Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me under international copyright laws and taking it is plagiarism. Thank you. *Phantomness bows*

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

Chapter 7

“You’ll wake Destiny.” Charlotte said finally.

“I except so.” Lance nodded. “But it will serve his purpose. After all, once he merges, Destiny will be perfectly capable of taking Team Rocket down and reclaiming his Skitty.”

“Point.” Charlotte agreed. “But why did you do it this way?”

“Because I am not a nice person.” Lance smirked.

The Fire Guardian said nothing, though her eyes twinkled suspiciously.

“I suppose I’ll leave you two to whatever readjustments you need then. Good night.” She said, and exited.

Lance waited, and watched.

It took a long time. He could have sat there for an eternity, but eventually the frenzied thrashings stopped, and then Ash was crying, a clear, steady stream of pain, and his eyes were wide with betrayal, but it had to be done.

“Why?” Ash asked, pushing himself to his feet. Lance could see the beginnings of wings shimmering into his view, golden-black. Excellent.

“Because it was necessary.” He said, knowing that it was the one that spoke the most if one listened. He did not think that Ash was in the move for listening.

He could see the rage, the despair, the hate, pulsing inside of Ash’s body, and he almost smiled, satisfied. Almost. It was so easy, truly, so easy to make him hate.

Yes… my precious Child, I want you to loathe me and despise me and hate me, and draw your power from the hate, and you will destroy us all, those filthy, filthy humans…

“You raped me.” Ash accused, shaking. “I trusted you!”

“You should not have.” Lance rejoined.

The physical pain was insignificant. What mattered, of course, was the faith, and he knew, knew quite well, that he had effectively choked off any hope of Ash loving him. Excellent.

Ash’s anger pulsed, like a living entity, and without a world, he stormed away, and Lance knew well where he was going, and what he would find.

He was not disappointed. All the Team Rocket bases had been razed to nothingness, and Ash had Skittle back, though he refused to tell the police how he had reclaimed her.

There was nothing left of the naïve child now.

Their preparations had worked.

Now he just needed to find Ash a new love interest…

He had plenty of time to plan. Ash spent three years journeying, almost maddeningly so, scouring each region for new pokémon, sending them to the ever more delighted Professor Oak. With the threat of Team Rocket gone, Kanto and Johto were swiftly being rebuilt, and it did not take long before Team Magma and Aqua were gone from Houen as well.

There was still no evidence, but Lance knew. He always did. Once in a while, Ash’s feelings would peak and he would go on a destructive rage. Then he would settle back into whatever he was doing these days.

It was none of his concern, really.

A fourth year was ticking by when Charlotte came to visit him. One look at her, and he sighed, before waving her into a chair and making tea.

It seemed as though things were quickly coming to a head.

How could Lance have done something like this to him?

Ash did not know, but he did cry, like a child, and he didn’t care if he was being a baby, because he had liked Lance, but Lance had betrayed him! And he’d limped away from it all, hiding his weakness, even though it hurt so much, each step sending a spike of agony through his body. But he couldn’t be weak, couldn’t be, and he would make Lance pay for doing this to him! He would!

Somehow…

He brooded, and gathered his power, and got Skitty back, and hated, and the hate grew in him, like a living thing, stronger and stronger.

He would prove that he wasn’t a weakling! He would never let anyone take advantage of him like this again!

Never!

End Chapter

Completed 7/25/07

Er yeah… I think this is another stab at Lance trying to make Ash hate him. This time, he’s doing better. ^^ Poor Lance. He has the Sword, and he doesn’t want Ash to cry for him later, so he’s kind then cruel, and breaks Ash’s heart, and hopefully, it’ll last long enough for them to save the world in a roundabout way. And yeah, this is probably a rewrite of ‘Return of the Sacred Sword’ because that one seriously is missing plot stuff.