Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon.
Must you really kill her?
There is no other way for a human to come to our world.
Then why don't you pick another? Someone who is already fated to die
As much as you treasure your petty morality, remember that we can't afford to take chances. Claire is one of the few people who can ensure our survival.
Yes, but aren't there any others we can use? Claire Torch isn't our only candidate, you know? Julie Ember is fated to die today as well, and she is just as viable a candidate as Claire.
I'm surprised, Giratina. You are the lord of Ghosts, are you not? I had thought you would support the death of another.
The legends of those down below often distort the truth, Arceus. You of all people should know that.
Indeed I do.
You didn't answer the question, Arceus. Why must you kill Claire when there are others who could take her place?
Giratina, you would be better off not knowing. Just know that it's the only way to guarantee the survival of the Pokémon world.
When Claire awoke, she could tell immediately that something was wrong. Through her window, she could see light coming from the kitchen downstairs, and a familiar scent permeated the room. She took a quick glance at the clock on the wall; 1 a.m., it read.
The girl shot up immediately, keeping a tight hold on her blanket. She breathed deeply through her nose, and her blood ran cold as she recognized the scent. Smoke. Nightmarish memories flashed through her mind, images she never thought that she'd experience again.
"Mom?!" Claire yelled out, hoping - praying - that she was, in fact, simply being paranoid, that her mother had simply gotten home early and was making herself a midnight snack. The response of silence said otherwise.
She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. "Think," she mumbled to herself, "I can barely smell the smoke, and it's not very hot here, so the fire's probably only in the kitchen. I can get out of here, maybe call 911, and not have to deal with anything like last time"
Despite her attempts to reassure herself, she found herself gripping the blanket even harder. "O.K., I'm going to open the door and get out before anything gets worse." She made no move towards the door. "Right now." Again, she failed to do anything beyond stand still with her hands gripping her blanket.
The smell of smoke was starting to get stronger, and Claire knew that there was no point in stalling any longer. She gulped, straightened her back in a futile attempt to boost her bravado and opened the door.
She did not expect the sight before her.
The roar of flames deafened her, and fire engulfed the furniture that decorated the hallway, dancing around threateningly. How hadn't she noticed this?! Claire almost turned around and hid in her room, as though the flames would magically disappear in her absence, but she steeled herself and forced herself to run to the stairs with one hand over her nose, the other gripping her blanket.
Only she couldn't. As soon as she came close, fire rose up and created a wall, making her jump back. "Holy shit!" she exclaimed, turning and running back to her room. Not that it helped matters; when she arrived, fire had already begun devouring the door, effectively blocking her out. Had she been less preoccupied with survival, she might have questioned how quickly the flames spread, as though specifically denying her escape.
A fire began to make its way towards her, and she immediately ran to the bathroom, being careful to avoid getting burned. Flames surrounded her on all sides, including - or rather, especially - above, threatening to make her hair go aflame.
A wooden beam crashed onto the floor just as Claire closed in on the bathroom, cutting her off. "Shit!" Claire yelled. She looked back, and felt her heart race as the flames drew closer and closer. Her eyes began scanning the reachable area rapidly for something - anything - which she could use to help her escape, but she couldn't see anything of use.
Until, of course, they settled upon the blanket in her hand.
She immediately covered a part of the beam with the blanket, temporarily cutting off the flames, and jumped over it with her hands firmly gripping the cloth in her hands. They hurt immensely, but she ignored it, simply running for the bathroom as soon as she reached the other side.
As soon as she entered the bathroom, she slammed the door and locked it, as though it would somehow keep the flames at bay. She ran to the sink and turned it on, waiting for water to fall and give her a brief reprieve from the flames, and kicked the cabinet beneath it when it didn't.
Claire was finding it harder to breathe now; it must have been all of that exposure to smoke. She could still smell it, though no visible amount had gotten into the bathroom yet. She knew, however, that it would begin pouring in soon, and she'd only prolonged the inevitable by escaping into the bathroom.
"I'm dying in a bathroom," she giggled, as though she found the situation funny. She didn't, but Claire hoped that acting happy could somehow calm her down; make her final moments less painful. "I went to church every Sunday, worked hard to get decent grades, and actually did volunteer work because I wanted to, and now I'm going to die in a fucking bathroom."
She coughed heavily, and her futile attempt at a smile disappeared. Tears found their way down her cheeks and made their way down to the ground, but Claire wiped them away before they could hit the floor. "I'm going to die," she repeated in a whisper. She'd hoped that acknowledging her death would somehow make it more peaceful.
It only made it more agonizing.
It's rather fascinating how your world is governed by only five elements rather than our seventeen. Nature, to create life and meaning; earth, to provide a vessel for life; fire, to destroy earth's creations; water, to protect life and vanquish the flames of destruction; and wind, to spread life and destruction both. Perhaps even more fascinating is how much your world can influence ours.
I apologize for my ramblings; I rarely get to share my musings with anybody other than Giratina. My name is Arceus - the 'god' of Pokemon. Welcome to the Dimensional Rift, a place - for lack of a better word - in which the line between different worlds disappears. I'm sure you have many questions - why you're speaking to a fictional being undoubtedly being one of them.
The reason is simple; I, and the rest of the Pokemon world, need your help.
Our world is dying, and only by having the elements of your world - nature, earth, fire, water and wind - can it survive. The five of you are each vessels for these elements, and thus, the five of you will be what saves us.
However, even if you had not died on your own planet, it would have been impossible to survive in your human bodies in the Pokemon world. Therefore, I have taken it upon myself to provide you with new forms to help you on your way.
I hope you find your new Pokemon forms to your liking.
A/N: Thanks for reading this! I hope you guys enjoy my story, "The Cost to Save the World"! Rate and review, tell me what you think of this! To people who had reviewed before I rewrote the prologue, feel free to PM me or write anonymous reviews to tell me what you think of this version of the prologue!