"Boy who are you? What do you want of Emerald?" She put an ancient hand on his wrist.
"I know nothing of you and you know nothing of me old woman, let's leave it as that." Ace brushed past her.
She grasped his cloak while she shook a gnarled finger in his face.
"You Americans! All you think about is going in with big guns and blowing everything to bits!" She shook her head shamed of Ace's behavior. "You will save Emerald boy! But, at what cost? At what cost!"
"At what cost! What cost!" He felt tremors, branches gouge rivlets of blood on his cheeks.
"What are you willing to sacrifice boy!" He felt bile escape his mouth. "Your soul boy? What of your soul?"
"My soul? Yes, if it means Emerald is free!" He shouted at her.
"Then you have changed far more than these old eyes can tell." She walked away with disappointment.
"I've changed? Do you know me? Stop! Do you know me? Who are you! Wait! Please stop!" She used her Dodrio to dash off. "Are you from the court? The school? Please tell me!"
"You are far too changed Jurael! You are not the boy I taught so many years ago!"
She knew his real name, she was someone he knew twenty years ago. Who was she? He felt Draco slam into the tree. He felt it all but, did not react. His fever was conquering him. The girl was the old woman's proof, he shot her down with very little regard for her. No! He had thought of turning away from her.
Yet, he hadn't and the image of the dactyl plunging and the girl praying to be saved. Yet, no one saved her. He screamed as the sound of their impact with earth played in his head. Ace felt tears spring from his tired eyes. Draco screamed as he collided into a cedar. Exhaust was claiming both.
More blood flowed out Draco's wound as it reopenned. Ace realized that he and Draco were falling into a suicide dive. He tried to pull Draco out of the dive but, Draco had very little strength left to just keep them up.
"You must change your ways boy! You go to face an enemy like none you've ever seen before!" Her last words before she disappeared over the crest.
Yes, he hadn't seen any enemy that would send children to battle. What person would send a fourteen year old out to fight a war? Yet, what person would shoot them down. Him, that was who. The cursed sound filled his mind. Shrieking Draco gave out to fatigue. Ace rolled off the dying dragon.
The dirt beneath his cheek was spongy, moist with life but death rested above it. Draco began to twitch as death slowly invited him. Ace was sprawled next to him with his fever burning his mind. He tossed about like Draco.
Coolness kissed his forehead. He felt fingers lightly caress his cheek. He tried to see but, his vision only told him of colors in vague shapes. Voices were distorted though he could understand them.
"He has a high fever."
"His pokémon are worse especially this charizard. We'll take them to Joy, she'll know what to do." He had a feeling that the voices belong to a man and woman.
"What of the man?" She applied another towel on his forehead.
"Leave him! He's a trapper."
"We can't! He is a human being!"
"We can and will! That group is rushing here, we'll leave him to them. Our interest ends with his pokémon."
"What if they are escaped slaves?"
"They'll kill him, if their Rockets he'll be fine, we'll be the ones killed if they are!"
"He's an FBI!"
"What! Let me see!" They looked at his vest. "We have no choice! We have to leave him to them! If we are caught what will happen to our Raiders? This man owes us nothing and we owe him nothing we have to go now!"
She leapt into the trees with him but, she didn't follow. She remained hidden as the group rushed toward the fallen agent. She couldn't explain why she needed to if the man would live. They came for him quickly.
Ash pointed toward Ace, they ran. He alive yet he was in very bad shape. James fumbled in the packs until he found several items he thought would help. Ace mumbled about Draco dying, his pokémon stolen. Nero felt as if he was being watched.
Nero whispered these feelings to himself. He took a few quick scans. He saw nothing to set off these emotions but, he knew in his heart that a person was sizing them up.
"Calm down Ace! Just relax, we are here to help." James was surprised to find a towel on his head.
She felt better to see that this had to be his family or friends that rushed to him. They busied about trying to save the agent. She slipped away before that kid with white hair saw her. He was sensing her, she began to think he must be a prophet or a psychic.
"Ash, someone else was here." James whispered as he tended to Ace. "I found this towel."
"Must be the ones he's claiming stole his pokémon. We need to be careful, when can we move him?"
"Soon as he shakes this fever." James rolled his eyes around the terrain. "We need to be on guard if there are Pokémon Thieves around because, where thieves are Team Rockets is right behind."
"Agreed." Ash took a pokéball from his belt. "Tork keep alert."
The salamander sniffed something immediatly from being released. It bellowed and began to climb a nearby tree. From above a figure errupted. A cape swirled in the air as the shadow leapt to another tree. Then leaves showered down on them as the woman landed in another tree. Ash began to chase after Tork who kept up rather well despite having short legs.
She was very nimble, she was trained to be. She glided as if she could fly. Her feet never failing to find a branch strong enough for her to launch from. A Forest Raider had to be sure footed to evade the Rockets. The kid reminded her of someone she knew so many years ago. He couldn't be that boy. He would be a man now and he would also be dead. She kept soaring over the canopy, she soon lost the boy and his Tork.
Gary wandered the Indigo Market. He found several things he needed. What was Ash saying? He was distracted by Misty, had he wanted to meet in Viridian. He couldn't recall. It was a waste going into Viridian anyways if Ash was in the future.
Why had Misty fallen in love with Ash? He sat on a park bench eating a burger as he thought. Then he realized something. He hid behind a tree. There! He stood arrogantly collecting pokeballs of all sorts. He excused his fan club. Gary saluted the mayor of Indigo Plateau.
The burger dropped from his grasp, he was watching himself strutting happily around the market. Gary tried to remember that old saying they made in every time traveling movie he ever saw. If you meet yourself in a time continuim you risk destroying that continuim. Was that it? Yes, it had to be.
If he was here he had to be careful not to run into himself. He had it hard. Ash was dead in the future so he ran no risk of running into his future self. Gary saw his food on the ground. Shrugging he would have to get something else.
Then it hit him, he was here in Indigo a month ago. Registering to fight in the tournament. He remembered saluting Mr. Goodshow. He was a month in the past. He accidently bumped the crystal against the tree. He felt it vibrate wildly. He was thinking of Ash at that time so he was shocked to see Ash appear.
"Gary? What's going on!" Ash stared in disbelief as an image of Gary emerged from the Emerald Crystal.
"I don't know Ash? I can't explain what's happening." He was studying the image coming from the Amber Crystal. "I hit my crystal on a tree and you appeared from it."
"Maybe this is the other power Sabrina was going to tell us about. She wanted us to keep the crystals safe Gary. How do we stop this uh...transmission?" Ash held the crystal now.
Gary had an idea. He gripped the shard trying to make it stop trembling. When the tremors ceased the transmission did also.
"So that's how it works." He smiled.
He thought of Ash again then he hit the shard with his finger. When the trembles grew stronger the image of Ash appeared again.
"How did you do that Gary?" Ash was puzzled by the crystals' power.
"I stopped it from shaking. Then I think you have to concentrate on who you want to speak to then you hit the crystal. It has to be shaking to work." Gary began to think about Misty, he would try to call her next. "Let's give this a rest while we plan our next moves."
Gary was gone before Ash could get a word in. He laughed as he started thinking of Misty. He won! He kept thinking to himself that he won! He would use the crystal to call Misty and while Ash was clueless he would be talking with Misty and when she saw nothing but, him she would be his! He won! He...gave that info to Ash! He told Ash how to use the crystal! He was cursing himself now.
"You have the darkest of souls boy!" Ace shouted, laughing softly to phantoms. "I will not train you!"
"Who's he talking to?" James applied another towel to the agent's forehead.
"Memories." Nero took a sip of coffee as he continued to write on his scroll. "Memories of who he was I suppose."
"But, Master you are the greatest of trainers. Please help me become the trainer my family expects of me." He knelt before the elder. He remembered by heart what the master told him.
"You possess a quality in you boy, one that dominates your personality. J...I mean Ace you have a dark streak that marks your soul. Yes, I trained you as a child but, you have changed young one. You are not the boy I met three years ago. No, you have the darkest of minds and hearts now. I can not train you with a clear conscience."
"But, you told me any man can change what he is. To strive to be far greater than what he is. Please Master train me and you will not regret it."
"I fear those you seek will regret it. I can see a hate in your eyes. If I do train you again you must kill this hate. You must rise above it to truly strive boy."
"Then teach me to truly strive." The Master did teach him but, that hate was hidden within him.
"I hated the men who destroyed my home, dreams and especially my love and family!" His lips curled into snarls.
"You were right, for him this war is personal." Nero push aside his doings as he listened. "We must leave him with a doctor. We must leave him period. A man out for this kind of revenge is the most dangerous person. As he said himself, he is the darkest of hearts and minds."
To be continued.......
-JLB