"Then, about... Say two days later, Jessie, James, and Meowth showed up again-"
Ash glanced away from the computer screen before him with narrowed eyes, "I'm getting a feeling that this happens a couple more times?"
The now brunette dead panned, "They followed you through Hoenn, and Sinnoh after Johto. From what I heard from May-"
"May?"
"Old traveling buddy," He grunted in acknowledgment and turned back to the screen in front of him, "It was the same thing, except they had new Pokemon,"
"Great..." He paused thoughtfully, "Get them on the line, I want a list of whatever they can remember,"
Misty blinked in surprise, "H-Huh?"
He spun around in his chair and raised an eyebrow, "We discussed this," He said plainly, "no questions,"
"But, should they know that you're alive?"
Both turned their attention to Alyssa as she cleared her throat, "They... They already know, more or less anyways,"
Their attention was fully on the blond, "The two you fell in front of Ash, at the contest hall... It was them, May and Dawn,"
He blinked, "Perfect, so they already know." He spun and continued on with his searching, "So Mist," He said, "I need a list by..." He looked to the ceiling, "Six tomorrow evening,"
"So soon?"
"I don't have a lot of time,"
And that ended that topic.
He had called upon both girls for his search following his discussion more or less with Anderson.
His requests had been granted, he'd been given information that had been previously been kept from him, kept in the loop, and kept away from people who looked at him like a murderer.
The girls hadn't spoken a word about what he had said back in the holding cell, and for that he was glad. He had few people he could trust, and right now the only ones he could, were the girls, Sue, and his mother.
He still didn't entirely belive that one.
He had Alyssa hack the Rocket database and sending him just about whatever the hell she could pull out of it, while he had Misty recount any stories from their past to jog his memory.
Apparently multiple stories of these Jessie James and Meowth characters all melded into one big grouping, as his only remembrance of them seemed to be what their appearance was, and the occasional capturing device they acquired.
How those three idiots actually worked for Team Rocket was honestly beyond him.
Why would Giovanni hire those three?
Off topic.
"Aly," He said without looking away from the screen, "drop the stuff on shipments, and start searching for..." HE trailed off, leaning closer to the screen to read the microscopic print, "1997,"
"97?" She asked confused, he half turned and raised an eyebrow "97 it is,"
He figured he was being rude, but overall he didn't have time for them to second guess his request.
Should Domino return to Team Rocket, she'd inform Giovanni of what was taking place.
He would then have to double his efforts to locate the bastard before Domino came for him.
Again.
"Then there was the first time you entered Indigo League," Misty carried on, "the three in some giant robot tried to steal the flame of Moltres,"
Really? For what reason would they need... He shook his head, scanning the files in front of him.
He scrolled down, reading the names and dates created when someone knocked twice on the door, "Yes?"
"Ash?" He spun in his chair at the voice, it was Cynthia, "I'd like to speak with you if at all possible?"
He looked between the girls who both looked at him, and shrugged standing up. He opened the door, and stepped out into the hall, "Find out something?" He asked curiously.
Apparently not, the smile on her lips had something else in mind.
"Good news," She said. Did he catch... Giddiness in her tone?
"Which is?"
A smile, bright as the sun spread on her lips, "What do you think about getting your memories back?"
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Ash asked the girls to leave his room, telling them he'd be going on a quick assignment, before following Cynthia down to the underground levels of the HQ.
According to the blond, his antidote had been finally concocted. Although it did take longer then the promised one month period.
He digressed.
Cynthia led him into a medical room, with a bed in the center, and a bunch of medical machines set around him.
"So here's where it all goes down huh?" He asked removing his shirt and sitting down onto the bed, "how long until the drug takes affect?"
The door to the room opened and a doctor and three nurses came in, the doctor answered, "A few hours for it to work into your bloodstream, from there on it's up to you. It could take a couple hours, days, or possibly weeks. But we managed to rebuild the serum you were given from the blood sample you gave us, and built a counteract-ant for it. So if this goes according to plan, you should be your old self in no time,"
Ash scoffed, "More or less anyways," He looked around the room, "I need you to strap me down for this," He said casually, "Arms and legs once I'm out cold."
The doctor and Cynthia regarded him hesitantly and he continued on, "I don't know what'll happen once I wake up. I could be hostile, confused, or plain ol' Ash Ketchum. But one thing I know is, if I don't know what the hells going on having me strapped down will be the safest thing for everyone."
Cynthia looked to the doctor, "Is that alright, or will it affect the transfer of the drug?"
"It'll be fine once it spreads evenly through his body, so twenty minutes after injection I suppose,"
"5," Ash rebutted, "I'll get my blood flowing once it's in, make it beat faster,"
"I can't recommend-"
"Cynthia does he know about our little situation?" He asked meaning the previous day.
The Sinnoh Champion grimaced, "He's fine to go about it," She said tiredly, "let's get started then shall we?"
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
As the liquid was injected into both of his arms, he looked at Cynthia, "Don't say a word to anyone about this,"
Her head tilted in confusion, "Don't you want them to-"
He was shaking his head before she finished, "If it doesn't work, I'd rather them not lose hope. I know I was someone else Cynthia, but if I don't regain those memories I'll be Shayne. It's not something I can change, I see myself as Shayne, not Ash Ketchum. They can't know that,"
He dropped to the ground and started a rapid series of push-ups, despite his ribcage screaming at him to stop. It had only been a few days since he broke them after all.
When his heart was beating faster, and the drug making it's course through his veins, he got onto the bed and laid down, allowing the nurses to hook him up to the machines.
"Lance, and Steven know," She said, "the three of us were notified immediately once it was finished."
"The others cant then, a secret until this is over. Tell them I went on some sort of recon mission or something for a possible location of Giovanni if they ask. No one, finds out."
Cynthia placed a hand on his shoulder, and he felt the warmth and softness of her skin, "I promise Ash, we'll be taking shifts to watch you while you're out. So close your eyes, and clear your mind."
He did as she said and closed his eyes, taking in a deep breath and letting it out across his lips.
A few seconds later the monitor connected to his head frenzied, the brain activity skyrocketing to unsafe heights before dropping down so that it was just barely readable.
Cynthia stood next to Ash as he fell into a coma.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Shayne emerged from the darkness, onto a path of white leading forwards into the shadows.
I can finally say, that I have gone entirely insane.
The though depressed him, but it was true. One minute, he's getting hopped up on drugs from Cynthia. The next, well... Standing in nothing but shadows, with a bridge of white light leading into nothing...
God, had they given him, acid?
Shoving his hands in his pockets, he sighed and started forward down the only path. Best not wallow back here when I obviously have to follow the path.
He sighed again.
He was insane.
His footsteps made no sound on the light below him, and surprisingly he was okay with the silence. For the longest time now, it was truly just himself alone, no noise, no people.
No body requesting anything of him.
That was definitely the best thing about this, he was alone.
Looking around the shadows, he said aloud, "Never been on drugs- Well none that mess with my mind this- that put me in a place I don't know-" He paused thinking hard, "That sent me to space,"
He walked down the path, nothing but him, the bridge, and the silence.
He couldn't have been walking for more then five minutes before he came to a branch in the path, turning ninety degrees left for about five meters before stopping outside of a door. His eyebrows dropped together, and his hand went for the M9 at his hip.
When his fingers brushed over thin air, his shoulders sagged and he groaned.
It wasn't there.
Checking his person for a weapon, he let out one of many sighs and started down the path empty handed. Looks like I'm going in with fists only...
Shayne walked towards the single door, black with a golden shining knob, and two words engraved on the front.
Final Days
Counting to three, he twisted and pushed open the door.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Daddy Daddy!" Shaynes head cocked to the side as he saw a small child, aged 4 he guessed, run down a flight of steps away from a building that read, Pallet Daycare, before leaping into a mans open arms.
The man, tall, dark haired, tanned, wearing a blazer and khakis picked the boy up and spun him around.
The child giggling.
"Hey there Mister Master," The man grinned at who could only be his son, "Were you good today for Mrs. Bitz?"
The child nodded enthusiastically, "Uh-huh, Gary and I-"
Well hey there Ashy
Ma gramps won't give you a Pokemon
I'm gonna be the best Ash! You are to much of a loser!
Shayne blinked as the voice, young like the childs filled his head, fairly narcissist and arrogant. Shaking the voice away, he watched as the father laughed at something he had missed, "Is that so Ash? Are you gonna tell mommy that, or should we keep that a secret between ourselves?"
"Can't tell mommy, she'll go crazy!"
The man laughed again and began walking towards the gates of the daycare, placing the child onto his shoulders, "We'll keep it a secret then okay?"
Before Shayne could hear the reply, the door slammed shut as if a gale force wind had struck. He stared at the engraving, Final Days,and tried to remember.
The final days of what? Daycare? That was the most plausible answer, and if he was correct.
Which he knew he was.
There were going to be more doors like these, Ashs- His, their memories. It was his job to look through them, see his-Ash's, their past.
Unless he was mistaken and had driven himself to the point of insanity.
Always a likely answer.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
The Start
Further down the path, past seven or eight doors, was The Start.
Pushing open the door, he was greeted with the sight of a bedroom, TV on displaying a Pokemon battle, and he-Ash, completely engrossed as a Gengar dodged a Nidorino.
He watched and listened as his mother entered the room and told him to go to bed, before she allowed him to stay up a tad later if he watched a lecture about the three Kanto starter Pokemon by Professor Oak.
This door stayed for longer then the previous few, showing him drifting to sleep before awaking and sprinting out of the house, still in pajamas towards Oaks Ranch atop the hill.
Here he watched as Gary, his oldest rival received his first Pokemon, before receiving his own in a shocking display.
Now I understand the high tolerance to electricity. He thought simply as the door swung shut with a thud.
He turned and started back down the path, that door had obviously meant the start of his journey.
Understandable.
He stopped himself at the next door, Friendships Beginning, and hesitated. He briefly remembered from when he, Pikachu and Misty had spoken how he and Pi had originally met.
The flock of Spearow, stealing Misty's bike, the waterfall... Pushing open the door, he wasn't surprised to see himself hurling a rock at a Spearow, which then began attack Pikachu.
If each of these doors, lasting from two minutes, to an hour at a time showcased major events from his life, or the ones he had cared to remember anyways. He would have to look through at least ten years of his life.
And right now he didn't have ten years to spend in this place.
This was his mind wasn't it?
If every minute he spent here, would that constitute a minute back in the real world? Or was it double? Triple even!?
He wouldn't have time for this, not each door. Heck any of the doors. He had to get back...
Oh shit.
How do I get back?
Shayne shut his eyes, and visualized a door, a door which simply read The End. What would be at the end, he didn't know. Would it show up? He wasn't sure.
His eyes opened, and no door.
"Dammit," He looked around the shadows, nothing but the path of white going North and South, with branches off East and West every so often, "Why can't there be a hall of doors," He muttered, "And at the end, the final, the one that makes me leave here with everything..."
'Come and find the end, skip the home-videos and we can palaver.'
Shaynes hand went for his handgun, but once again, nothing but air.
"Who are you?" It was him, and he knew it. His own voice, same tone, same eerily calm that he had used on many occasions in the past, "And what is a palaver?"
He responded amused,'Let us speak, you know who I am, and I you. Once you and I meet, all your questions will be answered.'
Insane... Yeah, he had gone insane.
He walked on though, skipping each door, or home-video as his other had called it, and along the path of white.
Just because he walked past each door, didn't stop him from reading the engravings, such as:
First of Many
The Older Brother
The Sketchist
The Waterflower
Chosen One
He stopped at that particular door out of plain curiosity. The older brother, Sketchist, and Waterflower, had all been past friends apparently. But the chosen one?
When he had pushed open the door, he had watched in stunned silence as he saw himself flying atop the legendary Lugia, Articuno, Moltres and Zapdos alongside them. Hundreds of Pokemon on the sea and formed Ice layers.
A flying machine, him falling into the depths of the ocean, a girl,Misty, the Sketchist...
Man he was insane...
Once that finished, he continued until his feet quit working at what he saw ahead of him.
Coming from seemingly out of nowhere, doors appeared. Aisles upon aisles of doors. All black, with a golden knob, and an engraving.
There has got to be thousands... The shear amount, just... It truly took his breath away.
All of those memories, of what? He did not know, but he would.
Soon
His footsteps made sound now, quiet padding sounds as he walked through the long aisles reading engravings when he had the chance.
One door stopped him though, and he was tempted to open it.
Love
Would it show Dom...? Or someone else?
This was another persons memories, it would not have been Domino. Would it? If it was, then there was hope, even though highly unlikely, that they may still make it through all this...
After a little more thought, he chose not to enter, deciding to leave it for whatever happens once's he was back in the real world.
After what seemed like a day of walking, surprisingly he did not in the least feel the slightest bit tired, he came to the end of the aisles, and to the final door.
A golden arch, single hardwood door with a copper knob.
Engraved?
The End
When his hand gripped the doorknob, it was warm, oddly so...
It felt alive.
Turning the knob, he pushed opened the door and stepped into the room.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"About time you showed up," Shayne watched as the darkness dispersed, and instead was replaced with the outdoors. A pure blue sky, and a beautiful green plain that stretched into the horizon in all directions.
Walking towards him, was a member of Team Rocket.
Dressed in the black sweatshirt and pants, light gray boots, gloves, and black cap. Black hair jutted out from beneath, and he could see the brown eyes as well.
"I've been stuck back here while you," Ash waved at him offhandedly, "Did what ya did,"
Shayne stared at his other, and asked the question that he needed before all else, "Are we the same person? I'm you? My real name is Ash Ketchum?"
Ash looked him square in the eye, "Yes, Shayne was just a name we used when we went through Orre and Indigo. You'll remember soon enough though."
"When I go back, what happens to you?"
Ash looked up into the sky, and scratched the side of his face, "Well, I really don't think much is going to happen. There are three options that I've been able to come up with,"
"And those are?"
"You and I will blend into one new personality, with both memories shared between us, the most-likely of the three,"
"Second?"
"Well I have memories stored for the past 19 years, right?" Shayne nodded, "You got everything after that. So my theory is that I'll take the reins again, but will have your memories to fill in the gap of where ever the hell I wake up,"
Shaynes face contorted uneasily, "And what... Happens to me?"
Ash paused, "My guess is, is that what ever memories you possess is you. And since I have those, you'll still be there, just a memory. In other words, you die, and I live with the consequences of anything you've done,"
Shayne was blinking rapidly, "I die?"
"Or the third, and actually most likely to happen. We go insane, 2 voices in one mind. Bickering, fighting, thinking the other doesn't exist until we drive each other over the edge and place a barrel in our mouth and blow our skulls to hell..."
"So there is no way that I survive is there?"
Ash shook his head, "Unfortunately no, but truthfully, that is a good thing,"
"How so?"
Ash remained silent and sat down on the ground before laying out straight, "I personally hope for the first option, that my personality remains unaltered and I just have whatever memories you had for the past year. My reasons?" He fell silent, a contemplative look overtaking his face as Shayne sat down next to him.
"I've gone through far to much, much more then you realize. I've lied, hurt, fought, done everything within my power to survive. Even when I wanted to commit suicide, I stopped. Everything I've worked towards has been taken away from me, I just want to end this. End Team Rocket,"
"I do to-"
"No, you were kidnapped by Team Rocket, lied to. But you thought that you were truly apart of them. I'm guessing it wasn't until recently that you've started thinking that they should be shut down?" A nod, "And because of that, you will never know if what has happened to me had truly happened to you or if it was all just a dream."
Shayne sighed and brushed his hand across the lush green grass, "I have a lot of questions, but it seems as if they won't matter if I die."
"It's not guaranteed,"
"No, but either way. You or I, or both of us need to get back there. I don't know how long we've been knocked out for,"
Ash groaned standing up, despite not feeling any stiffness, "Stand up then, and let's hope for the best."
Shayne did, and Ash came over to him and placed a hand on his forehead, "Close your eyes," He did, as did Ash.
A light wind picked up around them, before picking up into a full blown hurricane. The two standing in the middle of the plains remained unaffected, neither being moved.
Thunder cracked, struck the ground and opened a rift which crumbled inwards and began running towards them.
They heard a siren.
A crowd.
Voices.
Explosions
Gunshots.
Felt warmth.
Cold.
Pain.
Happiness.
Sadness.
And then nothing.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
He awoke with a jolt, his eyes snapping open as he went to sit himself up in a frenzy.
When his arms tugged against resistance, his eyes fell to the handcuffs that kept him secured to the bed.
"O-Oh God," He muttered, What happened? Where is he?
His eyes opened in horror, Who, was he?
"HELP! HELP!" He screamed wrenching his right hand against the cuff to pull it loose, "HELP ME!"
His terrified eyes landed on the door as the handle rattled before turning to open, revealing a blond woman.
"Ash!" She exclaimed in surprise.
"Who are you! Wha-What am I doing here!?"
Her body went rigid and she came next to him, "What do you mean who am I?"
He cringed, "I-I don't know what's happening, I-I who, where am-"
The woman grabbed him by the shoulders and stared directly into his eyes, "It's me Ash, Cynthia, Cynthia Ash it's me, your name is Ash! Do you remember? Do your remember me Ash!?" Her voice was rising in pitch as it became more frantic.
"I-I-I Don't kno-" The frenzy ceased, and Cynthia let go of his shoulders as his mouth fell shut, and his eyes went distant, "Oh... Oh God," He muttered, he looked at Cynthia, "Cynthia?"
"Yes Ash, do you know who I am?"
His head nodded just visibly, "Where am I?"
"You are at the G-Men headquarters Ash, you came here after we got you out of the Team Rocket facility where they wiped your memory! Do-You-Remember?"
He did.
Gravity seemed to increase as his entire body felt heavy, as knowledge and memories shot through his mind in a rapid fire. His eyes stared at the ceiling unmoving, as if in a trance until he muttered, "Undo the handcuffs Cynthia,"
"Are you sur-
"Undo the cuffs Cynthia!"
"Why-"
"Now please!"
When she saw the desperate look in his eyes, she did.
And when she did, he bolted off of the bed, tripping over his own feet as he ran straight through the door and down the hall.
Shit! She thought running out the door after him, she saw him push through a door and followed him in. Her eyebrows drew together as she saw him shove open a bathroom stall, before grimacing at the sound of him losing his lunch.
"Yeah," She heard his voice come from the stall, followed by a groan, "I remember this," And then he threw up once more into the toilet.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Around forty five minutes later, Ash and Cynthia sat on a bench in the hallway. Following fifteen minutes of throwing up, Ash had brushed his teeth multiple times, and then showered intensely once he was notified that he'd been in a comatose state for four days straight.
"So what do you remember?" She asked finally after a few moments of silenced pasted between them, "Are you Ash? Or, or are you the Ash we rescued from that facility?"
When he spoke, he did so slowly, as if unsure of the answer himself, "I'm... I'm me Cynthia, Ash Ash. Not Shayne Ash..."
"Are you sure?" He nodded, and when he did. He was startled when the Sinnoh Champion took him into a hug, "Thank God," She muttered, before releasing him with a grin of relief, "We are glad your back, we need you more then ever now to finish what you started."
His head turned away from her slightly, "And I'll be ready, just not right away... Things are still, weird... Everything feels like a dream right now,"
Her grin didn't leave her face, "Take your time, but in about two days all of us are going to need to meet up to discuss our next move,"
He nodded in understanding, "Great, I'm going to tell Steven and Lance, and I'll leave you to do what you need. Eat is probably number one on the agenda I'm guessing?"
He didn't answer right away, "What time is it?"
She checked her watch, "8:45,"
"Are the girls still up do you know?"
Cynthia's grin enlarged, "I think both of them were turning in early today, they spent time down in the pool for a couple hours so they are both probably tired,"
Ash stood up and stretched, "I'm going to see if either of them are still awake, I take it you still haven't told them that I was down here the past 4 days?"
"Affirmative,"
Now Ash grinned, "Thanks Cynthia, I'll see you and the others around tomorrow,"
"Goodnight Ash, rest easy,"