*Waves hi to all my nice readers*

Disclaimer: I don’t own pokemon! It belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This is non-profit fanwork, no copyright infringement is intended, and since I wrote it, its mine under copyright laws.

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

Chapter 10: Finis?

“Gomen nasai!” Ash said, embarrassed. He had accidentally bowled over another trainer while wandering Saffron.

Startling gold met amber. “Oh, it’s fine.” Lance said, brushing himself off. “Are you okay?”

“Me? I’m fine.” Ash checked his watch. “Oh shoot! I’m going to be late! Cya later!” With another mad dash, he was off.

Lance smiled, before his eyes hardened and the sparks of blue began to flutter along his fingers, invisibly hovering there.

< Follow me, Chosen…. The way is not far. >

His form blurred and he vanished. A bare half hour later, the Emerson Research Laboratory was discovered, demolished.

The newspapers had a field day, of course.

It was another proof of the weakness of bureaucracy.

Hmm, so they were doing experiments on pokemon indeed. Those poor cloned dragons, withering away in death. Well, he’d give them eternal peace quickly.

Yes…

Sleep well, my little ones. I’ll take good care of all of you.

Don’t worry about a thing.

“Halt!” A scientist in a lab coat converged on the scene. “This area is off-limits!”

Lance flicked his fingers and the man screamed. Whirls of ice fire tore him apart, savoring the agony.

He smirked.

“Bakayarou… I’m not bound by your pathetic laws.’ Lance said, collecting the rest of the pokemon. “Let’s go home.”

Besides, his mind added, you deserve worse for messing with their lives.

Face the wrath of Lugia’s Chosen.

It was lucky invisible shields worked, or the residents of Saffron would have wondered at the cloud of dragon pokemon soaring overhead. However, no one say anything on this clear day.

< Red >

< Hmm, aneki? > Ash asked, looking at Sabrina who had just teleported in. < What’s wrong? >

Sabrina sighed. < I lost a match. >

< NANI!? > He dropped his cup of tea, Sabrina grabbing it before it hit the floor. < How?! >

< For one, my opponent was a psychic, but I didn’t realize it. He was just blocking his thoughts, but… >

< But? >

< I’m used to dealing with people who announce their moves. >

< That can’t be all, if it was only silence you could still have won! > Ash said staunchly. < You’re the psychic master! >

< Yes, but he was a Dragon Master. > Sabrina sighed, realizing it too late.

Ash didn’t know how to help, but he took Sabrina ‘nee-chan out for ice cream because that’s what helped him.

And it worked.

He put any unpleasant incidents out of his head immediately.

Koga finished filling out the mountain of paperwork, wondering exactly _why_ it was so hard to do.

Next time, he should not bothering making it legal.

“HI!”

Koga didn’t jump, but he did throw a few kunai at the offending noise, creating a scream.

“Who are you and what do you want?”

The perky junior trainer grinned. “I want the Marsh Badge!”
“I am not available for a battle right now.” Koga said, looking up from his desk. “Come back tomorrow.”

“But it’s taken my a month to figure out how to get inside this gym!”

“…”

“Father?”
Janine walked in, wearing a kimono and carrying a cup of tea.

“Thank you.” Koga said, taking a sip. “Janine, you will take care of this challenger.”

“Yes, father.” Janine said obediently. She led Dolores into another room that was mostly empty.

Ash and his Espeon were meditating quietly by the wall. Janine pressed a floorboard, sliding an invisible wall between him and their battle so they wouldn’t bother each other.

“Let’s begin.”

“Dolores chooses Jigglypuff!”
Janine rolled her eyes as her Venonat doused Jigglypuff in poisonpowder.

“Jigglypuff, sing!”

The song failed miserably. Venonat had gone through plenty of training fighting off status-changing attacks.

Thus, while Jigglypuff futilely attacked, the poison leeched off its HP and it fainted.

“Go! Rattata!”

“Solarbeam…”

Two down.

Red stopped and watched the battle. Dolores had no chance against Janine, she was way too weak…

Poor fool, she makes me laugh, hahahahaha [1]

Snubbull fell to another Solarbeam, and her last pokemon, a Charmander for a starter, was poorly trained.

Apparently Dolores only liked ‘cute’ pokemon. What a pity. In either case, she left wailing and half her money gone.

He grinned and shot Janine a ‘V’ for victory, which she replied with, despite the juvenile symbol.

Koga came in, having _finally_ defeated the mountain of red tape. “It’s finished.”

Ash blinked… what was he talking about?
“Welcome to the family, Red.” Janine grinned, smiling brightly. “My father decided to adopt you.”

Red’s mind whirled. “What? This is so sudden!” < And why? >

“You’re a good child, Red, and you do need a father. So if you would not mind me filling that role?”

Ash’s eyes filled with tears as he hugged Koga. < Mind? I’m too happy to speak! I- I can’t believe you would to this for me! >

“Well, perhaps its time you deserved some more kindness from the world.” Koga said, soothing the boy.

Everything would work out fine in the end.

The future waited, again… but he wasn’t really alone, was he? He had his family, his pokemon, and maybe, even friends…

Let’s take the first step into the rest of my life then.

Carpe Diem.

End Fic

Completed 5/6/04

Wow… I’m so glad I could finish this! ^_^

I decided to leave it at that, yes, I gave him a happy ending. Sorry, this was not a championshipping fic, there may be implied hints here n’ there but that’s about it.

[1] quote from the Phantom of the Opera musical. I love it!