Hi! *Waves* Started 7/14/04

Well, Calculus is very good for incubating plotbunnies before they are birthed. This particular one lived in my mind for about 3 months before I finally got to working on it…

Disclaimer: Shadow does not own pokemon, but this is her fanfic so she owns this. Nintendo owns pokemon, this is non-profit fanwork and no copyright infringement is intended, ok?

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks.

Summary: Mewtwo invited all the world’s strongest trainers to New Island, Right? So what about the Elite Four?

Shonen-ai Championshipping or hinted (Ash x Lance)

Ash is twelve…

Timeline – Sometime during Indigo League, unfortunately I have never _seen_ the first movie and am relying on a detailed book in _Chinese_, so please ignore any discrepancies. Alternate Universe from here on out! Yes, if I get the wrong names I apologize in advance… Post Episode 62 in the anime…

Fic Timeline: Post-Winter’s Child, Only as Dark, Storm Warning, Sundance, and Lance _is_ Lugia’s child…

Chapter 1

“Lugia help us.” Lance muttered, staring at the crowd from behind his Blackglasses and hooded cape. It was never safe to be out without a disguise, but that wasn’t the point. How many trainers had been invited?

Agatha simply looked bored. As for the others, Bruno and Lorelei had neglected to respond to the mysterious invitation delivered by Dragonite mail.

However, a storm was brewing in Porta Vista.

< Should we continue? I sense a strong psychic presence. > Agatha warned.

Lance shrugged. * If anything really dangerous happens, you can teleport us out. Plus, ghost beats psychic and we also have my dragons. *

< True. >

Lance whistled as his Aerodactyl scooped him up and they flew off, Agatha following on her Gengar.

They arrived in a few minutes. As of the moment, the hall was empty, except for some food laid out on tables. Shrugging, Lance fed Aerodactyl and returned him to his ultra ball, waiting. Agatha did not bother to even look at the ample repast laid out; she just kept a wary eye out.

Three other trainers entered, a boy on a Pidgeot, another boy on a Gyarados, and a girl on a Dewgong. They all went to the food themselves.

However, a sudden burst of surf threw three more sopping wet trainers in, all clinging to their respective pokemon. Lance frowned as he recognized Misty and Brock. Why were they not at their gyms?

“Welcome.” A woman dressed in an odd brown outfit said.

Brock’s eyes immediately popped out in hearts. “Nurse Joy!”

Nurse Joy? Ah yes, There _had_ been one missing in the last Pokemon Center. Lance shot Agatha a look out of the corner of his eye and she nodded.

Her eyes shifted to purple imperceptibly as she began scanning.

“No, you must be mistaken. I am not Nurse Joy.”

“There are hardly any people here…” Ash commented, recalling his Squirtle as Misty did the same to her Starmie and Staryu. They had been forced to swim to shore when their boat had sunk.

It was the last time he trusted Vikings…

Had it been Team Rocket in disguise? That would make sense. Ash wondered why he only remembered in hindsight.

Oh well.

“Only those who were worthy came.” Joy said.

“It was a test?” Brock gasped.

Lance frowned. * Agatha? *

< It was a test all right. > The ghost master commented heavily. < And I don’t think its one we will pass easily. >

“And now…” Joy paused for emphasis. “I present the world’s greatest pokemon master!” Simultaneously, the lights all winked out.

Mewtwo levitated down in a bubble of blue light.

“A pokemon?” Neesha gasped.

“A pokemon can’t be a pokemon trainer!” Fergus yelled, as he ordered his Gyarados to use a Hyper Beam attack.

It just bounced off Mewtwo’s barrier.

< Quiet human. I make the rules here. > Mewtwo sent, before Gyarados collapsed heavily on the ground.

Corey gasped.

< And you are no longer needed! >

Joy fainted, and Brock quickly ran over to catch her. “What did you do?”

< Foolish human. I simply used her mind to help me set this all up, after I teleported her from the Pokemon Center. It was quite simple. Her extensive knowledge of pokemon was most valuable. >

“So why did you bother calling all the ‘strongest trainers’ here?” Lance asked, drawing Mewtwo’s attention to him.

< Obviously, pokemon are slaves to human beings. For pokemon to be free humans most be destroyed! You are worthless without us. >

Mewtwo then went off into a long speech that sounded a lot like what Lance tells Yellow in book seven of pokemon adventure/special but that wasn’t the point.

“He’s gone crazy! Ninetails, use Flamethrower!” Neesha cried. Ninetails attacked, but Mewtwo just raised a shield of water in front of him and it was no good.

< Lance? What is your plan? Surely you don’t believe you can catch Mewtwo? >

< I might not be able to, but with your ghosts… >

< No. This one is too dangerous. > Agatha said. < I may not be able to see the future, but it does not bode well for us. >

< Very well… >

< Shall I teleport us out? >

< I will observe, you may leave though. >

Agatha nodded. < If this gets out of hand, I will have the nets around the Plateau up. We will not fall so easily, for we are the Elite. >

< Hai. >

In a flash of barely-there smoke, Agatha was gone.

Lance crossed his arms and waited. It was lucky no one had recognized him, the sunglasses worked.

That’s not true! Ash is my friend! Pikachu cried, sparking his cheeks.

< You are a foolish pokemon then. Friendship is a lie. >

“Fine! I challenge you to a pokemon battle!”

< Baka… > Lance sent Ash privately, enjoying the trainer’s look as he jumped in the air. < You’ll never be able to beat him. >

But it was all right; he was bored in any case… as long as Mewtwo didn’t try to touch his dragon-types…

He would watch.

End Chapter

Completed 7/14/04

Lance isn’t very sympathetic at first, is he? *Laugh*