Disclaimer: NO, Shadow does not own pokemon. No matter how much I beg, plead, whine, cry, grumble, shout, or threaten, Nintendo will not give me the rights and neither will Game FREAK or 4kids. I just have Destiny, Pika-chan, and stuff.

Notes: I wonder who doesn’t know this yet? Well, I have nothing to say, except… <> indicates telepathic communication, ** indicates thoughts, and italics indicates pokemon talking in English.

The pokemon Reader – thank you!

Aragorn – well, misery loves company!

Xaero – thank you

Digifan1 – thanks too!

SS2 Megami –sama – oh, I got my report card too!

Jarzard – gustar (to like)

Incomplete13 – think I’ll wait until Shelter and another fic are done

Ranma – well, they already battled, so I don’t feel like doing it twice…

Vulpix dark flame – hehehe.

Dark Magician41 – thank you! *takes the flame and sets Nelvana on fire with it*

Episode 117: Ethereal wisps of the future

“Golbat, go.” Agatha said, as Arbok was recalled to its ball. Golbat hovered, beating its wings in the air hauntingly.

“Jolteon, you’re up.” Ash said. “Thunderbolt.” He closed his eyes as he felt Jolteon’s cry of victory and the sound of the Golbat crumpling to the ground, beaten.

< Are you all right? > Jolteon asked, sounding nervous.

< Just tired. > Ash replied. < Is it? >

< Fainted. Yes. > Jolteon replied. He sent a wave of affection towards Ash, who smiled faintly.

“Haunter!”

Jolteon simply launched a Match Thunder attack. He could sense Ash’s weariness, like a suffocating blanket, and he won the battle easily.

Agatha recalled her pokemon and smiled. “You have defeated me. You are a trainer of considerable skill.” Then, she waved him into the next room.

Lance was sitting on her ‘throne’. “Let me guess, you won.”

Pika-chan popped her head out. “We saw you on the video camera, see?” She pointed to a TV set up near Lance’s area. It showed the other rooms.

Ash yawned. “That’s nice…” He walked over to where Lance was, and then grabbed a pillow from subspace and promptly fell asleep.

Lance sweatdropped.

So did Pika-chan.

When Ash woke up, he found himself in Lance’s room (again).

Lance was curled up in her sleeping bag on the floor, since Ash was occupying the bed. Ash felt bad, but he didn’t want to wake her up, so he left her alone.

The next morning, Ash got his Masters badge in a small private ceremony.

“What are you going to do now?” Bruno wanted to know.

Ash shrugged. “I think I’ll visit the Orange Islands.”

“Sounds good to me.” Lance said. “I still have a bone to pick with Drake…”
The other Elites sweatdropped.

“I take it you’re ditching us again.”

“How did you know?”

Agatha shrugged. “Easy to figure out. Your rooms were empty.”

“Oh.”

“Have fun!” Lorelei said, tossing Lance some stuff. “Hair dye. It’s really handy to avoid mobs and fans.”

“Thank you, Lorelei.”

Lance and Ash went to pack for their travels.

Lorelei sighed. “I need a vacation too.” She yawned. “You know, maybe I should go to the Orange Islands. I’d like to see how Ash does.”

“And I’m getting too old to be on the Elite Four.” Agatha added. “That battle really tired me out.”

Bruno stared at them. “What? But if you leave…”

“We have to recruit different people for the Elite Four.” Lorelei said. “I think Koga would be a good filler. He has a daughter who can carry on his gym.”

“And I did promise my position to Karen, my granddaughter.” Agatha said. “She’ll be a valuable asset.”

“What? You can’t just leave like this!” Bruno complained. “What am I going to do?”

The girls shrugged.

“I’ll call Karen.” Agatha said. “Her boyfriend could fill the last slot.”

“Wait! Stop! Halt!” Bruno said. “Don’t I have any say in this?”

“Do you want to leave?”

“Of course not! But still…”

They shrugged. “We’ve served faithfully for many, many, years, Bruno. It’s time we got on with our own lives.”

‘The Elite Four will become the Elite Seven.” Agatha said, her eyes clouding over slightly as she seemed to peer into the future. “It has already been ordained.”

“I can’t believe this!” Bruno said indignantly. “I’m going off to the mountains to train. Don’t except me back until next year.”

“We know.”

Lance shrugged and changed out of her comfortable dragon master outfit into a dark blue jacket and jeans, over a black t-shirt. Her poke belt was firmly secured, and her spiked naturally blonde hair fell around her face in waves, all the red dye she had used while traveling with Ash as ‘Crystal’ washed out of it. In her hair was a headband made out of many ribbons braided together, with more ribbons trailing down, much like a headdress.

Ash used his magic to change his hair to long, white strands, as his eyes turned blue. His clothes changed into black jeans and boots, with a dark red coat. He replaced his blue fingerless gloves with mid-forearm length black gloves.

“Kawaii!” Pika-chan said. They both sighed.

“Pika-chan…”

Luna made kissing noises as she walked around. Lance rolled her eyes and threw an apple at her.

“MINE!” Pika-chan cried, diving in and snatching away the treat.

Lance sweatdropped.

“Give it to me!” Luna said angrily. “It was meant to be mine!” She angrily lashed out at Pika-chan.

“Oh no you don’t! I’m hungry!” Pika-chan declared.

Luna growled and blasted Pika-chan with a burst of ice.

“OW!” Pika-chan shrieked. She retaliated with a torrent of fire. Luna began turning black and crispified. She fell to the floor, gasping out smoke.

Pika-chan ate the apple happily. She ignored the odd looks she received from the two Chosen.

“What?”

“Pika-chan…” Ash sighed. “I really need to train you.”

“I don’t need training!”

“In the manners of courtesy, I think you do.”

“Humph.”

“We should get going, Ash.” Lance said.

“Right. Hmm… I’m going to need a new name.”

Lance narrowed her eyes. “How about Red?”

“Red? Why?”

“In one of the alternate gateways, lifetimes ago, that was your name.”

Ash thought back. “Oh yeah! I forgot. Sure!”
“And just keep calling me Crystal. Lance isn’t a girl’s name.”

Ash nodded. “It makes some sense.”

“So, where are we going?” Pika-chan asked. She tossed the apple core into a trashcan and bounced up and down happily.

Luna sniffed elegantly and looked away.

Ash took out a map. “Hmm…” He peered at it for ten minutes, finally shaking his head in dismay.

“I can’t make heads or tails of it.”

“You’re holding the map upside down, Ash, I mean Red.”

“Oh.” Ash said. He looked flustered. “Oops. I guess I’m too nervous.”

“Relax.” Pika-chan ordered.

Ash obediently closed his eyes and began to hum a lullaby.

“Found it.” Lance said, two minutes later. “Why didn’t you just use your pokégear, Ash?”

“I forgot.”

Lance sweatdropped. *Ash… *

“What?”

“Never mind. Let’s go catch the ferry.” Lance summoned Dragonair, they climbed on, and they flew off to Vermillion City.

“So we take the boat from here?”

“Yep. It’s called the S.S. Aqua.”
“Cool!” Ash said. “Let’s go!” Soon, Dragonair landed them on the pier. There was a large white boat waiting there.

The two climbed on and headed to their room, which was right in the front, near the entrance.

“There are a lot of trainers in the cabins. They’ll want to battle.” The sailor said.

“No problem!” Ash said, jamming his hat onto his head confidently… before he realized that he wasn’t wearing his hat anymore and he looked like an idiot.

“Excuse my friend, he’s not all right in the head.” Lance quoted as she dragged Ash into the cabin.

Ash seethed quietly.

“What? You were making a fool out of yourself.”

Ash pouted and looked at the ground.

“Sheesh.” Lance said. “I would have thought that you’d be eager to battle.”

Ash perked up. “Oh yeah! Let’s go!” He took Lance’s hand and they ran out into the hallways, ignoring the annoyed sailors.

End Episode 117! End of the Ashura Cards – Eclipse arc!

Review please! Shadow will be very, very happy!

Next arc is Rising Stars! It will be up in a few days! ^_^

And don’t leave yet, there’s a CCA Special in the next chapter!