Main characters: Ash: 18 Misty: 18 Brock: 23 Sandy: 15 Duplica: 18 May: 15 Max: 10 Dawn: 13 ½ I still don’t own Pokemon, all cool with that? Glad to hear it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ --A hospital room-- Misty woke to find herself in a large white bed in a strange smelling white room. She didn’t know where she was or what had happened. Then she remembered; the river, roses, that kiss…then Duplica screaming, fire, a horrible cold wet feeling…Ash! “ASH!” she screamed, sitting up in bed. A nurse ran in to see what the fuss was about. “It’s alright, miss. You were cold from that chilly water, but I think you’ll be ok.” “Where is Ash? I have to see him!” She tried to get up but the nurse stopped her. “You may see your friend in a little while, but the doctor just has to check the two of you out first.” With that she bustled over to the other bed in the room, and Misty saw…Sandy! “What happened to him??” she asked. “He fell from the waterfall. He’s a little singed from those fireworks of yours, but I think he will be fine to leave.” Sandy had a cut on his forehead and a lot of dark bruises on him, but he seemed unharmed otherwise. “Where are the others?” she demanded. The nurse looked at her. “Look, miss. You’re friends are fine. They are all alive and fairly well, and are currently resting. You can see them soon enough, the doctor’s right here and after you’re checked out you may leave, if you’re deemed healthy enough.” With that she left, leaving the door open for the doctor mentioned to enter. He looked over Misty and declared her free to go. Sandy would need some rest, but he was ok to leave as well, once he woke up. He left and two people entered to take his place. “Hey, glad to see you’re awake,” said Brock, as he sat down next to her bed. “Is Ash ok?” she asked. Brock nodded. “He has a broken arm and several other bumps, but he will make a recovery. Duplica is ok too, just needs rest and medication. They’ll both be ok, although the doctor’s didn’t like the bumps on their heads…” he trailed off. Next to him stood Dawn, who was now looking around the room. She spotted Sandy and froze. Brock followed her gaze. “Oh, right you guys never got to meet. Uhm, Dawn this is Sandy. He’s May’s boyfriend’s younger brother.” Dawn crossed over to his bed and rested her hands on his mattress, one brushing his pillow. She didn’t move and Brock threw a curious look over to Misty. She shrugged, but Brock had a funny feeling. Suddenly Sandy stirred, and they gathered around him as best they could as he opened his eyes the tiniest little bit. Dawn watched him and suddenly appeared to be breathless as she looked deep into his eyes. He stared up blearily. “Oh God…I’m dead.” He said to himself. It almost appeared as though he couldn’t see properly. “I’m in heaven…and there’s an angel staring at me…” he opened his eyes a little more and things started to come into focus. He wasn’t dead; if he was he wouldn’t have a killer headache. And it wasn’t heaven, the clouds faded away and he saw it was a large white room…but the angel didn’t fade away. Finally, his sight cleared and he found himself staring up into the eyes of the most beautiful sight he had ever seen. It was the angel. “Hello,” the angel whispered. “Hello,” he said quietly back. Brock watched the antics and came to a quick conclusion. Misty just stared, confused at what was happening to the two youths. “Who are you?” Sandy said. The angel smiled, a heart stopping, amazing smile that gave him butterflies. “My name is Dawn,” said the angel. “Dawn…” ‘What a heavenly name…’ “…you’re so beautiful,” he whispered to her. But surprisingly she didn’t blush like Misty expected. She smiled down at him and he smiled back, his hand reaching out and touching hers. They linked hands and Brock knew his guess was right: “Love at first sight,” he murmured to Misty. “Come on, let’s leave these two alone and go see the others.” She nodded and got up to change behind a screen. As she left, she looked behind her one last time to see Dawn and Sandy holding hands tightly, staring deep into each other’s eyes with nothing less than Love. ‘Oh Ash, please be ok. I need that from you,’ she thought, as Brock led her down the hallways. They stopped outside a door and Brock motioned inside. Misty looked through the glass to see May in a bed, burned slightly and very battered, her clothing and what Misty recognized as a Team Rocket cape sitting next to her on a chair. Max sat with her. “She was found wrapped in it.” Brock said, seeing her looking at the cape. “Apparently some Rocket grunts attacked her and Sandy up on the waterfall and that knocked over and set off the fireworks.” She saw a newspaper with a picture of one of the Rocket grunts being apprehended by Officer Jenny on the front page. She hoped May was alright. They had patched things up recently and were rather good friends now. They moved on and Misty gasped when she entered the next room. In one bed lay Duplica, scratched, bruised and burnt. In the other the love of her life, Ash, lay with a large bruise on his head and scrapes all over him. One arm was in a sling. She ran over to him as he looked up to see her. “Ash!” she yelled, wrapping her arms around his neck in a hug. “Thank God you’re ok!” She hugged him and kissed his cheek, happy to have him safe in her arms. But what he said next shocked her. “Who are you?” --Later in the day-- Misty sat in a chair crying, outside the hospital room where Ash, her love, lay on a bed with a broken arm and concussion…and he didn’t remember her at all. She tried telling him about them, about the adventures they’d had, about…how they kissed at the place they met. He remembered nothing. ‘Oh Ash, please come back to me, please…I love you!’ she thought miserably. Brock came over to her and sat down next to her. “Misty…Duplica’s awake, but…something’s wrong with her…you’d better come see what I mean.” She followed him to the room where her old friend Duplica was in bed. But she wasn’t lying down. She was stretching for Ash’s bed next to her, a dreamy look on her face. “My love!” she was saying. “The man of my dreams right next to me! It must be fate! Come hither my one and only, EMBRACE ME!!” She lunged as far as she could without leaving the bed, scrabbling for Ash’s hand. Ash just laid there, a confused look on his face. He looked up at Misty as she entered. “Oh, hello again. Um,” he motioned to Duplica. “Are we like related or something?” Misty sighed, tears welling up again. Ash didn’t know who she was, and now Duplica was crazy – literally, CRAZY - for him. ‘Why, why did this have to happen, right when we were going to be happy together!’ In another hospital bed, May woke up. She sat up and rubbed her head where she had hit it, not knowing who exactly she was. She knew her name was May…and that was it. Her hand brushed a newspaper on the bed. The headline read: ROCKETS CAUSE EXPLOSION IN ATTEMPTED KIDNAPPING. She stared, recognizing one of the “rockets” in the picture. ‘How do I know him?’ She put the paper on the table and gasped. There, on top of a pile of clothes that she recognized as hers, sat a black cape, with a red ‘R’ on it. ‘My God…I’m a Rocket!’ She stared at the paper and read what happened, learning that several had been caught and that a particularly vicious Rocket Elite had been hospitalized. She smiled at this, thinking who that might be. May looked down at the cape in her hands, feeling the fabric, faced with a tantalizing desire to wear it. She then read on and found out that the Elite had only minor injuries and would face trial. ‘So, they want to put an Elite behind bars, eh? I don’t think so…’ Brock left Misty in the hospital lobby while he went to fetch Sandy and Dawn. She sat down miserably and wept. ‘Why is this happening to me?? Why can’t he remember me? And Duplica…what went wrong with her???’ Misty didn’t have any answers, so she just cried more. The others turned up, and she saw Sandy and Dawn holding hands. She felt sad, but smiled; a new love was born. ‘I will win you back, Ash,’ she thought. ‘I love you and I’m not giving up on you yet!’ She smiled at Sandy and gave him a hug. “Looks like someone’s in love,” she said and he grinned widely. She turned to Dawn and hugged her, then whispered in her ear “told you so.” Dawn grinned up at her, but then her smile faltered. “I’m…I’m sorry, Misty.” She said. “I know it must be hard, seeing Sandy and me so happy…I didn’t mean…” but Misty interrupted her. “Dawn, you and Sandy are in love. It’s love at first sight, and who am I to stand in the way of such a miraculous event? I’m happy for you, both of you.” She said, standing taller. “Besides, I haven’t given up yet because I…I…I love him…” she choked out. “And I’m not giving in now, not after all that we have gone through, not now that I know his true feelings. I don’t care that he doesn’t remember me, I’ll make him remember!” “That’s the spirit!” Brock cheered. “We’ll help too, however we can,” Dawn said. “That’s right,” agreed Sandy, and Dawn took his hand and hugged him. Misty smiled and knew it was possible. She would not lose Ash. They left the hospital headed for Ash’s house, where they would all be staying to work on Ash’s memory together, and to help with Duplica’s bizarre behaviour. They knew it would take a lot, but it had to be done, no matter how hard it would be, especially since Duplica was always wild and energetic naturally! So far they didn’t think anything was wrong with May, an hoped she would be alright so she could help Ash and Duplica, but little did they know that at this very moment, nurses were running around like headless chickens back at the hospital. One of the doctors ran in to see what all the fuss was about, and skidded to a stop. The window of May’s room had been forced open, and her bed was empty. --At Ash’s house-- “How are we going to get Ash’s memory back?” Misty asked. “And how will we cure Duplica?” said Sandy. “WHY ARE YOU GUYS ASKING ME???” shouted Brock. “I don’t know what we can do, so give anything a try!” he said. Misty thought for a while. “Maybe if we take him to see his Pokemon, and the waterfall where we first met him? And maybe back to Pewter where he met you Brock,” she said. Everyone nodded. It was a start at least. Delia Ketchum came into the room. “The hospital called, and Ash can leave in my custody, but Duplica must stay while doctors have more time with her.” “Ok, we’ll come with you to get him, Mrs. Ketchum.” said Sandy, but as soon as he stood up he wobbled. Dawn rushed to steady him. “Please, take it slow Sandy,” she said looking into his eyes. He smiled at her. “I’m fine, I just need to find my balance,” he said, but almost fell again and Dawn sat him down. “Brock, maybe we should stay, he’s supposed to be resting.” Dawn said. Brock nodded. “Ok, we’ll go get Ash, and you can stay with Sandy and make sure he doesn’t do too much.” he said. Dawn smiled and took Sandy’s hand in hers. He looked at her. “You sure you don’t want to go? I know you and Ash are really good friends.” “No, you need me…and…I want to be here…with you,” she said, and she kissed him on the cheek, both of them blushing. Misty watched them as Brock got his things. ‘They’re SO in love…Oh Ash, I need you. Please remember me soon.’ She thought as they drove to the Pewter City hospital in Delia’s car. The trip was short and silent, none of them speaking. Ash hadn’t even remembered his own mother, so she was a little upset as well. But she knew if anyone could get him back, it would be Misty. She knew they had feelings for each other. Once there, they saw a nurse waiting with Ash in the lobby. Misty smiled at him, and he smiled back. ‘Oh my, does he remember?’ “Hi again,” he said. “You keep showing up, huh? Are you the people I’m going with? Are you taking me home?” Her heart sunk. He didn’t know who she was. She waited as Delia signed the papers to release him into her custody and then they headed outside. “Ok you two, I’m counting on you to help him. I’ll wait back at home and look after Sandy, although I suspect he’s quite ok in Dawn’s arms!” said Delia. She got into her car and with a wave she drove off. Misty took Ash fearlessly by the hand and walked into the trees just outside the hospital. “Ash, you don’t remember us, but we remember you. We’re your friends and are going to help you get your memory back.” Misty said. “I know you people?” he said stupidly. ‘Still as thick headed,’ she thought. “Yes, we met when you were 10 years old, when you first started on your Pokemon journey.” “I have Pokemon?” “Yes, you do. You have a Pikachu…don’t you remember that??” He looked at her blankly, and Misty sighed. They came to a small clearing, and there was Pikachu, sitting up in a tree waiting for them. It leapt down and ran to Ash. “Pika pi-kaaa!” (ASH YAY!) It climbed up him and sat on his shoulder. “Is this my Pikachu?” he asked. Brock nodded. “It’s a little odd…” he started, but Pikachu didn’t like this and immediately thundershocked Ash! He fell to the ground and Misty dropped to his side. “Ash! Ash are you ok? Ash??” He came to and got up, but all of a sudden he remembered…everything. ‘…being late…running into Gary…the Spearows…Pikachu…’ “…Pikachu, is that you?” he stuttered. Pikachu hugged him and he smiled up at them. “I remember! I remember Pikachu!!” Misty jumped for joy. ‘YESSS! He remembers! Oh Ash, it’s working! Now for Brock…’ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ !!! That’s the second part. Ok, next part on its way. If you would like to review that’d be great. Oh also, I will want some special input after the next part, because I want YOU to decide something for me, ok? Thank you