DISCLAIMER: We don't own Pokemon.
A/N: Okay, here's 18, this one was done by me, Sarah! Thanks for your reviews and thanks Graham for writing an awesome chapter 17!
Misty and Brock were still standing at the top of the cliff in shock when Jessie reached the bottom where Ash and James had fallen. They couldn't see anything, but Jessie's scream was undeniable. It echoed as loud as the thud was still echoing in Misty's mind.
She finally snapped out of it and, without a word to Brock, carefully began her descent down the cliffside. She couldn't even look at Brock as tears endlessly ran down her cheeks. Ash had had too many brushes with death. Maybe this time he wouldn't be so lucky. Maybe this time their child would be left fatherless, possibly orphaned if Misty didn't survive...
Misty had to pause halfway down to wipe away her tears, they were mercilessly stinging at her eyes. She could still hear Jessie screaming, which couldn't be good news. She resumed climbing and she could now hear Brock approaching at a rapid speed.
"Brock, slow down! You'll fall!" Misty yelled as Brock went past her at a great rate of knots.
Brock didn't reply and reached the bottom 30 seconds before Misty, who sped up her descent at the thought of her fallen husband.
She had to physically lean on Brock for support. She could hardly look at either James or Ash as their bodies lay there, crumpled, broken beyond repair, and she sobbed helplessly into Brock's shoulder.
"Misty...you've gotta let go, I've gotta at least try to help them" Brock said quietly, shock still dominating him.
"Don't you think you've done enough?!" Misty sobbed, drained of all strength, as she pulled away from Brock, her temper flaring in her eyes. Jessie, who had finally stopped screaming, enveloped Misty in a comforting hug so Brock could do anything possible. The two girls stood there, consoling each other, before Brock turned to them with a smile.
"They're alive. Both of them." He almost cried in joy at his own news. "But they need a doctor..."
"No shit, Sherlock!" Misty screamed, visibly shaking.
"How about instead of standing here screaming we do something!" Jessie snapped.
"Good idea. There's a base somewhere round here for all the fossil hunters. Surely they'll have a doctor" Brock informed them. The girls nodded and carefully picked up James, in case he had a back injury, as Brock did the same for Ash.
None of them spoke as they trudged towards the base, but Misty was breathing so heavily Brock and Jessie were both worried she would pass out. All she could think of was the time Ash had been caught in the blast at his house, and when James had accidentally shot him...
They reached the base 10 minutes later, and found the toll of carrying Ash and James overwhelming. As doctors rushed around the injured pair, Jessie and Brock slumped into chairs, exhausted.
Misty had tried to be permitted to go into the room where they had taken Ash and James, but her attempts had failed. She stood outside the closed doors for a minute, staring vacantly at its polished oak exterior. Then she silently leaned against a wall, letting herself slowly slide down it until she hit the floor, where she drew her knees up to her chest and cried a dozen oceans. She wanted to block out the rest of the world by wallowing in her sorrow in her little curled up state.
Her shoulders shook with each sob that escaped, and Brock and Jessie decided to leave her be. She needed to be by herself to accept the fact that she might never see her husband alive again.
It was another two and a half hours before a doctor appeared before them. None of them moved from their intial positions and the doctor cleared his throat to gain their attention, which was successful. Misty leapt up and grabbed his sleeve.
"Please tell me he's okay!" she pleaded desperatly. "Please don't let me leave here as a widow and a single mother!" She broke down again and the doctor held her at arm's length.
"Mrs. Ketchum, both your husband and James are in comas" he said seriously. The three friends gasped and went noticebly pale. "But as of yet, they are not deep enough to be serious. That's the biggest injury. They both have numerous stitches and James had to have his ankle operated on, which could be a bother for him in the future. But I expect them both to wake up within a week" he informed them.
"Oh God..." Brock muttered, collapsing back into his chair and burying his face in his hands. Misty and Jessie stood there silently, staring at the doctor in disbelief.
"You can see them now if you like" the doctor said, and left for much needed coffee.
"Um, Mist...I might go for a walk, I need to clear my head" Jessie explained.
Misty nodded. "Take this then." She handed Jessie James's machine gun as tears welled up in both their eyes. "It's not impossible for another ambush to happen, even if you're by yourself." Her voice trembled as she spoke, and then she hugged her tight. "God Jess, please be careful...two casualties is more than enough."
Jessie nodded and silently left. She walked around the majestic canyon, her eyes fixed on the ground and her mind being pulled in a thousand directions. She couldn't cry now. It was exhausting, and her eyes felt void of all hydration. She leaned against a huge slab of rock that was seperate from the cliff face, when she heard a familiar voice.
"Yeah, they fell...no sir, they don't have a very good chance of surviving..."
Gary. Jessie scowled in disgust and gripped the gun tighter. He had proven today just how strong he could be, even without Giovanni at his side. He was on the other side of the rock, and it sounded like he was alone.
Jessie thought of her friends back at the base, and the thought made her calmly walk around the rock, lift her gun, and fire a series of shots into Gary's back. The second in command of Team Rocket didn't even see it coming, and he dropped his cellphone as quickly as his body fell to the ground, obviously severly injured.
Or possibly dead, Jessie silently hoped. The gun fell to her side and she walked back to the base, a little reassured by what she had done.
At the base, Brock was still in the makeshift waiting room while Misty was seeing Ash. Jessie came and sat beside him, exhaling deeply.
"It wasn't your fault, Brock" she said reassuringly. "It was Gary."
Brock nodded at her words, took them in, but didn't believe them. "Jess, I-I could've saved them..."
"Don't Brock. Just don't. It's not fair to blame yourself for something that isn't your fault." Jessie shook her head as she spoke, when the front door swung open and Brock jumped back in surprise. He instantly recognised her, and she obviously recognised him.
"Brock...wow, it's been a while." Suzy from Scissors Street, Celadon City, approached him with a bewildered look on her face.
"Yeah, it...it sure h-has" Brock stammered. She wasn't the famous Pokemon Breeder she once was, but Brock still looked up to her and idolised her as he did seven years ago.
Suzy's gaze fell upon Jessie and she scowled. "Yes, you were the ones who believed in outer beauty. How's business?" she asked sarcastically.
"I think you should stop living in the past, sister. Do you see me frilling up Pokemon? No, I don't think you do." Jessie groaned and tilted her head to touch the back of her chair. Rubbing her temples, she muttered to herself about stress and something the other two couldn't pick up.
"Um, so Brock, how's Vulpix? You did take good care of it, right?" Suzy asked hopefully.
"Of course! It's not with me right now, it was getting a check up from Professor Oak when I left Pallet Town" Brock explained, which was the truth. They had all left their Pokemon with Professor Oak. Even Ash had managed to temporarily split with Pikachu.
Suzy sat down beside him. "So why did you leave Pallet? What brings you to Grandpa Canyon?"
Brock sighed. "To make a long story short, there is an organization that is trying to kill us."
Of course, this was not what Suzy expected to hear, and she physically jumped back a little. "What, the mafia, FBI...are you a wanted criminal?" She raised an eyebrow and Brock laughed.
"No no...you remember Team Rocket? Their leader is pissed off that Ash and Misty, who are now married, shut down his Orange Island operation years and years ago. This is his way of revenge." Brock then went on to tell Suzy about the deaths of Michael, Delia, Tracey and Sabrina, and the attempted deaths of all of them.
"And so I...I let go of Ash and James, and now..." Brock's voice became strangled and he hung his head in shame.
"Oh Brock, that wasn't your fault. You did your best to hang on to them, but you wouldn't even be hanging on to them if this Gary character hadn't tried to kill you all in the first place" Suzy pointed out.
Brock nodded, desperatly wanting to change the subject, which he swiftly did. "What brings you here? I know you stopped breeding, but Grandpa Canyon doesn't really hold much for anyone, except fossil collecters."
Suzy shrugged. "I thought I should see something new. I'm on my own tour of the west. I've been to Cerulean, Pallet, and now I'm heading for Viridian. This is just a stop off point for me."
"Yeah, we're heading for Viridian too. Ash is gonna try and take Giovanni down" Brock said solemnly.
"You mean...as in...?"
"Yeah. Bang bang, bye bye daddy" Brock sighed.
"He's gonna kill his own father?!" Suzy asked in astonishment.
"He refuses to call Giovanni his father. Absolutly refuses to. Never ever bring it up around him. His father was Michael Ketchum. Period. I support him though. If I was in his position I would do the same thing" Brock said confidentally.
Suzy nodded. "I see." There was a slight pause before an odd expression came over her face. "Hey, shouldn't Ash and Misty only be 18?"
"They are indeed" Brock confirmed.
"How long have they been married? A month, half a year...?" Suzy guessed.
Brock grinned. "Two years."
"Two years? They got married at sixteen?!" Suzy laughed, unable to believe it. "What a drastic measure. They must be desperatly in love."
"They are" Brock smiled. "Plus it was a complicated situation at Misty's gym. But it's easy to see they got married purely out of love. If it hadn't happened then, it would've happened sooner or later."
Suzy nodded. "That's actually really romantic. I wish it would happen to me. I'm starting to dread a life of being a spinster" she laughed.
Brock laughed with her. "A spinster huh? I highly doubt that."
"Trust me, when you've been through as many failed relationships as I have, it doesn't seem so silly" Suzy said seriously.
Brock decided it was a touchy subject and decided not to impose on it any furthur. Instead he nodded poilitly and turned his head at the sound of the door opening.
Misty slowly walked through, her eyes red rimmed, slightly hiccuping, her whole body shaking. "I...I've never...seen him s-so b-b-beaten up..." She burst into tears again and Brock immediatly hugged her.
"Shhh, Mist it'll be okay, you heard what the doc said" he said gently.
Misty shook her head. "You have no idea how hard it is to believe all that stuff when you see them. Jimmy's foot is all swollen up, and Ash...he's just...totally black and blue..." She pulled away from Brock and noticed Suzy.
"Misty, you remember Suzy?" Brock sort of introduced the two and Misty could only nod as a sort of acknowlodgement.
"I think I need to sit down..." Misty said quietly. Brock nodded and pulled her over to the chair he had been sitting in.
"Rest. You need it. I'll check on the guys" Brock said.
"Um, Brock...would you mind if I came with you?" Suzy asked awkwardly.
Brock smiled. "Sure thing. Jess, you coming?"
Jessie nodded and stood up with the other two. "Keep out of trouble, kid" she said mischeviously to Misty. She smiled and watched them walk into the room, feeling the weight of the world sag on her shoulders.
* * * * * * *
Seven days and six nights without sleep later, Misty finally witnessed the sight she had only dreamt about. She was gently clutching Ash's hand, listening to the beeping machines echoing through the room, half-talking to James, who had woken up two days earlier. His ankle was not as swollen, but he found it difficult to walk on.
"Mist...where are the others?" James asked quietly.
"They went to get you soup. Now get some rest, you've been over-exerting yourself" Misty smiled.
James laughed haughtily. "Yeah, I walked to the bathroom, I'm exhausted" he said sarcastically. Realistically, he was recovering faster than anyone had predicted, and was yearning to walk furthur and more often then when nature called.
Misty grinned and turned back to Ash. "Well honey, it's been a week...I miss you like you wouldn't believe. It would be nice if you could move your hand, say something, open your eyes just once...please Ash..." She whispered the last sentance and was on the verge of tears yet again. She longed to look into his chocolate brown eyes, to see those eyes dance and laugh once more.
At first, she didn't even notice it. But suddenly, her hand had a static like feeling in it, and she turned her gaze to her hand. His fingers, were they...moving? Had he heard her?
"Oh my God..." she whispered.
"What?" James asked worridly. At this point the others, including Suzy who had stuck around to see the outcome of the two guys, walked in and witnessed what was going on.
"He moved his fingers! I felt them, I SAW them move!" Misty yelled happily, grasping tighter onto Ash's hand as the others crowded round. "C'mon Ash, do it again, I need to prove it to everyone else."
Again, his fingers undeniably moved, and a cheer of relief and excitement went up around the room. Misty just sat there, smiling proudly at her husband, kissing his fingers one by one.
It only took another minute for his eyes to open, and an even bigger cheer was exerted, bringing doctors and nurses rushing to the room.
"Ash baby...God, I missed you..." Misty whispered as she fiercly hugged him, while not trying to hurt him any furthur than he already was.
Ash smiled and weakly hugged his wife back. "I missed you more. It's good to be back." They were all shocked, and relieved, to find his voice at its normal pitch and tone, which could mean a quicker recovery.
Misty finally let go, gratefully kissing his face all over, not letting anyone else have a slight look in. Finally the doctor insisted he had to look Ash over, and Misty reluctantly fell back into her chair. She couldn't stop smiling.
The doctor confirmed that most of the recovery had taken place while Ash was in the coma, and that there was no long-term damage to his system. "In fact" the doctor said proudly, "I believe Mr. Ketchum will be free to go in a couple of days."
"I can't wait a couple of days" Ash insisted. "I have to go now." Obviously the fall had not erased his memory.
Misty shook her head. "You do what the doctor says, okay? A couple of days won't kill you, you've been out of it for a week" she reminded him.
"A week?!" Ash asked, amazed. They all nodded, and it was at this point he noticed Suzy. "Heyyy, Suzy, long time no see!" he exclaimed.
She smiled shyly. "Yeah, I know."
"Have you joined us?" Ash asked in interest.
Suzy looked taken back. She turned to Brock. "Well, I don't think so..."
"You said you were on your way to Viridian" Brock reminded her. "Why not come with us?"
"Cause I might get killed in the process" Suzy grinned mischeviously. "You guys are all playing a very dangerous game."
"Yeah, but none of us have died" James pointed out.
"C'mon, come with us! You can witness Ash kick Giovanni's ass!" Brock said enthusiastically.
Suzy laughed. "Well, it would be nice to have company...oh, but I don't want to impose on you all."
"Don't be silly! You're more than welcome to join us if you hate Team Rocket!" Ash insisted.
"Um...okay then" Suzy meekly, but happily, replied.
Three days later, a plan was sorted. Suzy had been driving along her tour of the west, so her car was still avaliable to drive up to Viridian. They all piled into the station wagon, temporarily forgetting the task at hand as they sang, or rather yelled, to old tunes they all knew.
Two hours and many laughs and insults about singing later, the station wagon pulled up in the centre of Viridian City and the mood immediatly went sombre. Ash gulped and Misty grasped his hand tighter.
"Ash, maybe we should just wait another week, three days, something like that..." Misty feebly suggested.
Ash shook his head. "No Mist. This has to be done now." Without another word he made himself the first to get out of the car, and quietly took in his surroundings as the others followed him. Would this be the last time he ever saw the light of day again?
Misty walked up beside him and laid her head to rest on his shoulder. "I love you so much. Please, for God's sake, be careful. Think of your safety before your revenge" she pleaded.
Ash kissed the top of her head. "Where are you all going to go?" he asked.
They all looked surprised. "Ash man, we're coming with you" Brock announced.
"What?" Ash asked, nearly choking on the word. "You can't, it'll be way too dangerous. Besides, you guys have been through enough. This is my battle. I have to face it" he said bravely, inwardly feeling anything but brave.
"No way, we're coming with you" James said solidly. The others nodded in unison. Misty turned her husband's face to meet hers and put her forehead against his.
"Yes, we are coming with you, Ash Ketchum. Something in those wedding vows said to stand side by side in whatever we do. You agreed to those vows, Ash. We both did. And now this is something we have to stand side by side in." Misty paused and took a deep breath. "You realise that if you don't let me come with you, you've broken the wedding vows you took" she quietly pointed out.
This definatly put Ash on the hot spot, and he looked uncomfortably at the others, who were grinning at Misty's wit. "Come on Ash, you don't wanna break your wedding vows, do you?" Jessie smirked.
"But what if y-you...d-d-..." He couldn't say it. He couldn't face up to the thought of losing Misty.
She gently put her arms around the back of his head and silenced him with a long, loving kiss. "Till death do us part" she whispered. "I do, I did, and I always will."
The statement brought tears to Ash's eyes, and he nodded. "Ditto." He smiled through the tears and sighed. "Fine, you can come. You all can. I just hope you know what you're playing with here."
They all nodded, and followed Jessie and James to the old Team Rocket headquarters in the Viridian Gym. It was the same place they had found Tracey so many weeks ago, and they all shuddered at the memory. Except, of course, Suzy, who was noticebly clutching at Brock's hand.
Ash gulped again and kissed his wife's hand, motioning for her and the others to possibly sink back into the shadows. They did as they were mentally told, and Ash yelled out to the apparent empty room.
"Giovanni, it's been weeks. Months, possibly. I've lost count. But I'm here, so let's get it over with so that the best man may win" he yelled in a strong tone.
Out of the shadows on the other side of the room stalked the figure of Giovanni, that evil grin forever imprinted on his face. The butterflies in the six friends' stomachs multiplied at the sight, and three words were calmly spoken by Giovanni that sent chills through them all.
"Welcome, my son."
A/N: Oh wow, we've nearly finished! Sorry, the cliffhangers get worse near the end of the story, lol! But watch out for 19, coming very very soon! ^_^
A/N: Okay, here's 18, this one was done by me, Sarah! Thanks for your reviews and thanks Graham for writing an awesome chapter 17!
Misty and Brock were still standing at the top of the cliff in shock when Jessie reached the bottom where Ash and James had fallen. They couldn't see anything, but Jessie's scream was undeniable. It echoed as loud as the thud was still echoing in Misty's mind.
She finally snapped out of it and, without a word to Brock, carefully began her descent down the cliffside. She couldn't even look at Brock as tears endlessly ran down her cheeks. Ash had had too many brushes with death. Maybe this time he wouldn't be so lucky. Maybe this time their child would be left fatherless, possibly orphaned if Misty didn't survive...
Misty had to pause halfway down to wipe away her tears, they were mercilessly stinging at her eyes. She could still hear Jessie screaming, which couldn't be good news. She resumed climbing and she could now hear Brock approaching at a rapid speed.
"Brock, slow down! You'll fall!" Misty yelled as Brock went past her at a great rate of knots.
Brock didn't reply and reached the bottom 30 seconds before Misty, who sped up her descent at the thought of her fallen husband.
She had to physically lean on Brock for support. She could hardly look at either James or Ash as their bodies lay there, crumpled, broken beyond repair, and she sobbed helplessly into Brock's shoulder.
"Misty...you've gotta let go, I've gotta at least try to help them" Brock said quietly, shock still dominating him.
"Don't you think you've done enough?!" Misty sobbed, drained of all strength, as she pulled away from Brock, her temper flaring in her eyes. Jessie, who had finally stopped screaming, enveloped Misty in a comforting hug so Brock could do anything possible. The two girls stood there, consoling each other, before Brock turned to them with a smile.
"They're alive. Both of them." He almost cried in joy at his own news. "But they need a doctor..."
"No shit, Sherlock!" Misty screamed, visibly shaking.
"How about instead of standing here screaming we do something!" Jessie snapped.
"Good idea. There's a base somewhere round here for all the fossil hunters. Surely they'll have a doctor" Brock informed them. The girls nodded and carefully picked up James, in case he had a back injury, as Brock did the same for Ash.
None of them spoke as they trudged towards the base, but Misty was breathing so heavily Brock and Jessie were both worried she would pass out. All she could think of was the time Ash had been caught in the blast at his house, and when James had accidentally shot him...
They reached the base 10 minutes later, and found the toll of carrying Ash and James overwhelming. As doctors rushed around the injured pair, Jessie and Brock slumped into chairs, exhausted.
Misty had tried to be permitted to go into the room where they had taken Ash and James, but her attempts had failed. She stood outside the closed doors for a minute, staring vacantly at its polished oak exterior. Then she silently leaned against a wall, letting herself slowly slide down it until she hit the floor, where she drew her knees up to her chest and cried a dozen oceans. She wanted to block out the rest of the world by wallowing in her sorrow in her little curled up state.
Her shoulders shook with each sob that escaped, and Brock and Jessie decided to leave her be. She needed to be by herself to accept the fact that she might never see her husband alive again.
It was another two and a half hours before a doctor appeared before them. None of them moved from their intial positions and the doctor cleared his throat to gain their attention, which was successful. Misty leapt up and grabbed his sleeve.
"Please tell me he's okay!" she pleaded desperatly. "Please don't let me leave here as a widow and a single mother!" She broke down again and the doctor held her at arm's length.
"Mrs. Ketchum, both your husband and James are in comas" he said seriously. The three friends gasped and went noticebly pale. "But as of yet, they are not deep enough to be serious. That's the biggest injury. They both have numerous stitches and James had to have his ankle operated on, which could be a bother for him in the future. But I expect them both to wake up within a week" he informed them.
"Oh God..." Brock muttered, collapsing back into his chair and burying his face in his hands. Misty and Jessie stood there silently, staring at the doctor in disbelief.
"You can see them now if you like" the doctor said, and left for much needed coffee.
"Um, Mist...I might go for a walk, I need to clear my head" Jessie explained.
Misty nodded. "Take this then." She handed Jessie James's machine gun as tears welled up in both their eyes. "It's not impossible for another ambush to happen, even if you're by yourself." Her voice trembled as she spoke, and then she hugged her tight. "God Jess, please be careful...two casualties is more than enough."
Jessie nodded and silently left. She walked around the majestic canyon, her eyes fixed on the ground and her mind being pulled in a thousand directions. She couldn't cry now. It was exhausting, and her eyes felt void of all hydration. She leaned against a huge slab of rock that was seperate from the cliff face, when she heard a familiar voice.
"Yeah, they fell...no sir, they don't have a very good chance of surviving..."
Gary. Jessie scowled in disgust and gripped the gun tighter. He had proven today just how strong he could be, even without Giovanni at his side. He was on the other side of the rock, and it sounded like he was alone.
Jessie thought of her friends back at the base, and the thought made her calmly walk around the rock, lift her gun, and fire a series of shots into Gary's back. The second in command of Team Rocket didn't even see it coming, and he dropped his cellphone as quickly as his body fell to the ground, obviously severly injured.
Or possibly dead, Jessie silently hoped. The gun fell to her side and she walked back to the base, a little reassured by what she had done.
At the base, Brock was still in the makeshift waiting room while Misty was seeing Ash. Jessie came and sat beside him, exhaling deeply.
"It wasn't your fault, Brock" she said reassuringly. "It was Gary."
Brock nodded at her words, took them in, but didn't believe them. "Jess, I-I could've saved them..."
"Don't Brock. Just don't. It's not fair to blame yourself for something that isn't your fault." Jessie shook her head as she spoke, when the front door swung open and Brock jumped back in surprise. He instantly recognised her, and she obviously recognised him.
"Brock...wow, it's been a while." Suzy from Scissors Street, Celadon City, approached him with a bewildered look on her face.
"Yeah, it...it sure h-has" Brock stammered. She wasn't the famous Pokemon Breeder she once was, but Brock still looked up to her and idolised her as he did seven years ago.
Suzy's gaze fell upon Jessie and she scowled. "Yes, you were the ones who believed in outer beauty. How's business?" she asked sarcastically.
"I think you should stop living in the past, sister. Do you see me frilling up Pokemon? No, I don't think you do." Jessie groaned and tilted her head to touch the back of her chair. Rubbing her temples, she muttered to herself about stress and something the other two couldn't pick up.
"Um, so Brock, how's Vulpix? You did take good care of it, right?" Suzy asked hopefully.
"Of course! It's not with me right now, it was getting a check up from Professor Oak when I left Pallet Town" Brock explained, which was the truth. They had all left their Pokemon with Professor Oak. Even Ash had managed to temporarily split with Pikachu.
Suzy sat down beside him. "So why did you leave Pallet? What brings you to Grandpa Canyon?"
Brock sighed. "To make a long story short, there is an organization that is trying to kill us."
Of course, this was not what Suzy expected to hear, and she physically jumped back a little. "What, the mafia, FBI...are you a wanted criminal?" She raised an eyebrow and Brock laughed.
"No no...you remember Team Rocket? Their leader is pissed off that Ash and Misty, who are now married, shut down his Orange Island operation years and years ago. This is his way of revenge." Brock then went on to tell Suzy about the deaths of Michael, Delia, Tracey and Sabrina, and the attempted deaths of all of them.
"And so I...I let go of Ash and James, and now..." Brock's voice became strangled and he hung his head in shame.
"Oh Brock, that wasn't your fault. You did your best to hang on to them, but you wouldn't even be hanging on to them if this Gary character hadn't tried to kill you all in the first place" Suzy pointed out.
Brock nodded, desperatly wanting to change the subject, which he swiftly did. "What brings you here? I know you stopped breeding, but Grandpa Canyon doesn't really hold much for anyone, except fossil collecters."
Suzy shrugged. "I thought I should see something new. I'm on my own tour of the west. I've been to Cerulean, Pallet, and now I'm heading for Viridian. This is just a stop off point for me."
"Yeah, we're heading for Viridian too. Ash is gonna try and take Giovanni down" Brock said solemnly.
"You mean...as in...?"
"Yeah. Bang bang, bye bye daddy" Brock sighed.
"He's gonna kill his own father?!" Suzy asked in astonishment.
"He refuses to call Giovanni his father. Absolutly refuses to. Never ever bring it up around him. His father was Michael Ketchum. Period. I support him though. If I was in his position I would do the same thing" Brock said confidentally.
Suzy nodded. "I see." There was a slight pause before an odd expression came over her face. "Hey, shouldn't Ash and Misty only be 18?"
"They are indeed" Brock confirmed.
"How long have they been married? A month, half a year...?" Suzy guessed.
Brock grinned. "Two years."
"Two years? They got married at sixteen?!" Suzy laughed, unable to believe it. "What a drastic measure. They must be desperatly in love."
"They are" Brock smiled. "Plus it was a complicated situation at Misty's gym. But it's easy to see they got married purely out of love. If it hadn't happened then, it would've happened sooner or later."
Suzy nodded. "That's actually really romantic. I wish it would happen to me. I'm starting to dread a life of being a spinster" she laughed.
Brock laughed with her. "A spinster huh? I highly doubt that."
"Trust me, when you've been through as many failed relationships as I have, it doesn't seem so silly" Suzy said seriously.
Brock decided it was a touchy subject and decided not to impose on it any furthur. Instead he nodded poilitly and turned his head at the sound of the door opening.
Misty slowly walked through, her eyes red rimmed, slightly hiccuping, her whole body shaking. "I...I've never...seen him s-so b-b-beaten up..." She burst into tears again and Brock immediatly hugged her.
"Shhh, Mist it'll be okay, you heard what the doc said" he said gently.
Misty shook her head. "You have no idea how hard it is to believe all that stuff when you see them. Jimmy's foot is all swollen up, and Ash...he's just...totally black and blue..." She pulled away from Brock and noticed Suzy.
"Misty, you remember Suzy?" Brock sort of introduced the two and Misty could only nod as a sort of acknowlodgement.
"I think I need to sit down..." Misty said quietly. Brock nodded and pulled her over to the chair he had been sitting in.
"Rest. You need it. I'll check on the guys" Brock said.
"Um, Brock...would you mind if I came with you?" Suzy asked awkwardly.
Brock smiled. "Sure thing. Jess, you coming?"
Jessie nodded and stood up with the other two. "Keep out of trouble, kid" she said mischeviously to Misty. She smiled and watched them walk into the room, feeling the weight of the world sag on her shoulders.
* * * * * * *
Seven days and six nights without sleep later, Misty finally witnessed the sight she had only dreamt about. She was gently clutching Ash's hand, listening to the beeping machines echoing through the room, half-talking to James, who had woken up two days earlier. His ankle was not as swollen, but he found it difficult to walk on.
"Mist...where are the others?" James asked quietly.
"They went to get you soup. Now get some rest, you've been over-exerting yourself" Misty smiled.
James laughed haughtily. "Yeah, I walked to the bathroom, I'm exhausted" he said sarcastically. Realistically, he was recovering faster than anyone had predicted, and was yearning to walk furthur and more often then when nature called.
Misty grinned and turned back to Ash. "Well honey, it's been a week...I miss you like you wouldn't believe. It would be nice if you could move your hand, say something, open your eyes just once...please Ash..." She whispered the last sentance and was on the verge of tears yet again. She longed to look into his chocolate brown eyes, to see those eyes dance and laugh once more.
At first, she didn't even notice it. But suddenly, her hand had a static like feeling in it, and she turned her gaze to her hand. His fingers, were they...moving? Had he heard her?
"Oh my God..." she whispered.
"What?" James asked worridly. At this point the others, including Suzy who had stuck around to see the outcome of the two guys, walked in and witnessed what was going on.
"He moved his fingers! I felt them, I SAW them move!" Misty yelled happily, grasping tighter onto Ash's hand as the others crowded round. "C'mon Ash, do it again, I need to prove it to everyone else."
Again, his fingers undeniably moved, and a cheer of relief and excitement went up around the room. Misty just sat there, smiling proudly at her husband, kissing his fingers one by one.
It only took another minute for his eyes to open, and an even bigger cheer was exerted, bringing doctors and nurses rushing to the room.
"Ash baby...God, I missed you..." Misty whispered as she fiercly hugged him, while not trying to hurt him any furthur than he already was.
Ash smiled and weakly hugged his wife back. "I missed you more. It's good to be back." They were all shocked, and relieved, to find his voice at its normal pitch and tone, which could mean a quicker recovery.
Misty finally let go, gratefully kissing his face all over, not letting anyone else have a slight look in. Finally the doctor insisted he had to look Ash over, and Misty reluctantly fell back into her chair. She couldn't stop smiling.
The doctor confirmed that most of the recovery had taken place while Ash was in the coma, and that there was no long-term damage to his system. "In fact" the doctor said proudly, "I believe Mr. Ketchum will be free to go in a couple of days."
"I can't wait a couple of days" Ash insisted. "I have to go now." Obviously the fall had not erased his memory.
Misty shook her head. "You do what the doctor says, okay? A couple of days won't kill you, you've been out of it for a week" she reminded him.
"A week?!" Ash asked, amazed. They all nodded, and it was at this point he noticed Suzy. "Heyyy, Suzy, long time no see!" he exclaimed.
She smiled shyly. "Yeah, I know."
"Have you joined us?" Ash asked in interest.
Suzy looked taken back. She turned to Brock. "Well, I don't think so..."
"You said you were on your way to Viridian" Brock reminded her. "Why not come with us?"
"Cause I might get killed in the process" Suzy grinned mischeviously. "You guys are all playing a very dangerous game."
"Yeah, but none of us have died" James pointed out.
"C'mon, come with us! You can witness Ash kick Giovanni's ass!" Brock said enthusiastically.
Suzy laughed. "Well, it would be nice to have company...oh, but I don't want to impose on you all."
"Don't be silly! You're more than welcome to join us if you hate Team Rocket!" Ash insisted.
"Um...okay then" Suzy meekly, but happily, replied.
Three days later, a plan was sorted. Suzy had been driving along her tour of the west, so her car was still avaliable to drive up to Viridian. They all piled into the station wagon, temporarily forgetting the task at hand as they sang, or rather yelled, to old tunes they all knew.
Two hours and many laughs and insults about singing later, the station wagon pulled up in the centre of Viridian City and the mood immediatly went sombre. Ash gulped and Misty grasped his hand tighter.
"Ash, maybe we should just wait another week, three days, something like that..." Misty feebly suggested.
Ash shook his head. "No Mist. This has to be done now." Without another word he made himself the first to get out of the car, and quietly took in his surroundings as the others followed him. Would this be the last time he ever saw the light of day again?
Misty walked up beside him and laid her head to rest on his shoulder. "I love you so much. Please, for God's sake, be careful. Think of your safety before your revenge" she pleaded.
Ash kissed the top of her head. "Where are you all going to go?" he asked.
They all looked surprised. "Ash man, we're coming with you" Brock announced.
"What?" Ash asked, nearly choking on the word. "You can't, it'll be way too dangerous. Besides, you guys have been through enough. This is my battle. I have to face it" he said bravely, inwardly feeling anything but brave.
"No way, we're coming with you" James said solidly. The others nodded in unison. Misty turned her husband's face to meet hers and put her forehead against his.
"Yes, we are coming with you, Ash Ketchum. Something in those wedding vows said to stand side by side in whatever we do. You agreed to those vows, Ash. We both did. And now this is something we have to stand side by side in." Misty paused and took a deep breath. "You realise that if you don't let me come with you, you've broken the wedding vows you took" she quietly pointed out.
This definatly put Ash on the hot spot, and he looked uncomfortably at the others, who were grinning at Misty's wit. "Come on Ash, you don't wanna break your wedding vows, do you?" Jessie smirked.
"But what if y-you...d-d-..." He couldn't say it. He couldn't face up to the thought of losing Misty.
She gently put her arms around the back of his head and silenced him with a long, loving kiss. "Till death do us part" she whispered. "I do, I did, and I always will."
The statement brought tears to Ash's eyes, and he nodded. "Ditto." He smiled through the tears and sighed. "Fine, you can come. You all can. I just hope you know what you're playing with here."
They all nodded, and followed Jessie and James to the old Team Rocket headquarters in the Viridian Gym. It was the same place they had found Tracey so many weeks ago, and they all shuddered at the memory. Except, of course, Suzy, who was noticebly clutching at Brock's hand.
Ash gulped again and kissed his wife's hand, motioning for her and the others to possibly sink back into the shadows. They did as they were mentally told, and Ash yelled out to the apparent empty room.
"Giovanni, it's been weeks. Months, possibly. I've lost count. But I'm here, so let's get it over with so that the best man may win" he yelled in a strong tone.
Out of the shadows on the other side of the room stalked the figure of Giovanni, that evil grin forever imprinted on his face. The butterflies in the six friends' stomachs multiplied at the sight, and three words were calmly spoken by Giovanni that sent chills through them all.
"Welcome, my son."
A/N: Oh wow, we've nearly finished! Sorry, the cliffhangers get worse near the end of the story, lol! But watch out for 19, coming very very soon! ^_^