Disclaimer: This story came to me when I read a pg from a friends comic, she never did anymore than one page, so I thought I'd write one for her
Shattered Dreams
"GIVE ME BACK PIKACHU!!" yelled Ash as he struggled against his ropes. The tree he was tied to was making his back grow raw due to his struggling and his shirt being stole aside his dear friend.
Team Rocket sniggered at his pointless shouting and struggling, but this just made Ash fight more.
"And give me back my shirt and stuff!! Give me back my Pokemon!! GIVE THEM BACK!!" His face was going red with his screaming, at least he still had his hat.
"I can't believed it worked!" Said the trio, ignoring Ash's yells of frustration.
"Told ya it'd work! When his lil friends aren't around he's helpless!" Snickered Meowth.
"Yeah... but still... its seems a little bit too easy don't you think? All we do is tie the twerp to a tree... and Pikachu is free for the taking!" said Jesse, a little paranoid that something was bound to go wrong- as it always does.
"You shouldn't question luck Jesse" said James as he hurled a sack over his shoulder than contained all of Ash's belongings and an unconsious Pikachu.
"The twerp is lonely, we're just taking advantage of it. It's not luck, it's stragety" remarked Meowth.
Ash lowered his head, as he spoke, his voice trembled slightly, "...It was you wasn't it?... You guys... killed Brock and Misty..." Ash with held the tears that were stinging his eyes but jumped as Meowth let out a roar.
"WHAT!? You can't blame us for that! We didn't even know they were dead!!" he exclaimed.
"Yeah, we just thought they decided to part ways with you!" said Jesse, with her hands on her hips, glaring at Ash.
Ash nodded, "Yeah... sorry..."
It'd been six months now when Ash stumbled upon the most horrorific scene he had ever saw.
Six months ago...
"Ash don't just sit there, try to be at least a little more helpful" Misty called, as she was hanging up some wet clothes as Togepi danced around her.
Ash was lying in the grass with Pikachu and Chikorita on his stomach. Noctowl was sleeping in a tree that sheltered Ash from the suns rays, and Squirtle was playfully teasing Bulbasaur from the river. He proped himself up on his elbows and looked at Misty lazily.
"What is there to do to help out?" asked Ash.
Misty looked to around then to Brock, who was sitting on a tree stump, looking in a cook book for what to make.
"Ah, you can go get some firewood for dinner!" proposed Misty, well, more like demanded.
Ash signed loudly and lifted Pikachu and Chikorita onto the grass.
"You two wanna come along?" Ash asked.
Of course the two nodded and skipped on ahead to show their enthusiasm. Ash smiled at them as he walked behind.
"I'll be right back, see ya later" said Ash.
"Bye Ash" said Misty and Brock.
Ash had been collecting wood for an hour now, with the help of Chikorita's razer leaf and Pikachu's iron tail, he had a pretty big pile. So of course half way through it, he had to sit under a tree for a rest.
"Misty can't pester us here, hee hee" said Ash, petting his Pokemon. He soon found himself drifting off into a sleep. His dreams were filled with his desires of being a Pokemon Master, and of when he returned tothe camp and got his food from Brock.
Ash suddenly awoke, he didn't know why though. It was early dusk now, but it seemed to be darkening quick. He looked down to see Chikorita and Pikachu standing and growling at something, far off in the distance, a small, familiar scream sounded... in the direction of... THE CAMP!?
Ash had never ran faster in his life, not even the time when he ran to get his first Pokemon, Pikachu, came close to the speed he was running now.
'That was Misty screaming, I'm sure of it! If shes in trouble, then Brock must be in the same predicament!' His thoughts were plagued with possiblities to what made her utter that scream. "Probably a bug ... Pokemon... yeah... thats it" he reassured himself in gasps.
But as Ash reached the campsite... his worst fears were realised.
A torn backpack lay over the tree stump where Brock had sat reading his cook book, the very book was lying a few feet away, pages torn from the insides, like a gutted animal. He looked to the washing line where Misty had been hanging clothes, they too were torn to bits, half of them spread across the grass. But what Ash found next brought him fully into the nightmare, blood. It was all over the grass, trails of it leading to the place where Ash, just hours ago, had been relaxing.
Pikachu and Chikorita stood in horror, they were froze to the spot in there terror. Ash leaned down and picked them up in his arms. He began creeping slowly along the trail of blood, looking eveywhere for any sign of his other Pokemon or friends. He looked at the river to find it running slowing, glowing ruby red, with blood. Ash held his breath.
'No, this can't be happening!! Maybe they're playing a trick on me, yeah, thats got to be it!!' he was fighting in his mind between keeping calm and screaming hysterically. He inched closer and closer, then nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something fall onto his shoulder. He looked up slowly, taking all his will power to do so, to find liquid dripping from the branch... blood, again. Ash was taking deep breaths now, and shaking uncontrolably, clutching his Pokemon for dear life, and they gripped his sleeves in return.
'Oh god, this isn't happening!!' he cried inside.
Ash came to the tree he had loved earlier today, but now... now he wanted to run in fear.
What Ash found by the trunk of that tree, would forever haunt his dreams, til the day he died.
There, under the tree, was a pile of flesh and blood. A Noctowl, its wings missing and eyes fully open, as if it was still watching over Ash, a Bulbasaur, barely recognisable with its red dye covering it, a Squirtle, but only its shell, blood was gathered underneath it in a puddle of death. Two mangled creatures lay underneath, that Ash recognised immediately as Brock and Misty. Misty's head had been removed from her body and was in her hand, as Brock missed a few fingers and a foot. Blood covered them like the tightening grip of Death himself. Their eyes blank, but yet so full of life, but horror lurked on the surface. Now Ash did scream, with all his might he shouted so the whole forest could hear him, that every Pokemon and every tree could hear his mourn for his dear friends.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" He yelled as his knees buckled and he fell to the ground, dropping his Pokemon, who too cried with him.
"Pika!! Pikachu!!" shouted Pikachu, snuggling his head into Ash's side as he cried.
"C-Chi...Chiku!" whimpered backing into Pikachu.
Ash covered his face, letting himself become completely engulfed with sorrow.
"Why... WHY!! WHY THEM!!" He shouted at the nothingness around him.
Just then Ash saw the Squirtle shell stir, he leapt up and sat by him. A small blue head peeped out weakly. It opened an eye and looked at Ash, smiling faintly.
"Squirtle..." He sqeaked. Squirtle placed a blood soaked paw on Ash's hand, his eyes filling with tears. "Squirt... tle..." his paw fell and his eyes closed, the stalling tears falling down it's cheeks.
Ash sat in silence. He lowered his head, and cried louder than ever... they were gone... there was no hope.
Ash lay there in constant sorrow for what seemed like weeks, years, but the rising of the sun told him it had been a night.
How could it be? How could the sun continue to rise and begin anew when Ash's world had ended.
Suddenly Ash heard a noise.
"Toki" came a whimper from near the torn and bloodstained clothes. Ash found the strength to bring himself to his feet and began walking slowly towards the sound, his two little friends following closely and timidly. Ash grabbed a broken tree branch, and flinched when he saw some dry blood on it. Who knows who it could have been, his best friends or his precious Pokemon, but right now, Ash needed protection, what if what lay under those sheets and clothes was the very thing that killed his loved ones. He pressed on cautiously and paused when he saw a lump in the clothes move slightly.
"T-Toki?" came the voice again. Ash found it strangely familiar, as did his last Pokemon. He finally realised what was under those sheets when Pikachu's eyes widened and he ran to the lump.
"PIKA-PI!!" cried the small electric mouse diving into the laundry, Chikorita close behind. Pikachu came out with a small egg in his hands, and a little spiked head poked out, its eyes full of tears.
"Togepi!!" exclaimed Ash as he ran up and pulled the baby Pokemon into his arms. He allowed himself to cry a little from the slight joy that filled his heart. He couldn't believe that she had made it. Togepi was all that Ash had now to remind him of his friends. The little egg clung to Ash, whimpering in it's destress when Ash's eyes opened wide. A thought just came into his head, 'What if... what if their Pokemon are still ok??' he thought, remembering that they hadn't released their Pokemon yet. Immediately he got up and ran over to the bloody mess behind him, trying to keep his eyes away from them and he searched. He left Togepi with Chikorita as him and Pikachu searched for Pokeballs.
"Pikachu!!" said the yellow mouse, jumping around a spot near Misty. Ash sheepishly crawled over to find a pile of Pokeballs, Misty's and Brock's it seemed. He lift one and threw it.
"Go Pokeball!" said Ash... nothing came out, the Pokeball simply opened and fell to the ground. Pikachu blinked, totally confused. Ash nodded to himself.
'Looks like they released them to set them free, for a chance to get away...' he thought to himself with a small smile. They always put their Pokemon first...
The sun was in the middle of the sky when Ash had finished burying the last of his faithful friends. Each grave with a cross made of sticks and torn blankets. He picked up Togepi's Pokeball then looked at the last grave he had dug, his Squirtles. A solo tear ran down his face but was quickly wiped away so as to not upset his last remaining friends.
He got up and scooped up Pikachu, then walked to the other two. He put Pikachu on one shoulder, Chikorita on the other and Togepi in his arms. He looked back at the graves of the people and Pokemon that meant so much to him, then looked ahead and began to walk.
"Ya know guys, it's not as hopeless as I thought, I've still got you three... thats all I need, at least someone to be there, right? Life's moving on, and it's pulling me along with it, time I followed... even though it's hard, with your help, I know I can do it" said Ash, smiling at his Pokemon. They smiled back.
"Pika-pi"
"Chiku"
"Togepi"
Ash walked into the sunset, starting one of the most difficult and heart breaking journeys of his life, alone, but the company of three Pokemon...
Present...
Ash held back the tears, not wanting Team Rocket to see them. he lifted his head in time to see them starting to walk off.
"GIVE ME THEM BACK!! I NEED MY POKEMON!!" he screamed at them, but they kept walking. "Please ... they're all I have" he added, much lower, but still they walked.
They were all he had, His mother had died in a car crash just a month before his friends deaths, and Professor Oak was away to a far off region to study some new spieces that was discovered on an Island, Tracey, of course, right behind him. He only had those three right now to keep him alive, what was he to do if he lost them too.
Ash looked up again to see them gone, and thats when he let himself cry. He sat in tears wishing it were all just some bad dream, but he knew it was too real to be so.
Just as Ash was about to give up hope, an Umbreon jumped from the tree he was tied to. It smirked at him as seven other Pokemon appeared behind it. A Vaporeon, a Flareon, a Glaceon, a Leafeon, a Espeon, a Jolteon and a baby Eevee, that hid behind the Umbreon. Ash tilted his tear stained face in utter confusion. The Umbreon merely smiled wider and walked up to him, the Espeon followed.
"Umbra" She said nodded to Espeon and then to Ash. Espeon nodded back and went up to Ash, its red stone on its forehead lighting up.
"Hello Trainer..." came a voice from within Ash's head, his eyes widened in shock at the cat-like Pokemon.
"We are here to help, so don't panic, and, we will help you get your Pokemon back, we can see you really care for them"
Ash smiled and nodded to them all.
"Thank you so much!" he said.
Umbreon bowed and clawed his ropes, letting him free. Ash got up, rubbing his arms and told them to lead the way. Umbreon nodded and looked to her team.
"UMBRA!!" she called and they all nodded, running behind her as she strode, Ash close behind.
He was going to get them back, he wouldn't let Team Rocket take the most important thing in his life from him, his Pokemon, he will not let them go!