Chapter 10
Sacred Ash
'Till the end I will be with you. We will go where our dreams come true. All the times that we have been through, you will always be my best friend.'
Weiss paced the floor of the empty waiting room, muttering prayers and curses to herself sometimes in the same breath. She had been given clean clothes to wear by a thoughtful nurse since her own had been ruined, but she had done little to wash the mud, blood, and soot from her hair and face since arriving at the hospital.
Her entire body ached from countless injuries, but even when she'd been bleeding on the floor of the emergency room, she had refused any assistance until she was assured that Ruby was receiving the best care possible. The pain she should've felt never quite caught up with her, and was now being dulled by painkillers which also served to slow her mind. Everything hurt, and every muscle felt on the verge of tearing just like her stitches, but every time she sat down she'd quickly stand back up again and pace around the room like a caged animal.
She hadn't answered any of the staffs' questions as to why she and her traveling companion were in such terrible shape, except to say they'd been attacked by a Gyarados. That didn't explain remotely half of their questions, but she hadn't said anything else. Combined with her barely flinching when they stitched her up and treated her burns, her silence was taken as a sign of being in shock.
A room had been prepared for her but she refused to be anywhere but with Ruby. The only reason they weren't together at that very moment was because important tests were being done, and a particularly brave nurse hadn't cared about Weiss being a Schnee and ordered her to wait outside the ICU.
The last time she had seen Ruby, she'd been hooked up to a breathing machine and several IVs all labeled SDC. Weiss prayed her company's medical equipment was state of the art like they proclaimed, but unfortunately such expensive equipment tended to be built by the lowest bidder, and the SDC's reputation for quality products had taken a dip since her father took over.
"I'm sorry, Ruby," she kept repeating. "This is all my fault..."
There were several floor to ceiling windows in the tiny waiting room but Weiss was mostly ignorant of the passage of time. It was dark out, but it had been dark when they arrived at the hospital. A cup of coffee had been poured to help warm her and keep her awake, but it had gone unnoticed and had long since cooled.
"Weiss!"
She looked up, recognizing the familiar voice, and despite her blurry vision she was just able to make out the teenage girl with magenta pigtails and an Espeon running toward her.
"Sakura?" Weiss asked, hardly believing her eyes. She tried to run to her but paused and found herself wanting to dig a hole and hide instead.
"What's going on? I-" She came to an abrupt halt in front of Weiss, noticing the baggy nurse's outfit that obviously didn't belong to her, as well as the numerous injuries that she didn't bother hiding. Even her scarred eye seemed more prominent despite looking as though she'd crawled out of a coal mine. "Oh my God, Weiss! What happened? W-where's Ruby?"
As the name left her lips, the barrier protecting Weiss' mind from the flood of emotions broke like one of the many levees in Mahogany Town, and she wrapped her arms around Sakura, crying almost hysterically into her shoulder.
Sakura held her and found herself crying as well, fear and worry giving way to anguish and horror. They held one another for several long, agonizing moments before Sakura finally pulled away, unable to continue breathing without knowing why exactly they were in a waiting room outside the ICU.
"How bad is she?"
Weiss shook her head. "I-I don't know..."
"Don't know?" Sakura nearly shouted. "Weiss, you look like you were mauled by an Ursaring!" She covered her gaping mouth. "If you're this bad waiting out here, how bad is Ruby in there?"
Before she could answer, Sakura started to cry again, and Weiss nearly collapsed, barely able to support her own weight, much less someone larger than herself.
"Gyarados," Weiss whispered.
"What?"
"A red Gyarados attacked us. Or actually, I attacked it. I wanted to capture it, but even after my Pokémon hit it with everything they had, all we managed to do was make it angry. The Pokémon, oh God, the Pokémon..."
Weiss hung her head and covered her face, and not knowing what else to do, Sakura cried with her until they both ran out of tears and began to dry heave. Weiss helpfully pointed out a nearby trash can in case she should need it.
"Ledian, Togetic, Eevee-" Sakura shook her head in disbelief. "Meganium and Scizor. Are they alright? Are the Pokémon alright?"
Weiss had to concentrate as if trying to decipher a foreign language, but upon nodding Sakura's legs gave out and Weiss had to use the last of her remaining strength to catch her. She helped Sakura to a seat and instinctively glanced around to make sure they were alone. Weiss didn't particularly care if anyone saw her crying at the moment, but her Schnee instincts still told her to do it privately.
Weiss looked down and noticed for the first time that Sakura was wearing a pink unitard with a purple sash around her waist. Her shoes were simple house slippers, the kind that many traditional Johto households still insisted on wearing indoors. She wasn't wearing makeup and looked as though she had left in the middle of dance practice, and afterward ran a marathon in the rain.
"Ruby and I were traveling around Mt. Mortar looking for, well-" she paused, deciding it was better not to mention Ruby looking for a Marill- "it doesn't matter. The point is we got lost and wandered near Lake of Rage. It started raining which is what alerted us, but then we saw a battle taking place in the distance and decided to investigate. That's how we ended up meeting Gym Leader Pryce and Champion Lance.
Sakura's eyes widened, and Weiss nodded, having difficulty believing it herself in hindsight. She also cursed herself for ever thinking she could've been any help to the two Pokémon Masters, and also for volunteering Ruby and herself for the assignment.
"They said that Team Rocket had created some sort of radio signal that was forcing all the Magikarp to evolve and become enraged. Apparently the situation only got worse when Lance turned the signal off. That's when the Gyarados started going berserk and attacking everything they saw." She took a deep breath. Talking seemed to be helping, but she still kept glancing at the trash can despite having long since emptied the contents of her stomach.
Sakura nodded absently. "It happens from time to time. The Gyarados attacking people, I mean. I saw it on the news but they didn't say anything about Team Rocket or this time being any different than usual. I guess that explains the checkpoint telling us to turn back before we got into town. Sayo and I just thought it was because of the flooding, but we didn't exactly slow down to find out."
"Masters Pryce and Lance told us it was too dangerous," Weiss continued, hardly hearing her. "They told us the risks were too high, but I talked them into letting us patrol the perimeter while they continued driving into the heart of Lake of Rage. Ruby was scared but I talked her into coming with me. Actually, I forced her to come. I threatened to leave her behind, and I even threatened to tell Pryce, Lance, and Dragonite that she was a coward if she didn't follow me..."
*sniff*
Sakura wrapped an arm around her, hesitating only for a moment, and Weiss shed a few more tears before continuing. "They sent us on our way, and a few hours later the rain signaled that we were getting close to a pod of Gyarados. Turns out there was only one." She closed her eyes and hung her head. "I thought I was being so clever. I was going to catch it and impress two world champions, and then I was going to use it to win the Silver Conference. I'm nothing but a fool just like Father always says..."
She glanced up and met Sakura's gaze. "I made the worst mistake a trainer can make, and I'm the worst friend anybody could ever have. What I did is unforgivable, and I don't even deserve to call myself a trainer or a friend."
"Don't say that," Sakura snapped, shaking her. "You're in bad enough shape as it is. You don't need your conscience torturing yourself too. You're one of the best trainers I've ever met, and I've never seen Pokémon so loyal to their trainer. You couldn't have known this was going to happen."
Weiss shook her head. "You don't understand, Sakura. You weren't there. The red Gyarados, it wasn't a Pokémon. It was a monster. Ruby knew from the very beginning we couldn't beat it, and the only reason she stayed was because she knew I'd get myself or my Pokémon killed if she didn't. I owe her my life, but more importantly, I owe her the lives of my Pokémon."
"H-how are they?"
"They're being treated at the Pokémon Center. Ruby's have some minor injuries and can barely stand without collapsing, but Nurse Joy said they'd be alright. M-mine weren't so lucky..."
Sakura shuddered and shut her eyes, saying a silent prayer and also trying to imagine how a single Gyarados could cause so much devastation on its own.
"Ruby actually caught it if you can believe it, but I left its Pokéball in the forest. It can die there from its wounds or starvation for all I care. After what it did to Ruby-" her voice cracked and more tears streamed down her cheeks.
When her eyes finally dried they had a far away look to them, and beside her Sakura's body tensed. "Two of Lance's Dragonair saved me, but one of them was badly hurt in the process. It might even be dead, I'm not sure. I held onto Ruby while Rapidash carried us to Mahogany Town and the hospital. I don't know how Rapidash was able to make it, but she did, and afterward she passed out in the emergency room. There's a Pokémon Center on the other side of the hospital, and I don't think I've ever seen a Nurse Joy angrier than when she saw the sorry state of my Pokémon. I won't blame her in the slightest if she reports me to the Pokémon League. They deserve a better trainer anyway..."
Sakura listened in silence as Weiss talked mindlessly about all that had happened since arriving. She wanted to comfort the girl despite knowing it wouldn't do any good, so instead asked the only question currently on her mind. "Weiss, I'm sorry but I have to ask. What exactly happened to Ruby?"
Weiss wiped her eyes and sniffled. "Ruby, she was trying to protect me. She tried reasoning with the Gyarados before it killed us, and it sent her flying over treetops and into a wall of fire with a swipe from its tail..."
Sakura covered her mouth to stifle a scream. Before she could speak or mourn however, Weiss grabbed her hand. "I'm so sorry, Sakura. This is all my fault. If you want someone to blame, blame me. You could never hate me more than I hate myself right now."
The two sat quietly, holding hands and shedding what few tears they had remaining. Sakura was silent throughout, but squeezed Weiss' hand and kept an arm around her. "I'm not mad," she said at last, "and I don't care whose fault it is. All I care about is you, Ruby, and the Pokémon, and it sounds like you're the one who saved them in the end."
"I'm the reason they're here in the first place."
Sakura squeezed her hand until it hurt, and Weiss looked up to see her frowning. "Gyarados did this to them, not you. If I thought any of this was your fault I'd put you in the ICU myself, but it's not, and I'm not going to. And don't you dare even think about hurting yourself either."
"I-I wasn't, I mean-" Weiss quickly looked away. "How did you know to come here?" She asked, the question coming to her suddenly.
Sakura wiped her eyes and pointed at Espeon lying on the chair across from them. "We were in the middle of dance practice when she sent me a psychic message saying something was wrong. Espeon can sometimes see glimpses of the future, kinda like Togetic using Future Sight, only more precise. Sayo saw us leave and started the car. Something told me to try and call Ruby, and I must've tried a hundred times but she never answered, a-and I never asked for your phone number."
She gave Weiss an apologetic smile but the heiress shook her head. "Lake of Rage was saturated with radiation by Team Rocket's radio signal. Her Pokégear and my cellphone weren't working, and this wasn't the sort of thing that can be discussed over the phone."
Sakura nodded and looked back down. "I suppose you're right. I knew something terrible must've happened for Espeon to be acting so strangely. I was crying before we even got in the car, and I cried the whole way here. I practically broke down when I realized where Espeon was taking us..."
They sat quietly for a little while, listening to the rain beating on the windows behind them while the hospital staff went in and out of the ICU without giving the pair so much as a second glance. Weiss' partially charred backpack sat at her feet, and without thinking she leaned forward and started rummaging through it. She'd been too weak and Ruby's pack too badly damaged to try and carry it back, so she had piled everything Ruby owned into her own after making room.
Eventually she found what she was looking for and held a closed fist toward Sakura. "I'd already decided I didn't want anybody knowing about this, not even Ruby, but you deserve to know the truth, Sakura. You're her real best friend, and unless I'm mistaken, this belongs to you..."
Weiss opened her hand revealing a dull gray feather covered in ash. "I don't fully understand what happened, but it has something to do with your Rainbow Wing."
Sakura's breath caught, and her hands shook as she accepted the ashen wing, treating it with the same reverence a holy item might receive.
"This is Sacred Ash," she whispered. "It's what's left behind when Ho-Oh's flames resurrect the dead. How-" Her eyes widened and the feather gently floated down onto the floor.
Weiss produced from her pack a tattered red cloak stained with blood, looking as though it'd been pulled out of a fire too late. More importantly to Sakura however, it was covered in ash, so much so that it piled underneath them as Weiss transferred it to her.
Espeon awoke, the gem on its forehead shimmering with psychic energy despite it being dark out, and after receiving a stunned look from her trainer, Sakura buried her face in the ashen cloak and wept.
Weiss picked the Rainbow Wing off the floor and held it in her hands with the same reverence as Sakura. Her eyes were distant however, and although the last time she had seen Ruby she'd been breathing, all she saw in that waiting room was a crumbled body lying in a crimson pool...
Heavy raindrops pelted Weiss as her knees sunk deeper into the mud. All she could do was stare at the lifeless, nearly unrecognizable body of her best friend, repulsed but also unable to look away.
Weiss stared for what felt like hours until the distraught cries of the Pokémon finally shook her out of her trance. "I'm sorry," she said, addressing each of them. "This is all my fault."
None of Ruby's Pokémon acknowledged her, but feeling an icy presence, she looked up and saw Froslass standing beside her, fully corporeal and having difficulty standing. She threw herself down at her faithful companion's feet. "Please, Froslass," she begged. "You can save her! You can bring her spirit back and-"
The ghost shook its head and pointed at the body, specifically the blood gathered around it and the unnatural position it was lying in. Even if Ruby's spirit returned, her body was beyond salvaging. Trapping her soul in her body as it was now would be a fate worse than death, and a terrible sin that even the most malicious ghosts wouldn't dare commit.
Tears fell from Weiss' eyes, blurring them even further. On her hands and knees she crawled through the mud toward her best friend. She reached out and rubbed Meganium's snout but the Pokémon continued breathing onto Ruby's face to the point she was hyperventilating with barely any air coming out.
"I'm sorry, Meganium," her voice cracked, "but I don't think that's going to bring her back." The gentle giant was shaking but Ruby cradled in her vines remained motionless. All around them wildflowers were sprouting into existence, called to life by Meganium's mournful cries which the entire forest heard and acknowledged.
A haunting chime caught Weiss' attention, and she looked down to see Togetic using Heal Bell. She was about to lay a hand on the tiny fairy when she heard electricity crackling, and saw Ledian trying to restart Ruby's heart with Thunder Punch.
The Pokémon all tried again, and again, and again to no avail...
All but Scizor that is who merely stood and stared at his trainer with a look of disbelief on his face.
"I'm sorry, everyone," Weiss said, "but she's gone."
Ledian looked up at her, and Weiss broke into hysterical sobs seeing the large eyes looking back at her. Asking her, pleading with her to please make their master, best friend, and mother better. To fix her and make everything in the world right again.
Weiss laid down on top of them, shielding them as well as Ruby from the rain. She tried to speak, to apologize and say things she should've already, but could only speak in unintelligible sobs and whimpers. She cried until she was sick, and continued to cry until the misery and sadness was replaced by emptiness, followed sometime later by something new and unfamiliar.
She couldn't describe the strange sensation she felt, but somewhere in the back of her mind, her trainer senses warned her of danger and that she shouldn't be here. The wind had shifted from the east to the north, though she was barely conscious of it, and the rain around them was falling as if in slow motion.
Weiss wiped her eyes and saw that all her Pokémon had gathered around, using each other for support and barely able to stand, but staring at something deeper in the forest. Ruby's Pokémon also sensed it, and had all but forgotten their trainer.
She grimaced as the wind stung her face, but her eyes widened when she saw a blue aura walking toward her. It was like living water, the rain manifesting itself into a body, but gradually she was able to make out its shape. It walked on four legs and was taller than both Meganium and Empoleon, and had a purple mane not unlike a cape. Two white streamers danced around its body like waves on the ocean, but nothing was more startling or magnificent than the diamond shaped crest atop its head glowing like the northern lights.
"Suicune," Weiss murmured, thinking back to the paintings and folk tales she had seen and heard while in Ecruteak. She hadn't paid much attention to the stories at the time since they had all seemed so unbelievable and contradictory, but now all the stories seemed to be true despite still failing to capture the legendary beast's true majesty.
All the Pokémon bowed their heads or knelt before it, and her own Pokémon parted so it could pass. As Suicune drew nearer, its aura lessened so that Weiss could see its true appearance, and her breath caught seeing several day old wounds, as well as terrible burns it had gotten only recently.
She realized that deep down a part of her had been angry it had only decided to appear now that the battle was over, but Suicune's injuries were even worse than those of her own Pokémon, and its burns might've explained why the wall of dragon fire had been extinguished so suddenly and allowed the Dragonair to come to her rescue.
'It came to rescue the Pokémon,' she corrected herself, remembering the myths.
Walking atop the water, the legendary beast paused and motioned for Weiss to get out of its way, but Scizor staggered in between Suicune and his fallen trainer. The crimson mantis opened its pincers to try and intimidate its much larger foe, but Suicune's eyes lit up, and Weiss heard a beautiful, song-like voice in her mind. It wasn't quite a voice, not really, but there were words she could almost understand.
'Your master has been found worthy,' the voice seemed to say, or very nearly.
Scizor stole a glance back at Ruby, and reluctantly joined the others, it's pincers remaining partially open. After setting Ruby down gently on a bed of flowers, Meganium guided Weiss a safe distance away with her vines while Ledian and Togetic kissed Ruby one final time before taking to the air, hovering just above her. Weiss wanted to ask what was happening, why it was happening, but her heart was firmly lodged in her throat and she was finding it difficult to even breathe.
Suicune approached, not giving Weiss or the other Pokémon a second glance. It stood over the lifeless human, the wind whipping Ruby's tattered cape and seared hair, and nudged her backpack which had been torn open, possibly from the Pokémon releasing themselves. From within, every color of the rainbow filled the air, as well as some that Weiss didn't recognize or have a name for. She stared in awe, not noticing the rain had stopped or clouds parting overhead, and the radiance was met from above by a rainbow that blinded her and the Pokémon.
Weiss shielded her eyes and squinted, just able to make out Ruby and Suicune's silhouettes, and screamed when the lifeless body caught fire. "Stop!" She fought Meganium's vines but they held strong, and although it felt like an eternity watching her best friend burn, within moments the flames died and the rainbow faded. Weiss turned away, unable to look, and covered her nose and mouth to protect herself from the smell of burning hair and flesh. Gradually however she began to realize the fragrance was actually pleasant, almost heavenly even.
She finally looked up and gasped upon seeing Ruby lying in an uncomfortable but no longer impossible position. Smoke rose from her half-naked body, but instead of being covered in burns, bruises, and open wounds, she was instead covered in ash. Perhaps most miraculously however, Ruby was breathing again, albeit just barely.
Ledian and Togetic immediately landed and curled up with their trainer, and Suicune towering above them abruptly turned to leave. 'My master has done all that he can. She's in her God's hands now.'
As Suicune passed and Meganium withdrew her vines, Weiss reached out to touch its watery hide but yelped and withdrew her hand as if having touched a hot stove. The legendary beast glanced at her out of the corner of its eye, and Weiss felt hate and anger as she had never felt it before. Not even back home.
"I'm sorry," she stuttered, falling to her knees and bowing. "I'm sorry. T-thank you." She continued to apologize and give her thanks, but when she looked up again, Suicune was already gone, and a moment later the rain returned and pummeled her once more.
Blinking, unsure whether it had all been a dream or not, she turned to Ruby whose chest was slowly rising and descending. Her Pokémon had gathered around her again, all but Scizor, weeping but this time for joy. Weiss crawled over to them and watched in fascination as the ash was slowly washed away to reveal pink skin not unlike that of a newborn.
Crying, Weiss wrapped Ruby in her cape and cradled her in her arms. "I'm so sorry, Ruby. I swear I'll make this up to you..."
(A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I decided to do something a little different this chapter and tell Ruby's resurrection as a flashback. Ruby dying and being immediately brought back to life just seemed to lose some of its power, and I thought flashing forward and seeing someone else's reaction would be a good compromise. The reader knows that Ruby's not dead, but you're not sure how, and you get another character's reaction to learning Ruby has been hospitalized only to find out she actually died. Only then do we find out what exactly happened to her. I hope both scenes carried the weight they deserve, and I hope you enjoyed my take on a Pokémon resurrection which isn't uncommon in the series.
In my original outline for "The Road You Choose", Sakura was merely a supporting character and more like Ruby's acquittance, but as the story evolved I needed someone to be supportive of Ruby and combative with Weiss, and here I needed someone to interact with Weiss and also react to Ruby's hospitalization. Sakura was the logical choice, but especially since it involves Ho-Oh, Suicune, and the Rainbow Wing that's been in her family for generations. You may remember Espeon thought giving it to Ruby was a good idea, and the Pokédex states that Espeon can see glimpses of the future, so make of that as you will. Espeon may have simply thought that Ruby would make better use of it, or perhaps she knew how this was going to play out from the beginning. I really enjoy giving Ghost and Psychic Pokémon an "otherworldly" feel to them, and I hope that's been portrayed well in this narrative. I also decided to give Suicune limited telepathic powers since it can learn several psychic attacks, and I figured with the mission it was given by Ho-Oh, reading minds and being able to communicate (in limited capacity) with humans would be necessary. I don't want EVERY legendary to have telepathy like in the anime, but many of them being able to communicate their intentions made sense to me.
Also, I liken Sakura seeing Sacred Ash to a religious experience. The last time anybody held Sacred Ash may very well have been when Raikou, Entei, and Suicune were resurrected, and the Kimono Girls were/are servants of Ho-Oh. I'd imagine Sakura's going to be looking at Ruby with some reverence from now on, but we'll see. I hope you enjoy the coming chapters. Thank you for all the love and support.
All credit goes to my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who has blessed me with this story and wonderful readers such as yourself. God bless)