Summary: Ash hasn’t been sleeping well for months. He keeps getting dreams of the past – or of the future. And who’s the odd girl in the silver mask that keeps writing notes to him?

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

Pairing: Championshipping (Ash x Lance)

Timeline: Time-What-Time, post-Johto, Ash is 15ish…

Chapter 1

 

            The alarm rang.

            A fist snaked out from beneath the covers – dark blue with clouds, and hit the clock. It fell off the table, but kept beeping in its irritating way.

            A male groan came from the bed.

            The clock didn’t acknowledge it.

            Finally, the covers were shoved back. A tousled mop of black hair emerged. Brown eyes. A green pajama top followed.

            Ash yawned.

            Another sleepless night, after the failed Johto Finals… another dream! Oh, how he wished they would stop!

            It was like the same dream every night – no, not really. He dreamed of… flying, a lot, and a girl with silver armor in a silver mask that never spoke a word but wrote notes to him. Notes! He read notes in sharp handwriting, written in blood-red ink, on light blue paper. Recurring dreams were not fun.

            Ash sighed and began stumbling to the bathroom…

 

            Somewhere in Johto – Indigo Plateau to be precise, Lance woke up. A moment later, there was a strangled scream.

            The reporter who had somehow managed to sneak into Lance’s room writhed on the bed, a nice, thick carving knife protruding out of his chest.

            Lance yanked it out, eying it critically. Apparently Cutco cutlery was as sharp as it was rumored to be. She let him stew in his own pain for a while, showered, rinsed the ugly pink dye out of her blonde hair, and then changed into another clean bodysuit.

            “Gyarados, you can eat him dear.”

            Both Gyarados – red and blue – lit up, and within another few moments, only bloodstains were left.

            Lance decided that despite the crowded nature, sleeping with seven or eight dragons on the bed was a lot safer.

            The bastard had groped her! And tried to kiss her too, for that matter, in her sleep. Ugh. Luckily, guardian protection was in place…

            Lance closed her eyes and began humming Past the Point of No Return as she began her paperwork for the day and tossed the dirty sheets into the laundry basket.

            Another night, another day, they were all the same, just an endless period of waiting.

            Sometimes, apathy was worse than danger, because if you died trying to protect the world, at least you knew it was interesting.

            But boredom was boring, even if dragons were patient creatures…

 

            “Not sleep well again, Ash?” Delia asked, worriedly.

            Ash shook his head. “I don’t know who it is.”

            His mom sighed. “How many girls are there in this world that you could be dreaming of, I wonder? That is, if it’s not just a hormonal thing. We might as well discuss it – you haven’t been sleeping well and it’s gone on long enough. Well, what color was her hair?”

            “Her hair?” Ash had never paid much attention. “Um… they – it’s a very pale color. Light blonde, or white, or something…”

            “Hm… Misty?”

            “Misty’s hair is an obvious orange. No.”

            “Did you see her eyes?”

            “No, she’s got a mask covering her face and it’s shadowed with her bangs on top of that…”

            “Fascinating.” Delia said, wishing she’d paid more attention in her psychology course in college. “Well, what was she wearing?”

            Ash blushed. “Armor.”

            “Armor?” A blink. “Revealing armor?”

            “No! Like… um… a silver breastplate and things on her arms, like bracers, and then greaves on her legs, and she’s wearing long robes too, light colors, kind of I don’t know, blue or purple or white or something…”

            “Odd. Very odd.”

            “You know how Greek heroes dressed? Something like that, only with robes too.”

            “Maybe it’s Athena.”

            “Athena?” That took a few seconds. “The Greek Goddess of Mythology – or, wait, that’s not right.”

            “Wisdom.” Delia corrected.

            “But Athena has a shield and a spear and an owl, and she didn’t have anything…”

            “No weapons?”

            “No. She carries a little notepad and a quill pen – with red ink. Yes. A silver quill.” Ash nodded. “And she doesn’t really do anything, she usually just stands there and sometimes writes notes.”

            “Perplexing,” His mom frowned. “It’s odd, very odd…”

            “I don’t remember any more.”

            “Well, it’s confusing, very confusing… I hope you’re all right, dear.”

            Ash nodded. “I’m going to swing by Indigo Plateau.”

            “You’re still doing volunteer work there?”

            “Mom, in another four months I’ll have my Healer’s certificate. And then I can do what I really want to do.”

            “I suppose so, but take care, Ash.”

            He nodded and then climbed on Pidgeot’s back, flying away to the Plateau.

 

            If anyone asked him, he wouldn’t be able to explain. He’d failed in Indigo, won in Orange, and lost in Johto again. He’d thought about going to Houen to try the league there, but somehow, it just didn’t seem to make sense.

            He already was a Champion. What more was there left to prove?

            And really, what good would his trophy be in years when he had to support himself. So he’d chosen a career that still let him be close to pokemon. Breeder and Coordinator hadn’t worked for him after he had taken the Aptitude test, he couldn’t cook or clean and his math and science wasn’t too good, so that was how he got into nursing…

            It didn’t make sense, but it didn’t’ have to.

            So now he was a Nurse… and there was always a lot to do at the Plateau, lots of trainers getting kicked around by the Elite…

            He never really saw anyone except Lorelei and Bruno. Did Lance and Agatha even fight or did they just sit there all day? Oh wait, Lance worked for the G-men and Agatha was usually in Lavender Town…

            At the Plateau, Ash put on a clean apron and gloves and got to work…

           

End Chapter

Completed 8/10/05

Ash: I’m a Nurse again?

Phantomness: *shrugs*

Lance: Fits…

Okay! I warn you now. Things will get confusing because dreams and reality are in effect at the same time and they don’t match up. Kk?