One Love, One Heart

Chapter 44: We Found Love

Lucario and his trainer observed the Ketchum home from a distance. You erased Drew's memories in the Viridian Forest. Why didn't you erase their memories this time?

"Erasing their memories will not change the course of things now. They must live with what they experienced," the sapphire-eyed man explained.

What will we do with them? Lucario pondered over the fates of the children.

Lucario's trainer sighed. "Prepare them." Suddenly, the man's Xtransceiver rang. The man answered with his earbud. Lucario could hear someone relay information to him. His master nodded, "Keep vigilant for the time being." Then he ended the call.

The Power Plant? Lucario asked.

The sapphire-eyed trainer answered, "Yeah. Things remain calm there, but we need to move there now. I know it's their next target."

"Right," Lucario agreed.

At Ash's house, everyone was exhausted after dealing with Officer Jenny and the media, who caught wind of suspicious activity in Pallet Town. Officer Jenny left them to their devices after they filed a report, but it took Mr. Mime's psychic powers to get rid of the media. The mime destroyed their cameras and mics, forcing them to leave, which relieved the gang. Upstairs, May and Pikachu accompanied Ash while he rested in his room. Downstairs, Drew, Misty, and Tracey sat in the living room with Delia and Professor Oak to discuss recent events. Misty thought about Hydreigon, "Professor, Tracey, why didn't you tell us the truth about that picture?"

Tracey was about to respond, but Professor Oak stopped him, "Let me, Tracey." the man said solemnly, which Tracey quietly agreed to. Oak sighed, "I was trying to protect all of you. We knew a new Pokémon might tempt you to look for it, but its aggression made us wary of telling the truth. Knowing Ash, he would've hurried to Viridian Forest to find it without knowing a thing about it."

Misty sighed as she leaned back on the couch. "Can't argue with that," the gym leader knew Ash might've gotten himself into trouble had he known the truth.

"Oh, Ash," Delia thought about her son. Despite the relief that her son was alright, she never stopped worrying about him. He was always getting himself into trouble.

Professor continued speaking. "Now that we know it is a Pokémon from the Unova region, I can contact Professor Juniper to learn more about it."

"Who's Professor Juniper?" Misty asked. She hadn't heard of them before.

"She's the regional professor of Unova. The woman has a brilliant mind and can tell you anything there is to know about Pokémon native to the Unova region," Professor Oak praised his colleague.

While Misty talked to Professor Oak, Tracey, and Delia, Drew couldn't help but feel that pieces were missing. He was desperate to solve the mysteries behind their attacker and their rescuer. When Lucario and his trainer arrived, Drew found them familiar but didn't know why. He felt tempted to look for the mysterious stranger to learn more.

"Gary was right about this all along. He was the only one who ever noted the connection," Misty recalled Gary's claim as they discussed their assailant.

Tracey crossed his arms, "Do you think he's after you? He did attack Drew, and then he had his Pokémon assault you and Ash."

Drew and Misty looked at each other. It hadn't occurred to them. They recollected Ash and May's claims that the man who attacked them also appeared in their dreams. "But why?" the emerald-eyed coordinator pondered.

"A theory, but we can't be certain," Professor Oak hoped the children weren't targets.

Delia stood up from her chair, "Children, I don't know what kind of adventures you are on while on the road. We can't stop you from going out in the world, but the most important thing for us as parents is that you are all safe as you work toward your dreams. Please, always be careful and have each other's backs." Mrs. Ketchum's eyes shined with compassion for Ash's friends as she imagined her son. Knowing Ash had friends who watched his back on the road allowed her to sleep better at night, and she knew that as long as he had friends, he'd be safe.