The Power That's Inside Chapter 14, a pokémon fanfic

Hello everyone! Listen, I know the first weekend of December was officially last week, but that was only Sunday and I'll be honest, I was still tired from all that shopping. However, I'm sure this chapter will be more than enough to make up for it.

Here's the stunning conclusion to the last chapter! As I said before, this and last chapter were originally three short chapters, but the break up between all of them didn't make sense to me, so I made them into two longer chapters.

This is probably one of my favorite chapters to write just because of the dialogue Ashley/Alice has. Reading it again to edit it just made me surprised that I was able to write something like it. Okay, enough self-praising, but seriously, I hope you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Pokemon, anything I refer to, or the song/lyrics below. I only have ownership over my OCs.

I'm not your pet, not another thing you own

I was not born guilty of your crimes

Your riches and your influence can't hold me anymore

I won't be possessed

Burdened by your royal test

I will not surrender

This life is mine

Chapter Fourteen

Ash's POV

"Ash! Get up!"

"Huh?" I jumped up. "What is it?"

"Ash Ketchum! Get out here!"

I could only sigh as I climbed out of bed. "I'm coming!" I couldn't find Pikachu anywhere, but I'm guessing he's with Mom right now. I picked up a random shirt and quickly put it on.

"Now, Ashton!"

Mom never yelled at me for anything more than twice. Something must be going on. I walked out of my room and downstairs to see her standing in front of the television. Gary and Oak were there as well.

"What's going on here?" I asked them.

"See for yourself," Gary said as he gestured towards the television. I grabbed the remote and turned the volume up.

"As of this morning, the Lavender Town radio tower is still under control by the newly revived Team Rocket. The highjack was followed by an unusual message broadcasted over the radio on every station from early this morning. Authorities are not able to enter the radio tower nor are they able to recover the signal. This sudden call for Team Rocket's reformation comes from only nearly three months of disbandment." The news anchor announced.

"Sources have said that only a portion of members have been successfully captured and are in custody. Many assume that some members have escaped to other regions and authorities overseas are actively hunting for them now. Currently, authorities have decrypted the message from Team Rocket and are heading to Mt Silver where they believe their leader is hiding and gathering former members."

"This can't be happening," I said as the rest of it went on.

"Unfortunately, it is, my boy." Oak sighed. "We can't have the Gym Leaders head out there right now. They were already involved with the attack on Team Rocket's base, but now they have to calm down the people in their cities. The Elite Four are already on the move, setting up perimeters around the mountain."

"So what can we do about it?" I asked him.

"I know this may stir up bad memories for you, but I need you and Gary to help scale the mountain and finally defeat their boss," Oak said. "I'm turning to you two first, but I will recruit others to help."

"We're leaving tonight, alright Ash?" Gary said. "It's best that we end this as soon as we can."

"Yeah, you're right." I nodded. However, I couldn't get rid of that nasty feeling in my stomach. Would she still be out there? Would she be at the mountain? The last time I saw her wasn't the best. Was all she said the truth? I admit, I wasn't the best when she was still around, but to see that anger, no, rage, in her eyes hurt me to no extent.

I shook myself out of those thoughts. The only way I would know was if I go and meet her myself. I just want to say one thing to her.

I'm sorry, Ashley.

Lucario's POV

"Hey! Wake up!"

"Can't you do it any nicer?"

"You want nice at a time like this?! Come on! Wake up you two lovebirds!"

I growled at the small yellow furball in front of me. This better be good, you hairball.

"There wouldn't be any other reason I would wake you two up!" Pikachu exclaimed as she shoved a note in my face.

"What's going on here?" Gallade rubbed his eyes. He took the note from Pikachu since my paws were busy cradling the egg. "To all my pokémon, I'm sorry for leaving you, but this is for the best. You deserve a happy life and I'm giving it to you. Please don't forget about me. I love you all. – Alice." He read aloud.

I could feel my heart drop down to my stomach. No. She wouldn't do this. Ashley wouldn't get leave us like this!

"Calm down. Maybe this can explain it." Absol switched on the television. We all looked and saw breaking news.

Oh Arceus. I gasped. No wonder.

"Those twins are gone too. I guess she took them with her." Pikachu said.

She took them, but not us? I asked.

"You know as much I do that even if she left them here, they would still run after her no matter what." Gallade rested a hand on my shoulder. I only hugged the egg closer to my body.

"We're going after her." Pikachu sternly said. I snapped my head towards her. "What? I can't just leave her! Ashley and I have been through everything together. There's nowhere in hell am I letting her go off on her own!"

"We already talked to Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur. They're coming with us." Absol added. "But you two are staying here."

What?! Why?! I nearly snarled.

"You two have an egg." Absol glared. "I know Ashley is pregnant, but she made that choice on her own. I hope to Arceus she can protect her child. But for you two, your child will need both of its parents since it is a miracle child. Someone needs to stay here and make sure that the apartment is okay."

"Absol, with respect, I think at least one of us should go," Gallade spoke up.

"And what? Leave the child with only one parent? You know that it's going to be hard for the one who is left. You don't know what might happen. Hell, if you both go, then what will happen then, huh? Who will be left?"

That's enough! I barked. I could feel myself shaking. Gallade, let them leave.

"But-!"

She's right. I don't know how the egg is even here, but it's a miracle. They need both of us. And I can't bear the thought of being alone again. I need you here with me at least. I could feel tears welling up. Arceus, am I crying now?

He paused for a second before sighing. "Fine. But you five better bring Lady Ashley back. Or at least make sure she's safe. Protect her."

"Don't worry about that, Gallade," Pikachu said. "We were already planning on that." With that, the two of them opened the front door and walked out of the apartment.

Gallade and I slowly made our way to the front door as they jumped over the railing. After a few seconds, I saw Charizard fly up with Pikachu on his back and a bag around Pikachu.

I let a few tears roll down my face, but Gallade placed a hand on my shoulder, pulling me close to him.

"Ah, so it looks like they left for her, huh?" I looked over to see Miyamoto stand there. "And you two decided to stay."

"Miss Miyamoto," Gallade said. He was the only one able to communicate with her.

"You know, I saw her out last night." She continued. "Like trainer, like pokémon. But I'm glad you two stayed."

"And why is that?"

"Well, I never had purely pokémon tenants before. This should be interesting." She grinned. "But seriously, I know the feeling of losing a child. You two are a destined pair whose love for each other is strong enough to even defy nature. You should treasure that."

"Miss?"

"Listen to me now, rambling on like an old woman." She laughed. "You two kids have nothing to worry about. From what I've seen, your trainer is fully capable of handling herself, even if she's pregnant. If she's got pokémon just as stubborn as her, then I'm sure she'll come out fine. Who knows? Maybe she'll even come back." She shrugged.

I could only hope for that day to come. I could only hold the egg tighter in my arms. Ashley, I know that you're strong and I want to see you get through this. Just come back safe, okay?

Alice's POV

For a few days, I traveled from Saffron towards Mt Silver. It probably became the point to gather everyone together because there was something strange up there. Silver Town was destroyed by a snowstorm and the storm remained there for years. The storm never let up and since then, people have gone missing up there.

However, there was always a strange energy coming from the top for years. No one ever knew why or how, but it first appeared when the storm did. Perhaps Team Rocket found something out and is trying to harness that power. They only waited a few months to act. Perhaps they finally found something up there of value.

As I expected, in the morning, the news was all over the radio announcements. They were still playing nonstop since they took over both radio towers in Kanto and Johto. I don't know about the other regions

Since it was too risky traveling by day, I've only been going at night. I didn't trust any establishments now since they would all be suspicious of anyone now. I camped out in the forests and trails, trying to make the best of my situation. I had to get to Mt Silver fast.

By now, both my pokémon and Hood and Bree would have wondered where I went. I doubt Miyamoto would even tell them. It still breaks my heart to think of their reaction. I'm glad I got rid of my pokégear. No one can contact me now.

When we neared the mountain, I decided to finally put on my old uniform. I took out the blue contacts and placed the red ones back in. The shirt felt tight as it hugged around my stomach, reminding me of the reason why I'm doing this. The skirt was shorter than I remembered, and I felt exposed with it on. The gloves and boots felt like a barrier from the world. The vest was ripped from when I bandaged up Lucario and Gallade, but the top half was still there. I let my white hair flow freely as I strapped the dagger and shurikens onto my waist.

It's been a week since the radio blared out that message, but I finally made it to the base of Mt Silver. I could see that the Elite Four and authorities have already barricaded the entrance to the mountain. However, I didn't see the problem with this. They may have Will, the second-best psychic in the region after Sabrina, but I had two clever sisters at my side.

Umbreon's aura was enough to block the three of us from any detection as Espeon teleported us into the mountain. From there, I used my aura to cloak all of us and sneaked past all of the guards they had set up. It was surprisingly easy, but now I was faced with the difficulty of climbing the mountain.

Even at the base of the mountain, the snowstorm was prevalent. None of the authorities even dared to go up into the mountain because of the harsh condition and not even the Elite Four have made moves either.

I slowly made my way up, using my aura to block any of the snow flying my way. Luckily, I brought a coat along with me to protect my body from the cold. I can't let my child down like this now.

Espeon and Umbreon huddled close to me as we climbed. Along the way, I saw that some grunts have reached the mountain and set up rest stops on the path up. They immediately remembered me and gave me a few minutes to rest before continuing.

They didn't have the strength to go on much farther, but they were willing to help fellow members up the mountain. I thanked them for their hospitality and continued on my way.

It took a few days before I got to the peak. I quickly got out of the snow and into the cave as soon as I can. I heard that trainers from all over the region were swarming the mountain now too. They were actually climbing the mountain to reach the peak. I had to act fast is I wanted my plan to work.

I already spent a day scaling the mountain and it seemed like my pokémon were ready to drop too. I found a small opening and quickly ducked in before any trainers could find me. I doubt anyone would make it up this far other than any of the grunts. Even so, there were still the ones on the climb up who are still battle-ready.

I unzipped my coat and rolled out some blankets I had in my bag. I laid them down in layers. I put my bag as a pillow as Espeon and Umbreon jumped to my sides as I draped the coat over us.

I was still shivering, but the body heat from the twins cuddling up to me made me warmer and feel safe. I don't know why, but the feeling of warmth was enough o make me fall asleep.

"I think I see something over here!"

I woke up with a start to the sound of thundering footsteps. My heart pounded in my chest as I saw numerous trainers ran past the little opening to the cave I was in.

I kept quiet until the hoard of them rushed passed. With them gone, I threw off the blankets and put back on my coat. I shook my two pokémon awake.

"Come on girls!" I exclaimed. "We have to move!" I grabbed my bag and stood up. Unlike a month ago, my two pokémon were up and ready at my shouting.

"Hey! I think there may be something here!" I heard a voice shouted just outside the crack.

I silently muttered a curse and I quietly ran the other way. I could hear the pounding footsteps of trainers rushing towards the crack. Luckily, the little cave had another exit. I made Espeon and Umbreon squeeze through the small hole first before Espeon teleported me to the other side.

From here, the sounds of pokémon cries echoed off of the walls. Rocks from the cave roof rained down on us, as the battle noises just increased with every second. It seems like the trainers have met the grunts.

The peak of the mountain was close by and I can't afford to be slowed down by any trainers. I took off in a sprite through the caves, avoiding any battles as I could. I heard trainers shout behind me, trying to catch up, but Espeon and Umbreon deflected any attacks coming towards my way.

I was near an exit to the mountainside when a group of five girls blocked my way. They each had a different Eeveelution with them.

"Hold it right there!" the one with a Jolteon shouted. "You're not getting any farther than this!"

"I don't have time for this!" I sighed as Espeon and Umbreon jumped in front of me. Espeon fired her Swift with Umbreon launching a Shadow Ball at their pokémon.

"Go! Glaceon! Leafeon!" Two of the girl shouted. Their pokémon jumped up and fired off their own attacks to block my pokémon's.

A cloud of smoke filled the cave space as I covered up my mouth to not breath the toxic air in.

"Hydro Pump! Flamethrower! Thunder!"

I gasped as the attacks came flying right towards me. I closed my eyes, holding my stomach tightly, but the attacks never came.

I opened my eyes to find the attack gone. Instead, there were five people standing in front of me. My mouth dropped as I recognized their hair colors.

"Onyx? Pyrite? Citrine? Peridot? Aquamarine?" I asked the five in front of me. The five of them looked back at me with a smile.

"Don't worry. We'll never abandon you, general." Pyrite smirked.

"Oh Arceus." I was on the verge of tears. I would blame the hormones, but this time, my emotions got the better of me. Even now, even my admins were behind me. "Where are the others? And each of your twins?"

At the mention of the others, a sober look fell on their faces. "Dan's admins couldn't escape," Aquamarine whispered. "As for Opal and the others…"

"Gone." Onyx finished. "Forever." I could see him clutch his jaw.

My heart sank at the news. Everyone else was gone. Five of them were dead! How could this happen? How? It can't!

"But hey. Don't worry about that now." Citrine interrupted, trying to break the mood. "They did everything they could to let us escape."

"We'll take care of these dancers." Peridot nodded at me. "You just go on ahead."

The laugh I was holding in escaped from my lips. I gave them one last smile. "Thank you for all your help." I nodded and broke out in a run.

I created some platforms with aura and jumped over the five girls and landed outside. I rolled to a stop in the snow. Espeon and Umbreon rolled up next to me. "You two okay?" I asked as I shook the snow out of my hair.

"Just dandy." Espeon nodded as they shook off the snow. The wind picked up and blow some of the powered snow around.

"We only have a little more to go. Just hang in there." I sighed as I stood up. I pulled my coat closer around me as Espeon and Umbreon jumped onto my shoulders.

The storm was picking up more as I got closer to the peak of the mountain. Even from here, I could feel that this blizzard is not natural. It was getting harder to think clearly the farther up I went. I would blame it on the freezing cold, but even when I woke up, my head was pounding.

I trudged through the snow, my hair whipping around my face as the wind blew it in every possible direction. Eventually, I saw the opening to the last part of the cave before the peak. I ran towards it and ducked in.

Once I was in, I shook off the snow on my hair and coat. Espeon and Umbreon jumped down from my coat. It was strangely warm in here, so I shook off the coat. I stuffed it in my bag as I walked farther into the cave. It seems like no trainer shave reached this far up. It's no surprise though. With the number of grunts in the lower levels, the trainers might all be busy.

"So where to now, sis?" Espeon asked. Umbreon looked back at her with a glare. "What? You're the only one here to who can see clearly in the dark."

"It's not that dark." I rolled my eyes. However, Umbreon did take the lead in front and led us through. I only trudge along behind her. As we got deeper into the cave, the heat seemed to build up. Odd since I thought it was be freezing up here. Soon enough, there was fog leaking through the corners and covering our sight.

"We can't go on like this," I said. The only reassurance I had was Espeon wrapping her tail around one of my legs and Umbreon's red eyes glowing in the white fog.

"I can't seem to find anything that might cause this," Espeon said, tightening her hold on my leg.

"It's not natural," Umbreon added.

"Obviously." I sighed. "Come back here. It's not safe to just go off alone." I stepped forward to try and get Umbreon back.

"Watch out!" all of a sudden she jumped at me, pushing me to the ground.

"What the hell, Um-!" I exclaimed before I saw the torrent of water shooting the cave wall where I stood before.

"Oh shit!" Espeon said as she unwrapped her tail. She jumped up and produced a barrier around us, pushing the fog away.

"There's someone here!" Umbreon growled.

"Well, no shit," Espeon added as she let out a low growl.

"Listen you two," I whispered to them. "Stay low. I don't know who they are, but they were definitely aiming for me." I got back up on my feet, but I stayed low. With the barrier Espeon put up, whoever that attacked me couldn't see us. I motioned for Espeon to lower the barrier and she did. In exchange, I set up an aura barrier around the three of us.

Seems like the person who attacked us wasn't going to come out. I gave signals to Espeon and Umbreon to go on either side. Even though Umbreon's red eyes glowed it the fog, Espeon's gem lit up and I'm sure my eyes were glowing as well in response to the aura I was using. That should be enough to confuse them.

"Hiding like a coward, huh?" I spoke up, standing up. "And I thought I was pretty bad." I let out a laugh. "Now, let's handle this like grown-ups, shall? Unless you're scared."

Inside, I mentally cursed myself. Well, old habits die hard.

The fog was cut and quickly disappeared. Even though the fog was gone, I didn't let my guard down. I looked over to see my pokémon hiding behind some rocks. Some fog was left at the edges.

When the fog cleared. I saw the person who attacked me. And it was the last person I wanted to see up here. My hand instantly went to my back, where the mark used to be. I felt my face flush, but I shook it off. Then I looked down back at my stomach. Damn it! I can't start thinking about this right now!

Gary was standing there with his Blastoise right next to him. I suddenly remembered back to when I was at the lab. Seems like he was aiming for my other eye this time.

"That wasn't that hard now, was it?" I asked, moving my hand from my back over to my hip. Way to make it look natural.

"We can just end it here." He simply said.

I only glared at him. "What do you mean by 'we'? If I recall, you tried to kill me!" I shouted. Another slip of the tongue. "Forget it. I'm not dealing with you. I have bigger things to take care of."

Before I could take a step forward, his Blastoise blocked the way. I glared daggers directly at Gary this time. "Bastard, do you really think this is still for some petty crime? You have no idea what's kind of mess you're getting yourself into."

"Listen, I really don't want to fight, but I can't let you go up there." Gary sighed. With a snap of his fingers, an Alakazam stepped out of the shadows and I saw him levitate Espeon up.

"Hey! Let her go!" I yelled.

"Put me down, you creep!" she cried out.

I couldn't exactly get close to Espeon since Blastoise in my way. In the corner of my eye, I saw Umbreon peek out from her hiding spot and she looked pissed.

"So, I see you remembered something from our last encountered." I glared back at Gary. "But you forgot about one thing. Umbreon! Dark Pulse!" At my call, Umbreon jumped out from her hiding spot and fired a Dark Pulse at Blastoise. That was enough to distract him. I ran, jumped up, and grabbed Espeon out of the air. Umbreon soon joined us as she attacked Alakazam with a Shadow Ball.

I landed on the other side. "Are you two okay?" I asked as I let Espeon jumped down from my arms.

"I'm fine now." Espeon nodded. "Thanks for the save sis."

"Listen. If anyone is going to bother you, it's going to be me." She replied as Umbreon hit Espeon lightly over the head with her paw.

"Enough playing around." I laughed. I looked up to see Gary and his pokémon running up towards me. I stood back, more determined than ever.

"Do you honestly think this is still about revenge?" I asked him. "You have no fucking idea about anything that happened! After seeing how you just attack with no reason just shows me that you haven't changed at all."

"I really don't want to do this, but after years of what you did, you leave me no choice!" he finally chose to yell back.

"No choice? No choice?!" I actually laughed at this. "You are fucking delusional. You have no right to say anything about 'no choice'! What made you think I left? Why I joined?! You were the one who left me no choice! You and Ash were always together. Always the famous ones in town. Me? I was just that girl who gave up. I was the one you called weak!"

"Do you have any idea what's like to hear that coming for your own family? Your only friend? No, you fucking don't. I was given a chance and I took it. I gave it all up just so I can be something I could never be. I'll be honest. It was the greatest decision in my shitty life. Think what you want. But you better remember that this all started because of you."

By the time I was done, I was breathing heavily. I didn't know that I would say all of that. I would blame it on the hormones, but I knew that had nothing to do with my speech.

"Wait a minute," Espeon said. I looked over at her.

"Watch out!" Umbreon yelled. I barely registered what she said before the ground under me crumbled. I only got a flash of purple before I started falling. I felt my body weightless as I started to fall towards the dark below.

"No!" I swear that was Gary's voice, but I didn't care for that now. I found footing on a falling piece of rock and jumped up from it. One by one, I jumped up on the crumbling rocks until I reached one hand up and grabbed the edge of the cliff.

"Ugh!" I groaned as I let myself dangle over the edge. I swung my body until I could get my other hand on the edge as well. Using what was left of my strength, I pulled my body up, carefully with my stomach since I didn't want the baby to get hurt. When I was able to get my elbows on solid ground to pull me up, I looked up to see a stream of water heading towards my direction.

I couldn't do anything with the predicament I'm in. As much as I hate it, I shut my eyes closed and braced myself for the blast of water to hit me. However, it never came.

After a few seconds, I opened one of my eyes to see Absol standing there. "Absol?!" I exclaimed, but with that, the piece of the cliff I was holding onto broke off. I started to fall but something grabbed my forearm. I looked up and saw it was Charizard.

"What the-?!" I exclaimed again as he let me down on solid ground again. I could feel the adrenaline rushing through my veins from the past few minutes. I placed a hand on my heart, feeling the rapid beating in my chest. My other hand went to my stomach, caressing it to make sure the baby is safe.

"Pika!" I looked over to see a yellow blur jump into my arms.

"Pikachu!" I could only smile at the little mouse. As she snuggled against me, I looked up to see Blastoise and Venusaur there as well. The rest of my pokémon… they're here. But why?

Do you really think we'll leave you alone with all of this? My head snapped over to the familiar voice. Lucario stood there with Gallade at her side. Their egg was in a sling across Lucario's chest.

"Pi! Pikachu!" Pikachu suddenly shouted.

Listen here, I may be incubating, but I can still fight! Lucario barked at her. As if I was going to leave another mother alone in a fight!

"Please forgive us milady, but we could not just stay in one place. We are grateful for the chance you gave us, but we can't leave you alone." Gallade explained.

"Hey listen, this is a nice reunion and all, but we still got an annoying bastard to deal with!" Espeon cried out. I snapped out of my stupor and stood up.

"Right." I nodded. I looked back at where the water came from. Gary was still standing behind his Blastoise, hiding as always.

"And I thought you wanted to change." I glared at him. "If this is how you want to make amends, then I see where your morals lie."

"As much as I like to try and go back, I do have a duty to uphold too." He sighed. So he's choosing his Arceus damn duties over a human person? He's willing to kill who used to be a friend for publicity?

"You sick bastard." I spat. "And I thought I was despicable. I admit, what I did was wrong, but at least I had no connection. You say it was in cold blood? Yes, it was. But you are the one ready to throw everything away just for a good word. Just like you did years ago. You were willing to pit siblings against each other."

"You weren't meant to hear that." He simply said.

"Of course, I wasn't." I hissed. "You were always the coward. Hiding behind Ash all the time. Even when you couldn't fight back, you always sought out the coward's way out."

"The cliff wasn't my fault-"

"As always, it's never your fault." I cut him off, venomous hatred slipping into each word. "Just like how it wasn't your fault your Blastoise tried to push me over the edge right as I got up. Hitting people when they're already weak. I don't know who's more pathetic at this point."

"Then I have enough else to say," Gary said as he snapped his fingers. At that cue, the rest of his pokémon came out from the shadows.

"Teaching your pokémon to hide like cowards too? I'm not surprised." I laughed. "Unfortunately, I can't waste any more time here on someone like you."

Leave him to us. Lucario said. I have a few things to settle myself.

"You two," Gallade turned to Espeon and Umbreon. "It seems like no matter what, you always stay close to Lady Ashley here. If you could keep her safe."

"Say no more." Espeon nodded.

"As if you expected anything less from us," Umbreon added.

"Charizard, Flamethrower. Venusaur, Frenzy Plant." I told my pokémon. That should be enough cover for the three of us to slip through. As soon as Charizard opened his mouth, all chaos brought loose.

I jumped to the side as another torrent of water headed my way. Espeon and Umbreon matched my movements as I weaved through the fighting. As much as I love my pokémon, I knew they can handle themselves and can do fine on their won. Perhaps I gave them less credit then they had.

The exit was in sight. I just needed one more jump in order to get out in the snow.

Watch out! I heard Lucario's voice echo through the cave. I looked back and saw an Aura Sphere heading my way. I jumped up and it exploded, giving me enough momentum to reach the exit. However, before I did, I passed by Gary.

His eyes were mixed with emotions. Fear, anger, desperation, sadness. Regret.

The last thing I expected to see from him was regret. Bu the question is, regret for what? FOr me? For Ash? For his own grandfather? Perhaps it's better left unsaid.

The cold and snow greeted me again as I tumbled out of the cave. The wind roared in my ears as the snow stung my bare skin.

"Can we stop rolling out in the snow?" Espeon complained as she and Umbreon landed next to me.

"No time to complain." I huffed as I stood back up. We were almost near the top. I had nothing to cover myself. I even left my bag behind in the cave. I placed a barrier around the three of us to protect from the snow, but the cold air still snuck through.

As we walked through, we eventually made to the ruins of Silver Town. The remains of the buildings were now covered in snow and icy to the touch. Honestly, it's eerie to see an entire town decimated like this by a never-ending snowstorm. Walking through the town, it was deathly silent except for the haunting howling of the wind.

Not even Espeon or Umbreon opted to talk. They stuck close to my legs, in fear and for warmth. We reached the middle of the town where the stadium used to be. Now, it's caved in and led to the peak of the mountain. The second I entered the cave, an overwhelming urge to run took over me.

There was no danger in sight, but there was a feeling in me that I had to follow. I broke out in a sprint, navigating the dark maze with nothing more than a feeling. It's strange. It was as if I knew where to go.

I ended up in front of a final exit. I could feel the cold coming from the opening even from the other side of the cave, but there was someone waiting in front of it. I nearly dropped to my knees when I saw who it was. Espeon and Umbreon finally caught up to me.

"Ash," the name came out as a whisper.

"Oh Arceus, Ashley." Was his reply. He started to take a step forward.

"No! Stop!" I exclaimed. He froze where he was. "Don't come any closer."

"But, Ashl-"

"Don't say that name." I interrupted. "I don't even know if that's mines anymore." My voice came out softly.

"My, my," I froze once again at the voice. It wasn't one I wanted to hear again. "The first one to come all the way up here. So you did hear my message."

"You!" I turned around. Madame stood where she was. The same suit and heels clicked as she slowly walked forward.

"I knew my top general would come." She purred as she lifted my chin up. "A little damaged, but I think I can still fix it." I nearly flinched at her touch, but I resisted. I just needed the right moment.

"Who are you?" Ash asked. I turned around as Madame went to face him.

"Ignorant brat." She hissed. "For someone who always got into my way, you sure know nothing about Team Rocket. You should be thankful for even being in my presence. After all, I was one who created Team Rocket."

"Wait, but Giovanni," Ash asked.

"That coward son of mines still hasn't returned so I thought I'll take matters into my own hands. He couldn't even take care of one measly twerp." Madame sighed. "You can't even count on family these days. Isn't that right, Alice?"

When she said that name, I snapped out of whatever daze I in and automatically pulled out my dagger, aiming it at her back.

"Oh?" she turned around. "Perhaps you're taking backstabbing a little too literal."

"You have no power over me," I told her, but my hands betrayed me. They were shaking and my knees felt like they were about to go out.

"Are you sure? Why else would you be here?" she grinned.

"What you made me do, I regret. I do. I was tempted by your promises, but I see through the fog." My voice was steady, but I didn't feel like it.

"After all I gave you? A home? A shelter? A family? You wanted power and I granted it to you. And this is how you repay me?" her voice rose with every word. I found myself nodding. "Insolent child. However, you seemed to have forgotten one little detail in our deal. You still need to get rid of him." She stepped out of the way until I had my dagger pointed at Ash.

"What?" he gasped.

"And I know you never failed a mission before. Don't start now." She walked over to my side. "After all, finish our deal, I can make sure that all you ever wanted will be given to you." I kept my aim in front of me. For some reason, my body started to move forward on its own. I couldn't control it. I felt like a puppet.

A puppet. That was all I was for so long. For years I followed instructions with no mind. I did what I was told with no question. I may have called Gary a coward, but what does that make me? I was able to achieve the status I aimed for, but at what price? Innocent blood on my hands? Severed past ties? A possible future for myself?

I could see Ash say something, but I couldn't hear the words. Tears were welling up in my eyes, blurring my vision. I tried to blink them away, but they ended up running down my face. Only two words from the back of my head reached my ears.

"Kill him."

However, I felt a warmth in my stomach. I remember. I do have a future to live for. I have one to protect. I can't do this now. I can't do it.

"NO!" I screamed, flinging the dagger behind me. I heard a gasp and turned around. The dagger ended up in Madame's chest, already drawing blood. I gasped at what I've done.

Without any thought, I ran out of the cave and into the snow. I collapsed in the snow with Espeon and Umbreon near my sides. I almost forgot that they were here, but I'm glad that they were. I was able to remember everything I'm working for because of them.

"Ashley! Wait!" Ash's' voice was clear again. I turned around to see him running up, but I held up a hand to stop him. "Ashley?"

"Do you believe that people are born evil?" I asked him, my voice was nearly drowned out by the wind and snow.

"What? Of course not!" he exclaimed.

"That's funny. Here I thought everyone's fate was made for them at birth. Everyone's fate is already set, but their destiny isn't. I didn't see where my destiny was when I was younger. I was grabbing at anything that life could've offered." I laughed.

"That day at the lab, I have to admit that my heart was broken to hear people close to me say that I wasn't good enough. I know I was never as good, but I still ran away like a coward. I ran away and made a choice. That choice led me to the life I have now. Did that life make me evil? Did it, Ash?" I looked up at him.

"Ashley, I-…" he trailed off.

"Not even you can say that I was 'good'. That's the thing wrong with this world. There is a clear line between 'evil' and 'good', but is that the truth? Is everything that black and white? Or are there blurred lines, shades of gray, that connect the two? People can always change, same as their destiny. I thought I knew was my destiny was, but now, I see something different." I wrapped an arm around my stomach.

"Fate is tied with us at our birth and it's something we cannot change, but our destiny is something we have control over. If my fate was to be evil, then my destiny has proven to be wrong. If I was fated to be good, then my previous destiny invalidates that. In that case, then I am just stuck in the middle, caught between two concepts that dictate a human's worth."

"Your fate and destiny were clear from the beginning, same with everyone else's, but I could never see mines. It was always clouded and distorted to a point where I believed in a lie. I'm not worthy of any reward. Only punishment is fit for what I have done."

"Ash, I'm sorry." I was crying at this point. "I know you can never forgive me, but please. I was not being fair to you at all. I wanted something you had, but I took a wrong turn somewhere. Both good and bad things happened to me because of it. I made good memories and friends that I will never forget."

"Family is something I thought I didn't have, but now I see that it's not blood-related. I hurt you and I regret it. I've done the wrong things, but I learned. It's a part of any human being. As much as my desire for power grew, so did my common sense. I was tempted with something nothing more than fiction and made mistakes."

"However, I broke through. I broke through the mask and saw the truth. I can't change the past and I for sure as hell can't rewind time. Humans are horrible, but they have redeeming qualities."

I finally stood up and smiled at him. Tears blurred my vision and my hair was whipped around by the wind, but I still smiled.

"Ashley," Ash said. "I'm sorry too. I should've have done something. Said something. I didn't mean for you to feel so isolated and it's my fault. Ever since that day at the lab, I blamed myself for not being able to save you."

"Save me?" I almost laughed. "Perhaps I didn't realize the power I was looking for was just inside of me all this time." I could feel the ground under my feet starting to crack, but I didn't care. I wrapped a hand around my stomach. "And I know you have that power too. I wish you still have that power as an uncle."

Those were the last words that left my mouth as the cliff finally crumpled. Espeon and Umbreon jumped on me as the ground fell apart, but I didn't care at this point.

"Ashley!" Ash cried out my name, but the last I saw of him was his hand reaching out to grab mines before my vision was covered by the snow.

I clung onto Espeon and Umbreon tightly as we passed through the white and into the darkness. The wind and snow bit at my face in sheets.

If this is how things are going to end, then I'm happy that I was able to clear the air with those around me. Do I still have regrets? Of course, I do. For the pokémon I leave behind, I hope they can find a happy home somewhere. And for my own child, I want them to live in this odd world, but if things go like this, but I'm sorry that they never get the chance to.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to my pokémon.

"Don't be." Espeon purred, nudging me with her face.

"You can never get rid of us." Umbreon copied her motion.

I braced myself for the eventual impact, but that never came.

Don't any of you worry, this isn't the end. Trust me, this is about the halfway point. Shocking I know. But this is where the ending you voted for will come in. I already wrote a lot about it because it's a lot of world-building for me, especially for a game I have never played before.

I hope you all sincerely enjoyed this chapter and I would love to hear what you have to say about Ashley/Alice's dialogue here. It's pretty unique and difficult to write, but I want to hear your thoughts on it. And on that note, I hope you all stay tuned to the next chapter of both this story and Ashley's life.

-AKCC, signing out!