Ash Ketchum Z-Warrior Unleashed (Discontinued)

by pokemonrox7

When you lose, you get back up and start again. When you train to get stronger, you naturally get better. So, after Ash and his pokemon find themselves in a whole new dimension with people wielding incredible powers. What is he to do? Easy. With the great Son Goku as his mentor, Ash must train to become strong enough to face a threat that can bring both of his worlds to ruin...

2. My Secret, My Vow

Chapter Two: My Secret, My Vow

"Mrs. Ketchum, I assure you, your son is fine! His condition stabilized not too long ago."

"Then let me talk to him!"

"Er...l'm afraid that's not an option right now...You see...he's out of the danger zone, but he still needs plenty of rest.

"Can't I at least see him?!"

"Ma'am...this video phone is fixed to the wall..."

This doctor was not making any leeway with this woman...

It had been about a day and a half since Ash Ketchum had been brought in to be treated for the mysterious ailments that befell him on the battlefield. He had since recovered, but had not yet woken up.

One of the doctors that treated Ash had the responsibility of contacting his mother, Delia Ketchum, who was aware of what happened due to the event being televised.

It was nice that Ash had a mother who clearly loved him to such an extent...but at this point...he was just repeating himself.

How could he keep his sanity after repeatedly reassuring someone as passionate as Delia for three hours?

Then, as if some divine being took pity on him, a voice came from behind the doctor.

"Oh! Mrs. Ketchum, it's nice to see you!" Brock greeted as he walked up to the video phone, Dawn and Piplup in tow.

"Oh! Brock, and Dawn too!"

"Lup!"

"Oh...you too, Piplup... "

The doctor saw his chance of escape from this endless loop...

"Uh, excuse me, I need to make my rounds...how about you kids talk to this nice woman; she seems to know you..." He got of his chair and held the receiver out, hoping that they couldn't see the minor trembling in his hand.

Thankfully, Brock graciously took the phone from the doctor's grasp and sat down on the chair, Dawn and Piplup leaning in so they could be in view.

Counting his lucky stars, the doctor fled as professionally as he could.

Taking notice, but ultimately ignoring the man's strange behavior, Brock and Dawn began to converse with Delia.

"Mrs. Ketchum...it's...uh...been a long time..." Brock started off the conversation quite awkwardly. Considering the situation, he could've used a little more finesse with his words. Fortunately, Delia didn't take that starter badly.

"It has! Are you all keeping clean? Eating well? Brushing your teeth?"

"Yes, yes... Don't worry, with me here, they never forget a day!" Brock said in response to Delia's onslaught of questions. He didn't blame her for her slight pickiness. It was clear that she was just desperately worried about the condition of her son.

As if reading her mind, Delia's eyes widened and her posture slumped a bit.

"Oh... l'm sorry...I came on a little strong, didn't I?" Delia asked, her face adorned with a sheepish smile. To reply, Brock and Dawn shook their heads.

"No, it's ok, we understand...we're all worried right now." Brock sighed.

"Mrs. Ketchum, out of curiosity, has Ash had any medical conditions where stuff like this would've happened? Maybe something that matches what we saw yesterday?" Dawn asked.

In reply, Delia looked thoughtful before she shook her head in negation.

"No, Ash has always been as fit as a fiddle. I've never ever seen him like that before..." Delia replied.

A hopeful look glimpsed Delia's eyes and she focused hard on the screen.

"Have they told you anything about Ash?" She asked.

Unfortunately, both Brock and Dawn were quick to put her down.

"Probably not anything more than they told you. Ash was inflicted with...something after the match with Paul, something really serious...They've stabilized him, but he still hasn't woken up..." Brock recounted everything they had been told.

A sad look crossed Delia's face as she heard the exact same rundown that the doctor gave her.

"Yeah...that's pretty much what I was told as well." Delia replied.

It upset Dawn and Brock to see Delia so drained. Ash's mother was a special person, able to brighten a room with her smile alone. The sun seemed to shine brighter, the wind blew much gentler, and it was almost like one could talk to her about any problem and feel better. So seeing her like this, so defeated, was heart-wrenching.

Brock knew that, no matter what, they had to reassure her.

"Mrs. Ketchum, Ash'II be just fine. I've known him for a long time, and I know that he'll bounce right back from this. He's shaken off worse..." Brock began.

"Y-Yeah! You should've seen what Ash has done for as long as I've known him. Whatever happened to him yesterday is tiny in comparison to that!" Dawn added in.

"Pip!" The coordinator's first pokemon chimed in.

Delia stared at the screen for a few moments, seconds ticking by as she processed what Brock and Dawn said to her.

"I-I…" She struggled to get the words out.

"And you don't have to be concerned about anything. We're always gonna be here to be here to support him too!" Brock said.

Piplup nodded his head resolutely, giving a determined "Lup!" in reply.

Dawn winked at the camera, "No need to worry!"

A few more seconds of silence permeated through the booth they were in. But those awkward moments were more than worth it when Delia gave them a beaming smile.

"Ash is so lucky to have friends like you... "

Brock chuckled.

"Yeah, Ash is a good battler, but he'd be useless without us turning the map the right way 'round and telling him to wash his hands before eating." Everyone couldn't help but laugh at Brock's allusion to Ash's incompetence when travelling and cooking, but it was hard to fault him, he was Ash after all.

"I'm sure that when Ash wakes up..." Brock started. "...he'll want to come home to Pallet Town, to see his mom and have a delicious home cooked meal, with all his friends and pokemon."

Hearing that made Delia recoil slightly and she nodded.

"Y-You're right! I'll need to prepare a big feast for when he gets back! You two will come along, right?" She asked.

Obviously, Dawn and Brock were unable to reject the invitation.

"Ok! I have lots of things to prepare for now!" Delia's expression became determined. She gave the ones on the other side of the screen a soft smile.

"Thank you, thank you all...I feel much better now…I need to start preparing to have everything ready by the time you all get here!" Delia said.

Brock and Dawn nodded. "We'll be looking forward to it."

"Yeah, I can't wait!"

"Piplup!"

As the conversation was coming to a close, Delia added one last thing...

"Oh, before I go…When Ash wakes up, be sure to tell him…that his mommy loves him, and tell Pikachu to keep taking care of him when I can't." She said.

"You got it, Mrs. Ketchum." Brock and Dawn replied.

"Goodbye!"

Both sides hung up the phone, and the call was ended.

Delia sighed as she finally removed her fingers from the receiver. It had been forever since she had grabbed onto it and frantically dialed the hospital that Ash was at, so she could at least rest them now.

Wait. What was she thinking? There was no time to rest!

"Mimey!" Delia called out, to which a Mr. Mime wearing an apron and carrying a broom popped his head into the living room doorway.

"Mime?" He asked, a question of what was required of him.

"Let's get to work! We have a lot to get done when Ash and his friends come back."

"Mime!" The pokemon joyfully nodded before retreating back into the doorway to start polishing the silverware in preparation for Ash's arrival.

Delia got up from her chair and walked over to the kitchen. She donned her own apron, hanging on a hook and tied it behind her back.

"Alright! Let's get started!" She exclaimed as she prepared to start on the feast.

Unfortunately...this was a feast that Ash wasn't going to be returning home for...

Blurriness...

That was all Ash could see once he finally opened his eyes. He groaned and shook his head, trying to get rid of his muddled vision. He could make out simple objects, but that was about it. Nothing more than shapes and colors all melded together into a menagerie of confusion. He could deduce some things, like the fact that he was laying on something, indicating that he was in some sort of bed, but to an extent, even that was limited.

Ash sat up and tried to focus on minor details at a time so that he could possibly gain some focus of what was going on.

First, what happened prior to his awakening?

Well, he'd just lost to Paul in the Sinnoh League. A total bummer there. He really thought they'd win, right up to the last second.

Then Paul had proceeded to step way over his boundaries as a rival, and insulted both Ash and lnfernape. It was still hard to believe that Paul had done something so extreme.

And then he felt this...awful pain in his chest, like a blazing fire had been lit within his heart, sending burning pain all over his body. He remembered being asked to be put to sleep. He was just lucky that with Cynthia and Roserade there, they had a painless option.

Ash grit his teeth and moved a hand, weakened by inactivity, to his chest. He found that his vest had been removed, and he was only wearing his white shirt to cover his upper body.

As if responding to his hand, his chest seemed to throb, as if his heartbeat suddenly got stronger. Ash grimaced as he felt that sensation and took his hand away.

"You...lose again..." He said to seemingly no one.

Feeling a little drained, despite just waking up, Ash flopped back onto the bed.

"Thank goodness..." He sighed.

He noticed his vision start to clear up a little, and he could make out the room around him.

Well, he was definitely in a hospital room. The white walls, smell of disinfectant and the IV drip made that quite obvious.

Wait, they had to use an IV drip? This took an even greater toll on his body then he thought...

Ash noticed the needle sticking into the skin of his right hand which was connected to the drip. He considered pulling it out, but decided against it, as it would probably mess with his recovery.

He then felt his free hand rub against something soft. Soft and furry. A sensation of touch that he'd become all too familiar with throughout all his adventures.

"Pikachu..." Ash smiled as he finally noticed his starter lying on his left side, curled up into a ball and sleeping peacefully.

Ash looked out the window to his room. It was daylight. Pikachu probably stayed up all through the night, making sure that Ash was alright. It was clear that he was very worried about his best friend.

Ash gently reached his hand out and gave Pikachu's head several soft strokes, which slowly coaxed the electric type out of his sleep.

"Ka... " Pikachu let out a big yawn and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes with a paw. He was really tired. A whole night of sleep, and Ash hadn't awoken. It really had Pikachu worried that his trainer, tough as he was, hadn't returned to the land of the living...

Wait...

"Hey buddy, sorry to wake you." Ash said with a warm smile on his face.

Pikachu's brown eyes shone with delight, and his face morphed into one of pure joy, and his tiredness instantly disappeared.

"P-Pikapi!"

Ash was suddenly hit in the chest by a yellow and brown blur, which he was able to catch with his free hand.

"Haha! Good to see you too, bud!" Ash said, pulling Pikachu into a one-armed hug that his partner accepted without any hesitation.

"Pika Pikachu Chu Pika Pi Pika! (I was so worried about you, I thought you'd never wake up!") Pikachu cried, hugging tightly to his trainer.

"Hey, c'mon. You know me, I'm way too stubborn to be beaten by a little illness.

Pikachu could only shake his head in reply of Ash's declaration. "Pika Chu Ka... (Ash...you were coughing up blood. That's not normal. We were all worried about you...") Pikachu said.

Ash sighed and pet Pikachu's head.

His starter was totally right; whatever happened to him was not normal, especially with something that serious having little forewarning.

Well...without them having forewarning...

Yes...Ash knew the whole reason why he collapsed yesterday, why he was suddenly at risk of death after being completely healthy a few moments prior. But telling anyone, even Pikachu, the real reason...that was just something he was unable to do, not without constant worry of the repercussions.

At that moment, the door clicked open and a woman in a nurse's uniform stepped through.

"Oh, you're awake Mr. Ketchum, how are you feeling?" She asked upon realizing that Ash was awake.

"I'm fine. A little stiff here, and a little sore there...but I feel great after sleeping a bit." He answered.

The nurse offered the trainer and his pokemon a soft smile. "Ah, that's good to hear, you were in a pretty bad way yesterday. The only time we could get your Pikachu to leave your side was when we were treating you. He cares about you a whole lot." She told him. She proceeded to walk over to his right side and detached the IV tube in his right hand, making Ash wince a Iittle.

"Pikachu! Pika Pika Pi Chu Pikachu! (Of course I do! He's my best friend after all.") Pikachu said.

Ash chuckled at Pikachu's response before he turned back to the nurse.

"Uh, I'm sorry to ask this of you after you just woke up, but will you accept visitors currently?" The nurse asked.

"Huh? Accept visitors? Yeah, I guess." Ash replied. He assumed that Dawn and Brock were waiting for him to recover, so he thought that they would be the visitors.

The nurse beamed at Ash's response.

"That's wonderful! After all, this visitor has been waiting a long time to see you." The use of the word "visitor" now had Ash confused.

"Uh...not 'visitors'?" He asked. He was so sure it would be his Sinnoh companions.

"No, it's just one person, but if you'd like, I can tell whoever you'd want that you're awake." She offered.

"Th-Thanks. Could you please tell my friends, Dawn and Brock I'm awake? I'd appreciate that." Ash asked.

The nurse smiled and nodded. "Consider it done." She said, before exiting the room, leaving Pikachu and Ash alone once more.

"So," Ash started, attempting to break the silence. "...Do you know who our visitor's gonna be?" He asked Pikachu.

He earned a shake of the head from Pikachu in reply. Yeah, of course Pikachu would have no idea; he was asleep until a few minutes ago.

So, who could it be...?

Their question was swiftly answered a few moments later.

"I'm glad to see that you recovered, Ash."

Both Pikachu and Ash stared at the newcomer with wide eyes.

"CYNTHIA?!"

"Hey, not so loud, this is a hospital, you know." The Sinnoh Champion scolded Ash for his increase in volume.

Yes, as it turned out, Ash's first visitor ended up being one of the greatest pokemon trainers in the world.

"Oh! Uh...heh...sorry about that..." Ash apologized in an embarrassed tone. "I didn't mean it, you just took me by surprise, is all." Ash said.

Cynthia could only let out a light chuckle. Ash seemed to be back to normal. He was smiling and happy once more, a total contrast to his last moments of consciousness back at the stadium. She couldn't be more relieved that the cheery trainer had returned to his ordinary personality.

But, there was something...off about his sudden recovery. There was definitely something else going on. No one just bounced back from a situation like yesterday, not even Ash. Cynthia's skepticism was only further pushed when she noticed that Ash's smile was somewhat forced.

Ash, of all people, forcing a smile? Yeah, something was definitely up...

That was one of the reasons that Cynthia had come today. Among just wanting to know if one of the pokemon world's most promising trainers was alright, she also really wanted to get to the bottom of what exactly happened yesterday in the stadium.

Cynthia was very enthusiastic when it came to mysteries, and as a Champion, she usually relished tough challenges. She strived to figure out some of the pokemon world's oldest stories and legends, mainly Sinnoh's.

From the Lake Trio, to the Creation Trio, heck even the way the very world was formed. She was so glad that Celestic town was her hometown, which housed one of the best museums for this stuff. Before her reign of Champion, Cynthia could often be found staring at display cases of Unown runes or writings supposedly left by the ancient Pokelantians.

She strived for puzzles she could really sink her teeth into, and wanted to uncover the mysteries about all the things she was fascinated by.

That included what happened to Ash yesterday. She didn't want to just solve it for her own curiosity, but out of concern for Ash too. That sudden illness spiked up out of nowhere, so who was to say that it couldn't happen again?

His defense of Paul was also something she was curious on. All through the night, she had asked herself on Ash's curious change of heart.

Speaking of Paul, she hadn't seen him since last night... He was missing from his hotel room, and no one had seen him since the ceremony, except for this island's Nurse Joy, who said that he had left the building once he had gotten his pokemon back. After that, nothing...

He'd better show up sooner or later since he still needed to apologize to Ash once he was back on his feet.

But that probably wasn't something that she needed to worry about, right? Paul was maybe off brooding about apologizing or something in one of the island's forests.

He'd be back soon...

Anyway, now was the time to start asking. She had way too many 'whys' floating around her head, and she needed to start satiating them. She pulled up a chair and sat next to Ash's bed.

"Ash...do mind if I ask some questions about yesterday...after the final match?" Cynthia asked the still grinning trainer.

As he was asked the question, Ash thought for a second before nodding.

"Sure! I'll answer what I can." He told the Champion.

That answer bloomed a smile on Cynthia's face and she made her gratitude known. "Thank you, Ash." She said.

"Heh, no problem! What do ya wanna ask?" Ash asked the older woman.

Cynthia sighed and started off with her first question.

"Ok, Ash. l know you a lot better than I know the average trainer. I may not know you that well, but I do know that yesterday, you wouldn't have condoned Paul's actions unless you had a reason for it. Why did you defend Paul? He would've been punished and you would've taken his place as the League Champion. So...why?"

Hearing Cynthia's question made Ash think for a moment before he sighed.

"Well...we didn't win..."

"Excuse me?"

Ash took a deep breath and repeated himself.

"Well, it wasn't a victory for us. As much as I hate to say it, Paul won fair and square yesterday. What Paul did was awful, of course, but I can't complain about losing in our battle, we gave it our all out there and we still lost."

"Is that so?" Cynthia asked.

"Yeah." Ash nodded his head in reply. "That's right."

His smile then curved downwards.

"Paul was...out of line, I agree with that, a hundred percent. But I just didn't feel like I could take his title away, since we didn't earn it for ourselves." Ash said.

Cynthia nodded in response. Ash was quite a unique person, that was for sure. No one would've objected to him becoming League Champion, no one but Ash himself. How about that...

She didn't deny his choice. She was happy that Ash would go to such lengths to do things the proper way.

However, a frown then crossed her features.

"And that bugged you enough that you lied to both me and the Pokemon League President to get him out of trouble...?" She asked.

Ash recoiled a little and chuckled nervously.

"U-Uh...well...heh heh...it was kind of a spur of the moment thing. I was kinda occupied... so I may have needed to make something up."

Cynthia was about to comment on that, but before she could, Ash's partner beat her to it.

"Pikapi! Pika Pikachu Pi Pika? Pikacha Pika Ka Kachu! (Ash! How could you be so dumb? For no real reason as well!") Pikachu shouted.

Ash could only give a humored chuckle and stroked his starter's ears to calm him down.

"Hey, no being loud in the hospital, remember buddy?" Ash reminded the electric type, who's eyes widened at the memory of Cynthia telling his trainer off before crossing his arms in poutiness. He just let himself enjoy the ear strokes he was getting.

Cynthia giggled too before she returned her attention to Ash.

"To recap...you decided to throw your chance at victory away because you didn't feel that it was right to be announced a winner after losing?"

Ash nodded in reply. "Uh huh, that's pretty much it." He said.

Cynthia smiled at Ash. But there was something weird about it. That smile that suggested there was something else going on.

"Ash..." Cynthia began. "You couldn't lie to me yesterday, and you can't lie to me now. You're only telling me what you want me to hear. What you just said isn't the complete truth, is it?"

And just like that, time seemed to stop in the room...

Ash stopped stroking Pikachu's ears, much to the electric-type's confusion and his smile instantly disappeared.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." He said in a quiet voice, averting his eyesight.

"I knew it! He is hiding something!" Cynthia thought. The sudden shift in his personality, as well as his refusal to look at Cynthia directly was a clear indicator that Ash wasn't being completely honest.

It was strange though. Ash was able to tell his previous story with so much gusto and conviction, it was almost like he believed it himself. It was legitimately surprising that Ash had something else to hide.

But now that she knew that there was something Ash didn't want her to know, she was determined to find out what it was.

Still she needed to remain gentle, needed to remain composed. Ash was well within his rights to keep his own secrets, but when those secrets ended up concerning something as big as winning the Sinnoh League, it was up to her to at least try to get to the bottom of them.

"Ash...You do know what I'm talking about. I can tell you're hiding something. Your ability to lie about this kind of thing isn't that good."

"Cynthia...it's fine, you don't need to worry." Ash protested, desperately trying to make the Champion forget about pressing the issue.

Cynthia noticed that the trainer was getting rather distressed, at this point. It was clear that he didn't want to reveal anything.

Knowing this, the blonde woman decided to change her angle.

"Ash...why don't you want to tell me? I promise that whatever you have to say, I'll do my best to understand."

She was surprised to see Ash shake his head in rejection.

"You can't understand...no one can..."

This statement not only shocked Cynthia, but also Pikachu who looked up to his trainer in worry.

Cynthia gathered her bearings once more before she reached out a hand and put it on his shoulder in a comforting motion.

"Then help me to. I'll listen to whatever you want to say." She said.

Ash grit his teeth in reply, and his hands balled up into fists.

"I-I just can't..." He replied in a defeated tone.

It was around that time when Cynthia and Pikachu realized that Ash was visibly shaking, trembling like a leaf on a windy day.

The penny dropped for both Cynthia and Pikachu.

"Ash. You're...scared to tell us about it, aren't you...?" Cynthia asked as gently as possible.

Ash's response wasn't verbal, but a slight hitch in his breathing was all they needed to know that Cynthia had hit the nail on the head.

"Ash...you can tell me...you don't need to be afraid." Cynthia said in a soothing voice, her genuine concern shining just as brightly as her curiosity.

Pikachu nodded in agreement. His best friend was troubled for some reason, there was no way that he was Just going to let that slide!

They both watched as Ash had his head hung, whether in rejection, or thought, they didn't know.

Eventually, the trainer finally said something, but it was so quiet that neither Champion, nor pokemon picked up on it.

"What...? Can you please repeat that Ash?" Cynthia asked. "We didn't quite-"

"C-Can I trust you...?"

Ash interrupted Cynthia with a repeat of his earlier mumble, now much more audible. At this moment, it seemed like Ash wanted an answer to this question before he went any further.

Cynthia couldn't help but feel sympathy for him. Whatever Ash was hiding had him so scared, he was doubting the trust that they had built up over Ash's Sinnoh journey. She had read Ash and Paul the ancient wordings that adorned the aged Celestic Town ruins, helped to thwart a couple thieving attempts by Team Rocket, and they even worked together to take down Team Galactic's criminal organization.

If Ash thought that could all be compromised by this thing that he was hiding. it must've been huge.

"Trust...? Of course you can trust me Ash. I swear that nothing will change, no matter what you tell me." Cynthia said. She offered a warm smile in Ash's direction to urge the teen to believe in her.

Ash finally raised his head and looked in Cynthia's direction. His expression was unreadable, completely blank, to a point where even Cynthia was having a hard time telling what his true emotions were.

It remained like that for a couple of moments before Ash broke eye contact with her and reestablished it with Pikachu.

"Buddy...l know that you wanna stick around a little longer...but can you leave me and Cynthia alone for a while, please? I really don't want you to be here..." Ash requested.

Both Cynthia's and Pikachu's eyes shot wide open at Ash's demand. He wanted Pikachu absent from this conversation?

Ok...the lack of trust with Cynthia was one thing...but a lack of trust with Pikachu?

His best friend? His greatest partner? The second half of an incredible duo? Whatever this was, it was bigger than either of them imagined.

"Buddy. I don't know how to put what I'm going to say into words...and believe me, you were the first one I wanted to talk to about this, if I ever thought I desperately needed to tell someone. But...l..."

Ash hung his head once more.

"I can't tell you...just yet...l'm not prepared for what could happen."

Pikachu looked at Ash with a mixed look of hurt and confusion

"Pikapi...P-Pi Pika Pika Pikachu... (Ash...what do you think I'd do...?") He asked.

Ash grit his teeth and looked at his closed fist.

"I-If you knew...l'm afraid that...that..." Ash took a deep breath to steady himself.

"I-I'm afraid that you'd run away from me, that you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore... That you'd be scared of me."

And before he knew it, Ash's body was suddenly flooded with 100,000 volts of electricity.

The trainer let out a cry of pain as Pikachu hit him with his Thunderbolt attack. Due to his constant exposure around Pikachu, his electric type moves had minimal effect on him, but when Pikachu actually put some effort into his shocks...

Well...the pain tilled him with nostalgia to say the least.

Cynthia gasped at Pikachu's sudden attack upon his trainer. But then again, she couldn't really blame the Mouse pokemon for trying to shock some sense into his thick-skulled buddy, after what Ash had just proposed.

Eventually, Pikachu cut off the flow of electricity, but wasn't content to let his now spasming trainer off that easy. He then leapt onto Ash's chest and began to throttle his shirt collar with his tiny paws, meeting Ash's surprised eyes with his own.

"Pika! Pika Pi Pikachu Pikapi!? Pikachu Pi Pikacha Ka Kachu? Pi Chu Pika Chu Chupi Pikachupi Pika! (What the heck is wrong with you Ash!? Is this secret so big that it undoes our friendship? I'd never ever leave you, you know that!") Pikachu cried, the 'being silent in a hospital' rule long forgotten.

It occurred to Cynthia that she should probably break this up before it got out of hand, but just as she was about to do it, she stopped herself. It may be a little extreme, but Ash and Pikachu needed to sort this out. That took priority right now.

"Pikachu..." Ash whispered as he stared at his friend. It had been a really long time since he had seen Pikachu this angry; maybe even the first time he'd seen him this angry. The two got along so well that negative feelings didn't really exist between them. But, because of one moment of doubt, Pikachu had become mad at him.

"I-I…Pikachu—"

"Pika! Ka Pikachu Pika Pika Pikachu Pikapi? (No! Listen, you idiot!") Pikachu cut of whatever Ash was going to say with another rant, which caused the raven-haired trainer to keep his mouth closed.

"Pi...Pika Pikachu Chu Pika Pikacha Pi Ka Kachu Pikachu Pi...Pikachu...Pikapi...? (You know...yesterday...on the battlefield...to get as far as we did, we needed to trust each other a hundred percent...isn't that right, Ash?")

Pikachu now spoke a little softer, his anger seeming to abate a little. However, there was still a distinct look of hurt in his eyes.

Not knowing if his mouth would respond, Ash could only nod in response.

"Pika...Pikachu Ka Pika Pikachu? Pikapi... Pika Pikachu...Pi Pika...Chu Pika... (Then...why can't you trust me now. lt's just that...we've been best friends for so long. l just don't know how you can think I'd ever leave you...")

Pikachu finally let go of Ash's collar, but still stared straight at Ash's face.

"Pikapi...Pika Pika Pikachu... Chupi Pi Ka Pikachu Pika Pika Pi Pika Chu Pikachu (Ash, whatever this secret is, it doesn't make anything different between us. No matter what it is, I'm still gonna be your best friend.")

Ash was stunned at what his buddy was saying, but his resolve to keep his secret from Pikachu shattered from what the electric type said next.

"Pikachu Pi Pika Pikachu...Pi Ka Pika Cha Kachu..." (And no matter what happens and no matter how much time passes, that fact will never change...)

"Pikachu..." Ash whispered.

When Pikachu had gotten what he wanted to say out of the way, Ash spoke up once more.

"I'm...sorry..."

Both Pikachu and Cynthia looked at Ash in surprise at what he just said.

"It's just that...l was so scared. l was so scared that if you knew, you'd leave me. But...but you're totally right, I was just being stupid. I'd trust you with anything..."

For the first time in this section of the conversation, Ash smiled.

"Wow...just who did I please up there to get a friend as precious as you?" Ash asked.

Pikachu grew a smile upon his face as well before giving his trainer a big hug, which Ash returned earnestly.

"Pika Pika Pi? Cha Pika Pikachu. (Concerning your track record? More than enough.") The electric-type joked.

Both of them shared a laugh at that joke. It was so true that it was painful.

It turned out that all Ash needed was a little pep talk from his partner, which the latter was more than happy to provide.

Still, the seriousness of what Ash had to say remained daunting, and the secrets that he was hiding were most likely going to be just as shocking as he made them out to be.

A few minutes later, the moment had passed, and the atmosphere in the room had returned to the norm, if a little tense.

Ash was sitting on the bed, cross legged while Pikachu sat in front of him. Cynthia remained sat on the chair by his bedside, ready to ask Ash the questions she wanted the answers to.

"Ash...are you ready to answer my questions?" Cynthia asked.

Ash responded with a wordless nod.

"Of course...if answering means you have to dig up some bad memories..."

"It's ok...honestly, it was about time I talk to someone about this anyway. But, whatever I say, no matter how unbelievable it may seem, is the truth...so please don't tell anyone, ok?" Ash asked.

Cynthia nodded in reply. Ash had her word. If it was a horrible story, then the only one who had the right to freely share it was Ash.

Ash took a deep breath and clasped his hands together.

"Alright, go ahead."

Cynthia took a breath as she spoke her question.

"Why did you defend Paul when he clearly didn't deserve it?" She asked.

A few seconds of silence passed before Ash answered.

"It wasn't a choice...but a necessity, after, after what Paul did anyway..." Ash said.

"A necessity? How so?" Cynthia asked.

"It's...hard to explain..." Ash said. He tiIted his head left and right, trying to think of a way to put what he meant into words.

"Ok...so, hypothetically, if Paul beat you in a battle, and kicked Garchomp, like he did lnfernape, and said all that mean stuff...you can't deny you would hate his guts, right?" Ash asked.

Cynthia could not help but scoff at the idea of Paul beating her, but for the sake of Ash's explanation, she nodded.

"I would have no reason not to...hate is a powerful word however..." She said.

Ash sighed as he continued.

"Well, you see, at that moment...l hated Paul...l wanted to punch him in the face...or kick him into the dirt. I wanted...l wanted to hurt him...l wanted to do it so bad...l hated him so much." Ash was trying to keep calm right now, but his teeth were grit together, and his fists were clenched tighter than normal.

Hearing Ash's violent desires honestly surprised the two. Ash was not usually a violent person unless he had to be, and that was usually when it was a real dire situation where the lives of both people and pokemon were at risk. To hear that kind of stuff from him was shocking to say the least.

"But..."

Ash's talking gained their attention once more.

"But I couldn't, because...

Ash started to fidget, and that tipped off both Cynthia and Pikachu that this was something that Ash would prefer not to mention.

Unfortunately for Ash, this one detail was the key for the listeners to understand what he was saying. So, he had no choice but to push on.

"Because...that's exactly what he wants..."

Ash said that last part bit in a chilling voice, which sent shivers down both Pikachu and Cynthia's spines.

"Wh-What do you mean by 'he' Ash?" Cynthia asked in an unsettled voice.

Ash held his hand to his chest, and just like before, his heart seemed to beat harder in response.

"He is a monster..."

Ash then took his hand away.

"And I'm trying to stop him... "

When one theorizes about a concept as vague and mysterious as the universe, or even multiple ones, one tends to produce some pretty farfetched theories. One theory might suggest an alternate universe where everything was backwards. Another may suggest that there are an infinite amountof dimensions, spanning across infinite universes. Another incredulous, yet equally likely theory.

When one thinks about these things, it would do nothing more than just make their head hurt. After all, the universe is big place with unlimited vastness and its laws can be somewhat complicated.

In this situation, the world has two kinds of people: those who think that there is something greater out there in the boundless void, and those who disagree. To their credit, the people who disagree are quite justified in doing so. With all the nothingness that is out there, it would be hard to make an argument to the contrary.

However, it if was true, that there was something out there, what lengths would one go to in order to see it? What new things would they experience. What would they do with what they know?

It all led up to a single, yet not so simple question: what if one could...transcend their own universe?

Where would they end up? What would happen to them?

Would they ever be able to return?

At this point in time, there was only one person that was ever able to make that a reality.

His name was Cyrus.

Cyrus was once the leader of Team Galactic, an organization that had but one goal: to create a brand new universe, one that would use the old one as its foundations.

Out of all the teams that Ash and his friends had defeated, Team Galactic were both the most ambitious, and the most formidable. They had the resources, the training, the expertise, and the resolve to make them a great threat.

Their crimes were widespread all around the Sinnoh region, and they weren't small ones either.

Stealing the Veilstone meteorites to create the Red Chain...

Disturbing the state of the Solaceon Ruins in order to obtain the Spear Key...

They even went as far as blowing up the Historical Research Center in Celestic Town so they could retrieve both the Adamant Orb and the Lustrous Orb.

There was no length they wouldn't go to in order to realize their goal.

Their ambitions allowed them to not only capture the Three Lake Guardians, with the assistance of Pokemon Hunter J, but they were also able to not only summon, but also capture Dialga and Palkia.

With the power of the two legendaries, they were eventually able to open up a gateway to a whole new universe at the Spear Pillar in the center of Mt. Corenet If it wasn't handled, it would eventually expand outward and consume the old one.

Thankfully, that effort was thwarted thanks to the efforts of Ash and his friends, and the Lake Guardians.

With Mespirit's power, Dawn was able to heal the wounds Dialga and Palkia got when they were ensnared by the Red Chain.

With Uxie's power, Brock was able to soothe the duo, his words having the ability to calm them both.

And with Azelf's power, Ash was able to close up the hole to the newly formed universe before it could destroy the current one.

However, before the hole could fully close, Cyrus jumped in, abandoning his old universe for this fresh, new one. One that he could rule over, one where he could be king.

In a way, Cyrus won; he got exactly what he wanted, eternal solitude in his own dimension. He left his entire organization to be arrested, and his dream of having his own dimension was finally realized.

What all of that proved was that when one's ambitions took them too far, they could become a serious threat to the world. And when push came to shove, their desires would outweigh concern for both family and comrades.

Every. Single. Time.

What this also proved was, in the pokemon world, crossing over dimensions was really convoluted and difficult. Everything needed to be perfect, and required years of planning and a disposal of moral compasses.

A figure stood in the center of a forest clearing. He was wearing a completely black cloak which shrouded all his features, along with glove and boots of the same color.

The wind blew around him, causing the back of his cloak to whip in the wind quite dramatically.

Wordlessly, he raised two fingers to his forehead.

And in the next second, he was gone.

There was no trace of him anywhere in the clearing.

The region. The world.

The universe.

Their universe that is...

He had achieved what took Galactic months to do in a mere instant.

He had transcended dimensions...

A flawless violet sky overcast the area he found himself in. Clouds overshadowed the atmosphere a few hundred meters up. He could tell that they were there to stop any aerial escapes from this place.

The ground seemed normal enough. It was a dull, beige color that offered nothing in terms of beauty, in fact, it almost resembled that of a flat mountain range with a few boulders here and there.

There was very little greenery around the area, in fact very little at all. At the moment, with every bit of land he could see, he could only find a few shrubs and the occasional sapling. However, he could see some trees to his left, though attributing them that name would be pushing it a little. They were nothing but a mass collection of giant thorns that vaguely resembled the structure of trees.

What was the real eye catcher here was the impressively sized lake of red liquid in front of him. Disturbingly, it was a lake made entirely out of blood, there was even a fountain in the center!

He then regained his focus. He wasn't here to sightsee.

No, he had something quite...sinister in mind.

He began to trek through the vast wasteland that the area provided. His footsteps made light thudding sounds every time they hit the ground. As he craned his neck to look around, he found himself thinking that it was lucky he didn't end up in an area too populated.

He didn't want to get his hands dirty that fast...

He kept up the slow pace as he felt a surge of a distant energy to his right.

"That's where you all are..." He muttered as he changed his path, turning to the right and picking up his pace.

Eventually, he broke out into a slow run, if a few kilometers a second could be considered slow, before he leaped up into the air.

He didn't return to the ground.

A dark purple aura surrounded his body, which had now begun to soar through the air, which only made his travel speed even faster.

He closed in to the collection of energy signatures. Even with his speed, this was a large place. It would take him a few minutes to reach them. No matter.

He was sure of one thing when he reached

Sparks were definitely going to fly...

"Are you seriously suggesting that you would be able to keep up with me?"

"Heh! You kidding? If anything, you'd be hard-pressed to keep up with me, bug man."

"You're pretty cocky for someone who got beaten in just a few blows, you Ginyu dimwit. Your "Fastest in the Universe" title means nothing to me."

It was another day in H.F.I.L which, when put into context, meant: Home For Infinite Losers. There would be someone who would inevitably get bored and pick a fight with someone else.

In this case, the instigator was humanoid male. He was freakishly tall, even bigger than a fully grown Serviper completely stretched out. He was wearing a sort of peculiar armor. This person may have had the standard anatomy of a human, but his appearance showed anything but.

For starters, his skin was completely blue, and had tiny holes all over it, he didn't seem to have any ears, and his scalp had a keratinous appendage going along it. To top it all off, his eyes were completely red, not even any signs of pupils.

However, he could be considered relatively normal compared to the one that he was picking a fight with.

Besides his face, which was a dull grey, most of his body was a mix of black and green.

He did hold some characteristics of a bug, which matched with the insult that he received. His entire body seemed to be covered by a green keratinous exoskeleton which was full of holes. Upon his head rested a crown of sorts that possessed similar features. His legs, chest and shoulders were all covered with black sections of the exoskeleton.

A yellow strap of sorts went across his chin and up the sides of his face, and upon both eyes were dark purple lines that ran into the yellow.

This individual was being rather snarky to the previous one, considering that he was about three feet shorter than him. But he had a right to do so; he was much stronger than him after all.

The open area was filled with individuals that were just like this. Ironically, the only similarity between them was that every single one of them could be considered unique.

Well that, and the fact that each of them had a glowing halo hovering inches above their heads, showing their status as a dead person. Usually, a halo would represent purity, goodness and holiness, but that wasn't something to be fooled by. Nothing about any of these guys were holy...

The first group to look at would be the Saiyans, a once proud warrior race reduced to but a few living survivors after their planet was destroyed by a tyrant named Frieza.

This group consisted of Raditz, a brother to one of the surviving saiyans. Nappa, who was killed by another saiyan, the Prince of All Saiyans to be exact. Next up was Turles, who bore a striking resemblance to Raditz's brother, and who almost conquered the world at one point.

The last of the saiyans was also the most dangerous of them all.

Broly.

Given the moniker of The Legendary Super Saiyan, this guy was definitely amongst the strongest here.

He was known for being an insane, genocidal monster, knowing nothing of remorse or mercy. An entire galaxy was wiped out solely because of him. He was nigh-unkillable, absolutely ruthless, and his power continuously rose, without any logic whatsoever.

The only thing more terrifying than that was his undying rage against a fellow saiyan. The reasons behind this were beyond the fellow H.F.I.L occupants, and like hell they were going to ask.

Thankfully though, after being dead for a while, he had seemed to mellow out, return to a calm demeanor that made him seem docile, but no more approachable. He was like a rubber band stretched to its limit, and should he snap…

There would be few that would survive.

Thankfully, no one ever chose to test that limit, and as a result everything ran smoothly around him.

At least...it wouldn't as long as no one said that certain name...

The next person was of a race called the Namekians. His name was Lord Slug, a Super Namekian who invaded the Earth for two reasons: To inhabit it, and to wish for eternal youth by using a precious earth treasure known as the Dragon Balls.

He went as far as to change the atmosphere around the globe to make it a freezing wasteland where nothing could live.

Thankfully, his scheme was put to an end.

Next down the line was a man named Bojack. His despicable actions against the universe forced the Kais' to imprison him to keep him from wreaking any more havoc.

Due to an unforeseen circumstance, he was freed and tried to resume his plot to subjugate the entire universe, starting with Earth. He was later killed by the child of the one who had freed him in the first place.

The next group could be referred to as the Frieza Force, elite warriors that served the once mighty Frieza Empire. They consisted of Zarbon and Dodoria, Frieza's left and right hands men, so to speak.

The others were formed into a tight squadron that was known as the Ginyu Force.

Burter, the Blue Hurricane, who had been talking to the bug-like person, was one of them. The other members of the force included the short Guido, the dull, yet mighty Recoome, and the Red Magma Jeice.

The leader of the squad, Captain Ginyu, was the only one that wasn't dead, but was maybe living a fate worse than it. Due to his reckless usage of his ability to switch bodies with his opponents, he ended up switching with a frog, and had been fighting for survival ever since.

The Arcosians were next. The race of tyrants that singlehandedly ruled over the universe for ages.

First was Frieza, one of the most well-known genocidal villains in the universe. For a long time, his rule went unopposed. Any that defied him were swiftly dealt with. That was, however until his fateful battle with a lone saiyan, who fought toe to toe with him on Planet Namek. Their battle was so intense, that the planet itself was obliterated. Frieza nearly died that day but was saved by his father.

Even after he was reanimated with mechanical parts and invaded Earth, a youth with the same hair as the one who defeated him the first time showed up and soundly killed both him and his father.

Then there was Cooler, Frieza's brother, whose sole purpose to invade Earth was to destroy the one who beat his brother. However, despite being able to beat the individual half to death, he was soundly defeated after being pushed into the sun.

Just like his brother, he was revived by an incredibly advanced technology called The Big Gete Star, and planned to both gain power by absorbing other planets, and to rebuild himself better than before.

Unfortunately for him, The Big Gete Star was overloaded by two saiyans, whom he decided to use as batteries for the planet sized monstrosity. The same duo managed to finally put an end to him and The Big Gete Star.

The final Arcosian was King Cold, and he was the father to both Frieza and Cooler. He invaded Earth with his mechanically revived son, and planned to conquer it.

However, the same person who killed Frieza also killed him in a quick and easy manner.

Unlike his sons, he was never revived.

The second to last soul down here was a biological creation, devised by the evil, yet brilliant Dr. Gero. His name was Cell, and he was created to become the perfect being. With DNA from the galaxy's strongest warriors, he quickly became a force to be reckoned with.

To achieve true perfection though, he needed to absorb two people: Android 17 and 18, also creations of Dr. Gero, which he eventually did.

He was nigh unstoppable, and near invincible. But he was eventually overwhelmed and then defeated by the same boy who would go on to defeat

The final one was a weird case. He had no race, no history, nothing that truly defined him. Nothing...except for one thing...

Hatred for the Saiyans...

For this reason, he was steered away from any of the dead saiyans, including the Legendary Super Saiyan. If these two were to clash, someone was going to die...again...

His name was Hatchiyack.

All their histories, their battles, their lives and their desires. They all came crashing short at the feet of heroes that would defeat them time and time again. Now they were in H.F.I.L, trapped in here for eternity. Despite their efforts to escape, it was obvious that only a form of divine intervention would ever truly free them.

And with the small thudding sound of someone landing, their day suddenly got a whole lot interesting...

"Huh, we got a new guy?" Slug muttered, looking at the cloaked individual standing in front of the entire ensemble of villains.

"Of course not, you imbecile, look, he doesn't have a halo!" Turles pointed out.

The namekian growled at the saiyan. "Who are you callin' an imbecile? You want to get flattened?"

"You wanna go, you old codger?" Turles snarled at him.

"Anytime, monkey boy!" Slug snarled back.

A single thin beam that ran between both their faces, shocking them both and instantly stopping the argument.

Surprisingly, it came not from Frieza, or even Cell, but the newcomer himself, whose finger smoked with the beam he just fired.

"You both need to settle down right now...or I won't miss next time..." The stranger spoke in a dangerous voice.

Both Slug and Turles looked at him with pure fury on their faces.

"Who the hell do you think you are, punk?!" The namekian growled as he began to gather ki.

"If you know what's good for you, you'll get on your hands and knees and beg for forgiveness right now!" Turles' hands glowed with energy.

"I did warn you..." The cloaked guy said, his finger starting to glow a malicious purple.

Suddenly, they all heard clapping, but not of applause, but to gain everyone's attention.

Looking in the direction of the clapping showed that, surprisingly, it was Cell, and he had a smirk on his face.

"Now, now, let's not get carried away, we can't be scaring off a potential friend now, can we? How about we listen to what he has to say?" He said.

Cell, out of all of the people here, was probably the most levelheaded one, and thus, was probably the best suited for talking to this new arrival.

With a nod of acknowledgement to the biological being, the cloaked person lowered his hand. Turning to all of them, he said a single sentence.

"I need your power..."

And just like that, all animosity towards this guy was immediately gone and replaced by either confusion. If this person was saying something like that, then it only meant one thing.

He could get them out of here, or at least that's what they assumed.

"Heh, rather straightforward, isn't he?" Cooler snarked at what he heard.

"Shut up...let's hear this guy out... " Frieza snapped at his brother. Normally, Cooler would've backtalked, but he too was curious to see what was going on.

"Ah, so you require our assistance. That's very interesting. However, we're not willing to work without a fee." Cell paused for a little before he pointed at the stranger. "You came here using Instant Transmission, didn't you?"

The person was silent, but nodded as Cell continued.

"You're alive, right? A dead person cannot escape here by using Instant Transmission, but if a living person were to try to bring the dead out of here using the same technique, it would bypass that barrier." Cell explained.

Everyone looked to each other and nodded their heads in agreement. That was certainly possible. Helping this guy could be their ticket out of this place.

"So, if you want our power, you need to free us from this place first. It would be well within your abilities." Cell gave him the offer he had set up.

He then reached his hand forward, a clear sign that he was expecting a shake. "Do we have a deal?" He asked.

The cloak wearer looked at Cell"s outstretched hand for a few moments before walking forward at a slow pace, so he wouldn't be identified at a threat. People still looked at him with a hint of wariness. If that deal was sealed, then they were free.

Plus, the second that they were out, all that they had to do was kill this guy. They weren't honorable people. To them, a promise was something that could be discarded the second the second they had gotten their end of the bargain.

The stranger eventually reached Cell and found that he was shorter than the biologically engineered creature, which wasn't really a surprise

He reached his hand out and grasped the grey one in front of him.

Cell grinned at the person. He didn't seem like much, but he had a good grip. He was already starting to respect this guy. Shame that he'd kill him once they were out of here.

"Good, I'm so glad we could come to an under-"

"I'm afraid that you may have misunderstood me, Cell..." The person suddenly spoke up.

The grin vanished from Cell's face and was replaced by a look of confusion.

"E-Excuse me? What do you-?"

Suddenly, Cell let out a cry of agony, and he instantly fell to his knees, still grasping the stranger's hand.

It was glowing a dark purple... Everyone watched in a shocked daze, unable to comprehend what was happening right now.

"You see...l do need your power..."

He then let go of Cell's hand, which made the purple energy disappear. Cell immediately collapsed to the ground, panting hard.

"... But...I don't need you..." The cloaked man said, grinning as he felt the newfound power coursing through his body.

"Y-You...bas…bastard...!" Cell barely managed to get out. This guy had somehow absorbed all of his power in an instant, and added it to his own, making him even stronger.

As he was now finished with Cell, the intruder to H.F.I.L turned to face the rest of the entourage of villains, who had snapped out of their daze and got ready for a fight.

"Like I said..." He began, a purple aura beginning to surround his body.

"I need your power..." He took the first step towards all of his opponents.

"And I'm not taking no for an answer..."

Ash nervously clenched his hands together as he finally came out with the truth. He didn't know how Pikachu and the Champion would react to what he just said

"A monster...?" Cynthia asked in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense...Ash, what do you mean...?" She asked. Pikachu was just as confused and wondered what this was.

Ash, trying to stop a monster? What was that all about, and why was this the first time he was hearing about it?

The raven-haired trainer sighed. Of course, they wouldn't know what he was talking about, who would?

"I...I should explain what I mean to you... b-but I don't know where to begin...I-lt's gonna be a hard story to tell..."

Ash grit his teeth and closed his eyes. With what he had to say, there was truly no way he could think of to begin it.

His pondering was cut off as he then felt both a hand, and a paw upon his closed fist.

"If it's hard to tell...then start where it's the easiest." Cynthia told him with a comforting glance.

"Pika Pikachu Pikacha Ka Kachu Pika Picha Pikachu... (Yeah, and take all the time you need as well..." Pikachu said with a smiled of his own.

Looking at both of them, Ash could feel the grip of his fists slowly start to settle down, and his body gradually stopped shaking.

That's right. However hard this was, these two were gonna help him move through it every step of the way.

He then proceeded to look out the window, where the sun was just starting to set, dying the skies a wonderful and comforting shade of orange.

"Well...let me take you back a few months... just after I got my sixth gym badge...

Three months earlier...

Ash Ketchum couldn't sleep.

It probably was to be expected, after all.

It was the same day when he and his pokemon had successfully defeated Byron and claimed the Mine Badge, bringing him one step closer to entering the Sinnoh League.

However, days that involved gym battles normally had the opposite effect on the trainer. He'd get so wound up during the battle, that when it was over, whether he won or lost, he felt exhausted, and sometimes couldn't even stay awake long enough to eat dinner.

However, that wasn't the case here. His eyes simply refused to stay shut for some reason. and Ash didn't know why. A look

at the electronic clock on a bedside table sitting in between the bunk beds that Ash and his friends were sleeping in read 1:39am.

Ash let out a sigh. He probably had a lot of stuff running through his head right now.

Maybe all he needed to clear his head was a good walk in the night air.

So, taking care not to wake up Pikachu, who was resting on his chest, Ash slipped out of bed and put his daytime clothes on. He did this as quietly as possible so as to not wake any of his companions up.

He slowly opened the door, wincing a little as he heard it creak, but when nothing happened, he exhaled in relief before shuffling out the door.

He made his way down to the Pokemon Center Lobby, which still had its lights on, but Nurse Joy wasn't at the front desk, she was most likely asleep after spending the whole day treating injured pokemon.

There was no one in the lobby, be it person or pokemon, but, for some reason, the place still looked inviting. Such was the power of a Pokemon Center, to instill hope into a trainer looking for shelter and food, as well as a place to heal their pokemon.

Silently, Ash pushed the doors of the sanctuary open and inhaled a deep breath of fresh night air. With a stretch of his limbs, Ash set off, intending to return in half an hour or so.

His walk eventually led him into the forest which bordered Canalave City, and he decided to enter. There was no way he could get lost on his way back, since the sound of the ocean could easily lead him back to the city in a heartbeat.

Well...hopefully...he was Ash after all.

He soon heard the sound of water gently lapping against the earth and noticed a lake while he was passing through the greenery. It certainly wasn't as big as one of the main Sinnoh lakes, like Verity, Valor, or Acuity, but it was still impressive to look at, with the moonlight reflecting off of the crystal-clear water and everything.

He decided to take a seat near the lakebed, hoping that the tranquility of the peaceful forest and the soft splashing of the water would help him with his inability to sleep.

He reached into his vest pocket and pulled out a small octagonal case. He opened it with gentle hands and found himself smiling at what he found inside. It contained all of his Sinnoh badges that he had won so far.

The Coal Badge that he received from Roark.

The Forest Badge that he received from Gardenia.

The Cobble Badge that he received from Maylene.

The Fen Badge that he received from Crasher Wake.

The Relic Badge that he received from Fantina.

And now, the Mine Badge that he received from Byron.

All of them shone wonderfully in the moonlight, just like the lake.

Ash took some time to look at his earned badges, which eventually led his vision to the final two empty slots that remained badgeless.

"Two more to go... we're going to have to train as hard as ever to get the final two. But I'm sure we can do it! We'll definitely earn the last two badges, no matter how strong the last two Gym Leaders are. We'll go all the way to the Sinnoh League, and we'll win!" Ash thought to himself before he snapped the case closed.

"Now...l wonder if-" Ash started to say before he suddenly heard a voice to his left.

"Well, well, well...look at what we got here..."

Ash gasped and turned to his left, trying to find who that voice belonged to. Whoever it was, it certainly didn't sound friendly.

However, it seemed like those words weren't directed at him. But if that was the case, then who, or what, was being spoken to here?

Suddenly, he heard a sound which made his blood run cold.

"Use Fire Blast, now!"

Before he could even react to what was said, a massive fireball lit up the area, bathing the dark night sky in a glowing orange luminance.

He almost felt his heart stop when, within the explosion of the powerful fire attack, he heard a cry of pain, but not of a human, but of a pokemon.

He couldn't identify the cry exactly, but at this point, he didn't need to do any identifying. What he needed to do was to get over there now and find out was happening. With the context that he had so far, he had a pretty grim guess.

He quickly got to his feet and began to ran over to where the attack was fired. As he neared, he felt the searing heat left behind by the attack on his skin, and it only made him more anxious to get over there and see what happened.

Unfortunately, once he got over there, he found that what he saw was just as grim as he first thought, maybe even more...

He ended up crouched behind a tree once he got close enough, and, with a hint of hesitation, poked his head out. His eyes widened in horror at the scene...

He saw two people, who were wearing grubby clothes, like they found them in the dumpster or something, and their scent was horrid. He could smell them from the tree that he was hiding behind. He couldn't identify it. It had clearly been a long time since the two bathed. It was sickening, and made his head spin a little

In front of them was a tough and intimidating ... who had clearly just fired the attack.

Twitch...

And, wounded and beaten in front of him was a sight that almost made Ash's heart break...

It was a poor Leafeon, covered in an insane amount of burns - critically effective given her type - that were just as intense as they were numerous. She was obviously in a critical condition, and desperately needed the attention of a Pokemon Center.

But with those guys around, and with Leafeon's extreme injuries, as well as it being a highly unlikely chance that he could get Nurse Joy's attention before the grass type succumbed to her wounds...

No! He couldn't waste time thinking like that. He should be using that time to save that helpless pokemon.

"Hey!" He called out, jumping out from his hiding spot. "You leave that Leafeon alone!" He shouted, which gained the attention of both men, and the pokemon in front of them.

Leafeon's eyes widened and her weary head lifted up to look at the cap wearing trainer.

Was...was this human that had just showed up...trying to stop these bad men from hurting her? A small look of relief filled her body, but her injuries quickly came back to mind and sent a wave of pain through her small body.

"Oh! Well look what the Persian dragged in..." One of the attackers said, turning to the raven-haired teen. The grin that he gave him was extremely disturbing, and Ash felt a shiver roll up his entire body.

Ash furrowed his brow and attempted to shake that feeling off. "I won't repeat myself...leave her alone, or else..." He warned.

However, his threats soon reduced one of them to laughter.

"Hahahaha! H-Hey, ..., look! This kid's gonna hurt us!" He bellowed with clear, sarcastic sadism in his voice.

Twitch...

With a smile as equally as disturbing and sinister as his partner's, the other guy looked at Ash as well.

"Heh heh heh! Such a brave young lad! Risking his own safety to help out a wild pokemon no one cares about."

Ash grit his teeth and he slowly reached for his belt. "Don't say I didn't warn you. Buizel, I choose-!"

Suddenly, Ash realized something. Something terrifying...

He didn't have any of his pokemon with him

In the heat of the moment, he had completely forgot that all of his pokemon were resting at the Pokemon Center after the battle against Byron earlier that day.

He wished that this wasn't real, that this was just a nightmare, that he had actually managed to get some sleep, that he'd wake up any second.

But deep down he knew.

This was reality. Cruel reality.

Ash withdrew his hand from his belt and gripped it in frustration. Even if he didn't have his pokemon, he probably could've at least snuck around the crooks and rescued Leafeon while they weren't looking.

But with him now announcing himself to them and their pokemon that he was here, he now had no way out of this dreadful situation.

"Oh, what's that, it looks like you don't even have any pokemon. How stupid are you, kid?" The second guy said, barely holding in his laughter.

Ash hitched his breath and tried to think of a way out of this. Calling for help wasn't an option. If a full-strength Fire Blast didn't get anyone's attention, a measly cry for help wouldn't do so either.

Running was definitely off the table. Ash wasn't just going to abandon a pokemon in need. There was also the fact that these guys could stop him in his tracks quite easily.

Maybe he could weave his way through them and run with Leafeon, try to lose them in the forest. No, that wouldn't work either.

Even if he got away, Leafeon would surely succumb to her injuries before her could get her to a Pokemon Center.

Suddenly, A flash of realization entered Ash's eyes, and he looked at his hands with a hint of wariness and contemplation.

There was a way...

He could beat both these guys and their pokemon in an instant and get Leafeon back to the Pokemon Center with time to spare.

But...

Was he willing...

...to face the consequences of what would happen as a result?

He was honestly not sure.

To anyone else, it would seem strange. Ash had a way to help a pokemon and was hesitant on using it? It was clearly something quite serious for that to occur.

However, before Ash could ponder any further, he heard the first guy cry out something.

"Now, ..., use Spider Web!

Twitch...

Ash didn't even have time to ponder before he suddenly felt himself get flung back by something sticky, a substance which pinned him to the surface of the tree he was previously hiding behind.

"Wh-What the-?!" Ash cried in alarm as he desperately struggled against the threads that held his body against the tree. To his dismay, he found that they barely budged.

"Hey! Let me out of this, right now!" Ash growled at him.

The second man walked over to the web bound Ash, which only intensified the stench he could smell on them. It was so gross Ash felt like he was going to vomit.

"It's kind of a shame really, so much life left in you, but in the end, to be cut tragically short, just like that Leafeon over there..." He said.

Ash gasped in reply and felt his blood run cold. Did these guys really say what he thought they said?

"Yeah...that's right...you see, we're no pokemon poachers...or something as unfulfilling as that..."

A tension filled pause...

"We're Pokemon Killers..." Ash felt his heart stop.

"We stain our hands with the blood of any pokemon we can when the law isn't watching. It's so...liberating when you kill a creature more powerful than you yourself are. And, wouldn't you know it? There are pokemon here that share the same ideal." He said, gesturing to ... and ...

Twitch...

Sweat began to run down Ash's body and his struggles in the web continued, to no avail.

"We've killed hundreds of pokemon but I've never seen how a human's blood spills down the side of their head after a knife's been shoved into his skull. Sorry kid, but it looks like playing hero didn't work out for you this time."

Ash felt fear and disgust creeping up his spine. To think that there were people this sick and deluded honestly shocked him. Lots of the people that he met on his journey were mostly very nice, if maybe a little weird, but then there were these guys; people who intentionally killed innocent pokemon for no other reason other than it "felt good?" It was awful!

"Don't take it personal, kid. You're just a witness at this point, and when witnesses are allowed to live, it makes things rather... complicated."

Ash grunted as he tried to struggle away from the guy, but once again, the bindings held strong.

"But first...how about we show you what we're all about, eh? Feels right to have a witness to...y'know...witness this..." The first man said.

"Ooh! Hear that? You're getting to see a real-life murder before you die yourself, aren't you lucky?'

The second guy said this before he grabbed Ash's head and slammed it against the trunk of the tree, making the trainer yelp in pain. His head was held against the trunk, and his eyes were forced open by the demonic man's fingers.

"Don't look away now! Show's about to start!" He told Ash in a hushed voice, with an almost...insane tone to it.

"No! Stop it right now!" Ash cried, trying to wrench his head out of the man's iron grip.

The first one then pulled something out that both Ash and Leafeon stared at in horror: A hunting knife.

It wasn't difficult to guess why the blade was tinted red...

He walked up to the Leafeon, who was too weak to run away, or fire any attack. She was just as helpless as Ash.

The pokemon murderer crouched next to the grass type, who was shivering in fear as she saw the knife slowly being raised.

"No...!"

"Here we go!"

The knife began to fall towards the eeveelution's skull.

"No!"

The knife parted the fur on her head...

"NO!"

SNAP!

The knife, and the arm that was wielding it, suddenly stopped dead in its tracks, literal millimeters from piercing Leafeon's flesh.

The two men, their pokemon, and Leafeon couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Ash, who was, up until a few seconds ago, restrained by the webbing, was now free and holding tightly onto the assailant's right arm.

But that was impossible! Even if he somehow managed to break free of his bindings, there was too much distance to cover for him to stop the knife in time. Then again...did they remember seeing him move at all?

"H-How did you do that...? No person could've done that! It's impossible!"

With a cold look, Ash ignored the question.

CRACK!

"A-Aaaaaaaauugh!" The man screamed as his right arm was gripped tight enough by Ash to make his bones shatter. His partner and pokemon watched in shock.

The once warm, brown eyes were now a piercing red...

"... Impossible for a person... perhaps... " Ash's mouth suddenly started to move, with a voice that wasn't his own, shocking everyone present.

"... but...what about a demon…?"

His free hand began to glow a raging crimson and his mouth twisted into a cruel smirk...

The trees and the grass would soon be dyed the exact same color...

Both Cynthia and Pikachu's mouths were wide open in shock. To think that Ash could've had his very life ended that night was a bone-chilling thought. They couldn't imagine how terrified he must've been.

"P-P-Pikapi... (A-A-Ash... ") Pikachu's concern was clearly evident in his voice, and with all Ash said, he could understand why he wanted to keep tight lipped about it.

Everything that led up to what he had recounted so far would've given the Mouse pokemon nightmares for years.

These Pokemon Killers, there was nothing that he could say about them other than they scared him to his very core. They liked to kill pokemon? They made Jessie, James and Meowth seem like saints!

In the presence of such dangerous • individuals, Pikachu was overjoyed that Ash had managed to get out alive. He could only imagine how heartbroken that he'd be to wake up in Ash's bed without Ash there, only to find out that he had been murdered by two insane individuals in the middle of a forest.

Cynthia's shock knew no bounds either.

To think that there were people out there who were psychotic enough to believe that not knocking out, but killing pokemon, was something that was not only pleasing, but liberating. The Champion felt sick to the stomach.

And Ash was the one who experienced this? A simple teenager who was in the wrong place at the wrong time?

It was no wonder why Ash didn't want to say anything, these kinds of memories were not ones that someone would just bounce back from.

She couldn't help but feel her face twist into a slight grimace. No matter how cutesy the Pokemon World seemed to be, there always seemed to be some disgusting things going on somewhere in it.

And, with how Ash was shaking right now, she knew that he was at a really hard part of the story, as if the previous parts weren't hard enough.

"Could...Could I..." Ash started to say something after a decent amount of silence from him.

"Could I please...have some water?" He asked with a voice that almost seemed broken. Of course Cynthia's immediate reaction was to practically jump out of her chair and fill a plastic cup with water from the water cooler in the corner of the room.

She brought it to Ash, who accepted it with a thank-you before lifting the cup to his lips and gulping it all down. Talking for so long about a subject so awful was certainly taking its toll on Ash, and it was clear that he needed something to drink before he could continue any further. If he did so in the first place. Honestly, Pikachu and Cynthia wouldn't blame him if he stopped right here.

"S-So..." Ash began setting the cup aside before returning to his reminiscing.

"I…I don't really know what happened at that point...The last thing I can remember was all my sadness, anger, and fear rolling into one...and then...my mind sorta switched off."

He then gripped his left hand in his right one and squeezed it tightly.

"I-I remember...my chest really hurting...and my mouth saying stuff I didn't want to say, and then, when I crushed that guy's arm...l blacked out..."

What Ash said next both confused and scared the other two.

"And that let him take control, for a couple of minutes at least.

"You mean...this monster you've been trying to stop?" Cynthia asked. Ash nodded in reply.

His response made Cynthia bite her bottom lip in an anxious way. Clearly, there was much more to this than she originally thought. Obviously, she did have questions, hell, who wouldn't at this point? But she decided to keep her mouth shut until the end of Ash's recount, that was if he could handle it.

Ash then looked to Pikachu with a sad look in his eyes.

"Uh... Pikachu...l know I said I'd tell you everything...but at least for this one part, could you please block your ears? I'm afraid what I'll say next will give you nightmares..." Ash requested.

It was apparent that Ash wasn't kidding around here. He was seriously worried at what would happen if Pikachu heard what transpired after he regained consciousness.

Seeing the look in Ash's eyes made Pikachu believe in his best friend's judgement. So, he grabbed both his long ears, and folded them down the sides of his head so he couldn't hear what Ash was going to say.

The raven haired trainer gave his partner a look of appreciation as he respected his wishes. It was for the best, anyway.

He then turned to Cynthia, glumness now replacing his features. "And Cynthia...t-tell me to stop if it gets too much for you...alright?" Ash asked.

Cynthia could only give a small nod in response.

She was feeling all kinds of things.

Remorse for what Ash had to go through.

Sorrow for the fact that Ash needed to endure such an awful experience all alone.

Curiosity, as she was anxious to know what happened next.

And fear, but not of Ash, but of how gruesome it seemed like it was going to get.

She hoped that she had set her expectations too high, that what Ash was going to say wasn't all that bad, compared to what she had in mind, at least.

In reality, even with her heightened expectations, Ash's continuation of his story effectively crushed them...

"Wh-When I woke up..."

(WARNING: If you are squeamish, then you may not want to read this bit. If that is the case, just keep going until you see the bold again.)

Ash gasped as he opened his eyes, which were now back to their ordinary brown color. He didn't notice the environment around him as of yet.

He noticed that he was on the ground, which was made obvious by the grass that was currently pressed up against his face.

Normally, the scent of grass was a calming and relaxing smell that he'd normally fall asleep to when he and his friends were taking a break from their travels. But even this close, he couldn't breathe in any of that nature-filled scent. Why?

Wait, he could smell something... He was in a forest though, right?

So, why was it that he could smell something metallic?

Ash groaned as he slowly pushed his forearms into the ground, pushing his body up. It was a lot more strenuous than he thought and his head was hurting a lot. He closed his eyes in an attempt to reduce the pain. It felt sluggish and painful to get up, which was probably from whatever had transpired while he was unconscious.

He couldn't help but notice that as he raised his body from the ground, his arms seemed to stick to it a little. It didn't feeI naturaI, like when one lay down on the grass for too long, and had blades of grass sticking to them as they got up, no. This kind of stickiness was a little different, and it, for some reason, went up most of his arm, stopping just at his elbows.

He managed to get himself into a sitting position as he finally managed to push himself up, and slumped onto his tailbone.

He hadn't opened his eyes yet, mostly due to the fact that he didn't feel the head pain going away. It was most likely when that guy slammed him into the tree trunk that caused this.

Trying to alleviate the pounding headache that he had right now, Ash brought a hand to his face and rubbed his temples with it.

To his confusion, the metallic scent grew even stronger, and it seemed even more foul now, it almost made him want to throw up.

Deciding to crack open just one eye, he stared at the hand that he had placed on his temples...

Was it him, or was the glove that he usually wore darker than it normally was?

No, it wasn't him. The green cuff around his glove had a different color to it as well.

Red.

Upon noticing this, Ash then looked at his fingers. They were a deep crimson too, they reflected the moonlight slightly, which indicated it was some kind of liquid.

"Wh-Wha...?" Ash mumbled in disbelief.

He then noticed, between the gaps of his fingers. He was still in the forest, but something was definitely not right. He couldn't tell what it was yet, due to his hand covering the rest of his vision. He almost didn't want to take it away.

He took a deep breath and started to remove his hand, trying to push away thoughts of what might be on the other side.

Eventually, his curiosity overcame his wariness, and he pulled it away.

And he immediately regretted doing so once he saw what was in front of him. The smell that he identified as metallic, was identified in all its gruesome fashion.

The area all around him could only be described as...unbelievable horror.

In every direction that Ash turned, he saw that horrid red liquid.

Blood.

Staining the grass...trailing up the trees, and dripping from the leaves onto the ground with a sickening sound.

His breath caught in his throat as he tried not to retch at the sight. He wanted to look away. He needed to tear his eyes away, but he couldn't. He could only stare in horror at the indescribable scene he was in.

It was then that he noticed something else on the ground. His heart stopped when he realized what it was.

Leaning up against a tree was one of the self-proclaimed Pokemon Killers...

He had a massive hole through his chest...

Ash gagged as he saw this. He could actually make out the bark behind the corpse, which was darkened by his blood. This guy was clearly dead, but it still didn't keep Ash from crying out in horror.

"A-Aaaaaagh!"

His scream echoed around the bloodied clearing and into the night sky.

At this moment, it was like his mind went into a state of hyper-awareness and he couldn't ignore anything about the state of the body that he saw.

The terrible crimson liquid spewed from the place where he once had a right arm, oozing to the grass below and staining the ground red. His aforementioned chest affliction only added to that amount of blood, creating a pool that was formed by the substance flowing from both his back and his front.

But even those were nothing compared to the fact that his head was nearly torn off!

It dangled down the side of his body, revealing bone's that stuck out of both his neck and his head. A flimsy piece of flesh was all that was keeping his head "attached" to his body.

Upon his face, which was covered in blood, was a look of complete terror, as if, before he died, he'd been staring at something that was practically fear incarnate.

He then found the second guy, lying on his side at the edge of the clearing, and the sour taste in his mouth grew stronger.

This one's right arm was...for lack of a better word, crushed, like it was in some kind of vice. His skin couldn't withstand the pressure obviously, and was split open like a banana skin, revealing his uncovered muscles, veins, and lots of other stuff Ash didn't even know the names of. The bones in the man's arm had been shattered to so much of a degree, that they were practically powderized.

He then found himself noticing his head, or lack of one. His skull had been cleanly cut off in a diagonal slice, it seemed. It was almost like it was done with some kind of blade...

He saw the man's head a few feet away, the same look of terror on his face as his partner's.

When it was cut off, the head had seemed to roll a bit, before it stopped against...

No...

Not even their pokemon survived...

The ...'s corpse had its body cut open, from the belly up.

Twitch...

Ash felt bile build up in his throat when he noticed its organs spilling out of the cut, along with tons of blood.

The other one didn't get off any easier. It had all of its legs cut off and strewn around the clearing, and like its owner, the head was missing.

A pile of blood and green goo in front of where its head used to be quickly showed him where it was.

Ash had to fight to keep himself from puking. There was only one word to properly describe what he was seeing.

Hellish...

It then came to Ash's attention that Leafeon was not among the pile of corpses that he could see. Out of this crimson-stained nightmare, that seemed to be the only light of hope that Ash could see.

With a shaky breath, he turned to where he last saw the wounded grass type. For the first time since he woke up, he felt a small sense of relief.

Leafeon seemed to have been spared the brutality that was all around them at the moment, although she seemed to be just as traumatized as Ash was. She was visible shivering with her head planted into the ground in an obvious show of fear to what had happened tonight.

Ash managed to slowly get to his feet, but wobbled a little. His legs were slightly weak, and he had trouble staying upright on them. He didn't know how long he was out, but as long as there was still a chance that Leafeon could be saved, he'd try his hardest to make that chance a reality.

He slowly walked forward to the grass type, trying to not fall over as he did so.

"L-Leafeon...! Are you ok?" Ash called out to the pokemon, hoping that he'd get some sort of response.

Upon hearing the trainer's cry, Leafeon opened her light, hazel eyes, and raised her head to face the trainer. But what Ash didn't expect was her expression to turn to horror, and her frantic screaming that followed.

"L-Lea! Eon Feon Eon Le Leafeon! (N-No! Please don't hurt me!")

Hearing this, a confused expression instantly made its way onto Ash's face.

"H-Hurt...you...? Wh-Why would I hurt you?" Ash asked. Why had Leafeon assumed he was going to hurt her? Didn't he make his intentions totally clear? He was here to help her, not harm her.

Leafeon shuddered as she slowly turned her head back to the direction that Ash was in, and couldn't help but flinch at his close proximity. It confused the Verdant pokemon to see him this way, because he was certainly not like this a few minutes ago.

In fact, looking closer, the human seemed to be just as horrified at the carnage surrounding them as she was, and the eyes she'd seen turn red before all of this happened were now back to their normal brown. However, their once vibrant hue had now seemed to be quite dulled, as if a fragment of what once made them shine had disappeared.

Besides that, he looked like he had returned to the ordinary human that had tried to save her with nary a plan, nor pokemon in his possession. But the normality only raised questions for the grass type.

"Le Leafeon... Fe Feon...? (You don't remember...what you did?") She asked in a small voice.

"Wh-What I did...? What are you talking about...? Ash asked. The response that he gave only confirmed the pokemon's suspicions: Ash couldn't remember what had happened. However, she could sense some hesitation in the words that he spoke, which indicated that Ash was somehow reluctant to know exactly what went on.

Considering what happened, she didn't blame him.

Ash's confused face had now twisted into a frenzied one. What had happened? Why...why couldn't he remember what Leafeon apparently could? What went on while he was unconscious?

Ash gulped and suddenly began to feel his body tremble. Shrill sensations ran up his spine, and he was certain that he wasn't going to like the answer to the question he was going to ask.

"What...did I do...?"

The voice he used to ask that question contrasted so much to his ordinary tone, it was almost like Ash was a totally different person. And no matter how much one tried, placing the horrified whimpers to Ash's ordinary voice they would find no similarities between the two.

Leafeon grit her teeth. If this person was unaware of what happened, then the reality of what transpired would only be harder for him to handle.

So, with a grim expression, she nodded to the massacre that bathed the area.

And Ash's already traumatized mind halted in its tracks.

He had neglected to look over his body when he had regained consciousness.

With all of the stuff that he'd woken up to, looking at his own body was not high on his list of priorities. But now...with wide and scared eyes...he looked at himself...

Both his hands were covered in a layer of blood. His fingers, nails, and even his palms as the red liquid had been absorbed through the fabric of his fingerless gloves.

His left arm was covered with flecks of blood splatters, and his right was drenched with the substance, making his arm bright red all the way up to his elbow. Were...Were there tiny pieces of flesh stuck to his arm?!

His black and yellow vest... His light blue pants...His red and black shoes... All stained with blood...

Even his cap wasn't spared. The horrific fluid had been splashed across the blue pokeball logo, and across the brim...

Ash looked like he had just walked through Hell itseIf, and unfortunately, he feIt Iike it too.

"I...I did this...? l...k-killed them...?"

Ash fell to his knees, unable to stay standing anymore.

His pupils dilated.

His breathing became heavier.

Then, he let out the most heartbroken, traumatized, agony-filled scream that anyone would ever hear.

"A-A-AAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGH!"

Leafeon's ears drooped to the sides of her head. This slaughter that this human had performed was clearly not in his control.

It was like there was something that...possessed him; made him kill those men and their pokemon.

This poor boy's innocence had been snatched from him in the cruelest of ways...

At this time, all Ash knew was regret. His mind raced with a million thoughts, and his eyes cried a million tears.

(Squeamish people can read again.)

"I'm a murderer..."

"I killed people and pokemon... "

"I don't deserve to be alive... "

"Why...? Why...? Why did this have to happen?

"My life is...over."

His heart ached with the knowledge of what he had done.

He was a murderer. He had blood on his hands. Both people and pokemon blood alike. Those two men, despite what they did, garnered no desire to kill them from Ash.

He wanted them subdued, arrested, and trialed for their crimes. Not...not this!

He just wanted to clear his head, just wanted a walk. But even something as simple as that couldn't happen without things going horribly wrong.

Now, he was a killer, a reaper that took the lives of two, admittedly guilty men, and their pokemon, but that was no excuse.

It wasn't fair! Why was it that he had become a taker of lives when he was unconscious? He didn't have a choice, it just happened, and that wasn't fair at all.

If he had the power to do this, then he could've beaten them with not a single drop of blood being spilled. So why didn't he have the choice to do that? Why was he given no other choice but to become a murderer?

And then, a flash of remembrance struck him. The very last thing that he remembered before he succumbed to unconsciousness.

The words he spoke...and the voice he spoke them with...

...weren't his

There was only one person Ash knew that spoke like that. But...that was impossible! He was dead...wasn't he?

Ash felt himself plagued by not only horror, but also uncertainty. If that was the case...that he was still around...and that he was somehow living on in him...

Then that meant...he couldn't let him free. Not ever. No matter what. He did it once, and look at what happened; a total bloodbath.

Ash would not be his vessel, not ever again...

No...if he was anything to him now...he was his prison, and he'd never let the lock on the door loosen, no matter what it took.

It was around that time that Ash noticed that the stench of blood all around him was disappearing, or rather, it was being overpowered by another, sweet smell. But what kind of overpowering smell could possibly erase the metallic stench that would surely haunt him for the rest of his life?

He looked around the bloodstained area, trying to locate where the smell was coming from.

"Fe...Feon... Leaf... (Right over here...") Ash suddenly noticed the small voice of the pokemon he had tried to save call out to him in a calm tone, totally different to what tone she had adopted a few minutes prior.

He turned his head to the quad-legged grass type to see a sparkling, light pink mist emanating from the curved leaf atop the Eeveelution's head.

Ash's eyes widened in recognition of the move that she was using.

"Aromatherapy..." He said in a voice that was nary above a whisper.

Aromatherapy was a pokemon move that normally cured status ailments, like paralysis, and burns. But beyond that, it's scent filled the receiver with a sense of vigor, and calmed the mind as well, and right now, Ash needed to be soothed, by any means necessary.

It was like he was hypnotized by the wonderful scent that filled his senses. His muscles that were once tense were now loosened to a great degree, and his once erratic breathing was slowing down. If the situation wasn't so scarring, Ash probably would've just forgotten all about what happened in favor of being surrounded by the wonderful and calming scent.

However, he quickly shook that off. The Aromatherapy did help to calm his racing thoughts and emotions, but all that really could do was remind Ash of the other problem on his agenda.

"L-Leafeon! I...I gotta get you to the Pokemon Center! We don't have much time...!" He exclaimed as he picked himself up from his kneeling position and reached out to pick the wounded grass-type up.

However, he felt confusion enter his mind when Leafeon simply...shook her head, as if to deny the help that Ash was offering. But she couldn't be doing that, right...?

"L-Leafeon...what are you saying...? lf...lf you don't get taken to Nurse Joy now, you'll...you'll-"

"Leaf...Leafeon... Fe Fe Leaf Feon Eon Fe Le Leafeon... (I know...l'm sorry though...l don't think I'm going to make it in time...")

"No! Don't say that! I-I'm not going to let you die!" Ash retorted in a loud volume at what Leafeon said.

The Verdant pokemon, though mildly shocked at Ash's outburst, found that she wasn't surprised to see that he hadn't given up on her.

Even when she had given up on herself...

Ash was continuously shaking his head, as if trying to deny what happened. She couldn't just die...not now! It was obvious to anyone, especially Ash, that her voice was starting to weaken, and the light in her eyes started to dim. The powerful fire attack she suffered earlier had damaged her body beyond saving.

Anything that Ash could use to provide some first aid was in his backpack that was located within his room, along with a few sleeping occupants that would likely never know about tonight. It wasn't like he could tell anybody what happened after all.

"Leafeon... Fe Leaf Eon...? (Human...what is your name...?") Leafeon suddenly asked out of nowhere, surprising the teen that was trying to save her life.

"My name...?" Ash asked, why would she need to know that? Even with that question in his mind, he answered anyway.

"Ash...My name is Ash..."

Leafeon's breathing began to slow.

"Leafelea...Leafeon Le Leaf... (Ash...That's a nice name...) She said weakly.

Noticing the frail voice the dying pokemon had used, Ash felt tears come to his eyes.

This wasn't right.

This wasn't right!

"No! Please! Hold on! Leafeon!" He cried, feeling tears run down his cheeks.

"Leafeon Leafelea... Leafeon Leafla Leaf... Feon...? (Hey, Ash...do you have...friends from where you are?") She asked.

"H-Huh...? Friends...? Yes... Y-Yeah...l do..." Ash answered, not even bothering with wiping the tears away. He had no idea why he was just sitting here and having a conversation with Leafeon, rather than trying to save her life. But maybe it was because...to an extent, even he had realized that there was nothing he could do for Leafeon now.

"Leaf... Feon...Leaf Leaf Feon Eon... (That's good...they're lucky to have you.") She muttered, her voice barely reaching above a mumble now.

To Ash's shock, she took a deep breath in, before shooting out a stream of what appeared to be white smoke, directly at him.

"Wha-? Waaah!" He let out a yelp as he was engulfed in the smoke. He definitely didn't see this coming.

Ash didn't try to protect himself or anything, since that would mean looking at his bloodstained arms, but to his surprise, this didn't seem to be an attack, but it was definitely a move. Trying to see through the smoke proved fruitless, but he found that he could breathe it in with no negative repercussions, which was quite surprising to him.

He then found himself getting frustrated. Why was Leafeon using moves in her condition? Did she want to die faster? And what was this move anyway?

He soon got his answer when, eventually, the smoke cleared around him. At first, it seemed that nothing had happened, and the only effect that the move had, if any, was that it had tired out Leafeon even more. That was apparent from the much more ragged breathing that she was being forced to take in order to stay alive.

"Wh-Why did you do that...?" Ash asked with a voice of denial at what had just happened. And to his surprise, Leafeon seemed to give a weak snicker. Snickering, in her condition? Clearly the grass-type knew what had happened, and Ash didn't.

"Leaf...Leafeon Leaf Eon...Leafeon... (WelI ... you couldn't go back...looking like that..." She said.

The words she spoke had clearly confused Ash. What did she mean? Looking like that? Well, yeah, he was covered in blood, but-

He noticed that, in place of where the crimson liquid once was, had now been replaced by clean, unblemished skin. His fingers, arms, and even his clothes.

They didn't have a drop of blood on them...

It was then Ash realized what Leafeon had done.

"That...that was Clear Smog...?" He asked, to which the Eeveelution nodded to. She was obviously quite proud of herself, if the cheeky, yet warm smirk that crossed her face was anything to allude to

She felt her head lower to the ground, and her body began to grow cold. This was it... She had one last thing to tell Ash.

"L-Leafelea...Leaf Leafeon... Fe Eon...?

(A-Ash...could I please ask a favor of you... before I die...?")

Ash didn't even hesitate at the answer that he gave.

"Anything..."

Leafeon smiled, one which would eternally remain on her face...

"Leafeon...Leaf... Fe... Eon..."

Ash's eyes widened in shock. Did she really just say what he thought she said? He played it back in his mind, but there was no mistaking the words he heard...

"Take... care... of...her... "

Those were her exact words. Words that led Ash's eyes directly to the tree that lay right behind Leafeon. It was a rather big tree, and the trunk was quite thick.

Thick enough for...a burrow?

Ash frantically dashed over to the tree and looked all around the base, trying to find a deep hole in the wood. It was kind of hard to see it in the darkness, but he eventually spotted it on the right side of the trunk.

The trainer then proceeded to carefully poke his head into the burrow and looked around for what he was trying to find.

Finally, he saw it, shining in the small amount of moonlight that could reach inside the burrow.

An egg...

It was mostly brown on the top and bottom, but it had a cream colored zigzag stripe going around its middle. The coloration made it obvious about which pokemon was going to hatch from the egg.

Ash tried to control the trembling in his hands as he reached for the egg, but he was so overcome by this point, he had to recite a mantra inside his mind that told him to stop shaking constantly.

His fingers eventually managed to grip the egg and pull it from where it lay in the pile of grass and leaves that had been the nest for the Leafeon. He didn't remember a time where he was this careful with...anything really.

He brought the fragile object out of the burrow and gently hugged it to his chest. He slowly walked the egg over to Leafeon, who's eyes were gradually beginning to close.

He placed the egg in front of Leafeon, and softly grabbed her paw. Taking care not to hurt her, he brought the paw over to the egg and rested it on the egg's shell.

Ash had figured that in Leafeon's final moments, she'd want to spend them with her unhatched child. His assumption was proven right when the grass-type's smile grew. He couldn't help but shed a few more tears.

He could feel the love that Leafeon had for the yet to hatch pokemon, and he felt his heart break at the thought that she would never get to be a mother to the one who would emerge from this egg.

"I…I promise you...l will take care of her. She'll be surrounded by friends that will always help her, andI will give her all the love that she would've received from you, and more. I swear it..." Ash told her with as much conviction and resolve as he could muster

Leafeon was happy. She knew that she didn't need to worry anymore. With her child in the care of this wonderful person, she knew that she would have a fantastic life, and grow into a strong and beautiful pokemon, just like her.

"Leaf...e...on... (Thank...you...")

And with those final two words, Leafeon felt her eyes close all the way, and she took her final breath.

The Verdant pokemon had finally passed away...

Ash grit his teeth and felt the tears fall once more. This was the first time he had ever experienced the death of a pokemon firsthand, and his heart hurt because of it. He couldn't even begin to describe all the emotions he had roaming around in his head right now.

He... He couldn't leave her like this... He wanted to give her a proper burial.

With hesitant hands, Ash softly picked up Leafeon's dead body, and cradled her in his right arm, untainted by blood.

With the other arm, he lifted up the egg and held it in his left arm. He wouldn't bury her here. No, this place held too many horrors for both of them.

He took a deep breath and walked out of the clearing, where Leafeon's life, and his innocence had been snuffed out...

The next thing he knew, he was beside the lake where he'd been earlier this evening, and had dug a grave for Leafeon. He had managed to make the grave deep enough to cover her by only using his bare hands.

He had placed the egg aside and picked up Leafeon's corpse, to which he then gently placed it inside the hole. She still had that peaceful smile on her face.

He almost didn't want to cover her up with the dirt, but that was of course, an unachievable desire. With his heart heavy, he began to place the dirt on top of her. He grimaced as he kept grabbing clumps of dirt and placing it into the hole, over and over again, until it had been completely filled.

He stood up and dusted off his hands. Sure, it wasn't much to look at, but he was sure that, as a grass type, it would be just fine for her.

The onlv thing Ash would put on the makeshift grave was some flowers that he found by the lake. He bundled the stems up and placed them upon the patch of dirt. They created a beautiful menagerie of violet, yellow, and white colors.

Ash turned and picked up the egg before he stood up and faced the grave with a solemn look. He couldn't say any words, none that expressed what he felt enough anyway.

So, all he could find himself saying was: "Rest in Peace, Leafeon..."

The silence that permeated through the hospital room was deafening. And admittedly, with all that Ash had told them, how couldn't it be? This was Ash, the cheerful, aspiring Pokemon Master, and he had somehow hidden one of the most traumatizing experiences a person could experience away, deep within his memories.

Pikachu couldn't believe it. He had started listening once Ash had stopped describing the gruesome bits, and to say that he was horrified was an understatement.

Ash...his best friend...and his partner. They shared one of the strongest bonds human and pokemon could manage, and they both knew each other's language just as well as their own.

So why...?

Why wasn't he able to see what Ash was hiding?!

When he woke up the day after the Canalave City Gym battle, he was shocked to find that Ash wasn't with him. After quickly waking up the others, they all rushed out to find the raven-haired trainer, only to find him sitting on one of the lounges in the Pokemon Center lobby. He had dark bags under his eyes, indicating a lack of sleep, and, though it was hard to make out, it seemed that the bright, chocolate brown eyes of his had darkened somewhat.

And what happened when they asked him what was wrong?

"lt... lt was just a nightmare, and I didn't feel like sleeping. Don't worry... "

Pikachu could clearly remember what Ash said, and now he felt so stupid for buying that when there was clearly a lot to worry about. This night was the stage for the most traumatizing experience of Ash's life, and, despite being Ash's best friend, he wasn't able to see just how much he was suffering.

Pikachu could barely tell the difference a week later, and he had just assumed that Ash had gotten better. But, that obviously wasn't the case. With memories like this, how could he possibly get better?

He allowed himself to wonder just how much his trainer hid his true feelings. How comfortable did he feel around his friends? How much spirit did he put into his battles?

Every time he smiled, was it a genuine one, or a complete fake that he put on to convince everyone he was fine?

Against the Ash that he knew, and this Ash right now; their personalities differed so much, it was like they were two separate people. This, of course, only made Pikachu worry more.

What if...the Ash as they knew him... disappeared? Vanished into the agony and despair that consumed him that night?

Pikachu could only hope that his trainer had the strength that would allow him to overcome what happened.

He couldn't bear to lose his Pikapi...

Ash wasn't alone as he shed tears at the memory of the night. Cynthia, who had heard the story in full, found that she was silently weeping too. She couldn't even imagine what Ash needed to go through that night, and then to keep the secret all to himself, must have been soul crushing. She now understood, at least a little more on why Ash didn't want to speak of these awful memories.

She vaguely remembered a meeting that she had with the other Pokemon Champions, as well as a few Gym Leaders from Sinnoh and Charles Goodshow about these Pokemon Killers when they had been found dead in the forest, along with their pokemon. With the cause of death being so mysterious, as well as gruesome, they had no choice but to assume that the killers bit off more than they could chew, and the pokemon that they attacked reacted in a manner of self-defense, with horrifying results.

But to think that it was Ash who killed them...?

No, it wasn't Ash. He had made it very clear that at the time of their death, he wasn't in control of his body, he had made it sound like he was possessed by something. Something that could not only take on murder-happy humans, but their pokemon too. Something that he seemed to have prior experience with, but with the hesitant way he said it, she could tell that no amount of coaxing was going to get him to talk about this strange entity, so she decided to drop it. The poor boy had clearly gone through enough already.

She was heartbroken to learn of Ash's attempt of saving Leafeon to go awry. All of that effort, and he wasn't even able to save her in the end. That would definitely have crushed him.

What she found herself confused by were the parts of the story where Ash occasionally twitched whenever he needed to say a name, or describe a face, or voice. It seemed to only happen when the subject was about one of the victims of his unconscious wrath.

She remembered that the corpses that were found at the scene were identified by the Pokemon G-Men, led by Lance, the Kanta and Johto Champion.

The men were ID'd as Eugene and Johan Roberts It seemed like they were brothers.

Their pokemon, an Ariados and a Tyranitar, were the two that they had with them. Obviously, they were a lot easier to identify then their trainers, if one could use such a word to describe such disgusting individuals.

Though they had their doubts about the way that these criminals were dealt with, they couldn't deny that they were glad, seeing as these two had been on the run for a while, and slaughtering any pokemon that they could find.

Leaving them alive was dangerous, and although they couldn't call it proper justice, they felt that it was best that they were dead, rather than alive.

To think that, before they died, Ash was in their foul clutches, and was in danger of dying himself. But, whatever had taken control of him that night had managed to not only save his life, but put an end to two deadly criminals.

Ash clearly had some problem with that. Especially since they met their end by his hand, although at the same time, someone else's.

Maybe his knowledge of the ones who died that night was somehow blocked out, even before and after the carnage had occurred.

Her unspoken questions were answered moments later.

"Cynthia..." Ash had finally managed to say after spending a long time silent. The Champion heard the voice that barely surpassed a whisper.

"Have you...have you ever experienced death before...?" He asked.

This question certainly took her by surprise. Asking her if she had experienced death was not what she expected from Ash at all.

She trusted that he had a reason behind his questioning and thought back on her life, trying to remember if she had ever experienced death.

Unfortunately for her, she couldn't seem to recall any instance where she had experienced death. Unless her grandparents counted, which wasn't exactly the case since she was too young to even understand what death was yet.

So, unable to sympathize with him, she shook her head.

Seeing that, Ash could only sigh, but not one of resignation, or frustration, but of relief.

"I'm glad. The pain that I felt that night was unlike anything I've ever experienced before, and...and I wouldn't wish that kind of pain on anyone..."

Ash then gripped his fists tighter.

"But...but that doesn't mean...l want to carry around the pain with me. I-I want to forget the events of that night. But at the same time...if I try to forget... doesn't that make me a monster...?" Ash asked.

Both Cynthia and Pikachu gave him a confused look. Why would wanting to forget about the greatest trauma in his life make him a monster?

"I want to forget that whole night, but if I do, how can I live with myself, knowing that I murdered living creatures, and then allowed myself to just...forget it ever happened? How can I do that?" He asked.

He then looked as his now open palms as if they were still stained with as much blood as they were that night.

"Even now, I can't remember what their names were, their faces, their physique or even what pokemon they used. Everything's a blur, like a silhouette. Knowing that I allowed myself to forget people and pokemon I killed...that hurts a Iot too..."

Cynthia and Pikachu could tell that Ash was starting to get agitated. Everything he had said so far was now getting too much for him to handle.

"Ash..." Cynthia began. "...you didn't forget. That tragedy was too much for you to bear. You're young, and so is your mind. Blocking out certain parts of your memories was the only way that it could protect itself."

"But I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing! If I don't forget, I suffer, and if I do, I'm a monster!" Ash exclaimed.

"Ash...l can't pretend to know how hard it is to have a burden that great. But you can't say that it was in vain...they were bad men, and you avenged countless pokemon, including that Leafeon, even if it was in the way it happened. No matter how bad it turned out to be, what you did was for the greater good. If you can find peace with that—"

"Make peace with the fact that I'm a murderer? Make peace with the fact that that I've forgotten about the ones I've killed? Make peace with the fact that I have blood on my hands?!" He snarled.

Ash didn't notice the pain in his chest.

Cynthia and Pikachu were taken aback. Ash's agitation had started to shift into aggression, also a contrast to what Ash was normally like.

"You don't know how hard it is! Fighting to balance something that can't be balanced! You don't know how much it hurts to watch something you tried to protect die! You...

You don't have the right to tell me that I should try to find peace!"

Ash's hands gripped the blanket tighter, and his teeth ground together.

"Don't you get it?! Even if it wasn't me, these hands killed...no...slaughtered both people and pokemon, and it hurts to care about that, but if I try not to, then who am I?! I'm a murderer who can't even remember the faces of the ones he killed. I'm not allowed to find, nor deserve any damn peace!"

Cynthia and Pikachu gasped at Ash's vulgar wordings. Even Pikachu hadn't ever heard Ash speak like that.

Then they noticed the red eyes...

Both Cynthia and Pikachu immediately jumped back. If Ash's eyes were red, then that could only mean...

"Heh, you let your guard down."

The pokemon Champion, as well as Ash's best friend, felt their blood practically turn to ice as they heard a voice that could only be described as demonic.

"P-Pika...pi...?" Pikachu asked cautiously.

With a sinister grin on his face, this entity turned his...no...Ash's head towards Pikachu.

"Hehehehe... Pikapi's not gonna be around for much longer, little rat..."

He then turned his attention to Cynthia.

"And neither, I suspect, are you two..."

Still sitting on the bed, 'Ash' raised a hand, which then began to glow red.

Cynthia's eyes widened. "Is that... ?"

She scrambled away as a flash of red just barely missed her and destroyed the wall behind her.

She grimaced at this. That was some kind of power. This was what Ash warned them about. His emotions must've overtaken him to a point where he was no longer in control, and this guy was.

This guy was the one who killed those people and pokemon that night...

"Wh-Who are you...?" Cynthia asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

Seeing this guy grin with a sickening glance made chills run down Pikachu and Cynthia's spine.

"Pokemon Champion Cynthia...why should I tell that to you...? You'll both be dead soon anyway."

Cynthia felt sweat on her forehead, and she slowly reached behind her. She had a plan to deal with whoever this was. The energy she saw...she knew it all too well.

"I'm assuming that you're the one that took control of Ash that night?" She asked.

Playing on this guy's pride seemed to be the only way to buy her enough time.

"Hm? Yeah, had to hold myself back a little. Had I gone all out, poor little Ash would've had a heart attack right on the spot! Hahahaha!"

Cynthia gasped. All the violence that had occurred, and he had been holding back?

"Here's the thing, Champ. I almost got free yesterday, and I would've had an entire stadium of souls to play with. But thanks to your little intervention, I was denied that, so, you can imagine that I got quite the bone to pick with you... "

Cynthia finally found what she was looking for and swiftly brought it out.

"I don't think so! If you're inside Ash's body, then we'll force you out! Lucario, battle dance!"

She held out the pokeball that she had grabbed and opened it, causing a bright light to snake out and take the shape of the Aura pokemon that was called upon.

"A Lucario too? Lady. ..you really know how to push my buttons!" 'Ash' said with a growl towards the pokemon. He clearly held no love for the Aura pokemon.

"We'll push a lot more than your buttons! Lucario, quick, shove some of your aura into him, now!"

'Ash's' eyes widened at the command, which didn't go unnoticed by Cynthia. It seemed that her hunch was correct.

Lucario quickly rushed forward and held a palm outward, glowing with his bright blue aura. His palm was just inches away from 'Ash's' chest.

And then...it stopped.

With a confused gasp from Cynthia, Pikachu and Lucario himself, his wrist had seemed to be caught in 'Ash's' hand. That was some strength. Lucario may not have been the strongest on Cynthia's team, but he was still a Champion-level pokemon. A seemingly ordinary human that could keep up with both his speed and strength astounded all the occupants in the room.

This guy was obviously no ordinary human...

"You know, I crushed that guy's arm in nearly the same way...maybe you'd like a demonstration?"

Cynthia gasped in horror.

"Lucario! Get out of there!" She cried. She knew that this person was serious.

Lucario began to feel the pressure on his arm and began to cry out in pain. He struggled as hard as his body would allow, but his tugging was no match for the vice grip that 'Ash' now possessed.

Cynthia grit her teeth and held out Lucario's pokeball, she couldn't stand seeing him get hurt anymore.

"Lucario! Retur-!"

She yelped when another blast came her way and fell back to dodge it. She was lucky for it to miss, but it was certainly too close for comfort.

Pikachu was the next to spring into action. This...person may have had Ash's body, but he wasn't Ash at all. With a glowing Iron Tail, he jumped into the air, and swung his tail down.

His shock was clearly evident on his face when 'Ash' caught his tail with barely any effort if the unchanged expression on his face said anything.

All of them felt nervous chills crawl up their bodies as another sinister chuckle came from 'Ash's' mouth.

"Heh! Weak fools... "

His hand then gripped Pikachu's tail too, making the electric-type squeal in terror.

"You are all... "

Cynthia picked herself off the ground, and her breath hitched in her throat upon realizing that there was some kind of red energy field forming around 'Ash' She could only assume that some kind of pulse was going to follow.

"WORTHLESS!"

The trio winced at the tone that was used, and braced themselves for what would follow.

However, they found that nothing would follow, when the crimson field disappeared and the grip 'Ash' had on Lucario and Pikachu loosened, allowing them to pull themselves free.

The hands that he had previously used to hold the two pokemon captive were now pressed to the sides of his head, as if he was attempting to concentrate on something.

"No... NO! It's too soon for you to take back control!" They heard him growl.

His body spasmed and his eyes and fists were shut tight. It seemed as if he was fighting some kind of internal battle...

Just like the one Ash was fighting yesterday...

"D-Dammit! You won't have your body back! It's mine now! You've lost, Ketchum!"

Cynthia found their chance. "Now Lucario!" She cried.

Lucario, once again leapt forward and enflamed his palm with aura. With 'Ash' seemingly distracted by the real Ash fighting to retake control of his body, Lucario managed to land a clean hit directly to his chest.

"A-Aaaack! N-NO!" 'Ash' cried out, almost as if he was drowning, and someone was pushing him under the water.

With the realization that he no longer had the means to stay in control of Ash's body, he turned to address the occupants of the room.

"Y-You may be rid of me now. B-But eventually ,Ash will be worn down from all my attempts at escape. Th-There shall come a day where he can't fight back anymore, and on that day, arrives the hour of my ascension... "

The ominous warning sent chills down all their spines.

"I shall tear the skies asunder, and cast both the people and pokemon of this world into a dimension of agony and suffering. I shall make it rain blood from fractured heavens. I...won't ever be stopped. I won't fail again..."

That last statement confused them. Again? When was the first time?

Cynthia stared at him warily.

"What…what are you?" She asked a question that she would never get the answer to.

With a wicked grin on his face, he uttered his last words...

"One...little...push... and that's all it'll take... "

And then...he was gone, pulled back into the annuls of Ash's subconsciousness, and with Lucario's aura locking him back up in Ash's body, it was safe to say that they weren't going to see him again anytime soon.

Ash's eyes soon returned from their deep red, to their warm brown, and the raven-haired trainer found himself gasping, as if he had just run a marathon, or just finished with...fighting something.

He neglected to say any words for a while, trying to get a semblance of understanding as to what happened.

He quickly looked to the big chunk that was taken out of the wall and winced when he thought of what would've happened if the attack that struck it had been any more powerful. The very hospital they were in could've been annihilated if he didn't get so cocky after breaking out.

Then he noticed the room's occupants, and his heart flooded in relief as he noticed that none of them seemed to be seriously injured. Lucario seemed to be sporting a light sprain in his arm, and they all seemed to be shaken, but nothing too serious.

Ash grimaced as he held a hand to his chest.

"No…I let it happen. I swore that I wouldn't!" He thought shamefully

The very fact that he couldn't hold him back, despite his best efforts really worried the teen. Should his guard be let down again…

His thoughts were cut off as he was suddenly hit in the chest by, yet another brown and yellow missile. It was obvious what it was once he felt small arms do their best to hug him tightly.

Cynthia let a smile grow on her face as Pikachu embraced his trainer, and proceeded to recall Lucario.

"Pika...chu?" Ash asked, almost unsurely, like he couldn't believe Pikachu would accept him after what just happened.

"Pikapi... Pika... Pikachu... Pika Pika Kachu... (Ash...I'm so glad...that you're ok...") He heard his starter say with a voice brimming with relief. Ash couldn't help but smile at the electric-type's reaction.

"Heh...me? What about you...?" But as quickly as it appeared, the trainer's smile vanished.

"I-I mean...you saw him, didn't you?" He asked asked, his tone somber.

Ash seemingly knew what had happened, and his memories from before this evil entity took over seemed to remain too, judging from the look in his eyes.

"Yeah...we can't deny that...it was really scary..." Cynthia replied.

Now it made sense why Ash defended Paul. If extreme negativity was what caused that monster to try and take over Ash's body, then Ash could only attempt to counter it by acting in an overwhelmingly positive way. A selfless act like forgiving and assisting the reason behind his anger.

She couldn't lie and say that they weren't scared, because it was quite the opposite. Knowing that something like that existed, who treated murder and destruction like it was some kind of game was honestly quite terrifying.

"I'm sorry...l should've been more careful... about what I said...and what happened." He said with a defeated tone. Clearly, being possessed had really demoralized his faith in himself. Considering he was housing one of the most dangerous beings in existence in his body, not being able to contain him was very worrying thing for him.

That was until he felt the side of the bed depress, making him turn his head, only to see Cynthia, who had sat herself next to him. By the way she was smiling, she seemingly had some good news to share.

"I don't think you need to worry about him for a while, Ash. When you were possessed, my Lucario pushed some of his aura into you, which locked him away again." She explained.

Hearing that made Ash's face flood with relief. Being able to take a break from fighting for the dominance of his body really sounded appealing right now.

With a sigh, he looked down at Pikachu and gave his ears a gentle stroke.

"Thanks...that's really good to know." He said, more of a mutter than an expression of gratitude

Cynthia felt herself frown upon hearing the still downtrodden voice that Ash used.

It clearly indicated that Ash was still not over the conversation they had prior to the attempted takeover.

"I-I still can't balance what isn't meant to be balanced, Cynthia...how can I do something as immoral as forget what I've done, but then resign myself to the pain of the memories?"

He looked at her with a pair of desperate brown eyes.

"Cynthia, please...help me..." He begged.

This was a problem that Cynthia didn't find that she had any natural profession in. Ash needed to talk to someone, someone who was experienced in dealing with these kinds of traumatic incidents. Not someone like her, who had next to no knowledge of such cases.

Still, if she could do anything to help out this poor trainer, she would do her best in any area that she could provide.

"Excuse me..." She suddenly said, getting an idea.

Ash suddenly noticed that the blonde Champion had gotten off the bed, and crouched down so she could reach under it, where Ash's backpack was stored. She slowly unzipped the bag and started rifling through it, trying to find what she was looking for. Considering its size, it wasn't hard to find.

Ash and Pikachu could only watch her in confusion at what she was doing. Sure, this was maybe an invasion ot privacy, going through his backpack without his permission, but right now, Ash didn't care.

He did feel the need to ask what Cynthia was doing, but soon that unasked question became irrelevant as Cynthia soon stood up again, this time with something in her hands, obviously retrieved from Ash's backpack.

Ash's eyes widened in realization of the object, while Pikachu's widened in shock, having seen it for the first time.

It was Leafeon's egg...

It was stored in an incubator, and even had the additional padding around the cylindrical walls of the container to keep the egg safe against knocking on the walls. Ash really went above and beyond to make sure that this egg would be safe.

"Ash, tell me...what do you think this is?" Cynthia asked.

At the unexpected and seemingly unrelated question that Cynthia asked him, Ash raised an eyebrow. He still offered an answer though.

"It's Leafeon's egg from...that night...I don't want to tell anyone how I got it. But I take reaIly good care of it."

Cynthia gave him yet another smile.

"I'm sure you do...but that's not what I want to address."

She took a deep breath and looked at the egg.

"You know...being a Champion isn't all it's cracked up to be. There's a lot of paperwork to deal with, you can't go out in public without being recognized, and there really isn't anyone who can give you a good fight... but stuff like what you've gone through... they trump all of those..."

Cynthia then sat down on the bed and continued.

"I don't think I'd ever be able to live with the burden...not like you have...and it was because you were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But...because of that..."

She held up the egg.

"You may not have been able to save Leafeon, but in her final moments, you showed her the love and compassion she most likely never saw in a human, and you made sure that she knew that her child would be just fine. In turn, you took care of this little egg, and ensured that the infant inside wouldn't hatch in a world where it wasn't loved by anyone. Another life that could've been snuffed out was saved by you..."

She put the egg down.

"If you weren't there, it would've been much worse, both lives could've ended that night, not just one of them. And although you call yourself a monster for something you couldn't control, lots of people would call you a savior, a hero even."

"A...hero...?" Ash asked with wide eyes. With a nod, the Champion continued.

"You torture yourself by telling yourself that you killed them that night in Canalave City. But something you never factored was that you have the right to do the exact opposite too. You carry around guilt for what he did, not you. So, try carrying around pride instead. You have the right to consider the life of that egg you saved, as well as all the other pokemon that you saved from those Pokemon Killers too. I believe that if you think about them, you'll eventually forgive yourself for what happened. I'm sure of it!" Cynthia finished what she wanted to say, and put the egg down. She focused her attention to Ash, who looked shocked at what she said.

"Forgive...myself...?" He asked, in a small, yet hopeful voice.

Both Pikachu and Cynthia beamed as they noticed Ash's usual voice slowly emerging from underneath his current one.

Then his body began to shake...and his arms suddenly wrapped around Pikachu. Both Champion and pokemon noticed that tears had started to well up in his eyes.

They watched as the tears eventually overflowed, and then began to run down his cheeks.

"Th-Thank you...both of you..."

And the smile that had been missing for a long time eventually bloomed across his face...

Then to his mild shock, he felt a pair of arms embrace him and pull him close.

"You're welcome, Ash...it's the least we could do, considering all that you've done." She said as she pulled Ash into her shoulder.

"Pika Pikachu! (True that!") Pikachu replied. The tears on Ash's face continued falling.

Finally...Finally he had a shoulder to cry on, to release all his pent-up misery and anguish over these long months.

And so...that's just what he did. He buried his face into Cynthia's shoulder and proceeded to cry his heart out.

Pikachu and Cynthia smiled as they heard all the pain that Ash had been holding in slowly being let out. They didn't mind how long it took for him to finish.

For Ash, he could take as long as he needed...

When someone had invaded H.F.I.L and asked for their power, everyone thought that they could be freed from the afterlife prison. They were foolish to get their hopes up; as if escaping would be that easy...

Cell had been the first to fall against this guy, his gesture of making a deal quickly backfired on him as he was drained of his power. As of now, he could barely stand.

After that, everyone had engaged the intruder, in both revenge for getting in hopes up, and fear that they would befall the same fate if they didn't do nothing.

However, the kind of strength that one possessed that allowed him to infiltrate H.F.I.L, and absorb the power of one of the mightiest villains within it was not to be underestimated.

Very soon, everyone started to fall like flies, meeting the exact same fate as Cell and having their power stolen from them.

People like Frieza were at first cocky and arrogant, believing that if they all

charged him, he'd be helpless against their combined might, power-up from Cell, or not.

But when this guy managed to take down Broly with just a second of skin contact, they all started to whistle a different tune.

It quickly became apparent that with every person he came into contact with, their power would be added to his own, making him stronger and faster, and even harder to avoid.

It finally reached a point where H.F.I.L suddenly fell silent, and bodies were spread out upon the vast areas that it provided. None of them were dead however...well they were dead, but none of them were killed again.

The Saiyans... The Ginyu Force... The Arcosians...

Nobody was safe from him.

All of the now recent victims groaned as they desperately tried to get back onto their feet. A select few tried to shoot a blast of ki at him in a feeble attempt to defeat him, but were shocked to find that nothing came out, no matter how much they tried to reach their inner energies.

Their strength, speed, and even their power to manipulate ki were all gone. They were nothing more than simple civilians now

"Y-You worm! You return...my power at once!" Frieza gasped as he tried to crawl up to the cloaked individual who had stolen his power. In response, he turned to the downed Arcosian and gave him a sinister smirk.

"And if I don't? How pathetic to see the once great Emperor of the Universe begging for his powers back." He kneeled down and stared right into Frieza's crimson pupils, yet the latter could not see the perpetrator's eyes from underneath the hood.

"Now...all of you...mean less to me than the dirt underneath my feet..." He taunted, standing up.

"Y-You scum!" Frieza shrieked as he tried to get his arm to move, to tear his head off and make him return his power, not in that order, of course.

The former tyrant was ignored however, as the power thief stood up and walked away. He looked at his gloved fist and opened and closed it thoughtfully.

"It seems like I have amassed more power than I thought…I shall need to train my body for a while before I can use my full power effectively." He thought to himself.

He had no more business here. He had what he came for, and now it was time to train. He raised two fingers to his forehead, and was about to teleport away.

"W-Wait!" He heard Cell shout out.

He turned to look at the biological monster who was the first to be rendered powerless. He was struggling to stand, and his arms were held limply at his sides. Thinking this was going to be another begging for a return of his power, he was ignored at first.

The intruder's attention was regained when Cell asked something he didn't expect.

"Who are you...a-and why do you need our power?" He asked. "You owe us some answers at least..." The irritation in his voice was clear, but he also knew that there was nothing that he could do anymore.

The one that he directed that question to simply sighed.

"I don't owe you anything..."

"But I am feeling generous, I suppose..."

Turning to all the incapacitated villains, he spoke with a loud voice.

"The name's Sanachi..."

He raised his hand, gesturing to himself.

"And I need this power to kill someone that must not be allowed to live..."

His grin grew into a manic one. "A pathetic IittIe brat..."

He clenched his fist... "...named Ash Ketchum..."

With those final, eerie words, Sanachi blurred out of H.F.I.L, taking all the power that he amassed with him, and leaving the victims behind...

Word that H.F.I.L had been infiltrated was quickly spread around otherworld, as well as what happened to the inhabitants there. They were even able to get victim recounts, for no other reason except that they wanted a thorough understanding of went down.

Many of the workers at the Check-In Station, including a massive red-skinned giant wearing business clothes, were shocked to learn of this entire thing.

"Quickly, we must inform the Kais!" The bearded giant bellowed to his underling.

"R-Right away, King Yemma!" A blue skinned man with horns wearing the same kind of clothes quickly replied.

He dashed through the many hallways of the Check-In Station before darting into a room with what looked like a fax machine. He pulled out a chair and speedily typed in a transmission before pressing the send button.

Although this device seemed like a fax machine, it's purpose was quite different. When a message was typed in and sent, it would broadcast a telepathic signal out to the South, East, West, and North Kais' planets.

This signal could only be interpreted by the antennae that all Kais had atop their heads.

The signal reached one of the planets, a very small one in fact, maybe only sixty meters in diameter, floating in the sky.

Inhabiting this planet was a very peculiar fellow.

He had a very short stature, a pair of cricket-like antennae on top of his head, as well as pointy ears. His skin was a calm shade of blue, and he wore teashade sunglasses, white boots, a pinkish red undershirt, and draped over his whole torm but the tips of his feet and head, were black Kai garments, with yellow rims around the sleeves, neck and hem. A symbol was adorned on the front, which meant 'King'.

He also had a halo atop his head, like the people in H.F.I.L, but he was still good in terms of morality.

The antennae atop his head twitched, which was a sign that the message had been received.

The Kai, who had been laying back in a reclining chair with a book covering his face, suddenly shot up, his face twisted into one of extreme shock.

"I-It can't be!" He cried in a nasally sounding voice, almost the second that he received the news. His voice became very serious as he quickly bookmarked the page he was on and jumped off of the chair.

He didn't notice the sound of thudding feet come from behind him.

"Yikes! What's with the shoutin' King Kai? What's going on?" Someone asked from behind the Kai. He wasn't acknowledged, however.

"I-I need to inform Kibito Kai and Elder Kai at once! They need to know this too!" He told himself with a panicked expression.

"What? What do they need to know?" The confused person behind him asked.

Once again, he was ignored.

King Kai quickly began tuning his antennae's frequency. He needed to get in contact with the two Kais' before-

"WHAT'S GOIN' ON HERE!?" Deciding that he had enough of being ignored, the person behind the Kai announced his question loudly.

This, of course, resulted in the Kai nearly jumping out of his skin, screaming in fright at the loud voice. He had been so focused on getting in contact with the higher ups, that he was ignoring the one right behind him.

With a swift movement, King Kai turned around and glared at the person behind him. "What the heck is wrong with you, Goku?! You almost gave me a heart attack there!"

"Heehee! Don't be silly King Kai, you can't die from a heart attack if you're already dead!" The now addressed Goku replied.

Goku was a man that had a rather muscular build, almost unnatural, and this was evident in nearly everywhere skin could be seen on his body.

Atop his head, he had wild, untamable black hair that stuck up into the air, creating large bangs that made the hairstyle seem sharp, in the literal sense.

The man was dressed in a completely orange martial arts gi, which covered his top half, as well as his bottom. He wore a dark blue undershirt that had sleeves that slightly poked out of the side of his gi.

Around his waist was an obi, which was a lighter shade of blue than his undershirt. He also wore wristbands, which were the same color.

His boots matched the color of his undershirt and had yellow lines tracing up the borders and up the middle. They were secured by red straps that went around them

Unlike King Kai, he didn't have a halo above his head, which meant that he was a living person.

Some would say that this man would look intimidating, and on some occasions, they would be right. However, with the curious and innocent look on his face that he currently sported, anyone would think anything but.

King Kai sighed at Goku's comment, and mumbled something that sounded like a "no thanks to you..."

Goku didn't hear that and brought the matter back to the conversation at hand.

"So, what's with the yelling, King Kai? You seem pretty worked up about something..." Goku asked.

In a defensive manner, King Kai backed away from Goku with a panicked expression on his face. If he found out about this...

"Th-That's not for you to know! Just get back to training, I'm busy right now." He huffed before turning back around.

The training he mentioned wasn't just a way to get Goku out of his metaphorical hair. Strapped onto Goku's forearms and legs were large red cylinders that he used to train.

Each one weighed eight tons...

"Come on...you can't clue me in on a little bit?" Goku asked, holding his fingers up in a pincer grip

King Kai was once again about to deny him, but then stopped and thought about the situation. Goku may be an idiot, but surely, he would know the danger of the situation that the Kai had been notified of. Would letting him know be such a bad thing...?

Eventually, the Kai relented and held up a finger, which made the weights around Goku's arms and legs to disappear.

"Fine...but only because I believe that you need to prepare..." The Kai said, which earned a confused look from Goku.

"Prepare? Prepare for what?" He asked, his expression now much more serious when he realized how worried King Kai was about this.

"Goku...l'm afraid that we're all in big trouble..."