Hiya! Thanks to all my fans! Here’s episode 9!

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon. It belongs to Game Freak, Nintendo, 4Kids, etc. And even if I did make a profit, I would lose it to wild Meowths anyways. I do own Trainer’s Test forest (Who would want it?) and Destiny.

Episode 9: Seeing is so not believing. Really.

Two days later, Todd was still trailing behind a severely- annoyed Ash. Ash was contemplating whether or not using his powers to toast his new ‘tail’ would be enough to get Todd away from him. He really hated his better nature at the moment. If it hadn’t appeared, he wouldn’t be saddled with this liability. Ugh.

Pika-chan fidgeted nervously. She was picking up on her Chosen’s mood though the emphatic bond they had only recently developed and it was making her quite edgy. Although she couldn’t blame him, Todd was annoying. But he wasn’t very quarrelsome, which was a good point.

“Ash? Can I have a snack? Please?” Pika-chan asked, her eyes going all big and teary, while shiawase bubbles shimmered behind her. Food always cheered her up, and right now she desperately needed some pampering. Pika-chan had gotten used to comfortable living during those months in Ash’s house and it was hard to adjust to camping.

“Well, I still have some dried apricots. Do you want them?” Ash asked, holding out the paper bag. He inwardly grimaced. Note to self. Buy lots of candy and pastries in Viridian City, otherwise Guardian will become wailing pichu when she finds out that we have run out of sweets.

“Yep!” Pika-chan said. She happily chewed on the sweet, leathery treat and quieted down.

Ash sighed. Maybe now he would get some peace and quiet. He wondered why he hadn’t bothered riding Ponyta. At least the exercise was strengthening his legs, though that was small comfort.

Unfortunately, his wish was not to be fulfilled. The silence in the forest was untimely broken by a voracious exclamation.

“Ash! Look! It’s a Weedle! I gotta take a picture!” Todd said, as he ran over to snap a shot of the hairy bug pokemon. Ash rolled his eyes. Todd was so… annoying! Every five minutes, he was running off to try and take a picture of some bug pokemon… was the guy that obsessed with his camera?

“It gets annoying, doesn’t it?” Pika-chan asked, voicing her Chosen’s rather unkind thoughts.

“Pika-chan…” Ash’s voice held a warning. He used her momentary distracted air to snatch back his bag of dried apricots.

Pika-chan shrugged. “Well, he is very enthusiastic. I’m sure that if you develop that kind of enthusiasm, you’ll do much better on your quest to capture all the cards.”

Ash huffed. “I’m already doing fine, thank you very much. But what I actually wanted to say is that talking with your mouth full is far from polite.”

Pika-chan scowled, before another thought hit her.

“You know, I haven’t sensed any pokemon cards since he came along. Maybe he’s keeping them away.” Pika-chan asked. “That may be helpful.”

“But I thought there was a 1-year time limit!” Ash protested. “I only have about 3 months left.” He didn’t want to lose his powers just because he ran out of time! That would be so humiliating… he flushed as he thought about what Gary would say. Speaking of which, Gary still had the Wartortle card. That was like a thorn in his side that wouldn’t go away.

“Oh yeah.” Pika-chan said sheepishly. Their conversation was interrupted when Todd came running.

“Look! I found this Weedle that’s got purple stripes! Honestly!” He began pointing back at a tree, pleading for Ash to come and look.

Ash groaned. “Please, Todd. How stupid do you think I am?” He muttered under his breath.

Pika-chan flapped her wings, announcing her restlessness.

“No! It’s true!” Todd said, dragging Ash behind him. Ash phased through Todd’s body and peered at the bug. If it was a shiny Weedle, that would be good. Unfortunately…

“Todd, it’s just an ordinary Weedle! Are you trying to pull the wool over my eyes?” He asked.

Todd looked crestfallen. “It was here a minute ago…”

Ash put his head against one hand. “Todd… I allowed you to travel with me. I did not mean for you to waste my time!”

Pika-chan fluttered onto his shoulder. Ash suddenly smiled.

“Well, see you in Viridian city, Todd. Ponyta, go!” Ponyta materialized in the customary flash of red light and neighed. Ash vaulted onto her back and waved at Todd.

“See ya!” He shouted, before taking off.

Well, Todd might be a bit air-headed, but he was certainly persistent. “Lucky I brought my own pokémon… Kangaskhan, chase him!”

Todd’s purple Kangaskhan materialized in another flash of light and began chasing after the fleeing Ponyta.

Ash looked back and saw the approaching cloud of dust. He swore under his breath as he nudged Ponyta to make her go a bit faster. The key around his neck began to glow a pale blue, sensing his irritation, when suddenly a thin beam of wavering blue light shot out into the surrounding canopy.

Ash thanked his lucky stars that a pokemon card had chosen to show up now. He recalled Ponyta and quickly used the momentum from her gallop to launch himself into the nearest tree. Pika-chan managed to zap all the branches away from his face in time.

“Well, I guess there was a pokemon card in this forest!” Ash said excitedly. “Thanks, god.”

Pika-chan’s ears pricked up as she listened. “Maybe it’s the Primeape card.”

“But I thought Primeapes lives in desert scrubland.” Ash replied, peering at his pokédex.

Pika-chan swatted it away. “Ash, that’s for normal pokemon! Pokemon cards are different!”

Ash frowned as he pocketed his pokédex. “Okay. Hmm…” He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on the elusive cards’ aura.

Meanwhile, Pika-chan scanned the area. Nothing was peeking out of the trees, so it must be camouflaged very well…

“That’s it! I’m tired of waiting!” Ash announced after ten minutes of tense silence. He held his key out and shouted. “Magic to cards, cards to key!” This time, a thin beam of blue light shot into a tree truck nearby.

“Could it be a bird pokemon?” Ash mused as he slowly approached the tree.

“Who knows?” Pika-chan asked.

“Well, I’d better use an electric type then. Go Raichu!” Raichu appeared and grinned cutely up at him. Ash smiled back.

“Okay, Raichu, your target is in that tree!” Raichu nodded and began shooting weak thunder jolts at the treetop, trying to scare out the wild pokemon card first. However, after a few minutes, nothing had appeared yet.

“Hmm… try a stronger attack.” Pika-chan advised. She had flown up and was circling the tree, waiting for the pokemon to appear.

“Raichu, Thunderbolt!” Ash shouted. This time, there was a reaction. Unfortunately, it did not come from a hidden bird pokemon, but from the tree itself. The leaves parted to reveal three heads.

“Oh! It’s the Exeggutor card!” Pika-chan exclaimed.

“Aha!” Ash said. “Then it’s a grass-type, right? Go Charmeleon!” The feisty fire lizard hopped out and immediately torched the moving tree.

From a nearby rock, Todd pulled out his video camera and began recording. He could add this to his collection of taped pokemon battles! It was too good to miss! Too bad that Ash had refused his initial offer of a costume… maybe he should make a different one.

Within a few seconds, Exeggutor was down due to Charmeleon’s flames. Ash grinned triumphantly and swung his wand around. “Return to your true form, pokemon card!”

The Exeggutor tried to run, but was trapped by the enveloping bands of blue light which were quickly liquefying it into a card. Ash held up his hand and neatly caught the card out of midair.

“Great job!” Pika-chan shouted. She did a flip in midair and landed on Ash’s head.

Todd caught that as well, before regretfully closing his video camera and tucking it into his backpack. That would be a wonderful videotape to watch.

“Say, where’s Todd?” Ash asked a few minutes later.

“Back there, probably.” Pika-chan said. Indeed, Todd did walk out of the woods onto the path a few minutes later.

“See? He probably got lost again.”

Todd inwardly smiled. That’s what they thought! He patted his backpack to make sure his video camera was still there, before rushing up to join them.

“Say Ash, I was wondering. What’s your favorite color anyways?” Todd asked.

Ash declined to answer and continued walking into the sunset. Todd followed, still calling out suggestions for costumes.

Cue to last shot. Pika-chan’s face lights up on the screen.

“You know, when I signed up for this job, I never knew it would be like this. But hey, its fun, something new everyday! See ya!”

Fade to black.

End Episode 9!

Just kidding! So what is Gary doing right now? Let’s find out!

“Aha! I gotcha!” Gary said triumphantly as he pounced on the poor Weepinbell as it tried to get away. Both his Charizard and Arcanine had obligingly toasted it until the pokemon card finally resumed card form. Unfortunately, it had broken out again a few seconds later, still weak but ready to get away.

Gary had chased the card for half a mile on his Arcanine until the pokémon card had finally given up. Then, he had seized his chance. Using an ofuda he had bought from a priest to drive away evil spirits, he slapped it onto Weepinbell’s head.

The Weepinbell got all cross-eyed and fell over, unconscious. It stubbornly fought the foreign magic off, until it finally succumbed to the effects of the ofuda and reoccupied the card form.

“Oh yeah! I rule!” Gary said proudly. His fan club took up the cheer as soon as he returned, the blue card triumphantly held in one hand. In neat cursive on the bottom were written the words Gary Oak.

“Gary, Gary, he’s our man! If he can’t catch them, no one can! Go Gary!” The girls shouted in unison, pom-poms flying.

Gary smirked. “Well girls, how about if we celebrate this great achievement. I’ll take you all out to dinner.”

“Ooh!” The group echoed simultaneously.

Gary gave himself a thumbs-up in the rearview mirror of his red sports car and climbed in.

He smiled. * Ash, this is no contest. Come on, do you honestly believe that you can beat Gary Oak? Yeah right! *

Okay, this is the REAL ending. Please leave a review and feed the starving authoress!