The Dragon Master V: Chapter Six

	When the three of us awoke in the morning, I extinguished the fire quickly 
and we were off. I made sure so it looked like no one had been there. I 
called my cloak, and put my hood over my head. Erika and Duplica did the 
same. I made sure that the coast was clear, and then we stepped out of the 
clearing.
	"There's one upside to this time around," I said to Erika and Duplica.
	"What's that," Erika asked.
	"We're not fugitives," I smiled.
	"Yet," Duplica said in her smart-alecky voice. "Besides, be quiet about 
that. You're gonna jinx it." She smiled, and I smiled back for the first 
time in days. The three of us reached Ecruteak City, and then I realized 
something.
	"What's Morty doing these days," I asked.
	"He's married," Erika said. "He got married right after that little scandal 
we all had to avoid any treason charges."
	"How'd the rest of us escape them," I asked.
	"Well," Erika said. "Since most of us were Gym Leaders, they couldn't find 
replacements. And as for you, you pled temporary insanity."
	"WHAT," I said loudly. Everyone in the streets stopped doing what they were 
doing and looked at me. Then they all went back to doing what they were 
doing.
	"You served time in a psychiatric ward," Erika said. "It was only a week, 
but in that time, Misty had gotten together with Ash."
	"This reality is more screwed up than I originally thought," I said 
quietly. I decided to go and visit Morty anyway.
	"Bob," Erika said. "What time frame are we working against?"
	"About six days," I said. "That's when Bruno is going to be executed. He 
doesn't deserve to die for what Lance did...no matter what reality it is..." 
I stepped around the corner, and saw the Gym. I nearly broke the doors at 
the speed I was going to get in there. Morty was sitting cross-legged on the 
floor meditating.
	"Bob," Morty said without opening his eyes. "Come, sit down."
	"Morty," I said. "I don't have time. I just need to know anything that you 
know that I don't." Morty opened his eyes and stood up.
	"What would you like to know," Morty asked.
	"About Lance," I said. "And any other Masters that helped us try and defeat 
the League."
	"Lance," Morty muttered. "I don't know what I could tell you. You're his 
brother."
	"Please," I said. "Tell me anything about...well, anything. Any secret 
projects, scandals, any way for me to get him dead."
	"Why would you want him dead," Morty asked.
	"The same reason that I wanted him dead four years ago," I said.
	"Well," Morty said. "He is holding a meeting for all the Pokemon Masters of 
the world at Indigo Plateau next week."
	"I need an exact date," I said.
	"August 25th," Morty said.
	"And today's the fifteenth," I asked.
	"Yeah," Morty said.
	"Are you going to this meeting," I asked.
	"Yeah," Morty said.
	"If you see me there, don't talk to me," I said, walking out of the Gym.
	"But why," Morty called, as I walked out of the room. I ignored him. 
Duplica and Erika were waiting for me outside of the Gym.
	"What do we do now," Duplica asked.
	"We have six days to save Bruno," I said. "And we have ten days before this 
is all over."
	"What's that supposed to mean," Erika said. I lowered my voice.
	"In ten days, there will be a conference for all Pokemon Masters at the 
League Headquarters," I said. "All of the Masters that we need dead will be 
there."
	"Where do we go for now," Duplica asked.
	"Your contact in Olivine City," I said. "They'll be able to help us." Erika 
and Duplica nodded, and we went to Route 37.
	It was just morning, so I stopped to grab an apple off a tree to eat it. 
Erika and Duplica did the same. This was the first time that I had eaten 
since yesterday morning. I was used to not eating much, though. I had the 
odd feeling that someone was watching me. I called my katana underneath my 
cloak, just in case...and I was glad I did.
	"WATCH OUT," I yelled, pushing Duplica and Erika aside as something jumped 
out of the trees and landed on me. I rolled on my shoulders and kicked the 
figure in the back, forcing them to fly forward. I used my back to push 
myself up, and land on my feet. The figure also landed on their feet. I 
whipped around to take a good look at the attack. I couldn't believe was I 
was seeing. It was the same person that had attacked me that previous night!
	"Duplica," I cried. "Whip out your bow!" Duplica did as ordered, and the 
attacker came at me. I pulled out my katana, and leaped away. The assailant 
pulled out a disc, which became three-bladed like the other one. She threw 
it at me, and I threw my katana at it. The disc exploded, and my katana got 
stuck in a tree. The assassin pulled it out, and used it as her own.
	"Duck," Duplica said calmly, uncaring if I heard it or not. She let loose 
an arrow, and I dropped to the ground. The attacker blocked the arrow with 
my katana and charged at me while I was on the ground.
	"HYPER BLAST," I yelled, aiming my hand at the female attacker. A tiny beam 
came forth from my hand, and exploded into a massive bolt of energy once it 
hit the assailant. The attacker flew back into a tree, as my katana flew 
high into the sky. I used my back to jump to my feet, and caught my katana 
on the way down. I went over to the attacker, who was still on the ground, 
rubbing her head.
	"Ow," the assailant said, rubbing her forehead, where she had hit the tree. 
As she was lying on the ground, I ripped her mask off. I was surprised who 
it was, as I hadn't heard from this person in a long time.
	"Clair," I said darkly. She stood up to face me, even though I had a razor 
sharp katana in my hand.
	"Go on," Clair said. "Kill me. Kill me like you killed Delilah all those 
years ago." I picked her up by her neck.
	"For the record," I said. "I didn't kill Delilah, Lance did and framed 
Bruno. So don't talk about things that you don't know anything about." I put 
her down.
	"What are you going to do with me," Clair asked.
	"Get some information," I said. "If you don't give me any, you'll probably 
have an 'accident.' If you cooperate, then we'll see."
	"What do you want to know," Clair questioned me.
	"Who sent you," I queried Clair.
	"Who do you think," she asked back.
	"What did I say about cooperating," I asked firmly.
	"Fine," Clair said. "Lance sent me."
	"I see," I said. Erika tapped me on the shoulder.
	"What are we really going to do with her," she whispered.
	"Probably tie her up in a safe place," I spoke softly back. "We'll fake her 
death. The usual." Erika nodded. Then Duplica came into the conversation.
	"We could leave her at my contact's place," Duplica commented. "His wife 
could make sure that she doesn't escape."
	"Okay," I said.
	"What are you going to do with me," Clair asked, now scared. Duplica 
created some rope out of nothing, and tied Clair's hands together.
	"Shall we," Erika asked.
	"You guys didn't answer my question," Clair protested.
	"Let's go," I said, pushing Clair forward. "Oh, and Clair, about your 
question. Let's just say that you're not going back to Lance." She rolled 
her eyes and groaned.
	"Oh just shut up," Duplica said. The four of us walked down Route 37 to the 
MooMoo Farm. Before we reached there, Erika stopped us all and pulled us 
into the bushes.
	"The MooMoo Farm is run by the League now," she said.
	"What happened to the nice people that helped us," I asked.
	"They were arrested for harboring fugitives," Erika said. "We'll have to 
cut through the forest." I led the way, while Duplica was following me with 
Clair tied at the wrists. Erika brought up the rear, and Duplica seemed to 
be enjoying the fact that she had someone in her control.
	We came out the other way, where there was no one in sight. I stopped, and 
looked at the fact that Duplica not only had Clair tied up, but that Clair 
was a League official, and that had to be against the law.
	"Duplica," I said. "Change into something that will make you look like 
Clair's pokemon, yet you can still keep an eye on her." Duplica nodded, and 
her form blurred into that of a Bayleef. Duplica used Vine Whip to keep a 
hold of Clair's waist.
	"This good," Duplica asked in a squeaky voice. I nodded.
	"Take us to your contact," I told her. Duplica uttered a "Bayleef" because 
we were coming into a more congested area. Duplica led us up one street, 
down another street, right by the Gym, down another street, past the Light 
House, up another street, through an alleyway, and across the street on the 
other side. She came up to a house, made sure that no one was around, and 
transformed back into herself.
	"Whew," Duplica said. "I was getting tired." She knocked on the door, and 
after a while, a woman opened it.
	"Hello, can I help you," the woman asked.
	"Do you need your sink unclogged," Duplica asked, much to the confusion of 
everyone else.
	"Why yes," the woman replied, and moved aside so we could enter in. Duplica 
stepped in, and Erika, Clair, and I, still confused, stepped in afterwards. 
After the door was closed, woman turned to me.
	"Yes," I asked.
	"If you're wondering about what Duplica asked," the woman explained. 
"That's just a password that tells me or my husband that it's Duplica, and 
she's here on secret business."
	"Oh," Erika and I said in unison.
	"Angela, where's William," Duplica asked.
	"He's shooting in the backyard," the woman replied. Duplica nodded her 
thanks, and went out into the backyard, where a man was shooting a light 
blue bow and arrow at a target where the bull's eye was already riddled with 
arrows. He let the arrow fly, and like the other arrows, it hit the center 
of the target.
	"Bull's eye," the man whispered loud enough for us to hear. I stepped on a 
stick by accident, and he turned to us. As he walked up to us, he twisted 
the handle on his bow a half turn, an the curve was taken out of it as the 
bow straightened out, so the taut string loosened, and went inside the slit 
on the side of the now straight, three-feet long staff. He twisted the top 
inch a quarter turn, and half of the staff was sucked inside the other half. 
The man, obviously named William, turned the top inch a quarter turn again, 
and another two feet of thinner staff shot out of the bottom end, turning 
into a cane that a blind man would use. William walked up to us, and I saw 
his eyes. William was blind. He must have noticed that I was looking at his 
eyes, so he took some sunglasses with ice blue lens out of his pocket and 
placed them over them.
	"Hi," William said, extending his hand to me. I took it. "I assume that you 
know I'm blind."
	"Yeah," I said. "How did you know that you hit a bull's eye? And how did 
you aim?"
	"William here taught me everything I know about shooting a bow," Duplica 
explained. "He was blind from birth, but all of his other senses are sharp, 
especially his hearing."
	"Impressive," Erika said.
	"Yes," William agreed. He then turned to Duplica. "Why are you here, 
Duplica?"
	"We need your help on two accounts," she stated. "One, we have a League 
assassin that we need your wife to hide. Two, we need you to come with us."
	"Okay," William said. Clair looked about ready to burst.
	"Oh, come on," she blurted out. "He's a blind man! I don't want you guys to 
win, but what help can he be of you?" William didn't show emotion, but with 
lightening fast reflexes, his cane zoomed right up to Clair's nose, as if he 
was going to hit her, but didn't.
	"If I am right," William stated. "Then my cane should be less than an inch 
from your nose." He smiled. Clair mumbled like an idiot. "Right then." He 
put his cane back down on the ground.
	"Is there anything else that I should know about you, William," I asked.
	"Yes," William stated. "I am an Ice Master." His eyes glowed light blue 
under his sunglasses, and an ice blue cloak formed around him.
	"Neat," I said.
	"I have reservations booked on the S.S. Fast Ship," William said. "We have 
better go. Duplica can explain things when we're on the ship." William's 
cloak dissipated as he put a hand on Duplica's shoulder so she could lead 
him.
	"Tie Clair up in the basement," Erika told Angela. "Feed her if you want. 
But, you don't have to." Clair gave Erika an ugly look as we left William's 
house.
	The four of us walked to the dock, where the S.S. Fast Ship was just 
boarding. William showed the guard the passes, and we walked on. William and 
Duplica were in a room, and Erika and I were in a room, though we wouldn't 
be spending the night on the ship.
	"I'm going to my room," Erika said. "You coming? It's best to stay inside, 
as to not arouse suspicion."
	"I'll lie low," I said.
	"Suit yourself," Erika shrugged, as Duplica, Erika, and William went off to 
their respective rooms. I went to the back of the ship, and I sat down in a 
chair. I sat looking at all the people, thinking about what was going on.
	"Is this seat taken," William asked, gesturing to the seat next to me with 
his cane.
	"No," I said. "Need help?"
	"I'm good," William said. "It's amazing, isn't it?"
	"What," I asked.
	"It doesn't matter how young you are," William said. "I mean, I'm only 22 
years old. And I'm blind."
	"Yeah," I said. "So, are just legally blind, or completely?
	"Completely," he said. "I don't even know what my wife looks like. I've 
been told that she's beautiful."
	"She is," I admitted.
	"You got a girlfriend," William queried me.
	"Had a fiancé," I told William. "In the other-"
	"Reality," William tried.
	"Yeah," I agreed.
	"Where is she in this reality," William asked me.
	"Well," I said, with my eyes wandering. I spotted a couple by the edge of 
the boat. One was dressed in all black with black hair, and the other in all 
blue with red hair. "She's right over there!" I immediately got up and 
walked over to them. Just as I was about to get there, Ash turned around.
	"You," he said in pure hatred. Misty also turned around.
	"You," she said in pure hatred.
	"Me," I replied sarcastically.
	"What do you want," Ash asked. "Didn't you get enough when you attacked me 
last night?"
	"You attacked him," Misty asked, enraged. "I'm glad I filed a restraining 
order against you!"
	"Get away from us," Ash said. "NOW!"
	"Can't do that," I shrugged.
	"And just why not," Misty asked.
	"There's five people I have to get rid of to end this nightmare," I said. 
"And you're one of them." I pointed to Ash.
	"You and what army," Ash said. From behind me, William got up from his 
seat, and made his way over to us, making it apparent that he was blind. At 
the same time, Duplica and Erika came over.
	"What's the matter, Bob," Erika asked. She then spotted Ash, who nearly 
fell over laughing.
	"This is your army," Ash laughed. "Two poor excuses for Pokemon Masters and 
a blind man."
	"I may be blind," William said. "But you couldn't take me on if you tried."
	"Let's go," Ash said. William took his ice blue cane, twisted the top inch 
a half turn, so it turned into the three-feet long staff. He then twisted 
the top inch of the staff one full turn, so the middle broke apart, so it 
became two separate pieces that were a foot and a half long each and was 
connected by the string that was used for the bow. William flipped his nun 
chucks over and over his back and his arms, to show that he was a formidable 
opponent.
	"Well, shit," Ash said. He stuck two of his fingers in his mouth, and a 
large amount of S.W.A.T. team members crawled up the ladders, causing a 
panic in everyone on the ship.
	"We'll take the cops," Duplica said, referring to her, Erika, and William. 
They left me alone with Ash.
	"Round two," Ash said.
	"Yeah," I replied. "Maybe this time, you won't run away like a little 
baby."
	"Let's go," Ash said...
-                                         End of Chapter Six                 
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