Midsummer Nights

by Trish

The third instalment to the Midsummer Series. Chapter Thirty Nine now up.

18. Chapter Seventeen: Time Cannot Erase

Midsummer Nights

By Trish

Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me, nor does anything belonging to the Bard. Lucius is co-owned by Mia. Ashura belongs to Dragoness (borrowed with permission but sort of morphed into a slightly insane Flower Mew). Flory, Callie, Poppy, Poptart belongs to me, as does the storyline. The lyrics from the chapter title belong to 'My Immortal' by Evanescence.

Chapter Seventeen: Time Cannot Erase

ooo

Gary Oak stalked out of the elevator onto the administration floor of Pummelo Stadium. The Viridian Gym Leader periodically rubbed his backside which was still sore from the Bite Attack the previous day.

He walked over to the reception desk and smiled at the young woman. "Excuse me, but I need to talk to Drake if he's available."

"Just a minute," she pressed a button on the phone console and spoke into her headset. "Excuse me, sir, but the Viridian Gym Leader would like to see you." She nodded then turned to Gary. "You can go right in."

"Thanks, doll." He walked down the corridor to the right and stopped at the polished oak door at the end with Drake's name and leader status emblazoned on a brass plate. He entered to find the Orange Crew Leader engrossed in expenditure reports for each of the individual gyms in the Orange League. "Drake," he greeted the man.

Drake glanced up and gave a polite smile. "Gary, please take a seat."

After he did so, Drake folded his hands together on the desk. "So, what brings you here?"

"I'd like to lodge a complaint against Jenn," the Viridian City Gym Leader growled. "She attacked me and bit me!"

"What did you come to me for? Shouldn't this be more of a matter for Officer Jenny?"

"Because…Jenn was a Pokémon when she attacked me! It's illegal for Pokémon to attack humans, you know that!"

Drake raised one dark brow. "Jenn was a Pokémon?"

"Yeah, a red-haired man just appeared and turned her into an Absol, then Puck came and turned me into a Kirlia and Jenn attacked me." Too late, Gary realised how crazy that must have sounded.

"So you're telling me that some red-haired stranger came out of nowhere, turned Jenn into a Pokémon, then you were turned into a Pokémon as well, then Jenn attacked you."

"Yeah!"

The Orange Crew Leader shook his head. "Gary, everyone knows that humans can't turn into Pokémon. It's just not possible!"

"But the red-haired man, and Puck!" Gary stood up and protested.

"Maybe you've been out in the sun too long," Drake mused. "A red-haired man that appears out of nowhere? I mean, come on! And Puck isn't powerful enough to turn anyone into a Pokémon."

"But Jenn was an Absol! I saw her!" Gary insisted as Drake rose from behind his desk and put his hands on his shoulders.

"Perhaps you should lay off the alcohol for a while," the dark-haired Gym Leader suggested as he guided his visitor to the door. "I've read that heat and alcohol can cause some mighty fine hallucinations. You saw an Absol and you thought it was Jenn."

"But I haven't been drinking!"

"If you were bitten by an Absol, I'd be a bit worried if I were you," Drake added. "I've heard that an Absol bite can give you rabies."

"R..rabies?" Gary's eyes widened in fear.

"Actually, Danny said he knew a Trainer who had been bitten by an Absol. Poor guy was as sick as a dog for months."

"M..months?"

"Well, normally rabies isn't that bad, but the Absol isn't known as the Disaster Pokémon for nothing, you know. Things tend to be twice as bad when it is involved."

"I think I'd better go and see Nurse Joy…right now. Smell ya later!" Gary took off down the hall running.

Drake watched his figure disappear into the lift before having a small chuckle. He turned to his receptionist.

"Absols have rabies?" Her dark eyes were wide.

"Of course not," the Orange Crew Leader reassured her. "I just said that to put the wind up Gary. He's such an arrogant ass."

"You, Sir, are evil."

"When it comes to Gary or Rudy, I try my best."

ooo

When Ash entered Trish's hospital room, he found the dark-haired girl had two other visitors with her – Puck and Shannon.

"Hi, Ash," Trish greeted. "How's Jenn? I hope she wasn't too much trouble last night."

"Heh," Puck snickered. "Jenn's always trouble!"

Shannon thwacked him on the arm. "That's not nice, Puck! While Jenn's not always an angel, she is going through a very traumatic time!"

Ash grinned. "Why don't you ask her yourself?" He maximised a red and pearl white sphere before dumping one shaggy white Absol on Trish's lap.

Both Trish and the Absol froze in terror upon contact. "Don't kill me, don't kill me, please don't kill me!" Trish rapidly squeaked.

'Don't kill me, don't kill me, puh-leze don't kill me', Jenn feverently muttered.

Trish blinked then stared closer at the Pokémon. "Hey, I actually understood you."

Jenn blinked. 'You did? How?'

A chuckle from Puck answered their question. "I cast a spell so that while Trish can't understand all Pokémon, at least she will be able to understand you."

"Which makes things a little easier," Trish noticeably relaxed a tiny bit. "At least I know it's you under all that fur."

Jenn rolled her eyes. 'And just how many Absols do you happen to know?'

"Just you."

'Right. So there's totally no reason for you to be afraid of me. You know I would never hurt you, T.' She paused and cocked her head. 'At least, not on purpose.'

"Yeah, she's like a big puppy," Ash grinned. "And no need to worry, she's free of fleas since I bathed her last night."

Jenn felt herself blushing as three pairs of eyes fixed on her, all with amused grins. Or at least she thought she was blushing – it would be a bit difficult to tell with a coal black face.

"Soooo, Jenn," Shannon said with a sly smile. "You were given a bath by the Grand Master. Did you liiiike it?"

The human-turned Absol jiggled her shoulder blades. 'Do I have to answer that?' she whined.

Puck peered closer. "And is that a diamond studded collar I see? Someone's been spoilt."

"Oh, Absol-utely," the Grand Master chuckled.

Jenn groaned at the feeble pun and squirmed in embarrassment.

"Uh, Jenn?" Trish spoke up. "Do you mind not moving about so much. You're not exactly light on my lap you know."

In a flash, quite literally, Jenn was sitting on the floor, looking up with a slightly self-satisfied expression. 'I'm still not used to that.'

"I bet," Trish murmured. "Now to find an answer. This had nothing to do with what the vision showed me. If Lu is trying to kill you by doing this to you, it would be by choking on hairballs."

Jenn did a version of a hair toss, 'Oh puh-leze. I don't do that hairball stuff.'

"Not when she has Ash as her personal valet," Shannon said smugly.

Jenn gave Shannon the raspberries. 'I mean, do I look like a cat to you? Only cats get hairballs,' She looked up at the Grand Master, 'Not Absols. Right, Ash?'

He shrugged, "What can I say? Shannon's right."

'Men.'

Puck cleared his throat, "Well to get back to the matters at hand…"

"Yeah," Trish agreed, then got a sly look in her eyes. "Absol-utely…"

Jenn gave her friend a sour look, 'I can see that this will never die down. Ever.'

"You are so right!" Trish grinned. "And I feel better now, too, thanks for noticing."

Shannon gave Trish a quick hug, while Puck winked over Shannon's head. "And we'll find a cure soon," he promised out loud.

'I sure hope so,' Jenn snorted. 'It would suck if there weren't any flowers. You know, nothing growing cause they went extinct cause Ho-oh ate them all.'

The three gave her odd looks.

'What? You people are strange.'

"Takes one to know one," Puck snickered. "And quit trying to be a Psychic type. You're a Dark type."

'So I just slink off into the shadows and brood?'

"You're no Angel," Shannon quipped, hinting at the David Boreanaz television show which had millions of followers, including Jenn.

'Of course I am,' Jenn quipped right back, 'I've got the fangs, don't I?'

"True, but I don't see you drinking human blood, and bursting into flames in the sunlight," Trish grinned. "And I'm afraid that you don't have that tall, dark, handsome and broody look going on. Now, Drake on the other hand…"

Ash cleared his throat. "Getting back to business," he drawled, tapping his finger against his watch.

'Ooooh, now look who's getting all bossy and grand masterish,' Jenn snickered. 'Getting back to business, he says. My, don't we sound all important.'

The Grand Master just raised one dark brow. "Any more sassy remarks from you, and you'll be spending tonight in the doghouse."

"Literally," Puck added with a grin.

'But I prefer sleeping next to you,' Jenn whined, giving Ash the most pathetic puppy dog look she could muster before hearing the snickers coming from Trish and Shannon.

'Not like that!' the human-turned Absol glared at her two female friends. 'Get yer minds outta the gutter.'

"Yeah, she only slept on the floor at the foot of the bed," Ash explained.

'Besides,' Jenn sniffed. 'I don't do interspecies. That's just wrong.'

"Neither do I," the Grand Master agreed, with a shudder.

"Anyway," Trish resumed in a more sober tone. "What does this all mean? I had a vision where these elegantly dressed people were being killed by an earthquake or something. My guardian angel told me that this was what was going to happen to Jenn."

"But how does Drake know what's going to happen to Jenn?" Shannon looked confused. "I didn't know he was psychic."

"He's not. And what does Drake have to do with this?"

"You said your guardian angel..."

"He's not my guardian angel," Trish shook her head. "This other guy called Eddie is."

Jenn's mouth dropped open. 'You have another guy! Why Trishy T...I can't believe it!'

"Before you go any further, my guardian angel is a pint-sized Mushuu-like dragon," her friend glared at her. "And no, I don't have any other guy besides Drake."

The Absol blinked. 'You have a lizard as a guardian angel? Boy, are you strange! I thought you would have at least demanded some totally hot hunk be your angel. I know Iwould have!'

"Hey, it wasn't as if I asked him to appear like that, he just did." Trish shrugged. "It wasn't as if some voice announces, 'Welcome to Create Your Own Guardian Angel! Choose what he or she looks like!' I was just sitting there minding my own business..."

"When was this?" Shannon asked.

"Oh," Trish flushed a little as she remembered that her friends weren't aware of what had happened to her while she was in a coma. To them, she had been in a vegetative state - whereas to herself, being in a coma was like being caught between two worlds, life and death. She fiddled with the worn ear of her stuffy puppy.

"Well, when I was in a coma, spiritually I was awake in like limbo land. It was a very pleasant place with grass and trees and everything was perfect. I was told by the Big Guy's spokesvoices that the reason I was here, was because I had nearly died. That I was to stay here until I made the decision to live or die. Then Eddie appeared."

Jenn cocked her head to the side. 'I wonder if that means we all have a guardian angel? Mine would be safer not meeting me right this moment. Mine must have been sleeping on the job.'

"Aww, but you don't know that," Puck shook his head.

'I certainly do! All you have to do is just look at me to figure that out! I'm not just any freaking Pokémon but a Disaster Pokémon for crying out loud! If I wanted to be a Pokémon, I would have become a Rapidash or at the very least Suicune. Now there's a Pokémon with style.'

"You shouldn't be so harsh on yourself, Jenn" Ash attempted to soothe the agitated canine. "To tell you the truth, you're the cutest looking Absol I've ever seen. And yes, I have seen a few."

'Flattery, sir, will get you nowhere. I'm having a crisis here!'

"We all are," Trish reminded her friend, "And we're trying to figure out how to deal with everything."

'So I should hush till something's figured out?'

"Hushing would be good."

Jenn glowered. 'You didn't have to agree so quickly.'

Trish gave an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Sis, but we really need to work out what Lu is up to. We can't do anything about what he's already done, that's in the past. What we can do is hopefully prevent him from doing something much worse."

"He tried to kill you, Trish," Shannon squeaked. "What could he possibly do that's worse than that?"

For an answer they all looked to the only one who was born of the Fae. Puck shrugged, "I'm afraid I can't tell you what Lu might do. The full potential of Fae magic is not known, though I have heard of tales past of Faes that were powerful enough to destroy worlds. But I do know this, Lu is ambitious and couple that with his magic, it makes him a most dangerous foe. He tried to overthrow King Oberon recently, but I thwarted his plans with the help of Callie. For his crimes, he was banished from Elysium forever."

"So that's why he's so hell bent on destroying you," Trish breathed.

Jenn inched a little closer to Ash's legs. Puck's warning about Lu made her insides quake. 'A most dangerous foe.' It was a fact that she knew all too well from her past encounters, and after what happened to Trish, she realised she was very lucky to be alive. And now, she was temporarily stuck as a Pokémon, and the worst part was that she wasn't sure if it was a very strong type of Pokémon. She sighed, thinking, He couldn't have made me something Legendary instead of Disaster, could he. Noooo, of course not.

What hope in Hell would she have if Lu decided to come after her now? Hopefully Ash could protect her, since he was the Grand Master/Chosen One. There had to be something more in that job description than just taming giant bird Pokémon and Lugia, and Entei, and Deoxys, etc. At least, she hoped so. Ash absentmindedly reached down and scratched behind her ears and the Absol sighed in contentment. Now she knew why animals loved to be scratched right there, it was very soothing.

"Lu's always been one to hold a grudge," Puck sighed. "Ever since we were little kids back in Elysium. Normally, we would just ignore him, but since he's gone and hurt innocent people as part of his evil schemes, we have to stop him and bring him to justice." He paused then looked at Trish. "What did he say to you when you were in Dartmoor?"

"He told me that you and Callie were a thorn in his side and the cause of his ruin," she remembered. "And that he had nothing against me personally, but I was the means of hurting you. He didn't care how many people he hurt as long as the end result is your destruction."

"Nice guy," Ash remarked with heavy sarcasm.

"And you can't work out what the vision of Jenn's evil means?" the chestnut-haired Fae asked.

Trish shook her head. "No, just a lot of richly dressed people dancing, then an enormous cracking sound, the room tilts and people start screaming."

"Plus you've been having those nightmares with the Absol in it," Shannon added. " Then Lu's gone and turned Jenn into that very Pokémon."

'Lu is on my Other List,' Jenn grumbled.

"But turning Jenn into my worst nightmare doesn't make sense!" Trish threw up her hands in frustration. "He should know that Jenn would never even dream of killing or hurting me. What's she gonna do? Lick me to death?"

"Who knows," Puck shrugged.

'I think we were all hoping you would!' Jenn glared at the Fae.

"So what do we do until Lu's been caught?" Shannon interrupted, looking a little pale.

'We all hide? Ash has a very nice bed to hide under.' Jenn clamped her jaws shut and Puck snorted in amusement. Trish just shook her head.

"No we can't hide, Jenn," the Grand Master said, looking a more than a little amused.

'Why not? Hiding's good.

"Because if we all hide, then Lu has won," Trish explained gently.

'I don't think that vacationing in Bali counts as hiding, the Absol sulked.

"Yes, but Bali isn't located under his bed," Trish smirked.

'But Ash's bed is much safer,' Jenn whined. 'It's nice and big and sturdy, and I can hide in the middle, knowing that Ash is on top.'

Ash reddened and Shannon shook her head in mirth. "That sounded so wrong."

Jenn smirked, 'I know!'

"Anyway, we're digressing," Ash coughed. "I think we should have some sort of strategy meeting tonight to discuss what we could possibly do to stop Lu once and for all. I'll speak to Drake right away and we could all meet over at his villa after dinner?"

"Sounds good to me," Puck rose from his chair. "I'll go and find Callie and Mia."

Shannon got up as well. "And I'll go and tell Ben and Jaime."

Ash was about to recall Jenn into her Poké Ball when the human-turned Absol raised both paws as if begging. 'Can't I stay here with Trish until you're finished with your meetings?' She turned her big blue eyes on him. 'Pwease?'

The Grand Master sighed. "Oh all right, you can stay – as long as Trish is okay with it."

The dark-haired Australian smiled. "I don't mind having Jenn stay here for a while."

Everyone could tell she was getting rather tired as the day wore on.

'I promise to be good and quiet,' the Absol raised one paw solemnly.

Ash smiled, "Okay then, I'll be back to pick you up when visiting hours are over." Then he left with the others.

Jenn trotted over to the bed and rested her head on the blankets. 'Well, Trish, I can't say this has been a boring vacation.'

Trish gave a wry smile. "No, it certainly hasn't."

'Who would have thought we'd get caught in the middle of a magical veranda.'

"That's vendetta."

'Whatever.'

"It just so happens that Mia is his lady love, and we're friends with Mia. Plus we're Puck's friends as well. One never knows what can happen when that Fae is around. Remember all the mayhem he caused last time?"

'Uh huh, when a Fae has fun, someone gets hurt.' Jenn yawned, 'Only Lu really wants to hurt people and not just cause a lot of drama.'

"Which makes what he's done to you all the more stranger," Trish mused. "I mean, turning you into a Pokémon is not going to kill you, or kill anyone."

'Not unless he thought I'd lose my mind due to an influx of Absol instincts and therein mindlessly become a killing machine. Or that you'd just kill me on sight what with all those nightmares you have.' She gave her friend a look, 'You are quite the trigger happy little egg slayer.'

"Well so are you!" Trish defended herself, "Anyway, a transformation like this seems more like something Puck would do."

'Hey, maybe it was Puck.'

"Nuh-uh," her friend shook her head. "It was definitely Lu. Merlin backed up what Puck told us."

'You're right,' Jenn sighed, 'Besides if Puck had anything to do with this then I'd have to hurt him.'

A glint came into Trish's eyes. "By the way, what were you doing on Hamlin Island instead of Kumquat like you said?"

Jenn ducked back nervously. 'Really? That was Hamlin?'

"Puck told us when he brought you back, and Merlin had a locater chip in him. We tracked your route with a handheld GPS navigation device." Trish folded her arms and fixed the Absol with a stare. "Drake said that Gary was on Hamlin Island too. Did you go there to confront him?"

'GPS! Drake is such a player!'

"So you admit it?"

'…Woof.'

"Absols don't go woof and you know it," Trish crossed her arms. "Confess."

'No!'

Trish's jaw dropped. "What!"

'You'll just get mad if I say that I went there to beat some sense into Gary. Besides I think things backfired in a huge way so I'm punished enough, thanks for asking.'

"That's about as much as a confession as I'll get, I think."

'No, ya think?' Jenn snorted, 'I almost got him.'

"I know this is hard for you," Trish said defensively, "but it's hard for us too. Especially me. You're my nightmare come true. You don't have to be so..." she trailed off and leaned against her pillow.

'What? Bitchy?' Jenn Absol-grinned. 'Kinda fitting, don't you think.'

"I'd throw a pillow at you if I had an extra one."

'Yeah, I know.' The Absol sighed. 'Is this fairytale gonna have a happy ending?'

"I sure hope so."

ooo

Later that night, the whole gang (sans Trish) were gathered in the spacious living room of Drake's villa. Jenn eyed the space on the sofa next to Ash, but decided that Drake probably wouldn't appreciate Asbol fur all over his black leather sofas. So she sat at the Grand Master's feet.

"Guess who I had visit me at the office today?" Drake asked as he stretched out his legs.

"Who?" Shannon quipped as she snuggled next to Ben on another sofa.

"Gary Oak," the Orange Crew Leader raised an eyebrow. "And he claimed to have been attacked by Jenn."

Jenn gulped.

"But I told him that was Absol-utely impossible to turn humans into Pokémon." Jenn blew a raspberry at him and Drake just grinned. "I told him that it must be due to all the alcohol and the heat."

'Meooow, and you guys say that we girls are catty,' the Absol smirked.

At the confused looks, Ash stopped Jenn's yapping. "Let me translate!"

With his help, things were soon back on course.

"He scurried off to Nurse Joy fast enough after I told him that Absols have rabies."

'They have babies?' Jenn squeaked in alarm. 'I so totally don't want to have Absol babies!'

Shannon rolled her eyes. "He said rabies, Jenn, not babies."

'Rabies is a horrible fate that's just as bad!'

Ash leaned forward and gently scratched the agitated Pokémon behind her two ears, immediately calming her down. "Before you go all foaming at the mouth, Drake was just joking. Absols don't have rabies."

'Promise?'

"Promise," Drake answered. "I just said that to scare Gary."

Jenn grinned at him. 'You are evil.'

"I try."

"But what will happen if Gary sees Jenn with Ash?" Chris inquired. "Those blue eyes are a dead giveaway that she's not your typical Absol."

'Of course I'm not the Absol in question tossed her head. 'I'm a Goddess after all.'

The Scot rolled his eyes. "I can see that being turned into a Pokémon hasn't dented your ego."

"Well, I do have a habit of catching unusual Pokémon," the Grand Master mused. "So it shouldn't be too hard to explain."

"Maybe when you go out in public, Jenn should just act like your average Pokémon and do whatever your average Pokémon does," Jaime suggested. "Like Pokémon contests."

All eyes turned to Jenn and she didn't like the sudden gleam she saw in them. She backed up slowly against the couch. 'Oh no you don't. If any of you want to continue living, you are not gonna enter me into any Pokémon contest!

"Oh no, of course not!" Shannon said quickly. "Why would you think we would?"

'Only you guys would do such an evil thing to me when I'm so vulnerable,' Jenn grumbled.

"You? Vulnerable?" Chris teased, "I didn't think that word was in your vocabulary!"

'Pain will be in yours,' Jenn sulked, 'Besides, I know you guys.'

Drake looked insulted. "Jenn, how could you think such a thing of us? We're your friends! Besides, if we did anything even remotely evil to you, Trish would kill us!"

'Oh, I dunno about that,' the Absol rolled her eyes. 'That sis of mine doesn't shy from playing evil tricks on me, and at the same time she'll make like she's totally angelic.'

The Orange Crew Leader grinned fondly. "That's my girl."

ooo

The next day, Jenn was coaxed out by Ash and Pikachu to go with them for a little walk and some fresh air. Poptart insisted on going with them, so Jenn offered to carry Pikachu's baby along on her back. At first, Jenn was reluctant to talk, but Ash reassured her that it was normal for him to be seen talking to pokémon. People realised that he understood them, and vice versa.

'So, how did you cope being turned into a Pikachu?' she asked casually as she trotted along at a brisk pace beside the Grand Master. The man was tall, and had long legs, and Jenn found she had to walk quite fast to match just one step. No wonder dogs are so tired after walks, she thought to herself. Ash has a long stride and I'm not used to running after someone who's just walking. I guess this can be counted as more paybacks.

"Oh, I guess I was a bit panicked at first," Ash admitted. "I didn't know if it was permanent or not. Then I panicked some more when Pik suggested I stay with you because I was afraid you might find out. But then I realised that there was nothing I could do about it, so I treated it as a learning experience."

'Yeah, well, I didn't know it was you, otherwise I wouldn't have told you so many secrets!' Jenn grumbled as Pikachu giggled.

"Oh, your secrets have stayed safe with me," the dark-haired Master winked. "I haven't told a single soul."

'Good, cause I'd hate to have to hurt you if you do.'

"Oh really?"

'Really,' She shook her head as a fly buzzed close to her ears. 'Anywayz, did you end up learning anything by being a Pokémon.'

"Sure did," Ash smiled. "As they say, you have to walk a mile in another person's shoes to be able to fully understand them."

'But Pokémon don't wear shoes,' Jenn cocked her head up at him, a sly expression in her eyes.

"You know what I mean," he shook his head in amusement. "I got to experience what it was like to be a Pokémon for a while. And as a result, I have a much better understanding, and a healthy respect for what they have to put up with."

'I took good care of you,' she protested. 'Didn't I?'

"You certainly did," the Grand Master smiled. "Your Pokémon are very lucky to have you as their Trainer."

Jenn felt a moment of delight. She had hoped her pokémon would love her as much as she did them. It was high praise for someone like Ash to say she was doing a good job.

"Hey Loser!" a familiar nasally voice froze them in their tracks. Gary Oak came sauntering up to them with his hands in his pockets. "I see you got yourself another pathetic Pokémon."

The fur on Jenn's neck began to rise but then she remembered that Poptart was on her back and she tried to settle down. Feelings of anger mixed with embarrassment at her current situation.

The Viridian City Gym Leader peered closer at the Absol who inched closer behind the Grand Master's legs. His eyes widened. "Hey, that's Jenn!"

"So what if it is?" Ash asked calmly.

"No one humiliates Gary Oak like she did and gets away with it!" He glared down at his ex. "She attacked me! I demand that you hand her over so I can give her what she deserves!"

"No."

"Whaddya mean, no!" Gary's eyes widened with rage.

"Exactly what I said – no," the dark-haired Master folded his arms. "I can't let you hurt her."

The Viridian Gym Leader turned scarlet, then smirked. "Always protecting the 'innocent,' aren't you, Ash? Figures that she'd go running to you. Jenn's always wanted to be your bitch, and now she is."

The human-turned Absol bristled with rage and she growled low in her throat. Poptart patted at her neck, trying to soothe her agitated friend. Tingles ran through her, and Jenn wasn't sure if it was electricity from Poptart or if it was something else.

White flashes edged her vision and Jenn felt a trickle of fear. It could be something else and if it was, she only hoped that she could control it.

Ash quickly brought out a small Pokédex and pointed it at the Pokémon. He glanced at the data and raised an eyebrow. "Oooh Gary, I would start running if I were you."

"Why?" the Viridian City Gym Leader sneered. "You gonna beat me to a pulp over that frigid bitch?"

A surge of anger welled up inside her, the heat so intense that she had to open her mouth for air – and shot a Flamethrower which hit the man dead on.

"YEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOW!" he shrieked before diving into the nearest fountain to douse the flames.

"Frigid wasn't the word I was looking for," Ash said nonchalantly. "This girl here seems to know Flamethrower."

Jenn looked pleased with herself. 'And here I forgot the marshmallows.'

Gary sat up in the fountain, all black and sputtering. "That does it!" he screamed with rage. "I challenge you and that DOG to a one on one Pokémon battle, and I'm gonna bring your sorry asses down!"

'Bring it on, you Neanderthal,' Jenn sneered, a fire in her eyes which was echoed in that of the Grand Master's.

"Sure, Oak. Ready when you are."

"Oh no, we're not gonna do it now," the Viridian City Gym Leader growled. "I want this fight to be as public as possible so you can REALLY be humiliated. Tell Drake to arrange something and get back to me with the details."

Ash shrugged. "Whatever floats your boat. I would warn you however, not to underestimate Jenn or myself."

"Oh yeah?" Gary burst out laughing. "That girl has no idea on how to be a Pokémon, much less the attacks! It's gonna be your funeral, Ketchum."

"You keep saying that, Gary," the Grand Master smiled serenely. "How many more times will you say it before you actually believe it?"

Gary stalked off in a huff, trailing water all the way.

Once he was out of earshot, Jenn turned to the man beside her. 'How come you stayed so cool and collected? He made me so mad that my blood totally boiled.'

"I've learned to not let it get to me," Ash smoothed down her ruffled fur. "It's a skill that I find very handy, I do live with Misty after all, and she's certainly not mild-mannered."

ooo

An hour later, they were seated in Drake's office, and the Orange Crew Leader heard them out with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" he asked. "I mean, a Pokémon battle in front of thousands of fans with an untried Pokémon? Would you really want to risk your reputation and Jenn's health?"

'Hey, he called me a bitch and a dog,' Jenn growled. 'I know they're the same but nobody gets away with dissing the Goddess.'

"And besides," Ash said, from his lounged spot on one of Drake's overstuffed leather chairs, "it'll be a great challenge, one I haven't had in a long while."

"What, losing?" Drake snickered.

'That does it,' Jenn leapt onto a black leather sofa and sprawled out on it, ignoring Drake's death glares, 'if you don't have faith in Ash, at least have some in me.'

"Ash wasn't the one I was worried about," Drake said dryly after Ash translated. "And if you scratch that sofa, I'll send you the bill."

Jenn scratched lightly at the smooth surface with one claw.

Drake gave her a withering glare, then asked Ash, "When do you want to do this?"

"As soon as possible," Ash said, "as soon as possible."

ooo

"You what!" Trish stared down at her friend with wide eyes. "Jenn!"

'What?' Jenn let out a low whine, 'He insulted me! He thinks he's such a badass.'

"He is a badass, Jenn," Trish said gently, "You're not supposed to let it get to you."

'I couldn't help it,' Jenn admitted, then her eyes widened. 'And now I have to battle his Umbreon. I don't even know how an Absol battles, much less an Umbreon. How can I defeat something when I don't know how it battles?'

"You could ask your Umbreon…"

'Yeah or I could just ask a Gyarados to eat me,' Jenn snorted, 'She hates me, Trish, especially after I mangled her name like that. Granted I was only kidding, but she's too serious to let something like that go. Why can't I just crawl into a hole and…uh oh.'

"What uh oh?"

'Well if Lulu was trying to kill me, or if he thought Gary would do it, wouldn't he realise that I'm doing fine and dandy?' Jenn crawled under the bed. 'I think I'll just stay here for however long I live for. Absols don't have a long life expectancy, do they? I mean, hello, Disaster Pokémon. They can't have too long of a life, or have a clean end. Sheesh.'

"Would you stop thinking like that?" Trish demanded. "If I could, I'd drag you out of there to shake some sense into you."

'Neener, neener, then.'

Trish rolled her eyes, "Puck? Can you come here a moment?"

For a second, there was no reply, then Puck shimmered into the room. He wore a white apron that had something written on it.

"Kiss the chef?" Trish queried.

"Uh…" Puck made a motion and the apron vanished, "I was cooking."

'The world, she is ending…'

Puck made a face in Jenn's direction, "She's hiding under the bed again?"

"And you could tell how?"

"Fear is thick in the air," Puck said in a mysterious tone.

Trish raised an eyebrow.

"That and I heard through the grapevine of her impending doom. I mean, battle."

A low whine from under the bed.

Trish shook her head, "Always getting herself into trouble."

"Yes," Puck nodded, "Any reason you wanted to see me?"

"Two reasons," the dark-haired Australian smiled. "One, to get my bestest bud out from under my bed."

"No problem," the Fae grinned before Jenn suddenly materialized on top of the bed.

'You totally suck,' the Absol growled at him.

"Secondly, we need your magical assistance to make sure that Jenn doesn't get her Pokémon ass Absol-utely whipped."

The Pokémon glared at her friend before turning to Puck. 'If you don't help me, I'll blame you because if you had found that cure quickly, this whole battle thing totally wouldn't have happened!'

Puck shrugged. "Sure, I can help. What do you want me to do?"

Trish flipped open her Pokédex. "I've got a list here of all the attacks that an Absol can learn. It would be good if you could make her learn all the best ones."

"No problem, just name them."

"Let's see…Hyper Beam, Thunderbolt, Thunder…"

Jenn stuck her sooty muzzle in front of Trish to take a look as well. 'Ooooh, Ice Beam would great! That arrogant ass always said that I was frigid. Then I could show him just how frigid I can be.'

"Fire Blast, Hail…"

Puck beckoned to Jenn. "Come here like a good widdle girl.."

'If you weren't helping me, I would have bitten you for that,' Jenn growled as she jumped off the bed and trotted over to him.

The chestnut-haired Fae chuckled and place his hands on her head. A bright glow emanated from his palms and Jenn felt warmth spreading over her. An almost indescribable feeling of knowledge and power coursed through her brain and it made her shiver.

Puck stepped back. "There, all done."

'Can I try them out? Can I? Huh? Huh?' Jenn bounced up and down.

"Not here," Trish laughed. "And don't get too excited otherwise you might wet yourself."

Jenn looked appalled. "Trish!"

"Yeah but it's a known fact that when animals get over-excited they wet themselves."

'Gee, you're right!' Jenn said evilly before coating Trish's nightstand with ice. 'And when it melts it'll be wet.'

Trish looked mournfully at the now frozen cup of coffee, "I was enjoying that!"

Puck smirked, "She got you there."

Trish glared at the Fae, "Why don't you go take Jenn to see Ash? See if they can't get some training done."

'But I don't do training!' Jenn wailed. 'The Goddess does not do training.'

"Well, then you're just gonna get your Absol butt whipped," her friend retorted. "Now off with you before I decide to hurt you for ruining my coffee."

Jenn gulped and quickly followed Puck out the door. Once they were out of earshot the Fae looked down at her. "She really wouldn't hurt you over a beverage, would she?"

'There is one cardinal rule with T – never get between her and a cup of coffee.' the Absol shook her head. 'She can't get enough of that stuff, it's almost as if she has coffee running through her veins.'

"So even you can get on her bad side?" Puck blinked. "I can't believe it."

'Well believe it! There are two things that even I can't get away with. One is stealing Drake, and the other is ruining her beloved coffee.'

ooo

Half an hour later, Jenn was standing in the Stadium with Puck, Ash, Pikachu and Drake in tow.

"Okay, what we need to do between now and the battle is to get you so well trained against an Umbreon that we can't possibly lose." The Grand Master stated before unclipping a Poké Ball from his belt, maximizing it then releasing the creature inside to reveal an Umbreon.

'Umbre!' the Dark Pokémon barked before nuzzling Ash's leg.

Jenn gaped. 'You have an Umbreon? I didn't know that.'

The Grand Master chuckled. "I've managed to build up quite a collection over the years."

'I don't suppose you could train my Umbreon for a bit.'

"No, I don't think so," Ash scratched the Umbreon's head. "That's part of securing your relationship with them. You have to train them on your own, or nothing is accomplished."

'I know that,' Jenn whined. 'But Umbreon refuses to listen to me at all, just because I messed up her name once.'

"Oh, what did you call her?"

'Undieon.'

Ash chuckled. "Can't say I blame her then."

'Yeah but this is taking a grudge a bit too far,' the Absol huffed. 'She is so different from her twin, Espeon. Espeon listens to Trish and obeys her without any problems! Couldn't you at least teach my Umbreon to have a bit more respect for her Trainer?'

"I could tell her, but you would still have to earn that respect yourself. No one else can do that for you," the Grand Master explained. "Look how long it took for me to get Charizard to listen to me!"

'But I don't have that long!' Jenn wailed and flopped onto the ground with her two paws over her face for dramatic effect. 'I am so totally doomed.'

"Oy," Drake shook his head. "Being a Pokémon hasn't stopped her from acting like a diva."

The Absol glared at the Orange Crew Leader. 'Hey I resemble that.'

The Umbreon peered closer at the Absol. 'Hey, is that a diamond studded collar I see?'

"It is," Ash confirmed.

The Dark Pokémon cocked his head at his master. 'You must really like this one. Even Pik doesn't wear anything like that.'

"Well, she's not really a Pokémon. She's a friend of mine who's been turned into one."

'Oh, so she's your girlfriend?' At this statement, both Jenn and Ash went a deep red, while Puck just snickered.

"Nooo," the Grand Master chuckled nervously. "She's a girl and she's my friend, but she's not my girlfriend."

Pikachu giggled. 'But he really does like her a lot. More than he's willing to admit.'

Jenn's eye twitched, 'Even if he was available, I'd so not be dating this soon after such a disaster. I don't like to rebound with the nearest available, or not available, guy in sight.'

'So he's not good enough?' Pikachu asked with an evil look. 'My, my, Pikapi…'

While Ash looked away, Jenn ground out, 'It's not that! Of course he is! It's just…Argh! Can we just get on with the torture we came here for? I'd like to see how badly I'm going to get defeated before the actual event comes to pass.'

"Aww, it won't be that bad," Puck said soothingly.

'Really?'Jenn looked hopeful, 'You mean you found the cure?'

Puck had to turn away to smother the grin that suddenly came over him, and turned around with a serious look on his face. Oh, but to enjoy a great prank like this! "Alas, Little One, I have not yet found the flower that will restore you, but fear not! For I, the Great Puck, shall endeavour to find it and return you to the form that's true."

Jenn blinked slowly, 'If you're punking me about this flower thing, I will so make you regret it.'

"Punking you?" Puck shook his head, "I've got to catch up on my slang." He watched Jenn give him one last scathing look before trailing behind Ash and Pikachu. At least I got her mind off of that flower. This has turned from a bad thing to the best prank I've ever pulled!

ooo

"Again!" Ash yelled out to his Umbreon, "Faint attack, then Quick Attack!"

Just barely did Jenn dodge the Faint Attack, but took the Quick Attack on the shoulder. She winced at that, and heard Puck yelling something at her. Her mind buzzed at the words, and she watched the Umbreon drawing closer. At the last second, she let a Flamethrower loose, which knocked the Umbreon back a few feet.

"C'mon, Jenn," Puck urged, "I know you're tired but Umbreon looks just as tired! Just one more hit and it'll be down!"

Panting with exhaustion, Jenn looked over at said Umbreon. It did look a little like it would fall over, but this training had dragged out for what felt like days. It had been fun at first, till that first attack hit – which hurt, a lot – then the seriousness of the situation gripped her and hadn't let go. She knew how Ash got so good at what he did; he trained like a maniac.

Chastising herself at her choice of words, Jenn didn't see the Energy Ball coming till it was too late and it hit her dead on, sending her flying backwards. Landing harshly on the ground, Jenn saw little Pidgeys flying in circles around her. 'Can we just…call it a day…?'

Ash glanced at his watch. "Yeah, that's probably enough training for your first day." He patted his Umbreon on the head before recalling him into his Poké Ball.

Jenn lifted her head wearily as the Grand Master then knelt beside her and scratched her gently behind the ears. "You did very well. You should be proud of yourself."

'Honest?'

"Honest. Now to get you to the Pokémon Centre." Ash maximized her Poké Ball and recalled her into it.

ooo

If there was one advantage to being a Pokémon, Jenn decided, it was their ability to be healed so quickly. After a few minutes in the machine in the Pokémon Centre, she felt like she could take on Mount Everest.

After a bath and a groom back at the villa, Ash took her and Pikachu over to Drake's for dinner with the rest of the gang.

"Holy Miltank! You can't be serious!" Ben dropped his fork after Drake informed them of the news.

"Yes, we're serious," Ash nodded. "Gary wants a one on one Stadium battle between his Umbreon and Jenn."

"And you agreed?"

Jenn squirmed as all eyes centred on her. She was sitting at the table along with Pikachu, a large bib tied around her neck to make sure that she didn't get any food on herself. The human-turned Absol hoped that she did not have gravy smeared all over her face.

Puck, after seeing how exhausting it was for Ash to translate continually, decided it would be best to have Jenn be understood by all, and so he made it so that she could be understood by all in their group.

"But Jenn could be hurt or even killed!" Shannon squeaked in alarm, throwing her arms protectively around her friend.

"We're making sure that won't happen. Jenn's undergoing some intensive training against my Umbreon and she's learned all the most powerful moves an Absol can have," Ash reassured her.

The brunette still wasn't happy, and turned to the Orange Crew Leader. "Isn't there any way you can stop this? Can't you say that Misty went into labour or something?"

"That would stop Ash, that wouldn't stop Gary," Mia reminded her.

"Well can't Drake say that the Stadium is closed for a reason?"

"He could," Mia said, "But there are other arenas around here. He'd probably take it to Rudy's gym. You're lucky he didn't suggest that in the first place."

Shannon made a face, "Gross, Trish would have thrown a fit at that!"

"She's not the only one," Mia winced, "That guy has some serious issues."

"That's an understatement," Ben agreed. "What about Lu?"

There was a long silence, broken by Drake clearing his throat. "We were hoping the battle would draw him out and be a trap of sorts."

'We were?'

Ash looked at Jenn, "Yeah, we were. Let's face it, Lu has a huge ego and he'll probably have an ear out for anything big that our group is doing. Once he figures out that Jenn is still alive and well…"

'For now!'

Ash sighed, "Once he figures that out, he'll show himself and that's when we spring the trap."

"And what's the trap?" Ben asked.

Drake looked over at Ash, and the Grand Master shook his head, "Sorry, Ben, can't say that. The three of us, Drake, Puck, and I, know the gritty details. With how dangerous Lu is, we can't afford to take the risk that one of you could be abducted, or hurt, to get the information from you."

"But…"

"No buts, Little Bro," Drake said gently, "I like you in the land of the living."

"So what next then?" Mia asked, "Do we go on like normal, or do we hide out here?"

Jenn perked up, 'I like the hiding part!'

"You hush," Ash chided, "You are not going into hiding." He ignored Jenn's deep sigh, "Your little battle is integral to our plans, so this is your time to shine. And there's that little fact that Gary is going to get an ego thrashing."

"But wouldn't it be better if Callie were included in the plan?" Jaime spoke up suddenly. "No offence, Puck, but isn't she more powerful than you?"

"True," the chestnut Fae admitted. "She's always the one that King Oberon always sends after me, when I'm in trouble."

"And what's to stop Lu from hurting one of us anyway to get to Jenn?" Mia frowned as she pondered some more. "As soon as he realises that Jenn is okay, wouldn't he be the type to hurt the one who's closest to Jenn?"

"Trish…" Shannon breathed.

"She's alone in the hospital too," Mia gulped. "Can't we put her under twenty-four hour guard or something?"

Drake shook his head. "Nah, we'd need to give a good reason for it, and that would just bring it all out into the open. Besides, what chance would the guards have against an immortal being? I just wish I could take her somewhere I'd know she'd be safe."

"How about sending her home to Australia?" Chris suggested as he took a bite of the steak. "She'd be safe with her family there."

"She wouldn't go, not without Jenn here," Shannon shook her head. "She wouldn't leave her best friend alone when she knows she's in great danger. And not when she knows herself just how evil Lu can be."

The human-turned Absol perked up. 'That's a great idea! You can't possibly let Trish go alone, so I should go along as her personal guard. So when do we leave?'

Ash leaned over to Jenn. "You, my dear, are not going anywhere. We need you here for our little battle."

'Is that 'little' as in normal terms or is that 'little' in Orange Island terms, cause if it's Orange Island ' little' then I don't wanna...' she whined.

"Do you want to stop Lu once and for all?"

'Duh!'

"Then you're going to battle."

'Chu are so mean.' She moped, then looked up at Drake. 'What if I lose and get totally hurt?'

"You won't lose," Puck said confidentially. "You're in the best hands possible, Jenn. Ash isn't called the Pokémon Grand Master for nothing."

"Plus you've got Drake helping you too," Jaime chirped. "He did have that unbeaten record until Ash came along."

"Beginner's Luck," the Orange Crew Leader grinned.

"Don't you wish," Ash smirked back. "It was skill and you know it."

"Maybe your pokémon's skill," Drake said, "But you were such a little tyke."

All eyes shifted back to Ash. This was quickly becoming a verbal tennis match.

"A little tyke?" Ash looked surprised, then got an evil look in his eyes. "I guess coming from such an old timer like yourself…"

"Old?!"

"And I am the Chosen One."

"Chosen for what?" Drake raised an eyebrow, "VCR programming?"

Before Ash could reply, Mia stood up. "Boys! Enough! Let's get back to something more serious."

Ash pointed at Drake "But he…"

"Something more serious than the nurturing either of your egos," Mia said pointedly. "Like how we should be bringing in Callie."

Things got very quiet, then Puck yelped and leapt to his feet.

"What!" Ash got up quickly, as did Drake who pulled Dragonite's Poké Ball from the neck cord.

"It's not a threat," Puck said, then pointed out his ice covered chair. "Just a practical joke."

Jenn blinked innocently, 'Oops, I guess it slipped. I sure hope you find my cure soon.'

"Like being a Pokémon is a fatal disease," Jaime snickered.

'You want ice in your drink?' Jenn glared at the Canadian.

Jaime covered her drink, "Don't you dare!"

"Oh she dares," Puck said dryly. "She iced Trish's coffee earlier today."

'Another word about that and you'll be getting a fire to thaw out,' Jenn growled threateningly.

Puck laughed weakly, "Um, well, how about calling for Callie then?"

ooo

"They think they're very secretive about this," Lu murmured as he dismissed the energy ball that had been spying on the group. "And secretive they are if not for the fact that a spying globe is child's play."

The tall Fae sighed deeply, "They are quite correct. I could take out Trish and finally do more than these parlour tricks, but it's enjoyable to make them squirm. However, this battle that is on the horizon could have much potential."

He sat in an oversized chair he'd conjured earlier and gave the situation more thought, "I could boost the power of Gary's Umbreon. That could be quite amusing."

The red-haired Fae chuckled and steepled his fingers. "It would be very amusing in fact. They won't know what hit them."

ooo

Puck managed to telepathically contact his sister, whose arrival was heralded by a swirl of lilac sparkles. "Hi guys," she smiled at the group, especially at Chris who was trying not to impersonate a Magikarp. For the female Fae was dressed in a low cut burgundy halter top and short black leather skirt. Her brother glowered at him, as Mia giggled and patted his arm comfortingly.

"Hi, Cal," Ash greeted warmly. "Long time no see."

"Indeed," she settled down gracefully on the sofa next to her brother. "Puck's not causing any trouble, is he?"

"Hey," the Fae in question pouted. "I resent that!" Callie smiled and ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Aww, you know I really love ya, Lil Bro."

"Awww, how cuuuute!" Jaime gushed, and the chestnut-haired Fae turned bright red.

"Must you go and embarrass me?" he mumbled to his sister.

"Of course! Just fulfilling my sibling duty."

Puck sighed, at which Callie just grinned and Mia gave him a quick kiss, which made him go even redder.

"We need your help," the Grand Master informed her from across the room where he was sitting, Jenn resting her head in his lap. "Jenn, here has been turned into a Pokémon by Lu and we have been challenged to a one on one Pokémon battle against Gary Oak."

"Was that really wise?" the female Fae blinked.

"That's what everyone's said so far," Drake chuckled. "Thank you for agreeing with us!"

"We can't get out of it now," Ash shook his head.

The Absol raised her head and looked at him. 'Excuuuuse you! I wanted to go hide or at least go to Australia with Trish but noooo, you said I had to stay here and battle.'

The Grand Master just grinned and ruffled her furry head. "Because your presence is sure to lure out Lu and we can spring our trap. You are our bait, so to speak."

'Can't we have my doublegengar be the bait instead?' Jenn whined.

"I think you mean doppelganger, Jenn" Shannon smirked.

'Whatever.'

"So, what would you like me to do to help?" Callie asked.

"I've already made it so that Jenn knows the top attacks that an Absol can learn," Puck explained. "We just need you to help cast the spell that would trap Lu and to also be on the lookout for any tricks he may pull."

"No problem."

Puck grinned and impulsively hugged his sister. "Thanks Cal, you're a real peach!"

"Mhmm, I'd like to have me some of that," Chris muttered under his breath. Shannon elbowed him in the side. "Ouch."

"I heard that!" the chestnut-haired Fae glared at the Scot. "Would you stop looking at my sister like you want to undress her and make sweet sweet love?"

"Puck!" Mia gasped as the rest of the girls giggled and Chris just turned very very red.

"What?" Puck blinked. "I was just telling the truth.."

"Discretion is the better part of valour, as they say," Drake chuckled. "Too much information there, Puck."

"Oh." A sheepish grin. "Sorry."

"Not that no one here knows that Chris has the hots for Callie," Mia grinned at her friend, who was now scarlet.

"I didn't know," Callie quipped. "But now I do…"

Chris gulped and looked down at his feet. This was the part where she gave him the brush-off, or worse, said that she only liked him as a friend.

"I think that's sweet," she smiled. "I'd love to have lunch or tea or coffee with you sometime."

The Scot's mouth dropped open. "Really?" he squeaked.

"Really."

"What!" Puck's jaw dropped. His sister leaned over and closed it back up with one finger.

"You be quiet. You can't talk as you are currently involved with a mortal yourself, Lil Bro."

"That's true," Ash chimed in. "Mia's been wearing his ring on her left hand all this time. And we all know what that means…." The couple reddened.

Callie was about to remark that the laws forbade the union between Fae and Mortal but thought better of it. After all their cousin Flory renounced his immortality to stay with the girl he loved and the two were now blissfully married. Then there was that deal that Puck had made with Oberon – that if Mia proved beyond all doubt that she loved him, he could stay. If she didn't, he would be forbidden from ever returning again.

'Can we get back to business?' Jenn whined. 'I'm gonna be totally humiliated and annihilated if we don't work something out.'

"You won't be," Ash reassured her as he stroked her fur. "I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise."

Part of Jenn wanted to argue with that, how could he guarantee that she wouldn't get hurt? After all, Gary's Umbreon would be at an unbelievably high level, whereas she…she didn't know what level she was on. But the other part of her, the part that she ended up listening to, that other part was comforted by his words.

Ash had promised he'd protect her. And if Ash had promised, then that's what he'd do. Ash always tried to keep his promises. Pikachu and the rest of Ash's Pokémon had spent the past few nights reassuring her that she'd have the best possible chance of beating Gary with Ash by her side. 'I know that Pikapi doesn't always show it, but he really does know more than he lets on, especially when it comes to Pokémon battles.'

The electric mouse interrupted her thoughts by putting out a tiny paw and patting her gently. 'What he says is true, Pichapi. Pikapi would do anything and everything for his family, friends and Pokémon, because he loves us.'

Jenn knew the mouse spoke the truth. Ash had one of the biggest hearts around. He would do anything for his family and friends. He would do anything for her, because she was his friend. Of course none of that matters if I can't pull this off.

To be continued…

ooo

Author's Note: HamlinIsland is one of the many islands in the Orange Archipelago. It can be found on any of the OrangeIslands maps in any of the Pokémon chapter books. So no, I wasn't making it up.