I write championshipping. Donft like the pairing? Donft read!

 

Title: Return of the Sacred Sword

Author: Shadow/Phantomness

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: WATASHI/Championshipping (Lance x Ash) later on, maybe others 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

Summary: Team Rocket has once again overrun Kanto, the League has dissolved, the Masters are in hiding, and Ash Ketchum is in the midst of it allc

Warnings: Angst, fanon references, shonen-ai and het

Chapter 1

 

            The leaves crunched noisily underneath his boots as he walked through the forest, a stark counterpoint to the eerie silence. Ever since Team Rocket had declared war on the Kanto government five years ago, things had changed. Pokémon had died, slaughtered as both sides unleashed biological weapons before blasting the landscape into desolation with nuclear bombs. Now, once-proud cities were reduced to dust in the wind and Giovanni ruled a desert land.

            Ash sighed as he glanced around. Perhaps it was foolish, this wish of his, but he had to do something. He knew that a few of the Elite Four and gym leaders were still alive, and there was no one better to lead Kanto against Team Rocket, before the rebuilding came.

            Footsteps sounded behind his, and he did not even glance backwards as he unclipped a lone poke ball from his belt. Pikachu exploded into action, frying the starving Nidoran with a Thunderbolt.

            gIfm sorry,h Ash whispered, gBut itfs you or me.h

            They would have meat tonight.

 

            He was heading for Mount Moon now. Rumors were that Bruno had taken sanctuary there, and he was reasonably certain that Team Rocket would find it a difficult task to track him through the myriad of tunnels. He glanced at the sky, frowned as he saw nightfall approaching. He was nearing the ruins of Cerulean, but it would take a few days of journeying before he reached his goal.

            Cerulean. Misty. Both were gone now, burned as soon as the League had determined the presence of a Team Rocket base and dropped the explosive.

            There was no way she could have survived. If the initial blast had left her wounded, the radiation released would have devoured her from the inside out. She had died a horrid death, yes, but a necessity in war, or so the fools at the League had said.

            That had been the breaking point.

 

            He had left them alone then, blasted out of their secure little safe house and gone wandering. They had tried to stop him, but he had not been Champion for nothing. The Elite Four had been long gone, presumably sent to the Sevii Islands, though even those were unsafe now, nothing but charred messes once they had discovered the Team Rocket Base on Five Island.

            Poor Lorelei. Four Island had been her home.

            But he had no time to waste on sympathy for others. Pallet Town was little more than an ashy smear, and he clenched his fist as he remembered finding his motherfs corpse afterwards, Professor Oak trying to shield her with his own body; ineffectual as it had been. Now both lay dead.

            At least they were together in death.

            The dead had it easy. It was the living that had to hold their heads up and move on, wherever the future might lead.

            Enough! Now was no time to dwell on such dark thoughts. He began to pitch his tent for the night, recalling Pikachu despite a highly displeased squeak from the rodent.

 

            Even now, it was dangerous to use pokemon. Stray radiation was prevalent over all the land, and prolonged exposure could cause mutation and death. He only used pokemon as a last resort.

            Better to keep them alive, until they could fix thingsc

 

            He slept little that night.

           

           

End Prologue

Completed 10/30/06

Darkfic! Donft say I didnft warn you! Ash is still a bit idealistic, ne, believing they can fix things?

Lance: Ahh

Ash: *Sniffles*

Phantomness: Sorry Shoyko, more darkfic for you!
Shoyko: Such is the life of the poor darkfic muse.

Lance: *Huggles Ash*

Ash: *Blush*