Hello! I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone who has already added Fire and Ice to their favourites and to those who have reviewed already! *It means so much!* I'll try to write this as often as I can so people stay in touch with the story.

Okay, as for the plot... In this chapter the basic overview is Ash returning to Kanto and visiting his Mother in hospital. Of course it is never THAT simple. Let's see who is just around the corner to spice up his life ;)

Anyway, please drop me a review, or two and let me know how to improve or what you like about this. It always helps me write better, and I can't write better if I don't know how to improve. Also drop me some future ideas for reference, you never know I could be using them later on! And now, enough chit chat from me. I'll leave you guys to enjoy the second chapter!

Chapter two: Say my name, so I'll know you're back

Viridian City had not changed a single bit since I left. It pretty much looked the same, apart from the odd paint job here and there, but the buildings and the usual crowds were just the same as the first time I ever ventured here.

And here comes the nostalgia again.

Taking a deep breath of the fresh air I realised how different the air here was to where I had been just a few hours previous. Here the air had the scent of fresh flowers and fields, while in Sinnoh it was more of an industrial smell.

Not that I hated the industrial smell of course.

I walked onwards towards where the hospital was situated, Pikachu firmly perched on my shoulder. I smiled a little to offer some comfort to him, but I knew it wouldn't be enough. He was just as worried as I was, perhaps even more so.

I could hear the sounds of my shoes against the cobbles as I continued to walk. Even though it was getting considerably dark now there were still a lot of people aimlessly wondering around town. That did not concern me, my main concern was arriving at the hospital in time to visit my Mom and make sure they were taking care of her properly.

I swear if they wasn't then I would be writing a very nasty letter to them, even though... I had not the faintest clue on how to do that. Some-one like Gary probably wrote them all the time, constantly complaining about how unsuitable something was or just to aggravate them. Yeah, totally like Gary. He liked winding people up, especially me...

I snapped out of my thought, mentally kicking myself. I had no idea why he kept popping up into my head, I mean I hadn't seen him for what felt like years. Actually It probably could've been years.

Maybe that was why I was thinking about him, and the distinct possibility that he could be here in Kanto, AND he could be in the hospital doing what I was about to do.

"Pikaaaaa~" Pikachu whined, his ears drooping as his thoughts obviously kept returning to my Mom. Petting him gently on the head I hushed;

"Don't worry Pikachu, I'm sure they are taking good care of her. I know she will be overjoyed to see you,"

The small electric mouse beamed a huge smile and his ears perked upright once again after I had calmed his nerves. I wished I could calm my nerves. Throughout the duration of this long walk down the street towards the hospital all I had thought about was Gary being in the same place as myself.

What would I actually do if I saw him? Say hello, or just ignore him? Should I even consider making small talk with him, or just keep it short and sweet? Would he actually acknowledge I am alive, or just brush me off? Hell, I have no idea why I am stressing over this! I should be stressing over my Mom! God damn it!

I bit the inside of my lip in frustration. This was not the time to start thinking of anyone else. My Mom was the most important thing right now, so why did my mind constantly think about Gary?

As we walked I felt the cool breeze whistle past my face as evening was turning into night time very quickly. It was a clear-less sky, devoid of clouds so I knew tonight coming home it would be freezing.

Brilliant. I hadn't even brought a coat with me.

Whilst lost in my own thoughts I hadn't even noticed that we had reached our destination. If Pikachu had not squealed in joy and leapt off my shoulder I guess I would've walked straight past. Guess my mind was not in gear right now.

I followed my companion as he scampered on ahead towards the large formidable doors. The whole building was smothered in white making it stand out from the other dull grey buildings scattered around. Even so, it did not calm my nerves when I was about to enter. I also noticed I had not seen Professor Oak, didn't he say he would be here?

Should I wait here for him in case he arrives? Well, I'm not sure... I mean I should go in and see my Mom. Why do hospitals make me so nervous? I think it is just the thought of going in there and coming out worse than before.

I released a sigh which alerted Pikachu. He was obviously more than ready to go inside the building so I knew I had to, even if I was somewhat reluctant to do so. I forced a smile to him and nervously walked up to the giant doors and pushed them aside, walking into what I would class as oblivion.

When we walked inside the building it was just the same as the outside, completely white, and the smell of disinfectant stung my nose. Just how I expected it to be. There were several girl nurses running around helplessly, trying to gather equipment and papers for obvious operations. I swallowed hard, wanting to leave here immediately. The chills that I got from this place made me frozen to the core and I did not like it.

"Pika Pi!" Pikachu called, pointing to what looked like a reception.

Perhaps I had to ask about my Mom before I could see her? I wouldn't know, I don't ever recall being in a hospital, well not what I can remember.

Following Pikachu's advice I walked towards the reception. There was a woman behind the desk, looking at a computer screen and obviously too busy to even notice I was there.

Yes, because I love being ignored, especially when I want to make sure that my Mom is okay. Urgh, I hate hospitals.

I coughed slightly which alerted the woman to me, finally noticing I was standing here waiting. She looked at me over her glasses;

"Yes, is there something I can help you with?"

"Yes, actually. I'm here to see my Mo- ummm, I mean Delia Ketchum," I quickly informed the lady. She nodded and returned to her computer screen.

As if I was going to say Mom to the woman, I bet she would've been so confused by that, quick thinking that I changed it.

"Ah, yes," The lady responded, looking at me once again. Pikachu remained vigilant on the floor, waiting patiently for any news.

"You can go through in about ten minutes, the doctor is tending to her right now. Please, feel free to sit down and wait, I'll call you when you can see her"

She gave me a soft smile, and I smiled back.

Okay maybe I was wrong, maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all.

Pikachu looked happy too, he was smiling just like I was.

We both made our way to an empty seat and settled down, surrounded by various other people who were also waiting. Pikachu jumped up onto my lap and sat there patiently. I gently stroked his head as I too waited, impatiently I must add. My eyes kept diverting to a clock which hung on the wall opposite to where I sat. I kept focusing on the hands ticking down the seconds to when I could finally see her.

I needed to see her, it had been so long.

"Hey Pikachu," I called to my partner, who looked up at me with large eyes.

"Pi?"

"If Mom is really sick and wants some company, would you stay here and look after her for a while? I'm sure she would love that"

I wasn't exactly sure how he would respond. I thought that perhaps he would not want to leave me and would only want to see her when I did. Weirdly enough he jumped at the chance.

"Pika! Pika!" He beamed, nodding his head. I took that as an obvious yes and smiled. At least now I knew that he would keep her company if I had to leave.

It was so strange, I kept looking at the clock but also at the door. Maybe I was hoping some-one I recognised came through the door? Well, the Professor did say he would be coming to see her. I wonder why he was late? Probably some commotion at the lab, that's usually the reason.

My eyes refused to divert their gaze from the clock as I wished away the seconds and minutes. I had never wanted time to go faster than I did right now. Usually I hated it if time went fast, that was usually because things were over quickly. Right now, I wanted some-one to make time go faster, but to my dismay the longer I watched the clock the longer time seemed to drag on.

"Ash?" Came a voice, a familiar yet slightly nostalgic voice. I knew the voice, yet for some odd reason I couldn't put the voice to a face, or even a name.

"Hey Ash!"

Say my name, so I will know your back and your here again for a while. And let us share the memories that only we can share, together.

Turning my attention away from the clock I felt a part of me freeze, as if I was encased in ice

My own eyes met a sharper, more defined pair with a soft emerald colouring burning into me. A lump started to congeal in my throat as I suddenly found it incredibly difficult to speak.

Now, I usually do not have that problem.

I noticed dark brown spiked hair, just as wild as the last time we met and the attire was a long white lab coat, like Professor Oak's. Only this was not Professor Oak, I knew that much.

"Pika!" Pikachu called out, also recognising the new face in the hospital. At least he could say something, I on the other hand felt like an idiot for just staring at the face of my childhood companion, my former rival, Gary.

"So, you don't want to talk to me Ashy-boy?" He mocked, just the same as the last time. Obviously he had not changed a bit. His usual teasing behaviour snapped me out of my daze.

"Gary? What are you doing here?"

"Oh come on, I know I can be an ass sometimes but not that much. I came here for the same reason as you, to see your Mom. It's weird, bumping into you like this, man you have changed so much since the last time I saw you," He mused, walking over to where I sat and easing himself into the spare seat beside me. I turned my head away and back to the clock;

"I suppose I have, and I know. I didn't think you would be here that is all. I thought you would be too busy at the lab over in Sinnoh,"

"Well, I did have to pull a few strings to get here," He returned, chuckling a little.

"But, I managed to get here, and besides, if it is really serious then I don't plan on going back for a while"

Great, just what I needed. My mind was already overloaded with too many emotions and feelings to do with my Mom and now Gary decides he is just going to add to the pile. Great, just great.

For an odd reason I felt the palms of my hands clam up with sweat, and so immediately tried to hide them from sight. Pikachu still looked happy just from seeing Gary.

Weird.

"So, are you going to stay at the Professor's?" I asked, oddly wanting to know more about this. I had no idea why, maybe I was just curious.

"Yeah, I guess so. Gramp's will obviously want me to help out if he knows I'm back in Kanto," Gary mused, looking thoughtful as he too stared gazing at the clock.

Once again I bit into my lip.

Here he was, my childhood companion and ex rival and we were in the same room as each other, talking about random things. I don't think that had ever occurred before, well, usually Gary taunted or teased me to no end. Perhaps he was maturing with age, after all, we wasn't ten years old any more.

"What about you? Are you going to stay in Pallet Town?" He asked me, turning his attention to me. My eyes met his for a few moments before returning to the same spot on the wall.

"I suppose so, if Mom is really sick I don't think I could just up and leave again," He nodded in response.

"That is true. Man, if something like this happened to Gramp's I have no idea how I would cope," Gary mused once again, relaxing in the chair slightly.

Well right now I had no idea how I was coping with this. Perhaps it was the thought that it wasn't too serious and that she could be fine after a few days? But, if she wasn't then would it finally start to sink in?

I could only muster a weak nod as I continued to pet Pikachu's head, settling him down to a calmer level. Seeing Gary for the first time in ages obviously seemed to excite the little guy.

"Anyway, how is your journey coming along?" Gary asked me, trying to create some sort of conversation with me.

How odd, I thought it would be me doing that.

I shrugged;

"It's going okay I suppose, I have to get one more Gym badge in Sinnoh then I can challenge the League,"

Gary smiled at me as I said those words. Even though we used to be rivals it wasn't like we lost complete respect for each other. Having Gary as a rival kind of pushed me to become better than him, and thanks to having that constant push I finally got to where I wanted to be.

"Do you miss battling, like getting badges and fighting Gym leaders?" I asked him when I saw a nostalgic look on his face. He gave a half hearted chuckle;

"Sometimes I do, but I know that my passion is on Pokemon Research more so than battling. Everyone says I'm following in Gramp's footsteps, but it is something I want to do. I haven't been forced to do it,"

It was still incredibly odd to witness Gary as a researcher and not a trainer any more.

While lost in our deep and surprisingly meaningful conversation the lady who I spoke to previous walked over to me, smiling. I hoped I could see Mom now, I was worried sick. She better be getting better by now, I hated thinking of her so ill and fragile, it was so unlike her.

"You can go through and see her now, the doctor has issued her a blood test, and a chest radiography to see the severity of the illness. You should be fine to stay with her for a while,"

I turned to look at Gary who had already beaten me to a smile. That was great news, at least I could see her and hope she would get better with time. Hopefully the blood tests would clarify some things that they were unsure of.

I stood up, Pikachu quickly leaping off my lap onto the ground.

"Thank you so much," I said, smiling widely. Gary stood up alongside me, obviously wanting to see her just as much as myself. Even Pikachu looked happy too, eager to get into the room to see her.

"Please, if you'll just follow me," The woman informed, walking ahead of us. Both Gary and I obediently followed like dogs, what can I say we were well trained.

We both walked in silence down the narrow white washed corridors as the smell of disinfectant stung my nostrils for a second time. Crinkling my nose in disgust I thought.

It was strange, being in the hospital and going to see my Mom with my childhood companion. I never even imagined I would see him here, it seemed so weird. Not that I was actually complaining, to be honest it was good to have some-one to talk to, to take my mind off the stressing subject of my Mom being terribly sick. Okay, now I know I am going crazy, saying Gary was good company? What was going on in my head?

As the lady stopped in front of yet another white door she continued to smile at us. Obviously we were at the destination and my Mom was beyond this door, probably longing to see me. She had not seen me for quite some time and it had all been my fault. If I had not got so wrapped up in becoming Pokemon Master then I could've spent more time with her before she got so sick.

"Please go inside, but try not to exhaust her. She does need lots of rest and fluids,"

"Okay, I understand. Thank you," I issued kindly, smiling at the lady who took her leave and silently walked away down the corridor leaving Gary and I waiting outside the door.

I swallowed hard, finding it more difficult to open the door than I first thought.

"You feeling okay?" Gary asked, looking at me through perplexed eyes, narrowed in thought. I quickly nodded, feeling my hands clam up once again as they reached for the door handle.

"Yeah, I think I'm just worried about what state she is in,"

"Your Mom is a fighter Ash, she will get through this. Just you wait and see," Gary comforted, his stern gaze softening to something which was alien to me. So alien in fact I felt my face burning, like it was on fire. Immediately my first reaction was to place my hands to my cheeks to cool them off. Gary watched everything I did, which did not help matters.

"Yeah... you're right," I mumbled, attempting to cool off.

Oh my God! As if I just totally blushed in front of him! What the hell is going on? It's Gary for crying out loud! Urgh, maybe it's because of all my emotions being a complete and utter mess because of Mom. Yeah, that has to be it. But, still, the way he looked at me... it said something. I don't know what, but it made me go all weird and then I blushed. Man, I'm such an idiot.

Regaining my composure I breathed in sharply and tried to open the door open again. My hands reached for the handle, pulling it down and swinging it to. As the door swung open my eyes beheld the fragile image of my Mom in a pure white bed, with pure white sheets and a pure white gown.

All this white was making me dizzy.

I just stood there, breathing in the scenery. She was hooked up to some weird machine that beeped occasionally and a mask was placed over her mouth.

"Are you going to go in?" Gary asked, looking at me over my shoulder. I tensed up for a moment but relaxed when I saw Pikachu bound in the room and leap onto the bed. His face beamed of pure joy and that made me smile. At least now I had the chance to be with my Mom and make sure they were taking care of her.

"Yeah, of course," I answered, walking into the room, feeling a distinct chill in the air as I entered.

Gary followed me as I walked closer to where she lay, her eyes closed and her breathing heavy and raspy. My heart started to sink like a wounded battleship in my chest. Seeing her so frail, like she would break if anyone touched her just did not seem to fully register in my brain.

Don't worry Mom, I'm here now. Gary is too, and Pikachu. We will all make sure you get better. We all care about you so much and will do anything to make sure you come out of this alive. After all, I only have one Mom in this world, and luckily for me she happens to be the best Mom I could have ever wished for.

Phew, long chapter! Anyway, this chapter was setting ore of the scene, at least Gary made his entrance! Thank you all so much for reviewing the last chapter and I hope that you guys continue to enjoy this story so much as I enjoy writing it.

I had to do so much research about Pneumonia, and I kind of know what Ash is going through. My Grand Mother died of Pneumonia so it is a very bad illness to get. Lets see what will happen to her, and of course Ash and Gary.

Anyway read and reviews are very welcome! They help me write faster and inspire me!