Chap. 1

"Dragon Rises"

Ash walked slower than he should have, taking his time as he lost himself in thought. Placing one foot in front of the other was an automatic movement that he would not even notice but for the light dust raised by his shoes. His right hand was hanging idly at his belt, touching the pokeball that stored his Bulbasaur. I'll tell her tonight… he determined, glancing at Misty. She seemed deep in her own thoughts, not noticing his attention, so he let his gaze linger. Her eyes flicked onto his, catching him like a deer in the headlights. His eyes widened as he waited for her to say something, but she just smiled and looked ahead once more, loosing herself in her own thoughts again.

Suddenly, there was a loud rustling in the cluster of bushes ahead. The party stopped in their tracks, ready for whatever may appear, as out of the foliage rushed what must have been the three most incompetent Team Rocket members in existence.

"Not again…" Ash groaned, rolling his eyes, "Don't you have anything better to do than follow us around all the time? Its getting really annoying…"

"Not this time kid, no games. Times are changing, so we have to change with them." replied Jessie, with a cold look on her face, "We've got no more time to be nice." James stood a few steps behind her, looking unsure of the events that were occurring, as Meowth sat near his leg with much the same expression.

"Chu Pika Pi," Pikachu exclaimed, standing in front of Ash to protect him from a pokemon attack. Ash's hand started to the Pokeball on his belt containing his Squirtle, then froze mid-way there as Jessie leveled a gun at him.

"This is finally the end, and in a way I'm sad," Jessie sighed, cocking the gun, "Well…not really."

There was an audible click, and Misty stepped with a quick movement in front of Ash just before the bang and flash of light. Ash took a sharp intake of breath as a dull thud sounded and Misty was thrown backwards forcefully into him. He could see the glistening blood spray outward from the wound and splash onto Pikachu, painting half of the mouse pokemon's body a bright red. They fell to the ground and the breath exploded out of Ash's lungs.

"Damn!" Jessie exclaimed and sprinted down the road as fast as she could. James and Meowth just stood there for a moment, wide mouthed in apparent disbelief at what had just happened, before tearing off after their teammate.

"Tracy, help me with Misty! Please!" Ash pleaded through his tears, laying her gently down beside him, "T…Tracy?!" Tracy's eyes were huge as his mouth silently shaped an "I'm sorry", and then he turned and ran away. Ash stared after him in betrayed shock for a moment, then looked down at Misty.

"Misty…" he began, but realized he didn't know where to go from there. She reached over slowly and grasped his hand with a grip that got weaker by the second. Her shirt was soaked with blood where the bullet had entered her body.

"It doesn't hurt much Ash, its ok…I know I'm going to die," she painfully coughed up some blood, then softly continued, "I'm just glad you're not."

"Misty…I…I love you." he stuttered, looking into her eyes as his body was wracked by quiet tears. She took in a final breath as she touched his face with a tremendous effort.

"I know. I love you too." She smiled slightly at him, and then it faded as the light in her eyes went out. Her hand slipped out of his, which was trembling in disbelief. Pikachu stood next to him, trembling as well, half of his body a deep red from Misty's blood.

____________

The shovel patted the mound of dirt that was Misty's grave, a rock its lonely headstone. By it stood a brand new bicycle, which had cost Ash nearly all his savings.

"I finally got you your bike, I'm sorry it was late." he said with a voice rough and lightly husky from long hours of mourning tears and convulsing sobs.

He gave the mound one last solid smack, then tossed the shovel to the side where it clattered on the dry gravel.

"I will avenge you Misty. They won't get away this time, they've gone way too far," he muttered, tossing her pack over his shoulder with his own, "I won't let them get away."

He turned and he and Pikachu ran up the path the way Team Rocket had gone. He leapt over roots and dead branches as he wove his way into the dark trees that surrounded the path. His chest was heaving with exertion and his brow wet with sweat by the time he saw the flickering light in the trees. Creeping closer, he found it was a campfire, and around it sat the three targets of his revenge.

He pulled the knife from his belt, the one he had bought at the hardware store when he had gone back to town to get a shovel. Its blade was sharp, and the silver edge glinted a sharp red in the firelight. Ash took a deep breath, then let it slowly out again, trying to clear excess thought from his head. Thinking was something he could not afford right now. He turned to the pokemon beside him, who despite his best efforts at washing remained half red.

"Pikachu," he whispered, "Use a thunder shock to distract them."

The Pikachu nodded, and scampered quietly around the camp to the other side. Ash waited for the signal. "PIKKKKKAAACHUUUUU!!!" the yell sounded from the small mouse as if from a lion, and a bolt of jagged lightning was released to crackle into the dark sky.

"What the hell!?" Jessie swore, and spun to face the furious pokemon, "It's that Pikachu!!!"

Ash leapt forward while her back was turned, a growl escaping his lips, his sneakers skidding across the dusty ground as he shoved the knife deep into her back, pushing his weight into it until the hilt was pressed to her spine. A gurgling sound came from her mouth, and James and Meowth turned to them in shock, fear for their lives in their eyes. Jessie slid off his knife and onto the stone strewn ground, and Ash turned to address the other two.

"You may live, for this was not your doing," he stated, his 12 year old eyes flashing, "I suggest you run."

"I'm sorry. Oh god, I'm so sorry…" James replied, his eyes tearing, then disappeared into the woods. Meowth looked dumbly after him, then sped off in a different direction. Pikachu walked over in front of Ash, sitting down with a growl at Jessie's body.

"And now to finish the job Jessie begun," Ash muttered, pulling her head up by the hair, "You ready Pikachu?

The pokemon nodded and screwed his eyes tightly shut. Ash drew the bloody knife across Jessie's throat in a quick movement and the blood sprayed out in a weak burst to soak the remaining yellow portion of Pikachu's small body.

Ash's face twisted into a grimace at the sight of the flowing blood and his stomach turned violently, threatening to empty itself. When the blood finally stopped running, Pikachu shook himself off and opened his eyes, blinking.

"Congratulations." Ash stated with a grim, humorless smile, "You are now the only red Pikachu in existence, well, as far as we know." With that he pulled the Pokeballs from Jessie's belt, then picked her body up and threw it in the fire where it ignited with a crackle and the horrible smell of burning flesh. A shower of brilliant sparks rose towards the night sky, fading as they reached the treetops.

"I think we should head for Pallet. Perhaps Oak can shed some light on exactly how times are changing." Ash commented as he turned to walk in the direction of his hometown.

"Pika Pika…" Ash turned to his Pikachu, frowning.

"What?"

Pikachu shook his head in confusion, then let a small burst of electricity crackle from his cheeks. It was blood red.

Ash stared for a moment, flabbergasted. "I…I don't know…maybe Oak can tell us something about that as well."

Pikachu nodded and leapt to Ash's shoulder. With a last solemn look at the campfire's flames, they turned to trek to Pallet, the one place Ash could call home.

____________

Ash jogged through the streets of Viridian City at a steady pace. Pikachu sat on his shoulder, holding on tight so he wouldn't be dislodged. They had only been in the woods a week, but already so many things had changed. He looked involuntarily to a wall that happened to catch his eye as he passed by. On the otherwise nearly flawlessly painted white surface was scrawled in garishly colored spray paint: "Dragon Rises. Prepare for the Inevitable."

A cold shiver went down Ash's spine, and he averted his eyes quickly, without even knowing why. The PokeCenter they approached was ransacked, and the window in the front was smashed in. Around the door was more spray paint, all declaring the same strangely frightening message.

"Dragon Rises. Prepare for the Inevitable."

"Dragon Rises."

"Dragon Rises."

Ash quickened his pace.

He would have been past in another moment, but in a casual glance inside he caught his reflection in a large shard of the broken glass. What he saw made him stop dead in his tracks to take a closer look at the fractured depiction of his face.

His eyes were a bright red.

A single lock of red hair hung in front of his face. He brushed it to the side uncertainly.

He backed away from the glass, another chill running down his back. He could not break his eyes from his image in the glass, the person who was him, but not the him that had looked back from the mirror for the past twelve years of his life.

"Pika Pii…"

"She was right…" he murmured in shock, blinking abstractly "Things are changing…"

(con. in chap. 2...)