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: I'm trying to get the story up before school starts again, since I'll be working on my term paper over time once it starts again. I should be working on it now, but...that I an do later today. I have way too much to do. x.X blah. So much to do, so little time to do it in!
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.
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Chapter 15: Shadow Agony
Shutting the door with a quiet click, Doctor Beaumont stood grimly in front of the small group, holding the clipboard to his chest. He sat down at the head of the table, and looked at each of them individually. "I'm not sure what it is that's causing it," he started, speaking softly, "though I have my suspicion that this is most likely poison. I've looked many up to find one that would fit his current symptoms, and ones that his body would have a hard time fighting regardless of his Element's healing powers, and the only one I have been able to come up with was Kumori Poison."
When he was only given either blank looks or worried ones, he continued. "It's a very unusual substance, unpredictable in the best of cases." the doctor said, running down the paper he was looking at with his index finger, "Currently, all I'm seeing it doing is giving the patient a severe fever. Possibly also that fainting spell, though that could just be the fever being too much for him, so I am unsure. I've managed to get the temperature down somewhat, but there isn't much else I can do."
"But...how is it able to get past his abilities?" Misty asked. Dr. Beaumont shook his head, and tapped the clipboard again.
"It has to do with the purpose of it. It's fairly new, but I believe this is one that actually feeds off of a person's Element, which would enable it to do damage faster then their abilities can work to fix and stop it." Glancing at each other, they frowned. Standing, he smiled. "I wouldn't worry yet. Ashura is a force to be reckoned with, and it is doubtful that this'll keep him down for long."
As he left, May sighed and went to follow. "I think I'm going to go see how Ash is doing," she said.
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Shutting the door behind her, May slid down into the chair that sat next to the bed, and frowned. Ash was twisting fitfully in his sleep, mumbling under his breath a refusal to whatever was happening in his mind. Picking up the washrag that had fallen to the floor, she rinsed it off in the bowl sitting on the nightstand. Making sure it was cool, she put it back on his forehead, quietly shushing him. "Shh, it's alright."
He whimpered, but settled back against the pillows, going quiet and still. Relaxing, May sat back, watching worriedly as the seconds ticked by. It was unusual seeing him in such a vulnerable state; his cloak and vest off, he was only in his pants and loose blue shirt, the latter of which had rode up from him turning and twisting to expose his stomach. His cheeks were pink from his fever, his mouth hanging slightly open; May found it amazing that, for someone so ill and that had been through so much, he could look so innocently childlike.
She was pulled out of her thoughts when Ash gasped and sat up. He clutched at the sheets, his shoulders shaking and his breathing turned shallow. When she went to try to get him to lay down, Ash latched onto her, sobbing softly. He mumbled inaudibly, sniffling, when May tried soothing him again. "Ash, it's all right...please stop crying, it's all right."
"It hurts, the pain..." he wheezed, his eyes squeezed shut, tears leaking out, "make it stop...dear god, please, make it stop..."
"What's wrong? Ash, you have to tell me," May asked, and he pushed himself back to sit on the bed properly. The normally determined gold eyes were uneasy, and haunted. Ash took a deep breath, waiting for the shaking to stop, and he shook his head.
"I keep...I keep seeing everything...everything..." he said, hugging his knees to his chest, shivering, a fresh wave of agony falling over him. "The suffering, the pain, the torture...all of it...like it's all happening again..."
May bit down hard on her tongue, debating on whether to tell him what the doctor had diagnosed, and whether it was a good idea to be around him in the condition he was in. "Ash," she started to say, worrying her lower lip, "the doctor, he doesn't know for sure what's wrong, but he thinks..." She looked away. "He thinks that someone poisoned you. Or something did, anyway. It's Kumori Poison...and it..."
Before she could finish, he started swearing under his breath, hunching over, his eyes widening, pain shining in them. "Make it stop," he hissed, "Make it stop! Stop! Stop! STOP!" May leaped up when Ash grabbed the pitcher that had been used to pour the water into the bowl from the stand and slammed it down over his head, the glass shattering into pieces at the impact. "Get it out of my head!"
"Settle down! You're going to hurt yourself!" she said, brushing the glass shards off the bed. He looked at her forlornly as she started feeling for the bump the pitcher most likely caused, and his shoulders slumped forward.
"It just won't stop." he whispered, his voice choking up, "It just won't stop. You don't know, May, you don't know what this is like, going through all of this...all over again...and again...and again..."
"We'll figure out a cure, and it'll be all over," May soothed, holding him and gently smoothing down his hair. Ash merely made a confused "Humph" in response.
"How is it affecting me?" Ash asked, nuzzling her, an action that seemed more to ensure she was there then anything else.
"It's using your Element against you, so it can get past your healing ability. We need to find an antidote or some kind of cure for you to get better." They sat in tense silence for several minutes, until Ash turned his head to glance at May and gave her a sad smile.
"If I really need to, I could end up beating the League to a pulp with this poison in me." May patted him on the head.
"I doubt it." She stood, letting him go. "Get some sleep, Ash. You're going to need it."
Nodding, he settled comfortably into the pillows that littered the bed. "May?" he croaked, and she turned to look at him.
"What is it?" May asked. Ash rubbed his eyes.
"Keep...watch Pikachu and Lucia. They tend to get in trouble together if you don't keep them in line." Before May could agree, he started again, rambling about things she should do.
"I'll make sure to, now shut your eyes before I glue them shut!" she ordered, "You idiot."
"They are!" Ash twisted, pressing his face into the pillow, his eyes squeezed shut. She shook her head.
"Oh shut up. I think some more damage was done then the doctor thinks. Probably thanks to that pitcher." Ash was silent for a minute, moved to look at her, then stuck his tongue out at her. Giving him a fake glare, May walked out.
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Beaumont sat at the front of the long table, shuffling his papers around as they waited from him to start speaking. He looked up. "This is a very unusual case. This is indeed the Kumori Poison, but that is typically deadly. We are very lucky he has a lot of power built up in him, otherwise this would have killed him by now." He frowned. "I'm reviewed the...previous cases, and so far his symptoms are matching up. Feverish temp, exhaustion, flashbacks...dizziness, headache, nausea, loss of voice...and we don't even know what else it could do. So far, the only ones that have been subjected to it weren't Masters as far as I know."
May took a breath, and looked at the doctor uneasily. "Can it affect his behavior?" she asked, getting a strange look from Lance and Beaumont.
"That's unknown. What changes has there been that I'm unaware of?" he replied, and May sighed.
"Well, attempting to bash his own head in with a water pitcher isn't normal for him. That was a suicide attempt if I've ever seen one, that thing wasn't light." May rubbed her temples, running through what had happened in her mind. "I managed to get him to calm down, and when he wasn't having his flashbacks, he was playful as all hell. The bastard stuck his tongue out at me!"
"And that's unusual?" Beaumont asked. Looking between themselves, then at him, everyone nodded.
"Very much so." Lance said, rapping his fist on the tabletop impatiently, "I remember in the League, Ash was in pretty severe pain, and I still believe he was ready to take his own life and end it when we took him in, but since then...I doubt he's considered such a thing, probably hasn't even given it a thought seriously."
"Though, him acting like a kid isn't so off," Misty pointed out, "ever since Cerulean when we all met up there's been times when I'd swear he's a totally different person. It's almost like I'm looking at the old him, back when the League was the Pokemon League. Though those times are rare, only has happened maybe once, twice at most?"
"Hm." Jotting down the information, he nodded along. "That could be chalked up to the flashbacks. It could be another symptom. Either way that could prove dangerous in different circumstances then this..." Worried glances were exchanged within the group of Masters.
"What about a cure for this then?" Lance questioned, and the doctor sighed, shaking his head.
"This is no cure, I've looked and found none. The only thing I can think of is far too dangerous to try. It could damage Ash more then he already is, and it'd put many people in danger."
"Just tell us what it is." May said warily, "Just about any cure is better then watching him suffer through this. And we need him healthy." Misty, Paran, and Lance could only roll their eyes at her attempt of appearing to only care for the Shadow Master's welfare on a level of needing him to do his duty.
"Well, I am aware of his second personality from the details you gave me, and about the power increase that occurs when his normal personality and the other switches places. I have been mulling over the idea of forcing...what's his name, Mazin?...to come forward, that it might overpower the poison." He cleared his throat. "Or it could make this worse. I don't know." The four sat in stunned silence.
"Ash...isn't going to be happy with that." May sighed. "So, who's going to tell him?"
The others looked around, whistling, until May scowled at them. "Fine, you cowards. I'll get you back for making me tell him." Getting up from the table, she walked around it, and grabbed Lance by his cloak. He thrashed against being pulled out of his seat.
"What're you doing, May?!" he yelled as she pulled him along.
"I'm not going to be the only one in there! You know he won't react well to this, he hates Mazin! He won't take it lightly!" she snapped, and Lance flinched, and sighed.
"Yes, yes...You're right. Let's go."
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Opening the door, they looked in before entering. "Ash?" Lance asked, noting that the room was silent; too silent for his liking.
There was a hiccup, then a small voice piped up. "In here." Glancing at each other, they went over to the bathroom.
"Are you alrigh-" May started, but she stopped abruptly when Ash looked at her. He was bent over the sink, almost looking green from being so sick, and scowled.
"No, of course I'm not all right!" he snapped, making a face, "My head hurts, and I've been puking my guts up! If that's all right, I don't want to know what it's like being sick!"
"Oh you idiot, you should have called for the doctor!" she said, wincing when he flinched, and leaned back over, gagging into the sink. "He needs to know when new symptoms start."
"Tell me he's found a cure. Please." Ash whined, cleaning up when he was finally able to leave the bathroom without fear of throwing up again. He dropped onto the bed, watching them. Lance and May looked at each other warily, before replying.
"Well, Ash, that's the problem." Lance replied, and he took a step backwards, safely out of Ash's range of attack, "There isn't one that he knows of."
"What?" the Shadow Master yelled, and they shrank back at how loud his voice was.
"The doctor did come up with an idea, but it's really dangerous to you and to anyone that is within a five mile radius of you," May added quickly, and Ash looked at them curiously.
"Well, get on with it. What is it?" he questioned.
"It involved Mazin." Lance admitted, and Ash shrugged. "He wants to try to use Mazin to increase your Elemental power level, and in turn most likely your healing ability. He's hoping it'll be enough to destroy the poison that's in your system."
Standing, Ash started pacing back and forth, his mouth turned down in a frown in concentration. "Mazin...he wants to use Mazin." He sighed. "Fine. If there is no other way to get rid of it, then so be it."
May and Lance gawked at him in amazement, and Ash smiled. However, it quickly changed to a scowl when he heard loud shouts up on the deck, and he jumped off the bed, and started out of the room, calling for Pikachu. "Where are you going?" the brunette asked as both Shadow and Light pokemon appeared from the stairwell, ears twitching, "You shouldn't even be out of bed unless you have to be!"
"You'll find out in a minute, I need to be!" On the deck, they gasped. The noise being made hadn't been an accident from one of the workers; the League was scaling the sides of the ship, attacking them. "This is why. I heard them."
"That look..." May frowned. "Ash, I know that look. You're going to take them on. You're in no condition to!"
"Shut up! I can't sit out knowing we're in trouble!" Ash gave her a desperate look, and May felt her will breaking down. "I can't just lay down and let them terrorize everyone without doing something."
"One battle with the League won't doom us all to a painful death!" she said, and he glared at her.
"You don't understand!" he snapped, running off before Lance or May could stop him, Pikachu following close on his heels. Ash looked around, not seeing a sign of Misty or Paran nearby, and turned when he spotted two Masters advancing on him; a Ground Master, and a Poison one.
"Hello, Shadow Master," the Ground Master, Kai, greeted, grinning as his companion smiled, both noting that Ash did not look well at all.
"Is Kumori treating you well, Master Ashura? I hope it is, I am behind it after all," Gideon, the other one, sniggered. Ash looked at them, unmoved, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"What do you morons want?" he asked, and Kai smiled before replying.
"We're ordered to stop you're voyage to Cinnabar," they said, "and we'll fight you to do it!" Ash rolled his eyes, clearly uncaring, and the two Masters threw out their attacks. He dodged out of the way, just narrowly getting missed, and called for Pikachu.
"Shadow Blade!" Ash said, and Pikachu nodded. He jumped into the air, glowing a blue-black colour as his body turned into pure Shadow energy, and shifted into the long, dangerous sword. Catching it by the hilt, the blade glinted dangerously, Ash smirked. "You want a fight, boys? Well, you just got one!"
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