Me: Hey, Gary, since it's your turn and you're gonna be the star of this chapter, wanna do the disclaimer for me?
Gary: Heh, sure, I don't see why the hell not~?! HonouxRyuu doesn't own Pokemon. Well, that was easy~!
Me: Thanks! It's good to know that there are some people who are willing to cooperate… -Cough- Paul -Cough-
Paul: What? I did the disclaimer once before didn't I?
Me: Not cooperatively and willingly though… =3=
Paul: Tch… whatever…
Anyways, I made sure there's a lot more action, drama and excitement in this chapter, so it should be fun for you guys! Not to mention, we also get some plot development as well! XD Enjoy! :DD
Chapter 9: Smell Ya Later
Back at Cyrus' hideout, the cold-hearted, light blue haired man sits on his chair impatiently, a cold, cruel smirk on his face as he learns of Ash's failure to capture Dawn.
"So, even Ash dares to defy me…" Cyrus says in a cold, dark voice. "You're the only one left, Gary… I leave this job to you… Do not let me down, or you know what will happen to her…" Gary has his eyes narrowed at this and gives Cyrus a scowl.
"Yeah, yeah, old geezer, you don't need to tell me twice…" Gary says while sneering at the older man arrogantly. "I'll get the job done. I'm not as wimpy and soft as Ashy-boy, or as amateurish as Paul is. When I'm given a job, I make sure my efforts are above one-hundred percent!" He says before heading out with his hands in his pockets. Cyrus simply smirks at this, unconcerned and knowing, watching as the brown haired boy takes his leave.
"I have high hopes for you, Gary… After all, I have the girl who is most precious to you than anything in the world in the palm of my hands…" He says. "I trust you to bring the girl to me… alive!" The blue haired man then turns around with his to his sides, contemplating what he would do should he emerge victorious in the end.
The next scene cuts to Paul as he continues his travels with Dawn, Lucas and Barry. Paul and Barry were currently scouting on ahead, with Lucas and Dawn following close behind. Barry looks behind as Dawn and Lucas lag behind and taps his foot impatiently.
"Hey, put some more backbone into it, you two~!" Barry says energetically and impatiently. "I'm going to fine you 1,000,000 Poke if you lag behind~!" Lucas has line eyes at this and sweat drop as the hyperactive teenager energetically barrels on ahead.
"Well, geez, Barry. Not all of us here are a bottomless pit of energy y'know…" Lucas says comically and sarcastically. He then looks at Dawn and offers his hand to her. "You doing alright, Dawn? M-Maybe I can give you a hand or something…" He says while a bit red in the cheeks at the thought of holding hands with Dawn. However, the blue haired girl carries on ahead, and comically walks past him, moving forward.
"I'm alright, Lucas. No need to worry! I can keep going!" The blue haired girl says brightly with a friendly smile. "Thanks for the offer though, but at this point, I'm sort of used to all the walking and traveling on foot!" She says. Lucas hangs his head at this comically as he's turned down. Barry grins widely and laughs hysterically at this with a wide, goofy grin on his face.
"Ouch, sorry Lukie, looks like you got turned down~! How does it feel to be friend-zoned~?!" Barry says teasingly and comically. Lucas has a vein mark pop on the back of his head and looks the other way while a bit red in the cheeks.
"Barry… just… Shut up…" Lucas says irritably and comically. Barry grins widely at this as he continues to carry on, scouting on ahead with Paul. Soon the group reaches a large clearing. Paul pauses a bit, before coming to a decision.
"Alright, this looks like a good place to stop for the day…" Paul says finally in a gruff voice as he turns around to face the others. "Let's set up camp here for the night" Dawn has line eyes as they're finally given a chance to rest and sprawls on the floor, setting down her things.
"Finally, we can catch a break…" Dawn muses, exhausted from the long journey. "I could really use a bath right about now…" Paul and Lucas perk up at this thought of seeing the blue haired girl being naked. The both of them find themselves growing a bit red in the cheeks at this. Barry grins widely at this and snickers comically and knowingly, already having the two of them figured out. Dawn turns around while pouting and puffing her cheeks at them and lightly raps both of the boys on the head for the looks they were giving her.
"If any you boys peek, Piloswine is going to hit you with a Take Down…" Dawn says bluntly and matter-of-factly. She then gets up to go to the lake. As she's headed off to the lake, however, an Umbreon appears out of the bushes, facing the group. Dawn blinks at this and tips her head to one side at this curiously. "Hm? That's strange. What's an Umbreon doing all the way over here?" She wonders as she kneels down to look down at the Dark-type Pokemon curiously. Paul's eyes widen as he realizes whose Umbreon that was and gets up, holding his hand out to Dawn.
"Dawn, get away from that Umbreon, quickly!" Paul yells, warning the blue haired girl. "Don't look into its eyes! That Pokemon belongs to one of my comrades!" Dawn's eyes widen in shock as Paul warns her. She then turns around as Paul says this, but before she could respond or even act, Umbreon stares the blue haired girl directly in the eyes, as if hypnotizing her with its gaze.
The blue haired girl lets out a small gasp as this happens to her. Her eyes then droop a bit, left in a daze from the Umbreon's attack. Her eyes then close completely and she loses consciousness, falling to the floor. However, as she falls to the floor, she's caught by a yellow, wire-like tail. It belonged to an Electivire, who has its tail coiled around the blue haired girl's waist and hoists her over its shoulders. Paul grits his teeth at this, looking around, wondering where he was.
"Where are you, Gary?" Paul asks with his eyes narrowed and his fists clenched. "How long have you been tailing after us? Don't try to hide, I know you're there!" As he says this, a boy with spiky brown hair appears coolly from the trees with his arms crossed. He had a confident, cocky smirk on his face, facing the purple haired trainer.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Paul and his two stooges~!" Gary says with a cocky, arrogant smirk. He then looks at Dawn and tips her chin, looking at her unconscious form and smirks. "I gotta say, she really is a cutie, ain't she? Glad I can get my hands on her so easily~!" Paul narrows his eyes at him dangerously and holds a Pokeball in his hand, looking ready to fight.
"Stay away from her, Gary! I'm warning you now!" He says in a menacing, low voice. "Torterra, stand by for battle!" He says, sending out his powerful grass-type Pokemon. Gary just smirks at this as Lucas and Barry look ready to fight as well. Barry sends out his own Torterra and Lucas sends out his Infernape. He then gives them a cocky wave and turns his back to them.
"As much as I'd love to stay and chat, I've got a busy schedule ahead of me. Smell ya later!" Gary says. "Umbreon, use Flash!" The Dark Pokemon complies as the ring on its forehead flashes with a brilliant light, obstructing their vision. When the blinding light dissipates, Gary and Dawn were gone. Paul grits his teeth at this and clicks his tongue irritably at this.
"Dammit, that troublesome girl…" Paul snorts, knowing that he couldn't have gone far, he sends out Honchkrow to scout for her. Lucas and Barry look at each other, and nod their heads, sending their own bird Pokemon out to scout the skies.
"Staraptor, go help out Honchkrow!"Lucas says to his fierce looking raptor Pokemon. "Skarmory, you too! Barry adds. The two flying-type Pokemon nod their heads and join the dark-type bird in the search for Dawn and Gary.
Meanwhile, back with Gary, the spiky brown haired boy smirks as he finds that he had lost the others, seeing that he had some time alone with Dawn. He didn't want to just take Dawn back to Cyrus and be done with it. No, that would've been too boring. Looking at how cute and beautiful the blue haired girl was, he decided he just wanted to… keep her for himself a bit…
"Heh, I really am a lucky boy, ain't I?" Gary says with a wide smirk on his face. "Let's see, what should I do with this cutie first…?" He muses long and thoughtfully. He then takes a nice long look at the unconscious blue haired teenager's well-developed breasts and drools at the thought of fondling then. As he ponders these thoughts, Electivire senses someone else's presence and turns around. The silhouette takes shape, and it's revealed to be Ash, with Pikachu on his shoulders.
"You never change, do you, Gary? Always the womanizer… Always the pervert…" Ash says with a smile on his face and his arms crossed. "Leaf would be pretty angry if she saw you flirting and wanting to do things with some cute girl that isn't her!" Gary has his eyes shadowed and clenches his fist as Ash says this, his mood suddenly swinging completely.
"Leaf isn't around right now… Leave her out of it, Ashy-boy…" He says in a serious, dark voice, nothing like the cocky arrogant tone from before. "What do you want? You know Cyrus ain't happy that you turned your back on him and refused to capture the target! So I'm cutting the slack for both you and Paul!" Ash simply closes his eyes and shrugs with his hands in his pockets, that same laid back, casual smile on his face.
"Relax, Gary, I just want to have a friendly talk. We've been friends and rivals since childhood, after all! It's been a while after all with us laying low and working under Cyrus, yknow?" Ash says in a nonchalant, casual manner, offering to give the spiky brown haired boy a fist bump. Gary calms down and grins a bit at this and nods his head, returning Ash's fist bump. Ash then turns serious and looks Gary straight in the eyes sternly.
"Now on to serious business…" The spiky haired trainer begins. "Gary, I don't think you should do this… We don't know what Cyrus could do to this girl. We don't even know what he wants with her, and why. All we know, is he wants her alive. Do you really want to put this girl, who has done nothing wrong, involved with the likes of us?" Ash asks seriously. The brown haired trainer has his eyes shadowed and clenches his fists, gritting his teeth in anger and frustration.
"I have no choice! It's Leaf, Ash! He has her! And if I don't do as he says, he'll KILL HER without ANY hesitation!" Gary retorts, finally letting his true intentions out. He then looks at Ash, this hopeless look on his face. "You don't know how much she means to me… I can't lose her! I don't care if I become a demon, I'll do anything to make sure she's safe… Even if I have to play the bad guy here… Even if I have to get someone who doesn't deserve it involved with our problems! I'll do anything for her!" Ash's eyes soften at this as Gary says this to him.
"… Gary…" He mutters softly, now understanding why Gary was so obedient to Cyrus… He was his puppet… If he turned his back on him, he would lose the one thing that was most precious to him. And Gary didn't want him to suffer through the same thing, which was why he tried to warn him preemptively, but wasn't successful… Suddenly, everything made sense. "Gary, I-" Ash begins, but then suddenly, Lucas, Paul and Barry arrive. They see Dawn being held captive, and they see Ash with them. Paul narrows his eyes and growls as he sees Dawn being held captive.
"There he is… and Ash is with him as well…" Paul growls as he and Torterra get ready for battle. He then looks at Lucas. "You, I'm counting on you to take care of Ash for me. I'll take care of Gary. Loudmouth, you go rescue Dawn!" Lucas has line eyes at this and sweat drops at how blunt Paul was with them while Barry has a vein mark popped on the back of his head at this and shakes his fist at the purple haired trainer irritably.
"The hell man~?! Loudmouth~?! What's that about~?!" Barry exclaims loudly and obnoxiously in a comical manner. "I'll fine you for that I say~! I'll fine you!" Lucas just has line eyes and sighs at this while rubbing his temples and sweat drops while shaking his head. He then faces Ash and looks him straight in the eye, looking ready to battle. Ash simply shrugs at this and smiles. Although he didn't want to fight, at this point, it looked as if he didn't have much of a choice.
"Well, I guess I don't have much of a choice in the matter here… Pikachu, I'm counting on you!" Ash says to the electric mouse on his shoulders. Pikachu nods its head and jumps off of Ash's shoulder, sparks flying from his cheeks as it looks ready to battle. Lucas narrows his eyes as he faces his opponent, looking at his Infernape.
"An electric-type, eh? Infernape, you can handle this, right? I know you haven't had a battle in a while, but this should be a great warm-up!" The fire monkey grins and nods its head, bounding up and down energetically as it looks ready for battle. "Great, now use Mach Punch!" As Lucas says this, the fiery monkey complies, lunging forward with great speed, its fist glowing in a bright light towards the small, electric mouse.
"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash says. The electric mouse complies as it leaps up at Infernape, its tail glowing as it collides with Infernape's fist. Both Pokemon were completely evenly matched! Lucas grits his teeth, knowing this wasn't going to be an easy battle.
Meanwhile, Paul faces off against Gary, his Torterra standing strong, ready for battle. Gary clicks his tongue, seeing he had no choice and he sends out his Blastoise. He knew a water-type had a bad match-up against his grass-type Pokemon, but he had plans to get around that.
"Blastoise, use Ice Beam!" The spiky brown haired trainer says. The water-type tortoise complies as its hydro cannons are pointed at Torterra, firing a cold beam of ice at Torterra. Paul looks calm, however, as he makes his counter attack.
"Torterra, Hyper Beam!" Paul says. Torterra complies as it charges a huge, golden beam in its mouth and fires, colliding with the Ice Beam and with its sheer power alone. The attack is so powerful that it was able to run over the Ice Beam completely, scoring a direct hit on Blastoise. Paul narrows his eyes at Gary coldly and crosses his arms as he faces him.
"You know you can't win against me, Gary!" Paul says coldly with his arms crossed. "Just hand the girl over and I'll let you off easy!" Gary has his eyes shadowed and clenches his fists tightly, gritting his teeth, before glaring Paul in the eyes.
"What do you know, Paul?! You don't have something to fight for like I do! You're just Cyrus' little pet baring its fangs at the person who took him in!" The brown haired trainer snaps defiantly. "Blastoise, Hydro Cannon!" Gary says, seeing that Torterra needed time to charge after using Hyper Beam. Blastoise complies, firing a huge blast of water at the grass-type Pokemon, knocking it back a bit with the sheer power of the attack. Paul has his eyes shadowed at this and clenches his fists.
"It's true that I used to have nothing to fight for, that I was blindly following Cyrus because I had no place to go…" Paul begins softly. He then looks forward, eyes filled with determination. "But that has all but changed now! I've found something to fight for! Something to protect! I'll protect her even if it means that I have to turn my back on the person who raised me! Torterra, Frenzy Plant!" Gary sneers at Paul as he says this.
"Well, isn't that touching…? Little Paul has found something to fight for…" Gary says in a snide, sarcastic voice. "That's all the more reason why I can't lose to you here! Blastoise, Hydro Cannon, once more!" The powerful tortoise Pokemon complies as it points its cannons at Torterra, before firing a huge blast of water at the grass-type starter. The two powerful attacks collide, but Paul's Torterra wins out in the end by type-advantage alone, slamming its vines into the water-type Pokemon. The vines score a direct hit on the water-type Pokemon, slamming it into the tree as it slumps to the ground. Paul stares down at Gary with his arms crossed coolly.
"It's over, Gary…" Paul says. "Now, hand over the girl and leave!" Gary has his eyes shadowed… His Electivire and Umbreon were defeated by Barry; Ash had lost against Lucas… He was out of options. He didn't want to lose, but there was nothing more he could do here… Finally, he looks up with a bit of a snide grin on his face, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, ya got me, Paul~!" Gary says with a wide grin on his face, admitting his defeat. "She's all yours!" Paul simply nods his head as the purple haired trainer picks up the still unconscious and he, along with Lucas and Barry, head back to their camp. Ash looks at Gary worriedly and holds out a hand to him, knowing what his defeat meant.
"Gary…" Ash says softly. Gary simply has his eyes shadowed at this and has a bit of a small smile of acceptance on his face.
"Its fine, Ashy-boy…" Gary says softly as he puts a hand on his shoulder. "I failed, so I'll just have to take what's coming to me. Don't worry, I won't tell him that I met up with you. Lay low for a bit, aight? And be sure to check up on that carrot-head girlfriend of yours every once in a while… I'll… I'll smell ya later, Ash…" Gary says with his hands in his pockets as he returns his Pokemon. Ash simply watches as the brown haired trainer takes his leave, before heading off himself.
Back with Paul, Dawn had just regained consciousness. Her beautiful blue eyes slowly flutter open as she sees Paul and Lucas gathered around her. Lucas smiles with relief as Dawn regains consciousness. "Dawn, you're awake!" He says, relieved that she was alright. Dawn simply groans as she sits up and rubs her head, still groggy from the time she was unconscious.
"Paul…? What happened…? I just remember that Umbreon knocking me out, and then-" The blue haired girl says wearily. Paul closes his eyes at this and crosses his arms coolly.
"That doesn't matter right now, troublesome…" Paul says coolly and coldly with his arms crossed. "What matters is that you're alright." Dawn grows a bit red in the cheeks and smiles at Paul. The purple haired trainer sees that beautiful smile on her face again, and can't stop himself from reddening in the cheeks a bit as he turns around, hiding the red in his cheeks.
"Thank you, Paul, for rescuing me!" Dawn says gratefully. Paul just crosses his arms and snorts at this, hiding the obvious blush on his cheeks.
"Whatever, didn't you want to take a bath?" Paul says with a gruff grunt. "You might want to do that now, before it gets dark." Dawn smiles at this and nods her head, a slight red in her cheeks as she twiddles her fingers a bit. Lucas has his eyes shadowed at this and clenches his fist. He then goes up to Dawn, his hand on her shoulder. He didn't want to lose to Paul of all people… He finally gathers the courage to tell the girl what he was unable to for years.
"… Dawn… Can we talk for a bit?" Lucas asks the blue haired girl. "I sort of want to talk to you about something privately…" The blue haired girl tips her head to one side at this and shrugs at this as she gets up.
"Well, I don't see why not?" Dawn says with a bright smile on her face. Lucas nods his head at this as Dawn follows after him, finding someplace private to talk. Barry could see what his best friend was planning and has a knowing, wide grin on his face. Now this, he had to see!
"So, what's up, Lucas?" Dawn asks while tipping her head innocently to one side. Lucas has his eyes shadowed, knowing that this was probably his one, and only chance to be ahead of the game, to not be the slowpoke. He then turns around to face Dawn and goes closer to the young, blue haired teenager, looking her in the eyes.
"Dawn, there's something I've been keeping from you all this time… Something I've only gathered the courage to tell you now…" Lucas says softly. He then pulls her close to him as their lips almost touch each other. Dawn's eyes widen as this happens, taken off guard by Lucas' actions. "I love you…" He finally says softly.
Before Dawn could say anything, Lucas pulls her in and kisses her deeply in the lips. Dawn's eyes widen as Lucas does this, trying to push him away. Finally, the two separate and Lucas looks at Dawn, awaiting her response. Dawn looks away at this, her hand to her lips from the sensation of losing her first kiss as she shakes her head.
"Lucas… I already knew…" Dawn says softly, her hand still on her lips. She didn't want to hurt Lucas, but at the same time, she wanted to stay true to her feelings. "And I'm sorry… I'm flattered you've felt this way for me for so long, but I can only see you as a close friend… As a brother almost! I… I just don't have those feelings that you have for me… I-I'm sorry…" Lucas has his eyes shadowed as Dawn turns him down, knowing what this meant. Knowing… she would never be his… However, the brown haired trainer stayed strong, despite this rejection, and smiles. He closes his eyes in acceptance and hugs the blue haired girl.
"It's alright, Dawn…" Lucas says softly. "And thank you, for being honest with me! I-I just wanted to get that out of my chest… Friends?" He says, offering his hand in a handshake. Dawn smiles at this, accepting Lucas' hand and giving him a firm handshake.
"Friends!" She says with a bright smile on her face. Barry smiles as he watches the two of them finally resolve their differences, even if it was a bittersweet resolution for Lucas. Maybe now Lucas could move on to a new love. The blond haired trainer then turns around to return to the camp, his hands in his pockets and his eyes closed coolly.
Meanwhile elsewhere, at Cyrus' headquarters, Gary appears before Cyrus… empty-handed. Cyrus has his eyes shadowed as Gary returns to him with nothing.
"So, even you failed to bring me that girl, Gary…? Cyrus says in a low, threatening voice. "You do know what is going to happen now that you've failed me, right?" Gary has his eyes shadowed at this and clenches his fist. He then looks up with a small, smile of acceptance and nods his head.
"Yeah… I know…" Gary says softly. "I've already accepted what was coming to me at this point, so just get it over with…" Cyrus smirks at this as he raises his hand up, as if he was going to push the button that would end his girl's life. Gary has his eyes shadowed and his fist clenched, waiting for the end to come. However, Cyrus gets up from his seat and bends down to look at the brown haired teenager at eye level, a cruel, ominous smirk on his face… And what he does next was even more cruel and insidious than he could possibly imagine.
"You really are a fool, aren't you, Gary? Blindly following me like a lapdog just to save that precious girl of yours… Well, here's a newsflash for you, Gary… She isn't with me…" Cyrus says cruelly and coldly with a sinister smirk on his face. Gary's eyes widen at this in complete and utter shock. "She's been in Pallet Town this whole time, wondering where you went, not knowing that you even left home~! You've been playing into my hands this whole time… And I have no more need for you, Gary… Now leave, and don't come back!" Gary clenches his fists and grits his teeth angrily at haven been played as the fool.
"Cyrus, you bastard…" The spiky brown haired teenager growls in a low, angry voice. "You made a fool out of me all this time…" He slowly gets up and takes his leave. Cyrus then looks forward and closes his eyes cruelly and coldly.
"If you can't rely on your pawns to get the job done for you, you just have to do the dirty work yourself…" The cold, light blue haired man says to himself. He then looks towards a galactic grunt and gives him a wide, cruel smirk. "You there, prepare the Galactic Commanders! We're getting this job done ourselves!" He says. The grunt nods his head and salutes before taking his leave. Cyrus closes his eyes and smirks coldly, looking at the profile picture of Dawn he had kept and taking a knife, driving it through her face and stabbing the knife onto the desk.
"Soon, my vengeance will be complete…" Cyrus says coldly and ominously with a cruel smirk on his face. "And I will not be denied…"
To be continued
Oh SNAP! What a chapter! I gotta say, I was pretty happy with how this chapter came out in my head and how I envisioned it. Now that it's done, the end result came out pretty good! XD I'm just going to say this. From now on, this story is going to take on, a bit of a darker tone now that Cyrus is going in XD Well, I mean, I guess this chapter was already pretty dark to begin with coz Gary's past and all, but I digress… XD
Cyrus: … Why…? Why am I always the bad guy…? T.T
Me: Coz that's what you do best, now stop complaining!
Lucas: -In the corner depressed about friendzone-
Me: Aw, don't be sad, Lucas! At least you gotto kiss her! Besides, you'll have your chance next time!
Lucas: Yeah! You're right! I can't let me losing Dawn in this story take me down! There will always be more stories next time where I win the girl!
That's the spirit! Anyways, -ahem- I hope you enjoyed the chapter! If you did, reviews will ALWAYS make me happy and keep me motivated! Constructive criticism is the best way for me to improve, so lay it on me, be it through a review or whatever. But leaving a mean, hateful flame is… not cool bro!
~Honou