Hey Everybody! I know, I know, you all thought that I was dead. Well, I'm not, so you're not getting any of my stuff! haha. But seriously, I'm sorry for the hiccup in time. This chapter was originally over 13,000 words, but I was still working on it tonight, and I realized that I couldn't go another week without an update, so I've just decided to put the first half of this chapter up for now, and will hopefully get the next chapter out even quicker since I'm already about 4,000 words into it. In addition to its length, I had a terrible time writing this because of writer's block, so it's just been a crappy time trying to create this altogether. However, I really enjoy the final version you see below, and I hope you do too. If you do, PLEASE REVIEW! Speaking of reviews, I think I got to all but a few people now who reviewed last chapter, and I'm getting to them over the next few days, so please KEEP THEM COMING! Your encouraging words are really propelling this story towards its final arc, and I need all of your support as the toughest (to write) chapters still lie ahead for this dang story. Anyway, I better let you get to the fun now. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, or any of its affiliated companies including, but not limited to, 4Kids, The Pokemon Company, Game Freaks, or Cartoon Network. The characters written within this fic are soley based upon the fictional characters created by these companies, and the story is not meant to, nor will it, receive any monetary funding.
Characters' Ages:
Ash: 17
Brock: 22
Misty: 18
Delia: 41
Oak: 56
Seconds passed like hours as he sat there waiting...just waiting. He didn't know what else to do in this situation. Thoughts drifted effortlessly through his mind as he stared down at the diamond-patterned floor, his hands cradling his head.
Beside him, Misty and Pikachu sat silent as well, thinking back to their own experiences of the day and desperately trying to process all that had happened independent of each other.
For much of the late afternoon and early evening Steven had sat with them too. However, after a few hours he left, saying that he needed to go and search for Lance around the city.
Why time was passing so slowly was a mystery to Ash. Every once in a while he would shake himself from his reverie to check the Pidgey clock hung directly in front of the trio, only to find that what had felt like days had actually been spans of twenty or thirty minutes since the last time he had checked.
He wanted to feel angry as he sat there; contemplating everything, yet not fully grasping anything. He knew he should be. Beyond those flimsy yellow doors, some of his best friends were being operated on, and at least two of them had uncertain futures in the eyes of the nurse assisting the doctor. However, he simply couldn't muster the strength to have any more emotion today. He felt as if the entire ordeal had left him completely drained of both tears and feelings.
All he could experience now was a perpetual state of numbness as he absentmindedly tapped his foot and once again checked the clock as the small, robotic bird Pokémon jumped out from its wooden clock confines.
It was eleven P.M. now, and he was still sitting here. He looked briefly at the doors before looking down again. What could he do, anyway?
I could at least act angry, couldn't I? his weary mind questioned as he blinked for the first time in a full minute. I should be aggravated and upset that no one's come out of that stupid room in over four hours...but I'm not.
In addition to draining him emotionally, he was slowly coming to grips with how physically exhausting the entire day had been. His muscles, though now accustomed to great exertion, nevertheless ached and stiffened as he waited in the chair. His head pounded furiously as the night grew longer, and his stomach turned on itself as he slowly realized he hadn't eaten in about twenty-seven hours.
Sighing, he finally looked up again to examine the clock.
Eleven-thirty P.M.
Looking to his left, he was surprised to find that his girlfriend had, at some point in the last half-hour, left his side.
He couldn't blame her, really. These weren't her Pokémon in the operating room, and he was both silently impressed and humbled that she'd maintained her seat for so long despite all she'd been put through herself.
Probably went to eat or sleep, he assumed as he looked to his right. Unsurprisingly, Pikachu remained seated next to his master and best friend, staring straight ahead while seated on his hind legs. Ash could tell his small Pokémon was in deep thought as his black eyes burned a hole through the wall opposite them.
Those were his friends and family too, Ash realized sadly. He'd been focusing so much on how this loss affected him personally that he'd yet to think about how Pikachu and his other Pokémon must have been taking the news about their friends.
He looked back down, now twiddling his thumbs as he sat there.
His right palm was still covered in dry blood, and he noticed a rip in the left knee of his jeans where he'd landed after Venusaur had thrown them out. He didn't notice until now that he'd bled quite a bit there as well.
Venusaur...
Inevitably, his seemingly random assortment of thoughts brought him back to his first grass type. It was unreal to him as he sat there, trying to imagine going the rest of his life without one of his Pokémon.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Now, Ash honey, you realize that no one lives forever, right?"
Nine year old Ash Ketchum rolled his eyes as his mom lectured him in front of their house. He'd just finished another summer course on Pokémon training and safety at the Oak lab, and he was eager to get home and study more of what he'd learned.
"I know that, Ma! Everyone has to die. I'm not a baby or anything like that."
His mother gave him a sad smile at the statement.
Sure, it was bleak, but death was something far away from now...like when he was thirty or something. No one he knew had died or was anywhere near it.
"I know you're not a baby...in fact, in less than a year you'll be starting your own Pokémon journey."
His heart leapt as she mentioned his upcoming adventures. Everything was slowly falling into place as the big date drew nearer. His mom was signing all the release forms, and was going to her own classes on how to use the Pokédex tracking system to insure the safety of her child while he was away from home. While she took those courses, he was quickly advancing through the summertime classes that Oak's assistants had created to teach the soon-to-be-trainers under the age of sixteen all they needed to know about going into the world and safely capturing wild animals.
"And because you'll be starting that journey soon, I think it's important that you learn this lesson now...though I really wish you didn't have to."
He was suddenly confused as her tone grew more melancholy. "Whaddya mean?"
"You know the goldfish that you won at the town fair a few days ago?"
He remembered. It had taken him five tries, but eventually he'd successfully knocked over all six stacked milk bottles and earned a prize; his goldfish he'd victoriously named Squirtle, after the Pokémon he intended on starting with when he finally left home...well, he was pretty sure that was the one he wanted, anyway.
"What about 'im?"
"Well honey...he's gone. I'm so sorry."
The words stung as Ash felt a pang of remorse. "Was-was it because I didn't feed him enough?"
She shook her head.
"There was nothing you could have done to make him live longer, honey. Goldfish just aren't built to last very long, unfortunately...but I think this is important to learn about sooner rather than later."
His eyes began to swell a little. He quickly wiped away the forming tears and cleared his throat.
Men don't cry, he scolded himself inwardly.
"What should I learn from this?" he asked, his voice still cracking a little under the pressure.
Delia gave him another sad smile before getting down on her knees so she could eye him face-to-face. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she pulled him closer to herself.
"Nothing and nobody lives forever. You said it a minute ago yourself, but it's important that you realize this isn't something that will never happen."
"But why do I need to know it now?" he asked, still confused at her words. "Why is this a lesson?"
"You're leaving soon, and I already know that you'll be one of the greatest trainers around...but I also know how attached you can and will become to the Pokémon you capture. You're instantly everyone's best friend when you meet them, and that will carry over to your Pokémon."
He gave her a quizzical look, still unsure of where this monologue was going.
Seeing the look, Delia rushed forward to her meaning. "My point is that you have to be prepared for this kind of thing to happen on your travels. Pokémon, like everyone else, have to die eventually, and I just don't want you being crushed when the time comes for one of them to leave you."
Still fighting back the tears from the loss of a goldfish he'd only had a few days, he felt himself pushed over the edge at the thought of losing one of his future battling companions.
"It's not fair, Ma," he cried, leaning into her embrace as she wrapped her hands around his head and pulled him in. "W-why do people have to die?"
His mother was notably silent for a moment, and he wondered if she even knew the answer.
"...I guess they just have to, hun."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Ash?" Misty nudged her boyfriend, jerking him awake.
"Hm?" He sat quietly for a moment, trying to remember where he was.
His vision was blurred momentarily as his retinas adjusted to the brightness of the fluorescent lights overhead. Blinking rapidly, he made out his girlfriend's figure before him.
The Pokémon.
No sooner had the thought entered his mind than he'd bolted out of his seat. Grabbing Misty by the arm, he looked her directly in the eyes with frantic appeal. "Are they done?"
Shaking her head, she pointed to her right. "No it's not that."
Following the path of her pointed finger, he was quickly disappointed by the still-lit red sign that hung above the operating room.
"Oh..." He slowly released his grip on her arm and fell back into the chair. He resumed his staring match with his wispy and blurred reflection in the white hospital floor. "What time is it?"
"Half past midnight," she replied, taking her seat next to him once again. "Ash, the others are back, and they say there's something they need to tell us."
Looking up, for the first time he noticed that Cynthia, Chris, and Steven were all standing at the doorway. Pikachu looked at the others confusedly along with his master.
"What's going on?"
Steven took a step forward.
"We have some unfortunate news about Lance."
Ash felt another lump begin to swell in his throat. He didn't know how much more bad news he could handle in a single twenty-four hour period, but he was sure he was reaching his limit.
After a few seconds, he found the strength to speak through the fear permeating his gut instinct. With a rapidly-increasing heartbeat and a croaking voice, he looked up at the former Hoenn Champion. "What's wrong?"
"Cynthia got a call from Bill a few hours ago. Apparently Lance's Dragonite showed up at his lighthouse north of here carrying Lance in his arms."
"Carrying him?"
Cynthia nodded and stepped forward. Her normally calm and composed demeanor was betrayed by layers of dirt and lacerations that surrounded her body. "Yeah, I was told he's in pretty bad shape. Bill called the paramedics and they've taken him into intensive care back here in Cerulean. After we got Mallory handed over to the authorities, we went to go see him, but they said he's still being observed carefully right now."
"Was he-was he shot?" Misty asked nervously as she noted the despair in Ash's counterparts' eyes. She knew it was a blunt question, but all three seemed reluctant in their willingness to divulge information, and neither she nor her boyfriend wanted to be left in the dark about their friend and comrade.
"No, nothing like that...but it doesn't sound much better. From what the doctors could tell, it looked like he fell off of Dragonite or something and hit the pavement really hard over and over again. Bill said he was bleeding profusely in Dragonite's arms, and he...he almost couldn't recognize him because of it all..." Cynthia's voice began to fade at the last few words, and Ash noticed her sniff a little.
Steven put a hand on her shoulder as he walked up next to her. "I'm sure he'll be okay. You wouldn't believe some of the crazy stunts Lance has pulled off in the past. Falling from Dragonite's a tame experience for that man." Even as he consoled his League friend, though, Ash could see the same worry he felt for his Pokémon reflected in the steel trainer's eyes.
Great, someone else hurt because of me...
A lull penetrated the small waiting room for several moments as everyone quietly meditated on the news.
"There's something else we have to tell you guys," Chris reminded the pair of teens, stepping up next to his friends. "The news about Lance is very sad, and it affects me on a very personal level, but I do think you need to hear this."
"Oh-oh yeah," Steven said, snapping back to reality and brushing back a single tear with the back of his palm. "There was apparently something that happened when Chris and Cynthia went in to get Giovanni out. They haven't really explained it to me yet either."
Ash's muscles tensed at the announcement."Did he escape?" he asked, eyes wide in worry as he wondered if after all that had happened the boss still managed to find a way out.
Cynthia shook her head. "No, nothing like that...but what did happen is gonna sound a little weird."
"What was it?" Despite himself, Ash leaned forward in curiosity at the expression on his friends' faces.
"Well..."
Chris picked up the sentence for the blond woman. "Well, we finally managed to get past the vines blocking the doorway, but as soon as we did, that Electivire was waiting for us like you had warned us about. We were ready for it, though, and it only took Dragonite, Garchomp, and Lucario a few minutes to get him out of the way."
"Then," Cynthia continued, "right as we were about to nab Giovanni, Red appeared and the building just...blew up."
For several seconds, everyone stayed silent as Ash, Misty, and Steven tried to make sense of what had just been said.
"...the building...blew up?" Misty finally muttered.
"Red showed up?" Ash asked.
"Like I said, it sounds really weird, but it's hard to explain," Chris repeated.
Cynthia looked at the bewildered expressions showing on her friends' faces and nodded. "I think we can be a little more detailed, but it's still going to sound strange."
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
"Dragonite, meet it head on with an Outrage!" Chris commanded as Electivire stormed his Pokémon with a Giga Impact attack.
Her eyes glowing dark violet, Dragonite's body became shrouded in bright energy as she flew straight into the electric Pokémon, knocking both of them backward as Giovanni continued to call for help over his cell phone.
"What are you, a complete idiot?" he hissed at the incompetent clerk at his main headquarters in Viridian City. "Just get a helicopter here quickly with another squad of troops!"
"But sir, you brought three platoons with you, and the others are scattered at separate operations in the Orange Archipelago and southern Johto. We only have management grunts here right now."
It wasn't looking good for the Rocket boss's chance of escape.
"Well get someone to the Cerulean hideout as soon as possible. I'm stranded out here!"
He looked past the battling Pokémon and their trainers to the bright light emanating from the doorway. Beyond it was his entire army that had filled this headquarters the last several weeks.
These two really took them all out? he wondered in astonishment, growing more concerned about his chances of escape with every passing moment. Not even Mallory was answering his calls anymore, and his leg was too hurt to allow him a chance to run.
"Vire!" roared the electric type as it rushed Lucario. His fist began to glow brightly as he prepared another Thunderpunch attack for his steel and fighting type foe.
Cynthia cried out to her Pokémon. "Aura Sphere!"
Lucario, though he had already taken a strong bruising, looked ready for more as the space between his two outstretched paws filled with a luminescent blue orb. As Electivire drew too close, the strong creature shot off the light ball, sending the yellow Pokémon flying backwards and crying his name in pain.
"Meet it with an Aqua Tail!" Chris ordered, as his Dragonite sped after the still stumbling electric type.
Dragonite twisted her body around, her long yellow tail becoming completely ensnared in liquid, and made to hit Electivire directly in the chest. Unfortunately for the dragon type, though, the strong Pokémon was still too healthy to be handled so easily just yet. Grabbing her tail with an electrically charged fist, he sent thousands of volts surging through her tall frame before throwing the dragon's limp body clear across the room.
"Dragonite!" Chris yelled, searching frantically for her pokéball around his waist.
"Vire!" The electric type still seemed intent on finishing his prey as he began to march towards Dragonite's hunched body.
"Lucario, stop him from getting to Dragonite!" Cynthia ordered. However, before her Pokémon had a chance to form another Aura Sphere, Chris jumped in front of the ten foot tall behemoth.
He gave the tall Pokémon a small smirk. "My Pokémon are a little tired, so you'll just have to deal with me instead."
Though it was unlikely the electric Pokémon understood what was being said, he took no time in recognizing the face of his enemy. Rearing back a fist, electricity began pouring forth through his appendage once again.
"Chris!" Cynthia cried, in simultaneous time with the booming sound of electrical energy pounding against a metallic floor.
Covering her ears briefly, she looked up and saw that Chris had narrowly dodged the attack.
"Hyah!" With a cry, the blond man seemed to momentarily dispel the laws of gravity as he flipped backward, kicking in the Pokémon's jaw from beneath and sending the yellow creature back in writhing pain.
Though a little shocked at the display of extreme athleticism, she took no time to stand in wonder as she recognized her time to strike. Calling out Garchomp, she pointed in her enemy's direction.
"Get it out of here with a Dragon Rush!"
"Garchomp!" replied her Pokémon. Though he'd already been used extensively several times that day, he was far from being worn out. Glowing a light blue, he rushed the disoriented electric Pokémon as he tried to regain his footing.
"Gar," mumbled the ground creature. He gripped Electivire's abdomen as tightly as he could and shot out of the building at lightning speed.
"That takes care of that," Cynthia concluded, knowing that any electric attack Electivire would try to use against her dragon would be rendered useless thanks to his strength and typing. "Which only leaves us with one true problem."
There, sitting next to the still corpse of Ash's Venusaur, sat the Rocket boss. For the first time in his life, he felt authentically scared as Cynthia, Chris, and Lucario all bore into his image with stone-cold eyes.
"Looks like you had a little accident," Chris noted, making the first move by walking towards the boss. "That leg's worthless, I'm sure...but that's the least of your problems now that I'm here."
He bent over and grabbed the crime boss by the collar, pulling his body into the air single-handedly.
"You've caused me more pain than you'll ever know, Giovanni."
Cynthia wondered what her comrade was talking about as, for a moment, he stood in silence just staring directly into the Rocket man's eyes.
"And now you're trying to do the same thing to Ash...I'm not letting that happen."
With that, he let go of the older man's collar and sprung out his right leg.
"Hyah!"
With one kick to the gut, Giovanni was shot backward, doing a backflip before falling flat on his stomach.
He'd never been in this position before. He was always the one standing above others...causing the pain, never enduring it himself. Slowly, he looked back up, only to find a boot flying towards his face.
He cried in pain, but no one cared. Cynthia winced at the sight, but she couldn't bring herself to stop her partner just yet. She knew revenge shouldn't be theirs...but it was just too enticing to relent.
"Now you've got a bum leg and nose," Chris commented, in an eerily nonchalant tone. He was about to pick the man up again, but was stopped by a bright light and sudden gasp from behind.
"What's going-?" Words suddenly got caught in his throat as surprise gripped his mind.
"What-is it...you?" Cynthia managed after a moment. Between the two G-Men members a solitary figure formed: a dark-haired, tall man dressed in a red jacket with short white sleeves, a black shirt, jeans, and a lowered red and white baseball cap. Without saying a word, he instantly absorbed all attention in the room as eyes were involuntarily glued to his looming figure.
Needing to reaffirm his suspicions, and completely ignoring the bleeding man behind him, Chris fought the impossibility of the situation and fought out a single-word question. "...Red?"
The man didn't respond. His back was turned to Cynthia, and Chris was unable to even see his eyes due to the positioning of his cap. For a moment, the blond G-Men members wondered if what was happening was some kind of joke or trick on Giovanni's part.
Slowly, Chris lifted his left leg and brought it forward, narrowing the gap between himself and the Pokémon Master. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he was becoming increasingly skeptical that this was the real Red. He was just standing there, completely quiet.
An illusion by a psychic Pokémon, he thought, taking another step and drawing closer.
However, as if reading his mind at that exact moment, the Pokémon Master suddenly lifted his hand, signaling for Chris to stop. Then, just as quick, he moved the hand and pointed it toward the exit.
"You want us to leave?" Chris asked, unsure. "Why don't you say something?"
"No, please don't do that!" Giovanni finally cried from behind the agent. His voice was trembling, and when Chris turned around, he saw real fear in the crime boss's eyes. "Please don't leave me alone with him! I'm begging you!"
"What's going on?" Cynthia suddenly demanded, walking up to Red from behind. She grabbed him by the shoulder, trying to turn him around, but his sedentary body refused to turn away from Giovanni's direction.
"Why is he so scared?" Chris asked, looking back to Red as Giovanni continued to shamelessly plead with the two G-Men. "What're you gonna do?"
Still nothing.
Chris suddenly felt very angry. Who was this jerk to suddenly appear from nowhere? And why wouldn't he answer even the simplest questions? "I said, why are you here?" he demanded, raising his voice with every word. Spit flew from his mouth, and his fist began to shake in aggravation.
"..."
"Fine, don't answer then!" He lunged forward, arm pulled backwards in preparation of a blow to the Pokémon Master's jaw, but just as he made his motion, he suddenly felt his body rise from the ground. He was weightless, and in another instant he was completely surrounded by white light.
Blinking hard, images began to reemerge. He looked around, still blinking, to find Cynthia sitting next to him and looking just as confused.
"Where-where are we?"
Chris looked around frantically. "Where did he put us?" Worried that they'd been stranded in the wilderness, he was soon relieved to find the Rocket hideout not too far away. "There it is!"
Cynthia stood up, along with her comrade. "We need to get back there. What was Red doing sending us off like-"
She was interrupted as fire suddenly blew through the open doors of the building, rushing out of the structure at hundreds of miles per hour. Even from a safe distance of over a thousand feet away, the two felt the heat instantly engulf their bodies.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
Misty looked confused. "I thought you said it exploded?"
"Well, I'm not sure if it actually exploded, but something happened in there that caused a massive fireball. We could see the flames making holes in the metal walls all that distance away."
"Do you think he used his Charizard?" Steven questioned, wonder permeating his voice in spite of all that had been happened and been said. "I've heard stories about that thing."
Cynthia shook her head. "I have no idea, honestly. All I know is when we looked over, the building was an inferno one second, and then the next the fire was completely gone."
"We ran back to find out what had happened," Chris continued. "But when we got there, all we found was a completely smoldered building...and this."
He reached into his back pocket and pulled out an envelope. Despite his claim that it had come from within the burnt structure, Ash noticed there were no marks on its surface.
"There was a clear spot in the middle of the building, where Red and Giovanni must have been standing. This envelope was just lying there, so it kinda stood out when I was looking around for clues as to what had happened."
"Ash, it has your name on it," Cynthia continued, pointing to the piece of paper in Chris's hand. "I think it's from Red."
"My name's on it?" Ash repeated. "Why would he wanna write to me?"
"I dunno," Chris answered with a shrug. "Honestly, I was tempted to open it and read it for you, but Cynthia thought you should be the first one to see what he said since it might be private."
Ash shook his head. "I don't think it could be private. After all, I've never met Red."
"Me neither, but I guess he knew we'd be coming back, so he left this there for you. Here, see what it says." He thrust the letter into Ash's hands as he and the others watched on with wide eyes; wondering what the rarely-talkative Master had to say about their situation.
Opening it, Ash quickly scanned the page. It took a minute, and after he read it once, he went over it one more time before looking back up.
"So what's it say?" Misty asked in a hushed voice.
Ash looked up at her. "I'll read it to you guys and you can see if it makes sense...I think I'm too tired to understand right now.
Misty nodded him on eagerly. "Okay, go ahead."
"It says: 'Ash, As I write this, I'm preparing to leave for Giovanni's hideout. An old friend of mine was able to get your coordinates, and I know about the danger you and Misty face. Unfortunately, this is extremely short notice, and I don't know if I'll make it before Giovanni puts his plans into action. If I don't make it in time, though, I know from your past that you'll find a way out of the situation. Either way, I'm writing this letter not to discuss what's just happened by the time you read this message, but rather to inform you of my whereabouts. I know you'll have plenty of questions coming out of this, and I think I can supply at least some of the answers. When you are ready, I will be waiting near the top of Mount Silver, at the ledge overlooking western Kanto. Only I have access to the area, but I've granted you permission to come. Bring your strongest Pokémon, and I'll see you soon. Respectfully, Red.'"
"So he somehow found out where we were," Misty concluded as Ash looked back up at his friends, "and he decided to write this in case he didn't get to see you in person."
Steven narrowed his eyes. "Why would Red take time away from that precious mountain of his to come help Misty?"
"Stop it, Steven. You're sounding just like Lance now," Cynthia scolded, looking at the steel trainer.
"Well, I mean, Lance knows Red better than most people after having battled him. And honestly, think of how many times we've requested Red's help in the past for missions and he's never replied. Why does he suddenly wanna rescue Misty after not once responding to our calls before?"
Cynthia shrugged. "Maybe he knew it was something we couldn't do alone."
"But we did, didn't we?" Chris reminded, taking the paper from Ash's hands and rereading the scribbled handwriting. "I've personally messaged Red with far more dangerous and less-sure missions in the past and he's never come out to help."
"I don't think the Pokémon Master's the kind of man who has no method to his actions," Cynthia reasoned. "Whatever his motivation, he decided to come out and help this time."
"How exactly did he help, though?" Steven asked, his temper starting to flare a little. "If he'd just responded to our call before we left for Cerulean, he coulda actually been useful, and maybe we wouldn't be at a Pokémon Center with several critical conditions and a friend in the hospital."
"But we're forgetting the bigger question," Misty added, standing up and taking the letter from Chris. "Why would he take the time to write this at all? If he was coming to help out, wouldn't he have saved the letter writing for later?"
"And I don't get why he invited me to Mount Silver," Ash added, tiredly rubbing his eyes. "Why would I want to go all that way?"
"Both of your questions have the same answer," Cynthia replied. "He said it right there in the message. He wanted to give you answers to questions...probably the questions we're asking right now."
Steven shook his head. "I don't get why you have so much faith in this guy, Cynthia. He's never done anything for us in the past other than stay quiet."
"I just think that maybe we don't understand the whole picture. He wouldn't have done all that work to become Master unless he really cared about the League...it's just that his mind works differently than ours because he has more pieces of the puzzle than we do."
The former Hoenn Champion gave a low sigh. "I don't think that's it at all. I think he became Master because he just wanted the power and money, and now he never comes down from that stupid hiding spot of his because he's afraid to go into the real world, like Lance said all along."
Cynthia rolled her eyes. "To each his own, then."
"Either way, the point is he found Misty's abduction especially upsetting, and he decided to come help us out for the first time," Chris continued. "He also found it necessary to get this message to Ash so he knew that we'd have questions...but my biggest concern hasn't been addressed yet."
"What is it?" Misty asked.
"What did he do with Giovanni?"
There was a pause as everyone considered the inquiry.
"He's got a point," Steven remarked. "I mean, we were about to finally have the man behind bars, and he just goes and snatches him away at the last second."
Chris shot Steven a dark look. "Steven, you don't think..."
For a moment, the grey-haired trainer perplexedly glanced back at his associate. The two seemed to be having a small staring contest in Ash's eyes, but after a few seconds, Steven seemed to suddenly understand Chris's inference.
"Red has business with Giovanni?"
Chris shrugged. "We don't have anything concrete to prove it, but why else would he have taken him away in the last second?"
"It'd also explain why he's never helped us in our past missions against the different syndicates," Steven muttered, more to himself than his friends.
"You're not serious about this, are you?" Cynthia asked, looking from Chris to Steven, and then back to Chris. "You realize this is the Pokémon Master we're talking about here, right? The man whose sole responsibility is to insure the welfare of the Pokémon League."
Steven raised an eyebrow. "You think that just because he holds a respected position he couldn't be corrupt? How do you explain every politician on Earth?"
"That's different. The title of Pokémon Master is an esteemed rank. No one would just throw it away."
"I hate to disagree with you Cynthia," remarked Chris, regaining the blond woman's attention, "but I think you're being a bit too idealistic for reality. I mean, you were there. We had him, and Red just appeared and disappeared."
Cynthia shook her head again. "I refuse to accept that the highest levels of the Pokémon League have been infiltrated by Team Rocket. There's just no way that it could happen."
"Why not? They tried to bribe Ash, remember?" Misty reminded. She felt overwhelmed by what she was hearing; never before had she ever heard anyone doubt the loyalty or strength of Master Red as long as he'd reigned, but the more Steven and Chris spoke, the more sense their arguments made.
Why would he just let such an evil man leave?
"You're right, Misty, they did try to bribe Ash," Cynthia agreed. "But if Red was a member of the organization, then why would they want Ash to take his place?"
"Maybe they were unhappy with something he's done recently," reasoned Chris.
"Or they could have been preparing a new reign with a younger Master to buy themselves more time. They were probably afraid someone would come along that was too strong and dethrone Red before they could make an adequate replacement, so they tried to rush in Ash. And when that didn't work, they put all their efforts on Paul instead."
"You say that I'm being idealistic for thinking that Red has our backs, but as idealistic as you may think I am, it's nowhere near the level of paranoia you're expressing right now," Cynthia replied. "Let's not forget that he's our boss."
"Was our boss, actually," Steven reminded. "Don't you think it's weird that Goodshow decides to get rid of us immediately after Ash stops Team Rocket from acquiring the majority stock of the Sinnoh League?"
Cynthia rolled her eyes. "So now Goodshow's in on your little conspiracy too? Who's next? Nurse Joy?"
"Listen, Cynthia." Steven grabbed her shoulder and narrowed his gaze into her grey eyes. "I was with you until today. Lance has always had problems with Red's odd behavior, but I always just shrugged it off like you're doing now. I figured he had to have some good reason for not wanting to get involved, and we just weren't smart enough to figure it out. But now Lance's life is hanging by a thread, and we almost lost Ash and Misty in one day. Do you think that a responsible Master would have allowed that to happen?"
"I-I..." She seemed lost for a moment as Steven's grip silently urged her to accept his view. "I don't know, okay? However, there's a way we can know, and that's by taking advantage of the invitation in that note." She pointed back to the now-folded piece of paper.
"He's given us a chance to ask our questions through Ash, and we shouldn't rush to any decisions until he gets a chance to ask them."
Now all eyes turned to Ash, who had remained mysteriously quiet throughout the discourse. He looked back up at them all in return, slowly turning his attention from one counterpart to the other until his eyes rested back on Misty.
"I don't have time to worry about this right now, okay?" he muttered, shaking his head. "This wasn't what being a champion was supposed to be about. I was supposed to help my region and win battles...that's what I was always told the job of a champion was. Now my Pokémon are dying, and so is one of my human friends and..."
He shook his head and looked back down.
"...and I don't have time for this. Maybe when all of this is over and I get some answers from doctors, but until then I don't want to talk about this note or conspiracies or anything else."
There were no tears, but Misty could physically feel the pain inside her best friend, and she quickly retook her seat beside him; hugging him from the side once more in consolation.
"You're right, Ash. We shouldn't be bugging you with this yet. There's still too much up in the air for you to be able to focus."
Steven and Chris cast each other a sideways glance before Steven took a step forward, holding out his hand. "I'm sorry too, Ash. It's just...I guess emotions are high right now. I shouldn't just go accusing anyone of anything without real proof, and I get that your mind isn't really on this right now."
Ash reached up and briefly shook his hand. "Thanks, Steven."
"We're gonna get, uh, cleaned up and then get something to eat," Chris informed, motioning to his tattered clothes. "Do you want us to bring something?"
The former Sinnoh Champion shook his head. "Thanks, but I'm good."
"We understand. Misty, do you need anything?"
"I'm good too, but I appreciate it."
"Okay then, we'll see you in a little while. Please call us if you hear anything."
Ash shrugged his shoulders. "I actually left my phone in Lance's house."
"And they took mine," Misty added. "But we'll use the videophones if something comes up."
"Right."
With that, the two former champions and Chris walked out of the room, leaving the couple alone once again with Pikachu.
Soon after their entrance, the yellow Pokémon had lost interest in their conversation and by now he had already resumed his blank stare ahead as he thought sadly back to old times with each of the Pokémon that were now gone or in danger of leaving.
"Pika..." he cried softly, his ears drooping even lower.
"Aw, Pikachu, it's gonna be okay," Misty assured, picking up the Pokémon and cradling his small body in her arms. He looked up at her with blurry eyes, and her heart ached even more for the little yellow creature. "Things will be good, really." Even as she said it, though, she felt her own mind reject that reality.
Another couple of hours passed, and still neither trainer heard anything from the doctors nor the champions. However, a little after three, Ash was awoken once again by someone prodding his arm.
"Chansey-chans," muttered the round, pink Pokémon softly.
"What's the matter Chansey?" Ash asked, noticing immediately that the red light was still on.
They're not done yet.
"Chans-chansey," the Pokémon replied, pointing to the doors leading to the main lobby of the Pokémon Center. She began pulling on his sleeve, and slowly he got up and found the strength in his sore muscles to follow after her.
Walking through the doors, he was surprised to find on one of the videophones on the wall opposite him, the image of his mother nervously staring ahead.
Finding a leap of strength suddenly abound from within, he ran over to the phone and picked up the receiver. "Ma? Are you okay?"
"Ash?" Tears were already streaming down her face, and she sobbed for a full minute before being able to say another word. "Thank God you're alright! You-you are okay, aren't you?" She worriedly tried to see any lacerations or bruises through the screen.
Ash gave his mother a sad smile. "Yeah Ma, I'm okay. How did you know I was in trouble?"
"Red stopped by earlier today, telling me that you and Misty were being held by Team Rocket. At first I thought it was just those weird kids and Meowth that used to follow you around, but as it got later, I realized he wouldn't have gone to help if it were only them, so I started to wonder what must have happened. It kept getting later, and I kept getting more worried, so I tried calling you and Misty like a million times, but neither one of you picked up your phones, so I used the location chip on your Pokédex to find out where you were. I called the Center about a hundred times before I finally got that Chansey to answer."
"I'm sorry it took so long for you to hear from me...we lost our phones earlier, and we've been in the waiting room for a while."
"It's okay, but why are you in the waiting room? Were your Pokémon battling?"
He grimaced a little at the question. "They-they were really hurt, Ma."
A concerned look crossed the older woman's face. "What happened?"
He took a deep breath...and then unloaded all that had happened over the last twenty-four hours to his mother. He told her the entire story, from finding out that Misty had been taken to receiving the letter from Red.
Throughout, she gasped, cried, and even cursed; but never once did she interrupt.
"So now we're here, waiting to see if my friends make it out of this or not and...and I'm scared, Ma. I-I don't think they're all gonna pull through, and it's just terrible, because I can't even cry anymore. I'm just-just so...broken-feeling."
Tears continued to pour down his mother's face. She was so overwhelmed by what had been said that she almost couldn't find words to comfort her son. All the time he'd been gone traveling, she would worry and stress over his well-being, but he always seemed to placate her fears with a quick phone call from a Pokémon Center or a letter. Now, though, he was hundreds of miles away and not okay at all. She felt helpless as she watched her dispirited only child on the monitor.
If only I could be there to hold him now...
She wasn't though, and so she comforted him the best way she could, given the situation; with her words.
"It's okay to feel like that honey. There's nothing wrong with feeling broken after all that's happened to you today. The fact that you're still awake shows how much you love and care for your Pokémon."
He nodded and forced a small grin, feeling frustrated despite himself. He knew she was doing her best to console his troubled spirit, but the words just weren't enough. He felt completely alone in his misery, and the one person he could always turn to in a crisis was just as ineffective as everyone else at this point in making him feel better.
"I know it doesn't mean much now, but I promise that after some rest you'll feel at least a little better," she continued, apparently picking up from his physical cues that he was dissatisfied.
She was right...it didn't mean much to him now. However, after thinking it over for a moment, he realized she was definitely right. The reason he felt so disheveled was at least, in part, due to his exhaustion.
Without warning, an image of Pallet Town suddenly flashed in his mind. He was thrown, but immediately comforted by the thought.
Pallet Town: where the sun rose over the hilly valley every morning and set behind Mount Silver every evening. Where even the air hinted of an adventure about to begin. Where his closest friends, family, and Pokémon were always eagerly awaiting his return.
"Hey Ma," he began, breaking from his brief mental imagery, "do you think we could maybe come home for a little while after this is over?" He thought it probably seemed like a random question after what she had just said, and this notion was reinforced in his mind as Delia's eyes widened.
Instead of looking surprised, though, her frown grew deeper and she gave him a hard look. "Did you think I was gonna let you stay out there by yourself after all that's happened? Of course you're coming home!"
Despite himself, he smiled at the determination in her voice.
Just like Mist.
"What you need to do now is get some rest, though, like I was saying," she advised.
"But Ma-"
"I know that you think it's not right for you to sleep while your Pokémon are in this condition, but trust me, staying up all night is not going to make their chances of living any better, and it decreases yours a lot. I love those Pokémon just as much as you do, but I can already tell you that they wouldn't want you to suffer waiting for the doctors and nurses to be done."
"I don't think I can sleep anyway, though," he replied.
She shook her head. "Those dark circles under your eyes beg to differ. Just take a room out in the Center and nap until they're done. When they tell you your Pokémon are all going to be fine, you wanna be wide awake to celebrate, after all!"
Ash gave another small smile at the words.
Maybe she's right, he realized as he felt his back begin to ache along with his head.
"Alright, I'll think about taking a small nap, but only so I can celebrate in a little while."
"Good. Tell Misty that I'm so happy she's okay too, and I can't wait for the two of you to get here. You both need a nice, relaxing vacation after all you've been put through, and no place is more relaxing than Pallet."
He nodded. She was right, after all. He could almost smell the scent of the rolling hills and plush forests that surrounded his hometown.
A simpler time, he realized sadly as he thought back to his childhood in the small, but growing town in southern Kanto.
"We'll be there as soon as they're finished here."
"Okay. Honey, I love you sooo much." He blushed as he saw her wipe some more tears from the corners of her eyes. "Please be careful and get here as soon as you can, okay? Tell Misty to be very cautious on the road too."
"I will, and I love you too, Ma."
With that, the display zapped and disappeared. Slowly, Ash got up and walked back towards the waiting room. He was unsurprised when the red light met his gaze upon entry, and he quickly averted his gaze; instead turning it upon the redhead and yellow Pokémon that were now asleep in one of the chairs. Misty still held Pikachu cradled in her arms, but her head was back against the wall and the Pokémon lightly snored as they got some well-deserved rest.
"Misty," he whispered gently, slowly prodding her and Pikachu awake.
"Hm?"
"I'm gonna get a room. Wanna sleep on a bed instead of this chair?"
She nodded tiredly. Standing up with Pikachu still in her arms like an infant, the three slowly shuffled out of the room and walked down a hallway to the right. Only one other room was taken, so they were free to choose from a variety.
As soon as they reached the last dwelling in the row, Ash opened the door and Misty stepped inside, placing Pikachu on the foot of the bed. Without thinking, she lifted off her shirt, and Ash followed suit with his jeans. Within moments, but were completely stripped to their undergarments, but neither was alert enough to care; nor was either awake enough to note or worry about the various bumps and bruises that had been hidden by the clothing just moments before.
Instead, all attention was being paid to the soft mattress before the two teens.
"After you," Ash mumbled, drawing closer to slumber with every passing moment. He felt himself stumble to the right as he began to lose consciousness, and Misty almost didn't hear him as her eyes continued to fall involuntarily.
"Thanks," she yawned, climbing onto the full-size mattress.
Barely able to keep his eyes open, Ash climbed in after her and pulled her warm body closer to his as the two instantly hit a wall of sleep that was deeper and heavier than either had ever before experienced in their lives.
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
In the morning, Ash was awoken by Cynthia's calm voice echoing through his dreamworld.
"Ash, are you up? Ash?" she repeated several times. Knocking followed her questioning every time, and finally the former Sinnoh Champion shook himself awake. Turning around on his side to face the door, he wondered what the blond woman could have wanted for a brief moment before remembering once more where they were and why.
"Are they okay?" he asked, still sounding groggy, but listening with more attention than he'd ever exerted before. "What happened to the Pokémon?"
For a minute there was silence, and Ash prepared himself for the inevitable.
"...Heracross didn't make it either."
His mom was right. He was so tired last night that he'd lost the ability to feel sad. But now, as he laid there on his side with Misty and Pikachu still slumbering away behind him, he felt reenergized and ready to cry again.
Author's Notes: Well, like I said, this is actually part one of a two part chapter, technically, but I hope you appreciate the fact that I didn't leave you in suspense over which of his Pokémon survived and which didn't. After ending the last like five chapters with cliffhangers of some sort, I couldn't bring myself to do it again. Next chapter we'll pick up in Pallet Town, so be prepared for that because I'm not dragging out the Center scene any longer for the good of the story. There's only so much depressing any story that isn't written by Charlotte Bronte can have, and I'm close to exceeding my limit. All the depression you've read is definitely necessary to help you relate better with the characters, but I don't want my story identified as some "sad story for a rainy day". It's supposed to be eclectic in emotion and action, so next chapter really begins the healing for our beloved hero...along with many new, unexpected twists now that the dust has settled from the Rocket plot climax. Also, I'm sure many of you are wondering why Ash didn't make a bigger deal out of it when Delia mentioned that Red had asked her about his location, but rest assured that will be covered next chapter (though the truth is pretty boring...he was just too exhausted to notice what she said at that exact moment...you know how it is when you're tired). So, until two weeks from now, Later Days and REVIEW PLEASE!