Episode 48! Wow! I’m almost to fifty episodes! Yay! Shadow smiles happily and dances around, strewing flowers and tossing candy to the reviewers.

Shadow is really sick this week… headache, rash, turned out I was allergic to the medicine my doctor gave me, now I look like a Pikachu. My cheeks are all red and puffy…

Disclaimer: Okay, if you haven’t noticed already, Shadow does not own pokemon. I mean, I’ve only written it about forty times…

Notes: <> indicates telepathy, ** indicates thoughts, italics indicates poke speech… And yes, Ash actually changes a pokemon card in this episode! Yay!

Ash: So now I’m in another universe?
Shadow: It’s another dimension, Ash.

Pika-chan: Yay! I get to reunite with a friend!
Ash: But I do get to go home, right? It’s a one-week to two-weeks spell keeping me there…

Shadow: Well…

Ash: I don’t get to go home yet?
Shadow: Did I say that? *Winces as Ash begins to power up, but than realizes he can’t turn into Destiny anymore*

Ash: And why did I lose my powers? It’s not fair!

Shadow: Don’t worry, since I know you’re smart enough to figure out a solution to this! *Winks*

Pika-chan: *Yawns and poofs in* I’m hungry.

Shadow: * Tosses Pika-chan some candy*

Pika-chan: Yay! *Smiles and eats marshmallows and caramel happily*

Ash: *Sighs* I hope I get to go home soon…
Shadow: *Evil grin* I’m the authoress, I control all…

Ash: But I’m your muse! If I don’t give you inspiration…

Shadow: *Shivers* Okay, okay! I hate writer’s block! *Begins typing frantically as Ash threatens to disappear*

Ash: *Looks satisfied and waves to audience*

Pika-chan: *Winks and tosses candy to select reviewers. Audience cheers* Have fun reading this, people!

SnowTiger – Amber city is actually Ok, according to Ash. I know; my parents force me to bed too. Hmm… just continue CCA? All right! That’s easy!

Ranma – Yes, poor Ash! Okay, then I won’t post option C until after I finish Dragon’s Love! *Smile* Teresa’s crush is not a good thing…

Pikacar/Marle – B? Evil Ash, eh? Okay! Teresa/Ash is not going to be requited.

Rowena Ravenclaw – More Destiny fics! *Grin* Okay! *Smiles*

Mathais–8888 – Wait. You still think the battle was boring? *Sniffles* I’m trying! But pokemon battles can’t be that interesting. A and F? Destiny + Updates, eh?

Silver2 – B and F = Evil Ash + Updates. Looks like people want me to update…

Tmp – I’m the author. But who cares if Teresa loves Ash if he doesn’t love her back? This is going to be championshippy, remember? You’re right, there is no earth badge. Snubbulls annoy me to no end… Well, no Evil Ash, and no D… Wai! You voted for the depressing pokemon fic?

Eevee99 – Well, someone likes Charlotte… I’m glad… Thank you!

Satoshi – What do you mean Eriol was the star? Yes, Ash was talking to a star. But it was not Eriol. Eriol was the weird spooky voice talking to somebody. I’ll try your idea, but… Destiny is kind of evil, and without Ash it’s not going to be a cute story…

Episode 48: The perils of being lost

“Where are we?” Ash asked as he frantically looked at the map.

Charlotte shrugged. “I’m not sure…”

“Don’t you live here?” Teresa asked in astonishment. “How can you be lost?”

“Well, if I remember correctly, you were the one who wanted to take pictures of the Clefairy colony in these mountains. And to do so, we had to leave the trail, remember?” Charlotte returned, feeling slightly snappy.

Teresa sighed. At least she had gotten some good Clefairy pictures. But still! It had been three days since they had deviated from their travel plan, and now they were pretty lost.

“Can’t we do anything?” Ash asked.

“Not unless you know a direction chant.” Charlotte said as she peered at her pokégear.

“Hmm… it’s worth a try.” Pika-chan said. “After all, it can’t hurt, right?”

Vulpix-chan nodded in agreement and yawned.

“Magic to cards, cards to key! Send us where we want to be!” Ash said. The star in the middle of his key glowed and a white beam shot out, pointing off through a forest of underbrush.

“Great! We might actually get out of here now!” Vulpix-chan said, now feeling more charitably inclined towards Ash. “Let’s go!”

She and Pika-chan bounded off into the underbrush. The two card masters to be shrugged and followed.

A few minutes later…

“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!”

“Jasmine!”

“Jamie!”

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

“Surrender now or prepare to fight!”

“Sneasal, that’s right!”

Ash blinked as two Team Rocket agents dressed in white uniforms with blue ‘R’s on their uniforms jumped out of the trees in front of them.

“Hand over your pokemon now!”

“I didn’t know there was TR here too.” Ash whispered to Pika-chan, who shrugged helplessly.

“Well?” Jamie asked as he picked up a rose. “Give us your pokemon or we’ll have to take it from you by force!”

“What he said!” Jasmine said as she tossed her purple wavy hair.

“Oddish, I choose you!” Ash said.

“Arcanine, I choose you!” Charlotte said, throwing out her own pokemon.

“Raticate, go!” Jamie said. Jasmine shrugged and threw out her own pokemon, Poliwhirl.

“Poliwhirl, Water gun!” “Raticate, Super Fang!”
“Arcanine, Extremespeed!” Charlotte said. “Target the Raticate!”

“Right! Oddish, use Petal Dance on the Poliwhirl!”

Energy blasts flew everywhere as the pokemon battled. Teresa wisely retreated to the side and continued to tape.

It seemed like everything was under control, but then one of Poliwhirl’s water blasts went wide and hit Charlotte and Ash. Ash simply blinked and shook himself, but Charlotte suddenly shrieked and curled up in a fetal position.

“Oh no!” Vulpix-chan said.

“What’s wrong?”

“My Chosen is insanely hydrophobic. Uncontrollable fear of water.” Vulpix-chan said as she jumped down to try help her shivering Chosen.

Ash sighed. “I guess its up to me, then.” He said, seeing that Arcanine had spun around at its master’s distress and had been knocked out.

“Ponyta, I choose you! Use Flamethrower!” Ponyta nodded and toasted the Raticate, but was taken down when Jamie fired a tranquilizer dart into its rump. Oddish was easily dispatched in the same manner, as were Teresa, Pika-chan, Vulpix-chan and Charlotte. Ash barely had time to blink before a dart lodged itself in his arm.

“Great.” Was all Ash had time to say before he fell asleep. The Rockets laughed and stripped the two battling trainers of their poke balls. The boss was going to like these…

They didn’t bother to take Teresa’s.

**********************Dreamscape*************************************

“Why?” Ash asked nobody in particular as he had the dream again.

This time, however, the figure did not look like it was attacking him.

“Team Rocket has captured the guardians. You must get them back.”

“Um… thank you.” Ash said. “But who are you?”

The figure smiled. “I cannot tell you that. You may not appreciate my advice in the future though.”

Ash blinked in confusion. “Wha?”

The area filled with silvery-blue light, as the figure began to vanish.

“Wait!” Ash said, but it was too late.

“Remember, little guardian, be on your guard. The enemy is ever encroaching on the borders of the universe…”
Then there was a bright flash and the figure was gone.

“Forget me. We will be enemies in the future…” The words hung in the air after the figure had vanished.

*********************End Dreamscape*************************************

Three hours later…

Ash awoke when a Geodude landed on top of his leg. The pain had been more than sufficient to awaken even a sound sleeper. “Oh no!” He said when he saw that all his poke balls were gone.

Ash quickly shook Teresa awoke, and used a spell to launch a volley of bubbles at Charlotte, which woke her up easily.

“What do we do?” Teresa asked.

“What do you think? We go get our pokemon back.” Ash said.

“That’s all very well for you, but what can I do?” Teresa asked as Ash and Charlotte pulled out their respective keys.

“Pray.” Ash said. ‘Key that hides the power of the stars, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release!”

His key grew into a wand and he gripped it tightly. “Let’s go.”
“Ash, do you know where the HQ is?” Charlotte asked as she pulled out her own staff with a quick muttered incantation.

“Um, no…”
Charlotte sweatdropped. “Okay, why don’t you use that magical chant you used earlier to find the road to hone in on the guardians?”

“Right!” Ash said as he brandished his staff. “Magic to cards, cards to key!” A white beam shot out of the staff and in the direction of Topaz City.

“Guess we’ll be backtracking.” Teresa muttered.

“Sorry, Teresa, but you’ll have to stay here. It’s not safe.” Ash said. Teresa narrowed her eyes angrily. “What?!”

“Card created by Clow, please accept this new star power and take your new form! Your new master Ashura commands you, Release!” The wings on Ash’s staff grew bigger and touched the card he had thrown out, which changed to white almost immediately.

“Kadabra! Teleport!” Ash said. They vanished in a flash of blue light.

Teresa scowled and sat down to wait.

End Episode 48! What did you think? C&CC very welcome! Flames will be donated to Moltres, Hehehehe. And then she’ll toast all of you that didn’t review! *Smirk*