Drabble: I'll Never Be You (The Death of Ghetsis Harmonia)
As usual, the man's devilish charisma easily won over the settlement's leader and he was permitted to stay in the city for the evening. Ghetsis thanked the man and proceeded to wander around shopping with the traders and sellers. He managed to obtain a nice shotgun, some ammo, and even a new pair of boots that were in far better condition than his current pair. The sage casually made his way to the area where the settlers rested for the evening since the sun was about to set and he was weary from walking, but he stopped in the middle of the worn-down road when he had another sudden coughing fit. He snarled angrily before spitting out quite a bit of blood, muttering curse words under his breath. Not too far off, he heard a quiet, wheezing laugh.
“I know that feeling all too well not-so-smoothskin...” The sage looked down to the source of the harsh voice. He hadn't realized there was someone nearby- a man wearing a filthy hoodie with the hood up obstructing the view of his face was sitting on the cracked sidewalk. His eyes narrowed at the stranger, not liking the tone of his voice and remark about his skin. “Oh...? Is that so?” He replied dully, arching a brow. Ordinarily he would have ignored such a shabby man but the sound of his voice was very much like his own- raspy and harsh... almost inhuman. The stranger looked up at Ghetsis, his face being hidden by the darkness cast from the hood on his head. Another chuckle came from the stranger. “Yeeh. Lemme guess.... ya got a cough ya can't shake, skin's peelin' off, and how's your hair doin'? Is it falling yet?” Though these words surprised Ghetsis, he remained stoic as ever in the face of this strange man. So he wasn't the only one with this condition after all? It was almost a bit of a relief, but this man's condition was questionable, so he wouldn't get his hopes up just yet.
Yes, this mysterious stranger had Ghetsis's attention. He took several steps toward him. “So am I to assume you have the same illness then?” The man nodded slowly. “From the look of it, yeah. Better enjoy that pretty face while you still can, stranger...” He replied solemnly. Ghetsis frowned, his brows furrowed in confusion. Before he could question the stranger further, he reached his hands up to his hood, pulling it back behind his head. This time Ghetsis couldn't hide his emotions- his eyes widened and his mouth gaped in utter horror at what he saw. This man- if he could call him that- had the most hideous face Ghetsis could ever imagine. Frankly he looked like a creature that had already died and risen from his grave after several months; a zombie if you will. His eyes appeared glazed-over, there were small patches of short hair atop his head, he didn't appear to have a nose, and his skin was very much decomposed. No, no this had to be a mistake! There was no way Ghetsis had the same condition as this... creature!
“What the fuck ARE you!?” Ghetsis barked. Clearly, the stranger was used to such treatment as he shrugged off the insulting question. “...They call us ghouls, stranger...” He started. “There ain't many of us out there compared to normal humans... but there are more that exist. It's believed that certain humans who have been exposed to too much radiation become like us.” Ghetsis's whole body began to visibly shake. “SHUT UP! How dare you group me into the same class as YOU! I am not one of you!” He shouted. The ghoul simply smirked and pulled the hood over his head once more. “Ya got the same symptoms, friend... hell, it's even plain to see the skin of your face coming off... Shouldn't be too much longer 'till you look like me...” Without a second thought, the sage swung the shotgun from over his shoulder and aimed it at the ghoul. “NO! I will NOT be one of you disgusting creatures!! Do you KNOW who I am!? I am Ghetsis Harmonia-Gropius and I am perfect-” The sound of a clicking gun close beside him stopped Ghetsis's words. Several settlers heard the commotion and had their guns aimed ready to shoot. “Sheath your weapon and get out!” One man ordered. Ghetsis's hand shook violently, wanting nothing more than to blow the ghoul's head off and slaughter the rest of the people with him, but instead he threw the gun to the ground and quickly fled the city.
----
With the sun setting behind him, Ghetsis sat on a high rock staring blankly at the two small PokeBalls in his hand. He spent the last hour or so walking, shouting, killing, and thinking. By now he knew what he wanted to do with himself, but his last remaining Pokemon were a different story. He clutched to the capsules tightly before he finally dropped them to the ground, calling out his Cofagrigius and Hydreigon in a flash of strange blue light. The two Pokemon looked curiously at their master before shooting confused glances to one another. Ghetsis, however, stared blankly at the ground, not bothering to look at them. After moments of silence he finally spoke up. “Well? Your duties have been fulfilled. Now begone.” He said quite bitterly. The Pokemon looked at one another in shock. Yes they realized they were released by the way he called them from their confinement, but why? Cofagragius glanced sadly at his former master, then back at Hydreigon. With a nod of farewell, the ghost floated away into the wastes. Hydreigon on the other hand, didn't plan on going anywhere.
The sage's red eyes darted up at the dragon. “Did you not hear me? Go.” He said more sternly. The dragon let out a small growl in defiance. No, Ghetsis was there since the day he hatched and he planned on sticking by his master until the very end. Ghetsis quickly stood, pointing to the horizon. “I said get out you idiotic creature! You have your freedom now so get the hell out of here!!” He screamed. Instead, Hydregion floated towards Ghetsis and nuzzled his face, gurgling quietly. To the Pokemon's surprise, Ghetsis struck Hydreigon in the face- not with the back of his hand as he normally would have, but with a hard fist. “What sort of moronic being would give up it's freedom to cater to a man that wants nothing more to do with it!? I told you to go so GO!” Hydreigon floated unblinking in the face of Ghetsis's rage. Hydreigon had seen Ghetsis in his absolute worst moments, so even in the face of physical and verbal abuse he was completely unfazed. The dragon looked down at the fallen PokeBall that was once his own and then back up at Ghetsis. He wanted very much to give Ghetsis a message but he knew he wouldn't understand. Instead, he attempted to communicate with small growls and body language.
“And just why should I listen to you? You released me did you not? You are not my master, you cannot tell me what to do.” Hydreigon pointed to the fallen PokeBall and shook his head defiantly... trying to at least get the general point across. He hung his head sadly, gurgling quietly knowing that Ghetsis would never understand what he really wanted to say. “...but you are my friend... my closest friend who raised me from an egg into the strong Pokemon I am today. I am forever in your debt and I refuse to leave your side no matter what. I love you too much to leave you behind... especially in this troubling world.” Thankfully, Ghetsis wasn't stupid. He grinned a little, understanding the jest of what the Pokemon was trying to tell him. “So just because I released you you think that you no longer have to listen to me, eh?” Ghetsis shook his head, actually quite proud of his partner's sass- even if it was against him. “Fine. Just don't be upset at what you'll see.” The sage turned on his heels and began walking. Hydreigon followed slowly behind. Clearly, Ghetsis wasn't himself. That confidence that the man always carried seemed to be gone completely. Needless to say, Hydreigon was extremely worried.
At last, they reached a beach. With the faint glow of the moon overhead, Ghetsis stared out into the ocean in silence. Hydreigon watched carefully as he noticed Ghetsis unsheathe the meat cleaver he kept since they left the old castle. “...since you insist on staying with me then perhaps you could fulfill me a final request...” The Pokemon's heart sank in it's chest as he heard Ghetsis speak these words. The man continued to stare out into the ocean, never once facing his Pokemon. “In case you haven't already figured it out on your own... I no longer have any desire to continue living in this wretched imperfect world.” Hydreigon couldn't believe what he was hearing, he always believed Ghetsis was so much stronger than this, but it was true.
Although Ghetsis was slowly losing his motivation to continue living in such a disgusting world before this, he lost the last of his drive as soon as he saw that ghoul. No. There was simply no way he'd allow himself to become such a monstrous creature. Perhaps under different circumstance he'd allow it but what would even be the point? He had no goals in the new world, nothing to keep him alive. He was all alone here without any allies, the world was a shell of it's former self, and even if he still had any desire to rule like he once did what would even be the point? Why rule such a broken world? And why even attempt fixing a world with no resources or any established order whatsoever? There was nothing for him to obtain to become absolutely powerful so he could rule with an iron fist, and the people were far too savage these days to keep under control. The only thing that had kept him going this long was sheer stubbornness. He refused to allow anything to kill him- not the explosions, not the radiation, not the abominations, not even his own weak thoughts. Things were different now though. Surely this illness he had would take him- he would become weak in time, but not before becoming a disgusting, rotting shell of a man.
“...you see, this illness I have will only get far worse before it gets better... You know full well that I refuse to allow anything to kill me. I am far too strong to allow anything to kill me... and if that means I must kill myself before my body dies on it's own then damn it I will do just that!” Of course Hydreigon had trouble understanding his logic, but if that's what Ghetsis wanted then he wouldn't stop him. “However, I'll not leave this world with the reputation of a weakling... no, if my body is to be found then I will have that reputation. Surely someone would find me and assume that I was killed by a mightier creature or see the signs of my suicide and know this world was too much for me... but this is where you come in.” He turned to Hydreigon at last. “When I am gone.... take my body out as far into the ocean as you can... hopefully it'll be devoured by a creature or sink into the depths... I'll not have a single person find me... understood?” Tears flowed down the Pokemon's blue cheeks, but he nodded his head regardless. He didn't want Ghetsis to die but he couldn't refuse his wishes. “Thank you.” He responded quietly.
As he went to turn to the ocean once more, Hydreigon quickly floated to his old master and embraced him. If Ghetsis was to die he wanted to ensure that the man knew he was loved- even if it was by a single Pokemon, he didn't want Ghetsis to die alone and completely unloved. The man wrapped his arms around the dragon's body- much to his surprise. Not since he evolved into Zweilous did Ghetsis embrace Hydreigon so lovingly. The Pokemon purred softly, enjoying his Trainer's embrace one final time. When the man pulled away at last, Hydreigon saw a soft smile upon his features that he hadn't seen in many many years. In that moment, he was the old Ghetsis again. Not the tyrant who was bent on being a ruler that everyone throughout Unova- and perhaps the world- knew, but the bright, friendly, charismatic young man with his whole life ahead of him. The young man who desired to be Champion and use his influence to make the world a better place. The young man that was essentially killed when the last of his sanity had gone. To Hydreigon, Ghetsis was never a bad man- he was just a boy who was dealt one too many bad hands in his life and made horrible decisions as a result. Just seeing that smile alone made Hydreigon happy though- he felt as though his love for his Trainer got through to him in that one embrace just like he wanted.
“Thank you Hydreigon. I'm glad to have been honored with your friendship.” Ghetsis turned to the ocean once more. He stared into the shined blade of the meat cleaver for a long while before finally holding it to his throat. “Farewell...” He whispered. With a quick motion of his arm, Hydreigon heard the blade fall to the sand with a light crunch. Ghetsis fell to his knees, quietly gasping and coughing. Even in his death he tried to remain as quiet and stoic as ever until finally, he fell completely and unmoving. The sand beneath him became dyed a brilliant shade of crimson as the blood poured from his throat.
Hydreigon sat on the ground with a thud, tears bubbling from his eyes. He let out a roar of sorrow for his fallen master that echoed even over the crashing waves from the ocean. Once he pulled himself together, he proceeded to fulfill his master's dying wish. Hydreigon pulled Ghetsis onto his back, clamping tightly to his shoulders with his smaller heads, and flew out over the ocean. Although Ghetsis was a rather large man and was literally dead weight at this point, Hydreigon noticed he was considerably lighter. Though to him, it wasn't because he lost so much weight from lack of available food, no, now the man was dead... free of the burdens that weighed on him as he lived... or at least that's what he thought to himself.
Minutes turned to hours, hours turned into days, days turned into weeks, and Hydreigon still flew. Yes Ghetsis had requested to be dropped into the ocean, but Hydreigon still remembered his words “ I'll not have a single person find me...” As long as that request was met, Hydreigon would be satisfied. He had a place in mind to keep his friend's body, but he would not shame him by simply dumping him into the ocean to be feasted upon by an undeserving mutant.
At long last, the weakened dragon saw land in the near distance. Familiar scents filled his nostrils, and he knew he was exactly where he needed to be: Unova. As Hydreigon dodged several mutants while traveling to his exact destination, he immediately noted the lack of humans in the region. Sad as it was, he hoped they were all killed by the radiation and rademon that lurked about. Despite flying with no rest, food, and clean water, the dragon pressed on being driven purely on getting Ghetsis to where he wanted to be laid to rest.
After navigating the labyrinth of the fallen castle and dodging even more rademon, he managed to reach the place. Hydreigon shimmied under the narrow entrance into what was left of Ghetsis's old room. A thick layer of dust and dirt covered the entire room, a couple of large rocks had broken some of the furniture, things were laying on the ground, mirrors were broken, the bed was slanted down, but it was still his old room nevertheless. Using his tail, Hydreigon pushed a few nearby boulders and bits of furniture in front of the only exit. Even if the rademon could find their way this far into the old castle, and even if there were still humans, there was no way they'd be able to find Ghetsis now.
Hydreigon pushed the brittle, dusty sheets aside before laying Ghetsis's body onto the bed. He gave the sage one more nudge of affection before pulling said sheets above the corpse's head, hiding him further. Weakly, Hydreigon climbed on the bed as well, curling by his master's feet. With a small smile of accomplishment on his features, the dragon breathed his last.
