A Journey's Link

Chapter 28 - Departure

"She WHAT?!" Goh exclaimed, flailing his arms while he said this. He stood up and began to pace around the room, his mind going through a million thoughts. "Ash, why do you think she did that?!" Goh questioned with a crazy look on his face. "Why do you think she would do that, Ash? For one second, use your brain!"

Ash cluelessly looked back at Goh and frowned. "I don't know," Ash admitted. "Other people have kissed me on the cheek to say goodbye before." He furrowed his brow as he thought back to the Kalos airport where Serena had said goodbye as she made her way to Hoenn and replayed the events that unfolded there.

Goh looked at Ash in disbelief with his jaw wide open. There's no way, Goh thought. I knew Ash was dense, but this is on another level. Ash looked at Goh expecting a straightforward answer, even though the answer was right in front of him. Goh stared back and just shook his head, "You're unbelievable, Ash," Goh sighed, sitting back down in the chair next to Ash.

"I still don't get it though, Goh," Ash curiously said. "Is there something I'm missing?" Goh turned towards Ash as he said this and shook his head. Yeah, a brain, Goh thought wittily, leaning his head back to think about what to say to Ash next. He finally brought his head forward and just admitted defeat against Ash's denseness. "You'll figure it out eventually," Goh said. "I hope."

Ash frowned and warily nodded, not quite understanding what Goh was getting at but also accepting that he was going to have to just find out on his own. Goh heard a knock on the door and exclaimed, "Come in!", causing the door to open.

Nurse Joy walked in alongside her assistant Chansey and smiled at Ash. "How are you feeling, Mr. Ketchum?" She asked, walking towards him to check his condition. "I'm feeling great!" he exclaimed honestly. He didn't feel too bad and was in a generally good mood, which Nurse Joy noticed and smiled at.

She tapped away at a machine and scanned it against Ash's head, seemingly analyzing it for any damage or issues. "Well, if this scan is good, then you should be clear to go!" She said cheerfully. Ash smiled at this, as he wasn't one to be cooped up inside a building all day and was always raring to go places.

He suddenly frowned, causing Nurse Joy to mirror his expression. "What's wrong?" she asked, genuinely worried for her patient's well-being. Ash looked over at Goh and replied, "Well, it's just I'm worried about Lucario." He looked up at Nurse Joy with worried eyes as he said this. "Do you think Lucario is okay?"

"I told him about Lucario's condition," Goh sighed. She nodded and decided it would be best if she told Ash the truth. "Well, I think it would be best to keep him here for a few days to watch the readings," she explained, watching Ash's face morph into a saddened expression. "The technology used to measure Aura is still only relatively recent, so it may just be nothing at all." Chansey nodded as Nurse Joy said this with a knowing expression.

"A few days..." Ash muttered, looking down at his sheets as he said this. He looked back up at Nurse Joy's face with determination. "I trust you!" he exclaimed with a gleam in his eyes. "Please take care of Lucario while we're gone!" Nurse Joy smiled at Ash's clear passion for his Pokemon and nodded, promising him to make sure that Lucario left the hospital in good health.

A sudden ding was produced by the machine that was scanning Ash's head, so Nurse Joy looked over at it and saw a few signs on the screen. "Does that mean I'm okay?" Ash asked, peering over Nurse Joy's shoulder to get a better look at the machine. She looked back at him and nodded joyfully. "Yep!" she exclaimed. "You can go now!"

Ash fist-pumped at this information and quickly grabbed his clothes to change in the nearby restroom. "Ash!" Goh exclaimed as the raven-haired boy bolted out of the room. "You forgot your underwear!" He heard a faint "Oops!" from the hallway and chuckled at Ash's overall clumsiness and rushed nature. No wonder he's so clueless about Serena, Goh thought. He can't even remember his own clothing.