A/N: I'm back. ^^

Thank you very much for the reviews, Sailor Taichichi Vegeta and Kaytlyn Hue, it made me really happy that you enjoyed reading this story. So, this is the sequel. ;)

Curiously enough, while writing this I was listening to Night of the Hunter (by 30 Seconds to Mars) and it somehow fit quite well with Ghetsis. XD

This time it will be a bit different, we can see a short glimpse of what happened to Ghetsis before Hilda rescued him.

Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak

Chapter 3 – Memories

Useless.

That single word was the only thing left in his mind that day and for a moment amid his feverish state he actually feared it was going to be the last one too.

He waited. How long exactly he couldn't say, those were long and restless days as he just stared at his own reflection on the ice that covered the cave. A crack on the wall revealed the spot where he lashed out his anger once, something in his left hand also made a sickening cracking sound after that episode but he did not care.

Everything seemed to anger him.

Sometimes he caught himself cursing his own fate as the memories haunted him ever since, the foolish boy he had raised and the young trainer that defied him in that decisive battle at the top of his castle. But, above all that, what he despised the most was himself.

What he expected to do at that place was also a mystery to him. He tried to gather his former team back again, still few believed him. Tales of a third dragon, the empty shell left behind when Zekrom and Reshiram were split, gave him hope that maybe he could rise again.

Once he found an old acquaintance that shared a thirst for knowledge even greater than his own and for a year or so, they worked together in a common goal: find, capture and control Kyurem. Everything seemed to be according to his plans, until that fateful day when the scientist simply announced he found a much proper subject for his research.

They had quite an argument but the man was adamant. And so, Ghetsis found himself back to where he started. He was on his own again.

The memory of how he ended up there at the entrance of the ominous cave at the Giant Chasm was a blurry sequence of events that he could not quite remember properly. Though he knew something was wrong with him, for quite some time he could feel an insistent pain in his chest. He wondered more than once if he was really losing his sanity as he waited in silence. Later he found himself laughing at his own situation.

He did not care anymore.

Then, on one particularly cold night a fearsome snowstorm raged outside the cave. The loud sound of the wind and the freezing temperature woke him from a rather restless sleep. A chill run down his spine. As he opened his eyes, he saw that he was not alone anymore.

The monstrous dragon stared back at him in the dark. Its yellowy eyes were blank and ominous. Ghetsis at first thought he might be hallucinating at some point; he slowly got up and faced Kyurem. The thunderous roar of the pokemon proved that he was quite real.

So, he was not wrong after all. Kyurem was real.

"At last we meet." He greeted the dragon with a slight smirk on his face. "Kyurem."

As if in response, the dragon closed the distance between them, each heavy step made Ghetsis heart beat faster. He wished his Hydreigon were still there with him. Danger was something he was used to, though this was the first time in his life he was completely alone. Almost defenseless. He hated to admit it, that perspective scared him.

"You hide your presence from everything, in the dark, waiting for someone foolish enough to venture in here and yet brave enough to fill your missing half. A hollow shell of something far too powerful and that now is lost to the ages and legends." Ghetsis added while extending his right hand until it touched Kyurem's jaw. Despite the state of his damaged arm, he could still feel the ice cold skin beneath his hand. He laughed a bit. "How ironic. Now I can relate to that feeling."

They stayed like that for a few seconds, the pokemon stood so still it barely seemed to breathe.

"What would you do to the man who dared to control both Truth and Ideals and failed miserably at it?" he thought while closing his eyes. "Punish him for his mistakes or give his hope back?"

As if reacting to his thoughts, the pokemon moved suddenly. It happened all too fast. The dragon reared its head and roared with force enough to shatter the ice closest to them. Ghetsis stepped back but as soon as he moved, he saw the oncoming attack. Opening its jaws, Kyurem charged his Glaciate.

Stumbling backwards, Ghetsis fell on the ground, evading the full impact of the attack. Yet, he felt a strange pain creeping up his right arm. Blinking to regain his focus, he took a quick glance at it and gasped at the sight. Apparently his arm was caught in the blast as it now was covered with a thin layer of ice, his already scarred skin underneath it looked strangely bluish now.

He didn't have enough time to measure the damage or even think properly as the pokemon quickly stomped its way until it reached him. Its eyes glowing even more in the dark now.

In a desperate attempt to defend himself, Ghetsis tried to hold the gaping jaws of the dragon away from him with his good arm. He was strong but it was almost useless against the sheer force of a legendary dragon.

The monster dragged him around, as the man kicked and twisted to free himself from its grasp.

Tired of tossing him around, Kyurem let out an impatient cry and launched what looked his Outrage attack. Ghetsis barely got up when he was hit squarely on the chest with the scorching blast. Both his feet left the ground as the wave launched him away. He felt the air leaving his lungs as he crashed on the closest wall of the cave, the impact alone almost knocked him unconscious. The rocky surface tore through his clothes and dug into his skin as he slid to the ground.

It took him a few seconds to realize he was still breathing, though every fiber of his body seemed to ache. Ghetsis coughed and immediately felt a terrible pain shot through his ribs and there was blood in his mouth. The loud ringing sound in his ears disoriented him a bit but he tried to open his eyes again. At least the impact broke the ice that almost froze his arm, yet he suspected it wasn't the only thing broken as he tried to move.

Fighting to stay conscious, he almost didn't notice the dragon approaching. It towered over him ever so silent and yet the pokemon emanated a fury that seemed to chill the air around them even more. Ghetsis was shaking, with fear, cold or pain, he could not tell.

So that was going to be his fate? Lying there broken and forgotten where no one would even dare to look for him, haunted by past mistakes until the very end?

"Useless." He said out loud as he coughed. Something warm slid across his cheek. And again. Was he… crying?

Those few seconds seemed to last an eternity as the dragon just stood there, staring intently at him. But the final strike never came. Even in that dire situation, it intrigued him that Kyurem hesitated to move now.

Then, it retreated, slowly at first but with determined steps. The last thing he saw was that pair of glowing eyes disappearing in the dark with a final roar.

Trying to steady his breathing and frenzied heart, Ghetsis ventured to look at the damage. His back was burning and so did his chest. Moving around caused an agony that he never felt in his life. Worse yet, he couldn't feel his right arm anymore.

Panic and fear started to sink in. He was alive, though it still eluded him why the legendary dragon left. However, it became quite clear to him that he was not going anywhere on his own. A few more tears insisted on trailing down his face. He let them fall.


The sound of a voice startled him awake. For a moment he thought it was his mind playing tricks on him. Just the effort to open his eyes seemed to hurt. Something moved around, he could see a faint light not very far from him.

It was only when she walked closer to him that he was able to recognize the girl. That face was one that haunted him for quite some time, always remembering of his failures. How did she manage to find him there?

At first, his anger got the best of him. He remembered trying to scare her away though something in his mind wanted to kick himself for being so foolish.

"Stop that nonsense, you're hurting her!" The thought crossed his mind when he suddenly realized what exactly he was doing to her arm. For a moment, he was glad that she paid no mind to his threats. He desperately needed help though his pride kept him from admitting it. "What was her name?" he thought again while trying to sort out his memories as he felt more lethargic as time passed.

Ashamed for his erratic behavior, Ghetsis found the strength to swallow his stupid pride. For 3 years he searched for a meaning to his sorry life and now it seemed that he was given a chance to live after all. With the few forces that remained in him, he stared into her worried blue eyes. There was no doubt in those eyes. His vision started to fade as his body finally gave in. He made many mistakes in his life, more than he could count, but this time he was going to trust her and hope.

Hope that for once he did the right thing.

A/N: Poor Ghetsis.

Next chapter we will see how Hilda manages to tame a rather cranky Sage and a new friend arrives to the party. XD

See you there. =D