As the light faded, there was a cry of joy. Delia Ketchum ran out of the back of the house to where her son had reappeared. As she reached them she threw her arms around not her son, but Professor Oak. The elderly ex-researcher returned the embrace gingerly. As she drew away, Delia looked into the eyes of her oldest friend.
"Are you…"
"I'm fine." Oak said. "I'm just exhausted."
"And malnourished." Ash said. "I will prepare some food for you Professor."
"I can…" Delia started, but Ash cut across her.
"No. I will do it."
Ash strode towards the house with Mellanie following, leaving Delia and Oak alone.
"What happened to you?" Delia asked, her voice slightly shaky.
Oak shrugged wearily. "It's a long story. Ash will want to know as well, so I'll wait for him. I don't want to have to go through it twice."
Delia didn't say anything. She knew her friend was old but the amount he had aged was scary. For the first time Delia could remember, Oak looked exactly like what he was – an exhausted old man. She reached out and hugged him again before leading him into the house to sit down. He collapsed into a sofa and Delia lowered herself next to him. The next fifteen minutes past in a comfortable silence, with neither of them feeling like talking. Eventually Ash entered the room, a tray in his hands. On the tray was a small bowl of what looked like broth. There was some bread on a plate next to it. Oak took it and nodded his thanks.
"Is that enough?" Delia asked, worry evident in her voice. "If he's starving…"
"Then eating a large meal could be fatal." Ash said calmly. "Trust me, I've dealt with malnourishment before. We'll get him eating properly again soon. It just takes time to get the body used to eating properly once more."
Delia nodded before watching Oak as he ate slowly. After a few moments Ash stepped across the room and sat in a chair facing the sofa.
"Where is Mellanie?" Oak asked.
"She wanted to do some training." Ash said quietly. "She's pretty shaken about how we found you."
"Will she be alright?" Delia asked.
"Yes." Ash answered. "Meganium went with her. She'll be back in an hour or so and we'll go through what happened. It just brings up memories."
"Memories?" Delia asked, before she realised. "Of when she was taken by Team Rocket."
Ash nodded. "She took a long time to get over that. This will have pushed her back towards it. She is strong though. When she gets back we will go through how you ended up in a cell Professor."
"Does she need to be there?" Delia asked. "You said you'd try and…"
"Protect her. I know." Ash said. "But if she is to truly become a partner to me, then she would need to find out the information anyway. Better she hears it from the Professor."
Oak nodded as he finished the bowl of broth and set the tray aside. He smiled ruefully at Ash.
"Well I'm not hungry anymore." He said.
Ash smiled faintly. "I'll expect you'll be hungry again within a few hours. I'll prepare some more food for you then. I apologize for it being bland, but your body needs to be used to eating before it takes anything more sophisticated."
"Thank you." Oak said. Ash nodded and started to rise from the chair before his old teachers voice came again. "No Ash, I mean it. Thank you. You saved me."
"It is what I do." Ash said as he moved out from the room.
Mellanie took a deep breath and knelt down, looking out over the water. She had originally wanted to come out and train, but she had found concentration very hard to come by. By her side her Pokémon rested. They could feel the anxiety in their trainer and waited for her to talk. Meganium stood a short distance away, keeping an eye on the teenager. After long minutes passed, Totodile moved to her side and rubbed his snout against her hand.
Mellanie looked down with a slightl smile on her face. She scratched Totodile on the top of his head before looking back out over the sea.
"Ash treats us like an equal." Mellanie said to her Pokémon. "Something we all wanted." Her voice broke off for a moment as she watched a Pokémon leap out of the water in the distance before dropping back under the waves. "When we agreed to find a way to make ourselves that important to him, I thought it was what we needed. But now I'm not sure."
There was a shift from her Pokémon. Mellanie looked around to find them all gazing at her intently, hanging on her every word.
"Ash protected us." Mellanie said softly. "He protected us from the realities of what he faces. Today I saw what he has shielded. Oak was trapped, kept as a prisoner. Just like I was."
A tear slid down Mellanie's cheek, dropping to the floor. Despite her body shaking her voice remained unwavering.
"What I went through affected me." She said. "You all know that. We fight for the strength to protect others. The same reason that Ash keeps his strength. But we failed. Ash failed. Oak was still taken."
Scizor moved silently, his claw resting on Mellanie's shoulder. Around them the rest of her Pokémon moved in, trying to be as close to their trainer as possible. Behind them Meganium drew back slightly. She felt like she was watching a ritual, one she didn't belong in.
"Even when he can't protect people, Ash still gives everything." Mellanie continued. "Everything with him is a lesson. We must take this as the same. We must be strong enough to endure." Her back started shaking as the tears started to overcome her, running down her face. "We must all be strong enough." She whispered.
Meganium withdrew into the treeline, moving out of earshot. She felt like she was spying on an intimate ceremony. But Ash had asked her to keep an eye on his young tutee and she would. A noise behind Meganium caused her to spin, vines away from her towards it. Meganium stopped her attack as she saw who was there. Harrison was stood, watching quietly.
"Is she alright?" He asked.
Meganium contemplated the question before nodding slightly. Harrison took her answer and turned, vanishing deeper into the woods. Meganium headed back towards Mellanie, the girl still surrounded by her Pokémon. She looked up as Meganium approached, tears drying on her face.
"I'm sorry." Mellanie said. "It just brought back memories that I thought I'd…"
Before Mellanie could finish, Meganium reached out with her vines and wrapped them around her, hugging her. After the Johto League all those years ago, Espeon had almost adopted Mellanie as her own child, looking after her through the night. After a while, Meganium had joined them, helping form a special bond between Mellanie and the two Pokémon. A bond that was as strong as ever. Mellanie let the tears flow once more, as her Pokémon surrounded the two of them, hugging her tight. Enclosing her in their safe grasp. Eventually she started to move and the Pokémon moved away from her. Totodile was the only one left facing her, and he growled slightly before talking.
"Toto, Totodile. Dile, Totodile." He said. Mellanie gazed at her Pokémon, unsure exactly what he was trying to tell her. Over the five years she had become somewhat able to understand her Pokémon, but usually only if they were saying something they said frequently. She had no idea what he had just told her.
"I…" Mellanie started, before she felt herself relax. Something was permeating the whole group, soothing their fears.
"He told you that your Pokémon do not think you weak." Espeon's voice said. "They know they themselves aren't weak. As a team you are all more than strong enough."
Mellanie glanced over as the Sun Pokémon padded towards the edge of the cliff before focusing on Totodile. She knelt down next to her starter.
"Thank you." She said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "You are the best friends anybody could ever ask for."
"Totodile!" Her starter said enthusiastically. Mellanie glanced over at Espeon.
"They love you Mellanie." Espeon said. "It is good to see you finally shake off that old spectre of your past. That past cannot hurt you now. You are ready to move beyond it. You are a worthy partner to the Ash."
Espeon turned and headed back towards the centre of the island and Ash's house, flicking her tail slightly, watched by all of the Pokémon around Mellanie. She looked around her and drew comfort from the Pokémon that surrounded her. Espeon was right. That past was behind her. She turned and followed the Sun Pokémon back towards the house, followed by her Pokémon.
"I don't care what you think, this isn't yours to organize!"
Gary threw his hands up in exasperation. Across the room he saw Drew shaking with silent laughter alongside Max Maple. They were all at the laboratory in Pallet Town. May had wanted to see Misty to talk about the wedding, meaning that Drew was dragged along. They had bumped into Max and May had insisted that her younger brother accompany her since she, in her words 'didn't see him enough'. Max disagreed but he didn't mind being dragged to Pallet in truth. He always enjoyed his visits to the laboratory. Both Max and Drew were being thoroughly entertained by watching the usually cool Gary getting more and more frustrated. In front of him was Brock, wringing his hands as he tried again.
"But Gary, maybe you should consider…"
"NO!" Gary shouted. He took a deep breath, knowing that if he made too much noise Misty and May might come in with more questions than he wanted to answer right now. He shut his eyes and took several more deep breaths to calm himself down. Eventually he opened his eyes. "Brock, I know you want to help. I know you're my best man and you want to help me organize this wedding more than anything but I am going off what Misty wants. It is her special day as well, and I want to make it as perfect for her as possible."
"Was I that bad when we were organizing my wedding?" Drew whispered to Max. The Braniac just glared at him.
"If anything you were worse. It was absolutely sickening to watch."
Drew burst out laughing again, before trying to splutter out an apology. He quietened down again at a glance from Gary, but still wore a wide grin on his face.
"I understand." Brock said heavily. "I'm sorry that I've been so pushy towards you Gary."
"I forgive you." Gary said, but Brock wasn't finished.
"But if Misty is organising this, maybe I should speak to her?" Brock asked.
"Ye… wait, what?" Gary spluttered. "You want to..? Brock are you trying to get me killed?!"
This time it was both Max and Drew that were roaring with laughter in the corner as Brock backed down.
"Okay, okay!" He said. "I'll just wait until I'm told as to what to do and what I can help with."
"Thank you." Gary said wearily. He looked over to where the two spectators were finally calming down.
"Did he do this to you as well Drew?"
"Not so badly." Drew answered. "But yes, he still tried to get involved. But then I didn't make him my Best Man. Big mistake."
Before Gary could say anything else, the door to the room opened. Umbreon padded in, a small pad held gently in his mouth. He reached Gary and reared up so his trainer could take the pad from his mouth.
"Hey, is that…" Max started, and Gary nodded.
"Yep. Latest from Silph Co. Tablet computer. Means I can keep up to date wherever I am."
"How did you get one?" Max asked, jealousy in his voice.
"And why is Umbreon trained to bring it to you?" Drew chipped in.
"As the regional Professor, I was able to use some connections." Gary said, tapping at a few buttons along the side. "And Umbreon watches the computer and phone when I'm busy."
"Can you get me one?" Max asked. "It would be really great for keeping up with battles and such."
"Probably not." Gary said. "I…" He trailed off as he started at the screen in his hand.
"Gary?" Brock asked. "What's wrong?"
"It's a message from the Pokémon League." Gary said. "They want me and Misty to appear there in a week's time, at Indigo Plateau."
"Why?" Drew asked, curiosity in his voice.
"I'm not sure." Gary said. "It doesn't say. The message is very brief." He spun the screen around and held it up for them to see.
Professor Gary Oak,
Please present yourself and Misty Waterflower at Indigo Plateau on Thursday 18th, at 2pm.
Yours,
Pokémon League
"What happens if you don't go?" Max asked.
"I don't know. It's the Pokémon League, I don't think that would be a good idea." Brock interjected before Gary could answer. "Not least, both you and Misty work for them."
"I know." Gary said. He walked to the door and leaned out it, calling for Misty. A few moments later she appeared, May following her.
"Yes?" She asked.
Wordlessly Gary handed her the computer and she scanned the text quickly.
"What is it about?" She asked.
"I don't know." Gary answered. "We could try asking Cynthia?"
"Or Sam." Misty said with a slight smile. "Or we could find out what it is next week." She kissed Gary briefly. "Now, we need to get back to finding ways to prevent my sisters from getting too involved in organising my wedding."
"And Brock." Max muttered, but not quietly enough. Misty glanced at her fiancé and his best man before smirking.
"And apparently Brock."
"But…" Brock started but decided better of it.
"Well let us know how it goes." Drew said into the silence. "May and I will be off for a contest in Pewter City early next week, but we could probably come back on the weekend afterwards?"
"We already are." May said with a grin. "Dawn will be at the contest, she won't want to miss the first contest of the Kanto season. We'll bring her back, and perhaps Jessie to help sort colours and dresses."
"Fair enough!" Drew said, laughing. "I guess I don't get a say in things anymore?"
"Just leave the wedding planning to the ladies." May countered. Drew flicked his hair in acknowledgement.
"Brock, Max, do you want to come back then as well?" Gary asked. "I'll call Tracey, see if he wants to come?" Misty drew her breath in and Gary backtracked. "Or not I guess."
"He'll end up bringing Daisy." Misty said. "And I don't really want to have to deal with that."
Gary bowed his head in deference which drew a mocking laugh from Misty.
"Keep practicing Oak." She said, before turning and leading May out of the room once again. Brock looked after them wistfully.
"How come I could never find somebody who is like that with me…" He said sadly.
"Because you chase after girls like the Joys and Jenny's who all talk to each other, and so share how much you've creeped them out?" Max asked. "It's a form of fame I guess but still…"
"Or girls that send you after the Pokémon Master?" Gary asked slyly.
"Is THAT what sparked his curiosity there?" Max asked as Drew burst out laughing once more. "Makes much more sense. Trust Brock to fall for a girl like that."
"It's not… I…" Brock tried, before giving up. "Oh shut up." He finally said, before turning and striding out of the room, trying to salvage some dignity.
When Mellanie reached the house, Ash was stood waiting for her. He nodded to her and gestured for her to follow him inside. She sat down on a chair, facing Professor Oak and Delia. Ash eased into a chair next to her.
"You don't have to be here for this." He said to his mother, but she shook her head. "Yes I do."
Ash inclined his head before looking back at the Professor.
"Can you tell me what happened?" Ash asked.
Oak sighed. "It is a long story. Where do you want me to begin?"
"We tracked you from the depths of a forest." Ash said. "That was where it looked like you had been captured. Start there."
"Very well." Oak said, before taking a deep breath. "I had been exploring through the forest, tracking what appeared to be an unusual path taken by mating Pokémon. I wanted to study it."
Ash smiled slightly. He could almost visualise the elderly researcher picking his way through a forest just to complete a bit of research that he was trying to do.
"When I got close I was... Well I can only describe it as attacked." Oak said. "But it was like nothing I've ever seen before."
"You were swarmed." Mellanie said. It wasn't a question but Oak nodded anyway.
"Yes. We fought but there were too many of them. The last thing I remember from that battle was seeing a flash of… Something. I don't really know what. Whatever it was, it moved fast. Faster than anything I've ever seen."
Ash closed his eyes, leaning back into his chair. His mentor's words confirmed what he had been fearing for a long time.
"I then woke up where you found me." Oak said, gazing at Ash with concern written across his face. "I spent however long it there until you found me."
"Who brought you food?" Ash asked.
"Pokémon." Oak said. "There was another way into the room which Pokémon could reach. They would have vanished when you arrived though, if they were meant to be keeping me prisoner."
Ash nodded slowly. Something didn't add up, but in his head things started to come together. Before he could say anything else there was movement in the doorway. Sonia was halfway through stepping in when she realised who was in the room. Ash turned to look at her.
"You found him." She said, her voice betraying her surprise.
"Indeed." Ash said drily before turning back to Oak. "Professor, one final question. We found traces of a human trail where you were attacked. Do you know who it was?"
"I'm afraid not." Oak said. It was a huge testament to his self-control that he didn't react. While Ash nodded, accepting his answer and Mellanie and Delia were looking at him, Oak's eyes were drawn to the person he didn't recognize. As Ash asked his final question her eyes leapt straight to his. And as Oak answered he saw something flash across her face. Something that he thought he recognized but couldn't place. But it made no sense. Mystery Island was Ash's refuge. Nobody could reach it without his permission and he only brought people who he trusted. Therefore this woman, whoever she was, must be somebody that Ash trusted. So why would she be reacting to a question like that.
Ash rose from his chair. "Professor, this is my latest student, Sonia Rukan. She was instrumental in getting us close enough to you to find you."
"Then I thank you." Oak said, his voice hiding his suspicion.
Sonia inclined her head gracefully before looking around slightly awkwardly. She could tell easily that there was a lot of history in the room and was looking for an excuse to escape.
"I have to make some more food." Ash said, breaking the silence. "Sonia, if you would like to come with me I will start to teach you how I make food for my Pokémon."
Sonia smiled her thanks and headed for the door, following behind Ash. Oak watched her go, his prodigious intellect still turning the problem of what was wrong with her over. He played the moment he answered Ash's question over in his mind again, focusing on the expression that had flashed across her face. He leaned back in his chair, thinking it through. He looked up to see her vanish through the door, a last glance back in the room. This time, with Ash already gone, the expression was clear as day. Written across her face was relief.
The car pulled up outside the house. Ash held the door open as Oak walked to it slowly. It had been just over a week since he had come to Mystery Island and he had made significant gains on his recovery. As he climbed into the car Oak took a deep breath. This would be the first chance he would have to talk to Ash without any chance of being overheard. He had kept a close eye on Sonia over the last week under the guise of getting to know her. It had been an interesting experience; she was clearly an intelligent woman but her past was still shrouded. Ash rarely asked about people's past, something that Oak had considered a strength. Now he wasn't so sure. Whilst it was admirable to only care about what people wanted to do in the future, it was something that could potentially be exploited. Sonia was too suspicious for Oak to not question it. Despite the fact that she must clearly have Ash's trust. Although Oak had to admit, if that was your only weakness is wasn't exactly a bad
Ash climbed in the other side and the car started to move away. As soon as the car cleared the area immediately outside Ash's house, Oak started to talk.
"Ash, we need to discuss something."
"I told you, the person you need to meet is a surprise." Ash said with a slight smile.
"No, that isn't it." Oak said. "It is about Sonia."
"What about her?" Ash asked, his voice level.
"I'm not sure how to phrase this." Oak said. "But… Aren't you suspicious of her?"
Ash shook his head. "You know she wouldn't be here if I was."
"Yes…" Oak said. "Tell me, how was she able to find me?"
Ash didn't answer for a moment.
"Ash?" Oak said again.
"I heard you." Ash said distantly. "Just…" He took a deep breath. "I've been having problems with the wild Pokémon. They are turning on me."
"All of them?" Oak asked, momentarily distracted.
Ash shook his head. "No. The ones that were less closely linked to me. And in more remote places. There are a few within the regions who still trust me. I have more… history with them."
Oak nodded slowly. He could tell Ash was being evasive but he wasn't surprised. While Oak knew he was on the inside of Ash's trust, it didn't mean that Ash told him everything. Ash would share anything with him unless it also had an impact on others. The Pokémon were a perfect example – Ash would be happy to talk about himself, but the wild Pokémon were a topic that he protected fiercely. Oak knew they existed, but he didn't know much more than that.
"How much have they turned against you?"
Oak met Ash's eyes for a moment as the Pokémon Master came to a snap decision. "Completely." Ash said sadly. "You've shown me that."
"I have?" Oak asked, and Ash nodded.
"You were attacked by Gliscor." Ash said. "He is the dominant Pokémon in the region. The others wouldn't have attacked you without him agreeing to it. And from what you described, he was the one who knocked you out."
Oak didn't say anything, his mind racing. He knew roughly what role the Pokémon that Ash had befriended played and he had worked out that it was probably the local Pokémon that had led the attack against him. But it was still a sobering though.
"I have suspected for a while that something is wrong." Ash said quietly. "Gliscor must have known what happened to you. But he refused to tell me. This has confirmed it. Whoever is turning them against me has succeeded completely. It is hard to accept. I have known many of the Pokémon for over a decade. To lose them is… discomforting."
"Do you know who it was?" Oak asked. Ash shook his head.
"Our only lead was whoever targeted you. But if you didn't manage to see them then we are stuck waiting for their next move."
Oak nodded and reached out to touch Ash's arm. "I'm sorry Ash. I know this must be hard for you."
"I've suffered worse losses." Ash said distantly.
"Weren't many of the Pokémon your friends?" Oak asked.
"I've lost closer friends." Ash said quietly.
Silence fell in the car. Oak didn't really know what to say to that. It was easy to forget that Ash had suffered a lot of loss in his life, with almost all of his Pokémon leaving him twelve years previously. When put into context this loss probably didn't seem so bad. As the car passed through the gates at the edge of Mystery Island, Oak spoke again.
"Is this why you trust Sonia?"
"What do you mean?" Ash said sharply.
"I saw something." Oak said in a rush. "When you asked me if I had seen the human when I was attacked. She was relieved when I said I hadn't."
Ash didn't say anything and Oak decided to push his luck.
"I'm not sure she can be trusted. The only reason I can think of her being relieved that you still don't know who the human was is if… she had some links to them. Or she knows who they are."
"I will not entertain this." Ash said, his voice commanding. "I trust Sonia. She has helped me save you. She has never tried to hide anything from me. Her character is exemplary – she threw herself into a fight because she thought she was trying to help save me."
"But…"
"Enough Professor." Ash said. "I can understand you feeling that you need to bring this to my attention but Sonia has my complete confidence. I do not question those who I decide to trust. Once my trust is earned it is final."
Oak nodded, sinking into his seat. It wasn't comforting to know that he was right. If Sonia was targeting Ash, she had found one of his only blind spots. And she was exploiting it ruthlessly. He could only hope that he was wrong. But his mind was whirring with ways he could attempt to prove his suspicions. Once he got away from Mystery Island he had a few ideas of places he could go. Whether Ash felt he needed the help or not, Oak would provide it. And if Ash was blinded by his willingness to trust, Samuel Oak would prove him wrong.
A/N
SilverStar - Harrison is the one who knocked Ash out of the Johto League. Originates from Hoenn. I have enough OCs not to want to put more in and so I went digging through the archives to find somebody to use. Not sure how much he will feature yet.
As you've all probably guessed, this story is speeding up. A few action-y chapters to come, which should hopefully keep you all entertained.
See you all next week,
Iama2p