Ash's Gift By MegamanZero Part One: Enter the Boy on the Run nmc_512@yahoo.com AAMRN, Gen. Disclaimer: The only part of Pokemon that I own is a beat-up copy of the Crystal Version, so DON'T SUE ME!! Still Disclaiming: The only characters that are MINE are Jamie Mason and Slade Morton. Yes, they are MINE. ALL MINE. Even More Disclaiming: This is my first ever fanfic, so don't expect some Pulitzer Prize-deserving work of art. Rating: Between PG and PG-13 Ash: 15 Misty: 16 Brock: 20 Duplica: 15 Jamie: 16 Gary: 16 Jessie and James: 21 Introduction/Story Description: Ash is headed back to Pallet train for the Pokemon League at Indigo. After losing a few years ago he wants another shot at the title. But upon entering Pallet Ash and Co. meet a boy, Misty's longtime friend. But this boy holds a dark secret, and a terrible power. Through this boy Ash also learns of a power that he has had all along. And unknown to him and others, Team Rocket has special plans for both of them. And amidst all this, will Ash and Misty find each other? * * * * Man, is she beautiful, Ash thought as he, Misty, and Brock wandered through the woods. And look at me, still scrawny and only a little taller than I was before. I wonder what it's like to kiss her. "ASH!!! DON'T TELL ME WE'RE LOST AGAIN!!!" Ash Ketchum had heard that same scream many times in the past when he led the gang along one of his infamous "shortcuts". He knew that if he didn't come up with some kind of answer in three seconds the only thing he would be kissing would be Misty's mallet. "We're not lost!" he snapped back. "We're just.......................................uh.............................. we just don't know where we are." He finished lamely. Both Brock and Misty, even Pikachu anime fell. "Ash! We've walked past the same stupid tree stump like, three times now!" She kicked the stump for emphasis. "Yeah, and to top it all off, we're tired." Brock added. He felt his stomach growl. "AND hungry. Maybe we should just set up camp here. It's getting kinda dark." "Pipi pi pikachu pika pika? (Yeah! Where's my ketchup?)" Ash sighed loudly. He was hoping that, for once, his shortcut would actually work. Unfortunately, there would be no Ash's house, no crisp sheets, hot showers, or a good meal. Instead, there would be a dirty ground, a torn and tattered sleeping bag, and one of Brock's famous I-Don't-Have-The-Right-Stuff- To-Make-You-Guys-A-Real-Dinner-So-You're-Stuck-With-This-Crap meals. Ash could've taken Misty's advice and stocked up on more supplies at the previous town, but nooooooo. No, he had to get that cocky attitude of his and state that they would make it through the woods and to Pallet Town by sundown. Misty took out one of her item balls and opened it. A tent materialized in front of her. She began setting up the tent, thinking to herself. "Why do I always have to be so mean to him?" she muttered. Togepy, who was deep in the study of a ladybug two feet away overheard her and said: "Prri prri togeprri?? (Is something wrong, Mommy??) Togepy gave her his infamous puppy dog eyes. The redhead looked down at the egg-like pokemon and smiled. "No, everything's alright with me, sweetie." she replied softly. She reached out and took Togepy into her arms and stroked his head pensively. "Why don't you go to sleep now, okay?" "Prrri!" Togepy squealed in delight to be touched by his Mommy. Just seconds before he closed his eyes to sleep, he wondered why Daddy was stomping on the ground and screaming. "God, why is this stupid tent being so...........................so..............................STUPID!?" he wailed. He had been trying for a good twenty minutes to erect his tent, but to no avail. He couldn't figure out why he couldn't set up his own tent after he had successfully done it dozens of times before. In a white hot flash of sudden rage, Ash began let his anger out on the tree stump that he had seen way too many times than he should've that day until he thought his fists were bleeding. He turned around just in time to see everybody sweat drop, with various expressions on their faces. Brock had put a hand over his mouth in a feeble attempt to keep the others from seeing him guffawing uncontrollably. Pikachu laughed so hard that he squeezed his ketchup bottle just a little too intensely, squirting ketchup all over his face, making him laugh even harder. Misty just sat there with wide eyes as if she had just witnessed a terrible crime. Togepy was totally and completely unperturbed by all this; he just lay asleep in on the ground, snoring softly. Ash immediately turned several shades of crimson and turned away with his eyes shielded under the brim of his hat. Great, he thought. Not only have I made a complete ass of myself in front of everybody, but Misty probably thinks I'm some kind of raging psycho. Even Pikachu was laughing. "Um, I'm gonna go for a walk, ok guys?" Ash blurted without expecting an answer. "I'llseeyouinalittlebitgottagobyebye!" "Pikapi pi pikachu! (Ash, wait up!)" Pikachu repeatedly called after chasing him for a few minutes. Ash tried to outrun the electric mouse, but a root in his path caused him to do a 360 front-flip before landing on painfully his back. Ash cried out in pain as his vertebrae met with the hard forest floor. "Why am I such a klutz!!?" he shouted at the canopy, still supine. "Awwww, my back!" Pikachu rushed to his trainer's side. "Pikapi, pi pi chu? (Ash, are you ok???) The worried rodent asked. "Ugh, I'm fine, Pikachu." Ash replied. "My BACK!!" "Pikachu pi pi chu pika? (Is there anything I can do?)" Ash strained to talk. "No, buddy. Just let me lie down for a while." Inside Ash was screaming not in pain, but in anger. He was furious with himself for not seeing the tree root. How could he so clumsy? How could he get so wild? What kind of Pokemon master can't set up his own tent without busting an artery? Pikachu sensed that his friend was distraught, so he cuddled up against his head in a comforting manner. "Pi pi pikachu chu. (Sorry for laughing at you.) Ash smiled as he stared up into the canopy of trees. "It's ok, Pikachu. I was being a little crazy, wasn't I?" He stroked his furry friend's electric sacs on his cheeks. Pikachu smiled and let loose a comforting bit of static electricity that made Ash's hair stand on end and a smile on his lips. Just then Ash heard the sound of feet crunching against fallen leaves. Pikachu's ears popped up in an alert. His head moved to the direction of the noise. Oh man, I hope that's Brock coming, Ash thought nervously. He couldn't stand the thought of Misty finding him like this. Ash tried to turn his head more, but the pain of falling on his back prevented him from seeing the figure walking toward him. "Pikapi..................(Ash)?" Pikachu said in a horrified voice. He began shaking uncontrollably and scrambled underneath Ash's shirt. "Hey! Come on, Pikachu, cut that out! What is it?" Ash was unable to see what the electric rodent was getting so worked up about. Just then the one who Pikachu hid from was standing right over Ash's lying body. Ash took one look at the figure and gasped. It was shaped like a young teenager. The person's face was shrouded in darkness, as the dim canopy moonlight couldn't reach his visage. But that's not what Ash gasped about. It was the figure's eyes that made Ash want to jump out of his skin. The eyes were red. A bright red. And glowing. "Hey, dude?" the red-eyed thing said. "You alright?" Ash took a deep breath and screamed. Screamed louder than he had ever screamed in his entire life. Screamed until he thought his vocal cords would burst inside his throat. The sinister eyed teenager stepped back a little and said excitedly, "Whoa, cool! That's the loudest anyone has ever screamed about my eyes in years! It's a record! HAH! Take that, Guinness!" "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" Another voice roared. "What did you do to Ash!?? Misty. The mystery person turned around to see a very angry redhead with a mallet in her hands and murder on her face. "If you hurt Ash, I swear to God I'm gonna bash this mallet into your head!" "I assure you, Mist, that I didn't hurt your boyfriend here." The boy said coolly, calmly. "He tripped over his own two feet." Misty's angry expression melted into confusion. "What the......... how do you know my name?" The boy crossed his arms. "Oh come on, Misty! You don't recognize moi? The guy you've known since we were playing with GI- Joes and Barbie dolls??" His voice sounded the slightest bit irritated. She squinted in the darkness at his face. "Those red eyes...............................................................JAMIE!!!?? Is that you!!?" Jamie held his hand out and gave the peace sign. Underneath the darkness covering his face he was wearing a big, goofy grin. "The one and only, baby." He replied with pride in his voice. Misty dropped her mallet, ran up to Jamie and gave him a gigantic hug. Jamie was only too happy to return the hug. "Jamie! It's so great to see you!" Misty exclaimed. "But, what're you doing here?" Jamie? Ash thought. Who's Jamie? A scowl appeared on his face. And why is Misty so happy to see him? "Your last email said that you were headed to Pallet, remember?" Jamie said. "I, being the smart guy I am, decided to stay at a hotel here and meet you. Tonight I was taking a moonlight stroll with Abra." He looked down towards his feet at a very cheerful-looking Abra. "Me and Abra were practicing a technique that lets me see in the dark, but a nasty little side affect makes these two eyeballs glow. I guess I gave this guy" -he jerked his thumb toward Ash- "quite a boxer-pissing experience." "Ash, you dork." Misty teased him as she helped him off the ground. Inside, however, she was thanking her lucky stars that Ash was okay. She was thankful didn't find Ash in a puddle of blood. Thankful that Jamie didn't become angry somehow. After all, she knew of Jamie's "condition". She knew of the people who followed him every day of his life. * * * * Ash, Misty, Jamie, Abra, and Pikachu made their way back to the campsite. Pikachu wasn't doing any walking, however. He was too busy cowering under Ash's shirt after seeing Jamie's red eyes. Just the memory would give him nightmares for a very long time. "Yo, Ashy-Boy?" Jamie asked as they came upon the tents. "You can tell your little furry friend to come out now. You look six-months pregnant." He pointed to the bulge under the stomach area of Ash's shirt. Misty gave a chuckle while Ash forced a plastic smile. Underneath the smile was scowl waiting to burst out. Who the hell does this guy think he is? Ash thought angrily. He thinks he can just waltz in here and get friendly with Misty? And on top of that mock me?? I should knock his teeth out! Oh, man how I hate it when people call me Ashy- Boy! But, wait. Something's not right here. If I'm mad at this guy, then how come I just want to laugh for no good reason? What's going on? Ash's thoughts were interrupted as Brock came rushing up from the tents. "Hey Ash, you alright? I set up your tent for you. Who's your friend.................................AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" Brock's eyes actually bulged from his sockets, which rarely happened due to the fact he was always squinting. He pointed a shaking finger at Jamie. "Th-th-th-th-those eyes! Th-th-they're glowing r-r-r-red!" In a quick, birdlike motion, Jamie's head jerked towards the direction of Brock. He put on a different kind of smile, kind of like the one that the Joker from Batman he loved to wear. The kind that made you want to wrap a straitjacket on him and throw him in an insane asylum. His glowing eyes bore into Brock. "Think they're scary, do ya? DO YA!?" he shrieked in mock-evil fashion. Brock flinched at the outburst. The Joker smile shifted back to his usual goofy expression. "Good, that's kinda what I was goin' for." He glanced down at Abra. "Ain't that right, Abra?" Abra gave the peace sign in response. As if a giggle-bomb exploded in the area, the whole crew started laughing. Pikachu had rolled out from under Ash's shirt and joined in the laughter as well. Nobody, except for Jamie, knew why he or she had the sudden urge to laugh, they just had to. They HAD to. "Why---giggle----are-----chortle-----we-----guffaw-----LAUGHING!?" Ash screamed over the passionate laughter. "I----guffaw----don't----laugh----KNOW!!!" Brock yelled back, nearly out of breath. Suddenly there was one less voice laughing and giggling like there was no tomorrow. It was Pikachu. "PIKA PIKA! (Hey look!)" The laughter died instantly as everybody looked towards the ground. Everybody's eyes bulged at the sight. The fallen leaves that littered the forest floor were moving. The leaves started out rocking back and forth on the dirt. Then things became a little more horrifying as they began to vibrate violently. The leaves then levitated a few inches off the ground and flashed an angry red. The light flickered for a moment, then the phenomenon ended just as quickly as it started. Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu and Jamie's faces spoke of pure terror. Finally, Ash broke the silence. "Would somebody tell me," Ash said calmly, while his voice rose in a steady crescendo, "WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED???" "Oh, God." Jamie breathed as he backed away from the group. The horror on his face shifted into confused sadness. "It........................it can't...........................be." Ash managed to tear his gaze away from Jamie to Misty. Ash went from momentarily terrified into suspicious. Misty's expression was different from his, Brock's, and Pikachu's. It wasn't just terror. No. It was a KNOWING terror. She uttered a low curse as she grabbed Jamie by the hand. "Jamie," she whispered through gritted teeth, "we need to talk........................NOW." Her grip became increasingly stronger as her emerald eyes pierced into his own ruby red ones. Jamie gave a dazed nod as she pulled him off into the woods away from the tents. Abra sprinted alongside of them, scared to death for his master and himself. * * * * "WHAT IN THE HELL JUST HAPPENED, JAMIE!?" Misty roared. She knew that she would be doing a lot of yelling, so she took Jamie (and Abra) to a deeper area of the woods. Abra winced at her bellowing, Jamie took it with a grain of salt and an expression of stone. "DO HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT KIND OF DANGER YOU JUST PUT YOURSELF INTO!? WHAT ABOUT THE MEDICATION? THEY'LL FIND YOU NOW, JAMIE! AND WHEN THEY DO, THEY'LL---" "IT SLIPPED, ALRIGHT!!?" Jamie exploded. His chest was heaving, his red eyes blazing. His stone expression broke into tears. "It slipped." Misty's expression softened. "What do you mean?" She put her hands on his shaking shoulders. "I mean that the medication just isn't cutting it anymore, OK!? It worked when I was younger, but ever since I turned fifteen last year I've been having these........." he wiped some tears from his face "'discharges'. More and more frequently." "How come you never told me about this?" Misty asked, her voice dripping with worry. "I didn't want to worry you, Mist. I didn't want you to freak out and start to look for me." He pulled away from her grip on his shoulders, turned away, and wiped more tears from the running waterfalls that were his eyes. "Look, it was a complete and total accident that I found you and your friends. I've been on the run, Misty, ON THE RUN. I know that they can track these psychic discharges. I found that out the hard way." Misty stood there and listened to his story, tears welling up in her own eyes. She looked down to see Abra cuddling up to his master's legs, trying his best to stop the crying. She hated seeing Jamie like this. This new side of Jamie was totally untrue to his sunny nature. Jamie went on. "Nearly two hours after I had my most recent discharge, they found me at the hotel I was staying at. A whole squad of them, Mist. So much gunfire, so much screaming.................." "They all died because of me," he croaked. "Everyone in the hotel........................dead. Men, women, children. I hate them Misty. I hate Team Rocket, I HATE THEM ALL!" Misty wrapped her arms around her friend with his back turned to her. She held him in a long embrace. She could hear Abra whispering words of comfort. Misty decided to follow Abra's example. "Jamie," she whispered in his ear. "It's not your fault. We can help. My friends can help you. That way Team Rocket can never bother you again." "Misty," he whispered back to her with a bitter smile on his face. "That's real sweet of you and all, but you'd only be putting yourself into even more danger. My parents tried to help, but they're dead now. Dead because they allowed their love for me to blind their reason. Every one of my foster families is dead because they thought they could help too. Why do you think that for so many years I've had to keep in touch with you by phone or by email? Everyone who got too close to me has been killed. If I were to travel with you and your friends, you guys would share the same fate as all the others." He hung his head down. "I've been on the run for so long. Having to live in hotels. Living off of Pokemon battle prize money. Never having a permanent home. I'm sick of it, Misty. SICK OF IT. The only friends I've ever had were you and my Pokemon." He reached down and patted Abra on the head. "Trust me, it would be a lot better if I just left right now." Misty hugged onto him tighter. "NO, Jamie. I'm gonna help you, like it or not. You need this." "Are you absolutely sure about this, Mist? What gives you the confidence that you can beat the Team Rocket Hunters?" "Positive, Jame. Ash is a really good trainer. Really good. And I'm no wimp myself." Jamie smiled at the nickname she had given him. They pulled away from the embrace. "You're the best, Mist." Misty grinned back. "I know." "So, uuhhhh, I gotta tell the others, huh?" Jamie asked with reluctance in his voice. "Yeah. They have to know if they're gonna help you." Jamie gave his goofy grin again. "Jeez, so much for proper introductions."