A/n: Hey again, I know this is a day late, but as I said, I'm quite erratic in updating/reviewing because of my day. Anyway, thanks to all those who reviewed. I hope you will enjoy this Chapter. I'm sure those of you who read chapter 2 awhile ago, noticed I split it into two, to make reading easier. Note that I also made a few changes. Look in chapter three to see the changes, I heavily advise you do, just to see what has changed. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this installment, and to all those of you who are new, welcome.
With the Wind at My Back
By: Persian Mistress
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 3: Of Sun and Moon
"Opposites are not contradictory but complementary." –Neils Bohr
-------
"Quilava, let's go! Quick attack!"
"Quil!"
The fire type Pokemon darted forward in a blur of speed, going left, right, left, right, disappearing and reappearing seconds later in a zigzag pattern. He was coming closer upon the Flareon, but the other fire type showed no signs of moving. Both Pokemon and trainer stood, watching, waiting . . .
Ash couldn't quite figure out what Brock was playing at, and he didn't know whether he should change the Quilava's attack, or just let him charge forward. But it was too late now, anyway, the Quilava was only a few feet away from the Flareon now, preparing to strike hard and fast.
"Flareon, Fire Spin."
"Flare!"
A thread of bright orange flame surged out of the Flareon's mouth and she breathed outward. Quilava was taken by surprise as he made the final lunge, hoping to strike and land a hit, but instead was pushed back and surrounded by the orange flames. Quilava growled as the flames began to swirl around him, though he could barely feel it with his flame resistant coat. But even so, the Flareon had stopped an attack that should have hit. And now, they were behind.
The fire spin began to subside, and Quilava took his chance, diving through the dying flames where Flareon lay waiting in front of him. They made contact, and Ash yelled in approval as the Quilava turned from his attack and sped away.
"Flamethrower!"
This time, a bigger, brighter river of flame shot out of Quilava's mouth, hitting Flareon in the chest, but she didn't move as the flames licked greedily at her fur coat. Brock shook his head. Flareon pulsated with a red aura for a moment, and at Brock's command released her own flamethrower.
The large flame that had erupted out of the Flareon's mouth surprised Ash, though he tried not to show it, even as it pushed Quilava's own flame back towards the Pokemon. Quilava was then forced to abandon the flamethrower pursuit in order to try and dodge the considerable wave of fire heading his way. He may have been resistant to the element, but not even he wanted to be caught up in the large torrent.
"I told you, Ash, Fire type moves don't do much of anything on Flareon."
"Dodge it Quilava – you can do it!" He then shot a glare at Brock. "I know you told me that. All Fire Types have a resistance to fire, I'm not stupid –"he winced involuntarily as the Quilava was not able to escape the brunt of the Flamethrower that scorched the grass, turning it charcoal black. Once the attack had ceased, both Pokemon stood, muscles tense, waiting for a command. Both, however, were enjoying the respite.
"That's not what I meant, Ash. If you don't have this kind of knowledge, you're not going to always win everything easily. You have to remember the special abilities that set Pokemon apart from one another. While Fire attacks may hurt Flareon a little, she grows stronger for it, and her Fire attacks become even stronger."
"That's just cheap – you could have told me that before I battled her. I haven't fought against your Flareon before. Quilava, swift!"
Tiny stars flew forward, and Flareon began to move as Brock ordered a Quick Attack, before he continued speaking.
"Opponents don't care if that Pokemon's ability is cheap, they'll use it against you, anyway."
The flurry of stars hit Flareon with exact precision, and Quilava managed to evade gracefully out of the way of Flareon's Quick Attack. Spinning around on his paws, he turned to face his opponent's back as she shot passed him."You must also use that ability to your advantage, Ash. Flareon, Fire Spin!"
"Try to evade it and hit her with a Quick Attack!"
Again, the Quilava lunged forward, preparing to dodge the stream of flame that came out of Flareon's mouth but it was already too late, and the Quilava was once again trapped in the vortex of fire. The Fire Spin was considerably much stronger then it had been, Ash noticed.
"Take down!"
Flareon immediately lunged forward, and Ash was once again taken by surprise. What was the Flareon doing? The Fire Spin was still up, though it was beginning to swirl to a standstill. He couldn't just have Quilava stand there and be hit. But what could he do . . .?
"Swift!"
Flareon lunged through the flames, not so much as flinching, pulsating red again as she passed through the wall. Quilava lunched a barrage of stars at Flareon again, but she bore the brunt of the attack, slamming hard into Quilava's side. Ash could only watch as the Fire Type was thrown out of the dissipating Fire Spin, and onto the hard ground. Quilava made a valiant attempt to get up, wobbling on unsure paws, but the last Take Down had been too much for him, and he collapsed. Only then, as he recalled the Quilava, did Ash fully realize what Brock had done. He had ordered Flareon to do a Fire Spin, so that Quilava wouldn't be able to move out of the way for the Take Down. If only he had known that before – then maybe he would have won.
Totodile, though his cheering was somewhat subdued, continued to dance around, though Ash could see his eyes wandering towards conspicuously to where their lunch was cooking.
"Not to bad, Ash," said Brock, recalling the Fire Type back into her Pokeball.
"I should've seen that coming," Ash grumbled.
"Oh well, you learned something didn't you? But you can't let anything take you by surprise if you want to get to the top in the Hoenn League. You have to learn to adapt to situations."
"I try to, Brock," said Ash. "I'll be fine."
"I'm sure you will. Anyway, lunch should be ready by now," he moved over toward the campfire, taking out several bowls in a variety of sizes, placing them on the ground. "Come and eat guys!"
The Pokemon that lay scattered about the large clearing began to move toward where the bowls were set, eager to eat.
"Toto!"
"Don't even think about it," said Ash, sweeping up the water type into his arms. "I don't feel like sandwiches today."
The crocodile grinned sheepishly. "Dilllle!"
Sitting down on the log next to the fire, Ash shook his head, putting the Crocodile down on the ground beside him. "You're hopeless, you know that?"
Totodile nodded his head vigorously. "Tototototle!"
Bayleef shot Totodile a reproving glance as she sauntered over, but Totodile merely grinned and winked. Curious, Ash had half a mind to ask what Totodile had said, hoping to at least guess at the answer the mimes would give him. Of course, with Totodile, you never would know exactly what he'd say next.
The soup that Brock had been meticulously stirring looked quite good. Of course, Ash reminded himself, almost anything looked good to him. But Brock had never failed to make a satisfactory dish yet. Ash eagerly took a bowl of hot stew that Brock offered him a few minutes later, having to move the relentless blue maw off to the side as it tried to snake into his bowl.
"Didn't you learn your lesson from last night?" said Brock, dumping a small amount of Pokefood into several bowls. Totodile grinned, and shook his head. "I thought Quilava would talk some sense into you."
Totodile shrugged, jumping off the log and skipping toward the bowl of food that Brock pushed toward him. Immediately, the Totodile began to gulp down the food, barely pausing for much contemplation. Ash scowled, lifting a spoonful of soup into his mouth, too often had Brock told him that their gusto for eating food was the only thing he and Totodile had in common.
The 'Stew a la Serenity' that Brock has also decided to call the dish was, as Ash expected, very good, and he paused in between lifting the soupy mixture up to his mouth again, looking contemplative. It had some sort of herb in Ash couldn't quite recognize – and he usually recognized what kind of herbs were contained in the mixture. Ash made note to ask Brock later.
"Chupi . . ."
Ash looked to the right, and sighed. Pikachu was in his bag again, and Ash immediately knew what the rodent was after as growls of frustration reached his ears, before a loud, happy cry of triumph. The lightning tailed mouse backed hurriedly out of Ash's bag, an almost evil glint in his eyes. In his tiny paws was a packet of ketchup. He hugged it to his chest, and ripped the packet open with his teeth as he reached his bowl, dumping the contents onto his Pokefood. Totodile, who had long since finished his meal, looked covetously over to Pikachu's filled bowl, and then over to another full one, this one unoccupied by a feeding Pokemon; it was Quilava's bowl. The Crocodile seemed to consider his options, but made no move to gulp up its contents.
"Where's Misty?" said Ash, suddenly realizing she wasn't with them.
"Pichupi, chuuu," replied Pikachu through a mouthful of food, his tiny paw pointing over to the lake before Brock could answer.
Ash glanced over to the lake, she was fishing . . .again. And that dratted Feebas was swimming stupidly around in the water, like it owned the place. "I don't get it. How can she stand to even look at Feebas, but run away from Surskit?"
Brock, ladling his soup into his bowl, just shrugged. "Feebas is a water type."
"So is Surskit."
"It's still a Bug type. Plus, it looses its water element when it evolves. Feebas doesn't."
"Oh."
Ash fell silent, and let his thoughts drift back to the happenings of the night before. He had sent Swellow to give a letter to Richie, and Swellow would be returning not long from now. Of course, if you added Rose, Richie's Taillow, into the mixture, maybe he would be a little longer then expected. He glanced over to Pikachu, chewing on a red covered food pellet.
Yes, Pikachu and he would go out and train in the forest today. Maybe he'd check out that waterfall Brock had been telling him about; the Serenity Falls, that's what they were called. He had told Brock already of his plans to visit them, and though Brock had warned Ash that he had heard from some travelers that had stopped by last night while Ash was gone, that it had been unusually misty down at the bottoms, it didn't deter him. After all, mist wasn't going to hurt anything, Maybe Absol lived in this area – he still wanted to catch one of these "disaster" Pokemon. He then thought back to the dream, Absol had been in there.
"Hey, Brock –"Ash began, hesitant.
"Hmm?"
"What do you know about Absol?"
"Absol? I've only heard vaguely about it, but it's rumored that whenever one of those Pokemon appear, disaster seems to follow. It's also been an omen of death and destruction, especially to the people of long ago. Because its always been a feared Pokemon, very few train them. Absol are quite rare, anyway, most reside in the mountains, or so I've read. And they don't come down for much of anything."
"Disaster always follows, huh?"
"So I've heard, although it's probably just a strange superstition. Although, a few people have recorded such events of disaster following an Absol appearance happening. One of the gravest instances that comes to mind, is when an Absol was spotted in Ecruteak, just before the old tower burned down.
"Oh."
It was just like Misty had told him. And even though that red-eyed Pokemon still leered at him from the corners of his brain, he couldn't help but hope it was just superstition, like walking under a latter . . . but. Ash grimaced.
"What's wrong, Ash. Did you see an Absol or something?"
"No," Ash immediately replied, before blushing. "Well, yes . . . but, it was in a dream. I was-"he stumbled, wondering what he could say. "- I was going to catch it."
Brock laughed. "It's probably just superstition, Ash. Don't worry about it."
"Yeah," whispered Ash, unsurety filling his mind.
Brock seemed to sense his friend's edginess, and tactfully changed the subject. "So when's Richie going to be here again?"
"Tomorrow, supposedly," Ash replied, ladling another spoonful of stew into his mouth.
"Good, I look forward to seeing him –"
"Seeing who, Brock?"
Ash coughed, choking on his soup. When did she get here?
He saw Misty look at him, disgusted look. Glowering, Ash shot a 'don't-you-even-think-about it' look at Brock, determined he was not going to say one thing about it. Why did she have to all of a sudden come where they were? Couldn't she have, like, called first? That would have been a reasonable thing to do, Ash confirmed to himself.
"Who are you going to be glad to see, Brock?" said Misty, sounding suspicious as well as impatient. No doubt to the fact that neither Ash nor Brock answered her. Both were trying to pretend to be occupied with the stew. Ash was hoping he was putting up at least a feasible act, as he stirred his soup quickly with a spoon. But, as Brock often said, he was a bad liar, and couldn't hide a thing if his life depended on it.
Seeing as not answering would not satisfy Misty, Brock hesitantly answered, "Swellow."
Misty's eyes narrowed, and Ash groaned. Even he could make up a better lie then that.
"Ash's Swellow."
"Who else has a Swellow, Misty?" mumbled Ash, glaring at Brock.
"And why would you be happy to see Swellow?"
Brock floundered for an answer, again pretending to take interest in his stew.
"Oh, come on, Brock," said Ash suddenly, eyebrows raised as an idea hit him. "We can tell her, can't we?"
"But, Ash, you said –"
Ash cut him off. He didn't need him screwing up perhaps one of the best lies in the history of Ashton Ketchum. "She can know."
Misty, to Ash's relief, looked vaguely curious. Heartened, Ash continued with his story. He knew he could not afford even a moment of hesitation. "He's been writing to that woman in Petalburg City – April, wasn't it? – anyway, he's been using my Swellow to deliver the letters. She doesn't like Crobat – she's scared stiff of them, or so Brock told me – so he's been using Swellow."
Misty's blue eyes were boring into him now, and he couldn't help but squirm under her gaze, so instead, he turned to Brock, catching his attention. He didn't look angry, but he was surprised to say the least. And was he blushing? Ash smirked. That woman hadn't been that bad looking. Black hair, green eyes, and very tall.
"Th – that's right," stuttered Brock, and Ash grinned widely. Misty looked surprised, but he didn't see that usually noticeable 'I-don't-believe-you' look.
"Oh, so that's why Swellow hasn't been around the past few days, I was wondering . . ."
It was Ash's turn to be surprised, and he almost choked on his stew again. Funny, Misty sounded disappointed. But why? "How did you notice?"
"I actually pay attention to my surroundings, Ash."
The egg Pokemon in Misty's arms waggled his arms in an almost matter-of-fact way.
"Togeprriii!"
"See, Togepi thinks so, too."
Ash scowled deeply, and Brock, much to Ash's disgust, laughed.
"Sad, but true."
"You don't have to rub it in," said Ash grumpily.
Misty giggled and sat down beside him, gladly accepting a bowl of hot stew after she had set Togepi carefully on the ground. To Ash's surprise, she was actually wearing the necklace he had given her. He hadn't expected that. He looked down at Togepi. The little egg Pokemon seemed content, and trilled happily as he placed a few pieces of Pokefood before it, before going back to his own meal.
"So . . ." said Misty, in what Ash believed to be a vain attempt to break the silence, "Wasn't April twenty-eight?"
"Yep."
"Isn't she a bit too old for you?"
Brock shrugged. "All's fair in love and war, Misty."
"I didn't even think you liked her - you seemed more interested in that other Pokemon Nurse, what was her name . . ."
Brock's face reddened, a dreamy look coming to his face. "Ohh, Chelsea, you mean. She had just gotten her Pokemon Nursing degree. She was very good looking, too."
"Every girl is good looking to you –"
"Don't hate me for having a wide taste in women, Ash."
"Whatever, Brock," answered Ash, standing up from his place on the log. He looked toward the forest; its dark appearance full of trees and bushes. He wondered what Pokemon resided in the deepest corners of the serenity forest. He hoped that perhaps Absol did, contrary to what Brock said. But why he was so eager to find this disaster Pokemon, Ash did not quite understand. A knot was forming at the pit of his stomach again, filling him with foreboding. How could one Pokemon distill both fear and excitement into his heart like this? He had never felt this way about any Pokemon before.
A sudden, chilling wind blew through the clearing from the north, and Ash felt heartened. It was only a dream after all. His journey was just beginning, and nothing would stop him now.
"Come on, Pikachu, lets get going."
Pikachu's looked up at him, before stuffing the last piece of ketchup-covered food into his mouth. Ash couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of the mouse Pokemon, so unwilling to let one piece go to waste. Pikachu scrambled up to Ash's shoulder, as he let down his hand. He was about to set off, when he suddenly remembered Quilava. Taking the Fire type's Pokeball in hand, he threw it to Brock, who caught it.
"Make sure Quilava gets something to eat when he wakes up, Brock."
"Sure."
"Totoo!"
Ash grinned at the even more ecstatic face Totodile had put on. "That's right, you can watch him for me while we're away, Totodile. Make sure nothing happens, all right?"
Totodile, grinning widely, saluted with his small clawed paw. "Toto dilto! Dile!"
"I'll see you all later," said Ash, turning to leave.
"Wait – you're going somewhere, Ash?"
Misty's voice was hesitant, and Ash stopped dead in his tracks. The dream. "Yeah, I'm taking just Pikachu and I off for a little training. Don't worry, I'll be back around sundown. I promise."
"Maybe I should –"
"Naa, I don't want you screaming over every bug-type, Mist," said Ash, putting on what he hoped to be a reassuring grin. Everything would be fine. He promised – and he couldn't let Misty see the letter Swellow would bring back. The bird Pokemon would be looking for him in the woods whenever he decided to come. Swellow wouldn't have any trouble finding him, he had eyes better then any human could hope for.
"All right . . . just . . . be careful."
"Aren't I always, Mist? Wait – don't answer that. But I'll be careful this time, I promise. Besides, I have Pikachu here to watch my back, don't I, Buddy?"
Giving the thumbs up sign, Pikachu bobbed his head. "Pichupi, chuu kahchu."
-----
Sunlight streamed into the Serenity Forest through the many gaps present in the trees, lighting Ash's way as he made his way through the plant covered trail that ran alongside the river he had been following. It wasn't much of a river now, flowing steadily and smoothly through the Forest, but it would soon get faster as he neared the Serenity Falls. He had always wanted to see the Falls from the time he had heard of it. All he had to do was follow the river. Ash stumbled haphazardly through a leafy bush, and a few Tailow flew past his face as it was disturbed.
Apart from a few Tailow, Oddish, and Ratatta, Ash had seen little to no Pokemon throughout the time he had traveled. And none of them seemed to want to battle Pikachu, or Ash deemed that they were too low of a level for Pikachu himself. And he couldn't help but wonder if he had done the right thing in coming here – perhaps he should've stayed for Misty's sake. She had been so tensed and worried, and Ash felt regret that he had caused her to worry. All because of that dream . . .
But to what point and purpose would the dream serve? He had not heard of anyone – save for those fakes that didn't deserve to be called Psychics – that dreams meant much of anything. And those others that tried to tell you your future – or dabble out some piece of flowery prophecy. There was only one person who tried to tell Ash's future – if it could be called that - that at least sounded a little authentic. And that was by an old hag that went by the name of Agatha. Yes, the Elite Four's Agatha. He snorted. Though the mess of words had sounded authentic, it still confused him. It had been about he and Gary, actually.
The memory was still clear in his mind, even though it was from several years ago, he had only been eight back then, during a time Gary and he had journeyed to Viridian City for the very heck of it. He would have never noticed Agatha for what she was, if Gary hadn't pointed her out to him as they crossed the busy streets.
He was always a know-it-all. Even back then.
He grinned at the memory. All those good times he and Gary had together – they had been great. Even if it had been often at the cost of Ash's ego afterwards at some stupid mistake, he, Ash, not Gary, had done, it had always been worth it. Ash automatically reached for the broken half of the Pokeball that resided in his Pocket. He always carried it with him now, even though no one he was carrying it still, even after the Silver Conference. And it was beyond his capability to readily admit he had kept this trinket of friendship wherever he went. He wondered if Gary still carried his – though perhaps it was nothing more then an idle thought. Gary was even worse then he was at admitting things. But still, he wouldn't choose any other to be a rival.
But back to the day that they met Agatha. That day had been different. Gary had immediately approached the old, wrinkled woman; Ash followed his lead out of pure excitement. He was going to meet a member of the Elite Four after all. Someone who he, back then, was quite sure he was going to beat one day . Agatha had immediately recognized Gary as "Professor Oak's Grandson", and that was the one of the first times in Ash's life that he was glad Gary was.
They began to talk – well, Gary did most of the talking now that Ash came to think of it. He had been too busy staring at a Duskull that was floating around her to talk much. When they had entered the park, she looked at both of them strangely. Ash could distinctly remember the feeling of uneasiness he had felt when she and that Duskull of hers had stared at him. It was like being dunked into an icy pool.
Ash had then, dumbly, asked if she could see the future. Ash's hand immediately shot to his shoulder, rubbing an old bruise that was not there. Gary had hit him hard for daring to ask an Elite a question as childish as that. He distinctly remembered Gary calling him a 'thick headed idiot', too. But Agatha said nothing, just stared at him with that stoic face; not laughing, not smiling, and that plain unnerved him. The Duskull had then circled around them, its one eye going back and forth between its sockets. It had been glowing a strange, purple color.
Agatha looked appraisingly at the Duskull, and then spoke in that old, reedy voice. She pointed at Gary. "The Moon and Sun, boy, have long fought for power over another. Though great be their powers, one cannot be without the other. Without the Moon, would the tide break, and the ties be then broken, and the Sun would blaze forth in power unsurpassed, and the water become lost. But without the Sun would there be no warmth in the land, and all that is bright would turn grey, and coldness would befall the land. But when united, so great is the power, that few can look upon it, yet so is balance kept – remember that, Gary Oak and Ashton Ketchum, and so shall you be well – for the Sun and Moon cannot always vie for power."
Gary stifled a snort of disbelief and Ash knew had Agatha not been a member of the Elite Four, Gary would have spoken out. Ash, however, had not been so gifted in controlling his outbursts.
"That makes no sense. What does that have to do with me? I thought you were going to tell –"
"Patience has never been taught, I see. Patience, boy. You shall understand when the time is right – if it be not too late. Just heed my words."
This, of course, had kept him perplexed for years. Though if it was any vindication, Gary had been confused too. But Gary had pushed it into the chasms of his mind – he never spoke of it during the years that followed, unless Ash brought it up himself. He was then met by the response that it was a load of nonsense. No one could tell the future. And maybe no one could – if that had been about the future. Even now, Ash wasn't sure. But what was he supposed to classify it as? It wasn't exactly that flowery to be a prophecy. They were supposed to be long, and about how someone would become a Chosen One and save the world.
But, was it really like that? Could one person really save the world? Alone? Unaided?
"Pichupi."
Ash jumped, and looked down, Pikachu was tugging at his pant leg.
"What is it?"
"Chupi cahaa."
"Oh – it is getting misty, isn't it? We must be getting nearer to the waterfall then I thought."
Faintly, now that he tried, he could hear the faint roar of the approaching waterfall. Mist was starting to drift around the air in the part of the forest he and Pikachu were in. It was a little difficult to see, but not terribly. Still, there was something about the faint haze that made him feel uneasy.
He turned away from the river, deciding to go a little farther away from the path, so the mist wouldn't be so thick. The bushes and vegetation were becoming greener, he noticed, as he headed to the left. Pikachu himself seemed rather fascinated in the rather abrupt change of vegetation, as well as relieved with the dissipating mist. The mist was lightly spread, around the patch of forest they were in, and it wasn't incredibly difficult to see ahead or above. This was much better.
"Low!"
"Kahchupi!"
The royal blue colored shape that had caught their attention, was drifting just a little ways above the treetops, and could be hazily seen through the thin mist near the top. The blue shape dived down through the opening in the trees, and after doing a show-off corkscrew, landed on a low tree branch, just at Ash's eyelevel. It was Swellow again.
"You bring something for me?"
"Swell."
Proudly, the bird lifted his yellow leg, and Ash gratefully took the letter tied on, and read it aloud.
Thanks for the directions. We should be able to find where you are - if not, I can send Rose to scout ahead. And we finally picked up the gift today - Gary still hasn't stopped laughing. Anyway, we're already on our way to Serenity Forest, and we should be there tomorrow afternoon – or earlier if we can help it. I don't know why I'm mentioning this, but Kyra has been acting very uneasy today –
Ash paused. Kyra? What was Kyra again? Ah, yes. Kyra was Richie's Ralts. Awfully shy as he recalled, and he doubted anyone could find a Pokemon with a sweeter disposition. She seemed exactly like Richie sometimes when she actually fond the courage to stand out. He wouldn't mind seeing her again. He shook his head, interrupting his train of thought, and continued to read onward.
- and she doesn't usually act like this. I tried to ask her what was wrong, but she wouldn't answer. Not even Sparky or Happy could get her to tell them what was wrong. Gary told me that Ralts are very in tune with things going on around them – they can sense things we can't. Listen, why I'm telling you this, I don't know. But be careful. I know you're bound to do reckless things, and Gary agrees with me.
Great, another two people telling him to be careful, just what he needed. Nevertheless, the coincidences seemed so uncanny.
"Maybe we should head back after this," Ash said, more to himself then to Swellow and Pikachu, whose attention was solely focused on him, as he was to the letter.
But anyway, she still was eager to set off to where you and the others are. I can't wait to see the look on everybody's faces when we show up. I doubt anyone will ever forget tomorrow. It's definitely going to be a day to remember.
Take care, Ash,
--Richie
Ash smiled faintly, folding up the letter into his pocket, and he breathed a sign of relief. Everything would turn out fine. He had everything planned, and he could see everything in his mind's eye. Richie and Gary walking down the path over to where Brock was cooking, and Misty be so surprised – especially when he found out what he had gotten her. That look of surprise and incredulity on her face – he could picture that. Then everything would be forgotten – all the dreams, the fear, they'd be gone from him and her, and everything would be all right.
"Yennn!"A sudden, guttural bark, and a black furred form burst out of the bushes to the side of them, jaws wide and gaping. Ash spun around, fear and adrenaline pumping through his veins, and his hand automatically reached for Pokeball that were not there. Pikachu's reaction was like that of his trainer's, electricity sparking automatically through his cheeks. Both he and Pikachu jumped back, as the Pokemon between them, giving them no time to react. Swellow had already lifted himself off the tree branch, but he was not fast enough to escape the gleaming fangs that rose up to meet him. Two cries rang simultaneously out through the air then; one voice full of triumph, one of forlorn pain, shattering the peaceful tranquility of the forest like a knife. Then, there was silence . . .
----
Reviewer Replies:
Misaki-cherry: Thanks for your review. And don't worry, I won't quit.
sapphireplusle: So that's what you think, eh? Houndour, Houndoom, and Mightyena are awesome, indeed. Is it one of those? Maybe, maybe not. You'll see. I should have said that to the Absol guessers, as, realistically, that Pokemon dang well fits the bill better then any other, really. But as cool as he is (and how tempted I was to make the 4th an Absol) I couldn't. But were there a choice, it would have been him, and I was tempted to make him an Absol after the reviews even more. But even so; it's a no.
happyham: We'll see what I can do. I can tell you that most likely ( I saw most likely because I often change some of my ideas threw the story) all the legendaries will show up some time or another in this story. Though their roles will differ considerably.
Hazy Aurora: Thanks for your review. Good luck on your story.
Blood Vampire: Espeon will appear sometime in this fic. Can't say when.
Ri2: Rose is Richie's Tailow. (He has it in the show, too) if you wanted to know. And the story between Totodile and Quilava? I'll have to write it sometime. You'll see what the present is soon. You could probably guess it though.
Act: Thanks. And Hey, it's no problem. Afeared is a very strange word indeed.
Ash Ketchum, Pokemon Master: Absol is a normal Pokemon in this. I was tempted to make him the fourth though. He's awesome to the end. A movie with Absol? I expect there is one.. I haven't seen any of the new movies beyond the 5th. Will Psyduck evolve? Some time or another I suppose, maybe or maybe not in my story, but its my opinon that he'll still act the same way. Just be in a cooler body. And I also agree with your Gender opinion on the legendaries, mostly anyway. I can see Ho-oh being a male or a female. And Mewtwo, yeah, a clone, but of a different kind. To me, he seems more of a man-made species using the DNA of mew, just like how Porygon 1 & 2 are.
Although, in Red, Yellow, and Blue, I believe it states that Mewtwo was not created exactly the way the Anime presents it. It stated that "Mew gave birth to a Pokemon, and they called it Mewtwo", if memory serves me right.
You guessed about the Feebas? Good for you. And I'm glad you liked the dream sequence, and I beg to differ, the pictures I've seen on Absol's eyes, they /are/ red. I suppose they could be dark blue on some, too.
Danoh1989: Yeah, Charizard will probably make an appearance sometime or another, but I only have a rough outline of this story scetched, so only time will tell.
Nuclear Kitty: Yeah, it would be cool. But I still expect he'd flirt with nearly every girl he sees. He's just. . . Brock.
Alex Warlorn: Yes, I agree about the dub name. But I didn't use it in this story at the moment for a reason, even though I do prefer Ashura. You'll see why soon enough. Yes, fan based Pokemon can be trouble. And usually are, unless there's some good explanation for it. I've read some who've managed to pull it off, not many. I prefer /not/ creating fan Pokemon for fanfiction – especially when dealing with the anime crew. I also hate to make up Original Characters to travel with them – that just plan bugs me. Ah, the third movie. That was definitely one of the best, although I'm still attached to 2000. But all of them were pretty good, and had their merits. And Funny you should mention Missingno, very, very ironic. Incredibly – an no, it's not the Apathy of Shadow before you ask. But that computer glitch has always aroused my curiosity. Weird.. block thing.
The Idiot Troup? I'm sure you mean Jessie James, and Meowth. Indeed, they are the Idiot crew. At first, I could stand them.. but after awhile they (especially their dang motto) got on my nerves. I dislike them – at least, in the show way. I believe they could become great characters if the weren't so dopy, or a fanfiction writer actually took the time to write them well, and get rid of their motto. They make horrible bad guys.
And I think we Misty fans have been cheated. It's one of the reasons I disliked May coming in. I mean, they kept Brock, I thought they were going to get rid of him, too. Why not keep Misty, too. Grr.. she had better make a full return. And I agree with your views about Absol. They fascinate me to no end. They do have a purpose in this story, but sadly, are not the Apathy of Shadow. (There's so many of them) in any case. I personally believe that Legendaries should be one of a kind, or they're not that... legendary.) And yes, I know they had the two Lugia in those episodes.. but really, I'm disregarding them, as cool of episodes as they were.
And yes, the joke. I went and added one in. Stupid me for not noticing that. I've always thought Togepi to be a male. I dunno why. It was just so cute an innocent.. and I dubbed it a he. Eevee's parents? Brock only got it as the egg for winning the contest, so the parents are unknown.
And Gary, not a jackass, no definitely not. Cocky, yes, but that's his personality. I personally love his character, and admire him a lot, as cocky as he acts. And he always has, even when he and Ash were little (as seen in the Gary vs. Ash Johto episodes). So I believe in an Ash/Gary friendship, even if they may not always seem like it. They're rivals after all. They hold a unique kind of friendship, IMO. And no problem, you didn't hurt my feelings at least, you were truthful, and when I thought about it, I changed this story to fit how it was. It made better sense that way. And it really didn't affect what happened in this chapter much.
Celebi? Yes, she could have easily been the one. But Ho-oh, a representation of the Phoenix here (as kind of is Moltres) has the ability to revive, as seen in the Crystal/Silver/Gold legend of reincarnating the Pokemon into the legendary beasts. Thus, she brang them back to life. Not to mention she has the Sacred Ash item, too. So it made sense she'd be able to bring things back to life. Though Celebi has an alike ability, though not /quite/ the same. And where did Ash's dad get the locket from? You'll see. And sorry if the reply was too long.
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A/N: I hope you found this satisfactory, but wether you did, or not, please review. I'd love to here from you. Tell me what you likes/didn't, any mistakes you saw, whatever! And fear not, all those who don't have a account, I take anonymous reviews. Next chapter will probably be out around Wed. or Thurs. next week. Until then.
--Persian Mistress