So I originally thought this would be a long series, but I don’t like those…

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

You know, I notice that I add comments the second time around when I’m rereading what I write, and that’s when I edit. Normally, if I’m writing, I just write chapter after chapter if I’m on a roll.

Chapter 9

“Who-who are you?” Gordo asked. Lance continued to smirk as his wings extended behind his back, full silversteel, sharp-edged…

“You don’t need to know my name.” He smiled. “After all, you are about to die.”

“What? Grr, you think you can just walk in here and threaten me?” He blustered. “Slaking, Milotic, Gyarados, Aggron, Venusaur, go!”

Normal. Water. Water/Flying. Steel. Grass/Poison…

He could do this easily. < Dragon Dance… > and the blades flashed, and the smarter pokemon fled, and for the others? Easily dispatched…

He had the last ones. He took the key around the neck of the corpse, inserted it into the storage room below. Rows and rows, there… but it was fine.

The Wand of the Water Guardian flashed in his hands, and he began casting… and one by one, the pokemon escaped… excellent…

There!

No, it wasn’t a Drowzee, not quite, but it would do… and Ashline gasped as she woke up to find a Hypno leaning over her. “D-Drowzee?”

< Master! >

They hugged… she was about to ask what had happened when she saw him walk out of the room – the storage room, it seemed. He looked ready to collapse, and he had wings sticking up out of his back, but…

“Thank you!”

Lance fell over as Ashline glomped him. He was surprised he could still stand and walk, after expending all that energy. < I’ll need to sleep for a month… most likely… >

“Lance, are you all right?” Ashline hurriedly climbed off him, only to notice that his eyes had glazed over. “Oh great…”

< He’s exhausted. > Hypno said helpfully.

“Yes, I can tell. Well, now what?” Ashline pondered. Hypno shrugged.

< It probably would not do to leave him here… >

“No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. After all, look; he got you back for me! I know! We’ll take him home.”

< Oh yes. Let’s go back to Kanto… >

Lights flashed and so did teleport…

Lance woke up to find he lying on something that didn’t feel like polished crystal or his bed back in Indigo Plateau. Opening his eyes groggily, he became aware of a warm weight on his chest, nuzzling against his side – wait, what?

His eyes widened as he realized that he was lying on a bed with red covers and that the room he was in was pink and white and decorated with frilly lace. How scary…

Ashline snuggled up closer to Lance in her sleep as the Dragon Master blinked.

What was going on?

No, he didn’t think anything had happened since he would have known if something out of the ordinary had incurred. So obviously, she had put him on a bed…

Did they not have any other beds in this house?

He untangled himself, refreshed in the bathroom next door, and went downstairs. Casting his senses around, he found that the house was empty, and there were no other inhabitants besides the girl, him, and their pokemon… so she was an orphan?

It seemed so.

Yet… a glance at the calendar – a glance at the sky showed him that only four days had passed. He had woken up that quickly?

Perplexing.

< Father? >

< Child. >

< What happened? > Lance frowned. < My energy levels are back up. Did I… do anything while I was unconscious? >

< No, dear child, nothing of that sort. >

< Then why don’t I feel the exhaustion? >

< Don’t you realize it yet? Who she is? >

Blink.

Who she is?

She’s not – let’s see, Lorelei is ice, Clair is Dragon, Sabrina is Psychic and so is Will, Agatha is Ghost and so is Morty, Karen is Dark, Koga and Aya are Poison, Falkner is Flying… Winona is flying as well, and those are the elements immediately under my control and the Masters I prefer to speak with – my friends, as it were…

She’s not any one of those, is she?

Pikachu, Butterfree, Pidgeotto, and now a Drowzee and a Haunter… that doesn’t look familiar…

That would leave… < She’s a legendary child, father? >

< Correct. >

Something flashed. < Honou? >

< Very good… >

< Hmm… > Lance gave a half smile. < How expeditious… that would mean… >

< Yes. >

< Well, that does solve many problems. I doubt she’ll be happy to learn of what she has done though. >

< Ah, child, didn’t you notice? >

< I was just playing with her. >

< But she believes it truly. >

< Then she’ll never know that I didn’t mean it at first? >

< Correct. >

< Wonderful. Father, shall I wake her now? >

< Oh, she won’t wake for days. She’s weaker than you, you know. >

< Of course. No training… >

< Sleep child… >

< Again? >

< Yes, you need it. I know you feel better – but don’t fight it. Sleep. >

Lance’s eyes closed and he once gain fell into slumber.

She woke up and it wasn’t odd to be in a bed with a boy – all right, it was her bed, but they were fully clothed, and it was nice being held. It made her feel special.

She liked it…

She liked him. He was brilliant and shining and cool and darkly cruel at times, but she thinks she likes him. He’s powerful, and she wants power – no, not really. But she does want someone to protect her.

That’s why she asked him if he would protect her, and he promised he would. And even after she left him alone he still protected her and got her Drowzee back for her, and that’s what’s important, isn’t it?

Yes, of course it is…

So she snuggles up next to him again and she’s sure that life will be very interesting from now on, and whatever comes next, it will be fine.

And when he kisses her, it’s heaven.

End Chapter

End Fic

Completed 7/18/05

Started 7/13/05

Yep, vacation = hell sometimes…

Yay for ending with romance! I know you were all waiting for it…