(Chapter title inspiration: Phantasy Star Online: Episode 1 and 2)
A longing to ancient times, Prologue
There is a great legend in, of and surrounding our world. The legend that speaks of many tales from a distant past. That once upon a time, the people of today weren't everyday, average citizens in the bustling towns and cities throughout the region.
A teenage female stood up and pulled over a long sleeve white shirt over her head. Once that was done, she slipped on a pair of black leggings, and an off-black skirt. She pushed her mid-length amethyst hair away as she straightened out her shirt from the leftover miniscule wrinkles. After a moment's scan of herself, she approved and hurried to her other tasks.
Our people had once been labeled as shinobi. Powerful human beings that were able to manipulate the elements by will of techniques. Hand signs were called seals, in which one could 'mold' the nature of the elements, a substance called chakra, and bring the element of choice out in the physical realm.
She finished brushing and smoothing her hair out, her toothbrush in her mouth as she makes sure nothing was amiss.
They were trained as soldiers for their countries, wearing headbands called 'hitai-ate', with a symbol of the nation they served on its metal plates. Each nation were led by a daimyo. There were five great nations that stood out from the rest.
The female stretched when she returned to her room. Glancing towards the window in her room, she watched the light snow outside fall, looking more like baby powder being sprinkled around instead. The sun was slightly poking out from behind the blanket of clouds, trying its best to dominate the weather. To her, it wasn't trying hard enough, but it didn't matter much. Today was going to be a great day as always.
Iwagakure, the Village Hidden by Rocks; Kirigakure, the Village Hidden by Mist; Kumogakure, the Village Hidden by Clouds; Sunagakure, the Village Hidden by Sand; and lastly, Konohagakure, the Village Hidden by Tree Leaves. These were the great five in the world, called the Elemental Nations.
She picked up her beige colored coat from her closet, her bag and exited her bedroom. She had made sure everything was in place before leaving. Careful of every step, she walked into the hallway connecting the rooms together, entering the kitchen. An older woman around her mid thirties was cleaning dishes, having cooked breakfast earlier. The girl smiled warmly at the woman behind the counter.
These nations had been subjected to many wars for different things, however land and power were the most dominant. Out of most of the wars, called the Great Shinobi World Wars, Konohagakure had shown to be victorious. Many historians believe it was because the Senju and Uchiha clans founded the village together for peace, building their shinobi forces under a Will of Fire.
"Mother, I am leaving for class now," the purple-haired teenager announced, her tone soft and quiet, however that was normal for her. The older of the pair turned from her kitchen duty and smiled at her daughter.
"All right, dear. Have you studied for your Exams today?"
"I have, Mother. I'm ready to earn my license today. With it, I am certain I will make you proud of me," She bowed her head respectfully.
Out of all the three major wars the Elemental Nations underwent, none were as tragic as the Fourth Shinobi World War, where the Great Five allied together as one uniform army to combat a fiendish creature called the Jūbi. This creature was said to be the fabled "God Tree" the Shinju, in which it was the sole bearer of the energy called chakra. It was capable of creating continents, leveling them, and was the epitome of destruction and life all at once. It was the sole reason the shinobi back then were able to utilize chakra. In order to awaken it once more, it had to have nine others of its mutual kind merge with a husk of its body. These were called the Great Nine, as they were told to have a tail worth of their number.
The girl's mother set aside the plate she was wiping off, turned the water off and approached her daughter. A modest young lady that she grew to love the moment she was born. She placed a hand on the teenager's shoulder, inciting her daughter to raise her head and look into her eyes. "Dear, you will always make me proud. No matter what, understand?" Slowly and surely, the young teen's face transformed from its slight worry to that wondrous smile that lit her world.
"I understand, Mother. Thank you."
"Good. Now, hurry along. You do not wish to be late, do you?" She nodded towards the nearest clock, the girl turning her head in the same direction. "You best be on your way. Remember, do your absolute best." Her daughter nodded and gave her a deep, warm hug.
"I will, Mother. I will see you later, then." The teenager put her coat on as she rushed towards the front door. She put on her snow boots and scarf, making sure they were secured correctly before exiting the premises. Her mother was at the doorway, waving her daughter good-bye as she hurried off for the academy. After the teen was around the corner, the mother shut the front door, a smile on her face.
The battle against the living Shinju seemed for naught, a man with the Red Eyes possessed the creature, sealing it into himself, marking him as a "Power of a Human Sacrifice." With godly powers, he unleashed a terror of an illusion upon the alliance, to what is called an Infinite Tsukuyomi. The alliance had been trapped, their chakra and life force being absorbed. It seemed hopeless for the alliance.
The light snow crunched underneath her boots as she traveled through the small city-village, bypassing the bystanders. Some waved to her in greeting, others were too busy getting somewhere else, and the younger generation of children were enjoying the weather. Having snowball fights with one another or making snow cones. It wasn't too cold outside but not warm enough to be without coats, gloves, scarves or mittens. This year was much chillier than usual; ice and snow covered most of the southwest region.
Up ahead, she saw a familiar teenager balling up a large wad of snow in his hands, grinning wide as he saw his target. He was wearing a black jacket with a modest orange shirt underneath, blue jeans and a red scarf around his neck. Her eyebrows rose a little when she saw him throw the medium-sized snowball at the intended target: a spiky-haired male wearing orange-lens goggles over his head. She stopped momentarily to observe the scene, though knowing what will happen, decided not to intervene.
After all, what those two did on occasion was considered comedic to the citizens here.
Four brave shinobi were unaffected by the Infinite Tsukuyomi. No one knows how they survived but they had techniques which enabled them to avoid it. They fought the madman with the Red Eyes, eventually succeeding in defeating him—only for another entity to rise in his place and drain the chakra from the imprisoned shinobi of the intense illusion technique. The battle raged on, and the four were victorious, sealing away the entity once more. The Great Nine were released from the husk and were finally free.
When done, the Tsukuyomi was dispersed, freeing the victims and the war won. But, not without cost of lives from the brave, fallen warriors of the alliance.
The snowball went sailing through the air, smacking into the other man's back. The reaction was instant. "Yeow! That's cold!" The other boy tried to hide but it was no use. He'd been spotted. "Oi! When I tell your mom, you're going to get it!" The guy was shaking his fist but his threat had no merit whatsoever. The teenager laughed out loud as he quickly escaped from the scene, eventually seeing the girl observing. His face lit up when their eyes met.
The world had returned to normal, and the Great Five continued their alliance. For many years to come thereafter, it was in peace. The longest peace the world had ever seen.
"Hey! There you are!" the boy called out as he jogged up towards her, that wide grin on his face. She responded with a light nod and smile of her own. "I was waiting for you, hope you know that." They resumed the walk as they continued talking.
"Yes, I could tell," She replied then slightly frowned. "Throwing snowballs at Obito-san like that was not very nice." Her conversation buddy shrugged and looked away a little.
"Eh, he'll get over it. Besides, he had been subjected to my mom's pranks before. He should get used to it by now," He tossed his hands behind him as they turned a corner. "Not my fault he wasn't aware!"
Even if it was a lightly serious topic, he normally had a way to lighten it up. She couldn't help but giggle. He smirked at her laugh but didn't comment much on it. After a moment when she calmed, he asked, "So, you ready for the Exams today?"
"Ah, yes. I am. Are you?"
He gave a wry smile and something akin to being uncertain, what with the way he laughed nervously. "Uhh, yeah. Of course! Totally ready! Iruka-sensei will definitely pass me this time! Third time's usually the charm, you know?" She was worried about that.
"Did you study and practice training with your partner?"
"O-Of course I did! You know, like what does one type have an advantage over the other! Heh-heh."
She shook her head. Her friend was trying to deflect the attention off him, as usual. She honestly wanted him to confess but if he didn't, then she wouldn't push it. He would tell her in due time. Soon, a building with the symbol of fire imprinted on it came in view. Many others in their age group were going inside, jittery or nervous about the Exams, more or less.
Unfortunately, the world had been hit by savage, natural disasters, resulting in a near wipe out of more than half of the living beings. As apart of the world, the Jūbi, even when sealed away, produced another way of life to give the remaining humans and creatures. Over time, around a thousand years ago, the world was said to have evolved, shifted, and even relocating the countries that now make up different continents, different regions. Rumors, folklores, and fairytales are all we have now, but evidence pointed out that all things chakra related are no more.
This energy we feel today is called Aura. Everyone and everything has Aura.
Creatures from all around have evolved and adapted to their new way of life. They are called Pokémon; creatures that can use techniques themselves, much like the shinobi of old, and use them against one another. To train them, one is called a Trainer. Trainers are all over the world, collecting, trading, battling and enjoying adventures with their partners, the Pokémon.
The Great Nine were said to have adapted into different forms as well. No one knows where they are or why they went into hiding or what new form they were said to have taken. The Great Nine were as legendary as the Legendary Pokémon themselves. Many historians believe that one of the Great Nine will show themselves to worthy Trainers. It is a goal for many out there.
But, for me?
The pair of friends took a deep breath, inhaling the snowy, fresh air into their nostrils before exhaling. This was it! Today would prove to be the day they would earn their Trainers' License. Her white eyes met her friend's blue ones and they simply smiled.
"You ready?" He asked.
She nodded, "Yes."
I would rather earn my license to explore the world, our region of Ninshu. The region of which the legend of old originates from. Other regions like Kanto and Hoenn know of our legends, as they have their own. While the way of the shinobi no longer exists, we now have a new way of life.
The boy quickly hurried through the double doors, followed closely by his childhood friend. She caught up with him and walked by his side as they headed towards their classroom.
I want to go on an adventure with my Pokémon and my friends.
They grabbed their usual seats, the boy sitting behind another boy who had black hair and wearing a simple blue sweater and white pants, a red and white fan on the back of the other's shirt. The two young men exchanged acknowledging smirks before he took his seat. The girl sat beside a pink-haired teen who sported green eyes, a red sweater, white shorts and leggings as well. The two shared warm smiles with another before getting out their materials for the Exams.
As soon as they did, the bell rang. Entering through the door was their teacher, a brown-haired man with a scar across the bridge of his nose. "All right, class! Today's the Exams! I hope you're all ready to pass and become Trainers!" Most of the students beamed loudly in response.
"Of course we are, Iruka-sensei!" a brunet with red, fang-like marks tattooed on his face exclaimed excitedly. He high fived the fair-haired teen, both of them grinning wide at the prospect. The teacher smiled at the enthusiasm of his students, glancing at every one of them.
"Good. Now, let's go over roll. Let's hope this is my last time calling your names on this roster," he joked the last bit, making some laugh and snicker. "Like before, say 'here', 'present' or something to notify me you're here when I call your name." He went down his list, taking up his trusty pencil and began calling off names. Not one was absent.
Traveling down this path with my partner, catching new companions, and making new friends. It's a personal dream of mine to pursue. Not only that, I want to prove to my father that our old ways was not the only way to go. Even though I do not live with him any longer, nor do I see my younger sister often, I want to show him that I can be a powerful and successful Trainer like he was.
"Good, everyone's here. Now then, the first part of the Exams is a written test. You'll be graded on effort, not about how many you get right or wrong," Iruka began passing out the exam sheets. "Don't turn these over until I tell you. Also, remember you can only use pencils and you're allowed one note card of notes that I advised you all to make over the weekend." When everyone had their test sheet, he returned to the front of the class, eyeing his students.
"Don't cheat—it's unbecoming of a true Trainer. Use your own experience and knowledge of what we learned for the past two years." His eyes seemed to focus on the girl's childhood friend and the brunet from before. Some small giggles from the other girls of the class erupted, although were silenced by the instructor's glance. "You have an hour to finish all the questions," Iruka took up a timer and wound it up to the one-hour mark, "I'll be watching you all. Now, are you ready?"
The two friend exchanged looks. She knew he was nervous and he knew she was likewise. She did worry for him, but it looked like he had a note card out. She hoped those were his notes and not something else.
My name is Hinata Hyūga, daughter of the Hyūga family's main branch. I am fifteen years old and have been living with my mother since I was six. The Hyūga Estate is in another city far from where we currently live, in Konoha City. This place was where I met my best friend, Naruto Uzumaki, and his family. Ever since then, we've been close friends and always supported one another. He had my back, I had his. Our relationship is an unconditional friendship.
I cannot wait to start on my travels with Naruto. It'll be so much fun, just the two of us and exploring Ninshu! How many Pokémon would we meet? And would we collect the Gym League Badges from the Gym Leaders along the way? Naruto did show some interest in the Badges, so perhaps he'd like to collect them? Either way, I'll support him and I know he'll support me, too.
"Get set... START!" Immediately, papers turned over and pencils began writing, scribbling and erasing as intense speeds. The girl and her friend inhaled and exhaled, knowing their limits. She would pass this test and she knew her friend would too. Nothing would get in her way of her dream:
To be the very best Trainer that she can be.
-Review if you like. Chapter 1 will be launched soon.