G'Day everyone. I'm PocketmonMaster and this is my FanFic which I have posted on some places around the internet and am continuing to write. Hopefully you will find this good/ entertaining/ fun/ whatever.
Prologue: Erus Praedium
"…Fear…
…The ever present reminder that our life is worth living...
…We do not attempt foolish acts because we are afraid…
…Afraid of dying, losing our lives…
…Fear controls our lives…
…And with that, Fear controls us all…
…With all of this…
…Why is Fear so different for all of us…
…It moves with the one it infects…
…Changing, adapting to what we see and feel…
…Taking root, and corrupting us all…
…Only one fear is shared by the entire world…
…The fear of Death…
…I strike Fear into all those who have gazed upon me…
…Does that make me the essence of Fear…
…And with that, does that make me Death…
…Death in its entirety…
…Corruption…
…From my stem it flows…
…Infecting all…
…Fear controls us all…"
A lone figure sat, head in hands, within the confines of a long forgotten cave. To his right, the sun was blissfully setting, slowly falling behind a wall of mountains, covered with what could consist of a thousand forests. He sat there silently; the dripping water from the limestone within the cave was the only distraction to his ponderings. Raising his head, he looked at his forearms; shedding silent tears as he caught sight of three bulbous fingers extended from each of his bony hands. He loathed the fingers; loathed what they represented. Whilst small and clumsy, each could direct the vast power that resided within him; clumsy being the optimum word.
The figure appeared humanoid in shape and stature, but, that was where the similarities between him and humanity ended. The humans, who knew about him, attacked him without mercy; wishing to capture the pure power he possessed. As far as he could tell, greed consumed the human population, pursuing him to the end of the Earth, holding him up in a god-forsaken cave.
He stood up, refusing to stay seated for long, any second an adversary may appear before him, forcing him to flee into the vast maze which was his cavern.
…Or would he attack?…
The decision was not final. An unseeable labyrinth lay before him, taunting the figure. He swiftly turned away, refusing to participate in another wild-goose-chase in the darkness yet again; instead he chose to stay focused and alert.
He could not maintain his thoughts, however. Thinking of his fingers seconds earlier, the creature was reminded of the rest of his mutilated body. He did not possess ears, rather, two bony extensions from his skull. His chest was hard and rigid, much like his so-called 'ears'. His thick tail wavered by his side, curling into an 'S' shape at rest. For each affliction, he could not help but think of how this happened.
Still, he could feel the second connection between his mind and body.
…Mind and Body – Where was the Soul…
Psychic powers, they may have given him the ability to bend the world to his will, but his mind had succumbed to the forces he had acquired. Impure thoughts filled his head, contracting him to follow their misguided ways. The second side of power, the side nobody ever saw; corruption was slowly eating him from the inside out. Often he had to rest, allowing the deadly ideas to burn out and leave him where he always was; in the dark.
"Why is it hurting?"
His eyes rested on the metallic armour near him, gently leaning against one of the rocky walls which hid him from the world. The armour was useless to those who did not know what power it possessed. Nothing could defeat him whilst he wore it, but then again, nothing had ever defeated him. Even he did not know the full extent of its power; wearing it as he woke on the first day of his life, it was as big a mystery as he was.
While he would be able to fend off hundreds of pursuers at once, the figure could not help but feel a desire to hide away, sparing the livelihoods of fools. Fighting was undignified, it spilt the blood of those stupid enough to attempt it, an obvious waste of life. 'Hiding is preferable to combat' - This was something he had mentally trained himself to obey. His nature opposed this mantra where to the point, in mentally weaker times, he saw it differently.
…It was weak…
He turned sharply, something had entered his domain; he could sense it. Despite the terrors of his gifts, the figure could not help but admire the protection they provided, the senses they allowed him to feel, but never to see. Already, he had been lured out of his hiding spot, into the open, only to find a single Rattata, any possibility of a follower disappearing amongst the moonlit oaks. This disturbed him greatly, he was sure that something had been stalking him over the past several weeks. He decided to make sure that this new 'threat' was disarmed.
Once again, his eyes fell onto the armour that lay beside him, wondering if it were to be the best course of action.
Mind quickly focusing, he turned his attention to the invisible image in his mind. The unknown was advancing towards him. He was sure it was a pursuer. Now, this 'threat' would have to be eliminated.
…It was to close…
He reached for his armour, picking it up gently with his deformed hands. Walking out of the cave and into the warmth of the setting sun, the figure began the ritual of putting on his armour. The shoulder pads went on first. The advanced robotics in the pads activated once they were fitted properly, extending down to his crotch, encompassing his chest as it went. Arm and foot bands were then attached, as well as one to his wavy tail. From what he could tell, this technology allowed his powers to be focused, creating more accurate, defined, movements; vital for defending his life.
Finally, his helmet was added. Surrounding his head, protecting it from the unlikely harm he would receive. A dark slot went over his eyes, disappearing within a shield of darkness. A slot automatically slid in front of his mouth from the right and left of the helmet, joining in an unbreakable bond in the middle. Two holes were cut into the helmet, his bony ears extended, protected by two sheets of metal rising in front. When he wore this armour he felt unbeatable, complete.
He scanned the mountains, finding the approximate location where the unknown opposition was last felt. He flashed with a bright light, vanishing. The cave was all but empty, only the dripping limestone remained.
------- (-o-) -------
Appearing exactly where he wanted, the figure was hidden to his supposed stalker. Teleporting above a steep cliff, several large rocks shielded him above a ragged path and the deep forests beyond. He was almost certain it was a human pursuer now, very few Pokémon followed paths, the majority preferred to stay near calm streams and use them as a guide.
The figure stood upon one of the boulders to monitor his opponent; it was a male human, possibly thirty years old with a smug look on his face. At that moment, he was adjusting his pale brown hair and spotless white shirt. From his current state, the man appeared to have taken the long and winding path across the mountains, rather than the shorter which went through deep bushes in the valley. This opponent thought very highly of himself, not lowering himself to strive through the brush like a common trainer.
The unknown boy continued, oblivious to the fact that he was being watched. Suddenly, a flash of light came from the boy's side, a Pokémon had been released. The boy appeared quite surprised that it had come out of its Pokéball without his command. A figure began to appear, bathed in the white light which the Pokéball emanated. A large black wolf stood firm on it four paws, tail bristled and teeth clenched whilst growling towards the summit of the towering cliffs above.
"What is it Mightyena?" asked the trainer, slightly bewildered that it had come out of its Pokéball unannounced. Turning to see what his Mightyena was so displeased with, the trainer saw a heavily armoured figure slowly descended, as if it were feather floating to the ground, thirty meters away from the young man. The jet-black Mightyena continued to growl in anger while the boy stood ready, his objective clear; defeat the opponent and capture it.
"So, after searching for years, I've finally found a Pokémon which no one else has seen before! Hopefully, you'll be strong enough to help me later." The boy said to his armoured opponent. What the opponent did next shocked the boy, it spoke.
"I've been watching you." The boy froze; astonished that the 'thing' could speak. He had been regarding it as a Pokémon.
"From you answer, you are not important enough to be informed about me. I am not a Pokémon, nor am I a human such as you. I belong to no category, I am who I am. That is, the strongest being alive." The boy seemed to take offence to the remark, he believed otherwise. Spurred on by the creature's naivety, the young man felt a wave of confidence flow over him.
"I don't care if you can speak." Reaching for his belt, the boy pulled out a red and white Pokéball, enlarging it in a form of intimidation against the figure. "All I knows is that you can be captured."
"Are you challenging me?"
"Of course I am! You are about to be captured by the next Pokémon Master of the world! I have beaten the Kanto Pokémon League Tournament and two of the Elite Four! You can't beat me! Now, Mightyena, Go!" The boy's Mightyena burst into a blistering run, charging head first towards the motionless figure.
"Use Shadow Ball Mightyena!" yelled the trainer. Mightyena opened its mouth while it ran; creating a large purple ball, seemingly filled with electricity, and shot it forwards. The armoured figure stood silent, as if nothing were happening.
It extended one arm, pointing three fingers at Mightyena. The perfectly aimed ball deviated, swingingly wildly off course. The ball swung around in a large arc, heading directly towards the shaggy, black wolf. The two collided; the ball imparting all of its energy on to the Mightyena's chest as it tripped, falling to its side. A screech of pain came from Mightyena as it stood up, charging once again.
"Go! Use Bite!" Mightyena opened its jaws, ready to sink its teeth into the armoured skin of its opponent. Suddenly Mightyena stopped moving in midair, its muscles froze where they were; its mouth wide open and eyes in terror. Its trainer was in awe; his mouth was wide open just like Mightyena. The figure was standing before the hovering Mightyena, arm outstretched. A blue aura resembling flames was all around the creature; his eyes darkened behind the visor. Savouring the fear, he stood there before Mightyena and trainer, unmoving.
With a swift move of a hand, the figure quickly swung its arm to the nearby trees, releasing the invisible grip on Mightyena. Mightyena hurtled towards the trees, its back colliding into one of them with a sickening snap, and sunk behind the miniature bushes. The trainer was clearly infuriated at what had just happened. So angry; he forgot to return Mightyena to it Pokéball, saving it from the possibility of further pain inflicted.
"That was just lucky!" Yelled the trainer, as he took out another Pokéball and aimed it at the figure.
"Go Parasect!" A large bug with a giant mushroom spurting from its back appeared from the dazzling light, taking a fighting stance with its scythes raised.
"Your Mightyena was poorly trained; would I be correct if I were to say the same of your Parasect?" Both trainer and Parasect took offence to this remark.
"We'll Show You! Parasect, Use Dig!" The Parasect jumped high into the air, quickly diving into the ground scythes first, throwing a large cloud of dirt into the air. The tension between the figure and the trainer was intense. Both stood silently, waiting for Parasect to resurface from the ground. Neither looked away from each others eyes. As the stalemate continued, trainer's mind wandered, trying to decide if his opponent had eyes, or only the empty darkness of the visor which consumed his world.
With out warning, a blood-thirsty Parasect exploded out from underneath its opponent, scythes violently slashing. A single side-step to the left was the only thing separating the two battlers. Parasect flew by the figure harmlessly.
…An invisible hand reached out for Parasect…
The unseeable force secured the trainer's Pokémon, holding it still in mid-air, before it was thrown down hard over its opponents head and into the sand. Parasect desperately tried to move, but the immense psychic powers being applied to it were too much for the mushroom Pokémon. It lay on the ground as the grip on it was slowly released. The figure pulled both his hands back, before shooting them forward to their limits. More psychic forces were applied to the Parasect, causing it to skid across the ground towards the young trainer. Just as the Parasect was hit the trainer, the man quickly dived out of harm's way; dust was sent flying in all directions. As soon as he stood, it was clear that the trainer had been injured. Holding a bloody right arm, he turned and ran, leaving Parasect unconscious in the sand.
No matter how much he despised trainers, the figure knew he had to return Parasect and Mightyena to their cowardly trainer. As like the Parasect and Mightyena before it, the trainer felt his body lock-up in mid run.
"A lack of care for your Pokémon always leads to defeat… You may learn something from this." Slowly, the trainer was pulled towards the unconscious Parasect, his shoes scrapped across the surface of the hardened rock and dirt.
"You have shown cowardice, and your care for your Pokémon is atrocious… You would rather abandon them to save your own skin." By now the trainer had been pulled next to his Parasect, which was slowly regaining consciousness. It was still rearing to fight; despite its condition, and its opponent's overwhelming strength.
"You still wish to fight? I don't think so." The figure extended his powers to Parasect, freezing it along with its trainer. He could feel both of their minds struggling to regain control over their bodies, and escape from his iron-clad grip; they were not going to give up. The Parasect thrashed wildly within, its body did not respond. Both victims were slowly raised before the masked figure.
In order to stop their attempts to move, the figure's focus intensified, causing his prey's muscles to contract and spasm within their mental prisons. Despite this, both trainer and Pokémon fought, these were no ordinary partners. Respectful to determination, the figure pondered, deciding upon asking the incapacitated before him a question to which they were unable to answer.
…"Should I let you go?"…
"Might!" The Mightyena, which had been so easily brushed aside, was awake and growling as like before.
…This trainer's Pokémon were stubborn…
"As I suspected, your Pokémon are poorly trained, they do not know when to give up and be spared" The defeated Mightyena leaped out of the meagre protection of the bushes and charged straight for the Pokémon which was threatening it's master. Its two jaws opened, showing its razor-sharp teeth, attempting to use Bite again. As with Parasect before it, a simple side-step was all that separated the two. Whist dodging, mimicking the earlier battle, an invisible force grabbed the Mightyena, throwing it to the ground. The figure was able to achieve this whilst, suspending the trainer and Parasect. He lifted the Mightyena with his powers, despite its obvious resistance, joining its compatriot and master.
Feeling that any threat of resistance, save for the meagre struggle of each captive, had been neutralised, the figure was sure that his work was done.
"I could crush you at this moment and there would be nothing left. However, I despise violence. I have promised myself to never take the life of another; that would be selfish and uncalled for. I will let you live, for a price…" The trainer suddenly went limp; the proverbial memories of his past were slowly being lost to the wind.
"That is a much more dignified way to dispose of you, isn't it?" The trainer did not move. The figure was satisfied, not content, but satisfied. While he was pleased that everything had worked out the way it had, he couldn't help but feeling that there was something missing; something more.
…A desire to complete the job…
But he had disarmed him of memory; there was no threat left to destroy.
…It would be nice to destroy an intruder - Just one…
…It would show the rest…
…Keep them at bay…
Enraged for even thinking such thoughts, the figure refocused to the task at hand.
Still, the feeling grew. He could feel himself moving slowly, beyond his reason. It was feeling nice. Something about it seemed right.
…He wanted to do it…
The figure raised its arm, pointing his three fingers at all three helpless victims. A flow of power resonated within, coercing the destruction of life.
"No! I will not kill them! This is not who I am!" The building feeling of power disappeared, being replaced with shame in its purest form. The figure could not believe what he could have done. Against his ethics, against his morals, he was going to kill.
Slowly, he could feel the power reforming – Making his evil resolves stronger. Once again his arm raised before his conscious mind, pointing at the young man and Pokémon. The promise of power began to overwhelmed, sporadically wishing to both preserve and destroy. The urge to reclaim what was lost, the urge to have power.
"What is happening? Stop this! Stop this now!" The land stood steadfast, as silent as it had ever been. Struggling to contain his emotions, the figure tried to run, his two sturdy legs refused to twitch, let alone run.
The figure's eyes glowed a deep blood red, as an internal battle within continued. In the stalemate, instinct fought with the mind, neither overcoming, nor controlling the captive body. Without warning, as they struggle, a feeling rose above all the struggle, ending the decision once and for all.
.KILL.
.SNAP.
The ringing sound echoed throughout the surrounding land. Nothing stirred, as had been the case for months. The three helpless companions flopped to the ground like ragdolls in the wind, remaining still in the dusk breeze.
"What is this? Stand!"
…Nothing…
"I said STAND!" The figure stepped forward, hesitantly, unknowing if this was an ambush or not. All was silent. Step-by-step, he approached, anticipating anything and everything.
…He could not sense life…
Kneeling down beside the Mightyena, the figure ran his finger amongst its rough and matted black fur. The once proud and mighty wolf had succumbed to an unseen force. Despite the few seconds of passing, there seemed to be an over accomplishment of death. Twisted and contort, the animal had lived it last fleeting seconds in eternal fear, hate and scorn.
Next up for inspection was the Parasect. The large mushroom oozed a foul smelling liquid from its very tip; an after-death mechanism which deterred predators from eating the Pokémon, allowing the mushroom's spores to find life while the carcass rotted. The large scythes had become impaled in the ground, like it was trying to crawl away from something terrible. As like the Mightyena, the Parasect did not rise, merely, it lay where it had fallen, encrusted with spores and the silent screams of eternal torture.
Finally it was the man's turn; nestled between the bodies of his two possessions in death. The shirt and hair he was so intently straightening minutes earlier were dirty and ruffled. A blank expression was on his face, un-nerving the figure that knelt over him. A small trickle of blood floated lazily across the rocky ground, collecting in a small pool no more than a few inches a way.
…"They are gone" …
------- (-o-) -------
Returning to his cave on foot, the figure pondered.
"What went wrong?"
"How did this happen?"
"How could I have let this happen?"
There were so many questions he did not have answers to.
Again, returning to the same spot he woke up that morning, the figure sat, a shadow of his former self. He looked into the heart of the cave, looking for inspiration as to what he should do next.
"Should I leave here? I have been tainting this land for too long, it has come back to bite me."
The shadow sprung back to life, only to pace, surveying his realm which he had ruled with an iron fist for many months. When he had first come to this secure hide away, the land teemed with life. Psyduck would waddle in low-lying lakes, pig-like Mankey would jump and play in the surrounding forest, there was even a quite measurable infestation from members of the Zubat family in the cave which he was to call home. As the weeks had passed by, there was a noticeable difference in the number of Pokémon in the area. Where streams used to bustle with all assortments of Water Pokémon, many were now devoid of life. The immediate world outside of the cave had become hollow and empty.
"I have to leave here." The figure had made his decision.
"Maybe, if I go where they would never expect, I might have more time." He paused for a second, reflecting on what he had just said. "At least, I hope I will have more time."
He looking at the humble abode for the last time
Stared towards the golden red sinking Sun
A flash of light
Nothing remained
The drips of limestone echoed endlessly
A man entered
The Sun sank
------- (End of Erus Praedium) -------