Ch. 9

(Hey, it's Aura! You're probably wondering about the '()' around this part. Well, since a character in the story uses bold for speaking, whenever I introduce you to a chapter or end it, I'll be using these so you won't be confused. Anyways, I hope you like the chapter. Comment if there's anything I need to improve on something or just to talk to me.)

A mysterious creature growled at the local butcher's shop as it stood on top of the neighboring building's roof, a deep rage was in its blood red eyes. It knew what the butcher had done, and it was not pleased. However, it knew it had better things to do tonight. It then jumped onto the butcher's roof and then jumped behind to the back of the building. It quickly ripped the back door opened and crawled inside. However, a surveillance camera noticed the creature, which causes an alarm to erupt throughout the building, surprising the monster. It rushed over to a large bin and found the items it was looking for. The creature chuckled as it grabbed the packages of blood. It quickly drinks a package to squelch the hunger in its stomach. It smiled as it grabbed a couple of meat hooks that were hanging from the ceiling. Suddenly a flashlight landed on the creature. The creature turned around and see the Butcher. The butcher gasped as it looked at the creature. It was Ash, but his eyes were blood red and lizard like, his nails were very long, and he had a dark aura around him. He also didn't have his Pokeballs on him, and he was without his hat again. "Wh-what the?" The butcher asked. Suddenly the man had a head ache as he heard Ash chuckle as his eyes glowed an ominous red. "Hehehe...Hello James, I see in this time line you've become a butcher. Fitting, since you're still a murderer and a sinner. But I have bigger fishes to fry than you." A deep menacing voice said to the man. The butcher opened his eyes and saw the boy coming closer. The man gulped and stepped back. The boy chuckled in the same deep voice. "Wh-what are you?" The man asked. Ash smiled. "I am every sinful thought you've made. I am the mist that holds you down and keep you from running away from your mistakes. I am Xuchilbara and I have returned to make all you humans suffer. Now excuse me, I have better things to do." Ash said at the man, then ran out of the shop. The man shocked in fear. "Th-that…that was the red devil! The one Perlis brought here! Oh no…oh no…oh no…He's….he's going to kill me! He's GOING TO KILL ME!" The man yelled out in fear.

…

Ash yawned as he woke up. He got up and stretched. Ash then held his head. It was aching in pain. He got out of the bed and noticed that his friends were already awake and dressed, and were looking at him in confusion. Ash blinked. "Um…good morning guys, but what's with the funny looks?" Ash asked. Iris sighed. "We were hoping you would answer that. You're were already in your clothes when we woke up. We thought that maybe you went out for the night to train, but then we remembered that it's too dark for anyone to go out. So…why are you in your daytime clothes?" Iris said. Ash looked down and noticed that he was wearing his normal traveling clothes. Ash blushed and then looked at Iris as he rubbed the back of his head. "Honestly, I don't know either. All I know is that I had a really weird dream about Tobias' Darkrai attacking me, but then another me saved me from the attack. Other than that, everything is a blur." Ash said. Iris and Cilan sighed. "Well, maybe you were sleep walking. You woke me up last night and you seemed to be in a trance. I tried to get you out of it, but it didn't work so I decided that it was best to tell Nurse Joy and then go back to bed. Hopefully Nurse Joy will tell us what you did during the night." Cilan said. Ash gulped. "R-really? Man, that's not good. I've never done that before. Hopefully I didn't do anything stupid." Ash said. The others nodded. Ash looked at Pikachu and rubbed its head. Pikachu smiled. "Pika!" Pikachu yelled as he jumped into Ash's arms. Ash giggled. Ash yawned as he got up. He then held his head. "Ugh. My head. It's pounding. I guess Eddie did more to me than we thought." Ash said. The others nodded. "Well, I hope you can handle the pain when the ceremony starts." Iris said. Everyone's eyes shrank. They looked at the local clock that was on the wall. It read 9:40. "THE CEREMONY!" They all yelled in shock and fear. They only had about half an hour left before the ceremony started. Ash grabbed his hat, his backpack and his Pokeballs as the others got ready.

They soon left the room in a hurry and rushed over to Nurse Joy. She was shocked to see them. "Oh my! What are you still doing here, the ceremony is about to start?" Nurse Joy asked. Ash sighed. "Sorry about that, I overslept. But before we go, Cilan saw me sleep walking…did…did I do anything stupid?" Ash asked, very concerned. Nurse Joy looked down. "Well…you ran off into the night a few minutes after Cilan went back to bed. I tried to follow you, but after a while, I couldn't because it was too hard to see, so I went back to my desk. When you returned, you…you were covered in blood. I cleaned you up and sent you back to bed. So far, nothing bad has happened, but…I'm still concerned." Nurse Joy said. This made the gang fearful. "Wh-what?" Ash said, the news hitting him hardest. Nurse Joy sighed. "I know this may be hard for you to hear, but it's the truth…however, from what you smelled like, I can safely say it was only pigs' blood…however, that only raises the question on how you got pigs' blood on you." Nurse Joy said. Ash looked down at his hands. He then saw blood all over them. Ash became afraid. Nurse Joy notices this. "D-don't worry about it, you're okay. Everything is under control…you…you should just go to the coliseum now." Nurse Joy said. The gang nodded and then ran off. However, Ash was still scared out of his mind. They soon rushed out of the center and ran to the stadium. They quickly entered the stadium and saw that Tobias was there. Ash smiled as they slowed down. "Hey, Tobias, what brings you here?" Ash said. Tobias smiled. "Oh. I was just going to watch the tournament, that's all." Tobias said with a smile, but Ash noticed that something was off about it. Cilan smiled. "Good, so could you tell Iris and I will be sitting?" Cilan asked. Tobias chuckled and pointed to a door. "Friends of the competitors will be seated over there." Tobias said. Cilan and Iris smiled. Ash chuckled. "So Tobias, where's the trainer's room? I don't want to be late." Ash said, looking very nervous. Tobias soon pointed to another door. "All trainers competing have to enter that room, but I'm more concerned about you, Ash. You don't look all that well." Tobias said as points to a large set of double doors. Ash sighed. "I…I'm sorry Tobias, I've just haven't been feeling well ever since Eddie left my body…I've…I've been acting like an animal more than I want. Plus this current headache is interfering with how I think." Ash said. Tobias smiled. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'm not sure why you're still in pain, but it should disappear soon." Tobias said. Ash looked at him and smiled. "Thanks." Ash said. Ash soon rushed to the doors while Iris and Cilan ran off to take their seats.

Once he got into the room, he got chewed up by the referee and Officer Jenny for coming in so late compared to the other trainers. Ash bowed. "I-I'm so sorry. I-I over slept. Please…please don't disqualify me." Ash said, scared out of his mind. He never felt this nervous before. Jenny sighed. "Fine, but you need to be more careful." Jenny said. Ash nodded. Soon the trainers got into a line and walked out into battle field. Ash was the last in line and felt ashamed of himself. After a bit of organizing on the field, Ash looked around the colosseum. It was pretty big and didn't have a thrown like in his dream. Ash sighed. 'J-just calm down. Everything is going to be okay. Ri-right, Satoshi…' Ash thought, but nobody replied. 'S-Satoshi? Satoshi, pl-please answer me, the silence is scaring me.' However nobody replied. Ash held himself. Suddenly Ash heard the speaker begin the ceremony which caused Ash to snap out of his fear. Ash looked up and sighed in relief as the speaker, John Perlis, began to talk about the town. Oddly, there wasn't any mention of where Eddie or Markham was, or the fact that Eddie was in jail, only that the man was 'disqualified' from the tournament for 'troubling' the town. Once the ceremony ended, they announced the pairing of people who were fighting in the first round. After a few minutes, the fights were arranged and the first battle of the first round battles began. Ash sighed as he went back to the trainer's hall. In the room, Ash sat down and held himself. 'Satoshi, what's going on? Why didn't you answer me?' Ash asked the king, however instead of the king's voice he heard his inner thoughts. 'Kill Perlis.' Ash froze in fear. 'S-Satoshi? Pl-please let that be you. I…I don't want it to be me.' Ash soon felt the animal clawing inside of him again. 'Kill Perlis! He doesn't deserve to be on stage, you do. You deserve it. You need their praise. After all, you're just a puppet. You would sell your own soul just for a little bit of cheap praise.' The voice said. Ash closed his eyes. 'No! I'm…I'm not like that! I would never do that!' Ash yelled back. 'Oh really? Because that didn't stop you before. Remember Brock's Onix, Misty's Starmie, and all the other Pokémon you nearly beaten to an inch of their life. Why is this different?' The voice asked. Ash growled. 'I was just a stupid kid! I didn't know the rules back then! I'm different now!' Ash yelled.

Ash soon felt chains wrapped around him. 'Yes, you are different. You're weaker. Phatic. Maybe even dumber than you originally were. After all, you only sent out your Papatoad against Elise as your "plan". I bet when you reach the league, you won't even get 16th place.' The voice mocked. Ash held his head. 'Shut up! I know my plan was stupid, but what else was I going to do! I…I had no options! I…I had to improvise. I'm just lucky that I won! Now stop reminding me! AND I WILL WIN THE LEAGUE! I'll…I'LL WIN IT WITH ONLY MY UNOVA GROUP! THAT'LL SHOW YOU! THAT'LL SHOW IRIS AND CILAN TOO! THEY'LL RESPECT ME THEN! THEY'LL LOVE ME THEN!' Ash roared inside as his rage began to become dangerous. 'Big talk for such a small boy. But what will really help you is killing Tobias. He's a treat. He beat you in the Sinnoh league, when you were at your best! If he stays, you'll never be love. You'll never reach your dream. You'll only be second best.' This struck Ash badly. 'K-kill T-Tobias? N-no! NO! GO AWAY! I…I DON'T NEED YOU INNER ME! I…I BEAT HIS DARKRAI AND HIS LATIOS! I CAN BEAT THE REST OF HIS TEAM!' Ash roared in response. The voice chuckled. 'Don't need me. Don't be so naive. You can't survive without me. If you do, you'll end up dead. Then again, you never listened to my advice. All you do is run off like a bad boy. After all, that's the best thing you can do. You can't fight, you can't agree with others, all you can do is run. Run away from your father's identity. Run away from your mother and your friends. Run away from the Pokémon you abandoned. The Pokémon you always treat as family. And you never come back. Not unless you're dragged back. That's why Butterfree and Pidgeot are still out in the wild. That's why you never went back for Primape. You're nothing more than a coward. If you kill Tobias and Perlis, then you can finally do something other than be weak.' The voice said. Ash growled. "I am not weak…" Ash growled under his breath. 'Stop lying to yourself. You know better. Stop pretending you aren't Edward, because you are. You're everything he is. You're just denying that part of you. You're just like Henry.' The voice coldly said. This caused Ash to snap. His eyes became venomous and red. Misty noticed the boy's pain and walked up to him. "A-ash, are you okay?" Misty asked, scared. Ash looked up and snarled at her. Misty stepped back. "Pikapi." Pikachu said to his friend. However, the boy couldn't hear his best friend, the rage was too much. Ash stood up and snarled.

Officer Jenny noticed the boy. "Boy, whatever you're thinking, it's not worth it. Do you want to end up in jail?" Jenny asked. Ash froze. He soon saw the mental metal prison that he feared. Ash nodded and sat down. He was trapped. He looked at Jenny. 'You're going to pay…all of you…you're going to pay. The…the emperor will have his thrown! I…I WILL NOT BE DENIED ANYMORE!' Ash yelled inside as insanity clutched his heart. After a few minutes, Ash calmed down and held himself. 'I-ignore them…Ignore the pain. Ignore the voice. Ignore the need to kill. All…All you have to focus on is beating the coliseum. Soon…soon everything will go back to normal and we can leave this place…I'll…I'll win the league and prove them wrong. I'll…I'll be king, and then nothing bad will happen again. I'll…I'll be free from these chains and everything will be fine.' Ash told himself. He starting to lose reality. After a few more minutes, he heard his name being called by the referee. Ash sighed. 'Y-yeah, this….this will make things better. I…I just need to get back into the groove. Everything bad will go away, and I'll be back to normal.' Ash told himself as he got up. He soon walked with the referee to the ring and had his match. The fight was a bit tense as he fought against an old man with a team of dark types, but Ash was the victor. However, the whole event wasn't important in the end because some people entered the dome. "Something terrible has happened!" A woman yelled as they entered on Misty's battle. Misty turned her head in confusion and the battle stopped. "Somebody's beheaded the statue!" The woman yelled. This caused everyone to be surprise and shocked. Many people yelled "WHAT!?"

…

Ash and his friends (along with everyone who had heard the news) rushed out to the town square to see the statue. Not only had the head of the statue had been removed from the neck, there was also a red liquid splattered all over it, resulting in a total mess of the once proud statue. Worst of all was the smell. It filled everyone present with a sensation of retching. Perlis had the nerve to touch the red gunk dripping from the statue. "Is this…blood?" Perlis asked. Officer Jenny looked at the red liquid. "Pig's blood to be more precise." She said as she did her best to hold her breakfast down while she explained. "We spuh-spoke to the butcher earlier. He suh-said that some of his stuff was stolen l-last night. Drained blood, meat hooks, though why anyone would willingly take that is buh-beyond me." She continued. Perlis gave a look of sheer disgust, flinging the fluid off his fingers. "Why did you bring me here, then? I have an election to…" The man said, but was cut off by the officer. "Look at this." She said as she showed the mayoral candidate the plaque. Someone had scrawled 'Dead meat Perlis' onto it in the blood covering the statue. The man sighed. "Just like my posters." He softly said. Officer Jenny notices this. "Posters?" She asked. He looked at her. "My campaign posters. Last night they were all defaced…obscenities written all over them. My committee had to remove them all over town." Perlis said. The word 'blood' spread around the crowd like wildfire, and they quickly dispersed. Serval made plans to leave the next morning. Ash and the group went into an alleyway where they wouldn't have to see the reddened statue. Misty and Iris were terrified while Cilan throw up in a local trash can. Oddly Tracy wasn't around, however that didn't matter to Ash as he looked at the statue in worry. He heard what Jenny said and knew she was actually talking about him thanks to the information Nurse Joy him and the gang. Meanwhile, Perlis and the police moved away from the statue as well, allowing several firefighters and their Pokémon to clean off the defaced statue as best they could. "It sure is interesting that no such threats were made against Markham," Perlis said. The officer shook her head. "Mr. Denver had nothing to do with this." Jenny said. Perlis became angry. "How can you be so sure?" He asked, but became silent when a man replied, "He's dead." There was a stunned silence. Perlis slowly recovered and spoke in a shocked tone. "…dead?"

"Yes. There was a fire last night at his house. We were able to put it out, but he was long dead before then. We found his body after the fire but he had been sliced up by a large sword. We couldn't find the sword, but the marks were obvious enough." Jenny said. Perlis sat down, looking horrified. "I might be next, then…that maniac who did that…" Perlis said. The officer walked up to him. "I would personally recommend you leave the city, sir…" She said. He shocked his head. "No…no. Eddie has disappeared and is now a wanted criminal, and Markham is dead. I'm the mayor by default now. This town needs a leader in this crisis. I cannot abandon Yoka Village! Find this monster, officers!" Perlis said. Ash growled as he overheard this. 'What!? Eddie's missing? Then he could be on the loose! I…I have to rid him! Make him pay!' Ash thought as his mind raced. He holds his head and turns to his friends. 'No. Don't think like that. It's bad. I may hate him, but I will not stoop to his level. I…I can't steep down to his level again.' Ash thought. Suddenly he felt something grab him. "THERE YOU ARE! I knew you'd finally showed yourself if I let myself out in the open. Now let's see what's wrong with that blasted collar Tobias put on you, Edward-" Ash was whirled around to see who was yelling at him. It was Perlis, the man on the posters and the announcer of the tournament. His scowl vanished when he saw Ash's face, and he lets go of the boy's shoulder. "Oh…I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else." He apologized sheepishly. Ash and Pikachu gave the man a confused look. "Don't worry about it…But…why did you call me Edward? Oh, please don't let it be Eddie, because I don't look like a thing like him and you KNOW that he and I aren't the same person." Ash said. The man smiled, although it looked forced. "Don't worry about it. Listen, are you thinking of leaving Yoka Village?" He asked. Misty walked up to them. "Leave town?" Misty asked as she joined the conversation. Iris and Cilan were right behind her. "Why?" Iris asked. Perlis looked away.

"With all that's happened, many people are leaving town and that won't be good for business. The town has always struggled, and this will not help. First Markham's death, and now the statue and the threats…" He said. Iris soon butts into the conversation. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. ...Markham is dead? When did that happen?" Iris asked. Perlis nodded. "His house burned down. It might have been an accident or…well, anyway, you should know that you children are in no danger. This town needs people to stay here, or it will…"Perlis said. Ash growled at the man. "OR IT WILL WHAT!? Die because idiots like you couldn't control a creature you have no idea how it works! Maybe you shouldn't have awakened him in the first place!" Ash roared, the built up hate he had been hiding unleashing again. Perlis was shocked to hear the boy's rage. "Look boy, we perfectly know what's going on with Edward, we just need to capture him again and find out what went wrong. This has nothing to do…" Perlis began to say, but suddenly the man's phone began ringing and Ash felt something wrap around his neck, "Um, excuse me, I have to take this." Perlis then walked away from the children. Once a little bit away, he opened up the phone. "Have you found him? Have you…you have! Excellent! Now…" Perlis said, but Ash and the gang didn't care as they turned from the man. Ash sighed and looked at his friends. Should he tell them what he learned? He turned to Pikachu, who looked lost, and then to his friends. "D-do you guys wanna leave?" Ash asked as he felt his senses return to him. This was the best way for them to know that things were dangerous. "What about the tournament?" Misty asked. Ash looked down. "I dunno…I'd love to finish it, but if you guys think it isn't safe…" Ash said. But he was soon interrupted by Iris. "Wow, I'd never think I hear that from you." Iris said. Ash blushed. "I'm just thinking of you guys. I don't mind the danger, but I don't want a monster hunting us…especially you Misty." Ash said, his eyes much kinder than they normally were. Misty blushed. Cilan held his chin. "Well, I don't know. We've been through much together, and you have done a lot of things, like beat Team Rocket, Team Magma, and Team Aqua, so this shouldn't be any harder." Cilan said. However, this made Iris angry. "Yeah, but this monster kills. We've never met anything like THIS!" Iris said; she looked scared. Axew pops out of Iris' hair and agrees. "Maybe, but we can't just leave without doing something! I'd feel like a complete coward." Ash interjected. Iris groaned. "You are such a little kid, thinking you can solve everyone's problems even if it's way too dangerous." Iris yelled back. Ash growled as he remembered his rant against his inner voice. "WHY YOU!" Ash yelled, but was quickly interrupted by Perlis. "Calm down. Everything's going to be alright." The man said. Ash clenched his fists as he snarled at Perlis.

"You children don't need to worry." The man said as he reappeared, "I've just been given word that the monster for this has been apprehended." Misty and Iris raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?" Misty asked. The man nodded. "Yes, the town is safe. We finally found Eddie. He escaped our grasps last night and did the horrendous act. He won't be bothering us anymore. My…'staff' will be doing a special ritual tonight that will return the guardian back to his normal self." Perlis said. The group gasped in fear and shock. Ash held his chest. "He…he really did that?" Ash asked, scared. The man nodded. "Yes. Turns out Eddie was nuttier that we thought. Well, at least he's not a part of the competitions anymore." The man said with a smile. Cilan and Iris relaxed. "Oh thank goodness," Cilan gasped. Ash nodded, but something was bothering the boy. "How did he escape though? I thought Tobias had him under control." Ash said; a bit worried. Perlis smiled and put a hand on Ash's shoulder. "I don't know, but it doesn't matter. The tournament is still on. This town needs the revenue badly. I'm going to arrange a press conference now. As I'm the mayor now, I'll need to be able to lead Yoka Village through this crisis." Perlis said. With that, he began to walk away. That would've been the end of that had Ash not glanced at a window on the opposite block. Across the street from Perlis, a huge shadow behind the window was raising something, ready to throw it right at… "PERLIS LOOK OUT!" Ash yelled. Without thinking, Ash collided into the man, bringing them both to the ground. And not a moment too soon… something smashed through the window and into the wall nearby. Had Ash not forced Perlis down, it would've gone right through his head. Ash glanced up. It was an iron hook. 'What the? A meat hook?' Ash thought in confusion.

Ash soon smelled something bad. Ash covered his nose. "Augh! The smell!" Ash said with his nose covered. Perlis looked up and saw the hook. He got out a Pokeball and throws it into the air. "Mime, Barrier, NOW!" There was a flash of white light and a Mime Pokémon appeared and raised its hands. Another hook flew through the air at top speeds, but it clattered against the psychic barrier uselessly. The shadow snarled and ran. Perlis got Ash off him and got up. "OFFICERS!" Perlis yelled. In a moment, the handful of policemen was around Perlis. He pointed at the window where the assailant had been. "I've nearly been assassinated! After him!" Jennie and her male comrades nodded and gave chase. Ash got up as Perlis walked to a more secure location, his Pokémon's barrier protecting him. Ash was a little miffed that he didn't get any recognition, but stayed silent as he looked at the man. His friends rushed to his side, asking if he was OK. He was, but he could help but stare at the man as his eyes glowed red. Ash turned his eyes to the hooks imbedded in the walls. Engraved on them were the words 'Sunderland's Butcher Shop'. Ash closed his eyes and held his head. He soon saw 'James' from his dream. He was with a woman with blonde hair and wore a red revealing outfit. Ash growled at the man. Ash soon opened his eyes and noticed that he was growling at Perlis. Ash shocked his head. "Ash, are you okay?" Misty asked. Ash nodded then grabbed the hook. "Y-yeah. But look at this, this hook came from the Butcher's shop. If we go there, maybe we'll find the person who tried to do this." Ash said. The others blinked. "Ash, didn't you say that you had a nightmare where you went into a butcher's shop and a monster attacked you?" Iris asked. Ash thought about then nodded. "Yeah but…" Ash began to say, but was interrupted. "WELL, that was obviously a warning! If things went south in your dreams, bad things will happen if you do this. So don't do it!" Iris said. Ash growled. "AND THEN WHAT!? Just stay in my room and let that monster run a monk? WE HAVE TO STOP HIM!" Ash yelled. Iris frowned as she looked at the boy. "And then what?" Iris asked, very concerned. Ash held his head. "I…I don't know. But we have to do something…I know! We get proof that the butcher is in cahoots with Eddie! Or that the monster's there! We… We just….We just need to find something." Ash said as he held himself. His eyes were monstrous again. Misty sighed. "Fine, but I'm coming with you. I wasn't in your dream, so maybe I can turn things around." She said. Ash looked down. He remembered the giant monster. 'Could Misty really help against facing that thing?' Ash sighed. He knew it wasn't a safe choice, but he didn't want that monster trying to gut him like it almost did in his dream.

Eventually, Ash gave up and smiled. "Fine. But…where's Tracy?" He said. Misty sighed. "He got sick so he's back at the Pokémon center, but that's not important now. We have a monster to hunt." Misty said. Ash nodded and the gang walked away from the alley. It took a bit to find the butcher's shop but they eventually found it thanks to Ash. Sunderland's Butcher shop was a nondescript building with bland white paint and a smiling Grumpig on the door. Ash and Pikachu looked around to check if anyone was watching him. No-one was around…almost. His friends were of course there, and they were worried. "Ash, please-" Iris began to say, but Ash cut her off. "If you're so scared, head back to the Pokémon center Iris. Maybe you could help Tracy with his cold." Ash coldly said. Iris sweated. "Scared? What? I-I'm not scared. I-I just don't think this is a smart move. Besides, people might think we're breaking and entering." Iris said. Ash smiled. "It's not breaking and entering if the place is opened." Ash said as he points to the 'open' sign. Iris sighed. "I'm just sad that Tracy isn't here to try and put some sense into you. If he hadn't gotten sick, then maybe he could tell you how stupid you are." Misty said. Ash nodded. Cilan stepped forward. "Maybe I can fill the spot, after all, I'm just as good a friend as Tracy, and he did tell me a few things about you that I didn't know before." Cilan said. Ash smiled as he looked at Cilan. "Alright, Cilan, then why shouldn't we enter? It's not like I'm going to hurt anyone." Ash said. Cilan sighed. "Because you're not feeling well. What if you go berserk again? I heard you almost did before your match." Cilan said. Ash glared at Misty. "YOU TOLD HIM!?" Ash yelled. Misty pouted. "Well, of course. I told everyone! I had to, otherwise they wouldn't know that you're still unstable. And that's why you shouldn't go, you're still not well." Misty said.

Ash grabbed Misty's shirt and pulled her closer. "I AM NOT GOING BACK! I HAVE TO SOLVE THIS! I HAVE TO END THIS! I HAVE FIND THIS MONSTER!" Ash roared. He soon noticed that Misty was becoming extremely scared again. Ash let go of her and began to breathe heavily. "I…I…I'm falling apart inside. I…I need closure. Maybe…maybe this monster can help me…I…I just need to know." Ash said, feeling broken. Misty hugged him, surprising the boy. "It's going to be okay, just…just don't do anything stupid please." She said. Ash sighed. "Fine. I will." Ash said. This made everyone smile. Misty let go and they turned towards the shop. The group of four soon entered the place. Ash noticed that it looked very similar to his dream version of the Butcher's shop, but cleaner and no obvious meat sacks around. However, at the corner table, there was the Butcher. He was fat, looked very old, and looked very tired. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, much like 'James' from that one dream. The man wasn't even looking at them; he was looking at Tobias who was already there. "I already told you, that Eddie guy didn't steal my hooks. He maybe took my pig's blood, but I would have noticed if he took the hooks. I don't know who exactly did steal my stuff, but it wasn't him. Besides, I thought he was imprisoned by the time the mayor was attack. How could he be in the secret prison and attacking the new mayor at the same time? It doesn't make sense." The man asked. Tobias held his chin. "Yeah. It doesn't. *Sigh* I'm going to visit the convict and see if he knows what's happening. But then again, he maybe fast asleep. Man, this is getting crazier and crazier." Tobias said, very frustrated. The Butcher nodded. Ash noticed that the Butcher had the same bad smell as the mayor, but it was less obvious and less overpowering. Tobias turned away from the man and towards the door. He soon saw the group. "Oh, hello children. What brings you here?" Tobias asked. Iris smirked. "Ash had the BRILIANT idea to come here and investigate the place. The Mayor was attacked by a couple of meat hooks that came from this place and Ash thinks Eddie or his monster is here. By the way, what was that about a 'secret prison'?" Iris asked. The Butcher froze in fear as he noticed the kids. Tobias sighed.

"That's a noble thing for you to do, Ash, but you shouldn't worry. Besides, I was actually the one who found and recaptured Eddie. He couldn't have been the one to attack Perlis. I came here to investigate the man to see if he would know what's going on. He isn't working with Eddie though. I don't know who attacked the mayor, but it isn't the butcher nor was it Eddie. Besides, the meat hooks you saw were stolen from him like the pig's blood. So you can leave now." He said. But the kids were still confused. "But what about the secret prison?" Misty asked. Ash then busted in. "And how did Eddie escape in the first place!? The mayor told me that the man killed Markham." Ash angrily asked. Tobias frowned and then sighed. "The secret prison is just a secure place that we hardly use for prisoners. It has the highest security. As for his escape…I was careless. I was using Darkrai to probe his mind to try and seal his powers, however, Eddie was much more powerful than I thought and caught Darkrai off guard. Darkrai was kicked out of Eddie's mind and fell unconscious. Eddie used his powers to freeze my arms so I couldn't call my other Pokémon, kicked me, grabbed the key to his cell, and then ran off. He then escaped the prison and went after Markham." Tobias said. However, this caused Ash to remember his dream. He shocked it off and remembered something else. "I remember that you put some kind of collar on him. What happened to that?" Ash asked. Tobias sighed. "My arms were frozen, so I couldn't use the collar to stop him when he escaped, and when I met up with him before the ceremony, he just shrugged it off. The only reason we got him this time was because his guard was lowered and Darkrai was back in tip top shape. He'll be in the secret prison in a short time before we send him to a high security jail." Tobias said with a smile.

"But if Eddie is captured, then who throw those hooks at Perlis?" Cilan asked. Tobias shrugged. "I don't know. But we'll find out, don't worry." Tobias said, "Anyways, I'd better get going. I have to find this would-be murderer." Tobias soon began to leave. The butcher noticed this. "H-HEY! WAIT! I've just realized who the person who stole from me was!" The butcher yelled. Ash became scared as Tobias turned to the butcher. "Oh…and who was it?" Tobias asked. The butcher smiled. "It was that boy! The one with the black hair! He was the one who stole from me! It must've been him who attacked the mayor!" The butcher yelled. Ash growled. "No way! It couldn't have been me! I was fast…" Ash said then remembered what Nurse Joy said. 'Well…you ran off into the night a few minutes after Cilan went back to bed. I tried to follow you, but after a while, I couldn't because it was too hard to see, so I went back to my desk. When you returned, you…you were covered in blood. I cleaned you up and sent you back to bed. So far, nothing bad has happened, but…I'm still concerned.' Her words echoed in his mind. Ash shocked his head. "I…I mean I was the one who saved Perlis from the attacks!" Ash yelled as he tried to ease his fears. Tobias nodded. "Yes, that's true! It could not have been Ash!" Iris yelled. Misty and the others agreed. The butcher growled as he pulled up a laptop. "Well, if you don't take my word, then here!" He then pressed a button which brought up security footage. Tobias growled. "You know you should've brought this to the police earlier! This is vital evidence!" Tobias yelled. The butcher smirked. "Actually, I did. But Miss Rose dismissed it. She said that it was 'fake'. Well, now you'll see the truth!" The butcher said as the video began around 12:30 am. The camera was in night vision mood, so it was very easy to see what was going on. After a few seconds, the door opened and a figure came into view. However, to the butcher's amazement and confusion, it was Edward Hyde at the door. Edward then rushed over to the butcher's area and grabbed packets of blood and a few meat hooks. Suddenly the butcher came into view and flashed a flashlight at him. Edward hissed, and then rushed out of the building. Then the butcher began to panic and then run in the opposite direction of Hyde. The butcher soon stopped the video. The butcher looked at Ash. "But…but how? The video should've shown you, boy. E-Edward was never there…how…?" The butcher asked in confusion.

Tobias sighed as he turned to Ash. "Well, at least things have been cleared up. Sorry that this man mistaking you, Ash, for Edward. I hope this won't happen again. Right, James?" Tobias threatened the butcher. James nodded. This made Ash remember James Sunderland from his dream. 'Was…was this the same guy? Impossible, they don't look anything like each other. And what DID I do last night? Why did I have blood on me? Ugh…what's going on with me?' Ash thought. Ash sighed. Tobias soon looked at Ash. "Well, goodbye for now." He said then left. Ash sighed. He was hoping to find something here to explain what was happening. "Well, at least your dream of the butcher's place didn't come true." Iris said with a smile. Ash smiled. "Yeah, I guess so." Ash said, although he was more disappointed more than anything else. Ash looked at the Butcher, who looked very scared. "Hey, are you okay?" Ash asked. The man soon looked away. "Ye-yeah. I just never expected you actually not be the culprit. I was sure it was you…but maybe I was just forgetting what Eddie looked like and mistook him for you." The man said. This caused the kids to look at him in confusion. "What? You mistook Ash for Edward? How is that possible? And how come you're still scared of Ash?" Misty asked, utterly confused. The man nervously laughed. "Y-yeah, sorry about that. I don't know how that happened, but that boy does look imitating. I just wasn't expecting the Xu….I mean Ash the Red hero to come into my shop." The man said. Ash raised an eyebrow. "'The red hero'? That's an odd title for this town to give me. Also I'm not Xuchilbara. The high priestess got that wrong. Xuchilbara is Edward. I'm just a regular guy." Ash said. Misty then interrupted. "It's not even an accurate one either. You wear more blue than red." Misty said. Ash nodded. He had a bit of red in his outfits, but they were mostly blue. The butcher looked at the boy and froze as he sees Edward. Ash tilted his head. Why was this man so afraid?

"Um…are you okay?" Cilan asked. The man sighed. "Yeah. I've…I've got to get out of here to…to deliver some meat to the local Pokémon center." He said, and then ran through the door that was behind the counter. Ash looked at his friends. "Okay, that was weird." Iris said. Ash nodded. "He's hiding something, let's go after him." Ash said. Iris and Misty sighed. "Really? You're really going to go after him?" Iris asked, annoyed. Ash blinked in confusion. "What? You'd never know. Besides…something's off about him." Ash said. The girls sighed again and the gang walked around the counter and into the door. They enter a long hallway full of containers and bins of meat. Pikachu covered its eyes. "You know. I would have though you guys would have reacted more strongly to see meat like this." Ash said, since this was a lot more accurate to his dream. His friends frowned. "Ash, I'm a chief. I'm used to seeing meat uncooked. Although, it does sadden me that they were once Pokémon." Cilan said. Iris then looked at Axew. "Ash, I used to live with wild Pokémon, and while it was fun time, I did see the rare instance of dead Pokémon. It was gross, and it scared me every time it happened, but I eventually got used to it." Iris said. Ash turned to Misty who was holding her nose. "What about you, Misty? Why aren't you reacting strongly to this?" Ash asked. Misty looked down. "I…I know that hamburgers and such are made out of Pokémon meat, and that Pokémon can be made into food, but seeing it like this…It just feels wrong. But…I have to be strong. For you guys, because…I'm afraid that Eddie's near. I just feel his presence." She said. Ash held her arm. "Don't worry. It's okay. They had a happy life. They don't mind being food. Besides, I'm here. I won't let him get to you." Ash said as he tried to help her cope with the idea of Pokémon being food. However, that didn't help Misty feel better. She could still feel Edward's presence and it felt like it was getting closer. "Besides, Eddie is in that secret jail. He won't be getting out." Cilan added. They soon noticed that one of the doors was being held up by a bone. They walked to the door and enter a meat locker. It was full of dead Milktanks, Grumpigs, and Tauros. Misty was disgusted by this. The group soon saw a dairy on the floor in the middle of the room. "What the?" Ash said. Everyone was confused. They walked up to it. They noticed that it was opened to a couple of pages that had bits of blood on it, but the text was readable.

"He's after me. He knows my sin. He's going to kill me. He has no mercy. Oh lord, I'm so sorry. I never meant to disgrace your name by doubting your words and being so vicious against my wife. I do not mean to doubt you nor to kill her. But can you really be trusted? Can you're paradise really be as good as my fellow brothers and sisters say it is? I'm sorry for my doubt, but I fear it's too late for me. He's going to kill me. The demon you say is our guardian. He's neither angel nor god. He's the real devil, not Arceus. That Xuchilbara. That Red monster. That goddamn boy! If he's our guardian angel, then our town is...He's here! He's at my door. I just have to play it cool. Maybe he'll ignore me. Maybe he'll spare me. But I doubt it. Oh lord, may he be genital on my soul. And I'm sorry for all my sins." The book said. Suddenly the electric lights flickered just as an agonized scream rent the air. It was a scream of absolute pain and horror that would scare anyone and anything on its own. Not to mention the thought of whatever CAUSED that scream. Everyone froze in fear. The scream stopped abruptly, followed by a silence that could be tasted. They looked at each other. "Wh-what was that?" Iris asked. Ash looked at her, fear in his eyes. "I…I don't know. But it doesn't sound good." Ash said. They nodded. "But…what's up with this book? It sounds like a confession. Why was it here anyways? And why did he think Eddie was after him?" Misty said. Ash holds her hand. "I don't know, but whatever Xuchilbara is, he's not good. Besides, we have to investigate that scream that came over there." Ash said as he pointed to the other side of the room. There was a darkened doorway framed with weathered wood, escaping the lights of the meat locker.

Suddenly another scream made it certain that was where the noises were coming from. The kids were so transfixed by the cry that they didn't hear the click of the door behind them, the bone disappearing, causing the door to close. There was dead silence with this scream since the gang didn't have a book to try and move their thoughts away from the scream. As if in a trance, the children crept towards the wooden doorway. Something compelled them to move forward, Ash in the lead. As they came closer, they could faintly make out a man's terrified whisperings. "God forgive me. God help me. Save me from that monster. I'll change my ways. I'll never kill again. Just please, please save me." The whispers said. Instinctively hugging the walls and not making a sound, the four trainers slunk through the doorway. The back room of the butcher's shop was barely lit, only a tiny electric lamp on a chain suspended from the ceiling. Anything that wasn't in the ray of light was almost invisible in the shadows. The four kids kept themselves as far away from the light as they possibly could. Tied to a metal rack and hanging helplessly upside down was the butcher. However, he had been reduced to a cowering whimpering cretin with tears in his wild eyes. He repeated hysterically, "I'm didn't mean to betray you god I'm sorry I'm sorry God please, please save me…" They soon noticed that there was someone behind the butcher. He couldn't be fully seen, only huge shifting shadow was visible. There was a swift movement… And a metal blade erupted through the man's chest. The hapless victim didn't even have time to scream. Blood spurted out of the wound like lava out of a volcano. The huge metal thing shifted, and even more blood poured out. The knife vanished behind the butcher and there was a metallic clang on the floor. It was all so sudden the children couldn't scream. They remained stocked still and dead silent. The shadow behind the dead man moved further out of the light Ash guessed he had turned around and was walking to the back of the room. Whoever this person was, he hadn't noticed the children hidden in the shadows. There was the sound of a powerful fist smashing into a wall, and an inhuman noise of sheer frustration. Then a slow, heavy breathing. Not the trainers…They hadn't dared to breath. 'Why…why aren't I happy now? I'm doing what I'm meant to do.' A voice rang through Ash's head. It kind of sound like the guardian, but that was impossible, Edward was in prison, plus the voice was more collected and smooth than the guardian's.

Cilan's hands mechanically moved to his phone. His shaking fingers dialed 911 without him really noticing. The others were as still as statue and silent as graves. And then… "Hello! You have reached Yoka village's police station. All of our officers are unavailable at the moment. Your call is important to us, please continue to hold." Officer Jenny's voice said. The shadow twitched which meant one thing, the murderer heard that. The shadow whirled around, swiftly shoved the corpse-laden rack aside like it was nothing, grabbed something from the floor, and stormed into the light. Ash's eyes shrank. The killer was in full view with the grate gone. He was colossal – at least three times the size of Iris, Misty, and Ash and about twice the size of Cilan. His muscles looked powerful enough to rip anything he wanted into shreds. And he had done so…his hands were caked with red-brown blood. He only wore a few items of clothing. A pale robe that covered his legs completely was held up by numerous belts around his waist. His skin had broken with red holes, he was very muscular and blocky, and he wore big black boots. But the most memorable- and the most chilling- aspect of the man was his helmet. It resembled a black three sided pyramid with two pieces of the sides having huge eye like gratings that were impossible to see past, it looked like a cast-iron torture device with a point at his chest. The bottom was nothing but darkness and metal. The giant man grabbed the hanging light bulb, pointing the ray at the wall where he had heard the noise. The terrified children were spotlighted like burglars. "Oh no." Iris said. They knew they weren't, but it was kind of hard not to feel like one when you have a giant light shine on you like this. The man in the pyramid helmet released the light. It swung for a moment, and the group saw what the man was carrying.

The blade that killed the butcher was almost as big as its carrier. It was certainly almost as big as a normal grown man. It was rusted and messy….as if the murder had slaughtered countless with it and never bothered to clean it. But it was still very sharp. The helmeted man took a giant step towards them dragging his nightmarish blade behind him. The fact snapped Ash out of his terror trace. "Pikachu, THUNDERBOLT!" Ash yelled. Pikachu didn't hesitate, firing a powerful bolt of electricity at the approaching killer. It hit dead-on…but for all it did it might as well have missed completely. He didn't react at all, and continued to lurch forward, his deadly weapon right behind him. Ash froze. 'No…no. It's like my dream…he's…he's unstoppable.' Ash thought. Cilan sent out his Pansage, "BULLET SEED!" The Monkey Pokémon took a deep breath and then spit out six bullet seeds. It hits him straight on, but didn't impede the man any more than a headwind. When Passage stopped to catch his breath; the monster was closer than before. Misty threw out a Pokeball. "Water gun!" She yelled. A Vaporeon appeared and shot the water at the man. When the water stopped, the man was now dripping wet, he had halted…with a fist clenched very tightly. Ash gulped. "I think…you just…insulted him." Ash squeaked. Sure enough, the 'man' let out a booming bellow of rage that echoed around the room. The group covered their ears, but didn't dare close their eyes. The murderer came towards them faster than before. The huge knife scraped against the floor, singing a deafening sound of death. Suddenly Cilan, being the most level-headed person in the group, came up with the most sensible solution. "RUN FOR IT!" The four children tore out of the back room, finally screaming in terror. Once back in the meat locker, they ran even faster towards the door that would get them to the hallway and away from the man in the pyramid helmet. Ash got there first. He grabbed the door and twisted it, but it didn't open. Ash frantically turned it the other way, praying inside that it would this time, but the door still rattled its lock, despite how much he pushed, pulled, and slammed. The scraping noise was approaching slowly. The kids decided to ram into the door at once, but it wouldn't budge. It was cast iron as well which meant that there was no chance of burning it or breaking it. They all slammed at it again. It remained secure. The blade's earsplitting song of death became a bit louder.

Everyone turned and then looked at each other. They had to hide, and quickly. They soon began to sneak into the few hiding areas that they knew were around. However, once in position, they couldn't help but gasp as the creature entered the room. The huge thing looked around; so far it didn't know where they were yet. The huge helmet slowly scanned the room from the doorway. Misty did her utmost not to whimper from where she was hiding. Pokémon attacks were useless against this juggernaut and they didn't know any of the hiding areas like it did. She and Iris were under a table where several sharpening implements laid, it seemed like the best cover for them at the time since there was a cloth of sorts draped over the table, but that didn't make this less nerve-racking. The room was quiet except for the creature…the pyramid headed monster….slowly breathing. He did nothing for a moment, as if contemplating whether hunting the four down would be worth the trouble of dragging his heavy blade around the room. He took a step into the room, and the floor creaked loudly under the weight. Ash, who was watching from behind a meat strip kind of like how the monster was behind the butcher, hoped that the floor would swallow that maniac up. After all, that monster was as much of an intruder as they were; hell even more so. And then he saw it. Hanging from Pyramid Head's belt was a black, iron key. 'He probably stole that from the butcher.' Ash thought, as the helmet man turned, and then adjusted a gear-like mechanism on the handle of his huge blade. There was a loud squeaking noise, like claws on a chalkboard, before something went click. Ash looked between the pieces of meat to see what caused the noise. From its knife, the huge man drew a long, thick rod of sharp metal. Once it had been fully removed, the bulky blade crashed onto the floor loudly. The monster carefully checked the tip of the rod. Ash froze. With the blade gone, it looked like a spear. Ash soon remembered the painting he saw. 'It's him.' Ash thought as he connected the dots. He was just angry with himself that he didn't read the plaque under the painting. 'But…didn't he look different in the painting?' Ash thought, now more confused than scared. Ash looked back on the spear. It had been hidden in the great knife and was a fraction of its size, but it was just as long, just as rusty, just as bloody, and just as sharp. Ash soon realized something. Now it was a lot lighter too.

Pyramid Head turned it over in his huge hand before stepping into the room fully. Without the heavy iron thing to impede him, he moved a lot faster, walking calmly around the room like a normal person. Searching the meat locker like a hound on the trail of convicts, Pyramid Head stalked around the hanging meat. Every step creaked under his bulk. Suddenly he whirled around with his spear, and a Milktank corpse was sliced in two. The lower half fell with a sickening SPLAT. There was nothing behind. The hunter snorted and kept looking. Misty shook all over. She couldn't see anything, but she and Iris could hear a creak….creak…Creak….CREAK….. Misty stifled a horrified gasp. He was closing in on her and Iris! The man in the helmet knew there were only so many places to in the locker, and they only found three of them. He also knew how effective fear was at driving people out. Axew popped out of Iris's hair and began to cry. Iris got the Pokémon out of her hair and began to hold it and cover its mouth, but that wasn't helping. Pyramid Head picked up the cloth. He was about to uncover them, when another noise distracted him. "Hello! You have reached Yoka Village's police station. Your call is important to us, please continue to hold." In a millisecond the hunter was away from the girls and the table, and was upon the group of Tauros sacks that the noise came from. Dropping his spear for a moment, he grabbed the closest meat sack and tore it in two. A phone playing hold music was on the floor. Iris sighed. Misty was concern for Cilan. Puzzled, Pyramid Head picked up the device, not seeing the owner. The phone looked comically tiny in his colossal hand. Cilan had moved behind another meat sack. In a desperate move, he had placed the phone there to distract the murderer. As quickly and as quietly as possible, he crept up to the kneeling man. Cilan gently lifted the key ring from Pyramid Head's belt… When his hand was swiftly grabbed. Cilan gasped in horror as the murderer's helmet lifted up to look at what he had caught. "Yoka Police Station. Hello? Hello…?" The phone was reduced to a crushed mess of plastic. His other fist tightened around Cilan's wrist as he took up his spear. Standing upright again, Pyramid Head carried Cilan high above the floor. The boy whimpered in helpless panic as the huge man pointed his spear right at him…

Thunk Thunk CLANG!

Three poorly thrown meat hooks hit Pyramid Head's back, one of them clattering against his helmet. The killer begrudgingly turned to face his attacker. Ash had abandoned his hiding place when he saw Cilan being threaten. "Let him GO!" He screamed as he raised another hook. Pyramid Head paused, then turned to see the boy properly. Cilan and the spear were still clutched in his hands. Neither of them moved for a minute, staring at each other. The huge man lost any and all interest in Cilan, letting him fall to the floor. The boy caught his breath and realized the key was still in his hand. Ash couldn't understand why the monster was just staring at him like that. Pikachu took a defensive stance in front of his master, sparking threateningly. The huge man didn't appear to notice, his attention focused on Ash. Then Pyramid Head charged. Pikachu fired a thunderbolt at the man, but it did nothing. The mouse was kicked aside and in a blink of an eye, Ash had been grabbed by the collar and brought up to the monster's helmet. "PUT ME DOWN!" Ash demanded, kicking at the huge man futilely. This was just like his nightmare. Pyramid Head didn't seem to notice, shifting his huge helmet as if to get a better look at the struggling boy. Then a bloody hand grabbed Ash's cap off his head. "THAT'S MINE YOU MONSTER!" Ash kicked more as the helmet came up, the point nearly touching his nose. Then both of them noticed the floor was on fire. The section of wood Pyramid Head was standing on had been set ablaze by blue fire. Strangely enough, the huge man didn't panic or try to run. Ash could see Axew using Dragon breath. Suddenly Ash felt himself being ripped from Pyramid Head's grasp. He hit the floor next to his friends. Cilan was rattling the key inside the lock, Axew next to him. Ash didn't know how he got how he got away from the monster and frankly, he didn't care. Ash looked behind him and saw Iris and Misty behind him. Misty hurriedly brought him to his feet as his Pikachu rushed to his master. The lock clicked open, the most beautiful sound they had ever heard. "COME ON!" Cilan screamed as he bolted out the door. Misty and Iris didn't need a second bidding, but Ash chanced a glance back. Pyramid Head hadn't moved. The ring of fire illuminated the terrifying figure, giving him the appearance of a demon at the gates of hell. The helmeted man simply stared right back at Ash, his bloody hand clutching the boy's cap. Then the floor under him gave way, and he vanished into the hole. Ash turned and ran out of the butcher's shop.

(Meanwhile.)

Edward groaned as he woke up. He held his head. "Ugh….what…happened? Misty…Iris…Cilan…Tracy? What…" Edward said then noticed he was in a large metal cage. Hyde sat up and looked around in fear. He was in a strange place. It looked like a church with an altar at the other end of the room and in the middle of the room was a table. Edward let go of his head and grabbed the bars. "Hey! What's going on!? Who put me in this cage!? Pikachu, Misty, Iris, Cilan, Tracy, where are you?!" Edward yelled. He looked at his belt, but he was wearing a strange apron like what Pyramid Head was wearing. "Wh-what the?" Edward muttered then looked at the bars. He growled, got onto his feet, and then barged at the bars using his left shoulder. He hit it, but he soon grunt in pain. Edward looked at the bars, they hadn't moved an inch. Edward growled. He really didn't like what was going on. Suddenly he heard a voice echo. 'Why…why aren't I happy now? I'm doing what I'm meant to do.' Edward was scared by this strange voice. "Wh-who's there? If you can hear me, pl-please answer me!" Edward yelled. However there was no response. Edward held himself. 'Wh-what's going on with me? First Eddie, then the nightmares, now this! When will this madness end!?' Edward asked himself, however something was defiantly wrong with him. Suddenly he heard more voices. "Miss Rose, I know this is sudden, but…why didn't you inform me or Mr. Perlis about Edward stealing the butcher's stuff?" Tobias's voice asked. Edward looked over to the door to this room. The voice was coming from that area. Edward smiled. 'Yes! Tobias is here! He's going to save me! But…when did that happen? Ugh, probably when I got captured. I bet it's this Miss Rose's fault.' Edward thought.

"Because it wasn't really Edward, it was Ash. And if I told him that, he would connect the dots and found out that Ash IS Edward. I cannot afford for him to find out. His plans don't seem to deal with the Order anymore, nor does it have to do with finding Alessa." Rose said. Edward froze. 'N-no…that…that has to be a lie! I'm not Edward! I'm ASH KETCHUM! I'M ASH! I AM NOT A MONSTER!' Edward thought, scared out of his wits. He wasn't sure what 'the Order' was but he was in too much denial to really think about it. Hyde could heard Tobias gasp. "So Ash IS Edward like you told us! Well, at least now I understand why you lied to us. I no longer trust Perlis either. However, that's not the 'REAL' reason I'm here. I just said that to find some closer on the tape James showed me…but now that I know that, why DID the video show Edward instead of Ash?" Tobias asked. Rose sighed. "Because the boy is in denial. He could never see himself as a murderer or a thief, so he changed the identity to his manifestation. After all, the 'evil' Mr. Hyde would be much easier to blame for a crime than poor, sweet little Ash." She said. Edward growled. 'No! She's lying! I'm not a monster! I'm not a thief! I'm ASH! MAKE HER STOP!' Edward yelled inside. "Huh, I didn't know video manipulation was one of Xuchilbara's powers." Tobias said. The woman chuckled. "If it's physical, Xuchilbara can change anything to fit the truth. After all, despite having different morals, Ash and Edward are practically the same person." Rose said. Edward couldn't take it anymore. He let out a monstrous roar. After a few seconds, he stopped and covered his mouth. 'Wh-what's wrong with me? What was that thing I just let out?' Edward thought, scared. "Wh-what was that?" Tobias asked. Edward heard something getting moved. "It's Edward. He's awake, and he doesn't seem pleased. I…have to talk to him…alone." Rose said. Edward moved away from the bars. "No…no…I'm not Edward…I'm not." Edward said, his voice now sounding like Ash's. Edward could feel tears in his eyes. "What!? No! I'm not letting you go in alone with him! Besides, I still need answers! Like who attacked Perlis! It couldn't had been Ash nor Edward, so there has to be a third person…someone who's playing this game and manipulating things besides us. Someone who wants Perlis dead." Tobias said. Rose sighed. "I…I have an idea who it might be…but…I didn't think he was able to escape. I thought only one manifestation could be created right now, but…it looks like the boy's getting more powerful." Rose said.

"Who is this person!?" Tobias asked. Edward was becoming terrified. 'No…not Satoshi…please…please let it not be him. I can't deal with that mad man's want to concur the world alongside Edward.' Edward though. "It was a spirit I met in the boy, he called himself the King of Pokelantis. Whether he is the accursed king or not is not important. He is the only person who could be the culprit. I do not know WHY he's doing this, but it doesn't matter, he's in the way. We need to stop him." Rose said. Edward froze in fear. After a few seconds, Edward could hear footsteps walking towards him. After a minute or so, it stopped and the door opened revealing Rose and Tobias. The two walked over to the cage. Hyde scooched back as far he could. He was so scared now, he couldn't think properly. Tobias and Rose kneeled down. They soon saw Edward's scared face. "It seems like you over heard us, Edward. So what do you know of this king?" Tobias asked. Edward growled. "Nothing that you should know! And stop calling me Edward, it's me, ASH! I'M NOT EDWARD! I NEVER WAS! I'M NOT A MONSTER! NOW GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Edward yelled. Tobias and Rose were shocked to hear this. "Ash! How? How is your mind active now? I just saw you a few minutes ago with your friends, and you were fine." Tobias asked, confused. Edward growled. "LIAR! YOU MUST'VE KNOCKED ME OUT OR SOMETHING AFTER THE TOURNAMENT! I…I remember you hunting me…with…with those mysterious people. That's when you attacked! It must've been the time you knocked me out and put me in this blasted cage!" Edward yelled. Edward soon began to cry. "Why? I…I thought we were friends. I…I thought you cared about me… I thought you wanted me to be happy… I…I thought you actually liked me…" Edward said as he held himself. Tobias sighed as he pulled out a mirror from a pocket. "The thing is…I do like you Ash. It's just…" Tobias said then flashed the mirror at Edward. Edward gasped as he saw his reflection. "You're not Ash right now. You're Edward." Tobias finished. Edward looked at his hands. He soon saw blood all over them. He then looked the mirror and noticed the bits of blonde hair around his eyes. "No…" Edward said as his eyes shrank. "No…this…this can't be true…this…this is a bad dream…I'm…I'M NOT EDWARD! I'M ASH! I'M ASH!" Edward closed his eyes.

Suddenly the memories of Edward Hyde rushed through his mind. He remembered his creation, Henry's motives for creating him, the pain he felt whenever he and Henry argued, the uncontrollable rage, and every murder he had committed. Edward's eyes snapped open. "No...NO! Stop it! Stop putting fake memories into my mind!" Edward yelled. Rose sighed. "Edward, we cannot do that. Nobody does. Those memories are real." Rose said. Edward growled as he felt his body shift. "NO! YOU'RE LYING! YOU HAVE TO! I'M NOT A MONSTER! I'M NOT EDWARD! I'M...I'M!" Edward yelled, but soon all he could see was the white mist. Edward roared in rage and slammed his body against the bars. He then backed off and then rammed into the bars again. Rose turned to Tobias. "Don't just sit there, do something! He's going to escape!" Rose yelled. Tobias sighed as he snapped his fingers. Suddenly Darkrai popped out of the shadows and formed Dark void in his hands. He then launched it at Edward. Edward screamed in pain and then fell to the ground as he fell asleep. Tobias turned to Darkrai. "Thanks Darkrai." He said. Darkrai just nodded. Rose sighed. "Still, you need to go to Ash. Whatever's happening to him, it's not good." Rose said. Tobias wasn't pleased by this. "Alright. Keep an eye out on Edward. He's more dangerous than ever thanks to Ash's delusional mind." Tobias said. Rose nodded. Tobias and Darkrai then left the room. Once they were far enough away, Tobias sighed. "Things are not going as planned. If things like this keep happening, this town will be consumed by Ash's madness. We need to hurry, before he loses all sense and logic." Tobias said. Darkrai floated behind Tobias as they 'walked' through the hallway that connected the altar to Miss Rose's room. "And before Edward kills you. But... I...I think we should abandon the plan and this town. It's getting too dangerous. The boy can't be converted. Let's just leave before something like that happens." Darkrai said. Tobias stopped causing Darkrai to stop. "And what? Give up all this work? Give up on Ash? He trusts us. We can't leave him like this!" Tobias yelled. Darkrai chuckled. "So you're actually getting attached to the boy? I thought he was just 'an instrument to create Dark'. I didn't think you'd actually care about him." Darkrai said. Tobias looked away. "N-no. I do not care about the boy, I only said that because of Dark. If Ash become this 'Xuchilbara' creature, Dark will never be formed. I cannot give up on our lord. He needs us more than ever." Tobias said. Darkrai sighed. "But he can't be saved. We've wasted too much time. The boy is doomed to become this Xuchilbara. I had the chance by the boy could not accept my advice. The only thing we can do is run." Darkrai said. Tobias glared at Darkrai. "Fine. If you see it that way..." Tobias said as he pulled out Darkrai's Pokeball, "then you leave me with no choice but to make an ultamadium. If you do not obey to my commands, you will be released." Darkrai's eyes widen. "But if you do that, then our friendship will end! I could be captured by someone who cares nothing for me. All that time we've had together will be for not! I...I don't want that to happen!" Darkrai said in fear. Tobias scowled. "Then follow my orders. We WILL save Dark! Now no more doubts from you!" Tobias coldly said. Darkrai sighed. "Yes...my master." Darkrai said. Tobias smiled and returned Darkrai to his Pokeball. Tobias soon walked off to find Ash, where ever he was now.