DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon. Let's keep it short and sweet, huh?
A/N: Alrighty, chapter 2 of this exciting installment. I'd like to thank Graham for writing chapter 1, but now it's my turn, so here we go!
The next day dawned early, causing Brock and Misty to wake up earlier that they would have usually preferred. Ash had been sleeping fitfully, and had often called out for his father in his sleep.
Misty sighed as Brock started preparing breakfast. "I'm so worried about him" she said quietly.
Brock looked up. "I know, so am I. But he'll get through it, we can be sure of that."
"Really?" Misty smiled warily, doubting her friend's words.
The smell of waffles protuded Ash's slumber and he slowly opened his eyes. Realising he was in a sleeping bag in the middle of a forest, he had a fleeting thought of being aged ten. But the image was soon shattered when he remembered where he was going and why he was going there.
Misty was first to notice Ash awake and she rubbed his back as she spoke gently. "Hey Ash. How did you sleep?" Misty knew the answer to that, but she needed to see how Ash would react this morning after his performance the previous day.
"Horribly. I can't...stop thinking...about him" Ash explained in a choked up voice.
"We'll get to Pallet today, okay? We'll just keep walking until we get there" Brock promised.
"Damn right we will" Ash softly agreed. There was no enthusiasm in his voice like there usually would be at the prospect of going home, but no one could blame him. Pallet was not only his home, but the birth, home, and death place of Michael.
A hearty breakfast soon put them on track, and Ash quietly but quickly lead the way.
"Ash slow down, we can't keep up!" Misty pleaded. "You'll collapse!" She said the phrase in genuine worry.
"We've gotta get there, we might miss the funeral, Mom might be attacked by Giovanni..." Ash said. Misty ran a few paces and grabbed his sleeve. Ash stopped, but he didn't turn around. Brock caught up and the three of them stood silently in the middle of Viridian Forest.
"Ash, look at me." Misty nearly commanded the sentance. Ash didn't move and it brought tears to Misty's eyes. "Please." Her voice broke on the one word, and it made Ash flinch. He slowly turned around but didn't meet her eyes with his.
"What?" he mumbled.
Misty moved her hand from his sleeve up to his face. She stroked his cheek and smiled when he finally looked at her. "I'm worried about you because I love you. Stop thinking about Giovanni. If it was him..."
"It was him" Ash interrupted.
Misty paused. "He'll be caught and arrested within, what, a week? He can't get us, or your mom" she assured him.
Ash shook his head. "He got Dad."
"Shhh" Misty hushed him. "We don't know that."
Ash felt the tears well up and Misty noticed his body start to tremble. She immediatly put her arms around him and he started sobbing into her shoulder. It was the first time he had cried since hearing the news, and his tears showed that, considering how unlimited and free flowing they were.
"I'm sorry, I'm so...confused...scared..." Ash wailed. Misty smiled at Brock, both relieved at this show of true emotion.
"I know, I know" Misty whispered. She did know. She had been through the same thing with her mother.
Ash pulled away and looked at her soft, loving face. "God, I love you" he said tenderly. Misty answered the statement with her smile.
Brock breathed a discreet sigh of relief, when he noticed something at the same time Ash and Misty did. It was a rustling noise, coming from a bush just beside them. They all froze, glued to the one spot, scared to move. Yet curiosity got the better of Ash, and he approached the bush slowly, thinking he could hear Misty's silent pleas to stay back.
"It's probably a Pokemon" Ash muttered, but fear still held the dominant place in his heart. He was about two feet from the bush when a figure jumped out, causing Ash to jump back to Brock and Misty.
Clad in black including a balaclava, a man not much older than Brock pointed a pistol directly at Misty. Ash and Brock wasted no time jumping in front of her, but the gunman wasted no time pulling the trigger. A solo shot echoed through the forest, followed by...
Silence.
Ash immediatly thought the worse, considering Misty and Brock had both fallen over. But he soon found his best friend clutching his arm, doubled over in pain.
"Brock! Where did he get you?" Ash asked as he and Misty rushed over. Neither of them thought of the shock that was going through their bodies as they attended to their badly injured friend.
Brock grimaced, clenching his teeth to try and stop the pain that was circulating his body. "My...my shoulder..." He lifted his hand to reveal a bloody, thoroughly messy wound that made Misty go pale, and Ash feel sick.
"Oh my God...Ash, what are we gonna do?" Misty asked. She had used her intiative and was pulling a cloth out of her bag as she spoke. She applied pressure, hoping that it would stop or at least slow the bleeding down.
Ash looked on, knowing who had done this. He had sent someone to do his dirty work. "I'll kill Giovanni for this" Ash swore through clenched teeth. He turned back to Brock and thought of the only possible solution.
"I'll run to Pallet. It's only...half an hour?" Ash calculated this with his map. "I'll get help. Just stay here and if anyone sees you, use your self-defence skills." Ash smiled at his wife who had taken self-defence for six months the previous year. Ash had thought it was stupid at the time, but now he was grateful she had done it.
"What if someone comes for you?" Misty asked as she found another cloth, the first one completly stained from Brock's extensive blood flow.
"I'll be alright" Ash reassured her. "I've got our location, so now I'm off. Love ya." With a quick kiss on her cheek, Ash sprinted off and left Misty to help the seriously wounded Brock.
"Love you too" Misty whispered.
Ash ran and ran, his intense training from being a gym leader now a key asset to his stamina. Tears spilled over from his eyes, but he didn't sob. He was too focussed on his goal.
Get to Pallet. A.S.A.P.
The small country town was within viewing distance after twenty minutes solid running. Ash didn't feel the pain in his legs, or notice his heart, pumping with the strain.
He only saw Pallet.
Eight minutes later he was there, and he stopped to suck in the sweet country air he had been born and raised with. The main road presented two phone booths, one occupied. Ash ran into the other one and nearly crashed into the phone.
"Operator...I need...ambulance..." Ash panted the half-sentance as his exhaustion caught up with him.
"Okay kid, slow down, what's happened here?" a monotone voice replied, obviously not aware of his age.
"My friend's been shot in the shoulder, with a pistol." Ash gave the operator the co-ordinates of Brock's position in the forest, and could hear tapping of a keyboard on the other side.
"We might have to get a chopper in there, that's a pretty far out place. Are you on a cell phone?"
"No, I'm in Pallet town. You have to get my wife too, she's with him, you can't leave her by herself for a minute" Ash begged.
"Aren't we protective then? Okay, a chopper's on the way in, we'll get them to Pallet General Hospital in about half an hour" the operator announced.
"Thankyou" Ash sighed, grateful that help was now on the way.
"Did you shoot him?" the operator inquired.
Ash was disgusted. "Of course not, he's my best friend! I know who shot him, it was someone from Team Rocket, someone sent from Giovanni. I wanna charge him. With numerous things."
"You got any proof on that?"
Ash paused. "Well...no..."
The operator sighed. "Sorry, kid, you can't charge the guy unless you got proof."
Ash gave in. It was true, he had no proof. That Rhydon could have been wild, it was what people would believe. He hung up the phone two minutes later and racked his brain to remember the way to the hospital.
"Wait, Mom..." He suddenly remembered why he had planned to come here and the grief hit him again. He silently slotted more coins in and dialed the phone number he knew so well.
Three rings were heard before a quiet, "Hello?"
"Mom? It's me, I'm in Pallet" Ash went straight in, not beating around the bush.
"Ash, why aren't you here?" Dehlia had the same trait as Ash when it came to beating around the bush.
"Brock's been shot..."
Dehlia gasped when she heard the sentance. "Oh my God, is he alright?"
"Well, he was bleeding a lot, but they're flying him to the hospital here now. I've gotta go meet them, Misty's with him. But as soon as I can, I'll come see you" Ash promised. It was then he noticed the sobbing.
"Ash...oh baby, you don't deserve this...you got on so well with him" Dehlia cried.
"I know." Ash sniffled, holding back his tears, trying to brave. "I'll be there ASAP. Trust me. Love you mom, be careful" he cautioned.
Dehlia couldn't figure out why Ash had warned her to be careful, but she solemnly said goodbye and hung up, desperatly needing to see her son.
Ash walked the short distance to the hospital, a million things going through his mind. What if the chopper got to the site and Misty had been shot too? What if they had both been shot dead? He prayed for the best and was relieved when a chopper touched down five minutes after he arrived at the hospital.
Brock was wheeled in by a gurney, but he was unconscinuous. Ash felt a lump in his throat, knowing that he could now lose him too. Misty delicatly stepped off the chopper and ran into Ash's arms, both of them crying with relief and fear.
"Ash, I dunno what happened...we were talking, and he suddenly went limp...I thought he was going to die..." Misty's words were muffled, but Ash caught them all.
"He's gonna be fine. He'll be fine." Ash hugged her fiercly, overjoyed to have her in his arms again. He knew what had to be done now. For her sake. He didn't want to, but it was the only way to protect her. As they walked in, arms around each others shoulders, Ash was thinking about how he was going to break it to her.
A/N: Ooooh, intrigued? Actually you've probably figured out what's gonna happen and are bored to death, right? Well tell me, reviews are always good! Look out for chapter 3, coming soon from my pal Graham! :)
A/N: Alrighty, chapter 2 of this exciting installment. I'd like to thank Graham for writing chapter 1, but now it's my turn, so here we go!
The next day dawned early, causing Brock and Misty to wake up earlier that they would have usually preferred. Ash had been sleeping fitfully, and had often called out for his father in his sleep.
Misty sighed as Brock started preparing breakfast. "I'm so worried about him" she said quietly.
Brock looked up. "I know, so am I. But he'll get through it, we can be sure of that."
"Really?" Misty smiled warily, doubting her friend's words.
The smell of waffles protuded Ash's slumber and he slowly opened his eyes. Realising he was in a sleeping bag in the middle of a forest, he had a fleeting thought of being aged ten. But the image was soon shattered when he remembered where he was going and why he was going there.
Misty was first to notice Ash awake and she rubbed his back as she spoke gently. "Hey Ash. How did you sleep?" Misty knew the answer to that, but she needed to see how Ash would react this morning after his performance the previous day.
"Horribly. I can't...stop thinking...about him" Ash explained in a choked up voice.
"We'll get to Pallet today, okay? We'll just keep walking until we get there" Brock promised.
"Damn right we will" Ash softly agreed. There was no enthusiasm in his voice like there usually would be at the prospect of going home, but no one could blame him. Pallet was not only his home, but the birth, home, and death place of Michael.
A hearty breakfast soon put them on track, and Ash quietly but quickly lead the way.
"Ash slow down, we can't keep up!" Misty pleaded. "You'll collapse!" She said the phrase in genuine worry.
"We've gotta get there, we might miss the funeral, Mom might be attacked by Giovanni..." Ash said. Misty ran a few paces and grabbed his sleeve. Ash stopped, but he didn't turn around. Brock caught up and the three of them stood silently in the middle of Viridian Forest.
"Ash, look at me." Misty nearly commanded the sentance. Ash didn't move and it brought tears to Misty's eyes. "Please." Her voice broke on the one word, and it made Ash flinch. He slowly turned around but didn't meet her eyes with his.
"What?" he mumbled.
Misty moved her hand from his sleeve up to his face. She stroked his cheek and smiled when he finally looked at her. "I'm worried about you because I love you. Stop thinking about Giovanni. If it was him..."
"It was him" Ash interrupted.
Misty paused. "He'll be caught and arrested within, what, a week? He can't get us, or your mom" she assured him.
Ash shook his head. "He got Dad."
"Shhh" Misty hushed him. "We don't know that."
Ash felt the tears well up and Misty noticed his body start to tremble. She immediatly put her arms around him and he started sobbing into her shoulder. It was the first time he had cried since hearing the news, and his tears showed that, considering how unlimited and free flowing they were.
"I'm sorry, I'm so...confused...scared..." Ash wailed. Misty smiled at Brock, both relieved at this show of true emotion.
"I know, I know" Misty whispered. She did know. She had been through the same thing with her mother.
Ash pulled away and looked at her soft, loving face. "God, I love you" he said tenderly. Misty answered the statement with her smile.
Brock breathed a discreet sigh of relief, when he noticed something at the same time Ash and Misty did. It was a rustling noise, coming from a bush just beside them. They all froze, glued to the one spot, scared to move. Yet curiosity got the better of Ash, and he approached the bush slowly, thinking he could hear Misty's silent pleas to stay back.
"It's probably a Pokemon" Ash muttered, but fear still held the dominant place in his heart. He was about two feet from the bush when a figure jumped out, causing Ash to jump back to Brock and Misty.
Clad in black including a balaclava, a man not much older than Brock pointed a pistol directly at Misty. Ash and Brock wasted no time jumping in front of her, but the gunman wasted no time pulling the trigger. A solo shot echoed through the forest, followed by...
Silence.
Ash immediatly thought the worse, considering Misty and Brock had both fallen over. But he soon found his best friend clutching his arm, doubled over in pain.
"Brock! Where did he get you?" Ash asked as he and Misty rushed over. Neither of them thought of the shock that was going through their bodies as they attended to their badly injured friend.
Brock grimaced, clenching his teeth to try and stop the pain that was circulating his body. "My...my shoulder..." He lifted his hand to reveal a bloody, thoroughly messy wound that made Misty go pale, and Ash feel sick.
"Oh my God...Ash, what are we gonna do?" Misty asked. She had used her intiative and was pulling a cloth out of her bag as she spoke. She applied pressure, hoping that it would stop or at least slow the bleeding down.
Ash looked on, knowing who had done this. He had sent someone to do his dirty work. "I'll kill Giovanni for this" Ash swore through clenched teeth. He turned back to Brock and thought of the only possible solution.
"I'll run to Pallet. It's only...half an hour?" Ash calculated this with his map. "I'll get help. Just stay here and if anyone sees you, use your self-defence skills." Ash smiled at his wife who had taken self-defence for six months the previous year. Ash had thought it was stupid at the time, but now he was grateful she had done it.
"What if someone comes for you?" Misty asked as she found another cloth, the first one completly stained from Brock's extensive blood flow.
"I'll be alright" Ash reassured her. "I've got our location, so now I'm off. Love ya." With a quick kiss on her cheek, Ash sprinted off and left Misty to help the seriously wounded Brock.
"Love you too" Misty whispered.
Ash ran and ran, his intense training from being a gym leader now a key asset to his stamina. Tears spilled over from his eyes, but he didn't sob. He was too focussed on his goal.
Get to Pallet. A.S.A.P.
The small country town was within viewing distance after twenty minutes solid running. Ash didn't feel the pain in his legs, or notice his heart, pumping with the strain.
He only saw Pallet.
Eight minutes later he was there, and he stopped to suck in the sweet country air he had been born and raised with. The main road presented two phone booths, one occupied. Ash ran into the other one and nearly crashed into the phone.
"Operator...I need...ambulance..." Ash panted the half-sentance as his exhaustion caught up with him.
"Okay kid, slow down, what's happened here?" a monotone voice replied, obviously not aware of his age.
"My friend's been shot in the shoulder, with a pistol." Ash gave the operator the co-ordinates of Brock's position in the forest, and could hear tapping of a keyboard on the other side.
"We might have to get a chopper in there, that's a pretty far out place. Are you on a cell phone?"
"No, I'm in Pallet town. You have to get my wife too, she's with him, you can't leave her by herself for a minute" Ash begged.
"Aren't we protective then? Okay, a chopper's on the way in, we'll get them to Pallet General Hospital in about half an hour" the operator announced.
"Thankyou" Ash sighed, grateful that help was now on the way.
"Did you shoot him?" the operator inquired.
Ash was disgusted. "Of course not, he's my best friend! I know who shot him, it was someone from Team Rocket, someone sent from Giovanni. I wanna charge him. With numerous things."
"You got any proof on that?"
Ash paused. "Well...no..."
The operator sighed. "Sorry, kid, you can't charge the guy unless you got proof."
Ash gave in. It was true, he had no proof. That Rhydon could have been wild, it was what people would believe. He hung up the phone two minutes later and racked his brain to remember the way to the hospital.
"Wait, Mom..." He suddenly remembered why he had planned to come here and the grief hit him again. He silently slotted more coins in and dialed the phone number he knew so well.
Three rings were heard before a quiet, "Hello?"
"Mom? It's me, I'm in Pallet" Ash went straight in, not beating around the bush.
"Ash, why aren't you here?" Dehlia had the same trait as Ash when it came to beating around the bush.
"Brock's been shot..."
Dehlia gasped when she heard the sentance. "Oh my God, is he alright?"
"Well, he was bleeding a lot, but they're flying him to the hospital here now. I've gotta go meet them, Misty's with him. But as soon as I can, I'll come see you" Ash promised. It was then he noticed the sobbing.
"Ash...oh baby, you don't deserve this...you got on so well with him" Dehlia cried.
"I know." Ash sniffled, holding back his tears, trying to brave. "I'll be there ASAP. Trust me. Love you mom, be careful" he cautioned.
Dehlia couldn't figure out why Ash had warned her to be careful, but she solemnly said goodbye and hung up, desperatly needing to see her son.
Ash walked the short distance to the hospital, a million things going through his mind. What if the chopper got to the site and Misty had been shot too? What if they had both been shot dead? He prayed for the best and was relieved when a chopper touched down five minutes after he arrived at the hospital.
Brock was wheeled in by a gurney, but he was unconscinuous. Ash felt a lump in his throat, knowing that he could now lose him too. Misty delicatly stepped off the chopper and ran into Ash's arms, both of them crying with relief and fear.
"Ash, I dunno what happened...we were talking, and he suddenly went limp...I thought he was going to die..." Misty's words were muffled, but Ash caught them all.
"He's gonna be fine. He'll be fine." Ash hugged her fiercly, overjoyed to have her in his arms again. He knew what had to be done now. For her sake. He didn't want to, but it was the only way to protect her. As they walked in, arms around each others shoulders, Ash was thinking about how he was going to break it to her.
A/N: Ooooh, intrigued? Actually you've probably figured out what's gonna happen and are bored to death, right? Well tell me, reviews are always good! Look out for chapter 3, coming soon from my pal Graham! :)