Wanderer (PG/13)

Title: Wandering
Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. I claim this on-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic as my own.
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks
VERY AU. Agatha is in her thirties, Blaine is in his forties, and the rest of the Seven are either in their teens or early twenties.
Pairings: None at the moment
Chapter 1

“You killed them!”
Agatha looked up from where she and the rest of her brotherhood were eating at a restaurant. Blaine was a man well known for his fiery temper, and she had no idea what she had done to incur his wrath. He was also a member of the Seven Swords of Kanto… an organization dedicated to the betterment of society.
It was probably misplaced…
“Don’t deny it! Your mark was over the corpse! He was my best friend!”
“What are you talking about?” Lance asked. As Agatha was blind, he was the spokesperson.
“You killed Giovanni!”
Lance blinked. “When was this?”
“Two days ago, you and your little troupe killed my best friend and stole his wife!”
“… What?” Lance demanded incredulously. “What proof of this do you have? We haven’t left the Johto region for months!”
After all, they were known as the Seven Stars of Johto.
“The sigil was carved into his forehead! It was the four-point star!”
“We don’t mutilate corpses.” Agatha spat. “We’re more honorable than that! We swear by Honou that we were in Johto.”
The other members nodded and grabbed their weapons.
“Very well. Then give me Giovanni’s wife and child and I won’t bother you any longer.”
“Did you not hear a word we said? We don’t have them!” Surge yelled, brandishing his two-tailed whip.
Agatha slammed her oaken staff against the ground. “You have no basis to accuse us on. We do not wish to quarrel, so take your investigation elsewhere.”
“Fine, fine, fine. But I’ve heard that your friend, Sage Masa, is keeping Giovanni’s widow in the Tin Tower. Should that be true…I will personally kill you all myself!”
“As you will…”

Blaine stormed out, leaving the seven speechless.
“We have to interfere! Sage Masa is our friend.” Koga said, gripping his sword. “We cannot allow Blaine to violate Honou’s sacred tower.”
Aya nodded, standing up. “I agree.” She picked up her trident.
“Blaine has not even mentioned what proof he has that Sage Masa has Giovanni’s widow…” Agatha put in. “Very well! We have to intervene.”
In a few minutes, they had dispersed, the food forgotten.
Who could eat when such a pressing problem presented itself?

Agatha had never heard of Giovanni, so he could not have been a fighter of great skill. However, unless Blaine had proof, they couldn’t just leave their friend to be attacked. That was a waste of ‘friendship’ then.
They split into groups and were at Tin Tower before Giovanni arrived the next day. He had to take the mountain road, but they knew the secret entrances, which were faster.

As Giovanni walked between the two large evergreens that stood at the entrance, stars 7 and 4 jumped out of the trees, Bruno and Surge respectively. Bruno whirled his nunchucks around, aiming at Blaine’s head, but Blaine blocked with his scimitar while Surge’s two-tailed whip only caught him around his other arm. He snarled as he kicked Surge in the pelvic region, causing him to fall, before he threw off the leather wrapped around his arm. Bruno charged again, only to score a jab in the stomach on the end of Blaine’s scimitar.
Blaine walked in, leaving two fallen.

About a courtyard later, Aya and Koga stood blocking his way. Stars three and six…
“So, you’re going to attack me no matter what?”
“Sage Masa is our friend.” Koga said. “Where is your proof that he kidnapped Giovanni’s widow?”
“I didn’t say he did!”
“Then why are you invading the Tin Tower?”
“Zachary, that dog of the military, brought Giovanni’s widow here!”
“…”
Blaine suddenly lashed out at Aya with his scimitar. Aya jumped, evading the attack while Koga’s sword blocked Blaine’s. Aya quickly threw three throwing stars at him, but only one scored a minor hit on said fighter’s leg.
“Aya! Now!”
Koga swept his sword swiftly at Blaine’s legs, forcing him to jump, just as Aya stabbed him in the armpit with her trident. Unfortunately, it wasn’t that sharp, but Blaine did wince in pain. However, he quickly whirled his scimitar around and managed to hit Koga, not with the blade, but with enough force to send him airborne. Aya managed to catch her brother, but the impact knocked the wind out of both of them.
Blaine walked on, dragging his scimitar on the ground. It made a rasping sound as he walked into the main courtyard.
The Tin Tower was right behind them.

Agatha stood at the entrance.
Lance and Bob attacked, Bob’s butcher knife clashing against Blaine’s own steel weapon as Lance managed to hit several points on Blaine’s back with his folded fan, trying to disable him. The rest of the uninjured Stars also attacked.
“No matter how good you are; you can’t possibly beat all seven of us.” Agatha said. “We Seven Stars of Johto always attack as a team. It doesn’t matter how many opponents we are fighting.”
With that said, Agatha joined the fray, her oaken staff bound with steel strips scoring more than a few hits on Blaine. It was lucky there was no blade on that…

Blaine blocked a hit from Bruno’s nunchucks and then hit him in the forehead, putting him out of commission for good this time, as Bruno went flying across the yard and into the wall on the other side. Bob’s knife scored a minor hit in one leg, but he wasn’t fast enough…
Bob also went flying as Blaine’s sword cut a deep gash in one shoulder.
Blaine snarled. “I wasn’t going to resort to this, but you give me no choice! Whirlwind blade!”
His sword seemed to multiply, spinning in a flurry of razor sharpness at every single one, forming a protective circle around him. Several staggered back with wounds of various degrees.
Aya winced, clutching her stomach. It just had to be her bad luck to be hit there right at the wrong time of the month…
Koga stood in front of her protectively, just in case, sword at the ready.

“Agatha! We have no choice! Use the steel barbs!”
Agatha nodded, as she and Lance stepped back. Without sight, he was her pair of eyes.
“Tempest!”
Three needles flew out, whistling by Blaine’s head, but Blaine evaded them. The rest of the Stars scrambled out of the way.
After all, Agatha’s needles were poisoned.
“Now, Hurricane!”
Another three missed. Blaine winced, that had been close to his right leg, too close, and now he was in plain view… maybe he should get off the small platform used for drying meat he was currently standing on.
He slashed through the supports, dropping the wooden structure, and Bob didn’t evade fast enough as it landed on his legs. Perhaps he shouldn’t have been hiding underneath it…

“Now eye of the Tornado!”
This time, two poisoned needles embedded themselves in Blaine’s body, right in his torso. Four others flew past, missing him completely, but…
It was enough.
“Now,” Agatha said, “Explain. We searched the Tower and found no trace of a woman. What proof have you?”
Blaine snarled, lunging at her, but Surge’s whip caught him around his legs and tripped him.
Surge fell backwards after. He had a bleeding gash on his upper left arm. Good thing he was right-handed…
So Bob and Bruno were definitely out, but that left four… glaring, he continued fighting, trusting that small wounds would be no problem. His sword clashed against Agatha’s staff.
There was sudden pain in the back of his head.
Lance snapped his fan closed and vaulted backwards, out of sword range, as Agatha re-engaged him again.
Blaine slashed at her legs, causing a deep cut to appear on her calf, but just then, he tripped over something…
Aya had gotten back up and swept her trident underneath his legs while he was leaning forwards.
Blaine whacked her with his sword, out of the way. Koga ran to catch her before she hit the ground.
His vision began to blur, as Lance darted back in and hit him on the chest with his fan. He staggered forwards, bringing his sword up but not fast enough before three more fan strokes hit him in the arm, causing him to drop it.
“By now, Agatha’s poison will have reached your heart. Just try three more lunges.” Lance taunted. “So, ready to explain now?”

Blaine glared, but decided to explain. He had lost…
Koga and Aya stood up shakily, and took battle stances, just in case. Agatha stood back up, letting Lance bind her while Blaine sighed.

End Chapter

Disclaimer: Pokemon belongs to Nintendo and Shogakukan Comics. I claim this on-profit, non-copyright infringing fanfic as my own.
Notes: <> for telepathy, ** for thoughts, italics if a pokemon talks
Lance: Interesting
Ash: Where am I?
Phantomness: You’ll show up later! Work hard, my muses!
Chapter 2

Blaine began explaining. “Three years ago, I met Giovanni and we became friends. We swore that our children would be as brothers. Then, four days ago, I was on my way to visit him in Viridian, but when I arrived there, all I found were a few of the soldiers of the Cerulean Army drinking wine amidst burning houses. Well, I killed a few of them before they spilled that Zachary Brewer the dog general had kidnapped Giovanni’s wife and child. I tried to find him, but he wasn’t in Kanto, so I came here. I saw him heading in this direction but night was falling, so I deduced he must have come to the Tin Tower.”
“He isn’t here.” Sage Masa declared. “Why would we of the peaceful nation shield the soldiers of the invaders?”
“Before he became a general, and sold his soul for money, Zachary Brewer was your son!”
Sage Masa colored. “How did you know?”
“Why wouldn’t you shield him?”

“However, his son is clearly not here.” Agatha spoke, gravely. “So you wounded us for nothing.”
“I admit that I was hasty and hot-tempered. I would like to absolve my guilt…” Blaine bowed and turned to leave.
“Hold on! Just by saying a sentence, you’re going to leave us here?” Surge snapped.
“What would you want me to do? I already lost to you.”
“Then give us your scimitar as proof.” Agatha intoned.
“I can’t do that! That would be asking you to give up your staff.”
Agatha slammed said weapon into the floor. “Fine! A year from now, we’ll meet here and fight again.”
“I’d only lose again.”
“Well, you’re known for your skill at gambling, and I daresay that’s something we can’t defeat you in.” Lance said smoothly. “Up three, weight four, twist to the underworld fire for five…”
Blaine’s eyes widened as Lance snapped his folding fan closed, holding a sheet of folded paper. “How interesting…”
“Well, Lance, I doubt my pick-pocketing skills are as good as yours.” Blaine muttered. * When did he? *
Sure, he had been hit in battle, many times, but… he had been keeping that paper in a pouch around his neck, and he hadn’t even felt the removal, so if Lance had been holding a weapon instead of just a folding fan he would have been dead…
Not a nice thought.

“Then why don’t you set the conditions for our next match-up?” Bob yelled.
“Very well then. As we both know, Giovanni’s wife and son were kidnapped. I propose that ten years from now, we will meet here. Whoever has found and trained his son will win.”
“So this tests our teaching skills?”
“What if Giovanni’s son is dead?” Aya mused.
“Then we’re gambling on luck…” Blaine smiled.
“Very well then.” Agatha pronounced. “We accept this proposition.”
“Then I will see you in ten years!” Blaine said, before he ran out.
Surge caught him with his whip before he could escape.
“Here.” Agatha tossed him a bottle. “The antidote. The poison kills in one hour, and you’re time’s running short. So take it now.”
Blaine muttered his thanks and then exited.

“I believe this is an unfair contest.” Koga pointed out. “We do not even know what his wife and child look like.”
“That is true, but we shall not lose.” Bruno gave an apathetic grunt at this announcement.

Meanwhile…
King Fernando looked fondly at the woman fast asleep next to him. She was beautiful. Long, glossy black hair and high cheekbones highlighted her lovely complexion.
Her name was Catherine.
She was also Giovanni’s widow.
He cared not for the fact she was pregnant. He would claim the child as his own, being sterile. She was only a month or so in… it could be passed up as early birth.
He had loved her ever since she had saved his life barely two weeks before. Dressed as a common soldier to spy for rebels in Kanto, he had nonetheless been attacked by Blaine. But she had saved his life when he had collapsed in the kitchen of her simple house.
Her husband had been sleeping, drunk on plum wine. It was a common enough happening.
She was beautiful and his savior. Why wouldn’t he love her? And so, he had chosen her to be his queen.
Catherine was drugged on opium now, fast asleep. She needed rest after their harrowing journey on horseback.
She was his, no matter if she protested or no. He doubted she would though. He would provide well for them.
Much better than that poor peasant! Giovanni had not even been a very good fighter. He had wielded a spear with energy but not with much skill… that much the soldiers had reported when they left him for dead with two arrows through his torso.
It was fine. Catherine was his now. She liked riches; she was just that kind of a woman. Her husband was dead either way.
He had given her a lovely bracelet of sapphires and she was happy.
The child would be his too, to mold as he would. Ah, life was good…
He slept well that night.

Somewhere else…
Delia tucked her six-year old into bed. “Now, now, Ash. Sleep well.” Heaven knew he wasn’t hers, she had found him floating in a basket of reeds, next to the slow river that wound through Pallet, but no matter. She had always wanted a child of her own.
Ash yawned, his abnormally gold eyes closing.
Gold eyes were supposed to represent something, power? Maybe, but all she wanted was a peaceful life for herself and her son.
Her son. No matter what the other few villagers gossiped about, he was her son. The other families all lived a good distance away, and there were only a few. It didn’t matter… she was happy where she was.

END Chapter
Completed 8/26/04
Notes: The Seven Stars of Johto have been together for about six months at this point in time.
Delia is not Ash’s biological mother. His real parents are unknown as of now.
Blaine is a kind of wandering fighter…
Pokemon do not play a big role in this fic, as you have seen. They might exist, but only as legends… or gods, depending.