Tempted to make Red mute for the rest of his life. Nahc Championshipping lime and lemon makes me happy!

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 10

 

            He has a Volcano Badge now, and though he still cannot speak, he feels that he is ready to leave, and hefll be back home tonight anyways. So Red carefully pulls on his jeans, elated when he feels no pain from the earlier burns, and he climbs on Mantinefs back with Poli in his arms as they take off for Kogafs gym in Fuchsia.

            He sees the Safari Zone open, but decides not to go alone. Maybe he can go camping with Father.

            The thought sends a curl of warm fire straight to his stomach.

            Mantine begins a slow descent, and they see the purple-pink roofs of Fuchsia City below. There is the gym, and he recalls Mantine as they walk inside.

            As soon as he steps foot, the floor beneath him gives, and it is only through Polifs great strength that he does not fall into a pit of Grimer below. He shudders, and Poli pulls him up with a half-smile.

            Be careful, Master!

            Yes, he must be careful here, then.

            So he keeps his eyes peeled for traps, and he stays afloat, with Poli by his side and a Pidgeotto to float on, and birds have sharp eyes because she sees a set of trip wires that he would have stepped on were he on the ground, and a strange discolored patchc.

 

            Poli water guns a barrage of shuriken out of the way, and Red wonders if the rumors about Koga being a ninja are true.

            They probably are!

            Still, it is none too bad, being here. It keeps his senses on edge, and he feels quite satisfied as he manages to evade a blade that looks like it could take his head off, and finally, after wandering through a series of revolving doors, he sees a man seated cross-legged in front of a tale, sipping tea.

            This must be Koga.

 

            Koga looks up, and sees a boy who has made it through his trap-filled gym, though judging but the band-aids on his arms, he didnft escape completely, and he nods.

            gYou are here to challenge me for my Soul Badge, are you not?h

            gYes.h

            Koga nods, and releases a Weezing. The boy smiles, and the Poliwrath standing next to him flexes his muscles.

            How interesting, for there is no type advantage here. He orders Sludge Bomb, but the Poliwhirl Double Teams, and as such, evades being hit.

            An Ice Punch slams into his Weezing, but it is not frozen, merely quite cold. Weezing fills the air with Smog, and he hears the trainer coughing.

            Hefll give him the Antidote later.

           

            Red narrows his eyes, and he nods to himself. He orders another Double Team, and Koga scoffs.

            The same trick will not work twice.

            But while Wheezing barrels into the real Poliwhirl, the Substitute unleashes a furious Blizzard attack, and Poliwhirl brings up both its arms in Ice Punch.

            And Weezing is frozen solid.

            Koga shakes his head, and tells Red that hefs competent enough to receive the Soul Badge, and Red thanks him politely in written notes, before he is shown the back door out of the gym, where luckily, there are no more traps.

            Red smiles, and counts two more badges in his mind. Giovanni will be difficult, he remembers from Fatherfs memories, but he will figure out a way to defeat him, and Sabrinac

            Sabrina might be able to read his thoughts. She is a psychic after all.

 

            Ho he heads out into the grass and finds a Doduo ripe for the plucking, and he has added another bird to his inventory of pokémon, and after he heals his pokémon at Fuchsiafs Pokemon Center, he flies home.

            Father is waiting, and sometimes, Red wonders if he is psychic, but dinner is just coming out of the oven, and therefs a lovely leg of lamb with peas today, and potatoes, and he does not ask about Sabrina until after they finish eating.

            And Father looks him in the eyes and asks him if he trusts him.

            And of course Red says yes, and for good measure, adds eI love youf – all written in bright blue ink.

            So Father places his hands on his head, and for a few moments, Red feels sleepy, but then it fades.

            And now there are shields and pretty mirrors to fool observers in his head, to protect his thoughts.

            And he thanks Father, and then asks if therefs any dessert?

            And Father shakes his head, reprimands him – gently, for being a glutton, and whips out a container of chocolate pudding.

            Yay!

 

            Lance watched as Red fell headlong into sleep. One of the problems with energy transference was a toll on both of the participantfs bodies.

            Lance was lucky. He could pull off his façade unless he was within an inch of death. Even then, he could still stay cool, calculated, and in control, but right now, running on what felt like seventy percent, he felt oddly dizzy.

            Perhaps he had spent too many years in full health. Not that that was a bad thing, but it left him a bit short-changed now.

 

            Hakuryuu eyed him curiously. < What did you give him? >

            < A touch of my power. >

            < It feels like more than just a touch. Can he heal? >

            < Only minor injuries – nothing extensive, you know. Broken bones and such would be out of his capacity. >

            < We thought so. > His Gyarados chimed in. < And what about the shields? >

            < Ifm the only one who can take them down. >

            < Excellentc >

            < My power will return in a matter of time. I will not be battling until then. >

            < We understand, Master. >

            < It is to keep us safe. >

            < We appreciate thatc >

            < And we will watch over you just the same. >

            Lance did not say more. Two badges leftc.

            They still had time, almost two months, before they would adjourn to Cerise.

            It would be a beautiful New Year.

 

End Chapter

Completed 7/11/06

Why does my chin hurt?

And yes, I realize I was too lazy to make Red angst more. Donft like it? Write your own fic, love!

Hmm. I realize I sometimes jump writing styles between chapters, going from past to present tensec Ifm not sure if it makes the fic choppy or not. Leave a review and tell me!