Another chapter!
Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon, as it belongs to Satoshi Tajiri, Nintendo, and last but most certainly not least since I like them the best, Shogakukan Comics! This is non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction that I have written; so do not take it.

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

Probably future Championshipping (Lance x Ash/Red)

Okay, if you haven’t figured it out now, Ash _is_ Red because that’s his name in Pokemon Adventures/Special.

Timeline: At least 2 months later

Started 3/9/03

Chapter 4

 

            It wasn’t so bad.

            He was growing used to not seeing people. He wondered if his language skills would completely atrophy though.

            But… the storage room provided food and clothes and he did have his pokemon… wasn’t that everything?

            After all, he hadn’t left anyone behind, no one he really loved…

            Yellow?

            Was that love? He hoped not, he had barely seen her before… and well, it had not been the time or place to love.

            Was she still alive?

            It didn’t matter. His pokemon were his family now…

            They were safe and alive and that was what counted.

 

            “Lance?”

            “What is it?”

            “How powerful are you?”

            “I never cared to inventory that.”

            “… Oh.”

            “After all,” Lance said with a twisted little smile. “I can’t use power to get what I really want…”

            Red completely missed the tone and significance.

            Venus didn’t.

            She whacked Ash on the back heartily with a vine afterwards. Master Red, you’re so blind!

            “What?”

            He likes you! Star squealed.

            “What do you mean?”

            Lance likes you. Aerodactyl snickered.

            “What?” Red turned bright red in the cheeks. * How? He should hate me! He likes me? What? *

            Seeing his confusion, Pika shocked him to wake him up.

            “Pika!”

            I think he really likes you.

            “Huh? What? When? Why would he like me?”

            Gyarados shrugged. Love is never planned and it never has to make sense either.

            “But!”

            You could ask him?

            “What? No way!”

            The thirteen year old turned redder at the mere suggestion. He strongly resembled a boiled lobster as the pokemon egged him on.

            He carefully did not look at Lance, not even when they bathed in the freshwater pool in Cave #2 of Whirl Islands, as they did every night.

            He’d probably just turn redder.

            Oh, what to do? What to do? What to do? What to do? Pity the poor befuddled child…

            What to do?

            He couldn’t just ask, that would be rude as well as potentially embarrassing.

 

            “Red? You seem distracted. Are your pokemon injured?”

            “N-no! Nothing like that!”

            Stammering? What was wrong?

            “Are you still angry with me?”

            “Huh? I’m not angry with you…”

            With something akin to confusion he realized he spoke the truth. His family was fine… and what did the rest of the world care for him?

            They hadn’t cared either way even when he was Champion…

 

            No, that wasn’t precisely true. The toy industry had made a pretty penny off his face, but instead of donating the money to research and preserves, they had run off with the profit. He had been flabbergasted upon discovery.

            How horrible!

            Money was the root of all evil, right? So now it was gone…

            He should thank Lance for that.

            The businessmen had probably perished too, those greedy graspers… well, then that was good.

            So, it was truth when he said, again, “I don’t hate you.”

 

            Lance smiled.

            Red closed his eyes as Lance scrubbed his back with a flannel cloth dipped in soap solution. They did this for each other every night, mutual consent so it was mutualism, but…

            He kicked any stray thoughts out of his head.

            Did he like Lance?

            Maybe… with no one else to talk to they had become kind of friends…

            Did he _love_ him?

            At the moment, no, and he was still a kid! Didn’t love have to wait until you were married or something?

            Whatever…

            In any case, he did enjoy his company.

 

            He did the same for the older boy and then they dried off with thick fluffy towels, before climbing into their pajamas.

            His new ones were so cute!

            They were white with little dancing Vulpixes on them. At first he had judged them too girly, but Pika pointed out that vulpixes were really powerful fighters.

            And it was cute…

            Besides, who would care if he were macho or not now; so it was ok.

 

            He slept in Lance’s ‘room’, actually a rather sizeable chamber with clear glittering crystal and shiny mirrors placed on the walls.

            Interesting, and he could watch the world go by if he really wanted to.

            He didn’t care that much though.

            His pokemon slept in various cushions, blankets, and even some fancy-looking pet beds scattered over the room.

            He had them, right?

            Well… in a way, he had Lance too.

            That wasn’t a bad thing.

 

End Chapter

Completed 7/23/04