This fanfiction was written by Yours and Mine and posted by Phantomness with the author’s permission.

Title: Deviation

Summary: A defeated Dragon Master lingers on Cerise to heal his wounds, and a Champion heading for Shirogane decides to drop by on his way. [au!mangaverse][championshipping][complete]

Rating: PG-13/ ‘Teen’

Published 6/16/06, completed 6/20/06

Chapter 1

He had been defeated.

But - no, Lugia was… Was…

Lance reached one hand upwards, tried to reach for it -- the phantom pokémon he had searched so long for, just in front of his eyes, summoned by the power of the badges, no! He was falling, falling backwards, further and further away from the dream he had realized -- he had been defeated by a boy - no, girl, who had never allowed her pokémon to evolve. The irony of it - that he would be defeated by somebody who shared his thoughts, who shared his power, hit him, moments before the ground did.

His fingers twitched, green eyes fluttered as his chest rose and fell -- gently, slowly, like the waves that crashed onto the sand not far from where he had fallen.

Dragonite flew down and nudged him lightly - his two Dragonairs hovering above it, out of politeness, but even at their distance - Lance could feel the concern radiating off them. Their concern -- and their willingness to go on fighting, even as around him, the flowers blossomed slowly, but surely, their yellowed middles turning to face the sun that signaled the beginning of the day he had never wanted to come and --

"No," he spoke, aloud, his voice shaky and thin. Megavolt -- a Pikachu. Yellow - the girl. Lance smiled weakly, and murmured, "I should have… killed her." Back then, when he had a chance, when she had still been weak, and he had been stronger.

Dragonite roared.

"No," he said again, shaking his head. "The battle is over… We've lost."

The two Dragonairs settled on the ground beside Dragonite as they listened and mewed softly to him.

"I'm fine," Lance said as he pushed himself up, trembling -- but before he could fall face first to the floor, Dragonite caught him with careful paws. Thankfully, Lance used Dragonite as a support, as he turned to face the sea -- where, in the distance, he saw a range of water pokémon fleeing the scene, trainers standing on them, as they all disappeared into the distance.

The ones who had… defeated him…

He had a feeling he would meet them again.

§

Days passed quickly. Days, and he had barely recovered - Aerodactyl searched for food on Cerise Island, and there were no wild pokémon here that he knew of to attack him in the middle of his rest, so…

Dragonite roared - the same sound he had made watching the young trainers leave the island. Lance peered up quickly, and saw a Charizard -- Charizard, that meant… Green?

No.

Instead of Green, it was Red who stepped down from the flying and fire pokémon, a curious look imprinted on the youth's face. "You're… injured," the boy said.

Lance looked away. "Of course," he spat, "after that battle -- who wouldn't be?" Turning back to the trainer, the Dragon Master eyed him curiously, looked him up and down - ah. After all that team work with Lorelei, with Bruno, with Agatha, Lance knew. "Your wrists - it's Lorelei's ice, isn't it? Her curse."

Aptly called -- each one of them had a special ability granted to them, even Bruno, the bigger, stronger man who often denied it. Lorelei had the ability to do voodoo with her ice dolls, freezing the humans or pokémon whose dolls she made by marking a small ‘x' with her lipstick - or just about anything she had. Bruno had the ability to calm pokémon and make them listen, even if they weren't captured or tame. Agatha could make full use of her ghost and psychic pokémon to control people and a large-scale of pokémon and he, Lance, of the Blackthorn City Dragon Master lineage fame could control Dragon pokémon, make full use of their potential -- and he was a gifted Viridian trainer.

The youth nodded slightly, subconsciously massaging the sides of his wrists as he did so. "But you… You haven't healed?"

"Are you worried for me?" Lance asked, amusement creeping into his voice. "We were enemies, Red. We… still are." Dragonite landed, and flapped his wings, standing in what seemed to be a offensive position. Charizard, on the other hand, did the same, the fire on its tail glowing just a little brighter as it got ready to battle but --

"No," Red said firmly, shaking his head. "It won't do us any good here to battle each other. You're injured, as so am I, and…"

"You're worried," Lance said, tilting his head to the side by a bit - curious. Very curious. "Why?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" he asked.

"Because --" He wanted to go on explaining why, but a sudden bout of nausea caught him off guard, and he fell to the ground, clutching his sides -- and this all happened in front of the enemy. Lance would have laughed, could he laugh, but -- Red was by his side, holding him. He was being held by the enemy, one of the people who had defeated him, who had stopped him from destroying the world and the pathetic human who inhabited it.

The world for pokémon, and pokémon for the world…

Was it… a foolish dream?

"Lance," Red said.

His name. Out of the enemy's mouth -- without hatred, without malice.

Just… concern.

He was dreaming -- this couldn't be real. This was the enemy, this was Red, this was…

"Let go… of me," he muttered. "Let go --"

If Red was holding him, then Dragonite… Lance glanced up quickly, but Dragonite and Charizard were both staring at the two of them, neither of them moving as they simply stared, and stood next to each other. Neither of them seemed to be willing to fight the other and -- why? Lance wanted to ask Dragonite as Red slowly pulled him up into a sitting position, why didn't you attack him?

“We need to get you off the island," Red said, looking up at Charizard, who nodded and turned to Dragonite. Lance watched as the two pokémon stared into each other's eyes before Dragonite nodded and bowed his head down.

Charizard came forward, and Red - Red stood up and offered his hand, which Lance smacked away quickly. "I don't need your help," he hissed, but Dragonite shook his head and whined almost pitifully.

"Your pokémon wants you to come with us," Red said, a sad look in his eyes. "They… They don't want you to be injured anymore, so… Lance? I know you think of us as enemies, but… Just a day, or even a week. Until you heal. We don't have to be friends, just… Just allies?"

He ignored him. Lance pushed himself up, and though he wobbled, the Dragon Master reached his hands out, preventing Red and Charizard from moving too close to him. Slowly, unsteadily, he reached Dragonite's side and collapsed onto his pokémon, tired and worn out from trying too hard.

They care, Dragonite told him.

Lance would have frowned, had he not been too tired.

They want to help, the pokémon said again.

"Dragon.. ite…"

Please… let them help? You… can't die here.

But Lance couldn't answer. The bout of nausea came at him again, and this time -- he just let go.

§

When Lance stirred, he found himself in a unfamiliar room, but he could tell from the smell and the starkness of the room already where he was. Red sat on the chair by the bed, his head on top of his hands, which were placed on the bed -- his eyes closed in what seemed to be a peaceful rest; their pokémon were no where in sight, but Lance relaxed slightly when he saw his pokéballs on the table by the bed.

His movement must have been pretty noisy, for Red shifted backwards and sat upright the next moment, yawning as he stretched his limbs outwards. The youth looked tired, and still half-asleep, but he greeted cheerfully, "Good morning! You look better!"

Lance frowned. He could still feel the influences of a medicine running inside his body, and he dreaded that feel. "It was a injection?"

Red nodded. "They had to. You were dying." He said the last word solemnly, even sounding apologetic.

"Hnn," he murmured, turning away. "You're… honest."

"Huh?"

"Most people would try hiding the fact of an injection from an unconscious person," Lance said.

"…I thought you would have wanted to know."

"Thank you," he said, turning back, his voice one of forced politeness. "You're… tired," Lance remarked after he studied Red for a while, "didn't you sleep?"

"I --"

"He stayed up all night, watching you," another said. A nurse entered the room, a Chansey following behind her. "Good morning! How do you feel today?"

"Better," Lance replied instinctively, knowing what hospitals could do if you answered negatively. He hated hospitals. "Stayed up… all night?" Quickly, he threw a look at the youth, who looked away, a small blush reddening both cheeks and ears. Red had stayed awake to watch him sleep, and that fact alone brought a smile, almost a smirk, to Lance's lips. "Really," he said simply.

"Really," the nurse replied as she walked over to the other side of the bed and checked the machine. "Well, your heartbeat has steadied, so that's good. And most of your bruises have healed." She placed a palm on her cheek, and sighed. "Teenagers these days, attacking humans with their pokémon! Whatever were they thinking! One more jolt, one more second and we might have lost you yesterday, you poor thing… Too bad the police have nothing against it, or else the very same pokémon and trainers who caused your injury could be locked up and away!" She opened her eyes and smiled. "Lucky for you, young man, your friend and his Charizard bought you here and saved your very life."

Lance opened his mouth and closed it, realizing that, one: she didn‘t know what had really happened, and two: he didn't want her or anyone else to know who he was.

Red giggled, the sheer irony of it humoring him.

The nurse turned to him, smiling. "Young man, you must be glad that your friend has survived."

"I think his pokémon would be even happier," Red said.

Yes, Lance thought, eyeing the pokéballs, for he saw no reason why would Red be happy that he had pulled through --

"But I'm glad, too," the trainer added. "If he died, I wouldn't be too sure what I can tell… other people who care."

Lance stiffened and looked away. Other people who care? He scoffed inwardly.

"That's so sweet of you," the nurse whispered. "Oh, I must be carrying on with my rounds. Still, for administrative purposes, might I have your name?"

"Lan --" Red started, then covered his mouth. "Uhhh…"

"Wataru," Lance said.

"Wataru," the nurse repeated, tapping a few buttons on the device she retrieved from her pockets. "Wa… ta… ru… Well, Wataru? I am afraid you‘ll have to stay in the hospital for a while longer, but you‘ll recover soon." Tapping another few more buttons, she nodded as she headed for the door. "And Satoshi, dear? Do sleep well."

"Satoshi?" Lance echoed, turning to Red with a frown, as the latter scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "Satoshi?"

"I couldn't exactly tell her who I was! Everyone knows Red the Pokémon Champion, so I…"

"What kind of name is Satoshi?"

Red bit his lip, looking both defensive and harassed at the same time. "What kind of name is Wataru?" he blurted out.

Lance sat back and shook his head. "I made it up," he said, pushing down the sudden memories that had arose with the name. "Nothing."

"Sorry."

"What for?"

"For bringing that up," Red said. "And whatever it was you didn't want to talk about."

Lance remained silent as he tried to think -- they had been on Cerise Island before this, and about a day had passed so… "Where are we?"

"Cherrygrove City," the other replied easily. "It's not Kanto, and it's far enough for you and me not to be recognized. So that‘s good, isn‘t it?"

"Johto," Lance whispered to himself, the fingers on his right hand clenching into a fist as he spoke the name of the area as a whole. Johto -- this was where Blackthorn City was, this was where…

"Yeah, Johto," Red said, nodding.

"I'm thirsty," Lance said suddenly.

Red blinked, and smiled. "Okay, I'll… get a cup of water." He stood up from his seat and moved to the table, where a pitcher and a well-placed cup sat. The Champion lifted the pitcher and --

Lance caught it before it fell. He smirked bemusedly. "I was right. It hasn't healed, has it?" He shifted so his legs swung at the side of the bed, and he faced the trainer, who tried to look away - but the guilty look on the other's eyes were still visible.

Glad that it was a private room he had been placed in, Lance stood up, as Red retreated -- one step taken forward pushed the other back, until he eventually backed the other into the wall. "Lan-ance," Red murmured, looking down purposefully onto the floor. "What are you --"

Lance gripped his wrist and pushed it hard against the wall, making Red cry out in pain. "S-stop --" But his words were cut off as Laance did the same thing to his other arm. Back against the wall, both arms subdued, the Champion gritted his teeth as he tried not to call out.

"Why aren't you screaming?" Lance asked.

Red shook his head, his eyes closed, but one small tear emerged from his closed eyes. "N-no," the youth said, shaking his head. "Wo-won't scream… Lance, s-stop…"

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Lance asked, his voice slow and sensual. He knew what he could do, and he was using it all against Red, against the enemy. "Hurts so much, doesn't it?"

"La-Lance…"

He leaned forward, until his lips were by Red's ear. "Scream, little one."

But Red did not scream, no matter how much Lance tightened his grip on both wrists. Red only endued the pain as he cried, as tears fell off his cheeks slowly, whispering his name over and over again.

And when Lance let go, the other fell forward, and into his arms.

The leader of the Elite Four frowned as he studied the smaller trainer, eyes lingering just a second too long on the reddened wrists. In a swift movement, and with quick steps, Lance placed Red on the bed, watching him for a few moments longer before he stared out of the window.

Cherrygrove… He had only been here once before.

When his parents had still been alive…

Lance closed his eyes and shoved the bad memories, once again, to the back of his head.

"Wataru-kun?"

Lance glanced up at the smiling lady, smiling in return. "Mom!"

"Hai, Wataru-kun!"

"You're going to spoil him if you keep calling him by that pet name, kaa-chan," a man said as he entered the room, and sat down quickly. "Yo, Lance, don't you like your real name better?"

"But Wataru is a wonderful name too, tou-chan," the lady replied, pouting slightly. "Isn't it, Wataru-kun?"

Lance grinned and nodded.

"See!"

"Lance, stop being biased to your mother! I'm hurt," his dad said, but he hadn't really meant it. It was just a joke -- all three of them joking, laughing, having fun as they travelled from Viridian to Blackthorn, Cherrygrove had merely been a stopover…

"Huh," Lance murmured, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, those unwanted memories. He leaned forward, tapping on Red's wrist lightly, then traced what he could reach with one finger, watching as the bruises disappeared in white light. But he knew, and could feel how they hadn‘t healed completely. "Sorry I couldn't help more," he said as he sat in the chair, watching the other sleep.

He had healing abilities, but even then, he could only heal so much for humans. Lorelei's curse ran deeper beyond his touch.

He stayed up all night, watching you…

The Dragon Master folded his arms as he leaned back into the chair. He had to leave here soon -- should any word get out that he was here… Things would not be good, especially if Clair… He wouldn't think about it.

And as for Red… Lance frowned. Those wrists of his, he had to be out searching for a cure from Lorelei's curse. Especially since it was Charizard -- Green's Charizard -- with him, as his mode of travel.

Red had to be on his way soon too.

to be continued.