Yes, chapter 2 has arrived! ^^

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

Pairings: Championshipping (Lance x Ash), AAMRN

Chapter 2

 

            The next day, he returns to class, dressed impeccably as always, but to his surprise, Amy isn’t alone. It seems that her father has come with her to congratulate him for taking his daughter’s side in a childish dispute. He nods, shakes the black-haired man’s hand, and listens with an indulgent smile as Amy brags about how cool her teacher is. It’s honestly quite flattering.

            But for some odd reason, he can’t help but feel as if Mr. Ketchum is watching him, which is ridiculous because the man leaves right before class starts.

            He is most likely being paranoid.

 

            Lance sighed as the first period ended and the children ran around outside on the playground. He unwrapped his sandwich and ate it quickly and neatly, before turning his attention to their spelling tests. Atrocious, most of them…

            Still, it was a fate he had chosen himself. He wondered if he had done some perverse act in the past and was now settling the karmic debt by teaching children.

            For the second time in as many days, he felt a headache creeping on behind his eyes. Oh no, not now…

            The pills were supposed to last forty-eight hours at least! He usually only had to take them once a week, and indeed, for the first few months he hadn’t needed them at all, being strangely listless and tired most of the time. His father had brought him soup and sandwiches and ordered him to stay in bed and rest, and he hadn’t complained.

            He supposed it was just shock from losing his mother in such a terrible way.

            Had he unconsciously repressed all memories of her? Did that explain why he would occasionally black out, and why he needed to take these pills to control his emotions?

            It was dangerous forcing memories back into the mind, the woman had told him sympathetically when his father had brought him in. It was best to let him stick to familiar things, find stability in his tumultuous life. Then the memories would return.

            The pills would help, of course. They would keep his emotional state stable to prevent unnecessary damage and further blockage of his mind’s natural pathways.

            Everything would be fine, soon, she had promised.

 

            True, the job wasn’t so bad, but once in a blue moon, it led to hot flashes of anger. They also seemed to become more frequent… Whenever that would happen, he’d suddenly want to cry and it would be a struggle to hold his feelings in, even with the pills.

            He just wished…

            He just wished that things could stay steady.

            He wasn’t ready for balancing yet.

 

            The rest of class passed by without problem, and Lance once again left the room, feeling better. No doubt he was being irrational. He sighed. It ought to be about time to make another visit to the psychiatrist again. Perhaps she could figure out what was wrong with his convoluted mind.

            He penciled the suggestion into his planner, and then walked out the door to the parking lot. There, he found Mr. Ketchum waiting for him.

            “Was there something you wanted from me, Ketchum-san?” He asked with a polite bow.

            The man reeled back as if he had been struck, and gaped at him. “You… you don’t remember me?”

            “Gomen nasai, Ketchum-san. Demo, my memories have been lost for many years, ever since my mother died in a horrible fire. Did I perhaps meet you while I was a trainer?”

            Lance watched in surprise as the man backed away from him, looking shocked, before a sort of resignation filled his brown eyes.

            “I should have expected something like that to happen. It’s all right. I’m sorry for disturbing you, Wataru-san.”

            “It is nothing. Oh, just a word. Amy is falling behind in her basic mathematics. She may need some tutoring…”

            “No problem. My wife is pretty good at math. I’m sure she’ll understand the situation and get Amy up to speed.”

            He nodded, and watched as the man drove off.

            …Wife?

            Why did that send an odd flash of pain through his chest?

 

            He was about to reach in his pocket and take another dose of the pills, but something stopped him. He remembered her words.

            “Wataru-san, you must be careful not to overdose. You should not take more than four pills in a twenty-four hour period, and that is only for emergencies.”

            “Sumimasen, Sha-san,” Lance said regretfully, “But I have no choice.”

            He did, actually… well, if he thought about it, he’d just taken two, and if he took two now and no more, then it would be all right, or maybe one would be enough…

            He eyed the white pill for a second before he swallowed.

            Calm washed over his body immediately, and he nodded. If this feeling continued, he’d have to start taking three each day, not two…

            He’d have to tell Sha-san…

 

            Ash drove home silently, paying only half an ear’s attention to Amy’s chatter in the background. He frowned. It could not be possible.

            There was no way, no way at all, that this soft-spoken teacher, Wataru-san, was the same person as… him.

 

            Ash had never been quite sure what happened to Lance in the aftermath of the final battle. He’d been too busy not getting killed by the swarm of Deoxys, and Lance had been holding his own with the rest of the Elite against the other two pretty well. But then Agatha had collapsed from heart failure or a psychic blast, maybe a combination of both, and Lorelei had screamed and to rushed to her side, and Bruno…

            Bruno hadn’t stood a chance.

            He remembered feeling overwhelmed, that they were all going to die, but that was when Lance revealed his trump card.

            Lugia.

            It was truly an epic battle, and afterwards, no remnants of the Deoxys species remained, but when he had woken from the strange state of limbo he’d been thrown into thanks to some poisonous injection midway into the battle, both Lance and Lugia had mysteriously vanished.

            Lugia was presumed dead, and Lance…

            He’d thought that Lance was dead as well…

 

            “Isn’t Wataru-sensei cool?”

            “Yes, Amy, he is.” Ash said absentmindedly. “But he also says you need to work on your math homework.”

            Amy scowled. “I don’t like math.”

            “I know you don’t, but if you don’t pass the mathematics section of the Trainer test, you can’t go on your journey.”

            They entered the house, and the other occupant got up from her chair with a yawn. Pregnant with their third child, she moved slowly. “What is it?”

            “Nothing important, Misty, except that Amy needs help with her homework.”

            “All right.”

           

 

End Chapter

Completed 3/6/06

Sha-san = Lance’s psychiatrist. Her name means ‘Sunset Clouds’ in Chinese. This character is a familiar one if you’ve read my fanfic

Gah! The plotbunny ran away from me! I didn’t mean to write AAMRN! *Cry* Oh well…might as well play it to my advantage this time! It’s working out pretty well