4 Months Ago
The Ketchum house sat alone in the night, only one light glowing from inside the house. The curtains drew back, revealing a worried face. Misty scanned the night scenery, hoping to see the figure of Ash walking up the drive.
"Pikachu"?
"No...not yet" she answered, letting the curtains cover the window once again.
Misty walked over to the couch where Pikachu was perched. She dropped onto the cushions, letting out a long worried sigh. Delia had left for the night, taking an overnight shopping trip into Viridian City.
"Let Ash know where I've gone once he returns" Delia had told Misty as she had walked out the door.
That was at four in the afternoon. When Misty had woken up that morning, Ash was gone. Delia had tried to reassure her that he was probably at Professor Oak's lab...until Professor Oak called asking if Ash was home.
Misty balled her fists up tight, and glanced at the clock. 2:37 a.m.
"Where are you Ash..." Misty mumbled to herself.
"Pika..."
The little Pokemon laid on the back of the couch, his eyes glued on the door. Misty had figured Ash would have at least made it back in time for dinner. His plate Misty had prepared still sat on the kitchen table. This wasn't like him! Well, it was for the last few months. Her anger began to replace her worry, causing her face to redden. Why was he disappearing for long periods of time? Was he seeing another girl? Oh God...NO! Misty shook her head violently to remove those thoughts. Ash wouldn't do that...would he? He was probably out for some other reason. But what could it be? Could he be feeling guilty about something, so he didn't wan't to be around her?
'Hm...well he should feel guilty' Misty started to think, 'maybe Mark wouldn't have attacked us if he hadn't acted like an ass...'.
Deep down she knew that wasn't true, but no matter how hard she tried, Misty was beginning to blame Ash for everything that had happened so far.
'My leg got hurt because of him...he wasn't able to help Tracy...' Misty continued to allow herself to get worked up.
She jumped as the door handle jiggled. It swung open and Ash appeared in the living room.
"PikaPi"!
Pikachu bolted off the couch and flew into Ash's arms. Misty stood up slowly, she was sure steam was coming out of her ears. Ash paused seeing her expression.
"Do, you, have any idea...what time it is" Misty asked sternly, her voice dangerously low.
"Well the clock says 2:41" Ash replied nonchalantly, then closed the door behind him.
This was the wrong way to answer Misty.
"WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN ASH KETCHUM"?!
Pikachu tried to cower inside of Ash's jacket as Misty yelled. She started breathing harder, clenching her fists tight. Her face was red, and she was leaning forward slightly. Ash merely stared right back at her, and slowly started to walk through the living room. He passed her by, keeping his eyes ahead of him. Misty's mouth dropped.
"Are you serious...what's gotten into you" Misty asked trying to yell, but her shock wouldn't allow it.
Her eyes watered fast as Ash continued walking.
"ASH"!
He stopped at the strain in her voice. She tried to speak, but found she was unable too. Ash didn't continue on, he seemed to be waiting. Misty stared at the back of his head, looking for some indication of...anything! Finally she found her voice.
"What's going on? Why have you been avoiding me" her voice shook.
For the last two weeks, she had been trying to tell herself that he hadn't been avoiding her. When he would only speak to her when necessary, she came up with an excuse. When he would avoid her eyesight, she came up with an excuse. Even when he turned her offers down to join him on his walks, she came up with an excuse. But now...what excuse could she come up? Ash, agonizingly slow, turned to her. His expression was hardened, and the muscle on his temple was jumping.
"Nothing you would understand" Ash said with almost zero emotion.
"Try me" Misty told him, almost pleading.
He didn't reply, leaving Misty to be the one to speak again. This time she asked a question that had been nagging at the back of her mind for the last two weeks.
"Do you still love me"?
It took Ash far longer than Misty would have liked to answer, but he eventually said, "of course I do".
"Then why don't you act like it" Misty retaliated.
"You wouldn't understand" Ash said again.
"TRY ME" Misty shouted in desperation, fling her arms in the air.
The muscle on his temple jumped again, and he simply said, "Misty...please drop it".
"No, we are going to sit down and talk this out" Misty demanded, motioning to the couch.
"Drop it" Ash said again more sternly.
"Ash Ketchum-".
"DROP IT"!
He yelled so violently that Pikachu jumped from his arms terrified, and ran to the corner, huddling in the shadows. Misty jumped back at his outburst, but regained herself quickly. His anger only fueled her own.
"NO! I WAN'T TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH YOU"!
"I'VE TOLD YOU! YOU WON'T UNDERSTAND" spit flew from Ash's mouth as he shouted.
"THEN MAKE ME" Misty shouted back at him, taking a step forward.
"I CAN'T"!
Ash gritted his teeth, and spun around, turning his back to her. Misty puffed up, using every ounce of strength she had to not knock him on the back of the head with her fist.
"WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE SUCH AN ASS" Misty shouted.
"WHY DON'T YOU JUST LEAVE" Ash retaliated, keeping his back to her.
Misty's heart felt as if it had been pierced by an arrow. A ringing filled her ears, and she could have sworn she was getting dizzy. Her breaths caught in her throat, and she tried to swallow them down. Water filled her eyes, and began to fall down her face. Were her legs filling with jelly?
"You don't mean that..." Misty said quietly, silently hoping he might turn around and shout April Fools. Ash remained stationed where he was, not a single muscle moving. Misty's legs gave out, and she collapsed to the floor. Her hands flew to her face and covered it as deep sobs escaped her. Her chest convulsed painfully, and her heart seemed to be stabbing at her emotions. She heard Ash turn and start to walk. For a moment her mind jumped to the conclusion that she would feel his arms wrap around her, but they never came. Instead she heard the door open and close with a snap. Her head shot up, and she scanned the room. He was gone.
"Ash" she called through her sobs, but received no answer.
She thought about chasing him, running after him into the night. In the end she decided not too...what good would it even do? What was she going to do?...there was only one thing she could do...her chest still jumping under the sobs, she rose to her feet. Pikachu remained huddled in the corner, watching her silently. Misty leaned against the wall, using it for support as she made her way into the kitchen. Fumbling through the drawers, she found pen and paper. Misty collapsed into a chair at the table, placing the pen and paper in front of her. Her tears had already begun to stain the page, but she began to write anyway.
Ash...When you return, I'll will be back home in Cerulean. I don't know what has happened between us, but it's obvious to me, that we are broken. Regardless, I love you very much. Please never forget that. I hope you can be happy again one day. Take care of yourself - Misty.
She tried to come up with more meaningful words, to make the note resonate within Ash whenever he read it. She half hoped that when he read it he would come charging to Cerulean to fix what had broken. Reading over the note, she knew he wouldn't. She couldn't come up with any better way to say her goodbye. Placing the note back down onto the table, Misty stood up, dried her face, and proceeded into the bedroom to pack her things.
Present Day
Misty bolted out of Cameron's room with a nod to Brock. They listened to her footsteps running down the hall.
"Thank you for that speech" Brock told Cameron.
"No need to thank me" Cameron groaned from his bed, "she needs to be with him".
"Yea...she does" Brock agreed, taking a seat at the small desk, "I think I owe you an apology".
Cameron turned his head over to Brock with a confused expression.
"We basically poisoned you, and made you lose the girl" Brock stated, "makes for a shitty night".
Cameron chuckled, making Brock tilt his head in confusion.
"I wouldn't say it was a shitty night" Cameron smiled, "I had a lot of fun, and I made a few new friends. That's a good night in my book".
Cameron quickly closed his eyes as he finished speaking, and a pained expression came across his face.
"You ok" Brock asked hurriedly, sitting forward in his chair.
"Yea, just a stomach pain" Cameron said through gritted teeth.
A few minutes later there was a rapid knock at the door. Brock jumped up and answered it. It was Delila with the paramedic. They rushed inside and the paramedic began firing off a few rapid questions to Cameron to get an idea of his medical state. Delila inched closer to Brock.
"Where's Misty" she asked him.
"She just took off to go find Ash" Brock informed her.
Delila's face lit up, "really? Good"!
Brock put an arm around her, and pulled her close to him. The paramedic stood up and turned to the pair.
"Mister Cameron here will be fine" the paramedic told them, "he didn't consume enough to cause any serious harm. Although he shouldn't do too much physical activity for the next few days".
"Got it" Brock said, "we'll keep our eye on him".
With a quick nod, the paramedic let himself out.
"We're so, so sorry" Delila started, but Cameron stopped her.
"Already been down that road" Cameron smiled at her, "everything's alright".
Delila looked relieved, but did state, "you're awfully relaxed about losing your girl".
"She was never my girl" Cameron told her, "she was always his".
Brock smiled wide, giving Cameron a nod. Suddenly a muffled voice exploded in the next room.
"YOU KNOW DAMN WELL"!
The three looked at the wall as the voices began to yell back and forth.
"That's Misty's room" Cameron exclaimed, making to get up, but Brock stopped him.
"I'll see what's going on" Brock told them, and headed out the door. He left it cracked, letting them hear what was going on.
"Um, is everything ok" Delila and Cameron heard Brock ask cautiously.
"EVERYTHING IS FINE" Ash and Misty's voices rang out.
They heard the door snap shut, and Brock returned with an expression of fear on his face.
"Um, is that normal" Cameron asked worried.
"For them...yes" Brock replied sullenly.
Ash and Misty's voiced continued to shout back and forth.
"I'm going for some air" Cameron stated, sitting up in bed.
"What" Delila asked quickly, "you're supposed to rest".
"With that going on" Cameron asked with a chuckled and pointing to the wall, "I'll be alright. Promise".
With surprising speed, he was up and out the door before Brock or Delila could stop him. They continued to listen to Ash and Misty shout for just a moment.
"I guess we should go too" Brock suggested, to which Delila agreed.
They let themselves out and proceeded down the hall away from the arguing couple.
Ash's heart jumped into his throat as he stared straight into Misty's eyes. The boat had just rocked, rough enough to snap Ash from his sleep. The only things in his view, were two light blue orbs, and a soft smile. Ash's arms were wrapped around Misty, holding her close to his chest. He could feel her naked body against his, leaving little tingles along his skin. Their legs were entwined, and Ash could feel Misty's hair on his face. She blinked, and that was enough to snap Ash out of his trance.
"Misty-".
Her name was barely out of his mouth before she stopped him with a quick kiss. When she pulled away, her eyes remained closed.
"Don't speak yet" she said in a low voice, "let me have this moment...while I have you".
Her eyelids slowly opened, and she looked into Ash's eyes. He could see fear dancing behind them.
Misty continued at seeing his perplexed expression, "I don't know what you wan't us to be...and I just want to savor this moment while I can".
Was she serious? After that amazing night, she couldn't tell what Ash was wanting? Sometimes...Ash could swear she was just as clueless as he was. Ash slid his the palm of his hand up her back, making her shiver, and resting it on the back of her head. He pulled her in slow, pressing his lips against hers. Ash felt her muscles tighten as she inhaled quickly through her nose. She kissed him back, moving her hands to the back of his head as well. When Ash finally pulled away, he left his forehead pressed against hers.
"I wan't us to be us" Ash whispered to her, "like last night...like right now...I love you...and I promise you Misty...I'm not going anywhere ever again".
Misty started to blink rapidly as her eyes filled with water, "I love you too...I'm won't go anywhere again either".
Ash smiled softly at her, and then grazed his hand through her hair. She closed her eyes at his touch and sighed.
"Here" Ash said, removing his hand from her hair and climbing out of bed. Misty felt cold air rush under the covers as he lifted them. Ash quickly looked around the room for his hat, spotting it in the corner. Now how did it get way over there? He went and snatched it up off the floor. Misty sat up in bed, watching Ash turn back to her. He sat back on the edge of the bed, turning the hat over in his hands. Misty watched him curiously, and Ash then placed the hat on her head.
"I wan't you to have this as a symbol of us" Ash told her.
Misty's cheeks turned bright red, and she reached up to rub the brim of the hat.
"Are you sure" she asked in awe.
Ash simply nodded at her, and Misty lunged forward, tackling him in a hug. Her body felt amazing against Ash's, and he prayed he would never have to live without her again. A feint beating began to rattle through the room. Misty's pulled away from Ash, looking at him with confusion. The beating was growing louder...was that a helicopter? No, that was a lot of helicopters! The beating was turning into a roar as they approached the boat. Ash flew off the bed, scrambling around the room for his clothes. He tossed Misty the ones he found that belonged to her. The roaring was right on top of them now, they could hear the helicopters circling the boat. The couple ran out of the room, fully dressed, but still straightening their shirts. Passengers were crowding the hallway, murmuring to each other. Wondering what was going on. Ash and Misty snaked their way through them, rushing down the hall as fast as they could. Something wasn't right. One helicopter might have a good reason for flying to a cruise ship, but a bunch of them? Ash's instincts were fired up, shouting at him to be cautious.
Ash burst out onto deck, nearly crashing into Everett. He was staring up at the sky, and Ash followed his gaze. Dozens of black helicopters were circling in the air, flying fast and close to the ship. The blades were creating a storm of wind, billowing the passengers clothes and hair frantically. Misty placed her hand on top of Ash's hat to keep it on her head, and grabbed his arm as they both spotted the bright red R painted on the side of the choppers. Ash gritted his teeth, and placed his hand on his PokeBall's...Shit! They were still in his room! He hadn't been back there yet since going to the bar! He quickly surveyed the amount of people up on deck. To many to try and defend if Team Rocket attacked. He spotted Brock standing in front of Delila, positioned in the same pose as Ash. Gary was a few feet ahead of Everett, his eyes darting between helicopters. Suddenly, one helicopter swooped down, darting close to Gary and swerving around to the edge of the boat. It thundered above the water, and the side door slid open. Ash knew hoping that man had been dead was too good to be true, as he watched Giovanni appear from behind the door. He was sporting a long jagged scar running down the side of his face, from his hairline to the tip of his chin. Giovanni grinned maliciously wide, his eyes fixated on Gary alone.
"Mr. Oak" Giovanni shouted over the roar of the helicopters, "we finally caught up to you".
"Guess I couldn't avoid you forever" Gary remarked with intense sarcasm.
Giovanni's grin grew even bigger, baring his teeth, "So you knew we were following you eh"?
Gary didn't reply this time, he simply reached back and removed a PokeBall, enlarging it to full size. At seeing this, Giovanni burst into laughter.
"Battling would be fruitless" Giovanni said amused, "why not just simply tell me where my Mewtwo and Mew are".
"I'll fill you in just as soon as I know" Gary replied with deep sarcasm.
"Oh but you do" Giovanni mocked, pointing a finger at Gary, "otherwise, why the sudden rush to catch this boat"?
Once again Gary didn't answer. Giovanni knew, and it wouldn't do any good to continue to lie about it.
"Don't wan't to share with the class" Giovanni questioned, "then how about the location of the Dominion"?
Ash's breath caught in his chest. How did Giovanni know about the Dominion?! He glanced at Gary and could tell he was pondering the same thing by his expression. Ash took a quick moment to examine their situation while there was a pause in the conversation. Giovanni's helicopter had two mini guns mounted on the front, and judging by the rest of the choppers, they did too.
"Go fuck yourself" was all Gary could think to say.
"Tsk tsk" Giovanni shook his head in disappointment, "and here I was hoping we wouldn't have to reach this point".
Without any other words, he slid the door shut of the helicopter. Ash's instincts kicked in, and he grabbed Misty by the waist as the helicopter spun around to face the boat. Ash flipped a table on it's side, and yanked Misty down behind it. The helicopter opened fire on the crowd of passengers. Ash ears were filled with screams of panic, and bullets on metal. A bullet pierced the table, exploding a small hole in between Ash and Misty. Everett slid behind it with them, narrowly avoiding a bullet hitting the deck behind him. The crowd surged back to the door downstairs. Brock shielded Delila as best he could, pointing ahead of them towards the door. Ash watched in horror as the bullets rained into the crowd. One woman tripped at the front, and was being trampled by hundreds of scrambling feet. Misty grabbed Ash's arm tight, keeping her eyes shut to not witness the massacre.
A young couple tripped next to Everett, and he reached out to help them behind the table. The roar of the helicopters mixed with the bursting of the mini gun, the crowds screams of terror, and the tinging of the bullets were deafening. Ash gritted his teeth and chanced a peek through the bullet hole in the table. Gary was still in the same spot, only his Alakazam was in front of him using reflect. The bullets bounced off the energy shield, and were flying back at the helicopter. It swerved left and right dodging the returned fire. The other helicopters had begun to descend, flying below the railing of the boat out of Ash's eyesight. A series of loud booms rocked the ship, and Ash watched smoke rise out from the edge.
"Confusion" Gary shouted over the deafening sounds.
"KaaaaZAM"!
Alakazam shoved its spoons in the direction of the helicopter. It glowed a quick blue, and then faltered in the air. It swayed violently, and began to descend rapidly towards the back of the ship. Ash heard the bullets continue on away from the crowd, tinging their way down the side of the ship. The boat rocked hard as the helicopter crashed at the back.
"ASH" Gary shouted, spinning to look for him.
Ash stood up quickly from behind the table.
"Team Rocket is invading the boat, get down there and help! I'll take care of Giovanni" Gary commanded, and ran to the back of the boat before Ash could respond.
Ash quickly looked down at the people behind the table, each looking at him, waiting for instructions.
"Everett" Ash started hurriedly, "help these people, get them to the infirmary. Misty, come with me"!
Ash bolted to the doorway, where Brock and Delila were doing their best to keep people from trampling the ones who had fallen. Ash jumped over body after body, slipping on blood that had seeped across deck.
"Brock" Ash called when he was within earshot, "I need you to help Everett get these people to safety".
"Right, any suggestions on where that is" Brock asked with a hint of hurried sarcasm, "the infirmary can't hold everyone".
Dammit, he was right...
"The dining room" Misty added in, "it's big enough to hold everyone".
"Got it" Brock stated, "Geodude, we need your help"!
In a flash Brock threw a PokeBall and the rock Pokemon appeared.
"Help us get these injured people to the dining room" Brock told it.
"Geodude"!
It flew over and picked up a woman huddling in a pool of blood.
"Delila" Brock turned, "go get the people in the infirmary to move to the dining area, have them set up there".
"Got it Brocky" Delila replied, and with a quick kiss on Brock's cheek, she was gone downstairs.
"What are you two still doing here" Brock asked quickly, noticing Ash and Misty still standing there, "go stop Team Rocket"!
With a quick nod of realization, Ash took off, leading Misty down into the boat.
"We have to get our Pokemon" Ash shouted back at Misty as they ran.
They reached a fork in the hallway which had their rooms down opposite ends.
"I'll meet you right back here" Misty told him, and bolted down the right hall.
Ash tried to protest, but she was already gone. He clenched his fists and ran down the left hall. A small surge of people appeared, and blocked his path. They were crammed from wall to wall, shouting to each other.
"Everybody" Ash said loudly, but to no affect, "HEY"!
The crowd quieted and turned to him.
"Head to the dining room" Ash shouted, "we are setting up a safe area there".
"What's going on" one man asked loudly.
"Are we under attack" a woman asked immediately after.
"Yes, now hurry" Ash yelled, "get somewhere safe"!
Behind him, the sound of cracking wood was approaching him fast. He spun to see hundreds of bullet holes appearing in a line, running along the wall headed straight for him and the crowd of people.
"EVERYBODY DOWN" Ash shouted as loud as he could, and hit the floor.
The bullets sprayed over him, splintering wood across his back. A few people screamed in pain behind him, and he heard the unmistakable sound of flesh being ripped open. Once the bullets had passed on, he sat up and turned around. Most of the crowd had ducked, but a handful...had not. Blood splattered the opposite wall, and they were lying lifeless among the others. A woman in the center began to screech in agony, clutching a smaller body to hers...her child. Ash spotted the bullet hole on the young boys head, and felt his heart drop. The crowd began to panic as they realized what had just happened.
"Everyone" Ash shouted shakily, "please...hurry to the dining room"!
He couldn't stay any longer. He ran, jumping over the people and sprinting down the hall. He had to get his Pokemon. Ash didn't even reach into his pocket for his room key. He slammed all his weight into the door, splintering the wood from the lock. Pikachu jumped off the bed, arcing electricity through his cheeks.
"It's just me buddy" Ash said as he ran across the room and grabbed his Pokebelt.
"PiPiPi! ChuPikachu! Pika"?!
Pikachu rambled a mile a minute, waiting for Ash to tell him what was going on.
"Team Rocket" was all Ash needed to say. He clipped his belt on, extended his arm for Pikachu, and was back out the door almost as quickly as he had arrived. He ran down the hall towards Misty's room, praying she was alright. The small crowd of people had left, leaving only the trails of blood from the dead. Ash closed his eyes as he passed it. He heard her voice before he saw her.
"Confusion Golduck"!
Ash rounded the corner, spotting Misty locked in battle with three Team Rocket members and their Exploud, Houndoom, and Torkoal.
"Hyperbeam Exploud" one Team Rocket member shouted.
The Exploud roared in response, and blasted a bright orange beam straight at Golduck. Golduck dove out of the way, but now the Hyperbeam was heading straight for Misty.
She lunged out of the way at the same time Ash shouted, "NO"!
His voice made her turn to him. The Hyperbeam was on course for Ash, and he wasn't as fast. It exploded, engulfing him and Pikachu in a bright orange blast.
"ASH"!
Will Ash be alright? Can Gary defeat Giovanni? How did Giovanni know about the Dominion?! Hope everyone is enjoying Part 2 of this story as much as I am haha.