I'm back ^^ Well, 10 reviews for the first chapter surpassed my expectations. Maybe I should wait a little longer and see how reviews many I get, but what can I say, I'm impatient. Most of my reviews were positive, which made my day, the constructive criticism was well looked into and the reviews saying that my story was…well, to put it simply 'shit' was also well justified. So I've gathered a mostly positive reaction, I thank every-one for your reviews and wish you continue reviewing.
Emerald gazed out at the sea, seeing the waves form and crash, leaving nothing but white foam in its wake. He took a deep breath of sea air, savoring the salty taste of the light ocean spray. It had been so long since he had seen and tasted the aroma of the sea, and he didn't plan on wasting the opportunity to reconnect with the sensations and feelings he had missed so very much.
Ash was lying on the deck with his shirt off, absorbing the suns rays. The sound of the boat cutting through the waves was relaxing, and it had been a long time since he had relaxed. Meganium, Venusaur and Sceptile where also on the deck with Ash. Due to their grass type characteristics, they never missed an opportunity to bathe in the sunlight. Pikachu was sitting in the shade with Lucario, both of them content with just lazing around in the shade. Usually, they would be running through a grueling training course to keep them at their physical and mental peak, and they welcomed the long awaited break.
"Why don't you take your Pokémon out?" Ash asked, sitting up and looking questionably at Emerald. He was a queer person, to say the least. They had been forced to travel together to get the Lily of the Valley Island. They had both agreed to go by boat, yet that was all they had agreed on the whole journey. It was almost non stop arguing. Emerald, Ash realized, was almost a reincarnation of Paul. He was cold most of the time, never showing any emotion unless it was towards his Pokémon. This was the only reason that set him apart from Ash's old rival at the moment.
"I am saving them for when I need them." Emerald replied blatantly, not even bothering to look at Ash.
"You could let them relax you know?" Ash suggested. He didn't care about Emerald, but his Pokémon deserved a break once in a while.
"If it makes you so happy, fine." Emerald said angrily. He unclipped 3 pokéballs from his belt and threw them high in the hair. Ash gazed at the three foreign Pokémon that had appeared. Emerald, yet again seeing the wonder on Ash's face, sighed and threw him the old Pokedex. He really needs to brush up on his Pokémon, Emerald though as he went back to gazing at the sea. Ash scanned the first one, which happened to be the smallest of the three.
"Darmanitan." The Pokedex chimed. " The blazing Pokémon and the evolved form of Darumaka. When weakened in battle, it transforms into a stone statue. It sharpens its mind and continues the fight mentally." Ash scanned the middle Pokémon, which in Ashs opinion looked the strongest.
"Krookodile." The Pokedex chimed yet again. "The Intimidation Pokémon and the evolved form of Krokorok. Krookodile never allows its prey to escape. Their jaws are so powerful that they can crush and automobile." Krookodile looked menacingly at Ash. Ash shuddered at the gaze of the intimidation Pokémon. It deserves its name, he thought to himself. Ash scanned the final Pokémon.
"Eelektross." The Pokedex chimed for the third time. " The EleFish Pokemon and the evolved form of Eelektrik. Using its sucker mouth, Eelektross can suck in prey. They will attack their prey on shore and immediately drag it into the ocean."
"They look like strong Pokémon." Some one said from behind him. Emerald turned to see a woman dressed in silver with a black outlining. She looks similar to a remoraid, Emerald thought smirking.
"I have to agree with you there." Emerald said, the smirk vanishing and his voice growing cold and emotionless. The woman gasped at the sudden change, but tried to muffle it so it looked like a yawn. It didn't fool Emerald, though he didn't care at all.
"Do you mind if I battle with you?" She asked hopefully. She knew she had to do some kind of training before the boat arrived or her team would be rusty from the long boat trip. She had saw the man looking out to sea earlier, and dismissed him as a suitable sparring partner. Yet she was lucky enough to see his strong Pokémon and her decision changed instantly.
"I do." Emerald replied simply, and returned to watching the sea. All three of his Pokémon did likewise. It seemed that every-one wanted to 'this' or wanted to do 'that' with him. 6 years on a mountain can really make going through small talk painful, he thought. He hadn't realized he was being rude, and even if he did, he simply wouldn't have cared.
"Too scared to fight me, the mighty Marsha. I don't blame you, I mean, every-one knows me." Marsha said, her shoulders sagging. She had competed in the Silver Conference two years ago, and had made it to the final 8. Due to this reason, no-body wanted to fight her in fear of getting their Pokémon pummeled.
"I have no idea who you are, and I have no intent to find out." Emerald replied to her comments about being great, which greatly surprised Marsha and made her angry.
"LIAR! I can see it in your eyes, the fear, and the angst. You are petrified out of your wits to face me." She said smugly, rage evident in her eyes. Every-one knew who she was, and she was a hot favorite to win the Lily of the Valley competition. At least, that's what her friends had told her. That she was hot favorite… in their eyes…
"Fine, let's get this over with." Emerald said in a lazy drawl. Ash turned his body to watch the battle, knowing full well who was going to win. "Darmanitan, your up." The blazing Pokémon snorted flames in his appreciation. It had been a while since it had been in a proper battle. Marsha smirked. She would have a great advantage.
" Go, Slowbro!" Marsha yelled as she threw her pokéball high in the air. A pink droopy-eyed Pokémon appeared.
"Slow-" Slowbro started but was cut off by a yawn. Marsha giggled at Slowbros cute display, thinking about how it would win a contest easily, whereas Emerald just rolled his eyes.
"ALRIGHT, SLOWBRO, USE SCALD!" Marsha yelled unnecessarily loud. The Slowbro yawned then sent a stream of boiling hot water towards Darmanitan. Without being commanded, Darmanitan moved to the left slightly and the Scald missed. Slowbro seemed to understand the fact that he had missed almost ten seconds later and stopped the boiling hot stream. The trainers in Johto must be bad, Emerald thought to himself, wondering how this woman had made it to the final 8 with a Pokémon like that.
"Darmanitan, end this with Superpower." Emerald commanded lazily, with a wave of his hand. Darmanitan became surrounded by a blue energy, to which it got on its hind legs and rushed at Slowbro. Slowbro didn't even lose his grin until he slammed into one of the Cabins sides. It didn't get back up, and Marsha marveled at the strength of the Darmanitan. It was true that she hadn't used Slowbro during the Silver Conference because he was too weak but even her cute little Slowbro shouldn't have been taken out that easily. Returning her Slowbro, Marsh instantly threw up another pokéball.
"Dusclops!" The Beaker Pokemon cried, and got into its battle stance. Marsha grinned. Fighting types like Darmanitan couldn't hit Dusclops with fighting moves, and Dusclops had such high defense that fire moves shouldn't do much damage. Anyway you look at it, Marsha thought to herself, this is a surefire victory.
"Dusclops, Shadow Punch." Marsha commanded. Dusclops's hands became out-lined in a grey energy.
"Clops!" Dusclops grunted as it punched the air. Two shadowy fists that were outlined in a grey energy went hurtling towards Darmanitan. Darmanitan weaved its way through the fists easily.
"Don't stop Dusclops! Keep firing!" Marsha commanded, and Dusclops did exactly that. Constantly punching the air, multiple ghostly fists came hurtling at Darmanitan. Darmanitan managed to keep avoiding the attacks but the fists kept coming. Darmanitan can keep this up all day, Emerald thought to himself. He wanted to tire the Dusclops out before he attacked so his fire type attack would be enough to destroy Dusclops despite its high defense. Damn, Marsha thought, Dusclops is losing its stamina and that Darmanitan looks like it can go all day. It looks like I have to change my strategy. Looking at her Dusclops, she saw that it was slowing down and that the fists were growing smaller. Dusclops was running out of energy and she needed to do something fast.
"Dusclops, Thunder Punch!" Marsha commanded, thinking of a strategy that might work. If she could manage to slow Darmanitan down, it might not be able to dodge Dusclops's barrage of shadow. If Thunder Punch managed to paralyze Darmanitan, she might have a chance. Dusclops reared back, the grey outline on its fists fading, replaced by yellow sparks of electricity. The sparks then met each other and illuminated Dusclops's fist in a bright yellow electricity. Dusclops ran towards Darmanitan, and swung its fist. Darmanitan weaved through the attack and got behind Dusclops.
"Darmanitan, Flame Wheel!" Emerald commanded, and Darmanitan nodded. He ran at Dusclops then jumped, his burning eyebrows seemingly igniting the air around Darmanitan till he was incased in a ball of fire. The ball, affected by gravity, came hurtling down towards Dusclops.
"Shadow Sneak." Marsha cried out in desperation, but Dusclops couldn't pull off the evasion before the massive ball of fire smashed into Dusclops. Darmanitan was now on top of Dusclops, screeching in dominance. Marsha couldn't see her faithful Pokémon due to the monkey blocking her way, so she hoped that Dusclops wasn't down for the count.
"Dusc-" Marsha heard a weak voice say, and she jumped with joy. She quickly realized that she could use this situation to her advantage.
"Dusclops, Shadow Punch." Marsha commanded. She always knew that Dusclops could take the flame wheel due to his great defense. Dusclops's fists were enveloped in the similar gray aura as it punched. However, this time its actual fist connected with Darmanitan. The shadows then extended to send Darmanitan flying. Emerald looked with slight concern in his eyes for his Darmanitan. Shadow Punch was a strong move at a distance. He tried to imagine how powerful it would be at close range. Darmanitan stood up confidently, pounding its chest to let his master know that he was all right. Dusclops stood up shakily, and Marsha knew that her Dusclops was on the brink of fainting. She wondered if she should recall him so he wouldn't be damaged any further. No, she said firmly after thinking heavily. I will not give this trainer the idea that I am weak and that I will back out of a fight when things are looking bad. She glanced at the Darmanitan. The beast of a Pokémon barely had a scratch on it, and was still strong in its stance. Marsha glanced briefly at the opposing trainer. His face was emotionless, like a stone and his voice was cold. But deep in the sparkling emerald eyes she could see the pride for Darmanitans achievement and slight concern for his physical state.
"Darmanitan, finish this with Flame Charge!" Emerald commanded. He could see the struggle that Dusclops was having just trying to stand up so a fairly weak fire move would finish it. Darmanitan grunted in reply and began to stomp on the ground repeatedly. Out of nowhere, dust appeared and Darmanitan was lost from sight. Marsha took a deep breath. She only had one chance. It was going to be a low blow, but it was the only thing that she was able to do with Dusclops in his state. The dust disappeared, and Darmanitan was surrounded in a red orb of fire. It started to run so fast that streaking red flames were left in its wake.
"Destiny Bond." Marsha called, and Emerald took a step back when he heard her choice. Really, he thought to himself. Is that cheap move even legal these days? Dusclops's eyes started to glow a ghostly purple as Darmanitan smashed into it. Dusclops stumbled and fell onto its back defeated. However, the moment it hit the floor, a purple spiral emerged from its eye and touched Darmanitan on the face slightly before disappearing. Darmanitan began to feel dizzy and weak as he collapsed on the floor. Emerald recalled his Pokémon and sent a death glare towards Marsha for using the cheap move. Marsha felt guilty, but the guilt faded quickly. The move was there for a reason.
"Eelektross, finish this." Emerald called out. Eelektross, who had been eying the water enviously, waddled over. Electricity crackled from her body as she arched her back and roared a metallic roar. Marsha smirked. It was time to bring out her secret weapon.
"Rhyperior, show them your skill." Marsha said smirking, as a massive Rhyperior appeared from the pokéball. The massive Pokémon took even Ash aback. He had met many Rhyperior on Mount Silver yet none of them had been the size of the Rhyperior in front of him. In fact, he had never seen a Rhyperior close to that size.
"Eelektross, Thunderbolt." Emerald commanded, and Martha chuckled. Stupid trainer, she thought. Electric type moves wouldn't have any effects of Rhyperior due to his Ground type characteristics. "Aim to the left." Eelektross gazed questionably at his trainer, but did as she commanded. Marsha wondered what he was thinking of, Ash wondering the same from the sidelines. Lucario and Pikachu were now watching contently from the shade, and Venusaur, Meganium and Sceptile were itching to join in the battle, especially Sceptile. The sky also seemed to be growing darker, though neither Ash nor the two battlers noticed the storm clouds rolling in. The intentionally off course Thunderbolt was aimed to the left. However, the bolt was redirected to Rhyperiors horn where it dissipated. Marsha didn't see the point of Emeralds experiment but Ash smiled when it hit him. He's testing to see if the Rhyperior had the ability Lightning Rod.
"Enough games." Marsha said confidently. "Rhyperior, use Stone Edge!" Rhyperior let out an angry cry. Its body became outlined by a white energy, to which it let out a roar. The white energy was then released from Rhyperiors body to form two rings of white pointed energy orbs that became spinning around Rhyperior, as if in orbit. The white light faded, and the energy orbs started convulsing. When the convulsing finished, they had transformed into multiple gray rocks. Rhyperior flung its arms wide open and the rocks were sent rushing towards Eelektross.
"Eelektross, defend yourself with Discharge!" Emerald called out. Eelektross began to crackle with static electricity. Electricity begun to pulse through Eelektross, being generated at its mouth and flowing through its whole body. Eelektross let out a loud grunt and the energy was released, the massive discharge attack surrounding Eelektross. The rocks could barely pierce the lightning barrier, and the selective few that did manage to penetrate were fried to charcoal. Marsha gasped. She had never seen discharge used as a defensive move. The voltage in Eelektross began to go down and Marsha saw her opportunity.
"Rhyperior, Rock Wrecker!" Marsha called out. Rhyperior let out another cocky roar and brought its hands together. A single chunk of rock that was bathed in a red energy formed and began to grow. It grew till it was a considerable size, the red energy crackling like the discharge that was now fading. The red glow faded and Rhyperior let out a roar as he flexed his palms, throwing the huge chunk of rock towards Eelektross.
"Eelektross, stop it in its tracks with Charge Beam!" Emerald commanded, and the disappearing electricity form the discharge started to convert back to Eelektross's mouth. It let loose a glowing beam of energy that collided with the 'boulder.' Though the boulders speed was slowed, it pushed against the electric beam with ease and slammed into Eelektross. Eelektross tumbled backwards, and ended up on its back. Marsha grinned. It was time to end this.
"Rhyperior, Hammer Arm!" Marsha commanded, and Rhyperior got ready for the final blow. Rhyperior charged at Eelektross, nothing but destruction on its mind. Its left forearm began to grow white as it charged, ready to slam into Eelektross. Emerald smirked. That was a big mistake.
"Eelektross, Double Team." Emerald instructed and Eelektross flipped back onto its flippers. It then multiplied into 20 versions of itself, spinning rapidly and causing Rhyperiors attack to miss. It was then that Marsha realized her mistake. She had allowed a Pokémon whose physical attack was large to surround Rhyperior. "Now, Giga Impact!"
Marsha had to think frantically of a way to avoid the attack. If 20 Gig Impacts hit her Rhyperior wouldn't be able to take it. Granted, the mirrored Pokémon only had 1/10 of their original attack, but she still wasn't confidant that Rhyperior could take that many hits. Eelektross began to close the distance between Rhyperior, all the copies and the original being covered in spiraling orange streaks. Finally, a purple aura enveloped them all and they charged will full force.
"Rock Tomb on yourself." Marsha cried in desperation. Rhyperior looked at her trainer in surprise, not thinking it a good idea, but following the command any-way. Rhyperior lifted its arms up, to which a rock began to form, similar to the Rock Wrecker process. When the rock was completed, Rhyperior slammed it down onto itself without a second to lose. The Giga Impact slammed into the Rock Tomb, creating a think layer of dust. When the dust cleared, Rhyperior could be seen lying in a pile of rubble. Eelektross was standing by her trainer, looking at the Rhyperior. Unbelievably, Rhyperior grunted and got to its feet. It was critically damaged, but Marsha's idea about Rock Tomb had taken most of the impact. It grinned as it faced off against Eelektross.
"Rhyperior, Rock Polish." Marsha commanded. Rhyperior slammed its fists together, to which the orange plates around his body began to grow a vibrant red. If one hit can take us out, Marsha thought to herself, then we won't let it hit us. Rhyperior let out a roar, putting its arms in the air, assuming its battle stance. Emerald smiled wickedly.
"Eelektross, Zap Cannon." Emerald instructed, formulating a plan. Though Zap Cannon would have no effect, it might be able to lure Rhyperior into attacking physically. If Marsha thinks Rhyperior can avoid a close range attack with extra speed, she's wrong, Emerald thought. Coincidentally, that was exactly what Marsha was thinking. Eelektross arched back and let out a cry. It extended its right arm, which started to crackle with electric volts. From its palm, a pulsing yellow orb with a red centre formed.
"Eelek!" Eelektross cried as its flexed its palm, sending the orb of energy towards Rhyperior. It smashed into Rhyperior, causing and explosion on contact. Rhyperior just let out a roar. The attack hadn't done any damage, but the explosion had ticked Rhyperior off.
"Rhyperior, send it flying with Shadow Claw." Marsha said smirking. Rhyperiors extra speed would allow it to get a clear shot at Eelektross and its massive attack would be able to easily damage it. Eelektross wasn't that fastest of Pokémon, so she was confident that it wouldn't be able to dodge the Shadow Claw. Rhyperior extended its fist, to which its lower arm became surrounded by a purple aura with a black out line. The aura then extended to take the form of a massive shadowy claw. Rhyperior charged at Eelektross, who stood calm waiting his trainers instructions.
"Eelektross, Detect." Marsha began to see Emeralds plan unfold. Eelektross closed its eyes, and calmly swayed to the left. Rhyperiors attack missed to the right, and Marsha felt a shiver run down her spine. "Finish this with Brick Break." Emerald commanded to Eelektross. Eelektross opened its eyes, and jumped into the air. Its forearm glowed a dazzling white, and its fist connect with Rhyperiors head, centimeters above the horn. Rhyperior collapsed on the spot, to which Eelektross let out a triumphant cry. Marsha returned her Rhyperior to its pokéball looking slightly embarrassed. She had had a massive type advantage, yet all of Rhyperiors assets had gone to waste. Still, she wasn't a sore loser. She went over to shake Emeralds hand, to which Emerald complied. She was surprised at how strong and firm her opponents hand was. She had shaken the hand of Lance himself, and even the Dragon Master didn't shake this firmly. She realized that she was clutching his hand, and she released it sheepishly.
Ash chuckled at the scene. The Rhyperior had given Eelektross a run for its money, and that Pokémon didn't look like a pushover. Ash felt something cold and wet splash on his shoulder. He gazed upwards to see the grey storm clouds, as more droplets began to fall. Rumblings of thunder could be heard as the rain quickly came pouring down. Ash and Emerald returned their Pokemon, with the exception of Pikachu who jumped on Ashs shoulder, and walked over to their cabin, which happened to be relatively close to the area that they had battled on. Marsha, however, realized her cabin was down the other end of the ship. She decided it would be best if she stayed with the men for now, to keep warm and not catch a cold. Besides, she thought wickedly, being in a relatively small room with that man shouldn't be too bad.
Ash instantly sprawled out on the bed, not bothering to change his clothes. His pants were only slightly wet, and he didn't have to worry about his shirt for obvious reasons. Emerald didn't bother changing either, sprawling out on the floor next to the bed. He felt more comfortable on solid floor, instead of a cotton filled air bag. Marsha crawled next to him, and laid her head on his shoulder. Emerald just looked at with her curiosity, wondering why she was sitting so close to him. He felt slightly uncomfortable, but didn't really care. She probably wanted to stay warm.
"So Ash, you never told me how you ended up on Mount Silver." Emerald said blatantly. His words sliced Ash like a knife, and brought the memories flooding back. He pointed towards Marsha, and Emerald just shrugged. Hypno could take care of her memories later.
"It's a delicate topic." Ash said, expecting the conversation to end at that, but Emerald wasn't satisfied.
"I don't care." He replied, still expecting the full story. Ash sighed, realizing just how stubborn Emerald could be if he didn't get his way.
"You're an ass, you know that?" Ash said, his phrase more of a statement than a question. Emerald didn't realize the dry humor in Ashs tone, but didn't think he should reply. He waved his hand, motioning for Ash to continue. This had also sparked Marshas interest, but she wisely decided to say nothing. It would be better if she didn't draw any attention to herself.
'Stop stalling." Emerald said ending the procrastination that Ash was trying to build up.
"Fine." Ash said, starting his long story. " 5 years ago, I competed in the Lily of the Valley Conference for my second time. The first time I competed was when I was ten." Emerald nodded, listening keenly though his emotions and body language did not show it. "I came second, narrowly losing to a trainer called Leaf. I came home after the conference to see my friends and family awaiting my arrival, all ecstatic about my achievement." Ash smiled at the memory, remembering the way his friends had all run up to him and enveloped him in a bone-crushing hug. He was still sure that they had broken a few of his ribs that day. "We had the welcome home party, celebrating my achievements. I had my first kiss that day…" Ash said, his voice trailing off. He remembered how he had been outside with May. They had just been talking, and Gary decided to be a smart-ass. Gary had pushed Ash when he was parallel with May, and their lips had met. Ash remembered how he wanted to apologize, but instead he had deepened the kiss.
"Come out of La-La land Ketchum. You still haven't finished your story. You can masturbate to the image later." Emerald remarked, and Ash rolled his eyes. Pikachu began to spark; ready to send a bolt of lightning at the idiot who had insulted his master, but Ash put his hand out and signaled to Pikachu to stop. Pikachu stopped, wondering why his master didn't want retribution.
"That was the last night that I was happy, truly happy. The next day the Prophets showed up." Ash said coldly, and Emerald shuddered at the memory of the Prophets. Ash's story was starting to seem similar to his own dreadful experience. The mention of the Prophets made Marsha wonder and she finally decided to draw some attention to herself.
"But the Prophets bring happiness. They volunteer to help the poor, they help out with the cities and they warn us of incoming disasters. They have been doing so for the past 6 years…" Marsha said, her voice trailing off when she realized that they man called Ash had apparently been on Mount Silver for six years.
"Marsha, do you know what the Prophets are exactly?" Emerald asked, gazing at Marsha. His voice wasn't cold any more, it was laced with venom. Marsha almost recoiled at the way he spoke the words, but she was determined to find out what the two blasphemers meant.
"They ware a religious order who do nothing but good!" She half yelled, half spat at the man she formerly felt attracted to. She was a believer, they had saved her parents. They said that a rampaging Salamence would destroy most of their hometown in Golden-Rod. She had originally felt suspicious at the cult, scoffing at the their words but her parents believed. Her family had evacuated, only to watch the scene unfold before their eyes as their town was destroyed, and their friends murdered. They had believed…and they had lived. '
"Good?" Ash said, scoffing at her words. He had never heard such shit in his life. They were the polar opposite of good. "Let me tell you what they do. Lets see… the most likely thing is that they warn you that you town is going to be destroyed. They say that a massive Pokémon, a Tyranitar, a Dragonite…maybe a Salamence will destroy your town. No-body listens at first…but then it happens, am I right?" Marsha was taken aback, that the stranger had guessed what had happened with no clues being given whatsoever. "Once they gain your trust, they help you build up your town." Ash continued, clearly seeing that Marsha was beginning to see what was going on instead of being surrounded in a prison of lies that the Prophets so delicately constructed in the sub-conscious. "Only they add shrines… laws… and prophecies. They say that they need contributions to help the town, so you basically hand over all your money. However, what you don't realize is every single leisure centre, Pokécentre, even restaurant is now run run under their influence. They rake in the money…and they get to shape society in their image. Total power, and a cash bonus."
"Of course." Emerald said, taking the lead reigns of the conversation. " You don't see them releasing the Gigantic Pokémon from their pokéball, the one that supposedly destroyed the town. The Pokémon that they tortured for weeks on end, so much that is lost all its trust in humanity and decides to destroy it instead. You don't see them secretly draining the water when they tell you there is going to be a water shortage, and you don't see them salting crops so that they won't grow in that particular area when they tell you that the soil is becoming infertile. And, most importantly, you don't see them corrupting people so much that they would even turn on their best friends and family if instructed to do." Emeralds rage seemed to spark on the last sentence, quickly replaced by sadness. The emotion wasn't evident by his face or his body. The emotion was evident in his voice and eyes.
"That's what happened to me." Ash said blankly, his voice full of misery and mourning. "The prophecy saw me as a threat, I have no idea why. Probably due to my involvement in taking down Team Magma, Team Aqua, Team Galactic and Team Rocket, not to mention my achievements in Pokémon leagues." Both Marsha and Emerald realized he was going to continue his story, so they didn't intervene. " The next day, after my congratulations party, the Prophets showed up. They came with a warning: Ash Ketchum will bring death to your town. He must die, or else every-one in this town will perish. No-body believed them in the start. That night, I heard weird noises, painful wheezes and footsteps. I got out of bed to investigate. What I saw was the Prophets realizing 4 bloodthirsty Gyrados into the water. I instantly cried out for help, sounded the proverbial alarm if you will. But the Prophets had already disappeared from view. The Gyrados attacked. They destroyed most of Pallet, and we fought hard to get rid of them. There was only one causality in the end: My mom."
Ashs story was met with silence. Emerald contemplated and compared what had happened to Ash to what had happened to him. They definitely shared the same main plot, although the circumstances and occurrences were different. Marsha was the first one who found the voice to speak.
"I'm sorry." Marsha said, her voice barely a whisper. A single tear rolled down Ashs cheek, before he wiped it away.
"You shouldn't be, it's not your fault." Ash consoled her, before going back to his story. " I was a Surf attack…she drowned before I could save her. Even though the Prophets only said destruction would come, the Gyrados incident was pointed at me. They came again the next day…saying that Earthquakes' would destroy most of the already damage town. It happened again… I investigated again and found a row of 20 Golems, all ready to use Earthquake. No-body died…but they started to believe. My friend…Brock was the first one that openly stated that I needed to die if we all wanted to live, using my mom as a reference. Basically: I was blamed for my mothers death, though I had nothing at all do with it. That's the way the Prophets work…not by force, not physical manipulation like stealing some-one's Pokémon, but by getting inside you head and messing with your beliefs and ideas. That's what sets them apart from the other groups."
Marsha had never viewed the Prophets like that before, but the more she thought about it, the more she realized that what Ash was saying was the truth. What he had just said and justified, was almost identical to what had happened at Golden-Rod 5 years ago.
" That was just the tip of the ice-berg though. The real motivation was the Apocalypse: They told every-one that every-one would die and that all the towns would be destroyed. That it wasn't my fault, but my aura was going dark, and that death was the only solution. Such a claim is Ludacris, is it not? But everything that the Prophets had said had happened…so people believed them. One by one I was abandoned. The only people left by my side was May, one of my close friends, Professor Oak, well renowned Pokémon Professor and my old rival Gary. Even then I could clearly see the doubt in their eyes. So I decided to end it. I packed up and left to the one place I knew that people wouldn't follow me: Mount Silver. There I trained, raising my Pokémon to top-notch condition, thinking of a way I could destroy the Prophets influence. Finally, I was given the chance." Ash said, looking towards Emerald who met his gaze. They both knew loss, and they could both relate to the pain. Ash nodded at Emerald, who understood straight away.
"Hypno." Emerald said, dropping a Pokéball from his belt onto the ground. Hypno emerged, instantly rushing towards Emerald and hugging her trainer affectionately. Emerald laughed, and pointed towards Marsha. Marsha suddenly felt on edge.
"What are you doing?" Marsha asked as Hypno approached her. Hypno begin to swing its Pendulum, which Marsha began to follow against her will. She began to go drowsy and finally fell asleep.
"Good Job Hypno. Now… use Dream Eater on her. I want you to erase any memory she has of us. How-ever, keep the information she knows about the Prophecy." Emerald commanded. Hypno let out a happy 'Hyp' sound when she was commented, and immediately began to do as her master instructed. Ash turned to Emerald.
"What is your story?" He asked, and Emerald gazed at him. He decided it was only fair that her told Ash after he had revealed what had happened to him. Emerald opened his mouth to reply but was cut off by the ships speaker.
"Attention Passengers." A feminine voice said over the intercom. "We have docked at Lily of the Valley Island. All passengers have one hour to leave the ship before re-boarding begins for returning trainers. Have a nice day, and good luck." The Intercom buzzed off with slight static at the end.
"That's a story for another day." Emerald said, and walked out the cabin door, returning Hypno who had finished the job. Ash sighed. Talk about bad timing. He looked briefly at Marsha who was starting to open her eyes. Well, the tournament begins here, Ash thought as he left the room.
Enjoy this chapter, my longest yet, and do not forget to review! However, a word of warning. I will not tolerate abusive messages towards other reviewers. Towards me is fine. I have already had to remove one review due to foul language towards another reviewer and I kindly ask so that it does not happen again. And yes, Emerald is and OC.