Pokemon: Fire and Ice

Chapter 11

Ash woke up with an enormous yawn. He sat up and stretched, extending his arms to their full length. His bones cracked as his stiff muscles loosened. Sleepiness made his vision blurry, but it cleared when he blinked a couple times. The boy found himself in a fancy bedroom.

He lay on the left side of a king-sized bed that rested in the center, Egyptian sheets pulled over him. The head was pushed against the wall with the end in the open. An antique dark brown wooden desk rested on each side with a simple white lamp on top.

Next to Ash was an opening in the wall that led to an impressive bathroom with a sink, shower, and closest. Across from him in the corner of the room was a closed wooden door leading somewhere else. The walls were all egg-white with ivory carpet covering the floor. He wanted to sleep in it forever as it was comfortable, but he quickly noticed something was out of place. He didn't recognize these surroundings at all.

The tired boy closed his eyes, where the memories of the battle with the Cryogonal in the Pokémon Center came back. How'd he get here? He snapped his eyes back open, but relaxed a little when he noticed Pikachu snoozing in the corner of the bed, curled in a ball with his stomach gently rising and falling.

"Hey, buddy," Ash greeted.

Immediately Pikachu opened his eyes and lifted his head, perking his ears up. "Pikachu!" he greeted back.

The boy slid out of bed, where he noticed he was stripped once again. His gloves and hat were gone, along with his jacket and his socks and shoes. He had a flicker of panic when he noticed his belt with his Pokeballs were gone. Not seeing his things in the room, he preceded with his exploration. He opened the door and stepped into a small living room.

He quickly realized his was in an apartment. The "living room" was barely bigger than the bedroom. It was crammed with furniture, including a leather couch and two broad chairs, a glass table between them. A plasma TV was settled on a dresser in the corner of the room. Beside it was a large window, complete with a sliding door leading. The curtains were pulled back, allowing Ash to see a good view of Nimbasa City. It stretched in all directions, the Ferris wheel slowly spinning in the distance. The city was much like it was before: gleaming under the clear blue sky with the sun shining brightly.

Ash judged it was around noon. At least he knew where he was, and that he was in the same city instead of a rotting mansion in the middle of nowhere. Except... He looked around. There was no trace of Giovanni.

Where was he? How long had it been? When was he coming back? Ash saw it slightly depressing with the thought that his savior may have dumped him. He vaguely remembered seeing the man before he passed out, but he also remembered Giovanni was eager to get rid of him.

The young trainer was forced to drop the subject as suddenly his stomach growled. Surprisingly that roused even more of his curiosity. Before going to the Pokémon Center he had a pretty big lunch. How much time had passed? And was there any food here?

Thankfully there was a kitchen on the other side of the apartment, next to the main door. It was complete with a refrigerator and microwave. Ash didn't hesitate to cross over to the refrigerator and pull it open. Inside was a lone white styrofoam box. The kid snatched it and pulled it out, opening the lid. It was full of pasta noodles drowned in a creamy sauce. As he noted it looked delicious, his stomach growled in agreement. He put in the microwave for a few seconds to warm it up. Meanwhile he found a bag of Pokémon food in a cabinet and filled a bowl for Pikachu. When microwave rung, he grabbed a utensil and began to chow down, practically inhaling his food.

The boy suffered the consequences as he collapsed on the couch, stuffed. He laid he head on one of the arm rests with his body sprawled on the rest of the sofa. Pikachu jumped up and playfully settled on his stomach. Ash closed his eyes, but a few moments later he opened them upon hearing a clicking noise. The door opened and Ash lifted his head, only to blink.