Pokémon: Ash's Dark Destiny (A Pokémon Fan Fiction)

Chapter 4: Giovanni's Son

Ash slowly woke up, he found he was sitting upright in an oddly comfortable chair. "Where...am I?" He thought aloud.

He tried to get up, only to find that he couldn't move his arms, legs, or any other part of his body.

As he looked around, he realized that the room he was in was completely unlit except for the light shining down on him from overhead.

Suddenly, Ash heard a man's voice coming from nearby: "You've definitely changed since I last saw you."

The man whom the voice belonged to walked into the light being cast down from the lamp above Ash.

The man had black hair and was wearing a black suit with a red letter "R" embroidered on the chest pocket of his jacket. There was something familiar about him, but Ash couldn't quite figure out what it was.

"Then again," the man continued with a smirk, "it has been seven years."

"What are you talking about?" Ash asked, confused.

The man smirked again. "It may have been 7 years since we last saw each other, but I can't figure out how you could forget your own father. After all, you were my brave little rocketeer."

Those last few words triggered a flashback to seven years ago - a memory from Ash's childhood of him and his father playing together, as well as the nickname his father gave him: "brave little rocketeer." Ash then realized with a shock why the man seemed so familiar.

"Daddy?" Ash said as tears started welling in his eyes.

"Yes." The man nodded. "My name is Giovanni, and I am your father, as well as the leader of Team Rocket. I'm here to take you back."

"No." Ash said, "you can't be my father. Even if you were, you abandoned me and mom a long time ago."

"That's not true. Your mother is the one who abandoned me." Giovanni said, "Be that as it may, I'm here for you now."

"But why now?" Ash asked.

"Because," Giovanni explained, "until now your mother had kept you hidden from me."

"But now that I've found you," Giovanni continued, "we can be together again - father and son... wouldn't you like that Ash?"

"But..." Ash said, "What about my friends?"

"What about them?" Giovanni asked.

"If I come with you," Ash said, "won't I have to leave them behind?"

"Yes. You will." Giovanni said, putting a hand on Ash's shoulder, "But your destiny is to lead Team Rocket by my side."

"Besides," Giovanni continued, "should anything ever happen to me, and I know that eventually something will, you would need to take my place as the boss of Team Rocket."

"I don't know if I can." Ash said.

"I know you'll make the right choice."

"But--" Ash started.

"No arguing." Giovanni said sternly. "Now wake up."

Then, Ash's vision started to darken. "Wake up Ash." Giovanni said.

"Wake up!" Giovanni shouted in a voice that sounded unlike his own. In fact, it almost sounded like... Serena!

*******

"Wake up Ash!" Serena shouted.

Ash slowly opened his eyes. "What happened?" He said.

"You're awake!" Serena said as tears of joy started to well up in her eyes. She wiped them away with the back of her hand.

"Wait... I was asleep?" Ash asked. "How long was I..."

Suddenly, Clemont and Bonnie burst into the room. "Thank goodness you're finally awake!" Clemont said. "You've been asleep for over a week now."

"WHAT?!" Ash shouted, "I was asleep for more than a week?!"

"We were all really worried!" Bonnie said, "Especially Serena!"

"You were?" Ash asked Serena.

"Yes... I was." Serena said.

"But," Ash said, "it felt like only about an hour or two..."

"Pika!" Pikachu said as it jumped up on the bed next to Ash.

"Hey Pikachu!" Ash said.

"Well, I'm just glad that you're awake." Clemont said.

"Yeah," Ash said, "me too."

*******