Hi there, folks! I'm back again for the part two finale of this little zombie AU mini story. Once again, for anyone who is interested in the zombie AU, Tumblr user Feranelia came up with it. She's done some amazing art on it and if you search you'll probably find the posts in which she and I traded off on ideas for this AU.

So, what lies in store for zombie AU Red upon learning that his beloved little brother may have actually survived all these years? Let's see!

Disclaimer: I have no ownership over Pokémon, as I have stated numerous times in the past.

"Pallet Town? Are you out of your mind, kid?"

Red gritted his teeth as Lt. Surge chewed him out. When Red had showed up at their makeshift hideout, he had hoped that Surge wouldn't be around so that he could leave on his trip to Pallet without his mentor knowing. But, like with the rest of his life since the Infection started, Red was never that lucky. Surge hadn't left yet and so Red had had to explain the bizarre story he had heard from the mercenary. That strange, absolutely unbelievable tale that was giving Red a bud of hope that he wasn't prepared to have crushed in the very likely case that the story was false.

Surge put a hand over his eyes and let out a deep sigh as Red continued to pack his bag full of supplies he'd need for his trip. After a moment of silence, Surge stepped forward and placed a hand on Red's shoulder, causing the younger man to pause his packing and glance up at him.

"Kid…Red…" Surge began in an uncharacteristically solemn tone, "That bro of yours was six back then. I'm not saying it's impossible he survived, but-"

"I know," Red cut him off tartly, pushing the hand off and getting back to preparing for his journey.

Red knew just how stupid he was being, how foolish this entire trip was. He was taking the word of some rookie mercenary who went mad due to the loss of his team over his own common sense. Ash was six years old and had the kind of luck that would always find him in some kind of trouble. The idea that Ash, that tiny crybaby who was always by his side or his mother's, managed to survive in Pallet for the past decade was practically laughable. Red was just risking his ten year survival streak over nothing.

But still…Hope for a man whose heart had been repeatedly beaten down over time provides a strange, unwavering hold.

Surge seemed to realize that he could not convince Red to give up on this ridiculous quest. So all the older man did was hand Red his trusty hunting knife, which Red clipped to his belt beside the one Red had brought from Pallet.

"Best hope Giovanni doesn't find out about this," Surge warned before he left to go do his own work, "…Good luck, kid."

Red nodded before his mentor left. The last thing Red wanted was for Giovanni to find out he was procrastinating on a job because his baby brother may or may not be alive. Giovanni never was one to admire these sentimental pursuits.

Within a few minutes, Red's bag was packed with all the supplies he'd need for the journey. Along with the blade Surge had given him, Red had a pair of pistols with him in their holsters on either side of his belt. He put on a shoulder belt, which packed a couple more blades and some rounds of ammunition, before strapping onto his back a rifle and a sword he had been rewarded for doing a rather difficult mission a couple years back, one that gave him a nasty scar on his chest. Grabbing his bag, Red grazed his fingers along the hilt of the knife he had carried out of Pallet with him ten years ago, closing his eyes briefly at the strange mix of anxiety and comfort it brought, before he headed out.

Only to run into someone just outside the door. A hand instinctively went to one of his guns before he realized who it was that stood before him.

"Try not to shoot me, would you, Poker Face."

Green Oak didn't look too different from when Red had last seen him. A couple more scars here and there, darker bags under his eyes too, but not too different. Red pointed at Green's side, where his old friend's hand was resting over his own pistol. Green smirked before moving the hand away, while Red did the same.

"Why're you here, Green?" Red asked, adjusting the bag on his shoulder.

"What, I can't say hi to my old pal?" Green retorted.

Red couldn't help but frown at Green's voice. It was like he was trying to sound like the sarcastic little jerk he had been back when everything was normal. But the weariness and bitterness still rang through loud and clear.

"I've been meaning to check up on you," Green explained, "My team's stationed in the next town over, so I wanted to see how you've been holding up."

Unlike Red, who took to being a mercenary to survive, Green ended up joining a small but skilled military group, whose members were divided into teams and sent across the region trying to get some measure of order back to Kanto. Despite their small numbers, they've actually done rather well for themselves. Kanto was still hell, but the group's efforts have kept the region from falling any further and the group had also managed to rebuild some parts of the region. Honestly, Red wouldn't have expected his old friend to be part of such a group, but Red supposed it was because the place that the group of survivors Green was with were taken to provided Green with different opportunities than what Red had been given.

"You going off on another mission for Giovanni?" Green asked, looking over Red's getup.

Red could have lied and said that he was, but Green was very good at picking out lies, especially from Red. So much for his poker face working out for him. So Red explained the story much like he did to Surge and waited.

"Red, you're the moron of the century."

And there it was. Green was rather calm as he explained everything that could go wrong, about how astronomically the odds were not in Red's favor, and so on. Red found himself getting annoyed as Green ranted on.

"I'm still going and you won't stop me," he interrupted Green.

"And what're you gonna do if Ash isn't there, huh?" Green asked, jabbing a finger at Red's chest, "I'll tell you what you'll do. You'll be the same as you were all those years ago! Barely eating, walking around with a death wish, being a burden to all the other survivors who were trying their hardest to live on-"

"Then, it'll be my problem, not yours!" Red shouted, shoving Green away.

"Yeah, you'd think you wouldn't be my problem, but here I am trying to stop you from doing something I thought you'd be smart enough to know was death mission! I understand how you feel, Red, remember?"

And Red did remember. He remembered Green telling him the story a long time ago. About how Green had been forced to kill an infected Daisy in order to protect Gary. How Green and Gary had managed to escape together, only for the pair to get separated in the chaos when the survival camp they were at got ambushed by a horde of Infected. How Green never saw Gary again after that day. How Green has had to live with his sister's blood on his hands and the guilt that he had failed to look after his little brother. If anyone understood Red, it was definitely Green.

Green took a deep breath before pinching the bridge of his nose, Red hearing him counting to ten under his breath. After a moment, Green looked at Red once more.

"…I can't stop you, can I?"

Red shook his head. He understood the cons more than anyone, but he still needed to do this. Green silently stepped out of Red's way.

"Try not to die, will you, Poker Face?" Green told him, worry lacing the words that Green had tried to say jokingly, "You may be this infamous legend, but you're not invincible. And it's not like we can afford funerals nowadays."

Red smiled a bit at that before punching Green's shoulder lightly, a vow that he'd do his utmost to return alive, whether he found Ash or not.

And so, for the first time in ten years, Red was doing the unthinkable. He was heading back to Pallet Town.

He couldn't stop shaking.

A giant barricade…He had never actually seen the barricade for himself. It was rusted and covered in graffiti. The barbed wire at the top added to the menacing effect. A prison. For both the Infected ad the unlucky survivors who got trapped with them. Red supposed the dread and fear coursing through him were partly due to the lingering trauma of his escape and partly because the three day journey to Pallet had lead his mind to go wild trying to figure out what his old hometown had become.

Red tugged the bandana around his neck, the color matching his name, over his mouth and nose. Just because he had gotten used to the smell of death and decay over time, that didn't mean he enjoyed it.

The young mercenary glanced over at a tree whose branches reached up and over the barricade. He spotted a rope hanging from one of the branches, possibly having been used by that other mercenary. That was his ticket inside.

"Good thing Infected can't climb trees," Red murmured as he got to work scrambling up the tree.

Once he made it safely to the ground on the other side of the barricade, Red gave the rope a few tugs. It made some worrying creaks but seemed sturdy enough. Good. He was counting on the rope to escape.

Red took a deep breath before turning around. His hands, which had been clenched tightly due to his fear, relaxed as he looked at Pallet Town.

The grass had grown tall. Many of the houses were covered in moss and ivy, the windows and doors of several broken. To his right he spotted the playground where he, Ash, and the Oak kids had always played together. Just down the road, he spotted the worn down remains of old Mr. Johnson's house. Wasn't it Mr. Johnson's knife Red had been carrying all these years?

Red slapped his cheek to knock himself out of his thoughts. This was no time for reminiscing; it was a time for searching. He needed to find out for sure if his journey was worth it or just a waste of time by a desperate big brother.

Of course, Red couldn't just parade openly through the streets screaming Ash's name. Not unless he wanted to be swarmed by Infected. No, this was stealth time.

"Damn it all…"

Red wiped the sweat off his brow as he hid behind a shed, panting as he gripped the hunting knife Surge had given him. His sneaking around Pallet Town was actually working out well for him. He avoided the attention of the Infected while being able to search properly for any sign of his missing brother. There were a few close calls, of course. But Red swiftly disposed of the Infected before their moans alerted any others in the area.

It had to have been two or three hours since his search began, but there was still no sign of Ash. Not a single sign of that black haired, brown eyed kid with the strange birthmarks on his cheeks and the unique backpack. Part of Red wondered if maybe Ash had become an Infected after all and Red hadn't noticed because he couldn't recognize sixteen year old Ash when it was the six year old Ash's image in his mind.

Red gripped his hair painfully at that thought. No, it was useless thinking like that. He couldn't think that way. Not if he wanted to keep his sanity in check.

Though, as much as it pained him to admit it, part of Red hoped that Ash wasn't here. Because the alternative would be finding his brother alive…and having to justify abandoning him for ten years. He had promised to be by Ash's side, to protect him. Because he's the big brother.

How could he possibly justify subjecting his baby brother to these horrors, even though he did so unknowingly? How could he possibly explain how much of a coward he was, never once trying to come back and make sure his family was truly gone instead of just believing it to be fact without any evidence?

But…if Red found proof Ash truly was gone…He wasn't sure he'd be able to keep his promise to Green.

With that, Red got on the move again. There was another house about twenty feet away, with no cover in between. No Infected were around, so Red took the risk and ran for it. As he got closer and closer, he found himself slowing down without even meaning to, eventually stopping and staring, his mouth open slightly.

The ivy covered house before him was a familiar one, one he had only seen in his nightmares.

Home.

He should be alert in case the Infected see him, but all Red could do was walk up to the front door he hadn't seen in years, pressing a hand against the moss covered wood. Memories of smiles and warmth flooded his mind as he tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge.

With a sigh, Red started circling his home, searching for any way in. Luck was on his side when he found the one window that was unlocked. It took a bit of strength to get it open, and only slightly at that. But it was just enough for Red to squeeze his way through.

"…I'm home…"

A couple broken chairs, shattered plates, torn photos, the smell of rotting food. Home sweet home. Red wandered around from room to room, occasionally pausing to recall a fond memory before moving on. He felt furious that it seemed like looters had their way with the house. But there was nothing that could be done about that now.

Finding nothing of note on the ground floor, Red headed up the stairs.

Only to nearly fall back down from the shock of what he found.

At the top of the stairs, near one of the doors, was a heavily decomposed body, mostly a skeleton. Its arms were stretched towards the door. Red noticed many deep scratches on the door. The skeleton, or the person it once was, had clawed away at the door for some time. The person must have been an Infected. One that was taken care of, considering that the back of the skull was bashed in.

Red had seen numerous dead bodies, and many more dead Infected. Another one shouldn't have bothered him. And it wouldn't have…if those clothes the skeleton wore weren't so familiar.

"Mom."

Red kneeled down near her body, reaching out a hand to gently stroke the shirt, his mother's favorite. After a decade, he finally knew the fate of one member of his family. And, based on the condition of her body, she had been dead for a long time.

…Ash would have still been a child when she died…Without anyone to protect him…

"I'm sorry, Mom," Red whispered, his hand gripping her shirt tightly as he did back then, when he needed her comfort. His eyes watered as he remembered her voice and her hugs, "Sorry…Sorry…"

"W-Whoa!"

Red snapped his head up when he heard that shout that came from outside. Infected didn't shout.

Red growled as he got to his feet and raced to a nearby window. As he looked down, he saw the source of the voice. A young man was being backed up against the side of the house, seven Infected closing in on him. The guy was probably another one of those naïve kids who had a tendency to get into situations they couldn't handle. While he felt sorry for the boy, Red hoped that the shout would draw any of the Infected who were near towards him so that Red could escape.

And that was what he planned, until the young man moved forward just a bit, pointing the metal bat in his hand at the group of Infected.

Giving Red a bird's eye view of the green backpack with the yellow A and the picture of a Pikachu sewn on it.

"Great, you screwed up this time!"

Sixteen year old Ash chastised himself over and over as the band of Infected drew closer. Ten years…For ten whole years he had managed to keep himself alive, to avoid the Infected, to scrounge around for supplies that weren't rotting, to find wild fruit and catch wild animals to eat. He had used all those skills he learned from the apocalypse movies he watched back when there was still electricity. Sure, the lack of proper nutrition made him kinda scrawny and short for his age, but he was alive.

He had managed to keep his promise to his mother…

Ash and his mother had been the last two survivors of Pallet. All the others had been killed, either by the Infected or by the other survivors who went mad. And all of them had been working together so well for the first year. But then, when he was nine, his mother had come home with supplies and a horrid bite wound on her arm. She made him promise to live before she made him lock himself in his room. It took four hours of listening to the moans and the clawing at the door before Ash found that metal bat…

But he managed to screw all that up today, just because he was too preoccupied with wondering why one of the windows was open.

Ash gripped his bat tightly, weighing his options. With a bat, he wasn't sure he'd be able to take on all seven of the Infected. Could he run? Maybe, but they were closing in fast. It was times like this he wished he had a gun. Then he could blast all their heads off like those cool heroes in the movies.

One of the Infected took a step closer and Ash raised his bat to strike. But with the distance, he wasn't sure he could get in a good hit.

But, in a surprising bit of good luck for the teenager, his rescue came from above.

Ash could only watch with jaw agape, nearly dropping his bat from shock, as a person dropped down from above, landing right on top of the Infected nearest Ash. The person, a dark haired man with a bunch of weapons and whose face was mostly covered by a red bandana, quickly jumped off the Infected and kicked its body away. He then quickly pulled out a knife and stabbed the face of another Infected that had gotten close, before kicking it in the chest. As the mysterious man stood there, the bloody hunting knife clenched in his hand, all Ash could think was…

"Awesome…" he whispered.

Ash quickly realized that the man's entrance was strange, looking up and noticing the window on the second floor of the house was open.

"You were in my house?" Ash asked furiously, "I thought I didn't have to deal with you looters anymore! What did you take, you-?"

Ash was cut off by the man pulling out a pistol in a blink of an eye and shooting another Infected in the head.

"…O-okay, you're good," Ash muttered.

Not one to be outdone by some random stranger, who Ash had to admit reminded him of those super cool action movie heroes, Ash charged at another one of the Infected. He swung the bat, making direct contact with its head. The monster went flying, slamming against the wall of the house. Ash ran at it, bringing the bat down hard on his head, hearing the familiar crack of its skull.

"Not bad, huh?" Ash grinned as he looked back at the mystery man.

Only to see that the mystery man had taken care of the rest of the Infected, decapitating them all with a sword, in the time Ash had taken to handle one.

"…Show off…"

Now that the Infected were taken care, Ash took a good look at the man. He was half a foot taller than Ash, a lot stronger looking too. He must be skilled, with all those weapons he had on him. When the man turned towards him, Ash flinched and held his bat closer, feeling a little wary of the guy. After all, he had seen some other survivors in the first year work together when faced with Infected, only to turn on each other afterwards.

But why was the man shaking? And…was he tearing up?

"You okay, man?" Ash asked as the guy stepped in front of him, his eyes searching Ash's face. Not getting an answer, instead Ash held up a hand for a high-five, "Well, thanks for the help! I really…appreciate…"

Ash's voice trailed off as he realized what the man had done. The man had clenched his hand into a fist and oh so gently fist bumped Ash's open hand. Ash stared…It was familiar…

When Ash was four, his big brother had tried to fist bump him. But the four year old hadn't realized that and ended up high fiving his brother's fist. It had been super embarrassing for Ash, who was teased by a couple of kids who happened to see them. But his big brother came up with a solution. The strange fist bump/high-five combo would be their personal handshake. And it was unique to only them in the years that followed…Only between him and…and…

"No way…" Ash whispered, "Th-there's no way…"

The man pulled down his bandana, revealing a face that was so familiar. Older than he remembered, but just like…

"A shape shifter," Ash muttered, backing away from the man slowly, "You're not him. You're not! You can't be-"

"Ash."

He froze. That voice, the way it said his name.

"Ash, go to sleep! We'll play tomorrow!"

"Hey, Ash, I snuck some cookies from kitchen."

"Ash, don't tell Mom I'm letting you watch this movie."

"Could be worse." A bonk to the head. "That's for worrying me, Ash, you knucklehead."

"C'mon, don't cry. You've got me with you. And I won't leave you alone. Got it, Ash?"

"Y-you're not…" Ash's voice broke, "You can't be Red…"

The man, not Red, he couldn't be, opened his mouth, only to notice something behind Ash and glare. Ash tore his eyes away to glance over his shoulder, noticing a whole bunch of Infected making their way towards the pair. The man's gunshots must have attracted them.

"C'mon," the man ordered as he started to run off in the opposite direction, towards the barricade.

Ash remained frozen in place. His heart was racing, his mind completely frazzled. What was this guy? He couldn't really be…

"ASH!"

His mind screamed not to trust this guy, yet his legs still propelled him forward, making him chase after that familiar back.

The pair finally made it to the barricade. As Ash gasped for air, he kept glancing at the mystery man.

"Alright, start climbing," the man commanded, pointing at the rope.

Ash straightened up and took a step away, pointing his bat at the man.

"You go first," Ash said.

"This is no time to-"

"I'm not gonna put my back to you. Not after seeing how you took out those Infected."

The man groaned, looking ready to tear his hair out. He looked back in the direction of horde of Infected before starting to climb up the rope, the branch making a few weird noises as the man went higher and higher. Ash had to admire how quick the guy was moving. Once he reached the branch the rope was tied to, the man motioned for Ash to hurry up.

Ash knew he couldn't take his trusty bat with him and so dropped it beside him. It felt weird, like leaving behind an arm, but it'd be too much trouble to climb with the bat. He started to go up the rope, much slower than the mystery man had, and the branch made more of those strange sounds. But he wasn't worried…After all, the other man got up fine. So he'd be good too, right?

Only then he heard a crack that made his heart plummet.

Ash let out a shout as the tip of the branch broke, sending Ash crashing hard into the ground. Had the mystery man broke the branch or something? He should've known better than to-

"Throw me the rope!"

Ash, rubbing his sore back, glanced up at the man.

"Throw me an end!" the man yelled again.

"What, you wanna make me fall again?" Ash responded suspiciously.

"Ash, listen to me!" the man shouted, holding his hand out, "Either I get you out now or I'm jumping back down there. But I'm gonna be by your side either way. I'll NEVER leave you alone again. Got it?"

…He really was…

Wordlessly, Ash did as the man commanded. The man held his end of the rope tightly before standing unsteadily on the branch. Ash, realizing with surprise what the guy intended to do, gripped the rope tightly.

And, just as Ash predicted, the man jumped off the branch.

Ash couldn't help but yell as the weight of the man and all those weapons sent the teen flying up. He gasped as he felt the barbed wire atop the barricade dig into his skin and tear parts of his clothes. As he tumbled over the barricade, Ash heard the man land hard on the ground. Ash found himself crashing down a few seconds later.

The teenager groaned, feeling sore all over. He glanced over at the man, who was slowly rising to his feet. He didn't miss the wince as the guy tried putting pressure on one of his feet. He had probably sprained his ankle or something.

"That was…a really stupid idea," Ash stated as he slowly sat up.

"Yeah, it was," the man agreed before making his way over to Ash. Other than the slightest limp, the man didn't show any sign of the injury to his ankle. He helped Ash to his feet and carefully inspected him, "You're bleeding a lot."

"Barbed wire tends to do that to you," Ash winced when the man touched a cut on his cheek, "So what's the verdict?"

"Could be worse," the man muttered before bonking Ash's head, "That's for worrying me, you knucklehead."

The man stepped away from Ash, inspecting his own body for injuries while Ash could only stare at him. There were too many similarities for it to be a coincidence. It was too much like his memories. He wasn't a shape shifter…This man really was…

"Red."

The man paused, glancing at Ash with caution.

"…It's true…" Ash whispered, "You are Red, aren't you?"

The man gulped nervously, looking down for a moment with a conflicted expression before meeting Ash's gaze once more. He nodded.

A dam broke in Ash at the nod. With a mix between a gasp and a sob, he threw himself at the man, his big brother. Ash's arms wrapped around him and he buried his face in his chest as he cried loudly, soaking the man's clothes with his tears, enjoying that warmth that he had only had in his memories for the past decade.

His big brother. This was really his big brother.

It was really Red!

Red didn't know what to do as Ash's arms tightened around him, the teen crying uncontrollably against him. Red kept lifting and lowering his arms, unsure of himself, of whether he had any right to return the embrace. Did he have any right to be Ash's big brother, after all this time? But then Ash spoke, his voice muffled against Red's chest and thick with emotion.

"Big bro."

Two words. That was all it took.

Red's arms wrapped tightly around Ash. His legs weren't able to hold him up anymore so he went down on his knees, dragging the teen down with him, his arms never once releasing Ash. Red buried his face in his brother's hair before sobbing for the first time since he was twelve.

This wasn't another nightmare. This warmth was real.

His baby brother was alive.

Done and done! Sheesh, this was a long one! And I think we yet again broke the record for most lines spoken by Red in a single chapter. Yup, Red got chatty near the end, but I don't think he would be very silent for his first reunion with his brother in a decade. And so ends the zombie AU portion of this story.

I hope you all enjoyed reading it because damn this was emotionally draining! And you know, it's chapters like this that remind me why I made this story rated T. I mean, most of the time we're in K territory with this story, the worst being if I ever mention my nickname for the Mt. Silver AKA Mt. Hellscape. But this chapter was firmly planted in T territory.

Please keep reading and reviewing!