Author's Note: I don't know if I'd call Lawrence evil so much as really, erm, misguided....
Sorry about the slow update. I've probably lost all readers lol.
"What?!" Brock exclaimed, gaping, for probably the tenth time that day.
He and Jace had been playing videogames (Brock and Ivy had been taking care of him at Ash's home), and Jace had beaten him for probably the twentieth time that day.
Ivy smiled, coming over to ruffle Jace's hair. The boy turned and grinned up at her, and she felt her heart melt.
It hadn't taken very long for him to endear himself to both Ivy and Brock, who were now both (although they didn't know the other was thinking the same thing) entertaining the idea of having children of their own.
The door to the house creaked open, and a weary Ash walked in, followed by A.J. and Pichu.
Brock hesitated for a moment, not quite sure what to say or expect, then decided to ask simply, "Where's Pikachu?"
Ash swallowed and looked at him, trembling, before walking to Jace, hugging him tightly (but carefully), and then leaving the room. Everyone but A.J. and Pichu stared after him.
Pichu went scampering off through the house, and A.J. cleared his throat. "Dad had to leave Pikachu behind for a little while....We're not done yet...." He looked down at the ground, and no one said anything. Brock, however, got up and silently bandaged A.J. up a little, for he was still a little hurt from his battle in Viridian Forest.
A few minutes later, Ash returned, red-eyed, his Pokébelt and Pokéballs in tow. He sat down and explained everything in a shaky voice, and no one had the heart to ask him any questions.
"Take care of Jace and A.J., please—Jace, A.J., you be good—I have to...to go...to Professor Oak's, and then I'm...I'm leaving again." Ash swallowed, clutching the belt and Pokéballs to himself like a lifeline. Before anyone could say anything, he went and gave them all fierce individual hugs before disappearing out the door.
Everyone stared sadly after him, most particularly A.J., who wanted to go with him.
Ash Ketchum walked into Samuel Oak's laboratory and said to him simply, "I need to be able to take more than six of my Pokémon with me."
The Pokémon Professor nodded and without question proceeded to aid Ash in gathering all of his Pokémon.
A few minutes later, Ash left.
Viridian Forest was eerily silent.
No Pidgey chirped, no Nidoran grunted....
It was as if all the Pokémon knew that evil was afoot.
Which, Ash considered, they probably did.
When he at last came to a region near the one he had come to before, Starr and Belle stepped out of the shadows.
"Do you have the Pokémon?" Starr asked.
"Where's Misty?" Ash returned.
Starr looked at Belle, who nodded. He disappeared into the trees for a few moments before coming out with a bound and gagged Misty.
Ash's eyes widened, and he began to run to her, but Belle held out a hand to stop him. "First give us the Pokéballs."
Swallowing, Ash nodded, and with trembling hands he gave up all of his Pokémon.
Belle still kept up the warning hand, testing one of the Pokéballs. Charizard popped out, and she nodded in satisfaction, recalling him. "Go," she said simply.
Ash rushed over to Misty, whom Starr shoved forward.
Ash quickly untied her, and then there was a lot of hugging and exclamations.
Starr and Belle, Ash's Pokémon in tow, disappeared after leaving Ash with the words, "One week."
"Jace, Jace," Misty said fiercely, "how is Jace?"
"All right....But, Misty," whispered Ash, clutching her to his chest. "Riviera...."
"Oh, Ash, you have no idea what's happened...." Misty said, trembling in his arms.
Ash pulled back and looked at her. "Misty—"
"I don't want to speak it, Ash, just read my mind."
Nodding slowly, he transformed into a black Mew and entered her memory.
She was cleaning the kitchen while Riviera and Jace played in the other room. She heard a strange muffled gasp, and then silence.
Her heart racing for reasons she didn't know, she rushed into the living room, where she found her two unconscious children about to be taken outside by five large masked men.
She rushed at them, but they flung her backwards, and she heard a crash as the antique vase Ash's mother had given them for their anniversary smashed to pieces.
She struggled still more with them, coming back time after time.
One of them cursed. "We don't have enough time for this. They'll be back soon."
"Fine, take her as well. I'm sure she'll come in handy," another said.
Ash broke free of the memory for a moment, "Did you write the bottomless triangles and rainbow on the piece of paper?"
Misty shook her head. "It could have been Riviera; she was really interested in Jace's Make-Your-Own-Pokémon set that day."
Ash nodded, then entered her mind once more.
She was brought along and eventually gagged, bound, and blindfolded.
She was taken somewhere and put in a cell with her children, and she was at last untied. She hugged the now-conscious Jace to herself and tried to embrace the conscious Riviera as well, but the little girl kept struggling free and exclaiming, "Kidda, kidda!"
Before long, she heard a male voice outside their cell.
"What do you think?"
There was a pause, as if he were listening to someone's reply.
"Too stubborn? You're probably right. What do we do with him?"
Pause.
"He's just a child."
Pause.
Reluctantly, "All right. He can serve as a warning, but he will not be killed."
Pause.
"And what of their mother?"
Pause.
"Yes, I guess it is probably best to keep her for a little while longer."
There was silence for a little while, and then Misty heard footsteps. A man came in and grabbed Jace.
She tried to stop him, but she was flung against the wall. She whimpered, then turned to look aghast at the giggling Riviera.
"Riviera?" she said in an astonished voice.
Later, Rivera was also taken from the cell....But unlike with Jace, she actually returned.
But Riviera seemed somehow changed. Her youthful face had hardened, and she wasn't in the cell very long before she transformed into a red Mew.
"Rivera," she scolded her daughter, "you know you're not supposed to transform unless your father tells you that you can."
Blue eyes narrowed, and she was picked up with Riviera's mind and thrown against the wall.
Mouth agape and stars shining before her eyes, she exclaimed, "Riviera!"
"Heh heh," giggled the little girl.
She could almost imagine that she heard evil laughter accompanying that of her child's.
Ash retreated from her mind, and Misty burst into tears. "She's changed, Ash. I don't know how or why, but she has! She's not our little girl anymore!"
As his wife cried into his chest, Ash gazed into nothingness, troubled.
What was happening?
Author's Note: Umm. So I updated. :) Finally.....
