Title: Shot
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: None
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #36, Shot
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Warnings: Violence

“What’s wrong, Agatha?”

“Nothing,” The old woman said smoothly. “I was merely meditating, child.”

Ash blinked in confusion. “Is it something important?”

“You are too jumpy, child,” She told him, half-smiling. “If it were, I would tell you. Rest assured that everything is as it should be.”

He felt better, then.

Suddenly, a sharp sound rang out. Her eyes narrowed, and she hissed for Ash to stay in the room before she rushed out, releasing her Gengar as she went. Ash blinked, before deciding that he was a Trainer too, so he was going to go and help. He released Pidgeot and jumped out the window, before realizing what the commotion was.

A man stood there, several men, all wearing blindingly white robes. Ash vaguely recognized them as from the Society for the Protection of Pokemon, but why were they here? The Elite Four weren’t hurting Pokemon, were they?

“It is diabolical of you to use these creatures as weapons!” The leader shouted, leveling his gun at the Ghost Master. “The first shot was a warning. If you know what’s good for you, you will surrender now!”

“As if,” Agatha huffed. “What do you fools think you are doing?”

“You are the misguided one!” Another of the hooded figures shouted. “If you do not repent of your folly, we shall be forced to destroy you and the creatures you have corrupted!”

She sighed. “You pitiful humans are the reason that our society is in shambles. If only you would accept that we can live in harmony with Pokemon… well, it’s too late now.” With that, she snapped her fingers.

Her Arbok was a blindingly fast blur, and the four figures dropped to the ground, the one in the lead staring in horror at the stump of his arm and the others screaming in horror as Acid ate away at their flesh.

Ash watched all of this in horror, blinking madly. That was when one of the other figures noticed him and fired. Pidgeot easily evaded the attack, before whipping up a Gust attack, trapping the figure in a whirlwind. As she crashed to the ground several feet away, her hood was blown off and Ash saw it was a woman, not that that made any difference at this point in time.

He hadn’t done anything wrong! Pokémon were his friends!

“Stupid boy, I told you to stay inside!” Agatha scolded, before she snapped out an order for Confuse Ray. Gengar nodded, hypnotizing the attackers into going after each other. More figures in white began to appear, and she frowned. She would have preferred for Ash not to know about these events, but now it seemed there was no going back.

His innocence was debilitating…

Ash was vaguely aware of screaming, though he knew not from whence it came. He squeezed his eyes shut as he felt Pidgeot move her wings, probably attacking on her own, without orders…

When it was finally quiet, he cracked an eye open, seeing red and white strewn all over the ground, and felt violently ill. Agatha was kind enough to hold him as he heaved, not saying a word, but afterwards, she made him tea and told him quietly he should have never come here.

Ash couldn’t help but feel the rebuke was justified.

Why were those people so crazy?

For now though, he snuggled under the covers, and tried to pretend that everything had been a bad dream, a horrible nightmare…

Pikachu chirruped to him.

He might just leave his summer internship, and go back on a training journey, where it would be safer, the only threat Team Rocket…

Ash closed his eyes, and wished for the impossible.

End Fic

Completed 3/7/07

Edited 11/2/09

I don’t write Agatha that often…