Disclaimer: I don’t own pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics! This is non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic written by me. Thus, I own it.
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks
Chapter 4: Epiphany
“You see.” Lance said, keeping his arms around Ash’s waist. “He can be quite petulant if he so chooses.”
Red continued to glare at Yellow, who felt herself… heating up? But it wasn’t a blush, it was…
“ACK!”
Green stared in shock as Yellow actually caught fire. The girl quickly stopped, dropped, and rolled.
“Stay away!” Red yelled.
“Red! Stop this! It isn’t like you!” Green shouted, wondering how the boy had become so irrational.
What was going on?
Red wasn’t like this! He was headstrong and would go charging into adventure without a thought for danger, but!
This strange anger and cold calculation and possession did not make his friend at all! It was like a stranger in a familiar face!
Unless…
“You’re not Red!”
“On the contrary,” Ash said, smiling. “I’m me of course.” He smiled brightly, ignoring the two pikachus converging around their trainer. “Of course, there are a few missing pieces…”
He giggled.
< Calm down. > Lance sent, and Red did, his eyes losing some of the reddish sparks. He waited for Yellow to get up again.
Yellow did, of course. She was only shocked, not injured.
“What are you doing?”
“All I wanted was a pikachu, that originally belonged to me. Was that too much to ask?” Red mused.
The seas outside roared.
“You are controlling it!”
“I’m not controlling anything, dear.” Red said dryly.
Lance smiled. * No…. you’re not, but… *
He smiled. < Shh… >
Ash’s eyes flickered, returning to normal again. < Gomen nasai. >
< Relax. They aren’t important. I’ll protect you, remember? >
< Hai. >
And he fell, and surrendered.
Yellow shrieked, as Red’s eyes closed again, and a black glow appeared in Lance’s hands.
“Finish.” Lance said almost bored, as the light flew at them.
Green looked around.
They were back in Pallet?!
Obviously, there was trouble. They hadn’t even had time to use the Orb of Reconciliation!
He immediately reported back to Professor Oak.
“You’re telling the truth, Green?”
“I’m not lying, Grandfather.”
Oak shuddered. “Well, so he has fallen indeed.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lance is the trainer of dragons, but few know he wields dark power as well…”
“If you’re talking about the strange phenomena?”
“Lance is the one behind all of it, in a way.”
“In a way?!”
“Red is doing it, but he doesn’t know.”
“He’s being manipulated!”
“Correct.”
“But… but… he’s not that dense!”
“Of course not!” Oak looked offended. “But he’s only seeing what he wants to see now…”
“Hmm?”
“I think he’s in love.”
“With who?!”
“Lance of course. Didn’t you say they were close?”
“_Very_ close.” Green muttered. * Shoot! And if Lance is a member of the Elite Four, wait… *
“Grandma Agatha was in the Elite Four and you never told me!”
Oak jumped. “She was there?”
“How could you not tell me?”
“It wasn’t necessary.”
“It wasn’t necessary?” Green began to feel more than a little ticked off. He was sick of having information kept from him and trying to complete a simple task without most of the truth.
No wonder!
If this was what Red felt like…
Was it a wonder he might choose not to see bad things? That seemed perfectly normal!
Well then, at least his friend was happy, or as happy as possible under the circumstances…
Why not?
Why not let them be?
Without another word, Green left. He would stay with Koga’s family until the whole deal sorted itself out.
Later.
This was beyond his area of expertise.
The orb of reconciliation floated off somewhere, but he didn’t bother to chase it. He should never have interfered.
Yellow did not give up as easily. Two days later, she was back on Cerise Island.
“Sorry, Yellow.” Lance said. “But…”
He gestured to Red, who was busy sewing… something. The boy looked up and smiled, eyes solidifying on red.
“Let’s go.”
“Hai.’ Red said simply, and that was the last thing Yellow saw.
The pikachu panicked, but that was when Lance used his own Viridian Power to unlock.
Ash held Pika up happily. Chuchu scampered away, afraid for her life now that everything had collapsed.
Pika had fallen victim to her Attract move, and…
It couldn’t last forever.
Red?
“Yes, it’s me.” Ash said.
I…I’m sorry! I forgot! I can’t believe I!
“It’s fine, Pika.’ Red said, knowing it wasn’t the mouse’s fault. No, it was _hers_, but now she was dead and gone and everything would be fine.
Lance-chan would protect him, after all.
He smiled.
End Chapter
Completed 5/17/04, created 2/4/04