What Dreams Are Made Of

[mr_pikachu]

ZF20: Ah, good, there you are. I knew you'd show up sooner or later.

The match is definitely getting more intense, but the discussion will have more of an impact on the future, in more ways than one. I've already got big, big plans for this plotline, believe me. Your guess is sort of on the right track, but... I won't say anything more for fear of giving too much away. Let me just say, though, you won't find out everything that's going on for a long while. There are mysteries beneath the surface, and then there are mysteries that I've hinted at (very) subtly, but you probably don't have a clue about yet. One thing's for sure, though: I'll try to post this ASAP, because I don't want to leave you hanging for too long! (I'm nice that way, you see?)

One final note. If you're trying to figure out what the discussion is about, well, I hope you're psychic. I've done everything I can to make it as clear, yet as vague as possible. While I've no doubt that you can get some of it, I will be very shocked if you come if with everything that's going on. Not that it's an impossibility, I just find it unlikely.

I'm working on the next chapter right now, so it should be up soon. Until then!

[mr_pikachu]

Good news: I'm finally able to access this page again and give you the next chapter of WDAMO, despite the tornadoes that swept through my area just six days ago.

Bad news: I'm going to have to do some major renovation of the past chapters, since EVERY SINGLE ONE up to this point has been wrecked by the crazy TPM punctuation problems... talk about frustrating!

Well, without further ado, here's another shocking edition of What Dreams Are Made Of!

EDIT: Whoops; before I forget, this chapter includes language and violence. Read at your own risk. If you'd like a synopsis of this chapter, feel free to reply and ask for one. (Or, if the fic has gone way beyond this by the time you read this, PM me and I'll edit a summary in.)


Chapter 39


May winced. She was down to two Pokémon already… she’d lost any advantage she may have had when Bellsprout was knocked out… and there was only one Pokémon she had that could stand up to the Golduck. This was going to be one of the strangest matches any of them had ever seen…

“Go, Houndour!”

Ash leaned forward instantly. Houndour? Golduck had the type advantage with Water vs. Fire, but Houndour’s Dark type had the Psychic abilities covered… a very interesting choice. Ash only hoped it would work.

Raini laughed maliciously. “A Houndour? Hah! You think you can beat Midas by taking out its Psychic abilities! Well, I’ll have you know it can do much more than just toss things around with its mind!”

“May, she’s right!” Misty called from the sidelines. “Golduck knows a lot more than just Psychic! You’d better be on your guard for this one!

May turned her attention back to the Golduck. True, Midas was more experienced than Houndour. Of that she was certain. But Midas couldn’t use Psychic attacks whatsoever, and that had to hurt its chances. It didn’t seem logical for Houndour to use Fire techniques, but if the need came up, that little pooch was more than ready.

“Okay, then. Let’s get started. Psych Up, Midas!” Midas let out a horrible screech in its response, which increased in volume as the seconds inched by.

May tried to yell for a Faint Attack to knock Midas out of the power-up, but Houndour had his hands over his ears to block the noise of the Psych Up. May could understand it; she wanted to cover up herself. But now wasn’t the time. She had to do something to stop that Golduck. Without thinking she knelt down and picked up a pebble that had shaken loose from one of the ceiling pieces. She fired it at Houndour, cracking it in the skull. It let out an inaudible yelp in response, and turned around.

“Use Faint Attack!” May yelled. Though Houndour couldn’t hear the words May yelled over the deafening screech of the Golduck, it could still read her lips. Within an instant Houndour had leapt through the vortex of darkness to the other end of the battlefield, and had taken Midas down to the ground, clawing at it nervously with his paws. Though Midas broke out of the trance, it had a steely glare in its eyes, as if it was just waiting to be attacked so that it could destroy Houndour.

“Hmph. Water Gun!” Midas responded instantly by blasting the young pup off its chest with a high-pressure stream of water.

“Houndour, Faint Attack, and Crunch!” The dog once more disappeared into the dark portal, and reappeared right behind the Golduck. It sprang onto it, knocking Midas onto his stomach. Houndour proceeded to clamp his sharp fangs down on the Golduck’s back. Midas groaned miserably in response, its limbs shooting out to the sides and growing limp all at once.

Raini gasped in terror. “You… Midas, upright yourself with a Water Gun! …Midas?” For once Raini truly looked scared, as Golduck failed to make any movement of any sort.

“MIDAS!!” she screamed, recalling the Golduck into his Pokéball, and releasing him once more on the outside of the field. Once that was done, she released another Pokémon, and commanded it to cover Golduck with an Ice Beam. The Vaporeon instantly complied with her trainer’s request, and Golduck was trapped inside the chunk of ice.

“How dare you!” Raini shrieked. “How dare you! …Sending your Pokémon to permanently injure a Gym Leader’s Pokémon… disgraceful! I could have you arrested, and I probably should! Forcing your Pokémon to perform an illegal attack… have you no conscience?”

“What about you? You could’ve killed my Swalot by flushing the poisons out of him! In fact, I still don’t know if he’ll be alright!”

“SWALOT WAS A PEST THAT DESERVED TO BE KILLED!”

“I COULD SAY THE SAME OF YOUR BELOVED ‘MIDAS’!” May roared back.

Raini and May both inhaled deeply and sharply several times before settling down. “I tell you what, May” Raini spat, “if you can beat me in this battle, which you won’t, I won’t have you arrested. But if I should win…” she continued, “I’ll have you put away for as much as the law allows. Which, I assure you, is longer than anyone would want to spend locked up. Do we have a deal, May? Of course, it’s not like you have much choice but to accept. Even your friends over there couldn’t vouch for you. After all, how would it look? Them trying to protect their friend, and me trying to get justice for my crippled Pokémon. The fang marks on Midas’s back speak for themselves. So, May, what’ll it be?”

May hesitated. Of course, she had no choice but to accept. A Gym Leader’s influence was powerful when wielded on anyone. It wasn’t like the courts were going to forget what Raini did for a living. Training Pokémon was her life. May was still considered new at it. It wasn’t even a decision.

“Fine,” she grumbled.

“Good! Now I can take you down without mercy. Vaporeon, Hydro Pump!”

Before May or Houndour had time to react, the swirling spray of water was upon the young dog Pokémon. He whimpered sickeningly as he was bowled over by the attack, and as several liters of water went down his throat. But he was up again just as quickly, knowing that now, more than a badge was at stake. And he was why.

“Ice Beam, now!” Vaporeon attempted to take advantage of the thin coat of water that was already soaking Houndour, and fired off a ray of sheer ice at its neck. But Houndour was smarter than that, and leapt over the beam just as it struck the ground. A long streak of ice was left, stretching from Vaporeon’s mouth all the way across the field to the ground in front of Houndour. Without so much as a word from May, the young dog took it upon himself to dig his claws into the ice and sprint across, totally baffling Vaporeon in the process. The ice was melting behind him, but he didn’t care. All he cared about was his target, who lay straight ahead.

“Vaporeon, Water Gun! Take that thing out!”

The Vaporeon launched a spurt of water, but Houndour was ready for it. Once again, he let May sit back and watch as he vanished into the portal of darkness for the third time, and reappeared, digging his fangs into Vaporeon’s leg. It squealed in pain and flung the leg around, tossing Houndour to the ground. The dog was unrelenting, however, as he rammed his head into Vaporeon’s chest. The Water type flew backwards, landing on its tail and crying out in pain.

“Come ON, Vaporeon! HYPER BEAM!!”

“Protect, Houndour!”

“WHAT?!” But it was too late. Vaporeon had already launched the attack, which disappeared as soon as it reached Houndour’s face. He responded by leaping up and digging his claws into Vaporeon’s snout, tearing at the flesh as he dug deeper and deeper.

“GODDAMMIT!!” Raini shrieked. “ACID ARMOR!”

As soon as the command was spoken, Vaporeon’s skin took on an eerie shine, and Houndour leaped back, spitting furiously. Evidently he was trying to get the taste out of his mouth.

“FINISH IT! HYPER BEAM THAT ****!!”

Once again Vaporeon launched the deadly ray at Houndour, but he showed rather ironic cat-like agility by leaping up, deftly dodging the attack. As he rose into the air he vanished once more, reappearing right above Vaporeon’s head. Several scratches to the eyes later, and Vaporeon was reeling.

“STOP PULLING THAT CRAP!”

Raini’s cries were to no avail. Houndour tore open Vaporeon’s belly with a swish of his claw, and the blood quickly collected on the floor.

“RETURN, YOU USELESS *****!” Raini screamed with anger. She was breathing heavily, and looked like she, too, had just gotten out of a fight. “God damn you, May… I swear, you will lose! I will destroy you if it’s the last thing I do!”

[mistysakura]

Yay, new chapter! It still shows that May's more humane than Raini;Houndoom was really good. I don't undrstand why Raini accused May of using illegal attacks though; is Crunch illegal or something? The battle's sure turned nasty hasn't it... I hope nothing too bad happens... It's illogical, I don't want either side to win, becuase of the harm that is certain, but if neither side wins and it goes on forever, then the damage is even worse... I'm confused.

[mr_pikachu]

ms: Yeah, I liked Houndour, too. (Note the clever emphasis on the last syllable... ) You're right about one thing; Crunch, in itself, is not illegal. However, if I may refer you to Exhibit A:

Houndour proceeded to clamp his sharp fangs down on the Golduck’s back.

Houndour specifically bit Midas' back. And what body part is on a creature's back? Its backbone. Now, what do you thing would happen if the Pokemon League(s) allowed trainers to purposely attack their opponents' Pokemon in such a sensitive area? If a living creature's backbone is broken, it becomes paralyzed, right? And I'm not just talking about temporary loss of movement, either. Thus, May would be in BIG trouble if the head honchos of the League(s) ever found out. And yes, the battle has lifted the emotions of the characters to a new degree of nastiness... 8)

I'm glad you have mixed feelings, since that's sort of what I'm hoping for. But you're right, someone has to come out on top. We'll find out who it is shortly...

[mr_pikachu]

Sorry for the lack of speed in updating, but my computer's internet access is down, and my parents are always on their comp, so I can only now post the next chapter. (If you saw my post about 12 hours ago, I was at a friend's house then, and I didn't have the chapter with me.)

Anyway, here comes a new chapter! *dances a jig*


Chapter 41


“Quag!” Raini’s final Pokémon called out happily, looking its opponent in the eye.

May gasped. No… not a Ground type! That meant that the tactics she’d planned would be useless!

She cursed under her breath. She’d planned to electrify Raini’s Pokémon if it came down to this, but now that plan was out the window. She had to come up with something quick, though, or this would be over before she shouted one attack!

“Quagsire! Fill the space in the center back up with water! I don’t want to have to worry about it later! Now that this brat’s finished, it shouldn’t be a problem,” she smirked as she spat the last few words out at May. The worst part was, she was right. Pichu’s only real attacks were electric. He wouldn’t even be able to get close enough to hit Quagsire with anything else. So now, not only was Raini savoring her victory, but she was in effect finishing May off by turning even the battlefield to her advantage. With Pichu on the opposite side from Quagsire, he wouldn’t be able to get to it at all.

“Rapid fire Water Gun!” Quagsire shot an evil look at Pichu before firing bullet-sized bursts of water at the mouse. Pichu bounded back and forth between them, frantically trying to avoid being hit. One shot could end this match, since Pichu wouldn’t be able to recover quickly enough to dodge the next volley of attacks. In only moments, however, Pichu was out of breath and straining to maintain his movement.

“Now! Swim over, and finish it with a point blank Hydro Pump!” Quagsire was tiring as well, showing that it obviously wasn’t nearly as well-trained as Raini would have liked. She apparently felt that she needed to finish off Pichu with the next shot, and to make sure she could do that, she needed Quagsire to be as close as possible to its target.

‘Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt now,’ May thought to herself. In a flash, she used her last-ditch plan.

“Pichu, Thunder the pool!”

“Thunder?” Ash breathed in shock. He’d seen some amazing things in his journeys, but there was no way a Pichu could know Thunder!

…Was there?

The pool was immediately filled with the electricity that rained down on it. The light produced by the sparks obscured Quagsire from both trainers’ view, but Raini just laughed.

“Ha! FOOL! Quagsire is a Ground type! You just used your Pichu’s last bit of energy for nothing!”

“DID I?”

“Huh? …What do you…” Raini gasped, for there, in the center of the pool, was Quagsire. Motionless and facedown to boot.

“But… how… you… WHAT DID YOU DO?!” she screamed angrily.

“Hmph. Yeah, yeah, Ground type. You spew that nonsense like it was right out of the Bible. Was Quagsire ON THE GROUND?”

“I… but… it… how…”

The spectators stood in complete awe while May explained. “Yes, Quagsire is a Ground type, but that only affects electric attacks WHEN IT’S ON THE GROUND. When Quagsire stepped into the water, he opened himself up to Pichu’s devastating attack. I would’ve thought you’d know that, RAINI.”

The female Gym Leader stood stock-still, rooted to the spot. She collapsed to her knees, jaw still loosely dangling.

“But… how… could I lose?”

“You said something earlier about me treating my Pokémon as pets. That’s where you were wrong. I treat them as equals, because they are. YOU just use them as your servants.” May growled. Ash didn’t think he’d ever seen May this angry before. “You told me earlier that I should be ashamed. When it’s you who should fear showing her face in public!”

“WHAT?” Okay, this girl beat her. So she wouldn’t get tossed into jail. But telling her SHE was the one who should be ashamed? When that brat was the one who decided to sic her Houndour on a Golduck’s spinal cord? Raini seethed in the knowledge that she was right and couldn’t do anything about it.

“Just take a look at your Golduck.”

“What, the one you paralyzed? Midas will probably be crippled for… MIDAS?!” She stared in awe as the duck walked over to her in a daze. “I… you… how… when… WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE??”

“I know better than to train my Houndour to sever the spinal cord of a Pokémon, whether it’s in a battle or not. But the muscles around it provide a perfect target for a devastating attack. Do you understand my actions now, Raini?”

Raini stood staring at May, utterly still. It was difficult to tell whether or not she was even breathing. Her eyes watered in response to the lack of blinking, and involuntary tears began to run down her face. Although she seemed upset anyway.

“How… did you… train them… so well…?” This comment gave May a shock. Was Raini actually giving her credit for something?

“Well, um… I guess… it’s about trust.” She shrugged her shoulders, and gave a weak smile. “If you think of your Pokémon just as your weapons; your battling tools; then they won’t be able to trust you. Because if all they mean to you is a method to win a battle, they don’t know how far you’ll go just to win. Think about it. You chose to keep battling rather than admit defeat and save your Golduck. At least, that was what you thought your choice was at first.

“On the other hand, I’ve traveled and trained with my Pokémon for years. They know my methods and my morals, and they’re happy with them. They trust my decisions, and I trust theirs. When Houndour started choosing his own attacks, I let him do that. Because I had faith in him. Likewise, when I call out an attack, they know they can trust my judgment. That’s how we battle together. And that’s how we always will.”

There were several seconds of intense silence. Raini stared down at Midas’ Pokéball as if she was in a trance. The Golduck simply looked at her, not entirely sure what it needed to do. Every time it would think about comforting her, it pulled its hand back, as if afraid of retribution for its actions. Finally, before it ever came to a decision, Raini held out the Pokéball and returned her prize Pokémon in a flash of crimson light.

She turned to look at May. But her look was not one of happiness, thankfulness, or even remorse. On the contrary, she looked quite angry at May. She scowled heavily, and emitted a deep snort before speaking.

“Hmph. You actually thought you could get me to change my methods? By winning one battle against me? You overestimate your ability to deceive.”

“Wha–”

“Save it. I’ve heard enough of your babble. Just take your badge, and get out of my Gym. I hope to never see you again.” She began walking away as the machine that had checked May’s Pokégear buzzed for a few seconds before spitting a blue, shiny object into the bowl on its side.

“Oh, and Ash,” she continued, “I expect you here at 10 A.M. sharp tomorrow. And DON’T disappoint me!” she said as she glanced back toward Ash, a solid frown planted on her face.

She left the room, leaving Ash to wonder if she’d ever learn her lesson. That is, until he realized he had problems of his own.

“Oh, man – how am I supposed to win against HER with just two Pokémon? I’ll have to get some from the Professor, but still… I don’t know if I can win!”

As Ash spoke these words, events were unfolding miles away that would change the lives of everyone involved forever. Professor Oak, the lively old man who had never been in a situation that he couldn’t handle, was now just waking up. Only now did he realize how much trouble he was in, as he caught a glimpse of a face he hadn’t seen in years.

“Son… but why?”

[mistysakura]

You're becoming as bad as Gavin with those cliffhangers... argh! Calm down, calm down...

*clears throat* Anyway. that was a short, but pretty good chapter. It was good how May showed that she was more knowledgable than Raini, and the twist on Midas' spinal cord attack. Nothing to criticise here, although in that topic in the Writer's Lounge I could practically see people pointing fingers at me for not criticising. Don't know what's happened to me lately.

[mr_pikachu]

ms: Sorry about the cliffhanger, but I'm trying to keep people really interested, since a lot of things are happening at this point. But I don't see why you're being criticized for not criticizing because you've criticized me more than I think anyone else has criticized and critiqued my work. (Try saying THAT five times fast!) Maybe my fic's the only work that you can find problems in... *shoulders sag*

lol, j/k. But I think you're doing a good job of criticism. I've seen you give advice with others' work, so I don't know what your critics are talking about. Don't worry about what they think; you're doing a dang good job, IMO.

Oh, about the cliffhanger... next chapter will be focusing on that last point I made. And I may throw a really big twist in there, that will only become entirely evident later... I've said too much, but I don't have the energy to press the "Backspace" key. Anyway, I'll see you next chapter!


Keep the replies coming, everyone!

[mistysakura]

Actually, what I meant about the finger-pointing thing wasn't that people were going "mistysakura never criticises", just that people are saying all this stuff, and like every single statement they make seems to apply to me. Bleh.

[mr_pikachu]

ms: Well, if you feel that way, I won't argue with you, but I've personally seen you criticize numerous times. It's good to have some restraint, or else the newer writers would get the idea that they'll never be good, which isn't true at all. I have to hold myself back from upsetting people on occasion, and I even mentioned on that thread of the time I failed, and how it made me (and everyone else involved) feel. I think you're doing a good job, though.

[mr_pikachu]

Two updates in a nine-day period? Can it be true?

Yes, my friends, it can! Prepare yourself for another chapter of WDAMO! This one focuses on a plotline I've referred to several times in recent chapters, but never gave the complete picture... more will be revealed, right now! Chapter 42 awaits!


Chapter 42


The weakened Professor Oak was forced into a chair as machine guns prepared to fire at him from all points of the room. He took in a breath through his nose and quickly regretted it; even he, a man who constantly worked with all forms of nature, found the stench nearly too much to bear.

“I won’t ask again. Why have I been brought here?” he growled, prompting a few of Giovanni’s underlings to tighten their grips on the triggers. One could almost hear the sweat pouring out of their hands. A single mistake would mean sure execution by the Boss, especially since this particular hostage was the key to his success, in addition to being his father.

The mastermind of the criminal league chuckled softly, arrogantly prolonging his captive’s suspense. He found it oddly enjoyable to watch a man cower in fear and suppressed rage at his sheer power and control. It was almost a bit of a high for him.

At last, Giovanni spoke. “You are here, father, because you are needed. I need your help, your aid in my mission. You are the key to–”

He paused, as a large splatter of saliva splashed against his shoes. His gaze tightened on his father.

“You still disrespect me, after all these years… for that… you must pay…”

Everyone in the room jumped in surprise an instant later, as a thunderous bang rattled the area, tearing open Professor Oak’s shoulder in its wake. Giovanni quickly turned and fired the weapon that had previously been holstered. It seemed to be a blind shot, but it hit its mark, as a terrific grunt and a thud followed moments later.

“That is not how you will make amends,” he continued, wiping away the blood that had splashed against his jacket. He scowled; the stain would be difficult to remove from his clothing. “First… you will serve me. After all your years of disrespect, I will command YOU.”

The aging professor glared back, but it came off as empty defiance in the face of the overwhelming numbers against him. He sneered quickly, retorting with, “You can’t make me serve you. I’ll die before I support your cause.”

If he could have stood up, he would have jumped in surprise as his son began laughing out loud, his voice reverberating throughout the room. “You’d be surprised how loyal my followers are… even the ones who try to resist…”

Without a word, two of his subordinates jabbed hypodermic needles roughly into Professor Oak’s arms, siphoning large amounts of blood from his body in a matter of seconds. Just as quickly they were out of the room, rushing off to a place that the old man prayed they weren’t going.

“Dear God… you really mean to do it… I knew there had to be a reason you took those classes… but never in my wildest dreams…”

Professor Oak looked up. “You’re a fool, my son. All attempts at cloning humans have ended in nothing less than disastrous failures. In the hundreds of government-sponsored laboratories, something has always gone horribly, horribly wrong. And I’m afraid my case will be no different.

Giovanni snorted back. “You’re ‘afraid’ that you’ll be no different? Idiot. It took my scientists a mere six attempts to perfectly recreate a human. And only three more efforts to make one that would serve my every whim. My… techniques… may not be legal, but they work. You’ll see firsthand how the binding laws have slowed humans down. Without those shackles… we are unstoppable.”

Now, for the first time, Professor Oak was truly afraid. If Giovanni found out what was really going on beneath the surface, beyond the odd behavior of a few powerful Pokémon, then he could stop it with ease. The only weapon Oak had left was lack of knowledge. And that had never been his strong suit.

A few hours later, the sun was rising in Luanda, and Ash pulled himself out of his bed before his companions even began to stir. He’d been pondering his upcoming Gym battle the entire night, even as he slept. Now, finally, after a long rest, he had the perfect plan to take out the vicious Raini’s team.

He nearly fell down the stairs of the Pokémon Center, barely catching himself on the rail in the end. Once down, he proceeded to pound the keys of the videophone with the number of Professor Oak. Two rings later, and Ash had a fairly disheveled man on the line.

“Uh… Professor?”

“Hi, Ash. Hm? What’s wrong? Oh, right, never mind. I apologize for my appearance, but I just got through chasing after a group of rogue Tauros in the fields, so…”

“It’s alright. Um… hey, listen; I need some of my Pokémon for my Gym battle today. Would you mind sending them over?”

“Sure!” the Professor replied with a cheeky grin. “I’ll just need the ones you’re planning to exchange.”

Ash gulped. “Er… that’s the thing… I… don’t exactly have all of them with me…”

He could’ve sworn Professor Oak’s face sagged a bit with that last remark. Without a word, though, he and the professor both shrugged it off. “Okay, then, who do you need?”

“I’ll take Tauros, Squirtle, Corphish, and…” He took a minute to reconsider his last choice. Charizard was a Fire type, which would put it at a disadvantage against Water types, which Raini specialized in. Still, Charizard was one of the most powerful Pokémon he had ever trained. “Charizard. Yeah,” he added, mentally firming up his decision.

“Okay, Ash. Let me get your Pokéballs. I’ll be just a minute.” Before Ash could speak a word Professor Oak was off-screen, leaving the steady slapping of footsteps for Ash to hear. Within mere seconds he had reappeared, and quickly transferred Ash’s Pokémon.

At the same time, ten figures were knelt behind Giovanni. One finally spoke the question that had been on his mind throughout the transmission:

“Sir… with all due respect… the boy received the Pokémon. So, what was the purpose of our operation?”

Giovanni groaned as he laid his right hand on his desk. The large leather chair partially obscured his minions’ view of the screen ahead, and of him. “Without the Safari League, Ash Ketchum would have no means of stopping our plans. He has been troublesome from the beginning, but he is now far too powerful. He needs to be stopped.”

His chair swiveled around, and the second gunshot of the day rattled Giovanni’s ears. “And you’ve been of no use to me,” he sighed as the Grunt collapsed to the floor. The crime boss wiped his suit in disgust. “Such miserable filth shouldn’t even be allowed to bleed on me…”

[mistysakura]

Okay, I've finally gotten around to replying...but I really have nothing to say. And so to not make this post spam:

Cloning people? And what would that have to do with the Safari League? Not like Ash can't train if there isn't a league. Unless the cloning has something to do with the league itself... This fic is really heading into a definite direction now. A bit late at Chapter 42, eh? Did you have a definite storyline when you started writing? Doesn't really matter now anyway, although it would have been better for the fic overall.

Maybe I should stop now.

[mr_pikachu]

ms: Well, initially I had a general idea of where I wanted to go with this, but I got ideas as I was writing, and the pieces started to fall into place. I didn't originally have anything this complex planned, actually. The fic just got deeper and deeper as I thought it over, and now I know exactly the direction I want to go with this. I've known for a little while by now, actually, but I was planning on doing this bit with Oak later. But it fits perfectly into the plot now...

And what does all of this have ot do with the Safari League? You didn't pick up on a few little tidbits I "forgot" to take out of the chapter... eeexcellent. JUst wait until next chapter. It should become very clear, very quickly. I'm already working on it now. Let me just say, if you don't see it coming, you'll be completely shocked by it.

Anyway, I'll definitely take your advice into consideration for my future works. I'll make sure to develop the storyline a lot quicker than this. Thanks; I appreciate it.


Note to others: See? Replies that give advice get longer return replies, so you can bask in the warm glow of importance by giving me relevant advice in the future. Doesn't that just make you feel special?


Also, I'm working on Chapter 43 now. It won't be much longer until you finally see the importance of the last several chapters...

[mr_pikachu]

Okay, I'm posting again, without any more replies, and only four days since the last chapter. Are you suffering from delusions? Have I finally gone insane and starting double posting just to ask witty questions? Or do I actually have another chapter ready?

What do you think?

Get ready for another chapter of WDAMO, everyone! Something I alluded to previously will finally be revealed, right here! It's time for Chapter 43!


Chapter 43


“Sir!” Giovanni groaned once more as the footsteps behind him approached. “Sir! I have some information about your operation!”

“Marcus…” The boss glared at the young man before him. “If this is another theory, I could put the bullets in your brain this time…”

The teenager gulped nervously. “N-no, sir, it isn’t that. I decided to tweak the film from the dome incident on my own time–”

“YOU ALTERED MY PROPERTY WITHOUT ORDERS?” his boss boomed. The boy shrunk back, and after considering the option of fleeing, continued.

“Well… yes… I suppose so… but I found some crucial information. The magnetic field disrupted the cameras, so the signals have been blurred for the past few–”

He stopped. The frighteningly familiar revolver was now cocked and pressed against his forehead. “Marcus, tell me something I don’t know now, or you die,” Giovanni growled.

“W-w-well, sir… that guy you’ve been watching… he didn’t have his Pokéballs when he left the area… sir.”

Giovanni’s eyes flashed open. During the conversation between Professor Oak and Ash, the boy mentioned that he didn’t have all of his Pokémon with him… the criminal boss mentally cursed himself for overlooking such an obvious remark. The legendaries… was it possible that they were still missing?

Everyone in the building cringed as yet another bullet was fired from Giovanni’s gun. In seconds, Giovanni had called several members of his staff.

“Get a search area to the eastern border of Luanda, now. Yes, NOW, damn it!”

Back in Luanda, Ash had just stepped into the Luanda Gym for the second time, anxiously waiting for the chance to try his strategy against Raini. Sure, his Pokémon weren’t his strongest, but that couldn’t matter. After all, he’d prevailed with worse odds before.

On the opposite side of the field, Raini stepped in. Strangely enough, this was not the familiar, hotheaded, cruel Raini they’d seen before. If it was possible, she was now worse, bearing an unearthly scowl that made even Ash step back. Her sky-blue bikini was still a distraction for Brock, but Ash kept his mind off it, reminding himself that he had much more important things to worry about now.

“So, Ash,” she began, “your pitiful friend was able to pull off a miracle against my team. Think you can do the same?”

“Raini, you don’t stand a chance today!” Ash retorted. With the strategy he had laid out, he truly believed that comment.

“Bring it,” she grunted, pausing only to toss a Pokéball into the arena. The form of a long, elegant Dewgong formed in the water, and it was all Ash could do to keep from smirking.

‘Okay,’ he thought. ‘Charizard’s Flamethrower should be able to turn the water in that center pool into vapor. Once the field’s to my advantage, stopping Raini’s Pokémon should be a breeze!’

“Get ready, Raini!” Ash cried. “Charizard, let’s go!”

The Pokéball soared into the air, and everyone present eagerly anticipated the emergence of the mighty fire lizard, Charizard. As the ball burst open, Pikachu looked up abruptly.

“Aaab…”

Ash drew back instantly. Everyone in the Gym was in complete shock. Their surprise was compounded further by the fact that Ash’s Pokémon suddenly disappeared without a trace.

“Is this some sort of a joke?” Raini muttered.

“Um… uh… I don’t… I don’t know…”

The Gym Leader sighed. “Well, your Abra just Teleported out of the battlefield… and out of the Gym entirely. That means you forfeit the round.”

“What? But I–”

“Just send out your next Pokémon, Ash. And pray that this one actually obeys you.”

It was all Ash could do to keep from lashing out at Raini, but he merely gritted his teeth and grasped another Pokéball. He’d had a backup plan in case Charizard couldn’t defeat Dewgong, anyway…

But why wasn’t Charizard in his Ball?

“Go, Tauros!” The ball exploded, and the scarlet energy by the edge of the pool formed the familiar shape of…

Magikarp?

“I really hope you’re joking now, Ash…” Raini yelled from across the arena.

“I…” Ash shook his head furiously. “Oh, what the heck is going on here?”

Magikarp was knocked senseless instantly by an Ice Beam, and Ash was forced to rethink his strategy once more. Not that his mind wasn’t on other things, as well.

“Guys…” May began, “just what is going on? Why did Ash send out those two Pokémon? I didn’t even know he had either of those two–”

“That’s because he doesn’t,” Brock interrupted. “Ash has never once caught or used one of those Pokémon, or even any others related to them. Something’s up. And I intend to find out what.”

He jogged out of the Gym, leaving behind cries of “Hey, wait!” and “Where are you going?”

In the meantime, Ash had come up with a solution. The only problem (besides his having already lost two Pokémon) was that every time he tried to send out a Pokémon, something entirely different than what he anticipated appeared.

“Okay… go, Corphish?” he said. It was the first time he’d ever released a Pokémon with a question.

And sure enough, his worst fears were revealed to be true, as his new Dunsparce slithered toward the pool. Before Raini could even issue an attack, the Pokémon fell in, and Ash had to run up and recall it from the depths of the pool before it drowned.

“This is just pitiful,” Raini muttered. She shook her head. “A champion of four different Leagues, and his own Pokémon won’t obey him. Ridiculous.”

Ash clenched his teeth and gripped yet another Pokéball. “Squirtle, this had better be you!”

Sadly, it wasn’t. Geodude appeared above the pool and crashed into the waters below, sinking like… well, a stone. Ash recalled his fourth unconscious Pokémon, and clenched his fists. He had now reached the peak of his frustration. There was no holding it back any longer. Before anyone else recovered from the shock of yet another Pokémon disobeying Ash, he flew into a frenzy.

“What the hell is going on?” he screamed at the top of his lungs. May and Misty both cringed at his sheer volume, as Ash began to rant. “Every Pokémon I send out isn’t even my own! First that Abra, then the Magikarp, then the Dunsparce, and finally that Geodude! Where the heck are my Pokémon? What happened to Charizard, and Tauros, and Corphish and…”

He paused. “…and Squirtle,” Ash whispered to himself, completely inaudible to anyone else in the Gym. He realized it now. It was so obvious! Every Pokémon he’d had transferred from Professor Oak… wasn’t his at all!

Ash pulled his last two Pokéballs from his belt and stared at them. Everything was riding on his last two Pokémon. Somehow, he was going to have to survive Raini’s six Pokémon with two of his that weren’t even evolved. He didn’t even know if Bulbasaur had regained all of its former energy.

But that didn’t matter now. He’d have to have complete faith in his last two Pokémon. There was no other choice. Those two Pokémon were now his last chance to stay in the Safari League.

[ZeldaFan20]

Ooooooookaaaaaaay...I'm at a loss for an explanation! How...I mean when on Earth did Ash recently get new Pokémon---specifically, Pokémon that WEAK??!! Does this have anything to do with that fake Professor Oak? I'm on the edge of my seat, here!

[mistysakura]

Okay, I get half of this now; it's becoming clearer to me. (Spoiler:) Depriving Ash of his best Pokemon, kicking him out of the Safari League... (1, it's just annoying when you click on "Last Page" and see a huge plot twist in someone's reply. 2, I needed a reason to use that tag!) Argh these chapters where there's not much action but so much stuff goes on, they're driving me crazy.

And since there hasn't been much action, I'm short of an innovative reply. Or that's my excuse anyway. Keep those chapters coming!

[mr_pikachu]

Yes! Two replies! ^_^


ZF20: You're really close, there. I'm glad you're excited about this; I thought that nice little plot twist might work. If you want the full extent of the answer that's understandable at this point, reread the end of the chapter. Or, you could just read mistysakura's spoiler... ;


ms: We have ourselves a winner! Okay, you've gotten part of the mystery. More specifically, you've gotten the part of the mystery that's solvable without psychic powers.

You want action? Just wait until next chapter... there's going to be a lot more going on than just a Gym battle... someone's going to be in very hot water... Just know that you won't have that excuse to use next time. I've started working on the chapter already, and it's clearly going to be longer than the last several I've done. (It's already surpassed them, and there's still more I want to add...)


Anyway, the next chapter will be coming soon. Feel free to keep replying, and I'll make sure to respond! See ya then!

[mr_pikachu]

I'm ba-a-a-ack!

Well, I've been on a complete writing tear lately, and believe it or not, the next chapter has been completed! I think you guys'll like it better than the last several, since as I mentioned before, it's about double the length of most chapters in this fic. (In fact, not counting multi-part chapters, I think this is the longest one so far!)

So here it is! Enjoy, and let me know what you think! As I said before, there's a lot going on beneath the surface...

Oh, I almost forgot my earlier promise. This fic includes some violence and blood, though it's nothing too major, IMO. Well, without any further ado, here's the next chapter!


Chapter 44


“Nurse Joy!” Brock yelled, crashing through the automatic double doors and landing in a heap at the Pokémon Center entrance. He had run a considerable distance from the Gym, and was noticeably tired, wheezing and coughing occasionally.

As Joy cautiously approached Brock, he tried to crawl over to her, his eyes practically begging for her to listen. Instead, he received a kick in the face, and crashed to the floor in pain.

“Nurth Joy?” he whimpered, before he saw where her hand was headed…

To the carving knife on the counter behind her.

“Pleath… Nurth Joy…” he stammered, forcing himself to his feet as the formerly kindly nurse advanced on him. Blood shot out of his nose as he exhaled sharply, leaving a splatter across his shirt. But that was the least of his worries now.

She didn’t respond. She merely glared at him with cold, unfeeling eyes that Brock had never seen in a Nurse Joy before. Much darker than when he had seen this Joy earlier, as well. Was it all a façade? Was this her intent all along?

Giovanni laughed at Brock’s confusion. Soon, it wouldn’t matter. Soon his plans would finally come to fruition.

From his dark office, he tapped a button on his desk, prompting a flood of outdoor noises to fill the room. Birds chirping, wind blowing, and people cursing were just a few of the sounds that met the criminal lord’s ears.

“Status report,” he spoke into the microphone on his desk. One could clearly hear the gasps of surprise from the other end.

“Master Giovanni, sir! Um, we’ve been searching the area for the past 20 minutes, but there hasn’t been any trace–”

“Don’t tell him that!” someone on the other end whispered to the man Giovanni had spoken to. “Just… tell him we’re getting closer, or something!”

“Hold on, we’re picking up a signal…” the man lied. “This could be a strong lead. The metal detectors are picking up an object somewhere in this vicinity. We’ll have those Pokéballs to you soon, sir!”

“Good to hear it.” Giovanni’s eyes narrowed even as he spoke. “You know I always reward success.”

“Thank you, sir!”

“Over and out.”

Unfortunately for Giovanni’s searchers, anything that they heard, he could hear whenever he cared to listen. He spun the chamber of his revolver in a sort of dark amusement.

“People who conspire to lie to me, on the other hand, receive a bullet in the mouth. ‘Honesty is the best policy,’ after all.”

He switched the sound back on for his surveillance in Luanda. Brock had backed out of the double doors and was taking timid steps backward onto the pavement. Nurse Joy, on the other hand, held the knife aloft and stalked Brock, as if waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

“Nurse Joy… y-you really don’t want to do that… just put the knife down… I’m not gonna hurt you…” Brock honestly didn’t think he could hurt Nurse Joy, even if he wanted to. For one thing, he’d always had a not-so-secret crush on the redheaded family, and harming a family member wasn’t exactly the best way to win approval. And for another, if Nurse Joy really was intent on attacking him with a knife, he didn’t think there was much of anything he’d be able to do about it.

“Do it!” Giovanni hissed into the microphone. “Now!”

With that word, Nurse Joy charged at the Pewter Gym Leader, arms tense and prepared to stab Brock if she got close enough. Brock, on the other hand, turned and ran for his life, screaming and intentionally trying to draw as much attention as possible.

Across town, Ash was contemplating his next move. Dewgong still lay in the pool, completely unharmed, and he had only two Pokémon remaining. Considering that Bulbasaur was a Grass type, and Dewgong used mostly Ice attacks, he figured Bulbasaur wasn’t exactly the ideal Pokémon to use. That left only one choice.

“Pikachu, go!” he shouted, pointing his finger directly at Dewgong.

“Finally, a Pokémon that’ll obey you,” Raini sighed. “Well, it won’t do you any good. Dewgong’s Ice attacks will freeze your Pikachu like a rat trapped in an ice chest!”

“You think so? Then why don’t you try attacking?”

Raini opened her mouth to call out an attack, but then she paused. True, Ash’s first four Pokémon were weaklings that wouldn’t even obey. But Pikachu obviously would, and Ash was one of the craftiest trainers she’d ever seen. He’d come up with so many different strategies in battles off the top of his head that most trainers were scared to even face him. And his Pikachu was one of the most powerful Pokémon he’d ever trained. It would definitely be a threat. She had to approach this battle with caution.

“Dewgong, use Ice Beam!”

“Now, Pikachu!”

The electric rodent sprinted across the floor with blinding speed, not bothering to stop at the water’s edge. He dashed straight across instead, his tiny feet moving fast enough to propel him along the surface of the water. Once he reached Dewgong, he slammed into it and attacked with a close-range Thunder. The Sea Lion Pokémon crashed into the water, having never gotten the opportunity to charge its Ice Beam. Pikachu was propelled back toward the edge of the pool by the collision, and landed with graceful ease.

Raini begrudgingly recalled her fallen Pokémon, instantly coming up with another Pokéball to counter Ash’s strategy. She tossed it over the land portion of the field nearest her, and Quagsire burst out, ready to take Pikachu down.

“I don’t make the same mistake twice, Ash,” Raini yelled. “Quagsire’ll stay on dry land this time, thank you!”

“Who ever said I’d be trying to electrify Quagsire? Pikachu, come on back for now!” Ash called back. His starting Pokémon zipped back across the battlefield in response, and Ash clutched his other remaining Pokéball.

“Let’s do it, Bulbasaur!” he cried. Bulbasaur exhaled sharply out of its nostrils, as if it was a bull preparing to charge.

“Razor Leaf!”

“Water Pulse!”

Bulbasaur fired a flurry of leaves from its sides, while Quagsire countered with a thin wall of water. The leaves smashed into the liquid, obliterating its foundation, so that it did little more than sprinkle Bulbasaur. The leaves, however, also floated to the ground, having been blocked by the powerful barrier.

“Vine Whip!”

“Dive, Quagsire!”

Bulbasaur’s vines shot across the arena, but Quagsire moved faster, launching itself into the center pool. The Grass type then proceeded to throw his vines into the water, but Quagsire dodged each blow with surprisingly agile underwater swimming. Bulbasaur wasn’t helped by the fact that the water was slowing down his Vine Whip considerably.

“I only meant Quagsire would stay on land when Pikachu was out. The water gives me the advantage against Bulbasaur!”

Much to Raini’s surprise, Ash shot his arm out and fired the Pokéball beam, recalling Bulbasaur. Before the Gym Leader could utter a word, Ash yelled, “Thunderbolt, now, Pikachu!”

With one quick burst of electricity, the arena was flooded with light and sparks. Both of the female spectators grabbed at their hair when it began to rise upward from the static, while Gary merely looked on, expectant of the events to follow.

When the blast subsided, everyone present could see that a large amount of water had been splashed out of the pool, and that Quagsire was now belly-up at the surface.

“Not bad, Ash,” Raini said as she recalled her Pokémon. “After that hideous display earlier, you actually knocked out two of my Pokémon in a row. Sort of impressive, I guess.

“But you’re still down to two Pokémon, Ash, both of whom must be getting tired by now. And I know who both of them are. On the other hand, you have no idea what my next four Pokémon might be. I just may have a surprise in store for you.”

Ash cringed at this last remark. Knowing Raini, she must’ve seen Pikachu out of his Pokéball before, and probably took extra precautions specifically to counter his strengths, and to take advantage of his weaknesses. That meant his only trump card was Bulbasaur, and he’d already tipped his hand.

“Go, Kingdra!” she cried. Ash cursed under his breath. Of all the Pokemon she could’ve picked, that was probably the worst one for Ash. Kingdra was a Dragon type as well as a Water Pokémon. That meant that both Electric and Grass attacks wouldn’t affect it very much. But Ash had no choice at this point. He had to go for broke.

“Pikachu, use your Thunderbolt!” he screamed.

“Hail, now!”

As Pikachu prepared to send a streak of electricity Kingdra’s way, a large cloud formed above the Gym floor. Before Pikachu could make a move he was pelted by a spray of large ice chunks and was knocked to the floor. The fierce hailstorm was unrelenting, and as much as he tried to get back up, he couldn’t move an inch from where he stood.

Ash raised his arm to shield himself from the weather, and he quickly began to bleed from the biting hail. He squinted to see that his Pokémon was in dire straits. “Agility, Pikachu!”

Raini smirked. “That won’t save you.”

Pikachu finally leapt to his feet and charged ahead, but was knocked on his back by a particularly large piece of hail. His face was bombarded with shards of ice, and the desperate Thunder attack he launched to keep them away only made the attack subside for a second.

“Let’s end this. Ice Beam, now!”

Before he could even move, Pikachu was completely frozen in a block of ice. Ash somberly recalled him to his Pokéball (since he couldn’t make it out onto the field now), and groaned to himself. Having Bulbasaur out would be worse than having Pikachu in the battle, since the Grass type would actually be weaker against the Hail attack than Pikachu was. Unless…

“Bulbasaur, go!” Ash shouted, tossing his Pokéball into the sea of ice. “Sunny Day!”

Raini drew back instantly. Sunny Day? Bulbasaur could learn that move with a Technical Machine… she’d completely forgotten that countermeasure. And when the sun came out…

The hail instantly subsided. Raini tried to order another Hail attack, but it was already too late.

“Solarbeam!”

Bulbasaur blasted Kingdra into the side of the pool with his supercharged Solarbeam, and Raini grimaced. Kingdra was one of her very best Pokémon for combating Grass types. And now that it was defeated, she stood little chance of stopping Bulbasaur.

And then she realized it. She’d forgotten about it in all the commotion, but she did have another idea… it was just lucky that she’d chosen that particular Pokémon for her lineup.

‘Okay,’ she thought. ‘Ash thinks he has me in a tight spot, now. Water Pokémon are traditionally weak against Grass types. But I’ve got a Pokémon that’s so unique, it’ll completely turn the tables on that Bulbasaur…

‘Ash is confident now, I’m sure. If I boost his confidence a little more, he may let his guard down. That’ll be the perfect time to strike.’

“Well, Ash,” she finally spoke, “You’ve taken down three of my Pokémon now. But do you think your Bulbasaur can take my last three alone?”

“You’d be surprised how well Bulbasaur and I can work together. We’ll beat you yet, Raini. Bulbasaur and I will win!”

Raini held back a smirk. ‘Perfect. My next two may be at a disadvantage to Bulbasaur… but my last Pokémon will blow you away, Ash!’

“Let’s get this party started, then!” Raini yelled, drawing another Pokéball from her belt. “Go get ‘em, Starmie!”

As the starfish appeared above the water, Raini smirked. ‘Go ahead, Ash. Do everything you can to take down my next two Pokémon. It won’t even matter… because you’re as good as toast!’

[mistysakura]

It's not that long... an okay chapter though. I still think it's a bit weird how Pikachu and Bulbasaur took out three of Raini's Pokemon so quickly. Especially Dewgong, which was one-hit-KO'ed. From May's battle, I had an impression that Raini's Pokemon could take quite a bit more than that.

Aside from that, the strategies were interesting; I predicted how Quagsire would go down, actually, and Ash could really use Pikachu's strong electric attacks to his advantage. The quick switches were essential too.

And the other bit in the chapter... uh oh.

[mr_pikachu]

ms: Well, you have to remember that Ash has been training with Pikachu for many years by now, a lot longer than any of May's Pokemon. And Pikachu did most of the damage, too. But that doesn't mean he can't be stopped... it just means it'd be a trying task. I agree that the KO's were a little quick, though... let's just say Pikachu hit Dewgong when it was distracted. Wouldn't you be distracted if you had to charge up an Ice Beam attack?

Wait, that didn't make much sense. Never mind. ^^;;

I also wanted to show just how much Ash had improved in his tactics; the switching Pokemon helped me demonstrate how desperately he had to knock out Raini's first few Pokemon. After all, 6 on 2 isn't exactly the fairest fight in the world.

Brock's definitely in serious trouble. I told you someone would be in hot water! And I actually checked; that was almost a page longer than any other single-part chapter on my computer. It reads really fast, doesn't it? I'm almost a little ashamed of the miniscule length of my chapters (which has been commented on numerous times by you all). I'm determined to change that whenever I work on a future project. And I'll be making a decided effort to make all following chapters in this fic longer than before, as well.

[.hacker]

I was searching around the forum when I received a "suggestion" to read "What Dreams Are Made Of". Several hours later, I managed to read all 40+ chapters. This has been an emotional rollar coaster. Please keep up the good writing, and I'll continue to read on.

[mr_pikachu]

Mr. Tsukasa: Hello, there. Nice to see you've finally managed to read the entire thing, Sean. (To everybody else: Yes, I know him IRL.) I'm glad you're enjoying this, and I'll definitely continue to write.

And btw, there were no "suggestions" on the forum to read WDAMO. I suggested it to you IRL. Don't make my readers think I'm advertising here. Glad to have you as a reader, and please stay for the rest of the ride!


Everyone: I'm working on Chapter 45, but I'm a little stumped by how to do the battle scene(s). It'll be out soon, though. I've just gotta keep working on it. These power outages don't help, though... *curses weather*

[mr_pikachu]

Well, after editing this chapter six or seven times (literally), I think it's finally ready to be introduced to you all, the readers. Some of you have complained about the numerous cliffhangers... there won't really be much of a problem with that this time, as several things will be resolved. Of course, the mystery will deepen further as well... but at least some questions will be answered for you.

Without further ado, here is the next chapter!

Oh, btw, it contains some violent scenes and blood, as well as some minor language. Viewer discretion is advised for those who are very faint of heart. If you don't want to read this chapter and need a summary, just post here and I'll edit it into the end of this post for you. Alright, here we go!


Chapter 45


“Solarbeam, Bulbasaur!” Ash yelled. At this point he had to shield his eyes to see anything – the mystical light coming from the ceiling was so bright, he was nearly blinded by now.

Thankfully, Bulbasaur could still see perfectly fine, and he fired his Solarbeam straight into the Starmie’s core gem. It was knocked out without a fight, and Raini swiftly recalled it.

‘Just a little bit more, Ash,’ Raini thought. ‘You’re already grinning ear to ear… I’m sure you’ll be ecstatic if you can beat my next Pokémon…’

“Go, Midas!” she shouted. “Confusion attack!”

Bulbasaur groaned in misery as he tried to resist the force lifting him off the ground, but it was to no avail. He flew toward the ceiling, waving his legs as an instinctive reaction to his sudden flight.

Ash quickly studied his surroundings. The walls were covered with old Pokémon bones, and the stone ceiling was completely flat. Bulbasaur would quickly be crashing into the stone surface, unless…

“Bulbasaur!” Ash shouted as he pointed to a sharp horn protruding from the side wall. “Use Vine Whip! Resist that Confusion!”

Raini drew back as Bulbasaur wrapped his vines around the old horn. He strained immediately upon attaching himself to the bone; Midas’ confusion was a force to be reckoned with. Ash and Raini both clenched their teeth as they waited to see who would win the struggle. However, Raini broke the tense silence before Ash could think to issue another order. “Stop your attack, Midas!”

Ash blanched. With nothing holding Bulbasaur in the air, he’d crash into the water… and if he tried to pull himself away from the pool with his vines, he’d land outside of the battlefield… Ash had his doubts about whether Bulbasaur could swim, too. The situation was hopeless. He could only try a desperate ploy to stay in the match.

“Take Midas down with you! Vine Whip!”

Now it was Raini’s turn to be shocked. Bulbasaur crashed into the water and sank quickly, but his vines pulled Golduck under with him. Although Golduck could swim easily, he couldn’t break free of Bulbasaur’s hold, and breathing underwater was out of the question. He struggled in vain to wrench himself out of the vines, but to no avail.

Bulbasaur clamped his mouth firmly shut, determined not to take in any water. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as he held his ground at the base of the pool, locking Midas within his grip. Just as he began to feel slightly faint he heard a muffled voice come from above. If the water had been any deeper he wouldn’t have been able to hear the “Raor Lehh!” at all. Bulbasaur thought quickly. ‘Raor lehh… raor lehh… Razor Leaf?’ It was his only chance, so he fired a few choice shots at the Golduck he held captive, slicing through his sides and nearly knocking him out of the vines. Midas went limp quickly, and Bulbasaur allowed him to float safely up to the surface to be recalled.

Ash had troubles of his own, though. As he’d thought, Bulbsaur was incapable of swimming to the surface, leaving him with a quandary. If he recalled his Pokémon, Bulbasaur would be safe, but he’d forfeit the match. But if Bulbasaur stayed underwater, he’d faint before having the chance to win. That left only one option. Ash would have to get him out of the water without recalling him. And he had to do it fast.

But how? It wasn’t as if Bulbasaur could just float up to the surface and swim to dry land. His stubby legs were far too short for that. Ash racked his brain, desperate for any hope of staying in the battle. His arms dropped to his sides, his hands shaking from the tension. As he grumbled, a familiar light obscured his eyesight.

Of course! It was all too obvious… Bulbasaur’s earlier technique could help him again! “Solarbeam on the floor of the pool!” Ash smiled slightly. If all went according to plan, Bulbasaur’s beam of energy would shoot him out of the pool and back into the battle.

Unfortunately, such ingenious plans almost never work as they’re supposed to. It took a few seconds for Bulbasaur to recognize the muted command his trainer had issued. Plus, once it was clear what he was supposed to do, he struggled to point his bulb at the floor, as he had to tilt it drastically to even reach a wall of the pool. To top it off, he was having trouble collecting the energy properly, as the water was refracting the light into the walls and away from him.

Raini chuckled as Ash stared, wide-eyed, at the pool. Miniature bubbles were beginning to float to the surface, and it was clear that Bulbasaur was having trouble holding his breath for this length of time. If it had been a different situation, the Gym Leader probably would have laughed out loud once the Solarbeam propelled Ash’s poor Grass type into the wall of the pool and out on Raini’s side. By now he was battered and barely conscious, and Ash struggled to resist the urge to recall him immediately.

Raini’s words reminded him of what was at stake as he began to reach for Bulbasaur’s Pokéball. According to Luanda Gym rules, you may only challenge this Gym once. He drew his hand back at the memory, and yelled for his Pokémon. “Bulbasaur! Can you still battle?”

Ash’s last hope winced as he forced himself to stay conscious. “Bul… ba…” It was no good. Ash grabbed the Pokéball, now certain that Bulbasaur wouldn’t be able to continue. It could barely even muster the energy to respond, so there was no way it could put up a decent fight against whatever Pokémon Raini had left.

Pokémon, however, will not give up a fight so easily. Bulbasaur struggled to his feet before glancing back at his trainer. He was holding the Pokéball out… the beam shot out at Bulbasaur, and Ash closed his eyes, knowing full well that he was about to fail in his Safari League quest.

The next second passed in a blur. Bulbasaur pushed his vines under him, thrusting himself into the air. He retracted the appendages just as the crimson beam whizzed by, narrowly avoided being recalled.

Ash opened his eyes to see his Bulbasaur still out and landing painfully on the ground, facing Raini. It couldn’t be possible. Bulbasaur didn’t actually want to keep battling, did he?

Raini just laughed. The shrill sound made all others in the room cringe, and she sneered wildly at Ash. “You’re going to wish you had recalled Bulbasaur, Ash.” She continued to laugh, now tossing a Pokéball in the air as well. “You’ll need a spatula to get it off the floor when this Pokémon’s done!”

At first glance, the Pokémon that had been revealed looked to be no more than a run-of-the-mill Staryu. Then Ash looked closer. The new battler was darker than a typical Staryu, and its core gem was a deep brown instead of the usual red.

“Time for Starblaze to roast Bulbasaur!” she shrieked. The three spectators could only stare at Raini as she continued to laugh, thoroughly scaring all of them with her crazed antics. Something was wrong here…

“Starblaze?” Ash mumbled. He’d heard of a variation of Staryu… could this be the rare Pokémon he’d heard of?

May pointed her Pokégear at the new creature. “This Pokémon is known by several names, depending on the region, but is most widely accepted as Starblaze. It is only found near areas of abundant hot springs and volcanoes. Starblaze is a highly powerful Water and Fire type. It has been endangered since 2001. Do not attempt to catch this Pokémon. If you see anyone possessing this Pokémon, please contact your local authorities immediately.”

“What the…” Ash started. He was completely stunned. “You own an endangered Pokémon? Do you even know how many laws you’ve broken by catching it?”

Raini grinned. “Answer: None. I caught Starblaze during my travels in South America, which ended in 1999, well before Starblaze was endangered. This guy was a pain to catch, but it was well worth it.”

“You…” Ash snarled. “Even if you have a Starblaze, I’ll still take you down! You can’t beat Bulbasaur’s spirit!”

“We’ll see!” Raini spat. “Flamethrower, now!”

Ash cursed as Starblaze began to rapidly spin. Any fire attack would take out Bulbasaur at this point. His only chance was to evade the attack. “Vine Whip the floor, Bulbasaur!”

Bulbasaur weakly shot himself into the air, but Raini wasn’t through. “Aim the Flamethower into the air, Starblaze!”

The hovering starfish responded by tilting itself back and blasting the inferno through the tips of its legs. The flame streams quickly connected, forming a swirling energy attack.

“Vine Whip the ceiling!” Ash yelled, and Bulbasaur fired his vines upward on the command. The vines pushed him back down to the floor, where he crashed in a heap. The flames proceeded to char his extended vines, leaving him extremely weak.

‘I’m only gonna get one shot at this,’ Ash thought. ‘This is it!’

“Synthesis!”

Raini’s fists clenched. If Bulbasaur could successfully perform a Synthesis technique, he’d recover enough energy to fight back. And if Starblaze was beaten…

She paused. Then she’d be free… she’d be able to live in peace at last, knowing that she’d failed… or she might die. But was death better than living as a slave?

She didn’t have much time to think. Bulbasaur cried his name, glaring with renewed strength at his opponent. She had to act fast, if at all. “Fire Blast!”

“Solarbeam!” Ash screamed back.

Now was the moment of truth. The still-effective Sunny Day strengthened Fire attacks, while allowing Solarbeams to charge faster. Even if Bulbasaur could get the Solarbeam off in time, the Fire Blast would surely overpower it.

Across town, something entirely different was taking place.

“Help… heeeelllp…” Brock wheezed. He was losing his strength quickly, while the stern Nurse Joy behind him was still going strong. She squeezed the knife ever tighter, racing toward Brock as if she’d been born to run. And to kill, for that matter.

“Hel… heh… heh…” It was no use. The residents of Luanda simply stared in shock as the scene unfolded before their eyes. They obviously didn’t want to get involved for fear of being hurt.

As Brock lost his balance, a motorcycle careened around the corner ahead of him and screeched to a halt. “Joy! Freeze, now!”

She ran on, apparently not hearing the command of the police officer. Brock had collapsed to the ground, his eyesight blurring. It was just as well; he didn’t want to feel the blade slice through his body. If Joy was intent on ending his life, then maybe there was nothing he could do to stop it.

“Drop the weapon and freeze, dammit!” the officer continued. Joy’s steely glare remained focused on Brock, as she took the final steps to close the gap between them.

A single gunshot rang through all of Luanda, and Joy crashed to the ground, the knife falling from her hands. She smashed against the dirt, a small trickle of burgundy oozing from her forehead.

“Why didn’t you stop?” the officer muttered as he walked over to Joy’s limp form. One quick check of her pulse confirmed his suspicions. He sighed, letting go of her wrist and allowing it to drop onto the road. “Why, after all these years…?”

The gunshot went unheard in the Gym as the two massive attacks thundered toward each other. Bulbasaur’s bulb had blasted the pure-white beam at precisely the same moment that the odd fire symbol burst forth from Starblaze’s core gem. They streaked through the air toward each other, and oddly enough, the room dimmed slightly.

‘Impossible!’ Raini thought. ‘The Sunny Day… it’s gone!’

Indeed, the light had disappeared from above the combatants, and the more powerful Solarbeam blew apart the flames with ease. Starblaze was engulfed in the devastating attack, and quickly grew limp as the energy overwhelmed it.

“Finish this, Bulbasaur! Win the battle with a Razor Leaf!” Raini could only look on as the leaves sliced through Starblaze like daggers, knocking it out and effectively ending the battle.

“Raini! This match is over! I’ve won,” Ash declared, leaving Raini completely stunned. But she couldn’t have been as stunned as Ash was when she began laughing once again for no apparent reason.

“Ash! Ha ha! Take your badge and get out of here! You beat me! Ha!”

Puzzled, Ash could do little more than follow Raini’s directions. He pulled the badge from the large machine in the corner of the Gym, and after glancing back at Raini, walked out with his three companions.

The Luanda Gym Leader sighed happily as she stared into the pool water. Before she knew it, a ringing sound emanated throughout the room. She pulled a cell phone from the strap on her bikini, and proceeded to speak with a gleeful smile on her face. “Hello! Raini here.”

“You worthless piece of trash! How dare you defy me!”

“Why, hello, sir.” She snickered. “It’s a great day today, isn’t it, Giovanni?”

The voice on the other end of the phone couldn’t have been louder if he’d used a bullhorn. “Goddamn it, Raini! You won’t live to regret this, I promise you!”

Her laughing became oddly strained as she fell to her knees, and finally broke her nose on the ground. Giovanni cursed several times before Raini’s phone burst into flames next to her limp body.

[.hacker]

Huh? Raini is working for Giovanni? Is Raini herself or a clone? Apparently, Giovanni has managed to take over the Pokemon Gyms in the Safari League. Another great chapter.

More! Give me more!!!

[mr_pikachu]

Mr. Tsukasa: Wellll... you'll see, about both of your comments. I will tell you that the last part wasn't just a random thing I threw in there. It definitely is there for a reason, one which will be revealed... eventually. Glad you want to see more, and you will before long.

[mistysakura]

This is so infuriating. All these mysteries just taunting us, making us (or me) feel as if we should be able to have a guess at what's going on, attempting to convince ourselves that only psychic powers could solve the mysteries... *holds a staring contest with the computer screen* Reveal your secret! :tongue:

Anyway, that was a really good battle; I was always in doubt about whether Bulbasaur could win, and it was miraculous that Bulbasaur managed to get out of the pool. It did seem a bit unrealistic though, I'd have thought that even if the attacks didn't work on type advantage, Fire Blast would still have overpowered the Solarbeam; Bulbasaur must have been really exhausted. Unless Raini somehow got Starblast to do it on purpose? It was still an exciting battle though.

[mr_pikachu]

ms: Sorry, but I can't reveal everything just yet. And even when you do find out what's with these mysteries, I just might have some more riddles to test you with. I'm so cruel!

Basically with that final attack, I was trying to show the downside of Starblaze. See, it's an endangered Pokemon, so if she used it in battle a lot, it would raise a lot of questions that she wouldn't want. So she couldn't exactly do much training with it. Bulbasaur, on the other hand, has had years of training. There's also the fact that I screwed up mentally and thought that Solarbeam had more power than Fire Blast... but let's not get into that. And yeah, there was sort of that element with Raini. Remember the Synthesis? She had a little mini-debate while Bulbasaur was performing that move. That also helped to really get a lot of his energy back, especially since Sunny Day was still in effect.


Well, I've been working on the next chapter, and Ash is in for one heck of a surprise. Well, except for the "one" part. You'll see.

[mr_pikachu]

Well, it's time for yet another chapter of WDAMO to be revealed! Enjoy!


Chapter 46


Ash walked briskly away from the Gym, anxious to get away from the site of the brutal battles. He took in a deep breath and looked at his badge. His second Safari League badge. Well, it was a start. Only six more to go…

“I can’t believe Gary left,” May muttered. “I thought he liked traveling with us! Besides, doesn’t he need us with him? You’d think he’d have more sense, after getting kidnapped and all.”

“Well, we can’t tell him what to do. I don’t get it either, but it’s his choice, I guess,” Ash responded. He wasn’t sure that he believed his own words, but at least it would offer some sort of explanation for Gary’s abandonment.

“So, um…” Misty began. She didn’t really know how to ask what was on her mind. “What was with all that laughter, anyway?”

Ash looked into the sky, pondering the question. It had been on his mind as well. As soon as he’d beaten Raini she’d started laughing hysterically, almost insanely. There was something about Raini that didn’t seem to fit.

And the battle was perplexing, as well. When Bulbasaur used his Synthesis technique, Raini had ample opportunity to knock him out with Starblaze. Yet she held back, as if she was unsure of her decision. Was she simply questioning her tactics? That didn’t seem right, either. Raini always battled with fierce confidence. The hesitation was very out of character for her.

“I dunno,” Ash stated. May nodded assent, and Misty looked toward the ground. Even though Ash had somehow prevailed in his match, there was a general feeling of despair among the three trainers.

Three trainers. Ash bolted upright. Brock! Where was he? And why had he skipped out on the Gym battle?

“Hey, guys, we’ve gotta find Brock!”

Brock was unaware of how close his friends were as he lay on the dirt road, nearly unconscious. His encounter with Nurse Joy had left him thoroughly drained. He was actually surprised when he began to wake, still living. The young man let out a low moan before forcing himself to sit up.

And then he remembered. Joy. The knife. The chase. The officer. The gun. But he couldn’t remember any more. In fact, he didn’t need to. The officer walked over to him, still shaking his head.

“You okay, there? You must’ve ran quite a ways. You need to go to the hospital, or somethin’?”

After his recent encounter with the Pokémon nurse, he was in no mood to see more physicians. Brock shook his head slowly. The officer next to him furrowed his brow in response.

“You sure? Your nose is bloody, young man. You need to go to a hosp–”

“No!” Brock shouted, releasing all the air in his lungs. He gasped momentarily before continuing. “I’m fine. I just… need to get up…”

Brock slammed his palms against the ground and strained to push himself to his feet. He failed miserably.

“Alright, that’s it. I’m calling an ambulance.” The officer pounded the keys on his cell phone, raising it to his ear afterward. Brock didn’t need or want to hear what the officer was saying, so he tuned him out.

Ash came around the corner of a nearby building just as the policeman hung up the phone. Needless to say, he was more than a little shocked at his friend’s condition. “What the…” he breathed. “What happened to you?”

Brock coughed slightly as Ash ran over to him, closely followed by May and Misty. “I… Nurse Joy… she–”

“You gotta rest,” the officer broke in. “I’ll tell them what happened.

“About ten minutes ago,” he said, looking at his watch, “I got a frantic call saying that Nurse Joy was chasing some guy with a knife. I sped over here on my bike as soon as I heard. It took me a few minutes to find ‘em, because I didn’t expect them to run so fast. But I caught Joy just as your friend fell to the ground. I told her to freeze. She didn’t, so I had no choice. And so,” he pointed to the fallen nurse at this point, “that’s how she ended up like… that.”

Ash’s eyes boggled. Nurse Joy? But he’d just seen her earlier in the day! She was fine then, and certainly didn’t seem to want to hurt Brock. So why would she attack him?

If it was possible, his eyes widened further at the realization that followed. It couldn’t be true.

Could it?

Without a word he sprinted in the direction of the Pokémon Center, leaving his friends behind him. If his theory was correct, there was no time to waste.

“Ash? Where are you… Ash?” Misty’s voice became little more than a whisper behind him as he raced away.

“C’mon, Brock,” May grumbled. “Let’s get you some help.”

Ash reached the Pokémon Center about 20 minutes later, and was completely winded from his mad dash. He’d never run so far in his life. But he had to get word to Professor Oak. Plus, there was another question on his mind, one that had been bugging him ever since his Gym battle had begun.

It took less than three rings for the professor to answer the phone. He once again looked disheveled, and was peering through a pair of very dirty reading glasses at Ash. Even someone like Oak wasn’t immune to age.

“Ash,” he breathed. “What is it?”

Well, Professor… Nurse Joy just went nuts and attacked Brock. Some cop shot her. And Raini started–”

“Raini? Who’s that?” the professor broke in.

”She’s the Gym Leader here. She got real weird after our battle, and Nurse Joy was weird, and so many other strange things have happened… I just…” He couldn’t say any more after his last few rushed sentences. Not only was he out of breath, but he just couldn’t come up with a reason why everything was going crazy around him. Everything and everyone.

“I don’t know, Ash.” Professor Oak adjusted his spectacles. “I’ll try to find out, though. You be careful out there.”

The connection broke off before Ash could ask about the switched Pokéballs, or the now-missing legendary Pokémon. “Professor, I… damn!” He slammed the phone down. “Well, I guess he doesn’t want to talk to me. Stupid–”

The phone rung again before Ash could vent his frustrations in a string of curse words. He picked it up, anticipating Professor Oak to be calling to apologize for the Pokéball mishap.

Instead, an entirely different face appeared on the screen. The thin eyes of Professor Ivy widened slightly at the sight of Ash, but she quickly gave a faint smile.

“Good. It’s you. Saves me the trouble of having Joy get you.” Ash’s eyes turned to the floor at this last remark. “Listen, I have to tell you something important.”

Ash didn’t let her finish. Whatever was on her mind, he had a more important matter to ask about. “Professor Ivy, I need to ask you something.” He didn’t allow time for a reply. “Has Professor Oak been acting… odd, lately?”

The professor’s eyes widened. Somehow she had a feeling she knew what was coming. “Ash… why would you ask something like that?”

“Well, he sent some Pokémon to me earlier, but–”

Ivy inhaled sharply. She spoke very slowly, making sure Ash could hear every bit of what she was about to ask. “What do you mean, he sent you Pokémon earlier?”

Ash gave her a look of utter confusion. “I mean what I said. When I woke up, I had him send me some Pokémon, but they weren’t even mine! And when…”

She was no longer listening to the young trainer. Her focus was now turned to her computer, where she typed furiously. Ash was unable to see what she was working on, but he had a bad feeling about it nonetheless.

“Holy… Ash, listen to me. From now on, transfer all Pokémon you want exchanged to me. Do you understand?”

Ash took a step back in surprise. She was superceding Professor Oak? The Professor Oak? This couldn’t be happening.

“O-okay… but why?”

She glared at him. It wasn’t meant to be a mean glare, or an intimidating one. She just had to make sure he got the point.

“From now on, do not communicate with Professor Oak. Do you hear me? I will take care of everything.”

“What the hell–”

“If you call Elm and Birch, they’ll say the same thing. I will handle your Pokémon from here on out. Got it? And I know all about the situation, so don’t worry about holding back information. The others know, too.”

“But why can’t I talk to Professor Oak? He’s been a part of my journey since the beginning!”

“Not anymore. Trust me, Ash.”

He finally agreed, hanging up the phone shortly afterwards. Ash immediately called the other two professors, just to make sure Ivy wasn’t up to something. They both went pale when he told his story, but they agreed with their associate. Professor Oak was no longer a part of Ash’s quest.

Brock was just settling into a hospital bed when May pulled the officer aside outside his room. “Um… listen, there’s something I need to ask you.”

“Of course. What is it?”

“Well, Raini battled using a Starblaze,” she began. The officer choked momentarily on his coffee as she continued. “They’ve been endangered for awhile, haven’t they? Isn’t it illegal to use them in battle?”

The officer stared intently on the wall in front of him before punching numbers into his cell phone for the second time of the day.

No less than fifteen minutes later, an entire squadron of police officers had burst into the Luanda Gym. “Raini, come out with your hands up! Don’t make us do something you’ll regret!”

There was no response, so the head of the team released two Growlithes. “Sniff her out, boys!”

They walked no more than twenty feet before stopping and studying the ground intently. The floor had been retracted to cover the pool, and it was easy to walk across to Raini’s portion of the field. The dogs stopped at the trainer’s box, barking loudly.

“What the hell…? We should be able to track her down, but all we’ve got…” he focused his stare on the floor, “is a scorch mark…”

“Captain! I’ve got something!” One of the more technologically inclined men was typing on the computer behind Raini’s box. “It’s big… you’ll want to see this.”

He walked swiftly over to him and stared at the screen. “Aw, hell.”

“I think it’s true, sir.”

“Dammit, why do I always have to be the one to find these things? This is crap. The League’s not going to like this…”

[DannyBoy]

Haven't replied to this fic since about page 3 (Totodilelover if you forgot). A lot has happened since then. ONe thing I noticed in your writing was that every chapter you progressed them to become longer and have more in them which is great! I liked how everyone still has the personalitys from the show yet it seems they matured a little bit like Misty.

The latest chapter you has was good. Surprised that Ash doesn't trust Ivy but then again he has good reasons not to. But wierd how Oak isn't apart of his jounrney no more.

Good chapter and I am going to read this more and reply. I've read a few here and there but never replied but I read some more today and replied. See ya!

[mr_pikachu]

ImmortalDreams: Weren't you already ILXT when this started? For some reason I thought you were...

Yeah, I've tried to develop everyone's personalities. I figured that they would change some in the two years between the show and now, so I tried to predict how that would happen. I'm happy to hear you think I've done a good job of it.

Normally Ash would trust Professor Ivy, but this was a bit of a unique situation. After all, she was basically telling him not to trust Oak. That's why he was so confused about it all, and mistrusting in general about the whole affair.

Glad to have you back replying, and thanks for continuing to read!

[DannyBoy]

Your welcome and I didn't become ILXT until May. I was Totodilelover when it starterd because I remember I hadn't used that sn since I was TrainerDan14 when you first signed up here as well and then it was Totodilelover in january around the time you fic started. Confusing but pointless. But I'll keep reading even though it took me long enough to finish what I've missed. And going back reminded me when i went over the chapters of the baby totodiles. See ya!

[mistysakura]

That was a very cool chapter indeed. Although it didn't exactly reveal any new information (or even more mysteries), it's a relief that Ash is heading in the right direction for once. (But knowing you, you'll throw another huge plot twist in and it'll turn out that Officer Jenny's working under Giovanni too. Or something like that.) I think this is the start of the resolving of the situation? Now this is where things get more interesting. I see how Ash would find it hard to trust Ivy, since trusting her would mean distrusting Oak, and he's definitely got more ties with him.

These holidays are really doing good for your writing.

[ZeldaFan20]

Huh? What's going on here? The last chapter said that Giovanni killed Raini somehow, right? So what on earth happened to the body?! I have a theory about what they'll find on that computer...then again, you've always proven me wrong. Update soon.

[mr_pikachu]

ID (ImmortalDreams): Yeah, you're right. I do remember that now. Sorry about the confusion!


Ada (mistysakura): Well, I'm glad you liked it! Things are (sort of) looking up for Ash, even though (and perhaps because) Professor Oak won't be siphoning information from him. Or will he? You'll just have to wait and see... and so will I, for that matter! This may be where things start becoming clear, but this mystery runs very deep, I assure you. No one in this fic knows the full extent of what's going on. They all only understand some aspect of it.

And I'm really glad you think my writing's improving. It has started to feel a bit more professional, instead of plotlines thrown together. But maybe I'm just imagining things, and it'll all end up falling apart. I hope not!


Steph (ZeldaFan20): Yes, Raini is gone, with no trace left. Mysterious, isn't it? Well, she didn't just vanish off the face of the earth, I can tell you that. ...Or did she? Your theory may well be correct, because I've tried to make this part a bit more clearer than the rest of the fic, so your thirst for information will be somewhat satisfied. I'll update as quickly as I can, because I'm anxious to show you what happens in the next chapter. It could change the entire fic! h: I'll leave you with that little teaser.

[mr_pikachu]

Okay... I was just getting ready to post the next chapter, when I realized that I left a stupid plothole in the beginning of the last one! I've changed it so that it makes a little more sense. If you want to read it, the changes are paragraphs 2 and 3 of the last chapter. Those paragraphs weren't there before.

Aaaanyway... I've got the next chapter ready, at least. Hopefully this won't have any problems like the last one! Here we go...


Chapter 47


“Are you certain of this?” the voice on the other end of the phone asked.

“Positive. I wouldn’t be making this call if I wasn’t.”

A groan was heard, and then momentary silence. She finally responded, “Okay, then. I’ll get the Chairman.”

The police commissioner gulped at these words. This was going to disrupt things, big time. “Are you sure that’s necessary?”

“Look, Commissioner Morton, I respect your work. You step into situations most of us wouldn’t dare face. But I know how to do my job. This could be the biggest thing since the plague of ’38. If the Chairman doesn’t hear about this from me, he’ll have my head. I’m off to call him now.” The connection abruptly broke off, leaving the Police Commissioner of Luanda in a state of bewilderment. He’d just set off a chain of events that had the potential to destroy the League.

Soon after, Ash, Misty, and May relaxed outside of Brock’s hospital room as dusk passed over the town. The two girls were soundly asleep, and Ash was on the brink of joining them. They had been through a horrific day, and it was about to get a lot worse. The television was turned on across from them to a news station that none of them particularly cared for. They had heard too much about the legendary Pokémon already, and the repeated rumors were beginning to grate on their nerves. But even that would have been more bearable to Ash than what came up next.

“And reports of an Ursaring terroriz–” The anchorman stopped short of finishing his sentence as his eyes glazed over. He was visibly surprised, and dropped the papers he was holding to the floor. As his partner bent down to pick them up, the suddenly very nervous man stuttered ahead. “Um… we’ve got some breaking news. According to a reliable source from the Safari League, the Chairman is convening a meeting of the Gym Leaders. They are considering… canceling the League’s competition for the year. There is no word on the reason…”

Ash blocked out the rest of what the man said. If the League were canceled, then he wouldn’t have any way to try to determine the reason for the legendaries’ odd behavior. He winced as he thought of the legendary Pokémon, as it was only another reminder of how he lost Entei and Articuno. There was no telling where those two were at this point.

But on the other hand, he had no way to get from place to place anyway. The disappearance of the League-provided Jeep had left them helpless in the middle of Africa. There appeared to be no solution to the problem. If they asked the League for another vehicle, the obvious question would be, “What about the one we gave you?” They couldn’t answer that very well without divulging information about recent events, and doing so would surely prompt some sort of investigation.

May’s newly-returned Pokégear buzzed to awake her from her slumber. She hurriedly flipped it open to see the tired face of Professor Ivy staring back at her intently. “May, please hand the phone to Ash. I need to speak to him.” Before May could object, the woman hastily added, “In private.”

As Ash took the phone, Ivy continued. “Ash, please go downstairs to the Pokémon treatment area. You’ll need my help, and that’s the only place where I can give it to you.” The young trainer complied with the request, taking the steps downstairs three at a time and finally slipping over a wet spot. Ash flew to the floor in a heap. A few seconds later, he finally looked up from his crumpled position on the floor at the “Caution: Wet Floor” sign that stood as if to mock him.

“Ash? Go down to the Pokémon area now. We may not have much time.” Without a further word Ash pushed himself to his feet and jogged to the dull red rooms of the Pokémon care facility.

“Okay, go over to the Pokémon exchange machine.”

He stopped in his tracks. “The exchange machine? But I don’t have any Pokémon I can exchange, now that I can’t talk to Professor Oak. He’s got all of my Pokémon.”

“That’s why you’re not going to get any of your Pokémon. You’ll be receiving some of mine.”

Ash was now officially startled. “Your Pokémon? But why would I need yours? Couldn’t I just catch some more like I did in Hoenn, or something?”

Professor Ivy responded with a piercing glare. “Ash, you do not yet comprehend the gravity of this situation. You’ll soon find out, but until then, you must trust me. I’m sending over the Pokémon right now.”

Ash merely stared dumbly at the machine as four Pokéballs appeared on its surface. He placed them on his belt before turning to the Professor once again.

“What Pokémon did you send me, Professor Ivy?” He looked at the screen strangely. “Professor Ivy?”

He was now looking at a blank screen, with no sign of the Professor on it. He groaned before placing it back into his pocket and walking slowly back to his friends.

Giovanni was watching these events very closely. “Are you in position?” he spoke into a small microphone.

A strange crackling was heard for a few seconds before the human response came. “Yes, sir. We’re ready on your command.”

He growled in delight. “Excellent. Prepare yourselves. You have the entire advantage, but prepare for a fight. It won’t be as easy as you think. He’s done this before, mind you.

She sighed. “Yes, sir. We’ll handle it. You can count on us.”

“Over and out.”

Only a second later in the Luanda hospital, all hell really did break loose. Without warning the entire building burst into flames, leaving Ash horribly confused and confined to the stairs.

He cursed aloud. “How am I supposed to get out of this? I don’t have any Pokémon with me that can fight fires!” Ash stopped just before he prepared to try to jump through the blaze. The raging crimson nearly scorched his face as he thought. “Or do I…?”

He slowly looked down at the four new Pokéballs on his belt. “I hope Professor Ivy sent me good ones… let’s see. This one feels right.” The heat quickly made him begin to perspire, and he wiped his brow out of annoyance. He finally grabbed the Pokéball on his far right and threw it just short of the inferno. “Go, whatever you are!”

For once, Ash was happy to see a Gyarados appear. The gigantic serpent wasted no time in dousing the fire, flooding the entire hospital with multiple Hydro Pumps in seconds. There was no doubt that some people were probably hurt by the attack, but it couldn’t have been worse than being burned to death.

“Ash!” a voice from upstairs called. May and Misty were staring into his eyes, unsure of just what was going on. The two of them had dragged Brock from his bed, and were now supporting the burned and drenched breeder as he struggled to stand. Ash hastily recalled Gyarados as May spoke again. She never even seemed to notice the massive beast that had single-handedly put out the fire. “What’s going on?”

“I dunno. Something caused a fire here, but I’m not sure what. It was like it spread everywhere instantly. But I don’t know any Pokémon that can do that!”

Misty gasped. “But I do, Ash. We’ve got to get outside in a hurry!”

They had soon escaped the building, despite the frantic people who crowded the halls of the hospital. There was no mistaking what they saw next, even though they struggled to believe it.

Two figures stood in the distance. They were hardly menacing, but the Pokémon by their side were. The legendary Entei and Articuno were slightly slumped over with frustrated obedience. Ash yelled in fury at the two people behind the legendaries.

“You!” he screamed. “I don’t believe it!”

Articuno responded by firing a stream of ice at the building, shutting it off completely from the outside. Before Ash could grab a Pokéball Entei was inches away from him, roaring menacingly.

“So, you’ve finally got yourself trapped, Ash. How does it feel to be helpless?”

Ash would have whirled around if Entei hadn’t tackled him to the ground. He raised a paw for a final attack, but he would not succeed. The legendary flew forward from a massive stroke of lightning and whipped his body so that he could face his attacker.

“Ugh,” Ash moaned as he struggled to stand. “Thanks, Pika… chu?” Staring at him was not the tiny mouse he was used to battling alongside, but its far smaller counterpart: Pichu.

“Thought I’d help you for a change. Now let’s blow these two away!” she cried.

“Easier said than done,” the distant woman laughed. “Two on two against Entei and Articuno? You’ll be done before you call an attack!”

May blinked as she stared at their two adversaries. Misty ran up from behind her, and the two simultaneously yelled, “What the heck?”

“No way…” Misty mumbled. “But I thought… I should have known!”

[ZeldaFan20]

Good news: Entei and articuno are finally back.

Bad news: WHAT ARE THEY DOING?! And just WHO exactly is controlling them?

So the League may be cancelled, huh? Considering what's going on, I'm not that surprised. I'm just glad to see that Ash finally has some decent Pokémon with him---even if they're still not his own.

Take your time with the next chapter, but I really want to find out what happens next!

[mr_pikachu]

Steph (can I call you that?): Yeah, they're back, and they're back with a vengeance. Just who is controlling them just might surprise you. Hehe... I left a little "Easter Egg" several chapters ago, and no one caught it. It's a big, big clue as to who's using the two legendaries!

Yeah, the League may well be cancelled. It's not every day that a prominent Gym Leader is murdered and kidnapped, and you find out about her "secrets". But Ash's new Pokemon had better be useful, or he's toast!

I'll definitely make this next chapter the best that I can. Until then...

[mistysakura]

I am now utterly confused. Entei and Articuno are back... and although at first glance it seems that they're under Giovanni's control, you said that the identity of the person would surprise us. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to go and hunt for the Easter Egg (would probably miss it anyway.)

So Entei and Articuno are back, and Ivy's somehow predicted the attack on the building. That makes things very interesting. Unless she planned it herself, of course. But then, it doesn't make sense that she would give Ash Pokemon to defend against it. Imagination going wild here.

Next chapter's going to be good? Cool.

[mr_pikachu]

Ada: Well, I suppose confusion can be good... sometimes. The identity will probably surprise a lot of you, because... *clamps mouth shut* I can't say anything... this is frustrating for me, too!

Ivy knew about the impending attack, sort of... you'll find out eventually. (That seems to be my favorite word in this fic: "eventually". ) I'm glad your imagination is working overtime. That's a good sign, methinks.


Well, I'm off to work on the next chapter (and reply to a dozen other fics in the process). Until then!

[ZeldaFan20]

Sure, you can call me that. That's just my nickname, but I mostly prefer to be called that anyway .

[DannyBoy]

Wow, Articuno and Enti got them trapped. I agree with MS on the Ivy idea. I think if anything she might be apart of the whole thing. Never did like her to much. Wonder what other pokemon Ash has in the three remaining pokeballs. Can't wait to find out. See ya!