"Statements"
'Thoughts'
Side Notes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ash stood stunned in his current position, clearly not registering what he'd just heard. "Hey Nurse Joy, wh-what are you talking a-about?". The young nurse sighed, feeling nothing but empathy for the boy who stood in awe. She began to relay the information that the doctors had told her. She gave a long and descriptive summary of Goh's condition, as well as being accompanied by another trainer and her Pokemon.
Ash felt a painstaking pain stab through his gut. He couldn't bear to hear his own best friend meet such a treacherous fate. Nurse Joy let Ash take his time to process the information, before opening her mouth to continue, only to be cut off by Ash. "Please, Nurse Joy, stop telling me this," Ash said, a reaction that Joy had anticipated. "Could you just-could you just tell me where he is right now." Ash had avoided eye contact as he leaned his hat forward and kept a minimal tone. Nurse Joy had directed him to the hospital's location, which he quickly registered into his Rotom phone. He thanked the nurse before running off into the direction of the hospital.
He checked at the Rotom phone, who'd led him through a shortcut that passed through some dark alleys, he couldn't help but get the feeling that he was being watched, to the point that it became unbearable. Ash stopped dead in his tracks, and looked around. He didn't wanna have to postpone his arrival to the hospital any further, but couldn't help at least gaze at his surroundings before rushing back to his original destination. As he did, however, an invisible force glided right through the spot he would've been on had he not stopped.
This kept him on high alert, knowing that his earlier suspicions must've been true, at least to some degree. He double checked his surroundings once more and noticed a minor outline of a figure cruising through the air. As it came into color, Ash could notice the silhouette of its head, then its wings, then its torso, and finally, the two jagged hind shapes. It took Ash a second before he realized the life form he was staring at, Latios.
But despite its imperious presence, it was the silhouette of the man that it flew over to that truly astonished Ash. Gazing at this man who seemed to have tamed Latios under his command, he could only think of one particular individual who could accomplish such a feat.
"Tobias??" Ash questioned in bewilderment.
"Ash. Well, I must say, you're quite the inconvenience to find," said Tobias.
"Well look, I don't know why you're here, but I can't afford to waste any time, I have a friend in the hospital right now." Ash stated while attempting to run past the older man.
Tobias, however, simply grabbed Ash by the color and shoved him back, causing the younger boy to tumble backwards and fall. Pikachu assumed a defensive stance as its trainer was thrown to the floor.
"Hey! what was that for?!?" Ash demanded while standing up.
Tobias simply smirked. "It's clear to me that you haven't progressed one bit since our previous battle in the Sinnoh League."
Ash was left speechless upon that last remark. So much had gone on in one day, but the growing tension caused it all to come reeling in at that very moment. Ash gritted his teeth, before grabbing a Poke ball out of his pocket and throwing them. As the bright light faded, the faint outlines of a Pokemon could be perceived in the shadows of the dark alley.
"Look, if you wanna battle, we can do that later!" Ash stated, "But right now, I have to get to the hospital."
"Latios, Luster Purge," Tobias simply said, causing his Pokemon to summon a bright pink energy that it blasted towards its opponents. Pikachu retaliated with a Thunderbolt to protect Ash.
The alley was cleared as the attacks clashed with one another. Fortunately, a piece of debris from the alleyway fell in front of Ash and Pikachu, barely protecting them from getting caught in the large burst of colliding energy, while Latios had simply shielded Tobias with its own body, unaffected by the explosion. Civilians started to rush to their location, something Tobias hoped he wouldn't have to deal with.
"Very well, Ash. I'd hoped to challenge you tonight, but I guess a parting message will have to suffice." Ash stared begrudgingly at the older trainer with his Pokemon by his side. "I'd like to have a more complete battle the next time we face each other. As such, I hope you don't disappoint me when I meet you in the Ultra Class Tournament." Tobias climbed Latios' back before flying away. Ash could only stand slackjawed as a current of air blew past him.
Before he could give it any time to think, however, he had to prioritize getting away from the masses of civilians that would surely come. He returned his Pokemon and ran towards the closest alley he could find before summoning a different one.
"Alright, Dragonite, I'm gonna need you to get us out of here." The giant yellow dragon complied as its trainer climbed on its back before flying away, just in time as full crowds of citizens had made their way to the source of the explosion. Ash gave Dragonite his Rotom phone so it could navigate their way to the hospital before letting his mind linger upon what Tobias had said.
'I hope you don't disappoint me when I meet you in the Ultra Class Tournament.' Ash wouldn't have been as bothered had the man not attacked him earlier. Ash held a grim frown as he dwelled upon the matter and wondered, 'Why would Tobias do that?' Sure, Ash may not have exactly held fond memories of the trainer, but he never remembered him to be a complete monster. With the exception of some blatant arrogance, Tobias seemed to be a relatively good human being during the Sinnoh League, even having complimented Ash on his effort against him, so what made all that change?
The only previous version of Tobias that Ash could remember ever being that ruthless was the Tobias he encountered during his nightmare on the plane. Before Ash could give it any deeper thought, Dragonite had called out to let him know they'd arrived. Once they landed on the ground, Ash had taken a deep breath to relax himself before making his way to the hospital, only to be stopped by Dragonite.
"Hey! why'd yo-" Ash began, before noticing the worried expression on Dragonite's face. 'Of course!' Ash thought. He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed his own Pokemon's emotions. It'd been concerned after seeing the solemn expression that never left its trainer's face. Ash put his arms on the dragon's shoulders and reassured it. "Hey Dragonite, it's alright. You don't have to worry about me." It responded with a smile before Ash recalled it.
He checked over the sign of the building and read 'Jubilife City Hospital'. He hurriedly brushed past the doors of the building and spotted the receptionist.
"He-hello???" Ash impatiently asked while still panting from the brisk dash to the hospital.
"Oh, yes, how may I help you?" The receptionist asked, startled by the boy's sudden entrance.
"Um, could you please tell me where Goh's room is?" Ash said, still feeling fretful with each passing second.
The receptionist took a few seconds before finding the file for Goh. She looked over it, and sent Ash off to the direction of his friend's ICU. Sweat dropped from Ash's face with each stride he took, born from both exhaustion and nervousness. He turned a few corners before coming across a door that lead to a hallway. Ash prepared himself mentally, taking a few deep breaths as a closed his eyes. Then, with all the energy in his body, he pushed them open, revealing two more than familiar faces.
One was a tall bipedal Pokemon that resembled a fox, it's ears flared with large red fur. The rest of its torso was covered with a combination of yellow and dark red fur with a shred of white fur on its midsection. The other, however, was far more special as her mere presence had reached into his subconscious and pulled an abundance of flooding memories. Again, he was reminded of the same face he saw at the ambulance's backdoor windows.
'Serena'
He'd nearly forgotten the very reason he came to the hospital in the first place. Before he could dwell upon the matter any further, the door to the room the pair had sat by opened, revealing a doctor that glanced towards the sleeping duo before walking over to Ash and giving him a concerned look.
"You must be Ash, Goh's research fellow?" The doctor softly spoke, careful not to awaken the two in their peaceful slumber. Ash simply nodded, still left speechless by what he'd witnessed in the moments prior.
"Well, my name is Dr. Bronz, and its good that you got here. We'd already contacted his parents along with Professor Cerise and his daughter, they all confirmed that they'd arrive here tomorrow." Ash felt a slight sense of relief as the doctor said that, but soon came to dread what their reactions might have been to the sorrowful news.
"Since you're already here, I may as well disclose Goh's condition to you." Ash began to worry as Dr. Bronz continued. "From what we've seen, nothing below his neck seems to have experienced any sort of critical injury, at least nothing life threatening. There's a torn ligament, but that can be resolved with some surgical treatment." The last part caused Ash to gulp in concern for his friend.
"Now, the main problem is that he'd suffered some head trauma from whatever incident he'd been in, and he'd be out in a coma for the next day or two. Right now, where's still trying to figure out what could've cause this, and we're primarily hanging on the hopes that he can explain the events to us once he's woken up," Dr. Bronz said. "But you can take solace in the fact that once he's awoken and his operation's been performed, he'll be alright," Ash finally let out a breath, unaware the he'd previously been holding it. The doctor gave him one last nod before heading out.
Ash exhaustedly sat next to the sleeping Serena, with Pikachu jumping on his lap and quickly falling asleep. He glanced to Serena and Delphox, still trying to decipher the reason they were there. Eventually, he gave out and just tilted his neck back, reflecting on all the events that occurred only today: His reunion with Conway, learning of the Ultra Class Tournament, the news of Goh's condition, and his encounter with Tobias. The thought of his nightmare on the plane to Sinnoh re-emerged, causing him to feel a slight shiver. His thought process began to take a downward spiral as he started to feel anxious of Goh's parents and how they must've felt upon hearing of their son's precarious incident.
Ash blamed himself. Had he joined Goh when he left the Pokemon Center earlier that day, perhaps none of this would've even began. Perhaps Goh wouldn't have had to suffer the same fate he had now. It hurt Ash to let his thoughts remain on the matter, but they continued to persist in his head. The full accumulation of these thoughts cause a pained expression to reach his face as he felt guilt rack up more and more on his psyche.
By some chance of luck, Serena, who still hadn't consciously registered Ash's presence, had readjusted her position while asleep, leaning her head on Ash's shoulder. This not only pulled Ash from his daze, but the warm feeling of her head on his shoulder had comforted him. It was a bit slow, but as he started to feel more satisfied by the day's conclusion, he leaned his head on Serena's and joined her in slumber.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In contrast to Sinnoh's dark skies, the afternoon light over Cerise Laboratory in Kanto had shined brightly at 2 in the afternoon. Professor Cerise was busy looking into the current data he had on the Shiny Garchomps that he'd sent his research fellows to add upon when the telephone on his table began to ring. Thinking it was Ash and/or Goh calling in to deliver an update on their progress, he picked up his phone and responded with a casual, "Hello?". Because of his nonchalant mentality, the news that came hit him even harder.
Professor Cerise simply expected a data update from one of his research fellows, not the news that one of them had suffered such a severe tragedy. His mind raced as he worried for the condition of Goh, as well as how his parents and Ash must've reacted to the news. He couldn't help lean his head on the table and clutch it in guilt for practically sending the two to Sinnoh to experience what would surely make for a traumatizing memory. His thought process was interrupted by the sound of Ren entering his office to deliver some documents, only for the younger man to view his superior's startled reaction in confusion.
"Professor Cerise? Somethin' the matter?" The blonde said, readjusting his glasses as he looked to the Professor in concern.
"Oh, Ren," Cerise said, solemnly. "Cou-could you please gather Chrysa and Chloe? There's something I need to tell you all."
"Um, okay." The Professor earned a curious glance from Ren before the younger man walked away to fulfill his request. Chrysa, Ren, and Chloe all entered the Professor's office shortly afterwards.
"Hey dad, is something wrong?" Chloe curiously asked, still fairly confused from when she'd heard of her father's request. The Professor pulled down his glasses and rubbed his eyes as he began to deliver the news he'd gotten from Jubilife Hospital, something that pained him to have to do.
After the Professor had finished, Ren and Chrysa looked to him in shock, with the latter covering her mouth with both hands. Chloe, however, took it the hardest, as she fell to her knees and began sobbing on the floor while she put her hands to her face, horrified upon learning of what happened to her childhood friend. Eevee walked over to its master in an attempt to comfort it.
The rest of the group all huddled around to console the poor girl as her father began to speak. "The hospital also informed me of some flight options to Sinnoh. I looked over it and found only two available plane tickets, so I told them I planned on heading over there with Chloe to check on Ash and Goh. If we left today, we should arrive by tomorrow."
Chrysa and Ren complied, obviously knowing that meant they'd have to hold the fort in Cerise Laboratories in the meantime. Chloe simply stood in place without uttering a word, but nodded to let her father know that she was listening. Professor Cerise picked up the phone again and dialed his home number to inform his wife and son of the news, and both of them agreed with what he arranged. Chloe walked out of the room and into the lab's hallway, with Eevee following soon after her. The only thing keeping her mind intact was the knowledge that Goh would at least survive.
She began to reflect on old memories of her friend, remembering certain bits and details of their childhood. Her clearest memory is when she and Goh had met Mew, who'd beaten a Nidoking and befriended a little baby Kangaskhan. While Chloe herself had never given this event much thought, the meeting had jumpstarted Goh's goal of being the greatest Pokemon catcher. Little did she know, that same goal led Goh to his fateful encounter with the man who tamed legendaries.
Speaking of whom....
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"How could you let the boy survive?!" Tobias said, demanding an answer from Darkrai.
'Master, I apologize. My attack must not have hit him as directly as I initially believed,' Darkrai telepathically responded, hoping that this would quell his trainer's fury, it didn't.
His trainer gave him a disgusted look before he continued. "As you initially believed???" Tobias was seething. "That shouldn't have even mattered. You! the once great Darkrai that slayed thousands in their sleep, have failed to eliminate a single brat?!?". Tobias sat back down as he said that, hoping it would calm his rage.
'I am truly remorseful, master. It was not a mistake I intended to make,' Darkrai somberly answered.
'Lies!' another voice had joined in, 'Darkrai has no intention of maintaining its fidelity towards you, master. He could've very easily slain that boy, but simply chose against doing so. Darkrai is a traitor!'
'Latios! How dare you intervene in a conversation you have no place in! Master had chosen me to begin all of his battles as he hailed full faith in my superiority over you,' Darkrai retorted.
"That may have been the case then, but its clearly a different story in our current time," Tobias interrupted, "Because unlike Latios, you, Darkrai, haven't gained a newfound power."
Latios smirked at his trainer's response. It was a sign that clearly showed who Tobias favored. Darkrai could only remain stunned as his trainer sided with Latios, whom of which he recently began a personal rivalry with as they clashed for their master's respect.
Tobias began to speak again. "But whatever the case may be, I've found another task for you to fulfill," Tobias said as he stared at the member of the Lunar Duo, "Latios had mentioned hearing of the news that the boy was left in a coma, which means that this is the perfect time for you to strike with a nightmare. If you truly wish to redeem yourself and prove your loyalty, then complete this task without fail."
'Yes, master' Darkrai said as it was sent away to begin its job.
'Why do you continue to appease Darkrai with those hopes, master? We're all aware of your crumbling faith in it,' Latios asked.
"Yes, but I at least prefer to give it some incentive to perform its role," Tobias said menacingly. As he did, 4 distinct outlines began to approach him from behind the shadows. Latios gazed at the 4 as it transferred its thoughts to Tobias. 'Master, the others have arrived.'
Tobias stood up, turned around, and smiled. "With this new power, not even Cynthia can stand against us."
Darkrai hovered in the direction of Jubilife City, and in turn Goh, but that's not what its focus was on.
'That cursed Latios! How dare he claim I'm a traitor! In front of master, no less!' Darkrai was infuriated, not because it was a lie, but because it'd almost been exposed.