*Rewrite of Just a Gym* that piece sucked. Really…

I know now that I can’t write AAMRN to save my life. ^_^ I’ll never write it again! At least not real, mutual AAMRN… I don’t mind one-sided/deceptive. *Laughs*

Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic belongs to me! Don’t take my work.

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokémon talks!

Lance: … well, you like revising

Phantomness: I can keep improving that way!

Shonen-ai Championshipping (Ash x Lance), one-sided AAMRN
Title: As you like it

Prologue/Chapter 1

“Oh Ash! I love you…”

“Misty, I love you too! Now, let’s go make out for a few chapters! In fact, let’s have lots of BDSM sex!”

“… What?”

Ash chuckled. “You don’t _really_ think I was in love with you, do you?”

“But I-!” Misty burst into a very cleverly contrived artifice of tears. “Why don’t you love me?”

“Hold it!” A voice yelled. “CUT!”

The characters broke apart quickly.

“Ash, you can’t say that! We need suspense! Action! Drama! And at least a counter romance!” Phantomness yelled.

“But I don’t want to do AAMRN…”

“Did you read my author’s notes?” Phantomness asked, steam rising from her ears. * I’m going to go stir crazy, working with this crew… *

Ash blinked.

“Guess not…” The authoress sighed. “Fine, fine. Enough of the backstage squabbling! I assure you now that this will not be AAMRN, okay? That’s why I’m rewriting this fic!”

Ash frowned, but nodded.

Lance walked outside, yawning. “Is it my scene yet?”

“No, we’re behind schedule since Ash was feeling antsy.”

“Take a break, authoress.” Lance said, taking Ash’s arm. “I’ll calm him down.”

Phantomness grinned. “Sure… okay, 1 hour break, and this time, we’re doing it right!”

Chapter 1- Begin

A gloomy sky greeted three weary travelers as they walked through the limits of the small town of Chartreuse. Gray fogbanks in the sky threatened the sun with the possibility of destruction, while other bars of misty shadow obscured the moon.

Pikachu was fast asleep in Ash’s backpack.

Ash smiled at the little pokemon. “You okay, girl?
Pikachu nodded drowsily, before going back to sleep.

“Hot showers tonight.” Misty said. “After all of those freezing streams, it’ll be wonderful…”

Brock nodded. ‘And not having to prepare food on the go for once.”

“I wonder if there’s a pokemon center here?” Ash asked, when they were a few blocks in.

There were a few apartment complexes, but about eighteen towering mansions dominated the rest of the town.

“Wow…” Ash breathed.

“Some people live high on the hog and no mistake.” Misty muttered, partly in contempt. The other part was jealousy/envy, oh well…

Brock was wondering if there were any beautiful maidens his age there. Oh, he really needed a girlfriend…

Soon though, they stumbled upon a small pokemon center, so they healed their pokemon, availed themselves to the facilities, and slept well that night. The next day, Ash inquired if there was a gym there.

Nurse Joy frowned slightly. “Well…there is the gym run by Julia Verne, but… Indigo doesn’t recognize it usually.”

“’Usually’?” Misty questioned. “Is it like AJ in Viridian?”

“Oh, no.” Joy said. “The badges only count when her father bribes the Indigo Council enough.”

She clapped a hand over her mouth. “I shouldn’t have said that.’

“Hmm…” Ash said, frowning. “But…”

Joy shook her head. “You can’t fight her. She has to challenge you. And she has almost a hundred pokemon, all on high levels. Her father buys them from private trainers who spend years training each pokemon individually.”
“So she’s no trainer?”

“She goes by the book.” Joy said, an expression which meant one was like a textbook and did not expect surprises.

“Hey, I’ll fight her.” Misty said. “Gym leader to Gym leader.”

“Are you sure?” Ash asked in some surprise.

“Hey, if I can beat her, I hope you can too!” Misty taunted, pulling down her lower eyelid on the left side.

Ash nodded. “Okay then! If you beat her.”

“Is she cute?” Brock asked hopefully.

Joy sweatdropped, he had just kissed her hand and declared her the most beautiful woman on earth, and now he was switching?

“She’s only seven years old, dear...”

A boulder landed on Brock’s head as he cried waterfall tears. There went his dreams of wealth and grandeur…

The group now split up. Brock went girl chasing, Misty to find Julia, and Ash to an empty area to train his pokemon. Soon, Bulbasaur, Squirtle, Charmander, Pikachu, and Pidgeotto, were all exercising. Ash was running laps to build up endurance. He had to get stronger, fast!

He couldn’t keep getting his badges out of pity…

He only had five, and Sabrina had been difficult to beat… if not for Haunter, well, he’d be dead or a doll.

Neither was a pleasant thought.

I can’t keep being a weak trainer, I can’t use pity anymore…

“Now where would she be?” Misty asked, as she looked for a little girl. She noticed that the streets were quite empty.

“Strange… reminds me of Dark City.”

A passing man looked at her suspiciously. “You a trainer from outside?”

“Yes, why?”

“You’d better watch out! If you lose to Julia, she takes two of your pokemon as forfeit! That’s why nobody fights her!”

“What?”
Togepi shivered in Misty’s arms.

“Don’t worry, nobody will hurt my little baby.” Misty said confidently.

“Just be careful, kid.” The man warned.

Misty scowled. She wasn’t a kid!

But still… were people really that scared of Julia? Hmph. Cowards, all of them. Well, she’d show what a real gym leader could do!

Brock bumped into a girl with beautiful, long strawberry blonde hair and large purple eyes, dressed in a pink bikini top and white shorts.

“Hi!” She squealed. “I’m Alyssa! Look, I need your help!”

“You do?” Brock asked in surprise.

“Aren’t you Brock Slate, the Pewter City gym leader?”

“Why yes I am!” Brock said proudly, glad at the recognition.

“Well, see…” She twiddled her fingers. “I’ve been trying to train this Graveler, but it doesn’t like me and won’t listen. Maybe you could give me some tips?”

“Wow, I’d love to.” Brock said wholeheartedly.

“Great! Follow me to my house.”

Alyssa lived in one of the smaller mansions. She led Brock to the garden out back, where a Graveler sat forlornly on a stump.

“P-chan, say hi to him for me.” She begged.

The Graveler did not turn around. Brock frowned. * Something… what’s wrong with this picture? *

“What have you been feeding him?”

“Oh! Well, I got him two weeks ago as a birthday present. The instructions said to give him water and fresh poke food, so that’s what I’ve been doing.”

“Can I see?”

Alyssa nodded and led Brock towards the small shed where she kept her pokemon supplies.

“Aha!” Brock exclaimed. “No wonder! This is ground type poke food. Gravelers get tired of it quickly. Here, I’ll mix something up.”

In a few moments, Brock was done, and Graveler was eating and in a much better mood, even smiling timidly at Alyssa

“Oh thank you!” Alyssa cried as she hugged Brock tightly.

Brock blushed. Finally, this was the girl for him!

Graveler looked much better, as Alyssa hugged him.

“Now, I’ll show you what to do…”

Alyssa grinned as Brock began teaching her basic rock-type information. Sugoi!

End chapter

Completed 8/9/04