And… another new fic!

Title: Song of Silence

Author: Shadow/Phantomness

Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red)

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: AU Special-verse, Shonen-ai, and Shota

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

Chapter 1

Children could be the cruelest forces on the planet…

Lance stared moodily into his thermos of water as he listened to the cries of laughter and the sound of running feet coming from the playground. His fingers tightened around shiny blue plastic as he wondered just what he was supposed to do.

They had laughed at him for being smart, but when he answered questions wrong, the teacher would frown at him and they would all laugh.

What’s the matter now, smart boy? Not so smart now, eh?

He could hardly wait until his journey began and he could leave all those taunting voices behind.

He truly did want to fit in, but was it possible?

It could not just be his looks. Sure, golden eyes were odd, and they called him a freak, but it could just be very light brown, right?

Somehow, he did not think so….

Sometimes, he reflected, it was just easier not to speak at all.

His parents were frantic when his teacher finally noticed, three months too late, but by that time, he was graduating, and there was no need for her to interfere in his life any more.

Besides, it was not as if he were stupid, simply mute. He wrote incessantly upon a notepad in silver ink, and usually got his point across.

He had always been a quiet child, after all….

They did not think much of it. Lance did not need to know how to speak, after all. He had the Viridian Power, and his pokemon attacked on his hand motions, not on his words.

The badges were ever so easy to gain, and though he never spoke, they feared him. The gym leaders all did.

It was ever so simple.

“So, we meet again, Lance.” Her voice was sickly sweet. She looked whored out, crimson lipstick, a face of garish paint, eyes barely visible between lines of dark color.

He did not answer.

“Cat got your tongue?” She laughed. “Oh, I forgot, the cat’s run off with it a long time ago. Let’s battle!”

He lifted hard golden eyes to meet coy emerald. She giggled and winked, before throwing a poke ball forwards.

“Milotic, make me proud!”

He waited until the pokemon was close, before he released his own. The bloodlust in the Gyarados’s eyes matched that of its master.

Carol screamed as it wound its body tightly around her water pokemon, and leered horribly, before using Thunderbolt.

They should both have fainted, especially since Gyarados was doubly weak to lightning, but it had not.

Lance smiled the barest hint of a smile as he recalled his pokemon and turned, the swirl of his dark cape behind him.

Carol stared under his retreating figure, feeling sudden, irrational fear…

< Foolish. > Lance whispered. < You were excellent, Gyarados. > He felt the pokemon’s assent rumble in his mind as he continued down the road. Seven badges had been gathered, whether by force or by guile, but it mattered little. Soon, Agatha would find the power source necessary to use them, and then they would release Lugia, the dragon pokemon of the seas…

It would be wonderful…

Red was walking through the woods with his Bulbasaur and Poliwrath; Pika perched on his hat, when he heard the singing. It was hauntingly beautiful; though he could not tell which direction it was coming from. Even his pokemon were entranced, snared in the net of the music. They all began to walk towards it, unaware of what danger may await.

Finally, he spotted the source, and nearly dropped his pokédex in shock. It was no pokemon. Of course not!

He wasn’t sure if the person was a boy or a girl, they had long red hair and that was all he could see from the back…

Pikachu shocked Red lightly. Startled, Red let out a cry. The singing suddenly stopped as the figure spun around.

Oh, a boy then, or so he thought. He was still a bit unsure. Golden eyes narrowed as they scanned his face, searching for something, before finally, they turned away. A moment later, an Aerodactyl was released form its poke ball. The trainer jumped on the fossil pokemon’s back and took off into the sky.

“Wait!” Red called after the fleeing figure, but there was no response.

He slumped down on the grass as he tried to figure out what had gone wrong. Maybe the other trainer was shy?

Still….

Well, it was probably rude of him to have listened, but that was just being ridiculous! Still, Viridian Forest was generally quite quiet, not many people came here.

He hoped he hadn’t offended the other trainer. He had seemed nice enough, and his voice really was lovely!

Maybe they would meet again, later?

< Are you all right? > Aerodactyl asked, as they descended in a grassy clearing.

< I’m fine now, Ptera. I was simply startled. > Lance replied.

< You do have a lovely voice, Master. I do not understand why you never speak. I’m sure it would sound as wonderful. >

< The humans do not deserve to hear my voice. > Lance said curtly, and Ptera found no fault with that. < Also… I sing for the pokémon. >

< There was no taint in that human. >

< I suppose not. I had no time to scan, but his pokemon did not radiate distrust or fear. That was how he crept up on us. >

< Mm. That is a good sign, Master. >

< Yes. He may be worth recruiting, but he is yet unskilled… time will tell… >

Something in Ptera’s tone was almost wistful. < You know, Master, this is a first time a human has heard your voice and not gone mad. >

Lance paused. So it was. He had not spoken for so long that he had given it little thought. After all, silence was excellent for human company and he had his notes.

This… was worth investigating.

End Chapter

Completed 6/4/06

Come on, you blasted plotbunny! Work with me!
And yes, children can be so scarred that they quit talking. For Lance, I think he chooses not to talk…