Yo, I'm back again with another chapter of BFTH, I'm nearing the end of this tale and I'm getting excited. I hope you are too. One more after this chapter is my prediction, but I might reach 16 chapters, I guess we'll see, huh?
Read and review.
I don't own pokemon (No shit!)
I hope you enjoy!
Dawn wandered the halls of the motel, in search of one room. The one that May and Misty shared. Dawn and the rest of the girls played rock paper scissors to find out who'd room with whom. Dawn and Serena were put together and May got Misty. Dawn had no idea where the orange-haired girl went and why she seemed to be avoiding everyone. But, she didn't really care, she only cared about... May. Her rival. The person she hates the most! Someone viewed as perfect, someone who could be themselves without anyone telling them differently... The opposite of her... And she hates her for that fact!
Dawn walked up to the room and briskly knocked on the door. No answer. Dawn let out an irritated groan and rolled her eyes. "May, I know you're in there!" She called out from her side of the door. No answer, again. Dawn sighed and decided to just twist the doorknob and see what happens... and to her shock... it opened.
When Dawn walked in the room, she saw a silhouette of someone lying face down on the bed. "Hey, May." Dawn greeted with as kind of a face she could. All she was met with was groans. "Figures..." Dawn muttered, scanning around the room for the light switch. Once she found it, she flashed a foxy smirk and giddyly said. "Better close your eyes..." She flipped the switch and the lights shined down upon the room.
May groaned in anguish and rolled around on her bed, covering her eyes. "DAWN!" She screamed.
"Sorry." Dawn said completely devoid of apologetic sense.
"What do you want...?" May muttered, covering her eyes with a pillow.
Dawn shallowly laughed, playing with her skirt. "That's the funny thing, I don't really know..." She said, her eyes hazy, as if looking at something in the past.
"Then leave me alone..." Was all May said,
"Nope." Dawn said bluntly. She walked up to the bed and sat down on it, moving the blankets away. "I guess you could say I... have a confession." May didn't respond, but Dawn could tell that she was urging her to continue. "I am sorry about what happened with Makoto, but..." Dawn giggled at her thoughts. "We both know that he was just a substitute in the end!"
May's eyes went wide and threw the pillow off her face. "You... Know?!"
Dawn scoffed. "Of course I do. It's obvious that you loved Ash." She sighed in regret. "But, he's gone now..." May didn't say anything, just averted her eyes. "Y'know... I hate you." May almost spin around in a flash in astonishment. "I've always hated how you've been able to be yourself without having others question you. Being able to cry or growl about whatever you want without having anyone say " That's not like you" I just hate it... I can't be me..."
"Dawn..." May mumbled. She scooted up to her friend and tried to look at her, but Dawn avoided eye contact. "What do you mean, you can't be you?"
Dawn sighed, debating if she wanted to explain to her. "People expect me to be the bubbly, happy Dawn that always has a smile and be... me..."
May placed a hand on Dawn's shoulders. "No one expects you to be anyone else other than yourself."
"I!" Dawn was about to conjure up a retort, but then something hit her. "I... don't really know who I am..." She admitted, letting out a self-loathing laugh.
"Maybe you need to find out who Dawn is." May said sweetly, a smile on her face.
Dawn laughed some more. "This is ironic, you're the one who has a broken heart, but I'm the one who's getting a pep talk..." She sighed, her hand in a fist. "I'm pathetic..."
"That's not true." May said curtly, with all her being, because she believed what she said is true. "You're not pathetic, you're just someone who doesn't have a grip on herself." Dawn looked at her with a wry smile. "Y'know, before... Ash... I never spoke what was on my mind. Back when we all... broke his heart..." Bringing up what happened five years ago caused Dawn to wince and sighed in regret. "I was indecisive back then, I didn't choose his or... anyone's side, I just stood there, frozen, unable to do anything..." May breathed in, a small smile forming on her face. "So now, I live however I want, for him..."
Dawn returned May's smile with one of her own. "I think... I'm jealous of you, May." This caused the girl in question to tilt her head in confusion. "I covered it up as hate, but I think I just wanted to be like you, free and just yourself."
"You can be like that!" May exclaimed. "You just have to be yourself."
Dawn, with tears in her eyes, nodded. "Yeah..."
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, ARE YOU READY?!" The announcer was hyping up the crowd as Red and Paul were in their respective tunnels, getting ready. "ARE YOU READY FOR AN AMAZING BATTLE BETWEEN TWO HEAVY HITTERS IN THIS PHENOMENAL TOURNAMENT!" The crowd cheered, no roared with excitement. "ON THE RIGHT! THE EVER MYSTERIOUS, HOODED MAN FROM NOWHERE! RED ZERO!"
Red walked out with a cool face, his hood on and casually walking up to his spot. He was met with many cheers and some stoic faces. Red was quickly becoming a fan favorite, but some still don't care about the hooded man.
"ON THE LEFT! THE COOL, UNRELENTING, PAUL, BEST TRAINER IN SINNOH, SHINJI FROM VEILSTONE CITY!" The announcer, well, announced!
Paul walked out with a smug and relaxed face. He fixed his collar and flipped his hair tail, which made some of the girls squeal, then they earned deathly glares from Dawn. The stadium roared with cheer, almost jumping from their seats. Paul was very much beloved in Sinnoh.
"Wow, they both look ready for action!" Gary said with a laugh.
"They sure do."
The group consisting of Gary, Max, Bonnie, Serena and Clemont, turned around to see a familiar face they all missed in their lives. "BROCK?!"
"Hey guys..." Brock mumbled. He had crutches to keep himself balanced and a bandage wrapped around his head. But, despite it all, he had a smile on her face.
They all ran up to him, careful not to hurt him. "Brock what are you doing here?!" Max exclaimed, his glasses almost falling off in pure shock.
Brock let out a low chuckle, a smile ever present on his face. "I was cleared... for the most part."
Serena was next to chime in, with her head tilted. "What do you mean?"
Brock sighed, irritated at the situation. "I have been... ordered, to stay at the hospital until further notice." Brock shrugged, a grin coming back on his face. "But, I'm allowed to at least walk around for a bit..."
Gary walked up to his buddy and gently patted his shoulder. "Hey, I'm just glad you're here now, pal." A bright smile appeared on Gary's face, which Brock returned.
"Thanks, man." Brock nodded. Max and Clemont helped him to a seat.
Paul looked across the field at his opponent and spoke. "Yo, Red, don't be too disappointed if you lose!"
Red let out a vibrant chuckle. "Yeah, sure..." He rolled his eyes, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"LET'S DO THE COIN TOSS!" The referee declared, holding his even trusty coin.
On the jumbotron was a zoom in on the referee for the audience to see the coin toss better. But... just then... The screen started to glitch, making noise that caused everyone to cover their ears.
"What's going on, dammit!" Gary cursed, wincing from the sound as he tried to cover his ears.
"This world... is disgusting!" A voice that came from the jumbotron declared.
"Who.. is that?!" Max growled, trying his best to shield his ears.
The screen then changed from unrecognizable static to the image of a young woman, who had a face that was cold and unrelenting. Red was able to immediately identify the woman. "MAYA!?" He screamed in disbelief.
The harsh sounds subsided and the people turned their faces and ears to the jumbotron. "And I believe, along with all of my team..." The screen then showed the logo of Rainbow Rocket, which made the whole stadium gasp. Red clenched his fist when saw the logo, and Paul understood the meaning behind this. Gary was also shocked to see the logo and quickly darted his eyes over to Red. "That the world should be recreated!" Maya continued.
"What is she on about?" Serena questioned, her eyebrow raised.
"We, are Rainbow Rocket, and we have infiltrated this tournament, but we are no longer hiding, we will recreate this world, with the power of the AURA BLADES!" Maya preached, her eyes wild.
"What the hell, is she a part of a cult or somethin'?!" Brock quipped.
"No..."
The group turned towards the source of the voice, it was Red, he had jumped up to the stands from the field. "They, are Rainbow Rocket, a new face of team Rocket."
"Rainbow Rocket?" Brock parroted with a head tilt.
Red sighed, giving up. "GRAMPS?"
This caused everyone to "Ohhh" and "Ahhh" And Gary just laughed.
Red just shook his head. "I just can't believe this is all happening now!"
Yesterday
"Please, come in, Maya." Giovanni welcomed as Maya walked through the metal doors.
Maya took a seat in the front chair and smiled. "Sir, I know Seifer failed..." Maya started, but was cut off.
"Speaking of, he has not returned yet." Giovanni said with eyes that asked "Do you know why?"
"I... don't know why he hasn't responded, but, you can forget him for now, I have something I wish to share with you." Maya explained.
Giovanni nodded, his hands folded in a menacing stance. "Go on..."
Maya leaned in, hoping her boss would hear everything she had to say. "I think we need to... get Red out of the picture..."
Giovanni let out a hearty chuckle. "I couldn't agree more!" His face then instantly turned into the like of stone. "But, we both know he is... difficult."
Maya nodded, with a smile on her face. "Yes, I know. But, he is predictable. Despite his words, he will rush to shield his friends from any ill fated turn of events."
"What do you have in mind?" Giovanni pressed.
"I will interrupt the tournament broadcast and destroy our anonymity, announce our plans, and unleash our attack on the people. Red, no... Ash Ketchum, will rush to the aid of the people and his friends." Maya explained, and then sighed. "And that's when I'll kill him!" She said, her eyes full of fire.
Giovanni nodded in understanding. "I see..." He spun around to look out his window. "It could work..." He let out a heavy sigh. "I'll contact Mako-"
"No!" Maya interrupted. "I will act alone."
Giovanni raised his eyebrow in surprise, but then chuckled. "Very well."
Present
Makoto looked up at the screen with reproachful eyes. "Dammit... So, this is what he was talking about..." He looked over to Red, whom was chatting with his "friends" and sighed. "What will you do, leader?" Makoto muttered, walking out the stadium, with the voice of Maya in the background.
"There is one person who is denying our world the salvation that Rainbow Rocket is trying to bring about." Maya preached, then a picture of Red showed on screen. "Red Zero is denying us, and he will face our retribution, but the longer he stays alive, the longer you all's lives we be in peril."
"What is she talking about?!" Paul, who just made it up to his friends, exclaimed, his eyes full of anger.
Just then a scream was heard. "A POKEMON!"
The group all turned around to see a Beartic attacking a woman, who was lying on the ground clinging to her body. "Someone help!"
Red sprung into action, running up to the woman and bear. "GO, PIKACHU!" The yellow mouse companion who was long absent it seemed, jumped out of Red's coat and, with a flip, hit the Beartic with a mighty Iron tail.
"A Pikachu that knows iron tail..." Clemont mumbled followed by a hum.
The Maya on the screen continued, as if on cue. "I have unleashed rabid pokemon that are under the control of Rainbow Rocket to terrorize the city, and they will do as such until Red Zero delivers himself to me." Red looked up to the screen after making sure the woman was safe and gritted his teeth. "I will be in a place where no words are heard but many noises are made." Maya recited her riddle and then put on a sweet smile. "I hope to see you there soon, leader." The broadcast glitched to an end and the whole city broke out in a panic.
"Red!" Gary called out, trying to make this way to the man in question, but was knocked to his feet by a panicking man. With a yelp Gary hit the floor. "Dammit, what the hell..."
Paul helped Gary up and said. "We need to do something!"
"No crap!" Max growled looking at the havoc.
Red walked up to the group and proclaimed. "I need to go to Maya." His face showing that his mind is made up.
Paul walked up to the man and grabbed his hood. "No, you can't, dumbass, she wants to kill you!" He growled. "I won't let that happen!" Paul let out a broken sigh. "Not again..." He muttered.
Red peeled Paul's fingers off of him and flashed the warmest smile he could. "I know, and that's why I have to go to her." He looked at the rest of the group and the people around running away, finding what he needed to do. "I won't let people get hurt!" He turned around with a flick of his coat and ran off, but a voice stopped him.
"Red!" Brock called out, trying his best to stay upright. "Who are you really?! What the hell is going on?! Explain, you owe us that much!"
Red nodded, taking off his hood to show his face, which made the ones present gasp, because they knew who he was in that moment, a boy that was long forgotten by the world. "You're right, Brock, I do owe you that... But!" He started to run again. "IT'LL HAVE TO WAIT!" And then he was gone.
"Was that...?" Bonnie choked out, a tear forming in her eye.
"Yup." Paul walked up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "That was a ghost, Ash Ketchum."
Serena glared at Paul. "You knew?!"
Gary walked in the middle of the two. "That's not important right now, we need to get down to the city, you heard her!" He ordered, gripping a pokeball.
"You knew too, didn't you..." Serena grumbled, pouting.
Red ran through the street, dodging and weaving through the crowd in a frenzy, Pikachu and Lucario helping as many people as they could as they ran with their master. "Come on, outta the way!" Red yelled as he dashed throughout the mess of people.
"Ash, where are we going?!" Lucario called out, using aura as a form of communication.
"A place where no words are heard but many noises are made!" Red repeated the riddle as he continued to run.
"What does that even mean?!" Lucario yelled, not understanding the riddle.
"The woods!" Red screamed out. "She means the woods. No one goes to the woods, so no words, but there are many pokemon to make noises, so many noises are made!" Red explained, never stopping his pace.
Lucario was impressed. "Heh, I'm surprised you got all that."
Red let out a laugh as he ran. "Yeah, I know it's vague, but... I know Maya... and her brain." He looked up to see the woods he suspected Maya to be in. The ones overlooking the tournament arena. "She also did have an obsession with the woods..." He turned the corner and ran into the woods. "Lu, Pikachu, stay out here and help out as much as you can!" Both of them nodded and leaped into action to fight off a Beartic.
Once Red was out of sight both Seifer and Jillia leaped out of a tree. "He's taking the bait..." Seifer muttered, shaking his head in disappointment.
Jillia threw a piece of paper at Seifer that read "He knows what he's doing, have faith in our leader." Jillia glared at Seifer in a bratty way.
Seifer his hands up in defense. "Whoa, whoa, I'm not saying anything bad about him or anything!" Jillia kept her glare fixed on Seifer. "Psh, you're such a brat..." Jillia stuck her tongue out and walked away from him, writing on a paper.
She turned around and threw it at Seifer, whom mumbled "ouch" even though it didn't actually hurt him. The paper read, "what do we do?"
Seifer hummed in thought and rested his hand in his palm. "Help. The people. I think that's right, Big Maya... isn't right..." Seifer declared, his head full of many different things, but he knows that he has to stop this attack.
Jillia nodded with a smile and pulled out a pokeball, ran a hand through her hair and tossed it, to reveal a beautiful Ninetails. Jillia gave her pokemon a look, they've been training her pokemon to understand which gaze means what. The Ninetails flipped into action and spewed out a flamethrower at an Ursaring.
Seifer let out a small laugh as her watched Jillia, someone he saw as a sister, coping with her pain. He wished that all of that didn't happen, but... He knows that he can't change the past, only the future. "AND THE FUTURE NOW!" He screamed out, which caused Jillia to jump. He pulled out a blunt ceremonial sword that was hidden in his coat. It was a huge wooden beast of a great sword. It had an engraving of a dragon breathing fire on both sides. It was a weapon that was never meant to be used for murder. "Here I come, I'm gonna knock you pokemon back to your senses!" He charged at a Trevenant and hit it with his blunt blade, with the hope of freeing them from the Rainbow Rocket brainwash.
As Red ran through the woods he looked through the cracks of the trees and stood frozen at what he saw. "Is that... Seifer, Jillia?!" He was shocked to see Seifer leaping at a pokemon with his ceremonial sword and Jillia silently commanding her pokemon against the brainwashed pokemon. "Heh, they're..." Red burst out laughing. "I- I don't know what happened, but!" Red couldn't stop laughing. "They're... doing the right thing..." He smiled a warm grin. "Thanks, you two..." He was happier than he could ever be, and he didn't really know why.
Red began to run and again, making sure he made a grip on his Aura blade, the red blade of Aura. He didn't want to have to use it, he hopes he could just talk to Maya, so it doesn't come to blows, or god-damned bullets and blades! "Maya, please, be rational about all of this..." He prayed, his run never ending.
He ran and ran until he had to stop. He placed his hand on his knees in fatigue while panting. "Dammit, was I wrong?" He looked around for Maya, but she was nowhere to be seen. Just then, his blade hanging on his hip gleamed with the image of a bullet hitting his forehead in the blade. His eyes went wide and did a back flip and just barely dodged a bullet that, no doubt, would've killed him, proving the blades prophecy true.
"As quick as ever, leader..." Maya dropped down from the tree, her hair in disarray, her eyes baggy, sleep deprived. She looked worse for wear. "Next time, I won't miss..." Maya muttered, bringing up her twin pistols, one all red with a black stripe down the middle and the other blue with a purple stripe down the middle. "I will kill you Red..." She began to change at him, her eyes wild. " FOR A BETTER WORLD!" She ran up to him in an attempt at bashing him with the butt of her guns.
Red pulled out his blade and skillfully defected Maya's guns, causing her to run past him, but she immediately turned around and took a shot at Red. He flopped to the ground, just barely avoided the fire. "Maya, stop this!" He tried to reason with her, deflecting the stary bullets she was firing at him with his blade. "We don't need to fight, we don't need a new world!"
Maya never stopped firing her guns as she monologues. "That's what you don't understand! You don't know the world like I do, like Giovanni does. You got badmouthed by your friends and cried your way to Rainbow Rocket. I had to live on the streets! NO ONE WANTED ME, ASH!" A tear ran down her cheek. "He was the only one to want me... The only one who understands..." She closed her eyes for a second, but only for a second. "If you don't get that-"
"I get that, I get that big time!" Ash interrupted, getting behind a tree for cover. "But, using the Aura blades to delete the world and reset everything is not the way!" Red preached, trying to talk Maya down. "You're right... You have suffered... But suffering isn't enough, it's not justification for, practically hitting the reset button on the world!" His tree getting filled with bullet holes.
"Why can't you understand?!" Maya yelled, frantically reloading her pistols. "Makoto understands that the world as it is, is justification enough!" She screamed, cocking her guns.
"What about Jillia?!" Red shouted back. "Is Jillia getting her vocal cords removed justified?!" He started to laugh. "If so... then you are out of your mind!" He pointed a finger at Maya.
Maya froze. "Jillia..." She muttered, recalling what happened before. "She... got what she deserved!"
"Do you really believe that?!" Red fired back. "You know that the only reason Giovanni didn't kill her is because she could've had the blue aura!"
"Shut up!" Maya went back to firing her guns, trying to get to a vantage point. "Just stop talking!"
Red knew that he was getting in Maya's head. "Did you know? Seifer and Jillia are fighting against your attack! They believe in themselves and that's enough!"
Maya froze once more. "Are they now..." She started to cry. "I guess... they just don't..." She firmed her resolve. "THEY DON'T BELIEVE AS MUCH AS ME!" She charged at Red once more.
Red looked down to his sword to see that Maya was going to faint and shoot his head, with this knowledge, he was able to do a front flip and sweep Maya's legs, causing her to fall. "Maya, please! I don't want to hurt you!"
Maya shot Red in the leg, which he didn't see coming since he wasn't looking at his blade. "Don't stop!" She punched him in the gut and leaped up to her feet. "And if you do!" She punched him in the face. "I will!" She readies her gun. "Murder you!" Before Maya was able to pull the trigger she felt heat rush through her core. She looked down to see a blade ran her body.
"I'm sorry, Maya..." Red apologized, thrusting his blade further into Maya's torso. "But, I won't let you destroy this world..." He pulled his sword out of her body, causing her to fall forward, Red catching her. "I swear, Maya, I will keep the team safe with you gone..."
Maya cupped Reds cheek as a mother would. "I... hate you... But, I love you and the others so much..." She fell slack, her life leaving her body. "I... hope you... keep them safe..." Her hand fell, her eyes closed. "I'm... sorry..." Maya's life, has ended.
A tear fell down Red's check. "I'm sorry too..." He apologized, clenching Maya's hand tight. "I... I'm goddamn sorry!" Red screamed up to the sky, regret flowing through him, but he knows that Maya has to be stopped, or... she'd just hurt more people...
Gary, Paul and the rest of the group, May and Dawn joined up after seeing the mania on the news, were running through the town, defeating as many brainwashed pokemon as they could, as they protected the normal people. "Dammit!" Gary cursed. "There are so many!" He yelled, trying to take on a Kangaskhan and Rhydon at the same time with his Arcanine and Blastoise. "I don't know how much longer I can last!" He called out as he watched his pokemon get weaker right before his eyes.
"Well you gotta!" Paul yelled across the street, protecting a group of kids from a Steelix with his Torterra.
"Very helpful, thank you!" Gary joked back, his words dripping with sarcasm.
Serena came in the middle of the street with an Onix following her and her Delphox. "You two can joke around later, we still haven't found Misty!" She exclaimed, her eyes frantically scanning the area for orange hair.
Dawn came in front of Serena, Piplup at the ready. "Hydro pump!" She commanded. The penguin opened his beak and shot out a powerful beam of water and knocked the Onix out. "You okay?" Dawn asked Serena.
"I will be, once we find Misty!" Serena replied, running past Dawn.
May walked up to Dawn and mumbled. "I didn't know she cared so much..." Quiet enough for only Dawn to hear.
Dawn shrugged. "Maybe something happened?" They didn't have much time to think though, the big Nidoking was coming their way.
Brock watched in horror at what was unfolding in the city. Pokemon attacking buildings, people and even each other. "This is wrong..." Was the truest thing he could utter, as she shook his head. He was helpless right now, all his pokemon were in his hotel room, and there was no way a man with crutches could make it through this mayhem without getting a beating or two. "How could GRAMPS do this..." He muttered, his hand formed a fist. "They'll pay..." Brock said with utter certainty. He looked on at Max and Bonnie working together to take down a Machamp. With their Sorlax and Dedenne respectively. He turned his head to see Serena running off, her eyes darting everywhere all at once. "She's looking for Misty..." He mumbled. Brock didn't know what happened with the two girls, but he could tell that something happened. He can only hope whatever it is... will be resolved...
"MISTY?!" Serena called out, hoping the girl with that name would reply. "PLEASE, ANSWER ME!" She yelled frantically, the events of yesterday playing in her head over and over. Serena never knew... or maybe she did know and just wasn't being true to herself... Serena has come to the realization that she... likes girls. Misty specifically! She doesn't know when or where this realization came to be, but it just happened. She fell in love with a girl. And not in an "Oh, you are totes my girlfriend!" way, but in a... I want to kiss you, I want you to meet my mother, I want to eat dinner with you, I want to be with you always... I... want to make love to you... It was an embarrassing realization, but it was one that Serena was happy to come to. Before, she thought she liked boys, like Ash, but what she really liked was Ash's strong attitude and will... And Misty has that... And more... And is... Female... Serena knew that there were people who liked the same sex, but... It just wasn't something that Serena grew up with. Her mother would always say, "Boyfriend" or "Husband" and "Man." Never... the other gender. Her mom wanted her to get married to the man of her dreams, that's what she always told her... But, there is no "Man of her dreams..." But, there is a woman... And that woman is someone Serena has to find, no matter the cost. She had to tell that woman that she loves her, more than just a simple friend, but as a lover, as someone who wants to marry them, as someone who wants to raise children with them, yeah they'll have to adopt, but so what! Serena wants to spend all her life with that bratty, tomboy, fiery, orange-haired woman who kissed yesterday. "And I will find her!" Serena screamed up to the heavens.
Misty was in an alleyway, fending off any pokemon that dared to come her way. The events of yesterday, ever present in her mind. She kissed a girl... and... she liked it... She didn't know that was possible... Misty always thought that a man and a woman fall in love, get married and have kids, that was life, that was what all her sisters were doing. They had their boyfriends, friends with benefits, fuckbuddies and more... They were all men they invited into their rooms... Always men's names they'd moan at night. Never a woman... Was it okay to love a woman? Was it okay to find a woman more attractive than any man she's ever seen? Because... She feels both those ways about Serena. She... loves her... The moment she first saw her walk through that door five years ago, she thought she was so beautiful... But, she thought that was wrong... She's supposed to love a man, right? Procreate with a man, right? Two women cannot make a baby... But... is that... a justification to hide what Misty feels? "No..." She muttered. "I won't... hide... anymore..." Misty stood up and started walking out of the alley. After the kiss... she ran. Away from the woman she loved, she was afraid of this fact, but she won't deny herself any longer. "I have to find Serena!"
Three hours... That's how long it took to stop the attack... Gary looked around at the destruction. Buildings toppled over, people being carried away in ambulances, pokemon being rushed to the pokemon center, citizens crying on the ground. It was hell, it was as if a war broke out here. And, in some ways, you could say it did. "This is awful..." Gary muttered, looking down, his fist clenched, making his knuckles white.
"Rainbow Rocket has to pay!" Paul growled, his words coated with hate.
May looked around and whispered to Dawn. "Have you seen Serena?"
Dawn's eyes went wide. No, she hadn't seen Serena. "No..." Was she said.
"I wonder if she's still looking for Misty..." May mumbled, not expecting anyone to reply.
Brock was giving an officer Jenny the run down of what happened, and all that. "And what of Red Zero?" The Jenny asked.
Brock sighed, looking away to see the figure of a hooded man staring at him, he seemed to be sad, carrying something, but he quickly turned around and left Brock's line of sight. Brock sighed again and said. "Haven't seen him since the match..."
The Jenny nodded and noted down in her notebook everything Brock has told her. "Okay, thank you for your time." Was all Jenny said before hopping on her bike and speeding off, no doubt, she had many stops to make. Brock made his way back to his friends, but, unbeknownst to him, two figures loomed over him.
Three hours... It's been three hours since Red killed someone he viewed as a sister. Three hours and he's still carrying her around, her lifeless body. He justified it by saying he was trying to find a good spot to bury her... But that was a lie... He didn't want to let her go, to say goodbye... Red walked away from Brock and the others, wanting to make sure they were alright, and he walked off again, in search of a place to bury Maya. He walked and walked, hell, another hour probably passed until her found the stump her used to live on. "Here...?" He mumbled as a question. Maya didn't respond. But, Red decided that this is where he'll put Maya... and Red Zero, to rest. Ash commanded Lucario to grab a pokeball from his cloak, not being able to just put Maya on the ground, and Lucario nodded and threw a pokeball and out came Boldore. Ash slightly smiled at the boulder pokemon and asked. "Can you make a six foot deep hole here, make sure not to damage the stump, kay?" Ash calmly instructed. His pokemon nodded the best the rock creature could and used bulldoze to create the hole. Ash waited, looking down at Maya's corpse. "Oh, Maya... Why?!" He cried, but no tears came out, he was either out, or just that devoid of emotions... When he looked back up he saw that the hole was complete and Boldore was acting all proud of himself. This made Ash slightly chuckle before nodding to Lucario, telling him to return Boldore, Ash mumbled a "Good job" as Boldore returned to his ball. Ash breathed in and let a deep breath out. "Here's your new home, Maya..." He slowly descended her body into the hole. "I hope you don't mind it..." He placed her wholely into the gravesite. "I know it's not great..." He muttered, brushing hair out of her eyes. "But this... is the most I could do..." He cried, his last tear running down his cheek. He pulled out his sword and gently used it to sweep the dirt onto her, effectively burying her. He looked around and spotted some Agrimonia flowers and gently unrooted them and replanted them where Maya's body would be. "Thank you... For accepting me..." Ash said, bowing his head in thankfulness. Ash didn't know how long he stood there, a day could've pass, and he wouldn't know, after all, it already midnight when he buried her. A simple voice was all it took to pull him out of his trance though.
"So, she's dead."
Ash turned to the source of the voice to see a man with black hair, his bangs covering his eyes. "Makoto..."
Makoto did say anything in response to his name, he just simply walked up next to Ash. "She really went through with it all, huh..." He mumbled, staring at the gravesite.
"I'm sorry..." We're words that slipped out of Ash's mouth.
A slight chuckle escaped Makoto's lips. "About what?" He asked in a mocking tone, before getting serious once more. "Maya made her choice, I will too, and you need to as well, leader."
Ash turned to face Makoto and stare him in the eyes. "I'm not your leader." He looked back at the grave. "Red Zero is buried here, with his big sister, Maya."
Makoto scoffed, flicking his hair. "Oh, yeah? Then who are you?"
A warm smile spread across Ash's face. "Ash Ketchum, the boy who I've always been." He looked at Makoto with calm eyes and a regretful smile. "I was just too afraid to let that boy out."
Makoto scoffed again and began to speak once more "Heh, y'know, the tournament is now cancelled, and the police is wondering where Red Zero is..." He laughed. "Ironic..." Ash let out a small chuckle of his own. Makoto let a deep breath out and began to walk away. "Well, Ash, be ready, because this war isn't over..."
Ash spun on the balls of his feet to face Makoto's retreating back. "What do you mean?!"
Makoto somberly laughed as he shook his head. He didn't turn around, but he did stop. "That was only Maya's reserve... Giovanni hasn't even begun..." He began walking again, waving his hand. "Good luck, Ash!"
"Makoto!" Ash called out, but his words didn't stop the man, but Ash spoke anyway. "I will stop him and if you plan to still work with him... I'll stop you too..." He declared.
"Right, right..." Makoto mumbled. "Good luck with your friends!" Was the last thing Makoto said before running out of Ash's sight.
Ash walked back to the motel in silence. The reason being... too many to count. He had Maya's death weighing on him. Makoto and Giovanni on his mind. And... Having to tell everyone. He's come to the concussion that his old friends need to know what is going on and who he is... Who Red Zero was... Ash let out a heavy sigh. "No time like the present..." He opened the door to the motel and there sat the whole group, other than Misty and Serena, on the lobby couch. "Well, I guess I won't have to search..." He jokingly mumbled. No one has seen him enter, so he made his voice the sign of his presence. "Everyone, I have something to tell you!"
HOLY SHIT THIS WAS A BIG CHAPTER... Damn... AND WE AREN'T EVEN ON THE FINAL ONE! Well, that's the next one. If everything goes according to my plan, that is. I plan to just write the whole final chapter and if it's too long, I'll split it into two parts. I just don't like post big ass chapters, speaking from a reader myself, if the chapter is too long, I might forget something in the beginning or some shit. Anyway, see you later friends of fanfiction! Follow me on Twitter by the same handle!
