Master's Fate: Part One Interference

	Ash was ten years old, finally able to receive his Pokémon license.  His mother
had finally convinced him to fall asleep for his big day tomorrow.
  Ash closed his eyes, trying to stay awake, but a fine powder entered his
nostrils, sending him into a dreaming sleep.
	"Perfect, Erika," the man in the navy cloak said softly, "Will that keep him?"
	"Don't worry, Jerry," the green-haired woman replied, corking the vial of Sleep
Powder.  
"My powder is guaranteed to keep him out for another 12 hours.  So relax, for
once in your life."  
She gasped as a woman in a saffron cloak appeared behind her.
	<<He does not worry; he is cautious, as we all should be.  I worry that
Giovanni seeks to 
increase his power in the Council.  We've always known that Maria and Twilight
were with him, but I fear that 
others have shifted their alliances as well.>>
	"Nonsense," Jerry interrupted, "All of the Masters are just as loyal to the
League as they were when they joined. 
 I just want to make sure everything goes according to plan.  Now Sabrina,
you're sure he should receive a Pikachu?"
	<<Pikachu do not give trust easily; he must win respect.  Besides, the
attributes of the Electric type fit Ash well. 
 A Pikachu is the best match for him.>>  Erika looked downcast.
	"I thought he should get a Bulbasaur.  Their just as stubborn as he is, and a
Plant type will help his journey."
	"Erika, Sabrina has the best intuition on this.  We really should follow her
advice.  Besides, you don't see her
 saying he should have an Abra, do you?"  Jerome spoke calmly but almost
scoldingly to the plant Master.
	<<He is not ready for a Psychic type, and will not catch  one until he is.>> 
 Jerry looked in surprise at the psychic Master.
	"He wasn't born with psychic powers, was he?"
	<<I felt it might come in handy, even if there are no plots against him. 
 What, you didn't put a little magic in his blood?>>  Sabrina looked at Jerry
with raised eyebrows.
	"Well...yes, but...this is different!" he declared forcefully.
	<<You sound just like He does,>> she thought in what could have been an amused
tone, 
if her thoughts didn't display the emotionless appearance of her face.  Inside
the home, Ash snorted and turned over in his sleep, mumbling,
	"I choose you, Charmander..."  He made a throwing motion with his arm, and
almost fell from the bed. 
 Jerry, startled, looked frantically at the forgotten grass Master.
	"If he has enough motivation, he can fight the Sleep Powder," she replied to
the unspoken question aimed at her.
  Jerry frowned, and made a circular motion with his hands.
	"So he doesn't wake before his time, this charm ensnare his mind,
Dreamless, thoughtless, deep and sound, 'til morning him will bind.
	Flaming, dripping, whipping, none, Ash, are for you,
You will sleep and will receive the stubborn Pikachu!"  
Jerry clapped his hands, and a teal light surrounded the sleeping child. 
 The glow sunk into his body, and Ash stopped turning in his sleep.  Jerry
lowered his hands cautiously.
	"That was a terrible rhyme," Erika giggled, "Worse than an Ekans trying to
sing."
	"When working with magic, any rhyme will work!" he snapped.
	<<Seeing as we are finished, we should leave,>> Sabrina thought,
 <<There is no point in taking unnecessary risks.>>  She disappeared in a flash
of yellow light.
	"A retreat seems most expeditious," Jerry said, and snapped his fingers, 
both Masters vanishing into the night.  Inside his room, Ash tossed and turned.
	"Maybe a Bulbasaur...Bulbasaur, go!"
***
	"Cyclone, you seem like a very logical fellow," Giovanni said cajolingly,
rubbing his Meowth's head vigorously.  
Cyclone glared at the former ground Master, his Spearow directing an identical
look at the Meowth, who growled at the short-tempered bird.
	"Giovanni, I am not going to get involved in your plots.  I'm not as airheaded
as I look. 
 I know exactly why you were expelled, and, if I remember correctly, I myself
voted for that expulsion!"  Giovanni smirked, 
but it was a forced smile, as if he were fuming inside.
	"Cyclone, buddy, I understand perfectly.  You don't want to do anything they
can trace back to you, do you?" 
 Cyclone glared harder at the smiling gym leader.
	"You don't understand, do you Giovanni?  I want this to happen.  This child is
supposed to bring an end to people
 like you, but others...like me...we are those He will be protecting.  I don't
want to get on his wrong side too early. 
 If he will lose, I will help you, but until then, I am with the Masters."
	"Unfortunately, my flighty friend, you have no choice," Giovanni hissed as he
stuck a single needle in Cyclone's arm. 
 The Master struggled for a moment, and collapsed in his chair.  A moment later,
his eyes opened, glowing a crimson red.
  Cyclone spoke in an emotionless voice.
	"Of course, my lord.  I shall destroy him."
***
	Ash had been travelling for a while, and was exhausted from trying to capture
the Pidgey. 
 His Pikachu still wasn't listening to him, and was up in a tree.  Then, Ash
caught sight of a bird silhouette.  
	"I've got you now!" he cried triumphantly, throwing a rock at the small
creature.  The bird turned its annoyed eyes at Ash.
	"SPEAR!" it shouted angrily.  Ash flipped open his Pokédex.
	"Spearow, the tiny bird Pokémon.  It is extremely territorial and
bad-tempered."  
Ash appeared worried, an expression that became complete panic when hundreds of
Spearow lifted off the ground behind the first.
  Almost invisible against the sky and brown birds, a tall man in a flowing blue
cloak stood among the birds.  A single word escaped his lips.
	"Attack."  Hundreds of Spearow screeched in anger, flying at the ten-year-old.
***
	Sabrina rested in her gym at Saffron City, her doll sitting in her lap.
  She felt turmoil, fear, and anger.  The anger was directed at someone, a
child, young...Ash! 
 In a word, she vanished from the gym, appearing instantly in the Seafoam Island
Gym, where Jerry Godfrey was leader.
	<<I have sensed danger,>> was all she thought, and Jerry moved to action.  
With a gesture, a small pool of water surrounded by a rocky wall rose from the
gym floor. 
 An image appeared in the crystal-clear water.  Ash indeed was in danger,
fleeing from a flock of Spearow.
  Jerry's eyes narrowed.
	"Giovanni..." he growled.
	<<Not quite,>> came the thought, <<They are being driven, and none can control
these flying-type save->>
	"Cyclone.  That double-crosser.  I could've sworn he was with us."  Jerry's
fist slammed on the table. 
 "Who's closest to the action?"
	<<Giovanni, unless you refer to those who don't wish him harm, at which point
it would be Brock, in Pewter.>>
  Jerry swore, and snapped his fingers.  Both Masters appeared in the main room
of the Pewter Gym.  Brock looked up, startled.
	"I didn't expect you," he stammered, "Or I would have made something."
	<<There is no time,>> came the thought, and the three of them vanished.
***
	"He can't hope to outrun them for long, so it's up to you, Brock," Jerry said
firmly.
	"But-" he protested, interrupted by the telepathic speech.
	<<We cannot interfere directly, as it would cause suspicion.  Your abilities
are subtle enough to help
.  Now do it!>>  Brock looked dubious, but he complied.  Ash was hurrying over a
small stream, 
and he stepped on a firm rock.
	"Tremor," Brock whispered, and Ash lost his balance, falling into the
swift-moving water.
  He was swept away rapidly, screaming.
	"Fool," Jerry hissed, "That won't help anything because-"
	<<Ash can't swim.>>
	"I didn't know that, so you can't blame me," Brock responded defensively. 
	"Never mind," Jerry snapped impatiently.  "Sabrina, do you sense any people by
the river bank?"
	<<One.  It is...Tsunami's daughter, Misty.>>
	"Perfect."  Jerry snapped one hand upward, and made a crescent moon shape with
his other. 
 "Swiftly falling under, taking in the water,
"Catch him on your fishing pole and save him, Master's daughter.
"Give him aid to escape his fate
"At the Zephyr Master's hands,
"Find a way with him to stay
"To travel this Earth's lands."  At the finish, Jerry tossed a quarter in the
air, 
where a tiny image revealed itself to show Ash struggling with the deep river,
choking and coughing.
  His hand caught on a fishing line and he was bodily lifted from the water. 
Misty Tsunami Storm, 
the daughter of the water Master, as well as former Cerulean Gym leader, stared
at this boy she had pulled from the water.
  A conversation took place, ending when Cyclone caught up with Ash, and Ash
grabbed Misty's new bike to run.
	"Damn it, that's not fast enough!" Jerry swore.  Brock and Sabrina watched in
grim fascination as Ash 
fell off the bike, and was left exposed.  He obviously tried to get Pikachu into
his Pokéball, but to no avail. 
 He stood before the assault, a bravery which elicited a tear even from the
emotionless Sabrina,
 shouting something lost in the image.  Then Pikachu leapt to Ash's shoulder
and, with a determination 
to protect this brave trainer, shocked the flock with not a Thunderbolt or even
Thundershock,
 but the most powerful electric attack: Electric Plane.  Openmouthed in shock,
the three masters watched the birds,
 seeing the destructive power of this trainer, fled (excepting those rendered
unconscious or dead by the shock). 
 Cyclone himself was unconscious, but summoned the powerful Houhou to spirit him
away before he was discovered.  
The child awoke, now bearing a bond with his Pikachu that would not ever be
broken.
***
	"He WHAT?!" Giovanni cried outrageously.  "But how?  How?  This is your fault,
Cyclone." 
 He pointed a finger accusingly at the air Master.  Cyclone's eyes had reverted
to their normal sky-blue, 
and he looked angrily at the leader of Team Rocket.
	"It looks like you underestimated the child, Giovanni.  He is the One, after
all."
	"No matter.  You will leave now, where you can return to your precious League." 
 Cyclone drew his cloak about his body and vanished in a whirlwind.  Giovanni
stroked the Persian absentmindedly.
  "Hmm...I can't lose him, but if I'm right, he's heading to Viridian City-Jesse
and James' post.  Absolutely perfect. 
 Those bunglers will be set on catching his Pokémon, and will manage in tailing
him until I have more resources. 
 And then...I strike!"  He laughed, stroking his Persian, whose sleek body was
racked with amusement as well. 
 He pressed an intercom button on his desk.  "Marian, get me Jesse and James. 
Tell them it's important." 
 He sat back, confident in his ultimate success. 
***
	Weeks passed, and Ash was hounded by both a vengeful Misty and the converted
Team Rocket.
  He reached the town of Maiden's Peak, the home of the powerful ghost Master,
Agatha. 
 They were warned against the ghost of Maiden's Peak, but Brock was taken by her
beauty. 
 Little did they know the danger in store for them.
	"Agatha, I have an interesting proposition for you," Giovanni nearly purred, 
something which one would expect his Persian to do.  He squinted in the dim
light, trying to distinguish 
the phantom-like woman from the dark background.  Her cackling voice seemed to
come from the air above his left ear.
	"And what is it?  Is it worth my time?"  
	"It involves the boy."  She drew back, or rather, he had the impression that
she drew back.
	"I assume it also involves my loyal Ghastly here," she said, her faint arm
gesturing towards a 
floating ball with a face that was in the center of Giovanni's vision.  "In
fact, I have a very good idea what it is,
 and I'll do it!"  She and her Ghastly faded out completely, leaving Giovanni
sitting in a dark office alone. 
 He was worried, but hopeful.  If she had as good an intuition as she was
supposed to, this operation was going to go well. 
 If not, well...it could prove very interesting anyway.
***
	Jerry watched in horror as the Ghastly kept up the attack on the children and
Team Rocket.
	"How could Agatha do this?" he asked rhetorically.  He knew perfectly well the
ghostlike woman 
did what she believed would be interesting, and listened to no one unless it
pleased her. 
 He was upset that Giovanni had gotten the jump on him.  Meanwhile, the Ghastly
had become a Charitoise to attack both Ash's Squirtle and Charmander.  
	"I'm going to do something!" Raymond snapped.  He snapped his fingers, but
Jerry restrained him.
	"You can't interfere!" he shouted.  "Any obvious interfering will arouse
suspicion that the League can't suppress.  
And you know what will happen if our presence is widely known, don't you?" 
Raymond looked shrewdly at Jerry, 
the light Master's eyes glinting with the yellow light from which his powers
came.
	"Then maybe your Tempus can help," he said.  Jerry looked surprised.  "It can
affect time, can't it?"  
Jerry tried to speak, stopped himself, and resignedly threw a Pokéball onto the
ground.  A three-foot tall humanoid dressed in a black
 robe appeared from the red light.  Hundreds of timepieces hung on or around the
creature, but the most noticeable was a 
large pocket watch on a chain that the Tempus held in its left hand.
	"Tempus, make it sunrise," Jerry ordered.  The watch rocked back and forth
slowly, but gradually got faster and faster.
	"Tem-pus, Tem-pus, Tempus, Tempus, TempusTempustempustempus-"  Time seemed to
speed up, 
relating exactly to the soon-spinning hands on the watches, the jumping sands of
the hourglasses, 
the spinning shadows of the sundials and the flashing numbers of the digital
clocks.
  The change was unnoticeable to anyone but Masters, for the time was lost to
them.  Anyone who thought they noticed decided it was a trick of the mind.
  In a moment the sun peeked over the horizon.  The Ghastly was weakened by the
sun,
 but it was still powerful enough to destroy the group of travelers.  Raymond
waved his arm and mumbled.  
At the same moment, a golden glow suffused him.  Invisible to all but the light
Master himself, 
a ray of light struck the Ghastly, and it vanished.  Relief spread itself over
the group,
 glad to be away from Agatha's powerful Pokémon.  Jerry looked annoyed, but a
glint of joy was on his face.  Ash was safe-for now.
***
	Giovanni was increasingly annoyed.  The Masters were getting bolder, and the
child himself was getting more powerful.  He pressed a buzzer on his desk.
	"Send in Jesse and James," he snapped.  In a moment, the duo entered his
office,
 flanking the Meowth which was their supervisor.  "Hello Jesse, James," he
hissed dangerously.
	"Yes sir?" James inquired gleefully.  Jesse hit him over the head with a paper
fan, yelling, 
"Shut UP, you imbecile!"
	"Silence!" Giovanni roared.  The two fell silent, Jesse covering Meowth's mouth
with her hand. 
 "I have a new assignment for you.  You two will continue trying to catch the
Pikachu, but your primary objective is..."
"What?  What?" James screeched.  "I can't take the suspense!"  Jesse hit him
again, and he fell to silence again.
"Your objective is to kill Ash Ketchum."
***
"Ah, we're finally on Cinnabar Island," Ash shouted excitedly.  
"We can surf, swim, sunbathe-" Misty started, her eyes glimmering.
"And I can get my Volcano Badge!" Ash interrupted.
"You idiot!" Misty screamed.  "Do you only think about Pokémon?" 
 Pulling out a large mallet, she hit Ash over the head.
"Oww..." he moaned softly.
***
	"Hello, Blaine," Giovanni said, rubbing his Persian's head softly.  "I have a
proposition for-"
	"I know exactly what you're after Giovanni, and I'm not willing to cooperate. 
Good day!" 
 Blaine stormed out of the office door, and Giovanni smiled.
	"Well, Blaine, you've sealed the fate of Cinnabar island with your
stubbornness." 
 Giovanni pressed a button on his desk.  "Get me Jesse and James."  An image
appeared above his desk,
 one of Meowth looking into the video phone.  "Jesse, James," he said
menacingly, "I have a mission for you. 
 This takes top priority now."
	"Do you mean we don't have to kill the twerp?" Jesse asked hopefully. 
 For despite her job, she really wasn't big on murder.
	"Well, do so if you get the chance, but you're going to use our new ice guns to
steal a very rare Pokémon.
  It's called a Magmar, and it belongs to Blaine, the Cinnabar Gym Leader.  Good
luck."  He smirked inwardly. 
 The Magmar wasn't important, but any attempt those two made to capture the
Pokémon would be bungled, and those ice guns could cause a major eruption. 
 An eruption that would destroy the island and everyone on it.  Including Ash.
***
	"This is nearly the last straw!" he shouted angrily at the video screen. 
 "How the hell did he get a Volcano Badge, and, more importantly, how did the
goddamn kid get away?" 
 James tittered, and Jesse laughed nervously.
	"Well, a funny thing happened on the way to the volcano," Meowth interjected.
	"Silence!" Giovanni was furious.  "I don't know why I haven't fired you two
yet."
	"Because you have a good heart?" James asked hopefully.
	"Because it's not worth the effort to do so," Giovanni said, switching off the
phone.
  "I'm giving them three months.  If they haven't succeeded-"  He laughed
loudly.  "They're expendable."
***
	Most of the Masters were at the opening of the Pokémon League, and Blaine was
no exception. 
 He was sitting beside Jerome Godfrey, to whom he was conversing avidly.  
	"I don't understand how he managed it, but he beat me," Blaine was saying.
	"Come on, you know that his Charizard *wanted* to battle, and it wanted to win,
so it did.
  Anyway, I'm confident he could have won without Charizard.  But he couldn't
beat *me*." 
 Suddenly both looked up as the ceremonies began.  About halfway through, the
flame of Moltres was stolen from the stadium,
 and the spectators watched in morbid fascination as the thieves, the worst
chapter of Team Rocket, 
used the stolen flame to power a deadly flame-thrower.  One trainer among
hundreds stood up to the deadly trio: Ash Ketchum. 
 He put up a good fight, but he was finally cornered, and it appeared that Team
Rocket's primary objective was to be fulfilled.
  The line of fire drove towards the frightened eleven-year-old, and one person
of the thousands of spectators screamed out his name.
	"Ash!" she cried, knowing it was hopeless.
  The flames ran over his body, but did not burn.  With a shudder of power felt
only by Masters and the psychically inclined,
 the flames of Moltres became the bird himself.  With barely any effort, the
firebird dispatched Team Rocket,
 sending them "Blasting off again (*ding*)."  A cheering filled the stadium,
 but a hurried conversation was held between two people sitting behind Misty
Storm and the rock Master.
	"Why did you do that?" Jerry asked, annoyed. 
 "You know anyone who has any psychic ability at all could have sensed that!"
	"But I didn't do anything," Blaine responded, surprised. 
	"But only the fire Master can Summon the firebird!" Jerry hissed.
	"Or a Master whose powers are unknown," Blaine stated defensively.
	"A Master...?" Jerry asked.  "But who...Who?"
***
Electric Plane
----------------------------
An Electric attack which creates a wall of electricity
 and throws it forward at target. 
 Depending on Pokémon's strength, 
the wall may range from a square meter in area to one square kilometer.
  A devastating attack to flying types