A Journey's Link

Chapter 72 - Energized

Then, as if it had been rehearsed, Greninja and Lucario fell onto the ground in an unconscious state, similarly to Ash. Goh desperately tried to get up again in an attempt to help them, but his legs simply wouldn't give in. He grunted angrily and forced himself upwards, making his stubborn legs work against his will.

This didn't turn out too well for him, as the second he was able to stand up, he tripped over a rock and fell face-first into the ground. He wasn't knocked out, but it had been such a detriment to his determination that he allowed himself to lay on the ground in pain, accepting his fate.

He heard some voices from far away, seemingly belonging to adults. "Ash, are you okay?" A woman's voice cried out before Goh heard running footsteps that most likely belonged to this woman. "That move tired him out completely," a man's voice spoke near the woman's. Goh realized that this was Aaron and Delia, as they had been released from Mewtwo's grasp.

"What do you mean?" Delia asked Aaron. Aaron explained, "Ash was connected to those two Pokemon over there, meaning if that move drained all the energy out of those Pokemon..." Delia sighed and finished for him. "Then all the energy was taken out of Ash."

"How do we wake him up?" Delia then asked. It was Aaron's turn to sigh as he truthfully responded, "All I know is Ash is drained, nothing more." Goh listened as the woman got up and walked over to the rest of the group. "Goh?" Delia asked with worry, kneeling and nudging him.

He groaned as she turned him over. "I can't walk," he bluntly said. "My legs are throbbing." Delia nodded with a frown and turned back to Ash. "Do you know how to wake him up?" She asked, ignoring Goh's statement about his leg. Goh shook his head and said, "This is the first time I've seen this happen."

Delia sighed and carefully picked Goh up, sitting him up on the ground. "Just wait right here while help shows up," Delia explained. Goh tilted his head and repeated, "Help?" She stood up and responded, "Nurse Joy is on her way with Officer Jenny. We're gonna detain Giovanni for good."

For some reason, this revelation was incredibly relieving to Goh, as he had been worried ever since the Zygarde Core had been a threat. The entire weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulder, so he sat there and began sobbing loudly. "G-Goh! What's wrong!" Delia exclaimed, kneeling back down to try to comfort Goh.

"N-Nothing!" Goh insisted through his tears, trying to wipe them away. "I'm fine! I promise!" Delia softly smiled and said, "Well, you're crying. So something must be wrong." Goh wiped away the rest of his tears and shook his head. "I'm just relieved because we managed to save the world, but..."

"But what?" Delia asked curiously. Goh looked behind her and miserably stared at Ash on the ground. "We shouldn't be happy because Ash might not wake up!" He exclaimed, feeling his tears waiting to be released once more.

Delia stared blankly at Goh before responding, "I have faith Ash will wake up. I'm sure of it." Goh stared incredulously at Delia. "How can you be sure, though? How can you just rely entirely on faith alone without any concrete evidence?" He asked, noticing that Ash was just like his mom in that they both held hope through anything.

"Because I know my Ash," Delia responded confidently. "He's kind, caring, and helpful. Even Arceus would have enough compassion to let someone like that make it through." Her mind fell to Aaron, who she thought had died years ago. Watching him now, monitoring Ash, and making calls to get the authorities present, she wasn't sure what to feel about the situation.

"Ms. Ketchum?" Goh asked suddenly, breaking Delia out of her trance. "Oh, it's Delia, dear," she quickly corrected. "Ms. Ketchum is what adults call me, not my son's friends." Goh quickly nodded his head. "Right, right..." he said, finding the whole naming situation odd.