DISCLAIMER: I don't claim affiliation with Pokemon in any way. Pokemon 
belongs to Nintendo. It doesn't belong to me!

*Morning*

Ages in this fic:

Ash: 20
Misty: 22
Gary: 20

*

The air was stale, almost stagnant, inside the warehouse. Soft dripping 
noises echoed off the sides of rust-eaten walls. Crates rotted in disuse, 
and the only light was a think shaft of moonbeam leaking in through a slit 
in the roof.

A dark-clad figure strode in, calm and almost seeming to be unaware of his 
surroundings. He carried with him a small backpack. A pistol was loosely 
holstered against the small of his back.

Suddenly, blinding lights flashed on, making the interior of the warehouse 
almost as bright as day. A large car was parked in the middle of the 
cemented floor; two armed men stepped out from behind it, weapons pointed 
ominously at the stranger with the backpack. Then, a third man stepped out 
from the car. He was different from the other two, dressed in a snappy suit 
and unarmed.

"You are very stupid," this man half-snarled half-sneered. Nodding to the 
two armed cronies, who came forward to relieve the backpacked man of his 
weapon and carry, he continued, "very stupid."

"Watts," the other smiled. This seemed to enrage the suited one who he was 
addressing. "The Pokeball isn't in the bag. You know me better than that."

"Terrorist!" Watts snarled, eyes narrowed. He reached into the backpack, 
only to find a half-gold half-white sphere. He smirked. "The GS ball. Are 
you sure about it not being in the bag?"

"Open it and see," the other advised.

Watts tossed the ball to one of the henchmen, who lowered his weapon to 
catch it. "I'm not that stupid. Open it, Steves."

Steves grunted and tapped the release button on the sphere. Nothing 
happened.

"So it is the real thing," Watts said softly. "And you thought you could 
trick a trickster." A note of triumph rang in his voice.

There was a burst of light, then, Steves was no longer Steves. He erupted in 
a cloud of fire and smoke. Watts and the other henchman watched in horror. 
Seizing the chance, the stranger made his move. Grabbing a handgun that he 
had hidden in his jacket, he fired, neatly hitting the armed crony between 
the eyes. The henchman crumpled. Then, before Watts could blink, the muzzle 
of the gun was aimed directly at him.

The stranger smiled slightly and spoke. "You are a stupid man, Watts. Ever 
since you killed my partner your death was sealed. You knew it, I knew it. 
Goodbye." The hammer cocked back, and the gun went off.

*

Misty Waterflower frowned as she started to cook dinner. Feeding a family of 
four was not easy- even if three of them were your sisters. Brushing a 
strand of fiery red hair away from her eyes so that she could se was she was 
doing, Misty cursed the fact that her sisters had a performance that day, 
leaving her to make sure that they were well fed when they returned.

/Eat too much and you'll get fat,/ Misty smiled to herself. Her sisters were 
very careful about watching their calorie intake. /Not that it will ever 
help their appearance./

She was just about to turn on the stove, when the doorbell rang. Misty 
sighed and went to open it. Probably one of her sisters that forgot 
something for her performance- again.

However, when she opened the door, Misty saw not a Waterflower Sister but a 
young dark-haired man, eyes hard and cold, the color of ancient amber. He 
was dressed completely in black, cargo pants and a worn leather jacket. He 
smiled and the amber eyes warmed to the color of soft honey.

"Remember me?"

"Ash?" Misty exclaimed in surprise. Not waiting for a reply, she cried," 
come in! Sit down! Where have you been? You cut your hair! And-"

"Misty." He lifted an eyebrow patiently, waiting for her to stop. "Listen, I 
need a place to stay for a little while. At least, until I can find a job 
around here."

"You can stay here!" Misty cried excitedly. She looked around the house and 
faltered; it was a mess. Glamour magazines belonging to her sisters were 
strewn around everywhere, and pillows were scattered messily over couches. 
Unwashed dishes and clothes littered the living area. "It's not much with 
three sisters-" she began, then stopped. "Say, where's Pikachu?"

Something flickered in Ash's eyes; they looked cold and dead for a moment. 
"He's… gone. Training accident," he replied shortly.

Misty gasped, aqua blue eyes wide. "No!"

"I'd rather not talk about it," Ash told her softly.

"Uh…" Misty suddenly felt /very/ awkward. "Come in! Don't just stand out 
here!" she finally decided. As her guest stepped into the foyer, she closed 
the door behind him. "Do you want anything to eat? Drink?"

"Naw," Ash replied. He seemed to be taking in his surroundings in an easy 
and relaxed position, as if he was ready for anything and everything. Misty 
sensed that a great deal had changed about him.

"Uh, find a seat if you can." Misty led him to the living area. "Where are 
your Pokemon?" She scanned him up and down. No sign of Pokeballs.

"Let them go." Ash slid his hands into his jacket pockets almost 
uncomfortably.

"Let them go?" Misty echoed. "You've quit being a trainer?" she exclaimed.

"Yeah, you could say that." Ash ran a hand through his thick jet-black hair, 
shorter than she had last seen but still spiked.

Misty changed the subject. "We have a spare bedroom that you can use. Are 
you moving to Cerulean for good? I heard about your mother, I'm sorry, but 
why not stay in Pallet?"

"I'm trying to start over, Misty," Ash replied. "I just need a place where I 
can live until I get situated."

"C'mon then, go get your stuff. When are ya gonna move in?" Misty asked 
cheerfully.

Ash shrugged. "Gotta go run some errands first." He got up and headed 
towards the door. "Thanks, Misty. You have no idea how much this means to 
me. I'll call you later."

*

"Got it?" Richie asked him, brown eyes wide like a terrified yet curious 
cat. He leaned a bit forward on the barstool on which he was perched, 
completely oblivious to the noise of the smoky bar around him.

"GS ball? Yeah. Pokemon? No," Ash replied. "Listen; the League's onto me. 
I'm lying low at a friend's. I'll come and see you now and then to get the 
money straightened out."

"That's dangerous," Richie snapped. "You lie low. I'll take care of the 
money and League tracking. We'll meet- oh shit." His hand strayed to the 
holster of the pistol at his side; two official-looking men had entered the 
bar, one of them showing a League badge to the barkeeper.

“Don’t jump the gun. You’re not green so don’t act it," Ash warned. "Gary's 
probably pissed that I killed Watts and his men." His eyes hardened to the 
expression usually worn by terrorists completing a job.

"Richie stared at him, eyes wide once more. "/You/ did that?"

"Of course I did," Ash growled. "Watts damn well deserved it, too. Look, 
we've gotta lead these two out in the back; we can't shoot in a damn bar." 
Abruptly, he got up. "C'mon. You head out, hide next to the door. I'll lure 
'em, out."

"Whatever you say," Richie muttered, drawing his gun and heading out the 
back of the bar.

Ash turned to see Richie go, then swung back around the side of the bar to 
the two League officials. Catching one of the men's eyes, he quickly fled 
out the back of the bar. The two officials followed in pursuit, but Ash had 
already darted out the back exit.

The two men brandished handguns and carefully strafed the door. Suddenly the 
handle of a Glock smashed into one of the men. The other was grabbed roughly 
and thrown aside, a Beretta pointed at his temple.

"League flunkies," Ash spat, his Beretta nudging the side of the guy's head. 
He kicked the man's gun away from him. "To think they would /dare/ send 
these punks after me. Huh, Gary must be stupider than I thought." He turned 
to the conscious League official, eyes as hard and as reflective as a copper 
surface. "When you wake up, tell your boss that he'll need to have better 
men come after me, because after you lucky two I start killin' 'em, okay?" 
Then, the Beretta handle crashed into the guy's temple, and he crumpled.

*

"Subject still at large," the computer blared. There was the outraged voice 
of a man swearing, and a thud as a body fell to the ground.

Gary stared disdainfully at the man he had just killed, nudging the body 
with his toe. "Get this worthless trash out of here," he snarled at two 
Primeape guards standing in the corner. "Have Umbreon deal with the other 
who came in."

The computer screen flickered briefly, and it delivered, "subject's 
whereabouts unknown. Thought to be in Cerulean City, as opposed to the last 
sighting in Celadon."

Gary brooded. He couldn't let one worthless little /terrorist/ overthrow the 
League that he had worked so hard to set up. There were rumors that a 
rebellion was stirring, and people were becoming discontent with his way of 
dealing with things. Soon a revolt would be boiling, and he would have to 
crush /that/, too…

"Ash, you bastard," Gary chuckled. "You think that you can actually /defeat/ 
me? Heh heh heh… that's pretty damn funny there. I'm onto your every move. 
There isn't a /single/ person that I don't have dirt on. You think I don't 
know where you'll be? At that bitch Misty's residence, for sure. Such a 
simple man… I wonder why they fear you more than me…"

A rasping growl sounded from the corner of the room. Shrouded in shadows, 
two glowing crimson eyes stared at the League Master.

"Umbreon," Gary smiled. "Here to bring me good news?"

Suddenly, the computer sounded. "Whereabouts of subject Ketchum known. 
Sending squad to the residence of the Waterflower Sisters in Cerulean City."

*

The Waterflower residence was always a lively place when it came to 
dinnertime. Four grown women sometimes have insatiable appetites; there was 
something here to prove this.

Ash sat, blinking, as the food disappeared at an alarming rate. /And I 
thought these ladies were worried about their weight?/ he asked himself, 
almost grinning. Misty had cooked up a delicious meal; who knew that she 
could actually use a stove without lighting it on fire? Brock was always 
Ash's cook of choice.

He spooned his mashed potatoes and watched as the gravy dwindled in amount. 
/Well, better eat something, before it's all gone,/ he reflected. Gingerly, 
he reached for the dish of gravy- but Lily got there first. Trying hard not 
to laugh at her almost ferocious stare of dominance, Ash decided that he 
would eat his meal /without/ gravy this time.

After the meal, two of the four sisters went to catch the late evening news. 
Ash decided that he should watch, too, even though he knew it would be a 
futile effort to gain any information; the League always cut stuff from the 
broadcast that they considered a danger to themselves.

But the news that night surprised him. A woman reporter dressed in a 
navy-blue dress suit with startlingly familiar features of large blue eyes 
and long red hair held up her papers and announced:

"Breaking news. At a bar in Celadon City, League officials ran into a man 
who they considered to be a terrorist and danger to society- a member of the 
terrorist group that has been rumored to have secretly formed against the 
League. The two brave officials were killed behind the bar, and numerous 
gunshot wounds were found to be the cause of death at the autopsy. The 
League has released the names of their suspects: Richie-"

Alarmed, Ash sprang forward and changed the channel. "Hey!" one of Misty's 
sisters called out, outraged. "Like, change it back! I need to see that!"

Quickly, he fled the scene. Hopefully the news broadcast would be over by 
the time that the channel was switched back. Up the stairs and to the spare 
bedroom Misty had promised him, trying to act a little more casual. /Come 
on, you dolt, you've been doing this and seeing these things for years. What 
the hell is wrong with you?/

Closing the bedroom door, he collapsed on the bed. It had been so long since 
he had slept on a soft mattress. Most of the time it was on the softest 
piece of ground he could find, and more often than not it was in a hospital 
stretcher that his friends would have rigged up to carry him away and treat 
any wounds he might have.

/It hasn't been easy,/ he thought. /Not at all. Sometimes, I wish that I 
were still a trainer. Hell, I wish that all the time./ Not some wanted rebel 
who dared to defy the League's supremacy.

Another problem arose: did Gary know where he was? Better to move, anyway, 
Ash decided, and not endanger the lives of his hosts. It would take a lot of 
explaining- hell, not just explaining but arguing and complicated issues. He 
knew Misty wouldn't let him go, but he /had/ to…

There was a scream from downstairs. Alerted, Ash fingered the handle of his 
trusty Beretta, which stood home inside his jacket. Cautiously he opened the 
door and crept downstairs as fast as possible without being detected. There 
was a muffled shout, then two more voices joined in an unison of screaming. 
Then, Misty's voice, swearing, and the sound of something crashing…

Ash sprang into the family room, where he saw one- no, two- masked men 
practically strangling Lily and Misty to death. They crashed over couches 
and the coffee table; Misty was putting up a good fight, but her opponent 
was easily stronger than she was. Lily wasn't doing too well. The other two 
sisters looked like they were in shock, frozen and white.

Ash decided to intervene at this moment. Rushing the man who held Lily, he 
swung a fist into his face, then grabbed the back of his shirt and slammed 
him down onto a ground. Grinding his heel into the small of the guy's back, 
he turned to deal with Misty's assailant. This thug he grabbed by the head, 
wrenching his grip away from Misty. Then a knee to the groin was all it took 
to finish off bad guy number two.

They lay, sprawled messily on the ground, one bleeding from a broken nose. 
It had happened so quickly that neither Misty or her sisters had taken 
account to what had really happened, but not fast enough for Ash; he had 
already searched the two men for guns and a Browning Automatic lay next to 
one of the bodies.

"They're… okay… aren't they?" Misty asked softly, almost trembling in fear.

"They're still alive," Ash growled softly. "Any idea why they're here?" /You 
know why,/ he told himself. /Stop trying to put it off./

"No, it didn't seem like they were after anything," Misty replied, 
thoroughly shaken.

Ash turned to her sisters, still paralyzed. "I'd better call the police. 
Officer Jenny can handle the rest of this."

*

A secretary handed a phone to the League Master. Gary frowned and accepted 
it. He didn't want more complicated issues, but the call was bound to be 
important, since he only gave out his personal number to a chosen few, and 
told them not to use it unless it was in the state of an extreme emergency.

He put the receiver to his ear- and the voice that addressed him made him 
freeze stiff.

"Amazing what you can find in a dead person's pockets." The voice was as 
cool as the smoke off dry ice, ironic and cynical, and above all, /cold/.

"Watts," Gary hissed. "You did him in. I should have /known/."

"I'm surprised you haven't guessed by now. I thought you were smarter."

"Ash," Gary smiled. "Are you happy with the gift I sent the Waterflowers? 
Even though I heard the guys all came back dead…"

"You killed those two League officials that attacked me in that bar in 
Celadon," Ash accused. "Didn't they give you my message before you 
slaughtered them?"

Gary chuckled, his voice laconic and with a sarcastic tone to it. "Of course 
they did. You can't go around killing all the men I have, Ash. Even /you/ 
aren't that good."

"Don't be so sure," was the response. There was a click, and the line went 
dead.

*

Ash sorted through his belongings one last time. A backpack and a duffel bag 
were all that he needed to hold the few things he had. It was preordained; 
he had to leave. Everyone around him would die if he stayed.

/Hell, everyone around you would die if you stay alive,/ he told himself, 
almost ironically. /What the hell do you think you're playing at here? Don't 
you know you're dealing with the League and not just some sissy organization 
like Team Rocket? There's more at stake here than you give credit for. In 
this, you're just one dumb terrorist. And wait till Misty finds out about 
how many people you've killed just to get here./

He kicked the duffel bag in disgust. /Look at what you've become,/ he told 
himself. /Just killing for the hell of it now, huh? Getting to be a damn 
sport now. Don't you have any guilt?/

It couldn't be stopped. Everything went around in circles, spiraling 
downward until he forced himself /not/ to think anymore. Staring at his 
watch, he decided it was almost time to leave. Knowing Misty and her sisters 
would never let him do so, he'd decided to sneak out in the middle of the 
night. It was about one in the morning now…

He opened the bedroom window and crawled out, shouldering his gear. 
Moonlight illuminated everything, giving the building walls a pale coloring. 
Leaping lightly down from the roof to the ground, careful not to make a 
noise, he began to walk away from the house, never taking a glance back.

*

"Ash! You friggin' dumbass!" Richie exclaimed when he got his call. "D'you 
know /how/ worried we've all been- now you're sneaking around town like some 
stupid thief?! You have /no/ right to be risking your life like this."

"I'm sorry, Richie," Ash replied sheepishly. "Listen, I'm calling from a 
payphone, and these things get traced. I'll call you again as soon as I get 
to the next city. Gary will be all over me before you know it. I'll head 
back whenever I find a chance."

"Be careful," was all Richie told him before Ash hung up.

*

Ash fingered the five Pokeballs he had in his backpack, running his fingers 
over the familiar mars and scratches that marked each one individually. 
Finally, he chose one and pulled it out of the bag, enlarged it, and 
released its contents.

A Pidgeot flew out with a flash of bright light. It flapped its wings 
experimentally once or twice, then stood still on its talons, awaiting its 
master's orders.

"Pidgeot, I need you to fly me to Mount Silver. Will that be too far for 
you?"

Pidgeot preened one of its wings and swept them forward to demonstrate that 
it was not too far. Ash climbed upon its back, right between where the wing 
joints met, and together they soared off into the dark night sky.

*

Gary growled as the computer flashed, "subject's whereabouts lost. Tracing 
program malfunctioning." It could only mean one thing: Ash had slipped off 
in one of his usual impossible escapes. /Impossible, improbable, that's what 
makes him so dangerous,/ Gary decided. /Plus the fact that he hates the 
world now…/

/Heh, that's my fault…/

He had been the one who had sent the order to kill the last of his family- 
his mother. He had been the one who had taken his best friend - Pikachu. If 
anything, he was the one who would have driven him off the edge… but Ash was 
too strong for that now. Gary had turned him into a cold shell of his 
original self; smart, calculating, and always one step ahead of everything.

/He can shoot pretty damn well, too./ Gary frowned. He'd made a gamble when 
he had killed Ash's mother, hoping that it would drive him off the edge and 
convince him to join the League. Even more so with Pikachu, hoping that 
there was a chance, no matter how remote, that it would blackmail Ash into 
joining. But all it had did was turn him into an almost cold-hearted killer, 
who did so for strictly business and without mercy.

/Speaking of Pikachu…/ Gary pressed a button on his console, and a door slid 
open. In walked a little canary yellow rodent, whose cute features were 
marred by the fact that its eyes were empty and hollow.

"Pikachu," Gary ordered softly. "I need you to do a job for me."

It remained silent, fixing him with that dead glare.

"Ash Ketchum is missing. Find him bring him in to the League Headquarters. 
At Indigo Plateau."

"Chu," it responded curtly, then turned to leave.

*

Pidgeot had landed to take a rest, for the way to Mount Silver was not easy. 
They were in the fields near Viridian City now, giving Ash some time to eat 
a meal and Pidgeot some time to regain its wind as well as peck at some 
Pokechow.

A rustling in the long grass near where he sat alerted Ash. He turned grimly 
to see what it was that had disturbed the grass, only to catch a glimpse of 
canary yellow…

Memories of a mouse of the same color, the best friend he have ever had… 
they came rushing back to him, but he swallowed them all down. He needed to 
analyze this potential danger. Reaching out, he hit the yellow thing with a 
closed fist. He received an electric shock in reply. Ash recalled Pidgeot 
into its Pokeball and scuffed the grass with a foot.

A Pikachu leapt out, with amazing agility. Its eyes were narrowed, and 
sparks snapped from its cheeks. Realization dawned on Ash- this was /his 
Pikachu/! But something was wrong. Its eyes were dead, and it showed no 
recognition of him whatsoever.

"Damn the Drowzees," Ash spoke aloud. The ironies of ironies… he supposed 
Gary had sent this little fiend after him. His eyes clouded… how /dare/ Gary 
take from him what was most valuable… what he loved more than /anything/ in 
the world? His best friend, his partner- now reverted and standing before 
him, not in companionship but in antagonism.

"Pikachu." Ash spoke softly. If there was even the smallest chance of it 
recognizing him…

"Pika," the rodent spat hatefully. Its cheeks sparked even more violently, 
and it leapt for Ash. He ducked, just in the nick of time, as a deadly bolt 
of electricity and fur flew through the air. About-facing as quickly as it 
was humanly possible to, Ash stared the Pikachu down. It was his enemy now… 
no longer his friend… but could he still kill it? For the first time in 
/years/ he questioned his ability to do away with something… was it /right/ 
for him to slaughter a friend who had stood faithfully by his side… even if 
it /was/ his enemy?

He didn't have time to come up with an answer. Pikachu grabbed onto his neck 
and discharge as much electrical power as he could into the body of its 
former master and friend. Ash felt his very bones pain as the electricity 
coursed through his body… but he wasn't done yet…

Pikachu jumped off him, and he collapsed. The yellow mouse watched 
disdainfully. Surely it had killed the human. Nothing could stand its power 
for so long…

But Ash coughed and rose from the ground, still smoking but very much alive. 
For the first time Pikachu felt the glimmer of fear. How could this be 
possible? Its eyes narrowed again, this time in determination. It would 
finish its job, for once and for all.

Ash knew that he didn't have a choice. Only one of them could make it out of 
the battle. He didn't have the time for any other alternatives. The next 
time the Pikachu rushed him, Ash grit his teeth and grabbed onto the thing's 
tail. /This is not Pikachu,/ he told himself. /This is NOT Pikachu! Oh God…/

The mouse snarled and prepared for another round of electricity.

/This is not Pikachu, dammit. Only one of us can come out of this alive…/

Red cheeks began to spark spastically with electric power.

Ash's eyes began to harden. There had been a time in his life that he 
wouldn't pause to save somebody. There had been a time when he swore never, 
/never/ to kill another being. There had been that time. But, as the old 
saying goes, that was then; this is now. Times change. People change.

People change especially.

He had to kill it. To kill it would mean that he would win, it would lose. 
But did he really deserve to win? /Why the hell are you asking yourself this 
now?/ one side of his mind told him. The other Ash practically screamed, 
/what the hell are you doing? This is Pikachu! What the hell have you 
become?!/

Fight. Kill. Don't question your actions. It had been that routine for so 
long… /when was the last time that I was HAPPY?/ He didn't have the heart to 
kill the little mouse. There was nothing he could do but let Gary control 
it.

/Gary…/

Suddenly, Ash knew what to do. Just as Pikachu was going to release its 
electric barrage, he plunged a hand into his backpack and drew out a small, 
hard blue crystal that he had found in a battle years before. Now he waved 
it in front of Pikachu's face. The mouse paused in its actions, completely 
mesmerized by the stone. The stone began glowing, Pikachu began glowing. 
Together the mouse and the light melded into one stream of unbearable 
brightness, illuminating the night air. Electricity crackled as Pikachu's 
shape enlarged and changed in feature.

Scientists had theories about the mysteries of Pokemon evolution. It was a 
known fact that any and /every/ abnormal status on a Pokemon was removed 
when it evolved. It was like the Pokemon had been born again, into a second 
life.

Ash hoped to God what he had heard was true…

He lost his grip on the tail, and the glowing animosity fell to the ground. 
The light faded; Ash could see again. Before him was a larger mouse, fur 
sable in color and tail long like a whip, ending in a perfect lightning-bolt 
shape. It rubbed its face with its paws, then looked around, as if alarmed.

"Raichu!" It cried, and leapt into Ash's arms. Tears streaked down its 
cheeks, making twin furrows in its fur. For the first time in many years, 
Ash felt truly happy. He hugged the mouse to himself, oblivious, for once, 
to everything around him.

*

The entrance to the Mount Silver caverns was heavily guarded, even though 
the eye could not tell. Microscopic cameras scanned the parameter, and 
Dittos in the forms of rocks patrolled the opening as well.

Ash took no heed of all this as he made his way to the entrance, Raichu 
perched skillfully on his shoulder. When one of the rocks began transforming 
back to a Ditto, he bent down and patted it on the head. The Ditto, 
recognizing him, stopped what it was doing and abruptly turned back into a 
rock.

Inside, a pair of Arcanines and a swarm of Zubats immediately attacked him. 
Ash simply maneuvered through them, and they let him go; these Pokemon were 
nothing but holographic projections.

Finally, he reached the heavy metal door that separated the rebellion HQ 
from the rest of the world. In a keypad next to the door, he punched in a 
security clearance code and strolled in. The first thing he saw was Richie.

"We need better security," was all he said.

"Ash! You bastard!" Richie laughed. He was practically bubbling with 
happiness. "And what's this? A Raichu?" He stopped to pat the mouse on the 
head. Raichu closed its eyes, as if enjoying the attention.

"What's the news?" Ash asked. Richie immediately turned concerned.

"All bad, my friend. Morale's at its worst. Even the cheerful Chanseys are 
not as cheerful. We lost two of our best guys to League officials… plus… you 
should see this…"

Richie made his way further down the cavern, into a cave where machinery 
filled the air with strange clicking and beeping noises. The Porygon were 
busy at work on these, Ash knew, but the computers yielded little 
information that could be used.

A large broadcast screen covered the side of the cave. Richie stalked over 
to the projector, kicked the two rebels that were working on it off, and 
pushed the "play" button. Immediately, Gary's face leered on the screen.

/This can't be good…/ Ash thought grimly.

"Greetings, rebels. As you see, I haven't found your base yet, but I'm 
giving you all a message that you can't miss. If you're wondering what I 
want, I can tell you it's not what you would have guessed. You see, the 
terrorist named Ash Ketchum is my current goal… this message is mainly for 
him, of course."

Ash tensed up, fearing the worst. The message continued.

"Right now, I have a Misty Waterflower and her three sisters in my hands. 
They are captive for now, and in… let's see… three days and I'll start to 
execute them. Every day after that I'll kill another one of them, unless you 
report to our headquarters with unconditional surrender. Misty, of course, 
will be killed last. Am I any good at this terrorist stuff, Ash? What do you 
think?" Gary sneered and the screen blanked out.

Richie turned to Ash, half-cringing at what he thought the man would do. But 
Ash only stared at him with his cold and dead gaze, oblivious to the other 
workers who were watching him. Slowly, he turned and left the cave.

*

Misty snarled at her captor. Gary leered back at her, eyes almost sparkling 
with delight. "Let's see what your boyfriend thinks of this."

"What do you want with Ash? All he is is a guy who's trying to start his 
life over!" Misty exclaimed, hot tears of rage running down her cheeks.

"Oh contraire, my little lady," Gary smirked. "He's not who he claims to be. 
You see, Ketchum is a terrorist with an astounding record of rebellious 
movements against the League. He's killed at least forty officials, more 
than half of them everyday citizens… 'cops' is the right word…"

"Lies," Misty snarled. "You /expect/ me to believe this? Ash couldn't hurt a 
fly!"

"Really?" Gary questioned. "Why do you think those two punks attacked your 
house? And how do you think he was able to dispatch them so easily? That's 
the side of Ash you never have known, Misty. That's the side that's both a 
danger to society and to himself." He chuckled lightly, then turned to a 
viewing screen. "If you don't believe me, why don't you see?"

A projection started; Misty saw Ash, in his usual leather jacket, walking 
aimlessly down the side of a semi-crowded street. An official-looking 
character started to follow him, but Ash continued, apparently unconcerned.

The two turned a corner and disappeared from view. The projection cackled, 
almost to the point of blackening out, as if the camera that had yielded it 
had been hit in some way and malfunctioned. Suddenly, the image snapped back 
on, clearer than before. Ash was walking out on the street, alone…

"Guess what happened to Mr. League Official," Gary stated softly.

"Please. You expect me to believe something that you could have easily 
staged?" Misty snorted. She would have said more, but the projection swiftly 
flickered. Suddenly, Ash's face was staring straight at her. And his 
expression was terrifying…

Instead of the warm, honey-colored irises that she was so used to seeing, 
Ash's expression was cold and exact, his eyes cold and as reflective as two 
twin copper surfaces. It was frightening to see how he portrayed no emotion 
whatsoever. The face was that of a practiced killer, almost, giving no 
secrets away, showing no mercy or guilt. Misty could not bring herself to 
believe that this was what the boy with whom she had traveled for /years/ 
had become… but the projection was obviously Ash. Not even the greatest 
plastic surgeon could create such an exact copy.

"Gary." He spoke softly into the camera. "Still watching me, aren't you. 
Won't give up. Well, tell Watts I said hi and that I'll get him later for 
taking Pikachu. Oh, and you'll need a new camera." With that, he took the 
lens in his hand and the screen turned to static.

*

Ash rubbed the sleep from his eyes. He was working with a full Porygon team, 
but this didn’t make his job any less exhausting. Trying to dig up all the 
crimes that Gary committed took a mental and emotional toll. Many of these 
crimes had affected him in one way or another, usually in a drastic way.

“Raichu?” his Pokemon scampered over to him in question. Ash managed a weary 
smile.

“Yeah, I’ll go to sleep. I’m just about ready to give up on this damn 
thing.”

Ash tapped the keyboard again, trying to foil the firewalls that protected 
Gary’s inner secrets. Sometimes, Ash wondered why the League Master didn’t 
destroy the records of his foul deeds. Then again, Gary had always been 
proud. Probably proud of the things he had done- the sicko, Ash thought in 
contempt.

The screen blinked, a Porygon turned its head to him. Text appeared and the 
Internet IP hacking program began to read off data. Ash blinked as well. He 
was in. Now his master plan would really unfurl…

*

Ash posted all the media files of Gary’s misdeeds up on several major news 
sites. Hacking into those was no problem thanks to the Porygons. People in 
Kanto and Johto would be in for quite a shock when they logged on the 
computer to their hompages.

The world would be in turmoil. Ash stared at the clock- even if great things 
were to come, he still needed sleep and it was four in the morning. Best to 
catch what little shuteye time he had left.

For he would leave the next morning to settle the score with his old rival.

*

Ash was gone.

When Richie had realized this, he went into a fit of swearing first and 
asked questions later. He knew what must have happened, yet it was a 
decision so /stupid/ that he could hardly believe that Ash would have taken 
it. Perhaps the man had retained some aspects of his childhood 
hard-headedness, but Richie found it still hard to realize that Ash's choice 
had been such a rash one. For a man like him, who thought everything out 
detail by detail, perfectionistic to a fault…

Richie swore again and sent the Porygons on a hacking spree into Gary's 
networks. However, the information that they'd managed to retrieve had been 
filtered by Gary's own Porygon network… something that proved to be even 
more discouragement to the low-morale status of the rebellion group.

There was no way he could send out a team for any aid at all- not with the 
limited resources he now had. The money had to be all sorted out first, 
along with about a million other jobs that he needed to deal with. Richie 
cursed Ash's very existence, and the fact that he was unable to help his 
friend. Most of all, he cursed Ash’s plan. He hoped to God that his friend 
would come back alive.

*

Raichu growled worriedly as Pidgeot circled the League Headquarters at 
Indigo Plateau. Ash reached over and scratched it behind the ears, trying to 
comfort the sparks that were involuntarily springing from its cheeks; he 
didn't want Pidgeot to get fried
Ash and Raichu had argued ceaselessly over his decision to face Gary. It was 
still apprehensive upon the situation, but had grudgingly given in to Ash's 
plan. Ash knew that sneaking in around an enemy's base was probably the best 
way to get killed, but the issue didn't matter to him anymore. He was sick 
of seeing people around him die instead, and upon that his resolved waxed 
stronger and stronger, until he was almost bursting with impatience to get 
to Indigo.

The Pokemon guards were almost as numerous as the humans were. But Ash had 
experience with dealing with the Indigo guards; he knew more than half of 
them were incompetent at what they did. The other half were simply there to 
follow directions. If they weren't ordered by a superior to do something, 
they didn't even bother to do it.

The first thing they ran into was an Arcanine. The fiery dogs were extremely 
popular with the League; Ash knew that he could run into one just about 
anywhere at Indigo. Thankfully, Pidgeot was able to blow it away with a huge 
swirl of wind before it bayed any alarm to the other guards.

They ran into a surprisingly futile resistance, even poorer than Ash had 
expected. A sick thought struck his mind; Gary knew that they were coming. 
He had planned everything around that already, but he had hoped, almost 
feverently, that Gary had ruled out the possibility of him trying a foolish 
rescue on Misty and her sisters. He trod more carefully now, even though he 
knew that his cover was almost definitely blown.

Ash could hardly remember the way through the corridors since the last time 
he had been there. That had been on friendly terms… how long ago had that 
been? Years even though they seemed like centuries, another life completely. 
He knew the way around fair enough, and it didn't take him long to reach the 
central control room, where he figured that Gary might be.

Creeping around a door, Ash cracked it open slightly, silently. Fatal 
mistake; a thread of light threw itself against the shadows of the external 
area… a voice from within the room chuckled, "welcome, Ketchum. Time you got 
here."

"Gary." Ash spat hatefully.

*

He swung open the door, unafraid. Gary was sitting in the middle of an 
extraordinarily complex-looking station of computer consoles, hatches, 
wires, and screens. There were no men guarding the area, but Ash did notice 
Misty and her sisters sitting quietly at one side of the room. Strange.

"Might as well let them go," Ash said quietly, Raichu threateningly growling 
at his shoulder.

"So you got your little pet back. Want to see mine?" Gary smirked. He 
pressed a button down on one of the numerous consoles. Most of the hatches 
opened; Pokemon of every shape and size poured out.

"Thunderwave," Ash ordered. Raichu leapt from his shoulder and spilled a 
huge cascade of electricity over the ground. It sparked and hissed in fury; 
most of the Pokemon were either knocked out or paralyzed.

"Oh yeah." Gary swore. "Forgot about Raichu being stronger than Pikachu. But 
you'll have your hands full, Ash." He pushed another button on a console. A 
few more hatches opened, and more than a hundred armed men swarmed in. Ash, 
however, had accommodated for this, too.

"Raichu, make a dome around us with your electricity," Ash ordered. "And 
start the storm, too."

A flashing, eye-watering creation of energy arched perfect parabolas every 
which-way and surrounded Ash, Gary, Misty and her sisters, and the mouse. It 
blocked and burned up every bullet the swarm of soldiers poured into it, 
completely unpenetrable.

Gary glared at him. "Why are you here."

"You know." Ash narrowed bronze-hard eyes.

"What if they don't want to come back," Gary laughed softly. "What if they 
know what you've done?"

Ash shrugged. "Most people do."

"Misty? Do you have anything to say to our little terrorist here?" Gary 
nodded at the redhead girl, who rose from her position. Her eyes were filled 
with a hatred and fear that Ash had never seen the likes of before. She 
crossed her arms.

"How could you keep this from me."

Ash didn't falter a step. He didn't dare to lower his stone cold manner. 
"You know. You all know."

Misty's eyes softened to hurt, but Ash still kept his calm demeanor. He knew 
what Gary was trying to do. He couldn't afford to let it happen. Perhaps he 
had liked this girl before in past times, but those times were dead. He was 
a new person, a new Ash, and she just couldn't reach the steel case where he 
kept his heart.

/I'm sorry Misty,/ he thought regretfully. /Will you ever forgive me for 
acting this way? No… why am I even asking myself that. I don't deserve any 
forgiveness. Who am I kidding?/ "Who am I kidding?" He echoed aloud, 
dripping with sarcasm. "Who do I think I'm kidding?" He turned to Misty. 
"The person you know no longer exists. There's no turning back now."

He paused.

"Gary Oak. I condemn you, and the rest of the world condemns you, for your 
treatment of the people you are here to take care for. The rest of this 
world resides in turmoil, while you sit here on your throne, happy as a 
/clown/. But that only scratches the surface of what you've done. How many 
people have you killed to get here Gary? Everyone wants to punish you.

"Especially me.

"Especially a boy named Ash Ketchum, who's mother you murdered in a vain 
attempt to blackmail him into joining your pathetic League. Who's best 
friend you took away for /years/ in another stupid attempt to drive him mad. 
Now what are you, Gary Oak? No words can describe what others feel for you. 
I'm here to end it all in an action."

Gary smirked again. He knew he held a trump card in his hand. Time to play 
it.

"What about you, Ash? You're no angel, either. How many of my men have /you/ 
killed to get where you are today? How many innocent Pokemon have you 
slaughtered? Pokemon that were simply following their master's purposeful 
instruction?"

To his amazement, these words did not waver the figure standing before him.

Ash gave a half-smile. "See what you've made me? Your words can't hurt. 
Hell, even your /wounds/ can't hurt. Not anymore. Raichu, you know what to 
do."

The mouse nodded, determined, and sprung at Gary. Suddenly, a blurred figure 
ran in front of him, knocking the mouse away. Raichu landed skillfully on 
his feet, glaring and growling at this new obstacle…

It was Misty.

"Stay out of this," Ash advised her. "Or you'll get killed, too."

To his astonishment, there were tears in her eyes.

"My /God/! Can't you two /stop/ this? How the hell did one little childhood 
rivalry develop into /this/?! Haven't there been enough deaths already to 
make up for all that? I know that Gary has committed crimes, Ash, but you 
have too. There's no easy way to amend things, but killing one another isn't 
the /right/ way."

"Enough talk," Ash snarled. "Raichu-"

"Ash," Misty said patiently. "Would you really do what you're about to do?"

Ash stopped. Everything stopped. He knew all along what he was getting into, 
but it wasn't enough to stop him. He'd never paused in the face of anything… 
but perhaps Misty was right. Hadn't there been enough deaths to make up for 
all this? The world didn't need another one.

Yet he’d come so far for this. Would all of the crimes he’d committed amount 
to nothing? Something had to change- him or the League. An old stubborn part 
of himself had to do something about it.

“Misty…” Ash managed a crooked half-smile. “Misty, I’m sorry things had to 
turn out this way. Maybe things can change in the future, for a better 
future. But now… I have an /obligation/ that includes dealing with this 
/scum/ here. I’ve made too many promises to break them at this current time. 
This place has to go, with or without you.”

"Raichu. Paralyze him." Ash ordered. Raichu sent a jolt of electricity up 
Gary's spine, knocking him out cold. "Which one's the self-destruct alarm?" 
He fiddled around with the console for a second, then hit a bright red knob. 
A harsh mechanical sound began rasping its way through the building's 
speaker system. The swarm of soldiers, hearing the alarm, apparently 
believed that Ash had automated the building's self-destruct system, and 
quickly began to flee the room.

"Misty, drag Gary out," Ash ordered.

Misty gave him a terrified look and did what she was told.

"You three," Ash told her sisters. "Get out. Now." The three sisters fled.

"Raichu. Go outside and attack this building with a Thunderstorm. I want 
this entire place leveled. Don’t worry, I’ll catch up with you later."

The mouse looked at him, nodding and knowing what it had to do. It scampered 
off to comply.

Ash sat in the middle of the control room, watching the workers scurry away 
and out of the building. /Maybe we can change the future,/ he decided. 
Slowly, he rose from his seat. He had made his decision: What he’d wanted 
accomplished had been done, the public would know of Gary’s crimes. And Ash 
would disappear into the far-off reaches of the world, whether as a hero or 
traitor. One thing was for sure: Ash Ketchum’s life as a terrorist was over. 
For now.


FIN