I now realize I should have put in warnings for drugs. Hehehehe…

This is all Star Wars influence. Too much Luke/Vader stuff. Yum.

Disclaimer: I wish I owned pokemon, but I’ll content myself with a lot of fanfic where Yellow and Misty’s bashed! ^^

Chapter 7

 

            Viridian City was lush and glittery as ever, but even as they touched down, recalling their flying pokemon – all right, Red's flyers, Aerodactyl and Gyarados, they were surprised – well, at least Red was surprised – that he felt so oddly lonely here. The verdant green seemed fake, almost bitter, and the air he breathed was metallic and stale.

            What on earth?

            “Red?” A familiar voice called. He waved mechanically to Green and Blue, pasting a facsimile of a smile on his face, not sure what was right or what was wrong anymore, only that something was horribly, grievously wrong…

            “Hi Green, Blue, how have you been?” He chattered. “I was off in Houen catching new pokemon!”

            “I was in Johto.” Blue smiled. “Red, meet Silver.” A red-haired boy with silver eyes stepped up behind her with a fierce expression that Red understood. Silver must be Blue’s boyfriend. How interesting….

 

            Green was quiet, and did not bother to comment on his own time spent away from the League. Red did not bother to pry, only noticing that Green seemed oddly on edge, almost as if something – was he hiding something too?

            No, he was looking too much into things.

            The meeting was called to order and Red waved to Wataru, who was reading a newspaper across the room – well, outside the window of the room since League meetings were private, and settled into Champion mode. The meeting, though, was surprisingly short, though it seemed that Fuchsia Gym also needed a replacement gym leader, as Koga had vanished, and oddly enough, he was recommending Green for the position. And Green was being … almost shy?

            That was cool, but did Green want to be a gym leader?

            Apparently he did. He agreed before the entire proposal had been spread out. How interesting! Red nodded absentmindedly as they finished with the last item on the agenda, before a surprise came up.

 

            “As you know,” President Jerome stated, “We have medals to award to those who triumphed at Cerise. I know that this may come as a surprise to you, but here they are.”

            Red looked. There were four of them, a glistening disk of silver engraved on a yellow ribbon. Something about that placement made his blood burn and he shook his head to clear it.

            He was just being paranoid, or it was residual anger at being bested once. It would not happen again. He would not lose again.

            He held his cool even as the person walked in, Pikachu on his hat. His hands shook, but he kept them in his lap so no one noticed. He wanted to tear her to bits; bloody chunks even, and snatch his Pikachu back, slash her to pieces or burn her power out until she became a withered husk.

            He watched silently as the medals were presented, moving on wooden legs to receive his own, even as his anger hissed like acid beneath his mask…

            As soon as Yellow were gone, the meeting ended, and Red practically fled from the room. He found Wataru outside, still reading. With an enraged shriek, he tore the paper from the boy’s hands and flung himself into his arms.

            Lance stroked Red’s hair, waiting….

 

            Yellow froze as Red raced for that stranger. Something warned her that it was too late, that Red had already made his choice, that they would be damned for it... in the space of an instant she was there, even as eyes behind tinted lenses swiveled to meet hers.

            She couldn’t suppress a shudder of fear making it’s way up her body. She may not be able to see, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t feel

            “Go away.” Red hissed, trying to drown himself in that embrace, to become deeper enmeshed, to… surrender…

            “What?” She asked, honestly surprised.

            “Are you going to take him away from me too?”

            “What are you talking about Red? I never took anything away from you!”

            “Liar,” That hiss sent another shiver down her spine. “All lies, Yellow. What of the Pikachu you so proudly use and claim as your first pokemon. What about Pika, my Pika, Yellow?”

            “I…” But it was true; she hadn’t wanted to give up such a potentially powerful pokemon, especially since it was from the Viridian forest…

            It was right for her, the bond…

 

            “What about Cerise, Yellow? What about when you took everything from me?”

            “What? I never… I went to Cerise to save you!”

            “I don’t need your pity! I don’t want your pity! I’m League Champion! I can save myself!”

            Lance felt Red’s agitation, almost a palpable thing, pulsing like ill-concealed rage around them. Fascinating. He was sure that in moments it would drench them all in the results. He smirked.

           

            “Red…” His voice was a whisper of vengeance, bitterly sweet. “Calm yourself.”

            One heartbeat, two, and he relaxed, even as Wataru drew him up and kissed him. He leaned into that kiss, feeling serenity cloud his senses once again.

            He was safe here….

 

            Yellow turned a shade of beetroot, upon watching this immodest display. “Red! He… you… are you two…”

            “Why are you so surprised?” Lance hissed, and this time, there was no mistaking his voice. Yellow and Pikachu reacted with shock, even as they attacked, his Dragonair exploded from their hiding places, shielding with Reflect…

            “Foolish. That trick will not save you twice! Dragonbreath!”

            Paralysis set in, and she could only watch hopelessly, helplessly as Lance’s pokemon sent the town up in flames. The trainers present at the hall, all the Gym Leaders… watched mutely, staring blankly. Shock.

            No! It could not be so easy! Could it?

 

            Why…?

            Behind her, she felt something – that Viridian Power, perhaps, become scalding hot and she screamed, clutching herself….

            The forest swelled in response, almost proudly, as the last of the fires raged through the place, earthquakes shattering the buildings until nothing was left, never mind the crushed and broken bodies strew over the air, painting dolls brightly.

 

            “I promised, Mother.” Lance bowed, and for an instant Yellow thought he was once again dressed in his clothes at Cerise, but it was only an illusion. Still…

            Red blinked, almost as if he had woken from a dream, and met clear yellow with an almost… idolizing expression. “Wataru…”

            “Yes, that is the name by which you know me,” Lance whispered, even as he shifted, clothes becoming night-black lined with crimson, cape sweeping behind him like a fallen angel’s wings, and Red eagerly drank in that darkness, snaking his arms around Lance’s waist. “But I am also Lance Dragyn, Dragon Master…”

            Dragon… Master… the words were important, but he felt muddled again, even after the kiss. Lance tsked and pressed something into his hands. Tea, Red realized belatedly. A thermos of herbal tea, the same tea Lance – Wataru – always made for him. He swallowed, feeling more coherency return…

           

            “Why?” Yellow demanded, seeing the other gym leaders gather around. “Why?”

            “A sacrifice is always necessary.” Sabrina said coldly. “It is unfortunate that this was the site chosen, but…”

            “We’ve extended our borrowed time,” Erika whispered. “The Forest is satisfied, for now, and will not claim all our lives.”

            “And some of us will live on.” Green ended.

 

            “Why? Why my hometown? Why did you destroy everything I had?” Yellow demanded.

            “Everything? Your pokemon are still safe.” A hiss of anger came from the trainer. “Mine, on the other hand… would you like to see?”

            And Yellow could not shut either her eyes nor her mind as the air was painted with expressions of dragon pokemon frozen in death, charred with electric power, grimaces and nothing but pain and agony…

            “That’s all that matters.” Lance stopped, giving Red an almost fond look. Red smiled back, almost timidly, even as he leaned his head against Lance’s chest, a look of happy complicity on his face.

            “What have you done to him?”

 

            “A touch of my help and hospitality,” Erika’s smile was calm. “We made a deal. After all, is it not meet that the Champion should sacrifice for the good of Kanto?”

            “Terribly sorry,” Blue added, even as she and Silver released their pokemon and prepared to leave the site. “But I’m sure Red will be happy, and the media will have more important things to worry about than this. He’s disappeared before, you know, and he’s not dead, so we can always deal with the future when it comes.”

            “But why?”

            “As it were,” Sabrina said calmly, “Lance’s claims to destroy humanity were not unfounded. We cannot let him destroy everything, but he is our link to the Mother, and as long as we can satisfy her with the minimum casualties, and keep her son happy…”

            “She allows us to live.” Surge shrugged. “We prefer that.”

            “Better a stepwise regression than total annihilation.” Green put in. “After all, we don’t want to hurt her too badly…”

            “Some of us realize that there is still time to stop her before she demands all of us, and we buy that time.”          

            “This is the area the Mother wishes purged, for her Forest to stay, for her child to purify, for her errant offspring to be brought to heel…”

            “Didn’t you know, Yellow?” Red asked, lifting his head, and his eyes, she discovered, were not glazed, as she had assumed from his behavior, but surprisingly clear, “We’ll do anything for the ones we love?”     

            There was blood on his hands, her blood, Yellow realized with a sickening feeling, traveling down to the hole in her chest.

            Yellow screamed.

 

End Fic

Completed 12/9/05

Eek! This fic was supposed to be just seduction and it turned out to have a conspiracy theory behind it! *Is surprised at self* At least it’s different!

Whatever tea Lance has been giving Red throughout this fic may or may not have been a drug, depending on how you look at it! But if you infer Erika’s comment…

Sadly, this is the most un-angsty fic I’ve written this month.