Sorry for the long wait on this new chapter, I know I said I was gonna update this story yesterday, but I have a good-ish excuse. I wrote this chapter once I woke up, got dressed, went shopping for groceries, and then came back so that I could publish this chapter. After a quick read through, I realized I can't write for shit while i'm half asleep. Spending nearly 7 hours editing and trying to make sense of what I wrote, I've finally finished editing it, at 3:49AM. Long story short, I wrote and edited this chapter half asleep, so sorry for any mistakes.

After a quick stop to Pewter city and then to Cerulean, the group headed along route 10, just in between Rock tunnel and Lavender town. Venturing and exploring in the forest near the path they all stopped for a quick break near the edge of a small cliff, where a beach laid at the bottom, followed by a vast area of water. Spotting the beach below and ecstatic that they had it all to themselves, namely, The pain in the ass' had pleaded to go swimming.

" Can't we please go swimmin- " May began.

" No. " Ash said sternly, laying on his back among the ground while holding the brim of his hat, trying to block the view of everyone else out.

" We won't be that far awa- " Misty argued.

" No. "

" Why no- " Brock asked.

" No. "

" You're so unfai- " Dawn pouted.

" No. "

Becoming angry the four of them all shouted at Ash, all their words so squished together it was hard to make out any of it.

Irritated with the noise Ash lost his patience with them once again. " I will forcefully feed you to the sharpedo that live in this ocean! " He threatened, sitting up so that they could see the menacing -yet emotionless- glare he was giving them, and that he was in fact serious.

" Sharpedo live here?! " May screeched, freaking out she took a couple step back, with the rest of them, in fear of the pokemon.

" I don't know, nor do I care. If there's not any than believe me I will fix that. " Ash rudely replied, dismissing the question from being talked about any further before standing back up and dusting the dirt and blades of grass off his clothes.

" My, my, my. " An unrecognizable voice chimed in. " Quite the commotion you all make. "

An older man approached the group with a gentle smile, he wore an outfit the somewhat resembled that of a sailor's or caption's clothes, a black jacket buttoned up with pearly white buttons and a black brimmed captions cap to complete the look.

" Were they creating to much of a noise? " Serena asked, concerned and slightly embarrassed at the other's outburst.

" No, no. " The old man cooed, pushing it aside. " Say, where are you folks headed to? "

" Um, well we were planning on traveling to Petalburg City in Hoenn, to check on May's parents. " Serena replied, pointing over to May as she said her name, May waved in response with an uneasy and forced smile.

The man stayed silent for a second while in thought before speaking up once again. " Well i'd be happy to give you folks a ride in this yacht of mine. " He gestured to the yacht tied up at the dock, turning back around he laughed at their facial expressions.

" A-a yacht?! " They all exclaimed (Except Ash), their jaws dropped at the thought of having the luxury to ride in one.

Ash had no response to this or in fact any clear emotion written on his face, he remain motionless and continued to keep up his judgemental glare directed at the old man.

" Although I would have to make a stop in New Bark Town to fill up on gas and food, if you don't mind that then i'd be more than happy to have you join me in my ride there. " The old man explained.

" How could we pass up an opportunity like this?! " Gary happily exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement, the others agreeing, an offer like this didn't and wouldn't come around too often.

" Then please follow me. " The man turned and walked at a slow pace down the dirt path, kicking and stirring up some dust in the process as the group headed down the thin slope. Not to long after they came to a stop at the starting point of the wooden dock, every third board or so was either broken or bended enough to be considered unsafe.

The group cautiously crossed the dock and stepped onto the boat, untying the discolored white ropes that held the yacht to the dock, they set out to their destination.

----------

Holding tightly onto the rail most of them leaned over it and watched the waves and the water pokemon as they passed, waving and shouting greeting to as many as they could. Ash crossed his arms as he leaned against the rail on the opposing side, annoyed with all the racket they were making.

" Feel free to look around. " The old man offered. " They are plenty of rooms on board, enough for all of you. "

Taking her eyes off the mesmerizing ocean and facing the man, Dawn spoke up. " How long will it be until we arrive at our destination? " She questioned, tilting her head to the side.

" It won't be a day's trip, most likely longer. " The old man said before turning around and briskly walking away.

Ash followed through with staying silent as he still hadn't said a word since that old guy showed up, ripping his glare away from the receding figure, he watched his friends and the pain in the ass' and took note of how carefree they all appeared to be, as if they've temporarily forgotten just what's happened the past couple days, that it hasn't all been that peaceful and stress free.

Knowing this seemingly calm atmosphere won't last for long anyways, he let out pained sigh " Keep your pokemon on you at all times. " Ash ordered, assuming the old man was far enough out of range to hear him.

They all looked at him, curiosity written on their faces.

" Why? " Brock questioned.

" I'm sure it would be alright to set them down for a second. " Gary shrugged, his voice sounding unconcerned, seeming to not comprehending any importance of being extra cautious, seeing as it was just them, alone, at sea.

" Do that and i'll bind your hands together with rope and push you overboard. " Ash threatened, while adjusting his backpack's strap on his shoulder. " Understood? " he hissed.

" I doubt you'd actually do that. " Misty yawned, tired of Ash's consistent threats.

" Did I fucking stutter? " He said in a monotone yet seemingly dark tone, sounding serious.

" Understood. " Serena cheerily smiled, speaking for all of them, since the rest were frightened to reply.

Without wasting a second he adjusted his hat, avoiding making any more eye contact with them. Ash turned and walked off, claiming that he was gonna go check the rooms aboard this ship. After Ash was out of sight, Gary and Paul glanced at each other, thinking along the same lines they said that they were gonna explore around the ship with Ash, then quickly ran after the young champion.

--------

Walking down a small ramp near the back of the boat that led down underneath the main level of the yacht, there were doors that lined the hallway, each leading to a small individual room that was yet to be claimed.

As Ash began searching the hall he felt as the boat swayed, lost within his thoughts, he was eventually was pulled back to reality when two loud sets of footsteps were sounding as if they were heading his way.

Paul and Gary ran up to Ash, coming to an abrupt stop in front of him.

" Need something? " Ash asked, his dark attitude and tone already dissipated.

" It's about what you had said before. " Gary began, shifting his weight onto one leg before continuing.

The three of them chatted about what here was plaguing their minds, well, more like Gary and Paul talked while Ash followed along as they spoke, internally making sarcastic comments here and there.

----------

The old man passed out the flimsy paper plates topped with food to his company, a sandwich and salad arranged to fill their appetites. After saying their thanks the group quickly devoured their food.

Ash entered the sortof lounge area on the second like floor of the yacht, it being high enough that they could relax watching the open sea and enjoying their meal simultaneously.

Taking a seat next to Serena on the cream colored couch that was left without armrests, without saying a word he laid back and crossed his left leg over the other.

" Would you like some? " Serena offered him, holding the plate of food out so he could see what was on it.

Ash held his hand infront of him. " No thanks. " He declined, not entirely interested in what they were having.

After a nearly an hour of chatting and arguing, most of them decided to call it a day. One by one, they each claimed their rooms and almost immediately fell asleep soon after. When he finished wishing most of them good night and waved them off as they left, Ash was the only one of them left who stayed out on the deck within the lounge like area.

He still kept his legs crossed, listening to his surroundings. The waves were loud as the rest fell in silence. Ash jerked upwards after picking a lone voice, having a one sided conversation in a harsh tone.

Intrigued, Ash got to his feet and followed the voice, one he had already guessed who it belonged to as it would match up to his prediction. He delicately shuffled his feet along the deck, freezing and stepping over the boards that creaked, attempting to keep the noise to a minimum, while in the back of his mind also recalling the past conversation he had with Gary and Paul when they had come to find him.

----

" It's about what you had said before. " Gary began, shifting his weight onto one leg before continuing. " About keeping our pokemon on us at all times. "

" You seemed pretty serious. " Paul joined in, curious as to what was going on. " Just what are you thinking? "

Avoiding eye contact Ash tried to brush off their question, not wanting to waste effort having to explain while he was currently busy. " It's nothing, is this all you came to say? "

" Well... " Gary hesitated, shoving his hands into his pockets, thinking about how to put it. " It just feels like there's something watching us, keeping track of our movements. "

" Do you think someone could be following us? " Paul asked. " Sure, it's not like we've seen anyone behind us or anywhere out at sea for that matter, but don't you think it still could be a possibility? "

Ash, without saying a word, unzipped his backpack and took out a pen and a scrap piece of paper and busily scribbled whatever was on his mind.

" Something does seem wrong, doesn't i- " Gary jerked backwards as Ash had shoved the piece of paper in his face. " What's this? " He questioned, taking the paper from Ash.

" Just follow the instructions. " He demanded and left it at that, swinging his backpack back over his shoulder.

Leaving Gary and Paul to read what he had left for them, Ash went back to his task and went to go explore the rest of this ship and what it held.

----

Climbing the small ladder at the back of the ship, Ash analyzed the small area.

Ignoring the small size of the space, it was the top deck, seeing as it was the highest level. It stretched far enough to the side that if you peered over the edge, you would be able to stare at the mesmerizing ocean waves and not at the floor below as it hid it from sight. Walking towards the bow of the ship was another story as the top deck was cut short so that you could look out to the ocean and the lounge like area on the floor below.

In the middle of the top deck the boat's steering wheel stood out, it was quite large and had an old and vintage look to it, like one of those you would see on a pirates boat in a movie. Standing behind the wheel with both his hands latched on was the old man who had so kindly invited them aboard. Glancing down to the side, Ash took note of an old torn bag laid on the ground next to him, the opening slightly ajar as if it was closed in a rush.

Letting his presence become known, uninterested in masking his footsteps, Ash calmly took a few steps towards the old man, keeping his distance as he strayed along near the railing. The railing only went up to around his hip, although it wasn't that tall in height, it still should be able to provide a little bit a assistance to those who happen to find themselves close to falling off.

" It's a nice night out, isn't it. " The old man spoke up.

Darkness nearly consumed the surrounding area and it seemed to go on for miles, the stars didn't provide much light if any at all and the scarlet red moon gently shined along the deck. It wasn't enough to clearly see the things around them, but it gave it an eerie look, one that didn't help the situation much.

Ash remained silent as he refused to answer, the wind forcefully blowing itself through his messy raven hair as any trace of the sun's red glow vanished, completely falling from sight

" No opinion? " He turned around to face Ash who didn't look that impressed, nor pleased with the current situation. " From the time when I first approached you and your friends, I haven't heard you engage in a conversation, with anyone " He pointed out, explaining his view on things.

Seeing as he had to speak sooner or later, why not just try getting to the point. " I've been getting my thoughts together. "

" And what would you happen to be thinking about? " The man asked, seeming interested, like he couldn't fully decipher Ash's thought process on his own.

Looking up at the blood red moon as it switched back and forth from hiding behind the clouds, Ash closed his eyes and continued to speak. " Nice night out, isn't it. " Restating the old man's question.

" It is. " The old man confirmed.

" How? " Ash asked, snapping open his eyes and keeping his glare on it's intended target. " You had asked me what I thought when you first noticed I was here. "

" So? " He questioned, taking his hands off the steering wheel. " What would it matter? "

" Well excuse me, but the blood red sky doesn't exactly seem like a warm welcome nor anything comforting. " Ash explained, still sarcastic as ever, but still running along his thought process. " Yet you had considered it 'nice'. "

"Don't you think it's getting late, shouldn't you be getting to sle- "

" I thought I heard someone talking, was it you? Who were you talking to? " Ash ignored his comment, asking the questions that plagued his mind, even though he had a couple answers at the ready if he were asked his suspicions about it.

" It seems that you have a lot on your mind. " The old man sighed, brushing his right hand along the wheel, Suddenly gripping onto the wheel as if his life depended on it. He turned back to face Ash, the realization hitting him, that he wouldn't be able to continue this act any farther, not unless Ash stopped with asking all these question, but of course, he wouldn't.

" In order to love a world like that, wouldn't you have to b- " Ash stopped his sentence as he had heard the old man start to laugh. " What? "

His hysterical laughter grew as the seconds passed, 'this kid may be smart, but he doesn't stand a chance.'

Ash stood still, motionless once again, saying nothing as he tried to predict what the old man's next actions would be.

Looking down, the darkness completely shaded the old man's face. " Y-you... " He stuttered, his thoughts fueling his rage and madness.

'All i've been through, I didn't go through with it just to be beaten by this kid, t-this brat! No way in hell shall I lose to him, i'm one of the best at what I do, and he is the equivalent of nothing! ...No way... NO WAY AM I GONNA LOSE TO THIS SMARTASS BASTARD!'

A huge gust a wind blew by as there was silence once more. Being unable to guess what his next move was, Ash figured he would only be able to act as he saw necessary in the moment, and that's not always the best plan.

" You... You won't be leaving this ship alive! No way in hell will I let you! " The old man screamed, tightening his grip on the steering wheel and immediately spun it it to the right side, the wheel spinning around countless times, causing the yacht to make a sharp turn.

The yacht turned to the right, tossing everything not held down the opposite way.

While the old man held onto the wheel, Ash, on the other hand wasn't holding onto anything. Ash stumbled backwards towards the rail, his feet lifting off the ground. Seeing as he was already high above and over the rail and continuing at that movement, Ash arched his back backwards so that his legs swung high in the air while he faced the waves below. He reached his arm out as far as he could to grab onto the rail, upon grabbing onto the metal bar Ash gripped it tightly, not wanting to let go.

Successfully holding on Ash braced himself as gravity immediately lowered him, his body smashed into the side of the wall. (Or the side of the boat, whatever you want to call it)

Using his strength, Ash slowly pulled himself up, his body aching. Swinging his legs back over the railing and placing his feet onto the deck, he kept his grip onto the railing and kneeled down, exhausted, his injured shoulder feeling the familiar stinging sensation once again.

Trying to ignore the pain Ash directed his attention at the old man who seemed to enjoy any suffering inflicted on the young champion. He grimaced at the smirk the man wore, then through the darkness he caught it.

Diving forward, he forced his hands in front of him, his palms pressing hard against the wooden deck. The tiny pieces of wood that split off from the main plank, jabbed themselves into the skin of his palms. Slightly wincing, he pushed himself off the deck, twisting his body around he performed a beautiful flip, falling gently onto his two feet. Successfully avoiding the incoming attack.

Looking at the spot where he once was, was a Milotic, it's silver glowing tail fading away. The floorboards of the deck however were completely destroyed, like if you were to drop rose petal into a glass of water, the ripples disturbing the once calm and flat surface of the water.

Unlike the glass of water, it wouldn't be able to revert back to the way it was, not on it's own at least. It's weird how a lot of things are like that, needing something or someone to fix them. In a way, that's just the basics of Ash's job, to restore things back to the way they once were, but can everything be completely restored?

" Better not make any moves you might regret. " The old man warned him, the arrogant smirk still etched on his face. " The rest of your friends will be out waiting for us by the lounge soon. "

------------

Near the front of the lounge, away from the furniture, Ash and his friends stood lined up, under the watch of the old man and his pokemon who stood at the bow of the ship.

" Ash, what's going on? " Bonnie whispered, clutching onto Serena clothes to keep herself balanced, off her injured foot, trying to putting as little weight on it as she could.

" You! " The man shouted in unimpressed, non debatable voice, pointing at the young elite. " Not a word! " He demanded then went back to pacing back and forth along the deck, dragging his fingers through his hair.

Tired of hearing the old man grumble words under his breath, Ash spoke up. " So. " Ash began, gaining the man's attention, as well as everyone else's. " I hear being an ass pays high bucks. I'm assuming you would know. " Ash smirked, trying to lighten the mood as well as piss this guy off. Two Pidgeys with one stone, right?

" Words can not describe how much I hate you. " The man hissed, despising every moment, every breath Ash took.

" What are you planning to do with us now? " Ash asked, getting to the point.

" Well, the others are demanded elsewhere, but you on the other hand. " He paused, giving a small nod, his pokemon jumping into battle stances. " Someone has requested that you are to be ended right here. "

The others were speechless as they couldn't quite find the words to say, Ash of course, wasn't fazed by this at all, in fact, it was like he expected this.

" Well considering when they were discussing with you on where we were going and you oh so eagerly offered to take us to wherever we needed to go, then followed up by saying 'i'd be more than happy to have you join me in my ride there' . You said it as if you had had originally planned to go somewhere farther away. I assume this was the plan all along and I also have a pretty good hunch that you work for Karum, am I right? " Ash explained, ending with a question even though he and everyone else just knew that he probably was correct.

Snapping his fingers, the old man's pokemon, Carnivine used vine whip and wrapped it around Ash's wrist, pulling him forward, separating him from his friends as the rest of the old man's pokemon created a barrier between them.

Stumbling from the sudden wrench forward, Ash caught his balance and regained his posture, standing up straight he look the old man with an unwavering eye contact.

" In following orders, you are to die from... say natural causes. " The old man informed him, eager to bring his end upon him.

" Like drowning? Sorry to say that I can swim, old man. " Ash sighed, not sounding too impressed or threatened, if anything, disappointed.

" For your information, my code name is BD! " He yelled before miserably fidgeting with something in his coat pocket. " From non-pokemon causes is what I was told, to make it look it as a suicide. " He mumbled to himself before directing his attention back to Ash. " It doesn't matter if you can swim. "

" Well it kinda defeats the whole purpose of drowning. " Ash calmly/unbelievably argued.

" Not if you have a bullet in your head. " BD grinned with a small laughed intertwined with his words, pulling a gun from his coat pocket and aiming it right at Ash.

'That escalated from 0 to 100 real fast.' Ash thought putting his hands up in defence. " But I still wouldn't die from drowning. " He pointed out, complaining, still not quite satisfied.

" If your dead body lays at the bottom of the ocean and you're supposedly missing who's to say that you didn't drown. " BD's eyes widened as he reminisced his plan over in his mind, longing to put it in action.

" Well... it's improvement. " Ash muttered, still not sounding all that satisfied.

" He's trying to kill you! Don't help him! " Dawn miserably yelled from behind him.

Laughing at how stupid this kid actually seemed to be, and how he actually considered him a real threat " On a more serious topic, give it back. " The old man demanded, holding his hand out as if he expected to be given something.

" What are you talking abou- " Ash questioned, sounding genuinely confused.

" Don't play innocent! Give. It. Back! " He yelled, becoming more frustrated with every passing second.

Afraid this guy was going to pull the trigger, May desperately shouted at him, tears threatening to fall. " If he said he doesn't know, then he doesn't know! "

" What purpose would he ever have to steal from you? " Brock added, scared the man's patience was being driven over the edge.

" The rest of you shut your traps! " BD hissed, slightly scaring them, but not enough that they would leave Ash to die.

" Please. " Bonnie begged, a tear rolling down her face. " Don't hurt Ash, you can hurt them all you want. " Bonnie continued, pointing at The pain in the ass'. " It's not like anyone would notice if they were gone. " She continued, trying to persuade him.

The three pain in the ass' stared at her in shock, then they looked slightly more relaxed -But still concerned- as they remembered that Bonnie is usually like this. They all faced the old man, wondering what his next move would be

Watching their worried, desperate expressions, BD tried to cover up his laughter as he spoke. " Any last words? " he offered, amused.

"Only one thing. " Ash smirked avoiding eye contact with the old man. " Karum must be a real coward to pull something like this. "

" Karum is not a coward! " BD defended, holding the gun closer to Ash, aiming at his forehead, wanting to finish this with one bullet.

" You work for him, so it figures you'd say that. " Ash scoffed. " Having someone else kill me and probably claim that he was one who did it himself, is he afraid of meeting me in person or something? " Ash's hair shaded most of his face, but his narrowed eyes and sinister smile was clear to see as he regained eye contact with the old man.

Panicking, BD stumbled to find any words. " Why you... "

" Please, I really even doubt that you'd be able to pull the trigger. " Ash confessed. " It's alright to admit you're weak, that you're just a pushover. "

Slightly shaking, he was filled with outrage, BD felt the more this kid talked, the more he was going insane with rage. " Weak........weak? "

Ash shifted his feet, steadying himself on the ground, knowing what he had to do next.

" I AM NOT A PUSHOVER! " BD yelled, pulling the trigger, it still aimed directly at Ash.

Ash watched as BD pulled back the trigger, sending the bullet right at him. In a swift movement, he avoided it by falling to his left, the bullet sent straight into a wall of the ship. Putting all his weight on his left hand as it was pushed against the deck, Ash swung his legs upwards, kicking BD in his wrist.

With Ash's strong kick, BD was forced to release his grip on the gun, the gun was flung upward, soaring in a straight line up through the air.

Still in motion, Ash flipped his legs over his head and lightly shoved his hand off the deck. Dropping on his feet, Ash turned with his left shoulder back, and his right hand extended outwards, the gun dropping right in the palm of his hand. Spinning it around his fingers, he quickly stopped holding it so that BD was faced with the barrel of the weapon.

Frozen with fear, BD couldn't move an inch, he was motionless, as if he was paralyzed.

" Neither are we. " Ash declared, showing no emotion in his tone of voice or expression.

BD opened his mouth to shout a command to his pokemon, a cold shiver ran down his spine as he saw that all his pokemon were surrounded, outnumbered just by the pokemon belonging to certain purple and brown haired duo.

The realization that he was beat by a kid began to sink in and he sighed in defeat. " I surrender... "

They returned BD's pokemon back into their pokeballs and tied his hands together with rope so they he couldn't cause anymore trouble.

-----------

Serena held her hands behind her back as she walked along the deck to the front of the ship as the light began to rise once again.

Following behind her, Ash leaned his arms on the railing while he twirled the unloaded gun around his fingers.

" So what are you going to do with that? " Serena asked as she leaned her back against the ice cold rail.

Ash thought about it for a second before answering. " Burn it, drown it, threaten people with it. " He suggested, smirking with interest while in thought at that third option. " Probably sell it though. " He concluded.

" How much would you say it'd sell for? " She questioned, leaning her arms on the rail just like Ash was.

" My guess would be a lot, but i'm not exactly sure on the price. " He replied with a disappointed sigh, shoving it in his coat pocket.

" We could probably ask Clemont or the Professor, have you talked to them lately? "

" Not since we left them, I thought that it would be best to contact them with some good news. " Ash explained, trying to pick out some highlights about their adventure so far and make a mental note about them, but there really wasn't anything worth mentioning.

" You should still contact them soon. " She pouted, trying to convince him. " Let them know that we're not dead. "

" Yet. " Ash mumbled, grabbing the decorative pin from his pocket. Moving his fingers across the design, he relaxed as the rising red sun's light bounced off the reflective surface " There's still plenty of time for that. ".

Well? Did ya like the chapter? 

Hope you did, sorry if you didn't. 

Feel free to tell me if I made any mistakes.

Oh and thanks to everyone that wanted me to continue this story, it really means a lot.

Thanks!

- Pikachu80219

Song: Nightcore - Clarity in Kerosene