More one-person focus, I like it!

Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. This is non-profit fanwork, no copyright infringement intended. Mine under International Copyright Law, k?

Notes: <> for telepathy or Chosen speaking to amulet, ** for thoughts, italics for pokemon or amulets talking.

These semi-point-of-views are all running concurrently, in case you’re confused. Same time, different places/ppl

Link Masters – thank you! Glad you liked my site

Aragorn the Ranger – gracias!

Darkstorm Dragon – thanks

Zapdos Articuno – yep, Lance is a psychic master

Briememory – the first part of this story will be updated on ff.net, the second part will be on my page, because the first part is non-romance. Thus, it is on my page in the non-romance section, not in the championshipping section

Chapter 3: Adjust

The earth was cool and smoky and warm, all at once. The Mother, the creator, the splendor of it all dawned on Green like rings of light.

He sat cross-legged, marveling at the intricate care the Cubones had taken when building their home. Lovely, but sturdy, also, for no earthquake would destroy this home. No one would harm the Cubone while he was here.

If Team Rocket came, he would drive them away.

For his duty…

No, that wasn’t it. The baby Cubone in his arms stirred, eyes opening.

For the precious lives being lost every day, he would stay and protect them forever, if need be.

The sealing was complete.

The simple brown of his pants and new cloak brushed against the packed dirt. The only spot of ‘Green’ left for his name shimmered on his long-sleeved shirt. Sturdy leather boots completed his new attire. But of course, clothing wasn’t that important.

They were one.

The brown stone blended into the brown of his skin, and the same tone reflected itself in the earth around them.

The guards were on the lookout, but he wasn’t worried yet. There had been peace since he had arrived. It would stay that way if he could help it.

He smiled.

Initial panic gave way to wide-eyed wonder as he stared at the seas below him. The amulet chuckled in his mind.

Do you think I would drown my Chosen?

< It’s beautiful. > He whispered, as the light glinted over the flinty waters.

Of course, and only we fliers can appreciate it.

Red spread his arms, knowing it was foolish, but the sensation of flying like a bird… so new…

So wonderful, though, it made him feel complete.

They continued on towards the nest. A sentry greeted him respectfully, black-lined eyes in wonder.

It had been ages since they had found a Chosen to call their own… for the amulet is only Chosen for a certain one, and cannot be forced.

There were few remnants of the once proud tribe left, many having died in battle. But he vowed to take care of the ones who remained.

Soft wing beats…

Who knew such hard-looking feathers hid down?

His golden-plaited armor glittered and sparkled. Adventures awaited him as the Chosen of the Zapdos.

He embraced destiny with a flying leap.

She landed with a muffled thump in the downy meadow, surprised by the gleeful laughter from the amulet.

< That wasn’t funny! >

Like Chosen, like me! The amulet retorted, as several Eevees ran up to greet them. They made short little jumping bows, but were too excited to keep up the façade of decorum.

The laughter of all twinkled through the valley.

Brown hair and fur jumped and danced together.

She smoothed down her new jacket and pants, glad they were fawn and chocolate…a lovely combination. The white gloves stayed, and her boots slid just below her knees in cream.

It was fun.

The eevees were great pranksters. Already, she was learning that the cute to evil act had been perfected before she came along.

But it takes one to know one.

Blue held the three squirming bundles of fur in her arms as she walked towards the river. It was payback time…

And with a splash, the story commenced.

Stupid little glowing pink gem that messed up his life.

Lance kept his thoughts well shielded though, he didn’t’ need any more ‘reminders’ about his place. After all, the first curse of sleeplessness had already taken effect, and would not wear off until he could ‘deal with his responsibility’.

Oh no, no, no, I’ll just deal with this power and after two years this chunk of rock won’t be mine anymore.

Strands of pink hair fell in front of his baby-blue eyes. A mew through and through… the amulet was blessedly silent.

It was very still.

Lance sighed, glad that he had at least kept the black long-sleeved attire he normally wore, and the boots. Why couldn’t he keep the cape and jacket too? He didn’t want to freeze…

What if the mews lived in the desert? No, fate could not be that set against him, could it? No.

Lance focused his new power, levitating a bit higher as he waited for the amulet to wake up.

He still needed to get ‘home’.

That was when a Mew appeared next to him and squeaked in surprise. < Who are you! >

< Apparently the Chosen of the Mews. > Lance replied, the rose hue of the amulet in stark contrast to the black he wore.

< Oh! Come with me! >

And so, he followed… time to take the step of fate.

Half a year slipped by on silent wings.

No disasters befell any of the clans. There were small disputes though…

Claire and the Horseas migrated to Seafoam, after water pollution decimated their home. Even as Chosen, Claire had limited powers to deal with man-made disasters.

She could calm destructive storms, but… that was something different.

Anger sprouted in her heart when they all saw the murky ruins of a longtime home, floating in mire.

How dare they.

Claire vowed to make the factories pay, as soon as she could leave.

She would protect them. They were hers, after all.

Green’s eyes flashed in contempt, as a wall of bones sprouted from the earth itself, cutting off the Machop’s escape route.

The Machop had no Chosen yet. They ran wild, trying to take the land that rightfully belonged to his pokemon.

He was Chosen, and he fought with the earth against the opposition.

The Cubones charged behind him, bones flying. The battle was quickly won.

Perhaps in the future there would be no more warfare, here.

The Cubones loved peace, but if threatened, they became mad…

Then, there was the treaty with the Marowak. They had a chosen of their own, a man, perhaps in his late forties, sealed for at least ten years. One of the ones who stayed…

Like Green…

Tyler taught him the finer points. Cubones were not that refined.

And so, teacher and student learned, as the months went on.

It was not that difficult. He enjoyed his life, and when the call came, he stayed.

Blue…

She loved the Eevees, and could not stand being apart from them. On her part, the most difficult was hiding them.

Breeders systematically conducted raids, trying to capture. She fought them off, knowing it was her way to protect them.

In that way, her own pokemon came and helped. The amulet allowed it, so all was well.

When not fleeing, they enjoyed harmless little games. And so, she sank deeper into the web, and she would bind herself to them, sealing also.

It was raining, he knew, as he flew towards the airship.

Zapdos were rare and everyone knew that, especially the collector. He had tried to catch the eldest of the tribe once before. Now, he was back.

Red’s eyes gleamed golden, his armor not even weighing him down as a sword of lighting formed in his hands and with one slash, the ship imploded upon itself. This time, Red made sure Lawrence was dead before he vaporized the remains.

Three zapdos circled him, praises in the air.

He was only doing his duty as Chosen, but it was important. If only his pokemon were also here, everything would be perfect. Still… he thought he would stay if they asked him to.

Sealed forever…

Lance’s baby-blue eyes were closed as he fought the assassin. Dressed in electric purple, the man was quite skilled.

The psychic blades danced in his hands as he parried and slashed in a dance of death. Too bad… the man was unprepared as the psychic equivalent of hyper beam he had been preparing blasted into him. Lance could use other moves, but he never showed them in front of the mews.

They had broken him enough. Three months of sleepless nights had already shattered his restraint. It was a miracle his mind still functioned.

True, the power was excellent to wield, but Lance never forgot what the amulet had put him through. One thing, one spark of anger, remained.

He would be patient and relinquish this for his true path, as soon as the term ended.

Until then, the practice was good.

A muffled scream sounded through the valley. The mews did not even pause in their daily lives.

End Chapter!

Completed 4/7/04