After a long morning of bickering, professional and personal advice, motivational talk, reliving of funny moments of their childhood and showing their Pokémon their stories, Gary and Ash were somewhat tired but Ash wanted to do a final stop: he hadn't shown Pikachu the school, since his last tour had been during school hours and the director didn't want a Pikachu distracting the kids.
They came into the empty building,
-Wow... it's almost exactly the same as when we studied here! -Gary said, looking at the yellow walls of the main corridor; the only change was the new posters on the announcement columns; everything else, down to each classroom's window flowerpots and even some of the students's graffitty was the same.
-Ash... wanna look for the graffitty I made about you all those years ago?
-Gary, you suck at drawing, I bet they removed it because it was too ugly!
-Hey, I can't do miracles regarding the beauty of my model, Ashy-boy!
Ash glared. -Anyway, I bet it's not here anymore!
I say let's look for it! -he grabbed Ash by the arm and dragged him to the boys's bathroom stall Gary knew Ash used in primary school. Yes, he knew; they were each other's stalker.
-OH MY GOD! It's here! -Gary was red with laughter, and Pikachu and Umbreon thought the badly drawn concept of a stick figure Ash pooping was extremely funny as well.- The cleaning people seem to really like it, Ash! All other bathroom graffitty are gone!
-I gotta admit it's funny, but why did you do that, Gary? -Ash thought it was funny nowadays too, although back then he had grabbed Rattata poop and had shoved it into Gary's lunchbox after seeing the work of art. A temporary truce had occurred afterwards.
-I don't know, Ash! I was probably mad at you that day. I wouldn't do something like that anymore... at least not to my best friend!
Ash didn't expect this; he thought the one time Gary had recognized as a best friend had been a once-in-a-lifetime event. They smiled and stared into each others eyes for a moment. Pikachu jumped onto Ash's shoulder
-Pikachuuu! Chuu. -Pikachu pulled Ash's hair
-Oh, yeah, let's keep walking. Hey, let's go to the art classroom! Let's see what they're doing now!
On the way to the classroom, right before the door to the sports courts and the art classroom, some announcement columns were encountered by the trainers and their Pokémon. Something called Ash's memory back;
-Missing children and funerary announcements! -Ash gasped- Gary, a kid was killed last night almost next to my house! It seems this kid wasn't the only one... Scary, huh?
Gary paled as he recalled a warning. If Ash didn't remember and didn't notice anything he'd be immune, right? Himself, however, was a different story...
-I need the bathroom. -Gary declared, turning green, and ran into the bathroom with both Pokémon on his tail (Pikaaa! Breon!)
Sure, it's quite impressive that there's some psycho out there killing kids, but why would Gary, a scientist, get sick all of a sudden over it? He'd be fine, maybe it was food poisoning; it could happen to anyone.
Ash Ketchum studied the children. Each poster had a picture, the year the children were in and where they were from. Kaitlin, Bradley, Megan... the murdered child from yesterday's obituary wasn't here yet. He looked at the pictures again. How horrible. And then he noticed the names had changed.
Rob. Ellie. Sandra. He knew those names! He suddenly heard their voices in his head like a distant memory. (I'm Rob! I'm Ellie! I'm Sandra!) Impossible! He sweated cold. Kaitlin stuck out her tongue; Ash rubbed his eyes, sure he'd seen wrong, but now Kaitlin was Rob, Bradley was Ellie, Megan was Sandra... and there were two new ones: Matt and Tonfers from Gary's grade.
-Feeling left out, Ashy-boy?
Ash jumped in fright. He looked around, looking for the voice owner.
-Up here! Look up!
In a broken ceiling pannel, Ash found the gaze of a pair of hollow, black eyes which belonged to a grease-painted white face with a blood-red smile that hid putrid, yellow teeth.
-Hi! -whatever that was waved, and Ash remembered who this thing was. He swallowed a scream and fell to the floor- Don't worry about being left out! You can still pick a place on the board... except the fourth and fifth place on the row. They're already taken! But look-look! There's two places left! -it laughed- Maybe you can pick before your orphan friend does! -he made a joke trumpet sound- hahaha pick a card, Ashy boy! WAHAHAHA!
The clown threw several colorful cards at Ash, which fell on the floor around him in the form of blades, and then the beast faded into darkness. Ash was relieved of the paralysis he'd uncounciously found himself in. Then he realized who the "orphan friend" was.
-GARY! -he shouted, and ran toward the bathroom
Gary sat on the floor with his back leaning onto the wall, breathing heavily as Pikachu and Umbreon stood by his side. When Ash came in, Pikachu seemed to want to tell Ash Gary was in a pretty bad shape.
-Gary, are you ok? -he knelt and held him by the shoulders- Did you see anything strange? Didn't you hear what happened outside? Did you see the clown from when we were little?!
-Wha... What happened? Help me up, I need water... or sugar. Ash, let's get outta here! I have something to tell you!
-Gary, you look terrible! What happened? -professor Oak inquired when Umbreon, Pikachu and Ash came through the front door; the later was supporting Gary on his shoulder. He was now not only full of Arcanine hair, hay, grass but also sickly pale; not to mention being almost carried. This was embarrassing for Gary Oak.
-Nothing too bad, gramps, I guess I might have eaten a rotten berry or something during my trip here and didn't notice. -the professor raised an eyebrow but didn't object on the explaination. His grandson fighting an Arcanine and the fire dog poisoning him and making him roll into a haystack wasn't very realistic.- Ash, put me on my bed, you know where it is, right?
Once he had showered, eaten something professor Oak made him and had drank some tea, Gary seemed to be back to full health.
-Gramps knows how to do miracles about anything like this, right, gramps? Or ever wondered why I was rarely ever sick, Ashy? I did get sick, but gramps always knew what to do!
-Hah! Thank you Gary, but don't rely on that every time you come here, please! -the professor laughed, although he liked the recognition.
-I guess the people who take care of you since you are little know what makes you heal best, huh? -Ash smiled- My mom makes me feel so much better when I'm sick just by being there, too! I bet that's part of the magic.
After a while, Gary's grandfather was sure his grandson would be fine and left the room with Pikachu and Umbreon, since they both seemed to love the professor's company.
-So, what were you gonna tell me, Gary?
I'm not sure if I should... there's a chance it's better that you don't remember... that it's better you think it doesn't exist! Tell me if you think you know what I'm talking about.
I'd forgotten about a creepy clown for so long... until I saw it again, and I was afraid for the first time in I don't know how long..!
Check out the newspaper article on top of the Water Type Pokémon Portperties book... that will explain something about my reaction to the posters. Ash... I think we're being targeted again. But it didn't just kill us. We'd have to make it real, remember?
So it wasn't made up! -Ash told Gary what he saw at the announcement column- When did Matt and Tonfers... go? They appeared on the desd kids posters, but I thought they'd transfered schools!
Apparently, he and Tonfers went missing, but we were told they'd been transfered to another school because eight child murders was just too much for the town, and the murders suddenly stopped too... when WE stopped it.
You mean that clown thing might be wanting to get revenge on us?
I don't think it's about revenge... I'd say I was the only one who remembered it exists, so at first, it only targeted me and urged me to leave town, but I was sure you didn't remember it, so I'd only put you in danger if I said anything.
But I will always help you! I wouldn't want you to do it alone!
Still, I thought I'd be risking your life! And when you saw the posters, maybe the thing knew you could start remembering, and that's why it attacked you!
Hadn't we beaten it back then?
Remember your mom's box; this thing must come alive again and again every several years! We have to find a way to seal it permanently... We gotta get to its lair and leave any trace or source of it; not just to save our hides, but imagine all the kids that could die a horrible death if we don't!
I have a plan!
Let's hear it! You've saved my skin several times with your plans...
They would have failed without your calm, Gary!
I know! But what's your plan?
Remember it seems to reside at the pond? Why don't we bring our most powerful grass Pokémon and drain it for a while so we can sneak into the place this thing charges during those years? We cut its power with what's left of my mom's silver, and all that's left to beat is the beast-thing-whatever it is itself!
Sounds great! We'll have to convince our Pokémon to come though...
Hmm... we can bring them in Pokéballs and explain what's going on... I think we're not quite as easy to scare as when we were kids; I bet the fog trick won't work after all our travels and bad weather situations we've survived.
True! Well, How about a sleepover, like last time?
Sounds perfect! Your place! But... I'm pretty sure I won't fit on the Snorlax pouf anymore...
At the Poké Corral! -Ash said enthusiastically- Like old times's camping, surrounded by nature and Pokémon!
Gary began to see the positive side of camping out, too. Tonight would be fun.
-Ok, Ashy... the pond is drained, and as I suspected, there IS something beneath it. Same method as before! We hold hands if some kind of fog appears, and we don't force our Pokémon to come if they don't want to, but Venomoth will keep track of us, right Venomoth?
The moth seemed to agree. The other Pokémon didn't want to come but they looked concerned.
-Hey guys... we'll be fine! -Ash said, a little nervous- if anything serious happens, we know you will come to help us, so we'll have no chance of slipping, all right?
The Pokémon didn't even want to go near the hole in the middle of the pond. Gary noticed this image was even creepier without the pond water: the white water lillies were above them, and they were inside a hole about 6 feet deep, just like a tomb. The Pokémon looked sad, worried and even angry, like in Ash's Pidgeot's case, but it didn't dare approaching anyway. He was scared.
-Ash, I think it's better if we are linked by hand right when we enter... it seems like we won't be able to see for a while, even with the flashlights.
-All right. It seems narrow, too. -Ash took Gary's hand and started strolling to the well- I'll go front, you back.
Gary nodded. Something in his hand's demeanor told Ash he wasn't all that convinced of his position.
Dark! Narrow! Scary! Well of the three features.
You'd rather go in front? -Ash turned to see his friend's expression. He was serious, but he was also sad.
What if we fail? Then, everything we had to endure would have been for nothing? Maybe it wasn't as bad for you but... do you have any idea of the storms I had to go through as a kid? -Gary started shaking in rage- Ever wondered what it was like to feel that nobody around you cared what you thought as a person?
Gary... what's going on? Why are you telling me this now? I actually never realized you ever felt that way; you always looked confident, and even arrogant to me back then.
Of course not! But we can't let this thing win! When I was a kid, I used to think about my parents often... how they were dead, and that maybe I could have stopped it, but I didn't. It drove me to be so much more than a frightened, sad kid; I wouldn't have had the drive to prove I existed for a good reason! -tears started raining from his eyes. Ash was getting scared this might get out of control; this wasn't normal in Gary, and he was nearly breaking his hand with his, but didn't let go anyway- but I am sure most kids are not like me... -Gary raised his voice- they don't have what I have and usually only end up dead!
Gary... remember it targeted me too, back then. It wasn't because you deserved to be punished or die... I know you and you're a good guy; this thing is evil, and it's not punishing anyone; it's all a trick for it to eat.
Either way... help me beat this! Nobody deserves to be driven to want to die!
I've never wished to die, but I'm sure your struggles have made you this great, Gary... Now it's time for me to share a secret: I've always admired you in a way. And a rainbow appears only after a storm, right? And since you went through so much, you might be able to tell the truth appart from illusion easier than me.
Gary smiled and dried his remaining tears. He'd go in front; this time, he took Ash's hand and looked at him in the eye
-Are you ready?
-Whenever you are! -Ash smiled. Of course Gary should take the lead. Only somebody like him, who had stood up to his nightmares alone, could beat something as big and overfed as fear itself; only those who recognize they're scared can begin to beat the source and become masters of fear and recognizers of truth. He'd experienced more fear than Ash himself, even if you counted his adventures with legendary Pokémon and how they nearly killed him; Ash had also experienced more of friendship and empathy than Gary to know for sure that Ash Ketchum would risk his life if it was to save his friends's and his town. They entwined fingers and took a step into the well. Then a second, and third, a fourth, and before they knew they had vanished from their Pokémon's sight into the darkness.
The sound of footsteps on muddy terrain was all Ash and Gary could hear after a short time into the cavernous hole that seemed to go on into darkness forever.
-Gary, I can no longer see the entrance! Can you see anything? I don't dare take off my eyes off our backs...
-I can't... turn off your flashlight; what if we're stuck without batteries? I brought a spare, but still...
Ash turned off his flashlight and was terrified to find total darkness: no moon, no stars, no Team Rocket trying to steal... they were better than this; at least they weren't murderers... most of all, no Pikachu. Just him and Gary; the older guy was his only lifeline now; he felt like he was being engulfed by a vacuum, and more so because Gary's hand was growing colder, like he was almost only skin and bones.
Gary didn't like the idea of turning off the back flashlight, but this tunnel seemed to go on for pretty long. He was afraid that once they ran out of batteries, he could fall into a trench and drag Ash with him on the way down. What if there was an obstacle and he couldn't see it? Or something other than the clown down here? The mud sometimes cracked, and he'd pointed the flashlight on it just to make sure the sounds came from little bones of former preys, but sometimes the bones were way too big for belonging to mice, Rattatas and rats.
Soon enough, Gary hit something with a pudding-like texture and jumped. Or at least tried to, because a white hand with red and yellow pustules held his left foot, and its grip was very strong.
-Ash, I'm trapped! What's behind us? -the hand tried to get him to the floor and appart from Ash- USE THE FLASHLIGHT NOW!
Ash illuminated a white, slimy-looking body of what looked like a deformed person with no legs, tiny arms and a long neck, on top of which was a head with huge, zebra-like teeth and two holes instead of eyes. His first reflex was to run, but tripped when he felt Gary still attached to his hand.
-Ash, this thing is too strong! we can't run! Whatever you saw, it's probably an illusion, so convince yourself it's not there and it'll go away!
But it didn't. Ash saw the slime man come closer and closer, baring its teeth as the boy sweated, trying harder to deny its existence. Gary screamed in pain as his ankle spraint;
-Forget it, Gary! We have to attack! This is real! Grab the silver knife, quick! Stab it and I'll toss the silver tray on its head -he searched the bag as the teeth started dripping with green, putrid saliva. Those teeth weren't sharp, but with the right aim, they could bite off his nose at least. He needed aim. Like on his and Gary's first real-life battle. He hit the thing on the head, but another hand came out of the ground to grab Ash. He dodged it, but Gary had trouble with the hand holding his foot; Ash came by his side and kicked the hand savagely in a fit of hysterical fear; it let Gary go with a yelp, and another pair of hands came from the ground; Gary cut them with the silver knife, and all that was left now was the head and body; Ash dragged Gary into the back of it, and inserted a silver tray blow on its neck while Gary stabbed its body; it turned around to bite them, but Gary slit its throat before it could make a move, and it turned to dust after it burst into flame; Gary took it as an oportunity to see the surroundings while Ash couldn't help but fall on the floor and stare in awe.
-What the fuck was that?! -Ash muttered- That wasn't the clown... could it be some of the things we see are real?
-None of them had actually physically attacked us, Ash... I doubt it. But this place has more monsters than we first thought, we gotta be more careful. I'll pay more attention to the floor now... the rotten hand spraint my ankle and now every step I take hurts like hell... if I fall down and can't continue, save yourself, ok, Ashy?
-No way.
-Stubborn as always. Anyway, the tunnel goes into a bigger chamber in a few meters; let's see what's in there...
Said chamber was indeed large, and had a lot of spiderwebs. Some of them were holding the skeletons of a few children.
-We were never wrong, Ashy -Gary whispered as he held Ash's hand tighter- here are all of them... incluiding the recent ones -he pointed at a pile of more recent dead bodies in horror. Ash began to cry-
-Welcome to my house! I didn't order delivery service, but I'll gladly take it... -a spider the size of a small car came out of a hole in the corner- I can tell I won't be able to move after eating so much young human flesh!
Gary gritted his teeth, and the spider burst into a bright light. Ash got hipnotized by it, but Gary knew what this was about and as he let go of Ash's hand, dug the silver knife into the spider's light source with both hands. It twisted and turned to Gary, who then threw a stone.
-Come and get it! You'll never eat anyone or anything ever again! Today we finish you, and you know we can!
Hearing Gary's voice, Ash woke from a dream that kept him statue still: his dream of circus, candy, colorful balloons and his Pokémon. Of Misty, Brock, Tracy and the others all going to see a show with Wabuffets and Bellossoms.
The popcorn he'd just ordered got dyed in a red substance that smelled like iron, and the confetti that blurred his vision faded as Ash took a gasp at reality.
Gary was in a hand-to-hand combat with an eight "handed" spider. He had a cut on the arm that probably needed stitches and he winced with each left foot step. Ash ran into action and flung the bag at the spider from behind to hit it square on the head. Gary pulled away from its grip, as it had already began to catch him in a spiderweb coccoon.
The spider turned to Ash and snatched the bag off his hands. Ash began to panic, but then saw a huge femur bone and remembered the Marowak: they attacked with bone boomerangs.
-Now you're gonna be killed by your own prey! I bet this is gonna be embarrassing!
The spider turned to Gary again as Ash threw the bone; the spider leg hit Gary on top of the head and the bone hit the spider on said leg and ripped it off, causing a light to flood into the chamber, but Ash refrained to look directly into it; he hoped Gary'd do the same.
He didn't know Gary couldn't do that anymore.
Ash ran and used the ripped leg opening to bash the spider's brain in, and finally managed to cut its head off, and it turned to dust, just like the monster they'd beaten back in the tunnel.
Why wasn't Gary moving? Perhaps that's why he hadn't been attacked anymore?
Ash checked for a pulse and found it. He was uncouncious, had a spraint ancle, a cut on the arm, a huge bruise on the forehead, and didn't look like he'd wake up soon. Ash would have to carry him, but what if anything happened to him?
Then it occurred to him.
VENOMOTH!
It echoed. Would the moth hear him? Or Gary's Arcanine? The flashlight had broken when Ash had hit the spiderclown on the head with the bag once the tray wasn't available.
But soon, Umbreon appeared at the tunnel and Meganium and Pikachu behind her.
-Guys... thank you for standing by -Ash said, moved- help me get Gary outta here!
-Breonbreonbreonbreoooon! -Umbreon laid on top of Gary-
-Don't worry Umbreon, he'll be ok... he's warm and breathing, see? His chest still goes up and down. He just fainted. I remember having fainted once in front of him and he thought I was dead -Ash laughed, embarrassed- now, let's move him. Meganium, can you carry all four of us out of here? Umbreon and Pikachu can light the way!
Ash was beaming. He could barely believe it, but he and Gary had just beaten IT! That made them so much more than Pokémon Masters or Pokémon researchers. That made them real heroes even if they'd never get any recognition; they knew, and they'd know there's nothing invincible or more powerful than their own minds for the rest of their lives.
Ash held Gary close as they rode on Meganium. It was all over. Neither of them would have to run for their lives anymore.
-Ash, what happened!? -Delia Ketchum and professor Oak were having lunch when they saw the half-alive, mud covered Gary Oak Ash's equally dirty arms on a mud-covered Meganium.
-We had an accident... where's the hospital?
After several hours, Gary woke up from a deep sleep to find Ash Ketchum's head asleep on his hospital robe clad stomach as a pillow and his hand clasped in his own, the other with a serum syringe in it. He was also on a hospital bed. He was confused for a moment, but then the memories hit him. It was already dark outside and they were still alive, but had it been worth the trip?
Ash looked dumber when he was asleep, but it was sweet of him to have stayed with him after dark even when he was probably tired himself, not to mention saving his life when he could have probably just run away. He smiled, let go of Ash's hand and pushed a lock of black hair off his friend's forehead gently, hoping he wouldn't wake up just then. No such luck; Ash even noticed the gesture.
-Hey, Gary. Glad to see you're up.
Gary held back the surprise and asked directly if the thing was gone.
-It is. Forever. Thanks to us. It will never come back, I'm sure of it, all thanks to your courage and our combined strenght. We're invincible, Gary.
-This means all of our dreams have come true, doesn't it?
-All of our current dreams, and we'll make our future dreams come true as well, you'll see.
-With his thing gone... I'm free, Ash, thank you.
-So am I, Gary... there's nothing holding us back anymore.
The two friends took a long look at each other's beaming eyes and embraced.
END