Author's Notes: Rewritten 15/10/04 screams The italics won't work! Could someone please tell me in what format do they work because I tried everything (I swear I almost tore out all my hair when I previewed this fic). Thanks for all the reviews! You guys rock!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Simple as that.

Flames of Hatred

Ash miraculously arrived at the airport at 12:20, though he was covered in twigs because he hadn't considered calling a cab in his hurry. The airport didn't have the usual gift shops, magazine kiosks, and snack bars (to his complete disappointment) that he had expected. It was very small compared to the other airports he'd gone to when he was just a little kid. The floor was made of splintered wood, that hadn't been bothered to be polished in the least. Worn out chairs lined the walls with different kinds of grease stains, and was ripped open in different places where the stuffing was coming out. There was also a single window in the room, but it was too dusty and grimy to be able to see outside properly. Cheap flower wallpaper was pealing of the walls and revealing small holes that weren't supposed to be seen. A rusty metal detector was in the center of the room. Any madman could fool this bucket of bolts... Ash grimly thought.

He was the only one in the room, beside a police woman who was slacking off, and instead, she was painting her nails a bright magenta. Ash was about to go through the metal detector, but he was startled when the woman called him over.

"Passport?" she said in a monotonous voice, her eyes focused on her badly painted nails.

"Err...don't have one now..." Ash completely forgot about bringing his rarely-used passport, and he was silently cursing himself for his forgetfulness.

She put her nail polish down, and stared at Ash with bored eyes. "Well, when someone doesn't have a passport, I usually don't let that person pass, and write a report to my boss about it, or something..." she drawled on, wrapping her green chewing gum around her tongue. Ash hoped that his mom wouldn't torture him too much before killing him.

"But I'll let you pass this time, as you can see I can't do anything with my hands. Can't ruin these perfectly painted nails, now can I?" She showed him her bitten nails; the nail polish dripping down her fingers, and covering her jeans with magenta spots. Ash almost said another of his idiotic remarks, but luckily he stopped himself in time.

He went through the metal detector, and was glad not to hear any beeping noises. Even though I'm carrying some coins, and a metal key chain... He went over to a door that was at the farthest place of the room and opened it.

There, in front of his eyes was the most run-down airplane that he had ever seen. Even the plane he once boarded to get to Olivine City looked like a luxurious jet plane compared to this. It looked like if a toddler played with lots of metal, left his mess, and somehow added wings to it.

Ash hoped he could reach Pallet Town in one piece.

He wondered how he could get into the plane since there was no boarding ramp. But suddenly, as though it was hearing his thoughts, a long wooden ladder was brought down from the small plane's opening. An old lady appeared; she had several missing teeth, and was dressed in the wackiest array of colors, and wore knee-top leather combat boots. He went up the ladder with some hesitation while he carefully tried to avoid the splinters.

"Well, what are you waitin' for, sonny? Get in or you'll catch a cold!" she shoved Ash inside with tremendous strength for an old lady. Ash groaned inwardly when he got inside; the plane was even worse inside than the outside. Moth eaten seats were lined against the wall, under the windows. The floor was covered in holes the size of footballs, large boxes were piled together at the end of the plane and judging by its smell, it was carrying rotten fish. Lots of it.

"Sit down now! Don't want you fallin' off the plane now, eh?" She was so close to Ash's face, that he could smell her disgusting onion breath. He breathed normally when she left him and went back to the pilot's cockpit. It wasn't very different than the passengers' area, the only difference was the size capacity and Ash wondered how cramped the old lady must feel when she controlled the airplane.

Ash sat down in one particularly old seat, squirming to find a comfortable position.

"Flight Number 234, route to Celadon City, now heading off. All passengers are to fasten their seat belts, and dispose of their cigarettes before take-off!"

Wait a moment...did she say... and Ash's eyes widened in horror. Celadon City?

"Uh excuse me, miss?" Ash said politely, trying not to panic when he felt the plane moving. "Isn't this the flight to Pallet Town?" he asked lamely.

"Pallet Town doesn't have an airport, sonny," said the old lady, chuckling. "Got on the wrong plane, eh?" and she chuckled even more wholeheartedly.

"Please, I need to go to Pallet Town! Couldn't you make an exception?" he pleaded, trying to persuade the old lady with a puppy look that he often used on his own mother when he was desperate.

She seemed to buy his act, by giving him a crooked smile. "Well...I wanted to see Pallet Town again for a while now. That's where -" her eyes filled up with tears, and she took a large yellow handkerchief from her pocket. "- I had to leave Shashooka, my lovely Meowth." She blew her nose loudly with the handkerchief. Ash knew how it felt to leave a Pokemon, and felt compassion for the old woman. "Thank goodness I have twenty-eight other Meowths, or I would've been so lonely!"

Ash just slapped his forehead, and shook his head in dismay.

"Oh how I adore those little balls of fur! And every single one of them is so different to the other! For example Stacie likes her milk colder that Koro and loves to play with her yarn ball for hours at times. She is so precious! And let's not forget good ol' Mango! He's a quiet one, he is. Likes to have second servings of the cat chow - he's got quite an appetite..." Ash was hearing the old lady, rambling on and on about her Meowths with glazed eyes. His mind was now in the land of the sleeping, while his eyes tried to stay open, so that she wouldn't discover that he was slumbering, instead of listening the stories of her fascinating Meowths.

This was going to be a long trip all right.

Misty slowly opened her eyes to a new day. The room was fairly dark, and the room's inhabitants still slept peacefully, not bothering to awaken and disrupt their dreams so early in the morning.

She was known to be a very heavy sleeper by her friends, and was surprised to be the first one up. But sleep was overtaking her once more, yet Misty decided against sleeping so she rubbed her eyes. She tossed her covers off, and headed to the bathroom. Misty shivered when her feet touched the cold tiled floor; it was just one of the many reasons of why she hated to wake up so early. She closed the door, and began brushing her teeth. She noted with some annoyance that her hair was a mess so she grabbed her hairbrush that was near the sink, and began to untangle the knots. When she was sure it was back to its normal state, she pulled up her hair in its usual ponytail. She splashed water onto her face, feeling more refreshed.

Misty stretched and flexed her arms since they were a bit stiff from lying asleep on them. She smiled when she saw Togepi happily nuzzled together with her favorite Tentacruel doll, and didn't appear to wake up at any second.

Muffled kissing sounds could be heard from Brock's bed, and Misty went immediately over to his bed, afraid at what she may see. To her great relief, Brock was alone in bed, but hugging his pillow closely to his chest. He had a big grin on his face, and rolled to the other side of his bed. He muttered a small "Haruka" much to Misty's great disgust, preferring to hear him say 'Officer Jenny' or 'Nurse Joy' instead of that annoying girl.

And speaking of sleeping beauty, Misty thought disgustedly and went over to her bed, expecting the great queen to be sleeping. But she wasn't. She was a bit surprised that Haruka wasn't a heavy sleeper like her. Shrugging, she grabbed her red bag and went out the door, careful at closing it softly.

She went to the lobby, half-expecting Haruka there, but to her great satisfaction, she wasn't. Nurse Joy greeted her, and tried to stifle a yawn, but couldn't. Poor Nurse Joy. Must've stayed up late again, she thought with some concern.

Misty went outside, enjoying the pleasant morning breeze. A flock of Pidgeys flew by her head, chirping, as if to remind everyone that it was morning. Cool morning dew covered the cut grass, and a light mist was blocking her vision, lazily drifting by Blackthorn City. The mountains stood majestically, with different shades of brown and green. Misty perked up immediately at the sight and wondered why didn't she wake up early more often. It was so relaxing just to walk around, enjoying the beauty that only the morning could bring.

As she walked down the rocky streets of Blackthorn, Misty noticed how quiet the city was. Most cities were buzzing with activity twenty four hours, no matter if it was the earliest or latest hours of the day. But despite that, she was glad that this city brought her so much relaxation - she really needed it. She absently noted a rock seller snoozing on one of his biggest rocks very loudly, and not noticing her presence.

As she got farther away from the center she could see the image of a person and something else amongst the mist - like pearly ghosts. Misty approached slowly, wondering who could they be. Getting even nearer, and hiding behind a rather large rock, she could make out the silhouette of Haruka and Torchic. She just stood there, looking at nothing in particular, but somehow, Misty didn't know how she knew, Haruka could see so much more. The wind made her light brown hair sway, also ruffling her clothes.

Haruka took out something from her pocket, which Misty couldn't see too clearly from her range of vision. After squinting her eyes she could make out what it was.

It was a piece of paper and Haruka unfolded it carefully, almost lovingly. But then, Haruka's expression changed from neutral to a look of pure sorrow. Her hands began to tremble violently, and the piece of paper landed on the grass. Torchic had an equally sad face, even mournful; he placed his head on top of the picture, and sighed woefully.

Haruka's demeanor changed to an enraged one, and her eyes flashed dangerously in just an instant. She had an air of strength and power, that even took Misty off-guard. It was so strong, like a raging fire around her, consuming everything, except her.

She had to rub her eyes, to realize the flames were real.

The flames rose, almost up to Haruka's height. The blazing fire grew in size, and to Misty's great horror, the whole grass that used to be there was gone. The heat of the fire made Misty sweat uncontrollably, making her cower even further behind the rock. Even if she took out her Water Pokemon to ease the fire, it'd be nothing more than a small drop compared to the inferno that was around Haruka. The sky was filled with humongous pillars of smoke, and Misty wanted to cough, but knew if she did, the consequences would be fatal.

Why? Why isn't anyone coming? she thought desperately. Anybody...just... she prayed, trying to ignore the heat, the intensity forty times worse than even hell itself.

The fire was so tall in size, and the smoke was so thick, that Misty was utterly bewildered as to why Haruka wasn't dead by now, but she could still be seen. She stood there, unmoving, full of sadness, looking straight ahead at the flames, as if they weren't there. Haruka lifted her hand, and flicked it, carelessly. The infernal fire, was now as tall as the mountains, but formed into a circle around her.

Her expression changed, she started to frown darkly, then bared her white teeth, and Misty could clearly see a hatred so deep, that made her shudder. Haruka's eyes, usually a bright blue color, turned red as blood. Misty almost shrieked, but covered her mouth in time. Torchic was crying quietly, and his shining tears slid down his master's leg.

Haruka clenched her hands and forming them into fists. She then lifted her head and let out an earsplitting cry that was filled with an uncontainable rage and sorrow.

The scream pierced Misty's ears, and almost screamed herself when the flames covered Haruka completely. All the fire went directly to her, the pure red, hot energy entering her seemingly weak body. Part of the fire was gone, and Misty expected all the grass gone, Haruka's burnt body on it, but to her great disbelief, Haruka still stood there - unharmed and not a hair singed. Haruka's fists were half-way up in the air, but her eyes... they were still red - an eternal fire appeared to inhabit in them. Then she stared at the sky once again as though transfixed by the smoke obscuring it.

People started to come to Misty's relief and fear. A crew of trained firefighters started to take out their hoses and connecting them to fire hydrants. But Misty's fears once again grew when Haruka noticed all the people who were there. No one noticed a girl and her Torchic amongst the roaring flames, no one noticed that it wasn't harming her, no one noticed her red evil eyes full of malice that were directed to them.

And no one noticed the way her hands were forming flaming fireballs.

Misty stood up suddenly, all her previous fear forgotten. She was about to warn them, but it was too late. With a malevolent smile, Haruka shot the fireball at the firefighters who were trying to quench the fire. Misty covered her eyes; she couldn't see what was about to happen. Screams filled the air. Loud, pleading shouts full of pain echoed through the whole town. The smell of burning flesh and death was so intoxicating that it took all of Misty's strength not to retch. The screams began to subside and then...silence. She preferred the screams, because... now she knew. At least when they screamed she knew they were alive, and now...

"God damn it! Why did you die?" Haruka screamed and the flames shot up once again, but with more intensity.

Misty was confused. Was this - demon, feeling guilty now? But no, Haruka wasn't staring at the burned ashes, who once were people with families and jobs who died bravely trying to win a losing battle. Haruka was still staring at the picture, Torchic still faithfully by her side, covering his beady eyes on her shoes; the flames still crackling with immense power

But the flames died down as soon as they appeared. Haruka's eyes, were back to their normal blue color, but Misty could still see it. The inferno was still in her eyes, and so was the dark hatred. She saw anger that could cut anyone like a sharp knife, that could be twisted into one's own very soul, and no compassion, at any human or thing that lived, walked, and breathed, on this planet.

The mist had long since cleared, the wind now blowing fiercely around her, with the power of a thousand hurricanes, yet not a single leaf moved.

"I'll have my revenge, I swear I will," Haruka whispered to herself softly, yet Misty heard her even amongst all the noise. Haruka left the once grassy clearing, leaving black footsteps on the ground, that evaporated in a orange smoke when she moved further and further. Her eyes were closed, but somehow she got back to the Pokemon Center without anyone seeing her - except Misty. She was still hiding behind the rough rock, utterly terrified at being found, and hating herself for her cowardice.

Police cars were coming from all directions, sirens blaring in the air while medics were tending people with various burns on their bodies - some of them crying loudly over their dead partners. Witnesses were exclaiming loudly, using their hands to portray the scene that just happened - one witness falling to the ground, acting as if a great force pushed him to the ground.

Misty snapped her head to the direction of the Pokemon Center, a surge of courage coming from seeing dozens of mangled, burnt bodies- she was going to tell everybody who started the fire. In the distance, she could still see Haruka.

With a big smile on her face.

There was uncontrolled laughter from her right and she saw a man giggling madly with several untouched matches and a large red container with the words 'GASOLINE'. All of the witnesses pointed at the man, and two bulky policemen seized him from the arms - and the man still guffawed crazily; a glazed expression on his eyes.

Wha-what? Bu-but he was one of the firemen! she tried to say, but she knew no one would believe her. Even the other firemen were screaming madly at him, some of them actually throwing trash to his face.

And when Misty turned her head back to the Pokemon Center, she saw Haruka leaning her head against the Pokemon Center's doors, smiling...that insane smile of hers...

Misty knew that what she saw this morning would be etched in her mind forever.

"...And Uncle Puss loves to go outside to rest in the sun! Laziest Meowth I have ever gotten, but he's the closest one my age, so we get along splendidly!"

Ash had been asleep with his eyes open for five hours, and he appeared to be dead thanks to his unfocused eyes, but the old lady didn't even notice. She had been rambling on an on about her Meowths, and Ash wondered how she could come up with stories for five hours about Meowths.

"And he accidentally scratched her tail! Almost took out his eyes in return - why, would you look at that! We talked so much about my Meowths that we didn't even notice that we arrived at Pallet! Guess time sure flies by when you're having fun!" she laughed, slapping her knees. Ash snapped out of a dream that he couldn't recall, and rubbed his eyes that were getting very watery. His neck was aching because he had slept against the cockpit's doorframe and he rubbed his temples because he awoke with a nasty headache. Pikachu opened his eyes, but not fully. He went up to Ash's hat and slept once again, too tired to wake up properly.

"Well we better land this thing right away, shall we?"

The plane went to an abrupt nose-dive, throwing Ash and Pikachu crashing on the chair she was sitting on. Ash's eyes grew bigger in size, clutching the back of the old lady's chair, as the ground dangerously came closer, the once bug-sized trees and houses growing alarmingly in size. Pikachu, now wide awake, was on top the old lady's head clutching her hair for dear life. She didn't take any notice of her two passengers, who were both about to pass out on the spot.

Ash also covered his eyes, he didn't want to see his own death. He wondered if he was going to feel any pain, or die instantly upon impact. Just when he was pondering how the afterlife was like, he began to stumble backwards, Pikachu alongside him and they both crashed on top of the boxes at the other side of the plane. They both groaned, and started to cough when a horrible smell invaded their noses. They covered their noses, in a vain attempt to stop the smell.

"Flight Number 234 now on Pallet Town. I hope you had a comfortable and enjoyable journey!" the old lady said in her sweetest voice.

Ash almost laughed out loud. Yeah, veeeery comfortable and enjoyable... And to signify his thought, a large Magikarp fell from a box, and landed hard on top of Ash's head with a disgusting squish.

"Mmmm-mm! All these great Magikarps to those rascals! The finest Magikarps, freshly caught from the Dragon's Den. Well...I didn't catch them that recently, but one week is considered fresh, right?"

Ash didn't say anything, but threw the dead Magikarp as far as he could. He wiped his hands to get rid of the smell and some of the Magikarp muck. He was just grateful that he didn't live with the old lady. Just imagine the smell... he thought with with a shudder.

"Well, what are you waitin' for? Let's go outside!" she said, pushing Ash roughly out the door, momentarily forgetting the ladder. Ash was falling down, but to his great relief, he landed on a pile of soft grass, Pikachu landing gracefully on top of his head.

"Ah, there's nothing like Pallet Town!" the old lady cackled heartily. "Well I'll be on my way! Don't want to leave Shashooka waiting!" she said happily as she strolled down merrily, away from the plane.

"Wait!" Ash called. The old lady turned around and shot him a questioning look.

"Can you bring me back later? I really need to get back to Blackthorn before nighttime tomorrow..." He crossed his fingers, hoping the crazy old lady would accept.

She scratched her chin, deep in thought. "Well...I suppose you can! But you have to be here tomorrow at seven 'o clock in the morning! Not a minute sooner or later. See ya!" And she walked down a road, heading towards the rocky valleys that were far away.

Ash sighed happily once he fully saw his hometown before his eyes; Pikachu sharing his happiness. He was finally back home. Pallet Town was in the same way he remembered; it didn't change a bit since the last time he had seen it. Lots of grassy fields that stretched as far as the eye could see, few houses that aligned the old worn out paths; rocky valleys and mountains could be seen far away and gave Pallet Town a sort of magical touch. Some people thought about Pallet Town as the most undeveloped city in the whole Kanto region, but Ash simply ignored them. He knew it was much more than that.

He went down a particular street, remembering exactly where he lived. He needed to turn left from Cobblegorld Road, then turn right to a rocky street across from a river, and when he saw a patch of green-yellowish valley to the northeast, he would just have to cross it.

Ash hurried up, wanting to get home as soon as possible. In no time at all he saw the large valley, and began to run faster seeing his home at the distance, Pikachu clinging on to his hat desperately so he wouldn't fall. He was beginning to pant, and leaned against a fence to catch his breath. He looked up and he saw, with some surprise, that he was leaning against his own fence. Almost out of instinct he checked his mom's garden and saw her perfect tomatoes gleaming in the sunlight - not one dark spot in their smooth red surface. His home was exactly the same as he had last seen it; clean sliding doors, white wooden walls, perfect garden - yup, exactly the same.

He ran to the door, excited to see his grandparents after so many years. He was about to ring the doorbell, when the door flew open, almost breaking the door hinges in two.

"ASH!" Three happy-faced people grinned madly before enveloping in a bone-crushing hug. Ash was smothered in loving kisses, and only when he was almost out of oxygen, was he able to escape their crushing grip.

"Oh, Ash, Grandpa and I have been waiting here since midnight to see you arrive - well your grandpa actually slept throughout most of the night, but you know how he is..." his grandma said in a dismissing voice. His grandpa rolled his eyes while he muttered something incomprehensible.

Grandma surveyed him up and down and then tutted disapprovingly. "Delia, the poor boy is just skin and bones! I hope you have sent enough food to the poor boy in this reckless journey - oh and another thing-"

"Carmen, stop fussing. Ash is fine, aren't you son?" grandpa sent a pleading glance towards Ash's direction, when his grandmother wasn't looking. Delia glared at her, crossed her arms but said nothing.

"Uh...I guess so..." Ash mumbled, not wanting to anger his grandmother.

"Hmph! Don't you worry dear, I'll give you all the food you can eat so you can fill up your tummy wummy!" Grandma cooed. She gave Delia a nasty glare before going to the kitchen with a huff.

Delia was grumbling under her breath, while Ash's granddad just shook his head - apparently he was used to this.

She purposefully went over to Ash and planted a firm kiss on his cheek. "I've missed you so much, honey," she said sweetly in a very unnatural, high-pitched voice.

"And please sleep as long as you like dear, you look simply exhausted! Can't you see how exhausted he is, Delia?" came his grandma's voice from the kitchen.

Ash ran up the stairs to his room; he didn't want to see his mother and grandma fighting right now. Pikachu was sleeping on his shoulder, unaware that he just arrived at his master's home. Ash looked at the door, it still seemed the same; his old, half-peeled Pokemon stickers of one hundred fifty species - he made a mental note to add about two hundred more.

His room almost appeared the same...except that it was clean. His favorite Pokemon figurines still covered half his desk - they used to be ordered by number, type and name. Now they were all mixed up and with a sigh, decided to organize them later. As he silently took out his socks and shoes, he saw his unique Pokemon Poster he got along with the special Pokemon League hat. Squirtle, Charmander and Bulbasaur posed dramatically against an orange background. A pang of sadness hit Ash and the longing to see his old friends resurfaced.

He tossed his jacket aside and laid his Pokemon League hat carefully on his night table. He slid under the warm, lightning bolt-shaped covers and grinned; he could almost smell the delicious meal that awaited him when he would wake. He closed his eyes and entered the land of the sleeping, unaware of the terrible events that would come to his life.

Misty hesitantly touched the handle; what exactly would await her inside? Would Haruka just kill her instantly? Besides, Misty was the only one who knew that Haruka was the real person responsible of the accident - and Haruka burned more than ten people to their deaths. What did it matter to Haruka if she killed one more?

But Misty felt as if cold water had just poured down to her spine. Brock, Nurse Joy and everybody staying at the Pokemon Center were inside! What if they were injured - or worse...

She took out Poliwhirl from inside her bag; careful at not touching Psyduck's PokeBall, since even the smallest of movements would make him pop out unexpectedly.

Poliwhirl appeared in a flash and stood in a fighting stance. When he saw there was no opponent, Poliwhirl turned to Misty, puzzled.

Misty crouched to Poiliwhirl's eye level and whispered. "Poliwhirl, there's this girl who burned all of that..." She pointed to the once green meadow, now swarmed with people, "...and now she's inside the Pokemon Center - I don't know if she attacked anybody yet, but we have to be ready for anything, right Poliwhirl?"

Poliwhirl gave a determined nod; Misty nodded back in gratitude.

"Ok Poliwhirl, on the count of three we barge in, help any injured Pokemon, and attack a girl with brown hair with a red bandanna - Got that?" Poliwhirl nodded. Misty took a deep breath.

"One."

"Two."

"THREE!"

Misty and Poliwhirl pushed the door with all their might and entered.

"Don't worry everybody! We're here!" Misty shouted courageously and didn't expect the scene before her eyes -

Brock and Haruka were sitting on a table and they were eating buttered toast and drinking orange juice. They were chatting happily, and Haruka was adding jam to Brock's toast. Nurse Joy was handing a set of keys to a little boy. No blood. No violence. And Poliwhirl was just about to spray water to everybody.

Crap.

Before Misty could stop him, Poliwhirl shot the strongest Water Gun attack at everybody, soaking them to their very bones. Brock and Haruka yelled; the little boy fell to the floor hard and began to cry; Nurse Joy's hair became a soppy mess and her Pokemon Center hat was drenched. To wrap it all up, Chansey tripped over the little boy and her egg went flying from her pouch and crashed into a big yolky pile; Chansey crying uncontrollably along with the little boy. If looks could kill Misty would've been dead by now.

"Umm...oops?"

Brock was the first to speak, helping Haruka to her feet. "Oops...OOPS? Misty we were worried sick about you because of the fire, and then you show up and spray water like a lunatic without a purpose! What the hell were you thinking?" Brock shouted, wiping water from his eyes. Misty hadn't seen Brock this mad in a very long time.

"We-well you see Brock...I saw how the fire started, and I KNOW who the real culprit is." Misty scowled deeply in Haruka's direction; she didn't seem to notice. "It's-it's Haruka! I saw how she burned the whole field! She stared at a little paper, got angry, an-and flames erupted from her body...and-and shot a fireball, from her HAND at some people and..." Misty couldn't believe how incredibly stupid her explanation sounded.

Brock's mouth hung open for a second before laughing loudly. "Tha-that's..." he laughed so hard he had to clutch his stomach, "...the worst excuse I've ever heard from you - no scratch that. The worst excuse that I ever heard from anybody!" And he continued to laugh, tears forming at the edge of his eye. Chansey was still clutching the last remains of her egg, shooting occasional deathly glances at Poliwhirl who was still very confused as to why everybody was so mad at him.

Misty was annoyed to say the least. "You don't believe me? Brock, snap out of your girl trance! Haruka is in fact the real culprit behind the fire. Brock who would you believe in - a girl you just met for less than twenty-four hours, or a friend who traveled alongside you for six years? Well?" she asked impatiently.

Brock stopped laughing and stared at her seriously. "I believe this," he said seriously and handed her a newspaper. She grabbed it impatiently from his hands and unfolded it.

The Blackthorn Post

Fire Kills 12 People and Leaves 20 injured! Culprit Caught!
At 7:15 in the morning, no one suspected that the quiet city of Blackthorn would be covered in an immense fire that stretched over more than 100 meters of land. The humongous flames that reached over 50 meters in altitude, killed 12 people and left over 20 injured. The culprit of this tragedy, named Mark Stevens, was caught with a gasoline container and a box of matches. Police arrived at 8:20 and arrested this mentally unstable criminal. More Information on pages A16-18

A large picture covered half the front page of the fireman she saw earlier, with the fire as the background. His eyes were rolled back and he still had a large grin on his face. Misty sat there; mouth agape and she stared at Brock.

"This is bullshit!" she said and she threw the paper to the floor to emphasize her point. "I know what I saw out there Brock! I know! Haruka did it, I can swear it on anything!" she said hysterically; Haruka was sipping the rest of her orange juice quietly, not making any eye contact with Misty.

Brock shook his head sympathetically. "Misty, Haruka was here since I woke up and never left the Pokemon Center - didn't she Nurse Joy?" he asked.

"Of course she never left; I would've seen! This nasty girly should stop telling lies and attacking innocent people. You should be ashamed of yourself young lady!" she yelled disapprovingly, helping a weeping Chansey to her feet; the little boy ran out - still crying.

"I-I...but...ok..." Misty sighed dejectedly. No one would ever believe her.

Brock handed Misty one of the bronze keys. "Here. Take a shower, change and then come back here and eat. You've seen something truly horrible and traumatic, you don't know what you're saying..." Misty opened her mouth to protest, but he held up a hand, "...You'll feel better after you eat and then you can apologize to Haruka after you think it over." Misty opened her mouth in exasperation and sighed. Mumbling a thanks, she went to their room.

The window was open and a healthy breezed washed over the room. The beds were made and their bags were on their respective beds. Togepi was inside his shell still sleeping with the Tentacruel doll. Torchic slept on her master's bed, unknowing of Misty's presence, and alongside him was Haruka's bag.

Haruka's bag!

There were more important things than showering and changing. She had to know why Haruka acted this way and why she could control fire at her will. Misty had to know. She loomed carefully over Torchic's sleeping form; careful at not waking it up. She zipped the backpack open and peered inside. There was another set of clothing, a brush, a map -

"TORCHIC!"

Torchic was eyeing her menacingly and flapping his small orange wings. It was amazing how such a cute Pokemon that resembled an orange canary could resemble a dangerous eagle with a wing span of fifteen meters in just a second.

"I-I wasn't doing an-anything! I'm leaving! Just d-don't flap your wings like that," she said in a very small voice. She flopped to her bed, and dared to take a peek at Torchic. He was hissing like an angry goose and plopped protectively over Haruka's bag.

At least it was worth a shot.

Ash awoke to the delicious smell of waffles. It was his favorite form of waking up, and he hadn't eaten a waffle for such a long time he almost forgot the taste of them. He jumped out of bed and wildly searched for his jacket, which hung crookedly on his chair. He took a quick glance in his PokeBall-shaped clock; it was 10:39 AM. He slipped on some socks and ran down the stairs hurriedly, anxious to get to the waffles as soon as he could.

He leaped the last three steps and took in one of the greatest sights he would ever see in his life.

On a large plate were stacked about thirty waffles, and besides it was another equally high pile of toasts. But that wasn't the greatest thing of all. Blueberry, cherry, apple, lemon, and strawberry pies were organized neatly in a line - Ash could exactly recognize each one by its smell. Grandma was smiling brightly, and her smile widened even more when he came in. Pikachu was eating rapidly each waffle; over-squeezing the syrup bottle on his stack of waffles.

In sharp contrast to both Pikachu and Grandma, Grandpa was reading the newspaper looking very grim. Delia was looking sulky, giving resentful glances at grandma; buttering her toast very slowly.

"Oh there's my Ashy! Come here and have a seat. A growing boy needs his vitamins!" Grandma chirped happily and handed him four already-syruped waffles with a slice of apple pie.

"Thanks grandma!" Ash said happily, and he chewed his waffle, with a goofy grin on his face.

"So how did my little boy sleep? If you're still tired you can go back to bed, dear," Grandma stated with a smile. In reality Ash was still tired - rundown airplanes didn't make good sleeping places and he slept on his bed for barely five hours or so - but he wanted to see what was on the newspaper; his grandpa was looking very serious.

"Nah, no thanks grandma," Ash said politely. He went to his Grandpa and tried to look at what he was reading. He noticed his presence and with a big sigh, he handed Ash the newspaper.

All color drained from Ash's face by just looking at the headline. He read the rest of the article and threw the newspaper down at the table. He grabbed Pikachu who had a worried expression on his face.

"I have to go," Ash said simply, running out of the kitchen.

"What? Ash you just got here!" Delia said. She read the newspaper quickly before heading to the direction of her son.

"Mom, I have to go. My friends are in Blackthorn right now, and I don't know how they are!" he said in an alarmed voice. He was halfway up the stairs; wanting to get his backpack, when Gandma stopped him.

When he stopped, she hesitated for a moment and seemed to ask him the first thing that was on her mind. "Ash can you bring the old family album? I'd like to see it again, please," and she gave him her best, sweet, old granny smile.

Ash looked at her exasperatedly but said nothing. The sooner he gave her that photo album, the sooner he could find that old lady pilot, so he could return to Blackthorn and see if his friends were all right. They had to be. He didn't know how he'd react if something happened to either of them.

Ash entered his mom's room; it had a cozy appearance with its soft yellow walls, the furry beige carpet, and the porcelain figurines on her night table. He entered her closet; it was fairly dark and he was surprised that the corners were covered in cobwebs - it seemed that Mr. Mime never entered here to clean up.

Ash remembered where the old family album was - third drawer to the left. He opened it and there it was, its covers were dusty and the edges were bent. He was just about to leave and shut the drawer when he noticed one of the photographs crumbled up and it was hidden behind some other photographs of himself when he was a baby.

He picked it up curiously and opened it.

A four-year-old Ash smiled timidly at him, holding the hand of a man Ash had never seen. The man wore a black suit, with a neat red tie, and highly polished shoes. He had a small mustache and very slicked, black hair that was parted in the middle. The man was smiling at the camera and with his other unoccupied hand the man waved.

Ash was perplexed. Who was he? His mom usually told him every person in every photo, and he really meant each one. She usually rambled about every person, telling him exactly every detail of the person she was speaking about. She certainly never spoke about this man - and why was the photo in such a state in the first place?

He picked his Pokemon League cap, his backpack, and his shoes from his room and went down the stairs.

"Oh there you are sweetie, now would you mind handing grandma the album? You know how sentimental she is over pictures," his mother said with a small smile.

"Sure..." he handed the photo album to his grandmother, "...but can you tell me who he is? You never mentioned him before."

Delia - utterly confused, looked at the photo her son gave her. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers, and she dropped the photo as soon as she got it; she was trembling slightly, and grandma picked the photo up and let out a shrill shriek. Grandpa - surprised at his wife and daughter's reaction picked it up. He shook his head sadly and gave a meaningful glance at Delia, before rubbing his temples and sitting down on the couch.

"What's wrong with all of you? Why did you scream like that? Who is he? How did that man know me? Why are you so scared of a dumb photo?" Ash hollered each question. Nobody answered.

His mom was the first one to break the uncomfortable silence. "Ash...I think it's best if you leave."

"Delia's right, dear. You don't want to miss that plane of yours, now," his grandma continued, without looking at him.

Ash couldn't believe his ears. His mother always insisted that he stayed longer and his granny was even worse; but both of them were urging him to go.

He was so stunned he agreed, nodding slowly. Grandma entered the kitchen and returned with a big blueberry pie covered in plastic.

"Here you go. For the trip..." and her eyes told him to leave right now.

"Yes - well...bye, I guess..." he mumbled awkwardly. He left with Pikachu on his shoulder and gave them a hurt expression before closing the door.

When all three of them were sure that Ash was not eavesdropping, the old couple started to argue loudly.

"You should've told the boy by now! He needs to know!"

"Antonio, the truth would terrify him! How could we do that to poor Ash?"

"The boy is not a baby anymore, Carmen. He has a right to know!"

"He's happy! How could we take a little boy's happiness just like that?"

"Ash is sixteen, for God's sake, Carmen. It isn't fair to him to deprive him of what he has every right to know!"

"What he doesn't know won't hurt him!"

"Mom, dad, stop arguing. I won't tell him."

Delia was looking at her feet and she seemed to be on the verge of tears. "Ash w-will never know..." her father was just about to argue further but she gave him a stare that closed his mouth, "...he'd never forgive me if I told him the whole truth. And I-I don't...know what I-I'd do if -" Delia couldn't continue because of her heart-wrenching sobs. She rested her head on her mother's shoulder, and she patted her daughter's head gently.

Her crying subsided after a while before giving a look of anger at the photo. "Mr. Mime could you please come here? I need you to do something for me." Mr. Mime was cleaning the glass ornaments in the living room, and ran to her master eagerly when he heard her.

"Mime?"

"Please light the fire for me."

"Delia...please be reasonable- "

"DAD! I'm tired of being scared - I don't want anything that has to do with him in my house."

She grabbed the photo and ripped it, until only tiny pieces remained. She tossed all the shredded remains on the fire that Mr. Mime had set up in the fireplace; Mr. Mime trembled at the expression on his master's face.

The three of them sat in front of the fire, staring at the burning remains of the photo; not saying a word.

Delia stared at the remains with a look of hatred in her eyes, while she repeated these words over and over in her head.

What he doesn't know won't hurt him... What he doesn't know won't hurt him...


I enjoyed writing this chapter much more than the other one. Hope you liked this one. Please review. :)