Plotbunny fic!
Title: Double-Edge

Disclaimer: I don’t own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This is non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic written by me and for me, so I own it.

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

Timeline: Pre-Cascade badge in Kanto timeline, Post-boulder

Chapter 1

“I think I’m jealous.”

Claire looked over at her older cousin, who was sitting on the roof of the Blackthorn City gym, legs dangling over the edge and holding a cup of rapidly cooling chrysanthemum tea, and blinked.

“What?”

Lance vaulted down, managing not to get any of the tea on himself. “I said I think I’m jealous.”

“Jealous? Of who?”

“Her.”

“Oh…”

Claire rolled her eyes. Yes, this was becoming a rather repetitive pattern. Although she had no idea why Lance was so concerned about the trainer…

“It’s about Ash, isn’t it.”
“Yes.”

“Lance, he’s _eleven_ years old. You’re fifteen. Aren’t you a little young to be thinking about love?”

“This is from my _younger_ cousin who is going out with Drake.” Lance reminded her.

Claire looked sour. “Yes, but I don’t brood over him.”

“I’m not-.”
“Oh yes you are, aniki. Why don’t you just go find him?”

“I…” Lance sighed. “I made a promise.”

“A promise? To who?”

“Lugia-san.”

“Really!” Claire’s eyebrows shot up. “So you’re telling me that _lugia_, the legendary pokemon, actually told you not to approach this kid you have an inexplicable crush on?”

Lance nodded miserably.

“Lance, I’ve heard some strange stories from you, but this really takes the cake!” Claire chuckled. “Well, if you say so…”

Lance shook his head and vanished.

“What’s with him?” Claire asked her Dragonair.

I’m not sure either, mistress. He seems stressed…

“I just think its odd. How did this whole affair come about?”

I really don’t know.

“Lance-chan?”

The flutter of wings alerted Ash to his guardian’s presence. “Lance-chan!”

“Have you been good?” Lance asked, scooping Ash up into an embrace as the child giggled happily.

“Hai!”

“That’s good…”

Ash nodded. “But I still don’t understand why no one else can see you.” Lance-chan had been his guardian for years, but…

No one else could see him.

The kids teased him for having an imaginary friend. Misty and Brock said he was too old for it.

But Lance-chan was real!

Very real!

He turned to Misty and Brock, who were giving him an odd look.

< Just don’t listen to them. I’m real. See? >

Ash nodded, feeling Lance’s wings settle around them, the steel a protective shield.

Lance-chan… had been with him since he was little. He hadn’t known how it happened, but he had fallen into the river and was drowning, he knew later, because he couldn’t breath, but then…

Then… there had been darkness and when he came to, there had been another boy who was helping him wake up.

He had wings, such pretty sparkly wings, and Ash touched them. They were so pretty! So Ash had asked if he wanted to be a friend.

And the boy had said yes. His name was Lance, so Ash just called him Lance-chan. After that…

They spent many afternoons together, playing in the wilds around Pallet, getting introduced to the pokemon. When they got older, Lance began taking them to other places to explore.

Like teleportation.

Ash often wondered if he was a psychic, but Lance just smiled and said no. But it was so fun to explore.

Caves and caverns and mountains and fields, they swam up rivers and even in the sea sometimes.

It was fine.

But no one else believed him.

His mom said he was getting too old for an imaginary friend and tried to make him be friends with Katrina, an ugly stupid girl that lived next door. She had purple hair, but that was nothing special.

So he tried, he really tried! It wasn’t the same.

She smelled bad.

She dyed her hair blond later, and it only made her look even more ugly.

He didn’t like her.

Lance-chan was pretty, and smart, and fast, and they could fly together sometimes, with those wings, but Katrina was none of those things.

Then, when that didn’t work, his mom forced him to sign an engagement something.

He didn’t want to.

But she forced him to!

She said it was the best for him, but he didn’t believe her. If she loved him, she would let him go with Lance-chan.

But she said it was a lie.

Lance-chan wasn’t dead or a ghost!

Ash sighed.

“What’s wrong?”

“Everyone thinks I’m crazy.” Ash said. “But you’re real, I know you are.” He touched Lance’s wings.

Lance nodded.

Misty and Brock stared at what looked like empty space around Ash. But… empty space couldn’t explain why he was floating off the ground.

“You think maybe he’s a psychic?” Misty asked.

Brock shrugged. “Doubtful.”

“Then what’s going on?”

“Beats me…I barely know the guy.”

“Well, me too!” Misty noticed that Ash seemed to be speaking, but nothing was coming out, so she left the path to go pokemon-hunting.

Brock followed her, just in case she got into trouble.

End Chapter

Created 5/17/04, completed 5/20/04