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When Destinies Collide

Citrus Crush Chikorita

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When Destinies Collide (PG-13 for language and sexual content)

Ok, for those that haven't read this, it's a crossover of Pokemon and Card Captor Sakura. This is to be the first part of a trilogy. This fic isn't complete by far yet, but there's plenty to read at the moment. It's action/romance/drama in a nutshell, with a bit more reality and proper sex appeal than normal.

PS. Thanks to Archaic and Damian for the modship! ;)

Chapter 1 – The Cold Light Of Day


Ash Ketchum looked up into the sky. It was a clear day, with a crisp, gentle breeze and a glowing sun showering down cascades of light that smothered the earth in their nourishing glow. But Ash wanted none of it. He wished that the sky was full of black clouds that stretched forever. He wished that no ray of light from the sun penetrated to the ground. He wished that it would rain and never stop. He wanted no light to penetrate his soul. He wanted to be shut away from everyone and everything.

And then he cried. He cried tears that had been holding back for days now. He couldn’t hold the anger and sorrow that was wrenching his soul apart. It all erupted in the form of salty tears that flowed down his sombre face and sobs that burst out the ringing of a bell. Hard and bellowing. It was nothing like the normal Ash Ketchum, so full of life and happy. He would have been ecstatic with what he had achieved five days ago. He had taken a major step in his ultimate quest to be a Pokemon Master. But right now, that meant nothing to him. He had almost considered giving it up for good. Only his Pokemon prevented him from going that far. Pikachu had been instrumental in that. His yellow buddy was one of very few that could comfort him in his darkest hour. His Pokemon were all that kept him going. That and his mother. Otherwise he would have instantly fallen into oblivion for eternity. But considering the state Ash was in, that might have been preferable.

He wiped the conglomeration of tears and sweat from his shattered body and soul and sighed heavily. He gently trekked across the resplendent green fields of Pallet Town, going nowhere in particular. He wouldn’t have known that his bare feet were walking across lush, velvety grass field. It felt more like he was walking along an endless array of hot coals, with no relief in sight. Almost everything hurt him now. Only the touch of his mother and his Pokemon could ease the pain. It hurt him just to be alive. But he knew he couldn’t give up now. That would be the cowardly and selfish thing to do. He owed it to her to keep going. Many times Ash had come close to losing his Pokemon, especially Pikachu, but he kept searching for them until he found them again. Team Rocket had always been a thorn in his side, but now they had stabbed him right in the heart, and left it raw and bleeding. For Team Rocket took away from him the one person in the entire world he cared about more than anything. Misty.

Misty. Just the mere thought of her brought Ash crashing to his knees. He looked up to the sky again. A light blue colour. Cerulean blue. Just like Misty’s home town, Cerulean City. Misty! Why was she gone?! Ash had tormented himself for five days about the sequence of events that would scar him forever. And still he had come no closer to understanding why things were like this. He should have been feeling on top of the world! For two years he had struggled through thick and thin on his latest leg to get to where he was, and finally he was reaping the rewards. He had been on his Pokemon journey for over five years now, and how they had changed him! When he started he was a clumsy, half-witted kid who wouldn’t know the first thing about being a Pokemon trainer. Now he had a deeper connection with his Pokemon than people could ever hope to obtain, and he had the accomplishments to merit his talents.

But what did all that mean if he no longer had Misty? Misty had kept him going the whole time. Initially she was incredibly mean and brutish, very much the brat. Then again, so was Ash. Neither gave the other any form of kindness. But as time passed, things between the two of them healed, and all their past bickering seemed like child’s play. They had become close friends and needed each other more than words could describe. Only Misty had stuck it out for the entire journey so far. Brock was there at the start, then he stayed in the Orange Islands with Professor Ivy, came back after rejection, helped them along the way again, then left again. It would have been folly of him to turn down that opportunity of a lifetime. A Pokemon breeding program made up of collaborations with the Laramie family, the Elm lab and the Oak lab. It was too good to refuse! Now Brock was finally able to live out his dream. Tracey was still working with Professor Oak and making groundbreaking discoveries of his own. It was just him and Misty.

Misty. Ash let himself slip away into his memories of the girl that would change his world forever. She was more than what she seemed. She was a beautiful soul. She wanted nothing more than to be the greatest Water Pokemon trainer of all time. And through their adventures, Misty had caught many different water Pokemon. She had an incredibly impressive team. All reflective of her generous and light-hearted nature, which masked the fiery and lively spirit within. Misty was really hard to handle in the early days, but after she became Togepi’s trainer, all that changed. She wasn’t in the mood to hit anyone or use that mallet of hers if anyone pushed her too far. She still had her intense moments, but she let her softer side come out too. And that seemed to have a positive effect on everyone, including Ash. And with every day that passed, Ash found himself wound up in the world of Misty Waterflower even more. Her shiny, lustrous orange hair was a real charm. The few times that Ash had seen her let her hair down, he went off the planet. She looked like an angel to him those few times he was lucky enough to see Misty in her true glory. Her blue eyes were mirrors to the incredible soul that lay within Misty’s dazzling physique. Her voice and laugh were insatiable, and Ash longed to hear them whenever he got the chance. Her smile shone so brightly in the world that it was like a homing beacon for Ash. Forever drawn to Misty. Puberty had started to kick in for the both of them, and Misty’s figure was reaching its peak. Her skin had a pearly glow that shone for miles, her voice was mellowing into a firm, sweet, seductive tone, and her chest had developed to the point where she became the attention of many young boys. Ash had to constantly fend them off. A daily trouble they both lived with. Ash’s voice was no longer squeaky and high-pitched, but more deep and powerful, which led to more people respecting him. His black crop of hair became even more shiny and tussled. His own chest had now firmed up considerably, and his physique was incredibly muscular now. He was now 16 years old, and Misty was 18. Ash had begun to notice that Misty was beginning to look at him in a certain way. Just like he looked at her. Things seemed bright for the two. And after his latest triumph against the odds, Ash had finally summoned up the courage to tell Misty how he really felt about her. And then it happened. And now nothing would be the same.

‘Incredible folks! The unbelievable has happened! Ash Ketchum has hung on to win the Johto League Championship Final!’
A massive roar erupted from the thousands of spectators that packed Silverstone Stadium. They’d never seen anything like it! The Astounding Mandy, and his awesome team of fully evolved Pokemon, with members like Exeggutor, Kingdra and Crobat had been beaten! And not only that, but by a team with only a few evolutions! Cyndaquil and the happy dancing Totodile were still in their starter forms, and his newly acquired Eevee had still yet to evolve. Bayleef had only just recently evolved from the Chikorita that simply adored affection. Noctowl’s super powers were enough to outdo its smaller physique, and Pikachu was far stronger than a Raichu could ever hope to be. Against all expectations, Ash had triumphed. After years of pain and heartbreak, things were finally falling into place! His journey in Johto had led to so many adventures, personal favours and detours, that Ash ended up getting his eighth badge one month too late. That left Ash in an incredibly despondent state. He had no idea what to do next. He had his heart set on competing in Johto, and he would have to wait 11 months until the next championship. 11 months! It was too much for him to comprehend! And Brock’s departure left him incredibly vulnerable. Ash had no intentions of quitting, but without a clear plan, he was left with no way to proceed.

Misty took it upon herself to bring Ash out of the slump. She convinced Ash to battle in the Indigo Championships again. She felt that with Ash’s team being as versatile and mature as it was, contrary to popular opinion, Ash would be able to win it this time. She knew that the only reason Ash didn’t beat Ritchie was because Team Rocket’s attack left Pidgeotto completely exhausted and Pikachu sub-standard. Team Rocket had condemned Ash to defeat that time. This time, Ash would have nothing standing in his way. For 5 months, Ash trained harder than he ever did in his entire life. With Misty at his side, Ash reached new heights, and his campaign in the Indigo League was a glorious one! He was virtually untroubled until the grand final, and even then he only needed half his team to win it all!

But there was something bigger he desired. Johto. That was the prized jewel he needed to acquire. Johto was on another level completely. But with Chikorita’s evolution, Ash’s chances were vaulted. Bayleef was able to stretch possibilities to the limit and stunned even the most cynical critics. Ash was consistently strong through the minor rounds in his half. In the other half, Gary Oak was also doing incredibly well. Until he met the Astounding Mandy. They were an incredibly even match, and the battle went right down to the wire. Crobat versus Umbreon. Gary’s team pretty much revolved around Umbreon, and it had been forced to beat two of Mandy’s other Pokemon to get to this point. With a relatively fresh Crobat, Mandy won a cliffhanger. Gary was shattered. Even with his newly acquired maturity and respect, he was still incredibly egotistical and quite the bragger. Gary didn’t take defeat in the semi-final well at all. Professor Oak, Gary’s grandfather, was considerably disturbed by Gary’s reactions and recent performances. Gary was an incredibly talented trainer. But he seemed to rely on Umbreon all the time. Oak didn’t like it at all. He never had any type discriminations, but Dark Pokemon always unsettled him in a way. And Umbreon being the ultimate Dark Pokemon, Oak could only speculate what Umbreon was doing to Gary. That left Ash and Mandy in the final. Unlike their first meeting, it was a real nailbiter. It was even all the way. One Pokemon would win then be instantly defeated by the next one. And Ash had made a critical type mismatch. When it got down to just two Pokemon each, Pikachu was forced to go up against Exeggutor. Only Ash’s Pikachu could ever have won that one. It drained itself of several hundred thousand volts in order to provide Ash with victory. The final battle was Bayleef and Crobat. It seemed Ash had lucked out, but Bayleef was something else. She never, ever gives up. And somehow she has beaten Pokemon you wouldn’t even think she could. Ever since Bayleef beat a Scizor during the Celebi fiasco, Ash knew that Bayleef was one of a kind. She took all that Crobat dealt her, and despite her type weaknesses, she dealt it back even harder. As Crobat’s shattered being fell to earth, deflating Mandy’s hopes of glory, a new day was rising on Ash’s career. All the pain, humiliation, loss and grief was worth it. He had already accomplished more than most ever would. He had now won three of the four leagues. In winning Orange, he won the right to fight Prima. In winning Indigo, he could now fight Bruno. In winning Johto, he now earned the right to face Agatha. Only one league was left. The Green League. And if he was able to win that one, he would then have the right to face Lance, and then he would then be fully qualified to face the Elite 4.

Days after winning Johto, Ash returned home to Pallet Town to catch up with his mother. He and Misty stayed with her for a few days, which allowed Dehlia to catch up on years she hadn’t been there to see Ash grow up. It was something that always weighed her down, but with Misty as a friend, Ash seemed to be doing just fine. During that time, Ash and Misty made plans to qualify for the Green League. It seemed that it was the most difficult league of all. But if Ash was ever going to be able to defeat the Elite 4 and become a Pokemon Master, he’d have to win the Green League. Realistically, his team needed far more experience. As amazing as Cyndaquil and Totodile were, he needed fully evolved Pokemon. He knew that Bayleef would soon evolve into Meganium. And he knew that Eevee was bound to be something great. He was going to leave it up to Eevee to decide what it would evolve too. Any decision would be fine with him. After getting an updated Pokedex and catching up with Brock and Tracey, Ash was off. But as he left, Professor Oak gave him the GS Ball. Ash was stunned. He hadn’t seen it since he gave it to Kurt over a year ago. Kurt had found that there was a time lock on the GS Ball, and that it was going to open in two weeks! Oak said whatever Pokemon inside would be Ash’s. Ash was confused as to why he didn’t give it to Gary. Oak made it perfectly clear that Gary was going along a path that disgusted him greatly. Apparently Gary had won the final of the Green League, and now he only needed to win Johto in a year’s time to qualify to fight the Elite 4. He had a list of top trainers to battle meanwhile, and he was prepared to take a vacation for a few months too. Ash still considered Gary to be the fly in his soup, and vowed to win the Green League, beat the Elite 4 and become a Pokemon Master before Gary did. Oak gave Ash his vote of confidence. In saying that, he made it clear that he wanted Ash to accomplish the ultimate dream, and that Gary would only once he learnt the true meaning of being a Pokemon trainer.

And then it all went wrong. Sitting in the lush, green groves on the fringe of Pallet, Ash and Misty were taking their last break before departing to the Green League. Light pink cherry blossoms floated to the ground in the crisp spring breeze, and the golden rays of the mothering sun showered everything in its loving rays of light. Bird Pokemon were soaring gracefully across the azure blue sky. Misty was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans that hugged her figure perfectly along with her trademark yellow sleeveless top. She started wearing jeans ever since young boys spent too much time checking her out, and it got to the point Misty was bringing out the mallet again. But Ash was more than equipped to handle the situation as well. With some stinging words that sometimes couldn’t be repeated ever again combined with a hyper-charged Pikachu, boys knew to glance and then move along. Misty was fine with boys liking her, but they were liking her too much for just one particular reason. Ash was still wearing his usual outfit, except he no longer donned the Pokemon League cap. He let his spiky black hair stand out for everyone to see. Although many teen girls spent too much checking out Ash’s butt to notice, which left them facing the less pleasant side of Misty, which is a curse you never want to experience twice. They were just kids when they met, and now they were teens, close to adulthood. Friendship brought them closer that anyone could imagine. And Ash was finally prepared to say what was in his heart. He walked up to the duck pond nearby and gently removed a water lily flower from the cool, crystal clear waters that reflected his figure just like a mirror. Ash smoothed out his hair just a little, took a deep breath, and braced himself. He walked over to Misty and presented her with the flower. “I thought you might like this, Misty.”
Misty smiled instantly upon presentation of the flower. “Thank you Ash. It’s beautiful.” Misty loved water lilies when she was growing up in Cerulean City. It led to her affinity with water and her desire to become a Water Pokemon Master. She loved to spend many sunny days lying in shady groves, feeling the gentle kiss of spring breezes caressing her pearly face, as she laid down in cool, lush, emerald green grass, with creamy white lily flowers in her hair. Seeing Ash giving her the flower brought up all those memories in a flashing instant, and made her feel so high. She was about to place it in her silky orange locks when Ash let his right hand slowly slide up her neck, past her ear, into the silky tendrils and place the flower slightly to the left side of her head in just the right place. Misty rose up and slowly walked with a feminine grace to the pond that left Ash totally mesmerised. He felt he was in a dream at the moment, and he never wanted to wake up from it. Misty stared at her reflection with a look of pride in her appearance.
“Wow, Ash. You knew just where to place it.”
“It’s not too heard when you’ve got someone as beautiful as you are.”
Misty froze. That comment revealed more than she expected. She had liked Ash for quite some time, but never knew if he felt the same way about her. She slowly swirled around with a starstruck look in her eyes that made Ash felt like his heart was going to explode if he didn’t reveal all right now. The moment was right. And that look conveyed something only the two of them could understand. Ash felt himself lulling his eyes into their own dreamy look, showing Misty that the feeling was definitely mutual. Her heart began to pound and she could feel butterflies in her stomach. Ash’s lungs were about to crush from the pressure building up in him. Something had to give.
“I mean...Misty, we’ve been friends for a long time.”
“Mmmm. Quite some time.” Ash felt like he’d died and gone to heaven. Everything around him was melting away, leaving him aware of nothing but the angel standing in front of him. Misty felt like she was breathing underwater, feeling the cool caress of the liquid life all over her, and that Ash was the only thing left as everything else drained away. The two stared into each other’s eyes for a moment that seemed to last for eternity. Ash’s right hand slowly moved forward, shaking like an earthquake. Misty gently extended her own shaking right hand, taking Ash’s strong, lightly tanned hand in her own smooth, graceful, slender fingers. That gesture conveyed more than a million words ever could, and both felt themselves slipping away.
“Misty, I care about you more than anything in the entire universe.”
Ash didn’t even recognise what he’d said until he’d said it, and felt like he was going to collapse with embarrassment. But all it took to relieve him was a gentle reply from Misty.
“Ash, I care about you in the same way.”
This was it. No turning back now. Ash’s dark brown irises stared into Misty’s sapphire eyes, and the two of them locked in a gaze they couldn’t get out of. They slowly moved toward each other, yet with a confidence they had never felt before. Ash leaned forward and Misty extended her arms invitingly. Their heads gradually stretched towards each other like sprouting plants, and their lips spread apart like flower petals at dawn. Then they met each others, and they felt ecstasy upon contact. Bliss that words could never describe. Years of confined feelings that were sheltered up for none to see, hear or feel were suddenly brought down to earth. The glass walls around them crashed into a zillion pieces, and they all melded from that moment. Ash let his right hand drift up to Misty’s silky orange locks and let in linger there, enjoying every sensation that was invoked into his fingers, never wanting to let it leave there, while his left hand slid around her back, gently caressing her spine and massaging her shoulders. Misty let her left hand float like a butterfly and land in the mist of Ash’s spiky black locks, relishing the stimulating response, while her right hand cupped round his neck, stroking it as if she were stroking a newborn kitten. Their tongues broke from their subdued positions and eagerly met each other halfway. The scene lasted for several minutes, but it seemed more like several lifetimes. Everything the two felt for each other was conveyed in that kiss. They finally parted lips, and lingered just a few centimetres from each other. Now that the two had revealed how they truly felt, the future was bright.

Then came a storm that tore Ash apart. Two figures in black clothing jumped from the shadows and snatched Misty away from Ash. The dream that was reality was now cruelly shattered in a second, and Ash felt like he’d been fatally shot.
“Ash! Help me!” Misty screamed her entire soul out as she felt herself being sucked into darkness. She longed to stay in the light. In the warmth. With Ash. With Ash! But all she felt was darkness, icy chills and Ash slipping away.
Ash reacted with a snap. “Great! I can’t use Pikachu on whoever these two are! Alright then! Noctowl! I choose you!” Ash threw out a pink and white Pokeball, and Noctowl materialised from the resulting white flash.
“Noctowl, use hypnosis!”
“Umbreon, block it!” One of the figures through out their own Pokeball, and an Umbreon came out. Ash then remembered how he felt when he first saw Gary’s Umbreon. This one was terrifying! It was so black that no light seemed to reflect of it at all! As if it was nothing! The golden voodoo symbols looked like deadly poison that was about to suck up his soul and slowly eat away at it. And those blood red eyes conveyed pure madness with murderous intent. Ash shrank away in absolute horror as Umbreon absorbed all of Noctowl’s attack, feeling no effect whatsoever.
“Umbreon, faint attack!”
Umbreon melted away into three separate beings in a transparent black film, then all lurched forward. Noctowl felt itself slipping away and was out cold. Ash was beside himself. Whoever these people were, they had Dark Pokemon that were like no other!
“I told ya this would be a sinch, Melvis! Now let’s split! We got the girl, and that’s all Gio wanted!”
“Why don’t we nail the kid? This punk deserves it for what he did five days ago! I wanna blow his brains out and see them splattered all over the ground right now! Say goodbye to your prince, sweetheart!”
Misty screamed a bone-chilling scream, yet the figures were unaffected. The one with the gun aimed it at Ash’s head, while Ash stood there, frozen like an ice sculpture, sweat draining form him like melted ice.
“Hey! Gio said we don’t do him in yet! We’ve got BIG plans for him!”
“Yeah! Ash Ketchum will regret ever messing with Team Rocket!”
Team Rocket! Ash couldn’t believe it! They were kidnapping Misty! After all he had done to get here, after he bared his soul, and after Misty and he had finally met in true intimacy, it was all falling apart! All because of five days ago! Ash remembered what happened then. Not only did he win Johto, but he also met Giovanni, the despised leader of Team Rocket, face to face. What followed next was something out of a move. If that girl hadn’t shown up, Ash and Misty would surely have perished. That girl teamed up with Ash and they saved the crowds from the Rocket onslaught. Giovanni obviously wanted revenge. Immediate revenge. And he was doing it in the worst way possible!
“Bayleef, go!” The spicy, leafy grass Pokemon emerged in an instant. On top of Ash! Obviously in search of affection.
“Bayleef, Misty’s in trouble!”
Bayleef snapped into action. She swung round to face the Rockets and fired out her Vine Whip, cracking the Rockets smack on their noses!
“That weed broke my nose! I’ll get you punk! Go Houndoom!”
The hellish personification of fire and evil combined formed in front of Bayleef, scaring her more than anything ever could. Few things could ever scare Bayleef, but Houndoom was one of them! Houndoom spewed out a vicious Flamethrower, causing Bayleef to sprint to the side. Houndoom’s fire is incredibly savage. If you get burned by it, the burns take weeks of healing to heal. Bayleef could ill afford that, and fired out a few Razor Leaves as she skipped away from the blast. Houndoom quickly incinerated them, leaving Bayleef in a predicament.
“Return Umbreon, Houndoom!” Ash looked up into the sky. The Rockets were getting away in a balloon! And they had Misty! Ash was panicking like crazy. Noctowl was out cold, so how was he going to get that balloon?!
“Pikachu, give the balloon head the biggest Thunder you can!”
Pikachu didn’t want to shock Misty, but this was a desperate time, which calls for desperate measures. Pikachu emerged from the bushes, skipped towards the fleeting balloon, powered up the zippy electric sacs on its cheeks, letting power flow as concentrated as it could, letting it erupt in a scintillating bolt of yellow fire, piercing the air like an arrow, heading straight for the balloon. The bolt then changed course and was sucked into the bottom of the balloon! No flash resulted!
“Sucked in, twerp! Everyone knows about YOUR Pikachu! As if we wouldn’t have made this balloon electric-proof!”
Ash felt himself falling. Falling forever into nothingness. He stared up at Misty, who was leaning over the basket edge, unable to break the Rocket’s grasp.
“Say goodbye lovers! The next time you see each other again, neither of you are gonna live through it!”
Ash felt himself falling to pieces. He held himself together for one last phrase.
“Misty. I love you!”
Misty deflated as soon as the words hit her ears and broke into tears. “I love you too, Ash! I’ll love you forever!”
In those final moments, they conveyed feelings they would have for the rest of their lives in just those few seconds. Dates, surprises, sex, marriage, children, holidays, and all the intimate moments that only the two of them can understand because only they live them out. And they lived a lifetime of love in those few moments as Misty drifted away, while Ash was left on the ground, stranded and broken.

Ash looked up at the sky again. The sky that broke his heart. He knew what he had to do. He had to find Misty no matter what. He would win the Green League and become a Pokemon Master. But he needed help. He couldn’t do it alone. He needed help on this one. Then he remembered the only other person in the world he could rely on...

Sakura.
 
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To put it simply....Brilliant. Not much else to say except that. Two great animes put together by an outstanding writer. I applaude you Citrus. I wish to read more of this and it has the potential to become one of the greatest! Keep it up!


Peace,
Fox
 
w00t. Good to see WDC here at Bulbagarden, Ryan! Well...there's not much to say...its a good fic. It does have a the potential to be great (It already is pretty popular at TPM). Bring on the chappies! btw...congrats on the modships here!
 
Fox311: Thanks. Let's hope so! :)

pokemasterfrank: Hey, good to hear from you again! ;) Hopefully the modship goes well.
 
For some reason, I found this far easier to read than the first time I saw it on TPM. I don't know why.

And I think this time I'll actually make the effort to keep following this fic, though here on BMG, and not on TPM. The plotline I've always found interesting, it's just back I found it hard to read with all the description, for some reason. Since right now, it seems to be fine, I see no point in not reading it :)
 
Damian: yeah, seems to be the case. I'll try and get a look at The Greater Evil next time I'm online. It gets easier with each chapter, so stick around and have fun! :D
 
Chapter 2 is here!

Chapter 2 – Pierced Innocence


There were no words to sum up Sakura Avalon’s devastation. After several years of chasing down the Clow Cards and creating her own to safeguard the existence of humanity, this was all she had. Not even the reappearance of the mighty magician Clow Reed, the creator of the Clow Cards, could help her, if he could reappear. And after a strange beginning which seemed sweet and innocent, Sakura quickly learnt that this was not just mere child’s play. She had the ultimate responsibility placed on her shoulders. It was up to her to save the world from the Clow Cards. Or the world would be destroyed. 6 billion people wiped from existence in an instant, never to be seen again in this life. It was insane! When Sakura first discovered the Clow Cards, she was only ten years old. 10 years old! What the hell happened to her life?! She should have been allowed to have fun with her friends, party, experience teenage years to the full! Instead Destiny chose her. Of all the 6 billion people in existence, she was the only one who could capture the Clow Cards. 52 cards that Clow Reed created. The entities of the eight spectrums of magic. Each with their own abilities and personality. Clow Reed was forced to seal the entities as cards when they became too strong. He then sealed them in the Clow Book, and placed the mighty guardian, the legendary Keroberos, to guard the cards and to make sure they never escaped. Several thousand years later, on a normal spring day, her life was changed forever.

Thinking about that day always made her reflect on all that she had done. Sometimes she’d laugh at how clumsy she had been like back then. But as time passed, Sakura was forced to mature, and fast! Acquired wisdom and magical powers that placed her amongst the strongest magicians of all time rained down heavily on Sakura. The cards quickly found out the Sakura was the one destined to capture them, and the challenges increased in difficulty daily. Even though some of her earliest captures brought her close to the edge, that was nothing compared for the ones that followed. Sakura’s life was flipped upside down and changed daily. Every day she had to be aware. Was today the day that a Clow Card would finally emerge from obscurity? Which one was it? How would she capture it? And most of all, could she?! Sakura would be the first to admit that she was as lucky as hell. She captured several strong cards as she started this gig, and without them, she would have been mauled by capture 20! So many things fell into Sakura’s life, and all followed the last. An ever twisting snake of possibilities that seemed to swallow up Sakura every time, forcing her to escape, handle it, and face the next one all over again. Sakura sighed heavily. All because of that one fateful day...

It was the usual day. Wake up late. Have breakfast if she ever had the time. Put up with daily trash talk from her brother, which never failed to spurn her. Roller blading at the speed of light in a desperate effort to make it to school on time. Sailing through Cherry Blossom Grove, letting the sweet and fragrant pink blossoms float gently to the ground all around her, as her reddish brown hair flickered in twenty directions at once while staying in place, her emerald green eyes lighting up so bright you could see them even in the Abyss, her cream white plaited skirt fluttering up and down like a hummingbird as she broke the sound barrier daily. In Cherry Blossom Grove, Sakura could always steal a few seconds of true privacy. Rejoicing in the beauty around her, letting the warm glow of the morning sun caress her young face. It was her private treasure that she always made time for. Nothing could ever take that away from her. Sakura was an incredible roller blader and still is. Wearing her customised red and yellow padding that somehow managed to endow her with both safety and style, Sakura stood out among the crowd every single time. Just one look at her, and you knew that Sakura was something else. One of those people that you consider yourself lucky just to see once every day. Her happy, innocent voice echoing across the grove and her sweet smile made you feel glad to be alive, even if only for a moment.

That wasn’t the only reason Sakura bladed through Cherry Blossom Grove every day unless she was ultra late. It was a time where she was guaranteed to catch up with her brother’s best friend: Julian. Putting up with Tori’s smart aleck remarks and wise cracks was well worth it just to be near him for a while. Julian always spoke to her in a friendly tone, being completely honest and supportive of her. God knows what Tori thought about the whole thing. He loved to pay Sakura out about it any time he got the chance. It made her wonder why the heck Julian and Tori were friends. They were so unlike each other. Tori was a really tall, black haired brainy guy, who seemed way too slender to be real, making underweight girls look good in comparison on occasions, while Julian was a gray haired, glass wearing, sensitive guy. Tori was sarcasm personified while Julian wold have to be the epitimy of honesty. All the same, it was a dream for Sakura to be able to ride with them to school. She thought Julian was so cute. Every time she looked at him, her eyes would slightly lower, flashing the brilliance of her green irises, while her mouth would gape open in a daydreaming half smile. And every day, it would end the same. They’d eventually get to school, leaving Tori and Julian to head into their school, which was right next to Sakura’s. That always left Sakura gradually yet gracefully sliding to a halt, standing parallel to the primary school wall, her emerald green gaze fixed upon her crush, desperately wanting him to stay, yet knowing that the dream was about to end and reality was kicking in. Her gaze would always avert to eyes that were on the verge of watering but never opened up, while her top lip would lower down slightly, leaving her half smile replaced by a look of disillusionment. Moments like these made her feel on top of the world, but as Mercury Rev say in ‘The Dark Is Rising’, ‘Dreams don’t last for long.’

Sakura was always a bright student. She was prone to daydreaming, but when she put her mind to it, stars flew. And she had the adoration of the entire 4th grade for her exceptional aerobic accomplishments. She was easily the best sprinter and relay runner in her age group. She was even faster than all the boys! And no one could hope to compare to her gymnastic prowess and her cheerleading skills. She was still the only one who could pull off a perfect back flip, and she only missed a baton catch once in a blue moon. One of those rare occasions was when she started having the dreams about the Clow Cards. How she was dressed in a pink and green costume, holding her magic staff with its trademark winged symbol, while Clow Cards were swirling around her left and right. A tiny teddy bear hovered next to hear, which she never feared, but still couldn’t identify. Wings would form on her shoes, she would take a step back, look defiantly towards the mammoth Tokyo Tower, and jump. She never saw what happened next. The dreams always ended there. When she first reflected on it, she missed a baton catch, leaving her pearly white baton to land perfectly vertical on top of her head, stunning her completely and leaving her tongue sticking out. But she was always the jewel in the eye of all the students. She had many friends. Especially girlfriends. Chelsea, Nikki, Rita. But Madison Taylor would have to be her best friend for sure. They met up after school nearly every single day. They’d collaborate on school projects and help each other out. Madison was a real brain. She was about the same height as Sakura. Her skin had a slightly more yellow tone to it, leaving it like a creamy off-white colour. She had black hair that reached back beyond her shoulders a bit, maintaining a hue perfectly between jet black and silver gray. And she had deep sky-blue eyes that were nearly as glassy and alluring as Sakura’s. Madison’s mother was the executive of a highly successful toy company, so Madison had a fairly lavish lifestyle, yet it didn’t spoil her a bit. Money meant little to her at all. People were all the same. Sakura and the others were her equals. Her pet hobby was using her video camera. Her mother had access to the latest models, upgrades, innovations and so forth, so Madison had a collection of documentaries that would make even the most accomplished directors jealous. Madison had struck a deal with Sakura to videotape her for their independent study. Sakura had no idea how much that would affect what happened over the next 24 hours.

Sakura’s dad was the archaeology lecturer at Readington University, and he was very hot property, being an accomplished researcher and a popular lecturer. Sakura’s mom died when she was still very young, so Sakura didn’t have too many memories of her. But they were all vivid. And she could always put a face to her since her dad and Tori had taken so many pictures of her when she was alive. Vanessa was an angel in many people’s eyes. Sakura’s grandfather had even gone so far to say how much she looked like Vanessa, and stunned Sakura by giving her a dress Vanessa wore when she was young. Seeing where her mom lived really gave Sakura more to hold on to. Her mom and dad were friends since they were young, fell in love in high school, and married shortly after. Only that could explain why Sakura’s dad was still in his mid thirties, that Tori was sixteen, and that Sakura was around ten years old. Despite Tori picking on Sakura all the time, they were still a very close family.

Sakura returned home from practice, announced her homecoming, and noticed Tori and her dad weren’t home. She headed straight for the fridge when she heard a strange bubbling sound. She whipped around in shock, heard nothing more, dismissed it as nothing, and carried on. Her eyes and voice lit up as soon as she saw the pudding for dessert inside, and her index finger elongated out to touch it. Then the bubbling sound returned. Sakura was really spooked now. She knew for sure that something or someone was inside the house. She grabbed her baton, hid for several seconds, strengthened her resolve, and headed with an intense frown on her face towards the source of the sound, in the basement, where her dad’s library was. Sakura opened the door, and by then the intense look had melted into one of curiosity. She could still hear a faint bubbling sound, and as she moved down it intensified. She noticed no one was in the main section, meaning the perpetrator was just around the corner. She gripped her baton tightly, rounded the corner like a rampaging cheetah, and yelled out “Hah!” in a commanding voice. But nothing was there! Nothing! Now she was really spooked. It was then she noticed one of the books was glowing. She reached for it gently. The glow subsided at her touch, as if she was meant to find it. She hesitated, then retrieved the thick red sleeved book from the shelf. It was labelled The Clow, and it had the same symbol on the front that appeared in her dream. She was unsure how to proceed now, as things were getting really deja vu. Then the lock protecting the book suddenly snapped open with a start, and Sakura began handling it like it was a hot potato, scared of what would happen next. When nothing came, she carefully opened the book. On the inside sleeve was ancient text, but what drew her attention were the contents of the books. There were no pages at all! Just cards! They had a maroon background with a rusty gold sun and moon bound by a ring surrounding them. Sakura identified the first card. The Windy. The figure looked like an adult male wrapped like a mummy in blankets and feathers, with striking wisps of hair elongating from his scalp. Sakura was mystified and totally taken in by them. “Windy...” she spoke softly. As she walked away towards the exit, a wind began to rise from the floor behind her. For several seconds this happened without her knowing. Then the Windy Card glowed a brilliant white. A massive tornado was summoned beside her. She tried to shelter herself from the blinding light and fierce winds, and she looked on in shock as the cards were gradually sucked into the madness, zipping through the walls and floors, streaming out into the skies before they vanished from their golden streaks. Sakura dropped the book in pure fear. “What just happened?” she whispered.

Then the book began to glow a blend of gold and white. Sakura screamed out in terror. There was no explanation as to what the hell was going on. A tornado comes out of nowhere, the cards fly through everything and only The Powers That Be know where they are! And now this! Sakura was frozen in a kneeling position, clutching the Windy Card like it was a safeguard from evil and shadowing her face. Out of the glow emerged a small figure. It was the animal from her dream! It did look a little like a teddy bear, but with its long tail and a powder puff ball on the back of it plus wings on its back snuffed out that thought. And considering the proportions, it looked more like a flying squirrel! Sakura then knew she didn’t have to be afraid and slowly lowered her hands and faced the figure. The little guy opened his beady eyes an then began ranting in a voice you only hear on cartoons! “HI DI HO DE HO DE! Thank you so much, little girl! I’ve been stuck in there for like ever! I...”
Sakura then snatched the squirrel from the air and began poking and stretching it. She had no idea what the hell it was! “What are you?! Some kind of animal?! A squirrel?! A toy?! Where are the batteries?!”
That snapped the little guy into action. “I am not a stuffed animal! I am Keroberos, guardian beast of the seal of the Clow Book.”
Sakura was absolutely stumped. Her expression had changed from glassy eyes to plain bewilderment. “Guardian beast?”
“You got it, sister! I keep the Clow Cards from causing trouble! See?! Heh!” When he turned around, he noticed there were NO CARDS in the Clow Book! NO CARDS! “NO! MY CLOW CARDS! WHERE ARE THEY?! MY PRECIOUS CARDS!!!”
The little guy began to sob severely, prompting Sakura to show the card in her hand. “You mean this?”
The little guy lit up instantly. “AH! The Windy Card! Thank you so much! *sob!* So, where are the rest?!”
Sakura knew this was going to end not so pleasantly! So she maintained a beaming face to play down the whole thing. “Well, when I read the word Windy...”
“Yeah?!”
“...and this huge wind started blowing..."
“Yeah yeah?!”
“..and they blew away!” Sakura sweated on her forehead like a dog in heat, threw back her arm and flashed a smile.
“Blew away!” And then they both started laughing at the same time. This lasted for several seconds and neither relented. Then realisation struck Kero smack in the forehead and his face melted from humour to outrage. “WHAT?!?!?!”

That’s how it all started. Kero, as Sakura and anyone else that knew about him called him, then explained the Clow Cards to Sakura. He then demanded that since Sakura let the cards out, she would have to get them back. She understood that she was the one that opened the book so she was a little interested as to how Kero left the book unguarded.
“I just took a little nap!”
“For how long?!” Sakura flashed those emeralds like venomous poison. So she let them out. He was supposed to guard the book, for crying out loud!
“30 years or so!” Then Kero went ballistic. “I NEVER SAID BEIGN A CARDCAPTOR WAS EASY!”
Kero chilled out and thought things through, coming to the conclusion that Sakura must have strong magical powers lying dormant within her. Kero obtained Sakura’s name, then asked her to stand in the middle of the room. Sakura reluctantly obliged. Kero began to glow a rainbow of colours on his skin, and Sakura found herself in the middle of white empty space, too frozen by shock to move. “This girl is the one chosen to get back the Clow Cards! Her name is Sakura! I command you to bestow her with your magical powers! RELEASE THE POWER!” The tiny key Kero was holding suddenly began to emanate even more intense white light, leaving Sakura shadowing herself from the onslaught. Meanwhile, the key grew in size to a magical staff.
“Sakura! Take the staff!”
Blocking her eyes with one hand, Sakura reached out with her right and retrieved the staff. It then grew to its full size in an instant, materialising as a pink staff with two white wings and a rusty golden head on top.
Kero was beaming with a thrilled smile. “ALL RIGHT! I NAME SAKURA...CARDCAPTOR!”
Sakura shrunk back a little. What the hell and she just gotten herself into?!

And that was how it all happened. That night, Sakura faced her first capture. The Fly Card, a majestic all white bird reminiscent of a swan, except a thousand times bigger, emerged outside her bedroom window. Kero urged her to go on and capture that Clow Card, but Sakura was understandably scared out of her mind. This was too surreal! She quickly slipped into her roller blades and hit the streets, braving the terrorising winds the Fly Card generated just by flapping its wings! As soon as she appeared on the scene, Fly made a dash for her, and Sakura barely got out of the way in time. The resulting explosion flung her into the air, and only Kero snatching her pyjamas in his mouth to soften the landing saved her. Sakura sighed heavily. She thought this was a nightmare, but she couldn’t wake up from it. This was for real! Kero triggered her into summoning the staff from her key, and she carefully withdrew the Windy Card from her pyjamas. Sakura still doubted whether she could pull this off, and that let Fly take another swipe at her. Sakura barely ducked the swipe, and things were looking pretty ominous. Kero begged Sakura to use Windy to bind Fly, but Sakura was too paranoid to do anything except flee! Fly was catching up quickly, and soon they’d be in real trouble! Kero begged Sakura to come up with a plan. Sakura doubted she could, then a brilliant plan struck her mind. She raced forward, outpacing Fly and quickly generating speed. Fly took a shot at Kero and missed only by centimetres! Kero was spun 2 miles into the air from the impact and looked down in horror. Could she pull this off?! Had he made the biggest mistake of his life?! He cried out to Sakura, but she couldn’t hear him at all. Fuelled by her high velocity, Sakura swerved up the side of the incline next to the road in a breathtaking maneuver. She managed to vertically travel up an 80-degree incline while travelling horizontally! Sakura then back flipped off the top of the incline and landed right on Fly’s back, clutching on for dear life! One false move 5 miles in the sky and she would certainly fall to her death! Inner strength summoned courage to Sakura’s brain, and steely resolve overcame her. She called for Windy, and the magic circle displayed on all the cards formed around her. “Form a chain and bind Fly’s wings! Windy! Release and dispel!” With a spin of her staff, Sakura slammed it right into the Windy Card. Windy emerged in a blaze of glory as a swirling being of intense wings and strong bindings. Windy circled its being around Fly over and over until it constricted into Fly. Fly was no longer able to move its wings and screamed out in terror, crashing towards earth at an incredible rate. Just before impact, Sakura leaped off, confident as ever, and brandished her staff and a massive scowl. “I command you to return to you power confined! Fly Card!” Sakura flung her staff to the ground, and it stopped in mid-air as a card began to materialise from the resultant rainbow glow. Fly’s being was sucked into the card despite all the struggling, and all was silent. Sakura fell to her knees in disbelief as the sealed Fly Card landed right in front of her.
Kero emerged next to her from the skies, prouder than he had ever felt before. “You did it, Sakura!”
Sakura began crying like a downpour for just a few seconds. She had held everything back inside her for so long tonight. All the questions. All the wonders. All the power. And what just happened?! It was like she was in the twilight zone! This couldn’t be real. But it was. And Sakura was living every moment. “I didn’t think I could!” she sobbed through a choked voice.
Kero patted her on the shoulder with his tiny paw in encouragement. “Well I did! And that’s why I chose you kid!”
Sakura was still in shock by the whole deal. This was just one card! Could she really pull this off? She still doubted herself immensely. “I told you I can’t be a CardCaptor!”
Kero then began to laugh. “What?! You’re telling me you’re giving up just because it isn’t easy?! Ha ha ha!” Every laugh stabbed Sakura deeply and induced a scowl from Sakura’s face. Why doesn’t he take me seriously?!
“Besides, you captured the Fly Card! Touch it with your staff!”
Sakura was really curious now, she had to admit. “Why?” she asked cautiously.
Kero spoke in a sly yet indicative voice, ensuring her something amazing was about to happen, which just might convince her that she can do this after all.
Sakura smiled for the first time in minutes and spun her staff at it. “Fly!” A warm white glow emanated from the card, and the two wings on the head of the staff materialised into actual wings! She was flying! Flying 5 miles above the city with no worries! Sakura began laughing and beaming that trademark smile and emerald treasures.
Kero flew up next to her. “So how do you like flying?”
Sakura couldn’t contain he excitement building up in her. “It’s the best!”
Kero looked at her and smiled back. “I knew I could count on you, CardCaptor Sakura!”
“Yeah!” Then Sakura’s lips formed a grimacing, painful expression, realising what she just said. “Wait! I haven’t agreed to anything yet!”

But from that day on, she was a CardCaptor. Five major events had happened since then, each more telling than the last. The first one happened the next day. Sakura was still getting used to having Kero around and learning how to keep him hidden from Tori and her dad. When she got to school that morning, she met Madison before the rest arrived. Madison told her that she had a video from last night that she just had to show Sakura. Sakura was a little stunned to say the least. Madison had never urgently asked her to see a video of hers. Something was up. Madison played the video to Sakura, who watched with the face of a stunned mullet. She couldn’t quite make out the figures against the full moon in the sky, but she had a sinking feeling she knew who it was! Madison magnified the view, and the video showed Sakura and Kero flying up against the silhouette of the full moon in the night sky! Madison found out! Already! How was she going to explain this?! With every thought, she panicked even more and gasped even heavier.
Kero erupted from Sakura’s backpack and jumped to the rescue. “Sakura?! Are you okay?!” Then he really erupted, more intensely than Mount Etna! “Okay Clow Cards, bottoms up! Where are you hiding?!” Kero then realised that there were no Clow Cards, and that someone else was watching him. Madison peered down to the camera with a puzzled look on her face, watched, then beamed back at Kero. “It’s you!”

Since then, Madison was always ready to back Sakura up when needed. That and she became Sakura’s costume designer. Madison felt Sakura needed battle costumes, and Kero actually agreed with her. So Sakura always ended up having all kinds of outfits for her showdowns with the Clow Cards. Her very first one was a red, blue and white ensemble, which actually suited her very well, but Sakura was more embarrassed than she had ever been in her entire life. And after that came the blue and white jester, the pink and white winged outfit, the futuristic yellow armor wear, the argyle nightwear, the Alice in Wonderland style one, the witch costume, the orange and green one, and on it went. And having Madison taping most of the captures always made things more interesting. But soon after Madison caught onto the ruse, a person entered her life that would change it forever. Li.

Li Syaoran. The same age as Sakura, but he acted more like he was a few thousand years old. Sakura first met her in the dream she usually had, except he was there instead of her, and she flipped out big time. That day, Li entered her class as an exchange student. When he was seated next to her, he walked up to her, gave her a piercing look with those solid, mystifying brown eyes of his and reduced her to rubble. She spent all morning sweating over him. Who was this kid? What did he want from her? Recess provided the answer, when Li deduced Sakura was a CardCaptor with his lason board, a magical device that can detect cards and CardCaptors, and he demanded that Sakura give him the Clow Cards. Right when Sakura thought Li was going to rob her, Tori appeared from the other school, climbed over the fence, shoved Li aside and warned him to scram or else. Li backed off as soon as Julian appeared as well, leaving a stunned Sakura pondering what was going on. Kero was very cautious of Li’s arrival, and that afternoon Sakura was after the Thunder Card. During the ensuing onslaught, Li appeared. In the same costume he wore in Sakura’s dream. His green cape perfectly covering his figure while allowing him flexibility, his green hat topping his precisely parted his crop of chestnut brown hair, his traditional ceremonial sword adorned with red jewels, and that piercing, mesmerising stare those brown eyes lured you into and never let you go from until Li chose to free you from it. He was an imposing figure. Confident, experienced, and incredibly sure of himself. His magical powers were very impressive indeed, and he showed no inhibitions in slamming Sakura for her inexperience, which infuriated Kero no end. Li’s main fault was his arrogance, especially early on. Li assumed that he was the one who was going to pull this off, and the first few times he saw Sakura in action, he was clearly disgusted and made sure everybody knew it. But as time passed, Li gradually gained respect for Sakura, especially after Sakura was ale to capture the Fight Card. For that day brought about another significant change.

The arrival of Meilin, a poisonous girl that was Li’s friend back home. When she arrived to Readington, bearing her braided black hair and those venomous red eyes that reminded one of a deadly snake, she made in impression instantly. Just seeing Sakura speak to Li was enough to induce Meilin into threatening Sakura, warning her to stay away from Li or else. Li couldn’t help but sigh and moan. It was incredibly bewildering to see Meilin reduce Li to this state, but Sakura sure got the message after Meilin figured out Sakura was the CardCaptor. That night, Meilin tried to prove she was better than Sakura by taking on the Fight Card herself, despite having no magical powers. Her fighting skills and aerobic abilities were stunning, but she couldn’t match Fight, and it took Li’s arrival to save her. Li made it clear he wasn’t going to play this like old times anymore, which really hurt Meilin. After the two of them were downed, Sakura summoned the Power Card, providing her with the strength to knockout Fight and seal it. From then on, Li gradually showed respect and appreciation for Sakura, even though Meilin didn’t join the bandwagon.

The captures and cards gradually grew in difficulty, and Sakura was forced to mature and develop powers she never knew she had. Facing the prospect that her friends and family could be killed by these forces pushed her to the limit. It was a long, difficult road that took a long time and even more out of Sakura. And then came the Final Judgement, where Sakura was able to prove that she truly was worthy of being the possessor of the Clow Cards. That earned her the power to create her own cards, more powerful than the originals. That gave her the power to combat Eriol once he came to town. After even more trying times, Sakura was finally able to win that battle as well, but it would bring on the biggest challenge of her life. Li decided to leave Readington, and that left Sakura heartbroken, realising her true feelings: she loved Li. In a last resort, she tracked down Li and faced him with the facts:

Sakura looked in absolute shock. The Void Card had been defeated, but Li still looked to be devoid of any memory of her. How could this be?! The Void Card tried to steal everything in the whole world she cared about, and now Li doesn’t even remember her! Sakura felt like crying forever at this point. How could Fate play her like this again? Was she a mere puppet to be toyed with for eternity?! Sakura knew she had one thing to say. But it may be too late now. Sakura threw caution to the wind like a child and went all out with nothing to lose.
“This may not mean anything to you now, Li, but I care about you more than anything in the whole wide world! I love you!”!”
“And I feel the same way about you, Sakura!”
Sakura was floored beyond belief. Throwing caution to the wind and all her security in the hands of fate had rewarded her. Li did love her. He just never had the guts to admit it. Despite his enforced seriousness and outer hard shell, Li had his own soft core. Their first kiss was priceless. Seeing two young souls intertwined in their first taste of their passion for each other was a priceless moment. The graceful, glowing figure of Sakura and the muscular, imposing figure of Li locked into each other in a passionate kiss, eyes closed, lips melding, tongues meeting, hands massaging, their souls melting into each other’s. It would bind them forever.

Everything had been fine for a while. The two of them were together and in the same school, seeing each other every day. Finally, the two of them graduated, leaving Sakura and Li with the whole world at their feet. Then fate would call upon them again. Five days ago, Sakura and Li decided to head out to Johto to see Ash Ketchum in competition. They liked his style and his views. It reminded them of themselves, so they decided to see their fellow comrade in his defining moment. Seeing Ash triumph under some of the most trying circumstances gave them a very good feeling indeed. They were incredibly drawn to Ash and Misty. They looked like two people they could get to know and trust. Sakura and Li decided they wouldn’t mind meeting the two of them afterwards, when trouble struck. In the form of the usual suspects. Team Rocket! The dastardly villains chose their moment well. With the competition finally over and all the prized Pokemon sub-par and in need of treatment, they were ripe for the picking. Rockets swarmed all over the stadium, bearing machine guns, rocket launchers, and all kinds of equipment to retrieve Pokemon and Pokeballs. All the trainers jumped to the call of battle and called out all their Pokemon. The Rockets decided to play along and released all their Pokemon. Enhanced by genetic engineering and dark training, they were dastardly combatants, and proved more than a match for the competitors. A grueling battle followed, as hundreds of Pokemon faced off in single combat, striving to fell the other then track down more opponents. The carnage was mortifying! The battleground of the stadium was smothered in the blood and bodily fluids of countless Pokemon. Though none died, a horrible vibe of pain and agony shrouded Silverstone Stadium as the sun began to set. The situation was grim. Only Ash and Misty still had Pokemon that could battle. Sakura and Li felt completely repulsed by the horrors unfolding in front of them, and it took all their resolve to hold back from regurgitating.
“Li, this is horrible! This can’t go on! We can stop this! We have to save these people!”
“Sakura, I know. But dammit, if they find out about us, do you think these people will understand?! No one did back home in all the time we were there!”
“How could they? They never knew what we were up to! Look, we can’t let innocent people and Pokemon be ravaged, raped and devastated by Team Rocket! We had the power to thwart evil before! We can do it again! Li, I’m helping them out! And you’d better come with me!”
The stare that shot out from Sakura’s emerald eyes was so cold, icy and steely that it stunned Li into submission. He knew they had to help. But, heck, these people were going to flip! Ah, stuff it! Just do it man!
Sakura and Li leaped over the side of the wall and onto the battleground. They headed towards Ash and Misty, who were absorbed in battle. Ash was the first to notice them.
“Hey, who are you?”
Sakura looked at Ash with complete honesty and with a look that emanated compassion and knowing all at once. “Someone that can help. Trust us.”
Ash was a little unsure how to proceed. Outside battling, he could really be lost for thought. That left Misty handling the situation. “Ash, I think we can trust them. You got any Pokemon?”
Sakura and Li shook their heads, reaching for their cards, Sakura for her staff and Li for his ceremonial sword. “Magic.”
Ash and Misty were stunned beyond belief. “Magic? Are you serious?! Or are you having us on?!”
Sakura looked at Li with an air of confidence. She withdrew one of her cards from her outfit and retrieved her magical staff. Summoning the wand, she spun it round and prepared to summon the spirit as the card exploded in a blaze of blinding white light. “Time Card! Freeze everyone and everything here except for me, Sakura, Ash and Misty!”. Time was summoned, and he instantly froze the entire stadium. No one was left moving except Sakura, Li, Ash and Misty. Sakura had a beaming smile of satisfaction on her face, one that lasted all the way from her childhood despite all she had endured in her life, while Li sighed heavily from exerting so much power, leaving Ash and Misty riveted to the ground they stood on.
“Okay! What just happened?! That was insane! You guys really are magic users! How?!”
“We’ll explain later! You’re lucky we decided to let you know! We’ve gotta get rid of these Rockets!” Li was always blunt and to the point when he was in battle, so you could forgive him for being so cold.
“Li!” At least Sakura was there to soften things up. “You seemed like people we could trust. We’ve been living with this secret for years. We’ve desperately wanted to tell someone!”
“Tell me about it! Sakura, you didn’t have to stuff me in your bag for that long! Can’t I even get an icecream around here or something?! You promised me! After all I’ve done for you all these years!”
Sakura felt a lump in her throat. “Kero! What the hell are you doing out here?!” But it was too late. Ash and Misty had already seen it all.
“A talking flying squirrel?! That does it! Now I’ve seen it all!” Ash didn’t know what the hell was going on, but now he knew that there were other forces in this world than just Pokemon and Team Rocket. He hated not knowing what was going on.
Misty held him back with a gentle hand. “Let them carry on, Ash. They know what they’re doing! We would have lost if they didn’t intervene! Trust them Ash. They’re nice people with their own secrets and powers, just like us.”
Misty had a good point. Ash relented. “Okay. Sorry for being so difficult! Go ahead.”
Sakura smiled back, blushing. “Don’t worry! This gig’s still pretty screwy even for us!”
Misty was a little unsettled. She had the feeling that Ash liked her, but she couldn’t get over how beautiful Sakura was. It was like heaven followed her wherever she went and showered her with its glory. She felt a bit inferior in comparison.
“You know, Misty, we’ve always wanted to meet you. You two are pretty cool! And Misty, I’ve got to admit. You’re really beautiful.”
Misty blushed in reaction. Was Sakura for real? One look into those emerald mirrors of Sakura’s soul and she could see the sincerity that Sakura sent out from them. She could see that Sakura was someone that she could trust and get to know.
“Um, thanks! Not many people say that!”
“Probably because they’re thinking it and getting hard down you know where,” replied Li.
“Heh, heh...” Everyone was a little unsettled about that. Heck, it was true. But, it was a shock hearing it though.
“Don’t sweat it, Misty. Sakura and I have to put up with a lot of jerks like that too. Heck, the two of you look like a cool couple yourselves.”
“Um, we’re not...”
Li didn’t let Ash and Misty finish. “Let’s get rid of these jerks before Time wears off. Sakura, use Windy and Fire!”
Sakura was a little confused. “Okay. But why not just Windy?”
“An aftermath of smoke would make it easier for people to believe that we managed to pull this off.”
“Yeah. Sure.” Sakura retrieved both of them, spun her staff furiously, rammed it down on both of them, and both erupted in a blaze of glory. Windy generated a tremendous cyclone, and Fire proceeded to enclose the Rockets with an inferno. The resulting situation generated a massive explosion that shook the place for miles around. In a seething cloud of red blasts, Team Rocket were dispersed in all directions for several miles, leaving the stadium no longer defiled by their insidious presence. Smoke gradually cleared, leaving the four heroes having thousands of people cheering down on them.
“So much for keeping a low profile!” groaned Li.
“Oh no! Kero, hide!”
“Only if you get me a super dooper sundae with double sprinkles and caramel!”
“KERO!”
“Promise!” Kero folded his arms in defiance. Sakura did the wise thing and buckled. “Okay. But I swear I’ll put you on a diet and make you exercise!”
“Aw come on! Don’t you remember how much weight I lost when I was in my true form?!”
“It only took a few weeks to get it back!”
“Why you monster!”
“Just get in the bag before everyone sees you!”
“Oh alright!” Kero ducked into Sakura’s bag in a flash, dreaming of yet another dessert he managed to con Sakura into getting him.
“He can be a real handful you know!” said Sakura, holding her head, eyes closed, blushing and gaping, anime style when you get really embarrassed. “You should have seen him when he was in his true form!”
“I’ll bet!” Ash and Misty had only seen a glimpse of what Sakura and Li could do. The four of them were off to an auspicious beginning. But they never saw the pair of eyes that saw them from above. A familiar face of ever itself watched from his special helicopter.
“Interesting. This could prove even better than Mewtwo ever was! Fat lot of good he proved! These four may be just what I need! I thought those two were nothing more than pests, but with these other two in the mix, Team Rocket may finally be where it belongs! In control of the world!” His groomed hand donned in an orange Armani suit stroked his playful Persian, which purred softly in reply.

“Li, stop worrying! No one saw us!” The two of them were now back in Readington, in the park near Sakura’s home.
“Alright! I just get the feeling that someone was watching us! Sakura, I really mean it! I get the feeling we’re being watched!”
“Li, stop being so paranoid!” Sakura stretched out her hand and caressed Li’s hawk-like face. “Can’t we just have fun and chill out for once?! We got the cards back, Eriol’s gone, Clow Reed can rest now, and we’ve got the rest of lives in front of us! Just cool it man!”
Li’s lips slowly formed into a sly smile, indicative he was thinking of something sneaky. “Okay...” he started. He slid his hand around Sakura’s supple waist, reaching up the back of her shirt and gently rubbing her back, letting his fingertips gently caress her spine.
“Mmm. Li! It’s been a while!”
“Too long.”
“You said it!” Sakura teasingly flung her long crop of red-brown hair all over Li’s face, smothering his vision, which she had been able to grow long once she got to high school, began to laugh insatiably, passionately slipped her tongue into Li’s unsuspecting mouth, then slid her hands up Li’s chest, showing no inhibition in playfully rubbing Li’s solid pecs and sliding her right hand through the sparse, velvety hair adorning his chest while the other one met his neck, massaging it gently.
“Oh yeah. I could SO get used to this!” Li let his other hand slowly move down from Sakura’s face down the outside of her shirt, making Sakura’s heart pound harder than it ever did before, resting on her silky smooth stomach, proceeding to rub it back and forth, getting Sakura hot and bothered, making her sweat ferociously under her armpits and on her forehead, as well as salivating in delight.
“Keep it there for now and maybe later I’ll really blow your mind!” she whispered seductively. Li complied eagerly.
Out of the bushes emerged two figures that they would never see. Both of them suddenly blacked out, falling to their knees, flailing uncontrollably, unable to resist their failing bodies. Sakura had no idea what was going on, except that she felt a horrible pain stemming from the back of her head, and that she couldn’t see Li. “Li? Li! Where are you?!”
Li screamed out from behind her. “Sakura! They’ve got me!” His voice was so slurred and agonising that she could tell Li must have received the same treatment the Rockets gave her.
“Man, that was priceless! I told ya it was worth watching!”
“Yeah, I could tell from your moaning, jerk!”
“Shut your mouth! Let’s get this jerk out of here! Maybe we should take a piece out of the girl!”
“Keep it in your pants or I’ll cut it off, I’ll swear! The boss said no one touches Sakura or Ash! The boss has got something special for those two!”
“Oh yeah! I remember! Real good!” They both broke off in sadistic laughter. Sakura finally whirled around despite the pain that was overriding all her impulses. She could see Li’s despondent face. He was about to drift away. He looked up one last time, crying for the first time in all the time Sakura had known him, and choked out “Sakura, I love you.”
“Li, I love you too.” Sakura then fell flat, unable to move, forced to watch Li being handcuffed by the Rockets and beaten senseless as they flew away in their balloon. “Sneak attack us, punk?! I’ll give you a sneak attack! Be glad we didn’t sneak attack her!”
“I’ll break you bastards limb from limb! Keep your filthy hands off her!”
“Make me kid! Don’t worry! Once we get Misty, the fun will really start!”
“Misty?! What the heck are you talking about?!”
“None of your business, punk!” The dastardly Rocket slammed Li smack in the forehead, sending him into an extended session in La La Land. Sakura could only hear Li’s defiant screams, and she wept herself into sleep.

And that was how it had been. Tori and Julian found her beaten, her clothes ripped and tears all over her face. They could tell that she hadn’t been raped, for no one got close to getting her pants off, but they could tell she’d been through hell. Sakura eventually told Tori what happened, and he fell into a foul mood, while Sakura spent day after day crying in bed. Her heart was broken. She and Li were finally going to be something great, and he’d been snatched away from her. Why?! What the hell did she have to do to get some light in her life?! After all the madness she’d been through! She just didn’t understand. She knew life was harsh, but Fate seemed to be out to mess with her whenever it could.
The door opened. Tori stood at the doorway. “Listen squirt! Get your carcass out of bed, why don’t ya? You think just crying all day and night is gonna help Li?!”
Sakura felt all the hate and pain inside her well up at that moment, and she went straight for Tori, grabbing him harshly by the throat. “Don’t you dare talk to me like that again! You have no idea what just happened to me! You never will! And if you say one more thing like that, I’ll rip your throat out!”
“Sakura, cut it out!” Tori was unable to break her vice-like grips. Man, he should have listened to Julian! He said one day Sakura would get him back for all the hell he gave her when she was younger. He was so right!
“Sakura, I don’t mean to upset you! But dammit, if you’re gonna get Li back, you’ll have to find him yourself! Team Rocket is way too big and secret for the police to ever find them or Li! You’re doing this yourself! With your magic, you’ll do it somehow. Don’t take it out on me! Take it out on Team Rocket!”
Sakura stopped dead, fell back to her knees and gasped in shock. “I’m sorry, Tori. But I don’t know how I’m going to do this! How can one person take on Team Rocket, for crying out loud! You saw what they’re capable of!”
“Make that two.”
“Huh? Hey! You’re not coming along!”
“Not me, stupid! Ash! Ash is on the phone. Sounds like he’s not too good either.”
Sakura suddenly looked up attentively. “Really?”
“Yeah. The news said that Misty got captured too. If you’ve got any brains, you pairing up with Ash and finding Li and Misty, even if I have to make you myself, squirt! Otherwise I’ll never wanna know ya! I swear! Don’t ruin your life, Sakura! Go with Ash and find them.”
Sakura sighed. She thought all this madness was over once and for all. Now she was back in it again. “Okay. I’ll speak to Ash now.”
Tori walked away, then looked back at her. “Sakura?” he said sincerely, which stunned Sakura. Tori had NEVER spoken to her sincerely.
“Yeah?”
“Be careful. For everyone’s sake. You’re too good a person to lose in this dark world.”
Sakura smiled like a little kid getting her ultimate dream. It was a smile neither would never forget. In that moment, Tori and Sakura finally understood each other and broke beyond the idiocy. They truly respected each other then, and nothing could ever kill that off. ‘Thank you Tori.” She ran to him with that innocence, quickly pecked him on the cheek, then picked up the phone.
“Ash?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
“Ash, I heard what happened. I’m so sorry!”
“I heard what happened to you. You didn’t deserve that at all. We’re gonna get Team Rocket if it’s the last thing we ever do!”
“Okay. Meet me at Silver Lake in two hours. Ash, I swear. The two of us will get them! And we’ll get Li and Misty back! I swear on my soul!”
“Me too. Bring you magic stuff. We’ll need it.”
“And you bring your Pokemon. We’ll need them.”
“Okay. See ya.” Sakura hung the phone back on the hook. She froze for a moment, sighing heavily. She turned around to face Kero, who was hovering right next to her, a look of sorrow and sympathy in this face. In his hands was a bag containing the Clow Book, all the Clow Cards, her key, money from Tori, supplies and other odds and ends.
Sakura steeled up. “Let’s do this.”
And so it began.
 
Ahhhh, this might be the chapter that gave me trouble - the lengthy, lightly paragraphed parts early on (ie, few paragraphs for a lot of text) when you sum up Sakura's past are really long to wade through. And it may be a lot to tell about Sakura outright - some of it maybe isn't really all that needful (IE, Sakura's capture of the fly card for example), some of it may be better suited for mentioning as the story go along (descriptions of characters, for example, generally tend to be much better if they are part of the action.

That said, once the "Who is Sakura?" part is over and you get to the actual plot of this chapter, it's great :).
 
DamianSilverblade: I guess I went overboard with this chapter because I thought most readers may not be that familiar with Sakura, so I tried to get readers to know her. That was the main reason for the length. But after that it flows again. And you seem to think it was decent, so hopefully it isn't too big an issue.
 
Long overdue update! Sorry but I couldn't get Net access for reasons out of my control.

Chapter 3 – Silver Nitrate

Ash sat by himself as he looked out across Silver Lake. Liquid silver reflecting the azure blue sky perfectly. The sky that held so much pain for him. And he could be sure that Sakura probably felt the same way too. He still couldn’t believe what had happened. He finally confessed to Misty, and after the best five minutes of his life in one amazing kiss that words were too pathetic to describe, he lost her. To Team Rocket, the personification of evil. The darkness that never ceased to plague his life. All of the time during his journey, he had to put up with their continual attempts to steal his Pokemon and destroy his life. Now they had by taking away from him the girl he loved. Letting his bare feet slip into the cool waters, it provided some stimulus to temporarily relieve him of his pain, which returned after the moment had passed like a fleeting dream, and was forgotten about. Was this what his life was meant to be? A struggle only to lose it all? He refused to believe that, but he couldn’t fathom anything to explain why things turned out the way he did. After all the people and Pokemon he had helped out over the last few years, this is what he gets in return?! He shook his head and sighed. Something better had to be around the corner. Could fate be such a bastard and give him a few moments of pure joy and happiness just to keep it from him forever? No. He refused to accept that possibility. Ash Ketchum does not let that happen to him. Somehow, he knew he’d get Misty back. Somehow.

But he had no idea how. He had no idea where she was, what Team Rocket were up to or how to find her. Yet somehow he knew he would. He had to! There was no way fate would just throw Misty into his life right when he became a Pokemon trainer and keep her there the whole way through. After all they’d been through! No way! He would get Misty back! Ash sank his head into the cool pristine waters, and prayed. For a sign. Any sign. Anything to get Misty back. At a safe distance, his six Pokemon lingered with each other, providing Ash with the space he needed. Pikachu and Bayleef kept a sharp eye on him though. Nothing was going to happen to Ash if they had anything to do with it.

Sakura gradually made her way across the fairgrounds. She had no concept of time or anything around her at the moment. Kids raced by her and she didn’t notice. Hawkers yelled at her but she heard nothing. An errant beach ball came from nowhere and hit her smack on the top of her head, but she just kept on walking. Everyone nearby looked on with concern. They knew that this young lady had problems so deep that she was temporarily detached from reality, yet subconsciously she knew what she was doing and she had to get to where she was going, and no one would even try to stop her. So Sakura walked for miles, all her thoughts focused on one thing: getting to Silver Lake. That was all that mattered for the next few moments. She had only a few things in her mind that she was sure of. To get to Silver Lake. To find Ash. And then team up with him to find Li. Ash wanted Misty, she wanted Li. She broke into tears at the thought of her. It hurt her even more than it did when she heard people talking about their mothers. After all that happened with capturing the cards, the Final Judgement, defeating Eriol, the defining moment in their relationship, and the intimacy through high school. They has reached such a significant point in their lives. Sakura was now a young woman with the world at her feet. But all her dreams were shattered like glass and all she cared about was snatched from her, leaving her so empty that words couldn’t describe the feeling. She still found it hard to believe that this has happened. Li was gone. They were about to get deep and intimate, then Team Rocket assaults her and takes Li away. Sakura dreaded what they might be doing to him. Everyone had heard rumours about what goes on inside Team Rocket headquarters. Executions, torturing, mind games, intense interrogations, initiations, upgrade tests, and so on. Sakura felt herself vomiting at the thought of all those things, Her Li being ravaged by Team Rocket. The pain in her heart was unbearable. It hurt her even to breathe. But she still plowed on with that spirit that gave her the Clow Cards and saved an unknowing world. She had a job to do. She had to find Ash.

And at last she found him. She emerged from stony paths that tore into her shoes into a field of gently matted out grass that flowed in the wind like locks of hair being whisked up by a gentle breeze. Birds glided across the sky against the silhouette of a clear sky and a bright warm sun. But that mattered little to her. The light of day felt so cold at the moment. She couldn’t feel the warmth at all. She had a purpose. To find Li. But she needed a way. A plan. Hopefully talking with Ash would give her a clue as to how they could to this. This wasn’t some mere video game you play for months and finally win. This was real life. One chance only, winner takes all, loser gets nothing but a lifetime of misery and heartbreak, and one mistake can cost you everything. Such an ominous task! To take on the crime juggernaut that is Team Rocket! Not even the police could even get close to finding a way to bring them down! Could two young people on the verge of entering adulthood find a way? Sakura sighed heavily, submitted herself to fate, walked up behind Ash, slid off her shoes and socks, seating herself next to him, sliding her naked feet into the cool, calm waters, while Ash still had his head buried in the water. Sakura gently rubbed him in the shoulder, rousing Ash from his sorrows.
“Huh? Sakura! Uh, how long have you been here?”
“I just got here Ash.”
For a moment the two halted, unable to speak, waiting for the other to break the silence. Ash’s brown-black eyes were emptier than champagne bottles at a wedding, while Sakura’s emerald green irises looked so fragile and fractured through the half-open eyes that held them inside. She emanated compassion for Ash while exposing her own soul, naked and torn, bleeding non-stop. Ash could feel warmth from Sakura’s soul and longed to give her some of his own to heal her wounds. The two lingered gently towards each other and slowly wrapped their arms around each others, assuring each other that they were among friends and that they could express any emotion they had been holding back. Ash whimpered softly against Sakura’s left shoulder, while she sobbed her own woes away as she rested her head against his right shoulder. Sakura let Ash sink into her long locks of silky brown-red hair, while he gently massaged the side of her neck to release the incredible amount of tension that had built up there. The two of them drew back a little, Ash’s eyes open wide, Sakura’s locked in the half-open gaze with her mouth slightly open, just like Ash’s. The two of them stared into each other’s souls, silently crying out for help.
“Help me, Sakura.”
“Help me, Ash.”
Both sobbed a little as they spoke and struggled to force the words out, as if they were walking on glass and their throats were like a wall of nails. Sakura extended out her slender, smooth right hand, each finger decorated with nail polish that glistened a stunning green, showing no signs of aging or scars. They were beautiful hands. They reflected Sakura’s childhood innocence that still managed to survive all the hurt and struggles she’d been through. Ash extended his left arm out. It was slightly tanned, with some muscle toning around the elbow joints, adorned with hair that was there yet didn’t grow to the point where it masked the glowing skin beneath. It was more like a compliment. Their hands met halfway. Ash couldn’t believe how soft Sakura’s hands were, and let his fingertips absorb every bit of invigorating stimulus they could, while Sakura rubbed his fingers, relishing their soft tone they maintained despite the muscular build Ash had acquired, and the gentle, sparkling feeling transmitted into her brain upon contact with the silky hair that adorned his hand.

“How heartwarming. I have an idea. How about I keep Misty and Li, while the two off you run off together and have a wonderful life? That way everyone’s happy!”
Ash and Sakura swung around, facing the source of the perpetrator. That moment was building up trust and understanding between the two of them. Things they would need when they would travel side by side in their quest to get their friends back. And it had been cruelly shattered. The perpetrator knew it, and revelled in it for as long as he could, voicing his sadistic pleasure in a light, sly snicker. Before them was a man. A tall man, adorned in a striking orange Armani suit that almost hurt the eye to look at, sleeked back brown hair that shone in the afternoon sun, hardened tanned skin, and those steely, cold, unfeeling, murderous black eyes. This was Giovanni. The dreaded leader of Team Rocket.
“Many have met me, though few live to tell the tale. Consider yourself lucky I don’t kill you now!”
The two of them jumped with a start and surged towards him.
“Where’s Misty? What have you done to her?!”
“You took Li! Where is he?! Tell me now!”
“Stop right there!” Giovanni cracked in a harsh tone befitting of a vulture, which made Ash and Sakura stop dead in their tracks. “There are six Team Rocket marksmen all aiming for your heads. If you even dare to touch me, they will not hesitate to shoot! You’ll be fish food if you dare try that again! Now listen up because I’m only telling you this once!”
Ash and Sakura were transfixed by Giovanni’s hypnotic gaze, frozen with fear and unable to move even if they wanted to. They stood there like statues, living for every
single word.
Giovanni smiled. He knew he could draw this out for as long as he wanted. He had all the coins. They had nothing. He made them wait for a few more moments in extreme anxiety, to the point where they were shivering from desperation and hope. Giovanni sighed and broke the silence at last. He averted his gaze solely to Ash.
“You two are really the pick of the lot! Ash! How many times have you ruined my perfect plans?! The St.Anne?! The Breeding Day Care Centre scam?! The Pokemon Fortune Telling scandal?! Mewtwo?!?! Yes! Time and time again you and that redhead show up when you’re not wanted, you insignificant little bug!”
Ash felt bile surging up his throat. This man hated him so much, perhaps more than anything, and he never knew he existed! Now that he had a face to tie to everything, he had something to centre all his ambition and anger onto.
“And you Sakura! Oh, the stuff you get up to! You stopped the Power Card from destroying the Zoo! I was about to claim that land! You stopped the Fight Card from beating all the martial art experts! I planned to establish my own system of fighting! And then you stopped the Firey Card from burning the Carnival down to the ground! I was going to make the mother of all amusement parks in its place! Aaargh! You and that annoying brat Li! Always there to help others, you useless martyrs!”
Sakura felt herself falling to pieces. How could someone hate her so much?! She felt so empty inside and her eyes were welling up, as were Ash’s. The hate emanating from this man was so sickening! How could someone be so evil?! He cared about nothing except power! He had no regard for human life. He had no empathy at all in those black pupils of his. Only hate. And desire to bring everyone to their knees and bow to him. This man truly could destroy the world as they knew it! Giovanni! Ash and Sakura held each other as they shook in revulsion.
“Look at you! Shivering like cowering rats scampering away from cats! You are completely despicable! I think I’ll just kill Misty and Li now!” He reached for his vidphone and began dialing.
Ash and Sakura began to cringe and crumble. They felt their hearts bursting and their brains were on the verge of exploding. The emotional strain was too much to bear anymore, and they collapsed to the ground in absolute agony. Both broke out in tears and couldn’t contain anymore, or it would kill them before they even started. “Please! Don’t! Don’t kill them!”
Giovanni slurped in delight. “Ah! That was delicious! You honestly thought I was going to kill them now?!”
Ash and Sakura looked up disbelief. Was this just a bluff?!
“You fools! Of course I wasn’t going to kill them! YET! Not until I’ve had my share on fun with the two of you! I will do unto you what you did to me! The two of you will suffer for your meddling! But I’m a man of honour. I believe in giving you a chance to win. So here’s my arrangement. There are eight Pokemon gyms in the Green League. I believe you were headed there Ash. And you will go there! You will defeat the Gym Leaders and then try to win the Green League! Every time you beat a Gym Leader, I will give you a clue to where the secret base is! A picture will be provided if you manage to win the whole thing! But that’s just half of the big picture! Sakura, I believe you may be interested to know that there are some new Clow Cards on the loose! Yes, indeed you are surprised! Catch them, and I’ll do the same in turn for you! Remember! You both have to succeed in your respective missions in order to find my base! And even if you do, that will only get you there! Beating my Rockets and escaping ALIVE WITH Li and Misty will prove to be a different kettle of fish altogether! So get to it! I give you one year to accomplish this, or the next time you see your lovers again they just might be corpses!”
Ash and Sakura instantly vomited at that comment. This was insane! But they knew they had no options. They had to go along with this or lose their friends for good.
“I look forward to monitoring your progress! The two of you shall prove to be quite amusing indeed! I’m sorry I can’t stay and chat, but I must leave you now! The consequence of being the leader of the biggest crime syndicate in the world, you know! Now remember! One year to the day! Or else! And I think you know what ‘else’ means!” And he proceeded to walk back towards the town. Ash and Sakura dared not follow. The snipers were bound to still be on guard.

“Ash, that man is so horrible! Imagine what he could be doing to Li and Misty right now! For a year! AN ENTIRE YEAR!” Sakura broke down into a downpour of tears and showed no signs of stopping. Sakura may be strong in spirit, but she is still incredibly fragile and only gives into anger when pushed beyond the limit. Otherwise she resembles the sweet, innocent girl she was at ten years old.
Ash put his hand on Sakura’s shoulder. She began to subside. “I know it’s horrible. And that this is wrong. But we can stop this! We’re the only ones that can! Their lives are in our hands, Sakura! Now we are going to go to the Green League. I’ll win the badges and the league, and you capture the cards! I know I can’t live without Misty...” Ash paused for a moment and sobbed a little. “...Misty...and you can’t live without Li.”
“Li...” The memory of him still burned brightly inside her heart. Sakura rose from the ground, picked up her bag and dusted herself off. “You’re right. It’s all we can do. We’ll have to trust each other. Only together can we pull this off. I’ll never give up, I promise! Promise me you’ll never give up, Ash!”
“I promise.” The two of them felt better than they had in days. With a plan now in hand, they had something to live for and to gain, and nothing to lose.
“Ah, Sakura! You could have let me out earlier!”
“Kero!” Sakura went into panic mode like a shot. “Get back in there before anyone sees you!”
“Sakura, no one’s around! Let him stay out.” Ash was amazed at the sight of Kero. “Heck, you ARE real!”
“Well, you should see me in my true form!”
“And when he eats pudding!” chirped Sakura, making Kero blush.
“Well, pudding is one of my fortes...”
“Hey! Why did you revert back to your diminished form?!” Sakura only noticed now what she hadn’t for days.
“These new cards seem to have a leash on the elemental cards, and they must be restricting their power. So I’m stuck in this again. Don’t worry, Sakura! I’ll be fine! Just do it, man!”
“Yeah!” Sakura smiled for the first time in days and flashed her emerald eyes in their true glory, looking Ash’s way with her hand outstretched and a sparkling smile gracing her face. Ash thought he was looking at an angel, then broke out into a smile himself, smoothed out his hair, and signalled for his Pokemon.
“Guys, we’re going!” Everyone returned to their Pokeballs except for Pikachu, who leaped onto Ash’s shoulder.
“Wow! He’s really cute!” exclaimed Sakura.
“Pika pi, pika chu!” chirped Pikachu in a happy tone.
“I AM NOT CUTE!” snapped Kero harshly.
“Hey, we didn’t say you were,” piped in Ash.
“The electric mouse here said I was!”
“Ah, Pikachu, could you loosen up on the cute thing?”
“Pika.”
“Relax, Kero,” assured Sakura. ‘I’ll get you some icecream for taking it lightly!”
“Well then again, what’s a little angst in compared to sweets?! Mm!”
And so Ash and Sakura set off on a journey that would end up affecting how their lives would end up.

“And so on you go,” mocked Giovanni from his office in the secret headquarters. “They honestly think they’re going to pull this off?! HAH! Ash, I’ll wipe that smile off your face and kill that young spirit of yours if it’s the last thing I do! Pikachu, you’ll wish you never saw that! And Sakura! So young, so innocent, so happy. So beautiful! I have to admit that one. But mark my words! Once I’m through with you, none of that will be left in you! You’ll be nothing more than soulless thespians once this is over!” he snarled. Stroking his Persian softly, he lifted his finger to Sakura’s face on the screen, and smiled so sarcastically you could smell the sulfur on his breath. “Mess with the best. Die like the rest.”
 
[color=227722]By no means am I insulting you in my response to your fic, Crush. Please don't get the wrong idea. I'm just very protective of CCS, and when it comes to crossovers, I tend to get especially edgy. And I'll apologise in advance for "quoting" the English names. They're just so terrible. ;_;

I'll begin by commenting that you probably didn't know any better, seeing as you use the English names for the Cardcaptors characters.

I hate to break it to you, but Read Clow was the only one with the magick that created and would be able to create the Clow cards. Seeing as Sakura inherited that magick from him through the Clow Book, she was capable of making The Love when Syaoran left.

Also, the only plot of Cardcaptor Sakura wasn't the actual capturing of the cards. I see you've focused only on this, another hint at weakness gained from only having seen the English dub, which, I might comment, is one of the most poorly dubbed in the field. The miniplots taken out by Nelvana might add immensely to your plot: "Madison's" love of dressing Sakura up for battle (which hints that "Madison" has the same love that "Madison's" mom had for "Natasha Avalon"); the many hints that "Tori" and "Julian" love one another more than friends; Sakura's heavy crush on "Julian" and all she did to gain his affection (which is later turned down to which "Julian" tells her that he's not the one she really loves, but instead hints that Syaoran is that love); and Yue, Kerberos, and Read Clow's deep affection for one another (which might be a deciding factour that would drive the Guardian or the Judge to follow Sakura, seeing as new cards are borne and thus intrinsically borne of Read Clow).

Though I must comment that the way you tied all of your ends together seems to fit better than either dub plot separately could. :) You write well. The super long paragraphs just make it much more difficult to read.

And it just dawned on me.... I wonder what appearance "Eli Moon," "Ruby," and "Spinner" will have (if any)....

*awaits the next chapter, eager to see where you're going with this*[/color]
 
...? Dude, I got most of the gay subplots WITH the dub! I mean really now, especially the Tori/Julian one...

I like the fic, but...the crossover seems a bit too easy. If they've been in the same world for all this time, why hasn't Sakura encountered a ton of Pokemon before?
 
That's the major problem with many crossover (though I've seen a few that COULD be made while making sense ; for example HP/CCS). Still, I suppose we might as well just run over the top of that one - very quickly.

As for the gay subplots, I've heard it reported that tehy were strongly dumbed down in Cardcaptors, but I wouldn't know for a fact. And I wouldn't be too quick to blame NELVANA for the bad dub ; they also did the french one which (besides the character names, and even on many of those) is virtually uncut and uncensored (and is the one I saw). I think the bad dub is more the work of american channels requiring that Nelvana cut the stuff these over-moralistic morons deemed inappropriate.

To any extent, the writing is indeed much more fluid in this chapter than in the second. though you might want to increase the number of paragraphs. And the plots is getting along :).

Waiting for more :).
 
Okay, reply time.

Kurai: yeah, i know about all those things. Many people have filled me in. On the card situation, indeed only Clow Reed could have made the Clow Card, so hence the new cards are not Clow Cards that were made, as is the case. Buit your adivce was fair indeed. I'm just going off what I saw and know for certain, that all. But hopefully this fic goes somehwere you like. ;)

Blackjack Gabbiani: Point. Sakura wasn't too much a Pokemon fan when she was young. Plus there's a reason why. You'll find out eventually.

Damian: Yeah, I know about them. They WERE cut out. Remember. The US targets this stuff for KIDS, not teens. Anyway, since when would the US let stuff about gay/lesbian people on TV unless it was comically handled? That's the only way they can handle it, those conservative corporate and political jerks! And yes, it's developing. It will make more sense as it goes on. I tried to make things shorter.
 
Chapter 4 – Four Seasons In One Day


Misty Waterflower woke up with the mother of all headaches and feeling like she’d been turned inside out. Her vision was incredibly blurred and the light that penetrated their eyes hurt her so much it made them water from the pain. So much pain. Her head was throbbing from a severe blow that she couldn’t quite remember how she got it, and her lungs felt like they were breathing in pure smoke, leaving them raw and ravaged, though for all she knew she might have been breathing the cleanest air in the world. She slowly pushed her slim figure up from whatever she was sitting on. She had a hunch that it was brown, but apart from that she had no idea. Her senses were still incredibly deadened, and she wanted nothing more to go back to sleep, get away from the pain and drift into dreamland. But the pain gave her no chance whatsoever. She was staying up whether she liked it or not.

Sitting against something solid, which she made out to be a stone wall from the feel against her back and fingertips, as feeling slowly drained back into her battered being. Her blurry vision was gradually regaining its true clarity, but she might have rather been locked in the former. As her eyes began to clear out and blurs melded into straight outlines, she realised she wasn’t in Pallet Town anymore. Her mind was sifting through the pain and piecing together random events that came back to her in flashes. A crimson R. An Umbreon. Ash’s Noctowl. Guns. Male voices she didn’t recognise. Ash’s broken hearted screams. Her own despondent cries. Then it all came back to her!

She had been kidnapped by Team Rocket. She buried her soft face in her gentle hands and began crying gingerly. She remembered it all now. She remembered how Ash finally confessed his true feelings for her, and how the two of them shared a kiss so mind-blowing that it was the best moment in her life, hands down. The feel of his body against hers, the fire she felt wherever he touched her, the sensations that dazzled her mind when running her fingers through that velvety crop of black hair, the emotions and secrets hidden in those mysterious black eyes of his. It was so wonderful. She desperately tried to relive every single part of it, invoking the fire which still lingered where Ash had touched her, imagining the gentle longing in his breathing, and the melting sensation she felt when their lips met. She closed her eyes and let herself slip away. Here she felt safe. This was something that no one could take away from her.

For what seemed like forever, Misty was lost in her fantasy. She would stay there forever if she had to. But her dream sequence was cruelly shattered by the harsh rattling of metal. She was broken from her trance with a start. She wasn’t in the lush green fields of Pallet Town, making out with Ash against the backdrop of a sunny day. She was somewhere else. She was cold, tired, in pain, and alone. She took the next few moments to study her environment more closely. She was surrounded by four walls of stone, all cold to the touch and unforgiving in the chill they invoked upon touch. Misty was suddenly aware of how the chill was rattling her, and she rose to her feet in an instant. The ground seemed to be made of solid concrete, but it was covered by at least a few inches of silt, dust and rubble. There was a window carved out of one of the smaller walls, but it was perforated by several steel bars, and only a few rays of light seemed to slip through, but that was better than nothing. At least some warmth and light existed in this place! Wherever she was! That made her think deeply for the first time in hours. Where was she? But such speculation seemed futile. She had no idea. There were no clues. She was truly alone.

Or so she thought. She heard that chilling rattle of metal again. It made her shudder, and she couldn’t stop her teeth from rattling. She shut them with a start, realising her mistake. She had now revealed her presence, and furthermore, she had displayed her fear. Now the other person would know she was here and that she was afraid. Misty swallowed what felt like a gallon of sand, leaving her throat so dry, raw and scratchy that she felt herself gasp every time she drew in breath. Her heart began to thump so hard it felt like it was tearing through her chest, and her stomach felt like it was experiencing a nuclear meltdown, sending her stomach acids into overdrive and unsettling her system no end. Misty covered her face in fear and slid away to a corner, cowering from the perpetrator. Now she could her footsteps against that dusty concrete floor. They were so slow, and that heightened her tension no end! She began shivering so intensely she felt like was an earthquake, splintering her entire being, yet somehow she stayed together, all in place. Misty began to sob a little. This pain was horrible! Why didn’t her perpetrator just end this?! He’s probably just some sadistic bastard who wants simply to invoke fear and pain in me, and he’s enjoying every minute of it! Typical Rocket bastards! Misty wanted to scream out and demand that it be ended, but her voice always died on her dried up throat. She was left completely helpless, and the fiery redhead hated being reduced to this! She began holding her hands and praying that if her end was here, that it be swift and painless. After five minutes of paradise, her life was falling apart by forces she had no power over. They had power over her. Her mind began racing over what would follow. Torture? Rape? Starvation? Thirst? Drugs? Poisons? She didn’t want to know. She just bunched up in a heap in her corner, hoping for salvation. Then a familiar male voice spoke out. It was so raspy itself that she almost didn’t recognise it, but as the light shone across his hawk-like face, she knew that she was in no danger, and relief flowed through her veins like the gift of life.
“Hey, Misty.” Harsh coughing followed. She could hear the male figure hacking up saliva and blood, from the look of it.
Courage finally spurred on her first word in a long time. “Li.”

Li Syaoran was barely standing upright. His legs felt like masses of quivering jelly, as if someone had ripped out his entire skeletal structure, robbing him of his supporting bones and leaving nothing but muscle and skin that fell instantly. Yet he hung on. He had wanted to give into despair from the moment he woke up, but one thought kept him going. Sakura. That sparkling and ever innocent face of hers beamed like a beacon in this hell-hole, providing him with a glimmer of hope. It was all he needed to keep going. Otherwise the harsh, aged beyond his years being trapped inside a young man’s body would have given up long ago. Those sometimes cold eyes of his were so broken and flat. They say that a person’s eyes are the windows to their soul. Right now, they showed that Li was hurting more than he had for the rest of his lifetime. The blow he had received against his back had been severe, and while he was sure he had no broken bones, his spine and back muscles were so bruised that it hurt like hell just to move them. His entire body was in complete agony, and his mind was a swirling miasma of scintillating thoughts and turgid ideas. He wanted something else to give him hope. Something to do. Someone to talk to, to rely on. And as soon as he saw Misty lying there after she had been brought in, tossed like a piece of rubbish against the wall, adding to her countless bruises, he knew he wasn’t alone. If he was, he may not have had the courage to keep going. But with a fellow strong spirit with him, Li was compelled to live on. He knew that Misty would hang on in the faint hope that Ash would save her. He would live on in the hope that Sakura could save him. At least that was clear now. Despite the blood that surged from his float and spilled like red wine from an overflowing cup, staining the dust and silt it fell upon. He regretted putting Misty through those moments of terror, but he had no choice. His voice had only just broken through the pain barrier after hours of torment. He longed to talk to Misty, but his voice had been ravaged by thirst and had been drier than the Sahara in the middle of an African summer. Eventually some Rocket grunt had slid in some water, which tasted more like bitter bile, but he grimaced and swallowed the liquid. Anything to regain his voice. Communication with his only ally in this time of madness was essential to keep them going. And now they had taken that first step.
“Misty, I’m sorry you had to go through that. But I’m still so weak.” Li began spluttering in fits of coughing that rattled his lungs like the harshest of sandpaper. Misty gently reached out and touched his face, providing some shelter from the storm. A touch that worked better than a million words ever could have.
“It’s okay. I’m just glad I don’t have to do this alone. Although I would rather wish you weren’t caught up in this yourself.” She groaned and slowly picked herself up, straining against the cold stone wall for support, which ate at her being like creatures of the undead. Li leaned against her to provide some of his own healing. The presence of a friend worked wonders in times like these.
“Do you have any idea where we are, Li?”
“None. But I know that we’re in Team Rocket headquarters. You can hear the trademark slang and traits of the Rocket grunts. They come every now and then to check up on us. They left this water once. You’d better drink it. Watch for the bitter taste though.”
Misty complied without any inhibition. She couldn’t remember the last time she had anything to drink, and her entire system was screaming for liquid fuel. Most of all her brain. It was feeling like a pufferfish from the strain, and Misty carefully lifted the steel cup containing the precious liquid to her lips. She could even smell the bitterness of the water now, but she forced herself into thinking she was drinking the sweetest water she would ever taste, and that it would refresh her soul forever. She put the cup to her lips, trying not to spill any, and let the water flow into her. It felt like water entering water, and her being went past the bitter taste, finding comfort in the fuel. Misty gasped in delight and licked her lips. “Thank you, Li. That was wonderful.”
“Under these circumstances, I guess so.”
Misty lingered on the sensation of the precious liquid relieving her dried throat, then her mind floated back to the moments before she was captured. Panic began to surge in her veins.
“Ash! What happened to Ash? Did they get him?”
Li shrugged gently. “I don’t know. But I don’t think they did. When the Rockets kidnapped me, one of them wanted to have their way with Sakura, but the other told him to leave her alone, for Ash and Sakura were meant to do something else together. I have no idea what or why, but I know that they weren’t captured somehow.”
“Yeah, you’re right! The Rockets said the same thing when they got me. I wonder how they are.”
“Probably heartbroken, consoling each other and trying to figure out how to find us.”
“Mm. I remember all the times Ash had Pikachu stolen from him. Ash would spend eternity looking for Pikachu if he had to.” Misty stopped on the thought of his Pokemon, and then thought about hers. Poliwhirl, the tadpole with legs that was way beyond its physical limitations and was drawn to her for good ever since she found Poliwag in the Orange Islands and rescued it from Team Rocket. Corsola, the perky coral like pink Pokemon, her most recent addition to her team, during their time in the Whirl Islands. Staryu, the crux of her team, and a symbol of her fighting spirit. Goldeen, the beautiful white and red goldfish, that always did her best while maintaining beauty. Just like her. And Togepi. Misty began sobbing on the thought of Togepi. She couldn’t imagine how Togepi would be feeling now. Wondering where its mommy was and finding no solace. She hoped that Ash might have been able to comfort it. Togepi had grown to consider Ash a good friend too. Ash seemed to be the only other person Togepi felt safe with. Togepi. Her little baby Pokemon. It came from Ash’s brush with Aerodactyl at the dig site in Kanto, chose her as its mother, and awakened a side in Misty that she didn’t know that existed, or not that strongly. A warm side that began to mellow her aggressive and violent tendencies when pushed over the edge of her temper. She found a new joy in mothering Togepi. And now all that was gone. All she had built her life up around was gone. She had followed Ash just to get her bike back, but now she had a lifelong friend, and more importantly, maybe a life partner. She’d come too far and experienced too much with Ash to lose it all now. She hoped that somehow Fate would straighten things out.

Li felt the same way. He came to Readington years ago to capture the Clow Cards, and was outraged at Sakura being made the CardCaptor and what he considered to be extreme incompetence. Having been bred from birth into the ways of magic, being an ancestor of Clow Reed, he was disgusted that someone with only a few days of experience was the one with this incredible responsibility. When he caught a card instead of Sakura, he made sure people knew he loved it, and the fact that Sakura didn’t get it. Those facts really drove Kero around the twist time and time again. But once Li began to understand how Sakura lived, he began to see how she worked. Sakura was a normal 10 year old girl, for crying out loud! She had been flung into the deep end from day 1! Heck, if he was her, he’d be just the same! Li began to secretly help her out. He used the Time Card to help Sakura defeat the Power Card and capture it, making her think she did it herself, when Li was the one who made it happen. As Sakura reached the end of her quest, she didn’t mind if Li caught the odd card, and Li was amazed with Sakura’s confidence and poise in capturing the stronger cards with her valuable experience. From the day that Sakura caught the Firey Card, the most powerful of the four elemental cards, by allying Windy and Water, two powerful attack cards, a feat not accomplished until then, Li had undying respect for her. The Final Judgement put the two of them through hell, and Li had almost been severed from Sakura’s life forever. But somehow Sakura pulled through and earned the right to claim the cards as her own. And then followed the duels with Eriol, and the confrontation that lead to their love being recognised. Sakura was the salve and the balance to Li’s harshness. Her innocence, beauty and happiness burned brightly in a world that was plagued by darkness and enforced responsibility, and he longed for her more than ever. No one was keeping them apart. Fate was pairing them up again, or else.

“Hmm, looks like they’re awake now! Moving and talking too! Better let the boss know!”
“He’s already on his way down, moron! If you hadn’t been bust eyeing the redhead, maybe you’d have kept your mind on the job!”
“Ah, put a sock in it! I had to cover your butt earlier, pal, so don’t complain!”
“Alright! Keep your shirt on!”
Misty and Li were stirred from their private universes by the ramblings of Rocket grunts. Something was up, and they had better be ready for what happened next.
“Shut it! Here he comes!” The two Rockets stood like statues thousands of years old as Giovanni entered the hallway, donning the usual orange Armani suit, black shoes shiny as mirrors and bearing those burning black eyes of his that burned into anyone’s soul.
“Thank you. I trust there were no problems in capturing these tow, Melvis?!”
“No sir! All carried out as followed! We got these two easy, and the other two were left as you asked! Pretty easy job, sir! Hard to understand how these two screw us up all the time!”
“Well, love can be quite a distraction for many strong people! Very well! You shall be rewarded for your efforts! Contact the doctors and surgeons. I heard they suffered some pretty nasty injuries. Don’t cower like that! I know you had to use necessary thoughts! No need for excuses! Waste of time! We need them all bright and pretty for the presentation. So get onto it! Your bonuses will be deposited in your accounts shortly.”
“Thanks, boss!” responded Melvis with sardonic pleasure. “We’re on it! Swell! Now I can get that toy and shut the kid up for once! What a pain!”
“You said it, man!” piped in another Rocket. “Now I can get the wife that holiday she wanted so bad! This one’s been a long time coming!”
“Yeah! About time those young punks got what they deserved! All the more for us I say! Hawaii, here we come!”
“Aloha!”
Sadistic laughter rattled through the hallways, chilling Misty and Li to the bone. What did these bastards know about love?! And why did Team Rocket hate them so much?! What did they ever do to them besides foil Jesse, James and Meowth?!
Giovanni smirked a little. Nothing like a morale booster to inspire greater efficiency among his troops. Yes, being the mastermind of the world’s greatest crime syndicate had its perks. Time for the brats!

The door swung open like an iron lung, revealing Giovanni to Misty and Li, who were still weak from their experience and drained of energy.
“Well, nice to see the two of you getting along like a house on fire! I could say the same for your little friends!”
Misty lit up at that comment. “Ash and Sakura?! What do you mean?!”
“The two of them were quite friendly when I saw them. Though I must say they weren’t that pleased to see me.”
“Who would, bottom feeder?” snapped Li.
Giovanni snarled and cracked Li on the jaw, flooring him instantly. “One more word and I’ll really do you in! Any more smart aleck comments will cost you dearly!” He smoothed his hair back, relished in scaring the hell out of the two, and continued his procession.
“Yes, they weren’t pleased to see me. But they were interested to hear about the two of you!”
Li picked himself up and stared Giovanni down. “What did you tell them, you heartless bastard?”
Giovanni smirked again. He could see the fear in Li’s eyes as well as Misty’s. Despite their show, they were afraid for Ash and Sakura more than they could ever admit.
“Simply that you are under my control, alive and well. Don’t seem so surprised, you pack rats! I have no intention of killing you, YET! But we’ll leave that for now! I made them know how much those two have meddled in my plans! You should have seen them quiver! Just like you are now! Pathetic wretches! You should have seen them beg for mercy when I threatened to kill the two of you! Oh, the looks on their faces were priceless! That snivelling Ash and that teary, glassy Sakura! So reliant on my every word! Delicious!”
Misty began welling up so hard she couldn’t contain herself anymore. “Shut up! How dare you talk about them like that! I’ll smash you until that smile of yours is ripped off your face!”
“DON”T YOU DARE TALK BACK TO ME LIE THAT, MISSY!” growled Giovanni. Boy, he was going to have a handful with these two! As if Ash and Sakura weren’t bad enough! Misty didn’t back down a bit. She still maintained that look of defiance and showed no signs of relenting. “Admirable! Such courage is rare these days! However, a visit to our torture chambers could change that!” He could see doubt and fear creep into her expressions, which began to crumble into uncertainty. Good! Giovanni relished in reasserting his authority. He was the one with all the cards. He had to make sure they never forgot it. But hope. He had to give them hope. Or where would the fun be in all this?!
“Well, this will be fun! I decided to give Ash and Sakura a shot at getting the two of you back!” He loved seeing that glimmer of hope well up in their eyes. While Misty and Li surged with the feeling that hope provided them a while, Giovanni scoffed at it. He considered it a denial of reality and rational thinking.
“Ash will be heading to the Green League to win the badges and the League itself, while Sakura will have to track down some new Clow Cards.”
“What?” Li was aghast. “They’re not looking for us? What are you saying?! I don’t believe a word of it!”
“Listen to the whole thing, boy, then you’ll understand. When each wins a badge or catches a card, they will get a worded clue as to where this base is. If they complete the tasks completely, they will get visual clues. By then, they should be able to find this base. Whether they can escape alive, and with the two of you alive, is another matter! They have one year to complete their task! Fail, and the two of you die!”
“One year?! Are you nuts?!” Misty and Li spoke as one. “There’s no way!”
“Yes there is! I want them to feel pain for messing with my affairs! And they will! How you live here is determined by how well they do in their quest! If they do well, you shall live well! If they mess, up, it is YOU who will suffer! And they will watch you suffer! Yes, they’ll do this! They’ll do it just in the hope that they can save the two of you! Well forget it! They will NEVER succeed! Not that I’ll meddle, because I WON’T! But that I want them to hope, to live just for the moment to save you two, and when it comes, I’ll snatch it away, leaving them empty and shattered forever, knowing true pain! And then they will die too! I find it amusing you think they could possibly succeed! They don’t have a chance! Ah, youth! So impetuous! You think you can change the world! Hah!” And with a snap of his fingers, several Rockets entered the room. “Get them prepared for the presentation! Take them up to the guest room for now. We’ll get started tomorrow.”

Misty and Li were left in the complete opposite to where they had been for the last 24 hours. They were in a room, lined with exotic carpets and art, diamond chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, golden embroidery covering the whole room, rich foods and drink adorning tables, and all kinds of amusement. They had no idea how to proceed. Did it mean anything? Was all of their hope in vain? They pushed that thought back. They had to keep going. For the sake of Ash and Sakura. The four were going to go through a year of hell for them in the hope they would all meet again. Ash and Sakura sounded like they were ready to do whatever it took. Misty and Li had to do the same, at least. So they filled their growling stomachs and relieved themselves of their woes, if only for a little while. How did it come to this? The world is a crazy place. Misty reached for a TV guide, handed it Li, and they flicked the screen onto the news, and flicked between it and sport events. One story caught their attention.
“Famed Pokemon Trainer Ash Ketchum has registered to participate in the Green League. Ash has won the other three leagues over the last six years, and if he should win this one, he will qualify to fight the Elite 4 for the title of Pokemon Master. For one so young to have this chance so early, it is truly incredible. An interesting note is that his usual companion, Misty Waterflower, is not with him. Authorities have been searching for her since five days ago, and consider her disappearance foul play. They are also searching for Li Syaoran, the academic and athletic whiz who graduated with the most impressive results ever recently. He and his equally capable partner, Sakura Avalon, were ready to enter any one of a number of prestigious universities when Li also disappeared from sight five days ago as well. Authorities believe the two kidnappings to be linked, and suspect that the sinister crime syndicate Team Rocket is behind this. Sakura has joined Ash in his quest for glory, but neither are saying much about the ordeal and what they hope to accomplish.”
Misty and Li watched as they saw pictures of Ash and Sakura. They were heartbroken and so shattered. None of Ash’s fighting spirit was apparent, nor Sakura’s bright nature, innocence or charm. Or maybe they didn’t want anything to show on the cameras or say anything to the press. Giovanni would make life difficult if that happened. Misty and Li then drifted into the sports programs. Even if you have no idea what is going in, in sport you could somehow relax and let yourself drift away. Misty reached for the music collection on display, and picked out a CD. “Recurring Dream – The Very Best Of Crowded House.” A group of New Zealanders that became the toast of Australia with Neil Finn’s classic lyrics that had few equals. She put it on to the thirteenth track. One she had grown to love. Four Seasons In One Day. It seemed to describe the situation so well. And as they listened, Li seemed to appreciate the sentiment, so he let himself mingle with Misty as they found some solace amongst the chaos and pain, if only for a little while.


Crowded House – Four Seasons In One Day

Four seasons in one day
Lying in the depths of your imagination
Worlds above and worlds below
The sun shines on the black clouds
Hanging over the domain
Even when you’re feeling warm
The temperature could drop away
Like four seasons in one day

Smiling as the shit comes down
You can tell a man from what he has to say
Everything gets turned around
And I will risk my neck again, again
You can take me where you will
Up the creek and through the mill
Like all the things you can’t explain
Four seasons in one day

Blood dries up
Like rain, like rain
Fills my cup
Like four seasons in one day

Doesn’t pay to make predictions
Sleeping on an unmade bed
Finding out wherever there is comfort
There is pain
Only one step away
Like four seasons in one day

Blood dries up
Like rain, like rain
Fills my cup
Like four seasons in one day
 
Blackjack: Yeah, I guess. It disappears after this one. And thanks for the Gio praise! ;) I wanted an evil Gio bad! So I had to do one myself! :D
 
Not a bad new chapter, and Blackjack already covered my main criticism of it.

Other than that, and cringing at the english dub stuff (yes, I know it's not your fault), thoroughly enjoyable read :)
 
Damian: I know, I know. It was for those unfamiliar with CCS and so forth. But that stuff is over after this chapter. But you enjoyed the chapter, which was the main thing. ;)

Blackjack: He hasn't even started yet. You'll eventually cringe at what he gets up to.
 
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