Foreword

Seven years ago—but not to date; that would be a beast in and of itself—I started this pet project, what would come to be known as my most hopeful pet project yet, called Revolution. It was my second (?) venture into dark and uncharted waters with Pokémon, that being the idea of those cute little creatures tearing their unspoken masters limb from limb. That being said, there was nothing cute about this idea. But I thought it genius at the time, little naïve me, but seeing how far things have gotten now, I'd like to think it wasn't so vain.

This is the fourth iteration of the story, I suppose. The first is on a Pokémon forum which will go unnamed for fear of spontaneous shameful combustion. The second, lost with a corrupted hard drive. The third is still here on my account. And this is the fourth, duh. And even if I have to lock this with a two-hundred-character password, I swear to myself it will be the ultimate version.

This is the culmination of seven years' worth of change, both as a writer and as a person. The third iteration was written three or four years ago and I've changed greatly in that span—imagine, then, seven years of improvement, of worldly knowledge, of knowing when to leap over the cliff and knowing when to stay my hand. For one thing, the ridiculously pretentious Legendary Pokémon trife is kilt with fire, you're welcome. Dominic has also been knocked down some pegs from psycho-without-a-purpose and Reyes is a little younger and a little more bright-eyed. These are a few among many other alterations, deletions, and additions within the story.

Have you read the old one, and does it matter if you do? No, not really. The main concept hasn't changed in the slightest. This is still the revolution, Revolution, in its gory glory. (Speaking of, what was erroneously labeled T is now rated M, so read it at your discretion!) This is still my most ambitious project as far as Pokémon fanfiction is concerned. I have put a year's worth of blood, sweat, and tears into picking this apart with the tiniest tweezers known to man to see what works and what needs to be tossed.

And so now, I present the dissected and lobotomized piece for your hungry eyes, Dear Readers. Sing my praises or burn me at the stakes; whichever you choose, know that I write for keeps. This rewrite of Revolution is my pièce de résistance and for certain my last stand. I put everything into chiseling the rough edges and I pray it shows. This is it, and I hereby cut the proverbial red ribbon.

This is Revolution. Thanks for sitting through this sloggy perfunctory bullshit and onto the story!

—Author


1.1. The King of Bedlam

Reyes remembered how, a very long time ago—what seemed like a lifetime ago, in fact—he enjoyed watching old movies with his Trainer, Brendan. He wasn't The Brendan, wasn't nearly as famous, but he was Reyes' Brendan, which was what mattered. He was a goofy kid with too many freckles and braces who loved nachos and soft pretzels and old movies. Consequently, Reyes, his very first Pokémon and life partner, did too, very much. "In a world…", most of their movies tended to start, and that was the same way all of Reyes' days started ten years later.

In a world several light years away from the glorious "world of Pokémon" admired by every grade-school child with a television, the skies were dark, the streets were paved with blood and corpses, and every hour was a fight for something, be it food, shelter, or one's life, human or Pokémon. It wasn't a world of Trainer and Pokémon, Pokémon and Trainer any longer: it was just a world of Pokémon—dangerous, drugged-on-freedom, damn-the-consequences, there-is-no-god Pokémon.

Or that's how things were, at the height of the madness some odd years ago. Nowadays people like Reyes bitched and moaned about the "good" ole days while things still fell apart but with much more subtlety. It was an awful mess where the freedom of humans and their Pokémon companions hinged on those like Reyes, who fought for the good of the world and kept the tenuous balance. No pressure on his end or anything, but the safe haven cities maintained by the revolutionaries could easily fall under ruin one day.

He usually didn't stray too far from the revolutionaries' grounds, but Alakazam seemed to want to test his patience by sending him all the way to Mauville City from his stay in Ever Grande. Of course, nobody argued with Alakazam, so Reyes filled his travel pack and told Azalea to expect his corpse as his return. (Of course, that was his infamous grimdark humor—he didn't expect to die anytime soon.) The first time he visited the department store city, it was large and very advanced, full of people and life; now, all Reyes saw was a decrepit city with holes in the glass roof and rubble and shattered stores everywhere. The inside of the place was vaguely lit by flickering fluorescent lights, and somewhere in the distance, a broken tune sounded from some old children's carousel. Rebels wandered around with no discernable purpose, most eyeballing him but none making moves yet.

He found the southern hall leading to the center of the city and was immediately stopped by a Garchomp and Hariyama standing guard. For what, he wasn't sure, as there didn't seem to be much to guard around there aside from the Bug-type Pokémon abounding in the darkness. Ahead, a virtual wall of plaster chunks crookedly stacked atop one another blocked any view he had of the plaza. "What'cha tryin' ta do, pal?" the Hariyama said, blocking him with a hand. Reyes got the feeling that despite his friendly tone and words, they were far from being pals.

"I need to see the King." The Garchomp snickered with derision.

"That's freaking hilarious."

"I'm quite serious. I'm here on Alakazam's orders." That was quite a senseless thing to say in retrospect as they promptly became irate, making to crush him into bits. He took their antagonism in stride—he would've been more surprised if they hadn't been violent. He'd also defeated worse than them.

"Let him through," a male voice suddenly called from beyond the "wall."

"King!" Hariyama said, turning with surprise. "But—"

"I won't repeat myself."

Garchomp grumbled while Hariyama scratched his head, but they pushed Reyes forward anyhow. He almost complained before he noticed a bit of light shining through a small crack in the border. He approached it and saw it was a small opening. He crouched down and slipped through, wincing at the journey through the pipe-infested plaster until he came out into the plaza.

(He couldn't imagine anything bigger than a rodent wriggling through comfortably. Either the Garchomp and Hariyama were more flexible than they let on or there was some kind of joke going on with Reyes. Shove a Sceptile into a hole about as big as his fists. Screw them.)

Some Pokémon apparently had enough coordination to erect a throne out of stone, which sat on a mini-tower about four feet high. There were two more Pokémon—Aerodactyl and Charizard—standing guard on either side, and the infamous King was sitting on his throne. He was something from Unova or Kalos, which Reyes still wasn't too familiar with, with grey and red fur and a crown made of bleached bones on his head. He gazed at Reyes with icy eyes before scoffing, then he muttered something under his breath.

Reyes sneered. "Don't you like what you see?"

"The King doesn't bat in that park, if that's what you mean." He sniggered, propping his elbow up on the armrest and resting his head in his claws.

"If I may have the gall to comment, what a nice castle you keep, Your Majesty."

"I'm sorry we're not pretty and white enough for thou of thy flowery city. Hell, your shits probably even smell like daisies."

"You have just as much good humor as I've expected." He flicked his makeshift crown up with a smirk.

"Same to you."

"Most people don't find me funny, so thanks." It wasn't friendly banter but the King beamed nonetheless. His teeth were all thick and razor sharp.

"So, what business does the revolutionary army have with the King?"

Nothing says royalty more than the ostentatious and unnecessary third person, Reyes thought, trying hard not to glower at him. "Alakazam, the leader of the revolutionaries, wants to see you personally." He hummed with an amused smile.

"And for what, if I may have the gall to ask?"

You've got nothing but gall, you egomaniac. I'm sure even a Donphan wouldn't get into a dick-measuring contest with you. "It's…private."

"Then he should've come himself, or am I not that important?"

"He wants… Alakazam wants to see you in the revolutionaries' city, in Ever Grande, to speak with you confidentially." All the rebels including the King burst into riotous laughter, irking Reyes beyond anyone's imagination. It was a foolish request and he knew it, even told Alakazam, but he insisted Reyes go retrieve him anyhow "with any means necessary." And it seemed those means would soon require gassing everyone and possibly strangling his esteemed guest.

The King raised a paw. "Oh, wait… Shit, he might be serious." Immediately the room fell silent. Reyes had to wonder what a guy like him did with power like that. He was still chuckling as he continued, "If I set one foot into your territory all on my lonesome, even someone of my caliber will easily be chopped down. I don't see the point."

"I don't see the point either personally, but I believe you know how the revolutionaries work?"

"Do what they say and you don't get yourself killed?"

"Indeed."

"In case you haven't noticed, that doesn't apply to Pokémon like me." He tapped his chest with his dangerously sharp claws before waving them around the room, or maybe indicating the city. "I have more than enough protection against the revolutionary army to sleep as soundly as a hatchling as I send you to our butchers. I don't like salad too much, but I think I'll make an exception for your corpse."

This fucking guy. "You're quite the joy to be around, aren't you?"

"I've been told." He didn't seem particularly guilt-ridden though, not that Reyes expected him to be. "And I ask again, why would the revolutionaries' leader want to see the King, within their city no less?"

"I've no damn idea, but it would make things a lot easier if you would just shut up and comply." That riled up the King's bodyguards.

"Or maybe you could die. Then I would officially never have received the message since the envoi would be found miles away." He leaned back and crossed his arms with a smirk. "I'll even be nice and let my boys do it. It'll be quicker and cleaner." His Aerodactyl and Charizard rushed Reyes, surrounding him on both sides, and he let them reach close quarters before he leapt into the air, causing them to slam into each other. Charizard was paralyzed for a moment but Aerodactyl wasn't, summoning several fist-sized rocks and launching them at Reyes. He used his leaf blades to slice them apart and ran Aerodactyl up, using its face as a springboard to launch onto its back. It twisted trying to get him off, which was when Charizard got back in action and fired a Flamethrower at him.

Reyes fought back a grimace and used Protect, repelling the flames, but that was when Aerodactyl managed to get him off, flinging him against the pile of rocks blocking the entrance. He shook the stars from his vision and focused in time to see both charging him with incredible speed for their bulk. He extended his leaf blades and dug halfway into the ground, moving enough for Aerodactyl and Charizard to instead crash bodily into the plaster wall. They couldn't move them (the rocks were apparently packed together like a Magneton) but the impact stunned them, and Reyes took the opportunity of the lull to burst free and dug his elbow into the Aerodactyl's neck, choking her unconscious. "Oh!" It sounded like the King was applauding.

"Bastard," Reyes muttered, raising his fists against the Charizard. His jaws lit up with blazing red flames as he glided across the ground, fast but not quick enough to out-speed Reyes. He somersaulted over the Flying/Fire-type's head and moved in at his wings with leaf blades extended. Charizard quickly covered his back with several pieces of rubble and Reyes didn't retreat in time, catching a swing of his tail to the gut. The impact knocked the breath from his lungs and Charizard spun around for a follow-up punch, which Reyes caught before lashing out with Crush Claw and slamming him to the ground. He growled and his tail's flame grew more vibrant.

"Ooh," the King remarked. "That's not good."

That came a couple of seconds before Charizard and the surrounding area burst into the hottest fire. Reyes forced himself backwards and his feet slid along the concrete before he regained his footing. His last-second vine cover took the brunt of the heat but the physical force left him shaky, and most of the skin along his arms and legs, including his leaf blades, was shriveling and peeling away. The vines disintegrated as Charizard returned to his feet with a roar.

I hope the bastard catches a heart attack, Reyes thought, watching the King vibrate with excitement from the corner of his eye. Charizard took his attention again when he quickly marched forward, swinging his wings like blades. Reyes sidestepped each swipe and snuck quick slashes between the squamate's attacks, creating a back-and-forth with neither party actually landing a blow.

"King—" Someone in the background spoke up but Reyes missed what they said. Their rounds were getting faster and he was losing. The Charizard's claws danced inches from his eyes and Reyes just narrowly parried a fatal strike with his half-regrown leaf blades. His movements were weaker from the fire and he was going to slip up sooner than later. Too bad, it seemed his terrible joke with Azalea would come to fruition. Charizard jabbed again—

"Alright. Point proven." A dark form intercepted Charizard's attack and sent him backwards with a kick. He began to lash out before realizing the interrupter was the King himself and quickly shut his snout. The King half-turned to glance at Reyes appraisingly. "I thought everyone except Alakazam was a pansy."

"Obviously, you were mistaken." Reyes' words were as short as his breath. The King still grinned, an odd gleam surfacing in his eyes. He waved dismissively at Charizard and the unconscious Aerodactyl.

"Take yourself and your friend away. If this had been a real life-or-death fight, you'd have been thoroughly fucked. You're no rebels. Get from my sight now."

"Oi, you don't—" Charizard began, tail lashing, but the King was faster. He quickly covered the distance between them to grab his tail with his claws, creating three gushing rivers of scarlet blood. He howled in pain but the King's grip didn't relent.

"I'm giving you a mercy. If I wasn't in such a good mood, I'd turn both of you inside out." He stepped away, leaving Charizard with a nearly severed tail and probably seconds from blood loss-induced shock. "Oi, Garchomp, show him to the apartments upstairs, would ya?" He then disappeared into some shadows on the side of the room.

"He's lucky I can't kill him." Garchomp sidled onto the scene from some undisclosed, presumably normal sized entrance, about the same time Charizard took Aerodactyl's prone form and fled into the sky. Some blood from his tail splattered on Reyes' face in his haste. "He does this all the time. Don't see why he needs an army, that guy. This way." He nodded around the throne to where a door blended neatly into the wall. "If Alakazam really wants the King, he'll have seconds thoughts then."


"Work…work…work, damn it." Reyes sat on the edge of the bed as he stared at his rebel-approved PokéNav that could supposedly pierce any signal interrupters, yet each time he attempted to establish contact, there were several beeps signaling a lack of communication. Finally, on his eighth attempt, he heard a raucous reply through loads of static.

"Code?" Jamal said.

"4-2-Charlie-Echo."

"Reyes! Thought you would've kicked the bucket by now."

"Wow, that's funny. So funny, I want to see you in person to laugh."

"Yeah, yeah, so how'd it go?"

"Picture bad, then worse, then Bill's crap, then expand the polynomial and that's about it."

"You didn't get the King?"

"No, I didn't, and frankly I question Alakazam's judgement in finding him an asset." Reyes pressed into his temple with his free hand.

"Well, he's strong and has a good sphere of influence, maybe that's it?"

"I don't think the headaches are worth the power. He uses the third person for god's sake. For most, that signals a lack of something up there." Jamal sighed.

"Well, we inferiors will never understand Alakazam's thinking, will we? When are you returning?"

"Hopefully in a few days, including the travel time."

"Then bear him until then." With that, Jamal cut the connection. Reyes replaced the PokéNav in his backpack and lay down on the bare bed. He didn't expect Cove Lily Motel-level accommodations, but it would've been nice not to be smelling putrid meat in every corner of the apartment. He trusted his instincts would wake him in the event of an ambush and closed his eyes, rolling onto his side. Maybe with a little rest he'd be in a good enough temperament not to shear the King bald.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but when he opened his eyes the room was very dark and someone was fumbling with the window despite its lock. He silently slipped to the ground and stooped below it. The rusted lock popped and the window slid open to allow a large black shadow to go tumbling into the room, sending Reyes sprawling on the ground. Reyes growled at the King, thrusting him away and getting up. "What are you doing?"

"Sneakin' in." His eyes glowed like blue beacons in the darkness. "I have so many rebels hangin' it was hard to put up an illusion against all of them, but I made it." He made a sound that, under different circumstances and coming from someone much younger, could be called a giggle.

"For what?"

"To sneak out with ya, to meet Alakazam!" He face-palmed as if it was so obvious, and perhaps it was to everybody else with an I.Q. that could moonlight as a shoe size.

"You slept on my request?" He scowled.

"I'm a Dark-type, idiot! I only sleep durin' the day. I wanted to agree right away but it wouldn't seem, err, respectable."

"You wanted to agree." Reyes' suspension of disbelief was somewhere around atmospheric altitude.

"Sure! It sounds more interestin' than sittin' on a throne an' lookin' pretty. 'sides, I been to worse."

"That much I can understand, but not why you act like a dipshit—unless you actually are one?"

"No! Well, that's subjective." Which meant yes. Not that Reyes needed the confirmation: everything down to his breathing screamed pain in the ass. "It's jus', I gotta act like a king or else they'll eat me alive."

"So you're the king to avoid getting killed?"

"Well, mostly. Like, 109% of the reason." Okay, he was crazy. Good to know. "But I will go with you, and we have to leave now before everyone makes a big deal of it." He seized Reyes' arm, claws digging into his skin, but before he could protest, the King pulled him through the window and down the three-story drop. Before they hit the ground, he blasted it with Shadow Ball, pulverizing the large chunks of soil and rock to create a small hole they heaped together into.

"If you fall on my face one more time," Reyes said from beneath him, "you'll be falling into a grave next."

"Whoops, ha-ha, sorry." He stood up and offered a hand. Reyes pointedly ignored it, getting to his feet on his own. "C'mon, there's a secret underground tunnel past the guards."

"How do you know there's a secret underground tunnel?"

"Cuz I made it, idiot!"

"Look, call me idiot one more time and I'll beat you so badly you'll lose your last three brain cells." The King either didn't take him too seriously or didn't hear, because he stared ahead into the wild grass. He started to get his PokéNav out when the King made an exclamation of surprise. "What is the—"

Suddenly, the King tackled Reyes, pinning him against the wall by his wrists. Behind him, several rebels were running to investigate. "What's going on here?" a Manectric demanded.

"This revolutionary tried to take the King's life." Reyes' eyes widened at the hard malice of his tone. He didn't expect the King or any of the rebels to be especially candid, even more so considering the world's situation, but the fact the others had no idea what was going on meant it was something he, the King, decided on the fly.

"Why would you do that?" Reyes asked, genuinely curious. "If you wanted me dead, any of these Pokémon could've—"

"I don't want you dead." His voice lowered and his eyes narrowed to blades.

"Then what do you want?"

"The King wants to kill you." He released one of Reyes' arms to stab his claws into Reyes' side. Chlorophyll burst from the resulting wound, matting the King's fur and running down Reyes' skin. "I mean, Alakazam sends one of his own practically gift-wrapped into my domain," he added with a glint in his eyes. "It'd be terrible of me not to take advantage."

He took the King's arm and pulled him forward, smashing his elbow down on the King's. The bones at his joint instantly snapped, rendering his arm useless. The King bared his teeth with a bark, springing forward with his other arm outstretched. Reyes dodged, causing his claws to stick into the wall's plaster, and clutched the back of his thick skull and crashed his head into the wall. The King brought up his legs and kicked Reyes in the stomach hard, making him stumble backwards with chlorophyll on his tongue. The King then pounced on Reyes, knocking him to his back, and his claws found a tight grip around Reyes' neck.

"I've killed worse than you. You're nothing."

"Funny. I'd say the same thing," Reyes choked out before grabbing his wrist and pulling him away, smashing him to the dirt. He quickly rolled to his feet and out of the King's reach before he recovered. He stood on all fours and shook his head out before growling, hackles raised to the sky. They simply stared at one another for several moments, waiting for the other to make a move. Reyes knew he was at a disadvantage; the King was weaker, but he was many times faster than himself. Knowing this, he carefully wound several thick saplings around the King's front claws, which he didn't seem to notice.

The King abruptly leapt forward, almost faster than Reyes could see and certainly faster than he could consciously react. But, since he jumped using his hind legs, the plants around his claws tightened and he instead flipped ass-over-head before his back slammed into the ground. Reyes clenched his fist and the plants extended to bind his arms together. The King cried out in outrage, twisting and writhing on the ground to get free.

"I hope you're sated," he growled.

"Why are you saying that?"

"Because you'll get killed in about three seconds." Reyes' instincts went wild, and it didn't take a genius to notice the sound of a dozen Pokémon aiming at his back. He clenched his jaw while his heart pounded in his chest. He had no backup, only himself. Moving quickly, Reyes pulled a handful of leaves from his tail and tossed them at the King. Two made shallow cuts around his shoulder and neck area, but the others stabbed into the ground. The King's eyes narrowed, then he smirked.

"You're not much like the others: they're wolves in saint's clothing, but you, you wear your hostility on your sleeve. You're strong and ruthless when it comes down to it. That look in your eyes…" He squinted a little, then burst out laughing. "You know death well. I like that look." A dizzy feeling hit Reyes, causing him to release the King and stagger into the wall. It was as if a fog had lifted from his eyes: the other rebel Pokémon disappeared with their footprints, leaving them alone once more in the dead of the night.

Reyes gasped for breath. "What…was that?"

"An illusion," he explained. "I was testing your…character, so to speak."

"Yes, well, so to speak, I believe you're clinically insane." His grin widened, showing his dangerously sharp canines.

"Aren't we all?"

"Apparently some more than others," he muttered before adding, louder, "Does this mean you'll come with me, god forbid I lose my sanity in the process?"

"No."

"No?"

"No, you'll be coming with me. To the revolutionaries' base," he added for clarification, even though it still made no sense. "The King is a leader, not a follower."

"Do you even know the way, Your Majesty?"

"'course I do, idi—err, sir." He corrected himself upon seeing the look on Reyes' face. "We just hafta take the Rusturf Tunnel. To Rustboro?"

"Alright, before we go on some life-changing buddy-cop adventure, can I expect more menstruation from you? Because if so, I'm calling Alakazam right now to reconsider."

The King shrugged. "We all have problems we deal with." It was the most normal thing he had said all day. "And anyhow, we've got to go before dawn. I'm at top condition during nighttime only."

"I can see," he muttered, examining his rucksack. It had become shredded and his travel supplies were scattered across the grass.

"Like I said, we all have problems." He bent down to collect Reyes' belongings. "Like you and your battlefield PTSD." Reyes froze.

"How do you—?"

"Yer pain. It's pretty glarin', ya know. I know the signs. You, my friend, are one fucked-up guy." He pointed at Reyes with a grin. "But I am too, so it's fine. We all are. That's the fucked-up world we live in."