Another chapter… please work with me, fic!

Disclaimer/Notes/Warnings: See previous chapter!

INCEST! Don’t like, don’t read!

Chapter 5

“Lance…”

The soft voice broke through his mental fog as his eyes focused, feeling that Ash had finally stopped crying... “Ash?” Miraculously, the boy’s eyes had cleared up…

“I’m cold, Lance.” He shivered. “Can I go to bed now?”

“O-of course,” He stammered as he stood up, letting go of his tenuous hold on the boy. “Shall we?” Ash’s eyes took on a happier shade as he followed Lance to his bedroom, and allowed the Champion to change him into his pikachu-print pajamas and tuck him in.

“Tell me a story, please?”

The earlier persona had all but vanished, leaving just an ordinary child… or was this child a mask and the other a reality? He wasn’t sure, but he would hope for the best.

What could he do?

“All right, Ash. What kind of story would you like?”

Ash’s eyes lit up. “Tell me a fairy tale.’

“Well, all right…” He cast his mind around for something – he hadn’t had a normal child bringing of any sort, and he had no desire to talk about Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty, but maybe… “There once was a boy whose father, being a widower, took as his second wife a woman with a daughter of her own, little Marline…”

Having finished the tale of the Almond Tree, Lance closed the lights and locked Ash’s door carefully. Then, he returned to his room, finally allowing his mask to fall again. What had he done?

Ash was still a child!

Then again, what had his mother done to drive him to this state? He… what had happened to him? Normal children did *not* try to initiate sexual contact, especially not with random people!

What had she done?

Lance’s eyes narrowed. He would find a way out of this, and anything went now. Delia had broken her child, thus she had no claim on him, so…

< Activate scan. > He instructed, as his eyes glittered violet in return, accessing his psychic power…

Dragon was his well-known title, but Lugia was a psychic as well, and his child had received his talents to a large degree.

Instantly, he was within the human’s mind… his eyes narrowed in disgust and shock as scenes flashed through his mind. So she had hurt him up until the point when he first received his pokemon and left…

Her mask of a good mother was perfect, even Ash’s pokemon had not seen through it. They all adored her…

This was a problem.

Apparently, to hide, he had fractured… whenever he was pushed to emotional extremes, he would become an emotionless shell with…

Oh Lugia…

What had the woman *done*? Even if he wasn’t her child, her flesh and blood, this was disgusting not to mention immoral!

Gods…

His eyes flickered back to stormy gold as the scan finally ended, upon which he made himself drink an entire glass of ice water to calm down.

How dare she…

No, death was much too good for the likes of her…

< I will make you suffer; just as you have made him suffer… the punishment shall fit the crime… >

< Child, are you sure this is wise? > A new voice broke in, Lugia’s… Lance turned his attention to his father as he argued.

< Father! Look at what she has done! >

< I know, child, I know, but there is something that I must tell you… >

< I shouldn’t kill her? I wasn’t going to. >

< No… > He hesitated. < I fully approve of your punishment. After all, she harmed a dragon’s child. >

< What? Ash has dragon blood? How come I never noticed? >

< It is dormant, of course, hidden under human… >

< Mm, that does make sense, Father. So he’s from the Blackthorn Clan? >

< No… >

< Is he from the Clan in Lavaridge then? >

< I’m afraid not. >

A puzzled expression spread across Lance’s features. < Then… he’s a Halfling? He has a pokemon father, human mother? >

< Something of that sort, yes. >

< I don’t see what the problem is then. I’ll teach him to control his power when it manifests and-. > He turned, feeling an odd sensation spread through him, not quite confusion, but… < Father, what is wrong? >

< I never thought that such an event could happen again, but Lance, this will not be easy for you to hear, my darling child… > This was going to shatter his fragile soul, shatter him completely, too well he knew, and yet, he had to tell, to see… to know... what would happen… < Ash is your son. >

<WHAT?! >

Lance collapsed to the ground, shaking as the night’s earlier events repeated themselves in his mind, now stained with the blood of... < No! No! It can’t be! I’ve never lowered myself to couple with the humans-! >

< I suppressed your memory of the event, but days after you left my care, I’m afraid a Ghost Master took advantage of you…. >

< It can’t be… > His eyes were spinning as he tried not to lose his mind, a bit difficult given the pressing circumstances. < I didn’t…! I can’t…! >

< I’ve scanned him while he slept, child. His power awakened tonight. That was how I knew his parentage… he is your son, and my grandson… >

No… it can’t be… I couldn’t have… with my son…! I… Half-crazed eyes glanced around the room, before his dragon blades were in hand, silversteel glinting in the darkness. There was one way to redeem, one way to undo this wrong and prevent further wrongs…! < Father! Please, kill me now… >

< Lance! It was hardly your fault! You knew not of the situation! >

< I… I let him touch me! My own child! And I *enjoyed* it, despite my misgivings. And I thought it was simply his age! Father… I’ve shamed your name, and I deserve death, please…! >

< Hush, child, hush. You are not thinking clearly… >

A burst of hysterical laughter forced itself past the Champion’s lips. < I always thought I was somehow connected to him, but I never thought it would be in this form… no wonder I showed ‘fatherly affection’ to him earlier! Well, what am I to do now, father? I can’t die from a human’s blow, the pokemon will not attack a Chosen, I’m immortal, and the dragon blades will never attack the Dragon Master…! Don’t you see? You have to kill me, kill me, and take him as your child… at least he shall be happy! And I wish for his happiness, I truly do, but I do not deserve… how could I have taken advantage of him like that! >

< ENOUGH! > The pokemon boomed, breaking Lance out of his self-pity and self-loathing. < It was unwise of me to say this. >

< You know what the worst part is? I was actually falling in love with him, since he was so cute! It’s disgusting! >

Lugia reached through their link and forcibly put Lance to sleep, hypnosis overriding all his mental babbling. < Sleep, child… I command you to sleep now; we shall discuss another time. >

Lance fought, but he was still no match in psychic talent. Lugia sighed. * This did not go well at all… *

Where had he gotten so … well, it was no matter. This would not do. His child would simply try to take his own life once he awoke. It would be difficult to kill a Chosen, but unfortunately not impossible…

There had to be some other way…

Truth be told, he cared not for what society and humanity may impose. All he wanted was for his child – well, now children, to be happy… and he would ensure they were, through any means possible.

Manipulation on a sleeping mind was easier as his mind was made. After all, the arrangement seemed sound, so why not? They would take care of each other. < Forget, child, forget… forget everything you know of the boy except your love for him… >

Lance stirred in his forced slumber, almost wanting, wanting to wake, as if something were wrong, but…

Lugia finished his rewriting, and then turned to Ash. < Poor child… your abilities shall now be unlocked, and yes, you do love him… strange, but it is not so strange… love him then, and I shall heal you as well of the scars your foster parent left… as the Dragon of the Seas, I shall change what needs to be changed, you shall be a Dragonair’s child, a child of Blackthorn instead… and he shall have peace… >

In his sleep, Ash clutched his stuffed Dratini doll closer, as he slept…

End Chapter

Completed 4/23/05

I figured pokemon wouldn’t care that much about incest.

Lance is Ash’s father, some woman raped him, wound up pregnant, gave child up for adoption, Delia adopted Ash, and we have our current situation. Lugia has erased Lance’s memories of the rape and the revelation, so now he has no reason to suspect he’s related to Ash.

Ash of course has no idea Lance is his father, but he is crushing on him… and Lugia removed the emotional damage and ‘split personality’ Delia created in him as an abusive parent. Hn. *shrugs* don’t like incest? I did warn!

On Lugia’s motives, although he now cares for Ash as his grandchild, I see him as doing anything necessary to make Lance, his only child, happy. Not that I’m saying Lance is spoiled, because he isn’t, but Lance needs more than the pokemon’s friendship and admiration, he needs love and Ash is the best person to give it to him, if that makes sense?