Wai! Another chapter!

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

Chapter 8

“Delicious.” Red sighed, pushing his seat back from the table. “I never knew you could cook, Lance. Well, I mean, I really appreciate it.” Red himself mostly lived off hot dogs and canned food while he was out traveling. Now though, there was usually tasty fare waiting whenever he returned home.

A wry smile was response. “Lance had to take care of himself, Master. Parents were never home.”

“Really?”

A nod. “And when parents home, they fight, attack each other. Learn to hide, to be silent, no notice.”

How terrible! Not that he himself was better off – there was a curiously large number of orphans in this world, but still…

“Lance discovered Viridian Power that way.”

“How?”

“After battle, Lance hurt, use Softboiled for first time…”

Ah… well, he could empathize. Pain was never pleasant. He almost wished he had some, but thought better of it.

Power always had a hidden price tag. In Lance’s case, that was no longer quite the case…he could see the evidence. It made him afraid, sometimes, but he would manage…

He would grow stronger…

There was a gasp and he spun around, Lance twitched, fingers elongating into claws. Crystal paled.

“How did you get in here?”

Crystal was shaking too badly to answer. Red cursed and threw a poke ball at her, suspecting the answer. Sure enough, she was readily captured.

A quick scan from his pokedex revealed her as a normal/ghost type. An odd combination, to be sure…

Red sighed.

He should have expected something like this. Even if Oak’s memories were gone, he would eventually make the genetic connection between human and pokémon.

The gap was small… and getting smaller.

“Lance?”

“Yes, Master?”

Red looked at Crystal’s poke ball. “What should I do with her?”

“She is your pokemon now, Master.”

Yes, but that was not the problem. The problem was that Oak had undoubtedly seen Lance. In fact, he was on his way.

This was a rare opportunity!

“Lance, return.” Red said. If they were going to deal with pokemon thieves, they weren’t going down without a fight!

The cave was well equipped with protection – magical in nature of course, thanks to several thoughtful wishes…

Thank Lugia he had thought ahead…

Oak arrived to find a cave. Of course, that was what he had expected. However, heh could not repress a feeling of prickling down the spine…

Odd. What was Red doing, hiding? Surely he wasn’t… damaged, was he?

Having a human for a pokemon may have damaged his psyche. Oh dear.

That was something Oak had no desire to deal with. The Scientist released his Ledian and Stantler for protection as he walked deeper into the darkness. Soon, he felt the signal from Red’s pokedex getting stronger, but there was nothing in front of him except a solid wall. Perplexing.

He knew Red had met up with Crystal, his newest experiment, but that was all…after that, communications had ceased rather abruptly. It worried him.

Still he was not without his resources…

Releasing a Rhydon, he instructed a Horn Drill attack on the solid seeming wall. Not more than three inches in, it hit metal. How interesting…

Metal inside a cave. Red had definitely planned ahead for this, but how? With a shrug, he called fourth a fire-type.

Green’s Arcanine belched out a Fire Blast, and the metal began to hiss and sizzle. Perfect. Now for something cold…

What should he use? He thought for a second, and than smiled. Rhydon fired out an Ice Beam. This pattern was repeated several times before the wall split open, revealing a hole large enough for a man to step though. Oak did so cautiously, not sure what to expect.

He found Red waiting for him with a plate of cookies and tea.

He blinked.

“Hello, Professor!” Red said quite cheerfully. “How have you been? Have you been taking good care of the pokemon I sent you?”

“Well, yes.” Oak managed to get out of a suspiciously dry mouth. “But…”

“Why am I living here? I like it. It’s peaceful and the fangirls don’t know I’m here.” Red flashed another sunny smile. “But that isn’t the reason you’re here, is it?”

“Red…”

“I didn’t mean to catch Crystal, you know.”

“I don’t care about that, but I would like to ask you some questions about your other human pokemon. I believe it’s a genie…”

“Saying no isn’t an option, ne? Pity. What did you want to know?”

Professor Oak raised an eyebrow. “How did it happen?”

“I don’t know. I just found him here one day.” Red lied. “But apparently, his father was a pokemon.”

“That could cause unstable problems, yes.” Oak agreed. “Upon puberty, or soon after, the pokemon genes would become dominant. That is why we should not interbreed with pokémon”

Red nodded in understanding.

“So can I see him?”

Red shrugged and threw the Ultra Ball forwards. Lance materialized in battle position, claws and wings extended.

Oak sucked in a breath. Even Crystal hadn’t developed physical looks yet, but as she was a normal type, perhaps she wouldn’t…

Lance yawned and than nuzzled Red.

Oak’s jaw dropped.

“I don’t know how it happened, but after he got healed he was like this.” Red murmured, fake contrition in his voice. Oak did not catch the sarcasm.

“Fascinating! I did not know humans could undergo conditioning, but he’s not really human, is he?”

Red shrugged. “So?”

“I’ll just take a few blood and tissue samples and be on my way. He obviously likes you. You’re a good trainer, Red.”

Liar, Red muttered in his mind, as he watched Oak from behind lowered eyes, but he nodded.

How much of his journey had Oak planned, he now wondered? Everything, from starting out to Saffron to the Elite Four seemed pre-set.

It was unnerving.

Was there some goal he was being driven towards?

End Chapter

Completed 12/3/05

Ah, catching up on biology = pain