Episode 90! Yet another lucky multiple of ten! Three primes! All lucky numbers and good for pairs! Okay, I’ll stop babbling now.

Disclaimer: No, I don’t own pokemon. I do own Destiny, Charlotte, Pika-chan, the idea, etc. however, pokemon belongs to Nintendo, Game FREAK, 4kids, Shogakukan comics, Hasbro, etc. I am not making a cent from my fanfics.

Notes: <> indicates telepathy, **indicates thoughts, italics indicates translated pokemon speech.

Timeline: 4 days later

Xaero – thank you

Digifan – Hehehe, maybe

Vulpix Dark Flame – well, I always stay a few chapters ahead of what I’m posting, so if I get stuck, I can still update

Ranma – Lance is, well, you know how she was in Dragon’s Love…

Blank_eyes – yes, right now Charlotte is the weakest and Lance is the strongest, but it won’t stay that way forever

The Pokemon Reader – Hi! *Grabs plotbunny* Thanks!

Dark-Magician-41 – I like cliffies though…

Guy Shani – thank you very much!

Episode 92: The darkened moon

“Tonight’s the new moon. This is not a good time to go.” Ash said.

“But whatever the presence is will be strongest at this time! It will be easier to sense!” Pika-chan argued.

“What if it’s a dark spirit? Then it will be strongest at this time!” Ash retorted, a bit angrily.

“We have to fight it when it’s strongest!”

“Why?”
Lance silently waited for them to finish. * This is pretty boring… *

“Um, Ash?”

“Oh! Sorry, Crystal. Oh whatever. Let’s just go.” Ash said, making sure that he had his key.

Pika-chan smiled. * I win! *

There was no guard. After all, it was night, it was dark and spooky, and nobody wanted to guard the haunted tower.

Ash was dressed in blank jeans and a black sweatshirt. Lance (Crystal) was dressed in black pants and a black jacket over a dark blue t-shirt.

Pika-chan had been smeared with black paint to make her less conspicuous, because she tended to glow.

They climbed up the floors of Lavender’s pokemon tower until they had reached the top.

“Do you feel anything?” Pika-chan asked.

Ash shivered. < An evil presence… it’s not very strong, but being near it makes my skin crawl. >

< I thought so. >

< What is it? > Lance asked.

< We don’t know, Crystal. >

< It might be a dark magician. >

Ash shuddered. < Bob was bad enough! Are there more? >

Pika-chan tsked. < Ash, many more power-hungry mages fall to darkness than make it to the light. I’d say that only one in fifty becomes a true light magician. The rest become…. >

< Dark. >

< Yes. >

< Oh well. I suppose we’d better be prepared for everything. > Ash sighed as he pulled out his key.

“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.” He whispered. The familiar feeling of star magic imbued him.

Ash sighed in relief. * Phew. It worked. At least nobody’s sealed my magic… *

“Let’s go.”

Ash recalled back to his experiences in the alternate universe. * Hmm… last time we broke in, Charlotte cloaked us in shadows. I can duplicate her trick. But with a different type of screen… aha! *

Ash pulled out a pokemon card.

“What are you doing?” Pika-chan hissed.

“This worked before, it should work now. After all, if there is someone dark, I don’t want to charge in unprepared.” Ash said.

Pika-chan blinked.

“Card created by Clow, accept this new star power and take on your new form! Your new master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release! Wheezing! Cloak us in Smokescreen!”

The gaseous pokemon moaned as it appeared, but covered them with a layer of possibly toxic fumes.

“Thanks.” Ash said. He took Lance’s hand. “Okay, let’s go.” They started up the stairs. Ash kept a tight grip on his staff.

< I feel faint. > Pika-chan remarked as they reached the third floor.

Ash looked worried as he glanced at his little guardian. She was trembling in midair, and her flight path was very bad.

< If you transformed would it be better? >

Pika-chan shook her head.

< But you can call Sabrina out. She’ll know what to do. >

Ash looked a bit bemused, but he enlarged Skymew’s poke ball and tossed it. Skymew appeared, only for a few seconds, before wings surrounded her and Sabrina appeared.

“What is it, Master?”

“Pika-chan needs your help.” Ash said.

Sabrina felt around with her aura for a few seconds before nodding. “Okay, I’ve got it.” She picked up Pika-chan and touched her forehead. Silver streaked light flowed into Pika-chan’s body.

Sabrina turned even paler.

“What did you do?”

“I gave her some of my energy.” Sabrina said. “Moon-type magic is closer to dark-type than sun-type, so she should be a bit better now.”

Without another word, Sabrina faded back into the seal and turned into Skymew. Skymew was sucked back into her poke ball.

“Let’s go.” Lance said. * That was close! If Sabrina had seen me, she would have realized who I was instantly! But since she’s feeling energy drain every time Ash changes a pokemon card, she rarely comes out, much less in her true form. *

The group headed up to the fourth floor. There were no Channellers this time, luckily.

However, on the fifth floor, there is something wrong. The purification square had simply winked out of existence.

The whole group began trembling. They could all feel the stench of dark magic in the air.

“Ash, I’m scared.” Lance whispered.

“Don’t worry, Crystal, I’ll protect you.”

“HAHAHAHAHAH!”

“Well, the maniacal laughter just gave them away.” Ash muttered under his breath. “I wonder who it is.”

A girl with long pink hair streaked with red in a braided ponytail that fell to her feet appeared. She was dressed in a black bodysuit with a gold collar that fell almost to her waist, and a gold belt. From her shoulders hung a dark green cloak. Her gold collar had a huge star-shaped emerald in the center and two black crescent moons on either side of it. But Ash recognized the familiar violet eyes.

“Teresa?!”

“One and the same, Ash-boy.” Teresa replied.

“What are you doing?”

Teresa adopted a maudlin tone. “Well, Ash, I’ve always been by your side. But every time another girl comes along, you ditch me. I hate it! So now I’m going to make her pay for stealing you away!”

“Keep Crystal out of this!” Ash spat.

“Ash! She’s been taken over by something!” Pika-chan said.

Teresa laughed. “How nice of the rat to figure it out. Too bad, it is not going to do you any good!” A black magic circle composed of a star surmounted by sixteen phases of the moon appeared under her feet.

“I summon the power of the dark moonlight!” Teresa intoned, her violet eyes glowing fiercely. “Dark moon phoenix!”

An eerily glowing black bird with a silver band around its throat materialized. It faced Ash and charged, with death in its eyes.

Ash barely managed to dodge. “Stop this, Teresa! It’s not like you!”

Teresa paused, but only for a second. “Who are you to tell me what to do? I have my own magic! I don’t need you any longer! Phoenix, attack!”

The phoenix reared up and spat out what looked like fire. But as it neared Ash, it hissed and reformed into poisonous snakes.

“Interesting, isn’t it?” T Teresa asked. “Neat little trick I picked up. One bite from a snake will kill you in five minutes.”

Pika-chan attacked Teresa with Thunder, but she just shrugged it off. The snakes continued to advance, still hissing.

“Can’t you see? I’m stronger than both of you now! I’m going to do what I want now!”

As she spoke, Teresa formed a weapon out of energy. It resembled a mace, with a round ball studded with green spikes. But this had a handle of well over six feet. One swing and she could cripple Ash permanently.

“Say goodbye, Ashy-boy.” Teresa intoned as she swung at him. Ash jumped.

“Teresa, you’re insane! I’m not going to fight you!” Ash yelled.

“Hahahaha! That’s funny! Because I was insane before, but now I have seen the truth!” She called as she swung at him again.

Pika-chan tried a Thunderwave this time, but the paralyzing spell did not work either.

End Episode 92! Did I say cliffhanger? If this isn’t one, then, well, maybe it’s different. Anyways, please review! Flames will be used to make marshmallow rice crispy treats all nice and toasty!