Ash Ketchum: Superman, chapter 8

--

It had now been two hours since Ash, Brock and Misty left the Star City Museum of Natural and Human History and Ash was still wondering about the strange substance that, as he came to realize, nearly killed him. Had he not gotten away in time, he surely would have been in big trouble, with both Misty and Brock discovering his alien nature, and/or, as previously mentioned, he would have died. But what was really eating him was what that rock was. He never got a chance to see what it was because, well, you know why. Maybe his mom knew.

So, Ash got up off the bed he was laying on in the PokŽmon Center and made his way to the front desk where Brock was still flirting with Nurse Joy, the latter seeming as though she felt she was going to have to call the police on Brock. Ash had to tell Brock this in order to make him stop, again a rare moment of genius on the part of Ash.

ÒExcuse me, but I need to make a phone call,Ó he said to Nurse Joy.

ÒOkay, the phones are right over there,Ó she said, pointing to a row of videophones. ThatÕs not what Ash wanted, though.

ÒUm, itÕs sort of a private conversation,Ó he said. ÒVery private, and I donÕt want anyone listening in. DonÕt you have any phone booths or something?Ó Now Nurse Joy got the message.

ÒOh, okay, I didnÕt know. Yes, we do have phone booths here if you need one. TheyÕre on the second floor, right next to the menÕs room.Ó

ÒThanks.Ó He made his way to the second floor, and found the phone booths. There were three of them so there wouldnÕt be a line. Of course, Ash was thinking, I think I can use one of these to change. No, not now! Not now! I have GOT to focus here. But anyway, he had to call his (adoptive) mom.

After settling in and dialing up her number, he waited a few seconds before the face of his adoptive mother showed up on screen. ÒHi, honey!Ó She said in a cheerful tone as if nothing had happened. Well she can be excused since she didnÕt know what happened—yet. ÒAre things going okay? Are you changing your underwear every day?Ó Ash had to try and slow her down so he could speak.

ÒMom, I didnÕt call to check up on you,Ó he said.

ÒOh, then what did you call me for?Ó She asked with an almost disappointed tone of voice.

ÒWell, me and the group went to a museum earlier after meeting up with Brock,Ó

ÒOkay, and?Ó

ÒWell,Ó he paused to try and think about how he was going to phrase his next sentence. ÒWe were in a rocks and gems exhibit,Ó so far so good. ÒAnd I came across this strange glowing rock.Ó DeliaÕs face began to look more concerned. ÒAs I got closer to it, I began to feel immense pain, I got really nauseous, dizzy and I could barely breathe.Ó As he listed his symptoms, DeliaÕs face changed from concerned to terror, as if she knew something. ÒAnd the longer I stayed within ten feet of it, the worse I felt. Finally, I couldnÕt take any more, so I left the exhibit.Ó

When he finished, he saw that Delia had a look on her face not just of concern, but also terror. ÒAsh,Ó she said after what seemed like forever. ÒWas this rockÉ green?Ó

ÒYes, it was.Ó He replied.

ÒAsh, IÕm glad you called me,Ó she said. ÒIÕll have Professor Oak tell the curator to remove it. TheyÕre colleagues and good friends, so you shouldnÕt have anything to worry about.Ó

ÒBut what was that?Ó He asked.

Delia took a big breath and said, ÒRadioactive pieces of your home world. If youÕre exposed to it long enough, it could kill you. ItÕs the only substance that we know of that can kill people from your planet.Ó

Now it was AshÕs turn to be scared. ÒThat stuff can kill me,Ó he said quietly so that Delia couldnÕt hear. ÒWhat should I do?Ó He said after one or two minutes of contemplation.

ÒStay away from it as much as possible,Ó she replied with a very firm tone of voice. ÒUnfortunately, we donÕt know where all the samples of it are, so youÕll have to keep on your guard. I hate to end our conversation like this, but try to cheer up. And make sure you change your underwear everyday, okay?Ó

ÒOkay mom,Ó he said. He hung up the phone, now realizing that he wasnÕt as invincible as he thought he was. Things were going to be a little different now.

--

ÒDamn it Ash, where are you?Ó Said a very irritated Misty, who had been looking around the PokŽmon Center for the last two hours. In fact, irritated might not be good enough to describe how displeased she was right now. She checked room after room for Ash, unsuccessful each time. It was around, maybe 9:00 at night, and she hadnÕt seen Ash since dinnertime. What was strange was that he seemed to be quieter than usual, since heÕd usually be wolfing down his food like Goku, but tonight he seemed a little slower than usual, which made her very concerned, as she should be.

 

ÒHave you seen a guy wearing a blue vest with white sleeves and a red-white baseball cap with the PokŽmon League logo on it?Ó She asked to some of the trainers in the main lobby.

 

ÒNo, we havenÕt,Ó replied one of them. ÒWe just got here, so we havenÕt seen much yet.

 

ÒThatÕs okay,Ó she said. ÒIÕll just ask around.Ó So, she began to do so. There seemed to be a pattern—an unintentional one, no doubt—that none had seen Ash in the past 2 hours. Some had seen him an hour previously, but when she looked for him in the locations that they said he was in, he was not there. What was even worse was that it was relatively late at night, so the younger trainers were most likely at their houses and getting ready for their bedtimes, which was understandable for Misty. The older trainers, who seemed to be about her age and older could not tell her were Ash was.

 

So now she was in the hostel area of the PokŽmon Center. If anyone knows what a youth hostel is, then youÕll know what IÕm talking about. She checked in several doors that were unlocked. None of them were trainer rooms, so she was not invading anyoneÕs privacy. She checked another door, and saw—ÒWhoaÓ. Close the door, quickly! Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates after what she just saw, since it stunned her completely. ÒBrock andÉ I never thought IÕd see Brock actuallyÉ damn. And Nurse Joy?Ó She wasnÕt sure whether or not her little ÒexperienceÓ would traumatize her later in life. But she was impressed that Brock, well, whatever.

 

It took another ten minutes before Misty thought to look in the one place she should have looked—the room they were staying in. ÒOf course,Ó she said to herself. ÒWhy didnÕt I think of that?Ó Sure enough, there he was, laying on one of the beds. ÒThere you are,Ó she said, but not in an angry tone, but more of a confirmation. ÒIÕve been looking everywhere for you for the past two hours.Ó

 

ÒYou have? Why didnÕt you check here?Ó

 

ÒBecause I didnÕt think to check here, thatÕs why,Ó she replied.

 

ÒYou looked for me for two hours and you just now tried to find me here?Ó He asked with a laugh.

 

ÒLook, can we move on from that?Ó She said in a very annoyed manner. ÒIÕve been trying to find you for two hours, and I donÕt want to be irritated any further.Ó

 

ÒSorry about that,Ó he said to her.

 

ÒAnd for that, IÕll have to blame you for what I saw ten minutes ago,Ó she said.

 

ÒOh really?Ó He asked. Misty noticed he was acting smarter than usual, which seemed to intrigue her even more. And actually make him moreÉ attractive. For Ash, however, he just felt like being smart around her instead of pretending to be dumb and immature all the time.

 

ÒYeah, I saw Brock and Nurse JoyÉÓ she stopped right there and began to gesture what she saw. AshÕs eyes widened. It didnÕt take a genius to know what was going on there.

 

ÒWow. Brock wasÉÓ

 

ÒYep,Ó she said. ÒWith Nurse Joy.Ó She said that just to drive the point home.

 

ÒDamn,Ó he said. ÒI canÕt believe--,Ó

 

ÒLook, just stop right there,Ó she said, not wanting to discuss the matter any further.

 

ÒOkay,Ó he said. ÒDo you want to sit down?Ó He asked her, as he was now sitting on the edge of the bed.

 

ÒSure,Ó she replied. ÒIÕm tired, anyway.Ó So, she sat down aside Ash. ÒYouÕre acting a lot different from usual,Ó she said to him. ÒCare to explain?Ó

 

ÒDo I have to?Ó He replied.

 

It must be his sense of humor, she thought to herself. ÒI mean, you barely ate earlier, and you seemed distracted by something.Ó

 

ÒLike what?Ó

 

ÒWellÉ I donÕt know.Ó

 

ÒJeez, Misty,Ó he said, seemingly going back into character. ÒThen why are you asking?Ó

 

ÒIÕm worried about you,Ó she said. It was a moment of candidness that caught both of them off guard, particularly Misty, who still had not come to terms with her feelings for Ash, especially since she also had romantic feelings for Superman, as well. The fact that she had a crush on (seemingly) two people confused her a lot, as it would for anyone who held romantic feelings for one or more people.

 

ÒThanks, Mist,Ó said Ash, smiling at her. Misty blushed slightly, before Ash followed it up by saying, ÒyouÕre a great friend.Ó Misty slapped herself inside, since she knew he was dense. But then again, good friends worry about their friend and try to help them out as best they can.

 

ÒYouÕre welcome, Ash,Ó she said in return. The two sat silently, enjoying each otherÕs company. ÒYou know, itÕs nice to have a quiet moment together,Ó she finally said, breaking the silence. ÒEspecially since we spend most of our time fighting.Ó

 

ÒIt does feel nice,Ó replied Ash. ÒIÕd kind of like it if we could have more moments like this.Ó Misty looked at him in surprise. Maybe he was smarter than he really was. Was this thickness an act? Could he be—,

 

Misty stopped herself right there. ThereÕs no way he can be Superman, she thought to herself. First off, itÕs totally ridiculous, and second, how would he hide it? ThereÕs no way he can. Besides, SupermanÕs what, 20? Ash is 15 like me, so that might rule him out.

 

ÒMisty, are you okay?Ó Suddenly Misty was jolted out of her thoughts by AshÕs question.

 

ÒWhat? Oh yeah, IÕm fine,Ó she said. ÒI was just thinking about something.Ó

 

ÒAbout what,Ó he asked. ÒSuperman?Ó

 

ÒWhat? No! I wasnÕt thinking about him.Ó Ash looked at her with a skeptical look, but dropped the subject anyway. Then, he lay down on the bed and invited Misty to do so. Misty blushed beet red at AshÕs invitation. He was definitely acting strangely for his character.

 

ÒWhat?Ó He asked her.

 

ÒAre you actually being romantic?Ó She said.

 

Ash had no intention of fighting, so he said, ÒCome on, lay down and relax.Ó Now Misty knew Ash was acting strange, but she lay down anyways, against her mindÕs objections. Despite being a single bed, it was surprisingly comfortable. ÒI know,Ó replied Ash. Misty blushed in embarrassment, since she must not have known that she said that out loud.

 

ÒI said that out loud, didnÕt I?Ó She asked just make sure.

 

ÒYes, you did,Ó he replied.

 

ÒSorry,Ó she said in an embarrassed tone of voice.

 

ÒDonÕt be,Ó he replied in a (strangely) soothing tone. Misty looked at Ash once more and noticed that his face displayed a warmness that she had seen on only one person—Superman. Now she was really wondering whether he was Superman. But the relaxing feeling of the moment they were in eventually brought sleep upon her.

--

Flashback

 

ÒAsh, come down here, please, I want to talk to you about something,Ó said Delia Ketchum. She looked at Professor Oak, who was in the Ketchum living room along with her and said, ÒAre you sure we should tell him now?Ó

 

ÒWe have to tell him at some point Delia,Ó he replied. ÒAt some point, he will have to know the truth, whether today, tomorrow, or sometime in the future. He must know.Ó Delia nodded with a sadness that Professor Oak, despite not having to deal with it before, understood completely. Soon, a 9-year-old Ash came down the stairs and into the living room.

 

ÒWhat is it mom?Ó He asked her with a smile on his face. However, that smile faded when he saw Professor Oak with her and the look on her face, which told him this was serious business. ÒWhat is it?Ó

 

ÒAsh,Ó said Delia after a few moments of hesitation. ÒProfessor Oak and I want to tell you something important,Ó she gestured toward the couch. ÒPlease sit down, this may take a while.Ó  Ash did as he was told, but he was still very confused about the situation.

 

ÒMom, whatÕs going on?Ó

 

Delia seemed to be having trouble bringing herself to tell Ash what she meant to say, so Professor Oak whispered in her ear, Òlet me tell him.Ó Delia nodded, and Professor Oak turned to Ash. ÒAsh,Ó he said, Òit regards your birthplace. You see, you were not born anywhere near here,Ó he said.

 

ÒWas I born in Cerulean?Ó He asked, totally oblivious to the gravity of the moment.

 

ÒNo, you were not born in Cerulean,Ó replied Professor Oak. ÒYou were not even born in this country, either. You arenÕt even from Earth.Ó The revelation that not only was he not even from Pallet or his homeland, but from a whole other world hit the stunned Ash like sixteen tons of bricks. In an instant, his whole world changed forever. ÒYour real name is Kal-El. You were born on a distant planet called Krypton, a civilization so advanced it makes our civilization look primitive in comparison. Your birth father was a man named Jor-El, who from several data disks that were sent along with you, was a leading scientist on that planet, and he apparently had the foresight to send you here, because the planet Krypton is gone.Ó

 

ÒWhat do you mean gone?Ó

 

ÒGone, as in, well, gone. It was destroyed in a supernova that an astronomer friend of mine discovered around the time you were three. The planet was at a very good distance from ours and it amazes many of my colleagues that it only took you one year to get here when according to our physics, faster-than-light travel is almost impossible according to Albert Einstein. Apparently, they were so advanced, that they could prove Einstein wrong. I apologize for confusing you.Ó AshÕs face was as blank as a blackboard in August. The shock of the moment had left him completely speechless.

 

ÒAsh, are you okay?Ó Asked Delia in a worried tone.

 

ÒI think heÕs shocked,Ó said Professor Oak. ÒI think I might be able to get him out of this, though. Ash, have you noticed that you have any strange abilities?Ó

 

ÒWell,Ó he said, now that he was out of little trance. ÒI have noticed that I am stronger than most kids.Ó

 

ÒThat is because of the yellow sun,Ó said Professor Oak. ÒKrypton orbited a red star, so itÕs possible exposure to a yellow star may have affected your physiology. Also, the data disks say that the gravity on Krypton is much higher than here on Earth.Ó

 

ÒSo what does that mean?Ó

 

ÒTo be honest, I am not sure,Ó he said. But we have noticed your abilities, especially when you were five years old, which alerted you mother and I to your abilities.Ó

 

ÒOkayÉÓ

 

ÒAsh, there is another thing I must tell you,Ó he said sternly. ÒAnd you must listen carefully. You cannot—no, MUST not tell anyone about your origins or your abilities, or the consequences to you, your family, or anyone else associated with you might be catastrophic.Ó Ash nodded in fear, not wanting to go over what might happen. ÒI hope I havenÕt shattered your world, Ash.Ó Said Professor Oak.

 

ÒActuallyÉÓ he said. ÒI still want to be a PokŽmon Master.Ó

--

Ash awoke in the morning slowly. He glanced over at the clock that was on the nightstand next to the bed and saw that it read Ò9:00Ó. Just then he remembered the girl sleeping right next to him. She looked like an angel when she was sleeping, which was vastly different when she was awake, when she could occasionally be like a devil. But the moment was ruined when he heard with his super-hearing the sounds of a bank heist about a mile away, Normally, heÕd just fly away, but with Misty in the bed with him, he had to try and get out of bed much more quietly.

 

He gingerly lifted her arm that had been lying on top of his chest. Then he slowly moved away from the bed, hoping that she didnÕt wake up. Luckily for him, she didnÕt. With the coast clear, Ash crept over to the window. He looked at Misty one more time and smiled. Then, he climbed into the window and leapt from the window and turned into Superman, then flew off towards the location of the bank heist.

--

ÒIf anyone here wants to be a hero, I suggest you drop that thought right now!Ó A man carrying an AK-47 patrolled the bank lobby, trying to deter anyone from being the aforementioned hero. ÒEveryone better stay quiet, and we wonÕt have any trouble here and weÕll be out of here--,Ó

 

ÒAs soon as I get done with you!Ó

 

ÒI said, no one had better a he—,Ó He was about to finish until he saw a man clad in blue and a red cape standing in the doorway. ÒWho are you?Ó

 

ÒYouÕve never heard of me?Ó Said Superman. ÒI thought you would have by now.Ó

 

ÒI donÕt care who you are, to me youÕre just some freak in a silly little Halloween costume!Ó With that, the man opened fire at Superman. Too bad he didnÕt know who he was, because the bullets bounced off his easily. Hell, even if he knew who Superman was, it wouldnÕt have mattered anyhow.  ÒWhat are you, s-s-some kind of f-f-freak?Ó

 

ÒNo,Ó he said with a smirk. ÒIÕm Superman.Ó And then he proceeded to kick ass.

--

A few minutes later, after he had been harassed by the mayor—how he had gotten there so fast, he could not tell—Superman got back to the room where he was staying as Ash, turning back into Ash as he entered the room. Luckily for him, Misty was still sleeping. But that didnÕt last long. ÒAsh?Ó She said in a sleepy tone. ÒWhat are you doing?Ó

 

ÒI just had to use the restroom, thatÕs all,Ó he said.

 

ÒOkay,Ó she said. ÒJust donÕt be too loud, okay?Ó

 

ÒOkay, Misty.Ó

--

At breakfast, the trio ate silently. Not because there was anything wrong with them, it was just kind of early in the morning. But of course, Misty was kind of curious about BrockÕsÉ ÒexperienceÓ with Nurse Joy, but she didnÕt ask about it anyway. Of course, Misty was happy that Ash was eating properly after yesterday, but now she was starting to feel very differently about him. For the longest time, she just saw him as a friend, but now she was starting to see him as somethingÉelse. What it was, she could not explain. After breakfast, the three decided to split up for the day and meet up at the PokŽmon Center at a specified time.

 

So Ash went out on the town to find some supplies. As stated in a previous chapter, Star City is BIG. So, it was very difficult for Ash to find a PokŽ Department Store. He left Pikachu at the PokŽmon Center so Pikachu could be healed from any battles he had fought previously. So Ash would not expose himself when this next incident occurred. At some point, he heard with his super-hearing an out-of-control bus, which required him to act. He ducked into a nearby alleyway and turned into Superman,

--

Gus Williams was the Òold manÓ of the Star City Transportation Authority and could handle any problem that rose up. But when youÕre facing a problem like oh, brakes that were so old they should have been replaced yesterday, itÕs difficult to handle a problem like that. The best he could do is hang on for dear life and (try to) keep the passengers calm in this moment of crisis. ÒIÕm doing as best I can, folks!Ó He said in an attempt to calm everyone down. The bus sped through the city weaving in and out of traffic in a very dangerous way. Gus had to tell the SCTA that the bus could barely stop and he had very little control over the steering.

 

ÒOh dear God, weÕre going to die!Ó Said one very frightened passenger.

 

ÒWeÕre not going to die as long as God is with us!Ó Said Gus. Gus was a very religious man, and right now he was praying as hard as he could for the bus to stop. Now the bus was on one of the overpasses that led to the downtown area when it careened over the side of it. Gus had tried to stop it, but now it seemed as though he was going to go out in a blaze, and not one of glory. The bus was filled with the screams of maybe 20 people who at the moment, thought they were going to die. Gus closed his eyes and said one more prayer, thinking this was the end.

 

It wasnÕt.

 

Suddenly, he felt the bus stop right before impact. He opened his eye and saw a man clad in blue with what looked like red briefs and red boots and a red cape.  And he was holding the bus up a few feet above the pavement. Then they guy somehow managed to gently place the bus on the pavement—without even damaging any of the other cars on the freeway! Was this that ÒSupermanÓ fellow that he had heard of? The man came through the doors of the bus and asked,

 

ÒIs everyone alright here?Ó The rest of the bus remained silent, apparently in awe over the fact that this one person saved all of them.

 

ÒAre you an angel?Ó Asked one of them, finally.

 

ÒNo, IÕm no angel,Ó he replied. ÒIÕm just one man doing my job. And you,Ó he turned to Gus. ÒGus, right?Ó Gus nodded. ÒNext time make sure that the brakes are working, okay?Ó Gus nodded in understanding. ÒWell, IÕd love to stay and chat, but I must leave now. Bye!Ó The man got off the bus and flew away.

--

ÒWhere is Ash, anyway,Ó said Misty. She and Brock were at the PokŽmon Center at the specified meeting time—2 in the afternoon.

 

ÒTake it easy Misty, itÕs only 2:01.Ó

 

ÒHeÕd better--,Ó

 

ÒIÕd better what?Ó MistyÕs statement was cut short when Ash showed up.

 

ÒThere you are!Ó She said. ÒWeÕve been waiting for you!Ó

 

ÒYouÕve been waiting for himÓ Brock corrected. ÒYouÕve been waiting here longer than I have.Ó

 

ÒIÕm still mad,Ó she said.

 

ÒLook, I got the supplies, okay Misty? And I got the baby formula for Togepi.Ó He took out a bottle of said baby formula--PokŽmon baby formula, to be exact.

 

ÒWell, I suppose you did do what I asked,Ó she said. ÒAlright, letÕs get some lunch,Ó

 

ÒNow weÕre talking!Ó Said Ash. And the three headed off for lunch.

--

Yes, I know the ending kind of sucked, but it was the best way to end it. I hope none of you were suffering from ending fatigue, though.

 

Review, please.