Author's Note: JbstormburstADV is finally back and better than ever!! Well, this chapter seemed to have me stuck for a long while (at least four months by now, in all aspects), but then it just pierced my brain, so now I'm writing again, and my writers block is partially gone. Hope you enjoy! And, if you actually pay attention, you can find who's talking to who when I don't list it. Just be aware of what is said in the conversation. Also, I will not be posting my Christmas one-shot until the end of this year, 2008.

Also, some shippers are going to get a shock, mainly the Advanced and ShowoffShippers. So, please don't flame me if you don't like this, because I had it all planned in advance (especially the last part, which is probably going to lead to the reverse reaction). Also, don't forget what Slowking said: "You must be careful, though. It is only a prophecy, and prophecies can always be changed by the twists of time …"

FF007: Announcements and a New Journey Part III

When Dawn let out that her father was Cyrus, Ash froze like a stick and was shocked to hear this. He knew all too well who Cyrus was and what he once tried to do with Dialga and Palkia. With that, he fainted right on the floor, and when they all checked on him, they noticed that he was still crying, even with himself being unconscious. Why, they don't know, but then they all realized that Ash thought of Dawn as more than a friend, but as a best friend, one of the few whose pain can bring out a whole other side to him.

When he woke up, he was on the master bed, as May and Dawn were watching over him. When he did get up, the girls pressured him to rest, but the Ash said, "No, Dawn, you're the one that should be resting. All I care about now is that your mother is dead, and your father did the deed." At that, Dawn then broke down, and cried herself until her eyes were as red as what Mars' surface looked like. After that, Ash said, "Dawn, I'm sorry about saying that, but it's your family that needs to be mourned, not me to be cared over."

However, Dawn tearfully nodded, and replied, "N-N-No, it isn't your fault, Ash Ketchum. In fact, you're right. And I should be getting ready the funeral." At this, she let a tear or two drop on Ash. "But, I have to conquer my personal demons first, especially because of what my…" She then cried again at an intensity that would make Ash's Torkoal seem like a non-emotional individual.

At this point, Ash recognized these symptoms from reading a book on depression back when he was 8. 'These symptoms… I got a feeling she lost someone else other than her mother before this happened. Should I ask her about it though?' Ash then concentrated for a moment and came up with an answer. 'Yes, I should ask her. I do think of her as another sister, and what a brother should do is care about this. I don't want her to especially follow what I tried to do…'

Ash then decided to speak, "Dawn, I know that there is something else wrong. What happened to your family?" At this, Dawn was shocked that he was able to figure out about her other loss. But a glance at Ash, and then Dawn understood something about him. 'I got it. He himself had to go through this torture, so he knows what the signs are. And, like a brother…' she paused at this, 'he cares for me and my well-being.' At this, Dawn began to cry silently, knowing that at this point, Ash did more to heal the wounds of her loss than everyone else, even Max. This fact alone gave Dawn the hope to continue even if she has to go through a few deaths. 'Seeing Ash,' she realized, 'has made me see more out of life than I could ever dream of, as well as see a bright outbreak even as the worst comes.'

She then smiled and said, "Ash, you're right, there was another. And seeing how you feel for me, I will be more than happy to tell you." At this, May got a teeny bit steamed at Dawn. 'What does she mean, "how you feel for me"?' Once Dawn finished what she last said, she continued, "The truth is, Ash Satoshi Ketchum, that my own father, my own blood, killed my… my…" She then looked at the covered thighs of her legs to gain the courage she needed to say the truth, and finished, "my unborn baby brother…"

At this, May and Ash were equally appalled by this new revelation. May thought, 'OF ALL THE THINGS I HEARD SO FAR, THIS IS THE MOST FUCKING DISGUSTING THING SOMEONE CAN DO!! I JUST WISH THE WORLD WAS NOT SO DAMN APATHETIC!!'

However, Ash didn't just express himself in his thoughts. When the girls noticed what his response was, they were indeed surprised. What they saw was Ash clenching his fist. In it was a broken glass vase that was previously located on the windowsill and what looked like blood coming from his palm. At the sight of this, May immediately entered her worry mode. "ASH," she yelled at a voice loud enough to travel throughout the entire house, "CONTROL YOURSELF!!" At this, Ash only grunted, but he let go of the pieces of the vase.

Unfortunately, due to May's volume control issue, Mrs. Ketchum was the first to arrive at the room, with a look of worry on her face, and what she saw confirmed that worry. 'Oh no… The symptoms are probably back. But, the psychiatrists said that the only thing that could bring them back was… Oh dear, Dawn let out something pretty bad, I guess, in order to cause this. We need to talk about this now.' After this, she said, "Dawn, May, could I talk with you for a second, now." At that, she leered at Ash, and he immediately calmed down and started walking to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, getting peroxide and bandage to cover his cuts with. However, he also saw what his Mom's true purpose was and walked away knowing that she was going to make sure she knew about it, and to tell them about his, "issues," which was the issue currently.

After Ash left, Mrs. Ketchum said, "I'm so sorry about this. I thought that Ash was able to keep his temper, but I'm afraid not." At this she paused, knowing that she was about to foray into sensitive area. "Before I begin, though, I want to know what you were talking about." As she finished, May came up and whispered to her about what happened, while giving concerned looks at Dawn.

When May finished, Delia said with an appalled expression on her face, "O my God, Dawn…" She then began to cry silently, knowing what its like to lose a child. "I'm so sorry… I should have never asked about this." Meanwhile, she then sobbed softly. However, Dawn put a compassionate hand on her shoulder, tears in her eye, but she didn't cry, which showed in her a strength that people only thought Ash, and recently May, had.

At this, May began to think. 'Interesting… I always thought that only Ash and I had an inner strength like that. But apparently, it has rubbed off on Dawn as well… I got a feeling that Ash is right in saying he wants to be Dawn's brother figure. But, how is Ash going to proceed from here? He's as depressed as hell, he knows he can't do anything that would offend me, and he needs to control his temper. I gotta ask Delia to talk with him…'

"It's OK, Mrs. Ketchum," replied Dawn, "because when I saw Ash now, I just figured that I should not keep secrets as dark as this… But, I can't feel but think about what will happen when some of us hold back the truth, especially now that the gods are about to pass Judgment on us…"

"Dawn, I have to respect that, so now, I think I should get talking about Ash." Delia then exhaled and cleared her mind. "It all started back after Giovanni left the family. Since Ash witnessed his brother's death,"

"Wait," interrupted Dawn. "He actually witnessed his own brother's death?" At this, Mrs. Ketchum could only nod. When she confirmed it, all Dawn could do was stare at the floor in deep thought.

"Anyway," continued Delia, "Since he did witness it, and to almost no one's knowledge but himself, he has always been questioning why his dad did what he did. And, since he was always thinking about it, he always got angry at himself for not being able to do anything. Unfortunately, that period came back when Ash first learned about the concept of self-harm…"

"Wait," then interrupted May, who seemed to again have gained her steamed expression, "so are you trying to say he began inflicting harm on HIMSELF?!" At this point, she began to walk menacingly towards Mrs. Ketchum. Dawn, who realized what was happening, tried to calm her down, and seemed to be somewhat successful, getting her to sit down. After, Dawn said, "Mrs. Ketchum, could you continue in spite of your daughter-in-law?"

Delia nodded, chuckled briefly at May's expense, and continued, "Well, May, unfortunately, you hit the point right on the head." She then began to gather a solemn air around herself. "One day, when I came back from the market, I saw something that no mother should ever, ever see, and I hope that the same doesn't happen to you after you marry Ash, May…"

FLASHBACK

It was an early evening for Delia, as she was in a rush to get groceries. In fact, she was always in a rush nowadays, since Robert was killed by her husband, as she wanted to make sure that nothing happened to Ash. She was always afraid now of something happening, because of Team Rocket and their merciless campaign for Giovanni's control of the world.

When she did get home, it was about time for Ash to get to bed. So, before she came up, she warmed up a bottle of milk, since he still liked it that way, even though he is currently 7. It's just a part of him that didn't change just yet, which meant something that Delia still wanted Ash to hold on to, since he was beginning to change into a completely different person.

His changes were minor at first, the biggest thing being that Ash acted pretty unfriendly towards anyone that moved to Pallet Town. However, it started to get even worse when Ash started discovering what anger was. He started to disobey authority, calling them names that often had a double-edged sword to them, both pleasing and mocking them.

Yet, the worst was yet to come. It was a week ago from today when Delia was called to the precinct's office from home. There, she found out about a rather unfortunate incident; Ash started a fight with Gary, and by the time Jenny were able to separate them, Gary was a bloody pulp.

Of course, Professor Oak was also there, and unfortunately, he also knew about Ash's history. Heck, everyone in Pallet Town did, and maybe some outsiders, too. It was referred to as, "The Shock of Pallet," because everyone was taken aback, especially since the former, "Pride of Pallet," did the actions under question.

Thus, the meeting was mostly about Oak trying to convince Delia to get Ash an appointment with a social worker. In the end, she said that if one more slip-up happened with Ash, she would take him to see one.

Anyways, when Delia finally came up, warm milk in hand, what she saw shocked her, and then, when she finally looked at Ash, she dropped the glass bottle, saddened at what Ash has done to himself.

There is blood all over the carpet floor, and still pretty wet as well. Ash, holding what seemed to be a steak knife, also covered with blood, and had many cuts along his arms and his legs. There also was a big gash at about where his top skull was, still dripping blood. He was on the floor, and unconscious due to the loss of so much blood.

END FLASHBACK

By the time Delia finished telling about the cuts, May and Dawn had cried out all of their tears, and they were in each other's arms. Then, Delia waited for them to recover. When they did, May immediately said, with a trembling voice, "So, I guess that Ash went to the social worker?"

Mrs. Ketchum could only nod, knowing how painful this kind of memories could be. She then was able speak. "When he did go, the social worker first had trouble identifying with him, but he was eventually able to break the lock, and I learned how his life became a complete mess because of that son of a bitch husband I had. I also read up on some books, so I was better able to communicate with him."

She continued, "Now, I think that I should let Ash take over this conversation with you, Dawn. As for you, May, we'll go do something about the wedding, because I got a feeling your fiancé has got something important to tell her. But first, I need a couple of minutes with him." She then left, going to wherever Ash presumably was.

When she got to Ash's room, she knocked on the door twice, then once again. They developed a system to tell whether it was them at the door or not. Ash, who was inside, said, "Come in, Mom. The door's open." She then opened the door slowly, revealing herself after a while.

She then began. "Ash, I need to talk to you about something." She then sat down on his bed. "Ash, you know that we've been through this, and how I didn't want you starting to hurt yourself once again." As Ash began to speak, Delia threw him off-guard by saying, "But I know about Dawn, and what that son of a bitch Cyrus did was even worse that what Giovanni did to Robert. I think that really was the only healthy way for you to get rid of your anger." Ash then was silent, awestruck at how his mom actually approved of what he did.

Mrs. Ketchum then continued on. "Ash, I know Dawn is important to you, almost as much as May is to you now, and if what I'm thinking your thinking is true, then the answer is yes; I approve." At this, Ash began to tear up, then threw himself into his mother's arms. "Thank you… Mom. Thank you for caring about my feelings for her."

"Well, you do care for her like a sister, so why not? It would be lovely. Now, if you excuse me, I have to, 'disrupt,' May from interfering."

"Let me guess; wedding plans." said a still sobbing-for-joy, however silently, Ash.

"Exactly. Well, there's one thing I liked about your, 'change,' period; the fact that you knew what I was thinking and doing all the time. Even though it was a bad thing when you were younger, who knew that it wouldn't be detrimental at all at your age? Well, see ya later." She then gave Ash a peck on the cheeks and proceeded to her master bedroom, to get May out of there. Once she got her, Mrs. Ketchum gave Ash the go-ahead.

When he went inside, it was all back neatly. Dawn, who was starting to slip away from pure boredom, awoke when the door started opening, revealing Ash. Dawn then got very excited, and jumped all over him while saying, "What's up, Ash? Is it something that I should keep away from May?" The questions kept on firing on and on until Ash took a seat. Then, Dawn realized that this was pretty important, both for him, but more importantly, her. So, she took a seat quickly, as to not have to wait any longer.

Once she did, Ash began to speak, "OK, Dawn, listen up and listen good. Even though I know now's not the best time, we have to talk about the future, mainly your future." At this, Dawn began to look down at the floor, again knowing that even though this was pretty sensitive, Ash was only trying to help. "Dawn, do you want to wait for a while before I tell you?" He had a caring look to match as well.

"No, Ash, you can continue. It's just that, out of the entire world, you're the one helping me the most. Not even Max is helping at all. Speaking of that, then why is he even my boyfriend?" She then started to think how their relationship went until recently. Then, it began falling apart today. She reflected this, and Ash didn't interfere, since he wants her to be fully aware of what he was about to tell her.

It is a quirt morning at Professor Ivy's Lab at Valencia Island. She, unlike most of her days, was actually in her lab, observing a tablet. Yet, it was no ordinary tablet. It was critically known world-wide as the Chosen One tablet, because of its prophecy written on it when it was first discovered:

Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice, or lightning,
Lest these titans wreak destruction on the world in which they clash.
Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting,
Alone its song will fail, lest the earth shall turn to Ash.
O Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three –
Their treasures combined tame the beast of the sea.

However, that wasn't the only thing mysterious about it. It also was able to change what was said, which baffled everyone. Even Kurt wasn't able to figure out why it was able to change. And, because of its importance, he sent it back to the Orange Archipelago, saying that the keepers of the tablet should have custody of it. And, that's how it came to Ivy.

Now, she was about to fall asleep from exhaustion when, all of a sudden, the tablet started glowing. Suddenly, she was wide awake, knowing that something big was about to happen. "Minami, Tsunami, Konami, get in here!!" she yelled out to her assistants. The triplets, who were already asleep, were there only a couple of seconds later. "Yes, Professor." they all said.

"Girls, we got a positive energy current in the tablet. I need you to monitor those readings while I call Professor Oak and send him the readings." They all took over the monitors while Professor Ivy used her express video-phone. When she was connected, we see what looks like Professor Oak with Tracey, Melody, and Delia, all talking about something. "HELLO!!" she yelled out to get their attention. Professor Oak, who was reflecting, realized that Ivy was calling, so he told the others that he'll have to take this call. "Hello, Professor. What's with the yelling?"

"Thank Arceus, Professor, you could pick up. We got a good reading on the tablet. In fact, it's reacting even stronger that before!!"

"Oh by the gods, it's finally happening! Hold on, I have to get someone." He then went back to the group. When he came back, Professor Ivy sees that Oak is bringing with him Melody. "OK, I got her."

"Nice to see you again, Melody." replied Ivy, who met her when she originally received the tablet for study.

"You too, Professor. Now, onto business: there's only one reason why the tablet has these readings; the runes are about to change once again. Now," she said as if she was a surgeon directing her assistants, "I want you, once the energy readings go down, to take a picture of the tablet. I need to be able to see it, so that I can translate it ASAP."

"Yes, ma'am, we'll send them right away." She then said to her assistants, "How are the readings resonating?"

"Professor," said Minami, "the readings are way off the charts, but the containment chamber is holding up."

"That's good enough, Minami. Now, all we have to do is wait." They then, like Professor Ivy said, waited for a very long time before the tablet finally started to dim. "OK, girls, it's finally time. Take those pictures so I can send them to Melody."

"Right away, ma'am." said the assistants. They then went in the chamber and took pictures of the writing. Ivy, afterwards, connected them all together using a picture editor, and sent it to Melody. "Good, it's done. Now, it's all up to them."

Back at the Oak laboratory, Melody was waiting for the message to come in, since this was going to be very important in Ash's journey, as well as the others. When it did finally come, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Good, I got it, finally." She then printed out the picture for careful analysis. After a while, she came down to this final version:

Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice, or lightning,
Lest these titans wreak destruction on the world in which they clash.
Though the water's great guardian shall arise to quell the fighting,
Alone its song will fail, lest the earth shall turn to Ash.
O Chosen One, into thine hands bring together all three –
Their treasures combined tame the beast of the sea.

When the dawn of a tenth year after this struggle has occurred,
The earth shall end in shameful decay
Unless the Legend crushing war sees its end
By the will of the Creators, hand in hand.
Yet, the Chosen One alone will not be enough
To convince the Creators to go with his doubts.

So the One will have to divide within
And become eight, for their destinies intertwine.
May, Dawn, Max, Brock, Misty, Tracey, and Zoey
Thou art the names of the Seven that will have to combine
And become the Chosen Eight with the One as Alpha.
With Ash and May, as their lights oh so dear
They will convince the Creators to save what they hold dear.

O Chosen Ones, lest you not worry with fright
If others try to follow your light.
For you and your followers try to light the way
For others to go to the righteous way.
Shower their darkness and their wicked ways
With this light divine and then they shall go straight.

However, there will be a traitor in thy mist, O Chosen One.
But all is not lost, for he can still be changed back to the light.
Yet, sacrifices will be made
And one of the disciples of the Eight shall be gone.

When this journey ends, the Eight become Four
For the bonds of marriage shall combine them for long
Misty and Tracey will realize last of all
But their love for each other will blossom fastest of all
Dawn and Zoey will bloom together
And what they do will help show justice for all others.
Brock will unite before this occurs
With the one called Susie and soon they will understand.

Yet May and Ash will realize their bond the most complete
And their love for each other will be the key to evil's defeat.

And when they all reach the end of their time
Their bonds will not be broken but strengthened like rhyme.
Yet all of them will enjoy their whole lives
And at the end of their lives they shall enjoy heaven bright.

As soon as Melody realized what the additions meant, she went into deep thought. 'Oh man, this is going to be troublesome, because I think that when Dawn does dump Max, which I bet will happen soon, then he'll be, "the traitor." But, who will sacrifice themselves, and who should I tell?' After musing this for a moment, she came up with an answer. 'I feel that the only ones who should know are Ash, May, and Dawn. They, after all, are the three most important to the prophecy, Ash and May for obvious reasons, but Dawn for something she doesn't even know yet… But, she should only know once she discovers her power.'

Dawn, after thinking about it, finally came to an answer in her mind. 'Sure Max has been great, but after thinking about it, he's really lost that youthful spirit he once had, that spirit that made me fall for him. I now need to move on.' "OK, Ash, I've made my decision."

"Well, what is it?"

"I'm not sure I wanna talk about it to anyone right now."

"OK, Dawn, I respect that." Ash then closed his eyes and breathed in, knowing that this announcement was definitely going to turn heads. "Now Dawn, listen here. I talked about this before, and as we all know, you need a family. So, I asked my mom something, and she said yes, so I'll ask you now. Dawn, are you sure you're ready for this?" She nodded a yes, giving Ash the go-ahead to ask her. "OK, Dawn, will you be my adopted sister?"

When Ash asked her, Dawn, who was in a serious mood, all of a sudden, got very teary-eyed and leaped up on Ash. "Th-th-thank you, Ash Ketchum. Thank you!!"

"You're welcome, Dawn, or should I say, 'baby sister'."

"You know, Ash, I should have expected that, but, what the hell, I can take advantage of you now. But, first, I feel that you deserve a reward." She then advanced on Ash, since she had restrained him already when she leapt up on him. This advance was a kiss. And a long, tiring one at that.

Even though Dawn knew Ash was getting married, she also realized that Ash often was unrewarded for most of his efforts, in terms of anything other than recognition, and it's boring to receive only recognition, in her regard. So, this was her untrained, unrestricted, idealistic idea of an, "award," for all that Ash has done for her, from that first time in Route 202, until now, when the opportunity presented itself.

When Dawn was done, she got off Ash slowly, looked at him, immediately blushed beet-red, and rushed out of the room right after, covering her face with her hands, before Ash could vocally react.

However, he was speechless, yet his mind was racing. 'Why did Dawn do that to me? She knows I'm getting married.' Ash then reflected on this for a while, then figured out the answer. He then chuckled and thought out loud, "That Dawn… She cares about my well-being too much." He then laughed, knowing that this was definitely going to be a moment to remember.

You were surprised with what I did there, weren't you? Trust me, when you have great ideas, you will always want to apply them as soon as possible. This was one of them. It promotes the build-up of the back-story as well as the creation of tension. Also, I gotta admit, I can sure recycle a bad plot-line and make it better. This chapter was a perfect example, but I feel like I also started a conspiracy theory here that will cause a big debate.

And don't worry, I'm not sadistic, as you probably now think I am. If I wanted to be, this fic would be over by now, with a completely different storyline and a lot of main character deaths. So, please R&R and spread this fic to the world!