Hellooo everyone! It feels like forever since I last put out a new chapter. But it really hasn't been that long...hmm. All I know is I'm gonna be super busy in the next 2 weeks, so I really wanted to get this one out. It's a pretty exciting installment, if I do say so myself :P
So, if you'll recall from last chapter, we ended with Loki kissing Misty. That's right; he's even worse than we thought! So how will Misty respond to this unexpected devolpment? And is Ash finally on his way?
Let's find out!
Misty's eyes were wide in shock, her body frozen in a static state. She was dimly aware of what was happening to her, but she wasn't positive until she could feel Loki trying to slip his tongue into her mouth. Misty gasped and shoved him away, her eyes frantic as he confusedly stared into her face.
"What the hell are you doing?" Misty hissed, her anger quickly rising.
"I thought it was fairly obvious," Loki's husky voice teased the flustered red head.
"You…you…I'm married!" Misty cried, feeling as if her heart was shattering. "I have a husband, and I have children with him! I love him dearly, and you just go and make a move on me?"
"Your husband is out of the picture," Loki shrugged carelessly. "All you have now is your children. But, if you play your cards right, you can have me as well."
"I'd never want you!" Misty stormed. "Not in a million years! I'd rather end up alone than with you!"
"Then it would appear that you're on your way," Loki smirked.
Not being able to take anymore, Misty snatched Gyrados' poke ball off her belt with a trembling hand, holding it out threateningly towards her captor. Loki looked caught off guard for a moment, but just as quickly as he'd lost it, he regained his composure and pried the sphere from Misty's delicate fingers.
"HEY!" Misty screamed, those same fingers curling up underneath her palm to form a tight fist.
"You think you're so smart, don't you?" Loki purred as he tossed the ball into the air several times, catching it effortlessly each time. "Personally, I just think you're rather stupid."
Misty just stood there with her mouth agape, stunned that Loki had taken her poke ball just like that. Grabbing Misty by the arm, further shocking the young woman, Loki took the five other poke balls off of her belt, storing them away in the pocket of his vest.
"We wouldn't want to have any more problems, now would we?" Loki threw Misty an evil expression.
"Give me my Pokémon back!" Misty demanded. Loki tightened his grip on Misty, causing her to cry out in pain.
"I'll give you a choice," Loki offered, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Your Pokémon, or your children. It's up to you."
Misty began breathing heavily, her heart racing in her chest. The baby chose to awake at that moment, kicking anxiously in her stomach. Wincing, Misty looked away from Loki and answered, "My children. Don't hurt them, please."
"As long as you behave, I'll have no reason to harm them. Or you, for that matter."
With that, Loki released his grip on Misty, causing her to stumble forward slightly. Panting, Misty straightened herself out and stood up straight, placing a hand on her swollen belly. Loki kept his eyes locked on her figure, his shoulders pulling back as he folded his arms behind his back.
"That will be all for tonight, my dear," Loki commented airily. "You may return to your chambers now."
Misty released another sharp breath before walking out of the room as briskly as she could. As she walked back towards her own quarters, Misty wrapped her arms around herself and hung her head, feeling the tears spilling out of her eyes and down her cheeks.
Ash…where are you?
XXX
"Brock! Brock, wake up!"
Brock jumped up with a start, finding that Ash was violently shaking him by the shoulder. The Pokémon master looked particularly troubled, even more so than usual with his current predicament.
"Ash, what is it?" Brock yawned as he rubbed his eyes. Looking up into the sky, Brock realized that the sun was hardly peeking over the clouds. It was still early in the morning.
"I…I'm getting aura signals," Ash gripped Brock's shoulder a little more tightly.
"Aura signals?" Brock repeated, his head still feeling rather heavy. "From where? Or, rather, from who? A…a Pokémon?"
"No," Ash shook his head slowly. "From…from my baby."
"Uh…your baby?" Brock looked quite puzzled as he gently pulled at Ash's shirt. "Is there something you're not telling me, bud?"
"Arceus, Brock, I meant the baby that Misty is carrying," Ash smacked the Pokémon doctor's hand away from his muscular stomach. "Wake up, Brocko."
"A little hard to do when I haven't had my coffee yet," Brock shook his head as he ran a hand through his tangled brown mane. "Although, with what you just told me, I think I'm a little more awake now." Sitting up all the way, Brock stared at Ash and prompted, "Your unborn child can use aura? I knew she had it, but she can actually use it?"
"She's special, Brock," Ash smiled softly. "She really is. And…once I found out her aura was already active, I kind of formed an aura bond with her."
"And what does that do?" Brock queried.
"Not too much, since she's an unborn baby," Ash explained. "But it brings us closer. I can sense her emotions and stuff like that. The thing is, since her aura is really raw, I can only sense it sometimes. And typically, she's only able to send out those signals when she's upset."
"So, she's in trouble?" Brock gaped.
"I think they all are," Ash covered his eyes with his hand. "Hurry Brock…"
"Ash, are you alright?" Brock's tone reflected a sense of concern. "You kind of seem like you're in pain."
"N…no….I'm fine Brock," Ash shook his head without removing his hand from its current position. "Really…"
"Ash, come on, don't lie to me," Brock pleaded.
"Brock! I mean it!" Ash stormed, finally throwing his hand down. "I'm…" He trailed off, his eyes going blank. Brock leaned in closer to his younger friend, confused as to why he'd suddenly stopped speaking. Groaning, Ash fell over onto his side, his eyes closing tightly as he twitched in pain.
"Ash!" Brock cried, grabbing onto Ash and trying to pull him up. "Come on, Ash, get up!"
Try as he might, Brock knew there was no way he'd be able to get Ash off the ground. He wasn't a little boy anymore; he was strong and well built.
"Brock…" Ash murmured.
"What is it Ash?" Brock asked hurriedly.
Wordlessly, Ash's eyes snapped open, causing Brock to gasp and fall backwards slightly. The Pokémon master's eyes were glowing a bright sapphire, a tell tale sign that his aura was currently activated.
"Brock…" Ash spoke softly again, his gaze rising to the Pokémon doctor. "I know where they are."
XXX
At the same time, Misty was lying in bed between her two young children, who were cuddled up against her sides. She was wincing, as a small pain stung in the middle of her stomach. It wasn't up to the same level it had been before, when she found out that Loki was trying to interrupt the aura connection between Ash and the unborn baby, but it hurt nonetheless.
Misty rolled her eyes back towards the single window in the room. She could see rays of sunlight beginning to shine through, the sunrise likely occurring just outside the prison of the airship.
I probably shouldn't let Aiden and Michelle sleep in, Misty thought idly to herself, I don't want them ending up like Ash.
She smiled at the thought of her husband, but that little grin quickly became an emphasized frown. She missed him dearly, and wanted nothing more than to be with him. Misty could only hope he was out there looking for her and the twins. While Castor had befriended the young mother, Misty could only assume he wouldn't think of helping her and the children to freedom. That would mean defying his master.
Another pain shot through Misty's stomach, and she hissed quietly.
She was afraid if she didn't get out of here soon, something horrible would fall upon her and her family. And Misty wasn't going to let that happen.
XXX
"I can feel them going in this direction!"
Ash was running at full speed, his eyes still lit a bright shade of sapphire. His aura was guiding him towards wherever his wife and children were, thanks to the distress of his and Misty's unborn daughter.
"And you're sure?" Brock called from behind. He was several feet back from Ash, not running quite as fast as the Pokémon master but still booking it.
"I'm positive," Ash shook his head. "And we're getting a lot closer. I can feel her aura getting stronger."
Pikachu's ears were twitching excitedly, searching for any surrounding sound that could indicate a location of his missing family. Suddenly, they stood completely still, Pikachu's beady little eyes opening wide as he caught a faint sound; one so low that it couldn't be heard by human ears.
"Pikapi!" Pikachu cried, clawing at Ash's shirt.
"I can't stop right now Pikachu!" Ash replied without skipping a beat.
"Pi, pikapi!" Pikachu tried again. "Pika pikachu!"
"What?" Ash finally slowed down and turned his head to look at Pikachu. "You hear something, buddy?"
"Pi," Pikachu nodded, his ears twitching again. With a flick of his head, Pikachu growled lowly and pointed his nose up towards the sky. "Pika pi, pikapi."
"Huh? In the sky?" Ash looked up into the still early morning clouds.
Suddenly, a soft rumbling could be heard. It sounded almost like a motor, and it was coming closer and closer with each passing second. From right over the trees, a large silver air ship appeared, soaring high above the forest.
"There!" Ash shrieked, hardly believing their luck. He turned to Brock, his glowing eyes wide in shock. "That's Loki's air ship! That's where he took Misty, Aiden, and Michelle! They're up there!"
"How are we going to get all the way up to it, though?" Brock frowned slightly. He was ecstatic they were able to find their desired location, but getting up there was going to be a slight challenge.
"I've got this under control, Brocko!" Ash cheered. Plucking a poke ball off of his belt, Ash stared at it for a short second before throwing it emphatically, calling out, "Charizard, I need you!"
The large, fire dragon materialized before Ash, his eyes narrowed in anticipation. He glanced at Ash and blew out a puff of smoke, waiting for an order from his trainer.
"Charizard, I found where Misty, Aiden, and Michelle are," Ash informed seriously. He pointed upwards, and Charizard turned his attention towards the sky. "They're up in that air ship! They were taken by that jerk who beat you with the Salamence!"
This really infuriated Charizard. The mighty orange dragon growled loudly, a fire going off in his eyes.
"Right, so I need you to fly me up there!" Ash continued. His tone becoming pleading, he went on, "please Charizard. I'm counting on you."
Charizard thought for a moment before letting out a loud roar, lifting Ash up and throwing him onto his back. Ash groaned at the impact but quickly sorted himself out, holding tightly onto Charizard's back as he prepared for the flight.
"Should I stay down here?" Brock asked. "I can call out some of my Pokémon in case we need back up on the ground."
"Good idea," Ash nodded. "Besides, I don't want to put you in the face of danger as well. If I don't come back, at least I'll be with my family."
"Ash…" Brock began.
"Really Brock, it's okay," Ash smiled encouragingly at his oldest friend. "I don't mind being imprisoned. I just want to see my wife, and my children, and know they're okay."
"Please try to come back," was all Brock could formulate.
"I will," Ash beamed.
Before anything else could be said, Charizard snarled again and lifted himself into the air, earning a slightly terrified yelp from his raven haired master.
"Good luck!" Brock called as Charizard flew up and away.
Breathing out sharply, Ash leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Charizard's neck, eyes watering up as the wind attacked his face and whipped around his body.
"I was sort of hoping you'd wait for my command!" Ash yelled to his Pokémon. Charizard, in turn, just blew out some more smoke and picked up the pace, quickly approaching Loki's aircraft.
"Pikapi, pikachu pika?" Pikachu asked. Ash, how do we get in there?
"That's a good question," Ash bit his lip.
Charizard roared, setting his eyes on a small portion of the ship. Zooming in towards it, the fire type stopped right before the spot, poking his nose at it. Ash leaned forward and tried to figure out what it was that Charizard was trying to tell him.
"A vent?" Ash asked. Charizard nodded.
"Pika!" Pikachu cheered.
"Hey, yeah!" Ash suddenly brightened up. "We could sneak in through the vent! Nice work Charizard." Charizard huffed quietly, as if to say 'I know.'
Ash leaned over the side of Charizard, making sure to lock his legs around the tremendous fire type's body to secure himself. Grabbing onto the metal cover, Ash began yanking at the bars, trying to remove it from the vent. All it did was wiggle a bit, however, and showed no sign of coming off anytime soon.
"Oh, come on," Ash groaned, rolling his eyes in annoyance.
Pikachu furrowed his brow in thought before coming up with a great idea. Building up energy, Pikachu unleashed a thunderbolt attack on the vent cover, causing it to fall right off and go tumbling towards the ground.
"Hey, way to go Pikachu!" Ash scratched behind his partner's ears. "You always come through for me, buddy."
Nodding, Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and into the narrow space backing up slightly to give Ash room to enter. Gently tapping Charizard to get him to move closer to the opening, Ash bit his lip and climbed into the vent, turning around to look back at his loyal fire dragon.
"Thanks so much Charizard," Ash gratefully thanked the Pokémon. Retrieving his poke ball, Ash held it out and called, "you can take a nice rest now. I might need you later."
With Charizard returned, Ash once again turned in the opposite direction and began crawling down the space, with Pikachu leading the way.
"Just hang on Mist," Ash murmured to himself. "I'm coming for you."
XXX
As Brock waited back on the ground, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet, a somewhat familiar whistling sound could be heard coming from up above.
"Hmm?" Brock twisted his mouth and looked up. "What the…"
Something was falling down towards Brock, becoming larger and larger in size as it drew closer.
"WAAAH!" Shrieking, Brock jumped out of the way just in time as the unidentified object crashed into the ground, causing a small cloud of dirt to puff up. After deeming the situation safe, Brock inched towards the fallen item and leaned over, examining it with cautious curiosity.
"A burnt vent cover? Where the heck did this come from?"
XXX
"Man, how long does this thing go on for?"
Ash was strong, and he had a good stamina, but he was getting pretty tired. He felt like he'd been crawling through this vent forever, and hadn't yet gotten a single clue as to where his wife and children were. The baby had stopped using her aura as soon as Ash had gotten into the vent. He could only assume it was because he was in her vicinity now.
"Pikapi!"
Ash's head snapped up, and he found himself staring at Pikachu, who was sniffing at another vent cover; this one on the left side of the vent.
"Pikachu, we've already gone past, like, a hundred of those," Ash sighed dejectedly. "And none of them lead to anything. What makes this one any different?"
"Pikachupi!" Pikachu hissed at his trainer.
"Misty?" Ash repeated in surprise. Pikachu nodded and backed away from the cover, allowing Ash to look through it himself. Breathing out, Ash moved closer to the bars and peered through them, his dark brown eyes searching the room through the metal. "I don't see anything," he whispered sadly. Why would Pikachu raise his hopes like that?
"Mommy, I'm so hungry!"
"I know you are baby. That's why you should've eaten breakfast."
"It was no good, Mommy."
"Misty, Michelle!" A huge grin broke out on Ash's face. "You're right Pikachu, they are in there!"
"Pi," Pikachu scoffed. Duh.
"Quick, use thunderbolt on the vent cover, just like you did before!"
"Pi! Pi…ka…CHU!" Pikachu unleashed his signature move, and blew the cover right off its hinges. It landed with a loud clatter on the floor, audibly alarming the room's inhabitants. Ash could hear the frightened cries of his children, and the sharp gasp from Misty.
"Oops," Ash murmured. He poked his head out of the opening and looked around the room. Tilting his gaze downward, Ash found the twins cuddling up against Misty as they whimpered, while she was busy trying to soothe them. "Guys, don't be afraid," Ash called out softly. "It's just me."
All three looked up at Ash, jaws dropping at the sight of their beloved husband and father.
"DADDY!" Aiden and Michelle practically screamed, jumping up and down on the bed in sheer excitement.
"Shh, not so loud you two!" Misty gently scolded as she pulled the children down. "We don't want Loki to find Daddy."
"Oh yeah," Aiden lowered his voice and frowned.
"Don't get sad champ," Ash smiled sympathetically. He clambered out of the vent, lowering himself onto the bed with a small thud. Pikachu jumped out right after, landing on top of Ash's head. Aiden and Michelle pulled themselves away from their mother and jumped into Ash's laps, cuddling against him as Ash patted their heads and gave them several adoring kisses.
"Pikachupi!" Pikachu cried happily.
"Hi there Pikachu!" Misty beamed, gathering the electric mouse into her arms and giving him a tight hug. "I've missed you so much! And I'm glad to see you feeling better after that toxic attack."
"Ka," Pikachu nodded, his tears twitching gently.
"And you didn't miss me?" Ash put on a little pout. Misty stopped blinking, and loosened her grip on Pikachu. Squeaking, the little yellow Pokémon jumped onto the ground, the twins eagerly following after him in order to play. Ash chuckled as he watched the three, but when he turned back to Misty, he noticed tears running down her fair cheeks.
"Oh Mist," Ash sighed, reaching out to brush away the drops. "I was only kidding when I asked that. You know how much I love you."
Wordlessly, Misty flung herself into Ash's arms, crying against his shoulder. Ash smiled sadly and touched the back of her head, gently stroking her hair. After a few minutes, Misty finally relaxed and stopped sobbing. Slowly, she pulled herself away from Ash, her face quite red and tear stained.
"I'm sorry," Misty whispered with a small sniffle. "I just…it's bad here, Ash."
"I can imagine," Ash nodded. He leaned in to try and give Misty a kiss, but as soon as his lips brushed against hers, Misty retreated very quickly, causing Ash to raise an eyebrow. "What's wrong honey?"
"N…nothing," Misty hiccupped, looking over her shoulder as she closed her eyes tightly. Ash didn't believe her, of course, but he didn't want to push it. Stressing Misty out anymore than she already was had to be the worst idea possible.
"Is our baby okay?" Ash changed the subject. He gently rubbed her stomach while glancing up at Misty's wife. "Because I swear if that jerk hurt her…"
"No, she's fine," Misty interrupted, shaking her head rapidly. "I just…don't know how you found us."
"Our little baby," Ash patted the bump. Misty raised an incredulous eyebrow, to which Ash explained, "she was sending out aura signals to me, and that's how I found your location. Our bond is way too powerful to destroy."
At this, Misty smirked for a moment before frowning once again. She wouldn't dare tell Ash about Loki's attempts to break that sacred bond.
"I've got to get you three out of here," Ash sighed, running a hand through his tangled raven locks. Misty opened her eyes and looked back at Ash, her mouth still bent into a frown.
"But how?" Misty's voice was breaking.
"Back through the vent," Ash pointed up at the space. "Same way I got in."
"You really think I'm going to fit in there?" Misty laughed dryly as she held onto her stomach. Ash smirked, glad to see his wife finally opening back up to him.
"Yes, as a matter of fact, I do," Ash grabbed her other hand and held it in his own. "'Cause you're not that big, angel."
"You're too good to me, Ash," Misty smiled sadly. With a certain hesitance, she crawled forward and wrapped her arms around Ash, resting her head in the crook between his neck and shoulder. Chuckling quietly, Ash returned the embrace and kissed her on the top of her delicate ear. Looking up into his dark brown eyes, Misty pursed her lips before asking, "When should we leave?"
"As soon as possible," Ash replied quietly.
"So I suppose now would be best," Misty lowered her arms and looked down anxiously at her hands. Ash breathed out and smiled gently, once again taking his wife's hands and giving them a light squeeze.
"We'll be fine, my sweet mermaid. Don't get so worried."
Suddenly, Misty's serious demeanor cracked, and she began to laugh rather heartily. Ash was confused by Misty's abrupt outburst, but her next words clarified it for him.
"Sweet mermaid? Ash, when have you ever called me that?"
"I'm just trying to make you feel better!" Ash blushed furiously, his face burning as if Charizard had just blasted him with a flame thrower. "It kind of worked though, right? You're laughing."
"Yeah, I guess it did," Misty giggled behind her hand.
"So, you want to get out of here?" Ash offered after the laughter died down. Misty's expression softened and she stared worriedly at her husband. "I promise we can do it. You've gotta trust me, Mist."
"Alright," Misty nodded slowly, raising her twinkling eyes. "If you insist, Mr. Pokémon Master."
"And I do," Ash winked at her. He turned his attention back to the floor, where Aiden and Michelle were busy chasing Pikachu around the small space they had been provided with. "Aiden, Michelle!" They stopped running and looked up curiously at their father, who chuckled in return. "Come up here, you two."
The children squealed and began making valiant, eager attempts to clamber up onto the bed. Ash held his hands out, preparing to help the two, but they were able to pull themselves up without any assistance, causing Ash and Misty to throw each other knowing grins.
"They're definitely ours," Misty laughed softly.
Ash joined in, but was quickly stopped when Aiden and Michelle tackled him down onto the bed. He grunted before shaking out his head and opening his eyes, everything slowly coming back into focus. What he found was Aiden and Michelle both leaning over him, their hands on his strong chest and their eyes locked with his. Michelle's long red hair was just brushing against Ash's cheek, and he was pretty sure that at least one of Aiden's knees was digging into his lower stomach.
"Ah…what's up you two?" Ash asked in a slightly strangled voice.
"Hugs," Michelle answered with a playful smile. As if to further prove her point, Michelle lowered herself and wrapped her small arms around her father's chest as far as they would go. Ash chuckled and hugged her back, lightly kissing the top of her head.
"Are we gonna go now Daddy?" Aiden's impatient voice broke the gentle embrace between Michelle and Ash. "I'm hungry. The food here is no good."
"Yes," Ash sat up, although with a little difficulty. His children were nowhere near as light as they'd been when they were younger. Once he was sitting up fully, Aiden and Michelle jumped off of him, crawling over to their mother and instead choosing to rest themselves on her legs while Ash formulated their escape.
"Ash," Misty's voice broke Ash out of his trance. He blinked and turned his gaze over to her. Pikachu, meanwhile, squeaked excitedly and jumped up onto Ash's shoulder, ears twitching in anticipation. "Put Aiden and Michelle into the vent first. Just in case something should happen, I want to make sure that they're guaranteed to make it out safe and sound."
Ash nodded without any hesitance. Looking down at his waiting children, Ash beckoned, "You hear that, guys? Daddy's going to get you out of here. Just stay quiet, okay?"
The twins nodded feverously. Biting his lip, Ash first gathered Michelle into his arms, giving her a comforting hug as he got up onto his feet. Steadying himself on the soft mattress, Ash raised his arms and settled Michelle into the vent. She peeked out at him with scared eyes, to which Ash just smiled comfortingly and patted her on the cheek.
"Just stay right there baby girl," Ash whispered soothingly. "You won't be alone for much longer."
Leaning back down, Ash picked up Aiden and repeated the same thing he'd done with Michelle. With both children in the vent, Ash knelt back down in front of Misty and stared deeply into her emerald eyes. Misty still looked rather nervous, but Ash had no choice but to ignore it. He was going to get Misty out of this place if it killed him.
"Let's go angel," Ash helped her to stand up. Misty did so shakily, her breathing becoming fast paced and more erratic. Ash could feel her grip on his hands tightening, and before long her eyes were shut tight. "Misty, please, relax. Just trust me." Misty sighed shakily but nodded. She allowed Ash to lead her closer to the vent, where the twins were still leaning out, watching their parents very intently.
"Aiden, Michelle, move back a little bit," Ash gently asked the two. They crawled back silently, making room in the vent for their mother. Ash turned Misty's head towards him, and she reluctantly opened up her eyes. "I can't lift you up into there the same way I did with Aiden and Michelle. You'll end up hitting your head or getting hurt."
"So what do I do?" Misty cocked her head.
Ash thought for a moment before cupping his hands and holding them out in front of them, closer to his midsection. "Put your foot in my hands, and you'll climb up."
"You're sure?"
"Yes, just hurry."
Misty sighed and nodded, but did as Ash instructed her. Settling her foot into his hands, she pushed up, earning a grunt from Ash. Nervously, Misty gripped the bottom edge of the vent and began crawling into the space. While she was busying herself with this, the sound of a door unlocking could be heard, causing everyone in the room's breath to hitch. Misty tried to speed up the task at hand, but with her stomach getting in the way; it seemed that would be impossible.
"Misty, hurry!" Ash hissed.
"I'm trying!" Misty cried. But just as she got her upper body into the vent, the door swung open, and a sharp gasp pierced the air.
"Just what do you think you are doing?"
Oops. Cliffhanger!
Right, so they're not in the clear just yet. Ash is really going to have to think on his feet to save the day! Although, maybe he won't...
Also, can I just say how AMAZING the new movies were? I saw White in the theatere, and I have Black on my DVR, which I'm waiting to watch until my friends can come over. Seriously though, if you haven't gotten a chance to see the movies yet, I HIGHLY reccomend them. It's already sooo much better than any of the Diamond and Pearl movies.
Again, I thank you for all of the amazing reviews and continued suppourt! It's really awesome and motivating. You guys rule! So, until next time, dear readers!