Disclaimer: Don't Own Pokemon!
A/N: What's this?! Is pikagurl actually updating? *gasp* Yeah, I know it's been…holy cow, almost 2 whole months?! I need to get my game into gear! Anyway, thanks for all your patience, encouraging PM's, and reviews from my Christmas fic. Love you guys and enjoy!
Chapter 11 – Children's Plight
Dana sat distractedly in the Ketchum residence, flipping through an old magazine and trying to focus on anything other than the fact that her friends and husband were in another dimension, possibly fighting for their lives. Realizing that her attention could only be distracted for so long, however, she closed her reading material and leaned her head back against the sofa.
She tilted her head to the left and noticed Jason sitting off in the corner, his gaze focused out the window, though Dana was unsure whether or not he was actually seeing anything. He had his cheek rested against his fist as he lightly drummed his fingertips against the oak tabletop, apparently finding himself hard to distract as well.
Dana's gaze then moved to the center of the living room, where Lexie and Nathan had fallen asleep in front of the television. The twins had no idea what was going on and had only been told that the Ketchum's had an emergency to attend to, nothing more, nothing less. The two, being as young as they were, accepted the simple explanation and waited patiently for their friends to return, only to have fallen asleep only moments ago.
Dana smiled at the pair, relishing in how youth could always equate to naivety and innocence. They could never know the problems that the other children, namely Aly and Andrew, were currently going through. To them, life was a big game, with no problems or obstacles. But, Dana knew, Aly and Andrew knew better. Because of these events, they knew about challenges, sacrifices, and, quite possibly, the realization that everything might not turn out okay in the end.
Dana sighed deeply once again, letting her thoughts drift to that of her husband and friends. It was nearing 2 o'clock in the morning and still no contact had been made. They had swiftly made their exit after quickly explaining that Ash was in danger and that they needed to be quick if they were to save him.
'God, I can't imagine what Misty must be going through,' thought Dana sympathetically, 'She's by far one of the strongest people I--'
Just then, a piercing scream filled the air from the upstairs bedroom followed by an indignant wail from Togetic, halting Dana's thoughts abruptly.
She quickly sat up as Jason did the same, his eyes widening in fear, for it was Alex's scream that had resounded throughout the household.
"Alex!" Jason yelled, rushing up the stairs two at a time as Dana rushed to follow him.
Upon reaching the bedroom, Aiden's bedroom, Jason gasped as he saw his wife on the ground, unmoving and unresponsive.
"Alex!" he called, rushing to her still body and feeling for a pulse.
Dana also kneeled next to him, fearful for her friend's condition, but it wasn't until an unnerving chill crawled up her spine that forced her to look up within the shadows of the room. Togetic was growling angrily at the mysterious shadow that Dana swore was not there before.
"Toge…" it growled, hovering several feet from the ground, a grimace on its face.
"She'll live," came a cold voice from the shadows.
Jason lifted his head up, a low growl coming from the confines of his throat. He caught the bright blue eyes of the man that was now vacating the room, a familiar bundle tucked away in his arms.
"Aiden…" whispered Dana, standing up and realizing that this stranger had her friend's baby in his grasp, "Please…don't hurt him."
The young man chuckled and looked loathingly at the sleeping baby in his arms. Little Aiden was quite content in his positioning and didn't stir when the man changed positions.
"I wouldn't dream of hurting him…yet," he added, a sinister smirk gracing his features, "He'll make a wonderful apprentice, wouldn't you say?"
Dana knitted her brows together in confusion. Apprentice? What exactly was this man talking about?
"You…" growled Jason menacingly, "You're Aaron…Ash's brother."
Aaron gave a half-hearted laugh and nodded at him.
Dana's eyes widened at the revelation as she looked from Jason to Aaron. If Aaron was here, what had happened to Ash, Misty, and Brock? Had they been unable to free Ash and relinquish the evil that had overtaken him?
Before she could think anymore on this subject, Jason slowly set Alex's head down on the carpet and stood, hand reaching for a pokeball on his belt.
"You'll pay for what you've done," he breathed, enlarging the familiar red and white ball.
Aaron only smirked at this and shrugged, "You think that's a wise choice?" he asked, shoving Aiden into plain view. Jason faltered a bit and lowered his hand slowly, feeling defeated.
"Please, don't take him. He's only a baby for godsakes!" yelled Dana incredulously.
"A baby that will one day carry powers much like his mother and father…I cannot let that happen unless he fights for my master," explained Aaron, "We'll teach him all about dark magic and how to control it. And soon, he will help us rid this world of all the good. He'll help us rid it of Hikara, Mari, and, if my master does not succeed, then his own parents as well."
"No, you can't do that!" screamed Dana, tears filling her eyes, "You're family…Aiden's uncle by rights. How could you do such a thing?!"
Aaron said nothing, but tipped his chin down slightly to look at the baby in full. He squirmed slightly in Aaron's grasp and slowly, yet tiredly opened his eyes to gaze at his surroundings. He truly had inherited much of his father's attributes…right down from the black tuft of hair to the tiny baby's facial structure.
After Aiden had thoroughly looked about the room in wonder, his tiny eyes landed on his captor.
Aaron knitted his brows in confusion, for what he assumed would be a deep shade of brown staring at him, was a beautiful sea of blue instead.
'Inherited from the mother,' thought Aaron, as he continued to stare into Aiden's blue orbs.
With each second that passed, Aaron found himself more and more drawn to the young child's gaze. They were alluring, beautiful things, a much calmer, less fierce shade than his own eyes.
The child even seemed to know the power he held over Aaron's heart and let out a gurgled giggle to show his apparent pleasure at the situation.
Aaron just shook his head, a half-hearted smile gracing his dark features.
How could a small child seemingly overtake his whole being, when others could not even think to penetrate his thick exterior?
"Aaron…"
He looked up at the sound of his name, finally tearing his eyes away from the baby's, and stared into the green eyes of the young woman in front of him. Looking her over, he noticed the slight swollenness of her stomach and could only guess that she was pregnant and that her husband was the breeder, no doubt.
"Why are you doing this?" she asked, her voice calmer from before, "Ash and Misty are good people. They don't deserve--"
"Who are you to say what they do and do not deserve," snapped Aaron, cutting her off abruptly, "My brother…my family could care less about me. This was my destiny, to leave that loveless house and find Aki, my master."
"But he's evil!" argued Dana, "He's tricked you into thinking Ash and Misty are bad, but they aren't! They're just trying to live their lives as normal as possible, why can't you understand that?"
Aaron scoffed and muttered something under his breath. He really did not feel like explaining his situation to a complete stranger, especially when that stranger knew nothing of his past. How could the breeder's wife know the pain he had endured as a child? How could she possibly know half of what he was feeling?
Aaron's resentment, anger, and pure jealousy consumed him. Ash had taken everything from him and, he would soon return the favor. First, he would take the life of his wife, that fiery red-head whose beauty surpassed that of anyone he knew. Then, his first born, that daughter whose courage and strength matched his own. Next, his son would suffer a similar fate.
Aaron paused in his thinking to look down at the bundle in his arms.
Little Aiden had fallen back asleep, his sparkling blue eyes hidden beneath thick lashes and tucked away from the world. He had no idea of the dangers that had taken hold of him, nor would he ever know why his family was involved in the legend.
Aaron smirked evilly at the baby, his true intentions all too clear.
The final blow would be to convert his youngest into one of them; to train him in the arts of dark magic and teach him to hate with all of his heart. Aiden would learn to serve under the one true master and, once his training was complete, would dispose of his own father with his own hands.
It was Aaron's only reasoning for leaving Ash alive if Aki did not succeed. He wanted him to suffer just as much as he had. He would be without his loved ones and have no one with which to turn to.
He would be alone…
And, with a final glance back at the young woman who opposed him, Aaron turned his back, sinking back into the shadows, a sleeping Aiden within his grasp.
"There is nothing normal about this family…" he had said, before completely disappearing from view to leave a stunned Dana, growling Togetic, and angry Jason in his wake.
***
"Do you think you're strong?" Aki had asked, an evil smirk curving onto his lips.
Misty remained standing tall and strong, Ash's sword clutched tightly within her grasp, the blade still trapped between Aki's hands as she desperately tried to find a way out of her current predicament.
The sword was her only way out and, no matter what, she couldn't let Aki have it. The fact that the weapon was in her possession gave her the strength she needed to weaken him; its loss would be a tremendous hit to her confidence.
"Your strength is but a mere illusion," Aki continued, "You will not win this fight."
"My strength lies within the love I hold for my family," Misty countered, "And that's something you can't take away."
Aki only smirked, giving a half-hearted chuckle, "Oh…we will see about that."
With amazing strength and agility, Aki flung both Misty and the sword towards the side, as if she weighed nothing. She landed on the ground with a painful thud as the sword flew past her and clattered to the ground uselessly.
"Mom!" both Aly and Andrew had called, seeing their mother overpowered so easily.
Aly ran towards her, followed by Andrew, but both were stopped abruptly as a white sphere of energy exploded on the ground in front of them. They shielded their eyes for a moment before gathering their bearings and widened their eyes to see that their own mother had initiated the attack.
Misty was struggling on her knees, a single arm outstretched as the light from the attack had started to dissipate. Her blue eyes were strained as she stared back at her two children, an unknown mass of emotions filtering through her gaze alone. Slowly, yet painfully, she stood, redirecting her gaze back to Aki and to the purpose at hand.
Aly and Andrew remained frozen to their respective spots, mouths slightly agape at what their own mother had done. With eyes wide in fear, the siblings simply stared on, unsure of what to do or say. Surely, she hadn't meant to attack them?
"M-Mom…" whispered Aly, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat.
"Stay…back!" grimaced Misty, holding her left shoulder in pain.
"No, we can't let you do this alone!" argued Andrew, gripping onto his mother's bow.
"It wasn't a question Andrew, it was an order!" responded Misty harshly, without even turning to give them a second glance.
Andrew was taken aback by the harshness in his mother's voice and was stung by her words, but was soon brought back to reality when Aly nudged his arm with her own.
"She can't do it alone…and she won't accept help," she whispered, her eyes still focused on her mother and Aki, "But she can't do anything to stop us if we just run in there, now can she?"
Andrew looked at his eldest sibling incredulously, "But Mom will--"
"Kill us?" Aly almost laughed sarcastically, "We're dead anyway if we don't do something and fast."
"And what exactly do you propose we do?" he asked, a hint of exasperation laced in his voice.
"We need to--"
And, in that moment, a blast could be heard from where their mother and Aki had been standing. Popping their heads up simultaneously, Aly and Andrew witnessed the beginnings of yet another battle between good and evil.
Aki had launched an onslaught of attacks on Misty, throwing black spheres of energy her way. She dodged, dove, and ran, avoiding most of the attacks being thrown at her, though not coming out of it completely unscathed.
Misty was beginning to wear down quickly. Her powers were weakening with each attack she issued and she was sure it wouldn't be long before Aki scored a direct hit. There was only one hope.
She quickly scanned her surroundings, looking for Ash's sword and, finally, located it off to the side, discarded and untouched, several meters from her current position. Misty's eyes lit up as she bit her lip and looked to Aki. He too had seen the sword and had noticed the look of realization in her eyes.
And with that, Misty ran.
She was within feet of the sword; her only hope. It was in her sights and, seeing a glimmer of hope escape her features, she dove for it.
But, unfortunately for her, Aki was quicker. Smirking, he reared back yet another attack and aimed it directly at the sword. The dark magic hit its intended mark, sending the sword flying back even further and out of Misty's grasp.
Both Misty and Aki watched as the sword careened across the floor and came to a halt in front of Aly's feet.
"Trying to get your husband's sword?" laughed Aki, approaching Misty slowly, "That piece of scrap metal is useless to you. He is the only one that can bring out its true powers and, as you can see, he's no longer here."
"If it was useless, you wouldn't care that I have it in my possession," Misty shot back, seeing the dangerous glint in Aki's eyes and smirking at him, "And you wouldn't be trying so hard to prevent me from getting it either."
Aki allowed a low growl to escape his throat, eyes slit, unwavering, in Misty's direction. His anger was boiling at how openly she mocked his power. In that moment, he felt the urge to rip off the treasure's pretty little head and painfully torture her offspring until they desperately called for their parents and wished for death.
He would not allow her to gain the upper hand; to be confident in the fact that he could be defeated. That sort of satisfaction simply would not do.
With a sweeping hand, a gust of harsh wind blew from his fingertips and swept Misty off of her feet and into the nearby wall. She gasped in surprise as her back hit the hard concrete and felt the wind, literally, get knocked out of her as she struggled to breathe normally once again.
"Mom…" muttered Andrew, a grimace escaping his lips as he watched his mother getting thrown about.
"Drew…" Aly had whispered, catching the attention of her brother. Once she saw that he was looking, she discreetly motioned to the sword that had been discarded in front of her. His eyes widened in realization and he nodded at her, gripping his mother's bow and pulling an arrow from the pack slung over his shoulder.
Brock, seeing the exchange take place between the siblings, interjected, knowing full well what they were planning, and that, until Ash and Misty were alongside them once again, the pair were still his responsibility.
"Hold it you two," he whispered, catching their attention and causing both preteens to turn at the sound of his voice, "It's my responsibility to watch you guys and you're not going in there if I can help it."
"But Brock, this may be the only way to help Mom and Dad," argued Aly quietly, watching as Aki had begun his approach towards her mother.
"We can't just sit back and watch this guy kill our parents," added Andrew.
"I understand, but--"
"Do you Brock?"
And it was Aly that had spoken with such conviction and strength in her voice that Brock had to almost do a double-take. The tone in her voice had sounded so Ash and Misty and it didn't surprise him in the least that she had much the same qualities as both of them.
However, he could not let her and Andrew just jump into the fray, where the dangers were continually increasing by the second. Misty would most definitely kill him if he did.
"Brock, this is something we need to do. When you guys were younger, you always watched Mom and Dad constantly putting their necks on the line to save the world from whatever force that threatened it," Andrew explained, "This situation is no different…just…Mom and Dad need a little help this time around."
Brock sighed and looked at the two children, their eyes brimming with confidence and pleading for his consent. He truly could not believe he was actually considering letting a twelve and ten year old fight for their lives in a battle that was still undecided.
Then again…how old had he, Ash and Misty been when they were constantly getting themselves into dangerous situations?
He sighed once again, running a hand through his short brown hair. Looking to the side, in contemplation, he caught Mari's vigilant eyes and watched, curious, as she nodded slowly. It had seemed like she had heard everything.
"I should have known since the moment you two were born that you would be too much like your parents," he murmured, folding his arms in front of him, "And, I guess you two can't help it, can you? It's in your blood. Just, whatever, you do, please be careful. Aki's powerful, but he's a cupcake compared to the wrath of your mother," he finished jokingly, seeing the looks on the siblings' faces light up.
"We will Brock," nodded Andrew, readying his weapon.
"Pikachu, why don't you give them a hand," added Brock, reaching for his pokeballs, "You're going to need all the help you can possibly get."
Releasing all of his pokemon in one swift motion, Brock turned to the two and smiled confidently, "Let's do this."
Onix, Geodude, Golbat, and Marshtomp roared in anticipation, facing their opponent.
"You'll need a distraction," commented Brock, motioning towards his pokemon, "And I think I should be able to provide that for you."
"Thanks Brock," smiled Aly, picking up the sword and facing Aki and her mother, "Let's go Andrew, Pikachu."
"Pika…" it growled, hopping atop Aly's shoulder as its cheeks sparked dangerously.
"It would not be wise to mock my power, treasure," murmured Aki, the tone in his voice deepening an octave, "I will make you suffer for all the pain you've caused me, all the unnecessary energy I've had to put forth…" he trailed off, approaching Misty's struggling form.
Misty grimaced, forcing herself to her feet, knowing that if she could not stand, that would be the end of it. But, as soon as she reached her feet, Aki made a split second move towards her, grasping her throat between his outstretched hand and catching her between the wall. Forcing her back against the concrete wall, he squeezed, hearing her yelp and taking pleasure in her pain.
"Y-You kill me…and you'll have A-Ash to deal with," she forced out, grasping Aki's hand and trying to pry it away from her neck.
At this, Aki merely laughed, "The chosen one has become deathly quiet…"
And it was all that needed to be said, before Misty's eyes widened and she gulped down the lump that had formed in her throat. She could feel the start of hot tears forming on the insides of her eyes, but refused to break down in front of Aki. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her lose all control.
Besides the fact that it just couldn't be true.
"You-You're a liar…" Misty replied, trying her best to maintain her strong front, but surprised herself when her voice sounded faint and weak.
"Am I?"
But before Misty could respond, Aki felt a searing pain rip through is right shoulder, causing him to drop Misty and clutch at the unforeseen pain. He looked to the cause and saw a glowing arrow sticking out haphazardly, blood, his blood, oozing out from the gash that formed as a result.
Growling in anger, eyes glowing a deep red, he ripped the arrow from his shoulder and swung his head to the side, searching for the fool that had dared to attack him with his back turned.
And there, standing in a corner bow raised and ready to fire another arrow, was the middle child of the chosen one's family.
Misty, who had recovered from the shock of Aki dropping her, peered past him and gasped. Andrew was standing confidently, bow and arrow poised to attack, while he glared menacingly at Aki, not an ounce of fear present. He even gave a tiny smirk, to which Aki responded with a low growl.
'God…these truly are Ash's children…' thought Misty, as she slowly stood from her position.
"Little brat…" Aki breathed, snapping the arrow in half and throwing it to the side, "You think you can defeat me where your father failed?"
"Think? I know," smirked Andrew, eyes narrowed and awaiting Aki's retaliation.
Aki merely chuckled bitterly, approaching the young boy, "Why don't we test that theory!"
He reared back an arm, a sphere of dark energy forming within his open palm, and smirked.
"No, Andrew!"
But Misty's calls fell on deaf ears as the energy ball was released and Andrew made no moves to dodge it. Instead, he released the arrow he had been harboring and watched as it sliced through Aki's magic, disintegrating it into nothing.
"Amusing…" whispered Aki, readying another and releasing it with amazing speed.
Andrew's eyes widened in surprise at how quickly Aki had retaliated and, with trembling fingers, fumbled with the arrows in his pack before the energy could hit its mark.
'Come on, come on, come on!' he thought to himself, readying the arrow and taking aim.
And, just as the sphere hit its mark, Onix roared defiantly, picked Andrew up with his teeth, and slithered out of the way just in time for the energy to bounce harmlessly off of the wall.
"Nice work, Onix!" encouraged Brock from the sidelines.
Aki clenched his fists together in rage and approached the center of room, readying yet another attack to send the young boy careening off of the large pokemon.
"I'll get you soon enough, young one!" he bellowed, but stopped short when he saw the little electric rodent scamper to his right.
"I don't think so! Pikachu, thunder!" and it was Aly this time who was commanding as she stood off on the opposite side of where Andrew was currently recuperating.
"PIKACHU!"
Fierce thunder clouds formed over head and several bolts of lightning came down to strike against Aki. He grimaced in temporary pain, but soon shook off the feeling of electricity that sizzled throughout his body. He swung his head in Aly's direction, eyes aglow, and clenched his fists in anger.
He growled yet again, a dark aura surrounding his body and causing an almost ethereal glow. A dark flame consumed his body, making his bright red eyes seem to bleed with rage. A cold chill surrounded his frame as his anger escalated at the children's meager attempts at attacking him.
"You've made a grave mistake, little girl," he snarled, voice low and deep.
When Aly did nothing but stare back at the demon, Aki reared his arm back once again, a sparking dark energy forming in his hand, and prepared to attack.
However, this time around, Misty was aware of his actions and took the initiative.
"Aly!"
Misty tackled Aki from behind, causing his energy sphere to release and hit the stone ceiling harmlessly, resulting in small bits of rubble to fall to the ground.
Aki hit the ground with a thud, Misty atop him, as he struggled to regain his bearings. With a fierce scream of frustration, he turned briskly and slapped Misty hard across the face, a yelp escaping her lips as her head hit the ground and she ceased to move.
"M-Mom…" whispered Aly, a lump forming in her throat as her father's sword dangled precariously from her hands.
Misty was still, too still.
"Pikachupi!" Pikachu yelped, rushing to Misty's side.
"Misty!" Brock had called, rushing over to his fallen friend and kneeling down next to her, "Please Mist, don't do this…" he muttered, checking for a pulse. He let out the breath he had been holding when he found one, albeit weak. He gently placed her head on his lap and looked up to both Aly and Andrew. Nodding his head in response to their fearful looks, he gave them a weak smile.
Aly's blood was boiling now.
This demon had taken her father, hurt his mother, and was endangering everything she held dear to her. She couldn't stand by and watch him succeed in his plans, especially if she could do something about it.
"You're going to regret that!" she yelled, charging, sword in hands, hot with rage.
Aki only smirked, his dark flame rekindling around his body once more.
"I admire your courage, young one, but enough is enough," he smirked, flicking his wrist towards Aly and in an upwards motion.
A strong gust of wind emitted from his hand and thrust Aly, sword and all, up towards the ceiling. She hit the concrete hard and felt the wind getting knocked out of her system. She gasped in pain, dropping the sword, and felt herself falling back down to Earth…
"Aly!"
She could faintly hear Brock and Andrew calling her name as the pain racked her back as she fell faster downwards, feeling the wind rush through her body and awaiting the bone breaking impact that was sure to come.
Just then, however, she heard the familiar sound of a pokeball opening and, in one swift motion, she felt two strong arms enfold around her torso, lifting her up and slowing her descent. Catching her breath and realizing how close she had come to hitting the ground, she looked up to her savior and gave a weak smile.
"Charizard," she smiled, recognizing it as one of her father's most loyal pokemon, aside from Pikachu.
It smiled at her as well, roaring in confidence as it nudged her to motion to what it was holding.
Looking into the massive dragon's claw, Aly broke out into a smile, seeing that it had also caught the sword, the one that she had dropped when she had hit the ceiling.
"Charizard, you're the best!" she praised, receiving a roar in response.
At its roar, Aly could feel her father's pokemon, which had been secured to her belt, move about in anticipation. Then, as if sensing that they were needed, four simultaneous pokeballs opened, the respective pokemon landing on the ground below them as Charizard eased itself down, releasing Aly in the process.
Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Cyndaquil, and Bayleef stood defiantly, looking for the cause of the danger. They all gasped in shock, seeing Ash standing, that dark aura surrounding his frame. However, something was amiss…
"Pikachu pikapi, pikachupi pika ka chu!" Pikachu explained quickly, waving its arms about, pointing from Ash to Misty.
"Pikachu's right!" nodded Andrew, "Dad's being controlled by some demon. You can't take orders from him; he hurt Mom!"
The pokemon looked to where he had pointed and saw a fallen Misty, Brock by her side, and growled at Aki.
"Bay bay!" Bayleef growled, charging at Aki blindly, vines flailing dangerously.
"Pika!" Pikachu cautioned, seeing the glint in Aki's glowing eyes.
In one swift motion, Aki shot a powerful blast towards the over protective grass type, sending it flying back towards an unsuspecting Aly.
Aly closed her eyes and shielded her face, expecting the full impact of the pokemon.
"Bulba!"
With vines as quick as lightning, Bulbasaur let loose its vines, securing a grip around Bayleef's torso and gently reeling it in before placing it firmly on the ground.
"Bay," Bayleef nodded to Bulbsaur as a means of thanks, then redirected its gaze towards Aki.
"Your meager attacks can do nothing to harm me. You're all weak," smirked Aki, sensing the distaste in the gazes he received from the chosen one's pokemon.
Growling, Squirtle stepped up in front of the line of pokemon, its tiny blue claws clenched in fury as its ever present stubborn attitude shone through, as always.
"Squirtle, squirt! Squirt squirt squirtle!"
Aki raised a brow, smirk disappearing for a fleeting moment, before quickly being replaced by a grimace. He had understood everything the tiny turtle pokemon had said and, quite frankly, remained unimpressed by its attempts to threaten him. If it was one thing Aki never felt, it was fear.
"So, you say I'm the weak one? That I should merely give up and let your pathetic trainer go?" he clarified, receiving a sturdy nod from Squirtle, "I'm afraid that is not possible."
"I would take its advice, Aki," cautioned Mari, who had been observing the confrontation and exchanges between the people and pokemon for quite some time.
"Determination and anger oftentimes fuels the soul," added Hikara, sensing Aki's impatience growing, "With the pokemon and children fighting against you, there may be little to no chance of survival and you'll be forced to crawl back, powerless, to the vortex you crawled out of."
Aki had to stifle a sarcastic laugh, "Oh is that so? Please, by all means try and stop me. As you can see," and it was at this point that he motioned to a still unconscious Misty, "I've already brought the treasure to her knees and it won't be long until the chosen one has completely submitted to my will and succumbed to my great powers."
"You're crazy…" breathed Sakura, clutching her staff like it was her life line.
"There's no way we're going to let you do that," Li added, magical sword in hand and ready for the oncoming fight.
"As I said before, you can try…but you will not succeed."
"I guess that means you don't know us very well," smirked Andrew confidently, to which Aki gave a confused glance, "We're Ketchum's…"
"And we hate to lose," supplied Aly, equally as confident as her younger brother, "And if Mom and Dad taught us anything growing up…it's to never give up."
It was at this point that both Aly and Andrew made eye contact, an understanding coming between the two siblings, as they nodded, confident smirks gracing their lips.
"Squirtle, hydropump! Bayleef, Bulbasaur, use razor leaf!" commanded Andrew, pointing in Aki's direction.
"Pikachu, thunder! Charizard, fire blast!" called Aly, directing two of her father's most powerful pokemon.
All of the pokemon nodded and roared their respective battle cries, readying their attacks to take aim at their own trainer. Though it pained them to do so, they all knew something was out of place and trusted their master's children to do the right thing. However, it still did not help to ease the pain, knowing that they could physically hurt the one person whom had trained them since the beginning. Ash had been the only person that had taken in these…misfits and taught them the valuable lessons that had molded them into the types of pokemon they were today.
And now, despite everything, they were forced to attack that same man.
All six attacks collided into Aki's form, sending the entire room into a tornado of debris and dust. All seven of them coughed and spluttered on the suddenly unclean air and rubbed viciously at their eyes to rid themselves of their blurry vision.
Aly was the first to recover and had cringed just before the eruption of the attacks had met Aki in the middle of the arena. Though he was evil, deep down, her father was still lying, weak nonetheless, within Aki's control and power. A part of her had wished that Aki would be gone, that the attacks had been strong enough to force him from her father's body. However, her more reasonable side figured otherwise.
Once the smoke had cleared, all eyes darted to the center of the room where they were met with nothing but air.
Aki was gone, but the question still remained as to whether he was simply hiding or really had been destroyed.
Li's next words only confirmed what they all knew, but were too afraid to speak, "He's still alive! Stay sharp!"
And almost as soon as he had spoken them, Aly saw a blur pass in front of her and felt her airway constricting.
"Aly!"
It was Misty who was calling her now. She had woken up after the blast and was now propped up on her knees weakly, Brock holding her up by her arms and shoulders.
Aly strained to see what had happened and was met with those blood red eyes that held such anger and malice.
Trying her hardest to get in a breath, she released her father's sword from her trembling hands. It bounced to the floor harmlessly and the loud clatter of metal on concrete met everyone's ears. She gasped and reached up to grasp Aki's hands, which were currently clutched around her neck. She pried and dug her fingers in-between his hands and her neck and pulled as hard as she could, but her attempts were in vain as she felt his hands squeeze even tighter.
Aly's mind felt fuzzy and she felt light headed from lack of air. Her eyes became droopy as she weakly surveyed the scene around her. Her mother was struggling against Brock's protests to try and reach her. The pokemon and Andrew stood staring, afraid to attack for fear of hitting her. Li and Sakura also stood, mouths agape and weapons at the ready, secretly planning a way to free her. And Mari and Hikara stood, side by side, in a corner, not doing a damn thing to help her.
This was it, she thought. She was going to die at the mere age of twelve…twelve!
She hadn't even done half of the things she wished to have accomplished in her life.
Be a successful pokemon trainer…explore and travel the world…fall in love…
She would never get to do any of those things all because of this damn legend and the damn prophecy and her whole freaking family being involved in something that should have never taken place to begin with!
It wasn't fair!
Why did she have to suffer because of something that had happened so many years ago to her parents? Why did she and Andrew have to take it upon themselves to fight a battle she was unsure they could win? Why did she feel the need to place the world on her young shoulders, when she had absolutely no idea as to why?
But, then again, how old had her parents been when they had first been dragged into the stupid prophecy and her father been dubbed the 'chosen one?'
Disturb not the harmony of Fire, Ice, or Lightning,
Lest these Titans wreak destruction upon the world in which they clash.
Though the water's Great Guardian shall arise to quell the fighting,
Alone its song will fail. Thus the Earth shall turn to ash.
Aly knew she had heard the prophecy from somewhere before, a book or on television perhaps, but never had she ever expected it to apply to her father. He had endured so much as a child, taking the world's fate upon his shoulders several times during his youth, and being successful so that the people of Earth may be able to live in peace.
She was being selfish, she decided weakly.
And, in those few moments before Aly lost consciousness, she vowed to never give up for it would be what her father would want in the end, regardless of the outcome.
A/N: Wow…did I seriously just finish a chapter? Yay me! And I bet you all thought I forgot about Aaron, didn't you? Anways, sorry for the late update guys, but I've had lots piled on my plate the last few months! So, I hope you liked it and please review!