The New Kids on the Block

The Prologue

Written by the Duke of Briarcliffe

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Disclaimer: I do not know if these disclaimers are entirely necessary. I mean, if I really have to disclaim the fact that I do not own pokemon, then, are you, the Reader, worthy of reading this fiction? Besides, if I did own Pokemon, then why would I waste time making fictions for it when I could do it on T.V?

Author's Note: Please do not even attempt to steal my ideas, because I own it and it shows a lack of imagination on your part. Please enjoy ^_~!

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The Prophecy:

Those who holds the...of the...and water shall forever be protected by the Beasts of the Land, the Sky, and the...When great...arrives...an immense showdown will in the great city of...in which the...of the...will grow envious... and...The Protector of the Chosen One...must...defend...The Bird of the Sea will...but will fail if alone...the remaining...will...until the end...The little faerie...will be summoned by the...Chosen...and the world of...will be safe... —Pokedamus, 1625

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The city was completely and utterly devastated. The stone buildings were crushed into gravel; desolate flames burned on top of the rubble. The sky was downcast and gray, dreary, looking as if it were about rain. People were scarce; any that had any sense had already fled the scene when the first blow was struck.

Four lone adolescents, two male and two female, surveyed the damage. The youngest female's breath was labored as she sobbed heavily. The eldest male patted her comfortingly on the back. The youngest male stared at the ground, shaking his head in disbelief as he recollected the night's events. The oldest female stood firmly as she looked at the tattered remains.

"We cannot ever allow this to happen again," she said.

She looked each of her fellow combatants in the eye. They nodded in agreement. She looked towards the sky, a cool breeze blew her hair and she shuddered.

"What evil we have seen."

"What do you propose that we shall do?" asked the younger female.

"We have to destroy these damned rings!" she snapped. "My instincts tell me that they have caused all of this trouble."

"But how can you be certain Princess?" asked the youngest male, a prince in his own right. He was the Prince of Kanto.

"You dare question my instincts? Do you not remember what you had become?"

"No," he said coolly. He fixed on her an icy gaze, "perhaps you could tell me."

"You were evil you cad! You attacked all of us, as did you Prince Ulrich," she exclaimed, gazing over at the Prince of Johto. He simply shrugged his shoulders, not seeming to care about what she said.

"Well, we are not evil anymore," he retorted.

If there were ever a moment when Princess Blossom of the Orange had ever wanted to seriously, and purposely, inflict pain upon a person, it was right then and there. She chuckled, "why does it not surprise me that the evil ones were men?"

Princess Flora decided not to join in; however, she just had to get something off of her chest. "What does it matter who was evil? Nobody is evil anymore."

"That is what I was thinking," said Prince Ulrich.

"Enough!" shouted Prince Louis of Kanto. "We have to decide what we are going to about the rings, as Princess Blossom of Orange had introduced."

"He is right," said Princess Flora; "we must stay on track." She stroked her chin pensively, as if she were in deep thought.

"I think," she mused, "that we ought to try and burn these rings; this would eliminate all possibilities of this ever happening again."

They all nodded in agreement; Princess Blossom nodded stiffly, jealous because she had not thought of the idea. She looked at her finger and yanked the ring off; it had been there for so long. It was cold like ice; she quivered as she threw it to the ground.

All of the others followed suit.

"Over there!" pointed out Prince Ulrich. His finger showed the way to a mountain of blackened rubble with a solitary flame on the top. He began to walk away but Prince Louis quickly reprimanded him and showed him his ring, a lopsided smile on his face.

"I forgot that I could do this," said Prince Louis as he retrieved his ring and held it out towards the others. "I need some kindling for the blaze." He leered over at Princess Blossom.

She grunted haughtily, "do not expect me to tear my dress!"

Princess Flora sighed as she bent down and tore the hem off of her linen petticoat. She shook her head in aggravation. "You are definitely a princess by stereotypical standards. Do not you know that this is for the good of pokemon and mankind? Or are you just too selfish to think of anything but yourself?"

"I would never—"

"We already know that you would never willingly help someone out, so you do not have to inform us on that matter," she interrupted.

Princess Blossom clamped her mouth shut.

Prince Louis felt like giving her around of applause and Prince Ulrich felt like kissing her.

"Thank God that you have shut her up," he settled with. "I do not know if I could have been an honorable prince and gentleman if she would have uttered one more sentence."

"Is this enough?" asked Flora.

"Yes, thank you," he said graciously. Then, he aimed the ring at the shredded linen and a red beam was emitted from the jewel. The beam settled on the fabric and smoke began to rise; a flame ensued immediately after this gesture.

They all stared at the flame until it went out. Their hearts were filled with intense joy and Ulrich even jumped into the air and did a jig.

Louis's face was stony and he sighed deeply.

"What is it," queried Prince Ulrich, "why are you not overjoyed?"

"Because the rings have not been destroyed!" he roared. His face dropped into his open hands and he moved his hands down slowly, making his cheeks rather warm, until they met.

"You know what this means do you not?" asked Princess Blossom of Orange matter-of-factly.

Flora stared at her ring and said, "we will all have to take the rings to our respective countries and hide them, making sure that they will never be found again."

They all nodded in agreement.

"I pity the individuals who ever find it in the future, if they happen to be discovered. They will not know what they are getting themselves into," muttered Princess Flora under her breath.

She stooped down and recovered the ring and walked away from the other three and away from Avalon.