Chapter 7: The Past

"What's the matter?" Brock asked when Ash brought him to the living room.

"When we see Misty again," Ash told Brock. "I'm going to borrow her mallet. I TOLD you to be quiet about that."

"Don't you want your Dad to be proud of you?"

"I don't want my Dad knowing I'm not thinking with my head as much as I should." Ash said.

"Why don't you want him knowing…"

"It doesn't matter." Ash interrupted.

"Hey Ash." Brock called just as his friend started to go back into the dinning room.

"Yeah?"

"What exactly DOES your Dad do?"

"He's a researcher."

"THAT'S why you haven't seen him."

Ash nodded.

0000

RING RING RING! RING RING RING! PHONE CALL PHONE CALL

"Hello?" a tired voice said on the line. "Brock? Do you have ANY idea what time it is here?"

"Sorry, Gary. But I'm confused. Max, May, and I just met Mr. Ketchem…"

"You've finally met Mr. Ketchem? I haven't seen him since…Ash hasn't told you has he?"

"No. I've tried talking to Ash's grandparents, his mother, and your godfather. No one wants to talk. We want answers."

Gary hesitated.

"Haven't you asked Mr. Ketchem?"

"He's been spending time with Ash. I don't want Ash knowing I'm asking questions."

"It all started ten years ago." Gary started. "Ash and I were the best of friends at the time. About as close as he is with Pikachu."

Brock rose his eyebrows skeptically.

"I know I haven't recently been acting like it, but the reason is coming up." Gary told him. "Ash wasn't always the dense big-headed kid you know today. He was EXTREMELY smart, but a good friend. He was one of the healthiest guys I knew. Then one day, Ash and I were just playing. We didn't see the storm coming. Ash heard the thunder and we decided to go back home. I stopped at Grandpa's, but he needed to get home. He got caught in the downpour. It had been the worst storm Pallet had seen in years."

Gary paused.

"So, Ash caught a cold?" Brock asked.

Gary shook his head.

"It started out as a cold. Then it got worse. My Dad, who's a doctor, treated him. I remember asking, whenever he came home, "How's Ash?" It was always, "Not so good." Or "the fever rose" or "no improvement." Finally, when I asked, Dad said "the fever broke. He'll be up in a few days." But that was not to be. Just because his temperature was back to normal, he was coughing an awful lot. He stayed in bed for another week. He was never the same after that. The fever affected his brain. I have noticed that since he started hanging around you and Misty, he's gotten more back-to-normal. But he thinks more with his heart than his brain than he used to. He always thought more with his heart, but his brain would kick in a lot more back then."

"But…I've never seen Ash sick. Misty told me about when he breathed in Stun Spore, but…"

"Dad gave him some medicine that strengthens the immune system. If he didn't give Ash the medicine, he'd get sick a lot more." Gary explained. "There is a possibility the fever could come back. That's why I thought Ash told you."

Brock shook his head

"But…It's been ten years."

"Dad saw this same fever before with another patient." Gary said. "It had been fifteen years in between."

"Oh." Brock said.

"And it was worse the second time around." Gary added. "That's why I'd been trying to destroy my friendship with Ash before. So it wouldn't hurt as much. Of course, I had been eight when I came to that conclusion. I realize now that it was my most STUPID mistake. And I've made some pretty stupid ones."

"Well, thanks for the information, Gary." Brock said.

"No problem. Let me know if anything happens."

"I will. Oh! Gary. The other person with the same fever. Did they, survive it?"

There was a pause

"No."

"Oh…Well, sorry for disturbing you."

"That's fine. Just don't tell Ash I told you."

Bye."

They hung up.

"Hey Brock!" Max said running up. "Mr. Ketchem wants to see your pokemon."

"Okay." Brock said getting up and going to the yard.

0000

A few minutes later,

"Dragonite! Hyper Beam!" Daniel called.

"Hold your ground." Ash told Pikachu.

The hyperbeam built up and shot from the Dragon's mouth.

"Use your Agility to dodge!" Ash called.

Pikachu dodged.

"Volt Tackle!" Ash added.

Volt Tackle hit its mark.

"Dragonite is unable to battle! Pikachu wins! The winner is Ash Ketchem of Pallet." John called as he refereed.

Daniel was shocked for a little bit, but the shock quickly turned into pride as he watched Ash hug Pikachu.

"Well, that was your first loss in a LONG time." John said to his best friend.

"I couldn't think of a worthier opponent." Daniel said. "Hey John. Am I being paranoid, or is there a hint of fever in Ash's eyes?"

"Paranoid. You shouldn't dwell on what Edward says."

"But still…"

"Listen. It's a parent's job to worry about their kid. Heck. I worry about Daisy, Lily, Violet, and Misty all the time. But it's not enough to say that they're getting sick."

"DAN!" a voice came from the sky. "JOHN!"

Everyone looked up and saw a Dragonite coming in for a landing.

"Hey Lance." Dan said shaking the Dragon Master's hand. "How's it going?"

"Fine. I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd drop in." Lance told him. "Oh. I brought a surprise for John."

"What?" John asked.

"Well, I was in Cerulean a few hours ago…" Lance hinted.

Dragonite moved a wing to show Misty coming off the Pokemon.

"Misty?" John asked.

"Dad!" she said as she hugged her father.

"She begged me to tag along." Lance said.

Brock grabbed Ash, Pikachu, Max, and May and ducked behind a bush before Misty could see them. He motioned them to keep quiet.

"How are you doing, Red?" John asked.

"I'm fine." She said still hugging him.

"So," Daniel asked his goddaughter. "Any boyfriends?"

"Daisy, Lily, and Violet all have them."

Ash had trouble to keep from laughing at the look on Brock's face. Misty still hadn't realized the rest of the gang was there.

"And you?" John asked.

"Do crushes count?" she asked timidly.

This caught Ash and Brock's attentions for different reasons. Ash was getting ready to go into a jealous rage, and Brock was getting ready to hear Misty admit her true feelings for Ash. Brock was signaling the rest of the gang to keep quiet. He didn't need to tell Ash twice. Ash wanted to hear who Misty liked. He knew how he felt about the water pokemon trainer.

"Yes." John stated.

"Well, I do have a bit of a crush on one of my friends."

Brock was eyeing Ash as he tried to narrow it down.

Ash had it narrowed down to Rudy, Danny, Gary, Brock, and Tracey.

"Is he older or younger?" Daniel interrogated.

"Younger."

Gary.

Ash was going to kill him.

"I give up." John said. "What's his name?"

"Ash Ketchem." Misty said.

Like Ash, she hadn't realized the connection between her crush and her godfather. Ash had to be told.

Ash's mouth dropped as Brock and Pikachu snickered.

"Me?" Ash whispered.

"We told you that you had nothing to worry about." Brock said.

"Pipikachu pikachupi pika" (Why do you think I sided with Misty a lot?)

"So?" Daniel asked. "What kind of Pokemon do you have, Mist?"

"Mainly water." She explained. "With me, I have Garaydos, Azurla, Psyduck, Corsala, Staryu, and Togetic."

"Togetic?" the gang whispered.

"You have a Togetic?" John asked.

"Yeah." Misty said pulling out a Pokeball. "It left to stay at the Mirage Kingdom, but some of the other Togepi evolved. So, my baby came home. It was looking for its "Daddy" but found me first. Come on out!"

"Chicku" (Hello!)

"He came back just this morning after I got a phone call from a friend who travels with Ash." Misty explained further.

"Togi" (Daddy!)

Togetic had sensed Ash.

TBC