The autumn winds whispered ancient tales upon the tower's peak, bringing forth small embers from the shedding trees. A single figure stood tall among the bitter chill, his clouded gaze focused on the skies above. As the breeze teased his golden locks, he closed his eyes and listened to the murmur around him. He stood absolutely still, so still that one would think of him as a statue. The only hint that he was even so much as awake was the moving of his lips as he mouthed the words that slipped into his ears.
Light footsteps resonated off of the old wood, alerting the man that he was no longer alone on the spire. He finished his mutterings before opening his eyes and turning around to face his interruption. The guest was startled by the sheer power of his purple eyes, his famous orbs suddenly clear for the first time in months.
"Zuki," The man breathed out the name of the beautiful young woman before him, earning a slight bow of respect from her. "Have you heard anything?"
The woman shook her head sadly, her black locks sweeping outwards with careful movements. "I am afraid that the situation is the same as it was previously, Morty."
The blond figure nodded in understanding as his eyes gained a slight sparkle. "All is well, Zuki. You and the rest of Ecruteak need not to worry any longer." He looked over his shoulder to take a quick glance at a passing leaf. Zuki followed his line of sight and was surprised to find a fresh leaf of green among the floating crimson sea. Morty then took a deep breath before speaking once again.
"The winds of new beginnings are blowing all around us." The woman in the red kimono was shocked to find his voice echoing in the crisp air, his steady tone replaced with what sounded like three powerful voices all speaking at once.
"The...winds of new beginnings?" The woman found herself giving the blond man a fearful look. "What ever do you mean, Morty?"
The man took another breath before he continued. "The great bird of rebirth is coming once again. A great evil will rise from their ashes and plague us all." He turned back to the woman before him and seemed to look straight through her. "Only the chosen one of the great bird will quell his taste for fighting and eliminate the oncoming threat. Like the flames of the great phoenix, the chosen one will burn across the land and leave no evil unscathed. A great evil may rise, but it will only rise to feed the flames of the great phoenix's chosen one."
Zuki then watched as Morty took a deep breath and fell to his knees.
Forgetting her limitations as the head of the Kimono Girls, she rushed to his aid and lifted him from the hard floor of wood. With worried eyes, she scanned him for any signs of wounds. She was soon relieved to find him perfectly unharmed. The man stirred in her arms before sitting himself up and rubbing a temple with his strong hands.
"Morty," Zuki couldn't hide the relief in her voice as he opened his purple eyes once again. "What happened to you?"
"I..." Morty struggled to speak as he found himself winded, almost as if he had been running for hours without a single breath of air. He gulped some of the clear air down before shaking his head. He then looked up with awed eyes at the dignified Kimono Girl beside him.
"It was a message from the three great beasts. The great phoenix has given his messengers a new prophecy to follow, and it seems we are all trapped in the crossfire."
The cycle of life continued on, despite the ominous warnings of the great beasts. The winter snows buried the land under their embrace and with their vast white blanket, they muffled all sounds of the warning. True, despite the bleak message, the world continued on its normal course. As soon as the sun's rays penetrated the blank slate of winter, spring decided to have its turn.
Within the grassy plains and lush woodlands, the wildlife continued to thrive. No, even they could not sense the great dangers lurking just below the surface of their peaceful pond. The wonderous blooms dotted the landscape, urging the world on with the promise of pleasant skies and a peaceful existence. Everything seemed to ignore the message as the whole region focused on their everyday lives. It seemed only the first recipients of the message were the only ones who would look to the skies with sorrow instead of the innocent joy all would expect from the first verdant season.
Still, spring had to pass on. The sun dazzled the land as summer's turn came in full power, warming the airs and exciting all with the promise of longer days to play and work under the bright light. Summer varieties of flowers thrived in the green grasses of the wilderness surrounding each and every small town. The wild creatures pranced and frolicked in oblivious joy, unaware of the horrible fates that were looming just beyond those fluffy clouds and azure skies.
It is here, in the vibrant month of May, that our story truly begins.
On the eastern-most corner of the quiet land of Johto, a small town rests within the soothing embrace of the forest and the water.
This town, known for its blustering winds, is the homefront of our tale, for it is here that the winds of new beginnings shall blow.
Author's Note: Hello there. I've decided to actually write down the story of Stubborn!Lyra—also known as HeartGoldHeadcanon!Lyra—for all to see instead of just writing the rare one-shot here and a few things based off of this portrayal of Lyra. I'll tell you right now that things are going to be different than usual. In fact, there will be many differences between the established canon and the story itself.
These will not take away from the actual storyline of HeartGold.
In fact, I plan to expand on some parts of the story—such as Ho-Oh's part in the story—and make things a bit less 'watered down'. Rockets will be more menacing, Ho-Oh shall play a grand and vital role in Lyra's journey, Ethan shall not be that boy who calls you from his bathtub and sits at home all day and Silver will not be the emotionless jerkface who does nothing but curse every five seconds. In other words, the characters we all know and love will have slightly different portrayals, such as Silver having a bit more emotion—the good kind, not the mush of romance fodder—, Lyra will have a bit more to her than being the cutie-patootie we all know—she'll have a bit of the normal portrayal at first, don't worry—, and Ethan will be based off of Gold quite a bit—minus the flirting people, minus the flirting.
Is this an AU? ...Possibly. There are quite a few changes, but the storyline of Lyra's journey is still there. I guess if enough people say, 'Hey, Illu! This should be considered an AU!' then I'll officially put this as an AU.
Despite these changes, I'm hoping that you will enjoy this story! I promise you, the changes will not be just for show. These changes are to take a slightly different spin on this often-told tale and to give them a bit of a different dynamic.
...I'm serious about Ethan in the bathtub. I swear on my HeartGold copy, that's the only call I get anymore! Always rambling on about how he drew a bath and Marill hopped in and spilled water everywhere...I'm starting to think that boy needs to get out of that town and go on a journey as Lyra did...It would really benefit him, ya' know? Besides, he can't possibly have enough to keep him busy over there in sleepy hollow for the 200+ hours I've clocked in my game...
He calls more than Joey, people. MORE THAN RATTATA JOEY!