Lavender (rated R)

[Damian Silverblade]

It might not need the rating so far, but with where I think I'm going at this point, it'll definitely need the R rating - there's a high chance I'll wind up writing some gory scenes.

Some of you probably recognize me (to those you don't, I was a frequent poster on TPM from early 2000 to december 2002 or so). As such, it is lovingly appropriate that the new fanfic I'm posting now that I've decided to return here (just the fanfic board, though) be a sotry dealing with just that...ghosts, hauntings, the afterlife, specters and the ilk (as well as the human minds and many other things).

As a general note, this fic is set ten years or so after the anime (I have no specific time frame). It's inspired by such tales as the X-Files, and even more so the Twin Peaks style of stories.

Now, be ready to forget everything you ever thought you knew about the boundary between life and death. For those who don't have little in the way of chances of surviving...

LAVENDER

Chapter 1 : The Night Falls

The skies of Kanto were dark, still carrying in them the hint of the rainstorm that had fallen mere hours before, the same rainstorm that had kept the helicopter pinned down at the Cerulean Air Force Base. It was a delay, but yet another delay piled atop many others.

"When will we get to Lavender?" one of the passenger yelled over the engine's noise.

The pilot, as usual, ignored her. He had been doing mostly that since they had finally been able to leave, saying little others than reports.

With a scowl, Misty Waterflower turned away, shaking her head. Most of the people she knew would have chided her over her short-temperedness now. It seemed they had nothing better to do over the last few years than pick on her slightest faults, as if they somehow believed she hadn't suffered enough.

"They don't know…" she hissed darkly as the valleys of the Rock tunnel region passed below her. How many years had it now been since she had traveled through them with Ash and Brock? Too many, for sure. She was a woman of the world now. She had her responsibilities, and no time for walks out in the wilds.

A slight noise drew her attention, rising from besides her seat. It took her a moment to identify it for what it was, the static of a signal-less radio. Annoyed – if she couldn't have any useful information from the pilot, then she'd rather have silence – she reached to turn it off, only to find the radio's button already on the off switch.

"Are you doing that?" she asked the pilot, frowning. He didn't seem to ear her, tugging at his earphones. For a moment she thought to tear them away from his head to get an answer, but decided against it. Not only it might be dangerous, but also the sound definitely was coming from her own radio.

"Doing what?" he finally asked back, removing the earphones entirely.

"That noise," she pointed at her radio. Shouldn't it have been obvious? There was not much in the whole helicopter worth asking about, was it?

"I don't know what that is!" he told her back. "I get the same with my earphones!"

Misty made as if to answer, then shook her head, deciding against it. Just as she turned away from the pilot, she thought she heard something.

"What did you say?" she asked the pilot. He must have been talking to her if the radios were down, as they seemed to be.

"I said nothing! I think that was on the radio!" the pilot replied again.

Misty frowned, picking the radio again, putting it to her ear. Had she really heard something, or had that been a figment of her imagination?

There was nothing beyond the static noises. Helplessly, Misty shrugged. It must have been her imagination, then – as if she needed to be turning insane and hearing voices on top of everything else! She simply did not like it.

"Where am I?" she heard suddenly. This time there was no mistaking it; it had come from the radio. Again, she tried to switch it off, but to no effect.

"All the frequencies appears to be the same!" the pilot told her as she tried to wrestle with the selector, hoping to perhaps at least get something more interesting.

"Damn," she swore, forgetting herself for a moment. Even with her alleged short temper she had mostly managed to steer clear of swearing so far – proof, as far as she was concerned, that she was nowhere near as bad as her friends told her she was.

"Help me!" the voice screamed yet again. There was something oddly familiar to it, a ring Misty thought she could almost recognize. It was a woman's voice, for certain, or else that of a panicked young man.

"Sounds like one of the gym leaders!" the pilot pointed out.

"Where am I? What are you?" the voice drew higher, more pitched. Misty frowned. Where had she heard a similar voice before – which gym leader did it belong to?

"Which one?" she asked the pilot. Perhaps he could help her further, come to think of it. Galling as it was to admit she needed the help…

"I don't know! I don't really know them!" he replied. "There's Lavender ahead," he pointed. "The landing's going to be hard with no radio contacts!"

Misty nodded absently.

"I did nothing to be here! Let me go!" the voice went on, its panic obviously rising. Who had she heard talking like that before, again?

Try though she might, no memories came.
_____________________

The Lavender helipad had been cleared to make room for the incoming helicopter. Most of the staff here knew better than to trifle with their regional gym leader – the Cerulean one. There had been talks of a Lavender gym more than once, but they had all fallen flat over this or that point of League law.

There were only two men waiting for her now, hardly the delegation one would have expected to see for a visiting gym leader. Misty Waterflower had neither the reputation of a good gym leader nor the love of the citizens of the two cities she represented. Too many of them had been at the receiving end of one of her temper flares, and even most of her friends had left her by now.

"Poor Misty," one of the two waiting men observed, pushing aside a strand of pale brown hair that had fallen on his face. "Nothing's been going her way for the last few years, as it?"

"Nothing. I can't offhand think of anything happy in her life ever since Ash left public life," the second, taller, answered, closing his narrow dark eyes.

Both of them knew how taxing the work of a gym leader truly was, of course. They had both held their own gym for years already, although the second one had the most experience in that domain. Pewter had been his for years upon years. His companion had taken up the Viridian post far more recently.

"I don't know how she can really stand it," Gary replied slowly. He had only the dimmest memories of Misty in the days back when she had been travelling with Ash, but few of them were in any way similar to the depressive young woman he now worked with. "I heard she had taken up drinking."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Brock shook his head sadly. "I don't know whatever possessed Ash to up and run like that. She was just about to ask him out or something like that, as I understand it. They had spent years as friends, and she wanted things to move further. At least that's what she told me. And then his mother dies and he just…"

"Vanished," Gary completed. Brock's summary was good as far as it went, he had to admit. Not for the first time, he wished he could tell Brock and Misty more, but no, what he knew was not his to reveal. If Ash wanted his whereabouts known to them, he would make sure they knew. So far, he obviously had no such desire.

"Do you really think we need to drop this on her the second she lands?" Brock shifted uncomfortably, pointing at the folder Gary held. In Misty's absence, the police had more or less taken them in as representatives of Kanto's government. But the second she arrived.

"Do we have the choice?" Gary replied softly. Some days as he woke, he wondered how he had come to change so much as he had. Then he would invariably shake his head, turn away from the mirror, and thanks his lucky star that he in fact had. His old self had been nothing more than a bastard.

"I guess you're right," Brock nodded. More than once some of the younger gym leaders – and especially the three of them, had denounced the growing power of the league. It had done no good, and the Pokémon League had effectively become the true political power in Kanto, an unelected government. Ash would perhaps have been able to turn the tide, had he been around, but he had already vanished by then.

"Poor thing," Gary shook his head again. "I don't think she deserved that." Who could ever deserve it, he asked himself.

"Do you mean Misty?" Brock turned slightly toward him, cocking an eyebrow.

"Misty. Or…" he hefted the folder. "Her, too."

A strange noise rose from his belt radio.

"What's that?" Brock asked, frowning.

"Sounds like just static…" Gary began, then frowned. That had been a voice among the static.

"That sounds like…" Brock began as the screams grew clearer.

"But that's…" Gary shook his head, pointing at the folder. "I mean, it's just impossible…"

The voice rose again, and this time, there was no mistaking it, both the words and sound all too familiar as a last semblance of pride surged forth into it.

"I am the gym leader of Saffron!" the yell came. "Let me go at once!"

Then there was a long scream, punctuated by what appeared to be a sinister laugh of some sort. Then there was no more sound, and the radio fell dead in Gary's hand just as, outside, a helicopter landed. Out came a scowling Misty and a frowning pilot.

"Did you hear that on the radio?" she asked them as she entered the room, spotting them at a glance. "What was Sabrina playing at?" she questioned, her eyes showing nothing but restrained fury.

"If someone was playing, it was not Sabrina," Gary informed her wearily, taking the folder and putting it in her hands. "There's no way she could have been playing. Or doing much of anything at all," he continued. "Are you positive that was Sabrina's voice?"

"Yes," she returned firmly. "The last just had to be her – I'd recognize that tone of voice out of a thousand."

"I agree," Brock nodded. Gary voiced no disagreement. He had heard the psychic's gym leader's voice often enough to recognize it just as surely as his two companions did. That had been Sabrina.

"Look at that," he pointed at the folder, frowning darkly. He had hoped the other two would tell him he had been wrong to think it was Sabrina, or at least that they had their doubts – that perhaps there was a chance they were wrong. But no, of course – they all agreed it had been hers.

"What's the meaning of…" Misty began, her scowl deepening. "You can't be serious!"

She let the folder drop to the floor as Gary nodded darkly. "I'm as serious as I ever was. The body was found last night, and the police wanted Brock and I to pass the preliminary report along to you. I don't think there's any doubt there either."

"But if Sabrina's dead, who did all the radio screaming?" she protested weakly.

"There's no telling. Either she didn't kill herself despite how things seems and her killer recorded things…"

"Which the police thinks highly unlikely," Brock swiftly pointed out.

"Else we're mistaken about the owner of the voice, which is entirely possible," Gary continued his enumeration, praying that one at least, perhaps both, would admit to the possibility. To his dismay, both of them shook their head.

"That was her," Kasumi stated, her voice firm, her eyes challenging him to say otherwise.

"Then what do you make out of this?" Gary answered the challenge.

Misty frowned but did not answer.

[DannyBoy]

This is a pretty good start! Chapter was pretty good length and description was good. This is different and isn't one of the loving or continuing on Misty, Brock, Ash kind of fics. But th ebest part is you made a mystery of Ash vanishing which is great and having Gary in there being Brock's friend is cool. I think the whole Ash dissappearing act could have been a little bit more longer and described a bit more. Why his mom die? Sickness? Murder? That might just be me but it made me wonder. Other than that, good. Keep it up!

[Damian Silverblade]

Ahhh, but the whole point is making you wonder you see. Ash's disappearance was not mentioned just for the fun of it ; it will impact the rest of the story. And as such some of the details were left unsaid because they will be mentioned later on :-).

And thanks for reading :-)

[Mewfour]

Hm, no I don't remember you at all. Why, even if I did, I doubt I would remember having years and years of countless battles and flamewars with you over MSN. And I doubt anyone else on TPM would remember our classic fights, either. No, sorry, Mr. Silverblade, I don't remember you at all.

Oh, by the way, I was being sarcastic. Welcome back, ya' little creep

[Damian Silverblade]

Clown :-P. How many times did I get you banned, again?

And isn't that sig image a bit over the top in terms of size, too? Bah, in my times there were rules yun'un, and people like you who posted without even replying to the fic were...

Oh, yeah. They were welcome unless it was really spammy. Damn, there goes my whole moralistic rant :-D.

[Mewfour]

Three times. Actually, I am still "banned," I'm just using a different account. Viva la raza!!

[Damian Silverblade]

Chapter 2 : The Shadows Darken

"Have I mentioned before that I think organizing the annual gym leader convention in this god-forsaken city was a bad idea?" Gary asked of no one in particular. He was quite sure he had done so before, but it made for a great complaint to bring up anyway.

"Do you want the list?" Brock replied with a frown.

Gary shook his head. Truth to be told, not one of the younger gym leaders had appreciated the idea, but Agatha had recently died, Agatha had been born in Lavender, and thus Lavender it had been. The Elite Four had been adamant about it. Thus, Sabrina had gone to Lavender, only to kill herself there.

Misty turned to take a quick glare at both of them, one Gary tried to ignore as best as he could. Why she had wanted the two of them along as she visited the room Sabrina had killed herself in, he couldn't begin to guess. One of the police officer that had been in charge of the in-depth investigation in the room would have been a much better choice.

"Still, now we have all of this to deal with on top of all the gym leaders in the country being about to storm the place," he pointed out. "Let's just hope that nothing more happens."

"Let's hope we can get an idea of what happened here first," Misty shook her head. "I'm sure the other gym leaders will want explanations the second they start arriving," the low growl that punctuated the last few words made more than clear her feelings about giving that particular explanation.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Brock advised calmly. "We need to start getting answers."

"Right," Misty nodded, a scowl still written all over her face. "According to the report you handed me, she didn't leave any letter or such, right?"

"No such luck," Brock replied, looking over one of the far walls.

Gary reached in his backpack for the copy of the investigation folder that was there, hoping that perhaps there would be something there they had all missed to clue them in to the problem.

"Instead of focusing on what we wish was there, I've got the list of what was really there," he began, putting it down on the room's small table.

"Right," Brock sat down besides him. They had done it twice already, but perhaps he agreed with her that Misty's input would be of some worth. She quickly joined them.

The list was pretty much what one would have expected to find in a standard hotel room. First were Sabrina's clothes, with nothing exceptional about them.

"Did they check the pockets on all those clothes?"

"Of course," Gary nodded in answer. "They know their job. If it were just the suicide we'd have no need to get ourselves involved in this. But there had to be that whole radio thing…"

"Don't remind me," Misty growled. "Anyway, when was the last time either of you saw Sabrina reading a book of any sort?" she pointed at a further set of items down the list.

"You know, I hadn't thought of that," Gary admitted sheepishly. Sabrina had never been the bookish type, and had in fact professed that she had never felt the need to step near books – all the information she needed she could simply obtain right from the mind of someone who knew it. Why bother with reading when there were easier means out there to get what she wanted?

"Too bad the policemen who wrote down that list only noted that there were books, and not the titles, or what they were about…" Misty added, throwing a sharp disgusted look at each of them in turn.

"True, that," Gary frowned. That had only seemed a minor mistake so far, but now…

"You think he might have been trying to mislead us?" Brock asked.

"Right," he nodded. Why else? "Though that would mean one of the investigators knew enough about Sabrina to know the books would tip us off, and to know they didn't want us to be tipped off about it."

"Look there," Misty pointed at another part of the list. "Why is that book apart from the others?"

"It says it was found next to her bed. The rest were in her packs or something like that," Brock noted. "The Book of the Soldiers. Anyone heard of that one?"

Misty shook her head, but Gary frowned. "Definitely out of character for her to be reading that. It's a book of prophetic visions, as I understand it. Very religious, and Sabrina's never been a religious-minded girl."

"Yes, we're both aware Gary." Misty told him. "We've worked with her for longer than you have, in case you forgot.

"No need to snap at me," he retorted, frowning. "Why would she have that book in her room – besides her bed? That pretty much means it had to be what she was reading…"

Misty's cell phone rang before anyone could answer. She flipped it on, then turned the small video switch. Gary moved closer to see who it was, and had to grip the edge of a seat to steady himself.
______________________________

"President Gray," Misty greeted the man on the screen, trying to keep herself from screaming in frustration. They were finally tracking down something, and now the League's leader had to be calling to get her off her job…. "What can I do for you?"

"I want results on what happened with that entire radio thing," the voice replied quietly. Lance Gray had never been a man of many words, and his taking over League presidency had not improved that. But he knew about efficiency and when to want it, and despite some of the personal misgivings Misty had with the notion of the man as president, she had to admit he was good at getting things done.

"We're working on it, sir," she replied, biting her lips to avoid letting out anything she would later regret. To snap at her friends or at people she had never met was one thing, but Lance was her boss, and all things considered she would rather not lose her job.

"I don't want words," he chided her, gently yet firmly, in just the right tone to make Misty feel like a complete failure. "I want results. What can you tell me of Sabrina's death and this radio thing right now?"

"There is nothing to be said on the radio thing. Silph's put a team of their specialist at our disposal to try to locate the source of the broadcasts. They're hoping to find something right now, but realistically there'll be nothing to be found until there's another such broadcast.

"I quite realize that," Lance frowned. "What can you tell me of Sabrina, then?"

"There is nothing at all to lead us to think it was anything but suicide," Misty frowned. "No traces of violence on her body according to the preliminary report, but until the full autopsy is done we won't know for sure. Otherwise, nothing…"

"Pretty much what I expected to hear. Anything else you can tell me?"

Misty's first instinct was to answer negatively, but she hesitated one moment before doing so, and in that moment of hesitation, her chance to do so was lost. Lance's eyes never left her, and she knew that he would know her to be lying if she said nothing now.

"Books. Sabrina had several with her in her room. Most of them were packed, but she had the Book of the Soldiers besides her bed. We're thinking she was reading it when she died…"

"Sabrina? Reading?" Lance frowned. "That's definitely something to look in. Be quick, Misty," he noted, earning a frown. Lance never used first names, not since he had been made the official president of Kanto. "The entire radio matter could turn out to be potentially deadly in times of war. I cannot give you much time before this becomes a matter of national security."

"Right," Misty nodded. She hadn't even stopped to consider the potential inherent in the ability to take complete control of all radio stations in a wide area, but now that he mentioned it. "How much time do I have?"

"Three days. After that, I'll have to call in reinforcements," he replied.

Misty nodded. "I'll do my best," she added before turning off the phone.
_________________________

Lance turned away from the screen, a frown over his features.

"And what do the two of you know?" he asked, his eyes weary. Out of the shadows in the far corner of his office, a man stepped, his face still hidden in the darkness, and a dark trench coat covering most of his body. "Your agents have told me nothing so far."

"That would be because we know next to nothing, president Gray," a woman stepped out besides the man, dressed much the same. Blonde hair fell to her shoulders, and her eyes were pools of black ink. She had been a Rocket agent once, but that, like most of the rest of her life, was the past. And she had learned long ago that the only way to truly live the present was to let go of the past.

"Next to, Domino?" the president remarked shrewdly, and she cursed herself for even letting that much come across. They were not ready to reveal anything, to tell the truth – what few leads they had were too thin to be of any relevant.

"All we know is that the Johto branch of Team Rocket had a program that bears some similitude to this one, but that was years ago," she reported calmly. "They thought to use radio waves to force pokémon to evolve faster, but I think you are already well aware of the details of that particular project."

"Yes. Yes, I am," he unconsciously reached for one of his pokéball. Most men would have missed the gesture, but Domino was trained to observe, as were virtually every top-ranking agents of Team Rocket. So, that was the pokéball where he kept his red gyarados.

"We think that the Lavender matter might be related to these experiments. Of course, we have no way to know for sure, and to any extent we are not supposed to be involved in that investigation officially."

"Yet," Lance completed. "Very well. See to things as you will, both of you. I assume my two shadows will keep me informed?" he frowned at the last. Where the name of shadows for his two bodyguards had originated, Domino could not remember, but it had.

"Yes, they will. Are you going to Lavender now?"

"Of course. The Convention hasn't been called off. I want the two of you ready to go there at a moment's notice."

Domino nodded, barely noticing that her companion was doing the same. For all the independence the two of them enjoyed when it came to government orders, a direct order from the president was simply too much to be ignored. Not that she would have considered disobeying this particular order in any case.

Lance turned away and left. His two bodyguards detached themselves from the walls where they had been, unmoving, until then, and silently trailed him through the rooms of the League complex, leaving Domino along with her companion.

"What do you make of his actions?" he asked, his voice thoughtful. Domino let out a thin smile. He may be the official head of their group, but he knew well enough that she was far better at reading the emotions of others.

"He's worried. He honestly believes someone's planning to invade and is testing out their weapons."

"Indeed. Let's get going, we have much to do."

"Of course, sir," she replied with a thin, somewhat mocking smile, never letting a hint of her true feelings show. Being a good actor had been part of being an elite Rocket operative, too.

[DannyBoy]

Ya got to feel bad for Gary in this. Misty and Brock treated him a lil bit badly in this. Got more mystery going to, very good. I am starting to really get into mysterys, fun to guess things. But good chapter! Keep it up!

[Cferra]

This fanfic is really good, D! I'm really looking forward to the next parts. I think Gary treated badly will be explained in later chapters. Either way, I can't wait for the next installment. Keep those hits coming, my friend!

L_X

[Darien Shields]

This really rocks. I love the history you've got going. I can just picture Ash as this like, shadow president, sitting behind Lance giving him forboding looks and the occaisional command. Also, the overly powerful Pokemon League rocks. And the horror. Do I sense a hint of Ringu? I hope this gets more mysterious and horror than just Team Rocket. Keep writing...

...Or Else.

[Suite Madame Blue]

Very cool to come back and find a new BBP fic just starting. I might actually be able to keep up with this one. Actually, the fact that you're a prolific writer is a good thing! You were always one of the best writers here, and I'm glad we're both back. I can't wait to read more, but what I really want to know is, does this fic connect with TGE, or is it separate? Also, where can I find TGE these days? I lost track around Book 3, and would love to read what happened after.

[Damian Silverblade]

Hey Suite Madame Blue! I didn'T know you were still around :-).

http://www28.brinkster.com/dsilverbl...n/tge/tge.html - TGE is there in its full glory, complete with the astoundingly bad grammar and spelling I used back then. I'd repost it around, except I simply don't have the time or inclination to go through it all to set the style, spelling and grammar up to what I know I can do these days, and I simply don't feel comfortable posting it around in its present state.

Anyway, I don't know how soon the next update to this one will be, although I fully plan to keep it going - but my main focus as far as writing goes these days is on my new series, The Blood Tamers. Much as I like Lavender, TBT is more the style I'm comfortable with.

[Suite Madame Blue]

Yep, just came back after 2 years. I'll be sure to check out TBT, and thanks for the link to TGE. Your grammar and spelling were never all that bad, I look forward to finally catching up! I was beginning to think maybe I'd just wait for the movies.

[Transient Thought]

Great beginning chapters. I remember reading a couple chapters of this a long, long time ago. It is nice to see it once more. Keep up the good work!

[Damian Silverblade]

I don't think you ever read this Transient thought - it's a relatively new piece of mine. I had a similar project once, but they aren't the same stories at all.

And SMB, glad to see you again :-)

[Red Angel]

Damnian's back

Nice fic... I like the fact that you're using the Pokemon backstory to flesh it out.