Edit (4/29/03): I've changed the chapter title. I have no idea, but this was inspired by Dr. Thinker's suggestion. Don't ask. =/
Foreword: Okay, so THAT'S reason number one for "Why I hate Fanfiction.net". Tyrannical admins who think "running an efficient site" means putting a ban on just about any sort of fic that happens to be remotely fun(ny). -_- Though I understand why they wouldn't want interactive fanfics that use the review option as a message board, I still have one thing to say to whoever deleted the third of my fanfiction (the first being "How Pokémon Characters Would Eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup" and second being "Fun Things to Do at a Backstreet Boys Concert", both posted WAY before those damn restrictions suddenly came to be), and that is simply, "BITE ME!"
(In case you think THAT'S out of line, I highly suggest you don't read my "Tamashii/Fanfiction.net" fics, Dreaded Cyber Black Hole of DOOM! and Tamashii Strikes BACK!. ^_^;)
So, that, plus the fact that I've gotten a sudden addiction to Secret of Mana (on midnight a few nights ago: "Must... Get... Past... Haunted... Woods! DIE, CHOBINS!!!" -- and two nights before that: "Aww... What a cute little thing! Rabite, right? Hello, little fellow... GAH! IT'S NOT FRIENDLY!!!") caused me to slack off a bit, but hey, at least I've got this chapter up. ^_^;
All that babbling aside, here's episode fifteen!
---
Episode 15--
Burning Love
There was an unsettling silence between the three humans and one Pikachu. No one moved. No one said anything.
Finally, Bill and Jude glanced at each other, reluctant to do much else.
"What? What's wrong?" Ash finally inquired. "Why won't you answer my question?"
Bill sighed. "Well, if Zero wants him to join us, might as well tell him."
"Right. You do the talking," Jude said as she sat in a chair and leaned back.
"Uh... Well..." Bill paused for a moment and looked at the ceiling as he tried to think of a simple way to put what he had to say. "Well, you see..."
"What's a shifter?" Ash repeated.
"I suppose... It's best to start from the very beginning," Bill told Ash before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "About one year and two months ago, I was developing an upgrade to the Time Capsule. Unfortunately, when I tested it, nothing happened. That's when I fell inside, and... I suppose my body absorbed some of the coding. Right then, I became a shifter, one who shifts or transfers their mind and soul out of their body and into one of a Pokémon's."
"Cool...!" Ash released a breath in awe.
Jude rolled her eyes.
"Even Pikachu?" Ash inquired.
"Actually..." Bill put his hands behind his head and looked toward the ceiling. "I've already done that."
"Huh? MY Pikachu?" Ash blinked in disbelief.
"Yes."
"When did that happen!?"
"Uh... Well..."
"Uh, Bill? Get to the important point," Jude told him, suddenly bored.
"Right." Bill nodded to his younger sister before turning back to Ash. "You see, I've been getting help from a friend of mine, Ziggy Alpha, and a mysterious girl named Zero. Zero seems to have some sort of ESP, and she recently told me that you would come here and that I had to turn you into a shifter as well to go along with our destinies."
"Woah..." Ash blinked and set Pikachu down.
"Bill, I think you just overwhelmed the rookie," Jude said. "Congratulations."
Bill ignored her and went on. "Being a shifter isn't easy. During each shift, you're expected to aid and protect a human being. This takes skill, determination, courage, and intelligence. You don't have to become one if you don't feel you can stand up to the sort of pressure shifts can place on you."
"No way! I WANT to be a shifter," Ash replied.
"Are you positive?"
"Yeah!"
Bill paused for a moment, sighed, and turned to boot up the computer. As soon as he did, however, Ziggy appeared.
"Hey! What's up?" she asked cheerfully.
"Not now, Ziggy," Bill said as he accessed certain programs. "This is important."
"W-wait... THAT'S Ziggy?" Ash inquired.
"Unfortunately, yes," Bill replied with a smirk.
"Unfortunately?" Ziggy growled. "What do you mean by that!?"
"So... Your friend is a virtual pet?" Ash asked.
"I'm not his virtual pet!" Ziggy snapped, blushing due to finding a double meaning in that.
Bill was about to add something more when Jude cut him off.
"Bill's a computer nerd. It shouldn't be surprising," Jude told Ash.
"Thanks, Jude," Bill muttered sarcastically.
"No problem!"
He gave her a single warning glance before clicking on an object at last. The Time Capsule a bit further away seemed to come to life in light and mechanical sound.
"Alright, it's all set up," Bill said to Ash.
"What do I have to do?" Ash inquired.
"I take it the same thing as I did," the researcher replied. "Simply stand in the Time Capsule and wait while I activate the program. The rest should take care of itself."
"Oh! Okay!"
With a grin, Ash went over and stepped inside the machine. Jude pulled at Bill's sleeve until his ear and her mouth were close.
"Out of curiousity, is there any chance that he'll be transported to another place and time?" she whispered.
"Don't be absurd, Jude," he replied just as softly. "The Time Capsule and all versions of it are specifically designed to transport only PokéBalls. So unless we can fit Ash into a PokéBall, he'll remain in this time and place physically."
"Damn," Jude cursed before another idea came to mind. "Wait... One last question. You don't know if this will really turn Ash into a shifter, do you?"
"No, not really," he admitted. "However, we're about to find out."
He pressed the enter key to activate the machine.
In its familiar display of lights, the Time Capsule activated with Ash inside. A few moments later, the chaos of light and noise died down, and the boy in the center of it vanished.
"Jude, get your equipment," Bill instructed. "You have a new shifter to look after."
"But... I thought I was supposed to look after you!" Jude protested. "Why do I have to handle the rookie?"
Bill sighed. "Just do it."
Jude rolled her eyes and headed off to get her gear.
~~~
Ash slowly woke up and shook his head.
{Woah... Weird...}
He yelped as he heard the change in his voice. He looked around, finding himself in the lap of a thirteen-year-old girl riding in the backseat of a car. She pulled strands of her long, light brown hair behind her ear as her violet eyes sparkled at him from behind large, wire-rimmed glasses.
"Glad to see you awake, Marill!" she said cheerfully.
{Marill? Why would she call me Marill?} Ash asked himself as the girl looked out the window.
"Think, genius. Why WOULD she call you Marill?"
Ash looked over to see Jude.
{How did you get here!?}
"I'm a hologram," she replied. "I'm projected to you to give you information and support, and only you can see and hear me."
{Woah...}
"Right. Anyways, to start you off, Zero decided to give you an easy task. This girl, Amy, is involved with something short of a Romeo and Juliet story. She's in love with a friend of hers, Mikhael*1*, but both of their fathers... Let's just say they don't get along. Your job is to help Amy out by figuring out what's up with their fathers, then get the two together. Got it?"
{Why couldn't I have gotten something cooler?}
"Because you're a rookie who doesn't get to choose his missions?"
{Hey!}
Jude smirked. However, Ash still looked confused.
{Will I be stuck like this forever?}
Jude closed her eyes and shook her head. "Now THAT'S a stupid question. Think, Ash. If shifting were permanent, do you honestly think Bill would be walking around in his human body right now?"
{Oh.}
"Okay, kiddo. You're giving me a headache. Good luck!"
With that, she disappeared.
~~~
"Thank you, oh Princess of Cats,"*2* Bill said sardonically with a sigh, overhearing everything Jude had said to Ash. "Can you be ANY harder on him?"
Jude took off her visor. "Uh... Yes?"
"That was a rhetorical question."
"Whatever."
Bill smirked at his younger sister. "You know... I think you two are perfect for each other."
Jude heard this and abruptly turned, shaking a fist dangerously close to her brother's face.
"Take that back, or you're going to eat this," Jude warned.
He laughed casually and pushed her fist a little bit away from his face. "Relax. I only meant you two have a lot to learn. So, if I paired the two of you up in a partnership, perhaps you can learn from each other. I didn't mean it in a romantic sense, but now that you mention it, you ARE getting a bit red in the face about it..."
BAM!
"Wow, she can hit!" Ziggy commented as her emerald eyes widened and as she watched Bill stumble back in a daze after getting punched in the face by Jude.
"Don't read into it!" Jude snapped.
"I'll remember that," he replied, half recovered from the post-hit daze.*3*
~~~
Night had fallen, and nothing eventful happened before then. However, when Amy was busy doing her homework (with Ash acting as something short of a paperweight), a stone struck her window. Curious, she got up as another struck the glass. She opened the window and looked down to the ground, with a story separating her from it.
Ash, also curious, waddled to a bench under the window, hopped upon it, and looked down as well.
Below, a sixteen-year-old*4* young man stood, bright, amber eyes staring up at Amy, long, dark, straight hair blowing slightly in the wind, as did his loose clothing.
"But soft!" he quoted. "What light, through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and dear Amy is the sun."
Amy smiled. "Mikhael."
'Holy crap!' Ash exclaimed mentally. 'THAT'S Mikhael!?'
"Sweet Amy," the boy addressed with a grin. "How have you been?"
"I've been alright," Amy replied. "But you won't be if you stay around here for too long. You've got to get out of here before my father catches you!"
"Your father doesn't scare me."
"He will!" Amy sighed. "I wish we could be together, but it's that stupid fight between our parents?"
"Why don't we be like Romeo and Juliet and make peace between them?"
"But... Didn't they die to do that?"
There was silence.
"Amy, I want to be with you," Mikhael replied. "You're way different than any other girl I've met!"
Amy sighed. "I know. But..."
"Amy! Who are you talking to?" an authoritive male voice asked from the other side of her bedroom door.
"Mikhael! Go!" Amy pleaded.
The door opened, but still, Mikhael didn't move.
"Amy!" A tall and large man walked straight to the window, looked down, and grew red in the face with anger before hollering at Mikhael. "Get off my property before I call the cops, Thorne! And stay away from my daughter!"
At this, Mikhael turned and casually walked off the property as Amy's father slammed the window shut.
"Stay away from him, Amy," her father told her as he began to walk to the door. "Thornes are nothing but trouble."
"But Papa!"
"And to make sure you stay away from him, you're hearby grounded -- no telephone, no walking out of the house after school, nothing," her father said. "I'll take you to school every morning and pick you up after you get off the bus. Otherwise, every single time you see that Thorne boy, you're to turn around and walk away. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, but Papa--"
"This is for your own good, Amy," her father replied. "The Thornes are nothing but thieves who will only hurt you."
"Papa!"
He walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
{Huh...?} Ash cocked his head.
~~~
"According to what Ash just heard," Jude said, reading off the COM device, "the quarrel is between a Thorne family and some other family. Hey, Bill, do you think we could look something up about this?"
"You've got to be kidding me," he replied with a grim expression. "'Thorne' is an incredibly common name. By the time we've pulled something up, Ash would have completed his mission."
"Speaking about missions, you have one yourself," Ziggy interrupted.
"What?" Bill looked at Ziggy. "I can't leave Ash right now! He'll need my help to get back!"
"Why don't you just tell everything to Jude?" Ziggy suggested. "Then she could relay it to Ash when he's ready."
Apparently, this hadn't crossed Bill's mind. While red with embarrassment, he took Jude's COM device, pressed a few buttons, and gave the device back to her.
"When Ash is ready to return, go to him and read this," Bill instructed.
"Got it," Jude replied with a nod.
"Good."
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slowly let it back out as he shifted out.
~~~
{Maybe if I listened to Amy's parents, I'd be able to find out what's up between them and those Thorne people,} Ash said to himself as he hid in a closet near the kitchen, where Amy's parents had just gotten together to discuss their daughter.
"Tom, don't you think you're being too harsh on Amy?" the mother asked. "I mean, it's all just a little fight between you and Peter..."
"A little fight?" Tom growled. "Veronica, it's more than just a little fight! Peter took something from me, and he has yet to admit it!"
Veronica sighed. "Oh, Tom, it was just a little thing. Honestly, I've never heard you care about anything more than that Pokémon egg..."
"That Pokémon egg would have hatched another son or daughter," Tom told Veronica.
"Oh, quit talking about this nonsense!" Veronica snapped with an annoyed voice. "What about our REAL daughter, Amy? I say she has a right to be with Mikhael, and the only thing that makes me uncomfortable about it happens to be how young the two of them are!"
"Like father, like son!" Tom exclaimed. "If Peter is a thief, then that boy of his most likely is one too!"
Veronica sighed once more. "You're a stubborn as a sleeping Snorelax!"
"And I intend to stay that way, too!" Tom yelled.
Veronica sighed a third time.
{So that's what's up,} Ash muttered. {Hey, Jude!}
She appeared behind him, partially embedded in the wall due to the cramped space.
"Yeah, Ash?"
{Can you do me a favor and ask Bill for some advice here?}
"No can do, Ashy boy," Jude replied. "He's off on his own mission."
{HE LEFT ME!?}
Jude ignored him. "But if you want my personal opinion, I'd say find a way to get Peter and Tom together for a civilized chat. Good luck!"
{Huh? Hey! WAIT!}
Unfortunately, Jude vanished at that moment.
{Some helper SHE turned out to be...}
~~~
Bill shifted in... and dropped several feet, landing on the ground with a thud. Wincing at the sudden pain, he opened his eyes and tried first to figure out how he did it... then realized he was in the body of a Pidgey, presumably in mid-flight when he shifted in. Okay, so that explains everything.
He stood up and looked around, trying to figure out where he was. All he saw was tall grass on the outside of a town. He paused in confusion before he was startled by an explosion somewhere in town.
{What on earth...!?}
He prepared to take off, intending on scoping out this sudden display, when Ziggy appeared.
"Where are YOU off in a rush to?" she asked.
{If you haven't noticed, there had been an explosion in town, and I'd like to check it out,} he explained.
"Well, don't you want to know how it happened and why you're here first?"
He stopped, turned around, and stared at her. {What do those two things have to do with each other?}
"Everything." She smirked and continued. "You see, you're in the body of a Pidgey to help out a young man... who happens to also be a shifter."
{What?}
"Remember Mondo?"
{How could I forget him?}
"Right. Well, he's getting to be out of control, so Zero sent you in to pass on the secret to controlling the time at which one shifts," Ziggy explained. "That way, Mondo can go back to his human body and stay there to rest his now-fragile mind. Got it?"
{I understand.} Bill nodded. {I'll do my best.}
"Good," Ziggy said. "And good luck. You're going to need it. Ciao!"
She waved and disappeared.
Suddenly, Bill realized something.
{Wait a minute! What do you mean by 'out of control'!?}
~~~
Ash thought long and hard about what to do. The planning alone gave him a headache, but soon, he came up with an idea. It was complex to him, forcing him to use guts and skill to do something that would have otherwise been illegal. This illegal activity was something out of character for him, but without being able to talk, it was the most he could do.
When two-thirty rolled around the next day, a weekday, no less, he found Mikhael and followed him home. Step one.
Next, he searched the house, and was able to find an older, grayer, stout Peter Thorne. Step two.
"Hey! What's little thing like you doing here?" Peter inquired, watching the mouse look around, running around the room.
Finally, Ash jumped up on a table, grabbed a random object, and ran like a bat out of Hell, trying to reach the exit.
"HEY! Get back here!"
Ash heard Peter's footsteps behind him, but he didn't look back. Step three was falling into place.
Quickly, he bolted out of the doggy door cut into the wood of the full door and ran faster as a Growlithe barked behind him. He didn't look back as the door opened behind him, allowing Peter to chase him. He continued running as fast as he could on those tiny Marill legs, onto a familiar piece of property across the street and into arms of Tom, who had just returned from his day at work.
"What the...? What do you have here?" Tom pried the object, a photo within a pewter picture frame, out of Ash's stubby forepaws.
"Little thief!" Peter roared as he stepped onto Tom's property. "Your little rat ran into my house, stole that wedding photo, and ran off with it!"
"I guess he was just getting revenge," Tom snapped in return. "You stole something of mine, so he stole something of yours!"
"I oughta get Officer Jenny down here!"
"Go right ahead!"
Amy stepped out of the house and stood on the front porch as Mikhael crossed the street and stood at the edge of the lawn. In the meantime, Peter pulled out his cell phone.
"But if you try to get me arrested for something my daughter's Pokémon did," Tom said, "then it's only fair if I get you arrested for making off with that Pokémon egg during that barbeque we had together three years ago!"
"I didn't take it!" Peter argued. "You lost it, you irresponsible oaf!"
"Papa, I think I should tell you something," Amy told him softly. "It's about that egg..."
"Not now, sweetie," Tom muttered to Amy before speaking again to Peter. "Now, who do you think you are, coming on my property, scaring my daughter's Pokémon, AND accusing me of losing my own Pokémon egg!"
"Amy, tell them!" Mikhael urged.
"Papa!" she called.
"Stay out of this, little girl!" Peter yelled.
Tom's face grew red with rage. "How dare you speak to my daughter that way!"
"Papa, he didn't steal the egg!" Amy cried.
The fighting stopped. Both men stared up at her.
"Mikhael and I took it," she explained.
"That's right," Mikhael admitted. "We were both curious; we've never seen one before. So, Amy and I went inside while you two were talking outside, and we took the egg."
"We were going to put it back," Amy added. "But when we wrapped it in a coat to keep it protected, it got warm and hatched."
"The first thing it saw was Amy, so she took it and hid it for awhile until her mother found it," Mikhael said. "She told me that when we were taking care of it during our secret rendezvous."
"We didn't want to tell the both of you because you both became so angry at each other it scared us," Amy told them. "We kept it secret until we decided we had to end the fighting."
"We didn't know when. That's when Marill stole that picture and got you two together. I suppose we both gathered enough courage at this point to tell you."
"Where is the Pokémon that hatched out of the egg?" Peter asked.
"The egg hatched into an Azurill," Amy replied. "Mikhael and I got it to evolve into Marill."
"So, all this time, the Pokémon hatchling I wanted so much was living right under my nose," Tom muttered before turning to Peter. "Peter, I owe you an apology. I didn't know."
"Neither did I," Peter replied as he held out his hand. "I'm sorry, my friend."
Tom let go of Ash and took Peter's hand in a firm shake.
"Apology accepted," Tom said.
Amy and Mikhael smiled at each other as Ash went around to the back of the house. There, Jude appeared.
"Okay, Ash," she said. "Ready to get back to the lighthouse?"
{You bet!} Ash replied.
"Great. Then I've got a set of instructions that will take you back."
~~~
{Mondo!} Bill called, flying as swiftly as he could at a high enough altitude so as not to be struck down by the Charmeleon below.*5*
The Charmeleon ignored him, then ignited the wooden wall of an old shop. People ran out of the building, screaming.
{Mondo! Please, stop!} Bill begged. {Listen to me! I can help you!}
Mondo said nothing, setting fire to the clothing of a bystander who tried to stop him.
It had gone on like this for an hour or so, and even Bill's patience had its limits. He could no longer simply try to speak with Mondo at one of the ex-Rocket's violent hours. Bill had to do something before this pyro went any further!
{Mondo!}
When once more, he got no response, Bill's patience finally completely ran out.
{You leave me no choice,} he said softly. {Please forgive me for this.}
The Pidgey stopped and flapped its wings rapidly, kicking up the dust that coated the tiny town's streets. The brown cloud swirled around Mondo as a Sand Attack. Surprised, the Charmeleon stopped in its tracks.
{I've got to weaken Mondo,} Bill said to himself. {I'm not sure if my host can take on a Charmeleon, but I can't back out of this!}
He quickly went in as the dust settled a bit and used a Quick Attack. This only angered the Charmeleon, who spat out a firey Ember at him. Bill dodged this and struck back with Gust, picking up the Charmeleon and slamming him back down on the ground.
The Prime eyed the tail flame on the lizard, hoping for it to shrink slightly. Instead, it grew to an enormous size as Mondo stood back up.
Bill gasped and flew around Mondo in quick circles. He knew this move. Rage. He couldn't let Mondo strike him because one hit could most likely mean a KO. He knew he also couldn't strike the Charmeleon himself, for physical hits only fed the Rage move.
Mondo lashed out, trying to strike the small bird but missing every time. The flame was dying once more as Mondo slowed, giving Bill the opportunity to use Sand Attack once more. Mondo continued to wear himself out, trying hard to get the sand out of his eyes and strike Bill at the same time.
Finally, the Charmeleon collapsed, exhausted. Bill landed as well, close to the lizard's head, with absolutely no fear.
{Mondo, do you want to return to your normal form?} Bill inquired.
Weakly, in a hoarse whisper, Mondo replied, {More than anything.}
{Good. Then do exactly as I say...}
~~~
"Close your eyes," Jude instructed Ash.
Ash blinked. {Why?}
Jude sighed. "Just do it."
Ash shrugged and closed his eyes. {If this is what Bill told you to tell me, then I'll do it.}
"Good. Now, concentrate on controlling when you shift. Think only about that."
{Alright.}
"Shut up and do it."
~~~
Not long later, Mondo shrieked as a dull light began to engulf him.
{Stay with me, Mondo!} Bill implored. {Fight it!}
Mondo twisted around, trying to keep himself in.
{You can do this, Mondo!}
One last scream, and the light died down. The Charmeleon breathed heavily.
Bill took a slight step forward. {Mondo?}
~~~
The faint blue light that surrounded Ash died down.
{Woah... What was that...?} Ash asked.
"Congratulations," Jude told him. "You've just saved yourself from a random shift."
{But how do I get back!?}
"Oh, that's easy." Jude smiled and read off the COM device. "Concentrate only on going back to your normal body."
{Isn't there anything about shifting that DOESN'T involve concentration?}
"No."
{AUGH!}
"Do you want to go back to your body or not!?"
{Yeah. I want to go back.}
"Then shut up and concentrate."
Ash growled and closed his eyes. A few minutes later, he shifted back.
~~~
{Mondo, can you hear me?}
{Dr. McKenzie... It hurts.}
Bill stepped back, allowing Mondo to sit up. But he didn't.
{What hurts?} Bill asked.
{Being in this body,} Mondo whispered. {How do I get back?}
{Oh... Concentrate on returning to your normal body.}
Mondo closed his eyes. {Thank you, doctor.}
With that, Mondo shifted back.
Bill would have at that point as well, but a strange feeling overcame him. Something he hadn't previously felt. Another sort of pale light spread about him, and he could feel his host's form changing. He thought about screaming, but in a way, it felt good. Like shedding a layer of clothing to feel slightly more... liberated.*6*
The light faded, allowing Bill to take one last look at his host, now a Pidgeotto.
'Well, congratulations, Pidgey,' he thought as he shifted back.
~~~
It was agreed that Ash was to stay at the lighthouse until all this about destiny was finally figured out and whatnot. It was easy to make up an excuse; Ash told his mother that he wanted to learn as much as he could about Pokémon, so he decided to take a few lessons from a world-renowned Pokémon researcher. The bubbly, middle-aged woman*7* bought it, regardless of the fact that there's a world-renowed Pokémon researcher, namely Professor Oak, living just up the street from her.
A few days later, Bill received a message from Zero to go to the St. Mary Asylum in Saffron City. Without a second thought, he accepted and found himself two days later, walking down a bleak, white hallway, following a male nurse.
The male nurse stopped at a door, turned around, and spoke.
"Well, this is it," he said to Bill. "Got to warn you, though, Dr. McKenzie. The kid's dangerous. We've only had him for four days after someone found him wandering around Saffron in some sort of delirious daze, and already, he's attacked a lot of the nurses around here, thinking he's all these different Pokémon. If you run into any trouble, someone'll be waiting outside."
"Thank you," Bill replied politely as he entered the room.
Sitting at a table, dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and pants, was Mondo, staring out the nearby window. Cautiously, Bill stepped in as the male nurse gently shut the door.
"Mondo?"
Mondo slowly turned his head. His eyes were so feral they startled Bill. Slowly, the researcher slipped into a chair across the small, square table from Mondo.
"Mondo, a girl told me to see you," Bill said.
"Zero," Mondo muttered with a hoarse voice. "I know her. I saw her everytime I shifted. She's why... I... I lasted... so long."
He twitched as Bill paused.
"She says... When someone fails a shift, they take a bit of the Pokémon..." Mondo told Bill. "She... meant... mentally. You'll hurt yourself... physically. All those Pokémon... drove... me crazy. Hurt me... inside..."
He stopped and let out a painful Spearow's cry, a shadow of yet another host.
"What else did she tell you?" Bill inquired cautiously.
Mondo fell silent. Bill placed a hand on the table and waited, watching Mondo with worried eyes. Slowly, Mondo's hands drifted over, took Bill's hand, and turned it over, palm up. The two were silent as Mondo stared at the other's hand.*8*
"Your light," Mondo mumbled.
"Pardon me?" Bill blinked, trying to figure out what Mondo was doing with his hand.
"You're the one," Mondo said. "Your light alone... will get rid of the chaos...*9* Zero... She said, inner strength will make the light... brighter. Brighter light... will destroy the darkness. The brightest light... is inside... you."
Mondo ran his fingers over the lines in Bill's palm.
"I can see it," the ex-Rocket muttered. "Your light... is beautiful..."
Okay, now Bill was just getting uncomfortable. Mondo looked into Bill's eyes.
"You'll see it too," Mondo told him. "Not too long from now... No longer than a year and a half..."
Bill withdrew his hand. "What are you talking about?"
Mondo shrieked before giving an eerie Houndoom call, followed by a lunge at Bill.*10* Two male nurses burst into the room and grabbed Mondo, attempting to restrain him and sedate him with a mysterious liquid in a syringe. Meanwhile, a female nurse walked in and took a shocked Bill by the arm.
"Come, Dr. McKenzie," she said softly. "I'll escort you out of here."
"Please," Bill replied, no longer wanting to watch any other asylum activity.
He stood up and followed the female nurse out of the building, all the while thinking about what Mondo meant about "the light"...
***
End episode 15*11*
---
Footnotes:
*1*: Boy Meets Boy reference. For those of you who have never seen the comic (boymeetsboy(dot)keenspace(dot)com), Mikhael is a Russian millionaire and artist along with Harley's eternal love. (Yep. Mikhael-sama's homosexual. And yet I really, REALLY like him and happen to have him on my bishounen list. Too bad he wouldn't have any interest in me due to that homosexuality factor... ;_;)
*2*: One of many references to Romeo and Juliet in this episode. (You know you've Shakespeare that too much when... *sighs, wondering when the Romeo and Juliet unit in her English class would end*) In the play, Tybalt (Juliet's hot-headed cousin) was once referred to by Mercutio (a friend of Romeo's) as the Prince of Cats, meaning he likes to pick fights. Here, Jude isn't really trying to pick a fight, but she's REALLY close to pissing SOMEONE off, and that's close enough. -_- (This also reveals a character trait of Jude's. She's spunky, just like her brother, but she isn't afraid to kick someone's ass... even for no reason.)
*3*: Heh heh... Spirit bless the one who came up with comic relief... XD
*4*: For the record, I think in the play, Romeo and Juliet, Romeo was sixteen, and Juliet was thirteen, almost fourteen. And yet, they eloped by this age. ...Reminds me of how I used to set my Skipper (Barbie's little sister) dolls up with Ken... o.o;
*5*: If you really want to know how Mondo created the explosion, it was simply this -- he set fire to a gasoline station. (Really odd that they would have one in a town not unlike the one where Ash got the Super Potion in "Here Comes the Squirtle Squad", where the most used form of transportation would be walking... =/)
*6*: I didn't mean anything sick by that, but if you truly want to think that way, I highly suggest getting your mind out of that nasty gutter. That helps in multiple ways. Such as preventing your mind from getting coated in a bunch of leaves. That and you don't know what's been in that gutter. =p (For those of you who got that, I applaud you for understanding the dry side of my sense of humor. ^_^;)
*7*: Somehow, I don't find that natural. No woman in her thirties (and I'm hoping Deliah -- Ash's mother -- IS in her thirties or even forties) is THAT hyper. O.o;
*8*: Hai, this WAS inspired by a scene in The Ring, where Becca turns Rachel's hand over, stares at her palm, and whispers, "Four days." (The movie was such an embarrassment to the horror category that it was funny, but I still thought it rocked, even IF it didn't remotely scare me. XD)
*9*: He means Keios. And yes, this all is MAJOR foreshadowing. And yes, I love the stuff. XD
*10*: Provoked by the "light". Houndooms are of the dark element AND are nocturnal, making them darkness lovers. In other words, this should come as no surprise.
*11*: Well, now I've got another new shifter to play with! =D And soon, Apollo and Artemis will join full-time as well! YAY! XD And by the way, yes, I'm aware that there was once a REAL Pokémon episode by the name of "All Fired Up!" (unless I dreamt that), but it was the best thing I could think of. It's supposed to be a sort of pun in reference to Peter and Tom's firey feud, plus the fact that Mondo had been in Charmeleon. If you could think of a better title, I'd like to hear it. -_-
Foreword: Okay, so THAT'S reason number one for "Why I hate Fanfiction.net". Tyrannical admins who think "running an efficient site" means putting a ban on just about any sort of fic that happens to be remotely fun(ny). -_- Though I understand why they wouldn't want interactive fanfics that use the review option as a message board, I still have one thing to say to whoever deleted the third of my fanfiction (the first being "How Pokémon Characters Would Eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup" and second being "Fun Things to Do at a Backstreet Boys Concert", both posted WAY before those damn restrictions suddenly came to be), and that is simply, "BITE ME!"
(In case you think THAT'S out of line, I highly suggest you don't read my "Tamashii/Fanfiction.net" fics, Dreaded Cyber Black Hole of DOOM! and Tamashii Strikes BACK!. ^_^;)
So, that, plus the fact that I've gotten a sudden addiction to Secret of Mana (on midnight a few nights ago: "Must... Get... Past... Haunted... Woods! DIE, CHOBINS!!!" -- and two nights before that: "Aww... What a cute little thing! Rabite, right? Hello, little fellow... GAH! IT'S NOT FRIENDLY!!!") caused me to slack off a bit, but hey, at least I've got this chapter up. ^_^;
All that babbling aside, here's episode fifteen!
---
Episode 15--
Burning Love
There was an unsettling silence between the three humans and one Pikachu. No one moved. No one said anything.
Finally, Bill and Jude glanced at each other, reluctant to do much else.
"What? What's wrong?" Ash finally inquired. "Why won't you answer my question?"
Bill sighed. "Well, if Zero wants him to join us, might as well tell him."
"Right. You do the talking," Jude said as she sat in a chair and leaned back.
"Uh... Well..." Bill paused for a moment and looked at the ceiling as he tried to think of a simple way to put what he had to say. "Well, you see..."
"What's a shifter?" Ash repeated.
"I suppose... It's best to start from the very beginning," Bill told Ash before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. "About one year and two months ago, I was developing an upgrade to the Time Capsule. Unfortunately, when I tested it, nothing happened. That's when I fell inside, and... I suppose my body absorbed some of the coding. Right then, I became a shifter, one who shifts or transfers their mind and soul out of their body and into one of a Pokémon's."
"Cool...!" Ash released a breath in awe.
Jude rolled her eyes.
"Even Pikachu?" Ash inquired.
"Actually..." Bill put his hands behind his head and looked toward the ceiling. "I've already done that."
"Huh? MY Pikachu?" Ash blinked in disbelief.
"Yes."
"When did that happen!?"
"Uh... Well..."
"Uh, Bill? Get to the important point," Jude told him, suddenly bored.
"Right." Bill nodded to his younger sister before turning back to Ash. "You see, I've been getting help from a friend of mine, Ziggy Alpha, and a mysterious girl named Zero. Zero seems to have some sort of ESP, and she recently told me that you would come here and that I had to turn you into a shifter as well to go along with our destinies."
"Woah..." Ash blinked and set Pikachu down.
"Bill, I think you just overwhelmed the rookie," Jude said. "Congratulations."
Bill ignored her and went on. "Being a shifter isn't easy. During each shift, you're expected to aid and protect a human being. This takes skill, determination, courage, and intelligence. You don't have to become one if you don't feel you can stand up to the sort of pressure shifts can place on you."
"No way! I WANT to be a shifter," Ash replied.
"Are you positive?"
"Yeah!"
Bill paused for a moment, sighed, and turned to boot up the computer. As soon as he did, however, Ziggy appeared.
"Hey! What's up?" she asked cheerfully.
"Not now, Ziggy," Bill said as he accessed certain programs. "This is important."
"W-wait... THAT'S Ziggy?" Ash inquired.
"Unfortunately, yes," Bill replied with a smirk.
"Unfortunately?" Ziggy growled. "What do you mean by that!?"
"So... Your friend is a virtual pet?" Ash asked.
"I'm not his virtual pet!" Ziggy snapped, blushing due to finding a double meaning in that.
Bill was about to add something more when Jude cut him off.
"Bill's a computer nerd. It shouldn't be surprising," Jude told Ash.
"Thanks, Jude," Bill muttered sarcastically.
"No problem!"
He gave her a single warning glance before clicking on an object at last. The Time Capsule a bit further away seemed to come to life in light and mechanical sound.
"Alright, it's all set up," Bill said to Ash.
"What do I have to do?" Ash inquired.
"I take it the same thing as I did," the researcher replied. "Simply stand in the Time Capsule and wait while I activate the program. The rest should take care of itself."
"Oh! Okay!"
With a grin, Ash went over and stepped inside the machine. Jude pulled at Bill's sleeve until his ear and her mouth were close.
"Out of curiousity, is there any chance that he'll be transported to another place and time?" she whispered.
"Don't be absurd, Jude," he replied just as softly. "The Time Capsule and all versions of it are specifically designed to transport only PokéBalls. So unless we can fit Ash into a PokéBall, he'll remain in this time and place physically."
"Damn," Jude cursed before another idea came to mind. "Wait... One last question. You don't know if this will really turn Ash into a shifter, do you?"
"No, not really," he admitted. "However, we're about to find out."
He pressed the enter key to activate the machine.
In its familiar display of lights, the Time Capsule activated with Ash inside. A few moments later, the chaos of light and noise died down, and the boy in the center of it vanished.
"Jude, get your equipment," Bill instructed. "You have a new shifter to look after."
"But... I thought I was supposed to look after you!" Jude protested. "Why do I have to handle the rookie?"
Bill sighed. "Just do it."
Jude rolled her eyes and headed off to get her gear.
~~~
Ash slowly woke up and shook his head.
{Woah... Weird...}
He yelped as he heard the change in his voice. He looked around, finding himself in the lap of a thirteen-year-old girl riding in the backseat of a car. She pulled strands of her long, light brown hair behind her ear as her violet eyes sparkled at him from behind large, wire-rimmed glasses.
"Glad to see you awake, Marill!" she said cheerfully.
{Marill? Why would she call me Marill?} Ash asked himself as the girl looked out the window.
"Think, genius. Why WOULD she call you Marill?"
Ash looked over to see Jude.
{How did you get here!?}
"I'm a hologram," she replied. "I'm projected to you to give you information and support, and only you can see and hear me."
{Woah...}
"Right. Anyways, to start you off, Zero decided to give you an easy task. This girl, Amy, is involved with something short of a Romeo and Juliet story. She's in love with a friend of hers, Mikhael*1*, but both of their fathers... Let's just say they don't get along. Your job is to help Amy out by figuring out what's up with their fathers, then get the two together. Got it?"
{Why couldn't I have gotten something cooler?}
"Because you're a rookie who doesn't get to choose his missions?"
{Hey!}
Jude smirked. However, Ash still looked confused.
{Will I be stuck like this forever?}
Jude closed her eyes and shook her head. "Now THAT'S a stupid question. Think, Ash. If shifting were permanent, do you honestly think Bill would be walking around in his human body right now?"
{Oh.}
"Okay, kiddo. You're giving me a headache. Good luck!"
With that, she disappeared.
~~~
"Thank you, oh Princess of Cats,"*2* Bill said sardonically with a sigh, overhearing everything Jude had said to Ash. "Can you be ANY harder on him?"
Jude took off her visor. "Uh... Yes?"
"That was a rhetorical question."
"Whatever."
Bill smirked at his younger sister. "You know... I think you two are perfect for each other."
Jude heard this and abruptly turned, shaking a fist dangerously close to her brother's face.
"Take that back, or you're going to eat this," Jude warned.
He laughed casually and pushed her fist a little bit away from his face. "Relax. I only meant you two have a lot to learn. So, if I paired the two of you up in a partnership, perhaps you can learn from each other. I didn't mean it in a romantic sense, but now that you mention it, you ARE getting a bit red in the face about it..."
BAM!
"Wow, she can hit!" Ziggy commented as her emerald eyes widened and as she watched Bill stumble back in a daze after getting punched in the face by Jude.
"Don't read into it!" Jude snapped.
"I'll remember that," he replied, half recovered from the post-hit daze.*3*
~~~
Night had fallen, and nothing eventful happened before then. However, when Amy was busy doing her homework (with Ash acting as something short of a paperweight), a stone struck her window. Curious, she got up as another struck the glass. She opened the window and looked down to the ground, with a story separating her from it.
Ash, also curious, waddled to a bench under the window, hopped upon it, and looked down as well.
Below, a sixteen-year-old*4* young man stood, bright, amber eyes staring up at Amy, long, dark, straight hair blowing slightly in the wind, as did his loose clothing.
"But soft!" he quoted. "What light, through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and dear Amy is the sun."
Amy smiled. "Mikhael."
'Holy crap!' Ash exclaimed mentally. 'THAT'S Mikhael!?'
"Sweet Amy," the boy addressed with a grin. "How have you been?"
"I've been alright," Amy replied. "But you won't be if you stay around here for too long. You've got to get out of here before my father catches you!"
"Your father doesn't scare me."
"He will!" Amy sighed. "I wish we could be together, but it's that stupid fight between our parents?"
"Why don't we be like Romeo and Juliet and make peace between them?"
"But... Didn't they die to do that?"
There was silence.
"Amy, I want to be with you," Mikhael replied. "You're way different than any other girl I've met!"
Amy sighed. "I know. But..."
"Amy! Who are you talking to?" an authoritive male voice asked from the other side of her bedroom door.
"Mikhael! Go!" Amy pleaded.
The door opened, but still, Mikhael didn't move.
"Amy!" A tall and large man walked straight to the window, looked down, and grew red in the face with anger before hollering at Mikhael. "Get off my property before I call the cops, Thorne! And stay away from my daughter!"
At this, Mikhael turned and casually walked off the property as Amy's father slammed the window shut.
"Stay away from him, Amy," her father told her as he began to walk to the door. "Thornes are nothing but trouble."
"But Papa!"
"And to make sure you stay away from him, you're hearby grounded -- no telephone, no walking out of the house after school, nothing," her father said. "I'll take you to school every morning and pick you up after you get off the bus. Otherwise, every single time you see that Thorne boy, you're to turn around and walk away. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, but Papa--"
"This is for your own good, Amy," her father replied. "The Thornes are nothing but thieves who will only hurt you."
"Papa!"
He walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.
{Huh...?} Ash cocked his head.
~~~
"According to what Ash just heard," Jude said, reading off the COM device, "the quarrel is between a Thorne family and some other family. Hey, Bill, do you think we could look something up about this?"
"You've got to be kidding me," he replied with a grim expression. "'Thorne' is an incredibly common name. By the time we've pulled something up, Ash would have completed his mission."
"Speaking about missions, you have one yourself," Ziggy interrupted.
"What?" Bill looked at Ziggy. "I can't leave Ash right now! He'll need my help to get back!"
"Why don't you just tell everything to Jude?" Ziggy suggested. "Then she could relay it to Ash when he's ready."
Apparently, this hadn't crossed Bill's mind. While red with embarrassment, he took Jude's COM device, pressed a few buttons, and gave the device back to her.
"When Ash is ready to return, go to him and read this," Bill instructed.
"Got it," Jude replied with a nod.
"Good."
He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slowly let it back out as he shifted out.
~~~
{Maybe if I listened to Amy's parents, I'd be able to find out what's up between them and those Thorne people,} Ash said to himself as he hid in a closet near the kitchen, where Amy's parents had just gotten together to discuss their daughter.
"Tom, don't you think you're being too harsh on Amy?" the mother asked. "I mean, it's all just a little fight between you and Peter..."
"A little fight?" Tom growled. "Veronica, it's more than just a little fight! Peter took something from me, and he has yet to admit it!"
Veronica sighed. "Oh, Tom, it was just a little thing. Honestly, I've never heard you care about anything more than that Pokémon egg..."
"That Pokémon egg would have hatched another son or daughter," Tom told Veronica.
"Oh, quit talking about this nonsense!" Veronica snapped with an annoyed voice. "What about our REAL daughter, Amy? I say she has a right to be with Mikhael, and the only thing that makes me uncomfortable about it happens to be how young the two of them are!"
"Like father, like son!" Tom exclaimed. "If Peter is a thief, then that boy of his most likely is one too!"
Veronica sighed once more. "You're a stubborn as a sleeping Snorelax!"
"And I intend to stay that way, too!" Tom yelled.
Veronica sighed a third time.
{So that's what's up,} Ash muttered. {Hey, Jude!}
She appeared behind him, partially embedded in the wall due to the cramped space.
"Yeah, Ash?"
{Can you do me a favor and ask Bill for some advice here?}
"No can do, Ashy boy," Jude replied. "He's off on his own mission."
{HE LEFT ME!?}
Jude ignored him. "But if you want my personal opinion, I'd say find a way to get Peter and Tom together for a civilized chat. Good luck!"
{Huh? Hey! WAIT!}
Unfortunately, Jude vanished at that moment.
{Some helper SHE turned out to be...}
~~~
Bill shifted in... and dropped several feet, landing on the ground with a thud. Wincing at the sudden pain, he opened his eyes and tried first to figure out how he did it... then realized he was in the body of a Pidgey, presumably in mid-flight when he shifted in. Okay, so that explains everything.
He stood up and looked around, trying to figure out where he was. All he saw was tall grass on the outside of a town. He paused in confusion before he was startled by an explosion somewhere in town.
{What on earth...!?}
He prepared to take off, intending on scoping out this sudden display, when Ziggy appeared.
"Where are YOU off in a rush to?" she asked.
{If you haven't noticed, there had been an explosion in town, and I'd like to check it out,} he explained.
"Well, don't you want to know how it happened and why you're here first?"
He stopped, turned around, and stared at her. {What do those two things have to do with each other?}
"Everything." She smirked and continued. "You see, you're in the body of a Pidgey to help out a young man... who happens to also be a shifter."
{What?}
"Remember Mondo?"
{How could I forget him?}
"Right. Well, he's getting to be out of control, so Zero sent you in to pass on the secret to controlling the time at which one shifts," Ziggy explained. "That way, Mondo can go back to his human body and stay there to rest his now-fragile mind. Got it?"
{I understand.} Bill nodded. {I'll do my best.}
"Good," Ziggy said. "And good luck. You're going to need it. Ciao!"
She waved and disappeared.
Suddenly, Bill realized something.
{Wait a minute! What do you mean by 'out of control'!?}
~~~
Ash thought long and hard about what to do. The planning alone gave him a headache, but soon, he came up with an idea. It was complex to him, forcing him to use guts and skill to do something that would have otherwise been illegal. This illegal activity was something out of character for him, but without being able to talk, it was the most he could do.
When two-thirty rolled around the next day, a weekday, no less, he found Mikhael and followed him home. Step one.
Next, he searched the house, and was able to find an older, grayer, stout Peter Thorne. Step two.
"Hey! What's little thing like you doing here?" Peter inquired, watching the mouse look around, running around the room.
Finally, Ash jumped up on a table, grabbed a random object, and ran like a bat out of Hell, trying to reach the exit.
"HEY! Get back here!"
Ash heard Peter's footsteps behind him, but he didn't look back. Step three was falling into place.
Quickly, he bolted out of the doggy door cut into the wood of the full door and ran faster as a Growlithe barked behind him. He didn't look back as the door opened behind him, allowing Peter to chase him. He continued running as fast as he could on those tiny Marill legs, onto a familiar piece of property across the street and into arms of Tom, who had just returned from his day at work.
"What the...? What do you have here?" Tom pried the object, a photo within a pewter picture frame, out of Ash's stubby forepaws.
"Little thief!" Peter roared as he stepped onto Tom's property. "Your little rat ran into my house, stole that wedding photo, and ran off with it!"
"I guess he was just getting revenge," Tom snapped in return. "You stole something of mine, so he stole something of yours!"
"I oughta get Officer Jenny down here!"
"Go right ahead!"
Amy stepped out of the house and stood on the front porch as Mikhael crossed the street and stood at the edge of the lawn. In the meantime, Peter pulled out his cell phone.
"But if you try to get me arrested for something my daughter's Pokémon did," Tom said, "then it's only fair if I get you arrested for making off with that Pokémon egg during that barbeque we had together three years ago!"
"I didn't take it!" Peter argued. "You lost it, you irresponsible oaf!"
"Papa, I think I should tell you something," Amy told him softly. "It's about that egg..."
"Not now, sweetie," Tom muttered to Amy before speaking again to Peter. "Now, who do you think you are, coming on my property, scaring my daughter's Pokémon, AND accusing me of losing my own Pokémon egg!"
"Amy, tell them!" Mikhael urged.
"Papa!" she called.
"Stay out of this, little girl!" Peter yelled.
Tom's face grew red with rage. "How dare you speak to my daughter that way!"
"Papa, he didn't steal the egg!" Amy cried.
The fighting stopped. Both men stared up at her.
"Mikhael and I took it," she explained.
"That's right," Mikhael admitted. "We were both curious; we've never seen one before. So, Amy and I went inside while you two were talking outside, and we took the egg."
"We were going to put it back," Amy added. "But when we wrapped it in a coat to keep it protected, it got warm and hatched."
"The first thing it saw was Amy, so she took it and hid it for awhile until her mother found it," Mikhael said. "She told me that when we were taking care of it during our secret rendezvous."
"We didn't want to tell the both of you because you both became so angry at each other it scared us," Amy told them. "We kept it secret until we decided we had to end the fighting."
"We didn't know when. That's when Marill stole that picture and got you two together. I suppose we both gathered enough courage at this point to tell you."
"Where is the Pokémon that hatched out of the egg?" Peter asked.
"The egg hatched into an Azurill," Amy replied. "Mikhael and I got it to evolve into Marill."
"So, all this time, the Pokémon hatchling I wanted so much was living right under my nose," Tom muttered before turning to Peter. "Peter, I owe you an apology. I didn't know."
"Neither did I," Peter replied as he held out his hand. "I'm sorry, my friend."
Tom let go of Ash and took Peter's hand in a firm shake.
"Apology accepted," Tom said.
Amy and Mikhael smiled at each other as Ash went around to the back of the house. There, Jude appeared.
"Okay, Ash," she said. "Ready to get back to the lighthouse?"
{You bet!} Ash replied.
"Great. Then I've got a set of instructions that will take you back."
~~~
{Mondo!} Bill called, flying as swiftly as he could at a high enough altitude so as not to be struck down by the Charmeleon below.*5*
The Charmeleon ignored him, then ignited the wooden wall of an old shop. People ran out of the building, screaming.
{Mondo! Please, stop!} Bill begged. {Listen to me! I can help you!}
Mondo said nothing, setting fire to the clothing of a bystander who tried to stop him.
It had gone on like this for an hour or so, and even Bill's patience had its limits. He could no longer simply try to speak with Mondo at one of the ex-Rocket's violent hours. Bill had to do something before this pyro went any further!
{Mondo!}
When once more, he got no response, Bill's patience finally completely ran out.
{You leave me no choice,} he said softly. {Please forgive me for this.}
The Pidgey stopped and flapped its wings rapidly, kicking up the dust that coated the tiny town's streets. The brown cloud swirled around Mondo as a Sand Attack. Surprised, the Charmeleon stopped in its tracks.
{I've got to weaken Mondo,} Bill said to himself. {I'm not sure if my host can take on a Charmeleon, but I can't back out of this!}
He quickly went in as the dust settled a bit and used a Quick Attack. This only angered the Charmeleon, who spat out a firey Ember at him. Bill dodged this and struck back with Gust, picking up the Charmeleon and slamming him back down on the ground.
The Prime eyed the tail flame on the lizard, hoping for it to shrink slightly. Instead, it grew to an enormous size as Mondo stood back up.
Bill gasped and flew around Mondo in quick circles. He knew this move. Rage. He couldn't let Mondo strike him because one hit could most likely mean a KO. He knew he also couldn't strike the Charmeleon himself, for physical hits only fed the Rage move.
Mondo lashed out, trying to strike the small bird but missing every time. The flame was dying once more as Mondo slowed, giving Bill the opportunity to use Sand Attack once more. Mondo continued to wear himself out, trying hard to get the sand out of his eyes and strike Bill at the same time.
Finally, the Charmeleon collapsed, exhausted. Bill landed as well, close to the lizard's head, with absolutely no fear.
{Mondo, do you want to return to your normal form?} Bill inquired.
Weakly, in a hoarse whisper, Mondo replied, {More than anything.}
{Good. Then do exactly as I say...}
~~~
"Close your eyes," Jude instructed Ash.
Ash blinked. {Why?}
Jude sighed. "Just do it."
Ash shrugged and closed his eyes. {If this is what Bill told you to tell me, then I'll do it.}
"Good. Now, concentrate on controlling when you shift. Think only about that."
{Alright.}
"Shut up and do it."
~~~
Not long later, Mondo shrieked as a dull light began to engulf him.
{Stay with me, Mondo!} Bill implored. {Fight it!}
Mondo twisted around, trying to keep himself in.
{You can do this, Mondo!}
One last scream, and the light died down. The Charmeleon breathed heavily.
Bill took a slight step forward. {Mondo?}
~~~
The faint blue light that surrounded Ash died down.
{Woah... What was that...?} Ash asked.
"Congratulations," Jude told him. "You've just saved yourself from a random shift."
{But how do I get back!?}
"Oh, that's easy." Jude smiled and read off the COM device. "Concentrate only on going back to your normal body."
{Isn't there anything about shifting that DOESN'T involve concentration?}
"No."
{AUGH!}
"Do you want to go back to your body or not!?"
{Yeah. I want to go back.}
"Then shut up and concentrate."
Ash growled and closed his eyes. A few minutes later, he shifted back.
~~~
{Mondo, can you hear me?}
{Dr. McKenzie... It hurts.}
Bill stepped back, allowing Mondo to sit up. But he didn't.
{What hurts?} Bill asked.
{Being in this body,} Mondo whispered. {How do I get back?}
{Oh... Concentrate on returning to your normal body.}
Mondo closed his eyes. {Thank you, doctor.}
With that, Mondo shifted back.
Bill would have at that point as well, but a strange feeling overcame him. Something he hadn't previously felt. Another sort of pale light spread about him, and he could feel his host's form changing. He thought about screaming, but in a way, it felt good. Like shedding a layer of clothing to feel slightly more... liberated.*6*
The light faded, allowing Bill to take one last look at his host, now a Pidgeotto.
'Well, congratulations, Pidgey,' he thought as he shifted back.
~~~
It was agreed that Ash was to stay at the lighthouse until all this about destiny was finally figured out and whatnot. It was easy to make up an excuse; Ash told his mother that he wanted to learn as much as he could about Pokémon, so he decided to take a few lessons from a world-renowned Pokémon researcher. The bubbly, middle-aged woman*7* bought it, regardless of the fact that there's a world-renowed Pokémon researcher, namely Professor Oak, living just up the street from her.
A few days later, Bill received a message from Zero to go to the St. Mary Asylum in Saffron City. Without a second thought, he accepted and found himself two days later, walking down a bleak, white hallway, following a male nurse.
The male nurse stopped at a door, turned around, and spoke.
"Well, this is it," he said to Bill. "Got to warn you, though, Dr. McKenzie. The kid's dangerous. We've only had him for four days after someone found him wandering around Saffron in some sort of delirious daze, and already, he's attacked a lot of the nurses around here, thinking he's all these different Pokémon. If you run into any trouble, someone'll be waiting outside."
"Thank you," Bill replied politely as he entered the room.
Sitting at a table, dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and pants, was Mondo, staring out the nearby window. Cautiously, Bill stepped in as the male nurse gently shut the door.
"Mondo?"
Mondo slowly turned his head. His eyes were so feral they startled Bill. Slowly, the researcher slipped into a chair across the small, square table from Mondo.
"Mondo, a girl told me to see you," Bill said.
"Zero," Mondo muttered with a hoarse voice. "I know her. I saw her everytime I shifted. She's why... I... I lasted... so long."
He twitched as Bill paused.
"She says... When someone fails a shift, they take a bit of the Pokémon..." Mondo told Bill. "She... meant... mentally. You'll hurt yourself... physically. All those Pokémon... drove... me crazy. Hurt me... inside..."
He stopped and let out a painful Spearow's cry, a shadow of yet another host.
"What else did she tell you?" Bill inquired cautiously.
Mondo fell silent. Bill placed a hand on the table and waited, watching Mondo with worried eyes. Slowly, Mondo's hands drifted over, took Bill's hand, and turned it over, palm up. The two were silent as Mondo stared at the other's hand.*8*
"Your light," Mondo mumbled.
"Pardon me?" Bill blinked, trying to figure out what Mondo was doing with his hand.
"You're the one," Mondo said. "Your light alone... will get rid of the chaos...*9* Zero... She said, inner strength will make the light... brighter. Brighter light... will destroy the darkness. The brightest light... is inside... you."
Mondo ran his fingers over the lines in Bill's palm.
"I can see it," the ex-Rocket muttered. "Your light... is beautiful..."
Okay, now Bill was just getting uncomfortable. Mondo looked into Bill's eyes.
"You'll see it too," Mondo told him. "Not too long from now... No longer than a year and a half..."
Bill withdrew his hand. "What are you talking about?"
Mondo shrieked before giving an eerie Houndoom call, followed by a lunge at Bill.*10* Two male nurses burst into the room and grabbed Mondo, attempting to restrain him and sedate him with a mysterious liquid in a syringe. Meanwhile, a female nurse walked in and took a shocked Bill by the arm.
"Come, Dr. McKenzie," she said softly. "I'll escort you out of here."
"Please," Bill replied, no longer wanting to watch any other asylum activity.
He stood up and followed the female nurse out of the building, all the while thinking about what Mondo meant about "the light"...
***
End episode 15*11*
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Footnotes:
*1*: Boy Meets Boy reference. For those of you who have never seen the comic (boymeetsboy(dot)keenspace(dot)com), Mikhael is a Russian millionaire and artist along with Harley's eternal love. (Yep. Mikhael-sama's homosexual. And yet I really, REALLY like him and happen to have him on my bishounen list. Too bad he wouldn't have any interest in me due to that homosexuality factor... ;_;)
*2*: One of many references to Romeo and Juliet in this episode. (You know you've Shakespeare that too much when... *sighs, wondering when the Romeo and Juliet unit in her English class would end*) In the play, Tybalt (Juliet's hot-headed cousin) was once referred to by Mercutio (a friend of Romeo's) as the Prince of Cats, meaning he likes to pick fights. Here, Jude isn't really trying to pick a fight, but she's REALLY close to pissing SOMEONE off, and that's close enough. -_- (This also reveals a character trait of Jude's. She's spunky, just like her brother, but she isn't afraid to kick someone's ass... even for no reason.)
*3*: Heh heh... Spirit bless the one who came up with comic relief... XD
*4*: For the record, I think in the play, Romeo and Juliet, Romeo was sixteen, and Juliet was thirteen, almost fourteen. And yet, they eloped by this age. ...Reminds me of how I used to set my Skipper (Barbie's little sister) dolls up with Ken... o.o;
*5*: If you really want to know how Mondo created the explosion, it was simply this -- he set fire to a gasoline station. (Really odd that they would have one in a town not unlike the one where Ash got the Super Potion in "Here Comes the Squirtle Squad", where the most used form of transportation would be walking... =/)
*6*: I didn't mean anything sick by that, but if you truly want to think that way, I highly suggest getting your mind out of that nasty gutter. That helps in multiple ways. Such as preventing your mind from getting coated in a bunch of leaves. That and you don't know what's been in that gutter. =p (For those of you who got that, I applaud you for understanding the dry side of my sense of humor. ^_^;)
*7*: Somehow, I don't find that natural. No woman in her thirties (and I'm hoping Deliah -- Ash's mother -- IS in her thirties or even forties) is THAT hyper. O.o;
*8*: Hai, this WAS inspired by a scene in The Ring, where Becca turns Rachel's hand over, stares at her palm, and whispers, "Four days." (The movie was such an embarrassment to the horror category that it was funny, but I still thought it rocked, even IF it didn't remotely scare me. XD)
*9*: He means Keios. And yes, this all is MAJOR foreshadowing. And yes, I love the stuff. XD
*10*: Provoked by the "light". Houndooms are of the dark element AND are nocturnal, making them darkness lovers. In other words, this should come as no surprise.
*11*: Well, now I've got another new shifter to play with! =D And soon, Apollo and Artemis will join full-time as well! YAY! XD And by the way, yes, I'm aware that there was once a REAL Pokémon episode by the name of "All Fired Up!" (unless I dreamt that), but it was the best thing I could think of. It's supposed to be a sort of pun in reference to Peter and Tom's firey feud, plus the fact that Mondo had been in Charmeleon. If you could think of a better title, I'd like to hear it. -_-