Awakening

"There he is!"

*wumph wumph wumph wumph*

"Land here!"

"Hang...there-!"

"Land...top of the hospital!"

"Get.....Doctor!"

"Stay strong Ace!"

...

Images flashed before my eyes as my ears caught parts and pieces of whatever was being said, as I drifted in and out of consciousness.

At one moment I was was seeing flames as they roared so loud they nearly deafened me, or was that something else?

Then next a deafening drone roared in my ears as I looked up at metal and familiar faces, who rushed around me with looks of concern.

Then I saw numerous lights flashing overhead as I laid on something soft and comfortable, unfamiliar faces around me this time that were filled with urgency.

Then my consciousness sank into darkness as I finally passed out entirely.

...

"!!!"

My eyes shot open to reveal a room plunged into darkness, in which my eyes rapidly adjusted to help me see that I was in a hospital room, laying on a bed.

Despite it being completely dark, and the middle of the night, I could see with pristine clarity as my eyes darted around the room, quickly identifying Ash, May, Dawn, and Dragonite sleeping in various places around the room.

Ash was sitting in a chair that was scooted up to the left side of my bed, where his head and arms laid down as he snored peacefully. On my right though was May and Dawn in a similar position, though right beside each other as their hands were clamped firmly together. Then there was Dragonite in the corner of the room, slumped up against the wall with his antennae twitching slightly as he breathed in and out.

Running my eyes over the four of them, they then settled on the little Pokemon curled up next to me, who had also woken up when I had, Riolu.

Riolu's tiny body was covered in bandages from the injuries it had sustained in the battle, a sight that saddened me as I looked upon what I knew to be my first Pokemon.

"How you doing partner?" I asked it softly, reaching out with my left hand to rub its ears only to realize that it was completely encased in a cast. Smiling wryly, I used my right hand instead as I scratched it like one would a dog, which Riolu tolerated due to me being his partner, though I could tell he secretly enjoyed the feeling.

"Ri." The little bipedal dog-like Pokemon said, before crawling towards my head so we were closer.

"I can promise that I don't usually lose that bad." I told him dryly, which made Riolu smile as it flopped down next to me, and closed its eyes to go back to sleep. It was understandable though, after all he was literally a newborn.

Through our aura connection, I could tell that he had hatched when he sensed me in danger, and came running directly to me afterwards.

A part of me felt eternally grateful to my partner for rushing to my aid, while another part felt bitter at how our meeting, and first battle, went.

"Drooo." A quiet low drew my attention as I looked up to see Dragonite was also awake now, and looking at me warmly with a bit of concern in its eyes.

"I'm ok Dragonite." I told it reassuringly, which Dragonite understood as it approached me as quietly as it could.

"Droooooooooo." It said, surprising me before my expression shifted to gratitude as I said,

"Thank you for saving me and Riolu." Dragonite smiled warmly at my thanks, But before either of us could say anything else, my hearing picked up numerous footsteps headed towards my room.

I braced myself for the onrush of concerned people, but right before they entered my room, I heard my mom's voice as she said,

"Thank you again, truly mister Giovanni. If you weren't in town at the moment, t-then I can't imagine what would've happened..." I felt my heart practically leap out of my chest at that, as I never realized that Giovanni himself would be here as well.

I put my finger to my lips in a shushing gesture to Dragonite to tell him to keep quiet, before quickly laying back down and pretending to sleep right as the door opened.

In walked mom, Caroline, Johanna, professors Oak, Rowen, and Birch, and Giovanni himself.

"Huh? I could've sworn I heard voices in here just a couple minutes ago...?" Caroline said, as I 'felt' her look around curiously, seeing only Dragonite awake as it wandered around my room.

Seeing we were all otherwise asleep, I sensed mom approach my bed as she stepped around Ash, and reached out to comb back a strand of hair that was in my face.

"My little boy..." She uttered lovingly, before planting a kiss on my forehead as gently as she could, so as not to wake me.

Seeing as I was in fact NOT awake, the group of adults quietly shuffled out of the room to let me and the others sleep. But before they left I cracked my eyes to see the last one to leave, Giovanni.

Before he could leave I recalled the feeling from when I first connected with Riolu, and cleared my mind to try and sense the auras of those nearby, which was significantly easier that it ever had been before.

Immediately noticeable was Riolu and Ash, the first of which was understandable as my partner and the actual 'aura Pokemon', while Ash was also understandable due to him being my twin brother, and our powerful aura bloodline according to Arceus.

However while the two were covered in a amber and red aura respectively, the one that surprised me was Dragonite, who was covered in a bright golden aura that lit up the entire room like a beacon. But just as surprising was Giovanni, who was shrouded entirely in darkness that was just as strong, if not stronger, than Dragonite, while I also saw three sets of glowing red eyes staring back at me as I looked at him.

"Hm?" Giovanni hummed as he stopped, and looked back right after I closed my eyes once again, before deciding he must've imagined whatever he thought he noticed and left.

Once the door closed I could feel a cold sweat breaking out over my body, while the tiny form of Riolu next to me began to shudder from the brief contact. It made sense though when I thought about it, especially after what had sent me to the hospital to begin with.

This was the real world, not some kids cartoon or video game.

The criminal organizations weren't going to be some pushovers with an army of 'worthless' Pokemon like Zubat, Rattata, and so on. They were going to be serious syndicates that were dedicated to achieving their goals, whatever the means

I mean, it's not like I wasn't already expecting that, but that fact that Giovanni apparently just randomly tired to kill May and Dawn was a very significant wake-up call. And no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure out just what Giovanni gained by killing them.

There were plenty enough reasons that I could come up with, but none substantial enough for them to risk exposure since, at the current moment, no one even knew about Team Rocket.

While I could spend the rest of the night worrying and debating over the goals of a genuine psychopath, I decided that I needed to call it a night since I was still fairly tired. There was one thing I decided upon though, I definitely needed to get stronger.

And a quick glance at the Pokemon sleeping beside me told me that that path was going to be a fair bit easier from now on with my partner.

So, after nodding towards Dragonite, I closed my eyes for real and allowed myself to drift off back to sleep.

***

As morning dawned the next day the group that had been sleeping in Ace's room slowly awoke one at a time, before they reluctantly made their way to the hospital cafeteria since he was still asleep.

"We'll notify you all if there's any change, for now just try and get something to eat." The Nurse Joy in charge told them sternly, forcing everyone to acquiesce reluctantly as they went to fill their bellies, along with the adults that had stayed in the hall overnight.

"Hey professor Oak..." Began Ash while they were eating at the table.

"Yes Ash?" The professor answered as he turned his attention towards his pupil.

"What kind of Pokemon is that with Ace? And is it his now?" Oak smiled wryly at the question as he recalled his own meeting with the newborn Pokemon, but the one who answered Ash was Rowen as he explained,

"It's a Pokemon known as a Riolu. They're extremely rare Pokemon that have been known to only hatch from their eggs for certain people that they can then form a bond with. Even if it's not formally registered with him, that Riolu with belong to Ace for the entirety of their respective lives." Everyone present listened attentively to professor Rowen's explantation on Riolu, while Delia was already mentally making arrangements for it when they returned home.

"I want a Riolu too!" Ash stated excitedly as he pictured having his own Riolu, just like his Aniki. Rowen however flashed a rare wry smile as he told the young man,

"I believe I said that they're extremely rare, to the point where there's still much we don't know about them or their habits. I'm actually rather jealous of Oak being able to watch one grow up." As he said that everyone turned to the professor in question, who simply said,

"I don't recall that being on the list of Pokemon eggs you were going to bring Rowen, and I'm surprised you brought one considering the rarity." Rowen just nodded in affirmation as he explained,

"It wasn't. But the day before we departed a young man came to my lab and gave it to me, asking to take it with me to Kanto. Naturally we ran some tests on it first to make sure it wasn't anything dangerous, and only then packed it into the crate with us when we began our journey."

"Interesting..." Professor Oak uttered as he entered a brief period of contemplation.

As everyone else was discussing various things while they ate, a certain duo was completely silent as they wordlessly pushed their food around.

"What's wrong May?" Professor Birch asked his daughter worriedly, to which she sighed before saying,

"It's because of us that Ace got hurt..." With Dawn nodding in agreement Birch, Caroline, Johanna, and Delia all looked at them curiously as he asked,

"What do you mean?" May looked up at her father with what appeared to be tears forming in her eyes as she said,

"They were after us, and he stayed behind to keep us safe..." The three professors blinked at that, as they looked at each other to see the same questions forming within the other's minds. Meanwhile the mothers of the two comforted their daughters as they tried to sooth their worries.

It was at this moment, when Dawn and May seemed like they were about to break down, when Nurse Joy entered the cafeteria and told them,

"He's awake."

Those words had barely left Nurse Joy's mouth when there was a mad scramble as everyone rose from the table, with May and Dawn leading the charge back to Ace's room.

""Ace!"" The two girls cried out as they threw the door open, only to see an empty bed.

"Thirty eight!"

"Ri!"

"Thirty nine!"

"Ri!"

"Forty!"

"Lu!"

"Yeah, I know you're faster than me, I'm a literal cripple right now!"

"Ri!

"Yeah!?! Well if I'm a bitch then you're a pussy, pussy!"

"Ri!"

"Pussy!"

"Ri!"

"Pussy!"

"Droooo!"

As everyone hurried into the room, they paused at the scene before them as neither of the two persons who should be resting, Ace and Riolu, were in bed. Instead they were both performing push-ups while standing on their hands....or 'hand' in Ace's case as his left arm and right leg were both encased in a cast.

Dragonite meanwhile was watching over the both of them while apparently also cheering them on as they tried to see who could last longer. Thankfully Ace had the bottom of his hospital gown pinched between his toes though.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Delia demanded when she saw the scene, making Ace look up at them even as he did another rep, and say,

"We're training! Nothing like getting your butt kicked to motivate you!"

"Ri!" Riolu cried out in agreement, before both proceeded to continue their push-ups.

At that moment though Nurse Joy walked into the room, a forced smile on her face.

"I turn my back for two minutes, and you're doing this kind of thing? Do you even realize how injured you were!?" She demanded to Ace, who simply continued his push-ups even as his arm began shaking slightly.

"Work through the pain sister." He responded while doing another rep, making Nurse Joy's eye twitch irritably as a large pink egg-shaped Pokemon appeared behind her with a menacing look in its eyes. She then gave it the order,

"Chansey, Double Slap."

"See see!" The cute and cuddly looking Chansey said as it adopted an uncharacteristically sadistic expression, making both Ace and Riolu look terrified as it approached them with both of the nubs that passed for its arms and hands glowing.

"W-wait a second!" Ace tried to plea, before he and Riolu both received a vicious slap across the face that sent them tumbling to the ground. Unfortunately for him though, the hit knocked Ace's gown loose, and opened it up for everyone to see EVERYTHING, which then prompted a scream from May and Dawn.

***

I rubbed my sore cheek with a rueful look on my face as I reclined back in my hospital bed, my entire body sore from the fall I just took.

"What kind of hospital adds to their patients injuries!?" I demanded angrily with Riolu nodding in agreement next to me, to which mom stated in a huffy tone,

"Well if you were just resting like you should've been, then you wouldn't have gotten slapped!" I grumbled irritably at her comment, but quickly shut up as she directed one of her 'mom glares' at me.

The door then opened to reveal another Nurse Joy, except this one was noticeably younger, who was accompanied by a Happiny, the pre-evolved form of Chansey.

"I hope you're hungry!" This Nurse Joy said as she pushed a cart with a tray full of food up next to me, before placing the tray on my lap.

"And don't worry, we made sure to bring plenty for little Riolu too!" Nurse Joy said as she handed a small tray of specially made Pokemon food in front of him, which I recognized as the high quality food we often fed newborn Pokemon in professor Oak's lab.

"Thanks for the meal!" I said as my stomach roared, before digging in to the pile of food with gusto. It had felt like my appetite had been increasing in recent years, and I had a feeling it was going to increase even more now that I was able to use my aura more.

But as I ate I noticed May and Dawn looking away from me pointedly, while also occasionally stealing glances towards my groin.

"What's the matter?" I asked them suddenly, making both girls jump as they tried to stutter a response, only for me to say, "Did you like what you saw?"

Both May and Dawn turned completely red at my question while I was pretty sure I could see steam rising above their heads. With a playful smirk forming on my face, I then said in a voice full of mock woe,

"Oh poor me, having my pure body defiled by such lecherous eyes! I should have the two of you take responsibility for your perversion!" Both May and Dawn snapped up at me when I said that, before the former exclaimed,

"Excuse me!?"

"US take responsibility!?"

I nodded in affirmation at them while saying, "Of course! You wanted me to take responsibility for seeing your two in your underwear, but you both saw ME naked. It's only fair. Besides, you both ALSO stole my first kiss!"

THAT earned me the attention of all the parents in the room, who evidentially hadn't that part of the story as they looked at the three of us questioningly.

"Oh? What's this then?" Johanna asked with a face that said she wasn't going to back off this juicy tidbit, while Caroline and mom had similar looks on their faces as they stared at me and their daughters.

"Well...." I began, before Dawn quickly cut me off.

"We went swimming together before the Houndour attacked us!"

"And then we thought Ace was going to die, so we both kissed him!" May finished embarrassedly, to which I just had a satisfied smirk on my face as I put my arms behind my head. Not to self, that was not comfortable with a cast.

"Three Houndour wouldn't be enough to kill Ace though." Professor Oak suddenly said, while Ash nodded in agreement as he piped up,

"Yeah! Aniki fights with professor Oak's Pokemon all the time! There's no way he'd get beaten by just three little Houndour." With Ash and Oak both agreeing about that, the professor adopted a look of confusion as he asked me,

"So how DID you get so wounded Ace?" This time I was the one confused as I asked them,

"You didn't see them when you got there?" Oak however shook his head as he explained,

"SOMEONE went a little wild after hearing you were in trouble. We weren't even able to visually confirm the three Houndour when we got there." Looking pointedly at Dragonite as he said so, frustration boiled up within me since I've been dying to Dragonite get serious for years, and apparently missed my chance because of a few measly broken bones and lacerations.

"Well..." I began while swallowing my frustration. "There was six Houndour and a Houndoom that was leading them altogether."

Except for Riolu and Dragonite, everyone looked up at me sharply when they heard that before Birch questioned, "But May and Dawn said there was only three?"

I nodded in affirmation while taking a bite of food before explaining,

"I got the surrounding Pidgey and Rattata to help me out against them by trapping the three Houndour in a makeshift Twister, giving Dawn and May the time they needed to escape. That was when the Houndoom showed up with the other three and blasted the Twister apart with an Incinerate, if they hadn't showed up then I probably would've been fine. Doubly so when Riolu showed up."

"Ri!" Riolu cried out in agreement, before going back his Pokefood.

Everyone else meanwhile was silent as they realized just how dire my predicament had been, while Dawn and May had sat onto my bed next to me on either side, simply letting me feel their presence and warmth as I ate.

*knock knock!*

A knock at the door drew our attention as it opened, making both Riolu and I pale as the previous Nurse Joy entered with the sadistic murder egg.

"I'm sorry to disturb you all, but it's getting harder to keep them back since Ace woke up professor Oak." I tilted my head in confusion as professor Oak nodded in affirmation, and said,

"Thank you Nurse Joy. I'm sorry Ace, but I'll have to take my leave for a bit.... Time to face the music..."

Professor Oak's words confused me as I asked when he left, "What's going on mom?"

Delia adopted an awkward look as she said,

"We aren't sure how they heard, but there was a crowd of people waiting for us when we all first arrived at the hospital..." As she said that Birch and Caroline pulled open the curtains to my room, which had been shut this entire time, to reveal a large crowd of people with cameras and other broadcasting equipment in front of the hospital.

"And in other news-" Began a woman as Rowen turned on the tv, before they started doing a report...about me.

"We have just gotten word that the boy that had nearly been mauled to death the other day has woken up-"

*click*

"Ace Ketchum has finally awoken after remaining comatose for an entire day-"

*click*

"Professor Oak has yet to officially accept responsibility for the attack-"

*click*

"One report says that it was possibly the esteemed professor's OWN Pokemon that attacked him-"

*click*

"And this event has just opened the floodgates as numerous former assistants and aides of professor Oak's have started coming forward with stories of their own-"

*click*

These and more reports were being discussed as every single one in some way slandered professor Oak, calling him numerous things such as careless, incapable, senile, and even downright malicious.

"What the fuck is this?!"

"Language!" My mom scolded me, but I barely heard her as my mind raced.

I had been wondering why Team Rocket would target May and Dawn the way they had, but seeing what was on the news it made sense, they were trying to drag professor Oak's name through the mud!

The more I watched the more it made sense as no one mentioned the fact that Houndour and Houndoom weren't native to Kanto, the fact that professor Oak had reacted as soon as possible, or even that I was fairly ok after all the treatment I received. Instead they slandered the professor, and painted me as some poor innocent boy that had nearly been killed because of him.

"Screw this!" I snarled as I pushed my food tray aside, and swung my legs out over the side of my bed.

"And what do you think you're doing mister?" My mom demanded as I reached for the crutches that were left for me to use if I needed to get around.

"I going to make a scene!"