Won: Oh my god, you all must hate me! -wails- I haven't updated in sooooooo long...

Gary: Cause you're a lazy body.

Ash: No, because she role-plays too much.

Sora: Could be because she's been playing tons of computer games, too...

Won: -blows nose- Anyway, here's a nice, hopefully long, dramatic chapter for you all. Toodles! -goes to work on Changes-

Riku: Wonnykins, or Dragonrose888 as a whole, does not own Pokemon, Ash, Gary...you get the idea. But she owns the plot. So write her reviews. -pulls out Soul Eater- Our I get to use this on you.

Gah! Unlucky 13th chapter!!!!

-three months later-

A boy with dark hair raced along the path, panting with the effort. Under his arm was a scroll, and his hair was kept up in a pink headband. His feet were aching, and there was a deep wound in his back, but the boy kept running. In the distance, the yellow and green flags of the Oak kingdom were in view.

'I hope I'm not too late...'

AAAAAAAAAAAAA

"Damn pants..."

Gary looked up from pulling on his boots and smiled faintly. "Do you need help?"

"No! I'm, -damn it!- perfectly fine!" Came the growled reply. The older king chuckled. Ash was struggling into his pants. The poor boy couldn't help that his belly had gotten bigger over the past few months. It was just showing a tad. If he stood to the side, there was about an inch on his front. But it was enough to make putting on his clothes difficult, obviously. Right now, he was trying to get his pants fastened, and he was red in the face for the simple reason that they would not fasten.

Gary got to his feet, going over and walking behind the smaller boy. "I'm telling you, just let the girls fit you with some new clothes. You won't have to go through this everyday."

The dark-haired boy groaned. "But..."

"No buts. Today we're getting it over with, got it?"
"-sigh- Yes Gary..." The boy mumbled. He managed to get the pants fastened a little lower then he usually wore them and sat down, not bothering to button his shirt yet. He sighed again, placing his hands on his swollen middle. His older lover came behind him again, sitting down and wrapping his arms around Ash tightly.

"Are you still worried?" Gary asked, softly, placing his chin down on Ash's shoulder comfortingly.

The copper-eyed boy looked back. "Of course. How could I not be?" He replied in what was nearly a whisper. He closed his eyes and leaned back into Gary's chest. He was only relaxed for five minutes when he sat back up, startled. "Ack!"

Gary frowned. "What? Are you all right?"

Ash looked down, puzzled. He was silent for a moment.

"Ash?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, I'm fine..." He pressed his hand against his stomach and waited. He jumped.

"What?!" Gary asked, frustrated.

"..." Ash remained surprised. "It...moved..." He said, faintly. He jumped again. "Again."

The auburn-haired boy felt his own eyes widen. "It did?"

"Yeah!" The other said excitedly. He took Gary's hands and placed them on his stomach. "See?"

There was a pause. The older king's eyes lit up. "I'll be damned." He whispered. "It IS moving." He kissed Ash's cheek fondly and rocked back and forth with him. "Way to go." He purred, nuzzling the boy he held fondly. Ash blushed.

"I-I had nothing to do with it. It was it's choice, not mine." The boy stuttered sheepishly. He blushed, burring his face into Gary's dress shirt in embarrassment.

Just as the moment was promising to be touching, the door to their room burst open, and someone tumbled inside. Ash shrieked and lept back. Gary set him down and tentively crept towards their 'guest'.

"Hello?" He murmured to the body. There was an arrow sticking out of its back, and blood stained the back of the shirt. "Are you...alive?"

A groan came from the boy on the floor. "Unfortunately, Your Highness, I am." He pushed himself up onto one arm and grinned weakly. "Tracy Skectchit, sire."

"You're from my grandfather's kingdom." Gary observed, leaning down to help the wounded boy to his feet. "What brings you all the way out here?"

Tracy limped to the bed, where Ash made room for him hurriedly. "My apologies, Your Highness." Tracy mumbled shyly. The other dark-haired boy only chuckled.

"Don't be sorry at all."

The older of the two kings cleared his throat, and Tracy drew his attention back to him. "Perhaps you could tell us the meaning of all this."

Tracy frowned, then reached around and gave the arrow a hard yank. With a sickening squelching sound, the whole thing pulled itself free. Ash turned a nasty shade of green. "Well, sire, your grandfather's been in a turmoil, lately." The messenger examined the arrow shaft amusedly. "Been so depressed that he couldn't come to your wedding. Wanted to wish you and your...er...bride..." (Ash frowned at this), "...a little luck, I suppose."

"Ah..." The auburn-haired king strode past Tracy and stood close to his so-called bride, running his fingers through Ash's hair absently. "And that's not worth getting pelted from behind by arrows, is it?"

"No, Your Highness, it isn't. That wasn't what I was sent for, per say..." Tracy looked up, a grave gaze setting on the two before him. "Your kingdom is in terrible danger. Your grandfather urges you to gather as much as you can and leave as soon as possible..." He trailed off with a look at Ash. "...If there's to be any chance for you and your bride to live. Though, I think he had only two people in mind when he told me that..."

"Dammit, does it show that much?!" Ash crossed his arms and pouted for a moment.

"Wait, hold on." Gary was also frowning, but in a concerned way. "Why is he so fearful of our lives?"

Tracy handed the arrow to Gary, blood and all. "A war is upon us all."

"War?"
"Yes." The messenger nodded slowly. "And your kingdom is going to be under seige."

"By WHOM?"

Tracy stared him straight in the eyes. "The whole world, Your Highness. The entire WORLD is whom."

There was a moment of silence.

"It's me, right?" Gary and Tracy turned to Ash. "I'm the cause?"

"Unfortunately," Tracy admitted, "You're very correct."

Gary started to pace. "Then why haven't they declared actual war? Are they afraid to show themselves?"

"They are waiting for an opportune moment to strike, m'lord." Tracy piped up. "Which is why the sooner you and your wife leave, the bigger chance you have of staying alive."

More silence filled their ears. Nearly all of them were anxious in one way or another.

"Then we have to move quickly if we're going to take the rest of the people with us." Gary murmured. Tracy frowned, now.

"The rest-?"

"We can't leave them to be slaughtered." The older king snapped. "And that's exactly what some of the leaders will do. They'll seek us out and tell us we have so much time to comply with their demands before they kill off every man, woman, and child this kingdom has. Save for myself and Ash, and that isn't right."

"No, it's not." Ash agreed. He stood, and Gary grabbed him to steady him. "And I won't let it happen. Not if this is all about who gets me in bed with them."

Gary groaned lightly. "This isn't a laughing matter..."

"Ah, welp, we all need a little something to laugh about. Why not let it be sex? Besides that, though, we need to start rallying who's going."

His lover nodded. "Right. I'll assemble the message to the soldiers. They should be able to pass it on to a few villagers."

"A few?" Tracy asked, weakly.

"You, dear sir," Ash chuckled, "have no idea how fast news in this place travels..."

AAAAAAAAAAAAA

It didn't take long for panic to grip the kingdom. The place would be attacked, but how soon was unknown. It was important to assemble all people, so that not one live would be lost. When the opponents came, they would find nothing but a ghost town in their wake.

As villagers bustled through the streets gathering food, water, and other supplies, and as the army of Viridian practiced their defense, in case they were encountered, Ash watched them from the balcony of his and his love's room. He couldn't help but feel guilty and responsible for the horror that now gripped his people.

'If I was some boy, down there, none of this would be happening...' He thought, sighing sadly. The now active child kicked, and his mother's hands pressed down gently over the spot. 'I don't want you born in the midst of a war...things are going all wrong...'

"Your Highness?"
Ash glanced over his shoulder, seeing one of the servants looking into the room.

"Yes?"

The boy swallowed. "I was told to bring you to the king, sir, he requests your presence..."

"I see..." Ash puzzled over the unusual formalities. "I'll be down in a moment."

"It's urgent." Came the impatient reply of the boy.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Ash turned hesitantly from the window and went to the servant's side. "Lead." He said, crisply.

The boy did take him downstairs. On the way, Ash had time to think on other things. His main thought, and concern, was of what would become of his child.

'No one deserves to be brought into this kind of angry world.' The dark-haired boy mused. 'What if we're captured?'

This had become Ash's worst fear, his biggest nightmare. While he would be kept for...certain purposes...everyone else from Viridian, including Gary and, if it was born by then, the baby. The thought of innocent lives perishing so that he could live sickened him terribly.

In his worried thoughts, Ash failed to realize that the servant had slipped away, after leading him to the garden. When he looked up, now, he didn't see his husband. This puzzled him.

"...Gary?" He took a few hesitant steps forward. "Did you send for me?"

There was no reply. The hair on the back of Ash's neck bristled with for-boding, but he didn't turn. "Gary, this isn't a laughing matter. Come out."

Still, Gary didn't come forward.

Just as he was about to head inside the castle, a dark shadow was cast underneath the tree he loved to sit under. Ash was puzzled by it. The sun had gone behind the clouds an hour ago; why were there such dark shadows there?

It moved, and Ash realized too late that this shadow wasn't a part of nature. Slowly, the dark pool of nothingness rose above the ground. Deep red eyes loomed from the midst of what looked like, to Ash, like a cloud of dark-mist.

Just looking at this odd creature chilled the young king, and he shivered.

When it bared its fangs to him, Ash nearly fainted.

In a gaping maw filled with sharp, yellow teeth lay a thick, twisting tongue that looked like a python, and blood by the gallons stained every inch of it. Bits and pieces of men and women long dead were caught between the teeth, and the mouth was so wide that even more plentiful, grisly remains were seen in it's gullet. And when it hissed, the stench of death one-hundred times over over-whelmed the dark-haired boy. Ash had a sinking feeling that he was looking at his doom.

He tried to scream, but could not, and tried to run, but only stumbled, falling backwards onto the ground. Everything around the creature of hell started to wither and die, and as it moved towards him, the grass beneath it browned and then blackened. Ever so close it moved to the terrified boy, who wasn't so worried about himself as much as the small life that lay in his stomach, which he clutched protectively.

As the creature moved closer, it's eyes grew madder; thick, bloody ropes of saliva dripped from it's large, carnivorous maw; the tongue throbbed and waved in anticipation of a meal...

But fate had other plans for Ash.

Something whizzed by Ash's ear, and struck the beast beside it's left eye. It groaned sickeningly and vanished in a puff of darkened-mist.

"Are you all right, then?"

Ash whipped around to find a boy with blond hair staring down at him quizzically.

"Wh-what, who're-?"
"Name's Richie." The boy pointed to himself. "World's Best Archer...Or, I would be, if I could shoot farther." He leaned down, pulling the stunned king to his feet. "You're lucky I was watching. Missingno's not a very happy beastie to run into, dark or light out."

"M-Missingno?" Ash asked, wearily.

Richie scratched the back of his head. "You dunno about Missingno?" He questioned, looking bewildered. "I thought everyone knew about it."

"No, I know what it is..." Ash blurted, looking annoyed, now. "But, what was one doing in my garden?!"

"Oh, that." Richie smiled brightly, then frowned. "Someones trying to kill you..."

"WHA?!" The dark-haired boy groaned. "Are you sure?"

"Positive!" Richie smiled again, then frowned again. "Or, maybe it's just your baby."

Ash muttered something about looking fat and crossed his arms, looking grateful. "Well, thanks, you know, for saving us." He said, softly. "I thought...I thought I was a goner..."

"Most do." Richie admitted. "Missingno takes the shape of some of our greatest fears. You afraid of dragons or something?"

Ash shivered. "No. Dragons in general don't bother me..."

"He's afraid of death."

The two turned to see a boy with green hair standing in the doorway, Gary hurrying worriedly towards Ash.

"Thank goodness! Are you all right? You aren't hurt, are you?"

"Relax." Ash whined, batting Gary's hands away. "You're acting like my mother. And when I last checked, you were my husband." Gary ignored the boy's protests and pulled him into a hug.

"I was so afraid..." The older whispered. "I was watching from the window, and I tried to get out here quick enough...I saw the boy shoot the thing when I opened the doors..." This seemed to jolt him back into reality, and he faced Richie. "You have my greatest thanks." He stated, taking a bow.

"Aw, wasn't any trouble." Richie rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Whatcha doin' here, Drewy?"

The boy who had come to the garden with Gary sighed in an annoyed fashion. "My name is Drew, you mindless cretin." He growled to the blond. "And I'm here because it's my duty to be."

"We were just getting around to discussing that." Gary cut in. "What exactly is your duty, then?"

Smirking rather smugly, Drew walked towards the two boys, eying Ash smuggly. "Why, your Highness, I happen to be at a great advantage..." He continued to stare at Ash, even though he was addressing the boy's husband. "You see, I have a power invested in myself that would give you a very nice cover."

"Which is?" Gary asked, bluntly, placing his arm around Ash's shoulders possessively and looking bored.

Drew snorted at the action. "My family is, upon generations, a set of very powerful plant-charmers."

"Yep!" Richie giggled. "They kinda grow on them, over time."

"Can it, twit." Drew said, coolly.

Ash looked confused. "Plant-charmer?"

"It's a person who's said to be in touch with mother nature herself, or Mew, in other terms." His husband explained. "They teach selected individuals how to 'plant-charm', which means they can control plants." Gary then turned to look at Drew. "That IS a handy sort of power. But why do you want to help us?"

"That is simple." Drew snapped, looking at his nails. "In my family, we plant-charmers believe that Mew gave certain powers to her chosen host..." Ash squirmed under his gaze, "And, therefore, her real child will actually be the baby her chosen host births."

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"Again, simple." The boy looked up at them, seriousness in his eyes. "My duty, on account of all plant-charmers, is to teach Mew's child to control the world as she does."

Ash was shocked. "Wait, do you mean-?"

"This child is going to rule the world."

An injured cloud of mist hovered before its master, moaning horridly in pain and sorrow. His master stroked it like one would a loved dog.

"My poor Missingno..." The man crooned. "Did the silly, insolent boy hurt you?"

The beast groaned in agreement.

"You poor thing..." Its master murmured. "Next time, my pet..." He chuckled evilly, malice shining in his eyes. "You will have the brat for you supper..." His eyes twinkled with destruction and evil as he gazed into the beast's eyes and saw Ash's terrified face staring back at him, the boy's hands holding his belly.

"And that damned infant to wash it all down."

Won: Another foot note! How exciting. Please review! It feeds my creative mind and makes me write more for you all!

Sora: No, she just likes feeling important.

Won: SORA! CORNER! NOW!

Sora: -stands in corner- Hmph.

Ash: We love you! Write us reviews!

Gary: Or Riku's going to kill us! ...No, seriously, he will.

Riku: X3 Yippee...Target practice...