Pokemon: Incarnation

Chapter 1: Distant Early Warning

"What do you mean, 'the meteorite changed trajectory'?!" I said furiously into my communication device, a spike of liquid fear suddenly rushing through my body at this revelation.

"It was completely overcast for three days! There was no way to foresee this coming! My telescope can't see through clouds!" The voice on the other end sounded. He sounded almost worried for a change, which, given the situation, was a nice change.

"Right...ok, I'll remain calm. Jirachi, can you at least tell me where it's going to land? I should be able to stop it." I replied after a brief pause in order to steady my nerves.

"About that..." Jirachi replied before he went silent. More silence. My breathing became heavier once more as I began to fear the worst. "The meteorite...it'll strike the planet in about twenty seconds. It'll land somewhere in the archipelago east of Mistet Ørkenen." In spite of my heated body, my blood ran so cold that it felt like it was turning to slush in my veins.

"I can't stop it...nononono! NO!" I yelled, dropping the device by accident as I slumped in misery. What a terrible excuse I was for a hero. I stopped a mad god way back in the day, yet I failed to stop one single meteorite. Was my time as The Guardian of Forever over? Should I just pack up my bags and retreat into solitude once more? ...No, there was still work to be done. "...I guess it's already landed by now. Jirachi, how big was it? How big of a disaster are we looking at."

"Almost all of it burned up in the atmosphere. It should only affect a few islands at worst, and barely anyone lives there anyway. It's a disaster, sure, but civilization won't be under any threat at all from this." Jirachi said down the device, acting oddly calm about all of this.

"Tell that to the islanders! If you can tell me roughly what island it landed on, I can be there quickly to assess the damage and rescue survivors." I said, trying to keep my mind in the realm of possibility rather than lamenting on what could have been. Lamenting on the loss of lives wouldn't exactly achieve anything.

"Gimme a sec...the small one at the most northern end. Unless I made a mistake with my calculations, it didn't land in the sea. Absolutely no one lives there, so there'll be very few casualties overall." Jirachi replied, as I swore I could hear him yawn on the other end of the device. He was unparalleled in his field, but he was also a notorious narcoleptic.

"Thank you. Sorry for taking it out on you like that, it wasn't your fault. Anyway, keep this between us, won't you? Whenever I show up in public, people always thought there was some kind of disaster coming that I'd have to prevent. As a result, I really want to avoid panic spreading across the different towns." I said, still breathing heavily out of stress and fear.

"Charlie and Audrey probably already know, but I'm sure they'll stay quiet about it. They've met you before; they know what you're like." Jirachi said, as it sounded like he was shuffling through his equipment on the other end.

"I'll call you if I find anything you should know about the meteorite. Goodbye." I said and switched off the device. These communication devices reminded me of the phones humans used in their world, albeit they were far more primitive. Regardless, they were still technological marvels, straight out of the wondrous city of Syrinx. Incredible how that small town grew in only fifteen years. Gazing at a map of the world, I orientated my senses in order to find the best spot to teleport to. My lord and master allowed me to keep a tiny fraction of his power in order to help protect this world better. I just hope he won't be too furious at this failure.

Focusing my mind and every nerve within my body, I channelled my master's power through me as my hands started glowing lilac. I then focused this energy in front of me and started crafting a gateway to the archipelago. I was all alone, so no one would see me do this, and within a few short minutes, I was able to craft the portal. It undulated like the surface of the sea, looking like it was about to melt. It was exhausting to create, both physically and mentally, but it was a stable gateway, even if it didn't look like it.

Walking through it, I instantly found myself on a picturesque tropical beach. Palm trees shaded me as I felt the soft, white sand beneath my feet. The sky was clear, save for a few pretty looking clouds that dotted the sky. Oh, and the massive dust cloud from the small island in front of me. Still, it was far smaller than I thought it was going to be, so maybe, just maybe, no one will die from this. It was the first form of real relief I felt since talking to Jirachi as I felt my muscles relax, as if they all took a sit down on a big, puffy armchair. Why, perhaps this could all turn out for the best.

I wondered what the scientists of the world could learn from this otherworldly rock from beyond the stars. New construction material? A source of energy? I had no idea. It looked safe enough to make another passage to the island in front of me, and such a small distance would take minimal effort. Yet, as soon as I started to create the way forward, a piercing roar from the sky that caused me to lose focus.

"What the..." I muttered as I gazed up into the sky. High above me, I could see a gigantic, long green creature make its way towards the crash site. It was hard to make out the details, but it had to have been almost a mile long! It must have been Rayquaza, since I could think of no other creature that was anything like a gigantic airborne green serpentine dragon. Almost everyone would have been in awe, but from the things I experienced throughout my life, especially about thirty five years ago, seeing him was borderline ordinary to me now. I saw it circle around the crash site, flying in and out of the dust cloud before it noticed my presence on the beach.

"You must be The Guardian of Forever." Rayquaza said to me after it approached me, hovering a few meters in front of me. "I trust you're here to investigate the meteorite."

"Indeed. I'm grateful the impact was surprisingly small. I don't think there's even a single casualty, since I think that island's completely uninhabited. I guess I was panicking over nothing. Still, Jirachi was tracking the meteorite from his astronomy tower, and it suddenly changed direction to crash into the planet. I don't suppose you'd have any theories about that? You have spent some of your time just outside the planet's atmosphere after all." I asked as Rayquaza seemed to stall in front of me. I'd only ever seen him a couple of times before, so reading his expression on his face was rather difficult, but if I were to guess, it had to be something most unexpected – fear.

"Changed direction..." I heard the great dragon mutter before he flew above the crash site, circling it once as he inspected it from a distance. Flying swiftly back to me, his expression turned from nervousness to mild terror. "It's returned. How could it have?! It was destroyed over two thousand, five hundred years ago!"

"What's returned? If it's alive, hostile, and a threat to us and the planet, can we not just destroy it? We're some of the most powerful entities in the world. Surely it wouldn't survive against our combined strength." I asked as Rayquaza shook his head vigorously. All of a sudden, the pleasant tropical conditions no longer provided comfort as I felt anxiety creeping up on every cell of my body once more.

"It's not that simple. Also, if it gets a hold of you, it's a fate worse than death. It can't be fought directly." Rayquaza replied, and seeing this great beast starting to succumb to panic was terrifying. What could this enormous and powerful dragon to become this fearful? "Remember the ruins of the ancient civilization that were discovered thirty years ago?"

"Of course. I was the one who discovered them with Wigglytuff...this...this thing...it was responsible for their end, wasn't it." I said, starting to put the pieces together. The idea that the meteorite wasn't big enough to cause a destructive impact was now feeling like a false comfort, and I felt that for the first time in thirty five years, this planet was under threat once more.

It was happening all over again! This fragile world, stuck in the middle of a universe of chaos and destruction! When I worked tirelessly with The Sound of Perseverance to prevent time's collapse...maybe I only bought this world another thirty five years. All my nightmares were coming true! The true state of this rock floating in the cosmos...was it to be swept away with the tide of the universe's whims?! ...No; I am The Guardian of Forever. It was always my task to protect this world from otherworldly threats. I one time stood against the very forces of time itself. And won. Whatever this thing is, it couldn't be quite as dangerous as what I had encountered previously. I'll stop it. I'll ensure this world survives.

"Rayquaza, how can we stop this thing? If you were around to see it when it originally came here, then you must know something about it." I asked, trying to stem the fear racing through every cell. I was made for this. I won before in a game for the universe, so I could surely win a game for the planet.

"Xerneas and humans. Xerneas's unique physical properties were used back then to ward off the power of this entity. Humans, as we discovered, were naturally resilient against its effects, and helped bring new ideas and perspectives to help fight against this otherworldly entity. With Xerneas's help, we discovered a method to summon a human from their world." Rayquaza explained, always looking behind him every few seconds at the crash site, as if an unseen force could strike us at any moment. Was that entity in there? Could we not just blitz it from a distance?

"I'll be able to eviscerate the entire island. Will that not work?" I asked, but Rayquaza imminently shook his head.

"I learned that the hard way. When I tried to attack it, it took hold of me and...we're going to see Xerneas, now. Perhaps we can find a way to deal with it before it causes too much damage. If anyone can find out a way to destroy it for good, it's Xerneas." Rayquaza said, suddenly grabbing me and flew off into the sky as I felt my body being gripped tightly in his right claw.

"He lives at Blood Mountain, correct?" I said, being unfazed at being abducted by the dragon like this. The ground must have been almost a mile below me by now. The air was rushing by me so quickly that it was hard to make out a word that I was saying, but Rayquaza still seemed to be able to hear me.

"Indeed. He will likely be horrified at its return, but this time, we have experience dealing with this entity from beyond the stars. I just pray we can stop it before it has a chance to spread its influence..." He said, explaining a few more details about what we were up against as I saw the largest mountain in the world come into view on the horizon. Piercing the clouds, it was a vast menagerie of ecosystems, with the greatest variety of life on the planet by far. It was a natural wonder that I had investigated many times, yet I still couldn't be too sure of all the inner workings of this marvellous yet dangerous mountain. I assumed that Xerneas had something to do with it, but I couldn't work out any of the details.

"Can you see him?" I asked as we started encircling the mountain from above. Seeing the snow capped peak, it reminded me that only a select few were ever able to climb to the top. I was the one who dispelled a lot of the myths and legends around the place when I was able to ascend to the summit twenty years ago, something that even Xerneas was impressed by.

"I believe I do. I will descend now." Rayquaza announced as we flew down to the ground. I was soon able to see the antlers of the great deer, but there was something that looked very off about Xerneas. It was hard to tell from a distance, but the true weight of the situation was about to be revealed. Rayquaza set me down as I slowly walked towards Xerneas, or more precisely, what was left of him. His antlers, that looked unusually grey, were splintered and broken to pieces. Some of the shards were sticking out of a nearby tree, others in the ground beneath my feet. His face looked like it was flat out torn in half, and it was only until now that I realised it had been severed from its body, and it looked like it wasn't a clean cut at all.

"...What could have done this?! ...It came here, didn't it?!" I said as I shuddered on the spot. Looking at the rest of its body, I saw that it was it was torn, ripped, blasted, maimed and seared in too many placed to count. I was amazed I even recognized it for what it was! Xerneas wasn't just killed – he was flat out slaughtered! Our one defence against this alien – gone before we even had a chance to act! It was strong enough to be able to tear Xerneas to pieces, so it was probably strong enough to be a real threat to Rayquaza and I.

"Rayquaza...what can we do now?" I said slowly and carefully, as I felt myself turn pale with fright. "If humans can resist this creature, then maybe that will help. We have to do something!" However, it soon became clear that Rayquaza did not share my optimism. He kept looking up above him, as if he was expecting another meteorite to fall, and after a brief moment, he turned to face me again.

"I'm leaving. Quite simply, this planet is doomed, and I for one am not going to stay around to die alongside the world. I am not facing that thing again without Xerneas's help. I can help you escape this world if you wish. It has clearly learned from last time, and it looks like it doesn't want to be driven off using the same methods we used over two thousand years ago." Rayquaza said as my fear turned into fury. I felt my blood surging through the veins and arteries within my arm. This despicable coward! He could be the strongest living thing on this planet – every inhabitant here needs him in their hour of need!

"...What?! You can't just leave! We need you!" I yelled angrily at the mighty dragon in front of me. "From what I've seen, I don't think I can do this alone! See all the people living here? Their blood will be on your hands!"

"You're fighting a battle you can't win. It'll come for you, and use your power against you, just like it did to me. I'm not going to stay around to fall victim to its hunger again. If you want to stay and try and fight, by all means, but don't blame me when you discover that you might be doing more damage by staying here." Rayquaza said, seeming dead set on abandoning all form of responsibility. I faltered, as I struggled to think of an argument that could convince him to stay. I couldn't appeal to morality, since this dragon clearly had none.

So, this is it then. I stand alone in this war. How I missed The Sound of Perseverance...with him, I was never alone. I could always count on him to fight along beside me through to the end of time itself...why did you have to die all those years ago? I needed your help, buddy, more than I ever have in thirty five years.

"Right...fine, you go fly off into space then! But, I will make one thing very clear – abandon the planet, and you abandon it for good. You will never be welcome here again! When I destroy this alien, I will tell everyone what happened here." I said bitterly as I growled at Rayquaza. I feared the extraterrestrial, but I didn't fear the dragon. If he dared try to attack me, I'd show him my lord's power without any mercy.

"There won't be much of a planet to go back too once it's done with it." Rayquaza declared, and it looked like he was about to shoot off into the stratosphere before I was able to ask one more thing.

"Fine, if you won't help me, then I'll get my own help. Humans resist this thing, so I'll simply have to summon some in then. Could you tell me how to do so?" I asked as Rayquaza detailed out an ancient summoning ritual that was used back in ancient times to summon a human that aided them back in the day. At least he was polite enough to stay to give me advice.

I looked at the remains of Xerneas and tried not to vomit – this would be an oddly bloody ritual, as I may have to use the remnants of its power from its cold dead corpse to start bringing humans in. No matter, I'd do whatever it takes, and it seems like I could channel my lords power to be able to break through to the other world and start pulling them through.

"Well, if you're determined to stay here...I'll wish you luck. You'll need it." Rayquaza announced, and with that, he flew right into the sky at an incredible speed. As soon as he left my sight, I felt truly alone again, but I knew I wouldn't be alone for too much longer. I could make many friends on the other side. Maybe, just maybe, I could see him again...no, he and the others have already done enough for us. It's not his battle this time, and I'm not going to drag him or his friends through these tribulations again. He earned the life he wanted, and I'm not taking it away from him again.

Looking across the land and sea from the slopes of Blood Mountain, I started wondering about the sort of humans I could use. Regardless of who I summoned though, I knew I'd be entering another war for the planet. As The Guardian of Forever, it was my sacred duty to protect the planet from all threats, and I would carry out my perennial quest, no matter the cost. For thirty five years, this world knew safety after I and The Sound of Perseverance defended it and its countless inhabitants from catastrophe, and it seems like my duties were to be called on once more. As much as I wanted to lament over how fragile existence itself really was, I knew the only thing I could do is to fight to preserve it as much as possible.

Thinking back to my old ally, I began to ponder what he'd think about all of this. As much as I didn't want to have to force the issue on the humans, I really didn't have a choice. The Sound of Perseverance would never forgive me for this for endangering his people like this, but his friendship, and potentially some human lives, is a sacrifice I'd have to make for this world. It's a tragic course of action, but what are the lives of a few humans compared to the millions on this world? Could the world forgive me if I wasn't willing to do whatever it takes to defend it from annihilation? I just hope they can understand and forgive me for recruiting them into an alien war.

Now, with billions of humans out there, which ones will I pick first...