So here we are, the end of the first part of this journey. It's been a long one, hasn't it? A lot longer than I was anticipating when I started this. I wasn't expecting things to go quite the way they did when I first started out with this fic, all I wanted to do was to write a Pearlshipping story. I knew I wanted it to end with Ash vs Ghetsis involving Reshiram and Zekrom, but nothing in between that and the start. And so it was that my story took off on its own as my creative mind awakened. Truth be told half of what I did was heavily borrowed from several other anime's, but the quality's I took and incorporated into this were just too awesome for me to leave out, and in the end I think it all turned out perfectly fine.
I'd like to thank you all for sharing this experience with me, especially those of you who are still here from day 1! I know my writing was crappy when I started, but I finished school 6 years ago and I hadn't studied English in 5, so I was super rusty. It's amazing what you forget after so long, but it all came back to me eventually.
Special thanks to: Uranium235, Ashrascal, Agent BM, A Frozen Shadow, Bud83011, Chewy Paper, Crona-Cron, DarkJumper, Darthcourt, Dawn and Serena Ketchum Fan, Divine Ruler of the Sea, Dragon2234, Ellobalo1, EpicReads, FoodforDrest, Gamma102, GasperTheGENGAR, Gemini-Spark, GoLdOnEaGlE, Gray Darklight, Hakumaruu, HawkAnimations, Infernape7, IolairesMinion, JoZer805, JDog998, KCJ71970, Kenzyder, Chris the Momiji fan, Kuro no Saisei, LightRayPearlshipper, Midnight' Dragon Conqueror, Namikaze luffy, Ninjafang1331, Okamisu, PKMNstrider, PokemonTrainerGold987, Pupupwert, QTG27, RagingYoshi, ReaperJoeNZ, Richy1991, Sagara Black, Samurai.J, Sazan, Secret Weapon Unit 06, Shini Namikaze, SuperPanda9000, Tangolikeoak, ThaKing19, The Lucky Mapler, Theonlyproton, Tonite, Tracker-02, Tyrinor, Undertaker5, Vairon, Varstar89, Writer Of Illusion, Zacc, Zero The Chance, animekid96, charles741, demonward0, .16, djett4, eclispe2025, megacluck, niklasnilsson92, ninjawithsushi, nodos333, patrickdronn, pearlshipping-daikari12, sensesfail55, shadow0080, sitboy639, sunblade16, tesaxton, venomking6x2 and yungmoneygirl. Wow all of you guys have been with me since the first month I posted this, so if your name is up there, hats off to you! Sorry if I missed anyone!
Also special mention to N1kk1 Starlet for her amazing reviews.
I'd like to ask you all two last things before I leave you to the epilogue; First, I'll be looking for dedicated beta readers for the sequel. As good as I am, I can't find every mistake myself, so if you if you'd like to help, just send me a message with your experience. Second, I'd love to see some fan-art of anything you find cool in my fic. I really suck at drawing, so if anyone out there is any good with digital or regular art and wouldn't mind doing it, please send me your work!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, but I do own all my original content.
Ash and Dawn: The Unova Chapter
Epilogue
The Truth Behind the Mask!
Unova League - League Stadium
The stadium was enormous, spanning almost the entirety of the plateau it had been built upon, deep in the heart of Unova's northern mountains. And it was full. Full with eager and excited spectators as the match taking place before them heated up, heading in to its closing stages. The sounds from the shouting masses were almost deafening, a musical masterpiece of both excitement and adrenaline.
In the center of the battlefield, facing off against his opponent, Ash stood with a determined smile plastered on his face. He was truly in his element, shouting commands and strategizing on the fly to best his adversary in combat. Up in the stands and cheering him on, Dawn, Cilan, Iris, Lati and Riley all had front row seats as guests of honor. The person they'd come with was in the finals, after all, and a friend of the regional Champion to boot.
A row behind and watching with mild indifference, Paul, Barry and Hilda had secured three seats on the illustrious second row, all of them being eliminated in previous rounds, the former just a day passed in the semi-finals by the raven-haired teen fighting below. Barry was cheering and waving, as usual overly excited and laughing freely. Beside him, the brunette was stuffing her face with the mountain of snacks resting between her legs, her tiny waist amazingly finding room for the gluttonous barrage and somehow getting no larger. The blonde quit his enthusiastic cries for the moment, and eyed the candy mountain with lust. "Hey! Why don't you share some of that with me?! There's no way you'll eat it all yourself!"
She gave him an incredulous look, even as she continued to shovel in handfuls of the sugary snacks. "As if! Go get you're own you scrounge!"
"You don't need so much for yourself!" He retorted, reaching over to try his luck in grabbing some. She swatted him off and it quickly devolved into a brawl with chocolate and sweets flying in every direction.
Beside them, the stress mark on Paul's head was getting larger and larger, his face crunching up in aggravation. Finally he snapped, "would you two give it a break already?!" A doughnut hit him in the head as a result, sliding down his cheek and leaving a sticky trail of jam in its wake. His eyes narrowed in fury and he leapt into the brawl between the other two, the three of them having their own sort of battle.
Latias giggled as she watched them over her shoulder. "They're so dumb, but that sure does look fun!"
Iris covered her face with her palm, sighing. "Lati..."
"Be quiet you two!" Dawn hushed impatiently, keeping her eyes trained on the battle below. "Ash is gaining the advantage! He has a good chance of actually winning this time!" She had a smile on her lips as she finished, a giddy excitement that practically radiated from her body.
Curious, they all returned their attention to the match below, eager to see if they're friend would actually beat the final hurdle in his strongest League showing.
Riley was observing it all with the hint of apprehension. 'Maybe the masked man told it false...' he hoped, but it rang hollow even in his head. Whatever else he thought of him, the man had spoken with the conviction of one who spoke the truth. 'Perhaps they've overturned their decision... if they haven't they'll make their move soon... and if they do...' He shook his head. He hoped Ash wouldn't look too deeply into it, but he wouldn't blame the lad if he did. 'After all, would I feel any different were I in his position?' The speakers lining the stadium blurted into life, cutting off further thought.
"And Pikachu takes down Andrew's Stoutland with a powerful Thunderbolt!" The megaphones sounded with hints of static. "Our finalists now have only a single Pokemon left each! This could go either way! Who will win this epic finale between our two strongest Trainers?!"
Up on the screen overlooking the battlefield, Stoutland's light went dark on Andrew's side, leaving only Espeon's image lit. On Ash's side of the screen, only Pikachu remained illuminated, Staraptor, Sceptile, Infernape, Lucario and Kingler already defeated.
The young Guardian glanced up at the monitor. 'They all fought bravely, but he's only got one left and Pikachu's still going strong.' He'd refrained from using his Aura throughout the tournament to keep things fair, wanting to win on his battling skill alone. 'We got this, no problem!'
"Stoutland, return!" The blue haired male across from him exclaimed, holding out his Pokeball. The large hound Pokemon disappeared back inside, becoming engulfed in the red beam, its singed body dissolving from view. He hooked it to his belt and grabbed his last team member, enlarging the ball and throwing it forward. "Espeon! Let's go!"
The device impacted on the ground a few feet in front of him, snapping open as it did so. White light escaped as it opened, taking the shape of the psychic feline just opposite of Pikachu. It stood braced, its eyes trained on its foe as the electric rodent did likewise, a stare-off ensued as they awaited their Masters commands.
The referee at the sidelines gave the all-clear signal, his flag raised above him announcing that the combatants were free to resume their battle. Ash flicked his gaze back to his opponent after seeing it, a smirk crossing his face as he took the initiative.
"Quick attack!" He suddenly commanded, catching his opponent off-guard. Pikachu didn't hesitate, immediately flaring white and dashing towards its foe, its movements a blur to all the peering onlookers.
Andrew recovered quickly, his eyes darting about the field tracking it. "Espeon, use Psywave to repel it!"
The psychic type purred, its eyes glowing the colour of its fur. The air around it shimmered as waves of energy pulsated outwards, forming an offensive barrier against physical and elemental attacks alike.
Ash saw this, came up with a counter, and grinned to himself. "Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu fired the attack mere seconds after the order left his Master's lips, the years of companionship and relentless training leaving his reflex's in top condition, and after everything he'd endured in the past few months, charging enough energy to launch such a basic attack was basically instantaneous. The bolt of lightning cracked the sky as it soared toward its target, briefly illuminating the stadium a stark yellow.
Espeon and its owner could only watch as the attack found its mark through the Psywave defense's only weak spot - directly above. The repulsion waves were surrounding the psychic-type in a wall-like fashion, leaving the area directly above it open. Of course against anyone else the eeveelution would have been able to redirect the flow of energy to cover that area in time to block, but Pikachu's speed was too much for it to match. The attack connected and Espeon cried out as the electricity singed its skin, leaving it blackened and shocked, but hardly beaten. The barrier faded away as Pikachu danced back over to Ash.
The stadium roared, cheering on the violence and craving more, eager to see what the two Pokemon would do next in this match of the best. Dawn stood and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Do it Ash! I believe in you!" Barry, Paul and Hilda quit their squabbling to watch on, curious to see how the battle would continue.
"Smooth moves, your Pikachu is fast," Andrew complimented, keeping his eyes fixated on the electric mouse. "I'm impressed you were able to get past my barrier, but don't count on that working again."
Ash chuckled in response. "It wouldn't be much fun if it did. I like a challenge and so far you've been a great one." He lowered his hat slightly so his eyes fell into the shadows. "Don't go soft on me now that you're down to your last Pokemon."
"Wouldn't dream of it." Andrew smirked. "Espeon, use Psychic!"
"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!"
Both Pokemon obeyed, priming and launching their issued attacks. The psychic-type tried its best to lock its gaze on the mouse charging it, its eyes glowing blue and ready to strike. Pikachu, however, was moving just a little too fast for it, as the familiar blue lightning shroud engulfed it. Espeon began to sweat as its opponent drew nearer, knowing that it wouldn't be able to lock-on in time.
All of a sudden, Pikachu's movements became sluggish, as if the ground below it had turned to sludge. The feline Pokemon capitalized by ensnaring it with the Psychic attack, lifting it into the air and slamming it down into the floor. Chunks of dirt went flying and Pikachu cried out in a shocked pain, confused as much as hurt. "Pika!"
"Pikachu!" Ash called before narrowing his gaze. There was no way that his partner would be tiring to the point of slowing down. That attack shouldn't have hit. He glanced over at Espeon, confused, a cold feeling building within his gut. 'Did Espeon get faster? No, that's not it, up until the last second it was unable to keep pace. That means Pikachu slowed...' He watched as his starter rose from the ground, shaking its head slightly but looking not much worse for wear. He didn't look tired. The young Guardian frowned. 'Something's terribly wrong here...'
Dawn noticed it too, the bluenette wore a look of confusion on her face. "How did Espeon hit Pikachu with that attack? He was moving too quickly for it to keep up..." She flicked her gaze from one to the other, then back again. "It was like Pikachu slowed down just before it was about to reach it..."
"Maybe Pikachu stumbled... or Espeon used its mental focus to increase its speed in a moment of desperation...?" Cilan suggested, but by the look on his face, even he thought those explanations were lame.
"Maybe..." Dawn agreed, although she still looked unsure.
"At least Pikachu didn't take much damage," Iris added hopefully.
"Yeah!" Lati nodded with a grin, before standing up. "C'mon Ash! Win this thing!" She yelled above the roar of the crowd.
Riley said nothing, continuing to observe the situation with a scowl. Despite his best efforts to hide it, he looked concerned.
The unlikely trio sat behind them took up the enthusiastic calls started by Latias, except for Paul who just sat back in his seat with his carefree indifference.
"Looks like Espeon managed to grab Pikachu with a powerful Psychic!" The announcer yelled through the speaker. "How will Ash counter?!"
Up above, sat atop of the stadium's towering walls, Sir Aaron observed the match through the holes in his mask. His eyes narrowed to mere slits after watching that last attack, his gaze holding a seething hatred. "And so, it begins..." He rumbled to himself, his deep tone making the declaration sound all the more serious. "They show their true colors once again, betraying the one person they owe their very lives too..." He sighed, genuinely disappointed. "Nothing ever goes as planned in our world, I've lived long enough to know this to be true. The only things that await people on this corrupt planet are pain, suffering and futility. The League will pay for its ineptitude." His eyes flared as he continued to watch, forcing himself to witness a betrayal similar to the one he'd suffered, so very long ago...
"What's wrong? Tired?" Andrew asked mockingly. He flashed a grin towards his psychic-type, "now's the time to push our advantage! Espeon, use Psybeam!"
Ash shook his head to dispel his doubts as his foe began priming its psychic power, building its attack. 'Now isn't the time for such thoughts! This is a battle Ash, pull yourself together!' He mentally scolded. "Pikachu! Dodge with Quick Attack and hit it with Thunder!" 'That, at least, should hurt enough to make a difference.'
Espeon channeled the energy into a focused ball, hovering just before its mouth. It quickly launched a powerful beam of psychic power from said orb, directed by the power of its mind. The beam tore through the ground as it traveled, leaving a rent in the earth and a powerful thrumming noise in the air.
Pikachu followed its movements keenly, surrounded its body in the familiar white glow associated with his attack, and dashed to the side to avoid contact. When he was far enough away, he leapt skyward and unleashed the power he'd stored within the red pouches on his cheeks. "Pika chupi!" He roared, spinning and launching the bolt of lightning to the heavens. The attack rent the clouds and briefly sent the blue sky black. A column of the electric energy punched back down to earth, directly above the concentrating feline, catching it full center. Espeon cried out as its body sparked and burned, its mind going blank from the voltages coursing through its system.
Suddenly the yellow furred mouse winced as his power ebbed away, dissipating like mist in the afternoon sun, and fell from the air. Ash looked on in alarm as Espeon recovered from its brief mental shock and focused the beam towards where Pikachu was falling. "Pikachu! Move!"
His partner of ten years tried to obey, squirming in the air feebly, but all the energy seemed to have fled his limbs. He flopped to the floor hard, wincing and trying to rise, only to wobble and fail, going face-first back into the dirt. Espeon roared and buried the Psybeam into the rodents helpless form, scoring a direct hit and causing the mouse to cry out in pain. After the attack died down, Pikachu was left unconscious on the arena floor.
Ash stared in wanton disbelief, not understanding what had just happened, even as the crowd filling the stadium roared its approval at the conclusion, shouting their support for their victor. Pikachu's light died on the screen, replaced by Andrew's portrait, heralded as the winner in bold letters, his and his Pokemon's pictures dominating the display. "And what a finish! Pikachu goes down to Espeon's powerful Psybeam! Give it up for our new Stadium Champion, Andrew!"
Again the crowed roared, and the navy haired youth raised his hands in the air to wave back, elating in his victory.
The young Guardian sank to his knees, staring at Pikachu as his world collapsed around him. 'This can't be... there is no way I should've lost... Pikachu was basically at full strength before this began... I was so certain... I was so close...' He felt tears welling in his eyes as he glanced up at the screen, where his name should've been blown up in massive letters. Instead he stared incredulously at his opponents name. He'd lost. He'd lost in the finals after breezing through the previous rounds. 'It doesn't make sense...' Everything the masked man told him came flooding to the fore, unbidden in cold clarity.
"Didn't you find it odd that, despite your vast skill and accumulated experience, that you've never won a League Tournament?"
"Every time you entered a League Conference, they'd be carefully watching to see if you had any hopes of winning, and if that was the case they'd sabotage your Pokeballs with limiters to make it look like you just had a bad match in whatever round they deemed to stop you."
"And while things remain as they are, you'll never win a League Tournament regardless of how strong you become."
With each memory came the cold realization that what he'd heard on that day had all been undeniably true... His world began to shatter, the edges of his reality breaking down, leaving the truth naked before him, staring him in the face. 'It was true... all of it...' His hands turned to knuckles as he felt his sorrow turn to anger. Anger, and hatred. Hatred towards the League, hatred towards the Government, and hatred towards all those who lied to him, some directly to his face as though it was of no consequence. When he finally raised his head, his eyes were shadowed. He knew now what he had to do.
Meanwhile up in the stands, Dawn was fixating her lover with a worried stare, her hands held closely to her chest. "Ash..."
Behind her, Barry leaned forward squinting profusely. "Hey, didn't anyone think that last attack was a little odd? I mean Pikachu just seemed to run outta energy all of a sudden. I honestly thought Ash was gonna win!"
"Yeah, that was rather odd," Hilda managed to get out in between mouthfuls of snacks. "It seemed to be going so well for him up to that point, too."
"A most curious ingredient to the battle recipe..." Cilan frowned in thought.
"Is he okay?" Iris asked, looking over at him with concern.
"I hope so..." Lati sighed, looking almost as down as her raven-haired friend. Turning to the elder Guardian sat beside her, she asked, "what do you think happened, Riley? You always seem to get these things better than anyone else."
Instead of responding, the elder Guardian stood, his eyes still trained on his young charge below. When he turned to the rest, he had a casual smile on his face. "Let me handle this. Ash won't of taken a loss this close to his goal so easily, and it, ah, will require handling delicately. Now if you'll please excuse me, I'll go get him before he does something stupid." With that said, he began making his way out the stands, shuffling past the rest of the group who were still seated on their chairs.
The bluenette gave him a worried look, before turning her attention back to the arena below. 'Please Ash... don't do anything foolish...'
"And so it begins again, the endless cycle of hatred spins its wheel once more..." The masked man sighed, stood and retrieved Alakazam's Pokeball from the depths of his cloak. "We'll meet soon Ash, and together we will turn this world on its head." He opened the ball, and the psychic-type materialized beside him. "Teleport." He commanded. The Pokemon nodded, and they both disappeared.
In the VIP section of the League Stadium, Cynthia was seething. Her blonde hair whipped about her back as she stomped down the hallway, everyone immediately darting from her path after seeing the livid fury burning in her grey eyes; eyes as cold as stone. She'd not felt this angry in a long time, and was struggling to resist the urge to start destroying large parts of the stadium. Finally reaching the command room, she kicked the door through, ripping it from its hinges and stalking inside.
Everyone inside the room, either working at a console or some other job, were all high-ranking World Government and League officials, and, as one, proceeded to soil themselves in fear as the Sinnoh Grand Champion transformed into a demon, her eyes raining murder on anyone who so dared to look in her general vicinity. One man ran from the room crying, a wet patch on his pants. Growling, she found the person she was looking for and stomped over to him, ignoring all the petrified onlookers shaking in fear as she passed them.
The man she'd been searching for was sat as his desk, overlooking the match below as she approached. In one fluid movement she brought one of her legs down in a savage arc, splitting the desk in two and sending all the various documents and paper scattering. The shattered halves of the desk collapsed to the floor in a pile of splinters. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" She roared, her hair flying about wildly behind her. She grabbed the small, old man by the collar, shoving her face into his own. "THAT'S YOUR GRANDSON DOWN THERE! DON'T YOU HAVE ANY SHAME?!"
To his credit, he remained calm in the face of her anger, his aged eyes meeting her own evenly, unflinching. "Cynthia. I know how you feel, believe me I do... This hurts me more than anyone else, but please, put me down, you're starting to choke me."
The vein on her forehead throbbed, but she did as she was bid and lowered him to the floor, albeit a little more roughly than he'd of hoped. She turned to face the windows overlooking the arena and roared in frustration, her fists clenched. "Why?" She finally asked. "Why didn't they listen?"
It took the old man a while to realize that she was crying. "I tried my best, but they-"
He was cut off as she whirled, her face streaked with tears. "You didn't try hard enough! Who knows what will happen now?! We already know they're after him! Do you want to push him into their arms?! How will that help us?!"
Her emotional outburst was being overheard by everyone in the room, and Charles 'Goodshow' Ketchum winced slightly. The things she was blurting were highly classified, and not meant for these people's ears. He knew how fast news like this could travel when heard by gossips. "This isn't a discussion we should be having here. Let's continue this in my office, shall we?" His eyes were pleading and drip of sweat ran down his wrinkled face.
She stared into that face for a while before her mind finally cleared a little and she nodded, realizing what she'd almost done. Sighing in relief, he led her through the room to his private quarters on the far side, every eye in the room watching them leave.
Once within, the blonde Champion sank into one of the plush chairs, her whole body sighing with the movement. Mr. Goodshow walked over to the stove and set the kettle to boil. They remained in silence for a little while, until the sound of the kettle whistling broke it. He poured the boiling water into two cups and mixed in the tea leaves, before making his way over to the chairs and handing her one. "The tea will help you relax and clear your head child." He soothed, slowly lowering himself onto the seat opposite her.
"I'm not a child," she mumbled half-heartedly, and took a sip of her tea.
"To someone as old as I am, everyone is a child," he chuckled. "Look at you, that anger has completely drained your spirit."
"Can you blame me?!" She almost shouted, frowning and almost spilling her tea. "Why can't they just leave him be..."
"They do what they do because they believe it to be right," he sighed, his eyes taking on a glaze-like quality. "I've argued against it for years and years, but they're a stubborn bunch. My son was much the same, and it was only because he was more aggressive in the matter that they allowed him to join at all."
"Do you think he's...?"
Mr. Goodshow shrugged. "Who knows. My family has been through a lot since that accursed war three millennia ago. Even I was only granted this position because I'm so passive to their wants and demands. They think they can control me. I think that's why Brandon hated me so."
"Ash's father..." Cynthia shook her head, remembering the man in question. "He's never even met his son, you know. After that incident seventeen years ago, he's not once shown his face." She smirked slightly, a thought popping into her mind. "But if he were, I'm sure he'd have a thing or two to say about this."
"You're probably right, " he nodded, setting his empty cup down on the table separating them. "Tell me, do you know the full history of my Clan?"
"Most of it. I'm not privy to all of its comings and goings, but enough to piece the full story together. Why?"
"Because it was our own selfishness that brought this upon us, and that mistake made long, long ago is now affecting Ash. The World Government is too scared of another civil war breaking out to allow the Ketchums to regain their power. The League was created to replace them, if the Gaurdians ended up ruling it, it would defeat the purpose."
"But Ash is only one man..." she protested, sitting up.
"Ah but if they let one through, then whats to stop more? My family is gifted with powerful trainers, and if they saw Ash becoming a Champion, then they'd soon follow his lead. Or so they keep telling me every time I press the matter. I call it paranoia. They're all scared and clutch to their rules like a rope in a raging river." He stroked his beard and shook his head. "Of course the reports about my kin joining Shinonome and attacking the League facilities based around the world certainly doesn't help my case any, but they had this coming by not moving on from ancient edicts. They'll not change until it's too late."
"I just wanted him to win... now he'll never trust the League again... nor me..."
Mr. Goodshow smiled through his whiskers. "You're quite fond of my grandson, aren't you?"
Cynthia narrowed her eyes at him, not liking what his tone was suggesting. "Take this seriously for once, would you?"
"Oh but I am, he could do worse than marrying a Grand Champion. Who knows, your children might even cause those idiots in charge to think twice before denying them a Champion's title, being the get of one themselves." She was still giving him an incredulous look when he finished. He sighed at her. "Guess that's too much to hope for eh? If it's any consolation I was up nearly all night arguing with them about it. I'd still be in there now if this old body of mine wasn't so feeble. Alder is still going strong though, he's got more stamina than Charizard, that one."
"Alder?" She asked, standing. "I'd wondered where he'd gotten too."
"Yeah, he practically begged me to help make Ash's case before the Council, and given the look on his face when I left, he's not like to give up until they consent to his wishes. Unfortunately he's up against a lot of stiff resistance."
"Then that settles it." She announced moving towards the exit.
He followed her with his eyes. "And where are you going?"
Stopping just before the door, she turned and gave him a smile, a smile filled with new-found determination. "I'm going to help him, of course." She opened the door and left, her trailing hair the last thing he saw as it closed behind her.
Alone, Mr. Goodshow picked himself off of his seat, and wandered over to his rooms large windows. He watched as down below they began the medal ceremony for the new victor, the lad had a beaming smile on his face as he was applauded by the stadiums vast crowds, showers of petals raining down to celebrate his triumph. Of Ash, there was no sign, the podium for second place standing empty and bare. He sighed, feeling his age keenly. 'Just hang in there Ash, I'm sure they'll convince those stuck-up bastards in charge to let you take the title. Don't make the mistake your father did and make the world your enemy...' Seeing enough, he waddled back over to his stove to make himself another cup of tea.
Ash stalked through the forest like a spectre, his eyes pits of endless darkness. He was more angry than he'd ever felt before. He was more upset than he'd ever been before. And he was more empty than he'd ever thought possible. Betrayal, that's what they called it, and it stung. The League had betrayed him, even after everything, even after all he'd done for and with them, they'd thrown his dreams into the gutter and stamped on them. 'All because I was born a Ketchum, they won't even give me a fair chance...' His fists tightened at his sides. The sun had set earlier on more than just the previous day, and now he found himself wandering in the darkness, feeling its cold embrace clutch at his heart.
Eventually the forest ended and opened up to a large hilly plain, bathed in the light of the moon. No one had followed him, he'd made sure they couldn't, exiting the stadium fast and unseen. He couldn't see his friends right now, he couldn't see anyone right now. Not even Dawn. As much as he loved her, no amount of words from her mouth or hugs from her arms could heal the wound. He just needed to be alone, the darkness his only companion.
As he crested the hill dominating the clearing, he stopped, looking up as the air before him warped. A strange sound accompanied the anomaly, like someone wobbling a plastic board in the middle of a vortex. When it was over, the man he'd seen the day he'd beaten Skyla for his fifth badge materialized in front of him, black eyes gleaming through his mask. "You," Ash said, his tone devoid of emotion. "You've returned."
"As I said I would. And from that look on your face, I now see that you know everything I told you before was the truth." As he spoke, a wind whipped up and caught his long black hair, his spiky fringe blowing over the draconic mask covering his face.
"I'm done with the League. They've been lying to me from the start, stringing me along on a hopeless dream. They discriminate against me because I'm a Ketchum, because I'm a Guardian, even after everything I've done it still isn't enough." He locked gazes with the masked man, his eyes as cold and dark as onyx. "I hate them."
"What they did to you was monstrous," Sir Aaron agreed. "As unjust as it was cruel, but you're not the only one to suffer at their hands." He grabbed his cloak and pulled a section of it into the moonlight, highlighting the strange black Master Ball with the 'S' marking. "Do you know what this is?"
Ash said nothing, but averted his gaze to the design.
"This is the mythical Supremacy Ball, the original Poke Ball birthed at the start of creation. It's also a symbol for my group, an organization dedicated in the pursuit of removing the corrupt League from power, and re-establishing the Guardians as the rightful protectors of this world. Our plan is already in motion, and in a few short years, we'll be ready to execute it." The eyes behind the mask flared bright with azure power. "We are... Shinonome!"
The young Guardian continued to stare at the ball on his cloak before returning his focus to Sir Aaron's concealed face, his lengthening ebony hair rustling about his head. "And you want me to join you, right?"
The masked man grinned wide behind the draconic visage. "As I told you before, we want you to lead us. You're the great prodigy the Guardian tablets speak of, the reincarnation of the First." He placed a hand on Ash's shoulder. "I'm of your blood, we share the same Clan name, and the same hatred towards the League who betrayed us. Your cousins have already joined me, everyone who has Tensuiromo's blood in their veins will be reunited in our group, and the Ketchum Clan will be reborn!" He raised a gloved hand from the depths of his cloak, and bunched it into a fist as he spoke. "Justice will be served after three thousand years of forced exile!"
Ash considered it long and hard, his eyes closed and remaining silent throughout. If anyone had been looking on, the two of them would of just appeared to be standing still before each other on the grassy hillock. Finally he opened his eyes and glanced up at the sky. "The League has the power to dictate peoples future based on their opinions and whims, and allow their hatred to rule their decisions. A corrupt order like that can never be trusted to hold the peace. In my short life, I've had to step in countless times in order to save this world from the clutches from twisted groups, and if history tells it true, past Guardians did likewise." He lowered his head to face the masked man once more, locking gazes with blazing azure eyes of his own. "It's time for a change. I accept."
"Very good," Sir Aaron nodded, as if he'd been expecting such. He fished out his Pokeball and opened it up, letting Alakazam out beside him. "With you, nothing will be able to stop us in fixing all the wrongs the League has wrought, and together we'll return this world to order." He turned the psychic-type beside him. "I'll teleport you on ahead to our hideout, where you'll meet the rest of our organization. They're already expecting you."
"You're not coming with me?"
Casting his gaze to the side, the masked man narrowed his vision. "Not yet. You weren't quite as stealthy as you presumed. You've been followed. I'll deal with them and be with you shortly."
The young Guardian glanced over his shoulder, his Aura enhanced vision easily picking out the tag-along he'd completely missed until now. He frowned in surprise. 'Was I really that out of it? Not that it matters now... at any rate...' Turning back, he nodded. Alakazam saw the signal and its body flared, surrounding Ash with violet energy. A second later, he vanished, no trace of the ebony haired teen remaining. The psychic-typed remained by his masters side, knowing he was still needed.
Seeing Ash vanish, Riley dashed from the trees, stopping a good distance from Sir Aaron's position and eying him wearily. "What did you do with Ash?!"
"I gave him a purpose he can actually strive for, one that will benefit him, his Clan and the world." He replied calmly.
"You've set him against people he's worked with for his entire teenage life! What you're doing will only fuel his hatred and lead him down a path to darkness!" Riley began to reach for his staff as he spoke.
The masked man narrowed his eyes. "The League brought this hatred out, not me! They've had ample chances to prove themselves, and always they chose to keep the Guardians locked within the shadows! People like you who bow down to their scrutiny is the reason our Clan remains in the gutters! You don't deserve to call yourself a Ketchum!"
The elder Guardian brought the staff out fully, elongating it and activating its ancient runes set into its shaft. Sir Aaron focused on it immediately. "The Staff of Life? Where did you get that?"
With his free hand. Riley grabbed and enlarged Lucario's Pokeball, before lobbing it forward. The Aura Pokemon stood at the ready immediately upon materializing, its eyes instantly trained on the masked man. 'Master?'
'You know what to do.' Riley replied, his mental command unable to be overheard.
Lucario nodded and began building a glowing sphere of Aura between its paws. Sir Aaron raised a brow behind his mask. "Aura Sphere? You really think an attack that pathetic can hurt Alakazam?"
Ignoring him, the fighting-type launched the attack forward, and it flew through the air like a bullet, spinning and rotating as it sailed towards its target.
"Protect." The masked man ordered, sounding bored. Alakazam brought its spoons to the fore and raised them before its body, where they began to glow. "Ala-ka-zam!" He cried as the barrier shot up, forming a wall of energy between himself and the oncoming attack. "It may never miss, but that attack is far too weak-"
Both he and the psychic-type blinked in surprise as the sphere went around Alakazam instead of impacting against the barrier, and continued to soar through the air to find its true target. Sir Aaron grimaced as the Aura Sphere rapidly closed the distance between itself and his head. 'That sneaky bastard! He was aiming for my mask the entire time! Damn it!'
Caught off-guard, he had no chance to raise his own Protect and block the attack. The orb of whirling power smashed into the draconic design in an explosion of energy, the wooden mask holding up poorly against such an assault, splinters of wood flying in every direction. Sir Aaron stumbled backwards as the remains of his mask fell to the floor in shattered pieces, his hands clutching at his face. He eyed Riley through his fingers, glaring at the other man with a hatred so strong it took the elder Guardian aback.
Slowly and purposefully, Sir Aaron finally regained his posture and stood straight, dropping his hands to his sides and revealing his unmasked face to his opponent.
Riley's eyes went wide as he took a step back in shock, realizing he recognized the other man's horribly scared features. "Y-You're him! But that's impossible! You should be dead!"
Sir Aaron's brow furrowed into a deep scowl. "Psychic Obliteration!"
The huge Alakazam crossed his spoons before himself and roared, his eyes taking on a blinding violet. The entire hillside exploded in a blast of psychic energy, a dome of magenta that sprung into being and eradicated everything caught under it. It was all over in a the space of thirty-seconds.
When the power died down, Riley's mangled and beaten body laid twitching in a huge crater, bleeding in several places. Lucario was laid beside him in a similar state. Sir Aaron grunted in satisfaction as he admired his Pokemon's work. "I'm sorry, but you've seen my face, and I can't allow you to live. It wouldn't do for you to go flapping your mouth." He bent down and picked up a piece of his splintered mask, rolling it between his fingers. "You can come out now." He called towards the forest, his cloak snapping in the wind.
Iris emerged shakily from the trees, her movements hesitant and nervous, yet she approached the previously masked man all the same. When she reached him, she went down to one knee. "See? I did everything you asked of me, right from the start! I followed Ash all the way from Nuvema Town and kept you informed on his progress and location, just like you asked!"
"So you did." He rumbled in his deep tone. Furrowing his brows, he tossed the mask fragment aside. "I'll have to have a new one made... how bothersome."
She glanced up at him, "so you'll not mention anything of our deal right? I'll not even tell them what happened here!"
"Our deal was that in exchange for you spying on Ash for me, I'd pay you what? Fifty-thousand dollars?." He mentioned calmly.
"Uh, y-yes it was, my lord..." she confirmed, a little confused as to why he voiced it. "Fifty-thousand was the amount we agreed on..."
He nodded slowly, reached within his cloak and produced a sack of coins. He threw it in her direction and she caught it. "You saw me at Twist Mountain didn't you? I caught you glancing over your shoulder in the tunnel. Your green-haired friend nearly caught on. That was reckless."
She began sweating, averting her gaze to the ground before she spoke. "I-I'm sorry. But I covered it up well!" She hesitated before continuing. "Please promise me you won't mention our arrangement to the World Government! They'd destroy my village if they knew!"
"Oh don't worry, I've no intentions of doing that. But... you being here presents a problem." She glanced up to see that he was staring right at her, his eyes dark as pitch. "Do you recognize my face?"
She bit her lip, unsure how to answer. Finally she nodded. "O-Of course... Everyone knows your face! You're famous...even with that scar..."
"That's precisely why I keep it hidden. Even the most common of people know whom I am. And now you've seen me, and what I did to Riley over there... You see the dilemma I'm faced with, right?"
She shot the elder Guardian a nervous glance. His body was bleeding out, a large crimson puddle already spreading out across the ruined earth. "B-But..."
"If only you'd have stayed with Ash like I asked..." He shook his head.
She turned to ask him what he meant when a glowing fist punched through her stomach. Her eyes went wide in shock as a cascade of blood shot out from her back, painting the remaining green grass red. "Why...?" She whispered as he yanked his hand free.
He stood before he, the scarred tissue of his face caught in the moonlight. "Because anyone who'd sell out a friend for gold can't be trusted. You'd go running to the League and tell them everything if they'd paid you. Loyalty can be bought from people like you."
Iris twitched once before falling face-first into the ground, a gaping chasm in her midsection.
Sir Aaron admired the blood on his gloved hand for a moment, then retrieved his money from the girls corpse. Walking over to where Riley lay, he picked up the Staff of Life from the man's lifeless fingers, and secured it within his cloak. He nodded towards his Pokemon, and Alakazam flared its power, both it and he disappeared from the scene in a flash of psychic energy, leaving Riley and Iris to die, his secrets along with them.
Dawn stalked through the forest, trying to locate their three missing friends along with Lati and Cilan. Riley had gone after Ash immediately after the incident in the stadium, and Iris had disappeared shortly after him, she assumed for the same reason. It was dark and they had searched for hours now to little result, and the bluenette was starting to get worried. 'He could be in danger, stomping off alone in that mood... Please be safe Ash, we'll figure this out together...'
The moonlight shone down from above, although the thick canopy above stopped it from ever reaching the forest floor, so she had to be careful not to stumble as she wound her way through the dense undergrowth, roots and vines a constant hazard. Up ahead the trees gave way to open ground, and she ventured towards it, thinking Ash might have taken refuge in the secluded spot. The scene awaiting her as she cleared the tree-line made her eyes go wide and a shocked gasp escaped her throat. She recognized the mangled remains at once. "Riley!" She ran over to his side, kneeling down beside him and fussing over his still form. "Riley! What happened to you?! Stay with me!"
He groaned, indicating that despite his injuries, he still lived. Dawn gasped and rolled him over to his back, more than relieved to see his eyes open and looking at her. "Riley! Try not to move! I'll go and get you help-"
He cut her off by suddenly gripping her arm, bringing her attention back to his face. He shook his head slowly. "T-Too... late... for that..." He choked out, spitting up large amounts of blood in the process.
"Don't say that! We'll save you! Just hold on!
He reached over with his other hand, the movement slow and obviously painful, and placed something into her palm. She curiously opened her hand to reveal a blood-stained piece of paper scrunched up into a ball. "What's this?"
"D-Darkness... save..." He managed before letting out a deep sigh. He went limp in her arms, his head rolling back and his eyes unseeing. His hat fell from his head and drifted down to the floor.
Dawn felt tears welling up in her eyes as she began to shake him. "No please... don't die..." When he didn't respond to her plea, she let the tears flow freely, slowly lowering his still form back to the ground.
Lucario began crawling towards them, battered and beaten but not dead. His gaze held such sadness that Dawn had to look away. "Master... no... you can't..." The Aura Pokemon reached Riley's corpse and nudged him, in the hopes of some sort of reaction. Getting none, the fighting-type roared his agony to the sky, letting his anguish be heard for miles around. When he could howl no more, he collapsed, falling unconscious from his overwhelming grief.
The bluenette gasped upon seeing him fall, darting over and laying her head against his back. "Not you too..." The steady beat of a heart eradicated her fears. "Thank Arceus..." Finding his Pokeball - which had rolled off nearby - she returned him before he could grow any weaker. "I'll save you... at the very least... Riley will live on through you." She wiped her eyes as she held the spherical device tightly, clearing away the tears. She had to be strong, they were still missing two people. There was time for grief later.
As she stood to alleviate herself from the crimson pool of life fluids escaping her long-time friend, the bluenette noticed something else. Another figure laid shadowed against the moonlit hill that she had somehow failed to see. Dawn felt a cold hand reach down her spine as her eyes adjusted to the gloom and Iris' body came into full view. Nearly dropping Lucario's Pokeball in shock, she quickly ran over to the other female companion of their group. "Not you too...!"
As she approached, she instantly knew the other girl was dead, the grievous wound through her torso impossible to survive. Hanging her head she cried for what felt like the millionth time, and a surging angered frustration surged through her body. "Why!? Why does this keep happening?! Why can I never do anything to help stop it?!" Sinking to the floor, she grabbed handfuls of grassy stalks tightly between her fingers. "Why am I so weak..."
Her shouts from earlier had attracted the attention of her remaining two party members, as Lati and Cilan both burst into the clearing, both looking around with concerned curiosity. When they saw Riley and the body Dawn was standing by, their faces fell in horror. "What in the world...?" Cilan gaped, too shocked to finish his sentence.
"Oh no..." Latias threw her hands to her mouth, running over to where the bluenette was. Cilan followed her silently, muted by the carnage.
Upon reaching the bluenette, Lati embraced her in a hug, casting a grimacing glance at the corpse of her friend below. "This is awful... Who could have done this?!" Something in her mind clicked and she surveyed the surrounding area once more, realizing there were only two bodies. "Where's Ash...?"
The question hung in the air like a loaded gun placed at your temples. Dawn said nothing, just keep facing the ground with her face shadowed. Beside her, Cilan kept respectfully out of her personal space, viewing everything with features as cold as stone.
"You don't think he?" The Eon Pokemon wondered, her eyes going wide. She quickly resorted to shaking her head, violently thrashing her skull side to side to clear the imposing thought. "No! That's not even worth entertaining!" She detached herself from Dawn and fell to the ground, holding herself and staring blankly at the Unovan native's body. "Surely... he couldn't have..."
The connoisseur sighed and turned away, not wanting to look upon the scene any longer. He'd already seen enough for the image to be burned into his memory forever. Trying to distract himself, he stared at the grass which shared the same color as his hair, watching vacantly as it swayed back and forth in the night's air. Something that wasn't grass caught his attention. Amidst the green carpet were fragments of painted wood, one side carved in a design lost when the object was shattered. Despite himself, he wandered over and picked it up, turning it over in his hands. There was something familiar about the piece, like he'd seen the whole somewhere before, but from the little he had, he couldn't be sure. Feeling like this was something crucial and the burning need to know what that was, he tasked himself with gathering the other parts he could find to try and puzzle together the mystery. It kept his thoughts occupied, at any rate.
The wooden splinters were everywhere now he noticed them, and it didn't take him long to gather enough to form a makeshift image of what it had once been. It was only a small part, but it was quite obvious what it'd come from. A mask. A draconic mask. The realization made the scene around them that much more dire. He turned back to face the two girls. "Hey... you should take a look at this..."
Walking over, he thrust the haphazardly reconstructed mask piece in front of them. They gasped upon seeing it, knowing it from what it was and where it had inevitably come from. "That's that cloaked guy's..." Lati trailed off, remembering their encounter at Mistralton.
Cilan nodded grimly. "The masked man was here... and he's more than likely responsible for..." he gestured around them, "this... Although why a fight broke out is beyond me." The connoisseur sighed deeply. "And with Ash nowhere to be found, I can only assume that he went with him... willingly or otherwise." He shook his head. "I wish we could've gotten here a little sooner and saw what transpired..."
Dawn found herself crying again, and cursed herself for being so weak. 'Cry. Cry. Cry. All I do is cry! I'm just a burden to everyone! I need to get stronger! Pull yourself together Dawn!' As she forced back her tears with mental strength alone, she remembered something. Reaching into her pocket, she retrieved the note that Riley had left her with his dying breath. She opened up the bloodied paper and presented it to the others.
"What's this?" Lati asked in between her own sobs, the whole ordeal tough on the Eon Legendary.
"Riley left it before he..." The bluenette trailed off, looking over at the elder Guardian where he lay. "His last words were 'Darkness... save...' and he handed me this. It may hold clues to help prove what happened here."
"Let me see." Cilan said, as Dawn handed him the message. One thing that was immediately obvious was that it had been written in blood, presumably the Guardians own. Moving past that, it seemed to have been written in some sort of code. Either that or Riley had suffered major blood loss and had lost his wits. The Gym Leader put his money on the former. "I can't make sense of it," he finally admitted after making no ground in deciphering it. "I assume he wrote it in a special code so that if Sir Aaron found it before we did, he wouldn't be able to read it."
The bluenette took a good look at it herself, and frowned. "'The tree has become poisoned with hate. Blame not the apple that falls.'"
"What does that mean?" Latias asked, her face screwed up in confusion.
"I don't know," Dawn shook her head sadly. "But it holds the clues to where Ash is, and I'll do my best to find him. I'll get as strong as it takes to bring him back."
"We're right here with you Dawn!" Lati exclaimed, pushing her sadness down.
"We'll bring him back together." Cilan added, resting a hand on her shoulder.
"Thanks," she smiled at them, before turning her attention to the heavens above, the black sky filled with countless shining lights. 'Hold on Ash... I'm coming for you. No matter where you go or what happens, I'll find you and bring you back! This I swear!'
A star shot across the sky to answer her mental proclamation. She gripped the note in her hand hard. They'd get stronger and find him, no matter what it took. But first, they had to bury their friends...
The End
And there you have it, the conclusion to part 1 of my story. I thank you all for the amazing journey, and I hope you stick around with me for the sequel.
I've had this ending in mind for a while now, as it sets up what I've already gotten planned for the second half of this perfectly. The sequel itself will be stand-alone, meaning that while its follows on from everything I've written here, It'll still be able to stand as its own story too. Regardless I'll put a recap before the first chapter so you can catch up on all the important parts prior without having to re-read the entire thing.
Expect the sequel to be published sometime during the summer, as I've a lot to prepare for and do in the coming months.
Until then guys! Peace out!