I bet everyone is confused by the last chapter, ne?

Disclaimer: I own Destiny, Hope, and others. Nintendo owns pokemon, and I do not.

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

Link Masters – Of course, everything has an explanation. Bear with me here, k?

Cooldud12345678901 – thank you

SS2 Megami-sama – Lance likes brats about as much as I do. Heh, at least I don’t have that power at my command.

Ranma – gracias! *Bows* I’m working on shonen-ai and het championshippy, ah… life’s okay.

Jarzard – Chidori? Oh, right, thousand birds. I get all the manga in Chinese. And I think you mean Jiraiya, not Jirachi… Unfortunately, I don’t think that will be showing up in this fic. Maybe though…

L.A.Noyola – hi! Glad you dropped a review, thankies!

Psychic Sabrina – hi! Sadly enough, I doubt pokegirls will pop up. The term was first coined in the lemon community, and basically used when people did not want to write human pokemon PWPs. If Sabrina doesn’t pop up enough here, I’ll arrange her to reappear more in ‘Shadow Guardian’. No, it’s about Ash, not me! And Lance isn’t as dark in this fic as she is/will be in others… Ehehehe….

Episode 176: When Darkness sheds Light

Pika-chan and Luna spent some time staring in shock.

“W-was that really necessary?” Luna finally asked.

Lance nodded. “I…” She stopped and seemed to wince in pain. “My control of the balance is slipping…I should have noticed it earlier.”

Pika-chan stared at her. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve kept this dimension stable for fifteen years, almost from birth. But Ash is getting stronger. Can’t you tell?”

“Obviously.” Pika-chan huffed, “After his battle with you. But why does that effect the balance?”

“Because. Ice is weaker than Thunder and has always been. He must take on the mantle of duty himself. And I cannot, cannot help him when he takes the test.”

“So you’re going to leave now.” Luna said; divining what her Chosen was about to say.

“Yes.” Lance said. “I cannot afford to distract him. Also, the last full moon of the year approaches. I have a duty as Dragon Master to fulfill.’

“Okay,” Pika-chan finally said reluctantly. “I’ll tell him you’re fulfilling your duties as Dragon Master, so you’ll be gone for a few months. But…”

“Do not worry, little guardian.” Lance said, bending down and patting Pika-chan on the head. “I will tell him myself when the time is right. And he will not be alone.”

Pika-chan blinked.

“I’ll send Fire’s child to come keep him company while I am away.”

When Ash woke up, he saw a pair of concerned blue eyes looking at him.

“Charlotte? What are you doing here?”

Charlotte ruffled his hair. “Don’t worry, Ash. Lance told me that she was going to be leaving on a trip, so she could fulfill her duties as Dragon Master. So I’m here to keep you company. I hope you don’t mind?”

Ash looked sad, but nodded. “No, its okay. I’m just kind of shell-shocked right now.”

“I’ll make you something.” Charlotte said. Ash stared moodily at the ground, before he finally discerned the smell of fresh-baked cookies coming from not far off. Soon, Charlotte returned.

“Here you go. I brought you vanilla cream cookies, I hope you don’t mind?”

“No.” Ash said. He smiled, and picked up a cookie. “I’m sure she’ll explain when she gets back.”

A haunting, eerie song echoed through the land, as dragon pokemon everywhere pricked up their ears. The tamed ones stayed where they were bound, but the wild ones hastened to follow the call. Across the oceans and through the streams they swam, and in the expanse of the sky they flew, until their destination was reached.

An elegant underwater temple, built of simple stone, yet encrusted with pearl and coral, awaited their arrival. On the raised dais, kneeling before the legendary pokemon, the priestess waited.

She was prince and priestess at the same time, dressed in silver armor over pale blue robes. And yet, as she sang, they saw only the dragon’s spirit in her heart. One by one, they knelt, for their blessings, for their leavings, and for their hearts to heal.

The proud parents laid their eggs down, and watched as the protective spells were woven in, and their children’s futures lain out as honorable, loyal dragons. The old ones, barely able to swim or fly without their children’s support, closed their eyes in eternal slumber at the touch of her hands. The wounded, accepted the healing that only a dragon could bestow, and returned to their homes, with burdens lifted from their bodies and hearts.

The days passed, a full month, before all the dragons returned to their haunts, ready to start a new year. Then, as the water played with her shining hair, the prince left the sanctuary as well, and vanished into the darkness.

Ash and Charlotte sat next to each other, wrapped warmly in layers of dark robes, as they watched the sunlight sparkle over the snow.

“Do you think she’s all right?” Ash asked. “It’s been almost a month.”

Luna yawned. She was miffed at being left behind, as Lance had only taken Dragonair-chan with her. “She’ll be fine. ‘Sides, the dragon’s ceremony is supposed to take at least a month.”

“Oh, okay.” Ash complied, but he was not completely reassured.

However, his silent and possibly dangerous contemplation was broken a few minutes later by a snowball smack in the face.

“Who did that?!” Ash demanded, only to see Angel toss his short fur and laugh, before streaking up a tree.

“That’s it!” Ash said. “It’s war!”

“Excellent!” Charlotte said, casting a fire spell around herself to keep most of the snow off. “Let’s begin! Blizzard!”

From a card shot a winged fairy, dressed in flowing silver robes, tinged with blue and covered with a cloak of sparkling crystals. Stars and snow fell everywhere, coating all the contestants.

“Bring it on!” Ash said. “Okay, Delibird, let’s Present!”

Their laughter and battle finally attracted the attention of another participant. Ash didn’t notice the Snorunt until it is sharp nose poked him in the leg.

“Aha!”

“Hmm,” Charlotte said, smiling. “Looks like this won’t be so bad after all.”

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

Ash drew out a card and flipped it into the air. “Cyndaquil!”

The little mouse pokemon showed his head, but strangely enough, stayed on Ash’s shoulder as not to get snowed on.

“Smart little pokemon.” Charlotte approved.

“Thanx,” Ash said, as Cyndaquil blushed. “Okay, Cyndaquil, let’s use a Flame Wheel!”

Cyndaquil nodded and carefully aimed a circle of flames at Snorunt.

Snorunt squeaked, and then retaliated with a Headbutt, knocking Cyndaquil into the deep, deep snow.

Cyndaquil, however, managed to escape with a clever Dig attack, before sending Snorunt flying into a snowdrift.

“Shoot.” Charlotte mouthed softly.

“What’s wrong?” Ash asked.

‘Knocking ice pokemon into the snow often regenerates said pokemon.” Charlotte said grimly.

Cyndaquil waited until Snorunt emerged before hitting it with a Flaming Thunder. This, at least, proved that even if the healing via snow had worked, the pokemon was now in no condition to battle.

“Okay then!” Ash said, all traces of his sour mood forgotten. “Light of the sky, grant me your energy, recreate fallen spirits, noble and free, the sun and moon, magic and mystery, light and darkness now shadow, I summon thee!”

Snorunt became a faintly glowing Ash card.

Pika-chan didn’t realize that Ash hadn’t worn a costume until it as too late. “Rats.” She muttered.

Ash sighed in relief to himself. He was no longer masquerading as a girl, there didn’t seem to be a point now that Lance was gone. And he still got jitters whenever he thought of doing Henge no Jutsu.

Charlotte had solved the problem of his appearance by making him a lovely wig of lime green hair. However, the wig had accidentally fallen into the fire two weeks ago. Luckily, since then, they had not encountered any other human company, but it was still quite unnerving since a psychotic fan could pop out of a bush any second.

“You could just use illusions.” Was Pika-chan’s sage advice…

“Pika-chan, no thank you.” Ash said. * There has got to be a way of dealing with obsessive fangirls who have somehow tracked me to Houen… but how? *

“That, Ash, is a problem we have to ponder later.” Charlotte said, as she dried herself off. At least snow wasn’t as bad as running water, since she resembled a mummy. Every possibly article of winter clothing was on, and only her eyes could be seen – and those were behind sunglasses.

Her face, at least the portion not covered by a fluffy blue hat with earflaps, was completely muffled with a hideous yellow and pink scarf. But that also meant that sane people would not approach of their own volition. The rest of her was swathed in layers of dark red and black waterproof material.

“Hey! My cookies!”

Vulpix-chan was breathing fire and chasing Luna, who had taken off with her coconut macaroons.

“Nyah, nyah! It’s your own fault for flirting with Angel!”

“Hey! I resent that! I do not flirt with him! Besides, our relationship is purely platonic and annoying, nothing more!”
“Oh, is that right.” Angel muttered from his tree branch as he sipped his café latte expressionlessly.

“I don’t believe you!”

“Luna, sometimes that’s life.” Pika-chan said, as she knocked Luna over the head with a snowball and escaped with the cookies.

“Come back here!”

End Episode 176

So… how was it? Confused? Tell me and I’ll explain! Flaming just annoys the hell out of me, because it shows you’re an ungrateful bastard. Thank you. *Bows* Interestingly enough, you can’t even spell.

I want to move to Singapore… they have book 12 of Adventures out in English already. *sighs* I want that book… Lance shows up again…