Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Pokemon, its characters, locations, or names. All of them, with the exception of the original characters, belong to Nintendo
Credits: The original fan fiction Shadow League was based off, Pokemon Master, was written by Acey. I retrieved permission before starting this the first time. Kiall and Elizabeth belong to me. "Paran" is the property of Elemental Sorceress, who had requested that I include her in my fan fiction.
A/N: Back to uploading! Even though I should probably wait until I get to reformatting the computer before playing around with FFN, I'm going to anyway.
I'm also still looking for that artist, if anyone wants to do the on line manga/doujishin thing for SL. XD
The story is getting close to the halfway point. It's rather exciting, really. But I'll get into that when we get there, since I'm oh-so-sure you are drying to get onto the chapter. /sarcasm P;
Warnings: The pairing in this is RivalSibling. This fan fiction has a lot of violence and gore, not to mention some language, and implied rape/sex. Not for kids, that's for sure.
- - -
Chapter 9: Dimension of Shadow
Ash looked around, his eyes half-closed in a relaxed state. They had left the Rebellion camp to go on their way, needing to get to the Second Tower, and they were in the gloom of Lavender Forest. He half regretted having to make Sora and Angel stay at the base, but with what was to come…it would have proved too dangerous for them.
He had the Shadow Disk fully formed, humming quietly, and using it to travel faster then he could walking. Lance was on his Dragonair, who would nip at the Shadow Master every once in a while after a silent order from her master - Ash scowled at him every time as Lance smirked - and behind him was Misty and Paran on the Water Master's Suicune. Pikachu's ears drooped when Ash shifted uncomfortably; a few minutes of being clung to by May was one thing, but a few hours was a different matter altogether. "Chaaa."
Sending the pokemon a mental message to keep quiet, Ash went stiff. A gentle breeze had started to pick up, their cloaks fluttering about and rippling. Several pairs of crimson eyes blinked into appearance in the shadows of the various bushes and trees; they glared out at them like so many demons. "Keep going." Lance whispered, keeping his voice down and his eyes moving about as he looked at the surrounding forest, "Don't pause or stop…"
The Shadow Pokemon seemed to have other things in mind then letting them pass easily. The breeze turned into a strong wind, then a raging one. It howled loudly, whistling through the trees and bending branches. Dragonair let out a terrified scream, wrapping her long tail around the trunk of one of the trees to stabilize herself against the wind. Misty and Paran pulled tightly on Suicune's fur, feeling the pull of the power of air on them, as the legendary dog pokemon clenched her powerful jaws into the long dragon's lank body to stay ground-bound, eyes squinted in concentration.
Unlike them, neither Ash nor May were as lucky with the attack. The Shadow Disk bucked and tilted, spinning wildly in the blasting wind. "Can't you control this thing?" May called over the screaming wind, speaking into Ash's ear.
He winced, as Dragonair strained to reach the Disk, her jaws snapping to get a hold of it so it would be stilled. With no time to answer the question, Ash pressed his weight down, forcing the black circle to lower. It was a useless attempt, as the gust blew it back up as the wind grew stronger and louder. The eyes peering at them from the darkness started glowing an even deeper red.
The Disk faltered, as they were blown off of it. The energy dissipated, as Ash did a half-flip in the air to reach a nearby tree branch, and keeping a tight grip on it. May let out a sound that was almost like a yowl, struggling to hang on as she put her arm around his neck, holding onto his cloak. Ash felt like he was being strangled. Damn woman! This is why I never traveled with anyone!
"Oh hell!" Ash yelped, as the branch snapped and splintered from the pressure. They were flung away, flying like a pair of dolls that had been thrown.
- - -
When the Forbidden had finally left, and they were able to scout around, Paran found a hollowed tree that was large enough for them to use as a make-shift tent. Misty returned Suicune to the blue poke ball that was designated to her, looking around for any sign of either human or pokemon, before crawling in to join them. A fire was already burning, warming her immediately.
"I do hope Ash and May are going to be alright." Paran said, rubbing her hands in front of the fire, "That branch gave them a pretty hard hit."
"They'll be fine. I wouldn't worry too much about them." Misty replied, wrapping her cloak about her wet form. It was raining steadily outside, and the thunder sent vibrations through the ground. "Ash can heal, as far as I know. No true damage will have been done."
There was a cry that erupted from the silence. Lance eyed the dark hole that was the forest outside, and let his Dratini out. It squealed, finally out of its confining space after so long. "I need you to go out there to see what is stalking about," the Dragon Master said, as the small pokemon slithered out of the tree.
There was silence, as they waited for several minutes before the dragon returned. A red lizard-like pokemon followed it in, looking thoroughly miserable and sick. Paran gasped, scooping up the newcomer. "A charmander!"
Whimpering, the fire-type cuddled down in her lap, its tail waving slightly as the flame flickered weakly. "Why don't you keep him?" Misty asked, watching as Paran tended to the battered creature, "He is a fire-type, after all."
"Hm, I'd suppose so. How would you like that? To stay with me?" she said, as Charmander tilted his head and looked at her. Lance snickered, leaned back against the side of the hollow.
"It'd be a good idea if we would get some rest. We're going to have our hands full combing this forest tomorrow."
- - -
"Ugh…ow." Ash moaned, the headache worsening. He slitted his eyes open, reaching with his senses to find any sign of danger and picking nothing up. He looked about easily then, the dark seeming like nothing to his night-viewing eyes. There was a sigh from the warm weight that was on his chest, the sound awakening him entirely. "Hm."
Tilting his head, Ash peered at the young woman that was sleeping soundly - oblivious to the fact that her pillow was her living and breathing companion - with her hand curled around his arm and her head rested on his chest. There was a squawk above them, bringing his attention to the sky.
The majestic ice bird stood over them, worry in her watery eyes, and her wings spread out to create a shield from the rain. Ash unclipped his cloak and pulled it off, letting it settle over both him and May to keep off some of the cold. His eyes widened slightly, when she snuggled in closer, mumbling under her breath.
"Where are we? That…" May forced her eyes open. Ash shushed her, not wishing to alert any surrounding enemies to their presence. With a quiet motion to Fiona, then to May, he waited for her to scoot over before sitting up. He choked, his vision spinning from the abrupt movement, and shook his head to clear it.
"Are you alright?" he asked in a whisper, getting a nod in response. There was another squawk, and they looked up at the Legendary as she moved to the side, revealing the dark sky. There was an orange form flying from the distance, wings flapping against the rain. "Hey, that's Dragonite!"
Dragonite dove, its wings back to streamline itself as it twirled past the trees, coming to a landing behind the ice bird with a heavy thud. "Ash, May!"
The red-haired Water Master jumped down from the dragon's back, her dress flowing around her legs as she hit the ground at a run. "Are you alright?" Paran asked, coming up behind Misty.
"I believe we are," the Shadow Master replied, looking at them from his crouched position on the ground. He forced himself up to walk about, testing for any injuries he hadn't seen or felt already, and nodded approvingly. Happy with the results, he put a hand out to help May up.
"There should be a cave up ahead, if what I saw was right," Lance said, as May eyed Ash warily before taking the offered hand and swinging herself onto her feet. "If we go there, you can rest up without being out in the rain to get soaked."
"Agreed." May returned her articuno, quietly thanking the pokemon for acting as sentinel. Ash took the small mouse pokemon that was curled up at his feet into his arms, frowning, before following them in the direction of the cave.
"May," he hissed, his eyes darting from person to person as he watched to see if any of them made any indication of listening to him. The brunette turned her head to look at him, her eyes showing her curiosity. Ash took an uneasy breath.
"Not a word about that to anyone." She continued to look at him, her eyes clouding over in confusion, before a dawning look came onto her face. Ash went back to his own thoughts when May nodded her agreement, not daring to comment on the interesting shade of pink she had turned.
- - -
Misty sat quietly, her back against the cold stone of the cavern wall, as she looked around. With the exception of her, the entire group was asleep, resting for the upcoming battle that was looming ahead. She turned her blue eyes to watch the Shadow Master; his breathing was slow, and for the most part he looked only slightly relaxed, as if he couldn't let himself actually fully become as vulnerable as sleep would make him. Such a sad thing... she thought.
The only sign within either eye or ear shot that several hours before it had rained was the dripping of water droplets from the leaves of the trees and the roof of the cave. Same Element...same person. And it happened right under our noses and we didn't even notice. I wonder what is in him... "Fire...it's like fire, not meant to be played with." she said softly to herself, "And yet, they do anyway."
"Hmmm. Whassat?" Misty regarded the man, as he blinked the sleepiness that was in his eyes away and stretched out. She smiled slightly.
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking out loud is all." Ash's nod was slow and thoughtful, and he rolled over onto his stomach to be able to look at her without causing a crick in his neck.
"About what?" The question brought out a small giggle; some things never did change.
"About the Tower." Misty admitted, as Ash narrowed his eyes, "and what happened with Sabrina, and you, May, and….."
"And Mazin?" he asked, getting a nod from the woman. Ash watched her carefully, before smiling. "Quite depressing to think about, really."
- - -
The air was cool, as they walked through the forested area. From through the trees they could see the top of a tower looming overhead, the sky beyond a dark, swirling blue-purple. Ash pulled his cloak tighter around him, as they came up to the clearing the building was situated in, and stared up at the multiple windows and the smooth sides of the tower. It still glistened in the dull light from the water that has covered the stone.
"Who's in this one?" Ash asked, his eyes serious. He looked at Lance from over his shoulder. The Dragon Master returned his chosen pokemon to her poke ball, and frowned.
"It's Agatha. She was in the Elite Four before…" Misty took a deep breath, the gentle breeze blowing her hair back in red waves, as her eyes turned worried.
"How are you going to fight her? Ash? She can use ghost attacks?" she asked. With a small smile, he absentmindedly brushed the dark strands of hair away from his eyes.
"I can just fight fire with fire. We all know what she will most likely try to do." They started walking toward the tower. "She'll try to break into my mind and break me from the inside, out. If she does, that's when I can get a chance to get at her."
Ash pushed the large wooden doors open, applying all his weight to do so. "Are any of you going to come with? I can go in on my own if you all want to stay out here." Misty and Lance shook their heads.
"Someone needs to watch guard." Paran said, "So we can stay out here and do that."
"I'll come with you. You'll need someone there in case something goes wrong." Ash spun to look into the glowing, determined eyes of his companion. May tilted her head, her red-tinged lips pursed tightly and tensely. Running a hand through his hair, Ash nodded. Without a second glance, he slipped into the dark entrance of the tower, May quick on his heels.
The door slammed shut with a loud thud behind them.
- - -
Winding higher and higher up, the dark staircase continued on as time passed by. The tower was quiet – abnormally so, in Ash's opinion, considering it was the Second Gate – and the only sounds were the bare tapping of their boots and their hushed breathing.
With a shake of his head, his hood fell back to reveal his face. "It's too silent in here…" he commented, "Something is going to blow…we should have seen or heard someone by now."
Pikachu let out a small whimper from May's shoulder, as they came up to the final landing of the tower. The single door was unlocked, and the Shadow Master looked curiously at it with the Ice Master. "This is it?" she asked, getting a nod in response as he put a hand to the door.
"Certainly is." He carefully opened the groaning door, and peeked around as they entered the dim room. Ash felt his vision shift to accommodate the different lighting, as May stepped up beside him with his pokemon. There was a stifling silence in the room, the two Masters looking about for any sign of human or pokemon. They blinked, when a voice started talking from an invisible source:
"Oh soldier of darkness, please take heed.
You are not what you believe you are.
On suffering, does Shadow feed.
It causes a never-ending spar.
You are he, and he is you.
Time goes by in a darkening blur,
as Shadow takes over, and chaos ensues,
Never relent, never relax, for his mission steadily becomes easier.
Only the mistress of the sun can erase the anger.
Only the lady of winter can ease the pain.
The brightness of day's the purest of cures.
The chill of the snow's agony's chain."
"Agatha!" he snapped, scowling, as the ancient woman faded into view. The lights blared light, as she waved a hand to turn them on all the way. The pair could see the room was in shades of gray and white, the colors dull and gloomy.
"Hello, young Ashura." Agatha said in greeting, "It has been awhile."
"Don't hello me, witch. You know as well as I do why I have bothered coming here." Her old eyes glittering dangerously, she looked up at the grim Shadow Master, and nodded.
"For a fight. Beware, young one, killing me will only keep my Gate from opening farther then it is. The other two will open all the faster though. You will have no time to waste!" the psychic replied, putting her hands together in front of her face. Glancing around, Agatha started a short chant, "Three in one, bound together! Give me the power of manipulation!"
Around the three Masters, the room went dark.
- - -
Groaning, May sat up rubbing her head. She felt slightly dizzy from whatever had happened, and she looked around blindly. The darkness that surrounded from all sides seemed to be never ending and certainly not friendly. She noticed she was also the only one there. "Ash?" she whispered, keeping her voice down to keep from alerting any possible enemies of her presence.
When there was no reply, she stood up, and tapped her foot. Even if she couldn't see it, there was a very solid floor underfoot. Slowly, she trudged forward, her eyes darting from side to side, looking for a way out of her blind state. "Flash."
There was a brilliant flash of light that filled area, and it faded back into the inky black of wherever it was she was. The momentary light had shown her she was in a corridor of sorts, or a tunnel. Sighing, she rubbed her eyes; she didn't like being unable to see, and having to depend on touch and hearing to guide her. There was a scream that pierced the air.
Alarmed, May followed the direction the sound came from, hoping above all else that it led to where Ash was at – or even Agatha would be preferable to her current situation. As she felt the area around her expand, she saw that it wasn't as dark as the previous tunnel. There was just enough light to be able to see the two combatants across the room from her. Looking around, May felt herself pale. Wait a moment…no. she though, frowning in thought, That isn't two..there're three others here.
The third form was on the floor, quite obviously unconscious. The two standing figures stood across from each other, watching each other, not moving even to breath. Agatha…Ash…but who…wait. Looking down on the third figure, she felt like her stomach was about to jump out of her throat. "Ash!"
Getting down next to him, she pulled the still man up into a sitting position against her, and gently opened one closed eyelid. The gold eye was dull, glassy, and unseeing. May looked up at the two, at the cloaked male that was the exact duplicate of the one she was holding. "Mazin…no."
They looked over at her – one with fear shining in her eyes, while the other looked almost bored as he glanced around. May felt her stomach lurch, as Mazin scowled at the two women. "How dare you trespass in here." he said, the voice that was so much the same as Ashura's filled with spite, "You do not understand what you could find in here, what you could unleash!"
Mazin's red eyes glowed, not even hampered by the suffocating darkness that surrounded them. May watched, as he turned back to Agatha, looking ready to strike at any minute. Time itself seemed to stop, as he froze in place, and jerked his head to look in her direction. He cursed under his breath, and vanished, leaving the two women to blink and stare at each other.
Ash squirmed, mumbling inaudibly, as he rose back to consciousness.
- - -
Eyes finally open, the only thing Ash could see was total darkness, until he adjusted to it. "Ash?" May asked, "Are you alright?"
"I've been better." Getting to his feet, Ash whistled, the loud, clear note sounding magnified. From the blinding black that surrounding them, the small form of Pikachu streaked over, jumping into the air. "Shadow Blade."
"Pika!" May winced, watching the Shadow Pokemon change from creature to weapon, the transition looking painful to her. Agatha shrieked, stepping backwards to get away from Ash.
"You shall not come closer!" she screamed, starting a chant to conjure a barrier to surround herself. Ash stalked toward her, blade held in the defensive position rather then offensive, his eyes narrowed menacingly.
"Which would you rather, me or Mazin?" Ash didn't like the thought of having to give over control to his out of control twin, but would had it meant getting rid of Agatha. The old woman clearly preferred the former over the latter.
"I am more powerful then Sabrina was!" she warned, silently sending out a mental attack. Ash faltered, bending at the waist when he felt the onslaught; it beat at his mind, pulling at him.
"You can't let her get to you!" May called, standing. Visibly shaken, Ash shuddered, and ran forward, moving the Shadow Blade into position to strike.
"Do not," Agatha said, strengthening the barrier. Ash scowled. I need to get through it.
With a burst of power, he thrust the sword forward, shattering the glass-like barrier, defeating it as it fought against the weapon. "Thanks for the advice, you old hag," Ash snarled, as the woman turned and fled.
With a scream of rage, he let his chosen Shadow Blade fly, the blade embedding into the ancient Master's back. She let out a gurgle, a whimper, and fell. Pulling it out, Ash flicked the blood off with a twitch of his wrist.
There was a loud groan and creaks, as the ground beneath them started breaking apart. May ran toward him, tripping as her feet hit the growing holes and cracks. "Hang on!" he said, rushing to get a hold of her arm, feeling the area around them falling apart as they stood.
The floor fell apart, dropping them through.
- - -
A/N: Alright, in the first part, I actually never had Ash seething about being clung to. XD It was like he had no actual reaction or thought on it. I decided to change that, since I figured he probably wouldn't be too happy.
I also took out a small part of the chapter. When Dratini goes out to get Charmander, originally there was also a thing about it finding Ash's pokedex and Misty listening to it give Ash's name and element. As I thought it was actually rather trivial a detail, and not really all that important to any of the characters and didn't help the plot, I took it out. It didn't make sense anyway, since it was never mentioned after that.
I added to the scene when Misty, Lance, and Paran find Ash and May again. Originally it was that they talked, then Lance mentioned the cave, and they left; rather then doing just that, I included Ash telling May, in nice terms, that he'd kill her if she told anyone what happened...without saying he'd kill her. XD
I also added to the scene when Agatha first appeared. While she did say...maybe two lines of that poem, I extended and rewrote it into what you see here.