And another chapter!
Disclaimer: If I owned pokemon, I would not be writing fanfic.
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokémon talks!
Warnings: Death, darkfic, shonen-ai (Ash x Lance)
Chapter 9
Ash took a deep breath as Lance finally broke off the kiss. * Wow… *
“Mmm…” Lance purred, grinning at him.
Ash blushed.
“Well then, now that we’ve gotten your feelings sorted out, I suppose I ought to go apologize.
Just at that moment, the door opened.
Charlotte peered in quizzically. “Did something important just happen?”
“In a manner of speaking.” Lance retorted.
Charlotte blinked. “Your voice? Oh…”
Gold eyes met the floor quickly as the owner ducked behind a curtain. Unfortunately, due to the mirrors covering every surface of the room, the movement was far from hidden.
Charlotte shook her head. “So it did work out. Congratulations.”
“Do you have business here?”
“I just sensed a very strong flare of light-type magic…”
“Light type?” Lance’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure it wasn’t just your own stray energy?”
“No, I’m radiating fire… I don’t use light normally, thanks to the problems associated with that type.”
“Mmm…” Lance turned dot Ash. “You must have used light magic.”
“What? But all I did was shadow healing!”
“I think he means love, Ash dear...”
Ash colored. “How did you know?”
“… You just gave it away?”
Lance sighed at the thunder guardians’ naiveté. * Someday, you will be the only light left among the three of us… I can see that clearly… *
Charlotte’s type might be ‘light’, but it was different. Harsh purifying sun scoured everything out…
Sunlight could bring life, but it could also bring death. So dark magic was really no better than light, and vice versa…
It all depended on usage.
“Well, I hope you two are happy.” She winked. Lance sweatdropped, while Ash resembled a beetroot in hue of complexion.
“Charlotte!”
“As long as I don’t have to see anything, I won’t mind.” Ash would be good for Lance in any case…
Dinner that night was actually pleasant for once. The food was filling and nutritious as always, but the hostility in the air seemed to have lessened considerably.
“I owe you an apology.” Charlotte told Lance afterwards.
“For your ‘emotionless shell’ crack?”
“Yes. I never did rectify the situation I’m glad you are now out of that state though. I still would not wish it on anyone.”
“I understand, and my reaction was rash in retaliation, as well as impolite. Will you forgive me as well?”
“Of course.”
The two guardians shook hands. Ash sighed in relief as he peered out from behind an ornate marble pillar. * Looks like that went well… *
Good! It would be bad for the guardians to not get along… especially if they were at each other’s throats.
Now what were they to do though?
Team Rocket was still running rampant outside. And the legendary birds of Kanto – the first trio – were gone.
What to do now?
They had promised not to interfere, but that was before the untimely deaths of their Chosen legendaries. Now what?
To fight or not to fight, that is the question…
Within a few weeks, it was no longer an option.
“Shield of Fire!”
“Dragon Shield!”
“Shield of Reflection!”
The three shields went up around the respective guardians as they cursed. “How did they get here?” Charlotte demanded, drawing out her Fire Blade of bronze hilt and glowing flames.
Lance’s silver-hilted blade of ice glittered in his hands. “If only I knew…” He mentally ran through his list… dragon, ice, darkness… no… something was wrong… water… turbulent waves…
“I’ll make them pay!” Ash swore, the golden-hilted thunder blade crackling black lightning in his hands.
“Damn it! A water type betrayed us!” Lance swore, casting his magic out in a wave. The power blasted a twenty-foot radius clear.
However, magic was not always a match for technology…
Charlotte realized it first… “Ash! Lance! Don’t breathe!” The spores were not damaging her, as her fire-blood scorched them but…
Ash was already starting to turn green…
Lance caught her message as his eyes narrowed. * Despicable humans! *
“Surrender!” Giovanni boomed, at the head of Team Rocket.
“Never!” Lance cried. “Dragon Dance!”
Silversteel blades flashed into existence all around him, temporarily distracting Giovanni… he watched in horror as the knives left their owner and began ripping through his army. No time to waste then…
“Mewtwo! Kill them all!”
Ash was obviously the most vulnerable; his Shield of Reflection was already wavering out of focus, as the virus made its way swiftly through his system, leaving only death in its wake…
Lance’s dragon blood had also burned most of the contagion away, but…
Dragon Dance was taking its toll. It had to… dragon dance drew on the dancer’s blood to function…
That left…
Charlotte hesitated. What to do? Her powers weren’t offensive in this state, but Honou had locked her ability to power up…
No Mistress of Revealing Light…
Lance staggered back beneath an onslaught of poison pokemon. Poison was… none of theirs, for now…
Something snapped.
Sacrifices had to be made. The guardians were only pawns of the legendaries. Now their trio was dead, but Serebii remained.
She could fix this problem…
“Activate special ability! Phoenix Gift!”
Ash’s eyes widened as flames burned around him, changing and healing and… he could fight now!
Lance wore an expression of shock as the implications sank in. * wait - what is she doing? Oh, what an idiotic thing to do… *
Charlotte smiled triumphantly as she picked up her fire shield and faced Mewtwo. “Shall we?”
Mewtwo did not bother to waste time, a massive psychic slamming the guardian into the ocean…
She did not resurface.
Lance cursed as he felt something – latch onto him. It was burning and it wasn’t darkness nor light but something different and unwelcome…
Mewtwo’s eyes went wide in return. Something had changed…
Purple
light gathered around Lance’s hands. Psychic? Impossible! That wasn’t one of
the elements he controlled!
Ash staggered to his feet,
changing… form changing into Destiny… screaming as his thunder blade tore
through Giovanni…
Still… he ought not to waste it… since she had used hers, why not his? He had enough wounds from when the blades had appeared…
“Activate Special Ability! Curse of Dragon’s Blood Unwillingly Shed and the Power of the Dragon’s Blood Willingly shed as well – Chain Destruction!”
Instantly, destruction ripped through the very fabric of the dimension as all the supporters – all the traitors – all the destroyers – were in turn destroyed…
He felt himself falling… ultimate attacks took a lot out of a person…
Ash was screaming.
He couldn’t
help it. He’d just watched his big-sister figure drown – drown, of all things,
and die that way, and now Lance was!
“Lance! You can’t die!”
“Baka…” Lance looked up as Ash hugged him, mindless of the fading presence of his lover – well, almost. “You can’t win without sacrifice.”
“That’s not true! Why did you?? Why did she?”
“It had to be done, Ash! You had no protection against a biological attack, and I was having problems as well. And I couldn’t let her sacrifice go unpunished!”
“But… now you’ll die!”
“We’re guardians – Chosen, we have a duty. Nothing is higher than that…”
“Then…” Ash – Destiny paused, before shifting forms as Hope stepped forwards. “I’ll do my part.”
“What?”
“There’s a special attack for each form – a guardian has three specials… you know you dragon ones, Charlotte used one of hers, now it’s time to use mine.”
“What? All you have is Dark Thunder Apocalypse and this is not the time to use it…?”
“You’re wrong. I know two others, just as you do…” He hesitated. “Frameshift, and…Desert storm.” He paled as he realized that those *were* all offensive moves.
“You see?”
“I can’t let you die!”
“Fire… and Ice… fall… for Thunder to succeed… it is always… what Serebii has intended…” Lance coughed, wincing.
Why was he suddenly so damned weak?
It wasn’t fair…
“Lance, please! I don’t want you to die!”
< It’s too late… > His voice was failing him. < Live for us, then… if you truly wish to atone… although there is none to atone for… >
Ash glared at the world in general as he closed his eyes, not wanting to watch their last moments. < SEREBII! Why? >
< It was necessary. > She replied coldly. < You should never have gotten attached to him. >
< Damn you… > Tears threatened but did not come. * I will curse you… *
< You guardians were created for our cause. The others accept it. Why not you? >
< They didn’t have to die! >
< Then they should not have interfered. >
< You know, everything, don’t you? > He asked, standing up, letting his fins trail the sand, as he shifted yet again… no wings, no claws this time, just an ordinary boy… with the stars in his eyes…
Just a boy with a broken heart…
Serebii turned. < Your death was not necessary of course. I wouldn’t kill my own Chosen. >
< But you’d kill the Chosen of others?! >
< If it was necessary. Of course. > Why was he making such a big deal out of this.
< So we’re just *puppets*, all of us? We three are just doomed to be the playthings of fate? >
She shrugged. < See it as you will, boy. >
< I hate you! >
< Who would that help, who would that harm? Hate as you will. Your use is over for now. >
So now they were just *discarded* and tossed aside like that? Their lives were only mockeries of life?
How… dare…
One day, I shall make you pay for this, Serebii… one day… but I won’t let you see my weep…
I will live on, and have my revenge.
I promise.
End Chapter/END FIC finally!
Completed 4/21/05
I know, I’ve just changed Charlotte into a Mary-Sue most likely… *shrugs* oops… hate her if you like, I don’t mind
Ash: …
Lance: *yawns*
Charlotte – Phoenix Gift (gives magic to others/life-force or phoenix abilities, depending), Phoenix Curse (makes others burn in hell for eternity equivalent while alive when cast on a family), unknown assumed to be light technique…
Lance – Curse of Dragon’s Blood Unwillingly Shed (kills just about everything), Restoration Rain (heals everything up to death, but cannot bring dead ppl back to life), Dragon Dance (assassin’s technique, one-turn kill, also useful for pressure point manipulation, 144 blades and 400 variations)
Ash – Dark Thunder Apocalypse (destroys everything in 5 mile radius), Frameshift (traps opponent in looped whirl of time), Desert Storm (hurricane of wind, electricity and ground energy)
Charlotte’s Elements – Fire, Light
Lance – Dark, Dragon, Ice, Water
Ash – Electric, Shadow
These are primary elements of course…
And now, another copy of the prophecy…
This prophecy is relevant to both Card Captor Ashura, this fic, and a lot of my other ongoing or soon to be posted works. Learn it, I can’t post it with every fic.
The prophecy of the triple guardianship
“Disturb not the balance of fire, ice, and lightning, lest these Titans wreck destruction in the world in which they clash. For though the water’s great guardian shall rise to quell the fighting, alone its song shall fail and thus the world shall turn to Ash.”
Fire that consumes all, and fills the air with light,
Ice that freezes and endures, through long winter nights,
Lightning that brings with it both sunshine and storms,
Light and dark make shadow, the child of mists is born.
Fire’s child is raven-black, ruby feathers glowing,
Ice’s child is sunshine-gold, sapphire feathers snowing,
Lightning’s child is neither, with feathers of stormy gold,
Three primary colors, unite to form as one,
Create the sword of elements, destroy the evil one.
Moltres with the flaming wings, Honou with the calming song, Entei with the earth’s distress, guardian of the traveling halls.
Articuno with the winter’s gaze, Lugia with the restoring rain, Suicune with the water’s spirit, guardian of the dragon’s pain.
Zapdos with the storm’s alarm, Serebii with the mists of time, Raikou with the thunder’s power, guardian of the island clines.
Fire’s child has ocean’s eyes, that see the coming danger,
Ice’s child has silver eyes, that heal the burdened warrior,
Lighting’s child has rainbow eyes, that can soothe or rage,
Red, Blue, and Yellow, together are the way.
Fire’s child is fair of face, but water is her weakness, she cannot see the shadowed paths, loses her pretense of solace.
Fire is the eldest, but the weakest one as well.
Ice’s child is handsome, with dragons by her side; she controls the weather, the wind and roaring tides.
Ice is in the middle, yet her heart can make her fail.
Lightning’s child has beauty, but in an earthly way, his power lies in kindness, and shadows are his prey.
Lightning is the youngest, but his power is most strong.
Fire is the seeker, she finds the hidden demons,
Ice purifies them, with water from the heavens,
Lightning destroys them, with thunder from the skies,
Together three are stronger, than shadow will abide.
Bright flame to call the phoenix, says the fire child,
Holy water to cleanse the presence, ice intones, mild,
Heaven’s Fury to destroy this abomination, lightning’s child continues,
And purify this earth, the spell is now consumed.
None can stand against them, united they are as one.
Yet divide and conquer, may extinguish glowing stars,
Bound by love and magic, three in one combine,
In this way the deadliest battle may be won.
Fire burns with anger, against the raging sea,
She destroys with light and flame,
And devours the twisted tree.
Ice defeats darkness, yet darkness is her soul,
She calls the dragon’s fury,
Drives out the ghosts most foul.
Lightning cries with sadness, and golden hope’s in sight,
He wields the crashing thunder,
Atones wrongs and makes right.
Red stands for fire, burning brightly as the sunlight wanes.
Blue stands for ice and dragon, water, three sides of a coin.
Yellow stands for lightning, and the flyers that haunt the sky.
Combine all three and separate, light, shadow, and dark, unite.
Red and blue make purple, poison and psychic too,
The sinister companions that follow the master group.
Blue and yellow make green, grass and earth is bright,
Are strong spirits and allies that fall before taking flight,
Yellow and red make orange, bugs and steel galore,
Ghosts, fighting, normal types, together they will soar.
The End of the prophecy…
Created 3/20/03 and completed then as well