Chapter 6—A Girl Blessed with the Powers of Mew

Misty looked startled, as if she had just seen a ghost. The truth was—standing before her was a girl of about seventeen. She was dressed all in white, and her flaxen curls were held up with a wreath of lilies. Misty immediately looked to her eyes, their colour a soft sea-blue, with flecks of gold. Her complexion seemed to almost glow—so it is no wonder Misty, with her hair tied in a messy knot behind her head, and her clothes tattered and worn, that she was so startled by this picture of angelical beauty. The girl did not speak, but only continued to look at her so pitifully; and Misty was content with it, just absorbing the warmth that she had seen so little of. Tears streamed down her cheeks; but this time they were tears of joy.

"Who are you?" she finally managed to ask in awe, though her voice seemed too dry and scratchy to be worthy of the ethereal creature who caressed her arm so softly and lovingly. The strange and wonderful girl let out a sad sigh, and said:

"Cinders Ketchum."

The surname raised Misty's interest, and her fingers slipped from the piano keys and to her side.

"You mean, you are—?"

"Yes. I am Ash and Charcoal's sister."

Misty wondered briefly how many Ketchum children there were, and why she had not known of this beautiful sister's existence heretofore. But then the thought passed, and she instead said to she whom she was ready to praise as her saviour:

"Please, help me."

The girl smiled pitifully at her, and leaned down to where Misty sat on the piano stool, the fresh scent of lavender wafting over poor Misty as she leaned in towards her. She parted her soft, taut lips and released another sigh; but then they curved into a lovely smile.

"I will. Close your eyes."

Misty closed them, having complete faith in Cinders. She thought that this girl seemed akin to her beloved Ash; here was where all of the goodness that Charcoal lacked had been kept. And suddenly the smell of the dank, dark cellar was replaced by the sweet scent of honeysuckle and jasmine. Slowly Misty opened her eyes, to reveal a paradise: a lush valley blooming with flowers, and a lake beyond it that sparkled in the warm sunshine. When she looked down she saw that her hands were tightly clasped by Cinders', and that she was now dressed in a feathery white ball-gown, sitting on a large mossy rock that jutted out from the hillside.

"Thank you," was all Misty was able to say as her large, beautiful eyes watered with tears of sweet gratitude. Cinders smiled again at her; now a wider smile, showing her pearly white teeth. And when Misty looked away from her saviour (and so she would call her in her mind from now on) she saw Pikachu, his glossy yellow coat shimmering as he carried in his little paws the pendant that Misty so cherished, now glowing and reflecting deep hues of sapphire and silver.

"Pikachu…" she said faintly, rubbing the mouse between the ears. Pikachu hummed appreciatively.

"Mew sent me to rescue you, Misty Waterflower. You are important to us all. The world needs you alive," Cinders explained. Misty sat down and stared up at her saviour intently, the weight of her words practically forcing her to sit. Cinders sat opposite her, looking the red-head directly in the eyes, "…let me explain. Explain what happened…three years ago."

Three years ago

"Mewtwo, help me! I can't…urgh! The evil…aaaaargh! Help me!" the voice screamed again. Mewtwo pressed his hands to his head. He wanted to, he wanted to, he wanted to! He roared and shook with anger, the chains and shackles that tied him down in the dungeon rattling noisily. The stone walls around seemed to shake from his sheer fury. Mewtwo gave up after a few seconds and simply stared down at the floor.

"Celebi…my love…I can't…help," he panted. He looked up suddenly as footsteps approached. A blonde girl stood before him, blue eyes fraught with worry and brimming with tears. Mewtwo opened his mouth to say something but couldn't find the words and decided to just hang silently from the chains that bound him.

"Mewtwo…please, help us," the girl said. Mewtwo quickly read her thoughts. Her name was Domino: an ex-rocket and a girl desperately in love with that evil tyrant, Brock—the same Brock who owned the dungeon that Mewtwo had been chained to for nearly a year. Brock tried to break his will, turn him evil but Mewtwo was strong and resilient.

"I can't Domino," he said, "If you haven't noticed…I'm chained to a fucking wall right now."

"I…I'm sure I can find a way to get you out. Just help Celebi…Brock had her totally under his control! He's going to kill us all! Please, he's not himself! I want the man I love back," she said. Mewtwo grimaced.

"And I want the Pokémon I love back," he mumbled to himself. He looked up at Domino.

"Alright. Get me free and…I'll work with you to stop Brock," Mewtwo said after a moment of thought. He tried to move slightly but the chains were too tight and he could feel the blood dribbling through his messy, filthy white fur. The chains had left deep cuts and welts all over his frame and he knew once he was released, he would be a bloody, scarred mess.

"How?" Domino asked, stepping towards the trapped Pokemon and touching the chains with the tips of her fingers, as if that would release the Pokemon from its agonizing cage.

"Find a girl called Cinders Ketchum. A girl blessed with the powers of Mew."

Me: Ooh! I like Cinders.
KKK: You created her.
Me: Oh yeah.
KKK: I hope you liked this chapter.
Me: We sure did. And don't forget to review.
KKK: And most importantly…
Both: AAML Forever!