Chapter 8

"Where is he?!" Misty asked irritably "And everyone else?" Her and Brock had arrived at the base of Mount Silver just over a half an hour ago. Unfortunately, neither Brock nor Misty had a flying type so they had surfed back to Cinnabar on Misty's Gyarados and called Professor Oak to have him send over Brock's recently caught Aerodactyl. The duo had silently flown towards the mountain to meet Gary, and Ash and the others Misty thought.

"I don't know about everyone else," Brock said, "but I'm sure Gary has a good reason for the amount of time he's taking."

"Ok but I just don't see what's taking him so long..." And as if on cue, the two trainers heard a rustling of wings from darkening night sky.

"Sorry it took me so long," Gary began, "I was traveling from Johto."

Brock shot Misty a 'I told you so' look.

"That's a long distance even for my Dragonite! At any rate, what's so important that I needed to abandon my research?"

"Well...it's kind of a long story," Misty sighed.

"Did you and Ash finally get together?" Gary snickered not sensing the severity of the situation.

"What!? No!" Misty shouted. "You know what Gary Oak, you can just go home. We don't need your help you no good, rotten son of a-"

"Misty! No need to overreact!" Brock cut in.

Misty huffed and shot a glare Gary's direction.

"Sorry Gary," Brock said once again providing maturity in a time of need. "I'm sure that you're well aware of Ash's...task."

Gary nodded.

"Well, Ash believes that we're almost at the end."

"Are you serious?!" Gary stated shocked that it had moved so quickly. "Why do you need me then, can't you just go get the book?"

"If only it were that simple."

Gary looked at his two friends, Brock was always serious, but Misty was averting her eyes to the ground, her anger dissolving and her face contorting into a mess of emotions.

"You see, Team Rocket is also after the Book. However, they were also after the three Kanto Legendary Birds-"

"Were? You mean..."

"Yes, they captured all three."

"But why...?" Gary stonily asked.

"We don't know, but they seem to think that they need them to get the Book."

"Ok, this is all well and good but what can I do to help, I mean no offence, but if Team Rocket has all three Legendaries, we really stand no chance in a confrontation - which is where this is leading, am I right?" Gary asked perceptively.

"Yes. However, Misty and I have thought about that. While Ash may have told us to sit tight and contact you, we all know he isn't very forward thinking." At that Misty gave a small tilted smile.

Brock continued. "We have contacted Officer Jenny in Viridian city who has contacted the rest of the force and the Gym leaders of the region. They will be arriving in the next couple of hours. By the time Ash gets here-"

"And he will get here." Misty cut in fiercely as if her statement would abolish all her doubts.

"Of course," Brock said reassuringly, "He will have a small army at his back."

Gary smirked, "Well I stand corrected, maybe we do stand a chance."

May, Dawn, and Max followed closely behind Pikachu and Ash who led them through the dense forest between the Rocket base and the rendezvous point he had set with Misty and Brock.

"Ash," Dawn inquired soothingly, "it's getting pretty dark. Maybe we should stop for the night?"

"It wouldn't make sense, we're almost there," Ash said almost monotone.

"How can you even tell?" Max frustratingly snapped.

The four of them and Pikachu had been walking since their easy escape from Team Rocket. Well, easy in the sense that they had essentially walked out unapprehended. However, the moment they stepped out the door, guns had gone off. Luckily, none of them had been harmed except for a man named Greg who had helped them escape. Greg had died right in front of Ash as he tried to rescue the escaped rocket.

Turning to face his friends, the woods around them became illuminated in a faint blue glow emanating from Ash's eyes. "This is how." He said rather harshly.

"Ok, no need to get snippy," May said, "It's been a... a long day."

Ash sighed.

"I'm sorry Max, I didn't mean to yell," he said dejectedly, angry that he had taken up that tone with his friends. As soon as he uttered the last word of his apology, he saw lights shimmering through the dense forest.

"Are those lights?" Dawn asked surprised.

"Yeah those are lights!" Max yelled as he took off with the others close behind.

Breaking through the treeline, the group stopped dead in their tracks.

"I can't believe I couldn't sense this..." Ash said stunned.

Max looked up at him, "From what I understand, your Aura usage isn't unlimited, you probably just need to recharge so to speak."

"Yeah I guess," Ash replied already knowing that was the reason.

"OH THANK GOD!"

The group of trainers turned to see Misty, Brock, Gary, and Officer Jenny.

"Good to see you Ashy boy."

"Likewise Gary."

As Ash ran through their escape, leaving out Greg entirely, Officer Jenny's eyes began to widen. "So...So aura...it's not a myth?"

Before Ash could even begin to respond Misty whirled on her, "Of course it isn't! Are you calling us liars!? There's a lot at stake tomorrow!"

"Misty. It's ok. Calm down." Then addressing the rest of his friends, "Can you all leave me here with Jenny, we have some things to discuss." As the crowd dissipated, they could see flashes of blue and the policewoman nodding in awe.

"Dr. Yung. So good of you to come see me. I gather you have wonderful news to share with me?"

The doctor nodded vigorously.

"So go on then. Don't keep me waiting. I don't like waiting," Giovanni said chiding the Doctor.

Finding his voice, Dr. Yung delivered the news. "The device is completed. You will be able to harness the power of the Legendary trio by condensing ice, electricity, and fire into one solid beam of energy 100X more powerful than a Hyperbeam."

"Well done," Giovanni said as Dr. Yung dropped what looked like a silver necklace with a diamond in the center down on the desk. "What's this?"

"That's it."

"It's even better than I expected! How does it work?" Giovanni asked barely able to contain his excitement.

"It recognizes the DNA of each bird. Upon recognition, the three charms, which are made out of silicon coated nanites, will enlarge and surround each bird. The power will be drawn into the diamond suspended in the center. Once that is complete, you can draw it back like a slingshot, aim, and fire. You have one shot per charge."The doctor smirked knowing that he had surpassed expectations.

"Excellent. You're services are no longer needed. Since I am a man of my word, You will receive payment immediately and your wife will be set free. It has been a pleasure doing business with you."

Ash made his way from fire to fire looking for his friends. Pikachu had wandered off a while back leaving Ash alone. I can't believe the support I'm getting he thought, Actually, I can't believe that these people believe that all this is real! But after explaining and demonstrating to Officer Jenny, she had gone and briefed her forces and the Gym Leaders. Looking around, Ash could make out a good twenty five to thirty fires, each seemingly sending smoke signals to the heavens asking for some sort of miracle to be performed during tomorrow's impending battle.

Ash rounded one of the last fires and sat down with his friends. They greeted him with small nods, each mesmerized by the flame dancing before them.

"So," Gary said breaking the silence, "what's stopping us from walking into that mountain right now and taking that book?"

"Gary, you're a smart guy, you know why we can't do that," Ash said quietly.

"The three fates."

Ash nodded.

"Grandpa was right," Gary said.

"He was. And its unfortunate that Team Rocket had placed capturing Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres so high on their list of things to do, but to be truthful, if they hadn't done that, we would be months, maybe years away from completing Sir Aaron's quest," Ash said trying to find the bright side of things.

"So what is the plan?" Brock asked.

Ash sat and stared at the fire blanking his face of emotion before answering. "Tomorrow, we fight with everything we have to stop team Rocket from acquiring the Book. I've seen first hand how cruel they are to their own kind, shooting a once loyal man straight through the back. I don't even want to think about what they would do to the rest of the world. Remember to look out for each other because in the end, that's all we have." He paused, his face regaining emotion. "It's probably best if we all get some sleep," he finished quietly.

Getting up, Ash motioned for Pikachu to follow while the rest of his friends watched him walk away in shock from the out of character outburst.

Later that evening, not so long after Ash and Pikachu had returned from their walk, the two friends sat side by side conversing quietly with each other illuminated by the dying embers of the fire and the warm glow of the moon. Misty watched them wondering what they were talking about. Ash's close bond with Pokemon had gotten him out of quite a few dangerous situations before, but tomorrow, he most likely wouldn't be relying on his Pokemon. He would have to rely on his own fighting skills and aura. He may not come back. That thought kept resonating in her head like a loud alarm every time she closed her eyes. Making a decision, she got up from her sleeping bag, and began to cross the distance between her and Ash. A warm breeze slid across her skin reminding her that she was clad in only blue shorts that reached her upper thigh and a low cut silk tank top, both of which left little to the imagination. She kept her movement steady anyway as she crept up on Ash until she was directly behind him. Bending down, she could see a fresh gash across Ash's cheek. Slowly, she reached her hand out and ran a finger along the length of the cut.

He shuddered.

"Ash, where did this come from?" she asked.

Pikachu, sensing the situation, stretched and then disappeared among the sleeping masses.

"A gun." He stated simply.

Misty flinched. "Can't you fix it with your aura or something?"

"I used up too much today and besides, I want to keep it as a reminder."

"A reminder of what?" She asked incredulously.

"That I'm still human."

"Of course you're human!" Misty said lightly trying not to kill the mood.

"Misty," Ash said still staring into the pulsating embers, "I watched a man die today."

"Oh Ash-"

"But, you know what? That wasn't what bothered me. I wanted to feel sad, to feel grief or anger. But I couldn't. He was a Rocket and I couldn't see through that... until I got to cover and felt my own blood and pain. That's when I remembered that that man was still a human and he deserved better. I should have tried to save him even though he didn't want me to. What I did - that's what he expected. I'm no better than the Rocket who shot him."

Silence.

Carefully, Misty turned Ash's face so that he was looking right at her. "If that's what you truly believe Ash, then why are you still here?"

No answer.

"That's what I thought," she whispered.

Then calmly she leaned in and kissed him, slowly at first, but then all of her pent up feelings began to bubble to the surface. She desperately wanted to be closer to him. Two strong arms wrapped around her waist and Ash lightly guided her so that she was straddling his midsection. He felt her legs tighten behind his back as she deepened the kiss leaving no space between them. Her mind became completely vacant as Ash's hands began to roam. Pulling back slightly, she ran her hands up his stomach and over his chest, feeling his muscular frame tense at her touch, before they found their place around his neck. She sighed contentedly as she felt his hands glide up her back and then back down to her waist pulling her closer.

Misty didn't want the moment to end, but dawn was drawing nearer, and they both needed to sleep. Reluctantly she drew back letting her hands float to Ash's face. Gently, she made him stare her right in her moonlit cerulean eyes. "You are just as human as any other person on this planet. We all have temptations that only become stronger under pressure. It's if we choose to continue to fight them that separates the good and evil. And Ash, you keep on fighting. You're a good human being. You always have been and you always will be," she finished leaning in and giving him another kiss, though this time she didn't let her emotions get the best of her.

That's when Ash spoke. "You're right."

Misty smiled and leaned her forehead against his, "of course I am!"

"And modest," Ash joked giving her a peck on the cheek, "but Misty, seriously, thank you. I- I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, but in the case that something bad happens, I want you to know that I-"

"I know Ash me too." She said kissing him for a third time feeling happier than she ever had. "But we should really get some sleep."

Agreeing with Misty, Ash allowed her to lead him to his sleeping bag. However, even after he had laid down, she didn't leave. She cuddled up next to him as if she was used to it.

"Goodnight Ash. I love you."

"Love you too."

"Pika pika!"

Ash chuckled, "You too Pikachu."

And they fell asleep, not thinking about what tomorrow would bring.

So, yeah, I hope you liked this chapter. I liked it haha The next chapter may be the last one. I'm not positive. Please let me know what you think! It motivates me and makes me feel a certain drive that I can not explain. Stay tuned for the battle.

Thanks for reading,

theriot010