Hello! So here I am, with a chapter almost as long as the last one! Hurray! I'm gonna keep it short and sweet up here, because the Q&A section is pretty long this time. All you need to know is that this chapter is pretty damn crazy, and the second half is pretty dark. Shit is just about ready to hit the fan if I do say so myself. I hope you're ready!

Q&A!

Guest

Not to be judgy, but Lucas and Bianca?

Answer: I like randomness. :P

Guest

What do u mean Ash's Alter ego? So Ash's power is like the kage bunshin no jutsu from Naruto right?

Answer: By alter ego, I meant his superhero thing he does. And yes, Ash's power is similar to the Shadow Clone Jutsu/Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. There are a few differences though. Naruto can come into physical contact with his clones. Ash can't, they return to him if he touches them. And when Naruto's clones appear/disappear, they do it on a cloud of smoke. Ash's materialize/disintegrate.

TBC

So i guess your author's note kinda answers this question, but since there's gonna be a sequel for chronicle (and this story was kinda inspired by it)
Do you think you'll pump out another "Divinus Story" if Chronicle 2 comes out?

Answer: Hmmm... That heavily depends on the plot of Chronicle 2. But giving an educated guess, I'd say the chances of this story having a sequel are very slim.

AmericanBoy2016

Their powers do seem to be evolving but will their powers evolve even more, for like Ash and Barry?

Answer: Yes. As time goes on, Ash and Barry (and everyone else once they get theirs) will be able to do more things with their individual power. Since they just got them, their unique powers are still pretty weak.

DarkSlash5

Just wanted to know your update schedule will you please mention it in the coming chapter.

Answer: DarkSlash5? Lovin' the name XD. But anyway, on to the answer. I don't really have an update schedule nowadays, as I'm really busy with schoolwork (junior year is making me its bitch). I try to update every two weeks, but I'm not very good at that. Once summer comes along and school is over, you can definitely expect a more solid schedule though.

A fan

I guess my only complaint is that May seems kind of pointless? She's just there to stir up drama for ash and dawn. Which is a shame because she's my favourite in the anime!

Answer: May is my favorite character too, so believe me when I say that she's not pointless. I have some more stuff planned for her, but I do apologize if you don't like her role in the story so far. :(

Guest

So ash's power is being in two place at once or does it have to do with time?

Answer: He can clone himself.

atv

Is Haxs another doppelganger of ash?

Answer: No, but they are connected. In this story, there's a reason they look alike, but that'll be under wraps for a while.

DarkSlash9

will gary be the main antagonist of this story?

Answer: Okay, I thought DarkSlash5 up there was pretty cool, but you're just a straight up imposter, bro. I'M DarkSlash9, ME!... Just kidding, I'm not really angry, but please don't review under my pen-name again, it kinda bothers me. As for your question... you must wait and find out

PolarDawn

Question though: Will Gary get pretty violent here soon, or will he continue to barely hold himself back?

Answer: Read this chapter to find out :D

flamex407

Are Ash and Gary going to reconcile soon?

Answer: Maybe they will... or maybe they won't.

WalleFails

Q: It's become apparent that Ash has taken on a "super hero" mentality. Will the others (excluding gary) also become "heroes"?

Answer: No, it's just Ash. Even with what happens in this chapter, none of Ash's current friends are going to permanently join the crime-fighting. Take note of the word 'current' though... :)

Bulbreon

Do you plan on having Dawn actually fully getting over Ash anytime soon and go to Barry, or even Gary?

Answer: All I can say is that Dawn is a very complex person, and when it comes to romance, she'll have problems deciding on what she wants in the future.

Alright, enjoy chapter 11!

DISCLAIMER: I DON'T OWN POKEMON.


Chapter 11

Calm Before the Storm


"Dear Diary,

Well, it's been one whole week since we all went bowling. It was a really fun time, even though Ash's clone, Dawn, and Barry beat Ash, Serena and I. Everyone said that I was weighing our team down, but it was totally Serena's fault that we lost, not mine. Speaking of Serena, I really forgot about how cool of a person she is. She's started to hang out with us more in this past week, and it's pretty nice having her around. It's almost as if she's replaced Gary. Yes, Gary's disappeared AGAIN. Just like he did when he discovered flight, he's stopped answering all of our texts and calls. But since this has happened before, none of us are too worried, not even Dawn. But that's because Dawn is too busy hanging out with Barry all the time. I swear, those two have been inseparable for the past few days... I don't think they're dating though. They seem to have become best friends, but its really clear that Barry is interested in her. I swear, I may be slow to catch on to some things, but even I can see the way he looks at Dawn. THAT'S L-O-V-E.

Love... I've loved these past few days with Ash. He really is the perfect boyfriend. I've never been so happy. He's such a great guy. He listens to me and isn't too arrogant like Drew. Yes, he can be pretty serious sometimes, but he still knows how to have fun. Before we went bowling last week, we had a pillow fight. And just the other day we had a rematch. I kicked his butt again :). He's a great kisser, and oh boy, when we're both in the mood... things get steamy. No, I'm not talking about you-know-what. We just make-out a lot, and when we do, we sometimes forget to stop. Point is, he's awesome. Though, there is one thing that's bothering me.

I feel like Ash is hiding something from me.

I don't know what, but it seems like he's keeping a secret from me. Sometimes he disappears, and comes up with some crazy story as to why he was gone. And even more suspicious, sometimes he takes showers after he disappears, and he seems to always have a scarf and a pair of sunglasses with him. I don't get it. Well, we're going on our first date today, maybe I'll ask him about it.

Okay, I have study now. I would call Ash to come study with me, but he's busy training with Barry. On their free time, the two of them have been going to the field where we got our powers to practice using their new powers. They've made lots of progress; Ash can make 3 clones now, allowing there to be four Ashes at once. He can somehow speak to them without actually talking too... it's weird. And then there's Barry. He's gotten even faster, and he's learned to control how fast he talks. They both think they're so cool... I can't wait til I get a power of my own so I can catch up with them. I just hope Dawn and Gary don't get theirs before me, I don't want to be last. But if Gary's disappeared for the same reason as last time, then he may have already gotten his...

Whoops, I'm rambling. I've gotta study now. Seeya!

Love,

May."

May closed her diary, locked it, and shoved it back under her bed. She looked at the time. It was 1:00, and her date with Ash was at 4:45. Figuring she'd need about an hour to get ready, she set her alarm clock for 3:00, giving her 2 whole hours to study. With a sigh, she turned to her mathematics textbook and opened it, beginning her long study session.


Four raven-haired, brown-eyed, tan 20 year-olds stood in a tight circle, all of them looking at each other.

"Alright, how the hell are we gonna catch him?" asked Ash.

"We need a plan." added Ash.

"You're right, Ash. We do need a plan." replied Ash.

"Alright," started Ash, gaining the attention of Ash, Ash, and last but not least, Ash. "Two of you fly into the air. We can't hope to catch him on land, but we can definitely put some pressure on him in the air. You guys chase him down in the air and close in on him from two different angles. You need to stay above the clouds so he won't be able to see you until the last second. Then Ash and I will pursue him from the ground, and flank him from two angles different from the ones you guys are. We'll have him surrounded from both the ground and the air."

"Right!" said all four Ashes, breaking the huddle.

They turned to their target, their auburn eyes focused solely on the blonde male a few meters away.

"You ready for another round, Ash?" asked Barry, arms crossed. "We're tied at 9-9. Whoever wins this bout gets bragging rights."

"We're ready." answered the Ashes, two of them floating into the blue skies above.

"Alright," said Barry, getting into a starting position. "Catch me if ya can!"

Like a bolt of lightning, Barry disappeared, being replaced by a yellow blur that zig-zagged around the grassy fields at breakneck speed. The two Ashes on the ground quickly ran after Barry, their goal not to catch him, but to put pressure on him. Barry was way too fast for them to catch on foot, and his random, sporadic changes in angle and speed weren't of much help either.

"Dammit, he really wants those bragging rights... He's going all out." thought Ash, noticing that Barry was going full speed. "Alright guys, fly down and try to confine him to that ditch over there."

The two Ashes in the air swooped down from their hiding place behind the clouds, flying towards Barry as fast as they could. As they did that, the two Ashes on the ground ran to the general vicinity that Barry was in.

"Trying to swoop down on me, eh?" thought Barry, noticing the two flying Ashes fast approaching. "Damn, they fly a lot faster than they run. No biggie, I'll just run THIS wa-.. oh, there's an Ash over there. Oh well, I'll just run THAT wa... fuck! They've got me surrounded! No matter! I've always got a back-up plan!"

Changing things up, Barry began to run around in circles rather than random zig-zags.

Ash's eyes narrowed. "What's he up to... GUYS, GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

It was too late. By the time the clones in the air got the message, they were already in the danger zone. After running around in circles for nearly 40 seconds, Barry came to an abrupt halt, creating a small whirlwind. Both the Ashes in the air were immediately caught in it, and in seconds they were sent flying directly towards the two Ashes on the ground. As soon as they came into contact, the clones fused. Now there were only two Ashes.

"Well, it looks like I've won this round!" taunted Barry from atop a hill. "You guys can't catch me!"

"Don't be so sure of that." replied Ash, crossing his arms. "NOW!"

"HYAAAAAAA!" roared a fifth Ash, rising from behind the hill Barry was on top of. Caught completely off guard by the hidden clone, Barry could only yelp as the clone wrapped his arms around him, capturing the blonde in a full nelson grip.

"What?!" shrieked Barry, kicking his legs into the air. "How?!"

"Simple." said the two remaining Ashes, walking towards Barry. "My current limit for clones is actually 4, not 3. I had 3 clones helping me catch you at all times, giving off the illusion that 4 bodies was my max. But I could make one more, and I saw the perfect time to spawn a 5th body when you let your guard down on top of that hill."

"Damn." sighed Barry, lowering his head in defeat. 'Well, it looks like you've won, Ash."

"Damn right I did." said the Ash holding Barry, dropping the blonde onto the grassy ground. The two remaining clones then returned to the original body, leaving only a single Ash present, the real Ash. "Well, I think that's enough practice. We've both gotten pretty skilled with our abilities."

"Yeah, I'm so much faster than I was a week ago. Though I won't stop training until I break the sound barrier." declared Barry. "But yeah, we've both gotten pretty good. You and your clones work in such perfect sync, it's crazy."

"That's because we share a mind." explained Ash. "We hear each other's thoughts and act as one, even though we have separate bodies."

"Dang, that's so freaking cool... man, I love these powers." sighed Barry, standing up. "They make everything easier."

"Everything except sitting through boring classes..." muttered Ash.

"Oh, class! Crap, when is that?!"

"Calm down, we both don't have class for another hour." said Ash, rolling his eyes. "We've got time. Hey, can you give me a ride to the supermarket? I gotta buy a pack of gum. I'm going from class straight to my date with May, and I don't want my breath to smell bad."

"I get it, minty make-out session?"

"How would you get it?" snorted Ash condescendingly. "You've never even kissed a girl."

Barry frowned. "Sh-shut up! You better shut up or I won't give you a ride to the supermarket!"

Ash let out a hearty laugh, patting Barry's back with a little more force than needed. "I'm just messing with you Barry. There's nothing wrong with the fact that you've never kissed a girl. Heck, I just kissed a girl for the first time 8 days ago."

"Whatever..." grumbled Barry, pulling out his car keys. "You want a ride to the store or not?"

...

"So Ash," said Barry, feeling the need to spark some conversation. The ride to the supermarket downtown had been fairly quiet since they had entered the car, with Ash focusing on a textbook he had brought with him, while Barry was focused on driving. "Care to engage in some guy-talk?"

"Guy-talk?" asked Ash, not looking up from his textbook.

"Yeah, it's like girl-talk, except its guys that do the talking." explained Barry.

"Okay... sure."

"What do you think my chances with Dawn are?" asked Barry, cutting straight to the point. Ash's eyes widened at the question, his eyebrows raised as well. he closed his textbook and turned to Barry, who's face was completely serious. "What? It's just a simple question."

"Um, I don't know." answered Ash, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable. "50/50? Why do you ask?"

"Because, I want to ask her out on a date. Look, I've known all along that she was and probably still is in love with you, and I know that she's trying to get over you now that you're with May." revealed Barry, surprising Ash. "But I can't ignore the hints that she sends me sometimes. I doubt what she feels for me are anywhere near as strong as what she feels/felt for you, but I think if I play my cards right, I can start a relationship with her. In this past week, my feelings for her have really intensified, since I've spent lots of time with her. I'm really feeling like making a move, and I know that you're probably the best person I could go to for this, considering you and Dawn are best friends."

"I... I really don't know Barry... but you know what? Do what you think is right. If you want to ask her out, do it. But just make sure its something unique, the chances of her saying yes will probably increase a lot if you do something creative." said Ash truthfully. "Now enough talking, I want to finish studying this chapter."

"Well too late for that, we're already at the supermarket." revealed Barry, reversing his car into a parking space. Once parked, he turned the car off. "What are we here for again?"

"I'm just buying a pack of gum." said Ash, getting out of the car. "You can stay in the car if you want. I'll be back in a couple minutes."

"Nah, I'll go inside too." declared Barry, opening his car door.

"Alright."

The two of them entered the store, Ash immediately heading towards the candy aisle. Deciding that this was a good time to do some shopping of his own, Barry walked down a random aisle. But it wasn't long before his mind traveled completely elsewhere. He had hoped Ash would give him a better answer to his question, an answer that would boost his confidence... he really needed a confidence boost. The only helpful thing Ash had said was that he should be creative when he asked her out.

"Creative..." he muttered, looking around. "Hmmmm..."

Noticing which aisle he was in for the first time since he entered it, Barry's eyes widened. He was in the pet food/supplies aisle. At the sight of pet supplies, a certain memory from last week surfaced in his mind.

...

"Thanks Salvia, thanks for everything. And by the way, what were you calling Dawn for anyway?"

Salvia thought for a second, then smiled. "Oh yes, I wanted to tell Dawn about a certain pokemon. She told me a few weeks ago that she wanted a pet, but couldn't decide on what to get. She called me, asking what type of pokemon would be best for someone like her. I did some research, and I think a Piplup would do her good. Low maintenance, friendly... and cute! I just know she'd love one. When you find her, could you tell her I said that?"

"Sure thing!" said Barry, nodding his head. "Bye Salvia!"

...

"A Piplup!" exclaimed Barry, pumping a fist into the air. "Perfect!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Ash, seeming to have just appeared behind Barry.

Barry nearly jumped out of his skin, startled by Ash's sudden appearance. "Arceus damn! Don't do that!"

"Don't do what?" asked Ash, raising an eyebrow.

"Just- a-appear behind me like that!"

"Sorry." said Ash sarcastically. "What's this talk about a Piplup?"

"You said I should ask Dawn out in a creative way, right?"

"Yes."

"What's more creative than giving her a pokemon?!"

"So you're gonna get her a Piplup? That's actually a really good idea... who gave it to you? I know there's no way on this planet you came up with that on your own. A Piplup is like, the perfect pokemon for Dawn."

"Salvia!"

"Dawn's weird twin sister that can't seem to remember a person's name even if her life depended on it?" asked Ash, scratching his head. "How, and why were you talking to her?"

"It's a long story. But in the conversation I had with her, she told me that Dawn's been wanting a pet for a while now, and needed help finding one that was good for someone like her."

"Hm, so you're gonna buy her a Piplup..." said Ash, more to himself than to Barry. "It's a good idea, Barry. Lucky for you, there's a pokemon shelter down the street from here. We still have..." Ash checked his phone. "40 minutes til class. Why don't we go see if they have a Piplup there?"

"Hm... are you sure we'll be able to get it in 40 minutes?" asked Barry.

"Yeah," said Ash confidently. "To be honest, we'll probably have time to spare."


"Good job Barry, we're 10 minutes late to class." grumbled Ash, arms folded. "It's already 2:40. You just had to go adopt Dawn's Piplup now, huh? You're lucky I'm heading to Professor Elm's room; he's not too tough on late students."

"Lup lup piplup!"

"Are you freaking kidding me?!" shrieked Barry, pulling into the campus parking lot. "YOU'RE the one that said we'd have 'time to spare'! And trust me, I'm not too happy about being late either, considering I have Professor Rowan right now! The stick that's perpetually lodged in his ass seems to insert itself even further when a student comes in late!"

"Piplup pip!"

"Not now, Piplup!" growled Barry, skillfully speeding into a parking space. Ever since they'd adopted it, Dawn's Piplup hadn't stopped talking. Barry turned around and looked into the back seat, and was immediately met with two black eyes glaring at him through the bars of a travel-crate. "Glare at me all you want! Trust me, I'm used to getting glared at!"

"Instead of arguing with Piplup, why don't we get to class?" asked Ash, already out of the car. "Don't forget to roll the windows of the car down a little so Piplup doesn't suffocate."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah..." grumbled Barry, lowering the windows. He then got out of the car, and looked at Piplup through the window. "Alright Piplup, I'll be back in a couple hours. Once class is over, I'm gonna introduce you to your new owner and mommy, Dawn! She's gonna love youuuu and nurture youuuu and hug youuuu and feed youuuu and clean up your p-"

"Barry. Class." called Ash. He was already walking towards the lecture halls, his bag slung over his shoulder.

'Right, class..." agreed Barry, realizing he was wasting time. He caught up with Ash at a normal speed, hiding his powers from the public. "Alright, so after class, will you need a ride or...?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. The place May and I are going to is walking distance. Thanks for the offer though."

"Are you sure? I heard it's gonna rain tonight."

Ash looked up at the sky. There was not a cloud in sight. "You sure about that?"

"Positive..." mumbled Barry. "Thunderstorms, from tonight til early tomorrow morning. I guess this is just the calm before the storm?"

"Probably. But either way, I'll just walk. My class is only two hours... I doubt the storm will have started yet." said Ash, entering the building. The two walked down the halls, until there was a crossroad. One led to Barry's class, and the other to Ash's. "Alright Barry, good luck with Dawn and Piplup. Text me later and fill me in on what happens."

"K. Seeya!" answered Barry, walking down the left hall.

"Later." replied Ash, walking down the right.


"And there were no survivors..." sighed Bill, shaking his head.

"Truly a tragedy..." added Kate, a sad look on her face. Her face then lit up, almost as if she faked being sad in the first place. "And now we'll be taking a quick commercial break. When we return, we'll make the switch from world to local news! Don't change the channel, you're watching Channel 6 News!"

The screen then faded to black.

"Are you tired of falling down staircases?" asked a voice. A gray-scale video clip of a man dramatically falling down the stairs appeared on the screen. "Tired of having your face engage in a painful embrace with the unforgiving edges of your hardwood stairs? Or, are you just tired of the emotional treks that staircases put us through in general? Well guess what, there's a new product for YOU! Introducing the Escastairs, The Escalator... For Your Home! With the Escastairs, you no longer have to worry about those pesky stairs! Just press the conveniently located green button, and the Escastairs will carry you right up! Truly revolutionary! But don't take our word for it, just listen to the words of these super-satisfied customers!"

"I love the Escastairs! I've only had them for 12 seconds and I can't imagine my life without them!" said one woman.

"Oh man, with the Escastairs, my wife and I have never been happier!" added one man.

"ESCASTAIRS RULE, BRO!" exclaimed a 15 year-old boy. "I LOVE YOU, MOM!"

"You heard it from them folks, the Escastairs are great! Call now to get them for the reasonable price of $50,000! If you call in the next 30 seconds, we'll include a second set of Escastairs, FOR FREE! Not so fast though, if you call in the next 20 seconds, both sets of Escastairs will come with cup-holders! That's right, no more worries about spilling your beverages on the ride up! But hold your horses Lone Ranger, if you call within the next TEN seconds, everything will be half price! But somebody slap my face and call me Andre, because if you call in the next FIVE seconds, YOU'LL GET A LIFETIME SUPPLY OF-"

Gary muted the TV, unable to bear the ridiculous offers from the infomercial he had watched at least 30 times in the past week.

"Umbreon."

"It's a stupid commercial Umbreon." muttered Gary, looking down at the black fox on his lap. "Besides, we don't even have stairs in this apartment. Don't worry, I'll turn the volume back on when the news comes back."

Umbreon shook its head; it didn't care that Gary had muted the TV. It stood on its hind legs and sniffed Gary, sticking its tongue out in disgust afterwards. Gary raised an eyebrow.

"I smell?"

Umbreon nodded. Gary snorted.

"Whatever. I've got no one to impress." he said, a hint of pride in his voice. Gary then sniffed himself. He smelled terrible, as he had not showered in days. "This stench you speak of... it's the stench of freedom."

Umbreon pointed its paw at Gary's face. Another thing he hadn't done in the past week was shave, and it was clearly visible. Instead of the smooth surface that was usually present, there was a rough terrain dominated by hair. His jaw was at the awkward stage between five o-clock shadow and beard. Gary felt the unkempt follicles on his face and grinned.

"Umbreon, this is the face of a free man. Who cares if I don't shave? I don't have or need any friends that should care about my appearance. Isn't this just great? All we need is Gramps back, and it'll just be the three of us, living here in this apartment, no cares in the world... Nobody's gonna do anything to us, because if they try... well, they'd better not try, if you know what I mean."

Umbreon looked up at Gary, blinking its big red eyes. Ever since Gary had cut off everyone, he had been obsessed with the concept of 'freedom'. It was all he talked about in the past week. Being 'free' from his old friends and 'free' from his worries. It started out relatively normal sounding, but at that very moment, Umbreon could tell that Gary's fixation on 'freedom' was reaching a dangerous level.

Noticing the slightly disturbed stare of his pokemon, Gary smiled. "Calm down Umbreon. Right now, the only things that are remotely bothering me right now are those bastards at the hospital. As for everyone else... I couldn't care less. They've barely tried to contact me this past week, proving just how little I meant to them. I'm glad I don't associate with them anymore. They were just obstacles. Obstacles to my freedom... Without them, I feel like I'm somewhat at peace. I already said it, but damn, all we need is Gramps and this'll be perfect."

Gary relaxed into his couch a little more, a sigh escaping his mouth. He hadn't gone to the hospital since that night a week ago, not because he didn't want to, but because he was too caught up in enjoying his new-found solitude. He hadn't left his apartment since he had returned from the hospital a week ago, nor had he changed his clothes. He hadn't seen natural sunlight it days, as he hadn't bothered to open any of the curtains in the apartment. What one would think was a miserable way to live was the way Gary was living, and he was relishing every moment of it. But as he had said twice before, it wasn't complete just yet. His grandfather was still in the hospital, and without him, Gary's life wasn't carefree just yet.

"Well Umbreon, I think it's time." said Gary, standing up.

"Umb..reon?" asked the black pokemon uneasily.

"Yup, it's time to pay a visit to Grandpa." Gary's face darkened. "Whether I'm allowed to or not."

Umbreon simply stared at its owner, an unreadable expression on its face.

"What?" asked Gary, sounding a bit annoyed. "Why are you looking at me like that? What, do you want me to turn the volume of the TV back on or something?"

Gary grabbed the remote from the couch and raised the volume on the TV. Umbreon barely paid any attention to it, continuing to stare at Gary.

"Look, I don't know what your issue is." growled Gary, growing irritated with Umbreon's gaze. "I don't have time to enter a staring contest with you. I'm going to visit Gramps, and regardless of what happens, I'll be back in 2 hours. If you wanna stare at something, stare at the damn TV."

Gary stormed out of the living room, going to his own room. Alone now, Umbreon directed its stare to the television. After a few seconds of commercials, a familiar jingle came from the TV, with the words 'Channel 6 News' sweeping across the screen. After that, two people appeared on the screen, sitting at a table with a painting of the Kanto skyline behind them.

"Hi I'm Bill Marrs," said the man.

"And I'm Kate Johnston." added the woman next to Bill.

"Welcome back to Channel 6 News." said both reporters in unison.

"This afternoon, we begin our local news with an unfortunate story." sighed Bill. "If you're a fan of pokemon, poetry, or both, you may very well be familiar with a man by the name of Samuel Oak, Pokemon Poet and retired Pokemon Professor."

Umbreon's ears perked up, and as soon as the name was spoken, Gary quickly rushed out of his room, his eyes wide. He quickly stood in front of the TV, his attention focused solely on it.

"His past work in the fields of both pokemon studies and pokemon poetry have earned him many praises and honors." added Kate. She then frowned and looked into the camera with a sympathetic look, almost as if she could see the brown-haired young man staring at her with pure disquietude in his eyes. "It is with a heavy heart that we must inform you of this sad news."

"No..." muttered Gary, stepping closer to the screen. "Don't you dare..."

"Our sources tell us that Samuel Oak has been in the hospital for the past week and a half. He had underwent open-heart surgery." said Bill sadly.

Gary sighed, great relief washing over him.

"Tell me something I don't know." thought Gary with a relieved smile, walking away from the television. "They're a little late though, he's been there for over a wee-"

"But due to unforeseen complications after the surgery..." continued Kate.

Gary made a complete 180 degree turn, eyes wide and mouth slightly open. There was more? How could there be more? He had already gotten the surgery, him being in the hopsital should have been the end of the story. Gary returned to his spot at the front of the TV, a sick feeling in his stomach. Both reporters sighed, and Bill cleared his throat.

"He passed away last night, at the age of 74. The staff at Holystone Hospital claim that he had fallen into cardiac arrest, and by the time he had been reached by the nurses and doctors, it was just too late. Our condolences go out to his friends and family."


"Okay students, that's the end of today's class." sighed Professor Elm, adjusting his glasses.

All the students in the class shuffled out of the room, eager to have the rest of the day to themselves. Ash was the last person to get out of the room, a smile on his face. He pulled out his phone and went to his 'Favorites' menu. He pressed May's number and began to text her. But before he could even finish his message, he received one from the very brunette he was thinking about.

"Hi! So we're going to that pastry shop near the bank, right?"

"Yup. I just got out of class and I'm going straight there. You should probably head over too."

"Look behind you."

Ash quickly turned around, and much to his surprise, May was standing at the end of the hallway, just a few steps away. She looked really nice, and it was obvious that she had put a considerable amount of care into her appearance. Her hair was neatly brushed, her bandanna was tied perfectly, and the scent of her perfume wasn't too overbearing.

"Oh, um, hello." greeted Ash awkwardly. "You look pretty."

"Thanks!" beamed May, stepping forward to hug her boyfriend. "You look great too!"

"I do?" asked Ash, returning the hug. "I mean, thanks, but I didn't really do anything out of the ordinary with my appearanc-"

"Oh just take the complement." scolded May with a playful pout. She then grabbed Ash's hand. "Now come on, it's not raining yet, but its getting cloudy. We should hurry."

The two walked out of the nearest door, hand in hand. Ash looked up, and sure enough, the sky had gotten significantly cloudier while he was in class. There were still slivers of blue in between the white puffs, but not many. The walk to the pastry shop wasn't a long one, and it was filled with fun little conversations that made it seem to go by even faster. Once they arrived at the shop, Ash held the door open for May.

"What a gentleman." cooed May, placing a quick kiss on Ash's cheek. "Thanks."

Ash smiled and followed May into the shop. As soon as they saw all the cakes and cookies and other baked goods lined up, they realized just how little they'd eaten since they'd gotten their powers. Their powers eliminated hunger, causing them to never feel the need eat... or maybe, they couldn't eat? May looked up at Ash, an unsure look on her face.

"Hey... " whispered the brunette. "do you think our powers will affect-"

"No," said Ash nonchalantly. "The morning after we got our powers I ate breakfast and everything. We can still eat, its just not a necessity anymore. In fact, I'm pretty sure that everything tastes better now. Our five senses are at superhuman levels, and taste is one of the five senses."

"But the food... where does it all go? We don't use the bathroom anymore either, so..."

"May, I'm not the one you should be asking about this stuff." sighed Ash, scratching his head. "Ask Dawn. She's got all the theories, not me. My guess is that it just disintegrates as soon as we swallow it."

May's eyes widened as a smile slowly crept across her face. "Correct me if I'm wrong... but doesn't that mean we can eat as much as we want? Like, an infinite amount?"

Ash shrugged. "That would make sens-"

"Table for two!" hollered May, rushing up to the nearest waiter. "We'll take a whole apple pie, 4 croissants, 6 glazed doughnuts, 2 slices of cheesecake, 2 chocolate eclairs, and a dozen macarons!"

The green-haired waiter, completely blind-sided by May, had to take a few seconds to gather himself before he gestured for May and Ash to follow him. While May quickly followed, Ash waited for a second, examining the prices of all the things May had just ordered. According to the menu that was hanging from the ceiling... she had just ordered over $70 in food. He reached into his pocked at opened his wallet. He only had $30 on him.

"Who... the hell..." grumbled Ash, following May and the waiter to the table. "Is going to pay for all this?"

May, who was too busy ordering drinks for the two of them, didn't hear Ash's question. Deciding not to make a scene, Ash waited til their green-haired waiter, Cilan he said his name was, left. As soon as Cilan was gone, Ash looked dead into May's sapphire eyes.

"Are you aware of how much money our food is going to cost?" he hissed through his teeth.

"40?" asked May hopefully.

"70."

"O.O"

"Yeah." whispered Ash. "I only have $30 on me, not even half. How much do you have?"

"20..."

As hard as he tried, Ash couldn't resist the urge to lower his forehead onto the table, sighing heavily. If only May thought things through sometimes...

"Alright," he said, lifting his head off the table. "Here's what we'll do. I'll go to the bank down the street and get some money from the ATM. You stay here and wait for the food. I'll be back in a few minutes. Please, please... don't order anything else."

"I won't." said May sheepishly. Ash stood up and began to walk away, but before he got to far, May faked a small cough to gain his attention. "I'm sorry."

Ash turned around, and as soon as he saw May's ashamed expression, he chuckled a little. "Don't worry about it. All the stuff you ordered did sound pretty good, so I guess I can't blame you."

Ash walked out of the shop, heading to the bank that was less than a mile away. As he thought about May's blunder, he couldn't help but shake his head. Happenings like that were just one of the things that came with the May Maple package. He didn't want to call her dumb, because she wasn't. Her major was Math, and her grades were good. Not as good as Dawn's, but good. But in comparison to Dawn's occasional lack of common sense, May seemed to have moments of poor judgement and/or complete awareness of her surroundings at least twice a day. Sometimes Ash laughed at it, and other times it caused him minor inconveniences, like his current trip to the bank. But even when her mistakes ended with him doing things he didn't want to do, he couldn't stay mad at her for more than 5 minutes. There was something about being around her that made him happy, no matter what.

"Oh May..." thought Ash as he walked into the bank. "Truly one of a kind."

As soon as Ash entered the bank, he was greeted with a line of 6 or 7 people, all waiting to use the ATM. He sighed and joined the line, realizing the trip to the bank wasn't going to be as short as he thought.

"Well, I'm sure it'll take the people at the pastry shop a while to bake May and I's food, so I've got time-"

"STICK 'EM UP! EVERYBODY PUT YOUR HANDS UP, WHERE I CAN SEE THEM! YOU MOVE, YOU GET SHOT!" roared a man in the center of the bank, a gun in his hands. 6 more men entered the bank as well, guns in their hands as well. As soon as their silver firearms were revealed, every man, woman, and child in the building raised their hands into the air, slowly falling to their knees... all except one raven-haired student waiting on line for the ATM.

Ash silently groaned. "Of all the times for shit like this to happen again, it just has to be now, doesn't it? Alright, let's make this quick so I can get out here."

Ash reached behind his back and froze, eyes wide. He didn't have his disguise on him. He couldn't save the day with nothing concealing his identity.

"HEY, YOU!" hollered one of the robbers, pointing to Ash. "YEAH, YOU! TAN GUY, BLACK HAIR! GET YOUR ASS DOWN OR I'LL BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF!"

Ash simply nodded, and raised his hands into the air.

"This is bad." he thought, his eyebrows furrowed. "My scarf and sunglasses are in my bag, which is all the way at the pastry shop with..."


"May, you're such an idiot." thought May to herself, head in her hands. "Why did I order so much stuff? Now Ash has to go all the way to the bank and get more money because I was too dumb to remember that we had to pay for it! Who even forgets that food costs money?!"

May's head sunk to the table, where it stayed for the next 5 minutes.

"Um, excuse me ma'am?" asked Cilan, the waiter. "Is everything okay?"

"Oh," said May, raising her head from the table. She noticed the concerned expression on the waiter's face and smiled. "I'm alright."

"Where did the man you arrived with go?"

"He stepped out to go run a quick errand." explained May.

"I see. Well, your food will be done soon, hopefully he'll return before it gets cold. Would you like to watch some television to pass the time?" asked Cilan, pulling a remote from his pocket. "Bah, what am I asking for? Our customers deserve only the finest treatment. What channel would you like to watch?"

"The News is fine."

Nodding his head, Cilan clicked a button on the remote, changing the TV to Channel 6 News.

"He passed away last night, at the age of 74. The staff at Holystone Hospital claim that he had fallen into cardiac arrest, and by the time he had been reached by the nurses and doctors, it was just too late. Our condolences go out to his friends and family." said the anchorman on screen, his voice a sad one.

"How unfortunate." sighed Cilan.

"Yeah..." agreed May. "I wonder who died..."

"Well, I'll be back in approximately 10 minutes with your food." said Cilan, leaving just May to watch the TV.

"In other news," began the anchorwoman, Kate. "the identity of the young hero who has appeared multiple times to save the day in the past week is still in question. A week and half ago, he saved a journalist from a robbery. Just last week, he not only stopped a man from committing suicide, but he also entered the burning city hall, rescuing every single person inside, including our very own mayor. Two days ago he saved yet another person from a robbery, while at the same time capturing a notorious serial killer. He has done plenty of other smaller deeds in the past week, and has quickly become a household name. The words of those saved claim that this young man is kind, just, and according to the ladies, attractive. Many speculate that this young man may not be working alone, that there's more than one hero responsible. Here is his/their picture."

May's jaw dropped as a picture of Ash appeared on screen. Yes, his face was covered with a sunglasses and scarf, but she could tell it was him from the hair and skin tone. May's mouth opened even wider as she realized that the sunglasses and scarf that were on his face in the picture were the same ones she always saw him carrying around.

"No way..."

"Another popular opinion seems to be that this flying, wise-cracking hero can duplicate himself, countering those who believe that it is more than one man. Due to this popular belief, the public has come up with a semi-official name for the hero." said Bill. "People are calling him Clonin' Carl, Defender of Justice."

"As always," continued Kate. "we wait to see when Clonin' Carl will make his next appearance, giving us a chance to get a closer look at the enigma that is his very existence."

"He's truly a mystery... Up next, we have interesting results from a study conducted in the Hoenn region. Can bathing in grape jelly really improve the smoothness of your skin? Find out the shocking answer when Channel 6 News returns!"

The commercials began to play, leaving May to think about what she had just learned. All the questions she had wanted to ask on the date had just been answered; by the local news station. Everything had been explained. The times that Ash would disappear were the times that he was saving people. The showers he took so often were showers he took to clean off any evidence from his encounters. May glanced at his backpack, which was placed on the floor. She picked it up and opened it. Sure enough, the same sunglasses and red scarf the hero on the news was wearing... were in the bag, stuffed into a side pocket designed for easy access.

"It all makes sense now..." she thought aloud, closing Ash's backpack. "This is just like Ash... saving people and putting himself in danger. I hope he sees the irony in this; he's majoring in criminal justice, yet he's basically a vigilante..."

May continued to think. Sure, she was a little upset that he hid such a large, dangerous part of his life from her... what if he got hurt? If no one knew he was a hero, who would come to help if he was injured? She pushed the notion to the back of her mind. Ash wasn't stupid; he'd be able to get himself out of a sticky situation. She couldn't deny it, she found herself even more attracted to him now that she knew he was a mysterious hero that the everyone admired. As if he didn't already have more than enough qualities.

"I just wish they came up with a better name for him..." thought May with a giggle. "Clonin' Carl? Oh man, he's gonna hate it." She then glanced at his backpack, which held his disguise. "He really needs a better outfit. Average people might not be able to recognize him when hes wearing them, but anyone remotely close to him could see through it if they look hard enough. Plus, he doesn't change his clothes when he's saving people. All he has to do is wear the same shirt again and someone will be bound to recognize him. Serena, Dawn, and I should totally design something for him. He'll look so much better in a full-body costum-"

"STICK 'EM UP! EVERYBODY PUT YOUR HANDS UP, WHERE I CAN SEE THEM! YOU MOVE, YOU GET SHOT!"

May's eyes immediately darted around the pastry shop, her eardrums picking up the roars of the robbers. No one else in the pastry shop seemed to hear anything, giving May good reason to believe that wherever the robber was, he was out of the hearing range of a normal human. She immediately pulled out her phone, her fingers hastily dialing the phone number of the police station. But halfway through, she paused. If there was a robbery, Ash would take care of it, right? If she could hear the yells of the robbers, then it was impossible for Ash not to hear them...

"HEY, YOU!" hollered one of the robbers. "YEAH, YOU! TAN GUY, BLACK HAIR! GET YOUR ASS DOWN OR I'LL BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF!"

"Tan guy... black hair...?" thought May, tilting her head. It seemed like Ash was already at the scene... May's head then turned to Ash's backpack, a horrified look on her face. "His disguise!"

May grabbed the bag and jogged towards the door, running right past Cilan, who was wheeling May and Ash's feast of pastries towards their table on a cart.

"Ma'am, where are you going?" called Cilan. "Your food is ready!"

"Um, bathroom!" replied May, leaving the shop.

Cilan watched the brunette run down the street, completely dumbfounded.

"But... there's already a bathroom in the shop..."

...

The 7 men were working quickly and efficiently, leading Ash to believe that this was a planned crime, one that most likely was complete with a Plan B. 5 of the men were working on transporting the stolen cash to their van outside, while the last 2 were watching all the hostages, making sure no one called the cops or did anything funny. With every second that the men worked on stealing the money from the vault, Ash grew more and more aggravated. He was literally watching criminals get away with a heist, knowing he had the power to stop them.

"I can't just sit here and watch this..." he thought, growling. "But what can I do?! There's no way in hell I can use my powers without my identity being hidden! Ugh, the ONE time I don't bring my bag with me, THIS happens!"

"Ash? Ash, can you hear me?"

Ash looked around, turning his head slow enough so that he wouldn't catch the attention of the gunmen. It was May's voice, but she wasn't in the bank. It sounded like she was nearby... maybe outside?

"May? Is that you?" whispered Ash, hoping she would be able to hear it. "May, I need you to-"

"Don't worry, I have your bag with me. I'm hiding outside."

Ash paused. "...How did you know to bring my bag-"

"Ash." snapped May's voice. "Less talking, more saving. How far away from your body can you spawn a clone?"

"About 20 feet."

"Okay, concentrate and see if you can spawn a clone out here." ordered May, pulling Ash's scarf and sunglasses out of his bag. "I'll give the clone your poor excuse for a disguise, and he'll get the fight started. In all the chaos, one of your clones will merge back with you and give you your sunglasses and scarf so you can join in. Got it?"

"Got it..." whispered Ash, a sigh at the end. "I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I?"

"Yes, but right now you have a robbery to stop. Now get to focusing!"

Ash chuckled a little and then closed his eyes, focusing. Even though the setting was a deadly one, it was quiet enough for him to focus his mind with relative ease. His concentration went mostly undisturbed, save for the occasional barks and threats from the gunmen. At around 30 seconds of concentration, Ash opened his eyes and leaned forward a bit, a temporary feeling of exhaustion overtaking him.

"Alright," thought Ash, ordering the clone he had just created. "You know what to do."

"Got it." replied the clone, materializing outside the bank. He looked to his left and right, and didn't see May anywhere. "May?"

"Psst!"

Ash#2 turned to where the sound came from. It seemed to have come from a pickup truck parked in the small parking lot next to the bank. He jogged to it, but was surprised to see no one in the truck. He could, however, see a pair of blue eyes peeking at him from the pickup truck's bed. Once the clone noticed her, May hopped out of the truck, scarf and sunglasses in hand. She hastily handed the items to the clone, who hastily put them on.

"Thanks!" he said, jogging away. But as soon as he heard some footsteps behind him, he stopped and turned around. "What are you doing?"

"I'm following you." declared May proudly. "I want to see my hero of a boyfriend in action."

"No. Don't let her." echoed the true Ash's voice in the clone's head.

"Wasn't planning on it." replied the clone. "No May, you're going to stay here, where it's safe."

"Ha! As if!" exclaimed the brunette. "I totally can handle myself! I am a black belt, and I may not be able to clone myself, but I have the basic powers too! All I need..." May unzipped her fanny pack and pulled out her own pair of sunglasses. After putting those on, she took off her bandanna and tied it onto her face instead. "...is a disguise!"

"I don't think we can talk her out of it..." thought the clone, sweatdropping.

"Yeah, I know..." sighed Ash. "Fine, let her join. We're wasting time."

"Alright," grunted Ash#2 reluctantly, turning back towards the bank. "let's go."

"Woohoo!"

...

"Hey, you!" roared one of the two gunmen in the bank, turning to a random person in the room. "Did you just say something?!"

It was a young boy, no older than 10. Scared out of his mind, the boy simply shook his head, his fearful eyes fixed on the gun in the man's hand. But apparently the boy's answer wasn't good enough, because the man backhanded the kid across the face, spitting on him afterwards. But it appeared that slapping and spitting on the poor child wasn't enough, because the criminal then began to kick the boy, who was crying at this point. All the other people in the lobby could only watch, too afraid to help. All except the raven haired 20 year-old near the ATM machine, who looked like he'd explode any minute.

"Where the hell are you guys?!" thought Ash, unable to watch the scene any longer.

"We're here." answered the clone.

"Yeah, that's right kid, I'll teach you some manners right now!" cackled the gunman, still kicking the child.

"Manners?" echoed a voice throughout the whole lobby, their tone filled to the brim with disdain. Everyone turned towards the source. Majority of the people in the room felt a surge of hope at the sight, but the two gunmen in the room only felt horror. It was him. The Man. The Mystery. The Defender of Justice: Clonin' Carl. "I find it sickening that scum like you can even have the audacity to go around spewing a word like that. I don't usually enjoy violence, but I'm not lying when I say that I will enjoy kicking every square centimeter of your pathetic ass."

Ash's clone began to walk towards the gunman, but before he could get far, he felt May grab him.

"Wait." she droned, her eyes staring at the crying boy on the floor. "Let me take care of these guys."

"Why would I do tha-"

"Because there's five more guys in the vault, and we don't have time to deal with these jackasses." answered the real Ash. "I didn't think about it before, but May can totally hold her own. If we can dodge bullets, so can she. And she said it before; she's a black belt. She can definitely fight. What you need to do now is cause a diversion. Get all the people in here riled up and distracted so you can give me my disguise and merge back with me. Alright?"

"Alright." whispered the clone, turning to May. "I'll let you handle them. But first, we need to create a diversion so I can merge back with Ash."

"Gotcha." agreed May, nodding her head. She then looked around the bank, cupping her hands around her mouth. "EVERYBODY RUN!"

...Everyone stayed put.

"Everybody run." ordered Ash's clone.

The whole building erupted in the sound of rushing feet, both bankers and customers alike racing out of the building. Ash and his duplicate made eye contact, both nodding their heads at the same time. The crowd of 30 people trying to rush out at once caused more than enough chaos, and it was time for the true Ash to take over. While May simply watched everyone leave, Ash ran towards his clone, who handed him their disguise. Once he put it on, the two beings merged back into one.

"Okay," muttered Ash. "Let's get this over with."

The raven-haired hero waited another 10 seconds for all the people to rush out, and when they did, the only people left in the room were May, the two gunmen, and himself. He looked at May, who gave him an assuring thumbs up. With a final sigh, Ash ran further into the bank, heading towards the vault.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!" spat one of the gunmen, running after Ash.

A high pitched "Hi-YA!" followed by a low grunt of pain was all Ash heard as ran further and further from the lobby.


"Finally!" cheered Barry, exiting the lecture hall. It was 5:30pm, and his class had finally ended, an hour after Ash's. "Class is over!"

He looked up at the sky, and saw that it was completely overrun with clouds. They weren't storm clouds just yet, but it was obvious that the rain was going to arrive within the next hour or two.

"Okay," he mumbled to himself. "it's time to call Dawn!"

Barry pulled out his phone and called Dawn, deciding to speak to her via video chat. He waited, and waited, and waited... until finally, a familiar face appeared on the screen of his phone. Her hair was soaking wet, locks of it sticking to the sides of her face like gentle strokes of navy blue paint on a cream-colored canvas. Her neck was exposed, as were her collarbones, both places decorated with shining drops of water. As soon as Barry noticed all these details, his cheeks turned a vibrant shade of pink, and Butterfrees began to dance inside him.

"Hello, Barry." greeted Dawn, a friendly smile on her face.

"H-hi. D-Dawn." croaked the blonde, finding the simple task of forming words to be a challenge. "You're um, wet."

"I just finished bathing."

"Ah, I see... So um, I wanted to tell you something." said Barry nervously. "Shit, this is WAY harder than I thought it'd be... -_-"

"I'm listening." said Dawn, noticing Barry's nervousness. Automatically assuming that something was wrong, Dawn's face went from welcoming smile to concerned frown. "Is everything okay?"

"Y-yeah, everything's fine." answered Barry quickly. "I just wanted to tell you..."

"Tell me...?"

Barry took a deep breath, deciding to just spit it out before he lost anymore courage. "That I'm on my way to your dorm with a surprise for you!"

"A surprise?" asked Dawn, her face lighting up. "Really? What is it?"

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you now, would it?" asked Barry, winking.

"I suppose so..." muttered Dawn, pouting. "Well I guess I'll just have to wait then. You're on your way right now?"

"Yup, I just got out of class and I'm walking to my car as we speak. I hope you're excited, because you're gonna LOVE what I have for you!"

"I am excited, very excited! But make sure you be careful on your way here, Barry." warned Dawn, her expression once again changing from happy to serious in an instant. "It's going to rain any minute, and the roads around here can get quite slippery."

"Oh come on Dawn, I'll be fine." assured Barry. "I'm big, strong, and can totally survive anything. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay!" replied the blue-haired beauty. "Bye!"

"Adios."

Barry ended the call and sighed. He had hoped that he'd never reach this stage, but after seeing Dawn and talking to her, there was no denying it; he was second-guessing himself. Was he really ready to do what he was about to do? Would she even say yes? And if she did, was he even ready to be a boyfriend? Did he know how to be a good boyfriend? He didn't have the answer to any of those questions, and more unanswered questions kept swirling into his mind as he approaching his lime-green Toyota Prius. He entered the car, and was immediately greeted with a few chirps from the Piplup in the back seat. He looked back at the pokemon, half-smiling.

"Well, I guess I've already passed the point of no return, huh?" he muttered, scratching his head. "I've already got you, Piplup. I'd never return a pokemon to a shelter that its probably waited most of its life to get out of, and I just know that Dawn will be a great owner for you. No matter what, even if I chicken out at the end, I'm still giving you to her..."

"Piplup lup!"

"You're welcome." replied Barry, starting his car. "Before we go to Dawn's room, I gotta buy a collar and some pokemon food for you. I'm pretty sure there's a pet store near Holystone Hospital."


"Hurry up and take the rest of the cash to the van!" barked the lead robber, arms crossed. He and his men had planned this heist for weeks, and so far, everything was going to plan. He had two men holding the hostages, and he had four bagging all the money. Since it was rush hour, they had estimated that it would take about 30 minutes for the authorities to arrive, since the city traffic would surely slow them down. But being a seasoned robber himself, the leader knew that in a crime like this, there was no such thing as 'getting comfortable'. No matter how quickly his men worked, he'd still needed to rush them. "I said hurry it up! The quicker we get this done, the better!"

"Yes, boss." answered his 4 subordinates, packing all the money from the vault into big trash bags.

"Heheh, all this dough, ours for the taking..." laughed the leader. "MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAH-"

"Damn, that is quite the evil laugh you've got there." complimented a new voice, one that came from behind the leader. All 5 robbers turned towards the exit of the vault, where a familiar figure stood. They'd seen him on the news, they'd seen him in the newspaper... and now they were seeing him for themselves. "It's a real shame you chose to be a criminal. You could've really pursued a promising career in voice-acting or something."

"So you've come..." growled the leader of the criminals, pulling his gun out of his pocket. "I hope you're ready to die, Clonin' Carl. The Rockets aren't your average push-over gang!"

"You tell him, Boss Giovanni!" cheered one of the robbers.

"I'm sorry, what?" asked Ash, completely serious. "What did you say?"

"I said the Rockets aren't your average push-over gang!"

"No, no, before that. What did you call me?"

"What everybody calls you." explained Giovanni. "Clonin' Carl, Defender of Justice."

"ಠ_ಠ... You're joking right?"

"You think I'm in the mood for jokes?!" roared Giovanni, pointing his gun towards Ash. "Die, you Goody-Two-Shoes!"

Giovanni fired the pistol, and Ash dodged the bullet with ease. There was a small pause after that.

"...Seriously, is that really what they're calling me?" asked Ash, still hung up on the terrible name. "Clonin' Carl? They couldn't think of anything better? Where did they even get the 'Carl' part from?! I don't look like a Carl, do I?"

"Grrrrrrr, SHUT UP AND DIE!" bellowed Giovanni, shooting at Ash once more. "Light him up, boys!"

All five Rockets in the room fired at Ash, who quickly ducked, narrowly dodging a volley of lethal bullets. After such a close call, Ash decided to let his disdain for the name "Clonin' Carl" take the back seat, as there were definitely bigger things to take care of at the moment.

"Hm," he hummed, standing up. Four clones materialized around him, earning gasps from all five criminals in the room. "I guess it's time for the real party to start. Come at me... Well, actually, come at us."

"You and your clones don't intimidate us!" growled Giovanni, reloading his pistol. "Men, drop the money and take these wise-asses down!"

"Yes sir!" answered the Rocket grunts, leaving their sacks of cash to run towards Ash.

"Oh boy..." sighed the real Ash, shaking his head. "Guys, take them out."

"Yeah."

"Mhmm."

"Sure."

"Okay."

The four clones sprung into action, engaging the four Rocket grunts. Ash watched their individual fist-fights begin, admiring his work. With the four grunts occupied, Ash could focus on their leader.

"Alright Giovanni," said Ash, turning towards the leader of the Rockets. "let's do this, one on..." Giovanni had disappeared without a trace, leaving behind a slightly confused Ash. "one."

Ash looked around, and saw that the only exit from the vault was the entrance. He ran straight out of the vault, mentally ordering his clones to stay behind and continue their fights. Dashing through the narrow halls of the bank, Ash could only wonder how Giovanni had gotten so far away already. He mentally chastised himself; he hadn't been paying attention, and now the villain had an opportunity to get away.

"Wait..." he thought, slowing down to a jog. "May is in the lobby! There's no way he'll get past her, right? ...Hm, still though, I should get there as soon as possible so i can help."

Returning his pace from jog back to a run, Ash raced down the halls, growing closer and closer to the lobby every second.

"Giovanni!" he roared, hoping to intimidate the crime lord. He had finally reached the lobby, his run coming to screeching halt. The two gunmen from earlier were there, both unconscious. Giovanni was there, and so was May. But the sight Ash was seeing caused him to say the name of the latter, his voice becoming almost robotic as the seriousness of the situation increased tenfold. "May..."

Giovanni was standing behind May, his right arm around her neck, his left hand holding a gun to her head. He had a huge, sick grin on his face, and the grin only grew wider when he saw Ash's body tense up.

"That's right Carl, I've got your sidekick right where I want her. One move, and I splatter her brains all over the floors of this bank." cackled Giovanni. "MUAHAHAHAHAHHAHHHAHAHAAAA!"

Ash couldn't help but send May an incredulous look, silently asking her how she could have let Giovanni get that close to her. May simply sighed. Giovanni had snuck up on her right as she finished off the second gunman. She knew he was coming, but there just wasn't enough time for her to react. Ash let out a small growl; all his clones were still at the vault and he couldn't make any more, eliminating the option of spawning one in the space between May and Giovanni. For the first time in his career as a hero, he was at the mercy of the villain.

"Giovanni," hissed Ash, his voice laced with intense anger. "If you kill her... I will make sure you regret it a million times over."

"Oh yeah?" asked Giovanni, greatly amused by Ash's threat. "I'm calling bullshit on that one. It seems like this girl is more than just your sidekick... maybe she's your girl too? Oh yeah, that'd explain why you care so much. Hm, now I'm thinking I should kill her anyway so you snap and lose the trust of the public. You're still new to this hero thing. One bad move this early on... and the media's whole opinion on you will change in the blink of an eye. You'll go from celebrated hero to public enemy #1 in an instant."

"..."

"Nothing to say? Hm, I thought you'd at least say goodbye to her!" laughed Giovanni. "Well, I'll give you some time to reconsider. Not much though, my trigger finger is just a tad bit itchy. 10... 9..."

Ash looked at May. Even though most of her face was covered by her disguise, he could tell she was afraid. If her upturned eyebrows weren't enough, the single tear rolling down the space between her sunglasses and bandanna were a dead giveaway.

"8... 7... 6..."

"We're on our way," echoed the voice of a clone in Ash's head. "What's going on?"

"Don't come." ordered Ash slowly. "If he sees any movement, he'll shoot her."

"What? Who will shoot who? Is May in trouble?! Hold on, we're coming!"

"I said don't come!"

"5... 4..."

"Giovanni," uttered Ash, the staleness of his voice greatly concealing his fear and anger. "put the gun down."

"Haha, nope. What number was I at again? 3? Yes, 3! 3... 2..."

"Ash- I mean, C-Carl..." squeaked May, speaking for the first time since the deadly situation began. "I'm sorry... this is all my fault... I... I love you."

"No..." Ash took a step forward, completely forgetting about Giovanni's order to stay still. "No, it's not over yet, don't talk like tha-"

"What did I tell you?" chuckled Giovanni, shaking his head. "I said 'one move, and I splatter her brains all over the floor'! Doesn't really matter though, because time's up anyway! 1, ZERO!"

"NO!" roared Ash, charging forward, his desperate gaze glued solely on Giovanni's pistol.

"We're here!" hollered one of Ash's clones as all four of them entered the lobby, ready to help.

But they were too late. Right when the four clones reached the lobby, all five Ashes in the room witnessed Giovanni pull the trigger, shooting the love of their life in the head at point blank range. It all seemed to happen in slow motion. May collapsed onto the floor, her seemingly limp body having been released from Giovanni's grasp. Ash and his clones immediately sprung into action, two of them rushing to May, the other three beings charging straight for Giovanni. Among the three racing towards Giovanni was the real Ash, his body almost acting on its own. The crime lord tried to shoot at the approaching hero, but each bullet was dodged until Giovanni had run out of them. Once close enough, Ash grabbed the evil man by the shirt, his mind and soul filled with a rage the likes of which he'd never felt before.

"You..." emitted Ash, his voice both weakened by sadness, and strengthened by fury. "BASTARD!"

"Muahahaha, what are you going to do now?" wheezed Giovanni, staring straight into Ash's sunglasses. "Kill me? be my guest. If anything, that just makes this a tie. Just like your bitch, I'll be dead, and you'll be feared by all."

"I couldn't give any less of a damn." seethed Ash through gritted teeth. "You're dying, right here, right now. And I will not make it quick and painless. You don't deserve that. I will make sure that every scream that comes from that pathetic throat of yours will be louder and more blood-curdling than the last. I am not going to just going to kill you, I am going to-"

"Wait!" cried one of the 2 clones that had gone ran to May's body.

Everyone looked, and saw that the young woman sitting in between both clones was moving. In fact, she was completely conscious. At the sight, they realized that one crucial detail was missing from the scene all together; blood. There wasn't a single drop of blood on the floor, nor was there any on May's clothing. Had the bullet missed? It couldn't have, the shot was at point blank. There was no space between her head and the barrel; a 100% chance of death. Yet there she was, alive and well.

"WHAT?!" screeched Giovanni, eyes bulging. "HOW?! I SHOT A BULLET RIGHT INTO HER SKULL, SHE SHOULD DEA-"

Ash delivered a devastating punch to Giovanni's mouth, bringing forth a high pitched scream from the Rocket leader. Giovanni fell onto the floor of all fours, one hand covering his mouth, which was profusely bleeding. A couple of his teeth littered the tiled floors below, along with a few drops of blood. Genuinely afraid, he looked up at the hero standing before him. The two clones behind Ash both touched his shoulders, merging back with him. Once they returned to him, Ash kicked Giovanni across the face, knocking the dirt-bag of a man unconscious.

"Trash." spat Ash, still feeling the effects of his short period of emotional turmoil.

"A-Ash."

Her voice was all he needed to hear. Ash forgot everything and ran towards May, ecstatic that she was still alive. He quickly knelt down to her level and pulled her into a tight embrace, one that the brunette slowly returned. As soon as Ash felt her body against his, he could tell that a mental toll had been taken on her. Her heart was beating rapidly. She wasn't just shivering in fear, she was downright trembling, physically unable to stop her body from shaking. Ash ran a hand through her hair, and as soon as he did, the first of many sobs escaped her mouth.

"It's okay..." he whispered, holding her tight.

"I was s-so sc-scared..." she wheezed, in between abrupt breaths and hiccups. "I thought I was gonna *hiccup* die... I'm sorry, I-I'm s-sorry, I'm so sorry..."

"You're not dead, you're with me. Everything's okay... You don't have to apologize." replied Ash, still holding her close. "Are you hurt? How's your head?"

"I'm f-fine." she stammered, still crying. "My head doesn't hurt or anyth-thing."

Ash sighed in relief. She really had survived the gunshot. But how?

"May..." started Ash, unsure it was the appropriate time to ask the following question or not. "How did you survive that?"

"I... I don't know. He pulled the t-trigger, and all I felt was a s-small flick on the side of my h-head."

"It only felt like a flick?" asked Ash, finally ending the embrace they'd been in since their conversation began. "You barely felt it?"

"Y-yeah," answered May, removing her sunglasses to wipe the tears out of her eyes. "but the force was more. It didn't make s-sense. It only felt like a flick, b-but the force was enough to knock me down c-completely."

"But... how is that possible?" asked Ash, confused at this point. "If the force was enough to knock you down, then-"

Ash's sentence was cut short by the sound of police sirens blaring nearby. As soon as the sound was heard, he immediately stood up and carried May, bridal style. One of his two remaining clones merged with him, while the other stood beside Ash, waiting for him to say something. May, unfamiliar with this routine, tilted her head.

"W-what's going on?" she asked hurriedly, fear in her voice.

"I don't really like staying around for the cops." explained Ash as he walked towards the door. His clone followed. "I only like staying around long enough for them to get a glimpse of me, just so they know it was me who stopped the criminals. And no, it's not to be mysterious and all that, it's just that 1) I don't want someone else taking the credit for saving the day, and 2) I don't want to deal with all the reporter's questions."

"That, and the crazy fan-girls." added the clone. "Some of them make Serena look tame."

May let out a weak giggle. At such a delicate sound, Ash was reminded of the fact that he had almost lost the chance of ever hearing it again less than 5 minutes ago. She was still shivering, and she was clinging on to him tightly, almost as if she was afraid of leaving his hold. It only made sense; it was one thing to witness someone miraculously escape death's cold embrace, but it must have been a whole different feeling to have survived something that was almost surely going to take your life. The question on how she survived still remained, though. The only way it could make sense was if she had manifested her individual power. But what was it, and how did it save her? He decided to ask later, once everything calmed down. He didn't want to overwhelm her, especially when she was still traumatized.

Before walking out the door, Ash paused.

"I love you." he said, placing a quick kiss on her head.

"I love you too." she replied, burying her face in the warmth of his chest.

"Let's get you out of here." he said, his clone holding the door open for the pair.

As soon as they stepped foot outside, they were met with two things: police officers, and a crowd of people who seemed to have been waiting for him to emerge from the bank before exploding in cheer.

"Thank you so much Clonin' Carl, you're a saint!" cried one police officer.

"The Defender of Justice does it again folks! And look, he's got a clone right next to him, proving our theory correct! He really is Clonin' Carl!" hollered a news reporter. "Hold on as I try to get an interview with him!"

"Can I have your autograph?! You're my favoritest person in the world!" shouted a young kid.

"WHO'S THAT GIRL WITH HIM?!" bellowed one of the crazed fan-girls that Ash's clone had mentioned earlier. "SHE BETTER WATCH HERSELF, BECAUSE HE'S MINE! CLONIN' CARL WILL BE MY HUSBAND ONE DAY AND WE'LL MAKE LOVE EVERY NIGH-"

"Oh geez..." sighed Ash tiredly as the girl was dragged away by her embarrassed parents. He turned to his clone and nodded. The clone nodded back, walked over to a cop, and gave them a brief explanation of the crime that had been stopped. Once that was done, the clone merged back with Ash. A chorus of "ooooh"s and "aaaaahs" were heard as the clone disintegrated and returned to its source. With all things taken care of, Ash floated into the air, ignoring the questions from the reporters and spectators below.

Ash flew further and further away from the scene, way past the pastry shop that they had agreed to have their date in. Noticing this, May looked at the ground below, a frown on her face.

"Where are we going?" she asked, looking up at Ash.

"I'm taking you back to your dorm. You need time to recover..." he sighed. "You're still a little shaken up, I can tell."

"No." she said flatly, surprising Ash. "We have a date to finish."

Ash looked down at May for a second before answering. "Are... are you serious?"

"100%." said May confidently. She looked up at Ash, and saw he was still wasn't sure. "Come on, if we don't finish the date, I'll change your nickname from Ashy to Clonin' Carl."

"Fine." he said quickly. "But we still have to head back to the dorms, so we can change our clothes. We don't want anyone to recognize us as the heroes from the bank. We also need to get some money from an ATM, because I wasn't able to get any before the robbery started."

"We'll also need an umbrella."

"An umbrella?" asked Ash, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"It's drizzling." observed May, pointing above.


The lobby of Holystone Hospital was quiet, not a sound being made save for the faint music playing in the background. It was the usual scene, nothing out of the ordinary. Any person entering or exiting would neither see nor feel any sort of unrest. But the faculty members of the hospital were a different story, especially the lady at the front desk. She, along with every security guard in the building could feel the unrest, the anxiety. Ever since the young man by the name of Gary Oak had delivered his threats, the security of the building had been stepped up. There were now security guards at all the entrances and exits of the building, and overall, more measures had been taken to make sure the brown-haired menace wouldn't be able to harm anyone in any way.

But after the death of Samuel Oak - the person who Gary had been trying to see - all their precautions didn't feel anywhere near enough.

The light sound of raindrops landing on the building could be heard, only adding to the ominous feel.

"Great, rain." thought the woman at the front desk. It was the same woman whom Gary had threatened. "As if things aren't nerve-wracking enough."

She looked around, her mind thinking of ways to calm herself down. What was she even afraid for? Gary Oak was just one kid, she mused. He'd taken down 6 men; so what? There was much more than 6 men waiting for him if he showed his face at the hospital. The more she thought about it, the less afraid she began to feel. It seemed like her eyes were finally opening. Was all the security really necessary for a single college student? Highly unlikely. He was just human after all, he had limits. All they really needed was a single security guard with a gun, and he'd be subdued. And, as terrible as she thought it sounded, so what if his grandfather died? If anything, that would discourage him from coming to the hospital. His main objective both times he came to the hospital was to visit the old man. Now that Samuel Oak was out of the equation, there was no reason for Gary to come at all. A confident smile spread across the lady's face, a somewhat relieved sigh escaping her lips.

"Wow, we really have been overreacting, huh?" she thought with a chuckle. "The more I think about this, the more I believe that we shouldn't be beefing up our security so much just for a kid who's probably all bark and no bite... Hmph, I should probably just walk outside right now and tell the security guards to take a break, because there isn't any reason for them to be standing out there in the rain. They could get sic-"

It all happened so fast. The sound of shattering glass rang through the lobby, accompanied by sight of a security guard being thrown into the building through the window, sparkling shards of the transparent solid flying along with him. Only milliseconds after the first security guard made his entrance did the second one do the same, landing right on top of the first.

Beyond bewildered, the front-desk lady - Carrie was her name - watched as a shadowy figure emerged from the destroyed window, walking with the stiffness of a robot. Their face was obscured by the black hoodie they wore, but even in the shadows, Carrie could tell who it was, and as soon as she saw those two black eyes glaring at her with hatred unimaginable, she regretted her previous thoughts.

Gary Oak had come, and he wasn't there to see his grandfather. He was there for something else.

Adrenaline pumping, Carrie's hand automatically shot for the button under her desk. In the past week, the function of the device had been changed; No longer did it summon 2 security guards. It now summoned every guard in the building. Whimpering, she repeatedly pressed the button as Gary slowly approached her, the feral glint in his eyes an unwavering one.

"You..." he snarled, fists clenched. He was still across the lobby, and at the speed he was walking, he wouldn't get to her for at least another 30 seconds.

"Mr. Oak," she said hurriedly, her finger still pushing the button under her desk repeatedly. "please understand that we did everything we could to save your grandfather. He was beyond the point of reviva-"

"You..." repeated Gary, he eyes narrowing slightly. "You killed him..."

"We did no such thing!" cried Carrie, true panic growing inside the woman. "We'd never let a patient die when there was a chance of saving them-"

"Lies..." growled Gary, pausing his approach to shake him head. He removed his hood, letting the cold lighting of the hospital shine upon his face. His eyes were bloodshot, and puffy. He had been crying, but there was no sadness in his eyes at the moment. Only hate. "All things that come from your mouth are disgusting, revolting lies. You killed him. This whole hospital killed him. You all let him die out of the fear that I'd return, that I'd come here and force my way to his room so I could visit him. You thought by letting him die... I'd be discouraged." Gary let out a small snort before continuing, but it was not a snort of amusement, but a snort of contempt. "But you fools were wrong. I am not discouraged. I am not discouraged from making every last cretinous bastard in this building pay the price for what they've done."

"What are you going to do?" asked Carrie, trying to buy herself some time by asking questions. As she asked the question, she could see 3 of the soon-to-be 50+ security guards arrive in the lobby. The three of them slowly began to approach Gary, planning on ambushing the young man.

"What am I gonna do?" asked Gary, closing his eyes. He turned around the the three guards behind him and elbowed the nearest one on the stomach with so much force that the grown man doubled over, falling to his knees. Gary opened his eyes and let out a low growl, which eventually evolved into a terrifying roar. "I AM GOING TO SEND ALL OF YOU TO THE DEEPEST PITS OF HELL!"

"Get him!" shouted one of the two remaining security guards, running towards Gary.

With almost too much ease, Gary punched the guard square in the face, knocking him down. The second guard tried to approach the superhuman from the left, but was met with a jump-kick to the throat, sending harsh waves of agony through the guard's body.

"For years, I've been holding back," stated Gary, his voice hoarse. 10 more security guards piled into the lobby, just in time to hear Gary's speech. "For years, I've been suffering, dealing with all the cruelties of life. I was forced to deal with pains, pains of many types. Emotional pain, physical pain, mental pain... all things that I shouldn't have to deal with! All things that are meant for foolish, average folk, people who aren't like the way I am now! I'm strong, I'm powerful, I'm above you pitiful simpletons! And as someone who's risen above the rest, I realize now that there's no need for me to hold back! I'm of a higher class! I have the FREEDOM to do what I want, when I want, because no one, and I mean no one can stop me!" Gary floated into the air, causing every single security guard in the lobby to gasp. Gary let out a sick laugh, amused by their awe. "Hahaha, I'LL KILL YOU ALL!"

Taking advantage of the guards' astonishment with his flying capabilities, Gary swooped down to the closest one and grabbed him by the neck, mercilessly throwing the man into the rest of them. The rest of the guards jumped out of the way, immediately charging towards Gary, who had landed on the ground after he threw the first guard. Gary ran towards the pack of men as well, no restraints on his psyche. He was going to annihilate them... without a single glimmer of fear of the consequences.

The first guard to reach him attempted to punch him. Gary stopped the man's punch with little difficulty and with his free hand jammed the guard's elbow upwards, bending it in a way that elbows should not be bent. The guard cried out in pain, and he only cried louder when Gary kicked him in the groin, causing the man to collapse to the ground.

"Weakling..." commented Gary as the next two guards approaching him from behind.

Gary jumped into the air and thrust his foot outwards, adding a spin to the motion. His foot came into sweeping contact with both the men's faces, busting one guard's lip, and breaking the nose of the other. The guard with the busted lip reached for his gun. As soon as Gary saw him do it, he knew what he was going to do next. The guard pointed the gun at Gary, and as he pulled the trigger, Gary pulled the second guard close. The gun fired the bullet, and instead of hitting Gary, it hit the guard Gary was holding. With his meat-shield having done its job, Gary tossed the corpse to the guard that shot the gun.

"You think a gun can stop me?!" cackled Gary, driving his fingers into the eyes of a guard that was approaching from the right. "You really are fools!"

The remaining guards all charged Gary at once, hoping they could overwhelm him. Gary waited for them to come, and right when they all got close, he rose into the air, causing the guards to run into each other. Dazed and in pain, the guards looked up, and saw Gary glaring down at them, the lights above causing only a silhouette of their foe to be visible. They all watched in horror as Gary outstretched his hand, revealing there to be a gun in it. It was a gun only the security guards had, which meant that sometime during the slaughter, he'd managed to get his hands on one. The guards could only attempt to run as Gary opened fire on them all, knocking the defenseless men down one by one.

As he watched the blood splatter and the guards fall, Gary could sense another wave of guards on their way. It was much larger than the current one. At least 30 more men were on their way, and the thought of their arrival excited the brown-haired warrior. More revenge was to be had. More blood was to be spilled. More freedom was to be gained.


"Piplup lup!" chirped Piplup, pointing to a blue collar.

"Hm, you think Dawn will like that one?" asked Barry, closely examining the collar. Piplup, who was perched on Barry's shoulder, shrugged. Barry rolled his eyes. "True, you haven't met her yet. Hm, but you seem to like this one, so I guess this is the one we'll go with!"

Barry grabbed the collar off the rack and made his way towards the cashier. Right before he reached the line, he saw the candy rack. He found it a little off-putting to see candy being sold in a pet-store, but he concluded that it was probably his fear of germs that made him think that way. He grabbed two packs of Skittles off the rack, one for himself, the other for Dawn. He got the original flavors for himself, and he got Wild Berry for Dawn, knowing it was her favorite flavor.

"Pip!" whined the blue pokemon on Barry's shoulder. "Piplup lup lup!"

"Fine fine fine, I'll get you something too." grumbled Barry, grabbing a pokemon treat from a nearby rack. "Happy?"

"Piplup!"

"Good. Now let's get on line, pay for this stuff, and get to Dawn's dorm." said Barry, joining the line just as the person in front of his finished paying.

"Good evening." greeted the cashier.

"Hi." replied Barry, placing all his items on the counter.

"So there's small pokemon collar... two packs of skittles... and a pokemon biscuit... pokemon food..." thought the cashier aloud, punching in the codes of the items into her computer. "Okay, your total comes out to-"

"$11.63."

"How did you-"

"I'm a quick thinker." said Barry with a smile, handing the cashier twelve dollars. He then grabbed his items and walked away. "Keep the change!"


One after another, the guards fell. Paralyzed in absolute fear, Carrie hadn't moved from her seat at the front desk. It was only after the last of the 53 security guards in the building fell to Gary's wrath did she realize that she had to get out of there. Her legs trembling, she scrambled out of her desk, sprinting down the nearest hallway. Gary watched her go, his face straight. After a few seconds, he flew after her, quickly catching up to the woman. She let out a shriek as the flying college student swooped into her peripheral vision. Gary grabbed both her hands, her wrists small enough for him to hold in one hand.

"I've saved the best for last." he announced, a satisfied grin on his face. "You're the ringleader of this whole shit-show. It's only fitting that you're the one I take care of last."

"Please," sobbed Carrie, trying to wriggle her wrists free from Gary's iron grip. "p-please, I'm sorry! I'm sorry for the way we t-treated you! Your grandfather was a great man, I'm sorry! Please!"

"You think I don't know all this?" growled Gary. "I know you're sorry. But wanna know what else I know? Sometimes... sorry doesn't cut it. And in your case... sorry will never cut it. The only thing that will is your death."

Carrie could only kick and scream as Gary dragged her down the hall towards a nearby door. Gary kicked the door open, revealing that it was an exit. Completely ignoring the rain, Gary pulled the crying woman outside. He looked around. There was a dark alley right across the street, right next to the pet shop. He looked around again. There was no one nearby, nor were there any cars approaching.

"PLEASE!" screamed Carrie. "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

"Scream all you want..." snapped Gary, floating into the dark alley. Once they were hidden in the darkness, Gary grabbed Carrie by the neck, holding her firmly against a nearby brick wall. He gradually tightened his grip, planning to make the lady's death as slow as possible. "...because nobody's around to hear you."


"I'm a quick thinker." said Barry with a smile, handing the cashier twelve dollars. He then grabbed his items and walked away. "Keep the change!"

"PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME!"

Barry almost dropped his bags at the sound of such a desperate scream. "What the..."

"Scream all you want... because nobody's around to hear you."

There was a pause. Barry recognized the second voice. Gary.

He quickly jogged out of the pet store into the rainy streets, but saw nothing. He was sure he had heard Gary's voice, along with the screams of a woman.

"What the hell...?" he thought, looking around some more. "I know I wasn't imagining that."

"Piplup?" chirped Piplup, still perched on Barry's shoulder.

As soon as Piplup made a sound, a stressed cry was heard from a nearby alley. As strained as it was, Barry could tell it was the same voice that had cried for help just a few seconds ago. He wasted no time in taking his phone out of his pocket and turning on his flashlight app. He shined it into the nearby alley, and almost vomited at what he saw.

Gary was there, holding what looked like a hospital worker by the throat. But that wasn't what nauseated Barry. It was the fact that Gary's shirt was splattered with blood. So. Much. Blood. As soon as the light was shone on him and his prey, Gary simply closed his eyes and smirked, already knowing who was there.

"Heheh," chuckled Gary, tightening his grip on Carrie's throat. She began to writhe and struggle, but in seconds, her body went limp. Once the woman was dead, Gary looked into Barry's flashlight, his face void of any emotion. "It's a good thing you're here... Barry."

Barry couldn't comprehend what was going on. He was literally unable to form words, unable to grasp the concept of what he was looking at. Gary had just killed a person. Yes, Gary was always the most unruly of their group, and yes, he was always the one that got into fights... but still, he had never seen the brown-haired student as one who was capable of murder. All he could manage to get out was, "Gary... what the fuck..."

Gary let go of Carrie's throat, her lifeless body falling to the wet concrete. He walked towards Barry and Piplup, who began to back away, their eyes wide in horror.

"Yes, it's a good thing you're here, Barry." repeated Gary, eyes narrowing. "You were next on my list anyway."


:)

Okay so for starters, no, May's power is not anything OP like Invincibility or Indestructibility or Immortality. But she did manifest it during that robbery scene. To be honest, May's power is my favorite one in the story, and I'd love to hear your guesses on what it might be. Of course, It'll be truly revealed and fully explained next chapter, along with Gary's and Dawn's.

Speaking of Gary..., he's snapped, and unfortunately, Barry was nearby. The name of this chapter was Calm Before the Storm. The next chapter will be named The Storm. So yes, it will be even more intense than this one was. There will be fights, there will be crazy stuff, there will be Haxs, because next chapter is one of the most pivotal in the story!

Seeya then,

~DarkSlash9