Hunting a Legend
Rex couldn't believe the day was finally here, his three closest friends had already gotten their firstborns a few months prior. For awhile he thought that perhaps something was wrong with him or even his dear wife Laura but Arceus eventually blessed the two with a child and now nine months later they were in the Viridian City Hospital expecting their child to arrive at any moment!
"Push Laura, you can do it!" Hope shined brightly in the young Elite Four member's eyes and that was precisely what he intended on naming their baby girl.
However things turned for the worse fairly quick, his wife winded up dying before his eyes during the birth. Horror filled his eyes followed by a great sorrow. Thankfully Red was there to console his friend.
"I know what you're going through is rough but you've got to stay strong for your daughter! You can't lose hope just yet! You'll see Laura again someday but right now you've got to focus on giving Hope the life that Laura and you wanted for her, make her proud of you!"
Rex remained silent but gave his best friend an appreciative look. However misfortune struck again a few weeks later as Hope ended up passing away as well due to some health issues.
Rex dropped to his knees as he sat in front of their graves, tears flowed from his eyes as his fists were tightly clenched. "Why Arceus, why?! What did I ever do to deserve this?!" He angrily shouted as rain began pouring down heavily, he didn't seem to care however as he stayed right there.
Red entered the graveyard with his usual bouquet of flowers, placing them in the middle of two graves with a great sadness in his eye. The graves belonged to Blue and his wife who both unfortunately passed in a car crash the previous week, orphaning their son Gary but fortunately his grandfather Professor Oak was more than willing to look after him, same couldn't be said for Agatha as she cut all ties with Oak after their separation. Red happened to glance over towards the graves belonging to Rex's family and gave a look of concern as he saw Rex just sitting there in the rain.
"Rex... it's been two weeks, Delia and I are worried about you." Red approached with an open umbrella, shielding his friend from the rain but Rex's emotional state didn't change.
"What's the point, Red? In a matter of weeks I lost the woman I love, my child and one of my closest friends! It's just not fair, how come Arceus takes them and not scum like Madame Boss and the Masked Man?!"
"You know I can't answer that," Red sighed out as he placed his hand atop Rex's shoulder. "Look I can't just leave you out here, why don't you come back to Pallet Town and stay with me for a few days? Being among friends is exactly why you need right now, you're not the only one that lost a friend after all, Blue was my best friend too."
Rex was silent for a moment before eventually agreeing with his friend as he allowed him to take him back to Pallet Town.
A few weeks had passed and Rex had gotten better but he wasn't completely over it, he was still moping about but he was actively eating and taking proper care of himself without Red having to help him out. One day Rex just needed to get out of the house, he appreciated Delia and Red, and loved seeing his god son but he needed a bit of fresh air and personal time. He walked to the outskirts of Pallet Town and just blindly walked without any real destination or goal in mind, his Raichu moping along beside him as usual completely unaware of the fact that they were being watched.
"Rex Salazar?"
Rex jerked up at the mention of his name, quickly turning to see a hooded figure standing behind him. His hood helped shadow his facial traits, making him unrecognizable. "Yes...?" Rex gripped at a Pokeball while Raichu growled in a threatening manner.
"You don't have to worry about Madame Boss anymore, she's dead. I did the deed myself!"
"S-She is?" Rex raised an eyebrow before clenching his fist. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not sorry to hear that she's gone but murder is murder. I must take you in, Raichu!"
"Rai rai!" Raichu's cheeks sparked as he prepared to give the hooded figure an electrical shock.
"Please I've faced plenty men and women stronger than you in my lifetime, I'm not here to fight I'm here as a friend. You see I know the answer to your problems, you've lost loved ones and you're worried that something will happen to Raichu, Red, Delia, Ash, and Green next am I right?"
"H-How do you know?!" Rex's eyes widened as it was like the man peeled his mind wide open.
"And you want a solution, one that will stop anyone else from dying."
"Not just them, I don't want anyone to suffer through what I had again! Everyone of pure heart deserve to live a long life before they pass of old age."
"Rai rai!"
"Oh I know, I understand and I just happen to know the solution to your problem! You see there's this Legendary Pokemon that defeated it's antithesis, Yveltal the Destroyer and king of Darkness! That Pokemon's name was Ho-oh, it has a special ability that no other Pokemon can possess, the ability to resurrect and can heal life threatening injuries or illnesses at the mere touch of it's feather or cry!"
"T-Then I can have my Laura and Hope back?!" Rex grabbed at the man's collar. "You've got to tell me where I can find this Ho-oh, you must know where it is if you know so much about it!"
"That you can however I've got no idea where it is but I do know where Yveltal's final resting place is, there may be clues there!"
"Tell me!" Rex snarled out.
"The Kalos badlands but you could be searching for quite a long amount of time, there's no guarantee that you'll find it!" The man smirked.
"You liar, you said you knew where it was!"
"I didn't lie, I know where it is I'm just unable to step foot in the area you see." The masked man shrugged. "If you go there you'll come across a dear old friend of mine, one of my master's most beloved followers! The only one of us allowed to step inside hahahaha!"
"Y-You work for Yveltal?! That does it, you're coming with me to Viridian City so I can lock you in a clinic. You're clearly delusional! Trying to play me for a fool, there's no way a Pokemon can decide who dies while the other resurrects! You're a loon trying to take advantage of my sorrow!" Rex snapped.
"Oh I'm the delusional one? Funny! Hahahaha! Tata for now! Hahahaha!" The hooded figure broke free of Rex's grasp with ease before racing off into the shadows. Rex quickly gave chase only to discover that the mystery man had completely vanished without a trace! Rex's eyes darted about the area before scowling as he held his head.
"I must be drunk, that's it. That's how he was able to read my thoughts, nobody was even here but us!"
"Rai rai!" Raichu hastily pointed at a foot print in the mud precisely where the hooded figure had been standing. Rex looked towards it before looking back towards the forest.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Well somebody was here, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look into this. I mean if there's a chance I can revive them then I'm gonna take it no matter the cost!"
"Rai rai!"
"You're what?!" Rex had told Red everything, well not everything as he neglected to mention the part about Yveltal. Knowing that'd just make Red and Delia worried about him and possibly preventing him from leaving which Red could fully well do as he was stronger!
"You heard me, I heard about this mythical Pokemon named Ho-oh that has the power to heal and even resurrect the dead! Apparently there are keys to it's location in an old temple within the Kalos Badlands, I'm headed off to find it!"
"You can't go out there alone, you've never even left Kanto in your life!" Red exclaimed.
"What you think I'll die?" Rex rolled his eyes. "Like I care."
"I care." Red crossed his arms as he gave Rex a firm look. "I'm going with you to make sure you don't do anything foolish!"
"Espe!" Espeon flicked her tails in agreement.
"But Red, Ash isn't even one year old yet-" Delia started only for Red to press his lips against hers to silence her.
"Don't worry about it Delia, we should only be gone a few weeks at best right Rex?"
"...right." Rex muttered as he looked away with a sour look.
However it wasn't weeks but rather months. The Kalos Badlands stretched for hundreds of miles and was deprived of all plant life, the only Pokemon within the area were Ground and Rock types along with the vulture Pokemon Mandibuzz preying on Pokemon foolish enough to wander out there. According to a friendly local they met, Augustine Sycamore, the area was like that on account of a war that happened thousands of years ago! Red hadn't even called Delia up to apologize yet as he wasn't sure how long they'd still be gone and he promised Rex that he'd help him until the end!
Rex was starting to think the whole thing a lot cause, wondering if perhaps it was simply his imagination after all. However they eventually came across what appeared to be the entrance to a temple which over the years had buried itself beneath the dirt. However the entrance looked rather clear almost as if somebody had been entering and exiting on a semi-regular basis.
"Well Rex looks like we've found it!" Red clapped his friend's back while Rex stared off in disbelief for a brief moment before quickly shaking his head.
"Er-Yeah, we found it." Rex slowly approached and stepped on inside. It appeared that there had been various statues of a winged demonic creature of some sort spread throughout the temple but somebody had come along and smashed them all to smithereens, a sledgehammer could be seen laying up against a nearby wall as evidence although it was covered in dust indicating that whoever had done so did it a long time ago. A very long time based on the design of the tool. There was wall art that somebody had attempted to smash to bits before eventually and recently defacing with spray paint, making it ineligible.
Espeon soon paused, her tail twitched as she looked up at her trainer. "Espe!"
"We're not alone," Red quickly spoke. The two friends turned to see what appeared to be a nine foot tall homeless man standing behind them, his expression was calm but his large appearance was quite intimidating.
"Get out." He calmly spoke.
"Okay," Red turned away before Rex grabbed the back of his jacket.
"No, I ain't leaving without answers so spill! You're the leader of the Yveltal cult aren't you? And I'm willing to believe that you're responsible for all this destruction as well!"
"Yveltal? Rex what are you talking about? This is clearly this man's home!" Red exclaimed.
"You're both right," The man calmly expressed with a sigh. "I was the leader and the one that unleashed Yveltal upon the world but I had a change of heart upon seeing all the destruction and chaos. I can tell that history might be about to repeat itself and I'm not about let that happen so why don't you two take a seat?" The man gestured towards some slabs of granite. "It's gonna be a long one!"
"You see almost ten thousand years ago from the day, I-known as Azrael the Conqueror back then- was locked in an intense war with the Galar region. People and Pokemon from both sides perished in my foolish attempt to take over the region, I already owned Kalos in it's entirety but Galar was so close and promising! I couldn't resist... until it was too late, my dear and precious Floette, a Pokemon that was at my side since I was a wee baby perished in the bloodshed! I was devastated and after hunting down and slaughtering the individual who'd done the deed, Yveltal contacted me spiritually and gave me the idea and blueprints for a machine that could restore Floette to life! However what I didn't know was that it'd resurrect him upon the world and after seeing what I'd done, Floette she-she left me..."
"Good for her." Rex growled.
"Let me finish." The man held up his hand. "After that I tried to betray Yveltal but it was no use, he possessed me and used me to gain a following of loyal followers which we called the Legion of Shadows." The man gazed off before nodding at a nearby Xatu. "In fact why tell when I can show?"
Xatu raised it's wings as a nearby wall lit up.
"Pikachuuu!"
"GAH!" A Magmar whose body was entirely engulfed by a purple and black shadowy aura, his eyes burning a bright red color, cried as he was electrocuted by the electric mouse.
Up ahead a raven haired trainer could be seen riding atop a rainbow phoenix Pokemon as it battled against a rather demonic red and black bird! The phoenix fired off a large blast of golden fire that burned intensely while Yveltal countered with a Dark Pulse that appeared much more sinister than usual. In the distance another male trainer could be seen riding atop a green serpentine Dragon, doing battle with something out of view before being assisted by a male and female trainer that came swooping in atop two dragons, one black scaled and masculine looking while the other was white scaled and feminine looking in design. The two dragons fired off large electric and fire energy balls at the unseen opponent, whatever it was sure was strong enough to resist the green, white, and black Dragons which was surely an impressive feat as they appeared to be quite the powerful Pokemon! "Luuu!" A orange-yellow beam of light chased after a honey blonde female trainer riding atop a blue and black deer in the distance.
"That's Ho-oh..." Rex breathed as his gaze remained firmly locked onto Ho-oh.
Red however tilted his head and narrowed his eyes as he focused on the figure on Ho-oh's back. It looked just like that...
"So anyway eventually with the combined power of Zygarde, the complete Unova dragon which broke apart after the battle, Ho-oh, Rayquaza, Lugia and the Legendary Kanto birds... the Rainbow Hero of the time along with his friends was able to help put my forces at bay. Yveltal was in shock for just long enough for me to break free of his control, giving an opening for the Rainbow Hero to attack and send Yveltal into a 10,000 year slumber and-Uh oh, spoilers!" AZ quickly clapped his hands. Being 10,000 years old makes you forget some details such as Xatu only being able to project the future. Xatu turned off the vision, Rex seemed unaware of the truth but Red looked a bit suspicious as his mind kept flickering back towards the thought of the trainer atop Ho-oh's back.
"Unfortunately I was hit by the blast and cursed with eternal life, forced to live in a world where things continually die while I live on. That's why I stay here in this ruin and have as little contact with the outside world as possible, even grow a garden!" Though he didn't need to hurt, it still hurt if he didn't! "I also took it upon myself to stand vigil and ensure that nobody foolishly tries and awakens Yveltel again, it could be the end of us all! Or rather you all... I'll still be here." AZ sighed at the thought. "I can't let it happen again!"
"Okay so forget that stupid bacon bird, tell me about Ho-oh!" Rex shouted.
"Ho-oh? Oh!" AZ clapped his hands together, getting Red's attention as the man turned to look at the immortal giant. "Well here's the thing, Ho-oh will only show itself when the darkness is returning and I can safely assure you that it won't be happening anytime soon!" AZ laughed though Red detected nerves. "And only the Rainbow Hero can get a proper audience with it."
"Rainbow Hero? You keep saying that... what the heck does it even mean?!" Rex growled.
"The Rainbow Hero is the one that will save the world not just once but many times. Although he himself may not be the key factor in the events he'll still have a heavy involvement and help Rayquaza find the one destined to bond with it, help the Hero of Truth sway the Hero of Ideals allowing for love to conquer the Great Winter and help an old friend discover herself and find new love allowing for her to meet what most people commonly mistake for Yveltal's antithesis."
"That's... that's a lot, I just want Ho-oh to bless me with a feather! Any feather will do!" Rex's eye twitched. "I just want my wife and daughter back, surely you know how I feel!"
"Rex..." Red was getting a bad feeling about his friend.
"I do but unfortunately that's all I have to say on that matter." AZ promptly turned his back to them as he raised his hand. "Leave me to my sorrow."
"No way, you've got answers-" Rex was pulled back by Red.
"He won't be giving you anymore, I can tell. He's a broken man. Come on Rex, I'll help you find Ho-oh even if I die trying!"
AZ turned to look after the two as they walked off. "A poor choice of words..." He trailed off. "For if one touches a Rainbow Wing and is not of pure heart, he shall be overcome by the very shadows that once overcame me..."
Yeah Serena will still be a companion way way later although I'm not quite sure who she'll get with since Ash is off the market. Although I'm not nerfing Ash, I'm not having him be at the center of every regional plot. It'll be like Manaphy, Jirachi, XYZ where May, Max and Bonnie have the focal role with the Legendary after the Kanto/Johto adventures but Ash is still there and battling Team Magma/Aqua/Plasma. Ash bonding with each and every Legendary he comes across is a big nono, the only ones that matter are Kanto/Johto and the ones that he can catch like Latias and qualifying Mythicals.
Anyways I hope you all enjoyed the brief break, next time we're back with Ash in Vermilion City! :)