11 The Sorcerer's Gambit

Misty put aside the emptied plate and crude wooden utensils that Lupus had made for her. She watched quietly as he quickly finished his meal, struggling to manipulate the bone in his deformed hands to get the last bit of meat from it. Fighting back one of his animalistic urges, he put the bone down and looked back to the girl.

"It was good," Misty said. "Really."

Lupus watched her as she sat down on the bed, slipping off her shoes. After his masochistic craze earlier in the day, he found it hard to look at her. Whatever thoughts he might have entertained about being like a father to her seemed so ridiculous now. How could he possibly do her any good if he was so weak as to give in to such horrible impulses? He did not deserve to even desire such a thing. He'd been allowed a brief moment of peace, but the time to face the truth had come.

"Where were you going before I brought you here?" Lupus asked.

"We were on our way to Blackthorn City," she replied.

"Tomorrow," he explained, "I will take you to the edge of the forest, nearest to Blackthorn as I can. From there, you should be able to find your way."

Misty smiled. "I'm glad I met you."

The young girl's voice had such a tone of honesty that the hunter felt his heart melting.

"You shouldn't say that," he told her. "It would truly have been best if we had never met. We come from two opposite worlds, worlds that can never exist together. When I leave you tomorrow, do not look for or think of me again. You will be happier if you forget me."

"No," Misty replied, shocked at his words. "How can you say that? There's no reason why we can't see each other again. I could . . ."

"Listen to me," Lupus's gaze was intense. "I am a predator, a murdering beast that has preyed on the lives of others. I cannot change that. I've killed too many people to have the right to be with you. All I can do is to continue the hunt. That is the only purpose left for me. It is what I am."

"But . . ." Misty's eyes moistened with pity. "That's so lonely."

"That's life," Lupus replied. "We all make our choices. Some choose peace, others, suffering. I am the hunter and to hunt is to be alone. It is too late for me to find happiness in this world. I lost that chance long ago."

Seeing the tears in Misty's eyes, he felt as if his heart was being wrenched from his body. Reaching out with his deformed hands, he wiped them away, gently caressing her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I know you want to help, but, there's nothing you can do for me. This is my fate."

"You shouldn't have to suffer like this," Misty wept. "It isn't fair."

"Life isn't fair," Lupus said. "If it makes you feel better, you have found a part of me that I'd thought dead. For a brief moment, you let me be human and I'll never let go of that part again." He hesitated, pained by the knowledge that what he told her would inevitably become a lie. "But I can't be selfish. As much as I wish I could be as a second father to you, if I were to be with you, you would loose that innocence that makes you so beautiful. Don't let me take that from you. Please, let me let you be happy."

Misty turned her head down in sorrow. Was there really nothing she could do for him? She couldn't accept it. Lupus withdrew his hands.

"Sleep now," he urged. "In time, you will see that this is the best for both of us. I couldn't really be happy with you anyhow. I would always feel uncomfortable, knowing that you are innocent and pure, while my hands are stained with blood. It's already starting now."

Misty laid her head down on the pillow, staring back at Lupus with pleading eyes. The hunter balked at them, turning away from the sight. Tears still welled up in them, Misty closed her eyes and pulled the blanket over her body.

Lupus watched her lie there, each passing second an emotional torture that he accepted as punishment for forcing his burden on her. Only once he knew she slept did he let his tears flow freely; he would not let her see any more of his pain than she already had. Dokoto moved up next to its master and rested its head on his lap, whining questioningly. Lupus looked back at his companion and scratched the dog's ears, sobbing gently.

Suddenly, Dokoto's ears perked up and it bared its teeth angrily. Rising up, it turned toward the entrance to the cave. Taking his sword and placing it in his belt, Lupus stood.

"Yes, Dokoto," he hissed, all emotions fading away from him. "I smell him, too. He's here."

Pushing aside the vines, Lupus and his dog stepped out into the blackness of the moonless night. The darkness hid the sorcerer almost completely from his sight, the faint glimmer of the stars barely revealing a faint outline. The scent, however, could not be mistaken and it also revealed that the others were with him.

"You were a fool to seek me out," he growled. "You've only ensured your doom."

The clear sound of chanting overshadowed the chirping insects. Lupus tensed, his hand closing on his sword's hilt, prepared to attack at the completion of the sorcerer's spell.

A ball of light appeared in Lotus's hand, illuminating the forest. The old man gently tossed the ball upward, letting it rise up above them and stopping it as it began to fall. Lotus and Ash remained calm, but Lilly and Brock, who had not yet seen the hunter's face, gasped in shock. Only that shock held the hunter back, another stunning reminder of what he was.

"Grandfather," Lilly stuttered, "isn't that . . .?"

"Yes," Lotus answered.

"But that means . . ."

"Yes. Step back, all of you. I will deal with this myself."

Lupus snorted at the sorcerer's bold claim. Releasing his hold on his sword, he stood upright again, staring back at his prey coldly. Did the old fool really expect to win? He waited, curious to see what his enemy would do. To his surprise, the old man calmly stepped forward.

"I'm here for the girl," he stated, no trace of fear or anger in his voice.

Lupus looked back toward the cave. "She's sleeping inside," he said, turning back to his prey. "She's safe."

"I know," Lotus said. "I've come to take her back."

Lupus's eyes narrowed. "I won't let you take her," he snarled. "I'll never let you taint her with your evil."

Aghast at the hunter's words, Ash rushed forward, fists clenched in rage. "You're the one who's the killer," he shouted.

"Pika!" Pikachu added.

Dokoto hopped in front of its master, baring its teeth ferociously. Lupus put his hand on the dog's head, stopping it.

"Silence, ignorant boy," he snarled. "Those too young to understand shouldn't open their mouths."

Ash took another step forward, but Lotus took hold of his jacket and pulled him back behind him. Confused, Ash looked up at the old man, who only shook his head firmly. Ash backed away, his fiery gaze never leaving Lupus for a moment.

"Tell me, hunter," he asked, "who was it that cursed you?"

Unprepared for the question, Lupus shifted to a defensive stance, his hand once again finding his weapon. "Why does it matter to you?" he returned warily.

"The person who did this must be brought before the council," Lotus replied. "The spell he used on you has been forbidden for over a thousand years."

"Two thousand," Lupus shot back.

The knowledge staggered the aged sorcerer. Taking a step back, his eyes wide with shock, sudden understanding crashed over him like a wave on the rocks.

"Then it was you the whole time," he said. "You've been the same one killing us for these all these centuries. I should have guessed. Oh, my, I pity you."

The word enraged Lupus. With a fierce growl, Lupus whipped his sword from his sheath.

"I don't want your pity," he roared. "I want your blood!"

Glowing softly, Shimmerblade filled the air with its brilliant ring as the sorcerer drew it from its sheath.

"Ash," he ordered quietly, "you and the others go and get Misty." Then, unafraid, to the hunter, "If you want my blood, come and take it."

Lupus smiled mirthlessly as he drew his own blade, holding it up before him, "Indeed, I will."

Ash and his friends raced around to the side, hopping to get to the cave without drawing the hunter's attention, only to be stopped by the pack of houndour. The six dogs closed in around them in an angry circle of snarling fur and teeth.

"We don't have time for you right now," Ash yelled at them. "Get out of the way!"

The dogs tightened the ring, preparing to attack. Ash and his friends stood back to back as they watched and waited, but the attack never came. Barking, Dokoto rushed in, breaking the circle. It firmly stared down the rest of the pack until they backed off, then turned to face the others, glaring mostly at Pikachu.

"So," Ash said confidently, "you want a rematch. Pikachu?"

"Pika!" the lightning mouse affirmed.

"Alright then," Ash replied, stepping back with the others. "I guess we'll make time."

The two pokemon stared at each other furiously, both equally determined to win; pikachu for the red-haired girl who had always been so kind to it, Dokoto for the master that had raised it since it had been a puppy.

Making the first move, Dokoto again let the demonic light of its gaze come to its eyes. This time, however, Pikachu, expecting the dog's attempt, refused to be intimidated, glaring back adamantly.

"That won't work this time," Ash stated. "This is too important to loose like that again."

Seeing the truth of the boy's words, Dokoto let the light fade and, baring its teeth, growled. Pikachu clenched its tiny paws, its eyes narrowing in focus. Enraged, Dokoto roared and charged toward its opponent. Pikachu stood resolutely, more than prepared for the fight.

With a furious cry, Lupus pressed down hard with his left foot, launching himself forward. He landed hard and continued his charge without breaking stride, focused only on his kill, the sorcerer's magical ball of light gleaming in his sword. Lotus waited fearlessly as the hunter drew near, his grip tightening on Shimmerblade's hilt.

"DIE!" Lupus roared, his sword rising high as he bore down on his opponent.

Both swords clanged together, sparks ejecting from the meeting of steel against steel. Lupus gasped, realizing that, in spite of the strength of the blow, Lotus held the attack at bay, wielding the sword in only one hand. Growling, the hunter leaned into his attack, putting more weight on his sword, causing the older man's hand to tremble slightly. Closing his other hand on the hilt to steady the blade, Lotus took a step forward. Shimmerblade glowed brighter as the sorcerer pulled back with his lower hand, pressing forward with the other, knocking the hunter's blade aside.

Lupus leapt backward to avoid being hit. Landing several feet away, he stared back at the old man in amazement. How could he have gained that much strength? It wasn't possible. Lifting his sword again, Lupus charged again.

Sword struck sword again and again, each blow more furious then its predecessor. Lupus slashed with all the force of the centuries of hatred that had been reawakened in him and Lotus, managing to keep one step ahead of the hunter, deflected each attack as it came.

Lupus brought his sword down again, but, as Lotus raised Shimmerblade to parry, turned it aside so that it missed, swinging it behind his back, switching hands as it passed and brought it in from the other side. The old man succeeded in stopping the attack, but the hunter's fist drove into his face, knocking him to the ground.

Lotus rolled aside as the sword came down into the earth where his head should have been, slashing at the hunter's legs as he rolled back to his feet. Lupus leapt straight up, flipping in the air to dodge and landed on the other side of his sword just as the sorcerer was leaping back to get away, taking hold of his sword again.

Lupus stared at the sorcerer in utter shock, unable to accept what he was seeing. The old man had escaped death before by pure luck, but now he was meeting him as an equal in combat. How could it be?

Plucking his sword out of the ground again, he prepared to attack, his mind racing desperately to find an alternate strategy.

Pikachu hopped aside quickly as Dokoto's powerful jaws snapped shut where he had been only milliseconds before. The electric rodent jumped up onto the dog's head as it snapped at it again, then leapt back down on the other side, dodging once more as Dokoto whirled on it to strike, again only catching air in its sharp teeth.

"Don't let it get its jaws on you!" Ash warned. "Quick attack!"

Pikachu leapt aside as Dokoto snapped a fourth time, this time leaping forward the moment the dog's mouth was shut and smashing into its opponent with its head lowered. The force of the head-butt, knocked the houndour back slightly, but not enough. Pikachu ducked under the following attack, but Dokoto caught hold of its tail as it moved in to attack and hurled it away.

Pikachu rolled and the dog's jaws closed over its foreleg instead of its neck. As it was being lifted into the air for Dokoto's powerful thrash attack, Pikachu threw out its paw and caught the hound on the eye. Whining in pain and alarm, Dokoto released its opponent. Flipping in the air, Pikachu landed on its feet.

"Tackle it!" Ash commanded.

Pikachu leapt forward while its enemy was still dazed, throwing all of its weight into the dog's side. The blow sent Dokoto sprawling to the ground.

"Finish it with a thunderbolt!"

Pikachu tensed, paws and teeth clenching, as it drew out its electrical power, sparks flying from its cheeks as the energy built. Leaping into the air with a powerful cry, it released all of its stored electricity in a devastating blast of lightning that threw it further into the air. Dokoto, barely risen to its feet, howled in pain as thousands of volts of raw electricity used its body as a conduit to the ground. Dokoto struggled for a moment, then fell to the ground, its tongue lolling out of its mouth.

With a shout of success, Ash ran forward and grabbed his pokemon.

"We did it," he exclaimed. "Great job!"

Squealing delightedly, the mouse hopped up onto its trainer's shoulder and nuzzled his neck. Leaving the unconscious Dokoto on the ground, Ash and his friends bolted up toward the cave, unhindered by the rest of the pack.

"Misty!" Ash cried, bursting into the cave.

He saw his friend, sleeping peacefully on the bed in the back of the cave. Rushing toward her, he dropped to his knees beside the bed and shook her. Misty awoke with a start, bolting upright almost immediately. She looked around, her head a little cloudy, and saw Ash staring back at her with concern. A flood of relief crashed over her like a bursting dam and she threw her arms around him.

"Ash!" she cried happily.

Ash's eyes went wide with shock at the seemingly affectionate display, his facing turning a brilliant shade of red. He stuttered bewilderedly, his eyes darting about uncomfortably.

Misty heard the sound of Brock clearing his throat and opened her eyes suddenly, noticing the others for the first time. Blushing, she pushed Ash away and leaned back against the wall. Ash fell to the floor, his eyes still open all the way.

"There'll be plenty of time to feel embarrassed later," Brock commented. "Right now, I think we should get out of here."

Misty looked around the cave, seeing no one else but her friends. "Where's Lupus?" she asked.

"He's outside fighting with my grandfather," Lilly explained.

Misty gasped in horror. "No!" she cried, leaping from the bed past her startled friends. "We have to stop them!"

Lotus watched carefully as Lupus drew his sword from the earth, raising his own blade in defense. 'He's very good,' the sorcerer thought. 'But then, what else could I have expected.'

Lupus charged, his sword held high. Lotus saw it and thrust Shimmerblade upward, to the left, to deflect the oncoming blow. The expected clang of swords came, but, to the old man's surprise, Lupus's metal sheath came in from the other side, striking him on the shoulder and nearly knocking it out of socket. He cried out in pain, barely managing to turn away the second slash, only to have the sheath collide with his left hip. Dropping on one knee, Lotus barely found the time to parry the attack that would have otherwise been the deathblow.

Pushing himself back to his feet, he struck weakly at the hunter, who easily evaded the attack, striking back hard. Lotus tried to turn the blow away, only to be knocked off-balance by the attack and received part of the slash, a long bleeding gash opening on his side. The sorcerer attacked again, harder this time, forcing the hunter to evade it.

Lupus struck again, but this time, when Lotus thrust out his blade to deflect it, the sorcerer turned Shimmerblade at a slight angle, allowing the hunter's sword to slide down the blade. With a sharp twist, Lotus trapped Lupus's weapon in the crook of Shimmerblade's crosspiece. The hunter fought fruitlessly to wrest his weapon from his opponent.

"Now that I have your attention," Lotus grunted, struggling to hold out against the hunter's strength. "I've already told you I do not wish to kill you."
"You can't kill me," Lupus hissed. "I'm immortal."

Lotus shook his head. "You're not immortal," he explained. "You're timeless. Time does not touch you, and you remain as you are. You can't die because you're not really alive. But that's not what I came here to tell you."
"Shut up!" Lupus roared, twisting on his sword with all his might.

Lotus maintained control of his opponent's sword. "Stop this war against my people now!" he commanded. "Whatever has been done to you in the past, it is not the fault of anyone still living."
"Shut up!" Lupus yelled again.

"It must stop," Lotus asserted. "You're venting your frustration against people who have done you no wrong. You're needlessly taking the lives of innocent people. You're a murderer."

"How dare you judge me?" Lupus screamed.

Lotus twisted his arm, pushing with all his strength, and tore the sword from his opponent's hands. Flipping his wrist around, he easily tossed the weapon away, drawing back his own to attack.

"Come to your senses!" Lotus cried.

Lupus leapt backward, barely avoiding the strike that would have cut open his throat. In a single, fluid motion, the hunter snapped back his wrist, removing his scarf and flinging it toward the sorcerer, snapping his wrist back so that it wrapped around Lotus's neck. Unprepared for such an attack, the sword fell to the ground as Lupus yanked the old man toward him, catching him by the collar and striking him on the side of the head with the back of his hand.

"Damn you!" he screamed. "How dare you speak to me like that? You don't know what I've been through!" He drove his fist into the sorcerer's gut. "You don't know what it's like to loose everything that's important to you. You can't imagine how much it hurts to watch your only child die and know that there's nothing you can do to prevent it."

Lupus's hand caught Lotus in the stomach again, but he was only dimly aware of the pain. The hunter's words had taken hold of his mind and dragged out old memories.

Lotus was sitting in the ambulance, holding onto his son's hand, which had turned white from lost blood. Desperately, his son struggled to speak his last words. The moment his final goodbye was said, his hand fell limp. A few moments later, the heart monitor's beeping fell to a dry, sustained tone.

Lotus looked up into the hunter's enraged glare, his eye swelling from the blow he had received. A tear slid down his cheek.

"Yes," the sorcerer muttered. "I do."

Lupus leaned back unconsciously, his mouth quivering. His expression turning from shock to rage, the hunter pummeled his opponent's face, blood splattering onto the ground with every blow.

"Liar!" he screamed. "You're all filthy, murdering bastards! You don't know what it means to love!" He threw Lotus, face first, to the ground and smashed his foot down onto the old man's head. "Die! Die drenched in the blood of vengeance and burn in hell for all eternity."

Lupus brought his foot up into the sorcerer's gut. Rolling with the blow, Lotus took hold of Shimmerblade and leapt to his feet as the hunter charged. The sorcerer raised the sword, the blade glowing as he drew out its full power. Lupus threw his arms over his face as Lotus released a blast of energy from the sword, knocking him back. The hunter disappeared in the blinding light of the explosion.

When the dust settled, Lupus stood quivering with uncontrollable rage, his cowl shredded by the blast, his bandages hanging raggedly from his hands. Even beneath his fur, the vein in his forehead visibly bulged with his ire.

Lotus felt his knees begin to weaken and he stumbled forward, his eyes falling in and out of focus. Every moment he stood became a torture; the sword had granted him its strength, but his aged body was tooweak to handle it.

'I can't beat him,' he realized. 'His hate is too strong and he's carried it too long. I can't break through it.'

Slowly, his gaze shifted away from Lupus and fell upon the cave entrance. The others sat just outside, fear and anxiety evident in their expressions. He saw Misty, tears in her eyes and a suddenly realized the mistake he had been making.

Taking a deep breath, he turned back to the hunter with a weak smile. He looked down at his weapon, then back. Sadly, he tossed Shimmerblade to the ground. Lupus stared for a long moment at the fallen sword, unsure of what it meant.

"I can't do it," Lotus said, brokenly. "How can I fight you? How could I wish more pain on someone who has suffered so much? It is not within me." The sorcerer fell to his knees, struggling for breath. "To live like that for so long; it must hurt so much. I feel so sorry for you. I feel . . . so sorry."

The others watched, horrified, as Lotus fell forward to the ground, weakened beyond the ability to stay up. Lupus stared for a long time at the fallen body, confused. He took a dazed step forward.

"I know what you're doing," he muttered, his voice trembling slightly. "You're trying to fool me. I know better than that. You're only trying to save yourself, but it won't work."

The hunter stopped before the prone body and stared down at it angrily. Looking back a moment, he saw his sword lying on the ground. Turning, he reached down with shaky hands and grasped hold of the blade. 'I won't be fooled,' he thought. 'Not by you.' Turning around, he raised his weapon and prepared to give the final blow.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl for everyone watching. The moment the sword began its decent toward Lotus, Misty threw herself over the old man's body with a defiant cry. The blade stopped, barely a hair's distance from her head.

Lupus's eyes quivered in shock at the thought of what he had almost done. He took a step back, lowering his sword. It wasn't Misty he saw, however. As the young girl looked back at him pleadingly, he once again saw his daughter. Tears built up in Lupus's eyes as he stared down on the image.

For a moment his face softened and he almost smiled. Morgan! She'd come back to him after so long; come to release him from the endless nightmare. He reached out to her, but as he drew near, the image faded away. It wasn't Morgan trying to convince him, only an illusion drawn out of his memories because of the girl's likeness. The coldness returned to his face. Only an illusion; nothing could free him from his purpose.

"Get out of the way, Misty," he ordered.

"I won't," she replied firmly.

"Why are you protecting him?" he demanded. "Why?"

Tears welled up in Misty's eyes. Dazed, the hunter stumbled backward, nearly dropping his sword in shock.

"Please stop it," she begged him. "Leave him alone. This isn't right. This isn't the man who murdered your family. That man is dead; he's dead and his bones have turned to dust by now. You have to let it go."

Lupus shook his head in denial, tormented by the conflicts of his torn mind; the hunter's will to kill screamed to be unleashed, but Lupus only wanted to believe that he could stop. He wanted to believe Misty's words, that it had to stop, but the hunter could never let go.

"I can't let go," he growled, determination creeping into his expression. "I can't!"

Misty stared calmly back at him, pleading softly. "You spoke to me about choice. You said that we all make choices in our lives that determine whether we're happy or miserable."

"We choose our fate," Lupus agreed.

"You can still choose to do the right thing. You have the power to change your fate, but you have to make that choice."

"But, Misty," he stuttered, his face wracked with bewilderment. "It is what I am."

"We all forget who we are sometimes," Misty told him, her voice breaking again, "but we don't have to loose ourselves forever. You've let others convince you that you don't have a choice. It's turning you into something you're not. Don't believe to them."

Lupus's mind whirled in chaos. He didn't want to kill anymore, but the hunter was only capable of killing. Nothing else remained for him to act on, not even his hate. Everything but the impulse to kill had faded out of his mind. He didn't want to kill, but what else could he do? Misty wanted him to make a choice that was not there for him.

"The hunter must hunt!" he cried desperately.

"Then don't be the hunter," Misty whispered through sobs. "You said that you found a part of yourself that you thought was dead. Be that person, the person who you really are, the person who is my friend. A sorcerer turned you into a monster on the outside, but that doesn't mean you have to be a monster inside. Listen to your heart. In your heart, you're a human being, just like me." Misty leaned her head down on Lotus's limp body. "And in their hearts, they're human, the same as you. They have loved ones of their own. They have families, wives and children. Grandchildren."

"Grandchildren?"

Misty looked back up, Lupus following her gaze until it came to rest on Lilly. For a moment, the meaning of her words would not take hold, but as the seconds droned on, realization came crashing upon him in waves of dread.

"Would you take away the only person she has left?" Misty asked, her voice a soft, sad whisper.

The sword slipped from Lupus's hand and clattered to the ground. He tried to deny it, refused to accept the relation between Lilly and the sorcerer. The hunter's purpose was to kill those who had taken his family. The hunter hunted those who destroyed families, he did not destroyed the families of those he hunted. It couldn't be true. But it was and he knew it.

The sorcerer was the girl's grandfather, the only person she had left. Had Misty not stopped him, he would have killed him, would have killed a child's only parent. Horrified, he realized that not only would he have taken away a child's parent, he already had many times before.

Looking down at his palms, he saw blood, but not just the blood of a loving grandfather. The blood of hundreds of parents stained his quivering hands. Carried on the cold wind, he heard the sobbing of many children, crying over their murdered fathers and mothers. Desperate to cut off the sound, he covered his ears with his hands, but the wailing only grew louder.

"What have I done?" he whimpered, dropping to his knees. "What have I done?"

Sobs of terrible realization wracked Lupus's body. Wrapping his head in his arms, he let his forehead fall to the ground in shock.

"Anna, Morgan," he cried. "I've committed murder in your names and stained your memory with the blood of innocent people. I'm sorry. I'm not worthy to be thought of as your husband or father. Forgive me. Forgive me."

Stunned, Ash and his friends came down from the cave, huddling around the broken-spirited hunter. Dokoto and the other dogs whined sadly, sharing in their master's pain. Sympathetically, Misty placed a hand on Lupus's back, but he recoiled in horror from her touch.

"No," he sobbed. "Don't try to comfort me. I don't deserve it."

Drawing back away, Misty felt her throat constrict at the pitiful sight. It was over now. Lupus had finally overcome his horrible fate, but now he could no longer hide from the truth; the truth that he was a murderer. She wished that she could stop the pain, could bring comfort to him, but she could not even begin to understand the depth of it. He had been buried so deep in torment that she knew of no way to dig him out.

She felt a warm hand on her back. Turning, she saw Ash looking at her. She stared back at him, unsure of what to do. Too sorrowful to speak, Misty wrapped her arms around her friend and wept. Not knowing what else to do, Ash returned the embrace, whispering comfort.

Before Misty could allow that comfort to take hold, an enraged voice shattered the sadness around them.

"You stupid girl!"