Episode 177, is it a prime?

Disclaimer: No, I don’t own pokemon. I only own Charlotte, Dragon Mastery duties, Destiny, and various new things like Angel. This is fanfic and not intended for copyright infringement.

Roses are red, violets are blue, pokemon isn’t mine, so please don’t sue.

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, and italics for pokemon talking, which isn’t often.

Ranma – absence makes the heart grow fonder!

Spirit Hellfire – one at a time! Ash is still draining some of Sabrina’s magic, because his own magic type, star, isn’t being utilized enough yet. So every time he changes a card she grows weaker.

Digifan1 – k!

Link Masters – yes, Lance will return.

Skitty2004 – I don’t like Snorunt, but to each their own.

SS2 Megami-sama – I’m sure you can buy the books on Amazon.com… I saw them there.

Episode 177: Trekking across the desert in winter is no picnic

“Ash, why are you in such a hurry to get to Fallarbor Town?”

“Well…” Ash said. He twiddled his thumbs a bit nervously. “The glass workshop there makes some really nice merchandise, and I wanted to get Crystal, I mean Lance, a present before she comes back.”

“I see.” Charlotte said, smiling. “Okay then. The fastest way should be through the desert. But we’ll need Go-goggles.”

“Where do we get those?”

“I have no idea. I just heard some junior trainers talking about it.” A while later, two disappointed trainers sat down in front of the Slateport City market.

“Do you think that we could make them?” Ash asked.

“Maybe.” Charlotte said. They began digging through their backpacks. Soon, they discovered a glass jar.

“Oh excellent! Wishing powder! You didn’t tell me you had some.” Charlotte said.

Ash blinked at the powder. “Weird… oh, right! I made this months and months ago. Didn’t know what it was though. Cool, so we can make wishes with it?”

“Yep.” Charlotte said. She took out a pinch, lit a small fire, and threw the powder in. “I wish for two pairs of go-goggles please.”

Two pairs of go-goggles appeared, and then the fire died away.

“Wicked.” Ash said. “Okay then! Let’s go!”

The put on the goggles, and then Luna led them to the desert, bypassing the towns along the way.

“You know,” Ash said, spitting out a mouthful of sand as he tripped over another Sandshrew. “Why didn’t Luna warn us about the six pokemon in one square foot of space rule?”

“Dunno.” Charlotte said, as she used the Vaporeon card to knock off a couple. “This is not really getting us anywhere. We’re losing so much time fighting off the wild pokemon that if we make it to the other side by tonight, I’ll be surprised.”

Ash grimaced. “And we can’t teleport. I can’t believe Luna ran off without us.”
Pika-chan nodded. “When I get my hands on her, I’ll-.” She made several grasping motions, with a crystal clear meaning.

Vulpix-chan nodded and shook herself, before she crept under Charlotte’s cloak to take shelter. “This is so annoying.”

“Mudkip, use Surf!”

Two bizarre pokemon fell over. Ash quickly wasted no time in rendering them ‘Ash cards’.

“Trapinch and Lileep?”

“Looks like it.” Charlotte said, “And since they’re not effected by the sandstorm, they must be part ground or steel.”
Ash nodded. “Oh well.” He pocketed the two cards and began walking on. Soon, though, visibility was reduced to zero as a dust storm blew up.

“Stopping is looking better and better,” Angel said, as he groomed himself in a hopeless effort to remove the thick grainy powder from his once-pristine fur.

“That’s it, I’m getting annoyed.’ Ash said. He drew out a pokemon card. “Nosepass, you’re up!”

The pokemon blinked in confusion.

“Straight north is the way out of here, so please lead the way. We will follow you.”

Nosepass nodded as his magnetic nose began to glow and they headed off towards the edge of the desert.

However, within three hours, night had fallen, and they were getting tired, so there was nothing to do but pitch their tents, put up a shield around them so the sand would not interfere with their temporary lodgings, and wait.

“I’m bored.”

Charlotte looked at Vulpix-chan and sighed. “Would you like to read Aeschylus’ plays for me? Specifically the Libation bearers and Agamemnon?”

Vulpix-chan blanched. “Never mind.”

“I have a copy of Catch-22, Brave New World, and The Scarlet Letter as well.”

“Here, toss me one of the books.” Ash said. Charlotte nodded and Ash was soon engrossed in Brave New World.

As the night faded and day came, the two tired Chosen finally decided to sleep. They slept for almost a full day straight, and then continued on their way.

“I challenge you!” A voice yelled.

“Oh, excellent.” Ash said. “Thank goodness, I’ve been bored. I accept your challenge.”

Joey grinned. “Prepare to lose, boy.”

“Whatever.’ Charlotte muttered as she picked up her bottle of thirst quencher and took a drink. * Someone’s pride will be crushed soon. *

“Hyah! Graveler, I choose you!”

Ash was about to use Mudkip when he remembered that she was already tired from yesterday’s nonstop battling, so he decided to just play with his cards a bit.

“Okay, Wartortle, let’s make this a one-hit KO so the sandstorm doesn’t hurt you! Hydro Pump!”

Graveler really had no chance.

“Hmm… Golem, avenge your fallen brother!”
“A team of solely rock types is not strategically sound.” Ash said, before shrugging. “Use Water Gun.”

Golem was not any luckier.

Sparks were starting to come out of Joey’s head. “That’s it! Face the wrath of the ancients! Onix, go!”

Ash spent a few minutes staring. Literally. * This is the wrath of the ancients? Give me a break. *

“Onix, attack him!”

Ash barely managed to teleport out of the way before the Onix crushed the rock he had been standing on two seconds ago. “Why, you cheating scum!”

“Heh.” Joey said. “You can’t defeat my Onix.”

“Are you sure?” Ash asked. Inside him, a fierce anger began to boil. “Are you absolutely, positively, sure?”

< Looks like a new card is about to emerge. > Pika-chan whispered to Charlotte.

< No, I’m not sure that’s what it is. I hope he won’t lose control, I don’t’ know how to restrain him. >

< And Crystal isn’t here either. > Angel rejoined. < This is bad. >

“Hydroxis, use Eternal Flood now!” Ash said, pissed off beyond nearly all recognition. Well, it wasn’t entirely Joey’s fault, but he missed Crystal’s company, he hadn’t slept well for days, the desert was annoying, Luna the evil cat had taken off without them, and he was still angry at Team Rocket for killing his parents. All in all, if there was male PMS, this was it.

It didn’t seem like either Joey or the Onix was going to survive the night. Neither was the desert.

Finally, all explanations clear and the group out of the annoying pile of sand, Charlotte use Return to turn it back into the desert and they continued on.

“You have really got to stop doing that.” Sabrina admonished Ash as she appeared.

“Wasn’t my fault.” Ash said innocently. “He was the one who tried to cheat.”

Sabrina sighed. “Oh well. Why did I have to be the sensible one?” She vanished in a glow of magic and was gone, leaving a puzzled Skymew on Ash’s shoulder.

Ash hugged Skymew, who chirped happily and stayed on his shoulder with Mudkip as they walked along, chattering and blasting away the Sandshrews in the path.

Silver eyes glanced around warily. * No, the time has not come yet. * The figure sighed and wrapped her dark blue cloak more tightly around herself, as she sat in the shade of the icy cavern and wondered how long it would last.

I can’t stand being apart from him…

A dragonair nuzzled the figure, which smiled slightly and began preparing a meal for the dragon pokemon.

Fire to ice, ice to thunder, thunder to fire, an endless cycle… how will this all play out?

I do not know.

Please let it work out, for both our sakes…

“Magikarp, use Splash!”

Ash rolled his eyes as Pichu fried the fish. “This is so annoying.”

“I know, but at least we’re almost to the glass workshop.”

“Yep.”

End Chapter 177! Yeehaw!
So drop a review, and if you flame, I curse you with despair, in Seiryu’s name! You will become a suicidal maniac who will one day slit their wrists and die!

IMPORTANT NOTE

A lot of my fics, some shonen-ai, some not, will probably be removed from fanfiction.net because I’ve been getting flames and I’m annoyed. If you don’t like shonen-ai, don’t read a fic with a shonen-ai warning! On the plus side, I have my own web page so they shall be there. Please check out the web page, it’s got nothing but fanfic links on it, and some of the stories aren’t posted on ff.net

Example: Mirror my Reflection and Pokemon Special and Slivered Glass are going to be taken down most likely.

REVISION

The fics will stay up, but they will not be updated on fanfiction.net. They are however already updated on my own page ‘Master of the Dragons’. Put any questions here or e-mail me! I’m sick of anti-yaoi homophobics flaming me despite clear warnings. *Coughs* Anyways, the web page address is on my profile along with an important note. Who actually reads the profile?

Completed July 17, 2003