This is the one hundred fifty-ninth chapter in Pokemon Heroes. Here is a second chapter out of nowhere. I finished the last one and I just quickly moved on to this one because I was really hyped to write this. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the songs.
(Opening Song)
Ash was within a dark void. He couldn't see what was around him nor could he see himself.
He didn't know why, but he felt...sad.
A small light was seen far away. Ash walked toward it, and slowly light engulfed him.
He was now surrounded by that light. He could see himself, but he couldn't see nothing but the light around him. He contained to walk.
He was not the Ash of the present. He was the Ash of the past. The Ash seven years ago.
The Ash that was alone.
He saw silhouettes of children playing around on the playground. When he got close enough, they stopped what they were doing and walked away while looking at him fearfully.
"Why am I left out?"
He saw adults take the children away, and then they disappeared deeper into the light. Ash just kept walking.
"What did I do to them?"
He felt a hand on his head and he stopped. The silhouette of a man bent down on one knee was in front of him. When Ash looked up at him, that man smiled.
"You don't have to worry, Ash," said the man. "They'll understand soon. It'll take a while, but they will understand."
It was his father, Sir Aaron that spoke to him. He disappeared, and Ash kept walking. He saw the silhouette of his father and his mother to the distance. She seemed to be sitting on a chair as his father stood by the window.
"Do you think we should leave Pallet Town?" asked his mother. "I don't think it's the right place for Ash anymore."
"We don't need to," said Sir Aaron. "Ash is going to be alright."
"But he's not making anymore friends," continued his mother. "He'll be alone."
"He won't," said Sir Aaron, turning to her. "He'll make a ton of friends soon. He has a power that people can't immediately accept. When they do, they'll be kind to Ash. Ash was born into this world for a reason. He'll show them why he's special. I believe it."
They disappeared. Ash kept walking until three silhouettes slightly taller than him appeared. He stopped and looked up at the middle one.
"Look, it's Ketchum!"
"You mean the monster?"
"Why are you walking around in the open, monster? Looking for some prey?"
They all started laughing. Ash just stared at them.
"Why do they hate me?" he thought.
"Hey, are you listening, idiot? HUH?!"
The middle one pushed Ash to the ground. Ash didn't show any resistance. He just stared at the ground as he lifted his upper body with his arms.
"You know, if I beat this guy up, you think I'd be known as someone who beat up the monster?"
"Do it! But we have to get some credit, too."
"Why not?"
The middle one walked closer to Ash and held up a fist.
The fist didn't make contact with Ash. Instead, another fist punched that boy. Ash looked up in shock as two other silhouettes suddenly showed up and started fighting against the three other silhouettes. Punches were thrown until the three silhouettes fell to the ground. They sat up as the two silhouettes that fought against them stood in front of Ash.
The black that covered them slowly began to fade away, and Ash started to see their features.
One had green hair while the other had brown, spiky hair that rose from his head.
"If you wanted to bully someone without any reason to, you should've expected me to beat you down, Joseph," said the brunette.
Ash stared at the back of his saviors. The backs of Drew Hayden and Gary Oak.
"Why..." thought Ash. "...are they standing up for me?"
Ash and Gary 2 (Light Within the Dark)
The sound of blades clashing rang throughout the rocky wasteland. The sound of grunts and fists connecting with faces vibrated the pebbles on the ground.
A large rock formation suddenly broke apart. As the rubble fell to the ground, Ash and Gary appeared within it. Gary was above Ash and Ash was holding onto his side where his bruise was.
Gary suddenly grabbed onto his collar, spun around, and threw Ash toward the ground.
Ash was able to safely place his feet on the ground, but not without the ground getting pushed down as cracks formed around him. Gary landed on the ground not too far from him. He swung his arm as electricity formed around it, and it was released in a surge of blue lightning that went for Ash.
Ash held his Aura Blade in front of him, defending himself from the attack as it pushed him back and as his feet dug deeper into the ground.
When it was over, Gary appeared in front of him and swung his sword at Ash. Ash reacted quickly and deflected the strike with his blade. He quickly swung his Aura Blade at Gary's sword that was coming back for him, and then pushed Gary away as he elbowed Gary on the gut.
Aura covered his elbow, and then his fist crashed against Gary's chin, sending Gary and a spiral of aura up in the air.
Gary looked down at Ash and connected his hands together, sending bolts of lightning down at him. They struck him as smoke rose from the damage afterward.
Gary looked for Ash in the smoke. It was suddenly blown away, and Ash came at him as aura propelled him upward. He appeared over Gary and struck the brunette with his aura covered foot, sending him to the ground. Gary used his power to reposition his body to land on his feet. Ash landed away from him.
Gary slowly stood as he stared at the ground.
"Hey, Gary, quit it," said Ash. "I'll fight you however you want later."
"I don't get it," said Gary under his breath.
"Huh?"
Gary stood as he glared at Ash.
"I don't get it!" he yelled. "Your power...your power is nothing compared to mine! Why did he say that about you then?! It makes no sense!"
"What are you blabbering about?" asked Ash.
Gary then yelled out. His voice vibrated throughout the area, and electricity slowly crackled around him. It came together, and then burst out in a dome of lightning that grew larger and larger.
Ash quickly hopped back repeatedly as Gary's attack caused the ground to lift up and for rocks to levitate around him.
It suddenly stopped and the rocks fell to the ground.
Gary surrounded himself in lightning, and then he sped toward Ash. Ash engulfed his arm in aura. When Gary got close enough, Ash swung his fist to strike him, but he disappeared in a bolt of lightning that circled Ash and moved toward his back. Gary appeared there and he delivered a harsh kick to Ash's back.
The force of the kick sent Ash away as he bounced off the ground repeatedly. He stopped when he crashed into the face of a large rock formation. He fell to the ground, leaving a mold of himself on the rock.
He lifted his head to look up at Gary. The boy placed his feet on the ground and straightened up as he glared at Ash.
"What the hell is going on in that head of yours, Gary?" he asked through his clenched teeth.
"I'll prove to the old man," said Gary as lightning surrounded his body once again. "I'll prove to him that he was wrong. I'll prove to him that I'm already the strongest!"
"What are you talking about, man?" asked Ash as he stood from the ground.
Gary had already propelled himself at Ash at lightning speed, giving Ash no time to react. He grabbed Ash by he neck and dragged him through the rock formation behind him and through others as well.
The rocks fell to the ground one after another. Ash's yell of pain was heard before they entered and exited each formation.
They entered another, but they did not exit. Instead, it exploded, and the two were within. Blood fell from Ash's mouth and arm.
Gary was next to him, glaring at the boy.
Everything was moving so slowly as Gary's fist was engulfed in lightning. He moved it back as his eyes were locked onto Ash.
"I'll prove I'm stronger than you!"
He thrust his fist forward, striking Ash on the gut. Blood shot out from the Aura Guardian's mouth, and he was launched away as an explosion blew down rock formations and sent smoke into the air. Ash was sent flying through more rock formations as Gary landed on the rubble that littered the ground. He just watched as Ash got farther and farther until he stopped.
Gary used his power to move toward Ash's location.
Brendan, May, Dawn, and Misty ran past trees within the forest. They heard explosions in the distance, but one followed another in different places, so it was hard to pinpoint where the two boys were exactly.
"That bastard," groaned Brendan. "He's really not holding back at all."
"Are we going the right way?" asked Dawn.
"May," said Misty. "Are you sure he's this way."
"I-I think," said May. "I can feel him near here, but he keeps moving around. Pikachu, can you smell him now?"
Pikachu shook its head.
"The explosions and the dust must be confusing it," said Misty.
They felt the ground shake furiously, forcing them to stop. A large explosion followed, one that was so big yet far away. A shockwave blew harsh air toward them, forcing them to firmly place their feet on the ground to stay still.
When it was all over, Misty removed her arms from her face and saw the area around them.
Some trees were down. Their hair slowly rose as the electrically charged air surrounded them. She looked toward the smoke that rose toward the air. Her eyes were wide open.
"What the hell is going on over there?" asked Brendan.
"He can't be serious," whispered Misty, but then she broke into a shout. "He can't possibly be going along with this! He can't be this crazy! Hurry! We have to stop those monsters!"
They started running again, finally finding out the location of the two boys.
Sephiroth sighed.
His head was placed on the palm of his hand as his arm was placed on the table in the room.
"I've got to admit, she's one smart girl," he said as he stared at the yellow balloon with Misty's face drawn on it. "I made sure to seal off the exits in this cabin, but I seemed to have forgotten that a scroll could be used as an exit from the inside. But I only made one scroll for Gary to get to where he needed to go. If she did take a scroll, she wouldn't have landed near him, making it a waste of his time. But she found a way past that."
He picked up a burned scroll near the bed.
"I made Gary's scroll a week ago, and Misty made this exact copy all by herself. Quite impressive. She used one of my spells without much training, but it wasn't complete. She's lucky she didn't get trapped within the Corridor of Darkness. Quite persistent."
He tossed the scroll aside.
"This means she also woke up before today. Even with her intellect, she couldn't have made this in a day. But I already suspected that she was awake. She can't get by me that easily."
Sephiroth laughed.
"But she's too late anyway, so there's no need to get her."
He smirked.
"Their battle should be reaching its conclusion soon enough."
His smirk vanished, and he sighed as he lowered his head.
"That's what I get for letting her use the bathroom."
Ash's body rolled away until he came to a stop as he placed his hands firmly on the ground.
Blood was leaving from his right arm and mouth, one leg of his pants was torn away.
He was breathing heavily, trying to regain his consciousness.
He looked up, and he wasn't surprised that Gary was already above him.
He crossed his arms in front of his face as Gary's foot swung at him, sending him flying away once again.
Ash landed on the ground and tried getting up, but then he felt a sharp pain from his side. He let out a painful yell and placed his hand over his wound.
"Shit! Not now!"
Gary clutched his sword harder, and then prepared to head toward Ash once again.
But before his foot crashed onto the ground, the voice of someone he thought he'd never hear for a long time reached his ears.
"Gary!"
He stopped, and turned to the source of the sound.
Just as he expected, there she was, staring down at him from a rocky ledge that was just outside the forest.
"Misty," he muttered the name silently as shock covered his expression.
May ran outside the forest behind Misty, quickly looking down and looking around until her eyes caught sight of Ash, beaten up on the ground.
"Ash!"
"May?" thought Ash. "I thought I told her to stay back. Don't tell me the others are here, too."
Right after, Brendan and Dawn exited the forest as well, looking down at them.
There was complete silence as they all stared at one another.
It was not until a single movement from Gary's finger that made Misty break the ice.
"Get away from Ash, Gary!"
This forced Gary out of his shocked state and to return to being serious.
"Why are you here?" he asked as he turned back to Ash. "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"
"I don't have to answer that. I told you to back away from Ash."
"Just get away from here. This is none of your concern."
"If he won't back off, then let's make him," said Brendan as he came forward.
"No!" yelled Ash as he got to his knees. "I said this was my fight. You guys have to get away from here."
"And leave you here to him?" asked Dawn. "You do realize that he's here to kill you, right?"
"Just go!" yelled Ash as he quickly got to his feet and materialized his Aura Blade. He went for Gary, but Gary delivered a clenched fist to Ash's face. Another fist struck Ash's gut. That fist changed into a hand that grabbed onto his shirt, and he held Ash into the air and rammed him into the ground behind him. A kick sent Ash away as his body dug deeper into the ground.
His friends watched in horror. Gary was beating him brutally. They had to do something. They couldn't watch Ash get his ass handed to him like this.
Ash breathed heavily as he turned to Gary. The boy was walking toward him, but Ash's blurred vision made it seem slow.
"Gary..."
Flashback
"That was fun," said Drew as he walked along the path by the lake with Gary with his hands behind his head.
"That's what Joseph gets for being a butt," said Gary. "Just give him the old one two, you know?"
Drew looked back.
"Yeah, but what about him?"
"What about who?" asked Gary.
He turned back, and sure enough he saw Ash. The boy had been following them. He had a blank expression on his face. He stopped when he got close enough to them. Gary and Drew didn't say anything, expecting Ash to say something, but he didn't.
"Um...you need something?" asked Gary.
Ash shook back into reality and he stared at Gary.
"N-No," said Ash.
"What is it then?" asked Drew.
"I...um...I just wanted to say thank you for getting those guys to stop," said Ash.
"No biggie," said Gary. "But it's nothing to be worried about anyway. Joseph is all big but no bark. He can't throw a punch for his life. Just hit him a few times and he'll be running."
"Yeah, but my dad says fighting back only makes it worse," said Ash.
"Why?"
Ash stared at the ground as he continued.
"They say I'm a monster," said Ash. "Fighting back will just show them I am one. My dad says I'll show them in a different way that'll come eventually. Then they'd wish they never bullied me."
"You don't look like a monster to me," said Drew. Gary elbowed him. Drew bent forward as he held his stomach as Gary stepped forward.
"So what?" asked Gary. "Let them call you a monster. As long as you don't believe it, then what they say is baloney. I bet not everyone thinks that, too. You know how the world is like. Once one person starts talking, everyone else will follow in the herd. Right?"
Ash rose his head a little.
"Yeah, I guess."
Gary crossed his arms over his chest.
"If people really think that, then that means you don't have much friends, do you?"
"No, not a lot," said Ash. "I'm pretty lonely most of the time."
Gary looked at Drew, smirked, and then looked at Ash.
"Then we'll be your friends."
"I never agreed to that," said Drew.
He was elbowed once again, and this time he fell to the ground while rolling around.
Gary turned to Ash again.
"I'm Gary Oak," he introduced. "That over there is Drew Hayden. We moved to Pallet six months ago. What's your name?"
Ash froze.
"Well, what's your name?" asked Drew as he tried getting back again. Gary glared at him, and Drew pushed himself back to the ground just so he wouldn't get elbowed again.
Gary turned to Ash again and smiled.
"Well?"
Ash gulped.
"I-I'm Ash Ketchum."
Gary's fist was held out. Ash thought Gary was going to hit him, causing him to flinch, but after he saw it just stay where it was, Ash calmed down a bit.
"Hey, Ash," said Gary. "Let's be good friends, alright?"
Ash stared at Gary's fist.
He just went out for a walk today, never expecting to meet these two.
These two who welcomed him with open arms despite hearing that he was a monster.
Friends who would stay with him no matter what the circumstance.
Friends who accepted him,
He smiled and formed a fist, too.
"Yeah, let's," said Ash and his fist connected with Gary's.
And from that fist bump, the start of a new friendship was formed.
End of Flashback
Ash watched Gary get closer and closer.
He saw his friends at the cliff, looking down at him. It was evident on their faces that they would instantly jump from that cliff and come to Ash's aid in a heartbeat, but he didn't want them to.
This was his fight, and his alone.
But how was he supposed to enjoy this fight when Gary was being...someone else.
He watched as Gary rose his fist, and a surge of electricity surrounded it.
It was so fast, but Ash felt time slow down for him.
Looking into Gary's eyes, he saw the stare of a man out for blood.
And Ash Ketchum did not like it.
His own eyes turned blue.
"Knock it off already..."
He got to one knee, and then held back a fist, which he pushed forward to connect with Gary's powered fist that was coming for him.
"...you asshole!"
Suddenly, a shaking shockwave erupted between Ash and Gary's fists, and Gary was launched back into the air.
Gary was shocked, but no one else saw what happened, except for Misty.
Her eyes were wide.
"What was that?"
Gary landed on the ground and faced Ash. Ash got to his feet. The atmosphere around him felt different.
But Gary didn't care. He went in for the attack.
He covered himself in lightning and moved toward Ash in a zigzag pattern until he got to Ash's side. He delivered a kick there, resulting in Ash releasing a painful yell. He swung his Aura Blade at Gary, but the boy had already landed on the ground, and this boy's blade was going for Ash's stomach, but Ash turned his Aura Blade upside down and blocked Gary's strike. He quickly created an Aura Sphere and went for Gary, but Gary knocked his arm to the side and delivered a bone crushing punch into Ash's stomach.
Ash let it a violent cough and bent forward as he held his gut. Gary swung his sword at Ash, but he moved away before it made complete contact, but Gary's swift movement already caused it to create a gash on his arm. He yelled as he held back the blood falling to the ground. Gary didn't give him a chance to recover. He delivered lightning fast, swift punches at Ash. Ash blocked most of them with one arm, but most of Gary's hits struck him.
Gary created a ball of lightning around his fist. Ash held his arm in front of him, but even that wasn't enough for the raging impact that came. Ash was sent back as his own head scrapped the ground.
His vest was nearly destroyed. His face was covered in blood. His arms were nearly broken. His vision was blurry.
He was barely conscious now.
"What's wrong?" thought Misty as she watched Gary come at Ash again and beat him. She barely heard Ash's friends by her yelling out to Ash and Gary to stop fighting. She was just confused.
"What happened to that power?"
She saw how Ash's fist, that had no aura circling around it, collided with Gary's lightning covered fist and had blown that guy away. Ash's beating had surely weakened him, so it was impossible for him to actually knock back Gary with the power he had now.
If Ash had the power to do that before, then how come he wasn't using that same power now.
She watched him throw weak punches that had no chance on connecting with Gary's face. Gary disappeared into a bolt of lightning, reappeared in front of Ash and threw a heavy punch to Ash's face that sent him crashing onto the ground.
Misty watched him stand and glare at Gary.
She kept on watching, and slowly, her eyes widened.
"Ash..."
It all made sense now.
Before she could continue her train of thought, she heard a painful yell coming from Ash. Her attention went to the battle once again, and she saw Ash on the ground with his hands on his side.
"Dammit, Gary," he muttered. "How about spreading the pain for once, would ya?"
Gary looks at his fist that hit Ash's side, and then he looked back at Ash.
"That's funny..." he sad quietly, and then he slowly walked toward Ash. Ash quickly attempted to get back up, but Gary's foot pushed him back to the ground. He then slowly moved his foot from Ash's face and softly placed it on the boy's side. Ash winced. Gary pushed harder, and Ash's face was evident that the pain was getting worse.
Gary smirked.
He pulled his foot back and then kicked Ash.
The Aura Guardian's body flew up into the air and landed not too far from Gary.
"I see," said Gary. "You have a wound on your side."
"N-No I don't," said Ash as he got to his feet painfully. "I'm just sensitive there."
"Good," said Gary, changing into a bolt of lightning and appearing in front of Ash. Ash rose his hand to punch Gary, but he already knew it was too late.
"You just made this more entertaining," said Gary. He aimed the bottom of his blade to Ash's side. Ash yelled, and then his elbow collided with the back of Gary's head. This didn't faze Gary. He directed a kick to the same spot, and Ash's feet skidded across the ground
He held onto his side and let out a silent yell.
"That's not fair, Gary," he said as he breathed heavily.
"In battle, fairness should not even be considered," said Gary, and he summoned a thunderbolt to strike Ash. The pain on Ash's side prevented him from moving, but he was able to move just a little. It wasn't enough, because the thunderbolt struck just inches from him, and the shockwave struck Ash and caused him to fall as rubble cut his skin.
He didn't make it to the ground though. Gary appeared behind him and elbowed the boy on his bruise. Ash coughed up blood.
What happened after was just a merciless beating.
Gary aimed for his weak point, and Ash didn't have the strength to dodge and he didn't have time to recover.
He could hear his friends call for him, but the pain made their words fuzzy.
Misty was watching Gary.
She watched his power, his movements, and his expression.
They were horrifying.
This wasn't the Gary she knew. No...this was never the Gary she knew. Not the Gary from a month ago. It was the Gary from way back. It was the Gary in Pallet, with Ash and Drew. It was the Gary with a smile.
This one was not him.
And finally, she accepted it.
"Dammit," she muttered, and she jumped from the cliff.
Ash's limp body rolled across the ground and stopped.
Gary snickered.
"Look at you," he said. "Defenseless and weak. What about the Ash that always boasted that he was going to beat me. You're weak! You were never strong to begin with!"
He proceeded to walk toward Ash.
"You're nothing but a shameful Aura Guardian!"
He stopped.
Someone blocked his path, and that someone was Misty. Her arms were outstretched, and she was glaring at Gary.
"Move."
"No," said Misty. "You're not getting an inch near him, Gary."
"I said move," said Gary. "Or else I'll make you move."
"Do it," said Misty. "If you want to fight Ash. You'll have to fight me first."
"Do you really think you have any chance against me?" asked Gary. "I'll blow you away."
"It's not like she's going to be fighting alone," said Brendan, coming by Misty. Dawn followed. May and Pikachu went behind them and tried helping Ash.
"Ash! Ash! Come on! Wake up! This was why I told you NOT to fight Gary!"
"Pika Pi!"
Ash tried responding to them, but they only came out as silent mumbles. He then coughed and blood flew from his mouth and hit the ground.
Gary smirked.
"You're asking for it."
Gary's sinister smirk made Misty uneasy.
"Gary..." she said. "This is not you. I know it's not you. No matter how much I try to deny it, it's just not you. Something inside you changed. I know it was my uncle's doing, but you never told me about what he made you do. You never let out your feelings. You kept them all pent up inside. I blame myself for doing nothing. I hoped you'd deal with it yourself, but you didn't. I should've done something. I began thinking you'd never return to the way you were. But then that one certain day told me otherwise. It was the day before you went out to fight Marluxia. You were scared. I encouraged you to go, because I thought once you beat him, you'd return to normal, but. I was wrong, you only got worse. Way, way worse."
"What are you blabbering about over there?" asked Gary.
Ash's eyes slowly moved toward Misty.
"Gary, please, before I have to stop you once and for all, come to your senses," said Misty. "Killing Ash wouldn't accomplish anything. You realize there are stronger people than Ash out there. You'd be sent on another mission to kill them. It'd be a wild goose chase, and I don't want you to live that kind of life. Remember who you were before. Remember those days you lived in Pallet Town. Remember being with Ash and Drew, those happy memories. Please, Gary. Please."
Gary stared at her. A sound didn't leave his mouth.
But then he smirked.
"Happy memories?" he asked as his sinister smirk returned. "Those memories are nothing to me! I burned them already! All those times I stood with those weaklings were wasteful! My power was always superior to them, and it still is! Wild goose chase? If that chase gives my life purpose, then I'd gladly accept it!"
Misty's bottom lip quivered, and tears started to form in her eyes.
Ash's eyes were wide.
"That boy Gary is falling into a dangerous part of the darkness, and he continues to fall. If he doesn't stop, he will reach a darkness much greater than a Nobody. He will become more dangerous than a Dark Signer. He will never be able to turn back ever again. Are you prepared for when that time comes?"
Larxene was right.
"Unwanted memories are meant to be forgotten!" said Gary as he stepped forward as he dragged the tip of his blade on the ground. "They're memories that should be thrown away! They're memories that should never be looked back on EVER AGAIN!"
He charged forward. Misty held her arms up.
"Misty!" yelled Dawn as she crashed her fist upon her palm, creating a blue light.
Brendan's eyes turned emerald green as he prepared to crash his fist on Gary's chin.
But his face was grabbed and pushed back by Ash's hand.
Ash landed on the ground in front of them all, and his arm slowly got covered in raging aura.
He thrust his fist at Gary, who quickly held his arms up in front of his face. Ash's fist collided with him, and he was launched back due to the impact. His feet skidded deep within the ground.
When he stopped, smoke rose from the skid marks.
"Forgot them?" Ash asked. "You want me to just throw them aside? Forget them all like they were nothing?! How could I forgot all those times you've been there for me!"
Aura erupted from the ground and shook it as they surrounded Ash.
The boy's fierce blue eyes looked at Gary.
"I won't forget them, and you sure as hell won't forgot them either, Gary!"
His friends were blown back.
Misty fell to her knees and watched in awe.
Ash was prepared to go for another round.
"I'll force you to remember every single one."
Misty knew this was the power Ash used before, only at its maximum. It made sense.
This was Ash's true strength.
(Ending Song)
Next Time on Pokemon Heroes: One walked in the dark, while the other walked in the light. With the past on their minds, they will fight to prove who is the strongest, and this fight will conclude the rivalry that had lasted for far too long. How will this battle end, and what will be the future of their rivalry? Next Time: Ash and Gary 3 (Mistake).
That was that chapter. Next chapter, you'll finally find out the statement from Sephiroth that says Ash is stronger than Gary. From this chapter, Misty has already found out, and next you will. Next will be the season finale, which won't take too long to be released. I was going to release all three parts, that's why it took too long for these two to come out, but I decided to release them now, for the next one is only half completed so far. After that, the new season of Pokemon Heroes will start, and we will be entering a new stage in Pokemon Heroes. See you next chapter!
Read and Review please :-)
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