* WASTELAND *
~~~Chapter Two - First Cracks in a Heart of Stone ~~~
Pewter City. A dull, dank, grimy hellhole of a city located on a strip of once-fertile, now barren and blasted plateau a mile from a mutated jungle. Bombed streets and bullet-ridden buildings were all that remained of the once-bustling, busy little town.
Ash paced through the empty streets, dust swirling from his feet to claw at his throat with relentless fingers. His dead eyes scanned restlessly for danger, real or imagined. The Firedogs trailed him uncertainly. Once, this place had been their base of operations, but then the Rockslides had come and claimed it.
"The gypsies return," Oak muttered, still nursing the bad burn across his face. He glared at the back of the Firedog leader's head, though with more fear than actual rage. "Fuckin' wasteland. Why are we here?"
Flame detached herself from the shadow of the scarred Rapidash she went nowhere without. "Lookin' fer anothah burn, Oak?" she purred maliciously. Her smile was insanity personified. "One word to Ash, an' yah can have a matchin' one right here." A heavily lacquered fingernail emerged from deep in her cloak to trace a nail down his uninjured cheek.
"Fuck off," Oak snarled, and slapped her hand away from his face. Flame cackled as Ash turned around, then stopped dead, turning white as the leader focussed on her.
"What did we talk about, Lara?" Ash inquired calmly.
Flame ducked her head, her entire body quivering with the humiliation of being called by her old name, a sign of dishonor in this pack. "Sorry," she murmured.
Ash nodded once, his eyes meeting Oak's without emotion. "Come here, Oak," he intoned. Fearing for his life, Oak moved to join his leader at the head of the pack. "What?"
Ash gestured at the deserted buildings. "There's someone up ahead."
"And what do you want me to do about it? Run like a fool and distract them? No fuckin' way. Christ."
Ash slid him a sidelong look. "Watch youself, Gary. We were friends once, but now you're here on sufferance." He looked back up the street. "I no longer have any friends." Moving suddenly, he strode up the street, calling out, "Stone! I know you're out there!"
For a long moment, there was no answer, and the Firedogs bunched together in a protective circle. Then, a light flickered on from the direction in which the Gym once stood. "Ash! Hell you doin' back in town? I thought Stone ran you out!" called a woman's voice.
Ash fingered the small scar in his eyebrow, his whole bearing changing as he recognized the voice. "Shuri!" he called out in return, something that defied definition in his voice. "Shuriken Kasai. It's been ages."
A woman strode into view, with long brown hair and bitter silver eyes. Her mouth was twisted in cruelty, and her expression sadistic. "Hello again, Ash," she said quietly, and something undefinable flashed through her eyes. "Haven't seen you since the Magnificent Seven. I'm called Star now."
Oak nudged Rain. "Who's that?" he asked quietly, looking Star up and down.
Rain's mouth curled in anger. "That's Shuriken Kasai. Star, now, I guess." Rage and loathing filled her voice. "She used to run a gym in the Elemental League to the West of the Johto. The Aqua Sea Island Gym, I believe."
Oak whistled in approval. "I've heard of her. Isn't she the only one to have gone through the Rainbow League, beat the Magnificent Seven?"
Rain nodded in disgust. "That's the first time Ash left me...to tag along with that....cow. That...bitch." A cynical smile. "She has more of an attachment on him than I do. Than I ever did." A self-satisfied smile now. "Her gym, her brother Kingin, and her cousin Eisei were all destroyed when the nukes hit the Island." Her expression said, "And good job too."
"Star," Ash was saying in a dispassionate voice. "Whatever." Whatever it had been that had flashed through Ash, real emotion, memory...it disappeared as rapidly as it had come. "Where's Stone?"
The look faded from Star's eyes, replaced by smouldering anger. "In the deepest, darkest pit I could find to put him in." Her fingers came up to her face to trace the long, deep scar half-hidden by her hairline. "Why?"
Ash shrugged. "Unfinished business," he said.
Star smiled, an unpleasant combination of eyes and teeth. "You were going to pay him back for what he did to me."
"Maybe. Maybe not."
Star laughed quietly. "You're too late, hon." Her laugh turned ugly, and she pointed up at the top of the shell of the Gym. Ash's eyes - and indeed, all the eyes of the Firedogs who were patiently waiting out the conversation -- followed her finger upwards...
...to see Stone's empty-eyed skull decorating a pike on the roof.
Rain gagged and spun away, retching as her stomach tried to upchuck the small, meagre breakfast she'd consumed earlier. "Christ," she cursed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "She gets worse and worse every time I meet her."
"He didn't deserve to live," Star said quietly. She turned on her heel and touched the scar on her forehead again. "See ya round, Ash."
"Wait!"
Star and Rain both froze at the same time. Star twisted back around, her eyebrow raised. Rain stared agape at Ash, who was standing uncertainly with his arm stretched out. "Star...no...Shuri. Come with us."
Star tilted her head quizzically. "Say again? Why?"
Ash looked back at his waiting pack, and his gaze seemed to linger on Rain. When he turned back to Star, his eyes held the first hint of emotion he'd displayed in six long years. "Because I've missed you," he said simply.
"That bitch!" Rain seethed, her hands clenching into fists by her side. "That filthy, fat, sellskirt bitch!"
"What's your problem, Rain?" Oak asked acidly, idly rubbing the back of his neck.
She raised her eyes to watch Star and Ash, they were filled with hatred. "She's done it again. She did, not me. Why does it always have to be her?"
Flame, always knowing the right moment to interfere and make things worse, cackled from underneath her Rapidash. "Rain's problem is that, after all the things she's tried, it wasn't her that made Ash want to live again."
~~~Chapter Two - First Cracks in a Heart of Stone ~~~
Pewter City. A dull, dank, grimy hellhole of a city located on a strip of once-fertile, now barren and blasted plateau a mile from a mutated jungle. Bombed streets and bullet-ridden buildings were all that remained of the once-bustling, busy little town.
Ash paced through the empty streets, dust swirling from his feet to claw at his throat with relentless fingers. His dead eyes scanned restlessly for danger, real or imagined. The Firedogs trailed him uncertainly. Once, this place had been their base of operations, but then the Rockslides had come and claimed it.
"The gypsies return," Oak muttered, still nursing the bad burn across his face. He glared at the back of the Firedog leader's head, though with more fear than actual rage. "Fuckin' wasteland. Why are we here?"
Flame detached herself from the shadow of the scarred Rapidash she went nowhere without. "Lookin' fer anothah burn, Oak?" she purred maliciously. Her smile was insanity personified. "One word to Ash, an' yah can have a matchin' one right here." A heavily lacquered fingernail emerged from deep in her cloak to trace a nail down his uninjured cheek.
"Fuck off," Oak snarled, and slapped her hand away from his face. Flame cackled as Ash turned around, then stopped dead, turning white as the leader focussed on her.
"What did we talk about, Lara?" Ash inquired calmly.
Flame ducked her head, her entire body quivering with the humiliation of being called by her old name, a sign of dishonor in this pack. "Sorry," she murmured.
Ash nodded once, his eyes meeting Oak's without emotion. "Come here, Oak," he intoned. Fearing for his life, Oak moved to join his leader at the head of the pack. "What?"
Ash gestured at the deserted buildings. "There's someone up ahead."
"And what do you want me to do about it? Run like a fool and distract them? No fuckin' way. Christ."
Ash slid him a sidelong look. "Watch youself, Gary. We were friends once, but now you're here on sufferance." He looked back up the street. "I no longer have any friends." Moving suddenly, he strode up the street, calling out, "Stone! I know you're out there!"
For a long moment, there was no answer, and the Firedogs bunched together in a protective circle. Then, a light flickered on from the direction in which the Gym once stood. "Ash! Hell you doin' back in town? I thought Stone ran you out!" called a woman's voice.
Ash fingered the small scar in his eyebrow, his whole bearing changing as he recognized the voice. "Shuri!" he called out in return, something that defied definition in his voice. "Shuriken Kasai. It's been ages."
A woman strode into view, with long brown hair and bitter silver eyes. Her mouth was twisted in cruelty, and her expression sadistic. "Hello again, Ash," she said quietly, and something undefinable flashed through her eyes. "Haven't seen you since the Magnificent Seven. I'm called Star now."
Oak nudged Rain. "Who's that?" he asked quietly, looking Star up and down.
Rain's mouth curled in anger. "That's Shuriken Kasai. Star, now, I guess." Rage and loathing filled her voice. "She used to run a gym in the Elemental League to the West of the Johto. The Aqua Sea Island Gym, I believe."
Oak whistled in approval. "I've heard of her. Isn't she the only one to have gone through the Rainbow League, beat the Magnificent Seven?"
Rain nodded in disgust. "That's the first time Ash left me...to tag along with that....cow. That...bitch." A cynical smile. "She has more of an attachment on him than I do. Than I ever did." A self-satisfied smile now. "Her gym, her brother Kingin, and her cousin Eisei were all destroyed when the nukes hit the Island." Her expression said, "And good job too."
"Star," Ash was saying in a dispassionate voice. "Whatever." Whatever it had been that had flashed through Ash, real emotion, memory...it disappeared as rapidly as it had come. "Where's Stone?"
The look faded from Star's eyes, replaced by smouldering anger. "In the deepest, darkest pit I could find to put him in." Her fingers came up to her face to trace the long, deep scar half-hidden by her hairline. "Why?"
Ash shrugged. "Unfinished business," he said.
Star smiled, an unpleasant combination of eyes and teeth. "You were going to pay him back for what he did to me."
"Maybe. Maybe not."
Star laughed quietly. "You're too late, hon." Her laugh turned ugly, and she pointed up at the top of the shell of the Gym. Ash's eyes - and indeed, all the eyes of the Firedogs who were patiently waiting out the conversation -- followed her finger upwards...
...to see Stone's empty-eyed skull decorating a pike on the roof.
Rain gagged and spun away, retching as her stomach tried to upchuck the small, meagre breakfast she'd consumed earlier. "Christ," she cursed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "She gets worse and worse every time I meet her."
"He didn't deserve to live," Star said quietly. She turned on her heel and touched the scar on her forehead again. "See ya round, Ash."
"Wait!"
Star and Rain both froze at the same time. Star twisted back around, her eyebrow raised. Rain stared agape at Ash, who was standing uncertainly with his arm stretched out. "Star...no...Shuri. Come with us."
Star tilted her head quizzically. "Say again? Why?"
Ash looked back at his waiting pack, and his gaze seemed to linger on Rain. When he turned back to Star, his eyes held the first hint of emotion he'd displayed in six long years. "Because I've missed you," he said simply.
"That bitch!" Rain seethed, her hands clenching into fists by her side. "That filthy, fat, sellskirt bitch!"
"What's your problem, Rain?" Oak asked acidly, idly rubbing the back of his neck.
She raised her eyes to watch Star and Ash, they were filled with hatred. "She's done it again. She did, not me. Why does it always have to be her?"
Flame, always knowing the right moment to interfere and make things worse, cackled from underneath her Rapidash. "Rain's problem is that, after all the things she's tried, it wasn't her that made Ash want to live again."