Disclaimer/Notes: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This non-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfiction belongs to me. Do not take my work! *Nods*

I used ** for thoughts, <> for telepathy, italics if pokemon are speaking

Chapter 9

“Why did you kill me?”

Honou sighed. “I’m sorry.”

Lance crossed his arms. “Well?”

“For my son’s sake.”

“For Ash’s sake?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t understand…”

“You were corrupting him! You had to go.”

“I was corrupting him?

“Don’t you understand? You killed him…”

“No. I do understand that you’ve burned me to ashes! I hate you! Why in Mew’s name would you do this? My father will find out-!”

“Your father would lose if he fought me.”

“Want to bet?”

Honou scoffed. “No way. You’d only lose…” He was cut off short as Lance pounced. Sharp silver knives glinted between his fingers as he smiled.

“Are you sure, you will win?”

“Foolish child. You wouldn’t understand.”

“I _do_ understand that you need a child of the legendary to stave off some danger. But why kill me?”

“Only *one* child is needed. You weren’t part of the equation.”

“Selective breeding? Now that’s just selfish.”

“Damn you! Can’t you understand this is for the good of the world?”

“Not if I’m dead! I’m not happy about that!”

While Lance and Honou argued, Ash and Lugia were still trying to recover from shock….

< I am going to kill Honou for this. > Lugia swore, having figured it out. Even though Ash’s clan’s ‘Phoenix feather’ was from Moltres, Honou could control it.

There was no other explanation.

Why had Honou killed his child? Why?

Jealous?

Of course! * Damn him! He was jealous because my child was better than his, so he killed mine by giving him power he couldn’t – and wouldn’t control, and then the power burned him to ashes… *

While Ash tried to recover from shock, Lugia shot off to Tin Tower to argue it out with Honou. Ash followed a few minutes later.

He saw… well, Lance’s spirit was the best word for it, although it looked exactly like Lance, only transparent.

The fact that it was throwing Hyper beams and ice beams at Honou only proved its identity further.

< Father! >

< Child… > Lugia gathered up Lance’s spirit in his wings and glared at Honou. Honou glared back.

“Um… excuse me? What’s going on?” Ash asked naively.

“There is only one child needed. Mine!” Honou snapped.

< You didn’t need to kill mine~! Lance has as much right to live as Ash does! > Lugia shot back.

“Un…”

< It was for the good of the world! Lance being here caused an imbalance of power! Therefore, he had to be eliminated! >

< I don’t give a care! >

This caught Ash’s attention. “Father, _you_ killed Lance?”

< Yes. > Honou said without thinking of the consequences.

“You *killed* him? Why?”

< For your sake… child, I love you. You don’t need competition in this world. Only one legendary child is needed. >

“So you killed my friend? My *only* friend?”

< It was necessary. >

“Necessary? Why? What did he do? He helped me reach my potential!”

< And now he is no longer needed. >

“Father! We aren’t toys! We have lives and feelings of our own! Forget the good of the world, don’t you care about me?”

< I… > Honou had no good answer for that.

“No?” Ash correctly interpreted Honou’s lack of remark. “So then you won’t mind if I do this, ne?”

< STOP! >
Ash didn’t. Closing his eyes, he made sure the sword had made its way through both his ribs and was guaranteed to cause death.

< Foolish child! > Honou said, recovering after the initial shock. < Phoenixes can’t die, remember? >

< Oh? Then explain this. >

Honou’s head snapped up as he saw Ash’s spirit float out to join Lance. < You’re right, father. My *body* can’t die. My spirit is another thing. >

< Come back! >

< No. Your actions are so vile it pains me to call you father! You don’t deserve that name! >

< Grr… >

< Goodbye. > Lance said smugly, as the two of them opened the gates to the next world, or more accurately, the path to reincarnation.

Lugia waved.

Honou fumed.

< Well, I think you’ve lost. > The dragon-slash-bird creature said. < By the way, I’m still angry you killed my child for nothing… >

Honou eeped as Lugia attacked.

< HELP!!!! >

End Fic

Lance: We’re both dead. How clichéd.

Phantomness: Didn’t mean for it to end up this way. Originally I was going to have Ash revive you, but….

Shoyko: She got lazy and decided to wrap the fic up here.

Lance: >.<

Completed 11/7/04