Destiny Rebirth

Our Friend Needs Us

Shout out to Blue90, of DeviantART, for the artwork above!

The look of determination, on Serena's face, turned to horror, as she saw the battle play out in front of her. She began to tremble when she saw Arcanine release the attack toward Ash and held her breath. Her heart began to break at the sight of Ash's body, flying out of the smoke. She blinked several times to fight back the tears that threatened to escape, but to no avail.

The sight of his unmoving body finally broke her from the fear that gripped her.

"ASH!" she screamed, as she shot up from her chair, with tears now cascading down her face.

She gripped the railings of the box, as she leaned over the wall while screaming her heart out.

"ASH, GET UP! YOU'VE GOT TO GET UP, ASH!"

Gary watched the scene and was finally pulled out of his disbelief by the shouts from the girl, next to him. Trevor and Brittany were witnessing the event unfold, from the opposite side of the elite suite, with a horrified look in their eyes, as they were shocked by the screams coming from the Kalos Queen.

"Oh no..." was all Trevor could have muttered, as he and his wife get up and rushed over to where Serena was.

Gary instinctively reached out and grabbed Serena, by the waist, in order to pull her back from the edge. Trevor and Brittany arrived there to try to comfort the teary performer.

Serena felt the tug on her waist and fought harder. Every bit of her body fought the unknown force. She finally broke out of the grip that held her back, but only for her to return to the edge of the box.

"GET UP! YOU CAN'T DIE, ASH! YOU JUST CAN'T!" she yelled, as her cries turned into sobs.

Again, she was grabbed across the chest with her arms held against her body.

Gary and Trevor were shocked at the fight that the girl showed in her desperation. They went to grab her, more forcefully. Gary took hold of her across the chest, while Trevor was holding her arms against her body, to minimize the fighting. She screamed again, as Gary lifted her and Trevor grunted, as she began to kick. Gary forcefully sat her down, on the chair, and moved into her view, meeting her tear-stained gaze with his.

"Calm down, Serena!" he pleaded as he looked into her eyes. "Ash is going to be fine! Trust me, he has been through worse. He's going to be fine."

"Yeah, Serena," Trevor stated as he and Brittany got closer to the sobbing performer. "Ash's not one to die so easily. He'll be alright."

"Serena," Brittany added to the comfort. "Ash needs you to believe in him. Believe that he'll recover from that blow. You must believe,"

Serena began to shake, as she took in the words from her three friends, before breaking down again. She threw her arms around Gary's neck and clung to him like he was a lifeline. She closed her eyes and buried her head into his neck, while the sobbing began to rack her body.

Gary sat, in shock, at the sudden outburst. He began to softly pat her back, trying to comfort her. "Shhhh. It's ok, Serena. Ash is going to be alright."

The rest of the group sat and watched the scene play out, before them. Their hearts broke with the screams of their performer friend, but it wasn't until Gary spoke that the shock of what Serena had shouted, truly began to set in.

No. That can't be him, can it? Brock thought, as his eyes darted to the motionless figure on the stadium floor. He's . . . he's grown so much.

"Gary, did you just say that was Ash?" Brock's voice was barely above a whisper.

His mind still couldn't fully comprehend what was unfolding, in front of him.

"No. No! That can't be him!" the shaky voice of May rang out. "We saw him die, back in Kalos! That can't be him!"

"It is," Gary responded, with the Kalos native still held in his arms. "I don't know how, but he survived. He was the one that stole his Pokémon, and now, he's fighting to finish what he started."

"What do you mean?" Brock questioned.

"He's finally going to bring down Giovanni," Brittany said coldly.

Trevor stood up and looked at the shunned group, with a serious look in his eyes.

"That's right." Trevor began his speech as he stands in front of the shunned group. "I know what emotions are going through each of your heads right now. Sadness, surprised, frustration, betrayal, and fear. But now, let's not allow those emotions overtake us. Our friend has been alive, for the last five years. He's been training so that he could take back the life that he lost. He has seen all of our accomplishments. From Max and Bonnie's first league conference to Serena becoming Kalos Queen, he couldn't have been prouder than he felt, after watching us accomplish our goals. Sure, he wasn't present at the most important ones, but that doesn't mean that he has forgotten about us. He couldn't ever abandon Serena. Now that you guys know the truth, he's going to need us to cheer him on, down there, as he faces off against Giovanni. Right now, at this very moment, our friend needs us, more than ever before in his life! So, who's with me in?"

Silence fell among the group. The only sounds, escaping the suite, were the muffled sobs of Serena. Thoughts were racing through everyone's heads. The last time, they saw Ash, was playing through their minds, along with all the great times they had shared with their traveling companion. Tears began to escape from the different people, around the group, as the realization hit them.

"Stand up please, Ash! Stand up!" Ashley broke the silence, as the group turned to Trevor's daughter and stared at her and her two small Pokémon, while they cheer for Ash to stand up.

"Chu Chu-chu!" Pichu shouted in determination.

"Charmander!" The lizard Pokémon cried out, as the rest of the group joined in on the cheers.

"Get up right now, Ash Ketchum!" Misty shouted as she shot up from her seat. "If you don't, I'm going to come down there and hit you with my mallet until you do!"

"Come on, Ash!" Max jumped up and began to shout. "You're the best! you can do it!"

Suddenly, the entire group was up on their feet, as they cheered for their friend, to get back up on his feet.

Trevor then remembers a word of advice that his father used to give him when he was little.

Why do we fall, Trevor? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.

Trevor smiled, as he turned to his wife, who was smiling back at him before they joined in the group's cheers.

"We all believe in you, Ash!" Brittany shouted.

"That's right, Ash! Now, get up and wipe the smirk off that bastard's face!" Trevor yelled out.

"Language!" Dawn shouted to Trevor, as he turned to see his daughter was present, in the box, when he used foul language.

"Sorry, Ashley." Trevor apologized to the 3 ½-year-old girls.

"It's alright, daddy. I forgive you." Ashley responded, with a smile across her face.

"Look!" Brock began to announce, as the rest of group turned and saw what Brock had just noticed. "He's moving!"

Serena's tears stopped, as her head moved from Gary's shoulder. Gary whipped around and saw the figure, below, begin to stir. Serena jumped to her feet. She began to laugh hysterically when she saw the figure began to lift himself off the ground.

Soon, she joined her friends, in their shouts, to try and encourage him to get up.