Author's Note:
Here it is, the final part of Mother's Day. This one is really just to let the events of the last two parts sink in. Sort of like what I did with the lake of rage arc. A couple of guests have reviewed, worried, that I would also be discontinuing my series but in case the author's note in my last chapter wasn't clear, I have no intention of doing that. Again, kind of a shorter chapter as I prepare for the league, I'm going in with about a third of its pre-written which isn't ideal, but it'll have to do. Those are the battles, not the league as a whole. I will say that I've done best to put in all the big face offs from the anime, including a Charizard vs Blastoise match. Hope you enjoy it, when we get there but for now, let's see how we recover this encounter with J. Don't forget to vote in the poll and with that, let's begin.
Chapter 88: Mother's Day P III
Ash squinted hard as the wind passed over him. His knuckles began to ache as he felt the force trying to throw him off. His head look down, the feather of his birds back tickling his nose, unsure how long he could survive with this as breathing was very difficult.
"We're here," his bird instructed, as the wind stopped passing by.
Finally, able to breath, he took a large gulp of air. It even hurt on the way down. Peeking out, he saw the blue Dragon land against a backlit metal container as a sliding door lowered. Making the only source of light disappear out of sight.
"I-its invisible!" he gasped.
"As if this couldn't get any harder!" Pidgeot rolled her neck.
She began approaching once more, this time at a much more lienient speed, before she could pick up any momentum, a giant metal cage dropped from below the small window. It fell down like a rock, twirling around in the air but because of its speed, Ash couldn't make out what was inside, if anything. His eyes were drawn to it and he couldn't look away as it reached its inevitable conclusion, smashing against the ground.
Flinching, he closed his eyes once more. A dust cloud erupted above the crash, covering the result as he raised an arm to block his view. Part of him wanted to go and investigate, if only to find out what sort of thing Hunter J would throw out, but he knew he had other priorities at this moment.
His heart stopped and eyes widened. His breath sticking in his throat, his head turned straight back the ship as an ear-curling screamed echoed. He couldn't muster any sort of response as he watched his girlfriend falling through the sky, down the same path that the cage before it did. Two large engines became visible with red heat as fire shot out, pushing the ship away through the air and soon out of sight.
Pidgeot quickly dived under the flames. Ash instinctively clutched down on his brown bird as he once again closed his eyes as the wind threatened to throw him off. One thought at the front of his mind, they have to save Serena.
Forcing himself to look out, he saw them enter a deep dive to catch his girlfriend with the earth getting ever closer. He bites down on his lower lip.
With every second, he could only focus on how close the ground was getting. His heart began to thump like crazy.
"Serena!" he cried.
Pidgeot let out a loud cry and doubled her speed. She soon disappeared from sight underneath his giant bird.
They continued down to the ground as he squeezed his eyes shut. The wind continued to threaten to blow him off.
As the pressure died around him, Ash took a deep breath and looked out once more. They were flying parroal to the ground now and slowly descending to a stop. He couldn't see Serena anywhere and the metal cage, when looking back, was nothing more than a dot in the distance.
Pidgeot finally opened her wings, barely above the ground and stopped. He caught a glimpse of Serena as she landed on her stomach just in front of them.
The second they landed; Ash slide off her back. Wobbling, he almost stumbled as his legs felt like jelly. Once sure his balance was stable, he ran to Serena.
Offering her a hand, he helped her up. Her eyes were wide and filled with tears, which escaped down her red cheeks. Her pupils were dilated and helplessly darting around as if in an unfamiliar world. Sniffles exhaled through her wrinkled nose and the skin all over her face was bunching. Her hair was messed up and not covered by her usual hat. She dove forward, wrapping her arms around him as rivers of sobs streamed down onto his shirt.
Unable to contemplate anything else, he slowly wrapped his arms around her back and rubbed it in a comforting manner. Resting his head on her shoulder, his lips were next to her ear, allowing him to whisper words of reassurance to her. He also took the moment to see her shoulders, her clothes were ripped, and scratch marks could be seen on her shoulders. It didn't take a genius to know where they came from, and he looked towards his large bird.
"Sorry about your shoulders, Serena," she apologised, "I would've tried to get you on my back but both altitude and time were running out. I also need to gradually reduce your speed otherwise whiplash or worst could've happened."
"I-it's okay," she stuttered, nuzzling her head into his chest. Her voice was meek and barely audible.
Offering his female bird, a weak smile, he continued to comfort Serena. He rubbed her back with one hand and reached for his belt with the other. Taking the device off, he held it out and silently returned her. Clipping the device back to his belt, he turned his attention back to his girlfriend who continued to cry. It took a couple of minutes before she started to calm down.
"You okay?" he asked.
"I-I think so," she stuttered.
"At least J has gone, she might've got away with Tyranitar but-" Ash was cut off.
"She didn't," Serena interrupted.
"She didn't?" he questioned.
"N-no. She captured Tyranitar but because of that mark on her stomach, J decided that she wasn't up to her standards," Serena gulped, "so she dropped her in the cage she was being detained in."
"That must've been what me and Pidgeot saw," Ash sighed.
"C-could we go and see it?" Serena asked, her voice getting quieter with every word, "please."
"O-of course," Ash stuttered, caught off guard, "but can I ask why? I can't imagine it'll be a pretty sight."
"No," she looked down, "but Larvitar has missed his chance to return to his mother... it's the least I could do, to pay her respects on his behalf and... I don't know, it just feels like the right thing to do."
"Okay," Ash nodded.
The couple set off down the path with Serena burying her head in his chest. A silence surrounded them, not even the sounds of nature were around thanks to Salamence burning down the reserve. It must've scared all the Pokémon on the mountain, if not further. Looking at her, Ash could feel like something was still upsetting her, but he couldn't bring himself to ask her what. Maybe once they've seen Tyranitar she'll share it with him.
After a couple of minutes, they closed in on the crash site. It was a gruesome display, with the top of the cage mostly intact but the bottom was smashed into pieces, scattered all around the impact. The bent roof covered the contents but approaching slowly showed red blood dripping down of the curl bars. Ash bite his lower lip, as Serena tightened her grip on him. Going further around the crash site, he could finally see inside. What he saw made him sick.
Green and red mashed together with an unrecognisable collection of organs and inner parts of Tyranitar. The only part of the Pokémon that appeared to be intact was her head, which was stuck between two twisted bars and detached from what was once her body.
Unable to handle it, Ash turned around and threw up on the ground. Breathing heavily, he wiped his mouth on his sleeve.
A casting a glance at Serena, she was staring into the destroyed cage. Her bloodshot eyes were wide, and her mouth hung open, with her jaw trembling. Her chest increasing in pace as her breath gained weight. Her nose wrinkling as she took an apprehensive steps back. Seeing her legs wobble, Ash quickly moved to her side to support her, holding her up before she fell over. Looking into her diluted pupils, she didn't seem to react to him at all. Her arms wrapped around her body, slowly rubbing her arms as she continued to stare at the destroyed cage.
Ash moved himself in front of her view and engulfed her in a hug. "come on, we should get back to the others before they start to worry."
He didn't receive a verbal response but as he started to walk back, she followed, leaning on him for support. An eerie silence fell over them as they took each step. Ash cast one last glance back and he couldn't help but focus on Tyranitar's head. Heaving at the sight, he squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head.
This wasn't an image he was going to forget in a hurry. Refocusing on the destination ahead, he knew he had to be the eyes for both of them. As they slumped towards their friends, he took the sight of the destroyed forest. He knew that Hunter J was a threat, one of the most wanted people in several regions but... but her ruthlessness, it was on a whole different level. She would even put Giovanni to shame.
Serena felt her legs give in beneath her, she continued to cling to Ash as they walked across the ashed ground. Up ahead, she could see several flashing lights of red and blue. Coming into the clearing, she saw several police cars scattered around, all with lights going. A large van was on the far side as the henchmen that she previously tossed out of J's truck, were being led inside by several officers.
As they got closer, she saw that there were also a couple of ambulances around. Over by the closest medical trucks, she saw an Officer Jenny speaking to both Brock and Misty. Ash must've seen them as well, as he started to lead her over to them.
"Your back!" Misty called out.
The teal-haired officer turned around and approached them. Serena noticed the relieved expression on her face although her brow quickly lowered into a scowl. It was hardly any time before she was right in front of them.
"Ash, Serena... your friends told us what happened. I'm pleased to see your safe," she sighed in relief, taking her radio, "this is officer Jenny, I have both the missing children with me. I'll escort them to the hospital and question about J. End the search for them and join Lance's tactical team on locating the hunter."
"Did you say Lance?" Ash asked, as she put her radio away.
"Right, he was flying over to Kanto on his Dragonite when the alert about J went off," Officer Jenny explained, "he came straight away but his tactical team was too far away to properly intercept her. They are now scouting the area for her ship while my team was looking for you two. Speaking off, I've got some questions to ask, if you're feeling up to it. First off, would you tell me what happened, from your perspectives?"
Ash took the task of explaining their story from arriving at the reserve and meeting Ranger Mason to the forest fire and fighting Salamence. He couldn't tell her what happened on the ship but gave his story of saving her from the fall, just before they looked at the crashed cage.
"So, Serena, can you tell me what happened between your deciding to chase J and Ash saving you from the fall?" the officer asked.
"W-well," she stuttered, "I snuck on board of the truck before it took off. They left the henchmen and drove off."
She didn't feel the need to explain her psychic powers to this officer... it's a long enough day, as is.
"I let out my F-Furret," she stuttered, once more. A fresh wave of tears forming in her eyes and breaking out down her cheek, "a-and found Ranger Mason's Croconaw in her containment pods. I used the dial to release him as well."
"We we're concerned about his location after discovering Mason's body-" Officer Jenny mused.
"It was J... she admitted that she killed Ranger Mason," she cut the officer off.
"We figured as much," the female officer nodded, "since you don't have Croconaw with you, I'm assuming..."
"He's still with J... and so is my Furret," Serena sighed, burying her head into Ash's chest. His arms wrapped around her and rubbed her shoulders. Letting her tears flow freely, she relaxed in his embrace before turning back to the officer. Taking a deep breath, she calmed herself, "once the truck stopped, we figured that we were on her base. The plan was to wait for them to leave then sneak on to free Tyranitar."
"But?" Officer Jenny encouraged.
"B-but..." she paused, trying to stop herself from throwing up on the officer, "she must've had some sort of security camera in her truck. She knew we were there. She had this purple Pokémon, sort of like a scorpion with massive claws, fangs, and a tail. It restrained us."
"Sounds like a Drapion, based on your description," Officer Jenny explained, "poison dark types that have incredible physical strength. They are native to more rough terrain regions like Sinnoh or Galar. We'll need to contact our colleagues up north to see if J had acquired one when active in Sinnoh. It's weird, we've only seen her with her Salamence and Ariados whilst in Johto. Not that she had any trouble with just them."
"Yeah, that Salamence was something else," Ash sighed, "it must've been one of the strongest Pokémon I've ever seen."
"By all accounts, it's on the same level as the elite four so that's no surprise," Officer Jenny explained, "rumour has it, it once defeated Lance's Dragonite in a one on one match. No one knows much about J, or her life before becoming a hunter but some think she was a league winner. Others say a hit man for the underworld, who branched out to make her own money without people controlling her movements. No-one knows for sure."
"Oh my, Furret," Serena heaved, stepping away from Ash as she leaned over. Coughing up a storm as she felt her stomach revolt. Taking deep breaths, she wiped her mouth as the vile pooled on the ground, "w-what sort of person would she sell my Furret to."
"I'm sorry for your loss," Officer Jenny placed a hand on her shoulder, "I know this won't mean much but we've got everyone this side of Johto and Kanto looking for her. We are doing everything we can to find her."
"And if nothing else, you might not need to worry about your Furret. I understand this is upsetting but J has two types of clients, rich business personal and mercenaries. Furret is hardly the species to be needed in the criminal underworld and would more than likely end up being a new playmate for one of those business partners children... and if J believes that something has value then she wouldn't harm them... there's that at least."
She placed her hand on her stomach. She's at least relieved to know Furret's unlikely to go to... she fell over and curled up. Her vision was blurred as a fresh wave of tears entered her eyes. Furret is gone, and while the police are looking... this is Hunter J, it's highly unlikely she'll be apprehended.
"Serena!" she heard Ash call out.
Feeling herself get wrapped up in arms, she blinked away tears to catch the glance of Ash as the owner before a new wave of tears filled them. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she slumped her head down on her arm and freely wheeped. She'll never see her little normal type again.
She has no idea how long she was like that but by the time she calmed herself down, she found Misty on her other side. Brock was stood in front of her with the female officer squatting down in front of her with a concerned look. Feeling her heart break as the image of her long body Pokémon was at the front of her head. She tamed her quivering lip by biting down on it.
"I understand your sadness," Officer Jenny offered a sad smile, "but there's not much else that can be done here. Why I don't I give you all a lift to the nearby Pokémon centre where they took your other Pokémon."
Unable to verbally answer, she nodded in agreement to the sentiment. Leaning on Ash, he helped her back to her feet and lead her over to one of the police cars which the teal-haired officer walked over to. She caught sight of Brock and Misty entering another police car with a couple other officers, made sense since they couldn't comfortable fit all of them into one along with a driver. Sitting in the back, Ash helped put on her seat belt before doing his own.
Officer Jenny checked on them both before setting off down the road through the destroyed forest. She could see the flashing lights spinning from her window but no syrones could be heard. Glancing ahead, she saw the car that her other friends were in.
"So kids, want to continue what happened?" she asked, Serena saw her eyes through the middle mirror and they seemed focused on her for a second before turning back to the road, "you got up to the point where J used her Drapion to restrain you."
"R-right," she stuttered, taking a deep breath, "Croconaw and Furret attempted to free me but s-she froze them and had her goons take them... and we went up to her main control room. She said that she'd examine Tyranitar while waiting for Salamence to return."
"I'm not sure if my Pidgeot could've beat Salamence... even after it battled most of our other Pokémon," Ash interjected, "but we let it fly off and I followed on Pidgeot's back, which is how we found them."
"Tyranitar had a mark on her stomach, it was caused by some other poachers a while back," Serena explained.
"The Pokémon poacher brothers," the officer finished the sentence, "Ranger Mason had well documented their crimes... we recovered three burnt bodies from forest within the search and... we believe it to be there's. Based on what we know about all movements within the reserve, they would've run into one of J's squads and-"
It didn't take a genius to figure it out.
"W-well, because of that mark on her stomach... J decided that Tyranitar wasn't up to her standard," Serena continued, "she dropped her out of the ship... trapped in the cage she was being held in."
Serena saw Ash gag at the thought, no-doubt reliving the visit to her crash sight. She shivered too.
"It wouldn't be the first time," Officer Jenny sighed, "I'm guessing we'll find her body at some point."
"W-we saw it," Ash stuttered, "after we caught Serena from the ship... we went to see the crash site."
"Sorry you had to see that" she apologised, "when we get to the centre, I'll need to take your official statements... I can write them up based on what you told me; I'll just need you to sign."
"Of course," Serena's voice died in her throat.
"And don't worry about needing to testify," she replied, "we have so much evidence about her previous jobs that putting her away for life will be easier than it was for Giovanni. Once we capture her, that is."
An awkward silence filled the vehicle as Serena's head rested on Ash's shoulder. A depressed sigh left her lips as she glanced up out of one of the windows. They were still on the mountain road, with the destroyed forest surrounding them. She has no-idea how large a fire that Salamence caused but this really showed how much damage was caused... all for a Pokémon that J ended up killing anyway.
How could someone be so cold, she'll never know.
She felt Ash's hand on her shoulder, rubbing in a comforting manner. Grimacing in pain, his hand slides off and down to her waist. He whispered an apology into her ear as she relaxed back into his embrace. As soon as they get to the centre, she'll need to get her shoulders checked out. Still, a few cut marks from Pidgeot's talons is a much better option than what Tyranitar got.
A phone went off and the car pulled over before Officer Jenny answered it. She gave a few single word answers with longer pauses in between. Serena felt her heart beating against her ribs with every passing second. It felt like an eternity before the teal-haired officer ended the call. Putting her phone away, she sighed before leaning over her seat to look at them with a sorrowful expression.
"Okay kids," she sighed, "I'm sorry to tell you this but we've had to call of the search for J's ship. Some sort of aircraft was spotted leaving Johto's boarders a few minutes ago and it matched her arrival. Wherever she's gone, it's not in Johto."
"What's going to happen to her then?" Ash asked, "she can't just get away with this."
"I know how you feel," she reassured them, "but we're doing everything we can. There are a few regions she could be heading to from that direction and we're already alerting their border controls. The moment we know where she's going, we can work on stopping her for good. We just need to be patient."
As the car set off once more, the awkward silence resumed. Serena tightened her hold around Ash and glanced out the window... but all she could see was the image of J, holding Furret in the moments before turning her to stone... she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remove that image.
Serena squeezed her eyes shut and bite on her lower lip. She squeezed her hands shut and held them so tight that she could feel her heartbeat through them. Controlled breaths passing through her wrinkled nose as she tried not to move.
After arriving at the centre, one of the nurses took her to a medical room for a check over. She received a general good check - given everything that she went through but she still needed stitches in her shoulders. Which is where she is now. Weirdly enough, it was actually a Chansey that was stitching her up right now. Although she was thankful as she kept letting off Heal Pulses to help her keep her cool.
It felt like forever but eventually, she felt the normal type step back. "All done! Now it'll take a couple weeks for them to heel and scar over, but I used dissolvable stitches since the cuts weren't that deep. It will be barely visible when fully healed."
"Thanks," she smiled with a mental message, before her eyes burst open, "w-wait, how did you-"
"Know you're a psychic?" Chansey asked, a smile on her face that made Serena relax as she turned towards the nurse, "simple. Or medical official Pokémon are trained in mental health guidance, and part of that is helping psychics who can't contain or control their abilities. Whether Chansey, Blissy, Wigglytuff or any other nurse Pokémon you might find. Recognizing a psychic is easy for us. Sorry if the reveal startled you."
"N-no, its fine," she sighed in relief, "I was just a little thrown off. I only normally connect with my Pokémon or my friends so having a direct message was a little out there for me."
"Well if you need help with anything else, let me know!" Chansey smiled, "from what I saw in your folder, you had quite an experience. You need to take care of yourself after something so traumatic. Mental health is important!"
Smiling at the normal type, she put her pink dress back on over the black undershirt. Taking her red cardigan, she placed it over and finally fixed the blue ribbon around her neck. It was a little awkward, having that little clothing on but Chansey needed access to her shoulders. Glancing at her shoulders, her clothes were still damaged from Pidgeot's talons... they normally pick out new travelling outfits at the league anyway so maybe it's not so bad.
Shaking her head, she couldn't think about fashion or clothes shopping now. Dusting off her dress, she made her way out of the room.
Closing the door behind her, she leaned against the opposing wall and let out a sigh. Almost certain that her eyes had dried up, she couldn't stop the image of Furret from consuming her vision. Getting the stitches was enough to distract her for the time but when alone, it's all she could think about.
When Ash lost Gyarados, she didn't understand why he couldn't open up to her but after today... it made so much more sense.
While she could go and change into her outfit to one that didn't have the shoulders ripped, she really couldn't be bothered. Going back to the lobby and getting a room and going to change would leave herself alone for a long time and she couldn't have Furret's image haunt her for that long. Sighing, she slumbered down the corridor, following the signs on the wall to where she was told her Pokémon were resting.
She saw a couple of Chansey stood outside of one of the walls, appearing to converse over a folder of papers. Luckily, a large board on the wall showed the trainers who occupied each room. It didn't take her long to find her name and she made her way to said room.
Peeking through the window on the door, she saw all six of her remaining Pokémon on hand. Beedrill was the closest to the door, wrapped in bandages, covering his entire body. From what she remembered; Ash told her on the way back that he took a head on Flamethrower from Salamence beforehand. She frowned at the sight before looking across the room. Murkrow and Sylveon appeared to have bandages on as well, as if also burnt but not as surverly as her first caught Pokémon. Over in the far corner, Hitmontop was stood up with his back to everyone, punching the wall in anger. Tangrowth appeared to be in the best condition, sat by the window and absorbing sunlight. However, curtains surrounded the final corner and her last Pokémon.
Taking a deep breath, she reached for the door handle. It rested on there for a while, as every fibre of her being held her back. She left her team to fight that dragon by themselves, abandoning them and at the same time, lost one of their friends... how could she face them.
Shaking her head, she had something to tell her little rock ground type. Even if her team do hate her, he deserves to know the truth.
With her mind made up, she forced the handle down and slowly pushed the door open. Taking a step inside, she saw several of her Pokémon to towards her, the first being Hitmontop who grunted and turned back to punching the wall. Murkrow relaxed back onto her bed and closed her eyes, as Tangrowth smiled, also closing her eyes. Beedrill didn't appear to move. While Sylveon tried to push herself up, clearly struggling.
"No Sylveon, rest," she sent a mental message, "you need to save your energy."
Seeing her fairy type eeveelution settle back down, she gave a sad smile before quietly making her way across the floor. While she wanted to tell them about Furret, now isn't the time or place. Reaching the squared off curtain, she took a deep breath before stepping inside.
Inside was a single bed and a grey round Pokémon lying on its side, facing away from her. She recognised it as a Pupitar since Gary has one and Ash told her about his evolution on the walk back. Taking a deep breath, she felt her eyes leak single tears down her cheek. She missed one of the most important parts of her Pokémon's development and for what? To get Furret kidnapped and sold. What kind of trainer is she?
Deciding to do it before, she took out her Pokedex and scanned the newly evolved Pokémon:
Pupitar, The Hard Shell Pokémon. The evolved form of Larvitar. Pupitar creates a gas inside its body that it compresses and forcefully ejects to propel itself like a jet. The body is very durable-it avoids damage even if it hits solid steel.
Type: Rock / Ground
Ability: Shed Skin
Hidden Ability: N/A
Gender: Male
Nature: Docile (Note: This nature could change when this Pokémon evolves)
Move(s): Bite, Leer, Harden, Sandstorm, Screech, Chip Away, Rockslide, Scary Face, Thrash, Hidden Power, Taunt, Smack Down, Return
Putting the device away, she took a deep breath and whipped the tears from her eyes. She stepped into the square and kneeled down by the bed. Resting her arms against the bed, she sighed. A rustle on the bed and she saw the newly evolved Pokémon roll onto his back. He had some bandages scattered over his body, but he looked in relatively good shape compared to some of the others. His eyes were wide and held a sadness behind them.
Does he know? He couldn't, could he?
She shook her head and took a deep breath, "h-hey Pupitar. It's nice to see you evolved. Sorry I missed it."
"It's okay," his mental voice replied, it was no-long as child-like or filled with energy. More like a dull teen who wants to avoid family game night, "you were off trying to save my mum. That's what gave me the courage to step forward and face that beast. I just wanted to make you proud."
"Oh Pupitar, I'm always proud of you," she cried, reaching over to hug him, "but I don't deserve that sort of support. I-I have something to tell you."
Despite not receiving a mental message, the longing look in his eyes easily translated to, 'huh?'.
"I-I'm really sorry, Pupitar," she cried, "I tried to save your mum, I really did. B-but J caught us nearly instantly. She had a dark type ready to neutralise my psychic abilities a-and... and she took Furret. Once she was gone, I was powerless to stop her... I-if I brought some of the others like Sylveon or Beedrill t-then maybe... maybe it would've been different. I'm really sorry, Pupitar but J, she... she-"
She was cut off by the rock ground type rolling over to her and nuzzling against her chest. Looking up, her vision was once again blurred by tears as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. It was funny, despite being heavier, his skin actually felt smoother now he's evolved.
"P-Pupitar?" she asked.
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Serena... It would've been nice to meet my mother, I'll admit but," he paused, giving her chance to clear her view, "but I was never going to leave and stay with her. You're the one who hatched me and kept me safe for... well, all my life."
"H-how did you know I was concerned about that?" she asked.
"I had a really good mother who always seemed to know what I was feeling, even when I didn't know myself," he smiled, "guess I learnt it from her."
She pulled tighter on the hard-shell Pokémon as she felt a new wave of tears stream down her cheeks. Even if it'll be difficult to get over the loss of Furret, it helped that Pupitar took it so much better than she was expecting. She won't be able to move on easily and when it comes to telling all her friends, it's going to be tough... but she has to remain strong, if not for herself then for her team, her Pokémon, her friends.
Unsure how long they were together, eventually, she ended them embrace. The docile Pokémon rolled back onto his back with a smile. Serena couldn't help but return the gesture as she dried her eyes once more.
As a Larvitar, he was shy and coward away from nearly everyone. Slowly he came out of his shell, but even then, it was a long journey. From what she was told, it took him ages to just explore Oak's lab when he first visited and even then, he only did when Kangashkan was with him... seeing him now, however, he's like a completely different Pokémon. No longer shy but wise. Sure, he might still have an affectionate side but there's nothing wrong with that. He might not be as energetic either but his willingness to face off against Salamence, even after everyone else fell proved his heart was in the right place.
Serena couldn't be more proud of him.
Standing up, she pushed both curtains around to reveal them both to the others in the room. Walking around the bed, she backed up against the wall and took in the sight of her team. She gave a final glance down to the hard-shell Pokémon, who smile and nodded to her.
"Okay everyone," she sent out a mental message to everyone in the room, "I-I have something to tell you. It's about what happened on J's ship... and Furret."
Taking a deep breath, she looked around at everyone in the room. Beedrill and Murkrow barely moved but tilted their heads in her direction. Sylveon struggled up to sit instead of lying down, giving her full attention. Tangrowth stood up and embraced the girls' hand with her vine-y limb. Even Hitmontop stopped punching the wall, and half turned his head but not much else.
Ash leaned over the sink, looking in the mirror he saw his red face covered in sweat. Letting out an exhausted sigh, he turned the tap on and cupped his hands under the stream. Leaning down, he splashed the cool water over his face. Leaning back against the sink, he took in his appearance once more. It was hardly an improvement, but he honestly couldn't care right now. Shaking his head, he turned the tap off and made his way out of the restroom.
Walking down the corridor of the Pokémon centre, he soon saw Serena walking a head. Following behind her, he guessed she wanted to be alone right now and check on her Pokémon... that's what he's doing, after all. Seeing her enter the room that belonged to her team confirmed his suspicions.
While he knew where most of his team was resting, he headed past the board and towards the two Chansey nurses. "Hi, erm, sorry for interrupting but I was wondering if I could see my Dragonite now? Nurse Joy had to do some special treatment."
"It's no trouble at all, follow us and we'll check with her for you," one of the Chansey smiled.
Smiling at the normal type, she began walking down the corridor. He followed her down the corridor and he cast a glance into the room with Serena and her team as he past it. While he wished he could support her right now, he knows this is something she must do for herself. Following the Egg Pokémon, they soon came into a dead-end corridor with a series of large windows on one side allowing a view into a medical bay.
It was filled with different pieces of medical equipment but the thing that drew Ash's focus was his Dragonite resting on the bed in the centre of the room with big lights covering her whole body. Nurse Joy was stood by her head, a face mask on and reading some sort of paper file. Chansey put on a mask on as well.
"Wait here and I'll go and find out if she is ready for visitors," Chansey explained.
Nodding, Ash watched as the Egg Pokémon walked into the room. He watched the normal type walk over to her medical partner and make several gestures with her hands. Pointing back towards himself, Nurse Joy followed and locked eyes with him before turning back to the normal type. After another gesture, she nodded before turning towards them. Exiting the room, she took her face mask off and walked over to him.
"You must be Dragonite's trainer, correct? Ash Ketchum," she asked, to which he nodded, "sorry but I do need to check your trainers license."
"Of course," he replied, reaching into his pocket he pulled out his Pokedex.
I am the latest model of Pokedex issued by Oak's lab in the Kanto region. I can confirm the identity of Pokémon trainer, Ash Ketchum - A image of Ash popping up with a hologram. Putting the device away, he cast a glance at the head nurse.
"Thank you, we can never be too careful especially with Hunter J's work in the region," she thanked, "I understand you wish to see Dragonite?"
"Yeah," Ash nodded, "how is her condition?"
"She's badly injured and has sprained her wings at the base. She won't be flying for a few days at the very least," Nurse Joy explained, "and one of her fists has sustained massive nerve damage. We've done all we can for her but now we just need to wait to see."
"What about the league? Will she be able to compete?" Ash asked.
"I'm positive her wings shall recover, given plenty of rest and there's a good chance her arm will as well," Nurse Joy explained, "but as for a time frame, it's impossible to tell. She needs rest. All I can suggest is, get another nurse to authorise her status before any sort of battle, whether training or otherwise."
Ash nodded in understanding as he slouched.
"She also has several cuts and bruises," Nurse Joy explained, "but given time, they will also heal. We are preparing to move her back into the room with your other Pokémon as we speak but I can allow you a few minutes while I put a porter team together. You'll just need to wear a face mask."
"How come?" Ash asked.
"While your Dragonite doesn't have any sort of infection or disease, she is in a sterile environment," Nurse Joy explained, "we never know when or what the next emergency will be and can't take the risk of needing to clean it all when a patient could need to desperately use it."
Nodding in understanding, he accepted the clean face mask from the nurse and placed it on his face. It looped around each of his ears as the cover placed over his mouth. He adjusted it to make it as comfortable as possible and also cover his own nose. He made his way into the room.
Stepping inside, he stopped at the doorway. Feeling each breath rebound back over his face, he looked at his mighty dragon. Instead of holding herself like some sort royalty, however, she was spewed out across the bed with her tail dangling off the other end. Her snout was barely twitching as gentle breaths passed through. Her eyes were half closed as she glanced up towards him.
Frowning under the mask, he never saw the queen look so vulnerable and weak. Taking a deep breath, he stepped closer towards her and kneeled down by her head. She gazed up with a longing look as his hand reached out and rubbed her head. He felt his heart stretch at the sight of her.
"How you feeling?" he asked, "wait. Stupid question, I know. Sorry-"
"Its fine," she shook her head, "how are the others?"
"Their good... a little cut up but-" he paused, "but not to the extent you are... Beedrill is probably the second worst condition."
"Good," she relaxed back down, letting a small smile flick on the corner of her lips, "last thing I wanted was someone hurt because I couldn't protect them."
"You don't need to take that responsibility-" Ash was cut off.
"What sort of queen would I be if I hid whilst my subjects fought on the front line?" she asked, "it's the reason I trained with Aerodactyl before my evolution. I knew I wasn't on his level and thus couldn't protect those under my rule to the best of my ability. I don't see myself as a queen for ego or power, but because my species are some of the most powerful. That title is my promise to protect those who fall under that crown. Its why I chose you as my trainer."
"Chose?" he asked.
"With my evolutionary line, it's always a choice to have a trainer. We aren't everywhere in the wild like common Ratatta's and we only reveal ourselves to those that we feel we can trust," she explained, "and to stay with a human... that is always a choice, we're smart enough to know when we can't win a match up and would retreat if we feel the human in question isn't worthy."
"So why did you reveal yourself to Team Rocket?" Ash asked, "back when I first met you, I mean. In the Safari Zone."
"It's quite simple Ashton. They placed my previous kingdom under threat. I revealed myself to try and protect them," she explained, "obviously, it was a trap and I was subsequently captured but it made me realise that I endangered those subjects by my presence drawing the threat there... then I saw a young human, rushing in to save some Pokémon he never met before and I realised he held the values of my species whether he knew it or not."
"Dragonite..." he whispered.
"And seeing how recklessly he rushed into the danger, I knew I couldn't allow him to continue without sufficient back up and those previous Pokémon hadn't faced an issue like that before my presence so, leaving them was my only option," she continued, "that's how I made my decision and I would continue to make it, regardless of the perils that we face... although a little rest before the next disaster would be appreciated."
"Of course," Ash agreed, "Nurse Joy is looking for some porters as we speak. You go into the same room as the others and you'll have plenty of-"
"No!" she cried out, struggling to push herself up.
"Whoa, calm down," Ash pleaded, standing up. Luckily, she gave in a thudded back onto the bed, "what's wrong Dragonite?"
"I can't go in with the others, not in this state. Return me to my Pokéball and send me back to the lab, let me wait out the recovery there," she pleaded, "to see their queen in this state. The one meant to protect them would be unbecoming. It could-"
"No one is going to think any less of you for losing a battle," he explained, "especially not how long you went one on one with Salamence. He did a number on everyone today and you can't blame yourself-"
"It isn't about blame or my reputation. If they see your most powerful Pokémon, the strongest in terms of rawr strength-"
"I think Aerodactyl might have something to say about that statement," Ash chuckled.
"Aerodactyl is a fine warrior and certainly the most powerful in terms of experience. That experience is what would allow him to conquer myself in battle and others of my species," she explained, "but even he would occur that in terms of rawr, unadulterated power, I have him bestest. Even Snorlax has him beat in that one aspect of battle."
"Fair enough," Ash shrugged, agreeing with that assessment.
"If they see me in this condition then it will cast doubt in their mind, next time we face off against them, I don't want any of them to doubt themselves and thus put at more risk," she explained, "and as such, once I am fit I shall have Aerodactyl increase my training regime. I want to be ready for our next encounter."
"I know you do but how do you know we'll encounter them again?" he asked, "I mean, officer Jenny said that she's already off to another region."
"Because I know you, Ashton, and I know that while there is evil in this world who threaten to hurt innocents, you'll fight them," she smiled, "and I'll be right by your side. Like I said, its why I chose you to be my trainer and will continue to do so."
"Thank you, Dragonite," he smiled, leaning down to give her a gentle hug, "but Nurse Joy still needs to monitor you so you're still going into the room with the others. And I think you might be underestimating the others. Seeing you in this condition would only humanise you since, well, you can clash with others."
"I'm well aware of my history with the clown and the... loner," she admitted.
"But when they find out that not even you could handle Salamence, it will motivate them all the more to get ready for the rematch," Ash explained, "just like you said you were planning on doing. And we'll all do the same because we don't give up until it's over."
Standing back up, he took a step back to see a weak smile on his orange-dragons face. Smiling under the mask himself, he heard a creek and turned to see the door to the room entering. Nurse Joy was stood there with a team of two Machoke and a Chansey, all wearing face masks.
"Sorry Mr Ketchum but it's time for us to move Dragonite," Nurse Joy explained, "Chansey will be monitoring her vitals while doing so. You can check on her once we've settled her back into the room but if you'd like to follow me, both your Pidgeot and Phanpy are ready for collection. Since they either received minimum or no-injuries, they don't require observation like the others in your party."
Nodding, he made his way over to the human nurse as the Pokémon walked inside. She began leading him away as he saw the three medical Pokémon prepare to move his Dragonite.
"Thank you," Ash smiled as he accepted the two Pokéballs from the desk. Nurse Joy was stood behind it, a smile on her face, "for everything."
"No problem at all, it's what were here for," she smiled, "I'll send a Chansey over when Dragonite is settled and ready for visitors once again. Obviously, we'll need to ask you to wait her for a few days so we can keep up to date on all the Pokémon's conditions."
"Of course," he nodded.
Clipping one of the balls to his belt, he held the other one in his hand and stared at it. Stepping away from the counter, he briefly considered going to find Misty and Brock, the former was with her team in their own room from what he was told, while the latter was spending time with his team out back since they hardly partook in the battle and thus not as damaged with few acceptations. Instead he made his way over to one of the booths in the lobby.
Sitting down, he noticed that the lobby was virtually empty, a couple of police officers could be seen outside of the window, conversing over one of the police cars and Nurse Joy was still behind her desk but other than that, he was alone here. Taking a deep breath, he held his device out.
In a flash of light, his young ground type appeared on the table in front of him. His face had a wide smile spread over it and his ears extended out sideways with equally wide eyes. Rearing up onto his hind legs, he waved his front legs. Ash couldn't help but smile at him, even after such a horrible day, Phanpy's child-like innocence's never fails to lighten the mood. Reaching forward, he picked him up and gave him a quick hug.
"Hello mister Ash sir," Phanpy greeted.
"Hey Phanpy... I've told you before, Ash is fine," he smiled, placing him back down. Sighing, he leaned against the table, "listen buddy, there's something I've been thinking about... and I want to tell you what it is, it's not the best thing in all honesty."
"Huh?" he replied, "okie-dokie, mister Ash sir, I'm all ears."
He couldn't help the smile over taking his face as he reached out and rubbed the top of his head. It's really hard to feel anything but happy when talking to the little guy, "listen Phanpy. I know you've been working really hard in training and you've really come a long way from when your hatched."
"Yay!" he cheered, "big brother has helped lots and lots with that."
"Yeah, Togetic really took you under his wing," Ash smiled, "but I do have some bad news. It's about the conference."
"Oh no... did they cancel it because of that robot women who showed up earlier?" he asked.
"No, it's not cancelled, and J is gone... for now," he sighed, "it's just that... everyone competing is going to give it their all. They won't be holding back and will be bringing their very best."
"Togetic told me all about the previous leagues," he replied, "and showed me the battle between mister Aerodactyl sir and that not nice mister Dragonite. It was on the computer thingy."
"Yeah, that was one tough battle," he smiled, "but because of that, I don't think you'll be able to get a battle in. I don't want to put you up for a match that you can't win and will only get hurt in. If the opportunity shows itself for you to have a battle, then I'll definitely let you but... but I can't promise."
"aww," he frowned, his large ears flopping down, and head hung low.
"I'm sorry, Phanpy," he frowned, "b-but to make it up to you. How about when we go to Hoenn after the league, I bring you with us. So, you have chance to face a gym leader or two?"
"S-sure... I guess," he replied.
Ash couldn't help but feel sorry for the little guy. He has been considering this for a while and he knows that every other trainer will be bringing their best as well. He believes every Pokémon can be strong if trained and cared for but putting one in an unwinnable situation wouldn't help anyone.
Thanks for reading... Please Favourite, Follow and Review. Also, feel free to ask any questions through PM, I will answer them all, although don't expect too big of spoilers. Don't forget to vote in the polls. I really appreciate the support. Thank you and see ya next time...
