Creatures of the Night

Chapter Two

By Crow Skywalker

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Disclaimer – I don’t own Pokemon, nor do I claim to. Characters belong to their creators, I’m just borrowing them for my own fun.

Author’s Notes – Another chapter written. Had to struggle to reach 4000 words this time, mainly because it’s more talk and less action. The dream sequence wasn’t even in what I had originally planned out, but I thought it would be good to add it in. There will be more dream/memory sequences in the future, mainly because it lets us in on Ash’s dark past. I’ll try not to shove too much in though. And yes, before anyone asks, Brock, Misty, Tracey, Team Rocket, and Max will be appearing in this fic. There will also be a few other characters from the anime appearing as well. However, we don’t even meet Misty until chapter six (told you I had it all planned out! Lol)…and well, other characters show up from there. Anyway, the beginning of this chapter was fun to write…but I don’t really like how the phone conversation came out. When I first started out I wanted Ash to be pretty much emotionless, dark, and mysterious. It seems talkitiveanime!Ash is trying to take over. Oh well. I guess I should shut up now and let you read, huh?

Other Notes – AU. Rated R for dark and sexual themes, blood, violence and all that good stuff. Can’t have a vampire fic without it, now can I? Normally I would put the pairings here too, but I feel that it would ruin the story/plot. You’ve been warned.

Summary – During the day, Celadon City is full of people and pokemon alike. At night, they aren’t the only ones roaming the streets.

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When his head reached the surface, Ash took a moment to breathe in the fresh air. His eyes opened, and for the first time since he woke up, he could see clearly. Focusing on pulling the rest of him out of the ground, Ash clenched his teeth and tried to haul himself up out of the dirt. It was a hard thing to do, considering most of his body was now stuck under a ton of dirt, but he managed to crawl out. He stood on his hands and knees for a long time, panting and staring at the soil and grass below him. Finally, glancing up, he took in his surroundings.

He knew he had been buried alive, but seeing the tilted stones that littered the cold ground made it seem a lot more real. He really wanted to get out of there now, and he began to get up when something caught his eye. Beside the grave that he had just crawled out of was a newer headstone than the rest. Looking over it in the darkness, Ash could clearly see the name that was finely carved into stone.

Ash sat up, a thin layer of sweat covering his half naked body as he breathed heavily, gripping the sheets of his bed tightly. Beside him, Pikachu twitched in its sleep, but didn’t wake up. Looking up, Ash glanced around his room, the one he’d grown used to sleeping in, finding everything in place and where he had left it. Shaking his head, he realized he was in May’s apartment, not in the old cemetery that he had first woken up in.

"It was a nightmare," He whispered in the darkness. Or had it been? He remembered that day exactly as it happened – every action, every word that was spoken. He could picture it all clearly in his head; the day he had woken up in his coffin and found out that he was one of them – a creature of the night – and that he was cursed to live forever, to feed off the innocent and take lives.

It hadn’t been a nightmare. It had been a memory from the past.

Pikachu rolled over in his sleep, stretching out its small arms and legs. Ash smiled down at his Pokemon, reaching out a hand to scratch under the electric mouse’s chin. Pikachu smiled in its sleep, emitting a loud "Chaaa!" of pleasure. Ash continued to scratch him, glancing around the room until his eyes landed on a nearby clock.

It’s 4:56, Ash mused in the dark. In a room without windows, it was hard to tell time. With a sigh he pulled himself out of bed, leaving Pikachu to grumble angrily in his sleep, rolling back over on his stomach so that he lay in Ash’s empty spot. Ash ignored this, finding a new black shirt in the darkness and pulling it over his head. That done, he searched for his pants, finding them hanging off the bedpost. Slipping them on, he went to the door, opening it a crack. It was a lot lighter in the rest of the apartment, and Ash guessed he’d slept most of the day away.

"May?" He called cautiously, wincing as his eyes grew accustomed to the light. From somewhere out in the living room came a clicking noise, and suddenly the light was less bothersome.

"It’s okay Ash!" He heard May call from somewhere in the apartment, "I’ve closed all the blinds."

He let the door open the rest of the way, and he took a step out of his dark room. He found May seated where he had left her the night before, sitting at her computer. However, her desk was less clean now because it was littered with different books and scrolls. She was busily typing something up on her computer when he walked up behind her, peering over her shoulders as she surfed the Internet.

"Did you sleep at all?" Ash asked, and for a moment she didn’t answer, her mind completely on the task in front of her. Ash had a mind to shake his head – May was always like this. She let work take over her life, and he’d seen her going days without sleep as she researched and looked up information for him.

"No." She said after a moment, her fingers finally leaving her keyboard as she grabbed a nearby pencil, quickly sketching down something on one of the papers in front of her.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?" He offered. It was the least he could do for setting such a task upon her. He watched as she nodded her head slightly, not once looking up at him as she continued her work.

Grabbing her mug of cold coffee, which had obviously been sitting on the desk untouched for most of the night, he started off in the direction of the kitchen. Switching the coffee maker on to warm it up, he leaned against the cupboards as he looked across the kitchen and into the dining room/living room. He could see May from where he stood.

"Have you made any progress?" Ash asked loudly, knowing that she could hear him.

May suddenly grabbed her pencil again, writing on the same piece of paper she had before. Ash heard the small snap as the lead cracked as she pressed a little too hard on the small pencil. May suddenly cursed, glaring hard at the object in her hand. "This is the third time it’s done this today!"

"May?"

She blinked, finally looking over her shoulder at the darkly dressed man in her kitchen. His question finally set in. "Oh!" She grabbed a piece of paper, standing as she looked over it, "I managed to translate one of these letters, but I’m still working on the rest." She joined Ash in the kitchen then, handing him the paper. "Do you want to take a look at it?"

Ash raised a brow, staring down at the scribbled paper. He doubted anyone but May herself could read those chicken scratches. "No thanks," he told her. "Just tell me what you’ve found."

"Well," she laid the paper down on the kitchen counter, pointing at an odd shaped scribble. "This right here was the first letter on the scroll," her finger moved down the page, landing on an ‘O’. "My sources tell me it translates to this. There’s a few other ‘o’s in the passage, too. The second word has one, the third word has two, and the seventh word has the last." She scrunched up her nose, "So far I can only guess what the second word is. It’s only two letters, with a ‘o’. But that could be either ‘of’ or ‘on’…so I have a lot more work to do before I can read the entire thing."

"You’re making good progress," Said Ash, which earned him a smile from the tired looking girl.

May’s smiled instantly faded, and her mouth opened. "That reminds me! The Professor phoned you! He wants an update on your progress with this!"

Ash glanced at the blank videophone that sat opposite of May’s desk, wondering what he was going to tell the Professor. Looking back at May, he handed her the cup he had been holding. "You do this, I’ll take care of that now."

May nodded, taking the cup and eagerly grabbing for the coffee pot. Within moments she had it poured, downed, and was on her second cup. Deciding to let this one last, she held it between both hands as she went to join Ash at the videophone. She was busy trying to tap in a phone number, and she reached over his shoulder and pressed a single button. The screen immediately flickered on, the Professor standing before their eyes.

Ash gaze her an odd look over his shoulder, and she shrugged. "Speed dial, Ash. Get with the ages."

With a roll of his eyes, Ash turned back to the videophone. "You wished to speak with me, Professor Oak?"

Professor Oak had been May’s old high school teacher back in her hometown. He had always been her favorite teacher, and she had shared almost everything with him. Including her ideas and obsession with the darker things in life. He’d been interested, and when she had set out she had promised to keep in touch. She’d done so, and Ash had come to learn Professor Oak could be a powerful ally when needed.

He was smart and knew almost everything about Pokemon. He’d studied them since he was a kid, his hero, oddly enough, being Cecil Ketchum. Once May had introduced Ash, making him promise not to tell anyone, Oak had started asking question upon question about his father's work. As painful as it had been, Ash answered his questions as best he could, and once he had gotten to know the man better, he'd sent out old papers of Cecil’s that he’d kept after his death.

Right now, Oak was busily researching information for Ash, keeping him up to date with every move the enemy was making. This is how he had found out about the scrolls, and where he would find them

"Ah, yes, Ash," the old man’s image smiled, "I phoned earlier to talk to May, but she seemed pretty preoccupied. I did manage to get a bit of last night’s story out of her, however, and I thought it best I let you rest. How are you feeling?"

Ash frowned, shifting uncomfortably. He’d lived alone for years, and although May was constantly talking he still found it hard communicating with others. "I’m okay, I guess." He checked, as if to make sure. Looking down, he lifted his shirt and pulled at the bandages. The bleeding had stopped, and the wound was almost healed.

Thank God for vampire healing abilities, he thought, letting go of his shirt and returning his gaze to the screen before him. "I took a few hits, but the worst of the damage is disappearing. I doubt it will even leave a scar in the end."

"Well that’s good news," Professor Oak nodded his head. "I was kind of worried after May’s description."

"May tends to over exaggerate," Ash said in a slightly amused voice, earning a light smack in the head from the girl standing behind him.

"I do not!" She insisted, leaning in as she said in a low voice, "Ash just likes to put on his tough guy act."

At this, Professor Oak laughed. When he finally stopped, he asked, "So I take it you got the scrolls, then?"

"It all went according to plan," Ash informed him, "I followed the guy into an empty alley and managed to grab them before –"

"He killed the guy," May cut in, earning an irritated look from Ash. "What? It’s not like you’ve never done it before, you know!"

Ash shook his head. He had taken many lives in his time, but it had only been in the last few centuries that he had stopped his brutal killing in favor of hunting down his enemies. He did not like to be reminded of his past, especially the more horrific details. "I just don’t-"

Once again, May finished for him, patting him on the back. "Like killing, I know. But hey, you’re reformed now! You only hunt down and kill the bad guys!"

Professor Oak coughed lightly at that moment, turning their attention back to the matters on hand. "I’d like to know what the scrolls said," he voiced.

"Of course!" May stood up, stretching her arms and pulling at the red and white bandana that she wore on her head before she went across the room the retrieve the papers.

"Actually Professor," Ash glanced at May as she approached, "We really don’t know what they say. They’re in a language that not even May can read. She was up all night trying to translate it, and so far she’s only managed to get one letter."

Oak looked confused, one brow raised as he said, "That’s odd. I taught May myself, and I know all there is about ancient languages. This one must be very old, if it is not in my books."

May took up her place behind Ash, unrolling the scroll in her hand. Turning it around, she faced it so that the Professor could read. On the screen, his eyes narrowed as he squinted, trying to decipher the language on the old paper.

"I must say, this truly baffles me." He finally said.

"May’s working hard on translating it," Ash told him, "Until then, we have to keep a look out. The enemy is near, they may try to take it back at any time."

Professor Oak visibly bit his lip, realization setting in as something dawned on him. "I remember now!" He said loudly, and for a moment both Ash and May froze, looking confused as they stared at the screen. "I had new information for you, Ash!"

Ash sat forward in interest. "What kind of information?"

"A lead on where you can find…"

"Geovanni," Ash finished, and for a moment his eyes glinted golden with rage. Just the thought of that man drove him mad.

Professor Oak hesitated, waiting until Ash had calmed down somewhat. "Yes, I have a lead on Geovanni’s lair. I’m not sure about the source, but it sounds like somewhere you’d find a nest of vampires."

"Where is it?" Ash asked quickly, already getting up from his seat. He planned on getting his jacket, waking up Pikachu, grabbing his gun and going after the fucker who had condemned him to hell! However, he felt May’s hands on his shoulders as she forced him to sit.

"Cool it, Ash!" She scolded, and keeping a firm grip on him.

"May’s right," Oak agreed, "This isn’t going to be a simple mission. If the lead was right, then you’ll be heading into a nest full of powerful vampires and Pokemon. Geovanni will be waiting for you – he knows that you’re out to kill him. You can’t go in there alone."

"What do you suggest then?" Ash snapped irritably. He had no time for this – Geovanni was waiting for him.

"Take someone with you." Professor Oak all but ordered.

"I have to do this alone!"

The fingers digging into his shoulders, holding him down, suddenly disappeared as he heard May’s soft voice, "Ash, you’ve been alone long enough. You said I could help you, and I plan on doing that. Please, just take someone with you, so that I know you’ll be alright."

Ash looked at her for a moment, before looking away. "Fine." His eyes returned to the screen, "Who are you sending, Professor Oak?"

"Only the best," Oak smirked in reply.

Ash moaned. "Don’t tell me…"

"My grandson."

Ash covered his face with his hands, letting them slip down until he could see again. "You’re making me work with Gary again? Do you remember what happened last time?"

Professor Oak winced slightly. "Yes, I remember all right. I know that you and Gary don’t get along the greatest, but you and him are an unbeatable team when you work together."

Ash sat in silence for a moment, his anger burning deep within. The last time he and Gary had worked together, they’d managed to bring a whole building down on top of them. It was a miracle they’d both survived! And now he was being forced to work with that arrogant bastard again?

He looked at May, who was still kneeling beside him, gazing up at him as she waiting for his reply.

"Fine," he finally answered them. "I’ll do it."

"I’ll be sending him over late tonight. Be sure to make your plans and get ready. This isn’t going to be an easy mission."

"Let’s hope this lead is the real deal," Ash mumbled as Oak waved goodbye and the screen went blank. With a sigh he sank down in his chair, closing his eyes as he massaged his aching head. He’d finally gotten a lead on Geovanni, and now he’d been conned into taking Gary with him. Life wasn’t fair.

"Just think of it this way, Ash," May said as she stood. "Now you have someone to look out for your back, in case this is an ambush."

"Gary’s more likely to shoot me in the back than the enemy is," Ash muttered, rising out of the chair. "I’d better go get Pikachu; load up my gun and all that."

May rolled her eyes. Ash spent more time cleaning that damned gun than he did taking care of his Pokemon – and that was a lot, considering he took very good care of his Pokemon.

"I’ll be in my room."

May watched him as he left, staring after him even as he disappeared into his room. This was it – Geovanni was close; this was the moment Ash had been waiting for most of his un-life. The chance to kill Geovanni, who had killed both his father and himself – the man who killed the innocent, even today, and had many people, Pokemon, and vampires alike working for him.

The question was though, would Ash be able to do what he had set out to do all those years ago? Would he kill Geovanni? But the main question floating through May’s head was:

To Be Continued…