Prologue
Apaxor stood there by the door of the auditorium alone. He wondered where his brother Ibarx was. Don't tell me he's still in the mess hall, eating all the grub, and chatting away with the other soldiers Apaxor thought. Earlier that day, there was an announcement being broadcasted to everyone on the ship. "There will be a very important conference today in Auditorium AC-7 in two hours. The two sentries assigned must be there in at least three hours prior to said conference. This is mandatory. Anyone who does not attend will face punishment." He remembered hearing from the speakers. Of course, he and his brother were assigned to the task, yet Ibarx was absent.
As he waited for his brother, Apaxor remembered the years before he and his two brothers joined the Empire's Legion. He lived in a small village atop the Obsidian Plateau in an average sized hut, the same size as the other huts he recalled. Apaxor remembered that the huts were in the shape of a cone, and were made from stone. They were chiseled by his ancestors and the ancestors of the other villagers. There was always one thing about the village that he liked: the smooth ground, which had a shining texture to it. He really missed his home, and all its people.
He remembered his family, as bright as day. He remembered his mother, a Haxorus who took the traditions of the village very seriously, and had a genuine love for all the other villagers. His mother once told him that a Machamp built a home with his own hands, which he then told her that all four of the Machamp's hands were sanded down to stumps in a joking manor. Instead of finding it funny, she took offense to it and yelled at him.
Apaxor had a father once. Like his mother, he was a Haxorus who loved his people and took his traditions serious as well. Unlike his serious mother, he was very charming and charismatic guy, who had a great sense of humor. Everyone in the village enjoyed his company, until he gave birth to his younger brother Apex. "I'm sorry son, but its tradition. If a father has three sons or three daughters, he must face exile and migrate to 'Dragon's Mountain.'" He remembered his father saying, before he left. One thing he did not miss were his village's stupid traditions, especially that one. He was heartbroken when his father had to leave.
Apaxor saw a lot of his father in Ibarx. He and Apaxor were born on the same day, at the same time. His brother had a lot of charm and charisma, and had made friends with most of the Obsidian Plateau clan. He would spend most of his time with his friends, and father. He sometimes went on hunting trips with father while Apaxor stayed at home with mother. They would usually leave around early in the morning, before any of the other villagers woke up, and they would return around sunset or nightfall with a dozen of feral corpses, skinned and all organs removed. The corpses were placed in a small cave at the bottom of the plateau, preserved by the cold, Apaxor recalled.
His younger brother Apex was the reason why father left, at least that's what mother thought. Apaxor did not blame him for his father's exile, but he blamed the tradition itself. Apex was still a young Axew, around the age of eight. He was a quiet, yet anxious Pokémon who isolated himself from others. He would usually spend time by the Purple River, a stream which glistened purple due to its obsidian bottom, mostly to avoid the others; his mother especially. Mother Haxorus would always scorn the poor child whenever he entered his home. She refused to look at him at sometimes, and whenever he tried to interact with her, she would scream at him, and tell him that he was an accident, but she would never hit him. Attacking children was strictly prohibited in the Obsidian Plateau, but then Apaxor remembered that it was a worldwide prohibition. This Fraxure felt sorry for the kid, and sometimes tried to bond with his little brother, much to his mother's dismay.
One day while he and Apex sat by the Purple River, Ibarx happened to spot them and walked up to the two. "Brothers." He said in his laid-back voice. "Just hanging around? Mind if I…"
"No." Apex said with hardly any emotion in his voice and in a soft tone. Apaxor had assumed that his younger brother had something against Ibarx.
"Apex, I think we should let brother spend some time with us."
"He has friends." The little Axew said softly. Apaxor could hear the fury in his little brother's voice, yet he had a perfectly calm demeanor. He turned his gaze to the purple stream. "Why doesn't he spend time with them?"
"They're all out hunting." Ibarx explained. "Besides, I think I should spend some time with my family."
"Go spend time with mom." Apex said without a hint of anger, his eyes kept focus on the water. Apaxor could see the poor kid's tears dropping into the stream below.
I wish mother wouldn't treat you so badly, Apaxor thought. It's not your fault. He placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, trying to comfort him. He looks at him, and smiles with tears still coming out of his eyes.
The two look at each other, until Apaxor notices his brother leaving them. "Ibarx!" Apaxor shouted to him. He turns to look at them briefly, before continuing to walk away. Maybe he's going home Apaxor thought. He realized that Ibarx had lost his cool, that Apex had hurt his feelings most likely. Apaxor turned to look back at his brother. "You didn't have to be so mean to our brother." He said in a calm voice, not wanting to distraught Apex.
"I'm sorry." Apex said quietly, but not in an all-out whisper. Apaxor could see the genuine guilt on his brother's face. He struggled to get along with others, but Ibarx was no exception apparently.
Before joining the Empire's Legion, Apaxor remembered that his little brother refused go near Ibarx. Maybe Apex was afraid, or disliked him, maybe both. Maybe mother had convinced him that he was just as bad as her, that Ibarx would verbally harm him and attempt to drive him away. Apaxor knew his twin would never harm a child verbally nor physically. He remembered that Ibarx was very good with children; he taught the village younglings how to hunt, and the ways of their culture and traditions. He even played games with the children. It was after joining the Empire's Legion when Apex started warming up to Ibarx.
Apaxor began to wonder why he joined the Empire's Legion in the first place. Was it to spite mother for damaging a child, or to save his village from the ones he joined? Maybe both. Apaxor remembered the day he and his brothers joined the Empire's Legion. Every month for the past twelve years, he recalled, they would come down from the skies in there space cruisers and demand to speak with a village elder. They demanded a volunteer or volunteers to become soldiers for the Empire's Legion, or they would kill most of the villagers and capture what was left and make them slaves. They came to his village and demanded the same thing. It was his brother Ibarx who volunteered to join for the safety of the Obsidian Plateau clan. Then suddenly, Apaxor demanded to join as well.
Apaxor remembered his mother rushing to them, her stomps were hard enough to crack the sacred grounds. The two men that stood beside the negotiator pointed there firearms at the Haxorus. "You're not going with them, Apaxor!" He remembered her shout. "Your brother is making a valiant sacrifice! Please make the right choice and stay!" Apaxor remembered a mix of anger, fear, and sadness in her voice.
Apaxor was in a bad mood that day. Mother had recently screamed and cussed at his little brother. "Would you say the same thing if I was Apex?" He heard himself say. He did not mean to say something so hurtful towards his mother, his own flesh and blood, someone he had loved and known all his life. He knew at that point, there was no going back.
Apaxor did not expect what happened next. His mother stormed back home, which he remembered was the closest to the elder's, and came out holding Apex by the back of the neck. She dropped him on the ground, and the Axew groaned in pain as he made impact with the glassy ground. She kicked him hard, and he rolled over to Apaxor. The villagers gasped in horror as they saw her do that. She had violated one of the rules, a sacred rule at that: One must never hurt a child. "You can have all my children!" She shouted in an incredibly blind rage. Ibarx and Apaxor were escorted to the space cruiser, and Apex was carried and unconscious. As they ascended into space, Apaxor looked through the window and saw his mother on her knees sobbing and looking at him. He could not hear her, but he knew what she said by looking at her lip movement "I'm so sorry." He also saw that all the other villagers were surrounding her.
As he stood in that long hall, waiting for Ibarx, Apaxor wondered what happened to mother. Perhaps she was exiled from the village, or was sentenced to live her days in the Pit of Melancholy. Luckily the Obsidian Plateau did not allow execution or torture. He remembered in one of the villages, which he could not recall the name of, the accused would be drugged with an enhanced Stun Spore serum in their own home; how they were drugged was an enigma to Apaxor. The males were flayed to death and the women raped and starved; conscious, yet unable to move. The mere thought of these awful punishments disturbed him greatly. He was glad that mother did not face the same fate.
Apaxor waited there for almost twenty minutes. At this point, he doubted his brother would show up. Suddenly, he saw two others walking towards him. They were in the distance, he could barely figure out who they were. As they came closer, he slowly began to recognize them. It was the second in command of the Empire's Legion Cyprus, and one of the well-known slave soldiers Soelen. The sight of them surprised Apaxor, but made him scared and anxious at the same time. He wondered why they were coming; most likely to prepare for the conference Apaxor guessed. Maybe he had learned of Ibarx's absence and wanted to question him. He also wondered why Soelen was with him.
Cyprus stood at the same height as Apaxor. He was a hedgehog-like creature who had a coat of pale blue fur, and his skin was a pale lavender. He had two quills sticking out the back of his head; the bottom flopped down, while the other stood erect. Cyprus wore the same armor as Apaxor, but was fitted to his shape. Apaxor recalled that the armor they wore was stretchy and light, but durable. The armor, purple with two gold linings that each went from the shoulders down to the lower stomach. He also wore a scarlet cape, which signified his authority as second in command of the Empire's Legion.
Soelen stood shorter than Cyprus. He was a Pokémon, like Apaxor, but a completely different breed; a Dewott. He wore no armor, a typical trait of a slave soldier. Apaxor saw a small portion of a scar on the Dewott's shoulder. Soelen had been punished brutally for compromising an earlier mission by being lashed with a rumblek whip; a whip so sharp that it could cut someone deep enough to expose their spine if lashed hard enough. Soelen had been known to cause trouble and act rebelliously, but he was also one of the strongest and deadliest soldiers of the Empire's Legion, nearly as strong as Cyprus.
They walked closer and closer, while Apaxor grew anxious and anxious. As he suspected, Cyprus and Soelen stopped in front of him. "Your brother was ordered to speak with Albez, so he couldn't make it." Cyprus explained, much to his relief, which instantly turned into horror. He remembered that Albez, the leader of the Empire's Legion was known for killing soldiers who stood out of line. What if Albez killed Ibarx? What would happen to Apex when he learns of this? "There's nothing to worry about." Cyprus said, noticing the worry on Apaxor's face. "Albez is simply assigning him a new task. He will be patrolling the deck of the 'Armada' as you are sent to Planetro's moon for sentry duty." Apaxor was relieved to hear this, but sad by the fact that his brother would be unable to see the view of his home world.
"Instead of your brother, Soelen will help you keep guard. Make sure no one enters this auditorium until the seating begins." Cyprus ordered, before walking back from where he came. He was likely returning to his quarters.
The Dewott walked to the post where Ibarx should have been and said no word. For a short time, Apaxor ignored him. Why does my brother have to stay here while I leave? He thought to himself in pity. He would be separated from a family member again; first from father, then mother, then Apex, and now his twin Ibarx. He desperately wanted to cry, but he refused to.
"So, when're they showing up?" Soelen asked, as he broke the silence. Apaxor could hear the bitterness in his voice. Most of the soldiers in the Empire's Legion were unhappy, but Soelen was the worst of the bunch. Apaxor knew that the Dewott came from the same home world. Soelen's village was the first one that came under attack. Unlike the Obsidian Plateau, and the other village, there was no say in the matter. Instead of demanding to speak with the elder, they proceeded to attack his home. Apaxor had heard that he, his family, and a friend of his were the only survivors. His friend joined willingly, but Soelen and his family would not comply. Apaxor had heard rumors that the Dewott's parents and younger sister were imprisoned in a small cell in a chasm of Planetro's moon, and that they would be killed if Soelen refused to follow orders. Apaxor believed that the Dewott's family was long dead, considering that he had not followed orders, yet Soelen believed that they were very much alive. If Soelen were not so angry and bitter all the time, he would have felt genuinely sorry for him.
"They'll be here in a half an hour." Apaxor answered reluctantly.
They stood there for another ten minutes in silence. Apaxor kept his gaze at the long, empty hall. He saw Soelen in the corner of his eye and his pink, grotesque scar. The Dewott was likely doing the same thing as Apaxor, staring at the hall. There were no windows on any sides, but luckily, there were lights illuminating from the ceiling, brightening the hall way. Apaxor was growing bored as he stood there. He thought about starting up a conversation with Soelen, but knowing him, the Dewott would likely not speak.
Some of the soldiers in his cabin would tell Apaxor that Soelen would snap at anyone who tried to talk to him. The Dewott hated every last soldier in the Empire's Legion, as much as the soldiers hated him. His little brother Apex had once tried talking to him; he wanted to know where he was and what was going on. He kneeled down, and Soelen tightly grabbed the curved horn on his head and pulled Apex towards him. He whispered something in his hear and pushed him. When Apaxor had learned of this, he asked his little brother what he had said to him. "Welcome to Hell." He answered.
Apaxor started to think about his younger brother. He remembered when he heard the news from one of the informants "Your brother has been sent to another planet to spy on the enemy."
Apaxor was shocked to hear this, and grew increasingly worried for his little brother. "Where is he?" He demanded to know. "Is he safe?"
The informant stood there saying no words. After a few seconds on silence, he responded "Very safe. I can't tell you where he is though. You'll have to speak with Cyprus if you want to know his whereabouts." The informant quickly rushed off. Apaxor noticed that this informant wore a teal robe, with a hood covering his head. That was unusual, Apaxor thought I thought we of the Empire's Legion wore armor.
It took a while, but Apaxor was able to speak with Cyprus. He was roaming around the outer deck of the 'Armada' spacecraft. On his off-duty, Apaxor rushed to over to him and asked him of the whereabouts of his brother. Cyprus answered "Your brother is on PMD. I'm not allowed to disclose this information, as long as you promise not to tell anyone." Apaxor promised.
"Your brother resides in the Team Cyan guild to observe one of our targets. Walk with me." Apaxor and Cyprus walked around the empty deck. Apaxor remembered that the other soldiers were in the mess hall, consuming their meals and chatting. "We're targeting one of the two leaders of Team Cyan, Bulbasaur. Like Soelen, this Bulbasaur is a special breed of Pokémon; too powerful, too dangerous; a major threat to the Empire's Legion. Your brother will be reporting back to us monthly until the spring of next year. That is all I will tell you. Keep your promise, tell no one of our conversation. Albez will likely set the whole ship ablaze if you do. Return to your cabin and get ready." Apaxor was about to ask him why he would give him this information so soon. "I know what you're going to ask. I'll tell you. I had a brother once. We were separated in the war of my home world. I was sent to work with the Planet Trade Organization while he stayed and fought. Be glad that your brother is alive and well. Return to your cabin immediately."
Cyprus was a Regnum, a race of anthropomorphic animals that walked on two legs and had odd skin and fur colorations. He, alongside the leader of the Empire's Legion were the last of their kind. It was said that there home world was destroyed in a nuclear war when they worked for the Planet Trade Organization, sometime after the discovery of uranium. The Regnum race was ill-prepared, as the bombs went off and the radiation spread throughout their world.
To this day, Apaxor wondered why Cyprus had disclosed this information to him. He thought about it, as he stared into the depths of the hall. From what Cyprus had said about his deceased brother, Apaxor believed that Cyprus had understood what he was going through. Cyprus had always been kind to his soldiers. He occasionally traveled the spacecraft, checked up on the soldiers and helped them out with their tasks, should they had needed help.
Time went on, and the soldiers arrived. There were hundreds of them packed in the room, and there were thousands waiting outside that hall. Some were smaller than Apaxor, some were shorter, and some were taller and larger. He began to feel anxious about the mass quantity of people in the room. His anxiety came to a halt, as he saw his brother pushing through the crowd, trying to reach him. It took a few minutes, but Ibarx pushed on through and halted in front of Apaxor.
"I'm sorry I couldn't make it." Ibarx said in his usual lax voice. "Albez had…"
"I know." Apaxor said, cutting him off. "Cyprus told me that you were speaking with him. So, he had Soelen take your post."
Ibarx nodded at Apaxor, before looking over to Soelen. "Hey, thanks man!" He said to him. The Dewott did not answer, nor did he even look at Ibarx. "Dick" he muttered under his breath.
Ibarx walked over to the wall on Apaxor's side and sat down. He leaned on the wall, trying to make himself comfortable. As Apaxor saw him to that, his legs started to feel a little heavy. Apaxor wanted to sit down as well and there was nothing stopping him, but he felt the urge to stand and remain alert. Some of the other soldiers were glaring at Soelen with contempt, and he did the same to them. Apaxor wanted to shout; to tell them to stop glaring, but his throat was tight and dry, and he could not speak the words. It'll be like this for two hours He thought I hope Soelen doesn't slice us into nothingness before the conference.
Luckily, in the two hour span, the looks of contempt directed at Soelen had not escalated into violence. The Dewott had simply stared back them, his anger visible. Most of the soldiers were conversing about today's conference if they weren't angrily staring at Soelen. "I heard this conference would be very important." Apaxor heard in the crowd of conversations, along with "How long is two hours? I'm getting bored and my legs are starting to cramp."
The two hours went by, and the doors to the auditorium had finally opened. Apaxor's legs were very stiff, but he forced himself to walk. He noticed that no one had opened the door on the other side. They must have opened automatically, he guessed in his thoughts. Apaxor stared dead ahead and suddenly remembered that he was the first in line, and that Soelen and his brother were behind him. Soelen's presence unsettled him more so, now that he was behind him. What if he slits my throat with his Razor Shell? He thought, until he realized that concept was ridiculous. Soelen may hate every last soldier in the Empire's Legion, but he wouldn't mindlessly kill them.
Apaxor walked down a wide set of stairs. On the left and right of him, he saw thousands of seats in a circular formation, like a stadium. On each stair he walked one, more sets of chairs were there.
As he walked, he heard the familiar deep, menacing voice of Cyprus giving a command, which came from the speakers above. "Take the closest seat available and remain there for the duration of the conference. Those who leave there seats during the presentation will face mass punishment."
Apaxor went down to the very bottom row of the auditorium. Right in front of him was a stage with a slightly higher elevation then the bottom row, but far enough from the seats so the others would not have to squeeze through. Apaxor took the closest seat available on his left, Ibarx went to the right across the gap. Soelen sat next to Apaxor on his left, which unnerved him.
The seats were automatically lowered for the shorter soldiers, so they could get on easier. After they sat down, the seats ascended to their regular positions.
As Apaxor was lifted, he anxiously looked at his brother. How come I have to sit with this bastard instead of my brother? Apaxor thought. Ibarx remained silent and nodded at him, then turned his head to the stage. Apaxor did the same thing and saw Soelen in the corner of his eye. He felt himself tense up. Apaxor was not sure if he was afraid of Soelen because of his abnormal strength that normal Pokémon would not have, or angry because he scared his little brother.
Apaxor heard a ton of chatting come from behind him, from the other soldiers. Apaxor even saw soldiers walk past them to take their seats on the bottom row. Some of them contemptuously looked at Soelen, and of course Soelen did the same to them. A few minutes passed and Apaxor saw that all of the second and third rows had been filled up—he could not see the first row, due to the stage blocking his vision.
Apaxor felt eyes watching him, and turned to face Soelen. The Dewott was looking at him. He could not tell if he stared at him with contempt or indifference. Regardless, Apaxor felt uncomfortable. The Dewott opened his mouth "You're his brother, right?"
"Who's brother?" Apaxor asked.
"Apex, his older brother." He answered. Apaxor nodded and directed his eyes at the stage, not wanting to talk to Soelen, yet the Dewott spoke anyway. "Do you think anyone's guarding the doors to this place?"
"I'm sure they are." Apaxor answered, keeping his focus on the stage. He refused to look at Soelen.
"Look at me." The Dewott said without a hint of emotion in his voice. Fearful, Apaxor turned to him. "Why don't we talk for a bit? The conference won't be starting for another thirty minutes. I'm bored."
Apaxor was a little disoriented, but he did have a point. The auditorium would be filling up in that time. As soon as the last man or woman took their seat, the presentation would start. Apaxor agreed and the two chatted.
Soelen and Apaxor talked about their home world, Planetro, and their former homes. Soelen told him that he came from the Eastern Sealand, one of the most peaceful villages of their home world. The laws were just and fair, like the Obsidian Plateau, but they forbade the Pit of Melancholy for those accused of crime. Death and torture was not allowed, and if the accused violated a sacred rule, they were forced into temporary exile; permanent if the crime was terrible enough.
Soelen had also told him about his parents. His father used to be the chief's hand, his mother was a hunter, and his sister was a tomboy. His friend that Apaxor had heard about was a Piplup, now a Prinplup named Duplex, who had been sent to Planetro's moon for sentry duty.
"That's interesting," Apaxor admitted "It's interesting because I'll be going there to do the same thing."
"You'll probably meet him." Soelen said.
Apaxor was surprised by the way Soelen was treating him. Instead of rude remarks, or stares of contempt, he was treating him like a friend. Was he that bored? Apaxor thought. The next thing he knew, Apaxor had been telling Soelen about his home and his culture. The Dewott gave off a friendly smile, which was very out of character. Maybe the only thing Soelen needed was a friend.
"Apaxor." He heard come from his right. The Fraxure looked at his identical and saw his lips moving. He said nothing aloud, but Apaxor knew what Ibarx was saying. "He's tricking you."
Apaxor had forgotten about the rumors that circulated around Soelen. It was said that Soelen the Dewott was manipulative. He would treat someone nicely and gain there trust, only for him to backstab them at the last minute. There was once a soldier in the neighboring cabin who was executed in the night for an unknown reason. Rumor has it that Soelen hated this soldier to the core, so he pretended to be his friend. He tricked him into doing something horrible, thus assuring the soldier's execution. What happened to this soldier was a mystery to Apaxor.
After remembering the rumor, Apaxor kept his eyes on the stage again. Soelen was about to say something to him, but then the words came from the speakers "This conference will now begin! Everyone must remain in their seats!" Like last time, it was Cyprus who spoke the words.
It was time for the conference. Apaxor heard the doors open from behind him and the auditorium went silent. The Fraxure turned to look and saw him. He stood at the same height as Cyprus, except his coat of fur was gray and his skin was a pale teal. The three quills on the back of his head pointed backwards. He wore the same armor as everyone else, and like Cyprus, he wore a cape. However, this cape was gold and signified his authority: the leader of the Empire's Legion, Albez Purus.
He walked down the stairs, as everybody in the room looked at him; some in awe, some in fear. Albez walked past Apaxor and looked in his direction, but his eyes on Soelen. Apaxor remembered that Soelen was not only a slave soldier, but Albez's favorite. The only reason why Albez kept him alive was because of his strength.
Albez Purus seamlessly climbed onto the stage and walked to the center. He stood in the direction of Soelen, likely wanting to keep an eye on him. Apaxor suddenly noticed that Soelen was the only slave soldier in the room. How could I have not noticed that before? Apaxor thought.
Albez stood there silently for a couple seconds before speaking. "Tomorrow will be a very important days, my soldiers!" He loudly spoke in his harsh, high pitched voice. "As we are all aware, we must take over this galaxy and build our army, to counteract with Frieza's! It's only a matter of time until he discovers our whereabouts! However, there is an inconvenience! There are those in this galaxy who would perceive us as a threat, and would do whatever they could to defend their home worlds! We have spent the past year studying them, learning of their worlds, exploiting as much as possible! That is why tomorrow is important! We will capture these 'protagonists' and I shall personally execute these threats! These are the threats to the Empire's Legion! Remember them!"
A hologram appeared behind Albez and he turned to it. On the hologram, it showed photos that were taken by drones.
One of the photos showed the Bulbasaur that Cyprus had told him about walking through a field with a Mudkip. Behind them was a sandstone hut, either a house that appeared in the shot or perhaps there place of residence. Apaxor did not know.
Another showed two Regnum-like creatures that appeared to be a hedgehog and a fox having a conversation in a city-street. The two wore no clothes, except gloves and shoes. The hedgehog's coat of fur was blue, and fox's a light orange. The three quills on the back of the hedgehog's head were flopped down. The fox had two tails.
Another had the picture of two short statured humans with big noses fighting a creature that looked barely like a Blastoise. The men both wore overalls, boots, shirts, gloves, and caps on their heads. The shorter man wore red with an emblem of an M on the cap's center. It was similar to the taller man, but he wore green with an emblem of an L. The creature they fought had scaled yellow skin and the shell on its back was green and spiked.
The last photo showed seemingly innocent and adorable creatures wandering around a castle grounds of some sort. They looked identical, both had blushes on their cheeks and their eyes black, but shiny. However, one was smaller than the other. The bigger one was pink and its feet red and the smaller blue with darker blue feet.
And so, the conference began.