Chapter 15

Heartbroken

(The southern coastline of Kanto, a few miles away from Pallet Town)

(3rd-person narrative)

"All right, this is it," Lance declared from atop his Dragonite, which hovered above all the Gym Leaders and Elite Four of Kanto and Johto. All of the Pokémon in his vicinity peered up to him also. "We have to hold this position, to buy Ash and the others time to end this chaos, once and for all. There's no turning back now. And remember, these are Shadow Pokémon we're dealing with, so don't fire a couple of Thunderbolt attacks at a Gyarados, thinking that it'll knock it out. None of our moves will be super-effective against any of them, so be warned. Now…is everyone ready?"

"Primed and ready, Lance," Brandon nodded, his three Regis standing firmly next to Regigigas.

"We're all good to go," Lt. Surge smirked, giving a thumbs-up, before his smile faded as he saw Agatha shaking her head at him in disapproval of his inappropriately positive attitude.

"Be safe, my darling…" Prima said to Lance as she looked up at him from her Lapras, receiving an affectionate and caring look from her husband.

"My clones are prepared, and so are all of the Legendaries," Mewtwo informed.

"Then all that is left, is to wait," Lance sighed, relaxing himself as much as possible, to prepare himself mentally for the battle ahead. All the other Gym Leaders and Elite Four members were situated in their proposed positions, agreed upon during the assembly meeting.

"Delia, is everything alright?" Professor Oak looked sideways towards her and spoke, after noticing a sullen look on her face.

"Huh? Y-yes, Professor Oak…I'm fine…" she murmured, stroking her Milotic which she was riding on the sea.

"Don't worry too much about Ash and the others, Delia – I'm sure they'll be fine. And I'm confident that Chris will make it out, as well," he reassured her.

"You're right, professor – Ash will be just fine. I guess that I'm just…how can I describe this…" she looked down, searching for the proper words. "Nervous… I haven't seen my husband for more than twenty-two years, since that accident…I hope he'll be okay…"

"Don't worry, Delia. I'm sure him, Misty and your grandson will make it out just fine. I have faith in Ash, in his abilities, and in his friends who are with him now," Professor Oak smiled.

"Alright, professor. I'll try to focus on the battle, from now on," Delia nodded, reverting her attention forward.

Alongside Brandon's Regis and Regigigas were several other Pokémon who were capable of using Protect, to guard the numerous Pokémon standing behind them. Closer to the shoreline was the mighty Groudon, accompanied by a vast number of Tyranitars, Nidokings and Queens. Right up against the shoreline were many Pokémon who would engage in melee combat against any Shadow Pokémon that would make it ashore: Scythers, Scizors, Machamps and the like. As ordered by Ash earlier, Pidgeot, Swellow and Pidgeot's second-in-command, Fearow, led their combined flocks, joined by Ash's other flying Pokémon and those of the wild. And on the ocean, a fleet of water Pokémon led by several Gyarados, Tentacruel, Lapras and Milotic who carried several smaller auxiliary Pokémon on their backs, awaited the slightest sign of the enemy's approach. Pokémon from every known region were now banded together to achieve a common purpose, their numbers in the thousands.

"Prepare yourselves, everyone…I hear the enemy's approach…" Pryce warned, holding his hand in the air as Kyogre let out a soft, low growl beside him. "Easy there, my friend."

Just as Pryce said, the dark-red horizon soon turned a lightless black, as an incessant screeching could be heard from the distance, reminiscent of the cries of thousands of Crobats. It was. As the horde of Shadow Pokémon drew closer, they could all see a few gargantuan figures within their numbers: a Dragonite, Salamence and Garchomp as large as the Silph Co. building itself, as well as a Wailord which completely dwarfed even its own kind. And all the while they steadily approached, true visibility of their numbers was made hazy, by the blazingly fast flying speed of the countless Crobats.

Losing all patience, Groudon let out a savage Hyper Beam in the general direction of the enemy. As the attack made contact with a Shadow Gyarados, the dragon Pokémon recoiled several feet, before sinking lifelessly into the darkness of the sea. Groudon immediately let out a triumphant howl, as the Tyranitar on either side of him joined him by letting out ferocious roars to intimidate the enemy. But the Shadow Pokémon were not intimidated to the slightest degree – instead, responding with a titanic mass of roars, screeches and howls which rendered that of the Groudon and the Tyranitar as if it were nothing more than the irritating squeaks of a mouse, terrifying the smaller and weaker Pokémon such as Oddish and Rattata to their very core.

Then, one by one, bright, lavender-colored lights began to light up in the distance, reminiscent of a grand-scale light show. Many Pokémon began to look at each other in confusion, baffled by the display and letting their guard down. But then, as the spheres of light grew bigger and bigger, Lt. Surge bellowed at everyone, throwing every Pokémon and human into a state of panic.

"Get down!" he yelled, his voice still lingering in the air as the massive attack rained down upon the coastline, utterly destroying some of the smaller Pokémon who were caught in the line of fire. Brandon's Regis and the others then promptly scrambled to reform the line, all putting up Iron Defence, Protect, Barrier and Safeguard layers to protect those behind them, albeit shaking and being pushed back several inches with every attack that came crashing against their shields. Groudon and the Pokémon around him, as well as all of the water Pokémon immediately started to return fire, all the while taking care to avoid the onslaught of attacks from the Shadow Pokémon. But the unluckiest of all were the Pokémon who were situated right on the shoreline; several Scyther and others were taken out by the merciless attacks they suffered.

"Let's go! Move!" Pryce shouted, rather out of character for his cool and composed demeanor. All at once, the water Pokémon surged towards the enemy in the hopes of preventing them from landing, Delia swallowing nervously as her Milotic swam forward alongside Prima's Lapras. Pidgeot and the other flying Pokémon immediately swooped over them, heading straight for the multiple Shadow Crobats who threatened to loom over them, striking and causing disunity in their lines with Steel Wing and Whirlwind attacks.

Mewtwo, Mew, Lugia, Latias, Jirachi and a host of Celebi from the past and future flew together as a single unit to the front lines; Jirachi, Latias and the Celebi doing all they could to hold off the swarms of Crobats and other flying Shadow Pokémon, while Mewtwo, Mew and Lugia concentrated their combined psychic powers on the gargantuan Wailord which threatened to swamp over the water Pokémon behind them. Grimacing intensely due to their physical exertion, the three psychic Legendaries finally stopped the Wailord in its tracks, immobilizing it in the air before hurling it towards a formation of sharp rocks, crushing several Shadow Gyarados which haplessly stood in its path before crashing into the rocks, never moving again. Although worn out a fair amount due to the resulting fatigue, Mewtwo, Mew and Lugia resolved to fight on immediately, intercepting several groups of Crobat which threatened to swarm over Delia and Prima, after breaking through a portion of the combined flocks of Ash's Pidgeot and Swellow.

And on the water, the sea-based Pokémon, led by the numerous Lapras, Gyarados, Tentacruel and Milotic, sallied forth bravely, shooting attacks at the oncoming Shadow Gyarados. Once the opposing Pokémon were right next to each other, several of the auxiliary Pokémon on their backs either leapt onto the backs of the Pokémon carriers (which the Shadow Pokémon did far more often than their counterparts), or chose to defend them from the enemy. Both the pure and corrupted Scythers and Scizors locked claws atop of the water Pokémon carrying them, trading deadly blows for the very lives of both themselves and their carriers. The air above the water was filled with the noise and ruckus caused by a sea of a battlefield, as the Shadow Pokémon consistently drew ever closer to completely surrounding and enveloping the brave defenders…

(Meanwhile, in Julius' throne room)

(Ash's POV)

"Mist…is that…is that really you?" I gasped, holding my hand in front of me, from my longing for her.

Misty looked down at Ethan again, grinning devilishly as she whispered into his ear. "Darling, your father is speaking to us…perhaps you'd like to show him your affection?"

Ethan said not a word; instead, a grim frown replaced his evil grin, as he raised his hand up, stretching his palm out towards me.

'No…he couldn't…could he?' I thought, my arms falling helplessly to my sides.

'Yes, Ash…he has…' Misty's own thoughts entered my mind, as I looked to see her smiling menacingly at me, before a surge of energy came from Ethan's hand, knocking me over.

"What is wrong, Chosen One?" Julius mocked, "…can't you control your own child?"

"Get up, Ash Ketchum. Get up," Misty impatiently said, holding Ethan over to her right, upon which he began to levitate by himself through his powers. "Get up, so I can have the pleasure of killing you myself."

"Mist…you can't possibly mean that. Y-you're my wife! My childhood sweetheart!" I cried to her, after coughing and spluttering while struggling to get back up. And, for one brief moment, I could swear I saw Misty's body tense up a little, as her eyes reverted temporarily to the beautiful cerulean orbs they were, drawing a nervous glance from Julius. And in my heart, I knew that this wasn't a false act of hers, as it was when I first laid my eyes on her again: there was still hope. Then, with another blink of her eyes, they immediately burned with a fiery rage again as she glared at me, advancing. At once, Paul raised his hand to give the order to attack to his Ursaring, opening his mouth to speak before being stopped by Sabrina, who promptly lowered his hand with one hand while restraining him by his chest with the other.

"This is between Ash and Misty, Paul. Ash has to do this alone, if he's to get Misty back. We can't interfere," she said to a begrudging Paul who nodded reluctantly, clenching his teeth together.

"Too little, too late, my love," she scoffed, speaking those last two words in a sarcastic and mocking way. "But…on second thought…I may not kill you at all," she remarked, crouching by my side, and caressing my cheek softly as she had always done, to weaken my resolve. I swallowed hard, determined not to give in to my own desire.

"What…what do you mean?" I hoarsely asked.

"Because…" she smiled wickedly, "…of this…"

My eyes widened in shock as she kissed me passionately, but it wasn't the kiss which caused me uneasy emotions – it was rather the vision I was having, given to me by her as our lips locked for the first time in over two years.

(Ash's vision)

I saw the two of us sitting in a single throne laden with gold, with wealth and countless servants surrounding us: a life which was worthy of an emperor. We were free: it was now three years after Julius had been killed by our hands right after we had turned on him together, before turning on our so-called 'friends', ending their lives one by one, before besting the powers of Arceus himself. And through it, we gained immeasurable power from our one and only master, Apothes, who granted us immortality and lordship over the entire Earth. But neither of us did so much as to care about what happened in the past now, as Misty sprawled herself over me while caressing my face seductively. A five year old Ethan was standing by himself over in a nearby conjoining chamber, out of our view, but everything he did, we could hear: his soft, young chuckles could be heard clearly over the cowardly whimpers of the servants who huddled together in fear before him. Looking over, we could see the silhouette of him produced by a fire torch, as he pointed his finger at them one by one, ending their miserable lives then and there with either the swiftness of a broken neck, or by his most favored method: a slow, painful, and excruciating death by whatever method he imagined, taking pleasure at hearing the shrieks of pain coming from his victims.

"Would you mind scouring the land again for more rats-in-hiding, my love?" she grinned, "Young Ethan is starting to run out of…toys…"

"Very well, darling…where shall I go today? I'm feeling rather…nostalgic…Pallet Town, or Cerulean City?" I smirked, stroking the skin of her stomach.

She chuckled softly, rubbing my hand. "Wherever your heart desires, honey…wherever pleases you…"

"…Pallet Town it is," I said, stretching my legs out to get up, as Misty got out of my lap. Then, looking at each other with lustful, red eyes, we kissed deeply and passionately before I left the lair. Upon walking outside, I took up my most trusted and loyal steed, Charizard, who mighty black wings blew away the heavy rocks in his path as he lifted off, soaring through the skies towards the place which we once called home.

This world, this planet…it was perfect now, and a new destiny greater than any being – human or Pokémon – could imagine, was soon to come to fruition…for it was ours.

(End vision)

As Misty broke her kiss, I jerked back and started to pant deeply while holding my hand over my pounding heart. I had never had such a vision before in my life. It was truly horrid…

Meanwhile, Julius still sat in his throne, a bemused and fairly perplexed look on his face as he stared at us with curious eyes.

"Mist…what's going on? What was that?" I whimpered, my back pressed up against the wall.

"Ssh…easy now, darling," she whispered into my ear, covering me with another series of soft kisses down my neck. "That was a vision of what was to come. Julius doesn't have a clue what kind of vision I gave you, let alone what I'm thinking of, right now. I've mastered a way to prevent him from reading my thoughts. Now…if you choose to join me…"

The effect of the corrupted aura around me was starting to get to me now – I could no longer think straight, and my vision started to become blurry. I just wanted everything to stop…to give up…to give in, and just be with Misty forever…

"No, son!" the man in tattered rags reached out his hand, calling to me in desperation. "You mustn't give in! You have to fight!"

No.

I couldn't give in. Not now.

"D-dad?" I turned my weary head to him.

"If you give in now, then you'll put everyone – the entire planet – at risk! You can't give in!" he cried.

I turned my head back to Misty who was still smiling at me. But her smile was fading fast, as Dad's shouting was starting to irritate her. Longing for nothing else, I wrapped my arms around her, rubbing my face against her hair. "Misty, I love you, and you know that."

"Of course you do…" she chuckled, returning my embrace.

"But…" I continued. All at once, I felt her tense up in my arms again. "I can't follow you down this path."

"What…what do you mean?" she broke our hug and held my face in her hands, looking at me with eyes that were now constantly shifting between red and cerulean blue. "You…do love me…don't you?"

"Yes. I love you, Mist, and I always will," I nodded. "But I can't abandon my friends, no matter how much power you say that I will gain."

Misty's surprised look then shifted dramatically into one of pure anger and hatred, as her eyes burned more intensely than ever before. "You…. pathetic…. Weakling!" she bellowed, tossing me aside with her tremendous powers of Aura. "Why did I ever marry such a worthless, weak individual like you?"

I gathered myself again, lifting myself away from the ground and wiping my mouth with my sleeve as I realized that I was now bleeding. Struggling to stand as resolutely as possible, I spoke to her again. "Maybe you're right…. Maybe I am weak. But I just can't bring myself to hurt you, Mist. But I won't give in to this darkness, either. I have to fight on. I love you, and I'd go to the ends of the earth – even die for you – if it means I can bring you back from this terrible fate. I'm not leaving without you, Mist..."

"Ash…" Misty spoke again, but this time with clear, blue eyes which let out tears. But just like before, her fingers twitched as she looked down slowly, before her head jolted up again to reveal her fiery red eyes once more. "That is the last mistake you shall ever make in your life. It's time for you to die…"

With a sudden jerk of her hand, Misty fired another sphere of Aura energy at me, driving me against the wall and making me cringe before crumpling onto the ground. She walked towards me slowly, pulling out a sharp blade she held concealed under her black garments, holding it grimly with murderous intent as Ethan and Julius looked on, smiling. Pikachu, although clearly exhausted, took it upon himself to let out one last Thunderbolt towards Misty, the distraught look on his face showing his abhorrence at the fact that he was forced to attack the one person we both dearly loved. But his Thunderbolt was deflected away by Misty, who didn't even look at the oncoming attack as she held up her hand, sending the jolt of lightning back at Pikachu, rendering him unable to continue any further. Blade in hand, she gripped me by the back of my collar, turning me so that I was face-up on the ground, before kneeling by my side. She then brought the blade down towards my neck, slowly at first, but faster and faster as her dark side urged her on. I closed my eyes, preparing myself for the inevitable as I awaited my fate. But it never came – I opened my eyes, to see Misty panting and struggling with the blade which hovered mere inches away from ending my life, as it rattled and shook intensively. Her eyes were clenched shut, and her face was left awash with sweat and tears

"What are you doing, girl?" Julius bellowed, while Ethan remained silent, watching intently. "Finish him!"

"No!" she cried. "I-I…I can't…kill my own…husband…my one true love…since…my childhood…" she stammered, her eyes switching uncontrollably rapidly between red and blue as she continued to struggle with the blade.

"Fight it, Mist…I love you, and I know you can do it…" I encouraged her with a hoarse whisper, devoid of energy.

"I…I can't hold on, Ash…I'm growing…weak…" she whimpered. As I reached into my pocket and pulled out the handkerchief she gave me long ago, she looked into my eyes in shock. Smiling, I wiped the sweat and tears from her face, all the while with the blade still shaking above my neck.

"Do you remember this? You gave it to me, more than a decade ago," I smiled.

"My…handkerchief…" she gasped. "Why…here?"

"Because…because it's the symbol of our love, Mist. I know this may sound stupid, but to me, this one handkerchief is more important to me than our wedding rings. Do you know why?" I asked her, to see the light in her eyes shaking nervously. The rapid transition between red and blue in her eyes had now slowed dramatically, with the beautiful cerulean blue jewels I fell in love with years ago being far more dominant, with only a flicker of red continuing to linger. "It's because it reminds me of what you had to put yourself through, during the many years that we spent apart from each other. You said it to Sabrina yourself, two years ago – that you had remained loyal to me for an entire six years, despite your beauty attracting countless trainers. It's your sense of loyalty that I love the most about you, Mist, and I don't know where I'd be, without you in my life. And that's what your handkerchief reminds me of now, whenever I look at it. I love you, Misty, and I'd rather damn myself than to ever lose you, again."

"Ash…" she whispered, as her eyes fully reverted back to their normal blue. The blade she once held firmly with an iron grip now fell onto the stone ground, clanging several times before falling silent. "I love you…" Misty held me tightly, tears falling from both our eyes as we kissed deeply. Looking over her shoulder, I was gladdened by the sight of Ethan, who had also been reverted back to normal as he lay on the ground: reading his mind in order to find the answer, I understood that he changed back because he had sorely missed the sight of me and Misty together, and that he wanted us to be a family again.

"Mist…you have no idea how long I've waited to hear those words again…" I sobbed. She responded by hugging me warmly, taking her handkerchief and drying my tears, before her body froze completely.

"Ash…" she murmured. "It's not over…"

I looked at her, to see that she was looking at something behind me. Turning my head slowly and fearfully, I was met by the sight of Julius, who was now standing up out of his throne. His dark aura encompassed his entire body in a shadowy flame, a growing sphere of dark Aura energy held in either hand, as the monstrous glare in his eyes told us only one thing.

There would be no mercy.

(End of Chapter 15)

A/N: Chapter 16 will be uploaded in a few days. This story is almost complete! :D . Just about 4-5 more chapters to go, I believe .

There were some Pokémon moves I took care to note the difference of, between the games and the anime (e.g.: Safeguard acts like a Protect in the anime, instead of protecting the Pokémon from status ailments like in the games).

I was originally going to make the scene in Ash's vision as an 'alternative ending', but decided against it, as the outcome would have been highly predictable if Ash had chosen to give in, instead of continuing to fight for Misty. And just for clarification, the scene in the vision takes place three years after the events of this story (but it never comes true). So the characters' ages are still the same as they were in my last Characters' Ages update in Chapter 11.

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