Thank you for tuning into this story!

Also, if there are spelling mistakes (even if I've checked this multiple times), please PM me so I can correct them. This story got a bit revised, thanks to some helpful reviews.

Thank you in advance and enjoy!

Ash let out a sigh as he rubbed his head in an attempt to get rid of the thumping feeling in his right temple. It wasn't uncommon for any impending headaches to rear their ugly heads in this way, especially not after having been exposed to pressure and plenty of people. So the teen knew how to deal with those.

What he didn't manage to immediately come to terms with was that life just wasn't willing to go his way. Not that he minded his friends and those he considered to be as close as family having a party in honour of his achievement. No, it just was that he didn't really feel like he had achieved anything in the last tournament, as he had been so close to victory and yet...

Yeah, Ash was disappointed, of course, because he knew that both he and his Pokémon had given their all and even more. But the niggling little voice in the back of his head wouldn't let him forget that there was always something more he could've done. Good thing that Gary, who suddenly had gotten some sort of epiphany, momentarily managed to distract the teen from himself.

"I've been thinking and… I think it might be the best for me to stop being a trainer. I won't abandon my Pokémon, but I see now that I should be investing in a better future for myself and follow in my grandfather's footsteps."

At that, Professor Oak had jumped up and had hugged his grandson close, happy to be able to pass through his life work (or so he actually said). Personally, Ash wasn't too sure whether Gary would be sailing the same ship the Professor was on but that wasn't his issue. And frankly, he was happy for this interruption as it pulled away some of the attention from him. Any kind of breather sounded good to him and so, the black haired teen was quick to take this opportunity to go and have some fresh air outside.

"Pi?"

Of course, it didn't take long until Pikachu came bouncy towards him, coming to sit next to where he had sat down in the grass. Ash actually had to smile when his starter didn't waste much time in jumping on his lap either.

"Don't worry, buddy, it was just getting a bit stuffy inside."

"Pikachuuuu~?"

"Yes, really. I'm not going to sulk about having lost, we can always do it again if we want to. You know we can."

"Pikapi..." the Pokémon sighed and curled up in a ball, ready for a snooze.

The teen simply petted his starter, enjoying the feeling of the soft, yellow fur on his hand. He knew this peacefulness wouldn't last long and so decided to savour it as long as he could. His friends would surely start to wonder where he'd gone off to and Arceus forbid if they thought he was actually a bit bummed. Ash wasn't going to deny that he wasn't the slightest bit dejected but their ways of cheering him up were... original, to say the least.

"What're you doing out here?" a voice suddenly asked.

It did cause Pikachu to suddenly jump up as well and cast a rather dirty look at the offender. Misty only managed to look amused by that, though, so the Pokémon soon laid down again, glancing at his trainer for a bit.

"Did I disturb something?"

"Just Pikachu's nap. Did you need me for something?"

"..."

"What?"

"Just checking whether you were actually being serious there, Ash," she answered dryly. "Just so you know, we didn't come here to see Gary get all the attention."

"Oh, good!"

"That's what I thought as well. Besides, we're missing you already too."

"Aww, really?" Ash grinned. "I was just here for the fresh air, actually."

"Well, then we'll open a window or something." Misty answered simply and went back inside.

Seeing that the girl was rather adamant about this, the teen figured that either something was wrong, or that they did actually miss him. Both occasions seemed rather alien to him, but his friends never ceased to amaze him. So Ash followed swiftly, carrying Pikachu in his arms since the Pokémon had just fallen asleep again.

Once back inside, the boy had to smile when he saw that every possible window was actually open, with the mesh in front of it to keep small intruders out. It was already feeling a whole lot less stuffy as well.

'Must be because Professor Oak already left.' he thought amused and went to sit at the table his mother had dragged over from the kitchen earlier today.

Pikachu did give him a sleepy look as if to check whether a) his trainer was still there and b) that he knew where they were sitting. Ash thought it to be rather cute and as such started petting the Pokémon. But this apparently seemed to be the right timing for Iris to zoom into his location and slide into the chair next to him.

"Please tell me you weren't outside to sulk because someone got more attention than you?"

"Hey, hey, don't give me that! I'm not that big a kid!" the boy answered, pouting at the unfair accusation.

"I can't tell you how pleased I am about that." she sighed. "There's... quite some characters present and if you weren't feeling up to entertaining us, this would be a disaster of global proportions, I can tell that much."

'You're one of them though, buddy.' Ash thought, smiling at his own cheekiness.

"I'm feeling fine, Iris, no worries! In fact, you all forget that one of my rivals basically eliminated himself, so my chances of winning something have actually increased."

"That's not funny, Ash. I didn't know you'd be so depressed about this."

"I'm not. I'm completely fine, just watch."

The teen was amused he could almost feel the purple haired girl's gaze burn holes in the back of his shirt as he went around to chat with his friends. May and Max were pretty much the easiest to get along with, as the girl was very similar to himself and the younger boy was pretty much a sponge and only a few months away from actually becoming a trainer himself, so he couldn't get enough information from the older trainer.

Gary, Cilan and Brock had hit off as well, with Tracey just bumbling about, since all the cooking experience he had was practically centred around Pokémon only. It was only thanks to Professor Oak's other assistants that he had been eating properly. The only one who seemed to have disappeared somewhere was Dawn, but the teen figured she had just gone to the bathroom or something. Nevertheless, everyone was smiling when he went to sit back at the table anyhow.

"There, do you think I could've done that while depressed?"

"I've only got you in common with them, so what do I know?"

"Well, then why don't you amuse me then? I'm completely free and seeing that Pikachu is actually tired, I'm good to be sitting down for quite a while."

"Alright, I've got plenty of stories to share with you." she said, grinning from ear to ear. "Hope you're sitting comfortably."

Iris could be pretty funny when she wanted to be and the time had flown as she told her stories about the Pokémon and experiences she had in Unova. It had been interesting enough for Dawn to come sit with them and eventually the rest came over as well. Ash was happy to see that the girl was able to talk to his other friends since there was only so much he could amuse her with.

But his current focus was on Pikachu, who had just stretched in the most adorable way possible and it made the boy feel rather fuzzy inside.

"Hey, buddy." he said softly, gently scratching the Pokémon's favourite spot. "I haven't told you how proud I am of what you performed. We might not have won, but remember what Lt. Surge said at the time? That a Pikachu would never reach its full potential unless they evolved? You sure showed everyone how wrong they were to believe such nonsense, so... let's escape to the kitchen and find you a bottle of ketchup, okay?"

All sleepiness had instantly left Pikachu, who was all ears and ready to leave for the kitchen. Only his trainer knew what he actually liked so when they sneaked off, the Pokémon knew he was in for a treat. And it was rare for Ash to just give him any ketchup outside of dinner, so he'd take this opportunity with both his little paws.

The teen was more than happy to give his faithful starter a treat, so if that meant he'd raid his mom's ketchup stock, so be it. Yet, as the two were standing in the kitchen -which looked pretty empty thanks to the unoccupied area the table left in its wake-, Ash couldn't help but overhear the conversation in the living room.

"Hey, did you see that?"

"Yeah, it was super cute! I've never seen Ash do that with Pikachu before!"

The boy actually scowled at that, but just silently, as he didn't want to disturb his starter. He did this with his Pokémon all the time, Pikachu included, so what if they were the ones who weren't paying attention to what he did, huh? Ash sighed and rubbed his forehead, calming himself so he wouldn't get riled up at a conversation he shouldn't even have heard. Still, he vowed to give all his Pokémon some attention tomorrow, so that no one needed to doubt he didn't care for all his friends.

When moving back into the living room, Ash noticed that this couldn't actually be called a party at all. If anything, this was more a get together with plenty of food, happily provided by his mom. She was over the moon with pretty much everything he achieved during his journey and for that, he loved her, even if Ash hadn't told her everything. If he had, from the Legendary encounters to the issues he'd fixed, his own life on the line most of the time... Well, she would've tied him to his bed before he could finish his first story.

Either way, there was also the chance she wouldn't believe him, which was the issue Ash had with Professor Oak. But come on, whoever had the instinct of pulling out their Pokédex when the Pokémon, be it Legendary or not, was aggressively barrelling towards them? So no, he didn't have any evidence and the regions he'd had his adventures in rather not give away the locations of the mythical beings, so the chance of them affirming his stories was nil.

Repressing a sigh, the teen decided to focus on the delicious food that his mom had placed in front of him, once he had sat down. It wouldn't do to dwell on things he couldn't change after all, but it seemed like there was something direr he'd need to address on the table right now. Considering Misty was in front of him, he could see her only playing with the food on her plate and actually being pretty silent. If that wasn't a red flag in itself, the fact that he instantly caught his mother's gaze shortly after, meant that his first official friend had something on her mind.

So, as soon as he was able to free himself from the massive washing up job, he made a beeline to talk to the girl.

"Hey, Mist."

"Oh, hi..."

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

"Sure?"

"Yes, Ash, I'm fine."

"Please don't lie to me?"

If anything, Misty couldn't look any more torn, but Ash needed her to show her character again. Being silent didn't suit her at all, so... But the boy was ever so surprised that she grabbed him in a hug, that he actually stiffened. Yet he was quick to grab a hold of her as well, knowing something might be off.

"Mist, talk to me."

"We're facing a screening tomorrow." She answered, letting go of him.

"Who's 'we' and what's a screening?"

"The Gym. And a screening is literally the result of a complaint."

"Eh? Why? Did your sisters mess it up again?"

"This afternoon, while I was here, apparently."

"Of all the times the League actually decides to act quickly, it needs to be with your case, huh? But seeing this is partly my mistake as well, let me join you tomorrow."

"Oh, Ash, there's nothing you can do. And neither can I."

"I see..." The black haired boy said, looking a bit dejected. "Still, there's nothing they can involve you in, right?"

"No, but they can take away my sister's Gym rights and then I won't have any free time left."

"Ah..."

"I should actually be going too since they'd arrive early in the morning." She sighed. "Gosh, this is such a mess."

"Here, Mist, take Staraptor. She's big, powerful and will be able to take you to Cerulean in a matter of minutes." Ash said, already taking the Pokéball off his belt.

"Really?"

"Yup. Come on, I'll release her outside so she knows what's up."

"Oh, Ash, she's beautiful!" Misty gushed.

Staraptor puffed up her chest in response and already looked ready to fly her admirer to wherever she wanted to go.

"Isn't she? And it helps that I've flown over Kanto with her, so she knows the way. Don't you, girl?" Ash said, stroking the feathers underneath the Pokémon's beak.

"Starrrrr~"

"Can I send her back with her Pokéball, then?"

"Why don't you come to deliver it yourself when that screening is over? That way you can tell me what it resulted in."

"Alright, I will then. Thank you, Ash."

"No problem, Mist! Safe flight and good luck!"

With Misty's issue pretty much out of the way, Ash went back inside the house, where he was amused to see poor Tracey now trying to catch up with a pretty complicated conversation about Pokémon stats which Gary was discussing with Brock. Max was on the couch watching Pikachu make a spectacle of himself as he was mostly covered in ketchup. Iris was trying to look interested as May talked about an upcoming coordinating, which Dawn was following intently. And Cilan was amusing Delia with a very detailed review of the dinner they just had had. He had been praising her to the moon and back when Gary suddenly called out to Ash.

"Hey, Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"What would you have done if you could've chosen a different starter based on nature?"

"Euuuuuuhm..."

Ash purposely drew out his response, as he needed a bit of time to think about that question. It seemed to bring some sort of comfort to Tracey as well.

"I... don't think so. I mean, Pikachu was pretty much a major pain in the butt yet-"

"Pikachu pi!"

"Oh, come on. You're not going to tell me you were nice. You gave me the stink eye right as I released you and electrocuted both Professor Oak and me straight afterwards. I had to wear rubber gloves to even get you out of the laboratory so that you couldn't shock me. Well, you did anyway, but..."

The Pokémon managed to look a bit guilty underneath all the ketchup.

"But to answer your question, Gary. I don't know. I didn't get a choice when I got my starter but even then... What would the point be? Find a Pokémon that's perfectly compatible or...?"

"No, it's said that some natures are better for defence, some for attack... You could make a perfect Pokémon."

Brock scoffed at that.

"Perfect Pokémon? In what way?" the boy asked, slightly confused as he turned to look from Brock to Gary and back.

"Strength. Or speed. Defence. You know, the stats."

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather first get to know their personality because before you know it, your perfect Pokémon might punch your face in if they don't like the look of you." Ash answered, making Tracey chuckled. "You've been looking into that Pokémon school project again, haven't you?"

"Their calculations are mostly spot on."

"Calculations? Gosh, try getting your Umbreon trained to those. Pokémon always rely on instinct."

"True, but if it's in their nature to react in the best way?"

"Yes, but what is the best reaction? Not every situation is solved by attacking something, or running off..."

"Maybe you're right..."

"But anyway, is stubborn one of the natures? 'Cause if it is, I know it raises attack."

"No, it's not really one of the selected natures." Gary answered amused, knowing the boy was referring to his Pokémon.

And then Max suddenly had gotten a laughing fit as Pikachu's ketchup bottle had somewhat exploded.

"What about stupid then?" Ash suggested cheekily as he walked off to get a wet cloth to clean up the mess.

The three boys had laughed at that and looked on as their friend returned from the kitchen.

"Biting at the end of the bottle isn't really the best way to get to the bottom bit, buddy." the teen chuckled, already trying to remove as much ketchup from his whining starter.

The boy was already happy his Pokémon hadn't used his tail, or else the ketchup would've been everywhere. While it would have been funny to see his mother act like she didn't care, he'd try to avoid it because all the trouble Pikachu caused eventually became his responsibility. But as he went to wash out the cloth, Ash managed to knock himself out in the most bizarre way possible.

"How could this even have happened?" Delia sighed, her hands on her cheeks as she didn't know what else to do with them.

A loud thump in the kitchen had made the three oldest teens run into that room, finding their friend knocked out. He still had the cloth in his hands and seemed to have rolled over just before he lost conscious, as Ash was laying on his side. If Brock wasn't so worried, he might have commended the teen for his good instinct but honestly, with the girls looking like they were going to cry any second now...

"Is he okay?" Dawn asked with a wavering voice, the first to kneel down next to the unconscious boy.

"Yeah, I think the thump we heard was him hitting his head against something. I can feel a bump on his head." Brock said. "Can someone get some ice or something?"

Delia shot into action, seemingly happy there was something she could do. While none the teens had expected their friend to get hurt -in his own house, for goodness' sake!-, it seemed like the woman had experience in treating bruises and the like, because some cold compresses were ready and waiting. When she brought one over, no one even dared to ask the reason why she had so many.

"He must've slipped over something." Cilan said instead, watching on as Brock gently laid the compress on the unconscious boy's forehead.

"But there's nothing here to slip over, not even a wet spot or a wonky tile!" May exclaimed, gesturing towards the pristine kitchen.

Seeing how Mrs. Ketchum was looking all over, as if the culprit of her son's unfortunate little accident was hiding under the floor tiles, Brock was hoping that Ash had already slipped. Because if there was a reason for the teen's accident, even he would need to suppress the urge to strangle whatever it was.

"Oh, dang, is Ash bleeding?" Iris asked, just far enough not to see anything.

"Of course not, Brock said he felt the bump!" Dawn exclaimed. "He wouldn't have missed blood on his hands!"

"I didn't hear about that-"

"Girls, can you just... shut up for a minute or so? And get out of here? I think Ash would like to be able to breath when he comes to."

The girls glared at Gary, who didn't seem impressed by it. At least they took the hint and left, because the kitchen really wasn't big enough for nine people, one of them laying on the floor. Not to mention Pikachu, who was sitting on the cabinet looking... undecided.

"S-should we get him from the floor? It's... going to be bad for him to lay down on it when it's so cold, right?"

Gary was definitely startled, not having seen the short boy with all the commotion. And it didn't help that Max looked really upset. All the teens present, even Delia, understood all to well what kind of Hero Ash might be in the boy's eyes... heck, even better than a Hero, because the black haired teen displayed all his natural flaws like medals.

"Of course, Max." Tracey wheedled, stepping in between the boy and the unconscious trainer. "Let's lead the way for the others, okay?" he added and gently guided Max out of the kitchen.

But Delia was quite ready to leave just yet. Because there was a notebook in her hands and the look in her eyes betrayed that she wanted to rip it to shreds.

"Do you... think Ash might have slipped over this?"

"That's Tracey's sketchbook." Brock said, looking up at it.

"I clearly remember having seen it on the table, because it was in my way the whole time. Why is it here all of a-"

Before the woman could even finish her sentence, the resident Mr. Mime happily walked past with the dishes. Which had been on the table prior to his cleaning. They could only stare as they saw the Pokémon move plenty of stuff Delia had told him not to touch. And then he went as far as to put a neatly folded towel on the bottom of the staircase. Good thing the staircase was actually visible from the kitchen door, where the woman had been standing, or another accident might be soon to follow.

"Mimey!" Delia exclaimed, moving out of the kitchen to take the offending object away from the dangerous spot. "You know I appreciate your help, but please remember the things you can touch and those you can't, like other people's stuff. And don't put anything on the floor or the stairs!"

"Mime!" the Pokémon agreed happily, only to hang his other towel on the railing and continued on his merry way.

"Un-be-lievable." the woman sighed, rubbing her forehead in irritation. "One of these days..."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Ketchum, Ash has a hard head, we know that from experience." Cilan offered. "He'll be fine."

Needless to say, Delia hadn't looked convinced but had enough manners not to talk back to the well-meaning boy. But that didn't mean that she didn't keep a very close look on how Gary and Brock carried her son towards the biggest couch in the living room. And not too long after the teen had been gently deposited in the soft piece of furniture, Ash blearily opened his eyes, squinting at the light.

An audible sigh of relief could be heard and the mood in the room lifted almost instantly. Pikachu was quick to jump up the couch and snuggle against his trainer's stomach. But Brock didn't like the look of confusion on his friends' face.

"Ash? Are you okay?"

"... Brock?" the teen answered, frowning even more.

"Yes?"

"... Where did you get those extra heads from?"

Delia had looked like she really wanted to strangle Tracey, who meekly accepted his sketchbook. While it was clear that there was nothing really wrong with Ash, except that he was suffering from some common symptoms of a concussion, she was very displeased her son got hurt in the first place. The teens were slightly dubious when she turned to them, but it seemed like Ash being awake was stopping her from combusting an a explosion of accusations and what not.

But thanks to their travels, everyone knew the boy was a trouble magnet... chances were that he never even told his mom what happened to him and the people he travelled with. No one blame him for it now, though, seeing how Delia behave when she just had a whiff of trouble. Yeah, they were worried about Ash too, but they knew he had lived from worse accidents.

"So... Who's going to sleep where?" was the question that broke the ice a bit.

The only issue was that it was a hassle to give all the teens a place to sleep... and get them to leave Ash and go to bed. Oh, Delia would have loved to camp around the coach, but young Max had a point in saying that sleeping on a floor, even in a usually warm place such as Pallet, was a bad idea. Thanks to the big emotions this accident had awakened in everyone, they just couldn't get to a conclusion.

"Come on, kids." Delia sighed. "There's no use in arguing. You can't all fit in this living room and I'm not letting you sleep on the floor while there are available beds. Besides, we're only making Ash's headache worse, so come to a conclusion, please? Or I'll do it for you."

"O-okay, why don't we do it this way?" Dawn suggested carefully. "Brock and Cilan can stay here, since they have the best knowledge on what to do should anything else happen to Ash. And then May and Max can go sleep in Ash's room, since he's got a cot hidden somewhere. Iris and I can do to the spare bedroom and then Tracey can go sleep in the bed in the attic."

That seemed more than reasonable and so the group nodded, despite the fact that Tracey seemed dubious about the desicion. But with Delia being in the mood she was, he didn't have the guts to talk back.

"Alright, let's do it that way, then, if you're all agreeing on it." the tired woman sighed, somewhat happy there was still someone who had the ability to think clearly present in the group. "You all know where the bathroom is, so go brush your teeth before you go to bed, okay?"

"Okay!"

"I'll just go home, then, Mrs. Ketchum." Gary said, nodding at Delia. "Call me when there's anything I can do."

"I will, though I'm sure Ash is okay now."

"Alright, see you all later."

The colourful group dispersed around the house and soon Brock and Cilan found themselves alone with the boy who didn't quite seem to know what to make off this whole situation. Delia had brought them some blankets, so they could keep warm throughout the night.

"... Brock?" Ash asked, when he saw his friend with the blanket.

"Yes, Ash?"

"Was it me... or was mom a little scary?"

The teen couldn't help but chuckle as he covered the young trainer with the cosy fleece blanket.

"Yeah, you're right. But that's what mothers are for, right?"

"Mmm..."

Tracey was slightly displeased as he moved to the upstairs, annoyed because his sketchpad was pretty much ruined and that he had to go into the stuffy attic. Little did he know that this was the place that Ash actually used to store pictures along with other souvenirs of his travels there and usually occupied it during rainy days. It was rather cheery and most of all clean, since the teen did respect the trophies he had neatly stored on the shelves. And well, if he was cleaning those, there was no reason to stop there, or so Ash figured.

Needless to say that the teen was bewildered when he noticed that the attic was nothing like he imagined. Tracey actually smiled because this room actually felt more like the friend he knew then the boy's own bedroom. In a way, he felt rather privileged to be here and figured that he'd have something to look at in the case that he couldn't sleep.

Downstairs, the girls were getting ready but still had one main thing in mind.

"Oh, I do really hope he's fine." the blue haired girl sighed. "Mrs. Ketchum looked so worried... I doubt that she'll be getting any sleep."

"He's simply a bit concussed, Dawn, it'll probably be okay. And really, he recognised Brock straight away, so that means there's no damage or anything."

"... Really? You seem to know quite a bit about medical things, huh?"

"Of course." Iris said proudly. "I've always watched plenty of TV shows and those kinds of ailments really interest me."

"Still..." Dawn insisted. "If there's a crack in his skull, we wouldn't notice."

"I doubt whether he would have woken up so fast if that was the case."

Dawn really couldn't bring herself to keep listening to Iris' explanation about her dubious interest and theories she had and so, focused on Ash and the accident. Her heart had worked in overdrive when she had seen him laying there, unmoving... and oh, so pale. The teen usually was such a bundle of life, almost constantly bouncing towards another adventure and she loved that about him.

And when she had met up with his old and new friends, it was clear that this was what attracted them as well. So, seeing how worried and deadly serious they had become when it turned out he was hurt, the girl felt like Ash might have to do some apologising tomorrow. And with Mrs. Ketchum, the lovely woman and good host, suddenly turning into a goddess of vengeance... Tracey's sketchbook probably had two holes in the cover, that heated her stare had been.

If anything, Dawn would really like it if she would wake up tomorrow and that everything would be fine. That they could all smile and joke around again, with Ash being his good, old, radiant self again.

Her rest had been filled with really bad dreams and so, Delia soon found herself getting out of bed, even at this ungodly hour. Yes, five in the morning wasn't usually the hour she got out of bed, but she wanted to make sure her son was okay... and hadn't suddenly passed away while everyone was sleeping peacefully. The woman shook her head, trying to get rid of these gloomy thoughts, very much influence by the dreams earlier.

'It'll be fine.' she thought, trying to calm herself as she wrapped a nightgown around her and went down the stairs. 'I'll just go downstairs, have a cup of coffee and see Ashy sleep peacefully.'

But her heart rate skyrocketed when she found the couch her son should've been in... empty. And cold, meaning he hadn't been in this for hours.

"... Boys?" the woman asked, already leaning against the nearest couch, feeling rather faint.

The uneven, sudden voice startled the two boys, of course, but what had truly woken them up was how dire and emotional the one word had sounded. Bewildered, Cilan threw his blanket off him and locked eyes with the empty couch. A string of courses left his mouth as he shot up and started calling out the teen's name as he started checking all the rooms. Delia didn't have the strength to tell him off for the cursing, but it helped wake up Brock as well, who quickly got the gist of what was going on.

"Oh God no!"

All the ruckus had woken all the other teen and since they all instigated their own search. However, how faint Delia might be feeling, she suddenly didn't lose her mind, and as such, called Officer Jenny. Seeing the well-meaning children being guided back into the house was rather sad, because they were highly upset but...

"The only thing you lot are going to find is hypothermia or a pneumonia." she chided. "If I didn't know you were all worried, I would think you all to be utterly crazy, lofting around in your pyjama's like that."

"But we need to find him!" Tracey exclaimed, even though he's the one the Officer is actually pushing forward the most.

"Not like this and not when you're going to be in the way of professionals."

"Oh, so you're a professional?"

The woman never even deemed that worthy of a response and so, all the teens had been left at Delia's household. Though, thanks to Professor Oak, who literally was wearing his lab coat over his own pair of pyjama's, Delia stayed put. That much couldn't be said about Pikachu, who straight up shot out of the door after having looked heartbroken by the statement that his trainer was missing.

The whole of Pallet Town got a nice, early wake-up call as well, with the G-men arriving with rumbling jeeps and helicopters. In fact, it made so much noise, not even the Beedrill felt the need to come and see what was making it. But no one there minded, as all the residents knew the boy well and felt for the woman. Ash was all she had felt fro her immediate family, safe from a few people abroad. Thanks to them, the teens staying at the house got some breakfast, even thought they weren't really hungry. And Delia got a lot of support from the busybodies there too, seeing there was nothing to gossip about. Everything was on full display for everyone to see, after all.

And around about ten in the morning, someone came to Pallet, on a Pokémon she had borrowed... only to land in a place that had turned into a war zone overnight.

The girl couldn't give to cents about being stared at and she dared either of those G-men to come stop her from going to the house where two, armed men, were waiting at the door. They too glanced at her, but thanks to her expression looking nothing short of apocalyptic, they didn't say or do anything to stop her from going into the house. The door opened too fast as well, which did nothing good for her mood.

"What the hell happened?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, showing she absolutely didn't have a clue what was going on.

Staraptor, who was warily glancing around, seemed anything but comfortable and when Pokémon showed unease, you better hold onto your hats, because it wouldn't be good.

"Ash. He... He's gone, Misty."

The girl didn't even need to turn around to check whether Staraptor was still there, as the squawk and gust of wind behind her was proof enough that the Pokémon had just left. See whether the G-men could stop this one from trying to get to Ash. Now Brock, who had been the one to open the door, looked horrible and...

"W-what? How?!"

"I don't know!" the teen answered, swinging the door fully open so that the girl could enter.

"Misty." the familiar voice of Professor Oak said urgently. "Promise me you won't make a scene and I will tell you what we know so far."

"H-how can I not make a- Heck, hasn't that ship sailed? The whole town has been invaded, I-"

"Need to calm down. Please, Misty, there's nothing you can do now. You can trust the G-men."

"Screw them! What's keeping you from going there yourself and-"

"Been there, done that." May sighed, her voice hoarse and eyes red and puffy. "Officer Jenny came to get us out of the woods."

Misty deflated visibly, so Professor Oak gently laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Call you sisters, Misty, and sit down."

The sitting down part was the only thing that she actually seemed to have heard and so the Professor went to call the Waterflowers, knowing that Misty would remain here until Ash was found. Or even longer.

"S-so..." the red-haired girl said, swallowing hard as her feelings were doing multiple 180°'s. "What's happened?"

"We think he walked out, not really knowing where he was going, thanks to that concussion of his... making the possibilities of where he went endless." Iris answered, sounding strangely clear-headed. "He might just even thought to simply sit somewhere... or might have mistaken the front for his bedroom door."

"So.. that could mean... that if he went out, Ash would automatically turn to the right." Brock said, sounding as if he had an epiphany. "That rules out him having gone to the left side, where all that was waiting for him was water!"

"Very sensitive." Misty all but growled as Dawn started crying... again.

"Look, you can try and tell one of those G-men at the door that but... for all we know, he's just sitting somewhere in the woods, wondering what's going on, with a thumping headache." Tracey said and sounded too desperate to actually be believable. "The G-men will find him and we'll have Ash back with us soon enough. Let's just... stay here. There's nothing we can do except being send back inside anyway."

On that, they all agreed, as the experience of being manhandled once was enough to convince them that they were in the way instead of helping. Not that they liked the idea of letting Ash be found by strangers... but the G-men were professionals and so, they would let them do their job.

Outside, a red-haired man sighed as he looked at the cap in his hands. It looked familiar and he was pretty sure that it would lead them to solve this case. Only, the cap wasn't enough. He needed the rest of the kid and soon, because there was blood on it.

"I suppose we at least know what way he went, right?" he asked, looking at the large range of trees to the right of Pallet.

Of all the places, the kid went into Route 1. And according to were this cap was found, he was even further in, having walked straight into Viridian forest. Taking into consideration that the wind was blowing towards them, it would make sense. What didn't quite add up, was that a Kanto native had just strolled into one of the most dangerous places this region could offer. Granted, it would've been worse if he'd gone to the Victory Road... but that was something Lance didn't want to think about. Not that it would've been the first time he'd need to squeeze himself through one of the Diglett created holes to rescue a lost trainer.

"Yes, sir. I have found a witness who claims she has seen a boy walked past here around half past 11." an assisting officer said, looking up from his notebook.

"... Who?"

"Nurse Joy from Viridian Pokémon Centre, sir. She saw him through the window of the room where she takes a break. Said window is pointed towards Viridian forest as well."

"Right, I suppose we can put up the trailer in front of the entrance and one close to the exit, so no one can come out or in of the forest without our knowledge. Also, if you can call the Arcanine squad? We might need to have them scan the area if the boy is unconscious or hurt."

"Yes, sir."

And with that, the officer left, leaving the man with his thoughts. For now, he needed the confirmation that this cap actually belonged to the missing boy. And while that posed a risk of upsetting the mother of the teen, he needed to know.

The front door was closed, of course, but considering things, it was a development Lance could only applaud. And when he knocked, it opened instantly, but that was to be expected.

"M-Mr. Lance?"

"Hello, Miss Waterflower. Would you mind if I came in for a bit? I have some news to share."

"N-not at all." the girl answered, moving out of the way instantly. "Do come in."

"Thank you."

Once inside, the man sighed. He had instantly recognised the disarray caused by a disappearance. These kinds of environments weren't strange to him any longer, being in the G-Men business for so long. But if there were any cases Lance didn't like, it would definitely be the missing person ones, especially if minors were involved. Or that it was someone he had known quite well.

"Mrs. Ketchum?" he asked, carefully approaching the woman.

Delia didn't look up right away. She probably only would have if Ash himself had come in but that absolutely and unmistakeably wasn't the case... If anything, it seemed like she was a bit dazed as her reactions were rather delayed.

"Mrs. Ketchum, we had found something." Lance urged, putting the cap straight in her view. "Can you tell me whether this belongs to your son? I know he wears a cap but I remember it being a different one, so I'm not sure whether this is his."

The woman looked at it and gently pulled it towards her. Her eyes started watering as she put it close to her chest and nodded.

'That's a yes.' the Champion thought.

"T-these caps are all he's got left of his father, Lance..." Delia answered, looking at him the kind of worry only a mother's eyes could have in them. "Along with some pictures but... h-he would never live it down if he was missing one."

"So... If there was someone who'd try to get it back from me...?"

Now everyone in the room looked at him, thanks to that statement. But this was the development he needed their help with.

"Y-you... think he's still out there?" the woman asked.

"I do."

"W-why wouldn't my baby come back to me?"

"Whoever was after this cap, ran away as soon as anyone approached."

"Ash would never run away from anyone."

That was Gary, who definitely knew that his childhood friend wasn't a coward or easily startled. With or without the concussion.

"Look, we need to take into account that he is hurt. This could cause a panic reaction." Lance answered, slightly annoyed because he wanted this case fixed as fast as possible.

Ash was known and liked in the League, which was dangerous territory. One mistake, and the forest would be full of well-meaning people, who were basically walking in each other's way.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"That I could use this cap to see whether we can trap whoever is after this. For all we know it could be Ash."

"There's no way he'd be foolish enough to try and get it from G-Men." Iris mumbled. "He might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but he's not aggressive by nature either. There's a lot a concussion can cause in a person but..."

"C-can you please stop that, Iris?" Dawn sniffled, who only recently stopped crying. "I get you know a lot about it, b-but..."

"I'm sorry." the girl said quickly. "I'm sure Ash has just found a kindred soul to help him get back the cap. If he's... as adamant as Mrs. Ketchum says he'd be to get that cap back, it might be that a Pokémon found him and that that was actually the first thing he asked. Maybe even the only thing. Ash's always been straightforward..."

Lance nodded, glad that someone at least saw sense. It definitely explained the monstrous power that the being had performed as it played tug-of-war with one of his Dragonite... and nearly won the game as well. There was only so much adrenaline could do and the traumatologist on site had already advised them to find the boy as quickly as possible since he might not have much energy or life left.

"But at any rate, please stay calm and try worry too much."

"I'll try, Mr. Lance." Delia sniffed. "But Ash was already so out of it yesterday..."

"I get it, Mrs. Ketchum. I'll do my utmost best to make sure I can return your son to you."

The man took a deep breath before leaving the house, with the thankful look of the woman had sent him, following and making him even more uneasy than before. He just hoped that the purple haired girl was right about the Pokémon thing because that meant the boy was still alive to ask for help. If he wasn't... well... Then that'd be a bit of a problem.

( … to be continued…)

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