Shadows on the Heart Window to the soul

Shadows on the Heart Window to the soul
by Flygon
Chapter 23



The opening ceremonies began shortly after that, and all the trainers were parading out. First all those for the normal competition, then the thirty two who would be participating in the Junior competition. They walked around the edge of the main stadium and then moved to the center where President Goodshow made his speech welcoming all. Next day the qualifying heats began, and people who may have doubted what Ash had said or meant at the conference learned just what his determination could do. He levelled his opposition, one after another, and then when the main games began, he continued. People had seen him training hard, but many trainers were unprepared for the strength of the pokemon that he released. Soon it was down to the semi finals and the finals after that, and that is when the Junior competition began.

Ash talked to Eddie, and assured him again. He had a good team of pokemon, both those that he was given by the Elite Four from the various regions, and those he had caught. He knew and trusted his pokemon, and he knew their moves. And even more he knew how to use those moves in ways many trainers couldn't dream of. He told him to battle with his head and heart and he couldn't be defeated. Then he left him.

Eddie sat in the room waiting for the light to go on over the door to signal him to enter the stadium, when he heard a door open. He turned, expecting Tommy, or maybe Brock or Misty. He saw Rick standing in the doorway to the shower area. Rick had that half smirk/half smile he seemed to wear all the time. and was looking at Eddie in a strange way.

"Are you here to tell me my pokemon are toys?" Eddie asked warily.

"No." Rick replied. "I came here to wish you good luck."

"Huh?" Eddie felt like somebody had just hit him in the stomach.

"I've been through a lot since we met, last." The boy stated levelly. "I ain't sure that I am ready to say much, since I still have a lot to think about. I just didn't want you going out there without knowing that I think you got the stuff to pull this off."

"We could be friends." It was an impulse with Eddie, and he slowly extended his hand out to the boy.

"Don't know if I have earned the right to have friends."

"You don't earn the right to have em." Eddie told him in a quiet tone and kept his hand out. "They come to you. Sometimes they stay for good, some stay for a while, others will simply be your friend for a day and gone the next. Friends can't always be together, and sometimes they can't do things to help their friends, even if they wish with all their heart they could. That doesn't make them any less of a friend. Friends understand that about other friends." Eddies voice dropped to a near whisper. "If you don't want to be friends with me, I would settle for 'not enemies'."

"I can live with that for now." his smile deepened a bit. "you look a bit nervous, 'not enemy'."

"I am," as he felt the Rick grip his hand and wondered for a moment at the soft feel of Ricks hand. "I hope that I can win. I want my big brother to be proud of me."

"He already is." Rick responded, tightening the grip a bit before turning to the door of the shower again. "And you got the stuff to win, believe in that, and, as your brother told you, trust in your pokemon." he stepped into the doorway and began to close it.

Eddie thought, just for a moment, that he heard Rick say 'Good luck, friend' but couldn't be sure. At that moment he saw the light to the stadium door go on and heard the 'ding' that signalled him to enter the stadium. He stood, and looked at the hand that had just gripped Ricks. He would not tell any of this meeting, or the secrets he guessed at until Rick told him he could, but suddenly he felt steadier then he had all this time. He strode toward the door, with his back straight and he no longer shook. Win or lose, he had a tournament to compete in.

In the shower room, Rick stood, watching through a partially open door, while gazing at the hand that had gripped the young boys. The smirk fell and was replaced by a small smile. A smile that was remembered from long ago. A time when things were a bit simpler. Concentrating on the door that Eddie had used, Rick moved toward the other door.

"You got the stuff," Rick said to the empty room in a barely audible tone. "now beat the hell out of them." And left.

Award Ceremony, Secrets, and beyond.

The competition was not ready for the two Ketchum brothers. Eddie entered the stadium with a determined look on his face that wiped the smirk of the boy who was his first opponent. He released Dash and when the match was over Dash still stood on the ground, albeit a bit winded, but the pokemon still stood.

Ash watched as his brother, Eddie mowed down all who came against him, using every thing that Ash and the rest had taught him. He heard Tommy cheering his brother on through one victory after another, till the finals. Then Eddie seemed to falter slightly. he dropped three pokemon and the other one had five left, then a break was called. He went to his brother and told him he believed in him, and even if he lost this match, he was so proud of him he was ready to bust. A call on the phone told Eddie the same from his mom, dad, and even the babies seemed not to be sleeping while the competition was on the TV. As Ash gave him a thumbs up and the biggest smile he could imagine as he left the room, Eddie went to the shower room to see if Rick was there. Rick wasn't but a letter was taped to one of the lockers and it was made out to him. It was simple and to the point.

I don't have many friends, I guess because I never tried to make them. But Your friendship, I value. Do your best.

Rickie (I am trusting you, don't tell anybody this)

He looked at the letter and smiled. He had known all along for some reason. He smiled and then looked at the door to the stadium. His new friend had said, do your best. And he intended to listen to her advice.

When the match restarted, there was a change, and everybody who watched saw it. Eddie took out two of the opponents pokemon and then proceeded to trounce the other three, having only one more of his knocked out. In the end, he stood in the middle of the field shaking the hand of his opponent.

In the stands, near the shadows of the scoreboard stood a young girl. Her hair, once piled and tightly curled to resemble a boys hair cut, was now combed out straight and was her normal shoulder length. She wore a standard shirt that buttoned down, and no longer wrapped a wide cloth around her breasts to flatten them further then what they were. She watched the young boy who was shaking the hand of the person he had just beaten, and smiled. Not the smirking smile, nor the sneer, but a genuine smile.

"Way to go, Eddie." She said quietly. "Maybe we will meet again." She headed to one of the exits, absently putting her hands in her pockets as she did.

The rest of the competition went to Ash. He took out the last two people he needed to and won. Then at the closing ceremonies while he stood on the the top step and Eddie stood on the top step of the junior completion only one thought went through his head.

"Indigo Plateau, here I come." he murmured.

The trip home to Pallet town was interrupted by a quick stop in both Cerulean and in Pewter cities. In each there was a small celebration which involved a parade and a couple of speeches from Ash, and Eddie. In Cerulean city, Ash was invited to a special party at the Gym. Eddie, Misty and he suddenly found themselves in a huge party. Sandy had cooked up a storm and they all ate in the main gym area. Misty told Sandy that she was going to have her name removed and turn the gym over to Sandy, but Sandy laid into her.

"No way cous." She stated. "you better not give up being a gym leader yet."

"I am going to be spending my time with Ash, not here at the Gym." Misty began to insist. "Might as well make it official."

"NO," Sandy yelled, shocking everybody there. "You are stuck as a Gym Leader, at least for two years and four more months. And I will tell you the reason that you 'want' to stay a gym leader. Only a gym leader can get married at fifteen and stay married. If you give up your title now, you automatically become a regular trainer, and have to wait till sixteen to get parental permission to marry. Or in your case, you will have to wait till you are seventeen. You don't have to do anything in the gym, just hold the title. That way neither of you have to wait another two years to get hitched." She sat down and stared at the shocked pair. "Now, what are your thoughts of quitting right now?"

"I didn't know." Misty gasped out.

"I figured that one out," she smirked a bit. "Just be glad that I knew what law prince charmer here was using and looked up all the little loose ends, or you could be waiting another two years to be carried over a threshold."

"Thank heavens Misty has a friend like you." Ash stammered out, holding his head.

The trip back to Pallet town was quiet, and when they arrived the Lab it was festooned with bunting, streamers, and other decorations. They all had a party there, that was temporarily interrupted by three little imperious screaming members of the family who demanded to be changed and fed, with no regard for the fact that the party was not for them at this time. Pikachu went from shoulder to shoulder while the babies were being cared for, and would softly talk to the babies. She knew to keep her tail out of their reach. Ash spent a bit of time with Misty while they helped take care of the babies. He watched the smile on her face as she held either Annie, Elizabeth, or Mark and fed them. He knew better then to laugh when she made a face at the smell of the diaper when she helped change them. He had the same reaction.

Time passed and Ash began to train again. This time when he ran he had almost the entire neighbourhood running with him. He knew that since he was now a four times champ, or a quad champ, he had a free entry into Indigo Plateau. He didn't need to collect the badges this time around. He concentrated on training. For two months he continued and then, he and the rest of the group left for Indigo Plateau.

Ash stopped in front of the gates, and shivered a moment. His mind flashed back to the last time he was here. To the embarrassment he suffered when his charizard had refused to fight. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked. Misty stood there smiling. Behind her was Brock, then Tommy and Eddie. Then Gary and Duplica and his parents with the triplets in their special stroller. His family and more importantly, the love of his life was with him. He squared his shoulders and showed the gate guard his Pokedex. He had a tournament to compete in.

Lances words had proven prophetic. This time, with his well trained teams, he was a shoe in. He stood there in the center of the arena shaking hands with his last opponent, a young trainer named Bradley Thorn, from, of all places, Sandjem Town. As the young man walked away from Ash, confident that he would at least be standing on the second stair, Ash looked up at the westering sun, and then at the crowd of people. Pikachu, his oldest of his pokemon friends hopped onto his shoulder and flashed two victory signs and the crowd cheered again. He saw his family sitting in the front row, they were on their feet applauding, as was the whole stadium. He searched the first row and found the one he was looking for. Misty was standing and applauding like everybody else, but she was also crying with such a large smile on her face that he knew she had to be happy. He stepped toward her, and held his hand out to her. She hesitated, almost as if she were nervous, until a cat pokemon on her shoulder told her to go to him and hopped off to applaud like the people were while he stood on a chair. She went to Ash who simply stood there looking at her with his heart and soul showing in his eyes. She took his hand, and he moved closer to her, and to her amazement, he kissed her tenderly in front of all the people, who cheered even more.

"This is for you Mist." He murmured to her after breaking the kiss, and touched his forehead to hers.

The award ceremony for that tournament was certainly one that many would remember. The field had been cleared, the platform set up, and one more, very seldom used item was added. A wedding arch, of pure white carnations was set up a short distance from the platform. Ash stood on the top step, but instead of his normal attire, he wore a pearl white tuxedo with red trim and a red cummerbund. he could not see Misty anywhere, and Sandy told him that it was considered bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding on that day. He felt that she was there though, hidden in the background. The awards given, he bowed to the whole crowd, just as the sun began to set. Then a large spotlight was turned onto the Arch, and Ash took his place. Gary stood next to him, and Brock, in a tuxedo with blue edging and cummerbund stood about three feet from Ash, with Tracy next to him. Tommie and Eddie had been pressed into service as ring bearers, and stood still near by with the pillow that held the wedding rings. The orchestra began a slow stately piece that went on for a short while, before giving a double fanfare, and breaking into the old and time honoured music of 'here comes the bride'.

Ash looked at Misty as she walked slowly towards him and felt his heart soar. She wore the same dress that she did for his mothers wedding, save this time she wore a gold tiara instead of the silver one. His dad, professor Oak walked next to her and Next to Suzy who was dressed the same as Misty, was Drake of the Hoenn Elite four.

No fireworks marked the end of the competition, instead they allowed the steady flash from near two-hundred thousand cameras that were constantly flickering light the stadium. The TV cameras caught all of the double wedding as it happened. Soon the new couples moved to waiting Limos. and the brides, one at a time tossed the bouquet high into the air. Suzie saw hers caught by Sandy who broke down in tears while she smiled right there, but Mistys seemed to vanish into the crowd and nobody was around with it in their hands.

In a small clearing a young girl with shoulder length red brown hair and wearing a semi formal gown slumped to the ground crying her heart out. She placed the bouquet that she had caught very carefully on a large pack, and began to change clothes, all the while wondering why she had stayed around there. Fully changed into her normal button down shirt, short pants, and gym shoes, she looked at the bouquet again and started to cry all over again.

Further back, Cynthia watched the girl cry. She smiled a sad smile and began to turn.

"You have to learn to accept love first, Rickie." She whispered to the open air. "Then you will be ready to feel all the wonderful parts of it. Learn quickly young one. I kept your two secrets just as Eddie surly has. Don't give in to despair."

Ten minutes later there was an empty clearing near the stadium where a young girl had cried. A single flower petal lay on the grass where she had sat.