If this seems rushed to you, I'm sorry. I just want to start the Wishfulshipping...sorry it's not in this chapter.
On the other hand, two chapters in a week? Haven't done that in a while.
Iris had been with the boy for only ten minutes, and she was starting to regret it. She had no idea what Ash was doing, and she doubted he did, either. He kept rambling to Pikachu about a mission and his home, something about a prince in a coma and a girl named Misty. Iris didn't get any of it, but then, she didn't really care.
"You have no idea where we're going, do you?" she finally asked, after watching him struggle to find his way out of town.
"Of course I do," Ash huffed. "I just forgot."
Facepalm. "You're never getting home at this rate," she pointed out. She turned to Pikachu, hoping the rodent would have a better sense of direction than his trainer. "What about you, Pikachu? Do you have any idea where we're going, or did this Misty character forget part of her message?"
Pikachu sniffed the air, hoping to catch the scent of magic somewhere. Unfortunately, it was a wasted effort, and he plunked down on the ground as his tummy rumbled. "Chuu..."
Ash took a seat next to him, every bit in agreement. "I hear you, buddy," he said, before looking up at Iris. "You don't know where we can get food, do you?"
Axew cheered and pointed at the donut. "Axew!" he said, scrambling up onto the princess's shoulder to make it clear to her what he wanted. Not that he needed to, of course.
Iris sighed and looked back at her new companions. "Want a donut?"
"Yes," Ash said almost before she finished the question, and it wasn't long before each of them had a small donut ready for eating, much to Axew's pleasure.
"So," Iris said as her friends ate, "where exactly do you come from, and what's all this about a prince?"
"Long story," Ash said, gulping his donut. "To put it short, I'm from pretty far away, the prince was hit by enchanted lightning, it's my mission to get this guy out of his coma, and you're the solution my friend gave me when she passed on the message."
"And I take it she didn't tell you how I'd be useful?"
"Nope. I think she thought we'd figure it out on our own, or at least you. She doesn't have that high of an opinion on my intelligence," he explained, struggling not to make a face.
Whatever Iris was going to say was interrupted by Pikachu, who suddenly jumped up and ran down the street, stopping just before he was out of their sight to bounce up and down, waving them forward. Ash followed, leaving Iris and Axew to stare at their dust, identical expressions of pure confusion on both faces.
"What do you think, Axew?" Iris asked, halfway hoping she wouldn't have to deal with this guy anymore. "Should we leave him to find his own way back?"
"Axew!"
Iris took that to mean, 'You promised.' So she picked up her dragon and followed the strange boy, making a mental note to keep a close eye on him. And possibly arrange to have him placed in the local insane asylum.
"It looks like your prince is in another castle," Iris pointed out, staring at the old, creepy building Pikachu had led them to. She knew nothing about the yellow creature's magic leading them to the place, but she doubted it was where they brought people who had gotten hit by lightning.
"I was thinking the same thing." But Ash was still giving the building a strange look, almost as if he was aware of the ghosts that could have been living in the place. He may have lost his own magic, but fairies, Pokemon and human alike, had a strange sixth sense that led them to whatever they were seeking. The thing is, though, what was Pikachu seeking?
The door creaked open, but no one was there. The entire group was more than a little freaked out, but the strange building wasn't haunted by dead people. It was just a Haunter, who stared at the two humans curiously before clapping happily, floating up to the ceiling of the room, grabbing them and dragging them into the building. Iris shivered at the cold, creepy touch, but the Haunter paid it no attention.
"This is bad," Ash muttered, recognizing the purple legless creature. "Iris, when this thing sets us down, run."
"That won't be necessary."
The voice definitely belonged to a human female, but it wasn't Iris. Instead, a young woman stood by the window, her nearly emotionless eyes locked onto the arrivals. Ash groaned.
"Hey, Sabrina," he sighed, taking a seat. "Long time no see."
Axew really didn't know what to think of this Sabrina person. Sometimes she was serious, if easily distracted and slightly psychotic. And other times, she was humming happily as she followed her Kadabra around, keeping up a slight conversation with her prisoners. If that's really what they were.
"I saw you coming back," she explained when Ash asked why she'd kidnapped them, no denial of the subject at all. "I had Kadabra send signals to your Pikachu so I could help you with your new mission." Iris saw the strange girl's eyes flick toward her for a brief second, but she was too distracted by the statement. New mission? "After all, you wouldn't want another me around, would you?"
"No. Humanity can only take one of you even when you're not posessed."
Sabrina hid a smile behind her hand, before returning to her serious personality. "I suppose that's pretty close to a compliment. Now, if you don't mind, I need to talk to the princess."
Iris looked back at Ash, hoping for some kind of explanation for this woman's behavior, but none came. She did, however, notice her body defying gravity as Sabrina called her to another room, leaving the boy and Pikachu behind with the perfectly sane Kadabra and slightly less sane Haunter. Was this Sabrina a ghost?
"No. I'm every bit as alive as you are. I just have talents."
Iris stared at her, not because she'd decided that Sabrina was mentally unstable, but because she swore she'd only said it in her head. "What talents?"
"Psychic powers. And I am as stable as I can get, by the way."
Iris shuddered. She'd never met a human psychic before, and it was more than a little uncomfortable. "Please stop reading my mind."
Sabrina shrugged. "If you insist." She looked back at the door, where Kadabra had taken to guarding it to prevent escape. "I take it Ash has no idea what he's doing?"
"Well, he mentioned a prince that got hit by lightning," Iris explained. "Why, do you know?"
"I know a lot of things, Your Highness. But I can only give you limited assistance." She pulled a small hammer off a shelf, giving it to Iris. "You'll use it when you need it. In the meantime, keep it safe."
"Where did the hammer come from?" Iris could feel Axew's confusion, but Sabrina just laughed.
"Let's just say I've got friends on the other side," she said. "And, before you ask: no, I have no idea what it does. But I bet it's awesome."
Great.
"What did she want to talk about?" Ash asked as they left the creepy building, the strange trio preparing to head to their own home.
Iris shrugged, neglecting to mention the hammer now sitting at the bottom of her traveling bag. "Who really knows? That Sabrina is by far the most confusing person I have ever met. She was trying way too hard to be all mysterious and secretive, but instead she just wound up acting like a kid."
"Yeah. Sorry about that. In my defense, though, she's better than she used to be."
Iris raised an eyebrow. "Is that freak in there your fault?"
Ash and Pikachu shared a nervous look. "Uh...maybe. Indirectly. Definitely not what I was supposed to make happen." He dug around in his own traveling bag, searching for something that would take his mind off the encounter. He finally settled on the map Haunter had given him before they left, and unfolded it to study the roads. After about a minute of 'I see...' and 'So if we go here..' and that sort of thing, he finally held it up for her to look at. "Hey, Iris? What's the quickest way to get to the kingdom of Striaton?"
Axew stared. Ash smiled. Pikachu fell over into the dirt. And Iris banged her head against the nearest tree.
"You have got to be kidding me."