The End of a Friendship
It had been years since Rex and Red left Pallet Town and learned about the legend of Ho-oh, they traveled every corner of the globe in search of guidance or perhaps even just a hint that would lead them to the bird's location. Eventually their travels took them to the Unova region where they encountered one Cedric Juniper during one of his many research expeditions, the two just happening to stumble across him by pure chance while searching through some ancient Unova ruins! Cedric Juniper appeared to be searching for artifacts of some sort, Rex and Red didn't fully understand what the man was talking about however as they weren't familiar with Unova.
"Enough talk, do you know Ho-oh's location or not?!" Red aggressively growled out. Rex gave his friend a look of concern. He understood that Red was wanting to get back to his family and even offered him a chance to leave every couple of months but each time he tried, Red shot him down. Usually Rex was the more aggressive one but ever since that fateful day where they met that former tyrant Azrael, Red started acting different than usual.
"I'm sorry but Red and I... we aren't from around here, we're actually trying to unearth some clues on an incident that occurred-" Rex quickly retrieved a worn notebook from his pocket in which he kept any information about Ho-oh no matter how minor or insignificant it might be. "Roughly say 10,000 years ago? You see there's this Legendary Bird Pokemon called Ho-oh, a rather colorful phoenix Pokemon that is said to make the rainbows one sees after rainstorms, and we're trying to find it. Have you ever heard about it or maybe seen something mentioning where it might reside?"
Cedric stroked his chin and stood there in silence for a moment. "Well I did see this ancient tablet that hinted that a rainbow Pokemon resides within Johto's Raizen Mountain Range but upon trying to clean some illegible parts off it broke into dust! I'd never seen anything like it! Naturally I couldn't report my findings without proof, especially as I was a mere research assistant back then."
"You're kidding me, Ho-oh was right next store to us this whole time?!" Red snapped.
"Raizen Mountain Range? You've got to be kidding, scoping every inch could take years or even an entire decade to scour every inch! Don't you have anything else we can go on? Anything at all?!" Rex asked in an anxious tone.
"Nope sorry, I honestly wish I could be more help to the two of you. You look quite eager to find it based on your reaction."
An entire year passed as Rex and Red mindlessly trekked through the mountain range, Rex had sketched the mountain range and kept crossing out parts that proved fruitless as they went as to avoid retreading old ground and also allow them to come back if necessary. Of course there was no cell service up there so their Pokegears were effectively useless, they had no contact with the rest of the world and were living off the land as it'd take too long to fly back for supplies!
"I'm beginning to think that we'll never find Ho-oh..." Rex let out a sigh as he gazed towards the star filled sky. "Perhaps Green and Delia were right, maybe Laura would want me to move on."
Red didn't say a word as he plopped to his side and fell asleep. Rex sat atop the tree stump for a few moments, gazing towards the starry sky and admiring it's beauty along with the natural beauty of the untouched mountain range! A lovely display of flowers could be seen as far as the eye could see beneath the full moon and Furret, Raticate and various other Pokemon could be seen frolicking about. Rex uttered another sigh and smiled lightly but before he could lay down and go to sleep something caught his attention out the corner of his eye. "Hello? Somebody there?"
"Hehehe... you're so close!"
Rex's eyes shot open as he heard the familiar voice that set him off on this seemingly hopeless adventure. "You!" Rex lunged towards the bushes and grabbed the ancient man's throat. "This is all your fault, I'm beginning to think that this is some sick prank you and that Azrael punk are pulling on us! I should have known from that start, all that 'Chosen one' and 'Hero' nonsense sounded like pure fantasy! There's no way that a massive green serpent would pick some random teenager to be his partner and there's no way that there's some great and vile Pokemon out there planning our extinction! This is just a load of Tauros!"
"Ack!" The man hacked out as Rex squeezed his throat.
"You wasted nearly a decade of my life! And not just that but that of my best friend's! You kept him away from his wife, his son... his family! And for what? Nothing, that's what! I really ought to-" Rex went silent as the man merely pointed towards his left. Rex followed his gaze and did a double take as they somehow missed a cave that was a good hundred feet away from them! "Was that there this whole time?! Why didn't you just take me here if you knew where Ho-oh was?!" Rex angrily threw the man to the ground before rushing towards the cave with new resolve. He was so close to reuniting with Laura and Hope that he could practically hear them already!
"Rex my love, enter the cave and take the feather! Make our family whole again!"
"Daddy please hurry, I miss you!"
"Don't worry Hope, daddy's coming! I'll see you soon!"
The old man looked up, though the rest of his face was obscured by his hood a smirk was visible as he watched Rex race towards the cave. Upon entering the cave Rex saw ancient paintings on the wall that depicted the actions and legends of the Legendary bird, including a scene involving a burning tower where a Flareon, Jolteon and Vaporeon seemingly passed away before Ho-oh resurrected them in completely new forms! Rex didn't pay it a whole lot of attention however as his mind was focused upon one thing and one thing only, his family... the legend was real and if he could get his hand on just one feather then he'd have his family again!
"Ho-oh? I've come to challenge you!"
"Ho-oh only comes out to those worthy of him darling!"
"Yes daddy, but there's still a feather here! Touch it and bring us back!"
"Feather? What feather?!" Rex shot a look around before spotting a rainbow colored feather that sat upon what looked to be an altar. "Whosoever encounters the three beasts and proves himself to be worthy shall be blessed... blah blah, forget this! I'm taking it now!" Rex reached for the feather as he couldn't be bothered to read the rest of the inscription.
"Do it Rex, touch it! You're so close, we're so close!"
Rex's fingers were mere centimeters from the feather when a thought came to him. "Wait a moment, you two are dead... how do you know the feather's there?"
The voices went silent as Rex questioned them. Rex gazed towards another painting depicting that Ho-oh put in a failsafe to ensure nobody could possess his feathers and use them for evil, however Yveltal ended up corrupting said forces and made them his own personal slaves, forcing them to do his bidding for thousands of years!
"That could have been me... no, I won't do your bidding! You hear me bacon bird?! I won't be your slave!"
"So be it." A demonic voice spoke out.
"Hehehe... he doesn't need you anyways, look behind you!" The old man cackled.
"Huh?" Rex shot around and had a look of alarm as he saw Red reaching out for the feather.
"Blue, I missed you..."
"Red don't!" Rex lunged forward to grab his best friend however the quick movement caused the feather to fly right off the pedestal and drift towards the ground below. Landing right on Rex and Red's hands as Rex pinned Red to the ground. "Listen to me Red, it's not worth it! We're not worthy! Do you really want to spend the rest of your life as a slave?! What about Delia and Ash?!"
A look of regret briefly formed within Red's eyes. "Rex, I'm sorry it's just that... I miss him so much." Tears fell from Red's eyes. "Whenever I close my eyes it's as if I can see him reaching out for me!"
Rex placed his hand upon his friend's shoulder. "You don't have to say anything else Red, I understand... but they'd want us to move on, we already wasted seven years of our lives! Think of all the good we could have done, the people we could have met! They'd want us to be happy, think of how miserable we've been the past months... they wouldn't want that! Besides think of all the friends they've made and loved ones they've reunited with, we have no right to play Arceus!"
Red's eyes gazed up to meet his friend's. "Rex... you're-wrong!" Red's eyes turned to flames as his skin became cloaked in shadow!
"Red?!" Rex glanced down towards his hand and let out a gasp as he saw their hands both laid atop the feather and never once moved, both now fully cloaked in shadows which quickly moved to cover the rest of their bodies! "No!"
"I'm free? Really?!"
"Yes, I've got two of the strongest trainers in the world as my puppets! I have no need for you anymore!"
"Shadow?" A small Pokemon that looked just like the corrupted forms Red and Rex were turning into slid off the old man. Marshadow gazed down at his hands as he came to his senses after all these years, no longer under Yveltal's corruption and influence! "Marshadow!" Marshadow raced on out of there as he decided to embrace his newfound freedom rather than risk being enslaved once more, disappearing to parts unknown.
"I'm free!" The old man cheerfully shouted out before swiftly turning to dust!
Raichu and Espeon raced into the cave as they awoke to discover their beloved trainers gone. "Espe?!"
"Rai rai?!" The Pokemon barely recognized their trainers in their corrupted forms but knew it was them based off the scent! "Rai rai!"
"Espe, Espeon!" The two anxiously cried out.
"I'm the chosen one, Rex! Can't you see?! It wasn't the past we were being shown but the future! A raven haired man our age was riding Ho-oh!"
"Our age?! That was six years ago, Red! I'm the chosen one-No, no!" Rex held onto his head with one hand as the other pulled at the feather in a bid to keep it from Red.
"Stop fighting you two, you're both mine!" The demonic voice spoke out.
"Shut up!" Rex angrily roared out, his negative emotion resulted in the shadow quickly reforming across his face. "I'll kill you Red! N-No, positive emotions! T-Think of Laura, of Hope... of the others!"
"Die Rex!" Red began twirling about in a bid to shake Rex off the feather, edging them close to a shadowy drop. There wasn't a sign of the bottom but it was most likely going to be a lethal drop if one fell!
"Red no, fight it! Think of Ash, of Delia! They wouldn't want you to do this-We can't! Ugh, time to die!" Rex swung around, pushing them even closer to the edge! Espeon let out a gasp and tried to halt them in place with Psychic but found her attack went straight through them!
"Espe?!" She gasped out from shock!
"Ash?" Red shook his head before holding onto it with his free hand. "Rex, you're right... we need to drop the feather right now before-" Red attempted to let go but Rex pinned him to the floor.
"No, he wants you as his champion! If I kill you, I'll be Yveltal's champion!"
"Rex do you even hear what your saying? It's-Oh Arceus, it's corrupting us too fast! Rex fight it, we need to let go but I can't with you holding me!" Red growled out before letting out an aggressive roar as Raichu electrocuted them in an attempt to snap them out of it, unknowingly making things worse as the anger only fueled the two further! Red's face became cloaked in shadow again as he sprang up and pinned Rex against the cave wall. Red snarled and punched Rex directly in the gut! "Say goodnight Rex!"
"No, I am the champion!" Rex roared out, striking out with his foot and nailing Red in the stomach! Red let out a gasp for air and in that brief second, Rex summoned up his strength and pushed Red, sending him and the rainbow wing falling right over the edge of the bottomless pit!
"Rex!" Red cried out as he fell.
"Espe!" Tears filled Espeon's eyes as she rushed towards the edge.
Raichu let out a gasp and rushed forward while Rex's thoughts began to clear up with the rainbow wing no longer there. "Ugh... Red? Where did you-" Rex went silent as he saw Espeon and Raichu staring over the cliffside. "No... I didn't, did I?"
Raichu gave him a sorrowful expression while Espeon remained silent and cast a lingering gaze towards the pit. Rex bit his lip. He wasn't even sure how to explain what happened here to anyone that asked! The corruption had seemingly left with the loss of the feather but how was he going to explain that a 10,000 year old bird was planning their destruction? It'd sound insane! Heck he thought that Azrael had been lying about it up until he heard Yveltal himself and saw the influence of his corruption!
"Poor Ash... how could I ever break this to him and Delia?" Rex held onto his arm as he stood there for what felt like an eternity before eventually turning to leave. "Come on Raichu, Red's clearly not coming back."
"Espe..." Espeon cried. She clearly didn't blame him as she saw what happened but it still brought her great sorrow that her longtime friend and master was gone forever!
"Espeon, I'm so sorry... but you can't stay here. Come back with us, it'll do Ash and Delia some good if you're there to help them through the loss!"
"Es, Espe!" Espeon hastily shook her head as she refused to leave, wanting to stay there instead for the time being!
Rex placed his hands into his pocket. "Well what do you expect me to tell Ash and Delia?"
"Espeon, espe!" Espeon flicked her tail before gazing down the hole once more. "Espe!"
It had been months since that faithful day, Rex had been named Champion as the Pokemon League committee no longer saw Red fit for duty considering his long absence. Rex proved to be the strongest among the Elite Four thus he became Champion while Lorelei took his place within the Elite Four much to the joy of Lance! Whenever he was free of champion duties, the guilt ridden Rex visited Ash and Delia to keep them company and try to summon up the courage to tell them what happened but he never could! Rex even showed up at Professor Oak's Summer Camp, shortly after he ventured back to Kalos to battle Diantha for the annual battle between Champions! The 'World Championship' had been disbanded for quite some time due to Red's long absence so the Champion's just had fun mock battles between one another to test their skills and push each other to their limits! However he found himself waking up the following morning with no recollection of what happened or even the outcome of the fight! Rex groaned out and flicked on the television to a rather startling news broadcast as apparently a new trainer named Calem was found murdered just on the outskirts of Lumiose City!
"I-I didn't do that... did I?"
"Rai?" Raichu gave his trainer a look before shrugging as he honestly didn't know.
The following month Rex encountered a similar instance as much like his battle against Diantha, he blacked out during his battle against Mustard and awoke to discover that a young trainer, Victor Masaru had been found not far from where Rex woke up! Rex's heart started beating rapidly. "It's just a coincidence, it has to be... right?"
However much to his dismay during battles against Alder and Steven he ended up blacking out without memory of the fight itself or the event of the night before, and awoke to the news that Hilbert Touko and Brendan Birch were killed! "What is happening to me?!" He screamed out as Raichu gave his trainer a look of concern.
"Rai?"
"That Cynthia sure was something, maybe I should get her-Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Rex quickly sat up and crawled away as he discovered the dead body of a newcomer trainer just five feet away from him, the blood trail led right to him and his fingers were covered in it! "Nononono, Trace! It was me?! I did this?! B-But that can't be... unless... Yveltal still has some influence over me?!"
"Surprised?!" A shadow in front of him took the form of Yveltal, the bird's glowing red eyes gazed directly into his. "I told you that you belong to me, you may have lost me my champion but I still have you and that's all I need to summon up enough darkness and despair to reawaken my body and bring me to full power!"
"B-But why?! They're just kids, you sick freak!" Rex snarled.
"Exactly! You know the lengths adults will go to protect kids? But just think of all the dark thoughts and depression that will be lingering in the minds of those kids that remain once the League Committee enforces a new age requirement!" Yveltal smirked. "You'll hear from me again soon..."
Rex was filled with a mixture of anger, grief, guilt and despair as he was forced to address the new changes. He had no choice but to fight for it as whenever he tried opening his mouth, whatever was controlling him took over and forced him to zip it and fully support it! Charles Goodshow, Mr. Contesta, Mr. Sukizo, Cynthia, Steven, Alder, Mustard and Diantha all signed it. Leaving it unanimous as the changes were made. Rex's life was a living horror story from that point on as whenever somebody turned up like Lucas, he couldn't help but think he had something to do with it! Heck he didn't even trust himself when Charles Goodshow passed of old age as he thought Yveltal did it to get Chairman Rose in charge, who Rex never did trust as there was something about the guy that he didn't like he just didn't know what!
Rex shook his head as he awoke in his bed following the attack on the SS Anne. "How did I end up here...?" He flicked on the television and let out a loud horrified scream as Ash, Chloe and Brock's pictures showed up on the newscast stating that they were missing and thought to be dead! "Nooo!"
"Hahaha..."
Of course what Rex didn't know was that the three were alive and safe as they unintentionally wrecked the PokePark theme park a few minutes ago!
Up high in the Raizen Mountain Range, Espeon flicked her tails as she watched the wild Pokemon frolicking about. She smiled lightly before turning her gaze towards the sky above, during her stay she grew an understanding of what was to come and just who exactly the Chosen One was! She knew he'd show up there one day looking to befriend and challenge Ho-oh to a Pokemon battle but until that day, she'd watch over the Pokemon of the mountain and keep them safe from harm!