The next few chapters are kinda filler chapters and are relatively short. They're for pacing purposes. Thanks to mestwendyfan for the review!

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Chapter Fifteen: Reflections

Something was terribly wrong. At this time of the year, the Lake of Rage would be alive with Magikarp and Gyarados, but now it was deathly quiet, as if the Pokemon no longer called this place home. But that couldn't be right. There was no way for the Pokemon to leave unless someone air lifted them out. So, why was it so quiet? Even the pine trees surrounding the lake were absent of noise. Highly unusual.

Lance stood at the edge of the lake, searching for some sign of life, but found nothing at all. Not even a ripple. Lowering himself down to the ground, he stuck a hand into the water and immediately withdrew it. The water was warm. Very warm. "Most fisherman prefer to use rods to catch fish," said a gruff voice behind him. Lance turned around.

A tall old man wearing a dark blue coat, walked slowly towards him, a white scarf wrapped around his neck. He was supported by his walking stick. He was known as the Winter Trainer, but gym leaders and other seasoned trainers, referred to him by his name, Pryce. He had earned the title the Winter Trainer because he specialized with the ice-type Pokemon.

He was a good friend of Lance's grandfather and a well-respected person of the community. Quite a number of trainers stopped being professional trainers when they reached thirty, choosing to settle down with families and apply for other professions instead. But a minority of trainers chose to stick with their professions until the day they died. Pryce was one of them. He had spent over fifty years as a trainer. He was a true veteran of Pokemon battles. He commanded the same amount of respect as the Elder did – even Lance dared not to get on this man's bad side.

"Pryce, it's good to see you again," Lance greeted, bowing his head, as a sign of respect.

"Champion." The man nodded. "I didn't realize you were interesting in becoming a fisherman. I must say, the Lake of Rage is certainly a strange place to practice your technique."

Lance rolled his eyes. Pryce had a strange sense of humour. "I didn't come here to fish for Magikarp, Pryce. I came here hoping to find some answers."

"I thought you'd be busy with the league… or are there no challengers arriving on your door step? I guess your cousin is doing a sound job of making sure no one passes through Blackthorn."

"That is her number one hobby – crushing the hopes and dreams of trainers," Lance replied. "She keeps a list of all the trainers she defeats just so she can brag about them to me when I come to visit. She seems to find it highly amusing preventing trainers from reaching the league." It was rare moments like these he wished he was a gym leader again. At least gym leaders actually got to face trainers quite frequently in comparison to a member of the league. It got a little boring sometimes. He looked at the lake. "I trust my grandfather told you about Team Rocket's return?

Pryce's eyes followed Lance's gaze, resting on the calm crystalline waters of the lake. He rubbed his chin, looking thoughtful. "Yes, he has. Is that why you have come here?"

"I was playing around with the radio when I was in Azalea Town, and I came across an unknown station. There was no commentary or anything, just a bizarre beeping noise. A few moments later, a trainer comes rushing in, telling us his young Rattata had evolved. I have a feeling that somehow Team Rocket is behind it." He turned to the right, facing Pryce who was now standing beside him. "Is it possible that Team Rocket have tampered with a radio signal to force Pokemon to evolve?"

Pryce nodded. "It is possible, though they would need a radio transmitter of their own." He frowned suddenly. "That would explain why that man Archer was so interested in purchasing the former ninja hideout… I told my wife Sheila he was not to be trusted."

"Archer?" Where had he heard that name before? Wait. Now he remembered. The two grunts in the forest near Azalea Town had mentioned the name. "I've heard that name. He's the leader of the newly reformed Team Rocket. You said he was interested in purchasing the former ninja hideout?"

Pryce nodded again. "He arrived in Mahogany Town just a couple of months ago, requesting to open a shop there," he replied, readjusting his scarf. "He claimed he had a shipment of special potions to sell to the people of Johto. Mahogany Town is struggling financially as you are probably aware of so my wife convinced me to allow Archer to set up a shop."

"What sort of products?"

"He arrived with empty crates, but gave us a large sum of money, promising the full crates would come in a few weeks time. He invited me over for tea one night and talked business with me. He said it was his life's goal to help trainers become stronger. He told me he had discovered a formula for a potion that could make Pokemon immensely powerful, but that it would take a bit of time to get it together hence the empty creates." He rubbed his chin, troubled. "I asked him why Mahogany - and he told me he wanted to live close to the lake."

Strange. Sure, the Lake of Rage was rather nice to look at, but Mahogany wasn't exactly the region's most popular location. It was a small place – very few trainers ever reached the town, and the place held little appeal for tourists. There was nothing to do here other than challenge the gym or take the long trail to the Lake of Rage. Some people were actually scared to visit the lake because of the volatile Gyarados that made their homes here. "Did Archer say anything else?"

Pryce cleared his throat. "He said he had heard of me. We talked a bit about my history as a trainer and other such things, but he was mostly interested in my thoughts about Pokemon evolution. He asked me if I ever wished I could evolve my Pokemon early so they could be stronger earlier on – I told him I would only want my Pokemon to evolve when they were ready for it. He disagreed, but said he respected my opinion," Pryce continued, turning to look at the lake. "A few days later, he asked me again if I had the chance to evolve my Pokemon early, would I take it?"

"And what was your answer?"

"I told him no a second time. It's not natural and therefore it isn't right." Pryce looked sideways. "I still don't agree with what you did either, Lance. I might be old, but I haven't forgotten how you forced your Pokemon to evolve. You forced your two Dratini to evolve into Dragonairs, and your Dragonair into a Dragonite by placing your life at risk."

Lance gave a derisive snort. "I was young at the time." He didn't like being reminded of those years. In fact, he tried very hard to forget. When his grandfather had found out, he had been furious for months. He pulled Lance out of the Blackthorn Gym and gave the rights to Clair, hoping she would not make the same mistake.

Lance had earned his grandfather's respect a couple of months later when he was accepted into the Elite Four, but it took a lot of effort to win it back. Every weekend he would spend hours studying the ways of a Dragon Master so he could win back the respect and trust of the Elder. It took some time, but he finally passed the test. Was it because of this incident his grandfather didn't foresee him defeating Team Rocket in his visions? Is this why the man seemed disappointed in him? The last conversation with the man had not ended on a positive note.

"And you still are – you might be in your early twenties now, but you are still a child to me."

Lance couldn't argue with that. After all, Pryce was well into his sixties. "I needed to beat you to be accepted into the Elite Four. I didn't see any other option at the time."

"You could have waited instead of trying to pick a fight with that Aerodactyl."

"I didn't want to wait," he said dryly.

"And three years after Blue's defeat, you pulled the same stunt again, forcing your two Dragonairs to evolve into Dragonites," Pryce pointed out. He turned his head to the left, pointing towards Mt. Mortar. "You and I had a battle because you wanted to practice against your weaknesses. You were close to losing, so you decided to try and throw yourself off the cliff's edge just so your Dragonairs would evolve to save you."

Lance's mouth tightened. "I'm not proud of what I did back then, Pryce. I try hard to forget. I hope you haven't told anyone else?"

Pryce shook his head. "No, I kept it to myself. Only your grandfather knows though he tries very hard to forget. As far as everyone else is concerned, your Pokemon evolved early because they responded to your strength. I could see your determination to make it to the end and I didn't want to ruin that for you, even though I disagreed with your methods. I'm sure you have learnt your lesson now though?"

Lance nodded. "Of course." He remembered the rogue Raticate back in the forest near Azalea Town. "Forcing a Pokemon to evolve is wrong. It should never happen."

"I'm glad that you understand that." Pryce turned to look at him again. "If Team Rocket is using the radio transmitter to force Pokemon to evolve… That explains why they wanted to purchase that specific building." His brows knotted in anger. "We are a small town with a tiny population, the perfect place for dangerous ideas to be turned into action. How many people would even know about their hideout? Hardly any." Pryce appeared to be talking more to himself than Lance now.

If Team Rocket were using the Pokemon in the Lake of Rage to test their experiments… was it possible they had brought the stolen Shiny Dratini here as well? "I have to put a stop to them."

"And how do you propose to do that? Team Rocket's base will be heavily guarded."

Lance glared. "I'd rather do something than do nothing at all."

"You need a plan, Lance. Do not be so reckless. You can't go down there alone."

"Come with me."

Pryce shook his head. "I can't. Not yet."

"And why not?"

"Whitney called earlier. She said a strong trainer called Lyra was on her way to the league. I am interested in seeing this trainer with my own eyes – I will not leave Mahogany Town until I meet her. I'll send her to accompany you into the Team Rocket Headquarters."

Lyra had defeated Whitney? Even Lance knew that was a hard task to accomplish. "You would willingly send an unproven trainer with me into Team Rocket's Headquarters? Don't you think that is a little rash?" Lance said, trying to hold back a surge of jealousy. This was his task to complete – not Lyra's. How was he ever going to prove himself if that chance kept on getting taken away from him?

"If she can make it to Mahogany Town, then she is a trainer who is capable enough of handling Team Rocket. If she prevails, I will allow her to challenge me for the seventh badge. If she fails, then you can handle the task on your own," Pryce replied calmly. "Do not forget, this is my territory – Mahogany Town and the Lake of Rage are my responsibility, not yours."

Lance withheld a bitter response. So now he was going to have to wait for Lyra to reach the small town before he act accordingly. "This is a bad idea. We should act now." The Pokemon in the lake were suffering in silence! And he was just standing here doing nothing while he waited for Lyra to arrive. Would the girl even make it? The ocean between Olivine and Cianwood was known to turn nasty at any moment. She would need those two badges to reach Mahogany.

"Do not be so impatient."

"What if she doesn't make it? What then? We could be facing a real problem if all the Magikarp are forced to evolve into Gyarados'."

Pryce looked at Lance, and sighed. "I'm holding you back for your own good, Lance. You may not believe that reason, but you will see in time. It is a risk I am willing to take. My decision is final. You will wait otherwise I will notify the board members of the league to remove you as Champion. Once I tell them about your… forced evolution methods… they will revoke your title immediately."

Lance couldn't believe this. Pryce was threatening him? "You never liked me much, did you?"

Pryce's calm eyes bore into Lance's own. "Untrue," he said softly. "You have earned my respect, but I don't believe you have what it takes to defeat Team Rocket." He turned around and started making his way back to Mahogany Town. "I will be returning to the gym. You can stay at my house – my wife will look after you," he said, glancing briefly over his shoulder. "I'm warning you, do not test me."

If Pryce hadn't been a friend of his grandfather's, Lance would've just gone ahead and taken on Team Rocket himself. But he couldn't risk bringing the Elder's wrath upon his head again. The man was already disappointed in him. He had no other choice but to wait.

.

He felt like an animal in a cage whose only purpose was to be watched by others. Sheila never took her eyes off him – the aging lady watched him like a hawk. If he was watching television, she would make sure to sit right next to him. If he was eating, she would also eat. If he wanted to take a walk, she would come with him or send one of her grandchildren too. If he was in any other town or city, the gym leaders would let him to what he wanted, but Pryce wasn't like the rest.

"Pryce knows what he is doing, Lance. He has been around long enough to make these decisions," Sheila said, giving him a pot of some green tea. Lance glanced down at it – he wasn't a tea drinker. He didn't even drink coffee. But he was a guest and it would be rude not to accept. "He is looking out for you."

She pushed back a strand of greying hair behind her right ear, watching him with interest. For the first few weeks they had talked about the recent events involving Team Rocket, but the topic had gotten old now. Sheila preferred to talk about other topics such as her grandchildren. Lance, on the other hand, cared only about Team Rocket.

"But the Magikarp… if Team Rocket forces them to evolve…"

Sheila pointed at his tea. "Drink your tea."

He realized he hadn't even touched it once and the pot had been sitting there for at least half an hour now. Curling his fingers around the handle, he lifted it up and tipped the snout into his cup, emptying the contents of the pot. "If Team Rocket's experiment works we could be facing a region wide disaster. Pokemon all over Johto will evolve."

"Your tea, Lance."

He quickly took a sip, cringing at the taste. "Archer will have his army. He'll have enough Pokemon to take over Johto and Kanto. With Team Rocket in charge, there will be no need for badges, gyms and the league. We'd all become slaves to Archer."

"I doubt it will come down to that," she said softly, grabbing his tea pot to refill it. "Evil never triumphs. We all thought the Slowpoke down at the Slowpoke Well were doomed, but a girl called Lyra stepped in and chased off Team Rocket."

He almost choked on his tea. He couldn't recall ever mentioning the incident at the Slowpoke Well, and he certainly never brought up Lyra's role in fighting Team Rocket. "How did you know…"

"Kurt called. He shared the good news with us." She walked over to the cupboard, opened it and pulled out a blue tin of choc-chip biscuits. "Would you like some biscuits?"

He was becoming increasingly agitated. It didn't seem like Sheila was too concerned with the events happening around them. "Are you listening to me?" he demanded, becoming frustrated with Sheila's apparent lack of interest.

Sheila placed the blue tin on the table and removed the lid. "I hear every word you are speaking, but you are making matters out far worse than what they actually are. The Slowpoke Well was cleansed of their evil. Team Rocket will be removed from their base here in Mahogany Town as well. It will happen in due time."

Lance laughed sardonically. "In due time…"

"What is really troubling you? Why are you so eager to get so heavily involved in all of this?" Sheila said, sitting across from Lance. She pushed the tin towards him, motioning for him to eat. "They're home-made. You won't find them anywhere else."

"It's my duty," he replied flatly, taking one of the biscuits. "I'm the Champion now. It's what people expect of me." It's what I expect of myself, he silently added. "If I can't do this… I shouldn't be called a Champion," he added bitterly.

"A Champion is just a title, Lance. It does not mean you have to be everyone's hero. Blue was a Champion at one point, wasn't he? And what did he do to protect the region?" Lance didn't say anything. Blue had been quite a useless Champion now that he thought about it. Sure, he travelled the region but that was only to stop Red from ever reaching the league. Sheila continued. "He did nothing. I'm not saying you will follow in Blue's footsteps, but each Champion has their own role to play. Some will be rise to be heroes and others are content being at the top."

Was he destined to be one of the Champions that failed to contribute anything good to society? Was he destined to fail in achieving his goals? If he couldn't be a hero, if he couldn't be a Champion… then what was he in this world? Just another trainer with an above average skill set? It was a depressing thought. "Then what am I supposed to do? Sit here and do nothing?"

"You have to decide that yourself."

Lance looked glumly out the window. It was a fine day for now, but there were storm clouds gathering in the distance. Will had said destiny could not be changed no matter how hard he tried. No matter what path he took, the end would always be the same. And for him, that meant failing to defeat Team Rocket. The Elder had wanted him to promise he would always look out for Lyra. Was that his destiny? To keep an eye on her for the remainder of his years?

"You still have a lot to offer to the world, Lance," she said softly, studying him intently.

"It just doesn't involve stopping Team Rocket though, does it?" he said glumly.

"Is that all that matters to you?"

"Ever since I learnt about the Slowpoke trouble, it's all I could think about. I wanted to be the trainer responsible for saving them." He averted his gaze from the window and looked down at the table. "To learn that someone else had… it's made me question my own self-worth. To have my grandfather tell me I'm incapable of stopping Team Rocket…"

The woman looked at him, her eyes filled with sympathy. "Life doesn't always turn out the way you want it to be. Pryce told you to wait for Lyra, did he not?" A teasing grin crossed her face, and she winked at him. "Perhaps your path lies with her."

He looked up, confused. "What do you mean?" Surely, Sheila couldn't be insinuating that his future involved her romantically? No girl had ever captured his interest, so why would Lyra be any different?

"Whenever trouble rears its ugly head, you find yourself drawn to it. And from what you have told me, Lyra seems to be drawn to it as well. The Slowpoke Well, the rogue Raticate in the forest, the bullying thief... and now this." A smile crossed her face. "These are signs, Lance."

"Signs of what? That she will defeat me and claim the title?" he replied, attempting humour but failing to conceal the edge in his voice.

Sheila was still smiling. "They are signs things are about to drastically change here in Johto. It would be unwise to fight against it."

He didn't say anything, choosing to remain silent instead. Had his grandfather always known this change was going to happen eventually? Was that why he was determined to keep Clair out of this Team Rocket business because he didn't want her intervening? Had he chosen to send him to investigate the Slowpoke Well on purpose knowing that Lyra was going to be the to solve the problem all along? So many questions yet he had no answers for them, but it would explain why his grandfather had wanted him to promise he'd look out for the girl.

What else did the Elder know? What else had his visions told him? How far into the future had the man seen? Was that why the Dragon's Den quiz had been created? Confusing thoughts arose in his mind. For his entire life, he had assumed the special quiz had been made to prove he was a true Dragon Master; someone who had specialised in mastering the art of capturing, training and raising dragons.

But now that he thought hard about it, he realized the test had nothing to do with being a Dragon Master. The test was designed to not only test how strong a bond was between trainer and Pokemon, but the trainer's capacity to judge people fairly and love unconditionally. Had the test been created to specifically determine if Lance was capable of being Lyra's guardian, to be her protector in times of darkness? It would explain why his grandfather had been so determined to ensure he passed his special quiz. He had seen in a vision Lance's path involved Lyra, and he worked hard to instil good values in his grandson's head.

That explained why he forgave him about the forced evolution episodes. He believed he could atone for those past mistakes by being a better person. And in his grandfather's visions, becoming a better person meant getting involved in Lyra's life. He had become so distracted by his own thoughts he was unaware Sheila was still talking.

"…your title does not define who you are as a person. Just because your title is Champion of Johto and Kanto, it does not mean you are portraying the qualities of what is required in that role. Never let your title go to your head and prevent you from learning and growing, and never feel you must act a certain way to meet people's expectations."

Lance nodded to show he had been listening, and not dozing off. "Sound advice."

She smiled. "Have as many as you like," she said, pointing to the biscuit tin.

Lance didn't feel hungry at all, but he had one anyway. They certainly did look quite appetizing. He took a bite out of one of the choc-chip biscuits. Far better than those cheap ones at the store, he thought. "These are actually pretty good," he commented, grabbing another one.

She smiled. "I thought you would like them. You should get some rest and think about what I just said. When you are ready, why don't you have a practice battle with my grandchild? She will be leaving on her journey in a couple of weeks and she'd love to learn more from one as talented as you. Training only against Ice-types can get a little boring," she added, with a gentle laugh.

Entertain a kid? He had never been an expert with children. He never knew what to say around them or how to act. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"You're not scared of a ten-year old child are you?" Sheila teased. "Go on, rest up first. Your room is the one of the far right. Pryce will be back from the gym in a couple of hours just before the sun sets. He never misses out on dinner."

Lance nodded. "Thanks… You've given me a lot to think about."

"There's no need to thank me. I'm just doing what I can to help."

He stood up from the table and headed up towards his temporary bedroom. He wasn't sure how long he'd be bunking here for, but it would be a pleasant change from the usual - away from the pressures of the league and away from his cousin's tantrums and demands. This was a chance to collect his thoughts and reorganize his goals. Sheila had certainly given him a lot of things to ponder.