Hello everyone, this is Rider of Black here and boy do I have some news for you all. I was able to obtain the adoption rights for Pokémon Rejuvenation: Xen's Shadow, courtesy of the Godfeather. I was planning on continuing it, but after reading up about all the changes that happened following the start of that fic, I figured it would be best to reboot the thing so that it's up to date with the game itself. As for the fic itself, there's a few things I'm going to change, such as the main protagonist and his backstory/personality. However I'm keeping in the Tandor-native Pokémon from Uranium that he used, in order to honor the original wishes of the previous author.
Additionally, I want to give a shout out to the author Zedlyfier, who wrote a story titled Rejuvenation: Through the Eyes of an Interceptor. I highly recommend you read it as it is an amazing story and was what inspired me to write a Rejuvenation fic of my own; or at least adopt an already written story.
Be warned that this fic will be rated M, for a variety of reasons that I'm sure fans of Rejuvenation would understand.
So without further ado, here's Pokémon Rejuvenation: Rise from the Ashes
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A young girl with short blonde hair had just finished tucking herself into bed, when she was soon visited by her mother, the latter had a small, tired smile on her face, evidence that she was exhausted from the days events. The girl's eyes perked up upon seeing her mother.
"Mommy, mommy! Can you tell me the story about the Zorua and the Pangoro, please?" she eagerly requested, eying up a children's story book that rested on the table in the center of the spacious room.
"Again?" the mother inquired, with the girl nodding in response. "Haha, alright then." She chuckled, taking the book and proceeded to sit down beside the bed.
"There once was a lonely Zorua living deep in the darkest forests." The mother started reading out loud, as the girl began to imagine the events in her head. "He was a mischievous one. Transforming into other Pokémon and beings that lived in the forest. He would often use this ability to trick others into handing over food, or using their homes to sleep in. because of that, he didn't have many friends. I'm sure you can piece together why."
"Mmhmm." The young girl nodded.
"But one day this changed when Zorua met a powerful Pokémon called Pangoro. The two of them were fighting over a rare and highly coveted golden apple. The fight lasted for many hours, until it ended in a stalemate. They knew they were evenly matched, one could not take out the other. They stared at each other intensely, knowing that they were destined to be friends. The two became quick companions, like two peas in a pod, if you will. They travelled the world together, overcoming hardships while going on thrilling adventures. Life was good for them, until Zorua went too far one day. Zorua planned a devious prank on Pangoro. "I shall transform into his recently deceased mother. That would surely give him a fright!" Zorua chuckled ominously. "It'll be my best prank yet!"" The mother continued, pausing briefly to clear her throat.
"So while Pangoro left to find food, Zorua put his malicious plan into action. When Pangoro returned home, he was greeted with the sight of his dead mother. Paralysed with a mixture of extreme emotions, he stepped back towards the door, dropping his collection of food onto the ground. In that collection of food was…" the mother continued.
"A golden apple!" the young girl chirped sweetly.
"Yes my little angel, a golden apple." The mother smiled in response. "When Zorua saw this, he transformed back into his normal state, eyed up the golden apple and asked "Hey! That golden apple looks incredibly delicious, is that for me?" He then looked up to face Pangoro, only to see a face filled with fury, sadness, but most importantly, disappointment. It was then that he realised that he had deeply hurt Pangoro with his cruel prank and tried to apologise, only for Pangoro to ignore his apologies and ran into the forest. Zorua ran after him, worried about his friend, but Pangoro was nowhere to be found. Zorua realised that in his selfishness, he repelled the only friend he ever had, thus becoming lonely once more." She concluded the story and closed the book. "Sleep tight Maria, my precious little girl." The mother gently kissed the girl on her forehead before placing the book on the table and exiting the room.
The next day
Maria had just awoken from her blissful sleep, eager to start another great day. She got out of bed and put on her favourite outfit, which consisted of a black, long-sleeved shirt, a matching black skirt with white stockings and black loafers, and a white ribbon which went around her shirt collar. Once she had finished getting dressed, she exited the room and went down stairs to greet her parents. Like with her room, the house was incredibly luxurious, indicating that the occupants were well off in terms of money. There were several bookshelves in the living room, with a large painting of Maria and her parent overlooking the area.
"Mommy, I'm up! I'm up!" she called out eagerly, as her mother poked her head out from the kitchen that was adjacent to the living room.
"Good morning Maria, did you sleep well?" she inquired, a warm smile on her face. "I'm preparing breakfast right now, do you mind getting your father? He's working in his study."
"Ok mommy!" Maria replied, as she made her way to the opposite side of the room towards a closed door. Normally, Maria was forbidden from entering her father's study, but she was sure he wouldn't mind this time. She carefully opened the door and entered the room, as she spotted her father hunched over the large table in the room, reading over what appeared to be important documents. He soon turned to the side and spotted Maria, placing the documents back inside the open folder before closing it.
"Ah, Marian—Maria. How are you doing?" her father inquired. Maria found the brief pause kind of strange, but decided to ignore it.
"Mom said that breakfast is ready, so it's time for you to get your butt out of this room and have some good food!" Maria called out adamantly, causing her father to chuckle.
"I do love your mother's cooking. Alright then, I'll be out in a few moments." He replied, with Maria nodding as she exited the room and made her way back to her mother.
"Dad said that he'll be right out!" she reported.
"Did he now? Well there's no point in rushing him. You should go upstairs and freshen up, your breakfast will be ready by then." Her mother replied.
"Okay, and then we get to play outside afterwards, right?" Maria asked, her eyes sparkling with innocence.
"Of course, sweetie!" her mother smiled. "Now go on, Maria. I'll be waiting for you down here."
The young girl made her way back into her room to freshen herself up, retrieving a pair of white ribbons from a small wooden box on her vanity. She gingerly brushed her hair to neaten it up until it was nice and tidy, before proceeding to tie the ribbons onto her hair. Once she was done, she was about to head back down stair, before she was halted by some sort of clear blue fog that suddenly appeared in her room. The fog was very cold, sending shivers down Maria's spine, before it disappeared a few seconds later.
"W-What was that…?" she asked herself, a confused expression on her cute face. It was then that the sound of a plate crashing onto the floor emanated throughout the house, causing the young girl to jump. "Mom?!" she called out to her, but there was no response.
With fear coursing through her veins, she tip-toed out of her room and began to walk down the stairs, only to come face to face with one of the most frightening figures she had ever seen in her short life. The figure was a tall person whose face was covered by some sort of masked helmet that looked like the head of a rather vicious dragon. Based on their figure which could be seen via their grey and black jumpsuit, Maria determined the intruder to be a woman. Additionally, she wore crimson red boots and had a matching red cape billowing down her back.
"Who…are you?" Maria asked the intruder, edging closer and closer to her. The woman stared at Maria and crossed her arms, before proceeding to face the wall behind the small child.
"How many times…how many times are you going to make this little girl suffer?" the woman asked out loud, though not directly to Maria. This cause the young girl to pause momentarily; while the woman's voice was intimidating, she didn't detect any direct malice towards her. Furthermore, what does she mean when she inquired about her supposed suffering, and who exactly is she asking. "How many times are you going to put her through this chaos?!"
"I-I don't know what you are talking about…" Maria spoke softly, alerting the woman as she locked eyes with the small child.
"I wasn't talking to you." The woman replied bluntly.
"O-Oh…well, do you know where mommy and daddy are?" Maria inquired.
"They're downstairs." The woman answered, pointing towards a hallway that lead downstairs. Maria knew that she was forbidden from going down there as well, but it didn't seem like she had much of a choice. Leaving the mysterious woman to her whim, Maria went towards the stairs, however the woman decided to offer some parting words.
"Maria, no matter what happens, don't you dare lose hope." The woman told her. "Don't lose who you are and don't forget what's about to happen. You understand?"
"Y-Yes, I understand!" Maria quickly replied, as she hopped down into the basement. The basement was a lot larger than she anticipated, with various halls and corridors branching off to the sides. The walls were incredibly grimy, and there were dozens of cobwebs all over the walls. Whatever the case, it was obvious that nobody went here very often. Despite the sense of danger she was feeling, a thrill of excitement coursed through Maria's body, after all this was like an adventure to her. Perhaps this was part of the game her mother promised to play with her after breakfast. Maria explored the basement for a bit, making sure to avoid any cobwebs she sees, until she spotted a faint light in the distance.
"Mom, dad?" she asked out loud, but didn't get a response. She picked up her pace and went towards the light, until she stumbled into the room and gasped at what she saw. Lying in the center of the dimly lit room was an altar surrounded by several candles, her mother lying on top of the altar. A closer look revealed that her head was bleeding profusely, and she wasn't moving an inch. And looking over the altar with a face as cold as the winter breeze was her father.
"Mommy?" Maria called out, hoping that it was nothing but a cruel prank, like the one in her favorite book. However her mother didn't budge a single inch. Panic began to course through her body, as she ran up to her father and started shouting. "What are you doing to mommy?! Mommy, wake up! Why aren't you doing anything daddy? Move out of the way!"
"Marianette, your father wishes to see you right now." A feminine voice called out from nowhere, surprising the little girl.
"W-What…what are you talking about?" she replied to the strange voice
"Marianette, your father wishes to see you right now." The voice repeated, as if it chose to ignore her question.
"W-What's happening?!" Maria asked, as a bright light soon illuminated throughout the area, momentarily blinding the poor girl.
"Marianette. Marianette! Marianette!"
0000
The light died down, allowing Maria to open her eyes, only for the young girl to realise that she was in a completely different room. The room looked like the dungeon from some medieval castle, with a large oval shaped mirror handing on the wall. There were two plush dolls flanking the mirror; a Zorua doll on the left, and a Pangoro doll on the right. Maria turned around and saw a maid standing before her, in a dark black dress with a white bow tied around her waist.
"For the fifth time, Marianette, your father's waiting for you in the East Wing." The maid in formed the small child, her voice dripping with irritation. "You've made him wait longer than necessary, so get to it."
W-Wait! What am I doing down here again?" Marianette asked, as the maid huffed in annoyance.
"Marianette, I won't say it again. Hurry along now!" the maid demanded.
"M-My name's Maria, not Marianette." Marianette said quietly, as the maid exited the room in a hurry. Sighing to herself, Marianette proceeded to leave the room and head to her destination. Upon exiting the room, she noticed that the basement was a whole lot different than before. The medieval décor was all over the place, and the walls were much cleaner than before. What she found to be strange were the sheer number of maids in the area, all of them wearing the exact same outfit that the other one wore. Not wanting to anger the maid any more than necessary, she quickly made her way to her destination and entered the room.
The room was surrounded by crystal clear water that was cordoned off by a simple guard railing. But it was the familiar altar in the center of the room that sent chills down Marianette's spine. There was at least a dozen maids staring at the altar, praying in worship as the maid from before was lying down on the altar. Staring down at the altar, wearing black robes that had grey stripes running down it was her father.
"Where's my mom?!" Marianette demanded an answer, as everyone present turned to face the young girl.
"Mommy is sleeping with our lord now, Marianette." Her father replied, in a cold, emotionless tone of voice.
"Stop calling me that, it's Maria, not Marianette!" She snapped back, surprising her father.
"Why are you being so disrespectful? Your name is no longer Maria." Her father replied. "Now then, to continue from where I left off—"
"No need for the explanation, Lord Indriad. Demonstration may be the key to this girl's mind." The maid on the altar chimed in.
"Very well." Indriad replied, as he stretched his arms over the altar. "Arceus! Capremdum Garuganisu oru'ma'! A'd serberus L'orufogeo!" he chanted, with the maids following in suit. The chant was repeated again and again as the sacrifice's body floated into the air before it was enveloped in a bright light. A few seconds later, the light died down, revealing that the maid was no more.
"W-Where is she?" Marianette asked.
"She is with the lord now, Marianette." Indriad coldly replied. "She won't suffer the calamity that will soon befall this earth. Come Marianette, it's your turn."
N-No! You can't make me do it!" She yelled out, fear coursing through her veins. She decided to take a chance and began running towards the exit in the hope of finding a way out of this horrible situation. However a pair of maids quickly bolted after her and grabbed her roughly by the arms.
"Maids, bring Marianette to the altar." Indriad ordered, with the maids complying obediently.
"Let go of me! Let go of me!" Marianette cried out loudly, as she struggled to break free of their iron grip on her. However it seemed that the more she struggled, the tighter their grip on her gets. Eventually they reached the altar and tied her down with some rope to prevent her from fleeing.
"You said the same thing to my mommy! She's gone because of you!" Marianette snapped at Indriad, glaring at the man, but to no effect.
"Enough, Marianette! Go with some dignity at least." Indriad barked back at her, with Marianette briefly flinching in anger.
"I don't want this! Just let me go!" Marianette begged her father, tears of sadness and anger running down her soft cheeks.
"Arceus! Capremdum Garauganisu oru'ma'! A'd serberus L'orufogeo!" Indriad began chanting, with the maids following suit like before. Marianette's body was enveloped in a golden light like before, however the ropes prevented her from floating above the altar.
"I hate you! I hate you!" Marianette screamed at the top of her lungs, as her throat started to ache from all the yelling she did. Eventually she quieted down and started begging once more. "Someone please, don't let him do this to me! Someone please help me! Anyone! MOMMY!" However her pleas of help fell on deaf ears, as her body was fully enveloped by the light.
"Please…" Was the last thing she said before her world went dark.
S.S Oceana: Trainer Registration room
The Registration room was one of the most frequently visited rooms on the ship, solely for the fact that it was a necessary visit if a trainer wished to participate in the Aevium League. The room would get another visitor as a young man in his late teens would enter the room and sit down on one of the cushioned seats that laid before the large red computer. The man quickly typed on the keyboard in a flurry of precise strokes, as the blank screen quickly flared to life and an introductory video started playing.
The video showed the top half of a young lady with light brown skin, matching color eyes, and short black hair that ended in crimson red tips. Her outfit, from what the man could see was a simple white undershirt, with a black jacket over it. The lady in the video had a warm, friendly expression on her face, as if she was eager to greet the new trainer.
"Hello newcomer, my name is Amanda! I am the Manager and Scout of the Aevium League! It's my duty to get newcomers like you up and ready to go. But before that, are you interested in learning a bit of history about the Aevium Region?" the woman spoke, as a box with two options appeared on the screen. The man gazed at the box for a bit until he selected 'Yes'.
"Righto, lesson time! The Aevium Region isn't like your typical region. For one thing the variety of Pokémon a trainer can encounter is far greater than most regions. Another notable difference is that the Aevium League challenge is notorious for being one of the most difficult challenges a trainer can tackle; for instance, there are 18 Gym Leaders you'll need to defeat instead of the usual 8. Additionally, the Pokémon of Aevium may or may not respond to your calls depending on what level you are, and how many badges you have. To take on and succeed in the Aevium League is what separates the truly great trainers from the rest." Amanda explained. "But before we begin, you'll need to register your information for security reasons."
It was then that a form appeared on the screen, with several blank boxes where you need to put your personal details down. Things such as name, date of birth, gender, nationality, with an optional box where you put down any previous accomplishments you achieved if this wasn't your first challenge. Additionally, there was also a button with the image of a camera on it that took a picture of your face so that it could get placed on your trainer card. The young man quietly filled in his information, making sure that nobody else was sticking their nose into his business, before concluding with the picture shot. A faint chime emanated from the speakers, indicating that the registration was successful.
"Congratulations, Mr. Julius! You are now officially registered in the Aevium League! Once the S.S Oceana docks, please meet me at Gearen Laboratory. There we will finalise the registration process, including the opportunity to choose your very own starter Pokémon, and then you'll be on your way to do great things!" Amanda beamed with pride in her smile, before the screen went blank once more. Soon enough, the receptionist was alerted of the completion and gestured at the young man to come towards the desk. His did as she had requested him to and waited patiently as she walked over to the computer behind her and retrieved a card from the printer beside it.
"Here you are, Julius. Your brand new trainer card is ready!" The receptionist smiled, handing him the spiffy trainer card. Julius checked it over and noticed that there were some numbers printed in the empty slots where the Gym Badges went upon their acquisition. Did these numbers have to do with what Amanda said about Pokémon obeying you depending on their levels? "This Trainer Card isn't verified yet, you'll need to verify it at the Gearen Immigration Office. Good luck out there!"
"Thanks ma'am." Julius replied curtly, as he placed the card in his pocket and proceeded to exit the room. Julius had lightly tanned skin and had silky, dark brown hair that reached his shoulder blades, and light green eyes. His outfit consisted of a simple grey shirt, with a black jacket over it and matching black trousers that were topped off with a pair of white sneakers. As he stepped out of the room, he took in the luxurious interior of the ship once more, since it would probably be a long time before he saw such beauty again. The walls and floor were brightly colored in a variety of regal colors such as mauve, gold and white. The ship was several stories high, with marble stairs scattered throughout the areas to grant the passengers easy access to the upper levels. Several pot plants around the same height as him were placed in various corners of the room to add a bit of flair to the area. The atmosphere could be described as highly charged; between the new trainers eagerly awaiting the chance to take their first step in Aevium, several upper class people chatting to each other about their latest success, and the sound of water bursting from the fountains in the area. It was then that a very graceful woman started walking down the stairs and spotted Julius waiting outside the room. She had fair skin that was smooth to the touch, and had shoulder length pink hair and matching color eyes. Her outfit was a simple white dress that reached the top of her knees that was adorned with a pink ribbon around the collar, a pair of white loafers and a white, wide-brimmed hat that had a pink stripe running around it. This was Nancy, the kind-hearted mother of Julius.
"Ah, there you are Julius! Did everything go smoothly?" she inquired, walking up to the young man.
"Y-Yes mother, everything went smoothly." Julius replied, a hint of hesitation in his tone. "I just can't believe I'm going back to my home town after so long."
"Yeah, I hope that they no longer turn outsiders away. It was the main reason why your father, bless his soul, made the decision for us to move to Moki Town in Tandor." Nancy replied, before sighing to herself sadly. "I just wish he was here with us."
"I do too." Julius commented sadly. "I still can't believe he died in that explosion at Nuclear Plant Epsilon, and at the hands of that madman to boot! I wish I was strong enough to avenge him…"
Nancy noticed that Julius' fists were clenched tightly, as if ready to punch the nearest thing in a blast of white-hot anger, so she brought the young man close to her and embraced him tightly. "There, there. There's no need to ponder on the past any longer, rather it's best to look to the future and take the next step boldly. Besides, I'm sure he'll get his comeuppance sooner or later."
"T-Thanks mom…" Julius replied, embracing his mother as well.
"That reminds me, I have to show you something." Nancy said, as she escorted the young man up the stairs and down the hall, until they reached a pair of elegantly crafted doors made from mahogany wood. "These doors lead to the banquet hall, where everyone will be having a feast as the ship arrives at the Gearen Docks. We still have a bit of time before we get to that point, so why don't you go visit Captain Augutus? He's a good friend of mine."
"Ok mom." Julius accepted the request.
"And while you're at it, why don't you try and make some new friends?" Nancy suggested, as Julius' blood ran cold. He couldn't find it in him to make new friends, ever since that fateful day in Ayrith, another region he visited and participated in its League following his victory in Tandor. The painful memories he experienced there were far greater and more horrifying than the memories of Tandor, even the day where he first heard the news of his father's death.
"B-But mom, you know why I can't make friends." Julius protested. "You remember what happened in Ayrith?" It was then that Nancy sighed to herself, a slight hint of frustration behind it.
"Julius, for the last time, you were not responsible for what happened to your friends there. What happened was tragic indeed, but you mustn't blame yourself for what happened that day." Nancy told him firmly, before a warm smile returned to her flawless face. "I'm sure the thing they want most would be for you to keep living life to the fullest. Anyway, I've got some business I need to attend to; I'll meet you down here once I'm done."
With that, Nancy began walking further down the hall, though what business she had was unknown to the young man. Julius dug his hands into his pockets before he began exploring the ship, mulling over his mother's words. He just couldn't get past that traumatic incident; after all his friends were subjected to horrible experiments under the hands of the twisted Professor Friedrich Larkspur, the cruel scientist who was working on a device to supress a Pokémon's will and forcefully subjugate them to the wielders command, as well as another device that enabled the wielder to capture a Pokémon that already belonged to a trainer. Larkspur's diabolical plans were thwarted when Julius broke out of his lab alongside Garlikid, a heroic Pokémon that protected the weak from the wicked. It was then that Julius learnt the truth about Larkspur, how he was the brains behind the creation of Specimen 092, or Urayne, as it became known as. Once word got out about the illegal experiment, Larkspur initiated the self-destruction of Nuclear Plant Epsilon, leading to the death of Julius' father and initiating the infamous CURIE Incident.
Larkspur had fled to Ayrith and began plotting once more, only to find out that Julius was travelling the region alongside his friends. This provided Larkspur with a perfect opportunity to perfect his subjugation device, and get revenge on the upstart that embarrassed him back in Tandor. Once the unsuspecting victims were within striking range, Larkspur had his thugs ambush and knock them out swiftly. There, they were taken to his underground base, where the friends were experimented on while Julius watched on, trapped inside a tube that restricted his movements. One by one, his friends died in agony, as he was helpless to save them from their fate. After the last one had perished, Larkspur walked up to the young man, who by that point was broken and was crying profusely. But before Larkspur was about to finish the job, he heard what sounded like intruders. He panicked and retrieved all the data he had obtained from his time here in Ayrith before fleeing the base. A few minutes later, the police force had arrived and freed the entrapped young man, as he collapsed onto the floor, exhausted by all the crying he did. When he woke up, he found out that he was in a hospital bed, his mother beside him, clinging him tightly as tears ran down her cheeks. A few days later, he was discharged and made a beeline to the cemetery near Cellia City, where his friends were buried. He paid his respects by placing flowers in their grave pots before he broke down in tears once more and apologised profusely for his failure to save them.
He then completed the Ayrith League shortly afterwards, in an effort to leave that place as quickly as possible. Disappointingly, he learnt that Larkspur had avoided authorities once more and has most likely left the region. His mind then shifted to the friends he lost that fateful day; the ones who he had experienced so much with during their journey. There was Hardy, the brash but enthusiastic young man who planned on becoming the Champion of Ayrith. Though he fell in with the Black Foxes, a notorious bunch of anarchistic thugs who stole everything that wasn't nailed down, in order to raise money for his little brother, their friendship persevered through in the end and he was soon freed from their clutches. Then there was Ava, a vibrant, yet responsible young lady who happened to be the Grass Type Leader of Ayrith. As she was older than him, she always doted on as if she was his sister, protecting him from anyone that wished to cause him harm. Then there was Connor, the talented yet narcissistic Fire Type Leader of Ayrith. Originally, they butted heads with one another as Connor felt that he was the superior trainer, but over time Julius managed to win his respect and friendship.
And then there was Scarlett; sweet, innocent Scarlett who was too kind and pure for that cruel region. Julius and Scarlett bonded with each other quickly over their shared interests, but it was at Blackview where their friendship soon turned to romance. This had caused some tension between Julius and Connor, as the latter fancied her as well. But upon seeing just how happy she was with Julius, he yielded, valuing her happiness over his. Both Julius and Scarlett began planning out their future while they were travelling, which would cultivate in them getting married, perhaps raising a kid or two. However, those plans and dreams would never come to fruition as Larkspur threw a wrench in their relationship. Somehow, he knew that the two were an item, as he made sure that Scarlett suffered even more torture than the other three. It was upon his departure from Ayrith that Julius made a vow; to never make a single friend again, as not only would it keep them safe from Larkspur, but he felt that he doesn't deserve friends at all. The young man had finished his long train of thought when he made his way up a large set of stairs and entered the bar.
The bar was one of the more spacious rooms in an already spacious cruise ship. There were dozens of tables for the patrons to sit down and relax while drinking with each other. Julius decided to take a seat next to what looked like a slim, teenage male with reading glasses over his eyes, and noticed that the guy was paying attention to the lady in the center of the room, who was playing on the grand piano as her Jigglypuff was busy resting on top of the piano. The lady was very pretty, with her long, light brown hair, and shiny green eyes. Her outfit consisted of a white tuxedo, with matching white loafers. A minute later, she had finished the song she was playing, with everyone present applauding her, well except for the guy next to Julius.
"Thank you all for being such a wonderful audience today. I sincerely hope that you've been enjoying the cruise so far." The piano lady thanked the crowd, as she flicked through her sheet book for a bit before proceeding to play a different song from before. Julius sat back down and started listening to the song, when he noticed a thin trail of drool pooling down from the guy's mouth. He surveyed the scene for a bit and came to the conclusion that the guy was ogling the piano lady's chest, which was very well-endowed. This simple act of perversion annoyed Julius, as the guy wasn't even being subtle about it.
"Hey, hey!" Julius spoke into the guy's ear, snapping him out of his trance. "Mind keeping your eyes to yourself?"
"And who do you think you are, ordering me around?!" The guy hissed in a nasally tone, annoyed that his perverted pleasure was being interrupted by some goody-two shoes.
"I don't think that lovely young lady over there would appreciate you eyeing her up like a piece of meat at the local butchers." Julius replied, standing his ground.
"So what? What she doesn't know, can't hurt her." The guy retorted, as the patrons nearby grew interested in the brewing conflict.
"I think you need to leave here, I can smell the alcohol on your breath." Julius stated. "Unless you want me to alert the crew about your unacceptable behaviour."
"I ain't scared of any two-bit sailor loitering on this ship; I paid good money to be here, so I think I'm entitled to eye up the piano lady as much as I want." The guy sneered, standing up as well. Julius sighed to himself as he located a nearby crew member and began to head towards him. "Yeah that's right, walk away like the snivelling coward you are. I bet that fine-ass mom of yours would be proud of her goody-two shoes son."
Julius immediately stopped in his tracks; insults against him he could manage, but insults lobbied at his mother was another thing all together. "Care to repeat that last part again?" Julius demanded, storming up to the guy and started glaring at him.
"I said you're mom's a fine piece of ass. Wouldn't mind having some fun—" was all the guy could say before Julius delivered a swift punch to the guy's face, knocking his glasses off and breaking his nose. By now everyone in the room was aware of the argument, with several of the patrons egging the two combatants on. The guy got up of the ground and wiped his nose, before noticing the blood stains on his hand and let out a roar as he lunged at Julius and started punching the young man. Julius wasn't able to block all the incoming punches, as his face started to bruise up pretty badly. However a quick surge of adrenaline coursed through his body, enabling Julius to grab the man's arm and countered with a punch to the gut, momentarily winding the guy which enabled Julius to get up off the floor. The young man decided that the fight wasn't worth continuing and decided to walk away, when the guy suddenly grabbed a nearby chair and smashed it over the young man's back, causing Julius to cry out in pain as he fell back down again.
"Alright, break it off you two!" one of the crew members ordered, as another two quickly restrained the guy and dragged him out of the room, as he started screaming obscenities out loud. Several passengers checked up on Julius to see if he was alright, with the piano lady crouching beside him and helped him get up.
"T-Thanks ma'am…" Julius replied weakly, wincing in pain from the surprise attack.
"That's alright hun." The piano lady smiled. "Mind telling me what all the hub-bub was about?"
"Basically, that guy was perving on you and I told him to cut it out. He got annoyed and made a rather nasty comment about my mother, so I punched him in the face and I'm sure you can figure out the rest." Julius explained, with the piano lady sighing to herself.
"It's like I emit some pheromone that attracts all the perverts at times…" She commented quietly. "I could've handled him myself, though I greatly appreciate your chivalry. The name's Louise, what's yours hun?"
"Julius, ma'am." He introduced himself politely.
"Well Julius, I'd say that your mom would be proud that her boy has grown up into a handsome, kind-hearted man." Louise smiled, resting her hands on her shapely hips.
"A-Ahh! T-Thanks, Miss Louise." Julius stuttered, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks.
"Tell you what hun, why don't I shout you a drink on the house?" Louise offered, causing Julius to flinch internally. He always disliked the idea of people buying things for him, or handing him free stuff.
"I-I'm fine, thank you very much. I've got to meet the captain, see you later, Louise." Julius knocked back the offer.
"O-Ok then." Louise replied, a little surprised. "Take care hun; I'll be playing during the banquet in case you're attending that as well."
The young man exited the room and proceeded to make his way down the upper halls, before arriving at a set of stairs that led upstairs to the captain's quarters. Julius walked up them and made his way to the large oaken door that had a gold plate on it that said 'Captain Augustus'. He knocked on the door briskly and waited for a few seconds before he heard a reply from the other side.
"Come in…" the crisp voice of an elderly man beckoned at the young man, as Julius entered the room and laid eyes on the man before him. The man had a magnificent moustache on his face and wore a White Sea Captains outfit, which was decorated with several shiny medals that were awarded to him for his long time service. "Take a seat, Julius. I'm sure you want to know a bit more about what you're up against."
"Yes sir." Julius curtly replied, as he sat down on one of the comfy couches in the quarters. "So I take it you know my mother."
"Hahaha, of course I do! She's been a close friend of mine ever since your family first arrived in Tandor. My sincerest condolences about your father, by the way." Augustus offered his condolences.
"T-Thanks sir…" Julius replied somewhat sadly.
"So is the young champion ready to take on the Aevium League?" the captain commented, which took Julius by surprise. "Don't be so shocked, my boy. Lots of people know about your actions in the Tandor region, even your role in helping take down that CURIE fellow."
"H-How?! People weren't supposed to know about that last part!" Julius exclaimed, baffled at what he just heard.
"I myself have no idea how word got out, perhaps a reporter leaked it to the press or something." Augustus hypothesised. "Anyway, I've got a bit of news that you might find interesting; apparently the officials at Gearen Laboratory are planning to add some Pokémon that are native to Tandor, to the region in order to increase the Pokémon diversity. However they'll need an exceptionally talented trainer to make sure that the newcomers don't do anything to jeopardise the environment. I take it you can see where this is leading?"
"Yeah, you want me to go through the Aevium League with my Pokémon to make sure they can live comfortably in the region." Julius concluded, with Augustus nodding in response. "I can work with that, but wouldn't it be a bit too easy if I'm using my strongest Pokémon?"
"Not to worry, I believe Amanda has already notified the Gym Leaders to inform them of this executive decision; rest assured, they'll be using their strongest Pokémon during your Gym Battles." Augustus informed the young man. "Though that isn't the only challenge you'll face in the region."
"Hmmm, is there something else I should expect?" Julius inquired.
"You know how there's 18 Gym Leaders here, instead of the usual 8 Leaders. Well the same things applies to the Pokémon League; there you'll have to face the Elite 8, as opposed to the Elite 4 in other regions." Augustus explained, as the color drained from Julius' face, his jaw dropping in surprise.
"E-Elite 8?!" Julius balked at the idea; in Ayrith there was an Elite 4 like usual, while Tandor had an elimination style tournament where 64 trainers battled each other for the title of Tandor Champion. This combined with the previously mentioned 18 Gym Leaders meant that the young man was in for one hell of a ride.
"I know it may seem shocking, but it's what separates the Aevium League from all the others." Augustus politely chuckled at Julius' expression. "Now where was I? Oh yes, Pokémon in Aevium act differently from what you're used to. They'll only obey your commands in battle if you impress them with your skill. This can be measured by the amount of badges that you obtain, but I'm sure you wouldn't experience such issues given your circumstances." It was then that the watch on Augustus' watch started beeping, as he glanced down at it.
"What seems to be the matter?" Julius inquired.
"The alarm went off, indicating that it's time to start the banquet." Augustus notified the young man. "Why don't you come with me? I'm sure your mother's waiting for you!"
The young man accepted the offer as they duo exited the quarters and made the trek to the banquet hall two decks below them. Once they arrived there, they were greeted by a sizable crowd, eager to fill their empty bellies with the gourmet meals they were promised when booking the cruise. Nancy waved over to the duo as they quickly walked up to her.
"Enjoy your lesson, sweetheart?" Nancy inquired.
"I-I guess so…" Julius replied, scratching the back of his head as Augustus made his way to the double doors and entered the room.
"Well I guess there's no use waiting around any longer, lets head on in!" Nancy told him, as they duo stepped inside the hall, with the rest of the crowd following closely behind. As one would expect from a banquet hall, the room was lavishly decorated in a rich shade of brown. There were a few buffets where passengers could pick and choose from the staggeringly wide variety. There were dozens of tables in the room, the most notable being the table opposite his table, where a mysterious young lady with wavy long black hair sat beside her Gothitelle on their own. Located at the back of the room was a large stage, where Captain Augustus was by the microphone, while Louise was playing on the piano to add to the room's luxurious atmosphere.
"Greeting everyone! It is my pleasure to host this lovely banquet on this magnificent day! This marks the end of our week long journey together. I sincerely hope that this trip will stay in your memories forever. And perhaps one day, we shall see each other again! And with that all said and done, I'd like the banquet to commence!" Augustus made his short, but moving speech as everyone present applauded the man. However before anyone could begin eating, the doors burst open as a trio of strange figures in pitch-black uniforms, two men and a woman stormed into the room.
"Sorry, but I'm afraid we're gonna have to postpone this little party." One of the men barked out loud as all eyes turned to face them.
"W-What is the meaning of this?!" Augustus demanded an answer, stepping back a few feet in fear as the grunts surveyed the room, eventually locking eyes with Julius and Nancy. The young man was taken aback by the thug's sudden appearance, were these people hired by Larkspur to take him out. The thugs noticed the young man's nervous look, and smirked to themselves.
"We're gonna need you all to stay put and listen very carefully." The woman called out. "We have placed explosives on this ship, and are not afraid to use them should anyone decide to act stupid. So let's make things nice and easy for us all, okay?"
"Y-Your hijacking the ship?!" Augustus exclaimed.
"No, no, that's too barbaric for us. We're here to pick someone up." The first guy said, as Julius noticed his mother whispering to the mysterious lady with the Gothitelle, with the lady whispering back to her. Though what exactly they were whispering about was unknown to the young man. However it all came to a head when the lady whispered an order into her Gothitelle's ear, as Julius was soon enveloped by a light before he was teleported out of the room.
"You're all going to regret this…" the first guy growled, taking a remote out of his pocket and pressing the bright red button on it, which caused an earth-shaking explosion to rock the cruise liner.
?
"Unngggghhh…" Julius groaned, as he wearily got up off the ground and held his hand to his head, his ears ringing like crazy. "Where am I…? What just happened…?" he asked himself while looking around the room. A few moments later, he recognised it as the cabin he was staying in, though it seemed to have been damaged by that explosion from before. He found his bag under the bed and checked it out, and sighed a breath of relief since all his Pokémon were safe and sound, with the bag being one of the few things in the room that wasn't affected by the explosion. Hoisting it over his shoulders, he cautiously exited the room, and stepped into a scene of utter chaos.
The air was blanketed in a thick fog of smoke and dust, with several fires ravaging the already damaged ship. The floors and walls were peppered with large holes, with more smoke billowing up from them. As far as they eye could see, there were dozens of corpses of what were once passengers and crew members, most of them were blown into bits by the explosion, sending bits of flesh and bone everywhere. The young man collapsed to his knees and started retching; he would never get used to this sheer amount of carnage, despite experiencing similar situations throughout his life. It was through his sheer willpower, and the desire to reunite with his mother that he was able to get up off the floor and began running down the halls. Eventually, he wound up in what was left of the bar when he heard what sounded like a surprised yelp. Julius ran to the source and found Louise paralysed with fear, as a dead body was dragged down a hole by some sort of tentacle like thing that came from a hole in the floor.
"W-What is that thing?!" Julius exclaimed, fear coursing through his body. He had never seen a Pokémon like that, if it even was a Pokémon to begin with.
"I-I don't know, but it's not the first time I've seen those things following that explosion." Louise replied, before she turned to the source of the voice and was visibly surprised. "Julius? What happened to you back there? You disappeared from that room somehow."
"I'm not sure myself, but I think that lady with the Gothitelle teleported me out of there. Though whether it was because of my mother or not isn't known to me." Julius offered an answer. "Anyway, we need to get off this ship as soon as possible."
"We do, but I wanna make one last sweep to see if there's any survivors left before we leave." Louise replied. "That is, if these things haven't gotten to them first…"
"You said that this wasn't the first time you've seen them. Care to go into detail?" Julius requested.
"Right. I was searching for any survivors following that explosion, when I stumbled upon that guy you tussled with earlier today. I offered to give him a hand when the ship started shaking all of a sudden and one of those tentacles ensnared him by the leg. Poor guy couldn't even scream before he was dragged down…" Louise recalled the memory.
"I-I see…" was all Julius could say. "Anyway, I have to go find my mother. Here's hoping we make it out of this." The two farewelled each other as the young man bolted out of the room and down the stairs to the floor below. Upon arriving there, he noticed several passengers holding up a sheet of metal to a breach in the hull in an attempt to keep the water out, however they were submerged up to their knees in water, making their efforts a case of delaying the inevitable. Julius then noticed that the doors to the banquet room were blown open; perhaps his mother was still inside. He quickly bolted into the room, his heart filled with hope, only for it to slowly disappear when he saw that the room was empty, save for the dead bodies of dozens of passengers, and Captain Augustus, who was physically well, but emotionally distant.
"Sir!" Julius ran up to the elderly man. "Are you alright?!"
"Julius. I'm glad you're doing okay…" Augustus replied, before sighing sadly, his voice filled with a sense of utter defeat. "This wasn't supposed to happen. We were all meant to land in Aevium safely, but I guess that won't be the case now. So many young trainers, eager to start their first adventure and live it to the fullest will never realise their dream. Who would do such a horrible thing?"
"I have an idea on who the culprit could be, but I'm not 100% if he was behind this." Julius stated. "I-Is my mother…?" the young man continued, his mind dreading the worst outcome possible.
"She's fine, young one." Augustus answered, as Julius sighed in relief. "I think she went down into the cargo hold. I'm going to stay here for a bit and wallow in my own misery if that's alright with you."
"Alright then, thanks for that." Julius replied, as he quickly left the room and bolted down the stairs to the cargo hold. As he expected, the cargo hold was filling up with water rapidly. The young man scanned the area for a bit until he spotted a hole in the metal shutters that lead to the storage room. He ran down the stairs and entered the room, where he spotted his mother looking around the room, her trusted Sylveon beside her. Julius suddenly leapt into his mother's arms, as the two embraced each other tightly.
"MOM!" Julius cried out, sobbing into her shoulder as she comforted him. "I-I-I'm so glad you're alive!"
"I thought you'd be somewhere safe…" Nancy replied, hugging her on tightly. "Regardless, I'm glad you're alright as well. This ship is far too damaged, we have to get out of here right away!"
"I know mom; I can confirm that both Augustus and Louise are safe and sound. At the very least, the four of us can—" Julius began, before the sound of water crashing into the room interrupted the young man.
"And what makes you think that you're safe from our onslaught?" a voice called out, as a shady looking middle-aged lady with short purple hair and black shades over her eyes teleported into the room. Her uniform consisted of a grey short-sleeved dress, and a pair of knee high red boots. "We came here for one purpose, and one purpose only. And we're not leaving until we fulfilled that purpose."
"If it's my son you after, then you lot can all go home and tell that Larkspur where he can shove his fragile ego!" Nancy snapped at the newcomer, anger evident in her voice with the purple-haired lady chuckling in response. "I bet he was the one who hired you thugs to attack this ship!"
"Perhaps we were the ones behind this attack, but that's not something I'm willing to divulge. What I will tell you is that we have no connection to this…Larkspur that you so casually mentioned." The lady drawled in a bored tone. "What really matters is your apprehension."
"M-My apprehension?!" Nancy exclaimed in shock. "B-But I thought—"
"We were after your son? Maybe that's what the grunts made you think, but that couldn't be farther from the truth." The lady interrupted her coldly.
"If you really wanted me that badly, then why go so far as to destroy the S.S Oceana?! You've killed hundreds of innocent people who had no idea about any of this, including children eager to start their first journey!" Nancy yelled at the woman, her body shivering in angry as she stood in front of Julius to protect him.
"Spare me the waterworks; we didn't want any witnesses reporting us to the authorities, so we dealt with them in the most effective manner possible." The lady replied coldly, as if the dead didn't matter whatsoever. Julius was admittedly frightened of just how ruthless she was; if that's how she treated innocent bystanders, then what cruel fate would her enemies suffer?
"And suppose someone were to get out and notify the authorities; that would ruin your day, wouldn't it?" Nancy inquired.
"Assuming anyone got out—which they won't, I doubt it'll end badly for us considering how most people think we're quite passive." The lady replied, before she raised her hands in the air. "It's time for the people to wake up from this dream of safety that's blanketing Aevium!" the room became deathly silent for a while, before Nancy started chuckling to herself.
"Heh, it's going to go down like this, huh? Sylveon, return!" Nancy recalled her trusted companion, before handing them over to Julius.
"W-why are you doing this?" Julius inquired.
"My Pokémon can help you get out of here and escape." She told him as he placed them inside his bag.
"But I don't want to leave you behind mom; who knows what she'll do to you!" Julius protested adamantly, only for his mother to gently kiss him on his forehead and bring him close to her.
"So long as you're safe and sound my child, I'll be ok. Your safety is all that matters to me." Nancy smiled softly at him, her eyes tearing up. Julius' throat started to tighten as he too broke down into tears.
"Awww…how touching…" the lady spoke in a sickeningly sweet tone, her voice laced with sarcasm. "But I'm afraid that's not going to happen."
All of a sudden, a trio of strange, identical looking Pokémon that bore a resemblance to the legendary Pokémon Deoxys appeared out of nowhere and swarmed in towards the two. Nancy quickly pushed Julius out of the way as the trio of Pokémon ensnared her in their tentacles, leading Julius to believe that these were the things that were snatching up the passengers.
"Don't think you're safe. I'll deal with you once I'm done with your mother." The lady threatened Julius, as a crashing noise echoed throughout the ship. "What was that?"
The Deoxys clones looked around the room, as the crashing grew louder and louder, until the ceiling broke and a grand piano fell onto the Deoxys, causing them to shriek an inhumane shriek as they were swiftly crushed to death. This turn of events shocked everyone in the room, with Julius looking up to see who was responsible, only to find what appeared to be Louise looking down the hole.
"There…that ought to help you out, Julius." Louise panted, exhausted from pushing the piano as she moved back a few feet from the hole. "The sound of a piano crashing on the floor? That song was dedicated to you, hun. You'll have to escape here by yourself, because it appears my time here is up…" she spoke quietly to herself, as several Deoxys converged to her location and ensnared her as well.
"I-I'll never forget your sacrifice, Louise!" Julius called out to her, as he shot his mother an apologetic glance before running out of the room, tears pouring down his cheeks as he ran through the ruined halls. He desperately wanted to go back and help his mother, but he knew there was nothing that could be done to save her; besides she wanted him to continue living, and he had no choice but to do so. After scrambling through the halls of the ship, he finally got outside the ship, only for his spirit to fall once more as he locked eyes with a brutish man, who was most likely in cahoots with that other woman. The man was tall, stocky, and appeared to be middle-aged. He wore a grey shirt and black trousers, with a black trench coat over his outfit.
"And just where do you think you're going, young man?" the man barked loudly, startling the young man, with the woman from before teleporting to the entrance from where Julius came from.
"Did you really think you were done with me?" she mocked him, as the young man sighed in defeat and surrendered to them. "That's a good child; now come with us."
Julius was about to obey her order when a loud cry echoed through the area, surprising everyone present. All of a sudden, a rather large Talonflame flew through the air at rapid speeds and picked up the young man with its talons before flying away from the area.
"W-What was that?!" the brutish man exclaimed, as the lady ran over to the railing of the ship and watched the Talonflame fly away.
"Hmph…it's no big deal. We can always find them later." The lady replied. "That or he'll come to us in a vain attempt to rescue his mother."
Well how was that for an introductory chapter? I hope I managed to capture what the readers liked about the original story, while adding in enough new content to make the story stand out.
A couple things I have to mention before signing out for now. I know that the original author planned for MC x Melia to be a thing, but with the recent episode revealing that Venam x Melia is a strong contender for canon ship, I'll have to fine tune it a bit. I could find a way to make MC x Melia x Venam work, but that'll take a lot of planning and rereading of the later episodes to get all the details ironed out. I could make it so that the main character gets paired with somebody else, but that could be an issue in itself as there's some hints about other pairings getting established. Or I could go with the running joke about Rejuvenation having a story from a harem anime and go for MC x Harem, but that'll require even more planning on who goes in the harem, if there is one. Either way, it'll take a while before I finalise my decision.
As for the whole deal with the Tandor Pokémon, I was on the fence about that for a while, until I decided to go for it. After all it was what made that story stand out from the crowd, and I figured it'll be best if I kept it in so that the wishes of the original author were respected. Don't worry, I won't make things easy for Julius that much I can promise. As for what specific Pokémon Julius would use, I was given a list by the Godfeather on what Pokémon he gave his protagonist. I asked if I could make a few additions to the list, and he said that it was alright. So you can definitely bet that the battles will be quite the thrill ride.
And lastly, the branching choices. The decisions and actions Julius chooses will be based on the ones that I feel offer a richer story. So I apologise in advance if the decisions he makes weren't the 'correct' ones, or the ones that you personally chose to take. Anyway sorry for taking so long, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
