Chapter 4: What Happened to you Ash?

The sun sets into place, illuminating the world with its kind light. Darkness swept across the land, echoing its peaceful message to every creature it touches. But hey… I'm not Shakespeare…

Anabel had just finished washing the last of Ash's wounds. After all this time everything doesn't seemed to be going her way. This week her luck had been going from normal to bad to really bad then back to normal then it down to the bottom of the ocean level no wait… beyond below sea surface level.

Right after her 'patient' was stable, she quickly got up and change and prepared herself for the battle ahead. "Pikachu, please take care of Ash ok?" the little mouse nodded his head as she ran towards the main entrance where Scott was waiting with her Pokemon. "Oh I see you're finally up. Come on, the challenger is waiting"

"Yeah… sure" she replied. You could tell from her face that she didn't listen to a word he said. Scott grew more and more suspicious because she barely paid any attention to her Pokemon. She was giving out worried glances back to her house, like something bad was gonna happen or something.

A few minutes later, they drove off towards the Battle Tower.

The drive to the Battle Tower was long and uneventful. However, Scott had been noticing something very strange about Anabel. Her eyes were practically begging to close but she had to stay up a few more minutes so that she could beat the challenger again. She was actually getting annoyed by the challenger because of his mixed up mind. When he said that he was gonna come back in a week he comes back the next day. When he says five minutes it becomes five hours. Anabel hoped to end the battle quickly but by the time they got there… she was already fast asleep. "Oh boy…" Scott moaned.

The challenger approached the red corvette with a grin locked on his face. "Hey Scott, what's wrong with her?" the boy was probably about Ash's age. His red spiky hair blaze through the wind with a rough smell of gel. He wore a black T shirt and a pair of baggy pants that matched all together. Scott looked at him with his usual smiley face, "Well I looks like she haven't had a lot of sleep. Why don't we just have the battle tomorrow?"

Before the challenger could reply, Anabel groaned, "Hmmm… huh? Oh Scott… are we there already?" she said in a yawning voice. She rubbed off the sand in her eyes and carried herself into the battlefield. "Anabel, maybe you should rest for today. I don't think you're ready for a match"

"No I'm ok I just need a little wake up call that's all" she yawned loudly before entering her Battle Facility. The workers and trainers looked at their 'boss' as she slowly made her way to the battle ground. The poor girl looked like she could drop dead at any moment.

(Back at the house)

Pikachu managed to get himself a bowl of water for his master just in case something should occur. Ash was sleeping peacefully on the bed but his face consisted pain and madness. He was desperately looking for something but no one could understand what it was. It didn't sound like an object or anything you would come across along your travels. Ash himself didn't know what he was looking for. He just knows that he lost something that he treasured so much.

"No… I… I didn't…" Ash was talking in his sleeps. Pikachu heard him and quickly came by his side. "Pikachu?" it said with worries written all over its face, "Pikapi?"

"Stay… away… from me…"

"Pikapi!"

"No…! I didn't!" sweat began gushing down his face as he desperately tried to wake himself up. A second in the realm of the nightmare felt like an eternity of pain. Pikachu was about to use its thunder shock to wake the boy up but before he could charge its batteries, Ash swung his arm and tossed Pikachu to the ground, "I SAID NO!" the Pigiotos in the nearby forest scrammed away in fear of the yell.

Pikachu and the rest of Ash's Pokemon shook in terror as the rare unexplainable emotion of anger appeared on his face. It didn't just scared them it terrorized them.

With the burst of anger finally past… the boy went back onto bed… with his face calm and controlled. Pikachu did not understand this but he knew that there was something very wrong with Ash.

(Back with Anabel)

"Arcanine is unable to battle! The round and match goes to Anabel of the Battle Frontier!" the referee announced as he raised the blue flag to signal Anabel's victory. Scott and several trainers that were in the Battle Tower clapped their hands and cheered.

After an intense (well, half intense actually) battle, Anabel wanted to do nothing but go to sleep. She was able to bring out her strongest Pokemon into battle this time but even though she was barely half awake, she was still able to beat the Battle Frontier challenger with ease. "That was a great battle Anabel. I guess that much needed rest paid off after all" Scott complimented the half awake girl as they walked towards his red Corvette. "Thanks Scott I think I'll… head home and go to sleep" without warning, her brain immediately dropped dead in the car.

Scott gave out a sweat drop, "It looks like she hasn't gotten much sleep last night. I'll bring her back and why don't you go train first?"

The challenger nodded in agreement, "Yeah, she beat me three times already. I'll head back to town and practice. I'll come back in a week"

"And please make sure it's a week hehehe Well we're off!" and with that, Scott got into his car and drove off into the distance.

(Back in Pallet town, professor Oak's lab)

"He's late…" Samuel Oak was quietly complaining in his lab. He sent Ash to do a simple errand for him and he hasn't come back yet. Having worries take control of him the old man decided to give someone a call, "Hello, this is the Pokemon center. How may I help you?"

"Good evening Nurse Joy, I was wondering if you happened to see this boy here" he showed a picture of Ash and place it on the video screen. Nurse Joy observed the picture a little closer and quickly recognized him as the boy who came in a few days ago, "Why yes actually. He was here two days ago. I already delivered the package to the Pokemon lab and they'll be running the tests right away. Is there something the matter?"

"Well, it's because he hasn't returned yet. Is there any Pokemon contests or competition going on around there?" he asked with a slight panic in his voice.

Nurse Joy thought for awhile and then, "Oh why yes! There's a Pokemon fair coming in the next few days"

"I thought so. I guess after becoming a Pokemon Master wasn't really such a good idea after all" he sounded a bit depressed.

"Oh is something the matter honey?" Delia came by with a cup of tea and a smile on her face. "I think Ash will be gone for a few more days. It looks like he's still looking"

"Oh… I see" a rare expression of sadness came across Delia's face. "Ever since he became a Pokemon Master… he felt so… different from his friends" she remembered when Ash asked some of his old friends to do battle with him. They all refused because he was called master and as guidelines apply only a master can defeat a master. It was then Ash began distancing himself. He went by from town to town battling rookies and newbies that challenged him to claim his title. Barely any real seasoned trainers dared to battle him. They may be proud but not stupid to challenge the boy who was able to defeat the Elite fours of every region in the world. The boy was practically branded as an invincible opponent to everyone, and that didn't go well with Ash.

(Back with Ash)

The young Pokemon master finally woke up after a series of nightmares. Pikachu glared at the boy as he sweated in buckets. There was a huge amount of stress on his face and by the looks of it… Ash didn't look like he wanted to back to sleep any time soon. "H… how long was I…?" Pikachu shook his head in response, "I'm sorry Pikachu. I guess I must be having bad dreams again. (Pikpi pikapika pikachu!) Don't worry buddy. I'll try to get it over next time" he forced out a smile and quickly got dress.

Ash walked out in a seriously wounded condition and noticed that the dishes still needed to be washed. Right now he could care less about his own health. He just wanted the painful memories to go away and he didn't care what he needed to do. He began doing the usual household chores and quickly… the pain in his head lifted away.

A few minutes later, a red corvette drove by the parking area. Ash knew that it was Scott and Anabel so he hid himself behind the house. He peeked through a hole on the wall and eaves dropped on what they talking about in the house.

Anabel: "Thanks for the ride home Scott"

Scott: "No problem. You just get some rest and I'll be sure to call you next week. Why don't you go to the Pokemon fair in town? It'll relieve some stress off you. I heard they might also have a Pokemon competition too"

"Pokemon competition…" Ash thought

Anabel: "Maybe I will. Thanks Scott… see you soon"

After the corvette drove off into the distance, Ash decided to come out and greet the girl in her home, "Welcome home" he said with a cheerful smile. She was quite surprised to see the Ash up and awake, "Ash you idiot!" she yelled out, "You shouldn't be working, you should be resting!" Ash protested at first but when he started limping Anabel quickly moved into action and checked his wounds, "Well… the bandages are holding. You should go and rest, I'll do the rest of the work" in the end Ash submitted to her rule.

The young Pokemon Master laid on his bed but he did not go to sleep. He was too afraid to even close his eyes for a minute. Every time he slept, a vision of his past would come back to haunt him. He did not know why these visions remained or why he was given them in the first place. The horrors of his worst memories played back over and over again like a tape recorder that never stops. There were times when he would never sleep at all. He practiced staying up on both night and day and eventually… it became somewhat of a habit of his. People would often see him on the streets of cities wandering through parks and docks. He's been doing this for so long that even mothers managed to make a bed time story out of it.

A Pokemon Master wanders through the streets and both night and day. He haunts the cities where Pokemon competitions are held. He searches for the strongest trainer that the competition could offer and challenges them into a battle. And if the trainer cannot defeat him… then the Pokemon Master would take his soul. It was a child story for all they know.

"Ash, dinner will be ready in a few minutes" Anabel yelled out from the kitchen making Ash break away from his train of thoughts. Anabel felt strange in saying that. In all her years of living alone she had only been saying those words to her Pokemon and usually there wouldn't be any reply. "Coming!" he said in return.

Dinner went by uneventful and Ash was finally able to get Pikachu to behave. When the last plate was emptied, Anabel decided to pop up, "Hey Ash, do you want to go to the Pokemon fair this afternoon?" she hesitantly asked, "I heard they have a lot of nice attractions for the whole week" Anabel was really hoping for positive reaction from him but she also braced herself for rejection. But in a move that surprised both her and Pikachu… he smiled, "I'd love to Ann" 'Ann'? Since when did he call her by her nickname, "Just let me get my cap and we can go"

When Ash left to get change, Anabel put the dishes in the sink. She'll come back and clean them up later. Before she even knew what was going on, they were already at the town square.

Lights filled almost every corner of the intersection. Vendors placed their shops along the sidewalk selling their stocks ranging from fine food delicacies to beautiful trinkets and jewelries. Anabel had to resist the urge to purchase every lovely accessory she came across. Her pay checked had just arrived and she was already spending like crazy. As she walked down the sidewalk glaring at all the attractions, a cotton candy nearly hit her face, "Here ya go…" said Ash as he handed her the cotton candy, "You should try it. It has the best taste ever" they both laughed slightly and continued walking together.

After going through several games and winning several prizes, the two of them decided to take a break along the boulevard. "Oh yeah, that reminds me. We should get to the hospital and get your wounds checked Ash"

Ash smiled, "Don't worry about it. I already feel better, really"

Anabel gave out an annoyed face and before Ash could react, she was already pulling him by the arm, "Oh no you don't mister! I'm bringing you to the hospital and that's final!" Ash was screaming like a little as he was being dragged away. Even if the boy had been attacked by thousands of Pokemon, been through life threatening situations and facing unimaginable odds only an idiot would dare challenge, nothing could compare to the fear he had for hospitals. He hated doctors, needles and all kinds of medicines they gave out.

A few hours later, a doctor came by to check up on the young master, "Hmm…" he inspected the wounds a little closer and found no trace of any mistakes, "Well it looks like his wounds are healing nicely. I have to say Anabel, I'm glad to see your medical skills haven't rusted. Now all I need is your identification young man and you can be on your way" Ash gave out his Pokedex and turned to Anabel, "See, I told you I was fine"

"Oh put a sock in it. At least we came. That gives me time to get more bandages just incase something like that should happen again"

Their conversation was then cut short when the doctor suddenly screamed like a little weasel, "What's wrong doctor!" asked Anabel. The two of them had a sense of dread coming upon their hearts. The doctor was looking directly at the x-rays and they thought that he might have found something wrong with Ash. The two of them waited for a reply but the silence went on. The doctor slowly turned his head and faced Ash with a terrified face, "You… you… you're… A… Ash… Ke… Ketchum" he nodded in reply. In a move that surprised even the great master himself, the doctor bowed his head on the ground and said, "Forgive me for not recognizing you Oh Great One! I should have known it was you the moment you walked through those doors!"

Ash: "Uh…"

Doctor: "Oh… I'm not even worthy of even hearing your voice oh great one and-"

Before the mad doctor could continue his ranting and praise, the two teens left the hospital. Anabel laughed all the way towards the store, "Hahaha! Oh Great One? Now that's something new hahahaha!" the boy lowered his head in embarrassment, "Ah don't worry, I've heard worst. So where do you want to go next? We still have two hours before the gate closes" Ash quickly changed the subject to prevent further embarrassment. As the two of them walked through the empty streets of the town, a flyer suddenly flew by forcing Ash's hands to grab it.

Anabel: "What is it?"

Ash: "Oh nothing… it's just a Pokemon competition (throws away the flyer)"

Anabel: "'Just' a Pokemon competition? Come now, don't you think it's a little interesting? Who knows, you might get to meet a good trainer"

Ash:"… I guess"

Anabel: "Then come on! Let's get you signed up!"

Ash: "I… I can't"

Anabel: "Why not?"

Ash: "The Pokemon league policies say that when you're a master, you aren't allowed to join other competitions. A Pokemon Master can only participate in tournaments and challenges"

It felt like a knife had just pierced through the boy's heart by just saying those words. He gently puts away Anabel's arms and slowly made his way towards the gate. He stared at the ground and covered his eyes with his hat so that no one would see his face. Anabel felt like idiot for inviting him over for that. How could she possibly forget the number one rule of the Pokemon Master? She needed to make it up to him and fast. Just before Ash could take three paces towards the gate, a pair of arms wrapped around his right arm. "Anabel?" he said in confusion. The lotus haired girl smiled, "Then we don't need to participate. Let's just go watch instead, please?"

Ash smiled back and nodded in reply.

They arrived at a basketball field which was earlier converted into a Pokemon battlefield. It was small and the audience filled the seats pretty fast. Roof tops were taken and those living nearby looked through the windows and doors.

The match went fairly well. Trainers came up with tactics and abilities that even Ash himself was impressed. He analyzed the battle in an instant and before he knew it, he already knew the weakness and flaws of all of them. By the end of the match he could already tell which of them were pros and which of them were rookies. He remembered how ignorant he was back in the days and when he looked at the newbies it kind of reminded him about his old self. Being a Pokemon Master at the age of fourteen can be a real drag.

When the competition ended the announcer brought up the winner and gave him the prize money. The victor held up his arm and waved at the cheering crowd with a smile on his face.

Just as things began to die down, Anabel and Ash decided to head on back home. "That was a great competition" said Anabel. Ash nodded in agreement along with his Pikachu, "I bet if you were there you'd win first prize" the boy blushed slightly and giggled, "You think so?" he asked a little embarrassed.

"Of course I do. After what you did back at the Pokemon league at the Indigo Plateau I wouldn't be surprised at all" Anabel giggled loudly, but it soon came to a stop when Ash stopped. She glared back at him with a puzzled face, "What's wrong Ash?" the boy didn't reply. He just stood there with his head starring down at the ground. A sad look came upon his face. His smile was turned upside down with the mere mention of the Pokemon league. Anabel came to his side to find out what's wrong, "Hey Ash, are you ok?"

Finally gaining his sanity controlled, he gave out a weak smile, "Oh… sorry, it was nothing. I was just thinking about something. Come on. It'll be cold soon" he then began walking towards Anabel's house. The boy was as transparent as a ghost. Anabel could see that something was bugging him and whatever it was it definitely had something to do with the Pokemon league.

Deciding not to pry anymore from him, she walked by his side silently as they glared at the full moon above.