“Whispers in the Dark”

Chapter 11: Absolution

By: Crichton55

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A/N: I’d like to say thanks to everyone who has supported me on this fic. Thanks also for the awesome reviews. They’ve been my motivation. I will hopefully post an epilogue to tie up some loose ends. Enjoy the last chapter!

Disclaimer: I don’t own Pokémon, blah, blah, blah…

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Ash’s eyes flew open, his heart beating fast as his eyes let in the bright artificial light that radiated throughout the room. His mind pounded with confusion, his breathing heavy. Where am I? he thought furiously. Where’s Misty?

His vision slowly cleared as he looked around the room. Two cushy chairs sat abandoned in a corner across the room, and a large window covered by large blinds decorated the wall on his right. The floor appeared to be made of white stone tiles, small wisps of gray dotting the squares. A shrill sense of cleanliness gripped Ash as he glanced around the room; almost everything looked like it had been bathed in hand sanitizer.

A faint snoring noise greeted his ears, and he turned his attention to his side, where Misty snoozed soundly. He smiled as he watched her breathe, confusion slowly beginning to leave him. Thank God.

He became aware of the fact that he was covered by a thin sheet, and that the only clothing that he could feel was a simple hospital gown, but he didn’t care. He gazed at Misty as she snored slightly, her face turned towards him. Her hair had been let down, the strands cascading down past her shoulders like a waterfall.

He soon found himself unable to avert his attention from her. Ash’s stare became locked on his girlfriend, marveling at her beautiful face as she slept soundly at his side. He noted the way her arms were keeping her from falling off the side, and began to think that it was quite an achievement for her to be able to avoid falling while still asleep.

His arm moved without much conscious thought. He began running his hand slowly through the long hair, which was greeted by an unconscious groan. Misty began to move slightly in response to Ash’s hand, and after a few seconds he heard her start to mumble in her sleep. “Ash…Ash…forget…bike…love…you.”

A large smile gashed across Ash’s face as his stomach did an involuntary backflip. Almost without thinking, he maneuvered himself so that his face was about an inch from her ear. “I love you, too, Misty,” he breathed.

Misty’s eyes fluttered open. Moving her head slowly, she looked at Ash and smiled groggily. Ash returned to his original position and lay back down. Misty moved unhurriedly and hovered over him, her hair raining down upon his face. She lowered her head and kissed him softly before kneeling down beside his bed. “How long was I unconscious?” Ash asked quietly.

Misty smiled sleepily. “Depends on what day it is,” she groaned as she stretched her arms out. She glanced at a digital clock that hung over the bed. “You’ve been snoozing for about a full day, because we got here at around midnight when Mewtwo Teleported us and you’ve been unconscious ever since.”

Ash glared at her jokingly. “You hit pretty damn hard,” he teased, rubbing his forehead. Misty laughed, tossing a bit of hair out of her face. “Well, I kind of have to. I used to live with three sisters who are all stronger than I am,” she explained. “You needed the extra rest anyway. We all did. I had to knock you out to prevent you from doing anything you might regret later.”

Ash’s mood darkened quickly. He did not want to spoil the moment. “I don’t want to talk about that right now, Misty,” he growled. “I think it would be better to not even think about him.”

Misty’s grin turned into a frown. “He might have made our lives a living hell, Ash, but he’s your father. I’m pretty sure he had no idea that you’re his son, but I do know that he was searching for your mother, and he loved her enough to do anything to find her. But I can understand why you don’t want to talk about him.”

Ash said nothing; he merely stared at his feet. Misty opened her mouth to speak, but apparently thought better of it and closed it. Silence fell upon the two.

Ash spoke up after a few seconds of antagonizing silence. “Misty, we never got a chance to talk properly about this.” Misty looked at him with a curious stare. “About what?” she inquired.

Ash hesitated for a fraction of a second. “About…us,” he answered reluctantly. “I mean, what’s going to happen now that Brock is the only one of our group that’s still single.” Misty laughed again and moved closer to him. “Don’t worry about him, Ash,” she said. “There were about three girls grouped around him at a table when I left him alone.”

Ash gave her a dumbfounded look. “You left loverboy alone?” he asked incredulously. Misty giggled girlishly and gave his hand a slight squeeze. “Well, yeah,” she answered. “It didn't look like he had gotten slapped yet, and considering how many girls were at the table it didn't seem like it would've been worth the effort to drag him here and make him sit outside.”

Ash laughed loudly, causing Misty to glance at the door for fear of attracting attention. “Yeah, I guess you're right,” Ash chortled, turning on his side. “He's been waiting a long time for this.”

Misty nodded unconsciously, though her attention appeared to have strayed, for she began to stare into Ash's eyes with a broad grin plastered across her face. Silence overran the room once more as Ash absentmindedly stroked Misty's flaming orange hair. She closed her eyes in satisfaction, letting out a soft moan. “Ash, why did you choose me?” Her question was soft and calm, as though she were on the brink of sleep.

Ash was slightly taken aback by the slight randomness of her inquiry, though he did not show his mental surprise. “I often ask myself the same question,” he replied with a small sigh, averting his gaze and feeling the burning crimson blush spread across his cheeks. “I dunno,” he continued without much conscious thought. He stared at the wall for a few moments, letting his brain wander off to the first few days of his journey. He could still visualize himself hijacking Misty's bike, the mental pain of the Spearow attack still stabbing his memories. “Misty, what was your ultimate plan before we met?”

Ash looked back at Misty, who smiled girlishly. “Training, becoming a Water Pokémon Master, marriage, death. You?” She turned the question back onto Ash, who gripped her hand as he thought momentarily. “Same...and a couple kids,” he added with a wishful tone. Misty giggled and leaned forward to kiss him.

“I love you, Ash.”

“I love you, too, Misty. Don't ever change.”

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Ash stood by the front desk, waiting for Nurse Joy to hand him his healed Pokémon on the usual tray. He wore his usual black shirt and blue jeans, his trademark blue vest draped over his shoulders and League hat adorning his head. He glanced over at Brock, who was sitting at a table in the far corner surrounded by a horde of three giggling girls. He observed his friend as he successfully forced one of the girls into a strong fit of laughter.

“No, no, no, no. You did not say that!” she said through heaves of her chest. Brock chuckled. “I did. I was very shameless back then.” The girl continued to laugh loudly as she pounded her fist on the table, hilarity plaguing her mind like a disease. “And that worked?” another girl asked. “Of course not!” Brock answered loudly. “The girl screamed and I was almost arrested!”

An explosion of laughter erupted from the table and spread to everyone who had heard the loud conversation. Ash chortled to himself as he took the tray Nurse Joy handed him. He snapped the Pokeballs back onto his belt and allowed Pikachu to hop onto his shoulder before turning his attention back to Brock, who was still observing the effect of his last comment. He set the tray back onto the counter absentmindedly as he watched.

“Brock, I heard you got yourself in a bit of a bind the other day with your friends. Tell us about that. How much butt did you kick?” asked the girl who had been laughing the loudest. She was supporting her quivering head with her arm, which was partially obscured by a blanket of extremely long brown hair that flowed half-way down her back. Ash guessed that she had been the target of most of Brock’s attention, for her free hand was trapped within Brock’s large left hand.

Ash needed no explanation as to why Brock appeared to have taken a particular interest in the girl with brown hair. It was the same girl who had clung so tightly to him when Mewtwo had appeared in the middle of the Pokémon Center. She wore a rather tight crimson T-shirt that overlapped a pair of low-cut jean shorts. Her legs were very long and appeared to account for nearly half her total height.

Brock’s smile deteriorated slightly at the girl’s question, but did not disappear. The mental pain of all the unspeakable evil and violence he had witnessed forced him to cringe and squirm visibly in his seat, though he recovered quickly. He could sense the flirty tone in the girl’s mirth-saturated voice, and he knew that it was totally against his nature to let it die down. He had waited too long for this moment. “Well, as you all probably have heard already-“

Ash was unable to resist. “We kicked Team Rocket’s miserable, defenseless ass!” he roared. Brock’s head fell to the table as he and the girls began to howl with laughter. “How did you manage to pull that off, Brock?” the brown-haired girl asked through hoots of amusement. “There’s hundreds of them and only three of you.”

Brock regained his composure and looked at her, still grinning dumbly. “Girl, we kicked more ass than you’ve ever sat on,” he answered loudly.

Hilarity detonated over the table with the force of a small bomb. The TV plastered to the wall on the opposite side of the room fell silent as the overwhelming shock wave of laughter forced the brown-haired girl to grip the table tightly for fear of falling to the floor.

A loud yell rent the air, and the laughter died down almost instantly. Ash turned his attention to the direction of the disturbance, Brock and the three girls following suit. Ash saw Jessie, James, and Meowth being dragged towards the door by three male police officers. All three Pokémon thieves had smears of doughnut frosting covering the lower half of their faces and their white uniforms sported numerous smears of dirt and grime. Jessie's hair looked as though it had been not seen a comb in three years while Meowth's thick whiskers were bent in weird directions.

Ash’s legs moved seemingly of their own accord. He walked in front of the doors, which opened automatically behind him, and faced the arrest in progress. “Excuse me, officers,” he said as politely as he could muster. “I’m pretty sure that these three have every right to be kicked out for sneaking a treat or two from the kitchens, but why are you arresting them?”

One of the officers, whom Ash guessed to be the chief, held out his free arm to stop the others before addressing the trainer who barred his way. “These three are the last remaining registered Team Rocket members in this region that we have warrants to arrest. Move aside, boy, before we take you as well for interfering with an arrest,” he growled.

Ash chuckled serenely. “Arrest the one who, if I remember correctly, no more than a day ago saved this entire region from being taken over by the organization that these goofballs are no longer a part of? That’s not very nice,” he said with a triumphant voice, which drew a mixture of giggles from Misty and the girls who surrounded Brock. He didn’t wait for the chief to respond.

“As for these guys,” Ash continued, pointing to the sugar-engorged ex-criminals that stood in front of him. “It seems to me that they were the ones that hacked into my Pokémon Storage Account at Mt. Silver and withdrew the Pokémon that ended the war against Team Rocket, saving my life as well as a few thousand others. Why should they be arrested? The only reason that they were having a smorgasbord in the back is because Tuesdays seem to be the only days that they are able to find enough food to have the energy to get them to the next town, let alone keep them alive.”

Misty smiled wide and Ash watched in immense satisfaction as the chief’s expression faltered. He sensed the cogs in the cop’s brain spinning furiously and observed the odd effects they had on his face. His mouth twitched with rapid thought, and after about half a minute, the cop spoke up. “So you’re the one who filled up every jail from here to Lavender,” he growled with a slight smile on his face. He fiddled around in his pocket and pulled out a rectangular object that was made of thin leather.

Ash took one look at the checkbook and needed no further explanation; knew what was about to happen. He took a small step back. “N-no. I don’t want it, sir,” he stammered. The cop glanced up at him while clicking a pen. “Kid, there’s been a reward for the capture of Giovanni Romanov for the last decade, and every year it increases by half of whatever damage Team Rocket inflicted the previous year.”

Ash began to mentally sweat. He was sure that he was still lying unconscious in the Pokémon Center bed. This had to be a dream, a very weird and twisted dream. “W-What’s the reward at now?” he asked hesitantly. “Right now? It’s, ahh...Let me check here.” The chief reached back into his pocket and withdrew a small card and referred to it before pocketing it again. “It’s at exactly ten million dollars,” the officer said in a tone that sounded like he was giving something as boring as the forecast for tomorrow’s weather.

Ash nearly fell over. He never earned more than a couple hundred bucks by winning a Gym match, let alone ten million for overthrowing a world crime superpower. He stumbled backwards and tripped into the cool evening air. Pikachu flew off his shoulder and landed with a loud thump behind him. The chief hovered over him, holding out his hand.

“Who should I make the check out to?” he asked politely. Ash shook his head nervously. “Not to me, that’s for damn sure! I’m not the one that deserves that much!” he exclaimed, taking the cop’s hand and rising to his feet. Pikachu jumped up and retook his post on his trainer’s shoulder, growling slightly. The officer stared at Ash with a glare that made him mentally shudder. “Kid, we have to pay you. Thanks to you, the largest and most notorious criminal superpower on the planet no longer exists. You don’t have to take it all, you know.”

Something in the cop’s tone of voice made the cogs in Ash’s head whir to life. It would be cool to have at least a million bucks, he thought. But I don’t want the entire thing. It just doesn’t feel right. He glanced at the faces of Jessie, James, and Meowth, all three of whom were looking up at him with a hodgepodge of expressions that all seemed to ask him to have them released. He turned his attention to Brock.

“Hey, Brock,” he called, and Brock turned his head away from the brown-haired girl. “Yeah?” he answered with a twinge of irritation. “Your girl seems to be rather fond of you. Makes me wonder if she wants to travel with us,” said Ash with a slight cunning tone, watching in unsuppressed satisfaction as wide smiles gashed across the couple’s faces.

He didn’t wait for them to respond before he turned his attention back to the officer, who was busy unlocking Jessie’s handcuffs. “Sir,” he said. “Make out eight checks, all for one million, two hundred fifty thousand dollars, and make them payable to these three-“ he motioned towards Jessie, James, and Meowth, “as well as me, Misty Waterflower, Brock Slate, Pikachu, and whatever her name is,” he finished, pointing at the brown-haired girl before giving Pikachu a scratch behind the ear.

The officer nodded and opened the checkbook, retrieving a pen from his pocket and clicking it. Ash saw Misty’s face light up in the corner of his eye. He smiled wide as he winked briefly at her before approaching the ex-Rockets who stood before him, all three of whom now free of handcuffs. “Don’t look at me like that, guys,” he jokingly pleaded, noting their disbelieving expressions. “We all know you three are the heroes here, not me.”

James lowered his head. “We are no heroes,” he said solemnly, eyeing his feet with a transfixed stare. “If we didn’t exist, none of this would have happened.” Ash sighed and glanced at Jessie, who returned his gaze, before looking back at James.

“James,” he said, watching as James peered back up to Ash. “You’re right, none of this would have happened if you guys weren’t here, but that would also mean that Giovanni would still be in control of Team Rocket and control over this region would probably be his by now. If anyone deserves a million bucks, it’s you three.”

A shriek of delight was heard and Ash was unceremoniously greeted with Jessie giving him a rib-crunching hug. He could feel her tears dampen his shirt. “Thanks you, Ash,” Jessie sobbed. “How can we repay you?”

Ash mentally chuckled as Jessie released him. “Considering you guys helped save my life and a few thousand others, I think I’m the one that needs to repay you,” he said, grinning at the trio. “But if there’s anything you can do for me, Jessie, it’s allowing me to hear you tell James what you muttered in your sleep on the sofa over there.”

He watched in immense delight as Jessie’s face turned deep red almost instantly. She looked at him with a look of pure rage. “Oh, come on, Jessie,” Ash groaned teasingly. “Stop trying to hide it. If you want James that bad, just tell him. Sing him a song, I don’t care.” Ash waited long enough to see Jessie’s expression soften as James looked at her with a shocked stare. He looked at Jessie and nodded before walking over to Brock.

Brock appeared to have long since lost interest in Ash’s conversation with Jessie, James, and Meowth and had turned his attention back to the brown-haired girl. Ash took a seat to the right of Brock and addressed him.

“Brock, I think we got to leave now if we want to make it to Ecruteak by sundown,” he advised. Brock turned to face him with a slightly disappointed look, yet Ash could sense his exhilaration. “Are you sure about allowing Courtney to travel with us?” Brock inquired with a small hint of eagerness.

Ash glanced at Courtney, who showed Brock’s excited tone. “To be quite frank, Brock, I don’t care,” he said. “But seeing as you finally found someone who didn’t slap you on sight, I think it would be grossly unfair if you two had to part here.”

A huge smile grew upon both Brock and Courtney’s faces, and Brock gave her hand a visible squeeze. Ash grinned as he peered over to the other side of the lobby. “Misty!” he called.

Misty, who had been busying herself with what looked like the new issue of a clothes magazine, glanced up. “Finally ready to go?” she asked teasingly. “Yeah,” Ash replied, walking over to the sliding door, which automatically opened. “It’s around 8:00 right now and it should take us no more than an hour or so to reach the next town.”

Brock and Courtney joined Ash, Misty, and the ex-Rockets at the opened door and they all walked outside. The cool evening breeze greeted them softly. Misty grasped Ash’s hand without thinking. “I see the the next badge in your eyes, Ash,” she said with a flirty tone.

Ash laughed. “Nah, that’s just me wanting something to eat. I’ve never been hungrier in my life,” he said through chuckles. “I’m in the mood for a Big Mac and a side of something you can smother with five bottles of ketchup.” Pikachu gave a loud “Pika!” and began jumping around ecstatically on Ash’s shoulder.

“Settle down, buddy,” Ash said, and Pikachu ceased his dance, though excitement continued to course through him. “First I gotta deposit these checks.” Ash waved the eight checks coolly before stuffing them into his pants pocket. He noticed the momentary gaze Jessie, James, and Meowth gave the checks as they disappeared into his pocket. “Stop it, guys,” he said. “Don’t let the money go to your heads.”

James glanced at Jessie and Meowth, who both gave him the same approving look. “Go ahead, James. Tell him,” said Meowth. James hesitated before looking back at Ash. Ash looked at him with curiosity

“Ash, if it’s not too much trouble, we’d like to travel with you as well,” said James uneasily. Ash, Misty, and Brock stared at him with a mixture of disbelieving glances that quickly Jessie took notice of. “We have nowhere to go, Ash,” she defended. “I’m scared that all our money will be gone in three weeks. I don’t know how to handle that kind of cash. I can’t remember the last time I had fifty dollars that stayed in my pocket for more than thirty minutes at a time. You seem to be the only person we know that knows what to do with it and how to make it last.” Her tone possessed a hint of pleading.

You feel so lonely and ragged
You lay there broken and naked
My love is just waiting
To clothe you in crimson roses

Ash considered for a few seconds, but before he opened his mouth to respond, Brock whispered in his ear. “Ash, we should take them with us,” he advised. “Their main source of money to stay alive is gone, they’ve got over a million dollars each burning a black hole in their pockets, and it looks like the last time they washed was two weeks ago.”

I will be the one that's gonna find you
I will be the one that's gonna guide you
My love is a burning, consuming fire

Ash nodded. These guys are in rough shape, he thought grimly. He pondered for a few more seconds. “Yeah, you guys can tag along for awhile,” he finally agreed. The three ex-criminals hugged each other ecstatically. James wrapped his arms around Jessie and lifted her off her feet while Meowth danced around their ankles. Misty squealed with delight and grabbed Ash, kissing him forcefully and passionately. Brock, observing the scene, followed suit, kissing Courtney enthusiastically. Ash and Misty parted and gazed into each other’s eyes, silently agreeing that nothing will ever tear them apart again. “I love you, Ash.”

Ash smiled wide. “I love you, too, Misty.” He kissed her again, savoring the intense feeling of love he felt for Misty. He could stand there for hours, maybe several sunlit days, locked in the emotional embrace he knew would last forever.

No, you'll never be alone
When darkness comes I'll light the night with stars
Hear my whispers in the dark
No, you'll never be alone
When darkness comes you know I'm never far
Hear the whispers in the dark

A loud echoing cackle greeted Ash's ears. He broke the kiss suddenly and looked around for the source of the dark, maniacal laughter that faded slowly, though nothing save the chilly evening breeze and the darkening sunset greeted his curious gaze. Misty glanced around, hoping to find the source of Ash’s distraction. “What is it, Ashy boy?” she asked softly, the flirty tone returning to her voice as she leaned on her love.

Ash did not answer. His eyes were transfixed upon the mesmerizing sunset, its swirling hodgepodge of dazzling colors hypnotizing his wandering thoughts. “Nothing, Misty,” he said pleasantly, staring back into his girlfriend’s gleaming eyes and gripping her tighter. “Just some whispers in the dark.”

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A/N: I cannot even express how happy I am to finally get this fanfic done. But then again, it’s kinda sad. It’s been too much fun writing this thing. I hope you enjoyed it and thanks for reading and thanks to all the people who inspired me to write this and everything else I’ve produced.

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