Hi everyone! Sorry it took me so long to upload another chapter... the usual excuses lol. And I would of had this up earlier if I didn't have a 21st birthday bash to attend last night. But man, was it alotta fun! The party went on till late, so I had no time yesterday to write anything. But it's up now. Thank you for your patience and I hope you all continue to read in the future. And I hope you're still enjoy it as well. : )
Chap. 21 – Misty's Song
One mortal soul to hold them all;
To ready Distortion for his judgement.
One mortal soul to hold all three;
The keys to open the door to the ultimate deity.
And one mortal soul to hold the sword;
To call upon the power of the Lord.
All three trap Distortion in his place,
For the One to place judgement upon Distortion's fate.
"It is hard to believe that you all have missed this prophecy… it is as old as we Beings are," Darkrai continued, after ciphering the prophecy for them all. They have all gathered inside the motel café discussing this prophecy matter Darkai had laid out before them. He could feel the universe distorting and tearing from his dimension… the Dream Realm. He knew that something was happening. This very prophecy was the reason why he was able to figure out so quickly of what was going on, and that the others would be gathering because of this. So he ventured out to join them. "You all are unfolding this prophecy as we speak. How is it that you have missed this?"
"To tell you the truth… I've never heard of it," Dialga replied. "So how is it that you know of this?"
"Perhaps it is because I am closer to Arceus than you. You may be the Being of Time, however I have control over the Dream Realm… a universe separate from the universe Arceus created in order to mediate reality. Dreams are an extension of reality… it is the abstract perception of reality and life through the minds of living things. It is a place where the ability to create and imagine is at its purest. An artist can gain influence from what they dream and imagine to create something. Unlike this reality where there are rules and limitations from Physics, in the Dream Realm there are no such restrictions. A human can fly in the Dream Realm if they wished to… unlike in this reality where you are restricted to the laws of gravity."
Barry began to scratch his head in frustration. "That's confusing!"
"Just think of it as a place where the dreams of living things are cached," Lucas then said. "A place where anything is possible. An abstract world."
"Stop! Still confusing!"
"I am the mediator of nightmares," Darkrai continued. "Cresselia is the mediator of other dreams. If you see me in your nightmares, I am making sure that you don't get hurt by it."
"You can get hurt within your dreams?" Gary wondered.
Darkrai nodded. "Ever had a dream where you are falling, and before you hit the ground you're suddenly awake? I just saved you from death."
Misty couldn't find the strength to get out of bed to greet Darkrai with the others. Not only was she still in pain from that Shadow ball Ash attacked her with, but her heart was filled with pain as well. She never knew that Ash's absence would leave such a hole within her heart. It was painful! It was nothing but a hollow feeling that just screamed inside her chest with overwhelming sadness. She turned her head to the window to see the darkened sky cry rain. It only made her want to cry as well. Soon enough she couldn't hold back the tears, as the thought of Ash overcame her restraint. This pain, this agony inside her heart… if only she could make it go away! If only she could apologise for all the heartache she caused Ash with her taunting. If only she could apologise for the petty arguments… If only she could see his face once more…
"Misty…" Palkia's kind voice gave way for the pain inside Misty heart to disappear for a moment, as she turned to the door to see the beautiful Being of Space standing at the doorway. "May I speak with you?"
"Uh… sure," Misty replied, as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. Palkia entered and sat by Misty's bedside. "What is it?"
"I apologise if I seem rather blunt about this, however I need to know," Palkia began. "How do you feel about Ash?"
"What?"
"What do you truly feel for Ash?" This really put Misty on the spot. That was a good question. Before the fall out yesterday, she was quite sure of herself and how she felt about him… just friends. But now seeing Ash's wrath, and the pain inside her heart for Ash's betrayal and then all these emotions she was feeling after that… Misty wasn't so sure anymore. What does she truly feel for Ash? "I'm saying this Misty… because you need to make a choice." … A choice? "What is driving Ash at the moment is his anger for you… anger for anyone who has wronged him in the past. Giratina has taken these feelings of hate and has used the Griseous Orb to twist them, making Ash act upon them. Giratina had taken his rationale away. The only way he can be saved now is if that wrong is set right."
"What do you mean?"
"… You couldn't see it? For someone who boasts about knowing Ash longer than anyone, you don't really know of what he truly feels do you? I could see it and I have only known him for a few days. I could see it within his eyes every time he looked at you. Misty… he is in love with you." After Palkia's last words the room feel silent. As Misty's eyes slowly dropped down to stare at the blankets of her bed, Palkia could tell that Misty was rather conflicted about this. Palkia could tell that Misty's heart was churning by those words. Being stretched, pulled and crunched by this revelation. "However, the question is do you feel the same… and how will your answer break him free of the devil's curse? Only you can do it Misty… only you can set him free. Make your choice. Will you save him… or will you let him fall? Think it over carefully, for his fate relies on you. However this is not just about Ash… it's about you as well. Be true to yourself. Open your heart and see what's there. Don't be afraid. You never know… you may find happiness there."
Diagla was expecting another attack, and so had ordered the other legendary Beings to station themselves around Lilycove City in waiting. The legendaries braved the rain, while the trainers stayed inside. As they sat around doing nothing, anxiety beat through their nervous hearts. This was a rather dark situation, for not only were they anticipating an attack from the devil himself – Giratina – but they were also anticipating an attack from one of their own. Poor Ash… who knows what was going through that newly twisted mind of his now. No body was worried about more than Misty, who continued to sit on the bed all curled up and feeling rather reserved, trying to keep the tears at bay. Like a broken record, Palkia's words earlier kept circling through her mind. "Only you can do it Misty… only you can set him free. Make your choice. Will you save him… or will you let him fall?"
She could feel her joints stiffening from the lack of movement, as well as from all the stress and anxiety. She needed to move around. She got off from the bed and moved towards the window. The scene outside matched the feelings within her heart… miserable. She was miserable for many things that all pointed to one medium… Ash. His change had left her so confused, so full of pain… and so full of these other heart-wrenching feelings that she couldn't quite put her finger on. How long had she known Ash for… over four years now? It was the longest relationship she's ever had had with a boy. That thought made her smile… and as she did she felt her heart open a little. Why did that little thought make her happy all of a sudden?
Her thoughts were then put to a sudden halt as she gasped at the explosion raging smoke within the distance. It had begun. She could soon hear the sounds of battle raging a few blocks from her motel room, and spotted the other legendaries rushing towards the battleground. This city had sure taken a beating recently and now it was taking even more, as Beings were thrown into buildings by the power of Giratina's strength, crumbling rubble and debris on to the street. The citizens who were unlucky to be caught within the legendaries chosen war zone fled to safety, while others fell victim to the falling rubble and caught within explosions. It was chaos! Why did they choose to fight in such a place? Wouldn't have been better to battle on the outskirts of the city? However then again this was what Giratina wanted. He wanted everyone to suffer, even the citizens. To him, their anguish, horror and the violence was beautiful… like a wonderful melody singing within his ears.
Misty continued to watch from the safety of her motel room. The others must be doing the same thing as well. She wanted to do something… but what could a weak little mortal do? Sure there was her Pokemon that she could use, however judging by the chaos and madness of the battle, she would be sending them to their deaths. She was nothing but a spectator watching an all-out war from the Green Zone: the safest zone of a war-torn city. Her thoughts then changed as she noticed someone missing. She could see Diagla and others fighting Giratina in the distance… but where was Ash?
The glass of the window suddenly shattered before her. With a scream she fell back onto the floor and covered her head from the raining glass. What the hell happened there? When she looked back up to see the shattered window her eyes were suddenly filled with horror. There was Ash standing before her with his glowing blood red eyes piercing fear inside her heart. He must have broken the window to get in. She quickly got up and sought safety from the other side of the bed. She felt more secure if there was something between them, even though she knew it wouldn't do her any good anyway. The tears of fear running down Misty's eyes made him smile… a cold evil smile that made Misty's heart tighten with even more horror. She had never felt this much fear before in her life! Ash had become her living and breathing walking nightmare!
With his new improved strength from the Griseous Orb, Ash lifted the double bed that separated them and threw it aside. Misty watched as the bed frame, the pillows, the mattress and the sheets bounced onto the wall on the other side of the room and crash into a heap on the floor. With that he slowly advanced towards her summoning a Shadow Ball into his right hand as he did so. Misty stepped back to keep the distance between them as far as she could, however she soon found herself trapped in between the wall and an advancing Ash. With an amused smile he held up the ball towards her and continued advancing. When the ball was just inches away from her eyes, she felt her heart shatter in heartache. She was going to die… she was going to die by his hands.
She closed her tear-filled eyes and waited for sweet release.
However it didn't come.
She opened her eyes to see that she was saved by an angel… an angel in blue. Articuno has stepped in between them to save Misty from death. Articuno had Ash's wrist tightly within his grip, Ash's wrist that still held the Shadow Ball. Articuno made Ash let go of the Shadow Ball as he pulled Ash's arm to the side. The ball exploded on a wall leaving a nice big hole. The Being of Ice then kicked Ash away sending him crashing into another wall. By this the end of it, the whole room was an absolute mess!
"Are you hurt?" Articuno then asked Misty. She just shook her head. She wasn't hurt physically, but mentally she was an absolute wreck. Ash slowly got up, his eyes glowing a mad red. He didn't like Articuno interfering. "Misty… I know what's going on inside that head of yours. If you ever want to save this boy you better figure out what you want fast. That's why I'm going to take him to the cliffs by Lilycove Beach and do what ever I can to hold him back. That way, you'll be able to figure out what you want with no distractions. When you finally know what you want, you know where to find us."
"Artie…" Misty then said. "Why are you doing this?"
Articuno smiled. "Cause you're a pain in the ass. That's why." Misty smiled… so like Articuno to say something like that. With that, Articuno quickly changed into his Pokemon form and swept Ash away within the grip of his talons. Misty was safe once more… well… as safe as she'll ever be in the newly city hell.
Dawn continued to watch from the window of the motel café along with the others. It was an all-out war out there. It would be crazy to go out there, however Dawn was devising a plan. There was something about Giratina that brought out the madness in her. It may be that he was out to kill her, or that he had harassed her a couple of times… however Dawn needed to do something. Diagla could protect her all he wanted but in the end she is the one who will defeat Giratina. She is the one they need in order to combine the power of the legendaries. If they ever wanted to end the war outside… then she must go out there and be that medium they so desperately need.
"Dawn… you're mad," Barry then said. "Like, so freaking mad! Do you know how much your madness reminds me of Giratina right now?"
"Dialga ordered us to stay here, and with good reason," Cyrus then added. "It's a war out there! If you think I will let my daughter go out there, then you are clearly mistaken."
"Oh, yeah?" Dawn replied. "Then watch me old man!" With that she rushed outside.
"DAWN!" With brave eyes, Dawn dashed towards the battlefield. The sounds of destruction, the burning flames and the rising smoke didn't faze her at all, as she continued straight towards the chaos.
Dawn was soon spotted by Entei. "Dawn, what are you doing?" he asked hysterically. "Get back to the motel. If Diagla sees that you're out here…"
"I have a plan," she replied, as she continued to run. "I will distract Giratina, while all of you gather in my hand. Tell Dialga don't argue and just do it! I'm not leaving until I have put that bastard away myself!" Entei knew that there was no use in arguing with her and so complied and went to relay the message to Dialga.
Unlike Dawn, who with bravery within her heart rushed into the battlefield, Misty's heart was in shambles as she wept on the floor of her motel room. Never in her life had she been so afraid like that, and all that fear came from one boy… a boy who she held dearly within her heart. Ash had become a monster. She had seen a side of him she thought wasn't possible for Ash to possess. It made her heart cry in agony. She didn't want to see Ash like this. She didn't want Ash to cause her such pain. In fact… she wanted to be within his arms. She wanted to seek security within the very embrace of a boy who wanted her dead right now. She wanted to embrace him and apologise for everything. She wanted him to be happy, and for her heart to finally find solace with his. She knew what she had to do, and the first thing was to was dry her eyes.
She got up from the floor and looked out the broken window to see the war still continuing outside… the war against Giratina and the other legendaries. She had to go through that in order the reach the cliffs of Lilycove beach, where Ash was waiting for her with Articuno… Ash waiting to be saved by her. She needed to save Ash from the abyss of the Griseous Orb Girantina cursed him with. With this thought her heart became brave. She knew that only she could save him… her and these new-found feelings. Her heart had finally opened to reveal her true feelings to her. These new-found feelings of saving Ash indicated to Misty that she cared for him deeply… very, very deeply. She finally knew what she wanted… wanted for Ash as well as herself. And if she was finally going to get it, then she must go get it!
She exited the motel and hurried down the street towards the battlefield. She could see the city crumbling before her, the buildings exploding and falling within the destructive flames, but still she continue to run. She could now even see the legendaries battling against Giratina, but still she continued to run past with desire fuelling her heart, pushing her to continue within the flames towards the cliffs. Her new feelings of wanting Ash made her solder on within the war-torn city, which she needed to pass through in order to reach him. She wanted Ash so much. She wanted to Ash see laugh again, to see him smile again… but more importantly she wanted to embrace him again. To feel his body pressed onto hers within an embrace that expressed how they truly felt. She knew what he wanted, and it was about time he knew what she wanted as well.
She passed the hell that was Lilycove City to reach the cliffs that stood mighty and proud above the ocean of Lilycove Beach. There she spotted Articuno holding Ash back, Ash who continued to attack the Being of Ice with Giratina's attacks. Ominous Wind, Shadow Ball… Ash even attacked Articuno with a Shadow Force with fury burning with his ever red glowing eyes. Misty couldn't take seeing Ash like this anymore. This had to stop! "ASH!" Articuno turned back to see Misty rushing up towards him… or more accurately towards Ash. So she finally figured out what she wanted. Articuno decided to help one last time and attacked Ash once more with a Wing Attack… just to keep him dazed enough to not see her coming. "ASH!" Misty threw herself into Ash so hard that they both fell over the cliff.
They landed safely within the ocean waters with a large splash. There was nothing but silence between them, as Misty continued to hold Ash tightly within her arms slowly sinking together into the depths of the ocean. Before Ash could do anything to Misty, her lips were upon his within a sweet kiss. His red eyes looked rather shocked and confused by Misty's kiss… however he didn't resist. His eyes soon softened from shocked and confused to one of content…his arms slowly wrapping around her waist embracing her back. He closed his eyes, as his heart began to drown within a feeling that he wanted for so long... so long with her... Love. Their lips continued to press onto each other, expressing their true emotions for one another as a school of water Pokemon swam by. The light of sun breaking through the rain clouds glistened within the water blessing their sweet confession under the water. They soon released from each other's lips.
When Ash opened his eyes once more… his eyes were kind and carefree like they were once before.
Misty saved him with her love.
"GIRATINA!" Dawn screamed. Giratina paused in his fight with the others to look down at the brave, and yet stupid little girl who dared to disturb his fun. They stared at each other, Dawn with hate within her eyes and amusement within his red glowing ones. By this time, the others knew why Dawn was there and of her plan. She had started in distracting him. They slowly backed off to begin combining their power within secrecy while Dawn kept Giratina's attention. Diagla followed Dawn's plan much to his disgust, however he knew it was the most effective method. The only way the legendaries would be able to stop Giratina was as one within her hands. Giratina noticed their disappearance. "Don't worry about them," Dawn continued. "I told them to back off so I can speak with you. When I'm done, you can go back to having fun, okay?"
"And what do you want to speak to me about, my dear Dawn?" Giratina then asked.
"I wanna know why. Why are you doing this… why are you causing so much suffering and pain? The citizens here have nothing to do with all this, so why bring them into this?" Giratina just smiled with amusement. Such a pretty girl with such a bleeding heart. "And… I also… want to ask you… to…"
"Stop my campaign… is that what you were going to say?" She just remained silent, for that was definitely what she was going to say. Giratina could tell by that long look of hers. He smirked and disappeared out of site. Dawn gasped. Where did he go? She soon found herself standing before him. He used Shadow Force to quickly transport to her very location. He took a hold of her chin with his cold evil hand. "How would feel, my dear Dawn… if you were trapped within the Distortion World for eternity? Would you accept it… to accept that you have to remain within that cold, dark, and barren world alone forever… or would you want revenge? Revenge for having that over-righteous fool for God seal you in such a hell! And as for my fun here…" he was referring to the destruction of Lilycove City. He pulled her face ever so closer to his, her brave eyes amusing him so. "I shall let you know that I have rather been enjoying myself. The horror, the destruction… the suffering and the screams of the innocent are like melody to my ears. It's a beautiful song…don't you agree, my dear Dawn?" She remained silent, as he began to examine her body. Perfect! This was just what she wanted. He knew how much of a pervert Giratina was… especially with her. She was going to use it against him. "I haven't seen you in a while… you're growing quite well. How badly don't you want me destroying everything?"
"That's a stupid question. What do you think?" she then replied rather rudely.
Her response just amused him further. "Are you willing to give yourself up to me in order to save everything?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"How about I show you?" With that Giratina locked Dawn lips within a kiss. He kept his lips locked tightly with hers, while she just allowed him to force himself on her. Oh, this was more than perfect… it was just the kind of distraction she needed. While he so busily 'preoccupied' himself with her, the legendaries were all quietly gathering within her hand. Their gathering ended just in time when Giratina released his lips from hers. That cocky smirked of his pissed her off… as did that kiss. "…Well…?"
"IN YOUR DREAMS YOU PERVERT!"
With that she cast the small white glowing sphere towards Giratina, who now looked rather horrified as the ball hit his chest. Sly bitch… she was only distracting him! He finally realised, however it was too late for him to do anything. With the combined forces of the legendaries within a small glowing sphere, Giratina was finally put in his place. The ball exploded on contact upon his flesh and he was caught within its damaging flames. Dawn watched hearing his screams echo throughout the explosion… it got him all right! The large mass of light then parted in different directions allowing Giratina to fall to the ground in severe pain. He caressed himself trying to ease the agony, while all the parted pure white lights materialized into his legendary colleagues. They finally silenced his violence… for now.
"Still not enough," Diagla then said. "It seems we need all of us after all."
"Articuno was not in that blast," Moltres then pointed out. "He was protecting Misty. But yes… we need to find Mew, Cresselia and Shaymin as soon as possible." Their hearts were then suddenly filled with anxiety, as they watched Giratina slowly get up. He still had the strength to move after that blast. He looked up to his legendary others staring at them with upmost hate. They felt the same also, however their eyes weren't as psychotic as his. Giratina then shifted his eyes to Dawn. Her heart began to pound faster as she stared at those red shining stars filled with hate, anger… vengeance.
"Mark my words, Dawn," he began his a hiss. "I will kill you!" He then used Shadow Force to flee. He was gone without a trace.
"Ash… Ash…" Misty and Ash had reached the shore, however Ash passed out while they were travelling. Surfing on Misty's Staryu they travelled underwater to reach the shore of Lilycove beach. When they reached the shore Ash quickly passed out. Being angry for so long must have really drained the life out of him, as well as the Griseous Orb… that was still infused upon his chest. The rain had finally stopped, and the dark miserable clouds were parting to make way for the glorious sun and the billions of lights that continued to travel across the sky. The ocean glittered under the light of the sun and the shooting stars once more. The light hit Ash's face. His eyelids began to twitch and slowly opened. Misty was so happy to those eyes… those kind and carefree eyes that she now admits to have fallen in love with so long ago.
"Misty…" he then whispered.
"No Ash, don't say anything," Misty softly said. "We gotta get you some medical attention. You're in real bad shape." He slowly reached out for her and gently placed his hand upon her cheek. His touch was so warm… so gentle. With overwhemling tears of joy falling down her face, she held Ash's hand within hers. She didn't want him to let go. She looked down at those eyes again. Ash's kind and care free eyes that were so full of love.
"Misty… I love you."
"…Ash… I love you too."