And… another chapter!
Disclaimer: If it wasn’t evident before, I don’t own pokemon! It belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. CCS belongs to CLAMP and Kodansha. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me.

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

Episode 2

He soon got a picture, when Lance picked him up and started flying.

“Hey! Put me down!”

< I sense the energy of a card… by the way, Chosen, which ones do you have? >

“Cards? I’ve got a couple…” Ash said, as he showed Lance, simply by thinking about them. The circles on the backs of his hands glowed and a picture projection formed. Lance’s expression did not falter, but inside his mind, something clicked.

< All those types… magic under my control, I wonder… his father was pleased, did they know the summoning specialty? >

If it were a normal case, then one card would be activated, the rest sent sailing off, and of the guardians, the one who guarded that type would be summoned.

But to choose seven that all matched his…

Interesting.

The boy’s father must really want him… bad thought there, better not delve into it… he would only obey his Chosen.

No one else…

They landed by a lake.

“I don’t see anything…”

< Your eyes are not well-developed enough to see magic yet. I want you to feel, like you did to pick those seven cards. You did pick them, right? >

< H-hai! >

Ralts looked amused from where he clung to Ash’s neck.

He would come along too!

But… yes, if he felt, he could feel… some distance in the water, a presence, not easy to sense, but there…

“I think I’ve found it…”

< Excellent. Now you must capture it. >

“How?”

< When the card’s magic is low enough, the magic I have placed in you will kick in and automatically change the pokemon back to card form. If not, you must battle the pokemon to weaken it. >

Pokemon battle? Well, he knew how to do that!

No problem!

“Ralts, use Confusion!”

The confusion waves hit… something, the water parted, and a large pokemon jumped out. Ash gulped.

“AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”

< Do not be afraid, I will protect you. >

“But Carvanhas eat people!”

Red watched in surprise as Lance grabbed the Carvanha before it could hit him. < Psychic attacks do nothing to dark types, try using a card. >

“How?”

< Call the card you want in your mind and tell it to attack. >

So he did try. * Um… Tropius? *

His circles flared, as did the golden band tattoos under his eyes. A Tropius appeared, shaking her head.

Seeing the Tropius, Carvanha broke free of Lance’s grasp and used Crunch.

Ash yelped, as Tropius lifted him into the air, before firing a flurry or razor leaves at Carvanha. Although its prickly hide deflected most of them, it started to look tired.

He felt a bit tired too. < Lance, what’s going on? >

< Although I gifted you with magic, it will take your body time to adapt to the new system. >

< Oh… >

He could talk in telepathy now? Cool…

But first, he needed to defeat this pokemon!
How to do that?

… Tropius, could you use Giga Drain?

That finished off Carvanha, and he looked surprised as the pokemon seemed to be sucked into a vortex of golden light, and a card appeared.

His hands…

The glow died down, and Tropius set him down on the ground gently before it vanished.

Lance caught him from behind as he fell.

“Lance… why am I so tired?”

< It takes time to adjust, Chosen. >

“But it hurts…”

< I can make the pain go away, would you like that? >

“Hai.”

The last thing he saw were Lance’s gold eyes staring into his before he fell asleep. So comfortable…

Lance took him home, and then talked to his father.

< You wanted to summon me. >

“Yes, I admit I did.”

< Why? Any guardian would do. Why not choose one, cute, like Pika-chan or Vulpix-chan or Chikorita-chan? >

Cypress looked down guiltily.

< Well? >

“My son… he needs a protector, someone he can trust who will be strong for him. I will not be around for much longer, I am afraid.”

Lance fixed penetrating eyes on him and saw.

Death was rooted in his chest, ugly and evil.

< And how would you know of this? >

“I was in medical school before I decided engineering suited my tastes more, I know the signs.”

< Very well. I will protect the Chosen. >

“That is all I wanted, really…”

And the man spoke the truth. He truly only wanted what was best for his only child, so…

Lance promised him, swore him the oath of protection so he would be satisfied.

End Chapter

Completed 7/17/04

Ash: So you’re rewriting CCA?

Phantomness: To an extent…

Lance: It doesn’t seem bad yet, but I shall keep a close eye on things.

Kairo: ^_^

Shoyko: *Fast asleep, worn out after all the darkfic*