in front of the Gym for the mystery pick-up.

If anything, the young woman was happy to have met Lance in such a good mood, he hadn't asked her to shut up once… but then again, he had said there were others who were upset too. If his brother had nearly poisoned his nephew, yeah, if any of her sisters had a kid and they'd do the same, murder was underway. And Ash was such a nice kid too, a bit dumb at times, but he'd give you the shirt of his back when needed to. That much she'd already gathered and she's seen it too. Daisy knew she and her sisters had been bratty when they first met and yeah, he'd almost fallen for it, but not without frowning at it and questioning it. And he had still helped them afterwards, so yeah…

"There we go."

She looked up and smiled when she saw the man carrying two heavy looking bags, with a massive Gengar plush on top.

"That's a big plush toy."

"Gift from Agatha."

"I should've guessed that, given the pokémon" Daisy chuckled. "Need a hand?"

"You're free to try. But let me warn you, I shoved everything I could find in that bag, it's heavy and it's a right mess."

And the young woman did regret it the moment the man let go of the one bag she had offered to carry. Oh, she made it to the back of the car alright, but she'd be feeling this for a while.

"Okay?" Lance asked, looking bemused by her silent lamenting.

"Yeah."

"Then, let's go."

Misty wasn't feeling up too much and she certainly didn't know how to feel about her sister showing up in the car of the Johto Champion… with the Johto Champion behind the wheel -though that was good, because her sister wasn't a good driver at all. She got no explanation whatsoever, just got told to get inside the car, which she did but as soon as she got in the back, she was greeted by this massive Gengar toy, with this huge grin… and now the girl was stuck with the idea of the Champion enjoying a good hug from a plush. However, as the car passed by some landmarks Misty recognised, her heart started beating a bit quicker. She had lived her whole life in Cerulean and knew the way to Celadon by heart, she's spent so many shopping trips on the bus to and back.

"Are you taking me to see Ash?" she asked, holding onto the back of her sister's seat, grabbing Daisy's shoulder.

"Yes. Though you need to be careful with him, okay?"

"… He's not okay?"

"There's a couple of issues but everything considered, nothing should stop you from giving him a hug, Misty," Lance answered. "Or talk. He's very vocal."

"Oh…"

She stayed silent the rest of the ride, mostly because the man had given her a sharp look through the back mirror. Possibly because she'd loosened her seatbelt, which she popped back into place real soon after Lance had noticed it. But ooh, if only she could have a little moment, ask something… maybe even record something, that could make some of Ash's other friends realise that Tracey wasn't lying.

"What happened to Gary, then?"

"It's better if you don't know yet. Ash might ask you as well and I don't want to upset him."

"… That sounds ominous."

"Misty, kiddo, you can't scam money of people over every damned region in this world and expect to get off with a slap on the hand," Daisy said.

"Oh… Right."

Still, ominous. Was Ash seriously going to ask her about Gary, though? Like, the number of times they had actually talked about the idiot was when the idiot was actually around them. Ash didn't talk behind someone's back that often, even though Gary had left traces and insults for Ash to see all over Kanto. By now, the original Cerulean City sign had been replaced, since other hooligans had found reason in Gary's idiotic scribbling to add the vilest messages and images on it, but yeah, she knew Ash and Gary weren't really friends. Something in the middle, perhaps, but not friends. That Gary never even bothered to do some research, check on Ash while the other's mother lived across the street… it was as stupid as heck. Real friends didn't do that kind of shit.

"Right, we're here. Why don't you all go inside already? I'm going to sift through some stuff in the back," Lance said, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Sure!" Daisy answered. "Come on, Misty, let's get going."

The girl had almost ran towards the entrance and only halted because her sister had grabbed her shoulder, reminding her yet again to take it easy but it was so hard. Ash was somewhere in here, if she saw him, those nightmares could stick it! There was no reason to dream about him dying when he was alive, right?

"Hi, can you please tell me where we can find Ash Ketchum, please?"

"I'm sorry, I cannot give you his location without his current guardian's approval."

"… His 'current guardian' is collecting the kid's underwear 'n stuff in his car. Maybe you can alert the doctor we're at least here already?" Daisy asked.

"I will have to wait for his guardian's approval, Miss."

"Well, we'll go and wait over there, then," she said and guided Misty to one of the chairs, somehow managing not to give the nurse the stink eye.

"It's okay, a couple of minutes won't matter," Misty said, trying to get her clearly peeved sister to calm down a bit.

"Girl, I'm not making a scene because I know you're going to come here again."

"Oh… What did she mean, though? With the current guardian? Did something happen to Mrs. Ketchum?"

"Shit always happens, sis, this was just a big one," Daisy answered, sighing deeply before continuing. "I don't think we ought to tell Ash anything, other than asking how he is and just cuddle for a while. There's a lot going on for him right now and well…"

"He's lost her? Daisy, Mrs. Ketchum is gone?"

"No, sis, she's just someplace they'll help her get back on her feet, just like they're helping Mr. Ketchum. Try not to think too hard about it, Ash's got Lance to look after him now, he'll be fine."

More than fine, not even the tiniest of pokémon could come in without Lance noticing. Misty didn't think Ash's temperament was a good fit for the man who was very attached to his peacefulness though. So unless her friend had learned how to sit still and be patient, it wasn't going to end well.

"It'll be fine, sis, don't worry."

"Easy for you to say, you know the truth."

"And I'll tell you everything when we're home, but we can't risk it."

"Indeed not," a voice said, causing both Misty and Daisy to look up. "Allow me to introduce myself, I'm the doctor tending to Ash Ketchum, dr. Lotus."

"… Nice to meet you, doctor," Daisy said but was looking a bit too interested in the man.

He, however, promptly ignored that and turned to Misty, with a small smile.

"I've heard from a colleague that Ash's been trying to get a hold of you for a while, so I'm glad to see you here as well, Miss Waterflower," the doctor said softly.

"He has? How don't I know about that, then?"

"I'm not sure, but you can ask him yourself a bit later, I'm just waiting for Mr. Lance. However, allow me a moment to express how dire it is to not stress the boy?"

"… Why is that so important? What's he gonna do? Explode?"

"Err… Yes, exactly."

"What?!"

"I know it sounds strange, Miss Waterflower, but he's… a bit special and we found no other reason for the explosion that happened earlier today. And that soot is a right mess too, my patient unwillingly destroyed over a hundred fifty thousand pokédollars worth of machinery."

"He's not going to be able to pay that back, is he?" Daisy asked, frowning heavily.

Misty didn't blame her, it was all sounding a bit ludicrous to her. But this man seemed absolutely serious about it, in fact, his collar had a bit of that soot on it.

"He won't have to, one of the nurses err… 'found' something, which apparently short-circuited the rest."

"I see…"

"The boy's got enough to worry about, anyway," the doctor grinned nervously. "But please, be mindful. I can't stress the importance of this any further."

Just as Daisy was going to tell this man to sod off with his nonsense -Misty recognised that kind of look-, Lance came into the lobby, carrying a smaller bag, as well as the big Gengar plush in one arm. The girl was amazed to see it was actually Ash's, she never imagined him to be the cuddly type either. Well, not without a real pokémon to cuddle, anyway. Still, with all kinds of thoughts running through her head, she followed Lance towards the room- Daisy stayed behind, saying just one look at her could upset Ash right now and that she wasn't going to take the risk.

"Is she okay?" Lance asked.

"Wha…? You mean, Daisy?"

"Yes."

"She's only affected because of me. She doesn't really like Ash."

"I see."

Yeah, Misty didn't believe that either, next time, she would drag Daisy with her. But maybe she was right, maybe three was a crowd right now. Passing a room that was being cleaned and looked to be a bit dirty still, with the same black stuff stuck on dr. Lotus' shirt, Misty also realised that the doctor had actually been serious. And that they had just passed the room Ash had exploded in. As if this day couldn't get any weirder, huh?

"Here we go. Easy does it," Lance said, opening the door ever so gently. "Ah…"

The girl didn't really see why the man had suddenly smiled until she got to the bed herself and saw her friend snuggled up in a blanket. She could just see a bit of his face, but it was clear enough he was asleep. Asleep but alive, which was important to her.

"He's not asleep, he's just tired," the nurse at the side supplied and as if on cue, the boy opened his eyes.

"… Mist? Is this real? Lance?"

"I'm real alright," the girl said, chuckling through the tears brimming in the corners of her eyes.

Lance was quick to lower the bar at the side of the bed, allowing Misty to climb in the bed, right next to Ash, who was still looking at her in disbelief.

"You look like shit, Mist," he said.

"Ash," she started, but he wasn't having any of it.

"Mist, I'm excused. I'm not here for fun and giggles."

"… Lance was right, you are vocal."

The boy's eyes looked at the man for a bit, before looking back at her.

"Mist, don't change the subject. Gary did something to y'all, didn't he? That's why Tracey burst out crying when he saw me, isn't it?"

"Ash, I can't excite you in any way."

"I know, I explode, I'm sorry. I know I'm going to have to hear it a lot," the teen grumbled. "But that was different. I was back in Viridian forest, I saw those creatures again. I'm scared of them… But I'm not there now. I'm here, with you. I'm not gonna explode, I feel fine. Talk to me, Mist, before I find out myself."

"And how would you do that, hm?"

"I've got time to think."

"Don't hurt yourself, m'kay?"

"Oh, no, I'll wait 'till I see Gary."

"… He's getting punished already, Ash."

"Good. I hope they locked him up somewhere far away, because if mom gets to him. She was foaming at the mouth, Mist, I hardly recognised her."

"Ash, I'm not supposed to talk about that to you."

"But it's all connected, I know it is… Is it because he told you I was dead?"

"… You know?"

"Mist, the entire hospital knows, my mom was loud and angry."

Misty glanced at Lance, who looked a bit exasperated about this situation and she noticed the nurse was keeping a close eye on Ash all of a sudden, actually straightening.

"Well yeah, fine. I kept having nightmares about it."

"Oh, Mist-"

"It's fine. Now shut up and be cute, I wanna hug you."

Ash did shut up, much to her amazement, but then again, if he had been trying to reach out to her as well…

"I wouldn't know what to do without you, Ash," she confessed, ever so softly, so that only the boy could hear her.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"You can't promise me that."

"Ask Brock who I saved from some magical mud and dare come say that to my face again."

She chuckled, she didn't think magical mud actually existed but you bet she was going to talk to Brock. The moment she got home, she was so going to contact everyone!

"Picture?"

"You wanna remember me looking like this?"

"Absolutely."

"Buddy?" Ash suddenly asked.

Pikachu's head slowly peeked out from under the blanket, appearing right next to the boy's face, looking terribly sleepy.

"Oh!"

"Figured I needed to up my game a bit," he chuckled.

Misty couldn't help but grin along, her cheeks were already hurting too. She had honestly expected to be bawling her eyes out, but Ash was being such a little shit about this. Man, she should've expected him to be on top of things, he had nothing better to do than meddle and overthink stuff. He was always in the middle of some kind of nonsense too, why had she expected something different this time around? Nevertheless, him being like this… Having such unshakeable proof would surely convince everyone.

"Smile for me."

And smile he did, it was impossible to replicate that kind of smile without being happy. What was all this nonsense this doctor was talking about? Sure, maybe Ash was intimidated by all these mugs around him, but they had history together. He wouldn't explode on her. Verbally, perhaps but never in whatever way he'd destroyed all that machinery.

"Talk to the others for me, will you?"

"Why not you, then? How didn't I notice you were trying to call me either?"

"Didn't have my transceiver with me, I only could call the Gym number at around four. Couldn't get a hold of any of you, just hit voicemail all the time. So… please?"

"Until you've got your transceiver, yes, of course."

"… Mist, I… I can't actually move."

And that bloody nurse just had to go into detail on what had actually happened and how Ash was going to need movement therapy to get his mobility back. She hadn't even noticed the worst bit until the very last part of the explanation from the nurse, namely the leg. Or rather, the lack of it. The man at the side had mentioned a prosthesis and she'd wondered what the heck for and then she had looked down and well… Misty took a deep breath and then burst out crying, hugging her friend close.

"Hey, now, it's fine. I'll be okay, Mist, I promise. These doctors know their thing and I… Maybe it'll be better, now that I have someone who's got my back. You know mom was a bit half and half, right?"

"Ash, she was either nothing or everything," the girl sighed, wiping at her face, to get rid of the tears but still upset nonetheless. "That she hurt you like this, I… I'm not forgiving her."

"Then don't. You can feel however you want about it, but don't let it ruin your day, Mist," Ash said, almost pleading with her. "Please, be okay for me. I missed you too, I don't want my mom getting in the middle of us."

"I'm not gonna let her, who does she think she is?"

"My mom? She knows she sucks, she told me so. And then my dad happened. And then Gary came along and ruined whatever healing she'd done. Seeing me hurt really knocked her off her pedestal, Mist, there was no right or wrong, she wasn't allowed to judge, she needed to leave me in other people's hands and losing that kind of control must've… Man, I hope they teach her when it's good to care a bit too much."

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"How do you feel about this?"

"Sucks balls, Mist," he admitted and chuckled when she did. "For real, I'm looking all cosy in this heated blanket right now, but it all still sucks big time."

"Am I helping?"

"Tons. Are you coming by again?"

"Absolutely, you're not gonna get rid of me now that I know where you're at."

Ash seemed pleased with that and somehow, when it was time to go, Misty felt tons better. His cheek had proved he was in good enough health alright and while he was right about his situation not being the best right now, she knew she could count on him to make the best out of it too. Little did she know that, when she left, she left a very uncertain Champion behind. But Misty didn't care, she was on cloud nine, things couldn't have gone any better for her. And oh, she had things to tell people, good thing she had Daisy to guide her in the right direction by dragging her along by the arm, because she was too busy chatting with all of Ash's friends in that group chat, sending that picture to everyone and telling them just what a big fat liar Gary had been all along.

"… Are you okay, Lance?" Ash asked, after seeing the man nervously pick at his sleeve, after the long silence that happened after Misty had left.

He didn't know what was going on to make a normally steady guy this nervous, but he was still on his happy cloud. God, what he would have given to talk to Misty months ago… She had come at a perfect time, he felt so much better seeing she was okay. Tired and a bit emotionally drained, but okay. And Misty had promised to return, which meant the world to him. Last thing he needed was someone bringing bad news.

"I… I hope you don't mind that you're going to be staying with me once you're released, Ash."

"You heard me say I was happy to have someone who had my back, though?"

"Yeah but…"

"I like you, Lance, I'm stoked to have a cool uncle like you," Ash said, in disbelief that Lance was doubting himself. "And I know you can put up with me, you train dragons and I've got a couple too and… Well, there's a reason why mom won't let me have them at the house."

The man deflated, sinking back in the chair and leaning heavily on the mattress -the rail of the bed was still lowered, Misty never thought of putting it back up.

"You have no idea how much this means to me," Lance admitted.

"I get it, some people like you and some don't. But I like you, Lance."

"And I'd let you have your dragons in the house. I mean, if they can stand up for themselves."

"Wait 'till you lay your eyes on Gible, he… Oh, that's right, there were two pokéballs," the boy said, perking up because he remembered.

Now that he'd just told Misty about his err… moist reunion with a very tearful Tracey, he just remembered that his friend had delivered two pokéballs. But then the medicine had kicked in and he'd lost sight of them! Oh no, what had become of them?

"Don't worry, kiddo, I found them. I brought them with me," Lance said, bending over to the bag and pulling out the two pokéball. "I'll keep them on the nightstand-"

Whether it was an accident or a malfunction of the pokéball, Gible suddenly released itself. Right on the bed too. Only, the pokémon was facing Lance, instead of Ash and hoh, the boy knew what was going to happen, especially when Lance reached out towards Gible.

"Gible, no!" he called out.

The small dragon responded immediately, calmed down by the voice of his trainer… but had stopped mid-bite. Lance quickly pulled his hand away from the danger zone.

"That… That's very impressive, Ash," he said, blinking in surprise when the Gible settled down right next to Ash, not the slightest bit deterred that the pokémon was giving him the stink eye. "Stopping any pokémon mid-bite is a feat, but it's a real power-trip to stop a Dragon-type from doing it."

"I don't remember him being so aggressive," the boy said. "Gah, I wish I could reach out to you, Gible, but I can't. I'm sorry, buddy."

"Gib," it just answered.

"Oh…"

"What?" Lance asked.

"He knows," Ash deadpanned. "I bet they heard every word my mom shouted at professor Oak. Maybe even heard what Gary was up to."

"You understand the Gible?"

"Pretty much, I mean, it's got a lot to do with expression and how they say it."

"That's very interesting, I think I'm going to enjoy spending time with you, Ash. You're a very cool kid too."

"Aww, thanks! I'm planning on sticking around for a while too."

"Not going on a journey anytime soon, then?"

Ash blinked.

"… What do you mean? Would someone really be ready to lumber me all around a region in a wheelchair or am I seeing this the wrong way?"

"Well, no, but yeah, I mean, you could be carried in one of those Pika-taxi's, from Gym to Gym. You'd be able to make it."

That sounded more like a chore than a journey to Ash.

"Err… Thanks but no thanks. I wouldn't want to burden anyone with that task, I mean… I like going to places, meeting all kinds of new people and pokémon. I feel like it would be a real mistake, completing a Gym challenge that way. Besides, have I been the only one who was told not to stress a billion times in the last few hours? I don't even have the strength to throw a pokéball… No, no, it's fine, I'm good. I wanna get to know you better too, Lance."

Lance chuckled at that but not too soon after that, Ash felt a certain tenseness leave him. It had started just before his uncle had made that suggestion and now the boy was stuck with the idea that Dialga had been watching him, waiting for the wrong answer, to send him back in the past or something, unwilling for him to make that kind of mistake. Chances that it was actually the case were high, the small Dialga toy wasn't here, but Ash had been told about the soot. Many times, the nurses had been complaining about the stuff non-stop. Maybe the poor thing had gotten covered by it and had left to take a bath or something.

But ah, at least his uncle had calmed down and was looking like his old self again, instead of the worrywart that had come into this room. Ash had it with all that worrying, he wanted to look towards the future and be positive. He'd spend enough time being gloomy and dull… and even if he was tired right now, didn't mean he couldn't wait to see his coach Brandon again and spend each day in hopes of getting better again. Maybe he'd never become the boy he had been before all these accidents, but hey, eighty percent was alright for him, if it meant he could still be around people and do what he wanted to. Maybe even fifty percent, he'd settle for fifty if he was still okay enough. Maybe just the fact he'd be able to move his hand again, that'd be great, because gah, a life without being able to pet a pokémon?

"I see you have not yet lost your sense of humour, Chosen. Consider me pleased."

Ash looked up and smiled at the pokémon who had appeared next to his bed. It hadn't been long since Lance had left and it was funny the nurse who had taken vigil over him, had just left for a small break. But he'd said he was going to come back real soon, so put away all the stuff Lance had brought along.

"Oh yeah, always a clown, alright."

"Better a clown that a fool, I say," Mewtwo answered. "How are you feeling?"

"… You're here because of that explosion thing too, aren't you?"

"Yes. But I am also concerned about your welfare too, Chosen. The amnesia was unfortunate and your kin… even less so. For a mother to react so out of bounds, Chosen, know that, in the pokémon world, she would have been killed and eaten."

"Then I'm glad she's not a pokémon," Ash chuckled, knowing already that everyone but him was taking offence to his mom's behaviour. "But I'm good, thanks for asking, Mewtwo."

"Are you? Am I mistaking in believing you are not incredibly bothered by your inability to move? Are you not angry at the young fool who ruined years' worth of relationships? That you had to sit and watch someone grieve, unable to help?"

"… Ah, you want details, huh?" Well, then yes, yes and yes. I'm annoyed, angry and upset. But I'm also scared and relieved, confused and happy, all at the same time. I'm feeling all kind of things I've never felt before and yeah that worries me, but I'm okay with it. It's weird but I guess I'm just a bit stranger than most. More than I used to be."

"Maybe so," Mewtwo answered. "But looking into one's self and noticing change does not always correspond with what is actually making you feel a certain way. There are bigger things at play and I wish to help. And I cannot do that if you are not completely honest with me."

"I don't know what more I can tell you."

"Then why realise I am here for the explosion if that does not worry you?"

"I'm not letting myself get riled up like that again. If mom ever hits me again, I'll shove her away. But I couldn't do that now, I can't move. I'm more worried about my 'inability to move'," he said, mimicking the way Mewtwo had so eloquently put it. "-than the fact, some people complain about not getting some soot out of their clothes."

"Very well."

"Why? Shouldn't I explode?"

"Humans, no. You? Questionable. It is nothing short of a miracle you came out of it unscathed, Chosen, you should be thankful for your own resilience."

"Resilience? With like, half a leg? Come off it, Mewtwo, you can't be serious."

"I am taking this very serious, Chosen."

"A bit too much, I think."

"… You do not enjoy it, I see that. I apologise."

"For caring? Nah, it's fine. Just… don't grill me for answers I don't have," Ash sighed. "I might feel a bit different to you than other people, but I'm nowhere as smart as you. I've got my moments but they're far and few in between."

"As befitting of a clown, I would say," Mewtwo stated, with a sigh. "I feel like I should mention again that exploding is very harmful in nature and it is everything I would not have associated with you. Not even Arceus knows and yet we all felt it. Very violent. Very angry. You are harnessing great anger inside of this small body of yours, Chosen, I fear the day someone releases it in you."

"Doesn't have to come out at once, though."

The pokémon stared at the boy.

"You are aware."

"Of course. I'm always angry at something," Ash murmured. "But I wasn't angry when I exploded."

"Is that so? I felt anger."

"What are you feeling right now?" the boy asked but felt so disappointed when Mewtwo looked away from him. "I was right! You are scared of me! You're even forcing yourself not to come into contact with me now! Which goes against your nature of a Psychic-type- No! Stop that, Mewtwo, that's not good for you. You know I would never hurt you? Why?"

"Fine!" the creature exclaimed… and stared at the teen, clearly having reactivated its psychic senses. "I… I am sorry, Chosen. I am very sorry, I never meant to make you feel that way."

"Why does it always have to be me? Why do I always need to be something special but like, the wrong kind of special? I thought it was cool, I thought I could… But now even you are scared of me."

"Talk to me, Chosen," the pokémon urged. "There must be an explanation, it does not make sense to me our experiences vary so greatly. I know you would not hurt anyone, you said it yourself, even if your mother hit you again, you would not even hurt her back! A shove is nothing to be compared with a deliberate slap in the face and I am confused."

"I said that I wasn't angry when I exploded too. I wanted them to go away. I… I thought the nurses were the pokémon who attacked me. And I don't want to hurt them either, I just… wanted them to leave. That's all," Ash admitted, looking away from Mewtwo. "I mean, I didn't even think it was me, I didn't explode."

"Then what did?"

"I think it was my Aura. It's red too, isn't it? Doesn't that mean aggression?"

"Let me relieve you from this misconception, the colour of your Aura has nothing to do with its power, abilities or the nature of its user. The only way I can explain the colour of your Aura is that it could be hereditary."

"But I had blue Aura before."

"Did you have contact with all the kin you have contact with right now?"

"… No?"

"Well, then," the pokémon said. "Nevertheless, red Aura is rare, I would love a demonstration when you're able to… But are you sure it was an Aura explosion?"

"Yeah, you can see I'm fine, right? And none of the nurses were injured either. One was even gushing on about how pretty it was before getting covered with soot, with all the red and gold she saw and-"

"Gold?" Mewtwo repeated.

"Yeah, that's what she said."

"… I may have found a fool, after all."

Ash watched the pokémon carefully, as it brought a paw up to its face.

"Who's the fool, then?" he asked.

"Arceus. It gives you part of Itself and then forgets the effect It can have on you."

"Come again?"

"Arceus saved you by giving you part of Its Aura, Chosen. I did not think It had given you so much it would show but it is clear that it does show up, if anyone can see it. No wonder your own Aura is capable of much more forceful defence tactics than that of the ordinary children, then, if it mixed with Its prowess. And after all, the young with Aura are protected from harm, kept close by their family… While you… You have been pulled from one side to another, left for dead, sliced, hurt… Everything a family of Aura users would have avoided."

"Is it bad?"

"For a normal family, yes, because they would want nothing more than have an ordinary child, who would not get noticed by anyone. They avoid letting the child use their Aura, for the more you use it, the stronger it gets. While you… You will become a beacon for anyone who can see Aura, even without you using it. It is possible it will show up on your body too."

"…Is that bad?"

"Not exactly, it is different."

"Good different?"

"I will not complain," Mewtwo stated. "I like you. I would not be here otherwise. And for the record, I was still not scared of you. I was scared of what you could have become, thanks to Arceus' interference. Some people do change when helped, whether or not they were the best of people around. But I am glad, you are the same, thankfully."

"Don't you think I would've been kicked out of this hospital if I had like, hurt these nurses, though?"

Mewtwo clearly hadn't been thinking about that, but honestly, if it had been influenced by a past experience with someone it previously had liked, only to get turned onto, Ash could understand why it hadn't been thinking straight. It was actually nice to see this normally stoic pokémon worry for him, though, again, he was kind of sick of having people worry about him all the time. But the creature seemed relieved and promise that, once there was no danger of being caught, it would actually teach him how to deal with his pretty potent psychic powers. Mewtwo remembered its promise to teach him something similar to Scary Face, but with so many people around who were already on the verge of freaking out about the slightest details, it was better not to stick around too long… Or to teach the boy something that would possibly make them even jumpier.

The nurse had come in at the same moment the pokémon had teleported away too, so that was on the nick of time. Ash was good at acting as if nothing had happened and smiled warmly at the young man, who seemed pleased by his attention. The nurse made quick work of putting the clothes away too, but Ash couldn't get any happier when he noticed Lance had taken his transceiver with him!

"Ah, please, put it on the cabinet, please," he said. "I can't use it now, but I'm going to use it later."

"I'll put it in the drawer then, yes? Someone might knock it off by accident and it doesn't look like it'll survive the drop."

"That's fine, thank you."

"No problem," the young man said. "Can I compliment you on the Gible, though, Ash?"

"… Sure, he's cool, isn't he?"

"Very, this is the first time I've ever seen a Gible up close. I… don't suppose I can pet it?"

Ash smiled when Gible sniffed loudly at that, causing the nurse to recoil a bit.

"It's okay, he doesn't mind."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, just be careful, he's got Rough Skin."

"… Wha… Like Sandpaper?"

"Worse. Just be nice, it'll be okay."

The nurse nodded and hesitantly laid a hand on the pokémon's head. While Gible looked anything but amused at this attention, Ash was pleased to have a ballsy nurse sit with him. Not everyone was willing to pet a Gible willy-nilly, so yeah, this was good to see.

"Hey, Gible?" the young man asked and suddenly bent down at the pokémon's level.

"Gib?"

"I have an important task for you. You see… I'm not going to be able to sit here all the time, so I would like you to be on the lookout of bad people. I know you want to keep your trainer safe, so do I… So I know you understand what I mean by 'bad' people."

"Gible," the pokémon said, eyes going towards Ash for a split-second before focussing back on the nurse.

"I'd like you to keep an eye on him during the night. I can't see as well as you can and with a nose like yours, I'm sure you can smell these people coming from miles away."

Gible was enjoying the praise a lot and Ash couldn't help but smile.

"So, will you help me?"

"Gib! Gible Gib?"

"… What did he say?" the nurse asked, looking bewildered as he turned to Ash.

"He asked if he can bite."

"If the people come into this room and raise their voice, yes. And you may growl as much as you can."

"Gib."

"Thanks for wanting to help me, Gible," the teen said which caused the pokémon to puff up his chest. "But, sir, if you want to be absolutely certain no one gets in… there's another pokéball."

"Oh?"

"Yep. Ever seen a Gliscor before?"

"Can I?"

"Go ahead, it's right there."

The nurse did release the pokémon and oh, it was clear the young man had never seen a Gliscor before. The poor nurse jumped back at least a metre in distance, not having expected the pokémon to be so large. Ash was grinning all the time though, he knew what effect Gliscor had on people. The pokémon wasn't interested in the nurse though and in his own peculiar way, went to hang off the rail that normally served for the curtain around the bed… Which ended up in Gliscor hanging upside down and looking absolutely delighted with it. But then Gliscor and Gible saw each other and Ash became aware they had just made a silent promise to each other, even if their eyes had crossed for a little while. The nurse didn't notice anything, but the boy did notice Gible tensing up ever so subtly, before turning towards the door.

It took the teen a couple of seconds before he could hear the hurried footsteps. Very hurried footsteps and Ash got the impression that this person had skidded to a stop before starting to rap on the door.

"Yes?" the nurse asked.

And when the door opened, Ash couldn't get any happier.

"Brock!" he exclaimed.

"Ash! Oh God, Ash, I'm so glad to see you, oh!"

His friend had zoomed over towards the bed, the nurse had quickly and somewhat awkwardly lowered the bar again. The young man must not have expected any more visitors but it was clear Gible wasn't pleased too. However, Brock… He totally collapsed, burst out in tears and it broke Ash's heart to see him this way. And it wasn't even all his fault if only his mom had brought his transceiver with her the first time he had asked, if only she had listened to him!

"Brock? You good?" the boy asked, already tearful himself now.

"I-I'm so glad, oh, Ash, I missed you so much," Brock sobbed, barely able to speak. "He hurt me so much, telling those lies."

Yeah, Ash was well on his way to condemn Gary to an afterlife in the Distortion World, preferably haunted by Giratina in person forever after. He didn't want to sit here, watching his friends collapse, one after another! He didn't deserve this, they didn't deserve this! That Gary had been making fun of him was fine… but that he used these kind people? Hurt them as much as this? No… No, Gary could come and beg on his knees, promise him the world and whatnot, Ash would never forgive him for this.

"I'm sorry, Brock, I wish there was something I could have done. But I didn't know, it all happened behind my back, I don't even know why none of you went to ask my mom, she'd know? And she never missed a call, you could have easily asked her, she's in the hospital too now, because she had no one to talk to, knowing to vent some of her frustrations, completely burned out."

"It's not you, Ash, it's not you at all. You have your own issues, it's fine, I'm sorry for crying, I just…"

"I understand. I'd be this upset too if someone told me… But I still… don't understand. What's Pallet ever done to people that no one dares come there?"

"I don't like the town, Ash, I… it's creepy. And I didn't think your mom would've been happy if I came and reminded her."

It sounded reasonable enough, but it was still bullshit. His mom wasn't recluse, she was a people-person like him and the last thing she did was stay silent and alone when she wasn't feeling well. Unless she was sick and bedridden, his mom would be talkative and relatively nice to anyone interested and willing to listen to her.

"Is this helping? I mean, I can't really do much but I hope you see how I'm still here, man. I never wanted this, I never wanted you to start crying, I've had three of you cry your hearts out and then I hear you've all been screaming at each other… It's everything I don't like," Ash frowned. "All of that added with what I've already needed to deal with, I… I want nothing more than you to be happy again, Brock. Happy and near me."

"Of course, it's helping, though I've caught myself never actually believing Gary. Call it ignorance, but I had stopped talking to him after a few hateful comments from him. My little sisters went off with my phone, they didn't like that it was making me sad. So they put it underneath my dad's mattress and he actually believed his room was haunted for a while until he found the phone. Searched for it for two days straight."

Ash chuckled, knowing Brock's dad wasn't the brightest bulb either. Still, it was nice to hear that everyone's family was taking good care of them, because the fact that Misty had come around first, meant either of her sisters either confronted Gary or had called his mom. And seeing he got his mom's raging fit in front of him, Ash guessed it had been her the sensation sisters had contacted.

"Is he okay now?"

"Yeah, of course. He was worried about you as well, you know?"

"Was he?"

"Everyone was, it was a huge uproar, not to mention that everyone was already panicking about that sudden darkness."

"… Darkness? What darkness?"

"The sun didn't shine for almost three weeks, Ash, it was constantly dark. And then, as if it couldn't get any worse, communication was dropping and eventually, nothing powered by electronic worked. My dad had to get a generator powered by pokémon and even they were under the weather. We thought it was because of the darkness but no one was happy at the time."

"… Why don't I know that?"

"According to your file, you were unconscious during that time, Ash," the nurse supplied helpfully.

"For real?"

"You were comatose?" Brock asked, eyes widening.

"Yes," Ash answered, with a sigh. "I'm not on top of the details, you'll have to ask my uncle for that, but be careful, okay? Lance is sensitive to the subject."

"… Lance? Champion Lance?"

"Yes."

"My God, I thought Misty was kidding."

"You think she's in the mood for jokes? Did you see her?"

"No and no, I didn't. Ash, how?"

"His father and my dad's father are the same. That's how."

"… No, no, how didn't you know that?"

"Dad got beaten up by Team Rocket and was taken from mom who was pregnant with me, to protect her from Team Rocket. Lance took care of Red and mom took care of me. Lance never met my mom, mom and dad's wedding was a shotgun one. So when we met, he didn't connect the dots, not until he and mom started talking to each other when they both were involved in my accident."

"Ash, that's major news."

"Wanna know something more major?"

"Yes?"

"When I'm out of this hospital, you're going to have to take the bus towards Mahogany."

Brock looked confused about it until Ash explained to him what had happened today. The somewhat older teen was bewildered about the whole thing but visibly angry. He could hardly believe it at all, but the nurse confirmed the story, stating that the woman's reaction was the only reason why he had taken on vigil over Ash. Brock did ask if he had said something to aggravate her, but the boy came up empty on reasons why Delia had flipped her switch when Ash give him a detailed rundown on what had happened. Giving someone a bit of lip wasn't the end of the world but it was clear Brock's perception of his mom had changed dramatically.

"Look, euhm… if it doesn't work out with Lance, I'm sure I can squeeze a spot into the house, yeah? Just give me a call, you're more than welcome, you know that."

"I'll keep it in mind," Ash chuckled.

He knew it'd be a bit busy in there, but wouldn't it be lovely? He'd always wanted a sibling, maybe he wouldn't have made the mistake of putting up with Gary if he'd had. But yeah, you kind of needed a man for that as a woman, huh? And no matter what they claimed about his mom, Ash knew she was loyal and without Red in the picture, there had been no hope for a sibling. Even now, with his mom barely in her thirties… But no, it was fine, he still had his friends and with a bit of luck, Lance would be cool as a temporary guardian and he'd be happy there and have no need to go begging for another place to stay at. Ultimately, though, the teen wanted to have a sit down with his mom, have a good talk and just… get it over with and start anew.

Today had been a busy day, though, he realised that when he suddenly got very dizzy near the end of Brock's visit. The teen must've noticed something because he'd quietly said his goodbyes and left with the same promise as Misty, that'd he'd return soon. That was all good for Ash, who watched him leave with a smile, happy he had at least saved another one of his friends from a delusion. However, this darkness wasn't something he was happy with, especially not since it apparently coincided with the period he'd missed. Coma or unconscious, no one really gave him any clear answers on that either, so…

"I'm going to turn you on your side now, okay? You can't keep in the same position for too long, we want to avoid bedsores."

"Bedsores?"

"Skin needs to breathe and if you lay on certain area's for too long, the skin will start to infect because it's not getting any ventilation and once it's infected, the skin will start eating away on itself," the nurse answered calmly.

"… Yeah, I wanna avoid that too."

However, as soon as the nurse had turned him to the side, making his head roll right next to Gible -who didn't mind that at all, the dizziness returned. Maybe he'd made a sound or something else that had alerted the young man something was up because the nurse had asked whether he was okay, but Ash was so tired all of a sudden, he'd passed out before he could even answer. Who would blame him, after what had already happened, hm? From his unreasonable mother to Mewtwo being surprisingly oblivious and his compassionate uncle, to the reunion with his two, fantastic friends, he might have some strange dreams out of it, but in the end, he was happy. A bit disappointed because of what happened with his mom but happy with everything else that had happened today.

End of Chapter eight