Chapter 6: The Birth of Mason Cruz
This all seemed too good to be true, almost as if it were a perfectly planned out dream. Misty still couldn't believe that she had found Ash after all this time. And yet as she looked down at Pikachu sleeping on her lap she knew that this was no dream. She really had found him. A smile appeared on her face as she watched the Mouse Pokémon's ear twitch in his sleep.
"I wonder what he's dreaming about?" She gently pet him on his head, her smile growing as she watched him relax and stretch out. Moments later his eyes slowly began to open. A yawn escaped his mouth as he looked up at her.
"Pika, Pikachupi," he greeted.
"Hi there. Did you have a good nap?" Misty asked.
"Pika!" he enthusiastically replied. Misty couldn't help but giggle at his reaction.
"You know, it's been a while since I've seen him this happy," Ash replied as he walked into the room. Upon seeing Ash Pikachu jumped up and ran to him, climbing up on his shoulder.
"I can imagine. It must have been difficult for you two these past five years," Misty commented. Right then Ash cast his gaze downward, a look of sadness in his eyes.
"You have no idea," he said. "For a while I wasn't sure if I'd ever recover from it, but over time I learned how to deal with it… the pain, that is." As he spoke Misty watched him intently. Along with the sadness in his eyes there was also sadness in his voice. Even his body language portrayed a sad demeanor. But just as quickly as it came it passed and he went back to his usual self.
"You know, I'm really glad you came to find me," he said. "For a while I thought everyone might have forgotten about me."
"Not a chance, Ash. We could never forget about you," Misty stated. "All of your friends still think about you, especially Max. He's become quite the powerful trainer, you know." Ash smiled as he thought about the young Hoenn trainer.
"I wonder if he still remembers the promise I made him," he wondered.
"You mean the one where you promised to battle him? Yeah, he still remembers. According to May he's using that as inspiration to keep improving," Misty explained. Ash couldn't help but laugh.
"If that's the case then he's going to be a handful if we ever do battle," he commented.
"I'm sure you will one day," Misty said. Right then the girl who guided Misty there walked into the room carrying a tray of drinks.
"I brought drinks for everyone," she announced.
"Thank you," Ash said as she passed out the drinks. Ash was just about to take his first sip when he noticed Misty staring at the girl intently.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
"Well…" Misty was a bit nervous, but she managed to muster up enough courage to finish her statement.
"I hope I'm not coming across as rude or anything, but… who is she?" she asked, pointing at the girl. "The captain of the boat that brought me here said you lived alone, save for your Pokémon, and yet when I get here I find this girl here with you." It took Ash a moment for him to realize what she was talking about but once he did he slapped himself on the forehead and laughed.
"Oh brother, I can't believe I forgot again," he said. "I guess I've gotten so used to her being around I sometimes forget what she really is." Hearing that made Misty more confused than anything.
"What do you mean 'what she really is'?" she inquired.
"You see, this girl isn't what she appears to be," Ash answered. That answer did nothing but make Misty even more confused that she already was.
"I'm still not following you," she replied.
"Well…"
"How about I just show her, Ash," the girl suggested.
"That would make it easier to explain," Ash agreed.
"Show me? Show me what?" Misty inquired. Before she could get an answer she was blinded by a bright light. She quickly shielded her eyes and waited for the bright light to die down. She didn't have to wait long, for a quickly as it appeared the light faded.
"Damn! What the Hell was that?!" she swore.
"Sorry about that. I guess I should have warned you ahead of time." Misty turned towards the voice, expecting to see the girl still standing there. What she saw, however, was something completely different.
"What the?!" Instead of a girl she saw a little black fox staring back at her.
"Where did you come from?! Where did the girl go?!" she questioned.
"She is the girl," Ash told her.
"Huh?" Misty said.
"He's right. That girl you saw wasn't the real me. This is the real me. I'm actually a Pokémon called Zorua," she said.
"A… Pokémon?" Misty repeated.
"That's right," Zorua responded.
"Here. This should help explain things," Ash said. He took out his Pokédex and showed Misty Zorua's entry.
"Let's see… 'It changes so it looks just like its foe, tricks it, and then uses that opportunity to flee'," she read. "Wait… 'changes so it looks just like its foe'? How does she do that?"
"With my Illusion ability," Zorua answered.
"Hold on. Illusion?" Misty asked.
"It Zorua's special ability. With it she can make herself look like anything she wants, even another human," Ash explained.
"Okay, but how can she talk? I don't suppose that's another trait of her Illusion ability, is it?" she inquired.
"Nope. I was taught how to speak your language. That way I could make my illusion that much more convincing," Zorua answered. That explained a lot, but as Misty looked at the amazing Pokémon another question formed in her head.
"Why does she look different than the Pokédex image?" she asked. Her fur, normally black, was a lighter shade. The fur on her head and feet was blue instead of red, and her eyes were red instead of blue.
"She's what everyone calls a shiny Pokémon," Ash answered.
"Oh, you mean like your Noctowl," Misty said.
"Exactly," Ash confirmed. "It's because she's a shiny Pokémon that I met her."
"How so?" Misty inquired.
"When I first found her she was running from a group of poachers that wanted to catch her and sell her to the highest bidder, and as you know I couldn't stand by and let that happen. After I took care of them Zorua started hanging around me a lot, so one day I offered to let her join my team. She accepted, and the rest is history," Ash explained.
"Yup! I've been with Ash ever since, and I've loved every minute of it," Zorua added. Ash sat down on his sofa, Zorua jumping onto the cushion next to him. Shortly after that Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder and sat next to Zorua. The Tricky Fox Pokémon snuggled up to Pikachu, leaning against him and sighing contently. Pikachu responded by putting his arm around her, holding her as close as he could.
"Wow. They're close," Misty commented.
"Closer than you know. Those two are smitten with each other," Ash said with a smile.
"That's so sweet," Misty cooed. "I'm so happy for you two." The two Pokémon were too busy enjoying each other's company to reply. After a few seconds spent watching them Misty broke the silence.
"What happened back then?" Ash knew she would eventually ask that question, but knowing that didn't make it any easier to think about. Misty could sense Ash's uneasiness and immediately regretted asking him.
"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it," she said. "I was just…"
"No, it's alright," Ash interrupted. "You came all this way to find me. It's… only right that you know." The fact Ash was about to recall the painful events that drove him to Unova five years ago was enough to get the attention of Pikachu and Zorua. The two Pokémon, as well as Misty, paid close attention as Ash began to speak.
"I had just gotten back from Unova. I had intended to surprise my mom by showing up unannounced, but Fate clearly had other plans…"
"I can't wait to get back home. Mom's going to be so surprised." Despite once again falling short in a League tournament Ash was in good spirits. No matter how his journey went returning home was always enough to brighten his mood. Currently he and Pikachu were on the path between Pallet Town and Viridian City.
"Do you think she was watching us, Pikachu?" he wondered. An enthusiastic "Pika!" was the response he got. Ash assumed he said she did and smiled, reaching up to scratch the Mouse Pokémon under his chin.
"You're probably right, buddy," he agreed. As they continued down the path the sound of sirens and roaring engines reached their ears.
"What's that?" Ash wondered. He stepped out of the path just in time for three police cars to come speeding by.
"Where do you suppose they're going?" he asked Pikachu. The Mouse pokémon didn't have an answer, but as the two looked out in the distance they could see columns of smoke rising into the air. A wave of fear washed over him once he realized where the smoke seemed to be emanating from.
"No… It can't be!" Pikachu held on as Ash picked up his pace, praying that it wasn't what it looked like.
Unfortunately, his prayers went unanswered.
"N-No…" The sight before him let him in complete shock. Pallet Town… his hometown… had been laid to waste. Emergency crews were doing their best to help the injured, but the number of injured seemed overwhelming. It looked like something taken right out a war movie.
"Wha… What the Hell happened?" He started walking towards the town, but before he got too far he was stopped by one of the officers.
"Hold it! Only authorized personnel are allowed in town," he said.
"What happened?" Ash asked.
"From what we can gather Team Rocket came and razed the entire town," the officer replied. Ash's face paled when he heard that. He had done battle with Team Rocket constantly, even coming face-to-face with Giovanni on a few occasions, but never did he think they were capable of something like this.
"We haven't been able to get to all the areas yet, so there's no telling just how many are still out there… or how many are still alive," the officer continued. As he spoke Ash looked around. Among the citizens that had been gathered together there was one person he didn't see.
"W-Where's my mother?" he asked. The officer looked around.
"I don't know. If she's not here already then she's more than likely among those still unaccounted for," he explained. "We're doing all we can to help the survivors, but it'll take some time before we can scan through the entire town." Time was something Ash didn't have. He tried to make his way past the officer, but the officer refused to let him pass.
"I said only authorized personnel are allowed in," the officer stated.
"I have to get in there! I need to find my mom!" Ash argued.
"I understand you're worried about her, but I still can't let you in," the officer retorted.
"I need to make sure my mom is safe!" Ash shouted. Before the altercation could escalate any further a voice called out to them.
"I'll take responsibility for him, officer." The two turned to the voice and saw a person Ash knew very well.
"Professor Oak!" he exclaimed.
"Are you sure, Professor?" the officer questioned. Professor Oak just nodded and motioned for Ash to follow him. Seeing this the officer stepped aside and let Ash go. In the blink of an eye the young trainer was by the professor's side as the two of them headed into the devastated town.
"I'm glad to see you're safe, my boy," Professor Oak said.
"Professor… did Team Rocket really do all this?" Ash questioned.
"They did. The attack was so sudden no one saw it coming. Before we knew what was going on they had already leveled half the town. There was nothing we could do," the professor explained.
"What about your lab? Are the Pokémon okay?" Ash asked.
"They're fine. When Team Rocket got there they all banded together to defend the lab," Professor Oak explained. "Because of their efforts the lab was most defended, but as you can see the rest of the town wasn't as fortunate." Looking around Ash could see how right the professor was. Homes that usually stood proudly along the road were reduced to nothing but rubble. Trees that offered shade from the sun were snapped like twigs.
"What about my mom? Is… Is she alright?" Ash asked. Professor Oak cast his gaze downward.
"I don't know. Before I had a chance to try and get to her the attack reached the lab," he explained. That wasn't the answer Ash wanted to hear. Before he could ask anything else a sharp gasp from Pikachu caused him to look ahead. Immediately he wished he hadn't.
"N-No…" There before them stood what remained of Ash's home. By far it had suffered the worst devestation out of any of the houses in the small town. It was as if they knew this was Ash's home and made sure to focus the majority of their fury on it. Nothing remained of the once beautiful structure.
"Oh no," Professor Oak gasped. As they looked on some rescue workers appeared from behind the remains. They looked up and saw the professor and Ash.
"Well, as you can see this house was the hardest hit," one of the workers said. "I have no idea why, though."
"We can sort out the particulars later. What about the young woman who lived here. Is she alright?" Professor Oak inquired. The workers looked to each other. Something about their demeanor didn't set well with Ash or the professor.
"There was a woman we found on the property, but…"
"But what? Was she alright?" Ash asked. The workers looked at him, but still hesitated to provide an answer.
"Please, I have to know," Ash pleaded. They still appeared hesitant to answer him, but a nod from Professor Oak finally convinced them.
"She's… over here." They motioned for Ash to follow them, which he did. After a while they lead him around behind the house wreckage. What Ash saw next caused his breath to get caught in his throat.
"That… can't be…" There, sitting in plain sight, was a closed body bag. The fear Ash had been experiencing was instantly multiplied. He slowly approached the body bag as if he were afraid of it, or rather afraid of what he'd find in it.
"It's not her, it's not her, it's not her…" he said over and over again. Eventually, Ash got over his fear and opened the bag. All he could manage was a gasp of shock. By opening the body bag he confirmed his fears. Professor oak, who had been looking on, found it difficult to look at the young woman in the bag.
"N-No… Mom…" Pikachu uttered a few sad squeaks as Ash collapsed on his knees next to his mother's body, tears running down his face on their way to the ground.
"Ash, I… I don't know what to say," Professor oak said.
"She… She was always kind and caring. She never hurt anyone," Ash said. "So why? Why did she have to die like this? Why?"
"It's because of you." They turned towards the voice and saw a group of citizens standing behind them. Their clothes were torn and tattered, as well as covered in dirt and blood, but for the most part they appeared okay. What wasn't okay, though, were the hate-filled glares they were sending in Ash's direction.
"What do you mean? How is any of this his fault?" Professor Oak inquired.
"You know just as well as the rest of us that Team Rocket came here looking for him," one of them said. "He's the main reason this attack occurred in the first place."
"Now just a minute. It's not fair to place the blame entirely on Ash," the professor retorted.
"And why not?! If he had just stayed out of their business none of this would have happened!" another accused.
"There's no guarantee that we would have been spared!" Professor Oak argued.
"We'll never know that now!" the first yelled. "Thanks to him our lives are ruined!"
"He's suffered just as much! In case you haven't noticed his mother is laying there dead!" the normally calm professor exploded.
"It's his own fault! If he had just left Team Rocket alone she'd still be alive!" As the heated argument went back-and-forth Ash sat there taking it all in. It wasn't bad enough that he had to come home to find Team Rocket had destroyed his home and murdered his mother, but now the people he had considered friends growing up had now turned on him, blaming him for the terrible events that had just occurred.
"I can't believe what I'm hearing! Have you been listening to what you've been saying?!" Professor Oak shouted. "Ash has done more for Pallet Town that anyone else here!"
"All he's brought us today is pain and suffering! It'd be better if he just went away and never came back!" That one statement tore through Ash. Of all the things they said that was the one that hurt the most. Even Professor Oak was shocked into silence.
"That's right! Leave, and never return!" The rest of the crowd echoed his sentiments as they began to disperse. One they were gone Professor Oak turned his attention to Ash. The boy hadn't moved from his spot next to his mother.
"Ash?" he called. He walked up to Ash and knelt down next to him. The young trainer didn't acknowledge his presence, the statements made by the angry citizens leaving him too shocked to react. Even Pikachu was left in a state of disbelief. Naturally the professor couldn't blame them.
"I wouldn't let what they said get to you. They were just… caught up in the moment," he said. He hoped he would get some kind of response from Ash. His hopes were answered when Sash stood up, but they were soon dashed when the trainer in question began walking away with Pikachu right behind him.
"Ash! Where are you going?" Professor Oak called. Ash paused briefly.
"… I'm going to look for them," came the reply. Professor Oak said nothing else as he watched the two of them leave. Judging by the tone in Ash's voice he knew exactly who Ash was going to look for, and if he did find them there would be Hell to pay.
It had been a month since the attack, and Pallet Town was slowly getting back to normal. There were still numerous reminders of the vicious attack, but thankfully there had been no follow-up strikes from the criminal organization.
"Whew… what a day," Professor Oak sighed. It was the end of a very long day with the professor seeing off a host of new trainers. The sun had long since set, bringing an end to the professor's long work day.
"Time for some shut-eye." He had just got up when there was a knock at his door. He found it rather odd to be getting a visitor at this time. He wondered who it could be as he approached it, but when he opened it he found the last person he expected standing on the other side.
"Hi, professor."
"Ash!" he gasped. He quickly ushered him inside and closed the door. Even a month later the opinions of the townspeople towards Ash hadn't changed. They still blamed him for the attack.
"Did you find anything?" he asked.
"No. The facility was empty. Either it was a dead end or they knew I was coming and cleared out," Ash replied.
"I see," Professor Oak responded.
"Damn those bastards! No matter what I do they're always a step ahead of me!" Ash swore. Pikachu gazed at his trainer in concern. Ever since he was blamed for the attack Ash had made it his goal to wipe out Team Rocket, but so far they had managed to evade him at every turn.
"What will you do now?" the professor inquired.
"I can't keep going like this. I… I need to get away from this… all of this," Ash said.
"Where will you go?" Professor Oak asked.
"I don't know yet, but it's going to be somewhere I can just vanish, maybe even create a new identity for myself," Ash answered. Before Professor Oak could say anything else Ash got up and headed to the door. As he reached it he stopped.
"I just want to say… thank you… for everything you've done." Those were Ash's final words before leaving the lab. A few tears fell from the professor's eyes as he sat in his lab. The attack by Team Rocket had ruined so many lives, but none more than the one of the young trainer that just left his lab.
"After that I just drifted, going from one region to the next, before finally coming back here to Unova. Once I told Professor Juniper what happened she helped me get settled in. After that I called Professor Oak and had him send over all my Pokémon, and I've been living here ever since," Ash concluded.
"And this Mason Cruz persona?" Misty asked.
"Just my way of shedding the last memories of what my life was like before the Team Rocket attack," Ash replied.
"So then… you never went back to Pallet Town," Misty assumed.
"I couldn't. I was so hated I couldn't risk trying to go back," Ash replied.
"Then that means…"
"I never got the chance to attend her funeral," Ash said, knowing exactly what Misty was going to say. The Cerulean City Gym Leader was shocked beyond words. Despite the fact that he suffered just as much as the rest of the town he wasn't even allowed to pay his final respects to his mother.
"It's not right." Misty looked up, surprised to hear Ash speaking again.
"She shouldn't have died. She never hurt anyone…" As he spoke Misty could see him fighting back tears. She got up and approached the couch. Seeing this Pikachu and Zorua got up and left the room, giving the two of them the privacy they deserved. Misty sat down and placed a hand on Ash's shoulder.
"Ash…"
"She was the kindest, gentlest person anyone knew. She… She never did anything wrong to anyone. So why? Why did she have to die?!" As painful as it was for Ash it was just as painful for Misty to see him like this. She reached over and put her arms around him to try and comfort him. The minute she did that he collapsed into her, no longer fighting back his tears.
"They were after me, so why did she die?! It's not right!" he cried. Misty said nothing as she held him, desperately fighting back her own tears.
"You've been holding this in for five years, so go ahead and let it all out." For that moment the clock was turned back five years as Ash was finally able to shed tears, and mourn the loss of his mother.
Retelling the story of Pallet Town's destruction produced an emotional outburst five years in the making. What's next for Ash and Misty? Find out in the next chapter of Regrets & Redemption!
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