Chapter 2:
The jolt and scraping sound of the boat being dragged ashore pierced Ash's slumber. He could hear the men's voices through the boards of the boat. Ash lay in the small space in total silence, eyes shut tightly.
Why not attack? The voice was in his head, like a thought, only it wasn't Ash's thought. I told you, you just need to clear your head Ash. You don't need them! They might as well have killed you themselves! Get revenge. Don't worry about your body. Any potentially fatal wounds will heal over immediately, except, of course, when you have redeemed your resurrection. Ash opened his eyes. The men were still telling each other what they were going to do with their reward money once they got back to HQ, wherever that was.
"I'm telling you Frank, I'm going straight to a club. Booze and titties, my two favorite things in one place. Either of you idiots interested?" The voice was deep and rumbling. Another responded, this one higher pitched, possibly even more so than Ash's own.
"I'm going to pass on this one, Joey. But I'm sure Amanda here would love to go see some titties and drink beer with you." A woman scoffed.
"No thank you. I'm going to get another assignment. Gotta build up that nest egg." Ash couldn't believe it. These people had just finished rummaging through the possessions of corpses. They might have even taken some objects off the freshly deceased. Ash's temper flared up. He pushed his hand against the trapdoor, and threw it open. It slammed against the deck with a deafening bang. The three grunts swore, jumped or fell over. Ash stood up, back aching with every move. His hair and clothes were still wet from the spray and waves that had splashed over the rail and into the strongbox. He clenched his fists and stepped up to the deck. The three goons yanked pokéballs from their belts. Ash jumped down into the sand with a dull thump. Words could not express the rage he was feeling. The henchmen released their pokémon one at a time. A Houndoom and two Weezings.
How original... Ash thought to himself.
"Poison Gas!" The two Weezing trainers called out in unison. The Weezings exhaled the toxic gas in a streams, engulfing Ash in a rancid cloud that burned his eyes and lungs. It reminded him of drowning. He coughed once, but trudged up the beach slowly.
"Inferno!" The Houndoom released a spiral of flames into the gas. Ignition happened immediately, and Ash felt as though he was being burnt alive. The pain was everywhere, and immense. He screamed, and he knew that he preferred drowning. The flames remained in the air as the highly complex gas deteriorated to less complex, still flammable gasses. He strode through the fireball, much to the terror of the Team Rocket goons waiting for him on the other side. Clothes ablaze, skin charred black but healing, He stepped into the clear air on the other side of the inferno. The thugs were astonished, and all Ash could do was smile at them.
"This is going to hurt," was all he said.
~lnnl~
Ash wiped the blood off of his knuckles. The unconscious goons had been placed on their own boat and set adrift with no engine, no pokémon, and a leak. Ash had released the pokémon by smashing their pokéballs. He had taken the black pants and grey boots of the smaller male grunt, and the shirt as well. To hide the red R, Ash doused his blackened jacket in the ocean, and wore it over the black shirt and his white undershirt. Finally, he took the black beret from the woman, pulling it low over his unruly hair. Once more, he pulled out the picture of Dawn. The corner was singed now, due to the blast, but the image was intact. He slipped it into the pocket of his new pants. With a sigh, Ash climbed up the small embankment onto the coast-side route. To his left was a small house with an enormous yard. Ash began to walk towards it as the reality of what he had done hit him. He had brutally murdered three people. He thought back to the fight…
"This is going to hurt." The Houndoom growled threateningly, and the Weezings breathed in and out slowly. Ash's clothes were still on fire slightly.
"Houndoom, use Bite!" The Houndoom lunged forward. Ash dove to his left, rolling and kicking up sand. Instead of attacking the Houndoom, he jumped towards the female trainer. She fell back in surprise, and Ash jumped on top of her. He punched her face again and again.
"You killed them!" With every syllable, Ash readjusted the woman's head before punching her again. "All of them! Then you just took their shit!" The woman's nose was bleeding and was bent at a strange angle. A small stream of blood trickled from her mouth. He brought his blood-smeared hand back for one more punch, but the Houndoom bit down on his wrist. Ash let out a small cry of pain. He stood, staring the Houndoom in its eyes. The other grunts were still in shock, slowly backing away. Their mouths opened and closed like Magikarps. Ash punched the Moundoom in the nose. It released his wrist with a whimper, and skittered away. The wound it left on Ash's hand bled. It ran down his arm and fell in drips to stain the sand a rosy pink. Ash advanced towards the men. They tried to command their pokémon, but the Weezings were too afraid to do anything. As he walked, Ash felt his wrist slowly scab over, then heal to leave a U-shaped scar. He smiled at them. They tried to run, but he caught the collars of their shirts. Ash wrenched the men back, throwing them down in the sand.
"No, please man." The thinner man begged. "If you want some money, we got a bonus coming in from work." Ash stood still.
"How much money," he whispered half to himself and half to the men. "How much money would you wager my life is worth?" The men looked at each other.
"What? What do you mean?" Ash growled like an animal. They cowered in the sand. Ash stepped on the side of the smaller man's foot, twisting his ankle painfully and making him call out in pain.
"I said," Ash growled. "How much is my life worth to you?" When no one answered, Ash leaned down and punched the man's stomach as hard as he could in the stomach. The man's eyes bulged and he breathed out sharply. Then Ash crouched down, straddling the man's chest and pinning him to the sand. "Don't you get it, you dense motherfucker?" Ash grabbed the man's face between his hands. "You killed me." Suddenly, the larger man rolled over and began to run away. Ash burst from his crouch and tackled the man. They fell near the rocky shore. Ash picked up a rock and smashed the man's head. Then he did it again… And again. Finally, he dropped the rock and turned around. The smaller man was limping away, foot twisted. Ash slowly approached from behind before grabbing fist-fulls of the man's hair. Ash dragged him over to the beached boat slowly, ignoring the man's pleas for mercy. "I'm dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!" With every word, Ash slammed the man's head against the boat. Afterwards, Ash dropped the man, and let out a primal scream into the sky. It reverberated off the water, and sounded inhuman, like an injured predator. He loaded the bodies into the boat slowly, one at a time, and then used the rock to chip away slowly at the hull, until there was a small leak.
~lnnl~
Dawn stood outside her hotel room in Canalave City, staring across the water, imagining Ash staring across at her too. Ever since he had left, all she could think about was him. He commanded all her attention, and she gave it willingly. She wanted to hear him say goodnight again. Hear him breath in and out, in and out, so close she could touch him… She sighed to herself. He would never know though, because they might never see each other again. Suddenly, piercing through the night, a voice rang through the wilderness.
"I'm dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!" After the last word, a brief moment of silence, before a blood-curdling scream ripped through the night. Dawn shivered at the scream and retreated into her room. Before sliding in to bed, she locked her windows and doors.
Just to be safe, she thought to herself. She then fell asleep, and dreamt of being with Ash again, only this time, Ash slept next to her with his arms around her, but his eyes were all black.
~lnnl~
And that's a wrap! Sorry for the shorter chapter, but it's wicked late, and even I need sleep. All you beautiful bastards leave your feedback, because it only takes a second, and it helps me improve. This is TheWyrm, signing out.