Into the Unown (Pokemon Fanfiction OC)-Chapter 223.5: Ash Ketchum
“A theft occurred this afternoon in the Pokemon League Headquarters located within Indigo Village. Authorities have yet to provide an official statement on the incident, but it is to be believed that the only item that was taken was the legendary Master Ball. Anonymous sources claim that Victor, Leader of the Viridian Gym has stepped forth to help lead the investigation.
“In other news, there has been a convergence of law enforcement personnel in Goldenrod City for unknown reasons. Witnesses describe suffering through a blockade in certain segments of the city and when pressed for comments, the Officer Jenny at the scene…”
Ash was brooding over the news in a desperate attempt to recover all his lost time when a series of knocks sounded from the door to his hospital bed.
“Come in… Brock! And Celebi!” Ash exclaimed while trying to suppress the boiling cauldron of mixed emotions in his gut.
Silver streaks through his temple and a few extra creases adorning his face. Ash was not used to his friend looking so old. Brock had always been the oldest among all of his former travelling companions but Ash had always seen him more as an older brother that he never had. Now, the older man was giving off more fatherly vibes.
“Bi! Bibibibi!” The flying brussel sprout barged in and nuzzled affectionately at a giggling Ash.
“Thanks for saving my life, Celebi…” Ash murmured as he returned Celebi’s affection.
“Hey Ash. How ya doing?” Brock greeted, spared a glance at the TV and flicked at the remote to shut it down before placing a brown paper bag in front of his infirmed friend.
“Munchies!” Ash cheered and tore open the bag open to grabbed at the burger contained within. All while Celebi began stuffing her face full of fries.”
“Hey! Leave some for me, Celebi!”
Brock chuckled at the precocious sight. “It’s been quite a day, huh? Any idea how long they wanna keep you for?”
Ash groaned. “I keep telling them I’m fine but the doc said they want me in here for at least a couple of days for ‘observation’. Whatever that means...”
Brock smiled and poked at the tablet attached to the hospital bed. “What it means is that you’ve been through a shockingly unnatural event and they want to make sure that there’s no lingering effects… I am seeing an imbalance of electrolytes in your body, likely due to dehydration, but nothing else too concerning.”
“It doesn’t really feel shocking. I mean I know I almost died and all. But I didn’t! And it seemed like just a few days ago that I was in Azalea Town talking to Bugsy. And how’s Pikachu? They won’t let me see him and I’m kinda worried.”
Ash’s friend responded with a reassuring smile and a pat on the shoulder. “Don’t you worry. Pikachu’s in the same boat as you — I just checked on him before coming in. The nurses said he has some minor battle damage and fatigue, but nothing too serious.”
“Bi! Celebi, bi!” Celebi echoed Brock in his assurance.
The younger man breathed a sigh of relief. “Did you get him a burger too? Pikachu likes it with extra ketchup.”
“I did. Though the nurse gave me quite the mean glare when I tried to give it to him.”
Ash laughed and bit into his share of the food. And for the next few minutes, the two old friends just sat together in comfortable silence amidst the rustling of burger foil and Celebi’s incessant jabbering.
“Have you called Mrs Ketchum yet?”
Ash twitched with an indecipherable look on his face. “I err… I want to but I don’t know… Should I call her or go and see her in person?”
In truth, he was just nervous. All the people around him had changed so much; Professor Oak looked weaker and Misty was pregnant!
“What the heck was up with
that
?! Man, I really should have just gone and called mom when Professor Oak first reminded me. And now I have cold feet…”
Brock smiled and gave him a little pat. “I think you should just call. Your mom never stopped losing hope. She would call in to the Gym from time to time and ask for any news about you.”
Ash nodded. “Yeah… Maybe tomorrow. It’s really late and she might be asleep by now.”
Thankfully, Brock was willing to be patient with his friend as he nodded in return, giving Ash more time to steady himself.
“So err… What’s up with Misty?” Ash asked abruptly, in a clumsy attempt to change the subject.
Brock laughed. “Haha. Yeah, she got married a couple of years ago. To Nina’s uncle actually. I had to miss the wedding because Forrest was about to take over the Gym and needed help. But I heard it was lovely — wedding of the decade they called it.”
“Nina is… the girl with the yellow jacket who saved me?”
“Yup! Misty’s star apprentice and heck of a Pokemon trainer — really well loved by the critters. You shoulda seen how she tore Forrest’s team apart.” The older man laughed.
“We took her into an underground cave just to make her sweat a little. But within a few seconds of the match starting, she flooded the entire place and turned it into a lake. Forrest’s Pokemon had no room to stand on and things just snowballed from there. Honestly, I didn’t even know it was possible to summon so much water so quickly in such a Rock-dense environment — must have been a Held Item.”
“Sounds like quite a match. And yeah, I did see how her Pokemon handled Giovanni. She didn’t even say a word. Her Pokemon just danced around like they could read her mind or something.”
“Haha… That’s because they can, Ash. Telepathy — the girl has quite the mean little Espeon…”
The two continued to chat, mostly about inane topics and general events over the past few years. Nina often came up, mostly because it was the topic that triggered Ash the least.
Ash was really grateful for the familiar company. Brock really went out of his way to make him feel at ease, just like the good old days, like nothing ever changed. And by the next morning, Ash was finally ready to call his mom.
***
“Ash… Is that… really you?”
“Hey mom…”
“Oh sweetie… Oh my dear Ash…” Delia’s eyes quivered, tears hanging by the precipice. The woman seemed ready to jump through the screen and caress the cheeks of her wayward son.
Delia Ketchum looked haggard; dark eye bags and pale skin. It was clear that the beautiful brown-haired woman had been worried sick about her only son. A fact that tugged violently at Ash’s heartstrings.
“Mom… I’m sorry… I am so, so sorry…” Ash croaked, feeling like he had a Poliwag stuck in his throat.
“Oh sweetie… You have nothing to apologize for.” Delia reigned in her tears and smiled, looking just like the strong, dependable woman who singlehandedly raised a Pokemon World Champion.
“But… I made you worry. They said I was gone for over eight years. All this time…”
Delia chuckled and waved away her son’s worries. “Your absence gave me plenty of time to go out and meet new people. I even took a solo trip back to Alola — saw a guy who looked very much like you. How embarrassing that was. Ohohoho…”
Ash sniffled and sucked in a deep breath. Alola was where he and his mom separated last, after he took her on a trip to celebrate his championship.
“Mom went back, alone, to look for me…”
He shook his head to dismiss the thought, not wanting to cause his mother any further distress.
“That aside,” Delia continued, face furrowed in displeasure. “Ash Ketchum! Have you looked in a mirror recently? What is with your face? All that hair! When was the last time you shaved, huh? And look at how skinny you are! Have you not been eating properly these past nine years? And what about Pikachu? I hope you haven’t been neglecting Pikachu too!”
Ash chuckled, feeling the pang of nostalgia suffuse him. Even though, from his perspective, it had just been a little over a week since the last time he called home.
“Pikachu’s fine, mom. They’re holding him separate in the Pokemon Center and won’t let me see him. But Brock just stopped by last night after checking in and said that he was doing great. And I wasn’t actually gone for nine years, mom… I was stuck in a time loop. Remember Celebi?”
The pair of mother and child continued to chat. Delia asked all sorts of inane questions and fussed over her son while Ash filled her in on his experience. Which basically boiled down to him stepping into a forest, meeting Giovanni and getting rescued by Nina.
He made sure to gloss over the fact that he had been killed and resurrected thousands of times over the course of these past eight to nine years though.
“Actually, no. Nina said that time was a little wonky in Celebi’s domain. So we probably didn’t live through so many years. Otherwise, Giovanni would have broken out first. But still…”
One thing he definitely omitted was the fact that he was a hair’s width away from becoming Gliscor kebab before Nina showed up. His mom knew though. She always knew. They both just chose not to confront the fact.
When they got to the topic of Misty’s marriage however… Things got really sweaty for Ash.
“Oh, you should have seen it, Ash! It was such a beautiful wedding, I almost regret turning down the invitation… And the proposal! Who knew that Misty had it in her to be so bold!”
The woman flashed his son a meaningful look. “What about you, Ash? It’s about time to settle down, don’t you think? I mean it’s old news by now, but you were World Champion for a time. Shame you missed the boat with Misty. But there’s still that Dawn girl, right? How is she doing? Maybe you should try giving her a call after this?”
“Moooom! Now's NOT the time.” Ash sighed, then broke out into a melancholic smile. “I promise I’ll come and see you soon, okay? As soon as they let me out of here.”
“Of course, sweetie. I left your room just the way it was. So please…” Delia pleaded, eyes beginning to water again. “Please make sure you come straight home, okay? Maybe invite Brock along too? It’s been a while since I last saw him.”
Ash nodded. His mom was, understandably, anxious about letting her son travel alone again. “Yeah, sure thing mom. I’ll talk to you soon, okay? I think the nurses want to check in on me. I’ll call you again once they discharge me.”
“Take care sweetie. And don’t bother the nurses too much, alright? Unless they want to get to know you a little better of course. I wouldn’t mind a surprise guest when you visit.” She winked.
Ash chuckled and hovered a finger over the disconnect button. “Bye mom… I’ll see you soon.”
“Goodbye sweetie…”
.
!
Chapter 223.5: Ash Ketchum
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