Ash Ketchum: Unleashed

Chapter 19- The End of Conflict

Forty bombs had been exchanged in a terse nuclear exchange.
The war was over...
But- Kanto, Johto and Unova had faced complete destruction.
'God...' Ash uttered, after the news came, and Cynthia put an arm around him.
Diantha was quicker: 'And what of the leaders? Did you find them?'
'We had them executed. '
*****
So many were dead...
Gary looked up unblinkingly at him, body still.
Lance was dead: the news.
Lt. Surge saying: 'Ya got it, kid. Three bombs. I will be back in an hour. '
Admiral Drake, the hardened captain.
Clemont blowing himself up to help.
Then, Max...
Ash Ketchum regularly had nightmares nowadays. In the little safe house, he had Pokémon battles and sex as a way of coping with the mental depression. Cynthia would not let him touch drink. She watched over him like a hawk. And frequent sex was used to satisfy him and make him forget... her attitude had softened and she herself broke down at times. They spent nights crying together. Cynthia actually used her hair sometimes (it was much longer now) to wipe the tears off.
Diantha, on the other hand, was much more harsh, professional and prone to outbursts. However, Ash and Cynthia were not ever on the receiving end of an outburst. Sometimes she would join them. Not crying, but trying to comfort the other two... she spent sleepless nights speaking to Generals on the war, and such work. Her eyes had eyebags underneath, and her hair was longer and wilder. She even forgot to change clothes sometimes, and Cynthia suspected that she was drinking... although she had never been able to prove it.
The key point about Steven was that he was not in the camp most of the time. If he was, a steely, professional statement sufficed for conversation. While Paul was in camp... he mostly maintained an impassive silence. He rarely even spoke a word, but simply sat or stood around, emotionless.
Serena and Bonnie were the only two people that actually stayed in the camp at all times. Professor Oak spent time in the lab, virtually living there, shutting himself off from reality.
Misty mostly stayed out, receiving food supplies coming through the forest, and fishing... Brock was the only person who could afford to hang around. He sometimes came to Ash, and considering it was Ash... who counted on Brock as a brother, it worked like a charm.
Now, it was over. But could they look forward to a new future?