Pokémon Supreme : S1E01 :: The Nightmares

Pokémon Supreme || S1E01 :: Nightmare

***Prologue::***

***The world of Pokémon is filled with many unique and naturally powerful creatures. For humans, they are still very mysterious and unknown, which is why people conduct research by catching them in Poké Balls. Because of this, many unique stories unfold within the relationships between humans and Pokémon—like the unbreakable bond between them, understanding each other without speaking, staying together in toughest situations, and sharing a single goal to become a powerful trainer. Many trainers begin their journey with the dream of catching every kind of Pokémon and becoming a Pokémon Master, and among them, Pallet Town's Ash Ketchum also began his journey alongside Pikachu. We have all witnessed his journey, and how he grew from an inexperienced beginner into the World Champion.***

***This story starts after the World Championship has concluded. Following the championship, Ash and Pikachu both continued their journey. After a whole year, they were finally returning home to the Kanto region, but instead of a warm welcome, they were met with shocking news.***

***A newly formed organization led by a man named Karkus had spread terror throughout Kanto. The best trainers of Kanto and Johto joined forces to stop him, yet they failed. He even brought Red over to his team, bringing the Pokémon League to its knees. After many failures, while everyone was attending a meeting to figure out a way to stop him, they received news that an unknown trainer had destroyed Karkus' ship, and Red had gone missing. Following that incident, Ash became demotivated and stayed inside his house, completely isolating himself from the world. Karkus had wreaked havoc across the globe, causing people to lose faith in the League. To restore order, new rules were implemented.***

***After two years, everything was slowly getting back to normal, but Ash's life was no longer the same as before. He began having nightmares after that tragedy. This story starts after those two years have passed, following Ash as he returns to a new world where he finally understands the true reality of the Pokémon world.***

**Chapter 01 : The Nightmares**

*Some officers were panicking, some were showing courage, and others were encouraging their comrades. Just then, Detective Looker entered the control room.*

His voice sounded heavy, frantic, and rushed. “What is going on? I told you all to track Karkus's location!”

An officer called out to Looker, gesturing toward the screen. “Chief, we have tracked the location of Karkus's airship.”

Looker quickly hurried over to the officer. "Where is it? Tell me quickly!”

“Near the Ruins of Alph in Johto,” the officer replied, tracking the GPS navigation of our scout unit.

“Everyone get ready quickly! We're on our way there right now,” Looker ordered the surrounding police officers.

Suddenly, a female officer urgently called Looker over to her screen. “Chief, I managed to hack into the scouting squad's feed, and I can see someone out there fighting!”

Looker quickly turned to the officer. "Show me! Who is it?”

“Chief, that's definitely a Charizard.”

“That must be Red's Charizard... but who is he battling?” Looker asked, ordering her to clear up the video quality.

“Is that... a Pikachu and a Blastoise?”

The female officer tried to sharpen the camera's focus. “Sir, that is World Champion Ash Ketchum, and with him is Gary Oak!”

Looker, staring intently at the screen, said, "Did those two go and fight Red on their own without permission?”

“What were you two thinking?” Looker muttered to himself in a worried tone.

At the Ruins of Alph;

Heavy rain poured from the sky onto the shattered pieces of a Pokéball scattered on the burning ground. Smoke rose from the surface. Blastoise had completely collapsed, and Gary was also exhausted. Pikachu could barely stand on his feet, while Ash took a heavy breath. On the other hand, Mega Charizard looked extremely tired, but Red remained unwavering—showing no sign of exhaustion or sympathy for them.

“Red!” Ash shouted, pouring every ounce of his remaining strength into his voice. “Just tell us why you are doing this! We’re friends, aren’t we?”

There wasn't a single trace of emotion on Red's face. His eyes remained completely shadowed by his cap, and a lone raindrop dripped from his chin. He stood deathly still, refusing to even look at them, shrouded in an absolute, suffocating silence.

“Why!?” Ash cried, with tears in his eyes.

“ENOUGH!!” Gary shouted loudly in frustration.

“Enough, Ash! He won't tell us that easily. We have to defeat him if we want to get our answers.” Gary tried to stand up, but as he was about to slip, Blastoise suddenly grabbed him, becoming his anchor.

“Thanks. You're always here to support me,” Gary said to Blastoise in a soft and trusting tone.

“Blast...” Blastoise responded with a soft gesture.

“Ash, we don't have a choice,” Gary said, looking at Ash.

Ash wiped his face and turned to Pikachu. “Pikachu, are you still able to fight?”

“Pika!” Pikachu’s cheeks dimmed for a second before sparking into fully charged electricity.

“Let's put all our strength into one final strike!” Ash threw his cap toward Pikachu and readied his Z-Ring.

“Blastoise, let's put our remaining power into this last move!” Gary touched his Key Stone to activate it.

“Blast!!” Blastoise responded with a loud roar, re-energizing his Mega Evolution.

Mega Charizard spread his wings wide, and the flame on his tail burned higher—a sign that he was ready to fight back, too.

“Pikachu!!”

“Blastoise!!”

Both Ash and Gary commanded their partners with full energy.

“Z-Move: 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt!!”

“Full Power: Hydro Pump!!”

Then Red, with his deep tone and shadowed expression, finally spoke: “Charizard, use Dragon Pulse.”

A clash between Pikachu's ultimate 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt and Mega Blastoise's full-powered Hydro Pump combined against Mega Charizard's solo Dragon Pulse. The pressure of their clash was so powerful that it created a massive explosion.

The entire ground was covered in a thick smokescreen. When the smoke cleared, the result of the battle was unexpected. Gary, Pikachu, and Blastoise lay unconsciously on the ground. Charizard also seemed to have taken heavy damage, and as for Ash, he was barely conscious. He tried to stand again; even though his body had given up, his will to save his friend had not.

“Red... (cough, cough!)” Ash's voice was unclear, and he had lost all of his strength to talk.

Without looking at him, Red turned around and headed back toward the airship.

“Red!! I… don't— (heavy breathing)—give up yet…! I believe… (fainting voice) there is… a reason. So please… (cough!!)… don't go.” Ash's eyes were about to shut.

Red paused, looking at Ash's condition, but he still remained silent. Then, he walked onto a shadowed path where the light had almost faded. But before Ash blacked out, he saw the most painful sight. In front of his barely open eyes, Red's eyes filled with tears. “Even though it was raining, I was the only one in that moment who saw those tears of guilt.”

Those tears seemed to tell Ash, “Please forgive me, my friend, but this is the end.”

Charizard couldn't hold back his tears, either.

Slowly, Red and Charizard faded before Ash's eyes. “Please… stop…” Ash muttered, reaching his hand out toward Red’s vanishing shadow…

“STOP!!” Suddenly Ash woke up. Tears dropped from his eyes, his face was covered in sweat, and his hands trembled as he took heavy, ragged breaths.

(Heavy breaths)....

“It's my room... I'm on my bed. What happened?” Ash was confused for a few seconds as he looked around his room, where Mr. Mime stood completely frozen, clutching a broom.

“Oh, it's you, Mr. Mime!! Did you come here to clean my room?” Ash asked in a heavy, exhausted voice.

“Mime-mime...” Mr. Mime responded, looking slightly scared.

“Sorry for scaring you, Mr. Mime. I just had a bad nightmare.” Ash got out of bed and apologized.

“Mime? Mr. Mime?” Mr. Mime looked at him, deeply worried.

“Don't worry, I'm fine. Look at me.” Ash stretched his arms and did a few quick sit-ups to reassure Mr. Mime.

“Ash, my boy, Are you awake now? If so, come downstairs quickly before breakfast goes cold!” Delia's voice called out from the kitchen.

“Yeah, I'm coming!” Ash replied. He looked at the clock and saw it was already 10 a.m. “Looks like I overslept.”

He went downstairs and headed straight to the bathroom sink to splash some cold water on his face.

*Narrator :: Ash Ketchum, now sixteen years old and holding the title of World Champion, had traveled across many regions and islands. He had caught over a hundred different kinds of Pokémon, fought against strong and legendary foes, saved numerous worlds and nations from evil organizations, and made countless friends and rivals. His ultimate dream had always been to become a Pokémon Master.*

*Yet, this person who once loved adventure had trapped himself in his own house for the past two years. His Trainer license had been suspended by the Pokémon League for six months because of his impulsive, reckless actions during the Karkus incident. But even after that suspension ended, he couldn't bring himself to go on any adventures—not even to visit nearby towns to see his friends. He had completely isolated himself from the world. Sometimes, the terrible nightmares about that incident returned, but he handled them on his own.*

*Though he had lost touch with everyone, the world could never forget their hero. Most people still looked up to Ash and the other Champions as the saviors who defeated the Karkus organization*. *But in reality, Ash felt like a failure—because he hadn't even been able to save his closest friend.*

Warm sunlight streamed into the kitchen, illuminating the breakfast table. Delia had prepared breakfast for him, while Pikachu watered the garden plants outside. Ash sat quietly in a kitchen chair.

“Here you go. Enjoy your breakfast, my son,” Delia said with a warm smile.

“Thanks, mom,” Ash said, starting to eat his breakfast.

“Ash, is something wrong? You look pale,” Delia remarked, noticing his exhausted face.

“Thanks for asking, but I'm completely fine. I just overslept today, that's all. That's probably why I look a bit tired,” Ash replied.

“Okay, dear. If anything is ever bothering you, please feel free to tell me. I'm always here for you,” she said, a gentle, motherly smile spreading across her face.

Ash didn't say anything, but he managed to smile back a little.

“If you don't mind, can I ask you for a favor?” Delia asked.

“Of course,” Ash replied.

“Can you visit Professor Oak today at the hospital? I'm just a little too busy to go by myself.”

At first, Ash didn't reply. After a brief pause, he said, “Okay, I'll do it.”

“Thank you so much, my dear boy. I love you,” Delia smiled.

“Professor Oak... yeah, I haven't visited him very often lately,” Ash thought to himself.

Ash put on a hoodie along with some light jeans, ready to go out. Before he left, Delia handed him a bouquet of flowers. “Ash, put these in Professor Oak's room. They'll make the room feel a bit more comfortable.”

“Okay, I will.” Then, he headed out the door.

“Pikachu, let's go. We are going to meet Professor Oak.”

“Pika!” Pikachu hopped up onto Ash and sat on his shoulder.

*In these two years, the Kanto region had improved quite a bit. Ash took a bus from Pallet Town to Viridian City, where a new metro station had been built to allow fast travel across all the major cities. Ash boarded the Celadon City metro and sat down. His head was covered by his hoodie because he didn't want his famous identity to be recognized by others. Once on the metro, he put on his earphones to listen to music while Pikachu curled up on his lap, drifting off to sleep.*

*Professor Oak... the mentor who was closest to me. He's the one who taught me so many things about Pokémon. But now, he's in a deep sleep…*

At the Celadon City Hospital:

After arriving at the hospital, Ash asked the receptionist for Professor Oak's room number. It was Room 104 on the fourth floor.

When he was about to open the door, he hesitated. Just then, a girl approached him and said, “Is that you, Ash?”

“Leaf!!” Ash was a little surprised.

“Ash, it's been a while! How are you?” Leaf happily asked, gesturing toward him.

Pikachu jumped toward her and hugged her. “Pika-pikachu!” With a happy smile, Leaf hugged him back. “You look healthy, Pikachu!

“I didn't expect to see you here,” Leaf said.

“Actually, Mom is kinda busy today, so I came instead of her,” Ash replied.

“So, that's the reason,” Leaf said

“Aren't you visiting Alola?” Ash asked to leaf

“I just came back from Alola yesterday.” Leaf replied to Ash.

“Instead of talking here, it is better we go inside.” Leaf pushed open the door to Room 104.

*The room presented a somber sight: a man who had dedicated his life and passion to understanding Pokémon and their nature, who was always surrounded by research papers, and sometimes sacrificed his own sleep for research. Now, he was in a deep sleep surrounded by life support machines. ‘A man who dedicated his life to his passionate work, now he lay on a bed in a motionless sleep.’*

Ash put flowers on the table; Leaf gave him a stool to sit on. Both remained silent for a while.

“How long has Professor Oak been asleep?” Ash asked a simple question to Leaf with a pale expression.

“I don't know, but we can't lose hope soon,” Leaf answered with a hopeful look. When she looked at Ash's pale face, she asked,

“Has something happened to you? Ash, you look tired.” Leaf was concerned about him.

“I had that nightmare again!” Ash said with a heavy, sad tone.

When Leaf heard about the nightmare, she realized that Ash was still not completely cured. Her inner thought: “The devastation caused by the Karkus still haunts Ash. All Kanto gyms, many homes, and even Pallet Town were in danger. Ash had to choose between saving Pallet Town or the world, but Ash couldn't make a decision at that time. Then Ash got a shock when he found out Red was with Karkus, but still he did not give up hope until one day he got the news that Karkus and his members lost against an unknown trainer and Red... He's no more. Ash wasn't that broken completely at that time until, when he went through Karkus's interrogation with some questions and found out what his intentions were, he was horrified.

On other hand to gain back the people's trust, the Pokémon League decided to reveal the champions' names in the newspaper, claiming they stopped Karkus, but Ash was not happy with that. He thought, ‘Why did I take someone's credit while I failed to do anything?’ But the authorities denied his foolishness after that…”

Ash began blaming himself for not making a decision, for not arriving on time, for not preventing such devastation, and for not saving his friends. Despite being a world champion, he could not do anything. From then on, Ash stopped going out much and started to live an isolated life, which led to the nightmares. But as time passed, Ash's nightmares started to subside, but still, he did not tell anyone about what he actually felt; he alone faced his own problems.

“Ash, You are still blaming yourself.” Leaf asked, looking worriedly at Ash.

“I don't know, I wish everything becomes normal but then those bad dreams come back.” Ash replied.

“Pi-ka-chu.” Pikachu hopped up, a deeply worried expression on his face.

Leaf knew that she could not do anything right now… but cannot ignore Ash in such a condition. So she got up from her place and said in a cheerful voice.

“Ash, come on, when I was here, I saw a poster saying there's going to be a tournament in a nearby town, you can participate in it.”

“Leaf, I'm glad you care about me, but I'm in no mood to fight.” Ash told Leaf in a quiet voice.

Hearing this, Pikachu became angry. “Pika pii pika chaa pii pika pii Pikachu” (I did not expect this from you, you isolated yourself for two years, when others needed you, you forgot them, but they can't, always were with you all that time; even today. Do you want to hurt your friends like this, don't you want to save anyone?) Pikachu began to motivate Ash, making him realize that he was never alone.

“Thanks, Pikachu, but..." Ash took a pause and saw a glint of hope in Leaf and Pikachu's eyes that would never leave him alone.

With a slight smile, Ash accepted Leaf's offer; there was still a fear and sadness in his heart that he did not want to share with anyone. Those three left the hospital and headed for the next town. On their way, Ash asked Leaf about her trip to Alola.

“It wasn't even a trip, I was helping Samson Oak all the time.” Leaf told her story in Alola.

“By the way, what is the condition of Alola right now?" Ash asked.

“The government of Alola has done a lot to ease the economic crisis there, even repairing the monuments there.” Leaf answered Ash's question, “Also, I heard that some multi-billionaire organization is helping Alola with one of their personal projects. Whatever happens, Alola will return to its normal state.”

“A multi-billionaire organization is helping Alola, isn't that strange?” Ash said.

“Considering the condition of Alola, whatever is helping is more than enough for them.” Leaf replied

*Alola region which has its own tourism and culture, Karkus took advantage of this and destabilized Alola's tourism system, and also did much to distract from his way, due to this the economic crisis that had begun throughout the region. After the incident to solve problems Alolan leaders have joined forces with a multi-billionaire organization to build their personal project in return they restore Alola's tourism.*

“By the way, how's Lillie and everyone else?” Ash asked Leaf, remembering his friends from Alola.

“Everyone is working hard to get back to normal, Lillie has become an assistant Professor. Everyone else remembers you.” Leaf answered.

Ash realized that he was still stuck in the past while everyone else was moving forward. Then Pikachu climbed onto Ash's shoulder and, looking at him enthusiastically, said “Pii-kaachuu!!” (you can do it), Ash smiled and replied, "You are right, we still have a lot to do.”

Leaf was happy to see their bond, but she could see right through his forced smile. She knew that the warmth he was showing on the outside couldn't quite reach the coldness he still felt on the inside.

As they moved toward the next town, they had no idea they were about to encounter an unknown danger.

Even though Ash looked fine on the outside, a part of him desperately wanted to open up and tell someone about the pain he was carrying within.

***To Be Continued…***