Episode 179!
Disclaimer/notes: See previous chapter, I don’t feel like typing it up…
L.A. Noyola – well, not all fics… some of the newer fics come quicker, others take months to write a chapter *coughs* Evolutionary problems…
Link Masters – thankies!
Ranma – wow, ^-^ many thanks
Zapdos Articuno – I doubt that, it may happen in the future though
SS2 Megami-sama – ah, gracias!
Incomplete13 – yes, the dates are real… *tosses out the Shadow card* there ya
go!
Episode 179: Trapped in a maze of illusions
“Welcome, welcome.” The king intoned in a deep voice. He had curly brown hair and kind gray eyes. “It gives me much pleasure to meet the one who saved my son.”
“The honor is all mine, majesty.” Ash said politely, keeping his eyes on the floor.
“Indeed, indeed. I must reward you somehow. What do you wish? Land? Or one of the princess’s hands in marriage? Perhaps a position in my court? I have need of a magician. Or perhaps some gold?”
Ash noticed that one of the old councilors was looking at him quite sourly. A suspicion began to take root in his mind. * I wonder…. *
“Well, sir, if it pleases you, I will take the position of court magician.”
“It pleases me very well!” The king laughed heartily. “Very well! Johan! Escort him to his chambers! Your name?”
“Ashura.” Ash said simply, before he followed them.
The next day, Ash had managed, by using Smeargle’s copying ability on some unsuspecting courtiers, to glean most of the knowledge of the court and the land. It was a small, fairly prosperous country named Wichicha, ruled by a kind king and court of six ministers, of which he would be one. The king had six daughters, three married, but only one young son, the child Ash had rescued. The Minister of Agriculture, old Gaston, wished to seize the country for himself, but none of the other four ministers would support him. So he had hired the sorcerer Moline to kidnap the prince, but then Ash had appeared and foiled the attempt.
Which explained why Gaston had attempted to poison Ash’s breakfast. Fortunately, a shot of Antidote had cured Ash’s puckish disposition and he dressed in the dark violet robes trimmed with white cord he had been given, in his position as magician, and followed a page down to the court.
“Ah, Ashura, so glad of you to join us.” Said Garth, the Minister of Peace. The rest of the ministers nodded. Besides Garth and Gaston, there was Pascal, the Minister of Trade, Keith, the Minister of the Treasury, and Katrina, the Minister of Health, also known as the Court Physician.
“Thank you,” Ash said, making a slight bow. His staff rested in his hands, for some reason he was unable to shrink it back into key form.
They spent some time discussing various trade matters, involving the trade of iron for oil and peaches and shellfish, which were not obtainable in Wichicha, before the matter turned to the discussion everyone was itching to bring up.
“Ashura, as you may now be aware of, recently there have been monsters roaming our sacred woods, stealing children. We cannot allow this to continue.”
“Yes, Sire.” Ash said, inclining his head. “I understand.”
“I wish you to hunt down or capture these creatures, and allow our young ones to go unmolested. Can you do this?”
“Yes, sire, but it will take time.”
“I give you
all the time you need, as long as these pestilences can be dealt with.”
“Then I shall leave
straightway.” Ash said, with another deep bow, before he exited the chamber,
the two silver bells on his sleeves, and the tiny bells sewn to the hem of his
robes twinkling lightly.
Pika-chan appeared next to him. “Let’s go. The sooner we complete the mission, the sooner we can go home.”
“So this is our mission.” Ash said, smiling. “Very well.”
They entered the forest.
Charlotte glanced at the illusion, just in time to see Ash beating off a herd of wild Staryu.
“No way!” Ash exclaimed. “Zapdos, Jolteon, Pikachu, Raichu! Thunder now!”
All four attacked, leaving the staryus carbon-encrusted and fainted.
“Great.” Ash said. “Now let’s go onwards.” They headed deeper into the forest.
“Ash, do you think that the ‘monsters’ the king refers to are just pokemon?”
“I think so.” Ash said. “Wild, savage pokemon. There’s something wrong with them, like Team Rocket’s shadow pokemon.”
“Oh…”
A few minutes later, they were beating off a herd of wild Meowths. “This is so random.” Pika-chan muttered.
“Well, yeah… but meowths are normal wild pokemon, the staryus weren’t. What were they doing out of the water?”
Ash’s Beedrill shrugged and buzzed. How would I know?
“This is just too random…”
Charlotte glared at her calculator, which she was using to pick the pokemon with, and shrugged. “It doesn’t have to make sense.”
Angel sipped his coffee methodically, shrugging.
“Use Cloyster next.”
“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. Too many weird appearances might be suspicious.” Charlotte said, punching in another set of random selections on her calculator.
“Kabuto n’ Kabutops for 140 and 141.”
“Too risky.”
“Seaking?”
“No way. Why is my calculator only showing water-types?”
“Ekans… and Dewgong!”
“Ekans will work.” Charlotte said, taking out her ‘Duplicate card’ and making several hundred copies of Ekans, which slithered into the illusion, hissing madly.
“This is insane.” Ash said. “Espeon, Alakazam, Psychic now!”
“You said it.” Pika-chan said, using a fantastic blast of fiery light to send more fleeing in terror.
“Oh well, at least I’m gaining experience.”
“But you won’t gain more magic this way.”
“Then what do I do?”
Pika-chan
shrugged.
“Got it!” Ash said. ““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! Ralts!”
The psychic type appeared.
“Okay, Ralts, Psybeam now!”
The Ekans fled as Ralts teamed up with Espeon and Alakazam to wreak havoc upon the snakes.
“Great.” Ash said, grinning. “That ought to take care of the problem.” He yawned slightly and summoned a bottle of Potion, which he gulped down. “Let’s keep going…”
They walked onwards.
Approximately three days into the illusion later, Ash had still not created any cards. Charlotte sighed.
“Better give him some incentive then.”
Ash was currently sleeping, with a shield of Barrier around him, courtesy of Mewtwo. His dark robes remained immaculate.
Pika-chan stirred slightly in her sleep and mumbled something about pancakes. She snorted and began pawing, then went still again.
“Pancakes… mmm, honey…”
The pokemon Charlotte had sent sweatdropped and picked up the still snoozing Pika-chan, before taking off for the wilds.
The next morning…
Ash was unpleasantly awakened by the sound of rushing water. He also noticed that Pika-chan had mysteriously vanished.
“Mewtwo, I choose you!”
The pokemon card appeared before Ash, smiling. < Yes, Master? >
< Do you know where Pika-chan is? >
< I can perform a psychic scan of the area. >
< That would be very helpful, thank you. > Ash said. He performed his morning ablutions behind a bush and emerged, clean and slightly more awake, twenty minutes later. Mewtwo was still scanning.
< I don’t think I can find her. >
< Hmm… > Ash said. < Thank you, Mewtwo, I will try something else, > His eyes flashed briefly and Mewtwo returned to card form.
“Arcanine!”
I’m the best. Arcanine said in a haughty tone. What is it you require?
“Can you find Pika-chan?”
Certainly, unless she was led through water. Hop on my back. Ash did so, and Arcanine ran like the wind he was named for, searching for Pika-chan.
Pika-chan was still fast asleep, now confined to a blue glass jar. The sorcerer Moline rubbed his hands gleefully.
“That was too easy. I wonder how that arrogant upstart will deal with this little snag in his plans to destroy my evil beings.”
His shadow Marowak nodded in assent and waved its bone ferociously at nothing.
While Ash and Arcanine raced towards his hideout.
End Episode 179!
Maze + Illusion was a combination used in the Sakura Card arc, so I thought it was appropriate to name this chapter after them.
^_^ Review or else!
Created 7/13/03
Completed 9/17/03
Well, since ff.net is still annoying me, I’m going to be putting some more new shonen-ai fics up on my web page. ^-^ Enjoy!