Episode 69! Wow, it’s getting long… maybe I should start wrapping it up…

Disclaimer: See an earlier part, I’m too tired to type…

Notes: ** indicates thoughts, <> indicates telepathy, italics indicates translated poke speech…

Fire Eevee – thanks for telling me, it does? Cool, I didn’t see Spirited away until months after I wrote this chapter, but I think you’re right.

Digifan – I’m glad someone likes Teresa being dark.

Ranma – heh, I bet it would. Unfortunately, he’s not going to find out until later.

SnowTiger – thank you! ^_^. I’m glad that the darkness will add hopefully, a new side to Teresa.

Hell Flame Vulpix – yes, the link, the link, the quote was fun to write though. *Kicks ff.net* Why does everything quit working?

Episode 69: Moonlit Madness

“It’s time.” Pika-chan said.

“We must do the ceremony tonight.” Sabrina added. “Or we will have to wait until next month for the full moon.”

Ash nodded, ignoring how tired he was. “I know…”

“What preparations do we have to make?” Teresa asked.

“Well, the purification ceremony, and then the magical cleansing…” Pika-chan went on and on for a few minutes. The two Chosen listened attentively.

“I have the thread.” Charlotte said, holding up a spool of silver thread. “And the seals.” Several black circles also appeared in her hands.

“That’s good.” Angel said. “Ash?”

Ash held up what looked like three sharp golden pins, a crystal container filled with colorless liquid, and a length of blue silk cloth with different colored gems on it.

“Great!” Vulpix-chan said. “Then we’re all ready!”

That night…

Ash shivered as cold water cascaded over his body. Before they attempted to restore the Onyx seal, they had to go through a purification ceremony first. They had both stripped down to nothing and left with their respective guardians.

Pika-chan dumped another bucket of chilling water over Ash’s head. “I think he’s ready.” She told Sabrina.

“Just about.” Sabrina said, following up with one last dose of water, only this water was colored blue. Ash’s teeth chattered but he didn’t move out of the protective magic circle.

“Restoration.” Sabrina finished. Then, the two guardians led Ash out and handed him a towel to dry himself with.

At the same time, Charlotte was soaking in a hot spring. The water was tinted reddish, for her fire element.

“Done yet?” Vulpix-chan asked.

“Almost.” Charlotte replied. Angel came over with a bowl of pink powder, which he scattered into the air. It drifted over the pool and Charlotte. After a few seconds, she stepped out of the pool. Vulpix-chan tossed her a towel as well.

“Where’s Teresa?”

“We locked her in the pokemon center.”

Pika-chan and Sabrina helped Ash put on the layered black robe embroidered with gold and blue designs that he would wear for the ceremony. Into his hair went a circlet of gold. Golden bracelets with sapphires and rune spells woven into them went on his arms. Over his feet went light golden sandals.

“Remember, don’t be nervous.” Pika-chan whispered.

Ash nodded and focused his attention and magic on the task that lay ahead.

“Hold still.” Angel said as he pinned the folds of the white robe Charlotte was wearing together. In her hair went a circlet of silver, and on her arms silver bracelets studded with rubies in magical patterns were placed. Vulpix-chan finished with the last piece of jewelry – a silver disk with a star-shaped ruby in the center, on a silver belt – and winked at her Chosen. < Good luck! >

The two Chosen nervously walked into the magic circle that the guardians had already laid out. Each had one half of the broken Onyx seal. The guardians took up their positions at the edges, forming a diamond with the two Chosen in the center. The magic items were laid out in a five-ray pattern.

Ash and Charlotte nervously laid the two edges of the seal together. Then, Ash began the chant.

“Queen of the skies, shining bright…”

“We the Chosen, implore your light,” Charlotte said the next line of the spell. Small silver threads began appearing between the cracked sides of the seal. The seals and golden pins vanished, leaving only three magic items still there.

“Restore the power that evil hath destroyed,” The seal began to glow faintly as the magic they were channeling into it focused.

“Replenish thy energy, prevent evil ways,”

“Stream of magic, searing fire,” At her station, Vulpix-chan began to glow, flame energy streaming towards the seal. The blue ribbon with the gems on it also vaporized and flowed into the seal.

“Waves of magic, rushing water,” Sabrina’s form turned transparent, and blue droplets seemed to float away and then dive into the seal. The vial of colorless liquid unstopped itself, and the liquid poured into the chasm.

“Wind that gathers the power of the sky,” From Angel’s halo came a bright beam of light, adding itself to the seal. The thread unwound itself from the spool and began weaving itself into a pattern superimposed on the broken seal.

“Earth that creates so all may die!” Pika-chan’s cheeks sparked brightly, dusky energy coming from them and mixing with the rest of the magic.
The last line of the chant hung in the air for a brief second, and then exploded in a shower of silver sparks. Both of the Chosen experienced seconds of elation and total, unadulterated joy, before the magic simply vanished.

The Onyx Seal lay there, once again a whole. The magic items were nowhere to be seen, and the magic circle simply winked out.

“We did it.” Ash managed, before he toppled over in a dead faint.

Charlotte managed to nod weakly before she, too, succumbed to the energy drain and blacked out.

The tired guardians looked at each other and smiled. Placing the Seal in a special container, they transformed and carried their guardians back to the pokemon center.

“DRAT THOSE KIDS!” Bob roared in fury.

His dragon roared as well.

“Scarlet! Why didn’t you stop this?” Bob demanded.

The Rattata cowered in fear. “She was too strong for me to control…”

“Why you useless thing!” Bob shouted as he blasted it with a bolt of dark energy. “Out of my sight! And if you fail again…”
Scarlet scampered off.

Ash slept, but again, he did not sleep well. Again, he dreamed of the dark tower, and the person who stood opposite him.

“Who are you?!” Ash wanted to shout, but he was mute.

“Why do you keep tormenting me?”

“Leave me alone!”

There was no reply. Since he hadn’t spoken those words at all, it was improbable to expect a reply.

Again, the figure prepared to attack.

*SPLASH*

“AAAHHH!” Ash jerked awake and saw Vulpix-chan leaning over him, and Pika-chan with a bucket. “Pika-chan!”

“Catch me if you can!” Pika-chan said as she darted off.

Ash shrugged and headed to the bathroom. Sunny accompanied him to protect him. Pika-chan went downstairs to get some food.

“You should rest before your next gym battle.” Charlotte commented. “Unless you don’t want to use any magic.”

Ash blinked. “Oh.”

“What types of pokemon do the Uranus and Neptune gym leaders have?” Teresa asked.

Charlotte closed her eyes and thought for a brief second. “Well, Alex uses Flying-types and Ground-types, while Michelle uses water-types, mostly.”

“Great!” Ash said. * I can use Pidgey, Storm and Oddish. *

“I’ll make you two different costumes!” Teresa said ecstatically. Ash and Charlotte couldn’t tell that it was just a cover for her steadily darkening personality.

“That would be great, Teresa.” Pika-chan said.

Teresa beamed.

“Why do you still waste your time doing this?” Scarlet asked.

Teresa hummed as she picked out a costume for Ash. He was going to fight Alex first. “Because I like Ash!”

Even if her personality was now irrevocably altered, certain facets still remained constant. And one was a very imaginative creativity that showed itself in the clothes that she embellished for Ash to wear.

“I see…” Truthfully, Scarlet could not comprehend her devotion to Ash, but he decided not to pry.

“This will do!” Teresa said after a few minutes. “Perfect!”

Scarlet blinked. * Why do humans place so much value on their outer coverings? Strange… *

Teresa presented Ash with the outfit. He dressed and headed for the gym.

End Episode 69! So, how was the ceremony? Did you like it? Drop me a review! Flames will be used to forge Shadow, so he can envelope Nelvana and steal all of their shadows! *Smirks*