Ash: The Last Stand (History)

I get the feeling that I promised an update much sooner than this, but in the end, I'm glad I held onto it for as long as I did. I was really unhappy with the chapter after this one and once I realized why, I had to go back and rewrite parts of this one in order to make sure they were consistent. So while I do apologize for the long wait on this chapter, in the end it was rather necessary in order to get things just right.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon.

Episode Title: To Bee or Not To Bee
Closest town/landmark: Saffron City - Gamboge
Distance Travelled: 22km
Pokemon mentioned: Eight.
Number of alternative punch lines considered for the first dialogue between Mewoth and James: Seventeen including, but not limited to . . .
"Well sure, Meowth, but even if Harry Potter did exist, there's no way he would lend us his invisibility cape."
"I think so, Meowth . . . wait, what's 'pondering' again . . ."
"I think so, Meowth, but where are we going to find a cloning machine, x ammount of Jesse's DNA and 'everything nice' in this place?"
"I think so, Meowth, but don't you think this 'taking over the world' fetish of yours is just a little ambitious given our current track record?"
Approximate time in days it would take to travel from Gamboge to Saffron, then back to Vermillion, beat Lt. Surge and travel by boat to Pallet: Sixteen
Approximate time in days from deadline to arrive in Pallet: Eleven
Number of allusions made to A Clockwork Orange: Four
Trading a beedrill that doesn't even know fury attack for a Sneasel and a Razor Claw: Priceless

Ash: The Last Stand – Seeing is Believing

Dawn's eyes widened as they finally stopped outside their destination. She was glad to be out of the woods with its creepy fog swirling heavily around their knees and the trees packed so tightly together that no light could breach its surface. Now that she was away from the curious rustling and unrecognisable Pokémon cries, she had to wonder if they were truly 'out of the woods' so to speak.

Their current location hardly seemed like an improvement. The darkened building they had paused in front of gave off a sense of foreboding that made Dawn want to run back to her mommy and never leave Sinnoh ever again. If it weren't for the two boys' insistence, she would have turned back long ago – long before the first waves of fog first rolled in, and long before they first stepped foot in the forest that Ash and Brock assured her was the only way they knew to the gym, and certainly long before the strange figure leading them to said gym had first appeared.

The small girl was perfectly silent the entire time, except for the occasional ominous giggle seeming to echo through the woods. Now that they had arrived at their supposed destination, the child-like figure had disappeared completely, leaving Dawn to wonder if she was ever really there.

"Are you sure this is it?" she asked quietly, her tone hopeful as she glanced a t Brock, silently willing him to tell her they had gotten the wrong place and that the gym was somewhere down the road bathed in sunlight and flowers, and everything that would seem the very antithesis of what she was faced with.

"Of course it is," Ash replied, apparently indifferent to the way darkness seemed to emanate from the building. "If anyone would know where the gym was, it would be her. I mean, sure it's not exactly how I remember it, but it seems to be in the right place."

Dawn frowned at Ash's words, not finding them particularly comforting. "So you've entrusted our getting there solely in the hands of some child?" she asked, an uncharacteristically sarcastic note in her voice that came from being scared beyond reason while her companions seemed not to notice at all. She knew that if anything bad came of her, it would be Ash's fault entirely.

"Actually, Dawn, she's not a child," Brock said, continuing before Dawn jumped to the next possible conclusion i.e. ghost. "She's a psychically animated doll previously embedded with half of the gym leaders personality in order to grant her unlimited power . . . to an extent."

Dawn blinked, not really understanding what he was saying at all. With a quick sigh, Brock broke it down to layman's terms. "She's not a ghost," he said simply, "but she's not human either."

Well that didn't help much at all. Yes it wasn't a ghost, but the 'not human' part did not ease her fears. All she could take from that was the fact that they were being led around a scary forest by something or someone that wasn't really there and only resembled a small child, while potentially being something far more frightening. She muffled a frightened sob as she let out her large, mammoth like Pokémon for protection. She doubted any dolly would be getting past her mamoswine, psychically animated or otherwise.

"This place has really changed," Ash commented aloud, more to himself than anything else. "Misty's hardly changed at all, and Pewter just brightened up; but this . . ."

As the fog cleared they were able to see more and more of the Saffron gym and the changes it had under gone. While not exactly looking run down, the gym had the appearance of an abandoned castle complete with battlements and fortification and a tall tower looming over them. Two large oak door stood in their way, separating them from what lay beyond.

Brock nodded in agreement. "I guess Sabrina went all out with the refurbishments," he commented. "I mean, just look at those knockers," he awed.

The knockers specified were two ornate doorknockers fashioned in the image of an abra and a haunter, each with a hoop hinged in their mouth that could be lifted and dropped back to the plate below to alert the occupant of their arrival. Above the door was a message written in the old Kanto script that almost no one used anymore. Ash scanned it into his Pokedex for a translation and Dexter dictated its meaning to the trainers in a paradoxical monotone:

Saffron City Pokémon Gym
He who dares to enter; beware. Only the brave of heart may enter these walls, and all others will suffer the consequences.

"Told you it was the right place," Ash said upon Dexter's confirmation of their location, unfazed by the ominous warning. He stepped forward, along with Brock and Pikachu, nearing the two large doors and stretching his hand towards one of the two elaborate door fixtures.

"No!" Dawn cried, forcing them to stop in their actions and turn back to face her. She edge closer to Mamoswine, curling her fingers into its shaggy hair for some sort of reassurance. "I think we should go back," she said quickly, her voice shaking with fear. "You might not be scared, but I am and I don't want to face the consequences!" she wailed dramatically, looking at each of them with a desperate pleading look.

"Dawn, it'll be fine," Ash assured her, with a stubborn grin. "It's probably nothing."

"That's what you said about Mount Moon, and look where that got you," she argued defiantly.

Ash shrugged, not really seeing her point. Ignoring the warnings outside Mt. Moon had gotten him to Cerulean two days early (and we all know how well that worked out for him) and a new Pokémon whose actual species was still unknown. The bit about nearly dying and having to face off with a pair of rockets to prevent him and his friends being buried in rubble had apparently slipped his mind.

"There's no need to worry," Brock assured her, quoting her 'invincible spell' back at her. "We know Sabrina, and even though she turned Misty and I into dolls, she would never intentionally hurt someone. Not now at least."

Despite the conflicting elements within Brock's statement, she felt slightly relieved by his words. Although she continued to frown, she let out a soft sigh that relaxed her stance slightly and loosened her grip on her Pokémon.

"Now you better put Mamoswine away, Dawn," he told her, "because he's not going to fit through that door. Ash'll release some Pokémon once we're inside." He didn't mention that Mamoswine would be completely useless against Sabrina's Pokémon, thinking that little tidbit was best kept to himself.

Dawn nodded, stepping closer to Brock as she returned her Pokémon. The young breeder comfortingly wrapped his arm around her shoulder, a gentle, reassuring expression locked on his face. He was himself a little concerned about the appearance of the gym, but for Dawn's sake – and even Ash's to some degree – he would keep those concerns to himself.

Ash stepped forward once again, choosing haunter from the two knockers (for sentimental reasons) and let the ring drop down twice. The sound reverberated slowly around them before stopping abruptly and leaving them in an uncanny silence. And then, just as abruptly, that silence was broken as a low creak crescendoed and the door eased open as if of its own fruition.

"I guess the welcoming committee is out for the day," Ash joked with an easy smile.

Brock gave him an admonishing look for trying to make light of the situation when Dawn was so clearly not coping. The young co-ordinator moved in closer to Brock who obligingly held her hand in a fatherly gesture. "There's nothing to worry about," he assured her once again, paraphrasing his previous sentiment. "It'll all be okay."

She nodded and let him guide her over the threshold into an ominously dark room. She glanced around, trying to adjust her eyes to the darkness and discern where she was, but before she had the chance, the door slammed shut behind them, plunging them into pitch darkness.

With a loud squeal she latched herself onto Brock's side, squeezing her eyes shut as she buried her head in his green vest. She tried desperately to concentrate on the words of comfort that Brock offered, but couldn't help but think that this was the end of Dawn Berlitz come much too soon for her liking. An indignant part of her brain silently cursed Ash Ketchum, cursing herself along with him for not realizing sooner that he would be the death of her.

"I'm on it," Ash called out into the darkness, as he released three Pokémon, each with a specific purpose in mind. Quilava was released to provide some light to help them get around; Scooby (gastly) because Kadabra was weak to ghost-type attacks; and Ludovico (sneasel) because of his resistance to ghost-type attacks, and immunity to psychic attacks. He'd learnt his lesson the last time he came to Saffron – it was no good being unprepared against the psychic gym leader.

Pikachu was relieved to see that this was so. It was one thing to beat a giant rock snake with a wee electric mouse, but it was another to pit that same mouse against a psychic fox. Pikachu hadn't liked the odds then and he liked them even less now that the Saffron gym had taken a distinctly creepier feel since the first time they visited. He much preferred leaving this one in the hands of Scooby and Ludovico, and letting this go to type advantages rather than sheer power of will.

With a determined cry, the flame on Quilava's lower back burst to life and when this did little to light their way, the full expanse lit up with a bright flame. Still, no matter how much fire sprung form the Pokémon's back, no more than a meters radius would light up around the fire-type and the rest of the area would remain in darkness.

"We'll just have to stick close together," Brock told them, happy with the choice.

The small grouped huddled together as they moved further into the building with Ash and Quilava leading the way. They had no idea if they were heading in the right direction or where they would end up in the end, but with their exit already blocked behind them, they had no choice but to keep moving forward.

Strange noises echoed through the darkness causing Dawn to whimper and cling tighter to Brock. The occasional flash would light up the room, and she would catch the glimpse of some movement from the corner of her eye before it all went black once again.

Even Ash was becoming increasingly anxious as they progressed. He moved much slower than usual, cautiously and ever vigilant for something in the shadows. Every ominous chortle or low howl made him tense just a little bit more and had him reaching almost unconsciously for his Pokéballs.

But then he heard something – something he hadn't expected to hear in his current frightening circumstances.

"Misty!" he cried gleefully as he heard a familiar laugh echo through the silence. Throwing his previous caution to the wind, Ash raced into the foreboding darkness, thinking of nothing but the fastest way to get him self to Misty and to stay there forever. His cry was echoed by a cheerful "Pikachupi! Chupi-pi!" from the mouse on his shoulder.

Dawn gaped at the sight. "He's complete in love with her, isn't he?" Dawn asked rhetorically as she watched him disappear. She suddenly knew exactly what it was Brock hadn't wanted to tell her so as to let Ash work it out for himself.

"Completely," a voice that wasn't Brock's replied, drawing the remaining members of the party's attention. "Although it's probably not fair for me to say so."

The darkness slowly lifted around them, and Dawn was gaping once again as the most elegant woman she had ever seen in her life appeared from the veil of night. She was almost ethereal, her pale skin glowing against the dark navy corset and black ¾ length jacket. Her silk skirt seemed to drift behind her as though pulled by some magical breeze, and the woman herself seemed to almost float in her movements. Her jade/black hair was long and straight, and fell down her back to a finger tip length. Her eyes were a brilliant blue and full of such intrigue and knowledge that Dawn found herself shuddering under her gaze.

"Who are you?" Dawn half whispered, unable to keep the awe from her voice. She had never been so entirely struck by one person before in her life.

"I am –" the woman began, but she was cut off by a not entirely unexpected gesture from Brock. Given Dawn's own appraisal of the woman, it was unsurprising that Brock had reacted in his usual way. In fact, Dawn could almost forgive his reaction this time, it being somewhat justified by the figure before them.

"Sabrina," he said softly – reverently – as he grasped her hand in his and knelt down before her. He gazed adoringly into her eyes, a goofy grin plastered on his face as he declared his love. "I am completely under your power. My princess . . . my love . . . I'm sure you don't have to look too far into the future to know that you and I are meant to be!"

"Sabrina?" Dawn asked, wonderment in her eyes. "That means you're-" she began, but she was cut off by the strangest sound she had ever heard, at least in response to Brock seemingly doing his darndest to creep the woman out (at least in Dawn's opinion). She giggled – the beautiful, elegant woman who had walked into the room with an air of worldliness, was actually giggling at one of Brock's corny lines. And even more than that, Dawn could swear she could see a pink blush forming on Sabrina's pale cheeks.

Dawn could do nothing but stare. Someone had actually responded to one of Brock's pick up lines, and it wasn't a slap or something akin to Nurse Joy's gracious attempts to let him down gently, but encouragement even. And when Brock continued, pilfering his own brother's line about marble and lapus gems, the smile on Sabrina's face said it all.

It looked like Brock had finally hit his home run.

Dawn had no idea what she was supposed to do in this situation. Normally Croagunk would have appeared before Brock could offer a second line to his current fascination and finish the breeder off with a convenient poison jab. And if that weren't enough to do him in, one of his human travelling companions would step up as a second line of defence. Usually this would be Ash or Misty, but with those two similarly occupied it was up to Dawn to step in.

Only Dawn really didn't have the heart to put an end to it.

'He's not really bothering anyone,' she justified to herself as she continued to watch the scene, unwilling to call herself to arms. She was enraptured by what was occurring – while Brock's attempted wooing was almost a daily occurrence, Sabrina's reaction to it was positively enthralling. Dawn had always secretly wondered what might happen if Brock was left to his own devices, and now she would finally get her answer.

It seemed that in certain controlled circumstances, Brock might actually succeed in his attempts to woo.

For the first five minutes it was the same as always; just one cheesy line after another delivered with such open sincerity that Dawn herself found it hard not to laugh. But once those first five minutes passed, things changed in a very obvious way. Even though he continued to deliver those hideous lines one after another, the goofy, lovestruck look on his face had been replaced with one of mirth and his grip on Sabrina's hand had become gentler. It was at this point that he had stopped trying to win her over, and settled on trying to make a very pretty girl laugh, for she was very pretty and had what he would deem the most alluring laugh in all of Kanto.

Sabrina laughed freely, her eyes closed and red stained mouth open in a wide smile. With her cheeks flushed with amusement and eyes sparkling with joy, Brock couldn't help but think she looked more beautiful and surreal than even he could imagine.

The breeder savoured each tinkling laugh and the image of her smile stored in his memory for all of time. He assured himself that for as long as they remained in Saffron, he would try to make her laugh as often as possible.

"Sabrina," he said lowly, relishing her name off his lips. "I think that Monsieur Arouet had you in mind when he coined the immortal words 'O che sciagura d'essere senza coglioni' – oh what a misfortune to be a eunuch."

"Please no more," she begged, tugging on their joined hands as a signal for him to rise. "Any more and I think my stomach will burst," she added, one hand reaching for her sore stomach muscles.

He did as she instructed, smiling warmly as he looked down into those enticing blue eyes. He towered above her by a good three inches (more if she wore flat – or rather flatter – shoes), which was the perfect height for nestling her under his chin if he were to hold her close. His mind drifted away a little as he considered such a position and so he hardly noticed that his hands were still clasped around hers.

Sabrina made no attempt to extract herself, a blush refusing to fade from her cheeks as she examined him clandestinely. She didn't think he was her usual type – not that she had much experience with boys and relationships, or even a much of a type for that matter – but at the same time she thought he was awfully cute in a goofy sort of way. The way that he had teased and flirted with her – the way he was still flirting with her, although now silently with seductive smiles and looks – was completely at odds with the strong and wizened impression given off by his bulky, muscled frame and distinguished, hard features. Sabrina, who could count the number of times she had been flirted with on one hand, hardly knew what to do with herself.

Eventually a soft cough from Dawn broke her from her staring, and the psychic glanced towards the unfamiliar young girl who had arrived with Brock and Ash. She almost reluctantly pulled herself away from the young man so as to properly introduce herself to her guest.

"I don't believe we've met," Sabrina said, offering her hand. "I am Sabrina Le Fay, the gym leader here in Saffron. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Dawn responded cheerfully, forgetting her earlier fears completely. "I'm Dawn. The guys have told me so much about you," she said as she enthusiastically pumped the gym leaders hands. "Are you really psychic? What am I thinking right now?"

Sabrina glanced back at the young breeder almost as though this was the answer to Dawn's question. "You're wondering why Brock never mentioned I was so pretty, " she said, raising an imploring in his direction.

The dark skinned young man blushed brilliantly under her challenging gaze. "I wasn't sure you'd appreciate it," he said in his defence without indicating to whom his response was directed.

"Well," Sabrina uttered, her cheeks mirroring his, "I think we best check on Ash and Misty before I have to explain myself to their guardians."

Dawn frowned as she tried to decipher Sabrina's meaning. "I don't get it," she said finally when no meaning became apparent.

"Good," Brock said gently, leading her in the direction that Ash had disappeared. The three Pokémon Ash released followed behind them, still somewhat confused by the sudden departure of their trainer.

They came quickly to upon a door that opened up to a brightly lit room that was nothing like the area before it. The room was already in occupation by two teenagers (and their Pokémon) who remained completely oblivious to their presence. With quick reflexes, Brock slapped a hand in front of Dawn's vision before she could get a good look at their companions – like he wanted to have to explain that one to Johanna.

The oblivious pair remained entangled on the couch despite the entrance of their friends. Ash – taking certain liberties with the girl who he hadn't been able to kiss for nearly three whole weeks – had one hand firmly lodge in the back pocket of Misty's jeans, while the other slipped under the hem of her yellow camisole, lightly tracing the contours of her stomach. Misty's arms were draped innocently around her boyfriend's neck and shoulders, but such 'innocence' was defeated, it seemed, by her overall position. While Ash was seated upon the couch, Misty sat straddled on his lap as her lips attached to his throat, marking what was hers before returning to his lips.

If not for his own quick reflexes Brock reckoned Dawn would have been scarred for life and he definitely didn't want to have to explain that to Johanna.

Quilava and Scooby kindly explained the situation to the confused Ludivico who was not aware that their master had a mate.

"Ah hem," Sabrina coughed loudly, trying to gain the attention of the lip locked pair. She coughed again – louder this time – when the two appeared undeterred by the interjection.

"For the love of . . ." she muttered lowly, shaking her head in disbelief, "you would think they'd been separated for years rather than weeks. I am starting to regret facilitating this reunion."

Brock smiled, catching onto her train of thought. "I've spent the last six years trying to get them together," he commented wisely, "but these days it's on me to try and keep them apart."

Sabrina smiled at his words – she liked a man with wit. "How about I relieve you of your duty then?" she asked, a hint of mischief sparkling in her sapphire blue eyes. Entranced as he was, Brock had no choice but to acquiesce.

"Haunter," she called as the ghost type materialized beside her. "Would you like to play a trick on Ash and Misty?"

Haunter nodded enthusiastically, his entire body moving with the action as he grinned at the sight of his old friend. Scooby watched his evolved counter part with wonder.

"I think number seventeen would go down quite nicely," she suggested after a moments thought.

With an agreeing nod, Haunter floated over to the pair who continued not to heed the presence of human or Pokémon. Haunted tapped on Ash's shoulder, but got not response – he seemed to be so thoroughly absorbed in his activities that even Pokémon couldn't distract him from it. With a sigh of mild disappointment, Haunter pulled out a gag bomb and held it close to the couple. It detonated a moment later covering the pair in soot, but still they would not be deterred.

Disappointed by their reaction, Haunter floated sadly back to the group. "It's ok, Haunter, you did your best," she assured the ghost type as Brock used Ash's Pokémon to distract Dawn from what they were trying to hide from her.

"I suppose I shall resort to the old fashioned approach," Sabrina huffed as she used her psychic powers to pick up a rolled up newspaper and whack each of the pair repeatedly until they quit their actions. "I did not bring you here so you could defile my couch," she told the two, punctuating each word with a newspaper attack. "In fact, I had a very good reason for doing so."

"Oh yeah," Ash said happily as he pulled his hands back to where they should be. "I remember you telling me absolutely nothing about something really important."

"Ash, don't be a smart ass," Misty admonished before Brock or Dawn had the chance. "What's all this about, Sabrina?" she asked the psychic gym leader as she too quit any inappropriate actions.

Sabrina gave her a dry look, but continued quite seriously. "As I was trying to say, I brought you here for a very important reason, and if you're about done we can get to these matters presently," she said in an officious tone as she held out an open palm towards the teens.

When she continued, her tone was commanding with an almost sinister edge that left no room for dissent. The words were simple, the meaning clear, and her tone deadly serious.

"Ash, give me the egg."

~ to be continued ~

Yes! Cliffhanger! And now you're all left wondering, is Sabrina really evil? After all, the anime doesn't really give much guidance as to Sabrina's personality, so maybe I've gone to the manga for inspiration and made her one of Giovanni's top agents. Or maybe this is all aimed at some obscure side plot that nobody saw coming. Who knows. You'll just have to hang out of the next chapter I guess.

Notes:
Chupi-pi: pikachu-ese for Misty's marril, because it's only right that he have a nickname for his future mate.

I always considered Brock's 'attacks' on women as a bit like an fear response. With a fear response, your system can only maintain it for like five to ten minutes, so if you're stuck in the same situation for longer than that, the fear will eventually subside. I kinda figured that if anyone could withstand Brock for more than five minutes, that his initial response would subside to something a bit and the normal Brock would kick in. Of course, that's not going to stop him from hitting on her entirely, but just enough to make it more bearable.

The eunuch line is from Voltaire's Candide. It doesn't quite fit, but I always thought it was such an amusing line.

For anyone interested, Sabrina is roughly 23 - so 7 years older than Ash.

Did anyone catch the reference to Chapter 7 of Beginnings? How's that for continuity.