Final Act, Scene One.
I'm sorry...
For Everything.
Not that you will believe me.
-
Ash walked through the door with caution, appearing at the entrance of the stage room.
In front of him was a straight path towards the dark stage, with worn out seats to he left and right.
He walked towards the stage slowly, still uncertain of what was about to happen.
-
Taylor walked down a hallway towards a locked door. Pressing a button on the outside, he unlocked it.
"Time for the finale Serena. Don't keep your hero waiting." He said opening the door.
Suddenly the door opened from the inside pushing him down in surprise.
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack and find Ash! I'll keep him busy!" Serena called out to the Pokemon running down the hall.
"Pika!" The Pokemon replied running in the other direction.
Taylor groaned in anger rising from the floor. He looked in the direction the Pokemon ran in for a moment, then ran down the other way, the same way Serena had gone.
Serena ran for her life, hearing footsteps behind her, in a sprint like her.
What now Serena?
She looked up and saw cameras within rooms looking for a place to hide, they were all over. Finding a place to hide wouldn't work.
Gotta keep going.
"Serena. Come back here! No one needs to get hurt!" Taylor called out behind her.
She continued to run, entering what seemed to be a stage area, she looked up to see catwalks and equipment.
Her worried look became a confident one.
She climbed a ladder up into the catwalks above the stage. As she reached the top, she turned around to see Taylor at the bottom of the ladder.
"Get down from there! Why won't you be good and play your part. Please!" He called, almost begging.
Serena shook her head in fear.
"Then I'll come get you!" He yelled starting to climb the ladder.
Serena then found nearby props and equipment and threw whatever she could down the ladder, multiple things hitting Taylor.
"Stop that! You are ruining everything!" He yelled.
He lost his grip and fell to the bottom. He screamed in anger terrifying the young girl.
"I'll kill you!" He yelled starting to climb again.
Serena chose to run this time, there had to be an escape somewhere.
Serena found a control panel, praying for a miracle, she pushed a button, hoping it would help her.
-
"What now..." Ash said cautious waiting within the seating area of the main stage.
"Pika!" Ash heard a cry say from behind him.
"Pikachu!" He said happily seeing his partner running behind him.
"Are you okay?" He asked his Pokemon.
"Pika, Pikachu Pika Pika Chuu!" He responded.
Soon the stage curtain opened, revealing a barren stage. Above on the catwalk he spotted Serena.
"Serena!" Ash called out to his friend.
"Ash! Thank goodness you are okay!" She called back to him.
"Serena can you find a way down?" Ash asked his friend.
"Oh. That won't be needed." A sinister voice spoke up. Taylor stood on the catwalk from where Serena had came.
"Serena run!" Ash yelled to her.
As she went to, the catwalk in front of her colasped to the floor below.
"Good job Oricorio." Taylor said.
"Corio." It replied.
"You know Serena. You worried me there. Yet here you are. You are fulfilling your role after all." Taylor said.
"And what's that?" She asked with fear apparent in her voice.
Taylor took his knife in his hand.
"The damsel in distress of course." He said coldly.
Serenas expression stiffened. Her emotions hard to read. Long ago she would be frozen in fear, begging for her life.
Not anymore.
Her expression turned serious, fear gone from her face and voice.
"I refuse Taylor. I won't be the one who needs saving. I will be my own hero!" She yelled rushing towards the young man.
"Serena!" Ash yelled in panic.
"You are foolish girl!" Taylor said readying an attack.
She saw this, there was no way to avoid his attack, but in that moment, full of adrenaline, she ran without hesitation.
She pushed pass Taylor, running towards the way she came, only for the platforms to drop to the ground in front of her once more.
"Serena!" Ash yelled in worry.
"Not so fast Serena. I'm not let you-" Taylor froze realizing his knife wasn't in his hand anymore. Then, both him and Serena realized it was now on the ground below them. She was able to knock it out of his hand as she pushed past him. However...
Serena winced in pain and held her hand against her arm to find her hand turning red. She wasn't able to disarm him without sacrifice.
Taylor hesitated for a moment. "Foolish girl. Even without my weapon, I have my Pokemon. And you no where else to run."
"Your right. I don't. But you hurt my friends, my brother. You hurt so many innocent people. And for your own shellfish desires!" She yelled.
"You don't understand!" He yelled.
"I don't want to. But now Taylor. You have nowhere to run either." She said.
"What?" He said confused.
"I have a dream. To have the world smile. To be a great place. Where we can all be happy... Because of you, people are dying, families separated. I will stop you Taylor. Because I know what I am fighting for. Not for myself. But for everyone I care about. You will not hurt anyone else." She said confidently.
"Enough. Oricorio." Taylor spoke.
"Pikachu." Serena spoke staring down the man she was determined to beat.
"Iron tail, just like before." She said, her gaze nor words hesitating.
Pikachu hesitant, did as asked. He cut the remaining support beams to the catwalks, sending them downwards.
"No!" Taylor yelled in panic.
"No!!" Ash yelled from below.
Serena fell along with the catwalk, her eyes closed while she decended.
The catwalk crashed against the stage with a heavy thud, causing dust to fill the air and cracks to appear on the stage from the impact.
"Serena!" Ash yelled into the rubble worried about his friend.
He saw a hand come out from the rubble, hope filled the boy, then he saw who it was attached to.
Taylor.
His hoodie was now torn from being beneath the rubble.
"ENOUGH!" He yelled, causing Ash to flinch.
Pikachu stood battle ready as well.
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE DONE! IT'S ALL OVER FOR ALL OF US!" He yelled in anger drawing his blade he must've found in the wreckage.
He took it by the handle, ready to throw it at the boy.
"NOTHING PERSONAL, JUST ITS EITHER YOU OR ME." He yelled crazed.
As the blade flew through the air, and before Ash's Pokemon could react, a Psycho Cut came flying to divert the knife.
"What?!?" Taylor said in shock.
There to the side stood Will and Absol with Serena on its back. Absol was able to catch Serena in her fall.
"Will? Serena?!" Ash said in surprise with happiness filling him.
"I KILLED YOU?! HOW!?" Taylor yelled in confusion seeing Will.
"I escaped long ago Taylor. Whatever you thought you did to me, you didn't." Will responded.
"So that's why you refused to answer. You brat! You knew!" Taylor yelled at Ash.
"End this now Taylor! It's over!" Will exclaimed.
"It is over. You have all made sure of that. But maybe I can salvage this. After all, I got over your death once, I can do it again." Taylor said coldly, his Oricorio gaining a battle stance.
"Make your move!" Taylor said clearly going crazier by the second in desperation.
"How about I end this for you then." Will said raising his left wrist. The Z-crystal in his Z-Ring began to glow.
Taylor grunted in fear as Will and Absol went through the motions to activate the crystal.
"Corio?"
"No! You can take it! We can beat them! We have too! This isn't how this show will end! " Taylor assured his Oricorio.
"Black Hole Eclipse!" Will commanded.
"Sol!" Absol cried charging a ball of negative energy, firing it towards the stage.
The ball went towards the Oricorio, sucking it into it.
"Corio!" It cried in panic being sucked in.
"This isn't It-" Taylor said as the energy exploded. Leaving a smoke cloud in it's wake.
When it cleared, a fainted Oricorio could be seen on the rubble.
Taylor got up from the rubble once again and returned his Oricorio.
"I can beat you. All of you. You haven't won. This isn't my end. I assure you that." Taylor said to the three.
"You will pay for what you have done. Jenny is on her way." Will said confidently.
"Good... Then she can clean up the mess!" Taylor exclaimed rushing towards Will, but as he stepped onto the weakened wooden stage, Will eyes widened realizing what was about happen.
"No!" Will said rushing towards Taylor as well.
The boards snapped under Taylor's feet and he fell into the darkness below it, nothing but his screams heard from the hole becoming quieter and more faint as he fell.
Will stopped at the top of the hole. Staring into the darkness below he heard nothing but silence. He weakened the boards. He got Taylor so angry.
He. He-
He killed him.
"Is it over?" Serena asked both Will and Ash.
"Pika?" Pikachu said softly.
"I think so." Will said fighting back tears.
Serena hugged Ash in relief that the madness was over. Ash gladly accepted it, taking pleasure in the comfort after thinking she had died.
Will came over and joined the hug as well, trying to keep from crying.
Their conflict with Taylor was over, but they had no idea just what has occurred, nor what else was to come.
To Be Continued...