Summary: Forty years have passed since the epidemic known as the Catalyst has passed. Pokémon Trainers exist only in memory and in legend. Only a handful of people own a Pokémon, and even then, they are referred to only as Partners. Those who have partners are either rich, working with their ruler, or part of an underground movement simply known as the Resistance. The latter has found a way to turn things around, make things what they should be like, but it's not going to be easy. Betrayal runs high in both the Resistance and the ruler's vicinity, and every step is a dangerous one. This game is reaching its peak and it's only a matter of time before someone caves in. The question is: will the Resistance conquer or is history doomed to repeat itself?
Disclaimer: Pokémon does not belong to me, and neither do some of the future characters that will show up here. Layna does belong to me though, as does the Tyrant, who shall be given a name later on.
Prolouge: The Catalyst
Arceus surveyed the battlefield before him, watching from the Realm with horror as his creations tore into one another as per their "Trainer's" orders. No words could describe the scene, but carnage came the closest and the Alpha Pokémon roared angrily, his Realm trembling with the fury of the action. As he cast his gaze on the bloodbath occurring before him, Arceus realized something: he had failed. He and his Guardians, the so called Legendaries, had completely and utterly failed the Pokémon. They were supposed to be helping foster a bond between Trainer and Pokémon, creating a friendship, not…not this.
Disgusting. Years and millennia of hard work destroyed in an instant.
Arceus summoned the Guardians. The "Legendaries" from all regions were now in his Realm, waiting for him to speak, to voice the reason they'd been summoned unceremoniously for the first time in three millennia. Red-flecked eyes paused at each of the Guardians as the rip in his Realm continued to display the shattered hopes of the Alpha Pokémon. A tense silence filled the room, perturbed only by the sounds of battle, of a civil war, raging behind him; they waited for the punishment to be dealt.
"The time has come for us to rectify our mistake. Humans should have never been allowed the chance to partner with the Pokémon, to develop their friendships." Arceus spat. "They have reduced that gift to nothing."
And the Alpha Pokémon went on to explain his plan, went on to explain how he would help the Pokémon from their so called "Trainers". It seemed that the Guardians agreed with his plan, for they, too, had witnessed the devastation of humans and how cruelly Pokémon were treated.
"Wait." Eyes swiveled to the pink and petite form of Mew and he circled the area occupied by the Guardians fixing each one of them with his own piercing gaze; size was definitely no issue for him. "It's not fair that we let one event define a race. Surely, we all have witnessed the good in humanity?" This statement was met with a few apprehensive nods. "This shall not be the first time our family has waged war against themselves, nor will it be the last. We must think carefully about this decision." Mew implored, almost lazy in his floating, but he fixed Arceus with a blue eyed look the trembled with challenge.
"I agree with the small one." Mewtwo interjected, he too, challenging Arceus with his eyes. "If I let the circumstances of my birth define me, then most of Kanto would be gone." He reminded them quietly, for it was no secret that he was not a natural Legendary; he wasn't alone in that category, either, as Deoxys nodded his assent.
"Then what," Arceus almost snapped, "do you two suggest?"
The Mew Duo exchanged a silent conversation, the Guardians watching intently. Mew nodded, but Mewtwo shook his head. Another few moments and a few more exchanges of nods and shakes, of frowns and smiles, of pointed looks and avoiding gazes. And then, Mew began to nod vigorously, and Mewtwo, after a slight hesitation, nodded once.
"Fine- Mew and I agree that the humans must be taught a lesson. However…we believe they deserve a chance to redeem themselves." Mewtwo finally said, before delving into a full explanation of the counter-plan. "Well?"
The Alpha Pokémon contemplated this for a moment before replying." Fine then; it is a reasonable compromise." He nodded. "Let us begin."
Xxx
40 Years pass…
Breathing downright hurt at the moment. Arms, legs, everything felt like it was on fire and her brain screamed for her to stop. But she didn't. Nope. Just kept willing her feet to go, go, go! For her heart to pump more blood, to not give up. Because if she gave up, the majority of her life would become pointless, her sacrifices and others' sacrifices only a distant blip on the radar. Giving up meant that she accepted this present, this distorted now, and that meant losing the present she knew should've been. No. Never. She pushed, ignoring the fire burning her muscles, consuming her from the inside out. Only the weak minded gave into fatigue, gave into their demands, those who weren't convicted in their beliefs.
By Arceus, Layna Benoni was convicted.
Reaching a corner, she turned sharply, allowing herself a nanosecond of rest before sprinting towards an alleyway. She pushed herself against a brick wall until her skin was prickling from the pain, and she forced her breath to steady as she heard the multiple 'thuds' of boots, paws and claws on cement as they chased after their quarry. An eternity passed while the thuds reached a heart stopping climax before they faded away, her pursuers assuming that she had attempted to escape farther down the winding paths of the city. Exhaling slowly, afraid that even the tiniest noise might give her away, Layna waited, tense, as her muscles cooled and her heart rate stabilized. The knapsack she had slung on her shoulders was straining and she let it drop to the floor in a dull 'thud'. It was heavier than she'd thought and the knowledge made her smile; their tyrant was getting soft, allowing the Resistance to steal so much. Layna had stuffed as much as food, medicine and blankets as she could. Others were scattered around the city, working in small groups to hit up various storehouses- she only hoped they weren't captured.
A shadow fell over her, darkening her already secluded spot. Looking up, she caught sight of an Absol standing on the ledge of a building across from her, crimson eyes piercing her intently as what moonlight shone through the clouds bathed the Pokémon in an ethereal light. White fur ruffled slightly as the Disaster Pokémon lithely jumped to the ground, front claws scraping the cement of the alleyway with a soft 'click', followed by hind claws touching down on ground. Inclining its head slightly, the Absol's scythe like protrusion on its head gleamed rather menacingly as it approached Layna.
"Glad to note your safe arrival, Avidimi." Layna grinned, greeting her partner in a cheerful whisper, spotting the large pack tied to the Absol's back, knotted and tied to prevent its contents from spilling. The arrival of her partner indicated that it was time to leave and so, Layna heaved her knapsack back on, ignoring the scream of protest her muscles gave her. "Lead the way."
Avidimi nodded, padding to the mouth of the alleyway, looking left and right when he reached the mouth. Deeming it safe, he broke out into a sprint, Layna following close behind him. Together, they wound through the streets of the city, passing by brick houses and freezing whenever they heard the buzz of a lamp or the soft 'thud' of boot. Alleyways were their friends and they stuck to them whenever they heard someone approaching them- only Guards would be out this late past curfew and the Guards patrolled only for one thing at night: to catch one of the Resistance. And Layna wasn't going to make it easy for them.
It seemed a miracle that they reached the large stone wall that acted as a barrier between the city and the outside, where nothing existed but forest and water. The city was the only living population left in the world. Doors were set up periodically along the wall, set up electronically to open with the swipe of a Guard's card through the reader positioned near the door. Luckily, one of their teams had snuck in earlier that week and snatched a few dozen cards, easily replacing the Guard's with replicas to keep the wool over their eyes. And so, with her 'borrowed' card, Layna swiped it through the reader, letting out a small breath of relief when the red dot on the pad blinked to green, the door's slowly sliding open. The gamble with their hits rose every week; after the Tyrant discovered that they had escaped through the doors, he'd change the card needed- but he was always one step behind; Layna knew she had the best Snatchers.
Avidimi's low growling tipped her off. The Absol had his back turned on his partner, prepared to keep her covered as the door took its sweet time to open and their pursuers planned to attack them. A large, purple sphere began to form in front of Avidimi, lightning and dark energy crackling from it as the sphere began to gain definite shape. With a snarl, Avidimi shot the Shadow Ball off, immediately forming a new one as the first one hit the ground before the Guard with a rather loud explosion, kicking up dust and debris into the air. The second one hit the partner of one of the Guards, crippling the Pokémon quickly. Layna urged the door open as Avidimi fired a few more Shadow Balls, keeping the Guard a good distance from them.
Click. Finally.
"Avidimi!" She called over her shoulder, tripping slightly as the ground shook violently underneath her, the cause of an Earthquake from one of the Guard's partners. Recovering quickly, Layna clawed at the ground, dirt finding its way under her fingernails as she did so to push herself upright. The young woman swayed slightly as the blood rushed to her head and she had enough sanity left in her to see Avidimi make it past the wall, his left hind leg dragging slightly, indicating that he had taken damage from the Earthquake.
The Guards were catching up quickly, but the door was quicker and slammed shut. Taking advantage of this, Avidimi gathered a right amount of power; his front paw began to glow with the same dark purple energy from earlier, enveloping his sharp navy blue claws, elongating into a sharp claw that radiated with a Dark-type's energy and he swiped at the reader on their side of the wall, the reader exploding in a small cloud of fire and smoke. The Absol smirked (or something resembling it) as he turned to Layna, the Guards pounding on the door while the two departed.
Having left the Guards behind, Layna and Avidimi trekked into the forest, the foliage swallowing them whole as the crossed the invisible line that separated two different worlds. The path to their hideout was a path that both of them had memorized, but they deterred from it, instead opting for the 'path' that led them to the agreed rendezvous point. Avidimi was limping less now that Layna had shouldered his own bag, but he was still leading her, ever alert and ever ready. A twig snapped nearby and he crouched, ready to pounce, ignoring the shots of pain coming from his hind leg as he growled lowly in warning to whoever, or whatever, was hiding in the shadows.
Relief washed over her in multitudinous tides, reaching to all nooks and crannies of her soul. Her fatigue from earlier slammed into her once more and coupled with her relief and her body threatened to collapse from the emotional flux and physical exertion. She was overjoyed to see that all who had left for tonight's raid had come back safely. Battered, bruised, and slightly bloodied, but in one piece. Some were conscious, others weren't, some had to be supported by fellow teammates or their partners, but everyone, partners included, were still in one piece.
And that was all that mattered.
"Good, none of you died on me." She managed to say after taking a moment to recover from her internal breakdown. Motioning to the group to being the trek into the forest once more, Avidimi and Layna led the way to their 'home'.
End Prolouge
xxx
Well! I realize that this prologue was a bit lengthy, but that should be fine, I hope! So, some background information!
The plan that the Mew Duo has come up with won't be revealed for a while. Also, the events taking place in the first portion can be seen as 'modern' time.
The second portion, with Layna and Avidimi, is set in a dystopic society. So, one can say, a modern set Robin Hood. Details shall be given later!
Yes, I know the Resistance isn't exactly creative, so sue me. I'm not good with creative names like that.
Interested in helping out Layna and Avidimi? Or interested in helping the Tyrant stay in place? Then please, take a gander at my profile for the profile form! I would like to say that I accept them only through PMs. Any left in a review shall be discarded and mourned for.
Thank you and until next chapter!
-chary