And here we are, the final chapter! Enjoy!
"Feral Pokemon have invaded the Plateau! I repeat, Feral Pokémon are in the Plateau! Recall all Pokémon immediately! League Personnel, retreat to the higher floors. Do not hesitate against the Feral Pokémon, take them out immediately! I repeat, retreat to the higher floors and take out any Feral Pokémon!"
Cameron's voice broke through the intercom as Misty, Kaiden, and Del ran down the halls. Kaiden's ankle was throbbing, but the pain was substantially less ever since Darcy had properly wrapped it. Far below he could hear the sounds of Gyarados roaring, and could only hope that his friends were putting up a good fight.
"How are the Feral Pokémon here?!" Del asked in alarm as they rounded yet another corner and came upon the staircase up to the next floor. Pichu held firm in her hair.
"I don't know," Misty replied, though short breaths. "It's something we'll have to deal with later."
They continued on, hoping beyond all hope that those they cared about were alright. As they crossed the threshold onto the next floor, they came upon a bloody massacre. Crimson and League members alike lay scattered. The remnants of a battle between the two factions during the initial invasion. Blood streaked the marble floors, but the Ketchums pressed on.
"Where do we even start to look?" Kaiden questioned. "This place is huge!"
"We'll run in circles if we have too," Misty told him. "We have to find your father!"
So on they ran, looking for any kind of clue, and no sooner had they reached the end of their second hall did Misty's PokeGear ring. It was an odd sound to hear in the moment. She ignored it, whoever it was could wait, she had more important things to do. The PokeGear ceased ringing, but almost immediately started up again. Once more she ignored it, and it stopped only to ring again. Whoever they were, they were persistent. Without looking at the screen, she dug it out of her pocket and flipped it open. "What?!" She growled.
"And she finally answers," came Gary's snarky tone. "You know how hard it was for me to work around Crimson's signal block? The least you could do is answer."
"Now's not the time, Gary!" Misty shouted, though it was sort of a comfort to hear his voice in that moment. "We're trying to find Ash!"
"That's exactly why I called," he said, and Misty heard a loud crash in the background. "I can see you and him running around he Plateau."
Misty blinked. Both her children were now looking at her curiously. "What? How?"
"May, Lily, Sam, and I are barricaded in the security room," Gary explained. "There's a Furret trying to get inside, but the good news is I've got eyes on everything."
Upon hearing those words, Misty's face lit up. "Where's Ash?!"
"He's a few floors above you," Gary responded quickly. "Him and Red are heading for the roof it looks like."
"Thank you, Gary!" Misty practically shouted. "You don't know how much that he-"
"Misty, they have Logan," he interrupted her.
Her attitude did a one-eighty. "WHAT!? What do you mean they have Logan!"
"I'm so sorry, Misty!" came May's voice in the background. "Red was just too fast, and then the Feral Pokémon showed up-"
"Just tell me how to get to him faster!" Misty shouted into her PokeGear. Both Kaiden and Del appeared deeply troubled to hear Logan had been taken.
"It'll be tricky," Gary said. "I can direct you through the Plateau, but the Feral Pokémon are spreading fast. I can see them fighting with the League and Crimson. It doesn't look pretty."
"Just get us there, Gary!"
"Right, take a left at the next intersection," he said. "Run down that hall and then take a right. The stairs will be on your left."
Misty skidded on her heels and catapulted herself around the hall to the left with her children were hot on her heels. Thanks to Gary's directions, they were able to avoid running into any Feral Pokémon or skirmishes. They could hear the sound of fighting and roaring, but they had one goal. Getting to Ash and Logan as fast as possible. Up flight after flight they ran, leaping two to three stairs at a time. All the while, Gary spoke into Misty's ear while she heard the Furret attempting to break into the Security Room. She prayed Gary and the others would be alright, but she was far too high in the Plateau to turn back and help them. It tore at her inside to hear the snarls and the bangs, but there was nothing she could do.
"They just exited to the roof," Gary said. "I can barely make out their outline through the rain, but it seems Red is trying to wave something down."
"He's trying to escape!?" Misty bellowed. "Oh Hell no! Not with my baby!"
Her PokeGear cracked under her vice tight grip, and Gary raised his voice. "Ow! Easy with that thing, you're sending static through!"
"How much farther?" Misty snapped.
"Almost there, last flight of stairs!"
The door to the roof appeared in their view, and Misty discarded her PokeGear to slam all her weight into it. It clattered to the floor as the door flew open with a loud bang that was lost in a boom of thunder. Harsh rain and wind stung her face as she ran outside, and lightning flashed all around. Across the rooftop, she could make out Red and Ash's silhouettes. One of them was waving to the sky, and Misty spotted a light flying closer to them. A helicopter! Not going to happen! She pumped all she had into her legs, sprinting directly for the silhouettes of the two men. Her feet slapped against something soft and suddenly her momentum was gone. She smacked down onto the rooftop hard, partially landing on whatever she had tripped over.
Kaiden and Del slid to a stop beside her. "Mom!" Del exclaimed, bending down to see if Misty was okay.
Misty growled and turned to see what she had tripped over. Despite the downpour of rain pelting into her, her throat felt dry at the sight. Serena's eyes were glazed over, peering forever onward as a pool of thinned blood spread around her. Her honey blonde hair was stained red in streaks, and her hands clutched lifelessly at a bullet wound on her chest. Lightning flashed close by, quaking them with the resounding boom that followed. A perfect description of the pain the three of them felt at the sight.
"Mom? Kaiden? Del?!"
Logan had somehow spotted the trio, and he cried out for help. His shout had alerted both Red and Ash to their presence, and Red frowned deeply. The helicopter was much closer know, circling down to land on the building.
"Oh no you don't!" Del shouted, producing a PokeBall. "HyperBeam, Tyranitar!"
The Armor Pokémon roared defiantly as it appeared on the rooftop. Almost no time passed between when its feet hit the concrete and the intense orange beam was rocketing towards the helicopter. It detonated against the rotor, blasting chunks of metal over Ash and Red. They covered their faces, and Ash moved to protect Logan from harm. Flames ignited along the shaft of the helicopter, and it spun wildly as it dove down past the side of the building. The entire structure shook from the impact as the chopper slammed into the large glass windows and smashed through into the building.
Red straightened up and faced Del in a fury. "You ignorant Bitch! How dare you go against me! I am your Grandfather! I am your blood! Family sticks together, you traitorous bunch of-"
"Don't you dare call my daughter a Bitch!" Misty roared, pushing herself to her hands and knees and then rising to her full height. Lightning cracked across the sky. "You want to talk about family? About blood?! You don't know the first thing about family!"
"Ash is MY son!" Red roared. "MY family! How he fell for a whore like you I'll never know!"
"Fuck you!" Kaiden and Del shouted together, balling their fists. Misty laid a hand on both of their shoulders to silence them.
"Ash is my family!" Misty fumed, stepping closer to Red. Speaking strongly with every step she took. "I've been by his side since the day we met, and him by mine. That's something you know nothing about. Loyalty. You have these ideas of how family is supposed to be, but true family sticks together no matter what. They fight for each other. They defend each other. They would do anything in the world for one another. We don't have to use tricks like you to get each other to help us, we simply ask. I can't tell you why Ash fell for me, but I can tell you why I fell for him."
Red was back-stepping now, dragging Logan with him.
"He's caring, compassionate, loyal as all Hell. and he cares for every person and Pokémon with such a fire in him that he draws people right in. Everyone wants to be a better person around him because they see the good he can do. He may get on my nerves, and we may fight, but he's always cared for me and made me feel like I'm the only woman in the world. He gave me three beautiful children, and in return I can only give him my heart. You may be his father, but you are not his family. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let you take MY family away from me!"
She broke into a sprint, barreling directly for Red, hatred glistening in her eyes. Red waved frantically, "Stop her! Take care of them!"
Ash grunted in acknowledgment and started forward. He beelined straight for Misty, cutting her path to Red off. She saw the punch coming, and used the slippery rooftop to her advantage. Dropping down low, she slid straight between Ash's legs. He, however, turned faster than she expected and gripped her by her upper arm. She managed to wiggle free from his grip before he could take another swing.
"Ash!" She shouted, standing up and backing away. "It's me! Misty! I know your recognize me! Snap out of this!"
He growled and clenched his fist, throwing another punch her way. She jumped back and dug her heels into the roof. With a mighty push, she kicked off and tackled into his middle. The pair toppled back onto Ash's rear.
Del and Kaiden rain forward to help their mother, and Red saw this. He pulled one hand from Logan and tossed a PokeBall. "Stop them, Malamar!"
The squid like Pokémon shrieked as it materialized, blasting a Psywave straight for Del. Pichu squeaked loudly and pulled its arms in tight. "CHUUUUU!" A bolt of electricity blasted from the tiny mouse, intercepting the attack and detonating it in the air.
"Use Screech, Tyranitar!" Del shouted.
As Tyranitar let loose a powerful ear splitting noise that crumpled Malamar to the rooftop, Red threw another PokeBall. "Tropius!" He shouted. "Use Razor Leaf!"
The fruit Pokémon appeared with an immediate assault of razor sharp leaves. Kaiden retaliated with his own PokeBall. "Use Discharge! Stop those leaves."
In the flash a Jolteon appeared with a battle ready cry, and its needle-like fur stood on edge. Electricity shot out in all directions, effectively disintegrating every leaf it came into contact with.
"Psywave again, Malamar!"
"Dark Pulse!" Del shouted, and Tyranitar turned to fire off the attack. They collided in midair, detonating upon impact. The rainfall twisted and morphed around the shockwave, but that did nothing to stop the battle.
"Use the water," Kaiden yelled to Jolteon. "Direct a Discharge at Tropius!"
"You do the same with a Thundershock, Pichu!"
Jolteon barked and Pichu squeaked. Both fired off a piercing blow of electricity that raced its way across the rooftop straight for the grass type. It was too slow to dodge, and thanks to the water, Tropius convulsed violently.
Misty felt Ash's fist graze her cheek as she barely dodged his next assault. Hair long hair whipped around her neck as she stumbled back. Using his own momentum against him, she crouched down to one knee and slammed her fist into his gut. He grunted in pain as he doubled over.
"Sorry, Ash," she stated. "I need you to snap out of this! You're stronger than Red! Stronger than Malamar! I know you can do-EEP!"
Ash grabbed her by her shoulders and lifted her into the air, he then slammed her down onto her back. Hard. The impact knocked the air from her lungs and she gasped to regain it. Her chest burned, but she saw Ash coming down at her, so she rolled over to avoid him. His grappling hands scraped against the rooftop concrete, but it did not deter him. With a growl he threw his entire body weight to the side, smashing into Misty. With another squeak she toppled over.
BOOM! Jolteon and Tropius' attacks collided, and the electric type was thrown back. "Jolteon!" Kaiden shouted.
"Fire Fang!" Del bellowed.
Tyranitar roared and flames erupted around its teeth as it charged forward.
"Into the sky!" Red demanded.
Tropius' massive leaf wings beat rapidly, and the Pokemon began to rise from the roof. Pichu scampered up to the top of Del's head and jumped high. It nailed Tropius with a swift Thundershock, slowing it down long enough for Tyranitar's jaws to clamp down around its foot. Tropius cried in pain, and Tryanitar jerked wildly, pulling it back to the roof with a crash. Malamar's eyes lit up and it launched a Psybeam at Tyranitar.
"Intercept that with Pin Missile!" Kaiden shouted. Jolteon barked and rose to its feet, firing off dozens of glowing pin needles that rocketed through the falling rain and found its mark just in time. Tyranitar covered its face from the detonation and roared up at Malamar.
Logan's eyes were locked onto his Mother and Father. His heart beating furiously as they danced around each other. Misty was making critical strikes to Ash in an attempt to bring him down without hurting him too much. He, however, seemed to be doing everything in his power to bring harm upon the red head. Misty ducked under his swing and brought her foot forward, striking her leg against the back side of his. She expected him to go down, only he didn't. Instead he took the blow and growled loudly, reaching out and grabbing her. In an attempt to pull away from him, Misty caused both her and Ash to collapse to the rooftop. He landed on her, and quickly used his advantage. His hands gripped her arm and twisted.
She screamed as the pressure from his pulling intensified, and it felt like her arm was going to break any moment. Lightning flashed through Logan's eyes, and he screamed. "MOM!"
The youngest Ketchum opened his jaw wide and clamped down hard on Red's arm. Red shrieked in shocking pain and his grip loosened immensely. Logan wiggled free and bolted across the roof, heading straight for his parents.
"STOP!" He screamed. "STOP IT, DAD!"
Ash looked up just as Logan smashed all he had into Ash's side. He might have been significantly smaller than Ash, but the impact knocked the man loose and they went tumbling away from Misty. Logan smacked into the concrete hard, knocking the hat from his head and his Pokedex slid out from his pocket, popping the device open. Ash rose to his hands and knees, looking for Logan and Misty. They were moving to sit up, looking at him with deep concern. In front of Logan was his hat, and Ash frowned at it. It was a red and white cap, with a green slash on the front. He knew that hat…Something in the corner of his vision fluttered, and for some reason, Ash found himself distracted by the motion.
It was Logan's Pokedex, or it was what was inside the Pokedex. A picture was tucked in tightly in the corner, blowing in the stormy wind. Rain trickled down the laminated front, but Ash could clearly make out the picture There he was, not much older than Logan himself, looking caught off guard but grinning wide nonetheless. His eyes were turned towards the young redhead that was Misty, winking and leaning over his shoulder, flashing the peace sign at the camera. Gary was on the far right, his arms crossed and smirking like he did. Brock was on the far left, his hands on his backpack straps and grinning widely. On Ash's shoulder…was a little yellow mouse squealing happily.
"Pikachu?" he felt himself say.
"Ash?" Misty's voice came to him, sounding far away. Like she was lost down a tunnel.
What was he doing?
He blinked as more and more details of the picture came through. More like memories than details.
There was Gary across the battlefield, a strong look on his face as he commanded his Blastoise. Ash's Charizard roared as Ash came up with the perfect strategy to finally beat his rival.
Brock stood around a cooking pot while Ash lounged on the river bed, snoozing peacefully until dinner was ready.
Misty rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but giggle at Ash as he geeked out over seeing a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto flying overhead. Togepi squealed giddily in her arms.
Pikachu ran after Togepi, playing with the baby and having the best time of his life while Ash watched them with a smile.
Thunder boomed overhead, pulling Ash's gaze upwards from the picture. Those memories…they'd happened the day of, and after, the Silver Conference...The Silver Conference? Why did that sound so familiar?
"Ash?" came Misty's voice again.
Why was that voice so familiar too?
Misty stood at the fork in the road between Viridian and Pallet Town. She was on her bike, smiling at Ash softly as she said goodbye.
Her face appeared on many Video Calls from various Pokemon Centers, and he'd stay awake for hours talking with her about his upcoming Gym Battle.
He…kissed her? On a lakeside underneath the full moon, surrounded by glistening white flowers. Her lips were warm…
They were dancing closely at a wedding, talking to each other like normal, but for some reason Ash was nervous. Well, he was pulling out a little black box…"Will you marry me?"
He approached a helicopter behind Lorelei, beaten and bruised after the final battle of the Dominon War. Misty was inside…was she okay? Lorelei opened the door and he saw her sitting up in a roller bed. In her arms was a bundle of blankets, and Misty smiled as he approached her. "Do you want to hold her?" Hold her…..Ash had a daughter!
"Ash? Can you hear me?"
Ash laughed as he sat around the Christmas tree with his friends and family, catching his wife's beautiful aquamarine eyes…
Those same eyes smiled up at him as he came home from working at the League…
Then when he cracked his open as the sun rose…
And when he pulled away from a gentle kiss…
"Ash?!"
His eyes snapped up, locking onto those exact same pair of eyes. They were incredibly close to him, glistening with tears and worry. A pair of eyes he'd fallen in love with a thousand times over.
"Misty?" he asked, his voice hoarse.
The worry behind Misty's eyes vanished, replaced by a great relief. "ASH!" She launched herself forward, burying her face into the crook of his neck and wrapping him up tight with her embrace as a sob escaped her. "I knew you'd come back…"
Dread…a heavy sense of dread, pain, and guilt crashed into Ash like a monsoon…his eyes saw Logan, scooting closer as the relief spread over him, but then they saw the form of a honey blonde haired woman lying a few feet away…
"Serena…" Ash choked, and Misty pulled away from him just enough to see his face. "I…I…"
Misty's heart shattered at the realization his distraught face revealed to her. He looked broken, utterly defeated and destroyed…"It wasn't you!" she snapped at him, cupping his face and forcing him to look at her.
"But I-"
"NO!" Misty shouted, hot tears falling in with the cold rain water. "It wasn't you! It was Red! You know you would never hurt someone! I KNOW you would never hurt someone!"
Logan looked from Serena to his father, his own heart coming to the same conclusion as Misty, and he felt himself breaking down.
"Misty…" Ash croaked, looking at her with the most pitiful expression she'd ever seen him wear. Rain cascaded down his face, masking the tears she knew were falling. His hair was flattened from the rain, and he was covered in many bruises and gashes. He looked absolutely worse for wear, a man on the edge of his own sanity.
"Ash…" Misty whispered as another attack between Tyranitar and Malamar exploded behind them.
Malamar and Tyranitar collapsed together to the rooftop, both unable to fight anymore, while a powerful and precise Thunder from Jolteon and Pichu sent Tropius down with it. Red fumed as he rubbed the spot where Logan had bit him. Kaiden and Del took a step closer to him together, a lightning flash casting an intimidating harsh shadow across their face. Red stepped back, now on the very edge of the building, glaring with hatred towards his Grandchildren.
"Fine," he growled low. "I'll handle this myself!" He reached into the pocket of his Crimson cloak and produced a handgun. Which he promptly pointed right at Del.
Whatever emotions Ash had coursing through him, no matter how much he hated himself for the things he'd done, he was still Ash somewhere deep down. And as the gun barrel lined up with his daughter, Ash ripped away from Misty and sprinted across the roof. He slid to a stop in front of Kaiden and Del, spreading his arms wide to shield them. Red paused, looking over the sight of his gun. "Move, son!"
Ash glared at Red, the same intimidating look covering his face that his children wore. Misty jumped to her feet, but Ash raised a single finger her direction. Telling her to stop and stay there.
Red's expression shifted. "So…you managed to free yourself from Malamar then."
"Lower the gun," Ash said. "Let's settle this between you and me."
Red sighed. "You need to move, Ash. That's not how this is going to go. I'm simply trying to remove the obstacles stopping us from doing great things together."
"Look around you," Ash shouted over the roar of wind and booming of thunder. "You've lost."
"No," Red shook his head. "I may have been set back, but the League will still fall. It cannot recover from the damage done here tonight. After all…the Champion has killed an innocent woman."
Ash's heart jerked as he saw Serena's form illuminate in the corner of his eye from a flash of lightning.
"What Citizen of Kanto would follow a Leader like that?" Red asked.
Ash clenched his teeth. Behind him he could feel the emotions radiating from Kaiden and Del. Their confusion and sadness as they too realized what Ash had done.
"Dad?" Del whispered, reaching her hand out absentmindedly.
Her hand touched his shoulder, gripping it ever so gently. Kaiden swallowed and imitated his sister's action, resting his palm on Ash's other shoulder.
"We love you," Del continued. "We…" he heard her collect herself for a moment. "We know it wasn't you…"
"It was that son of a bitch in front of us," Kaiden growled. "He's responsible for all of this."
Ash nearly broke right then and there. The burning in his chest was more tolerable now, and the guilt in his heart receded enough that each beat wasn't a piercing pain. He felt the corners of his mouth tug upward at the reassuring feeling of his children supporting him. Their hands on his shoulders told him so much more than any mere words ever could. His eyes closed as fresh tears formed.
"You're right…" Ash let his eyes open slowly, releasing them. Red shifted uneasily. "The League might be done, but as long as I have my family behind me, we can rebuild it."
"I'M your family!" Red snapped, brandishing the gun. "I brought you into this world! You are MY so-"
"No," Ash cut him off harshly. "I'm not. My father died a long time ago. My family is right here, supporting me even though they know what you made me do. You are pointing a gun at them…right now, you are threatening MY family. And I cannot allow that."
Red scoffed, looking from Ash to Del and Kaiden, over to Misty and Logan. All of them were glaring at him with such hatred, such fury. These people had taken his son from him, and twisted his mind to their beliefs.
"Son…move out of the way," Red warned, lowering his voice with each word spoken.
"No," Ash hardened his glare.
Red inhaled deeply through his nose, letting it go in a loud exhale. "Fine."
And he pointed the gun at Ash's leg and fired. Misty, who had been slowly inching her hand towards her PokeBalls, had seen the action coming and clicked the release button. "Psychic!"
Golduck emerged with a cry and its eyes lit up, stopping the bullet just centimeters from Ash's knee. The bullet spun on the spot and blasted back at Red. It struck the gun in his hand and Red gave a cry as it was knocked loose. It clattered to the rooftop and tumbled over the edge of the building.
Ash saw his chance and sprinted forward, he slipped along the rain soaked roof, but he made it over to Red before the man could react. Rearing back his fist, he slammed it into Red's jaw. Red stumbled back, his foot slipping off the edge. He shouted as his momentum suddenly dropped. Reaching out wildly, his hand gripped around the chest of Ash's shirt.
The sudden weight caused the fabric to rip, but his weight was jerked forward, and Ash slipped off the edge. He twisted just enough so that his upper body slammed into the rooftop, and his palms slapped against the concrete. He slid past the ledge, his fingers scuffing against the roof and catching on the side. The muscles in is arms screamed, and his shoulders popped as he caught himself. However, he was holding more weight than his own. Red was grappled around Ash's legs, clinging on for dear life.
"ASH!"
"DAD!"
His family's cries of terror pierced through the stormy night, and they raced to the edge of the building. The tension is Ash's fingers grew to be too much, and they slipped from the roof. For a moment he fell, but Misty's hands clasped themselves tightly into Ash's, and once again his shoulder popped from the sudden jerking stop.
Del and Pichu were wrapped tight around Misty's middle as she lay on her stomach. Kaiden was holding Del, while Logan and Golduck pulled with everything they had behind him. Jolteon sprinted up and carefully bit into Kaiden's jeans, planting its four paws and pulling. They grunted and groaned as they pulled, their feet slipping on the rainy rooftop.
"Hold on, Ash!" Misty said through grit teeth, gripping his hands as tight as she could. She jolted toward as the group behind her slipped from the rain.
Ash looked up into her eyes, her hair whipping wildly from the wind. Lightning cracked across the sky, snaking through the clouds. He could feel himself slowly slipping from her grip. Down below, Red laughed. A vicious sound that sent a chill down Ash's spine. Then, Red raised an arm up and grabbed onto Ash's calf and pulled himself up higher, followed by his knee, and then his thighs.
He was going to make it up back up to the roof…Ash wouldn't be able to stop him, not in this position, and neither would Misty or his children…
"Tyranitar!" Del shouted, and the big Pokémon stirred. "Come on! I need you to get up! Please!"
It growled low as it raised its head, a big arm planted itself against the rooftop and it pushed to rise. Its arm gave out and it crashed back down.
"Tyranitar!" Del's voice cracked with stress.
Ash looked down as Red's hand gripped the back of his shirt. The man was halfway up Ash, and grinning wildly. Ash's eyes snapped back up to Misty, and he swallowed hard. She saw the look in his eyes. A dreary, defeated look. Like a man left with no other options.
"No! Ash, no!" She shook her head. "Don't! We can pull you up!"
"TYRANITAR!"
"Just hold on!" Misty shouted, her voice shaking.
Red's hand clasped against Ash's shoulder. Ash inhaled. "Misty. Kids. We'll see each other again someday. I love you all."
"Ash-" his hands slipped from Misty's grip as he let go. "NO!" Her throat ripped from her scream as Ash fell away.
He watched her grow smaller as he fell, with the stormy wind whipping around him deafeningly. Red was at equal height with Ash, staring up with a look of pure shock on his face. Aquamarine eyes was all Ash could see, no matter how far away he fell from Misty. That was going to be his last sight.
Somehow, over the roaring wind and rain, Ash heard Red sigh and say, "You know…maybe I've been wrong all along….doesn't matter I suppose, just know, I love you, son."
Ash felt the hot tears well up inside him, and then everything went black.
Footsteps echoed down the hall, echoing closer and closer to the door at the far end clearly labeled, 'Gas'. Behind the running group, a Mankey and a Rhydon gave chase while snarling and snapping their jaws aggressively. Janine twirled her sword and suddenly dug her heel into the floor, sliding to a stop behind Ally and Simon. The Gym Leader twirled on the spot, ducking under the Rhydon's powerful jaw, and swinging upwards at the Mankey. It grunted as the metal sliced cleanly through its middle, and collapsed over in a pile of organs and blood.
Rhydon didn't slow as it chased after the others, and Ariana threw all the weight she had into the door. It slammed open with a crash, and the three of them raced inside. Rhydon was too big to fit, but that didn't stop it from trying. The door frame cracked and bent around the large Pokémon, crumbling as it forced its way inside the room. Pipes ran down the far wall, connecting to a computer system that controlled the flow of glass throughout the Plateau. Cabinets and desks lined the other walls, and Ally ran for the nearest one. Rhydon went after her, snapping its jaws at her back. She yelped and jumped up onto the desk, using her gymnastics ability to push all the power she had into her legs and catapult backwards over the Rhydon. It slammed head first into the wall, cracking a large hole completely enough. Ally landed on her feet in a crouching position, and quickly stood up. She backed away from the Rhydon, expecting it to pull free from the wall and attack her again, but it didn't move. The collision must've knocked it out stone cold. Still, Ally did not let her guard down as she backed away. Janine entered the room, spotting the Rhydon.
"We need to hurry!" She said. "It won't stay knocked out forever!"
"Right, how do we set inside the pipes on fire?" Ariana asked, pulling out a PokeBall.
Simon wrinkled his brow as he thought quickly, adjusting his glasses, then he snapped. "Ally, use your Sandslash and have it cut a large hole here-" he motioned to a certain point on a gas line as big around as himself. "Right here is underneath a valve, we can light a small flame there and open the system. That should cause the flames to spread once all the safety features have been shocked by Surge."
"On it," Ally nodded, tossing a PokeBall and releasing the Pokémon. "You heard him, Sandslash! Cut through that pipe!"
Sandslash hissed and swung its arm down on the pipe repeatedly, until a large hole was available to them.
"My turn," Ariana cracked a grin as she clicked the release button. "Do this, Ninetails! Let's get a small flame going!"
Her graceful fox Pokémon appeared, flames licking the borders of its lips. It spurt a small jet of fire straight into the hole, and Simon quickly turned the valve halfway. The sound of hissing gas greeted his ears, and soon, a tiny flame erupted inside the pipe. It flickered and danced like a pilot light beneath a stove, and he grinned.
"Best we get far away from here before Surge hits the power system," he said to the others.
"Right, return Ninetails," Ariana nodded, pointed her PokeBall to recall her Pokémon.
"You too, Sandslash, thanks!" Ally said, doing the same.
"Follow me," Janine told them, and they raced from the room.
"CHUUUUUU!"
Surge's booming laugh filled the hall as his Raichu roasted a Skitty with its powerful Thunder.
"Man, you creep me out," Brent commented as they stepped over the twitching Pokémon and up to the door labeled, 'Power Control'.
"War is where I shine," Surge commented offhandedly. "It's been far too long since I had a good war to fight in."
"Because the Dominion War wasn't enough for you," Forrest remarked as he turned the doorknob.
"You fought in the Dominion War?" Darcy asked curiously as the door swung open.
Surge scoffed. "I'm far older than your Uncle Forest here, and he fought in that bloody war. I'll let you rethink your question, missy."
Darcy blushed a little in embarrassment, but shook it off when Brent said, "We need to focus, guys!"
They entered the power room, coming to the sight of a super sized generator that was hooked up to at least a dozen computers. Wires ran out from every angle of the machine, stretching into the wall and running up into the ceiling. A large glass window separated the generator and the computers.
"Hey, Rock Boy," Surge turned to Forrest, "Want to get me inside there?" He jutted his thumb towards the generator.
"Sure thing, Old Man," Forrest nodded, and tossed a PokeBall. In the flash, a Golem appeared. "Shatter that window!"
Golem roared and charged the glass, lowering its head and running full force into the structure. It shattered into a thousand pieces, raining down around the rock type. Golem didn't slow until it crashed into the generator itself, causing a massive dent in the side of the machine.
"Return," Forrest recalled his Pokémon.
"Alright, Raichu," Surge stepped forward, pointing towards the generator. "Hit it with everything you got!"
The mouse's cheeks ignited in a frenzy of sparks that snaked their way together. Its tail crackled with building electricity as it stood up to its full height. Brent and Darcy stepped back as their hair began to stand on end. Then, Raichu unleashed a storm of lightning that slammed directly into the generator and snaked its way deep down into the machine. An alarm blared as the lights and dials began to flicker and whirr. Brent clapped loudly, "Time to go! Simon said it's going to be a pretty big boom, and I don't want to still be inside when it happens."
"Agreed," Darcy nodded and bolted for the door.
Forest followed and Surge laughed. "Where's your sense of adventure?"
Gary took a step back from the monitor, his jaw falling open in disbelief. His breathing slowed immensely as his eyes remained locked in place, unable to pull away from what he was seeing. Behind him, Lily and Sam buried their faces into May's middle, hiding their emotions as they began to cry. May herself stood frozen in place, eyes blinking continuously as they started to burn. Her heart was slowing painfully, each beat reverberating loudly in her ears as she watched Ash and Red plummet down the side of the building. The camera was far away, and grainy from all the rainfall, but there was no mistaking Ash as he fell.
The air in the room felt as if it was constricting, tightening in around them in an attempt to suffocate the very life out of their spirits. The Feral Furret's banging against the door continued, despite the silence that had fallen between them. May desperately didn't want to believe what she was witnessing, but there was nothing she could say to herself to deny her the truth. Ash was…
Suddenly, Furret's banging ceased with a short cry of pain. Gary's eyes were finally snapped from the computer screen and he turned to the door. There was a moments pause, then the knob turned. Whoever was outside went to push open the door, but it collided with the filing cabinet Gary and May had knocked down in the way.
"Hello?" Came a familiar voice. "Is someone in there?!"
Gary swallowed and forced himself towards the door. He gripped the filing cabinet and gave a mighty heave, pulling it aside. The door swung open, and Cameron stumbled into the room. Dawn quickly followed, and she snapped the door shut behind her.
"Gary," Cameron exclaimed. "Thank goodness it's you in here, and...May!"
Her eyes pulled from the monitor, locking onto her husbands. Lily and Sam looked up, and simultaneously, May and Lily moved to the newcomers. May collapsed into Cameron's chest, while Dawn caught her daughter's embrace.
"What's happened?" Cameron asked seriously to May, though she didn't not raise her head or reply. Instead he felt a sob press into his chest.
"Lily?" Dawn asked, bending down to her daughter's height. Their eyes met, and in that moment, Dawn saw Lance looking back at her. Her own eyes filled with tears, and her lip trembled as she pulled her daughter into a hug.
"Gary," Cameron turned his head to him. "What happened?"
Gary swallowed as he stared back at the Elite. Green eyes matched a dark pair, and Gary shakily replied. "Ash…he fell."
Cameron frowned as Dawn looked up in alarm, and both their eyes traveled to the monitor. It displayed the side of the Plateau, and both realized what Gary's words meant.
"No…" Dawn whispered. Her body was going numb, a tingling tickling down to the very ends of her fingertips. No, no, no…spinning filled her head. It wasn't true, it couldn't be. She'd just lost Lance…she couldn't lose Ash too. None of them could lose Ash, that would be too much. The final string to snap their willpower to continue on…
Cameron had stopped breathing, his stare long and empty as May cried into his chest. The greatest man any of them had ever known was gone. Consumed by the greed and hatred of others. That was never supposed to happen…Ash was supposed to fight them and win, every time. No matter how hard the struggle got…what were they going to do now? Cameron's eyes flicked to other screens on the monitor. Feral Pokemon flooded the building, chasing the remaining League Officials and Crimson members. Blood and horror filled the halls as the fighting raged on throughout the many halls.
Ariana, Ally, Simon, and Janine ran past one of the camera's, with Simon and Ally working together to avoid and distract a Houndour while Janine sliced through it.
Surge and Forrest tag teamed a Feraligatr, while Darcy and Brent commanded Ursaring and Metang to take it down from behind.
Vance and a squad of League Officials were giving it their all defending half a dozen wounded consisting of League and Crimson members alike. Two sides, working together to keep the Feral Pokemon at bay…
Cameron's empty stare hardened. In his mind, for some reason, he could see himself standing on the final battle of the Dominion War, 20 years ago…
Cameron hovered by May, a hand firmly clasped on his PokeBalls as the force of Team Rocket surrounded them on all sides, spotlights blinding their troops. The Dominions had yet to arrive, and the League didn't have the forces to be spent fighting Team Rocket first. This wasn't good…
Gary stepped forward, challenging the Rocket Leader.
"OPEN FIRE!" She roared to her forces, and the League Officials raised their rifles to retaliate.
"WAIT!" Gary bellowed, raising his hands out to the sides. The League Officials hesitated, expecting a barrage of lead that never came.
The Rocket Leader raised her brow, a dumbfound expression covering her face.
"That's what I thought," Gary smirked, turning to Ash.
"What gives?" Iris asked
"Look at them, behind the lights," Gary told her. She did, as did everyone else. Cameron blinked once to make sure he wasn't seeing things. The Rockets were hesitant, fingers trembling over the trigger. "The world has gone to shit, and they've realized it," Gary continued "This woman can't command them anymore. She's lost her control over them, thanks to May and Cameron. Whatever they did."
Cameron shifted beside May, a fleeting image crossing his mind of him and May taking down one of the Rocket Bases and freeing many Legendary Pokemon.
"So they aren't going to kill us?" Melody asked carefully.
"I didn't say that," Gary said flatly. He turned to Ash, with the most serious expression any of them had ever seen, and said, "You're up. Convince them to abandon her and join us."
"I'm sorry what?" Ash exclaimed curiously. "You want me to what?"
"You have this gift of bringing people together for a cause," Gary told his friend. "I don't know how you do it, but I've never seen anything like it. The people around you are somehow drawn to you, they want to help you. So talk to them, show them a better way than following around filth like her."
He motioned back to the Rocket Leader, who was still lying in the dirt speechless. Shocked to the core that her Team Rocket hadn't obeyed her command.
Looking into Gary's dark, confident eyes, Ash gulped. He looked around to all the stares from the League forces and his friends, telling him he could do it. Then he took a long breath and gulped, once again. He stepped forward ahead of the League forces, stopping only once he was standing alone between both sides. With all eyes planted on him, he cleared his throat and said, "Uh, hello. Have you all had a good evening?"
His friends face palmed, but Professor Oak smiled, and he opened his mouth to speak again, but he paused. Cameron's grip tightened on his PokeBalls as May shifted and bumped into his side. Why had Ash paused? What was wrong?
Then, Ash spoke. "I know we haven't always been on the same side," he started, this time much more confidently. "We haven't always seen eye to eye, but today, right now. We have to. We need to. We have so much that separates us. And not just Team Rocket, or the League, or training Pokemon.
"All of us have a story, a life, a place in this world. And that is where we are all the same. All of us live in this life, and we are all connected through that miracle. Each and every one of us have friends, family, Pokemon. People we love, and memories we treasure. Moments in time that defined who we are, and what we chose to fight for. The Dominion's threaten to destroy all that we know, all that we love, while we SIT here and battle each other. While we tear into each other's throats, they pick off the remains and move one step closer to annihilating the very life we all share. The very story we are all a part of.
"Team Rocket, League, Pokemon, Kantoan, Sinnohan, Johtan...we may have these traits that define us uniquely and individually, but ALL of us are connected by one thing. This world, OUR WORLD! AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF I'M GOING TO LET THOSE EVIL CREATURES TAKE IT FROM US! Whether or not you fight by my side, I will meet them head on until the very end. THIS IS OUR WORLD! OUR WAY OF LIVING! So let's put aside our difference, put aside all the bad between us individually, and FIGHT side by side for the ONE thing we all share…love."
Cameron's hands rose up to May's shoulders as the memory flooded into his mind. He gently pushed her aside, much to her confusion. She allowed herself be stepped aside as Cameron took a closer step to the computer, and then another. Ash had been right…he had delivered a message that should have rang loud and true ever since that day. Everyone and every Pokemon might be unique and different, but they all shared one common ground. Something so powerful that nothing could ever stop it once the world united behind that ideal.
Love.
Because without love, what was any of them really fighting for? Dawn had been fighting for six years because of love, never losing that spark of hope that things would work out. Lance channeled the pent up love he felt into making Kanto a better place for all and defending it from Crimson and its schemes, no matter what the mistakes and choices he made did to him. Brock had cared deeply not only for his children, but his surrogate family, and he'd gave his life fighting to help them. Serena, who had such a deep love for the world and everything in it that she never saw the bad in anything. Ash…the man that started the world on this path. The path to a better life for all. A life where love prevailed above any evil, and brought together friends and families as amazing as theirs.
Cameron stopped in front of the computer, his teeth clenched tight and his throat as hard as stone. He swallowed twice to loosen it up, and then pressed the intercom button.
"This is Master Cameron of the Elite Four," he began. "Indigo League, Crimson…our paths can not be against one another, but side by side. Right now, we face an enemy that will threaten to consume the very world we know if it gets outside of the Plateau. You have friends and loved ones out there. Living their lives and expecting to see tomorrow with a bright sun glistening overhead.
"If we do not put aside our petty difference and work together, we will all perish to this foe. Twenty-years ago, the world banded together to take on the Dominion's. A force so powerful they threatened the very existence of all life. And we defeated them. Every Region, every Pokemon, every human being came together on that final battlefield behind a single ideal. We loved the world we live in. We stood side by side with loved ones and made new friends that day."
His eyes scanned over the different screens as he spoke. The League Officials and Crimson members seemed to be listening. Casting glances around to one another and ceasing their sparring.
"The Feral Pokemon are nothing like the Dominons. We can beat them. We can hold them back, but only if we work together. Crimson, cast aside your quarrels with the League. We may not see eye to eye, but we can work together to save our world and make it a better place. We need you."
He swallowed once more and took a quick breath before continuing. "Everyone needs to evacuate the building immediately. We put a plan in motion, and we only have a short time before the Plateau self-destructs. We will need to form a perimeter around any exit out of the building. Any infected Pokemon must be stopped before they can escape into the wild. I repeat, evacuate the building immediately and form a perimeter around the outer fence…."
May stepped up beside him, her hand coming to rest on his shoulder.
"I'm asking all of you to help me defend our world from this threat," he said. "This is Master Cameron of the Elite Four…"
He stepped away from the intercom and let out a quick breath. The room around him was silent, his words ringing through their ears. He slowly faced them.
"We can't give up," he said, clenching his fists. "Serena, Brock, Lance…Ash…they would want us to continue on. We have to fight until the very last moment, otherwise everything we know and love is lost to us forever."
His eyes connected with each of theirs, seeing the sadness in them, but also seeing a spark of courage igniting within them. May swallowed hard and raised her chin.
"For them," she said with a hard expression.
Dawn rose to her full height, and with a nod she said, "For them."
Gary clenched his fists and gave a curt nod towards Cameron, while Sam and Lily exchanged their own looks. And without another word, Cameron led the way out of the security room and down the hall. The League and Crimson forces would need all the help they could get.
How are you supposed to feel when the world has died around you? How are you supposed to stand up and continue on knowing that your life will never be the same? How are you supposed to fight? To love? When there's no way to get back what you lost, and nothing that can ever replace it, how are you supposed to live? The stormy night sky flashed with the horrendous crack of lightning as the rain fell faster and harder. A cry of anguish lost in the resulting thunder, drowning out the tortured souls occupying the Plateau rooftop. An empty void filling them up, a disbelief so great they may have well entered an all new reality.
Kaiden's legs gave out beneath him, and he fell to his knees with a splash. Rain dripped from his soaking bangs, hiding his expression behind a dark shadow. There was a ringing, so loud and deafening in his ears that subconsciously he was sure they were bleeding. Jolteon nudged against his side, lowering its head against its trainer. He didn't stir.
Del remained on her feet, somehow a miracle in itself as she'd never felt more numb in her life. Her nerves buzzed, blocking out the pain spreading in her heart, but it was to no avail. An ice cold feeling creeped ever so slowly over her, engulfing her in its dark and terrible grip. Pichu had buried its face into the side of her leg, pulling on her jeans.
Logan was crawling backwards, shaking his head slowly as he moved away from his family. It wasn't real! It just wasn't! His father was going to climb up over that edge any minute, he just was! Ash was Logan's Hero, there was no way he could have fallen like that. It just didn't happen! His hand bumped into a small object, and Logan paused. He looked down to see his Pokedex, still popped open with the picture fluttering in the wind. The device was surely ruined by this point from all the rain, but the picture remained intact thanks to the lamination. He reached a shaky hand out to the picture and plucked it from inside the device. Ash and Misty's smiling faces greeted him, causing a hard squeezing in his chest.
Something skirted by in the corner of his vision, so Logan looked up. It was his hat, scooting along the rooftop, bogged down and soaking. A gust of wind pushed it right up against his leg and nudged him with it. The tears fell fast as he snatched up his Father's old hat and held it close to his chest with the picture. Logan screamed into the night, his voice lost in the booming thunder.
Misty's stomach lay flat against the concrete as her upper body hung limply over Plateau's edge. Her eyes gazing indefinitely down towards where Ash had fallen. In the dim outer lighting of the Plateau she could see him. Sprawled and not moving, so small and far away. Out of her reach and her help. She had been too late…
After everything her and him had ever gone through, how could it have ended like this? They survived Mewtwo's crusade, the Shamouti incident, the Unown and their reality morphing, Team Rocket, the Dominion War, and countless other life threatening situations. And just like that, Ash was gone. Taken from her, even though just moments ago she had his fingers in her grasp. What was she supposed to have done? Why couldn't she have saved him? Ash was everything to her and their kids…and now he was gone….
Far below, person after person began to file out of the Plateau. League Officials and Crimson members, running side by side as they fled the building. Many turned back, releasing Pokemon and shouting to one another. Misty could see them, and they weren't fighting, they were helping each other. Feral Pokemon chased them out of the building, snapping and snarling at their heels, but they fell to the united attacks between the two sides.
As more and more people ran out into the storming night, a small few pointed over to the side of the building in Ash's direction. A squad broke off, running away from the main force and hurrying over to Ash's side. Misty watched them with silence, unable to fight off the empty void paralyzing her heart. The men and women crouched down beside Ash and Red, but Misty couldn't hear what they were saying, she could only watch as they lifted the two men and carried them back over to the main force of people gathering out on the Plateau grounds. At least they'd found him…
Misty realized she'd been crying the whole time, a silent sob with her tears falling away into the night.
"Back away!"
"Get away from the entrance!"
"Look out!"
"Get the injured further back! Keep the entrance secure! No Feral Pokemon gets past this point!"
Cameron slipped on the shattered glass in the Plateau lobby as him, May, Gary, Dawn, and the kids sprinted out into the rain. Many Feral Pokemon were outside, but thanks to the combined efforts of the League and Crimson, they weren't making any headway in escaping or infecting any more Pokemon.
Quickly Cameron and May scanned the crowd. "I don't see the others," May commented worriedly.
"They'll make it out," Gary said, though he wasn't sure he believed himself.
"Mom! Dad!"
The shout made Cameron and May turn on the spot, just in time to receive a fierce tackle from Ally as she collided into the two of them. They wrapped her up tight, embracing their daughter with relief.
"Where are the Ketchums?" came Simon's voice.
He raced up to the group, sliding to a stop in the mud. Janine, Brent, and Darcy were with him.
"Where's Kaiden?" Ally pulled away from her parents.
A dark shadow flitted across Cameron, May, and their group. Simon misinterpreted their grief. "They better not still be inside!" He shouted in alarm. "Time is almost u-"
The mountainside quaked with a deep rumble, a massive boom erupting from somewhere underground. Person and Pokemon alike stumbled from the shock, and then the Plateau lobby erupted in a frenzy of fire and explosions.
"GET BACK!" Cameron roared as the intense heat caused sweat to form on his brow. "EVERYONE BACK!"
"MOVE!" Janine barked. "GET MOVING!"
Together they were heard, and ushered the League and Crimson forces back.
"DON'T LET ANY FERAL POKEMON ESCAPE!" Cameron shouted.
"WATCH THE SHADOWS," Surge added. "SPREAD OUT!"
BOOM! The Plateau rocked in place from the detonations now rising up the building.
The entire building trembled as it swayed in place. Del was knocked from her feet, pulling Pichu with her while Kaiden fell over onto his Jolteon. Misty nearly vibrated right off over the edge, but she was able to catch herself and pull herself back. She bolted to her feet as the rooftop twisted and morphed beneath her feet, cracking the concrete and creating deep fissures. Metal snapped and creaked as the building swayed to the side and back again. Floor after floor below them detonated, each boom vibrating all the way up and adding another crack to the roof. A large chunk at the far end completely gave way, crumbling into the darkness below.
"KIDS!" Misty shouted over the crumbling building. She stumbled in place, keeping her footing, but finding it very hard to do so. Out of basic reaction, she recalled Golduck into its PokeBall.
"MOM!" Del struggled to rise to her feet as the roof beneath her bulged high. Pichu dug its tiny paws into Del's pant leg and scampered up to her shoulder, clinging to her hair for support. A pair of hands gripped her other shoulder, helping her to her feet.
"I got you," Misty said in her ear, and Del gripped onto her Mother tight.
Kaiden pulled out Jolteon's PokeBall and went to point it at his Pokemon. He missed the first time as the building cracked and swayed violently, but he recalled Jolteon on the second try. As the Pokemon vanished, Kaiden spotted Logan huddled tight in a ball near the center of the rooftop. His arms and legs pulled into his chest.
Having to crawl on his hands and knees from the violent shaking, Kaiden made his way over to his younger brother. "Logan!" he called, but the boy didn't reply.
Thankfully Logan was awake as Kaiden reached him, just locked up from total fear. "Hey, Logan!" Kaiden had to yell over the storm and explosions. "Come on buddy, I'm right here!"
Two pairs of feet raced over, and collapsed down beside the duo. Misty scraped her knee as she landed beside her sons, and Del nearly dropped Tyranitar's PokeBall. A large fissure opened up beneath her unconscious Pokemon, but she recalled it just in time as the rooftop gave way beneath it.
"Mom!" Logan shouted as he cracked open an eye and saw her.
"I'm here!" Misty said as Logan threw himself forward into her chest.
Misty's vision went double from the amount of quaking coming from below, and the building started to tilt in place. Kaiden and Del both pressed against Misty, arms wrapped tight around her and Logan. Pichu squeezed itself in between the three of them, burying itself deep down in an attempt to hide from the booms. More and more of the roof fell away as the supports of the building gave, and with a harsh deafening snap of metal and concrete, she felt the momentum pick up speed. They were going to die. Here and now. All of them. That thought wrapped around Misty in a tidal wave of fear, but then…Ash said he would see them all again, looks like it was going to be much sooner than he probably planned. Somehow…that thought calmed Misty. The only glimmer of light in the tunnel of darkness ahead.
"I love you," Misty said to her three children. "Always know that."
"We love you too," they chorused back, pressing themselves tighter into her.
Hair whipped wildly as the building fell, lighting cracked and thunder boomed, metal and concrete snapped and twanged, rain stung their face and back, and in the midst of it all they heard a voice. Someone shouting, calling to them, telling them not to give up. Misty smiled to herself, closing her eyes to accept her fate.
Then the voice was much louder. "HEY! MISTY! GET UP!"
Her eyes snapped open. She knew that voice…her head, and the kids', looked up. In the next flash of lightning, they saw a silhouette of a large Dargonite barreling towards them. A slender frame with large bushy hair riding the Pokemon.
"Iris?!"
"Get up, Misty!" Iris shouted. "Your ride is here!"
Behind the Unovan, three more large dragons were swooping in. Another Dragonite, a Salamence, and a Druddigon following closely behind Iris.
"Come on!" Iris begged, extending a hand down as she soared towards them.
Something inside of Misty returned. Something she honestly thought she never would experience again. Hope. What would Ash want for his family? To sit here and die underneath the rubble of a collapsing building? Or to take Iris' hand and live their lives to the fullest? Misty rose to her feet, Del, Kaiden, and Logan following her lead. She gripped the sides of Logan and raised him high, he yelped in alarm, but it was short lived as Iris zipped by and snatched Logan from Misty's grip. The other dragons slammed down on the rooftop with a crash, lowering themselves so the Ketchums could climb on.
Del scampered up the Druddigon, Pichu squeaking at her to hurry, while Kaiden climbed on the Salamence. Misty turned away from Dragonite, her eyes searching for something. She'd remembered, and didn't want to leave without the other person from their group. A chunk of building fell away, and she spotted Serena's body. Quickly, Misty broke into a run, and both her children behind her shouted. Misty jumped and maneuvered across the morphing and changing roof. She leapt over a large fissure that ruptured in front of her. Part of the concrete gave away, and she collapsed to her chest with a loud yelp. Her hands slapped against Serena's chest, and Misty pulled herself closer to the honey blonde's body.
All around her the roof was gone, falling and crumbling down with the rest of the building. Shards of glass glistened in the flashes of lightning, while chunks of concrete and rubble twisted and twirled in the air. She'd lost her chance…Then Dragonite swooped by, grabbing Misty and Serena in its clutches. They were lifted up and away from the Plateau, flying high into the storming sky. Iris shouted something Misty couldn't make out, but it didn't matter. Every muscle in her body burned, screaming for relief of any kind. She ignored the aching in herself, and held Serena close, feeling the cold radiating from the body. The lack of warmth was heartbreaking, and Misty closed her eyes as more tears rose. Despite having a small spark of hope return to her, this night would forever be marked as the night that her life ended.
Many lost their footing as the Plateau crumbled to the ground, quaking the mountainside in a vicious boom that even the residents of Viridian City probably felt. Cameron stumbled into one of the trees planted across the grounds, breathing hard form the sheer amount of running he'd done over the last few hours. Dust billowed around him, choking the breath from his lungs and clouding his vision. Screams and shouts from the League and Crimson echoed into the night, some yelling for help and others barking commands. Thankfully, the heavy rainfall and wind thinned out the dust in the air.
Cameron wiped his brow of dirt and grime, feeling the raindrops trickling down his forehead and cheeks. He pushed himself off the tree and scanned the grounds, seeing people and Pokemon alike rushing back and forth. Running to assist others or to check on a Pokemon to see if it was Feral. He saw May, Ally, and Simon running to assist a group of League carrying two bodies, but he couldn't make out who they were.
Brent, Darcy, and Forrest were standing over beside the Dominion War Memorial wall with a burly looking Machamp, while Dawn and Lily were off a few feet. The bluenette was crouched down to Lily's eye level, telling her daughter something that Cameron couldn't hear. Only a few more feet from them, Gary was doing the same to Sam. The young Oak was shaking his head fiercely.
"Cameron," came Janine's voice behind him. He ripped his eyes away from his friends to face her.
Her hair was matted with wet dust and blood, and she looked tired. More tired than he remembered her appearing to be. Janine spoke to him, "Surge has formed squads to fan out around the grounds and surrounding forrest."
"Making sure no Feral Pokemon have escaped," Cameron nodded as he understood. "Have the Gym Leaders lead the parties. I know you're exhausted, but I-"
"We got this," Janine interrupted him by waving her hand. "You should go be with your family…"
Her eyes darkened slightly as she trailed off. Cameron turned from her, finding May amongst the crowd of hurrying people and Pokemon. She was leading the group of people carrying the two bodies over towards the Memorial Wall. Halfway there she motioned for the group to carry one of the bodies a different direction.
He did want to be with his family. More than anything. They were hurting, reeling, a thousand different emotions raging inside them from everything that had happened. He wanted to wrap May and his children up in his embrace, hopefully protecting and shielding them from the fallout. He wanted to find something to say to Dawn as Lily buried her face in her hands and fell into her mother with a cry of distress. He wanted to find a way for Sam and Gary to see Serena's smiling face one last time. He wanted to tell Brent and Darcy that everything was alright. But…
Wounded screamed from all around the grounds, cries and yells of pain and anguish. People and Pokemon scurried back and forth, removing rubble and debris to find those who had been unable to get out of the way as the Plateau came crashing down. Crimson and League stood side by side as they spotted a Feral Pokemon climb out from the thinner areas of rubble, showing no mercy to the ferocious threat.
Cameron swallowed, then shook his head. He turned to Janine with a hard stare. "When everything is under control I will," he said. "For now we have to help save what's left of the League."
Janine's darkened stare fell away, and she gave him a nod. "Right, I'll relay the word and help Surge assign squads to the Leaders."
"Thank you, Janine," Cameron said, finding his next words rather difficult to express. "You've done more than enough to make your father proud of you today."
Janine turned her eyes away, but he could see the water forming in them despite the rain. She took a second to collect herself, and then faced him once more. "I know, and I know he wouldn't change what he did for us…" she paused, only to smile a little at Cameron. "There was a time I was angry that you were ranked higher than my Father, and yet he always insisted the rankings were accurate. He would tell me that you deserved your position, that when the time came you would make a fine leader of the Indigo League…I'm always glad to see when my Father was right, even if I didn't agree with him at first."
She said no more as she turned her back and hurried away, her soaking hair flying behind her. Cameron watched her go as lightning cracked above with a thunderous boom. In the flash, he spotted three silhouettes in the sky flying downwards towards the grounds. He squinted to better see, just as three forms of Dragons came thumping to the ground beside him. Water splashed up from the grass as they landed.
"Good to see you're alright," Iris said down to him, leaning over to hand Logan down from her Dragonite. Cameron took the boy on pure reaction as his mind registered what he was seeing.
"Iris?" he questioned as he lowered Logan to the ground. The young Ketchum was shaking uncontrollably. "What-" Cameron cut himself off as he spotted both Del and Kaiden disembark off the back of a Druddigon and a Salamence. Another Dragonite lowered Misty and the lifeless body of Serena to the soppy ground.
Iris splashed beside them, running a hand back through her bushy hair to remove it from her eyes. "I saw them carrying Ash over there," she said meekly towards Misty, gesturing over to the Memorial Wall where May had led the group of Officials.
Misty didn't say a word, not even casting a glance Iris and Cameron's direction as she attempted to lift Serena herself. Her foot slipped in the mud, and she nearly fell, but she caught herself and straightened her posture. Del and Kaiden moved forward to help, but Misty waved them down. She clenched her teeth and repositioned her grip on Serena, lifting the honey blonde up and taking a step forward.
Cameron took a step towards Misty, but Iris' hand on his shoulder held him up. He didn't look back to the Unovan, watching Misty and her kids walk away instead. Thank God the Ketchum's were okay, mostly…
"You saved them?" Cameron asked.
"They were on the roof," Iris told him, stepping up to his side as they watched them walk towards the others. "I didn't see Ash until we were landing…"
Cameron didn't reply, clenching his fists as a wave of grief fell over him with the rain.
Misty's legs screamed and burned as she walked on, and she swallowed hard as she approached their group by the Memorial Wall. She could see two bodies lying on the grass, surrounded by their friends. As she drew closer, she began to make out the features of Ash and Brock lying side by side, not moving despite the cries of sadness around them.
Darcy, Brent, and Forrest huddled around Brock, heads bowed and shoulders jerking. Darcy was leaning into her Uncle as Brent held his palm firm atop her shoulder. Dawn and Lily were by Ash's head, with the bluenette moving a strand of hair from Ash's face. Gary and Sam were behind them, and Gary looked up as he noticed Misty coming closer. He stepped forward, rushing over to Misty, his feet slipping as he moved across the grass. Gary slid to a shaky stop in front of Misty, reaching out to take Serena from her arms. Misty let him do so, continuing her walking towards the group. Her eyes were locked onto Ash, seeing past May, Ally, and Simon's heads turning to the newcomers.
Ally jumped to her feet, a clenched hand coming up to hover over her heart. She caught sight of Kaiden's eyes, empty and sad as he walked closer. He wasn't looking at her, as his own gaze was locked onto his father. Del was beside him, the same lost expression on her face. Misty brushed past Ally and May, falling to her knees beside Ash, slapping to the mud in the most defeated of ways. Del did the same, but Kaiden stopped behind them beside Ally. She looked up to the side of his face worriedly as Logan walked by and dropped beside his sister.
Gary's footsteps splashed next to them all as he carefully placed Serena beside Ash, going to his knees beside her and taking her hand in his. A gentle touch against his side told him Sam had joined him.
Misty had no eyes except for the lifeless form of her husband before her. His face lit up in a flash of lightning, and Misty couldn't help but think he looked peaceful. No distress, no anger, no emotion whatsoever to obstruct his handsome face. For the first time in a very long time, Misty could almost see the sleeping face of a ten year old boy who had captured her heart. Misty found that her hand had moved to gently rest against Ash's cheek, and her lip was trembling.
Dawn sniffled beside her, and her own hand reached out to clasp Misty's shoulder. The red heads other hand came up and clasped itself over Dawn's hand, even though her eyes remained on the man before her. Logan let out a low wail, clutching the picture and hat in his hands tight against his chest. Del reached out and pulled him to her, her own eyes stinging with the hurt deep in her heart. Pichu's ears and tail were drooped as the baby Pokemon looked down at its owner's Father.
Kaiden had yet to make a sound, or adjust his rock hard expression. Ally reached out hesitantly, putting the tips of her fingers against his palm. "Kaiden?" she whispered.
That did it, he looked to her, tears breaking free and cascading like a tidal wave down his cheeks. Ally swept him up, wrapping him tight in her embrace as he fell into her shoulder. She could feel his hot tears on her skin through her shirt, and it only caused her to hold him tighter as she too began to cry. Simon sniffled himself, reaching up to wipe away the tears and rain as May put a hand on her Son's back. She swallowed hard as the sobs hurt her chest. Lily gripped her Mother's shirt and pressed her face into Dawn's arm, hiding away the world before her and the hurt of her own Father being gone.
Across the grounds, Cameron's fists clenched even tighter as he watched his family hurting so bad.
"Thank you, Iris," he said. "You came out of the sky like a miracle."
"We're all family," Iris replied calmly, even though her tone threatened to crack. "That's what we do for each other. No matter the cost…" she looked down, putting a hand to her heart. Then she snapped her gaze back up and turned to Cameron. "I'll stay as long as you'll need. I imagine you'll need help getting the League back up and running properly."
Cameron turned to her, blinking curiously.
"I didn't see Lance, Lorelei, Koga, or any of the Directors as I was coming in," she explained. "And being highest ranked under Ash, and the only remaining Indigo League Elite, you're the residing Champion of Kanto."
The effect of her words hit him like a freight train.
Dawn faced Cameron and gestured to the League Officials filling the hall. "You have to lead them."
He'd thought she meant leading them into battle and helping save the League, not actually lead the League. He couldn't do that! He wasn't Champion material. That was Ash! Ash had earned that title through his many world saving adventures and his remarkable skill.
"I know how you feel," Iris said, reading the expression on Cameron's face. "Ash knew it too. I remember him calling me constantly asking how I was leading Unova. What I was doing. And I never had an answer for him. But he did tell me one thing not too long ago…" Iris looked at Cameron with a hard stare. "He said when he decided to step down, he wanted you to take over."
Something inside of Cameron deflated. Hearing that Ash had wanted him to take over the role of Champion after him had…calmed him?
"Ash had faith in you," Iris continued. "I do as well, and I bet every one of them over there do too-" she motioned over to their group of friends by the Memorial Wall. Cameron caught May's eyes for a moment, and as if she knew he needed her encouragement, May nodded at him once. "I'll give you a moment," Iris added. "I'd like to say goodbye to Ash."
Her tone was heavy as she finished speaking, and she walked away from Cameron with a sad sigh.
"Master Cameron!" a familiar voice shouted, and he turned to see who it was. Vance ran up to him. "Surge has found a few straggling Feral Pokemon. We could use your help, sir."
Cameron heard every word, loud and clear. Gym Leaders and Officials were counting on him now. Thousands of people throughout Kanto needing a leader to guide them through the aftermath of such terrible events. And if Ash had faith he could do it, then he couldn't let down the greatest Hero the world had ever seen.
He nodded firmly at Vance, "Let's hurry!"
I'm crying too guys, but it had to be done :,(
There's going to be an Epilogue so be sure to stick around for that!