Chapter 3: Truthful Heart
Pallet Town, Kanto
"Will the accused please stand up?" The elderly judge called out in the quiet court house. A young man, probably only in his late teens, early twenties stands up with a solemn face. "Jury, have you reached a decision?"
"Yes your honor, we have." A tall tan man says from the booth off to the right.
"Will you please read your verdict?"
"In the case of eighteen year old Ash Ketchum, we the jury have found him…"
Four Hours Earlier
It was a cold day at Pallet Town Courthouse, a fresh layer of powdery snow had fallen in the night. It was a sober day for the own, for the trail of the town's favorite son was being put on trial for the murders of the famous Professor Oak and his assistant Tracey Sketchit. Both men were well known for being good friends with the young Ketchum; Samuel Oak was more of a grandfather to the boy as well. So it was a terrible surprise for the townsfolk to hear that Ash had been arrested at the scene of the event. While some thought he was totally innocent, there were still those who believed that he may have done it. Ash was well known for his 'all or nothing' attitude, which some thought could have led to the act.
As everyone took their seats, the judge slowly made his way to his elevated seat at the front of the court house. He was a gray haired with a small beard that still held the specs of black from his younger years. By his side was his trusty Machamp, also the court's security, stood watching, waiting for any trouble to arise.
"Well let's get this started" the old judge muttered. He slams his gavel down. "Order…" an abrupt silence comes over the room and its attendants. "Let the trial of Ash Ketchum begin. Machamp…" the tall four armed pokémon looks toward its owner. "Will you please bring in the accused?"
"Champ." The pokémon grunts as it walks toward the side door of the court room. Machamp opens the door and in steps a tan, tall young man with raven black hair. The cuffs around his wrist jingle as he walks toward the tables set in the front. "Champ Ma Machamp." The man takes a seat beside a man with red hair and a black suit on and a girl with lavender hair wearing blouse and skirt of the same color. The girl leans over and whispers into the defendant's ear causing him to blush a little, but not enough so that the whole room would notice.
"Will the accused please rise so that the court may recognize them?" the judge asked. The young man sitting in the chair stood up slowly. "Ash Ketchum, you are here today as to be judged by a jury of your peers. You are accused of the murders of two people. Do you have any questions?"
"No your honor, I do not have any questions." Ash somberly stated.
"Very well, let us start this hearing. Mr. Ketchum you may take your seat." Ash takes his seat and awaits the opening statements to begin. To the left of Ash's table a man in a black and white suit stands up.
"Members of the Jury, those present, and of course judge Whitestone welcome. I would like to first say that it is an honor to be here today and I hope that we can find the truth today about the horrible situation that occurred only a few weeks ago. I am here today to put an end to the start of killing spree of the man that sits at the other table. You will hear from my colleague that his client is innocent of the crimes that he is accused of but I beg you to listen to the facts and only the facts today. I will prove that the accused is guilt of his crimes against this town and with your help put him away for a long time." With that the man sat down with a grin on his face.
"Sigh… looks like the prosecution has made our job a little bit harder, but he has left a huge hole for arguments." Lance stood up slowly. He walks up in front of the jury box, looks every single one in the eye and takes a shallow breathe.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, members of the jury…" the old Kanto League Champion started "Judge Whitestone…" he nods to the elderly man in robes. "We are here today because a man has been wrongly accused of a hideous crime. A young man who grew up here, who has done a many great things that would make everyone here proud of him. Now my colleague over there is going to show you his form of the truth and I will try the same. I have known this young man since he started his second year as a trainer; he has saved my life several times, as well as all of your own. He was humble, never wanting any fame or fortune from his deeds, only taking the fact that he saved those who he felt he loved. That man is Pallet's own son, Ash Satoshi Ketchum."
"Will the defense please call their first witness please." The judge calls out toward Lance.
"The defense calls Ms. Misty Waterflower to the stand your honor." Lance says in a very somber tone. Through the large oak doors in the back strides a young, red headed woman. She wore a light blue dress with her hair in a short pony tail. She walks up to the podium right beside of the judge's seat.
"Miss, will you please place your hand on the book please." The judge asks Misty while Machamp holds a small book with black binding. "Misty Waterflower do you hereby swear that you will tell the whole truth and nothing else, if you do say I do."
"I do." The gym leader states. At this the prosecutor stands up and starts to walk toward the bench.
"Miss Waterflower will you please tell the jury what you do for a living."
"I'm the Cerulean gym leader."
"Now tells all how you know the accused."
"I met him when he first started his career as a trainer. I was fishing in a nearby river when my line caught hold of something, I start to reel in the catch but instead of a pokémon I find a ten year old kid holding onto a small pikachu."
"Now after that did you two do anything together?"
"Objection your honor the persecution is leading the witness on." Lance roared.
"Sustained, councilmen please change the question."
"I have no other questions your honor. Defense she's all yours"
"Miss Waterflower will you please tell us how the accused acted toward those he knew." Lance started with.
"Well to those who he loved and was friends with, he treated us as if we were family, but if you were to threaten one of us you would be in some trouble."
"Was this his normal attitude?"
"Yes, during my times traveling with him, he saved both me and our other traveling companion, Brock Stone, from a group of criminals called Team Rocket on multiple occasions. But during my time with him during his Orange Island time he save not just me but also many other people when he stopped a pokémon poacher from stealing Lugia, Articuno, Moltres, and Zapados at the Shamouti Islands…" a collective gasp is heard from the jury and audience "then again during our Jhoto journey, when he stopped a group of Unknown from covering the area in crystal."
"Thank you Miss Waterflower. That is all your honor."
"The witness my stand down." The judge says. Misty gets up and walks back toward the benches behind the wooden rail that separated the people gathered and those on trial.
"Prosecution, please call forth your witness." The judge calls gravely.
"The prosecution calls forth, Officer Jenney to the stand." The backdoors swing open to reveal a tall young woman in a blue uniform. She had blue hair that matched her uniform. She walks up to the stand.
"Miss Jenney please raise your hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?"
"I do." She said.
"Prosecution your witness." The judge says.
"Miss Jenney will you please state your relation to the case." The Prosecutioner asks.
"I was the first Officer on the scene." She answers back.
"And what did you do when you arrived?"
"I called for back-up and went around back to check for any signs of a break-in."
"So you look around, what do you do when your back-up arrives?"
"Myself and two other officers force entry into the building after there was no response to our calls."
"And after that?"
"We found the accused in the room that held the bodies of the dead. He was laying there with blood on his hands and cloths."
"What else did you find in that room?"
"We found a message. It looked as though it was written in blood."
"Your honor, members of the jury, I give you evidence one." The man pushes a button and a picture of the room and the bodies flashes up on the large flat screen TV. After a few seconds the message appears as well.
"After you found the accused, what did you do?"
"He read him his rights. After that we arrested him under the charges of murder."
"Thank you officer. That is all your honor."
"Defense your witness."
"Thank you your honor. Now Miss Jenney will you please tell us what you did after you arrived at the scene please."
"Already did sir."
"Well can you remind this old man just one more time."
"I called for back-up and searched for any forced entry."
"Did you find any sign of a forced entry?"
"No. All windows were closed and unbroken, the doors were all locked except the front door."
"So don't you find it weird that there was no signs of forced entry?"
"At the time no."
"And can you please tell me what was signed at the end of the message?"
"It was signed with the letters A.S.K."
"And what does that mean?"
"I don't know. The investigation squad worked with that sir. But I believed that it was the accused initials."
"But you weren't sure? There was no 100% proof of it being his initials. I mean that most murders wouldn't make it so easy to identify themselves like that."
"Objection, your honor he is leading the witness on!"
"Sustained."
"That is all your honor."
"Thank you Officer Jenney you may step down." The judge tells the woman "Defense call your next witness please."
"Your honor can I request a short recess please, our next witness is special and I need to ask you a few questions before we call them in." Lance asks the judge.
"Request granted, we'll return in fifteen minutes. Now Defense, Prosecution will you please join me in my office please." Those who had assembled to watch the hearing started to drift out the back doors, while Ash, Misty, Delia, and Annabel stayed in the court room talking silently.
In the judge's office Lance had to explain the next witness to the judge and the Prosecution.
"Your honor my next witness is not a human, they're a pokémon." Lance starts out.
"Wait, you can't have a pokémon on the stand, they can't even talk to us." Jackson Kile, the Prosecutor of the case, argued.
"Actually you can so long as there is either a psych, such as Sabrina from Straffon City or that pokémon is a psychic type. There was a case a few years ago, in Unoava, where a pokémon was the only witness to the crime and they had to have an Elite Four member come and translate for it. But my witness is a psychic type so there is no need for Sabrina to come here." Lance explain. "Also, I must warn you, my witness will be a bit stand offish due to their past."
"Okay Lance your witness can testify." The judge says. "Is there anything else you would like to say before we rejoin the court room?"
"Yes your honor, I request that you allow the witness to show the memories of the accused to the whole court room."
"Why is that?" Jackson asked.
"The accused asked for them to do so. That way the jury and the attendees would see what he has done and that he is not the villain here."
"Very well, your witness my do so but if anything happens to the jury I swear that I'll sentence both you and the accused to life in prison." The judge warns. "Now let's return to the court room, I believe that we have over stayed our fifteen minutes. Gentlemen please follow me."
The judge, Lance, and Jackson walked through the door behind the stand. Once they returned to their respective sides and seats, the judge rapped his gavel twice to signify the continuation of the case.
"Defense please call in your next witness." The judge says to Lance.
"The Defense calls Mewtwo to the stand your honor." Lance states. Everyone in the court room looks around, wondering who in the world was this 'Mewtwo'. A bright light flashes in the front of the stand, blinding everyone briefly before it dies down to reveal a purple, bipedal, cat-like being. It looks around and starts to float toward the seat behind the podium.
"Mister Mewtwo?" the judge asked.
"Yes, your honor?" came a deep masculine voice.
"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing else but the truth by which your swear." The judge asks, a bit shaken up from the tone of the pokémon.
"Yes, I swear to tell the truth."
"Thank you, Prosecution your witness."
A gulp was heard coming from the Mr. Kile as he stood. Mewtwo's eyes fixated on him as he walk toward the pokémon. "Now, Mister Mewtwo, can you please tell us who you are please."
"I'm a clone of the legendary pokémon Mew. I was created by the organization Team Rocket in an attempt gain a weapon. But I rebelled and got freed from them little over seven years ago."
"What is your relationship to the accused?"
"Mister Ketchum was the one who stopped my plains to create a pokémon clone army…" but before the pokémon could continue the prosecutor interrupts him.
"So you were originally going to attack the world with an army?"
"Yes but if you would let me continue I would have stated that he changed my mind and showed me that there are humans out there who could be trusted." The pokémon says. "He later found and saved me from Team Rocket, this was during his time in Jhoto. I latter met him again when he was traveling through Unoava."
"So do you know Mister Ketchum very well?"
"Objection." Lance called out.
"Sustained."
"Okay, so do you believe that Mister Ketchum would do something like murder if he wanted to?" Jackson asked.
"Objection." Lance called out again.
"No it's fine Mister Lance, I'll answer this worm's question." Mewtwo stated. "Mister Kile, I know for a fact that there is not a single evil bone within that young man's body, he has a pure heart and only uses violence when it is absolutely necessary."
"Damn…" Jackson mumble under his breathe. "No further questions your honor."
"Defense your witness."
"Thank you your honor." Lance says as he stands up. "Now will the jury and those in attendance please listen up. I'm going to ask Mewtwo to transplant the memories of my client into your minds. Judge I request that my client be allowed to the stand, so that my witness can have the required physical interaction." Lance indicates to Ash seating at the table.
"That's fine. Will the accused please join the witness at the stand." The judge said, while he waved Ash up to the stand so that the memory sharing could be done. Ash stood up and made his way toward the stand. "Now, Mister Ketchum, are you sure that you want to go through this?"
"Yes your Honor. I trust Mewtwo with my mental health and my life." Ash answers back. The judge nods his head for the psychic pokémon to go ahead a processed. Mewtwo slow lowers his hand on to Ash's head. Once they touch Mewtwo and Ash's eyes start to turn a light blue. The courtroom starts to grow eerily quiet as Ash's memories are shared with everyone in the room, just not the jury. It was a few minutes later that the light finally died down. Everyone in the room took in a collective breathe as they process the information that they had just seen.
"Your honor that is all I needed from my witness." Lance tells the older man.
"Mister Mewtwo, you may leave the stand." The judge tells the purple pokémon. Mewtwo just nods as he starts to hover toward the back of the room that was until an explosion occurs by the backdoors. Out of the smoke a large group of men in black and grey uniforms with a large red 'R' in the center of their shirts run through with guns held up, aimed at the gathered crowd. From behind the men steps out a large man with a black mask on, so that no one can see his face. He had a brown jacket and pants on. His hair was a brownish color, but there was the sign of age with the occasional streak of silver here or there.
"Ah I see that I have interrupted something, for that I am sorry. But I must take one of you with me…" he laughs "now Mewtwo will you please come with us quietly or do we have to do this the hard way?" he asks in a stern voice.
"I believe that you already on that answer. Now Giovanni will you please leave or will I have to force all of you to leave?"
"I'll leave, but first I need you to come with me. If you choose to resist I'll be forced to use some incentive." Giovanni says in a dark tone. He grabs a random person that was unlucky enough to be near him. "Now miss will you please come with me, I believe that mister Mewtwo will follow orders now." But the Team Rocket boss made a huge mistake. He had grabbed a hold of a good friend of Ash, seeing his friend in harm's way Ash, jumps out of his seat and charges at the group of Rockets. Two of the armed men point their weapons at him but they never get a chance to fire because a dark blue cloak started to spread over the boy. With the power boost from the sudden appearance of the mysterious cloak Ash seemingly disappears then reappears right in front of the two. Slamming his fist into the two, Ash sent them through the wooden benches that stood behind them.
"What the fuck was that?" one of the Rockets asks Giovanni.
"I don't know but we are leaving now!" the Rocket leader orders as they run out the door. But the last two weren't fast enough. Ash grabbed the two by the neck and threw them back into the building, which was followed by a sickening crunch. Ash dashes after the retreating Rocket grunts and their leader, giving out a roar that would put an Entei to shame. The group of Rockets looks behind them to find Ash just a few feet away.
"I recommend that you put her down now." Ash said in a deep demonic tone. His eyes turn a deep red with a blue outline. His hair grows out to where it's just above the bottom of his shoes. Ash raises his hand and a small sphere starts to form.
"What are you… you're not an Aura Guardian…?" Giovanni asks Ash.
"I'm your worst nightmare. Now let the girl go." Ash answers back slowly and calmly, while at the same time the ball of blue energy expands. "You have three seconds to do as I told you, or else." Ash's demonic voice commanded sending a slight chill down everyone's spines, whether they are a Rocket or innocent bystanders.
"Giovanni you might want to do as he tells you." Mewtwo says from behind Ash.
"Fine, here's your girl, boy. You better hope that I never see you while you're alone or you might come up missing." Giovanni hisses as he lets the girl go. She runs toward Ash as fast as her feet could carry her. When she reaches Ash looks at her just to make sure that she was alright.
"Sabrina are you okay?" Ash asks in a soothing voice.
"Yyyy…eeee…ssss." The psychic gym leader stammered.
"Good, now can we please get back to my trial?" Ash asked the crowd behind him. Most just stood there for a few seconds until they final started to move toward the court house, leaving just Ash, Mewtwo, and the remaining Rockets outside in a stare off. "Giovanni I recommend that you leave now, I'm really not in the mood to deal with you anymore." Ash turns around and starts his way back into the building. But before he made it to the doors he dropped to the ground, out cold from the strain of the mysterious cloak. Mewtwo just hovered over to him and picked him up.
"Giovanni, I hope you stay away from this boy, but if you don't you'll be getting hurt bad. I was restraining him this time, but you won't get luck the next time."
It was another hour before Ash woke back up and was able to walk up to the stand waiting for the jury's decision
Present time
"In the case of eighteen year old Ash Ketchum, we the jury have found him…" the jury member started. "Not Guilty your honor." With those words the court room exploded in a cheer.
**That's it folk chapter three is finally done. The pole for Ash's harem will close at the end of the month. After that I'll have a poll for his new Aura powers.**
