I'm updating 2 stories in one night. Alright! Guess I'm just on a roll or something. Or I just have nothing better to do XD You decide.
So, a few of you seemed to actually show some sympathy for Loki after his tragic past was revealed last chapter. Well, all I have to say about this chapter is that you're going to hate him even more than you already did! He's just a really bad guy.
Enough of my rambling. On with the story!
"Ow…"
Misty was laying in bed, Aiden and Michelle on either one of her sides. She was in a small amount of pain, and breathing rather heavily because of it. Misty didn't want to wake the twins up from their nap, or worse, scare them, but the weighty breathing was the only thing that seemed to be alleviating her pain.
"Are you okay Mommy?"
Misty glanced down at Michelle, who was now awake and rather worried looking. Misty smiled at her daughter and threaded the child's bright red locks through her fingers. "I'm just fine sweetheart. Your baby sister is just causing a little bit of trouble, that's all."
"Tell her to stop," Michelle suggested innocently.
"It doesn't work that way unfortunately," Misty giggled airily.
"Stop it baby," Michelle poked a finger into the side of her mother's bump. Misty winced slightly, but didn't tell Michelle to stop. It was taking her mind off of the pain. Instead, Michelle stopped on her own after a few more pokes and once again gazed up at Misty. "What's the baby's name, Mommy?"
"She doesn't have one yet," Misty replied sweetly.
"Can I name her?"
"I wanted everyone to help pick her name! You know, you, Aiden, and Daddy."
"But I have good ideas," Michelle sulked.
"Well, you can tell me some of them now," Misty tried. "And I'll think about them. How about that?"
"Okay!" Michelle beamed. "So, I really think that Cookie is a good name."
"C…Cookie?" Misty blinked.
"Yeah, or Candy," Michelle's eyes were gleaming at the prospect.
Misty laughed nervously. And here I thought Ash would be the one suggesting food related names for our baby…
"What do you think Mommy?" Michelle's squeaky voice caught Misty's attention once again.
"They're uh…" Misty stammered. She didn't want to hurt her sweet little girl's feelings. "They're…very interesting names, sweetheart. I'll uh…take them into consideration."
"Yay!" Michelle clapped her hands together, causing Misty's genuine smile to return. She loved to see her daughter so happy.
While Misty and Michelle were conversing, however, the door to the tiny metal room slid open, making a loud noise as it did so. Michelle jumped and Misty fearfully grabbed onto the girl, letting her know that she was safe. Misty was afraid of it being Loki, there to torture her and her children some more. When she saw that it was Castor, however, she relaxed and let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.
"Hello miss," Castor greeted quietly, approaching the bed.
"Hi Castor," Misty sat up carefully. Not only was it a little hard for her at this point, but she also didn't want to disturb the still slumbering Aiden. "What brings you for this little visit?"
"My master wishes to see you in his quarters," Castor's voice suddenly lowered, reflecting a sense of mistrust. Misty bit her lip, fear glistening in her bright emerald eyes. Castor noticed this and gave the gym leader a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry for scaring you like that. I shouldn't have. If you'd like, I'll watch after these two while you're gone."
"No Mommy," Michelle whispered frantically as she grabbed Misty's hand.
"Don't be scared now baby girl," Misty kissed her daughter's head. "Castor is very nice, he's nothing like Loki. He'll do a good job of taking care of you and Aiden while I'm gone. And I'll be back before you know it."
Michelle whimpered but didn't argue. Misty slid out of the bed and threw Castor a worried look, to which he replied with a calm smile.
"Just be calm, miss," Castor assured. "Everything will be just fine. You'll find my master's quarters down the hall and to the right."
Misty nodded and walked out of the room. As she walked to Loki's quarters, she thought about something dumb, something she shouldn't have been worried about at all. Misty found it rather odd that Castor didn't call her by her name, but rather "miss." He also rarely called Loki by his name. Instead it was "master."
I think he's just awfully respectful, Misty thought spritingly to herself, he reminds me a lot of Justin.
It didn't take long for Misty to reach the door of Loki's quarters. She glared at the closed metal slab, a stare so harsh she was surprised it didn't melt a hole right through the material. Filling her lungs with oxygen, Misty strongly knocked on the door three times before planting her hands on her hips.
After a moment, the door slid open, and Loki's sinister voice floated out, "ah, Misty. I've been waiting for you."
XXX
"How are we going to find Misty and the twins if they were taken away in an air ship?"
"I'm working on it," Ash replied mindlessly to Brock's nagging inquiry. He was carrying Pikachu in his arms; the small electric type having been successfully cured by Brock but still left rather weak from the poison's affects.
"Do you have any flying Pokémon with you?" Brock asked. "Because I just so happen to have Crobat with me; Forrest wanted me to get him some exercise. He should be able to help with the search from the air."
"I have Noctowl," Ash retrieved his flying type's poke ball. "Let's start looking now."
He pressed the center button, releasing the intelligent and mischievous owl Pokémon from its sanctuary. Noctowl let out a soft "hoot" before settling down in front of Ash, looking up curiously at his trainer while tilting his head.
"Noctowl, I need your help," Ash addressed the alternately colored dual type. "Misty, Aiden, and Michelle have been taken by an evil man, and we have to find them."
Noctowl narrowed his eyes, clearly angry over the fact that his trainer's family was in harm's way. Flapping his wide wings, Noctowl lifted himself back into the air and gazed down at Ash, waiting for further instruction.
"I'm going to send Crobat with you, okay Noctowl?" Brock called as he held up the poke ball that housed his dual type Pokémon. Noctowl simply nodded, and was soon joined up in the air by the purple bat.
"Be on the lookout for a big, silver airship," Ash ordered. "That's what they were taken away in."
Noctowl and Crobat cried out in their own perspective languages before flying off, Ash and Brock trailing closely behind.
"Pika…pikapi…" Pikachu croaked weakly.
"No Pikachu, you can't do anything yet," Ash frowned down at his partner. "You're still too weak from that toxic attack."
"Pika!" Pikachu protested, although his ears drooped shortly afterwards.
"Pikachu, I promise you'll be able to help us out when you're back at full strength," Ash continued sympathetically, "but you're not there yet." In turn, Pikachu growled lowly and turned away from Ash, earning a short chuckle from the Pokémon master.
"Like trainer like Pokémon," Brock hummed smartly. "Both stubborn as rocks."
"It's his family too," Ash smiled sadly at Brock. "He just wants to fight for them is all."
"Well, I'm sure we're going to find them," Brock encouraged the still downtrodden Ash. He wanted to keep the situation as positive as possible, for fear of Ash losing his mind. "Don't worry, Ash."
"I hope you're right Brock," Ash sighed, turning his attention back to the two flying Pokémon soaring past the surrounding trees, searching gallantly for any sign of his wife and children.
Just hang on Misty. I'm going to find you, Aiden, and Michelle. I will.
XXX
"What do you want from me?"
Loki smirked at the perturbed red head, finding that his sneaky little smile was only further agitating her.
"Relax, my dear," Loki chuckled. "It's nothing much. Just a few questions."
"Well maybe I don't want to answer them," Misty huffed, wincing as she pressed a hand against the underside of her swollen stomach.
"What is it? The child giving you trouble?"
Misty's head snapped up. Loki was still grinning shiftily, and Misty bit her lip in a worrisome matter.
"Perhaps you should take a seat," Loki motioned towards a nearby office chair. Misty didn't particularly want to take the silver haired man up on his offer, but she was in a pretty decent amount of pain, and the possibility of being able to sit down was simply irresistible. So, trying not to show any trace of emotion, Misty shuffled over to the comfortable looking seat and lowered herself into the chair. "Are you going to answer me?"
"You didn't ask a question," Misty narrowed her eyes at Loki.
"Ah, but I did beautiful," Loki sneered. The term of endearment sent a violent shiver up Misty's spine, but she chose to ignore it in order to keep glaring at her captor. "I asked if the child was acting up in its little safe haven."
Misty breathed in and out quietly for a few moments. Loki simply stared at her, the mischievous and evil smile still tugging at the corners of his mouth. Grimacing slightly, Misty looked down at her belly and murmured, "Just a little."
"Would you like to know why that is?" Loki strolled over to the wide set of windows, staring out into the sky with an almost thoughtful look on his face.
"I doubt you know why," Misty snapped. Loki laughed huskily and turned back towards Misty, his silver eyes twinkling with a dangerous intent.
"It's the aura, darling," Loki's curling voice floated into Misty's head. "You see, I've connected myself to your little girl. Our powers are…mingling, if you will."
Misty's breath caught in her throat as her dark green eyes widened in terror. "H…how do you know she's a girl?"
"Her aura tells me everything," Loki explained calmly. "She may be unborn, but she's very much alive my dear. I can sense her feelings, her wants. I can even tell what makes her happy, and what makes her upset."
"So why am I in pain?" Misty growled. "Are you hurting her?"
"Of course not," Loki's expression darkened slightly. "Sometimes, she just doesn't agree with my aura. The connection makes her upset, you see."
"Then why are you doing it?" Misty's teeth were ground, and her cheeks were reddening.
"The establishment of a connection between the child and myself is very important," Loki looked down seriously at Misty. "You see, those who are experienced with aura can form connections with many other aura users. But this one is just a little baby. Her powers are less than refined; this is when they are most raw. At this stage, she can only sense one connection, and it must be introduced by the other user. Unfortunately, it seems she already formed a connection before I could get to her."
Misty furrowed her brow and thought about who her baby could've possibly mixed aura with. Suddenly, realization hit her, and her eyes grew large as saucers.
"Ash…" she gasped.
"Yes, it would appear that she and your husband have already established an aura connection," Loki's tone suddenly grew irate. "And the first association is always the strongest."
Misty smiled, despite herself. She found it so sweet that Ash and their daughter had already formed a special bond. Perhaps that was why she always got so excited when she heard his voice and felt his hands. She really knew it was her father.
"Fortunately for me, I may have found a way to override this little problem," Loki's strangely melodic voice instantly caused Misty's grin to disappear.
"You can't take that away," Misty shook her head feverously. "No. You can't take away the connection between her and Ash."
"He doesn't deserve the connection," Loki flicked away a strand of silver hair. "It's rather selfish of him to take the baby's powers all to himself, now isn't it?"
"He isn't taking her power," Misty was growing more livid by the second. "Ash would never do that! He was only using it to get close to her!"
"A waste of time," Loki sighed. "Bonding with people is truly useless. They'll all just leave you in the end. Power should be synced in order to form an even more commanding energy."
"Quit using your aura on my baby right now!" Misty demanded furiously, jumping up as her hands balled into fists at her sides. Wordlessly, Loki's eyes began to glow a bright sapphire blue, which soon spread to Misty's stomach. She hissed in pain and sat back down, doubling over as she panted.
"Now what did I say about acting out?" Loki's perturbed expression once again grew calm, his tone unwavering as an evil smile stretched across his face. "I told you that you'd pay."
Misty groaned but didn't dare make another move. Ultimately, it was solely up to her to protect the baby, and she wasn't about to do something stupid out of anger.
"I thought you told me you weren't hurting her," Misty did manage to speak up.
"It's hurting her less than it is you," Loki replied coolly. "And I can't help it that the child is resisting my attempts of aura connection. It would be an easier process for her if she simply accepted it."
"Leave the connection between her and Ash alone," Misty pleaded. "Please."
"I'm afraid I can't do that my dear," Loki smirked before turning around and sauntering away. Misty stuck her tongue out at his back, although she quickly stuck it back in when Loki called out, "fetch those children of yours, won't you? That is, if you'd like them to eat today."
As Loki walked away, the pain in Misty's midsection subsided, surprising the red headed gym leader.
Why does he pick and choose when to use his aura on my baby?
XXX
Brock was trying his best to go to sleep. Lying in his sleeping bag, the wind ruffling the leaves on the trees relaxing him and aiding his efforts. Letting out a quiet sigh, Brock closed his eyes and nestled more deeply into the warm material.
Only minutes later, however, the sound of constant shuffling caused Brock's eyelids to rise. Groaning, Brock sat up and found Ash digging through his old backpack, which he'd brought along for the search. He figured it would come in handy, as it could hold a bunch of things that could help him and Brock.
"Ash," Brock beckoned softly. The young man looked up expectantly, waiting for Brock's next words. "What are you doing?"
"Uh…nothing," Ash blushed slightly.
"Shouldn't you be trying to get some sleep?" Brock raised an inquisitive eyebrow.
"I can't sleep Brock," Ash let out one short, humorless laugh. "There's no way." And with that, he went back to sifting through his backpack.
"Well, you can't be doing this all night and tell me it's nothing," Brock finally sat up, crossing his arms. "So what're you up to?"
Ash sighed in defeat. Pulling several photographs out of the bag, he stood up and walked over to Brock, sitting down next to the older male. Grunting quietly, out of emotional pain Brock assumed, Ash gently tossed the pictures onto Brock's lap, as if he no longer wanted to look at them.
Taking the photos into his hands, Brock began examining the images. The first one was of just Ash and Misty. He could tell it was taken when they were younger, definitely before either of Misty's pregnancies. She was sitting cross legged on the ground, laughing gleefully while Ash stood behind her, bending over so his head was resting atop hers and his arms were wrapped around her body. Unlike Misty, Ash wasn't looking at the camera. He was instead gazing down at Misty, a warm and caring smile gracing his lips.
The second photo was a professional shot, taken by their old friend Todd Snap. It was shortly after the twins had been born, and all of the big name magazines were clamoring over who would get the first photos of the newborn children. Ash and Misty had been nervous about the whole ordeal, so they would only trust Todd to take the picture. Tiny Aiden and Michelle were lying next to one another, their heads just touching as they looked up with wide eyes and Misty, who was leaning over the two and smiling sweetly at them. Her ginger hair, which was still very long at the time, cascaded down her arm, stick straight and stopping just before her elbow.
The third photo was much more simple, a little reminiscent of the first one. Ash and Misty were sitting next to one another, with Ash's left arm slung over Misty's shoulders. Aiden was sitting in Misty's lap, one of Ash's old hats on his head. The young boy was smirking and pulling the hat off to the side, in the same fashion Ash had done when he was younger. Michelle, meanwhile, sat in her father's lap, her hands clasped together innocently while an angelic smile resided on her face. The twins looked smaller than they did now, so Brock assumed the picture was taken when they were younger.
The fourth picture was a more recent one. This Brock could tell because Misty was sporting her baby bump, and had the currently aged Aiden and Michelle at her sides. They had just gone swimming in the gym pool, as evidenced by Misty and Michelle's slightly curled hair and the twins' swimsuits: Aiden in red and blue swim trunks, and Michelle in a sky blue one piece with yellow and white straps criss-crossing on her back. Misty was wearing a ruffled yellow bikini, the top of which was just visible from underneath her light green tank top.
The final photo in the collection really tugged at Brock's heart strings. It had the smallest detail out of any of the pictures, but it was by far the most touching. For all the last picture was from Misty's most recent sonogram, her and Ash's unborn baby girl looking quite comfortable in the womb. Glancing off to the side, Brock could see Ash staring longingly at the photograph.
"This is very sweet of you, Ash," Brock murmured, carefully handing the small collection back to his friend.
Ash smiled sadly as he accepted the pictures, gently running his thumb over the sonogram photo. "I'm so scared Brock," Ash sighed as he shook his head. "What if I never get to see my baby girl?"
"You will," Brock assured quietly. "I promise you, Ash."
"I was so ready to hold her," Ash mumbled. Brock leaned into Ash, unsure of what he had meant by that. Noticing Brock's intrigue, Ash looked up and smiled sadly, "when Aiden and Michelle were born, I was terrified to hold them. I was absolutely convinced that I would drop them, or squeeze them too tightly. The last thing I wanted to do with my new babies was hurt them. But once the doctor put Michelle in my arms, and I had no choice but to hold her, I realized it was the greatest thing in the world. And that I wasn't going to hurt them. So I was ready this time. I was so confident that as soon as my little girl was born, I'd be able to hold her with no fear."
"You're still going to get to hold your baby," Brock smiled reassuringly at Ash. "I'll make sure of it."
The two friends sat in silence for awhile, listening to the swooshing wind and the occasional calls of the nocturnal Pokémon. Ash shifted his eyes towards his own sleeping bag, where Pikachu was snoozing away in between the two layers. Ash was hoping that after a good night's sleep, Pikachu's energy would be completely replenished, and the electric type could finally help in the search for Misty, Aiden, and Michelle. Brock, meanwhile, was staring up into the sky, searching for the different constellations in the cluster of stars that hung high above his head.
"We want you to be her godfather too, you know."
Brock blinked as he lowered his gaze onto Ash. "What?"
Chuckling, Ash looked back at Brock and clarified, "Misty and I. We already decided you're going to be the new baby's godfather. You do a really good job with Aiden and Michelle, so we decided not to mess with a good thing. You especially proved it to me when you totally ignored me and came along for this search."
"You knew I wasn't going to let you go by yourself," Brock smirked at Ash. "That's just foolish."
"I know," Ash nodded slowly. "I just wanted to see you fight back. And you did."
"It's an honor, you know," Brock continued after taking a few moments to acknowledge Ash's compliment, "to be trusted enough to be named the godfather of your children. Thank you; it means the world to me, Ash."
"No problem. I wouldn't trust anyone else."
The two friends just looked at each other for awhile, smiling feebly at one another. Finally, Ash let out a long yawn, causing Brock to snort amusedly. "You're tired, Ash. Go to sleep."
"I already told you I can't," Ash huffed. "I'm too worried."
"Don't be, we're not going to let them down," Brock patted Ash's shoulder before snuggling back into his sleeping bag. "But, in order to be on our best sleuthing behavior, we have to get a good night's rest."
"If you insist," Ash sighed, standing up to trudge back over to his own sleeping bag.
"I do," Brock replied airily. "And don't worry so much, Ash. I know it's hard, but just try and think positive thoughts."
"Alright," Ash climbed into his portable bed, making sure not to disturb his sleeping partner. Nestling in, Ash closed his eyes and called out, "night Brocko."
"Good night Ash," were Brock's last words before he fell asleep.
XXX
By all accounts, Misty was surprised that Loki even allowed her and the twins to eat. It was even more shocking that the food was more than decent. The dinner he served them was actually delicious.
"He didn't poison it, did he?" Misty hissed to Castor while Loki was off elsewhere.
"No miss, of course not," Castor shook his head. "I don't think he would ever do that. He wants you alive. Besides, I watched him make it." He finished up with a wink, causing Misty to giggle sweetly.
At the sound of her laughter, Loki whipped around. Misty quickly willed herself to stop, choosing instead to stare up evilly at the silver haired man. He chuckled softly, sitting back down in his seat across from Misty.
"You are an odd one, Misty," Loki shook his head. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to understand you." Misty sneered at the odd man, but said nothing in response.
While she was absorbed in her food, Loki stared at the Cerulean City gym leader, carefully studying her every move. He watched the way she fluttered her eyelashes when she blinked, how she gently flicked her wrist every time she used her fork, and how her chest rose and fell with every calm breath she took in and out.
"Castor," Loki suddenly called, causing his navy haired inferior to look up. "Take the children back to their chambers, won't you?"
"Is something wrong master?" Castor asked curiously.
"Nothing to be concerned about," Loki waved a hand. "But please. I need to speak to Misty about something. In private."
Something about the situation was making Castor nervous, but he didn't want to disobey his master. Nodding slowly, Castor softly beckoned to the two 5 year olds sitting beside him. They looked worriedly at their mother, slowly shaking their heads to show their disagreement.
"It's okay sweethearts," Misty smiled sympathetically at the two children. "You don't have to go anywhere."
Castor grew wide eyed at this. Misty shifted her gaze onto Loki, giving him a threatening stare. While he seemed taken back at first, Loki quickly regained his composure and huffed slightly, moving a lock of hair out of his equally silver eyes.
"If that's how you want to play, my dear…" Loki murmured. He snapped open his eyes, which were now glowing a bright shade of blue. The glow spread onto Aiden and Michelle, who in turn began to scream and cry out in evident pain.
"Stop it!" Misty yelled, jumping to her feet. She instantly grabbed onto her children, holding them close to her in the hope that she would be able to stop whatever was hurting them. Instead, the sapphire glow lit up her stomach, which was now causing Misty to cry out painfully.
"Master Loki, what are you doing?" Castor gasped, staring at his superior.
Finally realizing he was now causing harm to the unborn baby, Loki let out a heavy sigh and stopped his aura. The glow disappeared from all four users, leaving Misty panting and Aiden and Michelle still sobbing in her arms.
"Wh…what did you just do?" Misty stammered.
"Castor, take the children," Loki ordered more sternly this time.
Castor got up and took hold of the two crying children, all while giving Misty an apologetic look. She gave him a small nod, to show that everything was alright. Leaning down, she kissed both children and assured that she would be in the room shortly, and asking them to behave for Castor.
Once the three were gone, Misty resumed directing her hostile glare towards Loki, who still looked less than pleased with her. "Answer me. What the hell did you just do to hurt my children?"
"I was forcing an aura transfer," Loki answered gruffly. "And I will now do so every time you disobey or defy me."
"What is an aura transfer?" Misty demanded.
"It's exactly as it sounds. The aura from one person is given to another aura user, although in my case, I am the one taking the aura from your children. They're far too young and inexperienced to know how to do something as complicated as an aura transfer."
"So why does it hurt?" Misty growled.
"Aura transfer has the ability to be fatal," a sly smirk appeared on Loki's face. "If you do too much at one time, the aura donor will more than likely die." The horror on Misty's face only made Loki even more excited. "I wasn't doing enough to kill your children. Oh no. I did just enough to tire them out a little and cause some minor pain. But I will do that if you continue to cause trouble for me."
"Fine, then I'll try not to be so flighty, for my children's sake," Misty seethed. "Are we done here?"
"No, that isn't what I desired to talk to you about," Loki's voice curled around Misty as she turned to leave. Grunting, she spun back around, her eyes reflecting a great sense of annoyance. He moved closer to Misty, a still mischievous smile set on his lips.
"What?" Misty asked lowly.
"I've been observing you ever since I brought you here," Loki informed the fiery gym leader. "Everything from your mannerisms to your outright behavior. Some of your disobedience concerns me, but you really are quite a beautiful girl."
"Thanks for the compliment," Misty turned away in disgust.
"I'm going to let you in on a little secret, love," Loki continued, completely oblivious to Misty's disinterest. "Right after you delivered that baby, I was going to rid myself of you. I have no use for a woman who doesn't possess any aura abilities."
Misty's eyes widened at this. He was actually planning to kill her? The jerk! He was even worse than Misty originally thought, which she couldn't conceive was actually possible.
"But I think now I'm much too interested in you," Loki moved closer to Misty. "You're a pretty thing. I could make use of you, even without any possession of aura." He began to gently stroke her hair, causing Misty to jerk away. "Perhaps you could give me some of my own children. My aura is powerful enough where I wouldn't need anything from you. We'll build an empire together, and use our powers for evil."
"You're insane!" Misty finally shouted, unable to take anymore.
"No my dear, I am not," Loki grinned as he grabbed onto Misty's shoulders. "I just have very high expectations."
And without another word, he pressed his lips against Misty's.
Yeeeep, looks like Loki has fallen for Misty. Does he care that she's married to Ash and the mother of his children? Probably not.
Anyway, I'm sooo excited because tomorrow I'm going to see Pokemon White IN THEATRES! This is going to be the first time I've seen a Pokemon movie at a theatre in years, and I can't wait! Maybe that was also inspiring me to write XD
So Loki and Misty's (or rather, Loki's one sided) affair will continue into next chapter. Will Ash and Brock be able to find them before Loki does anything worse? Will Ash kill Loki for what he's doing?
Until next time, keep on reading and reviewing!