What do we want?

We want change!

How we gonna get that?

Revolution!

The Champion's Declaration to the Unovan People

They called me the Champion. They told you that I was the most powerful person alive. That I could shape continents with my will. They didn't tell you the whole truth. Don't get me wrong, my position does give me untold power across Unova. However, it's all a lie. I'm not the most powerful man on the planet. I'm not your saviour. That happy pleasure goes to The Spectre, and by extension his Flame. I'm just a washed up old man looking for a second chance at life.

My team? They're still around. At least some of them are. I'm sure you know that much. I'm sure the spooks at the League briefed you all about me. They told you all about what happened in that fucking castle. They told you all about Hilda, and N, and Ghestis, didn't they? I'll even bet that they told you what happened two years after that.

So you're one of the spooks. I figured you'd be here sooner or later. How are things back at the League? I bet they sent you down here to figure out how to stop him. There might be a way, but you'll need to know why he's doing it. So you'll have to let me tell you the real story. I'm not gonna cut out the gory bits either. Let me tell you how I became the Champion, and in the process set the world on this path to destruction.

Maybe, if you listen properly, I'll even tell you where he is.

I started out just like every other aspiring idiot trainer. I had my rival, my friend, my starter, and a lofty ass goal. I didn't have any clue what the world was really like. I didn't know how to survive out in the real world.

That's the reason most trainers wash out of the system within their few weeks. None of our schools taught survival classes. They didn't teach us how to find yourself food, or clean drinking water, or what to bring with you. And they wondered why the mortality rate for starting trainers was so damn high… The kids leaving home at fifteen to search for glory didn't have a hope in hell. Most didn't know how to brave the elements, much less deal with the hordes of angry pokemon that were pissed off about the stupid kid that just trampled their nest.

I'm exaggerating a little bit, you understand. It's not like the roads were paved with bones of kids who didn't know what they were doing. Most of them went home, giving up after a night or two of sleeping out in the cold. Still, kids went missing often enough that training was viewed as a dead-end job to most. If you succeeded then you were practically a god, but barely anyone ever succeeded. Still, the potential was there and everyone who had any ambition would give it a shot.

I was different though. I fucking taught myself how to survive. I read up on every survival guide I could find. I studied under Professor Juniper, learning everything I could about pokemon. By the time I hit fifteen I was a fucking prodigy. I knew just about everything there was to know about both caring for pokemon and killing them. Even with all my preparation, I still wasn't ready for the real world. All the knowledge in the world doesn't help unless you can break that knowledge down and apply it to the real world.

What I'm trying to get across is that there is no substitute for real experience. You'd be surprised how many times I almost starved to death, or how many times I was nearly torn apart by an angry wild pokemon. I still have trouble out there sometimes. The world just doesn't give up on trying to kill you… And we expected kids to take on the wilds without any proper training. That just goes to show you how fucked up everything was.

By the time I figured out how the fuck to take on the world, I'd already gotten halfway through the damn gym challenge. After four badges, and more than a year of work I'd finally gotten the hang of being on my own in the wild. Even then it still wasn't easy.

You remember how the whole Pokemon Liberation Movement started? No? I'll refresh you then. A creepy motherfucker named Ghestis got himself some weird distortion powers. He twisted some idealistic kid into forming the Pokemon Liberation Movement as a front for his real goal of capturing the gods and using their power to control all of Unova. Of course, we didn't know about any of that at the time. At the time, they seemed like just another environmentalist organization.

I first ran into them back in Accumula, a year before they really made their intentions known. It was a shitty day, and I'd just come out of the Pokemon Centre.

Hilda stepped out of the door in front of me, shooting me the same flirty look she always did. The girl always knew I had a thing for her, and took pleasure in holding that against me every step of the trip to Accumula.

"Cut it out," I said. "There's no point in rubbing it in."

"Course there is." She answered, as sarcastic as ever. "It's fun watching you squirm."

She was right of course. She was always right. She knew that I'd do the same to her if our roles were switched. Which only made it more infuriating.

"You've been after me since you were thirteen," She said. "You'd think that maybe you'd have got the hint after the first twenty rejections." A faint smile tugged at the edges of her mouth, betraying her emotions.

"I'm afraid I don't get hints very well." I joked. "Comes with being a stubborn bastard."

A shout drew her attention, cutting off our conversation. A line of about thirty men had formed in Accumula's town square. They kept waving everyone over, and telling us that they were gonna be making an announcement. At first I thought they were cosmonauts, because of those ridiculous outfits that looked like something out of a bad space-opera. Then Ghestis stepped out from the formation, and I swear he cast some sort of spell on the crowd.

Every single person in that crowd shut right up. All our eyes were on Ghestis, even if we didn't want them to be. He looked right at me, almost as if he knew who I was and what I was going to do. I felt my heart stop beating, and a chill go down my spine. Then he moved on, and I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. The only rational part of my brain was wondering why the man had a sceptre.

He kept at it, studying the crowd for what felt like hours. Then he finally spoke, and I nearly shat my pants right then and there.

"People of Unova!" He called. "Hear me!"

There was something about his voice that made me want to crawl in a hole and cry. I later chalked it up to all the freaky distortion experiments that the crazy fuck performed on himself, but at the time it sounded like the devil itself was speaking to me.

"For too long, pokemon have suffered under our oppression. We use them as tools, fuelling everything from industry to war" He said. His voice wasn't a shout, but somehow it carried over the crowd nonetheless. "No longer! The Pokemon Liberation Movement calls on you. Release your pokemon from their prisons! Set them free! Join us in our war to free pokemon from human oppression!"

I would have turned and run right then and there had Hilda not been beside me. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, and I'd be damned if I left her here. So I did one of the dumbest things I've ever done. Seriously, this is right up there with my trip into a scolipede nest. I stood up to that malevolent bastard.

"No" I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. I don't know to this day how he heard me, but his head whipped around and he looked directly at me. That was the first time I really looked into his eyes. Those glassy greys looked right into your goddamn soul. They fucking stared into your nightmares and kept you up all damn night.

"No?" He asked. "Then may the gods have mercy on your soul." He turned as if to leave, but stopped. "Hell itself will open for you."

I didn't say anything, I physically couldn't. All that man's attention was on me, and it had me frozen to the damn spot. Hilda shifted and it snapped me out of whatever trance I was in. "No." I repeated, my balls growing back. "I will not release my pokemon because it is not imprisoned. It is not a slave, it is a partner."

I sounded brave as shit, despite the quivering of my voice. Vermais and I had been inseparable for almost an entire year, I knew what I was talking about. The stupid oshawott followed me everywhere, even before I'd been given his pokeball. Like it or not, I was stuck with him. We were partners whether I liked it or not. Truthfully, when Juniper had given Hilda and I a pokemon each, Vermais was not my first choice. Originally, I wanted the snivy. Hilda quashed that when she claimed it before I'd even arrived at the lab that morning. So Vermais and I were stuck together.

He took a breath before he spoke, leaving me in silence. "If you say Mr Blake." My heart skipped a few beats as he turned and walked away, followed by the men in their space suits. Everyone in that crowd watched them leave, glued to the spot by whatever aura Ghestis was emitting.

That short conversation became a legend after the fucking castle. I suppose it's not without reason, but it's still creepy when I see myself on the TV screens staring him down. I'll tell you that I looked a hell of a lot braver than I felt. All of it took maybe five minutes maximum, but it felt like hours. Hilda and I didn't really talk to each other after that, we were too shaken up. We just kinda made our way north, knowing that's the way our first gym challenge was waiting.

N Harmonia… To a lot of people he was a saviour. He was a figure of righteousness when people needed one most. The Hero of Ideals, although he wouldn't become that for a long time. When I first met him he was a lost soul. He was searching for some greater purpose to life or something, I don't really remember how he said it. We found him less than half a day after departing Accumula, just staring at the sunset.

Hilda pointed him out, noticing the broody bastard's bright green hair. I'll give it to him, he knew how to get to a lady's heart a hell of a lot faster than I did. Must've been the whole tortured soul vibe he gave off. And hey, after what he went through he deserved a little companionship. Only one problem, Hilda was my girl. She was my friend, and I'd be damned if I let some green haired shit worm his way into her heart.

"What's a person like you doing out here alone?" She asked. "Couldn't find a friend to come with you?"

He spun around clearly startled. The purrloin he had been lavishing attention on arched its back and hissed at me, completely ignoring everyone else. He studied it for a moment before raising an eyebrow at me. "He doesn't like you. Odd."

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Maybe he's got bad taste?" I was damn cocky back then, and I wasn't gonna let this green haired pretty boy upstage me in front of Hilda.

He shook his head, frowning. "No, he says…" He trailed off, looking into my eyes. "You have a path to walk."

"The fuck does that mean?" I asked.

He completely ignored me, instead looking up and down my person. His eyes dropped to my waist, finding my pair of pokeballs. "Are you a trainer?" He asked, suddenly changing the subject. "If so, I would like to battle you."

I smiled ever so slightly, confidence swelling. "Damn right I am. One-on-one, unrestricted until we're out?"

He paused, considering my request. Then he nodded, revealing the trio of balls at his belt. He looked at Hilda and smiled. "Care to officiate for us?" He asked.

She nodded, taking her place as I took my own. "The battle between Hilbert Blake and…" She paused, not knowing his name.

"N Harmonia!" He called, filling in his name for her.

"R-Right." She stuttered. "The battle will last until either of the participants have run out of pokemon. There will be no substitutions, and withdrawal of a pokemon will signify its defeat." She paused, looking at me nervously. I shot her a confident grin, getting a smile out of her. "May the best trainer win." She said, and I steeled myself for the battle.

To this day, I'm still proud of the showing my pokemon put in. That was my first official trainer battle, and it's a miracle N didn't wipe the floor with me in his first few moves. I hefted my first pokeball, as did N. "Front and centre, Shepard!" My little lillipup appeared, growling across the field at the lillipup that N had released.

Hilda looked back and forth at us. "Begin!" She shouted.

N didn't move, didn't say anything, and his lillipup had Shep on his side. It's jaws clamped down on Shep's leg and I winced in pain. I'd been on the receiving end of Shep's bite when I caught him, and I knew that had to hurt. Shep squealed, the first acknowledgement of pain that I'd heard from the pokemon since I'd caught it three days earlier. He flailed wildly, trying to right himself but failing.

"Shep, roll free." I ordered, trying not to panic, scrambling to think of a strategy that my newly caught pokemon might understand. My brave little pokemon rolled, pulling the lillipup with it. It released Shep's leg and launched itself at my pokemon without an order from N. Shep puffed out his chest and braced himself against the tackle. The pokemon collided in a swirl of flashing teeth.

I shouted frantically, rapidly losing control of the flow of the battle. My little Shep went on the offensive for me, beating the lillipup back. He tackled it repeatedly, forcing it deeper into N's half of the field. Then, the unthinkable happened. N's lillipup moved faster than I had thought possible, leaping on Shep's back. It's jaws clamped onto the base of Shep's neck, and twisted its head, driving Shep into the dirt.

"Return him!" N shouted. "He cannot win, there is no point in continuing his battle."

I ignored him, shouting an order to attack. Shep couldn't move, couldn't fight back. N was right, Shep was beaten. I just couldn't accept it so easily. N's lillipup twisted its head again, tearing a chunk of flesh free and coating itself in a spurt of Shep's blood.

"Return him now. I will not warn you again."

I held up my ball, returning my wounded lillipup to his ball. His lillipup licked its chops clean of Shep's blood and sat back on its haunches. I signalled Hilda for a timeout, nearly breaking down.

"There is no shame in surrender." He said innocently. "Especially if it is done to save those in your service."

I didn't say anything, just lifted my remaining ball and silently hoped that I wouldn't need to forfeit the battle entirely. "Vermais! Report!" The little blue pokemon appeared, planting its feet in the dirt. My starter, my proud little soldier knew that tone all too well. He stared down the lillipup, fury not suiting his awkward form.

My awkward little soldier didn't question the somber look on my face, or the grim expression Hilda was sporting. He spat a jet of water into the dirt and I could tell that he was ready to fight.

"Onwards then?" N mused, more to himself than to me. "Very well, your move."

I wasted no time, ordering my oshawott forwards. It dashed forward, met by the charging lillipup. Vermais swung his round head, using it as a battering ram to beat the lillipup back. Vermais and I had worked together for well over a year at that point, so I knew what was coming when he backed off and let the lillipup regain control of the field.

The lillipup darted forward, attempting to seize the opening that Vermais had given it. Vermais drew back his head and spat a jet of water directly into the lillipup's face. It doesn't sound like much, but I'd seen Vermais crack open boldore with the same move. I knew that that lillipup was feeling a whole hell of a lot of pain right now, and I was completely fine with that.

I ordered Vermais forward again, cursing that lillipup with every other word. Vermais beat the lillipup into the ground with his head, then drew back to blast it with a jet of water again. Before he could deliver the blow, a flash of red light sucked the lillipup back into its ball. Vermais glared at N, furious that his quarry had been stolen from him.

I couldn't smile, no matter how satisfied I was with Vermais' victory. I was still angry that he'd beaten Shep so badly all just to teach me a lesson.

That green haired prick just smiled at me. "Your oshawott is very well trained." He said, no hint of malice in his voice. He paused, listening to the series of growls that my Vermais emitted. He laughed. "And very vulgar too. Did you teach him that language?"

I broke into a grin, despite the situation. I didn't know how the bastard could understand Vermais, but I was glad that the little oshawott had picked up on some of my more colourful language. It seemed that I was rubbing off on my partner.

N brandished his second ball, and released a patrat. My grin practically tore itself off my face. Vermais had been professor Juniper's best exterminator since he had been old enough to fight, and as young as our journey was he'd gotten so much stronger since we'd left home. Patrat were nothing to him, not even a nuisance.

"Vermais…" I started. "Tear it to pieces."

My oshawott grinned evilly at the prospect. N's patrat opened the battle, rushing towards Vermais. Vermais simply drew his head back and blasted the patrat with a jet of water. N returned it quickly, robbing me of another chance at returning N's beating.

"Backing down?" I asked tauntingly.

"Simply withdrawing from a hopeless battle." He answered calmly. "My patrat had no chance at victory. Forcing it to continue fighting would have been cruel."

Oh, that got my blood boiling alright. I knew an insult when I heard one, especially when it was veiled under words like those. "No battle is hopeless." I said, barely stopping my hands from shaking. I had to believe that, you understand. I'd just let my pokemon get beaten within an inch of its life because I was too stubborn to swallow my pride.

At the time, I was still angry. I thought that Vermais was invincible. I couldn't have been more wrong. N sent out that purrloin, and I thought I had another easy victory. You'll understand if I don't want to recount that particular fight. It's still painful for me. Vermais too. You'll never get the proud bastard to admit that a purrloin kicked his ass so bad that I had to carry him back to Accumula in his ball.

I recalled Vermais, pride and pokemon wounded. N, the smug bastard that he was, smiled at me. "Good." He said. "I hope you've learned your lesson. I take no pleasure in inflicting pain on pokemon who are only servants to their master's will. It pains me to battle, but sometimes the pain is a necessary evil." He looked at me, and frowned. "Do you think that in doing good it is sometimes necessary to do evil?"

I raised an eyebrow at him, and didn't answer.

"I suppose you haven't given it much thought" he said. "I do hope that we meet again. Perhaps you will have the answer to my question when we do." He recalled the purrloin, and with a curt smile to Hilda he strode away.

Hilda came back to me, knowing my pride was wounded. "You ok?" She asked cautiously.

"We need to heal him." I said, ignoring her question.

She nodded and looked back towards Accumula. "We can be there before sunset if we hurry."

I turned to face her, wearing a weak smile. "We better get going then. The sooner he's healed, the sooner he can go back to the wild."

That shocked her. She knew how much capturing Shep had meant to me. She knew that it was proof to myself that I could be a trainer. I expected her to try to change my mind. To talk me out of it. I guess Ghestis had gotten through to her, because she didn't say a word on the walk back to Accumula. Neither of us did.

Hello everyone, and welcome to Edge of a Revolution. This is intended to be a fic that bridges the gap between Shattered Thrones and its sequel, while telling its own separate story. I'm still looking for a beta for both this and Shattered Thrones, so if you'd like to apply please just send me a pm or drop a review.

On a different note, I have opened a forum on my profile page to serve as a codex for this universe. None of it will be essential reading, and it's just to provide more depth to the world

Hope you guys and gals enjoyed the first chapter, have an amazing day!

UPDATE: I've re-written this chapter because I felt like I rushed it out. The issues that Farla pointed out have been changed, mostly how the battle with N played out. I completely felt like I whiffed on his character and hopefully the re-write is closer to what I was going for.