Another chapter!
Whee!
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic belongs to me.
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks
Chapter 3
The day after, the lessons began.
It wasn’t that hard.
The bracelet helped him focus, and soon he was using basic elemental attacks. Lance nodded his approval.
The other boy was nice.
Butterfree had explained that Lance was Lugia’s Chosen. Ash took it to mean that he was a priest, just like Ash himself was training to be.
“Water gun!”
The blast of water shot out of his fingers, Lance looked up and Barrier sprung up, protecting him.
“Not quite fast enough…”
“I know, but I’m trying my best though!” Ash said cheerfully as he sprayed his pokemon.
Then, he had to run from the razor leaves they threw in turn.
Butterfree laughed as he flitted to another flower. Yummy nectar.
When he saw Ash’s parents, Lance had taken on the form of a child only a year or two older than Ash himself.
Delia called him providence.
He was, in a way, but twisted. He wasn’t just a friend. He was training this little one to help him defeat Groudon.
But as long as Ash was willing, it was fine.
“Sleep Powder at two o’clock.”
“Eek!” Lance looked amused as Ash ran around in circles, trying to avoid the drifting powder, while his pokemon laughed.
Silly
Ash! You don’t need to run!
Yes, just concentrate on not sleeping!
“Oh!”
To his surprise, after that, it got simpler.
Simply not _wanting_ the attack to affect him was as good as the attack not having occurred.
Lance said it was an old dragon adaptation.
“They have moves now… Light Screen… Safeguard…” Lance said idly. “Once, dragons were so powerful that they could just will themselves not to be hurt.”
“That was before Groudon, right?”
Lance nodded.
He had his own pokemon, although the poke balls were only for show. Dragonair. Hakuryuu. Kairyuu. Ptera. Gyarados.
“Lance… what Groudon did was horrible, since pokemon should kill other pokemon, so that’s why we have to defeat him, right?”
Lance nodded again.
“I… I’m not very good yet, but I’ll help you.”
“That is all I want, Ash.” Lance said fondly, hugging him. Ash smiled.
“Hai!”
Lance was nice.
Well, no. Maybe nice was not the right word, but at least he didn’t lie to Ash, and he wasn’t stupid, and he didn’t cling like those annoying girls… who kept giggling and pointing at him, and …
In any case he was real and he wasn’t _mean_.
He idly sprayed a few more water guns around, smiling.
He would get better.
“Lance? Tell me a story.”
Lance smiled. “A story? What sort of story would you like, little one?”
Ash grinned. “Any story.”
“Well then, I will tell you the story of the Aqua Tear.” Lance waited as Ash settled himself comfortably in his lap, and began his tale.
“Many years ago, while Pokemontropolis was still young, there lived a Dratini. He was not exactly a special dratini, as he ate, slept, and played games like any other dragon. For you must know that pokemon battling was still rare, the armlets not even having been invented yet. One day, while a Charmander came down to the river for a drink of water, a rarity in its own way, the Dratini spotted her and fell head over heels in love.”
“However, one was a dragon of fire, and the other of water, and they could not meet. Day after day, the Dratini stared futilely for a glimpse of her love. His parents grew worried, and they sent him to live with his aunt. Now his aunt was what is known as a ‘witch’ nowadays, but back then, they who dealt with the powers of Gaia were honored. She saw his pain in her magic crystal, and decided to help him.”
“However, she could not change his type, but she did find a way. For although in their first two stages the two would stay separated, finally, they would be reunited. So this Dragonair found the Charmander, and explained her nephew’s feelings to her, and indeed, they did fall in love, so at least that was true. Day after day, the charmander and dratini met by the river bank, where they would spend precious minutes with each other.”
“Then one day, Charmander evolved into Charmeleon. Dratini was justifiably shocked, never having seen a Charmeleon before, but true love did prevail and soon he himself evolved into Dragonair to keep her company.”
Ash listened raptly to Lance’s voice, smiling.
“Now, at this time, Dragonites and Charizards did not exist. Yet… the parents of the two opposing dragons, instead of being stuffy old bores that an increasingly large number of people seem to be nowadays, wanted only the best for their children, so when the Dragonair told them of a way, they all agreed. They sacrificed their own future, for the futures of their children, and from their sacrifice were born the Aqua Tear. The Aqua Tear, an evolutionary stone, brought forth the first Dragonite and Charizard.”
“That is why nowadays, when a Charmander loves a Dratini, by the power of the Aqua Tear, that yet still lies in Lugia’s shrine, they may love as they are, without waiting for evolution.”
Lance finished his story and looked at Ash sideways.
“Sugoi…”
“It’s a real story.” Lance said offhandedly. “Sacrifice can be a powerful weapon.” He ignored the way his heart constricted at the thought. Yes, sacrifice…
His eyes subtly shifted to blue and then to green before settling back on their normal gold.
“Wow…” Even the pokemon had been listening, enraptured. Lance sighed as he got up, looking at the angle of the sun.
“I should be leaving now.”
“Wait!” Ash looked at him, smiling nervously. “Um… Lance, can you stay for dinner? Mom’s been bugging me, and…”
“Certainly.” It would only cost him some time, make it easier for himself to wind the boy closer as he needed, win the parent’s approval…
Well, he’d only been with Ash three weeks, but the boy’s power was improving. That was good.
He followed Ash into the house.
End Chapter
Completed 8/15/04
It’s _so_ hard to write when you have to get up every two minutes and blow your nose or cough out phlegm that’s choking you. >.<
Kairo: *pets Phantomness on the back*
Shoyko: But you do tend to write well under stress
Phantomness: Yes, sometimes inspiration whomps us at the worst times…