Legend of the Ice Drakes

Chapter 1: Ends Lead to Beginnings

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or anything that it incorporates.

Author's Note: This is the rewritten version, and technically still my first fanfic. One thing I found from rereading it was that it is best to read it at a slow or medium pace. It just allows you to understand what's going on better, gives you more time to imagine the scenes play out in your mind, and overall gives a better reading experience. Just something to take note of while you read, that's all. Enjoy!

"Speech."

'Thoughts.'

"We'll take the Remoraid sushi and soy sauce, please," Delia Ketchum said to the flight attendant. She was currently on a plane flying over the Sinnoh region with her only son, five-year-old Ash Ketchum.

"No problem, ma'am." The young flight attendant put the requested dish onto the tray in front of Delia before going to the next passenger.

"Try some, Ash," Delia suggested as she picked up a piece using chopsticks. The young boy's response was to pull back his head at the sight of the raw Pokémon flesh.

"Ewww...no thanks, mom," Ash replied with a wrinkled nose.

"You'll have to eat something, Ash. We still have a couple of hours before we land and we wouldn't want you to pass out on us due to hunger, now would we?" The pair were going to visit Ash's father in Sinnoh who was there for work. They were going to surprise him since his job didn't allow for him to visit them very often.

"I'll be fine mom. I'm full of energy!" To try to prove his point, he grinned as he struck a heroic pose.

Delia smiled fondly at him and ruffled his wild raven hair. "I can tell."

Ash leaned away from her hand and continued looking out the window. He fell into a trance as he mindlessly stared at the Sinnoh sky, gazing at the unfamiliar Flying-type Pokémon soaring freely through the air. Before he knew it, a couple of hours had already passed as the setting sun bathed the sky and clouds in a warm glow, contrasting with the freezing air outside. An announcement began over the plane, drawing his attention away from an ominous group of bird Pokémon flying nearby.

"Passengers, please know that we will be landing in roughly one hour. We thank you for choosing Region S Airlines, and we hope that we may serve you again in the future," said a man's voice over the speaker.

"We better put on our seat belts, Ash," Delia said as she put on her own. When she noticed Ash not paying attention, she pulled on his shoulder. "You okay, Ash?"

"...Mom, what are those things?" He asked as he pointed to a flock of black feathered bird Pokémon, with what looked like a dark hat on their heads. The one leading the flock seemed to have been much larger and more powerful. The leader had red feathers under its wings and some red at the tip of its tail.

"Not quite sure, honey. Although, they're probably native Sinnoh Pokémon," she replied, curious as to why the bird Pokémon were flying so dangerously close to the plane in the first place.

But then, it happened. Starting with the one leading the flock, the crow-like Pokémon gripped onto one of the wings of the plane and used their sharp talons and beaks to dig into it. Once the damage was done, the group separated. The leader flew up to the front of the plane while the others went to take out the remaining wing. As soon as the large Flying-type landed on the nose of the plane, it got to work. Its beak glowed before it drilled it into the glass of the plane, quickly making the pilots panic.

"Attention all passengers, the plane is under attack from a flock of Murkrows and a Honchkrow. Please everyone, we will send Pokémon to stop them, but we must have an emergen-"

Before the anxious announcer could finish, a loud explosion signified that another part of the plane had blown up. To confirm their suspicions, the plane fell off its designated path and began nosediving, quickly gaining momentum. The Pokémon that caused this hastily reformed their flying formation and flew away from the scene. Everyone on board was becoming nearly hysterical, and at the rate the plane was moving, it would hit a snow covered path somewhere in northern Sinnoh.

"Please, everyone calm down and hold on! We will attempt to land on Route 217. Please be ready to exit the air craft once we are down there! Do not stay inside once we land since the plane itself will be unsafe!" The attempt to calm the passengers was futile, as the young kids were asking their parents if everything was going to be okay, while the parents weren't so sure of what to say themselves. Eventually, the plane hit the ground hard. It met the snow and slid down the path as the injured wings along with the new damage from the crash sent smoke rising into the air above. Delia held onto Ash the entire time, trying to comfort her distraught boy.

A few minutes after the crash, Ash finally opened his eyes. He seemed to have been lucky, he thought to himself, as everyone else seemed to be asleep, or at least that's what a five-year-old boy thought they were. He slowly crawled out from a hole in the wall near him that was carved open from the crash. The first thing he felt as he stepped foot outside the destroyed aircraft was the raw temperature of the area, well below freezing. He looked back at the plane and he gasped as he saw the wreckage. Parts of it were flaming from the crash and multiple areas created a trail of smoke that flowed into the sky. The damage also revealed cut wires releasing hot sparks around them, forming thin pockets in the snow. Ash realized that during the crash he must have been knocked out of his seat and further back into the plane. He noticed that part of it was now buried deep into the snow...including where his mother had sat.

Sudden realization hit the boy, and he fell to his knees, tears freely flowing down his cheeks and onto his shivering fists. His mother was dead, along with all the others. He was the only survivor. A merciless explosion then occurred from the engine of the plane, startling Ash. He saw it engulf the aircraft inside a hideous flame; one that made sure he could not get close to his mother again.

The poor boy cried for what seemed to have been eternity before he gave in and dropped down onto the mocking snow, still curled up and trembling from the merciless cold which made his breathing come out in lifeless puffs. To add insult to his situation, the sky began to gently snow, painting the deaths of hundreds within beautiful and soft white flakes. He finally fell asleep as the snowflakes began to pile around him, stealing heat from his system. He thought that he would make it so that there would be no survivors at all.

Ash woke from the especially heavy slumber to rub at his eyes. As he slowly opened them, he was sure he had just had a nightmare about a plane crash, but it felt far too real to have been but a dream. As he stretched out his aching limbs, he felt jagged rocks digging into his back before sitting up and looking around.

He was in a room that appeared as if it was carved inside pure rock. He noticed small ledges on the wall that carried a faint ember on them. Dried grass seemed to be their bases, keeping the flames alive. This appeared to be the only form of light in the entire room, but it was sufficient enough. Ash then noticed an area of smooth sand on the floor rather than the usual rock on the other side of the moderately-sized room. The area of sand had some indentation, showing something was on it not too long ago.

As he looked beyond, he noticed a small exit that must have also served as the entrance seeing as how it was the only way to get in or out. It got darker further on, so Ash guessed that it must be a tunnel. Curiosity taking over, he decided to walk over to it.

He moved across the rocky ground and peered inside, noticing a faint light that the tunnel led to. Wherever he was, he sure didn't want to stay. Climbing over the small step into the tunnel, he began to crawl through on all fours.

But as he was halfway through it, he felt a small rumbling underneath him. The small rocks and pebbles in front of his face began to vibrate, and soon enough a crack appeared in the ground in front of him.

The figure that crawled out of the crack was a short Pokémon with an oversized mouth. Being mere inches from the dozens of teeth he saw the Pokémon have, he shrieked and hurriedly began to crawl backwards to get away from it. The creature followed him further back into the tunnel, causing Ash to scream even louder as it bit into his shirt. The Pokémon winced from the noises the squirming boy was making that was only amplified from being in such a confined space with him. It dragged Ash the rest of the way out of the tunnel, effortlessly ignoring the boy's attempt at struggling out of his mouth's grip. Ash tried to break free from its jaws, but it was no use. He watched the thing drag him by its teeth through many larger tunnels until they arrived at an entrance to a large room.

The Pokémon soon brought him inside and stopped in front of a menacing Dragon-type, sitting on something that resembled a throne. Ash remembered seeing this Pokémon from a magazine article featuring the strongest species from every region. 'What was its name again? Oh...right.' As Ash observed the fins on his arms, the dagger-like claws where human hands usually were, the scarred fin on its back, and the distinguishing jet engine-like horns on the side of its head, he remembered the Pokémon's name.

Garchomp. Able to fly at the speed of a jet and slash through solid stone just by using its claws, this Pokémon was not to be provoked in the wild.

However, Ash also saw two other Pokémon standing to the sides of it. One of whom Ash could distinguish since it was well known in Kanto, while the other Ash had no clue as to what it was, but he was sure of one thing: it was downright scary. The figure to the left of Garchomp was a yellow-scaled dragon Pokémon with tiny wings and a thick tail. Ash remembered seeing one when visiting Professor Oak's lab once, where he was told by the professor that it was a very powerful yet kindhearted being.

To Ash, the figure on the right was even more frightening than Garchomp if that was even possible. It consisted of mostly blue coloration with black fur on its arms and neck. It had magenta frills outlining its head and arms along with a large tail and stomach as a result of having an abundance to eat. But the most frightening feature was its extra heads instead of front claws as well as its six black wings! It seemed as though it was basically designed to scare young children.

Suddenly, the one who brought him here started to communicate with the Garchomp, seemingly explaining something. However, the Garchomp looked extremely surprised at what the other one was saying. Ash gulped as the Garchomp pointed at him with a single claw as the smaller Dragon-type began nudging him to move forward. Ash did so hesitantly since anyone, especially a small child, would be scared if they were basically defenseless against three fully evolved Dragon-types. He stood in front of the three as the Dragonite decided to move forward. The two antennae on its head glowed a majestic purple as Ash started to feel a slight pain in his mind. The Dragonite widened its eyes before turning to the other two Pokémon and giving a confirming nod, resulting in short-lasting expressions of disbelief from both. Before long, the Dragonite turned back to Ash and once again used its antennae, but this time he felt a different tug in his head. A few moments later, Ash accomplished something that no other human had managed to do on record.

He fully understood their speech.

"Hello there, young one. My name is Zarbon, and my fellow dragons in here are Fiona the Dragonite on my right, Lucius the Hydreigon on my left, and Zenith, my son who has brought you here before us." The Garchomp motioned to the respective dragons as he told their names. "We are of the Ice Drake bloodline, but we will not be surprised if you haven't heard of us, as knowledge of our existence are extremely limited. We are special Dragon-types who have a genetic ability to use ice and adapt to the cold. My son found you while hunting and decided to bring you back here to us." The dragon spoke in a voice full of authority and true confidence, though it had underlying animalistic vibrations and quirks to signify that it didn't originate from a human.

And Ash just stood there gaping at the dragon. How did a Pokémon just talk to him? He knew that it was impossible since not too long ago the Professor had explained that it was futile to try to fully understand Pokémon because they possessed a unique speech pattern unknown to humans.

"Um...how are you talking to me?" Ash said in a voice that was not even close to how strong the dragon's was, but was evidently more humane.

"Fiona has imprinted the ability to understand Pokémon speech into your mind. Her ancestors included powerful Psychic-types, and that has allowed her limited access to some psychic powers and abilities passed down to her, such as the one she used on you. Any more questions?" The Garchomp asked as he crossed his claws, the boy pausing before continuing on.

"Why'd you bring me here?" Ash asked once again in a meek voice, trying not to do anything that might provoke them.

The Garchomp smirked as if he had expected that question. "Good question, boy. This clan consists of special Dragon-types who have the Ice Drake genes running through their blood. We are no longer weak to Ice-type attacks and the cold, which allows us to thrive in freezing environments like the one right outside of the mountain we are in." Ash didn't really understand what this had to do with him, but Zarbon continued before he can ask further.

"How this concerns you is another story. Normally a Dragon-type with at least one parent that has the Ice Drake gene will be like any other of its species in its first stage of evolution, showing no significance or prowess. When they evolve into their second stage, however, they gain the ability to learn Ice-type attacks and take neutral damage from them. When a first stage Pokémon evolves into its second stage, its heart glows blue for about one day cycle, the glow gradually decreasing as time passes. The genes superpower our system during this period to ensure evolution is a success and to help adapt our bodies to handle learning Ice-type attacks. We are completely immune to damage from ice and the cold during this. And when my son found you...you had the same glow around your heart. The same glow that allowed you to survive the weather last night. The same glow that makes you an Ice Drake. That is what makes you special. That is why you're here. Do you understand, child?" The Garchomp finished as he stared at Ash expectantly.

The speechless boy pulled at the collar of his striped yellow shirt and saw the blue glow coming from his heart. He looked back up at the mighty dragon and nodded his head, gulping as he did so.

"Good. You see, it's been a long-standing tradition to not allow humans to know of our existence. Since my son has brought you here, and especially now that I have explained to you the basics of our abilities, we cannot simply allow you to leave. We understand you are but a toddler, but you must also understand how cautious we must be. So from now on you must stay here with us. Seeing as how you were found near a battle of some sort, I take it you can't really go back?" Zarbon would raise an eyebrow along with the question if he had one.

In a rush, Ash recalled the events from the other day. The flock of Murkrows, the dreaded Honchkrow, and the crash. He remembered his mother attempting to comfort him as everyone else panicked. He recalled her promise that he would be fine. And truthfully, he ended up alive. Alive, healthy, and unscathed. But it was only him, no one else from the plane lived. He remembered exiting the damned plane and how the fire had sealed the fate of the rest of the passengers, though most had probably already perished from the impact. He's alone now, left by himself in front of monsters that could tear him apart without even trying. As his thoughts moved towards his now deceased mother, he noticed tears dripping down from his nose. "I...I guess I can't go back."

A grunt came from the Dark-type in the room.

"...Humph, so pathetic," mumbled the Hydreigon, which earned a glare from the Dragonite.

Zarbon cleared his throat as to grab the attention of the other dragons. "I'll call a meeting when night comes. Zenith, he'll be staying in your room."

"Can't he stay somewhere else, father?" Zenith asked, not necessarily wanting to share his room with the newcomer.

"Seeing as how you have more than enough room to spare, he will be staying with you from now on." The Gible was about to retort when Zarbon glared at him, quickly making him shut his rather large mouth. "My words are final." Zenith finally closed his eyes and nodded in submission. "Now, take the boy back to your room."

The Gible grabbed Ash and exited the area, going back to where they came from, leaving his father alone with the others.

When he was sure that the two of them were gone, Zarbon spoke up. "...Are you sure you checked correctly, Fiona?"

"Well, what else could that glow signify? He somehow does possess our bloodline and will eventually get all of what the bloodline can offer, even access to the 'modes'..." Before giving the boy the ability to understand Pokémon, she first checked if he actually had the Ice Drake bloodline in him. Much to her surprise, the boy did, just as Zarbon's son suspected he had.

"Very well. We will both treat and train him as one of our own. Hopefully, he'll be the change this corrupted world needs." Zarbon was familiar with the situation outside of where the Ice Drakes resided from the stories told by veteran Pokémon he encountered.

"Can we leave now, leader?" Lucius asked. The Dark-type was known to be both quite blunt and impatient.

"Yes, you may. Now leave me." And with that, both the Dragonite and Hydreigon left the chamber to leave Zarbon to his thoughts. Admittedly, he was curious to see how this boy would turn out once raised by dragons. Zarbon was sure that the child would eventually rejoin human society one day. Once he rejoins them, however, it will be up to him to decide how he uses his newfound powers. Will he use it for his own gain, like the greedy species was known for, or would he use it to protect those close to him and those that can't protect themselves? The dragon quickly stopped trying to predict the future, since he knew well that only time will tell.

Zenith walked beside Ash as the boy was now noticing all the tunnels they were moving through. The largest tunnel that seemed to act as the main one was well lit by the same embers he saw earlier in Zenith's room. He also spotted tunnels similar to the one that he had originally crawled through, though varying in size. He guessed that they were passageways leading to other dragon dens.

Before long, he noticed how the only ones currently using the tunnel system were him and his new roommate.

"Hey, um, Zenith. Why are we the only ones here right now?" Ash asked in a curious tone, no longer being observed by the terrifying Dragon-types earlier.

"That's because it's day time. The others are asleep right now since we are mostly active at night. I actually found you during my hunting trip last night in the snowstorm. You should be thankful that I'm staying up this late just for you." To accompany his statement, Zenith let out a loud yawn. Ash apologized about keeping him up, but Zenith waved it off since it wasn't in the boy's control in the first place.

"Once we get back I'll set up a sand bed for you to sleep. I'm still really tired from having to carry you all the way back here from that hunting patch. At least it was a good exercise," Zenith claimed with a small grin, which caused Ash to sheepishly smile. The two continued on for a few more minutes before they eventually reached the den. Ash had to wait a while more as Zenith expanded the entrance to allow Ash to walk through it rather than crawl. After all, he was a good foot taller than the Gible.

Once both were inside, Ash observed as Zenith used a Ground-type move to grind an area of hard rocks into soft sand. He laid down on it as Zenith moved to kill the embers on the wall before laying down on his own sand bed nearby. When the Pokémon was comfortable in his sand, however, he realized something. "Um...I just realized you never told me your name."

Ash realized that too before replying. "It's Ash Ketchum."

"Wow...never heard of that name before. I guess you're special in more ways than one." Zenith had only ever heard of common human names before from stories and old tales, so it was not a surprise for him to not have heard of an 'Ash'.

"...Just wondering, but why didn't you make me a sand bed like this earlier when you first put me here?"

Zenith chuckled in the pitch black room before responding. "Didn't think my old man would let you live." Ash sweat dropped at the response and decided it was best to go to sleep. Before long he entered a world of peaceful dreams, not mature enough yet to know how much this turn of events would change his fate.

Ash

- None

Zenith

- Dig

- Sand Tomb

Author's Note: Please leave a review and tell me what you think or what I need to improve on. If you've read the original, tell me how I compare to before. Until next time...