Part 2. Did I mention writer’s block on this? Months of it…
Disclaimer: Come on, I don’t own pokemon. I only own the Triple Guardianship, Destiny, and stuff like that. Oh, and Charlotte too. And any other new characters that pop up.
Chapter 1: Overconfident
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< This is so not going to plan! >
< I’m not sure what to do now. >
< You’re not just going to let
him leave like that, are you? >
< What would you have me say? >
< Nothing. I just need your permission to keep an eye on him. >
< Granted. >
The master closed her mirror and sighed. * Ash… you were always so eager to jump into everything, not considering the possible consequences… don’t you know what this could wind up causing? *
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Ash groaned softly as he followed Misty through a forest of tangled brambles, wondering why she couldn’t have surfed. Or teleported. Or flew.
“Are we there yet?”
“No, stop whining like a brat!” She snapped.
Ash bit back an angry retort. * Who’s forcing whom to fight against their will? *
“I could teleport us there, you know.”
“And have you betray us as soon as the poison wore off? No way!”
“So basically, you’re trying to convert me over to your cause in a month’s time?”
Misty glared. “You didn’t have to put it like that.”
Ash clammed up after that, not saying a word. It was six days later when they finally reached a tower, hidden securely in the middle of a forest infested with giant bugs. Ash idly wondered how Misty made it here. Or how she could stand it.
“Close your eyes.” Misty snapped, and Ash obediently did as she told, before he felt her dragging him through what seemed like a maze. A hiss sounded as metal doors slid open, and Ash suddenly fell, feeling the ground give way beneath his feet.
“Get up.”
Ash opened his eyes warily, as the doors slid shut overhead.
“Let’s go.”
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“Baka.” The master muttered again, before she shrouded herself in invisibility and took off after him.
< I’m going after him. >
< Be careful. We can’t lose you too. And you’re weak to water. >
< I know. I’ll stay hidden, I promise. >
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“So you have brought him.”
Ash stared. “Erika?! You ordered this?!”
Erika smirked. “Didn’t expect it, did you?”
“No.”
“Better for us.” Erika continued, as Ash suddenly fell to his knees, feeling the poison Misty had used on him flare up. The fires crawled underneath his skin and he gratefully surrendered to the darkness the minute it consumed him.
“Take him to Lab 2.” Erika ordered.
The two technicians bowed lowly and left, carrying their prisoner with them.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“That does put a snag in the plan, Flareon.” The girl whispered. “Now what do we do? We can’t attack the base directly, it’d be suicide.”
The pokemon shrugged.
Charlotte sighed out a mushroom cloud. * Ash… *
“I guess I could always call for backup…”
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
It was two days later before the shadow master finally awoke, only to find himself imprisoned inside what looked like a normal prison cell, only a quick scan revealed it to completely pokemon-proof.
“Just when I thought life couldn’t get any worse…”
< This is your fault! You should have killed her! > Espeon cried.
< Yes! Now you’re trapped and completely defenseless! > Umbreon nodded.
< What are we going to do now, Master? > Pidgeot inquired.
< I’m not sure… >
Ash frowned as he felt the brooding presences of his pokemon. * Great… *
“Well, well. How’s my little patient?” A voice crooned.
Ash stared at the Nurse Joy. Amazingly, her hair was blue not pink, but that wasn’t his main concern.
“Never mind, be quiet. I like the good quiet kind anyways.” She continued as she walked over carrying a tray of syringes.
Ash paled.
“Don’t worry! It’ll only hurt for a second!” She said, as she reached in through the bars and plunged two in his upper forearm before he could react.
As soon as the liquid was injected, the syringes all dissolved into smoke and vanished.
“What-.” Ash said, but before he could say another word, he felt his body shutting itself down. * They’re killing me?! MISTY! How could you-. *
The shadow master tumbled into the darkness, sent there by the unknowing nurse, who obviously knew nothing about shadow magic.
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It’s so
dark and cold here. Where am I?
Misty!
Why did you do this to me? I only loved you…
Was that
my crime?
I can’t
love? Am I incapable of love because I control the shadows?
Why…
Why…
Another
voice broke in. “Don’t’ worry, little one, you won’t fall.”
I won’t?
“No. I
will always be here to protect you.”
Protect
me? From…
“From
the darkness. Don’t worry, little one. Sleep now.”
Sleep…
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Ash’s eyes slowly opened, and Joy backed up nervously.
They weren’t the brown-black they had been. Or the gold Misty had described when he was fighting.
They were… green.
Sea green.
Bizarre.
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The Dragon Master smiled to himself.
“Now it has begun.”
Dragonair curled around her master’s body, asking a silent question.
“Of course I won’t hurt him.”
“My little one…”
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Charlotte cast another glare at the barrier surrounding the rebel base. “When did this go up?”
< Only yesterday, I think. >
“Well great. Looks like they have quite a few psychic masters on their side. Guess I should wiat then…”
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The masters gathered inside the base waited for Joy’s report.
“So, what’s the situation with Ashura?”
“Quite bad.” Joy said. “It seems like he has gone into a coma. But the only visible change I noticed is that his eyes had changed color.”
“Changed color?”
“They’re green now.”
“Green.” Erika mused. “Maybe those shots you gave him changed his element type?”
“But… there aren’t any masteries with green eyes.” Misty said.
“That is true.” Pryce said, adding his old, gravelly voice to the conversation. His wife smiled and placed a hand gently on his arm.
“Don’t get into a rage again, you old coot.”
“Aw, Sheila.” He protested. “I’m not that old.”
< This situation looks quite severe. > Agatha added. < I cannot hold this barrier up indefinitely. What if the League manages to get control of Ash now? Perhaps that is why he is so trancelike. >
“What?”
“They do have Karen, and Will, and Sabrina, and Morty on their side.” Another voice interjected.
Misty turned to look at Whitney. “I know. That’s why I wanted Ash on our side. So we could use the forbidden elements to our advantage.”
“True. But you’ve forgotten someone.” Sheila said. “The league has both a shadow master and a light master.”
“And there have been no attempts to win them both to our side.”
Terra chewed on her lip nervously as she listened to them talk. She was a new psychic trainer, barely into her abilities.
Thus, she had no influence over the council.
But she was scared! Her Kadabra kept talking about a presence outside that waited…
But Master Agatha hadn’t mentioned anything, so she was afraid to speak up. Besides, it could just be a routine League patrol.
The league controlled most everything. It was strange. It seemed like Utopia in many places, but if investigated carefully, it was seen how only the strong survived. The weak citizens and their pokemon would be picked off. The humans killed, the pokemon sent to become stronger, because the pokemon could adapt and evolve.
But the people couldn’t.
Of course, if you looked at it from the League, and Master Gareth’s, point of view, it was shown how only the best remained. And the mindless multitude simply sucked it up. Oh, there were a few rebellions, but they were usually crushed.
Easily.
The league controlled most of the masters, anyways.
No contest.
Terra was brought back to her thoughts as Master Erika announced the routine patrol check.
“Terra, you and Rusty are on patrol today.”
“Me?” Terra squeaked.
“Yes, you.” Erika said sternly. “This isn’t a playground. We all have to work.”
Terra bit her lip and nodded.
Rusty cheered, the brown spikes of his hair standing up in excitement. “Hell yeah! Let’s go!”
It was a bare half hour later as they walked through the woods outside the patrol. Rusty’s Magneton hummed as it floated besides them.
“I hope there aren’t any bugs today. I heard from Master Sheila that they infest this place.” Rusty said cheerfully.
Terra paled.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
“Looks like this wasn’t a waste of time after all.” She said, smiling down from her perch in a tree. “Time to get some information.”
Her pokemon nodded and squawked softly.
“Let’s go.”
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Terra barely had time to react when a female dressed in a dark red cloak dropped down from a tree in front of them.
“AHHHHHHHHH!” She cried, freaking out.
“Quiet!” Rusty said, whipping out his cell phone. “Help! We need backup! A master!”
His Magneton immediately fired a Thunderwave at the intruder, hoping to knock it out.
“Flareon, Flamethrower.” She said calmly, as Magneton dropped.
“Fire Master.” Terra said, hiding behind Rusty. “Kadabra, go! Use Psybeam!”
The Fire Master made several quick slashing motions with her hands. Little blades of fire flew out and blocked all the incoming beams. Then, she nodded to her Flareon, who barreled into Kadabra with a Body Slam attack, making a rather nice indention in the nearby oak tree.
“Shoot!” Rusty said, throwing out two more poke balls. “Quagsire, Donphan! Attack!”
“Ground…” The fire master mused. “Makes this a bit more interesting… not. Hydro Flare attack.”
Flareon nodded and spat out a wave of fire, which surrounded both pokemon, before it suddenly turned into a crashing torrent of water.
Needless to say, neither pokemon fared very well.
“Shoot! Retreat!” Terra cried, grabbing Rusty. “Kadabra, Teleport us out of here!” The psychic pokemon seemed to sigh, before summoning up its last vestiges of energy and affecting their escape.
“I didn’t even use my secret weapon…”
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Inside the base, Ash stirred, as his eyes returned to their original golden color. He sat up and began to grope around like a blind man.
It was so simple. * Aneki… Where are you? *
“Bad news. Fire master.” Erika said, putting down the phone, just as Terra and Rusty collapsed on the conference table.
“I’ll take care of it.” Misty said immediately.
“Can’t, you’re too valuable.”
“Its just one master, we can take care of the problem.”
“You sure?” Erika asked, looking at the speaker.
“Yes.”
“Ok then.”
Warren ran outside the doors, searching for the elusive master. “Where are you? Hiding like a coward!”
Soft laughter sounded above him. “Are you sure?”
“Shut up and face me like a man!” Warren said as he took a defensive stance.
“As you wish…”
End Chapter!
Review if you want to read the next one!
Started 10/16/03, completed 11/15/03