Chapter 18: One Road
Saffron General Hospital.
Ash sat on his bed.
His body dressed by bandages and plasters.
The boy recalled Nurse Joy's words when he first woke up.
"No need to worry about your Pokémon."
"However, you should let them rest up a bit more."
"They were quite exhausted from your last battle."
Ash could not help but scoff at himself.
'Battle?'
'That wasn't a battle.'
'But…'
Gary's words still fresh in his memories:
"It's the same."
"There's no right or wrong in a battle."
"…Just the weak and the strong."
The raven-haired boy gritted his teeth.
He reprimanded himself for being so naïve.
'I was so blinded by Pokémon battles.'
'That I had forgotten how it really was.'
A bloody sport.
And yet, that was tame compared to his war against Giovanni.
'I disregarded my Pokémon's well-being.'
'…No.'
'I never did.'
'Not once.'
'They got hurt during my Gym Battles as well.'
'And all I did was celebrate getting a Badge…'
He was ashamed.
'I hated Team Rocket.'
'I hated how they used Pokémon to hurt others.'
'That hatred kept me going.'
'Kept me fighting on.'
'But then, how am I any different?'
'That blind crusade made me lose sight of what was important.'
'Made me…'
'Forget about Yellow.'
Ash teared up.
His trembling hands clutching his silver locket.
Fearing that it would disappear.
'Because of that…'
'My Pokémon got hurt worse than before.'
'Team Rocket had no right to call themselves Trainers.'
'And neither did I.'
A week later.
Ash was standing at a crossroad of the hospital's garden.
He then sent out his Pokémon from their Balls.
Except for Pikachu, who was already out.
They still had dressings on their body.
That further encouraged the boy.
His Pokémon waited for his response.
"…I'm sorry, guys," he began softly.
"I never meant for any of you to get hurt this badly."
"You all deserve a better Trainer."
He looked at his Pokémon with a weak expression.
"Go."
"Live your own lives."
"You are free."
"There's a bunch of roads you can take."
He finished, looking down at the ground.
His Pokémon were horrified.
Especially his trusted ace, Pikachu.
Not once had they blamed their Trainer for their injuries.
They loved him dearly.
He was the sweetest Trainer according to Pikachu.
Even Lapras, then newest addition shared that notion.
The Pokémon turned towards the electric mouse.
Although he was the smallest of them…
Pikachu was their respected leader.
The yellow mouse was the oldest member after all.
With a determined face, Pikachu gestured to his team.
Silence was all Ash heard.
His eyes still magnetized to the ground.
And then…
One by one.
His Pokémon left.
'This was for the best,' he thought, closing his eyes.
Not daring to even look at their retreating figures, he turned away.
And he walked away.
A few steps were all he took.
Before a blast of cold ice blocked his path.
"Wha-"
In front of Ash was a wall of ice.
Beside him were also icy walls on both sides.
Voices cried out in his head.
His red eyes glimmered.
'Pokémon could not speak.'
'And yet I heard it.'
'Loud and clear.'
He turned to face his Pokémon behind him for the first time.
The crossroad he stood on…
Now only a path.
A path towards them.
{ There is only one road. }
Ice spikes preventing him from going any other direction.
{ And we walk it together. }
Ash's red eyes gleamed with tears.
And he started walking.
Towards his Pokémon.
"Are you sure?" he asked with bated breath.
"Are… are you alright with a Trainer like me?"
With that question spoken…
The Pokémon gave their 'YES' in their own way.
Beating the message into their dense Trainer's head.
And Pikachu jumped into Ash's arms.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu lovingly squeaked with a faint blush.
And the tears started to fall.
Sniff.
Sniff.
"…Uwaaaaaah!" the boy sobbed.
He let it all out.
He hugged Pikachu even tighter.
'We will fight…'
'Until we're ragged if we have to.'
'But through it all…'
'We stick together.'
The tears would not stop.
"I-I…" he tried to speak.
"Uwaaaah!"
'I have so much to say.'
'Thank you…'
'I'm sorry…'
'But the words wouldn't come out.'
'All I could do was cry.'
'Harder than I ever did in my life.'
Calming down...
Ash Ketchum made a new promise.
'This failure almost crushed me completely.'
'But I am still here.'
'They never gave up on me.'
'That was more than enough.'
'It gave me strength.'
'So now I promise.'
'You guys are the coolest Pokémon in the world.'
'And so, I'll become a Trainer worthy of you all.'
'I promise to become…'
'The very best!'
"You guys ready to go?" Ash asked with a grin, his eyes still red from crying.
Looking back at his team, he caught sight of someone among them.
His mind was tricking him. He knew that.
It was just his imagination, born out of desire.
A fantasy that was never there.
But it was 'real' to him. He would never forgive himself if he forget again.
Not fantasy. Nor reality.
But a cherished memory. Engraved onto his heart.
And the boy smiled at the girl.
A straw hat.
His favourite memory.
A long white dress.
A solemn pledge.
Honey blonde hair.
Boy remembers girl.
His favourite smile.
One must wait continuously.
And the most beautiful blue eyes he had ever saw.
One must pursue endlessly.
With a blink, she was gone.
An oath restored.
His fingers caressing the locket.
Their ever-lasting encounter.
The red eyes sharpened.
Chapter 18: One Road
Ash Ketchum was reforged.