Whee!
Another chapter!

Started 6/5/01

Have decided to set this fic after Orange Islands

Notes/Disclaimer: See an earlier chapter please!

Chapter 3

Charizard dragged him out the door in a towel six minutes later.

Lance looked amused. “I assume you’re the new gym leader.”

“Hai!” Ash said, blushing in spite of himself.

“Maybe I shouldn’t have come so early, I just dropped by to see if you needed help.” The Dragon Master continued. “I’ll just wait out here while you attend to business.”

Ash blushed and quickly ran back into the gym.

“That was so embarrassing…”

Poor you. Pikachu clucked.

“How was I supposed to know he’d come? And Charizard, why did you do that?”

it was fun. The fire dragon laughed.

Ash managed to dampen his hormones with a cold shower, and then he dressed in his black jumpsuit before he went out to find Lance, who was talking with Arcanine.

“I’m sorry.” Ash said, as Lance followed him inside. “I just got here and I haven’t cleaned up yet.”

“That’s fine. I just came to check on you.”

“Arigato.” Ash managed to get out.

Lance smiled, as Ash showed him around the gym nervously, and nodded. “I’ll stay here for a few weeks until you get settled in, all right?”

“Hai!”

This was too good to be true…

Ash had had a crush on Lance for years, well, maybe not a crush, but it counted. That was why Misty’s failed attempts filled the air.

He didn’t love her! Why would he, when he had a hero to worship?

And now Lance was actually going to stay with him…

Ash tried to tear his mind away from the trainer, and succeeded somewhat. He and Lance explored the gym, and checked the machinery.

It was still in working condition.

That was very good, since Ash wasn’t getting paid as a gym leader yet and he wouldn’t be able to afford repairs.

“Now, you’ll receive a stipend from the Indigo League after your training is finished.” Lance told him. “I know you’re a good trainer, otherwise you wouldn’t be Orange League Champion.”

Ash blushed slightly. “Hai!”

“Do you want to have a test match?”

He already did one earlier. Poliwhirl said.

“Well, which pokemon did he use?”

Abra and me.

Pride shone in the voice.

“Ash, you are allowed to use your own pokemon in this gym…”

“Honto ni?”

“Of course, they’re yours, aren’t they? Unless you stole them…”

“No! Of course not!” Ash spluttered, looking indignant until he realized Lance was teasing him.

“Lighten up! Gym leaders have to face this sort of thing often, so you’d better get used to it.”

“O-okay!”

“Shall we begin?”

Lance’s cloak swished slightly around his slender form as Ash struggled to tear his eyes away, and nodded.

“Hakuryuu…”

One of Lance’s twin dragonair appeared in a spray of sparkling mist.

“Um, go… Squirtle!”

“Excellent, type advantage normally helps.” Lance said. “But be careful. Hakuryuu, Thunder…”

Squirtle dived into his shell to escape the blow, and so was mostly unharmed. He spat out Bubblebeam.

“Thunderwave.”

That attack traveled down the chain of bubbles and hit Squirtle, paralyzing him. Ash winced.

“Be careful though, dragons are not only 4x strong to the base elements, but some attacks can be used to transfer others.”

“H-hai! I’ll remember!”

Ash used Paralyze Heal on Squirtle, only for Squirtle to faint due to a Hyper Beam that had been charging.

“Items can also help, but they take time…”

There was a lot for him to learn it seemed…

Frowning, Ash threw out Charizard.

“Don’t fret so much, you’re still a very good trainer. I’m just better, technically.” Lance said, as Dragonair’s Surf finished off Charizard. Agility on the first turn had cost Dragonair some HP, but it paid off.

“And don’t always shirk status-changing moves. I mean like Tail Whip and Agility. Those may prove to be useful in the near future.”

“Bulbasaur, Sleep Powder!”

Dragonair did sleep, luckily.

“Leech Seed!”

“Good, you’ve managed to constrain my dragon’s movements somewhat.” Lance said. “However…”

He used Full Restore.

Bulbasaur’s speed wasn’t particularly high, coupled with the truth that Dragonair still had the Agility bonus let Dragonair hit first with Ice Beam.

There went another one.

“Pikachu, Thunder!”

Pikachu was his last chance, wasn’t she?

Ash’s eyes widened in shock as Hyper Beam knocked her out first, but Dragonair still felt the effects of Thunder from the atmosphere and was knocked out as well.

“You also tend to rely on your Pikachu too much. That could be a downfall, so be careful.”

“All right.”

“And don’t fret, you actually managed to faint my pokemon. I’m impressed.” Lance recalled his Dragonair and they both healed their pokemon.

End Chapter

Completed 6/20/01