Chapter 9: The Cursed Boy

"Ash is that you?" She took the Riolu off of her, and to her shock the
Riolu spoke. "Well duh, who did you think I was, a
Pokémon or something?" spoke the Riolu, in Ash's voice.
"Well, yes!" she said.
"Yes? What are you talking about Mist?"
"Well, umm, look at this." She took out a small mirror and showed
it to Ash. Instead of seeing his normal face, Ash saw a Riolu with
brown eyes and a bandaged head staring back at him. "Is that me?" he
asked. Misty nodded sadly. Ash was silent and looked down.
"I wonder how he's taking it?" thought Dawn.
"Poor Ash, first he gets kidnapped, then his friends are threatened,
then I'm revealed to be his dead father, then his aura gets used to
bring a clone and gets shocked, then he gets dropped from a height of
an average skyscraper into a bunch of trees, and now he is a Pokémon.
There is clearly some sort of powerful being out there that hates him,
or loves torturing him" thought Tajiri.
Then, the silence was broken by laughing. However, the laughter came
from the least likely person to be laughing in this situation.
"Ash...why are you laughing?" asked Selia while sweatdropping.
"Haha, do-don't you see Selia? Th-this is all, heehee, a dream!"
"...a dream?" said Misty unbelievingly.
"Yeah, I mean come on. I got turned into a Pikachu once, but a Riolu a
second time? I mean seriously, what is this, a fan fiction?"
"So in other words, you don't believe in any of this."
"Yeah pretty much."
"Alright then, let me try to reason with him" volunteered Tajiri.
"Sorry dream dad, but since this is a dream I can do whatever I want.
First of all," he pointed to Tajiri "you smell and you are a drunken tramp!"
To say that Tajiri was angry was a low understatement. "W-what DID YOU
CALL ME!"
"Wait, I'm not done! Brock, face it, you're gonna spend the rest of
your life alone and sad. Dawn, well what can I say?"
Brock looked as though he was going to personally make Ash spend the
rest of HIS life hospitalized, and Dawn, well what can I say?
"Hey! What about Selia?" Dawn angrily pointed to the quiet girl.
"Don't bring me into this please!"
"Selia is very nice to me and never gets angry at me, unlike some
other girls who are scrawny, whiny, and boy is she-"
BONK!
After having enough of Ash's rant about her, Misty took out her mallet
and put an end to it. "Finish that sentence Ketchum, I dare you!"
"(Jeez Pikapi, you can be so clueless...)" said Pikachu.
"(Yeah, star, I guess being a Riolu must have shrunk your brain or
something.)" said Staraptor.
"Oww, Misty that hurt! And Pikachu, Staraptor, you can just shut..."
Ash was clutching his wounded and hurting head. Then, a thought came
to Ash's head. "Hey, if that hurt, and I could understand Pikachu and
Staraptor, then that means...this isn't a dream!"
"Yes..."
"Then that means...I am a Riolu!"
"Yes..."
"Which also means...I'm a dead man right now, aren't I?"
"Well technically you're a dead Pokémon, but that works too!"

"Giovanni sir, we were able to bring the clone to a stable condition."
"Excellent, where is he now?"
"He is resting right now in a clinic room."
"Good, wake him up now."
"Sir?"
"Well, if we want the plan to work, I need him to trust me completely.
Who is watching over him right now?"
"Umm, a Jessie, James, and Meowth."
"...Oh great."

After Ash finally realized that he was turned into a real Riolu,
everyone got quiet again. "So how did I turn into a Riolu?" asked Ash.
"Hmm, do you remember anything like when you fell down to the forest?"
Tajiri asked.
"Well no, I remember blacking out and hearing some strange voice. Do
you know anything about that?"
"N-no sorry. But I think I have an idea on what is going on."
"Tell us! Tell us!"
"Okay, okay! Well, you see there has lately been something wrong with
the flow aura."
"The flow of aura?" asked Misty with a puzzled look.
"Yes, you see in this world aura is the energy that allows life to
start, flourish, and end."
"Whoa, I can't believe that aura could that" said Dawn.
"Oh there's more. Did you know that aura allows Pokémon to use their
moves, evolve, and even breed? You could even say that Pokémon are the
embodiment of aura to a certain degree."
"But if it's as powerful as you say it is, then how could something
upset it?" asked Brock.
"That's the problem, no one knows so far. The legendary Pokémon, like
Selia, can sense it, but still don't know the cause of it."
"That's amazing, but isn't there anyway to fix it or something?" asked
Dawn.
"Actually, that's where Ash comes in."
"Wait what?"
"I know you already heard this before, but your aura is powerful
enough to fix the problem! In fact, it may turn you back to human once
it is all over."
"...listen, I know you expect me to fix everything and all, but let's
face it I can't help you."
"Ash, what are you talking about?"
"Whenever I try to help you guys, I end up getting myself or all of
you in trouble. I can't use any of my 'powers' because I don't know
how. I got your hopes up for nothing."
"Ash that's not true! It may not look like it now, but you are helpful!"
Ash stood up. "If you don't mind, can I take a walk around here? I'd
like to think some things through."
"Uh, sure Ash. Just be careful."
"I will. Let's go Pikachu, oh and can you return Staraptor for me
please?" Ash went off, with Pikachu by his side. Tajiri returned
Staraptor to its Pokéball, while Dawn and Misty helped Brock start
breakfast again. Selia was left thinking, "Oh Ash, I really wish you
weren't a part of this." Then, she sensed something and glanced at the
sky. "Hmm, could he be near?"

There was an echoing voice that sounded far away. "Hello...anyone
there?"
Then another voice different from the first came. "What kind of
question is that? It's obvious he's asleep!"
There was a feeling of drowsiness and stirring coming through. Another
voice, much different from the first two, was also heard. "Both of
youse shut up now! He's waking up!"
A bright light came immediately, and suddenly three faces came to view.
One was a male with lavender hair and green eyes. The other was a
woman with purplish-reddish hair and blue eyes. The other was actually
a cat-like creature with a coin on its head. They all had stupid and
silly grins on their faces. The male spoke, "Why hello there sleepy
head! How are you feeling?" Then, the female slapped him on the head,
"You idiot! You don't say those kinds of things!"
Then, the creature spoke? "Oh forget youse, I'll go tell the boss he's
awake." He? Could that be, "Me?" The male and female turned. "Huh, did
you say something?" said the male. "...Are you talking...about me?"
Wait, those words came from me, right? Me...now I remember! The male
was named James, and the female was named Jessie. And the Meowth was
named, well Meowth. But wait, weren't they bad people? What were they
doing here, or more importantly, why was I here? I'm in a bed with
white sheets, and I'm only wearing a white robe? Eew, like in those
hospitals? But why am I in a hospital with Team Rocket? That's right;
Team Rocket kidnapped me and my friends! They took me to a room with
my father, and then what? "Oh good, I see you are awake." That
voice...I remember that voice as well! A man came into the room, with
what looked like a Persian. It's funny how I remember the Pokémon and
not the people.
"So, what has he done since waking up?" The man asked Jessie and
James. It's like he was experimenting on me or something. "Well boss,
he's only said a few words, but seems to be responding and
understanding well" said James. Whoa, since when did he talk smart?
"Very well, how are you feeling?" The boss asked slowly. "Oh I'm doing
very fine, just a little stressed out" the man stupidly answered. "Not
you idiot! The boy!" Man, this guy can sure be mean! "I have a name
you know..." Huh, did I just say that? Apparently this startled the
boss man. "Wait, what did you just say?" I decided to speak again.
"I said I had a name Giovanni." Wait a minute, Giovanni? He's the boss of Team Rocket!
He kidnapped me, and Misty...I hope she's okay. Giovanni smirked,
"Well then, do you at least know your name?" What kind of question is that? "Of course, it's Ash Ketchum..."

"What do you think I should do Pikachu?" Ash and Pikachu were walking
along a trail in the forest, both quiet for a long time. "(What do you
mean Pikapi?)"
"Well, if I go with my dad, I might end up disappointing him and
failing. But if I don't, I'll just be a coward. What if I do something
wrong? What if-" Pikachu sent a small shock to Ash, stopping his worry
rant. "(Pikapi, you shouldn't worry too much. Don't forget, you'll
have your dad and friends helping you along the way, including me)"
"Pikachu..." Ash smiled.
"Boy, you really are lucky..."
A chill went down Ash's spine. That voice did not sound like Pikachu's.
"Hey Pikachu, did you hear that?"
"(Hear what?)"
"...Never mind, I must be going crazy."
"You must be, if you are hearing voices in your head..."
The voice came back again. It sounded so near, yet at the same time so
far away. Ash was starting to get annoyed by the voice.
"All right then, whoever you are, you can come out now!"
"(Pikapi, you're starting to worry me...)"
"You should listen to your friend, talking at things that aren't
there..." Then, a figure suddenly appeared from under the trees and
appeared itself to Ash. It was a boy around Ash's age and was barely
taller than him. He had short plain hair that reached his eyes and
ears. But for some reason, it was as if he had a grey color in his
face and hair. Even his clothes were grey, which were only a pair of
plain old pants and just a plain old shirt. The boy seemed ordinary,
and yet Ash felt as if there was something more to him.
"W-who are you?" Ash asked. Pikachu looked at his friend as though he
went crazy.
"...I don't know. Who do you think I am?"
Ash was confused at this. "What do you mean you don't know? Do you
have amnesia or something?"
"(Pikapi, who are you talking to? There's no one there.)"
Now Ash was even more confused. "But Pikachu, don't you see the guy
right in front of you?"
Pikachu shook its head. "(There's no one there...)"
Why couldn't Pikachu see the boy? "Pikachu, he's right in front of you!"
"You shouldn't be so hard on him Ash. He really can't see me..." Ash
turned to the boy again. "Wait, what do you mean he can't see you? And
how do you know my name?"
"Wait just a moment; I know a better way of answering your question."
The boy went over to Pikachu, who was more than worried about his
friend. The boy placed his hand on Pikachu's head, and to Ash's shock,
the hand was transparent!
"Y-your hand!"
"Huh? Oh yeah, it does that."
Then, in what seemed less than a second, there was a flash, and the
boy was gone, leaving behind a dazed Pikachu.
"Pikachu, are you all right?" Pikachu still looked dazed, but then it
smiled. "Don't worry about me Ash, I'm alright!"
"Phew what a...wait a second. You never called me 'Ash' before."
Pikachu smirked. "Ah, I see you're not that dumb as I thought" Pikachu
said, but now its voice sounded like the boy!
"Wait, just what are you? Are you a ghost or something?"
Pikachu chuckled sadly this time, "Actually, I don't know either."
"Huh?"
"I'm obviously not alive, and yet I'm not dead either. It's like I'm
stuck in between, and I'm hating every single second of it."
"But at least you're not dead, right?" stated Ash, trying to make the
conversation less awkward.
"But I'm not alive either. No one can see or hear me, besides anyone
I ever knew are already long gone. You're actually the first person
that I had a conversation with."
"Oh, I can see why you hate being like this. But what happened to you?
I mean, did something go wrong or-" Ash was cut off by the boy.
"I don't remember anything about me old life. I don't even know my
name, or how long I've been here. All I remember was waking up like
this and wandering the whole region, watching it grow and prosper. I
guess I must have done something bad, and this is my punishment."
"Then why do you follow me around?"
"I don't know why, but I've been following you around since the day
you were born. Maybe you might help me pass on to a better life, or
death. So, will you help me pass on?" Ash stood silent. How could he a
boy he barely knew when he didn't even know how to solve his own
problem?
"I dunno, I mean you know how I am right now. What can I do to help
you, when I can't even help myself."
"I know you're going through a tough time right now, but I think I
have an idea, even though it'll involve all of your friends."
"My friends? What do they have to do with any of this?"
"Well Ash, I think your friends might be able to help get us to the
Island of Waves."