Disclaimer: Don’t own Pokemon!

A/N: Okay, here’s chapter 5. This chapter jumps around a lot, but I try to 
alert you and keep you well informed. Enjoy all!

Chapter 5- Back in Action

“Hello Ash,” came a feminine voice.

The light had now completely subsided and Darren was given the opportunity to 
peer at his guest. He gasped as he recognized the person standing before him, 
then became angry at her presence, knowing that her reason for being there 
probably wasn’t good.

“My name isn’t Ash…it’s Darren,” corrected Darren, heatedly.

“Whatever your name is, you’re still the same person from seven years ago,” 
replied the figure.

“What the hell are you doing here after all these years anyway? Come to see 
how I’ve been coping with my loss? Just great, as a matter of fact, I 
couldn’t be better!” he spat out, approaching her.

“Ash, it’s not me you should be angry with,” explained the figure, “And 
besides, she’s alive.”

‘There it is again,’ thought Darren ignoring the fact that she was calling 
him Ash, ‘Someone else claiming that Misty is alive.’

“She’s not, she can’t be! If she were alive all this time, why haven’t you 
told me? It’s been seven years Hikara! Seven years!” he screamed, trying to 
hold in his tears.

Hikara approached Darren, eyeing him sadly. She noticed that he had lost much 
of his confidence and lust for life. He no longer was the teenager she had 
remembered him to be, the person who would defeat Aki and Marissa once and 
for all.

“I haven’t been able to locate you until now,” she explained, “You, your 
soul, everything seemed untrackable.”

“Then how…how did you find me now?” he asked, wiping the tears from his eyes.

“Hope,” she stated simply, “I felt your presence, I felt you having a small 
glimpse of hope and that’s what lead me to you.”

Ash racked his brain and realized that right before Hikara had appeared he 
had thought of the possibility of Misty being alive. That was how she knew 
where to find him, however, whatever she had to say would do no good. Misty 
was gone and would never return.

“She’s alive,” she repeated again, “I swear to you Ash.”

He simply shook his head and sobbed, “S-She can’t be! Don’t you understand? 
It’s over! Aki and Marissa have won…I’m no chosen one!”

“That’s not true Ash,” she smiled.
“Stop calling me that! Ash is dead, he was weak…he couldn’t save 
Misty…they’re both gone forever,” he whispered, holding a hand up to his 
head.

“If you ask me,” she continued, “you don’t look like much of a Darren.”

He whipped his head up, angry that she seemed to be toying with him in his 
time of need. Hikara was a fool, she didn’t know what it was like, nor did 
she seem to care that Misty was gone. She was mislead, brutally misinformed 
about Misty. She was dead, gone to a better place where he couldn’t follow 
her.

“Ash…Aki and Marissa are still out there,” explained Hikara, her voice 
turning serious, “If you don’t snap out of it, they really will kill Misty 
this time. Is that what you want?”

He was shaking now, unable to control himself. Hikara was lying, there just 
was no way Misty was alive. He, however, seemed to be filled with a small 
glimmer of hope. What if she was telling the truth? But, if so, why would 
Misty fake her own death?

“Snap out of it Ash! They are going to kill Misty when they get the chance! 
Not many people are given second chances and I would think you of all people 
would act on that,” she said, as a small glow filled the room.

Hikara gently placed a black outfit on the dining room table along with a 
cloak that seemed to glimmer even through the darkness of the room. She also 
placed what seemed to be a sword on top of the uniform that glistened.

“The cloak of purity…it is rightfully yours, that is, if you still want it,” 
she explained, “This outfit will protect you from certain types of magic that 
Aki may attack you with, however, it is only as strong as the person wearing 
it.”

Darren lifted the cloak up and examined it, remembering it from the time when 
Misty had once been engulfed in it. Back then, he had thought he had lost 
her, but, as it turned out, she was alive. Could this be another one of those 
times too?

“As for the sword, it belonged to your father. He wants you to have it. It 
carries immense power, but can only be yielded by those worthy of it. You’ll 
find it very useful…if you can yield it that is,” she explained.

“But…how?” he asked timidly.

“Act now and ask questions later. She needs you now more then ever,” she 
replied, “Search your heart and you will find her.”

Again, a white light filled the room and Hikara, just as she had appeared, 
had disappeared. Darren was left, holding the cloak and staring blankly at 
the uniform and sword she had left. Could it really be true, was Misty really 
alive after all this time?

‘I don’t know what to do,’ he thought to himself, ‘I don’t want this to lead 
nowhere, yet, my heart is telling me to believe her.’

His heart was beating rapidly now, as he held his hand to it in a vain 
attempt to slow it down. He wanted to know the answer…and the only way of 
doing that was by following orders. Darren slowly closed his eyes and tried 
to visualize Misty as she was so many years ago. He tried to picture her deep 
cerulean blue eyes, her soft skin, slim figure, and beautiful red hair. 
Concentrating with all of his heart, a vision came into his mind. He quickly 
opened his eyes and bolted for his room…

Meanwhile…

Alex was back in her apartment reading over the letter that Misty had left 
her. Sighing she knew that she had to find Misty. This couldn’t wait…she 
needed to know the truth. Rushing out of the apartment, she headed for the 
park, hoping that she would find Misty and, possibly, some answers to this 
mystery…

In the meantime…

Misty was being led deeper and deeper into the park as her and Jason found a 
bench and seated themselves next to the edge of Calysto Lake. They had both 
been very quiet, and no one had dared speak until now.

“So, Jason, what was it that you needed to tell me?” asked Misty, turning 
towards him.

Suddenly, Jason’s eyes glowed an evil red as he stood, towering over her.

“Jason?” spoke Misty, standing before him.

“Finally we meet again,” spoke Jason, however, his voice was not his own, but 
someone familiar and much more sinister.

Misty gasped as she backed away from him, realizing who the voice belonged 
to.

“No…it can’t be,” she whispered.

“We’ve been waiting for you my dear. It has been far too long,” spoke the 
voice, as Jason, seemingly his puppet advanced on her, gripping Misty by the 
shoulders.

Misty, frightened, had tried to loosen his grip on her but found that he was 
much too strong. Everything was starting to come back to her…all the pained 
nights alone, the excruciating hurt she experienced from losing Ash, and the 
anger she felt at having lost him to them. She continued to struggle and, 
when she found she could not escape, he laughed at her maliciously.

“Still as weak as ever my dear,” he taunted, throwing her against the 
concrete of the nearby bench.

Falling to the ground, Misty’s body ached as she struggled to get up, knowing 
that he was only playing with her. She held her arm where she had fallen and 
backed up as he started to advance on her once more.

“What have you done to Jason?” she asked, mustering as much courage as she 
could.

“Hm? You mean this fool? Such a weak minded individual…allowing me to enter 
his mind and completely take over, but if you wish him to return to his 
normal state, so be it,” he said, as the red from Jason’s eyes vanished.

Jason, confused, turned to look at Misty. He had no idea what he was doing in 
the park, moreover, what he was doing there with Misty. The last thing he 
remembered was being in his room, taking a nap before the party.

“J-Jason?” asked Misty, unsure of whether or not he was himself.

“Misty? What’s going on? What are we doing here?” he asked, helping her up 
from her current position on the grass.

She was about to answer when, all of a sudden, lightening struck the ground 
near them. There, dressed in black cloaks, stood Aki and Marissa, smirks 
adorning both their faces. Marissa had her arms folded, her long black hair 
pulled back into a ponytail, stray hair slightly covering her eyes. Aki, on 
the other hand, looked all the more sinister with his jet black hair and his 
evil, yet stoic face.

“What are you doing here?” stuttered Misty, as she pulled Jason to the side.

“We’ve come to finish the job,” announced Marissa, using her psychic powers 
to throw Jason to the side.

“Jason!” yelled Misty, running to his aid, “Are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah, who the hell are they?” he asked, returning to his feet.

She simply shook her head, not quite exactly sure how to tell him. She could 
never explain to him who they were or her connection to them. He would never 
believe her nor would he understand any of it. Instead, she took her place 
between Jason and the duo as they, once more, advanced on her.

“We’ve been in hiding, building our powers, allowing them to grow with each 
passing day,” explained Aki, “until the day when we would meet again and I 
would be rid of you once and for all.”

“Yes, it has been seven years since the chosen one has fallen under our 
power…and now it is your turn,” smirked Marissa.

“I don’t know who the hell you guys are, but you aren’t going to hurt her!” 
yelled Jason, stepping up between Misty and the duo.

Aki and Marissa simply laughed and, again, Jason was thrown aside via 
Marissa’s psychic powers, however, this time he flew much farther and slammed 
into a nearby tree, stunning him.

“No…” whispered Misty, angry and now, afraid to move, “No! Leave him out of 
this! If you want me so bad, take me! You’ve already taken Ash from 
me…there’s nothing more for me here…”

“So easy this one,” commented Marissa, “Your end shall be quick and 
painless.”

“Farewell my dear,” spoke Aki as he readied a ball of light and aimed it at 
Misty.

Misty closed her eyes as she prepared to take the blast at point blank range. 
She could faintly hear Jason screaming her name as the ball of energy was 
released from Aki’s fingertips. Misty thought of Ash and how she would soon 
be with him for all eternity, she thought of her sisters, of Brock, and 
realized that Aki and Marissa had finally won. Misty waited for the attack to 
strike, as she felt the wind blow threw her hair. However, the attack never 
made contact as Misty felt herself being swept away. She slowly opened her 
eyes and realized that she was in the arms of a black cloaked figure. Not 
knowing what else to do, she started to squirm in his grasp and try to find 
some sort of escape. Startled by the sudden movements of the young girl, the 
stranger stooped behind a large tree and set her down in front of the stump.

“Who the hell are you?!” yelled Misty, but made sure to restrain herself, 
knowing Aki and Marissa were nearby.

“I think I’m the one who just saved your life,” spoke the stranger, as he 
lifted his hood to reveal his face.

“Darren?” asked Misty, recognizing the young man from their earlier 
encounter, 

“What are you--”

“We don’t have much time before Aki and Marissa find us,” said Darren as he 
peaked behind the tree.

‘How does he know about them?’ she thought, looking, for the first time into 
his eyes.

Darren, aware of the fact that she was now examining him, did the same. Could 
it be true that this young girl sitting before him was his Misty? The same 
one that he had thought he had lost all those years ago? Her eyes seemed so 
warm and inviting and, for a split second, he forgot where he was. In his 
mind, he was back in Pallet, caressing her soft cheek as they playfully 
cuddled on his bed, talking, kissing, and just enjoying each other’s company. 
Was Hikara really telling him the truth?

To Misty, the young man, Darren, slightly resembled the young boy from her 
youth that she had adored so much. His eyes were a chocolate brown and looked 
as if they had endured much pain and suffering over the years. But she knew, 
that that could not be. She knew that Ash had perished under the influence of 
Aki and Marissa. However, seeing this young man made her remember of all the 
times her and Ash spent together. Unknowingly, a tear escaped her, but she 
made no attempt to wipe it away.

Darren brought a hand up to her cheek to wipe the tear away, but as soon as 
he had made contact she shuddered. Misty had never shuddered at his touch 
before…he had to be sure.

“Misty…my name,” she spoke before he had a chance to, “Who are you?”

Darren merely stared at her, his hand still pressed lightly against her 
cheek. She was trembling slightly and, all of a sudden, he felt the need to 
embrace her. He, however, held his feelings at bay needing to make sure that 
this girl was the real thing.

“Misty…it’s me…Ash…” he whispered and as soon as he spoke those words, tears 
started cascading down her cheeks.

“No! That can’t be! Ash died a long time ago…he died…you’re not him!” she 
sobbed, crying into her hands.

Ash, not knowing what else to do, threw back his gloved hand to reveal his 
ring. She stared at it through blurry eyes and let out a small gasp. Ash, 
realizing that she knew the truth embraced her in a loving hug. She pressed 
her face into his chest, taking in everything, his scent, his touch, his 
embrace. She cried into his chest holding him tight, relishing in what should 
have never been taken away.

“Ash…I-I didn’t know what--”

“Shh…it’s okay. I’m here now and I won’t let anything harm you,” he 
whispered, 
“God Mist…I thought I’d lost you.”

Silent tears were now cascading down both of their cheeks as they embraced, 
neither feeling the need to rush or cease in their actions. Ash pressed his 
nose against Misty’s head and took in her familiar scent of roses. He closed 
his eyes remembering how he had used to do this every morning before that 
fateful day. Her trembling had seemed to cease under his embrace as, she too, 
took in his warmth. Ash slowly broke away and held Misty’s face between his 
two hands and smiled brightly at her. He had forgotten how to smile in the 
past seven years and now that he knew the truth, he felt he couldn’t stop.

Misty knew what Ash wanted to do, knew that he wanted to take her away from 
all of this, kiss her passionately and tell her that everything would be 
okay. And slowly but surely, he started to inch his face towards her, 
slightly parting his lips as he did so. She, in turn, had started to close 
the gap between their lips.

All of a sudden, a huge blast could be heard nearby as both Ash and Misty 
jerked their heads towards the tree behind which they were hiding to find 
that it was no longer there. The tree had been blasted into a million pieces, 
small twigs and branches flying in all directions as Ash went to protect 
Misty from any debris that could cause harm.

“You don’t know who you’re dealing with!” yelled Marissa as both she and Aki 
started to advance on Ash and Misty, “You just earned yourself a one way 
ticket to hell!”

She had started to glow an eerie red color before Aki, gently, placed a hand 
on her shoulder to cease her actions.

“Now, now Marissa, calm yourself,” Aki said gently.

At the sound of his voice, Ash scowled thinking of everything that he and 
Misty had been put through the last seven years. Because of him, they had 
thought that they had lost one another, thought that all hope had been lost, 
and, moreover, had given up that the other was even alive until now.

Misty, on the other hand, was standing next to Ash, glaring at Aki for the 
very same reasons. She had suffered unparalleled amounts of pain and 
suffering, even going to great lengths as to fake her own death.

“Now…” breathed Aki, but before he could start, Alex could be heard running 
at full speed to an injured Jason.

“What the hell happened? Misty, what the hell’s going on?” she panicked, 
helping Jason to his feet while examining the scene before her.

“Looks like we have an audience,” smirked Marissa, who had reverted back to 
her normal condition.
“Darren? What are you doing here? What’s going on?” she repeated, setting 
Jason down on the bench and beginning to approach them.

“Alex stop! Don’t come any closer!” shouted Misty, holding her hand up to 
prove her point, “Listen, you need to get out of here now! Take Jason with 
you, it’s not safe!”

“I doubt that’s an option now my dear,” said Aki as a blast of light 
surrounded the area, engulfing everyone and everything within a 20 yard 
radius.

Misty rubbed her eyes and tried to refocus her vision before realizing that 
they were no longer in the park, but in a building that seemed very familiar. 
Ash too seemed to sense its familiarity as he examined their surroundings, 
also making sure that Alex and Jason were all right.

“Where are we?” asked Alex, scared and literally petrified.

“It looks like an old building,” announced Jason who had remained silent for 
most of the ordeal.

“This looks like…” Misty trailed off.

“It is,” answered Ash, who had almost read her mind.

The building had the same walls, the same eerie feeling and sense of evil it 
did on the day they had met. For this was the same building that Ash and 
Misty had first met Aki, the same building in which Misty’s life hung in the 
balance, and the same building in which they would decide the fate of the 
world.

“What good memories we have,” smirked Marissa as both she and Aki 
materialized into the center of the room.

“Now, back to business,” spoke Aki as he approached the four young adults, 
“Do you know what you’ve gotten yourself into young man? Do you know who I 
am?”

“I know exactly what I’ve walked into Aki. And I know that I should’ve 
finished you off long ago,” said Ash as he unsheathed the sword that Hikara 
had given him.

The sword was polished white gold with an inscription on the handle that read 
‘courage.’ A diamond adorned the small of the handle and the razor sharp edge 
glistened even in the darkness of the building.

“You…” whispered Aki, “No…it can’t be. You’re supposed to be dead!”

“Funny how thing’s don’t work out as planned huh?” smiled Ash.

“Master…who is this heathen?” questioned Marissa.

“Look at him Marissa, we’ve failed,” he scowled, “The chosen one stands 
before us, taunting us with the sword of his father and the cloak of purity.”

A small gasp escaped Marissa’s lips as she realized their mistake. It was 
true, the chosen one, for whatever reason, had been spared. He was alive with 
his precious treasure, making him all the more powerful to defeat.

“You’re alive…you survived,” breathed Marissa angrily, “We shall make sure we 
do not make the same mistake twice.”

“We’ll just see about that,” smirked Ash.

“You will fall this time around chosen one, I guarantee it,” growled Aki, 
“Both of you shall die at my hands!”

Suddenly, he threw a ball of energy at the couple. Ash pushed Misty to the 
side as they both toppled over in a heap. Misty was the first to recover as 
she took Jason by the shoulders and made him look at her.

“Listen, you guys need to hide. It’s not safe,” she demanded, “Take Alex with 
you and hide somewhere until this is all over with.”

“No, forget it,” responded Jason as he shook his head.

“Yeah, are you crazy or something!” yelled Alex.

“Listen, there’s no time for this!” Misty yelled, watching as Ash dodged 
attack after attack. She knew he would not be able to last much longer 
without her help, “I’ll be fine, I promise. Now please, just hide!”

Jason and Alex looked to one another and finally nodded. Alex engulfed Misty 
in a quick hug before looking her square in the eye.

“You stay safe and come back alive or I’ll kill you myself,” Alex warned.

Misty simply smiled and gave her long time friend a reassuring look as if to 
say that everything would work out okay. Alex, taking that as her cue, took 
off to a far corner with Jason at her heels to hide behind one of the pillars 
that adorned the room.

“What’s Darren have to do with any of this?” whispered Jason.

“I don’t know, but it has something to do with his connection with that 
photo,” answered Alex.

Jason, not knowing what photo she was talking about, merely kept quiet as he 
and Alex hid behind a pillar. They, however, were in plain view of the action 
and could still hear the bouts of conversation going on between the two 
sides.

“Death awaits you both,” said Aki as he observed a very tired Ash, “It is 
inevitable.”

“Not if I can help it,” spat Ash as he held his sword up to deflect yet 
another attack. Losing his balance, Ash toppled to the side vulnerable to 
another attack.

Misty ran to his aid, helping him up as the two advanced on them.

“Ash, we can’t keep this up,” whispered Misty as she and Ash ran in the 
opposite direction of Aki and Marissa.

“I know, but--”

All of a sudden, a blast hit Ash square in the back, blasting him about 10 
feet into the air before he hit the ground with a vicious thud.

“Ash!” yelled Misty as she ran to his trembling body.

Pain racked Ash’s whole body as if every bone had been broken. He found it 
extremely difficult to keep himself up as Misty urged him to get up. Out of 
the corner of his eye, he could see Marissa moving in, dagger in hand, poised 
to strike Misty in the back. Willing his body to move, he forced himself to 
his knees and conjured every muscle in his arms to lift the sword and deflect 
the attack before it found its target. Upon seeing this, Misty whipped her 
head around to see Marissa and her dagger mere inches from her face.

Marissa scowled at her misfortune. She had thought for sure that he had been 
too weak to defend himself and yet, they were locked in battle, her dagger 
against his sword.

Just then, Ash pushed Misty to the side and pushed against Marissa’s dagger. 
He forced his energy into the sword and forced her back, causing her to 
slightly lose her balance.

“Still some fight left in you I see,” she scowled, “We’ll see how much longer 
you can keep that up!”

She attacked once more as Ash deflected attack after attack. Each blow was 
slowly starting to wear him down, but he refused to give in. He needed to 
succeed, for Misty’s sake and for his own. His luck, however, had turned from 
bad to worse as he watched Marissa pull a second dagger from the confines of 
her cloak. She struck him across the cheek, causing his sword to fly across 
the floor and causing him to fall, blood gushing down his face.

“Ash!” yelled Misty.

She ran to him supporting his weight over her shoulders as he swayed slightly 
from the sudden impact and loss of blood.

“I grow tired of these games,” growled Aki as he advanced on the couple, “If 
you mean that much to each other, you shall die together!”

Ash held Misty tight, realizing that this could be the end. He looked into 
her eyes as she mouthed the only words he longed to hear for all those years. 
As Aki readied his attack, he smirked in satisfaction.

“The day the chosen one and his treasure perished at my hands…I will enjoy 
this,” he smiled maliciously, opening his palm up wider.

Suddenly, a huge blast could be heard on the opposite end of the building 
where Jason and Alex had been hiding. The large iron double doors that had 
once acted as the entrance now stood in shambles off to the side. Jason and 
Alex peered from behind the pillar with which they were hiding and looked up 
hopefully. As the dust and smoke began to settle several figures could be 
made out in the distance. 

Watching with bated breath, Ash and Misty saw a sight that made both of them 
smile, allowing them to think that they actually stood a chance…that they 
just might survive this ordeal.
A/N: Another chapter complete! Yay, and I did that one in record time too 
lol! Anyways, please read and review, thanks and AAML for life!