Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Chapter 7: Resent?

The question now was how he was going to hide the changes from Gary.

Gary was enjoying dinner at the Surf n’ Turf with the girls when he realized he hadn’t seen Ash for the past few hours.

“He’d better not be sleeping out on the beach again…” Gary muttered.

“Ooh, he was hot!” Garnet squealed, sending her orange pigtails bouncing up and down. “Friend of yours?”

“Best friend.” Gary replied.

Garnet squealed again. “That is so cool! Could we travel with you? We can all cheer, you know?”

Opal smiled at Gary from across the table as he colored. “Er, I’ll ask Ash about that…”

When he got back to the hotel, Ash still hadn’t returned. But his backpack was gone.

“Did that guy go out training on his own?” Gary wondered.

Opal had followed him. “Nice room.”

“It’s a hotel, Opal.” Gary said, rolling his eyes.

“Well, you’re friend isn’t here. What say you we get to… know each other better?” She suggested as she slunk up to him.

Gary began to sweat nervously. “Um, I’m not sure this is a good idea…”

“Aw…” Opal pouted. “I thought you liked me.”

“I do! It’s just, we… we’re not well acquainted enough.” Gary babbled.

“Then let’s get acquainted.” Opal purred, before she kissed him, effectively short-circuiting Gary’s mind as they fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs.

Ash stalked in sometime around 3 A.M. in the morning.

Gary and his girl were both passed out on the couch.

Ash shrugged. “Bakas…” He collected his supplies, and then effectively walked out of Gary’s life. He wouldn’t see his friend again for a long time…

Seven years later… (Age 21 for Gary)

Gary yawned. He hated to admit it, but he was bored. Sure, he was pokemon master, with almost a hundred well-trained pokemon to his name, but it was lonely up at the top. He had Opal and all her friends as his devoted friends and occasional lovers, but still…

The board had suggested the creation of a few trainers to block the way to the champion so he wouldn’t have to work so hard, and it seemed reasonable.

“How about the Elite Four?” A man asked.

Gary turned to look at the bureaucrat. “That is a good idea.”

“And we can pick four elements, one for each. No breaks in between, you would have to beat all four. That way, the trainers would need a varied team to battle you.”

Gary smiled. “Good plan.” And so, the tournaments began.

It was there that the girl with the wild crimson hair caught his eye.

She was around his age, he guessed, dressed in black with a red jacket to offset the depressing décor, and a dark blue cloak that fell to her feet. She used dragon types.

Powerful, yes. But also tempting… Gary loved watching her fight on the video screens. She seemed so alive.

At the moment, her Dragonair was beating the crap out of some poor kid’s Alakazam.

Dangerous. Well, if it were up to him she’d be one of his new Elite Four for sure. Gary licked his lips and smirked to himself.

Ash’s eyes glowed pale golden for a second as he felt someone behind him. “Oh, it’s another warrior angel trying to kill me?”

“Shut up!” Claire hissed. “I hate my job, let’s just get this over with!”

“If you think I’m just going to let you kill me, the answer is no.”

Claire’s eyes flashed with anger as a blade of water energy appeared in her hands. Ash’s key glowed as his sword of shadow energy appeared.

The battle began.

Ash was finding it hard to hold his own. He hadn’t had much experience with fighting angels; mostly Lance took care of them. And by angel standards he was still a baby! But he couldn’t lose!
He opened the gates to the dream realm. * Have to do this the had way then… *

Claire didn’t even comment on their choice of surroundings before she attacked again. Ash feinted, and then caught her legs, tripping her with a chain of black lightning.

Claire dropped to the ground. She flapped her wings furiously to get airborne again.

“Perfect.” Ash whispered. “Static Illusion!”

Instantly, Claire dropped, paralyzed, but made no sound.

“Yatta! I’m so glad Lance-chan taught me that move!” Ash cheered. “Now, how do I find her?” He focused and cast out his magic, searching for the lifeforce of his love.

He found her just finishing up a match.

< Lance-chan! I caught an angel! >

< You did? > Lance sounded amused. < All by yourself. >

< Yep! She’s still in static illusion right now. What should I do? >

< I’ll be there in a few minutes, Ash >

< Hai! >

Ash groomed Vaporeon as he waited for Lance-chan to return.

Soon, she appeared with no fanfare.

“Her?!”

“Yes?” Ash sounded surprised. * Lance-chan shouldn’t care who it is, right? *

“Claire…” Lance looked stricken. “I can’t believe they sent her out to kill me.”

“But who is she?” Ash asked. “Is she special?”

Lance nodded grimly. “She has my fourth key. She’s my cousin.”

Ash’s jaw dropped. “WHAT?! Those heartless council members! They sent her out to kill her own cousin?!”

“Yes.”

Black lightning surrounded Ash as he digested the unfairness of it all. “But… how…”

“Well, I left her the key of Stormy Weather.” Lance explained. “It’s far weaker than all the others, but…the dream realm won’t hurt her. Of course, she would have never tried to access this realm.”

“Because she’s an angel?”

Lance nodded. “It’s forbidden. If they tried, the shadows would tear them apart. Not that they haven’t, I’ve seen the guards.”

Ash nodded. “So now what?”

“I don’t know, maybe we can explain but if not we’ll have to leave her here.”

They watched.

End Chapter!

Completed 4/1/08