Blade of Destiny

Chapter 4: Reunion



	"Satoshi!? Are you ok? The Legacy Beasts are coming! We have to make a 
barrier here, before they reach the city!" a young man said as he shook Ash awake. His 
silver hair whipped across his face in the blaring wind. "Get up, Satoshi, we need you 
now!!" The young man's face seemed wracked with exhaustion as he yanked Ash up to 
his feet. "We can't let them through, all those people down there are going to be 
massacred if we let them pass," he yelled, his turning to the large group of people of front 
of him. "We make our stand now!!"
	Ash turned to look behind him and almost fell at what lay before him. A huge 
city, littered with gigantic temples and buildings stood before him. Some of the temples 
were so massive that they dwarfed the Coliseums that he had battled in during the 
Pokemon League. But what startled him even more was the sea of black that was rushing 
towards it; a writhing mass of shadow, inhumanly screeching and squealing. It filled his 
head as he dropped to his knees, the sound overloading his senses.  "God, I can't take 
it...what the hell is happening!?" 
	He awoke with a scream, drenched in sweat, his heart going a mile a minute. The 
world slowly blurred back into his vision, a mass of colors coming together until it made 
a visible image. Two hands grabbed him from behind, and lifted him up against the 
nearby wall. 
	Brock came into view, a worried look on his face. "Ash, you ok? What's wrong?" 
Ash shook his head. 
	"Nothing, just a bad dream, that's all. Where are we?"
	Brock sat down on a bed across the small room. "Can't you tell by the bars? 
We're in jail. The cops picked us up after the car crash. Roxanne got away with the 
sword. And to top it all off, the cops confiscated everything, including Dexter."
	Ash strolled to the edge of the cell and kicked the bars fiercely. "Damn it! We 
were so close!" He plopped onto the bed, and leaned back against the wall. "How did 
they find us? I got a clean getaway. I didn't leave anything behind in the museum."
	"Max said they found us by taking a look at Dexter. He apparently had 
programmed our appointment with Roxanne in the computer. They knew where we lived, 
and sent a whole strike to team to bring us in."
	Ash jolted up from the wall. "Geez, for a genius, he sure does do the stupidest 
things. Where is he, anyway?"
	Brock pointed to a moving mass of blankets in the corner of the cell. "He's 
asleep. They took everything from him, too. He was probably our best chance of escape. 
I've been sitting here waiting for them to come and start questioning us."
	Ash felt around in his pocket and cursed. "They took my cigarettes, too. How 
long have we been here? I want my phone call."
	"Max said him and May were here since we left this morning. They brought us in 
here about two hours afterward. I woke up at the crash, so I'd say we've been here a good 
seven hours."
	Ash looked around and sighed. "I can't believe she got away. I should have had 
Primeape take her down when we were at the construction site." He grew quiet at the 
sound of footsteps coming towards the cell. A guard appeared with keys in hand, and 
placed one in the lock. 
	"Looks like the Special Forces want to talk to you. Hey, you!! Wake up! It's time 
to go!" he yelled at Max, who awoke with a grumble. "Let's go, and don't try anything." 
He gestured behind him as he unlocked the cell. "I've got a team of agents ready to act if 
you guys try anything, got it?"
	Ash and the others nodded as they walked out of the cell and were escorted to the 
interrogation room. The guard chuckled as he opened the door. "Have fun." Max 
grumbled as they sat at a small table, the room dimly lit by one light hanging overhead.  
	"Any ideas, Max?" Brock asked as he eased into a seat. Max shook his head. 
"Nope. All I can suggest is that we deny whatever they accuse us with."
	Ash snorted. "Thank you for stating the obvious." The door opened wide, cutting 
off Ash's smart remarks as he sat down. Misty and Gary strolled in, carrying a large stack 
of files and dropping them onto the table. 
	"Hello, gentlemen. It's good to see that you're all ok, so let's get down to 
business, shall we?" Misty remarked as she settled down in the seat. "One sword, one 
shield, and three tablets, all gone missing in the course of a month. Care to explain what's 
going on?" 
	Ash folded his arms and leaned back into his seat, while Brock and Max remained 
silent. She looked at them and sighed. "Look, if you tell me what's going on, we'll make 
a deal with you. Ash, Brock, Max, we don't want to see you in jail. Just tell us what 
happened."
	"And just who do you think you are? You're talking to us like you've known us 
for years. We have no idea what you're talking about, lady," Ash replied harshly. 
	Misty gestured to Gary to close the door. "Because, we have known you for years, 
Ash. Gary, sit down over here." Brock's eyes opened at this. "Gary?" He inspected 
Misty's face, until it finally came to him. "Misty?! Holy crap! It's you!! And quite 
beautiful, I might add," Brock exclaimed. Max leaned forward and smiled. "Wow, it 
really is them. How long has it been? Five, maybe six years?"
	"Eight years. Last time we saw each other was at the Hoenn League competition," 
Ash chuckled. "Since when have you filled out in all the right places, Misty?" Gary 
growled and pointed his finger at him. "Watch it, Ketchum."
	"Oh really? What are you, her boyfriend? You're awfully protective of her now, 
you know," he retorted with a smirk. 
	Gary walked up to the table and slammed his fist into it angrily. "I see you're still 
an arrogant jerk, Ketchum. Nothing's changed in eight years, has it?"
	Misty placed a hand on Gary's shoulder to calm him down. "Gary, not now. We 
need to know about these heists. Where are the artifacts, guys?" The others said nothing. 
"Ash, what would your mother think of you stealing, huh?"
	Ash lifted his head slowly and gave her an ice cold stare. "Leave my mother out 
of this, Misty."
	"She doesn't know, does she? I bet if she did she would come and beat you till 
you were black and blue."
	"I'm going to ask you one more time, Misty. Do not talk about my mother," he 
growled through gritted teeth.
	Misty leaned forward and stood up. "I think I'll go give her a call, Ash. Maybe 
she'll straighten you out." 
	"You can't because she's dead!!!" Ash screamed as he jumped up from his seat. 
"Never talk about my mother again, you understand?! Take me back to my cell; I'm 
through with this crap."
	"Oh, Ash. I'm so sorry; I didn't know. When was it?" she said as she placed a 
hand on his shoulder, only to have it slapped away coldly. 
	"None of your business. Take me back, now." Gary opened the door and called 
the guard back in to escort Ash out. He turned to walk out and stopped halfway through 
the door. "You're right, Gary. Things have changed. More than you can possibly 
imagine," he said without looking back. 
	"I wish we could have met under happier circumstances, Ash. It would have been 
great to catch up," Gary remarked as Ash left. 
	Ash began the walk back to his cell, escorted by the guard. "No it wouldn't. It's 
already hard just seeing you two," he mumbled under his breath.

***

	Misty collapsed into the chair in the officer's lounge, rustling her blazing red hair. 
"I can't believe his mom is dead, Gary. I mean, she seemed in good health when we last 
saw her."
	"Well, a lot can happen in eight years, Misty," he said as he slid coins into a 
vending machine. "But it's not just him. Even Brock and Max seem to have changed. 
But, they're still the prime suspects in this case, along with May, Max's sister. We can't 
let our feelings interfere with this."
	"I just wish there was something we could do. You saw how Ash acted when I 
asked about her. He's never been angry like that before. I almost thought he was gonna 
hit me for a second."
	Gary grabbed the coffee that dispensed from the machine and sat in a chair next to 
her. "You know he wouldn't do that. When are we going to transport them? The chief 
said he wants them locked at headquarters within a day." 
	"I can call the team and get them here in about three hours," she said as she stood 
and stretched. "Guess I'll go make the call. Be right back."

***

	"Guard? I'd like my phone call now. Last time I checked my rights, I was allowed 
to do that," Ash called out as he leaned against the bars. The guard looked up from his 
book and chuckled. 
       "Phone call, huh? Fine, if it'll make you shut up." The guard rose from his seat 
and unlocked the door. "Phone's over there. There's two agents right behind that door, so 
don't try anything," he said. 
	"Whatever," he said walked over to the phone and dialed in the number. "Come 
on, pick up, I know you're there," he mumbled to himself as the phone began to ring. The 
video screen lit up as a beautiful woman with long purple hair appeared on the monitor. 
She was very attractive, wearing a white training outfit that only seemed to add to her 
beauty. Her blue eyes lit up as she recognized him.  
	"Ashy, is that you?!" she squealed. Ash groaned as he pulled the receiver away 
from his ear before he went deaf. "Yeah, Duplica, it's me. Did you dye your hair again? I 
swear, just pick one color and stick with it for more than a week. Look, is Ritchie there? I 
need to talk to him."
	Duplica nodded and disappeared from the screen, dropping the phone on the table. 
A young man, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Ash came into view and picked up 
the phone, tousling his short brown hair. The black muscle shirt that he wore hung 
loosely from his thin shoulders, revealing a thin but athletic frame. "Yo Ash, what's up?"
	Ash grinned as he looked around and leaned into the screen. "Rich, I need a favor. 
A big one."

***

	Roxanne pulled into the abandoned warehouse, barely rolling on the rim that Ash 
had shot, the tire blown out completely. Loose flaps of black rubber clung pitifully on the 
scarred and scratched wheel as she slowed the car to a stop. Grabbing the sword, she 
hopped out of the car, and headed towards the service elevator. The doors slid open and 
she strolled in, placing her thumb on a panel that looked much too advanced for the 
decrepit building. "ID confirmed. Welcome, Agent Summers," a mechanical voice 
chimed, as the elevator began its descent underground. Lights flashed by rapidly, and 
soon the elevator slowly came to a stop. The doors opened again and the headquarters of 
Team Ultima lay before her. 
	The sounds flooded from the numerous instruments and computers, and mingled 
with the voices of various agents as they scurried about, performing their various tasks. 
One agent in particular, wearing spectacles, and carrying a clipboard rushed up to meet 
Roxanne. He was not a very big man, in fact he was quite small and skinny, but he was 
Team Ultima's lead researcher on the Legacy Weapons He scratched his graying beard, 
taking a quick glance at his clipboard. 
	"Agent Summers? You have the sword, correct?" Roxanne smirked and pulled the 
sword out from its sheath. The man's mouth opened wide with surprise and delight. "Oh 
my. It's even more beautiful than the legends suggested. The Board will be very pleased 
when we report this."
	"The Board? You mean the Board is here now?" a surprised Roxanne asked.
	"No, they aren't actually here, but I was just talking to them a moment ago before 
our security cameras spotted your arrival. They've been awaiting a report, and I must say 
they will be very pleased. Follow me, and you can tell them the particulars," the man said 
as he gestured her to follow. Roxanne followed, glancing around before they passed a 
large pair of steel doors, the words "Research Center" engraved on them. 
	"The shield and the other two tablets are in there, huh? What have you discovered 
so far?"
	The scientist chuckled and stopped before opening the door in front of him. 
"Well, that's what I'm here at this debriefing for." Roxanne glanced at him before 
stepping into a small dim room inhabited only by a table and a large video screen. "Agent 
Summers, if you would please," he said while gesturing at a nearby chair. Roxanne 
settled into the seat, being temporarily blinded by the screen flashing on. 
	Five silhouettes sat on the screen hands folded, faces darkened. The Board 
appreciated their privacy, and only the highest ranking agents in Team Ultima were 
allowed to see them. "Ah, Agent Summers, Doctor Leto. We received word of your 
success with the Legacy Weapons. What do you have for us so far?"
	Dr. Leto cleared his throat and stepped forward. "We've translated most of the 
text from the tablets," he said as he clicked a remote, bringing up an image of the tablets 
and an amazing looking shield. The weapon was actually a large crystal disk, similar to 
the blade of the sword; random colors floated about inside the glassy interior of the 
shield. 
	"What we've found is that these colors floating in the sword and shield are 
actually ancient spirits."
	"Spirits? What do you mean spirits?" The Board inquired. 
	"Well, these colors are elements. They're what the different types of pokemon 
were derived from in the first place. Each element was governed by a guardian spirit, 
until they were sealed in the sword and shield. Why they were sealed, is what we're 
trying to find out right now."
	"And just exactly why are we after these spirits?" Roxanne questioned as she 
shifted in her chair.
	"Well, these spirits are the sources of ultimate power for each element. If we 
could control them; well, the possibilities are endless. No one would be able to challenge 
us. We could literally do whatever we wanted, and crush any resistance that tried to 
oppose us."
	The Board members chuckled. "Good, work doctor. When can we expect these 
spirits to be under control?"
	Dr. Leto cleared his throat and shifted his glasses nervously. "Well, that's the 
problem. The spirits actually inhabit the bodies of certain people, and they will emerge in 
no other way. We've brought in dozens of test subjects, but to no avail."
	"What do you mean? Why won't they inhabit the test subjects?"
	"Well, we found the reason not too long ago from what we've translated on the 
tablets. The spirits are gigantic masses of energy, and any ordinary human would not be 
able to contain them; the fragile human frame simply cannot withstand that much power. 
But, there are special cases; special people to be exact. These people are actually able to 
contain these spirits with no harm to their own bodies. Now, what happens when the two 
are brought together, we don't know."
	"We want to do around the clock tests, Leto. Find these people so we can proceed 
with our plans, understand?" The Board spat.
	Leto nodded and the screen went black. "Well, Agent Summers, welcome back."

***

	
	Ash passed through the numerous hallways, Brock and Max at his side, as they 
were escorted from their cell to the loading bay in the back of the station. It had been four 
hours since he had called Ritchie, and he still hadn't showed. Damn it, Ritchie, where are 
you?, he thought to himself as they stopped before the door that led to the outside. 
	"Hey, you hear that?" one of the guards asked Gary, who stood behind them, 
armed with an MP5. "It's a like a beeping noise or something. Is somebody's cell phone 
going off?"
	"We can worry about a cell phone later, Goldberg. Let's just get to the truck, ok?"
Gary stepped forward when a massive explosion ripped the wall apart, throwing the 
entire party back onto the floor. Through the smoke and falling debris, two figures 
appeared, carrying submachine guns. "Sparky, Thunder Wave now!!" 
	A tiny Pikachu with a small tuft of fur falling over its face leapt into the hall and 
smirked as electricity gathered in its tiny red cheeks. The energy released, sending a wave 
of electricity through its victims on the floor, paralyzing them instantly. Ritchie and 
Duplica appeared through the dust and chuckled. "Hello boys. Don't mind if we crash the 
party do ya?" Ritchie chimed as he hauled Ash to his feet. "Duplica, get Max and Brock 
out of here, ok? Me and Ash are gonna go get May." Duplica nodded and they turned and 
sprinted in the other direction. "You're never gonna believe who I ran into on the way 
here," Ritchie said as they turned another corner. 
	He pulled out another pokeball and tossed it in front of them, and with a crack and 
flash of light, Scizor appeared. "Scizor?! Oh man, it's good to know you made it out ok. 
Thanks, Ritchie. Now it's time to go get my other..." his voice trailed off at the sight of 
what lay in the hallway ahead of them. Misty and six other heavily armed agents stood in 
front of them, pointing their submachine guns at them. 
	"Ash, don't make me do this. I will give the order to shoot." Misty said as she 
cocked her gun, making her threat all too clear. Ritchie looked at Ash and then at Misty. 
"You know each other or something?" 
	"It's a long story. I'll tell you later. Scizor, Swift attack now!!" The red pokemon 
grunted and opened its claws, sending countless stars that smacked into their opponents 
each, each impact stinging fiercely. Ash and Ritchie charged, swinging their fists, with 
Sparky following behind, shocking any stragglers that were foolish enough to try and 
grab his master and his friend. 
	"Scizor, you and Sparky take of these guys!! You know where to meet us!!" Ash 
yelled back before being met with a crushing right hook. Stars floated in his eyes as he 
shook his head and turned to throw a counter attack before stopping mid punch. Misty 
stood there, taking a fighting stance, ready to fight.
	"Ash, I can't let you leave. I'm taking you in!!" she yelled, launching a barrage of 
punches that he barely dodged.
	"Misty, I don't want to fight you," he said, dodging another brutal punch.
	"Fine, makes it easier for me to take you down!!" Misty hurled a left jab, which 
Ash caught and twisted behind her back. She countered with a headbutt and followed 
with another vicious right hook. Ash staggered back, his head was exploding in pain.
	Geez, I knew she had a good punch, but this is ridiculous!! I gotta take her down 
and fast.  Misty took the offensive again, launching a barrage of attacks that he could 
barely avoid. I know she loves to finish with her right hook; she puts all her weight into it. 
If I can just dodge that one punch, she'll be off-balance, and I can take her down.  "Ok, 
Misty, let's go," he said as he took a stance himself. He charged forward and threw a 
dummy to the left. She feinted to the right, and threw her famous right hook again, just as 
he planned. He sidestepped to the left, and swept her legs from under her. 
	Swiftly, he pulled the handcuffs out from her pocket and clipped them on, leaving 
her on the floor. "See ya round, Misty. Tell Gary I said bye," he taunted as he turned and 
sprinted around the corner, leaving a furious Misty shouting after him. He rounded the 
corner, and slammed straight into May and Ritchie. "Ritchie, where the hell were you? I 
really could've used some help with her you know!" Ash exclaimed.
	"Well, while you were fighting her, I was actually doing the rescuing."
       "Ash!! Oh thank god, you're ok!! Ritchie has your pokemon, so we can get the 
hell out of here," an overjoyed May exclaimed as they headed out of the building the way 
they came. The loading bay was empty, with no sign of Max, Brock, or Duplica. 
"Ritchie, where's Duplica?" May asked before being blown back by a huge gust of wind 
from above. An enormous Fearow dropped from the sky, its riders smiling at them. 
"What are you standing there gawking for? We need get going before that Thunder Wave 
wears off," Duplica said. 
	Ash fingered his pokeball and threw it, revealing Pidgeot, while Ritchie called out 
Charizard, and they all made their getaway in the starry night sky. "Well, Ash, how's was 
that for a rescue?" Ritchie grinned.
	"You cut it kinda close, but we got out of there. Thanks, man."
	"So what's the plan, now?"
	Ash stared solemnly for a second, and then smiled his famous lopsided smile. 
"I'm gonna go and get my sword back."




		Next Chapter: Ashura, The Thunder Guardian