Pokemon Fan Fiction / Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ The Strength of the Soul ❯ Promise ( Chapter 3 )

Disclaimer: see prologue

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He was dreaming; that was the first thought that came to his mind as he watched a much younger version of himself dodge and weave between trees, desperately attempting to outrun his pursuer. His tiny five-year-old body could not achieve much speed, but still he ran as fast as he possibly could.

"I'm gonna get you, Ketchum!" the voice called out from behind him, its tone filled with a deadly promise. Ash turned his head as he continued to run, desperately attempting to steal a glance at whoever was chasing him. But the shadows were too thick behind him; all he saw was a rapidly-encroaching darkness.

"Do you honestly think you can hide from me, Ketchum? You're a bigger fool than I thought!"

Tears streamed down his face as he ran faster, his breath coming in sharp pants as he willed himself to run ever faster, the only thought on his mind to elude the predator in hot pursuit. The darkness drew closer, threatening to consume him if he slowed his pace the slightest bit…

He fell.

Fear and panic seized his heart; he was done for. The shadows closed in around him, and he shut his eyes as he felt it begin to devour him…

…when a bright light suddenly appeared, surrounding and protecting him while simultaneously casting off the darkness. He felt a comforting presence beside him, and a pair of gentle arms enveloped him in a tender embrace.

His eyes opened slowly as he realized that he had somehow been saved. He turned his tear-streaked face up to see his savior. "Th-thank you, miss," he stammered, feeling as though he should know her but failing to recognize her face.

She smiled--a tired, sad little smile that seemed to break his heart. "What did you expect?" she asked, her turquoise eyes kind and warm yet at the same time weary. "I'll never leave you alone; you must remember that."

His brow furrowed in puzzlement. She seemed so familiar… "Miss, do I…know you?"

Her smile widened as she gently ruffled his mussed ebony hair. "You will," she said softly, bowing her head and allowing her auburn tresses to fall into her eyes. "You will."

"But you saved me from the darkness," he protested as she started to walk away. "I'll never forget that! I'll never forget you! Why are you leaving me?"

She stopped, her head bowed as she remained silent for a moment. "We have to be apart for awhile," she finally said in a soft voice, turning back to gaze kindly at the young boy. "That's just how it has to be. You have to be strong, because it won't be easy when I'm gone. The darkness will return, and I won't be here to stop it. But always remember that I'm with you in spirit, and I'll always come back to you." She turned away from him and resumed her silent walk, leaving him pondering her words.

"I'll be waiting," he found himself whispering.

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"Ash? Ash! Ash, please answer me!"

Ash's dark-brown eyes slowly opened, his vision blurry. "Wh…what happened?" he asked groggily, rubbing his eyes.

"Shh…don't worry about it," that soothing voice above his prone form said gently.

His vision suddenly cleared, and his heart clenched painfully in his chest as he saw her kneeling next to him, one hand resting upon his forehead and brushing aside his sweat-dampened hair. "Misty…"

Now he remembered; the assassin, the chase, the gunshot…and Misty appearing before him like some long-since disappeared goddess, a gun held dangerously in her small, delicate hands. She had saved him from that murderous thug…and he had passed out from shock.

Misty smiled at him, continuing to whisper soothing words to him as though he were a small child. "Don't push yourself," she said softly, clasping his gloved right hand in her small one. "You've had a hard day."

She was alive; his Misty was alive…

"…Misty!" Ash cried somewhat desperately, pulling her small frame against him and crushing her to him with every ounce of strength he could muster. He vaguely heard her utter a gasp of pain but was so overwhelmed by emotion that he couldn't even stop to comfort her.

Five years…five long years of pain and anguish with no relief in sight. He'd spent day after day feeling as a man drowning, trying desperately to reach the surface, kicking and fighting violently only to pull himself further into the abyss.

But now… Ash closed his eyes and rested his chin on the top of Misty's head, tightening his arms around her. The misery he'd been permanently fixed in since that day five years ago when he'd watched that coffin lowered into the ground suddenly evaporated. The love of his life had returned to him, and he felt as though he had the strength to take on the whole goddamned League by himself. "You've come back to me…" he whispered. "Oh, God, Misty…"

Pain wracked Misty's abused body as the force of Ash's embrace placed pressure upon the bruises and gashes marring her pale skin, but she remained oblivious. She had come so close to losing him, but now that she was back in his arms, the danger seemed to become as intangible as a summer mist. She rested her head against his chest and allowed herself the first real taste of comfort since that horrible, fateful day five years before.

They remained silent in that embrace for several minutes, each unable to move for finally achieving a glimpse of happiness after years of torment and hopelessness. But reality soon interfered, and Misty let out a gasp of horror and pulled herself to her feet. "Ash, we have to get out of here!" she said in a panicked whisper, grabbing his hand and retrieving her gun from its position on the floor.

"Wh--what?" Ash asked dazedly as Misty hurriedly pulled him out of the dingy apartment building, carefully peering around the corner before breaking out into a run towards the building's garage. "Where are we going?"

"Don't ask questions!" she hissed angrily, giving his arm a quick jerk as she picked up the pace, her gun held in a defensive position. "We have to make sure we're out of here before the League finds out what's become of their assassin!"

They ran through the concrete garage, quickly reaching Ash's sleek black convertible and racing out of the building as soon as he turned the key in the ignition. "Where the hell are we going, Misty?" Ash asked loudly over the wind whipping around them.

"To my apartment," she answered simply, turning the wheel sharply and sending them racing downtown.

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The man's eternally emotionless features showed a hint of panic as ten pairs of rage-filled eyes bored down upon him from within their ebony hoods. "Y-you called for me, sirs?" he asked, attempting to keep the fear from seeping into his tone but failing miserably.

The leader spoke first, his voice unmistakably angry and icy. "Agent, you convinced us that it would be more expedient to have one Ashton Ketchum destroyed through an assassin other than Misty Williams, for reasons which will soon be under intense scrutiny, and now not only is one of our most talented assassins dead, but both Ketchum and Williams have escaped!"

"I'm sorry, sir," the man said earnestly, bowing to the robed figure. "I made a grave miscalculation as to Williams's devotion to Ketchum." A scowl crossed his features. "But rest assured that I will not rest until both of them have been apprehended."

"You have one more chance, you incompetent bastard," the figure responded. "And if we find out that you have any ulterior motive whatsoever, you will soon find that all the acts of torture you have carried out upon others were child's play. Perhaps you would find it beneficial to confess any trespasses you may have carried out upon Ms. Williams."

The man slowly raised his head, a dangerous smile spreading across his features. One hand moved to press against the torn flesh of his forearm, and his mind drifted back to the unfathomable pain and humiliation he had served her as he had raped her at knifepoint, his own arousal only heightened by the desperate tears falling steadily from her eyes.

"Nothing I can think of, sirs."

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Ash stepped into the small apartment carefully, casting a glance around the room. He soon felt a sense of nostalgia for his own apartment as he observed the tiny studio Misty called home. The cracked plaster of the walls were spotted with mold and mildew, and the splintered hardwood floors had long since lost their polish. There was a rickety table positioned in the kitchenette along with a water basin and a small refrigerator, and a futon lay in the corner of the room. "How can you live like this?" he asked in a whisper.

Misty let out a short laugh as she removed her thin jacket and draped it across the back of the only chair at the kitchen table. "I don't have a choice," she said simply, sighing as she settled into the chair and rested her hands upon the table. "It's not like the League gives me any options for how I want to live my life."

"You work for the League?" Ash asked incredulously, taking a step backwards. No…there's no way…she can't be one of them…can she?

Misty sighed once again, letting her eyes drift shut as she leaned back in her chair. "I was never given a choice," she said softly.

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"Are you nervous, Ash?"

He turned to her, a dazzling smile illuminating his boyish features. "Yeah, a little," he replied, his smile never wavering. "I mean, in two weeks I could be the world's youngest Pokemon Master! It's such a huge responsibility!"

"But it's what you've dreamed of your entire life," she responded, reaching out and grasping his hand. "And I just know you'll do great." A small blush tinted her cheeks as he stared at their clasped hands. "R--right?"

He slowly raised his eyes to meet hers, crimson beginning to spread across his face as well. She mentally began to berate herself for being so foolishly forward, when suddenly he tugged on her hand, pulling her forward and into an impromptu embrace.

Her heart pounded in her ears as he continued to silently hold her, unspoken words hanging in the air between them. This was what she had hoped for, had prayed for ever since she had met him, and it had finally come true. She closed her eyes and leaned into their embrace.

On the other side of the PokemonCenter, a figure clad in black smirked and made a few observations in the small notebook in his hands.

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She let out a sharp cry as she was shoved mercilessly to the concrete floor of the abandoned warehouse, turning to cast a shocked glance at her captor. "How could you?" she asked incredulously. "We were your friends! Why are you doing this?"

The man shook his head and laughed, waving carelessly at the four hooded figures surrounding the young woman. "You're so naïve, little girl," he called over his shoulder as he left the building, taking some kind of perverse joy out of the hurt and betrayal in her eyes.

"Ms. Williams," one of the figures spoke sharply. "We've been making observations lately and have noticed that you share an especially…close relationship with Mr. Ashton Ketchum, is that correct?"

"What? N--no, of course not!" she protested quickly, trying in vain to hide the blush staining her cheeks.

"Mr. Ketchum will become the next Pokemon Master," the figure continued, ignoring her protests. "We have decreed it to be so. He will succeed at the Championships and become a loyal servant of the League, and he shall carry out whatever deeds we assign him without a single thought of dissent." The figure's eyes narrowed from within the dark hood set upon its head. "However, there remains one rather significant obstacle in the way of our plans; that obstacle, my dear, is you."

"Your relationship with Mr. Ketchum provides him with strength, with a sense of honor and duty," the figure continued. "These are assets which will prove only to be hindrances in our master plan. As such, you must be removed from his life."

"Woah, now hold on a minute!" she cried angrily, forcing herself to her feet."There is no way in hell I'm going to leave Ash just because a bunch of freaky Druid-wannabes tell me to! I don't care what you do to me!"

The figures turned to smile at each other--a cold, dangerous smile that sent a chill racing down her spine. "We assumed as much," the figure responded. "Therefore, we have taken all precautions to assure that you do not interfere with that which has already been decided. For starters, a team of assassins entered CeruleanCityand murdered your sisters early this morning. Your entire family is now dead."

She felt her heart stop in mid-beat at the news, presented so simply as if to minimize the devastating effects of those words. She let out a cry and fell to her knees, feeling such incredible pain that she could no longer stand.

"So, what does that leave in your life?" the figure asked, a playful gleam in its eyes. "Your darling love--Ash Ketchum. Of course, at this moment, one of our assassins has him in his sight and has orders to shoot him as soon as we say the word." He held up a small handheld radio. "And with your little boyfriend dead, what would you have left? You will never be a Water Master; the League has seen to that. You have no family, no friends. You have nothing. You are nothing."

Tears began to fall from her disbelieving eyes, the pain radiating through her body at being so harshly flung to the hard ground--coupled with the beating that traitorous bastard had afforded her as he dragged her to this warehouse--was nothing compared to the complete emotional destruction she was now experiencing. To think that the League was so corrupt that they would go this far to ensure that their evil plans were carried out… "What do you want me to do?" she whispered, barely even capable of coherency.

"The first order of business is to leave Ashton Ketchum," the figure responded authoritatively. "You will say that you are returning to CeruleanCityto meet with your sisters; you are under no circumstances to mention that they are…no longer with us. You will then report directly to League headquarters in ViridianCity, and after three days, it will be given out that you have been shot to death. If you refuse to carry out any part of this plan--including fleeing the city or attempting to commit suicide--Ketchum will be killed, but you will be mercifully spared…so that you will be forced to live each day in agonizing loneliness.

"Any questions?"

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"What happened after that, you already know."

Ash remained frozen in his spot by the doorway, gaping at the small woman sitting listlessly at the table, her gaze focused out the small soot-stained window in the kitchen. "Misty…I had no idea…"

She turned her impossibly sad eyes to him. "And that was exactly the point."

Ash's anger at the League had been strong before, but now it had mutated into a seething rage, an incomparable desire to see them destroyed and ruined. He wanted to take each member of the organization and rip out their throats with his bare hands, not stopping until he'd killed every single one of them. And then he wanted them all to come back to life so he could do it again.

His and Misty's lives were just insignificant playthings to the League, to be toyed around with until their usefulness was exhausted and then thrown away. They had wanted him to join their ranks so badly that they had destroyed an innocent girl just because she had the poor fate to love him. "I'm so sorry, Misty. I wish there was some way I could make amends for it…"

Misty slowly stood and walked over to him, sighing and resting her head against his chest. "They wanted me to kill you," she said softly, closing her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her protectively. "They told me that you had become a subversive, that you were planning some kind of resistance or something. But…I couldn't do it. I was actually on my way to get you out of there, threats of murder be damned, but I didn't know that they'd already assigned another assassin to the case. It was dumb luck that I got there in time to take him down before he killed you." She closed her eyes more tightly and let out a choked sob. "Oh, God, Ash, you don't know what they've done to me!"

Ash felt his heart break in two as Misty once again began to sob; how many times had she cried since they'd been reunited? It was almost too much to bear. He lowered his head to place a comforting kiss against her shoulder…

…and saw a dark purple bite mark glaring at him starkly against the pale white skin.

Ash's mind froze as his sweeping gaze surveyed the apartment. Broken glass littered the kitchen floor, and a bloodied steak knife lay nearby. A small pile of clothes lay next to the bathroom door, and he observed the blood and deep tears in them with a sense of horror. His mind raced as he quickly observed the skin exposed by Misty's sleeveless shirt, registering the cuts and bruises…

Oh my God…please, no…

He crushed her small body against him once more with a sense of urgency, his mind awash in panic and hatred…hatred for the bastard who had done this to his Misty, hatred for the League for forcing her into a life of misery…and hatred for himself for failing to protect her. "I'm sorry, Mist….I'm so sorry…"

Misty burrowed her face into his T-shirt. "I didn't want to, Ash!" she sobbed. "I never wanted to; it sickens me to even think of him on top of me…"

"Misty, listen to me," Ash said sternly, gripping her chin and forcing her teary eyes to meet his. "As God is my witness, I'll die before I ever let them touch you again, do you understand me? No one is ever going to hurt you again as long as I live." He pulled her closer as she let out another broken sob and nodded quickly. I promised you that at your graveside, Misty. And now that you're back from the dead, I swear to God that I'll never let anyone take you from me again.

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The door to the apartment was flung open, and the man entered with a cocky grin displayed upon his features. "Where's my favorite little slut?" he asked mockingly, glancing around the room. His eyes settled upon a note taped to the refrigerator in a hurried scrawl. "The hell…?"

You can't control me anymore.

--Misty

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"Man, how long has it been since we've done this?"

Misty allowed a faint smile to appear upon her face as she and Ash hiked along one of the countless trails in Viridian Forest side-by-side. "It's been years," she agreed. "Makes me feel all nostalgic."

"A lot's changed since then, though," Ash said, his tone suddenly serious. "We're both wanted with a major price on our heads, we're enemies of the League, and we have absolutely no plan." He sighed and ran a hand through his spiky black hair. "Face it, Mist--we're all but done for."

"Listen to me, Ash," she said sternly, grabbing his ear and pulling him down to face her. "If there is one thing I've learned from the hell I've lived in for the past five years, it's not to ever give up hope, no matter how bleak everything seems." She smiled a little. "I guess I got that idiotic stubbornness from you."

"Gee, thanks."

"Anytime."

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"Are you sure this is smart?"

Misty glanced warily at the dense forest surrounding the small clearing. "Probably not," she replied, tossing a few more sticks onto the campfire, "but I'm too tired to keep walking. I've had a really hard day."

"And I haven't?"

Misty smirked and tossed a pinecone at Ash, who caught it easily. "Just get some sleep; we can only rest for a few hours, though; the League probably has countless spies out looking for us, and we can't afford to stay in any one place for an extended period of time." She snuggled into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes.

"…Misty?"

"Yeah, Ash?"

"Would you be willing to do something for me?"

"…possibly. What?"

Ash crawled out of his sleeping bag and over to Misty's side, pulling her over to his side of the campfire. He zipped the two sleeping bags together, then climbed into the conjoined makeshift beds and held Misty's form against him. "What are you doing?" she asked softly, her protesting words sharply contrasting with her gentle tone.

"I've been completely alone for five years," he responded simply, draping an arm across her waist. "You were dead, my friends had disappeared, and I had become a tool to be used for the League's nefarious purposes. But now--" He kissed the top of her head. "--you've come back to me. And I'm not ready to let go."

Misty smiled slowly, leaning back into him and carefully shifting her weight so as not to put undue stress upon her wounds. "It's amazing, isn't it?" she mused aloud, tilting her gaze upwards to observe the starry sky. "We were both so lonely and miserable just a few hours ago, but now everything's suddenly back to the way it was five years ago. It's been ages since I was this happy; I don't ever want it to end."

"Sleep," Ash whispered to her, closing his eyes and holding her protectively to his chest. "I'll still be here in the morning."

And with that, the reunited pair slowly gave themselves over to sleep beneath the night sky.

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