Longest chapter yet. Warning: cursing, the authors inability to write a really really good battle, and character "death" and that word is used quite loosely.
.:.Fifteen.:.
She wasn't sure when exactly she had fallen for the spectral spirit. It might have been when they had first came into being at the beginning of the universe and being introduced together by Arceus. Maybe it was how before humans came into existence she used to look across the islands, as if there was no amount of ocean separating them, and spot him, before they would both hastily look away. Maybe it was that starry night on a full moon when the two of them had chosen a spot in the middle of the ocean separating their islands to look up the stars and muse about the complexities of life.
But she knew when she had fallen out of love. When the humans came about and she had to heal countless victims of his nightmares. At first she had seen it as cruelty, but now she saw it as a will to live, as it was his life's work to do this. He had to feed off the power of the darkness within people's hearts and memories by extracting it through people's dreams. But if she had known this from the beginning, then maybe things wouldn't't have turned out this way. But then again, there was also the other one that had almost captured her heart.
She would remember how as she would bask in the sun, he would arrive, flashing his rainbow wings that sparkled in the sun. She would be captivated by it, but then she would look over at the island across from hers and remember that the occupant was weak in sunlight and could only see her at night. She was of essence divided, someone who could be in both the light and the dark, with someone waiting on both sides. It was a contest to see which side she would go to. But she knew that she would go to the dark, but not because of the someone waiting there.
It was, quite simply, where she belonged.
It would be a long time, almost a century or two, before Cresselia would be used to flying past the stars late at night under the moon and no longer seeing Darkrai a distance behind her, almost blending in with the night sky, pretending that he wasn't following her, like he used to say as an excuse when she would catch him doing it. It was habitual, she supposed, for him to quietly follow some distance behind her and watch her as if she was some sort of goddess of the night, her glittery pink veilish wings glowing vibrantly in the moonlight.
No words had even passed between the two, they had both known that their relationship was merely platonic and that the only reasons that they had felt attracted to each other was because of the attachment they shared for the moon. No words had passed that night of musing complexities when they had felt closer to each other than ever before, the embrace they had shared and the kiss that neither would ever speak of again. No words had passed when Darkrai saw her with that show-off bird deity from Johto that had been openly flirting with her. No words had passed even when they saw each other for the very last time, they didn't need words to express how one felt about the other's decisions, such as Darkrai's decision to get rid of the damned bird once and for all. Words were just something that was unneeded, whether it was because of their telepathic abilities or otherwise.
But even if they didn't use words, they expressed to each other their thoughts and feelings with friendly smiles and laughs when chasing each other in the dark, dull blushes when pulling themselves apart from what had one moment been a passionate kiss, the frowns and snarls of jealousy and contempt and hatred for others that he had or the look of worry or the tears that had slipped down her cheeks when he left her to go after Ho-oh.
For one to call what they felt for each other love, one must wonder if two people don't talk to each other at all, then is it really love?
But...
Love doesn't need words.
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"Are you crazy?"
"No Max, I'm not. If we battle Ash, then whatever has possessed him might be driven out of him.", May said simply as she attached the pokeballs to her belt. She then picked up Ash's hat, and after a moment of silent internal debate, she put it in her bag. May had told Brock, Max, and Pikachu the dream she had, except that she had left out the part about talking to the real Ash. It wouldn't't do any good to make them worry about their friend's mental state.
"We can't let you go alone. This king might really hurt you, even if he's using Ash's body.", Brock said as he too fixed his pokeballs on his belt. Even though he had never admitted this out loud, he had once looked at May like how he thought of other girls, as a beautiful young lady. But during their travels, he had come to know her like a sister, as well as his quiet observations of the way Ash and May sometimes acted around each other. Despite this, it didn't stop his concern for her well being.
"But he told me to come alone. I don't want you and Max to get mixed up in this."
"May, we're already mixed up in this, it wouldn't do much good to go by yourself.", Max pointed out. He would be dumb to say that he wasn't scared of what might happen to them and his older sister, but there was no way he was going to miss something like this!
"And besides, you coming alone is doing exactly what he wants.", Brock also noted.
May frowned, worry apparent on her face. "But...what if you guys get hurt? It will be all my fault..."
"May, don't talk like that! Ash wouldn't want you to be carrying something like that all by yourself!", Brock snapped.
May blinked at his sudden outburst, but then nodded. "You're right Brock. Ash would want us working together to help him."
Pikachu had been looking back between the three before giving her the signature Ash thumbs-up. Between the four individuals, it felt that it was probably the one that wanted Ash back the most.
And in return, she couldn't help but flash the Pikachu a thumbs-up in return, a small smile on her face.
Don't worry Pikachu, we'll get Ash back! I swear on it!
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It took some careful sneaking to get to the palace without attracting the attention of the townspeople, some of which carrying wanted posters of the group. June had stayed behind, wishing them luck. As they approached the castle steps, peering around a bend to check for guards, May noticed for the first time something off about the guards. Thin wisps of purple smoke snaked its way around their bodies, but the guards and their Houndooms didn't notice, but it might have been because of the slightly glazed look in their eyes.
"Do you see that?", May asked, pointing to the guard nearest to them.
"See what?", Max asked.
"That smoke. I think he's using it to control the people in this palace so that they don't question his authority and carry out his commands. It might be why they didn't question the fact that their king is using someone else's body.", May explained.
Brock narrowed his eyebrows. "May, I don't see any smoke."
"Yeah, me either.", Max said as well.
May frowned, looking back to the front of the palace. Why was she the only one that could see this smoke?
Then she remembered something June had said when they had first met her...
In this town, all of our auras are similar to a Pokemon type. Mine, like yours, is a psychic type, which is why I can tell what kind of aura you have...
So that's why I can see the smoke...because of my aura...
Max suddenly pointed at the front doors. "Hey...isn't that Team Rocket!?"
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Earlier...
"The nerve of that guy! We do what he wants and then he makes us scrub his floors!?", Jessie hissed under her breath as she angrily threw a sponge back into a nearby bucket of soapy water.
The minute they had gotten back with the pokeballs, he had ordered them to scrubbing the floors of his throne room.
"Uh, Jess, missed a spot.", James said from his spot on the floor somewhere nearby.
"Shut up James! It's time to do what we do best!"
"Blast off again?", Meowth casually asked, not even looking at her, only to quickly back away from the fiery Jessie.
"Steal! This king has to have loads of treasures hidden somewhere in this place!", Jessie said determinedly.
"You're right! Imagine all the Pokemon we could get for the boss!", James agreed.
Meowth didn't speak. His mind had wandered to the days before coming to this island, of being stuck in a balloon with the twe-Ash. Unconsciously, he had noticed that he had replaced the insult with his actual name, but he wasn't sure if it was because of his fear of the new Ash or because he had realized that he and his friends weren't really that bad. No, he still didn't like them, but he didn't hate them as much as he used to. After all, they had teamed up together before to save their skins from worst things than this, like with Entei and the Unown or with Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno.
He suddenly realized that Jessie and James were looking to him, waiting for his usual ideas of how the boss would reward them and other crazy ideas. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Maybe...he was realizing that none of the ideas he ever came up with would ever occur and the slight ridiculousy of them. But...he had to say something...
He didn't even notice the smoke that crept along the ground around them or the feeling of utter despair that started to cloud his mind...
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Max was right, as standing in front of the doors, as if being on the lookout for intruders, was the Team Rocket trio. May was the only one to also notice the smoke around them, and yet not completely engulfing them, as well as their glazed eyes. The other guards looked around at their arrival, exchanged a few words before they went inside, leaving only Team Rocket watching the perimeter.
"What's wrong with them?", Max asked.
"I think that he's somehow using them too.", May whispered, having to remind herself that it was the king using them, not Ash.
"Well, it's only Team Rocket, I'm sure that getting past them won't be any trouble at all.", Brock said assuringly, but the words were barely out of his mouth when footsteps came up behind them.
"Intruders! Intruders in the courtyard!"
They quickly turned to see Meowth, claws out and coming toward them. He must of left his friends and snuck up behind them when they weren't looking. His call brought Jessie and James over, pokeballs out and blocking their path.
"By order of the king of Poke'lantis, you are to be detained to the dungeons for trespassing until judgment is passed.", the two said in a monotone voice as they released their Pokemon out, Seviper and Cacnea.
Brock pulled out his own pokeballs, releasing Marshtomp and Forretress.
"May, I'll distract them, you, Pikachu, and Max go on ahead!"
May nodded as she, Pikachu, and Max ran past the two just as they were calling their attacks, not noticing Meowth swiftly following behind them, intent on stopping them from reaching its new master. But just as this notion entered his head, he found himself stopping as a new voice entered his head.
Bring them to me...
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"I'm pretty sure that we've already been down this hallway..."
May stopped running, looking around and recognizing a familiar suit of armor.
"You're right. Which way...?"
"Wait May, look over there! It's Meowth!"
May looked in the direction where Max was pointing and saw Meowth, who was looking around hastily before going down a different hallway.
"Let's follow them.", she said and the two took off after it, following it down the hallway.
"I wonder why none of the guards inside have stopped us.", Max mused aloud.
May didn't answer, she had been thinking the same thing herself.
It's because he only wants me, not Brock or Max
This thought entered her mind just as they arrived in the throne room, the walls a gleaming gold color, suits of armor encircling the room, and a tall imposing throne at one end and a red carpet stretched across the room, flecked with what suspiciously looked like blood. A couple of Houndooms stood, snarling at them and waiting for orders.
"You have arrived. I was wondering what was taking so long."
May snapped her head up to see Ash sitting in the throne, Meowth sitting next to him on the armrest as the king was absentmindedly scratching a spot on its head. He wasn't even looking at her when he spoke.
"I thought I told you to come alone. But it's not surprising really, thinking that you could try a four against one method.", he said, looking up at the three before him. "But this can be easily taken care of."
He held a hand out as blackish-blue smoke seemed to come out of nowhere and circle around Pikachu and Max. Without any warning, the smoke seemed to slam the two backward into the wall behind them, pinning them there to the wall as it took the form of a large hand. Pikachu tried to shock the hand, only to succeed in shocking Max as well as the hand gripped on them tighter.
"Max! Pikachu!", May started to run toward them, only to be stopped by the king.
"Another step and I won't be afraid to crush them and send their blood and guts splattering everywhere. Sure, it'll be a hassle for the maids, but their used to it.", the king chuckled as he stood up from his throne, Meowth staying behind as if frozen like a statue.
"With those two stuck and those idiots outside distracting the other one, now there is nothing that can interfere.", he said as he stepped down from his throne, standing a few feet across from her.
May pulled out a pokeball. "I challenge you to a battle!"
The king looked slightly amused. "Really now? On what terms?"
"3 on 3, no time limit. If I win, you give Ash back."
"And if I win?"
May hesitated before answering. "You get me."
The king raised an eyebrow at this. "And what would I want with someone as worthless as you?"
"Because Ash would care if something happened to me."
The king considered this possibility. "It would destroy whatever shred of hope the brat is holding on to, and the Houndoom are quite hungry.", he said, eying the now drooling dogs. May looked over to and couldn't't help but feel nervous and scared at the idea of what would happen if she lost.
"Very well. I accept your terms.", he said as he pulled out a pokeball.
After all, there was plenty of time until their royal guest would arrive...
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Ash suddenly felt something shove him hard in the back, pushing him forward to a part of his mind.
I don't think that this is something you should miss. It could be quite entertaining for you.
Ash recognized this part of the mind as the place where he had watched the king battle Brandon, except...
"And if I win?" These words were strange, as if coming from his own mouth.
"You get me."
Ash gasped as he saw May standing across from him, as well as Pikachu and Max pinned to the wall behind her.
Pikachu! Max! May! What's going on? Where's Brock? And what do you mean by "get me"?
"And what would I want with someone as worthless as you?"
Hey, May is not worthless!
"Because Ash would care if something happened to me."
I bloody well should! You're important to me May!
"It would destroy whatever shred of hope the brat is holding on to, and the Houndoom are quite hungry. Very well. I accept your terms."
Ash paled. What terms? Then he saw the pokeballs they both pulled out. They were going to battle each other? He found himself pounding his fists against the window.
May, don't do this! Sacrificing yourself isn't going to help me!
"Go, Beautifly!"
The butterfly came out, spreading its wings and prepared for battle, but it looked vaguely confused at it's opponent. The king smirked as he tossed a pokeball out.
"Swellow!"
The familiar blue and red marked bird burst forth from the pokeball. It too looked confused at the choice of opponent, wondering why its master was fighting his friend. May also looked confused at his choice until the king answered for her.
"They may be imbeciles, but they are thieves, so I had them fetch for me the brats pokeballs for me during our little meeting."
"But what makes you think that they'll obey you?", May asked.
"I'm glad you asked. Swellow, use Aerial Ace!", he commanded. At the same time, from the place where Ash was watching, he had unconsciously been thinking the same attack, and the words came out of his mouth as well. Without hesitation, the bird swooped into the air and practically dive-bombed the poor butterfly out of the air, since Flying attacks were strong against Bug-Types.
May was speechless. When he had issued the command, the king's voice had sounded exactly like Ash's, except layered with something malevolent.
"B-Beautifly, use Silver Wind!"
The butterfly flapped its wings as hard as it could, creating a silvery mist that went toward the Swellow.
"Swellow, knock away this pesky attack and then use Wing Attack."
Swellow didn't even dodge the attack, instead it took a wing and flapped at the wind, as if smacking it away before it flew at an unimaginable speed and smacked straight into Beautifly's chest before it could have the chance to dodge. The butterfly crumbled on the ground, its chest heaving as if struggling to breathe.
"Beautifly!", May called as she ran to its slow moving form, picking it up. It looked up at her with pain-filled eyes, making a sound that might have been distinguished as coughing.
"Weak, like it's trainer.", the king sneered.
May scowled at him as she recalled Beautifly back into its pokeball. Now she had only two pokemon while he had three. The odds weren't looking very good. She was about to send out a pokemon when one of her pokeballs accidentally detached itself from its belt, bursting open to reveal her Skitty, who was mewling happily.
"No wait Skitty, I don't-", May started to say, until she noticed the look that had fleetingly flashed across the king's face before being replaced with an emotionless mask. A look of hatred...fear...sadness?
It's not her. It's not her. IT'S NOT HER.
Ash could hear this mantra being repeated over and over, reverberating in his mind until it was practically screaming, but as quick as this mental anguish came it disappeared quite abruptly, being replaced with a So that's how she wants to play...But why did something like a mere Skitty deter the king?
His wife used to have a Skitty. Maybe seeing May and her Skitty together is bringing back memories, Ash guessed.
May seemed to have caught on to this too. After all, the quickest way to defeat an enemy is to attack the heart.
"Skitty, use Assist!"
Skitty meowed before opening its mouth and letting loose a stream of Blaziken's Flamethrower. The king didn't have the chance to tell Swellow to dodge as the flames engulfed the bird, nearly burning it to a crisp as it landed on the ground, twitching ever so slightly. This seemed to definitely snap the king out of his thoughts as he recalled Swellow back to the pokeball. He pulled out a different pokeball, tossing it out into the air.
"Corphish."
The small lobster-like Pokemon appeared in a flash of light, clicking its claws in a fighting stance. It didn't seem at all fazed by the dark aura that was around its master, but it might have been because itself was part Dark-Type and had perceived it as normal, not sensing anything amiss.
"Use Bubblebeam."
Corphish opened its claws and sent a stream of bubbles at the Skitty, who seemed to dance away around the bubbles, effectively dodging them.
"Skitty, use Blizzard!"
Skitty opened its mouth and sent an icy chill at the remaining bubbles that were heading toward it, freezing them as they fell and smashed into ice shards on the ground, but having little effect on Corphish.
"Crabhammer!"
In a speed usually unimaginable for Corphish, it had practically ran at the Skitty, claw held high, glowing as it slammed itself downward at its back, smashing it into the floor. This caught the ditzy Skitty off guard and quickly knocked it out, meowing feebly.
May bit her bottom lip, barely over the cut from what felt like forever ago, as she recalled Skitty, commending it on a job well done.
"This is quite pathetic! Already down to your last Pokemon? How do you expect to save your precious Ash?", the king sneered.
May could feel pure hatred for this monster bubble inside her, one that was threatening to burst. How dare he call her pathetic!
"Why did you have to ruin our lives? How could you be able to cause so much pain and misery?", she asked, fists clenched at her sides.
The king seemed surprised by this outburst, but it caused him to chuckle.
"What's so funny?", May snapped at him.
"You asked me how I was able to do all this. Actually," he said as he pointed a finger over at Max, who had long ago stopped struggling from the hold the shadows had against him.
"I have your dear brother to thank for that."
May was shook out of her momentary range to look over at Max, who looked equally shocked. "What do you mean by that?"
Ash, who was watching the entire conversation, suddenly remembered words that the king had once said before when they had first met face to face.
The king turned away from Ash as if to examine the confine's of Ash's mind. "After that battle, I was forced to the back of your mind, supposedly doomed to wander your memories.", he spoke to himself more than to Ash.
And then he remembered something Max had said, back at his own house during dinner...
"It was even harder since you had to battle him twice, after that whole pyramid fiasco and that evil king and all...", Max said.
Max had made him remember. Which had brought the king to the front of his mind where he could have free control. Ash seemed to go numb, tuning out the king as he shared that piece of info with the others. He looked back up only to look back down just to see May looking shocked and Max looking extremely guilty, even though this could never be his fault.
"What else are you keeping secret from us?", May couldn't't help but ask.
The king scoffed. "Oh, like I'm the one keeping secrets? Tell me, did you ever tell Ash about that kiss?"
Ash's head snapped up at this. What kiss?
"That's...not...", May was at a loss for words.
Ash was suddenly confronted with a mental image of May and the king kissing each other in the balloon that he vaguely remembered arriving to the island in. As quickly as it came, it still burned in his eyes, seeing it even when he was closing his eyes. He didn't want to see this...this was all just too much...
"Didn't tell him how passionate the kiss was? Or where that cut on your lips came from?"
He just wanted it all to stop...for things to go back to normal the way they should...but they never would...he was going to be stuck in this hellhole for the rest of his life!
"Ash!"
Ash was shaken out of his mental despair as he heard his name, turning back to the window out of his mind, seeing a tear falling from one of May's eyes. This seemed to snap him back to normal.
"I know you are in there somewhere! Don't listen to what he says! He forced it on me just to get back at you!", she called out pleadingly. Ash felt himself nodding. He believed her. There was no way that she would of done it willingly...Yeah...he had to keep believing in her, have faith like he always did...
"Say that all you want, but I have a match to win, lest we forget.", the king drawled boredly. May glared at him as she pulled out a pokeball, contemplating a strategy to win.
"Go, Bulbasaur!"
A flash of light as the grass Pokemon emerged, looking somewhat aggressive, most likely sensing its trainer's anguish.
"Use Razor Leaf!"
The Bulbasaur unleashed a torrent of leaves that cut at the Corphish mercilessly and, oddly enough, the king let it continue attacking the Corphish up until it fainted. He called it back, not looking the least perturbed as he pulled out another pokeball, smirking.
"Bulbasaur."
A flash of light greeted his side of the field as Ash's Bulbasaur stood across from May's, looking quite confused as to why the trainers were pitting the two against each other. May looked shocked at his choice, realizing what it meant.
They love each other, so they won't be willing to attack each other...but he'll use his powers to make Ash's Bulbasaur fight mine! He planned this...
The king seemed to nod knowingly as if reading May's mind. "Such entertainment, to watch two beings that love each other fight in a senseless battle! How ironic, isn't it? That your about to lose in such a manner?"
He laughed as the Bulbasaur's eyes suddenly clouded, looking quite angry and fierce as it slammed into May's Bulbasaur with a well-placed tackle. It continued to tackle it every time it tried to get up as May's was unwilling to hurt it.
"Stop it!", May shouted, watching as it slammed into her's again, especially when she noticed that Ash's Bulbasaur may have been crying while attacking it. The king seemed to be even more relentless as the Bulbasaur shot out its vines, picking May's Bulbasaur up and continuously slamming it into the ground. After a few slams, it stopped, letting go of May's Bulbasaur.
"This battle is over and you are mine.", the king laughed victoriously, but it was quickly cut short as May's Bulbasaur was struggling to get back up again.
Why does it continue to get back up?, he mused to himself, which Ash was also wondering.
May's Bulbasaur got back up on shaky legs and started going toward Ash's Bulbasaur, speaking who knows what in their language. It reached the other Bulbasaur, wincing slightly as the other one bit down on its arm in a vain attempt to stop it from getting any closer. Despite the pain that it was obviously going through, it still stayed in front of it, refusing to back off from it despite the vines that had now emerged from Ash's Bulbasaurs back and was whipping May's repetitively over and over again. She didn't know what her Bulbasaur was saying to the other, but the cloudy look that had been in the other's eyes had slowly left. Somehow, it had broken through whatever control the king had put over the Bulbasaur. It spoke sadly in its language, sorry at what it had done to the one it cared about, but May's didn't seem to be angry as it rested its tired beaten body next to it.
"What the devil is going on here! Destroy it!", the king hissed venomously at the Bulbasaur, only to blatantly ignored. Ash's Bulbasaur took a protective stance in front of the other, daring the king to make any sudden moves.
May was watching the Bulbasaurs and their actions, thinking to herself. If the Bulbasaurs can break through his control...then Ash and I can too.
"Don't you see?", she spoke, taking a few steps closer. "It doesn't't matter what you do. Love can overcome anything!"
She looked down, contemplating her next words. "Ash...I know you can hear me. There's something I've been meaning to tell you for a very long time, but I never thought I'd have to tell you under these circumstances."
"When I first met you, I thought that you were a little cocky and annoying. But then I saw how nice you were and how brave you are in the face of danger. You taught me a lot of things about being a trainer. No matter what, you were always there for me, whether it was saving my Pokemon from Team Rocket or cheering me on in contests. I could look to you for support and reassurance. You were always saving me, whether it was from falling into chasms or nearly getting crushed by Donphan. I choose you over anyone else whenever I'm afraid or in doubt. You are able to to give me the courage to do my best."
As she said this, she had been taking more steps toward Ash, the king hiding a look of contempt under a only slightly bewildered mask.
"That's a great speech, but do you really think that's going to help him?", the king asked loftily. However, he was suddenly quite alarmed as he had not realized how close May had gotten to him, practically backed into a pillar near his throne. Ash himself was only able to see her eyes, which were sparkling.
"Your always saving me Ash. It's about time I saved you.", she said, and without warning, she had grabbed the king by the front of his shirt and kissed him full on the mouth.
Ash suddenly felt a strange feeling engulf the entire realm of his mind...one of pure love. He felt all the anger and sadness being pulled away from him as he felt himself abruptly back in the present, no longer in his mind. He was even more fazed when he realized what he was doing.
I'm...kissing May...
And he found himself returning the kiss, which was not quite as passionate, but more of a gentle kiss. He found his arms wrapping around her, pulling her close, wanting to protect her from everything that had happened. He didn't know how she had managed to free him from that place, but it didn't seem like a good time to question it. What mattered was right now, having her in his arms and kissing the girl that he had feelings for. He didn't notice Pikachu or Max's surprised, but starry-eyed expressions, nor the painful screaming erupting in the back of his mind...
Wait...painful screaming?
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The king had suddenly been pulled into the brat's mind, crashing against what one could call the wall of the mind. His skin was blistering, burning red in agony at the pain that was clawing at his entire frame. He gripped the sides of his arms, his nails digging into his flesh and causing blood to seep down his arms and drip onto the floor, the noise echoing loudly in his ears, biting down on his tongue to keep from screaming out in pain, the metallic taste of blood thick in his mouth.
Damned wench...
Drip...
Screwing up his plans...
Drip...
Just when he was so close...
Drip...
Just when Ho-oh would be flying over Poke'lantis at any moment due to the eclipse...
Drip...
He couldn't hold on any longer. The wench's touch was making it too painful for him to attach to the brat's mind any longer. He looked down at his skin, not at all shocked as his skin practically burned itself away into nothing but shadow...
Drip...
He was going to kill that *****...rip her to pieces right in front of his eyes...he was going to savor the blood dripping off his hands...
Drip...
He was going to tear their hearts out and show it to them just to show how bleeding weak the heart really is...
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"Ash...your back...", she sobbed as Ash finally gave out weakly from being so exhausted, the two of them now on their knees. She held him close to her, careful of the injuries he had received from inside of his mind.
"May..."
"It's alright. Everything's-", May cut off as Ash suddenly started screaming as if something was tearing him from the inside out. She watched with fascination and horror as his body was covered in black and blue aura pulling upward from his body, as if the darkness was sucking itself out of him. After the darkness had lifted, Ash could feel almost all of his strength coming back to him, as if he had never lost it the first place. The bruises and cuts on his body started to heal and look good as new.
But then he screamed out in pain again as if something was being ripped out of the back of his skull. Whatever it was didn't take on a form, but he felt the evil presence that used to be the king disappear from his mind...or so he hoped.
There was suddenly a dark laugh that rang the air. Everyone looked up at the darkness floating above them, watching as it took shape. It looked like a deformed Ash, the lower half of his body nothing but darkness while the top half had long arms that ended in shadowy claws that seemed to practically tear through the air. Wisps of darkness flowed freely from it, chilling the room significantly. It still had Ash's face, except that its eyes were grey, and yet glowed with an eerily blue light.
"Think that you could defeat me so easily? You were wrong, fools! Now you will pay for your mistake!", it screeched as the king launched itself straight at the two of them, claws out aiming for their chests, any traces of sanity seemingly gone. He was going to rip their hearts out and then take over their bodies. After all, they wouldn't be able to get rid of him and fight against him...all it took was a claw straight to the chest so that he could re-enter one of their minds. He wasn't real choosy about which one at the moment.
And then he would have more power to kill Ho-oh once and for all.
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Max and Pikachu had fallen free from their hold on the wall, as the king's spells had lifted when Ash had regained control, but Max didn't seem to notice their freedom nor Meowth on the other side of the room moaning, wondering what had happened. Max was preoccupied with what was about to happen.
This is all my fault...they're going to die because of me...
...My sister...she's in trouble...
He suddenly found himself taking a few steps toward the two, until breaking into a full out run.
I need to save her!
In years to come, Max would never be able to explain how he had suddenly gained the speed to run in front of May and Ash, arms outstretched just as the claws pierced into his chest. He wouldn't remember the words that were said next, even the ones out of his own mouth or the screams of horror as the claws had apparently come out through the other side. The king himself was shocked as he was suddenly pulled inward into Max's body until all the darkness had now entered Max's body.
"Max...why?", May whispered, tears falling down her cheeks, Ash speechless.
"...You may be older than me...but...", he coughed, blood running down the side of his mouth. He was falling, falling forward in a graceful curving arc.
"...but a brother...has to protect their sister.", he whispered as he fell face-down on the floor, blood coming out of his chest under his now unmoving body.
