All rightie guys I lied. I decided to split chapter 11 in two parts partially because I couldn't stand this story to end xD Just kidding, I actually can't wait for this story to end because 1. ) I know how it's going to end. 2.) I can work on my other stories and just complete them. 3.) I can start on the spin-off story/ sequel to this story!

So chapter 11 is starting to wrap things up; there is probably going to be one more chapter and then an epilogue, so I'm estimating the final story to be about 13 chapters. Thank you all for sticking with me through my writer's block and the amount of crap I have during the summer. It's surprising how much work junior year is .

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as always. 5 1/4 pages and 3,000+ words later, here is chapter 11! Now enough of my insistent rambling, and enjoy the chapter!

~Deepika

Chapter 11: The Final Day pt. 2

It was calm and bright, the lights of the ballroom bathing it in a warm soft yellow that gave the room a homey feeling. The string quartet was already there along with May and Dawn, who were all ready in their dresses. The soothing sound matched the bright colors of the sunset that flooded through the giant windows. May looked around her masterpiece, sighing happily as everything started to come together. The food was being transported in carts onto the giant buffet tables that framed the entire length of one wall and the chefs were running around making sure everything was made to perfection.

"May, this looks amazing," Dawn smiled at her long time friend, though she wasn't surprised. All Haydens were bound to create beautiful and creative sights, such as this place. The sun set literally made the room look like a piece of heaven, shining on the tables and the various tapestries around the wall. Even though the actual event wouldn't start in an hour or so, Dawn had come with May so she wouldn't have to plan all of this and oversee everything by herself. She still felt slightly sick, but she knew that she had a duty to stay here.

"Aw, thank you. Arceus knows I spent three months trying to get all of this ready. I'm just happy everything is finally happening and nothing is going wrong," May replied, though her insides begged to differ. She still had a gut feeling that something was going to happen, but she pushed it aside, knowing she was being silly.

"Have no fear; the life of the party is here!" A voice boomed loudly and both girls turned around to see Jimmy with Marina right by his side. She had come back a couple of hours ago and had decided to get ready and help with the planning. Marina had come dressed in a Chiffon concise fitted dark aqua halter dress that came all the way down to her mid-thigh. She wore beige tights with black pumps and her pokemon bracelet was the only jewelry she had on. Giant diamond flower earrings adorned her ears while shimmery golds and pinks shaped her eyes. Marina's bright blue hair was curled to perfection as the top part of her hair was up and the rest just fell down her back and over her shoulders.

"Life of the party, sure," Dawn whispered sarcastically to May, who just giggled when Jimmy gave the three women a toothpaste commercial grin. Jimmy, who had taken off his signature hat, looked dapper in his silk blue dress shirt and slacks along with dress shoes. His navy hair was still as unruly as ever, yet he had this mature look that made May realize how much they had all grown up. The two bluenetts were hand in hand and surveying the room as the final preparations were being made. The sigh of the maids made May look up and roll her eyes.

Drew Hayden had walked in with all of his pride and glory and caused half of the entire staff to swoon. May rolled her eyes once more and walked over to him, her hips swaying more than usual because of her heels. The grass-head even had the audacity to wink at one of the maids which caused May to slap his arm slightly. Smirking slightly at her annoyed look, the green haired man pulled her in and kissed her while murmuring something. May struggled to get away, as other people were watching but that didn't stop her husband. Finally managing to get away, she flipped her brunette hair over her shoulder and sauntered away to Dawn and Marina who were giggling at the scene. Checking the time, Drew sighed as he realized that he would have to plaster a fake smile in just a few minutes, when the guests would start to arrive. It wasn't that he didn't like parties and was antisocial; he just didn't like large crowds and such.

It was when Leaf, Paul, Harley, Solidad, Brock, Suzy, Elizabeth, James, and Misty all came in that the event had really been started. Now the event was in full blast with the music playing and the food all ready and heated up with the portable gas stove burners. The chatter was meaningless but present nevertheless and May looked around, happy that things were going alright. She took a deep breath and composed herself. The press would be arriving soon enough.

Gary had never realized how spooky a forest could be at night without any moonlight. Of course when he had first started out on his journey, he had encountered moonless nights in the forest, but he had always had a lantern or a flashlight. Yes, he had his pokemon, but he knew that they were only the last resort because he didn't want to call any attention towards himself. It was scary how it was pitch black with absolutely no sound except for the crunching of dead leaves under his feet.

A chill ran down his spine, and the young professor chastised himself for being so scared. He knew that nothing would happen and that they were just going to talk and solve the whole Misty problem. He entered a huge clearing that was surrounded by trees and completely cut off from civilization. There were a few dead leaves on the ground, but enough to give away Gary's position in a heartbeat. He took a deep breath; they were just here to talk. But Gary should have known it wouldn't be that easy.

It started with the entrance of another pair of footsteps as the young professor was suddenly met with the glare of his raven haired rival. The cold, calculated glare should have been his first warning, but no; Gary had to be the noble gracious one and give his old friend a chance.

"Ash." Gary monotonously greeted the raven haired pokemon master. Ash said nothing, his glare speaking volumes. A wave of sadness washed over Gary; it saddened him that their relationship had withered into this exact moment, a competition of love for a certain red haired woman, and no words were able to be exchanged. "Ash please; I don't want us to be like this. You've gotta understand," Gary began but Ash cut him off.

"10 years Gary; 10 motherfucking years I was with her, and not once did she give you the time of day. I was there to set her free. I was the one who helped her follow her dreams. I was the one who gave her the whole god damn world and what do I get? Absolutely nothing! Why is it that every single time one good thing happens in my life, you find a way to take it all away?" Ash bellowed, the power of his words physically making Gary stagger back a few steps. "I've tried so hard to give her everything she wants," His voice had become soft, lethal, almost. "What is it that you have, that I don't?"

A horrible burn in his stomach spread throughout his body as a wave of pathetic shame washed over his entire body. He knew he had been the biggest jerk back then, but he never knew how much it affected Ash. "Ash, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that, but I don't regret it. Somehow, the choices I've made in my life have led me to my wake; the one thing in the world that can keep me going. Ash, in all honesty, you're my brother-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" Ash roared, stopping Gary short. Something had cracked in the young man and sent him to a downward spiral into hell. "You will never be a brother to me. You will never be a friend to me. You will never be anything to me you worthless piece of crap." Tears burned in the back of his eyes. Gary and Ash used to be tighter than brothers and now... Now they were nothing and there was nothing that Gary could do to fix their crumbled tower of friendship.

"Please Ash, please, there has to be a way to fix this... I won't let us go down like this!" Gary pleaded, his cobalt eyes shining with sincerity. Sincerity that Ash decided to ignore.

"No, no more nonsense talk. Misty is mine, and the moment you leave her life, she will come running back to me," Ash said, his voice as hard as flint. Gary's eyes hardened at that thought. No more time to plead for friendship. If worst came to worst, he was willing to fight for Misty Waterflower. That's when the second warning came.

"Venasaur, let's go," Ash commanded, his voice not at all like the usual chipper tone it used to be when he was ten years old. Gary's eyes widened and he picked up his own pokeball. Blastoise would be furious but Gary knew that if he wanted to get back to Misty, he would have to make quick work of Venasaur; no matter how much he loved that grass pokemon. Gary enlarged his pokeball, his mind whirling with strategies and techniques that he hadn't used in a long time. Though he was a researcher, he never stopped battling and even practiced with Misty all the time. He kissed the pokeball before releasing his long time friend.

"Arcanine, let's go! Make quick work of Venasaur!" Arcanine roared and the flames on his body seemed to become larger as the dog pokemon realized that its master was in danger. A low growl escaped from its lips and it took a step forward, bracing for attack. "Arcanine, flame thrower!" Gary cried, the dog pokemon responding the moment the command left his lips. Ash smirked as if anticipating this the whole time.

"Tranquil, use deflect and protect Venasaur," Ash commanded and the Unova bird pokemon darted out of the trees and put up a defensive barrier that protected Venasaur. Gary gritted his teeth as the powerful flames not only missed the target but bounced back towards Arcanine. Arcanine shook its fur as the flames blasted back at it, but it stood strong.

"All right, if that's how you want to play this then," Gary scoffed, his eyes drowning with disdain. It should have never ended like this. "Blastoise, Electrive, come on out!" Gary called. Gary's first and most loyal pokemon came out first with a loud grunt and cannons already loaded and ready, while Electrive came out second, buzzing with anticipation. They could hear the commotion coming from outside their pokeballs and were anxious to help their master and friend however they could.

"Tran, tranquil!" the bird pokemon cawed. Tranquil had never seen Gary before, so all he knew was that the man standing before his trainer was a threat, and his job was to protect Ash at all costs. Venasaur, on the other hand, knew Gary, had been with Gary from basically, the very beginning. She knew how Gary had been, but she also knew how Gary was now. The young human had changed for the better and she had no idea why her master Ash was so keen on trying to eliminate him. She didn't want to hurt the poor boy, but she knew that master Ash had excellent decision making skills. If Ash thought that Gary was bad, she was going to defend Ash every step of the way.

So when Ash called for a stun spore on Gary, despite all the worrisome guilt forming inside of her, she unleashed her deadly spores. Gary attempted to step back but it was no use; he was rooted to the spot. Tranquil didn't know who this person was, but he was a threat to Ash. The bird pokemon used air cutter, all aimed towards Gary. At the sound of his whimper, Umbreon, Aerodactyl, and Scizor came out. Umbreon quickly used shadow ball on the bird pokemon. Snivy and Oshawott along with Pignite all came out to help Ash, which just further angered Gary's pokemon.

However, while all the pokemon were battling each other, no one noticed Venasaur using vine whip on Gary multiple times. As each vine made contact with Gary's skin, he not only managed to repress his screams, but also the whimpers which his pokemon would definitely have heard. Ash's cold smirk was the last thing that Gary saw before Venasuar's sleep powder rained down on him, causing him to faint and fall into a deep sleep.

Misty looked around the party in hopes of seeing Gary, worry clouding her eyes as no match came up. Gary should have been here by now, the press had arrived and the grand entrances were starting soon. Gary was going to be there. Gary had promised. And unlike Ash, Gary didn't break promises. But it seemed that the young Cerulean professor might have broken his first promise; to not escort Misty to the party. It was bad enough that Gary was an eligible bachelor, but to have to face the humiliation that she would enter the gala on her own was even more self humiliating. Never mind the awkward fact that she would practically be the only one without a date. Blinking back tears, Misty looked around once more in hopes of finding her fiancé.

She saw Kenny and Zoe chatting with each other, laughing at what one of them was saying. Iris, who now sported a sleek shoulder length haircut, was talking with Cilan, both of whom had traveled with Ash a few years ago. Briana was talking with Brendan and Ursula was laughing haughtily with Barry, who just seemed uncomfortable with the pompous woman.

"Misty?" The voice made Misty turn around and smile.

"Leaf, hey," Misty replied, forcing her lips to turn upward into an awkward forced smile. Leaf's cocked brunette eyebrow reminded Misty that Leaf knew almost everything about her and she could never convince the brunette of anything.

"Mist, what's wrong?" Leaf gently asked as to not set Misty off. Instead of angering the fire head, the words seemed to remind her of her predicament and made her look down. "Where's Gary- oh. Oh." Leaf almost wanted to smack herself for being so stupid. Misty was a strong person, but underneath it all, she just wanted to be loved and wanted to show everyone that she could be loved; by Gary Oak of all people.

"Oh Misty..." Leaf trailed off, her gaze sympathetic. However, it didn't take long for her to look at the party, realize who was missing, and start to put the pieces together. "Misty," Leaf muttered, her gaze steel cold. Misty looked up, slightly terrified of her friend's expression. "Misty," she repeated. "Do you realize who's missing from the event?"

Misty looked around. "Gary..." the carrot head trailed off, then did a double take. "...Dear Arceus," Misty managed to grate out of her quickly closing throat. All supply of air seemed to have been cut off from her as she realized that Ash and Gary were the only ones missing in the reunion. Her breathing must of gotten heavy because Leaf wrapped her arm around Misty's waist and held her steady. "Leaf, we have to find them," Misty gasped as tears threatened to burn her eyes. She had no idea what Ash was capable of, but if he loved her as much as she thought he did, then things go wrong; fast. Panic began to overtake her sentence and the world seemed to double in front of her eyes.

"Misty, hey Mist, calm down. I'm going to get the whole gang, and we'll go and look for them, ok? Ok?" Leaf asked a bit more forcefully when Misty didn't answer. Numbly nodding, the water mermaid's face took on one of determination as the two set out to find their friends.

Ash looked down at his handy work. Finally, he had managed to beat down and defeat the great Gary Oak. A cold smirk overtook his features and he ordered Venasaur to pick Gary up and deposit his unconscious body somewhere in the forest. The giant leaf pokemon looked skeptical but followed its master's orders anyway, not wanting to be left alone at Professor Oak's garden. It cringed its eyes when the body of the Cerulean professor felt limp in its vines, Venasaur took the body and flung the body into the vast forest. Unable to tear its eyes away, Venasaur watched the slumped body fly and heard the rustle of leaves as the body fell through the trees and a sickening crunch was heard.

There was a deadly silence that encased the forest as Gary's pokemon stood shell shocked for a few moments. They had no idea where their amazing master was or what his condition was like. Blastoise let out a mighty roar that echoed through the forests and Aerodactyl whimpered before flying up. Umbreon hissed and attempted to lunge at Ash but Tranquil attacked the older pokemon, shooting it down almost as quick as it had come up. The rest of Gary's team realized that their kind and good-hearted master was in trouble and they quickly split up, avoiding all of Ash's pokemon's attacks.

Ash's cackling laugh was heard, one that sent a sickening chill through all of his pokemon. They had never heard their master laugh so evilly; so evil that even a Team Rocket cackle could not rival with this laugh. Pikachu had a worried expression on his face for he had never seen Ash like this before. Gary was a friend and had been nothing but nice to Pikachu. Now Pikachu was a wise pokemon, having been with Ash since the very beginning. He knew how Ash's mind worked, how he acted in certain situations, and why he acted in certain ways. And this situation was no different; Ash had been blinded by an unrealistic love, and obsession, almost, and had stumbled down onto the wrong path. Misty loved Gary, and Gary loved Misty, it was as simple as that. Ash had been given a chance many years ago and had blown it; there was no way to fight through and succeed in breaking that kind of love. What Misty and Gary shared was an eternal bond, one that Ash could never know of. It was almost as if the two were bonded by destiny. It pained the yellow mouse to see his master hurt like this, but it also pained him to know that Ash could have very well murdered someone. He had seen Gary's body fly and his acute hearing had allowed him to hear the cracking of bones. Looking up at his best friend and loyal partner, Pikachu suddenly knew three things: 1.) This was not the Ash that he had come to know and love; 2.) Ash had finally snapped and had endangered another human's life; 3.) He had to get help- and fast. Scurrying away, Pikachu darted out of the clearing without Ash noticing and headed toward Hayden Manor.

It took a while, but Pikachu finally found the orange haired girl who had become a close friend of his master and himself. She looked near to tears and was talking to another brunette. Pikachu cooed and jumped up and down, trying to gain the two girls' attention but they were so busy worrying that no one paid any attention to him. Sighing to himself, Pikachu knew one way to get their attention but he knew that Misty would get mad. Silently hoping the humans wouldn't get mad at him, Pikachu released a mild thunderbolt that didn't completely shock everyone, but managed to shock them enough that they yelped at wildly looked around for the source. Pikachu resisted the urge to slap his forehead as he growled to himself.

"Pika, Pikachu!" the yellow mouse called and Misty was the first one to look down and gather the pokemon in her arms, her eyes reflecting a bit of anger in them. "Cha..." Pikachu cooed sadly and nuzzled her neck. Misty's angry gaze softened as she lightly stroked the pokemon.

"Pikachu, do you know what happened to Gary?" Misty asked. Pikachu nodded and covered his head, terrified of seeing her angry glare. "Did you have anything to do with it?" she asked and Pikachu shamefully shook his head, still scared of seeing her angry expression. It was clear enough to Misty that Pikachu wasn't part of it but Ash and his other pokemon were. "How could he do this? Why would he do this? I'm not that important," Misty lamented, her voice constricted by the tears that were forming in her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to be in Gary's arms once again. Then it was the brunette next to Misty that spoke.

"Pikachu, please; we're not mad at you, at least, we're not mad if you'll help us find Gary. He means a lot to us, and what Ash did is wrong. You have to help us find him; both of them. Ash should pay for what he did, but he can't do that unless you tell us where he is," Leaf reasoned with the old yellow mouse. Said pokemon had become weary; he really was old beyond his age but he just couldn't give up. As much as he loved Ash like the father he had never had, Pikachu knew that the raven haired boy had to live up to the consequences. "So will you help us?" Leaf asked, making Pikachu realize that he had missed part of the brunette's speech. Pikachu nodded and wriggled out of Misty's arms.

"Pika, chu!" Pikachu nodded enthusiastically, eager to rectify whatever damage Ash had done to this close circle of friends. He began scampering out near the hall but then realized that no one was following him. The pokemon called again, causing the two girls to flinch. Misty looked at Leaf and the two girls nodded but stopped after moving a couple of steps.

"Wait, shouldn't we get someone to find Gary while we deal with Ash? Do you want to split up?" Leaf asked but Misty shook her head.

"No, let's find Ash together. The rest of the people can split up and search for Gary," Misty said and turned to the entire party that had come to a halt the moment Pikachu released his shocking thunderbolt. "Attention everyone; as you may have heard, my fiancé Gary Oak has gone missing and it's all thanks to a certain pokemon master. While this may shock some of you, I strongly urge you to put those feelings behind and split up into groups to find Gary who went missing a few hours ago. Leaf Hana and I are going to find Ash and we'll see what happens from there. Thank you," Misty announced and with that, the two girls followed Pikachu to the forest near Hayden Manor.