Episode 194…

Disclaimer/Notes: No, I do not own pokemon. <> is for telepathy, ** for thoughts, and italics for pokemon ruminating.

Poor Ash…

Ranma – aw, thank you!

Air Sylph – thankies! ^_^ I’m glad you’re reviewing…

Akiko Koishii – I must admit that it was because of Pokemon Special manga… Lance never fought Ash/Red, and they do have similar feelings about protecting pokemon, only Lance takes it to the extreme (i.e., destruction of the human race) and Red doesn’t. The other reason was they were the only two trainers in the back of the book whose character icons were drawn in detail, and… they had similar hair. At least that’s what I thought. A bit later, though, I saw the episodes with Lance and the Red Gyarados, and I wondered _why_ Lance was the one watching over Ash not Misty and Brock even though they travel with him…

Shaladin – well, I’ve been battling summer school and summer flu, and I think I’m losing…

Incomplete13 – you’re alive! Well, thank you. ^_^

Cooldud12345678901 – hi! Hm, I don’t like Palletshipping, but I guess that’s okay… please check out my web page, there’s a _lot_ of stuff there that’s not on ff.net

Episode 194: Issues…

After they went into the room, Lance claimed the shower while Ash waited and munched on some snacks. Soon, Lance came back outside in jeans and a t-shirt. “Your turn, Ash. Shall I order pizza?”

“Yum!”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

The ice guardian read a newspaper and drank a soda while she waited for Ash to finish cleaning up.

Soon, he reappeared in a red t-shirt depicting Zigzagoon and black jeans. “Has the pizza arrived yet?”

“Nope.” Lance checked her watch. “It’s been twenty-two minutes. If they take more than twenty-five we get the pizza for free.”

“Cool.”

The clock ticked.

After five minutes, an apologetic man showed up with the pizza and, true to the company’s promise, did not take any money.

Ash grinned and dived in.

Lance was grooming her Dragonite when the inevitable happened.

A fangirl crashed in the window on a Fearow.

“OH! Ash I love you!”

Ash narrowed his eyes as the pizza went flying. “That was a waste of perfectly good food…”

His key glimmered as he activated it. “Key that hides the power of the stars, reveal your true form before me! Your master under the seal of contract Ashura commands you, Release.”

Lights flashed. The fangirl swooned.

Ash smirked as he shifted his staff around. “Erase.”

Well, that removed another fangirl from the universe.
“Convenient.” Lance said, activating Return, bringing the room back to the state it had just been in.

“Yay!” Ash said, on his discovery that the pizza was perfectly whole.

Lance grinned. “Just don’t overeat…”

Ash stuck out his tongue and peeled off another pizza slice while Lance calmly walked to the window and banished around three-dozen fangirls to the dream realm. Her dragons would take care of the problem. Unless her dark pokemon finished them off first…

How had they been found? Sheesh! What happened to privacy?

Ash didn’t catch these dark thoughts, as he was busy devouring.

“Where are we going next, Lance-chan?”

“Well, where do you want to go, little guardian?”

Ash pinked again. “I’m not that little!”

“No, you’re not.” She said affectionately. “Seems like you always grow up quite quickly. Natural law, of course.”

Ash nodded and got up, pizza finished. “Dream realm?”

“Let’s go.” Lance replied, focusing.

Sure enough, they wound up in the pastel colors of the dream realm, solidifying into a meadow bordered by mountains and forests.

“I’m going off to train.”

“See you later then Ash.” Lance replied. She found her dragon pokemon and spent some time grooming them and cuddling. Comfy.

Dragonair was wrapped around her body like a giant snake, and she was lying against Lugia, using him as a pillow.

Ash came back a while later, soaking wet and grumbling something about ‘Vaporeon who ambushed me and then Squirtle dragged me through the river’.

Lance grinned.

“Cute though.”

“Hm.” Ash replied, trying to dry himself off. Finally, he had Magmar use a Flamethrower on him. That worked.

“Lance-chan?”

“What is it?”

Ash cuddled up next to her and blinked cutely. “Nothing.”

“Ash…” Lance said, a warning tone entering her voice. “You do know what I’m going through right now, right?”

Ash blinked.

“Never mind.” Lance said, getting up and shaking out her steel wings. “I’m going for a short flight, see you later.”

“What-.” Was all Ash got out before the dragon master took off.

…

“What’s up with her?” Ash asked as he groomed his Mightyena.

You don’t know?

“What? Of course I don’t!” Ash said. “Is she mad at me?”

I think she’s angry with herself, actually.

Ash blinked. “What for?”

Mightyena sweatdropped. Master Ash, has nobody ever explained the birds and the bees to you?

“Um? You mean… oh! I know all about that. But… what does it have to do with the situation at hand?”

Do I have to spell this out? The incredulous pokemon wondered. She loves you, yes? We all know that. She’s just not sure if she wants to take your relationship to the… um, next level.

Ash turned startlingly crimson as he realized what Mightyena was trying to say.

“You mean-.”

Yes.

Well, this threw Ash into a nice little bind. The sixteen-year old trainer sat on the grass and tried to think of something else. Unfortunately, he couldn’t really take his mind off Mightyena’s words.

“Well… what can I do?”

Crickets chirped.

Ash blinked as Lance flew over his head along with Dragonite. They didn’t even notice him.

“Lance-chan…”

It wasn’t as if it were a bad thing. She was kind, pretty, powerful, and loved him. And there was no doubt in his mind that he loved her.

But still!

A faint blush tinted his cheeks again. Maybe it was just hormones acting up?
But that didn’t seem like it.

Lance was how much older than him? He couldn’t remember, not that he cared much. After all, he still loved her.

But…

He was scared.

He didn’t want to hurt her.

He pulled his knees to his chest and rocked quietly.

Lance landed behind him a while later, and gave him a hug.

“You ok?”

“Hai, but what about you, Lance-chan?”

“I’ll survive.” The guardian said calmly, popping what looked like an ice cube into her mouth.

“O-ok…”

“Hush, I know you’re not ready and I don’t want to force you into this.” She said, as she held him in the mist.

And he believed her.

He always did, after all.

Several pairs of pokemon cooed softly as they got ready to leave.

“Oh, stop teasing us.” Ash said, as Storm and the Dragonair card winked in unison.

Sunny and her Jolteon purred and waved as well.

Kawaii…

Their re-entry showed…

The room was swarming with girls.

“AHHHHH!”

Ash paled.

Lance glared. “GET OUT!”

“Ash! I love you!” One foolhardy girl shouted, as she touched him. She instantly fell over, a victim of the guardian’s protection.

Ice statues filled the room as Lance tweaked the elements to help. She then unceremoniously dropped the frozen people out the window.

So what if they died? They were at fault for trying to get the guardian anyways. It was one of those rules that should not be broken.

Those idiots! Those insufferable idiots! Argh, she’d go stir crazy if they didn’t keep appearing…

Might as well get some benefits.

Lance opened a jar of black mist and released the spirit inside, which sucked them all up. Ash blinked.

“What was that?”

“It’s a special breed of wraith that eats people’s souls…”

“Oh…”

Lance smirked. * Well, I’m _not_ in a good mood, so… *

End Chapter

Slightly dark, might be fluffy too. It sucks to be a fangirl…

12/18/03 to 1/12/04