Chapter 8
The area is silent; the crowd stares with blank expressions of horror towards Gary. His pupils dilate and the sheet white lab coat he is wearing turns blood red in a large spot on his front abdomen. Gary stares blankly at Domino and falls straight forward on his face. Ash looks down at Gary with a shocked look on his face.
"What a foolish and impudent boy!" Domino says as she starts to laugh. "I guess he wanted to play the hero." She smirks down at Gary and kicks dirt onto his lab coat.
Ash clenches his fists and tears start to riddle his face. Misty puts her hands over her face and begins to sob, Brock and Tracey look down clenching there teeth trying to contain them selves, Max begins to cry and hugs May tightly as she begins to cry as well, Dawn buries her face into Seth's chest as she starts to sob profusely, Mrs. Ketchum gasps and puts her hand over her mouth in horror, and Goliath looks down in regret. The sounds of sobbing and sniveling can be heard through out the rest of the crowd. Even some of the Team Rocket members look down in shame.
"Awwww… are you all sad?" Domino teases the group. "Don't worry… you'll all be joining him soon." Domino ruthlessly screams. "Kill them all now!" The Team Rocket members jump at the command and frantically begin to aim their guns at the people, however they do not fire immediately. "What are you doing? Kill them!"
"Not so fast…" an echoing and deep voice radiates through the crowd. The guns rise up into the air from the hands of the Team Rocket members and compress into small balls of metal; they blast away as if fired from an invisible cannon into the air. "You have caused much pain today… this will stop." Everyone looks around in every direction for the source of the voice.
"Up there!" someone from the crowd yells. Everyone looks on top of the roof. A cloaked figure stands motionless on the roof; no detail can be made out of the figure because the sun is directly behind it blinding the viewers.
"You must leave this place… or I will make you leave." The emotionless voice radiates.
"Who do you think you are?!" Domino angrily replies. "Fight it with the Pokémon!" The Team Rocket members start throwing Pokéballs and a variety of different Pokémon appear. However, each one is immediately subdued in the same way that the guns were relinquished from Team Rockets hands.
"That… that's a Psychic attack…" Ash says in a surprised voice.
"And a powerful one at that…" Brock replies.
"It is time that you left." The voice radiates again. All the members of Team Rocket rise into the air and are sent soaring; in the distance, a truck rises from the ground and is also sent soaring, but a small object floats from the truck to Goliath's hands. The figure rises into the air and floats down from the roof. It lands next to Gary, who is motionless on the ground. "He needs immediate medical attention."
"I'll call 911!" someone form the crowd screams as the man runs to the lab.
"Can you help him old friend?" Goliath asks as he walks over to the cloaked figure.
"The wound is deep; we shouldn't move him. I may be able to stop some of the bleeding with my Psychic abilities but…" the cloaked figure lowers its head.
"Please!" Ash begs the cloaked figure. "There has got to be a way to save him."
"Ashy… boy…" Gary barely is able to speak. Ash looks down at Gary in shock. "Don't worry about me… I did what I did for the sake of this world… I'm proud to die this way."
"No! You can't die!"
"Please Ash, I just ask of you one more thing." Gary starts moving.
"You shouldn't move!" the voice radiates again.
"Both you and I know I am not going to survive this." Gary responds. "I just want to see my grandfather's grave once more." Tears riddle Ash's face but he still helps his friend up.
"Then you will." Ash says quietly. He hoists Gary up and helps him walk into the forest behind the laboratory. The rest of them stay back.
* * * *
Gary and Ash stare at the headstone on the edge of the cliff.
"Here lies Professor Samuel Oak."
"Ash, I would like to be buried right next to my grandfather." Gary says barely able to breathe. The front of his lab coat is completely red. "Also Ash, I wanted to tell you something… I know that when we were younger, it seemed like I never respected you. All those years it was just a lie. In fact… the only reason I continued to train was because the thought of beating you kept flashing through my head… And now look… Well… to say the least I am proud to have been able to know you."
"Gary… You are going to be all right! The ambulance will be here, they'll help you!" Ash says desperately.
"We both know that isn't true." Gary responds with a sound of acceptance in his voice. "Life is about to change dramatically for you Ash. I know you can handle it though; if any one can, it's you." Gary's grip on Ash's shoulder loosens and he falls to the ground. Ash bends down and tears drip onto Gary's body. The sounds of sirens radiate through the air as a number of different people run towards Ash and Gary. EMT's immediately begin attempting to resuscitate him; however Ash thinks to himself At least… He died in peace.
Over the next week, a funeral is held for Gary and a memorial time is set up. In this time, the group gets to know Seth quite well; especially Dawn and Max.
The sun is rising as Seth walks out of the laboratory front door. Goliath is standing on the porch, looking at the sunrise.
"So Master, are you heading back to the Sevant region?" Seth asks as he walks up beside him.
"Yes. The council and I have to discuss many things now that it is possible that Team Rocket knows of the Order." He responds. "You have a new mission as well."
"A new mission?" Seth asks confused.
"Gary was sent to the Kanto region to collect the data that Professor Oak left behind on… the Scourge." Goliath says calmly. "However, now that he has passed we are passing the mission to you. This will require you to do much more than originally decided. You must still travel to the dwelling places of each of the Legendaries and insure their safety; but also you must now collect all of the data that Professor Oak left behind."
"So how do I do that?" Seth asks.
"Part of the data is in each of the four major regions. However, there is a different task for each of the regions to get the data." Goliath explains. "We already have the data from Kanto. Now you must travel to Johto and get into the Hall of Fame. There you will receive that data. To do this, you must challenge each Gym leader and receive their badges. Then, instead of participating in the Silver Conference, you must defeat the Johto Elite Four. When you complete that, I will give you your new orders to obtain the next piece of data."
"Understood." Seth replies respectively. Dawn and Max walk up the hill towards Seth. "Master… I have a request." Goliath raises his eyebrow. "I've become very good friends with Dawn and Max… May I… travel with them?" Goliath is silent for a moment.
"You must remember who you are." Seth smiles as he says this.
"Thank you." Seth bows to Goliath. "…and tell Mewtwo I thank him for rescuing us."