HI! *Waves*

Disclaimer: I don’t own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics! This is non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic written by me and thus I own my own writing and ideas.

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics is for pokemon talking.

Chapter 8: Reborn the monster

The next morning, Doctor Patrick Wilkins had the unfortunate fate of trying to explain the situation to two unhappy parents.

“So it’s not MRSA or VRSA, but GISA?” Will demanded.

“I’m sorry, but there is nothing we can do for him.”

“You’re just going to give up and let him die!?”

Patrick gulped, as Karen looked ready to release her Umbreon. Will laid a restraining arm on his wife’s hand. < Now dear… >

< Those arrogant white-coated bastards! >

< He won’t die that easily. >

< But they’re not giving him any help! >

< Well… Xatu said he learned Recover, so maybe he can heal himself. >

Karen did not look reassured. < If you’re trying to calm me down Will, it’s not working. >

< But we shouldn’t assume the worst. >

Karen took several deep breaths, closed her eyes, and counted to twenty, vowing not to dismember the man.

< I will try not to. >

Will gently steered Karen out before she did more harm to the man.

“We’ll try to make his stay as comfortable as possible,” Patrick babbled on, but they tuned him out.

A flash of blue heralded their departure.

< Don’t worry, I’m sure… >

Karen nodded. < I’ll burn some incense as soon as we get back. Mew or one of the others may be merciful… >

Will nodded; he was feeling frustrated himself. * Even being a psychic has limitations… and with all this power, there is nothing to be done. *

What a stark contrast. Power and glory as the Elite Four meant nothing in the face of a simple bacterium. Nonetheless, such an insignificant, microscopic little bug could cause death.

Paradox.

Swirls of perfumed smoke rose towards the sky as the two knelt before the shrine, in their own thoughts.

Please, he’s still a child…

Don’t let him die…

Ash continued to sleep fitfully. They had put him on a respirator when pneumonia signs began to show up. Yes, staphylococcus could cause that too. He was breathing irregularly on his own. Thus, measures had been taken. A heart monitor had been wheeled in also, just in case. The IV solution had been replaced with simple nutrients…they were not going to waste potentially dangerous antibiotics.

It was not a win-win situation.

Vancomycin was toxic after all. But in extreme cases, extreme measures had to be taken.

What happened when those measures failed?

Lance looked in through the viewing window, they were not going to risk infection so they had quarantined him.

It was all well and good, but if the last spark of fire diminished she had to sneak in before the doctors did.

Her fingers rested against the necklace underneath her shirt. The key glittered coldly, but what had to be done, would have to be done.

It was all a matter of time.

Time…

“Time.”

The card flashed bluely, the staff of darkness resting in her hands as the lines of reality froze. Lance walked through the door, and looked at Ash pityingly. It was too late, wasn’t it? There was nothing left, just an empty shell.

She held out her hands, the Scales of Fate and Destiny appearing. As she watched, the yellow ball resting on one of the plates shuddered and sank.

Truth, yes…

“Well, we must make choices.” Lance mused, as she watched the red and blue still twinkling merrily on their plates.

“It has never been a choice, really.” Another voice cut in. The white of teleport faded away behind her.

“Are you ready?”

Charlotte shrugged her shoulders self-deprecatingly. “What has to be done must be done.”

“And so will it be.” Lance said. “It’s not a choice after all.”
“Sacrifice fire to bind thunder to the earth.”

Lance kept her eyes closed as the lights flashed, and then faint color began creeping back into Ash’s pale body.

Still… the disease had not been cured. From her deck, she drew a second card.

“Serebii…”

The pokemon waited patiently for her master’s instructions.

< His memories remain sealed, yes? >

< Hai. >

< Very well, keep them that way for two more years. >

Serebii waved her hands briefly. * Done. * < What more? >

< I need you to regress time two and a half weeks, to wipe away all traces of infection. >

Serebii nodded. It shall be done, Chosen.

Green threads finalized the task, sealing in new health.

By the time the doctors reappeared, rushing in, they found to their astonishment that their patient was alive and not dead like the signs had indicated.

“Maybe it was only temporary.”

“But doctor!” A nurse exclaimed. “I just ran a blood test on him! It seems that the disease has been completely eradicated.”

“What?!”

Patrick grabbed the chart. “Impossible!”

But tests don’t lie. He kept Ash in the hospital that night and did another check the next day, but it was all confirmed.

Happy blue eyes beamed brightly when he was finally released two days later.

“Um… Cat?”

“What is it, Ash?” Lance asked, as they sat on the grass, back at Indigo Plateau for the time being.

“Are you sick now?” She had been awfully tired, maybe she was sick too? But the doctors said she hadn’t caught the bug from him and she wasn’t anemic…

Lance shook her head. “Just overexerted myself.”

“Oh.”

It was true, magic drain, from Time _and_ Serebii plus the necessary sacrifice was never easy to carry out. But it had to be done.

“Well…” Ash said, looking down. “Thank you.”

“For what?”
“For everything. If you hadn’t gotten me there safely, I might have actually died.” Ash gulped, remembering how Karen had scolded him to tears after her relief at his survival.

Death? He had never really considered it.

Well, maybe it was time to consider reality… he wasn’t a kid any more, not really…

End Chapter!

Completed 5/5/04