Episode 26! Woohoo! I never knew I’d get this far. Isn’t perseverance great?

Disclaimer: Much as I would like to own pokémon, nobody wants to sell it to me. So I’ll content myself by writing fanfiction. Please refrain from stealing my characters.

Notes: Yes, ** indicates thoughts, <> indicates telepathy, and Italics indicate translated poke speech.

Dawn the Espeon – wow, you were the first person to review! Yay! Thanx!

Ranma – Maybe you’re right! Lance… *Gets heart eyes* as Eriol. Hmm… I’ll think about it, but then it might turn out championshippy… Yep, Giovanni’s personality shall be revealed. *Cackling laughter* But you might have to wait a bit for that.

Ihire – well, somebody’s happy that I got two chapters up at once. Thanx!

Kleptomaniac Can opener – thanx for all of your nice reviews! Yep, Oak is the bad guy. *Giggle*

The Eevee Master – the final judgment is in about 2-3 Episodes. Please be patient! I’ll be adding in more eevelutions as time progresses and Ash remembers his past. I did miss Episode 17! Thanks for mentioning it! I guess I’ll post it somewhere…

Sailor Poketor, The Pokemon Reader – Thanx for reviewing! J

Episode 26: Target – Rainbow badge!

“Yes! We’re here!” Ash called.

Pika-chan did a little dance of joy. She was used to good food and comfortable beds, not the rough style of camping. I guess you could say her former master had spoiled her a great deal. Of course, maybe it was because she was dead tired from keeping watch the night before, or that her angelfish plushie was now covered with a fine layer of dust and dirt, due to the fact that a wild pokemon had tried to steal it.

“Oh good. I can go find a seamstress here to do the alterations on your costumes.” Todd said. Ash and Pika-chan stared at Todd.

“Well, I’m going off to get the Rainbow Badge!” Ash said, running off towards the gym.

“I’m going to the grocery store. Is there anything you want?” Pika-chan asked. Ash tossed her his wallet and a shopping list.

“Canned fruits and vegetables, a loaf of bread, two dozen oatmeal raisin cookies, extra socks, super potion, repel…” Pika-chan looked at the list carefully. “Okay. I’ll get this for you.”

“Thanks, and if there’s any extra money, buy yourself a treat.”

“All right!” Pika-chan said happily as she flew off.

Ash was about to go into the gym when he realized that he had forgotten to heal his pokemon at the center, so he left them with Nurse Joy and took a long, hot bath in the public restrooms. When he emerged in a white terry-cloth bathrobe, Todd was waiting with a pile of brightly colored cloth in his arms.

Ash shuddered. “What is it this time, Todd?”

“Something simple. Since Erika dresses like this (Todd held up a picture) I figured that you, as her opponent, should wear something similar.” The ‘something similar’ turned out to be a black kimono with an inch-thick red stripe on each sleeve, over pants made out of dark blue cloth, black slippers, and an over-robe of white cloth with little light blue lightning bolts and pale red flowers on it.

Ash was about to sigh in relief, noticing that there were no hair ornaments, when Todd produced a woven headdress. Ash began freaking out. * This is simple? And I have to wear something in my hair? The headband for the Primeape card was bad enough! Will this misery ever end? *

“Todd, I’ll look like a girl!”

Todd shrugged. “It’s authentic.” With much difficulty, he pinned the miniature crown onto Ash’s head.

Ash was beet red by the time he walked into the Celadon city gym. The worse part was that Gary was there.

“Hahahaha! Is that really you, Ashy boy?” Gary asked tauntingly.

Ash grimaced. * Note to self. Kill Todd later for humiliating me in front of Gary. It doesn’t matter how, but a long and painful death would be especially nice. *

“What’s it to you?” Ash said out loud.

Gary shrugged. “I came to check on you, seeing that you’re my ‘rival’ in card capturing.”

Ash glared. “Well, I was chosen. You were just lucky!”

“Nyah, nyah.” Gary said, sticking out his tongue. He would have continued, had Erika herself not interrupted.

“Gary Oak! If you’re not here to challenge me or listen to the stories quietly, then get out of my gym!”

Gary stuck his tongue out at Erika too, but shut up.

Erika turned to Ash. “Hello. I don’t believe we’ve met yet.” She said with a little bow.

Ash bowed back. “No, we haven’t. I’m Ash Ketchum from the town of Pallet and I desire a battle with you.”

Erika nodded. “Polite. That’s good. Why don’t we head down to the arena?” She led the way, walking at a brisk pace. Gary and his cheerleaders followed.

Finally, they reached a sandy arena carved into the gym floor. Erika took her place at the far side, while Ash sat down at his end.

One of the referees walked up. “This shall be a 3x3 battle. The battle will now begin!”

Ash rubbed his chin. “Hmm, Erika uses grass-type pokemon. Right?” Todd gave him a nod from the sidelines where he was taping with a miniature camera, as not to attract undue attention.

“Okay. Ponyta, I choose you!” Ash said, calling out the joyful transport pokemon. Ponyta materialized in a brilliant glow of ruby-red light, flames sparking happily.

Oh good! I finally get to battle! Ponyta said.

Erika thought. “I know how I can win this match. Tangela, I choose you!”

Tangela materialized opposite Ponyta, a very determined look on its face.

“Ponyta, Fire Spin!” Ponyta reared up and shot its flames at Tangela, who faltered and almost fell over.

“Tangela, get it with Sleep Powder so it can’t attack you!” Erika commanded.

Tangela began to glow, and soon a shimmering cloud of blue-white powder filled the air.

Ponyta yawned and slowed down. Ash shook his head sympathetically, as his eyes flashed blue for a brief second. * Counter sleep powder. * Ponyta immediately woke up.

< Come on girl, I know you can do this. How about a Flamethrower to put it out of commission? >

Ponyta smiled, if horses can smile, before torching Tangela.

“Tangela, return!” Erika said, recalling her vine pokémon. “Wow, you must have trained your pokemon to be resistant to sleep attacks. But I’ll try something else this time. Weepinbell, use Razor Leaf!” Weepinbell immediately attacked with a barrage of sharp leaves, slicing through Ponyta’s tender skin. Ponyta shrieked in pain, before flattening Weepinbell under one of her hooves.

“Bad mistake.” Erika said. “Weepinbell, finish it off with acid!” A thick, black, oily, caustic substance immediately began seeping onto Ponyta’s hooves.

“Ponyta, return.” Ash called almost immediately. Ponyta was recalled in a flash of light and vanished back to her poke ball. < I’ll heal you as soon as we get out of here, I promise. >

Gary whispered something to his cheerleaders and they all burst out laughing. Erika gave the group a dirty glare before turning back to Ash.

“Well? Choose your next pokemon.”

Ash thought carefully, before he smiled. “Butterfree, I choose you.” Butterfree flew out with an excited cry, wings flapping.

“Acid again.” Erika called.

“Butterfree, evade it and follow up with Psybeam!” Butterfree nodded his head, before dodging the thick gob of corrosive acid that was flung at him. A psybeam from his antennae soon took the Weepinbell out.

“Interesting.” Erika mused. “But I have a trump card. Gloom, I choose you!” Gloom waddled out from the side of the room and began filling the air with spores. Butterfree suddenly turned blue and began dropping in altitude.

Ash covered his own nose. The stench was terrible! He quickly recalled Butterfree.

Gary laughed. “Guess you can’t take Gloom’s special attack, can you?” He taunted.

Erika didn’t say anything, though another glare was directed at that group. One of the cheerleaders noticed, but nobody else did. Ruby almost twitched. If death glares could kill, she would have been drawn and quartered, as well as burnt over a stake and guillotined.

“I do not welcome interruptions.” Erika said primly. Then, she turned to Ash. “You may choose your new pokemon.”

Ash closed his eyes. * Let’s see, I can’t use Ponyta or Butterfree, maybe Pidgey will do, but I’m not sure if she can take Gloom’s attack. But still… *

“Never mind. Storm, I choose you!” Storm materialized with her typical innate grace and flew through the air, doing a few flips before she landed in front of Gloom.

“Gloom, do the same thing.”

Dragonair immediately covered herself with Safeguard. Ash nodded. “Good girl. Now, how about using ice beam?”

Of course! That’s the easiest way to take out grass-types! Dragonair reprimanded him, before Gloom found itself frozen in a block of ice.

Erika was about to apply ice heal when the roof fell in.

“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 or prepare to fight!”

“Ninetails!”

“Ninetails, torch the place! Slowpoke, use Confusion!” Amy called. Ninetails immediately spat out waves of fire, while almost everyone in the room found themselves frozen from Slowpoke’s confusion attack.

“Diglett, dig underground and find the perfume!” Jake commanded. That way, the mole would not have to worry about flames.

His Diglett took off. Of course, Gary decided to be heroic and save the day.

Todd continued taping. He had not been judged as a threat…

Ash sweatdropped. * No way! Does anything stop this guy? *

“Gyrados, I choose you! Hydro Pump!” Gary called.

“Sunny, you know what to do.” Ash said. Sunny nodded and took of after the Slowpoke, before frying it with a grand Thunder. Ash gave himself a second to rejoice inwardly, before throwing out another pokémon.

“Skymew, I choose you!” Skymew came out and dived underground before anyone could get a good look at her.

Ash nodded imperceptibly. < Just try and freeze the Diglett or something. If the fire gets close, teleport out! >

< Okay! > Skymew answered.

Ash then threw out some more of his pokemon. “Storm, use Surf! Vaporeon, use Hydro Pump! Lapras, use Water Gun!” The pokemon and two pokemon cards also added their effort to put out the flames. Soon, the fire had been extinguished.

“Gyrados, can’t you hit the Ninetails?!” Gary asked exasperatedly as the agile fox pokemon managed to dodge another blast of water from the dragon.

Ash watched, bemused. Storm was draped over his shoulders and trailed onto the floor, while Lapras and Vaporeon were now curled back up in their respective cards, taking a well-earned break.

Pika-chan hopped out of Ash’s backpack, where she had hidden herself during the fire. Just then, Skymew emerged triumphant from the tunnel.

< Got it! > She said.

< Great! Wow, I didn’t know you knew transform! > Ash said. Skymew now looked like a Sandshrew, and the only way Ash could tell it was Skymew was because of the faint mirage behind her, which betrayed her true shape.

< Well, I’m not just cute, you know! > Skymew said before hopping onto Ash’s head.

Ash smiled and rubbed her head. Skymew wagged her tail.

Gary frowned almost imperceptibly. Ruby noticed and whispered something in his ear. Gary shook his head and began walking away. His cheerleaders all ran after him.

Gary began walking towards the pokemon center. * Must heal my pokemon, and then send an e-mail to Gramps, ask him what other pokemon Ash has. Maybe I should ask about the pokemon cards too, that priest wasn’t too specific… *

Ruby saw how depressed he was and kissed him on the cheek. That caused Gary to feel a bit better.

Ash would have said something else, when a shiny silver pokemon hovering in the air caught his eye.

“Say, isn’t that Magneton?”

“So it is!” Pika-chan said, poofing next to him. “Ah, I love Teleport.”

Ash looked around. Erika and her attendants/junior trainers were still busy. Now, they were trying to clean up the mess the fire had made. There were scorch marks on the roof and the west wall, but otherwise, it seemed okay.

“Release.” Ash whispered under his breath. The key around his neck glowed and assumed wand form almost immediately.

“Ninetails, I choose you.” Ninetails appeared next to Ash and wagged her tails. Then, she shrouded herself in Safeguard, before pouncing upon the Magneton, knocking it out of the air with a loud crash.

Surprisingly, nobody looked up. Ash thanked his lucky stars and winked at Ninetails, who winked back. A Flamethrower and Quick attack combination plowed into the downed Magneton. By the time Ash had gotten ready to capture it, it was more than ready to surrender.

“Great!” Todd said. His costume had actually come in handy after all! Ash shrugged modestly, before heading outside so he could change. On the way there, Erika waylaid him and presented the Rainbow Badge and TM, as thanks for helping to save the gym. Ash thanked her and headed on his way to the center.

End Episode 26!

Flames will be used to create a Smoke demon; that will scorch all of those who sent me flames or derogatory comments! Shadow glares menacingly and holds up a spell book, ready to hurl it at the unfortunate flamer.

I want to hear from my reviewers! Who wants Sabrina x Ash, who wants championshippy (Ash x Lance), and who couldn’t care less?