A/N: Wow. Three weeks. My apologies, everyone, for the delay; I had other stuff to do, namely school... *grumbles angrily*
Well, at least it's now Thanksgiving break for me! Time to get this update started. ENJOY!
The Forest of Hearts
Near Ketchum City
"PIKACHU, USE THUNDERBOLT!" Ash commanded as he pointed at Nate.
"Pika?" Pikachu looked at Ash, shocked that his Pikapi made such a command. However, Ash seemed to be beyond reasoning.
"DO IT, PIKACHU! TEACH HIM A LESSON OR TWO!"
Still bound to loyalty to Ash, Pikachu nodded and unleashed a Thunderbolt, which barreled straight at Nate...
"Simisage, use SolarBeam!"
A beam of bright-golden energy suddenly appeared and intercepted Pikachu's Thunderbolt, creating a mighty explosion that kicked up all the dust on the ground, which obscured Nate's vision, and he was forced to shield his eyes from the incoming dust. Once it cleared, he saw Hugh standing beside him. A few feet away, his Simisage stood beside Pignite as well. Ash, spotting the newest development, gasped in shock at the newest addition of the battle, as Pignite and Simisage stared him down.
"Hugh?" Nate asked.
"D'you really think I'm gonna stand in the sidelines for any longer and let you get all the fun?" replied Hugh, flashing his signature smirk. "Don't worry. I am gonna help you kick his unforgivable butt, Nate, whether you like it or not!" He looked at Ash, who was seething in hatred at the two young Trainers. "I was a fan of yours as well, so don't you dare think I'm gonna be forgiving towards you like Nate! Come on, Ash Ketchum, I'm ready for you!"
Realizing that Hugh was determined to participate in this battle to the end, Nate smiled slightly and nodded at his friend before facing Ash.
"Doesn't this remind of you anything, Ash?" he cried. "The morals of friendship and teamwork you always taught to the people you came across during your journeys. Whenever I have spare time, I'd spend it all by researching about you, Ash. I have seen interviews of people who met you in Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto, Hoenn, the Battle Frontier, Sinnoh, Unova, and the Decolora Archipelago! That's a lot of people you met, Ash, and they all had one thing to say about you: that you were the kindest, most compassionate, and most determined person that they ever came across. You strengthened their faith in others, especially Pokémon! Tell me, where is the Ash that everyone has talked so highly about? Please, Ash, I know that side of you is still in there, somewhere-"
"That Ash is DEAD!" Ash roared. "I've had ENOUGH of this nonsense! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on 'em, AGAIN!"
This time, Pikachu was even more reluctant. The tone in Ash's voice...it seemed to indicate the intent to murder... It stepped away from Ash hesitantly.
"What're you doing, Pikachu?!" shouted Ash as he noticed his faithful Pokémon step away from him. "Didn't you hear what I said?! Use Thunderbolt on 'em!"
"Pikachu!" Pikachu shook its head defiantly.
Ash's eyes widened, and he gritted his teeth in fury. "I will have NONE of that, Pikachu! DO IT!"
"PIKACHU-PI, PIKAPI!" cried Pikachu.
"What?! What do you mean 'no, you won't allow this anymore'?"
"Pikachu can't bear to see you act like this, Ash," Nate piped, catching Ash's attention once more. "Obviously, you've crossed a line, even for it and its standards. Come on, Ash, if your longtime partner won't cooperate with you because of your attitude, then what does that say about yourself?!"
"I-I...I..." Ash stuttered, completely in disbelief. He looked from Pikachu to Nate and Hugh repeatedly.
Then, Nate felt someone step beside his other shoulder, and, glancing across his shoulder, he saw that it was Lucario.
"I agree, Ash," Lucario said. "Your behavior is unacceptable. You have obviously forgotten everything you've taught me."
"L-Lu-Luc-Lucario?"
Then, he gasped again. Nate and Hugh watched as all of the Pokémon that were in the community, the ones under Ash's peaceful watch for Arceus knows how long, collectively and simultaneously stepped beside or behind the trio. Within a matter of seconds, Ash and Pikachu were both standing alone on the field, while everyone else was crowded near the thicket. Ash looked down at Pikachu, who looked up back at him, his brown eyes shimmering in pleading.
"Pi-Pikachu?" asked Ash.
Pikachu merely shook his head, responded with a simple "Pika", and then walked solemnly over towards Nate, Hugh, Lucario, and all of the Pokémon. Ash stared on in complete disbelief, his jaw hanging open and his arms dangling loosely, like a broken puppet. His eyes showed all of the aspects of utter defeat.
Then, they turned into eyes of rage. He closed his fists together, seemingly grinding them against each other.
"I'LL HAVE NONE OF THIS!" he bellowed as he separated his fists just as abruptly, revealing a light-blue sphere that hovered between them. "YOU DARE DISOBEY ME LIKE THAT, ALL OF YOU?! AFTER ALL I'VE EVER DONE FOR YOU ALL?!" Ash's eyes were burning with rage. "I. SHALL. HAVE. NONE OF IT!"
He promptly fired the Aura Sphere, which barreled straight towards Nate and the others. Everyone closed their eyes and braced themselves for the impending impact...
"PIKA-CHUUUUU!"
Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt at the Aura Sphere, easily intercepting it and causing it to explode before it could hit anyone. Ash screamed in a blind fit of rage and fired a second Aura Sphere directly at the Mouse Pokémon, who promptly and quickly intercepted it with another Thunderbolt. Nate gritted his teeth in frustration as he made the realization that he could never appeal Ash at this point. His father had definitely passed the brink of no return...
"PIGNITE, USE FLAME CHARGE!" he commanded.
"SIMISAGE, USE SOLARBEAM!" Hugh ordered.
Pignite charged towards Ash, his body enveloped in flames, while Simisage began charging up energy from the Sun. However, Ash saw Pignite coming, and his left arm became enveloped in a light-blue flame. Before Pignite was able to see what was coming, the former Trainer punched the incoming Fire Pig Pokémon. Then, just a split-second later, the bluish flame exploded into a small blast of deadly energy that knocked Pignite backward, rendering it unconscious.
Seconds later, Simisage fired its SolarBeam attack, but Ash quickly caught the beam in his hands, and the beam's energy continued to bounce off his palms as if it was hitting a Safeguard attack, completely impervious to its power. Then, Ash, with a mighty roar, pushed forward against the SolarBeam with all of the strength, deflecting it completely and causing the rebounding attack, seemingly powered up by a light-blue energy to hit Simisage squarely in the torso, knocking it out.
"SIMISAGE!" Hugh cried.
"PIGNITE!" screamed Nate, running up to the side of his fallen Pokémon as Ash laughed briefly.
"The wonders of Aura, Nate," he said, smirking. "Surely you remember me being a master at using it before I died, right?"
Nate looked up at Ash and growled angrily. Just then...
"PIKA-CHUUUUU!" Pikachu roared as he fired a Thunder attack at Ash, but he merely stretched out his right arm and caught the attack. The electricity flowed through his arm, still remaining as if the arm was a conductor. Some stray volts of electricity shot out of Ash's clothing, which was the only thing that appeared to take damage.
Ash smirked as Pikachu gasped. "Thanks, buddy. I needed that."
Then, he fired volts of electricity from his arm, all of which hit Hugh and electrified him, drawing out a loud scream of pain before he slipped into unconsciousness.
"HUGH!" Nate screeched.
Split-seconds later, he heard Ash fire another electric attack.
Time suddenly slowed down. Nate continued to look at his friend's fallen body, smoke rising from his burnt clothes. Rage, like none he ever experienced before, rose up inside him, and he stared over his shoulder at the incoming attack. Feeling some sort of new energy flowing through his body, Nate raised his arm, and he noticed, for a brief moment, a light-blue flame traveling across the unaffected skin, towards his outstretched palm.
Time restored itself to its normal speed the moment Nate caught the attack, deflecting it off his palm.
"WHAT?!" Ash exclaimed, surprised at the sudden turn of events. Then, he smiled as he continued to fire the attack. "Ah yes, I see. You're my son. You've inherited my Aura, as well as the means to master it and control it. But obviously, you're still new to it. You're having a hard time trying to deflect my attack."
Indeed, Nate was struggling to hold off Ash's attack until the electricity ran out. However, he began to feel woozy, and his vision started to blur.
Ash, noticing this as well, added, "And I see you're starting to lose consciousness from using too much power, during what appears to be your first time in using Aura. It looks like you need to learn a lesson in how to use it properly." The electricity flowing through his arm ran out, having been fully expended. He lowered his arm and watched as Nate collapsed on his knees, panting heavily and laboriously, struggling to handle the exhaustion. Ash's smirk widened.
"Shall we begin the lecture?" he asked.
Glancing at Hugh's fallen, limp body, Nate gritted his teeth in anger, stood up, and raised his arm, feeling the Aura flow through it and collect on his palm. He watched as a light-blue sphere appeared, hovering just a few inches away from his shaking, uncontrollable palm. Ash smiled, impressed.
"Well done, Nate," he said. "No one has ever formed an Aura Sphere completely on their first try at it. No one...except for me...and you." Then, he raised his own arm and quickly formed his own Aura Sphere. "However, you're being overwhelmed by the energy it takes to form one. Your arm is shaking uncontrollably. Pretty soon-"
Nate could not maintain flowing his energy for any longer; it was proving to be too much for his arm to handle. He broke off the connection, and then, the Aura Sphere suddenly flew from his palm, flying past Ash's shoulder, missing him completely and hitting some nearby trees. Ash chuckled.
"Just as I predicted. Don't worry, Nate, the same thing happened to me. The only thing you have to do to master the Aura is to focus your mind on one particular goal." He raised his arm and produced another Aura Sphere. "What is your goal right now? What is the one thing you want to do, more than anything else in the world? Once you find that goal, just focus your train of thought on that, and let the energy of the Aura flow through your body. And then, you're ready to battle."
"Why're you teaching me this?" Nate demanded through clenched teeth.
Ash shrugged. "Well, if I'm gonna fight you using Aura, I'd rather not go up against an amateur who can't control his own Aura. I need a good opponent if this is gonna continue." His smile widened. "And trust me, you're shaping up to be a good opponent. You just need to learn. Now, focus on your goal."
Unsure over whether he should trust Ash's words or not, Nate foolhardily decided to go for it and closed his eyes, focusing all of his thoughts on what he wanted in life the most. To become a Pokémon Master? ...No, that was inspired by Ash, his childhood hero, and now, look at where all of that ended up. To emerge victorious at the Ketchum Month Tournament? ...No. To emerge victorious in this battle against Ash, the exposed fraud? ...Yes.
Nate felt his entire body swell up in anger as his clenched fists trembled. Before him was the man he looked up to for his entire life, revealed to be his actual father; no doubt that he inherited his heroic, good-spirited, compassionate spirit, right? But apparently, it turns out that Ash was now reduced to nothing more than a coward.
A coward, who would no longer be willing to risk his life for the safety of others.
The antithesis of everything he had ever promoted.
The living proof against everything Nate had ever stood for.
And Nate didn't like that one bit. He was gonna bring down Ash Ketchum, and it didn't matter if he was his father or his childhood hero.
"He's going down for his cowardice," Nate thought. Then, he shouted at Ash, "YOU'RE GOING DOWN!"
Ash laughed as Nate charged towards him, feeling renewed by a second, stronger burst of energy that was flowing throughout his entire body like blood. He formed a glowing light-blue Aura Sphere on both hands before leaping into the air (realizing in the process that his physical capabilities had somehow been amplified) and tried to fire the Aura Spheres at Ash, but he fired his own Aura Sphere, which intercepted Nate's dual Aura Spheres and caused a bright explosion.
Thrown backward by the explosion's force, Nate, also feeling that all five of his senses have been increased to superhuman levels, landed on his feet, sliding hard and fast against the ground of the field, digging his left hand into the ice-coated earth to slow himself down. He looked up and saw Ash walking calmly towards him, a light-blue glow enveloping his outline, his auburn pupils now glowing a brilliant yellowish-golden.
"You've definitely followed my advice, Nate," he called. "I'm quite impressed by your progress. But however, whatever your goal is, it seems to have too much anger. It will blind you with your rage, and it will not help you in battle, Nate. I know the outcome of this, so I suggest reorganizing your goals-"
"SHUT UP!" Nate screamed, and he charged for Ash again, dual Aura Spheres in hand.
Suddenly, the aura enveloping Ash's outline blasted forward into a single light-blue beam, encircled by a flame-like substance. Nate jumped out of the way, successfully dodging it, but then, Ash quickly moved the beam in Nate's direction, and the Trainer felt a blazing force pierce his side, threatening to obliterate it into nothing. He felt himself being forcibly thrown backward again, and this time, he didn't have enough time to land.
The ground greeted him painfully, and Nate tumbled across the field, feeling as if every bone in his body would be broken into gravel.
Finally, he stopped.
Nate couldn't hear anything, since there was a ringing in his ears. Through his blurred vision, he could see the faint outline of Ash approaching, but from a far distance. This gave him enough time to think everything through and evaluate what he was doing wrong.
...
What was he doing wrong?
Apparently, his so-called singular goal of defeating Ash wasn't proving to be helpful for him to perform well in battle. Then again, this wasn't a Pokémon battle at all, so of course Nate wouldn't be familiar with the concept of personal combat using one's own Aura as a weapon.
"I need to know what I'm doing wrong..." Nate thought.
"You're too consumed by rage, that's just it."
Nate's eyes widened. Ash's voice was speaking to him in his mind. Then, he heard that familiar chuckle.
"Surprised, Nate? Another nifty trick, brought to you by the wonders of Aura."
"Great. Please tell me you're unable to read my thoughts..."
"That takes a highly skilled Aura-user, Nate. Fortunately for you, I'm not at that level. ...Or am I?"
"Shut. Up. NOW."
Ash chuckled again. "Don't let the rage overwhelm you, Nate-"
"Yeah, like it did with you?"
"That's different, kid. You're throwing a temper tantrum because I wasn't what you expected me to be. You're behaving like a little child. Me...I have every reason to be infuriated. Arceus has neglected his duties as the universal protector of the very thing he created. You can't just let that go. And here's another difference, Nate. I hold the rage back as I use my Aura. I use the memories of those I love dearly as I focus on my goal. You should too."
"Aren't we fighting? Or are you just teaching me?"
"Both, if you want me to. Or, if you'd like, we can just talk."
"Talk about what?"
"Life. What it means to you. What it means to me. What it means to the both of us. Answer this, Nate, and answer it honestly. Do you wanna be in control of your destiny? Or do you want someone to be pulling the strings, like you're a puppet?"
"I'd prefer if we just go with the flow. Never worry about what's ahead, or what's behind us. Obviously, you've failed to do that."
"Because destiny is always around the corner. Always. The inclination to save the world from complete and utter destruction has been etched in our blood, ever since our first known ancestor, Sir Aaron, whose death stopped a mighty, raging war that threatened to tear the land apart. Do you wanna live your life your way, without any worry, without any fear? Without having the voice of destiny always ringing in your ear?"
"Like I said, I'd prefer if we just go with the flow. Just because destiny's always around the corner, doesn't mean we always have to look. Isn't that the point of life?"
"What is?"
"The uncertainty. With this uncertainty of what's ahead, we strive to shape our own pathways by building up from our past experiences. Uncertainty motivates us to improve and become a better person, even if it means having to choose between good and evil. Either way, we offer a contribution that may seem small and trivial at first, but once you look at the long term, you may find that even the least important of experiences would result in the biggest of changes. Anything good can result in anything bad. Anything bad can result in anything good. And in the end, what we leave behind for others to build up on is what keeps the world turning. Uncertainty keeps the world spinning on its axis."
It was silent on the field. Ash and Nate merely stood there, staring back at each other. The silence was haunting, and even the sound of the wind was muted out.
"Uncertainty."
"Uncertainty. For the past decade, you've been living in fear of being called over by destiny again, so you've hidden yourself behind the stolen Plate as collateral damage. But by doing so, you are being left vulnerable by the fact that you know everything that's gonna happen, without allowing yourself to find out if it actually will happen again, as you'd expect it to. You're not being uncertain. Ash, you have to accept the fact that everything's gonna happen to you, and you can't stop it, because you can't be certain it will."
"I...I...I..." Then, Ash snarled, using his voice, "I won't, damn it. I WON'T. I won't listen to your damn philosophies!"
Nate also used his own voice, pleading with shimmering eyes, "Ash, please. Just let go of all of your certainty, all of your anger at Arceus, everything... Just do it, for the sake of those you saw die before you. Please...Dad..." Ash's eyes widened in horror, but Nate ignored it. "Dad...I know you just want all of this to stop. It will, if you-"
"Do WHAT?!" Ash interrupted furiously. "DO SQUAT?! I CAN'T! I REFUSE TO DO THAT! IT'S ALL TOO MUCH! I'VE HAD ENOUGH!"
And with that, he fired another Aura Sphere with a roar, and Nate didn't see it coming. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact...
He then heard a tremendous, earsplitting explosion, and he was nearly knocked over by the strong blast of wind. Then, Nate expected his nostrils to be filled up with smoke, but instead, he was still smelling fresh air. And...there was now a bright blue light shining in his eyes...
Nate opened his eyes and saw himself staring at Lucario, who was holding up a paw. Then, he noticed that he and Lucario were enveloped in a blue shield, and all he could see was smoke from the explosion. Once it cleared and revealed a shocked Ash, Lucario lowered his paw, and the shield disappeared.
"Lucario?" Ash asked.
"I won't let you cross anymore boundaries, Ash," replied Lucario determinedly. "I will not let you bring harm to your own son, just to get your point across."
"PIKA!" Pikachu cried as he rushed to Lucario's side, electricity sparkling from his cheeks as it stared down the Trainer he had always been loyal towards.
Staring at his two best Pokémon in shock, Ash suddenly collapsed on his knees. He was shaking his head slowly, in complete disbelief.
"Why?" he asked in a voice that was barely a whisper. "Why are you guys coming to his defense?"
"For years, ever since you first brought me under your wing, you've taught me to always stand up for the ideals that I believe in, Ash. And I am doing that right now. Standing up for the ideals that I believe in. And my ideals are telling me that you are destroying the ones you've held dear for so long."
"Pikapi, pika-pika chu-pi pika-chu-pi pika-pi ka-pi pika-chu pi-pika!"
Nate weakly stood up and looked at Ash, just as felt all of Ash's other Pokémon crowd around behind him.
"Don't you see, Dad?" he called. "What I just told you, it's not a philosophy, it's my ideal, one that I have just realized, today, right now. There are a number of possible outcomes from a single event. Choosing a starter Pokémon, for example. I sometimes wonder what would happen if I had picked a Snivy or an Oshawott instead of my Pignite. A lot of things can result from the choice of a starter Pokémon." Nate tilted his head curiously. "Have you ever wondered what would've happened if you picked a Bulbasaur, a Charmander, or a Squirtle for your starter Pokémon, instead of your Pikachu, Dad?"
Ash remained silent for a few seconds, obviously thinking about Nate's question. Then, he replied, "I...I...I never did..." And then, his face hardened into an angry mask once again as he stood up, his fists clenched. "What does any of that have to do with that ideal of uncertainty you uphold?"
"You can't just try to predict what's gonna happen if you pick a Bulbasaur or a Charmander or a Squirtle. It's virtually unheard of. All you have to do is be uncertain and hope for the best from the Pokémon that you pick. And once you make your choice, you build up from it and learn lessons from your past experiences, and that, in turn, leads to the evolution of your starter Pokémon. Once it's fully evolved, you have become a fully-grown, mature human as well. It doesn't matter if you become good or evil, because your past experiences and your learning from them have led to your current pathway.
"You become your own person, all because of a simple choice, one that was made because you were so uncertain of the possible outcomes.
"Your decisions were different because you were so certain about what was going to happen to you. But if you recognize that anything and everything will happen, you will find that maybe all of the things that happened to you were for a reason, whether or not it was good or bad. Don't you see, Dad? Everything happens for a reason and the only way you can really move on from this is if you just become uncertain about the future."
Ash didn't respond, but instead, he looked at the ground, his jet-black hair obscuring his eyes, casting them in shadow. Minutes passed, but to Nate, they felt like long, everlasting hours, and he began to fear what his father's decision would be. Silence hung in the air like a shadow...
Finally, Ash replied, quietly, "I can't. I just can't. I've lived in fear and pain for too long. I've seen too much to indicate otherwise..."
Nate blinked, and then, he let out a heavy sigh as he realized that he could never convince his father about the truth. If he cannot, then what was the point? Without any other choice, he silently turned around, his visor casting his own eyes in shadow, his lips pursed.
"If you insist, Dad," he said. "If you don't wanna listen, then fine by me. But I am going back to Ketchum City. I'm gonna find Ho-Oh and do whatever I can to protect it from harm. And you're not gonna stop me, Dad. I'm following my destiny, no matter what pathway it leads me to!"
Determinedly, Nate ran back to the thicket, where he found his backpack lying. Grabbing it, he then glanced at the unconscious bodies of Hugh, Pignite, and Simisage.
Near the Ketchum City limits
A few minutes later
Having recalled Pignite back in his Poké Ball, Nate dashed towards the city limits of Ketchum City as fast as he could. A few feet behind him, the bodies of Hugh and his Simisage were flying behind him, being suspended by a Medicham, which was in turn being carried by an Ursaring that was running after Hugh. Several other Pokémon from Ash's community were also running with them, having volunteered to accompany Nate to the city. Leading them was Lucario, who was running beside Nate.
"Are you sure you know where you're going to do, Nate?" Lucario asked.
"Without a doubt," replied Nate. "I find Ho-Oh and protect it. You say that the Genesect Army recovered it and hid it somewhere in the city?"
"Yes, but the city is caught in a fierce battle between Reshiram, Zekrom, and Kyurem that is showing no signs of stopping. Are you seriously-?"
"Gonna run into the city while it's still being wrecked by the three Legendary Pokémon?" Nate completed. "Yes. If it means finding Ho-Oh, then yes."
"Then I'm going in with you."
Nate stopped running and faced Lucario, who also stopped, as did the other Pokémon. "No," he replied sternly. "I'm doing this alone."
"If you can recall, Nate, your father did not carry out his destiny alone. And you shall not either. So I am coming with you, whether you like it or not."
The other Pokémon roared out in a chorus of agreement. Nate observed all of the Pokémon that had come to accompany him, and realized that they were all staring at him determinedly, obviously ready for what was to come. There was no convincing them otherwise. Then, Nate glanced at Lucario, who nodded silently at him.
"That's right," thought Nate. "My father didn't do this alone. ...And neither will I. I will need all the help that I can get."
Nate nodded at Lucario in response, and then smiled. "Well then, I guess it's all settled," he said. "You're all coming with me."
All of the Pokémon roared out in joy.
Elsewhere, Enigma, Curtis, and the remaining Sky Soldiers watched as Nate, Lucario, and the Pokémon resumed their dash towards Ketchum City.
"There he is..." hissed Enigma, a wide smirk forming upon his lips.
"Should we get him, Father?" asked Curtis. "We can cut them off at the pass ahead-"
"No, not yet," the syndicate leader interrupted. "We'll just let those fools lead us to Ho-Oh. Once they find it, we shall know. And we will have it. And worldwide peace is ours for the taking. My father's wishes for the eradication of evil and greed, and a subsequent golden era of peace, still have a great chance of being fulfilled."
"What if he fights back, Father? You know very well that he will do that. For the defense of Ho-Oh."
"I believe we have the leverage..."
Enigma glanced over his shoulder to look at the unconscious Yancy. His smirk widened even more.
A/N: And, we have the conclusion of Nate and Ash's meeting, which ends in a bit of a draw. Don't worry, though, we'll see a worthy conclusion to that scene.
I'd like to thank those who reviewed (cannot answer those who reviewed):
Galaxina-the-Seedrian
Docta Molga
ThirteenMoney
random girlz
Alpha B. A. 7
Guest reviewer
Me Duh (guest reviewer)
BlueLightningXD
Well, hope you enjoyed this very late chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!