Chapter 5… *yawns* I hate being ill

Disclaimer: Again, I don’t own pokemon.

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

Chapter 5

 

            “Lance, what have you done?” Ash asked, recognizing his pokemon as the dome went down. His team flocked to him, fawning over him.

            Lance did not reply.

            “Lance!” He tried shaking the other trainer.

            Golden eyes met his happily as Lance kissed him. Ash was in too much shock to react as the pokemon returned to their poke balls and clipped them selves onto his belt.

            What was going on?!

 

            “Um….”

            “So pretty, pretty shadows.” Lance kissed him again.

            “Gak! This is molestation!” Ash yelled. “Help!” Unfortunately, they were still inside the dome… it had gone up again after the pokemon were let in.

            What to do now?

            Lance was looking way too happy as he began kissing down Ash’s neck. With a sudden burst of power, the dome shattered.

 

            “Let him go!”

            “Mom!” Ash gaped in shock. Yes, there was his mom, in black shorts and a hot pink tube top – how scary -! Followed by her Mr. Mime…

            “Brick Break? But dragon beats psychic too…” Lance glared. “You’re trying to steal him away from me! I won’t let you! Aeroblast!”

            Ash stared wide-eyed, as Lance stepped in front of him and glowed, before a bolt of white energy struck down the Mr. Mime.

            Delia had quickly thrown a smoke bomb, which had ignited, and was now dragging Ash out of the building. They ran… while flames whirled around the building behind them…

           

            And ran… and managed to make it out of the building safely. Ash was sighing in relief… thank goodness!

            Things were too scary!

            “Altaria, fly us back to Pallet town!”

            They had escaped, for now…

 

            He laughed as the fires raged around him, burning… no, not quite… with a fond smile, he vanished.

            < Father. >

            < Child. > The voice rang with pride.

            < I remember. > The bracelets shattered, he no longer needed them. Silversteel surrounded him in a cage of armor. Wings extend from his back, sweeping to majesty… now the madness has finally passed.

            And Ash… oh, we shall meet again, make no doubt about it…

 

            Lorelei, Agatha, Bruno, and Sabrina stood around the Ultimate.

            “Is this the only way?” Sabrina asked.

            “It is,” Agatha sighed heavily as she turned to Sabrina. Lance was dead, no doubt about it, so… even he could not survive the conflagration…

            As the highest-ranking surviving Elite, she could nominate a new member…

            “I, Agatha Kikuko Ookido, nominate Sabrina as the newest member of the Elite!”

            The Ultimate glowed in response, accepting her. The four closed their eyes, having already secreted their pokemon in the special anti-viral poke balls. Then, the panels split open…

            Airborne viral particles whirled through the air. By nightfall they would have covered the entire Kanto and Johto landmass.

            It had to be done…

 

            “Not here.” Lance hissed, as his eyes flared with blood again. “By the Dragon of the Seas and the Dragon of the Air, I cast protection upon this area!”

            A shimmering silver dome went up around Whirl Islands. Smaller domes encompassed Blackthorn and the Viridian Forest.

            The three areas where dragons still lived… they would be protected.

            < Be careful, child. > Lugia warned. < We do not know if the virus will affect you… you are at least half pokemon. >

            Lance winced. < I know. >

            < Shh… >

            < Tis not your fault, Father. > He whispered. < Now, let us see… >

 

            Within a week, the changes had been implemented… and all of Ash’s pokemon that he had brought with him were dead. Without the special poke balls to protect them, they had taken ill and swiftly been decimated…

            Ash cried for days afterwards, not understanding.

            Why did they have to kill the pokemon?

            Why?

            Even if the pokemon had been mean – and they hadn’t hurt him at all- he didn’t want to kill them!

            So unfair… but he… he hadn’t helped… it wasn’t his fault… was it?

            No! It’s not my fault!

 

            “Reports from Houen indicate that the pokemon on their landmass are being similarly affected by this mysterious virus…”

            Ash ran to the T.V. set. “NO!”

            He could see the pokemon dying on T.V., dropping like flies…and his other pokemon in Houen, they would die too! What could he do… but it wasn’t his fault, it wasn’t! He… he had…

            He had stopped Lance…

            Lance could have saved the pokemon… right?

            They needed the Elite Four to run the machine… but he… if he hadn’t hurt Lance, and left him stunned and in a building, they wouldn’t have captured him and forced him to power the Ultimate…

            So now…

            He screamed as he locked himself in his bedroom and dove under the bed. “NO!”

 

            But… but… he still felt guilty… * Lance… I’m so sorry… I wish I hadn’t stopped you… it’s my fault the pokemon are dying! *

            < Poor child… >

            Ash jumped as a psychic voice invaded his thoughts. * What? Who’s there? *

            < Whom do you think? Open your eyes and I will be here… >

            Ash timidly cracked an eye open. Immediately, crimson and gold stabbed at his vision like brilliant, warped sunlight.

            “Lovely…” Lance said, holding out a hand. < Come with me? >

            He wasn’t sure if it was guilt or attraction that made him take the older boy’s hand, but he quickly complied…

            And the next thing he knew, they were flying. Flying! He was happy, for no reason at all, but it was nice to fly…

 

            They landed perhaps twenty minutes later.

            “Sugoi…” Ash whispered. They were on a small island. The trees and ground seemed to be made out of a clear crystal material. But it seemed nice.

            “Where are we?”

            “This… you must remember for  future generations.”

            “What do you mean?” Ash asked, confused. “What future generations?”

            “Ash… can’t you see what’s happening? All the pokemon are dead… the humans will begin to die also…” Lance whispered. “For the virus will adapt to target new hosts now…” He colored. “Which is partially my fault…”

            “Lance, it’s not your fault! You were trying to stop them!”

            “I’m half-human, half-pokemon.” He smiled wryly. “But this is my last gift to the pokemon… for the virus is already spreading within my body, and inside, they learn how to attack the humans, and now… you will die also.”

            Ash began backing away. Maybe Lance wasn’t sane…

            “No, you will not… you will be the one who survives, and tell our tale to the others…” A pendant of black stone appeared on Ash’s chest, and he blinked.

            “What the?”

            “The antidote. There is only one. You will not die. Tell our story, Ash, from the beginning…”

            “Wait! But I don’t know the whole story!”

            “You will learn, Ash… and remember, we will meet again…”

           

            Ash’s last words were never spoken, as the pendant glowed, taking him a thousand years into the future, where the virus had finally died out…

            But… what could he do here, all alone?

            He had to tell his story though.

 

            At a small café, Bernard Jones wondered who the boy in odd clothing was. But he shrugged it off, let the boy borrow one of the cyber café’s computers, and watched.

            Ash sat down and began typing frantically.

           

            “I don’t know how to begin this story, since I only saw the ending, but here is what happened in the past… and let it be a warning to the future…”

 

End Chapter

End Fic

Completed 3/21/05

Hn. Not very fic-worthy. Oh well. *sighs*