I beg thee not to die, plotbunny! My Microsoft word got reset again, damn it… stupid dictionary spelling…

Disclaimer: Phantomness does not own pokemon. Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me. Do *not* take my work!

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

Chapter 6

Ash headed off to Johto, taking the Magnet Train from Saffron. Unfortunately, his disguise was for naught as Clarissa saw his every move. Once he had left Lance’s house and the scramblers, the video feed had gone back on.

“Good lord, what has he done?”

“I don’t know, I think it’s interesting.” Gary said, studying the tape.

“Yes, but! Why’s he going off to Johto?”

“Fresh meat since he’s already knocked up all the Kanto gym leaders?” A coarse employee laughed.

“Could be…”

Silver. Why silver? Well, for the hair, he supposed, but still! It seemed so girly!

Ash sighed as he ran a hand through his bouncy silver curls. Well, if it helped him stay anonymous, he could deal with it.

It wouldn’t take long to get the badges. With that in mind, he headed off to the first gym in Violet City.

It was even easier than he had expected. Raichu beat Falkner’s Pidgey and Pidgeotto quite easily…

Then, at Azalea, Ninetales took down Bugsy’s Kakuna and Metapod in mere seconds. Maybe this wasn’t so bad after all?

He decided to call it a day – it had been a long day after all.

Falling asleep, he dreamed of snow. Falling snow.

The next morning, the shrill cry of Pidgeys chirping outside woke Ash from slumber. He climbed out of the motel bed, remembering that the one-night stay had included breakfast.

After showering and dressing in a clean pair of jeans and a blue sweatshirt, he went downstairs.

Ash helped himself to a glass of orange juice and a toasted bagel with cream cheese. He must have acquired that taste while being a model. An unpleasant tightening in his pants as he thanked the waitress made him grimace. Apparently being a model had picked up some other tastes as well, not particularly nice ones.

What to do?

“I’m some kind of pervert.” Ash muttered. * Grr… oh, how I wish I’d never made that stupid birthday wish! *

However, it could be undone somehow, right? Maybe Morty would know. He’d heard rumors of the ghost gym leader in Ecruteak.

Well, no harm trying…

While walking through Ilex forest, Ash spotted and snagged a Butterfree. They were good pokemon to have. He also added a Beedrill.

Having extra pokemon didn’t hurt.

Ninetales was barely breathing hard. She’d been a very well trained pokemon for a while, after all.

Hmm… he felt… off.

Something was wrong.

Looking around, Ash spotted a girl in a pink slip watching him. He immediately fled, not wanting to deal with his hormones.

Damn it all! Besides, why would there be a girl in the middle of Ilex forest wearing that? Some people really had no shame.

“But who am I to talk?” * After what I’ve done… *

He’d seen what Lance had been searching.

Erika… Sabrina… what did I do to them? Actually, I know only too well what I did to Sabrina! I’m so sorry…

It must be hard raising a child…

I wish I could apologize, but what am I apologizing for?

This is horrible…

“I…what do I do?” Ash asked.

There was no reply.

Seeing a small shrine up ahead, Ash decided to make a prayer. Maybe this god would take pity on him…

He took a box of matches out of his jacket, lit one of the joss sticks by the altar, and began praying.

“What do I do? I’ve ruined my own life, and the lives of countless others. Yet I can’t remember what I did! That’s the worst part! And all for a stupid wish! I wished for fame and fortune! Instead, I became a horrible person! I’ll take any punishment, but what I really want is…”

Lance’s image flashed unbidden before his mind.

“I want her back!”

There was no answer.

Feeling stupid, Ash continued his meditations until the incense had burned out. Although nothing had happened, it did help to tell the shrine everything he did and thought he had done.

Finished, Ash brushed himself off and began walking out of Ilex Forest.

Inside the shrine, blue eyes opened…

Ash made it to Goldenrod and looked around. The place seemed nice enough. He was about to head to the hotel to buy another night’s lodging when someone ran him over. He hit the ground with a thump.

“Oh! Excuse me!”

Ash blushed, seeing a pretty girl with pink hair in pigtails.

“I’m so clumsy! I’m sorry!”

“Who are you?”

“Me? I’m Whitney.” She grinned. “The gym leader.”

“Oh? Would you like to have a quick match then?”

“Sure!”

“Go, Butterfree!” Ash released his new bug pokemon. Butterfree was pretty strong, if her stats on the pokedex were correct.

“Great! Miltank, I choose you! Use Rollout!”

“Butterfree, dodge!” Butterfree flew up into the sky, out of Miltank’s range. “Good! Now use Poisonpowder!”

Miltank mooed in protest as she was poisoned.

“Hang in there, Miltank, Attract!”

“Butterfree, use Gust!”

Attract failed as Butterfree was a female. Ash grinned.

“Let’s finish this! Psybeam!”

Well, there went the Miltank.

Whitney looked depressed as she handed Ash the Plainbadge.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m broke…but I’m supposed to pay you $50 for beating me. How about something else instead?”

Ash screamed and fled before his hormones could take over. Oh Mew…

Would this nightmare ever end?

End Chapter

Completed 1/2/05

Ash: *shudders*

Phantomness: I feel sorry for you

Ash: Then stop writing this!

Kairo: Think she’s determined to finish this fic… despite all odds…