ch. 4

Ash, no, Edward Hyde walked up to Serena with confidence as he hears her giggle at getting a toy. To his surprise, it wasn't the Piplup toy she got; it was a book with the Halo of the Sun. This confused him. He knew Dawn/Serena, and she would never believe in what the Order did. 'Maybe she likes the design. It is pretty cool. Or maybe it reminds her of me.' Ash thought. She looks at Ash, but soon shivered. "Um…hello…sir…" She said as she started to look around. "Have you seen my friend, Ash? He's about my height with black hair and auburn eyes." She said. Edward smirked. "Ash? Oh, yeah, I saw him, but he's not coming back. Ever. Instead why don't we get together." Hyde said as he got closer. Serena began to freeze in fear. She stepped back. "Wh-What are you talking about? Ash wouldn't abandon me. He cares about me and other people." Serena said. Edward growled. "How would you know? You've only met him for less than a day. You hardly know him! For all you know, he's the killer!" Edward yelled his rage building. Serena steps back. "I…I know because…I see it in his eyes. I see his trueself. He's kind, nice, and cares about people. He especially loves Pokémon." She said. Edward soon laughs. "'Trueself'? Ha! You wish. Ash isn't some hero inside. He's a monster, plain and simple, one that hurts people." Edward said, and then holds himself. "Even if he…I don't want to." Edward's eyes became auburn color and looked very sad. Serena steps forward. "You're lying. Ash isn't like that. How do you even know what your saying is true? Why should I even believe you?" She angrily asked. Edward growled. "I'm speaking the truth! I've been with Ash since the beginning and I've seen how he really feels. He's not a good guy!" Edward said. Serena growled. "Then why hasn't Ash ever talked about you? WHO ARE YOU?!" She yelled. Edward growled. "I AM ASH!" Edward yelled out loud. Serena steps back as everyone else in listening distance look at Edward. Serena was shivering. "Y-you're lying. You're not Ash." She said. Edward growls as his rage built. How was he ever going to convince her that he was Ash? Suddenly an idea came to him. He didn't like it, but he couldn't think of any way of showing her that he was Ash. Suddenly his body ached in pain. Edward steps back as fear began to fill his mind. He soon shocked his head. 'No, stay strong. Stay strong!' He told himself, however, thinking was getting harder and harder to do as the pain increased. He holds himself and cries out in pain. He soon crashed to the ground, his body twitching as electricity surrounded him. The boy's hair became raven black, his skin darken a little, his nose returned to its normal shape, and the z like marks returned to his cheeks. Serena rushed to the boy.

"ASH! ASH!" She yelled in fear, however, her voice was starting to sound more like regular Dawn. The world soon began to turn white. "ASH! ASH!" Brock's voice could be heard as well, but he wasn't around. Ash soon heard the cries of Pikachu. Ash opened his eyes. He looks at Serena, but she was starting to fade away. Ash soon growled as anger settled in. 'NO! THIS WILL NOT END LIKE THIS! I WILL HAVE HER!' Ash yelled in rage. He stands up, but wobbles. However, his rage kept him up. He lets out a large monstrous roar. Suddenly the white disappeared and the 'world' returned back to normal. However, Serena suddenly disappears for a few seconds before reappearing back at the shooting game. Ash holds himself as he closes his eyes. The rage was building higher and higher inside of him, to levels he knew were not good. Ash takes a deep breath before let it go and opening his eyes. When he opens them, he sees that he was near Serena, who had re-won her prize. Ash closed his eyes as he felt his rage building up again. He clutched his chest, making sure it wouldn't open. He breaths heavily as he tries to focus himself. He looks at his hands. They were now more like claws than actual hands. 'Wh-what's going on? One minute I was letting the real me take over, and now I'm over here, angry, bitter, and wanting to kill anything that looks at me funny. Wh-what happened in the intervening time?' He thought his head still very fuzzy. He lets one hand let go of his chest so he could hold his head. He was in a lot of pain that was for sure. He soon remembered the world tried to whiten to wake him up. 'Well, whatever happened, I know for sure my friends were trying to wake me up. But…I was so angry at this dream, that I didn't want that to happen. Maybe something bad happened that I wanted at least a small do over. Maybe that's why I'm so angry right now.' Ash thought as he tried to figure out what was going on with himself. However, he was soon taken out of his thoughts by a hand touching him.

Ash growls at the person who touched him, but soon realizes that it was Serena, who looked very sad and concerned. "Ash? Are…you okay?" She asked. Ash takes a few pants before taking in another deep breath. "I…I'm not sure. I…I feel so angry….but I don't know why. M-maybe you know." He said. Serena thought for a moment, before looking at the book. "I don't know why you're angry. But…I…I met this monster of a man. He…he kept hitting on me. I…I turned him away, and he ran off. I… I don't know where he went, but I fear he was the murderer who killed my sister. He…he was crazy that's for sure. He…he said he was you. But that's crazy. He was nothing like you." She said. Ash puts his hands on her arms and smiles. "Don't worry, you'll be fine. I'll protect you." Ash said. Serena blush. "Thank you." She said. Ash liked this. His anger was depleting now and he was helping Serena feel safe again. He was curious of this mysterious man. Who was he? Suddenly an awful idea came to him as he remembers the monster that haunted him. The monster that had been with him since he was born. Hyde. 'Was…was that my true form? No! It wasn't. I'm being stupid. It maybe that Darkrai's master, but it's not the real me. It…It was never me. But it must be the one who scared Serena. Who else could it be?' He thought. He soon noticed the book in Serena's hands. "Hey Serena, why did you get that thing as your prize?" He asked, confused. She smiled. "I wanted to give it to you." She said. Ash was confused by this as he lets go of her and grabs the book. "Why? I'm not into the cult thing. I only went on the ride because that guy suggested it, and you know the reason why I went to Mr. Stev's house." Ash said, confused. She looked at the book. "Well, because it reminds me of you. It…it has a certain way of talking that I noticed you have. Plus, my mother was a 'fan' of the cult and I kept her stuff to see if anything useful I could use. I was hoping we could solve the mystery of Dark with this since he's into the cult." She said. Ash frowned. "Serena, the whole pyramid guy is being dealt with by the police. Besides, after today is over, you'll never hear from him again." Ash said. She looked at him with confusion. "How do you know?" She asked. Ash smiled. "Oh, it's just a hunch. Besides, you shouldn't worry about Dahlia Gillespie. She's dead and so are her fallowers. You shouldn't worry about it." Ash said with confidence, although he wasn't sure why he said the last part. Serena looks at him with confusion. "How do you know that name?" She asked. Ash shrugged. "I don't know. I think I heard that name from Mr. Stev. He's always saying weird stuff." Ash said. She frowned. "Ash, I've met Mr. Stev. He never uses that name for the cultists. He's always talking about Dark…Ash how did you know that name? That was my mother's name." She asked.

"Who knows? But enough about this crazy cult stuff, let's go on some rides." He said, wanting to get away from the subject. He grabbed her hand and began to walk away with her, however, she wasn't budging. Ash groaned as he felt himself stop. "Oh come on. Let's go. I want to ride the rides." Ash said. He didn't want to go back to talking about the thing. She frowned. "No." She said. Ash growled. "No… NO! We are not doing this! We are not going to argue. There's not thing to argue about. Let's just go on a ride, I want to have fun!" Ash yelled. The anger he's been bottling up was rising higher and higher, ready to explode. "Is what you did to Opal fun?" She asked. Ash froze, and then growled. He lets out a monstrous roar, then slaps her. "Don't you dare compare me to that monster! I've given up that role a long time ago. I am not it anymore!" Ash yelled his anger was so great that he wasn't even sure what he was talking about. He was just known that he was enraged. Suddenly he heard police sirens. Ash froze up. "What the?" Ash asked, confused. He soon saw that area was empty and Officer Jenny appearing them on her motor cycle. The motorcycle stopped a few feet from them. Jenny gets off and points a gun at him. Ash became scared. "Officer Jenny, what's going on? W-why are you pointing that at us?" Ash asked, terrified. She frowned. "We've finally found you, you monster. I can't believe you're here, but I won't give up this opportunity." She said. Ash felt his heart race at a million miles per hour. "Je-Jenny, what are you talking about? I'm no monster. I was just having a small argument with my friend. I haven't done anything wrong." Ash said. Jenny got angry. "Nothing….NOTHING WRONG!? Look at the poor girl you're hurting! I bet this is how you justify it to yourself. That it's just an argument." Jenny said, confusing Ash.

Ash decided to look at Serena to try and understand what she was talking about, but was horrified when he saw what he had done. Serena's mouth was bleeding, she had cuts on her hands, and her body was covered in bruises. 'What…How? No. NO! This can't be happening. I didn't do that!' Ash yelled inside. "NO! This…this has to be a joke. How did you get those bruises so quickly? Where did they come from? I wasn't the one who did it. I only slapped her." Ash said, confused and terrified. Jenny growled. "Stop lying to yourself, Ash. And don't say that it isn't you. You fit his description and you're holding that book. I'd say it's a clear match. Now take off that helmet." She said. Ash was now even more confused. 'He-Helmet? I'm not wearing one. What…No. NO! I couldn't be that monster again. That world is long dead, why are they looking at me like it isn't? Why is The Order's symbol everywhere in the park?' Ash steps back as Edward's mind began to take over again, however he was equally as scared as Ash. 'Jekyll will help me. Big brother won't let me be arrested. I…I don't deserve this! I didn't DO anything this time!' Ash thought as he tried to calm himself and keep control. Suddenly he felt his body freeze up as the police pulled Pokelantis out of the squad car that had just arrived. However, Satoshi was out cold. 'Jekyll. Jekyll, wake up! Stop them! SAVE ME! PLEASE!' Ash thought; he was very scared. He whimpers as she gets closer. Ash began to hyperventilate. He soon sees the little girl from earlier. 'Please. PLEASE! Be another nightmare. PLEASE LET ME WAKE UP!' Ash screamed in his head. "What's the password?" The little girl asked. Ash felt confused. Did she just hear his thoughts? 'P-password?' Ash thought in confusion, he didn't have the nerve to talk. She nodded. "You can be free from this nightmare if you give me the right word." She said. Ash nodded. He had to think of something quick as he sees the officer coming closer. This whole mess started because of this book and him talking about Deliah. "D-Deliah?" Ash asked. However, Rose just shocked her head as the cop came closer. She shoots a bullet near Ash's head. "TAKE OFF THE HELMET!" The cop yelled. Ash gulped. "FL-Flouros?" Ash asked, trying to think of another word, although he wasn't sure where that one came from. He just knew it since he was terrified. He wanted to run, but he soon noticed that he was surrounded. The girl shocked her head no. "Valtiel?" Ash asked, hoping that something from the ride he saw will allow him to be free. She shocked her head no. Ash soon felt something shack in his hands. He turned to Dawn who was holding herself and opened her eyes. Suddenly Dawn's body flashed white which causes Ash to turn away. When he looked back at her, he sees that she had transformed into a girl with brown-black hair, cold black eyes, and wore a blue school outfit. "Alessa?" Ash asked in confusion, he was surprised to see the girl and that he knew her name. Alessa nodded. "You are correct. Now you are freed." The little girl near them said. Ash smiled. Yes! He got it right.

Suddenly he felt his body ache in pain. 'Wh-what the? What's going on?' Ash thought as his heart ached in pain. Ash held his head. It was becoming heavy. "J-Jekyll, help me!" Ash cried out. He soon sees the police pulling him away and Jenny was coming closer. However, Jekyll was still asleep. Ash began to panic. What was keeping him asleep? He should be awake! Ash held his head tighter as his head became heavier. Ash glowed a bit as his body expanding. He was growing. Ash's eyes wide as darkness over comes him. He screams in pain as he closed his eyes. Ash breathed heavily as he tries to talk. "N-No! This isn't what I want! This… This place is dead! I'm not bounded by it! I'm supposed to be free! PLEASE! HENRY! LUC! SOMEBODY! Don't let them do this to me!" Ash yelled, not even sure what was happening. Suddenly his mind began to fuzz away as the pain increased. He began to cry. After a while, everything went black. The boy falls to the ground. His body soon stops growing as his body turns into the Pyramid Headed creature. After a few seconds, the creature got up and looked around. It soon let out a 'hmph' as it examined it's body. "Foolish creature. You have no idea what you have done. Now I have awakened, and the sinners will no longer have anywhere to run….hehe. Especially Harold. But, it seems my body is not quite ready for me to fully be awakened. Especially my mind, it's…not fully wanting to become me. Oh well, eventually it will realize that it can't escape its fate." The creature said, its voice being different than Ash's. It soon chuckled. "But for now, I'll wait. I have a lot of ketching up to do." It said, and then everything became white.

(Real world.)

Ash opened his eyes surprise. He sees Dawn and Brock overlooking him with worried eyes. Ash sighed in relief. 'It was just a bad dream, just like the latest ones.' Ash though, although he could still feel the rage and fear he felt from it. Ash gets up and looks at Pikachu, who in his arms and who looked very scared. Ash just smiled. He was glad he was finally out of that dream world. However, the last bit of his dream soon came to the forefront of his mind. Ash began to shiver. He looked at his hands, there wasn't any blood, but he still felt horrified for doing that to her. "Ash, you looked like you were having another nightmare, but you wouldn't wake up from it. What happened?" Brock asked. Ash smiled. He was glad he had such caring friends. He rubs Pikachu's fur. The mouse lets out a sound of delight by this. "It…it was nothing. Really. I'm…fine." Ash said, not wanting to make his friends upset. However that didn't work. "ASH! Don't lie to us. We can tell that you are still recovering from it so tell us the truth." Serena…no Dawn said. Ash held his head. He shocked it and then looked at his friends. "Alright, but it's a bit long. It started off weird with me running from the cops and going into a sewer. After navigating it for some time, I went topside and went into a town called Silent Hill. There I met this old man who looked like you, Brock, and this girl who looked like Misty. I…I forgot what they were talking about, but they did show me to a hotel. When I entered the place, I rented a room from a guy who looked like James from Team Rocket, then I met this Dawn look-a-like. Then I went to sleep, hoping to get out of the weird dream, but instead I had this weird dream-within a dream sequence of which I was a monster helping a little girl. When I 'woke up', I was back in the hotel room I rent and then met the Dawn look-a-like, who was called Serena. Then Serena and I walked around the town and having food. Then when we stopped near a hospital, I had a weird vision, I…I saw me hunting down this guy and I felt this primal instinct activate. Thankfully Serena took me out of it, but I don't know what it was even about. Then I met the guy who looks like you, Brock, and he was a total nutjob. He and the Dawn look-alike talked about a cult and a monster called Dark. I don't remember much of it, other than Dark cursing said town. Then Serena and I went back to the apartment and splited, then I met Tracy but he acted weird and made me angry. Then I went to the Misty look alike and…I…I tried to get a date with her. I…I don't remember what happened next though." Ash said. He looked down. "But after blacking out and closing my eyes, I was with the Dawn look alike and we went into a bar for some brief food. I was confused by this, but was even more confused was when I found out that the Misty look alike was killed by a monster. Everyone was so scared, and I was just confused." Ash said. His friends were horrified by this.

"That's horrible." Dawn said. Ash and Brock agreed. Ash soon held his head as he looked up. "Anyways, after lunch, I took Serena to the local amusement park to try and ease her fears. However, instead I got angry because I saw the mascot which was a Pikachu, and it made me fully realize that Pikachu wasn't with me. Thankfully Serena was able to calm me down. Anyways, the mascot came up to us and suggested we go to the tunnel of love, but we declined the request. So we went on another ride, but…it was weird…I…I don't even know what it was even about other than none sense. Anyways, after we got off the ride, I met a group of kids were scared of me, and said I was the 'Bogieman'. Then they ran off and one of the kid's older brother, named Alex, came up to me and apologized. Apparently they came from a place called Shepherd's Glend, but I've never heard of it before, so maybe it was a made up town I made." Ash said. Brock looked at his maps. "I have to say you're right. I can't find any place called that in any of my maps." Brock said. Ash nodded. "Alright, anyways, he acted like Silent Hill was near a lake, but Serena told me it was near Pallet town, so I was confused. We argue a bit, but he soon left. Oddly, as he began to leave, I said that I wanted a real match against him, and that I would see him soon. What do you think that means?" Ash said, confused. This confused his friends. "Sounds like you met him before. So maybe this 'Shepard's Glend' is real, but in some place we don't have maps for." Brock said. Ash nodded. "Yeah. That's kind of what I thought too, but I dismissed it, since he talked about Silent Hill. But maybe I've been to Silent Hill before and just I don't remember it." Ash said. He sighed, very confused. He could also feel the fear growing inside himself.

"Anyways, after Alex left, I met a guy in a Darkrai costume, but it was actually a real Darkrai. It said that it was causing the nightmares so it could talk to the 'real' me.' I'm not sure what he meant, but I let my mind go and tried to free up my heart to see what was going on. I…I remember feeling pain as this happened and I blanked out for a few minutes. All I know is that I was able to help him get some peace and that he said that I was supposed to be having a nightmare, but other than things being weird, it didn't felt like one. But…it all changed when I got back into 'reality' and was myself again. That's when things really got nightmarish. The Dawn look-alike gave me a book with the cult's symbol and was scared of a monster. I grabbed the book and was worried about her. She said that I was acting weird and was worried about me. I didn't want to talk more about the cult and told her that we should move on and go on some rides. But she refused to go. I grabbed her hands to try and move her, but suddenly the police arrived and we were trapped. Officer Jenny pointed her gun at me and said that I was a monster, that I was the one to kill fake Misty. She said I was really the monster wanted for 15 murders. I…I was so scared. And then….then I looked at Serena to try and convince myself that she was fine…but... She…She was a wreck and was badly beaten up… But I didn't do it. I would never hurt you, Dawn. I didn't even touch her. And yet, she was badly damaged. I tried to leave, but I could get away. I…I soon saw a girl I met, and she said she would get me out of the dream. But she gave me a puzzle and the transformed you into another girl so I could answer it. Then…then…I …I don't know what. I…felt pain and transformed into some kind of monster I had never seen before. I…I'm so scared." Ash said. The others were disturbed by this. Ash looked at Dawn. "Dawn, I'm sor…." Ash said, but she shushes him. "It's okay. I know you would never do that. It was just a bad dream made by a nightmare. Plus it explains our nightmares." She said. Ash looked down. "But…but he said that he would stop the nightmares. That it couldn't be a nightmare. And I knew that it couldn't go bad. But….but it did. It went very bad. I…I hurt Misty and you, Dawn." Ash said. He soon held himself. 'It was only a dream, it was only a dream.' Ash thought as he tried to calm himself. Brock puts a hand on Ash's shoulder. "Ash, it's okay. That monster wasn't really you anyways. That Darkrai twisted your feelings until they were poisonous. If it hadn't had done that, then you wouldn't have done those things." Brock said. Ash smiled as realizes this fact. "Y-YEAH! You're right! I would NEVER kill! And of what I remember of from those versions of my friends in that town, they weren't an accurate depiction. Besides, Pikachu was only an amusement park's Mascot. I would never be without my best buddy." Ash said. Pikachu and the others nodded.

Ash soon sighed in relief. "Thank you for all you've done. But we should get going soon, that dream probably took a lot of time away from our traveling." Ash said. His friends soon sweated. "Actually, you only over slept until 9 am," Brock said. Ash smiled. "Great! Now let's get going." Ash said. Everyone agreed, and nodded. Soon his two friends got away from Ash's bed and walked over to their beds. After a few seconds, they began to pack up. Ash gets up with Pikachu on his shoulder, but soon he saw a flash. Everything soon blurred and he saw a fog covered town similar to the dream town he was just in. Somehow, it felt….eerie. He closed his eyes and shocked the feeling and the image away. He wasn't going to let some stupid dream distract him from his goals. Besides, Luc was going to make it disappear in his mind, so he shouldn't worry about it. Ash soon opened his eyes and got dressed. Once dressed, he packed up his stuff. Once done, he looked at Dawn and Brock. He smiled. 'Yes, things are going to be alright.' Ash thought. The gang soon grabbed their backpacks, made sure they had their Pokémon, and then left the center.

Meanwhile, on the far end of town, the Darkrai from earlier laid on the ground, asleep. Near him was a man wearing a red cape and black clothes underneath. The man had dark grey-blue hair, black eyes, and looked very young. He waited for the Pokémon to wake up. After a few seconds, it did. It looked at the man with its visible eye. "So, has Master Dark been awaked?" The man asked. The creature got up and shocked his head. "No my comrade, the master is still asleep. The one who said he would wake him up gave up on that dream. He did not want to go back to being a part of Dark. He said he hated being one with master and chooses to be a monster instead of a god." Darkrai said. The man growled. "Does he at least have all of the pieces of Dark?" He asked. Darkrai folded his arms. "Yes and no. He has all of the soul, but he still needs the spear's jewel inside him for him to be whole." The Darkrai said. The man smiled. "That should be easy then. At least we can hire some bulgers to steal it." The man said. The Darkrai nodded. The man sighed. "But what are we going to do after that? That boy is in charge and we can't complete Dark without him. Besides, he has all of the soul inside of him, so we can't extract Dark out of him. All our efforts to restore the master, WASTED!" The man angrily said. Darkrai looks at the man. "I think I have an idea. It's a dangerous idea, but it's the only one I've got. I saw one thing that will convince him to rejoin with Dark; The Order. He fears it, hates it, and wants nothing to do with it. He believes that it is dead and won't order him around, but you know as well as I that there is nothing dead about it." Darkrai said. The man froze. "You want him to go there? How does he even know about The Order in the first place, and why does he think it's dead?" The man asked, very confused. Darkrai sighed. "Remember, the boy's soul is millions of years old, hell even longer than that, and he's been to other worlds. Worlds where The Order rose and fell, and he said that he hasn't been to a world with it in it for many millenniums. If the Order can scare him, then it's our last hope." Darkrai said. However, the man didn't look pleased. "Is that religion really what he's truly afraid of? Isn't there another thing we could use?" The man asked. He really didn't want to deal with those loonies. Darkrai shocked his head. "No, there is no other choice. He has battled many enemies, fought off many villains, and none of them truly made him fear like The Order. The only thing he fears more than them is himself, and you know that we can't have him fighting himself." Darkrai said. The man sighed. "Damn it. But…we have to complete Dark. It is our duty and our mission. If we don't' do that, then what was really the point to our lives? After all, he chose us to be the ones to put him back together." The man asked. Darkrai nodded.

"I had hoped my ultimate Nightmare attack would have had the same effect as that town, but it seems he's used to bad dreams. And with the town, there is no chance he can free himself from his feelings. But that also means we can't warp things so he can be on our side." Darkrai said. The man nodded. "But I'm afraid. What if we lose him to The Order? What if he dies? If he dies, then we'll lose all the pieces again and I doubt they would ever want to be in this world again." The man said, very worried. Darkrai smiled. "Don't worry. He's strong. He can handle himself and his hatred for the town will make sure he'll never join them." Darkrai said. The man sighed in relief. "Okay, why don't we wait a year or so for the boy to forget about this before we take him to the town? After all, it is in a strange land. I doubt he would like us all that much if we distract him from his journey when he's so close to the end." The man said. Darkrai nodded. "Yeah, plus we have a tournament to win." Darkrai said. The man nodded. The two soon laughed.