Part 2- Bad Reports

"WHAT?!"

"At least it didn't happen!"

"Don't you 'at least' me! I'm very disappointed in you!
I cannot believe you let that almost happen!"

"LET it happen?! What am I supposed to do, live in his skull so I can look
through his eyes?!"

"You know how easily these things happen, and you should have kept a closer
eye on him!"

"He was right behind me!"

"Exactly!"

The girl grunted. "I'm only human, okay? I can't be perfect! I don't know
why you expect me to be some superior being who can prevent this and provoke
that and...ugh! Just give me a break! What would YOU have done?! You
wouldn't have been able to stop it! And besides, it didn't happen so just
CHILL OUT!"

The man sighed. "You're right. I'm really sorry, it's just that the event
got me stressed out and worried..."

"I understand why," she said calmly.

"Go back to him. Business needs to be taken care of."

"Yes, sir."

The girl walked out of the HQ base.


*~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~ *~


"Yes! Thanks for everything, Chikorita!" Ash said happily as he returned her.

"What'd I miss?" Misty asked, coming around the corner of the restrooms.

"Well, I can tell you this," Brock said, "from now on, Ash has only 2 matches
to go."

"Way to go, Ash!" Misty said, high-fiving him. "Who was the challenger?"

"It was this grown man...I think he said his name was Jake."

"He looked a lot like Ash, actually," Brock pointed out.

Jake? Misty thought. Oh my goodness! He came to test Ash! If only I could
tell Ash what for...

"Well, anyway, we just fed the ducks here at the park's pond...let's go somewhere
fun today--right now!" Misty chirped.

"Good idea," said Ash and Brock. Misty took them to the lake after they picked up
some new swimming gear.


Ash chased Misty under the water as Brock scored some slap points in the flirt game.

"No fair! You're like a professional swimmer, you've been swimming all your life!" Ash
whined.

"Awe, Ashy washy wanna take a break?" Misty teased.

"I'll get you for that!" he shouted, diving back into the water. She dove back under
too, and this time, she chased him...and got him every time.

Then, Ash got to swimming faster and Misty was now having trouble catching him.

"I'm gettin' kinda tired," said Ash.

"Gee, you're weaker than I thought," said Misty.

"Hey! I am not weak! I can go on for hours!"

"You can go on for hours but you'll never catch me!" she said as she dove back
underwater. Ash did the same and swam after her. His arms started to hurt.

After about five minutes, Brock got tired of flirting (Z_Z) and went over
to Ash and Misty.

"Misty! Would you slow down?"

"You'll never catch me!" Misty laughed, having too much fun to realize what
Ash was trying to tell her.

"Ash..." Brock whispered. "Misty! Slow down!" he shouted. He wasn't in
the water, but knew that Ash was too stubborn to stop in fear of her calling
him weak, and Misty needed to slow down, seriously.

"What? I can't hear you, Brock, I'm too busy calling Ash a Slowpoke!" she
said, laughing. She reached the other side of the lake already, then went
to dry off. When she came back, she saw a group of people on their knees,
surrounding someone. She heard ambulance sirens. She ran up to the scene
and saw Brock. She couldn't see over the mob of people, so she patted
Brock's shoulder. "Brock? What's happening? What are you guys doing?"

"It's Ash," he said shakily. (Who else would it be?) "He was tired already,
then with him trying to speed up and scream out to you to slow down...he
got too weak to even tread the water and started drowning. Before you came
he just vomited a half liter of water."

"Half a liter??" Misty asked in disbelief. "Gosh...is he all right?"

"We don't know...his pulse is stable but he's not breathing right," said
Brock.

"Oh my goodness," Misty gasped, taking in the full realization as she saw
Ash's squinted eyes. He was half unconscious, moaning. After a few
pumps on his chest, he rolled over and started coughing. Everyone cheered
and clapped their hands as they slowly helped Ash up. The paramedics patted
him on the back and told Brock that he didn't need immediate medical attention,
but should see his doctor on that same day.

He fell back over and the crowd once again got worried. The paramedics persuaded
them he was all right, and would be a little weak for about 2 days.

After they left...

"Ash, I..." Misty came close to tears. She turned to Brock in fear of crying
if she looked at or talked to Ash at that moment. "Brock, who went and
got him?"

"I did. Me and some other guy who saw him just sink."

"Brock...there's nothing I have to offer for thanks...but thanks itself..."

"Don't thank me, Misty. Thank God. And if you don't want something like
this to happen again, listen when Ash is telling you something's wrong,
no matter how he's saying it."

Misty nodded as she hugged Ash softly. "I'm so sorry, Ash..." she said
as she shed tears. She felt a mixture of sadness, guilt, upsetness, self-anger,
worry, and sorrow eating away the strength of her heart. He gave her a light
pat on the back to assure her it was all right, then fainted.



That night, Ash woke up and found himself laying in his own bed. He couldn't
go back to sleep, so he got dressed.

Don't tell me they UNDRESSED me too, he thought, embarrassed.

He quietly walked downstairs. It was only 10:00 PM. He saw Misty
on the couch, sleep. Brock must have been in her room. He slipped
out the door.

It was only mildly dark in the sky, and it was very dark on the streets,
but Ash couldn't tell because of all the street lights how dark it actually
was even with them on. He heard some screaming. He ran towards it and
came across an alley where a girl about 3 years younger than him was being
held against a wall by two men. One man grabbed the bottom of her shirt...

"Hey, leave her alone!" Ash shouted. He was a good person...too good of
a person, actually. That's why he didn't realize he should have called
the cops silently instead of acting on impulse without thinking twice.

The two men turned towards him. Their bodies as big as Surge's, except
with meaner looks on their faces, they turned towards Ash.

"Should we ignore that little spitfire and get back to what we were doing?"
one man asked.

"Nah, he's probably a troublemaker. Let's get him out of our sights,"
said the other man. They cracked their knuckles as they slowly walked
towards Ash.

At least she escaped, Ash thought as the girl snuck away and silently
thanked him. He gulped and closed his eyes as the two men began to
advance on him.



12:00 AM....

"Okay! Calm down! I'm going to go look for Ash now!" shouted Brock,
infuriated at everyone yelling frantically of Ash's sudden disappearance.

And as soon as he opened the door...

Out on the Welcome Rug sprouted a bruise and beaten Ash Ketchum. He moaned
in pain as he fell to the floor.

"ASH!" everyone yelled louder than they ever did. It didn't even feel
like his brief death at the Ghost Tower was this serious. They rolled him
on his back and saw his clothes torn in several places, and in those places
were small drips of blood dripping out.

(Remember, I HAVE to keep having him hurt for the story. I'm suffering
trying to do this, you know! :'( )

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOU?" his mother screamed.

"I...I got...I got--"

"You got what, Ash?" Misty asked, shaking even more than his mother.

"Jumped...by--"

"JUMPED???? Brock, go get my gun!" Delia snapped.

"You have a gun? Listen, Mrs. Ketchum, it'll be easier to just call the
cops," he said.

"Cops act too funny-time these days, they don't do anything important
anymore but poke around in someone's business and don't do anything unless
THEY see it happen!" she shouted.

AND THAT IS TRUE OVER WHERE I LIVE.

"Who jumped you, Ash?" Misty asked.

"These...men...big as Surge..."

"What? Where? WHEN?" Brock asked.

"Please just get rid of this pain!!!" Ash hollered.

"Brock, call a hospital!" Delia shouted, changing her mind about
the cops...for now.

"Right away! Ash, you're going to be all right," he said as he
rushed to a phone.

"Before we say that," Misty said as her eyes widened, "Ash, did
one of them...punch you in the chest??"

"Yeah..."

"Oh my goodness...and your lungs are still swollen! Brock, tell
them to get here immediately!" Delia shouted.

Ash is stronger than that, otherwise he wouldn't be able to
be trusted to be left alone safely on this journey, thought Misty,
but being he's still weak from the lake incident...I'm surprised
he even made it out of the house...




TO BE CONTINUED...