Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder

Free Web Hosting Provider - Web Hosting - E-commerce - High Speed Internet - Free Web Page

Written By: Nurse Joy
(inspired by The Pokemon Fanfiction Archives Postings on their message Board)

"Huh? Where am I?", thought Ash as he opened his eyes. He squinted them hard to see where he was. It was so bright and the sun shone over the rolling clouds. Then the picture of his surroundings came into focus. There was a beautiful sunset over a bay of water and it sparkled like sequins on a dress. The sky was lit up with blue and purple and they blended perfectly, creating a masterpiece only dreamed of in paintings and in your mind.
A hand touched Ash's shoulder. "Welcome young trainer." A voice said behind him. The voice was frightening, but soothing to his ears. "You will love it here. This is a glorious paradise filled with magical wonders beyond you're wildest dreams." Ash turned around slowly to face a girl. No bigger or older than he, she was blonde and blue-eyed. Her eyes we're comforting to him and showed no sign of danger. "Who are you?" Ash was hesitant to ask any questions. "I am your guardian angel, Ash Ketchum. I have watched over you since the very day you were born. When you laughed, when you cried, what you thought. Now that you are here with me, I no longer have to watch over you so closely." She said. "My name is Oriana." The white angel closed her eyes as she finished. "What do you mean 'here with me'?" Ash looked a little scared for the first time in his life. He looked at his guardian angel. "You are an angel now, Ash. You are one of us. As you recall, there was a terrible storm in Pallet Town. You Misty and Brock could have done nothing to prevent it…..or why you are all here. By the way, I think this Pikachu belongs to you." Pikachu rushed over to Ash. "Pikapika!!! (ASH!!)" Oriana watched Ash as he stared at her. "Thank you…" Ash sniffled as he held Pikachu in his arms. She walked over to him and touched his shoulder again. "You are in Heaven, Ash Ketchum. Your business and time on earth has finished. You'll be surprised to know that you are not alone up here."
"I am……dead?" Ash never changed his expression, but blankly stared into a void or utter amazement. "If you need to know, yes." Oriana watched him lower his head to the ground. "Give me your hand." Ash looked at her again. Oriana laughed sweetly. "Ha ha, it's ok. Give me your hand." Ash extended his hand out to his guardian angel. As their hands met he watched his body become half there. He could see right through himself. "You are now a temporary angel, ::giggle:: for the time being." Oriana said, "Come with me. There is something here I think will spark your interest."
Oriana walked off and disappeared in a cloud. Ash walked behind her trying not to lose her. As the smoke cleared he saw two figures lying on a flat, shrine-like platform.
"Are these your best friends, Ash? I cannot wake them. You must do it. Now that you are an angel, you can grant miracles all your own." Ash walked over to Brock first. He laid there on the platform peacefully. "Who put them here?" Ash asked. "I did. They've been waiting here for you." Said Oriana. Ash touched Brock on the shoulder and he instantly woke up. "Ash? What?" Brock rubbed his eyes and stretched as if he had been sleeping. "Man, you look weird! I can see right through you, Ash!" He outstretched his had and it went completely through Ash. "……cool." Brock looked a little puzzled, but otherwise okay. "Touch my hand Brock, you're an angel now." Ash smiled and laughed.   He was reunited with his best friend. Brock touched Ash's hand and instantly became a see-through angel as his friend was. "Brock. Go talk to that girl over there. I can't explain now. She'll give you the inside info." Brock looked over at Oriana and rushed over. "Hi, I'm Brock! Nice to meet you! Its not often I meet girls as beautiful around here. Heh heh heh heh." Oriana looked a little startled at Brock's advances. Not knowing what to do she looked at Ash, who just smiled a smile as if to say, "he's your problem now." "Even in death he never changes!! Still the girl crazy guy that never gets a date!" Ash laughed at Brock, who paid no acknowledgement to him. His complete attention was given to Oriana, who just smiled a cheesy smile.
Ash immediately stopped laughing when he saw Misty. As he walked over to her he thought of their last living moments together. How they held each other in their arms and said they loved each other so much. He couldn't wait until he could feel that love again. "Oh Misty….." Ash steadied himself in front of the platform where she lay. Her eyes were closed and showed no pain at all. Her cheeks were pink as a carnation and her lips red as a rose. She laid with a smile on her face so peaceful he almost didn't want to disturb her. As he touched her face she started to open her eyes. "Ash? Is that you?" Misty said to Ash. He could feel the tears behind his eyes start to swelter up. "Yes." He replied. "Oh Ash!! I love you so much!! I was so scared! I remember everything. When the rocks fell, and Nurse Joy rushing to help everyone, and the parents screaming.." Misty trailed off only to hold Ash closer and cry into his turquoise jacket. He started to cry as he ran his hand through her hair. "It's okay now, Misty. We are safe here." Ash said softly to Misty, trying to calm her down.
"What do you mean, Ash? Where are we now? I thought we'd be d-" Misty's voice was interrupted by Oriana's. "….Dead. You are, Misty. You are all the spirit forms of your living selves.. And by touching Ash, well, take a look at yourself." Misty pried herself away from Ash's arms and got up looking herself over.   "AHHH!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BODY?!" She clung fiercely back on to Ash's jacket. Ash just chuckled. "Look at me Misty……Now look down." Ash said to her calmly. As Misty looked down to the ground she noticed they weren't touching the ground at all. Rather floating about 2 feet above it. Misty shrieked and clung onto Ash as if she were going to fall. Ash let go her. She didn't fall. In fact, she just hovered there. "What?!" Misty looked extremely confused as she floated there. Oriana laughed as she walked over to Misty. "You guys can't fly yet! You can only hover in the air. You haven't got your wings!" "Our wings?" Said Brock. "Yeah but that is not possible as of now." Oriana winked as she fluttered off into the sky again. "Wow, she's weird." Misty stated, looking around for Oriana. "Yeah, but she sure is pretty!" Brock said. Misty just sighed and whacked him on the head.
Ash paid no attention. "But that's not possible…" Her repeated to himself. "What is she talking about?" "Brock just nodded. "Do you think we can't become real angels for a certain reason?" He asked Ash, still deep in thought. There sat the trio all pondering what Oriana meant by her casual statement. "Pikachu!!" Pikachu brightened its eyes wide to see Oriana return with a bright glowing box. She held it close to her and seemed a bit over protective of it.
"Oriana! Where'd you go?" Asked Misty. "Yeah, we missed you. And I thought about you the whole 20 seconds you were gone!" Brock said coyly only to be whacked on the head a second time by Misty. "What's in the box?" Ash questioned staring at the box. The box was very beautiful. It had gold trimmings and a heart on the top. As the sun hit it, it glimmered and shined. "I have for you all the reason that you are not going to be true angels…" Oriana opened the box and revealed three pokeballs. One red, one blue, and one green. "These are just regular old pokeballs. They don't look special." Brock interrupted the silence. Oriana took out the green pokeball. She lifted it high into the air and it shimmered a light glow around it. "This is for you, Brock." She said, handing the pokeball to Brock. Next, she pulled out the blue pokeball. It glowed an aura of light around it as did the last. "This one is for you, Misty" And handed it to her. At last she pulled out the red pokeball. And approached Ash and Pikachu. "This red pokeball, I bestow upon you two." Oriana handed the remaining pokeball to Ash. "Pika pikapi! (Look at it shine! Isn't it pretty?)" Ash nodded his head and continued to look at the glowing pokeball. "Why are you giving us these, Oriana?" Brock looked at his green pokeball. "It seems your time has not yet come, young pokemon trainers. I feel that your time has not expired on earth yet. You are dead, but for some reason, have not passed on. It seems to be that you have unfinished business on earth you have not yet taken care of."
"Unfinished business?" Misty remarked. Oriana smiled at her warmly and put her hands together. "Misty, you are to become a famous pokemon trainer. Besides, you'll be married to the most famous pokemon master of all time. And you don't wanna die before your own wedding do you? That is your unfinished business. Your life has barely begun." She shifted her body and eyes to Brock. "Brock. You're going to become the world's best pokemon breeder. You've hardly started on your long future ahead of you." Oriana gave him a small kiss on the cheek. "May luck be with you."   Brock flinched. "Hey! You didn't hit me! YAY!" He danced around girlishly in the background. Ash just laughed when Misty rolled her eyes. "And you are Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town,." Oriana sighed and flashed a contented smile. "You are destined to be the greatest pokemon Master that ever lived. For hundreds of years they will write about you in books and tell legacies of you and your pokemon and how you saved the earth from Team Rocket's evil plots. And if I'm not mistaken, you'll have a beautiful wife and a few little kids running around when you get older. You will make your family proud and me proud as well." Ash stood up proudly and looked at Misty who hugged him tightly. Oriana bowed her head and backed off. "Now, everyone touch your pokeballs."
As they did this their colors returned to them. Brock turned to his regular colors. The brown pants, the orange shirt with the green vest (writers note: "Jeez what a fashion statement") . Misty turned her wonderful self again. Her denim short-shorts, the red suspenders, and the yellow shirt. Pikachu looking alive and well shouted "Pikachu!" as his fur began to originate to yellow. Ash watched as he saw his black and white sneakers come into view. Then a pair a blue jeans, a black T-shirt, A Turquoise jacket, and at last to top it off, his red cap. Misty hugged him in a loving embrace. "We're not dead! We'll always be together!" They jumped up and down and celebrated.

EPILOGUE

"Wake up Ash! Oh my little boy!" Ash's mom appeared by the bedside. "Mom?" Ash slowly opened his eyes and saw his mother holding his hand and crying. "Oh my son! Are you okay?" His mom sobbed hysterically. "Yeah, mom. I'm okay. What happened?" "You were out in that hurricane and got caught in the rockslide…you were in a coma and the doctors weren't sure if you were gonna wake up at all. Thank god you're okay. I guess there will be no funeral after all. Thank goodness!" Ash suddenly sat up. "Where's Misty and Brock and Pikachu?!?!?!" "Ash, honey, it's okay. Everything is fine. Nurse Joy is tending to Pikachu's wounds. It's in critical condition, but doing well there. Misty is over there, and Brock is next door." Ash started to get out of the hospital bed. "Ash! Be careful!" screamed his mom. Ash went over to the other side of the room where the doctors tended to Misty's wounds. She slept there. A little bit dirty, but breathing. And for some odd reason, smiling. She opened her eyes. "Ash…I love you. We're okay…" She said as she turned her head and closed her eyes to sleep. He rubbed her head and kissed her and turned to go next door.
Brock was already awake and eating breakfast. "Hey Man!" Shouted Brock with his mouth full of pancakes. "How you doing?" Asked Ash smiling and laughing bright eyed. "Pretty good. You?" Brock replies still eating. "Good. I just cam to check on you." Ash turned to walk out the door. "Okay, Ash. Glad to know you are okay!"
Ash smiled as he walked up to his room and bedside. Pikachu sat on the bed. "Pikachu Pika aka Pikachu! (Ash, you're okay! I was worried)" Pikachu jumped up on Ash and licked his face. "You too Pikachu" Ash sighed as he laid back down on the bed.
"OUCH!!!!!" Ash got up and yelled. "WHAT WAS THAT?!?!" "Pika pi ( I dunno)" Ash looked under the mattress of his bed to see a red shiny pokeball. "Huh?", Ash looked at it harder and smiled. He hugged the pokeball to his chest. "Thank you guardian Angel…." Ash whispered softly. "Thank heavens we are okay."