Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Pokemon belongs to whomever it belongs to and it's not me so don't sue me!
Author's note: chapter 3. I'm fast, don't I? I don't have school for a week so I have nothing to do except writing this.
I'm sorry if I have any spelling or grammar mistakes. Enjoy!!!
Two years before, two years after
Chapter 3-running again
"Huh? Where…am I?" asked Ash weakly as he opened his eyes. 'Did they caught me again?' he thought to himself. He looked around. He noticed it wasn't the cell he was in last time he'd been there. It was bigger and it had some pictures in it. Ash sighed to himself and closed his eyes again. He was this close to sleep when he heard the door open. He opened his eyes and saw a girl with white uniform. She had red hair that was shaped a little strange. Ash only saw the guards with the black uniform, and everyone had hats or short hair.
"Great, you're awake!" she exclaimed as she saw him. She went over to him with a tray of food in her hands. She sat down next him and gave him the tray. "Eat. You need to restore your strength." She told him. Ash took the tray from her and ate. He was hungry. The food was different. It wasn't the porridge, piece of bread and glass of icky water he got three times a day. There was something hot in a bowl. It wasn't porridge. There were also two pieces of bread with something red and sweet on it. And of course there was a glass of water, but not icky water.
"What are these things?" Ash asked the girl.
Jessie smiled and shook her head. Ash acted like a two-year-old who asks about everything. "This is soup and these are pieces of bread with jam on them." She said and pointed on the food. Ash blinked a few times, then shrugged and continued eating.
"Your voice is familiar…do I know you?" Ash asked her after he finished eating.
"Umm...no, you don't know me…" Jessie answered him and sweated a little. It was a funny irony. Once, Ash wished that she and her partners will leave him and his friends alone, and now she and her partners are the only ones who can help him get away from Giovanni. She heard a knock on the door and turned around to see James standing in the doorway and nodding to her. Then he walked away. Jessie got up and took the tray. Then, she helped Ash up. "Come on. We're leaving."
"Leaving?" Ash asked. "To Pallet?" he asked with a hopeful tone. Jessie nodded and Ash smiled widely. She gave him the same green backpack again and they left.
***
"No Mrs. Ketchum! Don't do it! It's dangerous! The letter said you shouldn't look for them, so why are you doing it?!" asked Misty as she saw Delia packing some stuff in a small bag.
"I must! Ash is my only child! If I'll lose him…my whole world will fall apart…" Delia said and looked at a small, framed picture of Ash on the dresser.
Misty sighed, "I know it will be hard for you if you'll lose him, but you won't be alone! You have friends and family!" Misty told her in hope to convince her to stay.
Delia just shook her head. "I don't have much friends, and I don't have family. Ash is my family…" Delia answered with a small sigh. Misty blinked with confusion and Delia figured it would be the best to explain her. "Yes, I have friends. But friends aren't family, are they? And the only family I have is Ash. I don't have any siblings, and my parents died when Ash was four."
"And your husband? And his family?" asked Misty, still hoping. Delia looked at her when she mentioned "husband" and Misty noticed she had tears in her eyes.
"I don't have a husband. Therefore, I don't really know his family. I had a boyfriend fourteen years ago. I got pregnant and when he found out…he just left. I couldn't find him. He didn't want a child. We were young. I told Ash his father went to a pokemon journey so he won't feel unwanted." Delia answered, now crying.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…" Misty started to say but Delia cut her off.
"It's okay," she said with a small smile to let Misty know she didn't hurt her.
"But even if you will find him, he won't recognize you. He has amnesia I think…that, or they brainwashed him." Misty said with a shrug.
"Well then, I guess I'll have to make him remember." Delia said and with that, she left. Misty decided to come with her. After all, she has nothing to lose.
***
The sun almost set in the distance. Though, nobody saw it since dark clouds filled the sky. It was very cold and everyone's feet hurt. Especially Ash's since he was the youngest. He fell to the wet, moist ground with a thud. "I…can't…go on," he said between huffs and puffs. "…Cold…painful…" he continued.
Jessie sighed. "I guess we can stop for a while." Ash sat on a nearby rock while James leaned against a tree. Jessie stood and looked around while Meowth climbed on a tree to watch.
"Mewoth! Two women in three o'clock!" he shouted from the top of the tree. James rushed over to Jessie, who just searched these two women.
"There they are!" she exclaimed and pointed to them.
"I don't believe it! It's the lass and the twerp's mother! I thought we told them not to look for us!" James said. "What are we gonna do?" he asked Jessie who just shushed him while continuing to watch. They got closer to them until Jessie, James and Meowth could hear the familiar shout:
"Team Rocket!" Misty said as she saw the three. Then, she noticed the sitting Ash. She and Delia ran to him. Delia couldn't stop her tears as she saw her son safe and sound. She hugged him tight.
Ash looked over to Misty as Delia hugged him. "Hug?" he asked. Misty nodded with a small smile. After a few minutes, Delia broke the hug and stared at her son. "Who are you?" Ash asked the woman who stood in front of him. Delia's smile disappeared at this question.
"Don't you even remember your mommy?" she asked him as tears started to form again. Not tears of happiness, of shock and sadness.
Ash shook his head. "What a mommy is?" he asked. Delia fell to the ground with a shocked expression. "This is the worst amnesia I've ever seen…" she said while shaking her head "no". "It's like he'd been born again only with the capability of speech...."
"It's a bit late…I think we should stay here for the night. Giovanni won't be back until tomorrow, anyway." James said and Meowth and Jessie nodded.
"What are you doing with Ash? Don't tell me you help him!" Misty said with a suspicious look.
"Dat's exactly what we're going to tell ya!" Meowth said.
"Why?" Misty asked them. The only times Team Rocket cooperated were the times when they were in trouble, too. This time, only Ash is in trouble.
"It's our fault that our boss kidnapped him and we decided we must help. Even though the twerp is our enemy, he doesn't deserve to be locked up behind bars until the age of seventeen, then Giovanni would make him join Team Rocket." Jessie explained. She saw Misty's angry look. Misty could have jump on them and choke each one of them to death, but, they helped Ash, and that's the only thing that matters.
"I'm tired…" Ash said after a long silence. Something inside of him told him that he is the "twerp", so he wanted to end this conversation. He didn't want them to fight on him, or whoever this twerp is.
Delia sat next to Ash and rubbed his back. "Do you want me to tell you a bedtime story? I haven't told you in a long time." Ash looked confused for a minute, but nodded. He leaned against her. It was like a reflex.
Delia smiled and started telling. "Once upon a time, there was a young prince who lived in a big, beautiful castle. He had a perfect life. Until one day, he met a girl. She was a princess from a faraway kingdom. Her father didn't like the idea of her meeting with the price, so they met secretly. Everything went smooth until the princess's sister found out and told her dad. The father decided to teach his daughter a lesson so he kidnapped the prince, making his family and friends sad. The years passed and no one heard from the prince. The princess's sister decided it isn't fair. It's even evil! So she helped him to get away. But the father didn't give up. He chased after the prince and caught him again. But also the sister didn't give up, and helped him to get away again." Delia looked down at her s. He was now asleep. Misty fell asleep, too.
"What's the end?" asked Meowth.
"The end? The end is unknown…well, I think we'd better go to sleep." Delia said and everyone nodded.
***
"Giovanni! We didn't think we'd see you until tomorrow! Did something go wrong?" asked one of the guards as he saw his boss coming.
"Yes, Something went wrong. That damn rare pokemon got away again! Now where is Ash? His cell's empty!" Giovanni said. He was pissed off.
"What?!" the guard shouted and went to the cell. "Oh my gosh! Jessie must have freed him! With the help of Meowth and James!"
"I swear I'll kill all of them…" Giovanni said and slammed the door after he left.
They rode on their motorcycles in search of Ash, Jessie, James and Meowth. They made it to a small clear. The leading motorcycle of Giovanni suddenly stopped as he saw a Meowth running in the middle of the road.
"Follow him!" Giovanni shouted and they took off after the pokemon. Soon enough, they found the runaways, with the extra two women.
"Meowth! You idiot! They followed you!" James yelled as he saw the lights.
"Found you again…" Giovanni said with an evil grin. Jessie, James and Meowth backed away a little, while Delia just tightened her hold on Ash.
Author's note: end of chapter 3. Sorry it's shorter. I could end it now, but I wanted to leave off with another cliffhanger. Evil me! I guess you'll just have to wait until tomorrow or after tomorrow to see what happens. Hopefully, the next chapter would be longer. I can't make a fic without Ash's dad. It's impossible for me not to do it. That looks like a reasonable theory, so there!