A/n: Sorry, this is not a new chapter. I merely divided the second chapter into two, since it was a little long. HOWEVER, I did make a few changes to the story, and added a few lines here and there if you're interested in reading. The major change you should note would be that Gary didn't defeat Ash, like I said before, in the Johto League. But Ash did lose with Pikachu to Gary's Umbreon in a battle they had some time back. In chapter 1, I also added some dialogue at the Surskit part, at a suggestion from readers, and also added some dialogue in chapter 1 where the Feebas part takes place. And in this chapter I added a tiny snippet to the dream Ash had, as well as a little line given to Swellow before it set off.
Also, about the 'Apathy of Shadow': It's not Absol. -- But to try and help a little about what he is, I added a very, very small line to the prologue when he first appears. If it helps any. The New chapter, I hope, will come out.. maybe on Wed. or Thurs.
Disclaimer: Hellooo. What would I be doing here if I owned Pokemon. Meh. I do own this story though. The plot, made up Pokemon – stuff like that.
With the Wind at My Back
Part 1: The Ties that Bind
"Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart. "– Lynda Berry
Chapter 2: A Night to Remember"Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things-Marcus Tullius Cicero
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Night had come quickly upon Serenity Forest, and the though dinner was not as satisfactory as it could have been, Ash kept in mind that having sandwiches once in awhile never heart anybody. He had even been brave enough to take Pikachu's method of eating the sandwich. That entailed dumping a packet ketchup on the sandwich, and then more ketchup. Although, it was notable that Pikachu was very reluctant to part with one of his ketchup packets that he had scrounged from a local fast food restaurant.
He and Bayleef were now returning from a forest expedition to fetch some sort of material to make a necklace with. They had both settled for some kind of thin, ivy like vine to string the Miracle Seed through. And upon contact with Bayleef's skin, it had pulsed an elegant green, and hadn't stopped randomly doing so from time to time.
"Bay leef!" cried the Grass type, puffing out her chest to make the necklace look more noticeable for about the third time in the past five minutes.
"I told you it looks great on ya, Bay –"
He paused, and Bayleef paused dead in her tracks, looking up into the sky like her Trainer. "Leeef?"
A loud flapping of wings, and a small gust of wind preceded her questioning remark.
"Show off," Ash smirked.
A large bird was soaring gracefully downwards toward him and Bayleef. It was an elegant creature, clothed with royal blue plumage that shined brightly in the coming moonlight. The dug its talons in a tree branch overhead, a melodious chirp coming from its yellow beak. It lifted its leg obligingly, a letter attached to it.
Ash took it eagerly, stroking the bird on the head as it flew onto his shoulder. "Nice job, Swellow. I wonder if he found it . . ."
Swellow cawed happily, and Ash knew he wouldn't be disappointed. He tore open the letter with enthusiasm, while Bayleef looked on, perplexed.
He laughed, reading the letter to himself.
Hey, Ash!
Of course I'll come for her birthday! I wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm glad to see your making at least some progress with her – it's about time you actually did something nice for her –
Ash flushed, and muttered an illegible word under his breath. "Get to the point, Richie . . ."
Yeah, I can guess what you're thinking now. 'Get on with it, Richie'. Patience is a virtue, Ash, and it's about time you learned it! Anyway, I found what you wanted. And I'm picking it up tomorrow. The store was closed when I finally found the best store to purchase it at. I'm surprised you didn't want to come and get this yourself; you could easy hide it from her and Brock, couldn't you?
Well, maybe not. Misty's a sharp one. Of course, I doubt she'd ever expect this. Really, Ash, it took you six years to actually do this? Anyway, hopefully I'll make it in time. You're in the Serenity Forest right? But where exactly? Oh! You'll never guess who's right beside me –
Ash's eyes widened as he read the rest of the paragraph. Indeed, he would never have guessed.
Gary! Your rival (or so he's told me). It seems he's interested in coming. So . . . could he come? (He says he'll come whether you like it or not). But it's better to be polite. If we make it in good time, we arrive right on her birthday – the day after tomorrow – in the afternoon. So, make sure to look for us! Oh, Sparky says 'Hi'.
Until then,
Richie.
Gary. They had been rivals ever since they were little. They had been friends then. And maybe it was safe to say that they were at least friendly rivals now. Granted, Ash still believed Gary was the most pompous jerk ever to live on the planet.
He's so over confident, thought Ash.
Just like you,said a still small voice in his brain.
Thinks he knows everything,
Ahuh.
And thinks he's better than everybody – and me.
He did beat you the last time you met. Remember?
Which he is most definitely not – I'm way better then he is.
There's the pot calling the kettle black . . .
Ash sighed. And read it aloud for Bayleef and Swellow's benefit. If Gary did show up, he'd show him. "Gary won't even know what hit him. And that Umbreon of his."
"Bay, bay!" Bayleef agreed, stomping her foot on a small rock in agreement. "Bay!"
"Swellow!"
"Huh? Oh, there's another one?" He looked inside the envelope, and there, indeed, was another small piece of paper. Ash scowled. He could bet he knew whom the other letter was from. Only half the page was written on. Gary never was one to write long letters. It took up too much of is 'time', the jerk. He then read it, albeit with reluctance. He wasn't sure he really wanted to hear what the ignorant guy had to say.
Ashy boy,
Hope you're at least doing a little bit better then the bedraggled state I saw you last time. You have an interesting choice in friends, I must say. Though at least Richie shows some sense in battling – unlike you.
Ash felt his blood begin to boil as he went on. That Gary.
Maybe you'll be actually worth a small battle when I arrive here with Richie tomorrow. (Whether you like or not, Ash, I'm comin'! This is too good of an opportunity to pass up.) I didn't know you had an interest in that red-head. Though Richie told me he'd always thought you had an interest in her.
Ash blushed. Really! Did doing something nice for a girl's birthday immediately merit that he liked her?
Ha! Ashy boy is finally growing up! But you probably don't know the first thing about girls. You've always been an Idiot, Ash, and always will be.
Catch ya later, Ash.
--Gary Oak
Ash shook his head, fighting the temptation to crumble up the paper into a small ball and throw it away – or have Quilava burn it into oblivion. However, he satisfied himself in tearing the piece of paper in half, and using the unused half of the paper to scribble down a reply with a pencil in his pocket.
Richie,
Thanks a ton, bud! Anyway, to Gary: do whatever. It's not like you'd actually listen to me anyway. See you in a couple of days. We're located at the North end of Serenity Forest. You should be able to find it, no problem.
--Ash Ketchum
He restrained himself from putting "Ash Ketchum: Pokemon Master" in the signature, out of spite. Just because he lost to Gary in the Johto League . . . well, that didn't mean a thing. He had only lost because of that dang Umbreon.
The recollection of Pikachu being smashed into ground by the Dark type flashed in his mind. But Pikachu was a lot stronger now. There was no way that fox thing could beat Pikachu again.
He folded up the sheet of paper, and stuck it back into the envelope, still tied with a string onto Swellow's foot.
"Feel up for another journey then?"
"Swellow!"
Swellow rose off Ash's shoulder, and nodded his head. With any luck, Swellow would be back himself before around tomorrow afternoon. "Good luck, Swellow. Don't show off in front of Rose too much!"
The bird puffed out his bright white chest, cawing in response, before doing a couple of back flips in the air. Swellow then shoot off into the distance. If only he still had Pidgeot, then he could fly there himself and be back in no time.
"Coming, Bayleef? We should be getting back. It's getting really dark now."
"Aylef," the Grass type agreed, and began to follow Ash when she stopped dead in her tracks. "Bay!" she roared in challenge. Ash turned around.
"What is it?"
Bayleef growled, and the bushes in few feet away from her began to rustle. She ran forward, diving headlong into the bushes, but only a confused cry came from her, and she came back out, shaking her head.
"Nothing there?"
She shook and nodded her head.
"Oh. It got away, huh? Wonder what it was. Maybe it was some cool Pokemon, like a Houndour or somethin'."
Bayleef shrugged, and both turned and headed toward camp.
They arrived there not five minutes later. The fire was burning brightly, and the full moon shown overhead. Brock was sitting by the fire, tending it with Flareon and Pikachu by his side. Misty, from the looks of it, was already asleep, snuggled deep into her red sleeping bag.
"We were wondering where you had got to."
Ash merely shrugged. "Bayleef and I just had to find a vine for her necklace. Huh, Bayleef."
She nodded, looking a bit envious as Pikachu vaulted into Ash's arms, then onto is shoulder. Nevertheless, she puffed out her chest ceremoniously, and the large Miracle Seed that was hanging about her neck, pulsated green.
"It looks great Bayleef."
"Pika, pkahh chu."
"Beey," she said proudly, sitting down beside the roaring fire.
Ash yawned, and Pikachu followed suite a few moments later. "Tired, bud?"
"Kachu."
Ash smiled, moving over to his sleeping bag, beginning to unzip it. Pikachu, jumping off Ash's shoulder, snuggled into the sleeping bag.
"Hey, Ash."
"What?"
"You're up to something."
Ash looked sideways at Brock. "What makes you say that?"
"Lets call it intuition. There's got to be a reason you wanted to come to this place."
"I told you," said Ash, a little more gruffly then intended, "I came here to train. I'm probably just going to take Pikachu and I out training tomorrow."
"I don't doubt that. But besides training."
"Brock, I only came here to train."
"So this has nothing to do about Misty's birthday?"
"Where did that theory come from?"
"Just a guess. Then you forgot her birthday, I expect. Like you did last year."
Ash gritted his teeth. "I didn't forget her birthday this year or last year."
"Could've fooled me."
"I don't need you questioning everything I do, Brock."
"No, perhaps not. But you've been acting strange lately and a certain Pokemon was missing from the meal yesterday."
Swellow! I'm such an Idiot!
Ash sighed. If only he hadn't been so careless. Maybe he should've had Richie's Taillow, Rose, deliver the messages. But it would've taken longer, as Swellow was much faster.
He supposed that he had no reason to hide his plan from Brock, but he had hoped he could've hidden it until the day after tomorrow. Misty wasn't the only one he wanted to surprise. Well . . . maybe telling the truth was the best policy. No harm in trying . . .
"I was using Swellow to send a letter to Richie," Ash said, feeling quite proud of himself. Not a lie, no not at all.
Brock looked quite surprised, and Ash grinned. "Richie? I didn't know he was in the region."
"He's not too far from here, only a day's journey or so."
"Alright, I believe you. But still, why did you have to hide it from us?"
"Well . . ." Ash muttered slowly. "I kinda wanted it to be a surprise . . . but . . .""All right, all right, I get it, Ash."
"Oh," said Ash quickly. "Gary's coming, too."
Brock laughed. "Never saw that coming. You're actually asking Gary to come here?"
Ash glowered at Brock darkly. "If I had it my way, he wouldn't be coming at all. But he kinda invited himself."
"That's typical of Gary."
"Yeah, the idiot. Anyway, don't tell Misty about it."
"Why not?"
"I'd actually like someone to be surprised."
"All right, all right, point taken. But you never need to hide anything from us, Ash, you know that don't you?"
Ash snorted, settling himself in his sleeping bag, and Pikachu automatically climbed over Ash, curling up by his chest. "Of course I do. I'm not stupid."
"I don't know, you can act pretty dense sometimes."
"So do you when you're around women," Ash pointed out.
"Well . . . yeah. Whatever, Ash. Just get some sleep."
It was dark. No moon, no stars, no sun, just blackness. Then, an inkling of light from somewhere – he wasn't sure where, was seen. It got a little brighter, and he realized he was in the middle of a large field. But it was not green and bright, full of wildflowers and playing Pokemon. It was dead. The grass was dry and stiff, like newly strewn straw, and the hard packed earth was colored red and brown, the color of dried blood.
There was a fell breeze blowing from the South, and a strange haunting melody was drifting, drifting across the breeze, like a feather through the windy sky. It sang of sadness, and of a time long forgotten and lost. A dark Pokemon began to move slowly across his path, before moving into a run. It was black and white with a strange tail and blood red eyes. He had seen this Pokemon somewhere before. Maybe in his Pokedex once. He began to reach for his Pokedex, to discover what exactly this Pokemon was, but it vanished in a cloud of smoke; and with it, the song vanished.
A screech, melodious despite its strange tone, tore open the silence, and a familiar rainbow bird flew overhead, then upward. He had definitely seen this Pokemon before, first when he started his Pokemon Journey, and a second time when he had left with Misty and Brock for Hoenn. Ho-oh.
A great golden flame was surrounding the Rainbow Bird, until even he, Ash, felt the heat upon his brow. And he fancied he heard a noble voice speak.
"And from the ashes of the dead, shall the living rise. And so the Cycle of Life be renewed once more-"
A rain of golden flames surged downwards like fiery arrows. And at once, the field sparked aflame, and Ash tried desperately to run, but the fire surrounded him before he knew it. But even as the flames touched him, he felt nothing. The fires ceased as quickly as they had rained down. Black soot and ash covered the ground. A dream, this was all it had to be. The deep voice rang out again.
"In honor of the Chosen's deed, I command ye rise! Rise again and live! For the Judgment has passed. "
Out of the ashes thousands of green shoots shot out of the earth, flowering before his eyes. It was alive and green again, like it should have been, and had been, and would be.
But even though the Ho-oh's voice was loud and noble, full of hope and pride, there was a deep melancholy in it. "And so the cycle shall begin again. But first, one must understand others, and one's self. So let him seek and find. Let the farmer find the seeds, and till the earth, and learn to plant, then let him reap the harvest."
All was suddenly black again, until he beheld a solid black sky. A ghostly figure standing before him. It looked very much like him, Ash realized. But then again, this boy looked different. The strange Pokemon that Ash had seen before was trotting down the hill, its blood red eyes gleaming eerily in the dark. It was beside the boy now, it lifted up a clawed paw, as if to strike, and mist covered the fields, until he could barely see. And if he walked, Ash knew he would not have the faintest clue where to go. And Ho-oh's voices reverberated once again across the field.
"But first, one must understand others, and one's self. So let him seek and find. Let the farmer find the seeds, and till the earth, and learn to plant, then let him reap the harvest."
Ash jolted upright, feeling sweat on his forehead. He was breathing hard, and he could hear Pikachu mumbling quietly in his sleep. It was only a dream.
He looked around, over to the lake and the moon across from it. Somebody was over there. Misty. I wonder what she's doing up.
Ash moved carefully out of his sleeping bag, as to not disturb Pikachu, and he moved towards Misty. She jumped as he suddenly sat beside her. Togepi was in her arms, snoozing gently.
"And what exactly are you doing up?" he said, unsure of exactly what else to say.
"N-nothing-" she stammered, as she turned to him. He looked back at her curiously. Had she been crying?
He had seen her crying before, and he heart panged in his chest. He didn't like to see her cry – he didn't like to see her mad either, but this was different.
"Something wrong?"
"No."
"You can tell me if something's wrong, Mist." Man, he sounded like Brock.
"Nothing's wrong. I just had a bad dream, that's all."
"What was it about?" he asked softly.
"Nothing." Her voice was sharper now. "And what does it matter to you? What are you doing up?"
"Same thing as you, Misty. Just a dream. A strange one at that. There was a Pokemon in it I didn't recognize. Man, I wish I could have caught it."
She chuckled, though her voice still was shaky, "What was it?"
"Hmm... it was black and white, with a strange tail and something almost like a grayish black jewel thing in its forehead –"
Misty froze, and Ash had a sudden thought, it seemed preposterous to him, but he said it anyway. "Did you dream about that thing, too, Mist?"
She nodded. "Don't you know what that is? It's an Absol."
Ash grinned. "Absol? Awesome. I'm going to catch one of those someday."
Misty looked frightened, but he couldn't imagine why. "I – I saw you, or at least, it looked like you in the middle of some field and then –"she shivered, then continued onward, "the Absol came, and then there was mist, and you were gone."
It was Ash's turn to freeze. How had she dreamed the same dream he had . . . and how much had she saw. He tried to make his voice sound cheerful, but it still was a far cry from being normal. "Was that all that happened in that dream of yours, Mist?"
She nodded, and he breathed a sigh of relief, though he didn't know why.
"Oh, Ash. You don't know realize what it means, do you? Absol is the omen of death and destruction. Wherever it appears, something bad always happens –"
"It was only a dream, Misty. It'll be fine," said Ash consolingly. He was trying just as hard to convince Misty that everything would be fine, as he was trying to convince himself. And even though he had a strange dark feeling in the pit of his stomach, he smiled as reassuringly as he could.
"But what if you –"
"Quit with the what ifs. Even if something bad does happen – which it won't – I'll always come back."
"You promise?"
Ash was taken aback by the statement, but nodded. "Dreams don't mean nothin'. But yeah, I promise . . . I'll promise on . . ." His face suddenly brightened. "Hold on."
He scrambled back to his bag, looking madly through it, before picking up something in his hand. He smiled as it glistened in the moonlight. Misty was looking keenly at him, and he strode forward holding the object in his hands, before placing it into hers. "Take this."
She took it, and could see her make a small gasp in surprise. "It's - it's beautiful."
A sparkling silver necklace was lying on her palm, the pendant, however, was what caught her eye. It was in the shape of a pokeball, clear and translucent, it seemed to be made of some sort of shiny crystal. It was like looking into water. And when the moonlight beamed onto it, tiny pinpricks of color would sparkle around the orb.
Ash nodded, sitting down beside her once again. "Yeah, my mom gave it to me when I started my Journey. And my dad gave it to her before he . . . left."
"Oh . . . I didn't know that –"
He cut her off. "But that isn't important. Open it –"
She did, pressing the button in the middle of the Pokeball; it opened slowly, like a curtain being drawn before a play. A faint melody began to play; it was beautiful and entrancing at the same time.
"My mom used to sing to that melody to me when I was little. It had special words to it . . . but I forgot them." He shook his head. "Anyway, I promise you as the future Pokemon Master –"she laughed, and Ash grinned widely. "-that no matter what happens, I'll always come back. And that will be the thing that will bind me to it. Happy?"
She nodded, and smiled faintly, though she still seemed sad. "Yeah. Thanks, Ash, you really didn't have to give me this –"
"Nonsense. I wanted to - have wanted to for awhile." He blushed, and he was glad it was dark. "Anyways, we should get back. I want to go out and train tomorrow morning. Maybe I'll catch an Abshoal –"
"Absol."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever you call it. I'm still gonna catch it, you just watch me."
Her laugh graced the air again. And this time, it was a genuine happy one. Ash beamed happily. Tonight would be a night he would remember for the rest of his life. And no matter what stepped in his way, he would be ready.
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A/n: Hope you weren't disappointed by this chapter. And yes, I did take a few liberties about changing what happened to a few episodes in the anime in order to fit the story. I doubt you'll mind, but in case you do, I apologize. And thanks to all those that reviewed, it meant a lot. Any comments, criticism, suggestions are welcome! Oh, I know this chapter was long. If it was /too/ long, just tell me, and I'll split chapters like this into two parts next time.
Now, onto Reviewer Replies.
Reviewer RepliesHazy Aurora: Thanks so much. grins I like Suicune, too.
Blood Vampire: Thanks for your review! Yeah, I love Espeon. I already have her planned into the story. So, just wait.
Danoh1989: Glad you liked it. Hope this chapter didn't disappoint.
Ash Ketchum, Pokemon Master: Philosophical? Really? Thanks. Beware the money hungry lawyers? Well, if those Money Hungry Lawyers stop by, I shall have to introduce them to my Persian, then we'll see if they want to take what little money I have. Raikou as a Sabre Tooth tiger? Yeah, I could kinda see that. Except for the fact Raikou has stripes and a long tail, and kinda lacks those super-long fangs of theirs. Suicune? A deer. That's an interesting interpretation. Personally, I always have believed Suicune to be female, on account of the fact her "Antlers" as you call them, are shaped in the sign that they use to identify female Pokemon, if you look closely.
Lugia, yes, if everything goes as planned, he will be in the fic. So will a few others, in fact. Who's stronger? Hmm . . . Lugia, I think, is stronger strength wise (heck, he's HUGE) but Ho-oh has that mysterious quality about him, plus he's so awesome looking. (He is also a TM God among Pokemon.) Plus, he has Sacred Fire. Also, he has that ultra cool (in my opinion) "job" about being the one who watches over human and Pokemon to oversee their relationships and what not. But Lugia is still awesome in his own right. Who's the 'Apathy of Shadow?' Well, you'll find out. And thanks a ton for your e-mail, it meant a lot.
Alex Warlorn: No, Absol is not the forth. (Though I love the thing dearly) Good guess though. And thanks for the "Rocket" advice. You're right of course, I didn't see that. I'll go back and edit it so it makes more sense. Yeah, I recall when Ash had that Larvitar, too bad he couldn't keep it. I agree about Ash having an Espeon, and don't worry, I think you'll be seeing it soon enough. (Arguably, Espeon is one of my personal favorites, next to Persian.) And Richie met Celebi? Awesome. Richie and Gary are my favorite "non-main" characters.
Nuclear Kitty: Togepi? Of course. Misty would never be Misty without Togepi! And Vaporeon's awesome, so, she has one now.
Dannichu: Evil! I agree. And Pidgeot, while we may see him in the future, right now he wont be in it. But thanks very much for your compliments. I appreciate it.
Ri2: Hey! Thanks. And yeah, Bayleef's in it. She's awesome (with her little crush on Ash an all) Hope to hear more from you!
Act: Man! Grammar mistakes. Bleh! I tend to do that a lot. Thanks for pointing them out. Afeared? It /is/ a word, it means afraid (yeah, you probably guessed it) for some reason I used it while writing, it sounded cool to me, so it stuck. Thanks for your advice!
Surfingpikachu05: Thanks for your review!