A/N: Welcome (back) guys! It's been another long while since I've updated, but I've put a lot of heart into these next bits. I find the story to be evolving as I write it, and I can only hope that's a good thing. As I said, things were going to be a little dark for a while, but I didn't want to give you guys nothing but bad news, so I actually combined quite a bit into this one chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy it.

As I said before, I'll also be sharing the music with you guys that helps me to write these scenes. If you would like to feel these scenes the way that I feel them, I would really advise that you at least give them a listen. After all, it's where this story is really coming from. =]

From the start of the chapter to Gary's speech: Gary Jules, "Mad World" (continued from the last chapter). All of the lyrics from the first verse describe perfectly what Ash is feeling. The instrumentation from the second verse is the music that would be playing in the background.

Misty's talk with Ash: Blue October, "Picking up Pieces." Although I'm pretty sure this song is about talking with God, just listen to the lyrics and imagine Misty's feelings as she tries to tell Ash how she feels.

Mason and May's second dance: The Glee Cast, "(I've Had) The Time of My Life." I've always loved the original from Dirty Dancing, and still do, but the version of the song that was performed on Glee was perfect for the scene. From the start of this fic, I've always regarded this song as the perfect song for the two of them, lyrics and all.

The rain was coming down harder and harder as the sky grew darker. It was as if the world was trying to reflect what Ash felt. He and everyone else found themselves in the middle of a giant empty field that had recently been the scene of a gruesome battle. Though the rain was discomforting, none of them cared. Not after what they had just witnessed. Ritchie's body lying only a few feet away did too much to remind them.

Jessie, James and Meowth approached slowly and carefully, not wanting to gather too much attention at a moment like this. Until only a few moments ago they had been affiliated with the man who had turned the entire world into a madhouse. Gary noticed them, though he knew they had no ill-intent and simply nodded at them.

Mason and Noone walked over to where Ash was sitting. Mason knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder. Azurill hopped out of Misty's lap and waddled over to him, nuzzling his leg. Mason stood up, picking him up as he went. He tugged on his ear a little, making him hum. It was enough to get a small smile out of Mason. He put Azurill back down and he waddled back to Misty and took a seat next to her.

There were no words to be spoken right now. As urgent as the need to stop Giovanni seemed, this was the time for silence and stillness. And so it was for the next few minutes. Nobody said a word as tears were shed from every eye.

Noone's ears began twitching after a while, followed by Azurill's and Pikachu's. They all looked up toward the hill they had come from. Not long after everybody heard a steady chopping sound growing louder and louder. Everyone but Ash stood and faced the hill, preparing themselves for what might be coming.

Professor Oak's helicopter appeared over the hill moments later, much to everyone's delight. It was only then that any of them noticed how heavy the rain was becoming.

The pilot landed the helicopter as close as he could to the group. The doors flew open and Tracey, Professor Oak and Delia emerged and raced toward the others, who had already begun making their way over.

"Brock! Misty! Everyone!" Tracey yelled, glad to see everyone was doing well.

"It's good to see you're all safe," Professor Oak yelled over the rain, "but what are you doing out here?"

"I think maybe we should wait until we're all dried off and somewhere a bit quieter," Brock yelled back.

"Oh yes, of course," Oak said, "Let's-"

"Where's Ash?" Delia yelled, interrupting him.

"He's…over there…" Misty said, feeling pain and mourning rush back in to replace the relief she had felt when the chopper arrived.

Delia began running toward Ash and stopped, covering her gaping mouth with both hands. Tracey and Professor Oak quickly made their way over to investigate before sharing the same sight with Delia. Ash and Sparky were still knelt next to Ritchie's body.

"What…what happened…" Tracey asked.

"I…I couldn't…I didn't…" Ash was muttering under his breath, barely audible over the rain.

"Ash, we need to go…" Professor Oak said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't leave him. Not like this." Ash said, looking up to the professor.

"Don't worry. We'll take care of it. Please, you're soaking wet. Go with the others in the helicopter."

"No. I'll help move him." Ash demanded. Not wanting to prolong the time spent outside, Oak simply sighed in agreement. He ran back to the helicopter and opened a compartment on the side, pulling out a tarp. He, Tracey and Ash covered Ritchie's body and carried it to the cargo bay. It seemed so wrong, almost like they were storing him, but they had no choice.

When they had finished and everybody had strapped in, the helicopter took off, headed for Kanto. The ride home was silent.

Ash had insisted on burying Ritchie as soon as they arrived in Pallet. Professor Oak was more than willing to clear a section of the land behind his lab for the burial site, but was against digging it in such dreadful weather. Ash, however, was not going to listen to any reasoning, so instead of argue with him, all of the boys accompanied him to help dig. Ritchie had been buried, a temporary headstone placed atop the grave, and everyone had dried off and changed into dry clothes (borrowing what they could from the extras around Oak's lab).

When all was said and done, they all gathered in the kitchen. The silence continued, though now only because nobody was sure of what to say. The rain outside continued to pour and the few T.V. stations still on the air had nothing good to report, so they had turned it off.

"Listen…" Brock spoke up, relieving everybody of the silence, "I know…I know we just lost somebody, a friend. But we're the only ones who know what Giovanni is up to, and-"

"There's nothing we can do," Ash said from his seat, not looking up. "It's too late."

"...Maybe not," James said, "maybe we can get some information from those guys. What were their names? If they're still there, I-"

"Shut up," Ash said coldly, "you three are the last three I want to hear anything from."

"Look, kid-I mean Ash," Jessie started, sincerely, "we would never stand for something…something like what Giovanni did. We were just-"

"Just what?" Ash interjected, whipping his head over to see her, "Trying to steal our pokemon. And what then? Did you think he was just going to say 'good job, here's a medal' and let them go?"

"Well, no, but-"

"We're talking about Pikachu. My best friend. We've already seen what Giovanni is willing to do to a human, a boy, and you were going to give him Pikachu."

Jessie looked toward the ground. He was right, after all. They had never thought about it in that sense before, but their plans were much worse than they had thought.

"Ash, I think we know them better than that…" Misty said.

"What does it matter," Ash asked, slumping back into his chair. "He's gone, and it's my fault."

"It's not your fault," Brock said, "There was nothing you could have done."

"I was an idiot," Ash continued, ignoring Brock, "if I had just kept my mouth shut, or even just stepped out of the way." Everyone around was growing more and more concerned with every passing comment. "What does it matter anyway? The world's doomed. It's hopeless."

Having heard enough, Gary stepped forward. He stood directly in front of Ash until he looked up. The second he did, Gary leaned forward and punched him in the face. Everyone jumped when they saw it happen and Ash fell to the floor.

"Why'd you do that?" Ash yelled, climbing to his feet ready for a fight. Mason and Tracey held him back.

"What's the matter with you?" Gary asked, "We've known each other since we were kids, and you've never backed down from anything, no matter what. Ash Ketchum was going to be the very best, like no one ever was."

Ash continued to snarl at him, though he had backed down.

"Now I was there tonight, don't you forget, and I saw what happened. An evil man did an evil thing and your best friend saved your life by giving his. Now you're going to sit here and say to everyone that 'it's hopeless?' Ritchie gave his life because he knew that if there was anybody who could come through, it's you, Ash. I'm not going to sit by and let you take the blame for a sinister act, and I'm not going to let Ritchie's death be in vain." He held up his hand for Ash to take. "Are you?"

It took a moment for Ash to process everything that Gary had just said. It had been a long time since Gary had pushed him around at all, but in an odd way, it felt just like home, and was exactly what he needed. He grasped Gary's hand. "No. I'm not. Thanks, Gary." Gary smiled at him.

Ash turned to James and Jessie. "I'm sorry about what I said. I know you guys are better than him."

"Don't worry about it, kid," Jessie replied, "it's all in the past."

"Now," Brock said, "we need to figure out where Giovanni's going and what he's planning."

"Good idea," Ash said, "and I think James-"

"Hold on, Ash Ketchum," Delia said, "I understand what the circumstances are like, but we're all still human, and you've all had a long day. I suggest you all get some rest before anything is decided."

"I am pretty tired," Dawn said as she started to feel the bags under her eyes. It was hard to imagine that just that morning they had eaten breakfast at the Yamada in Goldenrod City.

"We've got plenty of rooms here, so you three are welcome to stay too," Tracey said to Jessie, James and Meowth. They all nodded in agreement.

"Well, Tracey, if you don't mind showing everyone to their rooms, I'll tend to the pokemon and check on the generators," Oak said.

"You got it, professor."

Delia went with the professor as he left the room. "Why does it always have to be Ash who gets involved with these things," she asked rhetorically.

"I understand how you feel, Delia," Professor Oak reassured her, "but I think we both know that, for whatever reasons there may be, Ash may be the only one who can stop whatever it is that's happening."

Delia didn't answer. Instead she pulled back the curtains on one of the windows to see outside. The rain was still going strong and the night was going to be a long one.

Tracey found one of the larger rooms and set it up for Jessie, James and Meowth. "Here, this should do just fine."

"Thanks," Jessie said, "we really appreciate it."

"Don't mention it," Tracey said with a smile. He left the room, closing the door behind him. The three of them stood in silence for a few seconds.

"You know, I can't stop thinking about what that kid said to me," Jessie said.

"Which one?" Meowth asked.

"Ash. What he said about us stealing Pikachu and the other pokemon. Did we ever really think about what the boss would do when he got a hold of them?"

"I…I guess not," James said, hanging his head.

"I guess we was bein' pretty selfish," Meowth added.

"It's all in the past now," Tracey said, surprising them. They hadn't noticed him enter the room again after fetching some pillows from storage. "Besides, you guys would've never gotten your hands on our pokemon anyway." The three of them laughed.

"We sure did try though!" James added, coaxing more laughter from the room.

"Look, we're here now," Tracey said, "You guys have shown your true nature more than once in the past, and I think it's here to stay now. We've all been through a lot together, and, in a way, you guys are a lot like family. Let's let bygones be bygones."

Jessie, James and Meowth just stared blankly as Tracey left the room again, leaving the pillows on one of the bunks. When they were sure he was gone, they huddled close together, smiling, giddy as could be.

"Did you hear what he said?" James asked

"He called us family!" Jessie replied.

"We ain't never been no one's family before," Meowth said, beginning to tear up.

"Well I say we honor the friendship they've placed in us," James said, "We'll help them in any way we can, and we'll bring Giovanni down!"

The three of them put their hands in the center of the circle they had made, sealing the newly-made pact.

Further on down the hall, Tracey continued his rounds, making sure everybody had what they needed for the night. As he was walking down the hall, Brock emerged from his room on his way to the kitchen.

"Hey Brock," Tracey called out to him, "where you headed?"

"Gonna get a bite to eat. I haven't eaten since this morning," Brock said, grabbing his belly, "Why, what's up?"

"I was just wondering if you had a moment to talk."

"Sure, what's on your mind?"

Tracey caught up to him and the two of them walked toward the kitchen at a slow pace. "I really hate to ask, but I just have to know…what…what happened today? I mean, how…how did everything go so wrong?"

Brock stopped walking, prompting Tracey to as well. He took a few moments to consider what Tracey had asked. Until now he hadn't questioned it himself because things had just happened so fast. "I don't really know, Tracey," he said honestly, "I know that a madman is in control of a machine that can single-handedly cripple the world with nothing but mere thoughts. I know that for no reason at all, he used that machine and took the life of an innocent boy." He stood silent for a moment. "I have a feeling that this is far from over, and today was only a sample of what's to come. However, I know that no matter what, we're going to stop him."

Tracey stood listening, Brock's words weighing heavily on him. "You're right. We've done it before, we can do it again."

Brock smirked, "Yeah. Now whaddya say we get some grub?"

"Sounds great," Tracey said, and the two of them continued on for the kitchen. They were surprised to see Gary, Max and Tyrel sitting around the table, eating and laughing. Sparky was in Max's lap munching on some food.

"Hey guys," Brock called out.

"Oh, hey Brock!" Max yelled, waving one of his hands. Sparky looked up from his food and gave a "Pika!"

Brock knelt down next to Max, petting Sparky as he did so. "Do you like the food?" He asked, "I made it myself, you know." Sparky hummed happily, not looking up from the meal in front of him.

"Brock?" Max said.

"Yeah?"

"I was just wondering…I-I've never owned a pokemon before, and I…I promised Ritchie I'd take care of Sparky," Max's voice started breaking. It hurt to think about everything that had happened, and he could feel tears beginning to well up in his eyes.

Brock smiled and put a hand on Max's shoulder, "Hey, Ritchie wasn't lying, you know. You're going to be a great pokemon trainer, even if you don't feel like one right now." Max looked up at him, the glisten in his eyes starting to disappear. "And whenever you need help, I'll be right here to help you. Promise."

"Yeah…you're right!" Max said, looking down to Sparky, who had finished his food and curled up for a nap. The two of them laughed at the sight.

Tyrel finished his food and got up to throw away the paper plate he had used.

"Oh hey! We didn't get a chance to introduce ourselves," Tracey called from the sink where he was cleaning the last of the dishes. He dried his hands off and approached Tyrel. "I'm Tracey."

"Tyrel, nice to meet you," Tyrel said, regarding Tracey with a bit of envy. "Do you…live here? With Professor Oak?"

"Yup," Tracey said proudly, "After traveling with Ash through the Orange Islands I decided to stay here as Professor Oak's assistant. Together we keep everything running in top shape."

"Wow, that would be great. Think of all the things you could learn here," Tyrel said.

"Oh, so I take it you're a professor-in-training?" Tracey asked.

"Not exactly," Tyrel answered, "I'm training to become a pokemon breeder. My first two pokemon hatched from eggs I found when I was just a little kid. Since then, it's been a passion of mine to learn everything I can and maybe even specialize in selective breeding."

Tracey sat confused for a few moments, "So…how did you end up here?"

Tyrel couldn't stop himself from laughing aloud. "You know, I asked myself that same thing for a while before giving up and just accepting the fact that I'm here. It seems to be working for now."

Tracey laughed with him this time. "Yeah, I guess that's just what happens when you meet Ash." With a few more laughs, the two of them returned to the table where everyone was gathered, finding comfort in the presence of so many friends.

Misty sat alone in her room, thinking about everything that had happened in such a short time span. It was all still very fresh in her mind, and seemed to be nagging at her in an odd way that she had felt before. It was almost like a sense of urgency that she couldn't shake.

She decided to check in on Ash and see how he was doing, hoping to ease her own mind. She crossed the hallway to his room and knocked.

"Come in," she heard through the door. She did as she was told and saw Ash getting ready for bed, his hat and coat hung neatly by the door and the bed made. "Hey Misty!"

"Hey Ash," she said calmly, "I'm not intruding am I?"

"Nah, I'm just tidying up for bed."

Misty stepped all the way through the door and closed it behind her. She had hoped that seeing Ash would help the racing thoughts in her head, but it had only sent them into a blurry rush. She stood silent for a few awkward moments before Ash spoke up.

"So what'd you need?" He asked.

"Oh…I just wanted to see how you were doing." She answered, not quite honestly, though not quite lying. She wasn't sure why she would lie about something like that, yet she couldn't shake the feeling that she wasn't there just to check in on him.

And then it hit her, and she understood what she had been feeling. Ever since she watched Ritchie die, she had thought about how short life could be. It was throwing into perspective exactly what the important things in life were, and why there was reason to waste time. It was the same thing she had felt when she learned she was going to be returning to the Cerulean Gym while Ash continued his travels.

"A-Ash?"

"Yeah?" He replied, growing a little concerned with her sudden change in moods.

"I just…I wanted to let you know…"

Ash sat silent, waiting for what she might say. He had been here before only the night before. When he thought back, he realized that when Misty had returned to the Cerulean Gym he had also felt just like this, except he hadn't really understood it at the time.

"I've been thinking a lot, about the important things in life…and I just wanted to say…"

Another moment of tense silence fell between them as butterflies flew inside both of their stomachs. Misty felt everything she'd ever wanted to say right on the tip of her tongue, begging to be set free.

In the last moment, she swallowed those words. "Whatever happens, just promise me you'll be safe, okay?"

Ash sat still for a moment, a little shocked by the difference in what he had thought she would say and what she had actually said. "O-okay, yeah." He shook his head, bringing himself back down to reality. "Of course, Misty. It means a lot to hear you say that…"

Misty gave half of a smile, absolutely loathing herself. She turned around and left the room, closing the door behind her. She walked a few steps down the hallway before collapsing against one of the walls and sliding down to a seated position. Part of her wanted to cry, and part of her hated the thought of crying. Three times now she had been exactly where she had wanted to be for years, and had simply waved as the opportunity walked by.

In her grief, she hadn't noticed Dawn standing in the hallway. Misty shot up, startled by what seemed to be her sudden appearance, though she had been there since before Misty went into Ash's room.

"Hey," Misty said, letting out a sigh of relief, "you scared me. I didn't see you there."

"So I take it things didn't go as planned?" Dawn said with a sincere tone. While the question took Misty by surprise, she found that she actually wasn't surprised that Dawn had noticed. It seemed to her like everyone knew, except for Ash.

"No…again," Misty said, her face growing sullen. "I just…I can't pull myself to tell him. I'm always bursting with excitement whenever I think about it, but when the time actually comes, I freeze and change the subject."

"I understand," Dawn said, giving Misty a hug, "and I wish I had some amazing advice to give you, but I can't say I've ever been in that situation." This was enough to make Misty laugh a bit. "How about instead we just go get something to eat? I'm starving."

"Alright!" Misty said, and the two of them went to join Brock, Tracey, Gary, Max and Tyrel in the kitchen for some late-night snacks.

Sitting alone in his room, Mason found his thoughts reeling, much as Misty's had been. He'd always lived life by the day, taking things as they came and for what they were worth, having very few cares and almost no worries. Still, it seemed so weird the way things had turned out in just a couple of days. The world seemed so dark now, no matter where you went, and thanks to a few lucky run-ins with Ash, he didn't have to be alone for it.

But everything he remembered from that morning onward was still so bleak and negative. The dark clouds that had covered much of the world seemed to be more than simple rain clouds; they seemed to infect thoughts as well. He couldn't find any way to explain it, things just seemed so wrong. Of course they seemed that way to everyone, but he felt it in ways that didn't seem right.

Through it all, though, there was one bright beacon of hope. Whenever his thoughts returned to the night before and the dance he had shared with May, things seemed to get a little brighter. Yet another thing that seemed so out of place, and yet felt so right. Living true to the rules he had lived by his whole life, he decided to do something instead of sitting around, stewing in thought.

He jumped up out of bed and left the room, Noone keeping on his heels. He made his way down the hall to May's room. To his surprise the door was already open and May was laying in bed, listening to some soft music playing on the stereo. He knocked on the doorway.

May tilted her head up to see who it was. When she saw him standing in the doorway she jumped up and turned the stereo down. "H-hey, sorry, you surprised me."

"Sorry," Mason said with a guilty look, "didn't mean to disturb you."

"Oh no!" May called out, "I was just listening to some music." She chuckled at the obviousness of her statement.

Mason took a few steps into the room, feeling different than he ever had before. His entire life he had never seen any reason to hide his feelings from anyone, but thinking about talking with May about everything that had happened gave him goose bumps. Noone gave a swish of her tails from her seat next to him. He looked down to her and she gave him the same look she had given him when he first found her, and in an instant, all of his thoughts vanished and he smiled.

"This scene feels just a little familiar," he said, looking up and noticing this was the room he had stayed in when he had first met everyone, "except I think we're a little mixed up."

May laughed and stood up from the bed. Only a moment ago he had seemed so worried about something, and now he didn't seem to have a care in the world. In so many ways he made her feel happy, even when she didn't think she could, and she was almost sure he felt the same things she did. Still, she had felt this way once before, and it had left her miserable after years of hope.

The stereo continued to play softly, and suddenly everything became clear. She had thought of so many things to talk to him about, so many questions to ask him, but none of it seemed right. She turned the volume up on the stereo as an upbeat song was playing. She walked over and stood in front of Mason and held out her hand.

Without a second thought, Mason took it as Noone made her way over and onto the bed.

Suddenly everything around them was gone, along with all of the horrible memories. Once again they found themselves lost in one another's world. They began moving along with the music, every step coming as natural as a heartbeat. The small space of the room didn't seem to matter at all as they used every inch available to them.

All of the worries and questions from before fled Mason's mind, replaced with nothing but feeling and sound. He let his thoughts go and allowed himself to be controlled by the rhythm of the music and the movements of their bodies. For a few moments, he could even see the scene taking place, the beauty of the two of them dancing together.

She let herself look away from his eyes to be twirled around the room, finding bliss in every moment of embrace that they shared. It was exactly as it had been before, only now they were truly alone in their own world. She allowed her dreams to wander, both feeling every moment they were now sharing together while reliving the night before. She had felt herself wanting nothing more than to stay here in this moment, releasing all of her inhibitions and flowing with his every step. All the while, she waited for the one thing she had wished for so much, the thing she had been denied last night.

He spun her out, the two of them engulfing nearly the entire room, and she spun herself back into his arms. They stood, gazing at one another. Once again he found himself mesmerized by her blue eyes. He brought himself close, releasing her hand and resting his hands on her waist.

May, on the other hand, had a single moment of doubt. The feelings she was having paired with the sight of the green in his eyes gave her a short but hurtful reminder of what had happened with Drew. Still, she waited for him to close the small distance between them, to see if it was everything she had dreamed.

They stood close for seconds that seemed to drag on for hours. Mason felt it the second she had a moment of doubt, though he never worried. As his face hovered closer and closer to hers, his eyes opened wide, and he smiled.

And that was ll it took. Seeing him smile such a beautiful smile, every bit of doubt left May's mind. She threw her arms around his neck, pulling him into the first kiss of their lives. As with everything else, the kiss seemed to flow through their bodies as naturally as breathing. Feelings and sounds seemed to burst inside Mason's mind, sending waves of happiness and excitement through his entire body as he wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her off of the ground.

The music continued to play as the two of them continued the passionate embrace.

"M-May…?" A voice called from the doorway. Mason quickly set May back onto the ground and she whipped around, suddenly hating herself for not remembering to close the door.

Max stood in the doorway, a look of shock and disgust on his face. "W-wha…" he muttered, not sure of exactly what he was trying to ask. Instead of finishing his question, turned away, covering his eyes, and walked back toward the kitchen.

"Max!" May called after him. She turned to Mason, her face bright red. "I-I'm sorry, I've gotta-" She never finished her sentence as she left the room, racing after her brother. Mason stood in the center of the room, chuckling. He hadn't exactly thought about what everyone would think, though after the time he had spent with them, he was sure things would be alright. In an odd way, being around Ash just made everything seem that way.

He turned and looked at Noone who was sitting with a content look on her face. Mason's face grew slightly concerned and a bit more serious as he remembered the sounds he was hearing and the moments of watching the dance take place. He gave her a very puzzled look. "…Was that you?"

A/N: End scene with a slight cliffhanger, nothing too serious. Things are going to start getting very weird for Mason and Noone, and it all ties in to Giovanni's true plan. Expect plenty of action, romance, and plot twists as this story begins to kick it into high gear.

As always, thank you so much for reading. =] Feel free to leave a review and let me know what you thought!

P.S. That's why I really wanted to call it danceshipping. =P