If I Could Change the World

Misty, Brock, and Pikachu sat in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Misty still had Ash\'s head cradled in her lap, his dark hair splayed across her jean clad legs. Brock sat with his head in his hands. Pikachu sat on his haunches, his shoulders slumped, looking sadly at Ash\'s lifeless body.

\"I don\'t believe it,\" Brock muttered.

Misty looked up at him, her crystal blue eyes filled with sorrow, her red hair hanging over most of her face. She said nothing as Brock continued.

\"Gary didn\'t get him, and neither did Mewtwo. It was Lindham,\" he said softly.

\"It\'s my fault,\" she whispered. \"He was pushing me out of the way.\"

He could see where she was going with this. \"Don\'t do this to yourself Misty.\"

\"At least the other way there was hope,\" she said, her voice cracking. \"We thought he was dead, but their was always that glimmer of hope.\"

\"Pi,\" Pikachu said softly, pointing behind them.

They both turned to see what he was looking at. \"Oh no,\" Brock said.

Mewtwo had regained consciousness and was heading towards them. Brock leapt to his feet crying, \"He\'s already dead! You can\'t kill him again!\"

Misty bent over Ash protectively. \"Leave him alone!\"

Mewtwo only ignored their pleas and continued forward, his glowing eyes fixed on Ash. Pikachu appeared to have lost his will to live, for he simply sat next to Ash, saying and doing nothing.

\"I wont let you!\" Brock said, lunging at Mewtwo. Either he was very brave or very stupid, for trying to attack a pokemon that powerful could result in instant death.

Mewtwo simply looked at him as if he were a bug, and with a flick of his three fingered hand, Brock flew across the room, landing on his rear. Misty looked up at Mewtwo, her expression contorted in anger. \"Stay away from him!\"

Mewtwo raised his right arm, and to Misty\'s surprise, she found herself rising into the air. He flicked his hand again, sending her flying into Brock, who was thrown back to the ground.

\"Ash!\" Misty cried, trying to get back to him, but Brock held her back.

\"Mewtwo is too powerful. It took everything Ash had to stop him, and that only knocked him out,\" he reminded her. She stopped struggling, and the two watched in defeat, waiting to see what Mewtwo was going to do to Ash.

Mewtwo didn\'t bother to remove Pikachu from his position, most likely because he wasn\'t putting up any resistance. Mewtwo stopped floating and landed next to Ash\'s body. He knelt down and placed both of his hands over the fatal wound and began to glow as he built up his psychic energy.

\"What\'s he doing?\" Misty hissed.

Brocks eyes widened as he realized what he was seeing. \"I think that\'s Mewtwo\'s recover.\"

Brock and Misty watched in amazement as the wound began to heal. Even Pikachu was watching, curious as to what the large pokemon was doing. Then, as quickly as he has started, Mewtwo stopped.

Misty looked uncertainly at Mewtwo, then rushed back to Ash\'s side. Brock kneeled next to her, and Pikachu stood on his tip toes to see better. Misty felt her heart leap when Ash\'s hand moved. She reached out and grabbed his hand, and he squeezed it.

His eyes slowly opened, and he looked up to see four blurry figures hovering over him. The figures swam into view and Ash could make out their faces. Brock was slightly pale, Misty\'s eyes were shining and she was smiling, Pikachu\'s expression was pure joy, and... Mewtwo.

He sat up quickly and immediately regretted the action. A wave of dizziness overtook him and he closed his eyes. Misty almost tackled him when she hugged him, and Pikachu jumped into his lap crying, \"Pikapi!\"

Ash opened his eyes, confused, until it dawned on him. \"Oh, no. Did I die again?\"

Misty smiled, and Brock laughed lightly. Ash was still looking at Mewtwo, who was hovering a few feet away from them. \"You remember me, Mewtwo, old friend?\" Ash asked, as the others turned to face the catlike pokemon.

\"Yes. When you hit me with that huge electric attack, you freed me from the control Team Rocket had on me.\" He smiled, or made a face that was as close to a smile as Mewtwo\'s feline face would ever get.

\"I take it you are the reason I am alive?\" Ash inquired.

\"I used recover on you.\" He looked at Misty and Brock. \"You have good friends. They were willing to protect you even in death.\"

Misty and Brock both blushed, not only because of the comment, but because they were under the stare of such a powerful pokemon. Misty suddenly began looking around wildly, as though there was something she had forgotten. Everyone stared at her until she said, \"Where\'s Gary?\"

They all looked to the spot Gary had been slain, seeing nothing but the bo that had killed him. Ash stood up slowly as Brock went to examine the bo. Ash looked at Mewtwo. \"What happened? He was dead.\"

\"Some of my recover may have affected him,\" Mewtwo explained.

\"He must have snuck out when we were busy with Ash,\" Brock said.

Mewtwo was still for a moment his eyes out of focus. He was looking for Gary, Ash knew. He suddenly locked eyes with Ash. \"He\'s going after the Crystal of Nine.\"

Misty and Brock watched as Ash\'s expression became aghast. \"What!\" he cried.

Mewtwo nodded. \"Ash, you have to stop him.\"

Ash\'s eyes became wide and he shook his head, saying, \"Mewtwo, I swore I would never go back there.\"

Misty and Brock exchanged confused looks, neither having a clue what Ash was talking about.

Pikachu jumped onto Ash\'s shoulder while Mewtwo said, \"Ash, Gary can\'t get the crystal, you can only imagine what he would do with the power. You have to get it before he does.\"

\"And the guardian?\" Ash asked.

\"The guardian is still there, but you are living proof she can be defeated.\"

Ash lowered his head and closed his eyes. He remained like that for a while, obviously thinking. He raised his head and sighed, running his fingers through his hair. \"I\'ll go.\"

\"I can\'t come with you,\" Mewtwo told him. \"The guardian and I have an... understanding.\"

Ash nodded. \"Thank you for everything Mewtwo.\" He turned and headed towards the door.

Brock and Misty followed, completely perplexed.

They walked outside, surprising the Team Rocket guards. \"Freeze!\" they yelled, quickly pointing several guns in their direction. Mewtwo floated out behind them. Ash shook his head as the guards dropped their guns and ran in fear.

He turned and faced Team Rocket headquarters. \"Mewtwo, can you destroy it?\" he asked, glancing at the pokemon, who was hovering next to him.

Mewtwo nodded in reply. His eyes began to glow as he powered up to use psychic. The three humans backed away as Mewtwo became surrounded by psychic energy. The glow lit up the darkness. He released the attack and they all ducked as the building was torn apart.

When Ash looked up, the building had been reduced to a smoking pile of ruins. Mewtwo turned to face him, his expression as impassive as ever. \"This is where we part, Ash.\"

Ash stood up, Misty and Brock doing the same. \"I hope I\'ll see you soon my friend,\" Ash said.

\"Just don\'t get yourself killed.\" As an afterthought Mewtwo added, \"Again.\"

Ash smiled and turned. He walked away, his trench coat trailing behind him.

Misty and Brock said quick good-byes to Mewtwo, before running to catch up with Ash.

They walked along the deserted roads in silence until Ash said, \"Go home.\"

\"What\'s the Crystal of Nine?\" Brock asked, completely ignoring the command.

Ash looked at him incredulously before repeating, \"Go. Home.\" He made sure to punctuate each word.

Brock looked at him skeptically. \"No way.\"

\"Brock,\" Ash said, stopping short. \"This has nothing to do with you. I let you come last time because you could help, now there is nothing you can do.\"

\"Ash,\" Misty said, speaking up for the first time. \"We\'re your friends. We want to help.\"

Ash threw up his arms in exasperation, almost knocking Pikachu off his shoulder. \"There is nothing you can do!\"

Brock looked him in the eye and said, \"That never stopped us before.\"

I don\'t know why you argue with them, Pikachu thought. They\'re only going to follow you anyway.

Ash sighed, knowing Pikachu was right. \"Fine.\" He began to walk again. Misty and Brock grinned at one another before running to catch up with him.

\"So,\" Brock said as they walked. \"What\'s the Crystal of Nine?\"

Ash shot him a sideways glance before saying, \"The Crystal of Nine allows anyone who touches it to gain elemental powers.\"

\"So that\'s how you-\" he stopped when Ash gave him a look that clearly said he didn\'t want to talk about it.

\"Who is the guardian Mewtwo was talking about?\" Misty asked. She was being considerably warmer to him since they left Team Rocket headquarters.

Ash, on the other hand, was still being his cold unfriendly self, despite Misty\'s efforts to be nice. \"A pokemon guards the crystal from humans,\" he said, casting her an annoyed look.

Both Misty and Brock considered him for a moment, wondering what type of pokemon and how Ash had managed to get past him. Ash didn\'t seem to have any intention to elaborate though, so Brock changed the subject. \"Where are we going?\"

\"Cinnabar Island,\" was the terse reply.

Noting his irritation, Misty and Brock stopped asking questions. After Ash had short circuited the city gate, they exited Pewter. Ash stopped abruptly, saying, \"We\'ll never beat Gary there by walking.\" He reached into his trench coat, and extracted a pokeball, surprising Misty and Brock.

\"You still have some of your pokemon?\" Brock asked.

Ash enlarged the pokeball before saying, \"All my old ones are still with Professor Oak. I never retrieved them because of that whole, everyone thinking I\'m dead thing.\"

\"So, you caught a new one?\" Misty asked, looking from the pokeball in his hand to his face.

\"No, actually, he followed me. I helped him out about a year ago, then he wouldn\'t leave me alone. He followed me everywhere. He\'s kind of annoying, but useful in times like these.\" Ash threw the pokeball and it opened with a crack. Misty and Brock\'s jaws dropped as Zapdos appeared in front of them, stretching his wings and ruffling his feathers. Ash climbed on his back, then turned to them.

\"Are you coming?\" he asked. They stood in shock for a moment before slowly approaching the legendary pokemon.

~*~*~

Ash stared up at the mountain, apprehension settling over him. Clouds made the top impossible to see, as the sun streamed down from the blue sky. Misty and Brock stood next to him, also looking up at the large mountain.

\"What happened to your \'not be seen in the daylight\' philosophy?\" Brock asked, his eyes still fixed upon the hidden peak.

\"If we go up at night, we wont be able to see her, and she\'s deadly enough in the daylight,\" Ash explained.

Misty and Brock slowly tore their eyes away from the mountain and looked at him. \"Who?\" Misty asked, as Ash began walking towards the mountain\'s base. Ash didn\'t answer her, and Misty and Brock exchanged worried glances before following him.

Once they were high enough up the mountain that Ash was sure they wouldn\'t run into anyone, Pikachu emerged from his bag and settled on his shoulder. I don\'t know why you continue to go high places. You haven\'t had the best experiences with heights, the pokemon said, recalling the time Ash had been picked up by an Aerodactyl, the incident at Lindham Labs, and other similar times.

It\'s like falling off a horse, Pikachu, Ash began the old cliché as he picked his way over a fallen tree.

Yes, Pikachu agreed. Except with you it\'s like falling off a building, or the occasional mountain.

Ash smirked before continuing his hike, Misty and Brock puffing along behind him. Although they had traveled with Ash for over four years, it had been a long time ago. They were not used to it and were becoming very tired. There was no path on the mountain, so they had to walk through the forest, climbing over fallen debris. Neither of them dared to complain, because they knew Ash wouldn\'t care, especially since he had told them quite clearly he did not want them along. So they ambled along, following Ash, having no clue where they were going, or what they were going to see.

Misty looked up, pushing the screen of red hair out of her eyes, and saw Ash disappear from view. They both quickened their pace and stopped when they came to the entrance to a cave. Ash was nowhere to be seen, but a small glow coming from inside the cave, led Brock to believe Pikachu was using flash to light his master\'s way.

They entered, keeping the glow in sight. Unable to see where they were going, Brock released Vulpix. \"Use flame-thrower. Light our way,\" he commanded. The small pokemon complied, sending flames into the air. The fire lit the cave enough that they could make out the gray walls and the dusty floor.

They continued to follow the distant glow, wondering how deep Ash was going. The small glow began to get bigger and soon Brock realized that it hadn\'t been a cave but a tunnel, leading into the center of the mountain.

Ash stood at the end of the tunnel, his arms crossed. Wind was blowing his hair back from his face and his trench coat fluttered in the breeze. Pikachu sat solemnly on his shoulder. Misty, Brock, and Vulpix joined them, astonished at the sight that met them.

Apparently the inside of the mountain was hollow, because they hadn\'t emerged on the other side but on the inside. The mountain didn\'t meet at the top, it simply opened into the heavens, allowing the sun to illuminate the inside. Brock\'s eyes widened as he looked down, they were standing on the edge of a cliff that was so high, the bottom was completely out of sight.

Across a large gap, almost one hundred yards wide, were two holes, one on the left and one on the right. They appeared to be entrances to tunnels, probably leading to the other side of the mountain. Man-made wooden platforms were attached to the side of the cliff in front of them. From where they stood, they could go left or right, either way leading to a dead end, where they would be stuck on the platform with nowhere to go. Another set of identical platforms were attached on the opposite side. To cross the ravine one had to use an ancient looking bridge that was attached to the platforms.

The thing that caught their attention though, was the large crystal sitting on a narrow stone ledge on the other side of the ravine. Sunlight streamed down upon it, causing it to glisten.

Ash turned to them, his face set. \"Stay to the side, but be ready. I want you to be able to get out of here as fast as possible.\" For once neither of them argued, they began to walk to the right. Ash moved forward, and stopped before stepping onto the bridge. \"No matter what, don\'t cross this bridge.\"

The bridge swayed slightly in the wind, and Ash kept his hands ready to grab the old rope railings if need be. He moved at a slow but steady pace, working his way across the narrow bridge. Pikachu, who was afraid of heights, had scampered into Ash\'s bag.

Misty and Brock watched in silence as a cloud descended and slowly removed Ash from view.

Ash looked around as the cloud settled around him. Upon turning around, he noted he couldn\'t see Brock or Misty. He felt the bridge shift, as though someone had stepped on it.

I told them to stay there. Why don’t they ever… he trailed off as the bridge began to shake as if someone was running on it. Ash strained his eyes, trying to see through the fog, but didn\'t see the figure until it was too late. He felt someone\'s fist impact with his jaw. He stumbled, and had to use the ropes for balance. The cloud shifted and Ash was able to make out his attacker.

\"Do you really think this is the best place for a fight, Gary?\" Ash asked, glancing down at the seemingly endless drop.

Gary shot him a look of contempt before saying, \"If I hadn\'t needed to cross, I would have cut the bridge.\"

Ash shrugged. \"I figured you would feel that way.\" He dropped into a fighting position.

Gary lunged at him and managed to connect a few good punches before Ash kicked him in the chest. Gary stumbled backwards, then with the help of the bridges rope handles, regained his balance. He advanced on Ash, who was slowly backing away.

Pikachu, who was reading Ash\'s thoughts, asked, Are you sure that\'s wise?

Ash blocked a punch from Gary before thinking, Do you have any better ideas?

Anything is better than deliberately luring Nine out, Pikachu said as Ash ducked from a kick that was aimed at his head.

The cloud finally lifted and Misty and Brock were surprised to see Ash, about ten yards from the other side, fighting Gary. They watched as Gary backed Ash onto the opposite platform, under the ledge the crystal sat on. Then the fight stopped, and both men turned, facing the left tunnel.

A low roar caused Gary to stop fighting. \"What was that?\" he asked aloud.

\"Nothing good,\" Ash said, glancing over his shoulder for a means of escape.

This was a really bad idea, Pikachu thought.

Another roar, louder this time, caused both Ash and Gary to look at the tunnel to their left.

I don\'t think she\'s going to be happy to see me, Pikachu, Ash thought, inching backwards.

Without warning, a pokemon stuck her head out of the tunnel. She blinked her red eyes a few times, allowing them to adjust to the bright sunlight, then she fixed her gaze on the two men standing under the ledge by her crystal. The rest of the large wolf-like creature emerged from the tunnel, her pure white coat gleaming. She bared her sharp pointed teeth as she began to run at them.

\"Brock what is that?\" Misty asked.

Brock looked down at Vulpix, who he hadn\'t recalled, then back to the huge pokemon headed towards Ash and Gary. As she ran a number of long bushy tails trailed behind her. \"It\'s a ninetails, but it’s about twice as large as a normal one.\"

Ash turned and ran from Nine, Gary right on his heels. Ash glanced over his shoulder in time to see her shoot a flame-thrower at them. The flames flew at him as he made it to the other cave. He dove in, leaving Gary to Nine. Ash heard Gary scream as Nine caught up to him, cornering him on the edge of the platform.

While Nine was busy preparing to rip Gary apart, Ash snuck out of the cave and began running towards the crystal.

What are you going to do with it? Pikachu asked.

Destroy it before Gary can get it, Ash replied, as he sprinted down the platform.

Somehow I don\'t think Nine is going to like that.

Brock and Misty watched anxiously as Ash ran towards the crystal. The ninetail\'s head suddenly perked up and she quickly looked over her shoulder at Ash. She left Gary, and, with more agility than seemed possible for such a large pokemon, she leapt into the air and landed in front of Ash. He skidded to a stop, barely avoiding colliding into her. They stood for a moment staring at one another, her red eyes gleaming with anger.

From where Misty and Brock were, they saw Ash begin to form an energy ball in his hand behind his back. The ninetails crouched, about to pounce, when Ash pulled the ball from behind his back. It exploded, light shooting everywhere. Nine reared back with a deafening roar, temporarily blinded.

Ash used her confusion to his advantage and leapt high into the air. He grabbed the crystal and landed behind the pure white pokemon, who appeared to have regained her eyesight. Ash didn\'t look back, he simply began running across the bridge as fast as he possibly could, the crystal clutched in his hand. Pikachu\'s yellow head poked out of the bag and Ash handed him the crystal.

Nine let out another roar of rage before bounding after him. Her running caused the bridge to shake and Ash was having trouble remaining balanced. Nine stopped running and shot a flame-thrower at him.

\"Duck!\" Misty and Brock yelled in unison.

Ash quickly laid flat on his stomach, his hands covering his head. The heat from the flames above him was causing him to sweat. The attack stopped and Nine began running toward him again.

\"Run!\" Brock cried. Ash got up quickly and continued his sprint, now about thirty yards from the platform.

None of them noticed that Nine\'s attack had set the ropes that held the bridge on fire.

The extra seconds it had taken Ash to get up had cost him, Nine was now only inches away. Everything happened at once. Ash was about six feet from the edge when the fire ate through the ropes. Ash, realizing what was happening, leapt into the air, as the bridge fell from under him. At the same time Nine had caught up to him.

Ash remarkably landed on the platform, on his hands and knees, panting. Misty and Brock came running towards him.

Less than a second after he landed he was yanked backwards, and was pulled towards the edge of the platform. Ash began slowly, but surely sliding towards the cliff. He turned over, digging his heels in for traction but it did very little on the wood. As he approached the edge he saw what was pulling him.

Nine had taken hold of his trench coat in her mouth and was now dangling off the edge. Ash struggled, but she was too heavy, she was going to pull him right off the cliff. Ash quickly slid his pack off and pushed it out of the way. He reached the edge, and fell off.

\"Ash!\" Misty and Brock cried as he disappeared. They ran to the edge of the cliff to see Ash still there, hanging from one of the poles that had held the bridge.

\"A little help here?\" he grunted as he strained to hold his own weight, plus Nine\'s, who was still hanging on for dear life. Misty and Brock grabbed his arms, trying to pull him up. Pikachu, who had climbed out of the bag, sat on his haunches, watching the effort.

Brock and Misty couldn\'t get him up with the added weight of the huge pokemon. Ash looked up at them, then down at Nine, before kicking her in the jaw. She let go, and the three humans tumbled backwards onto the platform into a tangled heap.

Ash quickly reached into his coat and pulled out a pokeball. With a crack Zapdos appeared.

\"Get her!\" Ash cried, pointing down where Nine had fallen. The large electric bird dove down, and a minute later returned with Nine, who was laying in shock on his back. They watched as Zapdos put the dazed ninetails onto the opposite platform, then flew back to Ash.

\"Thanks,\" Ash said, patting him on the beak before recalling him.

The group sat on the platform, exhausted, until a voice from behind them said, \"What a shame. All that work for nothing.\"

Ash turned to see Gary standing by his pack, holding the crystal.

\"Let\'s see now Ashton,\" Gary said, pulling a pokeball from his belt. \"How does this work again?\"

Ash stood up, glaring at him, saying nothing.

\"Oh, that\'s right,\" Gary continued smugly. He cocked his head and smirked at him, rolling the pokeball between his fingers. \"I gain the elemental abilities of the first pokemon I touch.\" At this he threw the pokeball and a bipedal, golden colored pokemon appeared. It was clutching a silver spoon in each hand.

\"Shit,\" Ash muttered, narrowing his eyes at the Alakazam.

Gary smiled arrogantly before reaching out and lightly laying his hand atop Alakazam\'s head. Beams of light shot out from between the pokemon\'s head and Gary\'s hand, and his expression quickly changed to pain. He began to scream, trying to pull his hand away, but it seemed to be stuck to Alakazam\'s head.

Ash feigned surprise. \"Oops!\" he said, placing his hand over his mouth. \"Did I forget to mention the excruciating pain it involves?” He watched Gary fall to his knees without any sympathy whatsoever.

The unknown power that had been adhering Gary to Alakazam suddenly released him, and he fell to the ground, barely conscious. The Alakazam stood next to him, apparently unhurt, but somewhat confused.

Brock turned to Ash, his face pale and his eyes wide. \"Just a little trick you picked up?\" he said, repeating Ash\'s earlier explanation of his powers.

Ash shrugged before saying, \"Get back, he\'ll be able to use his powers soon, and I want you two out of harms way.\"

Brock and Misty backed away, keeping their eyes on Gary, who was now struggling to his knees. Pikachu hopped off of Ash\'s shoulder, ready to take care of the Alakazam if he needed to.

Gary looked up at Ash, his grey eyes flashing with pure hatred. He stuggled to his feet, then ran a hand through his auburn hair saying, \"I suppose you thought that was funny?\"

Ash simply smirked.

Gary narrowed his eyes then said, \"Let\'s see how these powers work shall we?\" He raised his arms above his head and a silver glow formed around him as he powered up.

Ash folded his arms across his chest and calmly watched him, apparently unconcerned about the attack Gary was planning. Gary released an attack that resembled a psybeam at Ash\'s head. Ash ducked and watched the attack travel harmlessly above him.

Although Gary now had powers, Ash was three years ahead of him when it came to experience. Ash also had powers that no one but he and Pikachu even knew existed. Gary, realizing that fighting Ash without more experience could be fatal, decided to try a different tactic.

\"Well, this has been fun Ketchum, but I\'m afraid I have to run,\" Gary said, a small grin beginning to spread across his face. \"I think there are some people in Pallet that I can use for target practice.\"

Ash angrily powered up, ready to kill him on the spot, when Gary suddenly used teleport, disappearing. Ash gritted his teeth as he powered down, the golden glow that had formed around him dissipated. He turned to face Brock and Misty, only to see that Gary had reappeared behind them, although neither of them had noticed. The silver glow surrounding him told Ash Gary was about to attack.

\"Get down!\" he cried, sprinting towards them. He leapt into the air and tackled the bewildered pair to the ground as Gary released the attack. A powerful psychic attack flew over their heads, blowing Misty\'s hair into Ash\'s face.

Gary finished the attack and fell to his knees, panting. \"You neglected to tell me how much using powers drains out of you, Ashton.\"

Ash untangled himself from Brock and Misty and stood up, saying nothing.

\"Well, I need to go practice with my powers. I\'ll be sure to say hello to your mother,\" Gary jeered.

Ash\'s handsome face contorted with rage at the mention of his mother. He charged at Gary, who once again used teleport. Ash skidded to a stop looking around wildly, but Gary had disappeared for good this time.