Sorry, sorry, sorry! I've been neglecting my other stories, and now I'm posting this one? What's wrong with me? Gahhh... Anyways, I was on vacation and I was bored on the airplane and this idea sorta popped into my head. And now it lies before you on the computer/laptop screen! And I've been somewhat obsessing over this story now. Sorry folks... I probably won't be updating anything except this story! But it's okay, they're not very good actually! Yeah, I know, but I have a new story! It's like a new toy, the appeal of it is just to hard to resist. Okay, now I'm rambling. Here's the story. By the way, the first two chapters are like preludes..
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon.
A long, long time ago, there was an age where there was an abundance of Pokemon. There were Pokemon on the land, in the sea, and in the sky. Humans and Pokemon coincided in peace. The two creatures were friends, partners, and companions. And for the longest time, this tranquil age existed. But there were greedy and selfish humans as well. They saw Pokemon nothing more as tools and weapons. They used Pokemon to satisfy their own wants and greed. They were known as the Dark Warriors."
The Great War lasted centuries. Good and evil clashed against one another in order to preserve their way of life. Forests burned; lakes and rivers dried; and the skies were filled with dark clouds.
It was a dark time. Humans and Pokemon were slaughtered in the bid for power. By this time, the Dark Warriors and their Pokemon were winning the Great War. The blood-thirsty creatures thrived on the blood and destruction that they caused. And they continued their rampage and slaughtered almost all the Pokemon on our world."
Now Arceus, our Creator, was angered by the carnage and chaos in our world. He sent his messengers, or Legendary Pokemon, to our world to stop the Great War and bring back the original way of life. But the Legendaries underestimated the might of the human race, and they were all killed in the struggle.
Four year old May gently set down the old scroll and she looked over her shoulder. The old priest sitting in the rickety wooden chair raised his eyebrows.
"Finished child?"
May nodded. "Did this really happen?"
"All the readings we give you are true." The priest rose from his chair and hobbled up to the series of bookcases next to May. He squinted in the dim light as he searched among the large mass of scrolls.
"But it doesn't finish," May said. "It just says that the Legendary Pokemon were killed."
The old man grimaced. "That scroll was written during the Great War from an old scientist and researcher. You've read a large number of his works."
May smiled at her elder. "Professor Oak."
He nodded slowly, still searching for a scroll in the specifically designed bookcase. "Indeed. He was a brilliant man. Pity that he was killed during the Pallet Town Riots."
May reread the story again as the priest continued to try and find the scroll he was looking for. May heard him grumble unhappily under his breath.
"Interesting. I can't find it child. No matter, I will tell you it myself. Come."
The old man walked back down to his chair as May gently rolled up the scroll on her desk. She hastily grabbed the candle off her desk and leaped off her stool
The priest slowly sat in his wooden chair and shifted his weight to make himself comfortable. May sat cross-legged in front of him and set the candle down in front of her. She waited patiently for the old man to start.
"The Legendaries killings were the turning point of the war," He started, "The Dark Warriors grew confident and struck back, stronger than ever. Our people prayed to Arceus to send another savior, but the Creator had lost a lot of energy sending so many Legendaries. He needed to rest. Our temple could feel his present aura fade into a dim atmosphere. Our prayers were unheeded and the last of the good people and Pokemon prepared themselves for one last battle. Both sides faced casualties, but ultimately, the Dark Warriors managed to win. They took no prisoners; any surviving man was killed and stripped of their Pokemon. The Great War ended. We lost."
May thought she saw a tear glisten on the priest's cheek. But she quickly dismissed the thought. The priest had never cried before.
Suddenly a large echoing boom rang across the temple. The old priest's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Stay here child." The old man rose and sped out of the room with startling agility. Curious as to what was the noise, May quietly followed the priest to the Grand Temple.
Hidden behind a tall pillar, May poked her head out of her hiding spot and gasped at the sight. Large men in black hoods with gray sweaters and pants were talking to the Temple Guardian at the base of the large Arceus statue. May thought she saw silver crescent moons on the front of the sweaters. She watched as the old priest limp to the Temple Guardian.
"You are not allowed in here!" The Temple Guardian shouted. "This is a scared sanctuary; you were not permitted to enter."
The burliest and tallest man of the group sneered at the Guardian. "The Dark Council has declared that this temple is under their jurisdiction. We may do whatever we please."
"What seems to be the problem here Albert?" The old priest asked. He had reached the group and placed a firm hand on Albert's shoulder.
"Head Priest!" The Temple Guardian cried in haste. "These men insist that this temple is under the Dark Council's control."
The old priest frowned and he faced the leader of the group. Despite being much shorter than him, his old eyes showed anything but fear. The large man merely sneered and shrugged him off.
"You cannot be here," the priest said. "This is a holy place, only those that Arceus sees fit may enter."
The leader of the group burst out into laughter and his men followed suit.
"We're not afraid of Arceus. We defeated his minions easily years ago and we can do the same to him. Boys?"
May watched as all the men pulled out small red and white balls. She saw them toss the strange devices in the air and a flash of red beam erupted from them. The beams hit the floor and weird growling and short barks echoed in the large space. May's eyes widened as large black and gray wolf-like creatures appeared from the red beam. The furry beasts quickly flanked the men and bared their teeth at Albert and the priest.
"This isn't right!" Albert cried out over the snarls and howls.
The leader merely shrugged before grinning evilly.
"Of course it isn't. But we're doing it anyway. Search every inch of this place boys. Leave no stone unturned."
The men nodded in confirmation before sprinting in different directions. The strange creatures followed them. May cried out as some of the men drew towards her hiding spot and she ran away to her room in fear.
"There's someone over there! Get 'em Mightyena!"
May ran down a long corridor of rooms. Unfortunately for her, May's was the last room and at the end of the long hallway. There were shouts and yells of surprise as the other priests peeked out of their rooms. The other men ambushed them and their Pokemon dragged the elderly people away. May's legs started to burn from the over exertion, but she thankfully reached her room in time. She swiftly opened the door and scrambled in before slamming it shut. But before the door could close, the snapping jaws of the Mightyena burst in. It snarled angrily at May and she cried out in fear and alarm. She grunted and pushed against the door with all her might and the furious set of canines reluctantly retreated. The heavy door banged shut and May quickly locked the door before hiding underneath her bed.
She could hear something large pounding against her door and she hoped that it wouldn't give away. The pounding stopped and May held her breath in anticipation. She heard voices outside her door and listened curiously.
A muffled voice shouted, "Use Take Down!"
May screamed as an ear-splitting bang resonated through her small room and the door was thrown off its hinges. She heard the large wolf-like beast leap over the broken fragments of door and sniff around furiously.
"Check under the bed Mightyena."
May held her breath again. The only sound she could hear was the rapid beats from her heart. A black snout poked through the long blankets and it sniffed hurriedly. The nose quickly retracted and May let out a sigh of relief.
But she screamed again when the bed was lifted and propped upright against the wall. Something hurriedly clamped onto the back of her shirt.
"Hey!" She protested. "Lemme go!"
"Just like they said." The same voice spoke and May glared angrily at the larger man. She cried out as something cold and wet touched the back of her neck. She turned around and widened her eyes in horror. The Mightyena had lifted her by the back of her shirt!
"You stupid dog! Lemme down!"
The Mightyena growled angrily and May ceased her struggles. The canine carried her out of the room with the man following. Although she would never admit it, the ride down the hallway was fun. But the certain situation was too serious for May to laugh.
When they reached the Grand Temple, May wanted to groan in despair. The men had managed to gather all of the members and priests of the temple. They were tying up all the men and women. The other children were huddled into a small group and circled by two Mightyena.
"You found other kids?" The voice behind her spoke again.
The leader was watching the children angrily. They cowered under his livid glare.
"It would appear so," he growled. "We don't know who it is though! We cannot check them all. We have to go to the next temple as soon as possible."
"With the rest of them," The voice behind her said again. The Mightyena carried May to the group of children. The two other beasts opened their circle a little to allow their companion to drop May.
"Ow! Stupid doggy…"
May sat up and brought her knees up to her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. She stared at the adults as they were split by genders.
May heard whimpers and cries from the other children besides her. She glanced at them curiously. She had never met them before; the old priest had forbidden her from playing with the other children. She'd also never been outside of the temple either. But, then again, she was only four. It must be normal.
"Who is it?" The leader hissed in frustration.
One of his men shrugged. "Maybe the old one knows. I'll 'coax' it out of him sir."
"You do that then.." The leader said impatiently.
The man chuckled sinisterly and he pulled out the red and white ball again. "C'mon out Haunter." But this time, instead of a Mightyena, a purple roundish ghost with two floating hands came out of the red beam. It had large scary eyes and cackled evilly.
"You there! I'd like a word with you." The same guy's Mightyena jumped out and caught the Head Priest's ropes in its mouth. It dragged him to the center of the Grand Temple.
"What is it?" The old man asked coldly. May shivered involuntarily at the hate and venom in his voice.
But the man just smiled sweetly. "We know you're hiding one of them here," He said. "Tell us who."
The Head Priest shook his head calmly.
The man shrugged indifferently. "Suit yourself. Go Haunter."
The purple ghost cackled again and its eyes glowed black. The large hall was filled with the old priest's yells of agony.
"No! Stop it!" May yelled out. She scrambled to her feet and tried to run to the Head Priest, but she had forgotten the Mightyena that barked at her threateningly. May was helpless to watch as her mentor and caretaker suffered from the horrible man and the purple ghost.
"Stop it!" But the torment continued. May could feel the tears streaming down her face. She was dimly aware of the other men and women crying out their pleas for the Haunter to stop. But she could barely hear anything; except for the tortured cries from the old man. May could feel her heart being split in two from the pain.
"Maybelle… Not another word!" May's head snapped up at the sound of the Head Priest calling her by her full name. The Haunter's eyes had returned to their usual blank white and the Head Priest was shaking uncontrollably. The only sound that could be heard was the rasps of the Head Priest's ragged breathing.
The leader grinned evilly.
"Her. Check her." He pointed at May. May's automatic reaction was to shrink back to hide amongst the other children. But one of the men walked up to her and harshly grabbed May before throwing her to the floor. One of the other men held down May's arms as the other ripped off her shirt and checked her upper torso. May shivered, the hard stone floor of the temple was cold. Or maybe it was something else. The man signaled to his coworkers and May was flipped onto her stomach. She heard gasps of surprise.
"Sir, come check this out." The leader smiled smugly and walked besides his minions to check May's back.
He laughed. "Old man, where did these markings come from?"
May grunted and struggled to break free from the iron grip pinning her to the ground. She heard the Head Priest gasp.
"I… I put them there… Myself."
"Lies!" May heard the loud slap of skin connecting with skin. She froze and bit her lip to keep herself from crying. She heard the other people gasp in surprise.
"No matter. We have her. Let's go."
"NO!" May had never heard this kind of desperate tone come out of the Head Priest's mouth. She tried to break free and she kicked her small feet in desperation. A large hand flew towards her cheek and May was momentarily stunned by the slap.
May was sat upright as thick roped were tied around her wrists, arms, and feet. She saw the Head Priest plead to the leader.
"Please… she's just a child… let her go.."
The leader simple ignored the old man's pleas and he ordered his men to round up all the women and line up the men and children. May grunted and struggled against the thick bonds, but her efforts were futile.
"Nuh uh, I wouldn't do that if I were you." A low growl backed up the statement and May froze.
She saw the members of the temple and priests lined against the wall along with the all of the other children. Some of them were crying and others looked more accepting. A couple of the men in hoods had long metal things in their hands and their Mightyenas besides them. Their tails were twitching in anticipation.
"What's happening?" May mused to herself. She watched as all the men simultaneously raised the metal objects and pointed it to the people.
"You're too young to understand." May flinched at the voice. "We're just taking care of some business."
May shut her eyes when a series of loud bangs rang throughout the Great Temple. When the loud noises stopped, May opened her eyes cautiously. All the people she'd known and hadn't known were lying on the temple floors. A strange dark red liquid was oozing out of holes in their bodies.
One of the faces May saw was the Head Priest's. His facial expression was oddly at peace. There was a small smile on his lips. He could've been sleeping.
"Head Priest?" May called out warily. The man guarding her laughed at her naivety.
"Head Priest?" May cried out more urgently now. The man only laughed harder and he walked out of the temple. His Mightyena grabbed onto the ropes tying May and followed the leader, dragging May with it.
May saw the men holding the weird metal objects pat their Mightyena's heads. The large canine creatures bounded forward and began to eat away the flesh of the people May had once known and lived with.
May's face paled as she saw the Head Priest's head fall off by a quick snap of a Mightyena's jaws.
Prelude Part 1