Title: First Claim
Plotbunny fic/rewrite of ‘My Pikachu!’
Created 1/21/02
Disclaimer: I don’t own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This is non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic written by me, for me, and so I own it under international copyright laws since I created it out of my mind/ideas.
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks
This, like the original, spins off after Pokemon Adventures Book 3, may have references to book 4, 3 years after so Red/Ash is 14
Red = Ash
Green = Gary
Blue = Blue (the girl)
Yellow = Yellow
Chapter 1: Unpleasant
I don’t think they remember me. Honestly, I don’t expect them to. Some friends they were.
Oh yes, I’ve seen what happened. As soon as I was out of the way they went on with their lives, Green fell in love with Yellow and Blue went off adventuring in Johto where she met Silver, and they clicked.
Yellow still hasn’t given me my pikachu back.
In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if she had left me for dead.
Pika… what did she do to you?
Can the Viridian power alter memories?
Come back to me…
Red sighed, brushing himself off. Sitting here on a hilltop overlooking Viridian was not helping him.
He should quit sitting here and angsting uselessly. But we all need to overreact and get it out of our system once in a while.
A pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. “So how’s our Champion doing?”
“Urusei, I’m not champion anymore.” Red grumbled.
“Hai, hai.” Lance whispered. “But you’re mine…”
Ash blushed.
It was true.
He had made a promise. Lance had freed him from Lorelei’s ice trap, but there was a catch.
He had to stay.
And so he had stayed with the Dragon Master, stayed, first on orders, and then, on friendship, and finally…
He didn’t know how he had fallen in love, but it had happened.
Was it just because they were close?
Was it something else?
Was he so starved for affection that he didn’t care who it was anymore? That might have been it.
He couldn’t have been that desperate. Any number of fangirls would have flung themselves forwards if it were only for tumbles.
But…
Lance was powerful. He wielded strength and exuded confidence, and he had the ability to back it up.
That was what Red admired.
When had admiration become love? That was a transmutation he couldn’t understand. Still…
It had benefits.
Lance taught him how to increase his natural power of empathy to become a weapon as well as a shield, and he learned to love and live each day to the fullest. So it wasn’t a waste of time in any sense of the way.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes.” Red intoned, his voice sinking back into a depressive mode. It was time to find Yellow.
It was time to get Pikachu back.
He adjusted the silver dragon necklace dangling from his neck, smiling. Lance smirked back, and vanished into it.
They flew towards Viridian.
Yellow opened the doorbell, gasping in surprise. “Red! You’re back!”
“Yes, no thanks to you…” Red said, taking note of the pair of Pikachu on her bed. “Pika?”
One of the Pikachu looked up.
“Pika!”
He ran towards it, arms outstretched… only to hit an invisible barrier.
“Wait!” Yellow said. “Don’t take Pika! Chuchu can’t live without him!”
Ash stopped. “What?”
“They’re a family!”
He took several deep breaths. “So you’re not giving me my pikachu back?”
“I’ve had him for three years! He’s mine now! He doesn’t remember you anymore, so it doesn’t mean anything!”
She was a child, with a child’s logic, but…
It didn’t make the hurt any less.
“What do you mean?”
That was when Pika shocked him.
The broken pieces of a dream clattered to the floor, in fragments of soul’s blood.
The female pikachu smugly licked her mate’s face.
Two eggs sat next to them.
No.
NO!
I won’t- I won’t! I can’t-!
But…
The electricity sparked and arced as it finally vanished, stopping the pain. However, the physical pain?
That was nothing compared to the tears.
Red backed out the door, glared, and threw out Aeroy, the faithful Aerodactyl swooping him up and flying far away from the place.
< No………………………. >
He sat by the ocean, stunned. Incomprehensible! Why – how – what was going on? Why didn’t Pikachu remember him?
Why?
He started to cry.
He wouldn’t cry in front of Yellow, stupid kid girl didn’t deserve to see his emotions…
It didn’t hurt any less!
Why did he have to lose his partner?
They were friends; he knew that! Pika had protected him and cried for him! So, where had it all gone?
Was it really… a lie?
False?
What was real?
He could trust himself, couldn’t he? Can’t I trust myself?
If I can’t, than whom can I trust?
Lance-chan….
Lance held him, and he didn’t’ bother caring what people saw or thought, he just clung to the other and cried.
“Why…”
He had taken good care of Pika, made sure he was safe by sending him away. Why didn’t Pika come back to find him?
Why not?
He had spent nearly a month recuperating from the ice while Lance took care of him… and…
Then, he had gone searching and discovered the worse.
He was officially dead.
There was nothing to be done. Professor Oak didn’t believe him, why not? And Pika was gone, too, the only witness…
Too late.
It was too late.
Now everything was too late.
Red sobbed, the tears of a broken child, while the Dragon Master stroked his hair and became his shield from the world.
The final step to renounce it all…
Let the guardians fly now.
“I…”
“Shh.”
< Lance… >
< Don’t look, little one. >
And he listened, and obeyed.
The weight of Lance’s arms around him and the warmth of the embrace was enough.
End Chapter!
^-^
Completed 6/20/02
Ash: *sniffle*
Phantomness: It’s not that bad…
Kairo: *Eating a lollipop, offers Ash one*
Ash: *takes lollipop and glomps onto Lance tightly*
Lance: *blush*