Author's Note: We're back for another chapter! You didn't really think we would end with everyone dying, right? Anyway, we're going to backtrack a bit and start this chapter immediately after the S.S. Ketchum sank.

Normal POV

As the last bit of the S.S. Ketchum sank beneath the waves, the Gyarados returned to the Team Rocket sub, which then headed back to base.

But what Team Rocket failed to see was that just out of the range of their radar, another boat was nearby. It was a small one that had been trailing the S.S. Ketchum. On board was a man in his mid-thirties. He had smooth, dark brown hair that was slicked back, and brown eyes.

He was usually undercover, posing as a grunt for Team Rocket. He had heard about their plan back at the base and was too late to stop the sub from launching. He had then secretly sneaked away from the base and taken a fast boat, trying to catch up to the cruise ship. But half an hour later, as his boat sailed into the debris that littered the water, he immediately knew that he was too late.

Suddenly, he heard two very faint cries from somewhere off of the port bow. As he turned the boat to get a look, he saw that the cries were coming from a Pikachu and an Eevee who were barely alive. They were clinging to the bodies of three young children, who he immediately realized as the ones Team Rocket were trying to capture. He knew Team Rocket needed these three alive, so when they sank it, they couldn't have known that they were sailing on the ship.

He pulled the two Pokemon on to the boat, who slipped into unconsciousness due to exhaustion. He then pulled the three kids up and checked to see if the were alive. They were breathing very lightly and they had bruises covering their bodies. He guessed that they must have been knocked unconscious by falling debris from the ship, since they weren't waking up.

There was nothing more that he could do for them to help them wake up, so he knew that he had to get them to safety. So he covered them in emergency blankets, started up the engines for the boat, and headed back to Vermillion City as fast as he could.

When rescue ships arrived three and a half hours later, they found nobody alive. But no one knew that he had gotten there first.

Dawn's POV

I still couldn't believe the news about Adam that I received. I had to make two phone calls to two important people, but how could I do this? I could barely take the news myself...how would they handle it?

I glanced at the other side of the couch. Piplup and Buneary were on the last cushion. Buneary was asleep and she was heartbroken. Piplup was awake, but looked so sad.

"Well...it has to be done." I said, standing up. I walked towards the video phone and as I walked past a mirror, I saw my reflection. I was a mess. My hair was pulled into a sloppy ponytail so my hair wouldn't stick to my tear-stained face and my eyes were red and puffy.

"Who to call first?" I asked myself. I decided to dial my mother's number first. After three rings, she answered.

"Hello?" my mom's voice said.

"Hey mom," I said, coughing to clear my throat.

My mom's face appeared on the screen. Now in her mid fifties, her sapphire hair was a few shades lighter and streaked with silver. Her once dark sapphire eyes had shaded to a lighter blue, and her face had a few wrinkles.

"Hi Dawn! How are you?" she asked, smiling.

Her facial expression then filled with concern and worry as she noticed my appearance. "Dawn? Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Mom...A-Ada-Adam's g-g-gone." I said, my eyes watering. "He's dead."

"What?!"

I nodded my head and the tears fell freely.

"H-How?" my mom asked, now crying over the loss of her only grandchild.

"H-He was on a ship with Jason and...and Misty's daughter, Michelle. The S.S. K-Ketchum was a-a-attacked and sank. No one...no one..." I said, not able to finish the sentence.

"D-Does Delia know yet?"

"No...I'm calling her next."

"Okay, Dawn...call Delia."

"I will. I love you, mom."

"Love you too, sweetie." she said sadly. The screen went black and the last thing I saw was my mom putting her head into her hands as she totally broke down.

I dialed Delia's number and waited. After two rings, she answered.

"Hi, Dawn. How are you?" she asked.

"Hi, Delia," I said.

She appeared on the screen and she looked at me. Delia was in her late fifties now. Her once reddish-brown hair became a light shade of brown with a few gray hairs and her face had a few more wrinkles than my mom's did. I saw that she had a red shirt on.

"Dawn, what's wrong?" she asked.

"I...I have some news..."

"What is it, dear?"

"A-Adam's gone."

"Wh-what?"

"He's g-g-gone. Dead. J-Jason's gone, too." I was still crying, my tears were just falling freely. Delia had tears falling silently.

"How?" she asked. Her voice was strangled and hurt. The same voice she had used when the news of Ash's death had been broken to her.

"The ship he was sailing on, i-it was a-a-attacked. N-no one- no one l-li-liv-" Once again, I couldn't complete the sentence.

"No..." Delia said quietly while shaking her head.

"I just n-needed to l-let you know."

"Thank you, Dawn. Be safe, and I am so sorry."

"Bye, Delia."

The screen went black. I placed my head in my hands and closed my eyes.

Normal POV

In Vermillion City...

A steady beeping sound filled a small hospital room with three beds. Two of the beds were occupied with two children; a girl and a boy. Both had wires attached to them. A groan was heard and then the sound of shifting from both of them.

Jason opened his eyes, his whole body aching.

"Where am I?" Michelle asked, sitting up with a headache pounding in her head.

Jason looked at Michelle and she looked back at him. The events of last night suddenly came rushing back to the two. They looked around and their eyes landed on the empty, unused bed. Adam wasn't in the room, and they both feared the worst.

"No..." Michelle said, tears forming in her eyes.

"No...Arceus, please don't let this be true." Jason muttered.

"Eevee!" Michelle cried suddenly. She looked along the floor and didn't see her beloved Pokemon.

"No...they didn't make it."

Michelle had a few tears falling from her eyes and Jason had his hands in fists, unable to believe it.

The wooden door to their room suddenly swung open, startling the two. A doctor entered who was fairly young. He carried a clipboard. His blonde hair was slicked back and his blue eyes looked at the two.

"Well, it's good to see that you two woke up." he said, walking over to Jason's bed. He checked Jason's monitor and then walked to Michelle's monitor.

"How do you two feel?" he asked.

"Sore and stiff." Jason grumbled.

"Sore and a headache." Michelle said softly.

The doctor scribbled down what the two had said. "Your bodies were in a state of extreme exhaustion when you were first brought in. That's why you both feel sore. Michelle, you have a headache because you suffered some cranial trauma, probably from hitting your head on something."

"Where's Adam?" they asked.

"Adam's fine. He's still in the recovery room. His injuries were more severe than yours. You two only had minor injuries." the doctor said. "Oh yes, and your Pokemon are in the Pokemon Center recovering, too."

Jason and Michelle released a huge sigh of relief knowing Adam was alive and their Pokemon were, too.

Dawn's POV

I had just finished brushing my hair and washing my tear-stained face when I heard the video phone. I walked to the phone and answered it.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Is this Dawn Ketchum?" a voice asked.

"Yes, who is asking?" No one appeared on the screen so I realized this person wasn't on a video phone.

"Doctor Queen's assistant, Bethany, from the Vermillion City Hospital."

"Okay,"

"I'm calling to tell you that..." I heard the shuffle of papers. "Your son, Adam Ketchum, is alive."

If I had been holding something at that moment, I would've dropped it. "He's alive?!"

"Yes,"

"Thank you!"

"Goodbye,"

The call was ended.

"Thank you, Arceus." I said. I left for Vermillion City immediately. I had to see Adam for myself.

Leaf's POV

I sat in kitchen drinking some hot tea. Gary had gone to the lab to deal with the news in his own way. I, on the other hand, couldn't do anything.

The phone rang and I grabbed my cup and went to answer it.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Yes, is this Leaf Oak?"

"Yes, this is her."

"I'm Doctor Queen's assistant, Bethany, from the Vermillion City Hospital."

"Continue..."

"I'm calling to tell you that your son Jake - sorry, Jason, is alive."

I dropped the cup of tea and it shattered on the floor. I jumped back as the hot tea hit my barefoot.

"Thank you so much!"

"Goodbye,"

The phone call ended and I dashed out of the house and towards the lab. I had to tell Gary in person right away! I arrived at the lab in record time and ran inside, earning some looks from the two assistants.

"Gary!" I cried as I entered.

Gary was at the back of the lab looking at some papers. "Leaf? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"It's Jason. The hospital called just now. He's alive! HE'S ALIVE!" I yelled happily.

Gary looked at the ceiling, silently thanking Arceus. He stood up and hugged me. "Thank goodness." he muttered.

We just stood there for a few minutes in each others' arms as tears of joy ran down our faces. I hadn't felt this happy or relieved since the day Gary and I got married.

Misty's POV

I had closed the gym for a while after receiving the news. My daughter was gone, and only ten years old. I sat on the couch looking at the last picture that had been taken of Michelle and I. I hadn't felt this sad since the day my husband divorced me and left me with Michelle...and now, just like him, she was gone, too. Forever. I was all alone now, just like Dawn.

The video phone started ringing. I jumped and rolled the chair to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Misty Waterflower?"

"Yes?"

"I'm Doctor Queen's assistant, Bethany, from the Vermillion City Hospital."

"Okay...?"

"I'm calling to let you know your daughter, Michelle, is alive."

I silently thanked Arceus. "Thank you,"

"Goodbye,"

Normal POV

It was now two days since the sinking of the S.S. Ketchum had taken place. Michelle woke up as the sun came into the room and she looked towards the bed. It was still empty. Adam was still in recovery. She sighed and Jason sat up and looked.

"Still not here..." he muttered.

After finishing their breakfasts, the door opened to reveal the doctor. He held the door open and a nurse walked in. Adam entered the room with the help of another nurse.

Adam was put into the last bed as he laid his head on the pillow and looked at his two friends. "Good to see that you two are okay." Adam said.

"Us? What about you?! You were in the worst condition!" Michelle cried.

"Good to see you're okay." Jason said, ignoring her outburst.

"Yeah, it's good to see that you're okay, Adam." Michelle said, calmly this time. "I...I was really worried about you..."

The door was about to close, but two blurs entered quickly. One was a yellow blur and the other was a brown blur. Pikachu and Eevee jumped onto their trainers' beds.

"Pikachu!" Adam cried.

"Eevee!" Michelle cried, scooping her Pokemon in her arms and holding her.

The doctor smiled at the scene. "You know, you three are very lucky to be alive and in the shape you're in."

"By the way, how did we end up back on dry land, anyway?" asked Jason.

"Nobody knows." the doctor replied. "You were found that night by someone who was walking along the beach and your bodies had been washed up onshore. That's when he called us for an ambulance." Then the doctor left the room.

"Do either one of you remember what happened or how we got knocked out?" Michelle asked.

"All I remember was hearing a loud bang." Jason replied.

"Yeah, I heard it, too. Then everything went black." Adam said.

After a minute, something came to Jason's mind. "There's something about that story the doctor just told us that doesn't fit."

"What's that?" Adam asked his friend.

"We were so far out at sea when the ship sank, so we couldn't have just washed up onshore only a few hours after the sinking."

"You're right, that's a good point. So that means the only way we could've gotten back here is if someone found us in the water and brought us back."

"But if someone did find us, why did they just leave us on the beach and not take us to a hospital?" Michelle asked.

"If they brought us here, the doctors would've seen who saved us. Maybe they didn't want to be found out?"

A knock came on the door that interrupted the conversation and a small group of people walked in.

"We've collected items from the wreckage. Anything belonging to you, take it."

A box was placed on each of their beds and they looked through the things. Michelle grabbed her bag that was soaked and placed it beside her.

"Please make sure that your things are there."

She looked through and nodded. Jason removed his bag and checked for his things. Adam then found his bag and checked for his things.

Adam and Jason found their belts with their Pokeballs and Michelle found her bracelet and attached it to her wrist. All of their Pokemon were still there.

"Thank you," the three said.

The small group then left the room.

"Do you think anyone else survived?" Michelle asked.

"I heard a nurse talking while I was in recovery. She said it was a massacre. Only three people lived and nearly all the Pokemon died." Adam said.

"We're lucky to be alive." Jason muttered.

The other two nodded their heads.

Later that day, the three had just finished their lunch when there was a knock on the door.

"You three have visitors." a nurse said.

The three nodded their heads and the door closed for a moment before it opened again. Misty walked in, followed by Leaf, Dawn, and then Gary. The parents walked to their beds and hugged their children.

"Are you alright?" Misty asked, looking at Michelle.

"Yeah, just sore and I have a headache." she replied.

Misty hugged her daughter again.

"You okay?" Leaf asked. "They told us at first that you had all died."

"Yeah, I'm just sore all over." Jason replied.

Gary remained quiet and just smiled at his boy.

"Are you alright?" Dawn asked her son.

"Yeah," Adam replied as Dawn hugged him.

"Thank Arceus you're okay."

The parents sat down in the chairs that were in the room. Michelle finally seemed to realize that her idol was in the room with her in person. She knew it was her by the way her eyes sparkled.

"So you're the famous Michelle?" Dawn asked, looking at Michelle.

"Yes, Mrs. K- uh, Dawn." Michelle said. "We've seen each other on the phone a few times."

"It's great to finally talk to you in person, but a shame under these conditions."

"Yeah,"

"Well, I've been watching your contests and I have to say that you're off to a great start. I know you'll be a Top Coordinator someday!"

"Thank you so much! That means a lot coming from you."

"So Jason, this is the Michelle that Dawn was telling us about?" Gary asked.

Jason nodded his head.

"Well Michelle, I'm Professor Gary Oak." Gary greeted.

"I'm Leaf Oak," Leaf greeted.

"Nice to meet you both." Michelle said.

After a little more chitchat, the parents left the room, saying that they were staying the night and leaving when the three of them were released.

Dawn's POV

I walked to the phones to make two phone calls again. I dialed Delia's number and waited. On the second ring, the phone was picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Delia."

"Hello, Dawn."

Delia looked so sad, but I was smiling.

"Well, you look very happy." Delia stated.

I laughed and shook my head. "It's because Adam's alive! He and his friends are all okay and are in the Vermillion City Hospital."

"Well, that's wonderful news! Please tell Adam that I love him and he'd better stop being so reckless like his father."

"I will, and you know Adam won't stop being reckless. He's just like Ash."

"I know, but I love them both."

"Me too. Well Delia, I have to go."

"Okay,"

The call was ended and the screen went black. I then dialed my mom's number and waited. On the third ring, the call was answered.

"Hi, Dawn."

"Hey, mom."

My mom looked confused by my smile.

"Dawn?"

"Adam's alive!" I cried.

"What?! That's wonderful! Thank Arceus he's alive! Are his friends okay?"

"Yes, all of them are fine."

My mom's face suddenly filled with concern. "Dawn, I want to ask you something."

"What?" I asked, confused.

"Dawn, you've been very emotional and under a lot of stress lately. I mean, with Ash's disappearance, people thinking he's dead, and Adam nearly dying. I want to know if I could come and stay with you. I want to be there for you, and to help you. Just until Ash returns home."

"Of course, mom. That would mean a lot to me."

"Thank you, dear."

"Well, I just wanted to call and tell you the news. I'll be heading home after the kids get released from the hospital. You can come to Pallet Town as soon as you want, and I'll meet you there when I get back. I love you."

"Love you too, Dawn."

Normal POV

"Good news!" the doctor cried as he entered the room the next day.

The three stopped talking suddenly and waited.

"You three are free to leave and go back on your journey again!"

"Awesome!" they all cheered.

The three changed back into their journey clothes, which had dried along with their other things, and waited in the lobby with their parents and Pokemon.

"Please be careful." they said.

"We will," the three replied.

They said goodbye to their parents and left the hospital.

"It's so great to be outside again!" Michelle cried happily.

Adam and Jason nodded their heads. Being trapped in the hospital wasn't fun.

"Next stop is Celadon City!" Adam declared.

Author's Note: And so, Adam and the others are rescued and ready to get back on their journey. Next stop is Celadon City where the next gym and contest is! And for those of you who have been saying that Ash will show up, for the hundredth time, he's DEAD!

Be sure to keep reading! Because next time, an old friend will be making a reappearance! Any guesses on who it is?

Find out next time on Pokemon NG!