Chapter 3

Patient Pt. 1


"…That bitch." Ash heard a wispy mumble.

Even the sound of the news channel on television and the storm outside was hardly enough to kill the suffocatingly quiet atmosphere of the apartment. Ash's expression spelled out his long conflicting emotions, dark brown eyes piercing intently through his raven hair to the digital clock on the microwave as the "1:46" flickered over to "1:47" AM. His cheek pressed against his forearms keeping his resting head off of the small table. While he hadn't taken a step out of the apartment, a pair of basic sneakers adorned his feet, toe-ends barely touching the floor as his legs hung from the chair.

This is where he had been since a little before midnight. His mother hadn't come home after work.

"She thinks that she can just leave…?"

It wasn't the first time she had been out for longer than usual, however with this weather and the time of night, he began to worry. She would have called home had she taken an extra shift, as she always did, right?

No call. Nothing.

If it hadn't been pouring so hard outside he may have already left the apartment. Saffron wasn't a particularly safe city in terms of crime, though that was largely irrelevant to him. "Protect" was a strong and severely wrong word to use, but Ash could be sure that a certain shade wouldn't be too pleased with either of the ones she had called dibs on being grabbed in the dead of night. Still yet, she couldn't be in two places at once either, and he knew he took priority—always.

"…But where…?"

Ash had grown used to these whispers at the edge of his hearing, whereas most would likely lose their minds. His eyes remained locked on the clock. One minute. Two. Thirteen. "2:00" AM.

"Mom…" he trailed off, murmuring to himself while glancing at the door.

Taking a deep breath in anxiety reminded him of just how thirsty he was. Like a zombie, he dropped off of his chair and moved over to the refrigerator. The hum of the appliance was like a lullaby for his weary eyelids, which had been threatening to close before he had stood up.

His hand grabbed the handle, pulling the door open with some effort. The physical chill that flooded out in front of him put goosebumps on his skin as he scanned the contents inside. Half a gallon of milk, leftover pizza, a couple eggs. He glanced over those and a few other things on his way down the shelves of the small space. Reaching forward, his hand grasped a small juice box from where a dozen or so were lined up.

Ash shut the refrigerator door, pausing for a moment to pick the straw off of the beverage packaging. "So it's not you, then?" he spoke, tired and unfocused, sliding down onto the floor of the kitchen.

"…Tch."

The sound of thunder rolled through the room. Ash stared to the floor, drawing his legs closer to himself. "I hope that she's at least out of the rain," he muttered, slowly sipping on the juice box.

"Hnn?" Mirth slipped into her disembodied voice as she replied, "She'll be wishing she drowned in it."

He gave no reaction. "…Maybe she decided to stay at the store while letting the storm pass…?" Although said out loud, it was whispered. Ash obviously wasn't looking for a response, just talking to himself.

At this point it was apparent that he was ignoring her, thus causing the creature no small amount of annoyance. But she wouldn't let it end there. "Maybe she's being gang-raped in a dark shabby hole-in-the-wall?" She mocked, pressing the knife deeper, trying to draw a reaction out of him.

Ash tensed, his hand nearly crushing his juice box. He bit his lip. This was exactly what she was looking for, and in fact, she nearly exploded in laughter. To see that hopeless expression on his face sent a shot of pure euphoria running through her very soul. However, this still wasn't the perfection she sought after. Not even close. "You're too easy, sometimes. I didn't even have to get creative." She taunted.

After all, he may have bent, but he never broke. That was the thrill of it all. Far better than the mother, who just keeled over at every corner. The woman always managed to bring about a feeling of nostalgia in her, although it was more comparable to deja vu, and could never satisfy her entirely.

His face went blank, before his mouth opened. "You don't mean that, do you…?" Ash didn't look up, just shaking his head slowly, pushing off of the cabinet to help stand himself up. "No. You want Mom to come home the same as I do," he stated, like it was indisputable fact. His head hung low, sights to the ground as he moved out of the kitchen.

"Oh, of course…" She giggled, watching him sit on the couch. The light of the TV in the dim room reflected off of his deep brown eyes, finally piecing together his dead-fish visage. "Nobody but me can touch her. I own her—I own both of you."

Own. The air of finality in her words seemingly released Ash from his chained-awake consciousness at that very moment, leaving their exchange over, to lull in its grave. His eyelids felt too heavy to keep open without willing them to, and thus, finally, he let sleep pull him in.


His consciousness was suddenly yanked on with the force of a dynamic punch.

Ash opened his eyes. The flood of light immediately caught him off guard, forcing him to blink away the odd dancing shapes. When his vision adjusted, he realized he was face to face with his mother.

She had her hands on his shoulders and looked on the edge of tears, a small frown blemishing her face. Not angry, not exactly distressed, but disappointed?

After these things registered in his mind, he finally took notice of a few more crucial details that nearly caused his legs to crumble underneath him. His mother looked so much more youthful, no bags under her eyes or slightly unkempt hair. He felt dazed when he looked around.

He was standing in their old living room. Pallet Town. Balancing suddenly seemed much less important, however her grip on his much smaller shoulders was enough to keep his tiny body from falling over.

"Mom…?" he spoke, feeling confused in more ways than one.

The single word made her pull back slightly, as if what he just said hurt her in some way. Ash was suddenly very aware of just how short he was. A part of his mind called out to him from what felt like a million miles away. Mommy.

"…I guess I should have expected it," Delia mumbled, squeezing his shoulder. She sniffled. "Y-You really do want to go on an adventure, then? You want to be a Pokemon trainer?" Her eyes were locked on his own, trying to search deep within his soul for an answer, before he had the chance to give his own; to break her heart.

"W-What?" Ash questioned, trying to figure out what was happening. This all seemed vaguely familiar, but there was so much wrong that he refused to believe that it was real. Was it? "What's going on?"

"Professor Oak told me. I just—" She let out a shaky breath as her words fell from her lips. "I just wanted to hear it from you…" It appeared to physically pain her the more she spoke.

"Uhm…" Ash struggled to come up with anything coherent to say back. Frankly, "confusion" didn't begin to describe his state of understanding. It went beyond that.

Delia took a hand of his shoulder to wipe her eyes, forcing an obviously reluctant and empty smile onto her face. "It's ok, Ash, I-I'm not m-mad."

He simply stared at her. This… what is this?

"I guess, I thought, maybe," she said, before letting out an awkward laugh, shaking her head. "No, you know, nevermind. It's nothing."

I thought maybe you would want to follow in my footsteps, instead of his. Words flooded into his head. She didn't say them, though he definitely heard them. Her footsteps, instead of his? A second or two passed in silence as his mind processed. Eventually, Ash opened his mouth, but only one sound escaped him.

"Oh." His expression lost the confusion, replaced by a sheer, blank slate.

Delia fidgeted, letting go of his shoulder. He watched as she bit her lip, before speaking once more, trying her hardest to sound as chipper as possible. "If that's what you want to do, I'll support you how I can… definitely!" She clapped her hands together, standing to her full height.

"…Definitely." Ash repeated slowly, just under his breath, his eyes drifting across the room. He turned his head to each corner, searching every shadow he could find. "Uh, hey, mom?"

He waited for her response, for her to ask what was wrong or what was on his mind. When she didn't answer, he turned back towards her. "Mom—?"

Ash promptly froze.

His eyes locked with a duo of blood-red orbs, slit with black pupils, opposite of his own. Any light that existed in the once pleasant living space vanished, swallowed by the bleak, cold, and dead atmosphere that consumed everything around him.

"Mommy…!" The opened golden zipper-type orifice under the red eyes formed a grin. "Where is she…?" The slightly feminine voice taunted.

Ash frowned. "You're… not the real one?" He asked, watching her closely. The tip-off wasn't something he could readily explain. Instinctual?

As soon as he said that, the grin twisted. The eyes narrowed. "Not real? What do you mean, you little—?"

"Dreaming of me, hn?" Suddenly, a much more tangible and irritable voice pierced into his head, however this one wasn't much different in identity to the last. "And no, no you're not. So, get the fuck out of my sight." Her attention turned to the alternate version of herself. Instantly, the apparition vanished without a trace.

"AGH…!" Ash's senses rang as if an explosion just burst his eardrums. He fell to his knees on the ground, clutching at both sides of his head. It felt like a gunshot to his cranium.

"And you—WAKE UP, before I do it for you." she growled.


Ding-dong…!

"Chhh…!" Ash breathed, barely audible. WAKE UP… WAKE UP… It kept repeating, it wouldn't stop.

Ding-dong…!

The boy clutched at the cushion under him, knuckles white. His head pounded in agony. But the high-pitched dual-toned ringing certainly wasn't caused by that.

"Door. Bell." he heard the voice hiss.

"Huh—?" It took a split second to click. Ash's eyes snapped open at the noise, fully awake. The TV was off, and the barest smidge of light seeped into the apartment through the closed curtains. He whipped his head around to look towards the front door. It took him a short moment to fully register, before he was pushing himself off the dingy couch, and stumbling across the small, dark and quiet apartment, trying to shake off the distracting pulse in his brain. "H-Hold on, I'm coming!" He called, hoping whoever was at the door could hear him.

His tired eyes barely caught a glimpse of the digital clock on his way, but when they did, he nearly faltered. "5:43" AM. Now he couldn't tell if it was the lack of sleep making his head head hurt, or his method of awakening.

At six in the morning? The question of who is was filled his mind as Ash hurried on. They didn't get any visitors, ever. He could probably count the number of times someone had rang the doorbell on one hand, since they had moved in. He fumbled to unlock the door, only then grabbing the knob and twisting. Brushing dark raven hair out of his face, Ash pulled the door open just enough to peek through.

Bits of early morning sunlight, and the chill of the air rushed into the dim apartment, but found itself limited by just how little Ash cracked the door. He was forced to squint to see properly while his vision came to focus. Revealed to him was a man in an official-looking uniform, sporting black hair with a goatee, and a hat that cast a dark shadow over his face. The man was peering at him from the short distance through the crack with an attempt at a small but friendly smile. However, this wasn't exactly returned in kind by Ash.

In fact, he felt his throat dry at the sight.

A long-sleeved light-blue collared shirt topped with a black vest and tie, tucked into navy-blue pants. While a few other aspects of it could have given hints, the wording on his vest; "Saffron City Police Dept" and the ornate navy blue hat with an elegant badge-type decoration on the front were dead giveaways,as well as the stun gun and baton that hung next to two small-form pokeballs at his waist.

A police officer… Ash hardly noticed himself subconsciously sucking in a breath. Meanwhile, the pair of Pokemon containing devices had their non-human observer, who remained obscured in the shadows behind Ash, narrowing her deep-ruby eyes. She couldn't find herself feeling truly threatened, it had been awhile since anything brought out that instinct; nonetheless, she noted their existence.

Ash opened the door ever so slightly wider, concern welling up inside him. The implications made him nervous, if not terrified. He could think of few other reasons for his presence, other than being related to his mother. A quick look down and to the side where they usually put their shoes told him that she still wasn't home. Regardless of if she just hadn't taken off her shoes, or otherwise, he was confident he would have heard her come in and woke up. "H-Hello?"

The man tilted his hat in a polite manner, clearing his throat. "Yes, good morning. I'm officer Maury," he stated, briefly holding out his department-issued ID for Ash to see, before continuing. "May I assume correctly that you're Ash? Ash Ketchum?" He seemed to think about the name for a second, most likely assuring himself that he hadn't gotten it incorrect.

Said child hesitantly nodded.

"Hm. So," Officer Maury let out a sigh. "Your mother, Delia Ketchum, she didn't come home last night." He stated, and Ash wasn't caught off-guard. That didn't stop him from visibly flinching, staring up at the man.

Their eavesdropper tisked into his ear. "Oh…?"

"M-Mom? No," Ash confirmed, worry etching itself across his face. His chest squeezed, though he tried to calm himself down. It didn't work. It was obvious that she wasn't missing, but it that case—where is she? She wasn't with the officer, she wasn't home. Ash's heart pounded hard in his chest, as if trying to warm up, to no avail. Everything was only growing colder. "…B-But you know where she is—right?" He was looking for answers but afraid to hear what the man had to say.

Officer Maury nodded. "Well, that's exactly why I'm here. Don't worry. She's certainly not in any immediate danger, as far as I know," A paused allowed for Ash to relax, though he was anything but. "She's currently checked in at the Saffron General Hospital…" he informed, weighing the child's reaction.

"…What?" Ash's mind went on hold, and he looked vacantly out at the man. The door creaked open further as his grip on it was lost. "H-Hospital…?" he echoed. Why the hospital? What happened?

The officer held up a hand. "Calm down, let me get to that, please. Somebody found her on the subway last night, passed out and not able to be woken up. It's an awfully good thing they took notice, as it was possible she was experiencing some sort of organ failure. That wasn't the case, thankfully," he added. "I was told that the poor miss probably hadn't slept in days. Something like that is just as dangerous, frankly."

"Tch. You're kidding me." Ash was the only one able to hear her, while the officer remained oblivious. Him alone, even as she started to giggle, louder and louder. The boy's conflicted expression darkened. He remained silent for the moment, listening to her rabid cackling.

"She's ok…" Eventually, he whispered to himself. Not missing. Not gone. Not dead. It was impossible for him to feel entirely relieved, however.

"I'm guessing you didn't know about any of this, then?" Officer Maury asked, raising an eyebrow. Ash hesitated to shake his head, though this didn't cause the man to lose his sceptical look. He rubbed his chin. "…Overworked, maybe?" Ash saw him glance at their small, slightly run down apartment complex.

"Maybe," Ash mumbled, quietly. If only the man knew.

"As if you'd tell ever tell him about me." She could practically read his mind. "Or anyone." And she wasn't wrong. Not in the slightest.

Officer Maury sent a strange look to the child, who seemed to be talking to himself more than anything else. "Anyhow, regardless, I'm here to take you to the hospital to see her." It wouldn't be responsible to leave a child home without their parent for an extended period of time. The officer threw up a thumb over his shoulder, pointing behind himself. "You do want to see her, right?"

Ash opened his mouth to reply, though his voice never left him. Yes… yes! He wanted to say it. How desperately did he want to. He glanced back into the house, eyes boring into the darkness. I can't.

"…How convenient." Two word, short and ominous, serving to push his hesitation further. If he went, she went. Simple as that. But this also worked in reverse. If he stayed, she stayed. Ash felt himself losing the will to reply to the officer. He couldn't do that to his mother.

"Oh and, I'll promise to be good!" She snickered. "Give me a chance!"

No. No. You're a liar. Ash's breathing wavered. He glanced to the side, trying to avoid eye contact with the man in front of him, and the Officer must have caught the indecisive look.

"Do you have any Pokemon, by chance? Is that what you're worried about?" The man shifted to peek through the door. "It'd be better to take them, if so."

Ash's eyes flashed with alarm. "N-No, we don't have any Pokemon," he quickly responded. His mind then raced to come up with an excuse, landing on a solid one without much effort. "I'm worried about school." School; the halls of which he hadn't seen in over a year. It wasn't rare to be out of primary school by ten, although some kids did continue if they planned on going to a university.

The shadow dwelling creature let out a click in his ear. "So hard. You try so, so hard. But you're in denial."

"Eh, well," The man gave a sort of shrug. "I'm sure the teachers wouldn't mind you missing a day or two to stay with your mother at the hospital. Just so you know, though, I can't really take you back and forth. When we go, you'll probably be staying there, and might want to take a backpack with a pair of clothes and something to do," he made sure to note.

Just say no. Insist. Make another excuse. Ash bit his lip. Just say you aren't going.

"…Ok."


Banette of my Existence

A/N

Took a bit longer to write than I had thought it would, given the pace I was going at to begin with, but I suck at consistency, so you guys will probably have to get used to it. First "long" chapter (It's only like 3.2k, but uh, better than sub 1.5k amirite?), and I intend to keep future chapters about this length if not longer. Sometimes I feel like my writing is messy as hell, so give me your thoughts as reviews, not only on the story content, but the writing itself if you could; I love reading them.