PROLOGUE: an untold history

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Long ago, when the world was still simple and unspoiled, there lived two brothers on the Unovan continent. Back then it was not called by such a name, for it had no ruler. People and pokémon alike wanted to claim the land as their own and war raged. Those were the days when the seeds of turmoil where first sown to the ground.

In those times, when the two brothers were born the world shook and stone crumbled, for they were the men of the legends—they would change the world. These brothers grew older, wiser and stronger and where ever they went, they were followed by the dragon that had recognized them as his equals.

Together the brothers appeased the warring peoples and united the land. Pleased by the unity that flourished, they gave it a name that would remind the people of the way it should always be. But although it seemed like peace had finally been reached, a shadow of a doubt crept into the brothers' minds. They began to resent each other, holding only themselves high enough to hold rule of the land they had both helped prosper.

A terrifying battle begun as the brothers clashed. In their attempt to force the other into submission they both turned to their ever as loyal dragon partner. In his indecision and hesitation to side with either one this magnificent dragon split its soul into two. The newborn dragons fought for many a year until the brothers finally realized that a conclusion could never be reached, for the dragons were once one and the same.

Upon coming to this stale-mate, they once more turned their interest into rebuilding harmony amongst the Unovan people. The era of peace was short lived for, as soon as time took them, their sons once more resumed the quarrel of their fathers'. In their arrogance brought on by their youth they did not realize that the dragons, which their fathers had controlled, did not as willingly listen to them and they had grown far too weary of battle to eagerly accept the commands of their new masters.

In a flurry of lightning and flame the creatures of old turned upon the men and the whole of the Unovan continent, leaving but havoc and destruction in their leave. This catastrophe that had befallen the people of Unova helped them realize how foolish it had been to fight against each other. The two dragons that had originally been one disappeared into the mists of time while the Unovans built their land with the laws of unity in the minds.

Peace, it seemed, had been restored once and for all. For as long as three thousand years the land was filled with prosperity and happiness. During this time of idleness the people came up with the notion of battling pokémon. In the beginning it served as a remainder, a warning of what would come out of mindless violence, though neither the pokémon nor the ones that guided them would be hurt in these show-offs. As time passed the people forgot the true meaning of the act and battling became a mere form of amusement.

Enraged by this cruel pleasure, a group of people rose above the masses to right what was wrong. By then the dragons that had once brought wonder and fright to the land were nothing but a myth in the tales of old folk, which is why it came as a shock when one of the dragons returned after all that time.

Lead by a young hero the dragon helped once more to unite not only the Unovan people, but the whole world, under the govern of this group that so strongly disapproved of hurting pokémon with meaningless battles. For a few years all was indeed well. The hero and the seven sages lead the world to an era, where no pokémon was used as a tool for the humans' selfish needs, but were instead regarded as friends—equals.

Then, as suddenly as lightning strikes, darkness took hold of the young hero's heart and he seized power from the sages, forcing them underneath his reign. With that began the weary days for the world of men and pokémon. In order to strengthen his rule the hero surrounded himself with his loyal followers and formed the Capitol of the five regions of Unova, Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh and Hoenn, now rendered to being called simply districts. The Capitol would serve as his seat of power and the purpose of the districts surrounding it was to serve its needs.

Excluding the strongly supervised farms and other such establishments preserved by the Capitol, pokémon and people were completely separated. No more did the hero and the sages allow the people to mingle with these creatures, but any act of companionship between the two species became harshly punishable. Such restrictions were, of course, met with resistance but for that cause the hero had the knights, the troops, which by special privileges were allowed to control pokémon and easily distinguished any flames of possible rebellions.

To justify these changes and to serve as a remainder of the bloodshed and grief that would surely result if people and pokémon joined arms the hero established a horrific law. Once a year, honoring the old tradition where children were sent out on a journey with a pokémon, each district would send out one young man and woman to fight others to the death alongside a pokémon partner.

Thus came to be what the Capitol soon began calling by a fitting name.

The Trainer Games

In sixty years the games became an unavoidable part of life for the peoples of the Unovan federation. But even though the majority of people had resigned to their fate as second class citizens, while the Capitol prospered, there were, as always, those who had not so easily given up on hope. Some of them still remembered the second dragon of the legends and wished for him to return alongside another hero, one that would challenge the other now in power.

Some even believed that no other heroes would be needed. The one that still clung to his throne had grown old and though his pokémon were powerful he was but a human. Surely there could be someone brave enough to face him, to lead the peoples of the old regions into a battle for their rights.

Now, it is time for the 61st Trainer Games, where ten young men and women will fight for the glory and honor of themselves and their home districts. The eyes of the world are all trained on these children. Will one of them rise above the rest? Will one of them change the world, or will everything remain as it has for so long? None of that is certain yet, but time will tell. So, without further ado…

Let the Games begin!

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A/N: Hello, hello! I am pleased to present you the project which I've been working on for months now. As you see, it is a Pokémon/Hunger Games fusion. (Neither of which I own, as it seems polite to mention here.) There will probably be many alternative versions of this story, the first having Dawn (or Platinum) as the main character.

I've put a lot of thought on the world building of this fic, so I'll probably post notes along the chapters to clarify things that don't get that much attention. Of course, I'll also be happy to answer questions. This is only the introduction, but the next chapter will be the real thing.

Now, someone might be wondering why this isn't in the cross-over section. I think of it like this: it is a Pokémon fic, set in the pokémon world only featuring characters from the pokémon games, which borrows one plot device from the Hunger Games-trilogy. As such, I don't believe it qualifies as a cross-over.

That's all for now… I do hope I've managed to catch your interest, if only a little.

Enjoy the story!

Endles