Konnichiwa minna-san! Welcome to Phantomness’s fanfic world!
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
Summary: In FRLG, Red runs off after he is accused of bringing trouble to the Sevii Islands. What if Blue hadn’t found him but someone else, after he was cast as scapegoat for Team Rocket’s attacks and despised by the populace?
Attack Name: Eruption. Type: Fire. Contest Type: Beauty. 5 PP, 150 Base ATK and 100 for Accuracy. The move works better the higher the user’s HP.
Title: Eruption
Chapter 1
The words had hurt more than the sticks and stones they had brought to drive him away, he realized, even as he ran through the bushes, his sneakers pounding on the sandy dirt and tears streaming from his eyes. It wasn’t fair! All his life, he had worked to make the world a better place, to help people, and now, his heroic efforts were ground into the dust. By Lugia, he ought to have never come to these islands!
Steps and a whirr of wing beats sounded behind him.
“Go away, Green. Blue. I don’t need your pity.”
He waited for a sensible answer, like “Don’t worry, Red, we’re all in this boat together and we’ll make it through”, or even just a cheerful giggle, but there was no such answer forthcoming.
Slowly, he turned around. Had the villagers caught up already?
No.
Golden eyes met his in a surprised gesture. The Aerodactyl stiffened, and the trainer laid a comforting hand on the dragon’s head.
“Well, well. What have we here? Another trainer from Pallet…”
“What are you doing here, Lance?” Red asked, recognizing him vaguely. His last impression had been the trainer and his pokemon falling into the volcano, but he obviously hadn’t died.
Not that Red cared. He didn’t actually care for much right now. Why, he should have let Lance release Lugia and raze the human population. He wouldn’t have died, hadn’t the Elite Four deemed him worthy, one of the select few trainers that could be allowed to live?
And Lance was head of the Elite Four.
Lorelei had changed, and he could trust her, so why not Lance? Besides, it had been Agatha and Bruno and Lorelei who attacked him, and of their own volition…
He wasn’t even angry with Lorelei anymore. She had tried doing what she thought was right back then, and his wrists had healed in Mount Silver…
The Elite…
Had they been right?
No! They were evil, weren’t they?
“I’m not going to attack you.” Lance stroked his Aerodactyl’s forehead and the fossil pokemon made a sound awfully like purring. “I have no wish to spend another few months on the run.”
“Why are you here, Lance?”
“I couldn’t very well go back to Blackthorn City, Red. They’re guarding it, and as for Viridian City, well, I might run into Ms. Yellow or even Giovanni, so really, the islands were the best choice for hiding out.”
“I don’t understand.”
“You don’t need to.” Lance sighed. “Guess I’ll be heading elsewhere now.”
“Wait!”
“Hmm?” The trainer turned around, looking surprised. “What is it?”
Red stuck out his hand, not knowing why. “Let me come with you.”
“You’re not serious. If this is a joke, you could not have planned one poorer.” He threw a leg over the side of his Aerodactyl and whistled. The dragon rose into the sky.
Undaunted, Red released his Aerodactyl and followed. The aerial pursuit went on for several hours, before Lance finally descended onto an island Red was not immediately familiar with.
“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that, but why would you want to come with me? You’re the ninth Kanto League Champion! You’re one of Oak’s three trusted Pokedex holders, for Lugia’s sake…!” He stopped there, as Red’s eyes flashed.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“Oak no longer deems me worthy of a Pokédex.” Red said coldly.
“Well, that’s a pity, but…”
“I’m not going back there. They think I’m evil.”
“And… what exactly will you accomplish if you accompany me? It could only make your reputation worse.”
“So? It’s not like it could get any worse.” Red said bitterly.
Lance gave him another sideways glance. “These islands aren’t even part of Kanto, Red. Go home. You still have so much waiting for you there.”
“Why are you trying so hard to be nice?”
“I’m not. I am simply stating your situation. You can walk freely, your pokemon are with you….” Something in that made Red turn.
“What?”
“You don’t know? The government took away my Dragonite and Gyarados. Yellow caught them, they were too injured to leave Cerise and I couldn’t heal them…”
“Wait…did… what did they do?”
“What do you think, Red? What do they do to dangerous pokemon?”
Red paled. “They wouldn’t!”
“They would. That is why I will never return to Kanto, nor Johto, if not for my sake, at least for theirs…” He gave his Ultra Balls a fond pat and then smiled wistfully, almost. “At least Mother left me her gift, or else my pokemon would be long dead.”
“Your Healing Power is from the Viridian Forest…”
“You’re somewhat perceptive at least. You have too much to lose and nothing to gain if you leave this place now. They will find your departure evidence of their lies.”
“How do you know they’re lying? You don’t know me at all.” Red said boldly.
Lance’s eyes glinted in a secret smile. “That’s for me to know and you to find out.”
“I don’t… Lance, what difference does it make what we were in the past? Two trainers out in the wilderness are better than one.”
“Do you honestly think you can help me? Oh, I get it. This is some attempt to make me come back to the right side, to stop using pokemon as weapons of war, isn’t it?”
“No! That’s not it!”
“Then what is? Have I suddenly become your personal charity case?”
“Even opponents can become friends.” Red said carefully, Lance noting that he didn’t mention ‘Enemy’.
“Yes, but we have nothing in common.”
“You never hurt me… at least not directly.” Red said simply. “The other Elite did, but you never… hurt me.”
“And… that makes you trust me?” What a naïve child…
“No.” Red said, “But it makes me know you won’t stab me in the back, and that’s better than nothing, isn’t it?”
Lance shook his head. Truthfully, he had missed human company – intelligent human company, and Red was mostly bright. Even dragons could not talk back to him, and well, it might be useful blackmail material later…
“All right.” He said carefully. “I’m heading to the hidden islands. Come with me.” He took Red’s hand, and began to chant.
Red briefly wondered if he had made the right idea, before blackness overtook him.
End Chapter
Completed 12/29/05
Hehehehe! ^^
Red: …
Lance: *Sighs*