Plotbunny fic! So another kind of supernatural deal, it has angels, but not exactly what is expected at first glance. *laughs*

 

Title: Illusion of Weakness

Disclaimer: I don’t own pokemon, I really wished I did but I don’t! *sighs* It belongs to Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri and Shogakukan Comics. This is non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic written by me so it’s mine. Angelic Layer belongs to CLAMP, Kodansha, and a lot of other companies.

Championshipping Shonen-ai alert!
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Alternate Universe, should not tie in with any of my other fics. This is kind of set in angelic-layer verse

*THIS FIC IS DEDICATED TO LINK MASTERS AND AKIKO KOISHII for faithfully reviewing, and to ROXY for suggesting I switch possession roles…*

Chapter 1

 

            “Ack! I’m late!” The fourteen-year-old boy cried as he ran out the door in his black and white school uniform.

            “You’ll miss the bus if you don’t hurry, Ash.” A voice called.

            Ash nodded and ran outside.

 

(Ash’s POV)

            Hi! I’m Ash ‘Red’ Satoshi! I’m going to Viridian Academy in eight grade this year. I like chocolate ice cream and carrots and I don’t like Misty Waterflower! She’s my rival and she loves to show off, but really, I’m better than she is. That’s my best friend, Gary Oak, and his girlfriend, Sabrina Tsuki.

(End)

 

            “Late again, Ash?” Gary asked. “You’re lucky, Mr. Hidalgo isn’t here yet.”

            “Ah!”

            Ash quickly sat down in his seat as class started. Afterwards, he waved goodbye to all the students and left.

            Quietly, at home, he opened the bottom drawer in his chest and took out a blue box with a red kanji for dragon on the lid.

            Inside was a doll. It could have been any other doll, kind of like a Barbie almost, except different. The boy had red hair that brushed his shoulders, tipped in gold, and golden eyes. Black armor covered its body, and a dark blue cape brushed the ground. If not for the gold band around the throat, it would have been like any other doll.

            This was an angel.

            “Come on, Lance, let’s go to the arcade to practice.” Ash said, picking him up. He had possessed the angel for years, and yes, it was an older model, but that didn’t matter.

            Lance was built for speed and defense and balance, not attack or strength. But he loved his angel just the same.

            He had never competed in a tournament yet, but he would soon. He put his Angel card in his front pocket and then went off to find the others.

 

            Gary and Sabrina were battling their angels, both animal-types. Gary had a Nidoking and Sabrina a Kadabra.

            All models were welcome to compete in tournaments. They had different specialties too. But Ash still liked his the best.

            Spotting an empty booth, Ash paid the attendant and went inside, putting on the headgear.

 

            Lance smiled at him inside the layer.

            Ash had him practice speed drills and quick midair acrobatics, before the session was up and he went back home to finish his homework.

            “Ash?”

            “Yes, mom?”

            “You really should do something else, dear. I mean, Angelic Layer isn’t a way of life.”

            “Mom, I don’t even compete.” Ash said as he picked Lance up protectively. “Besides, he’s mine. I built him myself.”

            “I know, but still…”

            “Mom!”

            “I just don’t want you to turn out like your father, dear…”

            Jacques Ketchum had become an Angelic Layer national star and left home three years ago, remarried.

            He supposedly had a baby daughter now. Certainly, he sent his ‘old family’ a hefty sum each month, more than enough, but…

            “I’m not going to leave like Dad.” Ash said firmly. He hugged the angel to his chest, and then went to his room.

            What did his mom know anyways? He had built Lance himself, in fourth grade, and they had been together ever since.

            Most people used what were dubbed as ‘Pokemon’ models, but Ash had a human – or, close enough, and he wanted him to stay that way.

            He hadn’t told anyway about Lance’s hidden weapons anyways. Had never needed them in the two or three fights he had actually done, against rookie trainers.

            The needles, the blades, the wings of silver-steel were all hidden inside that black armor, waiting for release. The media could deny magic all they wanted, and Ash doubted most people had it. It was interesting to observe though, how psychic models were built with such high speed that they could have been teleporting. The only problem was they sacrificed almost all their defense for that speed; so landing a good hit on them first would knock them out.

            But Sabrina trained her Kadabra well.

 

            Gary’s Nidoking was a poison-ground fusion, replacing both the Nidoran M and Nidorino he had first possessed. They were called ‘evolved angels’.

            It was kind of interesting, but he still liked his best.

 

**************Flashback Mode******************************************

 

            “Now, Ash,” His father said, as they stopped outside the doors of Angel Emporium. “This is where you buy angels, and everything you need to go with them.”

            Ash nodded.

            “For your birthday this year, you can pick out any angel you want.”

            “Really?”

            Jacques smiled. He used two angels himself, Giovanni, built for stealth and iron will, and Mewtwo, a ‘pokemon’ type angel, very new, and that particular breed was only available to the regional champions for purchase. It was much too hard for a newbie to control. Mewtwo was power and speed.

 

            Ash looked at all the angels, but decided he wanted to build his own, so he grabbed an Angel Egg and a few clothing kits, before he went to find his dad, who paid for it.

            At home, he opened the egg, and began building the angel. After rinsing off the protective goo it had come in, he put it inside the configuration chamber, and typed the specifics into the miniature keypad.

            “I want defense…balance… and speed.” Ash said, as the machine beeped and a few minutes later, his angel appeared, still naked though, because he hadn’t made clothes yet. Golden eyes were half-open and dark red hair flowed around its shoulders.

            “How pretty!” Ash clapped, not knowing it would have turned out so well. “I’ll call you Lance.”

            “Registering.” The machine said. “Angel – Lance. Deus – Ashura Satoshi. Hit enter for yes, hit backspace for no.”

            Ash hit the ‘yes’ button and then picked up his angel, marveling at the precision. Amazing what machines could do…

            Then, he opened the clothing kits and began laboriously designing Lance’s outfit, before it was configured in the machine as well.

            “Ash?”

            Jacques came in and saw Ash dressing up his doll. “Well, you went for speed?”

            “Hai.”

            “I hope you know what you’re doing, Ash.”

            “What do you mean?”

            “Speed alone won’t help you win. And-.” Jacques paused when Ash finished and put Lance on the bed next to him. “You did balance too?”

            “Hai!”

            “Then it might win. Good luck, kid. Sorry I’m flying off to Kyoto tomorrow for another tournament.”

            “It’s all right.” Ash said, knowing his dad was just busy. At least now he had his own angel doll to keep him company.

            Jacques waved goodbye, as he left to go catch his plane at the airport.

 

            Ash smiled as he folded Lance’s steel wings neatly inside his armor along with the knives. Weapons were allowed, but usually people went into a match holding them. That totally gave it away.

            Lance would be a master of hidden weapons.

            “Ash! It’s time for bed!” His mom called.

            “Okay!” Ash went and brushed his teeth and gave his mom a goodnight kiss, before he fell asleep, holding Lance to his chest tightly.

            “My own angel…”

 

********************End Flashback*************************************

 

            Yes, he had magic, only a little, and it was more like empathy, but he didn’t want Lance to get hurt.

            Magic probably wasn’t real…

            Ash smoothed down his angel’s pretty hair and then put Lance on the desk next to him as he labored through his Geometry homework.

            Yuck.

 

End Chapter

Completed 6/7/04, created 6/1/04