Author's note: Ok, I have been working on this story and the next few chapters for quite some time. This story is going to be dark fic w/ some AAML (Sorry, can't help those!). If you don't like these type of story, then why are you still reading this?
Disclamiar: I own pokemon? You would think that why?????????
A Second Chance
Prologue: The Beginning
*~*~*~*~*~*
Darkness flutters across the room. An eerie mix of evil, death and destruction seems to plague the room as we focus in on a dark figure. Unknown to him, a silky white Persian restlessly paces across the floor. The man stares at a stack of papers in front of him. Silence passes for what could only be described as an eternity. Finally, the man, still hidden in the shadows screams. "The results are terrible this year!" The man booms even startling the wicked cat pokemon. A few seconds elapse before his anger dissolves into nothingness. "But, that's of no concern. Once it is perfected, the time of pure terror will spread across the land and wreck havoc among the people. Peace will be a long forgotten term. When that time comes, the world will be at my mercy."
*~*~*~*~*~*
Chirp!
The call of the pidgeys, carried by the wind, echoed across the valley. The sounds of scuffling animals bellowed while the cry of a single Dodrio rained supreme in the ears of the early risers.
The sun cast its heavenly rays indicating to the wildlife nearby to journey away from dreamland and into the land of reality. A crisp, shimmering sky engulfed the view as puffy dots that could barely be recognized as clouds interrupted the rich blue.
The smell of fresh dew circled in the air while the taste of the morning mist crackled relentlessly. The soft green leaves of the numerous plants in the area danced like fairies in the sunlight.
A slight breeze hurled through a small town, directing its course to a small house on the very edge of it. Making its way to an open window, the wind frolicked into the tiny room and gently swished across a sleepy form.
The teenager, no more than 15, stirred in his sleep at the arrival of the silky wind. Groaning softly, he steadily flickered one eye opened and slowly examined his surroundings. He was lying on a comfortable bed encircled by pokemon stuff; everything from pokemon sheets to a Snorlax beanbag. Stretching, he managed to sit up straight and notice a tiny little yellow ball that was curled by his side. Dark stripes lined the yellowish lump while a jagged-looking tail protruded from one end of its circumference.
Sensing the sudden movements from its trainer, the yellow ball lost its shape and stretched itself out. Two pointy ears along with two glossy eyes appeared while a smile that could melt even the evilest hearts gleamed from its lips. After rubbing the sleep from its tired eyes, the cute stuff-animal-looking creature nuzzled closer to its best-friend and chimed in a sing-song voice "(Ash, get up!)"
Ash smiled at his little friend. Although the entire Pikachu language was still a mystery to him, simple phrases and questions were quite understandable in his mind. "All right, Pikachu, I'm up." More to himself than to his pokemon, Ash continued. "What time is it?" Grabbing an alarm clock that happened to be situated conveniently on a nearby table, Ash gasped. "Oh great! It's already 8:45! I should have woken up an hour ago!" With that, Ash raced out of bed and hurriedly threw soon clothes on before racing to his bathroom and sloping toothpaste on his teeth in a haphazard manner.
Pikachu watched in amusement as Ash comically ran like a Rapidash around trying to get ready. After only 50 seconds, Ash galloped back to his bedside and smiled at the silly pokemon. "Come on Pikachu. If you don't want to miss out on my mom's cooking, we better hurry down."
The thought of breakfast by Ash's mom made the electric pokemon shiver in delight. The pair jumped out of the room and in a few seconds flat arrived in the kitchen where a host of people stopped their peaceful activities and glanced at the newcomers. A fairly young woman was standing next to a few pots and pans, smiling as if everything in the world was perfect and wonderful. Her rich dark reddish-brown hair glowed in the light and was easily identifiable as Mrs. Ketchum, Ash's mom. "Did you sleep in late again, dear?" She asked in that charming voice of hers.
Why she even bothered asking such a question was beyond Ash and everyone else in the room. His sloppy black hair flew in all directions while his tired eyes blinked uncontrollably. Along with his ragged appearance and constant yawning, it was as clear as day that Ash had slept in late once again. However, for the sake of his mom, Ash nodded his head and gave a crooked smile.
"And why am I not surprised?" A fiery young girl barely a year older than him groaned. Her orange hair was twisted into her usual lopsided ponytail while her cerulean blue eyes taunted the poor boy with their intensity.
"Are you trying to imply something, Misty?" Ash snapped back in reply. He certainly wasn't going to be pushed around by a girl, regardless of her age, behavior and perhaps even beauty?
Misty shrugged her shoulders and gazed at Ash innocently. "Who me? No, its not like I'm trying to insult your lazy behavior, arrogant attitude not to mention your stupidity or your…"
"That's enough!" Another person quickly interrupted Misty's list of faults. He was slightly older than the two bickering teens, around 19 actually. His spiky dark brown hair pointed straight to the ceiling while his harden face reflected signs of wisdom. The only uncharacteristic thing about him at the present moment was a light pink frilly apron that covered his usual set of clothes. It was clear that he had also been cooking until this sudden argument arose. With a spatula in hand, he continued his lecture. "You two bicker more than an old married couple! Now stop acting like children and eat your pancakes!" The older boy shoved another pancake onto Misty's plate and slammed another one on an empty plate and slapped it on the table.
Ash and Misty took the clue that their older friend, Brock, was clearing giving. Misty silently nibbled on her pancake while Ash seated himself and started chewing on his food as well. A quick glaring contest erupted between the two but ended when Pikachu scampered onto the table. Ash completely forgot his anger and even Misty altogether when he saw the small rodent. Smiling, he scratched Pikachu behind the ear, softening his features considerably. "Hey, how are you doing little buddy?" Pikachu sighed in glee while Ash turned to Brock. "I'm sorry Brock."
"That's ok, Mr. Pokemon Master." Brock smiled.
Confusion swept over Ash's face for a moment. At first, he thought that Brock was teasing him, as Misty has done over the 5 years that he has known her. However, his memory helped him out by reminding him that he was in fact a Pokemon Master as of a few days ago. His dream was finally accomplished after an endless 5 years of failure, regret and misery. For once, happiness swept his way along with good luck. "Don't rub it in, Brock. So, what do you guys want to do today?"
With her annoying perfect smile, Mrs. Ketchum replied. "Well, why don't we visit the pokemon museum?"
Ash almost jumped in joy at the idea, but somehow managed to stop himself in the process and eagerly replied. "That's a great idea, mom." Turning to his friends, Ash explained. "We used to visit it almost every week when I was a kid. It's really cool, I know that you'll love it, Brock and Misty." Ash purposefully emphasized Misty's name, reasons that were slightly unclear to even himself. For a moment, his mind tried to sort out the reasons. Hate? No, too strong. Dislike? May be, but that just doesn't seem right. Fondness? Strange, it fits more likely than dislike, but that's impossible. A strong friendship? Although I'd never admit it, it just doesn't work quite right. Or, could it possibly be something else that I dread even more? Could it be lo…
"For once I have to agree with Ash." Misty turned to him and noticed a thoughtful expression on his face. "Ash, are you ok?" She inquired.
Ash immediately snapped out of his trance and noticed, with embarrassment, that he was staring at Misty for a while. His humiliation increased when he noticed 4 pairs of eyes staring at him intently. Taking a deep sigh, he tried to pretend nothing happened. "What, me? Never felt better!" The others continued to gaze at him a while longer. Ash wasn't a very good actor.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Jeff sighed as he stared down at his hands wrapped in dark gloves. The day had been quite boring so far. Happy sunshine and beautiful weather rained down on him with little effect. In fact, they only seemed to bother him more. Black, tight clothes gripped his sides. A small, handy radio stayed glued to his left hand while a wicked pistol was clenched in his right. His jet-black hair and creamy smooth skin rested peacefully along his face. However, his face was anything but peaceful. Eyes as black as night glared straight ahead while his face stiffened into a frown. His point of interest was less than 40 feet away. A simple house with a small garden in the front relaxed without a care in the world.
"Agent! Please report condition of the mission!" A scratchy voice echoed from the radio.
Annoyed at this new disturbance, Jeff glanced back at the radio. "This is Agent Jeff Wilson reporting. The mission's condition is as follows. I'm outside the Ketchum residence within shooting range of targets. Waiting for targets to appear at the present moment while I'm concealed in some bushes nearby. So far, there are no complications in the mission. Everything is going according to plan."
A few anxious moments passed before the voice responded. "Excellent. Continue with the mission as planned. Shoot the first targets that come out of the house. Try to execute Ash Ketchum if possible. If main target is not in range or isn't shot as planned, run back to headquarters ASAP. Deposit gun nearby scene. Leave no other evidence. Good luck Agent Wilson."
A crude smile appeared on Jeff's lips for a second before it disappeared. He didn't need luck; he never did. Luck was something that only stupid people needed when they weren't skilled enough. However, being the best sharpshooter known, Jeff was far beyond skilled; he was an expert. He never misses his target.
*~*~*~*~*~*
"That was one of the best meals that I've ever had! Mom, Brock, you two outdid yourselves this time!" Ash leaned back and smiled happily. Pikachu, copying Ash, did likewise with some ketchup was slopped all over his lips. Ash, noticing his favorite pokemon, laughed. "Pikachu, I still don't know how you can eat ketchup with pancakes!"
Pikachu smiled. He started licking his lips in order to taste more of this wonderful substance. Misty grinned. "Gosh, Pikachu! You sure like ketchup!"
Pikachu nodded. "(Yea, I guess I do. You really ought to put some ketchup on your pancakes! It tastes great!)" Noticing the blank expressions from the other humans, including his trainer, Pikachu sighed. Humans can be quite dumb when it comes to pokemon language. So, to help out his friends, Pikachu copied Ash's favorite pose: the peace sign.
Brock giggled. "You are starting to act more like Ash everyday, Pikachu!" He then turned back to the others. "Shall we visit this pokemon museum then?"
"All right! Let's go!" Misty cried happily and jumped into the air.
Brock laughed once again. "Actually, I was wrong. Misty is starting to act just like Ash! May be you are hanging around him a little too much, hey Misty!"
Misty growled angrily and pulled out her infamous mallet. Where she got it remains a mystery. However, this was hardly on Brock's mind as he was slammed with the mallet and toppled, face-first, into the ground. Ash sweatdropped at this and shyly spoke. "I act like that?"
Misty smiled devilishly. Imitating Ash's voice perfectly, she yelled. "I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town and I'm going to be the greatest Pokemon Master of all time!"
Brock snickered even from his awkward position. "Need I say more?"
Misty hit Brock once again with her mighty mallet. Ash shook his head and decided to ignore everything Brock had just said in the last 5 seconds. "Actually, you're wrong Misty. I am the greatest Pokemon Master of all time!"
Misty rolled her eyes. "Oh please!"
Mrs. Ketchum only now decided to interrupt the comical scene. "Ok, the dishes are all washed. Shall we visit the museum?"
Just to tick Misty off, Ash acted almost gentlemanly by calmly saying. "I think that is an excellent idea, mother." Misty groaned in the background as Ash started to walk towards the door. When he had his hand on the knob, Ash exclaimed. "Oh shoot! My hat! I'll run upstairs and get it and I'll meet you guys outside." Before anyone had a chance to object or even comment for that matter, Ash raced to his room with Pikachu on his heel.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Slightly out of breath, Ash jumped into his room. His eyes darted back and forth for a moment until he found the object of his desires. Resting on the windowsill, a red and white cap absorbed our young hero's attention. It's simple design, white on the top, red just below it and a symbol pasted on it that resembled an "L", suited him nicely. Just below it, Ash spotted his green backpack and picked it up. Cap in hand and backpack resting on his shoulders, Ash was about to gallop outside when something caught his eye. A man appeared to be crouched in the bushes as if ready for ambush. Ash turned around to face Pikachu, motioning him over to his side. "Pikachu, check this out. There's a guy in the bushes."
With its interest peeked, Pikachu quickly sprinted to Ash's shoulders in order to get a glance at the figure. He seemed to be a little older than Brock with tight black clothes. Because of the fact that the sun shone brightly on him and that Ash had an overhead view of the man, he was as easy to spot as an Onix in the middle of a group of Jigglypuff. "(Ash! He's from Team Rocket!)" Pikachu cried, noticing a giant "R" on his shirt dipped in a color that resembled blood.
"Hey, that guy's from Team Rocket!" Ash gasped. Pikachu could barely contain the urge to face-fault at Ash's stupidity. However, Ash almost screamed in terror as he noticed what was in the man's right hand. "And he has a gun!" Unfortunately, this observation came a little too late as Ash and Pikachu watched in sheer horror as the agent lifted his pistol and aimed it towards the front door.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three shots rang out before Ash could even breathe. His face went absolutely white with something even deeper than fear: shock. His muscles were paralyzed for the few brief moments when he could have done something; when he could have saved the people that he cared the most for in the world. The thought hit him like a sword rammed into his head. He never even noticed the man running away from the bushes as fast as the wind.
Gun. Shot. Death.
These strange words swirled round and round in his head similar to the way the tires of a car spin at 90 miles per hour. What was only mere seconds appeared to be hours in his warped mind. Somehow, his senses were able to detect Pikachu near the door. Like a zombie, Ash followed his smart and just as terrified pokemon out the door, down the stairs and into the front yard.
Here lay a sight that not a 15-year-old boy or any human should ever see. Blood started to seep out of the people he cared for the most, death catching them with surprised and eerie expressions painted on their faces.
With a horrid pain shooting through his spine, Ash dumbly examined the scene. His eyes rested on his mother first. The dear woman that he had known for 15 years lay sprawled on the ground, her flowing red hair mingling with the color of her own blood that spewed relentlessly from a bullet wound at the top of her head. She never had a chance.
Not caring about the gory sight or even the reddish liquid that soaked the area, Ash worriedly approached his mother and sat down beside her. For some reason, he pulled her into a sitting position and leaned her against himself. His clothes started to change color right before his eyes but it didn't matter. Nothing mattered anymore.
A soft drizzle of tears hit the dirt. Ash lifted his head, tears blurring his vision and looked over at his two friends. Somehow, he managed to crawl closer to them, leaving his dead mother on the ground. His eyes first turned to Brock. He cringed at the look on Brock's face; an expression of utter fear was sketched on it. A continual gush of reddish goo swept from his chest. His friend… his best friend appeared dead to the world: literally. Sobs erupted from Ash's throat as he remembered the times he shared with his wise friend. Brock wasn't just a friend; he was an older brother in Ash's eyes.
Finally, the third and last victim lay the furthest from him. The person who taunted, teased and mocked him ever since he started his pokemon journey was now bleeding like there was no tomorrow. Her simple lopsided ponytail was flipped neatly at the top of her head. Memories lashed out at him when he looked at the girl's face. A misplaced strand of hair swept across her face. Ash moved a little closer to her lifeless body and moved it. In this close proximity, Ash simply examined her, noting her features and things that he had failed to notice about her before. Ash sighed, wishing that he could have known this tomboy a little longer. He shook his head and moaned miserably. It just wasn't fair.
*~*~*~*~*~*
Officer Jenny busily typed something into her computer. Frustration and anger filled that normally happy and serene face. The day had been exceedingly long and boring. Although she had only been working for a few hours, they felt like days to her. How she wanted to roam the street in search for criminals! If only she could, but today just had to empty of crime, it had to be the day where boring work needed to be filed on a stupid computer.
Her hand radio starting shaking as a loud and panicky voice sounded on the other line. "This is an emergency! All officers please respond!" A silent pause sounded as Officer Jenny eagerly gripped the little instrument. "Reports of shots fired at the Ketchum residence. Possible civilians down. Code red! All officers in the area please respond! I repeat, shots fired and possible victims at the Ketchum residence!"
Officer Jenny jumped in surprise and started to race to her motorcycle. May be this wasn't going to be such a boring day, after all.
*~*~*~*~*~*
A tiny tear hit the dirt next to the yellow pokemon. He glanced around in horror at the scene that presented itself to him. People that he had been chatting with only moments beforehand now lay motionless atop the hard cement path. Pain like he had never known before overwhelmed him when he saw the expression on Misty, Brock and Mrs. Ketchum's faces.
However, this pain was nothing compared to the pain that covered Ash's face. Pikachu shivered in anxiety at the sight; never had he seen anything look so distressed before. Words couldn't even dare to describe the sorrow, shock, pain and grievance on his trainer's face. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that Ash was dead himself.
As if watching a movie, Pikachu observed Ash holding his deceased mother in his arms. Sorrow gripped his feet as Pikachu continued to watch Ash, wishing that this would be a dream. But, he knew that it wasn't.
Pikachu's solemn expression changed to surprise when he saw Ash crawl over to Brock and Misty. His friends… his best friends. The ones who guided him through hard times and who always stayed by his side. This proves just how cruel fate can be.
However, Pikachu's thoughts were interrupted when he heard the sirens, police sirens. Waking out of his spell that momentarily gripped him, Pikachu scampered over to Ash and tried to get him to stop gawking at the unfortunate murdered victims. The last thing that they wanted was for the police to accuse Ash of murder and get sentenced to jail. Oh, when did life get so complicated?
*~*~*~*~*~*
Misty… why did it have to be Misty? Ash's thought continued to haunt him like a Ghastly. Feelings surfaced that he never knew he had before, feelings that could only be described as agonizingly painful. Any other time he would have been able to tolerate these overwhelming emotions, but not today, not today.
His ears barely detected something in the distance that sounded familiar, however, he was so distraught, that he couldn't even distingue what these familiar sounds were. Although his eyes were now fastened shut, in order to avoid the pain of seeing his beloved ones in such a state, Ash could still sense that Pikachu had crawled next to him and was trying to tell him something. But, in his mind, it was all gibberish.
Those strangely familiar sounds started getting louder and louder. His slow brain was barely able to realize that it was a police car, but by then it was too late.
A small, compact motorcycle pulled up to the scene. A small gasp of horror escaped the rider's lips, before she shivered at the gruesome sight. As she took in the horrible details of the crime site, Officer Jenny noticed something peculiar. A young boy and a Pikachu appeared to be in the center of the bloodshed. They both seemed alive, although the boy was motionless. Being a rookie cop and not realizing the unstable condition of the one and only survivor at the scene, Officer Jenny harshly called. "Kid, answer some questions at the police station with me."
Although most people would treat this extreme rudeness by rolling their eyes or glaring, Ash never even moved a muscle. Pikachu busily tried to get his attention but nothing seemed to work. As far as he was concerned, Ash really was dead to the world.
Officer Jenny stared in surprise. Never had she been treated like this before. True, she had never interviewed a murder suspect or at least a victim in a murder before, but she figured that everyone would treat her the same. However this was just insulting. Officer Jenny rudely yelled. "Kid! Get away from those people right now! There is an ambulance coming in a few minutes but you need to come with me for questioning!"
Yet Ash continued to sit in that position. Officer Jenny was about to slap him in anger when she heard something. She moved in closer and heard him sobbing. Turning so that she could face him, Officer Jenny saw tears streaming down his cheek. Pity replaced the anger in her heart as she spoke in a softer and gentler tone. "I'm sorry, kid. Here, why don't you get out of this mess and change out of those clothes? I'll take you down to headquarters and everything will be fine, ok?"
Unfortunately, Ash still didn't move. It was like she was talking to a brick wall. Pikachu sighed at the sad scene, knowing all too well that Ash would never really be the same again. Officer Jenny groaned in frustration and starting thinking. This was the Ketchum residence and only two people lived here: a woman and her teenage son. Although she had never met them before, Jenny remembered people talking about them, especially the son. Now what was his name again? Anthony? Andrew? It began with an "A"… why was she thinking of wood now? A…sh… Ash! That's it! "Ash Ketchum, right?"
At the sound of his own name, Ash finally lifted his head. Officer Jenny almost gasped in surprise. His face was completely devoid of color; it was pure white. His jet-black hair was sloppy and clearly uncombed. It is often said that eyes are the windows to the soul. Well, his eyes, that burned red with the constant flow of tears that trickled down his face, visibly showed the torture that he was enduring at the present moment. Regaining her senses, Officer Jenny reached out a friendly hand in order to help Ash to his feet. Like a robot, he accepted her help and painfully shifted his weight to his legs.
"Now, we'll get you cleaned up and you'll spend some time at the police station." Officer Jenny coolly spoke.
She observed, with surprise that Ash jumped away from her clasp. "You mean you're taking me to jail." His hoarse voice sounded like it hadn't spoken in decades.
"Well, just for a few days or so until we get things straightened out." Officer Jenny, not realizing her obvious mistake starting moving back to her motorcycle. The paramedics could already be heard racing down the street.
Primitive instincts swallowed Ash in fear. Jail was not a place that he wanted to go to. "You think I killed them, don't you! You actually think that I murdered my best friends and my mother! In case you didn't know, I care about them! It should be me here in a pool of blood! Not mom, not Brock and certainly not Misty." He hesitated as he stared at the three lifeless bodies. He then turned back to Officer Jenny, hate gleaming in his eyes. "How dare such a thought cross your mind! I'm not setting a foot into the police station if it means spending the rest of my life in the slammer!" At this point, he was screaming in rage and fear at the top of his lungs. Pikachu nervously scampered to his feet, hoping to calm him down.
In this case, Officer Jenny's apparent stupidity sprang into action. Her tiny brain couldn't even realize that this boy was scared and frightened, with the loss of the closest people in his life. Her frustration returned and she decided that ordering this kid to headquarters was the only way to go. "You are coming with me to the police station right now!" Boy, was she wrong.
By now the ambulance was literally upon the scene. Barely two blocks away, the paramedics' sirens blasted deafeningly. Time ticked in slow motion for Ash as he decided what to do. Part of him told him to race into the forest where it was safe while another part said to stay calm and wait for the ambulance. But, the loud shrieking noise from the ambulance threw his thoughts into confusion and his mind continued to focus on one point: he probably go to jail for this. Horrid stories about people dying in jail cells scared him straight. He knew what he would have to do.
Pikachu watched in horror as Ash galloped away from the area. Being the loyal pokemon that he was, Pikachu followed him. Pikachu had seen Ash run before; in fact, he considered Ash pretty slow, at least that was in pokemon terms. But, now, fueled with adrenaline, Ash ran faster than the eye could see. Even Pikachu, considered by many to be one of the fastest pokemon with its agility attack, had trouble keeping up with him.
Blinding red lights flashed into view and Officer Jenny was sightless for a few moments. On a sudden hunch, she turned back to Ash, only to realize that he had disappeared. Her sharp eyes managed to catch the fleeting glimpse of a yellow streak, which she easily identified as the Pikachu hanging around him just seconds ago. Before she could even think about following them, she knew that they were long gone.
A few men, dressed in pure white, rushed to the scene and carried three stretchers. They loaded the three motionless bodies into the car and zoomed down to the hospital.
Officer Jenny, however, was still thinking about the loss of her one and only witness. Her boss was going to kill her for sure. She quickly glanced at the bodies that were being taken away. If she had only examined them closer, she would have realized that two of them were still breathing…
*~*~*~*~*~*
Run. Must keep running.
Panting heavily, Ash ran at lighting speed jumping over hurdle after hurdle. His body was incredibly sore and he could barely breath but he still kept running. Even when he had reached his destination, the forest, he continued sprinting. He just had to get away from it all, from the pain, from the memories, from himself…
God only knows how long Ash could have kept this pointless activity up if his foot hadn't met the upturned root of a tree.
Crash!
He fell face-first into the ground, letting cool oxygen fill his tired lungs. Everything was in a blur and nothing made sense. Pikachu decided to make its appearance, now, as it jumped happily into Ash's lap. For a moment, everything was forgotten as the two hugged each other, pleased that they found one another. But, that moment passed all too soon for Ash and Pikachu and the tears started to hit the ground.
For the sake of his pokemon, Ash continued blindly into the woods, not knowing where he was going, as if that mattered to him. Good luck managed to find the pair as they heard a rushing stream nearby. Ash jogged over to a beautiful spot overlooking a quaint river. A lovely waterfall guzzled nearby that curved into a tranquil little lake, fed by dozens of small streams.
Ash sighed and pulled off his jacket. Dried blood covered the thin jacket. Ash cringed at the sight remembering where it came from. He stuffed it into his small, green backpack and examined his blue jeans and dark black shirt. Fortunately, none of the reddish goo touched them. Ash looked around the area and noticed Pikachu soaking in the tiny lake. At least Pikachu wasn't doing that badly.
Ash, on the other hand, was a different story. Only a few hours ago, childhood innocence swept across his merry face. Then, he believed that good luck could get him through any situation. He thought that nothing would change; everything would stay simple and fun. He couldn't have been more wrong.
With a single event, his childhood innocence, dreams, beliefs and hopes perished in the blink of an eye. Ash now realized the difficulties of the adult world, of the pain faced, of the hardships along life's bumpy path. The world now seemed to take on a darker appearance. Even the clouds in the sky weren't the same anymore. They were different, almost sinister. In fact, almost everything appeared that way now: wicked. Even at this point, Ash knew that things would never be the same again.
