Phantomness: I don’t own pokemon! It belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics.

Lance: However, she does own this non-profit, non-copyright fanfiction under international copyright laws.

Ash: Be thankful that she owns this and not pokemon, otherwise good lord knows what we’d see on T.V. (And yes, I am Red.)

Kairo: And please review, it makes the authoress happy so she’ll write more!
Emerald: As notes, please remember that Phantomness uses <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts,

Shoyko: And italics if a pokemon talks! Like me!

Chapter 3

Josephine did not die, of course. She wasn’t even badly injured, just shocked. Yes… shock to the mind and the body.

But she kept her position.

They let her.

“Whenever you see admiration, it will jangle in your heart that you did not earn it.” Ash whispered viciously.

“When you receive praise, you will realize that it is unfounded.”

“Whenever someone loves you, you will know that the love is false and has no bottom.”

“Most of all, you will know that you are not made out of gold, genuinely forged in the fire of training, but only worthless dross.”

It was a most exacting punishment.

“Do you feel sorry for her?”

“Not at all, aniki…”

“I’m glad.”

“Aniki, do you remember the first time, we?”
“Yes.”

**********************Flashback Mode***********************************

Flashback – 2 years previous

It wasn’t _supposed_ to be a hard battle.

But it was! Espeon could hardly dodge the Porygon2’s attacks, and then…

“Pika!”

His Pikachu collapsed under the Golem’s assault, and he felt his castle of clouds dissolving, any minute now, because…

Zack would _win_.

He’d lose – he’d lose everything! He’d lose his aniki, and that was all he had!

Tears blurred his vision for a second.

It was that second that counted. He was barely aware of his body falling and whistling overhead.

He gradually became aware of something else.

Lance was holding him… but his fingers came away sticky. Red.

“No!”

“Shh…” Lance whispered harshly. “They were shooting at you, but they think you’re dead now. Don’t move!”

He froze, fear filling ever pore.

… Kill him…

Why? What had he done?

“Dragon’s blood unwilling shed… bring on the Curse of Chain Destruction…” Lance said, and he strained to hear, before explosions sounded.

Cries of pain and terror rose from seats in the audience, some people literally bursting into flames.

Human conflagration.

He wanted – no, he didn’t want to get away. Why? Lance had just killed all those people! He should be scared, but he wasn’t.

“You… did it for me.”

“Your life was worth it.” Lance said, eyes falling closed.

“No! You can’t die!”

It was no use. He could feel the life-blood ebbing out from those two holes, bullets, yes… meant for _him_.

“I…”

Brown glowed, shifted to red. Darkness. Anger. Pain.

“I won’t forgive you!”

He placed a kiss on Lance’s lips, something he would never have dared to do under normal circumstances, but this was not normal.

He stood.

One lone gunman remained, laughed.

“So you’re almost dead, kid, you’re bleeding already. Give up and surrender! You can’t win!”

Him? Bleeding? Hardly. It wasn’t his blood.

Aniki’s…

Sunlight glinted off the gun barrel.

“Do… you think… that I’ll give up this easily?” He asked. “Do you think… you’ve won?” He sensed hesitation.

The man fired.

He smiled.

And then the darkness exploded outwards in the beautiful glory of night.

So pretty…

Isn’t the darkness pretty?

He felt arms twine about his chest and waist protectively from behind, knew what had happened when the white feathers fell.

Smiled.

“Love you aniki.”

“I love you too.”

They met each other in an embrace as they kissed, and the wings swept behind them in glittering arcs of steel.

He saw the gold on the backs of his hands; they matched the silver on the other. Circles, circles…

“Your father…”

“Yes, he has accepted you into the family again.”

“I’m glad.”

And it was fine, everything was fine, and he was warm. Safe.

I won’t let anyone take that away from me.

***********************End Flashback*********************************

Lance smiled at Ash as they walked out of Josephine’s room soundlessly.

End Chapter

Completed 7/10/04