Osteogenesis Imperfecta
by Joshua Falken
Thanks to BenRG for beta-read this chapter and help me with the battle scene :-)
Author's note: Osteogenesis Imperfecta is an Alternate Universe fic, where Ash has the disease of the title. Also, this genetic disorder is real, it really exists. For more info, access http://www.oif.org
Now, the chapter 3! :-)
Chapter 3 - Magnetic Resonance Image
Viridian City General Hospital
June 15, 2063
"I only want to know what they are talking about inside there!" Misty exclaimed, while she back and forwards in front of the Doctors' Room, where, right now, doctors were considering Ash Ketchum's condition. With her were Brock and Prof. Oak. Delilah Ketchum refused to leave her son's side.
Brock tried to calm down his friend. "Calm down Misty," he said. "They will tell us the results of the examinations as soon as they can..." It sounded reassuring, but both of them glared at the door still, willing someone to come out and tell them what was happening.
== == == == == == ==
Meanwhile, the medical team of Viridian City General Hospital was being informed of the progress of their most challenging case.
Dr. Andrew Rupertson was in front of the table, pointing to a series of magnetic resonance images of somebody's skeleton, which looked more like an impossibly complex jigsaw puzzle. He cleared his throat: "Well, you can see the skeleton of patient Ash Ketchum, including the multiple fractures across the whole body. Please note especially the trauma to the legs, arms and ribs. Here we have the image of the right leg, where the femur was fractured in eight different places..."
"How many fractures did he have in the total?" asked an intern, shocked by the images.
The boss of the medical team took a deep breath before answering. "Two hundred three."
The doctors that were not still familiar with the case lost their speech. Two hundred three fractures?
The doctor that accompanied Ash's case from his birth, Dr. Brenda Wiggins, spoke up. "I understand your incredulity. But you should bear in mind that Mr. Ketchum suffers of a rare genetic disease, called Osteogenesis Imperfecta, that generates this effect...."
"But, Dr. Wiggins... how is that possible?"
"That disease has origin in two recessive genes that inhibit the necessary production of collagen to give to the bones the normal strength and flexibility. The other symptom is the blue tone of the white of the eyes..."
She was interrupted by the orthopaedist of the hospital, that pointed for a straight bar where should be Ash' right femur.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you, doctor, but there is a fact that doesn't fit. The magnetic resonance images shows that Mr. Ketchum's skeleton was reinforced with platinum prostheses, right?" Dr. Wiggins nodded; she had supervised the microsurgical intervention that had placed the prostheses, when the patient was six years old. "But it seems that the bone simply came unfastened of that prosthesis! Certainly..."
"I know what you are going to say. Somebody with such fragile bones that, even when they are surgically reinforced, broke so easily, should not survive. You are technically correct. 'Level Two' victims of Osteogenesis Imperfecta, like Mr. Ketchum, very rarely reach their second year of life. Please bear in mind, however, the clear violence of the attack. But the truth is that those implants primary function is to act as a guide when resetting fractured bones, not keeping them securely in place."
Then, the surgeons who stemmed the internal haemorrhages informed the group that they had repaired the internal injuries caused by the attack and by displaced bone fragments. Nonetheless, they insisted that the patient should rest the as much as possible.
"Should we go for the restoration of the bones by means of nano-robots?"
"No, our first priority is the stabilisation of the patient's health. We will concentrate on repairing the fractures later."
"If they can be repaired." commented the orthopaedist, looking at the images.
== == == == == == ==
Meanwhile, Detective Jennifer Wigand arrived to the eighth floor of the Hospital. There she found her cousin, Officer Jenny Sterling. She was watching the Patient's room.
"Hi, Officer Jenny."
"HI, Detective Jenny ". Both smiled at their private joke. Many of the daughters of their huge family seemed to end up in law enforcement in one form or another, but they were amongst the very few on the same City's police forces.
The detective's face was serious. "Can he speak?"
Her cousin shook her head in uncertainly. "No one is ready to say, just yet. A lot depends on what the doctors decide. They're in a conference right now."
"Hell!"
"Any clue?"
"No." She didn't comment that the only possible clue would come from the lever used to attack Ash. There were no fingerprints or DNA: The crime scene was a forensic dead end. "Can he have visitors yet?"
"The doctors have restricted it to his mother and his girlfriend for now. You can see him through the door's window."
The detective looked through the window, and immediately step back, her faced twisted with incredulity and horror. She felt a sour nausea worming its way up her throat.
Officer Jenny looked at her with kind smile: "Yes, you saw right."
Detective Jenny approached the window once again and she saw the victim for the first time. Being an investigator, she only entered in contact with the victims when she took their statements or when the case was closed. She was not prepared for the vision of a 13 year-old boy, completely immobilised with orthopaedical devices and plaster. Cables ran out from between the various dressings and medical braces, connecting him to the mass of machines that sustained life in his shattered body.
Quietly, she left the hospital and went to her police car. She swore that she would find out who was responsible for such a barbarity.
Legendary Birds Café
June 15, 2063
The Trainers that competed in the Global League frequented the Legendary Birds Café. The atmosphere was very tense, today. This was entirely due to the attack on Ash Ketchum. By the force of their calling, Trainers tended to be a close-knit community of people. An attack on one of them was an attack on all.
On the TV, the reporter has just reported that Ash had regained consciousness, but visits were currently restricted to his family.
Richie Trenton placed his cup of coffee back on the table before saying, mostly to himself. "I'm glad that Ash is recovering."
A boy with a Sandslash, who was sitting at the table at his side, heard him. "I'm sorry, but do you know Ash?"
"Yes. We met each other when we both battled in the Indigo League, three years ago... and you are?"
"Oh. Excuse me. I'm A.J."
"Richie."
The two trainers shook hands. Richie asked: "Then, do you know Ash yourself?"
"Yes, we faced each other, I think when he began his journey. I defeat him that time."
"Yeah," Richie laughed gently. "I won the battle I had with him in the Indigo League, but it was mostly because his Pokémon still hadn't recovered from fighting off Team Rocket. You know, if that hadn't happened, I think he would have won. Hell, he probably would have gone on to win the League!"
A.J. nodded. He and the trainer from Pallet Town didn't agree with the right way to train a Pokémon, but both knew the other to be a formidable trainer.
The two boys were in silent for a moment, then A.J. asked: "Do you think Ash will recover in time to face Lance?"
"I don't know... I only know that would be a great injustice to be disqualified for absence simply because someone attacked him! Did you know that Ash suffers from some kind of genetic disease?"
"No. I want to say, I knew that he had some thing different, those weird blue eyes of his made that clear. But I never knew that his bones were so fragile..." He shook the head.
"If he is not tough enough to handle the stress of the Pokémon League, then he should not be competing!" Richie and A.J. turned surprised to the voice full of scorn that intruded on their conversation. It a tall, brown-haired, 13 year-old boy. Richie slammed his coffee cup back down on to the table with some force.
"The only reason you say that is envy, Gary! You still haven't forgiven Ash for wiping the floor with you in the first round of the Global League this year!"
Gary Oak didn't comment, but the expression of scorn continued. He couldn't believe that had been defeated by that... that freak!
Pokémon Global League Stadium,
Viridian City
May 10, 2063
The Umpire walked to the Arena's center mark and stood for a moment. The Stadium tannoy system relayed his words to the audience. "Final Bout!" he announced. "The score stands at Oak 2, Ketchum 2! Oak to select first!"
There was a long pause. Gary sneered at Ash. That... freak had held him back for too long, now Gary would show him that the Pokémon League had no place for charity cases. "Okay," he said. "Get ready, "Mr. Glass!" Go Arcanine!"
Ash sneered when he heard Gary's childhood taunt. "You are so full of it, Gary. Charizard, I choose you!"
Ash's Charizard roared and landed right in front of Gary's huge fire wolf. There was a long, frozen pause, then the siren sounded signifying the start of the bout.
"Arcanine, Multi Fireball attack!"
"Charizard, Dodge Up!"
Charizard rose over the hail of fireballs spat out by Arcanine. In response to a command from Ash, he leaned over and breathed out a massive Flame-thrower attack down at the dog-like Pokémon. Arcanine back-pedalled, barely dodging the attack.
The battle continued for ninety long seconds. Arcanine and Charizard were very closely matched. Finally, however, Gary managed to pull an unexpected card from his sleeve. Charizard had just missed with a Thunder Stomp attack and Arcanine had circled behind him. "Now, Arcanine," Gary shouted. "Firestorm attack!"
Arcanine howled and breathed in. The whole stadium looked on, aghast, as Arcanine breathed out a massive fireball that consumed Charizard. Only the attack did not end there. The massive column of flame continued to blaze for a long minute. The flames were so intense that no one could even look at them. The sand on the arena floor actually began to melt and solidify into glass. "Charizard... NO!" Ash shouted. "Gary, call him off!" Gary just laughed.
After the attack was over, Arcanine slumped wearily, at the very end of his strength. He barely managed to drag himself back to his starting place at Gary's end of the starting circle. Of Charizard, nothing could be seen, just a bus-sized solid lump at the center of a massive blazing pyre.
Tears streaming down his face, Ash slumped gently to his knees, not caring if it broke his legs. All right, so Charizard was a pain, but he didn't deserve this. Then the lump in the centre of the flames began to glow brightly. The glow started at red but built up through orange, yellow, blue and then to white. Ash covered his eyes and cried out. Then there was a massive roar that forced him to look again. The flames were gone. Charizard was gone. In their place was a gigantic red dragon the size of a small airliner. It was something from a medieval fantasy novel... or a D&D-like role-playing game. The huge animal stretched its 150-foot span wings, raised its head to the sky and roared: "CHAAAAAROOOON!"
Ash swallowed and pulled himself painfully to his feet. He pulled out his Pokédex and pointed it at the massive Pokémon in front of him. "No match found," Dexter reported. "Unknown type, repeat unknown type."
Gary stood there amazed. Ash was just as shocked, but his finely tuned tactical sense told him that he had been given a second chance. "Uh... Charon," he called. "Flame-thrower attack?"
At once, my Trainer, Ash heard in his head. Charon breathed in, and then spewed out a solid stream of fire over three metres across. Arcanine was struck full on and blown back against the far wall. The singed fire-type collapsed into unconsciousness without a single murmur. "No!" Gary shouted. "No... no that isn't possible! Charizards don't evolve! They DON'T!"
Gary continued screaming at his bad luck and ignored his fallen Pokémon, which was pretty typical for him, Ash thought scornfully.
One of the Umpires checked Arcanine over, but it was a formality. "Arcanine cannot continue," he reported. "The bout goes to Ash Ketchum and... and... Charon? Bout and Match: Ketchum!"
The crowd went wild. And cutting through their cheers was Charon's ear-bursting roar of victory.
Legendary Birds Café
June 15, 2063
Richie and A.J. forgot about Gary Oak, when they heard the door of the Café open up, as if it had been kicked. They turned around stayed silent when they saw who was entering.
She was a very pretty woman, 25 years old, tall, very clear skin, long black hair, and eyes an icy blue shade. She walked with if she was the owner of the place. She looked more a biker (or a vampire), with the black leather body armour she habitually wore, than the Pokémon Master Trainer that the Pokéballs at her waist showed that she was.
Everybody knew her: she was Amanda Blackstone, the Current Champion of the Global League, and the Gym Leader's deputy at Viridian City's Earth Gym. What everyone also knew was her reputation as a brutal, success-oriented Trainer who considered the Rules of Conduct things that applied to others.
Amanda looked at the TV set and lit a cigarette. "So, guys," she said. "What's the latest word? Is that little boy recovering?"
"Yes." A.J. spoke. "Worried, Amanda?"
She shook the head, completely calm. "No," she assured him. "Oh there is no doubt that he is good." She sneered. "There is no doubt he could make mincemeat out of you lot, but he is still light-years away from matching me." She sat down in a chair close to the window, and leaned back, sticking her boots up on the table.
A.J. and Richie glanced covertly at each other. They knew that was not true. Ash Ketchum was the first Trainer that anyone considered to have some chance of defeating her. Actually, she was the only one who benefited from Ash's sudden departure from the Global League.
"Did you already hear the rumours about her?" A.J. asked.
Richie nodded. The two trainers looked at the League Champion...
Viridian City General Hospital
June 15, 2063
As soon as the doctors left the Doctors Room, Misty ran up to the Medical Team Chief, asking about Ash's condition. "How is he? Can he receive visits?"
"Well... yes, he can receive visits, but just one at time!"
They decided that Misty would be the first person. Hugging Togepi, she opened the door and saw Delilah holding her son's hand stronger than she thought she dared. The patient smiled when he saw her.
With the broken maxilla immobilised with strips. The voice was just a whisper. "Hi Misty."
To be Continued... Chapter 4 coming soon!
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