Title: Soulless
Author: Shadow/Phantomness
Pairing: Championshipping (Lance x Red/Ash)
Fandom: Pokémon
Theme: #2, Soul
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks

Warnings: Fanon, shonen-ai, disturbing content

In retrospect, he supposed it shouldn’t have surprised him all that much. But the fact that every rebirth cycle, the guardians lost a little bit more of their soul, in exchange for a new lease on life, was seriously disturbing. It would help explain why Lance was so insane and Charlotte so detached, but at the moment Ash wasn’t having any of it. He was furiously angry, and Serebii was visibly trembling under his glare.

“It costs you nothing!” Ash said. “Why do you torture us like this?”

“B-Because it wouldn’t be fair otherwise.”

“Our lives aren’t fair! We’re created to patch the bridge between human and pokémon whether we want to or not, and they’ll damn well do their duty even if they die for it! Haven’t they suffered enough? I don’t care about myself, but they’re already dying for me, to keep me safe and innocent and powerful, and they have so little freedom left that if you take their souls-!”

Ash cut off in mid-speech, feeling a familiar presence materialize behind him. Lance’s eyes were shadowed, as he eyed Serebii.

“Is this true?” He hissed.

Serebii gave a curt nod. The Dragon Master exhaled slowly, before shaking his head.

“It’s not worth it, Ash.”

“Yes it is!” Ash retorted hotly. “I don’t want you hurt any more!”

Something bright flickered in Lance’s eyes then, and Serebii cursed. Lance sighed, before nodding.

“I was wondering why my emotions were bleeding thin between lives… it took a while to notice though, and I almost thought my spells were wearing off.” He glared at the time traveling legendary, and Serebii flinched. “So, Serebii. What do you have to say?”

Ash wormed himself into Lance’s arms and continued to glare at Serebii as well. She saw the barest flicker of shadows coalescing around them, and sighed. It seemed she had lost this round.

“There is a price to pay-.”

“Well, we’ve paid everything.” Ash cut her off. “So don’t try to delude us with our debt. In fact, it is you who is in our debt.”

Serebii could make no argument to refute their statement. “I cannot give you back what has already been lost.”

“But you can keep it from happening again, right?” Lance crooned. Icy wind whispered in his voice, and Serebii managed to incline her head in assent.

“That’s the best we can hope for then, Ash.”

Ash still looked unhappy, but as Lance bent down to kiss him, decided not to complain. After all, things could be worse, even if life was bloody unfair.

Such was fate, and such was folly, and power’s price would never lighten.

End Fic

Completed 4/5/07

Stress causes weird bunnies, yo.