Disclaimer: Phantomness does not own pokemon. Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me. Do *not* take my work!
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks. ALTERNATE UNIVERSE
Started 12/19/04
Chapter 2
“So.” Lance said, as she walked in. “Nice place you have.” She looked around. “Do you hire a housekeeper?” The burgundy carpet was lush, and she knew that Ash could never be this neat himself.
“Lance, what’s going on?”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m not twenty! I’ve twelve!”
Lance laughed. “Ash, I know that’s your marketing gimmick, but please, be serious. What do you want?”
“What happened? I’m twelve! I can’t be twenty!”
“I know you drink to excess sometimes, but really.” Lance tsked. “Well, I’ll be going. It’s not like you’ll remember this after your hangover.”
“But I’m not drunk!” Ash wailed.
Lance sighed. “Sure, sure… keep talking.”
Ash gulped down a glass of chocolate milk, getting annoyed. “Do you smell alcohol on my breath Lance?” Lance sighed.
“Well… no.”
“Exactly!”
“Fine. So if you really *are* Ash… I mean, of course you are, but it’s hard to think of you as the Ash I used to know…”
“I am!”
“You need my help.”
“Yes!”
“I suppose that since we were once friends, I could spare a few hours… I don’t have any League matches for the next month…”
Ash blinked. “League matches? Lance? You’re finally going on a pokemon journey of your own?”
Lance chuckled. “In case you didn’t know, I’m Lance Dragyn, Master of the combined Kanto and Johto leagues.”
“Kakkoii!”
“Isn’t it?” Lance smiled. “What more did you want to say?”
“Um…” Ash fiddled for a second. “Why aren’t we friends anymore? Could you tell me?” He stopped when Lance winced.
Oh dear. It must have been something really bad.
“Ash, we haven’t been friends since your twelfth birthday… you see, after we came out of the closet, you…”
***************Flashback mode*******************************************
The timer rang raucously as Ash and Lance exited the closet.
Misty had a rather malicious smile on her face. “Ah ha! You kissed, didn’t you? No wonder you’re blushing!”
Lance frowned. “I’m not blushing, it’s just the heat.”
“Why would I want to kiss someone like her?” Ash defended.
Brock and Misty both froze.
“… Her?”
Lance stared at Ash. Why had he told her secret? Why? He had promised never to tell anyone that she…
Delia stood up. “Ash! I can’t believe you!”
“It’s not my fault!” Ash defended. “She forced me not to tell! I can’t believe I even invited her to my birthday party!”
Lance didn’t move, until Ash threw the still-wrapped present she had brought at her. After that, the girl fled.
“Damn you….”
***************End helpful flashback***************************************
“So I threw the Global positioning system 3000 Ultra that you had spent five months saving your allowance for at your head and kicked you out of my house and never saw you again since I said we weren’t friends anymore?”
“Pretty much.” Lance studied her fingernails. She really ought to invest in gloves, soon… it was getting colder.
“That’s horrible!”
“It’s the truth.”
“So when was the last time you saw me?”
Lance picked up a magazine lying on Ash’s counter with no expression and flipped it open to the centerfold, showing him.
Ash screamed.
There was a
picture of him in boxer shorts, surrounded by women in silk lingerie, and… he
was smiling!
“EEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!”
“That’s odd. You got paid good money for this.”
“W-what?”
“Ash. Do you really want to know what happened?”
“Humor me.” Ash begged.
Lance nodded. “You asked, not me. Very well. After your twelfth birthday, you sold most of your pokemon away, and used the cash to get some plastic surgery which landed you a modeling job.”
“WHAT?!”
“You’ve had approximately 15 girlfriends since age fourteen.” Lance continued reading off a fan website. “Apparently you’re quite good in bed.”
“Yah!”
“Ash, if you’re going to act like this I’m going to leave.”
“But it’s not possible!”
“It is.”
“Fine. It is.”
“Well, what more do you want from me?”
“I-I want to go back on my pokemon journey.” Ash whispered. * Why did I ever give it up? How stupid I was! *
Modeling = fame and fortune?
If that were true, he’d give up both!
Grr…
“And… exactly, how? Well, I suppose you can afford to buy as many pokemon as you like…”
“Do you… do you have any of my pokemon?”
“Funny you should mention that.” Lance smiled crookedly. “I’ve got one.”
“Can I have it back?”
“Your funeral.”
Ash caught the poke ball she tossed him. Never mind what was inside. Never mind what the future held.
He would reclaim his dream again! His *real* dream!
That thought in mind, Ash and his Seadra set out.
“Seadra… ah yes, he never paid much attention to the pokemon he bagged just for the pokedex. I hope he likes it.”
Lance waved goodbye. She couldn’t care too much. He’d just break up with her again and that would *hurt*!
End Chapter
Completed 12/20/04