It is the next morning and the group of Max, Gary, Tracey, May, Misty, Brock, and Professor Birch have been up since before dawn. They are all gloomed at the prospect of trying to find Ash since the rainstorm washout his trail. They hoped they can find him soon and that he was okay.
"There is a lake not too far from here. It looked like he was heading in that direction." Birch said
So they all took off in that direction. It was about midmorning when they came close to the lake. As they came closer, they where surprised to see a thick white fog. There was none in the area of their camp when they woke up and there should be no fog. They entered into the clearing, not able to see where they were going, but they saw something in the fog, a shad darker. They all saw a shape of a four legged pokemon with what looked like a tail, but it was flowing in the opposite direction, standing in the middle of the lake. The pokemon looked at them and watched them carefully.
"What is that, I never seen that before." Gary said
"I wish there was no fog so we can see it." Max said
The group moved closer to the lake to get a better look at it, but it turns around and runs off in a different direction. Just as the pokemon left, so does the fog. Everyone is surprised at this.
"This is not right. I passed this lake yesterday before I meet with you and it was so polluted that I was going to have my assistants sent out here to pump the water out, but now it is crystal clear." Birch said
"But how?" Max asks
"Suicune." Brocks said
"What Brock?" Mays asks
"Yah, I remember seeing something like that when Ash, you, and I where in Johto. We came upon a lake and what we just saw was the same thing that happened and later we saw Suicune when the crystal bells from Tin Tower were stolen by Team Rocket.
"Isn't suicune the north wind pokemon who goes around and can clean any source of water?" Max asks
"Yes he is." Brock said
Birch came closer to the lake and took a handful of water and tasted it. He was surprised to find it was the best he had ever tasted. The others came and tried it also. They where amazed. They decided to make a quick lunch before resuming their search for Ash.
Suicune did not go far. It went back to where Ash was. He still senses sadness in the boy. He head rubs his face again and got petted again. It shook its head knowing it should not get use to that and quickly disappeared back into the forest.
The group was finished with their lunch and was planning their next move to find Ash. Pikachu was looking over the lake wishing he knew were his trainer was. As the sun and clouds moved in the sky, light started to reflect off the necklace Ash had around his neck. His back is turned to the lake, but the necklace pendant is lying across his back and catching the reflection of the light. Tracey had been sketching the image of suicune in the fog from memory and looked up and saw that pikachu's attention was caught by something. He looked in the same direction as the mouse pokemon and saw something twinkle.
He pulled out his binoculars and looked through them. As he does, he sees a black shape in the tree. He can not make it out due to the tree foliage blocked out much of the sun, but he almost dropped his binoculars when he recognize the shape of the item that caught the attention of pikachu.
"What is it Tracy?" Birch asks
"I think I found Ash. He is in that tree across the lake, the one close to the lakes edge."
Every one dropped what they where doing and raced over to the tree. They looked up and do not believe how he could have climb the tree.
"This tree must be over twenty feet tall, how did he get up there?" Misty asks
"Who knows?" Brock said
They called out to Ash, but they did not get a response. Gary took off and came back with a rope from their camp. Pikachu took one end, climb up the tree and allowed the other end to fall over a limb to the ground. He walked over to his trainer and touched his shoulder. Ash stirred some, but did not wake up. Pikachu was kind of mad at his trainer and wanted to shock his trainer awake. Birch was the one who climb up the tree and saw what pikachu was about to do. He stopped him and pikachu looked sad.
"I know pikachu, but let us not make it more worse then it is."
Birch called to Ash, but he got no response. He moved closer to Ash and laid a hand on his shoulder. He found that Ash felt warm and placed his hand on his forehead. He gave out a big sigh at what he found. He shook Ash and he woke up. Ash just laid their, staring at the professor.
"Come on Ash, we need to get down this tree."
Ash sat up looking around and started to cough. He grabbed his vest and moved away from the professor. Birch reached out to him, but was not able to grab him. Ash started to climb down the tree and the others watch as he came down. Birch quickly climbed down himself with pikachu right behind him. Birch came around the tree and grabbed Ash once he was close enough to him. He sat Ash down on the ground.
"What is the matter Professor?" May asks
"He has a fever and we need to get him to my lab and into some dry cloths."
"Ash why did you run off like that?" Misty asks
Ash just turned his head away from his friends. Pikachu jumped on his trainers shoulder trying to cheer him up. Everyone gather up their stuff and headed to the professors lab. Ash walked in silence not answering their questions. Pikachu walked by his trainer, sad that he is not acting like himself. An hour later they where at his lab. Birch led Ash in one of his guest room. Ash changed and went to bed not saying a word. Pikachu curled up with his trainer. Brock came in with a bowl of soup and tried to coax him to eat, but it was like talking to a brick wall. He walked out with Ash's wet cloths and the bowl of soup with a puzzled look on his face. He went back to the kitchen where everyone was.
"How is Ash Brock?" Birch asks
"He is asleep now. He would not eat the soup I brought him and will not talk to me."
"Well, the doctor should be here soon."
"What is the matter Brock?" Max asks
"When I picked up his clothes, I found all these hairs all over." he said sitting the clothes on the table.
Birch picked them up and looked closer at the hairs. He saw that they sparkle in the light and are in the colors of white, light blue and violet. He walked out of the kitchen and into his lab area. He rummaged in one of his draws and pulled out a roll of clear tape. He took a sample of the hairs and placed them under a microscope. He turned on a screen at the end of the room. Every one followed him out of the kitchen and his lab assistants stopped their work to see what he was doing.
"Wow, those are pretty colors. Are they pokemon hair? May says
"Yes, but I do not know who has these colors?" Birch said
"I bet those belong to that suicune we saw." Misty said
"You think suicune and Ash meet up?" Max asked very excited
"Who knows? We would have to ask him when he wakes up." Birch said
The wonder was cut short when pikachu came running out of the room to were they are. He started to shout at them and had a worried expression on his face. Every one ran to the room he was in and found he was not there. His covers where bunch up and look like they where thrown off. Pikachu ran to the bed and pointed under it. Misty laid down on the floor and looked under the bed. She saw the worse site. Ash was under the bed crying and shaking real bad, mumbling in his sleep. She stood up looking at the group.
Birch went down on the floor and reached under the bed, grabbing a hold of Ash's shorts. He pulled him out from underneath the bed. Ash yelled no and swung his arms wildly around. He woke up having someone bear hugging him, holding his wrists tightly to his chest. He hung his head and Birch gave a look that told the group to leave the room. Birch came out a few minutes later. Every one looked up at him and he look like he was as tired as Ash.
"What happen professor?" May asked
"I think with his fever he is getting nightmares. His fever is up also."
Everyone gloomed at this news. The doctor finally arrived and went to cheeked on Ash. The group decided to called Mrs. Ketchum and tell her the bad news that Ash was sick.
Mimmie answered the phone and got Delia. She got on the phone with happiness, but seeing their faces she knew something was wrong.
"What is the matter? Had something happen to Ash?"
They told their story of what happen when they found the necklace that he took off and when they found him, that he has a fever and that a doctor is checking him now.
"Mrs. Ketchum, why was he so upset when we started to ask questions about his father." May asks
"The people in the picture you found is of his father and two uncles. They never got along with each other. They constantly fought. They tried their best not to fight when Ash was around, but there was too much difference between the brothers. They also did not get along with his grandmother. Ash did not like his uncles and grandmother very well. We had an apartment in the city but my husband and Ash did not spend a lot of time there, he mostly stayed at his grandmothers. His father always wanted him to spend as much time with her as he could. The picture you found was taken when he was two. He got a broken arm when he fell out of a tree. His grandmother insisted that he learn how to, but I did not like it. I was gone when it happened. About a year later, after he turn three, his grandmother passed away suddenly. After she did, the fighting got worse. I took off with Ash and I never knew what happen to them when I left."
"Sorry Mrs. Ketchum for asking." Gary said
"No, it was okay. I do not mind telling you. Make sure he gets better."
"Okay Mrs. Ketchum." Brock said and turned off the video phone.
They walked back to the kitchen where they found Professor Birch talking with the doctor.
"Make sure you get him to drank lots of fluids and get him to eat something. Allow him to rest as much as possible. Check on him regular to see if his fever goes down. If it goes up call me right away. He should be better in a few days."
"Thank you for coming." Birch said
The doctor left and Birch sat down in a chair with a heavy sigh. He looked up at the group and smiles.
"He will be okay; he just has a high fever. Just have to do what the doctor said and let him rest. Did you get a hold of his mother?"
"Yes. She told us why he did not want to talk about his father." Misty said
They told him what they learned from his mother.
"I see. I guess we try to get him better."
That night, while Ash was sleeping Max and Brock made up a place to sleep in the room Ash was in. Ash went through a couple nightmares that made him wake up along with Max and Brock. That morning Birch came in to wake the boys. He touched Ash's forehead and found he was not as warm as he was yesterday. He also found pikachu sleeping in the floor by Max. He recovered Ash with the thrown off covers and left with Brock, Max, and pikachu.
"How well did he sleep last night?" Birch asked
"He woke us many times during the night with his nightmares. Also when he was getting out of bed, he fell to the floor." Brock said
"On one of the nightmares, pikachu was almost kicked out of bed and he came and slept with me." Max said
"Well breakfast is ready. Misty is getting something for Ash to eat right now. His fever had broken during the night, but he still needs some time to regain his strength."
Misty passed them with a bowl of food and giggled at the haggard looks of Max and Brock. She entered into Ash's room and found he had his back facing the door.
"Ash wake up, I brought you something to eat."
He stirred in his bed, but did not reply to her comment. She set the bowl of food down on a table and left the room. As she entered into the kitchen she sees Birch studying the picture they found.
"What would it be like to live in a mansion?" May asked dreamily
"Knowing you sis you would get lost on the first floor." Max said
"What is the matter Birch?" Tracey asks
"I swear I seen two of these people somewhere, but I do not know where?"
Misty found a seat and Brock sat down a plate of food for her.
"Misty was he awake when you brought him his breakfast?" Brock asked
"Yes but he did not acknowledge me when I entered. I set his breakfast down on the table."
They sit there eating their breakfast. When they were done they went to Birches lab and looked at the hairs they found on Ash's cloths. Brock and Misty told their adventure of meeting up with a suicune and that Ash saw Ho-oh when he first started his journey with pikachu and how it made Eusine, a person they meet in Ecruteck City, very mad that he saw the two legendary pokemon.
Ash woke up again after Misty brought him his breakfast. He looked at it and pushed it away from him. He is still down from the day before. He puts on a shirt and pants and slip on his shoes. He opens up the window and winced when it made a creaking noise. He slipped out of the small window and turned back around and closed it shut. He heads straight for the forest. He still wants time by himself, and he walked not knowing where he was going.
Back in Birches lab, Misty and Brock finished telling there tale.
"I would like to meet up with one of those pokemon." May said
"I'm going to check on Ashy boy to see if he ate." Gary said
"Don't torment him any farther Gary, we caused him enough grief." Tracy said
Gary walk away from them waving his hand in the air showing he will not. He got to Ash's room and opened the door slowly. He looked around and found he was not in bed. He was about to leave to check the bathroom, till he heard a creaking sound behind him. He looked back as the window was slowly open. He ran back out to the others.
"I think Ash took off. I did not find him in the room and his shoes are gone. The window is unlocked also."
Every one jumped up and searched throughout Birches' Lab and home. They did not find him. They all ran outside and pikachu caught his sent. They followed it and easily found him at a small lake on Birch's property setting, watching pokemon as they came close to the lake.
"Ash what are you doing? You should be in bed." Misty said
Pikachu came close to his trainer and sat down by him. He looked up at his trainer. He saw that he was staring off in the distance. He looked to his hand and saw him rubbing the beads on his necklace.
"Ash!" Misty yelled
Ash looked behind him and saw that his friends where there. They where surprised he did not jump, but when Misty yelled out, they all jumped and the pokemon who were around them, flied in fear. Birch knelled down and got eye level with Ash.
"Ash, you should be still in bed." Birch said
Ash did not replay to the professor. He turned his head and continuing staring ahead of him. Birch got up and grabbed one his arm and pulled him up to his feet. Ash did not like this, but the professor did not release his grip. He lead Ash back to his house and Ash surrendered to him. The rest followed.
"I never seen him so down before." Brock said
"He should cheer up when we get back to Pallet." Misty said
They all enter back into the house, hoping it will be true.
In Viridian City, Giovanni is at his home. He had to have his members of his organization to lie low for a while; because Lance was snooping around too much and many of his members were in jail. He was in his small office he had on the second floor. He set down at his desk and pulled open a drawer at his right. He was looking for a new pen to use, when he came across an old picture of him and his son. He studies it for a while and placed it back into the drawer and pulled out a file folder. It contained reports of his search for his son, all of them with dead ends.
They last report was six years ago. The investigator believed he found his son, but before he was able to work on his lead, the man died in a car accident. After that Giovanni quit his search for him. He found he had no time to hire a new person for the job, and that Delia hid herself very well. As he was reading through the reports, he came up with an ideal. He placed the folder back in the drawer and closed it. He reached over to his videophone and dialed a number. A women with brown hair, put up in a bun, answered the phone.
"Sir, what can I do for you?"
"I need you to run a background check on a Delia Ketchum."
"Yes sir, anything else?"
"Get a hold of my lawyer and have him contact me."
He turned off the phone and sat back in his chair. His phone rang after a few minutes and he picked it up.
"Yes Mr. Rocchetta."
"I need to know if you are able to get me full custody of my son."
"I believe I can sir, after all she was the one to leave and with your son."
His phone started to beep and Giovanni placed his lawyer on hold. He answered the other call and it was his sectary.
"What?"
"I have found the person you requested. She lives in Pallet town. She has one son, a Ash Ketchum. No husband is listed."
"Fine, that is all."
He switched back to his lawyer and gave a cool smile.
"Well you can get started with first drawing up divorce papers and get me full custody of my son. She lives in Pallet town. I believe Jude Bull would be a wise choice."
"Fine, I will do so."
The link was cut and Giovanni leaned back in his chair pleased with himself.
Honestly, who knew it was Suicune before reading this chapter. I knew, for I wrote it. Until next chapter. Please be kind and leave me a review and you can e-mail me if you like.
Green Gold Fox
