Chapter 12 – Different Directions
His hands burned. Sitting in the predawn gloom, leaning his elbows on his knees, Ash stared down at his bandaged palms and flexed his fingers, making the tight cloth creak. He disliked not wearing his gloves, but both Brock and Misty had insisted that if the gloves wouldn't fit over the bandages, Ash would have to just go without. The young trainer watched as the swirling white mists, still a constant presence even here on the outskirts of Lavender, seemed to touch at his hands and trace along the gashes beneath the bandages like curious fingers.
"Thank god..." Ash whispered, turning from his seat on the tree stump to look at Misty, curled up in a sleeping bag a few feet away. He smiled and looked off towards the east, where he knew there should be mountains in the distance. It was still too early to tell whether the light he thought he saw in that direction was the precursor of sunrise, or simply the ubiquitous soft glow which seemed to come from everywhere within the fog banks.
"Huh?" he turned, not sure where the metallic clinking originated. It had been so quiet he wasn't sure he'd actually heard it. Turning to Pikachu, the Pokemon fast asleep and twitching as it dreamed, Ash paused and looked around again. He stood up when he heard the clinking again, a little louder this time, and glanced around the open park in which the party camped. Taking a few steps away from his sleeping companions he angled himself towards the nearby swing set. The sand of the small playground crunched under his feet as he stepped up next to the swings.
Reaching out, he grabbed the chain of the swing, and steadied the slowly swaying seat. "Whose there?" he turned around and scanned the mist. "Brock?" he asked. "Misty?" He stayed rooted to the ground for a minute and kept looking about. Exhaling quickly, his eyes locked on a single point in the gloom, apparently empty air. "How do you know my name?" he asked, pausing and waiting for an answer. Still, no presence manifested and Ash felt the back of his neck prickle. The air cooled and the trainer saw his breath as some inaudible voice echoed in his head. "Alright fine," he said. "I won't. Come on out."
A slight wind blew through the park and made the mist undulate silently. Two faintly glowing eyes appeared in front of Ash, and the mist around them darkened and reshaped itself into a floating mass. Transparent and blurring into the mist around its edges, the body positioned itself opposite Ash from his companions, and looked at the young trainer. A long smile, revealing a mouth ringed with purple teeth and leading into an infinite and empty space, split the ghost's face as its shape solidified and two disembodied hands coalesced in front of the body. From somewhere within the mass, Ash felt more than heard a quiet sound like a faraway voice speaking from beneath a pool of water.
"So," said Ash after a moment, crossing his arms and stepping back. "That was you in the tower, watching out for me in the beginning." The smiling face nodded without audibly speaking. "Well thank you, but, I guess, what do you want?" he asked, growing uncomfortable in the ghost's presence. "We're leaving this place as soon as the sun comes up."
The ghostly grin widened and Ash raised an eyebrow. "Whoa no," he said, raising a finger and shaking his head. "I said we'd be leaving at sunrise. 'We' doesn't include you... no it doesn't..." He frowned. "No it doesn't," he repeated. "And why can I even hear you?" he asked, noticing that the ghost's mouth wasn't moving. He paused and let the ghost communicate. The young trainer crossed his arms as the Haunter floated forward and pointed at him with a disembodied hand.
"I know you could be useful," said Ash. "But I don't know how well my friends would take it if I just let a ghost start hanging around us. Hell, I'm not sure how much I'd like it."
Undeterred, Haunter's shape grew dark and the ghost disappeared for an instant, reappearing behind Ash and floating back in front of him. Hovering there, Haunter phased in and out of view several times, prompting Ash more than once to glance about uncomfortably. "No," said the trainer, "I'm not sure I like the idea of you following me around, even if you are invisible- especially if you're invisible. Why are you so set on this anyway?"
For the first time, the smile on Haunter's face faded away and it sighed, filling the air with the smell of carrion. "Saved," the ghost whispered audibly, pointing at Ash. "Saved," it repeated, gesturing at itself. It floated forward and reached out for Ash. The trainer winced and shrunk away, after which Haunter paused. "Show you," the ghost breathed, slowly reaching out for Ash again. This time the boy remained still, feeling no malice from the ghost as the purple finger touched him on the forehead.
For a split second, Ash's vision went black and he felt himself fall, then land on something soft. His eyes opened of their own accord and he saw he was floating through the air above the streets of a city, Lavender he recognized. He tried to move, but remained on course, floating and watching people walk through the streets beneath him.
"Me," he heard Haunter's wispy voice from all around. "As I saw," finished the ghost.
Ash nodded, guessing that these were Haunter's memories. He waited and watched as people beneath him went about their business. Then suddenly from the northeast, smoke rolled throughout the city like a tsunami and Ash watched as healthy people took a single gasping breath of the mist and dropped over dead. He felt Haunter's horror and shock as the ghost looked around, reeling and trying to figure out what was happening.
The scene melted away and Ash was suddenly flying through the dark sky at breakneck speeds. Around him the black mists undulated and roiled like a tossing sea. He looked behind him and saw hundreds, thousands of snarling and laughing faces chasing after him, closing in on him with claws open to tear and rend. Ash turned forward and continued fleeing from the ghosts, seeing Pokemon tower loom up before him he felt Haunter's decision to hide there, until something else caught its attention. Haunter turned and saw that his pursuers had shifted their focus. Something else had entered Lavender, intruders. Instantly Ash felt Haunter's overwhelming urge to aid the interlopers.
Rushing after the spirits that had just been chasing him, Ash saw through Haunter's eyes as a few blurry shapes fought a battle through the skies, making their way towards Pokemon tower. As Misty fell from Fearow's back Ash's horror returned, watching as Haunter swooped down and snatched her up, setting her carefully on a nearby rooftop. The entranced trainer then followed the ghost through Pokemon Tower as Haunter made constant efforts to conceal Ash's position from the more malicious spirits. On more than one occasion Haunter redirected a group of ghouls away from Ash, pointing them towards the lower levels of the tower or sending them in circles.
And then the vision ended. Ash returned to his own body and found himself sitting in the playground sand, his back to a pole. He looked up at the silent ghost. He had stopped paying a terrible amount of attention to the visions when he watched Haunter rescue Misty from certain death. "Alright," he said as he glanced around, then turned back to the intently staring ghost. "If you really want to follow us around, I won't say anything- Just don't let the others see you!" he amended hastily.
Haunter did a back flip in the air and instantly turned invisible. Even after the ghost disappeared, Ash tracked the specter, feeling a strange presence wherever Haunter went. Whether by Haunter's will or not, Ash remained acutely aware of the ghost's exact position.
"This will be interesting," Ash muttered. Immediately he felt in the back of his mind, in a fashion similar to Mewtwo's psychic communication, Haunter agreeing with him.
SC
Ash caught himself worrying about, of all things, how he must have smelled. After the battle through the Bonegarden, the horrors of Pokemon Tower, the fight with Gengar on the roof, and the general hardships of the road, Ash was sure that the smells of rust, old sweat, and dried blood must have hung around him like a noxious fog. Of course it didn't bother him, after days of it Ash had long since stopped smelling his own odor, but now that Misty rode on Arcanine behind him, her arms around his waist and her cheek resting on his shoulder, the thought concerned him.
If her dozing peacefully on and off was any indicator though, Misty was content with where she was, so Ash relaxed a little. With more than hygiene to worry him though, the young trainer glanced about at Brock who rode atop Onyx, Arcanine, and Pikachu who sat on Arcanine's head to keep watch on the road ahead. None of them seemed to notice, or at least expressed no signs of noticing, the ghostly teammate who rode along, huddled invisibly in Ash's backpack.
"I didn't mean to shut you down earlier," said Brock, breaking the mid-afternoon calm as the party trekked west. He turned to Ash. "But with everything we've been though, and given how close we are to Saffron, going there instead of Vermilion seems like the smart thing to do. Even if Bill's right and the city is a little chaotic right now it's still a city and we need to rest up some."
Ash nodded. "I know," he answered. "Saffron is a lot closer than Vermilion. Any port in a storm, right?"
"Right," said Brock. "I was just hoping I didn't come across as too abrasive when I said we should skip Vermilion and cut straight west."
"Nah," Ash dismissed the thought, "I won't hold it against you," he said and then paused as another thought occurred to him. "Saffron is good for another reason... once we're done there it's a short trip to just about anywhere else. We could keep going west to Celadon and then turn south from there to hit Fuchsia."
"We could at that," Brock thought aloud. "At any rate, thanks for everything in Lavender. Based on what you said, none of us would have made it out alive if you hadn't destroyed that machine... who would have thought Team Rocket had the technology to build something like that? Where the hell did they get it?"
"No idea..." muttered Ash. "Aliens?" he joked.
Brock laughed and shook his head. "Maybe," he said. "But seriously, if they have that kind of capability, what else can they do?"
That's a question for Bill, or grandpa, Ash thought, reflecting briefly on his grandfather's complete lack of a public reappearance. What are you up to?Ash wondered, looking up towards the sky and thinking about Oak. Where have you gone?
Several hours later, after Misty had woken up and the group ate a late lunch on the move, all three travelers agreed that it would be best to push forward through the night, sleeping in shifts and moving as quickly as they could manage. To that end, Ash and Misty traded seats on Arcanine's back and Ash dozed in the saddle, resting on Misty's shoulder as she had on his, while Brock and Misty remained awake. When midnight rolled around Misty woke Ash so he could ride atop Onyx to guide the Pokemon while Brock napped for a few hours in the sitting recess at the base of the serpent's skull.
Trading two and three hour sleeping shifts on and off until sunrise slowly sapped all three trainers throughout the night, but ensured quick movement while allowing them all to avoid complete exhaustion. Still, by the time the sun rose and they stopped for a fast breakfast, all three found themselves sore and tense.
"Well," said Brock, as they set out again, "we should have crossed into territory claimed by Saffron early this morning so if we keep it up we'll hit the city proper by two, maybe three in the morning."
"If it means a warm bed and a hot meal," said Misty, "I'll travel through the night again."
"Same here," Ash agreed. "It'll be great to get out of these wilds."
"Another night on the road it is then," said Brock. "And, once we do get to Saffron," he added slowly as if he wasn't sure how to phrase his next statement. "I think I'm going to head back to Pewter and check on things there. I want to make sure my sister is doing alright at the gym."
"That might be for the best," said Ash. "Now that we have a flavor for what Team Rocket can do, making sure things stay solid wouldn't be a bad idea. You'll stick with us till we're done in Saffron though, right?" he asked. "We might need your help."
Misty nodded, "There's no 'might' about it," she said without thinking.
"Oh definitely," said Brock. "I wouldn't leave you guys hanging like that. I'll help out in Saffron however I can and then I'll take off for Pewter. And once I make sure things there are taken care of I'll contact you and we'll see about what I can do to help then."
"Thanks," said Ash, looking up at the Gym Leader. "That means a lot."
The hair on the back of his neck prickled as Ash felt Haunter grabbing his attention. The ghost emerged from the backpack, remaining invisible but somehow perceptible to Ash, and hovered beside Ash as the daylight faded. As evening progressed into night, while Misty took the opportunity to nap in preparation for her later watch and Brock slipped into silence, Ash began probing the extent of his connection with his newest partner. It seemed to Ash that, while Haunter could indeed communicate verbally with anyone, what served as a vastly more efficient exchange was Haunter's ability to create an empathetic connection with Ash, over which the two could exchange not only general feelings and perceptions, but also ideas as complicated as a mental image.
It startled the trainer how quickly he became accustomed to communicating without words with the ghost. When he asked Haunter if the specter could do this with anyone, Haunter denied the proposition. The ghost didn't know why, but it could communicate more clearly with Ash than with anyone it had ever known before. Haunter went on to point out that this was one reason the ghost insisted on coming along... while Haunter could pass on memories like it had to Ash to anyone, this link was completely new and the ghost wished to explore the possibilities.
Ash couldn't argue with the idea. He had no trouble seeing the potential of such an ally with whom he could silently communicate and coordinate. As the night went on, the hills that had surrounded Lavender gave way to relatively flat forest land that gradually thickened, until the canopy overhead blotted out the sky. When the party entered what they could rightly call a forest, Brock and Misty traded shifts, while Ash agreed to stay up until Brock woke up. Both Ash and Misty expressed concern for Arcanine and Onyx, both of whom had gone more than a day and a half without sleep, but Arcanine proudly refused to rest and require the trainers walk. If the Pokemon was fatigued, it didn't show. Onyx, while less enthusiastic than the regal canine, showed no signs of wishing to stop.
"We shouldn't be too far out from the city," said Misty, holding onto Ash from behind as they kept on. "It'll be nice to rest up for a while," she leaned against him and sighed.
"We've been through a lot," said Ash, "you especially. How're you holding up?"
Misty shrugged, but smiled. "Well, I'm alive... thanks to you by the way," she said, tightening her arms around his waist. "So I guess I could be doing worse. Thank you again," she went on, "for everything."
"You would have done the same thing for me," said Ash, breathing a contented sigh. "That's what friends are for."
Misty started to say something, but closed her eyes and remained silent for a moment. "Ash," she said after a long pause.
"Hmm?" toned the trainer. "What's up?"
"There's something," she began, stopping in mid sentence. She paused again and Ash said nothing, letting her collect her thoughts. "I've been wanting to tell you something for a while now," she said, voice barely above a whisper. "And I'm not exactly sure how to say it or how you'll take it but I don't want you to think-" she stopped again and again Ash let her have her moment. "I don't want you to think... how do I say this?"
"Don't get in a hurry," said Ash. "I'm not going anywhere anytime soon."
"Right, then can we pretend I didn't say anything?" Misty asked. "While I think a little, I mean?"
Ash nodded. "Sure. Take your time," he said. "I'll wait."
As Misty went quiet behind him, Ash held Pikachu in his lap and scratched the Pokemon behind his ears. Pikachu chittered happily and gladly deferred keeping watch to the ever vigilant Arcanine. The massive canine walked steadily, though he constantly scanned the surrounding trees. Arcanine's ears remained up on point, as though he heard something beyond the chiming of the cicadas and crickets, leading Ash to wonder if his Pokemon sensed the ghostly presence. Patting Arcanine's flank to reassure him, Ash split his attention between playing with Pikachu and 'listening' to Haunter as the ghost circled the party, scanning bushes and peering into the blackness of the forest to watch for danger.
More than once Ash's eyes darted to one side or the other as Haunter pointed out the location of some small Pokemon, usually a Rattata or an insect, that remained perfectly still in the gloom to avoid the notice of the large Pokemon passing along the rough path. Even though he couldn't see the hiding Pokemon in the dark, Ash trusted that they were where he sensed them, and he smiled to himself some. I could get used to this, he thought. It occurred to him, and he made no effort to communicate this point to Haunter, that it was likely his Savant heritage that allowed for Ash to so effortlessly communicate with the ghost. Maybe there's something to what Bill had to say after all...
As midnight rolled over into one o'clock, Haunter and thusly Ash, sensed something up ahead on the road. It was too far away for visual contact even under the best of circumstances, so seeing it at night was more than impossible for Ash. Haunter however was eager to investigate and floated ahead to look around. As the ghost got farther and farther away, Ash felt the connection between them fade gradually. It was still there, but much less loud in his mind. He felt Haunter over the link, conveying some thought of caution ahead... not danger, Ash thought, but definitely something or someone that merited alertness.
Ash woke Brock, startling Misty and Pikachu in the process, and told the party that he thought they were getting close to Saffron. When asked what made him think so, Ash simply pointed out that they'd been traveling about long enough and he thought he heard something up ahead. As they neared where Ash felt Haunter waiting, the young trainer's suspicions were confirmed. As the trainers rounded a slight bend in the path and came to the edge of a clearing in the dense forest, the path ran straight ahead of them, passing under an archway running between two masonry buildings on ether side of the road.
"That's the first checkpoint," said Brock, hopping down from Onyx and returning the serpent to its pokeball. "So Saffron itself shouldn't be more than a mile or two ahead..."
Ash scanned the roofs of the buildings and the walkway running between them. Two hundred yards of open terrain, like a long tunnel in the forest, separated his group from the checkpoint, but even from this distance, the guards were obvious. Two humans sat atop each building, while another patrolled the walkway. The windows of both buildings were lit, and Ash could see figures moving within. It made him uneasy, though he said nothing. He quickly remembered Haunter, who now hovered invisibly beside him, and decided to utilize this new ally.
Check it out, we'll follow behind at a safe distance, he tried to convey the thought to the ghost. Immediately he felt Haunter acknowledge him and set out for the checkpoint. He grinned. This is so cool, he thought.
"We should be careful," said Ash. "We don't know what's waiting for us up there."
Brock shook his head. "Usually it would just be a small patrol of guards from the city, but if Bill is right and Saffron is in the middle of some kind of gang war, who knows what's going on..."
"Warm bed," Misty reminded them both.
Brock and Ash nodded simultaneously, both suddenly seeing the merits of Misty's flawless logic.
"At the very least," said Brock, "we should try not to come off as hostile. It might be a good idea to let them know we're here before we come too close. That way nobody mistakes us for an ambush."
Ash quickly agreed. "Pikachu," he said, patting the little Pokemon on the head. "Care to shed some light on all of this?"
Pikachu squeaked and rubbed his paws over his cheeks. A spark leapt from his face and the Pokemon flickered like a florescent light coming to life, glowing brightly and casting a yellow sheen a full twenty feet ahead of the party.
"If that doesn't get their attention," said Misty, dropping her face against Ash's shoulder to shield her eyes from the light.
Via his link with Haunter, whom Ash knew had reached the checkpoint, Ash sensed an increased feeling of wariness. He thought he felt Haunter trying to convey that the guards at the checkpoint were startled, but the distance made the images coming over the link fuzzy. Ash swung one leg over Arcanine and dropped to the ground, keeping one hand on the Pokemon and running it through his thick mane. Pikachu leapt to Ash's shoulder and balanced against his neck, lowering his light to avoid blinding the trainer. Following Ash, Misty stepped to the ground and Ash patted Arcanine's neck.
"Shall we?" he asked, glancing between Brock and Misty.
Brock took point, setting off for the checkpoint with Ash and Misty behind him. As they came within a hundred yards of the buildings, everyone saw the figures atop the archway and on the roofs, had all hunkered down behind rough battlements, and Pokemon had appeared beside the them. Ash thought he saw a Scyther in the group, but couldn't be sure from this distance in dim lighting. He reached out and took Misty's hand, a gesture she welcomed by walking closer to him.
The door of the north building opened and spilled yellow light across the grass of the clearing as a figure walked outside. In a flash of white light, a figure sparking with red flame appeared beside the human and took the shape of a small horse. A Ponyta, Ash mused as the figure climbed into the horse's saddle, or a small Rapidash... either way.
The mounted trainer waited until Ash and crew had closed to within twenty yards of the north building, easily close enough to notice the figure on the horse was a tall woman sporting striking features and a well-used leather brigandine. Sleeves of thin chain mail glittered in the red light of her Ponyta as she held up one hand in a fist, a gesture to which the guards on the roofs of the buildings responded by hunkering down lower.
"Come no closer," shouted the woman. "Or we will use deadly force."
Brock and the rest of the party stopped immediately. Ash looked up towards the guards at Haunter's direction, quickly noticing that each man had in his possession, a heavy black crossbow resting on the battlements, aimed at Ash and his friends. Great, he thought. We walked right into the middle of a bunch of mercenaries...
Brock cleared his throat and addressed the mounted trainer. "We're not here to start a fight," he said. "My friends and I have been on the road for days and we need a place to rest. If you could just let us by we wouldn't cause trouble."
The woman shook her head as she spoke. "Can't do that," she said. "I have my orders. No one gets into, or out of, Saffron, no exceptions. If you turn around and leave now we won't have any problems."
Ash could see Brock's face as the Gym Leader weighed his options and position.
"We're in no condition to make the return journey," said the Gym Leader. "We've come a long way, we're tired, and we're dangerously low on food and supplies. May we at least rest here a while? We can pay you well for any hospitality."
The woman's eyes brightened a little. "I think we might be able to strike a deal after all," she said with a smile. Stepping down from her mount, the woman took a few steps forward, meeting the party at the edge of the light flowing out of the building. She looked them over for a minute, then raised one eyebrow. "You look like hell. You sure you can afford our rates?"
Ash reached into the side of his pack, drawing a wary glance from the armored trainer, and produced a bundle of cash held together with a rubber band, the last substantial bit of money he could claim. "Will this suffice for the night?" he asked, tossing her the notes.
The woman caught them and thumbed through the bills. Looking up at Ash she carefully watched him for a moment, then smiled wryly. "Welcome to our humble abode," she said, slipping the money into a pocket in her brigandine. "You're welcome to stay the night, but come morning I'll have to ask you to leave," she said, turning towards the building, returning the Ponyta to a pokeball, and motioning for Ash and crew to follow. "I can't let you enter the city, and if you try, things will get messy, but other than that, you're our guests tonight."
Ash in the lead, the party followed the woman into the north building, entering a well lit and comfortable, if somewhat plain, parlor. Three men stood on alert, heavy black crossbows in hand, their backs to their recently interrupted game of cards. Ash noted both their weapons, and the two pokeballs each man wore at his belt.
"I'm Fey," said the armored woman. "And this is my operation you're intruding on," she added with a casual grin. "Now my orders from the city are to keep anyone from getting into or out of the city, which I will, but nobody said I couldn't make a quick profit in the process."
"You're working for the city?" Brock asked, crossing his arms. "I'd heard there was some trouble in Saffron, but I didn't know that the Gym was hiring mercenaries. What's going on in town?"
"You're kinda out of the loop, aren't you?" said Fey. She thought for a moment as her men went back to their cards. "Mike!" she barked. Instantly one man leapt up from the table and saluted. "Show our guests to the spare room upstairs," she ordered.
"Ma'am," said the merc curtly, stepping forward without complaint and waiting.
Fey turned back to Brock and tousled her hair around as she spoke. "Tell you what," she said, looking the Gym Leader over. "If you want to talk, then we can talk all you'd like. You two," she turned to Ash and Misty, "can find a bed and a shower upstairs. There's no hot water, but its clean. If you want anything to eat that you didn't bring with you, that'll cost extra."
"Thanks," said Misty.
Ash nodded towards the stairs on the other side of the parlor, and he and Misty set off, following their escort.
"So," said Fey, taking a seat on one of the chairs set around the parlor as Ash, Misty, and the other merc disappeared. She looked over at Brock who walked forward and sat opposite her. "What's a good looking Gym Leader like Brock 'the rock' doing out in this part of the world?" She grinned at him. "Why aren't you in Celadon or Pewter or somewhere civilized like that?"
Brock leaned back and relaxed into the chair. "Right now, more than anything I'm looking for information," he answered, unsurprised that she knew him. His reputation, thought the trainer, was probably what stayed her hand outside. "What can you tell me about what's going on in Saffron?"
"Direct much?" asked Fey, continuing before he could answer she said, "never mind. Nobody's paying me to keep secrets but I don't do anything for free."
Brock raised one eyebrow and smiled just a little. "I don't have much to offer as far as money goes," said the Gym Leader.
"Money only goes so far," said the mercenary. "I'm sure it's not your only asset anyway. Now, as far as Saffron goes, what have you heard?"
"Not much," Brock answered, getting down to business. "I'd come across some rumors that there was tension between the Psychics and the Fighters getting ready to boil over and that it was causing trouble in town. I've heard that the food crisis looming in the west and threatening to spread east isn't helping anything."
Fey nodded. "More or less," she said. "Anyone who knows anything has heard that years ago the Fighter's Gym came to Saffron and tried to out the Psychics. Of course, the Gym Leader Sabrina alone would have been more than a match for them, and together with her forces she completely subjugated the fighters, making virtual slaves out of them."
"I'd heard about that," said Brock. "The Fighters lost badly. No one thought they would ever fully recover."
Fey nodded. "Yep, and ever since they lost, the Fighters have been plotting revenge. Everyone knew it, but no one did anything since nobody thought the Psychics could lose, no matter how strong the Fighters got. Shit, everyone knows Sabrina is a goddess. She thinks- things explode, simple. But a few weeks ago things got less simple."
"How so?" Brock probed when the mercenary paused.
"The Fighters numbers skyrocketed overnight," she went on. "Somehow they'd been building up a fortune and hired a shitload of mercs and moved them into the city all at once. The Fighters and their new army started taking over key sites in the city... Silph Co. City Hall and places like that, and locking them down.
"Again though, Sabrina didn't do anything, arrogant idiot. She was going to rely on her powers... and her powerful backers, and her Pokemon to crush the Fighters, so she didn't care that they were entrenching themselves. The mayor cared though, and he started hiring mercenaries to form a militia to put the city under complete lock down... He didn't want the citizens, Saffron's workforce, fleeing, and he didn't want any more trouble from outside the city getting in, so he declared martial law just in case things got really bad. Me and my boys are one of those city-hired groups.
"Then the damnedest thing happened. Less than a week ago, all of the Psychics' powers just started fizzling out, working less and less often. Well, you can guess what happened the instant the Fighter's sensed a perfect opportunity to hit the Psychics."
Brock grimaced. "All hell broke loose."
"To understate it, yes. The Fighters attacked, the Psychics attacked, and everyone else was caught right in the middle. There's almost no reason to the fighting anymore. It started out well enough with well defined combatants and objectives, but once the citizens started taking side all that fell apart. Now it's just people wearing one color trying to kill everyone wearing a different color. Last I heard, the Psychics were getting the upper hand, but who knows how long it'll last." She paused for a minute. "With any luck, as long as the mayor can afford to keep me on the payroll," Fey laughed.
SC
The shower may have nearly frozen him solid, but as far as Ash cared, any semblance of normal civilization was a luxury he'd take whenever he could. The checkpoint had apparently been built with minimal comfort in mind, despite boasting a number of guest rooms on the upper floor. The mercenaries took up all but one of the rooms, the more comfortable ones, Ash guessed, but still, it didn't even occur to him that quarters in which the bed took up a third of the floorspace merited complaint. The communal bathroom proved a minimal annoyance however. The lack of shower curtains made privacy nearly impossible, and as Ash cleaned up as quickly as he could, he wondered if Misty had been given the privacy she deserved when she had used them earlier.
Quickly getting dressed, Ash walked out of the bathroom, glad that nothing he'd taken in with him had gone missing, and knocked on the door to the room he was to share with Brock and Misty. Standing in the well worn pajamas she'd last utilized in Cerulean, Misty opened the door and stepped aside to let him in. She greeted him as Ash walked in, shutting the door behind her and promptly going back to brushing out her still drying hair.
"You think it will be safe here tonight?" she asked, sitting on the edge of the bed and putting the brush away in her pack as Ash sat opposite her, back against the wall. "That woman seemed a little quick to take our money and let us in for someone ordered not to let anyone passed."
Shrugging, Ash closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wall. "Whether or not we can trust her," said the young trainer, "there's a roof over our head, we've had something to eat, and there are other people here..."
"Point taken," said Misty, crossing her legs and fiddling with the thin comforter. "You sure you want the floor?" she asked. "You haven't slept in a real bed since Cerulean, and I don't mind sleeping on the floor."
"I'm fine with it," said Ash, opening an eye. "Thanks though."
"I feel bad about always being the one to get the bed, or the couch or whatever we con people into letting us use."
"If you're that worried about it," Ash began, standing up and putting his hands in his pockets, "let Brock have the bed and you and I can sleep together down here."
"Uh," Misty stammered. "Well, I, see," she instantly began to turn a vibrant red. "About that-"
Ash twitched. "Oh," he said. "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply-" now it was his turn to pause awkwardly and turn red. Both trainers sat there, opposite each other for a minute, saying nothing. Ash spoke first, grinning and reaching up to fiddle with his cap. "You know what I meant."
Misty stopped biting her lip. "Yeah, I do. And actually I wanted to talk to you before, I mean about, well... us." She stood up, crossing her arms in front of her chest and Ash instantly realized he could feel his heartbeat thrumming in his fingertips and temples. "I tried to tell you earlier," said Misty, shaking just a little, "but I didn't know how to say it without totally wrecking things up."
"Tell me...?" Ash wondered aloud, speaking without meaning to.
Again Misty bit her lip and turned slightly to the side, but went on when after swallowing the lump in her throat. "First, I need to ask you one thing," she said.
"Name it," said Ash.
"In Lavender I thought you were dead," Misty blurted, then took a deep breath and slowed some. "I thought you were dead and then when I saw you at the tower I felt like I was alive again, like everything was perfect and the nothing in the world mattered. And I- I felt like you felt the same way." At some point, Misty had turned back to Ash and the two had managed to find their way into holding each other, though it seemed that neither noticed. "I just- I need to know if you did..." she said, then waited for a moment, watching as something sparked in Ash's eyes.
Misty's eyes went wide as Ash leaned close and kissed her. Practically falling limp against him, Misty's arms snaked around Ash's back as she closed her eyes and kissed him back, her mind blank. By the time Ash realized himself, he'd pulled her close, pressed her against him, and turned to lean Misty against the wall as he explored her lips, and by then his senses were so inflamed that reason seemed a candle against the sun.
Stopping to take a breath, Ash leaned his forehead against Misty's in a pause. His mind burned and every sense vibrated. The smell of the girl between him and the wall, the feel of her hands under the back of his shirt, the taste of her hungry breathing on his lips as she eagerly awaited another kiss... Ash could barely remember his name by this point, much less what he'd been thinking. Taking the initiative when Ash took too long, Misty pushed up, arching her back against Ash and kissed him again, completely blasting any concept of time from either one's mind.
"Answer enough?" Ash managed to mutter during another brief pause, only mildly aware that his shirt had somehow wound up on the floor.
Misty nodded. "Sure..." she muttered. "But would it have killed you to tell me back in Cerulean or something?"
Ash laughed once. "You know Brock could be back at any minute?"
Misty's fingers tightened in his hair a little. "Too bad," she said with a little grin.
SC
Sunrise arrived quickly, or so Brock thought. He woke up just before the first rays of dawn spilled through the open window of the strange little bedroom. As he sat up stretching and trying to be quiet, Fey stirred beside him, but didn't wake. Brock got out of bed, put on his pants and slowly gathered up his things. As he cracked the door to slip out, the Gym Leader stopped and took a look at the sleeping figure on the bed. Fey's tanned and weather-beaten appearance ended abruptly at her shoulders, and Brock couldn't help taking her in some more.
I might have to look her up again, he thought as he slipped out the door and silently shut it behind him.
Turning as he heard something beside him click, Brock saw Ash shutting a the door to his room, also wearing only his pants and carrying a shirt, his pack, and a pair of boots in his free hand. The two looked at each other. Brock grinned devilishly while Ash cracked a smile and shrugged one shoulder. Brock then nodded and walked to the stairs at the end of the hall. Ash put on the cotton shirt and followed the gym leader.
"So," Brock said, patting Ash on the back. "That was the both of you, huh?"
Ash sighed and nodded. "That obvious?"
"Oh god," Brock rolled his eyes and started downstairs.
"What?" Ash asked, following the Gym Leader, smelling a hot breakfast below. "What is that supposed to mean?"
Downstairs the two trainers found the three guards from last night in the parlor. One was sleeping, one was eating a bowl of what looked like runny hash, and Mike was stood at the small butane stove in the corner, preparing another bowl of breakfast. The sleeping guard turned over on the couch and pushed his face into the cloth upholstery. From the serious droop in the cushions, Ash could only guess at how long people had been sleeping in shifts on that couch.
"Morning," said Brock, breaking the ice as both mercenaries turned to look at them. "Anything interesting going on today?"
"Hmph," Mike grunted, turning back to the sizzling hash in the pan. "Does 'exciting' include sitting around here on our hands and doing nothing?"
"Quit your bitching," sneered the man eating breakfast. "This is the easiest job we've had in months and it pays well."
Mike sighed and began stirring the meat in the pan more vigorously. "There are people dying in that city who could use our help and we just sit out here like-"
"Like what?" interrupted the second man, looking up from his meal. "Like mercenaries? Hired muscle?"
"Exactly," Mike muttered. "It isn't right."
Ash and Brock both made their way to the chairs opposite the sleeping mercenary. "Is it really that bad?" asked Ash, sitting down and pulling his pack around in front his feet.
"It's a goddamn killing zone in the downtown districts," said the second man flippantly, gesturing with his chopsticks. "And I say as long as we're out here and they're all in there, who gives two shits if we have it easy. The boss was looking out for us and I for one appreciate it."
Brock and Ash exchanged wary glances. "Maybe Saffron wasn't such a great idea," said Ash.
"Maybe," Brock consented, quietly and as much to himself as to Ash. "What do you plan on doing?"
The noisy merc interrupted again. "Your best bet would be to head to Lavender," he said. "Trying to cut north or south directly would take you through some of the worst wilds in the region."
"That's not gonna work," said Ash. "Lavender's a graveyard. There's no one left."
Both mercs turned and went quiet. "What?" they asked in unison.
Ash briefly summed up what had happened in Lavender, making sure to omit Haunter's and Mewtwo's involvement. He didn't think the men needed to know they had a ghost behind them watching for any funny business. "So you can see the situation we're in," Ash went on. "Going back through Lavender would take too long, and we don't have the supplies. We came this way to stop in Saffron and buy some materials for the road before we moved on."
Mike looked down at the pan before him and sighed again. "Well going into Saffron wouldn't do you any good. Like as not you'd just get yourselves mixed up in a fight that'd get you all killed. But... I'll talk to the boss and see if I can't convince her to send some food with you on your way."
"Sheesh," said the second mercenary, going back to his breakfast. "Always the goddamn humanitarian."
An hour later, Ash, Brock, Misty, and Fey stood in a circle outside the north building. The sun was on its way into the sky and a cool breeze blew in from the north, filling the air with the smell of the surrounding forests.
"Well, I'm sorry I can't wish you anything more than good luck," said Fey with a grin. "And thanks on behalf of the men for not starting anything up. It would have been a shame for us to have made you all look silly."
"Thanks for the shelter," said Brock.
"And the food," said Ash. "If we ever see you again, we'll owe you."
Fey crossed her arms. "Who knows," she said. "After this whole thing with Saffron quiets down we'll have to see."
The group went quiet for a moment. Everyone stood around, casting nervous glances between one another and not saying anything.
"Well," Brock broke the calm, shouldering his pack and shifting away. "I guess I'll be the first one to set off, since no one else seems ready to. Ash, Misty," he said, turning to his friends. "I'll see you two on the other side."
"Say hi to everyone in the gym for us," said Ash.
Brock nodded and turned away. Fey and the other trainers watched as Brock hiked to the edge of the woods, released Onyx from ts pokeball, and climbed atop the large Pokemon. Quickly finding/expanding a path, Brock and the serpent set off northeast, angling to make a large loop around Saffron as he'd promised Fey he'd do. After Brock vanished into the trees and the sounds of Onyx's slithering faded away, Fey turned back to Ash and Misty.
"Guess this is goodbye," said Ash. "Thanks for the rooms."
"Hey," said the mercenary, shrugging. "You seem like decent people, but don't go getting too friendly like we're already family." The corner of her lip tugged up. "Good luck," she said. "Really, try to be careful though. I'm not telling you to stay out of the city because I don't like you. Just swing around to the south, avoid the roaming mercs, and make for Route 6. It's the fastest way to Vermillion."
"Gotcha," said Ash, turning to Misty, then nodding off towards the treeline. "See ya!" he called to Fey over his shoulder as the two trainers walked away. "You know," he said to Misty, taking her hand in his when they were out of earshot and nearly to the trees. "For a greedy, hardhearted, opportunist, she seemed like a pretty nice person."
Misty smiled as Ash released Arcanine and the trainers climbed up on the Pokemon's back. Pikachu took up his position on the canine's head, Ash sat in front, and Misty held onto his waist. "Yeah," she agreed as Arcanine took a leap into the forest, aiming straight south. "It was a good night," said the girl, hugging Ash from behind.
Grinning smugly, Ash cleared his throat. "About last night," he said, blushing a little as Arcanine picked up some speed and the forest began to roll passed them. Ash couldn't bring him to finish his sentence.
"Yes," Misty probed, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Was that?" he began, breaking off again. "Hah," he laughed a little. "Does that mean we're together from now on?"
Misty couldn't contain a tiny squeal as she beamed. "Well duh."