Well, let’s take another crack at chaptered fic! *Pose*
Lance: *Sigh*

Kairo: *Shrugs*

Pika-chan: *Eats bag of marshmallows*

Shoyko: *Groans* I sense angst and darkfic ahead!

Phantomness: *Puts hands on hips* Muses, work! I command thee!

Red: *Clings to Lance*

Title: Renewal

Author: Shadow/Phantomness

Pairings: Championshipping (Lance x Red), JumpingToConclusionsShipping (Misty x Yellow), and implied Ismrsshipping (Bruno x Misty x Yellow)

Rating: R

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

Timeline: AU after book 7 of Pokemon Special/Adventures

Summary: After Cerise Island, Lance disappeared. Years later, when Bruno is revealed to be the true mastermind behind the Elite Four, the world is in turmoil. The only one who seems able to help is a mysterious white-robed Healer, but no one knows where to find him…

WARNINGS: Het and shonen-ai, shota, AU, lolicon, implied rape and sexual slavery

Prologue/Chapter 1

His lungs burned, and he ached all over, but laboriously, he managed to swim to shore. His pokémon sent worried emotions and questions to him through their link, but he paid them no heed. With a sigh, he slumped against a nearby boulder and closed his eyes. A warm blue glow spread through his body, and his injuries closed over with nary a scratch.

He cast his eyes around and saw no one, so he released them from their Ultra Balls. The dragons clustered around him, chirping questions.

“Shh.” Lance soothed. “I’m safe now. Do not worry about me.” He checked them over, ran his hands over their scales until he was satisfied that they were unhurt. With a sigh, the Dragon Master glanced around again.

The place was deserted. That was good. He had no desire to deal with the media, or anyone else for that matter. He recalled all of them save his Ptera to their capture spheres, before he turned to the Aerodactyl.

Ptera cocked his head quizzically. Master?

“It is no longer safe for us here, Ptera. They will have seen my face…”

What are you going to do, Master?

Lance sighed. “I’m not sure yet. Ptera… do you hate me?”

Hate you? Of course not Master! Why would I hate you?

“I failed, Ptera… I couldn’t do it… I wasn’t strong enough to control Lugia and save you from the humans…”

Master!

“What am I to do now?” The Leader fell to his knees. “I have nothing left. I’m not worthy of you…”

Ptera licked Lance’s cheek, shaking his head. Master, we love you and we will never leave you! Never!

Lance chuckled at this display of affection, and said no more. He was about to leave, perhaps head to one of the farther islands, when he heard steps. Frowning, he saw as a Vulpix followed by three little kits emerged from the bushes.

The mother nudged one of the kits close to him, and Lance smelled blood. Ahh. It was a wonder this kit could even walk. With a sigh, he held out his hands and touched the baby pokemon, watching as injury healed and a fresh wave of memory washed over him. He blinked twice, feeling slightly dizzy, before he turned to the mother.

“She will be fine now.”

The Vulpix nodded, thanked him, and ran off. Something stirred in Lance’s mind, before a slow smile curved his lips.

Wasn’t the best place to hide in plain view?

Perhaps he could think of something…

And at the same time, he could atone – if he felt like it. Yes, this really was the perfect scenario. He would have his pokémon help him, he would not have to see any more humans, and everything would be just fine…

It did not take long before he found the perfect spot. It was a cave, but he could do well in such an area. It was isolated, and though he went down to the nearby village once or twice to buy supplies, they were generally old, retired men and women and did not bother him. He stitched himself new clothing to replace the bloody red and black he had once worn, and his pokémon healed and rested in the mean time.

It would be all right.

It did not take long before the local pokemon heard, and news spread, and as he picked up his tools and went to work on the injured Pidgey, he felt happier than he had in a long time.

End Chapter

Completed 12/28/06

If yer going to harp about me being a lazy author, I’ve heard it all before! *Shrug*

Red *Sighs*

Lance: Prologue then?
Phantomness: Hai!

Obviously, Lance feels guilty after Cerise because the manga tells us when he tells Silver how treating pokemon without kindness makes them hurt and decreases their battling ability… so he had to get there somehow, and I don’t think it was Yellow’s annoying preachiness. Yellow is too self-righteous for me to like. Plus she’s a total Mary-Sue!