Duo Heart Episode 2

Episode 2: Other side of a cracked mirror

Ash mind was all in a jumble. He just couldn’t make sense of anything that was happening. How did his good friend and a one time opponent come to be in some kind military robot? And how come there are robots attacking Cerulean City? “Ash, how bad is Brock hurt?” Misty asked.

“Um, I think he has a mild concussion and several broken bones.” Ash said.

“She’s bleeding from the stomach, Ash they could both have internal damage that we can’t do anything for.”

“Alright, we just have to do what we can for them until help gets here.” Ash then began to rip the sleeve of Brock jumpsuit and used it as a bandage for Brock. Misty did the same for Lucy. “Pikachu you stay here, with this robot broken you’re the only one who can protect them if more of those robots show up.”

“Pika Pikachu.” Pikachu nodded.

Ash and Misty got out of the robot. “We’re on Lilly Pad Road so there’s a pharmacy that way a few blocks.” Misty said as they left.

Meanwhile in a command center a man at a terminal reported to his superior. “Colonel, DX01 is down again! Reading system shut down.”

“Send in a recovery team. I want that Duoriod and its pilots back here ASAP. I want the computer analyzed. Sound the all clear as soon as soon as they return.” Then the Colonel thought. “First it’s down then it’s back up then down again? Something is off.”

Within minutes a helicopter and a large flatbed truck were at the location of the robot. Pikachu saw three men walk up to the machine. He gave a warning Thundershock but then saw that a large number of guns were pointed at him. Pikachu then raised his front paws in surrender. “Is that thing what I think it is?” one of the solders said.

“Get it on the chopper with the pilots and the computer core.” One officer ordered. Pikachu then found himself on the helicopter with Brock, Lucy, a heart shaped computer.

Ash and Misty were in an empty pharmacy. “Let’ see these bandages should help and we need to get something to disinfect those wounds.” Ash said.

“We should take some aspirin. They’ll be in a lot of pain when they wake up.” Misty said.

“That’s about all we need. Still the door wasn’t even locked. It’s like everyone just dropped what they were doing and…” Ash then hit his foot a fallen piece of the ceiling.

“OW!” both Ash and Misty yelled.

“Misty, did you hit your foot too?” Ash asked.

“No it just started to hurt just when you hit yours.” Misty said. “Can anything get any weirder?”

Back at the command center the Colonel was looking at something on a big screen. “I heard that the troops found you a quite a specimen.”

“Major, how are Lucy and Brock are doing?” asked the Colonel.

“We’ve stabilized their condition but it will be months before they can get in a Duoriod again. We need to find some new pilots for mean time.” The Major said.

“On that note when the DX01 got back up it was operated by two new pilots.”

“Yeah, I heard that the second time it fell it was because of a 100% Duo Resistance, amateurs.”

“That was after the battle but take a look at these readings during the battle.” The Colonel replayed a section of the battle.

“Duo Resistance 0%! But… but that’s impossible, the reading had to be wrong!”

“All the equipment checks out and we have their voice data. And remember, they used the Duo System; they shouldn’t be too hard to locate. I want them found Major that is an order.”

The Major picked up a nearby radio. “Attention all Cerulean City units! This is Headquarters! You will be receiving voice data shortly. Be on the lookout for two civilians who operated a Duoriod! I don’t care if you have to check everyone in town, I want those two found!”

Ash and Misty had made their way back to the robot. “It’s gone!” Misty said.

“Pikachu was in there we got to find that robot!” Ash said. There were some tire tracks leading south so they followed them until they came upon a large group of people heading straight for them. Ash and Misty began to ask them questions. “Excuse me have you seen…” Ash said.

“Out of the way buddy I need to see if my house is standing.”

“Pardon me but we need find our friends” Misty said.

“I have my own problems missy!”

It was like this with several people until Ash heard a familiar voice. “I want you to begin reconstruction as soon as possible! Remember we have a contract with the Mayor!”

Ash turned to see his mom in a business suit talking to construction workers. “Mom?” Ash and Misty ran toward her. “Mom what’s going on? What are you doing here?”

Delia turned toward Ash. “Who are you? What are you talking about?” she asked with angry look on her face.

“Mom, it’s me, Ash your son! Don’t you remember me?” Ash grabbed Delia’s shoulders.

Delia slapped Ash in the face with tears in hers eyes. “I don’t have a son or any children! Stay away from me!”

Misty held her hand up to her check. “It happened again! He got hurt and I felt it!” she thought.

“Is there a problem Ms. Fairgreen?” It was the Officer Jenny of Cerulean City.

Ash was in shock. "But that is my mom's maiden name." he thought.

“This boy is harassing me! I want him arrested!” Delia yelled.

Two other officers grabbed Ash. “But this can’t be happening!” he said.

“Officer Jenny, wait!” Misty said.

“How do you know my name? I don’t believe we met.” Jenny said.

“What? But I grew up in this city!” Misty said.

“Come on you!” one of the officers said as they began to take him away. Then Ash and Misty felt pain.

“My stomach it hurts!” Ash said.

“What’s going on? Everything is spinning! Why am I feeling like this?” Misty cried.

Just then two soldiers came up. “Hold it! We need to check on something here.” One of them said and they each held up a device up to Ash and Misty.

“What’s going on? Nothing makes sense! Make it stop!” Ash said.

“Please it hurts so much.” Misty said.

“Use the words Stop and Please for voice match.” The soldier said.

“Confirmed, we found our joy riders all right! Let’s get them in the van. Sorry officers but the United Regions (U.R.) military protocol says that they have to come with us.” The other soldier said.

“Hold it! I intend to press charges with this boy!” Delia said.

“Sorry, Miss but this is now a military matter. We have our orders.”

They took Ash and Misty into a black van. Inside they began to feel better. “Ash why do we keep feeling each other’s pain? What happened to us back there? Do you think they took us because we rode that robot? Was it something top secret and they want to lock us up to guard military secrets? What’s going to happen to us?” Misty asked crying.

“I don’t know Misty. It’s like no one knows who we are, it’s like my mom never married. Nothing makes sense anymore! Where is Pikachu? What happened to Brock and Lucy?” Ash said.

Soon they were at a base and the door opened. “Hello you two. Please follow me, the Colonel word like to ask you a few questions. First I would like to know your first and last names and where you are from.” It was a woman with short blonde hair and blue eyes in a blue uniform.

“I’m Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town.” Ash said.

“And I’m Misty Waterflower from Cerulean City.” Misty said.

They made their way through the base cameras tracking there every move. “This is the Colonel’s office please answer all his questions truthfully and we should work all this out. If you need anything just ask for me. I’m Ms. Match.” The woman said.

They opened the door. “Pikapi!”

“Pikachu! I’m so glad you’re all right I was really worried.” Ash said.

“We’ll I thought you would know him. I’m the commanding officer here…”

“Prof. Oak?” Both Ash and Misty said. The Colonel was indeed Prof. Oak.

“I see that my reputation proceeds me.” Oak said.

“Pika Chu Pi Pikachu!” Pikachu said.

“Allow me to translate.” It was a floating white cube with a ring around it that changed color. It spoke with a British accent.

“What is that thing?” Misty asked.

“Don’t worry, this is Sphere. He is an artificial intelligence.” Oak said. “But I didn’t know you could translate what Pokémon say, please go ahead.”

“He said something about a fisherman dancing in his cheese.” Sphere said. Everyone fell.

“I really got to fix that thing.” Oak said. “Well in any case I was quite surprised when my troops brought back your little friend here.”

“But Professor you’re the one who gave Pikachu to in the first place!” Ash said.

“Young man, before tonight I have never known someone by your name and your Pikachu is the first Pokémon I’ve seen in forty years.”

“What… forty years? No, why doesn’t anyone remember us? Even my own mom! I don’t understand!”

“Calm down. Why don’t you tell me when things seemed to become inconsistent and how you two came to be in that Duoriod.”

“Duoriod? Do you mean that robot we drove?” Misty asked.

“Why yes.” Oak said. And so they told the whole story of this strange night. “Palkia...I think I have something about it one of my reference
books.”

“Wait how about we use this instead.” Ash took out his Pokedex and brought up the data on Palkia and its ability to travel through dimensions.

“Of course it’s the only explanation! When Palkia was battling that creature as you called it the three of you were pulled into another dimension, this world!” Prof. Oak said excitedly.

“Another world?” Ash said.

“Yes, it’s the same year and you are the same people, but events and people have developed in ways that are not exactly how you remembered them. In your world Prof. Oak is a Pokémon researcher and Pokémon are plentiful but you do not have Duoriods. But in this world Pokémon disappeared forty years ago and around the same time the remains of an alien ship was discovered that allowed us to develop Duoriods. These events led me to become the leader of a private army called the Terra Liberation Brigade.”

“So the Brock and Lucy it that Duoriod are from this world.” Misty said.

“And Ms. Fairgreen was right, she never married and so she couldn’t be my mom.” Ash said.

Ms. Match had entered the room. “Colonel I’m sorry but we couldn’t find any records of an Ash Ketchum or a Misty Waterflower. No I.D. no birth certificates, nothing.”

“So it’s true, in this world we don’t exist.” Ash said.

“Don’t worry we’ll find a way to get you all home.” Oak said. “But first you must know it won’t be easy the two of you will need to depend on each other more than you ever had before. Ash, are you will to stand by Misty no matter what happens until the end?”

“Yes, absolutely.” Ash said.

“Misty will stand with Ash it the face all the might come about no matter what?”

“Always.” Misty said.

“Good then by power vested in me by U.R. I now pronounce you man and wife you may kiss the bride.”

“Oh goodie, I love weddings!” Ms. Match said.

“Sorry, I seem to have something in eye, sniff.” Sphere said.

“What do mean man wife? Were in your office for a little over an hour and you just marry us!” Misty yelled.

“We just had our first date and kiss! Don’t you think you’re us rushing a bit?!” Ash yelled.

“Now, now there is a very good reason why I just did that. The Duoriods run on an alien control system we call the Duo System. As the name suggests it requires two pilots, one male and one female. However there are some side effects, which you probably already noticed, like each feeling the others pain. The system synchronizes the two and now you can’t be any farther than a meter (1.09 yards) without going through what happened earlier tonight! If you are apart for longer than forty minutes then you both would die! Because of this the U.R. passed strict laws saying that two who use such a system have to marry. I mean could you have a relationship with anyone else in your current condition?” Oak explained.

“Misty began choking the Professor. “Then change us back!”

“I can’t we’ve done research on the system for decades! It just can’t be done!” Misty let go.

“You mean we’re stuck like this? Practically joined at hip?” Ash asked.

“I’m afraid so.” Oak coughed. He then cleared his throat. “Look you both had a long confusing and eventful night. Maybe you both should get some sleep. We’ll talk more in the morning. Ms. Match could you show them to some guest quarters for tonight?” He then thought. “Another reality. That could be why they had a 0% Duo Resistance.”

“Yes sir and I’ll requisition some rings for them. They should be here in the morning.” She said. Ms. Match took them to a guest room in the base. “We usually reserve this for high ranking dignitaries but since this is your wedding night I thought you two should have the best. Good night.”

“Um there’s only one bed.” Misty said.

“I’ll take the floor.” Ash said.

“Ash, wait. Like they say we’re married now so it shouldn’t be a problem.”

“But I’m not sure if ready for…that.”

“I’m too tired for…that right now. Let’s just get some sleep.”

They took their shoes off and climbed into the bed still wearing their clothes. Pikachu lay down at the foot of the bed. “Goodnight Pikachu.”
Ash said and then turned to Misty. “Goodnight…wife.”

“Goodnight, husband.” They shared a long passionate kiss before falling asleep.

Preview: With the way home shut, the young couple are asked to fight in a war that is not their own. Their lives continue to spin out of control. How has it come to this? Will answer the call of a machine that now seems so intertwined in their destinies? Next episode; The violent field. Duoriods Deploy!