Chapter 6: End of Noir Mask
As Darkrai hovered over an unconscious Phoenix, Marie was trying to process what had just happened. Moments ago Lisa had kissed her, and Marie had to admit that it felt amazing. Then Lisa had told Marie that she loved her, and that had caught Marie off guard even more. There was a time when Marie had wanted Lisa to say those words to her, for back in that time Marie had started to feel the same way. In fact Marie had to admit that there was a part of her that still did. Yet she was still mad at Lisa for her betrayal, and with so many conflicting emotions Marie did not know how to react.
“You… what?” Marie finally asked.
“At first I wasn’t sure.” Lisa admitted. “I mean we were such good friends from the moment we met that I thought that’s all it was. But… over time I think I started to see you in a different way. There were times when I couldn’t stop thinking about you, especially when I was on my journey traveling around Hoenn. Then on that terrible day when I ended up helping to bring you in… that wasn’t just hard for me Marie, it crushed me to do it. It hurt that I was causing you even more pain.
“The guilt I felt after that made it harder to go on. I tried to comfort myself by saying that it was for the best, and that I would see you again one day. But then… on the day I had heard that you died… I was absolutely devastated. And the odd thing is I think it was on that day when I fully realized how much I was in love with you…. Because it hurt so much that I would never see you again.
“It seemed like I couldn’t go on after that. The pain of losing you and the guilt over sending you to your death was all too much for me to take. The only thing that kept me going for a while was chasing after Entei. And since that time I’ve been wandering around Johto, trying to figure out how to keep going on. All that time I’ve lived with the guilt of what I did. And now… now that I’ve learned that all I did was help put you in jail for a crime that you didn’t commit, and that you’ve been forced to live a life of hell because of that… I don’t blame you for hating me Marie. I deserve every kind of pain you want to inflict on me. I just want you to know how I really feel before you do.”
“…No… you’re lying!” Marie cried as she pushed Lisa away. “I don’t…”
Before Marie could finish she looked into Lisa’s eyes and saw a deep sadness that she had never noticed before. That sadness made Marie think that perhaps Lisa was telling the truth, and it confused Marie even more.
“What a nauseating display.” A mocking voice interrupted.
Lisa and Marie turned to see Andre standing a few feet away. In his right hand he held a long black and silver trident. The silver grip of the trident had a pair of red buttons on it, and inserted below the fork of the trident was a large blue crystal orb.
“I mean really, I’m all for romance. But that is a little over the top.” Andre continued.
“You son of a bitch.” Lisa said to Andre in a low hate-filled voice. “You used me to send Marie to jail!”
“Oh, get over it Lisa.” Andre said indifferently. “It was nothing personal, I only needed Marie out of the way to get the company. Besides, you’ve would’ve gotten her back in ten years if Giovanni hadn’t recruited her into Team Rocket.”
“Damnit, don’t you care at all about the pain you put Marie through?” Lisa demanded.
“Give it up Lisa.” Marie suddenly said in a cold tone as she picked up her mask off the ground and put it back on. “This bastard only cares about himself. And now he’s going to pay!”
“I think not dear cousin, for I now hold the key to ruling the world.” Andre said with an arrogant grin as he pushed the top button on the grip of the trident. The trident began to make an odd humming noise and the orb began to glow with an eerie blue light. “Awaken, Kyogre!”
Suddenly a large blue ship that was docked nearby began to rock and make the noise of buckling metal. Several people abandoned the ship as quickly as they could, all of the wearing Team Aqua uniforms. Bursting forth through the hall was a massive blue and white creature that resembled a killer whale. Its huge pectoral fins resembled wings, and on the end of each one were four white square protrusions that gave the impression of fingers. Running along the creature’s body on certain part was a red line, which also formed a unique pattern on its wing-like fins. Kyogre’s sunken eyes were glowing with the same blue light coming from the Blue Orb in Andre’s trident. Andre laughed evilly as the leviathan splashed into the water of the harbor.
“Now mighty Kyogre! Bring forth a storm the likes of which this world has not seen in millions of years!” Andre commanded.
The red lines on Kyogre’s body began to glow as it cried out. Thick black clouds suddenly covered the sky, and soon a torrential rain began to pour down. In moments a powerful wind whipped up and began to rock the waves of the ocean, causing the docked ships to start banging against the harbor. Lightning began to flash in the distance and the sound of thunder echoed all around.
“At last the seas are mine!” Andre laughed. “And with them the world!”
Andre was interrupted when a massive bolt of yellow lightning shot down from the sky and hit Kyogre, causing the whale to cry out in pain. Lisa, Marie, and Andre all looked up and saw Ho-Oh emerge from the clouds with Ash, Misty, Pikachu, and Lucario still riding on its back. Pikachu’s cheeks were still sparking from the attack it had just hit Kyogre with.
“Well, you’re certainly full of surprises Mr. Ketchum!” Andre called up. “But you’re far too late to stop me!”
“Why are you doing all this?” Ash demanded.
“Why? To become ruler of the world!” Andre boasted as if it was obvious. “My late father Nero always told me that whoever controls the ocean controls the world. I control Kyogre, and Kyogre controls the seas! Therefore, I am now the absolute king of the world, able to control its ebb and flow! This has always been my dream, and everything I have done has been to see that it comes true!”
“Well, I can see that this is going nowhere. Pikachu, hit Kyogre again with Thunder!” Ash commanded.
“Pik… a… CHUUUUU!” Pikachu cried out as it fired off another massive bolt of lightning. The second attack hit Kyogre and caused the leviathan to cry out.
“You’re not the only one with that little trick! Kyogre, strike back at them with Thunder!” Andre commanded.
Kyogre cried out again, and in moments it fired a bolt of blue lightning into the air. Moments later, several blue lightning bolts rained back down. One of them hit Ho-Oh in the left wing, but the great bird somehow managed to stay in the air. Back down on the ground, another of the bolts of lightning hit Darkrai and knocked it to the ground. Marie went over to check on Darkrai and saw that the shadowy Pokemon was still conscious but injured.
“Sorry about that cousin.” Andre called over insincerely. “I wasn’t aiming at your friend there. But it does save me a little trouble later I suppose.”
“You heartless monster.” Marie said in a low hate-filled voice. “I’ll make you pay!”
Suddenly Marie charged at Andre as if she was about to tackle him. But Andre quickly swung the base of his trident into Marie’s face, splitting her mask in half and knocking her to the ground a few feet away. In an instant Lisa ran over to Marie’s side. Lisa was relieved to see that Marie had only been knocked out.
“Well that was pointless.” Andre laughed. “Not to mention a tad overdramatic.”
Andre was interrupted from his boasting by the sudden riff of an electric guitar. He turned to see Bolt standing not too far away.
“Oh, I see the rock star has come to interfere with my plans as well.” Andre observed in an annoyed tone. “And I was thinking of letting you survive the flood.”
“I’m flattered dude, but your little flood’s not gonna happen.” Bolt told him. “Let’s rock Raikou!”
From Bolt’s thrown Pokeball emerged a large yellow saber-toothed tiger with black stripes. It had a black crest covering its forehead and a blue X on its snout, covering its nose. On its back like a cape was something that looked like a purple thundercloud, and its tail looked like a blue lightning bolt hitting the ground.
“Not put down the pitchfork and back away slowly.” Bolt ordered Andre. “Otherwise Raikou and I are gonna have to make you put it down.”
“Do you actually think I’m threatened by you?” Andre said with an arrogant sneer. “I control one of the strongest Pokemon in existence! If I wanted to I could have him wash this entire city away in an instant!”
“Two problems with psycho. One, you’d be washed away too.” Bolt pointed out. “And two, if I know my buddy Ash, he’s about to wrap things up with that big Pokemon of yours.”
Up in the air, Ho-Oh flew closer to Kyogre. The great leviathan opened its mouth and fired of a white beam of electricity. Ho-Oh narrowly dodged the attack however.
“Enough playing around! Use Sunny Day Ho-Oh!” Ash commanded.
Ho-Oh began to glow with a golden aura, and suddenly it shot a beam of gold light up into the air. The clouds broke apart and the fierce storm had instantly come to an end, revealing a clear and bright sunny sky. A rainbow appeared in the distance over the sea.
“Impossible!” a shocked Andre called up. “Nothing can stop the power of Kyogre!”
“Not necessarily nothing.” Ash told him. “Kyogre may have the ability to cause storms, but I was hoping that Ho-Oh’s Sunny Day attack could still change the weather and increase the power of Ho-Oh’s moves like usual. Looks like I was right. Let’s finish it Ho-Oh, use Solar Beam!”
Ho-Oh reared back its head and fired a beam of concentrated sunlight from its open beak. The beam hit Kyogre in the face with incredible force. It seemed like the leviathan did not have much fight left.
“Now’s my chance to try out one of the Pokeballs I bought at the department store!” Misty suddenly announced. From her pocket she pulled out a Pokeball that was green on top and had a navy-blue net design. “Net Ball, go!”
Misty threw the ball at Kyogre. The ball hit the leviathan in the face and sucked it in. The ball floated in the water as the red light on the front flashed. After what seemed like an eternity the light stopped flashing and the ball made the noise signally that the capture was complete.
“Yes! I caught Kyogre!” Misty happily exclaimed as she pumped her fist in the air. Ash, Pikachu, Lucario, and even Ho-Oh all looked at the floating ball in surprise.
“What the…? You decided to catch it?” Ash exclaimed in a shocked tone.
“Well it stopped Kyogre, didn’t it?” Misty pointed out. “Besides, how could I pass up the chance to catch such a powerful Water Pokemon?”
“Fine, whatever.” Ash sighed. “Let’s just grab that ball before Andre decides to swim out for it.”
As Ho-Oh descended close enough for Misty to retrieve her newly captured titan, Andre looked over the ocean in utter shock and disbelief.
“How can this be?” Andre asked himself. “It’s not possible…. Kyogre was mine! How could they capture it like that?”
“Andre!” a voice suddenly said. Andre turned to see Marie back on her feet glaring at him. “Experience my hell!”
Darkrai suddenly floated up behind Andre. Andre turned to see Darkrai glaring at him, its single visible eye started to glow blood red. Grasping the terror of the situation, Andre began running away as fast as his legs could carry him. Meanwhile, Darkrai rose several feet in the air and raised its arms up. Between its hands that shadowy Pokemon formed a ball of black energy that started to grow until it was as big as a house.
“DARK VOID!” Darkrai cried in a deep, whispery, and distorted voice as it threw the sphere at Andre.
In seconds the sphere engulfed Andre and quickly shrunk down, taking Andre’s shape before vanishing. Andre fell to the ground unconscious, dropping the trident in the process. Upon hitting the ground the trident shorted out, causing the Blue Orb to shatter. Ho-Oh landed near Andre and Ash, Misty Pikachu, and Lucario dismounted. Bolt and Raikou joined them as they looked at the fallen Andre. The defeated mastermind twitched and squirmed violently in his sleep, indicating he was having a very horrible nightmare.
“You know I hate to say it, but it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.” Bolt observed.
“You said it.” Ash agreed.
The group turned to look over at Lisa and Marie. Marie stood there in shock, looking at the broken pieces of her mask.
“Marie?” Lisa suddenly spoke up. “You okay?”
“My mask… it’s broken.” Marie said in a sort of dazed tone.
“You don’t need it anymore.” Lisa said as she hugged Marie from behind. “You don’t need to hide behind that mask and pretend you’re something you’re not. You can just be you again.”
After a few moments Marie let the pieces of the mask fall to the ground and turned around in Lisa’s arms. She looked into Lisa’s eyes for several moments before hesitantly moving her face in closer. And before long the two were locked in a deep kiss. Ash, Pikachu, Lucario, and Bolt all stared at the site with jaws hanging open.
“Wow, those two really are close friends, aren’t they?” Bolt observed, not once turning his eyes away.
“You can’t get much closer than that.” Ash agreed, also unable to turn away.
“Oh grow up you idiots.” Misty told them as she rolled her eyes.
* * *
The few days that followed were eventful to say the least. The scandal of Andre’s criminal deeds had become the main subject of the news. As was Marie’s sudden resurrection, which had been quit difficult for Desmond and the PR department of the Dantes Corporation to explain. They of course did not mention that Marie had been Noir Mask, though no one beyond the criminal underworld had even heard of Noir Mask anyway. Either way though, Marie had been doing everything she could to stay out of the spotlight.
Andre had been placed in the hospital under police guard. The extra powerful Dark Void attack that Darkrai had used on him had put him in a sort of nightmarish coma that showed no signs of ending in the near future. As for Giovanni, Archie, and Shelly, the police had quickly found them still unconscious at the Dantes Corporation only half an hour after Marie had broadcast Andre’s unknowing confession. The three of them, plus the unconscious Rocket and Aqua grunts that had been found with them, all woke up in jail two hours later. With Archie and Giovanni behind bars, Team Aqua was finished and Team Rocket was sure to begin crumbling.
Five days after the incident, Lisa was out in front of the Flare mansion with Ash, Misty, and Bolt. Lisa had already sent out Rapidash and was waiting next to it.
“So where are you and Marie headed?” Ash asked Lisa. “Are you going back to Johto?”
“No, I thought we’d go to Sinnoh for awhile.” Lisa answered. “I’ve never been there before. And I figured it might be a good place for Marie and I to try and get a fresh start. Though I’m not really sure it will work out.”
“Well, she agreed to go with you.” Misty pointed out. “So I’m sure she probably still loves you.”
“I hope so.” Lisa sighed. “But she’s been mad at me for so long though. Then again she is willing to try. That’s something anyway.”
A moment later the door to the mansion opened and Marie walked out with Desmond. Marie’s new outfit consisted of a black sleeveless shirt under a black zip-up vest, long black pants with black shoes, and thick sunglasses. A large black bag was slung over her shoulder.
“Are you certain you wish to turn over control of the company to me?” Desmond asked Marie as they walked up to the group. “After all, it does rightfully belong to you.”
“Contrary to what my bastard of a cousin thought, I never had any desire to run the company.” Marie told him. “Besides, I’m sure my father would want you to run it.”
“Well then, the thing left for me to say is that I’m sorry for what happened Marie.” Desmond replied. “I never even suspected that Andre had framed you to get the company. And I’m ashamed to admit that I let my feelings about your relationship with Lisa cloud my judgment. I hope you’ll forgive me one day.”
“…We’ll see.” Marie said coldly. Marie then stopped in front of Lisa and Rapidash.
“Ready to go?” Lisa asked.
“I think so.” Marie answered. With that, Lisa got on Rapidash’s back, and Marie got on behind her.
“Have a safe trip you two.” Desmond said to them.
“Thanks dad.” Lisa replied. “We might be back in a few months once the heat from the press dies down.”
“You girls have a good trip.” Ash said to them. “I hope we’ll meet again soon.”
“Me too.” Lisa replied. After a moment Rapidash began a slow trot away from the house. The group stood and watched for a while as the riders faded into the distance.
“You think they’ll be okay?” Misty asked Ash.
“Well, they probably have a rough journey ahead,” Ash began, “but I’m sure it’ll all turn out okay for them in the end.”
TO BE CONTINUED
