1Legends are eternal. They do not die.
But suppose that legends were not eternal. Suppose they could die. Suppose they did.
There are balances in the world, balances that need to be kept, lest the world come apart. And legends are a part of this balance.
Full Summary: When Johto's legendary trio are killed, the balance of the Pokmon world is thrown off. They are reborn by Ho-Oh into human bodies to keep things in order. But when they must return to their Pokémon bodies, they find themselves too attached to human life. How can the balance be maintained?
Setting: Johto
Warning: This chapter contains a lot of blood and angst. If such things offend you, then do not continue reading this chapter.
The air was icy cold, filled with the metallic odor of snow, and ringing with human cries and feral snarls. The sky was a mottled, cloudy gray that hid the bleeding red of the swiftly setting sun. A stiff, chill wind picked up and gusted through the bare trees, their branches brown and curved like the antlers of rutting Stantler. The branches rattled together, furthering to image as they became locked and tangled together. Another wind would soon spring them apart, only to have the next wind tangle them right back up again. The dead, brown woods clumped together thickly as they stretched away from the Tin Tower of Ecruteak City, then yielded to a small clearing a few miles away.
It was in this clearing that the legends of the Johto region would die.
The frigid, dry air of midwinter was alive, crackling with bolts of fierce energy and ringing with loud barks. Rocket grunts and admins alike surrounded three burly Pokémon with net guns and mechas at the ready. Ragged, panting breaths of man and best alike rose into the air in clouds of white smoke. No one moved, although the muddy and bloodstained snow that covered the ground in a rumpled blanket said this was a new development. It was a standoff now.
"This is all my fault," growled Raikou as the slender Suicune beside him bent to lick the wound on his leg. (1) He shifted his weight onto his other three legs slowly and painfully. The bristly, quill-like fur on his body was spattered with mud and was drying into stiff spikes all over. He clenched his teeth as Suicune started to lick, and his eyes narrowed in pain. "I shouldn't have called for help...I should have kept you safe. If I hadn't called you, you would still be safe..."
Suicune lifted her head and shook it firmly. He ruby eyes were soft and gentle as she gazed at Raikou. "That's not true," she insisted. "Little brother, you needed us, and we came. And at any rate, if they had captured you, it would have been only a matter of time before they came after us."
"She's right," Entei rumbled. He stood straight and tall, a tower of fearless strength. His head was turned away from the other two beasts, to hide his nervously flicking eyes. His thick, shaggy pelt stood up on his shoulders and back, and the silver mantle billowing out behind him flapped in the breeze. "We couldn't leave you to face them alone."
"Besides, we only need to hold out for a little longer," Suicune added comfortingly. "It will be dark soon, and their night vision is terrible. Soon it will be dark enough that they can't shoot at us, for fear of hitting their teammates. Then we can make our escape. We'll just wait. It won't be long now."
The three legendary beasts stood together patiently, pressing close to each other for warmth and support. None said it, but they were all secretly glad to be together again, even if it was in such a dangerous situation. The three shared a distinct tie to each other and were bound by the ties of familial love. In a past life, they had been three separate entities, together only for survival and companionship. They were family now, siblings reborn of compassion from the rainbow-winged bird of Johto. Separation was hard on them all, but for safety, they had been forced apart.
"We're on our own now," Entei murmured. "We are together, but we are so alone. Ho-Oh will not come to our rescue now. We...we are alone here." As he spoke, a bold grunt released a Raticate. Suicune reached around and dispatched the rat-like Pokémon with a quick blast of bubbles. Raikou shuddered. His fur was not made for the cold. His pelt was thin and fine, so as to give him freedom of movement as he raced the summer lightning.
In fact, his whole body was made for running. His legs were long to carry him far and fast, ending in thick claws to help him grip the earth as he sprinted. The thundercloud mane that streamed behind him was comprised of tightly curled hairs that did not bounce around when he ran. His facial crests were smooth and sleek to keep him streamlined. The flat spade at the end of his short tail acted as a rudder to keep him balanced and helped him to steer in mid-stride. The fur of his thin pelt was needle-like, so that it would not hold heat and would help him stay cool as he ran for hours at a time.
Suicune pressed closer to him. Like her brother, her pelt was made of short, fine hairs, but their purpose was different. The hollow hairs were warm in cold, Northern lands, trapping warmed air in to her body. Her flowing mane was long and thick, and could be used as a blanket on freezing nights. On the whole, she was built in such a way as to always stay warm. "Ho-Oh does not need to come to our rescue, brother," she told Entei. "The sun will set soon, and—"
She broke off there, because as she was still speaking, the Rocketeers turned on a series of brilliant spot lights that fell over the three beasts. The sun had not even fully set yet. The Rocketeers were just erring on the side of caution to keep their prey right where they wanted it. The light bounced around what little white snow there was, producing a harsh glare that all but blinded Raikou and Entei. Suicune, with her narrow eyes adapted to the snowy North, retained her powers of sight. She sighed. "This may be a little more difficult than we first thought."
Blinking hard, Entei squinted down at her. "A little?" he repeated curiously. "Sister, I think you may be a little too optimistic. I think this narrows our chances of escape to virtually zero. We would have to fight our way out now, and with Raikou injured, and you and me exhausted, that might be impossible." He shook his head. "I don't think there is any way for us to get out of this."
Raikou jerked his head up sharply, his eyes squeezed tightly shut to ward off the painful blasts of light that made his head throb in agony. He turned to his two siblings and opened them slowly. "There is a way," he barked in a grave voice. "There is a way we can get out of this disaster."
"Tell us!" Suicune's eyes lit up happily. She gave Raikou a look of warm pride and love. This was her little brother, the one who she had always protected and coddled. She loved him dearly and hung on his every word. "Tell us, little brother." Entei nodded encouragingly, his eyes smoldering with anticipation and hope.
"We must die here."
The words rang through the frosty, blindingly bright air like a death knell. The hope that had begun to burn in the eyes and bellies of Suicune and Entei was viciously extinguished with a dying hiss. The two beasts looked at each other and let out twin, shaky sighs. Then, turning back to their younger brother, Entei growled, "Explain."
"We belong to Johto." Raikou forced himself to stand tall despite the throbbing in his leg. He looked Entei in the eyes, his heart pounding fearfully. He had to stretch his neck up to meet those burning red eyes of his older brother. His legs were trembling fiercely. "We do not belong to these villains. We belong to Johto. If we allow ourselves to be captured here, we will belong to them, and they will command our powers. But if we die here, no one could take our powers for their own use. We would still belong to Johto, even in death." He swallowed audibly. "We m-must die here, brother Entei."
As soon as Raikou had closed his mouth, the three beasts pressed close together, shaking hard. The Thunder Pokémon's words had rung true in all their hearts. They knew it was the only way to escape, but it was an idea too painful for them to grasp fully. Entei thought of when they had been reborn, how the joy of their togetherness had overcome even his craggy heart. He had felt the pain of their separation poignantly. He had longed to meet up with the other two, and when their paths had occasionally crossed, there had been untold joy. They had wrestled and cuddled together, sharing meals and sleeping side by side. There had been playful digs at Entei for being so noble, at Suicune for being so light-hearted, at Raikou for being the smallest. He loved his sister and his brother with all his heart.
What drove him mad was the knowledge that Team Rocket would not kill him and his siblings there. No, they were power-hungry. They had sought the power of only one legend, but instead had would up with all three to their delight and surprise. Entei hated them, he hated all humans at that moment. He hated those who wanted power with such burning passion that the snow at his paws boiled as it melted away. He felt the angry rage of a blocked volcano swell within his veins. If they allowed their powers to be harnessed by humans, they would no longer be legends, but tools. They, as legends, would die.
Team Rocket would not kill the legends. In their hands the legends would not die. What Raikou had suggested, what their only escape was, was for the legends to kill each other.
He stepped back, distancing himself a few feet from his younger brother. Raikou was the smallest of the three, and Entei was the largest. "Brother," he thundered. "I...I am sorry it has come to this. But you're right. We belong to Johto." Raikou nodded.
A silent, crystalline tear slid down Suicune's cheek as she saw her two brothers begin building up their courage to fight to the end. She stepped back, lowering her head and setting her sights on Entei. She was closer to his size than Raikou, and it would be he who she fought. "I only wish it didn't have to end this way," she whispered sadly. Raikou turned his head to her, and she saw in his eyes the beginnings of a killer's stare. They looked from one to another, their eyes all pleading that this was not the only way out. Silently, as if on some unheard cue, they closed their eyes as one and bowed their heads. "Forgive me, brothers," Suicune choked out. "I love you, but...I must."
"I love you as well," Raikou murmured.
"Farewell...Sweet Suicune...Dearest Raikou..." Entei lifted his head, his red eyes blazing. He opened his mouth to reveal fangs like shattered diamonds and bellowed. Raikou bared his long, tusk-like eyeteeth and gave a yelp like the crashing of thunder. Suicune loosed thin, dangerously pointed claws and hissed like the icy winds around them. "Raikou! En garde!!" Entei roared in the voice of an erupting volcano.
And with that, he flew at his younger brother, shoving aside memories of lounging in the sun waiting for Suicune to arrive. Raikou's eyes widened fearfully, and he swerved to the side to try and avoid a direct blow. He buried his long teeth in Suicune's white throat, blotting out thoughts of the day when he had lovingly licked that soft, white fur. Blood, red and hot, sprayed out of the wound, coating his crested face in a sticky tide. Suicune let out a pained, breathless howl and lashed out with her claws at Entei. They snagged in his thick fur, leaving her tangled up. Entei pressed his paws down on Raikou's neck and started to squeeze.
The Rocketeers were silent, watching in awe as the three legends of Johto turned on each other with fangs and claws. A few had frozen with Pokéballs clasped in hand, their mouths open, their eyes wide. No one dared to move, although they knew they should be trying to break it up. No one wanted to stop the fight, even though they knew it would mean they could never hope to capture the legends. They watched and waited.
Entei squeezed, intent on throttling his brother to death. He couldn't bring himself to see blood—Raikou's blood—on his paws, or to taste on its tongue. He gritted his teeth together to keep a roar of horror from escaping his deep chest. Raikou held onto Suicune's throat, blinded by the burning blood in his eyes. Suicune still struggled to free herself from Entei's thick pelt, her needle claws flicking over his flanks again and again. They were locked in the struggle of life and death, and death was the only outcome.
Raikou fell first. Entei felt a slow, crumbling sensation beneath his paws and heard the grating noise of neck bones being crushed under his great weight. His breath came in ragged, harsh gasps, and he kept telling himself that he must, he must make sure his brother fell quickly. He poured every ounce of his strength into his forepaws and crushed his little brother's neck between his paws like a brittle piece of shell. Raikou gave a short gasp, and his blood-smeared eyes widened briefly, giving him the appearance of one in perfect, unfeigned surprise. Those bright eyes, eyes that had once glittered with so many emotions, slowly clouded over, and the Legendary Beast of Thunder fell down dead.
As Raikou fell, his fangs, still embedded in his sister's throat, tore loose, taking most of Suicune's neck with them. Blood sprayed out with every erratic beat of her death-frenzied heart, falling on the fallen legend's yellow, matted fur in crimson drops. The Aurora Pokémon let out a gasping, choking cry, her eyes bulging as she gasped for breath. The normally immaculate white fur on her chest was soaked in red. She staggered for footing, but with her claws still snared in Entei's shaggy fur, she could not balance. She fell over beside Raikou, her chest heaving for air. Entei watched it for a brief instant, his eyes following every frenzied heave. Then she was still. The Legendary Beast of the North Wind was dead.
Entei's heart froze. He was left alive, alone, without his brother or sister. He alone was left to face the hated humans. He prepared to let himself loose on them, venting the fury that had forced him to kill his only family, when suddenly his paws began to slip. Suicune's claws were still tangled in his thick hair, and as she fell, she was pulling him down with her. He saw the sweeping crest on her forehead, raised like a shard of ice against the jagged battlefield, and knew that it would be his end. He fell, collapsing overtop his sister's crest. It pierced his unguarded stomach, and Entei felt blood—his blood—soak his hind legs in a hot wave. He rolled away from her and lay between his dead siblings. The damage was done. He would die soon enough.
Over his head, the clouds broke, and a full moon began to shine brightly down upon the three victims. Entei gazed up at it, his eyes rapidly slipping in and out of focus, his vision darkening. He panted hard for air, feeling it freeze his lungs painfully, and he drew in one last breath. "Ho-Oh..." he rasped out. "I...I am s...sorry...We...we-we-we wa-wasted...your gi...gift. P...Please...accept...our...sac...ri...fice..." His eyes narrowed and began to cloud over as he let out the remainder of his dying breath. His chest heaved no more. The Legendary Beast of the Volcano was dead.
At that instant, every spotlight died, even though the batteries inside were brand new. The moon above began to eclipse rapidly. It would later be noted that a normal eclipse takes hours—this one went from full to new in under a minute—and that no eclipses were scheduled to occur for years. A shrill cry ripped through the night air, mournful and fiercely angry, which echoed through the ears of every Rocketeer present that night. The moon stayed dark for a few minutes, then ran through its phases so quickly it seemed to go right back to full without any regard for first, second, or third quarter intervals. The wind picked up, stirring the blood-matted pelts of the three dead legends.
And a small voice hissed through the clearing, venomous and vengeful. It uttered a single word: Cursed.
Okay, I did warn you. I said this would be really angsty and gory. But please, this is just the prologue. That means that this story has to be going somewhere, right? Right. Besides, the Johto legendaries were the last ones that actually made any sense. I wouldn't kill them off forever. Stay tight, and the first chapter will be here with a little more optimism. Or you could be totally disgusted with me and never look at this story again.
It's your choice. Choose wisely.
(1) The legendaries are genderless in the games. However, in this story, they will have specific genders. Trust me, it will make everything a whole lot easier for me, and it adds a touch of interest.