Becoming one of the elite Pokémon Rangers, the Para-Rescue Jumpers, is as easy riding a bike. That's at least true if the bike were on fire, and so was the ground… and so was everything else, because you know… you're in hell.
Right now they were training what they called hydrated breathing, just one of the many parts in the year and half long pipeline to earn you wings and your beret. The worst part was the water training so far; he could handle the runs, the climbs, and the battle against your own body to keep cranking out the exercises until you collapse. Water though… water was the worst. It all served a purpose even if you didn't realize it at the time. Ash held a fear of drowning deep inside his mind; the incident with Manaphy and the Temple of the Sea had definitely left its mark on him. Particularly having to experience drowning and almost dying, this was supposed to break you of that fear. After all, that's not exactly a fear you want to have in this line of work.
Ash was hanging upside down in a pool alongside fifty other trainees, they were three quarters of the way done with the pipeline and they had already had well over a hundred of their group already fail out. The drill sergeant's whistle rang out loud and clear that it was time to begin again. With one last breath they all started doing sit-ups, forcing their bodies down through the water until they were flat against the side, then pushing against the resistance to break the surface. It got miserable when every time they tried to take a breath the instructors threw water in their faces. Simulated drowning…
The raven-haired man was fighting against every impulse in his body to gag, to throw up all the water building in his lungs and just stop. Stopping would mean failure and he had nowhere else to turn, no other option. As he broke the surface again he was greeted by shouting and another face full of water, the point of this exercise was to prevent you from freaking out should you be in the process of drowning. Keep your calm, ignore the pain, and fight to that next breath no matter what it takes.
More than twenty minutes had passed, they were still fighting. Ash's sides, ribs, lungs, abs, all of it was on fire. Nineteen people had dropped out by now, they would only have two more chances to get through this in a few days. Every time he let out a breath a gush of water accompanied it; he was about to give up. That's exactly what he did, as he went back under the water he stopped and held the position, he would be unconscious in just a bit. These sergeants were crazy; he could hear the shouting underwater like he was right in their face.
The guy on his left grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him up with him. They wouldn't let another person fail, not if it was something that could be prevented. The guys name was Pavlov; at least that was what the nametag said. Ash thought he remembered someone mentioning that his name was Jason. Jason Pavlov, Sinnoh Region.
Said he joined the rangers, "To try and make right a debt he could never fully repay."
The rangers had rescued the guy, his village was home to what was believed to be a stopping place for the legendary Pokémon, and the people said that it visited the shrine from time to time. Team Rocket had caught wind of this, an investigation on their part revealed it was a good possibility there was truth to the statements. When the time came that it was supposed to return Team Rocket was there. Rayquaza was not an entity to be messed with but they did just that, the result... the wrath of a Pokémon that was borderline deity. It went on a rampage, destroying everything in sight, razing the village to the ground. The Rangers had found out what they were planning but arrived to late to prevent anything, only damage control. The only thing Ash knew from their about the guy was that a group of PJ's had saved him from the dragon but two were killed in the process. Survivor's guilt was what brought him here…
No words were passed between the two men; they both knew there was too much at stake for them to quit. You were either going to sink or swim, they would swim.
With a renewed vigor ash threw his body forward and gritted his teeth through it all. That was the first interaction they had.
Another ten minutes later and the end was here, only twenty-three people got out of the pool when time was called. Everywhere people were throwing up the water that filled their lungs and stomach's. Three minutes was the most they had before they were forced into their third six-mile run of the day, waterlogged uniforms adding on an additional ten pounds on the already over-exerted muscles.
Jason and Ash stuck together, too tired to speak, but using the other's presence as a way to ignore the burn, it was only noon.
One a.m. rolled around and finally they were in bed, no… bed was too good of a word for the shitty little piece of foam that was supposed to be a bed. They would be up at four to start the next day; they were almost through the pipeline. After this week they would start the final phase, Advanced Field Medic Training.
Jason whispered Ash's name, "Ketchum, what's your story? Most people know mine somehow, but no one seems to know what brought you here."
Ash was laying on his back staring blankly at the ceiling, "No one ever asked, and I wasn't about to go out of my way to tell any one."
Jason took it as it was, if he wanted to tell him he would, a general idea in Sinnoh was that you didn't put your nose where it didn't belong. Just as it wasn't there job to have to tell people anything, they didn't expect anyone to do so for them either. The Sinnoh native ran his hand over his shaved head; he couldn't stand it unless it was razor smooth.
"I came here because I believed in what no one else did."
Now that was a very curious answer, Jason looked over, "and what's that?"
Ash's eyes were closed; it still was a very bitter memory in his heart. "Where I thought you needed to fight for what's right, what's true, what no one else has the courage to do, others didn't."
Jason chuckled and Ash wasn't sure whether to be offended or not, "Well you should have done whatever you did in Sinnoh then. If it were something truly worth fighting for and putting the effort in, the people would have supported you. We know all about having to put up the good fight."
One word was all he got out of the raven-haired teen, "Maybe."
"I will not ask you vat it vas that you did, but would care to tell what happened between you and the other people?" Jason let out a yawn; the fatigue was really starting to kick in.
"Maybe another night, but I will ask you this. Why would you shove the one person who tried to keep you safe out of your life?" Ash was staring at a picture in his hands with a dead look in his eyes, was it the effects of being here or what happened in the past? Cynthia was jumping onto his back, the picture caught him midway through falling flat on his face while May and Dawn were clutching their sides from laughing so hard. Brock was paying no mind to any of them, too busy babying the Absol Ash had caught. Misty had a far away look on her face but she still smiled for the camera, what would have happened if he had noticed sooner? Could some of this have been prevented?
"My friend, you have more to your story than just keeping someone safe." Jason pointed towards the redhead.
Tapping her on the photo, "You don't get that look from nothing, you had to have done something more whether you noticed or not."
Ash's voice hushed to a whisper, "What was I supposed to do, I couldn't return those feelings. Hell, I didn't even know about them until later. Besides, even if I had it never would have worked and everybody knew that. We fought too much, argued too often; we were more like angry siblings. I guess she didn't see it that way."
Jason knocked him on the shoulder, "Get some sleep, there's always another day when you will have more time to talk. We all need to get it off our shoulders at some point so I'll make you a deal?"
Ash cocked an eyebrow, "And that is?"
The guy next to him grinned real wide, "Succeed, pass this Arceus forsaken course and then I'll tell you my story if you tell me yours. We got get through it first, deal?"
Ash didn't have to think twice, this was what he really needed, a friend to help and get help from.
Four a.m. came too early.
Boots were pounding through the gravel on the way up the six-mile hill, one of many more runs to be had today.
"I can run to Sinnoh, Just like this!"
The drill sergeant was calling cadence, the most beautiful thing during long runs.
"All the way to Sinnoh and never quit!"
The silent runs were torture; all you could focus on was the burning in your legs.
"When I get to Sinnoh, you know what they're going to say!"
The twenty-three remaining were shouting back in voices so bad it sounded good.
"How'd you get to Sinnoh in just one day?"
Ash and Jason were next to each other, "We reply with a whole lot of anger! It's blood and guts with a whole lot of danger!"
Ash thought back to the crazy old bat Agatha. One of the Kanto elite four, she was really something else. 'I just had to open my mouth that day.'
FlashBack
"Hey old lady, where you going with that stuff?" He had seen this old lady walking down the street, she had a rucksack on her back and jump boots on her feet.
The old woman in question looked pretty hardcore, not like a sweet grandmother, "Pokémon Ranger Airborne School."
Ash looked at her with surprise, "Don't you think you're a bit too old to be doing something like that, you should leave that stuff for the young and the bold?"
He could've sworn at the time she was about to back hand him, "You young punk, who do you think your talking to? I'm a jumpmaster for the Airborne School."
The next day I saw that same lady walking down the street with ropes in her and the same pair of worn out jump boots on her feet. I asked her again, "Hey lady where you going to now, shouldn't you leave whatever it is for someone younger?"
She looked back saying, "You again, I'm a drill sergeant at the Rangers Air Assault School."
The next day I was out at the lake, this old woman came up with a tank on her back and fins on her feet. "Before you even ask I'm an instructor with the Ranger Scuba School."
Ash just watched her in shock as she jumped in the water, "You weren't joking were you lady?"
"Son, I'm a member of the elite four and have experienced more in my lifetime than most people would in three. I have no reason to joke, but if you want to find out what I've got in me and what you do to, stop by a ranger compound sometime. We will see what you're made of." With that she left, submerging underwater on her way to who knows where.
End of Flashback
They were almost up the mountain; he hadn't even noticed the time slip by. One thing was for sure though, the shape he was in now… nothing really fazed them anymore unless it was in the water. The six miles they ran were becoming a joke, just a way to pass the time really, but soon enough they would kick it up to 10 miles.
"I don't know but I've been told, Ranger wings are made of gold."
"I don't know but it's been said, Rocket wings are made of lead."
Looking over at Pavlov he gave him a grin, he would like this one. He came from northern Sinnoh, the Aka Hiroba district if he remembered right. It was in Sinnoh territory but was populated almost entirely by another Region above it. Come to think of it Cynthia mentioned something about originally being from that area before she moved into the more populated parts of Sinnoh. "Pavlov, what did you say that region you were from was called?"
"Roshia?"
"Yah that one! That girl in the picture, the blonde one, she was from there as well."
That was an interesting bit of information; most people from Roshia didn't leave very often. "Not many people leave there, did she ever say why she moved?"
"When her dad died she came here to stay with her grandparents, I wonder what would have happened if she never left now that I think about it?" Ash made a mental note to ask about it in his next letter… if he would get one back at least.
Ash took a deep breath and shouted over the crowd, "Born on a mountaintop and raise by a bear! Got two sets of teeth and a full coat of hair!"
The group echoed every line back, this was a new one so why not?
"Team Rocket when you see me coming better run, better hide…. cause I'll hunt you down and I'll eat you alive!" Oh yah, they definitely liked this one.
"Para-Rescue and Combat Control, we're like that bear down to the soul! Pokémon Rangers that are rough and tough and feeling mean… We will slit your throat and wipe it clean."
They were almost to the top of the hill; "We'll spit on your graves and laugh out loud, put a smile on our face and feel damn proud!"
1 year later
Ash was asleep with his face planted against the dresser; he hadn't managed to make it to the bed. They had been up for three days straight, doing the hardest workout sets of the entire course. At the beginning of the fourth morning they took their final test over the entire medical course. In one year they had been trained as far as someone who spent years earning their doctorates in the civilian world. They would be able to work in under fire with wounds that would never make it to an E.R. without them.
The Mightyena whimpered at the sight of its master, the dog had tried to stay awake alongside him but could never manage it. The dog dragged him away from the dresser and curled up beside Ash, letting the unconscious man use him as a pillow.
Ash dreamt of the days gone by, before he started the course, before his life went to hell. He was young, in love, and had the greatest group of friends, but things went sour. His talk with Jason had helped him sort out the many questions that needed answering.
Too many demons, too little time it seemed. There was also the problem that the one woman who he cared more about than anything, was about sixty letters late… he still hadn't heard a word from her. That hurt more than anything.
Misty was the first one to leave his life, everything had happened so slowly yet so fast. Just as he would recover from one person, the next would leave. It was as if everything they ever went through was thrown out the window. The orange islands with Misty, the Temple of the Sea with Manaphy, the clock tower when everything they ever knew was almost destroyed with Dawn, it all fell away.
His friend pointed out the distant look in her eyes when the photo was taken, like she was broken. All the years of her wanting a relationship that would never happen, she blamed him for it? She may have dropped a hint or two but nothing more, and it was his fault to her? How was he supposed to know between all the arguments and late nights screaming and fighting with each other?
Did he love her, yes of course, but as a sister and nothing more? After everything he would have gone to the ends of the earth to make sure she stayed safe just as he would for any of the others, but it wasn't enough.
Mist, Dawn, May, Gary, then Brock went last.
Why Brock had left he had no idea, Gary though… he was expecting that.
Ash knew he couldn't blame his childhood friend; he would have done the same. Ever since they could remember Gary's grandpa almost seemed to favor Ash. It never was that way though, not one bit. If professor Oak would of had to choose, it would have been Gary without a moment of hesitation. Gary just couldn't see it though no matter how much he tried to explain, needless to say it ended badly. For how long he had been putting up with it though just went to show how good of a friend Gary truly had been, though he did have his moments. Every one of them leaving was worse; the least painful was Dawn though. Maybe, just maybe her friendship could be salvaged along with Brock. The others though, with how things ended they may as well have been dead to each other.
Brock…. It made no sense.
2 Months Later
Everything had gone according to plan, mission after mission smooth as could be. Rocket had stepped up their game with Magma and Galactic encroaching on their territory. There was a group of Rangers on a routine patrol, just some fresh meat fresh out of the academy. Nothing special, not one of the Operator segments like him and Jason, just some regular red coats as they were so elegantly nicknamed by his partner.
Ash and Mightyena had been dropped off about two miles out; to the west were Jason and Ninetales. The Rockets never stood a chance.
Ash was shouting at the top of his lungs, his partner was busy holding off the attacks from the reinforcements that arrived. Their Pokémon stalking through the tall grass surprising one Rocket after another. Pavlov was doing his best to keep them held at bay, flash bangs and rubber bullets' coming from their position while the returning fire was all too real. Rangers had a strict code they adhered by; they were to always use less-than-lethal means to get the mission done, not to do so would make them no better than the enemy they faced.
The kid under him was only sixteen at the most, the age you were allowed to join if you wanted to just help out the Pokémon, nothing dangerous, nothing spooky about it. Just a plain old desk job compared to what they did. A stray attack had struck him, why did it have to be an Arbok of all things. This was the first time Ash was truly forced to witness a death.
He wept.
5 years later
This was the last mission; he didn't want to keep going anymore. He served longer and more successfully than most people and he would willingly keep going until he died or he was to old to be of any more use, at least that's how it was until his partner had died. The incident provided him with a nice hard dosage of night terrors; no matter what he tried they were always there. He was so tired, he couldn't remember the last time he managed a good nights rest where he slept all the way through without being medicated.
Now, he was in a race against the reaper himself. Very few win this race.
The roar of engines and thunder of explosions were deafening as Ash peered outside the viewport, the ship was blazing and coming down fast.
Hunter J had overstepped her boundaries; she went after the Sinnoh Lake Trio. The rangers got word of this and acted immediately. Ash was picked for the mission; he was the only one willing to run solo for something this big.
Back in the briefing room when he first heard what was going on he wasn't sure about volunteering. This was right around the area Cynthia's grandfather's lodge was. Not to mention they were very close to the Roshia region, any missteps here could prove to be physically and politically detrimental. That only further strengthened his reasoning to go though, he wasn't sure if he did want to find her, a few years ago the champion had dropped off the face of the earth it seemed and left Sinnoh without a champion. He felt like she had abandoned him, after everything that had been between them she made no attempt at contacting him.
He was positive this was where she went, only a select few individuals knew the cabin even existed and he was one of them. Sour feelings aside he wouldn't let anything happen to her if he could prevent it, it just wasn't him to let something bad happen to her or anyone for that matter.
He was given a little makeover, a uniform like what Hunter J's crew wore, and an access pass for most of the ship.
The man who now sported a scruffily trimmed beard and short black hair that was laying somewhat flat against his head combed somewhat to the side could still hear Cynthia's voice in his head the day they visited the ruins in her grandmother's town.
"Three Pokémon there were.
Into the lakes they dove.
Deep, deep, drawing no breath.
Deeper, deeper they dove.
Into suffocating depths they dove.
Deeper, then deepest they alight.
From the lake floor they rise.
Bearing with them the power to
Make vast lands, they rise again."
Something near him exploded pushing him away from the window. Catching himself on a pipe he continued his sprint down the hallway through the bowels of the ship. The inscription on the second tablet ran through his head.
"But look not into the Pokémon's eyes.
In but an instant, you will have no
Recollection of who you are,
Return home, but how?
When there is nothing to remember?
Dare not touch the Pokémon's body.
In but three short days, all emotions
Will drain away.
Above all, above all, harm not the Pokémon.
In a scant five days, the offender
Will grow immobile in entirety."
Even with his current situation he couldn't stop the train of thoughts that began to follow. Why was he still so smitten for this girl… he knew exactly why every time he saw a beach or a full moon.
The memories of her came back like waves in a rising tide to the forefront of his mind.
Her perfect features, the long golden hair that always covered her eye no matter what she tried in an attempt to stop, her lively personality and friendly demeanor towards every person and Pokémon, this woman practically exuded an aura of power whenever she was around.
She was cold and calculating in battle and towards people she didn't know when she needed to be, but when you got close like he had. She took his heart and ran with it… and he loved it.
Pikachu poked its head out of his backpack and watched the carnage that seemed to be chasing them just a few steps behind. This was nothing though; the small mouse snickered as it thought about how they could go like this all day.
"I can't deny it Pi, when this is all over... maybe we should finally head back. I've given my life for the Rangers; maybe I should take a break like they have been offering? How does that sound buddy, we'll go find Cynthia and see if we can sort this out." Ash laughingly said to Pikachu before throwing his weight down sliding under a falling pipe.
The small mouse's ears perked up at his statement. The female with yellow hair was always so kind to him and on more than one occasion would sneak him the packets filled with red gold when Ash wasn't around. Not to mention one hell of a battler!
Ash pulled Pikachu out the pack and held him with both arms against his chest. He was glad to be back in his ranger uniform, the piece of crap he had been wearing rubbed in all the wrong places. The black jacket trimmed with red and gold doubled as a ballistic vest, the combat pants stuffed full of Intel and other items he thought looked important, and the combat boots… he felt so vulnerable without them. The Jacket was awarded to the most elite Operators in the Rangers. He made it into Delta squadron, the elite among the elite alongside the rest of his squad; it was the damn proudest moment of Jason's, his, and the other's lives. Their call sign was Garuda.
He had two choices, he could try and make it to the end of the craft and escape out the back using the parachute and wing-suit or he could blow a hole in the side of this ship with Charizard and get out that way.
The Shockwave rocked the ship again, placing additional stress upon the already wrecked frame.
Ash burst from the raging fireball landing on Charizard's back, the lizard releasing a roar making birds throughout the forest fly away in fear.
Years of training kicked in, the hair on the back of his neck stood up so hard they might as well have jumped off.
"Something is really wrong here."
The telltale whistle of a rocket was getting closer. Turning around he was horrified to see he was right; Hunter J was leaning against the railing of her ship. Her head was bleeding, she favored her right leg, but the rocket pod at her side was still smoking.
"Dive, now!" Even for all their efforts it wasn't quick enough and the dragon knew that before the command had left its trainers throat.
Time and time again, Charizard watched Ash and his partners put other people before their own lives and safety, a motto they held close to their hearts, the reason Charizard respected Ash more than its own kind. 'That others may live.'
Corkscrewing its body, Charizard held Ash against his back with his tail just as the incoming projectile slammed into his chest with a concussive explosion.
They were in a deadly free-fall now.
Ash didn't need anyone to tell him, he could see it plain and clear as the fell through the sky like a freighter trying to fly. Even worse was he could feel something wet and sticky seep onto his arms and chest. The sight of his most loyal companion mortified Ash; Charizard was fighting a losing battle to stay conscious, shrapnel from the missile was embedded into his stomach, large chunks of flesh were gouged out of the dragons tough hide, muscles were torn, ligaments severed, and his hind leg was dangling limply behind him.
Charizard was fighting with everything he had to level his wings out; he knew his trainer would go down with him before he tried to save himself.
Ash wrapped an arm around Pikachu and the other around Charizard's neck as he prepared himself for what would happen next.
The ranger's voice came out in a barely audible whisper, "We've been through it all since day one. I'm so proud of you for coming so far."
Flesh met ground with the force of a jet meeting a Metang.
Ash barely registered the sickening crunch before he was thrown off of Charizard, Pikachu tucked safely between his arms; the small mouse wouldn't stand a chance any other way. He was weightless for what felt like eternity, the ground beneath him a distant blur until it rapidly gravitated closer. His back struck the ground first, that instant he knew his spine was shattered as black dots plagued his vision and the colors swam together, threatening to throw him into unconsciousness. With every bounce, every roll, every rock he hit, something new either broke or was thrown out of socket.
The pain was the worst he had ever experience, everything was on fire as if white-hot pokers were being jammed into his body from every angle. He wasn't sure if he was breathing right now or not, it was too hard to tell with every sense in his body firing off mixed signals.
Charizard lay in a crumpled and bloody heap a few feet from Ash inside the gouge the lizard made in the earth.
Using the less injured of the two arms, the ranger gritted his teeth in pain and cussed through pursed lips as he pulled his broken body to Charizard. He had to find a pulse… he had to.
Thank Arceus, it was faint but it was there. Charizard was alive for now, then a morbid thought snuck its way into his head, 'for what good it would do at least.'
He positioned himself so that he was laying sprawled out against Charizard's chest, staring into the mountains, waiting for Arceus knows what that lives in there waiting to come investigate when it was sure it wouldn't be met with resistance.
'PikaPi! Pi, pi pi pik chu pika!' The mouse begged its' trainer not to have that look on his face as if he had given up, tears soaked the yellow fur as it pulled on the collar of the jacket.
"I... Something inside me tore, something big. I think I punctured a lung, maybe ruptured my kidneys too. I'm not entirely sure if you know what I'm even saying now," he said breathlessly. His head was throbbing, he blinked his eyes a few times to try and get rid of the blood that clouded the vision in his right eye, "But you know I will always be your Pika-Pi."
With a cough more blood began to dribble out of the corner of his own mouth, he had seen this too many times before on previous rescue missions, his lungs were filling with blood and soon enough he would drown on dry land. Reaching down he thumbed the release Garchomp's Pokéball.
"Go, find Cynthia. Her cabin should be on the other side of that cliff over there, you're going to leave as soon as I'm done speaking buddy. Pikachu will fill you in on what's happened. I'm sorry you have to see this," Ash undid the clasp on his belt and attached it around the dragon's neck.
"Take everyone, your going to stay with her for a while."
Garchomp knelt down, bowing to Ash in consent before giving his head one last bite. Not wanting to disobey it scooped up the screaming Pikachu trying to fight to stay behind and took off in the general direction as fast as the Land Shark's legs would carry it. It would find that women and bring her back, he wasn't going to just leave his trainer.
Cynthia had been watching the news; the notorious Hunter J's airship had been spotted on the mobile cameras that littered the place now a days.
They had shown explosions and balls of fire bursting from the ship from over a mile off. It zoomed in again on another blast of flames; this one carried with it a person who fell through the sky for a few moments before being caught on a Charizard. Roughly five seconds had passed before something tiny came from the ship before another small explosion knocked the two out of the sky. The champion's breath hitched in her throat, whoever it was had probably been killed right there. That had been live feed from about forty minutes ago; the sun was almost completely set now as night began to take hold of the sky.
The wooden door downstairs shattered in a spray of splinters and metal, a bloodcurdling roar that shook the very foundation of the cabin had her jumping almost to the ceiling.
The blondes own Garchomp was out before she even released it as the two raced down the stairs preparing for a fight with the intruder.
Her eyes became glued to the yellow mouse that was shouting and raving frantically while riding the Garchomp.
There was no way, "Pikachu?"
The mouse snarled at her before shaking its head vigorously and pointed out the door with its tail, it was sparking violently; Pikachu had no time to play twenty questions.
Cynthia ran up to the two Pokémon, "What are you doing here for Arceus sake, more importantly where is Ash!"
Getting closer gave her a better view of the mouse's current state. There was a nasty bruise on his cheek, had bloodshot eyes, and its fur was stained in streak from crying. Dots began to connect all as she glanced back towards the T.V., her legs gave out from under her with a thud.
Her eyes were wet and stung horribly, her head touched the floor and slammed her fist down, long blonde hair creating a curtain around the sobbing woman. A mixture of words ranging from "Ash" to "It can't be" escaped her lips, but no tangible sentences were formed.
Gentle warmth bloomed inside her head; it was much more than that though. There was a voice; something that wasn't her thoughts was making itself known. It was a soft feminine voice, "Fear not my child, if only it was that easy for him to die. Reach him, and you can save him but time is short."
Cynthia nodded as the presence receded from her mind; if there were a chance, she would take it. 'I can't lose him again. Not after all these years, not like this.'
Standing up she wiped the moisture from her eyes and jumped onto her Garchomp's back with a grace many would envy. "We'll follow you Pikachu."
The mouse gave an irritated sigh, that's what he had wanted this whole time. 'Females.'
Ash wasn't sure if the darkness was nighttime or just him dying, the latter being more likely as he had become numb to the pain. His head was resting against Charizard, listening for the constant beat of his dragon's heart. Every time it began to slow he would pour what little aura his body could muster into it to keep it going, even this small task had drained him further than his body could handle.
The darkness in his vision amplified, darkening in waves. The ranger kept telling himself not to fall asleep, sleep meant his battle was over; it was so hard now though. Giving into the desire would be so easy, so relaxing; it was inviting him in with open arms. Droopy eyes, slowed breathing, and a heaviness in its own category descended upon his body.
Darkness turned to white as dramatically as the difference between the sun and the moon.
Gradually someone began to walk out of the fog in his mind, the person appeared miles away, only for her to be standing directly in front of him.
A raspy voice croaked out, "Arceus...?"
"Rest easy my child." The voice was angelic, like a waterfall on a hot summer's day as it washed over him. She had long raven hair that flowed down her back and golden eyes that glowed with a strange light.
"I'm more to you than you realize, yes I am Arceus, I am also someone who loved you more than life itself in ages past." The woman was beaming at him, all the bad in his life melted away for just a moment. He was six years old again, back in his mother's house in Pallet watching as Mr. Mime swept away at dust that wasn't there.
"I come to you last, who is not last in my thoughts. I have never forgotten you my child, you above all else are a beacon for this world. I love you dearly, even when you feel as though you are abandoned." Leaning down the woman kissed his forehead, he felt something happen in his mind, as though a cork was been unscrewed but whatever it blocked was missing the catalyst to make it spring forth.
"For you I have this," She placed a small crystal phial inside his outstretched hand.
Closing his hand around it she stood back up. Ash peered inside the intricately designed phylactery. Inside was the purest liquid he had seen in his life but the real gem was what it contained. Floating in the liquid was a small blue light that glowed as brightly as the morning sun.
The woman's voice drew his attention away, "In this phial is caught the Aura's Light, set amidst the waters of my fountain. It will shine its brightest if night is about you, or darkness should try and take you. May it be a light for you in the darkest of places, when all other light's go out."
The woman cupped his face in her hands and stroked the side of his cheek with a slender thumb; her touch soothed his aching soul.
"I am alone back there, why must I go back? I have nothing left."
White mist exhaled from the woman's mouth, "You are never alone, I am here with you. So are the others, never forget them. A piece of my soul has become a part of you child, survive, and continue to fight the good fight in the trials ahead. Find yourself Ash, there is more to you than even you know."
Pain wasn't a new sensation for Ash by any stretch of the imagination. He'd been shot at, attacked, electrocuted, hit with every attack under the sun. This though, this was like Regigigas decided to have its way with him.
The sleepiness of death had been pushed back; he was able to make out some shapes in the night sky. With that came the return of his senses, the gashes, the broken bones, burns, the throbbing behind his had worsened as the vision in it was tinted a darker shade of red than earlier. Something was dripping from the corner of it that was too thick to be a tear.
The more he came to the harder it got, he was gasping for breaths and screaming through clenched teeth. Looking down he saw the angle his was bent… definitely going to be walking anytime soon.
As he clenched his fists he felt something in his hand, tilting his head down he saw the same phial from what he thought was a hallucination, "So this thing… is real?"