Disclaimer: Pokémon is not mine.
Key:
- Dream State - , Flashback , ' thoughts ', " Dialogue "
Rating: T
Author's Note: I deleted the previous chapter 8 because it was crap, and you all know it was.
--
"Oh no you don't, you little hussy." Muttered a nearby female voice. Giselle was torn from Ash, a light violet aura surrounding her body as she floated in the air.
The brunette was stunned and unable to recover thanks to the field of psychic energy forcing her to keep riveted in the moment. Meanwhile, Ash lay on the ground, unaffected by the energy, but unmoving from his place nonetheless. The green tint remained in his eyes, fueled by the medallion now in Giselle's hands.
A woman with waist-length black hair strode up to his side, her Alakazam keeping Giselle frozen in time with it's abilities. She knelt beside him, and his green-brown eyes followed her.
"Get ahold over yourself Ash" the woman muttered and touched his forehead with a pale hand.
After a moment the green left his eyes and he stared at her. "What... just happened?" He stammered, struggling to regain his bearings. That void that had snatched him receded and allowed him to become himself again.
The woman sat back on her heels. "Oh nothing much... but we have to get you out of here before she breaks free of my Alakazam's hold."
Ash turned to look, staring at the half-dressed Giselle until the moment before came rushing back. He staggered backwards and up onto his feet, his face rapidly turning tomato red. "I... I almost..."
"Hush, it's alright now" the woman interrupted, taking him by the shoulder and leading him firmly away until he relaxed a little. He dared to glance at his savior, noting the wave of familiarity that swept through him at the sight of her violet eyes.
"Do I... know you?" he asked curiously.
"Introductions will have to come later Ash." she replied, pointing to the violet bubble. As he watched, the small green glow that had been eminating from the pendant began to grow in size. "We have to get out of here before she breaks free." the violet-eyed woman explained, then without waisting a second more, she took his hand and turned on the spot. Ash felt his body being torn from existance, the scene before him disappearing as though it had never been.
Stumbling, he found himself alive and well only a second later. With a single glance he knew he wasn't in the forest near Pewter anymore. There was a gym nearest to where he stood, and not too far away a dojo. The large city was filled both with skyscrapers and small houses.
"Where... are we?" he asked the woman who took her hand from his.
She smiled, "Saffron City. You'll be safe here for now... she can't find you as long as you're under my protection."
He looked at her curiously now, "How... did we get here? And, who are you?"
A friendly twinkle of laughter shined in her violet eyes and she just shook her head. "But Ash... you know who I am."
"No, I..." and as odd as it was, suddenly he did. The memory broke free of its binding with her aid. "Sabrina!" he blurted in amazement.
The grin grew wider on her pale features as she curtsied mockingly, "Indeed, and now I believe... you will stop asking me time-wasting questions. Come lets get inside the gym where we will be protected from discovery."
----
"So... you've obviously mastered your psychic powers now right?" Ash asked as he sipped some hot chocolate, prepared to perfection by the machine nearby.
Sabrina smiled, "I still only see small visions of the future. It's such a fickle thing... the future, but I suppose things are more set in stone when they involve you, oh chosen one."
Ash scoffed, "Chosen one? That was years ago... what makes you think I'm still the figure in that prophecy now?"
Sabrina laughed, "I think that as long as you remain courageous, brave, and completely selfless as you always have been before, you will remain the chosen one till the end of your days."
Ash blinked in surprize, "Wow... that's some responsibility!"
Sabrina shrugged, "Destiny wishes for few things in this world... but your safety is one of them."
"Destiny?" Ash questioned.
"Well... it has many names. Destiny, fate... but the point is that she came to me herself... in a vision of sorts... and informed me that I was going to be aiding the chosen one." Sabrina explained.
"Destiny... is a she?" Ash asked, even more confused.
"It would appear so. But anyway... we're getting off track here. You are in need of memories." Sabrina fished around in a drawer and pulled out a familiar blue-threaded invitation.
"Where did you get that?" Ash asked in surprise, recognizing the card immediately from his most recent memories.
"I was invited too" she replied, looking a bit hurt at his surprise.
"Oh... of course you were." Ash ammended, flushing with embarrassment.
Sabrina waved airily "Well, there was no way for you to know that Gary was planning to make this a huge production. He invited all the Elite and gym members from all over the four countries of Kanto, Johto, Hoenn and Sinnoh. He even invited the leaders from the Orange Islands!"
"Wow" Ash replied, trying to count in his head just how many people that would be.
Sabrina handed him the invitation, interrupting his thoughts. "You don't have the time to be lost in thought right now. No offense. With your memories locked the way they are, it's very difficult for me to free any of them, and entirely impossible for me to free the ones that you need."
"There are memories I need?" Ash asked, taking the invitation and flipping it over to glance at the picture on the back again.
Sabrina looked at it as well over his shoulder. He was surprised to find sadness in the depths of her violet eyes, dispite her attempt at remaining aloof.
"Sabrina?"
She reached forward and opened the card for him, the power in the image fading as soon as he could no longer see it. Ash's eyes roamed over the calligraphic script.
On one side it said:
Saturday, April 2nd there will be a ball in honor of the couple-to-be.
And on the following page...
Sunday, June 21st will be the wedding to bind Gary Oak and Misty Waterflower in holy matrimony.
"Mist... y." Ash released the breath he had not realized he was holding. That name... the image of the woman on the back cover swam in his mind and he nearly fell out of his chair as his entire body reeled in an onslaught of emotions he couldn't even begin to comprehend.
Sabrina's eyes glowed with an eerie violet light. "Come on Ash... you can do this."
----
*"You owe me a new bike Ash Ketchum!"
...
*"You're a lucky guy Ash."
...
*"Gary can stay as the champion... there's still a big world for me to see and learn from."
...
*"Ash... it... it's beautiful."
...
*"I can't help feeling like... I've missed out on something important."
...
*"Ash, I'm getting married." Gary finally admitted, blushing softly with pride.
...
Ash swam in his thoughts, nothing made any sense, he saw himself and one strange person he didn't recognize after another flitting across his mind. He felt a wave of emotions, beginning with the uncertainty of youth, to the joy of growth, to the desperation of loss.
...
"Ash... go home already." Dawn said, her blue hair hanging in disarray from the length of the argument they'd been having.
"Dawn, this conversation is over. Do not bring up this subject again." Ash replied coldly.
...
Pain, he felt pain. It overwhelmed him and shut off all of his other senses.
"No Ash!" Spoke a female voice. "Stop it! Get over yourself already!"
But it was no use, the two of them tumbled out of his mind. Ash found himself on his knees, hot tears streaming down his face. Sabrina looked haggard and went to find a cold pack for her head.
----
"Well... it seems you are as much to blame as that darn medallion for the lock on your memories." Sabrina said bitingly from her chair as an assistant held the ice to her throbbing head.
Ash sat across from her, looking lost. "I'm sorry Sabrina... I didn't mean to give you a headache. What happened anyway?"
"I tried to get you to unlock your memories... but you threw me out." Sabrina muttered.
"I... threw you out? Of my mind? How did I do that?" Ash asked, perplexed.
"You overwhelmed me with your emotions. You've got quite a bit of despair knotted up in there."
"Despair? No wonder I was crying..." Ash muttered, fingering the drying wetness on his cheeks.
"There's no way I'm going back in there. No matter what destiny says. This whole problem is going to have to be yours to solve." Sabrina informed him.
"How am I supposed to do that?" Ash demanded.
"Don't get snippy with me. Look... the ball is coming up at the end of the week. Maybe if I teach you how to dance, and we get you some nice clothes, you can go and discover yourself... by yourself."
Ash blinked, "You really think I'll figure out how to unlock my memories if I learn to dance?"
"Misty will be there Ash. Maybe seeing her in person will be the catalyst you need. I've seen what just looking at her name and image does to you. I'm almost positive that this will be what you need to break free of your spell."
Ash looked thoughtful for a while then sighed, he nodded. "I suppose I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
Sabrina managed a smile, "There's always a choice Ash... but will you take responsibility for the future that is sure to occur if you should walk away from this?"
Ash paled, "What... future might that be?"
Sabrina fell into silence a moment, her pupils shrinking until they almost disappeared entirely, her eyes taking on a soulless empty appearance.
"Fire... distruction... a tyrant of great jealousy and greed will tear this world asunder. The loss of the chosen one shall be the catalyst for a terrible power to rule without resistance."
"That sounds... pretty bad." Ash muttered.
Sabrina's pupils returned and she sighed with exhaustion. "The future is pretty ugly without you in it Ash."
"But... I wouldn't be dead. Would I?" Ash shivered.
Sabrina offered him a rather dark glance, "No... not dead. Merely lost. One misstep on your path, oh chosen one... and you will be lost to yourself forever."
"That... doesn't sound much better than death." Ash managed.
Sabrina nodded, offering him sympathy, "No, I don't suppose it would be."
-----
*I used quotes from both the TV show, my own fic, and some modified quotes from what happened in my fic. Obviously, the first quote is from the first season of Pokemon. The second from the Orange Islands series when Rudy failed to keep Misty for himself.
Rozu
