I hate my computer sometimes. It does weird formatting! Anyways…

Disclaimer: I don’t own pokemon, wish I did, but it belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This is non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic written by a person with an imagination that Nintendo didn’t have! So, don’t take my writing, as its plagiarism and I own it under international copyright laws.

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

Chapter 8

The snowfall continued for another two days and then stopped. As both Chosen spent most of it sleeping, it wasn’t so much of a big deal.

“Where are we off to now?”

“Fuschia so you can get your next badge I suppose.” Lance said, adjusting his cloak. “Shall we?”

Ash took his hand, Pikachu scampering onto his backpack, as they vanished in teleporting light.

Koga was surprised when someone landed in his gym. It was a young trainer… strange, how had the boy managed to teleport in exactly the right place as not to trigger any traps?

Ah well, he could deal with that later.

“You’re here for the Soul Badge.”

“Hai.” Ash nodded.

“Then I will battle you. Let’s begin.”

Ash smiled as Koga sent out a Grimer. Butterfree popped out and immediately used Psybeam.

“Grimer, Harden!”

“Won’t do any good…” Ash whispered. “Psybeam again.” Grimer wilted, collapsed, and fainted.

Koga coughed and decided that since this trainer had some skill, not to go easy. He sent out Crobat.

“Double Team!”

“Butterfree, don’t worry.” Ash said, smiling. “Confusion!”

Confusion waves filled the whole room so the bat would get hit either way.

“Wing Attack!”

All the Golbats swooped in, and Butterfree quickly sent out bursts of Supersonic, as the attack hit.

There it was!
Having found the real perpetrator, Butterfree sent a fully loaded Psychic move at it. Golbat startled, was hit, and fell down.

“Finish it! Psybeam!”

Another one down…

“You’re quite good.” Koga commented, switching for his Venomoth. Ash assessed the situation, and then swapped for Vulpix.

After all, butterfree and Venomoth were quite close in type, and neither of thier attacks would do much.

So it would be a long battle.

Vulpix wagged her tails as Pikachu cheered his friend on.

“Toxic!”

“Vulpix, Flamethrower!”

The Flamethrower consumed the Toxic and it exploded. Vulpix was fine, having been through this once or twice before, but Venomoth was certainly not expecting that and was flung back. A quick attack helped it into the wall faster.

“Venomoth, use Psychic!”

“Vulpix, Bite!”

Vulpix staggered through the waves and managed to sink her teeth into a wing, and then Ash called for Ember.

Venomoth went up in flames, so Koga recalled it.

“Very well, I confer on you my Soul Badge…”

Ash happily pinned the badge to his vest. * We’ve got nearly eight months until the Indigo League championships… I’ll have plenty of time to explore with Lance-chan! We can get Johto too, or Houen… *

He grinned.

He’d improve his magic as well.

< You did very well. >

< Arigato, Lance-chan! >

< Shall we leave? >

Ash nodded, taking his hand, as they warped away again. Koga blinked for a second, but shrugged and went back to his meditation.

It was none of his business…

Still, if it wasn’t blind luck, then who was helping him?

The ninja master took a sip of his tea and continued meditating, Venonat and Arbok next to him.

Lance took Ash out for cookies afterwards, and they both sat on a park bench with a bag of chocolate chip cookies between them, fresh-baked.

Ash grinned.

“I’m getting better, aren’t I?”

“Hai.” Lance said, favoring him with a smile. Ash beamed back, feeling the familiar warmth again.

So warm…

He didn’t care if he had anyone else, he had Lance-chan with him and that was the most important thing.

And he’ll never leave me unless I want him to…

Ash didn’t think that would ever happen. He needed the other boy around him all the time.

< You’re my guardian angel, aren’t you? >

Lance chuckled, steel wings neatly folded behind him. < I suppose. >

< Of course you are. > Ash said with all the conviction of a child, as he ate another cookie.

Of course he was.

It would never change. Never. He wouldn’t want Lance-chan to leave, ever! No, everything was fine just the way it was.

He’d collect badges for a while, and then when he was strong enough, Lance-chan would teach him how to guard the realm.

That was the way things were.

And that was how they would be.

He smiled.

End Chapter

Completed 5/22/04