Perhaps having my Internet deprived fuels my creative writing? *Phantomness looks at what she’s written, then shakes her head* Nah…
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks
Chapter 6
After they had captured a few more strange bugs in Ilex forest, duplicates of male and female for the Pineco and the Hoothoot, as Lance called the owl, they headed into the city. Goldenrod, Lance whispered. There was also a daycare center here, for breeding pokemon, but Giovanni had not told them to attack it, so they would not.
Red heartily agreed. Catching pokemon seemed… cleaner than stealing them.
“You’re too gentle.” Lance’s voice was oddly soft, his eyes unfocused. The pokémon they had just caught sat between them placidly. It was only a Magikarp, after all. Giovanni would not want it… yet Lance seemed loath to let it go.
“… Lance?”
“What is it?”
“What did you train before you joined Team Rocket?”
Lance gave him the barest hint of a smile, meeting his eyes. “Dragons.”
Dragon pokemon…. Red could not imagine it. He felt a sharp stab in his chest. He missed Aeroy, and Gyara, and his faithful Poli and Venus, and Vee the Eevee, and even Pika, a little bit…
How horrible it would be, never to fly again.
Barely had that thought passed his mind before Lance swiveled around to meet his eyes. “How did you know that?”
“How did I know what?”
“That I missed flying.” Lance prompted.
Red blinked. “I guessed?” He hazarded hopefully. Lance sighed.
“We’ll get to the bottom of it later. Come on.”
“What are you going to do?” Red asked.
Lance looked at the Magikarp. It looked back at him with adoration shining in its eyes. Lance sighed.
“I can’t keep you, no matter how much I would like to. You must understand.”
With that, he picked the Magikarp up and dropped it back in the water.
The fish did not swim away though. It continued to stare at him.
“I cannot.” Lance repeated. “Be gone!” With that, he made a motion Red could not understand – it looked like he was waving his arms frantically – and the Magikarp swam away.
Red blinked.
Lance sighed, looking put upon. He looked… dulled, Red thought irrationally, which was ridiculous, because Lance wore power like a cloak, glittering with threads of charisma… and looked brilliant even in a Rocket uniform.
But now, even in an elegant kimono, he looked tired.
Dull.
“Lance?” He pressed.
Lance exhaled, a long slow sigh. “I am sorry. We should continue our mission. I should not have wasted this time.”
“You’re not!” Red snapped. “And we’ve caught several pokemon today already, Lance. What is going on? You’re usually not so…” He hesitated.
“Dumpy?” Lance supplied.
“Yes. I mean no! Of course you aren’t ugly, but you seem damped…”
“You are perceptive as always.”
“So can you tell me what is wrong?”
“Seeing as you are the only intelligent persona around, it seems I have no other choice.” Lance said dryly. Red just grinned.
Lance kissed him, and placed his hands on his temples, and Red suddenly felt himself looking through a pair of eyes not his own. Images rushed by – an old man in medieval armor, a girl in a leotard with a devil may care smile and a whip in hand, dragon pokémon, gym badges… they flashed by one after another.
Red gasped as they broke for air. The last image was firmly imprinted on his mind. It was himself, writhing under Lance’s body, like a shameless whore, mewling as Lance took him cruelly, but now that he had seen it from within… oh Lugia, the hurt…
“You didn’t want to hurt me.” Red whispered.
“Of course not.” Lance’s eyes were cold again, but Red knew that it was just defense. “I never wanted to hurt you.”
No, Red thought with a blush, Lance did not want to hurt him. That was why he was gentle now, and cuddled him and fed him and…
Loved him?
Was this love then?
Well, he liked the sex – Red colored, wishing that he hadn’t seen as much, because he realized now that he was truly an uninhibited little cock-tease – Lance had such a colorful vocabulary he rarely used – and he liked Lance.
Besides, Lance was safe.
He had seen much more than mere memory there.
“You’re planning on taking down Team Rocket.” He whispered.
“Yes.”
“You’re the Leader of the Elite Four.” Red had heard of them by reputation, only, in hushed whispers. They were rumored to be more powerful than the gym leaders… and the Champions…
“Yes.”
“You… want me to join you.” This part was trickier.
“Yes.” Lance lounged back, supporting himself on his elbows. “Did you see everything you wanted to know?”
“I don’t understand… why didn’t you use it while we were… oh.” Red blushed.
Lance smirked. “I can defeat Giovanni, but I must get my dragons back.”
“Then why did you not simply attack him? While he was away from his grunts, I mean.” Red elaborated. A smile curved Lance’s lips.
“Well, he was more interested in traipsing all over the country in search of you… and so was I, as it turned out.”
“I… really?” Red blushed. Ridiculous! After everything they had been through…
Well, finding out Lance was a bit of a stalker was shocking, but not as much as he would have expected.
“Um… Lance?”
“What is it?”
“I… I’ll help you. I want to defeat Team Rocket too.” Red said bravely. “And I’ll help you get your dragons back. I promise.”
“We will get your pokemon back too, one day.” Lance promised, and Red nodded, clasping Lance’s hand between his smaller ones.
This felt… right.
End Chapter
Completed 6/25/06
Flow, bunny, flow! *Waves banner*
Lance: *Laughs and snuggles Red*
Red: Purr!
Yes, I know I am taking crazy liberties with the extent of the Viridian Power, but really, I don’t care. Besides, if Lance can read memories, he should be able to transmit his own. My flawed reasoning anyway!