DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokemon or the beginning of a certain prophecy. However, all plot is indeed my own even if the characters are not.

Is There A Chosen One?

Delia Ketchum sat down at the TV in her living room, making sure not to disturb the contently slumbering Pikachu that was lying on the couch. She smiled at the small electric mouse as its chest heaved softly as it slept. Somehow, Pikachu had been sleeping very well these past few days, since the start of the tag battle in fact. Delia smiled as she thought on the events of the tag battle. It was a happy thing for her to see her son remembered so greatly in these times. The tag battle had just finished early this morning, the final battle took over an hour long into the very early hours of the morning the night before. It was a spectacular battle in any right and in the end, the two trainers named Ethan and Gold came out as the victors. After that, the children (not that Brock was really a child anymore) went to sleep.

Delia herself had, of course, gone to sleep, but she was used to waking up early and getting started on things. She quickly reached a hand over and started scratching behind Pikachu's ears while the usual small clanging from the kitchen meant that Mimey was getting started for the day. Blearily, she rubbed her eyes to clear her vision before grabbing the remote off the nearby table and turning the TV on. All at once, a special news report flashed across the screen.

"Reporting live from Ecruteak City, it appears that the Squirtle Squad just finished dousing the fire which today consumed the Bell Tower." came the voice of a female reporter on the TV screen, her black hair shifting to the side with her body to show the now smoldering tower. Mrs. Ketchum sat up at this and peered at the TV as she heard shuffling from upstairs indicating that the guests were up. "It is, unfortunately known what caused the destruction of this beloved Ecruteak icon when Raikou and Entei appeared this morning, sending bolts of lightning raining down this morning along with a torrent of fire. A similar report also seems to have come from the Hoenn region where it is claimed that observers from Pacifidlog Town saw Sky Pillar, a testament to the legendary Pokemon of Rayquaza, crumbled today under the force of the four 'Regis'." The reporters picture then shifted to take up only half the screen while an anchorman took up the other half. "Jim, over to you."

"Thanks, Christine." Jim, the anchorman said and now the whole TV was filled with his picture. "Obviously all of these recent events have many people on edge and as such, Pokemon researchers have been hard at work studying the phenomena. With me now is Professor Birch from Littleroot Town who has agreed to shed some light. Professor, why do you think these legendaries are acting in such a strange manner?" Professor Birch, with his rough beard scratched it and cleared his throat.

"Well, it is very difficult to explain exactly why these events are occurring but it is clear that the legendary Pokemon have had some kind of upset with humans that have caused them to do this. If the reports are correct, I would have to believe it may have something to do with the events of three years ago at Mount Coronet."

"Oh? What do you mean by that professor?" asked the reporter and Professor Birch pulled out a small dry erase board showing a picture of Mount Coronet.

"As many people know, Mount Coronet is the very center of the Sinnoh region and is indeed the source of many legends regarding the Pokemon Dialga, Palkia, and the recently discovered Giratina. Whatever happens there sends a tremor through the Sinnoh region which will then spread to other regions."

"Like ripples on a pond, right?" the anchorman asked and Professor Birch nodded his head solemnly.

"Exactly like that. The official report stated that this Rocket Four obtained control of the legendaries albeit for a short time. Therefore, it would be completely feasible to believe that some of these legendaries, possibly all of them harbor some hatred and anger for humanity." Professor Birch concluded and the anchorman sat back in his chair in complete shock, bringing a finger to his chin.

"All because of a few humans, you really think they would hate us all?" he asked nervously and Professor Birch merely shrugged before opting to go on and continue explaining himself.

"It's hard to tell. Remember that Pokemon are very in tune with nature, much more than we humans are. Perhaps it is that we humans are causing death to this world…or it could be that something is inciting these legendaries. Whatever it may be, people are dying by these legendaries and they're wreaking havoc. Even we Pokemon professors don't know the exact reason and I'm almost scared to find out."

"Well, thank you very much professor Birch." the anchorman said and he began to turn away but stopped himself. "Professor, regarding the attacks this morning: why do you think the legendaries struck those particular locations?"

"Hard to say for sure…" Birch mused. "I can only wager a guess. Bell Tower is home to Ho-oh and Sky Pillar is where Rayquaza rests when it leaves the ozone. Perhaps they are attempting to recruit more legendaries. But as I said, it's merely speculation." the reporter nodded and now finished turning back towards the audience again.

"Well, there you have it, professor Birch on the events circulating around the regions. In related news, President Goodshow of the Pokemon League, now finished with the Ash Ketchum Memorial Tag Battle, has called a meeting to convene Cynthia, Steven Stone, and Lance; the champions of their respective regions in a conference to discuss what is currently going on. We'll have more on that as news progresses."

"What's that?" came Brock's deep voice from behind Mrs. Ketchum and she gave a quick jump, not realizing that he had come downstairs while she was engrossed in the news report.

"News break. Apparently Bell Tower and Sky Pillar were attacked." Mrs. Ketchum said, standing up quickly to assist Mimey in the kitchen. Pikachu felt her move from the couch and woke up, his ears twitching and his nose wiggling as he smelled food from the kitchen.

"Pika!" Pikachu cried out and bounded from the couch and began running for the kitchen only to slam into a large blue object.

"Pip piplup…" Piplup said as he held his head. Dawn bent down and scooped up Piplup with a yawn. Pikachu shook his head and started running back to the kitchen.

"Morning Mrs. Ketchum…" Dawn said tiredly and Delia gave her a smile and a cheery good morning as she walked into the kitchen. Brock finally spoke again before Mrs. Ketchum could run off at all.

"Bell Tower?" Brock asked before Misty came down the stairs and answered his question for him, allowing Mrs. Ketchum to quickly get to work in the kitchen.

"Remember the Tin Tower in Ecruteak City?" Misty asked as she finished putting her red hair into her traditional side ponytail…although at this point she was realizing that it was too long to do it very effectively. Brock nodded at her question and Misty smiled. "Same place. They just changed the name a couple years back." Misty and Brock then walked into the kitchen as they heard Max walking down the stairs behind them. Unfortunately for them, the look on his face was anything less than unpleasant.

"Bad night Max?" Dawn asked, now wide awake as she poured syrup all over her pancakes. Max just scowled. Misty chuckled at the look on his face.

"I would say more of a bad morning." Misty said as a plate of pancakes was placed in front of her as well as Brock and Max. May and Drew were still yet to have come down that morning. "Was it Drew?" At the mere mention of the coordinator's name, his pancakes found themselves on the receiving end of a vicious stab that caused Dawn to jump and Brock to chuckle. Pikachu looked up at Max while chewing on his pancakes. He cocked his head to the side with a confused "Pika?" before going back to eating.

"I would take it you hit the nail on the head, Misty?" Brock said and he turned to his own pancakes. Footsteps came from behind him and Brock turned his head to see May, tousle haired and tired stumbling into the room, Drew following behind her, his green hair already perfect and himself looking not nearly as shabby as the girl he had entered the room with. Max suddenly stood up from his chair which caused Pikachu to dodge the flying chair leg.

"Mrs. Ketchum, do you mind if I use the backyard for some training?" Max asked and Mrs. Ketchum just waved in its general direction, indicating that she didn't mind. Max shot a venomous look at May's companion and left the room as his sister sat down. She herself shot an odd glance at her brother's retreating back but paid it no mind.

"So…how…how's everybody this moooooorning?" May said with a yawn and each of them shrugged. There was nothing to say, especially since everybody was focusing on their breakfast. As Misty watched May and Drew eat she leaned in towards Brock.

"Brock, I think you should talk to Max about this." Misty said and Brock nodded solemnly. But for now there was nothing to be said as he finished eating his breakfast and prepared to once more head off for Professor Oak's lab. Max joined them just as they were leaving the house. Misty looked at him worriedly before voicing her concerns aloud. "Max, did you eat breakfast at all?"

"Of course, no trainer should go on an empty stomach." Max said, fixing his glasses on the bridge of his nose. Misty shook her head. He was sounding like Ash more and more everyday. "Besides, I'm planning on getting some more training in before I battle you again. Dawn, can I use you and Piplup as a sparring partner."

"You know Max, you could always use me as a sparring partner. I happen to know a thing or two and you are May's sister." Drew said slightly haughtily. Dawn rolled her eyes, Brock gave a small cough, and Misty slapped her palm to her forehead. Max's demeanor instantly changed as he faced Drew with a frosty glare.

"No thank you." Max said, his eyes glinting underneath his glasses. May decided to quickly intervene in the situation.

"Okay…Drew, can I talk to you?" May said and quickly grabbed Drew by his jacket. And despite all of his protests, she dragged him off forcefully. Max glared after the spot they were receeding to and when they were out of earshot, May opened up on Drew. "Be more careful!" she hissed.

"What? I was just offering to practice with him?" Drew asked with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Look…Max isn't exactly warming up to you. He still remembers how snottily you treated me when we met, okay?" May heaved a sigh. "He's just being my brother. And, I let you come along because well…because…" May suddenly became tongue tied and couldn't find the words. A blush crept onto both her and Drew's faces. "Just…be careful…yeah…"

-CT-

"I got it Gramps, I got it!" Gary Oak yelled in frustration at his nagging grandfather. He ran his fingers through his hair as his grandfather sat opposite him in the lab with wistful eyes. Professor Oak sighed deeply, the tired and worn look showing ever more deeply on his eyes.

"Gary, I'm just looking out for your well being. I know you don't want to stay at the lab forever…" Professor Oak attempted to tell him but his grandson didn't want to hear any of it. He once more ran his hand through his brown hair as he cut his grandfather off.

"Then why are you trying to keep me here? You know I like working in the field." Gary said agitatedly and Professor Oak shook his head sadly as his grandson waited for his response. When it seemed that Professor Oak was not going to answer right away Gary kept going onward. "Why can't you just have Tracy take over the lab? And don't give me any of this legacy bullcrap!" Gary's voice had heightened in anger and Samuel Oak flinched at the sight of it.

"You know very well that Tracy wants to move away and start his own lab." Professor Oak said with a sad sigh and a heavy face. "He's planning to move to Cerulean and open up a lab there in a few years once he feels he truly has enough knowledge to do so." At this, Gary was silent, saying nothing to his grandfather. "I'm sorry Gary."

"For what?" Gary snapped. He had no idea why he was truly angry about this but he certainly felt like snapping at someone. Professor Oak massaged his temple and took some deep breaths.

"I know you don't like being cooped up here and I only want you to be happy but…I'm not going to be around forever and I just want to make sure that someone can take over the lab for me when I'm gone."

"I know that gramps…" Gary said in a sigh of defeat. He didn't say anymore but Professor Oak's heart went out to his grandson.

"Look, it's been hard since your parents died when you were little and I only want what's best for you. You do see that don't you?" Gary nodded in acceptance as the doorbell to the lab rang loudly. "And that would be Brock and the others."

"Yeah." Gary turned to leave the small room that the both of them were sequestered in. But Professor Oak had stood up with amazing speed and put a hand on his grandson's shoulder.

"We'll finish talking later?" he asked him but Gary merely shrugged and exited the room. Professor Oak followed after him with a sigh. He strode purposefully to the front door as Gary sat down to do some research work at the computer. He quickly opened the door with some small effort to see the smiling (or at least, mostly so) faces of Ash's friends. Without words exchanged, Professor Oak stood aside and let them in. Almost immediately Max and Dawn rushed to the back to begin their training whilst Professor Oak looked behind both Brock and Misty to see that May and Drew were nowhere in sight.

"Morning Professor." Misty said politely and Professor Oak uttered a word of good morning to her as well.

"Where are May and Drew this morning?" Professor Oak asked, also prompting a look and wave from Gary over at them. Misty and Brock looked at each other knowingly.

"Uh…they got…sidetracked…" Brock said tentatively, earning a snort from Gary at the computer. Misty cracked a small smile at that. "Anyway, Professor, I wanted to ask you something."

"Ask away, Brock, I hope my knowledge will be able to help you. After all, Knowledge can help and so can truth, Just like in a battle does Pikachu!" Misty once again smacked her forehead when Dawn briefly poked her head inside the building.

"Wow! Professor Oak just said another poem!" Dawn said and everyone chuckled nervously.

"Right…did you see the new this morning?" Brock asked, but instead of Professor Oak answering it was Gary who responded.

"No…he was too busy talking to me about the future of the lab." Gary said with a slight grimace to his face and to his voice. Professor Oak sent his grandson a sharp and stern glance.

"Gary, we said we would talk about that later." Professor Oak hissed out and Gary shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. Professor Oak turned back to them, ready to explain now that the cat was out of the bag. "You see, I'm trying to have Gary take over the lab since Tracy will be going to Cerulean in a few years to set up his own lab…and frankly, I can't do research for much longer without hurting myself."

"Why's Tracy going to Cerulean?" Brock asked, a little confused. Misty giggled beside him, drawing all of their gazes on to her.

"Daisy…she's taken quite a shine to him whenever he stops by." Misty said. "So, last month Daisy announced to Violet, Lily, and I that in a few years she was planning to help Tracy by moving to his new lab with him. They should just say they're engaged and be done with it."

"Tracy's a little young to get married though, isn't he?" Brock asked with a chuckle and Misty simple did a nod-shake of her head as the door to the backyard slid open and the object of their conversation strode in.

"Professor, I finished feeding all the Pokemon. Ash's Pokemon have certainly gotten more rambunctious as of late." Tracy said and everyone gave slight coughs, facing away from Tracy as their faces reddened in embarrassment.

"Anyway, Brock, you wanted to ask me something. What was on the news this morning?" Professor Oak asked and Brock took a moment to figure out what he wanted to ask before he finally remembered.

"Oh, right. I didn't see it directly but Mrs. Ketchum told us that Sky Pillar and Bell Tower were attacked by legendaries this morning. They say Professor Birch made some comments about it this morning but I was wondering if you might know what's going on." Brock asked and Professor Oak led them all over to the computer where Gary stood up as his grandfather sat down. With the flick of some fingers some files were open and Professor Oak quickly read about the occurrences of that morning.

"Hmmm…strange…" he mumbled out when Misty decided to voice her own question.

"Why are they attacking anyway?" Misty said but Gary scoffed next to her.

"I think the better question now is, how do you stop them from attacking?" Gary said and Misty agreed with him quickly. Professor Oak swiveled his chair around to face them all.

"Let's think. How did this begin? The attacks, I mean." The question was a good one and all of them could remember it, even if none of them had been there.

"With the destruction of Cycling Road by Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno. But what does it matter how this all started?" Brock asked and Professor Oak wagged a finger in front of him.

"The beginning can always lead us on a road to the future." Professor Oak said before turning back to the computer and typing in Zapdos, Moltres, and Articuno. "Hmm…nothing of real interest here. There's the Shamouti prophecy but, if memory serves me correctly, that was finished quite a long time ago." Professor Oak continued searching through articles, hoping to find something. After a minute or two, all of them were beginning to think the search fruitless until Professor Oak's brow furrowed deeply.

"What is it, Professor?" Tracy asked and Professor Oak clicked on a file. The picture suddenly enlarged itself.

"Strange. This seems to be almost a carbon copy of the Shamouti prophecy…but it's longer. Not only that but…they say it was discovered elsewhere, far away." Professor Oak scrutinized the article that came with the picture. "The archaeologists who discovered it aid it may be from some long lost civilization but all other trace of their existence has not been found at all."

"What's the prophecy say?" Misty asked and Professor Oak cleared his throat, prepared to read the prophecy aloud before deciding against it and simply enlarging the translation that was given in the article since the prophecy was in an olden language, from before the symbols of the Unown were used.

Disturb not the harmony of fire, ice, or lightning

Lest these titans wreak destruction

On the world in which they clash.

Though the water's great guardian

Will arise to quell the fighting,

Alone its song shall fail,

Thus the earth shall turn to Ash.

O, Chosen One, bring together all three,

Their treasures combined tame the beast of the sea: Lugia.

But though new peace shall reign,

The fighting come to an end.

The conflict will continue,

Two sides not made amends.

The war that will erupt, the battle that is to come,

Requires the power of an aura seeker,

Resting in you, the Chosen One.

Fight the battles, sing the song,

Or woe to us all, the world be gone.

"Chosen One…?" Gary mused and Misty turned to Tracy, locking eyes with him. They knew something about that, but said nothing as Gary kept going. "If this thing is a war, which I'll note, it's not, then our fate rests in the hands of Chosen One to save us all."

"I don't know Gary, I had heard the Pokemon League is calling a conference to deal with the threat. That sounds like they're preparing for war to me." Brock said and Gary quickly waved his comment aside.

"Either way. How are we supposed to know this Chosen One? And if he doesn't even know he is, then it sounds like we're doomed huh?"

"Ash was the Chosen One." Misty blurted out and Brock, Gary, and Professor Oak turned to look at her. "The Shamouti Prophecy. It was Ash who fulfilled it. He was the Chosen One."

"But…Ashy Boy's gone." Gary said and Misty nodded solemnly. All at once the thought hit them. Only the Chosen One could stop whatever was happening, if what was happening was indeed inscribed on the tablet. But if Ash was the Chosen One and he was dead…what, in the end, did it mean for them?

Author's Note: I am SO terribly sorry for taking so long to post but finals were going on, I had lots of homework and I was kind of playing Final Fantasy XIII for about a hundred hours…so…yeah. I know, it was short, but I'll make it up to you next chapter. Either way, you may not have noticed (obviously) but I'm already setting up for the third book of which the title is indeed "The Burdened Ones". Figure it out if you can…I dare you. By the by, we will, by the end have a max of ten VERY main characters (not including whatever antagonists I'll drum up) and if you can figure them all out, congrats. That being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter so please REVIEW! You guys have been great on this story for giving reviews and I hope that my month absence won't effect it. So yeah, review, and answer the new poll that I have up on my profile page. In the meantime, Dare to Be Silly.