Ugh… brain dead…AP’s and finals…

Disclaimer: Don’t own pokemon. ‘nuff said.

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks.

Started 5/11/04

Chapter 3

It was pretty tasty.

Lance didn’t say much during the meal, but he offered to give Ash a tour of the area. Being excruciatingly bored, as was his normal mindset, Ash accepted.

The area swarmed with shadow pokemon, the ones who were not perfect enough to enter the world.

Ash found them resigned to their lot in life, neither cheerful nor despondent, just… flat.

Strange…

And yet, why did Lance want him here?

Company?

It wasn’t clear.

Nothing was clear in this place! There were no certainties or absolutes, just things that could be interpreted in many ways.

Ash sighed.

What was wrong? Something was, he could feel it but the feeling decreased every day and what if he woke up one day and just passively accepted this life?

NO!
That- I never will!
Ash looked at the baby Linoone curled up in his lap and sighed, running his fingers through its fur.

Unfair.

They were pokemon, but why were they locked here? Was Lance the same?

Then he might feel pity. But Pity is the most dangerous emotion of all, Dostoevsky says…

‘For a young girl’s heart moved to pity is worse than love. She thinks she can save him.’ (From Crime and Punishment)

That would be deadly.

Lance didn’t ‘need’ saving, as such. He needed light, though, and Ash was that little light.

Ash blushed as the prince of darkness kept hold of him.

“What’s wrong?”

Honeyed wine, that tone, so alluring and he wanted to slip badly into the pool and drown… but he would not let himself.

Ash flushed. “Nothing.”

“Very well…”

I want you, and I know I shouldn’t, but!

He was finding it increasingly more difficult to fight off the allure.

Lance smiled to himself. Patience was a virtue in this case…

You’re falling into my net already, little one.

Fall.

One little misstep, and you’ll be mine…

After all, it will be so easy. Don’t fight anymore, I promise I won’t hurt you, you trust me, right?

Yes…

Ash took an oppressed breath when Lance let go and flew away, wings glinting darkness.

What was that all about?

Well… all right! Lance was ‘hot’, to put it that way. It was a very tempting dark beauty, and he did want to so touch it – what?

Ash whacked himself on the head with an empty poke ball. * No, no, no! *

But the stirrings stayed.

It had only been about a week, but time ebbed and flowed strangely in this realm. After all, the Seven and the one controlled it, and they amused themselves. Often, they needed more time to finish something, so it would stretch and a day in the real world would fold into months here. It was very strange but nice…

Ash carefully smoothed down his new black cloak self-consciously as he looked at his reflection in the wall-length mirror. Strange, it made his eyes glow?

Well, he did look handsome, if he said so himself.

He smiled.

“Very nice…”

Ash jumped, before realizing that it was Sabrina. “Oh! I didn’t see you.”

‘That’s fine.”

“Um… did you need my help?”

Sabrina shook her head. “No, I was just wondering if you would like to have lunch with me?”

“Sure.” Ash said, and he followed Sabrina to the gate that she guarded. Rings of twisted metal arced towards the sky around them.

“Why do people try to pierce the dream realm?”

“Well…” Sabrina paused as she peeled a blood orange and shook her head. “Curiosity.”

“Really!”

“Yes, to quote a friend of mine, ‘what fools these mortals be’. They never give up their quest for knowledge, even when it should be kept secret.”

Ash blinked.

He accepted the half of the orange Sabrina handed him and chewed, surprised at the sweet flavor despite the dark flesh.

Interesting.

While Ash was exploring, Delia returned and found her child gone.

“WHERE IS HE?” She demanded.

No one knew.

The stars did not talk, neither did the earth, and she was angry, but where could he have gone?

Chosen can’t die!

So what was it?

There was no answer from the wind, or the water.

After Delia had calmed down and analyzed the situation, the answer hit her like a rock. Or an arrow hitting a bulls-eye

In either case, the next day, she made a visit to the Dream Realm.

End Chapter

Completed 5/31/04