Summary: After Oak’s betrayal and his mother’s encouragement, Ash once again sets out on his journey…

Disclaimer: Not mine. ‘Nuff said.

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics for pokemon talking.

Chapter 2: A new land, a new beginning

“Off to Johto then.” Ash said as he and his pokemon walked along.

Houndour yawned. That’s where I came from.

Not Houen? Why? Absol queried.

“Because, for Johto I can take the Magnet train to get there. But Houen is across the sea and I don’t have any water pokemon.”

Or flying types. His dark pikachu added.

“Yes.”

Well, what are we waiting for? Sneasal asked brashly. Let’s go! His ears perked up as he ran ahead.

Come back! Absol called, panting as she chased after him.

Nyah, nyah, can’t catch me!

Pikachu settled herself comfortably on Ash’s shoulders, resting her dark paws on his head as her blue eyes flashed.

They just love to play around, don’t they…

Ash nodded as he continued walking. Soon, they reached the Magnet train station and, a stop later, were in Goldenrod.

Ash and his pokemon spent several days training against junior trainers and wild pokemon in the woods outside of Goldenrod.

“Houndour! Flamethrower!”

Houndour yawned and torched the unlucky Sunkern.

“Next.” Ash said, yawning.

Elsewhere…

“He’s too much of a threat and must be eliminated. How do we make it look like an accident?”

Oak cleared his throat. “I have an idea.”

“Excellent!” Bruno said, smiling warmly. “What is it?”

After much whispering, the meeting was adjourned.

Lance yawned. So boring… why did he have to test out every new pokemon invention since he was league champion?

He closed his eyes and stepped through Oak’s new brainchild, and hit the button that would hopefully take him to Goldenrod.

The next thing he knew was an acrid chemical flooding the machine and pain before he blacked out.

Ash was just leaving the pokemon center when something tugged on him and forced him to walk over to what looked like a broken pokemon teleporter.

Yanking the door open, he saw a few wisps of multicolored rainbow smoke billow out.

Curled up on the floor was an unconscious girl? Her body was covered with shiny white scales, which trailed off into a pair of wings and a dragon’s tail.

Ash blinked. * New pokemon type? *

He shrugged and furtively looked around, before dropping an ultra ball on the creature, sucking it inside.

“I’ll check it out later after I leave the Center.”

That night, Ash released his new pokemon. She had woken up and was now observing him with blue eyes. On her chest glimmered what looked like a round breastplate of dark metal, shiny as a mirror. It covered her down to her hips, but it was unnecessary, as her scales hid her body.

“Hi.” Ash whispered.

He was unprepared for a response.

“Those bastards at the plateau… what did they do to me?!”

Startled, Ash dropped his cup of hot chocolate. It tinkled on the ground for a few seconds as the shards rained around him.

“You can talk?!”

“Well, assuming I’m still human, yes.”

“Do I know you?”

The girl sighed. “Lance Dragyn. Name sound familiar?”

It took a few minutes for Ash to reconcile the red haired Dragonite using leader of the Elite Four with the image in front of him, but when he did, the guilt hit like a gun.

“OH NO! What have I done?”

“Cut the hysterics.” Lance snapped. “I’m supposed to be dead anyways. So it’s lucky you found me.”

Ash blinked.

“Some accident.” The champion continued. “Luckily I had the Dark Mirror and some evolution items on me.”

Ash continued to blink.

“The gas they released into the chamber when I hit the button would have killed a human. But I had my Dark Mirror and I triggered evolution to save my life, and since I had a Dragon Scale on me…”

“You evolved into a dragon pokemon?” Ash asked vaguely.

“Correct.”

“… So now what?”

“What do you think?” Lance snapped. “I’ll be one of your pokemon.”

“B-but!”

“If you don’t like it, you’re still doing me a favor.” The Dragon Master continued.

“…True.”

Ash considered for a few minutes before he sighed, it wasn’t as if he had much choice in the matter.

“Okay then.”

Lance smiled. “Knew you’d see it my way.” She brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes and grinned.

Ash blushed slightly. “Er… Lance…”

“Hm?”

“Did the evolution turn you into a girl?”

“Oh no. I just cross-dress normally.”

Ash stared at Lance wide-eyed. “What?!”

“Well, it’s true…”

Looks like life just got a whole lot more interesting, Charmander remarked.

Ain’t that the truth? Pikachu added.

Well, maybe it’ll get master Ash out of his depression. Nothing like a good sharp shock.

True…

Ash decided that life had just gotten decidedly more interesting.

End Chapter!