Lance
—
My life had taken some very strange turns in the past two months.
I… may have been a bit too arrogant and egotistical. Slightly. Maybe. I was certainly a little egotistical, sure. Possibly even vain, one could say.
I think I had adjusted to being Champion relatively well, though, in my own un-humble opinion.
It was kind of hard not to be a little full of myself, really. There was just so much to be full of! Dragon Friend? Not all that special, honestly. Rare, certainly, but the Clan had records of almost two dozen in just the past century. Becoming a Dragon Master by the age of fourteen? Rare, but not exceedingly so. Well, the three years as an Elite trainer had certainly helped, sure, but knowledge of your type and experience aside, the fastest method to develop enough aura to dye wasn't exactly unknown. Find a Master level Pokemon, or multiple Champion level Pokemon, and just…hang out.
The Aerie was practically designed to force aura to grow, in fact. Sure, it was mainly for the dragons, but all younger people in the Clan were required to spend time there, serving the dragons. Not as actual servants… mostly. They certainly enjoyed making us chop up their kills, though… Still, it was required so that you were forced to adjust to the pressure. Even if there wasn't always a Master or multiple Champion level dragons there, you were still surrounded by dragons. None of our younger members would ever freeze up in instinctive fear from a Champion level Pokemon's aura alone by the time we allowed them to go on their Journeys.
Swimming in the Aerie's deep pool was something of a rite of passage, one the dragons there loved to help with. They found it highly amusing to allow younger members of the Clan, seven or eight years old, to idly swim to the middle at our urging… They allowed it to happen in peace, as well.
Then we would tell them to look down.
I'm not ashamed to admit that, when I'd done the same thing, I had screamed at the sight of over a dozen Gyarados rising from the depths, mouths open in silent roars, even as the Kingdra exploded out of smaller tunnels and Dragonite and Dragonair slammed into the surface. Of course, none had attacked, and even as I screamed bloody murder I had known that I was safe.
It didn't stop your body from feeling that fear, that certainty that you were dead.
I was proud of the fact that I had gotten my fear under control relatively quickly, after only a few panicked moments of sheer, heart-stopping terror. I had relaxed almost immediately, and gleefully taken a ride on a Gyarados.
I felt truly bad for those that… relieved themselves in fear. The dragons stopped giving them looks after a month or so, sure, but it was still embarrassing…
Still, hazing it may be, it also served a purpose. To be a dragon tamer was to walk hand in hand with danger, especially for those that acquired a species other than the Dragonite line. They were gentle and kind for the most part, and all Gyarados raised there were as well… mostly. The Kingdra line could be vicious once they Evolved from Horsea, but nothing compared to a Garchomp or Hydreigon.
You had to master your fear. Even with your team, well, most dragons were more than happy to rebel against your commands, to try and intimidate you. You had to show no fear, and dominate them back… Unless you were a Dragon Friend. Although they still did it to us, just not nearly as badly…
I hadn't truly become overly prideful until I had gained some rough control over my aura, though. I was gifted by any meaning of the word, really. The Aura Guardians were gone, there was no 'instruction manual' for that! I honestly didn't know how to teach it, either! I had tried many, many times at the Clan compound, all to no avail. Learning to read aura had taken me longer, but by then I was Champion, and my pride had only grown.
Also my annoyance, because being Champion didn't just mean I was the strongest trainer in the region, no… It meant I drowned in paperwork when I refused to delegate, and for years I had, and had only recently began to do so. Very recently, mainly so I could get some free time… It had given me plenty of time to listen to Dragonite and the rest of my team harangue me about sitting in an office all day, plenty of time to interpret their words. A beautiful office, certainly, but still an office…
So two and a half months ago, all I had felt reading those damn reports was irritated frustration that grew to impotent fury. Yes, Leto had been courteous and kind, and had saved a human's life… I still received the reports instead of someone lower down the ladder since she was so dangerous! So many of them!
At the time, that day in Pewter was one of my worst, I think. I had been blindsided, then blindsided again, over and over as my best friend had seemingly ignored me, as an infuriating menace of a child had taken every opportunity to poke at me while also ignoring me… Now? Now I knew what Dragonite had been trying to do, to shake me up, to break me out of that arrogance I had worn like one of my capes…
It had worked, certainly…
Erin had just acted like the pest she was, even if there was a lesson in there…
That day had turned far worse, though, up on that mountain.
Malevolent fae, malevolent Pokemon in general weren't exactly rare or unknown. Weavile that would gleefully cut your tendons, letting you marinate yourself in fear as they laughed at your feeble twitching. Victreebel that would partially paralyze you before engulfing you, letting you weakly thrash as they digested you. Arbok that would swallow you alive just to feel you squirm. Even Pidgeot that would lift you high into the sky, then peck at the hands that desperately grasped at their legs.
These things were just… natural. Not pleasant, and not the majority of Pokemon by far, but enough that the stories were known, and the actual, documented examples well-represented in schooling, even if the details themselves were often sparse when told to children. The opposite existed, of course. Even in the same species! Weavile that would save you from their darker brethren, Victreebel that would kill each other to free you, even if you would already be a bit… burned by then. Pidgeot were generally kind Pokemon… unless they were one of the farm escapees who held a grudge.
I didn't blame them all that much.
I certainly blamed that… thing in Mt. Moon, however.
I was still getting a lot of pushback for the continuous blockage of entrances, in fact, but I had let enough people in the League know the truth of that place, enough that I could safely burn those complaints.
I refused to let it have another… toy.
After learning of its nature, of the poor people probably even now trapped there? After what I had heard it say? After I had seen the look in Erin's eyes, the sound of her voice, so broken? I would rip it from that mountain at all costs. Rip it out piece by bloody piece if necessary…
Not that I had cared all that much about her back then. Pitied, sure, she had been a literal tortured child, and I wasn't without empathy or sympathy…
Never in my wildest dreams or nightmares did I think she would one day become my daughter. Not that me and Patricia had plans to get married, sure, but… I think everyone knew it was only a matter of time. Everything else aside, Patricia was everything I hadn't been looking for but needed.
Because of course, how could I take the time to socialize? How could I think about a relationship when I was so busy? Especially when the majority of women I had met had been so transparent, even without my aura giving me insight into their emotional states? My status as the Champion aside, I was a Blackthorn! We were all catches for the majority of people, and rarely had someone encountered me and tried to get to know me without wanting something. Even if it was something innocent like a picture, to say they had met the Champion, or something worse, the ambition practically preceding them like a Vileplume's stench.
Patricia hadn't tripped any of my alarms.
She had just… Well, to be fair, at first she had poked fun at me just like her devious daughters… and mine. After that, though? She just… enjoyed spending time with me, the same as I enjoyed spending time with her. It was relaxing to be around her, and at the same time so invigorating, like electricity running through my veins. She was kind, intelligent, caring, and as a nice little bonus, beautiful.
So yeah, I didn't foresee any big issues in our relationship, and I would annihilate any that dared to rear their heads. I would even go so far as to say I was in love with her. Not out loud, of course… Not yet, at least. We were both kind of tiptoeing around it, honestly. To say it would make it real, and risk waking us up from this pleasant dream.
I mean, I was not only in a great relationship, I had a daughter! I would kill for Alex, and had been ready to for years, actually, ever since she tearfully came out to me and Claire… after her old 'family' had trampled on her desire to be herself. To be happy instead of miserable for years…
I almost had, in fact… That would have been an awkward headline for the people of Indigo to read. 'Champion murders two of his own Clan members with his bare hands!' wasn't something I wanted to put anyone through… Thank Arceus for Dragonite keeping a cooler head.
Still, while I certainly despised the circumstances that forced it, I didn't mind having Alex as a daughter, far from it! She was amazing, and had gotten so much more amazing once she began to come out of that shell, to discard that mask she had interacted with the world through, and I couldn't be more grateful to the insane duo for that.
It had surprised me far more how much I cared for them these days, as well.
I mean, Leaf? That was easy. Leaf was a kind young girl, and despite her tendency to needle me those first few times, she was easy to care about. Erin? Before that night in the woods outside Saffron, I'd never have thought it possible to care about her in more than a vague 'make sure the infuriating young girl was okay' sort of way. Then…
Then I had my entire worldview shattered.
Game world, or inspiration for a game? Thanks to Erin, I had seen what I looked like in the games, in the anime! It was insanity, but it was all true!
Just like Erin's past, her misdeeds, and her regrets.
She had despised herself to a degree that still left me shocked even just remembering it, feeling her emotions through aura. The type of self-loathing that I hadn't even known was possible, the self-loathing of someone that had died full of regrets, full of guilt, full of the knowledge that she had failed. She hadn't wanted to die that night outside Saffron, no, but… her lack of hope aside, she had honestly viewed herself as a net negative for any world she was in, to anyone she was around.
It had eased my worries for her quite a bit, that night at their Ranch.
She still loathed her old self, but she had finally started to put it behind her, to loosen her grip on all that self-hatred. Outside Saffron I had only been half-joking when I said she was a child despite her mental age, and that night at the Ranch she had almost fully embraced it. Embraced the gift she had been given, that of a second chance, a chance to improve herself. A chance to enjoy life, to enjoy being a child again. A chance to allow her to forgive herself…
It had truly surprised me just how happy I had been to see them both last night, and how happy both of them were! Even last night before the restaurant, Erin had been happy. Happy to see her new mother, to go to that expensive restaurant… Even happy to see me. Her and Leaf, both…
It was all quite… different, but it didn't feel bad. Family in the Clan could be nice, sure, but spending time with my parents or relatives was a very different feeling than spending time with Patricia, my daughter, and my two future daughters…
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
It felt especially good right now, in fact. Sitting in the audience in the Pewter Gym, watching Alex happily, confidently command two of her dragons to victory. Watching Leaf cheerfully do the equivalent of slipping Hazard's leash off and saying 'Have fun!', knowing that he was able to be relied upon. Watching Hope and Morgrem happily fight for her, free of contracts but trusted, even loved by the insane girl.
Erin joyfully showcasing her Pokemon's growth to Brock, Kallen finally Evolving, even Cerberus not immediately tearing that Aurorus' throat out had all felt good. Watching Erin intimidate a Tyrantrum through her sheer aura, though, had been slightly… different. She hadn't even wielded it from what I could tell, it had just recognized a third Alpha in the room, a second Alpha Tyrantrum! Artemis dominating it had been hilarious, honestly, and not at all surprising. Like Leto would allow her daughter to do any differently… her Alpha daughter that she helped train…
Dodging Tinkatink's rattle as she cheered them all on hadn't been all that fun, honestly, even if Leaf had slipped the padded cover on…
I looked over at my new… family and smiled, gripping Patricia's shoulder a bit tighter.
"Want to meet her down there? Let's get out of here before even more people gather their courage and try to… interview us." They all winced a little, because… yeah…
Before I had even met them last night I had talked to Patricia about this. There was no way that our relationship wouldn't become public knowledge basically the second we showed up in public together. She hadn't exactly been enthusiastic about the attention, but she had known going into this that I was kind of the most public figure in the League.
Leaf and Alex were very irritated with it, but resigned. Erin had growled when she realized what was going to happen, halfway to The Rocky Feast, but only for a moment. She was kind of recognizable, and infamous. Not that her reputation was all negative, quite the opposite these days, but she was… also resigned to it. She had been in the public eye almost from the moment she arrived in this world, thanks to that Preserve employee…
We met her at the small Clinic here, or really, the transfer machine connected to the Pokemon Center. She was happy, even as she watched most of her Pokemon transfer. She got much happier when she turned and saw us. Mainly the others, sure, but I didn't miss how her eyes included me in that smile.
"Hey! Good job, Leaf!" Leaf blushed a little, but not much. They had all done insanely well, honestly. Especially Leaf and Erin.
Even if Brock had been going a little easy on those two since they were exhibition matches, not battles for their actual eighth Badges.
There weren't exactly hard-set guidelines for Pokemon strength ratings. The 'badge level' system was informal, actually, but it was easy enough to understand for most random people, not just trainers, so its use was widespread. An 'eight-badge Pokemon' wasn't necessarily stronger than a sixth, although they often were. Even if they were the same species, the same exact Pokemon, an eighth-badge Gym Pokemon would bring out harder strategies to counter than a sixth.
Take Erin's match for example. Brock's Tyranitar had looked like a relatively fresh Evolution, but it still kept its Sandstorm light. Auroros could have made the entire field an icy hellscape, but didn't. Carbink could have easily kept going, but its contract was strict… Tyrantrum, though, hadn't really gone all that easy. Artemis just knew how to fight her own kind, and with her size, strength, and Rock Polish she was quite the menace to fight.
Their actual eighth badge battle would be a little different… Most Gym Leaders used it as the final hurdle, and would generally go all-out with at least two of their Pokemon, both in strength and strategy… Although, unless they went to Johto for that, they would be facing Giovanni, and I would not allow that to happen.
Even if it was slow going, pinning that fucking man down.
The news loved to talk about how 'invasive and unfair' it was to require mind-reading for law enforcement and League officials, but they were mistaken if they thought it was an infallible process. Sure, if we didn't care about shattering minds we could easily find every single spy, informant, and sympathizer today. We did, though, so it was slow going.
I myself had sat in on a demonstration given by Looker and his Alakazam, one that filled me with dread.
The kind of consensual mind reading that we were performing was akin to flipping through a book. Fast, and detailed enough, sure. The 'words' were written large enough that they could be read, or at least understood well enough. However, what about any words written towards the middle, near the spine of the book? Along the actual spine of the book? Written in invisible ink? They could be found that way, sure, but you could train yourself to not think of certain things.
Full, no-holds-barred mind reading was the equivalent of tearing the pages out one by one and examining them in detail, but it was a one-time thing. You couldn't just glue the pages back in, re-stitch the bindings. That person was forever broken in a fundamental way.
So while I knew that the top League officials, heads of police, and most of the Gym Leaders were clear, it wasn't easy to get even this far. Hours-long interrogations weren't fun for anyone involved… I would have failed without Looker, in fact. He was in an even worse position, in many respects.
Interpol was compromised! To thoroughly vet someone, they had to be separated, isolated, and interrogated over hours to catch a slip, a stray thought. Even for a loyal agent, that was a hard ask. 'Yes, just come with me for a day, no you'll be fine, I promise I just want to talk…' wasn't the easiest thing for most of them to accept, especially when they wouldn't be allowed to contact anyone else in Interpol about it…
Me reading Looker's mind as he lied to my face and it felt like the truth? That had terrified me, because any sufficiently trained spy would be able to hide and obscure anything incriminating. If we took hours and drilled them, sure, nobody could get through that, but we didn't have hours with most of them… Sabrina had almost killed me, but she understood the need.
She had still given me a pounding headache out of sheer spite, because Sabrina could hold a grudge…
So honestly? If they beat up Sabrina and I still hadn't gotten Giovanni behind bars, I would be forcing them to go to Johto. Blaine hadn't been cleared yet, or even seen in weeks, letting his trainers handle the Badge Battles. That wasn't exactly unusual, though. The old man was frequently locked away in his laboratory or out on research expeditions. Cinnabar was basically the least-attractive Gym in Kanto for the Circuit for that reason, on top of its location. I was tempted to replace him, honestly, but as a former Elite Four he still cast a long shadow…
Either Cerberus Evolved and they flew to Johto, they took a ferry, or they were taking a Dragonite flight. I knew that if Erin set foot into Viridian to take the train there to Goldenrod, the chances were unfortunately high that she would simply… 'accidentally' say something. Loudly and repeatedly…
It wasn't a bad thing that she desired justice, and vengeance, but it was certainly irritating to work around. I understood it, though… I had nearly killed the man myself a few days ago…
Maybe I could just send them to Blackthorn City, actually… Claire would enjoy meeting the insane duo, seeing Alex again now that she wasn't miserable and depresse-
I was brought out of my musings, and my idle stroll through the Gym with them, by the forceful application of an elbow to my kidney, and I found Patricia smiling innocently at me as the three girls looked on in amusement.
"Lance, I think you may want to watch where you're going…" I frowned and looked ahead of me, down the steps in front of the Gym.
Ah.
Yeah, of course there were a few reporters here… Most had probably Teleported in, actually. It was the most expensive way to travel, but if they could get one good sound bite out of this… I scowled at them, and almost slapped them all with my aura, but I had something of a public reputation to maintain.
I stepped forward and the reporter's faces lit up, even as their microphones rose… I really hated the media…
"No questions for any of you!" They wilted for all of a second before the questions began to fly anyway, but I just kept right on going.
"No questions, but I will make a few statements. One: My personal life is my own, and I do not appreciate being ambushed like this!" There was zero hint of remorse in their faces, of course… Damn Mandibuzz…
"Two: Since I know you'll just spread a bunch of rumors if I don't say anything, yes, I am dating someone. No, you will not interview her, her children, or mine about me, or I will sue you into oblivion! Finally, three: If you don't move out of our way in the next five seconds, you will be moved!" Okay, maybe a little bit aggressive…
Fuck it, though.
Patricia and the girls bunched up behind me as I stomped forward, the reporters parting like Wishiwashi before a Sharpedo. The girls were giggling, of course, and Patricia looked a little exasperated… But I knew reporters, unfortunately. Give them a single moment of your time and they would demand hours.
—
Alex
—
After we made it back to the Pokemon Center Ms. Greenwood and Lance flew off. Lance intended to escort her home, actually. Not that Midir really needed more help, and Maddy was… an intimidating Pokemon, but I understood it. I'd never seen his face that soft, that relaxed before, and he wasn't taking any chances.
The reporters had eaten it up, of course…
I hadn't exactly been comfortable with all the pictures that were taken, plenty of which included all of us, but I was resigned to it. Erin rarely ran into anyone brave enough to approach her and her glares, so I hadn't had to deal with that so far… Even if they still took pictures. Leaf had shown me one website that I really hadn't enjoyed, but we were keeping it quiet from Erin for the moment. We were mildly worried she would just… Honestly, she wouldn't hurt them. Physically… Dexter wouldn't exactly hop into a government database to find TopTyrantFan's address for her, but I could easily see Erin sending them a threatening message, and she didn't need more negative attention. The majority of it was positive these days, in fact, and we should probably try to keep it that way…
The reporters had been delighted to watch Ms. Greenwood and Lance take off together, though, both on Dragonite's. I just knew the PokeNet would be going into overdrive soon… About them, and me. Lance had called me his child, and by now Ms. Greenwood was at least somewhat known to be Leaf and Erin's mother, so it wasn't hard to figure out which of us he had been talking about…
I didn't mind it, not at all, but I think I might skip checking the PokeNet for a few days…
We quickly entered the Pokemon Center, deliberately ignoring the crowd of reporters behind us, and practically scurried to our room.
Of course, it was never that easy… Even if I didn't dislike them…
Emily and her sister Anya were waiting near the counter, and considering our door was the closest to the counter, they saw us… and came over. Emily looked excited as she glanced up from her PokeNav.
"Hey you three! Did you see that the Champion's dating someone? I thought he'd be single forever, honestly!" We gave her some confused looks, but she just kept going, still looking at her PokeNav.
"I mean, I don't know who yet, just the… article title…" Her face rose from her PokeNav as she presumably saw a picture of all of us, confusion and shock clearly on display, and I couldn't help but laugh. We all laughed a little, actually.
Erin was grinning as she opened our door.
"Let's get in here, just in case the reporters are brave enough to test a Nurse Joy… They're big enough fools to test Lance, so it's not exactly impossible…" They followed us in as some of our teams came out. Leto and Artemis looked very pleased with themselves, but Artemis was the only one who didn't take any real damage out of all of our Pokemon who fought, so the room felt almost half-empty without the rest.
"So…" Emily turned to me. "You're the Champion's kid? I never heard of him having one…" I sighed heavily before responding. I got the feeling I would be answering this for a while until Lance clarified, actually…
"He adopted me after my old 'parents' disowned me, so yeah, technically he's my… dad?" I loved Lance, sure, but… still so strange to call him that…
Erin cleared her throat and gave them a look.
"So, what's up? Have another unruly fae?" Emily blushed hard at her words, but Anya laughed before responding.
"No, we were just about to leave, actually. I need to get to Celadon for my next Gym, since Giovanni doesn't take anyone with less than six badges, so it's going to be… a long walk." I saw Leaf's eyes light up, and Erin and I both sighed. It was so obvious what was about to happen…
"Want a ride? We're heading to Saffron next, but they're so close we can drop you off at Celadon easily!"
I really enjoyed how pale they went, staring up at Leto's huge grin. Emily managed to speak after a few seconds.
"I, uhh… I mean, it would be convenient, I guess, but… Will she even let us ride her?" We burst into laughter as Leto's smile turned into bared teeth, but Leaf managed to speak first.
"Nobody rides Leto, she carries us in a Ride Basket, actually!" Their faces regained some color at that, even as Leto vigorously nodded.
"I mean, in that case, sure! I know it's a Journey, but we'd be going back over the same Routes, and that's kind of boring… I guess at least this way the Routes will go by quickly?" I snorted at Anya's words.
"Leto doesn't do Routes, actually…" Emily looked a little pale as she heard that, but ehh, not my problem.
I turned to Erin with a wide, innocent smile.
"So, have you had any ideas for your Performance?" Erin's face drained of blood, and Artemis froze, eyes wide.
"Uhh… I mean, I have some vague ideas, I guess? Maybe?" She refused to meet our eyes now.
Emily looked confused, though.
"The Tiny Tyrant in a Contest? That sounds kind of funny, actually…" Erin growled, but everyone else laughed, including Leto. Leaf broke off her laughter to speak.
"I don't think Erin cares all that much about competing, but some of her Pokemon do, and Artemis won the privilege of being the first one out of our group to compete in a Contest… So she had better do well, because mom wanted to compete, badly!" Emily and Anya's faces swung to Leto almost in unison, confusion evident in their faces and Anya's uncertain voice.
"Leto wants to compete? Would she even fit in most venues?" Leto growled a little, but not much, as she nodded. Erin was grinning widely as she answered them.
"Mom wanted to, yeah. One of the first things she ever saw on TV was a Contest, and she's been fascinated ever since… Well, she is too big to really perform, and way too powerful for the Battle portions, but she got invited to be the guest judge for a Contest in Saffron!" I enjoyed the way both of their faces grew more confused, even as Leto's tail began to wag.
I cleared my throat, getting their attention.
"Well, we'll be here tonight, we're waiting for our Pokemon to get healed, so… Meet you tomorrow morning?" They both nodded their heads, but then Leaf's eyes lit up… Because Leaf wanted to be almost everyone's friend, of course…
"Want to join us for dinner tonight?" I sighed internally as they both nodded eagerly.
I didn't mind meeting new people I guess, but… Oh, yeah! I gave them a look.
"You realize we're probably going to get ambushed by reporters, right? I guarantee there's still some waiting outside for us, no matter what Lance threatened them with…"
As everyone's faces grew uneasy I sighed externally this time. I loved him, but damnit, I had kind of enjoyed being anonymous next to someone that drove reporters away from her with her sheer glares, or her aura! Now they would be asking me questions! I mean, Erin might just start slapping them around with aura if they tried… Still!
Maybe we could get a few days of peace in Saffron before the PokeNet found out where we went… Nah, Leto was kind of distinctive… I guess we could get off far outside of town, though… Shit, Erin was kind of distinctive with the feathers and jacket!
