Ashes in May Ch. 15 Taking a Leap of Faith
Okay, once more this chapter will be very sad and intense so be prepared.
"Pikapi, pikaaa, pi? Pikapi," came a soft by pleading voice as it shook his shoulder. With a groan, he opened his eyes to stare up a ceiling as he laid in a bed. His eyes burned and his head hurt, so with a slow movement, he sat up to see his pal looking up at him. Still, for a minute or two, he just stared off as he regained any form of processing power. Slowly though, his memory of May and Gary came back causing him to burst up from the bed just a doctor stepped into the room. The woman wasn't able to even get a word out before Ash bombarded her with questions about May Maple and Gary Oak. The woman tried her best to calm the young man, but he refused to cease his freak out until Pikachu thunderbolt-ed him. Much to the irony of it all, it brought Ash back to his sense as he rose from the floor apologizing for his action. The doctor lead him back to the bed where she took a seat near the best to explain the situation to Ash. "Mr. Ketchum allow me to first tell you about your current health then you may ask me questions. (Ash nodded) Good, from what we've seen you are pretty good; you've been unconscious for about three hours, a long nap to say the least. After the lightning strike your suit was caught on fire, you were lucky enough that you were not severely burnt. Your clothing however is nothing more than rags so a nurse will be coming to drop something for you two wear. You have a few bruises from your landing and a mild concussion when your head hit the pavement. Last, you may have a ringing in your ear for an hour or two. Other than that, you are relatively okay. Now, what question would you like to answer."
"What is the situation with the guy that was with me, his name is Gary Oak. Also, I need to know about May Maple," Ash said. The doctor frowned, "Sir, the boy that had been with you woke up a few minutes before you surprisingly enough. However, I cannot tell you more and as for Ms. Maple, I cannot give any information about her as you are not a family member. Ash felt his eye twitch with anger, "You can't tell me?! I'm the Champion, I risked my life for you and everyone and so did those two and you can't tell me?!" The doctor frowned at this as she had hoped something like this wouldn't happen, she had seen this type of reaction before and wasn't happy to deal with it with the current situation. She had other patients to take care off. "Yes, you are the Champion of Alola, but you have no say in this as it's the law. As you are not biologically relating to either of the two, I cannot tell you of their statue lest I speak with their parents." Ash gritted his teeth, "Gary Oak's parents are dead. May Maple parents have disowned her, my family and I are the only family they have in Alola. Professor Samuel Oak is in Kanto and won't be able to come here because of the hurricane." The doctor remained silent for a moment before reiteration what she had already said pissing Ash even more. "What if I told you that May is pregnant, and the baby is mine. At the very least tell me the baby is safe!" Ash just about pleaded. It was a lie, at least biologically, he did promise to take care of May and the baby so technically he was going to be the baby's parental figure. The doctor knew what Ash was trying to do, she knew that the boy wasn't the father by the wording of his statement, but he did at least know enough about the girl to know that he knew her. "All I can say Mr. Ketchum is that she is alive and in surgery. You may visit Mr. Oak in his room, but I cannot divulge his statue with you," with that she excused herself leaving an enraged young man.
Ash wasn't stupid; he knew that it was law and that the doctor was only doing her job, but May and Gary were his family. Both of them were injured severely and he needed to know what the hell was going on. May had been hit by a fucking one-ton tree that had been ripped from the ground and flung across the air like a shitty twig, while Gary had been smote by damned lightning! Eventually, a nurse came by with a pair of shorts and that was all. The nurse suggested that he wear the shorts and a hospital gown as a shirt as many of the clothes had been taken by other emergency patients, etc. In short, Ash pulled on the lone shorts and what he hoped was new underwear because it looked faded. Pulling on the boxer he noticed how loose they were because one side was sliding down his hip. Thankfully, the shorts had straps he could pull and tie to keep them on his hips since he didn't have a belt. He wouldn't want his shorts falling in the middle of a crowded room and giving everyone an eye full of his manhood. Forgoing the stupid gown, he put his pokeballs in his pockets and stepped out of the room with Pikachu on his shoulders. He walked to a nurse seeking help to find out about Gary's room. The nurse guided them both to where Gary's room was. The door was closed so Ash knocked. "Come in," Came Gary's voice. Ash and Pikachu entered finding the teen on the bed in nothing by boxers and a blanket at his feet. Ash gulped at what he saw. His friend had a few treated burns scatter across his abdomen as well as a ferning giving his skin some red shading.
Lastly, was the actual lightning scar that ranged from Gary's left side of his neck over a bit down into his left arm stopping before the elbow, also down over his left pec and down his side then disappearing under the waistline of his boxers. Ash did notice that for some reason the lightning scar didn't go all the way down his leg. To Ash's surprise, the scar itself didn't look as bad as he expected, looking maybe a shade or two darker than his normal skin color. "Asthyyy-boy, great to sthee yer okay," Gary said weakly a slur evident in his speech looking at Ash at the doorway, "I wasth worried bout ya. Are you doing okay Pikachu?" Pikachu jumped onto the bed then gently and carefully nuzzled against Gary's neck letting him know that Pikachu was very grateful to him for what he had done. Ash smiled at his friend who looked so tired. He pulled up a chair to the bedside and sat down, "Thank you, Gary, you saved me. How are you feeling? The doctor won't tell me anything. Man, is it serious? You took a lightning bolt for me?" Gary winced as he chuckled, "I'm okay. Nosthing to bad. (Takes a breath) Doc said the scar isth permanent, but sthe rednessth and burnsth will go away. (Takes another breath) Doc sed it went in ma neck and out ma foot. At leasth it actually looksth like a cool tattoo." Gary chuckled a few more times trying to lighten the frown on Ash's face. He could tell Ash was angry, yet, he knew that Ash was most feeling useless and guilty. The doctor had told him about a few other things that had happened among them being that he had been dead for almost a minute before being brought back. He decided not to mention that at the moment.
Gary smiled at Ash and closed his eyes, "Relax, asth for the sthlur, it will pasth. Howth May? Were you able to see her?" Ash shook his head then remembering that Gary could see him at the moment, "No, they won't tell me anything. They said I need to be biologically related to get any information so..." Gary stayed quiet for a bit fighting the urge to drift off into sleep. "May, isth strong sthe will be fine. Okay-" Unfortunately, that's when Ash felt his own heart stop as Gary's heart literally stop. A flatlining beep rang from the heart monitor as Gary went silent. Ash felt frozen for a moment when doctors and nurses rushed into the room pushing out Ash in the process. As he was being pushed out he regained his mind beginning to frantically ask what the hell was going. "Wait, what's happening? Is Gary going to be alright?! Please, is he okay, what happened, he was fine?! Please, he can't die!" Ash yelled as he tried to force his way into the room, not hearing the nurses telling him that the doctors needed room to work, that they would do what they could for the young man. It took two male nurses and an amazingly strong small female nurse to hold back the now crying teen and just before they were about to essentially tranquilize him, he dropped his weight letting himself be held up by the nurses. The men then moved him over to a chair handing him a cup of water, then when nurses were sure he wouldn't make a run for it they let him be. Ash had his face in his hands feeling worried sick, he took a deep breath before getting up to use the bathroom telling Pikachu to wait there. He didn't have any options, he was useless, just like back then. He leaned over the sink looking at himself in the mirror. He stared for a good few minutes when he noticed a figure in the corner of his eye. There in the bathroom with him was none other than Drew.
"Well, Ketchum are you happy now," Drew said arms crossed.
"What?"
Drew shrugged his shoulders, "You heard me. (Silence). I came to the hospital because Finia went all noble. Just as I'm about to leave back to the hotel to wait out the hurricane, guess who I see being brought in on a gurney?"
Ash looked shocked quickly taking hold of the green-haired shoulders, "Drew, is May okay what happened?"
Drew glared shoving Ash off him, "She was pretty bad. The doctor won't tell me anything until I told her I was the father of the baby. Still, I spoke with this guy named Lima, the doctors wouldn't tell him anything about her condition either. I had a little chat with him, and he told me you were the one who sent her out into the storm."
"I…She wanted to help. She's strong and she wasn't alone. She was-" Ash tried to explain getting cut off by Drew's next outburst.
Drew snapped in an uncharacteristic burst of emotion, "She was pregnant!"
Ash was taken about by the sheer volume of Drew's voice. For a moment Ash could only stare at the glaring Drew. He wanted to glare at the other teen, he wanted to be mad, but he couldn't, he knew it was his guilt that was overcoming him.
"May is in surgery. They didn't tell me much even with the baby daddy excuse, but she started to bleed from between the legs and there is fluid in her abdomen. The Lima guy said she got rammed by a fucking tree. A fucking tree, Ketchum. I know I've been an asshole to her, I adamantly don't want the rugrat, but I don't fucking want her to die."
"I don't want h-her to die, either. She wa-anted to help," was his weak replied as his voice cracked from the pressure.
"Yet you sent her out in a typhoon! I know May enough to know she doesn't like being treated like she's weak, but her hurt emotion were not priority. You sent a pregnant woman out there; do you hear what that sounds like! Even though we're in the heart of this five-story hospital, you can clearly hear the storm."
Ash felt rage and guilt build in him while he tried to think of anything he could blame, anything but himself. He could only stand silently glaring nothing but hatred at Drew.
Drew almost looked smug at the fact that Ash was so furious, "But it's not only that is it. You had to drag in one of the brightest up and coming minds in the world with you. Not only did you endanger May with your presence, but you also may just have cost Professor Gary Oak's life. I don't care about what connection you have to him but it's clear to see that they're here because of you. It's your fucking fault that Professor Oak is dying and May's badly hurt. How do you feel now Champion of Alola? Protector of Alola and its people and Pokemon? I'm more than glad to say that you're not the great champion people make you out to be. You couldn't protect your own mother let alone an entire country."
Ash paused looking at Drew with utter disbelief. He didn't know how Drew knew about his mother's death or if he knew what he was even talking about but to say that stunned him to the core was an understatement. Gritting his teeth, lowering his head, and balling his fists so tight his knocks turned white, his breathing all but stopped as he hissed out, "You don't know anything about my mom or what happened that day."
Drew dare to stepped closer as his green hair hiding his eyes, "At the very least you can say I know exactly who's to blame. If Oak dies it will be your fault; if May loses that baby it will be your fault. If Mat dies, you will be solely to blame, KETCHUM!"
That was it. In a split-second Ash burst out of the restroom running through the halls, running down all the flights of stairs and out the door. In his state of mine, he couldn't even remember that he had left his partner Pokemon at the hospital. It was now that the colossal hurricane hit the islands with full force. Ash ran through the flooded streets of Hau'oli city, his heart hammering against his ribcage as if wanting to break out. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him; feeling the thud of each footstep and the splash of water that hit his bare legs. Rain pelted him like a bullet seed bruising him, and the wind felt like sandpaper on his tender skin. From above the clouds swirled ominously as they flash with light every so often. The sea roared as it reaches up the shores trying to pull anything into it. The sounds of crashing waves and booming thunder echoed through the air as the air itself screeched with fury. The storm had brought chaos to the lands of Alola much like the whirlwind of emotions reverberating within. One thought screaming over all the noise proclaimed, "It's your fault! They're going to die because of you. It because of you that they got hurt. IT IS YOUR FAULT THAT SHE DIE!"
Ash's breath heaved as he then let out a scream of pure agony. Tears melted into the rain that soaked his face. His wild hair swamped down over his face as if to hide his sorrow. His vision blurred with tears and the heavy rain caused him to trip landing face-first into the flooded pavement. He quickly rose his head up inhaling deeply cursing out as thunder rolled. The water had done nothing to break his fall as his knees, arms, and face were cut by the rough pavement below. On his knees, he glanced over his surroundings and in the dim light around him he saw that this was the park where he liked to bring Elio to come to play, and right across the street was the ice cream shop that he, May, and Gary like to spent time. He let out a sob at the memory of their laughs, or the silly games they played. His eyes cried as he stared at the shop, his heart burnt because his thoughts of the girl and boy lead to the reminder that they were dying. Lighting charge above the boy before sticking down a tree behind him and at that moment, Ash bolted forward his body once more in a full sprint towards route 2. His legs felt like there were lit on fire, yet his torso felt cold and was shivered. Lightning streaked through the sky illuminating his path for a brief second before it all went dark. Dark. Empty. Lonely.
He didn't know how long he had been running but he was now leaving the city, out by cliffs of route 2. The road began to incline making it harder for Ash to run yet he did not stop. He sprinted with everything he had, even when the ocean rose up the steep cliffside washing over the road. It felt like slow motion as Ash turned to the left to see the wave moving towards him. His legs felt like they were moving through honey, he tried to will his legs to move faster but he couldn't. Lightning struck the sea far behind the wave bring light to illuminate the water causing a figured shadow to be cast over Ash. Ash gasped in fright right before the wave threw the teen out his feet. Ash yelled out as he felt the power of the water crash onto him, followed by the bone-crushing pain of being slammed against the concrete. Agony shot through his back and head due to his body colliding with the hard surface beneath him bring an involuntary gasp allowing seawater to enter his lungs. As the water pulled back over the cliff edge Ash coughed and choked, his lungs set ablaze disparately trying to expel the saltwater out. There on all fours, Ash miserably hacked out the water from his lungs finding no relief in the air he took in. Once more a wave rose over the cliff, this time however it barely made it over the cliff allowing for the water to be level with his elbows. He was suffocating, he was on fire, he felt broken, he felt empty. This was just like before, like that day he had lost her, and now he had lost them. Slowly, Ash rose on shaky legs and he took a step forwards; he couldn't run anymore, still, he took another step.
Slightly smaller waves continued to climb the cliff with just enough power to throw Ash off balance. At this point Ash allowed his sobs to join the chorus the storm sang around him. The wind blew over his bare skin as it swung him from side to side, the sea tripped his every step, and the land left cuts over his arms and legs. The storm mocked him as his own heart ached and his soul fell silent. Pushing threw he eventually hovelled to the one place he could be with his mother, Hau'oli Cemetery. He passed gravestone after gravestone with only the lightning from above to provide brief instances of vision. Finally, his legs refused to move another step, so he dropped to his knees before a fallen tombstone. It was broken in many pieces and reach over Ash took hold of the bent metal plaque.
Delia Ketchum
To a mother who cared and loved. She, who supported dreams that reached the sky.
A mother who dearly loved her son and gave him all her love.
"Don't forget to your change your underwear, every single day."
Ash gave a struggled laugh as she read his mom's famous quote. Bringing the plaque to his chest as he sat there, soak from the rain, cold because of the wind and heartbroken because of his own decisions. He hugged the plaque wishing his mom could make all of it go away. "Mom, I'm so sorry! I'm sorry I couldn't, I couldn't ahhhhggh!" he cried aloud barely feeling the warm tears come from his eyes. "It's my fault! Now Gary and May are going to die because I sent them out into this typhoon! Why?! Why?! Why do I always put those I care about in danger?!" 'Why? Why? Why?' he chanted in his mind, the storm around him sounding so far away that his body was numb to the storm rough embrace. Now everything was silent to his, all but his own voice that mocked him, that broke him, that cut him. Then he heard a voice call out over the voices and over howling winds.
"Aaaahahaa. Aaaahhaa. Haaahaaaa," rang the soft voice coxing Ash to open his eyes and lift his gaze out to sea. His eyes seemed to dull as two small red balls of light flew through the air as if flowing like water. They emanated aura as they flew encircling Ash before each settling over his chest. At that moment Ash felt emotionless. It wasn't peace though not emptiness either, it was more of a neutral state. With only a sense to move towards the sea. So, he took one slow step at a time towards the cliff's edge. From where Ash stood at the edge of the cliff the waves could be seen rising like mountains reaching to scrape the sky. The dark clouds swirled around blocking light from the sun with only the flashes of lightning to illuminate the world. The rain poured falling heavily over him as he took a step forward knowing deep down the outcome of that step. Ions charge in the clouds before raining down right for Ash; it hit the spot with incredible power just as his feet detached from the ground. Allowing himself to plummet down the steep drop to his death. He fell into unconsciousness due to the shockwave from the lightning shook his body. He dropped into a retreating wave that pulled him under deep into the depths of the sea. There a group of sea-dwelling Pokemon surrounded the unconscious young boy each concerned for him.
'Mana, mana," was all that heard as a small blue Pokemon ordered a Primarina to create a bubble to allow for the boy to breathe. Once the bubble was around his head a pair of Mantine carried him through the water, deep beneath the rage waves, and soon before them was the elusive and mythical, Temple of the Sea, Samiya. A temple as large and tall as a city deep under the ocean, a temple built by the people of the water; the temple that freely roams the oceans of the world. The home of Manaphy.
There you have it. I guess this was a bit of a cliff-hanger, huh? AAAAAHHH…sadness, okay I know it was a lame pun. Anyways, I hope this was an okay chapter, and I hope that you are still interested in continuing the story.
