Hello again everybody, how are you? I would like to thank you for clicking on this story and I hope you enjoyed it. Today I'm back with chapter 6 and this one is picking up directly after they shook hands. I did a really bad job incorporating the Pokemon in that chapter, but I figured Ash wouldn't be watching Pikachu fight when he's got six guys he needs to fight. Seven counting Drew I guess. I hope this will be longer than the last one, I thought the content would take up more space. Sorry about that but without anymore delay, here is chapter 6.
Sailor Taichichi Vegeta: Solidad got locked up for having associated with the rebels in Sinnoh, kind of made that up just now but there's your answer. I figured it would have been easy for everyone to figure out who the Ranger is. I tried to make it obvious. I wasn't sure about the hat but i wanted to make it so he had something covering his head cause he always does regularly. I didn't want to use a hood either so I'm going to have a backstory for how he got the hat. The mushrooms don't really heal, they just don't kill when applied to the wound, nothing more. Wouldn't you punish someone who failed to hold up their end of the bargain? I know I would, or charge double, or plus 10% of the original charge each day that the person does;t pay me back.
Chapter 6: The End of the Beginning
"Follow me" he said, turning around as he did. May only nodded in response, not that he could see that, but he knew she was going to follow him. He walked just a few steps before pausing for a moment and wincing. He brought a hand up to his chest and muttered "Adrenaline wore off". He looked around for a moment before spotting something and walking over to the stump of a tree. He crouched down and reached for something, May recognized it immediately, "Wait don't touch those!" she yelled
He already and a mushroom in his hand though and was glaring at her. "SHHHHHH" he hissed. "Do you want the others to wake up and come after us? Not to mention the Houndoom". He turned away though, not really wanting an answer. "You have to crush them to get them to release the gas, you can tear them up fine". He reached up and grabbed his mask and pulled it down till it was around his neck and then ripped the stem from the head put the stem in his mouth and chewed. May looked at him like he was crazy. Did he not just say that crushing it would release the gas. But this was the first time she got to see his face, even if it was just barley the side of it. He was tan, with a defined face that looked like cold and unforgiving. But before she could go around him to see more of his face he spat out the the chewed remains of the stem into his gloved hand and brought the mask back up, dropping the head of there mushroom, sort taking its place in his hand. He mixed the two together and stretched his shirt so he could see down it. He put the black mixture down his shirt and tool a sharp intake of air while applying the makeshift salve onto his wound. His face was contorted in pain, but he pulled his hand out soon enough and let out a deep breath.
"Pikapi?" his Pikachu asked. He glanced at his partner and said "Yeah I'll be fine, just got to find some proper medical supplies and I'll be good as new".He stood back up and Pikachu jumped on his shoulder
"Are you insane?" May whispered "That stuff knocked me and Eevee out. Who knows what it'll do if you put it on a cut"
"It will cause a blood clot to stop the bleeding" Ash said "Now lets get out of here. I don't like this place" He didn't wait for an answer, he just turned around and began to walk away.
May sighed and began to follow him. It hadn't been too long till they came to a small ridge line that led to a half pipe looking ditch that ran down the forest. Probably marking the territory between some Pokemon. It was about twenty two feet deep with rocks of various shapes and sizes at the bottom and had round sides on each part that wouldn't be difficult to scale. Some broken trees were on the other side as well and their roost made nice grips and footholds. A very large tree that made plenty of room for three people to walk side by side was laid across it. "Over there" Ash said and walked towards it. He stepped on first and held out his hand for May to grab. She took his gloved hand and he pulled her and Eevee, who had been asleep in May's arms the since May pulled her from the under the tree.
"Thanks" May said. The Ranger just grunted what she assumed was a "your welcome" and turned to start walking on the makeshift bridge. But the moment he turned around he froze. Pikachu from his perch in his Ash's shoulder began to sniff the air and growled, electricity sparking from his cheeks. Eevee woke up too and squirmed a little in May's arms. "What is it?" May asked
"I'm not su-" before he could finish his sentence a large grey arm came from nowhere and batted him diagonally off the bridge and he landed on the rounded edge of the ditch on the other side of the bridge. He struggled his way up, Pikachu right beside him also trying to get up but before he could stand a small shockwave shook he earth beneath him. May screamed and he looked up to see a mutated grey Machamp jump off the bridge in to the center of the ditch and start walking towards him.
"Ma champ!" it roared.
"Where in the hell did he come from?" Ash groaned out. He threw his bow to the ground and the arrows with it knowing that it would be all but useless against a Machamp.
The Machamp took one step forward towards Ash, closing the fifteen foot gap in half. Ash painfully rose to his feet, Pikachu standing next to him, "Run now!" he yelled at May. As soon as the words left his mouth the Machamp took a swing at Ash who rolled to the side and Pikachu jumped to the other. "Pikachu thunderbolt!" Ash yelled. Pikachu let loose a massive thunderbolt at the Machamp who took the attack in full. But once the light faded the Machamp stood, infected by the powerful attack. "Damn" Ash muttered and he ran at the Machamp, using the high ground to his advantage. The Machamp there another punch at Ash who jumped over the arm, attempting to swipe at its neck. Only to be punched back by the second arm on the Machamp's left side. He slid back about eleven feet and pulled down his mask, coughing up blood. He left his blood stained mask around his neck
"Pikachu volt tackle!" he ordered his friend to do. Because sprinted at the Machamp and soon became coated in a bright golden light that radiated electricity and jumped at the Machamp. The Machamp however just grabbed used his two right arms to punch Pikachu simultaneously from the right and from below. "Oikachu iron tail" Ash ordered. Pikachu spun in mid air and blocked the incoming strike from below, but he could do nothing about the strike from the side and was pushed towards Ash who began to sprint at the Machamp while Pikachu grabbed his attention. He dropped his blade and caught Pikachu.
"You alright buddy?" he asked. "Pika" Pikachu said with an affirmative nod.
"Quick attack from below him while i attack from above. Got it?" Piakchu nodded once again. He placed Pikachu to the ground and grabbed his sword again and looked up to see a fist directly in front of his face and was blown back a lot.
"PIKAPI!" Pikachu yelled as he ran towards his fallen partner. Ash dug his sword in the ground and used it as a cane to get back up, his body howling in protest, demanding that he fall back down and stay still till the pain went away. "Pikachu behind you!" he yelled to his friend. Piakchu turned to see a dynamic punch coming straight at him. "No" Ash yelled as Pikachu was thrown down in the ditch away from the battle.
He turned back to his opponent and saw him running right at him. ducked under tyne first punch and moved to the right of the second. He thrusted his sword in the Machamp's ribcage but was met with yet another punch to the stomach and then grabbed by the collar of his shirt and seismic tossed into a tree, there was an audible crunch when hit the tree with his shoulder and then fell to the ground on his back. He sat up with his back against the tree and coughed up more blood. He looked up into the eyes of the Machamp who had two of his hands on either side of Ash and kneeled with his face just inches from Ash's. The Machamp roared in Ash's, but Ash sat their and stared back with cold, unflinching eyes.
"STOP!" a voice yelled. The Machamp turned to the voice that came from the ditch. May stood with Eevee at her side, staring into the Machamp's eyes, her gaze never wavering. The Machamp bound two steps till he was right in front of her and bent down till he was face to face with her just like he had been with Ash and yelled in her face as well. She flinched but did not step back. Eevee however, did take two steps back, but Piakchu stood and placed himself protectively in front of her. May continued to stare into the Machamp's eyes and the Machamp into hers. Ash watched from his spot at the tree. He could see May facing off against the Machamp and tried to tell her to run but just ended up coughing up more blood. But then the Machamp just stood to his full height and walked away. But before he went into the forest from the direction that they came from he turned back and looked at May before turning back and going into the woods.
Ash scrambled up the moment the Machamp disappeared in to the forest and stumbled his way down the slope while holding his shoulder. "I thought I told you to run" he said. "If I had ran when you told me to, you would be dead". He didn't respond to that, he just stared at her for a second before turning his head to the side and spitting out what remaining blood he had in his mouth.
"Vee!" Eevee's call brought their attention to the two Pokemon, one of which was snuggling up against the exhausted Pikachu. Pikachu sweat dropped a little at this, but May let out a small giggle and even Ash cracked a smile. May turned to Ash who looked on the entire seen with amusement, a small smile gracing his lips. Now she could see his whole face and past the cold look in his eyes and the intimidating figure, he was really handsome.
"What are you staring at?" he said looking back at her. Realizing she had been staring she turned her head away and said "Nothing impressive I can tell you that much". He just smirked at that.
"Pikachu are feeling up for some recon for me?" he asked Pikachu.
"Pika Pikachu" he responded
"Thanks" Ash said and watched as Pikachu made his way to the edge of the ditch, Eevee still rubbing up against his side.
Ash found the whole site amusing and watched with a small smile as Pikachu struggled to get up with Eevee glued to him. But as soon as Piakchu and Eevee were gone he turned to his arm. He brought his blood stained mask up to his mouth and rolled it up into a budge before biting down on it, making it look like he was gagged. He grabbed his dislocated arm and shoved it back into place. If it hadn't been for the gag, anything within a half mile radius would have heard him. But the gad only made it so it was audible enough for May to hear his cry of pain. He spat the cloth from his mouth and it fell to his neck once again, and spat on the ground o few times to get the copper taste out of his mouth.
He spun his arm in a circle a few times and flexed it. He sighed in relief, nothing appeared to be broken or cracked, his ever present bad luck seamed to have given him a little leeway. "I hope your Eevee's sudden infatuation with my Pikachu will not hinder the job" he said suddenly.\
"What do you mean by that?" May said accusingly
"I mean that Pikachu will not be able to effectively battle if he has to worry about an Eevee on the sidelines"
May sighed, seeing his point. "I'll make sure she doesn't get in the way", Ash nodded. He was suddenly right in front of May with a knife in his hand. He grabbed her skirt and took the knife and cut it off till it was at above knee height. She looked at him incredulously.
Ash smirked "Don't flatter yourself, you can run faster with a shorter skirt" He turned a little before turning back. "Take the knife"
"What?" May asked
"Take the knife". May took the knife from his hands. "If someone ever reaches out to grab you like this" he reached out with a straight arm to grab her " you bring your arm up at a ninety degree angle and bat their outstretched arm to the side which leaves their chest completely open" he used his other hand to show her how to bat his arm to the side the brought the a=hand with the knife in it and locked the blade in-between his arm and ribs. "If you get a chance like that. You drive the blade through that person's chest till they drop to the ground" he let go of her hands.
"I couldn't do that to another human, or a Pokemon for that matter"
"Judging from the way things are going and the fact that you probably won't run away if we get in trouble, it looks like you won't have a choice"
May looked down, Not wanting to believe that she might have to kill someone. He looked at her and his gaze softened just a bit. "Hey, chin up. You did good" he said. She looked back up at him and smiled.
"Pikapi!" Ash heard Pikachu call. "Coming" he replied. He began to make the painful walk up the side of the ridge with May right next to him. He made it to the top and once again held his hand out for May to take. He lifted her the last couple of steps up, picked up his bow and arrows and began to walk towards edge of the forest.
About thirty minutes later they found themselves at the edge of the forest, leading into a small field of reeds that bordered a body of water that held a thick mist over it. "Finally" Ash muttered. He walked through the reeds without hesitation and after a few moments all four of them (Eevee back in May's arms and Pikachu on Ash's shoulder split the last barrier of reeds to reveal the the wide, slow flowing river. And the anchored boats that held masked archers and warriors on it.
"Only dark types and mutated Pokemon come out of there" A woman with spiky orange hair said "So what were you doing in a place for dark types?"
"We just want to get across the river and out of that hell hole" Ash responded
The woman nodded, satisfied with his answer and the bowmen lowered the weapons. Soon the group was heading across the river. "I'm Misty" the woman said, sitting opposite of the group while others i the boats gently rowed, the task not taking much energy. "I'm the leader of Cerulean Town".
"Cerulean Village? Isn't it Cerulean City?" May asked.
Misty shook her head. Cerulean City wasn't on the river like Cerulean Village is. During Giovanni's original rise to power the towns people of Cerulean had a little rebellion ending with Cerulean being burned and having all the Pokemon being taken away. All we have is each other and some houses on the water with Magikarp to eat".
"That's horrible" May said. "It's how things are" Misty shrugged "We still live a decent life"
"How did you not know that happened?" Ash asked
"I was a prisoner of Giovanni, I wasn't exactly kept up to date with all the events in Kanto" May said hotly
"Be that as it may your parents should have told you that long before you were sent to prison" Ash said.
"Well they didn't" May said
"So I've told you who I am, now you should return the favor" Misty said
"We're just travelers trying to get into Hoenn" Ash said
"Really? Just travelers huh? Your sword and other weapons tell me something else" Misty said
"I'm sorry, I forgot it was illegal to carry weapons around when you travel" Ash replied
"Alright you win this round, but could you at least give me name?" Misty asked.
"No"
The rest of the ride was quiet and without any conversation. Soon though, a small collection of reed and wooden houses held up by the banks of the river. The roofs were each made from reeds and straw that slanted downward with thin wooden walls supporting them. "Not a bad place you got here" Ash said
"Was that sarcasm I detected in your voice?" Misty said accusingly
"No, that would be honesty. Just take the compliment" Ash said, not wanting to get into an argument. The came to a slow stop and Ash got out and help those who were also sitting in the boat out. "Pikachu, keep an eye on Eevee would you?"
"Pika pikachu?!" Pikachu looked at Ash incredulously.
"I don't care if she's taken a fancy to you just do it. This seems like the kind of place she would get lost in. She's too happy for her own good"
Pikachu sighed and bent his head down then nodded, "Thanks".
He walked over to where MaY was talking to Misty. "How much will it cost to stay here for the night?" May was asking. "How about three silver pieces for each of you and two for the Pokemon. Sound like a deal?" Misty said the last part looking over May's shoulder at Ash who nodded in response. He took out ten silver pieces from somewhere behind his black cloak.
Alright you guys stay in that house over there, its where I'm staying too".
"What don't you trust us?" Ash said in a sarcastic voice
"When a Charizard swims". "What were you doing out in the water. Were you waiting for us?" May asked
"We were fishing, we just have guard boats in case a Pokemon decides to attack and when we heard you coming through the reeds. Fishing rods were switched to bows"
"Can I get some medical supplies? Like some berries or something?" Ash asked
"Sure" Misty turned around and yelled "HEY TRACEY. GET SOME BERRIES!"
A young man who had been sitting on the edge of the dock who appeared to be writing something down on some parchment jumped a little. "Yes Misty" he said before running into a house and coming back with a bowl full of berries. "Come on lets go inside our house" Misty said, already heeding into one of the houses which Ash, Pikachu, May and Eevee entered shortly after.
There were a few other people in the house. The man Tracey had followed the in and there were three other woman sitting around table. "You sit here" Misty ordered Ash who would normally get mad at being ordered around but he could tell this was a woman you would not want to piss off and sat down on the bed she pointed to. "Take off the cloak, sword, bow, hat, and shirt".
"What?!" May yelled
"Relax he's got some injuries right? He wouldn't ask for medicinal berries if he didn't have injuries so I'm going to treat him and judging from the blood stained area, I'd say it's on his torso".
Ash nodded, confirming her analysis and took the hat, cloak and shirt off, leaving him bare chested. Misty couldn't help it. She didn't think that he would actually have any muscle under his cloths. So when he took his shirt off she couldn't help but blush a little at seeing his surprisingly defined chest. At least she wasn't the only one though, the girl he was with also had a visible blush on her face, but when Misty turned to look at her sisters, they all had something akin to lust in their eyes.
"Uh A-alright uh" Misty stammered for a moment her train of thought lost "lets g-get that...what is that?" she asked halfway through her sentence.
"It and adhesive I made to stop the bleeding" Ash responded
"W-well take this cloth and wipe it off" Misty said, turning away from him.
"Perhaps I would be more suited to attend to his wounds" the man named Tracey said.
"I think that might be a good idea" Misty replied quickly
Tracey walked over and took the bowl from Misty. He sat down on a stool in front of Ash and began to clean the wound.
Misty quickly walked over to May to save herself from embarrassment. But when she looked back, Ash didn't even give her a second glance. It's like he didn't notice the girls blushing.
"By the look of these scars on your chest I'd say this isn't the first time you've run into trouble" Tracey said, indicating the other few faded scars on his chest.
"These are trying times, you can't expect to not run into trouble when you travel like we do" Ash said
"True, but you usually don't go looking for trouble, and there's nothing but trouble in the Dark Forest. So what were you doing in there?"
"Trying to go around the bandits and the wild Pokemon" Ash said
"I see" Tracey said. "Well the "wild Pokemon" are all that's in the Dark Forest. So you wouldn't have avoided them at all"
"We didn't, but one Machamp is better than ten Flareon" Ash said, starting to get annoyed with the questions.
"So that's why you have all these bruises. I'm surprised you managed to take on a dark Machamp and come out with so few injuries"
"Thanks I guess"
"Your welcome" Tracey said. Well that should do it. I wouldn't recommend tossing and turning in your sleep because those are going to hurt in the middle of the night. But you shouldn't even feel it in the morning. It sure will be one hell of a night for you though" e said while walking out.
"Greeaaat" Ash said sarcastically while pulling his shirt over his head again, but leaving his cloak and hat under the mattress and laying down on the bed and closing his eyes.
"Hey, get up from the bed" Misty said to him "You got work to do"
Ash opened one eye at looked at her for a moment "I have work to do" he repeated "Why should I be doing work?"
"Well if you don't want any dinner than by all means". Ash sat up and looked at her before sighing. "What work would I be doing exactly?"
"Your just going to fish for your meal. In this town, you keep what you catch. So no one is going to providing for you"
"That's it? Alright just give me five minutes". Ash stood from the bed and walked outside with Pikachu, Eevee still with him, outside.
"Hm, he thinks he's so tough doesn't he. He can never beat my our though" Misty went over to another bed and grabbed something that lay under the mattress. She brought up a small wooden carving of herself that had been colored to look like her.
"Does that really work?" May said. She didn't know much about fishing but she knew that you used a hook with some sort of bait. The bait varied depending on the Pokemon.
"No, it doesn't" one of the three girls from the table said "In fact it seems to drive the Pokemon away from it".
"Really?" May said, giggling a little. "Yep" she said also laughing a bit "My names Daisy and this is Lily and Violet. We're Misty's older sisters"
"It's a pleasure to meet you" May said
The second she finished her sentence Ash walked back in carrying a live Magikarp, its body flailing around helplessly. "Dinner is served" Ash said sarcastically
Misty's surprised look turned into a glare and she grabbed the fish by its tail from his arms. "This will do I suppose. A little on the small side though" She said, trying to regain some of the pride she lost.
Ash just shrugged, "Whatever, do you need me to kill it?" he asked
"No, I can do it myself" Misty said hotly before walking in another part of the room that was most likely a kitchen.
Ash sighed and muttered "Woman" before laying back down on the bed he was assigned.
"You can sleep on the bed across from him" Daisy said, pointing to the bed on the other side of the room. Their were six beds, three lined with a small space in-between each bed on both sides of the room. May walked over to the bed and sat down. Soon the smell of something burning filled the air and everyone heard Ash sigh and stand and walked over to the kitchen. It was silent for a moment before you could hear Misty'd muffled voice through the wall.
"Hey what are y-...No, stop. I can...How do you know...Really?...Prove...After the barely audible snippets of the conversation it was quiet and the burning smell faded away shortly. Ash reappeared a little bit later with multiple flays of the Magikarp on a large plate and he held a few more plates under it, one for each person in the house. He set the plates around the table and put the larger one in the middle. He then turned and went back into the kitchen without speaking a word to any of them and returned with some knives and forks with an embarrassed Misty right behind him and set them out.
"Anyone hungry?" Ash asked. The three sisters all grabbed a flay and put it on their plates and May and Misty came over and did the same. "Wow" Lily said "This is actually pretty good. So you can cook too?" Lily asked. Ash nodded "You have to learn how to make food for yourself when your on the road for days at a time. You can't rely on taverns and inns to be in the middle of a forest"
"Well this is good for someone knows cooking just to provide for himself. Most people who travel's cooking is mediocre and not that good. So how did you learn how to cook so well?" Violet asked
"My former companion... always had a dream to become a successful innkeeper. And to do that he needed to know how to make very good meals. He taught me how to make a decent meal in the least amount of time possible without having to worry about things like the meat being undercooked"
"Sounds like you have had some adventures in your life" Violet said
"I think it's safe to say that I have" Ash said. "Well? Are you going to tell us some?" Misty asked
"Eager are we?" Ash said with a smirk. Misty blushed "N-no. I'm just tired of you not talking about yourself". Ash chuckled at her weak response
"Alright I tell you a tale or two" Ash said
-Later that Night-
They all lay on their beds. The four sisters were asleep and Eevee slept snuggled into May's arms. Even Pikachu slept comfortably next to the pillow. Ash however was outside sitting on the pier, looking out into the river.
"Can't sleep?" a voice behind him asked.
"Hello Tracey, shouldn't you be in bed" Ash responded
Tracey sat down next to him "I could say the same thing to you" Tracey countered and Ash grunted in response
"You know, you aren't like any travelers that I've seen. We barley get anyone here, but those who do come and stay for a little are always afraid of something. It could be the king's men, bandits, Pokemon, but they're always afraid of something. When I look at you though, you seem to fear nothing"
"No one is fearless" Ash said "Anyone who says they are is a liar and an idiot. The key is finding that fear"
"So what do you fear Ranger?" Ash looked up at him when he called him Ranger. "Oh come on. No else may have noticed but I know who you are"
Ash merely grunted again "Then why didn't you say anything?"
"Because if you were here to cause trouble I doubt any of us would have known till you were done" Tracey said
"I'm not as good as people say. The trick is all in appearance. The more they fear you, the less trouble you get. Unfortunately it's a double edged sword, the people who do want to cause trouble are good fighters and it's not eas-" he paused. "Do you smell something burning?" Ash asked
A streak of light in the sky caught their attention and it landed on the roof of Ash current accommodation. The second it landed five more flaming arrows came from the reeds that lay to the side of the village. "Oh shit!" He yelled before standing up and running towards the house he was staying at, arrows still coming down from the night sky.
He kicked the door open, waking everyone up. "Everyone get out now!" he yelled. They all stood at his urgent tone and ran out the door to see fire blazing on all the houses and men coming in from the reeds. Ash dashed in the house and grabbed his equipment and hurriedly putting it on, Pikachu waiting for him, before going back outside to houses coated in flames. He looked around to find his client but saw her nowhere and grabbed a person running past him with the small stream the ran by him as well. "Where is everyone going?" he demanded
"They're all going to the boats and getting out of here" she said before running away again. He took off in the same direction, but as he ran he saw soldiers grabbing people, one of which was Violet. A soldier had her by the throat and was chinking her with one hand. He ran over to her and drew his sword, slashing the occupied man in the back. "Where is everyone else?" he asked Violet. She coughed for a moment before choking out "They're at the boats by now". He grabbed her arm and brought her up and made his way with the few towards the boats.
Once he made it to the rocking beach that lay to the opposite side of where the soldiers emerged from the village, he saw her helping people into the boats, Eevee standing right beside her. He ran over to her her and grabbed her arm. "We're heading down, not across" Ash said.
"Are crazy! They'll catch us in no time".
Not under the cover of night. And if we go with these people they will suffer more than the already have" Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder halfway through his sentence.
Misty came up after hearing their plan. "Go now, we'll be fine"
May paused at that. "Now you see my point? So lets go" He slid his hand from her forearm to her hand and picked up Eevee and put her so she was on his other shoulder and sprinted down the edge of the beach till it ended and ran in the water and it went down up to the top of his knees.
Ash spared one last glance back at the village, but all he saw was houses covered and in flame and falling to the ground. A sight somehow familiar.
That's chapter six for you guys, I hope you enjoyed. I am uploading this from a hotel room because I'm in Maryland for a tournament so i'm a little worried about if this will upload or not and knowing my luck, it probably won't. Hate, suggestions, and anything else you want is welcome as always. Thanks for reading, till next time
-novaking2832