I am studying for physics. I’m two chapters done already! ^_^

Lance: *ahem* Phantomness doesn’t own pokemon, which is a good thing, because if she did, I’d probably be a main character and Misty would probably not exist…

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Chapter 10

Ash held up a pair of black pearl earrings. “How much are these?”

“Oh, fifty-five dollars.”

Handing over the cash, he took them and carefully put them in his backpack. After half an hour of browsing, he had found a birthday present Sabrina would like.

The next morning, Ash was surfing to the next island on his new Lapras when he spotted a giant shadow overhead.

It looked like… a flying saucer?

Impossible! Those shouldn’t exist, right?

Still, he watched in horror as Zapdos was captured in a ball of wires. No!

He had to do something to stop them!

What was Zapdos doing outside on a day like this? It wasn’t even stormy! Something weird was going on!

He didn’t need to be a psychic to figure that out.

“Well, let’s go take a look…”

“Pidgeotto, go!” Ash shouted as he flew up towards the airship on his pokemon’s back. “Stop! What are you doing?”

Lawrence III peered out through his viewfinder. “Oh? A distraction…” A flick of his wrist released another capture device to go after Ash. Teleport shimmered as the two escaped from the trap.

“Huh? That’s no ordinary Pidgeotto… could that be Lugia in disguise?” Lawrence frowned. “No matter. You can’t possibly avoid all of these!”

Eight capture shapes shot towards Ash and Pidgeotto. Ash initiated teleport once again, so he wound up inside the airship, next to the cage where Zapdos was.

“Don’t worry, Zapdos! I’ll get you out of here!” Ash said “I choose you, Charmander! Cut!’

Charmander’s claws glimmered as he began sawing through the wires.

Zapdos waited impassively. He had his role to play in the legend, and unfortunately, it wouldn’t be much good if Ash didn’t figure out what he was supposed to do. The prophecy was only six feet away, come on Red, look at it!

While Charmander busily sawed through the bars, Red looked around. Something…

A stone tablet caught his eye.

“That’s odd. Disturb not the balance of fire, ice and lightning….’ He read all the way down. “And the world will turn to ash? That’s horrible! But why would Lawrence III be willing to risk this?”

“Because if I capture the three birds the legend won’t matter.” Lawrence laughed, walking in. “You thought to surprise me on my own battleship?”

Ash tensed, but before he could reach his poke balls, a bolt of electricity slammed him upside the head and knocked him out. Without a word, Lawrence III confiscated the boy’s poke balls.

Impudent idiot.

Outside of his viewfinder, he noticed that Moltres and Articuno had startled battling. He caught Moltres first, but Articuno was proving to be a challenge as snow and ice pelted his airship from all sides.

Still, the reinforced steel should hold out… he could wait until Articuno tired itself out…

Lance stared at the T.V. “It can’t snow there!”

“Well, it’s snowing there now.” Lorelei closed the T.V. “As the Elite Four, we’ll have to go investigate the Orange Islands.”

“Do we all have to go?” Bruno whined.

“No.” Agatha’s aged voice sounded. “Lorelei and I shall go.”

“As you will.” Lance said politely. “Take care, little cousin.”

“I know, Lance. Besides, in the condition you’re in, you’d better not go anywhere. Get some rest!”

Lorelei and Agatha went outside, where they released Agatha’s two Gengars, climbed aboard, and flew off.

Back on the airship, Lawrence frowned. Two more blips were appearing on the screen. What now?

When was the Chosen One going to summon Lugia anyways? He was getting tired at the long wait…

“Kuso!” Lorelei cursed, catching sight of the gargantuan edifice in the sky. “Is that what I think it is?”

“I believe so.” Agatha’s voice was frosty. “I’ll take him down. You go calm Articuno down. You’re an ice master, it should listen to you.”

“Hai!”

Lorelei threw a poke ball forwards, releasing Jynx. The Ice/psychic hybrid levitated up to Articuno.

Master of Winter, why are you causing this destruction? Lorelei asked in pokespeech, as twin blue tattoos glowed on her cheeks. The symbol of ice mastery…

I cannot stop myself! The prophecy! You must stop the prophecy! Articuno choked out, before her eyes glazed over and she aimed an Aerial Ace at Jynx and Lorelei. Jynx hastily teleported them back to the ground.

Meanwhile, in the airship…

Agatha shimmered into existence with her Gengars. A nod and one fazed into the very wiring of the ship itself, disabling the systems one by one…

The second got to work freeing Zapdos and Moltres from their capture spheres.

Lawrence III glared as someone else appeared on his monitor. This one was an old woman he didn’t recognize, but she must be a psychic as well.

Maybe she was the grandmother of the boy he had captured earlier?

“What do you want?”

< Fool. > Agatha sent him, managing to look intimidating despite the fact that she was hunched over a wooden gnarled cane. “Do you think you can get away with this?”

“Hah! You’re the one who’s a fool! I’ll capture all the legendary pokemon! Then there won’t be any destruction! I’d already be finished if you pathetic bugs didn’t interrupt all the time!”

Lawrence III immediately lost his voice as one of Agatha’s Gengar appeared behind him, an incorporeal yet iron grip on his throat.

< You were saying? >Agatha asked, just as the ship began to announce the self-destruct sequence. Lawrence III paled, an admirable feat since he was already turning blue from lack of oxygen.

Freed form their confines, Moltres and Zapdos flew outside and began battling Articuno. Lorelei looked around worriedly.

“The prophecy… if only I knew what to do!”

Agatha’s Haunter lifted up the unconscious psychic boy she had found collapsed nearby, as teleport flared, right before the airship exploded in a brilliant display of red and gold flames.

Did Lawrence survive? Who knew? But now, they had to find the Chosen One quickly, or it was the earth at stake…

End Chapter

Completed 2/20/05

Ash: I’m unconscious?

Phantomness: You did get fried…

Lance: Just a random note inspired by the episodes of me in Houen! Despite the fact that I wear a full bodysuit with cape and all that, I can still hide that underneath whatever Team uniform I’m wearing. Truly bizarre, considering the magma outfits, since my arms are bare… and yet I can still hide my sleeves… hmm… how do I do it? Subspace clothing maybe?