A Day Without Me

Officer Jenny reached the Ketchum house by midmorning the next day. She looked at photos of Johnny, asked each member of the family questions about him, looked in his room, but came up with no answers. As she and Ash left Johnny's room, she asked him, "What's this room here," indicating the trophy room.

"It's my trophy room," he saishershering her in. She took in the large number of awards and accolades. "Hey, what's missing from the wall?" She pointed to the empty space.

"What?" Ash drew closer. "Hey, the silver wing is gone. Where did it--noooooooooo," he whispered.

"What? Is everything okay, sir," she asked.

"Misty, come see this," Ash shouted. Misty was in the room in no time. "Look." She saw the feather was missing.

"Oh, no, Ash," she said tearfully. "You don't think he... No, no, he didn't. He couldn't have." She pressed her stomach with her hands.

"We have to get to Olivine and look for him," Ash said. "Come on. We'll make a search party. Let's go." He pulled his wife downstairs. He assembled a team of his good friends to help. Brock Slate, of course, was the first to arrive. He'd known Ash and Misty since they were kids, and had been with them almost since the beginning of Ash's Pokémon journey. His time was limited now that he had a very successful Pokémon breeding center, and was a renowned breeder. His family also took up the bulk of his time. He had ten younger siblings, most of whom had moved on, but the three youngest were still around, and Brock was all they had left. Their mother was long dead, and their father had just passed away that year. Brock was also training his little sister to take over his position as the Pewter City Gym Leader, and entangled in a messy divorce from his wife, Susie, a fellow breeder. Not far behind were Ritchie, Tracey and Snap. Ritchie was an old friend of Ash's from his first Pokémon League competition, and now, a fellow Pokémon Master. Tracey traveled with Ash and Misty in the Orange Islands while Brock was away, studying to be a breeder. He had achieved his goal of being a famous artist. Snap was a friend of theirs who pursued a career in photography. They all put their lives aside to help their friends. They gathered in the Ketcham's living room to receive instruction from Ash and Misty. "We've got to get to Olivine City and look for Johnny," Misty said. "We think he may have gone after Lugia. The silver wing is gone. He could be anywhere in the ocean, or in the Whirl Islands. The police are going to help with the search by providing boats and officers to aid our search. It looks like rain on the ocean, so dress accordingly. All right," she said, pulling on her poncho. "Let's get going."

A massive search party turned out to search for the boy. Boats of all sizes circled the shores of Olivine and Cianwood, while smaller, more agile boats patrolled the open sea. They were all avoiding the Whirl Islands. They knew the dangers that lurked inside. They also knew that if Johnny was in there, it was likely he wouldn't get out alive. They combed the water until night fell, and the darkness and rain made it nearly impossible to see. Misty and Ash were on one of the small boats probing the waters near the Whirl Islands. "We'd better head back, men," the pilot of the boat said to his crew.

"No! We have to find him," Misty pressed. "He could be-- he's in there--we have to do something." Tears poured down her face.
"Ma'am, we can't go any further tonight," he explained gently. "It's too dark, and in this rain, we'd likely get very sick. It won't do any good to be out anymore tonight. We should go back." Before she could protest any more, Ash embraced her and tried to soothe her, although he was as distraught as she was.

The search for Johnny went on the next day, and the day after, and the day after that, until the days bled together and it seemed all they were doing was drifting along the currents in the ocean. When he closed his eyes, Ash could feel the soft, smooth rhythm of the sea rocking beneath his feet, even when he was on land. He could also hear his son's voice, scared, alone, echoing, "Help me, Daddy... I need you... I'm scared...." The thought of Johnny stung his eyes and made his stomach twist over itself. Misty wasn't any better. There wasn't a moment in the day she wasn't crying. Even when she was aiding the search, which was every second she was awake, her cheeks remained wet. Derek was quieter than ever. He barely spoke at all anymore. Rosy seemed peeved at her brother's misfortune. She wasn't sure how to behave in these situations. She was used to sunny skies with happy moments and bright days ahead. A gray cloud formed over their heads. Eventually, the search party turned to the dungeons of the Whirl Islands. It was a last-ditch effort to find the boy, a step they didn't want to take, but had to. They'd searched everywhere else possible. They knew what they may face in the caves, and they didn't want to believe that the vicious terrain had gotten the better of Johnny. Brock, Tracey and Snap each led a crew into three of the four islands. Misty and Ash chose to lead the effort in the north-eastern island, the closest to the mainland. Ash and company followed the same path of stepping stones Johnny had into the heart of the cave, which was now open to the sky due to Lugia's explosive death. The waterfalls and pools remained the same, only with chunks of sharp rocks in them. Some of the rocks made a small hill next to the wall of the giant waterfall, and Ash and the other men scaled it. Misty stayed behind, for she'd spied something in the water, she thought.

Ash saw the destruction Lugia had caused, and saw the body of the magnificent bird floating in a cloudy pool on the other side of the falls. He saw the bodies of the poachers lying about as well. Some of them were missing limbs; one man's head was gone completely. The moisture of the falls and water kept the splatters of blood wet and fresh. The now plateau smelled of the moldy waters and flesh. The soles of Ash's boots were covered with thick, gummy blood. "This is disgusting," he said, covering his mouth. "I have to get out of here." He carefully went back the way they came.

Meanwhile, Misty had gravitated towards a pool she'd spied. It looked deep. Rocks filled it, and also, "Something else," she wondered aloud. She knelt beside the pool and pointed her flashlight closer to the surface. She saw a body in the rocks. She reached into the water to turn the body over. She nearly dropped the flashlight into the water. "Johnny," she screamed. "Johnny! My Johnny! What--how--" Not thinking, she stepped into the pool, gently lifting his head above the surface. His face, like the rest of his body, was cold and wrinkled from the water. His skin was pale, his lips were thick and blue. A large gash on the back of his head still oozed blood. It matted his red hair. This was her Johnny, her beloved son, her baby. "Oh, Johnny," she cried. She pulled the body into her lap, sitting in the surprisingly shallow pool of stagnant water and blood. She sobbed and rocked her son's pallid form.

Ash descended the hill of rocks and heard Misty sobbing over the roar of the falls. He saw her in the water. Her back was to him. "Misty," he called. "Hey, what are you doing in the water like that?" He reached her, offering his hand to help her up. She turned abruptly. Johnny's head jerked and slumped onto his mother's shoulder. Ash gasped and backed up. "My God, what happened?"

"I found him here," Misty wailed. "How long has he been here, Ash? Oh, my baby, my boy."

Ash's stomach turned. "Look, we've got to get him out," he said, taking the boy's inert body from her. "Come on. Hey, guys," he shouted to the remainder of the crew. Without waiting for them, he cradled his son, held his wife's hand, and emerged into the light.