I like Clair and Lorelei. Bruno is tolerable in small doses. Agatha is wicked cool! And of course, how could I not like Lance? ^^
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 4
Red woke up that night to find Lance not in bed with him. Rubbing his eyes and stifling a yawn, he padded over to the window.
“Hey.”
Lance glanced at him for a moment, before he smiled. “You should go back to bed, love.”
“You too. It’s lonely…” Red suggested as he wound his arms around Lance’s waist. “What are you doing awake now anyway?”
“I don’t know.” Lance said honestly. “I just had this sudden urge to watch the moon.” They both glanced outside.
The moon was full, hanging lowly in the sky. Bathed in its radiance, Lance looked almost otherworldly, the dark red of his hair seeming to glow silver…
“Ah!”
“Hmm?” Lance asked, a bit startled by the outburst so close to his ear.
“Sorry.” Red flushed. “But it all makes sense now. What if your magic is moon-type?”
“… Moon?”
“Sure. You can draw your energy from the moon. After all, traditionally in fairy tales the moon is used for healing and protection and if you go by Chinese mythology, that would be ‘Yin’, dark and water and cold and wind…”
“… Which fits.” Lance said thoughtfully.
Red beamed; glad he had figured it out.
“Of course,” Lance continued with a mischievous smile, “Yin is also used to refer to women. I hope you are not implying that.”
Red giggled. “Well, you are pretty girly, Lance...”
Lance whacked him lightly, and then they went back to bed.
The next morning, the rest of their payment arrived. Bruno counted the money with an unreadable expression, before he shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
“What’s wrong?”
“This world seems too… off-kilter for my taste. And you won’t believe what happened yesterday. I found myself able to do an Earthquake attack!”
“Why are you so surprised?” Agatha queried. “I told you there was magic here.”
“Difference between seeing and believing.” Bruno grunted.
Clair poured herself a glass of fruit juice and sipped pensively. “I know what you mean though. It’s odd. I can create water.”
“I can’t!” Lorelei laughed, “But I can freeze water into ice just by thinking about it. Speaking of magic – Lance, how are you doing?”
“I think I’ve got Moon Magic.”
“Moon Magic?” Agatha flushed. “But…”
“Yes, I know it’s traditionally female.”
Bruno choked. “Lance, there’s nothing you’re not telling us, right?”
Lance glared. “No.”
Red hugged Lance tightly, looping his arms around the taller boy’s shoulders, and sent an angry stare Bruno’s way. Bruno shook his head.
“For the last time, I am not interested in your boyfriend, Red! Quit being so possessive!”
“I think it’s cute.” Clair grinned.
“You would.” Lance grinned back.
Lorelei shrugged. “So now that we’ve figured that out, it’s good, right?”
“Mm.” Agatha nodded. “Lance, because of your shift in magic type, you will be powerless during the Dark of the moon, so…”
“I understand.” Lance nodded. It made sense. “Are my powers strongest around the Full Moon as well?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll just remember that.”
“So what do we do now?” Red asked, as he cuddled Lance. Cuddling was nice, and here anyone that looked at them the wrong way would be on the receiving end of a pokemon attack. He ought to feel guilty, but he was sick and tired of being judged for whom he liked. Besides, Lance might kill them and surely getting Thunderwaved was a small price to pay.
It beat being dead!
“We could just enjoy life?” Lance asked.
“Bit early for that. We’re still young. I’m not ready to retire just yet. Besides, there’s so much more left to do here! We could explore and stuff! Why would you want to just sink and retire?”
Lance ruffled his hair, pleased with Red’s exuberant denials. “If you insist, Champion.” He was not that into action, but he could adapt.
“I do!”
“You are correct, though, we could always explore, and we still have not figured out what type of magic you possess. Have you tried activating it?”
Red shook his head, before he sobered. “What if I don’t have any?”
“Does it matter? I’ll still care for you.”
Red blushed, and hugged Lance tightly, shyly kissing him on the cheek. Lance smirked and turned it into a proper kiss quickly.
Lorelei and Clair stood outside, watching the ships down at the little harbor. They had shifted locations to a seaside town, having had to flee their town of origin after certain investigators got too nosy. It was rather picturesque, and both of them enjoyed the sea breeze immensely.
“Do you miss home?” Lorelei asked.
Clair shook her head. “Not really. I have you, and my pokemon, and Lance is here too. What about you?”
“A little.” Lorelei confessed. “I miss Four Island and the Icefall Cave, but somehow, I think it will be all right.”
“Do you?”
Lorelei gave her a tight smile. “What else is there to do?” And Clair had no answer to that.
Red and Lance sat by the dock, and watched the sun go down, and Red shook his head. He had to trust, and that was all, but it was so hard to do at times especially when he was in danger!
Lance’s dragon blades flashed through the air and the man sank down with a groan, green tingeing his skin, for Lance did not believe in doing things halfway and all of his blades were coated in poison, Beedrill venom, and there was no antidote in this world so far apart from Kanto.
But then again, he thought sleepily, Lance would always protect him, and he sighed, feeling the tension drain away as the dragons devoured the man.
If only it were always so easy.
But really, danger was better than stagnation, wasn’t it?
End Chapter
Started 8/9/06
Completed 8/10/06
I feel as though I am in equilibrium. Don’t ask. I also feel vastly sleep-deprived. And yeah, my writing style shifts.