At least I have inspiration for this one…

Disclaimer: Well… I have no ownership in pokemon, it belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan comics and I don’t own any pokemon stock either. Anyways… this is non-profit fanwork, no copyright infringing is intended, plus since I wrote it and it’s my ideas, the work is mine under copyright law.

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

Chapter 6: Procedure

Lance floated in the water. It was so hard to relax… he could still feel the stirrings running through him like wildfire, but they were a bit easier to control. With a thought, he shifted from dragon to ice, and calmed down.

An explosion sounded.

The Chosen swore and grabbed the nearest article of clothing, which happened to be a black robe, flinging it on and dashing outside while muttering the necessary armor spell. * Why don’t’ I ever get a break!? Sheesh! *

He was unpleasantly surprised to see Team Rocket chasing Lugia.

“Kairyuu! Hakuryuu! Dragonair! Kill them all!”

Lance closed his eyes as ribbons of black power danced along his arms. * Well, I might as well take out my frustration on them… *

“Nightmare Chains!”

The ribbons solidified, flying outwards and whatever they touched crumbled into fragments.

Screams rang through the cavern.

< Note to Lugia. Why don’t you move? >
< Well, you seem perfectly capable of handling the problem, Chosen. >

< Couldn’t they have waited fifteen minutes before attacking? >

Lugia chuckled. < I don’t think they have your best interests at heart. >

Lance glared. < I’m your Chosen, so of course I like water! > With a snarl, he threw out the rest of the chains and watched as the rockets screamed and died. He stomped back to the pool, his earlier good mood completely shattered.

< Chosen… >

< Lugia, can I take a rest? >

Lugia smiled. < Go ahead. I think you need it. >

Lance sank back into the water with a sigh. * I seriously do need it. *

His dragon pokemon returned, streaked with blood also, and he watched as they frolicked in the salt spray.

Justice again.

So why was it so annoying? Just how many was he supposed to kill?

Lance shook his head as the Scales dangled in the air in front of him. “Well, it’s not my place to know, I’m just the sword.”

His fingers tightened convulsively around something, but from Ash’s angle he couldn’t see… in any case, the Unown quickly shut the mirror wave down.

That was good, because Ash could seriously have passed out from fainting. He should quit doing that. It wasn’t good for him.

He just had to land on a rock too.

< Chosen! >

H hummed, as it began to heal.

< I think he’s stressed. > N nuzzled Ash affectionately, before dissolving into web-consciousness again.

< Yes, yes. >

< Perhaps he is still young, although he knows much of war, little of love it seems. >

< That’s the way he is. >

< Shall we teach him? >

< Heavens, no! Messing with Chosen is always dangerous. >

< Point taken. >

Ash woke up, trying to ignore the ever-present sense of uncomfortable twitching in his head.

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea…

But Lance was hot – wait! Where did that thought come from?!

Ash ran for the showers, much to the amusement of the Unown.

The cold water brought him back to his senses after about ten minutes of immersion.

“Gah!”

< I am not interested in him! I’m only following him around because it’s my duty! > Somehow, though…

Ash couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that it was a lie.

Why would he lie to himself?

I really don’t care! I don’t!
I’m only writing what I have to write so that history lives on.

He concentrated on writing the newest scroll of symbols. And so, Team Rocket attempted to capture the Guardian of the seas…

Mind on work.

As long as he didn’t think about lance as anything more than someone who had to be watched, one of the makers of history… it was all right.

Nothing more.

Less, yes, maybe… Ash closed his eyes and popped a lemon candy into his mouth, before going back to his scribing.

He had his own duty to do.

This power wasn’t a game, it was there to remember. He would not fail his pokemon guardians.

The unown all hummed in his heart.

< We should discontinue teasing him. >

< Yes, it may become dangerous. >

< What if he tries to activate Hidden Power? >

< Right now he will not… yet. But we must keep the Child of light pure, before the shadows dissolve him again. >

One unown seemed to falter. < Yes. >

< Don’t think of it! Using the Dragon Master as bait could break the child of light! And though we can write, the Dragon Master will not lose. >

< He will wind the threads of death for us if we try to break this one. >

< It is not wise to fight Lugia’s Chosen. >

End Chapter

Complete 4/18/04