Foreword: Okay, so let's see. This is the last episode before the closing of season two. (Yes, I know. Dear god, this whole thing is going fast!) Then there's going to be an episode or two telling of Antiwarp's downfall, followed by one last episode introducing the next evil for next season.
...That is, if everything goes according to plan. Perhaps lax an episode or add another one. I dunno. =/
Anywho, thanks to a midi (Wow. Who'd a thunk it?), I've been turned off games for awhile, throwing all of my concentration into putting up my new blog, finishing a Furcadian dream, and, of course, writing Warp Series episodes and Labyrinth Game parts. ^_^
Speaking about Labyrinth Game, I'm almost done with the first chapter. Unfortunately, I'm still looking for Shadows (though I might just make Agents and Shadows be the same people) and a few more Wanderers. I've already received enough Agents, and someone has tried out for the role as the Master (but with the latter, you can still try out -- I'm taking whoever is the most evil).
I know. I'd hate to plug another fic, but... ^_^;
Anywho...!
***
Episode 18--
Lost and Found
Artemis alone appeared at the edge of the lake. Zero sat on the grass beside the edge, staring into the waters. She only looked up when Artemis cleared his throat.
"Lady Aigori, good evening." Artemis paused to bow. "I came because I want to know where--"
She interrupted him. "The answer is no."
Artemis refused to leave. "Lady Aigori, the Prime isn't ready to take the challenge and become a shifter master! He's weak! Barely recovered from the AS7!"
"Do not underestimate him, my friend," she told him softly. "If Bill is truly the one we have been waiting for, which he is, then he will have no problem on his quest."
Zero turned back to the waters. "I admit I was a bit doubtful at first as to whether he truly is the one or not, but when he battled Loki, then I knew. True, he is weak in body, but his spirit, the one thing that truly matters, is pure and strong, just like a child's. His isolation had helped him keep these qualities."
She looked at Artemis. "The rest had revitalized his soul. The only way this can be done as quick as it had is if the soul contained the light we are looking for, and only if the soul in question were indeed pure could the light have any effect to begin with."
"My foresight was not mistaken when I found him close to Tess,"*1* Zero concluded. "I have faith in him, and so should you."
"I apologize, m'lady," Artemis muttered as he knelt down.
"I accept your apology," Zero responded with a smile. "But..." She stood up and turned away from him. "If you truly must know, I sent him to see Red, just as I've sent Apollo when I wanted him to become a shifter master."
"Wise decision m'lady," Artemis commented.
"Thank you," Zero replied. "Now, return to your shifter and wait. Apollo had no help with becoming a master, and neither should Bill, so don't think of going after him. I simply told you where the Prime will be going so as to finally find some peace, free from questioning."
"I'm sorry, m'lady."
Zero smiled. "It's alright."
Artemis began to leave, then paused and turned back around.
"Lady Aigori," he addressed.
"Hmm?"
"Will Ash be going through the same process?" Artemis asked.
Zero paused before replying, "I see there will neither be time nor need for Ash to become a shifter master."
"Why?"
"Ash had already fufilled his part of his destiny by gaining allies in legendary Pokémon. His role would be more to lead these Pokémon than to become them, though he too will fight against the darkness in a host. Besides..."
"Besides...?"
"Before Ash would finish his own quest, Keios would strike."
"I see. So Keios is coming soon?"
"Possibly."
Artemis looked at the ground for a moment. "Zero, what can we do to prepare?"
"Nothing," Zero replied. "Now, return to your shifter."
"Yes, m'lady."
With that, Artemis disappeared.
~~~
"So, Bill is going to see Red," Apollo concluded after his partner reappeared and explained everything to him as well as Ash, Jude, and Ziggy.
"Who is Red?" Jude inquired.
"Red is one of Lady Aigori's most enthusiastic followers," Apollo replied. "He's one of the many around the world who protect her, and he's the one who had been personally asked by Lady Aigori herself to test two of the three in the prophecy."
"The prophecy?" Ash and Jude repeated in unison.
"The prophecy," Apollo began, "is an old legend which states that someday--"
Artemis leaped onto Apollo's shoulder and put a clawed paw over the human's mouth.
"Ix-nay on the ophecy-pray!" Artemis hissed through clenched teeth. "Lady Aigori forbade us to tell them ourselves!"
"Why don't you tell us about it?" Ash asked.
"Yeah. We're going to find out eventually if it involves Bill, right?" Jude added.
"Listen, Judy," Artemis responded. "We'd both love to tell you, but no one has ever disobeyed Lady Aigori's orders before, and if she's as powerful as everyone says she is, then I don't want to be the first."
Jude ignored all points except one. She grabbed Artemis and held him up by a bit of skin on the back of his neck.
"Don't call me Judy!" she snapped.
"POINT TAKEN!" Artemis gasped. "Put me down! For the love of all things good, put me down!!"
Jude dropped him.
"I say Ash and I shift out, find Bill, and help him," Apollo announced.
"Are you insane!?" Artemis snapped. "Lady Aigori strictly told us NOT to! You don't want to defy her, do you!?"
"Lady Aigori is our leader, not our master," Apollo told Artemis. "She advises us to do things, but she doesn't order us to do them. If we defy her words, she will forgive us and see the better side to our actions. However, if we follow Lady Aigori's words now, there's a good chance that Bill's going to die."
Jude's eyes widened. "What!?"
"You didn't die!" Artemis protested. "So, Lady Aigori believe Bill won't either!"
"Bill and I are different," Apollo responded as he took out a PokéBall. "Ash, pick a Pokémon, put your hands on it, and concentrate on shifting. Your soul should pass through your hands and into your Pokémon."
"But... But..." Artemis tried to find some way to stop all of this, but Ash had already chosen Pikachu as Apollo chose Skarmory.
"Good luck, guys," Jude said as she watched them shift into their respective Pokémon.
"But what about Lady Aigori!?" Artemis inquired.
Once again, the Sneasel was ignored as Ash hopped onto Apollo's back before the Skarmory flew out of the lighthouse.
"Oh..." Artemis sighed and put a paw on his forehead. "Lady Aigori's not going to be happy about this..."
~~~
{GAAAH!!}
Bill bounded through the tall grass, followed close behind by a relentless Rapidash who wanted nothing more than to take out her frustrations by knocking something around with her hooves. And this wasn't the beginning of a bad day.
He woke up, finding himself, for the third day straight, trapped inside a Ninetails' body. Being on a shift for an extended period of time put stress on a shifter, and using the mystic energy within each tail of his host to seal away the Antiwarp agents' powers wasn't helping. Neither was using up good bits of Ninetails' (literal) firepower to defeat the agents in the first place.
Sure, if you think THAT'S bad, when he went to a Pokémon Center to relieve the latter problem (the constant "running out of energy" bit), he was nearly captured by six different trainers. Being captured only meant an abrupt end to his quest, and he sure as anything wouldn't end up with the control Zero had wanted him to gain.
And worse off, as soon as he was healed and evaded three more trainers, he only ran into more Antiwarp agents, spending even MORE power.
Presently, Bill quickly dove into a clump of bushes. As the Rapidash nosed through it, he stealthily crawled out from under the bushes and took cover behind a clump of trees without the horse Pokémon's knowledge.
As he sat and caught his breath, he thought, 'Dear god, I'm not much of a religious man, but could you please cut me a break?' He sighed. 'I can't wait until all of this is over...'
He heard clomping behind him and unwisely looked around the tree to see Rapidash walk towards him, then break into a run. With a gasp, he stood up and ran as fast as he could toward a cliff and into the cave in its side.
He sighed and laughed in relief as he saw Rapidash stop and huff at him from the cave entrance. He allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness and was then able to make out WHY she had stopped.
{Hello, little foxy. Out of place, aren't we?} one out of five Onix hissed at him.
Bill gulped and looked over his shoulder, back at Rapidash. The horse only smirked at him.
{Oh... god ignores me today,} he muttered to himself as he bent down to the rock floor, covered his head with his paws, and shut his eyes tightly.
However, no blows came. Bill opened an eye to see the back of a Golduck standing between him and the Onix.
{Don't you dare hurt him!} Golduck snapped. {He was sent here by Lady Aigori! She told me so herself!}
The leader Onix backed away. {Lady Aigori...? What would she want with a Ninetails? And why would she send one here?}
Golduck gave the lot a stern look. {I'm surprised. None of you recognize her chosen.}
{He's the one...?} a second Onix inquired. {Lady Aigori chose a Ninetails?}
Golduck sighed. {No.} He looked back at Bill. {Rock types. They never get things quickly enough.} The duck turned back to the Onix. {The chosen is a shifter. He's naturally a human, but mentally, he went into a Ninetails. Please tell me you got that.}
The Onix gave a collective, {Oh...}
{In that case...} The leader Onix pushed Golduck aside with a light tap before bowing to Bill. {Please accept our apology. We don't welcome intruders, and we didn't know Lady Aigori sent you for a purpose.}
Bill looked back at Rapidash, who gave him a surprised look before walking away. The Ninetails sat up and smiled.
{It's quite alright and completely understandable,} he told the Onix.
{Tell me something, Bill,} Golduck continued. {Uh, your name IS Bill, am I correct?}
{Correct.}
{You had been sent here to meet Red and become a shifter master, right?}
{Yes.}
{Are you sure you, as a fire Pokémon, can handle a cave full of rock, ground, and water types?}
Bill fell silent.
{Hmm...} Golduck turned to the Onix. {What do you say, Onix? Would you like to help him get to Red?}
{Oh, anything for Lady Aigori!} two Onix exclaimed together.
{Thank you,} Bill muttered with a bow.
The Golduck grinned and hopped on the back of the leader Onix.
~~~
{Where are we going?} Ash finally asked Apollo as he looked over one steel wing and found Viridian City whizzing by beneath him.
{Silver Cave,} Apollo responded.
{What's that?}
{Silver Cave is a cave infested with some of the strongest wild Pokémon possible, save for those that had been in the Cerulean Cave before it collapsed,} Apollo explained. {Trust me, as a trainer, you don't want to go in there... Unless you're as strong as Red.}
{Then why are we?}
{Lady Aigori sent Bill to see Red,} Apollo told Ash. {Red has made a home in the depths of the Silver Cave, coming out only to buy supplies. If we want to help Bill, we'll have to get to the area Red lives in before Bill does. But don't worry. I can take care of any rock and ground type Pokémon we'll come across with Steel Wing, plus the Ursaring. You can take care of the Golducks, the Golbats, and possibly the Magmar if you're strong enough. The Quagsire will hopefully leave us alone altogether, and I doubt the Misdreavus will bother us in broad daylight.}
{Wow. You really know this place, don't you?}
Apollo frowned a bit. {Before I was a shifter, I was a trainer. A good one. Almost to my dream, which was becoming a member of the Elite Four. My playground was the Silver Cave. My Pokémon slaughtered any opponent that dared to come across me, and together, we became stronger and stronger, taking one step after another and getting closer to our dream of becoming a world renowned trainer with his Pokémon team.}
{Then what happened?} Ash asked, interested.
{One day, I decided to find a different opponent. I decided to go through the Pokémon League again, but when I got to Cinnabar Island, I saw something I know I'll never forget. Missingno.}
{And?}
{Missingno bends reality,} Apollo explained. {Just seeing one can turn you into a shifter. Being touched by one, which happened to both you and Bill as a result of stepping into the Time Capsule and causing a glitch, has the same effect.}
{How do you know about that? About the Time Capsule?}
{Lady Aigori keeps me well-informed.}
{Okay, so go on.}
{After seeing Missingno, I began to shift, just like anyone else would. That's when I met Artemis. Supposedly, he's a sort of Pokémon god of ice. Lower than Articuno, higher than everything else, mostly because he's somehow learned Teleport and possesses ESP. It was Artemis who kept me connected with Lady Aigori, thanks to his powers; it was Artemis who helped me gain control of my own powers, and it was him who kept me company beyond just shifts... almost like how Ziggy is to Bill and how Jude is to you.}
Ash blinked. {How Jude is to me?}
{Never mind.}
Apollo flew faster, approaching a cliff with an opening in its side.
{This would be it! Silver Cave!} Apollo announced before landing.
Ash hopped off his back and stopped for a moment.
{Hey, Apollo,} Ash began. {If Bill is in a Pokémon's body, and we don't know what Pokémon that is, how will we find him?}
{We'll be able to spot him,} Apollo replied. {Besides, we're not looking for him. Weren't you listening before? I said we were only going to get to Red before Bill does.}
{What's the point in that? What if he gets hurt before he gets there?}
This time, Apollo paused.
{Good point.}
The Skarmory shrugged before starting to the door.
{Don't worry, Ash,} Apollo said. {The inside of this cave isn't completely complicated. It won't take long to find him, nor get to him if he calls for help.}
The Skarmory and the Pikachu walked into the dark interior of the cavern. Apollo squinted before turning to Ash.
{Ash, use Flash,} Apollo instructed.
Ash stopped. {Uh... What?}
{Flash. Use it.}
Silence.
{You know...? Flash. The move. You light up the room with electricity and turn into a walking lantern so we can see where we're going.}
Still silence.
{You DID teach Pikachu Flash, didn't you?}
There was yet another short period of silence before Ash replied, {Um... No.}
There was a clank as Apollo smacked a wing against his forehead. {Oh boy...}
~~~
Crocus paced in her darkened office, awaiting the arrival of Keios. Just hours before, Keios had informed her that the Prime was headed to the depths of Silver Cave to see Red, the legendary trainer. Since then, Crocus had woven together what she hoped to be the perfect plan.
"Crocus," Keios growled. "Status report."
"Master Keios," Crocus replied in a pleasant tone as she turned to face the two points of red light she knew to be Keios' eyes. "Sir, I have taken into consideration your pieces of information. In response, I've sent a human and several shifters to Silver Cave to impersonate Red and his team of Pokémon and to rendevous with McKenzie. I've made sure that the Pokémon given to our human imposter are all strong enough to make sure that McKenzie goes out with a bang... literally."
Keios chuckled. "Beautiful..."
"Thank you. I aim to please, Master," Crocus replied.
"Yes, but you had better continue to pray that this plan of yours works."
With that, Keios vanished, sending a short rush of cold air through the office.
"Be careful, Master," Crocus muttered vindictively. "When I hold the whip, it will be you who will beg for mercy..."
~~~
The Onix, Golduck, and Bill had been travelling through the cave for what seemed to be at least an hour. Nothing seemed to be wrong; if a Pokémon dared approach them, the Onix scared it away, and otherwise, the cave was not at all threatening. In fact, it was quite peaceful, especially in the chamber they had just left, complete with underground river and waterfalls in it.
{We're getting close,} Golduck announced as the Onix guided Bill across a large, stone bridge.
The group fell silent once more, save for the grinding noises of Onix's undersides against the stone floor. Finally, even that stopped as the Onix stopped moving.
The two rock snakes in the front slithered aside, allowing Bill to walk through. Before the party, still on the rock bridge, stood a young man with dark hair, dressed in blue jeans, a red, short-sleeved shirt with white sleeves, and a red hat over his fairly tamed hair. His back was turned towards the party for the longest while before Bill finally got his attention.
{Excuse me... Zero sent me here to meet Red,} Bill explained. {I'm assuming you're Red, so--}
Red turned around and smiled mischieviously. There was a glint in his dark eyes that told Bill something wasn't right. The shifter's suspicions were confirmed when Red brought out a PokéBall.
"Blastoise! Go!"
Before Bill loomed the giant turtle Pokémon.
"Blastoise! Use Hydro Pump on each of those Onix!"
Without a second thought, the single turtle took down five rock snakes. Meanwhile, her master brought out a second PokéBall.
"Pikachu! Use Thunder on that Golduck!"
An electric mouse sprang from the ball and did as he was told. Soon, Golduck was down as well.
On instinct, Bill stood in a position he knew that Ninetails used to express their rage. All nine of his tails stood up as his fur bristled. He lowered his head a bit and bent his legs back slightly as he growled menacingly.
{What are you doing!?} he inquired sharply, forgetting temporarily that Red couldn't understand him. {You had no reason to fight them!}
"Blastoise! Boss Crocus told us that McKenzie would be a Ninetails," Red told his turtle Pokémon. "That one HAS to be him! Take him out with the hardest Surf you've got!"
Blastoise followed her order and threw a surge of water at Bill. Luckily, the Ninetails managed to jump out of the way just in time, allowing the water to smack the rock, leaving behind a small crater for the Ninetails to land in.
{Oh boy...} Bill muttered to himself as he noticed the crater. He looked back up at Red. {Why are you attacking me like this!?}
"Blastoise! Try it again!"
As Bill tried to jump up, one of his paws slipped on a smooth, wet rock, causing him instead to stumble forward just before the surge hit him and pushed him to the side. He nearly fell off the stone bridge and into the darkness below, but, though he was greatly weakened, he managed to hang on with his forepaws.
"Blastoise! Finish him off with a Hydro Pump!"
Blastoise stood over him, watching him struggle in vain to paw (excuse the pun) his way back up onto the stone bridge. After a few minutes, the turtle finally aimed both of her hydrolic cannons at him and blasted two streams of water directly on him, forcing him to let go of the bridge and drop into the darkness.
Before he blacked out thanks to his weakness to water, he heard two things. The first was a voice ordering an Espeon to use Psychic, and the second was Apollo calling out to him, telling him to hang on. The latter was overrun with irony.
As he plunged closer to the center of the earth, Bill groaned, closed his eyes, and lost consciousness.
~~~
Bill opened his eyes and immediately wondered if it were possible to die, even if he wasn't in his body. The second thought that came to mind was, if he were indeed dead, why did his host feel so painful?
He felt something warm and dry go across his foreleg. He looked over to see an Espeon, licking an obviously bruised spot near a bandage on his leg. He drew the paw closer to him, away from the Espeon's tongue, then wished he hadn't as he flinched at the dull pain.
{Where am I?} he asked.
"You're in my home, Prime," a voice replied.
Slowly, Bill sat up and came face to face with the young man from before... only with a less sinister face. The young man knelt down beside Bill and sprayed Hyper Potion on him. The shifter slowly felt his strength returning and the pain leaving.
"You were attacked by an imposter," Red informed him. "Luckily, not long after, I came back from a shopping trip and used Espeon to defeat the human and seal away the powers of the shifters, none of whom deserve their powers to begin with.
"However, I couldn't come in time to save you from your fall, but fortunately, this Skarmory, who calls himself Apollo, flew in to do this for me while his Pikachu partner, Ash, helped me get rid of the Blastoise."
Behind Red stood Ash and Apollo, both of whom gave Bill a small nod.
"You're too weak from the battle to proceed," Red told Bill as the trainer drew another Hyper Potion out from a bag. "However, after a bit of rest, you will have no problem."
{Then, while we're waiting, may I ask a few questions?} Bill inquired.
"Of course."
{First off... How can you understand me?}
Red smiled. "Lady Aigori thought that perhaps there would be an imposter to meet you here. Her foresight, of course, is strong. To distinguish between myself and the imposter, she granted me the ability to understand all shifters without the aid of watcher equipment."
{And... may I ask you as to how exactly you will test me?}
Red grinned again. "I'm not permitted to say. However, when I think you are worthy enough to become a shifter master, the test will discontinue."
Everyone fell silent as Red sprayed more of the Hyper Potion on Bill. The Ninetails closed his eyes once more and lowered his head back to the rock. Within moments, he fell asleep.
~~~
He woke up again to find Espeon, once again licking his paw.
{I don't mean to be rude, but could you please stop doing that?} Bill asked politely.
Espeon drew her tongue back into her mouth and stepped back a bit. {I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. I'm sure you understand that, to clean a wound, Espeon usually lick it. I was only acting on instinct.}
{Of course,} Bill responded as he sat up, noticing that the Hyper Potions had taken effect.
{Are you fully rested and restored?} Espeon inquired.
{Yes, thank you.}
{Good.} Espeon turned her back on Bill and began walking towards a small butte at the end of the rock bridge. {Master is waiting for you.}
Bill paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and standing up. He knew that there was no reason to turn back now, and so he walked forward, following Espeon to the raised rock.
He climbed up its side, only to find a camp set up on top of this. Ash and Apollo slept near a group of logs brought from the outside, no doubt the campfire. Red only now came out of a large, orange tent to the side with a box in his hands.
"Lady Aigori tells me that you're to be a shifter master," Red stated. "Tell me, what would you do with your power?"
Bill paused for a moment. Was this the test?
{I would do what she expects me to do,} he finally replied. {I would use my abilities to help others in need.}
"How do I know you wouldn't become drunk with power and attempt to abuse thousands of others?"
{I could never bring myself to do such a thing!}
"All humans could."
{Would you?}
"Perhaps."
After a period of silence, Red looked into the box, then looked back at Bill.
"Even if you manage to keep yourself from becoming a true monster, how could you possibly handle the great stress complete control of your powers can put on you? Not only is it physically exhausting to carry around such power, but the responsibility of possessing such a thing is a great burden. Your destiny takes effort and resolve. Do you possibly think you could handle such a thing?"
{May I ask why everyone I encounter questions my determination? I don't know if I'm up for it physically, but mentally and emotionally, I can handle this. I'm willing to take the responsibility of my destiny if it involves improving the lives of so many others. I don't care about the burden, and if you think for one moment that I would at this point turn around and go home just because you question my resolution, you are COMPLETELY mistaken, my friend!}
Red looked into the box again.
"Honesty, purity, determination, courage. You've proven all three in this conversation alone." Red looked at Bill and smiled. "Congratulations. You've passed."
Bill let out a sigh of relief, then stopped. {What now?}
Red took a stone out of the box and held it as its center began to glow, emitting a blue light, thanks to the midnight blue crystal around its source.
"Bill, do you know what this is?" Red asked.
Bill stared at it for a long while. It wasn't like any evolution stone he had seen before, and he was positive it wasn't like any other stone on Earth, though sapphire might have come close.
{Sapphire?}
Red smiled and shook his head. "No. Long, long ago, there were twelve meteors which crashed upon this planet, sending out radiation which triggered transformations, creating Pokémon. The three stones that made up these meteors were later dubbed as the Moon Stone, the Sun Stone, and this stone I hold in my hand, the Cosmos Stone.
"The Cosmos Stone, unlike its sister stones, doesn't trigger evolution. Instead, it has its own mystic property, giving magic to those who hold it and granting a certain amount of wishes to whoever gazes upon it. This particular stone only holds enough magic to grant one last wish, and that wish will be to unlock part of you to give you complete control over your powers. Close your eyes and clear your mind."
Bill did as he was told, and not long after, he felt the hard smoothness of the Cosmos Stone being pressed onto his forehead.
"Cosmos Stone, hear my plea... Grant the wish I wish to thee," Red muttered before falling silent, concentrating on his request.
Though his eyes were closed, Bill could see a flash of bright, blue light. No wonder Red wanted him to close his eyes.
After the light faded, he felt almost... different. And it wasn't just because the stone was taken away.
"You may open your eyes now."
Bill did so and immediately felt incredibly dizzy.
"The effects of the unlocking," Red told him. "Congratulations. You are now a shifter master, one who can control when they shift, where they shift to, and, under certain circumstances, into what they shift."
{It can't be that simple,} Bill said as he tried to steady himself.
Red shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But for now, shift back and rest. You need and deserve it. Lady Aigori will tell you more of what you need to know someday later."
Bill nodded, then looked at Ash and Apollo. {What about...?}
"I'll tell them to return once they wake up."
Bill grinned at Red. {Thank you.}
Red nodded as Bill shifted out.
~~~
It seemed as if a day passed before anyone could speak to Bill again. Right after the shift, he had fallen back asleep, followed by a long bath not long after he had waken up.*2* However, he was free to have questions pelted on him after he was able to at least get dressed.*3*
"Do you know how much all of us worried about you!?" Ziggy questioned as soon as she appeared in his room.
Bill arranged his ascot over his shirt and replied, "I would have brought you if Zero allowed it, but I'm afraid she didn't. And I'm sorry about that."
"Are you alright now?" Ziggy inquired.
"Of course."
"Why do I think you're lying to me?"
Bill sighed. "Ziggy, you know me rather well. When did I ever lie to you?"
"All the time when it concerned your health."
He paused for a moment. "Hmm. So I have. Sorry about that. But Ziggy, trust me. I'm FINE."
There was a small period of silence.
"So, what do you think Lady Aigori wants you to do with your powers now that you've gained control over them?" Ziggy asked.
Another small period of silence.
"I'm afraid that... I don't know," Bill answered slowly. "I don't know what the future has in store for... any of us, but I have the strangest feeling that something will happen soon."
"Something?"
"Yes. I don't know what that something is, but... I know that it will have Ash, Apollo, and myself exercise our powers."
"Weird. How soon?"
"I don't know."
Bill leaned against one of the walls in his bedroom and stared at the ceiling. Ziggy sat on his bed, expecting something else to be said.
"...But god, how I wish I knew," Bill added.
~~~
'The imposters failed,' Crocus thought as she paced anxiously in her office. 'McKenzie is a shifter master. Something tells me Master Keios won't like this at all...'
"CROCUS!"
A shiver of fear went down Crocus' spine as she slowly turned to face the two points of red light, brighter than ever. She dropped to her knees and lowered her head.
"M-Master Keios," she addressed. "I-I'm sorry for failing you. I... Perhaps if I had better help..."
"QUIET, FOOL!" Keios roared before quieting down to a low growl. "You have disappointed me time and time again, and now, you have just OUTDONE yourself! I wanted McKenzie eliminated before he had a chance to gain control over his powers, and yet, you've let him slip past you and do just what I didn't want him to do!"
"I know, Master Keios, and I'm sorry!" Crocus cried before bending down so that her face was close to the floor. "Please, Master! Just give me one more chance! One more!"
Keios growled. "Yes... You have one more chance to get rid of McKenzie before I get rid of you. Use this opportunity wisely but execute your plan soon. My patience is wearing absurdly thin."
Crocus lifted her head. "Thank you, Master Keios!"
Keios growled and left the office, leaving Crocus behind to shiver. Her face was pale, and she found it hard to stand up.
Suddenly, an idea came across her mind just as a smile crossed her lips. She exited her office, planning on delivering orders to every shifter in the building.
"Tomorrow, I'll get rid of McKenzie once and for all," Crocus muttered. "Then, it will only be a matter of time before I have the world in the palm of my hand and Keios listens to my every command..."
Crocus let out a short laugh as she walked down the hall with Oracle beside her.
***
End episode 18*4*
---
Footnotes:
*1*: Zero wasn't lying when she said she knew about Bill since she was born. She just hadn't realized Bill was "the one she was looking for" until she "found" him near Tess. What I mean will become clear when I post up that suspended episode. ^_-
*2*: Yes, I had fun trying to picture this. ^.^
*3*: Nah. I'm not perverted. I didn't picture much of this. ^_^;
*4*: And so ends the episode which needed the least amount of footnotes. ^_^; I know I'm lagging behind as of that "an episode a week" thing, and I apologize. This week's episode was delayed partially because of schoolwork and partially because of my newest addiction involving an online fantasy RPG, Dark Ages. (It's so bloody addictive!) But now that I'm off it (and most other games), I'll try to get episode nineteen up sooner than I did the other recent few.
...That is, if everything goes according to plan. Perhaps lax an episode or add another one. I dunno. =/
Anywho, thanks to a midi (Wow. Who'd a thunk it?), I've been turned off games for awhile, throwing all of my concentration into putting up my new blog, finishing a Furcadian dream, and, of course, writing Warp Series episodes and Labyrinth Game parts. ^_^
Speaking about Labyrinth Game, I'm almost done with the first chapter. Unfortunately, I'm still looking for Shadows (though I might just make Agents and Shadows be the same people) and a few more Wanderers. I've already received enough Agents, and someone has tried out for the role as the Master (but with the latter, you can still try out -- I'm taking whoever is the most evil).
I know. I'd hate to plug another fic, but... ^_^;
Anywho...!
***
Episode 18--
Lost and Found
Artemis alone appeared at the edge of the lake. Zero sat on the grass beside the edge, staring into the waters. She only looked up when Artemis cleared his throat.
"Lady Aigori, good evening." Artemis paused to bow. "I came because I want to know where--"
She interrupted him. "The answer is no."
Artemis refused to leave. "Lady Aigori, the Prime isn't ready to take the challenge and become a shifter master! He's weak! Barely recovered from the AS7!"
"Do not underestimate him, my friend," she told him softly. "If Bill is truly the one we have been waiting for, which he is, then he will have no problem on his quest."
Zero turned back to the waters. "I admit I was a bit doubtful at first as to whether he truly is the one or not, but when he battled Loki, then I knew. True, he is weak in body, but his spirit, the one thing that truly matters, is pure and strong, just like a child's. His isolation had helped him keep these qualities."
She looked at Artemis. "The rest had revitalized his soul. The only way this can be done as quick as it had is if the soul contained the light we are looking for, and only if the soul in question were indeed pure could the light have any effect to begin with."
"My foresight was not mistaken when I found him close to Tess,"*1* Zero concluded. "I have faith in him, and so should you."
"I apologize, m'lady," Artemis muttered as he knelt down.
"I accept your apology," Zero responded with a smile. "But..." She stood up and turned away from him. "If you truly must know, I sent him to see Red, just as I've sent Apollo when I wanted him to become a shifter master."
"Wise decision m'lady," Artemis commented.
"Thank you," Zero replied. "Now, return to your shifter and wait. Apollo had no help with becoming a master, and neither should Bill, so don't think of going after him. I simply told you where the Prime will be going so as to finally find some peace, free from questioning."
"I'm sorry, m'lady."
Zero smiled. "It's alright."
Artemis began to leave, then paused and turned back around.
"Lady Aigori," he addressed.
"Hmm?"
"Will Ash be going through the same process?" Artemis asked.
Zero paused before replying, "I see there will neither be time nor need for Ash to become a shifter master."
"Why?"
"Ash had already fufilled his part of his destiny by gaining allies in legendary Pokémon. His role would be more to lead these Pokémon than to become them, though he too will fight against the darkness in a host. Besides..."
"Besides...?"
"Before Ash would finish his own quest, Keios would strike."
"I see. So Keios is coming soon?"
"Possibly."
Artemis looked at the ground for a moment. "Zero, what can we do to prepare?"
"Nothing," Zero replied. "Now, return to your shifter."
"Yes, m'lady."
With that, Artemis disappeared.
~~~
"So, Bill is going to see Red," Apollo concluded after his partner reappeared and explained everything to him as well as Ash, Jude, and Ziggy.
"Who is Red?" Jude inquired.
"Red is one of Lady Aigori's most enthusiastic followers," Apollo replied. "He's one of the many around the world who protect her, and he's the one who had been personally asked by Lady Aigori herself to test two of the three in the prophecy."
"The prophecy?" Ash and Jude repeated in unison.
"The prophecy," Apollo began, "is an old legend which states that someday--"
Artemis leaped onto Apollo's shoulder and put a clawed paw over the human's mouth.
"Ix-nay on the ophecy-pray!" Artemis hissed through clenched teeth. "Lady Aigori forbade us to tell them ourselves!"
"Why don't you tell us about it?" Ash asked.
"Yeah. We're going to find out eventually if it involves Bill, right?" Jude added.
"Listen, Judy," Artemis responded. "We'd both love to tell you, but no one has ever disobeyed Lady Aigori's orders before, and if she's as powerful as everyone says she is, then I don't want to be the first."
Jude ignored all points except one. She grabbed Artemis and held him up by a bit of skin on the back of his neck.
"Don't call me Judy!" she snapped.
"POINT TAKEN!" Artemis gasped. "Put me down! For the love of all things good, put me down!!"
Jude dropped him.
"I say Ash and I shift out, find Bill, and help him," Apollo announced.
"Are you insane!?" Artemis snapped. "Lady Aigori strictly told us NOT to! You don't want to defy her, do you!?"
"Lady Aigori is our leader, not our master," Apollo told Artemis. "She advises us to do things, but she doesn't order us to do them. If we defy her words, she will forgive us and see the better side to our actions. However, if we follow Lady Aigori's words now, there's a good chance that Bill's going to die."
Jude's eyes widened. "What!?"
"You didn't die!" Artemis protested. "So, Lady Aigori believe Bill won't either!"
"Bill and I are different," Apollo responded as he took out a PokéBall. "Ash, pick a Pokémon, put your hands on it, and concentrate on shifting. Your soul should pass through your hands and into your Pokémon."
"But... But..." Artemis tried to find some way to stop all of this, but Ash had already chosen Pikachu as Apollo chose Skarmory.
"Good luck, guys," Jude said as she watched them shift into their respective Pokémon.
"But what about Lady Aigori!?" Artemis inquired.
Once again, the Sneasel was ignored as Ash hopped onto Apollo's back before the Skarmory flew out of the lighthouse.
"Oh..." Artemis sighed and put a paw on his forehead. "Lady Aigori's not going to be happy about this..."
~~~
{GAAAH!!}
Bill bounded through the tall grass, followed close behind by a relentless Rapidash who wanted nothing more than to take out her frustrations by knocking something around with her hooves. And this wasn't the beginning of a bad day.
He woke up, finding himself, for the third day straight, trapped inside a Ninetails' body. Being on a shift for an extended period of time put stress on a shifter, and using the mystic energy within each tail of his host to seal away the Antiwarp agents' powers wasn't helping. Neither was using up good bits of Ninetails' (literal) firepower to defeat the agents in the first place.
Sure, if you think THAT'S bad, when he went to a Pokémon Center to relieve the latter problem (the constant "running out of energy" bit), he was nearly captured by six different trainers. Being captured only meant an abrupt end to his quest, and he sure as anything wouldn't end up with the control Zero had wanted him to gain.
And worse off, as soon as he was healed and evaded three more trainers, he only ran into more Antiwarp agents, spending even MORE power.
Presently, Bill quickly dove into a clump of bushes. As the Rapidash nosed through it, he stealthily crawled out from under the bushes and took cover behind a clump of trees without the horse Pokémon's knowledge.
As he sat and caught his breath, he thought, 'Dear god, I'm not much of a religious man, but could you please cut me a break?' He sighed. 'I can't wait until all of this is over...'
He heard clomping behind him and unwisely looked around the tree to see Rapidash walk towards him, then break into a run. With a gasp, he stood up and ran as fast as he could toward a cliff and into the cave in its side.
He sighed and laughed in relief as he saw Rapidash stop and huff at him from the cave entrance. He allowed his eyes to adjust to the darkness and was then able to make out WHY she had stopped.
{Hello, little foxy. Out of place, aren't we?} one out of five Onix hissed at him.
Bill gulped and looked over his shoulder, back at Rapidash. The horse only smirked at him.
{Oh... god ignores me today,} he muttered to himself as he bent down to the rock floor, covered his head with his paws, and shut his eyes tightly.
However, no blows came. Bill opened an eye to see the back of a Golduck standing between him and the Onix.
{Don't you dare hurt him!} Golduck snapped. {He was sent here by Lady Aigori! She told me so herself!}
The leader Onix backed away. {Lady Aigori...? What would she want with a Ninetails? And why would she send one here?}
Golduck gave the lot a stern look. {I'm surprised. None of you recognize her chosen.}
{He's the one...?} a second Onix inquired. {Lady Aigori chose a Ninetails?}
Golduck sighed. {No.} He looked back at Bill. {Rock types. They never get things quickly enough.} The duck turned back to the Onix. {The chosen is a shifter. He's naturally a human, but mentally, he went into a Ninetails. Please tell me you got that.}
The Onix gave a collective, {Oh...}
{In that case...} The leader Onix pushed Golduck aside with a light tap before bowing to Bill. {Please accept our apology. We don't welcome intruders, and we didn't know Lady Aigori sent you for a purpose.}
Bill looked back at Rapidash, who gave him a surprised look before walking away. The Ninetails sat up and smiled.
{It's quite alright and completely understandable,} he told the Onix.
{Tell me something, Bill,} Golduck continued. {Uh, your name IS Bill, am I correct?}
{Correct.}
{You had been sent here to meet Red and become a shifter master, right?}
{Yes.}
{Are you sure you, as a fire Pokémon, can handle a cave full of rock, ground, and water types?}
Bill fell silent.
{Hmm...} Golduck turned to the Onix. {What do you say, Onix? Would you like to help him get to Red?}
{Oh, anything for Lady Aigori!} two Onix exclaimed together.
{Thank you,} Bill muttered with a bow.
The Golduck grinned and hopped on the back of the leader Onix.
~~~
{Where are we going?} Ash finally asked Apollo as he looked over one steel wing and found Viridian City whizzing by beneath him.
{Silver Cave,} Apollo responded.
{What's that?}
{Silver Cave is a cave infested with some of the strongest wild Pokémon possible, save for those that had been in the Cerulean Cave before it collapsed,} Apollo explained. {Trust me, as a trainer, you don't want to go in there... Unless you're as strong as Red.}
{Then why are we?}
{Lady Aigori sent Bill to see Red,} Apollo told Ash. {Red has made a home in the depths of the Silver Cave, coming out only to buy supplies. If we want to help Bill, we'll have to get to the area Red lives in before Bill does. But don't worry. I can take care of any rock and ground type Pokémon we'll come across with Steel Wing, plus the Ursaring. You can take care of the Golducks, the Golbats, and possibly the Magmar if you're strong enough. The Quagsire will hopefully leave us alone altogether, and I doubt the Misdreavus will bother us in broad daylight.}
{Wow. You really know this place, don't you?}
Apollo frowned a bit. {Before I was a shifter, I was a trainer. A good one. Almost to my dream, which was becoming a member of the Elite Four. My playground was the Silver Cave. My Pokémon slaughtered any opponent that dared to come across me, and together, we became stronger and stronger, taking one step after another and getting closer to our dream of becoming a world renowned trainer with his Pokémon team.}
{Then what happened?} Ash asked, interested.
{One day, I decided to find a different opponent. I decided to go through the Pokémon League again, but when I got to Cinnabar Island, I saw something I know I'll never forget. Missingno.}
{And?}
{Missingno bends reality,} Apollo explained. {Just seeing one can turn you into a shifter. Being touched by one, which happened to both you and Bill as a result of stepping into the Time Capsule and causing a glitch, has the same effect.}
{How do you know about that? About the Time Capsule?}
{Lady Aigori keeps me well-informed.}
{Okay, so go on.}
{After seeing Missingno, I began to shift, just like anyone else would. That's when I met Artemis. Supposedly, he's a sort of Pokémon god of ice. Lower than Articuno, higher than everything else, mostly because he's somehow learned Teleport and possesses ESP. It was Artemis who kept me connected with Lady Aigori, thanks to his powers; it was Artemis who helped me gain control of my own powers, and it was him who kept me company beyond just shifts... almost like how Ziggy is to Bill and how Jude is to you.}
Ash blinked. {How Jude is to me?}
{Never mind.}
Apollo flew faster, approaching a cliff with an opening in its side.
{This would be it! Silver Cave!} Apollo announced before landing.
Ash hopped off his back and stopped for a moment.
{Hey, Apollo,} Ash began. {If Bill is in a Pokémon's body, and we don't know what Pokémon that is, how will we find him?}
{We'll be able to spot him,} Apollo replied. {Besides, we're not looking for him. Weren't you listening before? I said we were only going to get to Red before Bill does.}
{What's the point in that? What if he gets hurt before he gets there?}
This time, Apollo paused.
{Good point.}
The Skarmory shrugged before starting to the door.
{Don't worry, Ash,} Apollo said. {The inside of this cave isn't completely complicated. It won't take long to find him, nor get to him if he calls for help.}
The Skarmory and the Pikachu walked into the dark interior of the cavern. Apollo squinted before turning to Ash.
{Ash, use Flash,} Apollo instructed.
Ash stopped. {Uh... What?}
{Flash. Use it.}
Silence.
{You know...? Flash. The move. You light up the room with electricity and turn into a walking lantern so we can see where we're going.}
Still silence.
{You DID teach Pikachu Flash, didn't you?}
There was yet another short period of silence before Ash replied, {Um... No.}
There was a clank as Apollo smacked a wing against his forehead. {Oh boy...}
~~~
Crocus paced in her darkened office, awaiting the arrival of Keios. Just hours before, Keios had informed her that the Prime was headed to the depths of Silver Cave to see Red, the legendary trainer. Since then, Crocus had woven together what she hoped to be the perfect plan.
"Crocus," Keios growled. "Status report."
"Master Keios," Crocus replied in a pleasant tone as she turned to face the two points of red light she knew to be Keios' eyes. "Sir, I have taken into consideration your pieces of information. In response, I've sent a human and several shifters to Silver Cave to impersonate Red and his team of Pokémon and to rendevous with McKenzie. I've made sure that the Pokémon given to our human imposter are all strong enough to make sure that McKenzie goes out with a bang... literally."
Keios chuckled. "Beautiful..."
"Thank you. I aim to please, Master," Crocus replied.
"Yes, but you had better continue to pray that this plan of yours works."
With that, Keios vanished, sending a short rush of cold air through the office.
"Be careful, Master," Crocus muttered vindictively. "When I hold the whip, it will be you who will beg for mercy..."
~~~
The Onix, Golduck, and Bill had been travelling through the cave for what seemed to be at least an hour. Nothing seemed to be wrong; if a Pokémon dared approach them, the Onix scared it away, and otherwise, the cave was not at all threatening. In fact, it was quite peaceful, especially in the chamber they had just left, complete with underground river and waterfalls in it.
{We're getting close,} Golduck announced as the Onix guided Bill across a large, stone bridge.
The group fell silent once more, save for the grinding noises of Onix's undersides against the stone floor. Finally, even that stopped as the Onix stopped moving.
The two rock snakes in the front slithered aside, allowing Bill to walk through. Before the party, still on the rock bridge, stood a young man with dark hair, dressed in blue jeans, a red, short-sleeved shirt with white sleeves, and a red hat over his fairly tamed hair. His back was turned towards the party for the longest while before Bill finally got his attention.
{Excuse me... Zero sent me here to meet Red,} Bill explained. {I'm assuming you're Red, so--}
Red turned around and smiled mischieviously. There was a glint in his dark eyes that told Bill something wasn't right. The shifter's suspicions were confirmed when Red brought out a PokéBall.
"Blastoise! Go!"
Before Bill loomed the giant turtle Pokémon.
"Blastoise! Use Hydro Pump on each of those Onix!"
Without a second thought, the single turtle took down five rock snakes. Meanwhile, her master brought out a second PokéBall.
"Pikachu! Use Thunder on that Golduck!"
An electric mouse sprang from the ball and did as he was told. Soon, Golduck was down as well.
On instinct, Bill stood in a position he knew that Ninetails used to express their rage. All nine of his tails stood up as his fur bristled. He lowered his head a bit and bent his legs back slightly as he growled menacingly.
{What are you doing!?} he inquired sharply, forgetting temporarily that Red couldn't understand him. {You had no reason to fight them!}
"Blastoise! Boss Crocus told us that McKenzie would be a Ninetails," Red told his turtle Pokémon. "That one HAS to be him! Take him out with the hardest Surf you've got!"
Blastoise followed her order and threw a surge of water at Bill. Luckily, the Ninetails managed to jump out of the way just in time, allowing the water to smack the rock, leaving behind a small crater for the Ninetails to land in.
{Oh boy...} Bill muttered to himself as he noticed the crater. He looked back up at Red. {Why are you attacking me like this!?}
"Blastoise! Try it again!"
As Bill tried to jump up, one of his paws slipped on a smooth, wet rock, causing him instead to stumble forward just before the surge hit him and pushed him to the side. He nearly fell off the stone bridge and into the darkness below, but, though he was greatly weakened, he managed to hang on with his forepaws.
"Blastoise! Finish him off with a Hydro Pump!"
Blastoise stood over him, watching him struggle in vain to paw (excuse the pun) his way back up onto the stone bridge. After a few minutes, the turtle finally aimed both of her hydrolic cannons at him and blasted two streams of water directly on him, forcing him to let go of the bridge and drop into the darkness.
Before he blacked out thanks to his weakness to water, he heard two things. The first was a voice ordering an Espeon to use Psychic, and the second was Apollo calling out to him, telling him to hang on. The latter was overrun with irony.
As he plunged closer to the center of the earth, Bill groaned, closed his eyes, and lost consciousness.
~~~
Bill opened his eyes and immediately wondered if it were possible to die, even if he wasn't in his body. The second thought that came to mind was, if he were indeed dead, why did his host feel so painful?
He felt something warm and dry go across his foreleg. He looked over to see an Espeon, licking an obviously bruised spot near a bandage on his leg. He drew the paw closer to him, away from the Espeon's tongue, then wished he hadn't as he flinched at the dull pain.
{Where am I?} he asked.
"You're in my home, Prime," a voice replied.
Slowly, Bill sat up and came face to face with the young man from before... only with a less sinister face. The young man knelt down beside Bill and sprayed Hyper Potion on him. The shifter slowly felt his strength returning and the pain leaving.
"You were attacked by an imposter," Red informed him. "Luckily, not long after, I came back from a shopping trip and used Espeon to defeat the human and seal away the powers of the shifters, none of whom deserve their powers to begin with.
"However, I couldn't come in time to save you from your fall, but fortunately, this Skarmory, who calls himself Apollo, flew in to do this for me while his Pikachu partner, Ash, helped me get rid of the Blastoise."
Behind Red stood Ash and Apollo, both of whom gave Bill a small nod.
"You're too weak from the battle to proceed," Red told Bill as the trainer drew another Hyper Potion out from a bag. "However, after a bit of rest, you will have no problem."
{Then, while we're waiting, may I ask a few questions?} Bill inquired.
"Of course."
{First off... How can you understand me?}
Red smiled. "Lady Aigori thought that perhaps there would be an imposter to meet you here. Her foresight, of course, is strong. To distinguish between myself and the imposter, she granted me the ability to understand all shifters without the aid of watcher equipment."
{And... may I ask you as to how exactly you will test me?}
Red grinned again. "I'm not permitted to say. However, when I think you are worthy enough to become a shifter master, the test will discontinue."
Everyone fell silent as Red sprayed more of the Hyper Potion on Bill. The Ninetails closed his eyes once more and lowered his head back to the rock. Within moments, he fell asleep.
~~~
He woke up again to find Espeon, once again licking his paw.
{I don't mean to be rude, but could you please stop doing that?} Bill asked politely.
Espeon drew her tongue back into her mouth and stepped back a bit. {I'm sorry for making you feel uncomfortable. I'm sure you understand that, to clean a wound, Espeon usually lick it. I was only acting on instinct.}
{Of course,} Bill responded as he sat up, noticing that the Hyper Potions had taken effect.
{Are you fully rested and restored?} Espeon inquired.
{Yes, thank you.}
{Good.} Espeon turned her back on Bill and began walking towards a small butte at the end of the rock bridge. {Master is waiting for you.}
Bill paused for a moment before taking a deep breath and standing up. He knew that there was no reason to turn back now, and so he walked forward, following Espeon to the raised rock.
He climbed up its side, only to find a camp set up on top of this. Ash and Apollo slept near a group of logs brought from the outside, no doubt the campfire. Red only now came out of a large, orange tent to the side with a box in his hands.
"Lady Aigori tells me that you're to be a shifter master," Red stated. "Tell me, what would you do with your power?"
Bill paused for a moment. Was this the test?
{I would do what she expects me to do,} he finally replied. {I would use my abilities to help others in need.}
"How do I know you wouldn't become drunk with power and attempt to abuse thousands of others?"
{I could never bring myself to do such a thing!}
"All humans could."
{Would you?}
"Perhaps."
After a period of silence, Red looked into the box, then looked back at Bill.
"Even if you manage to keep yourself from becoming a true monster, how could you possibly handle the great stress complete control of your powers can put on you? Not only is it physically exhausting to carry around such power, but the responsibility of possessing such a thing is a great burden. Your destiny takes effort and resolve. Do you possibly think you could handle such a thing?"
{May I ask why everyone I encounter questions my determination? I don't know if I'm up for it physically, but mentally and emotionally, I can handle this. I'm willing to take the responsibility of my destiny if it involves improving the lives of so many others. I don't care about the burden, and if you think for one moment that I would at this point turn around and go home just because you question my resolution, you are COMPLETELY mistaken, my friend!}
Red looked into the box again.
"Honesty, purity, determination, courage. You've proven all three in this conversation alone." Red looked at Bill and smiled. "Congratulations. You've passed."
Bill let out a sigh of relief, then stopped. {What now?}
Red took a stone out of the box and held it as its center began to glow, emitting a blue light, thanks to the midnight blue crystal around its source.
"Bill, do you know what this is?" Red asked.
Bill stared at it for a long while. It wasn't like any evolution stone he had seen before, and he was positive it wasn't like any other stone on Earth, though sapphire might have come close.
{Sapphire?}
Red smiled and shook his head. "No. Long, long ago, there were twelve meteors which crashed upon this planet, sending out radiation which triggered transformations, creating Pokémon. The three stones that made up these meteors were later dubbed as the Moon Stone, the Sun Stone, and this stone I hold in my hand, the Cosmos Stone.
"The Cosmos Stone, unlike its sister stones, doesn't trigger evolution. Instead, it has its own mystic property, giving magic to those who hold it and granting a certain amount of wishes to whoever gazes upon it. This particular stone only holds enough magic to grant one last wish, and that wish will be to unlock part of you to give you complete control over your powers. Close your eyes and clear your mind."
Bill did as he was told, and not long after, he felt the hard smoothness of the Cosmos Stone being pressed onto his forehead.
"Cosmos Stone, hear my plea... Grant the wish I wish to thee," Red muttered before falling silent, concentrating on his request.
Though his eyes were closed, Bill could see a flash of bright, blue light. No wonder Red wanted him to close his eyes.
After the light faded, he felt almost... different. And it wasn't just because the stone was taken away.
"You may open your eyes now."
Bill did so and immediately felt incredibly dizzy.
"The effects of the unlocking," Red told him. "Congratulations. You are now a shifter master, one who can control when they shift, where they shift to, and, under certain circumstances, into what they shift."
{It can't be that simple,} Bill said as he tried to steady himself.
Red shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But for now, shift back and rest. You need and deserve it. Lady Aigori will tell you more of what you need to know someday later."
Bill nodded, then looked at Ash and Apollo. {What about...?}
"I'll tell them to return once they wake up."
Bill grinned at Red. {Thank you.}
Red nodded as Bill shifted out.
~~~
It seemed as if a day passed before anyone could speak to Bill again. Right after the shift, he had fallen back asleep, followed by a long bath not long after he had waken up.*2* However, he was free to have questions pelted on him after he was able to at least get dressed.*3*
"Do you know how much all of us worried about you!?" Ziggy questioned as soon as she appeared in his room.
Bill arranged his ascot over his shirt and replied, "I would have brought you if Zero allowed it, but I'm afraid she didn't. And I'm sorry about that."
"Are you alright now?" Ziggy inquired.
"Of course."
"Why do I think you're lying to me?"
Bill sighed. "Ziggy, you know me rather well. When did I ever lie to you?"
"All the time when it concerned your health."
He paused for a moment. "Hmm. So I have. Sorry about that. But Ziggy, trust me. I'm FINE."
There was a small period of silence.
"So, what do you think Lady Aigori wants you to do with your powers now that you've gained control over them?" Ziggy asked.
Another small period of silence.
"I'm afraid that... I don't know," Bill answered slowly. "I don't know what the future has in store for... any of us, but I have the strangest feeling that something will happen soon."
"Something?"
"Yes. I don't know what that something is, but... I know that it will have Ash, Apollo, and myself exercise our powers."
"Weird. How soon?"
"I don't know."
Bill leaned against one of the walls in his bedroom and stared at the ceiling. Ziggy sat on his bed, expecting something else to be said.
"...But god, how I wish I knew," Bill added.
~~~
'The imposters failed,' Crocus thought as she paced anxiously in her office. 'McKenzie is a shifter master. Something tells me Master Keios won't like this at all...'
"CROCUS!"
A shiver of fear went down Crocus' spine as she slowly turned to face the two points of red light, brighter than ever. She dropped to her knees and lowered her head.
"M-Master Keios," she addressed. "I-I'm sorry for failing you. I... Perhaps if I had better help..."
"QUIET, FOOL!" Keios roared before quieting down to a low growl. "You have disappointed me time and time again, and now, you have just OUTDONE yourself! I wanted McKenzie eliminated before he had a chance to gain control over his powers, and yet, you've let him slip past you and do just what I didn't want him to do!"
"I know, Master Keios, and I'm sorry!" Crocus cried before bending down so that her face was close to the floor. "Please, Master! Just give me one more chance! One more!"
Keios growled. "Yes... You have one more chance to get rid of McKenzie before I get rid of you. Use this opportunity wisely but execute your plan soon. My patience is wearing absurdly thin."
Crocus lifted her head. "Thank you, Master Keios!"
Keios growled and left the office, leaving Crocus behind to shiver. Her face was pale, and she found it hard to stand up.
Suddenly, an idea came across her mind just as a smile crossed her lips. She exited her office, planning on delivering orders to every shifter in the building.
"Tomorrow, I'll get rid of McKenzie once and for all," Crocus muttered. "Then, it will only be a matter of time before I have the world in the palm of my hand and Keios listens to my every command..."
Crocus let out a short laugh as she walked down the hall with Oracle beside her.
***
End episode 18*4*
---
Footnotes:
*1*: Zero wasn't lying when she said she knew about Bill since she was born. She just hadn't realized Bill was "the one she was looking for" until she "found" him near Tess. What I mean will become clear when I post up that suspended episode. ^_-
*2*: Yes, I had fun trying to picture this. ^.^
*3*: Nah. I'm not perverted. I didn't picture much of this. ^_^;
*4*: And so ends the episode which needed the least amount of footnotes. ^_^; I know I'm lagging behind as of that "an episode a week" thing, and I apologize. This week's episode was delayed partially because of schoolwork and partially because of my newest addiction involving an online fantasy RPG, Dark Ages. (It's so bloody addictive!) But now that I'm off it (and most other games), I'll try to get episode nineteen up sooner than I did the other recent few.