Author's Notes: Big apologies for the lateness. ^^;; As usual, an enthusiastic thanks to everyone for all the reviews and valuable input! Just a quick side note to Duke of Briarcliffe, I just wanted to thank you in particular for your constructive criticism. I knew going into this project that I wouldn't have the time to force my writing style into suiting Ash's character, but decided to use him as a narration tool anyway (perhaps not the best decision). Also, this is supposed to be told from the viewpoint of it being a rather complex memory, being seen from anywhere in between ten and fifteen years since it happened. Draw whatever conclusions you wish from that.

~Z~ Darkness Doesn't Cast a Shadow ~Z~

Chapter Eight: Aggression

When I finally caught up with Pikachu, gasping for breath and with several unwelcome stitches in my side and neck, I was greeted with a very peculiar sight.

He had stopped about a mile (maybe more) from our campsite, on top of a verdant little knoll that was outside a forest to the side of Saffron. His eyes were wide, gauzy and remote, almost like he was under hypnosis or something. He gaped fixedly at the sky, swaying back and forth to some sort of natural rhythm, beads of sweat trickling down his face. His fur was drenched and matted with perspiration.

Since he had been dangerous the last time I had encountered him in such a state, I decided to play it safe. I crouched beneath the tall grass, trying to control my breathing while I waited for Misty and Brock to catch up. Within a few moments, they were at my side, and Misty panted into my ear, "His eyes sure look weird…"

I nodded vaguely in agreement, as Brock murmured, "What do you think we should do? It might be dangerous to encounter him directly."

I shut my eyes tightly in remorse. "I know… I know… But what can we do?"

Misty gasped right when I finished my question.

"What?" I queried, readjusting my eyes on to her face, which was focused directly on Pikachu.

"He's saying something weird under his breath! Shhh! Listen!" She hissed, and I promptly quieted all the questions longing to escape my mouth.

It soon came to my ears, a ductile, sing-song croon of "Aaraa…arashii…arashichuu…" stemming from my mesmerized electric rodent. My eyes immediately widened in surprise. "But… he can't even say that!"

A pained look defeated Misty's face, and Brock gritted his teeth in confusion. "You're right…" he muttered, and Misty gave a faint sigh.

"What could it all mean? This just doesn't make any sense! First, he's having dreams about killing stuff, next he's living moments that never happened, then he's attacking me, but not remembering doing anything like that, and now he's saying things he's not even able to say! How…and why?" I said, emotion tinting my voice with a gloss of pre-tears. "It's really scaring me, guys…"

Misty made a noise that sounded like a crossbreed between an "Awww…" and a loud exhale, and put her head gently on my shoulder, as Brock snapped his fingers and made eye contact with me.

"I've got an idea, Ash," he said brightly. "Remember how you said that when Noctowl Hypnotized him, he reverted back to normal after waking up?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, try calling him into his pokéball. It causes their minds to go into a state that is very much like unconsciousness, and it might just bring him back to normal."

"But--!" I tried to protest, but Brock cut me off.

"Just do it Ash, before anything dangerous happens!"

"Yeah!" Misty prodded me, too, lifting her head off my shoulder and replacing it with her hand. "We don't want anyone getting hurt, and, if it works, we can see if he remembers anything this time."

"Ohh, okayy…" I finally caved in, biting my lip and pulling a pokéball off of my belt. "Pikachu, return!" I called out softly, noting how incredibly strange it felt to say that with a pokéball in my hand.

The red beam blinked out from the button in the middle of the spherical object, heading in a straight, laser line for Pikachu. But then, to my utter surprise and astonishment, Pikachu took a delicate, unhurried step to the side precisely before the beam made contact with him, and settled himself in that place. The odd thing was, he had his back to me, and could never have stepped to the side with that apt of timing, even if he had heard my returning order.

"What?!" I exclaimed, then repeated, louder and with more determination, "Pikachu, return." The shaft of red light zapped towards him. He gave a dexterous hop in place, narrowly avoiding the beam, again with his back turned to me, and with a reaction speed that was unnatural.

I gave a low growl under my breath, feeling frustration well up inside of me as well as the ever-strengthening feeling of confusion. Just as I was contemplating how exactly to get my Raichu into the pokéball, my injured arm started to twinge in pain, just a slight pang at first, but slowly thudding into a tingling, burning, enflamed sensation like no other. The ache elevated with the rhythm of my drumming heart, beginning to feel hot, cold, a clench of pure fire and ice writhing in my skin from the very bones, and from somewhere deeper, too…somewhere I couldn't discern. My hand scrunched itself closed, and I pulled my searing limb defensively towards my body, the flashes of pain becoming so intense that tears were beginning to fling from my eyes as I crumbled to the ground.

"Ash…? Ash! What's the matter? What's wrong?!" I heard Misty cry out, distantly, somewhere lost between the fabrics of space and time. Her face wavered in my view, almost as if I was looking at her from underwater, until an explosion of midnight glitter and silver stars rushed past my eyes, and I found myself sinking further to the ground, almost lying down, or at least, I thought. The ground really didn't feel all that solid any more.

And then it was gone. The moment I felt my back lower against the grass, there was a twinkle of red past my now-closed eyes, and the pain just…disappeared… My senses came back to me and Misty and Brock's faces hovered about me, worried. Misty had her hand on my forehead.

"Ash! Are you okay?" She squeaked when she saw my eyes open, removing her hand from my forehead.

I sat up slowly, nodding out a 'yes' and gently shaking away the pounding in my head. I was sharply aware of the tear trails splashed down my cheeks, and I swabbed them away with my hand, sniffing. "Boy, that was weird…" I muttered, and Misty agreed.

"It was really strange, Ash; your forehead got really hot, then it got cold, and then it changed back to normal. What happened?"

"I dunno… It has something to do with my arm, though… It started hurting, really, really badly, so badly… I-I can't even describe it…"

"Oh Ash…maybe…maybe you should go lie down for a while or something…" Misty suggested, latching herself to my shoulder apprehensively.

Brock approved of that proposal. "That might be a good idea, Ash. After all, you just collapsed."

I glared at them, slight anger making itself present in my expression. "No guys, I've gotta make sure Pikachu's okay first! I can rest once we get to Saffron's Pokémon Center!"

Misty's famous stubbornness was evident in her tones. "Oh no you don't, Ash. You need to look out for your health as well as Pikachu's. Go sit down, we'll catch him!"

Annoyance stormed past my mind. "Misty, I can't do that! What if he's really sick? What if you guys can't catch him, and he dies before we can get him help? What would you do then? How would you feel about that, huh?"

Misty, it appeared, was taken aback by this question, but her face soon hardened up again in that out-so-familiar argument expression. "What if you did?" She countered. "I'd never forgive myself. At least if you go lie down, we can get Pikachu and make sure you're okay at the same time!"

"I'm fine now! Pikachu's my responsibility, and it's my fault he's in this situation! I have to help him!"

Misty crossed her arms over her chest, irritation very visible in her stance and in her face. "Don't you trust us Ash?" she said delicately, as a final attempt at opposing me.

I stared back at her for a while, absorbing the determination that was shining in her eyes. "Of course I trust you guys, but… I have to help!"

Misty finally gave up, releasing a breath of pent-up exasperation. "Okay Ash… But if something happens to you, you can't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't," I assured her. She didn't look convinced.

"Now," Brock began nobly, "Time to formulate Pikachu Capture: Plan A."

"Yeah!" I agreed, balling my fists up front of my face.

Misty sweatdropped. "Why do I feel suddenly like I've joined Team Rocket?"

Brock and I couldn't help but let smiles reach our lips.

::=*=::

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

"Set?"

"All set!"

"GO!"

Misty snatched up Togetic's pokéball from her backpack and sent him out, watching as he materialized. When his solid ivory skin began to shine through the luminous red of the pokéball's light, Misty put a single finger to her lips, emitting a soft "Shhh…"

Togetic looked up at her curiously with his large chocolate eyes, obviously suppressing a loud chirrup.

"Now Togetic…here's the plan," Misty informed her small white creature. "You're going to go fly up above that Raichu over there,"—She pointed at him, and purposefully avoided telling Togetic that it was Pikachu—"Stay high above him, and make a lot of noise, as much as you can. If you feel in danger at all, just Teleport back here, okay? Your goal is the distract the Raichu while Ash recalls him."

"Ge-ticc!" Togetic nodded in understanding, and took off fluttering headfirst into the sky, until he was so high up he was just a twinkling white speck against the blue. From there his high-pitched chirps and squeaks could still be heard faintly, but I had no doubt that Pikachu would be able to hear him just fine, due to his sharper sense of hearing.

We could only watch and wait. At first it appeared that Pikachu did not even notice him, but soon a little bit of the haze in his eyes cleared, and a look of apprehending trickled into his expression. His eyes locked on to the blinking white fleck that was Togetic, and a storm started to overwhelm his features. "Chuuu…" He rumbled, flattening his tail against the ground and taking a leap forward, sparks writhing from his cheeks.

"Now, Ash!" Misty called into my ear, and I reached out Pikachu's pokéball, commanding "Return!"

Just as the beam reached out, an appearance of pure bewilderment and anger registered in Pikachu's face, and he first dodged the ray skillfully, and then about-faced, his glazed and flashing eyes locking on to me. Apparently, he forgot all about Togetic, as he began to bound swiftly towards our hiding spot in the bushes, the sparks escalating.

As he pulled closer and closer, the danger of it all transmitted finally to my brain, and I snapped out a pokéball, gazing at it for a short moment. "This might be dangerous, Noctowl, but I think you can do it! Go!"

Noctowl surfaced from the pokéball, a shower of sparkles falling from his wings.

"Take Down, and then Hypnosis!" I ordered, but soon turned away briefly from the unfolding battle to address my friends. "Run, you guys! I'll catch up!"

"But Ash--!" Misty started worriedly, but I cut her off, assuring her I'd be okay, and urged them again to make a run for it. Misty recalled Togetic, they whirled around, and followed my instruction.

"If you don't find us in fifteen minutes, we're coming back for you!" Brock called over his shoulder as he retreated.

"That's right!" Misty agreed.

With my friends safe, I could then turn my attention back to the battle.

Noctowl was repeatedly pecking at the sparking Raichu, but he wasn't stopping, slowing, or even paying any heed whatsoever to my valiant Flying-type. Every time Noctowl pecked Pikachu, I felt a dull ache in my heart, knowing that this was my Pikachu…my best friend… But I knew this needed to be done, and it had become clear to me by now, that this was not simply Pikachu we were dealing with here.

Noctowl wasn't getting anywhere. Even with persistent Tackle-attacks to sidetrack Pikachu for a few seconds, he would just get up and start back racing towards me the moment he could leap to his feet.

"All right, here goes nothing! Bayleef, help out Noctowl!"

"Bayy!" Bayleef cantered in the direction of Pikachu, obviously confused but willing to obey my orders anyway.

"Bayleef, hold him down with your Vine Whips, and if that's not enough, let Noctowl Hypnotize him!"

Bayleef got a slightly pained gleam in her eyes, but lashed out the whips anyway, encircling Pikachu in determination and holding him tightly to the ground. From there I jerked Pikachu's pokéball out towards him, and called, "Return!"

This time, it worked.

I couldn't decide whether to be happy I succeeded, or upset about Pikachu's obviously serious problems, so in the end, I decided not to think much of it at all. Yet. I pressed the pokéball containing Pikachu on to my pokéball belt and refocused my concentration on to my two brave pokémon, who had battled against their friend. Noctowl was slumped down to the ground in an exhausted, feathery heap, but Bayleef looked hardly worse for the wear. I recalled Noctowl with haste, thanking him as he was sucked back into his pokéball. Bayleef, however, pleaded me to let her stay out, so I did, but made her promise not to get in the way, and to follow my lead. She gave a vehement nod, and we set off immediately to find Misty and Brock.

It didn't take us long. They were actually just about to head back for me when I found them, only about an eighth of a mile from the battle site. Brock claimed that Misty had been so worried, she had wanted to check on me earlier, but Misty didn't acknowledge this statement either way. I really didn't get why Brock put so much emphasis on that… And I definitely didn't understand why Misty kept blushing and glaring at him.

I gave them a brief summary of the battle against Pikachu, added some extra praise to make Bayleef happy, and after that we all decided we needed to head off without delay for Saffron's Pokémon Center.

Bayleef trotting at our heels, we raced towards the nearby city, my hands clenched in resilience on Pikachu's pokéball. 'I hope you'll forgive me for this…' I thought, a little bit nervously. 'You have to be okay… You just have to! What would I do without you Pikachu? Where would I be? Just hang in there, little buddy… We'll get to the root of this… No matter what.'

Gulping for breath, I sprinted past all the monstrous buildings, past the globs of people, who were probably wondering what a trio of teenagers and a Bayleef were doing sprinting through town. And finally, I made a dizzy turn, leapt through the automatic doors, and was greeted by the friendly, but questioning stare of a Nurse Joy, and the confused gazes of several other trainers in the waiting room. Misty, Brock, and Bayleef weren't far behind.

"May I help you?" Asked Joy, cocking her head.

Brock hurdled forward, presumably to try to woo this particular Nurse Joy, but Misty got there first and gave him a rapid whack on the head. "There's more important things going on right now than your love life!" She scolded.

"Oww—You're right." Brock conceded, retreating back to where Bayleef was giving him a scrutinizing look.

"There's something really wrong with my Raichu!" I explained. "And I don't think it's just something medical, either," I added thoughtfully.

"Oh… Well, if it's not something medical, I'm not sure I can do anything about it, but…" she gave me a reassuring smile, "I'll try my best."

"Well…actually I don't really know what's wrong with him." I settled on. "Just—can you please try to do something? Or at least tell us what you think could be wrong?"

"Like I said, I'll try my best," Joy repeated.

At this point I started to glance about fretfully in the waiting room. "Would you, by any chance, happen to have some rubber gloves? We might need 'em." I queried.

"Of course!" She chirped. "If you could go into examining room 3-A, right down the hall, I'll be with you in just a moment."

"Okay…" I retracted Bayleef into her pokéball, and the three of us went into the examining room, and waited feverishly for Nurse Joy to arrive.

Little did I know, this visit to the Pokémon Center would set up yet another stunning twist in an already shocking mystery. Little did I know, this simple visit would change all of our lives.

::=*=::

Author's Notes: Wahh…I really didn't want to stop there, but if I had given myself any more of a free rein, I would've gotten carried away. Plus, I'd like to keep these chapters at least somewhere around the same length. Now we get into the real heart of the story, and the conflict will be removed from the mist. At least…to some extent. I'd really love it if you guys would review for me! It really helps me out if you do! I've gotta go start Chapter 9 now (hopefully this one will be up sooner than this chapter was.)