Yes, I was jumped by a plotbunny.
This one is a pokemon Special/Adventures spin-off that takes place after Book 7. Championshippy warning! I think this one is het too. Please leave if you feel queasy.
Title: Mirror my Reflection
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red), others implied
Rating: PG-13
Notes: () for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics for pokemon speaking. This is based on the Chinese/Singapore version, where 'Green' is the boy and 'Blue' is the girl. This contains spoilers for post-volume 7 of Pokemon Special/Adventures.
Warnings: Divergence, Het, gender-bending
Prologue
Lance's golden eyes fluttered closed as the last of Pikachu's one hundred thousand volt attack hit her.
"I was so close… and yet, if I leave this unfinished, who will keep the pokemon alive when the healing has worn off?"
Her Pokemon were also feeling the damage, but they were faring slightly better, aside from Aerodactyl and Charizard, who did not have the damage reduction granted by the dragon-type. She thought of her cousin, the only family she had left, ancient grandfather not included.
"Clair… I'm so sorry… I never even said goodbye to you…"
Lugia paused.
The waves of healing were doing their job, as flowers sprouted in areas decimated by toxic waste. And yet, this human, who had been given the power of the Viridian Forest, had a valid point.
* She is a dragon trainer, * Lugia thought. * And she is more powerful than all the others. It would be a shame to waste a life like that. *
Perhaps she is a dragon master, even? Or the Dragon Master I have waited for? After all, she is the one who summoned me, and only one has the power to do that…
Concentrating his psychic powers and ignoring Yellow and her team for now, Lugia focused on looking into the trainer's heart.
He saw love.
He saw fear.
He saw pain.
He saw one, deadly wish.
Lugia made his decision.
Before the trainer's soul could flee, tendrils of psychic power trapped it in a clear crystal, flanked by silver dragon's wings.
A sparkle on a collar fell down to earth, seeking the one who could hold it and complete destiny.
***************End Prologue*********************************************
Chapter 1 – seventeen months and 3 days later
Red yawned. The Indigo League Championships were over, and he had won again. This was his fourth year being Champion. At age fourteen, almost fifteen, that was still quite a feat.
He was not planning on losing anytime soon, in any case.
His friend Green had taken over the Viridian City gym. Good for him! There needed to be a new leader after Giovanni vanished.
Blue was doing very well, too. Her team of water and normal types had won her second place, much to Green's immense surprise. Still, as she was now his girlfriend, being beaten wasn't that bad.
They really did complement each other's personalities.
So Green had spent a few days sulking, but then Blue had dragged him out on a date where she paid for it, and after a lot of ice cream and kissing they had made up. Red sighed a little bit.
He knew Yellow's secret now, and wasn't really bothered. However, he did find it slightly annoying how she was crushing on him. For goodness' sake, she might be thirteen already, but she still looked ten years old, and that was being generous.
"Red!"
Said object seeking his affections had shown up again! He winced as he ducked underneath the window view. Maybe she wouldn't notice he was at home?
No such luck. A few minutes later, he heard her running up the stairs. She jumped on his bed next to him.
"Hi, Red!"
"Hi, Yellow," Red replied. He liked her as a friend, sure, but romance was not exactly a priority yet. Besides, he liked Misty better, if push came to shove.
"Look! Chu came with me!" He spared a glance at the female Pikachu she had acquired three months ago and nodded.
"Cool." From his desk, Pika blinked an eye and then went back to sleep. Smart Pikachu, he was.
It was no secret that Chu had a crush on Pika.
"Like master, like pokemon." Green had told him once. That was very true…
And by the look in Pika's eyes, it was time to run as both Yellow and Chu leaped at them with the dreaded 'hug attack'.
Moments later, he gasped, panting behind a trash can. Pika climbed onto his head, clinging onto his jacket. I'm so tired…
Go away!
Red jumped, hearing the strange Pokemon's cry. * What? *
Instinctively, Pika charged up his Thunderwave attack and flung it out. A crackle was heard, and then nothing.
Peering into the trash cans one by one, he finally found a completely black Dratini, curled up and protecting what looked like a piece of jewelry.
"I won't hurt you."
Liar! Everyone else said that! They poked me with the needles and didn't stop!
Red paused. * It must have escaped from some lab… *
"Can I just pick you up?"
The Dratini glared, but being paralyzed, there wasn't much it could do. He lifted it out and took it straight to the pokemon center, before returning with it to a pond two hours later when it was all patched up.
"Are you okay now?"
The Dratini frowned. You're letting me go?
"I already have one each of the dragon family, and you look like you don't need a trainer."
Dratini took another look at him, before seemingly making a decision. The next thing he knew, he found himself with a silver collar on and the Dratini gone.
It wasn't an ugly collar, and it didn't look girly. The white crystal in the middle sparkled a little, and the dragon designs on it were ancient looking. Besides, he could always say it was a present.
Shrugging, Red decided to call it a day and go home. He fed his pokemon team, and then went to bed and slept.
The collar pulsed with white light as the transparent form of a trainer took shape.
Frowning, Lance tried to figure out what exactly was going on. She was pretty sure she had died during that Pikachu's attack…
I see you are confused, Dragon Master. A voice said. Let me enlighten you.
Lance automatically reached for her poke balls, before remembering they weren't there. "Who are you?"
Lugia poked his head in the window. (Hi.)
"Are you Lugia? But what is going on here?"
(I see you have heard of me. Surely, you've heard of the legend of the Dragon Master as well?)
"Um… yes… but what is going on?"
He sighed out a mushroom cloud.
(You did die from that attack. However, I've given you a 'second chance', so to speak. The world needs a trainer like you to look out for the wild dragon pokemon. You are the Dragon Master, I have seen it. But, since I cannot reincarnate you, I chained your soul into this piece of jewelry.)
"…" Lance frowned. "Are you sure?"
She could not believe she was the fabled Dragon Master! Certainly, her family had always trained dragons, but it was part of their Clan History. They did not even have special powers. The only reason she did have powers was because she had been born in the Viridian Forest, just like Giovanni and Yellow. Fat lot of good that had done her!
(I know what you're wondering. You were locked inside until someone with the same fighting spirit got the necklace. You two will have to work together to achieve the balance that this land needs.)
"So who is he?" Lance asked, looking down at the sleeping trainer.
(Yes, this is "Red" from Pallet Town, who won the Indigo Championships at age ten, I believe you tried to recruit him.)
"Lorelei and Agatha did. They failed, as I recall."
(True, but he was younger then, I can assure you that he has matured now. I just want you to keep an eye on him.)
"How do I do that? I'm some ghost…" She gestured. * This is insane! *
(Actually, you are a spirit.) Lugia corrected. (However, you still keep your powers as well as the ones I am giving you now as Dragon Master. You can possess him, too, if necessary.)
Lance was silent as she pondered the significance of the pseudo-dragon's words, long after Lugia departed without much more speech.
"I suppose I'll just be your protector now, there's not much else I can do." Lance sighed, as she faded back into the necklace just before Red woke up.
How had she gotten into this mess?
End Chapter!
Completed 2/27/04
Edited to the het version on 5/9/09, as well as changing a few Trainer names to reflect translations. Whee!
~Phantomness