Angsty championshipping! And Ash is dense!

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 4

 

            The next morning, they make it to the outskirts of town, and there in a cave, they find Koga and Erika. Ash is surprised to see Aya, and a little girl he doesnft recognize, but she looks like Koga so he guesses shefs his daughter.

            Theyfre willing to help and none of them look crazy, which is a relief, but after the deal with Lorelei he isnft sure what to expect. Theyfre leaving when they see a swarm heading their way, and Lance hisses.

            gTeam Rocket.h

            That is all the warning they have, and they all reach for their poke balls, and it is melee and chaos for a while before-!

            There!

 

            Lance freezes, his Dragonite pausing, jaws still open wide as it crushes a Rocketfs Arbok. The man is laughing, but Ash canft hear because of the wind rushing past his ears.

            c Wife?

            gNo.h Lance breathes. gLoreleich

            gIf you want her to live, recall your pokémon now.h The man barks.

            Lancefs eyes narrow, and Ash screams at him to stop, but he recalls his dragons as he walks forwards, almost in a daze.

            The men laugh again, and then they attack, and he hears Erika crying out something, even as Hyper Beam smashes them backwards.

            Lorelei falls.

 

            Ash grins, glad that hefs saved the day, but Lance is staring with an expression he canft fathom, and then he realizes that he just killed someone.

            Oops.

            Therefs silence for about a moment, before Lance smirks and releases all his pokemon, and then there is nothing left.

 

            Afterwards, Bruno is bandaging Ash up – he came down from Mount Moon, though Ash doesnft know how but it matters little, and whispers that it was an accident and that everything will be fine.

            Ash knows Bruno is lying. Hefs not that naïve.

            But he almost wishes Lance would scream at him. At least that way, they would get the anger out of the way.

 

            Lance refuses their help, and buries Lorelei in some undisclosed location, and Ash keeps her poke balls, becausec

            Itfs too late now.

            Even if he wanted to give her pokémon backc she wouldnft take them.

            Now, shefll never need them again.

 

            Koga and Aya are silent, but Erika comforts him, and she says that if he ever needs someone to talk to shefll be there, and he feels better, because for some reason, girls are really good at listening.

            Hefs all bandaged up now.

            He should talk to Lance, but with the eDonft touch mef aura the Dragon Master is radiating, it would be safer not to. Maybe hefll cool down in a few days.

            At the very least, they defeated Team Rocket, didnft they?

 

            Lance does feel sorry for Loreleifs death, though they were nothing more than friends, but it will put another block between them, and he knows she doesnft regret it.

            Now she can finally rejoin Clairc

            Hefs happy for his cousins, truly he is, but a little acting never hurt, and he lays a bunch of scraggly weeds in front of the mound where she now lies.

            Sleep wellc

 

            The most intriguing plan pops into his mind at that moment, and he almost chuckles, but it will have to wait until later. The results should be quite amusing though, and it will certainly alienate Ash farther away.

            Excellent.

            It might even be fun!

 

            When he leaves the grave, brushing dirt off his night-silk attire, there is someone waiting for him. He nods as he sees her, and she smiles back, an infinitely sad, heartbreaking smile. Her hair is streaked with gray and her face is lined with wrinkles, and shefs leaning tiredly on her staff, but shefs alive, though not for much longer.

            gIfm sorry.h She tells him.

            He waves her apologies off, and gives her a hug, and then her eyes close and he knows it took everything she had to come here.

            He cremates her and scatters her ashes to the wind.

            Her power is his now.

            It feelsc different.

            Things are whirling around so quickly, but hefll hang on, until the time is rightc

            Because what else can he do?

           

            Ash has nightmares that night, of pokemon dying, and wakes up screaming. Koga yells at him to shut up from his tent and Bruno just continues to snore.

            Ash feels angry, but says nothing.

            Life is difficult for all of themc

 

            He wishes things were different. He wishes he was skill a kid, and everything was green and there were lots of pokemon everywhere.

            Now he knows that those things are daydreams. Unlessc

            Unless he can find the Sacred Sword...

            He stumbled across the data purely by accident, of course, but it was something Team Rocket hadnft destroyed and for that he was grateful.

            Itfs all right. Hefll find some way to persevere, hefs sure of it!

            All he has to do is wait and hope, and search for the Sacred Sword while defeating Team Rocket.

            At least they donft know about it, for whoever has the Sacred Sword can save the world! Hefll make earth green and pretty, and fill it with lots of pokemon, and then he thinks he will be happy.

            He closes his eyes and goes back to sleep.

           

End Chapter

Completed 11/7/06

Yesc wellc *Sighs*

Killed off Charlotte, in case it wasnft obviousc