Author's note: Before you guys actually begin reading this, I'd like to point out that this story's concept was originally given to me by a close and dear friend of mine by the name of Elly-o-Elly on DeviantART. Please, if you guys have to time, go thank her for this as I really would never have thought of any of this if she hadn't given me the initial idea. Thank you~ Oh! And I hope you enjoy the fic~ X3
(Note: rated T for violence, character death, and many adult themes such as yuri or yaoi pairings. Rating may go to M in some chapters, within which I will give you a warning in the author's note.)
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, but I do own this story so back off Nintendo!
Now... On with the fic!
Legend: The clan of Kazehanaki.
The legend of origins as told by the Book of Arceus: Chapter 2, verse 5
In far off times, long, long ago,
Humans and Pokemon were not friends, but enemies.
Humans, in awe of the Pokemon's great power and strength, called them demons and gods, and both worshiped and hunted them with equal determination.
Pokemon in turn, treated the humans as lesser beings because of their weak bodies and the inability to speak their language, which they believed was because humans were crude and stupid like normal animals.
However, after many centuries of isolation from each other, exiled in what seemed to most to be a barren wasteland, humans learnt the art of steel and moulded it to do their bidding. The Pokemon watched in awe as humans learned to fight against them; each new weapon greater than the last.
Finally, after a single great battle between the two, The Pokemon all agreed to let the humans enter the forest unchallenged as a sign of their new respect and humans made settlements, completely unaware that the Pokemon still lived nearby.
However, many generations later, a human hunter began to slay pokemon with his sword for neither food nor self-protection.
...And with no remorse.
The pokemon were enraged and attacked ruthlessly, forcing the humans to scatter all across the land and sea.
Soon after realising what he had brought upon his people, the hunter wept and broke his sword, renouncing it as he did so.
And the Pokemon, their anger sated, returned to the forest, taking with them knowledge of the weapons humans had wielded, as elsewhere the humans relearned of their fear of the awesome creatures and began studying their ways, in the hopes of perhaps becoming more powerful and in tune with the forests themselves.
And thus, began the first age of Silent Peace between the two.
Year 103 of the Ecruteak dynasty. April 3rd.
"Young master! Young master! Where are you? It's time for your lessons, my lord!" A tiny Pichu hiding under the causeway bridge, smiled as the Caterpie on the other side of the courtyard gardens called out his title, frustration filling the insect's voice.
"Young master, if you continue these foolish games of yours I shall be telling your father of this! Will you please do your duty and come with me now!" Seeing the Caterpie go red with impatience, the little Pichu could no longer hold back his laughter and started giggling compulsively.
The Caterpie, despite being almost a hundred feet away, heard him and lassoed the electric rodent with his string shot before dragging him to his study chambers. Seeing that the Pichu was still laughing even after all that, the Caterpie sighed and lightly wacked the silly creature on the head with his tail.
"I am happy that you are enjoying yourself, Kazehanaki, but if I don't get you to at least learn your paw print-letters properly, your father will have my head when he gets back this evening. And as embarrassing as it is to admit, I'm afraid I would not be a very good vassal to you if I lost my head." Kazehanaki giggled at the joke before looked up at the Caterpie with joy and wiggling his way out of the silk encasing him.
"Father's really coming back? When, when? Will Mother be with him? Soon or not soon? Please tell me Ryuujin! I promise I'll listen hard in all my lessons if you do." The Caterpie raised an eyebrow cautiously.
"Really, young master? I seem to remember a certain Pichu telling me the same thing yesterday in return for letting him practice his swordsmanship. Tell me; just how long does this promise last for?" Kazehanaki scuffed his feet awkwardly and grinned sheepishly.
"Until Father comes back..?" Ryuujin flashed him a stern glance before sighing and allowing a small smile onto his face.
"Alright, young master, but no getting out of it this time. Your father sent a messenger Pidgy to us this afternoon to say he'd back at the castle by nightfall. I meant to keep it as a surprise until after you did your lessons, but obviously you are just like my lord when he was your age; young and silly."
Kazehanaki frowned, his little ears puffing out angrily behind him.
"Father isn't silly! He's a great and wonderful leader! Ryuujin, you always say such mean things!" The Caterpie chuckled at the son of his lord in front of him before opening the screen door to the study.
"Perhaps he is, my young master, but that doesn't mean he was always like that. Now come and sit. I'm sure lord Enrai would like to see just how much you've improved in your writings."
As the Pichu grumbled and made his way to his cushion, Ryuujin smiled at the Pichu's attitude.
It had been many long years since the Caterpie had become a servant here in the Viridian clan where the Pika bloodline ruled, and not once in all that time had the Caterpie regretted it.
He couldn't help but find it truly amazing that despite all the war and battle that raged through the world at this time, one could sit here calmly and teach this dear child in front of him the arts of Pokemon. It was a strange feeling but in a way, it made him proud. He watched as the Pichu pulled out a sheet of reed paper and scowled; impatient for the lesson.
Perhaps what was truly amazing was that he, a lowly peasant Caterpie like himself was the one who was teaching. The Viridian Clan like all the other great Pokemon clans was proud and fierce but unlike so many of the others, had a un-judgemental lord ruling them, who welcomed non-Pikachu family pokemon into his lands as equals, unlike the many other clans who despised those not of the same kind, and who only welcomed them as slaves.
Shaking his head free of such thoughts, Ryuujin turned to his student then pointed with his tail to an engraved slate in front of him.
"Three bird claws and one wave means..?" The Pichu groaned and rolled his eyes.
"It stands for 'distance' or 'travel over rough water'." Ryuujin nodded then pointed to a second symbol. "A round paw, a wave in the middle and three bending lines over the top?"
"A whirlpool or a Dragon pokemon changing the weather." Kazehanaki looked up at his teacher pleadingly. "Please Ryuujin, I know all this stuff; and why do I have to learn all this anyway? I'm never ever gonna actually need half these words; Viridian doesn't even have an ocean, let alone a whirlpool!"
Ryuujin waited for his student to calm down before answering. "Perhaps that is true, but you may need to order the clan to battle across the sea and it does help to be able to read a map." Kazehanaki pouted, his little red cheeks sparking slightly.
"I still don't know why I have to learn it. You're my servant; why can't you read for me?" Ryuujin sighed and touched the tip of his tail to his forehead, feeling the beginnings of a headache coming on.
"Because you might have to read by yourself one day, my young master. But that's aside from the point; you promised to do your lessons properly until the master came back so get back to it!" The Pichu muttered under his breath but nodded and went back to his textbook, copying various images down then printing their meaning into more simple (for him) Unknown script next to them.
Ryuujin sighed with relief then looked at the Pichu fondly.
'Despite all his complaining about it, Kazehanaki does study very determinedly when it is required. One day, hopefully not too soon in the future, he is sure to be a good leader. Of course that would only happen if I do my best teaching the child.' Ryuujin glanced out of the nearby window, to look at the mountain side that protected Shirogane castle.
Located on Mt Shirogane, on the western edge of the Viridian clan's borders, Shirogane castle was a fortress like no other. Protected from the North by tall, impassable, snow-tipped mountains, and from the West by a lake so huge only the water pokemon in the clan had seen the other side, and flowed into a bunch of rapids and waterfalls to the south during the rainy season. The castle was further protected by thick, lush forests to the East and was well hidden from any invaders who could have managed to sneak past the great warrior's base, the Viridian Castle.
The castle itself was also impressive. Made in a similar style to the local human's buildings*, the outer walls were made of thick white granite. Inside these walls were beautiful gardens with streams and fruit growing trees (all in bloom as it was spring), as well as the main building whose wooden structures and elegant paper sliding doors made the inner castle was a sight which never failed to stir the middle-aged Caterpie's heart.
A tap from the table brought Ryuujin back to his senses. Glancing over at the table, he smiled when he realised the Pichu had finished his work and was waiting for him to check it.
Looking it over, the Caterpie couldn't help but smile with pride. "Good work, young master. I do believe you've gotten all of these words correct. Now for your next lesson-" Kazehanaki groaned loudly and Ryuujin widened his eyes in mock-surprise. "I'm surprised young master; I never thought I'd hear you sigh about going out for battle lessons. Oh well, it is rather cold for going out to train this time of year..." He watched with amusement as the Pichu shot to his feet and was suddenly was half way across the room in one movement.
"Come on Ryuujin! I wanna make sure I know Thunder Wave completely before I show it to Father!" Ryuujin chuckled and followed, as the Pichu dashed out to the training fields.
...
Several hours later, Ryuujin stood victorious as Kazehanaki wiggled fiercely out of what had to be about the hundredth cacoon the Caterpie had trapped him in that day. After several embarrassing minutes of wriggling, the Pichu managed to remove himself from the sticky threads and glared up at his teacher as a few of the pokemon who had watched the whole thing laughed.
"How come you move so fast all the time? It's not fair you can move that fast and use string. You never let me use electric attacks either!" Ryuujin chucked and shook his head at the frustrated rodent.
"So you want me to go easy on you? I'm sorry young master, but I've long since promised your father I'd train you to the best of my ability, and going easy on you would truly go against that promise. Remember, no enemy fighting you is ever going to take it easy on you; and many of them will be shooting ice or fire."
Kazehanaki's ears drooped guiltily. He knew his teacher was telling him nothing but the truth, but it frustrated him that the Caterpie could so easily counter him no matter what he did. He then smiled grimly as he remembered a story his father had told him, that in most clans, Caterpie were regarded as weak creatures, ridiculed for their lack of offensive power. Kazehanaki snorted at that thought. 'Obviously they haven't fought Ryuujin before.'
The Pichu looked up at his long time teacher admiringly.
Ryuujin of the Viridian clan was a well conditioned and experienced fighter; often far wiser and more powerful than many would think at first glance. Using amazing speed and cunning, the Caterpie's legend in the clan was second only to the skill of his elder sister Yasha the Weedle, and ingenious revolutionary thinking of Kazehanaki's own father, Enrai the Pikachu lord of the area, who had introduced the use of human weaponry and armour into the clan as well as rewritten many of the clan's old and outdated customs.
Really, training under this Caterpie was an honour and a privilege that was only possible because he was the clan leader's son. Both of them knew it but Ryuujin had never used it as an excuse to taunt him unlike what most other teachers might have done in his place; something Kazehanaki would always be grateful for. But when it came to actually being taught something...
"Well, could you at least slow down how fast you shoot the string? No ice beam or flamethrower ever moves as fast as you do."Ryuujin smirked slightly, causing Kazehanaki's ears to droop.
'Ryuujin could be so harsh sometimes...'
About to complain about being unfairly treated, Kazehanaki's ears perked straight up as the loud clang of the clan's iron bell was heard. Immediately all the pokemon, both young and old in the area perked their ears forward and stood to attention. A moment later, Erow, a Furret and one of the clan's criers was heard shouting from the castle gates.
"His greatness Lord Enrai is back! Our Lord, his Lady and our army have returned to us!"
There were was a sudden burst of excitement as the pokemon in the training grounds, who moments before had been battling and practicing techniques with grim determination threw up their respective paws, claws and wings in joy before cheering loudly. Kazehanaki felt his face heat up with excitement and relief before turning to turning to Ryuujin with a desperate look on his face.
The Caterpie nodded and Kazehanaki gave him a yelp of happiness before racing off, determined to be the very first to welcome his parents home.
...
Yay! The prologue is complete!
So... Did anyone like it so far? I must admit, this fic is going to be a real bugger to write, not to mention how many made-up terms, histories and other things I'll have to throw into it, but all round I'm looking forward to writing this all~
Oh, and just to let you know in advance, this fic will be updated extremely slowly due to another fic of mine (Turning over a New Leaf or 'ToaNL' for short) being my writing priority. Which it will remain until I finish it, and that might take a while... *understatement* So yeah. Please review and tell you think! Until next time~