Lance: You’re writing another chapter?
Phantomness: Yep!
Ash: Well, I’ll do the disclaimer then. Phantomness doesn’t own pokemon, only
this fanfic!
Chapter 6
The next morning, after some orange juice and toast, Agatha informed Ash that the next League meeting was in a week, and that they would be discussing Rattata overpopulation.
Ash thanked her politely, and then went online and hit the Daily Kantonian website for information.
After several hours, he had amassed some data on Rattata – enough to prove that they were not overpopulated, hopefully. He let his pokemon out to play in the large garden behind the Elite Four’s residence, and opened Lance’s diary again.
Today I had to fight down another proposal. It wasn’t too
bad, but the way Giovanni kept glaring at me was unnerving! It was almost as if
he knew about it…
Well, that’s all right. Anyways, they were proposing to
cut funding to the Safari Zone to increase the activity against Team Rocket.
I’ll admit that Team Rocket is annoying, but they haven’t really done anything
yet, so…
Why should we bother eliminating them?
I asked Father about it later, and he said that last
time, Team Aqua was more dangerous… but that I was right not to allow fund
cutting.
I’m glad I made the right decision… making mistakes may be part of life, but that doesn’t mean I have to like them!
Hmm? Ash scowled. So they had been cutting funding from the Safari Zone to help fight Team Rocket? Lance had been right!
If he were there – well, if he had been there, he would have probably done the same thing. A lot of rare and endangered pokemon lived in the Safari Zone. It was a safe place for them, so…
Yes, he approved.
Something struck him as odd though, despite his foggy brain. Lance referred to his father quite frequently, but didn’t he have a mother?
And… hmm… Giovanni… Ash hadn’t met him, he had fought a Junior Trainer for the Earth Badge – a disappointment, but he’d gotten it the same…
He shrugged. It was probably nothing. He flipped to the next entry.
Happy birthday to me, happy
birthday to me…
I don’t know how Lorelei found
out about my birthday – oh wait, I used to invite her over before I went on my
journey. Anyways, she and Agatha decorated the entire house with dragon magnets
and posters while I was out getting more Full Restores and surprised me. Yes, I
didn’t really expect a birthday party.
Sometimes I really love my
cousin.
Agatha can cook! She made me a
chocolate cake with blueberry and vanilla frosting, and it was really
good. I think I ate half the cake. Father laughed when I told him that.
Bruno was actually kind of
polite to me – well, it was my birthday after all. We almost never see each
other since he’s always in the gym lifting weights and stuff…
In any case, it was cool!
Lorelei got me a special poke
belt with silver designs for dragons, and Agatha got me this book on ancient
fairy tales – I don’t care if its girlish, I like reading about legends!
Bruno just gave me a voucher
for the Pokemon Mart. I don’t mind. What else am I going to say that’s
important tonight? Mm, nothing I think.
Lance really didn’t write in his diary much, did he? Maybe he had been busy with work or something…
Ash yawned and checked his watch. It was pretty tiring though, and the meeting was coming up…. He’d do more research and try and write an essay.
Grr…
Suddenly, an idea presented itself. If this were Lance’s computer, would he keep old drafts of his writing here too?
Ash scanned the desktop. Internet, two text programs, including the one Lance’s diary was written in… something that resembled instant messaging…
Interesting.
Well, let’s see… two folders… one labeled ‘Pictures’… there probably wasn’t anything important in that one.
Okay! That left the last folder!
Ash clicked it open and found a detailed log of weekly reports. Great! He closed Lance’s diary and began scanning.
Ah, here was one on ‘Pidgey overpopulation’ and another on ‘Poliwag overpopulation’. Hm. The people really liked tying to exterminate wild pokemon. Why?
It wasn’t as if it threatened their livelihoods. Besides, the whole economy of Indigo was based around pokemon!
Idiots…
Ash read through two reports and then decided to call it a night. He collected his pokemon and then went to bed.
He suddenly wished he could thank Lance, and then shook himself. The former Champion was dead – had been dead for months.
Still, he felt a bit of a connection. Maybe it was because they were both champions? Or he… he was thinking too much.
Father, sometimes I hate this job! Today I was just polishing my poke balls when this swarm of crazy girls in pink miniskirts burst into the residence. I fled. I know it’s cowardly, but they were scary!
Ash had to laugh at that. He kept reading.
So I released Ptera and then I flew away. We flew for a long time… too long, I think, because Ptera got dizzy and almost crashed into a palm tree.
That’s how I met Erika. She was out gathering rare plant
oils to use in her perfumes and… well, we were supposed to know each other
since we all worked for the gym system, but she was a new Gym leader who had
just been ordained, and she’s a Grass master. Interesting. Celadon gym had
poison-types when I fought it a few years ago… how times change.
So Erika laughed after I introduced myself and we got
sodas, chatted a bit more… she showed me her Gloom, how it was her first
pokemon, and I let her see Kairyuu, who I raised from Miniryuu. She was pretty
impressed.
It’s nice to have one intelligent girl on the team – er,
not that Sabrina’s not, but she’s insane – at least the
rumors say so. I saw her at a League Ball once and she was really cold. That’s
the impression I got. Colder than Lorelei, and that’s saying something with my
cousin as Ice Master!
Then, there are the Cerulean Waterflower sisters. The three of them don’t have any brains at all! Well, I shouldn’t say that, since they’re my half-sisters on my mother’s side.
“Wait, what?! Lance is related to Misty? No way! She didn’t even go to his funeral!”
Ash caught he and blushed embarrassedly; he had been talking to his computer! Oops… hopefully no one had heard…
He glanced out the window and saw Pidgeot racing his new Skarmory. He went back to reading.
Well, I shouldn’t say that since they’re my half-sisters
on my mother’s side. Sheesh. I wish I weren’t related to them. Ever since our
parents died in a car crash two years ago, guess who got stuck with all the
bills and maintenance? It’s awfully lucky I’m Champion – if I weren’t, who
would cover for them? They haven’t won a match in months! Useless… well, I
shouldn’t mope. I have work to do.
Now Ash was slightly confused. If their parents had died,
then why did Lance keep referring to his father? He shrugged, got up, went to
the bathroom, and then came back to read some more.
End Chapter
Completed 6/13/05
Lance: I’ll admit it’s a
new romance tactic, but…
Phantomness: I’m *trying*
to be creative!