Well… here we are!
Will refer to characters by incorrect gender b/c that’s what other people see them as.

Chapter 10: Inner conflict

Timeline: Oh, a year down the line or so.

Things finally had to come to a head. Anger could not stew forever without consequences…

“Kairyuu… now.” Lance said nonchalantly as the buildings exploded in a chain reaction.

Ash stared. “Bind of Dragon’s Blood?”
Lance grinned. “They shouldn’t have cut me.” His arm was still bleeding sluggishly, but he looked unconcerned.

No blood loss effects?

He focused on the buildings and smiled. “With the blood of the dragon unwillingly shed, I call upon Chain Destruction.”
Whatever was left also imploded.

Lance dusted off her hands and the two of them went to see how Brock and Misty and Gary had handled getting the people out.

Brock looked visibly shaken. * No freaking way Lance is that powerful… *

There weren’t many, just a handful of children who had managed to escape.

“Lance, why did you attack that fast?” Misty asked. “We could have saved more of them.”

Lance smirked, blue eyes dilating silver. “I scanned using the weather, the others were already changed. Too late to save them.”

“Besides,” Ash added. “We are running out of space.”

Their safe house was teeming with children, and it was true. They could not afford to save more.

But still! Brock thought. * All that waste of life… *

He looked sick as Lance walked back towards the building, and concentrated. Several droplets of bright red flew back to him. Okay, more like a lot of blood…

Brock looked really sick.

Smiling, Lance placed his other hand on his wounded arm.

“Now.”
The slash simply closed up, leaving only skin behind… not even a scar.
“Shall we go?”
“Hai! I’m ready!” Ash seconded.

Misty nodded, holding a girl in her arms. “Yes, me too.”

The group teleported, the faint blue glow warping them back to their quarters in Mount Moon.

Children ran around, happily, but mostly avoiding them.

The motherly Chansey and Kangaskhan provided food and care, so the kids did not interfere with the group.

Lance looked around, then shook his head. “Ash. We need to talk.”

“Hai.” The younger boy replied, following him into their room.

Their room.

Brock could not restrain a sense of loathing. The first thing they did after battle was screw each other senseless?
Didn’t they care about the lives they had taken?
Misty was helping the new children get settled in, while Gary was sharpening his array of ninja weapons.

It was preparation for the next strike.

Brock hated it.

He hated everything. The league had taken everything away from him. His family, his father, his siblings…

A girl’s face swam in his memory.

She had large purple eyes…

Clara… was dead.

She had committed suicide after a horrible loss at the pokemon league.

That girl, in the finals… she had a strange resemblance to Lance. Maybe they were cousins.

“We have to do something about Brock.”

Ash nodded. “He seems like he hesitates before every attack, and afterwards, he burns.”
“With rage against us.” Lance said pointedly.

“Well, it’s more directed to you.”
“You noticed?”

“If glares could kill, you might be dead.’ Ash said. “He thinks you’re corrupting me though.”
“It’s true, to an extent.”

“I don’t care.” Ash replied, as Lance kissed him. Chi spread through his body, replenishing the amount that had been lost in the day’s battle. Lance harnessed darkness, and there was no end to that energy.

So she could afford to heal him.

“Excellent.”

Ash wound his arms around her as they fell backwards onto the bed together. He just wanted to be held.

“OW!”

“You should have watched, you wouldn’t have hit your head on the headboard.” Lance chided, but there was laughter in that smile.

Her eyes sparkled so bright.

That night, Brock found himself unable to sleep and took to wandering.

The children were nice, but it wasn’t the same as his family.

He left the heavily guarded base and went off into the woods. Maybe all he really needed was fresh air.

A stick cracked behind him.

“Who’s there!” Brock yelled, Onix rearing up to attack.

“Brother?” A timid voice asked.

Brock lit his flashlight and walked towards the voice. There, standing in a raggedy blue dress, a face he hadn’t seen for over a year…

“CINDY!”

Brock enveloped his little sister in a hug. “You’re not dead, you’re alive… oh thank gods!”

Cindy sniffled as Brock held her.

“Where are the others?”
“W-we were in the building, when it…”

Cindy stopped, sniffling again. For a few minutes the only sounds were sobs. “Fire…yellow fire…”

Brock’s eyes widened. * Yellow Fire? But that would be-. *

Hyper Beam.

Lance’s favorite attack

End Chapter