Futures Past By: Zapdos1Alpha zapdos1alpha@hotmail.com AAMRN Part 3 ~ ~ ~ ~ Misty didn't sleep well that night. She woke up early the next morning. Looking over to her daughter still sleeping in the bed next to hers she smiled and thought 'there is more of ash in her, but she has my eyes.' Leaving Sarah to sleep misty went downstairs. "Good morning misty." Delia said politely "How did you sleep?" "Good morning." Misty replied in kind. "I slept fine" But her appearance, said otherwise and delia poured her a cup of coffee. "Thank you" "Your welcome dear." Delia said. "Before you ask I'm trying to find info on celebi." Sam said without the question being asked. Misty shook her head. She hated having questions answered before she asked them. "I'll be doing some physical scans later today." "Okay Professor." Misty replied slightly annoyed. They sat and talked for a while when a small voice broke through the conversation. "Mommy." Sarah said, "Where is daddy?" "I wish I knew baby." Misty replied. "Mommy has people looking for him." "I wish we could call him to see if he was okay." She said and climbed into misty's lap. Misty sat there and consoled her daughter. Turning over all the events of the past day. What her daughter had said kept coming up in her mind. And then it dawned on her, like getting hit with one of pikachu's wake up thundershock attacks. What if ash had taken his pokegear? "Delia, can you take sarah for a moment I need to call Sharron." Misty said urgently. "Sure." She replied. "Sarah, darling come over to grandma." Sarah did so. "Why are you calling Sharron?" "I need her to look for something. I may know of a way to contact ash if its not there." Misty replied while heading to the phone. It took moments for Sharron to pick up. The call was brief. But misty got the information she was looking for. Ashes pokegear was not in its storage case, nor with the traveling gear storage. Misty thanked Sharron and hung up. Picking up the phone again she dialed the pokegear number. It was a few tense moments before it was picked up. "Hello." Said a woman on the other end. "Hello. I'm Misty Ketchum. The pokegear your on is my husbands. May I speak to him?" She said, happy to see a rescuer and with ashes parents looking on hopefully for any news. "Well ma'am." She said and misty had a strong chill run down her spine. "Pi pikapichu?" pikachu said taking the pokegear away from the rescuer. It looked like he had been crying. "Pikachu what is wrong?" Misty asked a bit frightened "Chu pi pikapi." He said over and over again. Misty didn't understand what he was saying. Before she could figure it out the call terminated. The pokegear batteries must have died. Misty hurried in to tell ashes parents he was found. They were all happy and professor oak found out that celebi could transport its master through time. Because of the attacks it can use, it is considered to now be the strongest psychic pokemon on record. Misty decided to add celebi to her line up. It was later that evening when the world collapsed. Misty, Delia and Samuel were all talking after dinner when the doorbell rang. Sam went to get it, he came back with a grim look on his face and Dennis was right behind him. Nothing was said for a few minutes as they all looked at each other. Dennis walked up and placed a set of eight pokeballs in front of misty. Pikachu jumped into her lap, it looked like he had been crying hard. He then set ashes pokegear, and pokedex on the table as well. Misty began to ask where ash was but Dennis stopped her by setting down a jet-black glass tulip, a videocassette tape and note in front of her as well. After he did that he took a seat and spoke softly. "Ash is dead. Shot twice by team rocket." Delia fainted straight away. Sam rushed to her side to help her, as did Dennis. Misty just sat in shock. How was she going to tell Sarah that her father would not be coming home. Misty felt as if her heart had just been torn in two. Half of her was gone, dead. The other half was near death itself. She ran from the house with pikachu in her arms, both were crying. "Misty wait, don't run." Dennis said beginning to chase after her. "Let her go. She'll be back soon. She has a daughter to raise now." Sam said as delia came to. "Ash, my baby, dead." She said "Yes Delia. Our son is dead, murdered. Why I don't know that tape explains why. But misty needs to watch it first." Dennis replied softly to her. Misty ran hard for some distance. How long she had been running she didn't know. She had ended up in the spot where ash had asked her to marry her. The two sat there and cried. Unknown how long they were there misty finally looked to the little electric mouse. "You saw him shot didn't you?" Misty asked. "Pika" he replied sadly shaking his small head yes. "And you didn't try to stop it from happening." Misty said getting angry at pikachu "How could you not. After all that you two had been through together. You were more than a pokemon to him you were his best friend." "Pi Pikapichu. Pi pika pi." It answered in its defense but very hurt that misty would be implying this. "Chu pi pikapi. Pika pi pikachu." Misty got up and began to leave not hearing the cries of pikachu in the background. She was leaving him as he had left ash unable to defend himself and to die. Pikachu cried out one more time. Crying hard he ran as quick as his agility could take him back to the lab. He knew professor oak had a translating device that he could use to talk to misty. Pikachu had to explain what happened so she wouldn't hate him or any of the others. They all loved her as they loved ash. Misty made it back before pikachu. "Misty where is pikachu?" Sam asked "At this moment I really don't care." Misty said hotly. The very name of that pokemon made her angry. "What do you mean?" Dennis asked very concerned. "They didn't do anything to help ash." She said. "We don't know that." Sam said. Delia looked sadly. "I do." Misty replied as she left the room. Turning she continued. "If they had even tried to save ash he would still be here and the team rocket member that killed him would be dead or badly hurt. It is because he is not here that I know they didn't do anything. For that they can all be released back where they all came from. I don't need them." Before any of them replied she hurried to the table picked up all the items except for the pokeballs and started to leave the room when dennis spoke up. "How did you know it was team rocket?" Misty turned the tulip in her hand. It sparked a memory one she hadn't thought of for a long time. "This is why. I have seen this once before and it was used by a team rocket elite agent by the name of domino she called herself the Black Tulip. Ash, Brock and I foiled a team rocket plan in Jhoto. That is how I know. She said and left the room with the note, tape and tulip. Stopping at the door to the study she read the note. It was simple and nasty. "This was pay back for nearly forty years of hell. Team Rocket" "Domino!" Misty said to herself and bolted into the study to watch the tape. While she was watching the tape Pikachu returned. "Pikapichu?" it yelled as it came into the kitchen. "Pikachu. What's wrong?" Delia asked the small pokemon sadly. "Pikapichu pika pi" It replied. Delia looked over to sam and he reached on the hutch behind her and brought down a small electronic device. He placed it around pikachu's neck and it began to talk through it. "Misty left me. She was mad. Saying we didn't protect ash. We didn't have time to even do anything on our own. This lady showed up and shot him. Then explained to him why and then left." It said. "It happened in a couple of minutes. Talk to chikorita, bulbasaur and charizard.They will tell you the same." "We believe you pikachu." Delia said. "Now will misty?" Sam picked up the pokeballs and released bulbasaur, chikorita and charizard. They all looked like they had been crying. Looking to delia for support and orders they waited. "We need you all to talk to misty and explained what happened. We'll put you back into your pokeballs and call you out one at a time to do so okay." She said to them and they all agreed. Sam called them back in and had pikachu follow them to the study. It was the only place in the lab with a video cassette player. The video had finished playing and had rewound and ejected. Misty sat there contemplating what she had seen when she heard the door open. She jumped but settled down when she saw that it was Delia. Behind her were Dennis and Sam carrying three pokeballs and a small electronic device. "Misty, there is something you need to hear. But you won't hear it from me, sam or dennis." Delia said. "I don't need to hear anything." She said with acid dripping in her voice as she stared at pikachu. "Listen little girl." Dennis spoke up getting angry. Misty looked to him and sat there stunned. He was the same as ash when he was angry. "You will sit here and you will listen to what needs to be said. I think it will explain a lot of what took place after the crash happened. And you need to hear it. These pokemon need your support as much as you need theirs. They trust you, delia and Professor Oak only, and in that order. Pikachu loves you like he loved ash. It's an unending love. So you will sit here and listen." He punctuated the word by turning and locking the study door but it did not lock as he thought it did. It instead swung open slightly. "Go charizard." Sam said softly. Once charizard was out Sam stepped up and placed the electronic translator around his neck. Nodding charizard began. "Misty. I only know what happened after the plane crashed." Charizard told her with tears coming to his eyes. "Ash called me out to lift the seats off his leg. It was hurt really bad. Chikorita and bulbasaur pulled him out. At that time he blacked out. He woke later that night. Chikorita and bulbasaur had their vines wrapped around his leg to keep it from moving. He had some water and food. I was up tending the small fire that was built to keep him warm." "Why didn't you pick him and the others up and fly out of there to the nearest town" Misty asked hotly. "He was too hurt to move at that time. He needed to rest first. He told us so." Charizard continued. "The next morning is when it happened. He had me set his broken leg and he was able to get it wrapped with a first aid kit. He said we would leave the next morning. He wanted to wait for the weather to clear. That's when a lady showed up. She said she had finally found us and could finish her mission. She shot ash twice and left shortly after. I tried to follow and bring her back to face the law but pikachu stopped me. We were all too shocked at what happened that we couldn't do anything for a few moments. That's what honestly happened. I wish I could have done more but..." He finished, crying too hard to continue. Sam took the translator off and recalled Charizard. It continued with each pokemon that saw what happened. Each telling the same events as they had seen them. Misty had began to soften her anger at the pokemon knowing now that they each were going through what she was, the loss of a dear loved one. "And now for the last." Dennis said and pikachu walked up. Pikachu was scared and was shaking but looking at misty he saw that she wasn't as angry at the sight of him. Professor Oak fixed the translator around his neck. "Go on pikachu. Its your turn." Dennis said to him "Will she listen now? I'm scared that she won't. I lost ash; I don't want to lose her too. I love her." Pikachu said. It was more than misty could take and she began to cry again. She scooped pikachu into her arms and they comforted each other. "Pikachu, I'm sorry. Go on tell me I'll listen." She said and sat down with the mouse. Pikachu launched into his version of the events. It took longer for him because he was the closest to ash other than misty and his parents. He kept having to stop crying before he could continue. It was nearly an hour before he finished. When he was done everyone was crying. Misty thanked pikachu and also apologized for her actions. Pikachu understood and forgave her on the spot. In the hall Sarah had come back in from playing and found no one around. She stayed out side the study door. She knew from her experience with her mom and dad that a closed door meant business and that she wasn't to interrupt. But she did listen to everything the adults had to say. "Well I've watched the tape. And understand why this was done." Misty said sadly. "Now you all need to understand now. I'll have some explaining to do when the tapes done." She walked over and pushed the tape back in. It was a short time and the image on the screen showed a sinister blue haired man and an evil looking red haired woman with a Persian between them. It was the blue haired man that spoke. "Hmwahh. Well Mrs. Ketchum. We finally accomplished one of the main goals of Team Rocket. That was to make you pay for the treachery your parents inflicted upon Team Rocket and our leader. But also while making you suffer, we accomplished another of our goals. That being the death of Ash Ketchum. He had always meddled in our plans and caused the initial downfall of Team Rocket. But our persistence had paid off. We combined two of our goals after hearing about the untimely demise of your parents. Those goals are now complete and this will mean a new uprising of Team Rocket. Prepare yourselves, the war has only just begun." "Oh my dear god. Misty, what did he mean?" Delia asked wanting answers. "Please it will take time to explain." Misty said. "Its something that ash never even knew about. "What is going on and why does ash's death have anything to do with your parents?" Sam questioned. Misty held up her hand and stemmed the flow of questions. Once they were quiet she began. "My parents were once members of team rocket. They were sent on a mission when they were nineteen. The mission was to kill a prominent pokemon researcher and pokemon master. The pokemon researcher was only in his twenties then. But had discovered many of the pokemon we know about today. He did it with the help of his best friend." Misty turned and looked to Dennis and Sam. "They were sent to kill you professor and you Mr. Ketchum. The explosion you had at the last lab was no accident. The phone call to get you out of the lab wasn't by chance either. My parents had called you to get you out. I know this because they are not dead. Ash and I met them while traveling in Jhoto. Dennis the rockslide that only injured you was them as well. They unburied you and gave you a pokemon potion to help heal you. They left you there with everything you needed to help yourself get out but the pokemon found you first and helped heal you without bringing the other items along. My parents faked their death a few years back. Around the time of our trip to the United States and us meeting you dennis. It worked because Team Rocket left them alone. I had no idea that they would try coming after ash. To make my sisters and I suffer for them going to the police. Ash and I had stopped team rockets plots so many times that it was routine for us. We never thought that they would keep coming after us. The few times Jessie and James helped us out we thought they were beginning to turn over a new leaf. Apparently not since they were the ones on the tape. Now because of my silence and stupidity ash is gone" Misty finished It was a few moments before anyone spoke letting the information sink in but it was delia who spoke first. She spoke in such a calm voice that was filled with so much anger and hatred of the girl she had trusted her son's life and love with. "Ash knew nothing of this?" "He did, but not until he had met my parents." Misty replied sadly as she watched all trust Delia had for her vanish before her eyes. "And your parents?" Dennis asked "As I explained they are not dead. But I don't know where they are currently. My youngest sister is now with Daisy, Lily and Violet in Cerulean. " Misty replied. I know I have really screwed up all our lives with this secret. I don't know if I can ever make it right. All I know is I now have to raise Sarah alone." Once they were all silent they heard a soft cry come from the hall. A look of horror flashed onto mistys face and she ran to the door. Seeing it was open a crack she flung it open and there in the hall was Sarah. Seeing the light widen on the floor Sarah saw her mother there. Sarah got up and ran through her arms to her grandma. Looking at her mother with a look of hate and disgust. "Sarah?" Misty asked softly "No!" Sarah yelled. "I heard everything. YOU KILLED DADDY!!" "Sarah I..." Misty started but was cut off by a loud crying yell no from Sarah. She jumped from her grandma's arms and ran from the room with her hands over her ears. "Sarah. Wait. Don't go." Delia said following her. Stopping long enough to stare hotly at misty she shook her head and ran after her granddaughter. Misty collapsed to her knees. In total shock for the second time that night. Looking at a picture on the wall of all of them. She muttered loud enough for sam and dennis to hear. "I don't deserve to live. My love, dead. My daughter hates me. Ash I'm coming." With that she collapsed to the floor. "Oh my god." Sam said. He rushed over to her and felt for a pulse it was very, very weak. Nearly not detectible. "I'll call an ambulance." Dennis said picking up the look on Samuels face. "No time." He said and picked her up and ran to the car. Placing her in the back seat, sam joined her and Dennis drove. The police on duty didn't know what to think. They had never seen the Professors car rocket through town like that. They followed only because it was their job. Seeing where they were headed they pulled in front and escorted them the last few miles to the hospital. They burst into the emergency room with misty and Sam explained what had happened. The doctors began to work on her right away. It was tense in the ER. The doctor turned to Samuel and Dennis, with a look he pulled the curtain closed and continued to work. Sam walked outside. Looking to the stars he prayed. It had been the fourth time he had done this. First was when he saw the lab explode in front of his eyes, second when he heard that Dennis had gone missing. The third was before he proposed to Delia, and now. 'Can this get any worse' he thought to himself. "It can." Dennis said responding to the thought. "You do realize her spirit is now crushed. She has nothing to live for." "She does." Sam replied. "She has to live for her daughter. Sarah is just upset. Ash for a time was the same with pokemon. But he got over it and became a pokemon master, and champion of four separate leagues. Sarah will forgiver her someday." "But when." Dennis asked. "The lord only knows." Sam said. "Lord only knows. All I know is its going to be hard to bury Ash. But if that girl gives up and we have to bury her too, and then raise Sarah. I don't know how we will manage." Professor Oaks cell phone rang at that time. "Sam, where are you?" Delia asked "We are at the hospital. Misty gave out, collapsed on the study floor after you ran out of the room chasing Sarah." There was silence on the line for a few minutes. "Delia are you there?" "Yes." She sounded tired, hurt and defeated. "Is she going to be okay?" "We don't know. The doctors are working on her now. I think her heart gave up. She muttered that her love was dead and her daughter hated her. Before she collapsed her final words were 'ash I'm coming'" Sam replied. He heard a soft curse from delia. "I helped it come to this." She said. "What kind of mother am I sam. I should be helping her through this." "You're a mother that is angry with everything that has happened. All of the information and knowledge of the woman ash loved was destroyed." He said. "You were being a true mother. But we all are hurt and need to support each other right now. You vented your anger on her. Couple that with the loss of ash and what she believes is the loss of her daughters love, well I would have collapsed too." "I'm coming down with Sarah." Delia said. "No. Stay there. I'll call you when we get news. Besides Sarah needs time to settle down. Talk to her and make her see that she doesn't really hate her mother." Sam said. "Delia I love you and will talk later." He hung up after that. With that he and Dennis walked back inside to wait for news on misty. Against sams wishes Delia showed up with Sarah in her arms. At least Sarah is resting. They waited in silence for news. ~ ~ ~ ~ Well here is part 3 all done and revised. It should be a lot clearer now and make more sense, especially the part of sarah being heard in the hall and the study door being opened a crack when it should have been locked tight. Sorry about that. Just one of the many mistakes I have found while reading the master copy part 4 is coming.