As much as he hated to admit it, Ash Ketchum didn't have a plan.
The open gash in his chest burned against a hurried bandage and an evening wind that threatened to knock him off the boat. Waves shifted under his feet as the ferry pulled away from flashing lights and sirens on Lily of the Valley Island. A late June sun sank under the horizon, painting the sky and the water a myriad of reds, oranges, and pinks- leaving a single lantern at the front of the boat as the primary source of light.
He ran his fingers over his belt- everyone was accounted for. He had just enough time between stumbling out of the forest and leaving the Island to swap his exhausted team members for fresh faces.
"Halfway there, son, hang tight," the pilot called, turning the steering wheel.
Ash waved back. "Got it, thanks!"
Pikachu, perched on Ash's shoulder, motioned to his trainer's stomach. "Pikapi, chupichu."
Ash looked down to find spots of blood dotting his favorite- and soon to be ruined- black shirt. He pulled his vest tighter, with a wince. "Thanks, buddy."
His PokeGear rang, shattering the relative peace on deck.
"... hello?" Ash asked.
"Ash! My God, I'm so glad you picked up. Are you all right?" Professor Oak asked.
Ash hissed as the boat hit a large wave, pain shooting through his torso. "I've been better!"
"Are you in a place where you can tell me exactly what's going on?"
"No, I don't think so," Ash looked towards the pilot, who merrily adjusted his radio and sang along to a bluegrass tune. "I'm not alone."
Professor Oak muttered under his breath. "Not ideal, but I have a few ideas. Where are you?"
"About halfway between the Island and Sunyshore City. Sun's almost down, caught one of the last private ferries out. Figured that'd be better than waiting in line."
"Good choice. Are Brock and Dawn with you?"
Ash shook his head. "No, we were separated in the fray. My PokeGear's almost dead so I figured I should save battery. I haven't heard from them."
"I'm sorry to hear that. When you make it to shore, I need you to do three things."
"Anything."
"After the boat lands, take the SIM card out of your PokeGear and destroy it. With the amount of people after you, we can't risk anyone with the League tracking your location."
Ash almost dropped his PokeGear. "Wait, what?"
"Oh God, you haven't heard. The League's put out a warrant for your arrest on counts of Pokemon cruelty."
"No, no, no no no this can't be right," Ash squinted across the water, a faint black line on the horizon signaling land in sight. "Everything I did was to protect myself and my team!"
"I don't believe a word they're saying. Tobias Langley came forward as the initial reporter-"
Ash lost the rest of Professor Oak's sentence as a stream of memories broke through the haze of panic that settled over his mind.
A clandestine copse in the forest outside of Stadium A, found on a quick walk with someone he hoped would be a new friend.
Tobias himself asking Ash what his secret was, how someone who was barely fifteen managed to knock out not one but two of his team members when no one else in Sinnoh could.
Darkrai attacking from nowhere, aiming for Sceptile and Pikachu with a point-blank Ice Claw.
Ash taking the hit for his starter, the ice so cold it froze the wound shut.
Pikachu launching off of Ash's shoulder to nail both trainer and Pokemon with the strongest Thunder he could summon, storm clouds blotting out the sun overhead.
The resulting explosion and smoke cloud giving Ash enough time to grab Pikachu and run, dashing headlong for the Center…
"Hello? Ash, are you still there?"
"Yeah, sorry," Ash shook his head in a feeble attempt to clear it. "Would you mind repeating that?"
"Next thing you need to do once you get to shore is change, if you have spare clothes. Something people don't normally associate with you. Do you think you'll be able to find a way back home?"
Ash looked down at his shirt, slowly splotching red. "I think I may need medical attention first."
Silence echoed over the other end of the line. "Hold on, let me see what I can do-"
Key clacks echoed over the line as the ship pulled up to its dock. "All right, there's a small Center just outside of Sunyshore. Go south and you'll find it. Call me on a landline when you get there, write this number down somewhere so you don't have your PokeGear on."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Any time, Ash. Stay safe."
Ash ended the call. He wrote down Oak's number, then pressed a button on the side of his PokeGear and pulled the SIM card from its slot.
"What do you think, Pikachu? Do you want to take a crack at things, or should I let Quilava finish this off?"
Pikachu crossed his arms. "Kachu, pikapichu!"
"Got it, it's all yours."
"Land ho!" the pilot cried.
Ash paid his fare and waved goodbye as soon as the boat docked, ducking onto a gravel path just off the shore.
"Oak said to go south from Sunyshore, which I think is that way?" Ash motioned towards a faint glimmer of light to his left.
Pikachu shrugged. "Kachupi, pikapi."
"Hang on, you're probably right-"
Ash ducked behind overgrown bushes and yanked his shirt up, biting back a cry at the mess that lay beneath it. Four gashes in a loose claw mark soaked through a makeshift bandage that ran from his right shoulder to his left hip.
"Looks like the ice melted," Ash muttered, wincing as his wounds met open air. "Pika, I need you to cover me while I try something crazy. Yell really loud and send a Thunderbolt up if you see anything coming our way."
Pikachu nodded, then ran off into the cover of the forest.
Ash took a deep breath in, gathering his focus. His fingertips flickered blue before his aura burst to life, flames concentrating into two tiny spheres.
"Great, what now?" Ash muttered. "If only I'd paid attention when Lucario talked about healing wounds when we were in Rota…"
He combined two spheres into one and held the manifestation of his darkest secret closer to his chest. Strands of energy not unlike solar flares cracked away from his hands, seeping into his chest. Ash sighed with relief as the pain lessened.
His vision wavered five minutes later. Ash reluctantly let go of the aura in his shaking hands.
Pikachu darted around a tree. "Pikakachu?"
"I think it looks better, don't you?" Ash asked.
Pikachu squinted at the half-healed claw gouge in Ash's chest, then let out a squeak of approval.
"Not sure what that did for my strength, but the bleeding's stopped! We're not out of the woods yet-"
Ash trailed off at the dirty look that his starter gave him. "Right, bad pun. Sorry. First things first, we gotta get to the Center and call Professor Oak. How the heck are we gonna get there without a map? That's normally Brock's job…"
Pikachu pointed his tail towards the last remnants of the sun.
"West! Great, looks like we need to turn left here…"
Ash and Pikachu set off to the south, following a well-worn forest path in the direction of the Center. As night fell, their surroundings went almost completely black, throwing the trees and shrubs into severe shadow. A new moon rose overhead, the pinprick light of stars barely enough to pick out the trampled path.
An hour later, Pikachu tugged on Ash's ear, earning a yelp of pain from the trainer.
"Geez, what was that for?"
Pikachu pointed forward. "Chuka!"
Ash peeked out from behind a huge oak tree to find a clearing about three-hundred feet ahead, filled with Galactic grunts. All assembled orbited a huge machine, an all-too-familiar figure with red hair barking orders from the control panel.
"Crap," Ash said. "Pika, what do we do?!"
Pikachu paused. "Kapi, chupika?"
"Sneak around? Any other ideas?"
"Pi!" he gave Ash a deadly glare.
"Okay, you win. Come on, super quiet-"
Ash and Pikachu set off in a wide circle around the Galactics, taking care to mute their steps and stay low to the ground. They made it halfway around the clearing before a grunt slammed into them, eyes wide.
"Hey boss, we got intruders!" he yelled, moving to tackle Ash.
Ash couldn't move fast enough, Pikachu flying off his shoulder as he made contact with the ground. The grunt dragged him, chest down, into the center of the clearing.
"Arceus, Brandt, you'd better be right this time…" a familiar red-haired figure turned around, murder in her glare as she took in Ash's bloodied visage.
A sinister grin split her face. "Welcome back, Ketchum. Thanks to your stunt on Spear Pillar, the freaking International Police's been on our tails for weeks. We can't breathe wrong without Looker tracking us down, all thanks to you."
Ash remained silent, heart threatening to hammer out of his chest. He winced as he felt the fragile new skin over his wounds break open, an all-too-familiar dampness returning.
"And on top of it all, you sent Cyrus into the void! Where'd you send him, huh?" she pushed.
"I don't know!" Ash blurted. "All I did was work with Azelf. The other two-thirds of your problem aren't here!"
Mars' face burned red. "You spoke with Dialga before he returned to his dimension! Where's Cyrus?"
Ash pulled back as Mars lunged forward, a pokeball in hand. All present Galactic grunts fanned out in a combat formation, light filling the clearing as Pokemon appeared.
"Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" Ash dropped to the ground. Lightning rocketed through the clearing, eight Zubat and Golbat fainting.
Mars rolled out of the way- Purugly, Crobat, and Houndoom appearing at her side. "Get him!"
Ash tossed out the rest of his team. "Do or die, let's go!"
Torterra appeared with an earth-shaking roar, an Earthquake rumbling the ground beneath his paws. Starraptor took to the skies, sniping flying-types as best as he could. Muk, Totodile, and Glalie teamed up with Pikachu.
The grunts who survived electrocution released the rest of their teams, Ash losing count once he passed fifteen more Pokemon.
Holy crap, we're goners, Ash backed up until he hit a tree.
An Ice Beam shot out from the trees, freezing Mars' Crobat solid. Ash's jaw hit the floor when an Empoleon burst into view, firing off a spinning Hydro Pump. A beautiful Altaria was right on Empoleon's heels, a Dragon Pulse nailing Purugly in the chest.
A small girl with a mass of coppery curls popped out of the forest and gave Ash a wave. "Let's get this over with, shall we?"
"Absolutely," Ash said. "Pika and Totodile, keep your distance! Torterra, make an opening!"
The newcomer had an electric battle presence that rivaled any gym leader or frontier brain. Her team countered the grunts with enviable precision.
"Were you competing this year?" Ash yelled.
The girl ducked a Gust and shouted a command to her Empoleon. "Hell no! Just got back from Johto-"
Ash pulled her out of the way of a Thunderbolt.
"Thanks for that. Azul, Metal Claw!"
Her statement was cut off by a roar of frustration from Mars and a frantic Hyper Beam from Purugly. Empoleon took the hit and fell back, Pikachu and Altaria moving forward to counter.
A combination Dragon Pulse and Volt Tackle sent Purugly careening backwards. Mars ordered another Hyper Beam.
Torterra landed a massive Frenzy Plant. Purugly teetered back, its attack shooting into the sky, before rolling down a steep hill.
Ash winced at the sound of bones cracking against stone.
Mars returned her most powerful Pokemon and lunged forward, fist extended. "You son of a-"
Ash cut her off by blocking the blow but he couldn't move fast enough to counter the second, which caught him in the chest. Pikachu jumped on the Galactic commander and pulled her hair, sending her veering away from him and towards his unexpected ally.
"Thunder Wave!" the newcomer called.
White lightning crackled from Altaria's beak before enveloping Mars completely. She hit the ground, paralyzed from the neck down. A string of obscenities followed, quickly lost in the drone of battle.
The last of the grunts exchanged eye contact and fled, abandoning their unconscious comrades as they ran into the night.
Ash stood, shellshocked, as his team gathered around. "Holy crap, we're alive."
"You could say thank you, you know," the girl winked.
Ash opened his mouth to speak, only a cough coming out. Blood spattered the ground in front of him.
"Oh no, no no nonono," the girl helped Ash to the ground. "You're hurt. What happened?"
"Long story," Ash winced.
She paused, hands shaking. "I… I might be able to help."
Indigo sparks shot from her fingertips, echoing in her midnight eyes.
"Don't freak out," she blurted, cutting Ash's half-coherent thought off before it left his mouth. "You've seen a Lucario before, right? I can do what they do-"
Ash shook his head. "No time. Rogue Darkrai on Lily of the Valley Island tried to kill Pikachu. I stopped him, but…"
"Oh my God, you're Ash Ketchum," the girl recoiled once Ash showed his soaked bandage. "You do realize all of Sinnoh's looking for you, right?"
"So I've been told," Ash deadpanned.
She cracked her knuckles, eyes grave. "Well, the League will have a harder time finding you if you're not about to bleed out. This is remarkably well-healed considering this all happened… two hours ago?"
Ash's palms sparked blue, sputtering out after three seconds.
"You're kidding me."
"It's been a very interesting day."
"You're telling me," the girl shoved her hair out of her face. "If you're okay with it, let me see what I can do."
Ash nodded. "Please. Whatever they did ruined the progress I made once I got here…"
"On it," she channeled her aura into Ash's chest. "Stay still, it's easier to focus when you're not flopping around like a Magikarp."
Ash watched his skin knit back together. "Doing my best. Never did catch your name."
"Aurian," she grinned. "Aurian Copland. Wish we could've met under better circumstances."
"Likewise. I don't mean to pry, just wasn't expecting to run into anyone this far outside of Sunyshore at midnight."
Aurian rolled her eyes. "Don't get me started. Long story short, crap hit the fan when I got back from the Silver Conference. Anywhere's better than home right now."
"Including a one-man raid on whatever Team Galactic was trying back there?"
"Still better than Sandgem," Aurian muttered. The stream of aura from her fingers wavered, her steely gaze unfocusing for a second.
Ash put a hand on her shoulder. "You'll faint if you keep going. I'm not worth that."
"And you know this how?"
"Learned that one the hard way at the Tree of Beginning a year ago," Ash looked down, satisfied with the progress Aurian made. "You're a miracle worker, I owe you one."
Aurian pulled him to his feet. "You've been to Rota? I've always wanted to go, what's it like?"
"Incredible," Ash said. "I don't know why, but it feels like coming home."
"Speaking of home, are you going back to yours? Staying in Sinnoh probably isn't the best move," Aurian crossed her arms.
Ash shrugged, the fire from his wound reduced to a dull throb by Aurian's handiwork. "I don't know what else to do. Professor Oak told me to come home, so that's the plan."
"Want some company for the road?" Aurian shouldered her backpack. "I wouldn't want to travel alone in your condition."
Ash raised an eyebrow. "Surely you realize what coming with me would do for your reputation."
"Can't be worse than what my stepmom called me on my way out the door. Besides, if your history's anything like mine, you've totally been tailed for the aura thing. That's even more reason to stick together, right?" Aurian blurted. "Safety in numbers."
"For all you know, I'm a stranger with an arrest warrant."
"For the record, I know that your team is wicked good and that your arrest warrant is bullcrap. No one who cares for their Pokemon as much as you do would ever do what the League said you did," she grinned. "Where to?"
Ash turned over his shoulder. "Professor Oak told me to go to a tiny Center south of Sunyshore, but I have no idea where it is now that the sun's gone down. Never was the best with directions."
"Lucky for you, I know that Center! Your team needs help and you could probably use some antiseptic on that claw mark of yours."
"Please," Ash sighed. "At this point. I'm not sure if the constant burning is a good or a bad thing."
"I'm no medical professional, so I'll bow out of this one," Aurian tried not to smile but failed. "It'll be faster if we fly, would you like to borrow one of my flying types? Your Starraptor is awesome but he took some pretty hard hits."
Ash exchanged eye contact with the battered team member in question. "Yeah, that sounds good. Thanks for your hard work, everyone, get some rest. Proud of you all."
He returned all team members except Pikachu, who climbed on his shoulder and waited with expectant eyes.
"You can borrow Chance or Ace," Aurian tossed out a Staraptor, who stood next to the Altaria. "Take your pick, I'm fine with either one."
The Altaria hummed a merry tune as Ash clambered on his back, Pikachu settling in the crook of his neck.
"Good choice, Chance will take great care of you," Aurian climbed on Ace and returned the rest of her team. "I'll take the lead, just hang on and let Chance do the work!"
The pokemon took off, leaving the carnage of their battle in the dark forest below.
"You mentioned being followed," Ash yelled over the whip of the wind, "by who?"
Aurian nodded. "Team Plasma's been awful. Not about the aura thing, just because they marked me as a threat and tried to take me out. Repeatedly. You?"
"Don't get me started about Team Rocket," Ash said. "They're after Pikachu and the rest of my team, all because I accidentally took down three of their field agents the fourth day of my journey."
"That sounds like an interesting story," she laughed.
Ash groaned. "I'd rather have them than Galactic. Rocket's not cohesive enough to be of any danger at the regional level. Galactic, on the other hand…"
"Yeah, that Spear Pillar thing! Had no idea that the top of Mount Coronet even had something like that and I've lived in Sinnoh most of my life," Aurian shrugged. "I'd kill to know what happened up there."
"If we make it to Pallet Town alive, I can fill you in."
Her eyes widened. "You were there?!"
"I tend to be wherever the world is ending."
"You too?" she asked. "We'll talk more about this later, we're almost there!"
The duo landed just outside of the Pokemon Center, touching down in a small gathering of trees.
"What's the plan?" Aurian leaned in, returning Ace and Chance.
Ash frowned. "I didn't think I would make it this far. Um. Okay, how about you carry me in and we play it as an emergency?"
"They'll figure out we're lying when they see that your two-hour-old claw gash is half-healed," she countered.
"Great," Ash shrugged, "that's all I got."
Aurian rolled her eyes. "Spectacular. Follow my lead-"
Ash pulled her back at the sight of two trenchcoated agents entering the Center. The two men flashed badges at the Nurse Joy behind the counter, who shook her head.
"International Police!" Ash ducked down behind a bush. "What now?"
"There isn't another Center for miles. If we wait it out, this is the last place they'll look," Aurian trailed off. "Hang on, how do you know they're International Police?"
"Long, long story."
The duo stayed out of sight for another ten minutes, waiting breathlessly.
Ash attempted to melt into the bush he hid behind as the agents walked back outside, taking a road leading in the direction the duo came from. "You think we're clear?"
"Now or never!" Aurian helped Ash up.
Nurse Joy looked up upon their arrival, gasping at the sight of Ash's bloodied shirt. "Oh my-"
"No time," Ash hissed. "I was attacked in the forest. Do you have any human medicine?"
She nodded. "Let me rally the Chansey and have my interns gather what we need-ladies!"
Three women in pink scrubs dashed forward, a fleet of Chansey running behind them. The interns escorted Ash and Aurian to a room in the back of the Center.
"You sit there," the lead intern said, plunking Ash down on the exam table. "You did pretty well with that makeshift bandage. What kind of Pokemon did you tick off?"
Ash bit his lip. "I'd rather not say."
"Also, are you okay with your friend being in here?" a second woman motioned towards Aurian.
"I'd like that," Ash answered. "If she's okay with it, of course."
Aurian nodded. "Whatever helps."
Nurse Joy burst into the room with a mass of bandages and antiseptic in hand, three Chansey at her side. "All right, let's see what's going on here-"
She removed Ash's bandage and stared at the wound, brows furrowed. "How strange. The blood on your shirt is recent, but this looks significantly healed. What happened, young man?"
Ash froze, heart threatening to beat out of his chest. "I… um… crap. I was on Lily of the Valley Island."
"Were you there, too?" Nurse Joy motioned towards Aurian while readying a needle and thread.
"No, but I found him just as Galactic did," Aurian crossed her arms. "Wasn't pretty."
Nurse Joy frowned. "You also match the description the International Police gave us a few minutes ago."
"Please don't," Ash begged. "I don't want to cause any trouble, I just want to get home."
"Everything they said didn't add up," Nurse Joy took Ash's hand. "And even then, we can't disclose patient names due to privacy laws. Your timing was nothing short of miraculous. Come on, let's get you stitched up."
Ash withdrew at the sight of the needle. "Please tell me that's not going in me."
"If you want to avoid infection, yes," the intern said, dabbing at Ash's wounds with a cotton ball soaked in hydrogen peroxide. "Sorry, this is going to sting."
"Great warning, thanks," Ash winced.
"And you'll feel a pinch right about… now," Nurse Joy said.
Ash gripped the lip of the exam table so tight his knuckles turned white.
"Not a fan of needles?" Aurian asked.
"Cried at every shot I've ever had until I turned twelve."
The third intern passed over a grey t-shirt and a Sunyshore University hoodie. "Clean clothes do wonders! Joy's almost done, then we'll bandage you up and send you on your merry way. Where's home for you?"
"Pallet Town, in Kanto."
"Oooh, that'll be tough to get to with the IP looking around," the first intern tutted.
The antiseptic-wielding woman's eyes lit up. "Not if they go to the regional airport instead of the international. I bet there's a cargo plane they could sneak on. My brother's a pilot, he goes to Kanto at least three times a week."
"That's better than any of our plans," Aurian said.
Ash raised an eyebrow, averting his eyes from the stitches. "We had a plan?"
"We do now," Aurian stood from her chair. "Thank you so much for your help."
Nurse Joy slapped a salve on the claw marks, then replaced the dressing. "Our pleasure. You'll need to change this daily- I hope someone can help you, wherever you're headed."
Ash grinned. "I can think of a few people."
"Excellent. The regional airport is a mile north from here, you can't miss it," an intern passed over a paper map and two water bottles. "Are you hungry? Do you need anything?"
"Would there happen to be a phone I could use?" Ash asked.
Nurse Joy pointed back towards the lobby. "Back towards the front, last door on your left."
Ash and Aurian darted into the computer lab and closed the door.
"Who are you calling?" Aurian settled into a chair next to Ash.
Ash pulled a crumpled paper from his pocket. "The only person I trust to get us out of this."
Three rings later, Professor Oak appeared on the screen, visibly relieved.
"I am so glad to see you. Did you make it to the Center?"
"That's where we are now," Ash said.
"We?"
Ash nudged Aurian. "I made a friend."
"Aurian Copland, nice to meet you," the smaller girl smiled.
"Anyways. I have eighty stitches-"
"Ninety-two."
"Fine, I have ninety-two stitches and I'm no longer bleeding. Nurse Joy suggested we use the regional airport instead of the big one. What do you think?"
Professor Oak nodded. "It may be harder to find a direct route to Kanto, but that might be to your advantage. Stay out of sight, disguise yourselves if you can. Do you have enough money to cover tickets?"
"The League dropped my prize money in my account before they decided to arrest me, so we're good," Ash said.
"Unless you want the International Police to find you before you can find asylum somewhere, I don't recommend that. Aurian, would you be able to help?"
"No one other than Mars knows that we're traveling together and she doesn't know who I am. It's our best shot," Aurian offered. "I can do it. Any other advice, Professor?"
"Change clothes if you can, swapping backpacks would be good, too. Anything that makes you less recognizable to the general public. Ash, there are photos of you circulating on every major news network," Professor Oak sighed. "The sooner you get here, the better. I'll start making calls and seeing what I can do to help. Pallet won't be safe forever."
Ash bit his lip. "Would it be better if we went somewhere else?"
"No, come home. I can help you best if you're here. Best of luck, please keep me posted if you can."
The line went dead, Ash and Aurian's faces reflected in the blank screen.
"To Kanto?" Ash asked. "Are you sure you want to come with me?"
"I know it sounds like I'm kidding, but this is way better than what I'm leaving in Sandgem. Something tells me you need a friend right now," she paused, midnight eyes bright, "so I'm in if you'll let me."
"You're something else."
She snorted. "So are you, Ketchum."
"Welcome aboard, here's hoping we're alive and free when we get to Kanto!" Ash grabbed her hand and pulled Aurian forward, the duo and Pikachu vanishing into the night.
(A/N): Hello, and welcome to the beginning of Light in the Aftermath! This is the prequel to my other project with Ash and Aurian, called Primary Intentions. While this fic can technically be read as a stand-alone, I'd recommend going back and reading Primary Intentions if you can for additional background information.
I don't think this will be quite as long as Primary Intentions, but time will tell. Thank you for coming along for the ride, and don't forget to follow if you'd like to keep up! Shoutout, as always, to thechinskyguy for his fantastic beta skills.
See you on the flip side! -PL