Author's Notes:

This is a story I began to write and abandoned shortly afterwards. I still wanted to post it on this site to see if there are people that like it. I will post the few chapters I have written up to now over the following few days.

Enjoy!

Almost all of his warriors were defeated. Either fled or imprisoned by the rebellious Pokémon. The Pokémon army that was being led by a mysterious general was just too big... there were ten of them for every of his own men.

He knew it. Up here, in the dry canyon that was scorched by the searing rays of the sun, just a short distance away from the battlefield that had been filled with the sounds of clashing weapons, dying humans and roaring Pokémon. He was going to die up here!

Akhenaten knew it. Maybe for the first time in his life as human and god, as the ruler over Egypt and as representative of the only god that was important to him, he never had been as aware of his mortality as now. But he felt no fear.

Only deep bitterness and pain. And an endless frustration, that this was supposed to be the end, a cruel death in this sun-scorched desert.

He didn't know why he had to die.

He didn't know who his murderers were and maybe that was the worst: To die and not to know why, without being aware of any guilt.

Akhenaten dragged his body through the sand and rocks. The bright sun almost made him blind. He knew he wouldn't stand much more of this agony. Unlike other Pharaohs before him, he was not a strong man. He rarely went on a hunt and never took part in a war, he barely even left his palace. Still he was trying to reach Thebes, the capital of the kingdom.

The Pharaoh pondered why anyone would want his death. True, he had broken many of the old customs and rules, and enraged the old priests. He knew that many people were still clinging to the old religion and the beliefs into the ancient gods. And there were quite a few influential men doing it, priests and generals. But he would never believe that any of them would start a rebellion or even plan the murder of a Pharaoh!

He grimaced in pain as he tried to go on. Every single movement turned into agony as the deep wound on his right side started bleeding again. Despairingly, he looked up at the blazing sun, which at the same time was the image of his only god, the god he wanted to have as Egypt's only god.

'Aten,' he thought. 'Why did you leave me? Why are you turning away from your son, who you entrusted with the rulership over an entire kingdom, while I chased away the old gods and forbade the worshipping of them?'

But the solar disk stayed silent and continued to sent rays of death to the exhausted man. Akhenaten was thirsty. Unbelievably thirsty. If he had the choice, he would exchange the final moments of his life against a few drops of refreshing water.

But when he looked up again, he felt as if something was holding him back in the world of the living. Did Aten finally show mercy to his child?

The Pharaoh gasped when he saw a tall figure rising in front of the sun, a dark shadow that loomed over him. And for a short moment, hope was spreading through Akhenaten's heart.

But then his vision cleared and he recognized the figure that was standing in front of him.

"You?" he whispered in disbelief. And then he shouted in horror: "YOU?"

The two-legged Pokémon with the blue and black fur stared down at him. Its two fists were shaking.

'Yes,' it told the dying Pharaoh mentally. 'Me, you fool!'

"But... but why?" Akhenaten whispered. Not this noble Pokémon that had supported him with everything he did, that was his FRIEND!

"Why?" he asked again.

Lucario grimaced. 'Why? You really ask me why? Don't you know that, you fool? Because you are our downfall! You have betrayed the ancient gods and brought Egypt to the edge of ruin! Did you honestly think that we Pokémon would watch how you continue to abuse your so-called rights to betray us? The ancient gods are the only gods for us... betray them and you betray us!' The Pokémon spat on the ground. 'You are no Pharaoh! You are a fool, a child that never learned what it meant to live with Pokémon. I should... I should just let you lie here and die!'

"But I... I brought you peace..." the Pharaoh whimpered. "The humans started to accept you..."

'But did you only think one second that we might not accept the humans? Not the way they are, Akhenaten! And even several humans don't want your new religion. The old priests are detesting your plans! That's your 'peace', fool! The people don't want peace! They want a powerful Pharaoh whose enemies tremble with fear when they hear his name!'

"Is that what you want?" Akhenaten asked quietly. "Become Pharaoh?"

'Don't be ridiculous! The humans would never accept a Pokémon on the throne! Besides, I never cared about the throne anyway... but you, you have to go!'

"There are others coming after me," the Pharaoh said. "You want to kill them as well?"

'Others? Oh, you mean Tutankhaten? He is just a child! A child who needs mentors and teachers to rule Egypt. It will be easy to control him. You needed friends as well, remember?'

"How long... did you plan this?"

'Not from the very beginning... but for a very long time!' Lucario snarled. 'I hate you, Akhenaten! You brought Egypt and us Pokémon to the edge of extinction! And that's the same I'm going to do to you! No one will ever remember your name after I'm done with you...'

"You... you are insane..." Akhenaten whispered.

'Maybe,' the Pokémon shrugged. 'But maybe you'll need a madman to stop a madman.'

And he raised his paw for the killing blow.

The Pharaoh cried out in pain as the blow hit its mark. Lucario pulled back his bloody arm and looked at what he had done with satisfaction.

But then his eyes turned wide when he saw how the body of the Pharaoh pushed itself up one last time. He... was still alive?

"Traitor!" the Pharaoh whispered. "You lied to me! You broke the oath you swore to me and god Aten! You... killed me! Curse you!"

'Silence!' the Pokémon traitor roared. Fear was in his eyes.

"You killed me... and therefore, I will put a curse on you. You won't die... because that would be too simple. You're... going to live! You will never find peace! You will live until the day when a dead man will raise all of these dead warriors from their graves! Only then you can die! That is the curse which Amenhotep IV of Egypt puts on you, traitor!"

And then he died. His body sank back into the hot sand, and Lucario kept standing there for a very long time, trying to ban these last, uncanny words from his mind:

'You're going to live! You will never find peace, until a dead man rises all of these dead warriors from their graves...'