Obsidian and Plum: Unlikely Events
Chapter two - Forgotten
Paul had kept a close eye on Ash during the past couple of hours – Ash's body having finally warmed up, but the young man hadn't shown any signs of regaining consciousness at all. By late evening, Paul's worry for the obsidian-haired trained had increased tenfold; he knew that Ash's state of unconsciousness didn't bode well.
Paul checked his pokégear – still no signal! He switched it off again to preserve the battery. Ash's pokégear was completely water logged – he'd already tried it – just in case. Sighing in frustration, Paul rested his eyes and leant against the wall. Alone, he knew he'd be fine to wait out the storm, but he was not alone, and Ash needed to be seen by a doctor.
Despite his anxious thoughts, Paul soon started to drift to sleep. He could hear the rain; a constant loud fizz outside the cave; the trickling drops as water joined and cascaded off the vegetation to the ground in small flowing streams. The wind howled, causing destruction in its wake. He listened to it all, hoping it would distract his mind, but he kept seeing images of Ash: Ash's naked, attractive body: Ash's obsidian-hair and bare chest: Ash's waist, only covered in thin boxer and… And that was the last thing he wanted to be thinking about!
He tried again to listen to Mother Nature's cries, and eventually he dozed off, but he couldn't restrain his last sting of thoughts about the trainer.
'Pathetic how damn attractive he now is. He was annoyingly cute in Sinnoh with that sickening, constant cheeriness. Even then he confused the fuck outta me.'
Paul didn't know how long he'd slept for, but he was woken up by Pikachu screaming urgently at him and tugging at his top to gain his attention. Groggily, Paul opened his eyes and groaned. He looked at Pikachu with an angry expression, watching the yellow rat as it run over to Ash. It was then, with a mixture of relief and worry, that he saw Ash moving slightly.
Ash's head slowly rolled to one side, his eyes screwed tightly shut, and his hands and arms twitching. Paul could just about hear the small groans over the still crackling fire, and very quiet mumbling escaping the trainer's lips.
"Pika, Pika … chu. No, no…" Ash mumbled in distress, breathless, panicked and strained.
"Ash?" Paul called to him, rushing over and trying to get his attention. He wanted to Ash to wake up, that way he would be able to take water at least.
'I'm no good at this shit! The comforting, caring type of crap is Reggie's job. Fuck!'
Paul watched as Pikachu nuzzled Ash's face, calling out to him quietly in his sickly sweet pokémon tone – but Ash still seemed confused and unconscious.
"No –– gotta –– going." Ash's speech was mostly incoherent and strained as he continued to mumble. Paul gently shook him at the shoulders.
"Ash! Can you hear me? Ash!"
Ash's eyes opened a fraction but they fluttered. His eyes held no focus and looked pained. "G … Gary?" Asked Ash, confused. His eyes rolled into the back of his head.
Confused himself, Paul's eyes narrowed as he frowned. "Errr … No! It's Paul!'' He wondered who the fuck Gary was.
Ash's eyes continued to dance in his head, he seemed to be fighting consciousness – trying to stay awake, but not able to grab the cord back to reality.
"Brock?" Ash croaked out; his breathing laboured.
Paul sighed – he was worried about Ash's state of mind.
"Ash, It's Paul!" He tried once again, somewhat exasperated. "Paul! You need to wake up now see!"
"Pika Pii!" Pikachu cried, as if agreeing with Paul's words.
"Pika – chu?" Ash managed to force out, his eyes finally starting to settle and focus as he winced. His hand lifted weakly for a moment, before falling back down. Pikachu rushed over to that hand, and with his tiny yellow paws he started patting it and 'talking' to Ash gently.
Paul stared at the gestures exhibited by the small electric type pokémon, startled by his almost human like actions. Pikachu was, in his opinion, far to affectionate and doting on its trainer.
'So, he recognises his rodent!' Paul thought bitterly. He couldn't deny the sting of jealousy that he felt, but he ignored it.
Ash continued his incoherent mumbling – the confusion and pain still obvious on his face, and his eyes flickered again between barely open and closed. Paul caught the names Ash mumbled through – of people he assumed Ash had met on his journey, including: Brock, Misty, May and Max. Ash also mumbled about his mother, a Mr Mime doing something he didn't like in his bedroom, something about underwear, going to be late, and Ho-Oh. Paul wondered if Ash had traveling companions, and if he did, where were they now?
After what seem like a distressingly long time, Ash started to groan louder and started coughing.
"Where –– where am I?" Ash's voice was hoarse and strained – he was so weak, and he barely moved at all except for the coughing that jolted his entire body.
"Between Jhoto and Kanto." Answered Paul, watching Ash closely.
Pikachu – Paul noticed, was paying very close attention to his trainer. Ash was trying to say something else, but the only word that Paul could make out was 'head'. Paul mentally kicked himself then; he'd already dried Ash's hair, but he was so caught up in his own thoughts at the time that he never even thought to check to see if Ash had a head injury.
Feeling Ash's head carefully under the thick black tufts of hair, he soon felt a small cut at the back with a nasty bump. Paul winced. 'That must have hurt!'
It wasn't bleeding – at least not anymore, so there was nothing he could do except keep an eye on him. It might explain why Ash was taking so long to gain full awareness, and it was another thing that Paul was now worried about. He could only hope that Ash would continue to improve; head injuries could be serious and permanent, and he prayed to Arceus that Ash didn't have any internal bleeding in the brain.
Right now, Ash didn't seem to be taking in much – if anything, of what Paul was saying. Paul did however, manage to succeed in getting Ash to take some water. Paul had lifted Ash's torso and head gently, held the water bottle as Ash sipped from it, and then gently laid him back down. Ash really didn't look well, and he was so lethargic and languid that the boy he remembered didn't match up to the boy he was now stuck caring for.
Paul had been sleeping once again – sitting up against the wall of the cave, but just like before, he was woken up by an annoying Pikachu. Cursing, he looked towards the cave entrance and noticed that there was a faint light breaking through the gaps in the logs – dim rays of light struggling to reach the cave through thick dark-grey clouds and heavy rain. It was morning though – he must have slept through the remainder of the night. The storm seemed to be at its worst right now, and judging by the sounds of the storm, mother nature was well and truly pissed. Paul was confident that the storm could only get better from here on out, it just had to move on or dissipate.
Pikachu was being extremely persistent in gaining Paul's attention, so he quickly went to check on Ash.
Ash had decided to go from one extreme to the next; he was now starting to burn up. His coughing had gotten worse, and even though it shook his entire body, he was still asleep. Ash was shaking, and he had sweat running down his face.
After unzipping the sleeping bag and uncovering Ash's body, Paul decided to call out his Froslass. He handed it a bowl and order it to collect rain water – moving a couple of logs so it could leave the cave with its solid item. The harsh winds blowing rain into his face were effective in waking him up. He shivered.
Paul really wished Pikachu would get into its bloody damn pokéball, especially when he took a piss at the back of the small cave in a deep trench that he'd asked Aggron to dig out yesterday: He'd lined the corner with some leaves, and partially covered it with a log after he'd anticipated how inappropriate – and possibly dangerous, it would have been to go outside during the worst of the storm. Yet despite his perfect and logical reasoning, Pikachu had just stared at him like he was some sort of disgusting, untrained animal during the whole time he relieved himself.
"Piss off!" He'd told the electric type in anger, who just shook his head at him. He'd have the last laugh eventually though, when the tables were turned – when the rodent had the perfectly natural urge to expel its own body waste!
Once Froslass had finally returned with the bowl of water, he got her to chill it with a weak icy wind attack. He used the near frozen water, and a small hand towel, to dab at Ash's head and neck. Then, he folded and placed the cool towel on Ash's forehead – leaving the sleeping bag unzipped down to his waist, so only Ash's legs remained covered.
Ash went in and out of conscious, and each time he started to wake up he would mumble incoherently. Paul was able to get Ash to drink some more water during his brief half-conscious phase, and Paul continuously tried to keep his temperature down with the help of Froslass and Pikachu.
Pikachu was like a parent caring for its sick Pichu, and to Paul, that was weird. Pikachu was also rather bossy at times, much to Paul's annoyance. 'The audacity!'
Paul also checked Ash's leg injury again, and he cleaned it up a little more before reapplying the make shift bandage. He then found what was left of his cut-up joggers, getting Froslass to freeze them so he could place it over Ash's broken leg – he was hoping it would alleviate the swelling and numb the area, but he berated himself however, for not thinking to do that sooner. He wasn't a fucking nurse or a doctor though, and he was doing the best he could!
It wasn't until that afternoon however, that Paul got worried enough to feel nauseous himself.
Ash had started mumbling louder than usual; his temperature had risen and he was shaking violently. Paul was using a wet, ice-cold towel on Ash's chest, head, and neck when Ash started convulsing. Pikachu was yelling frantically at a frozen Paul – to do something! The shrill cries of the little electric type pokémon, snapped away his fear and made his mind jump to attention. He held Ash carefully through his episode – making sure that Ash didn't damage his head.
During the seizure, Ash had vomited. Paul had turned him onto his side so he didn't choke, and when the seizure had finally stopped, Paul had run to the back of the cave and puked his own guts up. He stood there for a moment, still leaning forwards against the wall and shaking. He was pale, and the whole ordeal had torn him up; it had been some fucked up shit to witness, and knowing that he was alone and in charge of Ash's life…. Well, it gave new meaning to term 'sick with worry' – he was terrified for Ash. Seeing someone that was usually so full of fire and life, in that state ... it wrecked him.
Breathing deeply, and regaining composure, he turned and noticed Pikachu watching him in concern. "What you looking at? I'm fine see! Worry about him!" Paul snapped, but his voice was too shaky to have any real snipe to it. He didn't know why he was embarrassed that the rodent had seen him in that state, it's not like it could talk and tell anyone. It was a pathetic notion. He also didn't want a bloody pokémon pitying him or some shit.
Returning to clean up Ash's body, another issue was revealed; Ash had obviously suffered with urine incontinence during his seizure. This meant that his sleeping bag now had to be cleaned and dried. Paul couldn't blame Ash, but he really wondered what he'd done to deserve this. He wasn't cut out for being a nurse, for caring for someone else, and Ash obviously needed proper medical care.
As Ash started to wake up, he had vague memories of being in a storm, of waking up with somebody putting something cold on his head, and Pikachu by his side … but it made no sense.
"Pikachu?" He mumbled, his throat hoarse and sore.
Forcing his eyes to open and adjust to the low light of the fire inside the cave… 'He was in a cave?' His head throbbed, and his leg felt like it had been stabbed multiple times. He felt so weak, recognising that his symptoms were consistent to that of a flu but worse … much worse. He felt nauseous, dizzy, and he couldn't remember what had happened.
"Pi! Pika pi!" He heard his Pikachu's voice, it sounded hopeful, relived. When he finally focused on Pikachu's face – that was now over his own, he could see two wide brown eyes glittering into his.
"Where is everybody else?" Ash asked with difficulty, trying to remember the last thing he could. He was on his way to conquer the battle frontier with Brock, Misty, May and Max. 'We were on our way to Mt. Moon', he thought.
"Ash? Are you with me this time, have you finally decided to grace us with your presence?" Some plum-purple-haired guy asked, kneeling down beside him. He seemed to be checking his temperature, and then he gave him an almost analysing look through squinted dark eyes.
"Who are you?" Ash rasped, the strange guy's face now in full view of his own. 'I feel like I've seen you before, but I just can't remember.' He thought to himself.
"You don't remember me?" Their voice was tinged with anger, although to Ash, it seemed like he harboured hurt or disappointment.
"Sorry. Should I?" Ash wheezed. It was obvious this plum-haired guy had helped him, and he felt guilty that he should remember him but didn't.
"Never mind!" The stranger bluntly stated. This time, Ash definitely heard the hurt that tangled in the guy's deep silky voice, and as he tried to sit up, he was pushed back down instantly. 'Who was he? He didn't even know his name.'
Paul however, felt hurt. 'I can't have had the same impact on him, as he had on me, if he can't even remember who I am.' He thought bitterly.
"What's your name…" Ash asked. "Maybe that will help-" Ash croaked out, before a coughing fit shook his entire body – it really hurt too.
Scrunching his eyes closed, Ash bit his lip and groaned as he held his throbbing head. He was wheezing, and the plum-haired guy was adjusting a pillow under his head so he wasn't laying totally flat on his back. It was then he realised, that he was completely naked and laying inside his blue sleeping bag – it was a bit damp too, but he was more concerned with being naked.
"Where's the pain?" Paul asked, ignoring Ash's question. He failed to noticed Ash's sudden concern – too busy with the pillow and angry that he was bothered so much by Ash's lack of memory of him.
"Everywhere." Ash scoffed, but he wasn't lying – everything stung, ached, throbbed, or gave out another type of pain in some way. The strange guy just rolled his eyes at him and took a deep breath – sighing loudly, before saying.
"Be more specific! How do you feel exactly? Where's the most pain? I can't help you if you act like an idiot!" His voice was stern and snappy. Ash just blinked, forgetting all about his naked predicament for moment.
'This guy could do with a serious change of bedside manner.' Ash thought. 'I should be angry with him, but something tells me he means well. Besides… beggars can't be choosers, and I'm so not in any position to argue right now.'
"Head, leg, eyes, shoulder, and leg – definitely the leg – – and head. I think I have the flu too. I feel dizzy, sick-" Ash took his time answering, but he just about managed before another coughing fit struck him hard.
"Right!" The stranger said, before going to collect something. "I'm Paul." Paul, then returned with an empty food container that Ash recognised as his own. "If you need to throw up, call me and use this."
'Paul huh? That name rings a bell … but I still can't remember him. What else am I forgetting?' Ash questioned himself.
"Where did we met?" Asked Ash.
Paul sighed – like he didn't want to answer his question, but he did after a while. "Sinnoh."
"I don't remember going there." Ash admitted, trying to recall ever going to such a place. His mind felt so foggy – like it was full of Swablu fluff, he was so weak he didn't know how long he would stay awake for, and his nausea was increasing along with his headache.
Paul watched as Ash's eyes fluttered closed and his head drooped, and he quickly decided to start warming up some soup. He went to get a can from his own bag.
"Try to stay awake. You need food!" Paul told him.
Ash didn't respond; he felt far too ill to even think about eating.
While Paul unfolded a collapsible camping saucepan, and started heating up the soup, his mind was putting certain facts together. 'Does Ash have amnesia? How much has he forgotten? Sinnoh was four –– five years ago.'
"What's the last thing you remember?" Paul asked. He watched as Ash's eyes flickered open and his face turned into one of obvious thought.
"Battle frontier." Ash finally answered. "I was going to take on the-" Ash failed to finish his sentence; he'd started coughing rather hard again. Through the wheezing – as he gasped for air between the coughing spasms, he managed to blurt out a warning. "I'm gonna be sick!"
Paul instantly rushed over to help Ash sit up; he reached him just in time that the vomit made it into the container. Ash's eyes were laced with tears as he apologised to Paul, before he went slightly limp in his arms.
"Don't worry about it!" Paul told him, helping him to sip some water.
Paul then realised the position he was now in; he had his arm behind Ash, who was leaning against him naked. In a way, Paul was now glad that Ash couldn't remember who he was. Pikachu staring at him from Ash's feet wasn't helping his emotions, nor his mental thought process either.
Paul took the water and vomit away first, before laying Ash back down. "Ash, how old are you?" Paul asked, tipping the vomit into the 'cave-make-shift-toilet' and covering it with some of the leaves – to smother the smell. He already knew Ash was nineteen – he'd learnt that during the Sinnoh league when he'd checked the competition data before his battle. He'd learnt back then, that Ash was a year younger than him – a year and four months younger, seeing as Ash was born in May 1991, whereas Paul was born in January 1990.
'Why do I remember that?' Paul thought – but again, he knew why.
Paul used the rain water to rinse the container out, before releasing Froslass to collect more rain water for them. Paul returned the now clean container next to Ash, before returning to check on the soup.
"Erm – I'm thirteen." Ash answered hesitantly – confused by such a question. He had a million questions of his own, but he was too exhausted and too weak to ask them. He was in a lot of pain – and that was something he didn't like to admit or complain about either, but the involuntary, quiet groans still escaped his lips, and the heavy laboured breathing and coughing fits where testament to his condition. Clenching his fists, Ash gritting his teeth to hide the pain and stared at the cave ceiling.
'What happened to land me in this situation?' Ash thought to himself. He could hear the storm outside in all its fury, so it was obviously part of the reason he was stuck here and not getting medical attention.
"You're nineteen." Paul started quietly, but Ash heard him just fine. "You battled the battle frontier and won. You told me so when you were in Sinnoh four-five years ago. It appears that you have forgotten the last four-five years." Paul then thought over his own words and realised, Ash was basically in the mind of a thirteen year old child, and it wasn't just him the trainer had forgotten about.
Ash's breathing became heavier, he was in shock and confused. It took him a while to process this new information, but with some self-encouragement, he decided he would get his memory back! 'This would just be another battle to win.' He firmly told himself. He wasn't ready to take on that battle yet however, the illness and injuries were wreaking havoc with his body and mind – which made Ash remember something else.
"Paul?" Ash asked hesitantly. "W-Why am I naked?" He blushed slightly in embarrassment.
Paul was dreading this question, but he closed his eyes and answered so bluntly that it seemed to slap Ash hard across the face. The direct recount of past events was hard to hear for anyone, there was no sugar coating to lessen the blow. "I found you soaked and frozen at death's door. Your clothes had to come off see! Then, the fever made you seizure –– you vomited and pissed yourself!"
Torn between being horrified and embarrassed, Ash had no words of response. He had lost all his dignity in the few sentences Paul had just spoken. He didn't even remember this guy; were they good friends or acquaintances? All he knew now was that, he couldn't look him in the face after hearing those words.
The silence soon became deafening after that, only broken by the burning fire, and Ash's violent coughing and heavy breathing. Paul didn't mind the silence, and he finished heating the soup silently. Paul eventually dished out two plastic bowls of soup, and helped Ash lean up against the cave wall so that he could try to eat his half.
Ash really didn't feel hungry, and he didn't want to vomit again, but even Pikachu was nagging at him to eat in his own little way. Paul told him to eat it slowly, and that it was more likely that he'd suffered a concussion instead of having a stomach bug.
While Paul ate his soup, he noticed Ash's refusal to even look in his direction. He didn't see any reason to elaborate on what had happen during the seizure, but Ash had obviously been affected by it so he offered his words of reassurance. "Don't be an idiot! Shit happens! Finish that soup then get some rest!"
Ash took a while to realise what Paul was referring to, but even when it sunk in, he still felt embarrassed.
Once Ash had slowly struggled through at least half of his portion of soup, Paul helped him get a dry t-shirt and boxers on. Ash had cried out in agony when his leg was moved, but he had gone weak, languid and drowsy again now. It had been nearly twenty-four hours since Paul had found Ash outside, and he was concerned that Ash was still showing distressing symptoms.
Laying Ash down to sleep, Paul lay another wet cloth over the trainer's forehead. Ash's temperature was still high, but Paul could tell it wasn't as bad as before. Reggie would say some crap about – 'a fever fights away the flu', but he didn't know if that was true in this situation. If Ash's temperature got too high again, Paul feared that Ash would be fucked.
As Ash slept and Pikachu watched over him, Paul continued to think about basic needs like food, water, fire and dry clothes. Ideally, they needed to get to civilisation, but that would be impossible in this weather.
Paul took a packet of cigarettes from his bag and counted four left. Pikachu was still fast asleep with Ash, so he moved over to the cave entrance and sat down. He took out a single cigarette, placing it between his lips. After lighting it up he took a long draw, closing his eyes as he slowly blew out the smoke towards the logs, and thought about what he needed to do.
'Ash has Pokémon on him. I wonder if he has a water type that could assist with cleaning his muddy clothes, dirty boxers and my piss soaked sleeping bag?'
Smoking his cigarette, he also wondered just how smart Pikachu actually was.
'I suppose the best course of action would be to find out. We also need more kindle for the fire, it needs time to dry before it can be used, and with this rain-'
Paul blew out more smoke and then noticed he was being stared at by a certain Pikachu. It was making its judgment on Paul's smoking habit. "Yes, I smoke. Deal with it!" Pikachu shook his head but continued to stare, making Paul rather uncomfortable. "At least I don't lick my own balls!" He told it. Pikachu looked offended at that, it huffed before laying back down, leaving Paul in peace to his own thoughts and his smoke.
When Paul had finished his nicotine fix, and stamped on the cigarette butt, he spoke directly to the Pikachu. "Pikachu? I need to see what pokémon Ash has. A water type might be able to help."
Paul remembered that Ash used to have a Buizel – it might be useful, but then Paul didn't think it would be able to hold up in this storm – that's if Ash still even had it; it had been at least four years, and while he had the same pokémon as back then it was unlikely that Ash did.
Pikachu looked at Paul as if it was trying to work out his intentions. "Pi-kaaa?"
Paul raised an eyebrow at Pikachu. 'I swear that rodent has a bloody superiority complex.' He thought to himself. "His clothes and my sleeping bag need cleaning, and we need more wood for the fire or we'll freeze to death. Does he have a pokémon that can assist or not?" When Pikachu just continued to stared at him, he sighed. "Maybe your brain is too inferior to understand after all." He told the dumb thing – thinking he would have to find out for himself or rely on his own pokémon.
"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu shouted, insulted. He marched over to Ash's pokéballs and found the one he wanted. Pressing the button with his tiny digits, he released Greninja.
"Gren!" Greninja confidently exclaimed, before he turned and grew concerned about the situation before him. "Ninja?"
Paul had never seen a Greninja before as he'd never been to Kalos, so he was standing there with his mouth open in shock – especially as he'd been showed up by that know-it-all Pikachu, who was now having a 'conversation' with it. He knew of Greninja's, but nothing more than that that existed really.
Pikachu pointed at Paul, and Greninja eyed him up and down – like it was trying to decide if it would attack him, kill him, or something else entirely. As the conversation between the two pokémon continued, Greninja knelt down besides Ash and placed his 'hand' on Ash's head. Paul was just watching – nearly gaping, and wondering what the fuck they were saying or doing. Paul could have sworn there was a blue glow radiating from Greninja.
Greninja looked concerned, but he eventually stood up and folded his arms. He turned to face Paul, standing there for a moment almost like it was thinking thoroughly, before suddenly offering a 'hand' to Paul.
Paul hesitated at first, but then he shook the Pokémon's 'hand'. To Paul, it was madness that Greninja had essentially formed an opinion of him and then decided if he would help or not from his own calculating analyses. Greninja looked and acted completely different from Ash's usual pokémon. He was calm, focused and serious on his objectives. The whole shaking hand business was also bizarre – what Pokémon greeting someone in such a human way?
Paul then noticed Pikachu staring at him, looking totally smug. Gritting his teeth, Paul ignored the electric rodent and turned to face Greninja with his composure reset and in place. He couldn't believe he was about to have a bloody conversation with the water type pokémon in front of him – it was pathetic enough talking to Pikachu.
"So, your Greninja huh?" He confirmed. Greninja nodded calmly. "Water type?" Greninja nodded again, but then started his night slash blade. Frowning Paul asked. "Night-slash, right? So, you're a dark type as well?" Greninja nodded once again and powered off his night-slash before it could be unleashed. "I see."
Paul explained to Greninja what needed to be done and why he'd asked for his help. He also mentioned that they needed wood for the fire. Before Paul could say anything else, as quick as a flash, Greninja had taken the dirty clothes and sleeping bag, and shoot out of the cave. Pikachu started laughing.
"Keep laughing and you can find your own food!" Paul growled at him as he fixed the logs back into place. He hoped Greninja knew what he was doing, but something told him that Greninja knew perfectly well what had to be done.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu warned, sparking up with static electricity.
Paul ignored Pikachu, and sat down close to Ash as he waited for Greninja to return. He would think about collecting wood in a while; the storm was still in full force outside but he had no choice, hopefully Greninja wouldn't be too long. Paul removed the damp towel from Ash's fore-head, and gently felt his skin – it was still too warm. He re-wet the hand towel and lay it back over Ash's head, thinking about their options or lack of.
'Hang in there, Ash. The storm will pass soon and I'll get you the help you need.
There's something special about you! It's only ever been you, you know, and I've never forgotten you.'