Children of Blackthorn
Prologue
It had been years since the last time the two had met up. Tanis was surprised to see him, actually. Seeing Lance was…nostalgic. They had grown up together high up in Blackthorn City as neighbors and friends. Tanis remembered that they used to hang out together with his younger cousin. As residents of Blackthorn City, they were well acquainted with dragon Pokémon. Tanis's brother had given her a Dratini egg when she was little. She could just barely recall Lance's jealous face. He didn't get a dragon Pokémon until a couple of years after Tanis, but when he did, his affinity for the type was obvious.
"Lance?" The red-haired dragon master's eyes widened, and then he smiled. Tanis almost smiled back at the expression, but then she remembered where she was and why she left. Tanis's sharp green eyes narrowed into a glare. "What the fuck are you doing here, Lance?" she spat out his name like it left a bad taste in her mouth, and in truth, it kind of did.
Lance's smile fell into a serious expression. He, too, remembered, and regretted the event. "Tanis, I – " His eyes fell. The look on her face was so unlike her, so unlike the girl he remembered. This wasn't the Tanis that he had once made and given a – Wait. Around her left wrist; it was a bracelet. The red colour stood out against her clothes, a black top, gray skirt, and even lighter gray jeans. Lance distinctly remembered painstakingly braiding that bracelet just so that he could give it to her for her birthday one year. He had told her that it was red so that she would always remember him. It took Lance a moment and his eyebrows furrowing before he spoke again. He almost smiled as he asked, "You still have that?" He pointed at the bracelet.
Tanis knew exactly what he was talking about, but she feigned ignorance. She just sneered at the man who had, at one point, been the object of her silent affections, and pulled her blue-shaded goggles down from sitting on top of her head to over her eyes. She turned swiftly away from him and proceeded to release one of her Pokémon from his Pokéball. "Alexander!" she addressed the golden Pidgeot. "We're flying out of here," she told him as she situated herself on his back.
Without another word from Tanis Alexander took off into the air.
"Wait! Tanis!" Lance called after his childhood friend. It was too late. Tanis and Alexander were quickly becoming a mere golden spot against the clouds. After a few seconds of deliberation Lance let out his most trusted Dragonite and flew after the black-haired young woman. He would follow her and work through this…grudge she held against him. He wanted his friend back. He missed her dearly.