Last Time On TMOM:
A man named Red, family trees, stolen artifacts, mew hunting, and a lie exposed.
Quote: "He's not a pokemon trainer. His license was suspended weeks ago."
Chapter Nine: Liar Liar
Remember once it's been said
That it can't be unspoken
So let the next words you say
Be ones that won't leave you broken
-Written by Wolves
There was nothing to be said and no words to say them. Ash could do nothing to take back the secret that had been exposed. Nothing to do but bow his head and let the wave of his consequences wash over him.
He walked where the others led, hardly knowing what was happening around him. The blood was pounding so loud in his ears, he was only one step away from senseless. Shivering fiercely from the evening downpour he had just been swimming through, Ash fought back against cold. He grit his teeth so hard they hurt. He could feel the countless eyes boring down on him, disappointment and disapproval burning on his skin. If he could have been swallowed up by the ground at that very moment, he would have gone so gladly. But Ash wasn't that lucky.
Ash eventually came to take in his new surroundings. Away from the limestone walls and into rooms of drywall, carpet, and electricity. Ash quickly realized that he had been spirited away into the private apartments of Aileen and her father.
The walls were closer here, practically pressing in. But it had a warm feel to them. Walls cluttered with family photos and furnishing lacking all the spiraling elegance of the antiques on display outside. The ceilings were still high, something that couldn't be helped when fixed with more modern finishings. Ash was marched into a spacious office that undoubtedly belonged to King Roman. Hair and clothes still sopping wet, Ash guiltily dripped rainwater onto the push carpets.
The King plopped himself into a rolling office chair, turning away from desk and computer to sigh heavily at them. Aileen dutifully pulled up chairs for the others. Ash realized, only then, that both members of Team Rocket had followed them in. He avoided their looks and refused to sit down. He was already forming a puddle around where he stood; Ash felt like he didn't need to damage the furniture too. Team Rocket had no such qualms.
"We will have to wait until all parties concerned are present before we proceed…" Roman started, his voice sounding impossibly far away to Ash. "Unless you would like to start, Ash? By telling your side of the story?"
Ash's mouth felt dry but he hadn't even started speaking. Through numb lips, he somehow managed, "I have no excuses."
"But you must have had a reason? Why enter a tournament on a suspended license?" Aileen interceded suddenly, pleading for Ash's gaze. He kept staring stubbornly at the carpet.
"Pikachu wanted to," Ash mumbled. "And we needed money, a place to stay…"
"I won't deny that I probably had a hand in strong-arming you into this poor decision, Ash. I'm sorry," said Roman. He sounded genuinely remorseful. The sound of his voice burned at Ash's ears.
Ash cringed. "It's not your fault. It's mine…" His voice was breaking. It was so hard to keep from crying but he knew he had no right to any tears. "I knew what I was doing."
"But why Ash? Why?"
Ash could tell by her choked voice that Aileen was on the verge of tears herself. And it wasn't because she was upset that he entered a tournament illegally. That was peanuts compared to the implications of his suspension. He was only 15, for god's sake. To have a record so young… That's what she wanted to ask. That was the "why" she was asking. Why had he been suspended?
"I can't say."
"I'm sorry, Ash. But I'm going to have to insist that you tell us. Before we can decide what actions to take, we have to understand the whole story…" Roman scooted his chair closer, the chair's wheels coming to the edge of the plastic mat underfoot. Still sitting a head shorter than Ash, he was almost able to meet the boy's downcast eyes. "You seem a competent trainer. You don't neglect your pokemon in the slightest. And if nothing else, your bond with Pikachu speaks volumes about your training prowess. How could a trainer like you get suspended by the league?"
Ash could feel Team Rocket's eyes on him. He knew they were probably just as curious about what happened. It made speaking even more difficult with them sitting there, rapt with expectation. And then Ash's eyes came across Lucario, perched previously unnoticed in the corner of the room.
Lucario surely had not been invited. It didn't concern him, whatever human drama was unfolding here. But, with nowhere else to live, Lucario had attached himself to Aileen. He was to be, for all intents and purposes, her pokemon. And in consequence of this, he happened to be in the room when all the humans burst in. Ash didn't know this and Lucario had no intention to share. He merely met Ash's hostile glare with one of his own.
Somehow, this mounted Ash's courage. The thought that he could prove himself different from Sir Aaron in this way. That he could wrest himself free from his ancestor's suffocating shadow by exposing all his sins; it was liberating. He wasn't Sir Aaron. He was worse.
"It was an accident…But I-" Ash began his eyes solidly on Lucario, daring him to judge. "I killed someone."
The Past
Ash scrunched down deeper into his sleeping bag. It was hard to sleep when Red's mortifying words were still burning in his ears. They needled at him like tiny invisible barbs and pebbles planted into the folds of his sleeping bag. He tried to roll over and away from the words but they mocked him, wrenching him free from any rest.
Almost since the moment they had entered this strange painted cave, as soon as the wonder had lost its sheen, Red had rounded on him. Ash reached out to touch one of the frescos only to have his wrist fiercely snatched up by Red. He yanked Ash away from the wall and demanded from him a sudden promise to not touch anything.
"And if you absolutely cannot resist," Red said, dropping Ash's hand at last. "You let me know. You let me know the instant even a pebble falls out of place. I need to hear this from you, Ash."
"Geez, of course," Ash said, rubbing his sore wrist from where Red grabbed him too tightly. "I won't touch anything. You don't have to treat me like a kid."
Red gave him a steady look. "But you are a kid."
That hurt. It also hurt that Red refused to involve Ash in anything. Any questions Ash had about this place were answered in a short unfulfilling fashion; a style of speaking Ash was becoming only all too aware was very much Red's own. It was even worse than when they had been climbing to this godforsaken place. Now with a task to preoccupy his thoughts, Red was completely absorbed. He was never so rude as to tell Ash off for his questions. But he didn't explain, leaving Ash to puzzle out meaning from his curt vague responses or worse, his steely silence.
In the hour since they had arrived, Red had comfortably set up cameras and a computer from which to compile whatever data he was collecting for himself. And in that time period, Ash had managed to learn that this cave had something to do with catching Mew. But that was it. With nothing useful to do, Ash and his Pikachu had found themselves a small semi comfortable corner of the antechamber; flicking pebbles at each other in a makeshift game of soccer.
As the hours passed, not much changed. Eventually, they paused for dinner; that Red kept up his stoicism for the whole duration of. And then at long last, relieved for at least a change from the monotony of doing and touching nothing, they called it a night.
Ash had to wonder why Red even bothered bringing him if he found him such a meddlesome kid. And Ash didn't know why it was bothering him so much. It wasn't like Red was lying. Compared to the far more experienced trainer, fourteen wasn't that old. Ash knew this. He didn't know nearly as much as Red did. He wasn't as good of a trainer. He couldn't climb mountains. He couldn't translate ancient pokemon hieroglyphs. He didn't know what any of this meant or even how he could begin to be useful. But he wanted to be. Ash desperately wanted to prove that he deserved to be a partner in whatever caper they were involved in. But with that word, kid, it seemed to confirm what Ash already suspected. He didn't share an equal part of this adventure. He was mere company, a sidekick, or even worse, a liability. Red brought Ash along because he pitied him. And that thought unkindly burned deep in Ash's gut.
"Pikachu, are you still awake?"
A soft croon answered him. Ash rolled over towards the sound, pulling his hand free from the warm sleeping bag to scratch the ears of his loyal pokemon starter. Pikachu purred and nuzzled up closer to Ash's sleeping bag.
Ash cast a wary glance over where Red's own sleeping bag lay. No movement. Since they had said their goodnights, Ash's own coming out unintentionally bitter, Red had gone out like a light. He slept far heavier than Ash would have expected for someone who lived a life so teetered between danger and glory.
"We don't need to wait for him, do we, Pikachu?" said Ash, speaking more to himself than to the sleepy pokemon at his side.
Ash quietly extracted himself from his sleeping bag as noiselessly as he possibly could manage. It wasn't his first time attempting nighttime stealth and certainly wouldn't be the last. Ash had always been rather light on his feet. Only his dexterity had increasingly deteriorated over the years while his noodle-like limbs grew faster than the rest of his body. He still remembered how to move quietly but getting his body to cooperate was another matter entirely.
Thankfully, tonight luck appeared to be on his side. Red did not stir. Ash didn't bother shrugging on any more clothes; his jeans and night shirt being more than sufficient enough for a quick stroll around the chilly cave.
Ash didn't really have anything in mind. He simply wanted to vent out his frustrations in a bit of quiet disobedience. It was somewhat liberating running his hands along the walls Red had been so possessive of throughout the day. Now, when there was no danger of being found out, Ash had the courage to protest.
Pikachu stumbled after his partner still half asleep, occasionally bumping lightly into Ash's ankles should the boy stall too long at a particular mural. There wasn't really much more to the cave paintings at night as there had been in the day. At night, their vivid colors were muted, more natural for their apparent age. But they were no less imposing. Their massive size alone was enough to prove they were not created by human hands alone.
There were small hints of human involvement. Towards the bottom of the stretched monsters, Ash could see the handprints that made up some of the outlines. Ash ran his hands thoughtlessly through the strokes, imitating the ancient artists from yesterday.
Ash definitely knew better. He had heard before how the oils from human hands could damage things that were old, especially paintings. But again, that flame of defiance flared inside. He got a thrill from the forbidden- touching something that hadn't been touched for hundreds of years.
In the back of his mind, Ash had noted the change. He had felt the tingly sensation that had started up in his fingertips. Any exposed skin that had run along the strokes of paint had started to go numb. Ash wrote it off as just being the weather. Even sheltered as they were, it was still a cave. He had been running his hands over a freezing cold rock wall.
But that was until Ash looked back, and saw how every piece of the painting he had touched had started to glow an eerie blue. As if Ash himself had just dipped his fingers in a glowing ink and carelessly brushed over the same strokes as in the ancient paintings.
Ash stumbled back, nearly tripping over Pikachu. The glowing spread; jumping up and cascading down the thick outlines of the massive ancient pokemon caricatures. It swept through all the paintings, catching each of them in a soft neon glow. And then quite suddenly, the light all coalesced into a single point. A single handprint sucked the glow into itself. It continued emitting a soft pulsating light and Ash unconsciously found himself beckoned closer.
Pikachu, awake and alert now, perched itself on Ash's shoulder. He didn't bother issuing a warning that his partner wouldn't understand. He simply sat poised for what was coming once Ash inevitably acted.
Ash pressed his own hand into the glowing imprint on the wall.
At first, nothing happened. It wasn't until Ash pulled his hand back that a rumble started low and deep beneath their feet. Ash fell backward, leaping into an awkward fight pose. When a portion of the wall slid back and nothing came stumbling out of the darkness after it, Ash relaxed.
Ash tried to peer into the entrance without actually going any further down it. The ground sloped into darkness and Ash could feel a cold breeze coming from somewhere further in. But Ash didn't dare to go in alone. He scrambled breathlessly back to his sleeping bag. Red hadn't moved, still deep in dreams. Almost overwhelmingly giddy with excitement, Ash had to swallow back his giggles. He dug his pokebelt out of his pack and fumbled with buckle; his eagerness to be gone making him clumsy. He had almost started back, only backtracking a final time for his jacket. Still stifling his own gleeful sounds with a hand tight to his mouth, Ash rushed back to the wall opening.
"Pikapi," Pikachu breathed as his partner stalled once more at the mouth of unknown passage. "Be careful."
Ash nodded but not from understanding. It was reactive; a nervous automatic response to soft words that Pikachu had whispered into his ear. He felt Pikachu's anxiety just as keenly as he felt his own. However, excitement and curiosity won out, as they often did for Ash. This was the adventure he had been hoping for. Here was the chance to prove himself.
He started off down the tunnel. It wasn't as long a passage as it had appeared from the outside, quickly emptying out onto the side of the mountain face. Ash and Pikachu stumbled blinkingly onto a snow-blasted outcrop. The air outside was bitterly cold. Ash's thin jacket barely stood up against the wind that buffeted them now that they had stepped out from the shelter of the tunnel.
There was a single thin bridge that stretched out from the outcrop they stood on towards what was carved into the opposite mountain's face. It stood like a temple with artfully constructed stone walls opening up at the top to intricately crafted wooden shutters that snapped and shuddered in the heavy winds. It looked Kantonese in design; a very eastern feel that welcomed the elements of nature through its walls. However, it also appeared entirely too much at the mercy of said elements. Snow had caked the bridge heavily in places, causing it to sag and decay. Ash wasn't entirely certain it could actually handle a human crossing it anymore. And, as Ash peered over the edge into what looked like an endless fold of clouds, it didn't seem as if an accidental fall could be recovered from.
Pikachu had huddled himself tight in the sheltered nook of Ash's neck and shoulder. But even still, he shuddered from the cold. He dug his paws into Ash's jacket, desperately clinging on so as to avoid being swept into the current of heavy winds. He did cry out a bit of protest but his words were just nonsense in Ash's ears. He carried on, heedless of his pokemon's obvious discomfort.
Perhaps under normal circumstances, Ash would have been more observant. But when he felt he had something to prove, it was nearly impossible to grab his attention unless you already happened to be in the middle of his path. Pikachu knew this. However, at the moment, Pikachu was a bit too preoccupied with holding on to try harder at knocking sense into his stubborn human partner.
Ash didn't know what he was thinking. He wasn't, really. Just moving automatically in the assumption that all of this must lead to Mew somehow. And if he could just reach Mew first… that would prove he deserved to be here.
His heart leaped into his throat at the first tentative step. He was still halfway on solid ground, halfway into the sky. The wind hit him with another full force blast, nearly ripping his unfastened jacket off his body. Ash fell forward ducking his head against the blinding wind. Both feet were on the bridge now. He fruitlessly fought against the gale to bring his jacket to a close about his body but the ends kept flying from his hands. Ash had to give up, focusing entirely on just making his way across the haphazard bridge.
There were bits of old rope strung taut across the bridge in what must have once been a railing. Ash used it to cross, clinging onto it every time the wind had taken to swinging the ground beneath his feet. Ash was more than halfway when another gale hit. The wind buffeted him so hard that Ash almost fell. And then a sudden screech at his ear stopped Ash's heart.
"Pika piiiiii!"
Pikachu's paws lifted off Ash's shoulder. He was pulled into the wind current, his terrified cries swallowed up in the gale. Ash turned just in time, reaching out to snatch the pokemon's tail as he flew off. The wind had pushed Ash to the opposite side of the bridge and had he not been holding on, he would have surely been rendered airborne too. Ash strained against the wind, holding Pikachu's tail like the end of a stubborn kite.
He could feel the electricity coursing down through Pikachu's tail, numbing his fingers.
"Don't shock me, Pikachu! I won't be able to hold on!"
Pikachu bit down on the insides of his cheeks, trying to hold everything down inside. Somehow he managed to hold off despite the intense pain of having his whole body weight held up by his tail.
Ash felt the numbness starting to recede. The wind too began to die off. As soon as Pikachu's body started to drop, Ash swept his pokemon partner up into his arms. He hugged Pikachu tight to his chest, gratefully sinking his face into the pokemon's soft fur. Pikachu's body was still tight and coursing with anxiety induced static sparks, but Ash ignored it. He had handled far worse voltage from his best friend. And in Ash's arms, Pikachu relaxed.
Ash, however, hadn't. Pikachu could feel the quick beat of Ash's heart from where he was pressed; hammering away at a rapid pace. Ash wouldn't open his eyes, still tightly squeezing Pikachu to him as if afraid his pokemon partner might disappear should he dare to move. At long last, he let out the breath he had been holding.
"That was really close."
Pikachu pet Ash kindly on the cheek. "It's okay, Pikapi."
He perked up far faster than Pikachu would have liked; a smile quickly returning to brighten his face. Although his grip on Pikachu had not slacked, his optimism was back in full swing. Any normal human would have known that now was the time to cut their losses. But Ash wasn't like other humans. Pikachu suspected he was quite a bit stupider.
They had to cross now. The way back was farther away than the way forward. Ash seized what was left of his momentarily shaken courage, and climbed back to this feet. Not daring to lessen his grip on Pikachu should another gust try to rip them apart, Ash took the rest of the bridge with one arm tight around his pokemon and the other holding onto the bridge.
They rushed through the remaining length of their journey, Ash practically stumbling over his own feet in his effort to pick up the pace. Caution thrown to the wind, Ash decided it was far more important to just get across as soon as possible. He was racing something, determined to prove it wrong.
There were almost there. Solid ground stood only two or three steps away. Pikachu pointed it out gleefully and Ash thoughtlessly let go of the rope- thinking themselves free of the bridge at last. But it was here that the wooden boards were weakest, having rotted away over the centuries.
Ash heard the board go underneath him before he felt it and reacted accordingly. He threw his torso and arms forward, unable to escape gravity. But Ash was able to save Pikachu, safely tossing the pokemon out onto the rocky outcrop before his legs were dragged down through the hole. Pikachu's safety was Ash's priority, however, that didn't mean he didn't have any self-preservation. Ash made a hasty grab for the bridge unsuccessfully, sliding down until he was only held up by his forearms and elbows. He scrambled helplessly at the board, his short nails clawing into the ancient wood but unable to get any purchase. Teeth gritted and muscles straining to pull himself back through the hole, Ash thought himself a goner. He had no strength. He had fallen too awkwardly, too far. He wasn't going to make it.
Pikachu darted forward, back onto the dangerous bridge despite Ash's shouts for him not to. He bit down onto Ash's jacket sleeve and started pulling with all his might.
"Come out! Come out and help!" Pikachu screeched through a mouthful of sleeve. It only took a moment before his screams were answered. Several flashes of red light shot out like fireworks, manifesting into pokemon behind the distressed Pikachu. A pair of Ash's most loyal companions, Squirtle and Bulbasaur. Squirtle immediately wrapped his arms around Pikachu's waist, helping the electric pokemon pull. Bulbasaur forfeited the idea of adding himself to the pokemon chain, deciding instead to head off the source. He latched his vines around Ash; one about his upper body and the other wrapped about the arm Pikachu wasn't pulling on.
Ash twisted the veins more securely about his wrist so as to get more purchase. And with Bulbasaur's and the other pokemon's help, Ash lifted himself back up onto the bridge. As soon as he had wrested himself free from the hole, Ash scrambled up the final feet to the end of the bridge. Once he and all of his pokemon had finally made it across, Ash fell to his knees. He hugged and breathlessly thanked each of his pokemon in turn, knowing that their quick thinking was the only reason he was still alive.
Ash supposed he could have called upon Charizard or Pidgeot if he had fallen free of the bridge. But, upon second glance, Ash realized the canyon was too narrow for either of his fliers. Pokemon were not parachutes. And with the gale force winds, Ash had little doubt that he and flying pokemon would have just sailed straight into the canyon walls. That was probably why none of his flying pokemon had come to his aid. They instinctively knew they'd be more hindrance than a help.
Ash sighed and leaned over his knees, touching his forehead to the cool rock surface beneath him. None of this was making him feel less like a child. If anything, it seemed to prove the opposite.
Somehow the reflection on all of this just made laughter bubble up out of his mouth. He laughed good and hard until tears threatened. Ash wiped at his eyes and sank back onto his knees. He was here and alive. His pokemon were safe.
And now how on earth was he supposed to get back?
Squirtle's soft call pulled Ash out of his own head. He turned, spotting Squirtle gesturing at the temple's entrance. Bulbasaur and Pikachu wandered over at his cry but Ash was far more difficult to rouse. He eventually picked himself up, curious what had so excited all his pokemon.
The temple wasn't that large, being no bigger than Ash's old bedroom. But the walls stretched high up into the shutters giving the small area a cavernous feel. The walls were strange. The stones were dusted black, almost as if they had been scorched. Ash touched them, unsurprised that the black grit came off in his hands. Ashes. Had there been an explosion here once?
The rest of the temple showed none of the distress that the walls exhibited. There was only one thing at the building's center, a solitary statue made of some sort of smooth black rock. Black wasn't a good enough descriptor; the statute seemingly devoid of color and light. The color of pitch, carved into a dragonoid shape.
Squirtle swung up onto the statue, hanging off the side and making a face that was an unmistakable imitation of the stoic fire type Ash had as part of his pokemon team. Ash cracked a smile and with a final thanks to them, returned his wayward pokemon back to their pokeballs. Ash turned, hesitating when a glint caught his eye. Drawn back to the statute, Ash couldn't help but notice that the mouth of the dragon was recessed a little. Almost as if something was supposed to fit inside.
Ash still held onto Squirtle's pokeball. He glanced at it before shrugging and sliding it into the dragon's mouth. A slight grinding sound and a click… and then nothing. Pikachu leaped back onto Ash's shoulder, hoping to get a better vantage point. They waited but still, nothing happened.
"Hm… but the pokeball fits," Ash mused aloud. "Guess it doesn't like water types."
Ash was only joking. But as he reclaimed Squirtle's pokeball from the dragon's maw, the sudden thought struck him. Ash removed Charizard's pokeball from his belt and carefully slid it into the dragon's mouth. Once again came the grinding and click, but this time something happened. Deep in the statute's innards, a warmth began to emanate. Both Ash and Pikachu watched in wonder as the fiery glow started to rise up the statute's base and up towards Charizard's pokeball. Unconsciously, Ash had taken a few steps back. The heat began to intensify, becoming more and more uncomfortable even from where Ash was standing several paces back. But even so, Ash didn't suspect he was in danger.
Until he was grabbed roughly from behind. Ash might have struck out at his assaulter if he hadn't been taken so by surprise. Before he had even thought to do so, he had been dragged to the edge of the rock face.
"Hey wait- stop!" Ash cried out in a panic. He whirled about in his assailant's grip, shocked to find himself not in a stranger's arms but in Red's. This discovery should have been a comfort. It wasn't. Red had grabbed him so roughly, so urgently that it was no wonder Ash had thought himself in danger. And even now, they were precariously close to the edge.
"Hold on."
Ash thought he had heard Red say something. But he barely registered it before Red vaulted off the edge. Ash screamed. Pikachu screamed in Ash's ears. They both clung to Red for dear life as he swung them out into the dead air. They stopped halfway down, Red's harness saving them from the forever freefall.
Ash had only just swallowed his screams when an explosion rocked them from above. Ash looked up, horrified to see the temple they had just been standing in seconds before erupting with a blinding light.
"Look away," Red ordered, twisting them around so that Ash's face wasn't pointed so comfortably in the temple's direction. Ash complied, the light already starting to sting his eyes. Another explosion followed the first. Then a third. Each one felt like a painful jolt to his chest. Charizard...
Red needed Ash's help to lift them all back up to the outcrop. Ash numbly followed Red's instructions, slowly hoisting himself and Pikachu up first before reaching back down to pull up Red. So lost in his own head, it came as quite a shock when upon finally getting Red back up onto the cliff face, the older trainer repaid him with a swift punch to the face.
"Just what the hell did you think you were doing?" Red shouted. Ash clutched his face, wide-eyed. This was the most passion, most emotion, Ash had ever seen Red display. It left the younger trainer at a loss for words. "Explain yourself!"
"I- I-"
"I told you not to touch anything. Didn't I tell you? Why didn't you listen?"
"I- I-..." Ash trembled, unconsciously covering his mouth as if he was going to be sick. The weight of everything he had just gone through, the several close calls and now the loss of Charizard- it hit him all at once. "I hadn't meant to." Ash sobbed into his hands. He hated that he was crying but he couldn't stop. That his face throbbed from Red's angry punch didn't help. "I just wanted to prove to you that I deserved to be here. That I could help. I thought if I could find Mew then that would prove that I... That I wasn't… wasn't-"
"What?"
It sounded ridiculous now. "Wasn't a kid," said Ash in a considerably smaller voice.
Much to Ash's surprise, Red snorted, which then quickly devolved into full and hearty laughter. Ash could only stare. Pikachu too seemed to find the laughter a bit distasteful.
"You are one stupid guy," Red guffawed, helping the younger trainer back to his feet. "You are a kid, Ash." At Ash's dejected look, Red continued. "But you won't always be one. There is no reason to get worked up over age. You're a tough trainer. I didn't bring you along for no reason."
"Then why didn't you want my help?"
"Your help? I never said I didn't want your help. I said stop touching shit." Red then sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, careful to avoid Ash's watery eyes. "Look, kid… Ash. I'm not the best talker. I didn't mean to-."
Red looked back over to the burnt out temple and said, "But damn, you're one brave... stupid… really stupid kid."
Ash tried to ignore the insults. He knew he had no right to complain. Ash rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand as glanced back over the ramshackle bridge he had crossed, "Well, the bridge was a little frightening but I don't consider crossing it that brave… I mean unless you were scared of heights or something."
"You don't know what this place is?" Ash met Red's incredulous look with one of his own. He shook his head. Red shook his head too, laughing weakly. "Geezus."
Red started walking back towards the smoldering remains of the temple. He paused only when he noticed Ash wasn't following. "Come on," Red waved him after. Still, Ash hesitated; his legs like stone. He wasn't ready to see what was left of Charizard.
Pikachu didn't share his fears. He leaped down from Ash's shoulder and fell into a quick step behind Red. Ash found it odd that Pikachu seemed far from concerned over a fellow pokemon's fate than Ash, himself, was. Pikachu was often far more intuitive and empathic then Ash could ever claim to be. The thought that maybe he misunderstood the situation unglued his feet from the ground. He stumbled after both trainer and pokemon, afraid to look whatever melted mess remained of the once great obsidian statue. He kept his eyes on his own feet long after slipping inside the scorched walls. He kept his eyes lowered until the statue was almost directly in front of him.
But when Ash finally looked up, the statue was still there, still glowing with heat. And inside its great maw, to Ash's deep surprise, was Charizard's pokeball; completely intact. Ash's legs gave out underneath him. He fell to his knees, hugging himself in relief. Charizard was okay. He was okay!
"I didn't kill him!"
"Of course you didn't," Red gave Ash the side eye, somewhat incredulously. "You're seriously telling me you just happened on all of this? You had no idea what you were doing?"
Ash nodded mutely. Red laughed again. This laugh was shorter, more reactive, pushed out in his disbelief. And while Ash wasn't positive, he sensed the frustration in Red's stance. Ash was starting to suspect he hadn't just been hit for scaring Red. But possibly because he had messed up something Red had been planning.
Red grabbed at his hair and shook his head.
"I've been searching for years and this kid… this kid just…" Red looked back over to where Ash still knelt and shook his head again. "Unbelievable."
Ash climbed back to his feet. Ignoring Red's mutterings, he tried to retrieve his wayward pokeball from the statue. Red pulled Ash back by his jacket hood just in time. He really didn't need Red's verbal warning, having felt the heat still radiating from Charizard's pokeball from even feet back.
"We need to cool him down first," Red said. He went straight over to the corners of the temple where snow had accumulated, scooping up a large armful. Ash and Pikachu followed suit. They gathered several loads to pad down the steaming pokeball. It seemed as if the snow melted almost as soon as they packed it on. As if they were throwing ice cubes into a hot skillet.
After the fifth or so load, Ash started to worry that Charizard's pokeball would never cool. He had just mustered up enough large armful from outside the temple and wandered back to see Red standing over the pokeball.
His gloved hands were actually touching the sides of the pokeball. That wasn't what gave Ash pause. It was the look in Red's eye. If he had known Ash was watching, Ash suspected he wouldn't have let Ash see. There was a definite gleam of longing there. Red let his protected fingers slide down the pokeball, itching to move towards the release button. The look, it was like hunger and it made Ash feel uncomfortable in ways he couldn't quite express.
Ash dropped the snow he had been carrying and loudly cleared his throat. Red sprang back guiltily. But the temptation was still there. Even now, under Ash's scrutiny, Red kept glancing back at the pokeball. However, it seemed good sense had won out. Red pulled the pokeball from the statue, stared at it for half a heartbeat and then the conflicting emotions fell away. He tossed it back to Ash.
"Take good care of Charizard. He's probably one of the most powerful pokemon in the world now."
Ash only just caught his pokeball; the first fumble tossing the pokeball back into the air before he finally made a clumsy grab with both his arms. "What do you mean?" Ash asked, reattaching Charizard's pokeball to his belt. It still felt oddly warm to the touch.
Red swept out his arms to the temple around them. "This whole place. What do you think it is?"
"Some sort of… Mew catching… temple? For mew hunters… who like dragons?"
Red cracked a rare smile. "Of a sort. What do you need to catch a Mew? One of the world's most powerful legendaries?"
Ash frowned. "I'm not sure."
"Well, for one…" Red pointed down at Ash's pokebelt, and at one pokeball in particular. "You need a powerful pokemon. A really powerful pokemon. That's what this temple was for… teaching pokemon moves meant to take on legends."
Pikachu jumped back onto Ash's shoulder startling the boy. But not as much as Red's words did. A sudden understanding came to him.
"The forbidden moves?"
Red nodded that strange light in his eyes again. "So take real good care of that Charizard, Ash. He's a weapon now."
Unconsciously, Ash's hand went down the pokeball again. He felt a thrill shiver up his spine. He had a pokemon more powerful than the legendaries. Could that actually be possible?
"Well," Red let out a deep sigh. "This was a waste. For me anyway. Back to square one."
Red had started back the way they had come. He had pulled out his climbing gear from his bag again, ready to plan out their way back. But Ash couldn't help but ask- his question causing Red to pause.
"What is the move called?"
Red looked back over his shoulder. His expression was hard to read. "The Sun," he said.
The Sun.
The Present
When Ash had finished, he felt as if all the words had been emptied out of him. He hadn't spoken about what had happened since it had happened. It felt oddly liberating, speaking of it now. As if he had unloaded his burden out on those who were listening, finally sharing the painful weight of what he had done.
He spoke at length about William, trying to paint him out as more than a tragedy. And then he spoke of Charizard's dangerous power and how he had even learned it in the first place. He choked up when it came to describing it, how using it the first time had felt. The Sun wasn't a move to take lightly. At the time, Ash couldn't have possibly known what using it would have done. But he had been warned… and he used it anyway.
Charizard's attack had killed eleven-year-old William and all his pokemon. Ash didn't hold back. He let them know how he was responsible for it all.
Ash knew it couldn't possibly end well. Giving them the knowledge of his sins would only ally them all against him. But it seemed right somehow. More right than any of their misplaced affection up until this point had been.
He no longer felt as if he wanted to disappear. But Ash was still pointedly facing the exit, wishing to pick up what was left of himself and go.
They were all silent when Ash finished. None of them could bear to look at him, not even Team Rocket. They both were staring really hard at a spot on the carpet, saying nothing. Only Lucario was brave enough to look at Ash. And his expression was no different than he had ever looked at Ash. Just the same look of haughty disapproval.
The silence was too heavy for Ash. He knocked his balled fists against his legs a few times before saying, "So I'll… I'll return the prize money and leave immediately. I'm really sorry for all the trouble I caused."
"Not so hasty," Roman interrupted. "You still won that tournament."
Ash grimaced. "I shouldn't have been able to enter."
"The fact remains that you did. And you won. Regardless of the legality of your win, you won. And I imagine you and Pikachu are still in a great need for that money to help you on your way home. Money that you will need especially if you cannot battle any pokemon trainers."
Though he didn't like it, he nodded. "At least… Kidd should get some of my earnings. She was the rightful champion. She would have won if not for me."
"Wouldn't hear of it."
Ash jumped, as did most of the other occupants in the room. They hadn't heard her enter any more than Ash had. And all of them couldn't help but stare. Gone was the ball gown she had worn before. Kidd's crimped hair was pulled back into a high ponytail and her clothes were far from civilian in nature. She wore some sort of pink jumpsuit with gadgets hanging off of her as casually as jewelry. After having made herself known, Kidd leaned comfortably against the door frame, clearly enjoying the sudden spotlight.
Jessie and James both acted the most curiously to her appearance. They bolted upright out of their chairs, both reaching for their pokeballs. It was only everyone else's inaction that stayed their hands. The others didn't notice but Ash did. Team Rocket was frightened by her.
"Ah Ms. Summers," King Roman announced, rising out of his computer chair. "I was hoping we'd reach you in time. I was afraid you might have already left."
"Well, I had," Kidd casually pushed off the door frame and made her way further into the room. "But I heard about what happened at the ball, about an ancient pokemon- oh! Is that him?"
Kidd pointed Lucario's way. He narrowed his eyes at her and her pointed finger wilted. She sheepishly drew her hand back and chuckled. "Lucario's more intimidating than I thought he'd be."
"What do you mean, you heard about it? Weren't you at the ball?" Aileen asked. "You were the woman who showed Ash and me how to dance."
"Oh sure, I was. But I- uh… left early. Got a call from work. You know how it is."
Both children glared at the woman suspiciously. She carefully kept from looking at either of them, focusing entirely on the makeshift King of Cameron.
"So what is this about? You summoned me to help refute Ash's claim on the Champion's title? I promise I lost fair and square. We don't need to split the earnings."
"I'm afraid you weren't partial the whole conversation, Ms. Summers. There are some extenuating circumstances…" Roman looked Ash's way but the fifteen-year-old only bowed his head.
"Let's not go over it all again," Aileen kindly interrupted. By her glance Ash's way, it was clear that she meant to spare him. Ash didn't appreciate the gesture as much as he knew he should. He didn't feel like he deserved any of their pity.
"Ah yes. Long story short, Ash may not have lawfully entered our tournament. He has a suspended license."
Kidd had been standing pretty cockily, with her arms tucked behind her head. But at hearing that, the smugness slid from her face. She stared in surprise at the younger trainer.
"He does?" Kidd corrected herself, looking pointedly at Ash now. "You do?"
Ash nodded.
"Hot damn. That is… well… aren't you a little young-"
"Regardless, the fact remains." It was Roman's turn to interrupt, successfully saving Ash from another full-on interrogation. "Ash broke the law. There does need to be some consequences for what he did."
"I'd rather not be involved if you please. He still beat me. I don't really want to argue semantics to earn a pity prize."
"We will respect your wishes, Ms. Summers. You are one of the injured parties in this affair. If you don't want monetary compensation, we will have to think of a different punishment for Ash." Roman thought for a moment before settling himself back into his rolling computer chair. He swiveled about for a turn and decided upon something. "Ash, please hand me your pokedexter and pokemon please."
Ash didn't want to. But he knew he had no right to protest. He slipped his pokedex out from his pocket and unfastened his pokebelt. He laid both into Roman's waiting hands. The King worked quickly and far more aptly then one would have expected a person of his age to do when operating newer technology. After setting something up on the pokedexter, Roman unhooked each pokeball in turn and pressed them against the digi screen. Much as one would do for trading or storing a pokeball. Except instead of digitizing the pokeball, a large red X appeared across the release button. Roman did the same for each of the pokeballs in turn.
After the last pokeball was returned to the belt, Roman returned both objects to Ash.
"A parental lock?" Ash muttered, gently touching the nearest pokeball's release button and watching the angry red X flash across its surface.
"I've set a lock on your entire pokemon team. You will not be able to summon any of your pokemon until the end of your suspension period- a week. They will be safe in the pokeballs. I took the liberty of sending out a notice to your sponsor, Mr. Oak. He will be able to nourish and sustain the pokemon on his end through emergency channels. You, however, will not. Not be able to see them until your punishment has been fully carried out."
Ash felt the bubble of outrage rise up inside. An entire week without seeing, touching, or speaking to any of his pokemon! These creatures had been a part of his life for years. He had hardly withstood being separated from them for hours much less days.
But Ash also knew he was getting off far lighter than he deserved. Roman had every right to press charges, demand his license be revoked immediately. A time out from pokemon training was barely a slap on the wrist.
"I'm sorry, Ash," said Roman solemnly.
Ash shook his head, numbly refastening his now useless pokebelt.
"What about Pikachu?" Aileen suddenly piped up.
Curiously, Ash wasn't the only one to react to her question. Team Rocket predictably perked up. And Kidd noticeably flinched. However, no one was looking at Kidd. Nobody human anyway.
"Oh true. I know Pikachu likes to be outside of his pokeball… it might be a little cruel but I will have to request that you transfer Pikachu back to Mr. Oak for a few days. At least to spare him from being quarantined inside a pokeball."
"No, Dad. You don't understand. Pikachu's missing," Aileen spoke up so Ash didn't have to.
"Missing? Since when?"
"Since the ball. Sometime in the middle, I think. He ran off with an Aipom," said Ash. "I've been looking for him ever since."
"I've been helping him. We can't find Pikachu anywhere."
"Does your pikachu often run off, Ash?"
"It's really not like him." Ash turned to send a glare Jessie and James' way. They tensed under the sudden attention. "That's why I thought they had kidnapped him again?"
"Kidnapped… again?"
"They are pokemon thieves."
"Goodness. Are they really?" Roman looked as if he didn't quite believe his daughter or Ash. He smiled pleasantly in Team Rocket's direction. "During a crowded pokemon tournament and festival, only one pokemon goes missing. They must be incredibly incompetent thieves."
"Extremely," said Ash.
Jessie was done with being passively insulted. "Hey. The only reason we weren't coming out of this place packed to the gills with pokeball bounty was because this guy," She jutted a thumb James' direction. "Made a deal with the twerp to stay on our best behavior. We promised not to steal anything and the twerp promised not to tell anyone who we were."
"Is this true, Ash?"
Ash frowned but reluctantly nodded. "They knew I had a suspended license. I thought they might say something if I said anything."
"Ash…" Aileen sighed in obvious disappointment.
"I really am sorry. I wasn't thinking of anyone but myself," He glared back Team Rocket's way. "I knew better than to trust them."
"We didn't go back on our promise! You did!" Jessie spat.
"Then where's Pikachu?"
"Why don't you ask her?" Lucario's quiet voice cut through all of the vocal squabblings as easily as a knife through warm butter. And Kidd jumped, as Lucario's pointed question and raised arm left no doubt as to who the pokemon was casting suspicion on.
"Holy shit, it talks!" Kidd gasped.
Aileen ignored her. "What do you mean, Lucario?"
"I mean, she has been sweating the whole time you were arguing about this Pikachu, although the temperature is hardly high in here. And, more to the point, her aura is fluttering low with guilt," Lucario cast a side-eye towards Ash. "Right?"
Ash backed away from Lucario's knowing look. "How should I know?"
Lucario only shrugged.
"Well?" Aileen asked, refocusing everyone's attention towards Kidd. It was even more obvious now as she languished under their accusing glares.
"Okay, okay. I admit it. I know where Pikachu is."
"You do?" Ash rushed forward, grabbing the front of Kidd's shirt. He was only just able to pull her down to his level, still a head shorter than the older woman. "Why did you take him? Where did you take him?"
Kidd was quick to brush Ash off. It helped that Aileen was there to pull Ash back again. "Hey now! I never said I took Pikachu anywhere."
"Then where is he?"
Kidd let out a deep breath, blowing the loose hair up and out of her face. "Mew took him."
To Be Continued...
Please Read and Review!
Now we are a little back on track with the source material. But as I warned before, while the basic spine of this story is the same as that of the movie, I will be taking certain liberties with character motivations, event order, and even certain events outcomes. What happens in this story actually will affect what happens in the future events of The Blind Alley and Here I Am. So I highly recommend that you all read those stories after finishing this one.
Although technically this story works better as an in-between sequel between TBA and HIA. But you can read them in whatever order you wish.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. It was surprisingly difficult to write. Thanks to those of you who reviewed last time AshKetchumForever, YumeTakato, and Shaveza! I really appreciate your reviews, guys!
Next time on MoM, Ash and Lucario team up to rescue Pikachu. Expect the next update sometime in the March/April time frame. Hopefully. Although at this point, probably expect it closer to April.
See you next time!
