Master's Fate: Part 2-Six Years of Separation

	Ash lay on his side, thinking.  He turned nineteen in a week, six years since
he had won at the Pokémon League.
  Six years since he had told Misty the truth.  Six years that they had been
apart. 
 He remembered the day they had first 
told each other what anyone who met them knew immediately.
-----------
	"And Gary Oak sends out his last Pokémon-a Flareon!" the announcer cried. 
 "It looks like bad news for Ash's Pikachu, and-yes-Flareon attacked with a Fire
Spin, and Pikachu is out! 
 What will Ash use now?"  Ash looked down.  He was down to Charizard, and that
was risky. 
 Charizard obeyed him when it pleased him.  He threw the Pokéball into the ring,
knowing that Masty was watching.  
He would *make* Charizard obey, for Misty, so she wouldn't be disappointed in
him.
	"And Ash sends out...Charizard!  This should be a good battle, folks!  
Flareon begins with a flame-thrower, and the Dragon isn't even fazed.  In fact,
it looks like he's bored.
  And Charizard is going with a fire spin, and-oooh!  That's got to hurt. 
 Charizard aimed its fire spin at Ash!  It looks like the native of Pallet Town
is in over his head! 
 But-he's saying something, and, oh my, Charizard is in the air.  It's dodging
the flames from Flareon,
 and it looks like Charizard is getting mad.  And Ash uses Dragon Rage. 
And-Flareon is out! 
 Ash Ketchum wins the match.  Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the champion of
the Pokémon League, Ash Ketchum!" 
 Ash could see his mother and Professor Oak in the stands, cheering. 
 He looked to where Misty was sitting-and she was gone.  What?  She wasn't here? 
 Then he saw her running across the field, and abruptly she flung herself into
his arms, and she kissed him.
	"Ash, you did great!" she said, tenderly, still hanging on to him.  
Together, they walked out of the stadium, amidst the cheers of thousands.
***
	"Misty, why did you kiss me out there?" Ash asked, back in the house them and
several other trainers shared.
	"Well, Ash, I, I sort of...I sort of like you," she stammered, and held her
breath, hoping, waiting.
	"Well, Misty, I'm afraid I can't say the same to you.  I don't like you," he
said, carefully. 
 Tears formed in her eyes.  Misty turned to the door.  "I love you," he
concluded. 
 She turned to him, her tears representing her joy now.
	"Ash, I-I love you too," she whispered to his ear.  They sat on the couch, her
leaning against his chest,
 until Richie arrived from the stadium.
------------
	Ash turned over, snorting in anger.  People said love was forever.  What did
they know?  
It was wonderful, the good times together, the playful fights that ended in a
wonderful kiss...Why did it all go wrong?  
He knew why, but he never fully understood it.
------------
	"It's getting dark, Ash," Misty said, worried, "We'd better make camp soon."
	"I agree," Tracey interjected, "It looks like a storm's coming."
  Indeed, at the statement, the sky grew darker, and clouds swirled overhead
menacingly.  
	"Isn't Duplika's mansion around here?" Ash asked.  "We could stay there for the
night."
	"For once, you've actually got a good idea," Misty said sarcastically.
	"For once?  I've had more good ideas today than you have your whole life!" 
Ash retaliated jokingly.  Misty stepped up to him.
	"Well, try *this* idea on for size," Misty snapped, and kissed Ash
passionately.
  Surprised, he flailed for a moment before getting into the feel of the kiss.  
Tracey looked onward, pulled out his notepad and made a quick sketch. 
 He put away his sketchpad and was zipping up his backpack when the two finally
broke away.
	"I'll bet Pikachu and I could've had a nice cup of tea before you were
finished,"
 Tracey said, winking at the electric mouse.
	"Pikaka-chu, Pika!" Pikachu added.
	"Yeah, well, I didn't see you do anything about it," Ash snapped, 
trying unsuccessfully to dislodge his companion from his head.
	"Pika, chu-Pi, Pika!" the smug Pikachu said.  
	"Anyway..." Misty interrupted, "We should stop there.  
It *has* been a long time since we've seen Duplika."  
The trio (quartet if you include Pikachu) came to the door of Duplika's mansion,
and Ash knocked.  
The door slowly opened, and everyone gasped.
	"Team Rocket!" Misty yelled.  "Staryu, go!"
	"You'd think you guys could take a joke," Duplika said, dodging the forming
Pokémon as her 
Ditto abruptly changed from the form of James to its own lump of pink.  "What
brings you here?"
	"Well," Misty said dubiously, "we were in the neighborhood and-"
	"We need somewhere to crash for the night," Ash interrupted.  Misty fell over,
embarrassed.  
	"Well, feel free to drop by any time," Duplika responded graciously.  
"I have plenty of room here for you to stay."
***
	Ash was sitting on his bed, flipping through the channels on the television.  
A small knock came on the door.  He got up hurriedly and jogged to the door.  
When he opened it, he was surprised to see Duplika.
	"Duplika!" he said, surprised.  "I didn't expect you."
	"I wanted to talk to you," she answered.  "You see, Ash, I have something to
tell you."  
Ash looked at her.
	"What?"  He turned suddenly, looking at the back wall.
	"Ash?" Duplika asked.  "What's wrong?"
	"I thought I saw something.  A shadow..." he trailed off.
	"Just your imagination," she replied.  "but Ash, I really have to tell you...
I have feelings for you.  I don't know how or why, but I do."
	"Duplika, I'm sorry, but Misty and I, well, we..."
	"Oh.  I'll leave now."  Duplika turned to leave, 
but suddenly whirled around and grabbed Ash's face.  He jerked in surprise, 
but relaxed as she pulled his face to hers.  She pressed her lips to his, and
they kissed, 
her tongue exploring his mouth.  At that moment, Misty opened the door, walking
in the room.
	"Ash, I have to-"  She broke off when she saw the two kissing.  "You two-timing
creep!  
I can't believe you'd do something like this to me, Ash."
	"But-"
	"And to think, I believed it when you said you loved me.  Was that only some
ploy to get close to me?  
Duplika, I hope you understand that I'm leaving now, and I hope you understand
why.  Goodbye Ash."  
Her voice was racked with emotion as she slammed the door and walked out.  
Ash sat there quietly, not even understanding what had happened.  It was so
fast, that he couldn't follow it.  
Duplika left him alone, sitting on the bed.  The tears ran down his cheeks, 
the sorrow of losing his one love consuming him completely.
---------------
	Ash was sitting up by now, the memories of the past too painful to think about
anymore.  
He stared at the ashes of last night's fire, thinking.  He and Misty remained
friends, 
but they had never traveled together since, and they had never been romantically
involved again.  
He suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck rise.  Someone was watching
him.  
His whirled around, but saw no one.  Then he felt a hand rest on his shoulder
and heard someone speak.
	"I've been waiting for this for a long time."
***
	Misty was looking at the phone sadly.  Should she call him?  
Should she tell him how she really felt?  No, she thought, 
he was probably happy with her out of his life.  
He certainly didn't need anymore head injuries, she thought, smiling slightly.  
On second thought...she reached for the phone on her bedside table, and she
dialed.
	"Hello?"
***
	Ash struggled against the dry but firm hand clamped over his mouth.  
The hand was suddenly released, and Ash choked out,
	"Pikachu, Thu-"  The hand was back over his mouth and the deep voice growled,
	"We'll have none of that, now.  I don't want any trouble.  I just want to talk
to you, okay?"
 Ash nodded, wordlessly (granted, he couldn't nod any other way with a hand over
his mouth).  
The hand was removed, and Ash stepped forward, turned, and looked at this odd
man.  
He wasn't particularly tall, only about 5'8", slightly pudgy, and not at all
imposing.  
His brown hair was unruly and his blue eyes were covered with thick spectacles. 
 All in all, he gave the appearance of a librarian or flooring inspector,
certainly not an imposing figure.  
A simple brown robe, such as monks wear, hung from his body, giving him the
appearance of a fat friar, 
which made Ash nearly laugh.
	"I believe that I should introduce myself, young Ash," he said quietly, 
his voice nevertheless carrying effortlessly to Ash.  
"I am Jerome Godfrey, the most skilled and powerful of the Pokémon Masters."  
He responded to Ash's look of confusion with a smile.  
"Don't feel stupid; most people don't really know what Pokémon Masters actually
are, 
which makes it difficult to become one.  Ever since the Inquisition, 
we've tried to keep a low profile, some of us better at it than others."  
He paused, and looked around the camp, disappointed.
	"Oh dear, no tea," he mumbled, and gestured with his right hand.  
"Coffee?" he inquired.  Ash silently shook his head, a look of bewilderment on
his face as a 
pot of water appeared over the fire, which blazed to life, and a small bone
china tea set appeared on top of a small, 
flat-topped rock.
	"But what-" he started.
	"Are Pokémon Masters?  That's difficult to explain, but I will try.  
You see, when the Earth was created, legends say that Pokémon were one of three
gifts given to Man by his creator.  
The other two were the human mind and the gift of fire.  However, he realized
that Pokémon could be used for evil, 
and so he created a council to protect people from all evil uses of his gifts.  
To this council, he gave the abilities to control certain Pokémon and use their
element to manipulate the world around them.  
These people passed these gifts down through the ages, always to one the Creator
had chosen.  
And always these people were the Pokémon Masters."  Ash was looking, transfixed
at the Master standing before him.
	"So what you're saying is that these people are, like mystics or priests or
something?" 
he asked.  "Give me a break!"  Jerry's eyes narrowed.
	"Then I offer proof of my power."  
He extended one finger and drew a star in the air, and Ash felt himself falling, 
falling forever into a sea of darkness.  Misty and Duplika swam through his
vision, 
each smiling at him.  A man dressed in black slid through the shadows, smirking. 
 A smiling man petted a Persian while speaking to a ghostly woman. 
 A single image grew more prominent, more obvious.  It was the image of a woman, 
in a flowing, tattered black robe.  A deep cowl in the robe hid her face, 
but black hair flowed from the opening, draping invisibly on the fabric.  
She reached up and flicked back the hood, revealing a terrifying face: that of a
skeleton.  
She laughed, and swung her left hand at him.  Only when it was inches from his
body did he see that the skeletal
 hand held a scythe, sharp and deadly.  He screamed.  
He was sitting in a clearing, staring at the fire. Jerry gave him a cup of tea,
frowning.
	"I'm really sorry about that," he was saying.  It was meant to connect you to
the future for a moment,
 but you saw too much, your brain was overloaded.  This will help."  Ash nodded
numbly.  
	"So why did you come here?" he asked.
	"Because several Masters of our time are susceptible to evil, 
and often use their powers as such.  One of them wanted you dead, 
and although he's been excommunicated, he has used both his allies and enemies
to attempt to destroy you."
	"Why?"  Ash was confused, his mind still whirling from that horrifying-dream?
	"All that matters is that he fears you, and doesn't wish you to live."  
Ash nodded again, mulling over that event six years ago.  He had tried before to
suppress it, 
but it was always on his mind recently.  His thoughts were interrupted by a
rectangular object pressed into his hands.  
He looked up, first glancing at the cellular phone in his right hand.  
"Call her," was all that Jerry said, and walked away.  He paused, and turned
back.  
"Remember that darkness is powerful, such that a shadow of doubt can cloud the
mind."  
He vanished  Ash looked at his phone, hesitated, and reached for the first
digit.  
The phone rang.  Surprised, he answered it.
	"Ash Ketchum," he answered, wondering.
	"Ash, I'm so glad you're awake!" came the voice, the voice of the one he loved.  
"I just had to tell you first, seeing as you're my best friend, and, well..." 
She paused. 
	"Misty, what is it?" he asked.  
	"Well, Ash, I'm getting married."  He stared at the phone, hoping it was
mistaken.  
She couldn't be.  Not after the promises, the good times together, the kisses. 
 He was in shock.  "Come on, honey, say hi to Ash."  Misty stepped aside, 
and a new figure appeared, coupled with the voice Ash remembered from the last
League Games.  No.  It couldn't be.

Who is Misty's fiancée?  
Will Ash tell her the truth?  
Will writers ever stop this annoying cliffhanger technique?  
Stay tuned for the next installment, "Last Rites!"