Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks
Warnings: Gender mistakes, Cross-dressing
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)
Title: Smoke and Mirrors
Chapter 1
His body hit the water with a wet splash, and he was inordinately grateful that he hadn’t fallen into the lava. Aerodactyl was shivering though, so he concentrated and placed his hands on the fossil pokemon’s body, willing him to heal quickly. Exposing wounds to the salt water was one of the worse things one could do…for a human. For pokémon, salt water could heal…
But he had no wish to attract Sharpedo.
And he had no wish to let the fleeing trainers see him either. Luckily, that would not be a problem anymore…
The bubble formed around them both, and they bobbed gently under the surface until they were sure that everyone was gone. When they resurfaced, the other dragons were waiting.
He could see patrol boats in the distance, and scowled. He healed all his dragons quickly, and then told them to hide. They could all swim away except for Aerodactyl but that was okay.
He and Ptera were going to Johto.
He looked at his hands, as if he had never seen them before, and he handed a single poke ball to the Nurse Joy in Violet City. Then he went upstairs and changed into an adorably cute outfit that Lance would have never gotten caught dead in.
But he wasn’t Lance any more. Lance had died when Lugia had flown away.
Now, all he was – no, all she was, was Catelyn.
She smoothed down her skirts ad looked at herself in the mirror. Her red hair dye was coming out – the dunking in the lava and the sea could not have helped. She sighed, and headed into the bathroom.
She rinsed the rest out with strong soap and showered, and then she put on her cute jean shorts and t-shirt with a Pichu.
It was time to stop pretending – or to keep pretending.
“You seem very quiet, Red.” Yellow said timidly, as they disembarked from his Gyarados at the edge of Pallet Town. “Is something troubling you?”
“Do not worry, Yellow. It is nothing important.” Red grinned impishly at her as he recalled Gyarados. “You can stay the night at my house tonight. It’s a long walk to Viridian City.”
“Thanks Red!”
Red nodded, and asked if Yellow minded sandwiches for dinner – or breakfast, as it was. Yellow just grinned and said that was fine.
She waited while Red went upstairs and showered, and looked around his house. It was nice enough, if quite dusty, but then, he hadn’t been home in a while.
A thought struck her. Did Red not have any parents at home?
If so, it would explain why no one had really noticed he was missing. She hugged Pika close to her.
Red came downstairs a few minutes later, and told her the shower was free if she wanted to use it, so she nodded, and borrowed some of his old clothes to wear.
When she got downstairs, he had managed to make a plate of peanut butter and jelly and tuna fish sandwiches, and Pika was nibbling on an apple, so she tucked in as he ordered her to, and soon fell asleep, despite the early hour.
They could all use some rest, what after the disastrous events at Cerise Island.
Red stayed awake, and dialed Clair.
She picked up, and immediately asked about Lance. The news had already spread, and there was no way to contain it.
Red told her that no, he didn’t think Lance was dead, and no one had seen him since Yellow had blasted him into the volcano, but if anyone could survive that Lance could. He didn’t say more.
Clair had sighed and nodded, and said she’d send Red her Rising Badge and one of her Dragonair in case he needed it.
For what, the reason was not given, but Red nodded.
They both knew what was not being said.
“You know, you can come out now.” Clair said, as the figure hiding in the shadows laughed and jumped down. Clair raised her eyebrows at the outfit, barring the cape of course, and sighed.
“You’ve made a real mess of it this time, Lance. They’ll be hunting you.”
Lance laughed. “Only if they can catch me.” She smirked. “Besides, I’ll be walking around as Catelyn.”
“Do you trust Red?”
“Of course.”
“Then why won’t you tell him about who you really are?”
Lance shrugged. “But it’s so difficult to be a girl.”
Clair raked her eyes over her cousin’s form for a moment. “So you say.” She said flatly.
“You’re not the one engaged to Drake, so you’re no one to talk.”
“You know, surely your parents cannot be that crazy.”
“What about our grandfather?” Lance asked, as she flicked her wrist. Aerodactyl screamed out a warning before a Hyper Beam slammed into a group of stalagmites, sending them falling around a short man in draconic armor.
Clair sighed. “Grandfather! You know better than to sneak up on us like that.”
The grandfather sighed. What had he done to deserve two stubborn girls for his heirs? He had wanted a boy badly, but neither of his two sons had delivered.
Lance put her hands on her hips as she smirked. “Grandfather… Ptera is not going to let you out until you apologize. And not just about the engagement… about everything.” Her tone promised excruciating pain should he fail to deliver.
Clair cracked her whip as she stood behind Lance. She would never let her cousin down, and backing her up against their grandfather was only to be expected.
“I… I never thought you would fail. You are the strongest dragon user our clan has produced…”
“That is no excuse! What did you do to me? Did you drug me? Hypnotize me? Or did you just… prod me in all the right directions? Was I never more than a puppet for your foolish goals?”
“I…”
“No answer?” Lance asked. “Clair, hold him.”
Clair shrugged as she lashed her whip out. Lance placed her hands on her Grandfather’s head and concentrated her chi, before intense pain washed through her body and she broke off with a scream of agony.
“Lance, are you all right?” Clair asked. “Lance?”
Lance’s eyes were changing colors, flickering from their sharp golden color into a flat, metallic silver… and her blonde hair was beginning to change, darkening into a dull black, as her clothing also shifted, becoming form-fitting body armor in blood-red…
A pair of wings exploded out of her back, still dripping blood, sharp-edged metal, and Clair instinctively backed away as those expressionless eyes settled on her.
“Clair…”
“… Lance?”
“Shh.” Lance said. “I can’t tell you what I saw in his mind. It’s too dangerous. But I have to kill him. Do you understand?”
No, Clair did not understand, but she did not protest as Lance – was she Lance anymore? – Pulled a short bladed feather from her wings and slit their grandfather’s throat.
“Ptera and I will be all right. Don’t look for us, Clair. Promise me.”
And Clair did.
End Chapter
Completed 6/30/06
Creepy! Powered up! Female! Lance alert!