Started 5/29/04

Disclaimer: I really don’t own pokemon; it belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This is non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic written by me so it’s mine under international copyright laws.

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

Timeline 2-3 months later

Chapter 5: Playing the fool

 

            Snow blanketed the planet. It was winter. Blizzards tore apart the wooden huts where some of the unfortunates lived.

            Ash sipped his hot chocolate pensively.

            “Something wrong?”

            “No, just worried for some inexplicable reason. It’s like I have an itch to leave this place and ride out searching for adventure.”

            “Be careful, Ash.” Lance warned.

            “Why?”

            “Just because…”

            Ash blinked, but pulled his black cloak more tightly around his shoulders as he walked on.

            Snow crunched underneath his boots.

 

            Something tugged on the hem of his cloak.

            Ash turned around, and met startled cerulean eyes, as a girl with orange hair jumped back.

            “What do you want?” He asked.

            “A-are you Ashura Windchaser?”

            “So what if I am?” Ash asked, surprised that someone actually remembered his name.

            “I, someone sent me to find you. I’m Daisy.” She introduced herself.

            “Well, you can tell this ‘someone’ that I’m not interested.” Ash said, as he pulled his cloak free and walked away from her.

            “Wait!”
            Tuning out her annoying voice, and feeling quite fragmented with what had started out as an afternoon of solace broken, Ash went back to the castle.

            He found Lance waiting.

 

            “Lance-chan?”

            “Someone’s found you.” She said, anger rippling in her eyes again. “I won’t let them take you again.”

            “Lance-chan, how?”

            “I’m not sure.” The Dragon Master said. “I thought I had used my dark power to completely shield your presence. But they hid you from me in the first place with the same type of magic…”

            “Then what?”

            “Back to the dream realm.”

            Sighing, Ash obeyed and vanished.

 

            Lance waited until he was gone, before her appearance shifted, and she smirked briefly, before teleporting off to an area near the presence of Daisy. If Daisy was the messenger, than the one controlling the puppet must be close by…

            She was patient; she could wait, and eliminate the threat once and for all. Ordering a glass of dewberry tea, which she and Ash both enjoyed, she sat down in a café and waited.

            Soon enough, a familiar face framed by silver hair confronted her, although the eyes were more aged, and more wrinkles covered a once-youthful countenance.

            “Ashura.”

            “How do you know my name?” Lance asked, injecting a note of confusion and the tiniest undercurrent of fear into her voice.

            Perfect illusion.

 

            “I am Master Agatha.” The woman said, explaining herself to the young man, who looked quite confused. Poor child, but he had a destiny to fulfill, and she had to train him for it. “I am a Jedi, like your father.”

            “My father… was a Jedi? I thought – but they are only legends! And both my parents are dead, aren’t they? That’s why I was sold into slavery!”

            “No, Ash, Jedi are very much real.” Agatha smiled. Thinking a demonstration was in order, she levitated the saltshaker on the table in a circle.

            The befuddled look and apparent wonder almost made her laugh out loud.

            But he said slavery? The poor child…

            She should have left him in the care of another family. Priscilla really was an incompetent woman. But no matter, she would teach him now.

            They had to hurry, before darkness fell.

            He had to defeat the Dragon Master and bring peace to the galaxy again.

 

            Lance almost laughed at that thought. Oh, this woman had no idea what she was up against. But who knew, she might actually be able to learn something useful…

            “Here. You should take this.”

            Lance studied the lightsaber, hiding a frown as she realized it was not Drake’s. * What is she trying to pull? *

            “This belonged to your father, a great man, his name was Austin Windchaser.” Agatha lied, knowing that right now Ash would not know anything and therefore believe everything.

            Lance nodded. “Was he…”

            “A great man. One of the brightest Jedi ever on earth, he was. However, he died in a heroic battle when he was fighting the Dark Master known as Lance Dragyn.”

            This time, Lance actually had to clamp the invisible psychic dampeners on her wrists and neck to keep from laughing out loud. Oh, this was hilarious!
            Wait until Ash heard…

            But first, she would need to use Agatha, probe her and see if any other Jedi were left. They had to exterminate them once and for all, to prevent further problems.

           

            Agatha spoke for a bit about Ash’s father, and how Ash must grow up to be like him, and his duty, and she said to meet her back the next day for training.

            Lance acted nervous and excited to flawlessness.

           

            That’s so funny! Hakuryuu laughed, rolling around on the flowerbed with tears streaming from his eyes.

            < Isn’t it? > Lance chuckled. < Oh, if only she knew… >

            < They think I’m that stupid? > Ash wasn’t sure whether he felt insulted or not. < But why are you playing me? >

            < I’m only going to do that part of the time. You see, you still need to learn how to shield better; right now your shields are very weak, unfortunately. Otherwise she’ll read your mind like an open book and see all the secrets you hold. >

            < Oh. >

            < And I can only put up your mind shields three days a week, so I have to play you for the rest. >

            Ash nodded obediently. * All right. *

            It would work out fine.

            Those stupid Jedi! How dare they! They had killed his parents and broken his friend, no, maybe his fiancée, and now they were trying to make him kill her!
            Oh, if only they knew how he knew…

            Darkness smoldered in his gaze, as he stroked Pika-chan’s fur.

 

End Chapter

Completed 5/29/04