Searching For You - Part One - "Family Reunion"

Searching For You

A Pokémon Story AU

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Part One - “Family Reunion”

Started July 27, 2022, 11:32 AM. Finished November 10, 2022, 11:40 PM,

Warning(s): Insults, harsh hair pulling, slapping, crying (more like sobbing), angst. Please tell me if you think I missed or need to add some more warnings

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“I’m sorry ma’am, but we’re going to have to close the case”, Officer Jenny spoke in a sincere tone. “Now, I’m not saying your son ain’t important but we can’t keep looking for him forever.”

“We have other cases to address”, Officer Jenny ended.

After a few moments passed, mom let out a sigh.

“I-I understand”, Mom muttered in, as I now know, disappointment. “Have a nice afternoon.”

I was enraged to hear that mom and Officer Jenny had given up on Ash’s case so easily.

So I stormed down the stairs and accused Officer Jenny. "You police officers are a whole bunch of posers!"

"Joyna!", Mom gasped in surprise.

I ignored her. "You never really cared about Ash's case!".

"Listen, we tried our best to find your brother but came up with nothing", Officer Jenny spoke, trying to calm me down.

"I bet you didn't even check past my yard!", I accused.

"Joyna, honey, please calm down", Mom said.

"No!", I refused. "I'm not going to calm down!".

"You should be acting like me right now! You should be on my side!", I screamed.

"I am on your side", Mom sighed, trying to assure me.

"If you were really on my side, you would actually care about Ash's well-being!", I yelled in a fit of rage.

Mom's eyes widened in shock before quickly being replaced by anger.

“Joyna Ketchum! After all I’ve done, after everything I’ve endured! For you to say that is-is-is just unbelievable!”, Mom sputtered in disbelief.

Mom’s eyes then averted to Officer Jenny, who looked very uncomfortable, and back to me, she let out a sigh of frustration and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Go up to your room right this instant!”

“You can’t just send me to my room!”, I argued.

“Don’t make me repeat myself!”, Mom threatened in a stern voice.

“Fine!”, I grumbled.

“I’m so sorry about the commotion”, Officer Jenny apologized.

“No, no, it’s not your fault”, Mom reassured. “Tea?”

“No, Thank You, duty calls”, Officer Jenny politely declined.

“Goodbye, Delia!”, Officer Jenny said as she tipped her hat and left our home.

“Goodbye, Jenny!”, Mom responded back.

I felt a pang of guilt in my heart while walking up the stairs, but it was quickly overshadowed by rage.

‘How could she just let the case go so easily while Ash is out anywhere, not knowing what to do! Some mother she is…’, I thought.

As I stepped into my room, I immediately started my daily routine: Get in, sit down at my desk, get on my computer, and start researching for any leads that might help in pinpointing Ash’s location or at least somewhere close to it.

“If the police aren’t going to do it, might as well be me”, I muttered.

Hours passed of me drowning myself in article over article and witness report over witness report, until I was interrupted by three really loud and abrupt knocks on my door.

I didn’t even bother getting up from my spot, instead just yelling; “Who is it?”

Who am I kidding? Only four people live in this house…well it used to be four….

“Can I please come in?”, It was mom, although I didn’t want her to come in, largely due to the outburst, I still said yes, because it would be rude to decline my mother’s request, especially if it was out of concern.

“Yes, you can”, I responded with reluctance, very much, dripping from my tone.

As I spoke those words, mom immediately opened the door, walked into the room, and sat on my bed.

‘Oh Goodness, here we go again, I’m really not in the mood for this’, I sighed with dread as I thought in my head.

“Could you please come sit beside me?”, Mom asked as she patted the spot beside her.

“We can talk from this distance,'' I answered.

“Please?”, Mom pleaded.

“Fine…”, I groaned as I got up and sat down next to her.

Mom reached for my shoulder, something she always did when we were about to have a heartfelt mother-to-daughter talk.

But I was still slightly mad at her, so I scotched away.

Hurt appeared on mom’s face but soon disappeared as she took a deep breath and sighed.

“I know you must be mad at me,'' Mom started.

“I am”, I agreed.

“Listen, I really do care about Ash-”, Mom tried to reason, but I interrupted her.

“Then why’d you give up on his case so easily!?”, I accused.

“I didn’t!”, Mom yelled in response.

I flinched back.

Mom let out a sigh for what seems like the umpteenth time today.

“I’m sorry”, Mom said with regret in her voice.

“I’ve been working double shifts all month and it’s been putting a lot of stress on me”, Mom admitted.

“Great, now it sounds like I’m making excuses”, Mom muttered to herself.

“What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry for snapping at you like earlier”, Mom apologized.

I suddenly felt a wave of guilt wash over me.

“No, mom, I should be the one apologizing”, I admitted. “I should have realized that you already had enough stress and grief with…the incident, paying the bills and paying for my medical education”.

“I’m sorry for focusing so much on Ash’s case and not actually helping you, some daughter I am…”, I apologized again, though muttering the last part to myself.

“Oh, Joyna, it’s okay, after all, you were just being a good older sister”, Mom reassured me.

“I honestly wish I could have done more…”, Mom whispered to herself, but ears caught on anyway.

“Mom, don’t say that, you’ve already done enough, too much, even, and I Thank You for that, I Thank You for pulling through just to take care of Ash and I”, I spoke in gratitude.

“That’s why I’m going to find Ash, so all your effort won’t be wasted all on me!”, I declared.

“I’m sure you will”, Mom assured. “Now, get some sleep, it’s almost midnight”.

‘Did I really spend that much time on my laptop?’, I deadpanned in my head.

But I was shaken out of my thoughts when mom kissed me on my forehead. “Goodnight honey”.

“Goodnight mom”, I responded back.

“Oh, and, Thank You, Joyna”, Mom spoke as she walked out the room and shut the door. “I couldn’t ask for a better daughter”.

I smiled.

After I spent about five minutes changing to my pjs, I turned off the lights and hopped into bed.

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I felt something soft and plush between my fingers, I squeezed the unknown object some more.

The more I experimented, the more the object felt like...

Grass?

My breathing started getting faster and heavier.

'What!? Where am I!? Wasn't I in bed a moment ago!?', I yelled in my head.

After a few minutes of questions zooming through my head, I heard a familiar voice that stopped me in my tracks, like a deer caught in headlights

"Joyna?"

'No. . .It couldn't be him. . .', I thought, not believing the voice in front of me.

"Joynaaa?"

'He's been missing for weeks, why would he just decide to show up unexpectedly!?', I screamed in mental confusion. 'This doesn't make any sens-'

"Joyna!!!"

I swallowed a huge lump of nervousness in my throat and answered, "Y-Yes?"

"Finally! I thought you were dead or something!"

"Anyways, mom said we should head over to eat, and I'm hungry, so you better hurry up!"

"You're always hungry", I retorted back, in a sassy tone.

"Hey!"

I just chuckled in response.

"Soooo, are you coming or not?"

I realized that I still hadn't gotten up, or opened my eyes for that matter.

The questions and the lump in my throat came back full force.

"Ok, coming", I whispered, uneasiness clearly set in the way I carried the response.

I finally and groggily opened my eyes, I then let out a gasp.

Ash!

Ash was here!

And his face was looming over mine.

I quickly got up, ran and hugged him, letting out quite a lot of tears in the action.

"Are you okay? Cause you're acting really weird", Ash questioned, not really out of concern, but out him being weirded out by my sudden, and still ongoing, outburst.

'But how?'

A switch flipped in my head, and I pushed Ash onto the grass.

"Ow! What was that for!?", Ash demanded as he rubbed his bottom.

"You can't be Ash! You're a fake!", I accused.

"What are you talking about!?", Ash yelled back, equally as confused as I was.

'And how did you get it so accurate?’, I thought in my head, but even that thought brought sickness to my stomach. "That's on a whole 'nother level of sick!"

"Again! What are you talking about!?", Ash yelled in response. "You must need glasses if you can't see that it's clearly me!"

"You must be going blind from having to squint and read that terrible doctor's handwriting", Ash also muttered.

I ignored the last part, although I acknowledged that it sounded like something Ash would say.

'I need to think of something that would prove this creep wrong', I thought.

"Alright then! Who's my crush?", I blurted out.

"Obviously, it's Karsten", Ash said nonchalantly. "You always keep oogling him like he’s a piece of steak and when I read through your diary, it always says something like; 'Ohhhhhhhh~ he’s so cute! I wish I could just-' ".

"Ok! Ok! I get it!", I stopped Ash before my face exploded with heat.

'But that's not enough to convince me', I thought.

"What's my deepest secret that I've told no one except for the real Ash", I sighed, trying to calm myself down.

'There's no way he'll get that', I thought smugly in my head.

"Easy, You've always wanted to start a nursing school filled with almost identical copies of you and then you'd station all of them around the world, with your little 'Nurse Joyna Centers' of course’ ", Ash admitted. "You're such a weirdo".

My mouth was left open in shock. 'Only the real Ash would know that, which means...'

I ran as fast as I could toward Ash, tackled him in a hug, and practically sobbed on his shoulder.

"Oh, Ash, it is you!", I sighed in relief.

"Ewwwwww! Don't get your sob juices on me!", Ash groaned as he tried to push me away.

"Seriously! What is happening with you?", Ash asked in slight concern. "You're acting weirder than you usually do".

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay, but we should probably be heading back or else the food will get cold", I sniffled as I pulled away.

"Alright...", Ash murmured, still suspicious.

After a few moments of walking, a thought popped into my head.

'How though?', I thought in disbelief.

I turned to ask, but then saw that Ash had a small content smile on his face.

'I wouldn't want to ruin this moment, maybe I'll save that question for later’, I decided. 'Whatever fantasy or dream this is, I don't want to break it, I just want to relish in the fact that Ash is here with me right now'.

Ash and I kept walking, and I kept making those weird noises when you have nothing to say.

I sighed.

Trying to fill the awkward silence, I ask...

"Sooo, Ash, how's your day going so far?"

That seemed to really be the breaking point for Ash.

"Ok! What is up with you!?", Ash exclaimed. "You've been acting weird since I came to get you!"

"First of all, you smothered me with tears, and now you're asking me how my day has been", Ash listed reasons.

"Are you okay? Is your brain dying?", Ash questioned in real concern.

"No, my brain is not dying", I chuckled. "And is it so much of a crime how my little bro is doing?"

"Ugggh!!!", Ash sighed in frustration.

"I will find out what you're hiding, Joyna Ketchum!", Ash declared.

"Sure ya will, Ashton Ketchum", I giggled.

"Where have you two been?", Mom asked with a tight smile and an annoyed looking cheery face.

“I went to go get Joyna, as you asked, but I found her sleeping on the grass”, Ash answered.

“Like a weirdo”, Ash whispered to himself.

“Hey!-”, I tried to confront Ash.

“When she finally opened her eyes”, Ash interrupted. “She looked surprised and everything, and guess what?”

“She hugged me, started crying, pushed me, started accusing me of not being the “real Ash”, hugged me again and started sobbing on me!”, Ash rambled. “How weird is that!?”

“Hmm, I guess that is weird, after all, Joyna isn’t what we would call an emotional type”, Mom responded, equally as confused.

But I wasn’t listening to the conversation between mom and Ash, I was instead staring at something, no, someone, afraid if I averted my eyes, even for a second, they would disappear.

“D-Dad? Is it really you?”, I stuttered in disbelief.

"Yeah, who else would it be?", dad replied with a laugh.

"No! This isn't possible! You shouldn't be here!", I tried to deny.

"There she goes again...", Ash groaned.

"Joyna? Why are you staring at me?", Dad asked nervously.

Suddenly my vision started blurring and moving faster than I could comprehend, and before I knew it; my arms were wrapped around dad and I was sobbing on his shoulder.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!", Dad yelled as he staggered back from the impact. "Ash was right! You are acting weird!"

"See! I told you!", Ash yelled in the background.

"I-I...just don't understand", I sobbed and tripped over my words. "You're not supposed to be here! I saw you ‘...’ with my own eyes!"

"You shouldn't be here!", I screamed, trying to make sense of all of this.

"Ouch! That kinda hurts, Joyna", Dad reeled in mock hurt, trying to cheer me up.

Mom put a hand on my shoulder and spoke in a concerned voice; “Joyna, honey, please try and calm down”

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“Now that you’ve calmed down, could you please tell us why you’re acting so weird all of a sudden?”, Mom questioned.

“I mean, if Ash is here, would it be much of a surprise that dad is here?”, I began to mumble vacantly. “But Ash’s case was different, Ash could still come back, dad couldn’t, no, matter how much I wished"

Uhhh, what is she mumbling about?", Dad whispered to Ash.

"Watch as she starts accusing you of not being the ``real Dad`` '', Ash muttered back.

'This must all be fake, yeah fake, it must all just be a joke. . .but who would play a joke so cruel?', I tried to reason with my thoughts.

I could already feel the tears springing to my eyes again.

'If this is a joke, then I guess I'll just have to play along, find out some information, escape, and tell it all to the police!', I declared in my head, a determined smile making way on my face.

"Oh, great, now she's smiling like a crazy person", Ash whispered to Dad.

"Honestly, I'm quite concerned, maybe we should cancel the picnic and take Joyna to the hospital", Mom proposed.

"Oh c'mon! Joyna's okay!", Ash whined. "She's just acting like how she normally does; a weirdo!"

"Please don't cancel the picnic!", Ash begged.

"You know, I think I agree with your Mother on this one, maybe we should take Joyna to the hospital", Dad agreed.

"I did not endure Joyna interrupting the picnic just for us to cancel it!", Ash yelled in a hangry voice.

"Y-Yeah! I agree with Ash! Let's just get to eating!", I tried to convince Mom and Dad.

'`Joyna agreeing with Ash!?", Dad said in surprise. "Joyna, are you sure you're okay? You're not balloony are you?"

"[. . .] Ketchum! You can't just ask our daughter that!", Mom exclaimed.

"Just trying to make sure", Dad shrugged in self defense.

"No! No!", I yelled, trying to quickly shut down the idea before it became a theory.

"I am an aspiring nurse! I would never go down that path!", I exclaimed in a proud tone.

"It must just be close to my end-of-a-sentence time", I mumbled.

"Eeeewwww! None of us needed to know that!", Ash gagged. "Keep your gross thoughts to yourself!"

"Well, I'm sorry that you can't handle something normal that's a part of life", I responded.

"Joyna is right, Ash, after all, there'll be someone special in your life who'll, maybe or not, experience the same thing", Mom advised.

"Moooom! I've told you a million times that I don't want a girlfriend!", Ash groaned, tired of repeating the same thing over and over again.

"Oh dear", Mom sighed. "I'm sorry for forgetting"

"Can we pleeease just eat already! I'm starving!", Dad whined.

I visibly relaxed a little. 'They've probably already forgotten by now'

“Oh, and Joyna, don’t think I’ve forgotten about you, act strange any longer and we’ll go straight to hospital to check if you’ve ingested any balloony related substances”, Dad added in an uncharacteristically serious voice.

“[. . .] Ketchum!”

“Yes sir! Dad sir!”, I sallouted.

"Alright then!", Mom exclaimed as she clapped her hands together. "Dig in guys!"

My stomach started gurgling as I took in the view of my mom's homemade pastries.

"I'm quite surprised that ants haven't devoured the food yet...", I pointed out.

"Right?", Dad and Ash agreed as they both stuffed macaroons in their mouths.

"Like father like son", Mom sighed in disapproval.

I picked up a chocolate glazed donut with sprinkles topped on it and I took a bite.

'That's weird', I thought.

I could taste the donut, yes, but it oddly tasted fake in some way.

'Ah, well', I shrugged it off.

If only I knew...

"So, umm, guys, what do you think about the food?", Mom asked with a nervous smile.

"It's grweat!", Ash responded in a muffled voice.

"It's amazing! As usual", Dad also complimented. "Honestly, Delia, I don't know why you keep asking that question, you own a bakery for goodness sake!"

"Oh, I guess I forgot", Mom giggled in faux embarrassment.

"Yeah, I agree with dad, your treats are always amazing!", I added.

I truly did mean that her treats were amazing, just for some reason this one tasted different somehow.

"Thank You, honey", Mom beamed.

"Oh! Dad! Dad!", Ash suddenly yelled. "I have an idea for a new Pokémon "

"You have an idea for a new Pokémon ?", Dad repeated.

"Yeah!", Ash agreed.

"Then tell me!", Dad yelled in desperation.

"Are you guys still obsessing over your Pokémon game?", I asked as I licked the frosting of my lips.

"Yeah! What about it?", Ash questioned as he stared me down.

"Woahhhhhh! Touchy-Touchy subject, I see", I backed away and put my hands up in mock surrender.

"So it's name is-", Ash continued.

I was trying to listen to Ash, I really was, but Pokémon wasn't really my thing.

I was instead just enjoying the peace of Dad and Ash's rambling, Mom's gentle humming, and delicious pastries, paired with the slight rustle of grass.

‘This is nice, this is great, this is family’, I contently sighed in my mind.

‘Perfect…’

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‘Dad, how are you here?’

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“Wha-Huh!?”, I was suddenly awakened from my nap.

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Ash, you’ve been missing for weeks! Why have you just suddenly appeared!?’

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“Noooooo!”, I groaned.

Dad stared at me suspiciously.

‘Please! Even if this is some kind of hallucination or cruel joke, just let me enjoy myself for a while!’, I tried to stop my thoughts.

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‘Mom, why are you so care-free and not overly stressed like usual!?’

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But they just kept coming.

I didn’t need to think about those things right then, this had been the first time I’d ever really been at peace since dad. . .went away, but, alas, the universe would never allow me to enjoy myself when I truly needed it.

I felt the questions bubble up my throat, I tried to push them down, but the questions pushed back even harder.

“That’s it! We’re going to the clinic!”, Dad exclaimed as he stood up abruptly and grabbed my wrist.

“I-I agree”, Mom. . .well, agreed, not even bothering to pack up the picnic basket.

“Yeah, you look like you’re constipated”, Ash added.

I wasn’t even paying attention that my surroundings were changing as dad was, basically, dragging me to the direction, wherever that was, the car.

Ash was right, I was pretty sure my face was as red as a blazing tomato, with the amount of effort it took me to try and stop those questions from tumbling out of my mouth.

Until the last string snapped, and it all came pouring out. . .

“Dad, how are you here!?Ash, you’ve been missing for weeks now! Why have you just suddenly appeared!?Mom, why are you so care-free and not overly stressed like usual!?”, I gasped in a rushed, jumbled mess, which left me yearning for air.

As I spoke those questions, the atmosphere suddenly got still, no words uttered, none at all.

Dad let go of my wrist, more like tossed.

Everyone had dark looks on their faces.

I gulped.

“Uuuum…did someone use a vacuum cleaner to suck the air out of the atmosphere or what?”, I nervously chuckled. “Haha…”

I was met with no response.

“Please say something, guys, anything!”, I desperately pleaded.

". . ."

“Because of you, Joyna”, Ash spoke in an uncharacteristically grim tone.

“Me!?”, I whispered in shock, not at all expecting that answer, of all things.

“Yes, you”, Dad answered in a sarcastic tone.

“Me?”, I repeated, still stunned.

“Goodness! Yes, you, honestly, are you deaf or something!?”, Mom snapped in a sharp tone.

I staggered back. ‘What is happening!?’

“Hey!”, Dad yelled, which led me to trip and yelp in surprise.

“Is she really zoning out?”, Mom asked in ridicule.

“Wow, she really is an idiot”, Ash remarked in a deadpan tone, pretending I wasn’t there.

It hurt.

“Why are you being like. . .this?”, I questioned.

“Because you are so ungrateful”

“Because you killed me”

“Because you never believed in me”

They all answered in unison.

“You’re the reason our family is broken”

“H-How?”, I stuttered, though, really hoping I would never get an answer. "I mean, I always, sometimes, got those lingering thoughts that everything was my fault, but I brushed it off, because mom always assured me that none of this was my fault, and that I shouldn't dwell on the past! So why are you guys acting like this!?"

I was pulling at my hair as a response to stress. ‘Hah…Dad always told me this hairstyle would never last…’, I remembered.

“Goodness! She’s zoning out again!”, Mom pointed out in frustration.

“How did you manage to get accepted into one of the top medical schools in Kanto, yet you still can’t hold onto a simple conversation?”, Ash insulted me.

I gasped.

‘What is happening!? Ash would never-’, I thought in pained disbelief, but I was snapped out of my thoughts as dad gave his reason.

“While you were going with me to get the milk at the grocery store-”, Dad started.

My eyes widened as memories flashed through my head. ‘No. . .’

“Oh! You remember this, don’t you!?”, Dad noticed.

“You never once stopped to look outside and see if I was safe or even okay! You were just looking at those study notes, I mean, really!? You would prioritize pieces of paper over your own dad’s life!?”, Dad yelled in fury. “And when I got shot! You-you just sat there looking at me like an idiot, with your mouth wide open ! You didn't even try to get out of the car to help me! You just watched me writhe on the ground in agony and finally let out my last breath…you watched me, your own father, die and you didn’t even try to help me…”

“I-I”, I tried.

“You-you”, Dad mocked me. “You don’t have a valid reason, and you know it! So just shut it!”

“I was in shock! I tried to get out of the car and help, but my body never moved!”, yet the words never came out…

Then Mom stepped up, ready to give her reason, I tried to tune it out, but it didn't work.

What I wasn’t expecting her to do was slap me…

“You…You are the most ungrateful daughter ever!”, Mom screeched as she pointed at me.

My cheek burned with searing hot pain, as my head turned towards the ground and tears slipped down my face, she didn’t even wait for me to get my breathing together.

“You never helped me, you always asked for money for your stupid “NuRsE dReAm" that you’ll never achieve! You didn’t even bother to take some time away from those medical exam papers and help me with the bakery!”, Mom accused me. “You instead left all the back-breaking work to your poor mother!”

“I used those exam papers to drown out the loss of dad! Plus, you told me to always follow my dreams and that you would be with me every step!”, yet the words never came out…

“And, now, it’s my turn, dear big sis”, Ash chuckled in a mocking voice.

“N-No! Please! I’m sorry!”, I cried.

“Sorry doesn’t fix anything!”, Ash screamed. “You never cared about me! You never even tried to pay attention to me, it was always wasted on those dumb papers! And worst of all, you never supported my dream of making my Pokémon game become a reality, and when I brought it up, you would just mock me!”

“Some sister you are…”

“I care about you and I always will! I’m sorry for not paying enough attention to you, I never meant for my teasing to come as making fun of your Pokémon game, I truly believe that it will become a reality one day!”, yet the words never came out…

As if dad read my mind, “Are you really trying to justify yourself for all the pain and suffering you’ve caused us!?”

“You truly are selfish!”, Mom spat in a disgusted tone.

"Here's a news flash, Joyna", Ash whispered, just loud enough for me to hear. "It's your fault..."

"W-What?...", I asked in a quiet, confused voice.

"You heard your brother", Mom joined in. "It's all your fault..."

I shook my head in denial.

Dad grabbed my hair in a harsh manner. "Ow!", and pulled my head up to look up at him.

"Listen to your mom, sweetheart", Dad said in a bitter tone, as he let go of my hair, nothing like the pet name he just called me. "It's all your fault..."

"No!", I tried to deny.

"It's all your fault...", they repeated simultaneously.

"Stop!", I yelled.

I couldn't do anything, my body was left frozen in place, like last time...I was helpless.

"It's all your fault..."

I could, though, at least, cover my ears with my hands.

"It's all your fault!", but they just got louder.

I turned my face down to the ground.

"It's all your fault!"

Huge groups of tears fell down my cheeks.

"It's all your fault!"

I started hyperventilating and sobbing.

"It's all your fault!"

"P-Please stop...", I gasped between broken breaths.

They stopped.

After a few minutes of trying to calm my sobs, I slowly lifted my tear stained face to look up at them.

"I-", I tried to utter. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!!"

I looked behind me to see what was dragging me back...

'Black misty hands!?', I thought in a panic, infused, confusion.

I dug my hands deep into the ground, trying to hold myself still. I knew my hands would lose grip sometime soon, but that didn't stop me from trying to pull myself forwards, I got my stubbornness from my dad after all.

"Please h-help!", I begged in desperation. "Please!"

“No, you deserve to suffer “, Ash spat.

“For all the pain”, Mom sneered.

“You’ve caused us over the years”, Dad finished.

‘I’m the reason for all of this…’

They then turned around, hand-in-hand, with smiles on their faces, like they had just dropped an awful burden, and walked away, taking the light with them.

“No! No! No! No! No! No! No!”, I screamed as I tried to claw my way towards my family, but the hands kept dragging me back.

“I’m sorry!”, I started apologizing. “Dad, I’m sorry I didn’t save you! Mom, I’m sorry I never helped you! Ash, I’m sorry I didn’t support you! I’m sorry I spent so much time on those darn papers! ”

Minutes passed, I kept sobbing and trying to hold on; no one came.

My fingers were getting weak…

I had my eyes closed; darkness completely enveloped my vision. It’s not like it would make a difference if I kept them open.

. . .

“Joyna?”

‘No…It couldn't be him…’

“Joynaaa?”

‘What’s the point? They wouldn’t come back for me anyway’

“Oh My Goodness…Joyna!”

I tiredly opened my eyes, expecting nothing more than new horrible things to come my way. “Yes?”

Ash!

Ash was here!

‘...But why? To mock me again?’

Ash knelt down on the clawed, fingernail marked ground, right in front of me. He lifted my hands and held them delicately in his slightly smaller ones.

He gave his 2ignature beaming smile, the one he wore whenever someone asked him about his in-game companion, Pikachu.

I felt a spark of hope flare up in my heart.

Ash was going to pull me forward, he was going to lead me back to mom and dad, I would apologize to everyone, my apology would be accepted, I would be a better family member, and we would be one happy family again.

Ash was pulling me forward bit by bit.

I felt my heart was going to explode with the complete happiness I was feeling.

I relished in the moment of absolute hope.

‘Wait-’, I thought, slicing through my hopeful bliss. ‘Why does it feel like I’m slipping?’

“Hey, A-Ash? I don’t want to seem impatient or anything, b-but I feel like I’m slipping, not that you’re doing a bad job or anything! But…could you please pull me up faster?”, I nervously begged.

I kept slipping, and Ash’s smile began fading. “As impatient as ever…”

“Ash! Please!”

I started hyperventilating again.

“Please!”

Ash blankly stared at me in response.

“Help me, Ash!”

". . ."

“I hate you”, Ash spoke in a calm tone.

I watched as Ash’s grip loosened, and he watched as I was dragged away to my demise.

- 🌺 - ✨ - 🖊️ - ✨ - 🌺 -

Author's Note: Thank you for reading Searching For You!

I plan on making part two! But I’m going to take a break from writing for a bit, after all; this story took me, like, five months and I have other things I want to work on.

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Searching For You was written by 2ignature Sm1ley-Face, you cannot steal nor can you re-distribute without permission. Thank You!

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