Hello, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to the first installment of my new series: Pokemon Spirit Signs! Now, before I start off the story I'll kindly provide some nice backstory. A few months ago, some people on Gamefaq's Pokemon X forum started up a CYOA based on the Pokemon universe. Said CYOA later morphed into an RP, which had a sequel, Spirit Signs. Now, as the original RP was chock full of crossovers I felt it would be best to judge interest in such a thing by starting off with the more down to Earth sequel. Nowadays, the series is on its own sequel, which I'll maybe one day make a fic about. So, this chapter is mainly to judge interest on the world and its characters.
Now that I got that backstory out of the way, let me get to the legal rights. Pokemon is created by Gamefreak, while Nintendo owns the brand. Gamefaqs is owned by CBS Interactive. All characters in the story go to their respectful creators in the topics (I'll make a more detailed list later)
Okay, now ON TO THE STORY!
A black and white aged film begins to play, showing a view of a small village filled with cheerful people throughout. A low quality voice begins to speak, talking about said village.
There is a small town in the Kanto region, so small in fact, that it is not even on the map. Its name is Starshine Village. Nearly everyone there is given a "Spirit Sign" by their 18thbirthday. Many get their "Spirit Signs" at a younger age. Now, a Spirit Sign is a mysterious mark that appears on the back of your right hand once you are ready for the responsibility of owning it. Depending on the mark, a"Spirit Pokémon" is different.
What a Spirit Pokémon does is allow one to do "Spiritual Shifts" to have one take form of their Spirit Pokémon. This action is called "Shifting"…
Our story here begins in this small village, where a young teen of about thirteen awakes. The view zooms in on his house, a nice little place where he lives with his mother. As his eyes open, he realizes what day it was. He still couldn't believe that, a mere two weeks ago he had gained his Spirit Sign. Rushing to his feet, the boy hurries to get his clothes on. His feet glide over the wooden floorboards as he dashes down his stairs. He looks towards his mother's room. Saying a quiet goodbye, he opens his door and goes outside.
The boy, nicknamed Jabba, wastes no time to get to the town square, where the Spirit Ceremony would commence at 3 in the afternoon. Anxiously looking around, he hears a voice coming from behind. Turning, he spots out his friend Will. Will was a 19 year old boy. Although he didn't have a Spirit Sign, he was still a kind young man regardless. The two had been great friends for several years.
"Well, you're up early," says Will, a wide smirk on his face. "You aren't the one to miss sleep, what's up?"
"Waiting for three PM," Jabba answers, a sigh covering his face.
"Well you gotta eat first," his friend responds. "Come with me to the cafe, we'll get something to eat. Then you can wait here all you want."
"Sounds good," says Jabba. "Let's go then."
The duo went and both ate breakfast at the café around the corner. While they ate, Will turns to the café window and looks out to the window, a wistful look on his face.
Another year has already passed, and still, nothing...
Jabba turns to his friend. "You ok?" he asks, noticing his friend's odd behaviors.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he answers. "Oh hey, they chiefs are serving all the fish I caught!"
Wow! This certainly is a plethora… whatever that means," Jabba says. "Hey, by the way... I was wondering if you would accompany me on my journey... I mean, you've always been rather interesting, you have yet to show a spirit and you've passed the normal age quite some time ago. Besides we're good friends... I would miss ya too much.
Will looks back at his best friend. "Thanks... so long as you don't think I'll get in the way."
"Don't worry, you won't. I promise," Jabba asserted.
The pair of friends looked out the window to see people gathering towards the town center. A small chorus began to fill the air, as the town elder walked out from the town hall to a wooden platform below the stairs leading up to the shining white building. Checking his watch, Jabba's eyes flung open as he realized that it was only a few hours before the Spirit Festival.
"Will?" he asks his friend.
"Yeah?" Will responds.
"What time is it?"
"Only about 2:15 or so… sweet Arceus, you've gotta RUN!"
And with that, Jabba pushes through the gathering crowd towards his house to finish getting ready for the Festival. He questions just how he was able to waste just that much time with his friend, but he pushes those thoughts aside for the time being.
Somewhere else, a trickster and his Dusknoir walk away from the outskirts of a different small village. The two were coated in white bleach, while several bruises covered their bodies. Mephistopheles rubbed a nasty bump on his head.
"Those stones they were tossing at us were BIG! Rather rude, I must say. Wouldn't you agree, Dusknoir?
The large Ghost-type Pokémon nodded its head.
"I wonder what had those villagers in such a tizzy, though. You think it's because I poured bleach into their wells?"
The Dusknoir was silent.
"Yeah, that's ridiculous. Hm... Maybe they all got annoyed about something all at once, and decided to take it out on the town prankster. You think that's what happened?"
Dusknoir didn't answer.
"I wonder what would've gotten them so annoyed, though... At any rate, we'll need to move, again. Where do you suggest we live next?"
"Hmm... You know, isn't there a quaint little hamlet nearby that's having some sort of festival about this weird sign?" Mephistopheles looked down at his right hand. Inscribed on it was a red pentagram with an eye in the middle. "Maybe I could learn more about this thing if I visit there."
Dusknoir remained silent.
"Heh, you don't need to tell me that. I already know it's a brilliant idea!"
The pair left the cave, headed toward the village with the Spirit Sign Festival...
Back to Jabba, he had finished preparations and had returned to the town hall, just in time for the Festival to begin. As always, lined up before the town elder were those who were about to have their Spirit Sign activated, allowing them to freely transform into their Spirit Pokémon and back. Oddly enough, there was no line this day. The elder walked up to the platform, and gestured towards the crowd.
"All who have the Spirit Sign, step forward," commanded the Town Elder
Jabba stepped forward.
"Ah, Jabba," says the Elder, with a kind grin. "It looks as if you are the only new Sign Bearer. This will make things go quickly."
"Come here," called out the Elder.
Jabba walked towards the Elder. The Elder grabbed the boy's right hand gently, and began to do a short ritual, consisting of various chants and markings the man made on Jabba's hand. The image of a Fennekin appeared over Jabba's head for an instant, before disappearing altogether.
"You seem to have a Fennekin as a Spirit," revealed the Town Elder. "You now have the ability to change to and from the form of a Fennekin."
"How do I do it?" asked Jabba.
"It comes naturally," affirmed the elder.
The ceremony had ended. Jabba and Will left the building.
"This is AWESOME!" exclaimed Jabba, barely able to contain his excitement. "I'll be able to talk to Pokémon, and use moves, and-
"That's real neat Jabba," Will interrupted, as he solemnly looked at the ground.
The tundra by the FrozenMountains is a harsh place, where only the toughest of creatures thrive. Any human seeking a home there is asking for a death wish. If the frigid winds don't frost him over, the wild Pokémon will.
But, despite the odds, one human survives. He's been living here for years, bearing the mark of Kyurem. The frigid dragon's essence is visible. His body is partially frozen, and the cold bends to his will.
Poli was by a fire in a cave, roasting a Piloswine. His cold, yellow eyes stared at non-existant space.
The village...todays the day for the Sign Bearer ceremony, isn't it? Wonder what lucky scoundrels are getting their Spirit Pokémon this year.
His jaws, frozen shut, haven't shown signs of speaking in ages. Yet in his icy gaze lay a boy within an icy tomb.
Poli looked at the back of his right hand. The Triad of Kyurem, it was called. The top section radiated an icy, pale blue.
Poli heard the Voice. You'll understand what that triangle means eventually... for now, we are one and the same.
Kyurem. Poli encountered the frozen monster years ago. It laid the Curse upon Poli, and where his Spirit Pokemon, Haxorus, once resided within, Kyurem entered.
But Poli never revealed this to anyone.
He looked south.
I'll never forget how she helped me escape the death penalty by requesting for my exile...
I wonder how her son, Jabba, is faring?
Somewhere else, the prankster Mephistopheles looked over the town hall with his Dusknoir in silence.
"That... was not what I was expecting," Mephistopheles spoke.
Dusknoir echoed his disappointment.
"Still, I suppose it wasn't a complete waste of time. Did you see how I slipped sedative into that guy's drink?"
Dusknoir didn't seem to answer.
"Well, YEAH! Of course he missed the ceremony, that was the point of the whole thing! I don't just pour drugs into someone's drink for no reason, you silly old thing!"
He walked nonchalantly by a bread stand and swiped a baguette.
"Still... I like this place. It's very lively. I think I'll stay here for a while," the humanoid demon spoke, taking a bite out of his newly-acquired lunch.
"Didn't just one person get their spirit sign, Dusky?"
The Dusknoir nodded.
"Maybe we should have a chat with him. Everyone else always just throws a fit when I speak to them, but maybe another sign bearer will be a bit more… receptive."
On a busy street, Jabba walked with Will, still gloomy for some reason.
"Uh... are you ok Will?" asked Jabba.
"Yeah, it's nothing," Will responded to his concerned friend.
"Alright, as long as it's nothing," replied Jabba. "See you later!"
Jabba and Will walk off in opposite directions.
Back on the docks near the river, Will quietly fishes.
Will sighs for the umpteenth time that day, moaning, "Oh well... I'm glad he's happy... but... WHY NOT ME!? Why must I be passed up year after year? The only thing I'm good at is fishing... but that isn't useful! I always feel so worthless with everyone else around... oh well... I shouldn't be jealous though..."
He sighs again, when another fish suddenly snatches up his line.
"Yes!" He exclaims.
He then reels it in without any trouble... It's a very large wishcash!
At least I have one talent," Will says.
(Anything to make ya feel better...) the Wishcash says, although Will doesn't understand a word of it.
With that, the troubled youth carries off his large haul in order for it to be eaten.
Now, how do I shift into a Fennekin?
"You want to know how to change into your Spirit Pokemon?" says a voice.
Jabba recognized the voice as another townsperson named Zade, a teen a few years older than Jabba who got his Spirit Sign several years earlier.
"How did you…"
"It's what every new Sign Bearer wants to know after the Festival," explains Zade. "Anyways, it comes naturally. Just watch."
Suddenly, before Jabba's eyes, feathers begin to form on the young adult's skin. His figure shrank shorter and shorter as his arms began to change into what appeared to be wings. Slowly, Zade shifted into a Staraptor.
"…Wow," gets out Jabba, almost entirely speechless.
Zade shifts back into human form, and approaches Jabba. "Just focus your thoughts. Concentrate," he says to the boy.
Jabba stood their for a moment, concentrating with all his might. Gradually, fur appeared on his body and his ears changed. He got down on his four limbs and finished transforming into a Fennekin.
"Nice!" Jabba says.
"Now, can you change back? Practice makes perfect," says Zade.
"Let me try…"
Jabba switches back into a human, then a Fennekin, then a human again. It took at least 10 minutes all throughout, but he is happy nonetheless.
"Yes!" shouted Jabba. "I can change at will!
"Ah, yes," expressed Zade. "Now, continue to do as you wish."
Jabba smiled and ran back home to practice in his Spirit Pokémon form.
will is whistling while walking home, when he suddenly sees jabba and some dusknoir talking.
will: hmmm I better go check this out...
with that he hurries over to the two.
Pryce made his way through the woods, until he finally found his destination: the rumored village that held the population of the mythical Spirit Bearers.
At last, maybe he'd get some answers.
He was sneaking around the village, making sure he wasn't seen, but keeping an eye on the villagers.
One thing he discovered was that all the villagers seemed to have mysterious marks on their hands. None of the marks had regular traits in their designs, every single one was different. The only thing they all had in common, they were all on the back of the right hand, just like his...
He was certain at this point. If he was ever going to find the answers he sought, he was going to find them here.
He made his way through the village, until he saw some guy with a kid getting stopped on their way by a gothic guy wandering. Following closely behind, he watched as the boy wandered off, straight into the goth... guy's clutches.
He transformed into his Dewott form, just in case things got messy, but stayed out of sight to make sure his assistance wasn't needed...
As Jabba approached his front door, the ground below him crumbled. As he fell, he tried desperately to grasp the solid ground surrounding him, but he fell into the pit.
"What in the... Ugh!" Jabba groaned.
A strange boy with bluish skin, red eyes, and a black cloak peered down at him.
"Hi there," he said, grinning.
Jabba fumed. "D-did you do this? Let me out of here, NOW!"
Mephistopheles sighed. "Really, you humans are some of the most short-tempered people I've ever met. Did it ever occur to you that this is just a harmless little joke?"
Jabba transformed into a Fennekin in an instant, huffing flame from his mouth.
"I suppose it would be funny if I burned your face off, hmm?" the now-Fennekin retorted.
The mysterious person laughed. "Yes, that is pretty funny, considering you've only just become a Spirit Sign bearer, and you probably can't even use Ember yet."
"Just... Wh... What are you?!" Jabba questioned.
"Me? How about this. I'll tell you all about me, and let you out of this hole, if you tell me your name."
The Fennekin calmed down. "Jabba..." he muttered. "My name is Jabba."
Pryce listened in closely nearby. He knew he'd have to step in, he should've stepped in already, but this goth, demon, whatever he was, was asking all the questions he had for him.
He grabs his scallops, waiting to strike.
"Jabba, is it? Where have I heard that before...? Eh, it's probably nothing. Anyways, here you go." Mephistopheles tossed a rope down.
The Fennekin quickly climbed the rope, and then tackled the demon boy.
"What do you want?!" Jabba demanded.
"Honestly, your people are so rude. You didn't even let me tell you my name," Mephistopheles said, pinned down.
"What. Is. Your. Name," the Fennekin questioned.
The demon grinned and answered, "My name is Mephistopheles. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
"What do you want with me?" Jabba asked impatiently.
"Well, first off..." the demon instantly transformed into a Dusknoir and cast the Fennekin off.
"Okay. Now that that's done, I'd like you to tell me something."
"Tell you what?"
"Everything," Mephistopheles answered. "Everything about that mark of yours. How you got it, what it symbolizes, what it does, why some people get it and others don't, everything."
"For someone who acts so smart, you certainly are clueless aren't you?" Jabba tells Mephistopheles.
"Answer my questions," Mephis responds.
"Alright you little-never mind," answers Jabba. "The mark is something most of the people of this village get by their 18th birthday. They are all different apart from the fact that they are always on our right hands. Every year the Village elder does a ritual for the new Sign Bearers. The ritual grants them the ability to change into a Pokémon determined by the symbol. As you can see, mine is shaped like a star, and I turned into a Fennekin. Some get it, and some don't. Some say it's destiny, some say otherwise."
Mephistopheles sighed, shaking his head. "I knew all that already. What I want to know is..."
His expression suddenly turned serious, as he whispered something that sent shivers down Jabba's sides.
"...Do only humans get the sign?"
Jabba scratched his head, saying, "I haven't ever seen a non-human get the symbol. What other species are there besides Humans and Pokemon? Wait... what species are you? You don't seem normal…"
Will, walking home slowly, notices all of the action. He runs over to help his friend, entering the growing conflict.
Up from atop the town square rooftops, a lone figure watches. A boy named Tyler was busy studying Spirit signs as usual when he heard voices echoing from down below. Tyler closes his Journal and looks towards the stand. Tyranitar, his spirit Pokemon, appears.
"Ceremony eh?" Tyler questions. "Wonder who got picked this year..."
His Tyranitar remains silent beside him.
While watching, he hears the voice of two boys, Jabba and Will, as they run towards the Town Hall.
"GOSH DARN IT!" yells Jabba
"Jabba! Where are you going!?" asks Will.
Than the two run toward the elder house, than back to the stand.
What is that Goof Jabba doing now, I wonder?
Tyler gets to the ceremony just in time to see the new Spirit wielders.
"Only Jabba?" wonders Tyler. "What a waste of time... wait, that other boy, Ambi... he was supposed to be up there, yet he's not... Tyranitar, something smells fishy here, and it's not that boy Will's odor."
Tyranitar points toward a building, where Ambi lived.
"Oh... I see," he realizes.
Tyler goes to the village shed and grabs a ladder, and climbs up to Ambi's window. She lies on the bed, snoring softly. Tyler jumps off the ladder.
"Lazy... lets wake her up, shall we?" Tyler says to Tyranitar,
Tyranitar nodded.
"Very well then..."
Tyler gets into his fighting stance, firmly planting his feet onto the floor.
"TYRANITAR!" he screams. "LEND ME YOUR POWER!"
Tyranitar roars, and energy goes into Tyler's Spirit sign, making it glow.
"STONE EDGE!" he says.
Tyler and Tyranitar than point their arms at Ambi's wall. Tyler's hands glow vigorously as stones shoot out of their fingers. The attack hits the wall multiple times. Tyler hears a large thump inside Ambi's room.
"Awake now are you?" Tyler jokes. "Lets go, Tyranitar."
They leave, heading back to their usual spot.
As he heads back, Tyler hears a scream near Jabba's home. When he reaches Jabba's front door, he realizes the entire earth beneath the doormat is gone.
"What in the..." Tyler mutters.
Tyler and Tyranitar hear a yell down below.
?:Just...Wh...What are you?!
Tyler: Jabba? Hm... lets go Tyranitar!
Tyler and Tyranitar fall into the pit. (or float, in Spirit Tyranitar's case.) they land on a rock near the ground, and see Jabba at the bottom, opposite sides to him, is a mysterious boy.
"Wait, Isn't That...?!"said Tyler, a look of recognition on his face.
"My name, is Mephistopheles," says the figure. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance."
Him... its...him...
Jabba rises, an impatient look on his face. " And just what do you want with me?" he inquires.
"Well first off...okay. now that that's done, i'd like you to tell me something," Mephis answers... sort of.
"Wait, what?" questions Jabba, still very confused.
"Everything, Everything about that mark of yours. How you got it, what it symbolizes, what it does, why some people get it and others don't, everything!" Memphis replies.
The conversation continued until Tyler was fed up.
"This is my chance to stop him... come on Tyranitar!" he calls out, drawing attention to himself.
Tyler and Tyranitar jump down to the ground, in between Jabba and Mephistopheles.
"MEPHISTOPHELES!" yells Tyler
Meanwhile, Will appears, opposite of him.
"I've got your back!" Will assures his friend.
"When did my life go wrong?" Jabba wonders to himself as Tyler rushes at Mephistopheles. "Oh, just STOP IT ALREADY! Can't we go over this like civilized humans?"
Mephis rolls his eyes. "Although I'm not human in the least... I'll listen to you," he responds as he shifts back.
Mephistopheles, in his "human" form, stepped out of the Dusknoir, leaving it floating there. He showed Jabba his Spirit Sign: A red pentagram with an eye in the middle.
"You're a Spirit Sign bearer too? How are you able to separate from Dusknoir like that?" Will asked as he approached.
"Who is this?" Mephistopheles asked Jabba.
"He's a friend. Now go on; what are you?" the Fennekin responded.
The demon shook his head. "I don't know. I thought at first that anyone could do that, but then I found out that wasn't the case. As for what I am... Well, I don't trust you to keep that a secret."
"Does it just sit there while you're separated like that?" Jabba asked.
Mephistopheles answered, "Nope. He moves around and does stuff and everything. When I fuse with him, it's like I possess him or something. But he doesn't mind."
He looked at Will.
"You don't have a Spirit Sign? You look like you're at least twenty-five years old," the demon remarked.
"I'm nineteen, thank you very much. And no, I don't have a sign," Will answered.
"Oh? How peculiar. Please, I'd like to know all about it. Why you don't have a Spirit Sign."
"that's the thing... I don't know why," Will acknowledges. "Everyone else in the village has one... except for me."
"He's an interesting subject..." Jabba and Tyler both responded at the same moment, before turning to each other.
"So then... you are a weirdo a reject of the spirit sign," Mephis sums up.
"Yeah, you can put it that way..." responds Will. "I'm s-s-sorry, the only thing I'm good at is fishing... but what use is that?"
"Oh, don't worry fishing is very useful," Jabba reassures Will. "Your fish helps the whole village!"
"Yeah..." responds Will, his cheeks glowing red.
"Well, I am tired of this pity party!" interrupted Mephistopheles. "Now, man up or leave my sight!"
"Ok," responded the oh so gullible Will. "You're right."
Will began to slowly hobble off away.
"I was being sarcastic..." mumbled the trickster.
"Alright, enough talk!" screamed Tyler, shifting into a Tyranitar.
The hulking beast landed in front of Mephistopheles. "MEPHISTOPHELES!" he shrieked as he flung a claw at the teen dressed in gothic clothing.
"Oh my," Mephis responded, nimbly evading the Tyranitar's strike.
"And what, pray tell, is your quarrel with me?" Mephistopheles calmly questioned as he dodged each attack.
"YOU KILLED MY MOTHER, YOU... YOU... RRRAAARRRGH!" retorted Tyler,
"Did I really? What was her name?"
"NICOLE- HURGH-!"
The clever trickster thought for a moment. "I can't say that rings a bell."
"WH-WHAAAAAT? HOW COULD YOU FORGET HER? YOU MURDERED HER! AAAARGH!"
Mephistopheles transformed into a Dusknoir and used Protect, causing Tyler to fall to his legs and shift back into a human. "Tell me this. Do you remember the names of every pig, fish, and chicken you've eaten?"
"Why yes yes I do," said the native Will, still wandering away from the scene. "There was Hilbert, Jessica, Thorough, Ypsen, Herin, ... etc. etc. mind you they were all fish... but hey! I don't mind some weird demon evil thingy of the abyss killing us with cold derision of our humanity so long as you don't mind us doing the same to your kind!"
"Agreed, you little clueless fisherman!" said Mephis in response.
As the rascal mocked Will, Tyler prepared to charge Mephistopheles. He ran him with all the might he could still gather... only for Mephis to disappear in thin air, his laugh echoing through the air. Instead, Tyler charged straight into Jabba, tackling the boy to the ground. As the two prepared to fight each other, Will broke up the conflict.
"Uh... guys..." began Will.
"What?" the others both replied in unison.
"L...look," Will responded, pointing up above them all. There hovered Mephistopheles, laughing at the top of his lungs.
"My oh my, I seem to have stirred up quite the kerfuffle here," Mephistopheles laughed. "But I'm bored now. There's much more fun to be had elsewhere."
"Where do you think you're going?" Tyler growled.
"To that farm with all the Mareep. I have something entertaining planned for that place," the demon answered, grinning.
"You're not going anywhere until you tell us what you are," Jabba demanded.
"On the contrary, I'm off to the aforementioned farm. Ciao!" Both he and Dusknoir vanished with a ripple in the air, leaving stunned faces on Jabba, Will, and Tyler.
"I don't even..." began Jabba.
Enough sitting on the sidelines, time to step in. Pryce thought. Immediately after, he jumped high in the air, revealing his presence, and threw both Scalchops so that they'd both hit the Ducknoir's face at once.
Everyone is startled by his presence, but he doesn't care. That kid has the answers he's been looking for for 8 years, and he wasn't about to let them perish at the whim of a sociopath. However, the goth's face suddenly disappeared, quickly fading out of existence.
Pryce was about to put his Scalchops back, when he suddenly got hit in the back with some stones. He didn't think it'd be as simple as scaring off the goth.
He then heard one of the boys shout out, "Tyler, what are you doing?"
The guy who fired the rocks, Tyler, said to the kid "We don't know this guy, never seen him before. For all we know, he could be in line with that guy, Mephistopheles."
Pryce then spoke up to dispel that thought. "I hardly know that guy! The only thing we have in common is that we both want answers about the marks."
"Marks?" the kid asked. "You mean the Spirit Signs?" Pryce nodded yes in response, but kept an eye on Tyler. "Hasn't the elder explained everything to you when you got your spirit Pokémon?"
"I'm not from this village, Tyler here got that much right." Pryce said. "I come from Unova. I was about to start my journey as a trainer, but then I found this mark on my hand. I don't know how it got there, or what it really is, but I've been all over the world, looking for answers. I would've stepped into your little conversation sooner, but that guy was looking for the same thing as me. Answers."
"Interesting..." the kid said. "Come on, I'll explain everything at my house. But first, how about you tell me your name."
"You can't be serious!" Tyler said, but the kid shot back with "If he's telling the truth, I can't just leave him. If he makes a move, I'll take care of him myself." He says that last part while looking at his Spirit Sign.
"And if he's too much to handle?" Tyler asks.
"Then you'll get to see me beaten up, then finish him off yourself." Tyler then nods in agreement, but with an angry look on his face.
"Now, before we go, name?" the kid asks me. Pryce decides to trust him for now, so he shifts back as a sign of good faith. He then said his name.
"Pryce."
Well, what did you all think? So, please review and whatnot, and see if I should make another chapter. Post and review and whatever, and I'll have Chapter 10 of Laptops up and ready in no time! (Don't worry if you haven't a clue on what I mean by that). This is Paper Riku, signing off!