Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or Magical Knight Rayearth

Summary: Ash and Team Rocket travel to Cephiro where Hikaru is searching for her friends while demons from different countries wreak havoc. Ash/Hikaru

The Hunt in Cephiro

Chapter 1: A Dream, Sign of Rule

(Dream)

Pitch Black. Nothing to see for eternity. A young raven-black-haired man in a black t-shirt with a yellow stripe along the rib-line and jeans looked around frantically. "Help us!" A female voice echoed out. The young man twisted around, searching for the sound.

"Please, help us!" Another girl's voice pleaded for help. The young one heard the voices but with the area showing nothing and the echoes bouncing off invisible walls, it was impossible to determine where the cries for help came from. All the youngster could do was try to see if he could establish communication.

"I can hear you!" he shouted, hoping to let whoever was calling for help to know that help was on the way. "Where are you?" This should aid these mysterious girls in their time of need. However, it didn't work.

"Help! Get me outta here!" the first female kept screaming.

"Release us!" the second one continued to ask for mercy. It was a bit of a setback for the youngster.

"Why can't they hear me?" he growled at himself. It didn't help that he was joined by two adults in white uniforms with red "R's" on their chests and black arm-length gloves and boots. One was a woman with blood red hair slicked back to appear like a wave, donned in a mid-drift shirt and skirt. The other was a male with a basic schoolboy's cut with a not-so-basic blue hair color, dressed with a long-sleeved shirt and pants. The youngster turned to the two who were staring into space...considering that there was nothing to actually stare at. "Anything?" The two saw the younger one, shaking their heads in denial.

"We've looked around," the redhead explained. "Those demons have kept us on the run so we couldn't get any clearance to land and search." The younger one acknowledged the frustration levels that the two were elevating. The blue-haired one took note of the sweat flooding the young male's face, worried that he may collapse in exhaustion.

"We need to relax and come up with a strategy," he suggested. "You look ready to pass out." The younger male knew the concern that the older one was pointing out. Nevertheless, he turned to the emptiness, seeking out the mysterious cries for aid.

"Save us, please!" the girls continued to shout. He wanted to help these girls, hard enough to hear their voices coming from all directions. His heart was set.

"I can't rest easy and allow those cries to go unattended," the younger one growled to the issue at hand. Before the three could advance, there was a light. The three shielded their eyes, staving off blindness. They got a chance to see when the light dimmed. Inside the light, a young blond girl was praying. The three were awe-stricken with such a sight.

"A great tragedy will befall the allies that help you rescue the magical knights," she prophesied. The younger one was befuddled with what she had said. What great tragedy did she mean? He turned to the two adults...down and drowning in a pool of blood. Startled, the young man slipped into the blood, staining himself. He recovered his feet, struggling over to the downed two.

"Jessie!" he shouted as he shook the redhead, her hair being redder by the second. The shaking did nothing. She wasn't responding. The youngster then turned to the other male, shaking him as well. "James, get up!" Nothing. Neither one was stirring. He had taken note of the amount of blood that continued to flood the place. He turned both of them over, seeing their eyes. The pupils were rolled into their skulls and their throats all gashed up. This was bad. "This...this can't be!" Both of them had no life. They were killed...but by his hands? In a snap, he turned to the blond, indifferent to the lifeless bodies which continued to float on the shallow pool. "What did you do to them?!" The blond showed no reaction and disappeared into the darkness, a cowardly way to retreat. "Hey!" Suddenly, blasts of wind started to push the young man back a little as he tried to fight through this windstorm. The two dead bodies and the pool were blown clean. As he tried to fight it, four tornadoes emerged. Each tornado had a color each: red, blue, green and yellow. These tornadoes were more than just serious windstorms, because glowing eyes beamed down to the youngster. Were these the demons the late two were mentioning? The boy began to panic. One young man versus four entities that remained shrouded in the swirling colored winds. There was nothing he could do to save himself. Before the entities charged, another voice echoed...

"Ash, wake up!" a young female called out of nowhere. The youngster didn't respond to the new calling but the entities began to move at the last human, going in for the final kill. All the youngster could do was let the inevitable happen.

"AH!"

(Reality)

Hands were frantically shaking the young man on the chest, trying to pry him from a nightmare he may have been experiencing. "Ash!" the same young woman pleaded. "Open your eyes!" He feigned the shakes when he suddenly snapped up...KABONG! Colliding heads with a raven-haired boy. Bet that had to sting. Both males rubbed their foreheads, easing the pain from that blooper. A redhead female giggled at the mishap, understandably relieved and watching the hilarity unfold. She was gowned in a yellow tracksuit with a reddish-orange midsection. Her hair was in a short ponytail that was sticking up sideways. "Now that's comedy." Sure, she was finding that scene funny but not to the hard heads.

"I've heard of meeting of the minds, but I didn't think pain was involved," the younger boy cringed from the physical headache. He wore glasses and a green polo t-shirt along with beige shorts. The older male was interested to know why the younger one was straddling on top of him.

"Max, what are you doing on me?" he questioned. Max acted up a nervous sweat, not sure on why he was on the young man to begin with.

"I thought I had a good angle to help get you outta your nightmare. I wasn't thinking about you shooting at my head at 60 miles per hour." A nightmare? Was that what the young man was experiencing? He shook his head, not because of the pain he was sharing with Max.

"Nightmare?" He seemed clueless. He couldn't recall the dream. The female was a bit perplexed with this startling notion, choosing to remind him of the view.

"Yeah, Ash," she called his attention. "You were going like 'Hello?!' and 'Where are you?!' in such a frightened state. You were really creeping us out when you mentioned Team Rocket like something bad happened to them." It didn't seem to sink in for Ash. He scratched the back of his head, not clearly remembering who she was talking about. Suddenly, he thought of an answer to the female's attentive backtrack.

"Must have been panic." Max gave a soft chuckle. He sensed that the nightmare may have triggered something unnatural of Ash to spurt out Team Rocket in fear.

"Makes sense," Max huffed with a smile as he dismounted the bed. "Nightmares can do that to you. Still, why Team Rocket?" Unsure of himself, Ash shrugged his shoulders. That's when something clicked in his head. It may have been related to the nightmare and the discussion.

"Come to think of it, there was this girl who was in this ball of light who said that a great tragedy will happen. It may be why I had mentioned those two." Max and the redhead didn't really want to agree with Ash's hypothesis. It was outrageously farfetched for Ash to involve Jessie and James in such a concernedly manner.

"It would make sense if it was Pikachu or any other of your Pokémon," the redhead sighed. "Not really Team Rocket, although they've helped us a few times." This explanation made Max wonder if that was why Ash motioned the two who died from his nightmare.

"I think you may have answered Ash's confusion, Misty," he pointed. To Max, Ash was paying back Team Rocket for the times they've helped him. Misty was a tad shocked with Max's response. Billowing a heavy sigh, Ash was telling the other two to drop the subject.

"Here's what I think," he spoke up. "Breakfast. Why don't we head downstairs for some sirloin and eggs?" Max and Misty sighed. It seemed to be the only thing going through his head...and stomach. The three exited the bedroom, on their way downstairs and to the kitchen. As soon as Ash stepped off the staircase, a phone began to ring. Who could be calling this early in the day? He walked over to a phone with a monitor on the side, answering the call. "Ketchum residence. Ash speaking." The monitor turned on, showing a grayish-white haired man in a white lab coat, looking to be a senior but far from helpless.

"Ash, just the young man to call," he chirped. Ash huffed a smile, knowing who was the caller.

"Good morning, Professor Oak. What's up?"

"Well, a few things to be frank. I've evaluated Pikachu and he seems to be in the best shape since seeing him in the Silver Conference. His Iron Tail is really powerful." Ash snickered, humbled with this praise. "Another reason I'm calling is that I've got new equipment coming to my lab today. I was wondering if you could come over and help me, Prof. Birch and Tracy with remodeling the lab after breakfast." This was a doubled opportunity for Ash. He could see his Pikachu and tell the professors about the dream he discussed with Max and Misty. There was no way he would object to this moment.

"Come on, professor. You know I can't turn down an invite from you." Oak rose a confident smirk, trusting Ash to see him. Suddenly, there was a scream. Oak turned, seeing something that worried the gray-haired.

"The sooner you finish eating, the better. Your Muk has taken a liking to Birch." Ash hiccuped a bit as sweat drops of disbelief flooded over his hair. Food first, his professors next.

"Yeah, sure thing." He hung up before walking to the kitchen. A little while later, Ash, Max and Misty proceeded over to Prof. Oak's place. Ash, forgetting about that nightmare from waking up, began to ponder what new equipment the good professor had ordered. "I wonder what Prof. Oak wanted inside the lab that he's asked me to help renovate it?" Misty was a little apprehensive about Ash and what bestowed inside Oak's crib.

"Ash, it's nothing to get all infatuated over," she groaned. "You and computer equipment don't mix too well. Remember the Silver Conference on the eve of your battle with Gary?" Ash remembered what Misty had referred to. However, he came up with a counterpoint in a snap.

"I do. It was just that I was so focused on beating Gary, I wasn't thinking about anything else, especially software maintenance." The crossing of her arms was a needless way to say that Ash was fibbing.

"Right..." Max watched on, not making a peep. They arrived at a large white house with a steel gate and windmills to the side. Inside, the three walked up to a room filled with all sorts of electronic material from hard drive towers to power tools. Out of the blue, a yellow mouse rushed to Ash, happy to see him. The mouse had red circled cheeks and a tail shaped like a lightning bolt.

("Ash, you're back!") it happily cheered as it leaped into Ash's arms, who then embraced it in a hug.

"Morning, Pikachu," he greeted. "You had a good stay with the professors?" Pikachu nodded, confirming Ash's guess. That's when...

"AH!" someone yelped for assistance. The group jerked to see Oak and a young black-haired man in a red headband, turquoise t-shirt and shorts trying to pry a living pile of purple goo from a large brunette man. The bearded brunette was also in a lab coat but wearing shorts and sandals. Ash came over, Pikachu on his shoulder.

"Okay, Muk. Off of Prof. Birch." Muk grumbled in denial, wanting to stay on Birch. "We need him to help refurbish the lab. After that, you can smother him all you want." A flustered breath of dismay billowed from Birch, almost asking for mercy. Ash turned to Oak, awaiting instructions. "So, what's the game plan?" Oak spun his head to a row of toolboxes, adjacent to a wall. Over there?

"My new instrument will be over there, right where those toolboxes are," he advised. "I want to move those over to the closet so that I have room to assemble." Sounded pretty simple. Wasting no time, the youngsters had gone to work with the movement of the toolboxes. They were working for a few minutes taking the boxes to a closet. Maybe Oak didn't have a place for them...or maybe he was getting new equipment and selling those off. Ash was ready to load another toolbox onto the scoop of a trolley, feeling the burn of his muscles. He wiped sweat from his forehead.

"Man, I didn't count on these toolboxes to be heavy." He rested his hand onto the wall...only his hand had gone through the wall, nearly toppling Ash over. Stumbling back to his feet to regain balance and pulling his hand back from the wall, Ash huffed relief, but gazed at the wall that he nearly fell through. This was interesting. Why would a wall not be solid? "Professor, how long have you been in this lab?" Oak was puzzled. Why did he have this question? Before he could reply, a blast of smoke clouded the room. Everyone covered their mouths and noses, preventing any chance of inhaling the black fumes. "Don't tell me..." Sounds of laughter got the group on high guard.

"Prepare for trouble, your rest and relaxation is over," Jessie announced as the smoke cleared to let her be seen.

"Make it double, we've followed you to here from Dover," James entered his take as the smoke lifted more and more.

"An evil as old as the galaxy."

"Sent here to fulfill our destiny." That's when a small whitish cat emerged. The cat had an oval gold coin embedded on its forehead and it's tail was curled.

"Meowth, don't forget me," it, or he, chimed in a Brooklyn tone. What were they doing, a motto?

"Of course, Team Rocket has to come in and act like the idiots they are," Misty snarled, disrupting the motto of the group. The group began to steam anger, upset over the interruption.

"That's Team Rocket for you," the only other male sighed. "They come by and make fools of themselves while trying to take Pikachu." More frustration plumed out of the bad team.

"Well, excuse me if we're trying to do our job for the boss!" Jessie roared. Do your job? "It comes with the territory, even if it means dealing with Redhead Miffy here." Misty was offended, as was Ash and Max.

"Big deal if I'm a redhead!" Misty bellowed like lions. "And on top of that, the name is Misty!!" Jessie was mad, but Misty was downright furious. Team Rocket became as yellow as Pikachu from the heat Misty summoned verbally.

"Give us a break," James stuttered in fear. "We haven't seen you for awhile." Jessie snapped her nerves free, ready to cause havoc.

"Listen, Pikachu is ours and there's nothing you can do about it," she growled. Pikachu was ready to go.

("Bring it, Toots!") it gritted. Ash had to protect Pikachu, thinking back to that wall. He had a plan.

"I've got a better idea, Pikachu," he whispered. Pikachu was wondering what his partner had plotted. Jessie wasn't going to wait for Ash's move as she drew a red/white ball and tossed it.

"Seviper, Haze!" she summoned with her ball opening. A light jumped out of the split ball then into a large snake with a dagger-like blade at the tail. The forest green body was crooked in a zigzag pattern as the head was gold plated between its red eyes. Following Jessie's instructions, the snake coughed a huge plume of toxic smoke, prompting everyone to cover their heads to avoid choking.

'Perfect.' He leaped back to the false wall. Team Rocket raced in to snag Pikachu. Misty knew of a way to clear this smoke.

"Tracy, get Scyther!" she suggested with the smoke nearly bleeding into her mouth. The unknown male heard Misty, grabbing a ball of his own and tossing it.

"Scyther, Swords Dance!" he called upon as he tossed his ball. The ball and light behaved like Jessie's, except that a giant green mantis-like creature emerged. The Scyther had huge blades for arms. Those blades were crossed toward his chest and began to spin. Scyther spun so fast, it created a vortex of wind, gathering the hazing smoke into one area and blowing it out to the harmless air outside. Everyone was able to look again. That's when they noticed a problem. Ash, Pikachu and Team Rocket were gone. Panic!

"Ash?!" Misty called. "Ash!" No response. Everyone scanned the area, not a sign of Ash or the Rocket people.

"Did Team Rocket capture them?" Max feared. Tracy saw a hot air balloon with Meowth's head as the balloon fabric.

"No, Team Rocket's balloon's still out there," he clarified. No one had a clue of where the missing were. Ash had a plan. Did he execute it? Did Team Rocket capture them and sneaked away in another vehicle? Team Rocket...they were knocked out. For a moment, there was no movement, not even from Meowth. Jessie began to perk open her eyes, pretty disoriented from whatever the heck happened. Her dizzying eyes saw tall trees and a shady gray above.

"What a fall," she moaned in some pain. "I could've sworn that the twerp knew I would use Haze. That kid's smarted than I anticipated." That sounded like a compliment. "Maybe this job isn't worth all the blowups that we endured." In a sense of tease, Ash popped up. He did look a tad worried about Jessie's condition.

"Still need a few to clear the cobwebs?" he asked. Stunningly, Jessie didn't flinch seeing Ash over her.

"A good minute should help me." That's when she noticed that it was someone she knew...but not liked. Okay, good minute's done. She leaped onto her feet and stared down Ash in a fighting stance. "Twerp!" Ash didn't react, and James and Meowth were standing by him. Was this a mutiny?

"Jessie, calm down," her human teammate ordered her. "Our blimp isn't around here. Besides, I think the twerp played us for fools." Jessie lowered her stance, straightening out and wondering herself on what happened.

"You said it yourself, Jessie," Meowth defended James. "The kid's pretty intelligent when the chips are down." Jessie looked befuddled. Did she actually say that about Ash? She began to peer the surrounding more. Trees, trees everywhere and not a house in sight.

"Are we in a forest?" she questioned. It appeared to be.

"Sure looks like it," Ash replied. "Yet, there's something weird about it. I tried to release Swellow, but my Pokéball wouldn't open." That could be a problem.

"Not to mention that Pikachu's electric sacs aren't working properly," Meowth added. Jessie shook her head in denial. This couldn't be happening to her.

"Great," she groaned. "This would be the picture perfect opportunity for Team Rocket to take Pikachu if not for the missing balloon." You've got to hate that. "So, anyone have a plan on getting outta this forest?" Ash gazed at one direction, making the others think he had a plan.

"Well, Pikachu said that he heard noises coming from that direction," he observed. "Let's go that way and see of we can find something to help us know where we are." Good idea. However, James had doubts about Ash's plan. Was it past experience?

"I don't know," he mumbled. Ash was interested to know what the denial was. "That redheaded friend of yours mentioned that you've got some of the worst navigating skills amongst your travels." Ash mulled. James was right. He quickly snapped around and looked at James.

"This is why Pikachu's leading us. Along the way, I'll try to tell you of the nightmare that I had, since you were in it." Team Rocket was a bit fascinated with the announcement of a nightmare, but none more than Jessie who had this wild guess.

"Let me guess," she wickedly sneered. "You dreamed that we had tied you up over a volcano, butt naked, while we escape with Pikachu and watch the lava eat you alive?" Wow. What kind of world did Jessie reside in? The boys, needless to say, were shocked. Her tone made it sound like there was no way Jessie and Ash would cooperate together.

"I highly doubt that's it," Meowth muttered. Quite simply, her idea rattled the nerves of the others.

"Jessie, in my nightmare, you and James die," Ash admitted. That made Jessie stop her smile...and into panic. Getting a feeling of what death sounded like, she crouched into a fetal position, scared. She and James bit it in Ash's bad dream. Pikachu led the walk with the other boys close behind. Jessie? She remained in the back. "I was hearing calls for help. There were young women screaming for me to help them, but I...we were surrounded in darkness." That part of the dream recalled, James went into deep thinking.

"I highly doubt it's the lady twerps that have been with you," he pondered.

"Yeah, I know it wasn't Misty or May."

"Perhaps it might have been that schoolgirl in that one academy, or maybe that maiden on Shamouti Isle. What about that professor's girl in Greenfield, or any of the few Gym Leaders? Or the shihon's granddaughter? Maybe that one young archeologist in the Keri Keri Mountains?" If you thought Ash was astonished with all the ladies that James partially mentioned, Pikachu's mouth hanging down below the master's arm and Meowth's jaw dragging the dirt expressed the amazement they had for the shy man.

"How do you keep track of the twerp's female encounters?" Meowth awed.

("I'm surprised that you've known who Ash ran into during our travels,") Pikachu added in shock. James snicked, humbled that his knowledge of Ash's past left a mark upon the Pokémon.

"Just because our mission involves Pikachu, I've watched your close encounters with the opposite sex and compared your behavior to that breeding friend of yours." Aside from his job, James payed close attention to the moves Ash made with other women. In hindsight, Ash maintained composure.

"What's next I hear?" he chuckled. "Jessie hunting me down because she admires my training?" He laughed at how ridiculous it sounded. Jessie didn't see the same humor.

"Like I care about someone's training methods!" she snapped. She slouched to a pout, not trusting what she was hearing. "Besides, why would I fall for someone like him? I'd rather have an affair in the office over appreciating a trainer who thinks coexisting with Pokémon would benefit each others' lives." What was she talking about? Ignoring Jessie, the group proceeded on, Pikachu in the lead. That's when the trees stopped popping up. The forest had ended. "Glad to get out of the woods." That no one argued. About two hours had elapsed since Ash and Team Rocket "filed a truce" when they arrived at a small village. The houses appeared to be made of stone and straw and the ragged clothes on the people made Ash, Jessie, James and the creatures feel like they stepped into "The Twilight Zone."

"So, this is what happened to us by stepping through the wall of the professor's home," Meowth viewed. "We happened to go through some sort of time rift." A rift? Some of the parents saw the new arrivals, fearing what they may have brought from where they originated from and rustling their kids inside. Ash frowned with the parents' quick actions.

"Makes a bit of sense," he murmured. "We are outsiders." Pikachu agreed. Ash looked up, hoping that the way back home was close. That's when he saw someone floating in the sky. There was a raven-black haired woman in a dark red one-piece spandex suit with oversize shoulder guards and leg-long high-heeled boots. There was a lavender sphere that was worn like a tiara with the outer part containing wing decorations. She held a staff out at the newcomers, her eyes looking like there's no consciousness in it.

"That is as far as you go, allies of the magical knights," she bellowed. Team Rocket saw the same woman, trying to figure out what she said. Allies of the magical knights? Ash and Team Rocket were in trouble. Could they defeat this hostile opponent in a place unfamiliar to them?

TO BE CONTINUED...