A/N : Well guys, I'm finally back, not that I really went anywhere. I ought to start but apologizing to all of you who follow this fic. I went through a bit of a drought where I had no motivation write or do anything really. I really do enjoy writing this story so I just want to assure you guys that I'm not going to quit, but I just want you guys to know that my updates are going to be irregular, although they kind of were already. I just have to get myself all fired up again and hopefully I'll start kranking out chapters again.

Part 17

Hospital

Ash took a quick glance around the lobby, searching for any of the girls that he had left at the Cerulean Gym about an hour ago. When he had returned to the Gym, he had found a number of police officers there along with the fire department. They had informed him that Misty had been rushed to the hospital along with her sisters and Anabel to be examined.

After dropping Charizard off at the Pokemon Center, Ash went to the hospital on foot, using the time to let what Lawrence had told him sink into his mind. After arguing with himself for a period of time, Ash convinced himself that Lawrence was only trying to fill his head with crap. Right now he should be focusing entirely on Misty who he had failed to protect from Gary.

"Excuse me." Ash said as he approached the front desk, gaining the attention of the only receptionist that was working at this hour. "A friend of mine was just brought here. Can you tell me where she was taken?"

"Name please."

"Misty Waterflower."

"Ah, she's on the fifth floor in the Chansey section. The elevators are down the hall to the right."

"Thank you."

Arriving at the section of the hospital where Misty was held, Ash found all four girls seated on a bench outside of the operating room. Each of them was considerably paler than when he had last seen them.

"Ash!" The Waterflower sisters exclaimed, jumping to their feet as soon as they saw him.

"How is she?" He asked as he approached the group. Violet, Daisy and Lily remained silent, looking at each other as they waited for one of them to step forward and give Ash the news. Studying Misty's sisters, Anabel could see that their auras all possessed the same gray color. They were still confused and in shock.

"She was crushed by the ceiling." Anabel cut in for the girls as she rose up from the bench.

"Is she…alive?" Ash asked slowly as he looked at Anabel who gave him a delayed nod in return.

"Yes. Although the doctors can't figure out how she survived." Anabel went on as the door to the operating room opened up, revealing one of the doctors as she removed her plastic gloves. She paused, observing the group before she recognizing the Waterflower sisters.

"I take it you must be related to Misty." She said, motioning to the three sisters who were slow to respond.

"Yeah, they are." Ash spoke for them.

"Well then I have some good news, and bad news." The surgeon began. "She's suffering from multiple broken bones, a severe concussion and as of right now, we've declared that she is in a comatose."

The group remained silent for a moment as the surgeon inspected each of their facial expressions. All of them held the same expression, a dazed look which clearly proved that they couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"Do you…have any idea when she'll wake up?" Ash was the first to return to his senses and ask a question.

"Unfortunately, we have no timetable on when she'll wake up. All of the physical damage done to her body is something that can be healed through the Chansey treatment, but as for when she'll wake up, that's up to Misty." The surgeon explained to Ash.

"There has to be something else that you guys can do." Ash said as he took a step toward the surgeon. "Haven't you tried using a psychic Pokemon to dive into her mind and awaken her?"

"I'm sorry, but those methods have proven to be more dangerous than most people believe." She replied.

"What do you mean? I've seen it used a few times and all of them were a success." Ash exclaimed. "Not only that, but I know police officers can use this to interrogate prisoners too."

"You've only seen the good side of that method. There have been many occasions where the users of this method are lost within the confines of someone else's mind." She snapped at Ash. "I work at a hospital to save lives, not to put other at risk."

Anabel looked at Ash nervously as his crimson red aura flared, but then it shrunk in size as he took a deep breath.

"Sorry." Ash stated.

"Don't worry about. I can understand how you're feeling right now. It's frustrating, but the most you can do for your friend at this point is by helping the police find out how this happened." The surgeon explained. "Officer Jenny is downstairs in the lobby waiting for you. You're free to meet with her when you like."

With that the surgeon bid them farewell before disappearing into the operating room once again. A moment of silence passed before Daisy collapsed to the floor with a wail, drawing everyone's attention.

"What's wrong Daisy?" Violet asked as her two sisters kneeled down beside her.

"This is why Misty was so distracted!" She cried out. "She knew something was going to happen to her!"

"But how could she know that this was going to happen to her?" Violet asked before all eyes were placed on Ash.

"Did you know Ash?" Lily asked, causing a lump to form in his throat.

"Y-yeah." He croaked out.

"You knew our baby sister was going to be attacked by you didn't tell us?" Daisy asked as he stared at him.

"I'm sorry, but I didn't want anyone else to become involved in this." Ash replied.

"But when our sister is getting hurt, that's when we have to get involved. Now please tell us what's going on here." Violet demanded as she stood up straight, placing her hands on her hips. Ash only sighed in reply before looking her dead in the eyes.

"I can only assume Misty hasn't told you anything about what happened in our junior year at the Tsugi Academy." Ash began.

"The only thing she mention to us what that-that was the year the two of you broke up." Lily replied as she helped Daisy return to her feet.

"A lot more went on that year. But what you guys need to know is that Gary Oak was arrested and thrown in jail. Unfortunately, he escaped and now he's doing some headhunting. Misty was among his target group." Ash explained.

"But why would he go after Misty?" Daisy asked.

"Because she is the only reason we managed to beat him. He knows that if it weren't for her, he would've beat us in our last battle before the school year ended." Ash went on. "So he went after her."

There was a moment of silence in the corridor as the sisters came to realize who the enemy was.

"Ash, I want him thrown back in jail right now." Daisy hissed. "He's a convict and he needs to put back in a prison, a better one."

"Make sure that police find this guy Ash, because if he gets away, I don't know what I'll do." Lily added.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on letting him escape." Ash stated in a deadpan as he began his trip down to the lobby.

Anabel gave Ash a hard stare as he traveled down the corridor. His red aura had flared up again, but numerous gray patches could be found within it as well. There was more on Ash's mind than he was letting on.

"As much as I respect you Ash Ketchum, it's my duty to tell you that pursuing Misty's attacker was not a smart decision." Officer Jenny said as she berated Ash for his rash decision-making. "If you had waited just a few minutes, my men and I could've joined you in the pursuit and captured Gary."

Ash remained silent as he studied his shoes. Officer Jenny had been speaking like this for a bit of time, and he wasn't going to give her any trouble. The last thing he needed was a bad reputation among the 'Jenny's'.

"Now I'd like to you tell me everything that happened after you left the Cerulean Gym." She said as she took a seat down beside him in the waiting area of the hospital lobby. Two of the officers that were with her pulled out a Pokegear to begin taking notes on what Ash would share.

"After leaving the Gym, I followed Gary out to the Nugget Bridge. We traded a few attacks before we arrived at this castle that Gary went into. I couldn't let him get away with what he did to Misty, so I followed him in. Once I was inside, we talked for a bit, and then Lawrence III showed up."

All of the officers paused to look at Ash as he looked around at the group.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

"No, it's just that-that's kind of hard to believe. Lawrence has been out of prison for four years now, and he's been nothing but a positive member of society." One of the two officers replied to Ash.

"Yeah, he built a museum in Celadon City, stopped multiple franchises from going bankrupt and has provided funds for many charities. It's kind of hard for us to believe that he would be working with a maniac like Gary Oak." The other officers added as Ash gave him a dumbfounded stare.

"Are you serious? Lawrence isn't just working with Gary, he's the one who broke him out of prison." Ash exclaimed.

"Ash, calm down." Officer Jenny said sternly. "Right now you just need to tell us everything that had happened. Where exactly was this castle that you found the two of them in."

"Right at the end of the Nugget Bridge. It's hidden within the forest, but it isn't too hard to find. I can take you guys to it." Ash offered.

"You've already done enough Ash. We'll check for this castle and see if your story checks out." Officer Jenny replied.

"But I can help-" Ash began but she raised a hand to silence him.

"Ash, I can understand you're feelings. But you're still a minor." She stated, rising from her seat. Ash lowered his head as Jenny set out a call to the station with her Pokegear, calling for a squad of officers to meet her on the Nugget Bridge.

He was a professional Pokemon trainer. He had traveled across the entire Kanto Region. He was the freaking Indigo Conference Champion but there were still people that reminded him that he was only twenty.

Twenty.

He was twenty years old.

'Oh, I guess I missed my birthday.' Ash said as he watched the officers give him a wave before rushing off to begin their search. Ash usually forgot about his birthday, and it was mother who would give him a call and remind him that he could officially say that he was a year older.

I know for a fact that her killer is still at large.

Ash felt his arm tense up as he recalled what Lawrence had told him during their brief conversation in his castle. There was no way what he said was true?

Right?

But what if it was?

June 18th

Cerulean Gym

Officer Jenny had gone through quite a few experiences since joining the force, but now she found herself facing what had to be her strangest case yet.

The surveillance system of the Gym proved that Gary Oak was responsible for the damage to the Gym and to Misty, but after spending the entire night searching the Nugget Bridge and Route 25, there was no sign of Gary, or Lawrence, or even the large castle that Ash had told them about. They had all vanished without a trace, and now she had to break the news to Misty's family and friends.

This was one of the parts of her job that she hated. Being the bearer of bad news.

Looking at the group of five people that were seated with her in the lobby of the Gym, Officer Jenny watched as Ash drummed his fingers on the surface of the glass table, anxiously waiting for her to reveal what they had found. Misty's sisters were all uncharacteristically silent, and Anabel more or less was the same.

"So?" Ash asked, breaking the silence which gained a sigh from Officer Jenny.

"We couldn't find anything." Officer Jenny stated.

"He got away?!" Ash yelled.

"We're not exactly sure. We scanned the entire Route and Nugget Bridge. We had our Pokemon check the area for any abnormalities and checked from the sky. We couldn't find Gary." Jenny explained. "Nothing was there."

"Well you guys have to check the area again. He's nothing but trouble." Ash said.

"You guys can't allow Gary to continue running loose." Daisy added.

"Don't worry about Gary. I've sent out an alert to place him on our wanted list. If he's spotted, we'll catch him." Officer Jenny replied before motioning for Ash to join her on the other side of the room for them to speak privately. "We were also unable to find Lawrence or his castle."

"How is that possible?" Ash asked as he stared at her.

"As I said before, we checked the area thoroughly Ash. There was no signs of castle being located anywhere along the Route." Jenny explained.

"So then what about Lawrence?" Ash asked.

"As of right now Ash, you'll have to prove that Lawrence is scheming. His actions over the past few years indicate that he's changed his ways since leaving prison." Jenny responded. "I can't go by your word alone and arrest someone. Proof has to be found first. Do you have any that I can use?"

"Well…" Ash came to a stop. He knew next to nothing about the 'race' that Lawrence had been talking about. That information wouldn't prove anything. "I don't."

"If you find anything, contact me." Officer Jenny said before making her way over to the girls once more. "I'm deeply sorry for everything that you have gone through over the past few hours. Believe me when I say that I'll be working my hardest to make sure Gary Oak is put back behind bars."

"Thank you Officer Jenny." Daisy said as she gave the women a wave. Officer Jenny tipped her hat to the group before heading to the exit of the lobby. As she opened up the door, she came face to face with a woman who gave her a small smile. Jenny gave her a nod as she passed her, entering the summer heat. The woman that had passed Jenny looked around the lobby, watching Ash cross the room to rejoin the girls in the seating area

Anabel was the first to take notice of her, wrinkling her forehead a bit as she observed the facial features of the woman. She bore a striking resemblance to Misty. She had the same jade eyes, the same bright hair that caught your eyes, the aura of fierce determination.

"Mom?" Violet exclaimed, causing everyone to look back at the woman who stood at the entrance to the Gym.

"What are you doing here?" Lily added as they jumped to their feet.

"I called her." Daisy said to silence her two sisters.

"Why would you do that?" Lily asked as she turned to Daisy.

"She's Misty's mother. She deserved to know that what happened to Misty." Daisy replied.

"Why would she care? She was the one who walked out on all of us." Violet said as she pointed an accusing finger at the woman who hadn't said a word at this point.

"I just wanted her here, okay." Daisy snapped as she looked up at her sisters who were a bit taken aback. With a shrug, the two of them spared their mother one last look before leaving the lobby.

Daisy sighed loudly as she motioned for her mother to join them in the seating area. Her mother slowly approached them, taking a seat in one of the open chairs across from Ash, Anabel and Daisy.

"Ash, Anabel…this is our mother." Daisy said as she motioned to the woman. "Mom, this is Ash and Anabel. They're friends with Misty."

The woman gave them a nod. She knew a lot about Ash. Out of all of her daughters, Misty kept in touch with her the most, and her youngest daughter always mentioned Ash Ketchum.

"It's nice to meet you." Anabel said as she gave the woman a smile.

Ash simply stared at Misty's mother, trying to recall if he knew anything about this woman. Misty and her sisters had never even spoken about their mother, or their parents for that mother. Ash had always assumed that they had passed away.

"How are you Daisy?" She asked with a voice that would put anyone at ease. But it didn't seem to have any effect on Daisy.

"You know the reason I called you here." Daisy said in a deadpan. Even though she was being the kindest to her mother, it was clear that even she still held some form of resentment toward her. "I've been pushed into a corner now. The League has declared that they want an official Gym Leader running this Gym because Violet, Lily and I just aren't good enough as trainers to pose a challenge. And now I'm not sure if Misty will be able to take the test. If we lose the Gym, me and the girls will have no where to go. I don't have anyone else to turn to right now."

Daisy was fighting back tears as she revealed her struggles to her mother. Daisy could only look down her two hands that were closed into trembling fists, unaware that her mother had now moved over to the sofa and had taken a seat beside her. Placing her arms around her daughter, Daisy jumped a bit before relaxing into the hug from her mother.

"Relax sweetie." She said as she placed a kiss on Daisy's forehead. "Just relax."

"I can't relax. I'm so stressed right now." Daisy said with a hiccup. "If our next water show doesn't do well, the town is going to shut down the event entirely. The town wants us out. The League wants us out. Everyone's against us right now."

"Daisy, don't frustrate yourself." Her mother said quietly as she rubbed Daisy back. "I'll take care of it."

Ash watched on with a small smile as Daisy seemed to calm down in the arms of her mother. The calming effect of a mother was truly incredible. And he knew that first hand. It made him think of his own mother.

I know for a fact that her killer is still at large.

Anabel glanced at Ash as she noticed his aura flare up once again in a cloudy gray color. Something was on his mind once again, it was clear that it was eating away at him with how often his aura sparked up like this. She could only wonder what was bothering him right now.

Once Daisy calmed down, she thanked her mother before suggesting that she got talk to her sisters to see if she could get them to speak to their mother at least a little bit. Leaving her mother with Ash and Anabel, the group of three sat in silence for just a moment before a conversation was sparked.

"So you're the one and only Ash Ketchum?" Misty's mother asked as she turned to face Ash who gave a nod.

"Yup."

"Misty would speak about you often." She said, causing Ash to blush a bit with a nervous chuckle. "The last picture I saw of her was at her graduation from the Fuschia Technical Academy."

Rummaging through her purse, she pulled out her Pokegear which she quickly turned on to show Ash a picture. The wallpaper of her Pokegear was a picture of Misty and Ash smiling proudly at the camera holding their certificates.

"I love this picture. She sent it to me right after the ceremony. When ever I look at this picture, I realize that my little girl has grown up just like her sisters." Her mother said softly as she smiled at the picture. "I never thought that the next time I would see her it would be in a hospital bed."

"You've seen her already?" Anabel asked.

"Yes, earlier this morning." She replied. "It hurts to see your children suffering. When Daisy called me, I knew I couldn't leave them alone any longer."

Ash felt a bit conflicted as to how he should view the mother of the Waterflower sisters. He could tell that she left them at some point and that was unforgivable, but the girls clearly need her now more than ever, and she had arrived just to help them. Whether she was good or bad, she was here, and that's what counted for now.

Well, what if I could tell you that her murder weapon is still in your house.

Ash shook his head a bit, pushing Lawrence's words to the back of his mind. Making sure everything went smoothly here was the most important thing.

"Oh, I never got your name." Ash pointed out as he looked at Misty's mother.

"Sunny. Sunny Waterflower."

Anabel found herself in the pool of the Cerulean Gym with Sunny and her daughters, observing the routine that the girls had put together for their next and possibly last show.

"So what did you think mom?" Daisy asked as they climbed out of the pool.

"It seems promising." Sunny began as Anabel glanced back across the pool where she could see Ash seated by himself on the edge of the pool.

Anabel had to admit that Ash had been acting rather strange since Gary's reappearance. He had become reckless and hot tempered, and this worried Anabel since he was a completely different person when compared to the guy that she had been acting as her mentor for the past few weeks. But since his return from chasing Gary in the dead of the night, he had been acting ever stranger if that was even possible.

Now he was brooding. He wasn't eating as much as she had seen him eat before, and he was always lost in his thoughts. But most of all, the gray aura that was constantly around him was growing darker.

"Hey Ash, is everything alright?" Anabel asked as she approached him. Ash simply glanced up at her before returning his gaze to pool as he studied the surface of the water.

"I don't really know." He replied. "I feel sort of…"

"Confused?" Anabel cut in, receiving a curious glance from Ash.

"Yeah, how'd you know?" He asked, causing her to blush a bit.

"Oh, um. You're just, easy to read." She replied sheepishly.

"Really?" Ash said with a weak chuckle. This wasn't the first time he had been told that.

"So is something bothering you?" Anabel asked as she took a seat beside him, quietly hoping that he would open up to her.

"Well, it's just some disturbing news I found it. I'm not really sure if it's true or not." Ash replied softly.

"What makes you think that?"

"It's…complicated."

"How so?" Anabel continued, leaning forward a bit to see his facial expression.

"Man, you don't give up do you?" Ash said as he turned to face her.

"I learned that from you." Anabel said as she motioned to him. This gained a smile from Ash as his dark gray aura lightened up a bit.

"It's good to hear that you've been listening." Ash replied.

"So what's on your mind?"

"Hah." Ash sighed, realizing that he couldn't keep beating around the bush with Anabel. She was very observant, of both people and Pokemon. There was no getting past her at this point. "For the last four years, I thought my mother had died from a heart disease. But last night I was told that she was murdered."

Anabel remained silent, unable to think of something that she could say at this moment. This was the first time that someone had ever revealed something like this too her. She was at a loss for words.

"I don't really know if I should believe what I was told or not. I don't know what I would do if I went back to Pallet Town and found out this might be true." Ash went on.

Ash found himself seated on the back of his Charizard as they sailed high over the clouds. He was slightly dumbfounded still, trying to figure out how exactly he was thrown out of the Cerulean Gym.

Sunny and her daughters had called him into the kitchen to speak with him. Their conversation was short, sweet and to the point.

"For real?" Ash exclaimed as he looked at the group women who gave him one collective nod.

"Don't worry about Misty, we'll make sure that everything goes smoothly with her recovery. We'll give you a call if Misty wakes up. But otherwise, you're free to go." Sunny said as she motioned him to get on the move.

"Aw, thanks guys!" Ash said as he gave each of them an individual hug.

"We hope all goes the best for you in Pallet Town." Violet said after receiving her hug from Ash, causing him to pause.

"How did you know I was going to Pallet Town?" Ash asked before glancing at Anabel who quickly averted her gaze from him.

Daisy could understand what Ash was experiencing since the two of them had been in the same boat. Their parent had disappeared form the life without warning, and all they wanted was an answer as to why they left.

"There's no time to worry about that right now Ash, get on the move." Daisy said as she began to push Ash toward the door.

Before he knew it, he had all his belongings packed up once again, and he and Anabel were on the back of Charizard heading straight toward Pallet Town. Ash glanced back at Anabel who clung to his torso in order to make sure that she didn't slid off of Charizard's back.

"Thanks Anabel." He whispered to her, causing her to smile inwardly.

June 21st

Pallet Town

"Don't worry about us Charizard, we'll be fine." Ash assured his Pokemon as they landed on the northern side of PalletTown. "Return."

Calling the fire type back to the safety of its Pokeball, Ash could sigh with relief now that it was out of the rain. As they neared PalletTown, Ash, Anabel, Charizard and Pikachu found themselves flying into a summer rain storm.

They had just made it to their destination before getting caught in the storm, although they still had a good distance to run before they would arrive at Ash's home.

"Follow me." Ash said as he motioned for Anabel to follow him into Pallet Town.

It wouldn't be long before Ash found himself staring at a familiar sight. The house that he had grown up in before leaving for the Tsugi Academy when he was thirteen. Just staring at the front porch brought back numerous memories of he, his mother and Mr Mime seated on the bench, relaxing in the evening during spring.

Unlike Ash, Anabel immediately got onto the porch to get out of the rain, beginning to inspect her clothing. She had gotten drenched in the rain despite how quickly they had gotten to Ash's house. Looking out, she found that Ash was still standing in the rain with a gray aura of uncertainty around him.

"Pi?" Pikachu asked as it waved its tail in front of Ash's face to snap him out of his thoughts. He had been standing in the rain for well over a minute just observing the front of his house porch while Anabel had quickly gotten under the safety of the porch.

"Oh, sorry about that." Ash said as he joined Anabel on the porch. Pikachu leapt off of Ash's shoulder to the porch where it proceeded to shake off the water from its fur as Ash opened up the front door to the house.

Just as he had expected, nothing had changed. The living room was exactly how he had left it before the Indigo Conference.

"You can find towels in the bathroom upstairs." Ash said to Anabel before heading to the kitchen to begin his search of the house.

Anabel opened her mouth to speak, but swallowed her words as she recalled what Ash was here to do. It was best that she didn't interrupt him for the time remaining.

"Pika." Pikachu said as it dashed over the staircase, calling for Anabel to follow it.

Arriving at the bathroom, Anabel flipped the switch on the wall to light the room. Pikachu was quick to direct Anabel's attention of the cabinet below the sink, informing her that the towels were in there. Once she found a towel, Anabel started to dry her hair as she studied her appearance in the mirror.

Tilting her head a bit, Anabel paused what she was doing to look at herself. Her hair had grown longer and she hadn't even noticed. She had always kept her hair short, but since leaving Hoenn, her hair had grown to the point where it was beginning to reach her shoulders.

Taking a few strands of her hair, Anabel twirled it around her fingers before releasing it with a small smile. Her hair was growing, and her skin had tanned. She was no longer the girl that had been cooped up within the Battle Academy since she was young. Now she was a Pokemon trainer with a journey of her own waiting to unfold around her.

Pikachu and Anabel became startled after the sudden crash that came from downstairs, resulting in both of them rushing down the stairs to see what had happened. The living room was still the same, but the condition of the kitchen had changed drastically during the short period of time that they were upstairs. Peering into the kitchen, Anabel and Pikachu could see Ash carelessly rummaging through one of the cabinets, dropping plates without so much as flinching.

Anabel felt a chill run down her spine as she observed the sinister black aura that danced around Ash. As Anabel took a step into the kitchen, she felt Pikachu tug at her leg, motioning for her to remain where she was.

"Pi...Pika-chuuu." It said as it shook its head. Anabel didn't need another warning from Pikachu to stay away from Ash. His current demeanor was incredibly intense, to the point where Ash seemed dangerous.

Ash gave a sigh of frustration as he leaned against the living room wall. He had spent hours searching his home from top to bottom and he didn't see this so called murder weapon that Lawrence had mentioned. Ash wanted to believe that his mother had died naturally, but something continued to bother him.

Why would someone like Lawrence III know his mother?

Delia was a kind mother who lived in Pallet Town for most of her life. How would Lawrence, a man that had been in prison for quite some time, come into contact with his mother?

Ash straightened up a bit with another sigh. Perhaps he taking this too seriously. Lawrence was a criminal after all, and it was possible that he could have been lying to him.

Yeah…Lawrence had to be lying. Ash was just blowing this whole thing out of proportion.

Taking a deep breath, Ash allowed his body to relax which reminded him that he had to change his clothes. They had dried off while he was in the house, but he was sure that putting on some fresh clothes would be more comfortable than what he was wearing.

Heading up to his room to find a fresh pair of clothes, Ash found Anabel resting on his bed, sound asleep with Pikachu beside her. Moving on his toes, Ash remained as quiet as he could possibly be. Collecting a change of clothes, Ash then left the room to change downstairs.

Once he was out his clothes, Ash decided that it would be best if he went down to the basement and put his clothes in the washing machine so that they would be ready for when he was ready to leave Pallet Town. In fact, he would get Anabel's as well so that they could both head out in clean clothes.

Opening the door to the basement, Ash immediately placed his hand on the wall to search for the light switch that would brighten up the room. He couldn't see a thing until the lights flicked to life, allowing him to move down the wooden staircase to the concrete floor at the bottom. The washing machine waited at the bottom for him which he opened up and tossed his clothes into before slamming it shut.

With a sigh, Ash turned the knob at the top machine to activate it before leaning against.

"There's nothing to worry about Ash." He said to himself. All he needed to do was clear his head for a bit. Just relax.

Ash exhaled and as if on cue, the lights of the basement flicked once again before shutting off, leaving Ash in total darkness.

"Ugh, stupid lights." Ash muttered as he straightened up, looking in the direction of the staircase, but something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. An eerie red glow that was slipping through the spaces between a number of boxes. "Hmm?"

Approaching the box, Ash pushed a few of them aside to see what was the source of the red glow. He couldn't tell what exactly the object was, but on the front of it was a small panel that said 'empty' in bright red letters.

"What's this?" Ash asked himself as he moved aside the rest of the boxes to squeeze himself into the space. Placing his hands on it, Ash began to inspect it through feeling since his sight was virtually useless at this point.

It was cold and cylinder shaped. That was the most he could figure out in the pitch black of his basement. Since it said empty on the front, Ash could only assume that it was holding something beforehand. Rising up, Ash trekked his way through the darkness to the top of the staircase where he flipped the switch a number of times to try and reactivate the lights of the room, but to no avail.

"Man, I need some light." Ash said to himself as he stepped out of the basement. "Pikachu."

Quietly returning to his room, Ash awakened the small yellow Pokemon without disturbing Anabel, calling for it to following him down the basement.

"The lights went out Pikachu. I just need a bit of light." Ash explained as he opened up the basement for Pikachu to witness his dilemma.

"Pi." It replied as it raised its tail, creating a ring of electricity around it that produced a soft light that Ash could use to see.

"Thanks." He said as they ventured into the basement, returning to the spot where he had left the mystery object. Upon seeing it, Ash could only tilt his head with curiosity. It was some kind of canister, but other than that, he really had no idea what it was.

Taking a hold of it, Ash attempted to lift it from the ground with a grunt before discovering that it was locked into place on the floor.

"Pika." Pikachu said as it pointed to the outlet behind it. It had been plugged it to the wall, something that only increased the confusion surrounding this item. It clearly didn't belong in his house with the long serial number that was located on the top of the canister. Ash was pretty sure that his mother would never use something like this.

With another grunt, Ash tugged the canister from the wall, causing the screen that showed the current state of the device to shut off. Lifting it with both hands, Ash found the canister to be quite heavy as Pikachu led him back up the staircase. Once they were in the light of his kitchen, Ash took another look at the canister in silence, unable to think of any reason for this to be in his house. Or what it could be used for.

Well, what if I could tell you that her murder weapon is still in your house.

Something just wasn't right about this. Even though Ash didn't know what this canister could, he was pretty sure that he knew someone who could figure it out.

"Pikachu, I'm going out for a bit." Ash said as he picked up the canister once again.

"Pika-chu." It replied as it followed him out the kitchen toward the front door.

"No Pikachu, I want you to stay here with Anabel." He said in a low voice. Pikachu obediently remained in the living room as Ash retrieved an umbrella before looking back at Pikachu. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Ash then left, opening up the umbrella on the front porch before heading into the rain with the canister held snuggly in his other arm.

As soon as Ash left, Pikachu rushed up to Ash's room where it leapt onto the bed to awaken Anabel.

"Pi-Pikachu!" It exclaimed as she rose up from the bed groggily.

"What?" She said as she rubbed her eyes.

"Pika-Pi!" Pikachu said, causing Anabel to perk up as she shook of her tired eyes.

"But why would he leave the house?"

"Pikachu-uu. Pika! Pi!"

"He found something in the basement." Anabel whispered to herself as she recalled what Ash had told her while they were in Cerulean City. "Oh no."

Oak's Laboratory

Professor Oak had been enjoying yet another day where he spent the whole day locked inside his lab, completely absorbed in his studies. That is, until some banging from the front door startled him.

While most of the citizens of Pallet Town regarded him as the figurehead of the town, it was rare that they actually came to him for the solution to their problems.

With a sigh he removed he rose from his seat to answer his door. Opening the door, he found himself looking at the last person he expected to be at his front door.

"Ash?" He exclaimed, looking at the young man who was clearly struggling to hold onto the canister with hand.

"Hey Professor, can you hold this for a sec?" Ash asked as he held of the canister for Oak.

"Uh, sure." The professor replied as he accepted the item for Ash, only to discover how heavy it was once Ash released his hold on it. "Ash, what is this?"

"I don't really know. I was hoping you could tell me." Ash replied as he followed the Oak to his closest work station. Setting the canister down on the table, Professor Oak took spent a few moments observing it from top to bottom. "So do you have any ideas?"

"It's an oxygenation tank." Oak replied. "They're primarily used to create dissolved oxygen for Drifloon and Drifblim. But what are you doing with one of these?"

"I found it in my basement." Ash responded.

"In your basement?" Professor Oak repeated.

"Yeah. Is there any way to find out what was inside of it?"

"Yes, but I'll need a few minutes." Oak said as he left the room to fetch the device that would be able to detect what was previously in the canister. While the professor was out of the room, Ash decided to take another look at the oxygenation tank. Hopefully this had nothing to do with what Lawrence had told him, but that sickening feeling in the pit of his stomach told him otherwise. "Alright, here we are."

The Professor returned with a small scanner in hand which he waved over the canister for a short period of time. Eventually the scanned voiced that it had completed the scan, allowing Oak to check the results.

"Oh dear." Was all he said, causing Ash to straighten up.

"What, what's wrong?" Ash asked as he approached the Professor.

"The canister had been holding concentrated Grimer slime." Oak explained. "As you know, a Grimer's body is composed entirely of sludge and a thin layer of oil to hold it together. That layer of oil prevents it from causing harm to anything around it. But because the slime became airborne through oxygenation, the there was nothing to stop it from killing anyone who inhales it."

"Killing?" Ash said sharply as he stared at the Professor.

"Yes. Grimer's slime is capable of shutting down a human respiratory system in just a few minutes. That's why you can't find Grimer's or Muk's in the wild anymore. They've all been contained in the Safari Zone." Professor Oak went on.

"Professor Oak, where was my mother found after she died?" Ash asked as he gave the gentleman a hard stare. It wasn't until now that Professor began to realize what this could possibly be leading to.

Someone may have planted this is Ash's house to kill Delia.

"In your living room." Oak explained, causing Ash to turn away as he tried to figure out what exactly this meant. The tank was in his basement, and his mother was found upstairs. That meant that the two of them weren't connected unless he could find some proof that she had been in the basement beforehand.

"Is there any sort of police report Professor Oak?" Ash asked as he turned to face the man once again.

"Yes, Officer Jenny left a copy with me to leave put in our archives." He responded, motioning for Ash to follow him. Leading Ash to the other side the building, they entered a room that Ash had never seen before. It was loaded with large metal filing cabinets that were placed side by side against the walls. Each cabinet was labeled with a different letter in the alphabet, leading Ash to believe that this room held information on everything about Pallet Town.

Professor Oak went straight to the cabinet with a 'K', searching for the file folder about Delia Ketchum.

"Here it is." Oak said, pulling out a small folder from the cabinet which he extended toward Ash.

"Thanks Professor." Ash said as he accepted the folder. Taking it out to the living room, Ash took a seat on one of the sofas, exhaling deeply in an attempt to slow down the pace his heart was beating at.

What was written on the inside of this folder would tell him if his mother had died peacefully. Or if she had been murdered by an unknown killer.

Placing his thumb at the edge of the folder, Ash pulled it open to find a thin stack of papers inside. The first page wasn't of much importance to him. It was merely the a detailed description of his mother, but the second page was what he wanted to read.

We arrived at the Ketchum residence at 10:24 in the morning after receiving a call about a woman that wasn't responding to any form of CPR. Upon our arrival we were led to the living room where she had been found on the floor. After a quick examination, we could declare that she had passed away. We were uncertain of the cause which prompted us to perform a search of the house.

She had been dead for at least a day based on the temperature of her body. There were no flesh wounds or internal damage done. We could only determine what she had been doing before her death.

My partner discovered that the washing machine downstairs still had clothing in it, leading us to believe that she had been doing the laundry just minutes before her death. We examined the basement, but no further clues could be found.

Ash felt his stomach drop as he quickly scanned this section of the report again.

She was in the basement…

Someone has poisoned his mother…

Ash could hear his heart beat resound in his head as he closed his hands into tight fists.

"What did you find Ash?" Oak asked after noticing that Ash had stopped reading the report.

Ash's eyes darkened as he rose from the sofa, leaving the report behind.

"Ash?" The Professor called out as Ash left the room in a brisk walk. "Where are you going?"

Professor Oak took one last look at the report Ash had left behind jumping to his feet to give chase. But his knees immediately reminded him that he was no longer able to move around as freely as he once could.

"I'm getting too old for this." Oak muttered as he immediately took a seat, placing his hands on his knees to try and soothe the soreness in his knees. He wasn't aging as gracefully as he had hoped, and pursuing Ash was out of the equation now.

He could only hope that Ash wouldn't do anything reckless.

Anabel and Pikachu slowly moved through Pallet Town underneath the dark and gloomy skies that continued to release a downpour on the town. The two of them were shielded underneath the umbrella Anabel had borrowed since the rain had gotten even worse since they had arrived earlier in the day.

"Ash!" Anabel called out.

"Pika!" Pikachu added, hoping its trainer would respond to their calls.

They had been outside for the better half of an hour at this point, and they still couldn't find anything that would lead them to Ash.

"Do you have any ideas where he could have gone Pikachu?" Anabel asked as she glanced at the Pokemon that was seated on her shoulder.

Pikachu could only shake its head in reply. They had already checked the cemetery and he hillside of Pallet Town that led to Route 21. The only thing left was Professor Oak's ranch.

"Oh look, here comes someone. Maybe they've seen Ash." Anabel said as she pointed out a figure that came sprinting toward them. "Excuse me!"

Anabel waved the person with hope that they would know something about Ash's whereabouts, but her hope was quickly dashed to pieces as the young man raced right past them.

'How rude.' Anabel said to herself as she watched him run off.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu shouted as it pointed at the man that had just passed them.

"That was Ash?!" Anabel exclaimed, receiving a nod from Pikachu.

A/N : It's good to be back. I know its been months since I update, but here we are. Starting right here is where the story will start to heat up. There's some big plans that will start within the next two chapters, so get ready for the ride. That's all I have to say this time around, and I just want to thank you all for putting up with my inconsistent updates. As I said earlier, once I get motivated again, the chapters will start rolling as well.