*Waves to all the nice readers* I’m glad I’m not invisible…

Chapter 12

“Where are we going?” Ash asked Lance.

“You’ll see.”

When teleport was done, they sat in the middle of a lake.

Ash blinked. “This was intentional, yes?”

“Hai.” He took a silver-hafted dagger out of his cape – no, he wasn’t wearing one, his armor then – and casually ran the blade across one forearm.

Several patters of blood fell into the water below.

“Lance! What are you doing?!”

“Shh!” The other guardian warned, as the wound closed up with only a faint scar to mark it.

Little whirlpools began appearing, and Ash stared in shock as familiar – so familiar – pokemon showed up.

Faces plunged out of the water, gasping for air. Dragged themselves to the island and gathered around.

It was a dream? It had to be!

“… They’re the ones I left behind when I died.” He gasped.

“Yes.” Lance agreed. “This is a wellspring of time. I’m the one who can enter, if you came here yourself Serebii would have killed you.”

Ash gulped.

The pokemon all congregated around their old – and new – master, gladly.

A few minutes later, they reappeared elsewhere.

“Are you all right Lance? I mean; you cut yourself…” Ash looked at the older boy worriedly.

Lance waved a hand in dismissal. “I’m fine.”

“Honto Ni?”

“Hai. This time I’m not lying to you.”

“O-okay.” Ash said, as Spirita licked his face. He had missed her, and all the rest of them.

It was so different.

Yet… some were missing. No, they had been reincarnated. Pikachu and Bulbasaur and Squirtle… Charmander and Pidgeot too…

That would explain it.

Lance shifted back, armor and wings vanishing swiftly. “Well, I should leave you now.”

“What? Why?”

“You don’t want me around, do you?” He asked sardonically.

“No… I would like you to stay with me. I need a guide because I’m just a new guardian, and not even a very good one.”

“… Very well.”

Without further ado, the two took hands.

Ash blushed. * I… maybe I do like him… *

“Ash?”

Ash quickly let go. Lance sweatdropped. “I was asking you if you wanted to go to Ice Island.”

“Oh! Sure! That’s where I lived before.”

“Well, hang on then.”

Another teleport later, the familiar black gules of the castle welcomed them. Oh, the looming dark atmosphere as well…

“… Wow…”

“I’m impressed.” Lance whistled.

“I didn’t build it, it was kind of here…”

Lance sweatdropped again. * Ah… *

They entered the castle, Lance found a room while Ash went up to his, and tried not to remember. He really tried to forget.

Still, those things are very hard.

It was kind of hard though, same environment.

… Whatever that meant.

Lance flopped down onto the bed, covered with black silken sheets, and sighed. * What has gotten into me? *

Did he actually think the younger boy was cute? Impossible! They were four years apart! Besides, Ash probably still hated him for the last deceit.

Still…

Lance sighed again. “This has got to be one of nature’s cruel pranks…” He decided to sleep and think on it.

He rubbed his amulet anxiously as he looked out the window.

What’s wrong, Daddy? Larvitar asked.

Ash picked up the little pokemon and held him to his chest. “I’m not sure…”

Are you sick?

“Well… in a way, this is a kind of sickness I suppose.”

Oh no! I’ll get Chansey to come look after you! Larvitar cried, running off. Chansey! Chansey!

The plump motherly pink pokemon waddled in. You are ill?

Larvitar nodded. Can you heal him?

I will try my best. Chansey smiled. All right, Master Ash, if you could open your mouth and let me take a look?

Ash meekly succumbed to Chansey’s check-up. She pronounced him fatigued and told him to get some bed rest.

So he did.

He really did! He stayed in bed for a week, but it did his mind no good. Instead, the quiet time – very boring! Actually made him think on the subject more.

But… but I can’t be in love with him!

Why would I?

But… Lance was the closest thing he had to a friend… misty and Brock didn’t really count.

His pokemon were friends too, but that was different. They couldn’t understand what the guardian’s power and responsibility were. Lance could, he was a guardian too… that made sense…

Did it? Ash sighed and looked up at the ceiling. * Even if that’s the case, what am I supposed to do? Go up to him and say ‘I think I’m in love with you’? He’d probably reject me anyways… *

Fate was so cruel! Why was he doomed to love someone that would never love him back?

With power comes a price; is the price my emotional stability? That would fit under equivalent trade after all…

He tried not to cry because it was unfair.

End Chapter

Completed 6/14/04