DISCLAIMER I do not own Pokemon
AUTHOR'S NOTES It's RamaChanChan here. This is my first story uploaded on FF . net, and literally the first piece of fanfiction I've ever written in my entire life, yay me! So considerably, it may not be that good, especially since I'm thirteen. Don't let that discourage you, I've been trying to work on this story for a while now, and I really like the ideas I've put into it.
Basically, this takes place in a whole new Pokemon universe. Each Pokemon element is unique to a certain Continent or Country, and each Continent or Country has special features to it that pertains to the elements of the Pokemon found there. Each Continent, or Country, has some form of a Guardian, whether legendary or not, because some types don't have a legendary for it. (i.e, poison, bug).
Okay, so I revised only the second half of this chapter, but I can't help but wonder if it was really neccesary. Well... folks, you decide!
- CONTINENTS: A -
THE DRYLANDS
Sector A
The Continent of Flames This Continent is mostly inhabited by fire-type pokemon. It is located directly on the equator. The nights are short and the days are lengthy, summertime is all year-round. A strip of volcanic mountains sits north, constantly spewing fire over the land. Rainstorms are detested an infrequent. Humans have begun to settle there recently.
The Rocky Continent This continent is directly above The Continent of Flames. There, rock-type Pokemon smash boulders for fun and enjoy scaling their mountainous land. It's a perilous, harsh environment that only natural hikers could love.
The Desert Region The Desert Region is home to many ground-type Pokemon. It's brutal, harsh, and filled with sandstorms. Most of the ground-types that live there prefer to tunnel underground. The desert region tapers off The Continent of Flames, moreso dry than The Continent of Flames is hot. You have to be crazy to vacation there.
The Continent of Steel The environment here is rough and dangerous. The tallest mountains in the world rise up to the sky, hardened into steel in some places by many eruptions there in the past. Underground, precious metals are dug up by humans and Pokemon. Each inhabitant of this Continet put excellent use to its steel.
-END CONTINENTS -
Got that? There's more to come.
If you read this author's note, good for you. If not, then you may be hopelessly lost.
FLAMING CONTINENT
FLAMING VOYAGE
~ * ~
THE CONTINENT OF FLAMES
Majesty
I.
THE LIGHT OF DAWN is always welcome; with it comes the sun. Its glorious rays beam down upon the land, scorching the red mountains that make up my home, turning them a brilliant scarlet that reminds me fondly of the embers blazing in my belly now. Exhaling, a ring of smoke permeates the dry air, growing lighter and lighter until it vanished. I watched it, letting my mind wander a little.
I started, briskly, making way down the canyon, feeling the hot rock seep into the soft skin of my pads. I kept close to the walls, thick fur brushing the hard granite, for shade. The sun was a hot yellow eye glaring at me from the horizon. Each of my nine tails relished the new warmth it brought. Dry stalks of grass poked out of the earth here and there, forcing its way up the cracks. Tiny mice scuttled about, their long shadows thrown over the earth. I paid them no mind. This part of the canyon was mostly barren, perfect for my daily excursions. My kits were safe at home in their den. For now, they were sleeping, curled against one another like little orbs of fire as they awaited my return.
Somewhere in the distance, great plumes of smoke billowed into the sky. It was said to be the breath of our Legendary Guardian, Heatran, as he exhales the smoke and dust piled up on the volcanoes. I imagined the Guardian huddled in one of his many lairs deep underground, summoning the great rushes of molten lava that hardens and shapes our land. That lava forms the mammoth Volcanic Mountains that were home to many fire-type Pokémon. I could feel magma now, gushing beneath the surface of the earth like a river.
Southward, Entei prowled the great Scorched Plains, his bulk casting sharp shadows over the tall grass. And Moltres flew anywhere she pleased, nesting on her perch at Mt. Ember whenever she tired. Each guardian was responsible for ensuring the safety of the Continent. But, for all the years I have lived, I never met either of them. I will, someday, but for now I must care for my kits.
My kits, Sable and Blazen, are the world to me. They're my first litter, though I've lived for five decades already. Even so, I am lucky to birth so soon. Most vixens are forced to wait over a century until a potential mate comes along, and perhaps even longer to birth kits. Their father, Tiriam, had not lingered. We did not love each other in the popular sense. For the most part, I only wanted his kits. Part of me had felt guilty for deceiving him, but he'd vanished anyway, and then I realized he didn't love me either. Perhaps in the future he might return for the kits he'd left behind. If so, he's not getting them. Sable and Blazen are mine now, my hard labor, my loves. Not his. They never will be.
Sighing, I paused for a rest on a jutting ledge, staring over the canyon. It was beautiful; orange-golden rock radiating in the dawn sunshine. The vibrations of my world traveled up into my paws. I could feel, rather than hear and see, the herds of several different Pokémon milling through the land. They belonged here, just as I.
Somehow my thoughts strayed to the kits.
My eldest, Sable, is such a beautiful, gold-furred little Vulpix. His distinct, sepia-colored eyes hold such innocence and purity, and his unique pelt will surely provide much popularity as he grows older. My son is undeniably the more sensitive of the hatchlings, caring genuinely for others, and lovably naïve and sensitive. He loves to explore. I am not sure which side of his parentage he takes after; I was hot-spirited and independent when I was younger, and his father, surely, was very solemn and unkind. Sable's softness, perhaps, derived from my mother. She was timid and unready for her daughters. I spent most of my childhood raising myself and being looked after by my grandmother. Then, I went off to find myself a home.
Blazen, however, does remind me very much of myself. He's lively and energetic, stubborn and hardy. Though younger, he has a protective grip on Sable. He hardly allows him to do anything precarious. However, even though he often disallows Sable to do much of anything, Blazen hardly restrains himself. He's a go-getter, a real daredevil. He's harder to look after. I'm constantly disciplining him, keeping an eye on him, but he and his brother both hold a special place in my heart. I will always love them.
Daylight has come. No longer is the sky pink, but it is slowly melting into a bright blue. Today will be cloudless, like many. In an hour or so, Blazen and Sable will awaken, but my hackles bristle as I catch a familiar scent, ripping me out of my revering trance. Raising my gaze, I notice a lone figure padding precariously close to the edge of the canyon's fatal fall. Her image was nothing but a tiny speck in the distance, but I could still recognize who she was. No other Pokémon had a pelt as red as that.
"Mirin," I mouthed, sending my mental presence towards the Flareon. She paused, throwing her nose up to taste the air. Uncertainly, she let her dark orbs wander until our gazes connected. She seemed cheerful.
Slowly, I descend from my ledge and landed on the dusty canyon floor beneath me. Miles of rock and wall stretched out before me, Mirin's tiny form silhouetted over the edge. Her paws shuffled anxiously as she tried to locate a way down. Finding a jutting precipice, she leapt onto it and gradually made her way to the canyon's base. Her scent fluctuated in glee.
"Majesty!" she cried. "What a pleasure it is to see you!"
"As to you," I replied. "What is a Pokémon as clumsy as you doing traipsing along the edge of the canyon like that? Have you lost your mind?"
"I was looking for you, actually," the Flareon admitted, staring shyly down at her paws. "I'd missed you, so…"
"What about the kits? How are they?"
Mirin's aura suddenly flared mischievously. "They're the entire reason I'm out here! Alenn couldn't stay still, and Carlan couldn't keep his teeth out of my precious Venice's fur. I needed some fresh air."
"I see…" I tried to hide my mirth. I wasn't really the cheerful kind, but Mirin often reminded me of my days spent as a kit. "And Harris is watching over them?"
"Of course!"
"Good." I let myself relax, enjoying the company of a close friend. Mirin and I had drifted away once we'd found mates, but I'd noticed her visiting my canyon often, paying extra attention to the area where we'd first met, a large slab of stone that served as the best sunning spot in the canyon.
"You know," said Mirin. "This place seems a little… emptier."
I had noticed as well. The canyon was no longer bustling with as much activity as it used to. Even though the area was naturally barren, the increasing lack of occupants was… suspicious, to say the least. To me, there could have only been one explanation.
"Humans; they're increasing by the thousands."
Mirin mildly met my crimson gaze. "Humans have built some home close to mine and Harris's den," she admitted. "At first I was worried for the kits, but Harris assured me nothing would happen. He once belonged to a human, you know*." She quieted, lowering her eyes down to her paws. "I still feel really anxious, being all the way out here while Harris and the kits are so close to the humans."
"Many Pokémon fear the humans," I told her. "But they are harmless. There are Pokémon with intelligence that far surpasses them, such as mine. They don't have any elemental powers to speak of, so therefore they hardly belong in this world. If anything, they're prey."
Mirin gasped. "But, Majesty! You know that's against –"
"–our Legendary Code, I know," I interrupted. "I know what happened to the last Pokémon that killed a human." I let my eyes trail over the contours of the canyon, and out over the great volcanic mountains beyond. "I won't make that mistake."
Mirin breathed a sigh of relief.
"But," I let my eyes meet hers, fierce emotion burning within the crimson orbs more powerful than anything. "If they try to harm my kits, I shall surely bestow upon them a fate worse than death."
I let my tails sway suggestively. **
And I tried to ignore Mirin's discomfort.
~ * ~
SABLE SLOWLY OPENED his pale brown orbs, squinting against the sunlight streaming into the den. He'd fallen asleep cuddling against his brother Blazen, but now the other Vulpix kit was somewhere to his left, sprawled out in the nest they shared, leaving the slightly older kit was stuck on the cold, hard, cave floor.
Trying to ignore the stiffness in his limbs and the urge to crawl into the nest and sleep, Sable poked his golden head out of the cave's entrance. He tentatively relished the feel of the warm sun on his fur. Gradually, the need for sunshine became too much. Dragging his tail *** along the dusty ground, he padded out into the open and sat there. Closing his eyes, he basked in the fiery heat of the canyon.
After a few moments, he caught his brother's milky scent on the breeze, just before his sibling bowled him over. Yipping, he wrestled with the other fox, excitedly sinking his teeth into his brother's soft coat and patiently allowing Blazen to nip him here and there. The brothers tousled across the dusty canyon floor, not caring how their pelts were becoming dirtier and dirtier.
"I got'cha!" cried Blazen, lunging forward.
Sable tried to dodge, but his eyes widened as he felt his feet slip up from under him, then he felt Blazen's weight between his shoulderblades. Blazen cheekily pressed Sable against the earth, the edges of his mouth pulled back in triumph.
"You wouldn't have caught me if I didn't trip," Sable told him, but mildly, struggling to toss his brother off him. Blazen was a little heavier than him.
"Stupid. It's your fault you tripped!" Blazen smugly used his paw to press Sable's face into the canyon floor. "Taste dirt, brother!"
With a cry, Sable suddenly caught his brother off gaurd by giving a great shove and sent his brother careening off to the side. Sable watched, guiltily, as Blazen thrashed about in the air, startled, before he crashed with a low 'thud' some distance away. He didn't move.
Fearing he could've hurt his brother, his protector, Sable was by his side in an instant. "Blazen," he called, timidly padding up to his still body. "You okay?"
Blazen shook himself, winded. "I'm fine!" he said hotly. He butted Sable's shoulder roughly, heat rising off him in waves. "Like that stupid, sissy lunge coulda hurt me anyway."
Sable blinked, wondering how he should respond, but at that moment their mother appeared. She wasn't alone; a Flareon walked alongside her. Sable had never met her before. Blazen would notice how clumsy and stupid she looked walking beside their mother, but Sable noticed the gentleness in her eyes and her friendly smile.
Sable decided he liked her.
"Momma!" Blazen sprinted up to meet her, his sourness forgotten. Majesty was delighted to see him; Sable could see it in the way her bright red eyes glimmered.
"Good day, Little One," said Majesty, by way of greeting.
Blazen turned and regarded the Flareon hostilely. "Who's this?" he barked, his pale tail bristling. "Do you want me to make her go away?"
"Calm down, Little One," said their mother. "This is that friend of mine, Mirin."
Mirin shyly stared at her paws.
Sable stepped forward. "Hello, Mirin," he greeted.
Mirin seemed startled. "O-oh, hello!"
"That is my older one, Sable, my Sweet One," Majesty told her. "He is the one I've told you about, with the golden pelt."
"You do have such a beautiful pelt," Mirin told him, almost before Majesty had even finished her statement. Her voice was breathless with awe.
Sable usually only heard this from his mother, but hearing it from a different Pokémon really made him feel… unique. Special. He observed his golden pelt somewhat vainly. Even covered in red dust, it was still beautiful. Beside him, Blazen snorted. Blazen often hated it when the attention was drawn from him, so Sable tried to occuply himself with the birds soaring lazily through the sky. Vibrations from the entire canyon thrummed up into his paws.
"Do you know any games?" Blazen was asking Mirin. "Can you play with me? Sable cheats." He stared hard at her, as if daring her to refuse.
Sable squared his shoulders defensively at Blazen's comment. "I do not cheat!" But it came out sounding all squeaky and lame. Dejectedly, his ears flattened to his skull.
"I do know games…" said Mirin slowly, glancing sympathetically at Sable. "Have... have ever you heard of melting stones?"
"Melting stones? Sounds complicated," Blazen told her. "And boring."
"Blazen." Majesty's tone was warning enough. Blazen sobered, but still held a cheeky glint in his eyes.
"Fair enough, but it's not as boring as it would seem to be." Mirin was mysterious. "What about having a pretend battle?"
"Sable and I do that all the time," Blazen mumbled, determined to make the Flareon displeased, but not upset his mother at the same time. "I win most of the time."
Not today, thought Sable with pride. He'd beaten Blazen this time, though his brother was stockier than he was!
Mirin obtained a mischievous glint in her dark blue eyes. "This game will be different, Blazen. It'll keep you occupied for a while. This time, I'll be using real fire and real battle moves."
Blazen gasped. "What? Really?"
Mirin nodded, gaining courage. "My parents used to do play this game with us all of the time when we were learning our moves, but pretty soon, we would need these skills to learn how to survive in the true world. It's like being in a real battle."
Sable glanced at Majesty, to see if she approved. The solemn Ninetales was watching the entire event placidly, either meaning that she didn't believe there to be any danger, or Blazen's safety was something disregarded. Sable very much doubted the latter, but he wasn't very convinced of the former, either. "Momma?" he said. "Do you think…?"
"Blazen will be fine, Sweet One," she replied, using one of her tails to wrap around his own comfortingly. "His Flash Fire should protect him, and Mirin is too kind to hurt a kit. Her flames will be warm. Promise."
Sable had never heard of 'warm flames' before. But then again, he hadn't heard of many things before. Majesty was always right, however. She'd never been wrong, so why should he be afraid? Besides, it was only a game. Games never lasted too long, anyway. His worry gradually subsided as Blazen and Mirin began to play.
Most of the game dealt with Blazen trying to dodge Mirin's Flamethrowers, powerful bursts of fire that seemed to go on forever. Majesty had demonstrated for them once, firing a real long one all the way down the canyon. It didn't stop for a long time. Mirin's fire was thinner and more compact. It was obvious she was trying not to frighten the kit.
Blazen was enjoying himself, however. The flames didn't even seem to bother him at all. They actually made him excited. He managed to fire a weak Ember at Mirin, but she praised him anyway. Blazen roared cutely and dived upon the Flareon. Pretty soon, they were engaged in a wild tousle, Mirin's laughter echoing across the canyon's walls. Sable was eager to join in, but his shyness got the best of him. Instead, he sat beside his mother and watched his brother enjoy himself, and tried to shake off the benevolent feel that had suddenly darkened the canyon.
A few hours crept by. For some reason, the young kit felt a growing sensation of darkness, and being watched. It made his hackles rise, agitated. So the kit found himself wandering, eager to be away from all the activity. He let his mind wander as he traveled, soaking up the ground's warmth through his paws. Eyes prickled into the back of his neck; no doubt it was his mother keeping an eye on him, lest he'd wander too far.
Sable found a shallow slope that would take him into a small hollow beneath a crevice. In actuality, he was lured there by a strange scent. His pale eyes darted around momentarily, before snuffling deeper into the space. Finding nothing, he crept out, only to be met by a dark sillhouette. And obsidian eyes.
"Um...?" Sable blinked.
There was a Pokemon in front of him. A strange one. It was slightly larger than him, a dog. A puppy, he realized. It was alone, but it seemed to be a lot more confident and unafraid than someone caught off guard. In fact, Sable had never seen it before at all.
"Um," Sable swallowed. "H-Hello..."
"You," the puppy grunted, rearing up so its chest stuck out. "You live here?"
"Yeah," Sable replied, trying hard not to stare habitually at his paws.
"You look weird."
"So I've been told." His tone was friendly, but the puppy's was cold and androgynous. Sable really had no idea where it came from.
"I'm new here," the puppy said, tilting its red muzzle to the side. "What would your mother think of me?"
"Um. . . I'm not sure. . . ."
"Humph. You wouldn't be." A mysterious light glinted behind the strange, black puppy's eyes. Something weird and unsettling. Sable fought hard not to shiver, but failed just as soon as the canine gave a chilling grin.
"Maybe you ought to join her."
Trembling, he passed the hound, wincing as his bright fur brushed against its dark, silky strands of black. The dog didn't turn around to make sure he was gone. Instead it just sat there, peering out into the dark crevice. Sable, throughly bemused, focused his attention ahead to where Mirin and Blazen's game was coming to a close.
"Hey," a soft voice whispered.
Sable turned, his pale eyes meeting with the pup's own obsidian again.
"Nice meeting you."
The polite, yet intoned message caused Sable's brow to furrow, but he straightened up. "It's good to see you too!" he replied with much more enthusiasm. Momma had always told him to be kind to others, even if he didn't know them.
"How cute," the pup whispered, as if it could read his thoughts. A moment later there was a soft breeze, irritating Sable's eyes. But once he closed and opened them, the red-bellied dog was gone. As if it had never been there at all.
He felt... tainted somehow, though he wasn't really sure why. He didn't know how long he sat there, just staring at the spot where that pup once was, but he knew he had to leave when Majesty started to call for him. He could never ignore his mother's calls. Turning, he drunkenly staggered away, trying hard to act natural. The last thing he wanted was his mother's concern, but the image of the strange puppy kept replaying over and over in his mind. He'd never seen or heard about a Pokemon like that before, so he was pretty sure it didn't belong.
Even so, how did it just disappear like that?
Blazen, his tiny body spent, lay at his mother's paws, panting. Somehow he still found enough energy to boast about his pretend-battle. Mirin was gently licking the dust off his fur as she listened, and only looked up as Sable drew nearer. She seemed happy enough.
"Hey, kit!" she called. "Oh, where'd you go off to? You missed nearly everything."
"Not far," Sable sighed, trying to force the incident into the deepest corners of his mind. Nothing happened. Everything was normal. As it should be.
Nothing.
But something... someone... was staring at him.
Sable felt a shiver run down his spine and whirled around, but only came face to face with an expanse of short grass and rock in the distance. A part of him had expected to see the pup. "Huh?" he murmured.
"Sweet One?" Majesty inquired. "What's the matter?"
Sable looked at her, then smiled. "Nothing, Momma. Just a little bit tired."
A little tired, indeed.
AUTHOR'S NOTES See? I changed it up a bit but, oh, that actually wasn't bad at all! I encourage you to review. Reviews will definitely help me out. Thank you for reading ^_^.
FOOTNOTES
* Pokeballs don't exist in this part of the story yet, so Harris was more of a pet
** Ninetales have the power to lay a 1,000 year curse on people and Pokemon
*** Going by the Pokedex, Vulpix are born with one white tail, which gains color and seperates as it grows older. Sable and Blazen's tails are darkening somewhat
Anything I missed? I dunno, I just insert stuff and just forget about it.
Um, again, THANK YOU.