Pokémon: Masters
Chapter Fifteen – The Enemy Within
It was quiet in the forest. The only motion was the wind blowing through the leaves on the branches. Suddenly, the silence was broken when a small tree exploded.
"Nice shot," Brock commented as he looked through his binoculars.
"I was aiming for that rock right over," Ash sighed. He pointed to large boulder only a few feet away. "Guess I over shot it."
"Maybe we should get a little further away," Misty advised to Brock and Bill.
"Or wait until Sabrina arrives," Bill added.
"We don't have time to waste," Ash told them. "Serebi told me that HE could appear at any moment."
"If you rush your training," Brock replied, "you might end up destroying yourself in the process of fighting him."
"I couldn't agree more," Sabrina said as she walked up to them.
Tracey walked through the streets of Pallet searching for his prey. He felt unfamiliar with many of the things he came across on his hunt.
"How many centuries has passed since she imprisoned me," he said to himself as he passed May Oak.
"Good morning, Tracey," she greeted.
"Greetings," he replied as he walked on.
May was surprised by his reaction. She often felt that he had a crush on her because he was tried to draw pictures of her.
"Tracey, is everything all right?" she asked.
"I am a bit confused," he admitted. "Can you tell me how to get to Pokémopolis?"
"The ruins?" May replied. "It's about a mile west of here."
"My thanks," Tracey said as he followed her directions.
"Weird," May commented as Tracey walked off.
Inside Tracey's mind, the shadow had Tracey chained to a wall. In what would have been its hand was a long whip.
Stop resisting, the shadow shouted to Tracey. Just tell me what I want to know!
Tracey struggled to avoid whip. He knew the shadow controlled his body, but it was not going to get his mind without a fight.
"Never," he snapped back.
I swear I'll destroy this measly village if you don't tell me where Destiny is!
Tracey gulped at that threat. He believed the creature was quite capable of fulfilling that promise.
"I don't know where Ash is," he replied.
Ash? the shadow questioned. Is that what she calls herself now?
"She?" Tracey said now puzzled.
She must be Destiny no more, the shadow commented to itself. Another has taken her place.
The shadow glared at Tracey.
I have no more time for games, boy, it snapped at him. Give me your mind!
Tracey screamed in pain as the shadow once again whipped him into submission.
"Concentrate, Ash," Sabrina instructed.
"Shouldn't we be working on large stuff," Ash complained. "I don't think lifting a pebble will stop this thing."
"First, you must learn to control the power," Sabrina replied. "Once you can do that, size doesn't matter."
"What ever you say," Ash said as he glared at the pebble. It slowly began to rise off the ground.
"Yes," Sabrina commented.
Ash felt a bit cocky at the show of power and began to left a smaller boulder as well.
"Careful, Ash," Sabrina warned. "You don't want to overdo it."
"Like you said," Ash smirked as he began to left her off the ground as well, "size matters not."
"That's not what I meant," Sabrina reminded him as he joined the other floating objects.
"This is fun," Ash said as he began to make them go in circles.
"PUT ME DOWN NOW!" Sabrina screamed.
"You said I needed to learn control," Ash reminded her. "What better way than complicated movements."
"I WILL NOT SAY IT AGAIN!" Sabrina screamed back.
"Spoil sport," Ash sighed as he lowered her.
Once her feet were on the ground, she walked over to Ash and smacked him.
"DON'T YOU EVER DO THAT AGAIN!" she screamed in his ear.
"And I thought Misty was bad about that," he sighed.
Will you cooperate now? the shadow asked Tracey.
"Never," he huffed.
Maybe I will have to find another means of persuasion, the shadow told him as in the mist a pictured formed of three pokéballs.
An injured Scyther, a Marril, and a Venonat, the shadow told him. You get to pick which one I destroy.
"Leave them alone!" Tracey yelled at his captor.
I think the Scyther since it is past its prime, the shadow commented. I would really be doing it a favor.
"All right," Tracey sighed. "I'll tell you what you want to know."
I knew you would see it my way, the shadow replied.
Ash, Misty, and Brock were fast asleep in a guestroom in the Saffron gym. Bill said he wanted to go back to his lighthouse since he failed to get much information on Serebi.
Pikachu had released their pokémon and decided they needed to know what was going on.
*So Serebi is real,* Bulbasaur commented. *It's good to know that the time pokémon is a grass type.*
*That's not what I wanted to tell you,* Pikachu replied. *Something big is going to happen.*
*Like what?* Squirtle asked.
*HE is back,* Pikachu told them. They were silent until Charizard spoke.
*Is Ash ready?*
*I hope so,* Pikachu said as he looked up at the night stars. *I seriously hope so.*
Tracey stepped over the unconscious body of Dr. Eve's assistant. So far, he taken out most of her team, but he failed to find what he was looking for. He walked in the direction of the Destiny Temple when he meet the only remaining member of the expedition.
"Oh, hi, Tracey," a voice called out from the ruins.
"Hello, Dr. Eve," he replied.
"What brings you here?"
"Prof. Oak thinks he might know some more about the carving in the Destiny Temple," he lied. "I was sent to make some sketches."
"Fine," Eve replied. "I better go with you."
"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Tracey said as black energy was released from his fingertips.
As he walked away from Dr. Eve, he could not help but smile at the weakness of humans.
"Soon, I will be rid of them all," he laughed as he entered the temple.
While Ash and Sabrina continued his training, Brock and Misty were at a park with Pikachu and Togepi.
"I'm worried, Brock," Misty told her older friend. "I'm really afraid Ash is going to get hurt."
"Don't worry," Brock replied. "He has us with him."
"But he said that both Mew and Serebi could take on this thing," she reminded him. "What if he's not strong enough."
"Misty, he has taken on Mewtwo, Titans, Team Rocket, and countless other challenges," Brock told her. "He'll do just fine."
"That's what you think," a new voice replied.
Both looked and saw Tracey coming to join them.
"Why are you here?" Misty asked. "And what did you mean by that?"
"It's a pity I can't destroy you now," Tracey replied. "But you will make excellent bait."
Before either Brock or Misty could saw another word, Tracey knocked them both unconscious.
"Pikachu?!" Pikachu screamed when he saw what Tracey did to his friends.
"Go tell Destiny that I'll be waiting for him here," Tracey instructed the pokémon.
Pikachu ran off to find Ash, leaving Brock and Misty with Tracey.
"You seem ready to take on me," Sabrina commented, "but is that enough for this thing you've been talking about?"
"I don't know," Ash replied.
He was about to continue with some teleporting when Pikachu came running up to him.
*Ash, HE is here,* Pikachu said in between breaths. *HE has Misty and Brock.*
But just as Ash was about to take off, Pikachu continued, *Tracey is HIS body.*
You've done well, the shadow congratulated Tracey. I would never have thought I claim a friend of Destiny.
"Ash will beat you," Tracey snapped at him.
But he has to go through you to do it, the shadow reminded him. I doubt he will have the stomach to hurt his own friend.
The shadow let out a laugh that sent chills through Tracey.
Maybe I should use the girl instead, the shadow laughed. If he can't harm his friends, what will he do if it was his love?
"You leave her alone," Tracey yelled at the shadow. "You have what you want."
He is here, the shadow said as he turned away from his captive.
"So, it's true," Tracey smirked as he saw Ash approach. "There is a new Destiny."
"Tracey, listen to me," Ash pleaded. "This thing is evil."
"Sorry," Tracey continued to smirk, "but Tracey ain't here."
Tracey formed a ball of black energy in his hand and sent it to Ash. Ash managed to dodge it, but it hit a tree, causing it to explode. The force of explosion sent Ash flying toward his unconscious friends.
"Let the destruction begin," Tracey laughed.
"Tracey," Ash began to plead again, "don't do this."
"Hearing say that as you die will make this so much more enjoyable," Tracey laughed.
"You leave me no choice then," Ash sighed. "I will have to destroy you both."
Ash's eyes turned gold as he began to form a energy ball of his own.
"So it must be," Tracey replied as his own eyes turned blood red.