I will nurture and keep this bunny alive as long as possible! *Nods*
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks!
Disclaimer: I really don’t own pokemon, but I wish I did! Anyways, don’t steal my fanfic/characters/ideas!
Chapter 9
“Lance…”
Lance held her as they watched a gentle rain falling over Pallet. “Hush, Ashline. It’s over. Nothing can change the past now.”
“Unless I capture Serebii…” Ash said bitterly.
Lance frowned. * How did she know? Unless! No! It can’t be… this tragedy is unsealing her memories? Impossible! She’s only twelve! *
Too early awakenings could cause great damage.
Ash closed her eyes. “Lance… do you love me?”
“Why ask this now? I’ve only known you for two weeks, hai?”
“Have you?”
Lance blinked. * He- I mean she can’t possibly remember! Besides, I didn’t say I loved him back then! It can’t be! Must be schoolgirl delusions… *
Ash hugged Lance tightly. “Please don’t leave me…”
“I… I won’t.”
“Honto Ni? Swear?”
“By Lugia.” Lance nodded. * If she needs me, I can’t leave her! *
He hoped he’d learned enough from the videos he had already watched. Time to try for love…
Please love me back this time?
I don’t want us to die.
Ash hugged Lance tighter. * I don’t want to let go… please, let this all be a nightmare… and I’ll dream forever… and turn it into a nice dream… please? *
She fell asleep as Lance hit a few pressure points.
< What do I do now father? >
< I am not sure. This is a precarious situation. Tipping too far either way, kindness of lack of thereof, could cause horrible repercussions. >
< I know. Ashline hasn’t awakened her powers yet, but when she does… >
< The result could be horrendous! She is a legendary child after all. >
< Yes. >
< So I win her. >
< There is no other choice. > Lugia cut connections as Lance nodded. * I will not fail you father; don’t worry. *
He tucked Ashline into her sleeping bag and flew.
< Who is it? >
< Me. >
Honou scowled. < What do you want? >
< Haven’t you noticed your son has been reborn? >
< WHAT?! >
<… I guess not. > Lance remarked, as he began transmitting mental images of Ashline. Honou scowled at the romantic implications, obvious to all but the blind or naïve, and nodded. Although he didn’t approve of love…
He didn’t’ want two dead legendary children his hands again. He still ached from Lugia’s beating last time! Grr… well, fine then! He didn’t want to get attacked by an enraged bird-dragon thing…
So he wouldn’t interfere…
However, something had to be done! Poor Ash. He should have paid more attention… oh well, at least that parent was dead now.
Someone had to adopt though!
< I’ll get Blaine to adopt her. >
< Will he agree? >
< Maybe. I’ll induce memories if he doesn’t >
< She’s a ditz now… >
< Hmph! That changes nothing! I’ll fix it! >
< Good luck. > Lance said politely, although still angry… since Honou had knocked him off rather spectacularly before rebirth.
Oh well, let bygones be bygones…
Ash woke up, finding Lance sleeping next to her, wrapped in a few blankets. He had given her the sleeping bag? Well, it was hers, but…
“Lance?”
The trainer yawned, opening his eyes. “Ashline, how do you feel?”
“I have a headache.”
“I’ll make you something nice for breakfast. Lay back down, here.”
Ashline swallowed the aspirin and the hot chocolate, smiling a bit. Lance made chicken noodle soup from a can, but it was still pretty good.
It helped her feel better too.
She washed her face and hands and brushed her teeth, but decided not to get out of her sleeping bag.
Instead, she let her pokemon run around and play.
Just in case… there was danger around. Someone would be sure to see it, right? That was why more pairs of eyes were out.
It wasn’t just showing off… right?
Her pokemon would look out for her.
Three days passed before Ashline was back to normal, or as close to normal as possible considering the circumstances.
She had twenty thousand dollars in her ‘mother’s’ bank account, hmm… well, since she didn’t have a house, and wasn’t yet obligated to pay taxes, not having a job, that cut into the bills, and without many adult money-leeching sources, it could probably last a few years if she was careful.
She could earn more money by battling.
Her fake father hadn’t contacted her, not that she cared much. Luckily, she was still getting monthly allowances of $40 a month.
That would cover her Pokemon Center subscription at least! Nothing else, but better than nothing…
So she could heal her pokemon there and sleep there most nights. In between, she could probably afford some food…
She’d learn to live without restraints now. What choice did she have?
It kind of hurt not having a home base though…
“Excuse me!”
Ashline jumped. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
The businessman in a truly hideous puce-colored suit coughed politely as he opened his briefcase. “Are you Ashline Ketchum?”
“Um… yes?”
“I know your house burned down to the ground and you are the last surviving relative. I’m authorized to transfer the insurance payment to your bank account.”
“Huh?”
“Life insurance, twenty thousand dollars, property insurance, thirty thousand. Fire is a perfectly acceptable cause of demise.”
“What?”
“All this money is yours now. Budget it well.”
Before Ashline knew what was going on, the man had waved goodbye, leaving a check for fifty thousand dollars in her hands.
Ashline promptly went and deposited it.
Okay, forget the earlier calculations. Hm. Yes, she’d be able to live at least a few more years before getting a job.
She’d have to be careful though! Didn’t want to use all her money now and wind up dirt poor in the future.
Ashline skipped off to find Lance. Life was starting to look up! Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad…
“Insurance payments? Your foster father’s dead?”
“Divorced last time I checked.”
“Ah…”
“So all this money’s mine now. What do I do? I don’t want to spend it all!”
“How much do you usually spend a month?”
“Er…I don’t know, I’ve only been journeying for about a month.”
“Well, how much did you spend?”
“Um…?”
Lance sighed. * Well, I’ve never taken finance classes, but I’ll try my best. *
“I’ll put it this way. What do you have to pay for each month?”
“Oh! Well… I don’t know! Hmm, the Center subscription costs forty dollars a month, for healing and lodging.”
Lance nodded, making a note in his palm pilot.
“Then I spend about thirty dollars on other food.”
“A month or a week?”
“Er… a week.”
“Okay, so I’ll calculate a hundred and thirty dollars a month for food…”
“I spend about fifty bucks on pokemon items.”
“And in case of emergencies… you’d need about two hundred a month, right?”
“Right!”
“I guess that’s it.” Lance had Ashline fill out an online form, that would load 200 dollars onto her pokedex a month that could be withdrawn, with a password for fifty dollars in case of emergency, and an override for five hundred in case of something truly major.
“Arigato Lance!”
“What are friends for?”
“Good point!”
Lance waved goodbye to Ashline and then flew off on Dragonite. Ashline waved, and then headed to Vermillion.
It wasn’t so bad… she could buy more clothes and poke dolls later… Lance had allotted an extra hundred dollars this month, for clothes.
She’d shop in Celadon after she got that badge…
End Chapter
Started 11/24/04
Completed 11/25/04
Phantomness: Ah, yes! I forgot!
Shoyko: ?
Phantomness: I burned down Ash’s house in “Dragon’s Love!”
Ash: *sweatdrop*