A.N.
Merry Christmas Fanfiction! First I want to give a big thanks to St Elmo's Fire for his review. I was never quite satisfied with how the first chapter turned out. His review gave me the inspiration to completely rewrite my opening chapter. I want people to read this story. I want to share the story that has been bouncing around in my mind for months. My previous opening chapter gave little indication of why my story was any different than any of the other MD stories on this site. I hope that this one can help others become interested in my tale and help it grow.
Now I wanted to post this on Christmas day before I left for a party. This chapter has had fewer revision cycles than my others because of this. Still, I hope that it turned out well and it can help get you interested in reading the rest of this story.
The guild meeting hall is filled. The day everyone here had been waiting for has finally come. As they wait, each and every member is filled with pride and excitement. They are strong and feel ready for whatever challenge their leader lays before them.
It is a truly amazing sight to see. Many of those here came broken, seeking shelter from disaster and tragedy, and yet here they stand, ready to face a nigh understood threat that could very well claim their lives. They were ready to face the unknown because of him. The one who managed rally them when all seemed lost, the mighty Sol, leader of this guild.
I will say it again. It is an amazing sight to see all of this pokémon standing tall, proud, and resolute. When they first arrived here, only a few were willing to do any more than help put up a few ramshackle shelters for themselves or surviving loved ones. Most could barely muster the will to move, they were all but dead to this world.
But then Sol appeared, and by a simple act managed to inspire a few to help him. By getting a few to do something, those few found resolve. Seeing others regain the will to live had started a cascade reaction. I think that the others wanted a reason to live, but in those around them they only saw reflections of their own despair, which in turn only drove them deeper. Once they saw someone with purpose they couldn't help but try to find how they had regained life. When they asked they were told of how on one day, out of the blue, he stood up and began to build a shelter for the shattered remains of a family who couldn't do so themselves. His simple act inspired a few to come to his aid and help build the shelter. This simple act had gained their respect, and they followed him because of it. He lead them, and over time, the few became some, and some became many, and soon everyone looked to him for leadership. He began to pool their talents to build homes, shops, and eventually, a guild of his own. From a cluster of ramshackle shelters to a city he led them, and he now stands as the leader of a guild the city continues to grow around.
In the grand meeting hall of the guild, they now all await their savior to give them the call to arms and end the chaos that took so much from so many.
But, they are all deceived. He is not the true leader. In truth, he was even more broken than most of them when he first lead them. His partner had forced him to go out and begin to build. His partner was the one who brought him out of his depression and guided him to inspire others. He is the one who turned the shelters into a town. He is the one who built a guild from nothing. He is the one who saved them all. He is the one who truly leads them.
And his reward? Most simply ignore him. Others glare at him with barely constrained anger every time he passes. When tragedy struck, in their eyes, he had failed in every possible way. Only their respect for their "savior" kept them from speaking out or attacking him.
I find it ironic that even as they await their savior to come and lead them, he is being guided by the one they hate.
They give a mighty cheer when Sol arrives in the hall to address them all. They fully believe that he can end the chaos. As he speaks all eyes but mine turn to him. My eyes turn to his partner, standing out of sight while Sol gives his speech. Even as he tries to avoid the eyes of the others he is gesturing to guide his teammate and friend. I am proud to see what he has become. I freely admit, if I was treated the same way as him, I would have become bitter and resentful. I would have looked for ways to hurt those that treated me like that. But day after day he stands up to lead and protect them, despite their hate of him. He has sacrificed so much to reach this point. I hope the day will come when he can be looked at the same way as his partner.
Now, you may be wondering who I am, and how I know what all but their team does not. I will only say that I am not a member of their guild and that walls have little meaning to me.
Sol's speech has come to an end. The gathered team's moral seems as high as it can be. He commands them to make their final preparations to march out. In but a few minutes all have gathered outside of the walls, ready to see this to the end.
With a mighty roar, Sol sends them out and joins them as they begin the long march. As I follow the teams marching out, I can't help but think that this mission marks the beginning of the end. For what better place is there for things to end than where they began? As we march to the ruins of Treasure Town I can't help but think about how all this began…
A.N.
There it is. My new opening. I hope you all enjoyed.
So you know, the first chapter is the only thing that has been changed.
I have made good progress on the third chapter, so I think I will be able to post the next chapter on my original estimate of Friday.
A small challenge to you readers. Can you figure out who the narrator of this chapter is? First one to correctly guess will be recognized in the chapter posted after your guess. If you want to take a crack at it please send your guess in a PM. Please only send one guess per chapter.
Happy Hollidays!