Ash's Gift
By MegamanZero
Part Twelve: The Escape and The High Priests
nmc_512@yahoo.com
AAMRN
A/N: Don't. Even. Start. Yes, I'm aware that I haven't updated in almost FOUR MONTHS. Yes, I'm aware that I left you guys hanging in the wings. Yes, I'm aware that I'm a selfish bastard who doesn't deserve fans like you. And yet somehow…I keep on writing. Boo ya.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, because Creatures and Gamefreak just happened to be smoking the right weed when they came up with it.
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Sabrina clenched the hilt of her sword tightly in her two hands with a grip that could break bones; the same sword that she had used to kill somebody with a moment before. The blade glowed a dark, murky purple: an indicator that it had taken life. She could feel its curative and amplifying energy coursing through her very veins as she raised it in front of her. It gave her a sense of undeniable power, a security that made her feel as if she could take on the entire world. She was one with the blade.
Sadly, she was unaware of an object similar to hers that Ashura wielded as well, only small and not as threatening: the Ragana; a myriad of death and destruction held together in simple, silver rod. The shiny baton had enough power to level the entire lush forest of trees into a barren, stubbly wasteland. Ashura clutched it proudly. Although it had only been in his possession for mere hours, he felt as though he had owned it his whole life. It was like an old friend and a powerful enemy as well. From what he had read, Ashura knew that one should never feel safe with a Ragana, as it could easily betray its user and switch to another with the discretion of a tick that moved about from host to host.
A parasite, that's what it was. It gave him power, yet it seemed to be STEALING something from him. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on, much less ignore. The power, however, was something that he just couldn't just cast aside, either. The raw feeling of infinite energy washing over him, electrifying each and every one of his cells with enough power to blow a hole in the earth elated him. He had more explosive energy in his pinky than a thousand atomic bombs.
Perfect for blowing this stupid girl that was standing in his way into oblivion.
"May I help you?" Ashura asked with an oily grin, although he was shrieking in fury internally. Why in God's name have there been so many damn interruptions!? He retained a cool head, however, as showing any sort of weakness could mean his undoing. He may have been in possession of the Ragana, but there was still no telling what this girl could do.
And his brother: HE was the wild card. Already Ashura had witnessed his power as the Ultimate when he broke away from his energy hold. He would have to deal with him quickly.
But there was still the matter of the girl.
"So YOU'RE the source." The girl replied, stepping back and gripping the sword even tighter. "You're the cause of all this toxic energy that's been plaguing Kanto for the past three hours!"
She was preparing for an attack; he could feel it vibrating through the air. A brave girl, he mused. Foolish and stupid, but brave. It's almost a shame that she won't live through the night.
"A shrewd observation." Ashura lectured. "You must be of acute Psionic ability to pry through my thoughts. Especially to be able to withstand the corrosive essence I emit. I placed a shield around the others to keep them alive long enough for them to see me kill them myself. You, however, I have given no such protection; very skillful of you." He lifted a few inches off the ground and slowly, but surely, inched his way toward her.
"So that must also mean that you have enough Psionic awareness to know that you don't stand a snowball's chance in Hell against me."
"That may be true, but who ever said I was here just to fight you?"
Ashura halted, cocking his head in mild confusion. "Excuse me?"
"You're excused," she muttered under her breath before slicing her sword in a clean arc through the air. Everybody's ears were then filled a sound similar to an electric guitar breaking, thunder clapping, and lighting striking. Blue and purple energy shot forth from the blade, engulfing Ashura. He blinked once in surprise as more of the energy shot through him. Everyone else squeezed their eyes shut and clamped down on their ears as more Psionic lightning ripped through him.
A concussion was felt in the air as he was hurled back into the brush, tearing away earth as he skid across the ground. Flakes of dirt and underlying rock flew into the sky as his skidding body dug a long, deep trench in the forest floor.
Wiping more sweat off her brow, she whirled around to see Ash, fist stuck out in front of him, his eyes fixated on nothing.
"Ash!" she cried, waving her hands in front of him. No response.
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Jesse cradled Meowth's limp feline form to her breast as if he were her own child, staring into his still-open glassy topaz eyes. That mischievous glint that always sparkled in them was now gone, along with any other hints of life. Never in her life had she ever seen Meowth so...so utterly soulless.
Meowth wasn't dead, she then realized. He was gone, almost as if nothing had ever existed within the vessel of his body in the first place; completely unmarked, yet utterly obliterated.
Will this happen to me, too? Will whatever got Meowth get James and me? Just leave us as empty shells?
"Jesse." James' voice jerked her back to reality. "JESSE."
Morosely, she turned her gaze toward him. "What?" She replied in a hoarse, dead voice.
"Run." He whispered, a tone of urgency trickling through his words. "Run away as fast and as far as you possibly can."
Jesse's eyes widened. "Why?" She whispered back, although she really had no reason to whisper. "What are you talking about?"
For some strange reason, James' jaw seemed to have tightened and his muscles became more rigid as he struggled to articulate his message.
"Because I can't move."
"What are you---?"
Meowth twitched. Bright red lightning shot through his open mouth like a snake through a tube. Jesse yelped in terror as his body was then jerked into the air and out of her grasp, as if some invisible puppeteer was manipulating him with strings. He twisted and convulsed and writhed spasmodically as more of the crimson energy poured into his mouth.
The air hissed and crackled as the surrounding area was filled with a terrible heat. The very Earth itself seemed to shout its outrage as a deafening roar erupted from the dirt beneath them.
Jesse tried to scream, only no sound came out; her vocal cords wouldn't listen to her brain's commands. She tried to take James' advice and run, but her muscles were locked tightly into place. She couldn't even close her eyes to shut out the horrible glare of the strange red light.
A loud crack of unnatural thunder echoed into the night like a shout from God as the lightning shot itself into Jesse and James' rigid forms.
Then everything went black.
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It was almost as if waking up from a placid dream, or a horrifying nightmare. Ash had a vague recollection of what he had just did a few moments ago. All he remembered was yelling something at his attackers, and then falling into some sort of trance where time meant nothing; where the very fabric of the universe itself was at his command. It was rapture. But the rapture was gone, only to be replaced by this cold, harsh reality. He felt a pang of regret for having to leave such a blissful state of mind.
Then the call of reality grew stronger. Ash blinked once, twice, thrice before he could make out his surroundings. It was chaos and dead silence at the same time. Two bodies lay sprawled on the ground; one of them looked like they were dragged through the dirt by a jet, while the other lay facedown, as if he were kissing the ground.
And everybody was staring at him in horror.
Ash blinked. "What happened?" he looked at the bodies. They were twitching slightly. "Did I just kill somebody?"
"Just about did…" Misty piped up from behind him.
"Yes." Duplica agreed, "Don't you remember?"
Ash blinked again. "Remember wha…Sabrina!?" And without warning he threw himself on her in a sort of cross between a hug and a tackle. Sabrina yelped in surprise as she quickly moved her sword out of the way before Ash skewered himself on it.
"Urgh!" She grunted as he held her in a vice grip. "Ash! You're…choking me!" Misty and Duplica both twitched their eyelids in unison.
"It's soooo great to see you, Sabrina!" he cried happily as he loosened his grip slightly, but not enough for her to escape it. "How long has it been, two years?"
"ASH!" Misty roared. "Did it ever occur to you that those monsters over there could wake up at any minute and kill us all? We have to get out of here!" Pikachu "pika'd" in agreement.
"Ash!" Sabrina stamped her foot. "I came here to help you, and I have, now COME ON!"
His expression turned from happy-go-lucky to serious. He didn't even bother questioning how she got here so quickly and what she was doing with that strange ugly sword. "Right."
Poor guy…Ash thought as he slung Jamie's battered body over his shoulder. At the same time Duplica lifted Brock into her arm as if he were made of Styrofoam. Misty was quite content with Pikachu in her arms and Togepy in her backpack.
Without another word, the group rushed out of the clearing and back into the woods.
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Ashura didn't know how long he had been unconscious. Ten minutes…an hour…he didn't know. All he knew was that he was in a lot of pain and VERY angry. His grip on the Ragana had tightened in anger so much that he thought it would snap in half. With a grunt, he lifted himself out of the three-foot trench his body had skidded.
His dark eyes shifted over to Richie's massive unconscious form plastered onto the ground. Ashura nearly blew him into a billion pieces on the spot when he realized that he was snoring.
"RICHIE!" he bellowed has he stomped over to his sleeping body. "Get…up…NOW!" He whacked the boy over the head with his Ragana. As if a light switch had been turned on, his eyes flashed open without warning.
"Hah…heh…wha…? He gurgled, dusting himself off as he got up. "Did somebody get the number of that bus?"
"You IDIOT!" Ashura exploded, his aura flaring a dangerous red. "Do you realize what just happened!?"
"What?" he cried, genuinely confused. He looked about himself before he realized just how foolish and idiotic his question was. "We lost them, didn't we?" He wilted.
"And do you know WHY we lost them!?"
The voice seemed to come from out of nowhere. "Because you were screwing around."
Ashura jerked his head. "Who said that?" he roared, his Ragana at the ready. He had had about enough. He was ready to level this entire forest if he had to. "Where are you!"
The three figures seemed to just sort of emerge from the brush. A man, a woman, and a Meowth, levitating towards the two. They all had placid smiles on their faces, their eyes shining a bright crimson.
"You should not speak in such a rude tone." The man chided.
"To Raganajin High Priests." The other two added on to his sentence.
Ashura's jaw dropped when he realized that they too wielded the same weapon that he did. Even more adding to his shocked state was the recognition of the ones speaking. The only three humans that he believed deserved to live. He dropped to his knees.
"Brothers…"
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A/N: Yes, this chapter was only a measly 6 pages long. I have a life, sue me.
