Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Civil War

Chapter One: Arceus Has Fallen

The pale moon usually shone luminously this time of night; lighting the path to the temple for all adventurers to see. But this time, it was blocked, not by clouds; but by dense darkness. The grass usually grew tall and stood strong this time of year, but this time it was burned to nothing but ash. The entrance was usually guarded by potent warriors for all of eternity, but this time they were replaced with corpses and rubble.

Arceus' body was littered with lacerations and covered with contusions. He laid immobile on the beaten floor of his temple as his assassins towered above him.

"You will not succeed." Arceus uttered as his eyes fixated on Darkrai.

"You're nothing but a fool, Arceus," Darkrai bellowed, "we've already succeeded. We have laid waste to your temple and there is no one to stop us. We will rule this universe with no opposition!"

Arceus laughed weakly in response. "Is that what you think? I was less of a king or a God, and more of a guide; or at most an arbiter. Pokémon don't like to be ruled. They abide by companionship and honor. So when you try to establish your tyrannical leadership over them, you will be met with an unstoppable rebellion."

"An unstoppable rebellion?" Darkrai mocked. "Who would dare oppose us? We have all of the most powerful Pokémon on our side!"

"Not all of them."

A smoldering veil of fire hurdled vehemently through the air. The massive Grass-Dragon hybrid fully erected his back and embraced the violent flames. They dissipated as they struck him, causing no considerable damage.

Darius' jaw dropped in awe. "Wow, that's insane. That stone completely negates your weakness to Fire!"

"I assure you," Rowland replied as he reverted to his normal Grass state, "it is purely sane. It was derived from simple scientific experimentation and mathematical algorithms which temporarily overstimulate my genotypes."

"Right." Darius pretended to understand. He was an intelligent strategist, but his mind could not comprehend half of the words his comrade just utilized. "So, when do I get one?"

"This Mega-Stone was created specifically for Sceptiles. I would have to completely restart the process to create one for Charizards, which could take months."

Darius frowned, wishing he understood genetic resequencing and engineering as well as his emotionless friend did. "Well, I would really appreciate it if you could make one for me whenever you get the time."

As soon as Rowland was about to reply, a behemothic roar echoed throughout the valley. The duo averted their eyes to gaze upon the direction from which it originated. A colossal green snake darted at an impeccable speed towards the surface from the outer atmosphere. It approached them as they readied themselves.

"Rayquaza?!" Darius asked in shock. "What the Hell is he doing here?!"

"His pattern of movement suggests he is mobilizing towards our position. He appears to be aggressive." Rowland observed nonchalantly.

"We don't stand a chance! We need to find cover!"

Before they could run, Rayquaza was already nearly on top of them. "HALT!" He commanded. "I do not intend to harm either of you."

Darius looked up at the Legendary with his wings spread wide, ready to fly away at the first sign of an attack. "Then why were you moving so aggressively? It looked like you were preparing to dive us."

Rayquaza hesitated briefly before finally replying, "Arceus has fallen."

Darius' eyes widened. "I'm sorry, what? Arceus has fallen? You're joking, right?"

"That is highly improbable," Rowland interjected, "but not impossible. Whoever has slain him must boast an exceedingly vast amount of strength. May I inquire who managed to overpower him?"

Rayquaza replied, "It was many who overthrew him, but the mastermind was Darkrai. He orchestrated the entire assault. And now, he is seeking to eliminate every Pokémon who does not ally with him."

Darius cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Listen, I understand this is terrible for all of us, but isn't this an issue for the Legendary Pokémon to sort out? There's nothing we can do against a threat like Darkrai."

"You are more powerful than you realize." The snake-like dragon replied. "It is true that Darkrai and his allies are immensely powerful, but Arceus has been keeping an eye on many non-Legendary Pokémon that stand out from the rest; such as yourselves. Our universe needs you two, as well as one other; Xena. You two must find her on Hinson Island and journey to the Temple of Arceus."

Darius narrowed his eyebrows. "You can fly, why can't you go get her and bring all three of us?"

"I must rally the remaining Legendary Pokémon and prepare a counterincursion. However, beware of Darkrai's forces. They are aware of your presence as well and will not hesitate to kill you. Make haste and take caution."

With that brief farewell, Rayquaza darted off into the horizon to prepare for the impending battle. Darius looked over to Rowland with a puzzled expression. "What the Hell just happened?"

Rowland answered, "I do believe we were just recruited for war. If we intend on winning, we must complete our objective. We must locate Xena."

"I'm not even sure where to look."

"Hinson Island."

"That island is over 2,000 square kilometers! She could be anywhere. We don't even know what she looks like! She could be a fucking Caterpie."

"That is highly unlikely. The sooner we initiate our search, the sooner we will discover her location. If she is as powerful as Rayquaza implied she is, it is likely the local life will be able to direct us to her."

Darius sighed. "Whatever you say. This Xena better be amazing. Or hot. If we have to go searching for her on a big ass island just so we can go get our asses kicked by Darkrai, she at least better be hot."

"There is an active volcano on Hinson Island," Rowland stated, "Xena's body temperature has likely increased if she resides in close proximity."

Darius forcefully placed the palm of his paw to his own forehead. "That's not... Nevermind. Let's just go find her happy ass before I lose my shit."