Fate's Mission by Lord Kadabra Note: I wrote this story when I started thinking about fate and whether it was possible to alter or change the future. And besides, this seemed like an interesting plot; the future of the universe depending upon Ash's assasination. So please enjoy! Also, I neither own Pokemon nor claim to. In addition, the concepts of the controllers of natural forces comes from a series by Piers Anthony called the Incarnations Of Immortality, which I also do not own but am using for several purposes. Otherwise, the story is mine. Thank you. *** Ash was sitting in the hotel room, staring at the wall. Allegra...He shook his head. She had died because she couldn't bear to kill him. But what twist of fate had placed her into that situation? He sighed, and dropped his hand. A knock came at the door. Turning, he reached to open it, knowing instinctively that it was Misty. By now he knew how she felt about him, but with Allegra's death, he wasn't ready to enter into another relationship. She had seemed to sense this, and had given him merely the support of a friend. He opened the door, and saw her looking at him. "Ash, Sabrina wanted me to come see you," she said quietly. "She said something about a friend of hers, or an old acquaintance, and that I should be around when she showed up." Ash smiled. "And you jumped at the chance to visit me again. Misty, you haven't changed." She frowned. "Ash, she sounded very serious. This woman sounded very important, and it's not something to make light of." Ash turned to the window. "Then I wonder who this mysterious guest is." * * * Sabrina stood outside the ruins of her gym, staring into the heart of Saffron City. A faint sound made her turn her head, which revealed a tall woman gliding serenely towards her. She was dressed in a long, sea-blue dress, and small spherical earrings were hanging from her ears. As she stopped next to Sabrina, a rainbow engulfed the two of them. "Sabrina," she began, blowing a kiss behind her, "I hope you know why I am visiting you, and why I wish to visit young Ash." Sabrina turned to her, not noticing the blown kiss hitting a young man and knocking him into the street, where a bicycle nearly ran him over. "I have some idea from the dreams I've been having. But why do you want to stop them, ----?" The woman smiled. "Because they doubt my powers, thinking that by eliminating me from the picture, they will ensure the safety of the world. They ignore the fact that He is my chosen, and that if anyone can and would save him and the world, I can. I resent being ignored, Sabrina, and my temper is one that topples cities." Sabrina frowned, and turned away. "----, you understand the risks involved." "Of course I do, Sabrina. But I am not a woman to be annoyed," she snapped. The woman smiled at her. "And now I go to prime Him and her. Hopefully, they can understand." With a flick of her wrists, the woman vanished, moments before a car careened into the spot where she had been standing. * * * Ash was sitting next to Misty, and he suddenly saw an impossible sight. A woman was falling impossibly fast towards the balcony of his hotel room. Except the direction she was falling seemed to change every instant. With a sudden pop, she appeared on the balcony, perfectly stationary. With a smile, she bowed to the two people. "Ash Ketchum, I presume," she said elegantly, and as she bowed, a Pidgey sped through the space her head had occupied, and abruptly was destroyed by a random bolt of lightning. Both trainers on the ledge stepped back nervously as the woman smiled at them. "I-ah, are you Sabrina's friend?" Ash stammered. The woman kept smiling, and nodded to Ash. "Yes indeed. You may call me Lady, if you wish," she said quietly. Ash nodded, and looked at her. "Why d-did you want t-to see me?" he asked. Lady twirled in a circle, causing a brief eddy of air that twirled through space until it collided with a gathering hurricane. The eddy threw such chaos into the air mass that it collapsed. "I wanted to warn you, Mr. Ketchum," she said happily. "There are people who want you dead, Mr. Ketchum. Or rather, they believe that you have to die." Ash's mouth dropped open. "Who-" he began, but the woman had vanished. Only the faint sound of rolling dice hung in the air. Ash turned to Misty, who appeared more confused than Ash. "Who was that?" she asked, looking out over the city. Ash shrugged. "I don't know. I don't even know what that was all about." Misty frowned. "I don't like it, Ash. Maybe you should be extra careful. If someone DOES want you dead, it would be safer if you stayed with someone you trust." Ash smiled. "Like you, Misty?" he asked. She blushed, but her face became serious again. "Ash, just please be careful. How about we go to dinner together, and maybe I'll get Sabrina to come, too. Then maybe we can get some questions answered." * * * The young woman swung along a long thread, leapt off, and landed before the middle-aged woman. "Lachesis, why did it fail?" she demanded. "In all respects, it should have-" She closed her mouth suddenly as the middle-aged woman turned to her. "Clotho, there is another influence at work, one that is not woven into the tapestry. Someone is protecting him from us, and I believe it is one of us. An Incarnation." Clotho frowned. "But-" "But nothing, girl," the old woman said gruffly, stepping into the light. "The Incarnations all have their own agendas, and although they try not to interfere, they find that sometimes their wishes contradict each other." Clotho looked aghast. "But who would want the world to end?" she asked, confused. "No one," Lachesis responded. "Someone is protecting Ash, and she believes that she can protect both him and the human race." "And who could do that?" Clotho inquired. The old woman gave a smile reminiscent of a crocodile. "The Lady." * * * "Sabrina, why can't you tell us?" Misty demanded. Sabrina looked at the 17-year-old girl and 16-year-old boy. Both appeared worried and upset. "Ash, Misty, I can't help you. But I can tell you that Lady was telling the truth. Someone wants you dead, and you need as many people that you can trust near you. Because these people are powerful, and if they need to, they can release the anger of the heavens on you." Ash scowled. He looked out of the window of the restaurant, thinking. *Who could Lady be? There was something very unnatural about her, and if I could just figure out who she is, I'm sure I could find this out.* He was jolted from his reverie by Misty, who was tapping on his arm. "Ash, are you all right?" she asked, looking at him. He shook his head slightly, and turned to her. "Yeah, I'm fine." But Misty could see concern in his face. "Ash, I'm not going to let you die. You're my friend, and if anyone tries to hurt you, I'll just beat them to a pulp." Ash smiled. "Thanks." * * * "Clotho, you go to Thanatos and ask for his help. Atropos, you get Gaea and Mars. I'll see if Satan or God will help, and if not, I'll go see Chronos." The other two women nodded to Lachesis, and vanished. She took a moment to stare into the web, where she could see Ash Ketchum sleeping, twitching and mumbling. She frowned. "You may have to die, but I won't let you suffer," she promised, and placed her hand on the image. Almost immediately, Ash slipped into a deep slumber. * * * *A woman, what's she doing?* Ash wondered. She raised her hands to the sky, and two women appeared next to her. "The world is ending!" the first one cried, turning to the others. "We must see one sacrifice himself so the others may be saved." The other women nodded, and three other women and four men appeared. They all nodded, and the first woman spoke again. "I regret that he must die, for if he does not, the human race will be destroyed. Who will object?" One woman spoke. "Humans are my children. I will not let all of them die." A taller one, glowing with a white light, spoke. "Humans are my hope for the world. If they die, I cannot exist." A man, dressed in red and sporting red horns spoke. "The world in God's favor, so I cannot allow it to end." A man in blue- white robes, holding an hourglass spoke. "I remember the Holocaust of all humanity, and took this job to escape it. I would do anything to remember differently." A man with a sword spoke loudly. "Without Man, I could not exist, as animals do not wage war." A man with a black robe, a scythe and a skeletal face spoke. "If all humanity died, I could not hope to collect all of these souls." Then the first three women spoke in unison. "Our web is the weaving of all Man's life. Without it, the world will fall to chaos, and we would die." And finally, a tall woman made of mist spoke. "My powers are that of darkness and shadow. Without Man, I am not feared nor worshipped. So I give my blessing." A sigh ran through the assembled, until the tall glowing woman spoke. "But the Lady is not here. Does her voice not matter?" The three women who stood by each other spoke as one. "We know her opinion, and we have agreed that we will try, and she will oppose us. Therefore we may proceed." The others nodded, and each placed a hand towards the three women, and all bowed. Then the woman in black turned, and stared into Ash's eyes. "We are being spied upon!" she cried, and made a gesture, and Ash felt himself ripped away, drifting into sleep... * * * "Ash? Ash, are you all right?" Misty's voice drifted into Ash's mind, and he sat up suddenly. Misty was looking concernedly into his face. "Ash? Oh, I thought something had happened to you..." She trailed off, and a small tear trickled down her cheek. "Misty, it's okay, I'm fine," Ash comforted, reaching to give her a hug. She smiled, and he blushed abruptly. He suddenly looked at her. "Misty, could you wait outside while I shower and change?" She shook her head. "I'm staying in here, Ash, it's not like you can't lock the door," she said firmly. He sat up, and then grabbed some clothes. "All right, but Misty, I'll be fine," he announced. She gave a smile, and he walked into the bathroom. Soon she heard the water running. Yes, he should be fine. * * * The young, red-haired woman sat at the table with her friend, a man with short blue hair. They seemed to be waiting for someone, and were not disappointed when Sabrina teleported into an empty seat. She smiled at them grimly. "Jesse, James, I hear you're looking for a new occupation, since your last employer was-terminated," she said calmly. The two looked shocked, but she waved her hand dismissively. "Listen, you two. I have a job for you that I'm sure you'll want to take. I need you to protect someone, and for every day he survives, you each receive-" She named a sum that only the highest-paid members of Team Rocket could ever even hope for. Their mouths dropped open in unison, and Sabrina smiled. "Who's the client?" Jesse asked. * * * It was the largest racetrack on the island, racing everything from Ponyta and Rapidash to Muk and Electrode. Today's crowd was not unusual. Except for one woman. She was tall and mysterious, and in a person's memory, was always wearing a long red evening dress. Her eyes were a different color from when you last looked at them, and she always brought about a rash of accidents. She was presently looking into the eyes of a young man who was down to his last $100. "Bet it on Giovanni's Pride, boy; it's a sure win," she said quietly. "It can stand up in any weather, and it never gives up." The boy frowned, and she gave him a melting smile. He turned to the broker. "$100 on Giovanni's Pride, please," he said. The man's blank eyes shot open for an instant, and then dropped. "Here, boy, you've just bought yourself a 10,000/1 odds ticket. Good luck!" As he slammed down the divider to close the betting, the large handle caught his hand, shattering the bone. Years later, the bone still would act up, especially when it was important. But the race was starting, and Giovanni's Pride was off to a bad start. But, a small mouse ran onto the track, and the first Ponyta, Mach 5, reared back, knocking into a young Rapidash, Mary's Worth, who attacked Mach. As the Ponyta and Rapidash attacked each other, forming a melee, Giovanni's Pride danced nimbly through the chaos to cross the finish line first. The young man sitting next to the Lady cheered, running up to the window. "I won! I won!" he cried, grabbing the voucher for $1,000,000. The Lady smiled. "I finally got some good luck!" he crowed, waving his hand for a cab. The Lady turned away, and a bus careened into the young man, killing him instantly. The woman walked away. Luck was such a fickle thing. * * * The sun was sinking on the horizon, and Ash sat watching it. Soon he turned his head to see Misty and Pikachu sitting beside him. "Hey, guys," he mumbled, running his hand over Pikachu's fur. "Cha!" Pikachu 'purred' happily. "So, Misty, it looks like I've lasted another day," Ash said happily. She glared at him, and he looked down. Suddenly, she started crying. "Misty, what's wrong?" he demanded. "Ash, ever since Lady visited, I've been terrified, terrified that I'll lose you, Ash. Ash, I never got the chance to say this before, but I care about you too much to lose you to some assassin!" she sobbed. "Ash, I LOVE YOU!" * * * "This is ridiculous!" Lachesis snapped, looking at Clotho and Atropos. "Why can't we attack him in his plane?" Clotho sighed, and looked to the ancient woman. "There are powerful forces protecting him," Atropos hissed. "So we must bring him away from them...into Purgatory." Lachesis whirled to the web, to see Ash and Misty sitting side by side on a hill. "But we must give him a chance...the same chances any person would be given in dealing with Satan. We will build a maze, a maze to test every skill, and if he wins, he will live. If not..." The reflection of a face echoed in her eyes, a skeletal face, with one hand on a scythe and the other on a pale horse. * * * So who is the mysterious Lady, and why does she want to help Ash, even at the risk of destroying the world? And what will happen with Ash and Misty? And what about Jesse and James? And will I ever run out of cliffhanger questions? Tune in next time to find out the answers to all (or most) of these annoying queries! IN-------Part II-Rats in a Maze!