Hi all! *Waves*

Started 5/20/03… with almost nothing, really started in 2004

Disclaimer: Guess what? I don’t own pokemon! *Coughs* I mean, it belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics and lots of other people… this is non-profit fanwork, no copyright infringement is intended, and since I wrote it, ‘tis mine, okay? Okay! After all, it’s mine according to international copyright law.

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

If you sense any deviations in writing style, that might be Hemingway’s influence, I just read ‘Farewell to Arms’ and ‘For Whom the Bell Tolls’ for English AP

Chapter 4: Foxfire

Mount Moon, to Ash’s expectations, had not changed. The artificial lights still remained in the tunnel.

Thus, it was bereft of wild pokemon.

“Of course…” Lance said, partially to herself. * They will not continue to live in a place that has been destroyed. *

It was smart of them, certainly.

Why stay when death lurked in the afternoon?

Ash looked around, blue eyes scanning for danger. Bulbasaur walked ahead, her vines lifting boulders away from the beaten path through the twisty maze of mountains. She was strong, in her own way.

All pokemon had potential… it just had to be unlocked. That gave a new meaning to the words ‘Hidden Power’.

But of course, Chosen played with hidden power all the time.

Ash blinked at that random thought as he continued walking, boots sending up dry puffs of dust.

Lance walked in front of him, no need for Flash, but her Larvitar still scampered over the ground, eating chunks of dirt.

Larvitar were ground-types, after all.

If it ate more dirt, maybe it would evolve? That’s what the pokédex said…

Ash shook his head. No, he didn’t want to fall into any more false-bottomed hopes. It was better to rely on your own experience.

Strange…

He was getting a little tired though, so he switched to levitation for the last leg of the tunnel.

“You all right?”

< Hai. >

Cat was sitting just outside, looking at the sky. Ash looked up too, just in case.

It was a warm evening. No heavy cumulonimbus clouds, airbrushed cirrus floated high in the air.

They sat there for a few minutes, drinking in nature’s canvas, before they both got up and headed for the Pokemon Center at the foot of the mountain.

“It’s sad, isn’t it?”

Ash nodded. “Hardly any pokemon out there…”

“Well, it’s only a repetitive cycle of destruction.” Lance said, feigning carelessness. “We destroy, just to bring conveniences to our lives, and that’s the end result.”

“Honto ni?”

“There’s plenty of evidence if you know where to look.” Lance added, adjusting her gloves. “But you haven’t seen it before, have you?”

<… >

“I could show you, but you’d probably be too flustered to train.”

< I’m not scared! >

“Did I imply you were? It’s not pretty at all.” Lance said. Kept her eyes shadowed, couldn’t fly right now… you don’t want to scare him, wait another year or two at least…

Ash’s eyes blanked over as Amnesia wave washed over him.

If this will break him, I’ll wait first.

Lance reminded herself to be patient. After all, dragons were that way naturally… and she could always take the pills if she needed help.

He didn’t awake until a few hours later, but at least he felt fine. No side effects, good, too much power isn’t good.

He didn’t ask what happened. Well, psychics do have some tendencies… in any case; he thought it was enough.

Right.

Well, power came with a price every time, if he had fainting spells occasionally that didn’t matter.

He was levitating apples while Xatu dodged them. Training for both at once…

Still, the sparks of intellect did shine through. Thank Lugia for that. Well, remove the wrong influences, and see what’s really there.

Wisdom, no, not wisdom… Lance derailed those thoughts as Ash began setting up camp. She pitched her own tent and then went to see if he needed help.

He did. They held down the poles and hammered them in, he hadn’t really used a tent before, just sleeping out in the open.

That was no good if winter approached. Sure, they could stay in motels but it could also turn out to be a colossal waste of money.

Ash hammered in the last spike. “Thanks, Cat.”

“No problem. What are friends for?”

“Are we friends?”

“I’ll leave you to answer that question as time goes by.” Lance said, as Charmander lighted a fire for them and they made noodles.

“Oh.”

“Remember, time…”

“Everything takes time.” Ash said, as he ladled up the noodles. “Yum!”

“Yes, and they don’t cook that quickly, Ash.”

“Huh?”

Lance pointed to the dry sticks. “It takes about ten minutes at least for the noodles to cook. I don’t think you want to eat those.”

“Eek!”

Ash quickly tossed the dry bits of pasta back into the water.

Lance shook her head. “I’ll keep an eye on them, k?”

“Thanks Cat!”

Ash took out a brush and groomed his pokemon. * Well… life could be a lot worse. At least I know both my parents now, and I have both of them… *

It really wasn’t so bad.

Xatu preened.

Bulbasaur was done, Squirtle didn’t need much grooming, and Pidgeotto was… flirting with Xatu? Well, why not? They were both birds. They both had the potential to increase their power exponentially, didn’t they?

She would make a good mother.

Ash shook his head, no, he wouldn’t matchmake with his pokemon, it was their choice not his, but chicks? Maybe his parents could take care of them. In any case, better focus on the present.

He finished brushing Charmander’s fur, taking good care to get all the dirt out. Since charmanders couldn’t take water really, it was a slightly more difficult job, but he managed.

The soup was quite good too, and filling, chunks of carrots and potatoes and chicken floating in there with the noodles. Really, why should he complain about life? Being a new trainer wasn’t the worst fate in the world.

He could have wound up not training at all. Who knows what might have happened had he not taken the step to truth in Sabrina’s gym?

Could he have… died?

Ash promptly squashed the thought and focused his attention on the food. Life was always simpler that way.

End Chapter

Finished 4/25/04, started 5/20/03