Looks like this will be at least 10 chapters…
Disclaimer: Phantomness does not own pokemon. Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to her under international copyright laws… stealing is plagiarism.
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks
RED AND ASH ARE DIFFERENT PEOPLE.
Chapter 9
Celadon was subdued. Buildings were burning when he entered, namely, the gym among them. Casting all thought aside, Red ran towards the building, releasing his water pokemon as he did so. All of them began using Hydro Pump and Water Gun to put out the flames.
A girl stumbled from the wreckage, coughing.
Red recognized her as Erika and quickly had his Qwilfish hose her down, her kimono was on fire!
Erika thanked the young man who had rescued her, gave him the Rainbow Badge as a reward, and then took off to call the police from Saffron.
Interesting…
Now he was four badges down… perhaps he ought to go visit Lance now? Hm…no, he could wait, truly…
Lance might not appreciate unexpected visits. He missed his brother…
In this world, things were quite different. He was just another trainer, and Lance was Champion… so it really didn’t make sense for him to visit, but he wanted to!
To hell with the consequences!
“I choose you, Venomoth! To the Plateau!”
Lance had the grace to look surprised when Ash crash-landed through his window on the back of Clair’s Gyarados.
“… Hi?”
“Oh! I’m sorry!” Ash blushed. “Clair asked me to do her a favor, and I- well, here!” He hurriedly handed over the dragon fang, beet red.
Lance took it without a word. Why was Clair sending him this? Unless… he sighed in exasperation.
Grandfather… what have you done?
How much money did they give you?
He could hear the cries of pain and death and agony in his mind now, as he closed his eyes. Such is the curse of the Dragon Master…
He removed a vial of pale, almost white liquid from his cloak as he swallowed its contents, wincing, before he staggered to his armchair and surrendered to unnatural sleep…
Otherwise, the pain would tear him apart slowly…
Blackthorn burned in his mind…
Ash had taken off back to Blackthorn to visit Clair again. They had been training his new Horsea against her Kingdra in a pond when all of a sudden; the Dragon’s Den had blown up with no warning!
Clair had immediately pulled her necklace off and turned to Ash. “Get this to Lance, quick! I’ll be fine!”
So he had obeyed and flown to Indigo Plateau.
Why had she asked that?
Now though, Clair was waiting for him. “Thank Mew, Ash… we have to get away.” Sure enough, he could see TR agents appearing.
He nodded as they both climbed on Dragonair, hers. “But where are we going?”
“Houen. It’s far away and not yet controlled. I’ll answer your questions when we get there…”
“Okay!”
Making sure his four poke balls were all there, he put his arms around Clair’s waist and they flew off.
Please let us stay safe…
Red landed, wondering where they were in the Plateau. Ah… there was Lance. He had fallen asleep in his armchair.
He smiled as an idea occurred. Time for a little prank…
“Water gun!”
Lance woke up spluttering, drenched. “Red!”
“Sorry, couldn’t resist!”
Red’s Goldeen flopped around for a little bit longer before he recalled it.
“You shouldn’t have done that. I had a vision.”
“You have visions? Are you psychic like Sabrina?” Red asked in interest.
“No, mine only have to do with Dragon pokemon.” He sighed. “Dragon’s Den has been destroyed.”
“Your home? Oh no…”
“Yes. My grandfather sold Team Rocket the dragon preserve in exchange for two million dollars. Idiotic money-grubbing fool! Now all the dragons are dead, except for two… a Gyarados and Dragonite got captured….”
“They’re dead?”
Lance nodded, as his eyes flashed, projecting… on the wall images appeared, rockets and their pokemon fighting dragons, many of the dragons falling from terrible wounds, their blood staining the water red…
He didn’t want to watch anymore, but he couldn’t tear his eyes away, riveted to the screen as all of them fell… or tried to flee, and were shot down…
“They use dragon skin and scales to make armor, and dragon flesh is considered a delicacy…”
“That’s horrible!”
“I know Red, I know…”
“What can we do to help?”
“Nothing. The area’s crawling with team rocket agents… “
“But Lance! We have to do something!”
“We can’t just charge in there blindly, Red…”
He nodded reluctantly. That was true.
“But I feel so helpless…”
“Red…” Lance hugged him as Red burst into tears. Those poor pokemon! What could he do? Oh, it was horrible….
Lance sighed as he held his brother close. What to do?
“Can’t we do something?” Red pleaded.
“Unless you want to fight Team Rocket single-handedly, no…”
“But they’ll keep on killing pokemon! And-!”
That he could understand. With a sign, he acknowledged Red’s words. “Very well, Red… however, if we start fighting Team Rocket, your pokemon journey is over.”
“The pokemon are more important.”
It was... odd how this child from another world cared so much. “If you’re sure.”
“I am! I can’t let them get away with this!” He declared passionately.
“Let’s go, then. Start packing.”
“What?”
“We’re heading to Whirl Islands.”
End Chapter
Completed 4/3/05
Started 3/25/05
Ash: …
Red: Yay! More focus on me!
Lance: *sighs*
Phantomness: Ash is going off to Houen with Clair, I’m not sure if we’ll see them again