Betrayal, War, Redemption, a pokemon fanfic Ch.10

Ch. 10: The Betrayed Revealed
 
The day after.

"Let the battle between Satoshi Mortis of Viridian City and Caius Seth of Crimson City commence!" yelled the referee. It was the final battles of the competition, with only 25 competitors remaining, the very best of the best. Ash was among them.

Right now, he was sizing up his opponent, a big massive giant by the name of Caius Seth. The brute was tall and overly muscled, standing a good seven feet. He resembled a mountain, with a craggy, bearded face and hair of darkest black tied back in a long ponytail. But what Ash noted was the look of sheer fury in his eyes and the barriers of steel erected in his mind.

Caius Seth was no fool; this was a worthy opponent, someone who knew what he was doing, and he had the mindset and training needed to match Ash's abilities. But he also felt something else, hidden deep within the fortress of Caius's mind, a loyalty to something, but what?

He was given no time to focus as the referee waved his flags. "Begin!"

Caius greeted his opponent by hawking up a glob of spittle and spitting it out. "Satoshi Mortis." his growl of a voice said. "You don't look so tough."
"I've met many competitors who said the same thing," Satoshi countered, "and all I ever saw in them was arrogance and incompetence."
"Oh, don't you worry. I can back up my claims. Unlike those weaklings, I am easily your match." He brought out a Pokeball. "Ready yourself."

"Give him hell, Nidoking!" he called. The massive tank-like Pokemon sprang out, issuing a battle roar.
"Infernape, go." Satoshi coldly said. The fire monkey, unlike Nidoking, ran out into the battlefield, all two of Ash's Pokemon out of their Pokeballs.

"All right, Nidoking, make me proud!" Caius said. "Thrash!" The Nidoking suddenly went berserk; Thrash was a move many feared, for while it gave a Pokemon unprecedented strength and vigor, it also caused them to temporarily go insane. Nidoking roared in anger and began to charge at Infernape.

"Retreat, Infernape. Get as far away from him as possible." Satoshi told his Pokemon, expecting a simple berserk onslaught. Infernape obeyed, strategically keeping his distance from the massive giant. Everything went well, when suddenly......

Nidoking charged full speed towards Infernape, catching him off-guard. Infernape was struck hard by the impact and flew to the ground. But it didn't stop there. Nidoking turned around and came after the monkey again, focused and determined to hurt the fire monkey.

Satoshi was caught unawares. Thrash was known for making a Pokemon go briefly insane. This was especially true with Pokemon in their final stage of evolution, and Nidoking were documented to go into frothing moments of rage, destroying everything in sight. To see one actually focusing his berserk anger and controlling it was something he hadn't expected.

Finally, the effect of Thrash was gone, Nidoking back to his senses. But the damage was done. Infernape was hurt, barely able to stand.

"Didn't expect that, did you?" said Caius, answering Satoshi's unspoken question. "I realized the potential of Thrash lay not in the destruction it caused, but in the focused application of destructive force. And so I trained my Nidoking to master and hone its anger into a hammer of effective rage and mass destruction. More efficient than blind application of brute force, wouldn't you say?" he smiled evilly.

Satoshi didn't answer, but knew he was right. He had underestimated Caius, believing him to be purely focused on strength and physical prowess in battle. But this man was no idiot; he was a capable strategist and uncanny thinker, the harnessing of Nidoking's rage in battle a clear sign of his intelligent thinking. And Infernape was the set example, his heaving body tired and worn out.

Satoshi saw it couldn't continue and so enacted the competition's rule of allowing to switch one's Pokemon. The competition had added this rule last-minute before the beginning; it allowed any competitor to switch one of their Pokemon during battle. But it could only be used once, and only for one battle. Satoshi didn't need it until now.

"Infernape, return!" he said, returning the tired flame monkey to his Pokeball. The referee waved his flag on Caius's side. "Satoshi has forfeited the first round! The round goes to Caius Seth!" The whole stadium was in shock; this was the first time they had seen Satoshi back out from a battle. But it was good strategic thinking on his part.

"So, you wanna do strong vs. strong, eh?" Caius said snidely. "All right, I'll play along! Nidoking, return!" he also recalled his Nidoking, and now the stadium was in uproar. Two trainers switching their Pokemon at the same time? Unheard of!

Everyone held their breath, waiting to see which Pokemon the competitors would choose next. Caius went first. "Go, Tyranitar!" The Pokeball opened, and out came the massive armored Pokemon. But everyone gasped when they saw this Tyranitar was different from any other.

This Tyranitar appeared to have plates of body armor fused to it, the result of enhancement. Its eyes were completely red, no sign of even a retina or iris. And it seemed to be perpetually angry, if the constant growling and snarling was any indication of it.

Satoshi knew this would be tough; this Tyranitar would far tougher than any other Pokemon he had faced in the competition. But he hadn't used his most powerful Pokemon yet. It's time he did.

He turned to his next Pokemon, who was standing beside him, obscured by a navy cloak. He nodded. "Go." The Pokemon stepped forth, and flinging away his cloak, he was revealed as a Lucario.


"Wow! A Lucario!" said Max, who was watching the battle from the stands. The others were there too. "It's looks pretty strong."
"I'm sure it is." Brock replied. "Satoshi's methods may be brutal, but even I have to admit it's starting to rub off on me a little."
"You approve now?" Misty asked, a little angrily. Brock didn't catch her barbed tone. "No, I'm just saying Satoshi's a very harsh but understanding trainer."
"Really?" she asked. "Yeah." he answered, still not catching on to her cold behavior.
"Misty, you all right?" May asked, for she noticed Misty wasn't herself. Misty quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

May paid no more attention and started to giggle, her boyfriend Drew pecking her all over her face and neck. So was Kenny, doing the same thing to Dawn. They seemed to enjoy themselves, with not a care in the world. But Misty looked at them, and envied their blindness. She also made brief eye contact with both Drew and Kenny, and their happy facades disappeared, both of them showing stern looks at her. She flinched under their hard gaze. Like Sakura, she felt nothing but anger for them, for they too had betrayed her, and her friends. I thought I knew my friends.

The hard memory of last night returned to her.

    Ash had left her hotel room after she had told him she wouldn't tell anyone of his existence. She flinched as his mental presence entered her mind.

For all the hate I have towards you, for all the anger that lives in me, I still love you. And I will love you for eternity, my love.

The thought was buried into the deepest ends of her mind. Ash wanted to make certain she would forever remember that. She wanted to forget him, forget the Demon. But now, there was no chance. He would always remain, just like he said he would.

She was left alone with Sakura. She averted her gaze, unwilling to look upon the friend that had betrayed. A few moments passed, and then Sakura went for Misty and snatched her arm.

"What are you doing!?" she demanded. "Don't touch me, traitor!" Sakura ignored her, her eyes glowing blue. "Ash said you have one chance to see your mistakes and redeem yourself. Here it is. Don't mess this up, Misty." The two disappeared in a flash of light, Sakura teleporting the both to Gary Oak's residence.

The next thing Misty saw was a brightly lit room; Gary Oak's living room. Around her and Sakura were another six individuals, all of them wearing the same red robes or dresses and clad in the same crimson cloaks and hoods as well as obscuring their faces with the masks of obsidian.

All of them removed their masks, and Misty stared wide-eyed. There, to her right were her friends' boyfriends, Drew and Kenny. To their left was Sabrina, her friend. And next to her was Molly Hale, the little girl they had saved from the Unown. To her left was Ritchie, Ash's traveling friend during their journeys in Kanto. And finally, in front of her was Gary Oak.

"Guys?" she asked in disbelief. "You're all in this?"

"We are." Gary responded. All of them were surprisingly calm, not one drop of guilt in their veins for having kept the truth from their friend. This, more than anything, chilled Misty to the core. But it was the revelation that her friends had helped the Demon that caused her anger to rise again.

"You knew?" she said, her voice rising with her temper. "You all knew!?" When no one answered, she erupted into full-blown rage. "Traitors! Betrayers! You helped a murderer, a wanted criminal! I wish I had never met any of you! You lied to me! YOU ALL DID!"
She kept on rambling, accusing them further of yet more grievances, shouting herself sore yet she started to sob. "I hate you." she wept. "I hate you all."

"You say you hate us." said Sabrina, the calmest of the seven. "But in fact, it is we who hate you." She looked up, not knowing why. "Why?"

"For betraying Ash." said Gary. "For placing an innocent boy in prison." Sakura said next. "For believing some stupid evidence rather than your friend." Drew explained. "For forsaking his friendship." Ritchie spat. "For rejecting his love." Kenny stated. "For destroying his innocence." said Molly.

"You all believe this nonsense of his "innocence"? You all still think he's not a killer?" she asked. Gary looked at her harshly. "We don't think. We know. And that's why you're here. To be revealed the truth."

"And to be given one chance to redeem yourself." added Sabrina. Misty ignored her. "What is this, some judgment?" she said.
"It is." said Molly. "In ancient mythology, there was a hierarchy of seven angels." she started to explain. "These angels were the right hand of the ancient force known as God. They were his lieutenants, his greatest followers. They also had the power to judge the souls of men, to deem their purity or damnation."

"And that is what we're doing." said Ritchie. "Like the seven archangels, we are here to judge your soul, to see if you can be redeemed of your crime."

"Crime!?" she spat at Ritchie. "Is that what you call putting away a murderer? A CRIME!?"

"Quiet." Sabrina said with a commanding tone. "The judgment begins." Six began to chant in an ancient tongue which eluded Misty. She suddenly felt a powerful psychic force take control of her body, and she saw Sabrina manipulate her. "Let me go!" she demanded.

"No." Sabrina coolly answered. "This is your trial. You alone of Ash's betrayers carry the greatest sin, for you spurned his love as well as shattering his innocence and forsaking his friendship. You will not leave until your judgment is passed."

Try as she might, Misty couldn't free herself. She would remain there until they let her go. Gary presented her with evidence proving Ash's innocence. All of the evidence she saw was convincing, showing that Ash was indeed framed. But unfortunately, her anger overtook her love and growing guilt, and it quashed both down into the deepest depths of her psyche.

In anger, she yelled, "NO! YOU LIE! YOU BETRAYED ME! AND NOW YOU TRY TO MAKE ME BELIEVE THAT THE DEMON IS INNOCENT!? YOU'RE LOWER THAN THE LOWEST BUG! I SPIT ON MY FRIENDSHIP WITH ALL OF YOU! I BELIEVE WITH ALL MY HEART THAT ASH KETCHUM IS A MURDERER!"

Gary sighed. "So be it. No matter what we tell you, you still choose to side with the deceivers. Not even the true evidence we showed you can change your mind."

Drew spoke next. "Very well. You refuse to admit to your crime. As such, you will be punished."

Sabrina amplified her psychic abilities, and Misty started to writhe in pain. "What are you doing!?" Molly answered. "Torturing a damned soul. But it's your choice. We tried to free you from ignorance, and still you cling to it."

"As such, you will now pay the price for your choice." Sakura said. "You will suffer, Misty. And we shall see that suffering shall be done."

"How?" said Misty, furious that they were doing this. "You can't force me to endure pain for something I didn't do!"

"We can't," said Kenny, "but karma can. Your punishment is this: you will never enjoy a free and prosperous life, until you admit and repent for the crimes you have committed. You will suffer in pain as payment for the sins you caused. You shall never know peace until you see the error of your ways."

Misty was beyond enraged. Here they were, seven former friends and acquaintances, and they were passing judgment on her for a stupid belief in the Demon's innocence!

"But more than that, you will become Ash Ketchum's keeper. You will see to his care, you will watch over him, and you will ensure he is on the right path. You will do this, for you will become bound by a pact, and this pact is unbreakable."

Misty looked up. She cringed back in fear as Gary hefted a branding iron, imbued with a binding symbol. The symbol was that of two hearts, intertwined with one another. It glowed with spiritual energy, for Molly had imbued it with Aura to complete the binding pact.

"Now you will swear to this pact." said Ritchie. Misty tried to stand, but to no avail, Sabrina effectively keeping her immobile. Gary walked behind her and lowered the branding iron, ready to thrust it into the back of Misty's neck.

"Deligati per voluntatem et pactum." Molly said in that strange language, while Ritchie translated it for Misty. "Bound by our will and the pact,"

"Aeternum ligatus ad huiusmodi contractus." "Forever tied to this contract."

"Vestrum erit ad conservationem." "To safeguard the one shall be your duty."

"Aeternitas enim," "For eternity,"

"Vel donee mortem tuam." "Or until your death."

At that moment, Gary pressed the iron against Misty's neck. But there was no hissing sound, yet Misty felt a surge of pain and she screamed in agony. It felt as if a blade was pressing against her neck and extending all the way to the body, converging on the wrists. She opened her eyes and gazed in shock as she saw chains of pure energy form, keeping her locked to her pact.

"Misty Waterflower, an impure soul, do you swear to uphold this pact?" asked Gary. In an act of defiance, Misty prepared to yell no at his face, but no sooner had she formed the thought that the same sharp pain returned. Try as she might defy it, the pain didn't stop. Resist and resist, it didn't matter, the pain would not end until she swore.

In resigned anger and with no other choice, Misty spoke through gritted teeth. "I......swear."

With that, the pact was done. Gary looked at her. "Be warned, Misty. This is an unbreakable pact you've just sworn to uphold. Try as you might, you will never go back on your word, for the binding symbol will leave you in excruciating pain until you agree to continue upholding it. Should you break the pact, the pain shall increase until it is unbearable. But you won't be granted the sweet release of death, for you'll always live with the shame of breaking your pact, even unto your dying day and beyond. I have spoken."

With that, the others departed, leaving Misty alone, and forever bound to Ash Ketchum, the one man she wanted to forget forever.

Now I'll never be free of him. she thought. Forever bound to this pact, she was now Ash's keeper, to watch him for as long as she lived. She looked back at Drew and Kenny, still smooching with their girlfriends. But she heard their voices in her mind.

Remember, Misty, you're now bound to this pact. Don't break it. warned Drew. Kenny then spoke. Tell no one of what has transpired, either. This is a secret you will keep.

Though she now hated them for doing this to her as well as betraying her by sheltering the Demon, Misty felt the binding energy and knew she had to comply. Looking down at her wrists, she could see the golden chains of energy keeping her bound; none save her and the others could see these chains and the symbol, not even Ash.

An explosion erupted down in the battle arena. Misty looked and saw Lucario standing triumphantly over a beaten Tyranitar. She had been so engrossed in the memory she had completely missed the fight between Tyranitar and Lucario. But she didn't care.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle!" called the referee. "The battle goes to Satoshi Mortis of Viridian City!" The stadium cheered. Once again, Satoshi had emerged the victor, proving himself a capable contender against the top competitors of the Masters' Competition.

But while he prepared to leave, Caius Seth suddenly lumbered forward surprisingly fast for a man of his size. "KETCHUM!" he shouted, loud enough for the whole stadium to hear. The giant brute tackled straight into Satoshi. He looked at his face.

"I know who you are, Ash Ketchum. And I know what you've been doing." he growled. "Know this: no matter how many times you thwart our plans, we will always return." Satoshi didn't know what he was talking about, until he saw the symbol tattooed on Caius's right upper arm.

It was a stylized "T" with a grim reaper wielding a scythe. The reaper meant nothing, but the "T" did, for it had its downward point shaped to resemble a sword blade. Satoshi widened his eyes, now knowing who this man was.

"Typhon." he growled. Caius smiled. "You remember my code name. Good." Satoshi looked at him with eyes seething with rage. "I will never stop until you and your ilk are gone. As long as I live, I will never stop fighting." he growled. Caius just smiled mockingly. "Good luck with that, for your cover is blown."

Caius brought out another Pokeball and summoned a Kadabra, who proceeded to teleport him and his Tyranitar away from the stadium, leaving Satoshi alone in the arena.

He got up and prepared to walk away when felt the breeze blow across his head. He put his hand near his face and realized what Caius had done.

He had torn off his hood......and shouted his real name. No. he thought.

He noted that the entire stadium was silent. His identity revealed, he looked up. Everyone was staring in disbelief. The feared Ash Ketchum, the hated Demon, was alive.

He felt waves of emotion pummel him. Emotions of shock, emotions of bewilderment, but most of all, emotions of anger and hatred. The strongest ones he felt came from his erstwhile friends, and he turned his scarred face to see them.

He saw Dawn's look of shock and fear, May's gaze of bewilderment, Brock's mask of denial, and Max's look of sheer hatred. But the one look that infuriated him the most was the one coming from Misty. A look of righteous vindication was upon her. She felt he deserved this.

All the while, he returned the same hurt of betrayal and distrust at them. He projected all his hate for their betrayal at them. The shouts and curses of the crowd in the stadium didn't matter to him.

At that moment, Viridian City police entered the arena, guns drawn and pointed at Ash. Mewtwo and Gary's presence entered his mind.

Ash, let me take care of these humans. Fear not. said Mewtwo, poised and ready to fight to defend Ash. No. Ash commanded. Do nothing.

Ash! said Gary, astonished. What are you doing?

Seven years, Gary. Seven long years of hiding. No more. It's time I faced the world again. I need this. But don't worry, both of you. I have no plans of getting arrested for a long time. I will return. Be ready.

Both understood and complied, albeit reluctantly. Meanwhile, Ash Ketchum, the Demon, allowed himself to be taken into custody by the police. 

Today, the whole world was in shock, thrust out of its normal routine life by one ripple of disruption. For the one believed to be to be a criminal and mass murderer, the one destined to save the world again, had returned to the world.

END Ch. 10