The door broke open, as Professor Cerise, Chrysa, Ren, Eva, and Serena came in.
"Don't over exert yourselves." They said in unison.
"Pikachu use Thunderbolt!" Ash called out. "I really hope this isn't Serena."
The electricity zapped the five people, as they evaporated into nothingness.
"Move." Goh said helping Chloe up, and Ash into the chair.
"Okay, what are we going to do, we're still stuck on a boat." Ash pointed out. "And they're coming back!"
Their five friends were reforming into an odd mesh of themselves, calling out for them to stop.
"Ash, we need ideas, what could've caused this?" Goh asked, as they rounded a corner.
"Psychic or Ghost type Pokémon are our best bets." Ash said. "Our other option is Darkrai, but he likes to make me know it's him."
"You said Unown can warp reality, could it be them?" Chloe asked.
"Hold on. Pikachu use Discharge!" Ash said, the coming mass once again dissipated. "If it's Unown, they'd have to be here, localized. Think what happened when things got strange."
"We were in that odd garden, and after we left, we found Snom in your bag." Goh said.
"Our phones! We took photos!" Ash said.
"Anyone have theirs?" Goh asked.
"No, mines back at my room." Chloe said.
"I think fake Serena had mine." Ash said, his eyes glowing.
"Ash, what are you doing!" Chloe cried out. "Buying us time, Snom wasn't here right?"
"Yeah, what are you getting at?" Goh said.
"Well, maybe our injuries aren't real either." Ash said, grabbing the arm rests of his chair.
"And what if you're wrong?" Chloe asked.
"Then this is going to hurt." Ash said standing up. "Now go! I'll hold this off, get a phone, find answers."
"Good luck." Goh said, as he and Chloe left Ash behind.
"Alright, show me what you've got." Ash said.
"PiKaChU!" The mass screamed, enveloping Pikachu, before becoming a monstrous version of it.
"Of course you weren't real." Ash said. "No matter, I'll still do whatever it takes."
With Goh and Chloe
"I don't get it, if Ash's injuries are fake, why does my head still feel weird?" Chloe asked, as Goh set her down for a moment.
"I'm not sure, even my shoulder feels better, you should be fine." Goh said, removing the sling. "We need to keep moving though, no telling how far behind us they are."
"But Ash." Chloe began.
"Is buying us as much time as he and Pikachu can, but who knows how long that'll be." Goh said, helping Chloe up again.
Back with Ash
"I don't want to fight you." Ash said, throwing up another barrier.
"PEEEKAAH!" The Pikachuish monstrosity cried out.
"You're my best friend! I can't hurt you!" Ash shouted, dodging another bolt of lightning. "Pikachu! I need you!"
As if the seas heard Ash's cry, a storm began shaking the boat, as lightning struck, dissipating the monster for now.
Back with Goh and Chloe
"Goh I can't keep doing this." Chloe said, holding her head in pain.
"Chloe we're almost there." Goh pleaded.
"I know, but it's like my head is trying to take in everything at once." Chloe said, beginning to cry.
"Look, you rest here, I'll be right back with your phone." Goh said, laying Chloe down.
'Princess, I can help you'
"Regice? Ow. What's going on?" Chloe asked.
"You've been tricked, I can wake you up, but I need a way in." Regice said.
"Do you know what's doing this?" Chloe asked, slowly walking to the edge of the boat.
"I do not, I only know that all of this isn't real." Regice said.
"So why am I in so much pain?" Chloe said.
"That might be my fault. When it happened I tried linking us to keep you safe, and it didn't work." Regice explained.
"I remember." Chloe said, getting a flashback to the garden. "When we got there, we weren't alone. A Pokémon called that place home and began attacking us. We were hit by something, and then we were fine?"
"Not quite, I don't believe you are fine." Regice said.
"Are you sure about this." Chloe said queasily.
"If I'm wrong, I'll catch you." Regice said.
"Okay, I trust you." Chloe said, holding the necklace.
"Chloe!" Goh shouted running towards her, as she jumped off the side of the boat.
"Goh! What happened!" Ash shouted, running up.
"I don't know, I went to get her phone, and when I came back she was jumping off the boat." Goh said.
"Why did you leave her!" Ash shouted.
"She could barely walk, I didn't think she'd escape." Goh argued.
"Okay, we need to think. We have no Pokémon, no Chloe, and no way off the boat." Ash said.
"And the phone doesn't work." Goh said, showing the phone to Ash.
"Also Pikachu wasn't real and now is part of the monster." Ash said.
"What if jumping is the only option?" Goh asked.
"And what if it's the wrong option?" Ash reminded. "What if that's not a safe way to get out of here. We need to find an escape boat, or a radio, or a flare."
"Assssssh, Goooooh. Where are you?" The conglomerated voice of their friends called out.
"I say for now, we run." Goh said.
"Good idea." Ash replied.
They ran around the floor of the boat, having not made any progress, eventually reaching a dead end.
"Come here you two, we need to make sure you're okay." The voices said.
"Looks like this is it." Goh said.
"No it's not!" Ash said, pulling them into a room.
He ducked them into a corner, hidden from sight, keeping his hand over Goh's mouth.
Minutes passed as if they were hours, until they heard the mass leaving.
"What was that? How did you know?" Goh said.
"Whisper, I think whatever this is needs to be able to hear and see us. That's why Pikachu's attacks worked so well, they're loud and bright." Ash whispered.
"Wasn't Pikachu one of them though?" Goh asked.
"Maybe, but the storm isn't." Ash said. "The boat should have some sort of fog horn, or signal lights, if we can get to the control room."
"And how are we going to do that?" Goh asked.
"Simple, aura platforms." Ash said.
"You've gotten good at this." Goh whispered as they walked up more steps of aura.
"Not sure how much of this is me, and how much is this reality." Ash replied. A bolt of lightning illuminating the area. The monsturous mass just in front of them, atop the control center.
"Go! I've got this!" Ash yelled.
Goh ran to the control room, crawling through a broken window.
"Come and get me!" Ash shouted, making him as noticeable as possible. The mass lunged at him, swallowing him whole, as Goh watched.
"Ash!" Goh cried out.
An aura bubble bounced up, from where the mass landed. Inside was a hysterical Ash.
"It worked!" Ash shouted, as he dove into the control room. "Now hurry!" Ash said putting a larger bubble up around the room.
"How long can you hold it?" Goh asked.
"With my track record, not much longer, I've used a fair bit lately." Ash said, his focus fading. "Hurry."
"I'm trying, I'm trying!" Goh said, struggling to find the right switch. The monster just outside, beating on the shield.
"We need to care!" The monster shouted.
"I can't do it." Ash said, falling to the ground.
The aura barrier broke, as a hand shot through, grabbing Ash.
"Not this time!" Goh shouted, slamming down on a button. A large horn went off right above the cabin, and right in front of the monster.
The monster, and the boat dissipated, as Ash and Goh began to fall to the cold water below.
"This is it!" Goh shouted in fear.
When the splash happened, it wasn't hard, or cold, or even rough.
Goh opened his eyes to see plants.
"Goh, you're awake!" Chloe cried out.
"Chloe! You're alive?" Goh exclaimed. "What happened? And where's Ash?"
"We were attacked by a strange powder by accident. The Pokémon have been caring for us. As for Ash, well." Chloe said, looking over in the distance.
Deeper in the cave, a black and gray monkey like Pokémon placed Ash's unconscious body in a pool. The water immediately began to glow.
"Care." The pokemon said.
"No you don't!" Goh said.
"Goh wait, I think it only wants to help." Chloe said.
"How do we know it isn't trying to trap us on that boat again?" Goh said, reaching for a Pokeball. "Where's my Pokémon?"
"Cinderace and Lopunny are over there, Shiftry and Ekans are over there, Skarmory is up there, and Drizzile is in the pools." Chloe said. "All of our Pokémon are fairly calm right now."
Goh looked around, seeing that their Pokémon for the most part were relaxing.
"Where's Serena?" Goh asked noticing her and her Pokémon weren't there.
"Regice said she went to get help from people down the mountain." Chloe said.
"Help." The pokemon said, handing Goh a wooden bowl. Inside of it was a yellowish liquid like soup.
"Umm, thanks." Goh said.
"Help." The pokemon repeated before taking another bowl and sipping from it.
"Oh, it will help. Okay." Goh said, taking a sip.
A while later a team had come back with Serena, rescuing the three trainers from the mountain.
A while later, Ash woke up in an oddly familiar situation.
"Ughh, don't tell me I'm still stuck here." Ash groaned, trying to sit up.
"Hey, hey, hey don't try you're still pretty weak." Serena said, gently pushing Ash back down.
"How do I know you're really Serena, and not some weird figment of my imagination." Ash interrogated.
"How's this for proof?" Serena said, kissing him.
"That'll work." Ash said.
"Hey, we're here too." Goh said.
"So, was it just me, or do you two remember…". Ash began not sure how to describe what happened.
"The cable car, Snom, Corvinight, the avalanche." Chloe listed.
"The ship, the storm, the monster, your aura bubble." Goh added.
"And what happened to us?" Ash asked.
"That garden was a safe haven for grass types, when we went in, some took us as a threat. Sent you three into a coma like state." Serena said.
"Then how are we here?" Ash asked.
"The guardian of the garden, Zarude, it helped you three heal. I think it took an interest in you and your powers." Serena said. "He gave you this before we left." She continued, gently touching the flower in Ash's hair.
"I wonder what this flower is for." Ash said, looking at it.
"You'd think Zarude could've removed it from the stem and roots." Chloe pointed out.
"Wait! Get me a pot for this, something to plant it in." Ash said.
After re planting the flower, Ash looked at the flower. Whatever it was, Zarude had given him the entire flower for a reason.
"Well, next stop, Vermillion City. We're finally going home." Chloe said.
"After what we've been through, there isn't much left we can do." Goh said with a laugh.