How does one transition from darkfic into fluff just like this? *Shrug* my dear, that’s why I’m Shadow/Phantomness! I can get away with this… since the world sees me as insane, eccentric, and prone to do crazy things!

Disclaimer: 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!

Chapter 7

Learning to be a psychic was hard.

Ash glared at the apple he was supposed to be levitating, groaned when it exploded in his face, and picked up a towel as he dried himself. Since his psychic lessons with Lance had started three months ago, he had quickly learned that aside from inter-psychic telepathy, everything else took time.

Levitation had been easy – well, levitating himself. All he had to do was concentrate on a happy memory – and he would rise, and now he could control how high he flew, although twenty feet in the air seemed to be the limit.

Teleportation had been hell. The first time he had attempted to teleport, despite Lance’s warnings, he had reappeared in front of a surprised old lady in the Saffron City Pokemon Mart. Fortunately, the Saffron City citizens were well-used to seeing their own gym leader mysteriously appear all the time, so it wasn’t that bad…

Lance had teleported in a minute later and taken him back to the Plateau, advising him about clearing his mind and trying small distances. So he had. He had attempted to teleport back to his room from the hallway six feet away, and had wound up in Lance’s battle room instead. He had tried to teleport to the kitchen, and wound up in the Records hall. He had tried to teleport to the library, only to wind up in Bruno’s bedroom and upon the most surprising scene he had ever wished to espy. He still got nightmares thinking about it.

Now though, he could teleport accurately as long as the distance was within two hundred yards. Not the best, and not exactly helpful yet, but he was working on it. At least he didn’t get lost anymore, much.

He didn’t have the talent for healing, so after a few days, it was dropped.

Levitating objects was still a real pain, but he *was* working on it! Using his powers to touch things was easy though, and he could turn his lights on and off with flickers of psychic power, and work his pokedex as well…

Mind reading… now that was tricky! He’d only tried it once and it had been so hard! Lance said it was much too hard for him…

Still, he’d gotten whammed with thoughts of ‘I want acorns, give me acorns, if I win battle Master will give me acorns’ when he’d attempted it on his Raichu. Either Raichu’s thoughts were solely focused on said food or he hadn’t gone in deep enough. The day after he’d promptly bought Raichu a bushel of acorns to alleviate his guilt.

Learning to be a dragon was harder, though…

Weather control – he had a talent for. When he was happy, the sun shone brighter, when he was sad – which wasn’t often, the rain and hail would pour down.

He had no trouble with that.

Shape-shifting into his dragon form, on the other hand, was well nigh impossible. The first time he’d seen Lance effortlessly turn into a sleek, white and silver-scaled dragon, he’d tried to do the same.

The only result he got was that his facial skin turned a lavender color that wouldn’t go away for six days straight. Luckily, the other Elite paid him no attention and there hadn’t been a gym leader meeting that month, so…

Lance said that he was most likely a dratini in his pokemon form, which wasn’t bad. Upon that, he had traded in his dratini from Oak’s lab, and spent a sunny day swimming with the dragon pokemon in the heated league pool, trying to figure out how to become a dratini himself.

Dratini had been surprised that her new master was a dragon’s child, but she had sensed his aura and proclaimed it true.

So then, the next day, he had gone flying with Charizard – it was pretty boring here, his pokemon played with each other and kept themselves occupied, but after he had returned, the transforming lessons still had not gotten any better.

Lance had just shaken his head and said that maybe it wasn’t a talent he had…

So then, once that was all over, he had asked Lance to transform again, ad the dragon master had obliged. He was such a pretty dragon, with sharp edged wing s and pretty claws and glittering scales, but since Lance wasn’t of the dratini chain, it probably wouldn’t help…

Lance had felt rather callous for bringing his inadequacy to light though, and made him a strawberry milkshake and called off the lessons for the rest of the day.

He would learn how to do it though! He would!

He also had to learn how to speak dragon language. Apparently the tones and inflections in which one said ‘Dratini’ hid a variety of meanings. His inflection was getting better at least…

“Ash?”

Ash closed his book on pokemon evolution and smiled. “Yes?”

“You have a challenger.”
“Nani? He beat you?”

“Oh no, he’s a cheapskate who wants to defeat the Champion.” He smirked. “Shall I send him in?”

“Just a second.” He slipped psychic dampeners over his ears, as he didn’t want to accidentally reveal his talent.

Lance waited, and then led him out to the arena.

A boy in a large straw hat and yellow jacket-thing waited.

“I choose you, Ratty!”

Ash groaned as he spotted a Raticate. Did he really have to fight it? Oh well… better make it quick…

“Jigglypuff! Sing!”

There we go… Jigglypuff successfully sang the Doduo that came after to sleep as well. It wasn’t much of a contest.

The boy was shaking, fury, tears? He slammed the door shut as he exited.

Lance had trouble hiding a smirk.

“Lance, what happened?” He had a sneaking suspicion…

“You accuse me, Ash? I’m wounded. I did nothing.”

“How could someone with only two pokemon get in here?!”

“If they had all the badges, Ash dear…”

Ash colored. Lance liked to tease him, or something, but it was meant in a good way… he sighed as he recalled Jigglypuff. “Point taken, I guess. They can just challenge the Champion?”

“Of course. Defeat ting the Elite Four is not required if a Champion exists.” < We aren’t necessary any more, you see… >

< I don’t care. I need you. > Ash replied, as he pocketed his psychic dampeners and gave Lance a grin.

< Indeed… >

< Who else could teach me? >

< Not a convincing argument. Clair and the Elder from Blackthorn City. Sabrina from Saffron, Morty from Ecruteak, Agatha herself… >

< But none of them actually know or care about me. > He paused. < Sabrina might, but she’s going out with that psychic guy named Will. They’re too busy. >

< So you say. >

< It’s true. You’re the only person who cares about me. >

< Your pokemon care. >

< I know, but it’s not the same! > Ash found himself struggling to say something, it was on the tip of his tongue, in his mind, but he could not put it into words… what was it? He had to know, had to say it…!

< I… I… you…! >

< Yes? >

I can’t say it! Ash closed his eyes. < Never mind. It was nothing. >

< I’ll start on dinner then. > Lance said quietly, slipping out like a shadow.

End Chapter

Yep, Yellow-bashing in a different series!

Lance: *sighs*

Ash: I get cool powers! Yay!

Shoyko: He’s an idiot. At least the darkfic section is over, right?
Phantomness: *smirk*

Shoyko: RIGHT?!

Kairo: *sighs*