Author's Note: if you're one of the people who saw this story on Monday, it's since been heavily written and has a new plot.
"Give it up, twerps! You won't be beating us this time!"
In the streets of Vermillion City in Kanto, a trio of ten-year-old children were squaring off against a pair of villainous adults and their cat-like Pokémon partner. The dastardly Team Rocket had managed to capture one Pokémon from each of the children and trap them in specially-made glass cases, rendering them unable to free themselves. One of the cases contained a yellow, mouse-like Pikachu, another held a green, monkey-like Grookey, and the third had captured a brown, fox-like Eevee. A small mechanical device at Team Rocket's feet was emitting an enormous gust of wind that took the form of a horizontal twister, forcing the children back.
One of the children, a green-eyed girl with a long maroon ponytail, tried to march forward through the raging winds, in pursuit of her Eevee. She held her arm in front of her face, in an attempt to keep the rushing air out of her eyes. "You three… you're not… going to…" As she took another step, she lost her footing on the asphalt, and the powerful winds sent her flying backward, nearly lifting her off the ground.
"Chloe!" Another of the youngsters, a dark-skinned boy with wild black hair, shifted to the side and held out his hands to intercept the girl. He grunted as Chloe's frame impacted his own, and the two of them slid along the street for about five feet before they came to a stop.
"Ngh… thanks, Goh." She set her feet firmly back on the ground, gritting her teeth at the taunting laughter of Team Rocket. On her other side, a boy with a red-and-white cap covering his black hair was reaching down to his hip, grabbing one of the red-and-white Poké Balls attached to his belt.
"We've got to destroy that machine!" He pressed a button on the front of the Poké Ball, and a beam of red energy shot out of it, which took the form of the bipedal, blue-and-black Lucario. He looked to the other boy by his side. "Let's do it, Goh!"
"You got it, Ash!" Goh took out a Poké Ball of his own, summoning the rabbit-like, Fire-type Cinderace. The boy pointed forward, toward the wind generator. "Use Pyro Ball! Take out that machine!"
Cinderace complied immediately, lifting a pebble up off of the ground with his foot, then kicking it around as if it were a hacky sack. As the pebble bounced around, it quickly grew hotter until it ignited, turning into a fireball that grew larger and larger. Once the projectile was the size of a soccer ball, he reared his leg back and kicked it directly into the oncoming whirlwind. The flaming ball slowed down as it battled against the powerful winds, unable to make it to its target.
"You help out, too, Lucario!" Ash commanded. "Push that Pyro Ball forward with Aura Sphere!"
Lucario put his paws together and focused hard, forming a blue ball of Aura energy that rapidly grew until it matched the size of the Pyro Ball. With a loud grunt, Lucario flung the energy ball forward with expert aim, somehow able to hit the fireball even as it spun about in the twister. The two attacks connected, and the impact sent the Pyro Ball flying forward, directly into the wind machine. The device was engulfed in the Pyro Ball's explosion, leaving it mangled and charred, and the whirlwind fell away in an instant.
Ash and Goh both grinned at the shocked and fearful expressions on Team Rocket's faces, ready to send them blasting off for the umpteenth time. Their captive Pokémon cheered as well, able to see their imminent freedom, as did Chloe from behind them.
"Lucario, break Pikachu out with a Vacuum Wave!" Ash called out.
"Cinderace, free Grookey with Ember!" Goh followed up. Both of their Pokémon acted immediately, as Lucario thrust his fist forward and flung a wave of blue energy toward Pikachu's glass cage, while Cinderace kicked a small, flaming pebble toward Grookey. Both attacks hit their mark with enough force to separate the thick glass covers from their bases, and Pikachu and Grookey leaped away as soon as they got a taste of freedom, running back toward their trainers.
"Perfect!" Ash declared, clenching his fist excitedly. "Now-"
He was interrupted by a large stream of sparks issuing from the wind machine, spitting threateningly into the air. A small but loud explosion from the bottom of the device knocked it onto its back, causing everyone to jump and take a step backward. Moments later, another twister shot out of the machine, far larger than the one that had pushed Ash, Goh and Chloe away. The powerful winds quickly swept up all three members of Team Rocket, along with the still-captive Eevee in her cage.
"Oh no!" Chloe ran forward for a few steps before stopping herself, one hand clasped over her heart nervously, not sure how she was going to help her Pokémon without getting caught up herself. Ash's mind raced, trying to think of which of his Pokémon could possibly extract Eevee, who was now spinning around and around inside the whirlwind, her voice crying out in muffled distress. All the while, the wind generator continued to issue sparks, and soon small arcs of electricity began criss-crossing its surface.
Before any of the children could devise a plan to rescue the final Pokémon, the device finally exploded in a massive blast, sending all four of the twister's captives flying off into the late afternoon sky. Chloe let out a shriek as the imprisoned Eevee flew away from her, turning into a tiny dot in the sky before vanishing from their view, amidst the clouds.
"No! Eevee!" Goh ran up right behind Chloe, staring up into the sky where Eevee had turned into a pinprick. He reached down to the Poké Balls on his belt, almost as a reflex, not having any sort of plan. Both of them jumped as Ash's large, orange Dragonite appeared in the air in front of them, with her trainer on her back.
"Don't worry, I'll chase them down!" Ash declared to the two of them. "I'll make sure they don't get away with Eevee!"
"Please hurry, Ash!" Chloe pleaded.
"We'll be right behind you!" Goh added. Ash nodded, tugging his cap firmly onto his head as Dragonite rocketed off into the sky, in the general direction of Eevee and Team Rocket. Goh and Chloe began running in the same direction, making their way toward the other side of Vermillion City.
Ten minutes later, Goh and Chloe were forced to come to a stop, panting with their hands on their knees. They still hadn't managed to catch up to Ash, who had traveled all the way to the ocean for all they knew. Neither of them had anything approaching the speed of a Dragonite.
"Geez… has Vermillion… always been… so big?" Goh managed, feeling as if his heart was going to burst out of his chest.
"Maybe we should… wait for Ash instead," Chloe forced out. "By now it's probably… too late for us to help. He must have fought Team Rocket… by now, right?"
He frowned, not thrilled with the idea of giving up and leaving Ash to save the day by himself. "I mean, probably, but-"
He cut himself off as a ringing sound came from his pocket. He reached in and pulled out his Rotom Phone, eyebrows shooting up as he saw who was calling. He quickly accepted the call, smiling when he saw his caller's face. "Ash!" Chloe scurried over to his side, peering into the screen as well.
"Hey, Goh! Hey, Chloe!" Ash's face grinned at him through the phone screen, framed by the backdrop of the Vermillion City Port. Pikachu was on his shoulder as always, looking just as cheerful as his trainer. "Look who I've got!" He raised his left arm to bring it into the field of view, revealing a perpetually-cheerful Eevee in his grasp.
"Eevee! You're safe!" Chloe's voice was overjoyed. "What happened with Team Rocket?"
"Ah, they were no trouble at all," Ash spoke confidently. "Dragonite took care of them all by herself." His eyes roamed the screen curiously. "Where are you guys?" A gust of wind swept through the area, threatening to send his hat flying off of his head; Pikachu reached out to hold it down.
"We're on our way to you!" Goh responded. "We'll be there soon! Just stay there, alright?"
"No problem!" Ash answered, as the wind started picking up even more strongly. "We'll see you guys-"
He was interrupted by a sound like the swelling of a tidal wave, as the ocean behind him rose unnaturally, as if something enormous was trying to surface and bringing the water with it. Ash spun around toward the strange calamity, lowering his hand to his side so the phone was pointing toward the sky.
"Huh?" Goh pulled his phone closer, trying to get a clearer look. "Ash? What's going on?" His friend didn't answer directly, yelling indistinctly about whatever strange phenomenon was happening near the port. After a few seconds, Goh and Chloe saw a wall of water washing over the phone's camera, before the line suddenly went dead.
Both of them froze in fear, their breath catching in their throats. They looked at each other for a moment before starting to run again, racing toward the port where Ash had been, and hopefully still was.
The Vermillion City port was chaos by the time Chloe and Goh arrived. Everything within forty feet of the water's edge was completely soaked, as if a tidal wave had crashed over the break; it was a miracle that the structures were still standing. The ocean itself was violently rolling and churning, with smaller waves crashing against the breakwall and spraying mist into the air. A very light rain had begun to fall as well, unusually calm in comparison to the ocean.
"What is this?!" Goh shouted, trying to make himself heard over the roar of the waves. "It's like a hurricane or something!"
"It can't be a hurricane!" Chloe shouted back. "There's not enough rain for that!"
"You think this is a natural storm?"
"I don't know," she answered. "It's not like any storm I've ever read about!" The two of them looked up and down the port for a few moments, searching for any sign of Ash, Pikachu or Eevee. Both of them were nervous about getting too close to the crashing waves, not wanting to be pulled out to sea should a tidal wave appear. The shrill tweet of a police whistle made them both jump, drawing their attention.
"Hey! You two!" a woman's voice called out. "It's dangerous for you kids to be out here! You need to leave!" They turned to see a green-haired woman in a police uniform running toward them, with a wet, miserable-looking Growlithe by her side.
"Officer Jenny!" Goh ran up to her, with Chloe right behind him. "It's me! Do you remember me?"
Jenny furrowed her brow for a moment, studying the young children, before her eyes lit up. "Oh, it's you! You were my assistant a little while back!"
"That's right!" Goh responded, glad to be remembered. "With the electricity thief!"
"Do you know what's happening, Officer Jenny?" Chloe asked, stepping forward. "What's causing this weird storm?"
"Right now, we're not really sure." The officer folded her arms, looking down. "It's not a natural storm, that much we know. It just suddenly showed up out of nowhere. It didn't form the way storms normally form."
"That's odd…" Goh frowned, wondering what sort of unnatural cause an ocean storm like this might have. "I wonder if a Pokémon is causing it… maybe it's Lugia, or Kyogre…"
Jenny gave him an odd look for a moment, before shrugging it off. "Well, whatever's causing it, it doesn't matter. The point is, we can't have random citizens wandering around down here."
"We're not just wandering around, though!" Goh insisted. "We're looking for our friend, Ash. He was down here just a few minutes ago, but… we're not sure what happened to him."
"We were talking to him on the phone when the line went dead," Chloe continued. "We're worried he might have been swept out into the ocean, with two Pokémon."
"Oh, dear…" They could see Jenny's eyes soften with worry and understanding. "I'll put out a bulletin for him. We'll get some people searching the ocean from the air. But I'm afraid you two need to stay away. We don't need anyone else putting themselves in danger."
"But…" Goh's face fell, as did Chloe's beside him. Jenny reached out and rested her hands on their shoulders, gently and comfortingly.
"Don't you worry. If he's out there, we'll find him. You can count on that." She briefly made eye contact with each of them before stepping back and turning away, pulling out a portable radio and reporting Ash's disappearance to her colleagues. Goh watched her walk away, feeling deflated.
"What do we do now?" he asked aloud.
"I guess we go back to the lab," Chloe suggested. "I don't know what else we can do." Goh didn't respond, continuing to stare out at the rocking waves, until Chloe reached down and tugged on his wrist. He turned and followed her lead, the two of them walking back into the city toward Prof. Cerise's laboratory, as the light rain began to come down harder.
Upon returning to the lab, Chloe walked slowly and mechanically toward the kitchen that resided on the first floor. Goh followed close behind, watching her as she walked, noticing how she kept her eyes on the floor, where her Eevee would normally be racing around her feet. As she stepped up to the kitchen table, she shrugged her backpack off her shoulders and let it fall to the floor, before dropping heavily into a chair. She looked as if she had been drained of all her energy, in a way that Goh hadn't seen in a long time. He could hardly blame her.
"How are you holding up?" he ventured to ask.
"I'm fine," she answered unconvincingly, not looking his way.
He cocked his head, raising an eyebrow. "You sure? You don't really sound like it to me."
"I said I'm fine," she reiterated, a bit more sternly, as she reached down to her backpack. "Worrying isn't going to help them get back here any faster. All we can do is wait for him to come back with Eevee and Pikachu."
"I guess," he conceded, dropping the issue. He knew his childhood friend long enough to know when she was lying, but he also knew how stubborn she could be. If she didn't want to talk about her true feelings, then pressing her on the issue was only going to make her angry. It was better to just let the matter drop.
He watched as she pulled out a textbook and a couple of worksheets, placing them on the table in front of her. "Are you doing homework?"
"Might as well," she responded, flipping through pages in her textbook. "I don't know how long it's going to be before Ash gets back. I don't want to be unprepared for tomorrow."
"Mm." Goh leaned against the wall, arms folded, as his gaze wandered aimlessly. With only the two of them there, the lab felt eerily quiet. Normally at this time, he and Ash would be talking animatedly about the day's research, while Chloe sat nearby with her Eevee, trying to pretend that she didn't enjoy overhearing their conversation. It felt wrong for him to simply be waiting around when Ash was in potential danger. The two of them were partners, in both research and adventure. Goh should be out there to protect Ash and the others from danger, not sitting in safety and waiting for a freak storm to pass.
He sighed and continued looking around, listening to the sound of rain hitting the windows with greater and greater intensity. His eyes eventually settled on the refrigerator, as he felt a pang of hunger from his stomach. He walked over and opened the refrigerator door, peering inside for anything that might satiate him and finding nothing.
"I'm going to go out and get some dinner before the weather gets too bad." He stood up fully and closed the door, turning back toward Chloe. "Do you want anything?"
She didn't look up, focused on writing into her worksheet, eyes darting back and forth between the textbook and her work. "I'm not hungry."
"Alright…" He slowly turned and walked toward the door, grabbing his raincoat and slipping it on. He glanced back at her as she focused intently on her homework, clearly trying not to think about anything else. He felt another pang inside of him, this one emanating from his heart, before he stepped outside and closed the door.
When Goh returned thirty minutes later with his bag of food, Chloe was still seated at the table, right where he had left her. Her pencil was resting on the table as she stared somberly at her textbook, resting her chin in her hands. Whatever had been motivating her to work on homework when he had left, it was long gone now.
She didn't seem to notice his arrival, offering no reaction as he closed the door, kicking off his shoes and slipping off his dripping wet raincoat. She continued staring fruitlessly at her book as he approached quietly, looking utterly lost. She jumped a bit as a hot bowl of food was dropped onto the table in front of her, and looked up to see Goh standing over her, offering a warm smile with a hint of a smirk.
"Still not hungry?" he asked confidently.
Her shock melted away into a gentle and sheepish smile. "Thanks, Goh." She pushed her work away and pulled her bowl of noodles closer, taking the fork that he offered her.
He sat down next to her with his own noodles, inhaling the scent for a moment before picking up his own utensil. "Did you get any homework done?"
"Not really," she answered, twirling some noodles around her fork. "I did at first, but after a few minutes I couldn't really focus."
He nodded, understanding, as she took a bite of her meal. "Too worried, huh?"
She nodded as she swallowed. "I know I probably shouldn't worry. Ash has been through a lot worse. And he's got all of his Pokémon with him, including Dragonite. I keep telling myself that over and over, but…"
He nodded in understanding, swallowing his own bite of food. "But your heart just won't listen?"
"I guess not." Chloe stared down at her bowl of food for a moment, getting lost in her thoughts. Goh watched her for a moment, before taking another bite and changing the subject.
They continued to talk as they ate, discussing anything other than the current situation, with Chloe quietly thankful for the distraction. It wasn't long before their bowls were empty, their stomachs were full, and Goh was itching to get away from Chloe needling him about his own long-neglected schoolwork.
He stood up and stretched his arms, glancing down at her. "Speaking of which, are you going to try and do some homework again?" He reached down to grab the two bowls.
She shook her head, watching as he brought the bowls over to the recycling bin. "I don't think it'll do any good. I'm just going to wait for Ash to get back with Eevee. Hopefully it won't be much longer." She let her hands rest in her lap, reflexively surprised to not feel her Pokémon there. "Are you going to work on yours?"
"Maybe later," he conceded, telling himself it technically wasn't a lie. "I'm going to check on the Pokémon in the park." He dropped the bowls into the recycling bin, as Chloe stood up from the table, pushing her chair back with her legs.
"I guess I'll just be in the lounge," she responded, stepping away. "Let me know if you want to watch something."
"I will." The two of them walked off in separate directions, with Chloe making her way to the lounge and its inviting couch, while Goh headed to the back of the lab, toward Cerise Park.
He soon stepped out into the massive, enclosed Pokémon habitat that was attached to the back of Cerise Laboratory. He stood at the entrance and watched dozens of Pokémon fly, swim and play among the trees, hills and streams of the park, few of them seeming bothered by the torrential rain that was now pounding against the glass. He stayed there for several minutes, enjoying the sight of these Pokémon in a mostly-natural habitat, before taking a step forward into the park. He wasn't here just to relax. He had something important he had to do.
Goh walked further into the park, scanning the skies and trees for one Pokémon in particular. As he walked by, several of his Pokémon ran up to him and greeted him warmly, looking for affection; he stopped for every one, kneeling down to offer them a scratch and a smile before continuing. He eventually spotted the silhouette of the Pokémon he was looking for, as it flew through the air over his head. It had the appearance of a giant dragonfly, albeit one that was wearing red goggles to protect its eyes.
He grinned wide, calling out and waving to it. "Hey, Flygon! Down here!" The creature called back, zooming down to ground level and landing heavily on the ground by Goh's side. The boy reached out to pet the creature on the back of its neck, in a way he knew Flygon enjoyed.
"How do you feel about going for a little trip?" he asked. Flygon sat up straight, looking up at the pounding rain above them, before looking back down at its trainer with clear skepticism.
"It's a rescue mission," he elaborated. "Ash, Pikachu and Eevee are all out in that storm somewhere. I want to head out there and try to find them. What do you say?"
Flygon's eyes lit up, its skepticism turning to determination, and it eagerly nodded. Goh grinned wide, thanking the Pokémon before walking back to the entrance, with Flygon flying overhead. He picked up Flygon's Poké Ball from a storage closet near the park entrance, returning the Pokémon before stepping back into the lab. He walked quickly but quietly through the laboratory, not wanting to arouse Chloe's suspicions. She was already worried enough about Ash and Eevee; he didn't need her worrying about him as well, even if it was slightly justified.
He successfully made it to the front door without being accosted, letting out a sigh of relief as he stepped into his shoes and tied them. As he slipped one arm into the corresponding sleeve of his raincoat, a voice from the hallway caused him to freeze in place.
"Where are you going?" He turned back to see Chloe standing in the hall, just outside of the lounge, with a concerned expression on her face. He exhaled and plastered a reassuring smile onto his own.
"I just need to step out quickly and grab something," he lied. "I'll be back in no time." He finished putting on his raincoat, reaching for the doorknob.
"Whose Poké Ball is on your belt?"
He paused, looking down at the Poké Ball attached to his hip. He hadn't expected Chloe to notice it, and he was silent for a moment as he tried to come up with a good excuse. His moment of hesitation betrayed him, heightening her suspicions further.
"Goh." Chloe's voice grew serious and accusatory. "What are you doing? Where are you going?"
He let out a sigh as he grasped the doorknob. "I'm going out to look for Ash."
"What?! No, you are not!" She ran up to him as he opened the door and stepped outside. "Have you seen how bad it's gotten out there?! It's like a hurricane! You can't go out in that!"
"I'll be fine!" he insisted, shouting to be heard over the din of the pouring rain. "I'll have Flygon with me! And I'll come back if it gets too dangerous!"
"It's already too dangerous!" she shot back, as he released Flygon from its Poké Ball. "You're just going to get yourself lost, too! Or worse!"
"Come on, have some faith in me, Chloe!" He hopped onto Flygon's back, getting himself as comfortable as he could. "Don't worry about me! I'll have Ash, Eevee and Pikachu back before you know it!" He started to command Flygon to lift off, but stopped himself as he felt Chloe grasping his hand in both of hers. He turned back to her, looking into her scared, pleading eyes.
"Please, Goh!" She was practically begging at this point. "Please just come back inside!" He felt his heart ache with guilt at seeing her so upset, and he reached down to clasp her hands with his.
"It's going to be fine, Chloe," he reassured her. "I promise I'll be safe. Stay here and wait for me, alright?" He pulled his hands away from her, turning back toward his Pokémon. "Let's go, Flygon! To the port!"
"Goh!" Chloe pleaded once more, though her voice was drowned out by the rain as Flygon took off. He forced himself to not look back down at her, as the two of them took off for the stormy, rolling ocean.
It took less than five minutes for Goh to start questioning his decision. He was soaked to the bone from the torrential downpour, and his fingers felt like ice as they clung to Flygon's body. The weather was much worse than he had given it credit for, and it was only getting worse as they got closer to the ocean. He was starting to wonder how long he could actually stand to search before he would have no choice but to return.
As the port finally came into view, Goh quickly came up with a plan to scan as much area as he could, as fast as he could. He could not feasibly scan the entire ocean for signs of Ash, but he could at least search the part of the ocean closest to the port. He had Flygon fly out to a distance of maybe a hundred feet over the water, before turning left and flying along the edge of the city. Goh leaned down to take a closer look at the water, which was practically pitch-black without any sunlight or moonlight present. He hoped against hope that Ash's clothing was bright enough to be seen. Maybe Pikachu would be sparking, and he would be able to spot that. Then again, if he had to spot them by Pikachu's electricity, that couldn't be good news for Ash.
In the back of his mind, he knew that this was an immensely bad idea. It was almost pitch black outside due to the heavy cloud cover, and the weather had turned downright dangerous. With visibility as low as it was, finding Ash, or even a clue as to where he was, was going to be next to impossible. His brain told him repeatedly, over and over, that he had no business being out here.
His heart just wouldn't listen. He didn't want to abandon his friends now, not when they all needed him. He wanted to save Ash and the others if they needed saving. He wanted to put a smile back onto Chloe's face. It was time for him to step up and be a hero.
After about ten minutes of slow, unsteady flying, the two of them reached the end of the port, with no sign of Ash or the Pokémon. Goh frowned, discouraged, before he told Flygon to turn around and head back, so they could search the other stretch of land that made up the port. If this next leg of the search didn't turn up anything, he would probably have to turn back and return to the laboratory. He wasn't looking forward to the tongue-lashing Chloe would give him for his recklessness, but it was probably better than staying out here and turning into a human popsicle. Probably.
As the two of them passed by their starting point and began searching the other end of the port, he jumped as a massive bolt of lightning struck the lightning rod on top of a nearby building. He held his hand over his racing heart for a moment, trying to calm himself down. He hadn't realized just how severe the storm had gotten, but he probably should have realized that there would be lightning strikes. He would have to be careful to-
With a sudden rush of chilling clarity, Goh realized the massive mistake he had made. He may not have always paid attention in school, but he had studied enough to remember that lightning always struck the highest point nearby. Right now, with him flying over the open ocean, he was far and away the highest point nearby. With all the water currently in the air, any stray bolts would have no problem going through him on its way down to the ocean. Flygon may have been immune to electric attacks, being part Ground-type, but he wasn't sure if that still applied when the Pokémon was covered in rainwater. Either way, Goh was not at all immune to electricity.
"Flygon, changes of plans!" he commanded. "We need to get back to shore, right now!" His Pokémon turned on a dime, aiming back toward the city, and sped toward it as fast as its wings could carry it. Goh watched the city close in on them, feeling less heroic and more boneheaded as he retreated, but at least he wasn't going to be electrocuted once he made it back to the port.
Goh didn't make it back to the port.
It all seemed to happen in an instant. The sky above him lit up ominously, as bolts of lightning arced from one cloud to another. Goh could feel the hairs on his arm and head standing up, and he could taste ozone on his tongue. He didn't even have time to panic before his Flygon spun around in a barrel roll, launching the boy off of his back and toward the ocean below.
Goh yelped in shock, tumbling through the air, trying in vain to right himself somehow. As he spun around, he was able to catch a brief glimpse of Flygon being struck by lightning, electricity coursing through its rain-soaked body as it cried out in pain. That was the last thing Goh saw before he plunged into the ocean.
The impact briefly stunned him, knocking the air out of him immediately. His arms and legs fought valiantly against the water, as he tried to swim up to the surface, but the churning ocean was too powerful for him to make any progress. He began to panic as he swam harder, his lungs burning as they demanded oxygen. As the water pulled him further and further from the surface, he could feel his head growing foggy, his frigid limbs growing tired and the burning in his lungs fading away. He didn't even have the energy to be scared anymore, as he slowly faded away.
The last thing he thought of, just before he lost consciousness, was Chloe's worried eyes as he had left the lab that night.
Goh awoke to the sensation of something prodding him. He groaned and coughed weakly for a moment, before the sensation of his burning lungs shot through him. He quickly sat up and started coughing violently, forcing as much water out of his lungs as he could, spitting it out onto hard, packed, wet sand. As he sharply inhaled cold, delicious air, he realized that he couldn't feel his fingers. He looked down at his hands to find all of his fingers still attached; he tried flexing and curling them, relieved to see that they still obeyed his commands, even if he couldn't feel them. He sat up and held his hands firmly against his stomach, which wasn't much warmer. He felt cold as ice from head to toe, his body completely soaked in icy water, with the wind whipping cruelly against him.
He turned himself around, trying to get an idea of where he was, and found two relieved-looking Pokémon behind him. The first was his Flygon, who leaned in to nuzzle its cheek against his, clearly relieved. Goh laughed and reached out to rub the back of Flygon's neck, turning his head to look at the Lapras that was resting on the shore, watching the two of them.
"Did you save me?" he asked, resting his hand on Flygon's side. The Lapras nodded, and Goh smiled warmly. "Thank you, very much. I probably would have drowned if it wasn't for you."
Lapras gave Goh a stern and disapproving look, gesturing back toward dry land with its flipper. The boy's smile fell away, and he nodded solemnly. "I understand. I won't try that again. We'll head back home." Lapras's gaze softened, and the Pokémon turned away and pushed itself back into the ocean, swimming out into the rolling waters.
Goh watched the Lapras swim away for about fifteen seconds, before he turned his gaze back toward the sky. The weather hadn't changed much, but after his underwater adventure the environment seemed twice as hostile as it had before. He started wondering what on Earth he had been thinking. He was supposed to brave these elements and find a missing boy and his accompanying Pokémon? All he'd done so far was nearly drown underneath the waves. He'd have been better off never going out at all.
He sighed and pushed himself to his feet, coughing a few more times to remove any lingering saltwater from his windpipe. He reached into his pocket and grasped his phone, shaking it out and pressing the power button. He was shocked to see that the phone still turned on, despite being completely submerged in water; Rotom Phones must have been more resilient than a standard smartphone.
A quick peek at the time, in the corner of the screen, told him that it had been well over an hour since he left; he must have been unconscious for quite some time. His eyes drifted down to his notifications, surprised to see that he had missed a half-dozen calls from Chloe, packed into a span of twenty minutes. Before all of those calls had come in, she'd sent him a message, which he had missed.
Chloe (7:32 p.m.): Please come back safe, okay?
He felt a lump in his throat as his eyes scanned the words several times. He had been anything but safe, of course, and if it weren't for that Lapras he likely wouldn't have come back at all. The only thing he had managed to accomplish tonight was to make his best friend sick with worry. So much for being a hero.
He reached out with his numb fingers, fumbling his way through a response, wanting to assuage her concerns as soon as possible.
Goh (8:51 p.m.): I couldn't find Ash or Eevee. I'm coming back now
He slipped the phone back into his pocket, grabbing Flygon's Poké Ball at the same time. He looked back up at Flygon as he extended his arm.
"Thanks a lot, Flygon. Sorry that our search turned out like this." Flygon dipped its head, understanding, as the Pokémon turned into a mass of red energy and was sucked back into the storage device. Goh clipped the ball back onto his belt, rubbing his hands together as he looked around the beach where he had been rescued, trying to figure out where he was in relation to Cerise Laboratory. He only had a couple of seconds to think before his phone buzzed again. Reaching down to grab it, he saw a new message had just come in.
Chloe (8:51 p.m.): You're okay?!
He felt a fresh wave of guilt at the panicked tone of the message. He quickly sent a reply.
Goh (8:52 p.m.): I'm cold and wet, but I'm fine
He waited for a moment for another reply, but none came. He shrugged and pocketed the phone again, before starting to find his way back to the lab.
The warm air inside the lab felt like it was burning against his cold skin, but it was a welcome change from the hurricane-like conditions that he had just trudged through. He barely had two seconds to appreciate it before he was accosted by a pair of hands, grabbing him firmly by the shoulders.
"Goh!" Chloe exclaimed, holding him firmly, eyes running over his face. "Are you okay?! Are you hurt?!" Her surprisingly strong grip held him in place as she looked him up and down, searching for any signs of injury.
"Hey, calm down!" he insisted. "I'm fine, I'm fine! You don't need to freak out!"
She let out a long sigh of relief, her hands reluctantly falling away from him as she stepped back. Goh rubbed his hands together again to warm them up, as he studied her expression. Upon getting a closer look, he realized that her eyes were red and puffy, along with her nose and cheeks, and he could see faint tear trails resting on her cheeks. She looked as if she had been bawling her eyes out. He hadn't worried her that much, had he?
"Chloe…? Were you…" She cut him off before he could finish.
"You're going to freeze in those clothes," she spoke sternly, as if reprimanding him. Her previous concern had quickly been replaced with anger. "Go get a shower and get changed." She turned away from him, walking quickly into the lounge, as if trying to outrun his response.
He watched her go, confused and irritated, not happy with being talked down to as if Chloe was his mother. On the other hand, he couldn't deny that a hot shower and a fresh set of dry clothes were the two most appealing things in the world right now. He relented quickly, hanging up his raincoat and stepping out of his shoes, before walking upstairs to the spare bedroom where he sometimes stayed, leaving a trail of water behind him.
Goh was still cold to the touch when he returned downstairs - he was starting to think he would be cold for the rest of his life - but he was no longer shivering, and his fingers were working properly. It didn't take him long to locate Chloe, who was sitting on the large couch in the lounge. Her arms lay limply at her sides, and she kept her gaze low, looking toward the rug on the floor.
"Hey, Chloe," he offered, trying to inject a bit of cheer into his voice. She didn't respond, not even looking his way. He sighed and continued. "Look, I'm sorry I made you worry about me. I know that what I did was… not my best idea. But I'm totally fine! There's nothing to worry about, I promise!"
"Sit down, Goh." Her voice was simmering with a cold fury that he had never heard before, quiet and soft and threatening at the same time. He immediately clammed up, walking in and sitting nervously on the other end of the couch, keeping a bit of distance just in case she decided to attack him. Once he had sat down, she picked up a remote control sitting next to her, pointing it at the lounge's large television and pressing the play button. The television began playing what looked like a news broadcast, and he watched curiously as a blond-haired, female reporter began speaking.
"The weather here in Vermillion City has only gotten worse, and our meteorologists are now comparing it to a hurricane," she spoke loudly into her microphone, trying to ensure she was heard over the sounds of wind and rain. "We still do not know the cause of this mysterious storm, which formed seemingly out of nowhere on an otherwise sunny day."
Goh frowned as he listened to the broadcast, not sure why Chloe was showing him this. He already knew how dangerous the storm was; he had been out in it, after all. He looked around the screen for some sort of clue, and he paused as his eyes noted the time showing on the broadcast: 8:16 p.m., nearly an hour ago. They were watching the news broadcast on a tape delay. He kept watching, wondering nervously what she was trying to show him. As a familiar figure flew into the shot, a hundred feet away from the camera, his blood turned cold as he realized the answer.
"We are warning every-" the reporter continued, before someone on the other side of the camera caught her attention and got her to turn around. "What… what is that? Is that a Pokémon? Oh my goodness, that's a child! There's a young boy flying out in the storm! What is he doing?!"
Goh could feel a hollow pit growing in his stomach as he watched, knowing exactly what was going to happen next. He watched his past self as he turned toward the camera and flew forward, before Flygon flung him downward into the water with a barrel roll. Flygon's body lit up as the bolt of lightning hit it, and it too fell into the water for a moment before managing to pull itself back out.
"Oh my gosh! The Pokémon just threw its trainer into the ocean!" The reporter ran up to the edge of the water, leaning in to try and find Goh, to no avail. "He's already been pulled under! I can't see him at all! Can anyone find him?!" Goh watched as several members of the news crew ran up to the water's edge, trying and failing to locate him, before the broadcast came to a stop. Goh looked over to see Chloe lowering the remote, still not looking his way.
"I thought you were dead," she spoke quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. "I thought I had just watched you drown. I thought I was never going to see you again."
"Chloe…" he began, though he didn't know what to say next. The pit in his stomach was stealing all of his words away.
"I don't need you to be my hero, Goh." Her voice was trembling now, her coldness starting to crack. "I just need you to be here." Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes once again.
He nodded meekly, feeling smaller than a breadbox. He'd wanted to put a smile on her face, and instead he had subjected her to more pain than he could imagine. "I'm really sorry, Chloe. I won't do it again, I promise."
She didn't answer him, reaching up to wipe her tears away with her arm. Goh watched her for a moment, wishing that he had some magic words he could say that would take her pain away and cause her to smile again. He had never really known the right thing to say to her, though, and right now was no exception. He eventually looked away, turning his head toward the door, feeling that the moment was starting to become awkward. Before he could even contemplate leaving, he felt her hand reach out and grasp his tightly.
"Please don't leave," she pleaded, her voice cracking. "Please just stay here with me."
He turned back to face her, shocked by her passionate plea. She still wouldn't look his way, but it might have been a blessing; he wasn't sure he could handle her sad eyes looking into his right now. He quickly nodded, settling back onto the couch. Right now, there was no force on Earth that could make him leave her side. "I won't leave. I'm staying right here." She nodded wordlessly, letting her hand slide off of his.
He turned his gaze back toward the television, as Chloe turned it back to its normal broadcast. The breaking news segment appeared to have ended, and the station had returned to its standard programming, which was an educational program about proper long-term care of Oddish. It wasn't Goh's favorite subject, and he was certain it wasn't Chloe's either, but neither of them were eager to keep watching news about the storm. They didn't need to be reminded of Goh's brush with death, or the fact that Ash and the Pokémon were still missing.
Goh eventually relaxed, sinking into the couch and letting himself get comfortable, holding himself gently to try and warm up his skin. He still didn't know what to say to her, but at least they had the television to fill the silence. He watched for several minutes before he felt a gentle hand on his arm, causing him to jump. He looked over to see Chloe reaching out, resting her hand on his upper arm.
"You're freezing cold," she said, finally looking up to meet his eyes.
"It's nothing," he reassured her. "Don't worry about it."
"Ugh, you're so stubborn." She turned and reached behind him, grasping a blanket that had been laying along the back of the couch. She scooted closer to him, unfolding the blanket and draping it around the both of them together, wrapping her half around herself.
He exhaled, smiling weakly as he tugged his half of the blanket around himself. It was definitely warmer. "Thanks," he said quietly, before turning back to the television.
"Mhmm." He felt her scooting closer still, until her body was leaning fully against his. He froze in place, his heart stopping, as she rested her head on his shoulder, shifting for a few moments until she was comfortable. She winced at how cold he was at first, but she quickly got over it. He glanced down at her, trying not to move his head, to look at the expression on her face. She didn't look back at him, but he could see that her cheeks were redder than they were before.
Once Goh had returned to Earth, he let out a long breath and extended his arm, draping it around her shoulders, underneath the blanket that was covering both of them. He felt her relax against him, snuggling in closer, neither of them saying a word. Goh sat silently beside her, not a single thought in his head, only able to focus on the way she rose and fell against him with each worried breath. He didn't dare move a muscle, not wanting to disturb her and interrupt the moment. If this was all he could do for her, then he was going to do it as best he could.
"Chloe? Goh? You guys here?"
Goh's eyes snapped open as the familiar voice rang out through the laboratory, as did Chloe's. Neither of them paid any heed to the fact that they had fallen asleep together, sitting up and looking toward the door. Goh was the first to escape the blanket and step into the hallway, eyes lighting up as he saw the familiar boy standing at the front door, looking as if he had just emerged from a swimming pool.
"Ash!" he exclaimed, running forward. "You're alright!"
"Of course I am," Ash replied. "Sorry if I worried you guys." At his feet, both Pikachu and Eevee were shaking the water out of their fur.
"Eevee!" All of them turned at the sound of Chloe's voice, as she raced down the hallway. Her Pokémon cheered happily, jumpping and running back toward her trainer. Chloe fell to her knees and allowed her Eevee to leap into her arms, laughing in delight and relief as the Pokémon nuzzled her neck. "You're finally back! I was so worried about you!"
"We both were," Goh added. "What happened to you? We thought you were swept out into the ocean!"
"I was!" Ash answered. "Turns out that Kyogre was the one who caused that weird storm!"
"Kyogre?!" Goh's eyes shot open wide. "Are you serious?!"
"Yeah! There was some jerk who was trying to capture Kyogre with some weird technology, and he made that storm 'cause he was angry and fighting back. And there was a bunch of Lapras, and…" He paused and covered his mouth, as he let out a yawn that lasted several seconds.
Goh smirked. "Maybe you should tell us tomorrow. It's gotten pretty late."
"Yeah…" Ash rubbed his eye, a wave of exhaustion hitting him all at once. "I could definitely use some rest…"
"Thank you so much, Ash." Chloe stood up again, holding Eevee firmly in her arms, as if the Pokémon might vanish if she loosened her grip. "I'm glad you're okay. I can't tell you how worried I was. And I really appreciate you saving Eevee."
"It's no problem." Ash flashed her a tired grin. "I'll see you all tomorrow, alright?"
Goh nodded. "See you later, Ash." He and Chloe watched as Ash carried a sleepy Pikachu up the stairs, his nearly limitless energy finally sapped after his long adventure.
"We should probably get some sleep, too. It's late." He turned back to face Chloe, who was still snuggling her Eevee. "Are you going to head home?"
She shook her head. "It's too late to go home. And the weather still looks pretty bad. I'll probably just sleep on the couch."
"Makes sense." He stifled a yawn of his own, his eyes drooping. He was about to bid her goodnight, but as he looked into her eyes, he found that he couldn't leave just yet. "I'm sorry about tonight, Chloe. I didn't mean to make you worry."
"I know," she responded, her voice gentler than it was before. "You wanted to do what Ash would do in that situation, right?"
He rubbed the back of his head, wishing that he hadn't been so easily to read. "I guess… I just didn't want you to worry so much… and it didn't really work out."
"You don't have to go out and be some big hero to help me feel better, Goh," she explained. "You can just keep me company, or feed me noodles, or things like that."
He smiled sheepishly. "I'll try to remember that next time."
"I'm really glad you're okay, Goh." She stepped closer, closing the distance between them. "I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."
He felt his cheeks heating up as she came closer, only inches away from him. His eyes were locked on hers, not sure what she was about to do, his heart suddenly pounding. He was too distracted to notice her raising her spare hand, until she used it to flick him in the forehead with her index finger.
"Ow!" He took a step back, holding his forehead. "Geez…"
She glared at him. "So next time, listen to me when I'm trying to stop you from doing something stupid, okay?"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it…" he answered, lowering his hand.
She smiled at him warmly, for the first time since he had returned. "Goodnight, Goh. See you tomorrow." She stepped past him and walked back into the lounge, scratching her Eevee on top of her head. Goh watched her go, slightly annoyed but mostly relieved. He hadn't been the hero he wanted to be tonight - far from it - but she finally had a smile on her face once again.
He walked past her, bidding her a quick goodnight as she curled up on the couch with her Eevee, before making his way to the spare bedroom, ready for a good night's sleep.