Hello fans, I am back with my next story. I hope you enjoy this one as much as the last. Just a heads up but this is a sequel novel to Rise. So if you haven't yet read that, please do! It may help you with some of the understanding as to why characters do that which they do here. Please do review and rate!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of its subsidiaries. Any rights and copyrights are owned solely by Nintendo and the Pokemon Company. Only the original characters are my own.

Prologue

I will become a stronger man all by myself! Those words still floated around the young man's head yet their meaning had changed. What did it meant to become stronger? Was he pursuing true strength? How was it that people like Arthur and Lance, those who seemed intent on treating Pokemon as equals and friends, continued to defeat him? Was everything he had learned from his father wrong?

These questions were keeping Zeke up at night still. Since his defeat at the entrance to the Indigo Plateau to Arthur, Zeke had been travelling to Kanto. The new region would hold more opportunity he assumed. Yet thus far, he had achieved nothing. Yes the trainers here were stronger, or at least the ones he had faced, but the questions which his soul yearned to answer were left untouched. Enlightenment avoided the red head as a mouse avoids a bird. And it was maddening.

Returning to the region of his birth had yielded nothing save for more annoyance and disappointment. Here he had learned that his rival Arthur had brought down the champion. Arthur was the medias wonder child and Zeke was the unwanted offspring of subversion and greed. That which had raised him, had failed. And now he was left adrift.

Through it all however, a single Pokemon never left his side. Through all the torment and abuse, his ever loyal Feraligatr stood by. Waiting.

"Why are you still here?" Zeke had finally asked one day. "I've been horrible to you, and yet I find you fighting anyways. Why?" The gator had simply cocked his head to the side and regarded his trainer.

"Nevermind... Don't even know why I cared to ask" Zeke muttered knowing full well he wouldn't see an answer. What he missed was his Pokemon's smile and understanding. While rough around the edges, Zeke was a good man and trainer. Feraligatr knew this, and he had shown his partners this every chance he got. It was why Zeke was able to be as powerful as he was. Because somehow, he had gained his Pokemon's trust.

River's joined his men in a cavern coated in ice. The journey from Johto had taken longer than expected, but these men were professionals. They were completely prepared for what waited within. The old man walked up, two others trailing behind. The young scientist was cold, wet and miserable, while the secretary was excelling far beyond what anyone could have expected. She had kept up with River's who continually surprised her with his health, strength and endurance for one who was getting as old as he.

"Sir. Good to see you again." The elder nodded at the lead. The two shook hands quickly before the younger man turned to Caleb and Kimberly. "I take it you are the two accompanying us on this capture."

"Have you really found it then?" Caleb asked. The lieutenant nodded. Kimberly strode forward, her boots crunching the gravel beneath them and mixing it in to the ice. She watched her breath condense in front of her, and felt the cold permeate her jacket.

"How will you capture it?" she asked.

"We'll start by battling it" the gruff voice from behind her said. Turning around she saw the old explorer holding a Pokeball.

Arthur sat down at the seaside restaurant in Viridian. The view was spectacular overlooking the waves washing up along the beach. People could be seen preparing to battle the local gym leader who was an old war hero. His electric types could absolutely terrorize people if it weren't for the Digletts cave right outside the city limits. If trainers were smart, they could acquire a ground type which were immune to electric attacks before the battle. Not that it was a fool proof strategy against someone like Lieutenant Surge.

However, right now the young man was waiting for his meeting with another person at his level of accomplishment. He'd picked a booth so that they would be out of the main sightline and thus left alone. It wasn't as easy anymore for Arthur to get some privacy being the person who not only stopped Team Rocket, but also the Champion. He looked up as the door opened once more and another person entered. The woman was wearing tight jeans, excentuating her long legs, and a light blue tank top which showed off her curves. Blonde hair cascaded down her back and the bangs covered one eye, leaving people to see only a single grey eye. Looking around, the stunning young women spotted the champion and headed over. Arthur stood up as she got closer ignoring all the turning heads.

"Arthur?" the woman asked.

"Yes ma'am. A pleasure to meet you finally Cynthia" Arthur said as he held out his hand. The Sinnoh champion took it and shook it firmly.

"The pleasure is all mine. It's been some time since Johto has produced a champion. You must be quite the trainer to have defeated Lance." Arthur laughed.

"Thank you, but in all honesty, it was a close match. Had he hit Blaze one more time, it would have spelled the end. Blaze was my only Pokemon faster than his Dragonite."

"That's just how battles tend to work. That doesn't take away from the fact that you managed to win" the blonde said. Arthur smiled and looked out the window. After a minute of small talk, the server came along and took their order. The two champions were quiet for a time just taking in the scenery. Once their meals came, Arthur started getting to the reason for the meeting.

"So I've wanted to speak to you for a while now" the young man said. He looked up into Cynthia's eyes.

"I thought as much. You remind me a bit of your father already."

"I wasn't aware he knew many champions."

"Then you may be surprised to learn that your father was quite an accomplished trainer himself. He was even offered a spot in multiple Elite Four" Cynthia said. Arthur nodded at the last bit of information.

"I knew about the elite four thing. Just wasn't aware he knew many champions is all."

"Well I wouldn't say I knew him that well, but I did know him. He was much older than me when we met, and I wasn't champion at the time." Cynthia took another bite looking at the young man.

"I'm curious about the legendary Pokemon of Sinnoh and what you know of them." Arthur said.

"Why Sinnoh?"

"Truth be told I'm curious about all of them, but I figured I'd gather some information of the creators of worlds. Their power is something that I would imagine most people would covet."

"You're not wrong. People come to Sinnoh for that reason alone. However, those legends are believed to live in worlds of their own creation, not our plane of existence." Arthur frowned.

"So the other legends who live within our plane then are left here to protect what?"

"You think they're here to protect something?" the blonde asked.

"I don't know. Why would you surmise as to why they would exist." This time it was Cynthia who frowned.

"You raise a good point. It could simply be the manifestation of nature itself as well. The legends give form to the powers of the world and are the conduits as to their use" she replied. They both continued eating for a few more minutes contemplating the legends.

"Why are you pursuing the legends Arthur?" Cynthia finally asked. She held a guarded tone, not wanting to cause offense but yearning to understand what the young man's motivations were.

"I've met two on my travels thus far. And both seemed to need help. With what I'm not sure, but knowing that, I want to try and find the answers."

"And to do that, you seek an understanding of them" Cynthia added. Arthur nodded as he looked out over the ocean. "Well I don't know if I can help, but I'll let you know of any developments I come across. In the meantime, I believe you are planning on challenging the Kanto gyms?" Arthur smiled as he looked at the Sinnoh champion.

"That's exactly right."