A/N: Hey, thanks for all the reviews I got after my huge update. This is definitely my most successful fic yet!

 

DARK SHADOWS

 

CHAPTER IX: NEVER STAND ALONE

 

Her memory of the battle would echo though the walls of her mind for all eternity. She, as an immortal, would have to walk the earth alone. Her own kind betrayed her, the ones she used to be would never accept her; maybe not even Ash. Now she was alone. In a sense Misty could say she fell.

    

There were no more Lycans scurrying the grounds. They had all been slaughtered by either Misty or the Mortals. She was the only immortal left.

    

She stood up in the pond that was waist deep. After letting the water drip from her sheep skin jacket she pulled her Gyarados’ Poke ball from behind her waist and called it back. Her head hung low afterwards. She could see her reflection, along with the moon’s and stars’, all of which were staring back at her. She could see her own glowing blue eyes, like jewels in front of a light. Her black hair split to the sides and gave way to her wet, orange strands that clung to her pale cheeks.

    

At last the night was quiet. There was the faint sound of a light breeze winding through the gardens, the rustling of leaves and branches, and then the splashing of the water as if someone were walking through it. But then Misty could feel the cool water rise up her leg.

    

“Hello Night Walker.”

 

“Mortal.” Misty replied softly.

    

“The name’s Hailen Fisker. But I suppose you can call me either.”

    

“How did you know where to come?”

    

“We followed the Werewolves. There were more but we killed some before they reached the Tower.”

    

“I thought I told you that it wasn’t safe to be out at night, especially when there was a full moon.”

    

“You did. But you see we were missing one of our own.”

    

Misty tilted her head slowly toward Ash. He was lying on his back in the wet grass. He too was watching her. Finally they stared directly into each other’s eyes. Neither blinked.

    

“Ash.”

    

Hailen smirked. “Yes. But how did you know?”

    

“Immortal instinct.”

    

Hailen nodded. “How is it that you always find your way into our war?”

    

Misty looked away from Ash and gazed up at the multi leveled tower that for the past four years she had considered home. It still held the same sway over her. It had a mystical aura, a mystery to it that captivated Misty. Perhaps it was her vampire instincts that told her there was something else to it.

    

But for Hailen and Ash it was still the same Pokemon Tower it had always been. Indeed it had changed, but they had no idea of the secrets it held captive.

    

“For once I didn’t find the war. The war found me; and it took everything I had.”

    

“What do you mean?” Hailen asked slinging her oversized automatic assault rifle over her shoulder.

    

“I stand alone now. My own kind abandoned me.” Misty’s knees buckled and she collapsed into the water. When she came back up she was sobbing. “I’m locked in a war with only my enemies. I have no one to turn too.”

    

“That’s not true. You were there for me when I didn’t, and still don’t, even know your name. You saved my ass twice. I owe you.”

    

Misty simply shook her head, rejecting Hailen’s proposal. “No. You don’t owe me anything. In this war it wouldn’t be right.”

    

Hailen stepped closer to Misty and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Why must you stand alone?”

    

But her answer wasn’t given as soon as she had hoped. Misty stayed knelt in the pond thinking of the best answer. Her own thoughts told her either Hailen and the other mortals would most definitely desert her as well, if not kill her for what she was-an Immortal.

    

“I’m not like you. I don’t even feel human anymore.”

    

“What are you saying, Night Walker?”

    

“That’s what I am. I am a Night Walker. I’m...I’m an Immortal.”

    

Immediately after hearing those deep cutting words ‘I’m an Immortal’, Hailen repelled her hand and stepped back with terror spread across her face. She had no idea what to do. Her orders were to kill any Immortal. Though she always thought the only Immortals were Werewolves, and this Night Walker was no Werewolf. She was left vexed.

    

Ash on the other hand sprang up on to his feet and stared back at Misty. His hazel eyes filled with tears, while at the same time his lips and body began to tremble in fear and sorrow.

    

He still blamed himself for not protecting Misty. For the past four years he held himself responsible for Misty’s death. Now, however, he had to hold himself responsible for allowing her mortality to be stolen, for forcing her to roam the earth for all eternity.

    

But then she stared back at him with the same deep, blue orbs that cut through his vale. She could always read his mind and now was no different. Ash could tell by her facial expression that she knew he blamed himself for what happened. It explained why he was afraid to embrace her, to console her.

    

“Ash.” She said hoarsely. “I’m...a Vampire.”  

    

He wouldn’t believe it! It wasn’t a vampire that hunted her down four years ago, it was a werewolf. Besides, vampires don’t exist. Then again, neither do werewolves or immortals in general. So there was a chance Misty could be such a night walker.

    

“Sorry.”

    

“For what?” she asked softly, yet Ash still heard though he stood more than ten feet away from her.

    

“Everything. I let this happen to you. I should have sacrificed myself.”

    

But Misty shook her head while her tears were flung off her cheeks. “No, don’t you see, Ash, I allowed this to happen.”

    

“Wha? Why would you do this to yourself? Why would you give up your mortality?”

    

“Look into my eyes, Ash. They’re staring at the answer.”

    

Ash was taken back. “Why would you do something like that?”

    

Once more Misty waited to give an answer. But when she finally answered it was through sobs. “Because I thought you were dead. I thought the Lycans killed you and Brock and Pikachu. Sacrificing my mortality gave me the power I needed to avenge you. Immortality gave me the power to hunt those filthy dogs down and slaughter them.”

    

“If Brock or I die during this war we will never be with each other again.”

    

“I know. That’s why I won’t let anything happen to you.”

    

“You can’t fight a war for us.”

    

“No I can’t. But I am the most powerful warrior among you mortals, and I can lead the war. Besides you know nothing of the Vampires.”

    

“Why do we need to know anything about the Vampires?”

    

“Because their only plan at total domination was cut short by the Lycans’ own. They have no choice but to fight if they want a piece of this world.”

    

“You want to fight against them?”

    

“Of course. They made me this.”

    

Ash shook his head. “You said you allowed it.”

    

“Only because they told me it was the only way to avenge your death. They neglected to mention that you were still alive. Besides making them extinct, I want to know why they needed me so badly. I will prove that immortality even has a weakness.”

    

“Sorry to cut in, but you can’t lead an army of soldiers that would find pleasure in hunting down and killing your kind.” Hailen replied stepping inside the gap between Ash and Misty.

    

“Shit.” Misty mumbled peering through the thick foliage.

    

Hailen and Ash tried following her gaze, but not knowing what to look for caused them both to look right past the answer in front of them.

    

“What is it? More Werewolves?”

    

“No. It’s almost morning. I have to leave.”

    

“No, not again. You can come with us.” Ash replied. “Right Hail?”

    

He had a nickname for her?

    

Hailen nodded. “Of course she can. I owe it to her.”

    

But Misty declined the offer. “I don’t believe your soldiers will find it suitable to have an immortal walking among them.”

    

“Then we’ll take you to a safe house.” Replied Hailen. “I know one or two where no one, mortal or immortal would ever look.”

 

**********

 

From one glance at the one story building Misty knew why no one would think to look there. It was run down more than other buildings. The exterior walls were nearly all torn to shreds. There were hundreds of bullet holes, scratches, and crimson colored. But the crimson wasn’t paint, but blood.

    

“I know it’s not much, but it should do.” Hailen said from behind Misty. Her blond locks blew over her eyes in the rough wind that blew away the previous storm.

    

“As long as I won’t be bothered.”

    

“You won’t.” Ash replied quickly. “I’ll make sure of it.”

    

Hailen cocked her head instinctively toward Ash. She knew damn well he wasn’t capable of keeping such a promise.

    

Without further delay Misty walked to the barred up front door. Hailen soon followed after shaking her head at Ash.

    

“Wha?” he asked as she ran after Misty.

    

Hailen pulled a key card from her inner right jacket pocket and swiped down the outside of the door frame. There was no acknowledging sound that the door had been unlocked. Nonetheless Hailen turned the silver doorknob and pushed the door open.

    

“Don’t touch the door knob. It’s made of silver.”

    

Misty sighed. “I’m a vampire. Silver doesn’t faze me.”

    

“Oh! Sorry.”

    

Misty stepped inside the building. “You have a lot to learn about vampires before you can rage war upon them.”

    

The inside was nothing Misty had expected. Behind each boarded window was a plate of silver, behind the door was a plate of silver. The walls were either black glass or chrome, it varied through the building. The floor was clearly chrome.

    

“Holy shit!” Misty gasped.

    

“Did you expect this?”

    

“No.” Misty smirked. “But do you have enough silver?”

    

“I think we have enough to keep werewolves away.”

    

“You do know that that is all it will do?”

    

“Absolutely.” Smirked Hailen. “I’ve been hunting werewolves since I was sixteen years old.”

    

“What got you into it?”

    

Hailen replied softly, “My dad. He died of a horrible illness. I took his place fighting the werewolves off when they first breached the Overworld. What about you? You’ve probably been hunting these things for centuries.”

    

“Not exactly. I started when I was fifteen. Four years ago.”

    

Hailen shook her head and set her heavy weapon on a chrome counter in the center of the main room. “That’s impossible. I thought vampires didn’t age.”

    

“We stop aging when we reach our prime. People think they know everything about vampires, but they’re wrong. Most of the rumors are bullshit.”

    

“Example?”

    

Misty knew how long her explanation would take. By the time she would finish filling Hailen, and no doubt Ash as well, in on the real traits of a vampire the war would probably be over. Nonetheless she searched the room for a chair or something to sit on.

    

“First off: forget everything you thought you knew about vampires. You’re in for a lesson. First: we are not the walking dead as so many people so mindlessly assume. To tell you the truth we don’t even know our genesis. As so many people believe, we cannot fly, nor shape shift. We have shadows and reflections as well. Also the myths about super human strength, agility, and longevity are fact. In short, we can live forever.” Before answering her final point Misty looked down in shame and covered her eyes. “Blood. All Vampires drink blood.”

    

Hailen looked down as well. “It’s a necessity.”

    

“Yes.” Replied Misty softly. “And the worst part is I like it.”

 

**********

 

One lone Hummer sped down a deserted dirt path. The path was lined with low hanging trees, bushes, and the road was cratered with deep puddles filled with gallons of dirty brown water that splashed at the instance the tires of the massive SUV fell into the trenches. The headlights served virtually no purpose. Mud and dirt was plastered onto the plastic lenses and there was no possible way to get it off except perhaps a chisel.

    

So the lights to the vehicle were turned off. The only problem was that the vehicle was moving away from the sun, so it was still pitch black out. The Hummer though did not hit any obstructions or veer off the road.

    

After twenty minutes of constant driving through the darkness the Hummer pulled off the dirt path and splashed through a foot and a half deep puddle that nearly bottomed out the SUVs suspension. And so the Hummer continued driving down yet another dirt path. But the trip soon ended in a wide expanse of open clearing. There were trees but they were massively spaced out. The Hummer pulled up slowly beside a one story building and parked.

    

From the black SUV emerged Nathaniel, from the driver’s side, and Gabriel from the passenger’s side. Entwined in Gabriel’s tight grasp was the large, ancient book. Together the two approached the edge of a peak some fifty feet away from where they parked.

    

There, standing at the edge of the cliff was a man dressed in a long tan and black coat. The collar made of tan animal hair where the black of the coat was and black animal hair where the tan of the coat touched, framed the back and sides of the man’s face like the mane of a lion. He had long black locks that framed his face on the sides and arched over his shoulders. In the back his long, straight black hair was pulled into a tight pony tail and cascaded down to his mid-back. And resting just above his waist line were his hands that were entwined in each other. His long, jagged nails were painted black.

    

“Am I to be satisfied, Gabriel?”

    

Gabriel bowed down on one knee at the speaking of his inferior name. He set the book at the base of the man’s feet and stepped away, head still hanging low.

    

“Yes sir.” Gabriel replied in the same deep voice.

    

“And what of the Vampire girl?” asked the man who had his gaze locked on the black ocean. The sound of waves slamming into the rock cliffs made his eyes close in calmness.

    

“I’m sorry-“

    

“You failed, Gabriel!” The man instantly spun around more swiftly than physically possible, conjuring a small whirlwind that twirled off the edge of the cliff. He reached out his hand and threatened Gabriel with his nails. “How could you let her live?”

    

“Forgive me, McLaren. But she’s too powerful.”

    

“Too powerful?”

    

Gabriel nodded in acknowledgment. “Aye sir. You said yourself she was stronger than most elders.”

    

“Vampire elders! There is no reason why you should not have been able to kill her!”

    

“I never fought her, my Lord.” McLaren stepped back. “I never made it to the battle. But she decimated my army.”

    

“One vampire single handedly wiped out a Lycan death squad? Preposterous!”

    

At that moment there was a bright light from the narrow pathway. Soon yet another Hummer drove from the path and into the open clearing. It drove up to the cliff’s ledge and stopped. One man stepped out.

    

“My Lord! My Lord!”

    

He ran frantically from the vehicle, leaving on the engine and lights.

    

“What is it?” McLaren asked annoyed.

    

“Every Lycan that went tonight is dead!”

    

“How can this be?”

    

“The Vampire girl and a group of Mortals did it.”

    

Immediately McLaren cocked his head toward Gabriel. Malice burned in his one yellow eye. “It’s time for me to pay my coven a visit.”

    

“You won’t find the girl their, my Lord. The Vampires betrayed her.”

    

“You know what to do Gabriel. Find the girl while she’s still alone. Kill her.” Then, McLaren turned to the famous statue looking out to the ocean with clasped hands against her chest. “Now leave me with my Love.”

 

**********

 

Yet again it was perfect darkness; the kind of darkness that always seemed to lurk over Lavender Town. It was the kind of darkness that without the bright white light radiating from the moon there would be nothing but darkness. It was dark, but perfect for the battles raged every night. Once more the moon was full. It seemed there was a natural phenomenon occurring, as the moon had passed its maximum count of fullness. The stars were also out; there were no clouds hiding them.

    

Misty sat on the mattress that was on the floor in the small room. Her hair was tied back in a loose ponytail but her long locks hung over her face. Tears trickled down her pale cheeks and the water reddened her white eyes. It was obvious she had been crying a great while.

    

She wore only her midnight blue battle suit that hugged her curves tightly. Her midnight blue jacket, belt, Poke balls, and pistols were lying on the floor in front of her.

    

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. Instantly Misty wiped her eyes and pulled her hair out of the ponytail and messed it up to cover her face. She continued looking down at the cold, gray floor.

    

There was yet one more knock before the door slowly creaked open. It opened only an inch, but Misty could see a tall shadow out of the corner of her eye.

    

“Misty?”

    

“Yes Ash?” She replied softly.

    

“Can I come in, or do you want to be left alone?”

    

“I am alone. But you can change that.”

    

With those soft words the door opened the remainder of the way. Misty fingered her hair behind her right ear and gazed at the doorway to see Ash standing up against the door frame with a solemn expression upon his face.

    

Four years hadn’t done much to Ash. Misty noticed he was definitely taller, around six feet, he was more muscular, his hair was shorter but still spiky, but these days he didn’t carry with him the same confident smile that set him apart from all the other guys Misty once knew. He wore blue jeans, a brown belt, and dark green t-shirt. He also wore a brown leather wrist band on around his left wrist. This outfit was obviously not been what he wore earlier.

    

From the moment Misty set her red eyes upon his her frown evolved into a bright smile, an expression not commonly seen from a vampire. Normally they were sorrowful creatures who snarled more than they breathed. But Misty, as always, relished in the presence of her best friend.

    

Ash walked into the small room, gliding over the smooth floor with his socks. He sat down beside Misty on the mattress. The two remained silent for some time.

    

“Did you ever think that so much was going on in Kanto?” Misty asked looking up at the ceiling.

    

“Yes.” Ash replied nodding his head. “You have to remember Misty, you and I always had run-ins with myths and legends. Remember Lugia? Or Mew and Mewtwo?”

    

“Yes. But that was an eternity ago.”

    

“Only five years since we were on Shamuti.” Ash retorted.

    

“Well, five years seems like eternity when you’re away from the people you love.”

    

“I know what you mean. I missed you everyday. There was never one day-one hour I didn’t think about you and what your life could have been like.”

    

“Was being a vampire one of your ideas?”

    

Ash stared at Misty for an eternity. He tried studying her expression to find out what she was thinking. But he got nothing out of her. She showed no expression. There was no happiness, joy, sadness. It was like she was dead, a re-animated corpse.

    

Growing up he knew Misty was never like this. When she was angry she would show it, when she was sad she’d cry. Only on rare occasions would Misty bottle up her feelings and act to get through the day. Ash’s idea was that this was acting. But why?

    

“What happened to you?” he asked placing a hand on her soft cheek.

    

“You aren’t that dense.”

    

“No, you know what I mean.”

    

Misty sighed and closed her eyes. “Being bit by a vampire doesn’t just give you the superhuman abilities. Along with the upgrades is the curse. At first you don’t feel it, but eventually you feel weak and drained. You don’t know what it is. The answer is lodged in the back of your mind like a childhood memory but you can’t put your finger on it.” Misty opened her eyes slowly and hers’ and Ash’s locked. “It’s blood Ash. Blood is the curse. Along with immortality, which people always seem to believe would be the greatest gift of all time. But from the moment you know you can never die the sensation for life is gone. Without death, without boundaries I barely feel what I used to feel.”

    

“What do you mean?”

    

“I mean I barely feel human anymore. Maybe because I’m not. I don’t know. There are certain times when it feels my mortality is back.”

    

“When is that?” Ash asked inching closer to Misty’s face.

    

“When I’m with-“

    

“Ash! Where did you run off too?” Hailen bellowed outside the door.

    

“I’m in here.” He replied shouting back, making Misty cringe.

    

Hailen turned the corner and walked through the open doorway. In her hand she held a pistol and in the other was a silver plated magazine that she slapped in the butt of the pistol.

    

“Sighting?” Ash asked standing up and clenching his fists.

    

“Not this time, Ash. You and I need to return to base and report the Vampires.”

    

“What’s she going to do?” Ash asked pointing at the immortal still sitting on the mattress.

    

Hailen simply shook her head. “She can’t come with. We don’t know how the others will react to this, especially if they find out that we’re allied with a Vampire.”

    

“Brock will be on our side though.”

    

“I have no doubt in my mind that he will be. But think of the consequences of this union.”

    

“I’m not letting her fight this war alone. I’m not leaving her by herself again.”

    

Hailen cocked her head. ‘What’s he mean by again?’ “Well you’re going to have to for the time being. And I’m warning you, if the other Shadow Hunters find out that a Vampire is on our side they may retaliate. I’m not willing to fight the people I’m trying to protect.”

    

“Neither am I.” Ash replied angered.

 

 

Shelby GT-500: Well there is chapter 9. Sorry it isn’t too interesting. I promise the story will go back up hill.