The Target, The Victim, The Saviour
Fan Fiction By Krafty Quill
Quick Backtrack:
Previously…
Misty remembers a promise she made to Delia and so changes her mind about not going back to Pallet with Ash and Brock - provided Daman tagged along. So, Ash, Brock, Misty, Daman and Claudia were walking the Route back to Pallet Town when Claudia stopped and arrow from hitting Ash. She finds who she believes shot the arrow and kills him in battle. Giovanni leaves his office, ready to take care of business himself...
Author Notes:
Disclaimer: None of these characters belong to me, except The Killer Cloud and Daman that is. This story was written for non profitable purposes, so just read and enjoy people.
The Grand Finale!
Part IV
Millions of bright specs populated the pitch black heavens while the half-eaten, pale moon ruled in the absence of its golden brother, starving the earth of the warm, loving light only day could bring. Even the thick, silver-lined clouds held no shard of optimism for a peaceful night. Frighteningly cold winds haunted the campsite below, wailing songs of death in their inevitable waft.
A hooded figure took slow steps. Its white cape, darkened by the gloomy glow, fluttered gracefully in the devilish aroma. Further shadowed beneath the hood, mechanical breadths puffed foggy balls that dissolved in the accepting atmosphere. Unevenly, shoulders limped in concord with malevolence's daunting dance ... left, pause, right, pause...
The wind carried morsels of burnt ash to her attention – or rather disinterest - as lazy feet were dragged passed an extinct fire site. Crispy, black logs, still packed close together, hid the orange glimmers that held proof of life's intervention in the evening's prior hours. The presence of the living still hung in the chilly air, calling her lethal therapy to cure its faulty state of existence. She carried on forth, willing and able to comply with its request.
So many steps forward, a warm haze clouded the air with its mild thickness, distastefully invading the path she followed. Hurtful green eyes took offence to the source, the gleaming calm spring water. Light ripples moved the surface, still unsettled from the company of a body - or two. By her hands, these same beasts would never disturb the water's tranquillity again.
More steps forward, a one-man green tent stood proud in the near distance. As she approached it, she discovered that the somewhat violent winds failed to falter its dwelling member from noisy slumber. Shutting her ears from the ugly snores, she slithered around the tent, careful not to alert the three bulky, sleeping bags resting a few steps away. Like a hungry mantis salivating above scraps of food, the darkness of her hood hovered above the conscious deprived gang.
Twitching rodent ears threatened to wake, only flutters away from the detection of her presence. But really, they were only threatening themselves, for should they have awoken, the very life that pulsed through their yellow, triangular prisms would be sniped away with no hesitation. Quite a cruel punishment for only carrying out their duty of protecting the boy - who undoubtedly slept in the bag beside them.
As a Pokemon, as his Pikachu, it was only doing its job … but so was she.
The boy's features were veiled within the sleeping bag. His eyes must have been shut considering the nonsense escaping his mumbling lips. And there she stood above him, ready to do fate's bidding. An equipped bow escaped from its purpose-restricting prison as she pealed the white cloak off her wrist. Against temptation, the loaded arrow remained still - possibly savouring the long-sought moment.
For him, fortune couldn't have come at a better time.
A new emotion was born. Not in her heart, but in her mind. She had never killed an unaware target. Unaware, in the sense that its mind was lost to the conscious environment. To follow through with the order now would be to kill the dignity she so caringly upheld since she became an assassin. No. It was not a fitting end for the target – and especially not this target.
Her eyes slid to the sleeping bag beside him. Long, strands of hair reached out from the uncovered top. It was too dark to be sure they were red, but nevertheless, the obvious scent of her femininity gave away her identity.
For her, fortune couldn't have come at a worse time.
ooOOoo
Ash twirled around uncomfortably in the sleeping bag, groaning about each position his confused body turned to find. The stuffy air he managed to conjure was of no help either. Defeated, his eyes opened. He poked his head out of the bag to get fresh air. His face tingled with delight in the relatively cool environment.
To his unadjusted eyes, the night was just as dark as the insides of his sleeping bag. He folded his arms and pillowed his head. Pikachu's silent snores from his left him made him smile. And everyone on his right was being their usual quiet selves. Their silence in combination with the blinding darkness would tell him that his friends weren't present at all if he hadn't known better.
He took a deep breadth then looked at the star-filled, blue-black sky. It was beautiful. Just like it was the last time he saw it … with Misty. It made him realise just how silly this whole feud was. That, and the fact that no matter how strongly his feelings were against her, they'd never last a night in his tender soul – or even half a night, evidently. That's why the moment the sun rose, he'd go to her and tell her –
Snooooooore!
Nearly deafened by the loud snore, he turned straight to the source. It was coming somewhere from the right. Misty had her moments now and then but she'd never be able to produce anything so horridly croaky, not even by choice. Her sweet, gentle, feminine, vocal chords were completely incapable of –
Snooooooore!
Brock? Somewhat strangely, Brock was usually the most silent of the three. The only noise he ever made in his sleep was when he murmured some random girl's name. Which reminded Ash of the one time he heard Brock breathing real deeply … and rapidly … and he could have sworn he heard Brock's hand underneath the covers moving so –
Snooooooore!
Two down and only one left. By way of elimination, Ash identified the crazed Snorlax. It was none other than Daman! He wondered if Misty would still be so infatuated with lover boy if she knew of all the ruckus he made in his sleep. Well, at present she certainly didn't seem to mind at all. Both she and Brock, and even Pikachu for that matter, were sound asleep through the entire ordeal. Too sound asleep … come to think of it.
His eyes had now adjusted to the moonlight and he could see a little more than he could before. With his new found ability, he turned to the sleeping bag beside him, were Misty usually slept. His ears concentrated as much as they could, bypassing Daman's snores, to try and pick up any faint hint of Misty's presence. But nothing. He squinted, focusing his eyes on were she should have been lying but found nothing but an utterly still sleeping bag.
For reasons unknown to him, his heart jumped up his throat. Rashly, he crawled out of his bag and made his way towards Misty's. His had trembled in the air, unaware of what he'd do if Misty really wasn't there, but even more afraid of what she'ddo if she was there. He gulped down hard and dropped his hand.
Nothing. Nothing but fabric. He flattened the bag, feeling up and down its entire surface for anything but she wasn't there. His heart began pounding very fast. Of course she could have just woken up for a little stroll but she never did on a night this cold. Not to mention whenever she did try to sneak out, he'd always notice her leaving but never revealed the knowledge to her. And even if he didn't notice her leave, all he'd have to do is lift up his head and find her sitting a couple of feet away.
But she was gone. It was very possible that this was all just his mind overworking, but somehow … he had a feeling. A bad feeling. His wandering fingers ran into something rigid and flat. It was a sheet of paper. He grabbed it and crawled back to his sleeping bag. He dove inside and pulled out a tiny flashlight to create just enough light to see what was on the paper.
His hands trembled even more when he finished reading the short message left specifically for him. He got to his feet and clenched his fist, crumbling the paper before dropping it on the ground. He looked at Pikachu and the others. He had to let them sleep. He didn't want to endanger anyone else's lives. With a final deep breadth, he began to walk away from his friends, determined, with only one question in mind…
Who's Amila?
ooOOoo
Fearful tears surfaced on Misty's forehead. Cold fingers were clutched around her arm, forcefully pushing her forward as they directed her in a strange path. If it wasn't for her bound wrists at her lower back, she would have tried to fight back. And her taped mouth wouldn't even allow her to scream for dear life. It was hopeless to do anything but comply.
The winds relentlessly bit at her bare legs and arms and fluttered her nightdress about. This was no time to be taking a stroll. Her big toe abruptly found a rock deep in the tall grass, causing her to fall to the ground knee first. But before she could weep from the pain, she was roughly yanked back to her feet by the collar of her nightdress.
Misty gritted her teeth beneath the gag. She couldn't believe Claudia could be so cold. Stay away from strangers, stay away from strangers … her mother's song always went. Why didn't she listen? A tear trailed down her cold, pale cheek. She probably deserved this for being so naïve. The hunter's knife … the Bowgun … the clues were all there.
But if she, Ash and the others were still alive than surely somewhere deep within this abductor's heart was a glimmer of good. Misty believed if she could only get the gag of her mouth, she could possibly talk down Claudia by tapping into that glimmer of good. For the next couple of metres, Misty moaned non-stop until Claudia finally threw her to the ground from impatience.
"What is it?" She hissed.
Misty struggled to her feet. Her chest stretched out and came back in, scooping in all the air her lungs could hold with each breadth. She was still scared, but she had to play this right. Claudia stood crossed armed before her, masking her frustration with her calm posture. This was it. Misty cast her eyes towards something on Claudia's belt. She jerked her head toward the object as her sealed lips hummed its name.
It took Claudia a while to make sense of the gestures. Amongst other things strapped onto her utility belt, there was a small flask. The girl wanted water. Or, she wanted to be smart and try to do something that would alert her friends. They must have been miles away by now. The captured had to believe she had a good set of lungs if she was going to scream that loud. Sinister thoughts clouded her mind. Lungs would be useless if they were cut out from her chest cavity and left to rot in the wilderness…
The sharp blade squealed as it slid out of the sheath wrapped around Claudia's thigh. She flipped the dagger around so its steel blade stuck out from the pinkie side of her clenched fist. Her free arm stretched forward, slender cold fingers clutching Misty's neck tightly before throwing her back first against a hard tree trunk. Giving her no time to recuperate, the white shadow zoomed up to her face.
Widened eyes traced the course of the knife's pointy tip as it explored her sweaty face. It would have been sketching its tracks in a red shade if it had been pressed against her delicate skin a tad harder. Tears began to flood Misty's eyes, frozen of fright to move an inch from their watery source. The shadow within the hood drew closer to her face…
"I remove this handkerchief, you drink." The hostile whisper was barely decipherable over Misty's panting nose. "Anything else … and you'll have to paste those lips back on with your own blood."
With no further warning, Claudia slid the blade in the small space between Misty's lips and the hugging gag. She nipped it off with a flick of her wrist. Misty still didn't speak as Claudia freed her red wrists from the imprisoning cloth that had bound them for over ten minutes. Instinctively, the redhead caught the flask that was lazily tossed to her.
More water trickled down her chin than actually entered her mouth. Misty's mind was plagued with guesses of what Claudia's evil intentions could've been. She couldn't think of any thing her, Ash, or any of them for that matter, could have done to make Claudia this angry. Angry wasn't even the word for it. It was like her mind had done a complete one-eighty, turning her from the joyful girl she was to this, this … empty vessel. Why did she insist on taking out her personal issues on them? What did they ever do to her apart from saving her? And befriending her out of pure virtue? Why was she acting like this? Why? Why? …
"… Why …"
Misty shut her lips the second she realised the potentially fatal error. She watched in horror as the dark outline in front of her slowly turned to face her. The flask slipped between her trembling fingers.
"Why? … You ask?" A tiny glint of untrusting warmth moved with her words. "The answer's simple. I do this because it's what I get paid to do. Because it's what I'm good at. I'm an assassin. Nothing more and nothing less."
An ASSASSIN! Misty stepped back, feeling her soul nearly abandoning ship at the curse of a word. To think, all this time they'd been frolicking with a killer. One seemingly proud of her occupation. What exactly did she mean 'nothing more and nothing less'? Was she trying to say she wasn't even human?If Misty was going to die she wasn't going to leave silently. A lump travelled down her throat as she carefully chose the words of what could be her final conversation…
"… No, Claudia. You're not … you're not a killer." Claudia tilted her head a little but she didn't say anything. Misty hoped it was out of interest. Choosing to believe that, she continued.
"I don't know what this cruel world did to you but you don't have to be like this. Believe me, I know how it feels to be rejected … and worse … by those closest to you … family." She paused and thought about the whole situation with her sisters. And this whole thing with Ash. How stubborn of her. The shadow of death had to be cast upon her; had to help her find the common sense that had been boxed and tossed to corner of her heart. A tear ran down her cheek.
"But you know what, Claudia? We don't have to be like this. It may not seem so at times but we choose our emotions. The way we feel … it's always us. No matter how bad we want to, it wouldn't be fair to accuse other people for making us feel the way we do. I understand that now. You helped me understand that. Now, please, let me help you."
"Help me?" Claudia repeated, her eyes frozen in concentration of the words. "How, how can you help me?" She shook her head furiously, ridding her mind from Misty's corrupt words. "You can't help me!" The anger was back with a vengeance. But Misty remained calm.
"Of course I can. You just have to let me. We've already helped you once, we saved your life, remember? Give me a chance and I can save it again…"
"No, no, no. No! I didn't ask you to save my life!" She raised her knife. "Shut up or I'll kill you too!"
Too? Misty gulped. But she couldn't stop now, not after making all this progress. "Please, Claudia. Why would you want to kill me? Why would you want to kill anyone? How is it going to help make you feel the way you want to feel? Killing me won't change anything. It won't –"
"I said shut up!" Misty fell silent instantly, shivering at the sheer volume. Claudia broke out in a frighteningly, exaggerated laugh. "You'd make a good opponent. I can see. You've got the potential in you. Lucky one, you'd be dead already if you were my target. Thank the stars you're not." She put the knife back in its sheath and crossed her arms.
"Tar-target?"
"Ash."
An unfamiliar emotion stabbed her heart. Misty had no idea what it was about that name… Images of the league cap, the Pikachu, everything she said she hated about him just drifted within her broken mind. The coldness flowing in her veins warmed … heated … boiled … exploded! "NO! Leave Ash out of this! It's me you abducted from the campsite! It's me you want. Kill me!" She spread her arms to her sides, making her heart a clear target for the assassin.
Claudia shook her head. "Foolish. Have you forgotten what you preached of emotions only seconds ago? 'We choose.' Is this the weak emotion you decide to choose?"
"Yes." Not even a millisecond passed before Misty uttered the word.
"No. You're not my target. Ash is."
"AARGHH! I swear, if you kill Ash, you better kill me too, because if you don't … if you don't … I promise I'll kill you myself!"
The words brought a smile to Claudia's lips. "I knew you had it in you. Ha. Perhaps, we're not so different after all. But I have no reason to regard your words as anything but."
A bulge formed from out of Misty's enraged fingers. She ran up to Claudia and threw the fist as hard as she could straight at her face. Claudia's arms were still crossed when she lazily lifted a hand and caught Misty's charging fist with ease. Misty's eyes widened, shocked at how weak her disgraceful attack was. But that was all the strength she had. If she couldn't do anything with that, then there was no hope.
Suddenly, Claudia tugged Misty's arm violently, putting her knee in the path of the falling redhead's stomach. Tears forcefully dropped to the earth from Misty's eyes, now with her knees and one hand on the ground, while the other held her winded gut.
"Pathetic," Claudia spat. She lifted a boot and stomped Misty's back hard, sounds of cracking bone muffling with the helpless girl's yelp. Snake eyes feasted on the defeated girl squirming on the ground. A sinister smile mirrored her thoughts. She knew the perfect punishment.
ooOOoo
The slits were fully open and the dark brown eyes ever hidden within revealed, dancing in tune with the exposed beauty before him. A tall, pink-haired woman conserving her sheers with skimpy, pink matching lingerie, slothfully toyed with the long silver pole connecting the stage to the roof. Her every move calculated perfectly to entice her prey.
Despite the reckless blinks of blinding colourful lights, he couldn't bring his eyelids down for a second, not even to blink. She jumped off stage, mischievous eyes taunting him as she swung her gorgeous body his way. His weak, melting mind was loosing control of his eager body with each step she drew nearer.
Like an innocent little girl, she lowered her bottom onto his lap and began tracing all over his face with a delicious finger. "You like to play games?" She teased.
"Yes, nurse. I do."
"You know what my favourite game is?" He shook his head. "Doctor. You know how to play Doctor, don't you?"
"Of course, Joy." He struggled to stay focused on her face as her fingers massaged his spiky hair. "You've come for a check up, I presume. Well, let me take your temperature. Open your mouth wide so I can put this thermometer –" The thermometer 'accidentally' dropped and shattered on the ground.
"Oh no!" She gasped with a hand over her mouth. "It's broken!"
"Don't worry. I've still got this." He licked his lips slothfully. She caught on quickly and leaned in with parted lips. This was it, he thought, shutting his eyes as she drew nearer…
Snoooooooooooore!
He recoiled quickly. "Was that you? Did you just –"
Snoooooooooooore!
"Damn it, just once can't I have it my way!" He cried out before the entire room turned black.
His eyes jolted open to cold darkness. He wiped his disappointed teary eyes just in time to catch another waft of that disgustingly loud snore. Enough was enough. He wasn't going to wait until morning to dish out one hell of an ass whipping. Especially not after a dream like that! His upper body zapped up almost zombie like when –
SMACK!
Brock massaged his nose as he picked up the crumbled ball of paper that had fallen into his laps. His sleepy mind quickly discovered that simply unravelling it wasn't going to help him read it any better. He ducked into his sleeping bag and used his flashlight to shed light. The muscles of his tired face trembled wakefully when he finished reading the message.
Ash and Misty were in trouble. He got to his feet and examined their sleeping bags with help from his flashlight, only to see the flaccid, black plastic blowing weakly in the air.
"Pika?" Pikachu frowned, eyes squinting from the interrupting light that hit his face.
"You're still here!" Brock exclaimed. That could only mean Ash was complying with the letter's demands. Brock's fist pumped with courage. He couldn't let Ash do this alone. By the sounds of it, he was going to need all the help he could get.
Snoooooooooooore!
Unfortunately that meant him too. Bravely, he got on all fours and crawled into the Snorlax' den. "Daman!" He tried. "DAMAN! DAMAN!" Not even hard tugs could shudder him awake. "Ah!" Brock snapped his fingers as he devised a plan. "Pikachu…"
Soon, the yellow mouse came walking in tiredly. After much reluctance (he knew of the agonising feeling disturbance brought whenever he was dreaming peacefully and didn't think good of doing the same), he agreed to shock the boy awake if it meant Ash needed his help.
"Argh…" Daman groaned sleepily as a tiny spark of electricity hit his body.
"Daman?" Brock couldn't tell if he was still asleep or not.
"What … what is it?" He mumbled.
"Wake up! It's Ash, he's missing! We have to -" But the snores were back as quick as they had left. He was just asking for a fully charged Thunder attack. But then Brock quickly thought of something less hazardous and probably more effective. "Oh Daman…" he sang. "Misty's missing!"
"WHAT?" Daman was sitting up with his arms crossed and eyes wide open before Brock could even detect his movement. "Wait a minute here, you're telling me Ash is missing –"
"So you were awake the whole time?"
"Sshh, I'm trying to figure this out," he hushed the rock trainer like he was nothing more than a child. "You're telling me that right now, in the middle of the night, Ash just suddenly goes missing AND so does Misty?"
"Yeah…"
"You know what this means don't you?"
"Of course!" Brock exclaimed. "They're in trouble. Get your lazy behind up so we can go help them!"
"No," Daman said, shaking his head. "IT MEANS I'M GONNA KILL THAT LITTLE RUNT FOR TRYING TO SHACK UP WITH MY GIRL!"
"Wha…" Brock and Pikachu sweat-dropped. "For once, just once, can't you get your mind off girls?"
Pikachu sweat-dropped; Brock not realising he should be last person to give that bit of advice.
"Not this girl…" Daman sighed, almost sounding defeated.
"Whatever, man. Let's just go before it's too late."
"Wait a minute. What kind of trouble are you talking about? And where are we going exactly?"
"Pika Pi?" Pikachu thought the same thing.
Daman caught the letter when Brock chucked at it him, and began to read out loud.
To Ash,
Business is business.
Meet me somewhere north east of your campsite the minute you get this letter. Just keep moving north east, you'll find us. And make sure you come alone. No Pokemon and No friends. Or else…
In case you're wondering, she's with me. Any hope you have of seeing her will be vanquished if you're not here by mid morning, alone.
What takes nine to make, but only a second to break?
Wonder.
I'll see you there.
Signed, Amila.
"Oh no, this is horrible!" Daman said, crumbling the paper.
"I know." Brock shook his head. "Ash doesn't even know which way north east is!"
Daman and Pikachu sweat-dropped. "Well, I guess we better get going."
ooOOoo
A stray shadow swam in the grass, everything from its belly down mouthed in the tall meadow. The grass hissed as each step fought its way through the wild plains. The crickets gurgled their scratchy voices, and eccentric hoots speculated about the intruder from the luxury of tall trees. Silver shimmers outlined the leaves bathed in darkness, the moonlight being the night's only comfort.
North east, his body pushed on. Every move his limbs tried was calculated with only half of mind – the same half of mind, further stunted of navigational talent. Physically, he moved forward, though uncertain any proceeding step moved harmonically with progress. With crossed arms, and hands climbing into his short black sleeves, he fought the doubt and pressed on in that direction.
For he didn't need a campus or a guide book to inform him of things so obviously trafficked in nature's sway. Harsh winds smacked his face, chilled his ears red, tossed his hair back, bit his arms cold. The mouth that spewed these winds could only be of wicked lips. But caring lips too, for they continuously warned him not to advance their way. That's where the danger was. That's where fate rested. That's where he needed to go.
What takes nine to make, but only a second to break?
Somehow, he felt the agenda of this meeting was associated with the answer. But this riddle, like every other in his life, would have to join the queue at the back of his mind that led to the head office of irrelevance. Instead, he directed his attention to the path ahead. Nothing but open darkness and the occasional tree sprouting from the tall grass.
After more searching, Ash contemplated turning back or trying another route when he caught sight of a glowing orange partially hidden behind a wall of trees. Streams of smoke lifted into the sky from somewhere beyond the trees. He was too far to confirm it with his nose, but he was sure it was a burning fire. Flames began to light up his heart. His arms shot to his sides, ready to burnout the adrenaline pulsing within them. His steps came quicker, feet pressing harder against the ground to launch his body further ahead.
Pants escaped his burning lungs, louder and hotter, as his sprint led him closer. Finally, he pressed his body close to one of trees and shifted his head, cautious eye surveying the area for any obvious traps. All he could see was a professionally done campfire burning into fresh timber. Feeling confident that no one was there, he squeezed his body in the space between the trees.
When he made it through, he realised he was standing on a circular pitch of flat, green grass and tall trees outlined the area's entire circumference. The campfire stood guard in the centre and across the grounds to far end he could see … a figure! His heart started racing only seconds before his legs did the same. As he got closer, the figure began to take more shape. Its body was wrapped tightly around a tree by thick, brown ropes and its head hung, defeated, red bangs drooping down.
"Misty!"
Her head rose, responding to the call, watery blue eyes saddening his spirit. "A-Ash…"
Metres before he could fish out any word from his bottomless river of apologies, his bare feet skidded to a stop. From nowhere, a white blaze had dropped a distance before him. The figure rose to a stand and threw her hood back, revealing motionless jade eyes that thrilled the hairs on the back of his neck to attention.
"Claudia…" He didn't even know what to call her anymore. "Or Amila, should I say. Whoever you are, please … just leave us alone!"
"Ash!" Misty gasped when Claudia suddenly raised her Bow to him.
Apart from gritting his teeth and throwing his hands in the air, there was very little else Ash could do. "Why are you doing this? I saved your life and this is how you're gonna repay me? Come on, I know it's not you in there. The Claudia I know would never do this. Just tell me who's forcing you to do these things. I promise, I'll help you stop them."
One corner of her lips lifted. "I'd say … you're the one that appears to be in need of help." He looked so helpless in his blue pyjama pants and black t-shirt. But there would be no more excuses for her not to kill him. "Sure. I'll answer your questions. Only because I feel it's the least you deserve." She paused, running his questions through her mind once more.
"Everything I do is of my own will. No one forces me to do anything. The reason I'm doing this, well, it's my job. And you, unfortunately, are one big pay check waiting to be cashed."
"Because of money," Ash hissed, disgusted. 'Business is business,' she wrote in the letter. Even though, there was a deeper reason to all this she keep away. Hidden, but it was there. He could sense it. "You mean even after I saved your life, you're willing to take mine?"
"Free a wild beast from a snare and attempt to pat its head during lunch hour. What do you think would become of your hand?"
"But we're not wild beasts! We're human. We're smarter than that."
"Not of all us, apparently…" came a weak voice from behind Claudia.
She turned to Misty. It was always foolish of prey to remind predators of her presence. "And you, I was going to let you live…" The weapon locked onto the tied up redhead. Clever, she may have been, but not smart enough to outwit the assassin. Right on cue, Ash lunged for her while she had her back turned, only to have his nose smash into tough knuckles.
Claudia lowered her arm and turned back to Ash, green eyes boasting over his laid down body. He shifted his body weight onto an elbow pressing in the ground and used the back of his other fist to clean the blood leaking from his nose. His body shuddered, mouth open in surprise, as she aimed an arrow at him. This was it. Given his position and the measly metre that spaced his nervous eyes and the staring arrow, it would be impossible to stop her from shooting or even dodge the arrow.
His eyes slowly shut, passing winds muffling Misty's cries as he fell back into the darkness…
NO! Not Misty…
Dying here would almost certainly ensure Misty's death. Determination heated into offensive fury and seeped into his heart, coupling its power with every beat. He couldn't let her die. The power grew hotter and hotter until it would turn into something not even he would know. He couldn't let her die, no matter what…
A powerful energy surged through his body, strengthening each and every muscle it travelled. Little by little, he could feel himself growing stronger in ever limb and shockingly lighter too. Soon, he was floating in the darkness behind the closed curtains to the windows of his soul. A strange mystical force pulled his body upward, his back slowly evaporating from the ground. Strong as his body, and as light as his soul, he clenched his fist, embracing the strength that surfaced to his usability. His feet finally touched ground.
His eyes shot open at once.
Claudia gasped, her weapon glaring at him tremblingly at the burning flames in his eyes that accompanied the rebirth. She cursed at herself for not firing when he was down and sure not to retaliate. Suddenly brave, he took slow steps forward, blue aura surrounding his body and lifting his apparently weightless hair to the skies. In less than a second this time, she let loose an arrow heading straight for his head.
Everything went quite. Ash's senses were completely shut from nature's noise. His focused ears picked up the snap of the arrow as it left her bow. The thin spear snailed in the air, progressing no faster than a paper airplane. He smirked and ran right towards it. With one hand, he grabbed it and snapped it in two, letting it drop to earth as nothing more than useless twigs. Golden-brown eyes shot at Claudia, calm and menacing.
He cried out to the skies as he clenched his fists and channelled all the energy his body could hold to his fists. In a swift movement, even he didn't know he could do, he flew forward with an arm stretched ahead. His fist felt nothing when it hammered into Claudia's face. The assassin was thrown back several metres, piercing thick tree trunks with her body, head first, until she was nothing more than a bad memory.
He'd done it.
Having served its purpose, all the energy left his body. The blue aura that surrounded him blinked out instantly. Still puzzled, he gazed at his palms. What was he?
"Ash!"
The girl's cry broke his thought immediately. Later. Right now he'll go claim his reward. He ran towards the tree that Misty was wrapped to and tore off the thick ropes with a single hand. She toppled on top him from the sudden loss of support.
He met the joyful tears watering her blue eyes with an unwavering stare. They were captivated by the peaceful silence, lost in each other's gazes. Misty's cheeks began to grow red when she realised how tightly Ash was holding her around the waist and how close his lips were from hers. "Ash…"
Ash didn't say anything. He didn't want this moment to be broken up by a slip of his clumsy tongue. No, he'd put the little bugger to better use. He put a hand at the back of her head and gently lowered her face to his.
"Ash…" She whispered.
"Ash."
"Ash!"
"ASH!"
"What now!" he pouted.
The silence turned uncomfortable.
His eyes blinked once.
Abruptly, his head hung cold. His blurry vision whizzed clear, startling his eyes with dangling white toes. A simple wiggling exercise proved that they were, indeed, his. Out of fright, he beckoned his hands to meet his feet. But he couldn't move his hands!
"Ash!"
He swung his face towards the voice as fast as his neck would allow. Hot pants played with two long, red hairs, blowing them away from a strained face. Ash looked up and learnt that her wrists were squeezed with a thick brown rope that dropped from somewhere high up on the tree she was bound against. It didn't take him long to realise he was tied up in exactly the same way.
Misty gave a weak smile. "What a time to go daydreaming."
"Again?" Ash sighed, disappointed in himself. "What happened?"
"Well, you remember when you tried to attack her from the back?" He nodded reluctantly. "She kind of saw that coming and counterattacked with the back of her fist. You got knocked down and your nose started bleeding. Then that's when she pointed that bow and arrow of hers at you. I got really scared that she was going to shoot you so I kind of called out your name. And that's when you just fell back with your eyes closed and … passed out."
It was just a dream! Ash shook his head, very disappointed. What was going on with – wait! "Where is she?"
"I don't know." Misty glanced at the fire still burning in the centre of the area for second. "She was sharpening her knife a couple of minutes ago. I think she gave up on you when you didn't wake up after so long. I'd say you were out for over fifteen minutes."
"That long?" Ash said, shaking his head again.
"Well at least it's nice to see you were having a … good dream…"
"What?" Ash said, confused. Using her eyes, Misty guided him to the bulge in his pants. He could feel the blood rushing to his face like never before. Of all things, why did he have to bring that back with him from the dream?
The giggle he hadn't heard for far too long finally graced his ears. "Don't worry. It's only natural for a growing boy," she teased.
"Oh great … the only thing more embarrassing about this is having a girl explain it to you." And she was only about two years his senior.
"You're taking this way too hard, Ash." She smiled, enjoying every minute. "I mean, lots of guys do it all time. More than you even."
"Really?" Lots of guys? "Even, Brock?"
"Every Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny! Scratch that, any pretty thing in a skirt that manages to stumble down his path." They both laughed together for the first time in a while. "Why'd you think I pull him away as fast I can?"
Ash could sort of understand that. If he was ever alone with a girl when he felt like that he probably wouldn't be able to trust himself either. But something was just off about this whole topic. Why was Misty so pleased with her analysis of both him and Brock, and who knew how many other guys? "Hey! What are you doing looking down there anyway?"
"Oh please, Ash. Don't give me that." The calmness and cheerfulness in her voice surprised even herself. Usually she'd be hotter than a tea kettle if Ash accused her of anything! "You know, Ash, I could ask you the same question…"
"What! Er – I don't know what you're talking about!" He laughed to himself, nervously.
"Really?" Misty said in her matter-of-factly voice. "Remember that time you, Brock and I went to that restaurant where they served us way too much food? Think it was called Not-Yet-Ate or something…"
Ash remembered the events of that morning very well…
0-0-0-0-0
Breakfast was all Ash could think about the second he woke up. Thankfully, he didn't have to wait long before he found himself sitting behind a round breakfast table, Pikachu sitting in his laps. A long pole passed through the centre of the table, stretching out into an umbrella at its peak to shield the diners from the morning sun.
Ash took a whiff of the fresh, revitalising air. "This is just great! We should eat at these outdoor restaurants more often!"
"Pika!" His Pokémon agreed.
"This is good and all but the food looks a little much," Brock said as he skimmed through the menu.
"I really need this. I'm willing to Pokémon Battle my butt off to make up for the cost."
"Not expensive, Ash." Brock twirled the menu so his friend's eyes could read without complications. He pointed out a certain item. "That's twelve slices of toast for only that much!" His finger stammered to the printed price.
"Whoa! That's a deal and a half!"
"That's twelve slices! Who could possibly finish all that?"
"Ash and his stomach of course." Misty joined them, having just visited a restroom inside the restaurant.
For some reason, Ash's eyes wandered to her legs as she passed him to get to her seat. Was it just him, or were those shorts getting shorter and shorter…
Minutes later, Ash found himself stuffed only halfway through his dish. The mountain of scrambled eggs was too much for even his greedy stomach to conquer. Brock was munching away at his fifth slice of toast and Misty was nibbling on the first of two ham and cheese sandwiches. Maybe he should have also ordered a 'kiddie' meal. He remembered Misty specifically asking for two servings of milk for her tea and boy did she get them; two full cartons of full cream milk sitting to either of her sides.
For once, in the presence of food, his mind began drifting elsewhere. Somewhere it probably shouldn't have been. He quickly directed his attention back to his plate of eggs and bread. The mere sight of it all sickened his stomach. He was ready to give away his first meal. "Misty, I've got way too much on my plate. Would you like some legs – er - eggs?"
Brock snickered on the side and Ash was smiling nervously. Misty didn't know what had gotten into them. "No thanks, Ash. I've got way too much as it is. And this is supposed to be a kiddie's meal! But maybe our taste buds just need a little adjusting. Help me get mine done and I'll help with yours."
He looked at the two tall cartons of milks and his own plate. Either way, he wouldn't be able to finish but at least with the milk, he could wash down that nasty egg sensation tickling his tongue. "Fine. Let me drink from those big jugs of yours."
Brock choked on an impossibly small pea. Misty rushed to his side and slapped his back desperately, unaware of the chuckles that frolicked between his chokes. When she turned to Ash, his head had turned into a large red tomato with spiky hair sprouting out. "Why are you blushing so much? Did I miss something?"
"He he," Ash sweated. "It-it's nothing. Just pass me some of your milk." He wiped his forehead, just glad that she had no idea of what happened…
0-0-0-0-0
"…But you did know all along."
Misty smiled guiltily at the accusation.
"Misty," Ash asked, almost wishing she wouldn't respond. "How about Daman?"
"Daman." Flames from the fire were reflected in her eyes as she thought of the mentioned. "He's something else. He's the only guy who ever really liked me." Ash's soul was crushed at the words. "He's the only guy who's ever been interested in me, in that way…"
"In that way?" She didn't mean – no, she couldn't mean – "You mean…" She nodded her head much to his discomfort. "But you didn't – I mean, you wouldn't – you guys didn't – he didn't hurt you."
"Hurt me, no! Nothing like that," Misty reassured him. "In fact, he was quite a gentleman. Before we were about to…" She coughed. "He asked me if I wanted to. At least, I think he did. He told me to 'listen to my heart' and then asked me what it said."
"And?"
"And I told him. It said … you. Ash. And … that was it."
Faster than any emotion could break into their hearts, the white assassin dropped before them from nowhere. Her teal eyes killing the moment at once with moving glares. "Ah," she said, looking at Ash. "You're finally awake. Now we can resume our little affair."
"What affair!" Ash spat. "If you want to kill me go ahead but leave her out of this. If you want to kill me … why aren't I dead already?"
"Because, young one, killing in you slumber wouldn't be good practise. Even I have standards." She lifted her weapon at him one more time. "What takes nine to make, but only a second to break?"
That damn riddle again, Ash sneered. It was disgusting how much twisted pleasure she was getting from all this. He fought the ropes binding his wrists but that proved more painful than helpful. When he turned to Misty a glimmer of light shone in her eyes, making her face somewhat excited.
"Life…"
"What?" Ash said, only hearing a low whisper.
"A life, Ash. On average, a baby lives in its mother's womb for nine months before being born. Ironically … it doesn't even take a second for that life to be taken away…"
Ash's expression was in awe, both amazed at how much Misty seemed to know about these things, but also afraid that that answer could only be symbolic of his fate.
"Clever." But before Claudia could shoot the arrow, a dark blaze came smashing into her. Her Bowgun fumbled from her grip and tumbled away from her reach. Her and her new aggressor were struggling on the ground, the man in the black pyjamas overpowering her.
"Daman!" Brock had Claudia pinned by forearms. She was struggling to break free but Brock was sure he could hold her … as long as she didn't get a hold of her Bowgun that is. "Daman, quick! Get the Bowgun!"
Daman stood shivering from about the same distance Brock and Claudia were away from the weapon, only in the opposite direction. Brock wasn't looking too good and if she somehow managed to get the weapon before him then they were all going to be doomed. How did he get himself into this situation?
"Daman, I don't know how much longer I can hold her," Brock said, noticing her tugs and pulls were getting more violent.
Ash and Misty both looked at the frozen Daman. All he had to do was sprint over and get the Bowgun and it would have been all over. His nerves were shaky, obviously not use to this type of dire circumstances. "Daman!" Ash and Misty shouted together.
He was shaken at their loud voices. It was now or never. He turned to Misty's worried face, hurting from seeing her tied up like that. All he could do was his part and hope for the best. "That's one fine piece of ass Brock, but it's not worth my life!" And with that he turned around and disappeared into the trees.
"Coward!" Brock shouted. Suddenly he felt a hard knee ram into his gut. He peeled over, holding his winded belly as Claudia regrouped and got back to her feet. He could see her in the corner of his eyes going back for the Bowgun. This couldn't be happening. The only chance he had now was to go look for help. It didn't seem like he had time for that but If Ash and Misty were still alive than she probably wasn't planning on killing them, only kidnapping or something.
A yellow mouse figure jumped into the light of flames, giving Brock the cue he needed. Unfortunately for them, Claudia had retrieved her weapon. With hardly no time to focus on aiming on the charging Pikachu, she fired an arrow that pierced its tail and carried it off to a far tree. The arrow's point was pinned into the trunk and Pikachu was dangling by his injured tail upside down, blood trickling staining its yellow fur down to its head.
"Pikachu!" Ash cried.
"Not so fast," Claudia whispered to herself before firing another arrow in Brock's direction. The swift arrow soared flawlessly through the air, only ending its course at the base of Brock's neck. It stopped him dead in his tracks, his weak body fainting face first into the ground with the arrow pointing out of the back of his neck.
"Brock!" Misty cried out, tears pouring from her eyes.
"Now, you." Claudia shot an arrow straight at Ash. Halfway through its course however, it was taken in by a stray ball of fire. It dropped to the grass as nothing more than useless ashes. Claudia looked in the sky and found a Charizard, gliding down to the ground with a passenger on its back.
"What…" She gasped as the black dressed rider dismounted the dragon like creature. A rectangular box was fixed beneath his armpit and he held a large, blue bag, its contents bulging out. She looked to his face… "Giovanni? Why did you stop my arrow? It was certain to kill the boy, just like you wanted. And that Charizard…"
Giovanni tossed the bag to her feet. "Things have changed. Your mission is to be aborted, immediately. You'll find exactly what I promised you in that bag. The full amount. Take it and leave. The boy's mine now. That will be all."
ooOOoo
Claudia suddenly stopped, the clattering coins in her bag muting to nothingness. After all that? She turned back and looked at the group of trees that hid Ash and others from her sight. By contract, the only person who could call of the hit was Giovanni. But why? Perhaps, he wanted to do the deed himself to be extra sure. As his client, she could nothing but accept his wishes. But…
Never fail a target…
The heavy bag dropped to the earth with the sound of rustling gold. She turned around, winds carrying her cape closely behind.
ooOOoo
"Consider yourselves lucky," Giovanni said through hard eyes the moment Claudia was out of view. "I did nothing heroic today so don't even curse at me with your words of gratefulness. There's only one person you should thank." He stood the box in front of his feet and stepped away. "Charizard," he shrugged his head towards the tied up trainers.
Charizard acknowledged with a stream of flames to the open air. Could it be possible? Ash thought. Could – "Is that –"
"Yes." Giovanni was right to expect the question. "I'm surprised you didn't remember what used to be one of your own Pokemon sooner. Especially seeing as this isn't the first time it's saved your life." Ash remembered the Pokemon that had knocked Claudia out of that tree in Viridian.
Charizard cut the ropes gripping Ash and Misty with quick swipes of its claws. The two trainers fell down to their knees immediately. Ash didn't move as his muscles were still adjusting to being reused. When, he finally looked up no one was there. Only a simple box stood where Giovanni had been a minute ago. Somehow Pikachu had managed to escape the arrow that had had him pinned and was running towards Ash with tearful eyes.
Unfortunately Brock still wasn't moving. While Misty had run over to check him out, Ash picked up a letter on top of the box and began to read:
Dear …
I don't even know what to call you. Pest … boy … Ash … … son.
That's right. Your mom and I made a decision not to tell you when you were still very young. You see, when I was as little as five I could feel this deep sinking in my belly. At first, I thought it was simply my passion of food playing with me. But I was wrong…
Years later my hunger grew. Grew to include of all sorts of things - money, control, power … you name it. Soon that hunger transformed into rage. Whenever I didn't get my way, I made damn sure no one else got there's either. I always believed I could control it but everybody told me I was lying to myself. A curse passed down from father to son, for eons, every cursed member failing to overcome it. My father gave up on it. He gave up on life and took his own when he was considerably young.
I promised myself I wouldn't be the same. Swore that I could control it. Years down the line, look where I'm at now. Now more than ever, I'm convinced that this ire cannot be controlled. It's a curse that will live in our bloodline for as long as we exist. The only way I could imagine it would stop, is if the very hosts that house this parasite would be exterminated
I swore that it would end with me. That I would never have children. It would've been best for the world not to have anymore demons like us. No, I wouldn't let it happen…
But then I met your mom.
To this day, I don't know what attracted me to her. Hope. Hope seemed to flow in her veins, live in her heart and smile in her eyes. It devoured me and I strongly believed this godly thing living in her soul could be a cure for my curse. So, I gave in. And that's when you came into the picture. Ironically, that's the exact time the evil came back to me. And came back harder than ever. My punishment for doing something that would jeopardise its existence, I believe.
In fear of hurting you and your mother, I left. If there was any hope of you overcoming this fiend from within - than it would have been to your advantage not to know of its existence. After all, you can't acknowledge what you don't know. And so I drove my evil filled body off and left you in the tender care of your mother's hope and love.
I doubt your mother told you this but I was a trainer just like you. And a good one at that. I defeated all the gym leaders but lost against the Elite Four. The depression of the loss, coupled with my evil aura led to the creation of Team Rocket. Look how powerful of an organisation we can be. Now, imagine how powerful we would've been had I defeated the Elite Four and became Pokemon Master. With all those additional resources we would have been literally unstoppable.
Exactly why I had to stop you from becoming a Pokemon Master. I know the evil lives inside you too. It is simply waiting for a tragic and misfortunate event to trigger its activation. I thought the best way to stop this was to have you taken out. But then I realised something.
You have a much greater chance of overcoming the evil. You have your Pokemon, your friends, your mom… Things I never had. And most of all, you have faith from your father.
I trust you can overcome it.
Return the flower to your mom. It represents our never dying love for each other and all the faith I have in you. Don't let it die.
Tell Deliah, I said (tears smeared out the rest of the sentence)
Good Luck.
Ash looked down and opened the box. Inside, was an old wilted plant. It spilled over to one side. "How am I supposed to keep it alive?" He whispered to himself. "It's already dead … dead … dead…" The word echoed in his mind about the same time he felt a deep stab in his chest.
Timidly, his eyes glanced down and found a long arrow impaled through his flesh and bones, piercing his heart right in the centre. Blood drooped from his chest and leaked from his lips. His groogy eyes caught a glimpse of a white cape disappearing into the fuzzy trees before his legs gave up supporting him.
"Ash!" Her voice faded as he fell back. Defeated, he landed on his back with the arrow sticking out from his bloody shirt. He could hear her weeps and feel her tears showering over his face. He used every ounce of strength in his body to give her a weak smile.
Darkness began eating away at his peripheral vision. Brock's words played over and over in his mind…
Cowards don't live, Ash. Fools do…
Another weak smile. How true.
His eyes closed to the world.
Misty cried over his body, not caring that his blood was staining her nightdress. Pikachu's ears folded back. Brock came walking groggily to the two…
"Is he…"
The End?...
...The Rebirth?...
...The Second Killer Cloud?...
Author's Notes
Whoo wipes forehead. Finally done. I was getting tired of writing this story (maybe you noticed the different quality of work towards the end) but I felt I had to finish it. That's my first full fic done and boy am I happy. That last box is basically a couple ideas I have if I was to make a sequel.
So, what do you guys think? Think Ash died?
Originally, the title of this story was to show the transition of Ash moving from being a target to being a victim and then a saviour. But I thought I'd through in a couple more interpretations; one being that Ash was the target, Claudia the victim and Giovanni the saviour. There some more, try and find them. I guess it depends on how you interpret the characters and events. You can have your own opinions and remember no justified answer can be wrong. Oh yeah, and by the way, if you haven't already figured it out, Giovanni didn't send out that guy Amila killed, he only sent out Charizard.
Didn't get any reviews for the third chapter.:( You guys probably lost interest in the story. Well, if I've got any fans left I'd really, really appreciate your reviews right about now. It's now or never, to show your appreciation or to air your disappointments. Just anything, please!
Thanks for reading. I'm probably going to take a break from Pokemon fiction for a while. If I feel motivated to write anything I'll be back.
But till then, peace.