So here we are again!
Disclaimer/Notes: See previous chapters
Episode 164: A world of ice
Lance closed her eyes. * Not again… *
Ash stared at her. “Crystal?” Lance began to shake, and she dropped to her knees, wrapping her arms around herself, shivering uncontrollably. “Crystal!”
“What’s wrong?” Pika-chan asked.
Luna bounded over. “Lance is part dragon, since she’s the Dragon Master. She can’t tolerate ice for too long, and we’ve been in the ice path for three days already. She’s going to fade.”
“Fade?”
As Ash watched, Lance’s body went transparent for a second, before flickering back in.
“Her magic is waning, since hers is a very delicate balance, moon, darkness, ice, dragon, and water, all countering each other to create a stable environment. But she’s gaining ice and losing dragon, so it’s tipping, and she’s fading.”
“What can I do to help?” Ash asked anxiously.
“You have to give her dragon magic somehow.”
“But-!” Ash stared, wide-eyed. “I can’t.”
“Yes you can. But you’ll have to create a new dragon card.”
Ash blinked.
“And how do I do that?”
“Remember when you created Eterneon during the Crystal’s judgment?” Pika-chan asked.
Ash thought back and nodded.
“You’ll have to do that.”
“Very well.” Ash focused his chi and nodded as he pulled out his staff. “Shimmering stars, grant me your energy, create anew a spirit, noble and free, with light and darkness, weave a tapestry, moonlight and sunlight, renewed in thee… Dragonami!”
The new pokemon that Storm had become was now an Ash card. Ash released the card and pointed at Lance. “Use Restoration Rain on her.”
Dragonami nodded and drenched Lance with healing rain. Ash sighed in relief as some color began to return to her.
“Are you okay, Crystal?”
Lance opened her eyes warily, and sighed. “I think so… thank you, Ash.”
“It’s okay. I’m sorry, it’s my fault we got lost.”
“Quit blaming yourself every time we get into trouble.”
“But it is my fault.” Ash said. “Since I lost the map.”
“Well, I can’t argue against that.” Lance said. “But let’s go. We’re near the exit.”
They soon spotted the exit, blocked by a huge slab of ice.
“Where did that come from?”
“No clue.” Luna said.
Lance sighed. “So we have to break it or move it.”
“I can melt it.” 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!” Ash grabbed his staff, gave it a little twirl, and called out Charizard.
The ice was no longer a problem.
“Let’s go.”
The two trainers exited the Ice Path and found themselves on a mountain trail.
“Blackthorn City’s about a day away.” Lance said.
“Great.” Ash grinned. “Okay then.”
They mounted Rapidash and took off. Soon, they ran into a trainer.
“Halt!”
“What is it?” Ash
asked, annoyed.
“I will defeat you! Go, Delibird!”
Ash yawned. Pika-chan zapped Delibird.
“Grr! Go! Golem!”
Pika-chan hopped back onto Ash’s head.
“Okay then… Vaporeon, Surf.”
No more Golem…
And neither the Onix nor the Ivysaur that followed fared any better.
“I hope
Claire is challenging…”
Lance smiled. “Well, my cousin
uses Dragon-types as well…”
Ash grins. “Great!”
“Makes it a
bit more challenging for you…”
Ash nodded. “Okay then, let’s
go.”
*ZAP*
“OW!”
Lance sighed. “Making Dragonami must have drained you, you didn’t even notice the wild Pichu card.”
Ash scowled. “Well… so I was distracted.”
“Guess you’d better capture it now.” Pika-chan said.
“Right.” Ash released his key and pulled out a card. “Phanpy, you’re up! Use Rollout!”
The phanpy card curled up into a little ball and rammed into Pichu, sending it flying. Pichu retaliated with Charm, dropping Phanpy’s attack.
“Don’t worry, Phanpy. Earthquake.”
The poor pichu had little chance indeed.
“Under a new seal of contract, your master commands you, return to your true form, pokemon card!”
Pichu was caught!
Ash grinned and posed… and then he looked down and noticed that he had somehow wound up in a lemon-yellow robe with tiny black lightning bolts on it.
“Pika-chan! Where did this come from?”
“You didn’t notice? I slipped it on you half an hour ago.”
“What?!”
Lance was trying hard not to laugh. * Poor Ash, he’s so out of it. *
“Crystal! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I thought you looked cute.” Lance said simply.
Ash blushed. “But still!” His discomfort was quite tangible in the air.
Lance smiled. “Don’t worry, none of the trainers saw it.”
“That’s a relief…” However, Ash’s relief was short lived as a purple-haired girl burst out of the underbrush.
“I challenge you!”
“Not again….”
“I’ll fight her.” Lance said with a wink.
Ash quickly dove into a bush to change.
“Dragonair, Hyper Beam!”
The girl’s Skiploom valiantly attempted to endure the hit, but to no avail. It fainted readily under the barrage.
“So much for that.”
“Grr! Spheal, go!”
“What in the world is that?” Ash asked, looking at the new pokemon.
“Looks kind of like a Seel…”
“But it’s not.”
The girl grinned. “Heh. My boyfriend in Houen sent me this pokemon. Spheal, use Hail!”
Hail began to fall…
“Dragonair, use Rain Dance!” The rain made the hail disappear.
“Good, now use Thunder.”
Spheal really was in trouble now. However, after the battle, Ash stared after the girl. “Crystal, there isn’t a Houen card set, is there?”
“Not that I know of, no. But I have some of the Houen pokemon in my moon card set, and Charlotte has some in her Sun card set.”
“So I’d have to create cards if I wanted them.”
“True.”
“Darn.”
As they walked along, it began to snow. They quickly ran for Blackthorn City, although why it was snowing in early fall. It was a mystery…
But that’s another story.
End Episode 164.