Another chapter!
Kairo: smiles
Emerald: smiles
Shoyko: smiles
Lance: glares at phantomness
Phantomness: What? It's a championshippy.
Lance: How come I can't figure out he likes me?
Phantomness; I thought it'd be cute to make you naïve.
Lance: sweatdrops
Timeline: 4 months
Chapter 29: Step by step: VS Hoothoot
Ash yawned, brushing out his hair. He was especially careful not to get the gold and silver streaks tangled.
Ever since Lance had given him all that magic, his hair had started changing color.
But it looked cool! And it glittered, so it could be a useful weapon, just like a shiny Rattata's coloring.
Lance was downstairs making breakfast. He arrived with a tray of blueberry muffins.
"I hope you like these, Ash."
Ash cheered. "Yatta!" He took two muffins and a glass of milk and began eating. Yay! I love it when Lance cooks.
Lance grinned. "Seems like a good reaction." He took a muffin himself and kept Ash company while they ate.
Ash managed to get another muffin, and the pokemon polished off the rest of the batch.
They liked the food too. Lucky that Lance usually made extras. Ash sat in Lance's lap, waiting for the other trainer to speak.
It had evolved into some sort of morning ritual. Either that, or Ash just liked to touch the other trainer.
Lance brushed Ash's golden bangs out of his eyes. "Another training day?"
"Mm… not sure. Let me check if I have challenge letters."
"The mail hasn't arrived yet, Ash. They're running late today."
"They are?" Ash thought back to the time he had saved the delivery boy from a rampaging Tauros. "I see…"
He wanted to explore Johto.
"I can think of something, so you won't have to stay here for the rest of your life." Lance was speaking. "I recall you have a Ditto."
"Yes, but?"
"Doesn't Ditto know how to transform?"
"The problem is that as soon as someone looks at ditto a bit differently, it will switch back." Red said, slightly depressed.
"Well, there's still a way." Lance said.
"Honto ni?"
"Have I lied to you yet?"
"Demo…" Ash stared into those
alluring silver irises. "I'll trust you." He smiled brightly. Lance will
always be here with me… he promised, and he hasn't broken it…
Lance tousled his hair. "Well, let's go."
As they left, a shape formed, resembling the pokemon champion. Pure magic, yes, but good enough.
"Sugoi…" Ash breathed as they flew over the sea and landed in Olivine. "It's so pretty."
"Isn't it?" Lance climbed off Dragonite as Ash did the same. They walked along the beach until they came to a stretch of forest.
As befitted a trainer, Ash immediately went in to search for pokemon. He was rewarded when a Milktank sprang out.
"Well, that's good luck." Ash said. "Tauros, go! Attract!"
How could that move not take effect? A love ball later, Milktank had joined the collection.
Ash also nabbed a Hoothoot as the sunset. With proper training, a Noctowl would soon be in his care. What a relief.
And so, while Ash trained his new Hoothoot against the ever-prevalent rattatas, he noticed that the moon was waning.
Perhaps the sun would be up soon.
Checking his watch, he found no great deviation, it was already in the early hours. Dawn had not yet broken, but perhaps it would.
There was no tiredness though. All the magic helped indefinitely. Lance was sleeping, protected by his two Dragonair.
The birds flew overhead, stretching their wings. Legendary or not, they still wanted lots of free flying time.
Of course, it was usually at night when this singular event occurred. Too dangerous during the day unless the hid in the shadow of another pokemon.
Rain or shine, they would be out playing.
Checking his pokédex, Ash decided to turn in. it was getting late, and Hoothoot looked tired. He snuggled up next to Lance underneath the other trainer' warm cloak, their heads pillowed on the resting dragonairs, and promptly fell asleep.
Lance woke up the next morning to find Ash with his arms around him. shrugging, the Dragon Master untangled the other occupant and headed off to the sea.
He returned in time for Ash to wake up to the smell of toasted bread.
"Is it morning already?"
"How late were you up?" Lance asked, as he brushed out Ash's hair despite the trainer's protests. "I went to bed at twelve, and you were still training."
'Um… three or four." Ash said sheepishly.
"What happened to the 'I will not kill myself by training' clause?"
"I forgot?"
Lance sighed. "Eat first, I'll heal you."
"Hai! Arigato, Lance."
Ash quickly ate, and then performed his morning ablutions about fifty yards away, near the mouth of a canal that flowed into the bay.
After he got back, Lance checked him over. Satisfied that there were no problems, the trainer put his young companion to sleep with Hypnosis to make up for the lost hours.
Such a pretty, precious child… we are fortunate that Jon was destroyed before his secret was revealed.
The man deserved it. Lying scum.
How dare he try to confine the legendaries.
It's different when they come to you, but to forcibly capture them? Against the very laws of nature itself.
Such shall be the punishment.
Still, he is pure. The light still shines in his heart.
Don't worry, I will protect you forever.
Forever…
Don't you know that by now? You asked me to stay, so I did.
I'll be with you forever… dragons can live for eternity, did you know?
So, my pretty little one, I'll never leave you.
I'll do anything for you.
Anything. I'll kill to keep you safe, too.
Pretty little one…
I'll get rid of everything in your path, we can't let anything taint your light, oh no…
Yes… sleep now, and dream. Sleep, pretty little one. I'll take care of you.
When Ash woke up again, it was afternoon. However, he felt quite refreshed, so he didn't complain.
Lance touched his arm. "Better now?"
"Hai…"
"Don't cut sleep like that. You'll be a zombie the entire day, and any training you do will be worse than if you slept fully."
"Gomen nasai…"
Lance held Ash, not saying much, as the salty ocean air permeated the area.
Ash simply relished the feel of the other trainer's arms around him.
Why break this silent moment? What purpose would that serve?
It was liquid silver and autumn twilight, time stopped for the briefest of seconds. Sunlight filtered through the forest canopy, painting the ground in speckles of gold.
Fresh air, water, and light, all painted a portrait of beauty.
Ash didn't even blush anymore. He had grown accustomed to the kind coldness of the other trainer.
A childhood crush had matured, in the allotted time, into a respectful worship.
He saw Lance almost as an angel he could not touch. Almost, but not quite…
Ash still hoped.
His eyes were closed, as he concentrated on the warmth in his position.
It was almost perfect.
Not quite, but until the picture completed, he would stay satisfied with what he had been given.
End Chapter
Complete 4/10/04