Hello! I'm back (again) with more! I know a lot of you are looking forward to this chapter, so I'll just cut to the chase. Responses to reviews:
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The featured story for this chapter is Becoming the Master by CaptainPrice. "It's been over a month since Ash Ketchum completed his journey in the Sinnoh region after losing to Tobias in the Lily of the Valley Conference. This has led to him questioning his strength and skill as a trainer and now he's not sure what he should do next. However, he receives a letter that may just be his answer to reaching his goal." The fact that this exists purely as a means of correcting the B&W anime means it deserves to be read by all of you.
~ "Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers, and let them go their own way." ~
- Swami Vivekananda
~M
I sat in a lawn chair, staring up at his window.
I wasn't being lazy or anything. No, every bone in my body ached to help him. My blood was lit by the fires of desire and determination. I was just biding my time.
I had done some careful thinking, and had come to the conclusion that sneaking over to Ash's house now, in broad daylight, was too risky. Someone - anyone - could catch me.
And I couldn't risk being caught.
If I was to go over there, if I was to help him as I so desperately wanted to, then nobody could know. Not even my parents, whom I had trusted with every little secret of mine since I came to understand what secrets even were. No, this was not something for an adult to handle.
This was something for me to handle.
The sun was setting now, tinting the cloudless sky an attractive hue of pink and orange. I found myself staring at it, my eyes watering under its intense glare. How could something so beautiful, so picturesque, exist in the same vicinity as something so dark and so spiteful?
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw it again. I saw Ash, the only boy I'd ever actually cared about apart from my dad, lying on the ground. I saw his father, standing above him with a reddened fist raised. His father. The man who had duped an entire community into believing he was a caring, innocent, honest man. The fact that I had been lied to in such a way, after all my family had done for him, burned in my chest.
Just a little. More. Time.
I just needed until dark. Then, my plan could begin. I wasn't someone who was used to being sneaky and deceitful - my parents had raised me not to be -, so I found it rather difficult to concoct a good enough plan to justify what I had seen.
I obviously couldn't just rip him out of his home and whisk him away to a better life. As much as I wanted to free him from his father's iron grip, I couldn't. Even though I was soon to be a senior, I was still a young individual. I didn't have the ability to take off with someone just like that.
So, I'd care for him instead.
I'd go over there and show him that I truly, truly cared. I knew he didn't quite fully believe that I was on his side. He was starting to, but he wasn't fully. He didn't trust me yet. And seeing the home life he had, I understood why.
So, I'd show him. I'd prove to him once and for all that he had someone to lean on when he needed it. I'd show him that he didn't have to tiptoe around me anymore. If he needed me, I'd be there. What kind of a friend would I be if I wouldn't do such things, especially for someone like him?
Eventually, it was time. I looked away from his window for one moment, noticing that the living room light was on. I could see the silhouette of my parents inside, watching T.V.
They were distracted. Perfect.
As I snuck over to our shed, I felt like a total delinquent. I'd always condemned children who acted out against their parents by sneaking out and doing bad things. Especially teenaged girls who snuck out to see boys.
And yet here I was, acting out against my parents and sneaking out to see some boy.
Granted, I wasn't going off to see him for romantic reasons. It wasn't like I was going to go over there and wind up pregnant because of it. Still, it left a knot in my stomach that refused to unwind.
Opening our shed as quietly as I could, I slipped inside. Fortunately, the ladder I'd need was right near the entrance, so that meant no stumbling around and possibly breaking my leg on one of Dad's stupid projects.
It took a lot more effort than I originally thought to drag the ladder out, shut the door, and then drag it over to the gate. I stuck to the fence, hoping it'd help me stay out of my parents' field of vision. I had an excuse ready in case I was caught, but it'd be all the simpler if I could just take care of the whole thing without them getting involved.
I pushed the ladder over the fence and went through the gate. I tried my best not to rip up the grass too much as I drug the ladder toward his window, knowing that I'd just be creating a mess he'd have to clean up.
Two upstairs lights were on- the one in Ash's bedroom, and the other in what I assumed to be his father's bedroom or office. The blinds on both were drawn shut. Probably to keep the neighbors from casually looking in on an abuse scene.
As I leaned the ladder against the house and started crawling up it, a thought occurred to me. What would I do if Ash's father was in the room? If he saw me, then he'd assume that Ash had invited me over, and that'd make an extraordinary amount of trouble. It was almost enough to make me stop and go back, but I pressed on. There was still the chance that he was alone. And, if that were the case, this trip would be worth it.
The ladder brought me up to nose-height with the windowsill. Ash's window was open about an inch, just enough to allow a breeze through. Daringly, I reached up and pushed open the blinds just a bit.
He was sitting at his desk, leaning over a piece of paper. His hair was a disheveled mess, and his left hand was covered with dried blood. I let out a small gasp.
It was now or never.
"Ash?" I called, my voice cracking.
He spun around faster than a cheetah, his eyes wild. My heart nearly stopped when I saw his bruised, swollen face. He jumped out of his chair, backing up quickly and stumbling over a bag on the floor. The shock melted off of his face, replaced by a look of anger.
He darted over to the window, thrusting the blinds aside and pushing the window high. "What the hell are you doing here?" he hissed. "Are you mad?"
I held his gaze, forcing myself to not be intimidated by it. "I saw what happened."
Realization flashed in his eyes, but he continued to play dumb. "It'd be nice of you to clarify, dearie."
Now it was my turn to snap, "Don't play dumb, Ash Ketchum. You know what I'm talking about. Now be a gentleman and help me up."
He didn't move. "Go home. You shouldn't be here."
I blinked, allowing a small smile to curl my lips. "Like that's gonna happen." Grabbing the windowsill, I began to lift myself up.
He watched me rather coldly for several moments. I was almost at stomach-level with the sill when a strong hand grabbed my wrist and hauled me the rest of the way through.
The hand let me go, and I landed rather unceremoniously in a pile of dirty clothes. I quickly got up, not wanting to be caught sitting on Ash's dirty underwear.
He folded his arms. "Alright. You're in. Now tell me what you want."
"To help you."
His face went slack for a moment, then hardened again. "Help? Haven't you done enough of that lately?"
His comment stung, but I held tough. "That was before I knew the truth. You can't keep facing this alone, Ash. It'll kill you."
It took him a bit to respond. I could see the inner workings of his mind twisting and turning, processing thoughts only he was meant to see.
"I've done it for eleven years. I can do it for two more."
I reached out to touch him, and he jerked away. I froze, only for him to mutter, "Sorry."
I pursed my lips. "Ash, this is what I mean. You can't finish growing up without someone to do it with. You can't go out into the real world thinking you have no one. That'll destroy you faster than any-"
"Don't you think I know that?" he burst out suddenly. "I can't have friends! He won't let me! Every time I so much as look at someone, it comes back to bite me in the form of-of punches and kicks and-and I just can't!"
He whirled away from me, walking briskly towards the opposite side of the room. His head was down, his arms held tight to his body. I started toward him, but stopped when he spoke.
"You should leave... before he hurts you."
His words were so hollow, so vulnerable. I felt chills go up my spine, making the warm night outside seem suddenly miles away.
I swallowed hard, resisting the lump that was forming in my throat. "Ash..."
I took but a single step before something hard smashed against the door. The loud, drunken voice of Mr. Ketchum slammed through the wood, making my heart stop.
"Ash! What the fuck is going on in there!? Ash!"
The pure look of terror on the young man's face made my heart crack. "Nothing, Dad!"
"'Nothing' my fuckin' ass! Open this door! Now!" His fists slammed against the wood again, the impact so forceful I was sure the thing was just gonna come crashing to the ground.
I was so transfixed on the horror that was Ash's father that I didn't notice Ash himself come up beside me. He grabbed my shoulders and threw me down. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him motion toward his bed.
"I said open the fucking door god damn it!" Bang bang bang bang!
"Get under the bed," Ash hissed. I did as he told me to, sliding under just as he opened the door.
Ash's father stormed into the room, his giant bare feet slamming against the floor with such force it shook the entire house. I heard the sound of skin against skin and a cry.
"Don't you ever go makin' that much fuckin' noise ever again, you useless piece of shit!" The man snarled. "I don't care if you're fucking bleeding to death on this fucking carpet! When I say it's quiet time, I fucking mean it! Understand?"
I heard Ash mumble a "yes, sir".
"Good!" his father replied, his voice so loud it was making my ears ring. "Now seeing as you clearly can't be trusted to stay up and be quiet, you can go to fucking bed! And I swear to the great Lord above, if I hear one more sound outta you, oh-ho we're gonna have some problems." His voice twisted into a gnarly, raspy growl at the end of that sentence. "Some huge fucking problems."
As the door slammed shut, I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding. From under the bed, I saw Ash's feet tip back as he fell onto his pile of clothes, the back of his head hitting the wall with a thud.
I crawled out from my safe spot. For his sake, I resisted a gasp when I saw the red mark on his face from where his father had slapped him.
He shook his head slowly, his eyes focused on some faraway place. "Oh my God... Oh my God..." he whispered, again and again.
Seeing him like that made my heart swell with a newfound anger. I launched forward, grabbing his wrist. That action seemed to jerk him back into the real world, as he ripped his wrist free from my grasp and jumped to his feet.
"Don't tell anyone about this," he said quickly, his eyes lit with fear. "If he finds out that the truth has leaked out... He'll kill me."
For once, the "he'll kill me" statement was no exaggeration. As much as I wanted to get Social Services in there to help him, I'd seen firsthand how good of an actor Ash's father was. They'd never believe the story, especially with it coming from two teenagers.
"I swear I won't tell anyone," I said, meaning it. "But you can't stay here, Ash."
"And where the hell am I supposed to go? I don't even know how to drive."
"I don't mean permanently. I mean right now." I extended my hand. "I can help you, if you'll let me. I... know a place."
He was hesitant. "How do I know you're not gonna take me to the cops or something?"
I looked him straight in the eye. "I won't. Trust me."
It was several moments before he accepted me, though he did not take my hand. "Okay."
I smiled. "Good."
Together, we crawled out the window, with him making sure to shut off the lights and close the blinds as we did. My heart began to pound as the two of us descended to ground level. I was doing it. I was actually sneaking out with him. Sure, it was for a good cause, but still, I was doing it... without my parents knowing.
I felt like such a rebel.
Once we were both down, we hid the ladder behind a long row of bushes lining the back of the house. We jumped the fence - Ash as usual leaving me to haul myself over - and headed off down the sidewalk.
Once we were out of the general vicinity of our two houses, we both let out sighs of relief.
Ash wiped his face with his hands, shaking his head. "I can't believe I'm actually doing this."
I laughed. "Yeah, neither can I. I'm proud of you."
He snorted. "Yeah, okay. No need to get mushy." He looked around a bit as we walked. "So where are we going, anyways?"
I smirked. "You'll see."
We were both quiet after that. It was nice, actually, to just walk with him. There was something about him that was just... comforting.
~A
Walking beside her was, dare I say it, comforting.
Thinking that thought made me feel like the wimpiest man in the world. I mean, what kind of man lets a woman's presence alone make him feel comfortable? It was supposed to be the other way around. A man was supposed to be strong.
And yet, here with her, I felt more relaxed than I had in a long time.
When I saw where she was taking me, the broadest smile crossed my pale face.
The park.
When she saw my reaction, she laughed. "Remember this, huh?"
"Of course I do. It's the spot where you annoyed the hell out of me for the first time."
She gave me a light shove. "Shut up."
The place was empty, save for a group of college-aged guys smoking weed down in the gazebo. We steered clear of them, instead choosing to sit down on a park bench near the pond. I sank down into the wooden seat, heaving a huge sigh.
There was a light breeze that rustled the leaves of a tree above us. Fish splashed in the water, oddly still awake at such a time. In the distance, a couple walked, hand in hand.
"This is nice," I commented.
Misty smiled, her hands delicately folded in her lap. "Isn't it? When my parents and I first moved here, I came here a lot. I guess I wanted to get away from the boxes and the foreignness of a new place. I made my first friend here." She chuckled. "She was the one who convinced me to talk to you."
I raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"
She was blushing slightly. "Yeah. I've always been shy around people I don't know."
I looked at her incredulousy. "Seriously?"
She laughed. "Seriously. You couldn't tell, that day I first met you? I was talking so fast and acting so hyper that I was sure it was obvious."
"I just thought you were one of those people. You know, the ones who try hard to be loved but who just end up driving people away with their constant prying and over-the-top helpfulness."
That earned me a light hit across the arm. "You know, Ash, you'd have more people interested in helping you if you'd quit being such a jackass."
I smirked. "Takes one to know one."
"Okay, now you're just doing it on purpose."
"Only for you." I leaned my head back, resting it against the back of the bench and gazing up at the starry sky. "But seriously... Everything you've done for me, no matter how you did it... is appreciated."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her turn to give me a look of shock. It made me smile, seeing how an act of kindness from me was so new to her that it was actually surprising.
"Don't even," I warned her, half-joking. "I know, I know. 'Ash said something nice?'. But I mean it. No one has ever tried to help me like that, especially without knowing the truth about my father."
It took her a few moments to respond, which was odd for her. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be," I scoffed. "It's not your fault my dad's the biggest ass on the planet."
"Ash... Can I ask you a question?"
I looked at her then. She looked hesitant, as if she were afraid that her next words would turn me into some kind of monster. I nodded. "Yeah."
Her fingers curled into her shorts, tugging at the fabric. She glanced nervously at the pond, and then back at me. "Your father... Has he always been like that?"
I stiffened. She jerked away from me immediately, launching into a frenzy. "I'm sorry! I just- I didn't mean to! I'm sorry!"
I raised a hand to run my fingers through my hair. "No, no. It's okay. Nobody's asked me something like that before, so it just... surprised me. That's all."
She looked at me cautiously. "Are you sure?"
I laughed. "Yeah. It's fine. Um..." My vision returned to the sky, which seemed to offer some sort of comfort. "My dad used to be... normal, if you could call it that. He was always a bit introverted, but he was a good dad. It was my mom, though, who I was closest to.
"My mom and I used to do everything together. Every day after work, she'd take me down to this little playground - it's gone now - and let me screw around there for ages. She'd pull out some book and read, occasionally stopping to praise me whenever I ran up to show her some rock or leaf I'd found. Sometimes, she'd even let me get ice cream there. Moose Tracks was my favorite. I'd always insist on getting a large, even though I'd always end up pawning the last scoop off on my mom."
I looked to see if Misty was listening. She was- rather intently to be honest. She nodded, silently telling me to go on.
"I have a lot of good memories from that time. I remember this one time when my whole family went to Niagara Falls. Of course, I was very young at the time, so I only remember bits and pieces. The part I remember most vividly was when we went to this part that went behind the Falls. We all took a family picture... It was the last one we ever took."
I took a deep, shaky breath. It had been years since I'd even thought about my mom as much as I was at that moment. I'd pushed her existence to the back of my mind in favor of numbness. I'd chosen numbness as a defense against my father, who otherwise would've driven me to the grave long ago.
"My mother died when I was five years old. I don't know how. I could find out. Nothing is really stopping me, in theory. However, I refuse to. If my father were to find out that I'd been digging for information, it'd be a disaster. He doesn't want me to know, and I'm forced to respect that. Hell, he didn't even tell me that she died. Just that she went away. Any time I tried to press him for more, he'd beat me. So... I just stopped trying. Gave up. Just like a coward."
"You're not a coward, Ash."
I laughed scornfully. "Oh really? I can't even stand up to my own father. Every time the thought even crosses my mind, it makes me seize up in fear. I can barely even utter the word 'father' without fear coursing up my spine. How does that make me anything but a coward?"
She went to reach out, but chose not to. "A coward would have let his father's abuse consume him long ago. A coward would have killed himself to escape."
"I almost did."
I saw her swallow hard. I knew the whole thing was making her uncomfortable, but I didn't try and do anything about it. She chose to get involved, anyway.
"But you didn't," she argued. "You're still here. You're still fighting. And now, you've got someone to help you. You've got someone who's willing to stand beside you, despite your situation. Me."
I turned my whole body to face her. "Why do you bother? What's so special about me? I'm just some shadow-faced kid too caught up in his own problems to care about anybody else's. Why pick me, of all people, to care about?"
She pursed her lips. "Ash, it's because of those things that I wanted to help you. You needed help more than anyone else. I think that's why I gravitated toward you originally. The first time I saw you, the look on your face was so sad and so pained I couldn't help but feel a desire to wipe it away. I promised myself that I'd do whatever it took to make you happy." She paused. "I guess not knowing if my efforts are paying off is making me want to try even more. I just want to see you happy. That's all."
I looked at her, long and hard. Here was a girl who, despite all of my efforts to push her away, had continuously pushed to make my life worth living. She'd put so much effort into helping someone she didn't even know. And when she did find out the truth, she didn't run away as others had. She only stood stronger. Pushed harder.
And she did it all for me.
Something inside me snapped at that point. The barrier I had erected, the one that kept me from truly feeling, broke. A surge of feelings, many of them foreign, spiraled through me in a crazy pattern of chills and butterflies. My confidence skyrocketing as a result of the sudden breakdown, I did what I never would have done without it.
I lurched forward, planting my lips against hers in a rather messy fashion. She made a noise that sounded a lot like a surprised squeal, but quickly relaxed against me. Despite my extreme inexperience in the kissing department, I found myself feeling quite comfortable in such a position.
I would have stayed like that forever, but unfortunately there existed a need for me to come up for air. So I pulled back, feeling the heat crawl up my cheeks as I did so.
She, too, was blushing, hard. She looked at me, stumbling over her words as she tried to find some sort of response to what had just happened. Her stuttering and stammering amused me, and as such I let it continue until she found it in her to form words again.
"Ash, I-"
"Shh," I silenced her. "You don't need to say anything."
And so we sat, staring at each other, both so lost in the moment a bomb could have gone off without us noticing. I was overwhelmed by feelings, just enough to perhaps dampen my usual sharpness, if only for a little while. The fact that she didn't try to back away, didn't try to protest, told me that the moment was meant to be stretched out and cherished. It was a pivotal moment, not just in our relationship, but in our lives. We had to hold on to it, for otherwise it would be lost.
And so we did.
And so it happens! The moment you've all been waiting for! I have to say, this is probably my favorite chapter. I just had so much fun writing this. More to come.
Until next time,
Anonymous1O1
