Chapter 4 – The chase of highway ------------- -Viridian city highway- “WAAAA!” Ash held onto Wes for dear life, almost falling off the bike due to wind resistance. The speed they were going had to be at least 70 mph. The raven haired trainer almost fainted from the daredevil stunts Wes pulled off. “EVA, how far is Team Magma?” Wes asked, driving between pedestrians and cars. “The Team Magma transporter is currently 30 miles away. The recommended route is through the main highway, V - 14.” The computer suggested. “What’s our ETA?” “1 minute.” “Let’s make it 30 seconds!” VROOOOM! Wes’s bike shot forward, exceeding over 90 mph. While driving, Wes saw the entry route leading to highway V – 14 and took it. There was a nexus of different routes and highways, all on different levels. With the speed the two were going, they should have reached the crooks by now. “Wes, look!” Ash pointed to the right. Wes glanced over and noticed a truck moving at a very high speed, followed by 12 Magma grunts on motorcycles. That was Team Magma alright, but there was a problem. “How are we going to get them? They are at the lowest level while we are at the highest! Unless we somehow survived the jump from this height, we’ll never catch them.” Wes tossed Ash a look that sent shivers down his spine. “Great idea! Hold on tight!” Wes made a sharp turn and drove for the side of the highway! Ash and Pikachu blanched. “ARE YOU CRAZY!? WE CAN’T SURVIVE THAT!” Ash yelled, panicking. “You won’t know unless you try!” WHOOSH! “HOLY CRRRRRAAAAPPPP!” Ash screamed as he and Wes freefell from the highest level down to the lowest, which were at least 150 feet apart. Wes landed and bounced off a truck passing by on one of the middle levels, and then landed on the lower level. Ash felt his stomach do flip flops as he dropped from the extreme height. Wes and Ash landed right behind the Team Magma escort guards. “Hey Ash, are you alright?” Wes glanced behind to see Ash’s face white as a ghost, fainted from the big drop. One good shock from Pikachu was enough to bring Ash back to reality. “Look sharp and listen up because I’m only going to tell you once! We’re gonna have to take out all the escort guards before we reach the truck. I want you to get ready and hang on, because once we reach the truck, you gotta go inside and rescue the girl. I’ll be back up in case we get any interference. Got it?” “Yeah, let’s go!” Ash prepared himself as Wes drove next to the first biker grunt. The grunt saw Wes and tried to ram into him, but when he got close, Wes kicked him in the face and rammed into him. The enemy biker fell off the bike, defeated. Wes drove up and met with two more grunts, one on each side. “EVA, go on auto-pilot! Maintain current speed and keep it smooth!” Wes commanded, taking out his two pistols. “Roger.” The bike switched itself to auto pilot. “Ash, I’m going to hijack one of the enemy vehicles. If you get attacked, have Pikachu help you out!” “Okay.” Ash watched as Wes leaned to the side, causing the bike tilted to the right. The Magma biker drove to ram into Ash when Wes jumped off the bike and kicked him in the face, knocking him off and seating himself on the bike. “Pikachu, Thunderbolt!” Ash pointed to the biker on the right. Pikachu shocked the enemy biker and sent him crashing into a wall. Wes drove next to Ash and gave him the thumbs up before driving ahead. Three more bikers slowed down to Wes’s located and pulled out their pistols. Wes deflected the bullets with his arm guard as he maneuvered between the three Magma bikers who were circling around him. “Thunderbolt!” Ash called suddenly. Pikachu shocked the biker behind Wes, causing the grunt to lose control and fall off. The remaining two grunts sandwiched Wes and started fighting him in hand to hand combat. Even with two grunts on each side, it was too easy for Wes. SMACK! The enemy biker clutched his face in pain when Wes punched him with his armored fist. Quickly, Wes shot the front tire of the enemy’s bike, causing the grunt to crash. The last grunt tried to kick Wes, but the silver haired teen grabbed his foot and pushed him off the bike. Two more grunts slowed down to stop Wes and Ash. This time, they were armed with stun staves and guns. Wes tried to dodge some of the gun shots, but a few grazed his cheek and struck the front wheel of his bike. He quickly jumped off and landed on his regular bike before the previous one crashed. The two Magma bikers started shooting at Wes as they close in on him. “EVA, disengage the auto-pilot and unlock my blitz blade!” Wes commanded. The auto-pilot sign on the screen switched off and a strange looking sword appeared on the side of the bike. The blade was around 4 feet long and looked like two katanas melded into one, the blades facing away from each other and was two-pronged. When the Magma grunts got close, they sheathed their guns and pulled out their stun staves. “Here they come! Ash, take care of the one on my right! I call left! Use this!” Wes handed Ash his left arm guard. Ash accepted and equipped the arm guard. “Whatever you do, don’t lose it!” “Okay!” Ash nodded. The two bikers came at Ash and Wes from opposite sides. The enemy on the right tried to attack Wes, but Ash blocked the attack and shoved the grunt back, throwing him off balance. “Now Pikachu!” Pikachu launched a Thunder Shock attack on the grunt. The attack did some damage, but would take one more direct hit to defeat him. Ash and the grunt continuously exchanged blocks and blows with each other. SMASH! “Agh!” The grunt felt the full force of Ash’s armored first and staggered. ZAP! The biker felt the shock of Pikachu’s attack and fell off the bike. With Wes, his opponent’s staff was no match for Wes’s sword. After several slashes, Wes smashed the grunt in the face with the sword’s hilt, knocking the man off. Wes drove ahead, trying to catch up to the truck. The four remaining escort guards formed a line barrier in front of Wes, denying him entry. Wes cursed inwardly. He needed someway get past the wall, but he couldn’t see how besides blasting his way through, but it would take more time than they had and too many casualties, which he was trying very hard to avoid. It was then Wes noticed a truck ahead of the bikes, carrying a plethora of tree logs. Ash paled when he saw the sinister look on Wes’s face. “No…you couldn’t...you wouldn’t…!” Ash gasped when he saw Wes pull out his gun and aim at the truck. “Trust me; I haven’t been alive this long without knowing how to get through many situations. I know what I’m doing.” Wes pulled the trigger. BANG! The bullet whizzed past the bikers and struck one of the straps holding the logs in place. The straps snapped off and unleashed a wave of logs, successfully taking out the blockade of bikers. Wes sweat-dropped when he remembered a small detail he had forgotten. “Err…Ash? I think you might want to keep your head down…” …uh oh… The logs bounced towards Wes as he maneuvered the best he could to avoid getting crushed by the logs. Three logs flipped in the air and aimed at Wes. Slash! Slash! Slice! Wes used his sword to cut a path through the logs as he drove. He cursed aloud when he saw the path to the truck was cut off by the logs and traffic. There was a highway leading to the second level next to the truck’s path, and Wes took it. “What are you doing? The truck’s going to get away!” “Not on my watch!” VROOOM! Wes speed past the remaining debris of logs and made it to the second level. Ash and Pikachu glanced at the side where they could clearly see the truck. “We’re not going to jump again, are we?” Ash asked nervously. He sighed in relief when Wes shook his head. “Nope…you are! Good luck saving the girl!” “WHA—” BOING! “WAAAAAA!” “PIIIIKKKAAA!” Both Ash and Pikachu screamed as the back seat of the bike jettisoned them in the air towards the truck. “I HOPE YOU SURVIVE THE FALL!” Wes yelled to Ash. Ash managed to land on the truck along with Pikachu, a little dazed from the drop. “ARE YOU CRAZY!? WHAT IF YOU MISSED!?” Ash yelled. He could see Wes shrug in the distance. “THEN THAT WOULD’VE REALLY SUCKED FOR YOU!” Ash and Pikachu face-faulted. Wes was one guy Ash wouldn’t trust with a delicate situation. “Ah! Misty!” Ash remembered. He crawled to the back edge of the truck and saw an opening through the back. “Ready Pikachu?” “Pika!” “Alright, let’s do it!” Ash lowered himself down and landed inside the back of the truck. There, he saw Misty and the Magma administrator. “Let Misty go, NOW!” He demanded. “Ash! You’re here!” Misty said. “Hmph, not for long! I’ll take you out once and for all, right here, right now!” The Magma administrator pulled out his gun and aimed at Ash. ZAP! “Gah!” The Magma boss dropped the gun that was electrified by Pikachu’s Thunder Shock. Ash immediately charged at him with his armored fist raised. CLANG! “WHAT!?” Ash was parried by the administrator’s personal stun staff, which was made of a material tougher than the other staves. “I’m not that easy to take down kid! I’ll beat you to a pulp! HAAA!” The Magma boss charged at Ash. Outside the truck, Wes was still on the highway beside Ash’s position. He had been trying to find an entry route to lead him closer to truck and support Ash. A good few miles ahead was a bridge and if Wes didn’t act soon, he would miss his chance. He could try jumping again, but not even he would test his luck that many times in a single day. VROOOM! “WHAT THE!?” Wes nearly skidded off the road when three bikers whizzed past him. They were all in black uniforms, riding black bikes. One of the bikes in particular was very detailed and equipped with several close range and far range weapons. Wes cursed his luck. Team Shadow was here! He pressed a few buttons on his bike and unhooked a blue arm guard. After equipping it, he prepped his blade and prepared to fight for his life. WHOOSH! The bikers drove off the highway and landed behind the Magma truck. Team Shadow was after the truck! “Not today!” Wes drove off the edge as well and landed on the pavement with a bump. Two of the Team Shadow bikers unhooked pistols and aimed at Wes. “Crap!” Wes quickly pressed a button on his arm guard, creating a small, blue energy shield in front of the arm guard. Bullets bounced of the shield and sword as the two gunners shot at Wes. The two gunners circled Wes as they shot at him from all angles, forcing Wes to watch and guard all 360 degrees. “GRAAAH!” Wes drove to the side at one of the gunners. CLANG! “Crap!” Wes’s blade was deflected by the Shadow agent’s own personal sword. The two continued to clash as the second gunner shot at Wes. SMASH! “GAH!” The close range biker was struck in the face by Wes’s arm guard. The enemy managed to recover and rammed his bike into Wes, causing him to almost fall off the bike. “Why you little…!” Slash! Wes’s sword sliced through the side of the enemy bike, cutting off the vital points. The Team Shadow driver jumped off the bike before it crashed against the side walls of the highway, exploding into a ball of flame. Wes sheathed the blitz blade and pulled out his twin pistols from his coat. He and the second Team Shadow rider exchanged bullets as they dodged traffic and bullets alike. Even for Wes this battle was proving difficult. Team Shadow had highly trained agents, and if he didn’t watch his back, death would come swiftly. After a minute of shooting, Wes had enough of it. He unlocked a secret compartment and pulled out a high tech, blue and black, compact carbine rifle. When his finger pressed on the trigger, the gun started glowing blue and blue energy started withdrawing inside the barrel. ZAM! Wes’s carbine shot a light blue laser stream through the enemy’s bike, shutting it down. The Team Shadow agent jumped out of the bike in time before the bike combusted. Wes grinned wickedly. No one could mess with the Wes Edition Carbine! He set his sights on the leader, which to his pleasure was a woman. May glanced back at Wes and pursed her lips. She should have known her two escort riders would not have been able to keep Wes at bay for long. Team Nova was one of the powerful military forces known, and Wes, along with the other five, was the elite officers of the team. While members of Team Shadow were skilled, only her team would be able to take out Team Nova’s finest! Wes drove along side of May. “Hey sexy! If you pull over, I’ll be sure to give you a real ride on the Wes express!” May tossed him a flat look. “The only thing that’s going to be riding is my foot in your face!” She almost succeeded in doing so when Wes blocked the kick. “Hmm…nice pair of legs you got…” Wes eyed her legs as he continued to hold it in place. WAM! “Agh!” Wes seethed in pain when May drove her still clutched foot into his face. He had no choice but to gain some distance and prepare himself for a fight! SMACK! “Arg!” Ash stumbled back but regained footing. The battle was getting intense. Both were equally match, and because of the close corners, Pikachu couldn’t risk shocking the Magma team leader without hurting Ash. Pikachu was busy helping Misty while Ash fought against the Magma boss. Punch! Kick! Shove! Uppercut! The two continued to exchange blows, neither person quitting. Though the Magma leader was older and more experienced battle wise, he was surprised with how Ash was standing up to him so well. “Kid, I hate to admit it, but you’re quite skilled. It’s a shame you’re not within our ranks.” The administrator complimented. “Right, and be a jerk like you? I’ll pass! HA!” Ash thrust his armored fist into the administrator’s stomach, knocking the wind out of him. WAM! Ash sent him slamming against the side of the truck with a roundhouse kick. He was about to pursue the administrator for the final blow when he heard a piece of metal fall to the ground. When he looked, he smiled with relief. Pikachu managed to set Misty free. “ASH!” Misty ran to Ash and embraced him tightly. Ash blushed furiously. “Um…hey Misty! I’m glad you’re alright.” He heard Misty gasp when she saw his face. “Your face! It’s all bruised up!” “Don’t worry about this. This doesn’t hurt at all!” Ash waved off, trying to reassure Misty. The sound of a bullet loading into the chamber of a gun caught Ash and Misty’s attention. “I’m not down yet fools! You may’ve gotten your girlfriend back, but this battle is not over!” The administrator staggered as he stood on his feet, panting heavily. It took almost all of his strength just to stand up. Ash groaned as he rolled his eyes. “Haven’t you people realized it yet!? She is not my girlfriend! It’s not that hard to remember!” “You don’t have to say it like that!” Misty shouted. “How else can I say it? No one has noticed it yet! Who on earth would want to date a mallet- wielding, scrawny tomboy?” “How about I take out my mallet and—” “STOP IGNORING ME!!!” The Magma boss shouted angrily, catching Ash and Misty’s attention again. “Geez man, cool it a bit. We can all hear you quite clearly.” Ash said. “Grrr….that’s it! EAT THIS!” BANG! “Gah!” Ash got a direct hit from the gun in his chest. His back slammed on the side of the truck and he slid down. Misty gasped in horror. “No, ASH!” She knelt next to him, on the verge of crying. “You’re next!” The administrator took aim and— ZAP! “GWAH!” The boss suffered a devastating Zap Cannon attack from the angered Pikachu. The blast blew him through the door that led to the driver seat. The Magma team leader fell unconscious soon after. “Arg….my chest…” Ash could feel his life slipping away. That gun shot must have hit some vital organs. In the corner of his eye, he saw something rolling towards him. It was… “The GS ball!” He grabbed the ball and placed it in his pocket. “Pikapi!” Pikachu cried, running next to him. “Ugh…don’t worry, I’ll be fine…” Ash lied. He didn’t want to worry his friends too much. Even though they are bound to find out sooner or later, he wanted them to at least be happy while he’s still alive. SCREECH! “Whoa!” Everyone slid across the truck to the other side from the dangerously sharp swerve. Misty glanced at the now broken door and gasped in horror. The driver was unconscious thanks to the Magma commander being tossed at him. “Oh no! The driver’s out cold! We’re going to crash!” “What!?” Ash stood up, but the pain in his chest made him stumble. Misty stopped him from falling over. “Ash, please hang on!” She pleaded. “We’ve got to get out of here!” Using all of his remaining strength, Ash saw his opportunity and leapt out the back of the truck. He did it just in time too, because the truck collided with another car and rolled over several times before exploding. Unfortunately, the truck was near the edge of the highway bridge, which was at least a 100 feet drop. “Ash, if we don’t do something, we’re going to die!” Misty held tightly onto Ash, praying they would somehow get out of the situation alive. Pikachu did that same. Ash clenched his eyes shut. He felt the life in his body slip away, draining his strength. Suddenly, it was almost as though his life flashed before his eyes. All of the journeys, friends, battles, Pokémon, it was almost as though he was reliving his past. Though, there was one thing he saw continuously, something he could and would never forget, Misty. Why did she appear the most in his memories? Why was she so important to him? If only he could live long enough to realize this… Suddenly, Ash’s pocket began to shine brilliantly! Ash opened his eyes and stared at his pocket in shock. He had put the GS ball in the same pocket he put the mysterious shard in, but somehow, the ball suddenly opened! A small, black ball emerged from Ash’s pocket and flew inside his chest, causing everything to go black. -Mysterious void- Ash opened his eyes and found himself in a mysterious place, empty, silent, and down right creepy. All he could see was darkness. As he walked within the void, curiosity struck him as to where he was. “Hello? Anyone home?” No response. He continued to walk for several moments, searching for anyone, anything. “You of determination and will, do you want the power?” A voice asked. “WA!” Ash whirled around, but saw no one. When he turned around, a man stood directly in front of him with his arms crossed. The tips of his black hair were red as blood. He wore lightweight black and red knight’s armor, complete with a long cloak that wrapped around his shoulders and steel arm guards. What really freaked Ash out was the fact this man looked exactly like him, except he seemed at most 2 years older, his skin was tanned and his voice was slightly deeper. The Ash look-alike had a cool, dark atmosphere about him, almost able to freeze a normal man on the spot with his glare. “Where are we?” “We are inside your unconscious mind. This is the realm of your inner most thoughts.” “My unconscious mind?” No wonder the area was so dark. This was the part of Ash’s mind most unknown, even to him. “Do you want the power young one?” The man asked again. “Power? What power?” “The end of your life draws near. The only way to save yourself is to accept my help. The power I offer is one that will save you and those of your allies.” “The power that can save my friends…?” Ash thought about it. If he didn’t accept the offer, two of his best friends, including himself, would die. What other choice did he have? “…Fine, I accept.” “Be warned, this power comes with a price. Do you still accept knowing this?” Ash didn’t take more than a second to decide. “Yes.” “So be it.” The man extended his hand to Ash. “Grasp my hand and closed your eyes. I will do the rest.” Ash did what he was told and grasped the man’s hand. Instantly, Ash felt a strange sensation surge through his body. A strange dark shroud veiled the two, and that was the last thing Ash remembered. -Viridian highway – 50 feet till impact- “Ash, are you there? ASH!” Misty had been calling Ash for the past few moments, but received no response. Ash’s eyes empty, void of anything. Was he…? “Please don’t be dead Ash! I haven’t even told you that I…huh!?” Misty’s eyes widened when she saw something strange happening to Ash. His skin was tanned and the tips of his black hair turned red. Ash’s eyes snapped open suddenly and a black portal opened in front of the three, drawing them in. Ash, Misty and Pikachu disappeared without a trace… -Unknown forest- “Ugh…huh…?” Ash felt himself being shaken awake. His eyes fluttered open and found Misty trying to wake him up. “Misty? What happened?” “Ash…?” Misty’s eyes started to water, overwhelmed with joy.” YOU’RE ALIVE!” She latched herself onto him, sobbing uncontrollably. Ash was extremely surprised and confused. “What happened to us?” He asked, still bewildered. “You…you were… and we almost…” Misty choked between sobs. She calmed down a bit when Ash embraced her and stroked her back softly. “It’s alright Misty, I’m okay now. You don’t need to cry anymore.” Ash soothed. He sighed when he felt her relax. “Pikapi!” Pikachu climbed onto Ash’s shoulder, hugging him affectionately. “Hey Pikachu! I’m glad you’re alright too.” Ash said. Pikachu glanced between Ash and Misty, and then winked at Ash. “Pika pikachu!” Pikachu gave Ash the thumbs up. “Good job?” What do you mean by…oh…” Ash’s face turned crimson when he realized what Pikachu meant. He was still holding onto Misty, and by the look of Misty’s red cheeks, she had just realized the same thing. The two shot away from each other, blushing. They glanced downward at the patch of grass in front of them, feeling awkward and embarrassed. “Bleh…give me a break!” A voice familiar to Ash gagged. “What on earth…?” Ash stood up and glanced around. Misty stood up with him, confused by his action. “Ash? Is something the matter?” Misty asked. “Uh…sort of. I could’ve sworn I heard someone. Meh, probably nothing important…” Ash shrugged. “How dare you call me nothing important! I saved your pathetic life and this is the thanks I get!?” “There it was again!” Ash exclaimed. “Are you hearing voices in your head…again?” Misty inquired. “No! Well…not recently…” Ash answered. Misty shot him a look of surprise. She was just joking with that question… “Fool! Be quiet and listen! Only you and people with moderate spiritual power can hear or see me. We can also communicate by thought. Yes, I can hear the insulting thoughts going through your feeble mind. I am NOT a crazed psychic that’s messing with your head!” The voice shot angrily. “What is going on!?” Ash gripped his head and clenched his eyes shut. Misty peered over him worriedly. “Ash? What’s wrong?” “Uh…Misty…?” Ash started slowly, “I think…I’m going crazy.” “That’s kinda obvious, but what’s driving you crazy?” “I am hearing a voice in my head. Either that or a very crappy voice over…” “DAMMIT, I AM NOT A CRAPPY VOICE OVER!” The voice roared, causing Ash to jump in surprise. Seeing Misty was slightly spooked, Ash decided to calm down and speak to this other person mentally. “Who are you and how are you inside my mind?” “I suppose since we’re going to be like this for awhile I might as well tell you. I am a 5000 year old spirit who was stuck inside that blasted sealing device. I am Satoshi, the guardian of darkness. Lo and behold!” Satoshi appeared next to Ash in ghost form. Ash jumped back in surprise. “Whoa!” Ash wasn’t expecting something like that to happen, which took him by surprise. “A-A-Ash? You’re really starting to creep me out!” Misty said, inching away slowly. Pikachu had an equally scared expression. “Oh, um….sorry. I guess the shock for what happened earlier made me a bit crazy.” Ash lied. Surely, he couldn’t tell Misty that the evil spirit from the GS ball possessed Ash. Wait…evil spirit…guardian of darkness…uh oh… Ash was about to question the spirit when he noticed his surroundings. The forest, the trees, everything looked so familiar, and he knew why. “Hey… this is the forest near Pallet town! We’ve made it to Pallet town!” He cheered merrily. Misty glanced around and noticed this as well. “Yeah, it is…but how did we get here? Last thing I remembered, we were falling.” Now that she thought about it, how did they arrive here? She remembered Ash somehow transforming and then a black hole appeared and swallowed them up. Maybe a psychic Pokémon was nearby and saved them by using teleport. But…that wouldn’t explain why Ash changed the way he did. Satoshi stood up with Ash. “Ash was it? I have many questions for you, but from what I read in your mind, this Professor Oak can probably help me understand this world better. Let us make haste.” Ash concealed it from Misty, but he started to panic. “Wait…you can read my mind!? But then…” “Do not worry. We share the same vessel, so I wouldn’t dare pry into matters that are too private. I may be from the darkness realm, but even I have respect for someone’s privacy…somewhat.” Satoshi reassured, ‘And besides, since you can’t read my mind, I have sheer advantage over you in case you attempt to kick me out of your body or go against me. Fufufufu….’ “Well, if you’re sure…” Ash decided not to pry into the matter…for now. He faced Misty. “Alright, let’s head to meet Professor Oak!” “Sure thing!” With that, Misty, Ash, Pikachu, and their new mysterious companion Satoshi headed their way towards Pallet town. -------------------------------- Whew, that’s chapter 4 for ya! Don’t worry, there’s more to come, and possibly some more excitement and humor also. Stay tuned for the next chapter and review like you’ve all been doing so far! Laterz!