Episode 24! Aren’t all of you so happy! Anyways, right now, I’m studying for Sat II’s and it sucks! But what can I do? I wonder how many out there can sympathize… and for those of you who have no clue what SAT’s are or don’t have to worry about them, all I can say is, lucky duck! Who knew my vacation would wind up like this? *Sighs *

 

Ash: Hi!

 

Phantomness: Hey! What are you doing here?

 

Ash: Well, this is my story, right?

Phantomness: Actually, I write a lot of stories about you, but this is the base version. I wonder why I didn’t write it first…

 

Ash: Well, Anyways, thanks to all of you who did bother to review. I’m really grateful, because it keeps her writing!

 

Phantomness: Yeah, well, right. Flames are not appreciated, but I’ll keep writing no matter what!

 

Ash: Anyways, I hope you’re enjoying the tale. I sure am!

Pika-chan: Of course you are! It’s all about you!

Ash: Hehehe…

 

Phantomness: Anyways, please tell me what you think about the story, O.K.?

 

 

Disclaimer: Pokemon is in no way mine. However, Destiny belongs to yours truly, as does Charlotte, Pika-chan, Vulpix-chan, the whole pokemon card idea… etc. I actually ran across an author who tried to claim the idea 1 year after I published my first version of CCA. Bad! If I find you stealing anything, I have no qualms about giving you a piece of my mind. You have been warned.

 

Dawn the Espeon: Don’t worry, Pidgeot and Vaporeon will be O.K.!

 

Nogard – thanx! And Thanx for reviewing Dragon’s tears too!

 

Tmp – Vaporeon and Pidgeot will solve this problem on their own! Yes, Oak is mad. I don’t like him very much. Yes, the former card master was a girl. Oh yeah, and about Dragon’s tears… Ash isn’t gay. It will be revealed in the sequel and also in the prequel. *Wink* Guess which one’s the girl!

 

Ran – yeah, Giovanni could be good or bad. I’ll keep writing! Thanx for reviewing for Dragon’s tears, a prequel will appear soon!

 

Hollow Shadows – Yes, Ash looks good with highlights! Since Giovanni’s thinking about adoption, he probably will wind up adopting Ash. Giovanni’s not Ash’s biological father though, go read ‘Destiny’s Early life’ to see who it really is.

 

Ihire – thanx, shadow will keep updating! *Glomps new reviewer*

 

 

Notes: Couple of days after part 23

 

Episode 24: In which impeding disaster is approaching.

 

            “Gotcha!” Gary said triumphantly as he faced the fallen Jynx card. The mirror gleamed brightly from his hands. Gary smiled his trademark grin and turned to his cheerleaders.

 

            “Gary, Gary, he’s the best! We know he’ll triumph over the rest!” They called in unison.

 

            “This is way easy. C’mon, Ash, I wonder what you’re doing now. Can’t you see that it’s a losing battle? Just admit that I’m better and you won’t get hurt.” Gary said triumphantly. “I bet he’s wandering around, lost, again.”

 

            “Gary? Can we leave this forest now?” Emerald asked. “I’m getting nervous.”

            “Okay, girls! Now that the job is done, why don’t we go get some ice cream or something?” Gary asked.

 

            “Yeah!” Ruby said. She was the unofficial leader of the group, plus she was Gary’s favorite.

 

            “Let’s go!” Gary said. He headed to his car, and soon they were out of there. * Ash, you can’t win. I won’t let you win! I got Kangaskhan two days ago, and I’m sure not letting you win this! *

 

 

 

            Ash kept getting a prickling feeling at the back of his neck, the feeling that he wasn’t alone. Maybe it was just his nerves, but Pika-chan told him that there was probably a pokemon card nearby.

 

            “Which ones are left?” Ash asked.

 

            “Hmm, Jynx, Zapdos, Moltres, the other elemental, Blastoise, Magneton, Kangaskhan, Dugtrio, Machamp, Snorlax, and Arcanine.” Pika-chan said, ticking off on her fingers. “I’m not completely sure which ones Gary has, though, so I can’t be sure. But those should be the ones.”

 

            “Pika-chan!”

 

            “Well, let me check the book.” Pika-chan said. She floated over to the book lying in Ash’s backpack. After a while, she returned.

 

            “Jynx and Kangaskhan have been caught already, but I found out that besides the ones I mentioned, the secret card is still out there.”

 

            “The secret card?” Ash’s eyes lit up.

 

            “You don’t get to see it until later, though.” Pika-chan told him. “So don’t worry about it, okay?”

 

            “Um guys?” Todd asked. “I hate to interrupt, but I don’t think that there’s supposed to be a Machamp standing in our path…”

            Ash turned around. “Oh!” Pika-chan sweatdropped.

 

            “Release!” Ash said, catching the wand. “So, what should I use against Machamp?”

 

            Todd had retreated to a tree. He was now videotaping with zest and zeal.

 

            Ash was about to complain, when he realized that he wasn’t stuck wearing one of Todd’s customized outfits. Todd realized it too but it was far too late to change.

 

            “Okay, I think I’ll use… Vaporeon!” Ash said. He was about to summon the card when…

 

            “Um, Ash? Vaporeon is still at Oak’s.” Pika-chan reminded him. “You can’t just summon her back now.”

 

            “Oh. Well, in that case, I might as well try this card! Articuno, go!”

 

            Articuno charged out with a loud battle cry. The poor Machamp didn’t stand a chance. It was frozen before it realized what had hit it. When Articuno finished, she preened for Ash.

 

            “Thanks, Articuno.” Ash said. “Return to your true from, pokemon card!” Machamp got all swirly-eyed before it capitulated and returned to card form. Ash gave Todd a peace sign.

 

            “Woohoo! Good but short.” Todd said, putting away his recording device. “So.” He said, in a suddenly austere voice. “Do you know when the next one will show its face?”

 

            “Soon, I assume.” Pika-chan said. “Near the end, they arrive faster and faster.”

 

            Ash nodded. “I see. I seem to remember hearing about this a long time ago, but my memories are very fuzzy.”

 

            “Maybe your heightened powers are opening a hidden doorway?” Pika-chan suggested.

 

            “Pika-chan, you’re too practical.”

 

            “Maybe I am sometimes, but if you’re not practical, someone else has to do it, right?”

 

            Ash’s reply was a bag of Oreos flung at Pika-chan. The guardian easily dodged and began to munch in contentment.

 

            “Thanks for the snack!” Even if her Chosen could be dizzy at times, he was still kind-hearted, so it wasn’t that bad.

 

 

            At Oak’s labs…

 

            Vaporeon backed away from Oak as he approached her with another needle. * Sheesh, what is he trying to do, kill me? If I were a normal pokemon I would be long dead by now! Luckily, the card energy neutralizes poison pretty well… *

           

            “Subject shows high levels of tolerance to Aquaflorin virus.” Oak muttered into a recording device. “Over 30 CC have been administered with no ill results, in 2.5 CC doses. Subject shows no signs of infection as of yet.”

 

            Vaporeon sniffed. * Yeah, yeah, just brag to yourself, annoying human. I hope Master gives you what you deserve. You are no scientist at all; you’re just a torturer! Don’t think I haven’t seen what you did to those poor Rattatas. *

 

            After a struggle, Oak managed to spray Vaporeon with a heavy dose of sleep powder, prior to another injection of Aquaflorin.

 

            “This one is very strong. Maybe I won’t have to explain the death of a pokemon to Ash after all.” Oak mused. “But the Pidgeot could be problematic, I might have to send it to a breeding center.”

            Pidgeot had made friends with some of the other birds, but she had no interest in mating whatsoever. This made Oak rather angry, but he did not have much experience with pokemon breeding, so he was rather clueless about the process.

 

            Oak approached the enclosure, with a bottle of special spray recommended by a reputable breeding center located in one of the Orange islands. It was supposed to be used on reluctant pokemon. Oak sprayed the area generously and left, expecting results soon.

 

            Pidgeot was unaffected by the spray, but the others weren’t. She finally got annoyed with the advances of the dominant male and reverted to pure card energy form. When the spray wore off later, she resumed pokemon form. * I hope Ash gets us out of here soon. This man is horrible! *

 

            The Pidgeots were all so ashamed that they left her alone. Even Pidgeots had their honor, after all.

 

           

            Ash and Todd were having a picnic lunch of chicken salad sandwiches and orange juice when something suddenly crashed into their tablecloth, scattering food everywhere.

 

            < Hey! Who did that? > Sunny demanded angrily, as she tried to wipe mayonnaise off her face.

 

            < I don’t know. > Storm said, sadly staring at the remains of what had been tuna-flavored poke chow and a plastic bowl.

 

            Ash started brushing poke chow and sandwich bits off his jeans and t-shirt. “Well, let’s see what it is. It headed off into the bushes.”

 

            “Skymew, I choose you!” Skymew popped out, looking excited. She had never been in a battle before, since Ash feared that trainers would try to capture or steal her. *Sweatdrop. * She did look like a rare pokemon…

 

            “Skymew, which moves do you know?”

            < Well, I’m a multiple type. I know Psychic, Psybeam, Bubble Shield, Surf, Psywave, Bubblebeam, Ice Beam, Tail Attack, Water fall, Spark, Teleport, and Fly.  But that’s not all yet. >

 

            “Cool.” Ash said. “Why don’t you use Bubblebeam?” Todd had retreated to a boulder, and had pulled out his video camera.

 

            A stream of concentrated bubbles flew out in all directions. One finally hit a target, judging from the loud yelp.

 

            “Hey!” A voice said angrily. When they stumbled out, Ash was surprised to see that it was none other than Team Rocket!

 

            “We were having our break!” Amy complained.

 

            Ash sweatdropped.

 

            “But since you’re here…” Jake said.

 

            “Prepare for trouble!”

 

            “And make it double!”

 

            “To protect the world from devastation!”

 

            “To unite all peoples within our nation!”

 

            “To denounce the evils of truth and love!”

 

            “To extend our reach to the stars above!”

 

            “Amy!”

 

            “Jake!”

            “Team Rocket blasts off at the speed of light!”

 

            “Surrender now and prepare to fight!”

 

            “Ninetails!”

 

            Ash sweatdropped. “Well, we hadn’t seen them in a while. They were bound to show up sometime.”

 

            “Ninetails, go for the rare pokemon!” Jake commanded. Ninetails charged Skymew, who teleported out of the way, before blasting Ninetails with Surf. Ninetails immediately began to try and dog paddle its way out of the attack.

 

            “No use.” Amy said angrily. “Slowpoke, go!”

 

            “Diglett, show them that we won’t lose!” Jake commanded, rather foolishly, but hey, it was worth a try. Skymew caught Diglett in mid-dig with a well-aimed Psybeam, sending the poor thing off into space.

 

            Ash smirked. “Pika-chan, you can take care of the Slowpoke, right?”

 

            “Of course!” Pika-chan said, as she Thunderpunched the unsuspecting psy pokemon. “After all, I can beat it easily.”

 

            Amy gulped as Slowpoke went flying into her and she went flying into Jake and Ninetails.

 

            “Looks like Team Rocket’s blasting off again!” There was a *ping*, and then the group vanished.

 

            “Ah, nothing like Team Rocket to relieve tension.” Todd said as he pocketed his video camera. “That ending pose was great, Ash.”

 

            Ash blinked. “Oh.” * Well, of course Todd would be videotaping this! Get a grip, Ash! At least you didn’t have to wear a costume! *

 

            “I like your outfit.” Todd said. Ash shrugged. He was dressed in jeans and a blue-and-white league jacket over a dark blue shirt, with his spiky hair tucked neatly under his old, scruffy league hat.

 

            “Thanks.” Ash said dryly.

 

            Skymew landed next to Ash’s head. < So, how did I do? >

 

            “You did great, girl.” Ash said, stroking her head. “Would you like some lime flavored rare candy?”

 

            < Sure! > Skymew said. She chomped the candy happily.

 

            Ash turned to Sunny and Ponyta, who had been watching the one-sided battle from the sidelines. “Are you two tired yet?”

 

            < Oh no! > Sunny said. < I still have plenty of energy. >

            I can walk for a while longer. Ponyta said. It’s not night yet, we don’t have to stop and rest, do we?

 

            “Nope.” Ash said. He turned to Todd. “Well, shall we go?”

 

            “Yes, let’s.” Todd said. They kept walking towards Celadon city.

 

           

 

End Episode 24!

 

C&CC appreciated. Flames will be donated to poor flameless Flareons.