Broken Hearts
A Pokémon FanFic
By Destiny & Fate United
Disclaimer: I do not own and do not claim to own any of the characters or Pokémon that belong the Pokémon franchise.
Chapter II: Viridian Forest
The person collapsed onto the ground as Pidgeot landed gracefully into the open area, its majestic wings folding as the bird scanned the area. Misty jumped, landing softly next to the wounded stranger. Looking around, the eyes of bugs scared her, but she couldn't care. Moving the hand of the stranger aside, a blood stained patch revealed itself. Her eyes widened. The ice was gone, but leaking continued slowly but efficiently, the dripping beginning to stain the grass around him.
Pulling her backpack off, she flung her hand into her bag. Fumbling around, her hands grasped something soft she knew would have to do. She pulled it out and began to strap up the strangers leg, making note to buy another shirt before she met up with Gary again. Tightening the bandage brought a grunt from the person, confirming Misty's thoughts; it was a boy.
The bleeding was easing as the stranger slowly sat himself up against the nearest tree, his face still hidden. Misty gently touched the head of the stranger, wanting to know more. He didn't move. Looking around, the stench of death reached her nostrils, something she had never thought possible, even in the Viridian Forest. The places were starting to decay all over Kanto; darkness seemed to rule as deaths populated the news daily.
She could remember the last news she had heard; a young boy and his mother had been found dead in their Celadon home, each baring an unrecognisable mark around their necks. Misty though was sure she had seen it before. It had been years ago, but she was sure it was the same one which had killed her parents.
The boy coughed as the slightest movement caused him to groan in agony. As her curiosity returned, she slowly began to remove the cloak covering the stranger's face, laying it onto the ground beside her. Delicately, she removed it, noticing the stranger's lack of protest or argument. As the last of the cloak covering his head fell to the ground, Misty's eyes widened in shock. Sitting before her was a young male, his black hair now longer than ever and a smug look plastered onto his face, one Misty knew all too well. Whistling, a small yellow mouse Pokémon jumped onto his shoulder.
Misty sat dazed. He winced slightly at the wound as she stood up and walked around. Finally, she turned to him.
"HOW DARE YOU SCARE ME LIKE THAT ASH!" she yelled, punching him strongly in the arm.
Pikachu ran and hid with Pidgeot as Ash simply watched on, the wound still too tender for him to move. Heart pounding, Misty tried to hit him again, deciding that this was her best way of extracting some revenge. Before she could hit his arm, Ash grabbed her arm and held her. She froze; some small part of heart seemed to jump for joy as he leaned towards her ear.
"Sorry Misty," he whispered to her.
A small jab from a needle made her wince as she fell, her eyes spinning as Ash held her tightly, not allowing her to fall…
BH
His eyes hurt, but it was worth it. If he hadn't gotten there in time, he dreaded to think of what could have happened. Watching her asleep, Ash felt a pang of regret. He shouldn't have used the needle, but knowing her, Misty would have fought against it anyway. He looked away, restraining himself from shedding what remained of his emotions. Misty deserved better….
The simple matter still remained in front of him, but for once in his life, Ash Ketchum was not nervous, but terrified. He had to face up to something he knew would haunt him forever, something that had nearly shattered everything in his once peaceful life. Misty was an obstacle that had held him back for years now, leaving him torn in two.
A door opened behind him. He turned as a brown haired girl walked in, covered from neck to toe in black covert gear. The girl smiled at him; Ash turned his attention to the red haired girl sleeping, ignoring the new girl's presence. She quietly stood beside him, her eyes watching the sleeping girl intently.
"I'm surprised you found her so quickly Ash," she said calmly, trying in all vain to avoid jealously from creeping into her voice.
"So am I May. Better to have got her now then later anyway."
She nodded, and turned to leave. "Remember Ash, you still owe me one," she said slyly as she left.
He shut his eyes. Great; she remembered after all of that. It was bad enough she had caused this all to happen, but to have her playing out her dreams in front of him was becoming too much. But apart from her, there really was no one else here he could relate to or even talk to. He could not trust anyone; he was, as they say, a lone wolf. A tag though he desired to be free from. He continued to gaze at her, his mind focused on playing tricks without his aid...damn imagination...
BH
A piercing headache, one which seemed to be similar to a rather large night of drinking greeted her as Misty slowly opened her eyes, hoping that by sitting up she would be able to see better. Rubbing her eyes, she felt her arm where the needle had pierced. It felt like hours ago. Scanning around the room, she noticed Ash. As the events from hours ago flooded through her head in a seemingly endless slide-show, her anger grew. Ash though sat passively, his eyes not meeting hers. Trying hard to, Misty kicked him, hoping he would respond. When he did not, she curled into a ball and looked around.
A pale white room surrounded them, Ash sitting awkwardly on the only chair in the room. Her bed though was surprisingly soft, as too were her pillows. The blanket that covered her was also a pale white, matching the room. Although it had nothing on the comfort only her bed could provide, she had to admit that this bed was not overly cheap. However, the designer of the room, she admitted, did need to be shot; the drug was making it almost impossible to make out the walls surrounding her. Shaking her head, Misty watched him intently, waiting for him to speak.
After what felt like days, he spoke.
"How's the head?"
Instinctively, she touched it. Slightly sore, she moved it slightly; her vision became hazy. Shaking once more, she looked at him.
"Still wearing off I guess. Still, it's better to be safe than sorry," Ash mumbled.
Silence again descended onto them. All the things left unsaid seemed to be eating away at them. For once, she wished Ash could open up, but that was too much to expect she supposed. He was after Ash Ketchum; which meant he was almost oblivious to the feelings of girls around him. Sighing, she held her nerve as the silence seemed to choke the air around them. She waited, but could not hold it in anymore; the question was burning in her heart.
"Where am I?"
Ash finally met her piercing green-blue eyes.
"You're with the resistance now."
"The resistance; are you apart of it?" she exclaimed.
"Not really. I'm only a fringe figure here, a ghost if you like."
"Wait a minute...what is the resistance? I've never heard of them, except from the odd new bulletin," she whispered, afraid she had said too much already.
"Well, it is not much of a resistance if you ask me; I have fought Gym trainers who were more capable and able in fighting. However, they are the only pocket of people in the world who oppose the system in place," he shrugged, leaning back as she leaned forward.
"And you are a part of it?"
"Like I said, I am more of a ghost here; they only miss me when they cannot fight the battles themselves."
Mussing over it, she noticed he no longer wore the cloak, but only wore black trousers, with a dark vest the only thing covering the top part of his body. Images flashed and danced around in her mind; this was not the time as her cheeks began to flush red.
"So, is there anyone else here?"
Curious, Ash sat forward; the smell of his aroma flooded her nostrils. Misty could feel her heart beat; it screamed in desire to hold him, to be a part of him, to be one with him.
"Yeah, there is a couple. The ones you would know are Dawn and May. Dawn follows the same rules I do here; here today, gone tomorrow, which is fine by me. May however," he said bitterly, "is a part of the resistance. She has been since the start. It's rather complicated."
Standing up, Ash walked to the window tainted black. Leaning against it, he hid his face from Misty, knowing she would only buy the story for so long. Coughing, Misty tried to stand up. Thinking against actually standing, she placed herself onto the chair, feeling better the instant she sat down.
"Why didn't you tell me? Two years and you suddenly appear out of the blue?" she asked softly.
Ash did not move. The words hung themselves around his neck, awaiting the response which seemed to have been two years in the making. Finally, he lowered his head, almost in remorse. Misty watched on; this was not the Ash of two years ago. This one had changed beyond her recognition, morphed and formed a new identity and life without her.
"I couldn't do it; it was for your safety own Misty. Believe me; I wanted to tell you and Brock about it all. Every day I wanted to write, but I couldn't. You don't understand; they are everywhere. All the discoveries, all the triumphs, I wanted to show you, and Brock, and Professor…"
He continued to look down. A small, innocent, delicate tear slowly slid down his cheek. She now knew; everything hurt more than before. The world was changing, and Ash was caught in the middle of it.
"You still miss them don't you?"
He nodded. "It's not fair."
"It wasn't your fault Ash."
His fists tightened, his knuckles turning white. Misty moved back slightly, wishing she hadn't brought the subject up.
"What do you know? Had I been there I could have saved them," he spat.
"Ash, you can't do this to yourself; you are only going to hurt more. Give it up."
Turning to face her, Misty felt fear like never before. No longer sweet and caring, a monster with red flaming eyes glared at her, the muscles twitching in excitement at the prospect of an easy fight. Seeing his reflection in her eyes, Ash stopped. Composing himself, Ash headed for the door.
"When you're ready, come and see me. Your Pokémon," he said as the door opened, "Are on the table out here."
With that, the door shut, leaving her alone with her thoughts. He had indeed changed, but he could still be the Ash she loved...no. She was not going to go back there again. Her heart could not take it one more time. She was finally going to move on. Once her questions were answered, she would leave, leaving Ash to toil in his misery.
And yet, she was really alive, seeing him safe and well. His eyes had not changed, and had not lost their control over her. Her heart felt like liquid as she lay down on the bed again. He was Ash, and even if she would not admit it, her heart was jumping for joy; she loved him. How it was possible Misty could not tell, but she was happy, despite the drug still causing her to feel nauseous.
Moments ticked by as sleep seemed too long for its beginning. Perhaps she would take him up on the offer, once the drug was finished. She did after all have time, and she needed the answers to the thousands of questions still yet to be answered.
BH
Author note: Thanks to all you have read this story so far, please feel free to review. It does help to know how people respond towards the story. Just a side note, Essences of Life was meant to be the continuation of this story, but as people have wanted this one to continue, the content from the previous one is now on this story. It is the same story; this one was only meant to be a set up for Essences of Life. But, now it does not matter, the story shall go on. Until then, have fun!