Crimson Tears

Chapter Twenty Five: Temple in the Ruins

Misty was frozen in shock. Her heart ached with a incredible pain. Stronger than when Ash disappeared those three years ago. Now it felt as though her whole world had collapsed. Ash's fingers had slipped right through her own. She had lost him again. Tears welled up in her aqua eyes but she blinked them back determinedly.

"I'm going after him," Misty said hastily.

"Misty!" Richie cried. "That would be acting rashly. We need to figure out what we are dealing with first."

Misty scowled. She didn't want to wait. Ash could be killed. She didn't want to lose him. Not all over. She didn't think she could bear it if that happened.

The whole cabin was awake now. They were all looking over Tracey's shoulder as he tried to figure out the whereabouts Ash might have been taken to. Lily and the other sisters were taken a back by the news while Brock nodded. He seemed as if he knew it would happen.

"If I am correct we should be able to follow a warp hole strait to… got it. It's up by a lower sector in the pallet ruins. Some kind of temple…" Tracey muttered.

"I have heard of that place. They worship dark pokemon sprits there. They are a freaky lot," Gary shivered. "Perfect place for Cassidy to hang out."

"That's what we are looking for," Delia smiled. "Now Ash will be fine."

"Oh. I doubt that seriously, Mrs. Ketchum," Brock said grimly.

"Brock's right," Tracey said sadly. "Finding him was a synch but we need a plan to get in there. We have to disguise ourselves. They don't allow any sound inside the temple. But we need sound to break the trance that Cassidy must have on the elders and Ash. Any ideas?"

Misty glanced down at the locket wound about her neck. She smirked and backed away from the group as they debated the tricky situation.

"Here I come, Ash…"


Burning.

Stinging.

A horrible aching.

Losing strength. Losing soul.

A painful sensation and then… nothing at all.

Dark.

Cold.

Lonely.

Broken…

Ash's eyes flickered opened. He stood in a dark opened room. It was circular and large like the inside of a church. Its walls were enchanting and beautifully carved of white stone. The windows were stained glass and leaked out a small portion of moonlight. This light illuminated the faces of cloaked figures around him. Their already pale faces painted silver. They all stood motionless, watching him.

He seemed to be standing in a circle with five other gray cloaked figures. Although Ash was sure he had never seen them before there was no mistaking their presence…the elders. He looked down at himself. His normal wear was gone. He wore robes of pure silver and a silver cloak over top of it. He pushed back his hood to observe the room a bit better.

His gaze fell upon the person in the center of the circle. She wore robes of dark red…Cassidy. Ash gritted his teeth upon spotting her. She was staring at him as well, her face stretched into a insane grin. She lifted her fist into the air to be reflected in the dull moonlight. She wore a golden glove that…well it wasn't a normal glove. It was like a golden wire, about a inch thick, twisted and cured in unique ways about silky golden material. On the wrist of this glove was circular nest and in it, Ash caught a glimpse of red.

Ash's heart jumped into his throat and his insides flipped upside down.

The dream… it was exactly like the dream. But there was more… more to this dream.

Cassidy lifted her hands to the sky and called out to the moon. Ash couldn't understand the words she was speaking but he had a feeling that she was asking for power.

Ash gulped. This is what Pikachu had warned him about.

"Now…it will begin," Cassidy grinned.


The dark night was littered with chilling stars that stabbed Misty with guilt. She wished she was stronger. She wished she could of protected Ash. Her hand curled about Togetic's foot a bit tighter than needed. Togetic wavered a little by the sudden shift in weight but continued flying towards Pallet.

Misty's one priority was to get there before Cassidy hurt Ash. She heard the legend over and over in her ears as they swept through the night air.

Ash had to be the Elemental Master. He must just be requiring his powers by the new year… because it year 2525.

They always said this next year would be full of the supernatural. Misty tired to push back the nagging voice in her mind, The legend said he would die. You can't change that. It's over before it even began.

A shining white tower loomed into view. It looked quite unusual like a pure flower among the rubble destroyed pallet ruins. They left them as ruins as since the people of this world were too preoccupied with trying to apprehend Team Rocket. Misty's heart was sickened at the sight of Ash's hometown. Her heart bled for the lives lost here. The beautiful town… gone.

Misty landed in a old ash tree. She returned Togetic with a smile of gratitude. Misty began climbing down when her hand fell upon a old engraving. She jumped back away from it like it was a bug and fell sharply on her behind. It said "Delia + Jeffery" inside a heart. Misty blinked several times as her eyes began to water. Under that was "My Ashy Tree". It had to be in Ash's handwriting.

"It was planted when Ash was born," A voice behind her whispered. "When Ash was six, he craved that into his tree. So did his parents before him. It's amazing how it survived the wreckage."

Misty spun about to see Gary, Asa, Team Rocket, Lily, and Richie standing there. She glared at the Pidgeot behind Gary. That was the only reason they had gotten here before her.

"Good thing my Pigeot is fast or else you would of tried something stupid before we could stop you," Gary smiled petting his pokemon kindly before returning it in a zap of red.

She glanced over to Lily and Richie who were wearing strange outfits closely resembling the ones that had appeared on Ash a second before he was teleported away. Lily wore a tunic and cape made out of the purest white material Misty had ever seen. She seemed to be glowing with her beauty more then ever now. She looked like an angel. Maybe that's why Gary kept glancing over to her.

Richie wore robes of a abyss like black. He had his hood up but Misty knew it was him.

"What's with the outfits?"

"A disguise," James sighed, "You left before we could tell you our plan."

"This place is crawling with wackos. Girls wear white, boys wear black. I overheard some of the people talking. They said that a ceremony was going on inside. No doubt it's when Cassidy is taking Ash and the elders' powers," Gary sighed. "Here ya go."

He handed Misty a white tunic and cape. She took it with a tad look of discomfort on her face, "What's the plan?"

"Asa, Team Rocket, and I will stay outside on guard while you, Richie and Lily go inside. Be careful. And remember not to let your hoods slip."


Misty reemerged from the bushes fully dressed, her shimmering long hair let down. She looked herself over uncertainly. Both Richie and Gary's eyes popped and jaws dropped. If Lily was like an angel, Misty was a goddess. The cape and tunic glittered in the faint moonlight and her eyes sparkled in a mystic light. She flipped back her hair and glared at the two boys, "What are you staring at?"

"Yes. What are you staring at, Gary?" Lily hissed taking Gary by the ear and pulling him away.

"Ow! Ow! Easy! Easy!" Gary cried in pain.

"Man…" Richie whispered. "If Ash didn't have dibs on ya, I would of asked you out."

Luckily for Richie, Misty didn't hear him. She only had one thing on her mind. And that was saving Ash…

"Misty… You have to use your locket to break the sound barrier," Richie said suddenly as the approached the doors of the temple.

"How did you-"

"Gary told me."

Misty blushed lightly and didn't say anything more. She just hoped this would work. They were bowed into the entrance hall by a pair of hooded figures. The walled across the cold stone floors when a child pushed past them. He was carrying a wooden flute and some people were attempting to take it away from him.

"It's my dad's! Leave me alone!" The child screamed in protest as they grabbed out for him.

"Instruments might be used outside but not inside the temple." One of the black cloaked men muttered darkly from under his hood.

"I won't use against Cassidy!" The child hissed.

Misty caught a hint of insincerity from behind his words. One of the door men walked up to the boy and lifted a hand. The child's green eyes went blank.

"We'll make sure you don't," The man hissed waving his hand above the child's face. His hand glowed a deep purplish black. When he drew his hand back the boy's eyes returned to their normal hew.

"Go back in the temple, Lineal," The man hissed.

Lineal nodded almost fearfully and shot back into the temple. Misty glared over at them wondering what they did to that poor kid. She wasn't watching where she was going and ran head into someone. Misty's winced in pain as her elbows and back knocked against the cold granite floor. Misty glared up at the figure who turned out to be a very ratty looking woman.

"Pesky teenager," She scorned the woman in her wicked voice.

"Stupid Cassidy lover," Misty muttered to herself standing up and briskly bushing herself off. She dashed into the temple after the others unaware of how much danger lay ahead.


"I don't understand why Misty got to go in after Cassidy," Asa grumbled.

"Better her than you. She might not try to attack Cassidy right off the bat," Gary muttered. "I just hope she hangs onto that locket…"


Not far away, on the temple floor where Misty had fell, lay a shimmer of sliver and gold. A heart shaped locket with the words 'Together Forever' printed on it. It rested forgotten on the marble floor of the entrance hall.

The mission that was already hard and just got harder.

To Be Continued…

Please r + r!

Oh! I am getting there! Almost there!