Hello. For those that are new here, this is a rewrite of my story Test of Fate. Don't worry, you don't need to read that in order to understand this.
For anyone else curious, please see my profile for future plans.

Enjoy~

I pushed the wooden door open. The cafe was quiet. Empty. A wooden counter stood in the center, with leather stools lined up along it. Wooden tables and chairs with cushions sat on the sides of the room. I slowly stepped in, my black cloak trailing behind me. I lowered my hood as I climbed up on the stool. No one was tending the counter. Hmph. I could see a door in the back. Presumably, it was only for whoever worked here. Guess I'll just wait until someone comes out. Don't want them to think I'm some kind of annoying Snivy.

My name is Strom. For reasons I didn't understand, the world was a gloomy and dark place. The atmosphere held a deep smog of despair that squeezed in your lungs when you breathed. It held a pressure that you could feel just by stepping outside. And it made all the Pokemon in the world fall into this... depression. Well, I guess I can only say that's how it felt in town. I have no clue how the Pokemon living beyond in the forests and sea felt. But this despair... it made everyone hide. Hide from a darkness that wasn't there. And if they weren't hiding, they were out trying to take advantage of the weak. Whatever was going on in this air, it certainly did a number screwing up our lives. For me, however, I didn't have any problems.

I was raised in one of the great forests, brought up by my parents, both Serperiors. As I grew older, I began to wonder more about what was happening on the outside. I didn't want to spend my whole life secluded from everything else. Surely, I had a greater purpose in life than to be caged up in isolation, right? When I turned thirteen years old, I told my parents I wanted to go out on my own. Being stuck in the woods all my life wasn't very fulfilling. "We were all created with a purpose! I want to know what mine is." I remember saying that to them. My mother didn't want me to go, warning me about the dangers that lie outside. But my father heavily considered the thought. To my knowledge, he had done a bit of adventuring when he was younger, too. But he never told me any stories about his past... After a few days of thinking, my father decided it would be best for me to see the outside world myself. My mother was hesitant to change her mind, but knew that it would be better for me to go than to stay coddled in their protection. On the day I finally left, they kept telling me to trust no one, to keep to myself, and that no matter what,

"Don't mess with fate."

I didn't understand what they meant by that. "Fate?" Is it fate that put our world into this position? Would going against fate bring about unknown dangers? I wouldn't know unless I tried. But what was I going to do? I'm just a Snivy, no different from the other Pokemon. I drifted in the waves of despair with everyone else, getting attacked, robbed, and being lied to. What was going on with our world? Why were the Legends not doing anything? Did Arceus himself not understand the risk here? I shook my head.

The back door finally creaked open. A Spinda, with its orange spotted body, and comically large, swirly eyes stepped out. She stopped when she saw me.

"Oh shoot!" She walked up to me, standing on the other side of the counter. "How long ya' been sittin' here for?"

"Don't worry. It hasn't been that long," I replied.

"Well next time, yer' free to holler when no one's around." I nodded in response. "So then... what can I getcha'?"

"Just some tea, please."

"That'll be a hundred Poké." I reached into my pockets. I sighed at what little money I had left. 500 Poké wasn't going to get me very far. Well, 400 now... I stared at the money in my hand. Is buying this tea a good use of my money? "You uh... you got enough there?" the Spinda asked.

"Oh, sorry. Here," I somewhat begrudgingly handed the money over. The Spinda took it, but stared at me for a moment.

"Ya' sure yer' okay spendin' this?"

"Tch... I'd have more if..." I stopped and shook my head. "It's okay. I'll be fine."

"Whatever ya' say, kid..."

Kid, huh? Yeah... I guess I still am a kid. You'd also think that stealing from a kid is wrong, too. But that certainly didn't stop them.

Ironically, this incident happen just on the outskirts of this town. A little Zorua ran up to me, crying in hysterics. Naturally, he grabbed my attention, and I ran over to help. He told me about his brother being injured by some other Pokemon. A very likely tale considering the kinds of events that do occasionally happen out here. I followed him to his brother, which was a little ways off the beaten path. The Zorua's brother was slumped up against a tree. Sure enough, he had many apparent scratches and cuts all over his body. I leaned closer and tried talking to him while examining his wounds. He didn't respond to me, which wasn't a good sign. But as I looked closer... The wounds. They were fake. As soon as I realized this, I turned around. The Zorua who lead me here sprinted away, laughing maniacally. I can still hear his voice, calling me a "dumbass" as he ran off. I turned around, and his brother was running off in the other direction. So much for being hurt. I put my hands in my pockets. That's when I realized most of my money had been stolen. Pick-pocketed. Of course.

I put my hands on my face in disbelief. How could I have been so stupid? Guess that's what I get for trying to be nice. But like I said, I wasn't the only one getting thrown into bad situations like that. Everyone was. I'd hear stories all the time as I drifted through each town. And I can't understand how or why it's happening. I thought about the Legends again. How could they let this happen? How could trust and hope be shattered across all of us like this? Something's going on. Something greater, possibly even out of my control. But I want to know what it is. Why is our world like this? I want an answer. Even if it means going against my fate.

The Spinda stepped back out, carrying a small plate with a cup of tea on it. She placed it down in front of me.

"Here ya' go."

"Thank you." I gently picked up the cup and gazed into it. My red eyes stared back in the faint reflection. They were tired. I was tired. I took a sip. Despite the bitter taste, the warmth of the tea made me relax a bit. I needed this. The Spinda began polishing dishes off on the side. Yet, she still tried making small talk.

"So, I take it yer' a traveler? Where ya' headin' to?" she asked. I stared into the tea.

"Hm... I don't really know."

"What?" she glanced over at me. "What da' ya' mean ya' don't know?" I stayed silent. I wasn't exactly sure how to tell someone I'm searching for something that may be beyond us. "Hm... well, wherever yer' goin', may yer' fate lead ya' down a safe path."

"My fate...?"

"Yeah. Ya' know, like... the destiny Arceus set up fer' you."

"The one Arceus set? So you're telling me Arceus set our fates to be thrown into this nightmare of a world we're in?"

The Spinda gave me an intrigued look. "Yer' quite the curious type, aren't ya'?"

"Hm. I just want answers. Doesn't it bother you that no one has been able to figure out what's wrong? Why did the Legends let out world fall apart? Why haven't they done anything to fix it?"

"Well, I don't know what kind of response yer' lookin' to get from a lil' ole' Spinda. I ain't got the answers fer' ya'. I'm busy enough as it is tryin' to take care of my place. But you look like ya' know what yer' talkin' about. Maybe you'll find yer' answer from someone else."

I stared back into my tea. She was right. I'm not going to get anywhere just sitting here. I need to keep searching. Hopefully, someone will have the answer.

I got off the stool once I finished my tea.

"Thank you," I nodded to the Spinda. She gave a slight smirk.

"Thanks for comin' by. And hey, let me know if you learn anythin', too. I'd also like to know what the heck's goin' on out there."

"We'll see..." I replied.

The sky was filled with dull, gray clouds. The town was quiet, few Pokemon walked about. We all exchanged looks of suspicion with one another, like usual. But I was leaving this town, so it didn't matter.

I wrapped my cloak around me. It fits comfortably around my body and over my head. I also adjusted my sword that was kept by my side... It is somewhat unheard of for a Pokemon to fight with a weapon. (I'm surprised the Spinda didn't say anything about it.) But I had gotten the sword from my father. Before I left, he told me the world was a dangerous place, so I should take his sword. He didn't say anything about where he got it, or why he even had it in the first place. I accepted it, though. If my father had it, that must mean there was some significance to it. But with that said, I still don't exactly know how to fight with it. I have some combat experience, but I didn't use my sword for most fights. No one else fights with a weapon, either. How am I going to ever learn to properly wield the sword? Hm... The sword was very smooth on both sides, and formed a triangular shape near the tip. The blade was about as thin as a piece of paper. The whole sword was a bland silver color, with a black hilt. The only interesting thing about it was the weird insignia engraved around the base of the blade. It looked like an arrow facing left, with a zig-zag going through it. I don't know what it means, so all I can do for now is ignore it.

"I have everything. Better get going..."