Note: I do not own Pokemon or its characters, but I do own this story! Chapter 4: The compound The general looked with astonishment and shock at the young man standing a few feet away from him. “What kind of black magic is this?” He asked with disbelief. “I know this can’t be real. I know you can’t be real! I saw you die with my own eyes! Just who the hell are you?” Deena thought for a moment that she saw anger flash across the young man’s face, but only for a moment. Somewhere at the back of her mind something pricked her memory. There was something about this man, but she couldn’t place her finger on what it could possible be. The young man glanced over his shoulder at Deena, his face now a blank sheet. “Are you alright?” Too stunned for words, Deena could only manage a nod. “Good,” the young man said before turning back to face the General. “It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” He said without a hint of warmth in his voice. The General gave s smirk. “Not long enough it would seem, since you have come all the back from the dead just to see my pretty face once more. I’m touched.” “Oh, I couldn’t agree more,” the young man replied and at the same moment pulled his sword free. “And we were having such a lovely conversation. Now you’ve gone and ruined our whole reunion. Guess you can’t wait to go back to hell,” the General said grinning evilly. “And once I’ve killed you, I’ll be taking little miss sunshine behind you, and-,” the General said searching for something to his right, “ah, there we go. Your other girlfriend. I’m sure I can find something useful for her to do.” The General gave a satisfied grin. “Yes, I know exactly what she can do for me.” Deena watched the young man. He was as calm as ever, though she knew he was probably screaming with fury on the inside. She knew she was. If she had any more strength she would waste it on ramming her fist into his twisted smile. “Then let us dance with death,” the young man suddenly said interrupting her thoughts. “Boys,” the General ordered his pets. Immediately the three beasts growled in reply. “I’ve got a new chew toy for you. Have fun ripping it to pieces.” Deena watched in horror as the beasts leaped towards the young man with their mouths’ open wide. She knew what these creatures were. They were called bloodhounds. They were one of many other daemon creatures that the Dark Knight had called forth from the other world. A world filled only with chaos and destruction. Just a glimpse of that world, and you would surly go mad. There was nothing sane or humane about it. It was a world of the dead. The bloodhound, like all the other daemon creatures aren’t simply just any normal beast. They are virtually indestructible. She had seen with her own eyes how pokemon and men alike were torn to pieces by these creatures, and they themselves weren’t puny or weak. They were the best of the best. Deena tore her eyes away from the scene. She couldn’t bring herself to watch those awful creatures rip that young man to pieces. She waited for the terrible sound of the young man screaming. Instead she heard something that sounded like a gurgle, followed by a high pitching yelp and then something that sounded like a sack being dropped to the ground. She forced herself to look back. Her eyes suddenly went wide with shock. There on the ground lay all three bloodhounds, dead. The young man was still alive and unharmed. How was that possible? “My babies!” she heard the General wail in distress. “You killed my babies!” The General was kneeling by the side of his fallen beasts with tears streaming down his face. “How could you kill my beautiful babies?” he carried on wailing. The young man simply wiped his sword clean and turned away. “Maybe now you’ll understand what it feels like losing something that’s dear to you.” Deena watched the General’s face turn red with anger. “You bastard! I’m going to kill you!” The General jumped to his feet and with incredible speed rushed towards the young man who had his back turned to him. “Watch out!” Deena screamed in horror. From there on, everything happened to fast for her to understand exactly what had happened. One moment the General was rushing towards the young man, and the next he was lying face down on the ground. “It’s over,” the young man said. “Go back to your lord and tell him I’m coming for him next.” The General struggled to his knees. Blood was streaming down the side of his face where the young man must have hit him. “This isn’t over,” he said through clenched teeth. “This is far from over!” With that said the General pulled out a pokeball and released a Charzard from it. “Let’s go,” he said to the dragon. The General got onto the dragons’ back. “You’ll be sorry. Mark my words.” With that said, the dragon pokemon took off. Deena felt a cold chill run down her spine. Who was this man? As if on queue the young man turned to face her. “I suggest that we leave now, before anymore unexpected guests arrive.” Deena nodded. “Your friend, the other girl, she’s hurt.” The young man looked to where Erica lay on her side near the building and hurriedly walked to her side. “Erica,” he said kneeling down beside her. He quickly checked her pulse and then her eyes before picking her up in his arms. “There is a safe place we can go to, but it’s quite a long way from here. Do you think you can manage?” he asked Deena. Deena nodded. “I’m fine,” she replied. “Is she going to be okay?” “She’ll be fine,” he answered. “Let’s go. We need to get there before sunset.” Without saying another word the young man started walking. Deena quickly followed. Although her arm and side ached with pain, she didn’t dare show it. This man and his friend just risk their lives to save hers. The least she could do was bite back the pain she until they arrive at the place. She didn’t know why, but for some reason she felt safe where she was right now. For the time being, she has decided to stick with the people who had rescued her. If needed, she could always slip away. “Ash,” the young man suddenly said. “Excuse me?” Deena said confused. “My name’s Ash.” “Oh,” Deena replied feeling a bit foolish. “I’m Deena.” A few minutes of silence followed before Ash spoke again. “I saw your bracelets. Where you did you get them?” Startled, Deena almost tripped over her own feet. “I- I got them from my grandmother when I was a little.” Lies, Ash thought to himself. A part of him wanted to tell her straight away where he thought she got the bracelets, but another part of him told him to let it go for the time being. Whatever it was that she was hiding, she had reason to do so. In time he will get some answers, one way or the other, but for now he decided to let it be. Deena couldn’t be sure whether or not he believed her, and she didn’t much care. She would lie for as long as it takes. How was she to know that these people wouldn’t turn her in? She was sure the Dark Knight will spread rumors of wealthy rewards for any information about her whereabouts. She couldn’t take that chance. If she was caught and taken back… Deena shook her head. She couldn’t bring herself to think about that. “Where are we going?” She quickly asked hoping to change the subject. “Somewhere safe.” This was all she was going to get form him. She was sure he knew she was lying now. She will have to be satisfied with his answer. After all, he has as much reason to distrust her as she has of him. For the next few hours they walked in silence. It was late afternoon when they finally stopped. They have come to stand before an enormous waterfall, a rather beautiful sight compared to the rest of the gloomy forest. They have only been standing there a few seconds when men dressed in black uniforms emerged from all around them. “Master Ash,” one of the men with short blond hair said smiling brightly. “We were just wondering when you will be arriving. And I see you have brought a visitor?” “You know you can’t bring unauthorized civilians to the compound without a complete background check as well as the DJZ scan! This is a direct contravention of regulation,” another man with long blue hair tied in a ponytail said furiously. Ash ignored the man and turned to face his friend. “Jack. Glad to see you. You mind, it’s been a long day and Erica needs medical attention.” “Sure thing,” Jack replied. “Neil. Sam. Get Erica to medical bay.” Two men stepped forward and took Erica from Ash. “Glad to have you back sir. Thought for a moment something might have happened to you.” Ash grinned. “Why Neil, I didn’t know you care.” The man called Neil also grinned. “Good to have you with us.” Ash nodded. “Well now, first thing’s first. Food and water. I’m starved and I’m sure our guest is too. Is there any leftovers?” Jack gave a laugh. “Always thinking about food. Don’t worry. There’s plenty leftovers. I’ll see to it that food will be brought to your quarters. And the lady? Where must she go?” “This is an outrage!” the same man with blue hair cried. “I’m going straight to the council and see to it that you are all thrown out! She might be an enemy and you just willingly want to let her into our home? I won’t allow it!” “Just shut up Hank,” Jack replied. “I trust Ash’s judgment. If he feels that she can be trusted then so do I. Any objections?” Jack asked looking at his men. No one disagreed. “Good, then it’s settled. We welcome the beautiful lady as our most honored guest.” Deena felt like bolting away. Everyone was staring at her. “Hi,” she managed to say. Everyone except Hank greeted her. Ash turned to Deena. “I think it would be best if you stay by my side. Not everyone will be too keen on having you here,” he finished looking back at Hank. Deena nodded and quickly followed after Ash, all the while feeling Hank’s dark eyes trailing after her. oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo Dark shadows swirled around him. Whispers of death and chaos filled his mind. The nameless and ageless shadows danced with dark delight as they savagely and greedily consumed his. The Dark Knight began to laugh. No matter how many times he called upon the Forsaken, it was always an exhilarating and intoxicating experience. The room in which he stood was enormous. It stood inside a cave and was build by the very ones who were now its prisoners. The Forsaken. Long ago, five very foolish men discovered a secret that changed the course of history forever. These five foolish men came upon something so powerful, something so dangerous that they did the most foolish thing imaginable. They foolishly unlocked something that clearly stated, DO NOT OPEN. Some would argue that it is only human nature to look at things that we aren’t supposed to look at. Some would call it recklessness. Others would refer to it as the only path to glory. Some glory it turned out to be. What these five foolish men unlocked not only claimed their own lives, it almost claimed the entire world. What we call pokemon today, are in actual fact fragments of memories of what had happened to the world so many, many years ago. These five men, while exploring the newly discovered island, entered a cave that led them deep into the heart of the earth. Before long, these five men found themselves lost and without any hope of every finding their way back out. Miraculously they somehow stumbled across a chamber lit only by the light of a river of lava flowing through it. Amazed these five men looked at the river of fire with astonishment. Never before have they ever seen anything quite like it. That’s when one of the five men saw something against the far side of the wall. Black symbols covered wall. Even though they had never seen anything like it before, they all somehow understood what it said, and what it said was: To take me you must have me. To have me you must see me. To see me you must serve me. And serve me and serve me and serve me. While this was only the beginning of what the symbols said, the five men soon found themselves bewitched by the story that the symbols told off. The symbols told them of other worlds and realms. It told them how the creature called Siron came to this planet and how it was imprisoned in this very chamber. The story continued to tell them of power, of glory and riches and soon they could not think of anything else. And at the end of the tale stood a warning. The warning said that whoever opens the gate and unleashes the creature within, will also unleash hell upon themselves and the world. The five foolish men cared little for the warning. They wanted to meet this creature who was so powerful and who could grant them all that they desire. So they did the foolish thing that only foolish people would do. They unlocked the door that kept the creature bound inside. The creature was set free and so havoc, carnage and fear ruled at the end of the day. The five foolish men were rewarded, but not what they have expected. They got power and glory, but were sealed inside the cave by the creature to serve him for all eternity. That was when the creature called Mew materialized into the world. The creature was created for one purpose and one purpose only: to seal the beast if it ever did escape, or die trying. The creature called Mew and Siron fought for three days and three nights before finally the one called Mew won, but at a price. Although it managed to seal Siron away, it could not seal away its warriors. Instead it decided to alter the creatures into something else, something less threatening, and without any memory of who or what they really were. Mew succeeded in doing this and thus the creatures called Pokemon emerged. What happened to Mew afterwards no one knows? Now, ten thousand years later, it was happening all over again. The Dark Knight laughed. He was this close to unlocking the secret that would grant him unlimited power. He would then be free of his curse and rule the world according to his own desire. The Dark Knight walked down the line of white marble pillars that led to the round platform which hovered over a gigantic chasm. It is from this chasm that the Forsaken rose to greet him with their whispers of power and glory. The Dark Knight stretched his arms out wide and welcomed the shadows as they entered his body. His dark eyes glowed with hungry anticipation and pure ecstasy as the raw power of the Forsaken flowed through his veins. He clenched his hands into fists and brought his arms tight against his chest, breathing hard and heavy. For a moment a red gleam twinkled in his eyes before returning to their normal empty state. The whispers died down until finally the only sound left was his breathing. “Soon, I’ll have it all!” Just then a man with short spiky brown hair stepped into the chamber. “Sir, I have some rather unfortunate news.” The Dark Knight stopped to look at the man walking towards him. “Why Gary, did you find my lovely flower?” Gary came to stand a few steps from the Dark Knight and gave a deep bow. “Indeed we have my Lord. However, the General has failed to return with her.” “Failed you say? Why I thought the General was well capable of returning my flower to me?” “I’m sure that he is, if-,” Gary paused for a moment to gather his thoughts. Just how will he break the news to the Dark Knight? “Gary?” the Dark Knight said lifting an eyebrow. “I know you’re hiding something from me. What is it?” He said raising his voice just a tiny bit. Gary sighed. There was no easy way to break the news. “He’s returned sire.” The Dark Knight looked up sharply. “The General faced him today. He killed the three bloodhounds and sent a message back with the General. He said he’ll be coming for you next.” “So he has returned? And what of the girl?” “He has her,” Gary replied. “But not for long. I’ve send Surge, Katiana and Duplica after them.” “Good” the Dark Knight said suddenly deep in thought. “Send Butch and Cassidy too. Do whatever you must, but bring her to me before the next full moon.” Gary nodded. “As you wish, my Lord.” As Gary left the cave the Dark Knight rolled his hands into tight fists. “I will rip out your heart once and for all Ash Ketchup!” oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo She had been sitting alone inside his room for nearly two hours. Ash had given her a pair of old trousers and a jersey to change into. He had also told her not to leave the room under any circumstances and that he would be back in a short while. Deena looked around the room. There wasn’t much to look at except for the bed, and one small table with two drawers. She stood up to stretch her legs and walked towards the table. She didn’t mean to probe, but she was bored. So she opened the first drawer. It was rather disappointing. There was only a pair of old socks in it. She went for the second drawer and pulled it open. Inside she found a small black book. There was no name on the cover so she flipped the book open. To her surprise she realized that it wasn’t a book after all, but that it was a box. Deena found herself mesmerized. Inside was the most beautiful necklace she had ever seen. Carefully she picked the necklace up and gaped at the beauty of it. It was a silver necklace with a perfectly tear-shaped sapphire stone hanging at the very centre. She felt that familiar pinch again. She couldn’t shake the feeling that for some reason she had seen this necklace somewhere before. Just then the door burst open. Startled Deena swirled around and tucked the necklace into the back pocket of her pants. It was Hank and three other men she didn’t recognize. Deena felt a tingle of fear run down her spine. The look in Hank’s eyes was anything but friendly. “By the name of the high counsil of FU, I hereby place you under arrest until further notice. Take her away immediately,” Hank ordered harshly. Terrified Deena tried to protect herself by calling on her powers. She managed to strike one guard unconscious, but something stung her in the neck. Dizziness swept over her and soon she felt herself being lifted off the ground. This can’t be happening! oOoOoOoOoOoOoOo Ash walked down the corridor towards his room. He had seen the counsel and explained to them the situation. After a much heated debate with Hank and some other members of the counsel, they have finally come to a decision that Ash would take up the responsibility to keep a close eye on their new guest until further noticed. Hank had been so pissed off that he had stormed out of the room and nearly broke the door on his way out. Ash shook his head. He never did like Hank. He was just one of those guys who craved for power so that he could rule the people around him. He would have made an excellent servant of the Dark Knight. Ash shook his head again. No need to get youself all worked up. “At least Erica is doing okay,” he said to himself. He had just seen her. Although she was asleep, the nurse assured him that there was nothing to worry about. He was close to his room when someone called his name. “Hey Ash! Wait up will you!” Ash paused and turned around. “Hey Jack. What’s up?” “I heard Hank exploded.” Ash nodded. “You should have seen him. I can’t understand what his problem is?” “I’ll tell you what his problem is. He’s suffering from PMS: premature male syndrome.” Ash couldn’t help but grin. “You have too much time on your hands.” Jack laughed. “Are you trying to defend him?” “Do you want me to kick your ass?” “Hold it there cowboy. No time for ass kicking. Actually I was hoping if you could tell me where I might possible find Hank. Master Ben wants to see him, but I can’t find him anywhere.” “Did you check his room?” “That’s the first place I checked.” “Okay, just give me a minute. Just going to see how our guest is doing then I’ll help you find him.” Jack slapped a hand onto Ash’s shoulder. “Thanks bro. What would I do without you?” “Nothing,” Ash replied jokingly. The two men continued down the corridor when Ash suddenly stopped. “What?” What’s wrong?” Jack asked. “My door,” Ash said aloud. His eyes suddenly grew wide. “Deena!” Ash rushed towards his room and flung the door open. The room was empty. Jack came to stand next to Ash. “What happened to your room?” Ash clenched his fists. “Hank.” oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo Deena tried to move, but it was as if her body just wouldn’t comply with her wishes. She didn’t know where she was; only that it was dark. Suddenly she heard the sound of footsteps coming closer. “Shall we begin with the interrogation?” An unfamiliar voice asked from somewhere in the darkness. “Yes,” she heard Hank reply. “Please fetch me my tools.” “Of course,” the creepy voice answered. The lights suddenly went on, blinding her for a few seconds. “Why have you brought me here?” she heard herself say. “Why?” She heard Hank bellow with laughter. “Why to find some answers of course.” “What answers?” Deena almost cried. “I haven’t done anything to you! Please let me go!” Tears of frustration and fear ran down her cheeks. “It’s no use crying my dear,” the creepy voice unexpectedly said to her right. “Please, please just let me go,” she begged again. “I’m afraid that’s not possible,” Hank said looming over her. “You see, I have a very special gift, the gift of sight. And I saw something very peculiar about you. But in order for me to find out exactly what it was that I saw, I must look deep inside your mind.” Deena felt that all too familiar feeling of being completely helpless wash over her. “What are you going to do to me?” “Why, I already told you. I’m going to look inside your mind.” Deena felt Hank’s cold bony hands grip her face. She struggled with all her might, but had little success. “There’s no use for struggling my dear. I’ve got you securely strapped to the table.” Deena cried harder. “Please don’t do this!” “Oh, but I want to,” Hand replied with a smile. “Now look into my eyes.” “No!” Deena shouted and closed her eyes. A terrible pain suddenly pulsed through her body. Deena screamed. It was almost unbearable. “That’s it!” she Heard Hank say. “Give into me!” Deena screamed louder as the pain intensified. “Fine!” she shouted. “You want to look into my mind, then see the horrors I’ve seen!” She cried out and opened her eyes. For a moment Hank looked surprised, but his expression soon turned to fear as he stumbled away from her. “De- demon!” He cried. “Kill her!” He said gasping. “Kill her know!” He screamed. Deena saw the man with the creepy voice bring a knife towards her chest. This is it. I’m going to die. But death never came. Instead the man with the creepy voice crumbled to the floor. She found the familiar face of the man who had rescued her so many times already, stand beside her. Terrified and relieved Deena started to cry with joy. Ash quickly untied the knots and before he could do anything else, the girl flung herself into his arms and held onto him for dear life itself. Without knowing what he was doing, Ash placed his arms around her and hugged her close. “It’s okay,” he tried to reassure her. “You’re safe now.” Ash looked to where Jack had Hank firmly by his arms. “Get this bastard out of here.” Jack nodded. “With pleasure!” Just before Jack left the room, he quickly glanced over his shoulder and said, “I’ll meet you at your room in a while.” “Thanks,” Ash replied before turning his attention to the girl in his arms. “Are you okay?” He asked with genuine concern. He did care. He couldn’t explain it, but it felt good to hold her. He wanted to protect her, even from the very beginning when he had rescued her from that creature. “Thank you,” he heard her say between sobs. “I’m beginning to think that you’re my guardian angel.” Ash grinned. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.” A few minutes later they were back inside his room. Deena sat on Ash’s bed while he picked up the chair that was lying on its side. Something was sticking into her bum. Reaching to scratch her bum, she felt something in her pocket. She pulled the object out and realized that it was the necklace she had found in the black box. Embarrassed she held out the necklace. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snoop around and I didn’t mean to take it, but when that man suddenly burst in here, I got such a fright that I just hid it in my pocket.” Ash looked up. Under normal circumstances he would have flipped, but seeing how she had been through quite enough he decided to let it go. “Thank you. This necklace means a lot to me.” Deena watched him. She could see that it really meant something to him as he took the necklace from her and held it in his hand. “What happened to her?” She asked without thinking. “Excuse me?” Ash asked surprised. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t probe. It’s just that you look at the necklace like it’s your lover or something, so I’m guessing it belonged to someone very close to you.” Ash remained quite for a few seconds. “I bought it for a girl that was very dear to me, but she died without ever having the chance to wear it.” Deena wanted to reach out to him, but couldn’t. “I’m so sorry.” Ash shook his head. “It happened a long time ago.” Deena could see the hurt in his eyes. There was more to the story, but she wouldn’t dare ask anymore. “For what it’s worth. I think she would have loved it.” A small smile appeared in the corner of his mouth. “Yeah, she would have.” Then he did the oddest thing. “Would you mind keeping it safe for me?” he asked holding it out to her. “Oh I couldn’t,” Deena replied stunned. “Well I could put it back in the box, but then it will be hidden from the world again. I like it better when it’s out of the box.” Deena sighed. “Alright. I’ll protect it with my life. It’s the least I can do after what you did for me.” Ash grinned. He would never have thought it would happen again, but he was starting to like this woman. “Good.” oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo They have been talking for about ten minutes when someone knocked at the door. “Come in,” Ash replied. The door opened and Jack stepped inside. “Ash, there’s a situation. The commander wants to see you immediately.” Ash stood up. “Do you mind staying here while I’m gone?” “No worries mate,” Jack replied with a salute. Ash turned to look at Deena. “Don’t look so worried. Jack is my best friend. He won’t let anything happen to you.” “You can count on that.” “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Ash said before leaving the room. Deena looked at Jack. He was at least a head taller than Ash and quite attractive. “How long have you known Ash?” she asked hoping to start a conversation. Jack scratched his head. “I’d say about two years now. He actually saved my ass when a bunch of Grim Greavers attacked our village. From there on I followed him everywhere. ” Deena nodded. “How about you?” Jack asked. “Where did you come from?” “I-,” but before she could finish her sentence an alarm went off. “What’s going on?” She asked suddenly scared. Jack straightened. “Trouble,” came the reply. Deena stood up. “What should we do?” Jack looked at Deena with a worried look on his face. “We wait for Ash.” Just then the ground started to shake. Jack nearly lost his balance, but quickly grabbed the wall to steady himself. “What was that?” Deena asked in panic. “I don’t know,” replied Jack. “But something’s definitely not right.” Deena stood up from the bed. At that very moment she fell to the ground screaming. Jack hurried to her side. “What is it? What’s wrong?” He asked with alarm. “My head!” Deena screamed. “It’s happening again!” The sickening smell filled her nostrils. She wanted to die. She couldn’t take it. Jack lifted her onto the bed. “I’m going to fetch Ash,” he quickly said and before he could reach the door Deena screamed again. “No! Don’t open the door!” Jack turned around in confusion. “Why not?” Deena tried to push herself up, but that only seemed to make things worse. She bit her lip and forced herself to think past the pain. “Listen to me. If you don’t want to die, then I suggest you move away from the door!” “What the hell are yo-,” Jack started to say, but paused when he heard a whistling coming from the hallway behind the door. Deena’s eyes widened with fear. “Move away from the door!” She commanded. Seeing the wild look in her eyes, Jack moved to the side. He watched in shock as a blue light engulfed her body. “You’re an elemental?” He gasped. Deena ignored Jack. Things were about to get very ugly. oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo Okay, I decided to end the chapter here. I’m going to put some of the original characters in play from the next chapter on, so don’t miss out. I promise that from now on all chapters will be longer and definitely filled with more action. Please review! I enjoy reading your comments! Till next time!