Chapter 6

All-Consuming Love

The next day, Ash did not wake up until it was fifteen minutes past noon. Ash's mom had not disturbed him from his sleep, figuring he probably needed the rest. She was right, but she did not know how right she was. The last couple days had been insanity.

Ash found a note left by Balberith taped to his door again. "Look under you bed. At night, when everyone is asleep, go to a hobo camp outside Vermillion City. They are all junkies and outcasts. No one will miss them." The note read. Upon looking under his bed, Ash found an automatic handgun, a TEC-9 with a small combat knife attached. Ash was intimidated by it at first. He had never really used a gun before, but then he looked at Misty. He saw her sleeping as a yamask. Her face looked so sad and distraught. Ash sighed. "How hard can it be?" He asked himself.

After a quick bowl of cereal, Ash spent the day wandering around Pallet town with Misty. He took her to a park where you could run and play with your pokemon. Most of the people there had pet type pokemon like growlithes and meowths. They tried not to stare as they watch him stroll with his melancholy specter. Misty was somewhat aware that they didn't fit in. She whimpered a little when small children ran from them and their parents stared in disgust. One particularly bold mother walked over and said, "Your yamask is scaring my daughter! Take it somewhere else." Ash closed his eyes and turned his head down. "Fine."

Ash showed Misty the ice cream stand he always went to when he was a kid. He tried to feed her some, but the treat would not stick to the yamask's ectoplasmic tongue. Misty grew sad and moaned distraughtly. "I'm sorry, Misty. This date isn't really working out as planned." He said. Misty quietly whimpered and nuzzled Ash. "Hey, hey, it's okay. It's okay. I'm here for you." Ash said. He took the yamask's face in his hands and started to kiss it, but its lips were as icy and cold as death itself. Worse still, to Misty, Ash's lips burned like an inferno. They backed away from each other quickly. Ash took Misty home to just relax in private. He knew at that point there was no going back. He had to have Misty as a human again. This yamask body was hopeless.

Late at night, after his oblivious mother had gone to sleep, Ash took the TEC-9 from under his bed and concealed it inside his jacket. He walked out to the street, and pulled out a pokeball. "I choose you, Pidgeot." He whispered. Pidgeot appeared in a flash, standing at attention ready for duty. "Pidgeot, I need you to take me to Vermillion City near the outskirts. Be quiet about it too. I just have some quick business with some old men there, nothing big. We just need to be in and out, quick and quiet, got it?" Ash said. Pidgeot cooed and nodded in understanding. He did not have the heart to tell Pidgeot just what he intended to do.

It was only a short flight. Ash arrived on the outskirts and slowly, stealthily walked to the shipyard were the homeless men and women slept. They had a small shantytown built from rubbish. A lone man, dirty and covered in scars, sat tending to a fire inside a metal trash can. Ash approached. "Sonny, you here cause you got nowhere else, huh?" The hobo said, immediately noticing Ash. For a tired old man, the hobo still had surprisingly acute senses. "No thanks, I'm just visiting." Ash said. The hobo looked left, then right, as if checking to see if the coast was clear. "You here for some smack?" He asked. Ash sighed. "Nope. I'm not into drugs. Never was." He said. Ash circled around behind the man. "Well, then, what are you here fo…" He stopped speaking when Ash drew his TEC-9.

The hobo stared in terror, at first. Then he saw that Ash's hands were shaking, his breathing heavy, his heart racing, his palms sweating. The hobo giggled and got out his improvised stabbing weapon, a toothbrush with a handle sharpened to a deadly point. "You're not brave enough for that, are ya, punk?" He said. He approached, brandishing the toothbrush like a knife. Ash squeezed the trigger. Several bullets went into the hobo, several hitting him straight in the heart. He was killed in an instant.

The shantytown was stirring now. They woke up like a swarm of angry insects, searching for what had awoken them. They saw Ash. They saw the smoking TEC-9. They got out their knives. "You here to start something, kid? We hobos look after our own." An old man said, edging toward Ash. He was not deterred by the TEC-9 in the slightest. Ash was filled with fear now. This was far more than he bargained for. Panicking, he squeezed the trigger again and sprayed bullets everywhere. The mob fell back for a moment. Several bodies fell to the ground. Screams of outrage echoed through the night, and the mob grew ever more vengeful. They encroached upon Ash like a pack of wild hyenas.

Ash sprayed another round of bullets into the crowd. Some of them died. He soon realized the sad truth that there were still a lot of them and he was all out of bullets. He only had a single clip to shoot them with. "This is what the knife's for, I guess." Ash thought to himself. With a howl, a large tattooed homeless man charged Ash with volcanic fury. Ash narrowly sidestepped the attack and jammed his combat knife into the man's chest. It perfectly pierced his ribs, as if by magic, and killed him in a single blow. More hobos came at him. Ash knew he could never fight them all. He ran.

After a couple seconds he got out his pokeball and brought out Pidgeot. "Pidgoet! Things went really bad, really fast! Help!" He shouted. Pidgeot swooped behind Ash, and flapped his wing with all his might. Gale force winds swept the hobo army off their feet and bought Ash just enough time to jump onto Pidgeot's back. They quickly flew away, but not before Pidgeot caught a glimpse of the massacred bodies left behind. Pidgeot cooed disapprovingly, as if to say, "Master, what really happened here?" Ash did not answer. Pidgoet cooed again. "Do you really want to know, Pidgeot? Do you? Is it that fucking important to you?" Ash said, nearly hysterical. Pigeot fell silent. Ash immediately felt bad for yelling at his most faithful pokemon. "I'm sorry, Pidgeot. I've just been under a lot of pressure lately. I almost got killed back there. Thanks for saving me." He said. Pidgeot cooed again, this time sympathetically. "Look, Pidgeot, I… I'm mixed up in some really nasty business right now, but it's all for Misty, I swear. It's all for a good cause." He said. Pidgeot merely nodded his head. He did not approve, but would remain loyal to his master, no matter what. It was a pokemon's duty, after all, to stay loyal to their master for good or for evil, for better or worse.

When Ash arrived home, he practically ran to his room and again saw Misty sitting on his bed. Again, she was completely naked. "Misty!" "Ash!" "Oh Ash, I have so much to tell, you! Ash, I… I love you more than anything else, ever." Misty said. Ash held her tight in his arms. "The lengths you go to for me… All for me…" There were tears in her eyes. "Ash, you're the best, like no one ever was." Misty said. The Best. That's what Ash had wanted to be all along. The Best. Ash leaned in to give his beloved Misty a deep, long kiss. Misty slid her tongue into Ash's warm, wet mouth and massaged his tongue in a slow rhythmic pattern from back to front. It was the first time either of them had kissed like that since Misty's death. They felt together now, like a single soul in two bodies. When their mouths finally parted, Ash said, "Misty, I wanted to ask you something on that day, the day you…" "Don't say it. Don't say 'die'." Misty said. Ash took a deep breath and smiled. "Misty, I've been waiting far too long to ask you this. I want you to marry me." He said.

Misty was overjoyed. Again, with tears in her eyes, she said, "Yes, Ash, yes! You've made me the happiest girl in the world!" She said, holding him tight. The kissed again, but without the tongue this time. It was a deep locking of lips, a seal of agreement for this new arrangement. Their heads swam with all the happiness they could ever feel. The two of them wondered if this was dream, that things could not possibly go better than what was happening at that very moment. They took their hands to each other's cheeks and felt the warmth of each other's bodies. It was no dream. It was reality.

After that wonderful, blissful kiss, Misty leaned over to whisper something in Ash's ear. "Ash, I don't know how long I'll be like this, how long I'll be human. There's something I want to do while I still have this body." She said. "Is… Is it…um…that?" Ash said. Misty laughed. "You know what it is, you…" She said. Ash stuttered. "Ah… um…" This was a bit quick for him. Less than an hour ago he was fighting to the death with a smelly homeless man and now his fiancée wanted to have sex. "Oh, come on, Ash. I'm already naked." Misty said.

Ash nodded and started undoing his zipper. In no time his pants and underwear were around his ankles. He tapped his soft penis. "Come, wake up!" he said. Misty giggled. "Let me try." She said. Softly, she took Ash's cock in her hand. With her warm touch, it was ready.

The two of them joined together in ecstasy. Each kiss was like a piece of heaven was torn away from God and pushed into their loving mouths. Each pelvic thrust was like an ocean of passion crashing upon them like waves against a beach. "Oh Misty, I love you so much." Ash said. "This… This is… I want this to last forever." Misty said. They clutched each other's skin, grabbing each other's flesh to feel every inch of one another as they rolled on Ash's bed.

Misty was close to reaching her climax when she jumped back and doubled over in pain. "Misty! What is it?" Ash said. "Ah… Ah… It's happening again! No! Aiee!" Misty screamed. "No! No! This isn't happening! Not now!" Ash shouted with rage. Misty's skin began to evaporate. As she died again, she let out these soft, pained words. "We were so close, Ash. So close…"

Misty rotted alive and turned to dust in an instant. Soon, she rematerialized as a yamask again, bearing that same mask emblazoned with the image of her dying face. Ash pulled up his pants. "Balberith! You've got some explaining to do!" Ash called out to nothing in particular. In a flash of light, Balberith was there. Ash grabbed the little ball of light in his hand. "You! How could you let her run out of time when we were in the middle of… Of…" He couldn't finish his sentence.

Balberith feigned fear, for he had no true reason to fear Ash, but he knew it would make the man feel better if his rage was validated that way. "Ash, I can explain. I only had enough life to keep her around for a couple hours." Balberith said. "Bullshit! I murdered at least a dozen of those dirty creeps back in Vermillion! That should be way more than a couple hours." Ash said. "You don't understand, Ash. When you transfer life, you lose a lot of it in the transfer process. This…" Balberith was cut off. "Fine, whatever." Ash said. He let go of Balberith. "It's not your fault, I'm sorry I got mad at you again." Ash said. He clenched his fist. "It's my fault. I didn't give you enough life." He added. "Ash, you don't have to blame yourself for everything." Balberith said, trying to comfort him a little. "No, Balberith, this time it really was me. I don't care how many people have to die, next time I'm going to bring Misty back permanently." Ash said. If Balberith had a face, a grave look would have crossed it. "I'll… I'll see what I can do tomorrow." He said.

"Balberith, you're a great friend. After I lashed out at you like that and you're still willing to help me… Thank you." Ash said. "Oh, no, Ash. I'm lucky to have you." Balberith said. A thought crossed Ash's mind. "Just why are you helping me so much, anyway?" Ash said. "All in good time, Ash. All in good time. I'll tell you when you'd understand. Trust me, though, you'll love it." At that, Balberith disappeared in a flash of light. Ash turned back to Misty. "Misty, you're going to be back for good next time, I swear it." He said.

Ash woke up the next day and saw another note left for him by Balberith, a very long one. He read it aloud. "In Viridian City there is a nightclub called Club Viridian. They are not up to date on building codes. Their sprinkler system does not work and their doors open inwards, making escape from a fire difficult. They often go well over their building capacity of three-hundred people. Punish their lax attitudes toward regulations and the law, and you could have Misty for a whole day if the club is crowded enough. Long live Misty." Ash looked under his bed to see if Balberith had left him anything like when he found the TEC-9. This time there was an incendiary bomb. Ash sighed. "Well, if it's all for Misty…" He said.

Ash took a shower and went downstairs, where his mom was watching the news. "Hey, Mom. How's it going?" Ash asked. "All right, I guess. Just a lazy day." She said. Ash sat down with her. The news went on and on. Weather, sports, politics, then finally, a reporter showed up in Vermillion City. "Lita Long here in Vermillion City, where last night, an event that could only be described as a Hobo Bloodbath occurred." Ash looked at the TV. "Well, it looks like I made the news this time." He thought to himself. The camera panned over a bloodstained view of the shipyard, with several body bags and a multitude of police officers on the scene. "You were there when the crime happened?" Reporter Lita Long asked, holding her microphone up to a hobo's face. "Yeah, I sure was. First he came out and shot old Johnny by the fire pit. We all came out to do a good old citizen's arrest…" Ash scowled in his head. "That wasn't a citizen's arrest; that was just mob justice." He thought to himself.

Ash's mom looked at the TV shocked and appalled. "What is the world coming to?" She said to herself. She turned off the TV. "I'm going to get some fresh air." Ash's mom said. Ash stood up. "Yeah, I'm going out too. See you later, Mom." He said. "Bye bye, sweetie." Ash's mom said.

Seeing the grisly scene after the massacre made Ash feel a little uneasy. Even though Balberith had assured him that those hobos were scum and no one would miss them, a pang of guilt still rang through his body. Then he went upstairs to fetch Misty. Seeing her as a sad yamask removed any feeling of remorse he once felt. For her, anything was worth it.

Ash and Misty wandered the town all day searching for things they could do together. It was difficult since Misty couldn't eat normal food and was generally considered a creepy pest by most people. Eventually, they found a musical play to watch. They sat in the back corner where no one would see them.

That night, after dropping Misty off at home, Ash took a quick walk to Viridian City. Night had just fallen and the clubs were opening. He clutched the small bomb Balberith had left for him inside his jacket. He slowly walked the downtown streets, periodically checking a map, until he found his mark, Club Viridian.

There was a small group of people outside the club conversing with the doorman. He seemed to let most people come and go as they pleased. Sounds of loud music playing inside could be heard from across the street. Ash went to some bushes in the back, carefully planting the bomb near the back door exit. Suddenly, a worker came by. Thinking fast, Ash unzipped his pants and started trying to urinate in the bushes. "Hey, what're you doing back here?" The worker asked. "Uh, I just had to take a leak real bad. The men's room's full." Ash said, smiling awkwardly. "Oh. Yeah, getting crazy in there, huh? Ha ha! You know it's a good party when all the stalls are knockin', huh? You know, the old oo-ee oo-ee?" The worker said, laughing. "Was he implying people were having sex in the bathrooms?" Ash thought to himself. The worker patted Ash on the shoulder. "Carry on, bro. Party hard!"

Ash finished urinating. He had peed all over the bomb. "That was a close call. Ugh. I hope it still works." Ash said. He pressed the button to start countdown. Five minutes until destruction. Ash ran out into an alley. "Pokeball, go." He quietly said. Pidgeot came out. "Take me home." He said. In an instant, he was gone, quick as a flash. Ash would not be there to see the carnage unfold. He wanted to be with Misty.

Shortly after Ash left, an explosion rocked Club Viridian. Fire spread all through the small building. The crowds panicked and ran for the exits, but they pushed and fell and tripped on top of one another. Some, nearly ready to pass out drunk, were trampled before the fire or smoke got to them. Firefighters arrived on the scene minutes later with a squadron of wartortle and blastoise for backup. They shot strong jets of water into the blaze, but the bomb had done enough structural damage that the whole building was ready to collapse any minute. The firefighters couldn't really even enter the building due to the squirming mass of people clogging the door. "Shit, they're stacked up like boxes and crates. How do we get them out of there?" One of the firemen remarked. They pulled at them and tried to dislodge as many people as they could. Those people trapped in the door were just inches from safety! Black smoke overtook the scene and the firefighters could barely see through the hazy night. The squirming mass at the door slowly quieted down as most of those trapped passed out or died from the smoke. Moments later, the fire team leader called out, "It's coming down! Get back!" The roof of Club Viridian fell. More than two-hundred lives were lost in the span of less than an hour. In the shadows and smoke, invisible to the human eye, Balberith smiled.

Meanwhile, Ash rushed back home. Just as he had hoped, Misty sat nude on his bed, her yamask's mask resting on the floor. Ash was panting. Misty jumped up and grabbed him in her arms. Ash embraced her as well. "You did it, Ash! I'm human again!" Misty said. Ash smiled and kissed her deeply, their tongues swirling inside each other's mouths. "Now, how about we pick up from where we left off last time?" Misty said.

Slowly, Misty pulled down Ash's pants, exposing his hard, ready cock. "Oh, you're excited." Misty said. Ash laughed and laid down on the bed with her. They kissed, they writhed, they made love. They were the happiest they'd been in years. All those lonely nights, all those sad memories seemed to vanish. Afterwards, they cuddled and lay together in each other's arms. They never wanted to let go of each other, not for a moment.