There Can Only Be One
A horror fanfiction by C-Dogg

This may be somewhat uncharacteristic of me, but this fanfic is of the horror 
genre. Expect some "Scream" and "Friday The 13th" type stuff. If you think 
you can't handle it, I don't suggest you continue beyond this point. This one 
ain't for the kiddies.
 
All unoriginal material is (TM) and/or (C) all owners, distributors, business 
partners, etc. No ownership is implied and no infringement is intended. I 
have asked no permission to use them and none has been granted. The plot 
belongs to me.
I'm setting this fic to make Ash take two years to get to Vermillion City.

Ages: Ash-12 Misty-13 Brock-20 Brittany-13 Alice-12

*   *   *
A forest...
   
   The forest was peaceful that night. Only the occasional screech of a zubat 
accompanied the sound of a girl struggling. The young girl sat down on the 
ground, having just finished setting up her tent for the night. She let her 
brown ponytail down and wiped the sweat of her forehead. It was an unusually 
warm night. The beautiful full moon reflected off of the nearby lake, 
enticing her to go for a swim.
   "I really shouldn't," she said softly. The more the girl stared at the 
rippling water, the more she felt she should. She dug her swimsuit out of her 
backpack and looked around to check if anyone was nearby. She saw no one. She 
began to lift her shirt when, suddenly, there was a rustle in the bushes.
   She spun around sharply. "Who's there?" No reply. She took a poke ball off 
of her belt and slowly approached the bush. "I have tauros. Show yourself!"
   The figure in the bushes jumped up. "Char!"
   The girl put a hand on her chest. She was relieved that it was only her 
pokemon. "Charmander, you scared me! Did you collect the firewood?"
   Charmander dragged a bundle of wood tied together by a rope behind him. 
"Char char."
   "Good job." She pulled a poke ball from her belt. "Return." A red beam 
shot from the front of the ball and hit Charmander, pulling it inside the 
capturing device. Now positive that no one else was around, the girl changed 
and jumped in the lake. She swam a few laps when she heard a loud splash.
   "What could that be?" She dunked underwater and looked around to see a 
gyrados coming straight at her, mouth gaping. The girl let out a scream and 
reached down to her waist, realizing that her poke balls were still on her 
belt. She bobbed to the surfaced and swam toward her clothes. She spied a 
stranger on the shore dressed in black with a devil's mask. 
   She extended a hand toward the stranger. "Help me!"
   The stranger grabbed her wrist and pulled her up a bit, raised a knife 
high in air, and stabbed the girl in the hand.
   The girl yelped in pain and attempted to pull her hand away but the 
stranger was too strong. He pushed the knife deeper into her hand. The girl 
punched the murderous stranger in his crotch with her free hand. He released 
her hand and fell to the ground swearing. The girl fell back into the cold 
water. Struggling to get out, she splashed her bleeding hand around. The 
smell of the blood attracted the gyrados, making it hungrier. Just as she 
began to crawl out, she felt sharp teeth dig into her leg. With one last 
scream, she was pulled underwater. The water splashed for a short while 
longer and then there was tranquility. The stranger stood up and smiled 
behind the mask as he watched blood float to the surface.
   "Job well done, gyrados. Return." A few moments after the pokemon returned 
to its capturing device, a body floated to the surface, bloody and horribly 
mutilated.
   "Bwahahahaha!" the stranger cackled. "My plan is almost complete!"

*   *   *
The next morning...

   "What's your favorite scary movie?" The words that were whispered into the 
sleeping trainer's ear only elicited a small grumble.
   "You can't get enough of that movie, can you, Misty?"
   "I loved it, Ash," Misty answered.
   Ash sat up in his sleeping bag, now fully awake. "How could you? You had 
your eyes covered during the entire thing."
   "Did not!"
   "Did too!"
   "Did not!"
   "Did--"
   "Breakfast is ready," Brock announced.
   Pikachu snapped up at the sound of the word. "Pi ka!" he shouted 
enthusiastically.
   After the group finished eating, they made their way to the next town, 
Vermillion City. Brock spied the newsstand encasing several copies of The 
Vermillion Times. He stared at the front page. It read...

Pokemon Trainer Found Brutally Murdered in the Woods

   Two particular words caught his attention, Pallet Town.
   Brock tossed a coin in the machine a yanked out a copy. "Ash! Check this 
out!"
   "What is it?" he inquired.
   Brock read the paragraph aloud. "An amateur young trainer was found 
brutally murdered in the forest last night. A band of travelers is credited 
with discovering the body and informing the police. The girl has been 
identified as Brittany Laws of Pallet Town, one of the four trainers that 
left Pallet a few months ago." Ash swallowed hard.
   "Something wrong?" Misty asked, a tone of concern and worry in her voice.
   "I knew her. Pallet was a small town. Everyone knew everyone else."
   Brock skipped forward. "All of Brittany's poke balls were stolen and a 
rose was left at the scene, leading police to believe that Team Rocket was 
involved. All travelers are advised to take extreme caution at night. The 
remaining three trainers from Pallet are to report to a police station or 
pokemon center as soon as possible to inform their parents they're okay."
   "Where's the nearest police station?" Misty asked.
   Brock pulled out a map and scanned it. "It's a few blocks north of here."
   "Let's go," Ash suggested.

*   *   *

   Ash spoke to his mother over the visiphone. She visibly shaken but glad 
that her baby was okay.
   "Are you sure you don't want to come home?" she asked him.
   "Yes mom," he told he for the third time. "I'm sure the incident was 
isolated I'll be fine."
   "Okay, Ash." She wiped a tear from her eye. "Be careful."
   "I will. Bye."
   "Bye."
   Ash hanged up the phone. The screen flashed and went black.
   "How is she?" Misty inquired.
   "She's a little shaken. She wants me to come home," he told her.
   "Will you?" Brock asked.
   Ash raised an eyebrow. "Are you kidding? I can't. Not until I become a 
Pokemon Master."
   "I think you should, Ash," Misty suggested. "I don't want to see you get 
hurt."
   "I didn't know you cared."
   "Have you forgotten you still owe me a bike?"

*   *   *
Cerulean City Pokemon Center

   A blimp hovered over the city. Through loudspeakers boomed the familiar 
voice of Officer Jenny.
   "Due to recent events, a citywide curfew has been set for all people under 
18 years of age. All minors are expected to be indoors by 7:00. Anyone found 
on the streets will be taken into custody and released the next day. Thank 
you and enjoy the rest of your day."
   Alice Thomp hung up the phone, tears still rolling down her cheeks. Her 
best friend since kindergarten had been killed. "Why Brittany? She never did 
anything to anyone."
   The upset trainer's bulbasaur nuzzled her leg. She patted him on the head. 
Nurse Joy's comforting voice spoke to her.
   "Your bulbasaur has been healed," she told the girl.
   "Thank you," Alice said, attempting to hide the sorrow in her voice but 
failing.
   Nurse Joy sipped her coffee. "Are you upset about what happened last 
night?" Alice only nodded in response.
   "Would you like to talk about it?" Alice moved over to allow Joy room to 
sit.
   "Brittany was my best friend. She was a kind soul. She never harmed 
anyone. I can't understand why anyone would want to kill her." The young girl 
started bawling again. She laid her head on Joy's shoulder.
   "It's okay."
   "It's not. It's my fault. If we had traveled together instead of splitting 
up, I could have saved her."
   "It's not your fault. She would have been killed even if you were 
together. Oh." Joy covered her mouth after realizing she had made a mistake. 
Alice began bawling even more.
   Joy struggled to think of something to say. "Don't worry. She's in a 
better place now."
   Alice stopped crying. "You really think so?"
   "If she was really as good as you say. Now go get some rest."
   Alice stood up and walked to her room.
   "Bulba bulba saur."
   Nurse Joy looked down. "Hmm? She must have forgotten about you."

*   *   *

   A demon lifted Brittany by her hair. Its wings flapped as it cackled 
evilly.
   Brittany reached out a hand. "Help... me... Alice."
   "I'm coming!" Alice raced toward her friend. A bony hand reached from 
beneath the ground and grabbed her leg, tripping her. Another hand grabbed 
her other limbs and pinned her to the ground. The demon reached up and 
grabbed Brittany's neck. It squeezed and ripped her throat out. Alice shut 
her eyes and turned her head. Two more hands reached and pulled her eyes 
open, turning her head. The demon tossed Brittany's body in Alice's 
direction. It landed in front of her, Brittany's cold blue eyes, staring 
lifelessly into her own. Alice screamed.
   Alice sat up in her bed, screaming. She looked around to see that she was 
in a guestroom at the pokemon center. She ran her hands through her shoulder 
length black hair. Checking her watch, she noticed that the curfew had just 
gone into effect, as it was 7:05. Alice turned on the television and flipped 
to the news.
   "The recently enforced curfew has not been met with total compliance. A 
few young people were caught breaking, BLIP..." The screen went blank, then 
the lights in the hall shortly followed suit. The center had become eerily 
dark. Streetlights outside provided the only light.
   "What's going on?" Alice jumped out of bed opened. She opened the closet 
and screamed.

*   *   *
Vermillion City Police Station, Protective Custody Quarters

   "Thanks a lot, Ash. Because of you, I have to spend the night in a police 
station!" Misty chided.
   "It's not my fault! Besides, no one asked you to tag along anyway, Misty!" 
Ash retorted.
   "Break it up you two!" Brock ordered. "The city doesn't want you minors 
out on the street after six. It's for the best."
   "Then why are you still here?" Misty asked. "You're twenty."
   Brock smiled. "I'm not staying here to listen to you two argue all night. 
I'm going out. I'll see you two tomorrow." Brock exited the room. "I Love the 
Nightlife..." he sang as he closed the door.
   "This isn't fair," Misty said.
   Ash opened his jacket to look at his recently won badge from Lieutenant 
Surge. Nothing could ruin his good mood. "It could be worse," Ash told her. 
"You could be in a cell with a big woman named Bertha."
   "And you with a guy named Bubba!" she snapped back, obviously not sharing 
the young boy's good humor.

*   *   *
Cerulean City Pokemon Center

   Alice covered her mouth to stifle the screams of terror she emitted. Nurse 
Joy hung from a rope tied around her neck, hundreds of cuts on her body, the 
largest across her neck. Blood dripped from the hanging young woman's 
lifeless body. In one hand was a folded blood-soaked piece of paper with 
Alice's name written on it. Alice took the paper and read it. 

Dear Alice,

  You left your bulbasaur behind. You can come get it when you wake.

                                                  Nurse Joy

   Beneath that, a few more words were written in blood. "You're next!"
   Alice heard footsteps coming her way down the hall. She hopped to her feet 
and bolted toward the door, slipping on the trail from the door to the 
closet. The door opened and the slim figure of Officer Jenny stepped through, 
gun in one hand, flashlight in the other. She shined the light in Alice's 
face. Alice was huddled into a ball.
   "Are you okay?"
   "I'm fine now," Alice told her. She slowly stood up. "How did you find me?"
   Jenny put away her gun. "I was making my rounds when I heard a scream. The 
front door was blocked so I GACK!" A cold blade sliced across her neck, 
interrupting the blue-haired officer's words. Blood spurted from her neck, 
splashing Alice's face. Jenny fell to her knees and flopped face down on the 
floor, a pool of blood slowly forming.
   Alice screamed. The masked killer tackled the frightened girl to the 
floor. He covered her with his gloved hand. She struggled to get away, but he 
was too strong.
   "Don't fight. I'll kill you soon enough," he said, running the blunt end 
of the knife along her neck. "But, first, I'll do something I've wanted to do 
for a few years now." The killer set down the knife and raised Alice's skirt. 
She started kicked harder, her screams stifled by her covered mouth.
   "A few years?" Alice thought. "Does he know me?" Alice reached down and 
squeezed his manhood.
   "Augh!" The killer groaned in pain. He rolled off of Alice, still groaning 
and cursing.
   Alice jumped up and fled the room. Her attacker tried to pursue, but Alice 
slammed the door in his face. He fell to the ground clutching his face.
   Alice ran to the lobby where she saw a large mound blocking the front 
door. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was a pile of mutilated pokemon 
bodies and parts. Worker chansey made up the majority of the pile, each still 
holding their signature smile. No longer able to take all the blood and gore, 
Alice bent over and vomited.
   "I've got to call the police." Alice made her way to the visiphones and 
dialed 911!
   The phone rang once before an automatic message answered. Officer Jenny's 
friendly visage appeared on the screen. "No one is currently available to 
take your call. Please hold."
   Alice waited impatiently. "Hurry hurry hurry!" A dark figure loomed behind 
Alice. She never saw the killer. He smashed her face into the screen, 
shattering the glass. Electricity ran through her body, her hair stood on 
edge, her limbs shook. The killer's leather glove insulated him from the 
shock. He released the hold on the girl's head. Alice fell back. Smoke rose 
from her body. Her eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling.
   "Only one more person stands in my way." The killer stole Alice's poke 
balls and dropped a rose before leaving.

*   *   *
Phone Company

   The operator pressed a button on her control panel. "Thank you for 
holding. We here at the Phone Company apologize for any problems that may 
have arisen. Please state your emergency." Only static appeared on the 
operator's screen. "Hello? Hello?"

*   *   *
Vermillion City Police Station

   It was late in the afternoon when Officer Jenny received the phone call.
   "Vermillion City Police Department. Officer Jenny speaking."
   "Jenny, this is Sergeant Ridge of Cerulean City," the male voice on the 
other end of the line told her. "We have some bad news."
   "What happened?"
   "I'm calling from the Pokemon Center in my city. It's the site of a mass 
murder. Some nut went killed everyone in the building, including the pokemon. 
All the guest in the guestrooms were killed in their sleep." Ridge paused for 
a moment as another officer gave him more information. "Your sister is one of 
the dead. Her neck was cut wide open."
   Jenny paused for a long while. Vermillion City PD trained its officers to 
show no emotion and Jenny was doing her best not to mourn the death of her 
slain sister.
   "I...I'm sorry." Ridge told her.
   "Do you have any leads?" she finally asked.
   "We do believe the killer was after someone. A trail of bloody footprints 
led from one room to a visiphone where we found a girl badly burned from 
electrical shock. We checked her identity. She's Alice Thomp of Pallet Town."
   Jenny thought for a moment. "Wasn't the girl they found the other night 
from Pallet Town as well?"
   "Brittany? Yes, she was from Pallet as well. Why?"
   Jenny rubbed her chin. "That's two deaths. I think there's a serial killer 
out to get the trainers of Pallet. Where's Gary Oak?"
   "Hold on." Sgt. Ridge conversed with a few people. "No one's spoken to him 
in days. He may be dead as well. Is Ash Ketchum still with you?"
   "No. He and his party left earlier." A look of shock came across her face. 
"Oh damn." 

*   *   *
That evening at the camp...

   With the tent set up, Brock took suggestions for dinner. Ash was the first 
to speak up, though he wished he had kept his mouth shut.
   "Come down, pikachu," Ash yelled into a tree. "We're not really going to 
cook you."
   "Pik chu!" the rodent shouted angrily. He flipped off his trainer.
   "What!"
   "Please come down," Misty pleaded.
   "Pikachu pi ka pik pi ka chu!
   "I'm going to get some firewood," Brock announced. He was not in the mood 
to hear the argument.
   "Hurry back," Misty said.
   "I will." Brock disappeared into the forest. A few minutes passed and he 
hadn't yet returned.
   "I think we should go check on Brock," Ash suggested. "Pikachu's not 
coming down and Brock's taking too long."
   "You're right," Misty agreed. The two walked off in Brock's direction. 
Pikachu waited in the tree.
   Misty and Ash walked deeper and deeper into the forest.
   "I still don't see him," Misty said. "Do you think he's okay?"
   "There he is," Ash shouted, pointing to a clearing. "But he's not moving!"
   The two ran to where Brock lay motionless, a pile of sticks in front of 
him. A small amount of blood seeped out of the hole in the back of his vest. 
An axe was on the ground nearby. Its cutting edge was bloody and the long end 
of its handle was sharpened.
   Ash flipped Brock over to reveal a crushed rose. A small trickle of blood 
ran down the side of his mouth.
   "Speak to me!" Ash shouted.
   "He's dead," Misty told him.
   Ash looked noticed the rose. "Team Rocket!"
   "Prepare for trouble!"
   "Make it double!"
   The infamous trio jumped down from the trees.
   "To protect the world from devastation," said James.
   "You b@stards! You killed my friends!"
   "What are you talking about!" Meowth asked.
   Ash picked up the axe. "You know exactly what I'm talking about! Now it's 
your turn to die!" The enraged trainer charged at James, the axe high above 
his head. James yelled. His fear paralyzed him.
   "Ash! Help!"
   Misty's screams broke the temporary insanity clouding Ash's mind. He spun 
around to see that Jessie had a knife against Misty's throat.
   "Axe him and she dies!" Jessie warned.
   Ash set the axe on the ground. James clasped his hands together and 
brought them down on the back of Ash's head, knocking him down. "You're not 
so tough without a weapon, b*tch!" 
   A knife flew through the air. James caught it with his neck. The velocity 
of the knife forced him backwards. James fell to the ground with his hand on 
the handle of the knife. He coughed up a spurt of blood and died.
   "Meowth! What happened?" the feline pokemon shouted. He checked on James.
   Jessie looked around for whomever threw the knife. Misty took advantage of 
Jessie's temporary lapse. She stomped on Jessie's foot and elbowed her in the 
temple. Jessie collapsed, slightly dazed. 
   Misty ran to Ash. "Are you okay?"
   Ash rubbed his head. "I'm fine."
   A dark figure pounced on Jessie. The false black eyes of the devil mask 
stared into hers. He pulled out a knife and stuck it in the side of her neck. 
Jessie screamed her final scream, which soon turned into a gurgle as blood 
filled her throat. As though it were an off switch, the killer twisted the 
knife, quieting her. Jessie tilted her head back. With a grunt, he pulled the 
knife out of the front of her neck, splattering blood on his mask.
   "I've got to save this one," he said. "It's my last knife."
   "Die!"
   "Huh?"
   The killer looked up to see meowth running at him, claws bared. He jumped 
at the masked killer, missed, and flew over his head. The killer grabbed 
meowth's tail, stretched it out, wrapped it around his neck, and tied a knot.
   Meowth pulled at his tail, attempting to loosen the knot. His face turned 
purple. His final breath expended, meowth fell passed out.
   "God, I hate cats," said the killer.
   Misty helped Ash to his feet. "Who are you?"
   The killer pulled off his mask to reveal his spiked brown hair and his 
black eyes. It was Gary Oak.
   "Gary?" Ash said. "Why did you do it?"
   "I was afraid," Gary admitted.
   "Afraid of what?"
   "Afraid of you, Brittany, and Alice. We all left Pallet together, each of 
us declaring that we'd become better than the others would. I didn't want 
that to be surpassed by you three so I caught all of the pokemon I possibly 
could. Finally, I realized that all the pokemon in the world might not be 
enough to win. I figured that if I eliminated you all, no one in Pallet would 
be able to beat me. You see, there can only be one champion, Ash. And I 
intend to be that one."
   "Why did you frame Team Rocket?" Misty asked, intrigued by his plan.
   "If all of the trainers from Pallet died and I suddenly reappeared, I'd be 
the prime suspect. So I had to throw the trail away from me. After you're 
dead, I'll drag myself into town and tell the cops that I defeated the 
murderer after a long battle where I was badly wounded." Gary smiled. "It's a 
brilliant plan. Now I just have to put the final piece into position.
   "You won't kill me, Gary!" Ash shouted.
   "We'll see about that!" Gary raised his knife high and charged. Ash got 
stepped into a fighting stance but Misty tugged at his arm.
   "Come on! You can't win this fight, Ash!"
   "Pikachu!" The scream came from high above. Everyone looked up. Gary saw a 
yellow rodent flying at him. Gary reached up and grabbed pikachu's neck. Gary 
leaned him against a tree and shoved the knife through his stomach and into 
the tree. Pikachu coughed blood on Gary's face. Gary pushed the knife harder.
   "Pi kaaaaaaaaaaa!" he screamed before falling limp.
   Gary turned toward Ash and Misty. "I guess I shouldn't have been afraid of 
you. You can't even train your pokemon well."
   Ash couldn't believe it. "You...you killed my best friend."
   "And you're next." Gary pulled out a poke ball and tossed it. A venusaur 
emerged from the capturing device.
   "Venusaur!" it said.
   "Venusaur! Tie them up!" Gary commanded. Venusaur did his master's bidding 
and wrapped the two in its powerful vines.
   "Squeeze them!" Venusaur tightened its grip. Ash and Misty yelled.
   "Bwahahahah!" Gary cackled. "Loosen it." Venusaur lightened its hold on 
them.
   Gary pulled his knife out of pikachu. The dead rodent fell to the ground. 
"Now it's time to die." Gary put the knife against Ash neck. "Months of 
planning finally pay off. I want to savor this moment." He moved over to 
Misty. "I think I'll kill your girlfriend first."
   "Leave her out of this, Gary," Ash told him.
   "I'm afraid I can't do that. There can be no witnesses."
   "Cut me!" Misty yelled.
   "What did you say?" Gary asked.
   "Cut me, you little mama's boy. I bet you don't have the guts." Misty spit 
in Gary's face.
   Gary wiped it off. "You b!tch!" He raised the knife above her head.
   "Show the lady some respect!" Brock yelled. He took the pointed end of the 
axe and shoved it through Gary's back, pierced his heart and lung, and burst 
through the front of his chest. Brock raised him in the air.
   "Ahhhhhhh!" Gary screamed. "My...plan...ruined...Gary slumped and slid 
down the axe handle.
   Brock dropped the axe on the ground, forcing Gary onto it even more. Brock 
fell down and leaned against a tree. Venusaur, unsure of what to do, let Ash 
and Misty go. They moved over to their friend.
   "Are you okay Brock?" Misty asked.
   "I've been better."
   "How did you survive getting axed?" Ash inquired.
   "We both got lucky. This vest is very thick and strong. But the axe must 
have cut through the fibers. Gary's pretty strong for a kid." He peered at 
the fallen young trainer. "Not strong enough, though. A few more inches and I 
would be dead right now."
   "We're just glad you're okay," Misty said.
   The three suddenly found themselves surrounded by a barrage of police 
officers and trained growlithe. Officer Jenny and Sergeant Ridge approached 
them. Jenny ran her light around the forest. She spotted Jessie, James, the 
impaled Gary Oak, the gutted pikachu, the purple meowth, and the injured 
Brock. "Would anyone care to explain what happened?" she asked.
   Ash stood up. "I will. It all started two yeas ago..."

The End

Footnotes: I hate footnotes.

Team Rocket haters- You're most likely happy with the ending.

Ash haters- The lead male {excluding villans} in horror movies almost never 
dies. Did you really expect it?

Misty haters- I was going to kill her and have her confess her love for Ash 
in her dying words but I changed my mind.

Gary haters- I'll bet you loved the way this turned out.

Brock haters- I doubt you people exist. I've never seen anyone publicly 
proclaim his or her hate for Brock. But if you are out there, you must be 
slightly disappointed.

Questions? Comments? C&C? e-mail me at bigc13485@aol.com  or 
c_dogg@my-deja.com