It's been way over a year. And that sickens me. Because I call myself a writer – ha! (smacking myself over, and over, and over again)
Don't worry, I've already violently abused my ego over this catastrophe of not updating this obviously well-loved novel, but if anyone would like to really do me some damage and absolutely ROAST me, please feel free to do so (if you feel like strangling me, I've found that piano wire is quite the popular weapon these days). …Of course, if you end up liking this chapter, please say so! And I seriously hope you enjoy it. The only thing I can say about the wait is: being a junior in high school sucks. End of story.
I would like to take this time to thank several reviewers for their reviews, which all played a particularly strong role in hauling my lazy butt to my laptop to get this finished: Drac-frst (your review stung! But I'm glad you told me the way it is, because it's true), DemosteneszRivii (your hypnotism worked… eventually), Maverick Hunter Cyros (I do love destiny), Nolaquen265 (you're too sweet!), cepheids (I almost DIED at your review… Sniff, sniff please forgive me! I hope you get to read this! God bless you and keep you safe!), starfairy14s (hee hee), and all of you who told me how good my writing really is (which was good to hear because I was turned down by a prestigious writing workshop class this summer) and told me to get it movin' already! (I should also thank my mom for threatening to take away my internet privileges for a WEEK if I didn't finish it today… and we just got high-speed, too!) I know I've probably lost a lot of my readers because I'm such a BAKA, but I hope that any new reviewers will enjoy this story, too.
Last but not least… Chapter 9's title of "…never gonna stop searching for you…" comes from the song Comin' To The Rescue from the Pokémon 2000 CD. Congratulations to these readers and reviewers for guessing correctly: Icy-Windbreeze, SulliMike23, ChibiBotan88, Stacee, P.R. Dragonite, Sensational Sista, Mr. Lefty, and Chocopop.I will rant no more, and hope everyone enjoys this climactic chapter! BY THE WAY: Because of the long wait, I made this chapter extra long. It is a full NINE PAGES longer than the longest of the other chapters! And now, we continue the story!
CHAPTER 11: …A World Of Magic At Your Command…
Once the ghosts of Ash and Misty showed Brock, May, and Max how sliding from one stalagmite to the other was the easiest way to get across the icy floor, their progress once more quickened its pace. Brock managed to keep himself steady enough that he didn't fall down as he slid across the ice, and May soon found how much she enjoyed this modified ice skating. She was almost a natural, as Misty was, but she still tried to be extra careful, since she was holding the most fragile of the group's Pokémon in her arms. Max continued to have problems. With Pikachu still on his head and also holding the now ice-wary Poochyena, he couldn't seem to get enough momentum to travel across and kept sliding to a stop in the middle of the ice.
In the next cavern, Ash and Misty both smiled slightly upon seeing the eyes of the three people and three Pokémon light up at the sight of the huge sparkling crystalfall. After all, the multicolored crystals, all arranged in their descending pattern, were a magnificent sight to behold. The two souls navigated their group right beside the crystalfall on the way to the next cavern because they couldn't risk stopping and wasting any more precious time, but Ash and Misty wanted to give them a chance to see what the millions of colors were.
Brock silently gazed at the crystalfall as he slid past on the ice, and let his hand lightly brush an amethyst crystal to see how they felt to the touch. It felt strangely cool but almost tingly warm at the same time. Max practically fell down on the ice as he slid past, and had to grab a hold onto a leaf green crystal in order to stay standing. He, Poochyena, and Pikachu almost crashed anyway as the crystal almost, but not quite, came out of the crystalfall into Max's hand. May's eyes seemed to immediately land on a brilliant silver crystal, high up on the crystalfall where she couldn't reach it. …Oh, it's so beautiful! And it reminds me of something… of Brendan's eyes! …I wish I could reach it and pull it down and take it with me… but we better keep moving. Ash and Misty seem to need us to hurry.
The next few ice-floored caverns passed by monotonously. To Ash and Misty, the large white-and-silver tunnels seemed to be a lot longer this fifth time that they had traveled it than it had been the other times. Brock, May, and Max could see the ghosts' faces grow increasingly grim in concentrated concern with every passing second. Brock watched as Ash had to continue rescuing Max, and pushing him across to the next stalagmite. He also watched, with great fascination, Misty gliding along behind May, listening as May whispered something or other to her. Brock wondered why Misty wasn't staring at May in hatred like she usually did. …What's May saying to Misty that's keeping Misty from giving her The Look?
"…and after that little episode, Dad never let us go into the woods without taking big ol' Vigoroth with us. But it was fun, bringing Vigoroth along, because Brendan just loved that Pokémon so much! …I was kind of glad we had Dad's Pokémon with us, too, 'cause that Pinsir was really scary and we didn't always take a picnic with us to distract wild Pokémon with when we went out to play!" Misty stuck out her tongue in good-natured disgust at the name of a Bug- type, though her ghostly eyes were still lackluster. May softly grinned. In some such way, Misty seemed to be easier to talk to when May wasn't able to hear Misty talk back… at least for now. She just knew that her speech earlier had probably solved the problem that Brock had said that Misty had with her, but May was still dying to know what Misty had thought when she'd implied that Misty had 'hidden feelings' for Ash Ketchum.
Misty floated along nearby as May slid to the next stalagmite, with a quietly chirping Togepi held in the crook of one arm. Somehow, Misty could hardly see May as a threat to her way of life now, even though she had hated her only a short moment ago. May was simply a sweet ten-year-old girl who was perky and loved cute Pokémon and this Brendan Birch she was continuing to tell Misty about. She was, in many ways, quite different from Misty, but also, in many ways, quite the same. One had Fire and Bug Pokémon and had problems with Water- types, and the other had Water Pokémon and had problems with Fire- and (many issues with) Bug- types, but they were both girls in love with a (different) best friend and were on a Pokémon journey together. Those, Misty reasoned, are enough things in common for us to be friends… especially since she doesn't love Ash!
May stayed quiet after finishing the tale of one of her favorite little Brendan Birch memories to Misty, because Max suddenly spoke up from where he was, yet again, stuck out in the middle of an icy floor. "Look, you guys. This cavern is getting darker; there's not as much light here as there has been everywhere else down here."
Misty glanced over at Ash, and he glanced over at her. "We're almost there. We better stop them before we get to that ice slope so they don't fall off of it like we did," Ash whispered solemnly. Misty nodded. The group sliding across the ice slowly came to a stop as the two ghosts flew to the front and motioned for them to go no further. They waited quietly as Ash and Misty floated onwards to see how far away they were from the steep slope that came right before the last cavern. It was only about two yards away; no one had noticed that the ice disappeared suddenly, even at that close distance. With a few rough hand signals, Ash and Misty managed to divide the group into four small parts. The two ghosts had almost automatically agreed that they would have to float their friends along as they had done to Jesse and James, but they couldn't take all of them at once. In fact, Ash and Misty seemed to understand this without much conversation between them at all.
Ash carefully grabbed Max under the arms and started to float him down past the slope and Misty did the same with May holding Togepi. "I am so going to be impaled upon one of those stalagmites when I fall," Max fretted darkly as Ash passed him over the spike-studded ice, "and I'm going to be skewered right through… like shish kebab… and I don't really even like shish kebab most of the time…" This dire prediction did not come true, however, as Ash set Max safely on the ice at the bottom of the slope, just as Misty set May and Togepi down next to Max. Max gave his sister a dirty look when she told him that she thought the short trip had been fun. Ash and Misty quickly glided back up to bring the others down. Brock pretended to be brave as Misty picked him up under the arms and glided him down to the others because he felt the same way as Max had. When Ash's ghost gently touched his Electric Pokémon to pick him up, he saw Pikachu's fur bristle slightly and knew that his ethereal touch was obviously frightening. Pikachu managed to ignore his little fear enough to let Ash place him on his translucent shoulder so he could pick up Poochyena and glide them down. Poochyena's eyes stayed wide and his body stayed in a frozen position until he and Pikachu were deposited into Max's lap.
Finally assembled at the bottom of the ice slope studded with sharp stalagmites, Brock, May, and Max saw, through the dimming light, the ghostly faces of the souls of Ash and Misty turn to one another with uncertain hope. "Well," Misty spoke quietly to her soulmate, "now's the moment of truth. Let's go in there and see if our Pokémon can defeat Haunter and we can get back in our bodies, or see if… our hour ran out."
"Yeah," Ash whispered back, "Let's go." They were silent for a moment. "...I'm ready whenever you are, Mist…"
"Let's not waste anymore time, then," Misty said swiftly, her voice strained, and she and Ash motioned for the others to continue down the passage, where the tunnel turned to the left to head into the last cavern. As the others concentrated on getting across the ice, Misty looked up at the other ghost and quickly and desperately added, "…I love you, Ash."
Ash knew why she had reminded him again. She was scared. He was, too, so he whispered back, to reassure her and himself, "I love you, too, Misty." Misty nodded after a moment, at peace, and the two ghosts glided side by side to the front of the group to lead them to Haunter's waiting lair.
With Pikachu on his shoulder and Poochyena in his arms, Max slid across the ice to the next stalagmite, taking care not to get stuck out in the middle and keeping as close to his sister as he could without looking like he might be frightened. The closer they got to the bend in the tunnel, the darker the cavern seemed to be, and this gave Max a bad feeling of forewarning. He was about to speak up when suddenly, the group was at the bend and May and Brock slid through it without any hesitation. Max knew he had to keep going (and Pikachu tried to comfort Max's fear by purring consolingly in his ear), so he followed his sister and his friend bravely. Overhead, the two ghosts flew through the tunnel with silent grace.
With a small gasp of awe from each of the people on the icy floor, the group gazed into the darkened depths of the cavern that only five other humans had ever seen before. The silver walls, with their multitude of tiny crevices and crannies, led their eyes straight to the back of the cavern, across a broken-stalactite-strewn ice floor and over fathomless black water, to where giant holes in the walls were as dark as the dead of night. High above the water glided the tiny shapes of small Shuppet ghosts, their eyes more solemn and their whisperings quieter than any of their own could ever remember. Even so, they smiled, but the smiles were tight and pained. Things in their peaceful home had not been as peaceful for a while as it had been before, and this troubled their little philosophical souls deeply. However, it was not the humans who had come down into their home that had bothered them, so they virtually ignored the new ones that had just come, not deeming them a threat.
"Wow, Shuppets," Max whispered in his quietest voice, instantly recognizing the Pokémon that he had only seen in books. He shivered a bit against the deep cold of the cavern. Ash and Misty, who were floating right above the closely-gathered group, both glanced around to see where their friend Sableye had gotten to, but didn't see him, and strangely enough, didn't see the frowning Shuppet either.
"Hmm, I wonder what those are like," May muttered to herself, thoughtfully staring at the Shuppets, and her hand reached back to pull her Pokédex out. The quick ire look Max sent her made May cancel her action immediately. Togepi gave off the very weakest fearful trill in May's arms, feeling, like the others, that the whispering silence shouldn't be disturbed if at all possible.
"Ash, Misty," Brock whispered up to the two ghosts, "Is this… is this the 'last cavern' that Jesse and James told us about?" The deep underground cavern did, in fact, have a strange sense of finality and closing to it. Max glanced up at the spirits, because this had been the question he was going to ask before. The ghosts of Ash and Misty both stared down at Brock with dull eyes and nodded. Brock stared back out at the cavern.
Max quietly spoke up. "Is this where… that Haunter is?" Ash and Misty nodded again, but were slower in doing so this time. Max nodded to himself, stared questioningly at the giant holes in the back wall, and slowly set Poochyena down on the icy floor next to him. Poochyena looked up at his master and their eyes connected. They both seemed to know what the other was thinking. Pikachu tensed and tightened his grip on Max's shoulder. Just as Max felt, the Dark- type and the Electric- type both felt ready to do battle against this murderous Haunter under the young boy's command.
Only a short moment of surveying the cavern, with the hard ice cracked in some places and the ancient broken icicle-like structures settled on the floor, was enough to conclude that a battle, a terrible struggle, had taken place here, and had happened recently. Brock felt his heart chill again, even though he knew he must believe the ghosts when they said that they were still alive somehow. Jesse had said that Ash and Misty's bodies were lying in the last cavern, but Brock didn't see anything on the floor in front of him but the broken stalactites. He glanced side to side, and then, the terrifying sight of two familiar bodies, motionless and cadaver-like and stretched out on the ice, met his eyes to his far left.
Brock knew immediately that he didn't want May and Max to see what he had just spotted, but it was too late to stop them; they had heard his small strangled gasp, sensed his small shudder, and had looked to see why he had done so. Both May and Max let out small noises of surprise as their eyes met the bodies of their friends and both began to tremble. The bodies' skin had no color to them whatsoever; they were totally white, as if they were albino, and looked even more white next to Ash's black hair and Misty's bright orange. Brock watched May close her eyes securely so she couldn't see the terrible sight, and saw Max grab onto his sister's arm tightly, unable to tear his horrified wide eyes away from the grisly scene. Pikachu began to whimper tearfully on Max's shoulder, Poochyena's pointed ears drooped, and Togepi didn't seem to understand what was going on at all. Brock felt the need to slide over to the two bodies, but as he made a slight motion to do so, the ghosts of Ash and Misty glided down to the ground level from where they had been hovering above and shook their heads from him not to get a closer look. The ghosts both glanced at their bleached bodies on the ice, then at each other. The situation just didn't look in their favor at the moment.
Then, a very faint scratching sound made Brock, May, Max, Pikachu, and Poochyena jump violently in their spots and turn their eyes towards the origin of the noise in apprehension, but made the two ghosts' eyes light up thankfully. "That must be Sableye coming," Ash commented to Misty, and she smiled slightly, as he did, and nodded.
Brock saw the excited looks on Ash and Misty's faces and relaxed slightly. "I think… it's alright," Brock muttered quietly to his group, and noticing how the ghosts had been stimulated by the noise, May, Max, and the Pokémon loosened up a bit. The whole group only had to wait a moment before a figure could be seen coming from behind some stalagmites towards them cautiously across the cracked ice, with sharp violet claws making a tiny clicking sound on the frozen water. It was, in fact, Sableye, walking on all fours, looking healthy and limber but sedate, with the familiar frowning Shuppet a now seemingly staunch fixture floating along near Sableye's left shoulder.
As the two Ghost Pokémon came to a halt in front of the group and the Darkness Pokémon stood up on his two back legs, they gazed at him in wonder. Brock, May, and Max all knew what a Sableye was, as they had met one before, so they all instantly saw how magnificently unique he was, with his extraordinarily long graceful arms and legs. Sableye gazed up at the group silently. He had only noticed the group's arrival when he had felt the slight touch of the edge of a silky skirt on his shoulder and glanced up. After he had figured that sixty minutes had passed from the time that Ash and Misty's souls had been taken out of their bodies, he had lain inert between the two stalagmites, just as he had been doing before, for there was simply nothing else to do. Sableye continued to gaze at the group. It seemed that the new group was able to see the souls somehow, and unlike the 'Team Rocket' that Ash and Misty had brought down into the last cavern to aid them first, the three humans standing in front of him not only looked able to battle, but ready and willing. …It's too bad, then… that there is nothing that they can do now… Ash and Misty are… gone… forever… just like my master…
"Hey, Sableye," the ghost of Ash said quickly, and the new arrivals quickly realized that, though they couldn't hear what Ash and Misty said, the Ghost- type Pokémon could. "We brought, uh… better help as soon as we could. These are our friends, Brock, Max, and-"
"There's no time for that now, Ash," Misty quickly put in, and Ash knew she was right. To Sableye, she said, "Where's Haunter? We can battle him now, because we know our own Pokémon are strong enough to beat him if they all work together." Hmmm… If their other Pokémon are as strong as that Pikachu looks, Sableye thought, glancing at the powerful Electric- type mouse on Max's shoulder, they just might… they just might be able to beat HIM… but it would be all for naught! It's too late! Their hour was up quite a while ago…
"…But… do we… do we have enough time, Sableye?" Ash questioned slowly, feeling numb. Misty felt numb, too. As Misty had said before entering the last cavern, now was the moment of truth. Both were remaining hopeful in their hearts to the end, though in their minds, they just couldn't believe that they would ever get to be in their own bodies again.
Sableye actually didn't know what to say. When they had asked him how much time they had left before, he had been hesitant to say that they only had a few minutes left. Now he had to decide whether or not to tell them that their time had expired long ago. After a moment, Sableye chose… to lie. Sableye shrugged. His gesture to Ash and Misty was made in an off-handed way, as if he wasn't really sure of the answer to their question or that it didn't really matter. He felt absolutely terrible, but he just couldn't tell them. Not in front of their friends. It had taken everything he had inside of him to explain to his master that he was dead, and Sableye simply could not do it again. They'll figure it out for themselves…
Ash noticed immediately that Sableye wouldn't meet his eye, and that made Ash terrified. He stayed silent and still as his spirit body floated in one place, mere inches above the cold slick ice. He sensed that Misty, also silent and still, was terrified now, too, and gave her what he hoped was a reassuring glance. She swallowed unnecessary air to calm herself down, and gave her soulmate what she hoped was a tiny reassured smile. Ash tried not to think that Sableye's gesture could mean that the very worst thing that could happen had, indeed, happened. He tried to put it out of his mind. He glanced back at Sableye, who was now staring at the icy floor, and saw that the frowning Shuppet hovering near the Darkness Pokémon's shoulder was staring at Sableye intently, but Sableye hadn't noticed. Something about the image he was watching made Ash unconsciously think that Sableye might not even know that the Shuppet was there.
Brock, May, and Max had been mute and motionless themselves throughout the entire 'silent' exchange between the souls of their friends and the acquaintances of the Ghost Pokémon. They instinctly felt at ease with the Sableye, and with the frowning Shuppet, just as Ash and Misty had. Such an obviously benevolent Pokémon was Sableye, that they felt familiar with him from the start. Max, glancing at the spirits of Ash and Misty, and at the two Pokémon in front of them, figured that their conversation was over, or at least at a standstill. Even though the Sableye was looking at the icy floor now, Max decided that it was time to speak up. "Um, uh… Mr. Sableye, sir," Max whispered cautiously, sensing that the Pokémon deserved high respect, "could you… do you know… where that Haunter is that hurt my friends," Max remembered his hypothesis on how Ash and Misty had become ghosts, "…or stole their souls… out of their bodies?"
Sableye glanced up at the boy sharply and stared into the caramel eyes gazing back at him from behind the glasses' lenses. He was surprised somewhat by the boy's comments. No one had ever spoken to Sableye with that much reverence, though he had been treated like an equal and a best friend by his deceased master. The Darkness Pokémon didn't feel that he should be treated so well, not after he failed to save Ash and Misty, but Sableye felt honored by being called 'sir' just the same. He was also somewhat surprised at first how much the boy (he believed that Ash had referred to him as 'Max') seemed to know about what was going on; this Max obviously knew that a Haunter was responsible for what had happened to Ash and Misty, and also seemed to have an idea about just what had happened. Perhaps they had heard what was going on from that Team Rocket that had run off and not come back.
"We're here to stop that Haunter," Brock spoke up, his voice solemn and gruff, "and to save Ash and Misty. We can't hear what they're saying, but they were able to communicate to us that they aren't dead, even though…"
"…even though they seem dead, 'cause they're ghosts and all," May finished Brock's trailed-off comment. She glanced at the ghostly Misty out of the corner of her eye, and saw Misty glancing back at her. Misty nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
"We're here to battle, and we have really strong Pokémon to battle that Haunter with, too," Max added, ferocity clearly on his face. The Pikachu nodded from Max's shoulder, his eyes connecting for a moment with the Dark- and Ghost- type Pokémon they were talking to. Sableye already knew most of the things they had just told him, since Ash and Misty had already explained it, but he let them explain anyway. He knew they needed to tell him so they would be assured that he understood their mission. Sableye nodded slightly in response. "So, do you know where that Haunter is?" Max repeated his question quickly.
Sableye was determined not to let them start a fight with Haunter. It would not accomplish what they hoped to achieve, but he felt they at least deserved an answer to the last question before he sent them away. Sableye nodded again, with a tiny bit more resolve, and the rescue party could sense how deep the Pokémon understood and took in everything they were saying. To answer Max's question, Sableye turned slightly to his right (he still didn't catch sight of the frowning Shuppet hovering by his left shoulder) and pointed with a sharp claw straight at the giant dark hole directly in the center of the back wall. Their eyes immediately shifting to where Sableye was pointing, Brock, May, and Max tensed as they stared into the pitch-black orifice, as if the Haunter was going to come out right on cue. A moment passed, and nothing appeared.
"So he's still in there?" Ash muttered, his tone almost brusque. He stared at the hole, his eyes narrowed. The intense anger he had felt at Haunter earlier, when he had floated up to block the Ghost- type from attacking Jesse and James, had resurfaced to become his highest emotion. He had even more reason to be mad at the lavender-skinned Pokémon now, because Haunter hadn't simply attacked his best friend; he had now attacked and injured his girlfriend, his soulmate… his Misty.
The violet Dark- and Ghost- type could see how intently the three humans, the two souls, and the Pikachu were staring at the hole. For a second, he thought he felt the slight brush of something silky on his shoulder, but he didn't glance up and forgot about the feeling a second later. He had suddenly felt all of his bleakness and weariness turn to a sort of panicked horror. He stared down at his foggy reflection in the ice, his mouth opened slightly in incredulity. …Oh, great job, Sableye… You keep making things worse… Isn't it bad enough that you, your master's first and only Pokémon, couldn't save your master from death by another Pokémon? …Isn't it bad enough that you couldn't stop two other young, innocent trainers from being murdered by that Pokémon? Now, you go and screw up again… you tell three more innocent trainers where they can find their own deaths, all because you're too weak to explain how the situation is already hopeless… You keep making mistakes, Sableye… so many mistakes… mistakes you can't take back now…
Sableye could hear, as if from a great distance, the girl from the rescue party asking the older boy, the one Ash had called Brock, if they should go closer to the hole in the wall to investigate, even though it looked rather dangerous because of the cracks in the ice floor made by the impact of the fallen stalactites. Sableye began to quiver in his spot, still unaware of the floating ghost hovering by his left shoulder. …Stop making mistakes, Sableye… stop making mistakes… Suddenly, Sableye jerked his gaze up from the ice to observe the cavern in front of him: the two white bodies lying on the ice off to the side, the souls from those bodies hovering just above the ice, the three living people discussing how to get the Haunter to come out of his den, the solemn Pikachu, the sober Poochyena, the clueless baby Togepi. Think it through… there's only one thing that can be done now… the only thing you've done that hasn't been a mistake, as far as I know…
Brock, May, and Max's attention was suddenly caught by a sharp movement. Their eyes immediately focused on the Sableye, whose hexagonal eyes were turned their direction but stared almost sightlessly. He made the sharp movement with his left arm again, just missing the unobserved frowning Shuppet, whose gentle tap with its skirt edge hadn't been detected by the Darkness Pokémon in that instant. Max managed to mutter a low, confused, "huh?" just before Sableye let out a strangled cry.
"GO! …GO!" Sableye shouted, violently shooing them away again. His shoulders were slouched and his breathing was heavy. His raspy voice cracked even more. The Pokémon was tired of sending people away, even for their own good. He was tired of everything. Everything hurt too much.
Even the rescue party did not have as surprised a look on their faces as Ash and Misty's faces did. The two ghosts' thoughts were one and the same: …Why would Sableye send us away now? As Sableye had been the one to send them off to get help, not just once but twice, it made no sense for him to demand that they leave unless the Haunter was baring down on them again, and the lavender Ghost- type had not appeared out of his hole in the back wall yet. As Sableye screamed and shooed at them, fear as both had never known crept up on them and had the pair in its terrifying grasp.
Brock, May, Max, Pikachu, and Poochyena all gazed at each other in confusion. At Brock's signal, they all cautiously turned their backs on the giant hole in the wall and slowly slid across the ice to a stalagmite closer to the exit. None of them thought for a second that Sableye intended for them to leave the cavern completely. They simply thought that Sableye wanted them to stand further away from the dark, frigid waters at the end of the cavern; it would truly be deadly to fall into something that cold in a place so far away from any outside help. The pale blue souls of Ash and Misty slowly followed the rescue party in the manner of habit that comes of traveling the globe with a close group of companions.
"Ash…" Misty whispered, on the verge of tears, "Ash… why… why is Sableye sending us away? …Why?" She really wanted to know for sure and really didn't want to know for sure at the same time.
"S- Sableye… Sableye must have a- a… plan, then," Ash stammered, his voice betraying his lack of faith in his statement. The ghost boy was merely looking for some way to respond so Misty's question wouldn't continue to ring in his ears.
The icy world of the darkest, last cavern was suddenly very quiet to both of them.
Deathly quiet.
"…We are dead, aren't we." Misty suddenly blurted out as she whipping around, her eyebrows furrowed in inner suffering. It wasn't a question. She stared straight into Sableye's silver eyes, already knowing that there is only one truth. Ash watched her expressionlessly over his shoulder, his mouth slightly opened. Sableye held the ghost girl's stare for a long moment, then looked down at the shining ice when he could no longer hold onto the silent connection. It was worse to look away, though, because the Darkness Pokémon knew that her eyes were still burning a hole right through him. Maybe, I… maybe, I… I should have told them. ...Would it have been easier to tell them? …It was just another mistake not to… He couldn't even remember why he hadn't in the first place now.
We're… dead. Ash simply felt numb. It's… it's all over. Done. Misty and I are dead… just when I realize how I feel about her and we realize that we both feel the same way… then… it doesn't matter anymore… because we'll never be able to be together in our own bodies… and never be able to keep training our Pokémon and continuing our journey… It's over. It's done. …We're dead.
The rescue party, now a good distance from the icy waters, stared at the two souls of their friends, perplexed. The ghosts had paused halfway between themselves and the Sableye. Misty floated in place, her face out of view as she continued to stare at the Sableye. However, the profile of Ash's ghostly face was in clear view. His head tilted down, it was easy to see that his eyes were wide open, his mouth slightly loose, his gaze staring down in paralyzed disbelief at his open palms in front of him. He shakily squeezed his fingers to the middle of his hands, then released the grip. His expression, though blank, was that of blank terror, a sheer form of horror.
The rescue party hadn't heard what Misty had said. Still, Brock felt an uneasiness come over him as he saw the Sableye's down-turned face, and especially as he watched Ash. …But they said… they promised that… they promised that they weren't dead… they said that they weren't dead… surely nothing could have changed… they said… they said… Brock stared until he couldn't stand it anymore. Then, he spoke up. "…Sableye?"
…Don't make any more mistakes…
Sableye slowly looked up once more.
Max suddenly seemed to have sensed the same thing Brock had. "…We …We need to battle that Haunter," the boy spoke softly.
And Sableye just shook his head.
"…Is… is he saying… that… that we're too late?" May gasped out, wide-eyed, the thought suddenly dawning on her.
"…No…" Brock shook his head back and forth slowly in stunned disbelief, "No… It can't be… It can't be too late to save Ash and Misty… How could it be? …How could there be a… a… time limit? …No… It just can't be…"
Max began to shiver, and didn't stop. Pikachu's claws made tiny holes in the young boy's green polo shirt. Poochyena pressed his head against Max's leg, unsure of exactly what was happening. Togepi continued to stay silent and blinking in May's tight, shaking grip.
The icy world of the darkest, last cavern was suddenly very quiet to all of them now, not just to the two unfettered souls.
Deathly quiet.
And Sableye realized just how quiet it had gotten… and how much colder, too. He finally acknowledged in his mind that something silky had been tapping him at regular intervals on the shoulder, just as the feather-light touch occurred once more. He turned his head slowly to the right and gazed into the expressionless, striped eyes of the frowning Shuppet. …How long has it been there?… After a silent moment of eye-to-eye connection, the Shuppet slowly turned its gaze upward, towards the ceiling, and the Darkness Pokémon did the same. His next breath came in with a shudder. The fluttering colony of Shuppets was gone.
Once more, the vague, smiling, wispy ghosts had disappeared. They were back in their holes in the high parts of the darkest cavern's walls. The intense quiet was explained by the absence of their whispering. Sableye was not stupid; he had figured out their pattern of coming and going a while ago: why they would be there one moment then not the next. But if they were gone now, then they had sensed…
Sableye wondered how long they had been gone. He wondered if they had fled before the frowning Shuppet had tapped him. He wondered if the frowning Shuppet had tapped him before they had fled. It had sensed HIM before the others had sensed HIM last time; had the odd Shuppet done so again?
The rescue party as a whole was still trying to come to some sort of conclusion, and the two souls were still trying to accept the fact that it now seemed that both were permanently without their bodies for eternity, when Sableye turned around to face the back wall, the frowning Shuppet fluttering out of his way and closer to the wall, staying there to float unobtrusively. Suddenly, Sableye started to scream out, his voice full of no emotion but that of anger. He was the very picture of fury.
"WHY DON'T YOU COME ON OUT, HAUNTER! WHY DON'T YOU STOP HIDING IN YOUR DEN AND COME OUT HERE! …I KNOW YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING THIS ENTIRE TIME, HAVEN'T YOU!" Sableye thought of the rescue party. He had tried to make them leave to save their own lives, but they hadn't. Once they made sense of what had come to pass, he knew what they would want. It wouldn't matter if it was too late to save their friends; they were obviously the type that would want to battle Haunter to prevent him from ever doing to someone else what had been done to Ash and Misty. Moreover, he knew in his heart that this battle was what he had really wanted himself. He had stayed in these cold caverns for two reasons: to stay with what remained of his trainer, and to stop Haunter once and for all. Sableye had been doing the first all along, and now would be his chance to do the second. "…COME OUT HERE AND… AND BATTLE! JUST COME OUT HERE AND BATTLE, HAUNTER! THERE'S SOME TRAINERS AND POKÉMON OUT HERE THAT WOULD LOVE THE CHANCE TO DEFEAT YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE, JUST LIKE I WOULD! …COME OUT HERE, HAUNTER!"
Every eye in the cavern was turned towards Sableye, and hundreds of striped eyes peered out invisibly at him from the holes in the walls. Every mind had momentarily forgotten what it was they had been focused on before. Every eye shifted to what Sableye had yelled at: the hole in the back wall. The pause, as everyone was silent and still, was long. The Darkness Pokémon wondered what to do next. He had almost given up, when, finally, the icily debonair reply came back to him.
"Well, well, well, Sableye. That's an interesting display of confidence you just exhibited. It's almost as if you believe you could actually beat me." And there HE was. The lavender Haunter didn't glide out of HIS den this time, or slowly materialize from thin air. HE hadn't been where HE was floating now a moment ago, and yet, HE hadn't simply appeared either; everyone had been watching, and they knew this was true. HE was just there. With his back leaning nonchalantly against the left rim of the hole to his den, Haunter levitated there in the most casual of manners. His fingers on one disembodied hand lightly touched the tips of the fingers on his other hand, his hands just underneath his chin. Above his smirking mouth, his frighteningly brilliant eyes were narrowed. The left side of his face was the only side visible, and the deep black scar across his eye stood out noticeably.
"Haunter," Sableye spat, staring in hatred at the lavender Pokémon.
"Sableye," Haunter acknowledged him back with his smirk, making Sableye's blood boil to hear the gentlemanly politeness of his voice.
Sableye heard the short gasp that came from the rescue party behind them. He wished that they hadn't done that, though he had done the same thing when he had first seen Haunter himself. The lavender Pokémon's smirk widened as his gaze shifted to the group that had newly come to the last cavern. HE knew that HE was intimidating, and HE seemed to enjoy having the intimidating appearance.
"That's the Haunter?" May squeakily whispered, her voice far higher than normal. She gave a quick glance to the ghosts of Ash and Misty. Both nodded slightly, solemn and full of anger at the oily-skinned lavender Pokémon. May glanced back at the Haunter and gulped, bringing the silently worried Togepi tighter to her chest.
"That's no normal Haunter," Max muttered back to his sister, his eyes roving over the Ghost- type, calculating. "It's got the lightest colored body I've ever seen before on one, and the strangest eyes. And just look at that scar! … 'Must've been in a tough battle, or something really dangerous to get such a deep looking cut."
"It looks pretty strong," Brock said low under his breath, "…but if we all work together and keep focused, I bet our Pokémon could still beat it in battle."
"So what'da we do now, Brock?" May whimpered, as she and the others watched the scarred Haunter levitate away from his leaning position and hover closer to them over the onyx icy water, facing them so that they saw him fully now. Brock didn't answer, however, as he wanted to hear what Haunter was saying to Sableye, even though he couldn't understand what it meant. Tone of voice went a long way in a discussion.
Haunter continued to smile. He lazily turned his gaze back to Sableye. "You were correct, dear Sableye, in inferring that I have been watching the entire time. Indeed, I have, and have been listening in as well. And why shouldn't I? You and your new friends were loud enough to wake a Snorlax, even with your whispering." Sableye continued to stare. "…I just have one question for you, dear Sableye…why haven't they realized that their dear little friends aren't going to ever inhabit those useless, cold cadavers again? My dear friend-"
"I'm nowhere close to being your friend, you murderer!" Sableye spat, when he could stand it no longer. The lavender Pokémon ignored his comment and continued talking.
"-you should have made sure they left this cavern after you shooed them away. I know that you know that it is pointless for them to battle me now; it will not restore their friends to their old bodies. Their time has passed. …Dear Sableye, you simply, once again, brought me more people to kill."
Sableye stared hard into Haunter's eyes. He ignored the last comment, unwilling to second-guess himself once again on that point. HE simply must be stopped, no matter what. The vermilion glow that rimmed the Ghost's black striped eyes pierced Sableye's vision. HE had to have some sort of weakness… something! …My master… he… he used to say… he used to tell me, "no Pokémon is invincible"… "No opponent is perfect in every area of battle: offensive, defensive, speed, agility"… "Find the area in which they aren't perfect, and use it against them"… But I've been trying to find HIS weakness for so long! …You must have a weakness, you Evil One… you simply must! …I have been in these caverns long enough to see that it won't be easy to find it, but maybe… Suddenly, a question hit Sableye that he hadn't thought to ask Haunter before, one that could possibly change everything. He knew that Haunter wanted to take the souls out of all people and non-Ghost Pokémon to kill them, but…
"…Why are you trying so hard to murder these innocent trainers, Haunter? Why do you want to kill people?"
Sableye thought he saw something very strange flicker in Haunter's vermilion-rimmed eyes (dare he think the word 'grief'?), but he couldn't be sure in the dim light of the cavern. Haunter seemed to pause for a moment, then HE smiled self-indulgently.
"Why do you not, Sableye? …Why do you not want to kill people?"
Sableye's eyes narrowed. He gritted his teeth at the very thought of himself doing such a sick act, using his razor sharp claws and teeth to destroy the precious gift that life was. Somehow, he had known that Haunter wouldn't answer such an important question. His voice became hard and low. "That's not a good answer."
"Well, dear Sableye, I don't believe that yours was a very good question to begin with!" Haunter replied in a strangely good-natured fashion, almost as if he enjoyed this conversational sort of struggle, rather than a physical one. "…Nor is it your business to know the answer to such a thing, really… But honestly, Sableye, I didn't think that you wanted to talk; I thought you wanted to battle. Was I mistaken?" He paused, then continued matter-of-factly, "What is it exactly that you're trying to do, Sableye?" Sableye stared hard into Haunter's terrifying eyes, and felt no fear for his own safety at all. When he replied, the Darkness Pokémon's voice was as resolute as the rising of the sun at dawn.
"I think I'm trying to save the world from you."
Haunter's gaze didn't flicker in the slightest at Sableye's pronouncement. The Ghost just smiled even more. …Honorable cause, my friend. An honorable cause, it seems… It is too bad that you can't… understand… why… Suavely, Haunter responded, "Then perhaps you should work on your goal a little harder… you certainly haven't, as you say, 'saved the world' from me so far, eh, Sableye?"
Suddenly, in the madness that his hatred had created, Sableye smirked back, catching the lavender-skinned Pokémon slightly off-guard. "That's true, Haunter, but… as my… as my master would say… 'time is a gift, so there's no time like the present'… and this present time seems like the perfect time to save the world to me…" Sableye's bright silver eyes glinted with conviction, and Haunter was forcibly reminded of the master of Sableye's that HE had slaughtered. At the same time, Sableye crouched down slightly and stepped back lightly with his left foot. He left his long slender arms and legs loosely bent and claws hanging at the ready, and kept his eyes trained on his target. It was his old battle stance, the one his master had taught him in order to be ready for any move, any attack, anything.
Such an obvious battle stance immediately alerted Brock and Max, whose hands immediately went to the Pokéballs (Brock's and Ash's, respectively) at their belts. May instantly let her hand go to her and Misty's Pokéballs after seeing the boy's reaction. Something deep inside of Haunter blanched at this sudden change in the event that was occurring. These friends of the two trainers he had separated the souls from were obviously intending to battle him even if they were frightened of him, unlike the other two who had run off screaming. Perhaps the Gaseous Pokémon was not as self-assured of his terrible powers as HE had always acted in front of Sableye. Handling a single Pokémon dependant upon a ten-year-old trainer for orders wasn't too difficult, and handling the same Pokémon in a weaker condition with no guidance from that trainer was a cinch, but handling that Pokémon in an enraged and fully-healed condition, along with a back-up crew of three trainers with Ho-Oh-only-knows what kind and how many Pokémon at what level, was a different thing altogether. Struggling to maintain HIS poised air while trying to figure out HIS options in this situation, the lavender Haunter smiled and tried not to sound worried in the least bit.
"Let's not fight, Sableye."
Sableye's eyes narrowed.
"Yes… let's."
The sparks from the lilac-and-onyx explosion, which resulted from the swift collision of Sableye's offensive Shadow Ball and Haunter's defensive Shadow Ball, flew in every direction, burning tiny holes in the icy floor and sending small whiffs of smoke up from the frigid black water. Haunter was extremely stunned by the high intensity and suddenness of what had just occurred; HE had only sent out the Shadow Ball attack on instinct, not having any time to think. The lavender Pokémon hadn't been ready to battle just yet, and with Sableye starting the action when he was ready himself, the Darkness Pokémon had gained the first advantage. Sableye's advantage was increased multiple times as Brock, May, and Max joined in before all of the Shadow Ball sparks had disappeared.
"GO! CROBAT!"
"LET'S GO, TORCHIC!"
"I CHOOSE YOU! TREECKO!"
Ash's ghost was at Max's side before his Wood Gecko Pokémon had even fully materialized from his Pokéball. Ash knew that Max couldn't hear him, and neither could his own Pokémon for that matter, but he wanted Max know that he was there to help in any way he could. The ghost boy trusted the younger bespectacled one very much with the handling of his Pokémon in battle, even though Max hadn't really battled much with Poochyena or any other Pokémon. Ash knew that Max had always watched his battling strategy closely from the sidelines and that Max knew all of his Pokémon's attacks and how they worked. Suddenly, watching Treecko, who was placing his favorite signature twig in his mouth, Ash realized that, being a ghost forever and all, he would never get to battle with his own Pokémon again. The ghost felt a deep emotional twinge in his chest as he stared at the young boy in glasses who was already deeply focused on the impending struggle. My Pokémon will be Max's to battle with, then… at least Pikachu, anyway… and maybe Treecko, since Max has always wanted one. …This… this will… be good practice for the future… for them, then. …Beat that Haunter, you guys… beat it for me and for Misty… win this one for us…
Misty was at May's side, too, even though May hadn't sent out one of Misty's Water Pokémon first. Misty wasn't as sure of May's battling technique as Ash was of Max's, so she was a bit glad that the younger girl had started off with one of her own Pokémon, which she was familiar with. Still, she had kind of been hoping to be able to watch her beloved Water- types in action at least once more, for the same thing that Ash had realized Misty had also realized as she had watched Sableye prepare to begin a battle; she would never be able to engage in an aquatic battle with her trusty Pokémon again. Who could, as a permanent member of the spirit world?
Sableye hadn't realized that his backup had already joined the seconds-long fray until he saw Crobat, his four remarkably coordinated wings flapping madly, barreling towards Haunter under Brock's command to use Wing Attack. As Haunter's eyes shifted in a sort of confused panic towards the Bat Pokémon's aerial strike, Sableye released a powerful Night Shade from the ground. Haunter noticed the Night Shade a split second before HE was going to dodge Crobat, so the tips of the purple wings grazed HIS right side just slightly as the Ghost Teleported a few inches backwards. The Night Shade attack flew past within centimeters of its target and hit a small stalactite on the ceiling, causing it to shatter instantly into a million jagged pieces and create a splash in the perilous black water below.
Torchic realized quickly that her tiny claws were quite necessary in keeping herself upright on the icy floor, and Treecko also saw that his paw pads, specialized for climbing any kind of surface, would be put to the test in this battle. Still, the two Hoenn starters immediately hastened towards the scene to make the battle 4-on-1. Haunter had to Teleport to escape the Ember attack that the Chick Pokémon sent at HIM just as Crobat was turning around to try a second Wing Attack. Feeling threatened the most by the Bat, Haunter put HIS hands together to start a Psychic attack when Treecko's Bullet Seed hit one of the Ghost's top spikes. The Grass- type's attack, though not really lowering HIS hit points, caused Haunter's head to begin ringing painfully, triggering Haunter's bewildered panic and uncertainty to morph into mounting rage in an instant.
In reckless fury, Haunter changed HIS target to Treecko, who was clinging to a stalagmite close to the cold black water and to Sableye's right, and continued with HIS Psychic attack. Torchic cried out in alarm, thinking that Treecko was about to become history, but Treecko gave a great leap backwards off of the stalagmite, shouting his name in an adrenaline rush, keeping himself from being vaporized by Haunter's awesomely powerful assault. Out of the corner of HIS terrible eyes, the lavender Pokémon spotted Crobat gaining on HIM and HE quickly Teleported to a safer piece of airspace some feet away. Crobat flew right through the place where Haunter had been a moment before, and his wings quickly backpedaled as the Bat became quite disoriented in confusion. Unfortunately, May had called for her own Pokémon to attack with Ember a moment before HE had Teleported, and the flames had just reached their target area when Crobat had stopped right in Haunter's place. Crobat let out a piercing supersonic shriek as he felt the tips of his four wings become singed, and he twisted around in midair, shocked. Both May and Brock let out a loud noise, somewhere between a shout and a groan, at the occurrence. It seemed obvious that having more Pokémon on their side than on the other side was a great advantage, but with Haunter's great maneuverability and the attacks against HIM not being coordinated, it was a disadvantage, too.
Haunter's vermilion rimmed eyes widened happily, and HE grinned in glee as HE saw the Bat's wingtips blacken. A small laugh escaped HIS mouth, and excitement coursed through HIM. HIS ability to Teleport was showing off its usefulness, and HE intended to exploit it now to its fullest extent. HE felt Sableye's determined silver eyes upon HIM, and HE sensed Sableye gearing up for another attack. Suddenly, without any warning of any kind, Haunter Teleported again… this time, to directly in front of Sableye. The lean Darkness Pokémon jumped back in shock as the Ghost appeared not inches away from him near the ice. Haunter had given off no warning at all; HE hadn't even looked at Sableye, so Sableye hadn't even had a chance to think that Haunter would come after him next. Haunter's dismembered right hand gave a great blow to the side of Sableye's face, knocking the Pokémon off of his feet and sending him sliding across the ice to his right. Sableye managed to look up from where he lay in a heap after slowing to a stop next to a stalagmite, but Haunter had already disappeared again.
The lavender Ghost had Teleported high above the rest of the Pokémon on the battle area, up where the Shuppets usually stayed. Crobat had been waiting for Brock to point out where the Haunter appeared next, rather than dizzy himself by looking around three hundred sixty degrees, and when Brock's finger shot up to point out the airspace right above him, the Bat gave a great wing beat to propel himself straight upwards without wasting time checking for a visual target. On Brock's shouted command, Crobat released the most powerful Supersonic attack he could muster in the direction he was flying. The targeting technique would have worked, save for the fact that Haunter had been looking down on the battle area, and had a split second to Teleport several feet to the right before the Supersonic reached him. Brock gritted his teeth in frustration, but a second later, his mouth was wide open in horror. Though the ceiling of the cavern was covered in stalactites, the space on the ceiling where the Supersonic hit was clear and slick. The attack that inflicted its target with confusion was not soaked up by the stone, but was reflected.
Crobat was hit with his own extra-powered Supersonic attack before he could blink, except now, the attack was doubled in force, just as if it had been reflected by a Mirror Coat technique. The Bat's fierce eyes suddenly crossed, and his four coordinated wings ground to a halt for a split second in mid air. Then, in complete fear and confusion, all four wings began to flap wildly, all independent of each other, sending the Bat into a seizure. The action on the battlefield almost stopped as the group on the ground and the ghosts of Ash and Misty watched in horror at the sickening display. The purple Bat was out of his mind in confusion, accidentally hitting himself in the face several times with different wings as each wing rolled, backpedaled, or tried to keep the afflicted Pokémon hovering in the air. Then, Crobat dropped. He had only fallen a few feet before red light from his Pokéball, held out quickly in Brock's hand, took him into its center to keep the dazed Bat from hurting itself anymore than it already had.
For one short second, the entire battlefield was silent in terror. Haunter recovered first. He had only glanced at Crobat long enough to see that he was no longer a threat before Teleporting even farther to the right into the middle of the airspace. Before the end of the red light had even disappeared back into Crobat's Pokéball, Haunter was letting another Shadow Ball build up in his hands. His frightening striped eyes fell on Torchic. It seemed a bit weaker than the others, though perhaps, in Haunter's opinion, only because it was disgustingly cute. Strategy wise, it was best to pick the strongest opponents off first, but if he could take out the weaker ones during a period of confusion, then the annoyances caused by the weaker opponents, such as that headache-inducing Bullet Seed from the Treecko, wouldn't distract him from the real battle at hand.
Behind his glasses, Max's eyes had hardened as he watched Brock gripping Crobat's Pokéball tightly. Brock was staring at it strangely, his eyebrows furrowed deeply and his teeth gritted. Then Max saw that Brock's whole body was trembling just slightly, and Max knew why. Crobat was one of Brock's oldest Pokémon, and therefore, one of his strongest and most skilled. For the great Pokémon to be knocked out like that, and with his own attack due to a simple dodge by the opponent, was almost unbearable. Max's hand went to Ash's belt around his waist almost unconsciously, clutching the third Pokéball tightly and preparing to enlarge and throw it. He had to do something quickly. If Haunter kept Teleporting, not only could HE evade every energy-consuming attack that the rescue team's Pokémon threw at him, he didn't even have to attack himself. Each attack would either wear the Pokémon out a little more and the weariness would accumulate until they couldn't move, or the attack would find some way to bounce back, either by reflection off a smooth surface or by hitting one of the stalactites that would fall and crush them. Max knew the first step to defeating that Haunter had to be to keep him from Teleporting. And Max knew exactly how to do that.
May had turned her eyes to Brock out of concern, too. However, the faint existence of a trainer's instinct inside of her suddenly seized a hold of her, and she whipped her head around to locate her Chick Pokémon. A second after she spotted the little yellow and orange Pokémon out on the ice, her eyes caught sight of the lavender Haunter with HIS hands full of Shadow Ball, staring straight at Torchic. May let out a strangled cry. The ghostly Misty, still keeping an eye on the younger girl, saw the catastrophe in the making, too, and her hand went straight to her soul mate's hand on impulse. Ash's trainer eyes swiftly saw the problem, too, and his free hand immediately went to give Max a slight shove.
The bespectacled boy had been so caught up in his thoughts that he had almost forgotten the Pokémon he was already using in battle and had almost forgotten that Haunter wasn't waiting for commands to attack from another trainer. Luckily, his caramel eyes took in the situation fast enough that he was able to shout out, before Haunter's attack was released, "Treecko! Help Torchic! Quickly!" The Wood Gecko Pokémon whirled around, saw the Shadow Ball hurtling through the air, and did the only thing he had time to do: jump. Treecko leaped straight at Torchic, catching the startled Chick in his paws and allowing the force of his jump to carry him and the other Pokémon out of harm's way. Unfortunately, as the Shadow Ball smashed into the icy floor behind them, shards of frozen water were sent flying, and one large shard hit Treecko square on the back. Treecko and Torchic were sent tumbling across the ice in a heap. The two Pokémon only came to stop as they slid into a stalagmite, where they remained, motionless. They had been knocked out by the tumble.
May screamed in fear for her first Pokémon. Max had gritted his teeth, just like Brock had, but he was too in the heat of battle now to be afraid. Treecko had only hit the ice hard enough for it to knock him out, not cause him any lasting damage, so Max retracted the unconscious Wood Gecko back into his Pokéball in his left hand, with May following suit with Torchic. At the same time, his right hand was releasing the Pokémon inside of the ball that he had chosen from Ash's belt. "I know you're probably really tired by now," Max shouted desperately, as the Pokémon materialized in a red beam of light, "but we need you if we're going to win this! LET'S GET HIM, NOCTOWL!" With a purring hoot, the Shiny Owl Pokémon rose into the air on his wide wings, but the speed of his flight was far from his usual quickness. That's all right, Max thought, his heart pounding rapidly with adrenaline and feeling Pikachu's tiny claws sinking into his shoulder even tighter, I only need to get one attack out of Noctowl, and then he can rest as long as he wants to.
A Noctowl… Haunter thought, a bit of anxiety creeping up on him after his triumphant feeling at knocking out two Pokémon with one hit, What is that little boy planning on doing with the Owl? He has some strategy in mind, I can tell… The lavender Ghost Pokémon saw the excited look on the face of the boy ghost hovering next to the boy wearing glasses, so the ghost had to have some idea about the plan. Sableye had picked himself up off the floor quickly after Crobat's fall, but he hadn't had time to get to Torchic the way that Treecko had. Sableye watched Noctowl flapping higher, and he felt as if he knew why Max had chosen this Pokémon, but his mind wouldn't allow him to figure it out at the moment.
Max's release of his next Pokémon had awoken Brock from his troubled thoughts about Crobat. He knew he had to focus; Ash and Misty's lives depended upon beating this Haunter. His mind was working a bit slower at the moment than Max's, however, because he suddenly realized that he didn't know which Pokémon to release next. Well… I suppose I can't release Onix at all, since the enormous weight of his rock body would cause the ice to break even further, and we might all be plunged into cold water… After a quick moment's thought, Brock grabbed a Pokéball and threw it. "LET'S GO, VULPIX!" As the orange Fox Pokémon appeared, her tiny claws barely keeping herself from sliding on the ice, Brock commanded, "Vulpix, use your Flamethrower on the Haunter!"
Brock's shouting had woken May from her own gripping terror. Hang in there, Torchic! Hopefully, this will all be over soon. May glanced up at Noctowl, who was soaring upwards to the airspace closest to the stalactites. I guess Max is using an air attack. I will, too, then. Feeling that Misty would be pleased with her choice, May released one of the older girl's Pokéballs with the hand not clutching the overwhelmed Togepi. "I CHOOSE YOU! WINGULL!" May felt a ghostly affirming touch on her shoulder, and felt herself smile a little, despite their current situation. She hoped that she remembered the Seagull Pokémon's attacks correctly. The blue-and-white bird let out a great cry, probably glad to see that she would be fighting alongside her friend Noctowl. "Alright, now, Wingull, use your Water Gun attack! Aim at the Haunter!"
Haunter stayed where HE was, floating in the air cautiously. HE had taken HIS wondering mind off of the Noctowl upon hearing the two trainer's calling out new attacks. The Vulpix seemed as strong as the Crobat had been, but the Wingull looked somewhat inexperienced. HE waited for the Vulpix's Flamethrower and the Wingull's Water Gun to get within two feet of HIM before HE Teleported once more, this time, to the total opposite side of the room. Haven't these pathetic humans figured it out yet? Attacking me head on isn't going to work.
Max had informed Noctowl of the attack he was going to call for via hand signals, but had stopped himself from calling out the attack command when he heard May and Brock shouting out their own attacks, choosing to wait for the opportune moment. When Haunter Teleported once more, Max felt a small grin alight on his face. Haunter had fallen right into his trap. "OKAY, NOCTOWL, DO IT!" Max shouted at the top of his voice, pointing his finger aggressively at Haunter. The Gas Pokémon only had the chance to look at Max in a wary manner before twin beams of red light shot out of Noctowl's large eyes and engulfed the Ghost- type in their glare. Haunter had shut HIS fierce eyes quickly, HIS dismembered hands balled up tightly in hard fists, as the light passed over HIM, but opened HIS eyes curiously as the beams flickered and died. The attack had done HIM no harm, as far as HE could tell; HE only felt a slightly bit heavier, but perhaps this was just because HE was growing tired of battling.
Noctowl's wings were beating even slower now, so Max recalled the Owl with a triumphant grin. "You've done more than your share, Noctowl," he whispered as the Pokéball shut with the exhausted bird safely inside, "Now you get a good long rest." Ash gave a ghostly thumbs-up to the bespectacled boy. Out of the corner of his eyes, Max saw the Sableye smiling at him across the ice. The Darkness Pokémon had obviously figured out what Max had done and how important it would be to the battle.
Foresight. Sableye stared up at Haunter, who was shaking HIS head slightly as if to shake off the weighing effects of the attack. Perfect. The Noctowl must have used this attack on Ash and Misty so that the rest of the group could see them… We just might… We just might be able to pull this off after all…
"May!" Brock shouted, as Haunter's eyes came back to the battlefield. "We need to hit Haunter now with everything we've got!" The girl nodded quickly, despite the fact that she wasn't exactly sure what had happened. Every time they had aimed directly at the Gas Pokémon, HE had simply Teleported, but May trusted Brock's command as the eldest of the group obviously knew what he was doing. At the same time the two trainers cried out their most recent attacks again, except at maximum power this time. Haunter was waiting, as the supercharged Flamethrower and Water Gun came straight for HIM once more. Sableye watched as Haunter seemed to tense up, then blink his eyes just once. A second later, a horrified look came across the Ghost- type's face. A second after that, the two attacks slammed directly into Haunter's body.
Noctowl's Foresight attack had turned the Gas Pokémon's body into a more solid form, just as it had to Ash and Misty's ghostly bodies. Haunter was unable to Teleport.
The Flamethrower and Water Gun knocked the lavender Pokémon straight into the back wall. The rescue party had almost begun cheering, but their breath was taken away from them when the sight of a singed and damp, and most thoroughly ferocious, Haunter appeared, struggling HIS way out of the fire and water beams and barreling towards them over top of the attacks. Gone was any trace of the gentleman in the Pokémon; the malicious Haunter, with HIS frightening black scar across HIS left eye and HIS strange coat color, had completely morphed into the evil beast that HE truly was. Haunter was no longer thinking straight. The fact that a flimsy little attack had so thoroughly destroyed HIS strategy was not only frustrating, but also embarrassing. NO ONE MAKES A FOOL OF ME LIKE THAT! Haunter screamed in his mind. NO ONE!
A spasm of fear passed through Max. He had thought that, once Haunter couldn't Teleport, HE might be at least a little more uncertain about HIS opponents' strength. However, if anything, Haunter seemed to be the one with more strength now. Max felt his body tense up. The group would have to use every Pokémon they had left, with all of their strongest attacks, in order to defeat Haunter, but the number of Pokémon they could use was dwindling fast. Due to the fact that her claws were too tiny to securely hold onto the ice, Vulpix had been buffeted backwards by the strength of her own supercharged Flamethrower, flipping head over heels, and was desperately trying to regain her footing to no avail. Brock withdrew the orange Fox into her Pokéball just in time, for a Shadow Ball zipped right toward her former position to create another fissure in the icy floor and throw ice shards in every direction. The crazed lavender Haunter had not given a second look to HIS attack once HE had released it; HE was already charging up another Shadow Ball and aiming it at the Pokémon that had hit him with the Water Gun.
"Wingull! Dive down quickly!" May cried out, seeing Haunter targeting the Seagull Pokémon. With a sharp frightened cry, Wingull flipped over backwards in midair and plummeted down from her high altitude in a spiral, displaying all of her awesome agility. This only enraged Haunter more. Screaming savagely in frustration, the wide-eyed Ghost- type began rapidly shooting one tightly compacted Shadow Ball at the Seagull Pokémon after another, one from each hand in a barrage of fury. Every attack missed Wingull, but the Shadow Balls were gaining on her; one barely clipped her short tail feathers, and she let out a throaty squawk of fear, coming out of her spiraling dive and leveling off her flight a few feet from the icy floor. Screaming once more, Haunter pulled HIMSELF together for one large Shadow Ball and let it fly at the retreating bird. Wingull's flight had taken her around behind the rescue party, and she had just cleared them on the other side when the Shadow Ball began barreling towards her. Seeing that Wingull could not possibly stop or turn to avoid the Ghost- type attack in time, May hastily held out Wingull's Pokéball and withdrew her from the battlefield in a red beam. The Shadow Ball hurtled past Wingull's previous airspace and, as the party gasped, formed a great hole in the ice not two feet from Misty's cold body on the floor.
Poochyena, who had been watching the entire battle wide-eyed from next to Max's leg, suddenly felt the gray fur on the back of his neck bristle in anger. Too busy were Brock, May, and Max watching Wingull's descent to notice that Sableye was the only Pokémon left to face Haunter on the battlefield, and Sableye was not even their own Pokémon. Though vary wary of the ice, the little Bite Pokémon managed to stand up on his black paws and, finding just a hint of traction, propel himself away from the unaware rescue group out into the open ice. As he slid across the ice in Sableye's general direction, his mind was on the attack that both Sableye and Haunter seemed to be favoring the most, and in his heart, he felt that he could probably perform that attack, too. Keeping his red-and-yellow eyes fixed on Haunter, he tried to summon whatever Ghost- type energy he had in his small Dark body and form it into a ball-shape in his mouth.
Sableye was utilizing Haunter's moment of madness by building up one more Shadow Ball attack to aim at the frenzied Ghost- type. He was trying to be conservative of his energy, as the rescue party seemed to be going through their Pokémon teams quickly and Sableye had no idea how many Pokémon they had left. The battle could still be a long one, or it could be over quickly; Sableye was, of course, hoping for the latter, but one could never be sure of anything if Haunter was involved in it. He let the attack loose too late however, as Haunter glanced around in time to see Sableye's release. Though HE could no longer Teleport, HE could still dodge, and Haunter glided several feet to HIS left. The attack crashed harmlessly into the wall behind him, and Sableye saw Haunter's crazed smile directed at him. Suddenly, however, the smile turned to a look of surprise, and Sableye did not even have enough time to glance around before the scarred side of Haunter's face was struck with an attack almost identical to Sableye's own.
The lavender Ghost- type screamed in rage as HE was flipped around in midair. The rescue party instantly turned around at the noise, and Max gasped. "POOCHYENA! What are you doing out there!" The wolf Pokémon barked happily, and wagged his tail. His first try at a Shadow Ball attack had been quite successful. His bespectacled master would be proud of him once he figured out that he had been the one to hit Haunter.
Max's Pokémon looked small out on the ice where he had slowed down to a stop. Max blinked, staring at his Dark- type. When Haunter had screamed again, Max was sure HE had been hit by another attack, but Poochyena seemed so pleased that… Could Poochyena have sent out an attack himself? He's never used any long-range attacks before, just Tackle and things like that… Haunter seemed to be thinking that Poochyena had sent out the Shadow Ball that had hit HIM in the eye, too. With speed born from madness, Haunter suddenly began to swoop down out of the higher airspace towards Poochyena, crying out maliciously like a trite spirit from a haunted house. The Bite Pokémon's glee changed instantly into fear, and he tried to kick off the ice to go back to his master in a panic. This time, his tiny claws found no traction on the ice, and the pup's feet tangled and he fell down. A tiny howl of trepidation escaped Poochyena's mouth as his eyes caught sight of the rapidly approaching Haunter, and he began to tremble where he lay, shutting his eyes tightly. Suddenly, two clawed hands had encircled him from behind, whisked him up off of the ice, and began to carry him off. The pup cried out and tried to curl himself into a protective ball until he realized he was been jostled about in the same way he was handled when Max carried him. Poochyena opened his eyes and glanced upward to find himself staring at silver hexagonal eyes.
Sableye ran across the ice, with Max's Pokémon in his arms, almost as fast as if he was running on a non-slick surface. In his mind, he thanked Ho-oh for the fact that he could stick to the floor so easily with only the claws on his back paws, but his eyes were on the lavender Pokémon behind them, who was swiftly gaining on them in HIS maniacal pursuit. Sableye's razor teeth were clenched in frustration. I'm sorry, master… but you were wrong. Not every Pokémon is conquerable… this murderous monster does not have a weakness… I just don't see how it is possible. Even after this long battle, HE is still going strong, even if HIS sanity seems to have left HIM. It will take a miracle now… Sableye never took his eyes off of Haunter, no matter how hard it was to look at HIM, so he barely caught sight out of the corner of his eyes of several red beams flickering in the direction he was headed.
Suddenly, a great chorus of shouting erupted from the rescue party, and Sableye was unable to stop himself from looking around.
"LET'S GET HIM! LOTAD AND MUDKIP!"
"COME ON CORSOLA, PSYDUCK, AND STARYU! HELP THEM OUT!"
"TIME TO END THIS BATTLE! GO, CORPHISH!"
Sableye barely had enough time to hit the ice, protecting Poochyena's body with his own, as three Water Guns, two Bubblebeams, and a Water Pulse shot over his head in Haunter's direction. All six Water- type attacks connected with their frenzied target, sending HIM straight into the back wall of the dimly lit cavern once more. Haunter clawed at the heavy attacks pounding HIM against the wall with both of HIS dismembered hands, but HE could no longer shout under the watery barrage. As the six Pokémon continued their attacks, standing in a tight line in front of Brock, May, Max, and the floating souls of Ash and Misty, Sableye crawled across the ice towards the party with Poochyena in tow. A tight smile flickered across the Darkness Pokémon's face. Maybe… maybe a miracle could take place here… just maybe, if they keep this kind of attacking up…
Max was keeping an eye on Corphish's Bubblebeam, but he looked away quickly as a slightly panting Sableye appeared at a side, holding an embarrassed Poochyena out to his master. "Poochyena!" Max rejoiced, taking the pup into his arms. On Max's left shoulder, Pikachu patted Poochyena's head lightly with a paw, a small smile on his mouth. Max glanced at the violet Pokémon that was almost his height and saw that Sableye looked both content and anxious at the same time. "Thank you, Sableye," Max whispered quietly so only Sableye could hear him over the rushing sound of the Water- type attacks. Sableye's tight smile flickered on his face once more, and he gave a short nod. Then, turning away from Max, Sableye walked resolutely on his back paws to stand next to Corphish on the left end of the line and seemed to take a deep breath to focus. Then, crouching down, Sableye gathered the small bit of Water- type energy in his body and released his own watery attack, aiming straight at the Haunter plastered against the back wall along with the others. Awesome! Sableye can use Water Pulse! Max thought. Wait… I read that yesterday in my book on Dark- type Pokémon. Max watched Sableye with excited eyes. How powerful Sableye is!
The ceaseless onslaught of Water- type attacks seemed to be keeping Haunter in HIS place, and hopefully, Brock thought, it was seriously depleting HIS hit points. Come on, Brock thought impatiently with a glance at the ghosts of Ash and Misty. Both of them were fully engaged in the battle at hand, never taking their eyes off the Pokémon or the target to glance at their cold, white bodies on the ice or anywhere else. It just can't be too late… It just can't be too late to save them… Oh Ho-oh, they've both been my best friends for ages. Our journey can't end here, down in this dark, cold cavern. This can't be the end.
"Come on, guys, keep it up," May cried out encouragingly, shaking her fist. Togepi trilled lightly in May's other arm. Unfortunately, the words of inspiration only distracted Psyduck, causing him to lose his hesitant balance on the ice, forget his attack, and fall down on his stomach with a panicked cry. May, with an apologetic and bewildered expression on her face, saw the ghostly Misty hovering next to her smack herself in the face in exasperation. Though Psyduck had learned a lot about using his abilities without needing a headache, he was still Psyduck, after all. At a gesture from Misty, May recalled the distressed Pokémon with a "Return now, Psyduck." Even without the yellow duck, May still had to keep up with Staryu and Corsola. The throbbing of the Water Pulses was starting to make May slightly queasy. She even thought that she heard one of the boys call her name questioningly, but when she glanced around, all of their eyes were focused on the battle. May blinked. Max had said that Ghost- type Pokémon were one of the more mysterious types, so maybe the Haunter was trying to mess with her head by using some psychic technique. May panicked slightly. There was no way HE could mess with her from underneath the water barrage. "STOP!" May suddenly shouted. "Stop the attacks!" When both Max and Brock shot her confused looks, she cried, "Maybe the Haunter's escaped! We can't even see anything under all that water!" This was true. Haunter's hands were no longer clawing at the attacks.
Impossible… Max thought, but along with May and Brock, he called off Corphish's attack. There's no way HE could have escaped with that Foresight technique still working on HIM. But, all of the other attacks could have made it wear off slightly. Well, we'll be ready if HE is still there… As Mudkip, Lotad, Staryu, Corsola, Corphish, and finally Sableye stopped their bombardment, it became clear that Haunter was still there. However, HE looked so worse for the wear that it seemed phenomenal that the Ghost- type was still floating in the airspace next to the back wall. HIS lavender-and-gray tinted oily coat was absolutely saturated, and HIS head spikes were drooping. The dismembered hands were hanging limply near HIS body, and HE had HIS terrible face turned down so that no one could see HIS face. The last cavern grew still and totally silent as everyone waited with bated breath for something to happen.
Then, Haunter looked up. HIS face was livid, but HIS exhaustion was clear. All of the Teleporting, Shadow Ball throwing, and attack receiving HE had experienced had taken their toll on HIS body, an image which sent Sableye's heart racing with excitement, despite the fact that Haunter's livid glare was sent directly at himself. It's working… It really is working… I think… I think we've almost got HIM now… Suddenly, Haunter was moving towards them; slowly, for sure, but the Ghost- type was still coming towards them. HE flexed his dismembered hands aggressively. HE was not out yet.
As the rescue party tensed around him in apprehension, Max felt something nagging at the back of his mind. There's got to be one good attack to finish him off with, he thought, his caramel eyes scanning Sableye and the Water Pokémon in front of him. That's all we need… one good attack… Max glanced to his left shoulder, and suddenly, he knew. However, a second later his eyes shot to the ghostly Ash hovering next to him. Ash was already looking at Max, and when he saw Max's anxiously questioning eyes gazing back at him, Ash grinned and gave a short nod of ascension. Go for it, Max. You know what to do. Max smiled softly and nodded, his eyes shifting quickly back to Haunter. Here we go, then…
Shifting Poochyena slightly to his right arm, Max straightened his left arm out in front of him to point at the slowly advancing Haunter. He felt tiny claws gripping the sleeve of his green polo shirt tighter, and a shot of excitement coursed through Max for a split second.
"PIKACHU! USE THUNDERBOLT!"
All of the people, souls, and Pokémon in the party, along with Sableye, twisted around just in time to watch the yellow electric mouse take off from Max's shoulder, give a short run down his leveled arm, and take a great leap into the air, his red cheeks sparking wildly. Sableye saw the look on Pikachu's face out of the corner of his eye, and almost felt pity for Haunter… almost. Ash was obviously to Pikachu as his late master was to Sableye, and the enraged Pikachu would never forgive anyone who hurt his trainer the way that Haunter had. Haunter had frozen in midair. A great electrical bolt shot out of Pikachu's cheeks and hit Haunter before anyone ever had a chance to even breathe, illuminating the dark cavern with a blast of light that had never been seen in that place before.
The fact that Haunter had been saturated with water did not keep the electricity from covering HIM with its voltage. In fact, of course, it only helped.
Even as Pikachu's attack finished and the electric Pokémon landed on the ice with a slight skid, no one looked away from the lavender Ghost- type, whose coat was now dark gray with cinders and was still covered in tiny sparks, as HE fell slowly, almost like a feather, out of the air to land with a dull thud on the icy floor near the edge of the water. Small wisps of smoke began to rise lazily from the motionless Pokémon on the floor, the disembodied hands lying limp on the cold ice, one on each side.
Sableye's mind and body was paralyzed for a moment. As it became clear that Haunter was not going to move, his brain began to work once more. I… I can't believe it… We've got HIM… we knocked HIM out… WE STOPPED HIM! A deep, ragged cry erupted from Sableye's throat unbidden, and he took a few steps backwards on the ice to keep himself from falling down in joyful shock. The rescue team clearly took this as a sign that the Evil One was unconscious and suddenly, the whole group began to cheer. Pikachu, his eyes now filled with excitement, managed to sink his tiny claws into the floor deep enough to just make it back to Max to scamper back up onto his shoulder. The Water Pokémon gathered around the trainers as May cried out in relief and Brock patted Max on the back, saying, "Nice strategy, oh wise one," and Max laughed in embarrassment.
All of a sudden, May froze and cried out, "Oh no! We have to hurry!" Before they could all turn to look at her, she pointed straight at the two souls, wide-eyed. "Ash! Misty! We have to get you two back to your bodies!"
"That's right!" Brock said in shock, wondering how he could possibly forget their reason for battling Haunter in the first place. It seemed, however, that Ash and Misty had forgotten about this as well, seeing as how they both turned to each other with identical surprised looks on their faces. Sableye's mounting exuberance evaporated instantly. His face fell to the icy floor, where his slight reflection seemed to stare back at him sternly.
Fortunately, no one saw Sableye's sudden change in behavior. Lotad, Mudkip, Staryu, Corsola, and Corphish were all being withdrawn back into their Pokéballs to rest, and the eyes of Brock, May, Max, Pikachu, Poochyena, and even Togepi were drawn to the two souls floating a few inches from the ice.
The ghostly Misty had turned her back to the group so that she was facing her cold, white body. Ash followed suit, and his eyes watched his soulmate staring with a partly sad, partly stubborn look on her face. Ash had seen this look before. "What is it, Misty?" he whispered quietly, even though none of their group could hear but the violet Darkness Pokémon would be able to.
She didn't respond or look at him for a moment, her short hair swirling gently in an ethereal breeze. Finally, her eyes met his, and he saw sorrow in her gaze. "Ash," she spoke slowly and softly, as if unsure of what she was going to say next. "You saw the look on Sableye's face when I asked him if we're dead. He couldn't look at us. We're gone, Ash. We're dead. There's no way. I know you feel it, too."
Ash had felt it, that feeling of deep defeat. He was sure they were dead too, but their souls were still in the cavern. They hadn't been taken to some other place. No white lights at the end of a tunnel; nothing. "But…" Ash whispered, his voice cracking, "in that poem… in the poem on the wall, it said that if we defeated the 'Evil One,' that Haunter, then we would be able to return to our bodies! And we defeated HIM!"
"Ash, it said we could return if we defeated HIM in an hour. It's been over an hour. Sableye knows, and that's why he didn't want to tell Brock and May and Max." Misty gave a dry laugh. "If the hour wasn't up by the time we got back down here, it certainly is up now after that long battle."
Ash was silent for a moment. He knew everything Misty said was true, and yet…
"We have to at least give it a try, Mist," he said, and Misty saw his own stubbornness in his eyes. "We have to at least try, even if it is just for the others to see that we gave it a shot. We have to just try to get back in our bodies one time."
"It won't do any good-"
"I can't just lose you like this!" Ash suddenly cried out loudly, startling his soulmate. He was glad that the group wasn't able to hear him. Ash had to look away. "I can't just lose you this way," he spoke, much softer now, rather tenderly. "I just… I just found out how much I feel for you, Misty. I can't let everything end when it was only just beginning." Almost wistfully, in a very un-Ash-like way, he whispered, "We had our whole lives ahead of us…"
Misty's heart almost broke. Whenever that boy got that forlorn look on his face, she always practically melted in distress. "Ash…" His name came out of her mouth without her permission. "…You aren't losing me." He glanced at her out of the corner of his eyes. "No matter what happens. Even if we die," she hesitated, waiting for him to look her fully in the eye, "… even if our souls are stuck here forever… we'll always be together. It's you and me, Ash." She elbowed him gently and tried to get him to smile; she wanted to pull him close to her and hold him tight, but the others were looking, of course. "Together forever, no matter how long. From now until the end of time. Not even death can part us. You aren't losing me, Ash, and I'll never leave you."
"…I'll never leave you either," he whispered back, suddenly feeling a bit shy. Misty saw his embarrassed expression and gave a short laugh.
"Come on, then. Let's give it a try already!" Ash cocked his head at her statement. She nodded once, and it was enough.
The souls of Ash and Misty began to cautiously drift towards their motionless bodies. Brock shivered as he watched them. After the heat of the battle, the chill of the deep cavern had been revitalized, but it was the way that Ash and Misty had seemed hesitant to approach their own bodies that really chilled his heart. You two just can't… you just can't be dead… May was clutching Togepi to her chest so tightly that both her and the baby Pokémon could barely breathe. Max was sure that his shoulder had to be bleeding by now, what with the way Pikachu's claws were cutting into him. He shifted his wolf pup in his arms, his mind almost blank and silent for once, waiting. Sableye was still watching the icy floor, though keeping an eye on the two souls out of the corner of his vision.
Then, the ghostly Ash and Misty were there, floating over their own bodies. For some reason, Ash's anxious mind began to wonder what would happen if their bodies let them back in, but they ended up in the other's body. That would be awkward, he thought, his consciousness not allowing him sink into despair by remaining as casual and ridiculous as possible. …Though perhaps, not as awkward as it would have been before… Ash's right hand began to slowly reach out to touch his solid form in the chest. He saw that his body's right hand was lightly resting on top of Misty's left. The warm sensation flared in his stomach for a moment, but he kicked it down; now was definitely not the time to be thinking that way. He glanced over at Misty and saw her own hand extended towards her body in the same way, waiting for Ash. One look in the eyes, and both moved their fingers further down. Misty sucked in an unnecessary breath as her fingers almost brushed her shirt. Before, they had only been able to get within one inch of their bodies. Their fingers were barely half a centimeter away now. Ash looked at Misty one more time, and she at him. It suddenly came into his mind that, perhaps, entering their bodies wasn't the best thing to do. Maybe reentering their bodies after an hour only sealed their death and sent them to some other place not on the earth. But it was too late to go back now, it seemed, too late to stop and think. You said you'd never leave me, Misty, so if this is it… I'll see you on the other side…
In the same second, both let their fingers touch their bodies.
Instantly, Ash felt a jerk behind his naval, and his consciousness faded to black.
Neither Brock, May, nor Max felt like they were breathing after watching the two souls being sucked straight into their cold bodies. None of them moved, and none of them saw the look of complete and utter astonishment on Sableye's face. Time stood still, until it seemed like they had been waiting forever. Unconscious of the act, a short sob escaped May's throat as neither Ash nor Misty made any movement. Max couldn't blink. Brock felt as if he had died on the inside. They waited, but nothing happened.
The whole group almost missed the slight twitch of Ash's hand in Misty's, and of Misty's hand in his. But they saw it.
Consciousness seemed to come back to him far slower than it had left him. However, when it did, he almost wished it hadn't had. His chest was in a great amount of pain, as if he had been hit by something hard, and the first breath he took was the hardest to take. Every bone in his body seemed to ache: his spine, his arms, his legs; even his muscles felt tight under his skin. However, a bizarre pain below his chest seemed to hurt the worst, even though his mind seemed to continue to be groggy. His hearing seemed to be working fine, though, seeing as his head was suddenly ringing with high-pitched squeals of "ASH! MISTY! YOU'RE ALIVE!"
We're… alive? He didn't seem to think that was right, and yet, he didn't know why he would be in so much pain if he wasn't alive. I thought that your pain was taken away when you died… then, we must be… Feeling something tightening around his hand, he slowly turned his head to the right, for the first time feeling the cold as his cheek touched the ice. And there she lay next to him, her short hair perfectly framing her face. She was already looking at him herself, and his stomach suddenly warmed. He was looking into the deep ocean-hue of her eyes once more.
A sea of brilliant colors suddenly sprang into his sight, and though everything seemed blurry at first, his eyes quickly took in Brock, May, and Max all huddled around Misty and himself, their smiles wide and their faces lit up in excitement, crying out in happiness and asking if they were all right. From on Max's shoulder, Pikachu's round eyes were filled with tears, though the little electric mouse was obviously trying to hold them in. Togepi had let loose an unbroken stream of happy trills, and Poochyena's tongue was hanging out of his mouth in glee. Ash let his russet eyes shift back to Misty's, and he saw the smile on her face. His stomach heated up again, but a bizarre pain in that area twitched again. Ash heard Brock ask if they were alright once more, and, though his vocal chords felt strange, he said the first thing that came to his mind.
"I'm hungry."
That hadn't been what he had meant to say, despite the fact that it was very true, but at least Misty seemed to think it was funny. She suddenly let out a short laugh, and those two exclamations seemed to confirm the fact to their friends that the two trainers were indeed alive, if not completely well at the moment. And suddenly, Ash felt Brock's hands under his arms, lifting him up so that he could sit on the ice. Every tiny movement made more pain flair up, and a groan escaped Ash's mouth, but after a moment of slouching in a sitting position with his legs spread wide on the floor, he realized that the pain was necessary; it allowed him to know that nothing had become paralyzed or frozen from the cold or from his soul's temporary absence. As soon as his breathing began to become more normal and steady, his eyes swiftly shifted back to Misty. She was sitting up, leaning back heavily against May, Ash's vest halfway falling off of her shoulders. She was gently tickling her trilling Togepi, who was still in May's arms, with a single finger. There was a small and tired smile on her face, but when saw him gazing at her, the smile grew warm. Ash felt a smile twitch onto his face, letting Brock shake his shoulders a bit to loosen the tight muscles.
"Good to have you two back, Ash," Brock whispered, and Ash felt a small grin come onto his face, knowing how worried Brock had been about them. He struggled to catch a glimpse of the breeder over his shoulder.
"It's great to be back…" Ash trailed off, for Max was squatting down next to Ash's knees and Pikachu was anxiously holding out a furry yellow paw for his master from Max's shoulder. Ash gently took the paw in his hand with a wide smile and held it, feeling more physical warmth from the electric Pokémon than usual because of his own extremely chilled state. He wondered if he would ever be truly warm again.
Ash was about to motion Pikachu to jump into his lap so he could really give his Pokémon a good hug when a clicking of claws on the ice caused Ash to look up. Sableye slowly joined the rejoicing group, squatting down on the ice next to Max with his elbows on his knees and his long arms hanging limply between his legs. The silver hexagonal eyes would not meet Ash's own eyes at first; instead, the Darkness Pokémon gave Ash's body a long hard look, as if he truly couldn't believe that they were alive. Ash waited patiently, wondering if Sableye was going to speak or not. Finally, the violet Pokémon's eyes rose to meet Ash's own, and found that the newly restored boy was no longer looking at him, but beyond him. A small frown came to Sableye's face as he watched Ash's eyes widen and his mouth slowly open in disbelief, his line of sight never wavering from some spot over Sableye's shoulder. Suddenly, a cold chill ran through the Pokémon's heart, and cautiously, he turned his head around.
One of the singed disembodied hands on the floor was slowly raking its pointed fingers across the ice.
A shout of alarm automatically came out of Sableye's mouth, and he shot up onto his feet quickly, turning to face the soot-covered Ghost- type, whose body was still lying motionless on the ice. Brock, May, Max, and Misty all flinched at the noise, and turned their heads rapidly just in time to see the pointed fingers on the other severed hand raking the icy floor. A collective gasp went up from the entire party. Sableye clenched his razor-sharp teeth in absolute disbelief. How can this be! How can HE possibly be waking up already! HE should have been out of it for hours after taking all of those hits, being soaked in water, then electrocuted at high voltage! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE!
As Sableye began to forcefully motion towards the single exit of the dim cavern once more, the group needed no further urging. Swiftly, Brock hauled Ash off of the floor into a standing position, even as Ash winced terribly. "Hurry!" Brock shouted, as May struggled to help Misty stand up while holding tightly onto Togepi. "We have to get out of here quickly, before the thing wakes up fully and goes after us again!"
Poochyena started to howl in panic, but Max quickly clapped a hand over the pup's muzzle to silence him. He glanced back at the Haunter, his glasses glinting. "The Haunter's getting up!" he cried out, and Pikachu's sharp claws sank into his shoulder once more. The body of the charred Ghost- type was slowly rising off of the ground, though HIS face was still parallel to the floor. The disembodied hands began to rise along with HIM, and began to tighten into fists.
May began to scream in fear, which only made things worse. Misty almost lost her balance, but Ash managed to fight back his stiffness enough to grasp her left wrist in his right hand. Brock, keeping Ash steady with one hand, pushed off with the other hand, all the while trying to keep an eye on Haunter and an eye on their escape route at the same time. Ash pulled Misty along with him, and May followed, with Max closely bringing up the rear. Sableye clambered after them, almost moving backwards on the ice to keep from turning his back on his greatest nemesis. Haunter was slowly raising HIS head as HIS body continued to rise off of the floor. Suddenly, HE shook HIS head back and forth, scattering soot in every direction. Then, HE looked up, straight into Sableye's eyes.
The vermilion glow rimming HIS eyes had flared larger in pure wrath.
"GO!" Sableye screamed one more time. The rest of the group was at the exit, sliding across the ice as fast as they could without falling down. May was still screaming her head off, as if in the middle of a nightmare, causing Togepi to tremble in her arms and sniff back tiny tears. All of his sister's noise had flustered Max, and a cry of anxiety burst through his lips too. Misty had not quite recovered her normal breathing pattern yet, so she was panting heavily. As soon as possible, Ash let go over her wrist to grab her hand instead, and felt her fingers dig deep into his fingerless gloves. Brock no longer allowed himself a backwards glance; he had eyes only for getting through the exit. He tried to shout a few words of encouragement, but his heart was pounding so loud that he had no idea if he actually said anything or not.
Sableye gave a quick glance at the turn in the tunnel where the humans and their Pokémon had been headed. They were gone. Sableye turned his eyes back to Haunter, quickly making his way across the ice to stand in the middle of the opening in order to give Ash, Misty, and the others as much time to get away as he could. I can still fight HIM if I have to… and I will… no matter what. Haunter's frightening eyes had never left Sableye, as if HE was hypnotized, and HE continued to move forward through the air. HIS speed was slow and steady, however, which was most likely due to HIS exhaustion, but Sableye was still strongly reminded of some kind of feline Pokémon stalking a Rattata in some bushes. HE was almost swaying back and forth as HE floated, as if to hypnotize Sableye HIMSELF. Then, Sableye remembered something strange. When the two humans that Ash had referred to as 'Team Rocket' had left the cavern screaming, Haunter had rushed to the mouth of the cavern, but had not ventured out. However, this time, Haunter seemed out of HIS mind enough that the Darkness Pokémon felt that whatever had stopped Haunter then would not stop HIM from leaving now. Sableye crouched down low. All right, Haunter… let's see what kind of power you have left in that ragged body of yours…
And then, he felt a light tap on his left shoulder. Sableye was almost scared out of his wits, but he managed to keep from jumping. His head whipped around to the left instantly, and he let out a short breath in surprise. It was the frowning Shuppet. During the long battle, Sableye had practically forgotten about the Shuppet, who had hovered next to the wall like a shadow ever since Sableye had screamed for Haunter to show HIMSELF. Now, the Shuppet was fluttering beside his right shoulder again, those striped eyes as expressionless as ever as they bore into Sableye's own. And then, the Shuppet turned away, and with a flutter of its skirt floated into air in front of and above Sableye, directly into Haunter's path.
Sableye watched it, blankly at first, as it turned its eyes toward the advancing Ghost- type, and stayed where it was in the air. Sableye felt as if he ought to shout a warning to the Shuppet, for surely it did not know the Evil One's strength, but Sableye had a strange feeling that it knew what it was doing. Suddenly, its skirt quivered violently, and a wave of pastel-colored air burst from the point on the top of its head like the aurora borealis. Sableye actually took a step back in awe as the translucent, wavering colors quickly made a wall of marble-patterned air between it and Haunter across the entire cavern. Haunter seemed to find this development irritating, for HE let out a roar of anger, and sped up HIS flight. When HE hit the wall of color, however, HE was immediately met by some force that propelled HIM several feet backwards through the air. Haunter roared once more, and tried to get through again, but to no avail. The Ghost- type was effectively trapped.
Shuppet had used Protect.
Sableye almost fainted in shock at this totally unexpected discovery, though a moment later, he would suppose that he had better reason to faint. The frowning Shuppet turned its face around to stare down at Sableye through unreadable eyes.
"Save them."
The Darkness Pokémon's heart almost stopped. The Shuppet had spoken for the first time, and the voice the Shuppet had spoken with so calm, so even, and yet so mysteriously angelic that it reminded Sableye of church bells. Sableye felt his face grow extremely hot and his mouth hang open slightly for some reason, even though the Shuppet continued to stare at him with emotionless eyes and a light frown. Sableye gulped slightly, quite flustered, his feet moving backwards towards the exit to follow the Shuppet's command though he really wanted to stay to see if he could hear that gentle, undeniably female voice one more time. However, a flutter of a skirt immediately sent Sableye scurrying across the ice around the bend after the group.
Shuppet turned back to her Protect attack, and though she did not lose her frown, from the way her eyes narrowed at the Haunter scratching wildly at pastel-hued air, one might think she was actually laughing.
By the time Sableye had caught up with the humans and their Pokémon by means of a shortcut climb across the slick marble walls, they were just exiting the next cavern after the ice slide. They were all visibly happy to see Sableye again, even as they continued to quickly make their way from stalagmite to stalagmite across the icy floors.
"Is the Haunter still following us, Sableye?" Brock managed to ask as they went. Sableye was glad that he could truly answer with a shake of his head.
"Good!" Max said in relief. May seemed to have quieted down, though her bottom lip was trembling.
Ash saw the puzzled look that Sableye was suddenly giving him, and after a moment of thought, realized the Darkness Pokémon's question. "Luckily, I have a Bayleef and May has a Beautifly," he explained, though their speedy progression was taking his breath away. "We used Bayleef's Vine Whip to lift ourselves over that ice slide, and used the stickiness of Beautifly's String Shot on Bayleef's feet to keep Bayleef from slipping on the ice, though I don't think Bayleef liked that part very much."
The rest of the journey through the caverns was quiet but for the slight sound of feet sliding across ice. Ash kept his hand in Misty's the entire time, though none of the others seemed to notice. They did not stop to rest, or even to let Ash and Misty get their Pokémon and their backpacks back, though they were all overly exhausted by the time they slid through a cavern opening and the million-colored crystalfall glinted softly in the light. Sliding into the middle of the cavern, the group finally came to a halt to catch their breath.
May was panting in a dramatic manner. "That Haunter couldn't chase us all the way here, could HE?" she said, almost collapsing with her free arm around a stalagmite.
Sableye stared up at the crystals. Surely that Protect will keep HIM down there long enough to get these guys out of the caverns… His mind went to Shuppet. He hoped she was all right. His face got hot again.
It was quiet, with the faint echo of heavy breathing as the only noise. Then, from Max's shoulder, Pikachu's ears shot straight up in the air. "Pi?"
Ash and Misty had been standing back to back, leaning on each other to rest, but at Pikachu's voice, Misty felt her soulmate stiffen. Ash glanced at his Pokémon warily. "Pikachu, do you… sense something?" Suddenly, Pikachu pinned his ears back against his body, his tail went up, and a few sparks shot out of his cheeks. A growl sounded deep from his furry body. In an instant, everyone knew what this meant.
"…Oh, come ON already!" May cried in exasperation, but it was too late.
Haunter already was hovering in the doorway to the cavern.
SHOOT! Sableye thought frantically. Haunter seemed to have withdrawn into HIMSELF for some reason, with HIS disembodied hands tucked close to HIS body and HIS eyes barely open in miniscule slits, but HE was still clearly enraged. What happened to Shuppet! If you use Protect several times in a row, it weakens each time, but did she have to use so many that Haunter was able to finally break through? I hope HE didn't hurt her… Sableye crouched into his battle stance. Ash and Misty, standing back to back, just happened to be the ones closest to the doorway and Haunter; Sableye was sure the Ghost- type would go for them, HIS escaped victims, first. He waited to see what Haunter's first move would be… and waited… and waited.
Everyone in the cavern had frozen upon HIS entrance, but Haunter hadn't done anything but float in the opening, HIS lavender body still badly singed though no longer smoking. And suddenly, Sableye realized that there was something wrong. Haunter wasn't acting like HIS normal self. HIS withdrawnness was a first, and so was the fact that HIS eyes were nearly shut. The Darkness Pokémon's mind was churning, closely watching Haunter float there as if HE were nervous or… afraid of something…
Sableye glanced around quickly to see if Haunter was looking at anything in particular, and his eyes fell on the crystalfall. Even though the Flash light in this cavern was not as bright as in other caverns, the light still glinted off of the crystals, making them sparkle. And suddenly, everything clicked. He knew what Haunter's weakness was.
It was light.
Sableye could never remember seeing Haunter venture outside of the last cavern before now for the last cavern was the only place in the whole cavern network that was the darkest of the caverns, which is why Haunter had made HIS home there. When the 'Team Rocket' had fled, Haunter had only chased them to the mouth of the last cavern because, around the bend, the light had increased. And when Pikachu had first charged up his Thunderbolt, Haunter had frozen in mid-air because HE had closed HIS eyes against the light of the electricity. It all made sense. Haunter had been so desperate to get back at Ash, Misty, and the others that, even though the light caused HIM pain, HE had ventured out of the last cavern to seek them. However, HE had had to float through so many well-lit caverns that, by this point, HIS previous injuries and the light had almost paralyzed HIM, causing HIM to shrink into HIMSELF. HE was basically helpless.
And now, Sableye thought, if only he could find a way to communicate this to the others, then they might be able to finish HIM off once and for all. Ash's eyes hadn't left the Haunter once since HIS entrance, but when he heard Sableye's voice behind him, something made him think that the Darkness Pokémon was calling his name. Out of the corner of his eyes, Ash saw Sableye pointing frantically to the crystalfall, then to Haunter. Ash frowned for a moment, but as the crystals sparkled, Ash seemed to think of something and gave the floating Haunter another look. A moment later, Sableye heard Ash give a short gasp, and he knew the boy realized his message. Now it was Ash's turn to figure out a way to apply this new discovery. He could hear his soulmate breathing heavily as she leaned her back against his, and he began to fret. They had to finish this now, or they all might collapse from exhaustion. He started to slip one of his hands behind himself to find her hand, hoping to reassure her, but instead, his palm brushed the pocket of his vest she was wearing. Ash felt something hard inside of the pocket, and realizing what it was, he got an idea.
To avoid catching Haunter's attention just yet, Ash made sure to whisper. "Misty, slowly get the crystal I gave you out of the pocket, okay?" After a moment, Ash felt her nod gently, not questioning him, and felt her arm moving. Slowly, Ash reached down into his jeans pocket and enclosed his hand around the russet crystal, Misty's gift to him. Withdrawing it cautiously, Ash felt as though Haunter turned HIS squinting gaze towards him, but the Ghost- type didn't move. With the crystal safely out of his pocket, Ash stretched his arm out straight towards Haunter, pointing the crystal at HIM as if it were a gun. A moment later, Misty copied him, her arm touching his all the way down, and the tips of their crystals touching at the point. Haunter seemed to draw backwards in uncertainty. Ash felt all of the eyes in the cavern on him. He prayed his idea worked.
Suddenly, Ash shouted. "Pikachu! Use Flash, and aim it straight at the crystals!" Ash knew his faithful Pokémon wouldn't hesitate at such a direct order, and Pikachu didn't. From Max's shoulder, the electric mouse let out a cry, and two beams of light shot from his cheeks and merged as one, just in time to hit the crystals.
Instantly, the room was plunged into the most intense brightness Ash had ever seen. The russet- and marine- hued light made every person and Pokémon in the cavern cry out and shut their eyes tightly, though the light penetrated their eyelids. Haunter's scream sounded above the rest. A moment later, however, and it was all over. As soon as Ash was able to open his eyes again, he glanced to the doorway.
Haunter was gone.
TO BE CONTINUED…
There are two chapters left. And they WILL be posted this summer. Cross my heart, hope to die, and everything like that! Thank you!
NOTE: Every chapter title is a line from a song, and all of the songs are songs from one of the many Pokémon CD's. If you have identified the song that Chapter 11's title is from, review and let me know, and I'll post your name with the correct title on my next chapter.