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Gary had been receiving pages and emails all day, interrupting his research on the sudden resurgence of titan, aggressive pokemon, specifically avalugg and many other ice types such as abomasnow and even wild glaceon in tundra climates. he's been ripping his hair out, wracking his brain for weeks, it doesn't help that his grandfather has been bugging him about his prize pupil: Ash Ketchum. it's not like he hates him, not anymore, he just wants to focus on his work. a hard groan leaves his chest, hard in his throat as he gets up from his chair leaving his computer on and his notes left open and scattered on the cluttered desk. this seems hopeless, what if some poor trainer tries to go out into the already dangerous snowy mountains and tundras to try and battle one of these things, or worse capture one of them?? Whatever, his head hurts, it's practically breaking apart at the seams at this seemingly nonsensical natural disaster. Gary breaks from his who knows how long streak of not leaving his lab,–or house for that matter,–as he steps outside into the chill fall air, its nearing the morning, he can practically hear the doduo and dodrios cawing at dawn break already. he takes a seat on one of the steps to his porch, head resting on the railing post as he takes deep breaths to soothe his headache.
that is until some nagging coworker rushes over to him, yelling his name. well.. 'Oak' isn't exactly his name, but you get the point. "Mister Oak! mister Oak! it's important, its mount silv-" the rambling boy was cut off by Gary raising a hand in a calming manner, trying to get him to pause and rewind. "Listen, calm down, I can't understand a word you're saying! just.. repeat, slowly." he was frustrated, most definitely, but he tries to conceal it. (it doesn't work.) gulp. "well.. its mount silver, the whole mountain is covered in avalugg, and they're causing mon imbalances in and out of the caves!" The boy sounded shaken, nervous from the feeling of being under pressure by the Oaks stern stare. Everyone knows not to anger him, they've heard stories from others who have witnessed this fury, but really it was just the fury of a lonely child who had no other outlet. not everyone knew that. Taking in the update, Gary nodded and would've sended this guy on his way, but he said something else that rubbed him the wrong way, a pit forming in his stomach.
"there was this stubborn trainer that had been seen trying to climb up to the top, with barely any protection mind you! that damn pikachu isn't going to protect him for long, i'll tell you that."
Something that Gary always keeps on him are his pokemon, sure he has more than six, but he's not a trainer anymore so that rule doesn't apply to him, especially not now. the researcher ran inside the house, barely changing his clothes and just shoving more on, looking more like he did when he was a child with his stocky boots and comfortably warm sweater. he burst out the door, slamming it into the wall and barely managing to shut it, not even bothering to lock it as he ran off with a look of desperation on his face. it couldn't be him, right? He's smarter than that, that's a mistake he would make as a kid, not now, not now and not ever again. He remembers the last time it happened. making it halfway down the driveway, Gary throws a pokeball in front of him as a pidgeot appears from a flAsh of blinding light, the researcher yelling out a command as he jumps onto his ride, the bird aiming upwards and taking to the sky with a violent gust of wind that makes the trees in the yard rustle.
The wind makes his eyes burn, drying them while they simultaneously tear up from the sharp gusts blasting in his face from how fast the pidgeot is going. Yet he still manages to keep his eyes open, making sure he gets to the right place on time. the brutal breeze is enough to make the tears that well up in his eyes dry up before they can dribble down his cheeks, sniffles come from the human atop the massive bird to which it coos in an attempt to console its trainer. he pats the pidgeot, a sign that tells the bird that he's fine and to not worry about him. Despite being told not to worry it can't help but do so, the feelings of its master are too heavy to throw away. As the breeze begins to get colder, the pidgeot appears to go lower, trying to stay closer to the surface to avoid the freezing cold atmosphere for both it and its owner. Unfortunately this action was barely appreciated, having landed on the soft yet numbing snow, the beauty of the fresh fallen powder being the only comforting thing about it. Gary moves to retrieve the pidgeot but stops himself as it places its wing around him in a protective manner in hopes of guiding him through the tundra. he hasn't been in a place like this since he was a trainer, climbing the ranks in hope to be the best of the best only to be snuffed out by his rival, his best friend. his only friend really. The blizzard's winds die down only to pick up again, strong enough to knock Gary off balance despite his pidgeot keeping a wing around him. heavy footsteps in the snow, the crunching of the thin layer of ice breaking with each footfall as the researcher looks out into the dozens of snowflakes clouding his vision, the wind howling with sounds that could be described as haunting.
A low, somber sounding "chuu.." sounds out into the freezing air, forcing the blood of Gary's body to run colder than it already was, chilling him to his bones and core as he thinks back to his research, wondering if there are ghost species that may aimlessly wander these mountains. His thoughts are cut short however, the sound quickly gaining a source as a blur of yellow begins to stumble and weakly hop its way through the snow. red cheeks, the black tufts on the ears- this can't be right, pikachu don't wander this far.. certainly couldn't have evolved from a pichu, it's too big to have just evolved. As it gets closer, Gary assumes that it's used to people as it quickly huddles near him, trying to even climb his lower half to get to the warmer part of his torso. its hurt, rips and tears in its skin and even some down to the more fatty tissue, some patches of fur have been ripped out as the area around has redness and even bruising. the wounds seem to be freezing up instead of scabbing. Gary crouches down to take the rodent into his arms and cradles it, using the warmth of his sweater to try and warm the poor pikachu back up. it wont work in the long run, but it will have to do. The sight of this pikachu is a bad omen, something that scratches deep grooves into the back of Gary's mind yet something he refuses to acknowledge. soft coos come from the researcher as he attempts to soothe the shivering rodent who happens to be squeaking and whimpering, looking at Gary then in a specific direction as if telling him to go that way.
he wanted to ignore it, that scratching, the pit that formed in his stomach, the nausea. but this couldn't be ignored anymore.
fuck it. He's going off course, following the pikachus paw and line of sight, squinting through the blizzard and chilly fog as he drags his feet through the fresh fallen snow. it's hard to see, the clouds darkening the sky, the small flakes of snow blowing into his face. The pidgeot still keeping a wing around Gary's body as it walks alongside him, scanning the area for a few minutes while the researcher stops before squawking over to the left. had it found something? The pikachu in Gary’s arms chittered and squealed, the pidgeot chipping back like they were talking.
They both sound upset.
Gary looked to the left where the pidgeot looked, hoping to see what it was that these two pokemon were so upset over. what? what the hell is that? is that-.. He squinted harder, readjusting pikachu in his arms so he could bring a hand up to his face in an attempt to block the snow. Is that a body..? Gary's thoughts start to race, his heart beating as his throat begins to tighten. his legs feel weak, they may just give in. as he gets closer he can't help but connect the dots. the clothes, the hat, the wide eyes.
the pikachu.
oh god. fuck, no, this couldnt be him. he cant be, hes not this stupid, right? Last time he checked his charizard was able to withstand weather like this, at least for a little while, to get him out of it. So why is he here, in the snow, cold and alone, purple and red with his fingers all swollen from the aggressive frost all around him..? Gary rushes over, setting pikachu in between pidgeot’s fuzzy feathered legs as he begins to examine the body. His eyes are stuck open, wide and clouded as his jaw is set crooked with his head dropped to the side. Upon lifting his clothing he can see that Ash has deep wounds all over his body, a massive gash in his stomach that seeps a dark gelatinous red substance, likely blood that's in the process of freezing. frost riddles his body, several small ice crystals all over his body.
Did his chest just move?
"Ash, Ash? Can you hear me? are you- Ash! please, if you can hear me, respond, move.. something, say something!" Gary sputtered out in panic, fearing that Ash may still be alive despite being in this blizzard for who knows how long. no response, but his chest continues to move up and down at the slowest rate possible. could it be after death movements? no.. it can't be, the body doesn't do that.. despite the silence, Gary quickly scoops up the body and mounts his pidgeot again, helping pikachu up onto the massive bird as it takes off with a gentle kick of Gary's foot, blowing snow up as it flaps its wings.
There's a hospital not far from where we are now, he wants to whisper, it'll be fine, you'll be okay. but he can't muster a single word. All he has to do is keep a track of the breaths that leave the boy's nose. A mutter comes from below him, from the 'body'. quiet groans escape the young mans mouth, his body squirms as the pikachu coos until he stops. He puts a hand on Pikachu's back, pulling him close for a sense of comfort. "hello..? i can't, see you." he can't see anything, his vision obscured with only pin holes poked into the darkness that surrounds his vision. He can see the clouds that rush by, rain clouds beginning to form as a drop of water lands on his cheek. He doesn't react to it. Gary looked down, an expression of sadness on his face as tears welled up in the young researcher's eyes.
"Ash, it's me." his scratchy voice takes a while to reach Ash's ears, a strained "Gary..?" leaving his throat before Gary cuts him off. "don't speak, we're almost there. you save your energy." he speaks quietly but quickly, making sure that Ash knows he's serious. what the fuck compelled him to do that, to go up there, to hike that far..
"gods, what were you thinking.. you're not invincible." He mutters mostly to himself, but there's a part of him that wants Ash to know he's upset, that he truly does care despite everything he's said, from when he was a kid mostly. Ash breathes heavily, ragged gasps coming from his dry and damaged throat. who knows how long he had been there, or how he even survived.. he likely survived from will power alone. Ash cant see anything but the bright light of the sun behind the dark clouds, rain following them in from the outskirts of johto and into violet city. Blackthorn doesn't have what they need, they need a big city, not one with no hospital in sight. Gary feels like he's prolonging the suffering of his friend, but it's not like the walk-in clinic can help Ash efficiently.
The ride doesn't take long. Through the wind whistling and howling, Gary can hear the sounds of Ash's body breaking down, heaving and gasping for air as if they were above the clouds when they are just above the height of a three story building. Gary shouts over the wind for Ash to 'hold on, just a bit longer' and that 'the hospital is right there'.
Pikachu starts pawing at Ash's vest, seemingly panicking as it begins to hyperventilate, static electricity zipping from ear to ear as it starts to charge up, laying on Ash's chest. Gary can hear it, it's not something that can simply go unnoticed, electric types are loud, some reaching the volume of lightning. the researcher looks down, scolding pikachu, causing it to flinch and stop immediately. "hey! what do you think you're doing?" a tone he doesn't use often with pokemon, it causes even pidgeot to flinch.
looking down at Ash makes him realize something, he hasn't made a noise in a while.
So here they sat, outside the hospital, the pidgeot and pikachu quietly cooing to each other, speaking in their own language about the events. Gary was mumbling to Ash, shaking him gently as he attempted to get him to respond to any action. He raised his head, looking around for something. can't he just go in the damn hospital already? It's like his body is frozen, unable to move anything but his hands as he moves the stiff limbs of his friend's body around loosely.
What was it that he read about death? When he was younger, his parents died in an accident. car, plane, train accident. it didn't matter, what mattered was that it taught him about death at a young age, and what it meant to experience people dying around you, close or not. It taught him about the effects of death on the body, liquid and gasses, excrement releases, the skin shrinkage, the stages of rigor mortis.
as Gary moves Ash's limbs, the boy doesn't respond, he doesn't even blink.
"hah.. what the hell was i thinking." he mutters, eyes not leaving Ashs, locking onto eyes that were once filled with such beautiful vibrant colors of brown and auburn, now a cloudy slate color. devoid of all life. "I never could stop you from doing what you wanted, how could I have helped you in this state?" The researcher can't help but talk to the chunk of frozen meat in front of him, one that doesn’t appear to be his friend anymore, just a body that smells like him, looks like him. feels like him. The rain from earlier catches up to them, the bottom getting ready to fall out as Gary sits there, stagnant. pidgeot isn't having it.
the bird huffs before jumping and flying into the sky again, the rain drops already drenching them from the speed of the flight. It snaps Gary out of his almost reminiscent state, getting confused and frightened as his pidgeot begins to fly home. "hey!" no response. "hey!!" nothing. useless damn bird.
The ride home was quick, almost too quick, like one minute they were at the hospital, then the next they were at Gary's lab. The researcher had brought Ash's body inside due to a whim he had thought of while on pidgeots back; what if he stored Ash's body in the freezer he had made for studying ice type mons? nobodys uses it, it's not see through either. It's perfect.
yeah.. maybe he's a bit out of it, manic? maybe, but.. what if he's still alive? Maybe there's a pokemon out there that can help him out.. he's heard of what happened at the peak of snowpoint, an ancient pokemon being summoned and even bargained with to create a new universe. it never happened, the god was enraged at the thought of it all, getting rid of something it made just for someone to want to rework its creation. it's practically an insult to it.
Maybe Gary could find that jirachi fella.. the researcher goes over ideas, pacing back and forth as the thoughts keep pouring in and out just to pour back in again. gods, hes so fucked if someone finds out. one slip up and it's over.
Gary takes one last look at the freezer before he's storming off to his bedroom, which.. isn't exactly far from his lab, basically a bed in a hole in the wall with a curtain that he attempts to shut but it gets stuck. "FUCK!!" he doesn't manage to get the curtain shut in his fit of rage, huffing hard before sitting on the bed and with his legs over the edge, head in his hands as the emotions hit him all at once.
the anger, the fear, the grieving. Why did it have to be him? why not someone else, some other trainer, why couldn't it have been someone more experienced? as quiet sobs leave his mouth, hiccups coming up from his throat when he cries too hard, a pokemon summons itself. He looks up.
"ditto!" the purple slime slugs into view, a happy smile on its face as it looks up at Gary.
the ditto he had recently just caught. one that's been attached to him since he's caught it. Maybe, he can work with this.