ch. 20

(Hey guys, it's Aura! It didn't take that long for me to make this chapter so hopefully the next few ones will be as easy as this one. Although...the ending has to be tweaked a 'little' bit more. I got a new imagination for it and I think it's better than what I was going to do. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter.)

Ash groaned as he woke up. However, instead of being in the street he had been in, he was in a large room with a table in the middle. On the table were beakers and other sciency things. Ash got up and looked around. His body was heavy and everything was a little fuzzy. Ash held his head. It was buzzing evenly. Ash soon noticed a mirror in the corner of the room. Ash blinked as he walked towards it. He wasn't sure why but he felt like something was different. However, when he got to the mirror, the only thing different about him were his clothes. They were obviously way too big for him and look like they were from some far off place. Ash oddly felt a smile on his face. "Free~." Edward's voice came out of his lips. Ash soon covered his mouth. 'Wh-what the? Why was my voice Eddie's? What is this place? Why…why do I feel so happy to be like this?' Ash thought. Ash shocked his head as he regained control over himself. He wasn't going to let Eddie take over him like this. Ash looked at himself in the mirror. However, instead of his reflection, the mirror showed an image of Ash in Pewter City. However, the Ash in the mirror wasn't normal Ash. He had green eyes, he wore a blue hoodie, a black undershirt, blue and black shoes, black gloves with green wrist bands, and large baggy pants; and he had a vicious look in his eyes. Ash soon realized what was going on. He was seeing the events that happened back while he was taking on the Battle Frontier. Ash's eyes shrank as he realized this was the event that caused him to really fear Edward. "No. No! Stop it! I…I put that behind me! It wasn't my fault! Why…WHY ARE YOU SHOWING THIS, ME!?" Ash asked himself. Ash soon felt paralyzed as he heard himself chuckle, however it was Edward's voice that came out. "Because you refuse to acknowledge what you are. You keep blaming this 'Edward' person for all of your problems, when really, you have nothing to blame but yourself." Edward said as the image showed Ash going into a dark alleyway. Suddenly the imageAsh pulled out a knife and attacked a poor woman, slashing at her. Ash wanted to close or cover his eyes from this, but his body refused to do so. Ash could hear Edward laughing at this. Suddenly the scene switches to Ash attacking a man this time. "STOP IT! PLEASE! STOP IT!" Ash screamed, hoping that would make his body move again. Suddenly the image showed some people around a news boy. Oddly music could be heard. "Read about the hideous MURDER! Profane and religious MURDER! That poor Bishop, what a shock!" The paper boy sang. Soon a girl walked into view. "Seen walking with his daughter. A moment prior to slaughter." She sang. The news boy looked at her. "A shepherd tending to his flock." The boy sang.

"He died in a London slump." Three girls sang. Ash was confused. Why are they talking about London? It doesn't exist. Suddenly a tall woman step forward. She kind of looked like Misty. "A slave to marmalade." She sang. Soon three guys appeared. "He died without complaint." They sang. Suddenly Brock was in view. "He should be made a saint." Brock sang. Ash soon noticed he was in the group, but holding a red umbrella will everyone else was holding a black one. 'Wow, that's pretty obvious. Why isn't anyone noticing me?' Ash wondered, confused. "He was a Connemara, he lost his very life. Why should it be… this mystery?" They sang. Suddenly the area started to rain. "Murder, murder on the night air. Murder, murder is a nightmare. Murder, Murder is a right scare. Murder, Murder in the NIGHT~!" They sang. Ash nodded. This was a nightmare and he wanted it to stop. "Murder, Murder makes your heart pump. Murder, Murder makes your nerves jump. Murder, Murder makes your blood pump. Bloody Murder in the NIGHT~!" The people sang. Ash was a bit weird-ed out by the 'Bloody' thing, since aren't murders always bloody? Ash however couldn't think of why they were redundant as the image shifted to a funeral. 'It must be for that guy I killed… by… why aren't they mentioning the girl I killed as well.' Ash thought, a little confused as the music became more somber. "Sweet death has taken this brave man~ from us." The priest sang. Suddenly the people sang, but it was hard to tell what they were singing about. "Friends take what comfort that you CAN~ from US~!" The priest sang. Then the group sang again, but sounded as inoperable as last time.

Suddenly the image changes to Ash in front of another man. Image Ash had an evil smile on him. "NO! STOP IT! MAKE IT STOP!" Ash screamed at the mirror, wishing this would stop. The monster in the mirror smiled. "General Gossip, I'm happy to inform you that you are relieved from your duties sir. ALL OF THEM!"Image Ash yelled, having the same voice as the storyteller. Then the image killed the man. The scene then switches to the crowd and the paperboy. 'Wait… does… does that mean Edward is the story teller? I… I guess that makes scene, but why does he have two voices?' Ash thought, confused and scared. "Look at this, another murder. Just like that other murder. That poor old General Gossip. Dead." Brock's dad sang. Suddenly the newspaper boy walked up to him. "Last week that bishop croaked it. That bloke who done and hoped it. That fella must be off his head." The boy sang. Ash held his head. He didn't know why but it felt like they were talking about him. Ash shocked his head. 'N-no. It's Eddie's fault. He's the mad one. He's doing this. Why… why must you keep making me watch this?' Ash asked himself and Eddie. Edward chuckled, but said nothing. "That's two in the last four days. That killer has fancy ways." A guy who looked like Tracy sang. Ash held himself. He desperately wanted to smash the mirror, but his body wasn't letting him. "To kill outside Saint Paul's, requires a lot of balls." A woman sang. Ash was confused. What did Pokeballs had to do with his crimes or this Saint Paul's place. Ash soon realized that Saint Paul's never existed in Pewter city. 'So… what's going on now?' Ash thought, confused. "He hates the upper class." One guy sang. Ash frowned. While he wasn't that found of some of the snobby rich people, he felt offended that someone would generalize it to that. Ash shocked his head. 'No! This isn't me! Stop thinking that it is!' Ash told himself. "He must be on his ass!" Another guy sang. The gang looked at the newspaper boy. "Who could it be?" One of the guys asked. The newspaper boy waved his hands. "Don't look at me." He sang. Suddenly the group looked at themselves, not noticing Ash in the background. "Bloody Murder in the Night. MURDER, MURDER IS A FOLK SIN! MURDER, MURDER IS THE WORST SIN! MURDER, MURDER HAS ME SCREAMING BLOODY MURDER IN THE NIGHT~! MURDER, MURDER MAKE MY BLOOD THIN! MURDER, MURDER HAS MY HEAD SPIN! MURDER, MURDER STARTS ME DRINKING! BLOODY MURDER, MURDER IN THE NIGHT~! IN THE NIGHT!" They sing. Then it switches to the girl Ash had killed earlier, and it horror Ash that he had to watch it again. "Bessy my love, you really should be more careful wearing your real diamonds here on the street. YOU NEVER KNOW WHO YOU'RE GOING TO ENCOUNTER!" Image Ash sang, then killed her. The scene soon changed to a very angry mob. "LONDON HAS A KILLER ON THE LOSE!" The crowd screamed. The woman who looked like Misty held her arms. "Could be a gang!" She sang.

"GOTTA HANG HIS HEAD INSIDE A NOSE!" They sang. Ash became scared. "The man must hang!" The man who looked like Brock sang. Ash touched his throat in fear and gulped. "Maybe his nerves will bend him." The woman proposed. Ash nodded. 'I'm not a bad guy.' Ash tried to tell them, but his voice would not let him speak. "They got to go try and nab him!" The man sang. The two group soon sang together, "They got to trial and jail him now! MURDER! No matter who we're blaming! Till they put what's his name is! THERE'S GOING TO BE ONE FLAMING CROWD! MURDER, MURDER IS A CURSE MAN! MURDER, MURDER IS PERVERSE MAN! MURDER, MURDER NOTHING'S WORSE THAN BLOODY MURDER IN THE NIGHT~!" Suddenly the image changed to another cold and empty street. A frighten old man was walking down the street as a low beat played. Ash was terrified and knew, this wasn't going to end well. Suddenly a red hand grabbed the man's shoulder as image Ash whispered in his ears. "Bad news from god, Teddy."The monster said. Then went into manically laughing as he killed the man. Ash was horrified how gleeful this monster was. He knew Edward was a bad man, but Ash was horrified by how…into this the monster was. Ash soon clutched his fists as he remembered what Eddie is doing now. The image soon changed back to the newspaper boy and the mob. "Read about the worst two murders!" The paper boy sang. Two girls looked at him. "Much worse than the first two murders." One of them sang. The group gulped. "That makes them murders three and four." They sang. Suddenly a little boy became visible. He looked a lot like Max. "That make them murders three and four." He repeated. Ash felt sorry for the kid. He had to listen about murders and death. Things very uncommon in the world.

"They murdered dear old Betty." One of the females sang. Ash figured she was the young woman he…no Edward killed. "I heard extremely messy." Another one sang. Another girl became horrified as her eyes shrank. "And poor old Archy is no more." She sang. The other girls became very scared. "They say a lot of blood and gore." One of the other girls sang. Ash flinch as he remembered that murder as well. "That's four in the last eight days. It's London latest craze!" They all sang. Suddenly one of the woman looked brave. It reminded him of Misty. "This time 'e was in Perk Lane! An' 'e may come back again!" She sang. The other women became scared. "Until the killers found, there's danger all around." They sang. The group soon looked sad. "What can one do~? We wish we knew~!" They asked, scared. The image soon switches to Ash killing another man. The monster laughs. The image then switches back to the group. "Catching such a mad man could be tough." The men sang. Ash gulped. He wished there was some way Edward could be stop without killing himself. "He'll kill at will!" One woman sang. The other women scoffed. "Cos they're all so thick at Scotland Yard!" The women sang. Ash was confused. What was Scotland Yard? "No Brains!" One man yelled. The man who looked like Brock's father step forward. "No skill!" He yelled. The group then looked at each other. "He'll kill us, if let him! They'd better go and get him!" They sang as they began to dance. A man who looked like Gary soon smiled. "I know a way to net him!" He proclaimed. One woman who looked like Misty looked at him like he was nuts. "How!?" She yelled.

"Murder!" They all yelled.

"No matter who we're blaming! Till they put what's his name in! There's gonna… There's gonna… There's gonna… THERE'S GONNA BE ONE FLAMING CROWD~! MURDER, MURDER ON OUR DOORSTEP! MURDER, MURDER SO WATCH…YOU'RE STEP! MURDER, MURDER TAKE ONE… MORE STEP OR YOU'LL BE MURDERED IN THE NIGHT~!" They all sang. The song became faster as their and Ash's fear became higher. "MURDER, MURDER CAUSE THERE'S ONE DONE! MURDER, MURDER CAN'T BE UNDONE! MURDER, MURDER MAKES YOUR HEART PUMP! BLOODY MURDER IN THE NIGHT~! IN THE NIGHT~!" They all sang. Then the song ended and the mirror became black. Ash breathed heavily after the song. After a few seconds, Ash growled. "Edward, show yourself! You're going to pay for what you've done! I WON'T LET YOU RUIN MORE LIVES!" Ash yelled, finally being able to speak his mind. Suddenly he heard Edward laughing. Suddenly the mirror cleared up and the boy saw Edward gleefully enjoying the boy's misery. Edward chuckled. "What can you do, boy? You can't stop me. No one can. You're a loser. Always was and always will be." Edward mocked. Ash growled. "I'm…I'M GOING TO STOP YOU AND GET HENRY BACK!" Ash roared, his anger rising as he glared at the monster. Edward smirked. "Oh really? You could barely survive the attack from that giant beast and was knocked out the nurses. You can't hurt me. You can't do anything. You're a weak and pathetic loser." Edward said, then laughed.

Ash growled as his eyes became red. "NO! I'M NOT A LOSER! I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE TO ANYONE EVER AGAIN! I WILL BECOME STRONGER AND STRONGER AND STRONGER!" Ash roared. Suddenly he let out a monstrous roar. Ash soon rushed to the mirror. "Stronger! STRONGER! STRONGER!" Ash yelled, then landed a mighty punch to the mirror, cracking it into many pieces. Ash laughs as he retracted his hand. All sanity seemed to have left the poor boy. Suddenly the laughter was mirrored by smaller voices. Ash stopped laughing as a siren could be heard. The walls caught on fire and began crumbling down. Ash became afraid and soon rushed towards an old looking door. He burst through them and noticed he was now in a wide barren place. Ash looked back and saw Danvers's house burning. Ash sighed as he realized that he was safe now. Suddenly the house crumbles into a large bottomless hole. "Huh?" Ash said, confused by why that happened. Suddenly he heard a chanting. Daddy… daddy… daddy… daddy… Ash looked around in confusion, however there was nothing around him. Ash sighed in relief until he realized that the world was now a distorted version of itself. The sky was covered in a fierce thunderstorm and the ground was covered into a metal grating covered in blood. Ash gulped as he realized that he was in big trouble. However, before he could try to get out of this horrible place, he felt his arms pulsating in pain. Ash screamed as he fell to his knees and grabbed his shoulders. He looked at one and saw his now bare shoulder glowing red. Ash removed his hand and to his horror, the strange symbol was now glowing red and bleeding. Ash looked at his hands and saw they were covered in blood. Ash closed his eyes. 'This…this is a bad dream. It…It has to. I'll…I'll wake up to Misty, Tracy, Iris, Cilan, and Pikachu and…' Ash soon remembered what happened when he was 'awake'. "Oh no! I gotta!" Ash yelled, however when he tried to get up, he felt a pain in his back as he felt something slash at him. Ash screamed in pain and fell to the ground. Ash groaned as he felt something grab his ankles. Ash's eyes fluttered open. He soon realized he was being pulled away. He looked back and to his horror, he was being dragged to the deep pit by the skull-headed children. When he tried to force himself out of their clammy grasp, they dug in with their knives. And they never stopped chanting that eerie refrain...

Daddy... daddy... daddy... daddy...

Ash turned his head forward as he tried grabbing the metal grating that the ground had become, but the mesh was making it impossible for him to hold on to. His fingers slid off. Ash looked back and saw he was coming closer and closer to the hole...

Daddy... daddy... daddy...

"LET ME GO!" Ash screamed in vain. The creatures had reached the pit with their catch, and lifted the boy onto their shoulders to throw him in. Daddy... And with a might throw, Ash was dumped into the bottomless hole... Ash was falling through it, screaming for what seemed an eternity... And then he woke up. The first thing Ash register was the bumping, the sensation felt when inside a fast-moving vehicle. His vision was still a little blurry, so he tried to raise his hand to rub the sleep out of his eyes... and discovered his wrists were strapped down. Just like the last time the nurse monsters knocked him out. His eyes opened wide to take in his current surroundings and situation. The vehicle he was in had IV stands and first-aid kits stained with blood all over the place so he knew he was in an ambulance. Ash was strapped to a hospital gurney that had been chained in place. Built-in mats, on top of each other like bunk beds were chained onto the walls and were carrying four other people. Ash recognized them all...Cilan, Jessie, Misty, and Iris. He didn't see Tracy, Axew, Pikachu, Meowth, or James anywhere. Ash had to crane his head slightly, but he caught a glimpse of the driver. Another 'nurse', from the look of it. Same twitching head, same outfit, same nonexistent face. They were being taken...but where? Ash didn't move for a few minutes, not wanting to alert the driver too soon. But when the boy looked out the closest window, he saw a sign that pointed the way to Yoka Village Hospital...and this ambulance was driving the opposite way. Ash began wriggling his wrist out of the straps eminently. He had to get free. The nurse was taking him and his friends who-knows-where, and he couldn't have that. For all he knew, it was driving them off a cliff, or sending them straight to Pyramid Head to turn them into hamburgers for his dogs. The boy tried to get himself free without making any noise, but with the tight straps, it was a difficult process to say the least. Suddenly Ash heard Jessie mumbling herself awake. The woman was quiet, but Ash guessed she was having a nightmare. "James...? James, where are you? James?" Jessie's voice whispered out. Everyone had nightmares in this town, waking or sleeping, it seemed.

Suddenly a very loud musical tone came from Cilan's bunk. The noise echoed though the ambulance, waking everyone else up. Jessie opened her eyes and yelled. "Meowth! Turn down that racket!" She yelled, but soon realized that she was strapped to the bed. She looked to her left. "Meowth? James?" Jessie questioned. Everyone else groggily woke up. A few of them mumbled at first, but upon seeing their situation they became very quiet. The nurse turned her head around on her neck to investigate the noise. The musical tone rang obnoxiously through the moving vehicle, some pop boy band song. Cilan blushed. Ash, however, was more worried about his friends safety now that they had altered the nurse. Whatever the tone was, it got the Nurse's attention. The ambulance came to a stop and the Nurse got out of her seat, grabbed a metal pipe and lumbered to the back. Ash redoubled his efforts to free his hands. Cilan shrieked at the sight of the faceless nurse standing over him. A snap was heard to where Ash was. The creature didn't seem to notice the sound, but instead focused on the musical tone that was emanating from Cilan's bunk. After digging through Cilan's pockets, the monster found the source on the first noise... the Xtransceiver, having received a message. The nurse stared at the phone for a second... When Ash suddenly smashed an IV stand over the creature's head. The nurse fell to the floor, the phone rolling from it's hands. "Ash, what are you..." Cilan asked. The boy didn't answer, immediately removing the straps holding Cilan down. Once he was free, Ash turned to do the same to Misty. He had gotten one arm loose when the nurse rose and grabbed him in a headlock. Ash growled and bit into the nurse's arm, but the faceless creature didn't seem to notice.

With its other arm, the nurse raised the pipe to smash over the boy's head. It would've had the club not been snatched out of its grasp by Cilan. The nurse's head did a 180 degree turn on its neck, much to Cilan's horror. "EAAAAAUGHHHHH!" Letting out a scream, the boy reflectively hit the creature square in the head. Very hard. Much to everyone's shock, Cilan's attack had completely smashed the nurse's head in, killing it. Apparently nurses could survive having their 'faces' ripped off, but not having their heads crushed. The grasp on Ash weakened, and the creature's body crumpled to the floor of the ambulance. Cilan stared wide-eyed at the dead figure on the ground, a mixture of accomplishment and horror keeping him dead silent. Ash shook his head clear and continued to undo Misty's straps. The girl was more than a little disturbed that Ash seemed unaffected by what Cilan had done, but reminded herself that those 'nurses' weren't human, although, the notion only helped a little. Once Misty was free, Ash undid Jessie's straps while Misty saw to Iris's. The first thing Jessie did once she was free was glare at Cilan. "Why didn't you call earlier?" She yelled at Cilan. Cilan sweated. "I tried while we were at the restaurant, Ash, but it only got static." Cilan replied. The woman sighed, and then looked around. "Where's James and Meowth?" Jessie asked. Cilan looked around and noticed that they were the only ones in the van. "And Pikachu?" Cilan asked. Misty gulped. "And Tracy?" Misty asked. Iris soon gasped in shock and horror. "AND AXEW!?" Iris yelled, very worried. Ash sighed as he looked away. "They're not here." Ash coldly said, "They must've put them in another ambulance." Iris suddenly grabbed Ash by the collar and made him look at her. "I can't lose him! If he's hurt, I will never forgive you, Ash! Not to mention, Elder will have a fit if she learns about this! Where is he?" Iris yelled. Ash sweated. "I-I don't know, Iris! C-calm down! W-we'll find him!" Ash stammered. Iris's face warped into a furious expression. "You don't know!? We've lost our best friends! We're stuck in this town! And now we're dead meat! All because we followed you in here!" Iris yelled as she slammed her fist right into the boy's face, "This is all your fault!" Iris would've done more, but Cilan stopped her. "Iris, calm down! This isn't helping!" Cilan yelled. Iris snarled. "What else can I do, huh? We can't find Ash's dad, we couldn't get to the hospital, and we've lost Tracy, James, Pikachu AND AXEW, and we have no idea where to find them!" Iris yelled. Iris gasped before she finally broke down into tears.

"Arceus... what do we do now?" Iris cried. Nobody had an answer. Cilan picked up the phone from the floor. "This from Tracy..." Cilan said. Iris swiftly got up. She was happy for once, finally shred of pure hope for once. She was so glad Cilan and Tracy had traded numbers back when they first met. They all looked at phone. It was a text message. Everyone crowded around it to see what it read. "I'm with James and Henry. He's alive, we're ok. I don't know where we are. I'll call you back. Don't call me. I don't want to alert guard." It said.

(Meanwhile.)

Tracy tucked his phone into his pocket, praying that their guard hadn't noticed him sending a message. He just glad he was able to spell check it so it didn't sound too garbled. He was in a large iron cage, dangling above the floor like a captive canary. A pillow and blanket had been provided, thank goodness for small favors. Unfortunately, that was all he could see clearly right now. The place was pitch black with hardly any lights. He could barely make out the other cages and see what they were in like, but other than that, it was all darkness. He could see light stocks near the cages, but they were off and there were no windows. He knew James, Henry, and Pikachu were in nearby cages. James could be heard snoring right beside him since they were sharing the same cage, and the boy found himself envying the crook. Pikachu had tried to break out of its own cage, but the material of the cage was resistant to its electrical attacks. Thankfully during that time, he could see a bit better and saw Axew next to Pikachu, which he couldn't see in the darkness. Eventually the little mouse just gave up and was now lying on the floor softly crying. Henry was here too... Tracy had to squint his eyes to see his figure, on the far end of the room they were in. He was being held in... Something, but was it a cage? He couldn't tell. He never had seen this kind of darkness before in his life and his flashlight was gone. From Pikachu's electric attacks, all Tracy could see was that the room was large, bare and had a lot of fans in the walls. All of the cages were on a ledge high above another floor, and Tracy figured that they had been put there to have a clear view of whatever happened down there.

However, he couldn't make anything else, no matter how hard he tried. He tried to focus on any details he could use to figure out the location, but was interrupted by the loud, hideous scraping sound coming closer - the guard. Tracy shivered hard as the unmistakable noise came closer and closer to him. Had the guard noticed him sending the message? Tracy covered his ears and willed himself to become very small as the huge sentry came closer and closer. The scarping sound became earsplitting, and Tracy knew the guard was right behind him now. The boy didn't look up, not daring to see the terrifying figure that had been pacing around the cages, keeping an eye on his prisoners. The noise grew slightly quieter, and Tracy realized the guard had just walked past him, not stopping his usual route. He breathed a silent sigh of utter relief. The boy prayed his friends would come soon. He didn't know how long before Eddie tried to do something with them.

...

After throwing the nurse's body out of the vehicle, the group held a quick conference on where to go next. Trying the phone for help soon proved useless again... no-one picked up at the police station, and for some reason they couldn't call anyone outside Yoka Village. The only place anyone could think of was their original destination, the hospital. They were still wounded and Iris need to rest... after that attack of hysteria, she was in no condition to warder the town. Nobody blamed her for it. At least one good thing came out of their experience they had a vehicle now and could reach the hospital in a fast and relatively safe manner. It was a good thing Jessie knew how to drive. Ash, of course, could as well, but Misty insisted that the thief was the one to drive. Ash sighed as he sat in the back. Riding the ambulance through the streets of Yoka Village, Ash had a flashback of his car trip with Henry... to think he only had it about a day ago. His first and, so far, his only experience with his father. Just before that... monster took him. Ash was elated to hear that Henry was alive and everyone else was OK. But he still had no idea where they were, and even with Tracy's contact, he doubted he would find out anytime soon. But they were all OK. That was important. Now if they would stay OK long enough for him to find them... save them... Ash soon noticed that several creatures were trying to chase the ambulance, but they were easy to shake off. Strangely easy. Ash started to wonder if they were even trying anymore, if they were just as weary of this insanity as he was. Or maybe it was Jessie's driving. She moved pretty fast. Or maybe Edward was just having him have it easy for now? That monster somehow could read Ash's mind so it was a possibility. All Ash knows about him is that he's an excellent manipulator.

Ash sighed as he glanced out the window. A part of him wonder if...if the nurse was originally going where Edward were holding their captives. Ash almost regretted breaking everyone free, but what else could he have done? What else could he do other than try to be the hero? 'But what if I'm not a hero? What if…what if I'm making things worse?' Ash thought. Ash shivered as he felt the nagging fear build up inside of him. The fear that he didn't deserve to be a Pokémon trainer and should be caged up like…like a beast. Ash shocked his head. 'No! Don't! D-don't think that. It's not important. I'm…I'm not the reason everything's like this. It's Edward's fault. It's always Edward's fault!' Ash told himself. However, that fear still remained in his mind... The gang were at Yoka Village Hospital in minutes. It seemed anticlimactic, arriving at the place with little difficulty after all that had happened. But nobody was interested in complaining or thinking it odd. The hospital was standard, a huge white building with a red cross signifying its purpose. There was really not much else to say about the place...the only thing unusual about it were the scattered corpses of monsters around the building. At this point, nobody bothered to wonder why that was. There was a garage of sorts, where the ambulances were parked. Jessie headed inside, thanks to a door opener above the vehicle's steering wheel. Once the vehicle had been parked, everybody entered the hospital. Iris had to use Misty as a crutch, but the group steadily limped and lumbered through the apparently deserted hospital. The lights had been shorted out, casting the hospital in darkness. Luckily Cilan still had a flashlight handy. Remarkably, the entire hospital seemed relatively untouched. The only signs of struggle were a few overturned wheelchairs and scattered papers. There were a few bloodstains, but no signs of real violence. The building was as quiet as the grave. Almost. The group kept hearing noises. Sounds of shuffling, sighing, and groaning. This time, these noises were human. But nobody knew where the noises were coming from... they seemed to be coming from everywhere at once. Worse, the distinctive cracking noises of those faceless Nurses echoed occasionally through the building, although no-on saw any more Nurses. Cilan figured that proper medical supplies would be in a storage room somewhere or even just any of the rooms. But all the doors were either locked or broken, much to everyone's frustration. The group kept trudging through the blackened hallways of Yoka Hospital, hoping something would happen.

Then they heard something coming up from behind them, the click-click-click of woman's heels echoing in the hallway. "Um... excuse me..." A woman's voice said. Everyone whirled around in surprise, expecting another monster. Their suspicions seemed confirmed when the flashlight beam illuminated a nurse's uniform. Ash was about to attack when Cilan stopped him. The woman's face, hair and cardigan made the young man realize this wasn't another monster. "Lisa!" Cilan said in great happiness. Ash blinked. Sure enough, this was the very-human nurse that he had woken up to after he got his scar. The woman held her hands in front of her face to block the sudden flashlight. "It's you guys! I thought you had left already." She said. Ash hadn't noticed it earlier but she had an 'odd' smell. However, they didn't seem to notice. 'Maybe I'm just paranoid. After all that has happened, it wouldn't surprise me.' Ash thought. "We got diverted," Iris groaned bitterly. Ash cringed at his friend's tone. Cilan smiled broadly. "Thank goodness you're here, Lisa! We've had a few... scrapes we need to bandage properly." Cilan said. The other chuckled nervously. "Scrapes?" Lisa said in confusion. Lisa glanced at Iris' leg and Ash's bandaged torso. Lisa motions them to follow her. "Let's not talk up here. I can get you bandaged up in a jiffy and Tobias can help ease your nerves." She said. Everyone followed her, glad to see a friendly face at last. They weren't so glad when they reached the hospital basement.

With the main and backup generator blown out, the lighting as improvised: candles, flashlights, electric charges and fire Pokémon. But there was enough light to see what was on that floor. Dozens of people and Pokémon were huddled together, wounded and bandage but still alive. They were all shivering in fear, talking nervously about what was happening outside. A few Pokémon, some unharmed but others as badly hurt as their trainers, sat next to their unconscious trainers, loyally watching over them. A few men and women were sobbing about loved ones they had lost. "Everyone was caught by surprise." Lisa explained as she treated the wounds on Iris' leg. "The patients that were already here and... well, people like you guys. Everyone thought to come to the hospital. There are people in the rooms upstairs, but most of the patients feel it's safer down here." The gang nodded. However, Ash was still confused as to what she was doing in the sanitarium. The rest of the gang soon sat down as the town's doctors began examining them. "I'm surprised no monsters have attacked." Misty said. One of the doctors was treating Misty's leg. The girl winced in pain for a second. "They did early on... that's what happened to the generator. But they stopped when Tobias came here. He came up with a plan and set up some…" Lisa said; her eyes grew far away for a second. "...Sentries, they've been keeping those creatures away from the hospital." Ash raised an eyebrow about this. "Don't talk about them... speak of the devil, and he'll show up," An old lady remarked airily, "Of course, it looks like that has already happened with that freak with the fangs. I've never seen a creature like him." Ash growled as one of the doctors removed the bandages around his torso. "Hey! I'm not a freak! I…I don't know why I have massive fangs, but I'm not a creature! Those…those demons' outsides are the true things we should be worrying about. Not me!" Ash yelled in anger. Suddenly the doctor put a wet piece of towel against his back to soak up the blood. Ash winced in pain as a result. "No. They're not demons. They are god's creations gone mad. They hurt us because something hurt Xuchilbara. They wouldn't have brought Yoka to ruin if that 'mayor' of ours didn't enact his wrath. Now the city's doomed because of his short sided goals." A woman with dark brown hair said as she walked into the room. Iris looked at here with shock. "Hey! It's Claudia. The woman who help Tobias took you the Pokémon center when you were kidnapped." Iris said to Ash.

Ash turned towards the woman. She had brown eyes, white skin, and wore a long white dress. She looked very sad. Ash growled, although he didn't know why. Meanwhile, this confused everyone else. The woman notices the boy and squeaked. "Oh, thank goodness you're here. I thought I'd would never meet you again, but the gods have smiled upon us. I'm so glad you, your friends, and that... rat on your shoulders are here. (Coughs.) Please, make the guardian see the error of his way! He's clearly not thinking straight!" She pleaded, a bit uncomfortable with Pikachu. Ash growled louder as he remembered Edward. "Your gang where the ones who gave that mad man his powers! THIS IS ALL YOUR GUYS FAULT!" Ash yelled, his eyes glowing red. The woman was taken back and the other people were confused. Misty looked at his friend. He wasn't wrong. The 'cult' was the one to 'awake' Edward's powers. However, she was still frightened by the boy. The woman bowed. "I'm so sorry for causing you so much pain. The Order didn't mean to cause you so much pain. We just wanted you to be fully restored to your glory and help us find the empress. But you weren't ready, and we should've seen the signs. Now we are all paying for our mistakes, and I am so sorry. It's even worse because Rose is now captured thanks to that monster, and we have no idea where she is. For all I know, he might try to make her his wife." Claudia pleaded, very sad and regretful. Ash felt so conflicted. He wanted to be angry at Claudia since she's saying he was Edward, but she's technically an innocent to all of this and her 'sister' was taken by Edward. It hit him close.

Ash held his head. He didn't know what to do. Lisa soon continued, "Don't worry, Claudia. Ash and the others will save everyone, but for now you need to calm down. They're clearly not ready to try and talk to Edward." Lisa said. Claudia nodded and soon walked away. Ash winced as the doctor reapplied the bandages on him. Iris soon winched as Lisa put bandages on her leg. "We've managed to keep everyone alive so far, but this hospital's supplies are running pretty thin. I'd feel a lot better if we could everybody out of this crazy town." Lisa said. Ash soon noticed something odd about what she said. "Couldn't you use the ambulances?" He asked. The doctor treating his back sighed. "Not enough." A nearby doctor remarked. "Not for all these people. I'd send out someone to find a working bus or something, but... you know..." Lisa said. Misty sighed as she looked down. "Yeah." Misty said. Jessie was pacing up and down, not wounded enough to warrant treatment and not patient enough to wait. "Does anybody have any idea what the hell is going on outside?" Jessie asked. Suddenly the old woman glared at her. "Hell's broke loose! That's what's happening! First with those monsters, then with the walls changing back and forth from this world to that twisted bloody hell, and now with a monster being treated by our doctors!" The old woman said. Ash wanted to growl at her for calling him a monster, however, he soon remembered the times where he had to use the mirrors to change the world. A feeling of guilt soon came over him as he looked down. 'I guess that effected everyone and not just the sanitarium. Oh…how I wish there was another way for me to get all of that stuff without having to cause this much trouble for everyone.' Ash thought as Claudia frowned. "It's not hell! It's just... the guardian going mad. Once these heroes are healed, they can go out and make him see the error of his ways." Claudia said. Ash looked at her. "Why do you think Eddie's your guardian anyways?" Ash asked. He was still bugged by that. She looked at him. "Because… he's the only one who can do this to us." She explained. The gang looked around, everyone was on edge and nervous. "It's just a nightmare, just a dream, I'll wake up soon I'll wake up soon…" A person nearby said shakily. The people here were not paying attention to Claudia and Ash' group, they only seemed to be worrying about themselves. "A pandemic! Some sorta disease is…" Another doctor said.

"Who cares!? My brother got killed out there!" A girl yelled, very upset.

"Everybody QUIET! My baby is trying to sleep!" A woman yelled. Jessie sat down in frustration. "That wasn't very helpful." She said, miffed about everything. Ash sighed aloud. Now what? Ash soon got up and replaced his shirt now that the doctor had finished bandaging hm. Now that they'd finally reached the hospital, he had no clue what his next step should be. Should he go after Edward like Claudia wants? But where could he be and should he even go? Ash soon sighed. He felt so hollow inside. And just like that, Lisa finished up Iris's leg. "If you ask me, this town's cursed. Ever since the last town was here…" Lisa said. Misty's ears perked up. "Excuse me? What's this about another town?" She asked. Lisa sighed. "Before everything went crazy, I was looking through that USB drive… you know, the one from Ash's mouth. Turns out there were a lot messed up things that happened before this town. And then… I remembered being a tiny village that was here. It was called Silent Hill. I don't remember much, but it was a good town and I was helping this little girl named Alessa Gillespie. Have any of you heard it?" She said. She held her head as she tried to remember more. Ash's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped from shock as he remembered that he HAD heard of the town. What was even more scary was the fact that Silent Hill was the name of the dream town Darkrai trapped him in.

The empress… Alessa… Executioner… Xuchilbara…

Dawn/Alessa was the empress of this town, and Eddie was the guardian. Ash whirled to face, eager to hear more. "Yeah, I've… I've been to there. I just don't remember much of it though. What else? What else did it say?" Ash asked. He wanted to tell her that it was part of a dream, but he felt that part wasn't too important. Lisa gulped. "Well… I only got that far when everything went crazy…" She said. Ash grabbed the nurse by the shirt and snarled. "Where is it? Where's your laptop? I need to see what was on there!" Ash yelled ferociously. Ash could feel himself losing control. "Ash, calm down!" Misty yelled. She took the excited Ash by the shoulder. "I have it here, but without electricity, I can't…" Lisa said, showing the group the powerless laptop. Suddenly a voice came up. "If you want…" Someone in the crowd of people volunteered, "You can use my Plusle for the current." In the man's hands was a Plusle. "Thank you!" Ash breathed. The boy hurriedly motioned to Lisa to bring out the drive and to the boy to bring his Plusle. "L-let's see it. Maybe we can figure out what's going on!" Ash yelled. The boy was excited. Finally, some sort of lead, an explanation! He could figure out this nightmare, his and Edward's connection to the town that drove them to give the monster powers, and maybe even the location of Pikachu and the others! Now, there was some cause for hope. Much-needed hope. Eventually, the Plusle, laptop and USB were all set up, with the group crowded around the computer screen. All were praying for some sort of explanation. With any luck, they'd get one. The file 'Historical Celebration of Yoka Village' was the one Lisa had been looking at earlier. That was the one that hopefully held the answers. With a click, the file opened up and everybody began reading.