AN: Only about a 5k chapter but this is a transition into the good stuff! You will know what I mean soon! Enjoy!
Chapter Warnings: Language, blood
Pairing: Ash x Gary
Chapter 40 – Bond
Quiet muttering gradually breaks through his subconscious. Growing louder as Ash begins to wake up. As his mind steadily sharpens, he grows more aware of the dull ache throbbing throughout his body. Most prominently in the middle of his forehead. Pulsing with pain with every heavy beat of his heart.
Grumbling in annoyance, Ash turns over. Snuggling closer to the warm body curled around him. The voices vanish, much to his delight, allowing him to slip closer to the soft embrace of sleep.
Until a low rumbling vibrates through him.
His eyes snap open in alarm. Yellow scales invade his vision mere inches from his face. Ash tenses as another rumble sounds from the being right in front of him. Pulling all his memories of the Trial to the forefront of his mind.
Craning his head, he slowly looks up to meet the lounging dragon's face. It stares back at him lazily. Clearly amused at the situation Ash has woken up to find himself in. Particularly using the massive dragon pokemon like a self-heating, stuffed Teddiursa doll.
Ash slowly relaxes as the Dragonite makes no move to attack him. Seeming content to provide him with the heat of its body as it seemingly had done for however long he had been asleep.
The Alpha yawns. Finally breaking the spell that prevented Ash from looking away from the pokemon's grey orbs. His gaze is immediately drawn upward as he notices something that was not there before.
Resting against the titan's forehead lays an intricate design. A large tongue of flame rests in the center. From either side, numerous red lines sprout out from the symbol for fire. Curling over each other in a complex, tangled cord. Looking eerily similar to a crown of thorns made of fresh, red blood.
From the pounding sensation originating in a very similar spot on his own forehead, Ash wonders if he has a matching mark. Which could mean only two things:
He successfully completed the Trial.
He formed a bond with the Alpha Dragonite.
"Ash?" A soft voice penetrates his barely contained shock. Gaze sliding away from his newest pokemon, he locks onto the forms of his partner and Carys several feet away from him. The two huddling around a piece of paper resting on the sandy cave floor. The Beta Dragonite lays between her mate and Gary.
Ash slowly crawls to his feet. Staggering slightly as he forces his tired limbs into action. Almost groaning at the amount of effort needed to walk just a few steps forward.
A quick scan of the cave shows that everyone else has left. No other pokemon or Elders staring at him quietly like they had during the Trial.
His tired eyes finally land on his partner. Narrowing in confusion as he looks up and down the body of the man he is...was...so familiar with.
His body seems more rugged. As if he suddenly gained twenty pounds of pure muscle in the last few hours. Muscles bulge against the tight fabric while somehow still retaining Gary's previously long and lean shape.
He double takes as he finally focuses on his partner's face. Gary's once green eyes are now a startling shade of blue-green. The same color as the ocean on a sparkling summer day. His face itself looking several years older and more angular.
But the most startling change is the brunet's Mark.
A large blue teardrop rests in the middle of Gary's forehead. In the exact same position as his most likely is. The shade bringing out the blue specks in his partner's newly colored eyes making them all the more stunning. Behind the drop of liquid, two turquoise swords cross each other as if the teardrop was a shield and the Mark itself was Gary's own coat of arms.
Gary watches him silently. Seemingly unfazed with Ash's blatant study of the changes the Trial caused in him. He doesn't even look surprised...Meaning he has probably been awake long enough to adjust to his new appearance and whatever Ash himself must look like now.
Just how long was I asleep for? Do I look so different too?
Just a quick flicker of those sea foam eyes to his forehead is enough to push his sore body towards the lake.
Tan fingers reaching up to poke at the tender skin above his eyebrows, Ash shuffles towards the water. Sure enough, a red crown is drawn upon his temple. Matching the Mark carved on the Alpha Dragonite. His eyes also appear to have changed. Instead of the chocolate brown that Ash inherited from his father, his eyes now are a smoky topaz. Dark brown with just a sheen of dark red.
But the changes end there. He doesn't seem to have gained any immediately apparent physical assets like his partner has. The thought causes him an odd mixture of emotions to spring forth in his chest. Confusion. Worry. Even a small amount of jealousy…
Taking a deep breath, he pushes the conflicting emotions away and joins his two friends on the sandy beach. They remain silent as they watch him. Waiting to see his reaction to the Trial and their new appearances. He just smiles tiredly at them. Too exhausted to examine everything at the moment.
It feels like I've been hit by a rampaging Rhyhorn.
He can feel the presence of the two ruling dragons at their backs. Now both snoozing comfortably next to each other. But he isn't fooled. He can just feel that they, or at least his Alpha dragon, is awake. Faking sleep in a bout of laziness but ready to pounce at a moment's notice.
"It's about time you woke up." Gary states. His smooth voice breaking through the odd trance that came over him when he tried focusing on that odd tingling he feels when he thinks about the Alpha.
"How long was I out for this time?" Ash asks curiously. Gary glances towards Carys who studies the watch wrapping around her wrist.
"A few hours." She responds. "Gary woke up about an hour ago. All the others left after you passed out since the Dragonites wouldn't let them get close to you. It took a lot of convincing on my part to even permit me to stay. You know...since newly bonded dragons tend to be super overprotective of their new Riders…"
She trails off as she eyes both of them. It's only then that the full weight of the situation fully hits Ash.
He is now a Dragon Rider. A part of his mother's clan. A Captain in their army. A leader in the fight against the tyranny and evil of the League that raised him to be a killing machine.
There's no going back now.
And yet...he's strangely ok with it. A flood of heat and a feeling of content rushes through his mind and abdomen. For some reason, he turns to look behind him. Lazy grey orbs stare back at him.
A picture flashes through his mind. Fast enough that he barely catches it. It's like he was looking into a mirror. Reddish brown eyes wide. His mark sticking out between tuffs of his thick black hair.
But the picture is too sharp. Details way too clear for his human eyes to normally pick up. As if he zoomed in on his face to see every little mark and was still able to seem them even after zooming back out again.
It was like he was seeing himself through another's eyes. Sharper eyes. The eyes of a dragon.
Bond.
The word rumbles through his mind causing him to jump at the sudden sound. Because it wasn't spoken. It was just a rumbling vibration that his brain somehow translated into the word.
What the hell?
"You can communicate with him can't you?" Carys' soft voice breaks through his confusion. He turns back towards her to find her slim finger already raised and waiting for him. The digit poking into his tender forehead once he fully turns back towards her.
"It's been said that the closer the mark is to the center of the forehead, the stronger the bond. To my knowledge, only two other people have ever had their marks appear where both of yours are. Lance, the Pokemon League Champion of Johto and Kanto, and the first King of the Drakes."
Carys pauses to let the information settle in before continuing. "Lance says he can hear his dragons talk to him. I don't know if the previous King could or not but the rest of us can't. Just flashes of pictures or their memories if the bond is strong enough...but you can hear them speak too can't you?"
Ash nods once. His mind still reeling from the fact that he can actually talk with his newest pokemon that he almost doesn't see Gary's small nod out of the corner of his eye. The concept was mind boggling to say the least. To think he can hold a conversation with a non-psychic type pokemon was straight up crazy talk. But the warmth that is not his own warming him pleasantly from the inside and the soothing rumble echoing at the back of his mind tells him otherwise.
"Lance can talk to his dragon too?" Gary questions then. His eyes narrow in confusion as Carys fidgets in front of him. Clearly uncomfortable talking about the strongest Dragon trainer in the country.
"Dragons. He has three of them. Triplets. It's super rare that twin dragons are hatched together but triplets? Pretty sure his dragons are the only ones in recorded history that are triplets...But his mark is on his forehead too. That, plus the fact that he was able to bond with more than one Dragonair, made us think that he was the King without a doubt. But he just doesn't fit with the Prophecy." She gestures toward the paper that rests in the sand before them.
Glancing down, he can make out Carys' elegant flowing handwriting. Beautifully copying down the Prophecy the Elders first told him just a few months ago. Once again he is struck with a strange sense of nostalgia as he reads the haunting words. However, it quickly vanishes as he reads over the pointy scrawl of his partner next to various lines.
They were trying to decipher the Prophecy when I was knocked out.
With that thought in mind, he reads it again. Slowly taking in the words and their corresponding notes.
"One born on the brightest of nights, → Ash born same day as meteor shower
The other on the darkest of days. → Solar eclipse? Storm?
Hidden away from enemy's sights,
As the world around them is lit ablaze. → War between Draconids and League?
The balance of power threatens to fall.
Fathers targeted, their valor unsung.
Hidden by dark shadows, Death stands tall.
Mothers' young, left behind with smoke-filled lungs.
Abandoned by those that they call sire,
Reborn in raging pits of perdition.
Raised by demons, to climb ever higher, → demons = League?
Bred for vengeance, to force submission. → Made into killers to destroy Riders
Battle against darkness they must.
If overrun, the world will burn.
And allies will start to mistrust.
For once embraced, sin always returns.
Blessed by the gods, the creator of all, → Creator of all = Arceus
Chosen to be mere mortals' Salvation.
Bearing the Emblem of the Sol, → Mark Ash got when Arceus saved him
Bringer of demons' damnation. → End of the League?
Trial by water, trial by fire.
The Mark of the Flame shall be drawn once more. → Ash's bond mark
Red and blue linked with hidden wire,
Finally terminating the Great War. → Great War = War between Draconids and League
The Chosen One will tame the Titan Lord. → Ash (Chosen One) bonds with Alpha (Titan Lord)
The Knight shields his own as instincts demand. → Knight = Gary
The King will rise, almighty reign restored, → Ash rules as King
With his true mate by his side, hand in hand." → Gary by Ash's side, Alpha and Beta Dragonites are mated
Ash stares at the paper as he runs his hand over the warm mark on his forehead. It tingles under his fingertips.
Between the strange black mark I got when Arceus gave me and this bond mark, it has to be talking about me doesn't it? And Gary's mark is literally his own coat of arms just like a Knight...
But there's still so much we can't figure out. We already know most of what both of them have worked out. And there's whole parts that don't have any notes at all...
Ash worries his lower lip between his teeth as that strange feeling from before surges through him. Worry and confusion all wrapped in the calming package that the nostalgia brings.
We're missing something aren't we?
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
Gary watches Ash look over their work silently. His head thumps painfully. Throbbing even. Harder and harder with each quiet word that has been spoken over the past ten minutes.
He and Carys spent over an hour pouring over the Prophecy trying to discover its hidden secrets. But the damn thing is a hell of a freaking a riddle. There's just too much they don't know. And it doesn't help that much of what he had written down were only guesses based on what they did know. Which sadly isn't much.
The only thing they knew for certain is that Ash is the one the Draconids have been waiting for. They call that mark Arceus gave him the Emblem of the Sol due to its resemblance to the Sun. He bonded with the Alpha Dragonite, the Titan Lord over the other dragon pokemon. Hell, his freaking bond mark is even a bloody crown!
'The Mark of the Flame' as Carys had called it. The same mark that the first King had. There is no doubt now.
Ash is the Chosen One. The new King of the Drakes.
Protect.
The smooth rumble of the Beta rumbles through his mind again followed by a quick picture of him and Ash sitting next to each other.
The first time she spoke to him, it nearly gave him a heart attack. A deep, rumbling sound asking him if he was hurt.
Injured?
He had leapt to his feet in confusion. Reaching to pull out his sword that wasn't on his waist where it should be. He was even further shocked when the rumbling continued with a spike of merriment thrown in.
She was laughing at him.
A flashing picture of his claymore and both his and Ash's Ka-bars lying abandoned in the sand shot through his mind like a bullet. Leaving a piercing headache in its wake. And that's when he caught sight of his reflection in the lake.
Needless to say, it took Carys a while to calm him down. Especially after he saw Ash lying in a small puddle of blood next to the pokemon that injured his partner in the first place. She even had to use her ability to transfer a sense of calm to him.
It was just too much. Too much has happened in such a short time frame. It was unbelievably overwhelming. But Carys was able to break through that turmoil with the serene grace she always has. Explaining the situation just as she had done for Ash. Like the natural born caretaker she is.
Gary stews as he watches them talk now. Slightly peeved that Ash seems to be accepting all of this so easily. But he can clearly make out the dark bags under his partner's eyes. Brought about by who knows what. Being piled upon the giant stress heap they've had to carry around the past few days.
He's repressing it. The shock of all of this. He's burying it all away.
Protect.
Again that word bursts to life in his mind. He turns to give a sharp glare at the female pokemon behind him. She just stares at him openly. Flicking her tail in the sand as if that will prove her point.
I know that already. Jeez.
He turns back to towards Carys and his partner. Both of their marks sticking out on their skin. Worn as proudly as his probably is sitting in the middle of his forehead. Proof that him and Ash are truly part of the Dragon Riders now.
Forever turning their back on everything they have ever known to help this small group of people to save and protect the innocent. A job that he previously thought they were doing as part of the League's military. A job that he knows he has accomplished on more than one League mission. The civilians thankful faces and heartfelt words are forever burned into his mind.
But there's also the fearful glances. The terrified stuttering that sometimes happens whenever they talk to people in larger towns. The utter ruthlessness that some of the cadets fought with...Things that he had pushed to the back of his mind as unimportant at the time but have steadily begun to surface with all of the horror stories the Draconids have told them over the past few months.
Where is the line then? Between good and evil? Are all of the soldiers really so terrible? Where does that leave the two of us then? And Jessie and James? Were they the only ones who defected? Do the higher ups know what they are doing? Were we the only two at the Academy who didn't know what was going on?
His wayward thoughts are broken by a spherical object thrust into his face. Its bottom half smooth and white while the top contrasts sharply with its jet black coloring. Two glowing yellow lines cutting through the darkness with a third linking the two to form an "H" shape. An ultra ball.
He follows the hand holding up the extremely expensive capture device up towards its owner. Carys smiles down at him happily. "You're going to need this. Most Dragonites can be held in great balls but only ultra balls will be able to contain your new partner's power levels."
Nodding his head in thanks. He gingerly takes the ball from her and turns toward the Beta Dragonite. His Dragonite. He meets her steely gaze head on. No words pop into his mind. Just the foreign feeling of calm acceptance.
Touching the center button, he expands the ultra ball and tosses it towards the dragon pokemon. The ball bounces off her scaly hide causing it to open in mid-air. Red light quickly envelops the female. Breaking her down into pure energy before being sucked into the ultra ball.
It doesn't even roll once.
Gary steps forward to claim his pokemon as Ash copies his motions. With a tilt of her head, Carys motions for them to follow her out of the cave. They walk slowly and in silence. Having no need to rush to anywhere specific at the moment. Comfortable enough in each other's company that talking wasn't needed. They just appreciated the quiet while they still had it.
Much to Gary's surprise, the horde of Draconids that had surrounded the entrance to the pokemon caves had completely dispersed in the few hours they had been inside. In fact, he couldn't see a single person. No one even walking around the central space in the distance. No echoing noises from the workers in the fields. No striking hammer blows ringing out from the forge.
It was as if the crater had been completely abandoned.
Sensing his confusion, Carys lays a small hand on his arm. Easing away his discomfort instantly. "They aren't allowed to see you two yet. Clan rules. You must have your initial flights first to further seal the bond. They're off preparing for the Induction Ceremony to officially welcome you into the clan for when you land."
Without giving him a chance to respond, she reaches forward and grabs the two ultra balls from his and Ash's belts and tosses them high into the air. The two massive pokemon burst forth in a flash of light. Shaking off the foreign feeling of being rapidly compressed and decompressed.
"Don't wander too far. We've had reports of League soldiers in the area. I've placed scramblers in one of the packs on your belts so their tech won't be able to detect you but you should still keep out sight if you want to stay hidden." She explains quickly before they have a chance to climb up onto their newest pokemon.
As one, the dragons tilt their left sides toward the ground. Offering up their beefy, scaled arms as a jumping point for them to hop onto their backs. Ash is already scrambling up the Alpha's huge body. Clearly excited to feel the freedom that the open air offers.
Following his partner, albeit more cautiously, Gary slides into place behind the Beta's wings. His boots hooking onto the edges of her thick scales. Fingers gripping the base of her wings to hold himself upright. He leans forward as she slowly straightens to prevent himself from rolling right down her spine.
Fly?
Her voice echoes in his mind followed by a rush of excitement. Her exuberance pushing away the throbbing headache that has been plaguing him since he woke up. Filling him up until he can't tell where her joy ends and his slowly awakening enjoyment begins.
"Yeah." He grins across at his beaming partner. "Let's fly."
Crouching down, the two dragons launch upward with a single flap of their wings. Their powerful hind legs propelling them up from the ground with the force of a bullet leaving the barrel of a gun.
His lungs contract. Knocking the air out of his body as the tremendous pressure forces him against the dragon pokemon's scaly back. Before the panic can even begin to set in, the force disappears.
They were already high above the top of Mt. Silver. High enough that he shouldn't even be able to breathe but yet he had no trouble whatsoever. The dragons bank to the left in tandem. Darting along the mountain range that separates Johto and Kanto. Only seconds pass and the hulking figure of Mt. Silver is gone from his sight.
Turning back forward, he watches the smaller peaks pass by quickly. Too quickly to have been able to be seen by human eyes yet he is able to. Actually...his eyes aren't even tearing up like they usually do from the whipping wind.
Wait...no wind at all. Even flying at what must be supersonic speed, his hair is barely moving. As if he was laying in the grass of a meadow as a gentle breeze was caressing him. How is this possible?
Control.
An image of Ash flying on the Alpha Dragonite next to him flashes through him even as he continues to look straight ahead. But the image is off. He can literally see the air. Thin streams, light blue in color, curving around the pokemon and his partner. Close enough that Gary had to strain to see the small gap between the moving streams and their skin. Leaving the Alpha and Ash sitting in their own personal bubble. Away from the harsh sting and cold of the biting wind.
That's when another image hits him. Although this time, it's his own memory. Warped from his grief at that moment in time. But he can clearly see the rain being distorted from its path from the sky above to Silph Co.'s roof as Ash's father's Dragonite manipulated the air into Ash's lungs. Keeping the oxygen circulating inside the raven's unresponsive, dying body. Keeping him alive.
They can control the air itself.
The revelation hits him like a bag of bricks slamming into his side. Just how powerful are these pokemon that the very atmosphere itself is theirs to command?
Bond.
That's right. The bond. Once the bond is formed, the seal breaks causing the Dragonair to evolve into a Dragonite. But the Rider is now tied to the pokemon. Another safety measure to prevent the pokemon from rampaging and destroying the world as we know it. But the Alpha and Beta were able to evolve even with the seal...just how strong are they now?
Command.
Gary stills as the word breaks through his thoughts. Command? What command? Does she need me to give her an order or something?
Just as he opens his mouth to ask her, a wave of sadness engulfs him. Pictures jump from one to another. All grainy scenes of battle from what look like textbooks or perhaps an old movie. Finally, the images stop as she sends him one last familiar image. The beautifully gruesome painting taking up one wall in the Council Hall.
A depiction of the Final Battle. The end of the First War. The war between humans and pokemon. Wild pokemon fighting against trainers and their pokemon partners. The Draconids and Dragon Rider Captains leading the charge. Above them all, the first King of the Drakes himself riding a massive Dragonite. The Mark of the Flame worn proudly upon his forehead. Sacred blue flames surrounding them both. Reflecting on his bronze longsword as he dives toward his enemy from above. That's when he notices the dragon types on the opposing side as well.
These dragons have no control over their lives. Even with their ridiculous power, they're still bound to their Rider. Even more so than a normal relationship between a pokemon and its trainer. Their lives hang in the balance. Disobedience could very well mean their death. They have to obey their Rider's commands. And I doubt all of the dragons willingly submitted to mere humans back then even with Arceus' help...They had to fight their own kin.
The scene suddenly morphs. Ash is now the one leading the charge with Gary at his side. His black locks blowing away to reveal the mark that makes him King. His blood colored crown oozing the very substance it appears to be made of.
Another Rider stands in their path. His face covered in shadow. Hiding his features. He hovers over the opposing army. This time it's full of soldiers and armored pokemon.
Traitor.
A wave of utter hatred fills him. And Gary can't honestly tell if it's the Beta's or his own. This traitor. This man is the reason the League even knew of the Prophecy to begin with. Why they suddenly have knowledge they shouldn't even know exists. It's all his fault that his family is dead. It's all his fault that he and Ash went through what they did to be raised to be perfect League soldiers. It's all his fault.
The scene fades as the dragon's emotions waver back and forth between anger and anguish. She doesn't want to fight her own. Even though she might not have a choice.
Gary pities his dragon then. She has never been truly free. Forever held back by the seal keeping her in check. Fighting for her spot as the Beta female. Having to follow the Draconids orders her whole life. Even after they treated her with the respect her kind and position deserves. And now she is completely and utterly bound to him. A mere human. Who just a few months ago could have been considered to be her enemy.
Steeling his resolve, Gary makes a pact with himself. Saying the words clearly and firmly in his mind. Hoping that the Beta would be able to hear them through their bond. If her answering hum is anything to go by, she does.
Once this is over, I will find a way to free you. So you and your mate can live in peace with your kin. I promise.
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
Ash can't keep the smile off of his face. Flying on top of a Dragonite is so different from riding on Pidgeot or Charizard. The Alpha barely even flaps his wings. Just redirects the air around them to do the flying for him. The ground passes below them in a brown blur.
The dragon type sends him pictures every few seconds too. Enhanced, zoomed in images of the ground below. Like a bird zooming in on its prey from high up in the atmosphere. Keeping Ash extremely entertained on their flight through the mountain range.
They've only been in the air for maybe an hour and they have already gotten to the end of the entire line of peaks and have turned around to return home. It was amazing. How far they can travel in practically a blink of the eye. And it only felt like they were gliding at a few miles per hour!
He can tell the dragon is amused at his reaction to their flight. Ash pushes all the pleasant feelings toward the tingling at the forefront of his mind. The source of their bond. Hoping to forge an even deeper connection with his newest pokemon.
Ash is about to ask the pokemon for another picture when the dragon tenses underneath him. The Alpha's head jerks sideways. Stopping instantly in midair as he stares at whatever caught his eye. They were almost back to Mt. Silver. He can see its imposing figure in the distance.
The image bursts to life behind his eyes. A man flying frantically toward the mountain on top of a Fearow. Both pokemon and trainer are completely soaked in blood. Before he can even question the dragon, the image changes.
The same man surrounded by two hundred others standing inside the central space of the crater. Packs on their backs as they waved goodbye to their friends before mounting their flyers. They left in small groups through various tunnels.
Ash turns towards Gary as the Alpha's memory fades. The hard look on the brunet's face telling him that the Beta must have shown him the same thing.
"She says he's a spy. The Elders sent them out to major cities to monitor the League. Something must have happened." He states grimly.
Clenching his teeth together, Ash nods before silently urging Dragonite onward. It shoots forward like a bullet. Aiming for the mouth of the crater that Ash now calls home.
They land in the central space just as the bloody Draconid rushes inside Council Hall. They sprint after him. Their dragons flying slowly at their heels.
They burst through the large doors and run down the long row of thrones. The Elders and Riders are staring at the man that rushed in ahead of them. Too much in shock to notice their own entrance. Pausing in their preparations for the Ceremony at the sight of their injured clansman.
The man falls to his knees. His breathing ragged as he holds his side. "The League." He gasps. The words coming out in rattling gasps. "They found...our hideout...in Celadon...Building destroyed...Tortured us...Killed everyone...Barely escaped."
The man collapses onto the floor. Staining the immaculate white marble with his blood. Ash can barely hear his last mumbled words. But he does. And they leave a cold pit in his very soul.
"They're coming."
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
AN: Finally! Time for war! YAS. But for real guys. I think Gary did some solid growing this chapter. Both mentally and physically (obviously). I, for one, am glad he isn't pissed at the dragons anymore cuz dragons are awesome.
Favorite/follow/review please!
Next up: Chapter 41 - Rise
