Author's note. When I wrote the last chapter, I liked pokémon. Now I don't, yet the story has been uncompleted and forgotten for years. So, while no one is watching, I will finish it, according to my taste. Anyone reading this that is a big fan of the franchise or romance novels might not enjoy it. But at least it will be finished.
Final chapter: The Summit
We last saw Misty driving down the road and an aged Brock, bemused at his doorstep. Ash in the hospital, resting. What happened then was mostly nothing. For a few weeks, Misty went to libraries, federal and state web sites, and even had her fortune read by an alleged psychic. She eventually became fully aware of the entire story of her past. This is what she learned.
A group of three friends, Ash, Misty, and Brock, were hiking through the Amozo Forest to get to Amozo city, where another gym was. One morning when they woke up, the two boys looked around and saw that Misty was gone. She was nowhere to be found, and after a few hours of searching, they continued to Amozo city and went straight to the police station, where a search party was organized. The entire forest was combed through by a party of fifty citizens and officers. A girl was found and later confirmed to be Misty Waterflower by her companions. She was discovered unconscious, with some pretty bad scratches, bruises, and evidence of sexual assault (rape, to be specific). The police took her to the Amozo hospital, which was located on the extreme edge of the city and summarily began a vehement chase for the now-named "Amozo Rapist". Ash and Brock stayed with her for two days until one night she was kidnaped.
"I woke up because I heard Pikachu making a lot of noise. I saw him run by my door and followed him outside. Then I saw Misty and Gary getting on a bird pokémon and flying off." said her friend, Ash Ketchum, in hysterics, an hour after the kidnaping. His five best pokémon and pokedex were also stolen. Gary Oak, the man seen taking Misty, was a childhood friend of Ash's and the grandson of esteemed pokémon researcher Professor Oak. At the time there was apparently a great animosity between the two trainers. Misty was never heard from again.
Ketchum, despite the loss of his best pokémon, restarted his career and eventually became the pokémon master of the world at age nineteen. He later was unanimously elected president of the pokémon congress, a new organization started to promote and see through the peaceful solution of conflicts involving pocket monsters. Around that time, a rising argument became a leading issue of whether or not pokémon should be used for battle, housework, or even captured. Leading opposers of the argument include Professor Oak and the current president of Kanto, Serge Valentine. Ketchum remains neutral on the subject, and continues to battle with his pokémon but does not capture them anymore.
Ketchum, after an assassination attempt at a parade by a "disillusioned fan" suddenly came out strongly against pokémon captivity. He has helped greatly in the cause. Later he was attacked again, by a different party in his apartment building. The man was killed in an attempt to escape and never identified. Ash spent a year in the hospital for injuries sustained and upon release, was discovered to have completely lost use for his left arm. Although he had plenty of funds as well as sympathy patronage to replace or operate upon his limb, Ketchem refused treatment for it. The first assassin escaped from the Koriba Women's Prison around the time of the second attempt at his life, but was not the man that attacked Ketchum in his apartment.
Three Months Later
Ash came home from another pokémon congress meeting, tired. There had been no improvements for years in the debate, and he feared no solution would ever come. Ash went into the kitchen and poured a glass of water. Everything he did with his right hand, while the left hung limp ad his side. He removed his suit and sat down to read the paper. Ash heard a clang outside, and he slowly got up. Pikachu, who had been asleep in the bedroom, followed. Ash went around back to find his garbage can knocked over. He reached for it– PING! A bullet sent it skidding down the driveway. Misty stood next to him with a silenced pistol in his face. Ash casually grabbed the gun. It pointed in the air as they both silently struggled for it. Misty's grip was iron, but so was Ash's, and his one hand matched her two in strength. The gun wavered limp as they stared at each other.
"Misty," he said softly, "You think I care if I die?"
She said nothing. Ash suddenly let go of the firearm, and she quickly centered it back on his head. He gazed at her silently. This lasted for half a minute.
"Why did you go with Gary?" he asked.
"He tricked me. I had Amnesia."
"Do you still have it, now?"
"... Yes." She moved closer. "Come with me." They went into the garage, where she handcuffed him to the passenger-side door. She asked where the keys were and he told her in his right pants pocket. Misty leaned over him and fished in it. Their faces touched, cheek to nose.
"I loved you." He said. She looked him in the eye, one inch away, and felt something inside her stomach flutter, and her face went red. Then she continued pulling his keys out and sat back in her seat, starting the car. Ash leaned his head against the window and his eyes glazed over.
"I'm going to finish this." She said. The black car pulled out of the garage and flew down the street quietly. It was noon.
They drove for an hour. Ash never made a sound, and Misty kept her eyes on the road. They went south. Ash saw a sign that read Pewter City. This was where Professor Oak lived now. They went to the heart of the city, passing a few tall buildings and eventually to the rich section. White houses and grass. Some trees. Misty gently stopped in front of 42 Oak Street. It looked like nobody was home. Ash was left in the car, and she moved across the lawn stealthily. After looking in the windows, she opened the front door, gun in hand. He watched her go inside and waited. After about thirty seconds Ash saw another car coming down the street. It slowed and turned into the driveway, a red car. The front door opened, and out stepped Gary Oak. He glanced a moment at Ash's car, then did a double take. He saw Ash and drew back, peered, and, after a moment, walked over. He knocked on the window, staring intently at him.
"What are you doing here?" he said loudly. This must have caught Misty's attention because she could be seen standing in the doorway seconds later. She raised her pistol and fired at Gary, who was stooped in front of the car. It clipped Gary's ear. He stumbled, flailing his left arm and pulling a small black revolver out of his pocket while turning to face her. She tried to shoot again, but he quickly raised his gun and shot in her general direction without aiming. Amazingly, the gun was knocked out of her hand. Gary moved away from the car, panting and cupping his ear. He didn't try to shoot again. Ash suddenly felt a rush of strength and began madly kicking at the door. It was Gary outside– the man who had taken everything from his life and destroyed him. He had hurt Misty too many times to be counted, and he was a wretched creature that deserved to die. The door gave way and opened, warped into a cup shape. He continued kicking.
Misty walked in a circular path around Gary, as the window shattered from Ash's kicking. The door broke off of its hinges, pulling him out of the car. He raised his good hand, so that it hung by the handcuffs as he moved towards Gary, intending to use it as a clumsy flail. Misty took out her combat knife and jumped behind the car for cover, while Gary pointed the gun at Ash.
"Are you crazy?" she yelled, "You'll get shot!"
"What did I tell you?" Ash swung the door at Gary, "I don't care." He jumped back, and that was when Misty leapt out from behind the car. Gary was just landing as she stuck the knife in his shoulder. Ash followed through with the door, knocking him two yards across the lawn and into the street. Gary clutched his arm now, blood flowing through his fingers.
"Just fucking wait!" he exclaimed. He tossed the revolver on the grass and out of his reach. The two watched him closely. He coughed. "This is a big misunderstanding." He sat up, examining his arm. Pikachu, who had been holding on the back of the car, now perched atop of it and watched the scene unfold. Gary didn't say anything. There was a faint sound of wind and a car in the distance.
"Give me one good reason not to kill you," Misty said, stepping forward, her eyes darting over him and fist shaking. Her hair was wet with sweat and hung in dark orange curls in front of her forehead.
"It's not what it seems." Gary asked softly.
"We all know the story, Gary," Ash came in, "You lied to her, kidnaped her... hurt her..." He relaxed his hand and the handcuffs fell along with the door to the faded autumn grass. Misty realized that he could have done this all along. He really didn't care about anything anymore.
"Woah woah," Gary said, "I never hurt her."
"Who else did, then?"
"It wasn't me... I only loved..."
"Enough!" Misty yelled, startling them all. Before anyone could say anything else. The car, which had been getting closer all the while, screeched to a stop, in between Gary and the other two. Ash recognized the driver immediately as Professor Oak. The old man reached over and opened the passenger side door.
"Gary!" he called.
"It's Mister Oak," Misty said." Ash looked at the car desperately as Gary pulled himself into the passenger's seat and closed the door. Ash's fury flamed up and he sprang at the vehicle. Pikachu leapt after him and landed on his shoulder as he slammed his fist through the driver's window. Oak floored it and the car voomed down the street. Pikachu crawled along Ash's back, down his arm and into the car. Ash held on and trailed down the road, his legs tearing to shreds of red meat. Misty didn't waste time. She jumped back into Ash's car and revved up the engine.
Meanwhile Pikachu was charging up good for the biggest thunder attack in his life. Ash waited patiently. Gary had taken the wheel while Oak grabbed a ball point pen and was viciously stabbing at pikachu, who dodged him in the back seat. Ash let go as Pikachu gave a great cry, and a lightning bolt nine meters in diameter cracked down from the sky, striking the car. It was engulfed in yellow light, and for a moment, Misty was blinded. There was an explosion. The top of Oak's car burst off, flipped in the air, and crashed to the curb, smoking. The rest of the car was left smoldering, ambling down the street and finally to a stop. Pikachu lay on his back on the seat, sleeping. There was no one in the front of the car.
Misty stopped now in front of Ash, who was also on his back, his legs now ending in bloody stumps at his knees. His eyes were open and searching for any sign of the two Oaks. Then Misty saw the Professor, getting to his feet in a neighbor's yard. He must have jumped out of the car. And there was Gary, lying motionless next to him. Misty kneeled next to Ash as Oak regained his wits, shaking his head.
"Misty," Ash said, "Don't look at me. Kill that bastard." He gulped and let his head back onto the pavement.
She said "I'll be back," and stood up. There was a short moment of silence as Oak straightened himself and reached into his coat pocket. Misty started walking towards him with the knife. Then Gary's voice escalated to a screech.
"MISTYYY!" a pause. His entire body was smoking and charred. His lips were blistered. "I'm sorry for what we did. It was selfish, I know. I have to tell you the truth." Oak took a gun out of his pocket– a magnum. "You're not really... Misty Water–" And that was when Professor Oak blew his grandson's brains out.
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PKAOW!
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Gary's body jumped and curled, fading into a corpse. Gunsmoke ran up the barrel of the magnum and over Oak's body. There he was, looking down at what he had created fifty years ago when he bore his own son and ended seconds ago with the pulling of a trigger. Misty reared her arm back, Oak turned to face her, and she threw the stainless steel hunting knife. It tore through the air, screaming like lighting. The blade dug into Oak's skull with a loud thud. His head jerked back, snapping his neck with a crack. At the same moment, as Oak's knees touched the ground and his eyes started to bleed along with the new hole in his forehead, a wave of surreal light exploded from his face, knocking Misty back and making her close her eyes in a puff of cool air. When she opened them there was nothing before her except Professor Oak. Everything else had turned to white nothingness, and the only sound was a distant hum. Oak sat on his knees for fifteen seconds. There was the sound of a door opening and shutting.
Then Oak moved his arm. His hand grabbed the blade in his face and yanked it out effortlessly. Blood spurted out of the wound like a fountain for a second and then died down to a faucet. Then a small stream, and finally nothing at all. He stood and opened his eyes.
Who is this girl?
His face was covered in blood, and he grinned, staring at her.
Just some homeless crack whore.
He wiped his eyes and mouth with his sleeve. Misty listened, realizing the voices were very familiar.
What did you do with Misty?
You don't want to know.
Oak took two steps. "Do you know where we are, Misty? Or what should I call you? Truth be told, I can't remember your name."
"My name's Misty," she said quietly.
So what are we doing?
We have to make sure they think it's her.
How do we do that?
"Oh no, it isn't!" He grinned even wider.
We do to her...
Another two steps.
...What any common serial rapist would do to her.
"We are nowhere, Misty. We are in a place where no one else can see."
I don't know, Grandpa...
Another two steps. Misty smelt an old man's breath.
She's... "hot",... isn't she, Gary?
Misty gagged in her throat.
I don't know...
It's the only way, Gary.
Oak took three more steps.
Here's a condom, Grandson. Knock yourself out...
She vomited. Oak watched with interest. "Oh, we're fast-forwarding, now." he said. Another time, about a week later. The same two people.
What the hell is going on, Gary?
Oak advanced two more steps and Misty spat and wiped her mouth. She was reliving her worst nightmare.
Why did you bring her back
I don't know, Grandpa. She was so innocent. That night, when you told me to... I think I fell in love with her.
Another step. Oak was a yard away now. The blood made two lines down his smiling mouth.
Love! How old are you, Gary? Jesus, this ruins everything.
She can stay with us, Grandpa! We can pretend she is adopted or something. We can still make her kill Ash.
Hmm...
Fade out. She looked into his evil eyes.
"So what makes you Misty Waterflower? The fact that you look like her?"
"Why did you do this?"
"Don't you get it? He wanted to destroy everything I had from the start. That selfish kid! And then everything went so smoothly. Your instincts kicked in perfectly."
"Instincts?"
Misty can you hear me?
"Yes we tweaked you a bit. Not just with this little "program", but also a planned set of instincts. The instinct to kill anyone you love." She felt horror weed its way out of her stomach and spread through her veins. "And everything went fine right until you had his fat head in your scope. What happened, I would wonder, were I still alive..."
Hold on, Misty. we're gonna try to take it out.
"But enough about that. It's time to finish this. That's what this program's for. If I don't win, nobody does." Misty found she couldn't move. Her muscles tensed, but no results. "Everything that's happening right now is coming from your mind! And the best part is there's no stopping it!" He opened his mouth wide and raised the hunting knife one last time. It was clean as a whistle now.
"I want you to look into my eyes as I do this, Misty!" He pressed the tip into her temple. She felt everything he was doing more really than anything. More than she ever thought possible. The point digging, deeper and deeper. Her warm blood running down her face and neck. She felt the blade touch her skull and he wiggled it, scratching at it. For what seemed like hours, he worked on her head, producing excruciating pain. She couldn't scream. She couldn't breathe. All she could do was die. And that's what she was doing. His eyes were on fire, and blood ran freely from them. She felt herself going. She felt her body shutting down. The darkness swallowed her, yet Oak's evil face remained. This was death. It was coming. Her life was over.
On a Tuesday morning, a woman gained consciousness. Her name was Gloria Samara, and she was twenty seven years old. It was a beautiful day– the first she'd seen in years. She opened her eyes to a hospital room, the windows open and a breeze gently rolling over the white curtains. There was a little discomfort on her temple, and she felt at it with her hand. A bandage. She sat there and thought. The last thing she remembered was... A man asking her for something... She had been living on the streets, she remembered. She had met a man who had kidnaped her, and she had fallen asleep in the back of his van. That's all she remembered. Now here she was, eight years later.
The first person she talked to was a man named Brock. He had gotten her mixed up with someone else at first. Someone named Misty. That was a pretty name, she thought, but not hers. Then the Brock person said, "Oh... that's right!" smiling, "Silly me!" He asked her if she remembered anything, and she told him no. He asked if she'd like him to tell her what had happened to her in the last eight years, but she said no, thank you.
They talked for a little bit, listening to birds outside. Not worrying about the future. She saw a metallic thing sitting in a jar next to her bed. It looked like a spark plug or something. What's that? She asked. Brock told her it was something the doctors had found in her head, but now that it was out, she was going to feel a lot better. She was glad.
So she left the hospital after getting healthy, and Brock helped her make a life for herself, with a house and a job, and friends, too. Her best friend was a big mouse-like animal called Pikachu. And she met a man who thought her orange hair and aqua eyes were beautiful, and they got married. They had children and grandchildren, living together forever in happiness. What was this man's name, you may ask? Well you'll just have to decide that for yourself. What's important is that he loved her until his dying day, and she felt the same for him. Yesssss...
The end.
Yesss. We have finished the story! Long chapter huh?