Episode 15! Woohoo! Can you believe I only wanted to write 4-5 new parts as filler episodes, and I end up writing this many?

Yeah, now finish my story!

I will, Ash! It just depends on how many reviews I get! More reviews = faster speed.

You heard her! Review please! *begs*

Pika!

Pika-chan, what are you doing here?

I want to convince the fans too! If you want to read more about me, or you want more shots of Ash in silly costumes, please send comments to the authoress!

I think that's enough motivation for some of you fans, so please send her your comments!

Okay, okay! I have to start the show now!

Tmp - no, I am not a fan of AAMRN. Yes, Todd is annoying, but he will disappear later. I'm not telling you how, that would give away the plot.

Ranma, and Dawn the Espeon, Thanx for your support!

Disclaimer: No matter how much Shadow would like to own pokemon, it is not hers. Please do not sue her. Pokemon belongs to a bunch of huge corporations, like Nintendo, Game Freak, and 4Kids. Not to mention Shogakukan comics. I only own this idea, this piece of fanfiction, and of course, Destiny.

Second Disclaimer: Alas, Shadow does not own Card Captor Sakura either. It belongs to Clamp, Kodansha, Mixx… Not me!

Episode 15: Fire, fire, burning bright

The next day, the trio reached Cerulean city. They were all very happy. Ash headed off to the pokémon center to get a room for the night, before going off to find a Laundromat where he could get his clothes, as well as the costumes from Todd, washed. The outfit he had worn when he had captured the Zubat card was no longer spotless; as the black, white, and purple hues were now covered by a layer of dust and dirt….

"Look! A Laundromat! I've been saved!" Ash quickly dashed off towards the store. When he got there, he put two quarters in two washing machines and happily washed all the clothes he had worn on the journey. It was so nice having clean clothes. A bath would be good too, if the Pokemon center had public showers, which it did.

"I'm going to the toy store." Pika-chan said.

"Why?" Ash asked. Pika-chan grinned.

"I want a stuffed animal! Can I have some money?"

"Sure." Ash gave Pika-chan a few dollars and she happily skipped off to get a toy. Todd blinked.

"Why would she want a stuffed animal?"

"I dunno. Maybe she wants something to cuddle at night…"

Pika-chan stared at all the beautiful plush toys surrounding here. There were little pokemon dolls, everything from Abras to Zubats, as well as fluffy teddy bears, porcelain figurines (but she didn't want those), stuffed tigers, lions, and bears (Oh my!), exotic animals like giraffes, and rag dolls.

"Wow…."

She flew around, testing all of them. She wanted something soft but firm. First, she tried a stuffed penguin. It was small and could fit in her arms when she acquired the power to change back into her real form, as soon as Ash captured the last electric pokemon, Zapdos. However, when she tried to squeeze it, it wouldn't budge

"Too hard." She said.

Then, she tried a rag doll. It had curly red hair made out of yarn, black button eyes, and a blue calico dress. She thought it looked cute. However, when she hugged it, one of the button-eyes popped off and the doll seemed to deflate.

"Too soft. I don't want anything squishy."

Finally, after much squeezing and touching, she located a cute stuffed animal. It was an angelfish doll, striped with the seven colors of the rainbow. The head was orange, and two glass green eyes winked at her playfully. It was light enough for her to hold, and soft enough to use as a pillow, but if she sat on it, she wouldn't sink. It was the perfect toy.

"I wonder how much it is?" Pika-chan slowly waddled over to the counter, carrying the Angelfish, which was bigger than she was.

Needless to say, the poor teenager manning that checkout line was freaked out when he spotted a doll floating towards him.

"AAAHHHH!" His shouts brought several other teens running. One spotted the tail that stuck out from behind the fish and laughed.

"Dude, its just a pokémon carrying a doll! I can't believe you're such a big baby!"

Teen number one picked it up and noticed Pika-chan clinging to the back with her paws. He looked sheepish.

"Oops." Then, he turned to Pika-chan. "Do you want to buy this?"

Pika-chan nodded and held out her money.

"Well, the fish is eight dollars. Here's your change. Do you want a bag?" Pika-chan shook her head, no, and then waddled out onto the street in search of Ash.

After a while, she spotted him lounging on a bench, eating some pretzels from a street vendor. She flew over to him.

"Hi, pika-chan. did you get what you wanted?" Ash asked, as she sat down next to him.

"Yes. Can I have a pretzel?" Pika-chan asked as she put down the plushie, not wanting to get any food on it.

"Do you want cinnamon sugar flavored or regular with salt?"

"I'll take the cinnamon sugar pretzel, of course!" Pika-chan said. She happily munched. "Wow, it's almost as big as I am!"

"So is the doll you bought." Ash remarked as he looked at the angelfish. "Hey, its sort of cute."

"Thanks!" Pika-chan finished eating and licked her paws. "Mmm."

Todd came running. "Hey, Ash! I got our rooms at the center! Nurse Joy says your pokémon are ready, too!"

"Coming!" Pika-chan hopped onto Ash's shoulder, as he put her doll in his voluminous backpack, before running towards the center. Soon, they were there.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy." Ash said, as he reclaimed his four poke balls.

"No problem. Although I would have thought that you would have more pokemon." Joy said. "Most people have at least ten by the time they get here."

Ash looked sheepish. "Well, it's a long story."

"Well, I won't bother you then." Nurse Joy said. Just then, Officer Jenny drove in.

"Joylene, I don't want to bother you right now, but there was a accident at the Cerulean gym! Apparently one of the workmen whom they hired to work on the new pool accidentally cut through one of the electric wires underneath the gym! Now the Gym's on fire, so I was wondering if you could come and-."

"I'm coming!" Nurse Joy called. "Chanseys, if you aren't busy, follow me!" Several Chanseys raced out and ran after her.

Ash and Todd stared.

"The gym is on fire?" Ash finally stuttered out after a few moments of shocked silence.

"I-I think so… Ash, we gotta help them!" Todd said.

"But I don't have any water pokemon!" Ash pointed out.

"You have your Dragonair, don't you?"

"Oh! I forgot! Okay, just a minute. I just remembered something that might help."

Ash ducked into the bathroom. Soon, he reemerged carrying his wand and several cards. Todd slapped his forehead.

"I should have known you would have water pokemon cards!"

"Come on, hurry!" Pika-chan said. Ash released Ponyta and they quickly raced towards the blazing gym.

Soon, they arrived.

"Starmie, Squirtle, Lapras, Vaporeon, Dragonair, Dratini, go!" Ash called, sending out the cards, as Todd taped from a safe vantage point. Then, he sent Storm out as well and ordered Storm and Dragonair to call up a rainstorm.

They did, and the natural rain quickly put out the fires consuming the gym. As soon as the fire was gone, Ash quickly called back his cards and shrunk his wand back to key form, before tucking it under his shirt.

"Let's get out of here before we're questioned."

Todd nodded, and quickly followed him back to the Pokemon Center. When they were back, Ash headed off to take his shower, while Pika-chan decided to take a nice nap. She climbed onto the bed with her new Angelfish plushie and within moments, was snoring and dreaming sweet dreams of apples, pancakes with maple syrup, and lots of candy.

Todd busied himself making Ash's next costume. At the rate the pokemon cards were showing up at, Ash needed a costume about every two days. It was a good thing that Todd's parents were very well off, and they didn't mind his sewing projects. In fact, they encouraged him to practice all his skills.

When Ash returned from his shower, dressed in a fresh pair of jeans and a white t-shirt emblazoned with Moltres, Todd was already done.

"Can you try it on?" He asked, holding it out. Ash sighed, but headed to the bathroom to change. On his way out, he remarked that Todd could have just given him the clothes before the shower.

"But they weren't done yet!" Todd called after him. He took out his instant camera and waited for Ash to return.

"I wonder when the next pokemon card will show up?" Ash mused. He pulled the final attachment over his head and went outside to show Todd.

"Kawaii!" Todd squealed. Ash blinked. What the heck did kawaii mean, anyways?

"This is so cool! Let me get a picture! I never knew it would look this good!" Todd said as he snapped pics left and right.

Ash twitched. He was dressed in a cream-colored, two-piece body suit. The wrists and cuffs were trimmed with two inches of white fur, while a bushy tail trailed from his butt, also cream-colored, tipped with red. Over his chest he wore a white vest made out of more fluffy white fur. Around his waist was a belt made out of even more white fur, cut in a jagged pattern. On his hands he wore white gloves, like a conductor would wear, while from his spiky black hair stuck two fox-like ears. He wore white leather boots and a little cape made out of more white fur with a jagged hem (Ash counted eight triangles) to top the outfit off.

"Is it too hot?" Todd inquired politely.

"Actually, its okay." Ash said. "Besides, if I'm going to go catch the card tonight, it's going to be cold."

"Okay! Did you sense one already?"

"At the Cerulean city gym. But I couldn't capture it then, because it was hiding. I'll have to wait for it to come out."

Todd grinned. Soon, the two of them went to get dinner. Then, they played chess and gin rummy until Nurse Joy called the curfew. Ash went up to his room and got dressed in the costume again (you don't think he ate dinner in it, did you?), while Todd put a blank tape in his video camera. Pika-chan was still sleeping, so they let her alone.

"Do you know which card it is?" Todd finally asked.

"I think its Ninetails. It feels like Vulpix did, and I already caught Vulpix." Ash told him.

"Oh." They stealthily crept towards the gym. When they finally got there, Ash pried open a window and the two dropped in. It was a sad sight. Most of the building had been burnt down already.

"Ponyta, use Flash." Ash whispered, releasing his fiery steed. Ponyta's eyes flashed and a small glow surrounded them. They crept deeper into the gloom, before Todd finally heard growling.

"A-Ash." Todd said nervously.

Ash spun around. "I heard it too…its stalking us. Don't worry. Vaporeon, use Bubblebeam to slow it down."

Vaporeon smirked before hitting Ninetails right-on with the stream of bubbles.

"Now!" Todd said, sort of stupid, but he wanted a part in this video.

"Return to your true form, pokémon card!" Ash said triumphantly. The Ninetails card barely had time to flee, before blue bands of energy captured it and it was forced to return to card form.

Ash posed for the camera; card in hand, while Todd finished. Then, the two of them crept away from the gym before they were discovered.

Meanwhile, lets see what Gary has been doing…

"Please, I need more ofudas."

The priest sighed. "Surely there cannot be that much evil around you?"

"But I need them!"

The priest handed him five. "Next time, you will have to pay for them.

"Thank you!" Gary bowed, before dashing out. He couldn't believe that he was already out! Someone must have stolen them! However, Gary had no clue whom had done it…

Gary was so preoccupied that he tripped over a pokemon card. When he looked down, he was greeted by a stare from an angry Geodude.

"Ow!" Gary said, as the bulky rock pokemon tackled him. He sat up, rubbing his sore butt angrily. "That does it! Gyrados, I choose you!" The water dragon materialized and roared loudly, announcing its presence to the world. The Geodude did not look impressed, however.

Gary shrugged. * Soon, it will know why I am the greatest pokemon master ever! * He gave Gyrados the order to use Hydro Pump and waited. The pressurized water blasted the poor Geodude into a tree, where it was lodged.

"See? This is easy!" Gary told Gyrados as he slapped an ofuda on the Geodude. Just then, the priest came running.

"Young man, you did not tell me that you were under a mission from a higher power to capture the pokemon cards to prevent the evil that will befall this world!" The priest said.

Gary blinked. * What? *

"I could have given you this!" With a flourish, the priest removed a polished bronze mirror with the symbol for normal-type pokemon etched on the back. The mirror had two handles, with red tassels hanging down from a knot on each one.

Gary was still speechless. He wondered if the priest was possibly crazy, but decided to be silent and respectful. (Hehehe)

"This mirror will help you detect and capture pokemon cards! If you shine it onto the pokemon card, it will revert back to card form!" The priest explained. "You may also use it to activate any pokemon cards you may possess so they can fight for you."

"Th-thank you." Gary finally managed. How did this old man know all this stuff?

"Say, can you tell me more about the pokémon cards?" He asked slyly.

"Of course! You see, about thirty generations back, one of my ancestors was related to the man who created them - Clow Reed."

End Episode 15!

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