Hugo is on his way back to meet up with his friends.
"So what exactly will you do now?" A voice asks.
Hugo turns, and is surprised to see the mysterious old man. He looks about 90. His previous 2 encounters with this guy were… interesting.
"Sorry. I can't afford to be trapped on an island for a month now." Hugo frowns.
The old man chuckles. "Hohoho. You no longer require the training, that's for sure. You're in fine shape, young one."
Hugo doesn't care for making small talk with an elderly man.
"I'm sorry. I need to get back to my friends..."
"So, you're worried about Leaf?" The old man asks. Of course he'd know everything, wouldn't he?
"Worried?! I was always worried someone like this might pop up who I don't remember, but Leaf has lived the most horrible life and I was her only friend… now I don't even remember that. What am I supposed to do? I'd do anything just to remember it all."
"Hmm…" The old man scratches his chin. "Do you worry about the fate of your friend?"
Hugo nods. "Do I ever? All I want is just for everyone to be happy. Dawn was bad enough, but now Leaf as well… I can't cope."
"Hold still..." Offers the old man. "Let me show you the current fate of your companions who worry you so much."
The man walks forwards very slowly, and touches Hugo's shoulder. The instant he does so Hugo begins to see a vision.
First up he sees himself, in a huge stadium. It's clear that he's just lost a battle. He's returning his fainted pokémon, yet he doesn't appear to be particularly upset about it.
The image changes. He sees his friend Dawn. She's also in a big stadium. And just like Hugo, it appears that she's just lost at something. She's congratulating her opponent, but she looks genuinely happy doing so.
Next up is Brock. Brock is sat in a cosy looking living room by a warm looking fire. He has grey hair in this image. This must be far in the distant future. He's sat in a comfortable looking chair beside his wife. For some reason, his arms look very buff for his age. Yet his legs appear very weak, almost as though he hasn't used them in a long time…
Lastly it's Leaf. This is by far the most unsettling vision. First she's seen knelt on the floor, throwing up. She looks very thin and very ill. The next image is of her in hospital. Hugo and others are stood beside her. She has her eyes closed, looks very weak and the montior beside her shows how weak her pulse is…
After that the, the visions end.
"Remember, all fates can be changed!" A voice rings inside Hugo's head.
He looks around. As expected, the old man is nowhere to be seen.
Hugo continues making his way back to his friends on Route 2. He can't stop thinking about those visions. Why of all people did it have to be Leaf with the worst fate? Hugo was going to prevent that from happening if his life depended on it.
He finds his friends where he left them; atop a hill with a picnic blanket.
As he climbs the hill, he overhears what they're talking about.
C'mon." Says Brock. "How do you know you don't like it if you've never even tried it?"
"I-I don't. I'm just not hungry… okay?" Leaf explains.
Hugo reaches the top of the hill. Brock and Misty are stood up. They both look towards him with a sad expression.
Leaf is on her knees, with her back to Hugo. Dawn is bending down beside her, encouraging her to take a bite of some food.
"Leaf, sweetie, just have one. Please." She pleads.
Leaf shakes her head. "I'm not hungry."
Hugo decides to be as positive as he possibly can.
"Hope you've saved enough for me!" He beams.
Leaf immediately seems to have more energy when she hears that voice. She leaps to her feet, turns around and smiles at Hugo. She has a wonderful smile, it's a smile you could only see from someone who's been your lifelong friend.
"Leaf, I'm very sorry about not remembering. But I hope we can make a fresh start, and be great friends. Why don't you come with us?"
"Yes!" She answers very quickly.
"Awesome!" Hugo says. "I'll tell you all about everything I've done as far back as I can remember. But first, this food's already cold. But I'm starving. Let's eat!"
Hugo begins to indulge in a lovely feast, which makes Brock very happy. Nothing better for a chef than watching someone wolf down all your food.
Leaf takes a look at the food that has been prepared. She glances over to Hugo. When she sees him, an image flashes up in front of her. She sees him collapsed on the floor, skinny and weak. Then she sees an image of herself looking very very fat. It's as though one more mint will cause her to explode…
"I'm not hungry..." She folds her arms. "Besides, I need to diet."
Hugo stops eating and stares at Leaf's anorexic body. 'Remain positive, Hugo. Remain positive.' He tells himself.
"C'mon Leaf. Brock's an awesome chef. You'll love this." He explains to her.
Leaf shakes her head. "You need it much more than I do. I'm greedy. I don't deserve more food."
Everyone else is confused by this statement.
"I don't understand." Says Dawn. "Everyone deserves to be able to eat."
Leaf shakes her head again. "I don't need more food. I've had enough..."
Hugo tries again to lighten up the mood. He's finished wolfing down all that food, so he leaps to his feet. "Thanks a lot Brock. You know, last night, I had a weird dream about all of us." He decides it will be a good way to cheer everyone up.
"Oh really?" Asks Brock. "What sort of dream?"
"Well there were several. The one with you in Brock, you were an old man with a wife."
"Ohoho. Was she hot?"
"Not sure about that mate. She was, like, seventy."
"They can never be too old mate." Brock grins.
"Did I feature in this dream?" Asks Dawn.
"You bet." Answers Hugo. "You were competing in a major contest."
"That's awesome!" Dawn grins.
"I was battling someone on a big stage… but I lost."
"What about me?" Asks Misty. Hugo hadn't had a vision about Misty. Probably because she's not played much of a role in his life so far, so his connection with her isn't strong enough.
"Naw. Even my dreams can't be arsed with you." He jokes, which Brock enjoys. He even hears a faint giggle from Leaf, which feels almost like a relief.
"Hmph." Misty folds her arms and extends her bottom lip.
"Leaf, Mist, maybe you'll appear in one tonight." Hugo tells her. He definitely isn't going to tell the truth about them being visions and not dreams.
"Alright guys." Brock announces. "Our destination is Pewter City. We need to head through Viridian Forest to get there. The man we're seeking is apparently heading there."
As the gang make their way through the rest of Route 2 and into Viridian Forest, they explain their situation to Leaf. She doesn't seem to care as much as she probably should about the disastrous events that have been unfolding, but she's proably still buzzing over finding Hugo.
Viridian Forest is a large place, and the time is getting late. Their best option is going to be camping out. The gang set up their tents. Misty and Dawn share a tent. Hugo and Brock would usually share the other, but since Leaf is with them now, they have three.
"You're not gonna like what I'm about to say..." Brock whispers to Hugo while they're setting up their tents. Hugo listens, prepared for a serious conversation about something.
"Dibs on my own tent!" Brock laughs.
Hugo puts his hands on his hips. "Woah! You can't kick me out bro!"
Brock chuckles to himself. "Come on, man, you're the one Leaf's been looking for all these years. At least have the decency to share a tent with her. You really want to leave her on her own after all this?"
"Hmph...fine."
Since encountering Leaf here in Kanto, Hugo hasn't had one moment of happiness. He's been too busy worrying about Leaf. She's SO thin, and now he's experienced a horrible vision involving her. What needs to be done to prevent it from becoming a reality?
Hugo taps Leaf on the shoulder. "So...Brock kicked me out."
Leaf can't hide her happiness. "I know what you're gonna ask, and of course you can!"
"Thanks."
Leaf and Hugo enter their tent, and Hugo gets out his especially long sleeping bag. Leaf sets down her normal sized bag, which, to be fair, is almost too short for her.
The two of them lay in silence for a while, neither of them feeling like they'll get an easy night of sleep.
"Leaf… promise me you'll eat properly starting tomorrow." Hugo whispers, breaking the silence.
"I promise. Do you promise me this time you'll still be here in the morning, unlike last time?" She asks.
"I promise."
Leaf trusts her best friend. She knows that when he promises something he is sincere. She immediately feels so much more at ease. She's able to drift off into a much better sleep than she's had in any recent times.
As for Hugo, he can't sleep a wink. He keeps glancing over at his old friend's bony body. Images flash through his mind of what the old man showed him earlier that day. Is there truly anything that can be done to change fate? He tosses and turns for what seems like an age, but eventually manages to fall into a low quality, restless slumber.
Morning arrives, and the gang have breakfast. Leaf does eat something, which makes everyone else happy, but it really isn't enough. Regardless, they quickly resume their trek through the forest, having luckily kept all three tents bug-free overnight.
"Ugh. This forest is HUGE! Are we ever gonna see the other side?" Dawn complains as the gang make their way out of Viridian Forest.
"Hey, look at that bug." Brock jokes.
"EEEEEK!" Misty screams, hiding behind Dawn.
"Hey, there's no bug, is there?" The ginger haired woman quickly realises.
Dawn shakes her head. "You know he's just winding you up."
Misty puts her hands on her hips. "Don't do that! I don't find it funny!"
"WOAH! A huge Caterpie!" Brock exclaims.
"EEEEEEEK! WHERE?! WHERE?!" Misty screams, until she realises he's joking again. "You two, I swear to Arceus..."
Brock nudges Hugo with his elbow. Hugo turns to see that Brock has found a Weedle and is resting it on his arm.
"Shhhhh." Brock tells him, trying hard not to laugh. Very quickly, he grabs the back of Misty's shirt and drops Weedle down her back.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Misty screams.
"GETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFFGETITOFF!"
"BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Hugo and Brock are in stitches, rolling around on the floor laughing.
To make the situation even worse for Misty, the tiny little Weedle falls into her skirt.
"GETOFFGETOFFGETOFFGETOFF!" The water gym leader runs around in circles , flailing her arms around.
"S-s-stop! My ribs are hurting!" Says Brock, who still can't stop laughing.
"My eyes are watering!" Adds Hugo, who also can't stop laughing.
"You've taken this too far now!" Dawn stomps her foot. "I'll help you, Mist." Dawn calmly approaches the panicking Misty, who manages to shake Weedle out. The bug lands on her foot, and she swings her leg around in an attempt to get it off. In the process, she accidentally kicks Dawn really hard in the shin. This causes her to stumble backwards and land awkwardly on her foot.
"Gah!" Dawn groans as she collapses to the ground.
"Phew. I think I got it..." Misty is out of breath.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" She screams again, thinking the bug is back, until she realises it's just Brock tapping his fingers on her back to trick her.
"Dawn! Are you alright?!" Asks Leaf.
"N-no need to worry. I'm fine-GAH!" Dawn attempts to stand up, but her foot hurts too much.
"Oh, well done Mist. Now look what you've done." Brock shakes his head and tuts. "There's no need to kick people, is there?"
"YOU WHAT?! IT WAS MY FAULT, WAS IT?!" Misty fumes.
"Yeah, learn to take a joke." chuckles Brock.
"Okay, that's it!" Misty launches herself at Brock, knocking him on to the floor and attempting to beat him up.
"Dawn, can you walk?" Asks Hugo.
"Nnn… no chance." She decides, after trying to stand up again.
"Ow! That hurts! Not the face! Not the face!" Brock yells from behind.
"TAKE THAT YOU DICK! AND THAT! AND THAT!" Misty screams in anger.
"Good job we're not far from Pewter." Hugo decides, concerned about his friend.
"Leaf. Can you take my phone and call an ambulance?" Dawn asks.
Leaf does as she's told, but it won't work.
"No signal." Leaf frowns.
Dawn facepalms. "Doh! Should've known in this forest!"
Brock and Misty are back with them, on their feet, but Brock is covered in bruises and has a large bump on his forehead that wasn't there a moment ago.
"S-so how are we gonna get Dawn through the r-rest of the f-forest?" Brock stutters, gritting his teeth through the pain.
Everyone glares at Hugo.
"What?!" He asks.
"Well you're the giant!" Says Misty. "Put those muscles to use!"
A little later, the gang are almost out of the forest. Brock leads the way for everyone to follow, followed by Misty and Leaf, then lagging behind is Hugo, tasked with carrying Dawn.
"H-have you considered dieting?" He asks her, as the pain in his arms gets worse and worse.
"It's your fault, you know? I'd be able to walk if you hadn't teased Misty like that."
"I-i-it was Brock, not m-me!" He manages.
"But you encouraged him..." Dawn rolls her eyes.
"O-oh no. I'm gonna drop you." He pretends.
"Don't you dare!"
"W-what you g-gonna d-do if I do? Chase after me?"
"Did I ever tell you how much I hate you?"
"B-b-e careful. You're the one being c-c-carried."
"Your pain is so satisfying for me." Dawn smiles.
"W-why can't you j-just ride on Tyranitar's shoulder or s-something?" Hugo complains.
"Because I might fall, and its arms aren't long enough for it to catch me..."
"Wuss..." He mutters under his breath.
Finally, the gang emerge from the Forest, and the vast city of Pewter stands before their very eyes.
Brock surges ahead of them, powering around a corner, excited to see his home City. Suddenly, he freezes in his tracks. "I-impossible..." He stutters. "WHAT'S GOING ON?!" He bolts ahead.
Behind him, Hugo wonders what could have happened. "Mist. Leaf. Can you find out what's going on?"
"Sure. Come on Leaf." Misty grabs Leaf's arm and runs ahead.
Meanwhile, Hugo attempts to quicken his pace, but Dawn is just too heavy.
"Um… what do you think has happened?" Dawn asks, still having to hold onto Hugo while he carries her like a bride.
"W-well I could answer that, but unfortunately I'm s-stuck back here c-carrying y-your fat arse."
"Hey!" Dawn is offended.
"Let's go. Come on." Hugo musters all of his strength to burst into a jog, which is very tiring when you've been holding a full grown adult woman for almost an hour.
They eventually make around the corner and are greeted by a horrific sight. Pewter City has been set aflame!
"Waaah! What's going on?!" Asks Dawn.
"No idea, but look." Just in front of them are Misty and Leaf sat at a bench. Misty appears to be comforting Leaf. When Hugo and Dawn arrive, Misty explains.
"Leaf's weak, Hugo. She can't go on. She needs to go to the Hospital."
Hugo nods. He carefully places Dawn on the bench beside Misty.
"Mist, can you watch those two?" Hugo asks. She nods.
"Awesome." Hugo sprints off down the path as fast as he can. He makes it into the city, where many buildings are on fire. Alarms can be heard as well as the sound of panicking citizens running for their lives. There is smoke everywhere.
"BROCK! BROCK! WHERE ARE YOU BROCK?!" Hugo calls desperately for his friend.
The smoke is getting to Hugo, and he begins to do a lot of coughing and spluttering.
"Man, this is horrible." He tells himself.
Hugo doesn't know Pewter City, so it's by luck that he finds himself approaching the gym, which seems to be one of few undamaged buildings.
Hugo can see something in the distance, just outside the gym's entrance. There's an Onix. No mistaking a pokémon of that size. The rock type is lying on the ground. Next to it is a Snorlax. Its trainer appears to be stood right next to Onix. Then Hugo realises something. The man with the Snorlax… that's the same man who killed Hugo's Drifblim and Hippowdon!
"That son of a..." Hugo mutters as he runs as fast as he can. He's too late though – the man hits Onix with the same walking stick type weapon from before, and Onix is sucked in. Hugo gets closer, and can make out a puddle of blood on the grass. He sees now that the man's opposition was none other than Brock. He's now close enough to hear what's going on. "YOU ARSEHOLE! I'LL KILL YOU!" Brock screams in anger. He charges towards the man, who calmly pulls something out of his pocket.
BANG! The sound of gunfire goes off. Brock collapses to the ground immediately.
"BROCK! BROCK!" Hugo screams. The man aims his gun towards Brock again.
Hugo just barely gets close enough. He launches a pokéball as far as he can, and it bounces just in front of Brock.
"RAAAAAAAA!" Hugo's Tyranitar cries upon appearing from a flash of red energy given out by the pokéball.
BANG! The man fires his bullet that was intended for Brock. Fortunately, though, Tyranitar has appeared just in time. The bullet hits Tyranitar just above its foot, and the rock and dark type experiences minor discomfort.
"GET AWAY FROM MY FRIEND! TYRANITAR USE STONE EDGE!" Hugo shouts as he closes in on this man.
The man, eager to get away, calmly summons a pokémon. "Alakazam, teleport." He orders. In a flash, he's gone, and stone edge misses.
"Brock!" Hugo instantly turns his attention to his fallen friend.
"Please tell me you're okay man?" Brock is very obviously not okay.
"GAH! M-my back… my poor back..." He groans.
"Oh no! This can't be good. Let's get you to the hospital man." Once again, Hugo is on carrying duty, but this time it's for a much more serious reason…
Hugo is anxiously pacing around Pewter City Hospital's waiting room. It had been absolute chaos earlier. The fire service took a long time to put out all the fires. Luckily, Misty somewhat heroically made a huge contribution to the cause with her team of water types. Hugo, like many other trainers in Pewter City that day, owns only one water type, and since its only known water type move is surf, which would effectively mean riding a small wave into a gigantic fire and killing yourself, he'd been totally useless to help.
The only other person in the waiting room is Misty. Dawn's Piplup is also there, playing around, looking proud of the contribution it made to putting out that fire.
Misty is standing at the facility that allows for video calls. She won't tell Hugo who she's contacting, but he's about to find out anyway.
"Hi Mist. What's up?" "Pikachu Pi."
Hugo recognises that voice anywhere. He dashes over to Misty's side, to see that it is indeed Ash, wearing his Kalos outfit, and with Pikachu on his shoulder.
"Oh hi there Hugo. Didn't know you guys had met. So what was the important thing you needed to tell me?"
Misty looks delighted to see her old friend. "Hi Ash. Just wanted to tell you about what's going on in Kanto at the moment."
Ash frowns. "Huh? Are you guys in Pewter City?"
"Yes, actually." Misty explains. "You see, we're on somewhat of a journey."
Ash's frown turns upside down. "Aw sweet. Who else is there with you?"
"Well there's Brock, Dawn, and Hugo's friend Leaf."
"Nice!" Says Ash. "I'd love to meet your new friend. Are they with you now?"
"Well…" Misty smiles sheepishly.
"She's in hospital!" Hugo explains.
"Oh dear." Ash frowns again. "What about Dawn? Where's she?"
"In hospital." Hugo answers.
"Wow! What about Brock?"
"...In hospital." Hugo answers again.
"All three of them?!" Ash sounds weirdly calm. "What happened? They all stubbed their toes?"
"Well, you see..." Begins Misty. "There's a lot of bad guys about, and Pewter City was attacked, and-"
"Brock got shot." Hugo interrupts.
"DON'T TELL HIM THAT, YOU BUFFOON-" Misty fumes.
"Shot? Oh, you mean, like he was in a photoshoot?"
Misty and Hugo both facepalm at the same time.
"Sure pal. That's exactly what I meant." Hugo grins.
"So what are they all doing in hospital?" Ash asks.
"Oh, well you see, Dawn hurt her foot a little..." Misty says truthfully.
"Ah, so Brock and Leaf are staying with her while they take care of her?"
"Sure. Let's go with that." Misty sighs a sigh of relief.
"Great! Well I hope you guys have fun on your journey! I'm having a blast here in Kalos. I've made some great new friends. I'd like you to meet Clemont and Bonnie!"
Misty and Hugo smile at their friend's new friends.
"Pleased to meet you, Clemont." They say, accidentally speaking in-sync.
"No no. The pleasure is all mine." Replies Clemont. "Ash truly is an incredible trainer, and I'm sure his friends are just as amazing!"
"Ooh. Are you two a couple?" Bonnie asks in the typical fashion of a little kid.
Hugo and Misty glare at each other.
"I think I'm gonna be sick..." Says Misty, pretending to gag.
"Anyway, this is my new friend Serena." Ash explains. A female's face pops onto the screen.
"Hi there." Serena says in a sweet, charming voice.
"Hi there, Serena. Hope you're taking good care of Ash." Hugo smiles.
Serena giggles. "Oh, don't worry. I'm taking VERY good care of him."
"Hey! I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself!" Ash answers back, while Hugo and Serena just laugh. Hugo notices that Misty has gone quiet. She's staring at Serena.
"MISTY WATERFLOWER PLEASE COME TO THE RECEPTION AREA." A voice announces.
"We have to go. I'll explain things later." Misty frowns. She sounds like she's in a very bad mood.
"Have fun!" Ash replies.
"Bon voyage!" Clemont chimes in.
"It was lovely meeting the two of you." Serena beams. Hugo cuts off the call.
Misty is still staring at the screen. Her face is expressionless and her breathing sounds heavy.
"Someone's jealous." Hugo laughs.
"No I'm not. But something doesn't seem right about that Serena-"
"Yeah, she's stealing your man!" Hugo laughs, receiving a back-hand to the face.
The pair arrive at the reception area, and are greeted by Dawn. She now has a pair of crutches to help her walk, along with a cast on her foot.
Dawn puts on a smile. "Apparently I have to use these for a few days, but it should heal in no time."
"That's good to know." Says Misty. "But what about the others?"
Dawn frowns. "Come and see for yourself."
They make their way upstairs, having to use the lift because of Dawn's injury. They arrive at the first floor, and speak to a member of staff.
"Unfortunately, Mr Harrison has suffered some serious damage to his spine. I'm afraid he'll never walk again." They explain.
Hugo, Misty and Dawn can't believe this.
"Brock, no… can we go and see him?" Hugo asks.
The nurse shakes their head. "I'm sorry. He's currently undergoing some vital surgery. We need to get that bullet out of him before it causes further damage."
"And what about Leaf?" Hugo asks. "Is she okay?"
"She's right through here, sir."
They are showed into a room with a series of beds.
"I'm afraid your friend collapsed from exhaustion." The nurse explains as they make their way over.
"Did you get her to eat anything?" Asks Dawn.
The nurse shakes their head.
"She refused everything. I hope you are aware of the seriousness of this condition. If not treated effectively, it could be fatal."
The nurse opens some curtains, to reveal a weak looking Leaf laid in the hopsital bed. Her eyes light up when she sees her friends.
"H-hi e-everyone." She manages a weak smile.
Dawn, Misty and Hugo pretend to be pleased to see her.
"Hi there." Says Dawn softly. "You should see what happened to my foot… haha."
"Wow." Gasps Leaf. "I bet that hurts!"
Dawn shakes her head. "No. It's not too bad. I should be fine in a couple of days."
While this conversation is going on, a hand grabs Hugo's shoulder. "Sir, a word please."
One of the caretakers takes Hugo out of the room to speak with him.
"How long has she been like this?" They ask.
Hugo shakes his head. "We don't know, but she's been on her own for four years."
"FOUR YEARS?!" The caretaker exclaims with surprise.
"Why, it's a miracle that she's even alive! What caused her to pass out, do you know?"
"She tried to run. I guess she doesn't have the strength for it? Will you be able to treat her here?"
The caretaker frowns. They look genuinely gutted.
"Wh-what's wrong?!" Hugo asks, uncharacteristically of him, he's getting worried.
"Unfortunately, the treatment required would take a long time..."
"What do you mean 'would'?"
"I'm very sorry about this, but this type of treatment is not available under Kanto's free health care scheme. I'm afraid you'll have to pay for it..."
"Name the price, we'll pay it somehow."
"Twenty thousand pokédollars."
"WHAT?!"
"Based off of your reaction, am I correct in guessing that you cannot afford this, sir?"
Hugo frowns "There has to be a cheaper treatment, surely."
The caretaker frowns and shakes their head. "Unfortunately, this is the cheapest price that could possibly be offered."
Hugo kneels down and punches the floor. "DAMN IT!"
Suddenly, an idea springs to mind. "I'll scrape together that money. It might take some time though."
The caretaker frowns even more. "I'm very sorry to tell you this, sir, but if you cannot pay today we will have to discharge your friend from the hospital tonight."
"They're taking the piss with these rules!" Hugo fumes. He reluctantly makes his way back into the hospital room, where the girls are chatting.
"We have to go." He tells them. "Leaf, can you walk ok?"
Leaf springs to her feet. "Of course. I'm fine. Don't know what the fuss is about..."
The four of them make their way out of the hospital. Leaf is helping Dawn down the stairs, while Hugo and Misty talk up ahead.
"So, Mist, we need twenty thousand pokédollars."
Misty frowns "Really? Oh no!"
"You can afford that, right, with all the money your gym makes?"
Misty looks frustrated. "Don't be an idiot! It costs nothing to challenge a gym!"
Hugo facepalms. "D'oh! That idea didn't work!"
"So they can't treat her?" Misty asks.
"Nope. Looks like she's stuck with us."
"Then why don't we cheer everyone up? We have some time to kill while we wait for Brock's treatment to end so we can go and see him."
"What do you have in mind?"
"Well..." Misty has a smug grin on her face.
Hugo is looking miserable. He's standing outside a shop in Pewter shopping district. He's holding about eight different bags from different shops, all of which are heavy.
Just then, Misty and Leaf walk out of the shop with two more shopping bags. Dawn is beside them on her crutches. All three are laughing and look very happy.
"Thanks for bringing me shopping." Leaf smiles. "It's something I've never had the chance to do before."
Both of Hugo's hands are full, so Misty hangs the bags off his fingers, sticking out her tongue.
"Serves you right for being a dick."
"I can't help it if Brock's jokes are funny!"
"Shut up, bag holder." Misty has no sympathy at all.
With that, the girls make their way into another shop.
"I never realised how badly I need Brock in my life." Hugo groans.
It's getting late, and the group are back in the pokémon centre. The girls are sat in the main lobby, giggling about something. An exhausted Hugo makes his way in.
"I-I carried all seventeen bags up to your room on the top floor, Mist. Funny how that lift broke just before I used it, huh?"
Misty smiles arrogantly. "Oh, the lift's not broken. I lied. I just enjoy watching you suffer."
Leaf and Dawn giggle uncontrollably.
"Ugh… did you at least book me a room too?"
Misty pretends to act surprised.
"Oh, I knew I was forgetting something." She lies. "Too bad. I only booked one room with three single beds."
"But the booking counter is closed now!"
"Too bad." Misty sticks out her tongue again.
"Man, I feel sorry for Ash, can't believe he's gonna be stuck with you for the rest of his life!"
Misty's smile is wiped off her face, and she gives him a glare.
"Oh, wait, never mind. I forgot that girl stole him from you. What was her name again?"
Misty pounces on top on Hugo. "One more word about Ash and I swear I cut your throat."
"WOAH!" Hugo admits defeat.
"Well, time for bed..." Dawn decides.
"Yeah, let's get rid of this idiot." Misty adds.
The three girls begin to leave. Leaf looks back and gives Hugo a weak smile. Hopefully spending some time with Misty and Dawn will give her a much needed confidence boost.
A small part of Hugo is offended that neither Dawn nor Leaf spoke up against Misty and gave him some money to buy his own room. They were sharing their money anyway. Some of it's his, he just lets Dawn hold it because of his tendency to lose everything...
"Well, it's not like I need sleep!" Hugo sarcastically announces. "Might as well enjoy the nightlife of Pewter!"
Once the others are gone, Hugo makes his way outside, eager for a nice stroll.
"Worried about the future, I see."
Hugo turns around, and is not surprised when he sees the old man he's encountered twice before.
"Let me guess. You're here to cast some magical spell to make everything more confusing?"
The man looks about 80 years of age. Hugo could swear he's less wrinkly than last time though…
"I have something to show you. Come." The man walks inside the Pokémon Centre that Hugo just left. Hugo reluctantly follows him in, and for some reason, it's pitch black in there!
"Hello? Hello?" Hugo asks, wondering where the old man is. Suddenly, the lights flicker on! The Pokémon Centre is totally deserted.
"Huh. Weird. Did he go back outside?" Hugo asks himself.
He makes his way to the door, and it immediately becomes apparent that the area outside the building is not the same. It's bright, sunny and hot!
The old man is sat on a bench admiring the beachside view. He turns to greet Hugo with a beaming smile. "Alola young Hugo! Come, take a seat!" He pats the empty spot on the bench beside him, and Hugo sits down with him.
"It's hot here. Where are we?"
This is a far off region known as Alola." The old man explains.
"Ah! I've heard of this place before. Misty came here on holiday, apparently. They have different forms of pokémon I know well, such as a different Meowth?"
"You are not as dumb as you look, young man."
"Oy!"
The old man chuckles. "Look! Here comes someone you might recognise."
"I-is that..."
Sure enough, it's someone Hugo recognises very well.
"Ash!" Hugo calls out. "What's he doing in Alola?"
Ash is running down the path next to the beach where Hugo and the old man are sat at a bench. His trusty Pikachu is running with him. It hasn't changed one bit. The same can't be said for Ash though.
"He looks… younger..."
A bunch of other people are running alongside Ash. They all look like members of a camera crew.
"Why does Ash look so weird? And why are people filming him?"
One of the people chasing Ash doesn't have a camera, but instead holds a portable speaker. Music begins to blurt out.
"I could get used to this heat on my skin!"
"I can feel everyday I'm a little bit stronger. I only wish each day were longer."
"What the hell?!" Hugo asks, looking around for the source of the music.
"Yeah! We're having fun in the sun! Week after week it's just like we're on vacation!"
"PLEASE EXPLAIN WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON DID YOU PUT SOMETHING IN MY DRINK?!"
Hugo has to shout to hear himself over the loud music.
By this point, Ash is dancing around with a bunch of other goofy looking kids. Three girls with very colourful hair, a fat chubby kid and some boy who doesn't wear a shirt.
"I gotta get outta here!" Hugo sprints down the path in the opposite direction. He follows the path onto the beach, and by this point he isn't surprised to see the old man sunbathing. He cringes at the sight of his wrinkly body.
"Ah, there you are. So you understand where we are now?" The old man asks.
"Somewhere I never want to see again." Hugo shudders again.
"You must be aware that there are many different versions of reality. In this reality, your friend is the star of the children's cartoon of pokémon. He is eternally stuck at the age of 10."
"That sounds horrible!" Hugo exclaims.
"The show has been going on for twenty years now." The old man continues. "He's not a single day older."
"Who would watch that?" Asks Hugo.
"It's viewed around the world, dubbed in many languages."
"Please take me back to Pewter." Hugo asks.
"Before you do, you must see what I am trying to teach."
"We might be here a while then..." Hugo frowns.
"You see, any reality is possible. That goes the same way for yours. Anything is possible, no matter how unlikely it seems."
Hugo thinks about this for a moment. "Okay, I think I get it. Thanks."
"Now it's home time. Hooray!" The old man cheers. "Stare into my moustache."
"Wait, since when did you have a moustache?!"
"Since ten seconds ago. You are not very observant. I got one around the same time we arrived back in Pewter."
"Wait, wh-" Hugo looks around and is amazed to see that he is back in Pewter City and it appears to be just before sunrise.
"How do you do th-" He begins to ask the old man, but turns around to see that he is now gone.
"Of course… man, my life is weird..." Hugo shrugs it off and decides to begin his morning workout, eager to see what this day has in-store.