Lord, such rude guests! Here I am, trying to work my way through a full-time job, which got even more precarious due to the situation at hand and this is the thanks I get? If it wasn't for the fact I'm a stubborn person and that I realise some people enjoy reading my stories, I would have indeed given up. But I haven't, so here we are!
German translations:
Das war wirklich beeindruckend = That was really impressive
Vollkommen richtig = Completely right
Enjoy, won't y'all?
The morning of the next day started with a bunch of excitable looking nurses coming into his room, to prepare him to finally move out of the silent ward. But Ash wasn't that excited about it, because they were moving him to part of the hospital where he would have no view on the garden. And the noise he could hear from the other children wasn't going to be much fun either. He decided to ignore it, for now, knowing he had slept through worse sounds and times -like the alarm signalling the start of his journey, for example.
"We'll also be starting your revalidation program as of today," the nurse he had never met before said.
She had bright pink hair, kind of like bubble-gum pink and a matching smile to fit her personality. There were plenty of earrings on her left ear and none on the other side and gosh, Ash was pretty sure his mom wouldn't say anything about it when she would meet this nurse, but she would pull a face nonetheless. He, however, felt strangely at ease with people who expressed themselves as openly as that. At least those who appeared to be weird wouldn't surprise you when it became apparent that they were.
"What does that mean? I've heard dr. Martin say something about muscle regeneration but I don't understand how I can do anything with no balance."
"That's what we'll be teaching you today, balance and stretching techniques. We'll keep up these exercises for the rest of the week and once you've got the hang of them, we'll go to the next part of the program. But it all depends on how well you're adapting, so we might move forward more quickly or slow down eventually. Okay?"
"Sure. Will it hurt?"
"Only if you don't stretch well enough. And you'll only find out whether you've done it correctly the morning after the exercises."
"… Sounds great," he answered.
"Doesn't it?" she giggled. "I'm glad you're enthusiastic about it, Ash."
He chuckled along because he knew he wouldn't be getting out of this anyway. Not that the teen wasn't looking forward towards learning how to start walking again, but this whole hospitalization process was getting to him a little. Ash was a traveller, unused to staying at a place for too long already, not to mention that the longest he had ever stayed somewhere was his home, in Pallet. This kind of stay was bumming him out, with only his mom and uncle coming by for an hour or two. There was nothing familiar about this place, except the things he had come to expect from a hospital.
Now that he was all alone in his new room, the bubbly nurse having left him for some other business, the boy felt even worse out of his comfort zone. There were no pokémon to be seen, just this cold, concrete looking parking zone and like, one shrub that looked like it was struggling to survive. He felt tears coming to his eyes at the mere idea of being all alone again and his homesickness, which he had pushed down into a deep corner of himself as he knew he could always go home, bubbled up. And this time, he didn't have Pikachu to find solace in, his little piece of portable comfort. The one who he could trust to take him back safely, no matter what.
Ash wiped away a tear that had come rolling down his cheek, knowing he was being ridiculous but unable to stop himself from feeling bad about being kept from everything that made him feel safe and at ease. There must be something wrong with him, right? Why else would the doctors decide he couldn't even see pokémon? He didn't dare to bother anyone about it, because he recognised a road to disaster when he saw one. There was only so much prodding you could do before it became annoying and the last thing the teen needed to happen was for his Pallet Town reputation to spread in here, despite that reputation being as false as Giovanni's smile.
"It'll be okay," he muttered to himself. "Just bite through this, it'll be alright."
The door to his room opened again, causing him to sit up straight and turn towards it. A man stood there, an impressive-looking device at his feet.
"Ready to start your training?" the person asked, grinning from ear to ear.
"Err… Yeah," Ash answered because if anything, the contraption looked sturdy enough to carry his and the man's accumulated weight.
"Good," the other said and wheeled the device inside the room. "I'm Brandon and I'm going to be your main coach during your revalidation program."
"Good luck," the teen said, feeling a bit bothered by the name double.
He couldn't help but feel like it was a bad time for people called Brandon, mostly because he had felt his uncle had been thinking about the 'visitor breaking visitor hours' last time he had seen him. If Lance had gone ahead and contacted Scott about the man's whereabouts, possible to ask what the heck Brandon had been here for, Ash was sure the curly-haired ringleader of the Battle Frontier would come scream at him. Everything was always his fault anyway, so he braced himself for a possible meeting with the man. It was, however, no fault of his young coach he shared a name with the somewhat stoic Frontier Brain.
"Thanks, same to you, Ash. I've been told I'm a hard cookie to get rid of so don't give up on me that easily. I'm persistent."
"Great. No need for muscle-rolling, Mr. Brandon, it's not like I'm able to run from you."
"You don't strike me as the kind of kid who runs from problems, though," the man answered, not even looking up from where he was setting up the device to its full capacity -yes, it looked even more impressive as he folded it out.
"I can hardly run away from myself."
"Now, now, don't talk about yourself that way. Why don't you try and get out of bed, hm? So I can see what your capabilities are."
"Does falling count as one?" Ash asked as he pulled his blanket off him -because, dammit, this coach might claim to be a tough cookie, but he was ten times more adamant when posed with a challenge.
"The more flailing I see, the better."
There was no need for that, though, the boy was still as agile as before and could easily crawl his way towards the man after he had managed to lower the bar of his bed.
"Impressive," Brandon said as he went to sit on the floor so he could look straight at the teen. "Now that you're on the floor, why don't I show you how to stretch, hm? That way, you'll hate me just a little less in the morning."
Ash complied, though convinced he wouldn't grow to hate the man. Trying to help someone wasn't something he would hate anyone for, even if it would hurt him. People hurt him all the time, it didn't matter whether there would be bodily pain involved this time around. He appreciated the effort and besides, despite his discomfort in the rowing machine -a pretty unique experience, if you asked him- these would be a couple of less lonely hours in his long hospital days.
"I don't like this…" he squeaked, as the machine moved as he moved the pedals, meaning his only leg was getting pushed up towards him.
"Take it easy now, I don't care if you quit after two tries, I just need you to get used to the movement. Or is it hurting you?"
The boy shook his head and moved the pedals away from him, releasing his leg once more. He was glad the other side of the board pushing up his right leg hadn't come as high as his stump was because Ash was certain that would have hurt a bunch. The end was so oddly shaped and sensitive, he imagined it would be impossible for him to even find a prosthesis that would fit well. As much as he knew about it, the limbs often had this round cup on the end of them -or the beginning, depending on your point of view. His stump had this odd, circular disk shape, possibly due to his leg having been cut clean off and then having been healed. He remembered dr. Martin's explanation all too well, that they hadn't had any skin to form a normal-sized stump and well… It hadn't made him happy then, and it certainly didn't right now.
"Well done, Ash," Brandon praised. "Ten times and no complaints, colour me impressed."
The boy grimaced, experienced in performing just that tiny bit better than expected, to keep an adult happy. God, how he missed his friends and the way they didn't have any expectations whatsoever? They weren't the best, because they judged -everyone did- but they were his and he would go to great lengths to keep them safe and happy. Only, did they care as much about him too? If so, why hadn't he seen them? Surely they had seen the news? Even if they hadn't put two and two together, which Ash doubted because everyone was aware he and Gary were the only two teenage and male trainers in the whole of Pallet, why hadn't they contacted his mom?
'Perhaps I could ask her to get my transceiver, see what they're all up to,' he thought, as his brand-new coach carried him back into his bed. 'They always complain they're always the first to message me, so perhaps that'll be a nice surprise for them, for me to message them first for once.'
Despite his legs shaking from the effort of this first exercise since his accident, he felt psyched at his idea to contact his friends. Now if only his mom would come fast enough so he could tell her all about it, that would be great.
He had to be sleeping. Had to be, there was no other reason why he was underwater, seeing the large, translucent blue crystal sink to the bottom. This wasn't the hospital he remembered being at, this was in the underwater castle, where Manaphy lived! Why was he back here? Why couldn't he breathe?!
"Help! Help me, please!" Ash cried out, clawing around him.
But his body kept sinking, no matter what he did. The boy cried out once more, only to find that someone had grabbed his arm. He too had grabbed onto the hand that held him, crying in relief… only to find out he was still in the hospital, instead of underwater. And that he was looking straight into a worried-looking nurse's face, as well as Scott's shocked, if not scared one.
"A-aah," he uttered, shamefully realising that he had made a spectacle of himself.
His only excuse being the most vivid nightmare he had ever had, despite the event having traumatised him of going into a large pool of water for a good while. But Ash had never truly suffered from nightmares. Not after the first few days after the incident, of course, but that usually was the case after every time he had escaped death.
"You're okay, dear," the nurse said, voice as soft as a brand-new fleece blanket. "You're safe."
God, he believed her. Ash managed a small smile, as sheepish as it probably appeared, but the nurse took it as a sign he was well… sane again.
"Are you up for a visitor?"
"I-is it time already?" he asked, but figured that was the case, or else Scott wouldn't be here, would he?
"Yes, Ash."
"Okay… Okay, I think I can take it. Thank you, miss nurse."
She smiled as she let go of his arm, gently motioning the man in the background to come closer. Ash didn't like the idea he would be alone with Scott, with all the misgivings he had thought off already, but he didn't want to be seen as a coward and thus, let the nurse go and do her job.
"… Hi," he said, feeling awkward as the man came closer, the bag in his hold upfront as if he were approaching a statue to donate an offering to.
Seemed like his bad reaction to his dream had scared all Scott's hard feelings out of him, though, as the man carefully unwrapped a small plush pokémon out of the bag he had brought. In his delight, the teen didn't bother to watch the other's expression, but let's just say that Scott wasn't at all pleased to see what kind of a sunny expression such a small gift brought to the boy's face.
"I heard you once had a Mankey," the man spoke up tentatively. "And that you couldn't have pokémon in here. Figured that this was the next best thing."
Ash nodded happily, accepting the Mankey reverently.
"It's so soft."
"Yeah, euhm…"
"He's a champion now, you know?" the boy continued, keeping his eyes on the toy.
"Who is?"
"Primeape. Recently scored another victory as the international boxing champion."
"Why haven't I see that in your trainer record?"
"He and I had different dreams. I lent him out to someone who was dead-set on making the biggest impact there was, which was what Primeape wanted as well. He'll forever be mine, though, he knows he can come back any time."
Scott looked at the child in pity. Allowing someone to go and live their life to the fullest was one of the nicest things one could do for another… Yet why did Ash look as if he was going to burst into tears?
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"That's not a very good question to ask someone who's admitted to hospital. Besides, you saw what happened just now."
"I did, but that doesn't mean I understand. What was that, Ash? It's not like you to… I don't know. You always seem so confident that everything will work out."
The boy bit his lip as he nodded, feeling sad all of a sudden.
"Dr. Knight said I might have some issues about not always being completely honest about my feelings. Said that not saying anything was as much a lie as being untruthful or something like that. Guess I'm guilty of that," he said, shrugging.
"Oh."
"I'll be getting therapy for it."
Scott frowned heavily, disliking the teen's defeated tone. He wasn't sure he could keep himself from punching that therapist in the nose if they would meet, because the boy's unshakeable character had been completely pulled apart. Perhaps this dr. Knight wasn't completely responsible for it, but it was worrying to see the kid shattered like this.
"You're calm for someone who came in guns ablaze, though," Ash stated, catching the man's attention.
"Why would you think that?"
"You were mad about Brandon, weren't you? I can't say much about it, I haven't seen Brandon in a while, so I might've mistaken him for someone else. But no one has ever asked me about it, I've not said anything about him being here either."
"I see," Scott answered, pulling in a chair. "Tell me a bit about those guessing abilities of yours, hm? I'm interested."
"Of course, you would be. It's hardly a secret in here that I got healed. But I got healed a bit too well, I've picked up some psychic abilities."
"Knowing how someone feels isn't a psychic ability, though, that's empathy. And I know someone who could help you deal with them."
"I doubt Anabel would understand, it's not feelings I pick up on, it's… thoughts? Like things you say to yourself, but not out loud. I can't hear anything private, just people talking to themselves."
"Mightily interesting, Ash," the man grinned. "I'll look into it for you."
"I'm already glad you're not shouting at me, so go ahead. If you want to be a great help, though, I have something that's less obvious but could still be a pain to deal with on my own."
"Yes?"
"It's euhm… Aura."
"Oh, but I have some helpful books and a possible teacher for you. He'll possibly be a bit… gruff, but I can promise you Brandon is serious and passionate about the subject."
"Is that why you were so emotional about him being somewhere you weren't aware of? Is he an Aura user?"
"Smart kid," Scott said, gently patting the boy's arm. "I think Brandon might grow to enjoy your company, after all."
"Promise me you won't force his hand if he declines? I know he'll work out his feelings on me and I… I'm not sure I need that right now."
"That's an easy promise, Ash, don't think I have any control over the Frontier Brains. If they decide they won't do anything, it won't ever happen, trust me. But I'll see what I can do for you, Brandon isn't the only Aura user I know."
"Mind as you go, the keepers of secrets best remain unaware of his existence."A voice spoke up.
Ash had heard it before but was just as startled Scott when it sounded out. That didn't mean he didn't like how difficult his life was becoming, with do's and don'ts more specific and threatening than before.
"Oh, you got healed that way, huh?" the man chuckled, clearly used to other kinds of paranormal shenanigans.
"Is there another way?"
"Many. I'm sure someone will tell you all about them someday. Let me go pull some strings for you, yes?"
"Is that okay? Do you need anything in return?"
"Remember that my offer will always remain open for you, Ash. No matter how much Barry is whining, the only place open for the Hoenn Frontier is yours." Scott said. "Don't feel pressured, you can tell me to sod off eventually and I wouldn't think less of you if the position you're settling for isn't miles below what you are qualified for. Take your time to become your greatest, yeah? I know I'll be looking forward to it."
"Even with one leg less?"
"What? Where did it go?"
"A pokémon cut it off."
"… Yes, one leg isn't going to make a difference. Not to me, at any rate. You do you, Ash, take your time."
Despite the man's enthusiasm, the boy felt sad about the fact he might fail everyone and their expectations. Not that it would hurt anyone, but it was still sad, knowing he might have succeeded if some other-worldly creature hadn't come to chop his leg off. Well, there was always still Barry, hm? Ash did wonder why Scott had sounded so annoyed when talking about the teen and it was beyond him why the man had even brought the boy up, in the first place.
'Some people are just weird,' the boy ended up deciding, turning to his side, pressing his newest addition to his array of plush toys close to his chest.
Perhaps this one would be appreciated a bit more, the nurses didn't like the Gengar with its glowing eyes and smile. Ash loved it, but the nurses had the last say in things here and so the large plush was placed on a chair just out of his reach. It didn't matter to him, not now he had a Mankey to coddle. Perhaps it would ward off some off his nightmares, he often felt better when his bed was warm, anyway.
It hadn't mattered much, the teen woke up with a gasp after having been stuck in a bout of what could have been sleep-paralysis. Though in his bad dream, he had turned into stone, unable to move, breathe, blink and it hurt so much… And Pikachu had been there, crying out, trying to wake him up and the inability to comfort his starter pokémon hurt so much more.
"I am truly sorry, Ash," the voice from before spoke up.
He turned to see Mewtwo stand by the side of his bed, eyes dark and face stoic.
"… Was that you? Who turned me to stone?"
"I was raised by bad people. My manners were beaten into me, my mind skewed into believing what was being told instead of allowing me to come to my own conclusions. I was misguided and angry when we first met. You stood for everything I did not believe in, I knew for a fact pokémon would never enjoy being with a human… But you proved me wrong. Your sheer love and devotion for your pokémon changed my world, as well as the fact your feelings were reciprocated by all of the pokémon there, including Mew. I will forever be mournful over the fact I nearly destroyed such a beautiful soul like yours."
"Was. It. You?" Ash asked, insisting.
"You jumped in-between the attack I launched towards Mew and the one Mew launched towards me. Neither of us knew what would happen if you were to get hit."
"Now you do."
"… Are you angry with me, child?" the pokémon asked.
"No. I'm confused why I'm seeing this right now. Why it's coming on as vivid as that? Was I even supposed to remember it? I sure didn't know about it before."
"Everyone deals with trauma in their own way. Some have therapy, others let themselves get eaten away by nightmares."
"… Are they nightmares? I… I just thought they were bad dream…" the boy uttered.
"You woke up with a gasp, your hands are still shaking and there are beads of sweat in your forehead. It was a nightmare, Ash."
"B-but… But I went through that. I went through all my bad dreams in real life. Does that mean I'm living a nightmare?" Ash whispered, though clearly panicking over his conclusion.
"The mind is a powerful tool. Perhaps it has grown used to some kind of 'bad' and makes the dream the slightest bit worse to bring you to a state of disarray. It does not mean your life is a nightmare."
The teen sniffed, upset still but nodded nonetheless. He trusted Mewtwo still, no matter if it had the ability to turn him to stone. The pokémon clearly felt sorry about it and-
"I apologise for ever doubting you, Ash," Mewtwo said, having picked up on his thoughts. "And hurting you. I should have been smarter by then, to know that not everything is as black and white as I was making it out to be."
The apology left him in tears and the boy couldn't help it. The legendary creature was left to awkwardly pat his shoulder in a poor attempt to console him, but Ash was quick to clarify he wasn't sad.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cry," he hiccupped. "T-there's not that many people who ever apologised to me, I think they forget about it or don't realise it bothers me or expect me to forget about it but then I don't and I- Thank you, Mewtwo."
"Humans," the pokémon spat out with spite. "I would have given up on all of them if it was not for you, Ash. At any rate, allow me to show you a trick that might help you speak up."
"I don't usually… you know, call anyone out."
"And why is that?"
"I'm not that good at explaining myself. It's no good being told to be quiet or to have people laugh at everything you say."
"… Then I feel it is a good thing no words are needed for what I am about to teach you."
"Do you think we'll have enough time, though?" Ash asked, wiping away the few tears that had come running down his face, despite his best efforts to stop crying. "Mom's not going to like me doing stuff like that, so I don't want her to walk into anything."
Mewtwo said nothing but motioned towards the nightstand, where the Dialga figurine was standing again. More importantly, the small clock right next to it seemed to have stopped… Ash wasn't a fool, though felt a bit self-conscious because he had kissed it and he wasn't sure whether the pokémon had liked it.
"A-ah… It's real, isn't it?"
"Yes?"
"Didn't know it could like, shrink."
The pokémon looked at the small Dialga and shrugged.
"So what if it does?"
Ash laughed in response, shaking his head a bit at Mewtwo's lack of interest towards others. The boy wondered what was so special about him that made the creature stick around and share its intellect with him. But he knew better than to ask, there would be another speech about self-confidence ready for him and he wasn't in the mood to swallow such a bitter pill right now.
"The trick I wanted you to master is much like Scary Face, in the way that it creates an illusion of you being scarier than normal, in response to your feelings towards someone."
"… Do you think I can do that?" Ash asked. "I mean, I can turn off the light and float but-"
"The floating is due to Aura, many younglings do that when they feel unsafe. A perfectly natural aspect of your identity, do not worry about that. I would like you to know I would never ask you to do or perform something I feel you would not be able to or be uncomfortable with doing so."
"Alright, but how is floating supposed to make 'younglings' feel safe?" the teen asked with a frown.
"By elevating themselves, hunters cannot reach them. The dumb ones will get scared off and those looking for pray on the ground will not even spot them."
"Oh."
"Now, let us continue…"
The floating stones were back, his limbs cold and unresponsive. His starter pokémon was right there with him this time, though, as was the other, cream and orange coloured pokémon Ash remembered. It didn't matter, he felt the coldness spread over his body. The last thing he saw were the purple glowing signs in his field of vision, as well as Pikachu's look of absolute despair, but after that, nothing but darkness.
Ash sat up with a snort, an unfamiliar squeak waking him up from what he assumed was the short period he had been... well… 'dead' for. He grimaced at the memory he strongly suspected was the reason why this whole situation happened. The internet search had been clear, stopping your breathing was damaging to your body, especially your brain. Blacking out was the first sign that you were depriving yourself of air, your body's first line of defence to save energy and Ash remembered blacking out. Even if he hadn't, his nightmare would've reminded him of that fact.
"… Sweetie?"
He looked up and saw his mother and Lance at the side of his bed.
"When did you come in?" he asked.
"Just now, I… Sweetie, are you okay?"
"Why is everyone asking me that while I'm in a hospital?"
"Because you're crying, Ash," Lance answered, as Delia quickly fished out a handkerchief out of her bag.
"Again?!" the boy exclaimed, getting frustrated with himself.
"It's okay, sweetheart, it's okay," the woman said as she made quick work to wipe his tears away.
"Is it?"
"Who else asked you whether you were okay, Ash?" the man asked.
"Oh, Scott. He was here a while ago."
Though Ash wouldn't be able to tell them exactly how long ago, he hadn't checked when the Dialga had stopped time -he still wasn't over the fact how cool it was to have the actual Legendary pokémon right next to him, shrunken into a loveable size. With Mewtwo's rather lengthy training, until he had gotten the 'trick' down, Ash's perception of time had been properly screwed. It had also tired him out enough to cause him to have another nightmare as well.
"Whatever would that man come in here for?" Delia asked, giving Lance her famous side-ways glance, signalling she wasn't pleased about the news.
The boy shrugged and told her about how he had asked him about Brandon's appearance, but included exactly what he had told Scott because he was still aware that it hadn't been Brandon at all. Lance had looked bothered by the explanation and Ash knew this could turn out to be a bad decision of Scott's, going behind this protective man's back to question a minor without their guardian present. Then again, there had been a nurse who had possibly guided him to this room, but Ash doubted she qualified for one.
"Next time someone comes in to question you, don't answer them and call for help," Lance said. "I don't care if they have a whole bag full of plush toys or candy with them, it's an illegal action and I'll be talking to Scott about it."
"If you had left him alone, I could have told you that it wasn't Brandon at all, you know?" Ash answered.
"… Is that so?"
"Yes, it was a concerned pokémon who took shape of someone… I don't know why they picked him of all people, but here we are."
The man sighed loudly and looked away as if exasperated by the whole thing. Ash understood, knowing the champion must have other things to worry about than an apparition.
"Before I forget, mom, can you bring my transceiver next time? I wanna talk to my friends."
"Of course, I'll be sure to remember that. I euhm… do have to tell you that I was told that I'm not allowed to bring Pikachu in."
"… He's okay, though, isn't he? I-I mean, you're not keeping up pretence while he's actually dead and buried already and not wanting to tell me because you know I'll react badly to the news?"
"Sweetie! Good heavens, he's alive and shocking everyone who doesn't look like you or me," Delia exclaimed.
"I can confirm that," Lance added quietly.
"I don't like how you came to that conclusion, I told dr. Martin that they're giving Pikachu's fur a special treatment so he'll be nice and fluffy for you to hold when you go back home. Adding professor Oak's statement to how the two of you are inseparable once you've gotten back together, the man told me it was of our best interest to keep you apart from each other. Taking Pikachu back home with us would hurt you, sweetie."
Ash pressed his lips to a thin line and tried his hardest not to bite down on his tongue too hard. He had so much to say about this, how it just had to be professor Oak who voiced that opinion-
"Please, sweetie, speak up. I… Dr. Knight has told me about his diagnosis and I too am following therapy, it's why I'm a bit later in visiting you, but please, talk to me. I can't help you if I don't know how you feel about things," she all but begged as she took a hold of his hand.
He grimaced and looked down at his blanket, before releasing the hold on his lips and taking a deep breath.
"I hate how he always does this with me. He would never do this with Gary, it's always me who ends up as the butt of his stupid opinion. I… I've been sleeping so badly, I would do anything to have just a look at Pikachu, anything and now I hear that both dr. Martin and dr. Knight have stopped answering my questions of when I can finally see him again because of him."
When the boy looked up, he saw a grim expression on both adult's faces. For a moment, Ash feared he had come on too strong, that they weren't as ready for his opinion as they had said just now but then his mother squeezed his hand a bit.
"If that's how you feel, I'm going to deny him any information about you as of now. I knew it didn't feel right he took over one of my parental rights, but he's done it so often, I thought it would be okay… But it's not, so I'll go talk to dr. Martin for a bit."
"I-I don't want you to get into trouble because of me, mom," the teen uttered, reaching out to her as if he could stop her.
But she had moved away already and was now giving him a questioning look.
"What would you suggest I do?"
"I… I don't know," he squeaked, dropping his hand back on his lap in defeat. "I don't know how to talk to him either, I mean, I talk to him but I don't know what to say so he thinks I'm just… an idiot? If he hears I told you to go low contact on him, he's going to accept it from you, but if I ever step foot in his laboratory, he'll find some stupid but subtle way to punish me."
"Such as?" Lance asked.
"He could ask for a physical of all my pokémon right before a tournament, rendering me without any as my status as a trainer would be suspended for the while he'll be doing physicals on them."
"That's oddly specific, Ash. Has this happened before?"
"Only a couple of times, I swear."
"When?"
"… At the start of my journey towards every region, I guess? He picked a couple of pokémon and keep them down for action for the duration of my journey. I… I tried calling in older, advanced pokémon to bring with me and use during tournaments, but he pulled that every time. Until I just gave up after last year and he hasn't asked for a physical yet either."
"That sounds illegal."
"Unfortunately, if you bring in an ill pokémon and fear contamination, it's not frowned upon when you want to check upon pokémon who came into contact with it… No matter if the contact was forced."
"That sounds even more dubious than before!" Lance all but growled. "Ash, is the man registered as next of kin or something? Do you know if he's registered in emergency contacts at all?"
"Of course, it's all over my trainer profile," the boy answered.
"That needs to stop."
"When I said something about that before, he said no one else would care about me and that it was a selfless act of his to register himself as an emergency contact."
"That nosy, old fool has been acting as if he is your parent while he can't even keep his own grandson in line," the man sighed. "And you've been pulled to a side you were never supposed to be pulled at, and that's what needs to stop."
"… Will that be okay?"
"I promise you, it will."
Despite the faith he had in both his mother's capabilities and his uncle's expertise, Ash didn't want to be too hopeful. Professor Oak must've meant well, some way or another, perhaps he had been at fault of something… but yeah, the teen knew his life would be different from now on. And it all depended on him whether it would be good different or bad different. Yet another responsibility he didn't want.
When the next morning came, the teen regretting everything he had said to dr. Knight. Or rather, what he hadn't told the man. The whole night had been filled with all kinds of strange, lucid images of all the ways he had come close to death before -if he hadn't actually died at the time too. Was that what Mewtwo had meant when it had said that Aura users could only die once? That he shouldn't have been afraid of dying right now? Or were these hallucinations he was having? Ash didn't know but he couldn't think about it without his thoughts drifting off again, towards the nasty dreams that left him breathless and in despair once they had ended.
"… Ash?" a nurse asked, causing him to groan.
The sound of her voice seemed to echo in his head and it just sounded too loud for him. The woman didn't pry but the teen knew she would be going to get someone. He didn't know what to say, though, he had ensured he was okay when dr. Knight had asked him yesterday afternoon and yet… here he was, on the verge of crying again.
Little did Ash know that the therapist had realised something was amiss. If it hadn't been for the kind nurse who had told the man everything about the nightmare where the teen had grabbed her as hard as he could, he might not have noticed, but dr. Knight knew about the bad dreams, alright. The thing was, he needed to talk to dr. Martin about it and yesterday hadn't been a good day for the doctor, hence why he had barely come around Ash's room. But today, the man was dead set on getting things straightened out, though his main target was to get to a consensus on whether or not it was a good idea for the teen to receive visits from his pokémon. Mrs. Ketchum's plea had reached him and the idea that someone was acting out towards the boy, even as he was hospitalized, made dr. Martin moody about this subject.
The man wasn't pleased when he saw the state of the teen after entering the room. Yesterday had been filled with trying to control the fever of a girl stuck in a Darkrai-caused state of nightmares and here the boy was, looking as if he was starting to suffer from that same fever. It wasn't possible the nightmare state was contagious, the other patients in the rooms adjacent were unaffected by it… but now that the doctor thought about it, the girl's room was directly above Ash and the boy was sensitive in many ways.
"Darn it," he huffed as he whirled around to go and get a wheelchair to move the boy somewhere else.
He had noticed the child's lack of enthusiasm for many of the session that were meant to steer him away from depression, but what could you expect from a boy who was used to stay outside, completely free? He was stuck in one place now and gosh, the view out of that window was depressing even to the doctor who was.
"Hello?" the man asked, as he entered the room the nurses of this department tended to congregate in for coffee and where he could find a spare wheelchair. "Could anyone spare a moment of their time to help me?"
"Of course, doctor, what do you need us to do?"
"Could you possibly find a different room for the patient of room eleven?"
"That shouldn't be an issue, though it will be several floors down."
"I don't think that'll be a problem. Could you start moving the patient's things to that room?" the doctor asked. "I'm going to take him elsewhere in the meantime."
"Yes, doctor."
"Thank you," he said and wheeled a somewhat folded up wheelchair out of the room, determined to put the boy somewhere silent and calm, in hopes that he would have a good rest over there.
Heaven knew how the kid had picked up on those nightmares with an entire steel structure in-between him and the girl, but the man could only pray that whatever had possessed the child, wouldn't stick to him and move to the other room as well. Ash barely glanced at him as he got lifted inside the wheelchair and wheeled out of the room, a couple of nurses already present at the door to start moving the boy's belongings to another room. Dr. Martin was sure he would get the location of the room in time to move Ash back into it, but he was distracted by the boy falling asleep as soon as they had left the hallway. Not even the rough ride in the elevator had roused the teen.
'Unbelievable," the doctor thought, as he ended up moving the sleeping boy into his room.
That way, he would be able to keep an eye on him the entire time and be there if something happened. By the looks of it, though, Ash seemed to be dead to the world, not even reacting to the ringing of the phone on the desk. Dr. Martin had rarely spent such a peaceful time in his room, though, the teen's gentle snoring being the only sound inside the room. Perhaps he would have been better off not allowing the boy to play his heartstrings like this, but seeing a child like this always awakened something inside him. And it seemed like he wasn't the only one worrying about the teenager, as dr. Knight poked his head around the door to ask where Ash had gone.
"He's right here," the doctor answered.
"… Is he? Why?"
"I wanted him to sleep. The kid got affected by the illness of a patient in the room above his."
"You're kidding," the man deadpanned. "How?"
"Don't ask me, I'm already glad he's asleep."
"No nightmares?"
"None so far," dr. Martin answered. "Did you ask about them?"
"Not directly, but if you say it's not his ailment, I will be pressing the matter. I need him to understand he needs to talk about his feelings, that he can't let others decide for him," the therapist huffed.
"Don't work it out on him. Ash spoke up about his need to have Pikachu there and we both know who convinced us not to let that happened."
"We'll test it out ourselves, then, I suppose? I'm not against the idea, though we might as well open a window and allow some pokémon in, to see how he reacts to them and they to him. They've all moved in front of the room he's going to stay in now… though I sure hope he likes orange because that room isn't… well…"
"As long as he doesn't get someone else's nightmares, I believe any room will do right now. Is it finished, though? I would like to move him back into his room, I have a meeting in a few minutes."
"Oh, sure. I'll take him there if you'd like?" dr. Knight offered. "I had a session with Ash planned around this time, anyhow."
"He's dead to the world, though, but sure, go ahead."
The therapist nodded and took a firm hold onto the handles of the wheelchair. The teen still seemed deeply asleep, clutching the Mankey plush closely to his chest as a pillow was keeping his head away from the metal armrest. Ash didn't stir as he was moved into his new bed, either and for the next quarter of an hour, dr. Knight had been patiently waiting next to the boy's side, hoping he could catch the kid awake.
"Muh?" the teen uttered, as he sleepily turned to his side. "Wasser always a tree?"
"Yes," the man answered because there had indeed always been a tree in front of this room's window.
"Really? How didn't I see that?" Ash asked, sitting up already. "Waaait… Orange? This isn't… Was all of it a dream, after all?"
"The nightmares you refused to talk about, you mean?"
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to, I didn't think it was important because it all happened before and there's nothing I can do about it any longer, it's been months since the last-"
"Whoa, whoa, hold on, Ash. What do you mean, it all happened before?"
"… It… My nightmares were parts of err… adventures I had."
"That caused you to cry out for help?" dr. Knight asked, frowning heavily.
"I was kinda drowning," Ash muttered. "At the time, in my dream, I mean, not when I grabbed the nurse."
"Will you tell me about them? Please?"
"… Only if you promise not to tell anyone."
"Of course not, I do have to make a file but-"
"No! No file. It always had something to do with pokémon and if someone finds out, they'll find them and it'll start all over again and I don't want to endanger them."
"Not even for the sake of your own health?"
"No," the teen answered stubbornly.
Dr. Knight sighed, rubbed his forehead but nodded eventually.
"Alright, I give you my word. I won't make a file on the contents of your nightmares… But only when I've decided they've got nothing to do with your accident."
"That'll be easy. The most recent one happened months ago. It's where I thought I had the brain damage from, after all, you know I had that before the accident."
"… These stories aren't going to make me happy, are they?"
"I didn't tell you to pick this job. Besides, you asked."
"That I did," the man sighed. "Alright, let's begin from the beginning, then. What's the oldest of your nightmares?"
"Oh, that would be the one I got evaporated at."
"Come again?"
"Yeah, Ho-Oh wasn't happy at the time."
"… Good lord."
Lance was pleased to bits when he had finally gotten into contact with Red, who appeared to be more reasonable than ever about the matter. Granted, the champion realised his brother must have been thinking about the boy, who couldn't have been anyone else's son, considering Red had been all over Delia, all the time. But that the man had agreed to a paternity test was nothing short of a miracle and one of the best things that had happened since a good while. Not that Lance thought his brother was ready to be a father of a fourteen-year-old right away. Hardly even, as the man seemed under the impression his son was a toddler and upon having heard that Ash was much older than that, Red had sighed deeply.
But something needed to be done, he couldn't risk anyone taking over Ash's rights for the fund they had all carefully collected money for. It would ensure his future, some had even gone above and beyond and had ensured an appointment with a specialized designer from the best company in the entire world. The Phoenix company was special, recently added part of the pokémon company and Lance had been thoroughly impressed by their work, upon having been shown a portfolio of some of their creations. It was actually the reason why he had gotten to hear about Brandon having visited Ash, he had told Delia to warn the doctor that a stranger might come in to talk to Ash about a prosthetic limb. The doctor had told her he would anticipate the visit but had also told her about the stranger who had come to visit her son before and well… Lance still wanted to talk to Scott about his decision to go and bother Ash directly about it.
A knock on his door later proved that the man had already beat him to it, Scott was right there in the doorway, not smiling but not looking mad either. Good thing too, Lance's patience with him was wearing thin and anything that considered Ash was a sensitive subject to him as it was. He would never father a child himself, that much he had already come to the conclusion to, which made the boy even more special to him.
"Well, speaking about the devil," he stated. "Come in, Scott, I was just thinking about you."
"I'm not here to fight."
"Neither am I, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to remind you that you shouldn't visit teenagers with the intentions of interrogating them. Not without a legal guardian."
"Like you?"
"No, like his mother."
"Oh, that'll be alright."
Lance chuckled, Delia's expression had been nothing if not murderous at discovering that yet another person had gone behind her back and had upset her son. Chances were that the conversation wouldn't be anywhere near as alright as Scott thought it would be.
"What brought you here?"
"I wanted to talk about the kid's abilities," Scott said.
"Why am I not surprised?"
"Ash asked for a teacher, so there's that to consider."
"I'm not considering anything, again, you'll have to take it up to his mother to get any sort of agreement for your nefarious plans."
"Nefarious?" the man repeated, sounding indignant as he placed his hands on his sides. "What are you trying to imply?"
"I can only expect trouble if one of your lot is going to teach him psychic tricks."
"Hah, is that so? Well, my lot isn't going to teach him anything psychic, Brandon's going to be his teacher for Aura, if that's alright for Delia."
"… Aura?" Lance repeated dryly.
"Yes, I was surprised as well but pleased nonetheless. I feel like we could do a better job at training him in secrecy to avoid him going through the same events his father did."
"Here, here," the champion muttered. "You go ahead and focus on that, then, I've got other things on my mind. Though I warn you, next time I catch my nephew crying after your visit, we will have some sort of fight."
"He was crying before I even came in! The kid's obviously been hit one time too many, Lance, that nightmare wasn't normal either!"
"Whatever, man, you heard me. I don't care what you do, as long as you don't hurt him, it's fine."
"… I'm sure it is. You're good at burning bridges, aren't you?"
"We never were on good terms after what happened before I went to Orre, tell me what bridge there was left to burn?" Lance bristles angrily.
Scott guiltily turned away from the man, but the champion wasn't having any of it.
"I'm glad you're so full of concern for my nephew while you didn't give a damn if I ever came back from Orre, but don't think I'll ever forget what happened. Ash is going to be the only thing we'll have in common and you'll just have to live with the fact you're going to have to talk to the boy's legal guardians to accept your plans. I'll only be watching in case the kid gets hurt," Lance stated, continuing after a small pause. "Arceus knows what you were thinking, coming here."
"I'll just go, then…"
The man stared holes in the back of Scott's retreating back, huffing after the door was gently closed. A muscle near Lance's eye twitched in annoyance and oh, he might not be Ash's legal guardian, but he would be second in command. As Red's brother, he did have somewhat of a say over the boy and while he wanted nothing more than to give the child his well-deserved freedom, he would steer him away from trouble if he saw Ash walk straight towards it. Besides, Red was still highly dependent on his suggestions, because he was still more than a bit world-estranged. Scott should mind to better treat the boy right or something bad was going to happen, that much the champion was convinced of.
His coach, Brandon, seemed even more pleased to have the teen closer to the training area, meaning he didn't have to hoist his machinery up the stairs. Yes, he was that kind of person to refuse stepping into the elevator, which exasperated Ash a bit. Nevertheless, it was becoming easier to climb on and off these training devices and the boy was pleased he could stand with the aid of two crutches by the end of his second session. In fact, he had walked back to his own room without any human help, which had ended up getting him a small round of applause from the three nurses in the hallway. The boy had bashfully ducked his head under the attention, his cheeks getting a bit redder at the show of appreciation.
"You're better at this than I am," Brandon chuckled, barely refraining from giving a pat on the teen's shoulder.
The man had almost connected with Ash's shoulder, though, but had pulled back at the last second and had awkwardly made a vague gesture before keeping his hands to himself. The boy was thankful for it, the impact would've probably knocked him over and destroy what little confidence he had. Oh yes, he was standing, but he wasn't standing sturdy. His arms were killing him and he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief once he sat back on the bed.
"That was harder than I thought," he admitted sheepishly, as he stretched his arms out in front of him. "Ah, I'm going to be sore tomorrow."
"Highly likely, that was a lot of muscle power you used today. I'm pleased, though, you didn't lose that much muscle, after all. This just made your revalidation program easier, Ash, if you can keep this up, you'll be ready to start learning to walk with a prosthetic limb in no time," the coach said, trying to motivate the boy.
"… I don't know if I will ever get one, though. Mom won't ever be able to afford one, I think," he answered sadly.
"Then why did that nice lady from before say she was here to design one for you?" the man asked, turning towards the group of nurses who seemed as mystified about it as he was.
"Das war wirklich beeindruckend."
Ash perked up at the voice which was definitely speaking Unova's official language. He regretted never having taken the time to pick it up but he had understood what the woman in the doorway had said just now nonetheless.
"Thanks!" he piped up, ignoring Brandon's silent muttering of 'you understood that?'
"Miss, visitor hours haven't started yet." One of the nurses spoke up.
"I'm not a visitor. I am the nice lady who told dr. Martin that I would be coming here to speak to Ash and make measurements for the prosthetic limb I will be designing," the woman answered, her thick accent making her statement sound sterner than she possibly intended.
She definitely had Ash's interest now, because accent or not, he understood and he was as enthusiastic about that as the mention of a possible limb for him.
"Really?" he asked, smiling widely.
"Yes. Let me introduce myself, I'm Eleanor from the Phoenix Company."
"Nice to meet you, I'm Ash."
"I know, I was told about your case by the doctor. I was intrigued from the start, we have very little trainers as profiled prosthetic limb users and it will be interesting to work on one that fits all your needs."
Ash was a bit taken aback by the crudeness, but he somewhat liked the no-nonsense approach. Even though it felt weird because it was rare for him to be called out by characteristics instead of personality.
"Oh, alright."
"Can I make measurements or do you need anaesthetics before I can touch it?"
"Err, no, it's okay, you can touch it," he said, though wasn't looking forward to those 'measurements'.
Touching the remained of his left leg, especially the end of it, was still a bit of a sensitive subject to him, a private thing. But she was here to help and Ash refused to let his weakness stand in the way of his freedom. So he steeled himself and after the designer had asked for some privacy, which caused the nurses and Brandon to excuse themselves from the room, bared his leg and left the woman at it.
"… Interesting. Are you aware of the way the stump was closed?"
"Yes, it wasn't," he answered. "There wasn't any skin left to stitch it up and I don't think they thought I was even going to make it, so I think they just… managed. I err… It wasn't the doctors or me who healed it, anyway."
"Most unusual."
"Is it possible? For me to even wear one with that kind of…?" the boy asked, trailing off.
"I cannot say, I know it will be difficult," Eleanor answered calmly. "But I'm very good at what I do."
Ash smiled in response to the confidence.
"Now, I will need your guidance on what is comfortable and whatnot, yes? Please be honest, if it hurts, it's a no-go, it needs to be vollkommen richtig before anything, if my measurements are not correct, you will be in pain whenever you wear the limb. Understood?"
"… Yes, ma'am."
It didn't help he occasionally yelped at her strange actions, but he kept telling himself she meant well and that she was here to help him. Just like the pillows the nurses in the silent ward had tried to comfort him with, this person was here to give him back the leg those strange, mean creatures had stolen. After a series of strangely shaped cups having gotten fit on his stump, a particular one somehow felt… right. Not right as in natural but for the first time, the boy didn't feel any particular prod or bump.
"This is it, isn't it?" the woman asked, smiling.
"I think so, yes."
"Good. Very good. I will leave it here, I would like dr. Martin to check if it still fits tomorrow and the following days after. Perhaps your leg has swollen a bit, due to my measuring and I am unwilling to start working on the wrong basis."
"So… Morning and evening? Each day?"
"And perhaps after those muscle revalidation lessons of yours."
"Can't I just keep it on, then?"
"I wouldn't recommend it, you would want your leg to remain open in the night. Skin trapped underneath something will cause unpleasant side-effects, if not injuries. Only burns can be covered in plastic all night, but the concern of skin-damage is little when dealing with those kinds of treatments," she answered. "Now, perhaps you have a particular shape or colour in mind you would like your leg to look like?"
"… I like Pikachu?" he answered, coming up empty on what else to pick.
And Ash did very much like Pikachu.
"Ah, lightning bolt, hm? Interesting idea, I could incorporate that, though it will be hard to… hm, I will have a think about it. Anything else?"
"Err… Not too heavy? I don't want any of my pokémon to hurt themselves if they move about in my room at night. But nothing too flimsy, I'm kind of bouncy."
"Mm-hm. Noted. I will send a copy of the design once I get the confirmation from dr. Martin that the cup is the right size for you. Though, keep in mind, you are young, you might need adjustments."
"Isn't that going to be expensive?" the teen winced. "How much is this one gonna cost?"
"The costs have been taken care of. You should ask your parents, they have taken care of it."
Ash was confused about that, there was no way his mom would've ever been able to keep this a secret. Besides, where the heck would she be getting the money from? Had she been selling her baked goods like, all over the world? Or had she stocked up every family in Pallet, ensuring them they would have food for the coming year? Ash didn't understand but you bet he would ask her next time he saw her.
"I've finished what I came in here for. So unless you have another question, I will take my leave."
"I don't think so. I think I'll have more questions when I'm wearing it, though."
"If that is the case, I will be right there to answer them," she said. "Take care now and most of all, keep up the good work. I have rarely seen people adapt as quickly as you have. The stronger you are, the better."
"Thank you, Eleanor, I will do my best."
Waking up in the room had instantly reminded him he had moved, because well, the orange was obvious. But if that one wall weren't as vibrant in colour, the stark lack of nightmares might have made him aware something had changed. And call him strange, but Ash felt more at ease than he had ever been in those two days in that previous room. He didn't know why, Mewtwo hadn't responded strangely towards being there and with the creature being a highly-talented Psychic-type pokémon, the teen figured it would have noticed something. Then again, did any legendary pokémon care about their surroundings at all? Chances were Mewtwo hadn't even thought twice about feeling bad in a human-infested area, possibly feeling that way by default.
All in all, Ash was bewildered and confused about how he had woken up to find himself in a different room and without nightmares, but at the same time, glad that this period was over and done with. He liked to look back on his adventures, feeling proud of himself. That his mind had felt the necessity to show him that the good he had done, had made such a bad impact on him, kind of rained on his parade but he wouldn't allow it. No matter the tragic expression on dr. Knight's face, upon hearing his toes of 'woe', the boy couldn't make his heart feel regret when he truly believed he had made things right. It was all just part of his life and judging from how other people behaved, the teen was almost certain there were people who had suffered worse. 'There are worse things than death' had existed as a saying long before he had been born, after all.
His biggest concern right now was the fact that the promised muscle cramps weren't that bad at all and that Ash felt like walking around again. Specifically towards the window, as there were lots of small pokémon who had started congregating amongst the branches of the tree. The boy longed to have some sort of interaction with them, even if he couldn't open the window, it would still be nice to like… smile at them, to show he enjoyed their presence. It was a shame his crutches were standing against the complete opposite wall the room and thus, out of his reach.
Ash sulked, shoulders dropping as he cast a longing look towards the window. The tree seemed almost alive, the way it was shaking and moving about, filled to the brim with pokémon… and here he was, sitting like a dead weight. The boy sat like that for at least an hour, knowing he was usually left alone until a bit before ten in the morning. It was only eight right now and his revalidation coach had said they were skipping a day, as he didn't want him to overdo his training, so there were no activities planned. Well, not counting Ash's desired walk around the room, that is. So now, he was thinking about his 'abilities' which only seemed to get him into trouble and didn't seem useful at all, except making himself sick.
There was no way he would ever be able to move this bed, it was attached through a mess of wires and it was clear this particular piece of furniture wasn't meant to be moved around like the one at the silent ward. This one had a better pillow, but the boy could understand that there weren't many patients who would complain about it, laying in the silent ward and being unconscious and all that. Still, he was bothered and it made him prone to risky behaviour, as he was still eyeing the crutches. In a clear moment, Ash had considered floating towards it, but the thing was, by the time he could even get himself to float, he wasn't just at risk of being seen, he was also aware that floating didn't necessarily mean moving about. In fact, the boy would consider this as hovering, instead of floating, as he could only go upwards.
As much as that resembled his ideology, it still bothered the teen because it was just another ability that wasn't of much use to him. But then he figured that if he could close a door, he might be able to pull it open as well. The bathroom door certainly reacted to the pull, so naturally, Ash focused on the crutches only a second after he had successfully opened that door. He never even thought about closing it, dead set on pulling the crutches closer. The first thing they did was to clatter on the floor with as much noise as possible but it seemed like no one was around and after a tense five minutes of Ash expecting a nurse to burst into the room, he feverishly moved on to get the railing around his bed to lower, so that he could get to the crutches once they were close enough.
Needless to say that, once the boy stood once more, he smiled victoriously. As much as he enjoyed his newfound freedom, the boy made sure to act carefully. But oh, the joy on the little pokémon's faces as he was able to come closer! They behaved so cutely and he could lean against the window so he didn't need to rely on the crutches the whole time, so the teen stood there quite some time, contently watching them. The Meowth pushing its head against the glass as if wanting to be petting was so adorable and a sleek looking Furret acted similarly only a moment later. They almost succeeded in making the boy forget he was inside a hospital. Almost. As the sound of his door opening, followed by a loud 'thud' made him aware someone had entered the room.
"Oh no…" he uttered, as he stared at a bewildered-looking doctor, who was furiously rubbing his forehead.
"What are you…? Did you need to go to the toilet?" the man asked, as he took a hold of the bathroom door, cautiously peeking inside before turning back towards the teen.
"I euhm… got distracted," Ash answered.
"Understandable, but still, don't leave this door open, will you? It's a hazard for anyone coming in. What if I had been the nurse coming in with a bunch of pills?"
The teen didn't mean to smile at that, but the thought of a nurse going down in a shower of pills -not that he needed to take that many any longer- seemed hilarious to him.
"Oh, I see how it is now. Cheeky Mankey, you are," the doctor grumbled, before looking up as if he just realised the teen was out of bed and standing on his own. "What are you even doing out of bed?! You're supposed to call a nurse for assistance!"
"I was bored."
"… Bored," dr. Martin repeated. "Goodness, Ash, you're a menace to yourself. Come on, back in bed."
The teen let himself get ushered back into his bed, though made sure the man could see he wasn't happy about it.
"Really, boy, you were such a mess yesterday and yet you still make it all the way up there. What if you had fallen?"
"I didn't."
"Perhaps not, but still. I don't like you taking these risks, at least call a nurse if you want to talk a walk. Perhaps she'll take you out into the garden, then you can walk all you want and get sniffed from all sides. I don't fear you hurting yourself with all that grass out there, but these are some unforgiving tiles to fall on, Ash."
"I get it, doctor, I'll call for help next time."
"Alright. I do hope you fully understand why I'm so persistent."
He didn't, not truly, but he respected the man's wishes all the same. Even though it would be a hassle to sit out that ride in a wheelchair towards the garden, getting stared at by people and patients alike.
"Now, have you had any trouble with nightmares?"
"No, I slept well."
"Good, good…" the doctor muttered thoughtfully, grabbing a notebook out of his pocket and making some notes before turning back to him. "I would like you to be aware that you are susceptible to the ailments of people in your neighbourhood, Ash."
"… What do you mean?"
"The patient in the room above you was suffering from the same nightmares as you were, but long before you."
"S-so when I was moved into that room…?"
"Yes, you picked up on it and started suffering from the same illness."
"Oh God, are they okay?" Ash asked.
"Funnily enough, shortly after you were moved, a Cresselia seemed to have made its way through the window and left a feather, rousing the patient from her deep sleep."
"Ah."
"Ah, indeed," dr. Martin said, in a way that told Ash the man was aware that the legendary pokémon's appearance had everything to do with him.
Which was likely the case, somehow everyone knew he was suffering while the boy himself was oblivious about it. Nevertheless, he liked the idea this kid had been saved thanks to his weakness to stuff, it was something he could possibly exploit in the future.
"I do hope you won't start showing symptoms of the illnesses of the patients around you this time, but for the love of Arceus, tell me if you're feeling something."
"… Determination to walk again?"
"I know you're fired up, Eleanor told us as much. I admire you for it, Ash, but you know that's not what I meant."
"I get it, I'll tell you, dr. Martin. And if there's something I don't understand, I'll wait until I get a chance to ask you, I promise."
The doctor nodded and left the subject alone. It seemed like he was interested in the state of his body this time around, taking his temperature and seeing whether he had cramps or any other complaints. Ash came up empty, the only complaint he had was boredom as an orange wall was only entertaining for a little while. Soon enough, the person with the games came back in which took his mind off matters for a while.
Now if only his mom would remember to bring his transceiver, he would be set for some interesting moments to come.
End of chapter four.