EDIT: So I'm looking through the chapters and fixing any (and hopefully all) grammar errors I find. The overall content is still the same, but there may be additions here and there. Enjoy!

All right! This is the prologue of the PMD fic. I originally planned for it to be PMD3, but the game was then released. So...oh well. This is set in a different place; ie not from the previous games.

Me: anyone wants' to do the disclaimer?

Keldeo: I'll do it! Omega Zekrom does not own pokemon in any way, other than the games she already has! *bows*

-Bruma Forest-

I can sense your fear!

"Nononono…" A blue figure, a Keldeo, darted past numerous charred trees, his hooves dug up the soft loamy soil underfoot. The red fur on his head whipped back in the wind while his blue tail trailed back almost horizontally as he ran. Roaring blue flames surrounded him, hounding him.

All shall fall…

He remembered the dark shadow, tattered wings trailing behind him. Flame after billowing flame erupted from its gaping maw. Anything the ghostly flames touched burned into a dirty black ash, leaving a curious glistening black substance behind. The Keldeo leapt over an overgrown gully and weaved between trees. Branches whipped at his face.

"Aaah!" He tripped over a hidden rock, and for a moment all he could feel beneath his hooves was air. Thankfully he quickly regained his balance, just in time to avoid a dark blast of energy.

To the devouring…

He had watched helplessly as the rogue deity burned his village to wind-blown ashes. Their wavering screams had been the last thing he had heard. Only their jet-black hooves remained, miraculously left behind. Right before it attacked, the cacophony of forest sounds which normally rang out had immediately cease. Everyone could sense the impending danger.

Flame!

A speeding jet shot down from the sky, searing through the air with a piercing wail. Keldeo leapt to his side, narrowly missing the ghostly flames that already surrounded him. They seemed to grow sharp teeth, fangs and claws, howling like a large undulating pack of Houndooms. Their eyes glowed like miniature suns, deep-set in their burning skulls, glowing with the thrill of the hunt. They hounded him relentlessly towards the craggy mountain range which surrounded his home forest.

A string of vehement curses floated down from the sky. Thunder rumbled as a thick curtain of dark grey clouds knitted themselves together, hanging ominously over the forest. A shard of crackling lightning momentarily lit up everything in blinding white, illuminating the darkening sky, as well as the colossal being hovering in it. Curved half-moon bands circled its neck and legs. Six stumpy legs stretched out from beneath its light grey body, golden claws honed to the point of cutting stone. A curved head crest lay on its forehead, shadowing deep-set blood red eyes which nestled in swaths of darkness, glowing like rubies. Tiny pinpricks of black seemed to suck in all the light around them. Ragged wings stretched out from its sides, motionless as if its great bulk was not held up by the shadowy wings, but by the very air itself. Crimson claws tipped the wings, the exact same shade as the malevolent eyes which were staring at Keldeo.

"No…No!" Giratina swooped down, mouth agape. Wisps of blue started to gather around its mouth and swirled into a vortex. Small cobalt sparks formed around the blue and white vortex, and were absorbed by the swirl of energy. Growing in strength, it pulsed like a living thing, causing the trees surrounding Keldeo to rustle and bend their crowns towards it, sucked inwards by the sheer pressure. Shrieking, it expanded and filled the space between the Renegade Pokemon's horns, pulsing again before shooting outwards with a growling roar.

Griseous Flame!

Keldeo raised a hoofed foot in front oh his face, eyes wide with fear, his cream body trembling beneath the immense ball of flames. Even now his sense of duty was stronger than the fear which had him trembling like a newborn. Whispering quiet prayers to the First Guardian, the first Keldeo to take on the responsibility of looking after Shimmering Spring, he straightened and stared at the hungry fire.

"We stand tall, as Rangers! Sacred Sword!"

A blinding white arc curved out of the trees, crashing into the Griseous Flame with an explosive force. The sphere caved in and imploded, swallowed by its own strength. An aqua blue figure landed nimbly on the ground in front of Keldeo, while a two other Pokemon, green and grey, galloped and stopped beside him, standing in a protective arc.

"Giratina! Why do you come to our world? What purpose do you have here in the land of the living?" the blue figure questioned the hulking titan, fixing it with a commanding glare which would have reduced most Pokemon to quivering wrecks. However the Renegade Pokemon did not even seem to acknowledge the challenge. The tuft of white fur on his chest puffed up in anger. Two slightly twisted yellow horns protruded from his forehead. The quadruped on his left had light green fur, with long horizontal horns stretching from her leaf green skull, ending in dull points and pink tipped leaves flicked silently on both sides of her neck. Her long lean legs ended in a grey hoof. The third Pokemon, on the right, had smooth slate grey fur, with amber eyes which glowed with fury. Thick angular brown horns the colour of loamy soil jutted out from his dark forehead. He huffed quietly, muscular legs sinking into a stout battle stance and pointed his sharp horns forwards, their tips glinting with dew and sweat. Keldeo stifled a gasp behind them. These were the Sacred Swordsmen: Terakion and Virizion, along with their leader Cobalion. They were the sworn protectors of the many Pokemon who lived in this world, and were revered by many to be their saviors during the Midnight War.

"You of all Pokemon should know. You were there during the battle when Dusk and Dawn clashed. You fought for what you believed in; for what you thought was justice. When the battle ended, all you could think of was the damage done to the land. You did not see the true result of that battle. However, I, along with those who did not wish to choose sides, did." Giratina screeched, its eyes shone with rage.

"I thought only those who lived in the land of light would perish, leaving me to pick up their scattered remains back in my realm. Yet as the battle wore on, the large influx of energy created had no where to go, and chose to surge into my world, my domain, creating a chocking haze which fouled my home.

"You think you are the ones who were wronged that day, you think you were the ones who suffered the greatest loss. Lies!" The enraged titan's voice rose to an ear-splitting crescendo. But suddenly, its voice softened, and took on a cold and menacing edge.

"The general proposed a deal. And this time, I accepted it." A dark purple energy sifted out of the ground and pulled itself away from the shadows of the trees, shimmering like a morning mist. Stretching up, the energy engulfed Giratina in an evil aura, wrapping him in the darkness.

"I'll tell you what I want! I want revenge! Revenge for all you have done to me! Revenge for the deeds and the oath which have kept me anchored in my home! Revenge on those who seek destruction!" The energy darkened and swirled, covering Giratina in a sphere of shadows. Its body lengthened, the six legs on either side of its torso stretched out and narrowed into giant spikes, tipped with gold. Its tattered wings split apart into six tentacles, with small red, barbed claws tipping each 'wing'. The curved horns on its head formed mandible-like jaws, the edges of which jutted out of the sphere of energy.

"Griseous Flame!" Again, the sparks of pure blue and white ignited between its jaws. However, the vortex seemed to grow continuously. Larger, larger, larger…!

"HURRY!" Virizion bumped Keldeo back, a leaf green light glowing on her forehead. "There's a cave across the lake." The Colt Pokemon spun around and galloped towards the lake. Behind him, a burning shockwave spread out, almost knocking Keldeo off his feet. As the trees opened to form the shore, he saw the sparkling lake stretch out in front of him. Leaping high, he somersaulted onto the lake surface. Yet instead of sinking, crystal clear water shot out from his hooves, countering his weight. Exhilaration swept through his whole being. Being a Keldeo had its ups and downs, but walking on water? A definite pro.

Turning back, it caught a glimpse of a deer-like Pokemon nimbly weaving in and out of the trees, while Terakion, brutish in appearance, had his head down and charged forward, kicking up a cloud of dust like a rampaging bull. But the Iron Will Pokemon was nowhere to be seen. Looking down, he saw schools of water-type Pokemon surge forward in a dense shoal, regardless of species. Red-stripe Basculin swam beside their hated Blue-stripe counterparts without flashing so much as a hatred filled glare at each other. Carvanha from the many packs which staked claim to separate sections of the lake and its tributaries mixed with one another, along with Sharpedo and many, many more Pokemon.

A strange chill swept through Keldeo. It felt as if malevolent eyes were boring into his back. Risking a hasty glance behind, Keldeo almost stumbled in mid-stride. Sweeping low, the Renegade Pokemon chased after the fleeing forest-dwellers. A cloak of all consuming darkness consisting of the ghost types Giratina had brought with it to attack the forest trailed behind it.

Just in the nick of time - thank Arceus – the cavern mouth yawned open a distance in front. Inside, Cobalion stood rigid like a statue, his gaze staring defiantly at the mass of darkness rising up over the horizon like a black tsunami. Virizion darted in, her swift feet bringing her right to the back of the tunnel, followed by Keldeo. Terakion trundled in as well but swerved around and halted just inside of the cave mouth.

"It's ready!" Cobalion nodded solemnly.

"Go now last Guardian. Run like the north wind to the back of the cave. No matter what you might hear, continue. We will hold the Titan off for your sake, and for the sake of the world."

"But what about you?" Keldeo hesitated; he did not want to abandon his last remaining link to his home.

Cobalion almost smiled. "We have our own ways young colt. Go! Quickly! We shall buy you as much time as is possible!" Nodding, Keldeo galloped into the pitch black darkness. Just as his footsteps faded, Giratina reached the cave mouth. "This is between you and me, Traitor!" Giratina's eyes glowed even brighter.

"You can't stop the flow of time fool! Few have the power to turn back the tide, but none have the strength to hold it in-"

"Earthquake!" Terakion chose that moment to rear up on his hind legs and smash his full weight onto the rocky ground. Large fissures spread out from underneath him, branching out towards Giratina. The Cavern Pokemon smirked when he saw the Renegade Pokemon's pupils widen in disbelief. Stalactites and the cave ceiling in general shuddered and fell in large chunks, right onto its skull. Screeching, it quickly disintegrated into rolling shadows and evaded the attack, yet also forced to retreat out of the cave.

Keldeo ran on, dripping stalactites and metre tall stalagmites whizzing past him. A distance in front, Virizion stood in front of a swirling whirlpool of white light, mysteriously formed in the middle of a roughly circular rock formation. The suction of the vortex caused the fur on her back to stand and stretch towards the swirl despite her standing a distance away. "A friend of Pokemon once used this very passage to escape from the enemy which was chasing him. We never saw nor heard from him ever again. If luck is with us, we will see the young Guardian soon, too soon…" Virizion mumbled to no one in particular, Shaking her leaf green fur, she nodded towards the vortex. "This is one of several energy springs, the second type which was never mentioned in your studies. Like the evolutionary springs, this is a place where the threads of life lie thick, overlapping one another, all of them linking back to the Original One's realm. They shall guide you brave soul, but how they carry out their purpose will depend on the path you take – and your destiny." Sighing slightly, the Grassland Pokemon locked gazes with Keldeo, her amber eyes staring right into his dark blue ones. "Farewell."

Keldeo lowered his head in silent respect, then galloped into the massive swirl of energy. It felt as if he was walking on air. Surprisingly, he could not feel the suction which had affected Virizion. Flashes of long, cord-like substances caught his attention, but when he turned to look at them properly, they had disappeared – merged back into the wall of the passage.

A faint itch started at his hooves, then rose up to his back. Keldeo tossed his mane uncomfortably, but ignored it. But when the tingling increased in intensity to something akin to needles poking at his flesh, he huffed and whimpered quietly, yet he still struggled forwards.

Tendrils of energy rose out of the passage wall and slammed into him with the force of a rampaging Tauros. Keldeo sighed, the last breath of air in his lungs expelled quickly and painlessly. Slumping to the ground, the Colt Pokemon closed his eyes as the world faded into a dark, empty black.

Alright! End of the prologue. Keldeo won't appear for awhile yet, but he will play an important part in the overall story.

Oh good Arceus, hints are raining down already. I gave the Sacred Swordsmen genders, but not Giratina for a reason. I also know Giratina isn't some lord of destruction. I know that. That's all from me. I'm accepting OCs.

EDIT: The OC template can be found at topic/116658/96960316/1/#96960316 Just remember to add the normal ffn stuff in front of it. Aternatively, you can check my profile, or search for the OC submission station.

This was beta'd by mangaaddict26. I'm still looking for a storyline beta who knows his/her/its (just kidding) stuff though. R&R guys.