Good morning/day/noon/afternoon/evening/night, ladies and genst! Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Almost a year, actually, since I last upfated my story, Absolution. In retrospect, I could have been a much better writer in that regard. But as my academic aspirations grew my writing passion diminished and so I was left with a lack of will to continue the story that I now wish to continue. But not quite yet, as I have another story in mind.

Those who took a liking to Absolution and its characters and story (or however much of it was brought forth) will be glad to know that I plan on making the characters of this story just as, if not more, memorable. My writing has also taken a great upward spike in quality, as I have practiced on a game project I have been brewing up in my mind for a good half a year. But that story is not for this site, as I wish to dedicate this account to Pokémon!

Pokémon has always been a great passion of mine. But what I love about the series isn't the human characters' input, it's the Pokémon, as I'm sure the majority of the fan base thinks as well. Well, inspired by the loads of Mystery Dungeon fanfics I've been reading recently, I have found a new road of writing. One that I feel I would gladly walk until my feet, of fingers, rather, bleed. And so, I wish that you all bear with me as I put off the continue of Absolution as I usher forth the birth of Slayer of Gods!

Chapter 1: Rosedale Town

Narration

"Talking"

Thinking/Memories/Flashbacks

Emphasis

Super Emphasis

Super-duper-emphasis

"... Free us of his will, for we have no place in Hell. Just and mighty he is, with him we wish not dwell. In you we trust to keep us safe, to keep us from all harm. Thy heart will carry all our sins, you offer us your arm. Forgive us our weakness, for we don't know strength. But by thy command can mountains, wills and all Hell be bent. We ask you to salvage our poor, pain-filled souls. We love you, our God and lord, let thy word be told."

... Those lyrics played again and again in his head as he sat in his large, comfy, mauve arm chair whose back was over-sized for such a small little creature. He bore a fancy, amaranth dress suit and shiny, prussian shoes. On his fingers glistened many, expensive-looking rings made of various precious metals such as gold, silver and even platinum, with diamond jewels to cherry the top. He held a half-full glass of red wine in his hand, slowly moving it around in a circle motion, bringing out the wine's aroma. He took a whiff, approved and took a sip, savoring its taste, and then he spat the wine into the fireplace, earning a satisfying hiss from the warm, comforting flames. He smirked, placing the glass on a nightstand next to his chair and clapped. This brought a very fetching female Pokémon in the room, dressed in a viridian dress. She was a Servine, carried a smirk typical of her species, and sat down gracefully on her husband's lap. They didn't meet each other's eyes, they didn't indulge in each other's company, and they didn't so much as greet each other. His hand snaked down her waist, stroking it gently. He finally, after what seemed like a half hour, turned his head to her and asked one question.

"Da'lin', how would you like if your precious ruled this 'ere world? You always were one for the powerful, weren't you?" His voice was raspy yet malicious, sounding like multiple voices were speaking at once. But the Servine grinned, staring her husband straight in the eye, the one eye he had left, and spoke.

"Dear Marlo, I would looooove nothing more." Her eyes had a sort of spiral shape to them, almost as if she was… Hypnotizing Marlo, who simply nodded and responded briefly.

"Well, then ma' dear Asper, tha'll be what you get. I'll make 'em pay for me lost eye, your sufferin' AND all they did to me work. Together, me love… We'll make 'em bow in fear." He cackled malevolently, joined by his wife's much more pleasant, albeit just as evil, bell chime of a laughter. Sometimes Marlo wondered how something so pretty in so many ways could also be so evil. But he didn't complain, oh no! Far from it, as one might imagine. The mansion they occupied echoed with laughter and cackle until midnight…

A lone Umbreon strode on the bank of a fast-flowing river, keeping his eyes peeled on the reflection of the moon the river cast. Umbreon have always been associated with the moon, but this particular specimen was always a bit more fascinated by it than the others. Not that he would know, he had never met another Umbreon, much less another Eeveelution. And as much as he would have like to be as lone as I said he was, the moment was soon bashed apart by…

"Hey! Umbra! Why would you walk off like that? It's rude, ya know, disappearing like that? Well, you do it all the time but it doesn't change the fact that you could get mauled by Rattata any second! Ooh, ooh! Or be taken away by a flock of Fletchling! Or, or, or even be eaten by land-drawn Carvanhas!" His talkative co-traveler, Maya the Kirlia. She and Umbra had traveled together since they were just Eevee and Ralts.

Maya in particular had always had a fascination towards Umbra, especially in his name. She had always said that there was really only one option when deciding what to evolve into because of his name. She said his parents must have been real control freaks if they had given their son such a limiting name. Until she found out about Umbra's past, that is. Nowadays that's the one topic she doesn't touch. Ever. And it's a good thing, too, since otherwise she'd have one more topic to talk about. Most of the time she would just remind Umbra of how he was so drastically different as an Eevee compared to what he is now.

"… And what's the big idea with those rings of yours? I've never seen an Umbreon but I don't think they're supposed to have that kind of ring design! Don't get me wrong, they're flippin' awesome but don't you feel all different and awkward when someone stares at you and…" She went on and on, getting no real acknowledgement from Umbra himself, who was too busy trying to blot out her irritating chatter by focusing on the moon. But even that was soon cut short when Maya got in his face.

"Hey! Are you even listening to me?" She crossed her arms and pouted, knowing full well that he wasn't. Umbra stuttered, not used to being put on the spot like this.

"Um… Well, I… I suppose I… I wasn't?" He blushed, but instead of his face turning red, it turned blue. A little special tidbit about shiny Umbreon, which Umbra was a representative of. Maya turned her back to him, obviously offended by her friend not listening to her when she was talking about extremely interesting topics. Umbra's ears drooped and he forced out an apology.

"I'm… I'm sorry, Maya. Ok? Just… Please stop this. I can't bear seeing you mad." Maya turned around, her face free of all negativity, smiling friendlily at Umbra, closing him in a tight snuggle.

"Ooooooh, how could I be mad at you? You're so fluffy and cute and adorable and I just want to put you in my pocket and feed you poffins and-"She was cut off by Umbra's struggling and pleas for air.

"Please… Maya, I need… Air…" She released him, smiling sheepishly at him, clearly apologetic for her little outburst of gushing. Umbra returned the smile, though, and they pushed on. The night had already fallen, as the aforementioned moon already implied, and the two were determined to find shelter for the night. Five consecutive nights in the woods under constant danger a lá wild Pokémon was not a very fetching thought. They had endured four, but they weren't eager to try their luck any further. Just as Umbra was about to give up, Maya spotted small spots of light in the distance.

"HEY! Look, Umbra! Light! There's light over there," She pointed at the opposite side of the river, seeing multiple sources of light, most likely being cast by open windows of a small riverbank town, "I'm sure they'll let us stay for the night if we ask them reeeeeeally nicely!" Umbra concurred, glad they had found a small glimmer of hope of a safe night's rest. They sped off in the town's direction and arrived at its gates in no time, thanks to a nearby bridge. Maya knocked on the large, wooden gates and soon enough a nigh guard arrived to open them. He looked at the young travelers.

"Name and business, both of you," he said with a visible, and audible, yawn. He held a spear twice his size and was wearing flimsy armor, probably thrown together with some duct tape and good faith. Having perfect eyesight in the dark, Umbra saw the face of a Riolu. He examined it further, noticing fresh, small scars on his cheeks. This town was under attack recently, Umbra mused. Maya was already stating way more than the guard had asked.

"… And we came from the West to find Umbra's sister and he is super pissed about her running away because he wuves her so much that I just couldn't bear to see him go alone and so I had to come along and-"she was once again cut off, this time by the guard holding his head, seemingly suffering from a headache caused by too much chatter.

"Stop, just… Just stop. Geez, for such a pretty voice you sure get on a guy's nerves quickly." She pouted at his comment, sticking her tongue out playfully. The Riolu rubbed the back of his head nervously and then turned to Umbra, who stiffened, hoping he hadn't noticed him scrutinizing him with his glowing red eyes, which were basically the only visible indication of him being there by that point.

"So… I take it you're Umbra, then? Your friend here told me that five times over. If you're traveling with her, you have my condolences. So what are you guys doing here this late?" He ignored Maya being offended by his comment on her insufferability, which she soon stopped after realizing he didn't pay attention to it.

"We're looking for shelter. We're just travelers who are looking for an… Acquaintance, I'll say. I wouldn't wish to reveal more than that. It's a personal matter, you see?" The Riolu nodded and Umbra sighed in relief, glad that Maya had given him a headache to block out all the information she had been spouting.

"Alright, I believe you. It's not like I could send you guys off into the cold night, I'd be heartless to do so. And this world has enough of those kinds of Pokémon, believe me. Just the ones who uphold this town are enough. I swear, the taxes just keep on getting stiffer and stiffer with every passing check I get…" the Riolu digressed. Then he shook his head to return to the moment and put on a friendly face.

"Welcome to Rosedale Town. I'm Scion. I'm one of the night guards of this place, as you probably already figured. Come in, come in! Don't want a Noctowl to just swoop in and snatch one of you, am I right? Yeah, I am. I think I'm right." Umbra and Maya followed Scion inside the borders of the town, indicated clearly by the thick logs creating a wall-like perimeter around it. When they passed through the town square, Umbra took glances here and there, analyzing the shops and facilities around him. Groceries, wares, weapons, a blacksmith's, and even a bank and a dojo. Umbra was impressed by what these people called "a town". Back where he came from a town was literally a small cluster of houses where one person kept a food stock. This was a big city in comparison.

They arrived at a small, inconspicuous house that Scion opened the door to and gestured them to enter. Maya was the first to oblige, Umbra following shortly and Scion, who closed the door, sighed with relief, the kind when you come home from a day of work that got extended WAY beyond your normal working hours. He shed the armor and hung it on a makeshift stand along with his spear, which he fumbled with and accidentally with his head with twice before setting it against the stand. He turned around, earning a puzzling gasp from Maya. Both Scion and Umbra turned to her in bewilderment.

"Ohmigosh! You have a gi-GANTIC wound on your chest!" She pointed at a medium-sized gash on Scion's chest that had small trails of blood flowing out of it. Scion shrugged at it.

"Meh, I have a high pain threshold. It'll heal with time, if I have any." But Maya would not have it. She may have been chatty but she was also the kindest person you would ever meet, even to those who threatened her, which got her in quite a lot of trouble. She grabbed Scion's wrist, dragged him to the couch and laid him on his back. He tried to get up but she forced him to stay down with her psychic power.

"Don't move. I'll take care of it," she said, talking now in a very soothing, comforting voice, a total contrast to her usual, frantic and slightly maniacal tone. Scion did not resist further, quite appreciative of her even trying to provide help with his battle wounds, as he was certain he would receive more shortly. So he let Maya work, closing his eyes and rather enjoying the calming feel of her Heal Pulse. Soon enough, he was back in prime shape. He leapt up off the couch and stretched his body, unknowingly showing his toned torso, earning him a rather… Flattering look from Maya, but he paid no mind to it as he was too tired to care about anything other than rest, and so was Umbra. They both yawned and Scion led Umbra to his room, the Maya to hers and then went to bed himself. Maya huffed and crossed her arms. "Boys…" She sighed and slumped down on the bed, soon drifting to sleep. But Umbra… He didn't catch sleep… Yet.

Umbra thought about the last few days, from the day "she" ran away from town, how he was about to set out to find "her" by himself, how Maya had gone crazy and had forced him to take her with him, how he had come to not regret the decision as much as he had imagined, how they had survived this long and how they were suddenly being hosted by a foreign Riolu who knew next to nothing about them. Umbra remembered Scion's face and how it was filled with scars. He had figured the village had been under attack recently, and Scion's mention of having a high pain threshold supported his argument. How else would he have gotten those scars? Especially the big one in his chest that Maya had healed. He would have to ask Scion about that tomorrow. For now, he was… He was… Oh, curse you, fatigue…

Umbra yawned and fell asleep, the stress and strain of these last few days having built up on him and finally having reached a point of exhaustion he could no longer bear. He snoozed peacefully, for once sleeping without being plagued by one of those nightmares Darklings were notorious of having. You know the one: blank background, pressure all around, shadows lurking around you, some evil entity trying to lure you into temptation and power that would ultimately lead to you murdering your loved ones… For once, Umbra didn't have to deal with that nightmare. For once, he could sleep in peace.

Morning came, and with it came the brilliant shine of the first beams of sunlight. They cast themselves through a mansion window, bathing the room's inhabitant with near-heavenly light. He grunted in aggravation and closed the silky, fuchsia curtains with an audible sigh. He was a scrawny little Pokémon, barely the height of his own bed. His cloth-like arms hung in front of him, almost like a zombie's and his zipper-like mouth curved into a frown. With an echoic voice, almost like multiple people were talking at once, he yawned, stretching his cloth-like body, but being a ghost, received no response from it.

"Heh, I don't know why I even try. The solids have it so much easier. That satisfying pop from your spine when you stretch… Oh, how I miss that. Oh well, off to break-", he was cut off as the door of his room was opened and a tall, slender Servine walked in with a full tray of breakfast. She spoke with a voice akin to a bell chime, a voice pure enough for a saint or even a goddess.

"Good morning, my love. Here's your breakfast in bed~", she chimed and set the tray on the bed, lifting her husband and placing him back on it as well. He frowned slightly.

"I can take care of my own breakfast, you know? Just because I'm a ghost doesn't mean I can't-", he was cut off again by a spoon feeding him delicious, oh-so-delicious yoghurt. The Servine looked her husband in the eye and suddenly his struggling seized. He sat there, seemingly satisfied, letting his wife feed him, wipe his mouth and clean up.

"Uh uh uh, honey. You ought to be more grateful for everything I'm doing for you. Nowadays women like me are hard to come by. All the females are about equality nowadays. Me, personally? I prefer to do everything as long as my dear husband does what I tell him to. Now please, if you would fill out these forms, please?" She dropped a large pile of papers on his desk, humming cheerily and was about to leave the room, but her husband spoke once more.

"But darlin', I can't just sit around the house doing nothing, can I?" His question seemed to anger her. She approached the bed, picked him up and looked him straight in the eye.

"Now, you listen here, you paltry Banette! You are to losten to me, not yourself!" Her eyes had a sort of spiral motion to them, which soon appeared in the Banette's eye as well. "You will do as I say, do I make myself clear?" Her voice had lost all softness and had now adopted a more aggressive tone, one you take when you command a disobedient subordinate. The Banette nodded, almost like he was forced to.

"Y-yes… Mistress Asper", he muttered, now floating towards the pile of papers. He sat down, picked up a pen and started writing, his face carrying almost an empty expression. Asper, the Servine, smirked and moved a stray strand of her hair aside. She was back to her elegant demeanor.

"Good boy. Now, don't work your hand off, dear Marlo. You'll need them in the future. Oh, and don't forget you'll be appearing later today~", she chimed and sauntered out of the room, slamming the door behind her. The Banette, Marlo, kept on writing.

"Yes… Mistress Asper…"

So how was the first chapter of Slayer of Gods? I like to think it was pretty good, especially compared to my previous writing. Ooh, I'm getting excited! I have a lot planned for these characters and this story, so I suggest you stay tuned!

Lonely Riolu