Whee! Another chapter!

Disclaimer: If Phantomness owned pokemon, she wouldn’t be going door-to-door selling knives this summer…

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokémon talks!
Chapter 4

“Steelix, use Iron Tail!”

“Charmander, dodge up!” Charmander shot up into the air on his short stubby legs surprising the rock snake. The pokemon smirked as he spat out a Blast Burn move…

Ever since Ash had caught Aster, he had found his pokemon skills improving… and although his basic team remained the same, they were no longer the pokemon they had been mere months ago.

Oak had informed him – informed him! That he had lent Pikachu to a Breeding Center and then Team Rocket had robbed that very Center! Needless to say, Ash was far from pleased with the Pokemon Professor and now, his spare pokemon resided with Sabrina at her gym.

After all, a gym leader had storage space for a few hundred pokémon…

Ash had caught a few more pokemon, but focused mainly on his team. It was better to have a small group of well-trained pokemon than hundreds of poorly trained ones, right?

And now it was paying off.

Dixon began to sweat as he recalled his Steelix. He’d thought that using a rare steel-type from Johto would give him an edge, but it seemed to have backfired… and his Magnemite wouldn’t be much good either, all right…

“Scizor! I choose you!”

Steel/bug? Or steel/flying? One of those two; Ash remembered in his mind. He had spent a month in Johto – not much time, admittedly, but all he could afford – on ‘vacation’, scoping out the new pokemon, catching several, and observing. It wasn’t the best, but it was better than no knowledge of the new steel and dark types.

Steel types were weak to fighting… weren’t they? Something like that… and fire too… and well, he’d gamble…

Charmander got hit with Quick Attack, had to recharge after the Blast Burn earlier, barely escaped a Metal Claw to the stomach, and quickly belched out another Blast Burn. There!

“Dixon is out of usable pokemon! Ash Ketchum is the winner! One more round will bring him up against the Elite Three!”

Yes, they were the Elite Three now… a replacement for Lance had not yet been found, so now Agatha played Champion and Leader. She disliked it, but there was nothing to be done…

Sometimes, these things were for the best…

< You think he’s the one? >

< Neither of us was of import in the last resettlement. I can’t say for sure. > Lorelei replied.

< I wish I knew… >

< I know. > Lorelei smiled at her foster mother. < It’s all right. >

< I know. We just have to believe that everything will work out… >

< Its time, child… >

Lance’s golden eyes slowly opened. < How long have I been asleep, Father? >

< Almost a year… >

< A year! > Lance’s eyes widened. < I didn’t think it was that bad! >

< It was. > Lugia said grimly. < She calls for your blood, for your death. Can’t you hear her keening? >

Lance nodded, pressing one hand against his chest and sighing, feeling metal beneath flesh, such a thin layer of skin protecting his life…

< I have to stop her, don’t I? >

< Yes you do. > Lugia smiled. < I believe in you. >

< Thank you, Father. >

< Will you go now? Tis too late to compete… >

Lance smiled. < I’ll wait for him to find me. >

< Are you sure? >

< Of course. I know. I trust him enough. >

< You trust too freely. He’s your weakness… >

< But I know and accept it. >

< True, true. > Lugia admitted. < Enjoy yourself then, child. You need not sacrifice again – tis too much for any of us to demand from one. >

< We’ll hide in the Realm of Dreams when the time comes. >

< Take care. >

Lance smiled and then faded out of view as Lugia sighed. * Being a parent is so difficult… I worry about him… he may hold power, but his heart is fragile… please don’t hurt him, Ash… *

Please spare my child…

“And now, the match you’ve all been waiting for! The match between the Green trainer, Amanda Brown from Vermillion, and Red trainer Ash Ketchum from Pallet!”

Amanda swallowed nervously. She was so close to victory that she could smell it! It was time to defeat this no-name hick from Pallet!

“Blastoise, I choose you!” She’d watched his battles, and she knew his team. Pidgeot, Charmander, Kingler, Bulbasaur, Squirtle…

Oh, she knew well. He would probably use his grass-type now, but she had maxed Blastoise’s speed… and it knew Blizzard and Ice Beam…

She hid a smile as he reached for a poke ball…

“Aster, I choose you!”

… What?

She blinked as a horribly bright bunny-shaped pokemon took the field. Hm. It was probably some mutated pikachu or something…

However, it was clearly an electric-type, as her Blastoise fell heavily onto the sand beneath her feet…

Amanda glared. Fine! If he wanted to play hardball, she’d play hardball as well! “Onix, I choose you!”

Ash hurriedly recalled Aster – she knew Metal Claw, but that wouldn’t be much good against a raging rock snake, and swapped out his Kingler.

Kingler had good defense at least…

“Kingler, Rain Dance!”

It began to rain, as per orders… Amanda blinked, but seeing little damage done to her Onix, ordered a Rock Throw.

“Kingler, Surf!”

Surf worked all right… any protection that might have been afforded was good, and the water bogged down the rocks in sticky mud, as well as Onix…

The Rock snake roared, and Ash hurriedly covered his ears as a Screech sounded…poor Kingler looked similarly disturbed, but used another Surf…

Finally, that was enough to KO Onix…

Amanda was sweating hard… and so, she palmed out another poke ball, and revealed her secret weapon… or so she thought…

Ash blinked as an empty ball plunked against the concrete. So did the rest of the audience.

Was this some kind of a joke?

“You were so confident you only brought two pokemon with you?” Ash asked incredulously.

That humiliation was too much to bear. Amanda fled, and Ash was declared winner by forfeit. He felt a bit uncomfortable when they gave him the trophy and packed him off to the Elite Four residence, but it was all right….

He had already proved his battling prowess in the earlier rounds. No one would contend his victory, correct?

End Chapter

Completed 6/13/05

Pretty sure I haven’t had Ash win by forfeit before…

Ash: … This sucks

Phantomness: I’m trying to be creative! *Glares*

Lance: *sighs*

Kairo: Well, it’s not funny at all…