Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon. That would be impossibly awesome, but sadly, I do not.
For every person having a good day, there's a person having a bad day. This balance exists in perfect harmony; the universe maintains this state of equilibrium with every method at its disposal.
Nathaniel Flanagan was not having having a day that could be accurately placed into either category. His day, rather than being good or bad, simply was. Nothing good, nor nothing bad could be said about his day. There was nothing interesting, exciting, or noteworthy. The closest that Nate's day had come to exciting was when Jeremy from science almost singed off his eyebrows feeding the school's mascot. Go Cherrygrove Fighting Vulpixes.
Another boring school day, another boring walk home, Nate thought as he exited the town's boundaries. And… wait for it… another boring night, most likely.
Fate was many things. Cruel? Depends on who you ask. Fickle? Same story, likely the same people. Some others would claim it was kind. All of those people would be correct to a certain degree, but there is one thing that they all can agree on: Fate has a wicked sense of humour.
As fate would have it, Nate's thoughts were heard by something. It wasn't a wandering psychic Pokémon; Cherrygrove was far too out of the way for something like one of them. Unfortunately (or fortunately, if one is into those sort of things), the being that heard was one of a group that preferred to act, not watch.
You are… bored?
Nate froze. There was something about the voice, and how it presented itself, that sent shivers down to the core of his being. It wasn't like listening to one of the psychic trainers; their voices could be ignored. This inner voice thrummed with power, a power that the world only rarely felt.
After what felt like an eternity to Nate, he mustered enough courage to respond.
"Yes." Wonderful job, Nate. You get the chance to talk to… whatever this is, and the best you can do is say 'yes'. Careful, wouldn't want to cut yourself on that wit of yours.
The voice made a noise best described as a squee. Whether it was from Nate's answer, his internal monologue, or a mixture of both, he'd never know. When the time would come that he'd remember to ask such a question, it would be far too late to receive an answer.
Whatever it was, the voice was freaking him out. Nate started to make a strategic retreat towards his house, or at least he tried to. His legs refused to obey his commands, held in place by some unseen force.
We have soooo much in common~ While Nate couldn't actually see whatever the voice belonged to, a part of him could practically feel whatever it was grinning. Nate hoped that it was a friendly 'I'm in a great mood :D' grin, and not a 'you are going to taste del-ic-ious ~' grin.
"W-we… we do?" the teen asked, cursing himself for stuttering. He didn't stutter! Stuttering was for… for… people who stuttered! Not him.
Of course! the voice gushed. We're both bored!
"Oh, right...that…" Nate was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, he had gotten himself into something he'd regret later. He never would have guessed how correct that gut feeling would turn out to be.
Boredom's the worst, isn't it?
"Y-yeah, of course it is…" Just agree with it, and maybe it'll let you go...
The voice chuckled this time, and it definitely had more shades of 'you're totally getting eaten' than 'I am somewhat amused at this current moment'.
Luckily for both of us, I have just the solution for our little problem~
"T-that's great…"
I know. The voice sounded very satisfied. I have to go prepare a few things, but don't worry. Tomorrow, the fun begins~
Nate began to feel whatever was holding his legs start to get weaker. The presence of the voice was also diminishing.
Remember, tomorrow's when it all goes down…
Nate waited a few more seconds to see if the voice would add anything else. It didn't, so the high-schooler decided to do what he'd been trying to do for most of the conversation: he ran home as fast as his legs would carry him and jumped every time something snapped out of sight.
The ballroom was plain, as far as ballrooms go. The pillars were elegant, but simple. Masterfully crafted, but done in such a way that the skill gone into making them would only be apparent to only those with similar skills. The chandelier was of a similar design: beautiful if you took the time to examine it, but otherwise unremarkable. It was vast, brilliantly white, and mostly empty, save for a small couch and some chairs in the center of the room.
The nature of the room itself helped to draw the mind away from the sections of unreality and pocket dimensions swirling just beyond the room's borders, visible through the mostly translucent walls.
The room's occupants seemed equally unremarkable at a first glance. There were four of them in total, all clothed in a similar fashion: black, hooded garments that helped mask whatever genders they may have been.
Two of them seemed to be engrossed in a game of chess. They rarely moved the pieces, and when making a move, lingered with their fingers on the piece far longer than one would expect, before finally committing to the action. The third figure sat with a book, idly turning the pages every few seconds. The final figure reclined in a very comfortable looking chair, fingers tapping to a beat seemingly unheard by the others.
It wasn't until one took a second glance that things started to seem odd.
The chessboard hovered between the two players, and if one noted how the duo were able to move their arms and legs over and under it, seemed to be doing so of its own accord. The same thing could be said for the book in front of the reading individual: the book was floating and the pages turned at a gesture. The one seemingly listening to music seemed normal enough, until one noticed that the lights on the chandelier pulsed in tune with his fingers.
Everything came to a halt, though, when the massive doors of the ballroom opened, and another black-clad individual strode in.
"I'm baaaack~" the figure declared as he threw back his hood and revealed himself to be male. "Miss me?"
The question was met with a resounding chorus of 'no's' and one 'negative' from the book reader. "Aw, you're no fun," the newcomer pouted. The boy snapped his fingers, and a plain wooden stool sprang into being before him. He sat in it and eyed his companions with a scowl. "And I brought such wonderful news."
His promise of news was met with mostly silence; the odd crinkling of a page or *clack* of a chess piece were the only sources of noise. The boy's scowl deepened; evidently, he wasn't fond of being ignored.
He moved his way over to the duo engaged in their chess match. "I believe… that's checkmate, Heidi," he said, moving one of the pawniards with a gesture. The boy flicked the hood of one of the players, causing it to fall onto her shoulders.
Heidi looked annoyed, and made the classic schoolyard 'finger gun' directed at the offending boy's chest. There was a flash, followed by a loud bang and the smell of sulfur. The boy dropped and clipped the board with his elbow on the way down. The pieces went flying in all directions, but vanished with a soft 'pop' before they hit the ground. Within seconds, an entirely new board with a full set of pieces took its place. Almost immediately, the pieces began squabbling, the pawniards smacking each other with soft 'clacks' as the hard substance they were composed of collided. Clearly, their masters' attention wasn't on playing a civilized game of chess.
The boy lay unmoving for a few moments, before he propped himself up on an elbow. All in all, he looked none the worse for wear, though there was a gaping hole in his cloak, and parts of his chest were covered in a black, soot-like substance. "Harsh, that was my favourite uniform," he complained as he looked down upon the ruined garment with a pitiful expression on his face. It quickly vanished, though, when it was apparent he wasn't going to receive any sympathy.
"You ruined our game, Daniel," Heidi replied while she glared literal holes in the fabric of Daniel's already beat-up clothes. "We had been working on that one for seven months. Who knows, a couple more weeks, and we may have even finished."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "Could you please stop undressing me with your eyes for a moment and listen to the good news I have?"
Heidi was silent for a few moments, before she gave the boy the double one fingered salute. She did stop the eye-lasers, though.
"Besides," he continued as he brushed some of the soot off of his chest. "Your chess games with Helen are boooooooring."
'Helen' made a less-than-happy sounding noise and pulled down her hood so she could glare at Daniel. "Is it really that difficult to add the 'a' on the end of my name?"
"Not really," Daniel admitted, shrugging. "You're just fun to annoy like that," he blew a Razz-berry at the girl.
Helena looked as though she was considering giving Daniel a hole on the other side of his cloak. Evidently, curiosity won out over vengeance, as she cursed under her breath before relenting. "Fine, I'll bite. What's the good news?"
"I," Daniel began, taking a deliberate moment to replace his shirt, one with the same non-ruined glory as its predecessor. "Have found someone. Someone bored." The word 'bored' echoed unnaturally, bouncing around the vast chamber.
What little noise the room had to begin with ceased. The pages of the book stopped turning and the reader turned her (for she had removed her hood not long after Helena) head to regard Daniel. The chess pieces froze, whatever magic had been animating them ceased, and they became lifeless once more.
"You've really found someone willing to play?" the one lounging in the chair asked, his voice betraying him as male. "Does this person know what awaits?"
"Of course he doesn't," Daniel replied, looking like the Delcatty that had gotten the cream. "They never do. All he knows is that come tomorrow, everything changes."
"That's all you told him?" Helena asked, an incredulous expression forming. "You didn't give him any clues as to what's coming?" The chessboard vanished with a snap of her fingers. The pieces didn't even have time to look terrified as they winked out of existence.
"Not a one," Daniel's grin looked downright terrifying now, and more teeth appeared with each question he answered. Much more and he'd run out of teeth.
"You're a complete and utter heartless bastard; you know that, right?" the seated boy asked as he sat up. The two boys regarded each other for a few moments before Daniel replied.
"Yup."
There was a moment of silence, before both boys high-fived.
"If you and Travis are done celebrating, we have things to prepare, don't we?" the former book reader asked, snapping her book closed.
"Just a few minor details," Daniel said with the wave of a hand. "It's not like we haven't done this before, Kari."
Kari considered Daniel's words before she nodded.
"Well," Helena said before she stood up. "If everything's set up, all that's left is to decide who goes first." She looked around the group. "Any volunteers?"
Silence greeted her question. Eventually, Travis raised a hand.
"May as well start off with a bang."
"Excellent," Helena said, turning to the other two girls. "Want to help me prepare?"
Kari nodded absently, while Heidi grinned. "Totally," she declared, cracking her knuckles. "I've got some killer ideas I've wanted to test out."
"Since Travis is going first, he gets Johto," Kari said, a large map of the Pokéworld appearing before the group. Most of it was greyed out, though a few bright sections stood out. Johto in particular shone and a wonderful midnight blue illuminated it. "I'll take Unova," as she claimed the region, it too was illuminated, this time with a much lighter shade of blue.
"Ugh, what is it with you people and blue?" Heidi asked while Sinnoh changed to a bright crimson colour as she spoke.
"It's a nice colour," Helena defended the choices of her companions as Hoenn turned to a shade in between the other blues. "...and my favourite," she admitted mareepishly.
"And that leaves Kanto for me," Daniel said happily, the region turning an eye-popping shade of neon pink.
Once all the regions that weren't blackened or crossed out had been claimed, the figures left the room one by one, fading into the whiteness.
Kari's room was an icy blue. It permeated everything: the walls, ceiling, and the pillows resting on the bed. They radiated a feeling of calm indifference. One could walk inside and lose themselves, lost to an overwhelming feeling of logical detachment. The bed only added to the sense of serenity; its royal blue colour mixed in with the icier shades in such a way that was very pleasing to the eye. Completing the picture was a snowy white rug on the floor.
The relaxed atmosphere of the room was somewhat put out by the barely-concealed rage emanating from Heidi, who sat upon a blood-red chair she'd conjured. She stared at the floor with a similar expression to the one she'd worn when Daniel had been bothering her. This time, however, the carpet, unlike Daniel's shirt, seemed to be laser-vision proof, as if Kari had taken extra precautions when creating her room so that her fellow organization member could visit without combusting everything in sight. That, or she was too tired to make things burst into flame with naught but a few thoughts.
Given the amused glances Helena was sending to her fiery friend, it was likely the former, not the latter. "You can try that all you want, you are never going to get them on fire that way,"
Heidi glanced up at her friend and her scowl lost quite a bit of its venom as her gaze moved to something she didn't want on fire. "Like that? So there's a way to get it done?"
Helena giggled. "There's always a way to get something done, Heidi," she explained. She was reclined in a blue chair that matched the bed. Though given how it was situated in the orderly room, it was likely a chair that she had brought herself; both she and Kari being fans of the colour blue.
"Mind telling me what it is?" Heidi asked.
Helena considered the question while she lightly tapped her chin. "Mmmmm… nope. I think I'll hold on to that one for now,"
"Figures," Heidi muttered. "First Daniel being Daniel, and now you won't tell your poor friend how to combust objects with naught but her own will," she pouted to try and add some effect to her words. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't pull off pouting well, more used to anger than hurt expressions.
Helena snickered. "Pouting doesn't suit you," she informed her companion. "Scowls, glares, and other terrifying expressions are much more your speed."
The two girls sat in silence after that. Helena waited for Kari to arrive, and Heidi tried with all of her willpower not to change her expression and prove her companion right. What seemed like hours passed, and there was still no sign of Kari.
Eventually, Heidi sighed, letting her face ease back into a more natural expression. "I don't get what's taking her so long," she complained as she flopped back into the chair she'd conjured. "She calls us here, then makes us wait forever."
"It's only been about ten minutes," Helena said while she tapped her feet on the floor lightly and watched her friend. "You've just always been terrible with waiting, and she's usually late to things like this. Remember Orre?"
"How could I forget?" Heidi grumbled into the arm of the chair. "That was a disaster."
"While unfortunate that I was unable to assist with that little pet project, I feel that my efforts in Sinnoh were much more productive," Kari said, having just entered the room in time to catch the last few snippets of the conversation. "I'd think that you'd agree, seeing as you're the one who decided to claim Sinnoh for this little adventure."
Heidi waved a hand in surrender. "Yeah yeah, Sinnoh's lovely, good for you. I chose Sinnoh because Daniel would have pestered me if I'd taken Kanto, Helena's practically married to Hoenn, and you-" she jabbed a finger at Kari. "-had already taken Unova for yourself."
"I make no apologies for that," Kari admitted, placing a book on the bedside table. After her hand left the tome, it picked itself up and placed itself in its proper position amongst the other volumes on the table. "There are some things I'd like to try in Unova, and I don't believe that you'd be willing to do any experiments in my absence."
"Whatever," Heidi muttered. The girl rolled her eyes as she shifted to a more comfortable position in her chair. "Let's just get this meeting over with. Why'd you even call us here?"
"I called you here for a few reasons," Kari began, ignoring the other girl's attitude. "Most prominent amongst them is because I don't believe that Daniel just decided that it would be a fun idea to suddenly involve all of us in one of his games."
"You sure about that?" Heidi asked. "This is the guy who filled the main hall with bubbles just because he could."
"I am well aware that he likes to act on impulse," Kari said sharply, while her tone suggested that she was annoyed that Heidi would imply that she was wrong. "But I believe we would do well not to forget about the fact that we keep losing members."
"What, and you think that Daniel's going around offing all the other members?" Heidi asked. "That's ridiculous. We don't know how the others died, remember? We're unkillable, immortal, eternal," she said with some emphasis on 'eternal'. "Besides, it's been like, fifty years since Ka-" she trailed off and didn't finish the name she'd been forming. Wearily, she glanced over at Helena.
The girl's face was stony, eyes blazing. For all the room's chilly atmosphere, the temperature had been quite pleasant up until that point. That changed along with Helena's expression, and the temperature dropped to levels matching the icy gaze that Helena levelled on her two companions.
"If you believe that Daniel is suspicious, we'll keep an eye out," she said as her eyes moved from one girl to the other, as if they were daring them to say something. She stood and her chair vanished as soon as she left it. "If that is all you had to say, then I'll take my leave now."
Helena stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind her with a sound not unlike a thunderclap.
Heidi and Kari sat in silence for a few moments, before the latter spoke up. "You really do need to learn some tact," she muttered while she gazed at the smoldering holes in the rug Helena had left. With a wave of her hand, a new rug took its place, identical to the first, minus the holes.
"How was I supposed to know she'd still be upset about that?" Heidi asked. "Like I said, it's been like, fifty years."
"You know as well as I do fifty years is nothing when you have an eternity," Kari replied. The door opened, a clear sign of dismissal.
Heidi stood up to leave and her chair bursted into flames after she vacated it. Unlike Helena's, the flames from the chair left no marks on the rug as it burned. There was was a small moment where Heidi felt jealous of Helena being able to bypass the security on Kari's belongings, but it left almost as quickly as it had arrived. She had better things to occupy her time with, and the destruction of furniture wasn't even remotely close to the top of that list.
"Heidi?" Kari called, back to the girl in her doorway.
"Yeah?" Heidi turned back to face the room and leaned against the doorway.
"Do be careful," Kari advised. "Even if I'm wrong about Daniel, something's up, and I intend to find out what it is."
"Sure thing," Heidi said. As if she really needed a reminder to watch herself. She was thousands of years old, for crying out loud. That being said, there was no point in snapping at Kari when the other girl was obviously watching out for her. May as well go along with her conspiracy theory until she realized that nothing was wrong.
Heidi didn't allow herself to think of the alternative.
The lone Organization member's steps echoed throughout the vast emptiness. The only discernible light source emanated near the space's only other occupant.
The being in question was akin to a massive quadruped. Its legs were slender, but the power they possessed was apparent. The creature had a small head relative to its body, but had a long, flowing mane that more than made up for that fact. It also had a large golden ring with ethereal chains of light keeping it in place.
Travis threw back the hood of his cloak as he beheld the trapped God of Pokémon. The light from the chains cast eerie shadows over his face, masking whatever he expression he held.
What do you want, Deathless? Arceus asked, using a name that hadn't been spoken for thousands of years. Why have you come to disturb me?
"Just to chat, old...not friend, I suppose," Travis admitted as he conjured a stool to sit on. "Acquaintance, perhaps?"
Arceus rumbled its acceptance for the 'acquaintance' designation. A grudging acceptance, but acceptance all the same. A chat? Hardly. You came to mock, as your kind is so fond of doing. Arceus snapped open an eye, the only part of the great entity that was capable of moving, aside from its flowing mane.
"I suppose we are," Travis agreed with a shrug of his shoulders. "Nevertheless, I really am just here to chat."
I have nothing to say to you, Defiler. Another ancient name, far less neutral than its predecessor. Arceus snapped its eye shut.
Travis' mouth moved. A smirk? A grimace? It was too dark to tell. "I deserved that one. Fine, I'll talk, and you can just stay put and listen."
Arceus grumbled, but wasn't able to so much as rattle his chains. The God Pokémon was truly trapped, and there was nothing it could do about it. Yet.
"We've started another human on an adventure," Travis told his captive audience.
Arceus made no indication that it had heard.
"This one's going to be different," the boy continued. "We've decided to take a more... active role this time."
The eye slowly opened again and the god regarded the Organization Member with newfound interest. Oh?
Travis nodded. "One of us has decided it would be an enjoyable experience to pit ourselves against a mortal again, so he'll have a chance to face each one of us, in time." The boy stood, reaching for one of the chains.
They rattled at his touch, casting new shadows across the void as they shook. Seven chains in all, each one originating from a glowing circle on the floor. Five were gleaming, one was dull, and one black and rusted. Several faded circles with the remnants of chain links surrounding them suggested that there had been more than just seven chains at one point in time.
A bright lance of power zapped the hand Travis had extended. He drew back the (now scorched) appendage, shaking it to try and relieve some of the stinging pain, a sensation he wasn't usually subjected to. "Doesn't look like you'll be going anywhere anytime soon," he commented before he stuck his injured fingers in his mouth. Arceus couldn't decipher the emotion inside the boy's voice, something it cursed itself for. When had it gotten so poor at reading other beings? Was it the confinement? The isolation? Whatever the reason was, the organization member was harder to read than anything the Unown had put together, and far more frustrating.
"A storm's coming, Arceus," Travis said as he headed back to the exit he'd left open. "Will you be ready for it?"
The Organization Member vanished along with his portal, leaving Arceus alone to its thoughts.
Had Nate lived in a different world, in a different time, his house would have been called Victorian style. It was one of the few houses in the city that shared the trait, and Nate liked the way his house stood out from the others where he lived.
The door to his house was old, but its age did not spare it from being slammed open as Nate burst inside. His abrupt entrance disturbed Ifrit, the family's massive Arcanine. He let out a 'nine?' of confusion as Nate passed, earning only a quick "Sorry, 'frit," as his master dashed up to his room. The fire canine snorted, it wasn't the first time his nap had been interrupted by Nate's comings and goings, and he'd bet his favourite chew toy it wouldn't be the last.
Nate's room was not the kind one would be proud to show off. In the years since he was his childhood, he'd rarely made any changes to the style or design. He still had the sad remnants of his Eevee print wallpaper in the corner, and he just couldn't bring himself to take it down: too many fond memories were attached to it. That, and it was absolutely adorable. His computer and desk dominated one corner of the room, his bed commanding most of the floorspace on the other side. The foot of his bed had become a temporary home for clean laundry, while the hamper had become a more permanent residence, overflowing with dirty clothes.
Nate flopped down on his bed with a weary bed was home plate, safe. Nothing bad could happen while he was in the safety of his own bed; the lesson that had been ingrained in Nate since childhood prevailing over more rational reasons. There was a soft *poomf* as he let his head fall on his pillow.
Nate lay still for a while and listened to the harmony created by his breath, the ticking of his watch, and the pounding of his heart. After a few minutes, Nate shook his head, unable to clear his 'encounter' near Cherrygrove from his thoughts.
"There's no way that really happened, right?" he asked himself, listening to the way his voice rang off the walls of his bedroom. "It was just some passing psychic…yeah…"
Oh yeah, just some passing psychic, in a place where psychic types are never found, the sarcastic side of him said. And that's why, even now, you still feel uneasy. Riiiiiight.
Nate suppressed a shudder, checking his watch. Only 4:30, huh? Maybe I'm just tired. Aren't they always saying that lack of sleep does terrible things?
Oh yeah, one late night is notorious for causing hallucinations and paranoia...
"...Shut up, self, I'm trying to be positive…" Nate grumbled, closing his eyes again.
No really, it happens all the time, his inner voice continued. If Nate didn't know himself, he'd have almost been convinced.
Almost.
Nate decided that he might have a clearer head after a power nap. It wasn't too hard for him to fall asleep. The cumulation of the day's events had left him feeling like he'd been eaten by an Onix, found to be too unappealing, and spat back out.
It also helped that his eyes were already closed.
I'll wake up, and all this will just be a bad memory...
Some time after Nate fell asleep, an organization member materialized in his room. He sat on the desk and studied the sleeping teen. "You have a very interesting way of preparing for things," Travis mused, tapping his chin.
"Your world is about to be turned upside down, and you still manage to rest. I suppose you could be applauded for that."
Travis stood up, slowly walking towards the door. He paused once he reached his destination and turned to glance at Nate once more. "Then again," he whispered. "Ignorance is bliss."
The boy made no noise as he glided down the stairs and into the family room. He looked around the room with an appraiser's eye. Quaint… he thought as he ran a hand over the wallpaper.
Over in the corner, Ifrit whined and put his paws over his ears. He didn't like the strange person. He smelled odd. Unnatural. Wrong.
Travis stopped and spared a glance at the quivering fire-type. "You don't know it," he told the canine. "But your kind never did trust us, even in the beginning."
He rubbed Ifrit's head. "Turns out, you were probably right after all."
"Unfortunately, you, like your ancestors, are far too late to change what's been put in motion. Far too late."
Ifrit whined.
"He'll need you," Travis said as he stood up. "When the time comes, you'll know what to do."
The cloaked boy disappeared, leaving the Arcanine alone in the dark room.
Ifrit was not a super-intelligent Pokémon (it was better to leave the thinking to the psychic types). He was not stupid, however, by any stretch of the imagination. As the night progressed, he wondered just what the odd-smelling boy meant, and what lay in store for his master.
What he imagined and what actually occurred were worlds apart.
Prologue version 2.0 complete.
After much thought, I decided that the original needed to be reworked. Hope you enjoyed the updated version, there is more to come.
Sure there were tears (mostly mine), there was swearing (most directed at me, from my lovely beta, Infinity Phoenix), and there was lots of wonderful things happening on forums far far away which you should totally check out.
In short: Check out the Mythological Games forum. You can find it on the General Forums page with an awesome picture of a dragon.
Until next time.
Stay fabulous~