Chapter 08: Answers of Betrayal
On top of the giant building, Ash's body stirred as its life seemingly returned. Ash opened his eyes, and was greeted by his reflection that stared back at him from a small puddle of rainwater. He pushed himself up from the ground with a grunt, and stretched himself out.
"What the Hell just happened?", he thought, as he examined his body for any wounds. To his surprise and relief, there were no signs of his sword running him through. Whatever the seriousness of the wound was, it was now gone and it had completely healed.
"Speaking of my darling, where is she?", he thought, as he scanned the rooftop for his sword. A glimmering object in the distance, illuminated by the lightning that flashed over his head, betrayed its location. He headed for his sword and pulled it from the wall. He placed it on his back and looked around again.
"Guess I punched him too hard.", he said to himself. He remembered what happened to him: the fight, the stabbing, the seemingly end of his life, and the event that he could not really place. Whatever happened to him, it saved his life. He looked at his hands, before looking at the wall that his sword impaled. He raised one of his hands, balled it into a fist, and punched through the wall. But Ash never expected to see the wall being ripped from the ground, and launched off of the roof. Ash looked surprised for a moment, and then his face turned into pleased expression. He checked his weapons before rolling his shoulders as he headed to the edge of the roof.
As soon as Misty was given her task by Norman, she had suited up by taking a respectable arsenal of weaponry with her. Several guns, shotguns and rifles were strapped to her body and within hands reach. As soon as she was ready, she had bolted out the door and headed into the direction Norman told her May was going. She had run for a few minutes until she was met by a grisly sight.
"Oh damn…", she whispered as she kneeled beside the unmoving body. A large pool of blood had formed under it, and she could easily see it was a young teenager. What intrigued her the most was that the expression on his face seemed… peaceful. She gently examined the wound.
"He isn't dead very long. Probably stabbed by a sword or some similar sharp object.", she mused to herself. She sighed as she got up. She had a job to do, and no matter how harsh it seemed, she had to leave the body behind. She gave it one final glance before she continued her walk towards the large building ahead of her.
She stopped in front of it, not sure which path she had to take next. It was obvious to her that May was abducted. Misty let out a sigh.
"Great, I'm a devil hunter, not a frickin' detective.", she growled. She turned around and started to head away from the building, when she suddenly stopped. She heard something behind her, but she couldn't place what it was. It almost sounded like something was falling from a great height. Instinctively, she drew two of her guns and whipped around, ready to face whatever it was that was coming. She glimpsed something red that crashed into the ground, when the resulting shockwave made her fall.
Ash stood up from the ground, as he surveyed the area around him. As he cracked his neck, he stepped out of the small crater he had created, and walked away from the building and the surprised girl who had gotten up, which he seemingly had failed to notice. A shout from behind him made sure he would notice her now. As he stopped and looked over his shoulder, he noticed Misty pointing two guns at him.
"You know, you shouldn't be pointing those at other people.", Ash said before he took a few steps further. The blast of a gunshot, followed by a bullet flying past his ear made him stop. He turned around slowly, grinning at Misty who had both guns aimed still at him, with one having a smoking barrel.
"Well, isn't this a surprise.", Ash smiled, as he faced Misty completely now. Misty glared at him in return, her guns trained on him and in a firm grip.
"I can tell you're not human. Tell me who you are before I shoot at you again, and I assure you I won't deliberately miss this time.", Misty replied, her face hardening as she kept her eyes on him.
"It's quite rude not to introduce yourself first, you know.", Ash replied with a small smile. Misty growled before she fired another shot. But this time, Ash drew one of his guns and fired back, causing both bullets to collide in midair. Misty's eyes widened for only a moment while Ash kept his seemingly confident smile, before she fired both of her guns several times, only for Ash to retaliate by drawing his second gun and repeating the action he just did moments ago. The deflected bullets fell harmlessly on the ground as the gunfire ceased.
"Look, we can stay here and shoot at each other until Judgment Day, or we can try talk to each other as civilized people.", Ash said, as he lowered his guns. Misty did the same, although her glare never left her face as she kept looking at him.
"Just who the Hell are you?", she asked. Ash made a tsk-tsk motion with his gun.
"What did I say just a moment ago? Geez, and they tell me that I don't have any manners.", he said with a grin on his face. He enjoyed ticking her off for some reason. Misty however was getting fed up with him, but she realized that she wouldn't get anywhere if they kept this up.
"My name is of no importance to you.", she finally said. Ash let out a laugh.
"Ha! And normally I introduce myself when I start shooting people. Well, it has been fun, but I have some better things to do. You know, business beckons and all that. So I'll leave you for now, because I know we will see each other again some time. And until that time, I bid you adieu.", he said, and with a small bow, he turned around to leave, holstering his guns as he did so.
"Hey you! I wasn't finished with you!", Misty shouted as she looked at his retreating form.
"I believe we were. So unless you have something important to say, I'll be going. Busy night you see, as I just told you.", he said over his shoulder as he walked on. Misty holstered her guns and ran after him. As soon as she reached him she stopped in front of him and looked him straight in the eye.
"I just ran into a corpse. And I'm positively sure that you had something to do with that!", she exclaimed as she pushed the barrel of one of her guns into his chest. Ash moved the gun away with his finger slowly while he stared her down.
"So what if I did? I ran into that guy myself not too long ago. And now I'm looking for the one he was with. Not that it is any of your business anyway.", he replied. There was a slight tone of annoyance in his voice which barely went unnoticed. Misty sighed as she lowered her gun to the side of her body. Ash eyed her curiously.
"Nothing else to add? Well then, that's a switch. I'll just be on my way, for the umpteenth time this evening. I have someone to find, so if you'll excuse me.", he said, as he walked around her. Misty's brain however, was racing. She thought of something, and turned towards Ash, who was walking away from her.
"Is this person you're looking for a girl?", she yelled. Ash immediately stopped in his tracks, but he didn't turn around to face her. Misty couldn't help but smirk.
"And what if I am? Do you know where she is?", Ash asked, with his back still facing Misty. She walked up to him and stood before him again, looking at him with a devious smile on her face.
"No, I do not. But I bet you don't know either.", she said. Ash knew she had a point, but his keener senses at least pointed him in the right direction.
"What is your business with her anyway?", he asked. Misty's smile disappeared, but she still looked Ash straight in the eye.
"I made a promise to myself that I would find her. Out of respect for one of the people I know.", she said, her voice dead serious. Ash smiled.
"You know, I made the same 'promise'. But to me, it was more of a job. But it has become much more complicated in the past few days. And now she is gone, and I'm going to find her.", he said. Misty had to smile at this. She was positive this guy was a demon or devil, but for some reason he was much more human than any other devil she had ever encountered. She was still on her guard, and she wouldn't waste a moment to put him down with a bullet in the head. But for this moment, she held out her hand. Ash looked at her puzzled before his eyes lit up.
"You're going to introduce yourself?", he said with a smirk. Misty smirked back at him.
"No, but I'm offering my help.", she replied. Ash thought it over. True, he knew where he had to look and in which direction, and he never needed any help. But she could be a good distraction when the opportunity would present itself.
"Before we're going, I do want to know your name.", he said smiling.
"You can call me whatever you want, I don't care.", Misty replied. Ash smirked as he grabbed her hand.
"Then let's get going, Red."
Lance had ordered his men to bind all of the guests in Norman's office. They all had their hands tied together and had a bag placed over their head.
"We don't want to ruin the surprise just yet.", Lance chuckled as the captors pushed their prisoners outside. There were two black vans parked outside, and the group was split in two. Caroline and the girls were pushed into one van, while Delia, the professors and Norman were placed in the other. Lance took a seat in the van that contained Norman. "I advise you to remain calm. You do that, the sooner this will be over.", Lance said. Norman growled a response but Lance backhanded him across the face before he got in. "Drive.", was all he said.
The girls all huddled around Caroline, too scared to do anything. Caroline, as any good wife, tried to comfort them as best as she could. She told them it would be okay, but deep inside she knew she was telling a lie. And she was certain the children knew this too. All they could do was wait and see what would happen as the van carried them to an unknown location in the night.
Delia tried to get her bearings, but in total darkness, it was a hard thing to do. She was worried about the children, but she was more worried about May. She knew Ash was going for it to save her, and with Misty on it as well she knew that she shouldn't be worrying. But she did anyway, as she had no idea what the night would bring. She thought about her son, and felt a small tinge of hope in her soul.
Yes, her son would come to their aid.
And he would send them all to Hell.
As soon as Max heard the cars leave, he came from his hiding spot. He was visibly shaking and thought back at the moment when he heard the people crash into the house. As he sat down on his bed, he silently cried for his parents and sister. Only when he heard a knock on the door, and the sound of Ash's voice an hour later, he found the courage to get up and rush down to greet him.
"Max, thank God that you're alright.", Ash said as he quickly checked Max for injuries. Max couldn't hold back his tears anymore and latched himself to Ash in a tight hug. Ash held him with one hand while he looked at a smirking Misty, and mouthed "Not a word" before he turned his attention to Max again.
"Max, it is okay. Tell us what happened.", Ash said as he placed Max down on the floor. Max wiped the tears from his eyes and started to tell the duo what had transpired. The more Max told them, the more Ash's anger rose. When Max finished, he punched a wall out of sheer anger. When he saw the dent in the wall, as well as the scared look in Max' eyes, he regretted his action, but just a bit.
"Sorry 'bout that.", he said. He turned to Misty. "We can't leave him here, and we can't take him with us.", he added with a small smirk. Misty immediately picked up on what Ash was getting at.
"No way. No. Frickin'. Way! I am not going to baby-sit this kid!", she exclaimed. Max was clearly offended when he heard this woman call him a kid.
"Hey you! I can take care of myself! You say that it isn't safe here, but there are plenty of places here in this house that even my dad doesn't know about!", he responded as he folded his arms. Ash smirked at his response, while Misty was surprised at his outburst.
"Alright Max, you stay here and we'll make sure everybody comes back, safe and sound.", he said as he extended his hand. "You've got my word on that."
Max smiled and shook his hand, and after a little more talk as well as making sure that Max would be safe, the duo headed outside to Ash's bike. Ash found his beauty still in one piece. After a quick checkup, he started its engine. He looked at Misty, who was checking her own guns.
"Alright Red, time's a wastin', so lets go!", he said as he gestured to the passenger seat. Misty let out a sigh and sat down. She had barely enough time to grab onto Ash as he suddenly revved up the bike and sped off, into the dark night.
In a part of the forest that surrounded Petalburg City, the quietness was shattered when something crashed through a tree and landed on the forest ground with a hard crash. The shape moved, and after a few shakes of the head it got up and wiped something from its chin.
"Damn it, I didn't expect that this would happen.", Paul mused to himself as he dusted himself off. He was certain that he was the only one that had that ability, the ability to temporary transform into a devil. But it seemed that Ash had this power now as well.
"Something is wrong with this picture. I'll have to talk about this with father when I get back.", he said in an angry whisper to himself. As he turned around and walked away, he rubbed his jawbone.
"For all that it's worth, he sure has one hell of a right hook.", he muttered as he disappeared into the darkness of the nightly forest. He remembered he had something to give to the Dice. Now was the time to do so.
The sound of a violin that was played slowly brought May back from her slumber. Her senses were even more enticed when she smelled the delicious odor of a recently prepared meal. She slowly opened her eyes, and noticed she was lying on a sofa, coated with what seemed expensive and soft material. She sat up straight and rubbed her eyes, at which point the violin music stopped.
"I see that my guest has awakened.", a voice said. May turned towards the direction of the sound and noticed a slender man in a white suit putting a violin back in its box. His blonde hair was spiky and stood straight up, and when he turned around, May had to try hard not to look too deeply into his emerald eyes. She felt a shiver run down her spine, and she pushed herself into the sofa. When he noticed this, the man let out a soft chuckle.
"Do not worry my dear. You are in no danger.", he said as he looked at her. "Well, at least not yet.", he added with a grin that hinted at its maliciousness.
"What do you mean by that? Where am I and where is Drew?", May asked, as she found the courage to speak. She didn't trust him, and she knew in her gut that she had all the reason for it. Again the man let out a laugh, this time a little louder.
"It just depends on how you behave, my fair lady.", he said as he took a seat on the large dining table. May now saw what kind of delicacies were placed there, and she couldn't help but feel hungry. Her rumbling stomach only proved that point. She blushed at her stomach's reaction. Her host pointed at a chair on the other end of the table.
"Please, I mean you no harm. Have a seat, would you kindly?", he said. May was wary, but she did what he asked regardless. As soon as she sat down, she looked at him warily.
"You haven't told me where I am, or what happened to Drew.", she said, her voice filled with suspicion. As hungry as she was, she had to restrain herself from touching the food.
"Ah yes, allow me to explain. But first, I shall introduce myself.", the man said as he got up and stood next to his chair. He made a small bow. "My name is Dice. My people call me The Dice.", he said as he introduced himself. "And I know more about you then you might think.", he added as he took his seat again. May looked at him curiously.
"You call yourself 'The Dice'? Why is that?", she asked, as she glanced around the room in hopes of finding a possible escape. The Dice stood up and pulled something from his pocket. As he showed it to her, she saw it was a six-sided dice.
"I shall show you why I am called like that.", he said, as he suddenly threw the dice at May. She caught it in her hand, but before she could look, Dice motioned to her not to.
"The side facing up is… five.", he said. He looked at May with a strange smile. "Go ahead, you may look.", he said. May opened her hand and let out a silent gasp. She held the dice in her hand…
…with the five-side facing up.
May looked at him in disbelief, and she quickly changed the side of the dice. She heard Dice laugh.
"Now the two is facing up.", he said with a smile. May's eyes widened even further, and she quickly changed the dice several times, but every time he guessed the correct side facing up. May dropped the dice on the floor like it was on fire, clearly disturbed by this. The Dice walked towards her grinning and picked up his dice.
"And that is only a small part of what I can do.", he said as he pocketed the small object. May blinked a few times and shook her head.
"But I assume you want to know where you are, correct?", the Dice asked as he took a seat across from her. May gave a faint nod, as her brain was still trying to process what she just experienced. The voice of her so-called host brought her back to reality.
"You are in my humble abode.", he said as he let her look around the room. May noticed now that the room was very stylishly furnished, almost royally even. She couldn't help but gasp at the sight. But she also noticed that there were no windows. The Dice laughed a little when he noticed her expression.
"Yes, quite breathtaking, don't you think?", he said. May only nodded absently as she was too busy taking in the room.
"Well, once you're done admiring my taste of furniture, I shall tell you why you are here.", the Dice added. This made May snap her head back towards him, her attention fully aimed at him. She was still on guard, and deep down she knew she had every right to be.
"You asked me where this… Drew, was it? Ah yes, you asked me where 'Drew' is. Well, to put it simply, Drew is no longer with us.", he started. May's mind recalled the event she saw before she passed out, and cast her eyes downward in shock. She had hoped that it was a dream, but she knew it was true. A few tears escaped her eyes as she remembered him fall down on the pavement, landing in a pool of his own blood.
"Now now, no tears. They only stain your beautiful face.", the Dice said as he lifted her chin with his fingers. May didn't speak; she wanted to get out of this place. She shook her head loose from his grip and leaned back a bit, while she looked the Dice in the eye. And then she saw what she should have seen much earlier.
The Dice's irises and pupils were completely black.
She failed to contain a gasp as she pushed herself even further away. The Dice snickered, and May could tell he was planning something. And whatever it was, it wasn't anything good.
This became even more apparent when she found herself suddenly pinned to a wall, the chair she was recently in lying on the floor, while the Dice himself secured her so that she couldn't get away. She tried to struggle against his grip, but she found herself powerless to do so. She could feel his cold breath against her cheek as he inched his face closer, until his mouth has reached her ear. She barely heard him whispering something.
"Like I said, I mean you no harm… if you agree to behave yourself… like I want you to behave.", he said in a hushed whisper. May closed her eyes as she started to shiver. The Dice grinned at her state, and he opened his mouth a little further. May felt something wet stroking her, which started at her ear, to her cheek, until it ended and the bottom of her neck.
"I must admit that you're an exquisite taste.", the Dice whispered. He wanted to continue when there was a knock on the door. He let out a sigh, and looked May straight into her eyes. May could feel her energy being drained, until she felt her consciousness fading. Before she realized what happened, all went black and she knew nothing more.
The Dice caught May's limp body and placed gently her on the sofa. His face showed a dark smile as he shouted for the person to come inside. He turned around to see the door opening and a familiar figure walked into the room.
"Hello Paul. I see you had a little trouble with your prey?", the Dice said in a mocking tone. Paul glared at him while he took something from his coat. He handed it to the Dice. The Dice looked down and noticed it was a Pokéball. The grin on his face only grew wider as he examined the object.
"That's a gift from Giovanni. He wanted you to have it in case Ash comes looking for her, and the others.", he explained. The Dice grinned.
"Ah yes, the other guests. I have a special place for them, once your little conference is finished. Now, what are your plans?", the Dice said as he pocketed the ball. Paul shrugged.
"I'm going to stay here for a while. Helping Lance when he gets here with our new arrivals.", he said as he turned to leave. As he reached the door, the Dice spoke to him.
"Can Giovanni's 'gift' be enough to entertain our soon-to-be guest?", he asked. Paul grinned.
"Don't worry, it will make for an excellent show.", he replied. He opened the door and left the room, leaving the Dice alone. The Dice touched the Pokéball again and let out a shiver of pleasure.
"Whatever it is, it will be grand!", he exclaimed. He looked back at May, and a lustful expression appeared on his face. He walked towards her slowly.
"Now, where was I…"
Norman felt the van come to an abrupt halt. He wondered were he and his companions had been brought to, as he tried to free himself in another futile attempt. He heard the doors open and before he knew what happened, his was brought forcefully to his feet and was literally dragged out of the van. The bag was removed from his head and he blinked at the sudden light that flooded his eyes. He blinked a few times until his eyesight returned.
"Welcome Norman, and all of you as well. Welcome to this place.", Lance said. Norman wanted to punch him so bad, but he was more worried about his family. He glanced around and to his delight he found that everyone was there. Lance noticed this and chuckled.
"As you can see, everyone is here Norman. Now, follow me and you will get your answers.", he said as he turned around. Norman felt the push of a gun barrel in his back and he reluctantly started to follow Lance, together with the other prisoners. He gave Caroline a small smile, letting her know that he was alright.
Lance led the group through various hallways until they halted in front of a door. He gestured to the guards, and they pushed everyone inside. Lance came in last and closed the door. He motioned to the chairs in the room, which were pointed at a wide screen on the wall. The guards made everyone sit down, and they waited for the things to come.
"Well, now that we are all here, I suspect you want to know where you all are, right?", Lance inquired with a mocking tone. Dawn and Zoey huddled close to Caroline, as they were too scared. Lance noticed this, but ignored them as he continued.
"We are in the headquarters of the Cult of the Dice. That's right, the very same we were just talking about.", he said when he saw the shocked looks on their faces. Lance opened his mouth when the door opened, and a person with a long blue coat stepped inside, slamming the door behind him.
"Sorry I'm late.", he said with an icy tone. He stood on the opposite of Lance, leaning against the wall as he crossed his arms. "Go on, continue with your so-called explanation.", he added. Lance eyed him for a moment before he continued.
"So nice of you to join us Paul.", he said before he turned to the others again. "Like I said, you're the guests of the Dice, and while he is not available for the moment, I shall enlighten you.", he continued.
"Where's my daughter?", Norman exclaimed suddenly.
"Your daughter is in good hands.", Paul said. Norman stood up briskly, but before anybody saw what happened, Paul stood in front of him, his katana resting on Norman's left check.
"And it depends on you and your actions if she will stay that way. Now, sit down.", Paul added, as he applied a little more pressure on Norman's face. Norman stared his assailant down, but sat down nonetheless. Paul sheathed his weapon before taking his spot again. A small line of blood trickled alongside Norman's face.
"Now that we're all calmed down again, I shall explain further. But before we do, there is someone else that will be joining this conversation.", Lance said. He pressed a small button on the wall and the screen lit up. It slowly came into focus, only for it to reveal a person they half expected to see. Grinning upon them was the figure of Giovanni himself. The group was too shocked to respond.
"Good evening, everyone.", Giovanni greeted them. He enjoyed looking at the flabbergasted faces of the prisoners.
"What is the meaning of this! What is your part in all of this?", professor Oak exclaimed, when he saw the face of the leader of the greatest crime syndicate in the world. Giovanni glared at the professor, before a smile appeared on his face.
"You have come here for answers, and I shall give them to you. Together with my associate here, Lance.", Giovanni said. Lance's face brightened at bit, while the others looked at him in astonishment. Did they heard it right? Lance was Giovanni's associate?
"Don't be so surprised, all of you. Lance has been my business associate for a long time now. We help each other out in all kinds of ways.", Giovanni said.
"What do you mean by that?", Delia asked. However much she despised them, she was eager to know what kind of business they did with each other.
"With Lance being the head of the Elite Four, he knows all about the most powerful trainers that enter the various leagues. He gives me this information, and my agents take care of the rest.", Giovanni said. The group looked at him strangely, as they didn't quite get the meaning of his explanation.
"It is not that hard to figure out. Haven't you noticed that many top-tier trainers have gone 'missing' over the past years?", Lance explained further. When the realization hit, the eyes of the group widened in surprise.
"You mean you… what have you done with them!", professor Elm exclaimed. Giovanni merely chuckled at his response.
"Do you still have to ask that, professor? Although I shall say that if they don't fit in my plans, there are also other uses for them…", he explained. Professor Elm let the words sink in, until he knew what Giovanni meant. He rose from his seat to say something, but a strike from behind made him slump back in his chair again.
"Please, remain seated. There's no need to get all worked up over this. The League has been in Rocket hands for quite a long time now. We've done quite a lot of operations together.", Giovanni said. His expression showed that he enjoyed every word he said.
"Besides, you are all brought here to be part of the greatest operation we have ever conducted.", Lance added eagerly.
"And what kind of plan is that?", professor Oak asked.
"Do you know of the conflict that transpired in the Underworld millennia ago?", Giovanni asked. Delia stiffened when he mentioned that, because she knew this all too well. Giovanni noticed the look on her face and smiled.
"I see that at least one of you knows. Allow me to explain further. Millennia ago, the Prince of Darkness wanted to rule this world. The world of men. But he was stood up by a single warrior, one of his own kind. While that warrior is no more, his legacy lives on in its offspring.", he said, as he pointed at Delia. Delia glared darkly at Giovanni.
"Whatever your plan is Giovanni, it will not succeed. My son will come and he will put a stop to this.", she said with determination. Giovanni and Lance snickered, while Paul couldn't help but smile.
"Oh, but we have already thought about that, Delia. In fact, your son has an even greater role to play. And he does not even know it himself.", Giovanni said.
"And what role shall that be then?", Delia asked.
"Now, that would be telling. All will be revealed in due time. But, you also have a part in this. I'm currently here in this building, and I'm eagerly awaiting your arrival.", he replied. He motioned a guard, and Delia was pulled from her chair. She tried to struggle, but the guard was too strong.
"Bring her to my office. Paul, you come too.", he said, and Delia was led out of the room. Paul followed them, and as the door closed, Lance turned to the leftover people in the room.
"Like Giovanni said, the Prince was defeated. But he was not dead, as he cannot truly die in his own realm. He remained in the Underworld, and now his time is almost upon us, to come to this world once again!", Lance exclaimed. Norman's eyes grew wide, and Dawn and Zoey huddled even closer to Caroline. They were ripped from their thoughts when they heard the muffled sounds of gunfire and screams.
"It seems we have a guest.", Lance said.
"And right on time.", Giovanni added, before the screen went black. Lance turned to the group.
"I'll leave you all here. And don't try to escape, as you will not succeed.", he said, as he left the room as well. The group was left at the mercy of the guards, but Norman and Oak felt a little hope inside of them.
Ash was here.
During the questioning, Ash was hot on the trail of the vans, and the trail led him and Misty through the forest. He knew that Lance and the others had quite a head start, so he had to speed up to make up for the lost time. He kept riding until he suddenly stopped, making Misty almost lose her balance.
"Hey watch it!", she shouted. Ash shushed her, and mentioned her to be quiet.
"Keep it down Red. We're almost there.", he said as he let Misty get off the bike. He followed suit a second later. Misty looked around, but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary.
"Where's here, exactly?", she asked as he placed her hands on her hips. Ash didn't answer at first, and headed further down the road. She followed him, and she saw what he meant in the faint moonlight. A large, seemingly abandoned building, shut off with a high fence.
"Here's here.", she heard Ash say as he headed for the fence. There was a gate in the fence, which was firmly closed. Ash pushed against it, but it didn't budge. He took a few steps back as he reached for his sword.
"Let's invite ourselves.", he said, and with a fluid motion, he slashed the gate apart, and kicked the gate open. He placed his sword back and turned to Misty.
"Ladies first.", he said with a smile. Misty rolled her eyes, but she walked through the gate nevertheless. Ash followed suit, and he inspected the building as they neared it.
"What a dump. For all that it is worth, I had hoped that they would have picked a more classier place.", Misty muttered sarcastically. She held her hands on her weapons, ready to fire when it was needed. As followed her, a few feet behind.
"Tell me about it. It smells too.", he replied as he quickened his pace a little bit.
"Really? I don't smell anything. What do you smell then?", she said, as she was abruptly stopped when Ash lifted his arm.
"I smell a special cologne. It's called… O'd Demono.", he replied, as he quickly reached behind his back with his hands, having them re-emerge a fraction of a second later, holding his guns.
Misty had only a second herself to draw her weapons when several figures jumped down from the structure. Ash wasted no time and started taking potshots at the falling devils, which came down upon them as a lethal rain of fangs and claws. Misty joined the fray, as she too started shooting at their adversaries. The struck devils only let out a pained shriek, before they dissolved into particles of dust. And as soon as the attack began, it ended. Ash twirled his guns, before he lowered them to his sides.
"So much for the welcoming committee.", he chuckled. He took a few steps forward and tapped with one of his guns on a metal door. When he got no response, he shot a smirk over his shoulder before he kicked the door in, making it fly into the darkness.
"Knock knock!", he exclaimed with a wide grin, as he entered the building. Misty rolled her eyes at his macho-display, but followed him inside nonetheless. She found Ash standing, looking around a dimly lit hallway. In the distance, she noticed a few figures coming their way, all dressed in a white cloak with their faces covered by a hood. Ash let one of his guns rest on his shoulder as he saw them approaching.
"And there they are, ready to welcome us!", Ash exclaimed. The figures stopped a few feet away from them, and Ash could smell the devilish aura that emanated from them. He turned to Misty, who had also drawn her guns.
"You ready?", he asked as he turned to their enemies. Misty gave a nod. Ash grinned.
"Then let's give them Hell!"
