Reflect! My previous self
Viridian Forest
Its daytime and a clear sky extends to the horizon. In the middle of an open field, there's a blonde woman, of petite build, with her long hair in a ponytail that reaches her legs, standing by a cliff, watching the landscape with her deep, purple eyes. The morning breeze blows around her, moving her hair and clothes slightly. She spots a Butterfree, flying in circles while chasing some Sunfloras, playfully. Looking at it, she remembers an old feeling of freedom, of a time when she used to fly carried by her own Buttefree lifting her from her back, receiving the chilly air of the sky in her cheeks, while watching a boy with a red cap greeting her from the ground; a boy that always stood in front of her to defend her, to teach her, to guide her… a boy that long ago turned into the man she will always follow, even if it means descending into hell itself, although he had chosen another one, leaving her with something she will never have. Her little memory fades at the same time that the hooded messenger appears behind her.
"Master Yellow". She calls her, ceremoniously. The blond woman looks at her, her gaze filled with superiority.
"What do you want?" She asks, looking at her with eyes as cold as a dead forest.
"The Swellow we sent to spy on the spot you commanded came back with reports of Ash Ketchum and Dawn Berlitz having left Pallet Town and now heading to Cerulean City." The servant says. Hearing the boy's name brings a feeling of nostalgia to her mind. "We assume that they already know about our attack to the Cerulean City Gym leader and are on their way to meet with her." The hooded girl finishes the report.
"That is a matter of fact." Yellow answers, while looking again at the Buttefree, who is somehow attracted to her and begins to fly towards them. "What about the Cerulean girl? Is she awake?" She asks again while lifting her hand to have the Butterfree land on it and giggle a bit. The servant looks at the scene and remembers the mysterious link between Master Yellow and the Pokémon, almost like she could read their minds or something.
"No, she hasn't woke up yet. Most probably, she won't be waking up soon, since she had the Mirror Cascade Badge extracted from within her." Reports, still watching the serene, but sad, expression of her leader.
"I see. Well, it's up to you. Go and get her before Ash Ketchum does."
"Yes, ma'am." The servant answers, utter loyalty in her words.
"And one more thing." Adds the blond woman. The hooded girl waits for her command. "Kill Dawn Berlitz." Her ominous tone contrasts with her graceful movements, but her eyes tell her that she is serious.
"K… Kill her? But Master Red said…" She answers, hesitant, confused about the order she just received. Yellow had never been the type of person who would command something like that in cold blood. She was ruthless when she had to, sure, and she was one of the most powerful Pokémon Masters she knew, but still… kill somebody? Yellow?
While she ponders that, the Butterfree suddenly leaves her hand, scared. Yellow sighs and looks back at the forest behind her, with the eyes of somebody that has been locked out of a place, never able to come back again. Her gaze hardens and looks back at her servant.
"I just want to know what lies in Ketchum's heart. If you succeed I might be able to get an answer. Take Johto 1 & 2 with you. Go now." She orders, turning her back on her. The hooded girl utters a confirmation and disappears aided by an Abra. When the girl leaves, the blond woman walks a few steps and looks down the cliff again, as if deciding to jump or not. After a couple of seconds, she stands up again and looks at the sky, which is starting to get cloudy. "I guess you will get mad at me for this, Red." At her feet, grass that used to be green a second ago is now dead.
XXXXX
Ash and Dawn are now in Cerulean City, walking the street towards the hospital from the address they got from Officer Jenny at the entrance of the town. Both youths are unusually quiet, the girl trying to read the expression on Ketchum's face, while he continues to walk silently, his sight fixed on their destination. The blue haired girl has tried to soften the mood with some conversation a couple of times already, but has failed each time.
"Ash, calm down a bit. From what officer Jenny told us, Misty is not in danger. She has only some superficial injuries, and should not take too long for her to wake up."
"I hope so." He answers, his voice filled with sadness. Hearing him like that is enough for Dawn to feel like sobbing. Each time she realizes that he's thinking in Misty, a feeling of uneasiness and a little spark of jealously emerges from within her. A jealously that might or might not be justified, since Misty just dumped him when that happened, but makes her feel guilty nonetheless. She came to see him, but there isn't much for her to do right now, besides being with him. Come to think of it, that was the one thing she didn't do for the last years, but it is until now that she realizes it. Back then they were the closest friends there were, and very alike too. Maybe too alike, because everyone they knew pointed at that fact. But that came to an end five years ago, when he told his best friend that he fell in love… with someone who wasn't her.
It happened at the last iteration of the Silver Conference. All of his friends had come to cheer on him. Brock, Misty, the Professor, his mom, May, Max, Iris and Cilan, and Dawn, of course. Serena, Clemont and Bonnie couldn't assist because of Clemont's gym leader duties.
Ash was battling against Will, a Psychic Pokémon user. He had just sent Xatu, while Ash was using Pikachu. The duel was even and both of them were down to their last Pokémon. Brock was acting as Ash's coach, sitting on his side of the arena, while Dawn donned her cheerleader outfit once more to support his best friend, a support Ash had gotten very used to receive.
"Ash, Ash, you will win, beat Will with all your will!" She cheered, humorously, making him chuckle a bit.
"Thanks Dawn. I cannot possibly lose after that." He replied, confident.
"I didn't quite like it." Added Will.
"Well, it wasn't for you, anyways." Commented Ash, full of confidence. After an intense match, it turned out that Xatu's Hidden Power was super effective against electric types, and used it to defeat Pikachu. After the match, he came back at her, walking slowly, a little embarrassed, but was received by her smiling face.
"You did great, Ash. It was really amazing!" She hugged him leaping in his arms. He caught her and smiled.
"It was thanks to your support. Now we have a contest to assist, don't we?" Ash replied while looking at her eyes. She couldn't do less than give a big smile. At that moment, everyone came down were they were, Misty at the front, waving at him. Ash looked back at Dawn with a more serious look.
"But before that… There's something I want to do, but I need your advice on how to do it."
"…Sure, what is it?" She asked, curiously.
"I want to ask Misty to be my girlfriend…" He said, obliviously. All the animosity she held suddenly crashed into a wall, smashing into thousands of pieces.
"…What?"
"I mean, you know I'm very bad at girl's stuff, so I figured out that you could give me some tips…" He said, winking at her. Dawn replied with a little smile and accepted. She didn't know why she was sad, but that little piece of information just changed everything between them.
Of course she gave him all the tips and hints he could possibly need and some more, but in the end, she left back to Sinnoh without telling him, They seldom contacted each other after that, but even that link ended when she had her accident two years ago. Now she is back at his side, pondering if she really had the right to be sad or feel replaced, when what always was between she and Ash was a pure friendship, a bond so pure that it was ok to leave like that… but then again, why did she run away?
Could it be… that she loved him? What about that feeling now? Does it still persist? She looks at her hands and holds her heart with them. Whatever the case would be, right now there's only one thing she can do. To be at his side.
XXXXXXXX
Ash is standing in front of Misty, who is bedridden, connected to a heart monitor with many electrodes on her chest, breathing through a mask. Dawn is near the door, her back leaning on the wall, looking at them from a safe distance. She examines his expression towards the girl who for five years until yesterday he called girlfriend, and her chest hurts looking at his worried eyes, filled with sadness like never before.
"Misty, if only I was there, you…." He muses, full of guiltiness. Those words attract Dawn, who hastily moves to his side.
"No, no, and definitely no, Ash Ketchum." She holds his face to make him look her in the eyes. "You are not going to blame yourself for this, understood?"
"But…"
"But nothing!" Her tone is serious and logical. "Misty is a Gym leader, and a very strong one in that regard. Do you think that Misty, being Misty, would be easily beaten just because she was sad?" Rationalizing like that makes Ash feel a bit better, even if she hurts herself upon saying those words.
"Dawn…" The Ketchum's eyes fixate in her blue ones, giving him a pleasant sensation, for a reason he can't understand, and her argument makes sense. But then again, who could be strong enough to beat the Gym leader and leave the building like that?
"…rika…" A voice suddenly stops their argument. Both of them look at the bed, were Misty has begun uttering something.
"E… rika…" Muses Misty, starting to recover her sense, looking in pain. She opens her eyes, letting them see silver disks, with no visible irises.
"Misty!" Calls her Ash, rushing to her side, holding her hands, surprised. "Everything will be ok, Misty, I'm here."
"I'll go for the doctor!" Says Dawn, being the first to react, moving towards the door. At that moment, the sound of something approaching really fast can be heard in the room. The bluenette follows the sound with her ears, pinpointing the location behind the door. She begins to open it at the same time that Ash yells at her.
"Dawn, evade! That's a Pokémon attack!" The trainer tells her. He instinctively runs towards her, but before he can do anything, a Scizor crushes the door, hitting Dawn with an X-Scissor Attack on her back, blasting her towards the wall.
"Aghh!" She screams, while the feeling of numbness begins to invade her body.
"DAWN!" The Ketchum calls her friend's name. He quickly reaches for one of his pokéballs, but before she can send anyone, a Pidgeot breaks one of the windows with an Aerial Ace, hitting Ash in the arm, pushing him to the ground, turning on himself, bouncing on the floor. He begins to bleed from the mouth while trying to stand up again. From the door and the windows, the Gym Leaders Falkner and Bugsy appear besides Pidgeot and Scizor respectively. Both enemies sport the same eyes that Misty now has, albeit being able to fully control their pokemon, who have silver irises too.
"Falkner… Bugsy…" Muses Ash, while trying to reach for Dawn, who is also bleeding, with her leg filled with cuts. She tries to stand up, but is unable to, instead beginning to recall the night of two years ago, when she was hit with a Pokémon attack.
"No…" Says in a tiny voice, her lips and arms trembling.
"¡Dawn!" Ash tries to call her, but she doesn't seem to react.
"Two goals to complete." Falkner announces, in a zombie-like voice. "Get Misty Waterflower… Kill Dawn Berlitz."
"Kill…?" Falkner's words flash like lighting in her ears. These two people are here to take Misty away and kill her. That's what they said. "No…" The image of Piplup shooting his Hydro Pump on her comes back to her mind. The attack received from the Scizor hurts a lot, so much that she is barely able to stay conscious. "No… NOOOOOO!" She holds her head and begins to scream, shutting her eyes tightly, consumed by fear and trauma.
"Falkner, Bugsy! I don't know what's going on, but this is not right!" He tries to talk to them, but to no avail. Then looks at Dawn, who is still in shock, unable to react. "Dawn! If we don't fight here, you heard what they will do!" Insists on calling her again, but she doesn't come back. Pikachu arrives at his side and begins charging electricity on his cheeks, while Scizor and Pidgeot both get near them, getting ready to unleash their attacks again.
"I can't fight there… and I have to protect both Misty and Dawn…" Thinks while looking at them. "Damn!" He then reaches the pokeballs on his belt, taking two of them and preparing to fight. "If a fight you want, a fight you'll have!" Says while challenging them both. The ghost of Misty's words, telling him how much of a bad trainer he is, still haunts his mind, but he can't afford to be depressed right now. "If I don't fight…"
"You will lose everything you have." The hooded girl appears through the door, as if echoing Yellow's words.
Somewhere else, a trainer with a red cap and coat is talking to Yellow. It is a frozen mountain, with the two of them at the top of it.
"If he can't win this, he will die. Are you ok with that, Red?" Declares the blonde.
"…" A silent answer is what she receives.
To be continued…