Mizu: Here's a brand new chapter! This story isn't dead. I'll just blame my not updating on myself trying to get passed a million different ideas for this cause I forgot my original plan. Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. If I did, Ash and Misty would be together already and getting ready to settle down!

This Final Goodbye…

"I had no idea that he'd gone through anything like that," Brock muttered.

"I just thought he was immature," May sighed, "I feel bad for yelling at him for acting that way now."

"But why would that make Ash not want to have a family?" Max questioned, "If anything, this should have propelled him to making one sooner."

"No it wouldn't," Tracy sighed, "Ash has always been a person to go by impressions. The only impression he has ever seen of a father close up was his thinking that he was worthless. He doesn't know how to be a dad."

"So he's afraid that if he stays on his journey that he'll eventually confess to the girl he loves and then they might make a huge mistake," Dawn thought aloud, "and he's afraid that if he would have a kid that he'd reject it."

"Pretty much," Misty sighed sorrowfully.

"Misty…That must have killed you inside," Brock stated.

"Wha-" Misty blushed.

"You're right Brock! To know that the man that you love is afraid of intimacy and being a dad must have been horrible!" Tracy gasped.

"Wait just a-" Misty tried to interject.

"You love Ash?" Dawn squealed, "That's why you got so worried!"

"Yeah, she totally loves him," May giggled.

"And Ash loves her," Max added, eyes slowly widening.

"So that means…" everyone but Misty mumbled.

"Will you guys listen to me?" Misty plead, trying to fight her blush.

"Ash left because he fell in love with Misty!" the group exclaimed.

"Huh?" Misty blinked.

"But he's been in love with her for so long," Brock sighed, trying to make sense of everything, "Why would he quit his journey now?"

"I repeat, huh?" Misty questioned.

"Maybe he thought the distance between them was too great," May giggled again.

"No way that's it," Max sighed.

"But maybe distance was a factor," Tracy thought aloud, "Maybe he finally realized that no matter what he did, he would always love Misty."

"That's it!" Dawn shouted.

"So he left his journey so he could lock himself away so that he'd never hurt you, Mis-" Brock started to beam, stopping once he saw the red-head missing from the screen, "-ty?"

Daisy slowly sat down in front of the screen, "Misty like just stormed out. She said something like she was like totally going to Sinnoh to hunt Ash down."

"Oh…" the group shuddered.

"Like what did the poor boy do this time?" Daisy questioned.

"Left his journey cause of her," they sighed.

"Oh…" Daisy agreed, "Well, tell her I wish her like the best of luck."

"Something still doesn't make sense," Max sighed.

"What's that?" Dawn asked, bringing a tray of drinks over to her friends.

"Why did Ash lie about going home to Pallet town?" Max questioned.

"You know something, I don't know," May sighed, "He's never been the type to lie about that stuff before."

"Maybe he met up with Scott on the way home," Tracy thought aloud.

"Or Team Rocket could have given him some trouble," Brock chuckled.

"Yeah that's probably it," the group sighed.

"They won't be happy to hear that he's quitting either now that I think about it," Max stated.

"Yeah, Pikachu won't be getting any stronger," Tracy laughed.

"Maybe that's a good thing," May stated, "Team Rocket won't be bugging him as much."

"True," Brock sighed, "But it just doesn't feel right."

The group sighed in agreement. There was a sudden scream from outside and then a man with black hair sprinted into the Pokemon Center, clutching a Pikachu to his chest.

"I said I was sorry for not telling you!" the man cried, hopping easily over the counter to hide.

"Get back here, Ash Ketchum!" Misty's enraged voice snapped.

"Ash!" the group gasped, "No way!"

"Huh?" the man slowly looked over at the group and let out a manly squeak.

"Just how do you think I feel when I receive a call from these idiots saying that you quit your journey eight months ago?" Misty growled, stomping over to the counter, "Then I fly all the way over here on one of my neighbor's Staraptors to find you staking out the Pokemon Center with that stupid grin on your face."

"I said sorry," Ash whimpered, covering his hat covered head with his hands, "But if you knew the truth then you'd know why I didn't want you guys to know that I was following you!"

"I'm confused…" Dawn whimpered, "This isn't making any sense."

"It's not supposed to," Ash sighed, trying to scoot away from a glaring Misty.

"You're going to explain right now what this is all about," Misty demanded.

"…no," Allen shook his head, holding down his hat.

"No?" Misty repeated, pulling out her mallet, "Are you sure about that?"

"y-yes?" Allen stuttered before jumping to his feet and trying run out the door again.

"Oh no you don't!" Misty growled, latching onto his shirt, "You're not going to get away that easily. Not until you explain things."

"L-Let me go, Mist!" Ash whined, struggling with the redhead's grasp.

"Not until you talk!" Misty snapped, accidentally ripping Ash's shirt over his left shoulderblade, "Oops…Sorry bout that…h-huh?"

Ash was sitting on the ground, curled up in a tight ball with Pikachu trying to cover his uncovered skin. Misty gently pushed the yellow creature out of her way and gently reached out to touch his skin. She didn't know why but she was drawn to it. Like there was something fascinating about his flawless tan skin. Well, to her there already was, but this was even beyond what she normally felt.

"Don't touch me!" Ash shouted, running into the nearest corner with his exposed skin pressed against the wall, "Whatever you do, don't touch my skin Misty…"

"…huh?" Misty gaped, along with almost everyone else, "What are you talking about? There was nothing on you so why are you acting so jumpy."

Misty slowly walked over to where her crush sat cowering from her.

"I mean it Misty!" Ash nearly screamed, "Don't touch me!"

"Then," Misty stated through clenched teeth, "How's about I kick you?"

"Wha-" Ash started to ask, only to get kicked out of his corner, landing flat on his face, "Oww…"

"Pikapi!" Pikachu shouted, trying to get it's trainer to get up before Misty touched him.

"Honestly, what's up with you two today?" Misty sighed, placing her hand on his skin, "See? Nothing bad hap-"

Suddenly Ash started screaming as if he was just branded. Misty instantly drew her hand back as Pikachu raced up to it's trainer's side. When he realized it was too late, everyone thought they saw Pikachu curse. It glared up at Misty before grabbing the handkerchief that she had given Ash when they first said goodbye. It used it to cover his mouth, freaking everyone out. But as soon as the small pokemon did so, Ash seemed to calm down instantly before passing out.

"Now I'm really confused," Dawn whimpered, "What just happened?"

"I don't know," Tracy and Brock stated, walking up beside Misty.

"Is that-" Tracy stated when he saw Ash's shoulder blade.

"It is…" Brock gulped.

There on Ash's back was a blood red tattoo. It was an old English styled R with two bleeding roses at its ends. The blood itself seemed to drip down till it reached the small of his back. Let's just say that this wasn't really what the group had been expecting to see when they heard Ash scream.

"We need to get him somewhere out of sight," Brock muttered, gently picking up his friend/little brother.

"Right," everyone nodded, following their breeder friend up to one of the center's room.

"bright…" Ash whimpered when he finally woke back up.

"So you've rejoined the living," Brock chuckled from his seat next to the bed where Ash laid.

"where-" Ash started to ask.

"My room at a Pokemon Center," Brock answered.

"You scared the crud out of me, Ash," Misty whimpered from her seat next to Brock.

"Everyone else went out to buy supplies," Brock sighed, "You've been out for a good three hours."

"S-sorry," Ash whimpered.

"So what's with the tattoo," Brock said bluntly.

"H-Huh!" Ash gasped.

"After Misty touched you, you screamed and passed out as a tattoo appeared on your back," Brock stated.

"Shit…" Ash cursed.

"Ash!" his two friends gasped.

"I didn't want you guys to find out," Ash nearly cried, "I didn't want anyone to know."

"Know what, Ash?" Misty asked.

"…Remember when I told you about my dad, Mist?" Ash questioned, looking down at the sheets.

"Of course I do," Misty nodded.

"Well, there was a reason that he didn't think of me as his own child," Ash stated, running his hand through his messing hair.

"And that is?" the two pressed.

Ash was silent for a second, as if trying to figure out how to start.

"They will do anything to become powerful," Ash finally said, not really looking at anything, "They do experiments."

"Who does?" Brock asked.

"And those experiments aren't just on pokemon," Ash continued.

"What are you talking about?" Misty questioned, placing her hand on top of Ash's knee.

"Team Rocket," Ash sighed, "They don't just experiment on Pokemon. They try to create the perfect grunts by doing unimaginable things to them."

"Wh-What?" the two stuttered, "Then-"

"I was the only that survived the final testing," Ash admitted, finally looking at his friends, "It was the last time that Team Rocket tried this though…"

"Tried what?" Brock questioned.

"They wanted to make an entire squad of grunts that had pokemon like abilities," Ash stated, staring up at the ceiling, "Part pokemon, if you will."

"And y-you-"

"To do this though, they needed children. Newborns actually," Ash sighed, rubbing his neck, "They stole me from my mother about an hour after I was born. They said that I was just what they needed to perfect their new "drug". So the first five of my years were spent in a laboratory being tested on. Scientists messing with the very DNA that made me up.

"Most can't remember anything before age five but I can. I remember everything from then. It's something from the experiments," Ash continued, clutching his hands, "Pokemon don't have that lapse of memory like humans do. So I remember everything from those years."

"A-Ash…" Misty whimpered.

"There were twenty other kids in that hell with me," Ash stated, eyes glowing with anger, "Each of us were being tested for different types. Well, except me…"

"Except you?"

Ash chuckled darkly, "They said they wanted a leader. But that's a lie. All they wanted was to see how many types they could "equip" us with."

"H-How many?" Brock stuttered.

"Nearly every single one of them. The only three I don't have at least one ability of are steel, poison, and ghost," Ash smirked sadly, "But still, most are sealed away and they'll never become a problem unless I unlock all the seals."

"Seals?" the two repeated.

"After five years, I was the only kid that managed to survive," Ash said, "I don't even know why I clung to life. It was so painful. All I thought about was dieing and being free of the pain. Then one day, there was a huge explosion from one of the side labs. I was in the middle of my daily testing. Well, actually container or whatever. I remembered that I could have been like all the others and actually died before it got this far. That's when it finally ended.

"A ranger appeared out of nowhere and destroyed the lab, saving me. Then he took me somewhere. This is the only spot in my life so far that I can't really remember and I hate it. I hate it so much now…" Ash growled before remembering his friends, "Anyways, he took me far away to some shrine and had almost all of my abilities, except the really harmless ones, sealed away. Then he took me with him until he found my parents. After that, you know the rest.

"The thing is, I know that he had the help of some pokemon but I don't know which one. And I need to know!" Ash shouted.

"Wh-Why?" Brock and Misty gulped.

"Because, the seals are starting to weaken enough for the keys to unlock them," Ash sighed, looking at Misty intently, "That's why I tried to leave. I left for Kanto and tried to track down that old ranger. Then I heard he was here in Sinnoh, I figured I'd follow you guys until I found him."

"What are the keys?" Misty asked.

"You were one of them," Ash sighed looking at her, eyes filled with emotions she never dreamt of, "Love was the first key he used. If I fell in love and the seal weakened, I couldn't have that person touch me until I had the seal redone. Or else that particular seal would completely break."

"Love did that?" Misty asked, before she realized something, "S-So you l-love me!"

"well, duh," Ash chuckled, "How could you never notice it, Ms. I love and know all secrets of Romance?"

"J-Jerk!" Misty snapped, blushing dark.

"What did that seal contain?" Brock asked.

"My abilities with fire, water, and electricity. Due to my aura and just how my personality, the ranger figured that sealing them with love as the key would be the easiest," Ash stated, "Though, it is kind of ironic when I think about it."

"S-So-" Brock started to say.

"No, they won't do anything to change me. It just means I'm more like a pokemon now. It also means that if Team Rocket sees my tattoo then they'll know who and what I am," Ash stated.

"W-Will more tattoos appear if the more seals are broken?" Misty asked.

"Nope. Just that one," Ash stated, getting up, "Can I borrow a shirt, Brock?"

"Yeah," Brock nodded, throwing him a random shirt.

"Thanks," Ash smiled, throwing it over his head, "So now that you know my secret, what are you guys gonna do?"

"Huh?"

"Are you gonna abandon me to search alone and label me as a freak or join me on this new journey?" Ash asked, walking to the door.

"Join you of course!" Misty exclaimed, racing up to the dark haired man, "So what if you were originally an experiment. That doesn't change who you are."

"Thanks Mist," Ash smiled gently.

"Oh and," Misty quickly kissed Ash on his lips before running out of the room, "I love you too, Mr. Pokemon Master."

Ash just gaped out the door for a second before busting out in laughter and chasing down Misty, enjoying an old time wrestling match. Brock just watched as Pikachu jumped in as referee when the rest of their friends came back. Misty was right. Ash was still Ash. But still…Brock couldn't shake the feeling that something big was going to happen to them. Something a lot bigger what they had ever been through before. Perhaps even bigger than Ho-oh.