Chapter 4!!!
Alright, can't wait anymore, so I'm posting it. Here's when things take an unexpected twist...DUN DUN DUN! I swear, you guys are going to hate me for this. :3
A Whisper in the Wind
Chapter 4
She was dead tired. Exhausted. She couldn’t take much more of this. Her mind wouldn’t get off of Ash and, strangely, Satoshi. He was a living enigma if she ever saw one. That meeting by the lake was even more unexpected. She came to him expecting answers, and instead got more questions. Every time she thought she had an answer, something else popped up and led her off the path. What did it mean? Why…why was he this way?
She was too tired to think about it anymore. Coming to the bed, she collapsed on top of it and fell into a deep sleep, sopping wet clothes and all.
*~*
“Misty…”
She mumbled out a reply, it was too muffled to hear due to her head being half buried in the sheets, but one could make out something close to “Mommanuuiiidonwannagotoooskeewlllll…”
“Misty, come on, this is important!”
“Nuuu…five more minutes…” She jumped up as a small electric bolt zapped her foot.
A crashing sound could be heard for miles, followed by an echoing scream of pain. “FOR MEW’S SAKE, WOMAN! YOU DON’T HAVE TO HIT SO HARD!!!”
Pikachu was rubbing his little furry head where a huge lump had appeared. Misty, who had been standing behind him, was now fully awake and had a truly frightening look on her face. That, however, was not as intimidating as the large wooden mallet raised above her head, ready to come down again. Pikachu’s crystal eyes widened in terror as it came down and quickly yelped out the words, “It’s about Satoshi! Something’s wrong!”
The mallet stopped inches from his face. Pikachu breathed a sigh of relief as the wooden menace slowly withdrew. The redhead’s red face slowly paled, returning to its original color. “What’s wrong?”
“He’s weakened.”
“What? How?”
“Because of the force trapped within him, he has gained its strengths, but also its weaknesses. This force happens to have a weakness for water.”
“Water?”
“Yes, but its not as bad as it seems. Satoshi and this force both have very high stamina, and a simple small rainstorm can’t hurt them. But a storm like the one last night can leave them disoriented and confused if they don’t protect themselves. Even against a storm like that can be blocked by their weakest shield-”
“Then why are you worried? How do you know he’s weakened? He could just block it-”
“Let me ask you this. Ever since after the Team Rocket incident, have you ever seen either of us use our powers?”
“N-no, but,”
“Exactly! He’s afraid. He’ll never use his abilities if he’s in or near human society unless it’s absolutely necessary. I’m connected with him. I can sense his weakness, his doubts, his fears, his thoughts…”
“B-but…he was far away from us, right? Why didn’t he use his powers?”
Pikachu looked directly at her, his crystal eyes boring into her sea-green ones. “The conversation at the lake last night.”
“You…you saw?”
“Yes. He’s worrying about that right now. He’s afraid that he’s gotten to close to everyone here, to you. Add that in with his current state of confusion and weakness…”
Misty sank to the floor, sitting on her knees.
*~*
“Satoshi!”
“Where are you?”
“Come out of hiding!”
Misty and Pikachu had reported everything to their friends (conveniently leaving out the lakeside conversation), and now everybody was combing through the forest, searching for the shadow-cloaked trainer. They had been searching for the better part of an hour, and Pikachu said that he could still feel Satoshi’s energy, but it seemed as if he was drifting in and out of consciousness, barely holding onto reality itself. As a side note, to Misty only, he added that the conversation last night must have really shaken him to make him act this reckless.
Now Misty was alone, and plagued with guilt. She was the one who chased him away, she just knew it. Walking through the wet foliage, she called out his name, thinking that he would probably run away if he heard her voice anyway. Getting tired, she sat on a large rock and began to think things over.
Ash…Satoshi…why can’t I get either of you out of my mind? Are you still out there? Are you still here…with me?
She was jolted out of her thoughts from a scuffling sound, almost as if it was someone dragging their feet along the ground. She tensed up, and reached her hand for the Pokeballs around her waist, clutching them tightly, ready to release one to battle at a moment’s notice. A dark shadow clambered into view, dripping wet and looking very exhausted. Coming close to a tree, an arm wrapped in bandages extended out of the shadowy cloak, the hand attached to it covered in a black fingerless glove. Pressing the hand against the tree, the cloaked figure gasped for breath, before looking up and noticing Misty. Leaving the tree, it came closer to her, its hood fallen back. Misty’s eyes met a pair of dark sunglasses masking the figure’s eyes, but was close enough to see through them faintly. She wasn’t able to make out the color, but she could see them widened in shock and despair.
“Mist…” mumbled Satoshi as his body began to fall forward. Misty caught him before he touched the ground.
*~*
Everyone was relieved that Satoshi was found and returned, although some of them wondered why he was so distressed and careless. Misty wouldn’t say anything about it, and instead took to shooting him looks once in a while, alternating between worried stares and killer glares. She was still pondering about why he had called her "Mist" when only Ash had ever called her that, but she reasoned that he was too tired to complete her name.
Ash was sitting in front of the fireplace, desperately trying to warm himself by covering himself in his cloak. Normally, that would have worked, and it did, but only a little. His clothes were still dripping wet, and huddling them closer to him did little to help drying them off. Delia was trying to convince him to take a warm shower and to get dressed into some different clothes, but he was refusing vehemently. This was the first time that her motherliness had failed to get someone to do something for the better, but Satoshi never seemed to be affected by emotion. Misty knew otherwise.
Finally getting exasperated with him, Misty walked up to him and began demanding that he listen to Delia, or he would get ill. Again, Ash refused, but when he caught the death glare that could only lead to one result, he hurriedly changed his mind, sighing in relief as the glare faded. He had avoided the wooden menace this time.
Rudy glared at this little scene. This new person reminded him too much of Ash, heck, he even interacted with Misty the same way Ash did. Rudy thought Misty’s love was lost to him as soon as Ash appeared, and when he disappeared, he thought that maybe that was his chance. Doing nothing at first in respect for Misty’s disappointment, he was ready to try for her love once more, then she got captured by Team Rocket. Not believing that he would see her again, he was surprised when they threw him in the same cell as her. But even then, she still seemed to be depressed and pessimistic, and even when she felt okay to talk, she barely paid attention to him and talked to her other friends instead. Now that they were out, he could have had another chance, she was so happy nowadays, but then that…that…Ash clone had to show up.
He had to make his move, and soon, or she might be lost to him forever.
*~*
Ash had stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a pair of striped pajamas. He still wore his facemask and sunglasses, which looked rather strange and maybe even hilarious with the colorful pajamas. The others stared oddly at him, but he just muttered to them to “get off his case”. The voice he used was so cold and bone-chilling that even Misty didn’t want to stand up to him. Looking around for his usual black garb, he inquired where it was. Delia answered that she had washed it for him, his Pokeballs had been laid out on a table in the kitchen. Everybody was amazed at the amount he had on him, and asked where he had gotten them all. He shrugged it off and simply mumbled the words, “oh, here and there.”
Everybody had planned to go out that day, but “Satoshi” refused to go anywhere until his clothes were dried out and he could dress in them, after 10 years of wearing and repairing them, he didn’t really feel comfortable in anything else. After thinking it over a bit, they seemed to find it reasonable, he looked strange to them when not wearing his usual pitch black outfit. When he was finally reunited with his clothing, the group headed to Old Oak’s lab, who was now run by Professor Oak Jr., more commonly known as Gary.
Gary had also seen the likeness between Ash and “Satoshi”, and was awestruck from the vivid appearance of Pikachu. The little rodent, unlike Ash, was actually enjoying the attention.
When questioned about where Professor Oak Sr. was, Gary and Delia’s eyes dulled and filled with tears. There was no questioned about it, Professor Oak had passed away, only six months ago according to Gary. Ash was filled with a deep sadness that the man he had accepted as family was gone, and he was filled with a sense of guilt, not unlike the guilt that had plagued him yesterday after seeing his mother. The others began to feel depressed as well, they had not heard of Professor Oak’s death either, and all were upset. “He was very outspoken against Team Rocket, all the way to the end…” murmured Gary.
“It’s such a shame that he couldn’t meet Satoshi. After all, he was the one who destroyed the main Rocket base,” commented Misty.
“You did that? I heard about the incident, but it said the person who did it vanished out of sight every time a newspaper reporter or a police officer came near him. I-I can’t believe it…” Gary shook his head. “So, what brings you here, besides a friendly reunion?”
“We were going to tell Satoshi about Ash, since they seem to be so alike. The best place to start would most likely be here, since this is where he started his journey,” explained Delia.
“I see, but you know that none of his old Pokemon are here anymore, right?”
“Yes, but still…”
“What happened to them?” interrupted “Satoshi”.
“Well, about a week after Ash vanished, all of his Pokeballs disappeared as well. Or almost all of them. Twenty-nine of the Tauros he caught were left behind, but the one taken was the one he used in all his battles. When we tried to track them down, their Pokedex signal was useless since it was disabled on the night of Ash’s disappearance. We released the remaining Tauros after one year of waiting.” Gary replied.
“Hmm…”
“Oh, wait honey, I remembered something that would help us out even more. It’s a secret Ash used to keep from everybody. I still have the key to it.” Delia commented.
“Oh?” Everyone’s interest was piqued, including Ash, who knew exactly what she was talking about.
*~*
Delia had led everybody (including Gary) to Ash’s room, and walked to a door. “You noticed that Ash never opened this door around anybody, right?”
“Now that I think about it, yes,” marveled Misty. First Satoshi was hiding things from her, then she finds out that Ash was hiding something as well. What would happen next?
Delia stuck the key in the lock and turned. The room was nothing more than a walk in closet. It was what was inside that made everyone gasp.
“Wooden carvings. One of each person and Pokemon Ash had ever met on his journey.”
Everybody wandered inside, picking up a carving and stroking it. “I’ve never seen craftsmanship like this before!” exclaimed Brock. “Ash made these?”
“Each and every one,” explained Delia, who was feeling a small bubble of pride swell in herself, hearing everybody compliment her son.
Misty had picked up her wooden counterpart, it was extremely well detailed, all the way down to the wrinkles in her shirt. This one seemed to be carved with special care and attention. Stroking it, she thought of Ash, and where he could be.
Ash, I hope you’re alright…
*~*
Everyone had sat down to dinner, except for Rudy, who had mysteriously vanished. They wondered where he was, but he reappeared ten minutes into the meal, saying that he had gone for a walk to clear his head. Everyone seemed to buy this explanation, after all, many mind-boggling things had happened since Satoshi had joined the gang. It actually seemed like he had become one of them too, he was actually laughing and joking with the rest of them.
After dinner, Ash had retreated to the wall and was now leaning against it, staring out of the window. All sorts of thoughts had flooded his mind.
Did I go too far? Am I getting too close? This is the first time I’ve laughed with other humans for ages, and it felt great…especially since one of them was Mist…
“You’re blushing,” interrupted Pikachu, who had been listening in on his thoughts.
“You do know how much I hate that, right?”
“Yup.” A cheeky grin followed that statement.
“…You’re crazy.”
“I’m not the one who’s crazy for a certain redhead…”
“…Shut up…”
Their little mental brawl was interrupted by a gasp from everybody at the dining table. Looking over, Ash began to feel a sick feeling in his stomach. Rudy was down on one knee, holding up a small black box that was open, revealing a bright diamond gem. The luster of the gem was so brilliant that only the crystal color of Pikachu’s eyes could exceed it. It was pretty obvious that he was proposing marriage. And to whom?
The “scrawny redhead”.
Some of the people looked shocked, the others disgusted. Ash? He didn’t know how he felt. This wasn’t supposed to affect him. Misty and the others were no longer a part of his life, nor was he of theirs. But that conversation at the lake last night…it seemed like it bound him here, no matter how he tried to escape. And no matter how much he tried to suppress them, feelings of rage and despair worked their way to the surface. Ash felt his eyes stinging, and looked up at the ceiling to prevent the tears.
It’s over…Now I can move on…but why do I feel like I shouldn‘t? I have to…I have to keep treading my chosen path…I can’t…I can’t stop…but…I can’t continue either…What should I do?
Misty was in shock. Sure, she had imagined this happening, but she imagined a certain raven-haired trainer doing it, not Rudy. She knew that the chances of Ash standing in Rudy’s place were slim to none, actually, just none. But there was that one part of her that demanded to not do this, that she would regret it, that she would always be destined for one and only one…
Mist… That voice echoed in her mind, strengthening her resolve. No, it wasn’t too late, she could still be with Ash, if only in spirit. Staring around the room, her gaze took in all her friends…and stopped at Satoshi, who seemed to be ignoring the situation.
Jeez, only Satoshi would act like this at something so emotional… Watching him, she realized, her mind had put two and two together for ages now, but she was always too scared, worried that she might be wrong. But in this situation, it was now or never, all or nothing.
“I’m sorry, Rudy,” she said, backing away. “But I can’t.” Then to everyone’s surprise, she dashed over to where Satoshi was. Ash was caught off guard, and was unable to defend himself quickly enough to stop Misty from ripping off his face mask. Ash quickly tried to hide his face, but it was too late. They had already seen the telltale lightning-shaped birthmarks under his sunglasses.
“I was right!” screamed a triumphant and furious Misty, who then reached for the glasses covering his eyes. She had yearned to see that warm chocolate brown for much too long…
Ash stood still, taking his bearings, wondering what to do. He decided to let Misty remove his glasses and let her and everyone else see what he had become. Maybe then they’d let him be…
Misty stood back in horror, dropping the face mask and sunglasses on the floor with a loud clatter that seemed to echo through the heavy silence. Everyone shied back, truly frightened.
His eyes had used to be a warm chocolate brown, full of emotion, easily read. Anyone could see what he was thinking just by looking at them, they were so expressive. That was what had endeared him to everybody…but he was like that no longer.
The brown had been replaced with an intense black, a deep void that swallowed all emotion and shredded it, bit by bit. The eyes made him seem like he was without feeling, without…a soul. And truly, that was the way he was. Almost soulless, locking away most of it so that it wouldn’t interfere with his path.
Pikachu hated those eyes. True, Ash would show emotion from time to time, but that was only if he was away from humans, and sometimes not even then. This Ash was not the Ash that he had come to respect and care for as a friend…a brother. This Ash was a monster. And he hated it. When he had seen Misty again, he thought that maybe she could have helped him, bring the real Ash back…but it now looked like that was impossible.
Misty was thinking the exact same thing. “You’re…you’re not Ash,” she screamed, tears forming in her ocean eyes as she sank to her knees in despair.
Ash chuckled as he picked up the sunglasses and slipped them back on. The laugh was cold and sinister, making shivers run down everyone’s spine. Pikachu recoiled from his friend’s sudden harsh tone, it was obvious he had been driven to the very edge of despair. “No, no I’m not,” he replied, in that same icy tone. He made his way to the door, opening it. Turning back, he said two final words.
“Not anymore.” The door slammed behind him, leaving everybody shaken. Misty picked up his discarded facemask and began to sob into it, letting all her tears flow freely.
She really had been too late.
*~end of chapter 4~*
Now that Ash is gone, what will happen next? Will they chase after him, or will they be too scared and repulsed? If they do meet up again, what will happen? Well, I'm not telling you.
Wait until Chapter 5.
