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: Eh...not much to say. XD;; Nothing new.
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 10: The Battle of Fuschia City -
Crouching in one of the numerous trees, the white-cloaked figure peered through the leaves curiously, watching the small group on the trail below. Her red lips turned down in a frown as they passed her branch, seemingly not noticing the presence above them. That worried and surprised her greatly, as the Shadow Master had the skill of being able to sense not only Pokemon, but people, when he was alert and watchful; which, of course, was most likely the case after the event at the second tower.
"Be careful, love." she said quietly, more to the air then to the actual person, "Ash...my dearest Ashura. The time when you must become Bonded is growing closer, and with it Mazin is growing more powerful. Watch yourself."
Closing her green eyes, Elizabeth teleported, leaving the tree empty once again.
- - -
The sun was out, shining dimly in the sky that was still littered with clouds from the past showers, many of the fluffy things not entirely gone. Ash lead the group, his steps slow and leisurely rather then his normal quick stride; it was too nice out to rush. May and Lance followed directly behind, with Paran and Misty pulling up at the rear of the group.
He pulled his hood back to fall against his shoulder blades, shaking his head to free his hair from his cloak. Ash nearly yelped when May linked her arm through his, startling the concentrating man from his inner thoughts. He scowled, roughly pulling away. "Do you mind?" he asked.
Misty and Paran snickered, hiding their grins as May carefully slithered back to his side, latching on once again, smiling innocently. Ash sighed, a muscle twitching in the corner of his mouth as he resisted the smile that was trying to form, and shoved her over.
May wasn't that willing to give up. Instead of her being the only one hitting the ground, she grabbed hold of his arm and pulled Ash with, grinning evilly. "What the hell is wrong with you?" The question was asked with a choked voice, as Ash tried to keep from laughing.
"Wait up for them," Lance said quietly, halting the remaining standing Masters. They looked around, waiting for the two giggling and snickering forms to rise so they could continue for several minutes. Collectively, they shrugged when it became apparent that that wouldn't be occurring for awhile, as the Shadow and Ice Masters laid in a heap.
"I believe we will be having to set up camp here," Paran remarked, amusement in her voice. Misty crossed her arms across her chest, shaking her head.
"I am inclined to agree," she admitted, as Lance sighed and started setting up the camp for the night.
"You all do realize this is costing us precious time? You two need to grow up!" Lance snapped, getting a swatting from the redhead.
"Shush." Misty said, smiling and helping with getting what they needed for dinner out, "Let'em have their fun. I don't think I'd ever heard Ash laugh so much, not since we were in the League at least."
"Oh, yes. I remember him back then. Always so...depressed, or something. Never smiling or laughing, always scowling or gloomy. It was like his element was personified." Paran shivered at the thought. "Except when it came to Elizabeth. She had something no one else did, though even she looked like she had trouble getting a smile out of Ash."
"The Light Mistress? Well, yes, she did." the Water Master replied, quickly glancing over at Ash and May, then going back to her work, "She had the same problems. The freakishly powerful Element that was wanting to take over, the need to harness it before it could overtake her...no one but her could understand what it was like, and wouldn't considering him a monster for being of the Shadow Element."
"Quiet, both of you." Lance's quick order brought about silence, the two women turning to stare at him curiously. "Listen."
Paran frowned, looking about for some sign of what she was listening for. "What exactly do I need to look for? I don't hear anything."
"That's my point," he said, matching her expression, "there is nothing. Don't you consider that odd, considering just a moment ago Ash and May where just screwing around over there?"
Lance indicated the area the pair had been at, and did a double take; they were gone. Misty threw her arms up in the air in exasperation, and stood. A little searching showed that the pair had just gotten tangled in the thickets, hidden from their view. "They're fine," she replied, returning to the camp, "just a little wound up is all."
- - -
"It's a city," Misty said, peering out around one of the trees at the tall stone walls. They had gotten back on track the next morning, and found themselves standing in the shade of the trees. It was obviously a high security town in front of them; there were several guards stalking atop the walls and gate, weapons in hand and looking about warily.
"We should try to get in, so we can restock all of our supplies before going on to the next tower," Lance suggested, following her gaze to the wooden doors that were firmly closed, and most likely locked. Ash shook his head, staying just a few steps away from the group; he didn't like the idea, unlike the others, all of which seemed to agree that is was best.
"No, I don't think..." Ash paused when they all looked at him curiously, looking for an answer from him, before he just shrugged helplessly. May took a step toward him. He frowned. "Just go."
As they edged out of the forest, he pulled his hood up to cover his hair and face; it didn't seem like a bright idea to walk about uncovered, where anyone could recognize him. His lips quirked at the irony of the thought; his cloak alone was enough to draw attention, and yet he was hoping it would sway the guards from paying any thought to him.
"Halt!" the main guard called, leaning over to peer down at them from atop the wall. "We are not to let anyone in before getting their identities!"
"A precaution against the League's attacks?" Paran yelled up at him, craning her neck so that she could see who was addressing them, "Why would they send a group of five to ambush your city?"
At the mention of the League, Ash stepped behind May, standing with his back straight – which, unfortunately, tended to give him more of an intimidating look – staring down at the ground. "We understand your logic, madam." the man replied, his voice apologetic, "But the law is law, and we must enforce it."
As he finished, the giant door creaked as they were opened, letting a woman step out. She was dressed in an uniform that was identical to the guards', her hair up in a ponytail to keep it out of her way while she was on duty. "If you would please introduce yourselves?" she requested, stepping up to Lance and Misty.
"This is Mistaria, and I'm Lance. We're part of the Rebellion, as I'm sure you've heard of it?" the Dragon Master said, his voice steady and calm. The woman nodded in approval, recognizing the names easily, and moved on to the second group – May and Paran.
"I'm Paran, ma'am. I had used to be in the League until just awhile ago. They all can attest to my resignation...or my turning traitor on it, whichever you would prefer." The Fire Master moved to the side, as the female guard rose an eyebrow questioningly. May glanced back at Ash, who had once again moved back, before answering.
"I would be Marian, an Ice Master." The woman nodded, uncertainty in her eyes, but she moved up, finally arriving in front of Ash. He shifted uncomfortably as she regarded him suspiciously.
"And you, sir?" she asked. Ash moved back another step, his jaw clenched as he tried not to look at the woman; she was already trying to peer into the hood of his cloak, wanting to see who she was talking to.
"Ash?" May said, grabbing not only his, but the woman's attention. She spun around to look between the two Masters, her eyes widening steadily.
"You are...you are Ashura!" she hollered, jumping back. Her shouts, being heard by the guards lining the wall top, drew their attention immediately. The man that had originally been talking to them sprang, doing a flip in the air to land near his comrade, face contorted in rage.
"The Shadow Assassin dared to return here?" he asked, advancing on Ash. The Shadow Master pulled his hood back to stare at the soldier with wide and unthreatening eyes. He could feel the anger coming off of the stalking man. "The man that slew my family in cold blood, has now returned to Fuschia City, to the city where he caused mass hysteria and fear! How dare you!"
Ash put his hands up, pulling his cloak up at the same time to show that he had no weapons. Pikachu peered up from between his feet, head tilted cutely. "That was when I was a pawn of the League's." the rueful Master said, the memories clear in his mind. He could remember the bloodshed he had caused that night; the families that where torn apart, slain with the sharp edge of the Shadow Blade. "I do not wish to fight you, or anyone else here."
Looking past the two guards, he could see his friends, staring in amazement at them, and higher up at the sentinels; their weapons were all trained on him, ready to fire or throw if he made a wrong move. Laughing bitterly, the male went into an offensive stance. "It's too late for you, assassin. You can never be rid of the title, or of the blood that stains your hands!"
Quickly dodging to the side, Ash had to swing an arm out to block the punch that was aimed at his face. "I am sorry that you must suffer, but that is in the past! Nothing is going to change that!" he yelled, hastily getting into a defensive position, his arms crossed in front of his face to stop the blows, "I don't mean any harm-"
"You are probably here to finish what you had started that night!" Lance finally intervened, along with the female guard; they ducked away from the rest of the group, and took to getting between the two men.
"If that was the case, do you believe anyone in the Rebellion would honestly be with him? I promise you, sir, none of us mean to hurt anyone here!" Lance said, the red-faced guard panting as he stared. He rubbed his knuckles as the female shook her head.
"This is unbecoming of a guard of Fuschia City! If they say they are here as friends, I believe them!" She crossed her arms, and scowled at him. "Get back to your post."
Gaping like a fish out of water, the guard stared between his companion, Lance, and Ash. Muttering curses under his breath, he stomped back toward the gate, passing Misty on the way, and shooting them a nasty glare. With a sigh, she turned to look at them all. "I really am sorry about this." she said, "That was...inappropriate, at best."
"I..." Ash started, getting a gesture to quiet down from the guard. She smiled slightly.
"I must also apologize for my outburst. I was a small girl when...that...happened, but it stands out clearly. Seeing you was just such a shock, that...you know." Sheepishly, she looked away, before clapping her hands together. "It appears to me that all of you should be allowed in, and that includes you, Shadow Master."
"I rather not cause a problem-" Once again Ash was silenced, his statement cut off, but that time by May.
"You need to accept people's kindness more." the Ice Master remarked, "Thank you, Miss...?"
"Katrina." The guard smiled widely. "And if any of the civilians cause a ruckus, just tell them they will be seeing me."
- - -
Ash stared at the ceiling, mouth drawn into a thin line. The confrontation at the front gates had been a bitter reminder of all that he had done, and of all of the innocent people he had hurt in the name of the League; all of it done in a cold, heartless manner, one that made Mazin seem like a kind person.
He sighed, closing his eyes. At the time, he had not only been a Master in training, but an advanced assassin; though the training was long over, he was still a killer. Ash sat up, looking around the room that had been given to him to rest in, and frowned. If there was one thing that couldn't change, it was the name that had been carved those years ago.
Just as he was about to rise to go out, the door flung open and a panicked Misty looked at him from the outside hallway. "We need your help out here," she said, her blue eyes wide.
With a snap of his fingers and some mental prodding, Pikachu was awakened, and the trio set off toward the outer wall. Unsurprising to both, was that it was a war zone; the guards atop the wall were firing their weapons, unleashing their Pokemon for back-up. The civilians were all armed also, at least with the men; the children were being led to the center of town by several woman, though most of them stayed to fight.
"The League," Ash commented flatly, as his pokemon subtly changed from creature to weapon with a silent order. Many of the people surrounding them looked at him warily, some of them remembering the weapon as if it had only been the day before when they had been on the wrong end of it. Ignoring the glances, he took to the staircase leading to the wall top, holding the sword at his side.
The guards looked more then relieved to see help arriving, regardless of who it was. From so high up, Ash could see the horde that they were facing, his eyes narrowing. All of the Masters and Trainers were in formation, marching on the city and flooding the area around the front gate. Several of them started the act of trying to scale the wall, throwing out attacks when they could get one in.
With a scowl, Ash spun the Shadow Blade once, letting the blade slide down in front of him, and it sent out an energy blade, which flew down and struck several of the approaching Masters. They shrieked in pain, falling over and taking others down with them. The men on either side of him peered at the blade, then at him, with a mixture of awe and admiration.
When the sounds of battle started on the inner side of the wall, Ash turned to look down; Masters and Trainers alike were pouring into the city, weapons out and swinging, Pokemon being unleashed. "They're going to be swamped if we don't stop more from getting in!" one of the commanding officers yelled.
Ash closed his eyes, taking a slow, deep breath as a tingling power started forming. Straightening the Shadow Blade so that it was parallel to the ground, he let it unleash the energy. Like a translucent mist, it fell over the army closest to the gates and wall, turning invisible before any of the intruders could take notice.
With a grim smile, he hopped over the side, going into a roll when he hit the ground to take some of the impact. As he rose to his feet, Ash could hear wails from the other side; the League's men were screaming in rage, temporally blinded by the dark energy.
Looking about, he took stock of who was battling what; Lance was taking on a group of Electric trainers, Paran had a varied number of the trainers around her, and May was fighting against two Masters. There was no sign of Misty anywhere. Just as he was about to go join one of them, he felt a sting in his side as a club was swung and struck him.
Tripping to the side, Ash clutched at his throbbing wound, the skin most likely turning blue and purple under his shirt. Bringing the Shadow Blade around to meet the second attack, he saw the woman that had charged at him; she appeared to be a Trainer, wearing the uniform of the League, and held the wooden club with ease. Ash frowned, turning when he heard a struggling battle cry, and his gold eyes widened. "I have no time for you!" he snapped, flipping the blade so that he was holding it in the right position for a diagonal slash, putting all his force behind it.
Gurgling, blood seeping out of her open mouth, the Trainer fell back, her wounds glistening bright red. Without a second glance, Ash spun around and ran to join in on the battles, letting Pikachu return to normal from the Shadow Blade.
- - -
"Arrgg!" The Grass Master screeched, reeling around as the slash across her tanned cheek bled exceedingly, stinging from the cold blade. May jumped backwards, out of her range of attack, clutching onto the ice dagger tightly, the weapon not even hurting her sensitive flesh.
Coming to his comrades defense, the Fire Master sent a blast of fire from his hands, lashing out at the Ice Mistress. May ducked down, as an unexpected voice called out. "Electric Shield!"
In front of her, a wall of black electricity suddenly appeared, blocking the Fire attack from meeting its mark. The Flamethrower merely hit the shield, and disintegrated into the air, leaving no trace of ever being done. The League Master growled angrily. "Ash!" May said, as the Shadow Master stepped up beside her, his Pokemon balancing on his shoulder, "What are you doing? I thought you were going to stand watch on the wall!"
"I was until I saw how outnumbered you all are. Two against one isn't very fair," he remarked, as she raised an eyebrow. If not for the fact that Lance and Paran were outnumbered far worse then she was, May could have seen the logic in the statement.
"The last time I looked, a few of the others are going up against three, four, and more trainers at one time. This lot hardly constitutes being outnumbered compared to that."
"There is a major difference between Trainers and Masters, May." Ash dodged to the side when their two opponents threw out new attacks, shattering the shield into small glass-like pieces, which floated in the air for several seconds until they dissipated. A vine flew at them, its green leaves whipping about.
Ash threw an arm out, taking the stinging in stride as the whip wrapped tightly around him, the leaves sharp against his skin. The Master's confident smirk vanished, as he smiled. He pulled back, the muscles in both his shoulder and arm straining as the Grass Master fell forward, struggling against the strength of the vine.
Instead, she was dragged across the ground, getting a mouthful of dirt in the meanwhile. She rolled over, ready to hop up from her back and get back in the battle, until the Shadow Master carefully tilted her chin back with the point of his boot, pressing gently on her windpipe. "Give me a reason to, and I will not hesitate to kill you," he said casually, his voice both threatening and calm at the same time.
He peeked over to find his Pikachu fighting off a stray Pokemon, protecting the two Masters from a back attack. The Grass Master made a soft sound in her throat, trying to create words, but only managed a weak "Uh, uh, uh..."
"Very good." Ash turned his foot and stepped down, her neck snapped back as it broke under the pressure. She was barely able to get out a strangled cry before she was officially dead, eyes rolled up into her head. Backing away from the corpse, Ash turned to see how May was doing; it appeared as if he had taken on the wrong Master, as she was left to fight against the Fire Master. Ice is weak against Fire...hm. Idiot.
With a laugh, the Master swept a leg out to trip up the brunette, his lips turned in a wicked smile. "Hmm, mmm, mmm, a little delicate to be roughing it, ain't you?" he said, eyes blazing, "Perhaps when I have you at my mercy, we can have ourselves a little fun?"
The cocky, arrogant voice rose several octaves as pain erupted all through his lower regions, taking a very solid, very powerful kick from behind. He fell forward, groaning, clutching at himself as Ash stared down, his face contorted in unmistakable rage. The Shadow Master's boots were sparking with the familiar dark electricity.
May looked at him, at the grim expression and the glowing gold eyes, and the angry stance; the Fire Master stood no chance. Just the presence of the standing Master was intimidating, the oncoming darkness of night seeming even darker then it really was. "I would reconsider that," Ash said, his voice dangerously low.
Painfully, the other man rolled over to look at him with bulging eyes. With a silent order, Pikachu shifted into the Shadow Blade, the hilt being taken by the peeved Master. "What do you say?" he asked, getting down on one knee and pressing the sharp edge of the sword to the helpless man's throat, "At the moment I would just love to see you suffer the fate that scum like you deserve, but...perhaps I'll let you decide?"
Carefully, Ash pulled the blade across, letting the ridged edge just barely catch the skin and pull. "Don't! Ash, don't hurt him! He can't even defend himself!" May cried out, grabbing hold of his arm to stop the blade's movement.
With a scowl, he pulled back, taking the sword away from the sniffling Master's neck. When Ash looked up at her, his expression had actually softened, his still-young features calm again. Standing, he smiled passively, and discreetly shoved the Shadow Blade down into the hurting man's abdomen. May gave him a disapproving look, and Ash shrugged helplessly. "I've not exactly known for being kind," he said, savoring the screams of agony that had suddenly filled the air, "especially when it came to people like this."
"People in the League, or people that consider beating the pulp out of then raping others?" May asked, getting a sly smile out of Ash. She had a feeling she knew the answer that would be forthcoming, before he even said it.
"Oh, a little of both, I would think..." the Shadow Master mused, as the remaining League ran, abandoning their downed friends and companions. He looked about, at the slightly ruffled civilians, and his own group. A sharp pain in his midsection was a vivid reminder of the shots he had taken earlier, and he winced. "I also think this would be a good time to rest before we move on."
- - -
A/N: Surprising, not much was really changed in this chapter. All I did was made the fighting scenes a lot more action-packed then before, and that was about it.