Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ The Timetravelers: Who is Ash's Father? ❯ Healing Begins ( Chapter 9 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer for the lazy: I do not own Pokémon; 4kids and Game freak do, and some other ones I don't remember.

Oh, yah, the Giovanni in here is the good one.
And it seems that this part makes up for all those short parts… That is all.

The Timetravelers: WIAF
Part Nine: Healing Begins

One week later (May 10th, 1999)
Celedon Mansion, about 6 a.m.

Delia was talking to Jessie, James and Meowth. "Can you get out of the mansion to deliver a message to someone?"

"Why should we? We're free Rocket Grunts now!" Jessie said. They had packed their bags and were ready to say goodbye to the mansion forever.

"Because I need help, and so does my son. I don't want my son to stay here, and I can get outside help to set him free. Please, can you help me?"

"I says that we ain't helping no one!" Meowth said. But the other two weren't thinking that way…

"If you make us a meal we will!" Jessie said. James agreed with her. They loved to eat her excellent food, and if they had got something good in return, there was no harm in it.

"Deal. What do you want?" They then started listing all the stuff that they wanted in the perfect meal. "Ok, I can do that. Now all you three have to do is…" She started whispering things in their ears.

Later in the day
Pallet Town, 9 a.m.

Mk was trying to make up a plan to get the Ketchums out of the Celedon mansion, but she was having no luck. She even brought Arielle to help her with the plan [1], but…

"It's impossible. There are too many grunts and the security is tight now for some reason. Not even our group could get in there, even if we had all the time in the world to do it!" she yelled after looking over all the facts. Mk sighed. There was nothing that she could do but hope that Ash was ok…

Then Jessie, James and Meowth walked in. "TRUCE!!!" they yelled while looking at a pissed off Mk. She wanted to rip any Rocket Grunts she could find apart.

"We come from the Celedon Mansion with a plan from our former Boss's wife!"

"What is it?" Mk asked. She knew whom they were talking about. They handed her a note, and the Timetravelers in the room read it. Arielle felt insulted.

"Why didn't I think of it before?" she said. "That was so obvious and easy too! It's insulting my intelligence!"

Mk smiled. "First off, what intelligence? Most of the time you don't seem to have it," she said. Arielle gave her a death glare. "Hey, I was just kidding! Can't I joke every once in a while?"

"You better! I'm upset that you'd say something like that!" Arielle said. "I thought you weren't like this to your friends!"

"Well, sometimes I am. Anyway, the plan should work, but we have to wait until the 18th, and we have to make sure that the courts get this other part of the note before that for this to work. But that's the easy part!" She turned to the trio. "Tell her we got the plan, and that we'll be over. Also tell her to make sure Ash is packed with what he needs before eight p.m. because he won't have time once the plan goes into effect to get his stuff."

May 18th, 1999
Celedon Mansion, 8 p.m.

Ash was packing and he was confused. Where were they going anyway, and why wasn't his mom packing?

"Ash, you need to be ready to go soon, or you'll lose your chance to escape!" she whispered. He nodded and packed faster, not asking why she said "you'll" instead of "we'll". All he was packing were sentimental items and his trainer outfit. Well, and his mom wanted him to take that pesky How to Become a Team Rocket Member book for some reason. Ash didn't get it, but then again, he hadn't been getting her lately anyway. Then when he was finished packing, they went out to the park. It was dark, chilly, and silent. No one was around. Delia then turned to her son.

"Ash… I need to tell you something. I'm not coming with you." Ash gasped. She wasn't? "There's no way the plan I came up with could cover two people escaping. There's not enough time to. I do not want to see you suffer like this, and this is the only way you can be free. I came up with a guardian for you, and I'm sure that you'll like him. I'd put you with your grandparents, but I'm sure Team Rocket would be expecting that from me." Then she hugged her son. "I know that one day, we'll meet again." Then that's when Mk came up to the fence.

"Ash, are you ready? We need to get going now, or you'll never get out of here!" she yelled. Delia kissed her son on the cheek.

"Goodbye Mom," he said. Then Mk made him toss over the suitcase. Then Delia gave him a picture of her, one of them that she had torn apart.

"Here, take it," she said. "Don't forget about me, and don't worry, I'll be fine." Then Mk made him jump, and she used her powers to help him over the fence. Then that's when Team Rocket discovered the plan, and they sent grunts. Most of them captured Delia, thinking she was trying to escape instead of her son. But Mk teleported away before the grunts could realize who was really escaping or before they could get her or Ash.

Mk teleported the two of them to a secret Timetraveler base. All they could see was a room with very little light. No one was around. Ash fell down to the floor, sobbing. He didn't want to be separated from his mother yet.

"I'll never forgive them!!" he yelled. Mk then went next to him.

"I know that you'll be ok. I'll try to help you the best I can, and if there's any way to rescue your mother, I promise that I'll do anything to get her back." Ash looked at her, still teary-eyed.

"Really?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yes. I'm not one to break my promises." Not once in her life had Mk broken a promise, no matter how hard it was to keep it. Mk was a true friend, and that's good. [She must have learned that from her father… ^_^]

"Thank you," he said. Then he looked at Mk and remembered something. "Wait. If Adia's my cousin and she's your mother, does that make us related?"

Mk stopped in her tracks. "Let's talk about that when we get to your room." Then Mk took him to a room where there was a soft bed and a dresser. Ash put his suitcase next to the bed and then lied down on it.

"You'll stay here for the night; it's just a precaution, don't worry. Tomorrow we'll take you back to see your friends and Pokémon. Doesn't that sound great?" He nodded. "I think that your friends will help heal the wounds a little." Ash agreed. His friends would always be there, no matter what. That's why he liked them so much; they always had each other's backs through thick and thin.

"Now what were you saying? Oh yes. I guess we would be, huh? But don't think that gives you authority over me. Right now, I'm supposed to be guiding you, not the other way around," Mk told him.

"And what's with this branding thing? I still don't get it. My mother didn't explain much," Ash said. And Ash couldn't see his back. It was all sore from the more whippings that he got from Adia. Ever since his father was gone, she had continued the manner lessons. The doctor was always bandaging his back before he could look at the mark on his back.

"Oh, that. You see, the Celedons love keeping track of their own. So they brand them. That way, they know if you are one. Trust me, it can ruin your life, being marked as a Celedon. I only recently got branded, but I've always had my mother's looks… they'd all think I was one because of that…" She looked up at the ceiling, thinking about how she got tortured just because of her family. "But you at least don't look like one. All you have to do is worry about the rose on your back."

"What rose?"

"The one on your back. That's what they brand you with. Haven't you seen it yet?" Mk asked.

"No… I haven't. They never took off the bandages on my back." Then he just had to ask: "Is the name you gave us back in Hoenn your real name then? Shouldn't your last name be Kensington instead?"

"Well, at least the first name isn't mine. I can't tell you about my last. It's one of the forbidden things." Then she looked at him. "Well, you should get some sleep. Who knows what's going to happen tomorrow," Mk said. "You might need some energy, and sleep might do you some good." Then she left to give Ash some privacy. Ash lied down on the bed and cried, wishing that his mother were here to enjoy freedom from the Celedon mansion too.

The next day (May 19th)
The base, 6 a.m.

Ash had gotten some sleep, but not much. He got up when someone knocked on the door. It was the other Giovanni (the Pokémon Master one).

"Hey Ash. Long time no see," he said. "Your mom wanted me to take care of you. She trusts me, you see. We were childhood friends."

Ash smiled slightly. It was pretty cool that a Pokémon Master was going to take care of him now, even if he didn't know him that much. Giovanni seemed really nice. Maybe he wouldn't be that bad of a parent replacement at all.

"So were going to go back to Pallet Town now, so you need to get your suitcase and we'll get going." Mk then walked in, smiling.

"Today's the day you get to see your friends again. But I brought one in advance." Pikachu then came out of nowhere, happy to see its trainer safe. Pikachu could recognize Ash, even without his trainer clothes on.

"Pikapi!" he yelled. Ash opened his arms and Pikachu went in them, then Ash gave him a big hug. It was really cute! Both of them were glad to see each other again.

"I missed you so much," Ash said. It was great to see his Pikachu again. Then Mk teleported everyone to Professor Oak's lab. There was a whole bunch of people there, glad to see him back safely. Ash had never known about how much other people cared about him. There was Brock, May, Max [2], Professor Oak, Tracey, Gary, his friends from Pallet Town [3], some of his mom's friends [4], and a couple other people on the side (mostly there to party). But there was no sign of Misty anywhere. There was also a party set up, mainly by the people of Pallet Town. They just love parties. It was like that one dream he had, quite a while back...

"Welcome back!" Professor Oak said. "It's nice to see you back!" Ash smiled. He was glad to be back, but he wished that Misty were here.

Then she came out of nowhere, wearing a cute little blue sundress with roses on it and with her hair down. She looked really pretty today.

"ASH!!!" she yelled. You would not believe how much she had missed him. In fact, she hadn't been well since he had been kidnapped. She couldn't sleep well, she had no appetite or a little one, and she was constantly crying… what more evidence do you need? Misty threw herself into Ash's open arms.

"I missed you," he said.

"Me too," she replied. Then Gary cut in.

"I see you have a girlfriend, but I've had two!" he said, smiling. But Ash really didn't care right now. Then they all got around and just talked some. Nobody asked what had happened to Ash because they knew that the ordeal must have been horrible. Even Mk didn't ask about it, and she needed information on it. They knew that he would talk in good time. Well, everyone except Ash's friend Suzie.

Ash was getting some food from a table when Suzie came up to him. "So, what happened at the mansion anyway? I want to know about it!"

Ash was silent because it hurt him so much to even think about it. He loathed the Celedon mansion. "I don't want to talk about it now."

"Come on!" she said. Then Misty came over with some drinks and saw Suzie begging Ash to talk about the mansion incident.

"HEY! Stop upsetting him! He'll talk when he feels like it, and no sooner!" she yelled. Suzie nodded, afraid of the redhead. She had seen Ash hug her, and that was all she needed to know. It was best to back off in this situation, and she had a feeling that Ash wouldn't talk today anyway.

Then, at six p.m., the party was officially over. There was no food for dinner, and everyone was hungry. Ash then got ready for that date he owed Misty…

Bwahahahaha! Cliffhanger!!! I'm so evil! ^^ but you all knew that already.
The other disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Do you think that Team Rocket would really help Ash escape in this situation? Ok, I don't know, but maybe you do.

Note:
[1] First off, for the people who haven't read the first one, Arielle is Mk's half sister (same father). Second, Arielle is good at strategic stuff. That's why she was sent over. [Actually, this will come in handy later, but it's not in the seven-story series]

[2] Note that they had left Pallet Town before now. They were teleported over, and they all are wearing normal clothes.

[3] They're named Suzie, Bob, and Josh. I made them up.

[4] Which consists of almost all of Pallet Town ^_^