Another chapter! *Waves*

Well… here we are. *Bows*

Chapter 9: Airfield

The five friends looked grimly at the TV set as it finished its announcement.

“Shimatta!”
Misty looked at Ash in confusion. “Ash? Calm down.”

“I’m trying-.”
“No, you aren’t.” Lance told him emphatically, as a blue glow glistened around her fingers, before she jabbed him in the chest. Several shiatsu points were hit.

Ash frowned, but as the power coursed through him, he did calm down.

“Chimera…”

“Who knew the league was doing those experiments?” Brock mused. “Well, at least they came public with it.”

“They also kidnapped a small portion of the population to use as subjects.” Lance said dryly. “I guess they didn’t have enough volunteers. But then, with this broadcast, even more people will. And even if pokemon must be sacrificed, people want the power. Of course.”

Enough had volunteered though, from the statistics shown.

Most people were stupid.

Plus, they took the intelligent ones who might rebel… for obvious reasons. No use stirring up controversy.

“Lucky it doesn’t work on masters, so we’re safe.”

‘Not really Gary.” Ash said. “They’ll probably try to kill us out since they won’t be able to turn us into mind-controlled mutants.”

“Great.” Misty muttered.

That poor boy… only the head was still human. The rest of the body was a mishmash of animals.

Not pokemon, though, because pokemon were too far away. Well, until the League decided those were fair play too. They were already mentioning it. After all, if you could fly or breathe underwater you would want that.

And if sixteen squirtles had to die, would you care? Most people wouldn’t.

A happy light actually gleamed in Lance’s eyes at that thought. * Hurt the pokemon? You’ll have to fight me too. *

“So we fight?”

“Of course, its kill or be killed now to be a master.’

“Lance, couldn’t you pass and be a spy?”
“I could, if I weren’t known as Dragon Master.” Lance said. “But I have wings and claws… maybe that’s enough.”

“The rest of the Elite Four escaped, though..” Ash said, closing down a yellow compact mirror.

“That’s good.”

Misty thought of a sudden point. “But I’m not a master yet! So they can still change me.”

“Maybe not,” Brock said. “You are close. I think its skill level.”

“Plus you can use pokemon attacks yourself.”

“We’ll all run.” And that ended the discussion.

The next day, the purges began.

Those who could change were captured, those who could not were killed.

Professor Lilac called it a new step in human evolution.

Ash just called it a waste of life.

He didn’t feel sorry for those who volunteered, since they knew what they were getting into.

And they watched the pokemon die, in anticipation of getting powers for themselves.

‘Necessary Sacrifice’ indeed...

So what if there was no escape from the labs? They didn’t deserve it. Killing all of those pokemon in pursuit of science.

There hadn’t been enough research done in the area of genetic engineering. Humanity was playing God, but without the knowledge.

Of course that would lead to disaster further on…

If the masters fought back, it would just clean the taint of suffering faster.

“I feel no pity for them, but this could snap the balance, using non-pokemon and then pokemon.” Lance said.

Ash looked at the scales in her hands. “I know.”

Fate, Destiny, Hope…

The three balls of colored light bobbed up and down slowly.

“Activate special ability!”
Misty stared as Gary’s eyes changed to purple. “There. Poison-type, so touching me will be poisonous.’
“That’s all well and good, Gary, but does the poison stay?”

“Oops. Didn’t think about that.”

Nidoking and Nidoqueen laughed at their trainer.

“And how can you eat?”

Gary continued to change colors as Misty asked several more common questions that he hadn’t considered.

Brock walked around, checking on the feeding pokemon.

Hard…

He missed his family. The league had taken all of them.

Damn them! Damn them all! Even he, as a gym leader, hadn’t known! And if the rumors were true about Lance having not set foot in Indigo for years, that would explain why he didn’t know either…

Still.

He thinks he resents the other trainer.

Lance is a flier, he has power. Brock has seen it before. And he is younger, but… the dragons all obey him without question.

Perhaps it is different mastery, but he doesn’t think so.

Power…

He might be jealous.

Ash is smiling, which is so wrong, they are fugitives from justice and they strike out at the league to stop it, but he still smiles.

Like a child’s smile

His siblings are gone.

Ash and Lance are flying outside now, together.

They look happy, which I don’t think is fair.

It’s not fair at all!

No, it isn’t. because they must be uncaring, how else could they watch all the death without flinching.

I’ve seen them kill, too.

Lance does it quickly, blades flashing. But those humans… I wonder if some of them were forced into the league?

He just kills them without a second thought.

I think he’s dead inside.

Ash… now that’s a puzzle I haven’t figured out.

He seems to feel for Lance, which might not be a bad thing. They do act nice around each other.

But… Ash is so fast, like lightning.

He’ll kill too, but at least I saw him cry.

Lance doesn’t cry. It’s like they don’t hurt him.

What if Ash winds up like that? What if we all do as a result of this war? Why did this war have to happen in the first place?

It is the League’s fault.

Not mine, not his, not ours…

CURSE THE LEAGUE

Lance, if you had stopped this, if you could have, would you?

I think I hate you.

End Chapter