Misty was relieved when the professor slowed the car and pulled off the highway onto a dirt road. After they had resumed their journey, the professor had told her how he had been studying prophecies over the last several years and how he had recruited others in his pursuit. But soon he had run out of things to say and the two had lapsed back into silence. She still hated the professor for what he had done, but the silence drew along until she though she would go insane.
The professor slowed the car and pulled up in front of a small one-story house. It looked well kept and Misty was somewhat confused why they were there.
"We're here," the professor said. He opened his door and got out. He waited patiently as she stiffly stood up and closed the car door behind her. "Do you need some help?"
"I'll be fine," she replied sharply.
The professor only nodded and walked to the front door, noticeably slowing his pace so she could keep up. When she reached the door, he opened it and she followed him in. There, Misty found herself in what looked like an average living room, if only a bit sparse on furniture. A doorway on the right led to a kitchen and a hallway led toward the back of the house, several closed doors marking its sides.
As soon as the professor closed the front the door, one of the doors in the hallway opened and a woman who looked to be in her forties walked toward them.
"Where have you been?" Misty got the impression that she wasn't talking to her. "The hotel fiasco is all over the news! You should have called as soon as you retrieved the flower! I told you leaving her there was too big a risk."
The professor held a hand in a "calm down" gesture. "Look here!" he said with an edge Misty had never heard him use before. "Misty has just been through the most traumatic night of her life. What she doesn't need right now is you shouting and upsetting her any more. I told you I might be late." He turned to her with a look of concern.
Misty's first reaction was to tell him that she didn't need his help, but despite how she felt about him, she was grateful for his intervention, so she gave him a weak look of gratitude.
He nodded and turned back to the woman. "Clarice, we have a lot to do and time is quickly running out."
"Alright," Clarice replied, and started walking back to the door she had left. Misty wasn't sure if her change of attitude was because of the professor's words or that time really was running out. Seemingly for the thousandth time in the last several hours Misty found herself in the middle of something she didn't understand.
"Come on, Misty," the professor said.
Wordlessly she followed him to the door that Clarice had already reentered. The first thing Misty noticed upon walking in was the large wooden table in the center of the room. The room itself looked as if it might have been a dining room at some time, but now a large vid-screen dominated one wall tuned to the news coverage of the attack on the Indigo Plateau Hotel. Currently an overhead shot was being shown, presumably from a helicopter. Around the table were chairs, three occupied by men of various ages and descriptions, and one by Clarice who was just sitting down.
One of the men turned toward them and said, "Thank God, you're here."
"What are they saying?" the professor asked, nodding toward the vid-screen.
"At the moment, basically a large powerful psychic-type pokémon of unknown origins attacked the Master Ceremony. Although reports vary, it seems that Pokémon Master Ash Ketchum was abducted by this pokémon. There are an undisclosed number of deaths and numerous injuries. With all the foreign dignitaries present, this is turning into an international incident."
"They don't know how right they are," the oldest man muttered.
"Yes," the professor said, "I guess so. Right now I would like you to introduce you to Misty Waterflower."
Misty could feel them examining her. They were probably wondering if this young girl could really save the world. She knew she was thinking it. More than ever, she wished Ash could be there with her. She couldn't imagine doing everything herself.
"Misty," the professor continued, "you've already met Clarice. They rest of our little band are Marshall, Patrick, and Jacob. They all have been helping me the last several years."
Misty had to keep her anger in check. All of the people before her had had some part in everything that had happened in the last day. "Now that we all know each other," she said with a little more bite than she had originally intended," could someone explain to me what I'm supposed to do?"
No one seemed willing to speak first the she continued, "Everyone keeps calling me the flower and saying that I'm the last hope of the world." She began to trail off. The whole situation still seemed so unreal to her.
"You're right," the professor said. "Jacob, would you please go get the thorn and bring it here?"
"Ok," Jacob said, and quickly stood up and left.
Misty, despite herself, was amazed at the respect Professor Oak commanded from the others in the room. It was the same respect, she realized, that she had held for him until today.
"As I told you in the car, in the previous attempt to destroy the Redeyes, a spike off the back of a Gaisaur was used. This fourth generation was very rare, only evolving when a Venusaur grew very old and then only under extreme circumstances. In fact, there have been no recorded instances of a Gaisaur in over 30,000 years."
Jacob returned, carrying a highly polished wooden box.
"Thank you, Jacob." The professor took the box and set it down on the table before returning his attention to Misty. "However, there are two known spikes remaining today. One is on exhibit at the Museum in London, England, and the other is right here." With that, he opened the box. It's dark wood contrasted sharply with the plush red interior. Resting upon this soft material was something unlike anything Misty had ever seen before.
The spike, as the professor had described it, was about a foot long and was a pale cream color with swirls of blue, green, and red following its length. It was about two inches thick at its base and narrowed into an incredibly sharp looking point. Although it must have been thousands of years old, it showed no signs of wear.
Misty was fascinated by it, both beautiful and dangerous. She couldn't imagine a creature with such an armament. Mesmerized, she reached for it, but the professor grabbed her wrist to stop her. She looked up at him in confusion.
"Do not touch it without gloves. It is very dangerous to handle it any other way. The world in which the Gaisaur lived was very different from today. Pokémon did not battle for championships or badges. They lived in the open wilderness battling for survival against many dangerous creatures that have since gone extinct."
"What does it do?" she asked. "How will this stop the creature that has Ash? Will it really be able to save Ash?" Instantly, she noticed a distinct display of discomfort from the others in the room. What did I say? she asked herself.
The older man, whom the professor had addressed as Marshall, spoke. "The Redeyes exists in this world because of the link that it forged during its first defeat back in the time of legend. It had strengthened that link by fusing itself with a living being. However, much of its power remains in the world of spirits. This has been its greatest strength. Even if it is defeated here in this world, it is able to escape back to the spirit world where it cannot be harmed. Additionally, the link would remain and allow it to return once its power had been restored, as it just has.
"To completely destroy the Redeyes, its link between the two worlds must be destroyed. That is where the Gaisaur comes into play. It, as I assume Samuel has told you, is the fourth generation of the Bulbasaur, a grass type, which has natural strengths against water, rock, and ground. But the Gaisaur, as with many highly evolved species, developed an additional strength, against ghost pokémon.
"As Samuel stated, the world of the Gaisaur was much harsher than our own. Their attacks and defenses weren't meant to incapacitate an enemy, but to kill it. The spikes on a Gaisaurs' back are the only objects known to be able to break the barrier between the world of the living and that of the dead and destroy ghost type pokémon. In short, it is able to 'kill' spirits. While we are not certain whether it would actually kill the spirit portion of the Redeyes, it would most certainly break the link it holds between the worlds and trap it here in the living.
To Misty it sounded almost too easy, even though she knew getting an opportunity to strike at the Redeyes would be an almost impossible task in and out itself. "But, wouldn't it still have its power from this world? I mean, what's to stop it from making another link like it did before?"
The professor stepped forward as if to speak, but Marshall continued before he could. "The spike was not only to defend the Gaisaur from ghost pokémon, but from living ones as well. Part of the spike's makeup includes a strong neurotoxin, capable of killing most creatures in seconds. Therefore the Redeyes would be destroyed long before it was capable of reestablishing its link, symbolically cutting off both it heads at one time."
A sudden coldness came over Misty. A horrible thought invaded her mind. She realized their earlier discomfort when she had mentioned Ash and the professor's aborted attempt to stop Marshall from continuing his narrative.
The room seemed to spin around her and she could hear her heart pounding in her head. She now knew what the flower was supposed to do, what they wanted her to do. She wasn't to save Ash, she was to kill him. Her brain seemed to stop functioning, unable to comprehend such an act. How could they expect her to kill Ash? How could they even ask a thing like that? Who were these people?
She spun around to face the professor. She could tell by his face that he knew that she now knew. Her earlier sense of betrayal was overshadowed by such a degree that she couldn't even begin to form words. She only stared at the man who at one time she could have called her second father. Her insides crawled with a mixture of disgust and hatred. She tried to shout at him, but the only noise that left her mouth was a strangled sob that sounded more like a moan.
She did the only thing that she could do, run. She ran as fast as her injured side would allow her. As she ran out the door and into the hallway, she thought she heard the professor shout her name, but wasn't sure. Frankly, she didn't care. What right did he have to ask her to stop? He had done nothing but lie to her from the beginning. She reached the living room and gasped in pain as she felt some of the bandages around her stomach tear. She didn't slow however, and, after struggling with the handle of the front door, ran out of the infernal house, long before realizing she had no idea where she was.
* * * * *
Samuel watched Misty run out of the room. He turned back to Marshall.
"I see that she didn't know the full extent of her involvement in our little endeavor."
"No," Samuel replied softy. Damn it, Marshall, he though. I wanted to tell her gently. But how do you gently tell someone that they have to kill their best friend?
Jacob and Patrick made as if to get up, but he motioned to them to stop. "Let her be. She needs some time by herself." The sound of the front door slamming carried into the room.
"But," Patrick began.
"There's no where she can go." I made sure of that, didn't I? he said to himself in disgust.
"Will she do it?" Patrick asked.
"I've known her for five years, she'll do it." He sighed. "We've done some terrible things to that young girl. No matter what else happens, we have to remember that."
"Even so," Marshall said, "we don't have much time.
"I know that," Samuel replied gruffly.
"You better take a look at this," Jacob said suddenly. He was staring at the vid-screen. The news had returned to the studio with a grim-looking anchorman reading a report. Even though there was no sound, the caption at the bottom of the screen said it all, "Pewter City Under Attack."
"Sound," Samuel shouted, but Jacob was already grabbing for the remote.
"—communication with the local police department was cut off moments later. Residents from the surrounding area report the presence of numerous fires and smoke rising above the small community. There is no word if this is in any way related to the attack on the Indigo Plateau Hotel late last night during the Master's Ceremony."
Someone off-screen handed the anchor a paper. He paused from his commentary to quickly read over its contents. "Uh," he stuttered. "In a INN exclusive, we have a resident of Pewter City on a cellular phone. We take you to her, live."
The studio was replaced by a graphic map showing the area around Pewter City. "Ms. Keller," the anchor said, "could you describe to our viewers what happened in Pewter City?"
The audio feed was suddenly filled with some background static and the distance noise of people shouting. "I don't how it began," said Ms. Keller in a voice that sounded like someone in their sixties or seventies. "All I know is I woke up about three hours ago and there were sounds like explosions and everyone was running through the streets screaming. I didn't know what to think, but my son, Jasper, told me that something was attacking the town. He said that some of the local trainers were getting together to try and fight it off. I told him to stay, but he said he had to help. That's just like my son, running out and helping other people." Here her voice began to crack with emotion. "He hasn't come back. That's one of the reasons I called, so if he heard this, he would come back. Jasper! If you hear me, you're mother's worried sick!"
The anchor gave the woman time to collect herself before asking his next question. "What is happening now, Ms. Keller?
"I don't hear anymore fighting, but I'm too scare to leave my house. What if Jasper came back and saw that I was gone?"
"Did you see what it was that was attacking the town? Was it a pokémon?"
"Yes sir, I saw it. Won't forget that sight for the rest of my day, let me tell you. But it wasn't no pokémon, it was a boy."
"A boy," the anchor repeated, noticeably shaken.
"It was terrible. Like he was possessed by a devil. He just walked around making no sound. He walked right by my window. His eyes! God, they were awful! All red!" She began to get hysterical and her heavy breathing could be heard over the interference. "Those eyes will haunt me." She paused to catch her breath. "He grabbed this boy, couldn't have been older than my grandson… The boy screamed and I thought my heart was going to burst, but there wasn't anything I could do. I would have if I could have, I promise you. Then the boy went still and the… thing… just dropped onto the ground and moved on.
"He kept on walking toward the gym and then stopped. Then something shot out of his hands. It looked like a solarbeam, only red. Whatever it was, it hit the gym and there was this God-awful explosion, and went the dust cleared, the place had collapsed. It was a good family that lived there. I only hope they got out before the thing went."
There was silence during which the newscaster seemingly forgot that was supposed to be asking questions. "Did you recognize the boy? Was he a local resident?"
"No, he wasn't a local boy, but I did recognize him. I saw him on the television last night. The news said he won the Masters' Tournament yesterday. He looked so nice in his suit," Ms. Keller trailed off.
"Are you saying that the boy you saw attacking Pewter was Ash Ketchum?!"
"Yes. My eyes may not be as good as they used to be, but I'll never forget that face. I don't think he was in control of himself, if that makes sense." A noise carried over the phone that sounded like a slamming door. "Jasper? Jasper, is that you?" the woman asked, obviously no longer talking into the phone. "Thank heavens, I was worried sick. You're hurt! What happened?"
There was a click and the women's voice along with the static was gone. The anchorman reappeared onto the screen. "You heard it here first," he said softly and without much conviction. "According to an eyewitness within Pewter City, Ash Ketchum, kidnapped from the Indigo Plateau Hotel last night, was seen in connection with the attack on that city that occurred just over three hours ago."
Marshall grabbed the remote and muted the screen. "We're out of time," he said, turning to Samuel. "She has to do what she was destined to do."
"I know," he replied. Only a few hours ago, you didn't even believe this was going to happen. "I'll go find her."
Samuel left the room and headed toward the front of the house. Once outside he began shouting Misty's name. He knew it might scare her further away, but there wasn't time for anything else. He only hoped that she hadn't run too far. He was beginning to second guess his decision to let her leave.
He couldn't blame her for running. What he and others were asking her to do was despicable. Did he even have the right to ask her?
There was muffled sob to his right and he turned toward it. Sitting in the passenger seat of his car was Misty. Tears running down her face, she looked in that instant like the innocent girl she had been before he had begun meddling with her life. As he watched her, he wondered whether this was how everything was supposed to happen. Had he just stood back and allowed events to play out naturally, would so much sorrow have been placed on her and Ash's young shoulders? Or was his involvement part of the prophecy? Could he simply use the excuse he had been destined to interfere?
He silently walked over to the car. She didn't even notice his approach until he opened the driver's door. She jumped at the sound and tried to open her door and escape. He gently, but firmly put his hand on her shoulder to keep her in the seat. She fought against him amidst her sobs, but he held on and clumsily got into the car and closed the door.
Evidently resigning herself to his presence, she stopped fighting his and he let go of her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a handkerchief, which he handed her. She gave him an icy look, but accepted it. Reaching back into his pocket he grabbed a small folded envelope.
"I'm sorry, Misty, I forgot to give this to you. It's your things the hospital removed when they admitted you." Even as he said this, his words seemed so hollow.
Misty held the envelope gently before opening it. Without a word, she poured the contents into her left hand. It consisted mostly of jewelry. He picked out a gold necklace with a horsea pendent, and managed to get it clasped around her neck. She put on the bracelets and that left a ring. This she just looked at, fresh tears running down her face. The amberrite gem glittered in the sunlight beaming through the windshield.
It took Samuel several seconds to realize its significance. "Oh God," he whispered. Misty tensed at the sound of his voice. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and his knee hit something that jingled. He looked down and saw that the keys were still in the ignition. He pulled them out and turned to Misty.
Anticipating his question, she said softly, "We never learned to drive. We wanted to do it together, but there never seemed to be time. Besides, we liked to walk. It was what first brought us together, after all."
Samuel couldn't think of any way to reply. She is just a child, he thought. But soon the urgency of the situation overcame him. "Misty," he began.
"You want me to kill Ash, don't you?" she said flatly.
"There's no other way."
"Is that what your precious prophecy told you?"
"No! Misty, I have been looking for another way to save Ash, but there isn't any. We have to destroy the Redeyes, and the only one to do that is the flower. And we both know that is you?"
"But how do you know? How are you so certain it's me?"
"Who else could it be?" he said, hoping she would accept his word. Silently he added, Misty, just believe me that you are they only one that could do what must be done.
"I don't know," she said softly.
"Misty, I wish we had more time to try to find someway else, but we simply don't have it." He took a deep breath. "Something else has happened."
"What?"
"Pewter City was attacked several hours ago. It was the Redeyes. It has possessed Ash like the prophecy said it would and is now using his body."
"Ash," she whispered. Suddenly she jerked up. "Brock! The gym! Was there any word if they gym was hurt?"
He sighed and nodded. "The news said that it was destroyed during the attack. There's no word on Brock's family."
"No."
"Now you see why I have done what I have? Pewter will only be the first. The Redeyes won't stop until it has subjugated the entire planet."
"So," Misty said bitterly, "anyone else that dies will be on my conscious? Is that it, professor?"
"That's not what I'm saying."
"Yes it is."
Samuel knew he wasn't going to win this argument, so he tried to change the subject. "Misty, I want to ask you for something."
"That's what you're good at, asking for things."
"Just hear me out." He sighed. "It may have been a coincidence that the Redeyes chose to attack Pewter first. But it might not have been. The Redeyes was a powerful psychic and most likely has all of Ash's memories. What I'm trying to say is that your sisters might be in danger."
"What do you want from me?"
"I want your permission to send someone to pick up your sisters and get them out of Cerulean, at least until we are sure they aren't in danger. I would have done it as soon as I heard about Pewter, but I think I have done enough things without asking first. I know it won't even come close to making up for what I've done, but if there's any chance of building your trust back…" He trailed off, not sure how to continue. He couldn't read her face, but she was no longer crying.
"Thank you," she said finally. "I would appreciate that."
"I know I can never make amends for what I did to you and Ash."
"You're right about that," she said coldly, but then her voice softened. "I suppose you need an answer?"
"Yes."
"Before you came out here, I had decided to do it." She paused. "And now, I know I made the right choice."
"Misty," he started.
"I'm not doing it for you. I'm not doing it for me, either. I'm doing it for Ash. I can't believe there is nothing can be done to save him. He's still alive in there, I know it. If the Redeyes really did attack Pewter to hurt Ash, then that means that Ash is still there. Why else would it have done that? You may have given up on Ash, but I haven't. I know he would never give up on me, and I'm sure won't give up on him."
"I would say that there wasn't any hope, but when you two are concerned, the impossible seems to find a way of becoming possible."
Misty seemed to be lost in thought. He knew it wasn't fair that a sixteen year old would have to consider her own mortality.
"I have a question for you, professor."
"Just ask, Misty. I owe you any answers that I can give."
"Why didn't you ask him? You know that Ash would have offered to help you. He would have willingly gone through all this if he thought it would save people."
"Yes, I know that Misty. Even when he was small, he has always had one of the biggest hearts of anyone I have had the pleasure of meeting."
"Then, why didn't you just ask him?"
"You see, Misty. I wasn't afraid he would say no. I was afraid he would say yes."
Misty said nothing.
"He was the best type of person."
"Yes he is, professor. Yes he is."
Samuel could feel tears forming in his eyes. "Why don't you go inside and clean yourself up a bit. You should let Clarice look at your bandages. You know, you really shouldn't even be out of the hospital."
"I think that's the least of my worries."
"Perhaps, but I would like you to let her examine you. Don't worry, despite her outward appearance, she doesn't bite. Not often anyway."
He was rewarded by a forced smile, but he saw the slightest genuineness. She opened the car door, stood up, and looked back at him.
"I'll be in a minute. I just want to think about some things." She nodded and walked to the house. He watched her until she closed the door behind her.
"Could she be right?" he asked out loud. Could it be that after years surrounded by prophecy and lore, that he had blinded himself to other possibilities? Could it be that this could end happily after all? "No, it's too late for that. And that's my fault."
He had told the truth when he said he had been afraid of Ash's answer. Just like he was afraid now. Perhaps that's why he was making the same mistakes again.
(to be continued…)