Yes, less time in between two updates! Don't know how long I can keep that up, but know I'm doing my best -and also having a bit of fun to work out some of my frustrations on someone I never gave a reason to be a dipshit in the first version of this story.
Hope you're all keeping safe!
"I would've been very happy if someone told me about the fact he was already readmitted to this hospital before I went and left for my appointment with him."
"Be sour about it as much as you like, dr. Knight, but you were the last person on my mind at the time I got the child under my supervision," dr. Lotus answered. "But since you're here, perhaps you can jar a reaction from him."
"Unconscious still?"
"Unfortunately so."
"What was ailing him, anyway?"
"Drug overdose. His family somehow managed to give him double the amount of medicine he needed."
"Right, and why am I not seeing any cops here, managing this case?"
"I've given them the benefit of doubts."
"So Mrs. Ketchum gets away with it again," the therapist sighed. "I'm not sure what to think about this, have you read the boy's physiotherapist's review on his house visit? The woman knew her son wasn't doing well and-"
"I know, but it was a mistake. Mrs. Ketchum wasn't to blame, well, not fully anyway. I don't particularly like your negative, biased attitude towards this family, perhaps I would be better off asking for a new therapist."
"I don't have a negative, biased attitude towards my patient, which is what I would think to be the most important part here."
"I recall having been told that Ash's last words to you were for you to go and suck an egg. As cute as it sounds, that's still a clear sign towards you to bugger off."
"Perhaps in a different dimension I would have argued to you about this, but I was appointed to Ash and unless he has complaints, I'm staying."
"Perhaps in a different dimension, you would have come through that door without that attitude and we wouldn't be having this kind of conversation altogether."
"… I'll keep that in mind," dr. Knight replied sourly.
"Good. Now, do you have an idea of where I can find dr. Martin?"
"Did the I.C. turn into a haunted house again last night, then? Sorry to hear it."
"… Perhaps I'm better off asking you who these pokémon are, the ones that keep sneaking into his room?" dr. Lotus asked.
"I wouldn't bother them, Ash hasn't specifically stated a name, but I feel they're legendary."
"In what sense?"
"Legendary pokémon. You know, the big ones that have a lot of power? The ones that can look at you and you're a goner?"
"… He's friends with them?"
"Yup."
"I don't suppose you know who keeps putting that Dialga toy near him?"
"Oh, dear dr. Lotus, that's no toy," dr. Knight chuckled.
The man's expression dropped and he hastily excused himself with the therapist, to go and see whether the I.C. unit still existed. He wasn't scared of pokémon, but he had to draw a line somewhere. A part of him wondered what was so special about this child that humans and pokémon alike were so attracted to him, but another part of him was cursing like a sailor at the thought of having made fun of a legendary pokémon while being right in front of it.
Then again, the nurse had said something about having argued about needing time for this kid to heal and suddenly, their shift had been over. Did that mean this pokémon had been hanging around, to hear how it could help its little friend's condition? There was no other explanation, the nightshift nurses were such clear-minded people, to be so shaken up something must've happened. And wasn't it all a bit too coincidental?
"What would you do when there is indeed a Dialga inside of the boy's room, though?" dr. Knight asked.
The man stopped briskly, turning towards the therapist with a startled expression.
"I don't recall you mentioning you were going to follow me."
"You did say you were wanting my help jarring a reaction from Ash."
"… I did say that."
"So?"
"If there was a Dialga inside that room, I would politely ask it to go away. I doubt it would even fit inside of the room anyway, last time I've ever checked the pokédex entry for the thing, it's huge."
"It wasn't when you thought it was a toy."
'Don't rub it in,' the man thought and walked along the corridor, straight into the I.C. department.
There was no ruckus going on and there most certainly weren't any huge pokémon hidden in any of the rooms. While the toy was still sitting on the cabinet, the doctor got a bit of a freight realising the Pikachu that had been sitting next to it, had moved. But as soon as he looked into the bed, he quickly located the creature, snuggled in the crook of the boy's neck.
"Has he had any more seizures since my last visit here?" dr. Lotus asked, turning to the nurse who had been taking notes a bit further away.
"No, doctor, but he has also not regained consciousness. We believe he's suffering from exhaustion."
"And has the possibility of Hypoxia been determined?"
"The amount of time he could have possibly gone without oxygen has been determined to be short enough for him to possible wake up without any side effect, but our estimated amount could vary depending on whether or not he already suffered from seizures before the emergency number was called."
"I see. We'll have to keep that in mind then," the man sighed and turned to look at the therapist, who seemed a bit sullen now. "What's the matter?"
"I'm not going to be able to pull a reaction out of him when he has cerebral hypoxia, dr. Lotus," dr. Knight admitted. "Especially not if he can't communicate."
"You heard a possible diagnose, not an actual one. Ash needs to be awake for us to determine anything. But perhaps, with the lack of… positivity coming from the boy's mother and the lack of words from his father, you could talk to him a bit, if you want to. I'm sure he might hear you."
"… With extreme exhaustion?"
"You seem to like him, so even if it's no good for him, I feel like it will do you some good."
"Ah…"
"Take care, okay? I'll see you later."
"Sure."
"Oh, I don't suppose… A Dialga can't actually make lights flicker or let stuff levitate, can it?"
"I'm no pokémon professor, but I suppose not. Why, was that part of the haunted house act last night?" the therapist asked, walking around the bed to nab a chair to at least sit during this possibly useless act. "Because if it was, that was Ash partially awake and feeling scared and unsafe."
"That's… amazing. And not very good news." Dr. Lotus answered. "But thank you, dr. Knight, I'll keep this in mind, so I can at least warn the nurse not to be too surprised if their gear suddenly flies up in their hands."
Dr. Knight chuckled but the other doctor wasn't too pleased this wasn't mentioned anywhere. If this kid got semi-conscious in an operating theatre and all the scalpels started flying up, he wondered whether there would be anyone amused with those pointing things going places. Nevertheless, it was good to know it only happened when the kid was awake because that meant that sometime last night, the boy had regained consciousness, which meant the medication had lost the strength to keep him into that status epilepticus. The sooner the better, actually and the doctor could only hope that this child, who apparently was very good at spinning a lot of adults around his little finger, would come out of this situation mostly unscathed.
When professor Oak's reply came, you could say that plenty of people were annoyed at the fact that it had been professor Oak's underage grandson who had been on the verge of seriously soiling his own grandfather's hard work and reputation. And when confronted with these annoyed people and their question of why he had done this to Ash, Gary had no better answer than 'I just don't like the git'. He'd added fuel to the fire by asking why they were all annoyed anyway, saying that they were biased because Ash's father had suddenly been pulled out of the gutter, cleaned and put back into his original position of power.
Lance, one of the people present, had no desire to explain the entitled teenager that Red had never been in the gutter, but he wasn't going to waste any time with the boy. He was saddened because Ash had told them they didn't get along well, that they had come to a compromise a few years ago and tolerated each other, to a certain extent. Alright, the boy had worded it a bit differently, but his claim to know that Gary was a special kind of asshole certainly hit home. And while that had amused the man at the time, he now knew Ash had been dead right. This kid was indeed an asshole and he couldn't help but feel conflicted that his nephew had just needed to tolerate this kind of treatment without complaints, or else he'd get punished even worse.
He was aware he was the one who had instigated this investigation, as to why and how Ash's pokémon had been taken from him at all the important times and he was basically the only one taking offence to all these disrespectful things that had already happened to the boy. The determination to do something about these unfeeling idiots had grown until he finally found an outlet for it. With Gary Oak's crimes out in the open, for everyone to see, Mr. Goodshow had asked for help determining a fitting punishment for the teen. Initially, the president of the pokémon league had thought Ash's story to be a bit unbelievable, but he had been suspicious nonetheless, hence why he had even sent that letter… And the response had been amazing, professor Oak had thrown his grandson straight under the bus, without the slightest bit of remorse. But then again, Ash had a lot of people skills and he wasn't quick to judge someone's character -he did, however, judge you for your actions, straight away. For him to straight-up call Gary an asshole when talking to his newfound uncle, someone he had only recently learned to trust… It honestly should have told Lance enough.
But another part of him wasn't happy at all, because if this was the apathy Gary had been raised up with, it was no wonder the kid thought it to be okay to play his only friend as a fool. Old Oak clearly hadn't cared enough to punish his grandson when it counted and with Ash's words falling on deaf ears, the bullying had continued. Scarring these two children into believing no one cared about what they did, one assuming he could do whatever he wanted and get away with it, the other thinking everyone acted this way because he'd done something wrong and kept trying his best to prove the people he assumed to care about him wrong. It was a sad story… and while Mr. Goodshow had some troubles with getting to grips with it, Lance had gone ahead and found a very nice cell for Oak junior to have a good heart-to-heart with some teenage criminals.
"I do hope you all have some idea of what we're trying to achieve here today," Mr. Goodshow said, sighing deeply as he resumed stroking his bears. "I just cannot take this young boy's future away from him, he hasn't been successful in destroying young Ash's drive and soul for training, by some sort of miracle… but I cannot let this act go unpunished either. What to do, what to do…"
"I have a bit of an idea," Agatha piped up, having invited herself into this -initially- two-person meeting as soon she had heard the Oak's were involved. "It came to me when I saw a public letter in the newspaper, calling out for volunteers… Why not some community work?"
"Are you sure that's wise?" Lance asked. "I mean, he's blatantly told us he thinks Ash belongs to scum class, so putting him in the lowest tier of this society is just going to prove his point."
"I think that sounds like an excellent idea," Mr. Goodshow piped up, knowing that the Champion would just rather put the kid in jail. "What place do you have in mind, Agatha?"
"Celadon Central," she answered victoriously. "They're always looking for volunteers and if Gary likes to clown around, why not let him try and make a group of young, sick children smile?"
And why that sounded like an excellent kind of punishment for the young, entitled researcher, Lance wasn't completely satisfied with it yet.
"Ah yes, I can see how that would teach him some very valuable life lessons, or at least a bit of empathy, but at the same time, I feel like he does not care too much about other people either. He might not be affected unless he was faced with someone he knows."
"Ash is still admitted to Celadon Central, in the Intensive Care unit of paediatrics," Lance piped up. "But I've got a nice backup for you, the time he won't spend doing community work, he can come sit in a nice and cosy jail cell if that seems like a better option for him."
"Surely not with the adults, though, Lance?"
"I have a sixteen years old teenager who cyberbullied a kid into suicide. He can tell Gary all about the backlash of being a bully when you don't have connections to keep you safe. And a seventeen-year-old kid who got bullied, got mixed up with the wrong crowd and well… He's got a good opinion on why you shouldn't ever make someone else feel like dirt too. And there's more because Gary's not special for being a bully, there are thousands of kids who think like him."
"Hm… No, quite. Then I suppose we've got Gary Oak's punishment ready. For how long though?"
"Perhaps, if Ash indeed still admitted to Celadon Central, why not force him to face the punishment until the boy is released from it?" Agatha suggested.
"I'm all for it," Lance answered.
"… Oh, is he in for a long stay still?"
"He got readmitted, Agatha. It didn't sound good when Red called me, he was terribly upset and I couldn't make much out of it, other than the fact Ash apparently had a seizure at home. Told me the kid was twitching and that Delia told him not breathing wasn't good. So I just assumed…"
"Goodness, that is bad news, I had no idea," the woman sighed. "I hope Samuel's grandson will at least see the way my godson will struggle trying to reach some level of normality again. Perhaps I can have a talk with Ash's doctor, ask him not to prematurely release the boy again."
"… So the two of you have a personal attachment to Ash, hm?" Mr. Goodshow asked, looking from Lance to Agatha. "Coincidental?"
"Yes," Lance answered. "I had no idea until Red came in the picture."
"And I was told to back off for the sake of the family's safety, because of Red's connection with Team Rocket."
"Ah," the man said.
"Ah indeed, because it worked for shit," the Champion growled. "Got a hold of his diary from his first year, even on the first day of his journey, guess what?"
"Team Rocket," Agatha deadpanned.
"Exactly. As well as professor Oak calling him a liar for claiming to have seen Ho-Oh and having the fucking feather in his hand as proof and yet…"
"He has a Rainbow Feather in his possession?" Mr. Goodshow asked, with wide eyes, watching how Lance dug out his phone and presented a picture of the feather place inside the book, the very page the Champion had just been talking about. "Ah…"
"Quite."
And so, the meeting ended, with Gary's punishment decided on and now the president of the pokémon league had a bit of a different image of Ash in his mind. Lance could only hope it wasn't going to come back to bite him in the ass, but even so, he could still counter any favouritism towards Ash with the fact Mr. Goodshow had been against imprisoning Gary Oak because of his 'future', while the man had no issue sending countless kids to jail for the very same reason. Nevertheless, it was going to be a serious bother for Gary to be taken out of the comfort of his home. And the commute between Pallet and Celadon was sure to be one of the Rings of Hell, with the bus nearly stopping at every damned house it passed by, as well as sometimes taking detours because of pokémon being in the way… as well as just coming to a complete halt when there was nowhere else to go.
It would be easier for Gary to go by bike, though he wasn't sure the kid would be up to ride that distance twice a day. But even if he was fit enough, the weather was getting colder and wetter already, Halloween almost around the corner. Chances of Ash being hospitalized throughout the biggest part of the holidays were high and it made him smile wryly, but it was comforting that most of Gary's Christmas and New Years' would be spent in hospital too if his nephew hadn't been released by that time.
'Good,' Lance thought, a smug, somewhat satisfied smile on his face as he walked through the halls of the pokémon league. 'As long as it's fair, I'm all for it. Even if I would have been more inclined to leave Oak Junior in there for even longer than he put Ash through all that trouble.'
Misty bit her lip, as hard as she could without breaking the skin of it. She had been crying herself to sleep these past days, being nothing short of irritable when out of her room and being a bother to anyone who tried to be nice to her. How her sisters had put up with this was admirable… but she couldn't help it. Her best friend was dying and there was nothing she could do about it. She didn't even know where he was! All she knew was the information Gary had posted in the group chat and despite Tracey's insistent messages that the other had been lying, that he had seen Ash home a couple of days ago… They were nothing but dull, meaningless words to her.
"Misty, you should totes go and talk to Mrs. Ketchum," Daisy said, trying to urge a reaction from her youngest sister. "Like, this can't go on like this."
"W… What if he's dead?" the girl asked, tears springing to her eyes "What am I going to do with myself when he's not there any longer, I-"
"It's better that than live in an illusion. You've got to face the music sometimes, trust me, you'll feel better."
"How would you know, you don't even like Ash!"
"Hey now, don't shout at me, I'm just trying to help," she said, as she gently laid a hand on her sister's shoulder, knowing she would just be pushed away if she tried to hug her. "Look, you might think it's a coincidence, but the moment Gary send you a message that Ash was in a bad way, the world literally stopped turning, like… even I would know the importance of that."
"That had nothing to do with Ash!" Misty cried. "Keep your mythical nonsense to yourself!" she added, springing up and running back upstairs.
Daisy watched her go and sighed when the door to the girl's bedroom got slammed close. While this was typical teenager behaviour, the woman didn't like how quickly her sister was withdrawing. She knew the little dumb Pallet trainer meant the world to Misty, he'd been her salvation out of a dreadful future. If Ash hadn't taken her on that journey where she found the confidence to stand up for herself, gain the experience she needed to switch out her battle-weary sisters out of the Gym… Cerulean City probably wouldn't have had a Gym any longer if Ash hadn't been there. She might not like the kid, but she definitely owed him a bunch for saving their Gym.
But if Moses wasn't going to the mountain, the mountain just had to go to Moses. She might not be able to get Mrs. Ketchum to come over to the Gym, if her son was indeed in such a bad way as Gary had made them all think, with raising that Kickstarter to help Ash's parents to pay for his funeral, but at the same time, she might be able to share some news that Misty might believe. Nothing was ever normal when it came to the teen's adventures and Daisy wouldn't at all be surprised if this was even the case with a hospital stay. However, the phone rang for a long time and she was worried that Mrs. Ketchum wouldn't be home at all, but then the woman finally answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Ketchum. It's Daisy, from the Cerulean Gym. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"
"Oh, no, no, dear, of course not. How can I help you?" she asked, despite sounding like she had been running laps around the house, so out of breath.
"I was wondering whether you could tell me how Ash was doing, Mrs., as Misty is very worried about him."
"O-oh, he… He's euhm… in safe hands. I mean, he was readmitted to the hospital yesterday but he's okay. I called this morning, they said his condition was stable."
"Ah, but then… Readmitted? He was released from the hospital?"
"Yes, that's right. I know Ash was planning on contacting his friends again but he got more and more bummed out, probably due to that… medicine we didn't… But no, he's well, it's just…"
"Mrs. Ketchum, my sister has donated quite a bit of money for your son's funeral," Daisy said, confused… and worried when she heard the strangest of noises come from the other end of the line.
"Funeral?" Mrs. Ketchum repeated as if she could barely pronounce the word right without choking in it. "Donation? F… from who?"
"There was a Kickstarter made, I… I believe Gary Oak was the one who brought the idea up-"
"The nerve of him! The nerve!" the woman cried out. "How dare he!? Ash was right, he is a quack!"
"W-what?" Daisy asked, smiling because honestly, she couldn't imagine the kid ever being able to pronounce the word, let alone think of using it in that context.
"He's a good for nothing asshole of a boy, how dare he say my son is… Oooh! How dare he!? Hasn't been in to see Ash once and yet he knows all about Ash is from the one time he saw him when he had been just admitted into the hospital after being attacked by that pokémon and afterwards, he couldn't even be bothered to visit my little boy!"
"I understand you're upset, Mrs. Ketchum-"
"Upset? I'm livid!" she exclaimed. "I'm going to have words with that boy, his grandfather be damned! And I swear your sister will be getting back every cent she so kindly gave for such a-a… oooh, Red, stop me or I'm pulling this phone to pieces!"
And then suddenly, the call disconnected and Daisy was left none the wiser on what was going to happen next. She did, however, know from Mrs. Ketchum's reaction that Ash was anything but dead. As she had expected, to be honest, but Misty had donated the money before telling anyone about the reason for it. And even then, no one had dared to say anything, but the least they all had expected to get a 'thank you' from Mrs. Ketchum sooner or later. Partially the reason why she had wanted Misty to get into contact with her… but this was interesting, to say the least.
So, pleased with her findings, she went upstairs, to go and find her sister and tell her all about the things she had learned just now. Besides, this 'Red' person Mrs. Ketchum had referred to sounded very much like he could be Ash's mystery father, the one that, according to Misty, Ash never actually had spoken up about.
'Good for you, Ash,' Daisy though, happy with the current developments. 'Good for you.'
Now, all she needed to do was get it through her sister's head that there was nothing to be moody about. Though getting to her room proved to be a challenge of its own, as Misty apparently had barricaded the door to her bedroom with some furniture.
"Okay, kid," the woman said, not willing to deal with these kinds of actions right now. "You've got two choices. Either you open this door by yourself or I'm sicking Dewgong on it and it's not going to be pretty for either of us. And I know exactly who's going to pay for the repairs."
A muffled 'fine' came from the other side of the door and after plenty of noise coming from the room, the door opened.
"What do you want?"
"You're getting your money back, Ash's isn't dead and his mom is very upset at Gary spreading that kind of news while Ash was actually released from the hospital a few days ago."
"He's back?" the girl asked, eyes wide in confusion. "W-wha… How?"
"Euhm, he was back, his mother said he had been readmitted but that he was okay. And not dead."
"B-but… Gary would know, wouldn't he?"
"I don't think he would, according to Ash's mom, he hadn't seen Ash from the first few days the kid for admitted in the hospital. He might have been in a bad way then, but he sure as heck wasn't the days after."
"… I… I need to tell the others! Oh no, Tracey was right!" Misty exclaimed. "Oh no, that's terrible, I need to contact them right now, I-"
"What you need to do right now is calm down and come with me to get some snacks. It's been too long since you've had a decent meal and we'll most definitely make that up with dinner because I don't like how pale you're looking."
"B-but-"
"No butts. You're coming with me."
Misty didn't object any further, but Daisy was frustrated to hear that Gary had been spreading this fake story further than she had imagined he would ever dare. How many people had he wrongfully told about Ash's apparent unfortunate accident? More importantly, how much money had he gathered?
"Is… is Ash okay enough? To visit him?"
"I'd have to ask Mrs. Ketchum for his location and whether it's okay, but she seemed a bit too angry. I would give her a few days to calm down and solve matters her own way."
"Yeah," Misty chuckled. "She's a bit like Ash in that way. Better leave her to do her thing or else…"
"There we go, you're smiling again."
"Sorry, I… I felt lost. I wouldn't know what to do without him, I mean, I've not met him in a while but it's comforting to know he's just… there. Like a fall-back plan, you know?"
"Every grand act needs a decent safety net," Daisy answered. "Just make sure you don't get tangled up in it when you fall, okay?"
"Nah, Ash isn't that way. He'd never keep anyone close if he knew it made them unhappy. I never even understood why you guys never liked him, but he must've realised that, hence why he never comes to the Gym when you're here."
"Oh?"
"He's been here before, didn't you know?" Mist remarked, looking at her in surprise. "I know he was trying to avoid meeting you guys, but surely you guys would've at least seen him sneak about?"
"Never! But huuh, that's… very surprising. I wouldn't have thought… Ah well, I'm glad your good friend is okay then. We'll see him soon enough."
"Will we?"
"Yep. Let's give Mrs. Ketchum a chance to root the weeds out of her life and then we'll see if we can get you and Ash to meet up, yeah?"
"Yeah, okay. Thanks, Daisy, I really appreciate this," the girl said, wiping away at her eyes, trying to catch the tears that were threatening to roll downwards.
"Hey now, you know I tried my best," Daisy answered, grabbing her sister in a hug. "So trust me, it's gonna be fine, I promise you."
"Myeah."
Professor Oak took a step backwards when he suddenly was faced with someone he didn't know, but also appeared to be from the police. And she most definitely looked like the kind of officer trained to handle difficult situations, it was just the way she held herself that told him she was here because there was trouble. Didn't mean he wasn't sweating bullets right now, especially not since he had already needed to deal with Gary's defiant screams on how unfair it was that he was being punished, while it had all been Ash's fault for speaking up. Yeah, as if that made any sense, huh?
"… Good afternoon. How can I help you?"
"Good afternoon, professor Oak, I'm looking for Gary Oak. Is he in?"
"Y-yes, he's in his bedroom, I can get him for you."
"Please. May we come in?"
There were just five people so they would most definitely fit into the living room. But the way the officer went to sit down and the others just kept standing upright, looking around the room… No, this wasn't good and the man almost ran upstairs, before deciding it wouldn't matter right now. Gary must have done something else than forging documents for Ash's pokémon being recalled… But what could possibly be worse than the abuse of power the pokémon league had taken such offence to? This time, the professor wasn't scared of the laboratory's reputation, this was something that went far beyond what the G-men did. It scared the man immensely, because what if there were more things his grandson had been hiding from him?
"Gary?" he asked, after having knocked on the door. "I need you to come downstairs right now, please."
"Yeah, yeah, I'll be there in a minute."
"No, right now," the professor persisted.
"Fine, geez… Stuck up old man."
'Oh, Gary, you have no idea what this old man has already done for you. But I won't do it again, I feel like I hardly know you,' professor Oak thought, feeling tears spring to his eyes at the idea that someone in his family was doing such horrible things without any remorse.
And then, the teen came out of the room, all sulky.
"Put your shoes on."
"Anything else? Want me to put on the kettle while I'm at it?" Gary asked with a huff, as he kicked on his shoes, stepping into them instead of tying them on nicely.
"No. Please go downstairs, I'm right behind you."
"If I run, I'll outrun you, you know that, right?"
The man decided not to comment on that. He had seen one of the officers take place in front of the laboratory's entrance and another was in front of the front door. Both exits had been blocked by the strong and defiant looking officer, so no matter what way Gary ran, he'd run straight into his own misfortune. If he had done something bad, running away from the police was one of the worst things he could possibly do.
"What the…," the teen uttered, upon seeing the officer lock eyes with him, as soon as he walked into the living room. "Gramps, what's all this about?"
"Gary Oak?" the officer asked, straightening and standing up from where she had been sitting.
"… Yes?"
"I'm here to arrest you."
"What!? No, I'm doing community service already, I've already been punished."
"For another matter, I've understood that much," the officer answered, not the slightest bit bothered by Gary's attitude. "I'm here because for a different crime, one that is outside of the jurisdiction of the pokémon league."
"What crime? I've not done anything bad, you're mistaken."
"You're willing to argue with me on the nature of your crime whilst knowing that anything you say and do could be used against you?"
"I'm innocent!" the teen persisted, visibly angry.
"Gary, calm down," professor Oak said, trying to calm his grandson down, despite feeling agitated himself.
"Shut up. You already said it's out of your hands, so I don't need your help, old man," Gary hissed.
"In that case, perhaps, professor, it would be best for you to step outside. I would not want you to be in the line of fire."
He nodded, knowing she meant well. And if Gary was indeed not as innocent as he was claiming to be, he was best of standing out of sight. It was the same with punishing a pokémon that had just hurt someone and didn't know any better. The further the trainer was out of sight, the better the message would come through. Besides, despite that fact he hadn't helped Gary at all at the time in the pokémon league, there was still a chance that if this punishment was worse than the community service the teen was already so bummed out about, he'd still try and reach out to him. And that's something the man knew his heart couldn't take… Besides, even if he did want to help Gary, this time, he was at a complete loss on what to do to help the kid. Didn't mean he wasn't going to be listening in, though, just in case.
"So," the officer started calmly. "You state you have no idea what you are being arrested for?"
"I've said so already!"
"You do not remember the criminal fact that you embezzled money from minors?"
"What? No!"
"We have contacted the company called Kickstarter, under the impression that a 'Gary Oak' had started one for the funeral of a friend who is not dead. In fact, there has never been a funeral and yet that was never addressed or communicated to the ones who donated the money."
There was no answer from Gary this time around and the professor bit his lip, taking a deep breath and praying to any God listening that this wasn't true.
"I… I'm sorry."
"I didn't ask if you were sorry, do you remember doing it?" the officer asked.
"I… I didn't think he was dying, but I didn't know how he was doing, I… I'll give the money back, I promise!"
"That option is no longer available, you have kept it on your bank account for over five months, with no intention to give it back. And besides, what stopped you from asking how your friend was doing? Were you happy in your own fantasy that he wasn't there to meddle with your perfect life any longer?"
"No! No, of course not."
"Have you got no shame or guilt? Asking children for money? Did you think no one was going to start asking questions? What did you think was going to happen if someone found out? Or do you want to go to jail?"
"No! I don't wanna go to jail! I just don't understand why everyone's suddenly so happy to defend Ash and be upset at me! It's literally just Ash, why the fuck are all of you up my ass now!?"
"You think we wouldn't have stood here if this happened to anyone else? No matter who it was, no matter when you did it, taking money from anyone under false pretences, is always a punishable fact. It's got nothing to do with who you did it to. The slander, however… the boy's mother wasn't happy, hearing you were so desperately wishing her son dead, taking pleasure in the grief of his friends. Don't try to deny it, we have all the conversations, including the drafts of what you were meaning to send. All that while everyone assumed the two of you were friends… There's a big chance you won't ever meet him again."
"I don't want to see the sucker again, he's always causing problems where he shouldn't, including this. His friends are no better, blabbing to someone about this. I bet it was Misty, she's always been thick as thieves with Ash, wouldn't surprise me if she suddenly got the hallelujah to finally make up her mind and go see Ash herself. Or rack up the nerve to go and speak to Mrs. Ketchum, like the backstabbing bitch she is."
"I was not under the impression a minor was involved with the case. And backstabbing bitch or not, if that girl did go and talk to the boy's mother, she's got more courage and honour than you have. Because all you have are false ideas and fantasies you've been making up in your mind."
"Oh yeah?! Wouldn't have gone out of her way if Lance wasn't here muscle-rolling his way over my grandpa!"
"Lance isn't here now either."
"Probably has got something better to do, finally."
"No, he's not here because dealing with child criminals is not within his jurisdiction. In fact, commander Lance has no idea of our intervention, I do most certainly not have the habit to talk about my work outside of my workgroup. As it should. Now, however, it is time to go and follow my colleagues into the van."
"What? No! Why should I just come with you?"
"You could struggle, but that won't help you or your case."
"What about my things? And where are you sending me?"
"I will remain here for the time being and collect some necessities. As to where you are going, I'm aware you are doing your community service in Celadon Central… So you get lucky, there is a reformatory in Celadon as well, on walking distance from the hospital. As for any ideas on running, you will have an electronic bracelet on. One step too far from the hospital or the reformatory and the Arcanine will find you quicker than you can even think of hiding."
Gary spluttered some responses but he was no match for the officers trained in combat. It didn't sound like he was struggling, which was good but still… Fraud. The professor couldn't get his head around how Gary had just taken advantage of Ash's friends like that and honestly… he was glad his grandson was getting some help before it was too late. It was ironic that things were starting to show up right now when Ash had suddenly started talking. And he knew, the kid would never have complained about it because he didn't think this kind of abuse was bad. To the kid, it was just another hurdle he'd have to get over and wasn't it amazing that such a young boy had the courage to go ahead and keep going forward? But at the same time, wasn't it tragic to realise that Ash hadn't ever thought it was abuse and had never said anything until someone encouraged him to talk?
"Professor?" the officer asked softly. "Could I ask for some assistance? I feel uncomfortable going through the boy's personal belongings without your approval."
"I'll show you to his room," the man answered.
"Is the boy usually like that, professor?"
"… Yes. Though it has grown worse recently. I… I thought it was because he suffered from Ash' accident, but I'm not sure about that. The way he made others feel worse than him, even calling Tracey a bad friend while I've never seen Ash any happier while with him… I should have realised sooner. I should have done something sooner."
"If he feels entitled to do this without expecting to be reprimanded for it, rather thinking someone else is to blame for causing him to get punished, I feel like he is already beyond the help you could ever give him."
"Yes… I already didn't know how to react to him after he heard about the community work."
"You won't have to, professor. Would you be so kind to fill him a bag of clothes and some books perhaps? I would rather not have you give electronics or sharp objects. No clothes with strings or laces, especially no shoes… slippers are fine."
"Yes, I'll… have a look."
It had been years since he had been inside of Gary's closet and it did kind of look like a pigsty. Perhaps, on the lonelier nights, he could come here and give the place a bit of a clean. It could definitely use a bit of attention… Perhaps a new kind of wallpaper, because it was peeling off at some corners. Looking around, it was clear Gary wasn't a happy kid, but it had spiralled out of control.
"It might not feel like it right now, but we're going to try and help him. This will be one of the only chances he has to straighten up his act and be a decent human being. Because right now, if he's left at it, with barely any form of decent feedback on what his actions have caused, it will spiral out of control. And that might possibly leave you without your grandson for even longer… or even forever. It's a painful fact, I'm sure, but I feel like he needs some clarification on some things."
"Please, go ahead. I feel for him, I do… But I know I can't help him. I can't tell you anything about Ash other than he's a darling boy, a bit silly at times, but haven't we all had that period, hm? How he could've… done such things to someone who never did anything to him, except for smile and be there… It's baffling."
"No, it's lack of respect. Many people have issues with that these days, your grandson isn't an exception. I wouldn't feel too bad, there's over seventy percent chance he'll get better, twenty-nine percent he's become the best he's ever been and the rest is a chance that he'll remain the same, if not worse. So he's got good prospects, I suppose."
The professor nodded but hoped that that reformatory would have some thick, well-insulated walls because he knew that Gary wouldn't change unless he had no other option. And he had always been a bit vocal about injustice and if he kept blaming Ash for his own stupidities and -dare he say it- crimes. That was all Gary, he knew that much… but did Gary know himself then?
"I wish you the very best," he said, as he handed the officer the bag.
"You're very kind, professor. I'm glad you realise we only have good intentions towards Gary. And yourself, of course."
"It's a bitter pill to swallow… but I've had worse."
The office smiled in sympathy and left, with the bag. Leaving the professor alone. Perhaps that was for the best, he had enough stress and worries of his own to deal with right now. And perhaps he could give Gary a better future than just being bend over a computer, ticking away at the keys, writing words no one but a terribly bored professor would ever read. Maybe Tracey, if he ever got out of his funk, would be best off following the subjects he was best at… Whatever would happen, nothing would remain the same as seeing how much… unhappiness there had been and such bad situations had happened in the past, professor Oak couldn't help but look forward to seeing whether it would all change for the better.
And it all remained to be seen, he was still shaking at having heard about that Kickstarter for Ash's supposed funeral, which already brought tears to his eyes just thinking about it… but who knew how Delia had reacted to it. Gary might have been blasé about it, but personally, the professor didn't think it would've been one of the kids to ring the alarm bell. Highly likely that one of the family members had started doubting Gary's words and had probably gone to Delia about it. Oh, he didn't want to imagine how she would've responded to getting that news… No, this time, they would all have to do better, for both Gary and Ash, as there was no more room for failure any longer.
Ash's breath hitched when he saw all the white walls surrounding him.
'What am I doing here?' he thought, panicking because he had never liked hospitals and what was he doing here anyway?
Had something happened back in Unova? Or wait, no, had he even gone there? His worries got even worse when he couldn't lift his arms and he straight up panicked when he could only bring his arm up slightly with the biggest effort he had ever needed to move at all. His legs were the same, he couldn't even lift his left leg, in fact, he couldn't feel it! What was going on! And was that a mask on his face? The teen would've tried taking it off, if only he had the strength to do it. But his arms felt like jelly and he was all alone.
"Hush, Chosen, you're safe."
Okay, maybe not so alone.
"Who are you?" the boy asked, wide-eyed as he stared at the purplish-pink creature at the side of his bed.
"… Ah… I… It will come to you, Chosen, try not to worry."
"I can't move!" he hissed. "How am I not supposed to worry?!"
"Hush," the creature repeated. "Do you want to draw in the nurses?"
"If you've got such a big mouth, why would you be scared of a couple of nurses?" Ash bit back. "You're not in this bed, you're not experiencing this, it's all funny to look at stuff from a distance and judge, but I'm in it. I've got no other choice but to deal with it!"
"… True. But remember, a situation has to get worse before it can get better."
"It can't get any worse from this point on!"
"Then, sit back and enjoy the good to come," the creature said but gave the teen a rueful look nonetheless. "As nice as it is to see you in a less than… enjoyable manner, I need you to know I only came because you felt lonely. But, if my presence does not ease your worries, I will leave."
The boy looked at it with tears rolling down his face. If the being didn't have such magnificent powers at its disposal, it probably would have left a while ago. But now, how could it leave when this child, once so great and strong, was feeling so scared and confused?
"Here," it said, picking up the boy's hand with one of its paws. "Can you feel this?"
"Yeah?" Ash answered softly, still confused.
"When there is still feeling, the chances of your limbs being paralyzed are small."
"But why? What happened?"
"I cannot possibly tell you. But perhaps, soon enough a nurse will check up on you and you can ask her."
"… Will she know why I can't remember?"
"Possibly. I do trust human science, after all. Not the scientist, but the science itself is fine."
"Can you tell me your name?"
"Mewtwo," it answered.
"… What happened with Mewone?"
"Mew is happily swinging around some branches of the Tree of Life. If you remember that place."
"… Oh, I… think so. The place I first used Aura, right?"
"Correct."
"I-I'm sorry, I'm asking stupid questions again, I won't do it again, I promise," the teen said and Mewtwo could feel the child growing more and more upset.
Not at what was happening around him right now, but his memories had been jarred somewhat, it could notice that the boy was being much nicer to him. But the begging made the pokémon angry because it knew what had happened to make this human say these words.
"I have to leave at some point," it said. "But remember, Chosen, you will never be truly alone," it added, gently pushing the boy's face to the other side of the room, where he could see the Dialga posed neatly on top of the cabinet right next to his bed. "Do you remember it?"
"… I… think so. I… you wiped out my memories once, didn't you?"
"I did," Mewtwo admitted. "I meant to save you."
"From Team Rocket, right?"
"Correct."
"But they've been following me before… I don't think I even met you when I first saw them."
"I do not particularly like that news, for it means they have still placed their target on you," the creature said, looking away from the boy.
"I-if you don't wanna be with me because of that, you can leave, I won't think any less of you. You're allowed to put your safety above my own."
But Mewtwo let out a hearty laugh at that.
"Selfless child, I love how you assume… Ah, trust me, you remember me, but you have never truly even scratched the surface of my identity before."
"Are you afraid of me?" Ash asked, still looking upset and tearful.
The question took the creature off guard, but with the boy being so emotional, it gave its response a moment to form.
"Once, perhaps, because you were my opposite. You were everything I never thought to find in a human and that scared me. But you showed me the folly of it all, that I should leave my silly judging until I have dealt with each human individually."
"I did that?"
"You did. So, fear not, I am here to keep you safe. As well as the others, whom you cannot see simply because they are here to protect you from afar, yet will have no doubt to surface when the danger comes close to you. And then again, another we cannot exclude…"
It might be risky, but Mewtwo decided to walk around the bed and go poke the sleeping Pikachu. It woke up with the most murderous looking expression on its face, but as soon as it saw the finger the pokémon pointed towards the bed, it jumped up, frustrations long forgotten as Pikachu landed right next to Ash's head.
"A-ah, you're here too?" the boy uttered. "And now I can't even hold you, I'm so sorry."
Pikachu didn't care, he nestled into the crook of the teen's neck and promptly fell asleep there, purring gently. But that caused Ash to cry even harder and Mewtwo understood. If the child didn't remember certain events, things like these might be confusing to him. Not to mention that it was clear he didn't remember their previous, more recent encounters together, which might point at the fact he doesn't know about the issue of his left leg yet. There wasn't much the pokémon could do other than sit with the boy for a while, though.
It was funny, or so the creature thought, Ash was making it feel all kinds of emotions that used to be foreign for it. Caring for another being? Hah, if one had ever endeavoured to relay that news to it several years ago, they would most certainly not have lived to tell the tale, but most of all, it would never have believed and yet… here it stood, feeling its own heart struggle with the grief this child was dealing with. Mewtwo hadn't lied, it didn't know what had happened because if it had, it would have done everything in its power to stop it.
'Perhaps I could linger,' it thought, as it watched as Ash's eyes started to droop, only for him to fall asleep a little while later.
It was hardly surprising, the purring from Pikachu was very relaxing to listen to and honestly… Mewtwo was bewildered because it had rarely heard pokémon purr at all. A couple of times, but it had just assumed that it was a trait of the kind of pokémon. Never that it had something to do with a state of mind.
The sound of an opening door caused it to teleport away from this hospital, leaving no trace of its visit as it landed far away, on its safe heaven called New Island. Mewtwo could have some time to think about what had just happened and perhaps learn something from it. It knew that these events would leave serious marks on this child and Chosen or not, no one said that, when the boy was chosen for the important task of maintaining this world's balance, that he had to do it alone. No, no, it would be right there whenever the child needed it… and it was weird to feel needed, in this strange, cruel world. But, it was something Mewtwo would have to come to terms with on its own and adapt.
Just like the nurses coming into the boy's room had said a little prayer before going in and had sighed in relief when they noticed that there wasn't anything floating around the room. Everything seemed to be in the same place as before, so they assumed not much had changed to the boy's condition. However, the nurse who had gone to check if everything still seemed to be in order with the tubes of the ventilation device, also noticed the still wet tear marks on the child's cheeks.
"Oh, he woke up, I think," she said, alerting her colleague, who came over rather quickly.
"But… he hasn't moved? The sheets aren't wrinkled or pulled out of the sides," the other asked. "Are you sure?"
"Yes, but perhaps he cried while unconscious. Or it could have been distress, Dr. Lotus pulled a face when he got the results of the blood test, you said he was worried the boy's seizures might have resulted in Hypoxia. If the sheets didn't move, doesn't mean he never tried, I mean, movement issues are common with Hypoxia. Not to mention that amnesia could be a sure sign of this apparent distress. He might even have had a hallucination that upset him."
"We don't know until he wakes, unfortunately."
"No, quite. Still, it's something to report to the doctor."
"You do that, then. He's not in the best of moods."
The nurse rolled her eyes, finished up her work, gave the boy one last check-up and left. She didn't care much if a doctor was moody or not, every day had the option to be one that would test you like none other, but that didn't mean you couldn't maintain even a bit of a professional attitude. All the man had to do was nod, so she at least had a sign he had heard her. Not the most difficult part was it? But the nurse couldn't have known that dr. Lotus' day would get a whole lot worse, at least giving him a good reason to have a bad mood.
The next time Ash woke up, he at least had another human companion in the room with him. Oh, he knew her alright, that was his mom, texting someone in a rather heated way, which told him something bad had happened. He also knew she might work it out on him, so he knew he was best off not mentioning the pokémon that had visited earlier today.
"… Mom?" he asked softly, smiling when she looked up.
"Sweetheart! Oh, my dearest!" she exclaimed, jumping up, nearly dropping her phone.
The following sequence was kind of funny to watch, because his mom definitely was aware he had some special friends in the pokémon world. She fumbled to catch her phone and went to place it on the nightstand yet nearly knocked it off the surface again when her hand brushed against the small Dialga statue. Her face went through various expression, some at the same time, but eventually, she plopped back on the seat and shoved her chair as close to the bed as possible.
"Sweetie, how are you feeling?"
"I… I don't know, I can't move that well and I… how did I get here?"
"What do you remember, sweetheart?"
"… Not much, I-I mean, I was startled to see white everywhere, you know I don't like hospitals and I've never actually been admitted to one inside an actual room."
His mother gave him a strange look but nodded eventually.
"You had a bit too much of something that was meant to help you, sweetie. It's completely my and Red's responsibility and I can't apologise enough for it, but… I guess it means little to you if you don't remember, but still…"
Her words dissolved into muttering and Ash couldn't follow what she was saying too well.
"Mom?"
"Oh, sorry!" she said, perking up. "I'll just go fetch the doctor, okay?"
"Euhm, sure," he answered, curious to know why he felt like he was strapped to the bed and wondered whether this doctor had an answer to it.
He would get it soon, the man apparently was on his way to this room anyway, seeing how his mom nearly bumped into him as soon as she opened the door. Ash was surprised to see this pretty nice looking person come in, his hair was all white, even his eyebrows and lashes and his skin was pretty pale too.
"Aaah, you're awake," the man said, smiling at him, which the teen mimicked straight away. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired. And I can't move too well. I… I don't think I remember some things either, mom said some things that don't add up and I… Can I just say you're really pretty, sir?"
The man blinked but smiled even wider straight after.
"Of course, thank you. This is a first, getting such a compliment from the get-go. But, I'm glad you're still so eloquent, Ash."
"Was there a chance I wouldn't be able to speak too?" the teen asked as he frowned.
"Yes, you had a severe lack of oxygen in your blood. See, your brain needs air to function and when it doesn't get that, some things start to deactivate or only work half and half."
"Hah, I've had many people say my brain worked half and half even before this, so what if it's just three quarters to-" Ash joked, but got rudely cut off.
"Don't smile when you crack a self-deprecating joke, it doesn't sit well with me at all that you take so lightly to such an incredible insult."
The boy shut up right then and there. He'd just meant to put some levity into the situation, but apparently, this beautiful person had a less than a pretty sense of humour. Good to know.
"What do you remember?"
"Mom asked that too, but I don't know what point I started forgetting things. I mean, I remember snippets but… have I been here before? I'm not sure, but I remember this orange wall and a person with this slick brown hair, brushed to one side."
"Yes, you have been here, you just described dr. Martin. Do you remember that name?"
The boy winced but nodded, as he did somehow remember the man who had been a massive support to him and yet he couldn't help… feeling like there was something terribly wrong. Like this eerie ghost you knew was there but couldn't see. Oh, God, what had he forgotten?
"Does it hurt?"
"There's… something else," Ash answered, unable to describe what he was feeling.
"Worse or good?"
"Worse," he whispered.
The doctor nodded calmly and somehow tucked him back in.
"I think it's better if we give you some rest and allow your memories to come to you in relative peacefulness," the man said as if he knew what evil was lurking behind the horizon of Ash's memories.
Then again, if he had been here before, if he had already gotten acquainted with a doctor before… didn't that mean there had been a second accident? His mother sure looked like she'd lost some weight and he knew she had some difficulty following diets, so the only explanation was she had worried the weight straight off her. The realisation that he could the cause of this didn't make him feel any better and still… he was worried there might be more. His mom didn't often care about the things that scared him, so what if there was something so horrible that had affected them both?
"I hope I can trust you to remain calm and collected throughout this?" the man asked, looking a bit peeved as he turned to Delia.
"Oh, yes, yes, of course," she answered, nodding along fervently.
The doctor looked at Ash one last time before leaving, but the boy was left with doubts. He knew his mom better than that, chances of her remaining calm were slim. He had seen how she had been texting someone before too and the chances of the receiver being Professor Oak were high. The man was slow in replying, which gave his mother lots of time to chew him out.
"Is everything okay, mom?" he asked, worried about her and the situation she might be involved in.
"Oh, sweetie, I've been so worried about you," she gushed, grabbing his hand and squeezing it just a bit too tight. "You were doing so well and then this happened…"
"I'm sorry, mom."
"Sweetheart, there wasn't anything you could have done and besides, it wasn't your responsibility. It wasn't Red's either, so it was his mistake, not yours."
The boy chewed the inside of his cheek for a bit, recognising his mother's finger-pointing technique alright.
"If it's not my mistake to notice getting too much medicine, why isn't it yours when you didn't notice it either? Besides, why wasn't I told why I needed the medicine? Why wasn't I allowed to take it myself?"
"It was to calm you down, sweetie and well, you've noticed what the wrong dosage can do to someone," the woman answered, though started to look a bit vexed already. "And the doctor clearly said he trusted me to give it to you, I never counted on Red's meddling."
"He's my dad, he cares. That's not what meddling is. Also, I was calm. And I'm fine. I don't want more medicine."
"Yes, yes, well… perhaps dr. Lotus has a different opinion on what you need."
Oh, Ash knew what he needed. Some clear answers would be great right now. But no one seemed to know anything around here, which was a bit pathetic honestly. How could a mother not know what he wanted…? Well, perhaps his mother could. He had stopped telling her things for a reason after all and despite him not remembering everything, he did remember her vividly. As well as all her bad habits.
"Oh, Ash," she sighed, her hand still squeezing his quite hard. "There's been a development I wish I could keep from you, seeing you're still sick… But I feel like you need to know about it. I know you're so forgiving, too good for some people, that's why you've got so many friends and have gotten so much support from all over the world. I admire you for it, of course, you're a great son to have…"
The boy frowned.
"Well, why'd you stop? I'm very interested in myself too." he asked, not wanting to fall into his mother's trap.
There were people you couldn't trust when they started handing out compliments. Just like a creepy dude handing candy to kids should be avoided like the plague.
"Sweetheart, I need you to make me a promise?"
"What for?"
"I need you to promise me you won't ever talk to Gary again."
"What?" Ash asked, frowning even deeper now. "What did he do now? Since when did you start going for Oak Junior?"
"He planned your funeral, Ash," she said, sighing deeply.
… Coming from Gary, it honestly didn't come as a surprise to him. If the other hadn't been told what had happened to him, just that he had landed in hospital, Ash knew he could count on Gary to dramatize it to the extreme. Living with a man who would automatically sign everything in reach and give affirmative grunts to any question, the teen knew that Gary needed to go to extreme lengths to get his grandfather's attention. Granted, with this funeral plan, he probably got a bit too much attention, but then again… This was the first time he remembered being in a hospital and whenever he got sick, it was usually for a day and he'd be up and running again the next.
If Gary hadn't seen him for a while, it wasn't that much a farfetched idea for him to assume this hospital was going to be his last stop, the teen had joined some adventures of 'his' kind before. That he was here because his parents overdosing him on medicine wasn't something he figured his mom had been telling everyone, so Gary must not have known about that. No, he probably only knew what had landed him in a hospital that first time Ash didn't remember. So yeah, he would love to speak to Gary right now, he could count on the other to give him facts instead of fake tears and worried faces.
"What if he comes in here and I'm in bed, unable to move? What do I do then? Tell him to go away?"
"Yes," Delia answered.
"Gary's not listened to a word I said for eight years, mom. There's no way that'll ever work."
"I need you to take me seriously this time, Ash. He's been very mean to us and all you do is smile and laugh away the issues at hand, while everyone around you is suffering."
"I think you're overreacting, mom, surely it's not that bad that everyone-"
"He took your pokémon from you, Ash and made you think it was professor Oak doing it!" she exclaimed. "He robbed your friends, taking advantage of the friendship they had with you to take money from them, under the guise that I couldn't pay for your funeral all by myself! And all you do is smile at me and tell me it's not that bad!? For goodness' sake, Ash, you need to grow up and realise this isn't okay! God, I bet you would've handed him the shovel if he asked you to give it to him, to dig your grave."
"Mom, it's money, he can give it back and it's been a while since my pokémon were-"
"No! No, you need to stop this, Ash! You need to learn how to stand up for yourself!"
"I already know-"
"Do you?! How!? By telling me to calm down and let that boy ruin your life even more? To pretend that nothing happened? How can you ignore the fact he wants you dead, Ash!?"
"He probably never realise, mom, you know he's not good at dealing with emotions-"
"That boy is a criminal and I'm not allowing you to do this to yourself or your friends again! And that's final!"
"Mom, how am I supposed to stand up for myself when you're not letting me say anything?" he asked, but sighed as he saw her heated glare. "Alright, fine, I won't talk to Gary. But I'm not gonna pretend like I understand why. I mean, he's a kid, like me-"
"He made a mistake and needs to be punished!"
Ash cringed, knowing he had made plenty of mistakes, in fact, he was making an awful lot right now. If he were to get punished for all of them… Ah, maybe that was why he was here. There wasn't any worse punishment possible than to lock him up somewhere, with his body unable to move. Alright, it would've made everything worse if they had taken Pikachu from him but still, this was bad enough.
"I can't promise you to ignore him, mom-"
She hadn't let him finish this time too, the sound of the slap she had just given him ringing in his ears. Tears sprung to his eyes but the woman didn't offer any explanation, stomping her feet as she grabbed her phone and slammed the room's door shut.
"Mom! MOM!?" he cried out, not understanding what had made her act out.
What was bothering her about this situation so badly? Yeah, stealing money was bad but you could always give it back, right? Gary wasn't an idiot, he'd know the situation would eventually be discovered but maybe that had been the point all along. Besides, where the hell was he gonna put the money? If he used it, there was always someone in Pallet who would know about it and then everyone would know in seconds. That was just the town they lived in, Ash was used to that kind of behaviour. But heck, this was just money. It wasn't the end of the world, right? Alright, it was a bit dark he'd used a funeral as an excuse, but Ash knew Gary well enough.
"Mom, he didn't mean it that way, please, listen to me!" he cried out but knew she was already too far away.
God, chances that the idiot had made up a story in his head to cope with his feelings, only to slowly start to believe in it, were high. Gary probably had meant to do well, but he hadn't been raised to be a Samaritan of any kind. But in light of that, his 'crime' didn't necessarily make him a criminal, much rather mentally unstable. Plenty of people had told Gary to find some help when he threw tantrums and shrieked for the whole town to hear when things didn't go his way… but how had they expected the teen to grow up as? Professor Oak was invested in his laboratory and hung over the boy as an evil shadow, scaring every possible person into giving Gary what he wanted. No one wanted beef with the important regional professor, right? Still, how could anyone expect him to be a good kid after being raised that way?
Ash was the only one who wasn't that scared of professor Oak, so that's why Gary respected him. Not exactly friends, they weren't similar enough to remain civil with each other for long. Both their upbringing had a lot to do with that, Ash was taught not to take shit from nobody and here came Gary know-it-all. Of course, they'd clash but there wasn't anything wrong with that, right? His mom, for example, had no friends and just acquaintances, for reasons previously displayed. Only professor Oak could stand her histrionics, but after this charade and the fact she probably had caused Gary to be arrested, might be the final straw for him to finally break.
'Man, what kind of a shitty situation is this?' the boy thought to himself as he sniffled, looking up at the ceiling.
That no one had come running in after his mother's screaming fit was strange, but perhaps his room was far away from the coffee machine. You know, the good one everyone tended to congregate around at break time? But hearing no sound whatsoever, he frowned at the ceiling for a moment. Ash got a weird déjà-vu but knew it hadn't had anything to do with this hospital that time-
"Ouch," he winced, feeling that his brain didn't agree with his pondering.
Still, his mom had left once already, hadn't she? After another argument over something stupid… Wasn't it food last time? But… Why was it so silent? Why couldn't he hear anything? His own heartbeat was the only sound he could hear and he could hear his own panic at his realisation that he was unable to move. Ash was trapped, he couldn't even look to his side to check if… was… Was that a blue light over there? No… N-not… not like that time, right?
"No," the boy uttered. "Please, Arceus… Noooo!"
End of chapter seven