Misty and Ash had been planning their Earth Day party for what seemed like ages, but things were finally going to be made worth it. All the supplies had been purchased, the food was being prepared, and the Green Guns were functioning perfectly. The only thing left to do was set the tables and wait for their friends to show up. Misty and Ash were relaxing on their couch knowing that the party was almost on autopilot and they had some time to kick back and enjoy life before their friends showed up. "Hey Ash, I'm gonna go get another beer. You want anything", Misty said as she stood and walked into the kitchen. "Mmmmm..nah", Ash said. He reached for the T.V. remote and changed the channel to some sports show. Misty walked back into the living room, carrying her beer, and collapsed on the couch next to Ash. "So what are the plans for our party eh?", Ash asked. "I guess we pull out the old wheel of fortune and give her a spin. That way it's completely random which home planet we clean up.", Misty responded. Ash nodded and leaned back. Misty took a large gulp of beer and did the same. This was going to be a great night for both of them.
The party had a wonderful turnout with all her friends showing up. Fox and his team were there, Mew was there, Amaterasu was there, Mewtwo and his family were there, even the devil managed to show up on the grounds that he would not be coming with to clean up a planet. The food was a huge success and the the crowd want absolutely wild when Misty and Ash took their places in front of the wheel. "Alright everyone lets get to the real action here", Ash shouted in a poor imitation of a WWE announcer. Misty reached up and gave the wheel a hard turn. "Round and round and round she goes, where she'll stop no one knows", Ash shouted. Slowly the wheel began to slow and then came to a complete halt landing on Corneria. "It looks like our lucky winner is Fox Mc.Cloud and the Starfox team, what do you have to say Fox", Ash asked. "Well I..I guess that I'm glad, but I'm so..so astonished that I won", Fox said as a deep blush began to show on his face. "Well then folks, now that we know whose planet we get to clean I have a special surprise for you guys.", Ash said dropping the shouting voice. He pulled a rope hanging from the ceiling and a curtain behind him fell away to display racks of Green Guns. "These are Green Guns, and you all get one." Misty said," Now as soon as we're done talking you guys can come on up and grab a gun then we'll head out."
"The Only rule we have is that you should never aim one of these things at another person, the green energy might harm you.", Ash said.
"Now everyone come on up to grab a gun and it's out the door.", Misty said.
She walked to the door and opened it. This would be a great party.
Green Guns were a weapon Ash had developed. He was the genius of the team, brilliant at modifying gadgets to do new things, or creating new ones that would do things no one had ever thought possible. The Green Guns were an example. As easy to use as a kids' toy Nerf rifle, and just as light, they destroyed incredible amounts of pollution each time the user pulled the trigger. Misty and Ash had used them many times already, restoring planets anyone else would have given up on, to livability. They'd taken out the plastic island in the middle of Earth's Atlantic ocean with one, and used another to wipe away the entire Florida Gulf oil spill in under five minutes.
This was the kind of party Misty loved best. Action suited her, she had never been comfortable sitting still and doing nothing even as a little girl. Misty might look cute and innocent, with her short-shorts covering only the tops of her long, slim legs, and the same hairstyle of two spiky ponytails, one on either side of her blue-eyed face, but she was a doer, a mover. She was no man's plaything. Now, she stepped forward first and picked up a Green Gun. The rest of the party guests were quick to follow. They were all old friends of Ash and Misty, they knew what kinds of party activities the pair liked to plan, and most of them had used Green Guns before.
Ash did not take one, instead, doing supervision duty while everyone else prepared. "Misty, will you grab one of those m-f's for me?" he asked her.
"Sure," his trusty partner said with a grin.
It may have taken a week of arguing with Fox and a nominal fee, but it was worth it. Fox was letting them borrow the Great Fox for transportation and it had just enough space for everyone. Even now Falco was waiting outside in the ship, keeping it cloaked to reduce suspicion of course, and waiting for the order to launch. Misty and Ash followed their friends on board and gave Falco the thumbs up. Misty watched in awe as his hands slid over the controls flipping switches and pressing buttons. It always amazed her how much more complicated it was to fly the Great Fox than a regular Arwing. "Alright everyone in your seats for take off", Falco said into a small microphone, which then broadcast his voice all over the cabin. Falco gripped the control stick, flipped on the engines and the G-Diffuser, and pulled back launching them up into the air. He turned to another control panel and reached for the microphone. "Alright everyone, we're about to enter Hyperspace and we're looking at a bit of a bumpy ride. Please buckle your seat belts and whatever you do, do not get up.", Falco said calmly. Misty knew she had been through hyper space jumps before but they never ceased to excite her. The premise of being able to travel thousands of light years in a few hours baffled her. Falco flipped up the plastic cover on a red button and pressed it. For a few seconds as they entered hyperspace it seemed as though everything were stretching and would soon tear, then with a sudden jolt the movement ceased. "Alright people, the jump is done and it should only be a few hours now before we reach Corneria.", Falco said. Misty unbuckled her seat belt and walked back into the cabin. She still had a few things to discuss with Ash.
Ash had specifically asked to be given full run of the cargo hold during the trip saying that he still needed to put some finishing adjustments on the Green Guns. Misty hoped he was still there and hadn't decided to leave before she was finished in the cockpit. She pushed the hatch in and caught a glimpse of Ash's face before he turned back to whatever he was working on. She breathed a sigh of relief and walked over next to him. "Ash..I've been a little worried.", Misty said partially to Ash and partially to herself. "About what?", Ash asked her as he made some small adjustment to the gun he was working on. "About the Green Team", Misty said," We're the first people to have set up something like this in all of the Kanto Region, but right after we set up our party the Green Team appears out of nowhere. It seems a little odd.", Misty said. "Misty you've never been one to worry, so why should you start now.", Ash asked her. Misty frowned and shook her head. "I guess your right", she said," It just seems wrong. Ash reached into a bag sitting near him and pulled something out. He set it on the table and slid it over to Misty. She looked down and saw her blaster. "If you're worried Misty, you should take it with you. Fox and I will have ours.", Ash said. Misty picked it up and slid it into the holster on her thigh. The ship jerked under the feet and Falco's voice came on over the intercom. "Alright everyone, we are in orbit around Corneria and we land in ten minutes, all passengers report to the central cabin, all staff initiate landing preparations. "I hope your right", Misty said as she left the cargo hold," I hope your right".
Corneria's reputation for being the dirtiest planet in the Lylat system was well deserved, but the problem had only become a real threat in the past few months. The air had reached the point that it was dangerous to breath for long periods of time and the water was dangerous even to touch let alone drink. What had once been beautiful and green was now no more than a barren wasteland filled with toxins. Falco had insisted that rather than attempt to land the Greatfox, Misty and Ash along with the other guests should take some of the landing craft instead. Now as the grass parted and swayed as it was buffeted by the jet streams from the small ships engines a group of short and stubby pods landed in the clearing. A loud hiss filled the air as the small crafts hatches opened. Misty and her friends stepped out into the open air. The combined affect of years of advancing technology and no ecological protection attempts had left their mark. The sky had grown perpetually dark with smog, and the water was an ugly brown color. "Misty raised her green gun and turned to face her friends," Alright everyone, we're going to work until six pm at which time we all gather back here to prepare for the trip back. Now move out!" Misty turned and marched off into the forest listening to the sound of footsteps behind her.
Misty and Ash had never really planned on being a part of the clean-up efforts. They were just there to provide some security and organize the effort. This however left Misty with a few hours of free time which she was using to explore what was left of Corneria's, once great ,woods. There really wasn't much more these days than a few dead husks of trees and miles of dead grass, but it was rather peaceful to be alone for a while. The only real distractions out this far was the periodic crackle of the radio as one of her friends radioed in with a report. In the distance Misty could hear the howl of an animal in pain, but she immediately wrote it off as the wildlife. That was until the radio crackled to life and Fox's voice cut in. "Misty! ... found ... Ama...asu ... hurt ... bleeding.", Fox said urgently, the static making whatever he was saying almost unintelligible. She pulled the radio off her belt, almost ripping the holster in the process, and called Ash. "We have a code Alpha situation", she shouted. "Location", Ash asked. "I don't have any clue", Misty responded.
In the end it was Fox that led Misty and Ash to Amaterasu. By the time they arrived it was painfully obvious that she wasn't going to make it. She had lost a lot of blood and it looked as though the spikes had hit some internal organs. The poor thing raised her head and looked at Misty as if beckoning for her to come over. In the language of the beasts she said," Misty..it has been a pleasure to work alongside you but even now the gods beckon me back. This is the end of my time here and I shall soon return to run with the stars. Remember me fondly and look to the morning sun when you need guidance." Her breathing grew gradually slower and then ceased and Amaterasu's body grew misty before disappearing entirely. Above them a single star glowed brightly and then vanished even though it was mid-day and the sun was shining. A single tear slid down Misty's cheek and she mouthed the words,"Si vos periculum nusquam vos lucrum nusquam." Misty turned to Fox and Ash. "This is only the beginning, more is yet to come", She said out loud, the tears already gone from her cheeks. As the wind blew her hair out behind her and the sun slowly set, she removed her blaster from it's holster. Standing there, the picture of dedication, she said slowly but surely," We will come out on top."
It had only been a week since the incident on Corneria but it felt like a thousand lifetimes had passed. After the initial shock of Amaterasu's death had faded away, Misty set in reinforcing the security systems in her home and recruiting cadets from Starfox. Her goal was to train the survivors of the Green Scouts in combat while simultaneously bolstering them with some stronger men. Everything was right on track and the training was going well, but Misty had not felt any peace in days. She rarely slept at night and when she did her dreams were plagued with the sight of Amaterasu's body. She pretended to be happy yes, she needed to keep every one's spirits up, but she didn't know how much longer she could hold up to the stress. The worst part was that she could see everything falling apart around her, the perfect world that she and Ash had shared for so many years was gone. Misty looked up at the sound of a brisk knock on her door and muttered,"You can come in." With a quick hiss of hydraulics the door slid open and one of the younger cadets stepped in. He saluted to her and said,"Ma'am your needed in the command room, another one of our men was killed." Misty sighed and stood, she walked over and patted the surprised cadet on the back. "You're a very good soldier, but you need to get out now while you can", she told him and walked out of the door leaving the cadet gaping.
As soon as the paneled door slid open and Misty stepped into the command room she could tell that something serious had happened. The tension in the air was tight enough that you could strum it and everyone wore a stony grimace on their face. On all of the view screens was the gruesome image of Mewtwo, Misty's friend and loyal compatriot, drenched in blood, his lifeless stare seeming to ask,"Why." Misty walked to her seat in silence, determined not to let the fear and deep wrenching grief that she felt show, and sat heavily. Fox cleared his throat and said,"Misty I know he was your friend and if this is too hard..." "No,"Misty interrupted",I'm not going in to give to this, it's what he wants me to do."
"Alright Misty", Fox responded. He slid a small panel on the table open and pressed a button. The images on the viewscreen changed to show a dilapidated old warehouse, it's windows caked in grime and shattered in areas and the bricks covered in moss and ivy..
"We think that whoever killed Amaterasu and Mewtwo is holed up in here", Fox said in a tone of voice that commanded the attention of everyone in the room,"Plans to flush him out are in action, but we need your approval to continue Misty." Misty waved her hand in a gesture of approval and muttered,"Go ahead." She stared at the view screens unable to draw her eyes from the old building, inside her head she could feel a sort of pulse as though the very bricks of the wall were calling to her. "Are you coming with us Misty", Fox asked. Misty jerked and looked up. "Huh", she grunted,"Oh uh sure, where are we going?"
"We're going to go and search the warehouse, this might be it," Fox said. Together they walked out of the room.
While the rest Misty's team members were discussing amongst themselves what attack tactics would be best used in this situation, Misty was thinking about the old building and how very familiar it looked. Forcing herself to put the matter aside Misty strolled into the control room of the Great Fox and sat down next to Falco. She followed his hands as they flew over the controls, making little adjustments, and found it to be almost hypnotic. Misty cursed herself under her breath, this was no time for romantic garbage like that. "What's the ETA", Misty asked. Falco turned to look at her and replied,"About 15 minutes." She nodded and turned to look at the view panel, which showed images from the ship's navigation cameras. Below them the Kanto region raced by looking like nothing more than a toy from their height. Misty listened to the gentle purr of the engines and felt all the stress from the past few weeks start to melt away. Slowly her thoughts began to quiet and her breathing slowed, and Misty fell asleep for what may have been the first time in weeks.
The sound of a twig cracking jerked Misty awake, she opened her eyes and was confronted with the sight of a wooded vale. The sunlight fell on her face in gentle beams and a cool breeze rustled the trees. Misty stood up and looked around, she couldn't remember remember ever having been here before and yet everything looked familiar like the last bits of a dream long after you've been awake. Off in the bushes she could hear something moving around, she turned to see what was making the noise and saw a little girl step our from the undergrowth. Her orange blond hair was in a tangled mess and her clothes were nothing more than tatters. Misty rushed to her and knelt down saying",What's wrong?" The little looked up and her and said",Misty there are dark things in the future, you have to be careful." She gasped and asked",How did you know my name?" The little girl looked at her feet and said",I can't tell you that, they would hurt me.. the dark things would get me." Misty pulled the little girl close to her, trying to comfort her and said in a soothing tone of voice", Nothings going to hurt you. Please I want to help you but you have to tell me where we are." The little girl pushed away from Misty and looked at her with a genuine expression of terror like nothing she had ever seen before. "You have to run Misty, before the dark things come!," she shouted and ran off. Misty sprinted after her tripping over roots and shoving branches out of her way only to find that the girl was gone and the entire forest was on fire. As the smoke filled her lungs and the silent darkness began to fill her vision, Misty fell to her knees and then collapsed.
Misty coughed and struggled to sit up, trying to remember what had been happening. She opened her eyes, wincing at the pounding pain in her head, and looked around. All around her small fires burned and large hunks of metal glinted in the flickering light. She pushed herself to her feet and stumbled off into the wreckage, following the sound of voices amongst the rubble. As she drew closer the familiar sound of Fox's voice rose above the drone. Following this comforting tone Misty pushed aside a larger sheet of metal and came face to face with Falco. He hurriedly took a step back and let Misty through mumbling something. In the small sheltered clearing that the rubble had created Fox, his team, and Ash stood around a small huddled form. As Misty walked closer it suddenly hit her that the little body was Katrina. "What are you doing here," she shouted. Katrina cringed and then, already regaining her confidence, she said",I'm here to kill you." Katrina lashed out to hit Misty, but was grabbed by Fox before she could land a blow. She leaned forward and spat in Misty's face. "Should we kill her," Fox asked. "No I want to hear her story first," she responded.
"When I was very young our parents disappeared," Katrina said",I was afraid at first, but my brother Mark taught me not to be scared." "For the next few months we roamed the streets together living off of the scraps we could find and stealing everything else. Everything was okay until I got sick, and Mark decided that we would have to ask for help at the orphanage. We lived there for five years until Mark was finally old enough that we could live on our own and every moment of that time was torture. They all treated me like an outcast, the only person that would stand up for me was my brother. When we finally escaped the orphanage Mark took me to live in a small house he had found in the country. That's where we've been ever since. Then almost a week ago a man came to our door and asked to be let in. He was wearing a long flowing black robe and refused to tell us his name or show us his face. He said that if we helped him he could bring our parents back. The only condition was that I had to kill you Misty.," Katrina said. Misty simply stood there and stared unable to speak; a single thought raced through her mind, demons. Misty turned to Fox and said,"Let her go.. she's not a threat." Fox waved his hand to the two cadets holding Katrina and they released her. Katrina looked up at Misty and said",Why are you letting me go? I tried to kill you?" Misty said",Get out of here.. don't make me change my mind!" She turned to Falco and asked",Did any of the Arwings survive the crash?" Falco shook his head. "Damn it," she muttered",Fine keep her here." "What about you," Fox asked. "I have some business of my own," she responded",No matter what happens don't follow me." Misty beckoned to Ash to follow her and disappeared into the darkness.
The wind whistled through the broken glass windows and howled in the rafters, an eerie noise that reminded the young man, standing with his back to the window, of his home and all the things he had lost. Spread on the table in front of him were a series of scrolls with ancient Poke-ease writing flowing over them like water. It was from these that he had gotten the strength to survive the sundering and it was these that he would use to resurrect the demon lord Malagos. There was only one thing left standing between him and his final goal and the winds of change blew in his fortune. Slowly the door behind him creaked open and a frightened looking messenger boy stepped in. "S..sir," he stuttered",I was asked to warn you that the Dark One lives. She's coming here now." The young man smashed his fit against the table leaving a deep dent in the old metal. The man smirked and turned around to the messenger. "Fine, it seems I will be the one to send the Dark One to the twisting abyss myself," he said, a dull red glow beginning in his eyes like two coals. The young boy afraid of what might happen next, he had only seen his master once before and it ended in something too horrible to remember. "You've James, but I'm afraid sacrifices must be made if the Dark One is to be dealt with," the man said and walked slowly towards the boy prolonging his suffering. The boy turned and tried, but before he could even a step a cold hand closed around his neck. The man lifted James into the air and slammed him down into the table. "Stay still and make this easy," the man crooned. James watched, with sick feeling of terror in the pit of his stomach, as the man slowly removed a long athame from it's sheath.The last thing he saw before the darkness enveloped him was the blade arcing down towards him.