Solareon : The Forgotten One
Chapter XI - The Showdown
There it stood. Seemingly content if viewed casually, the beast gazed down at Alex, deep into his eyes - and there sat the anger, writhing and boiling, utter contempt at the surrounding world and at the humans who had created it. A voice penetrated Alex's mind, washing over all conscious thought, filling all gaps in his perception and honing his attention on the golden body in front of him. "You dare come back in my darkest hour? You, who tormented me? You, who brought me into ths world as nothing but," - it spat out the word - "an experiment?" "You want to control me now, after all you have done? Speak, for I need answers!" All Alex could do was stammer. "I have not seen you since Creation. I was not of bird, fish or mammal born, yet somehow I exist - can you imagine the centuries of torment I have suffered?" Alex shook his head, blandly. "You forced me into solitude-" "I DID NOT!" Alex, suddenly broken from his reverie by this torrent of accusations, yelled at the creature with rage - the rage of centuries, ancient rage from which all rage is born. Thunder rolled overhead. Lightning crackled from Solareon's back, and when the eyes next looked into Alex's eyes, they were cold, bitter, and filled with malice. "You think you can shirk the responsibility of aeons? I remember you from when I was just formed,. How could I forget the face of my condemnant?" "You've... got me mixed up..." Alex withered under the stare of the mighty Pokémon. "But you created me too powerful," mused Solareon, apparently unaware of the slumped figure in front of it. "You made me omnipotent, so much so that I could become a god... Look at your kind! Running about like headless chickens... I was able to control the others, the Ones that made up our land as it is today... I had access to the weather, to the land forms, to everything... "I could control others' minds, young one. Do you have any idea what I could do with this power?" All around, Pokémon had ceased to play. They knew their tranquil lifestyle would have to come to an end someday. All eyes were trained on the young boy with an Eevee, watching, waiting to see the next move in this game. Alex feebly shook his head. Solareon turned to face the sunlight, its golden fur shimmering. "And yet, what makes it so annoying, is that no-one can oppose me, no-one can even put up a resistance. What gives me a purpose if I can win so easily?" A sudden calm drifted through Alex's brain. Like the pinch that awakens you from a bad dream, and shows the peace of reality, so the boy's goal shot through his mind. All of a sudden, he knew exactly what to do. He stood abruptly, and called to the creature. "Then I give a purpose, yours and mine. I will oppose you here and now - winner takes all." Alex closed his mouth slowly after this speech, mind ticking over. That hadn't sounded like him... and yet, it had been him, deep down inside. A welling, a craving to be said, some incantation swam forth and rose to the forefront, and he announced it to Solareon's turned head.
"Creature of the light, yet turned to darkness, I will oppose you. "For as the power of the land will oppose the power of one turned against, it will also support the power of one with heart pure and true. "I, your creator, will defeat you, and give you your 'purpose'. Come, stand your ground."
Solareon turned, and watched the young boy with interest. "I win, I rule the Earth, if you succeed, you do?" "No." "No?" "You win, you do what you want. I win, the land goes back to what it was before you awoke, and you stay dormant and out of my way," Alex replied smoothly. "You do realise you cannot win." "I have the land on my side." "The land shall soon be mine." "I am the last chance we have - if you are able to defeat myself as well as the forces of nature, you truly deserve to rule." Solareon appeared to mull this over for a while. "Acceptable, yes." Alex gently unclipped a Poké Ball from his waist, and relaxed his grip. It fell to the floor with a barely audible click, and swung open. A ruby- coloured streak of light emerged and swam in front of its opponent, lighting the features of Solareon's canine face, playing over the animal eyes, the slight tufts over the eye ridges, the muzzle. The Ball flew back to Alex's hand with a snap. The energy began to take form.
The battle had been short, but with no question who had been the victor. Alex sat, defeated, slumped against a boulder. Power - such raw power - had been unleashed on his fellows. Solareon stood, cackling through his mind, blasting shining energy into the collective, scattering them left, right and centre like cheap rag dolls. Energy created for good, yet used for evil. Eevee, battered and bruised, singed with some unknown energy, crawled up to Alex. It whimpered. "You're right," Alex whispered, "This can't be the way it ends. I was told I was chosen... I was told I was the protector of the world. I've failed, dear partner..." Once again, the words seemed so odd, coming from Alex's mouth, but so mature, so like him in a different way. Almost as if the spirit of his ancestor strived to keep on. As he thought this, a silver light gleamed in the corner of his eye. He searched the landscape for Alex stood, with renewed vigour. The words of the old woman came back to him. "To everything, there must be a balance. Just as you are the cause of good, there will be your equal who uses their power to cause great evil. Be aware of this in your journey." A swift silver streak flashed before his eyes, and tackled Solareon. It flew several feet, landing in the pool which had been the scene of play only a few minutes ago. Alex looked to see the attacker. It stood proud, almost identical to Solareon. Yet it was silver in colour, its fur shimmering in the wind, and with an attitude so different. "I do not want to harm you. I only wish to do what was done to me so long ago." The shining creature appeared to be directing its thoughts at Solareon. Alex, however, could hear them - presumably because he was wanted to. Then came the reply. "I smote you long ago. Why do you return?" "Because now it is time for justice. Just as you drove me into the ground to bring balance, I will do the same to you. You have been corrupted, after you taught me the error of my ways. Now the apprentice must teach the master a lesson taught aeons ago, and lost sight of in the mists of time. Ironic, no?" Alex sat, slumped in his position, wondering what what going on. He felt a sudden prescence in his mind, and focused his attention intently. "Master. I have never let my name be known to you, but I am known as Luneon. Without your help I cannot win this battle, as I myself am not as pure as I may seem. But together, we can perhaps bring balance to Nature once more." "I accept. I must conquer my destiny, one way or another." Luneon seemed to chuckle. "Then we both have something to prove. Then let our refined spirits join and soar, so they may spur us into battle for the nature of all." Alex leapt, a grand leap with renewed strength, landing astride Luneon. With a slight grunt, it sped off in the direction of the downed forgotten One. Solareon started, and with agile steps ran out of the way of the oncoming attack, seemingly teleporting. Luneon skidded to a halt, and looked it down. "Do not attempt to fight. It will only make it easier for me to win!" Luneon dashed again, but once more Solareon dodged. Alex whispered in Luneon's erect ear. "Is there no way for a sneak attack?" It gave Alex the psychic equivalent of a grin. "You got it." Solareon reared back, and began to glow. A pure light shone from Solareon, and it suddenly grew in consistency and sped at Alex, astride the silver beast. Luneon flickered, and suddenly vanished from existence, taking Alex with it, causing Solareon to fly directly through the space they had once been. It skidded to a halt, and quelled its glow, looking triumphant. "You have fled, then. You coward. You know that I have defeated you once, and I have done so again." The gathered animals watched in terror as their new master gazed upon them, smugly, evilly. "You all belong to me."
"Not today, Solareon!" yelled Alex's voice. The pair flickered back into being as a speeding missile, aiming towards their target, shocked into stillness. The Faint Attack struck, and sent it reeling, as Luneon simply landed on its feet, raising a slight dust cloud. "Who would have thought that such a simple attack would be so effective?" asked Alex, in wonder. "Because it was unexpected," came the reply. "Remember this in future - your enemy will always have something up their sleeve. Trickery is a vital component in winning, as much as skill, power, or bravery." "You would do well to take your own advice," came Solareon's voice into their heads. The clouds parted over the arena, and the emerald-tinted sun shone on them, warming them. Solareon rose. "The sunlight will heal me, and I doubt you can keep this battle going until the dusk. For as long as it is daytime, I shall reign." Alex suddenly had a thought. "This sunlight you have brought to our battle here. It is not pure. It is not the remedy you are looking for. You have scarred it with your evil ways - look, it is shining the colour of nature, not the colour of light. Wherever you are, nature will be against you." Solareon screamed in annoyance. "You are wrong, Solareon. You are just as weak as before. Luneon, do as you wish." Luneon reared in an aggressive fashion. It glowed with a silver light, and spat a ball of energy at Solareon. It was not much, but it was enough. Solareon absorbed it, and felt it course through his body, fighting a battle in its very veins. It slumped to a heap, battered and bruised, for the first time showing its fatigue. Alex climbed from the back of Luneon. "My work is done. But it could not have succeeded without you. Congratulations, Alex, you truly are the One of legend. I wish you luck." With that, Luneon vanished into the underbrush. Alex stood, head upturned to the sun, his eyes aglow with triumph. He did not yell. He did not punch the air, or scream in delight. He simply gazed up at the sky, a look of calm upon his face. To look upon him you would say not that he had aged, but had simply grown older - like a distilled wine, achieved a finer quality. Behind him, a hunched Solareon slunk away, in the knowledge that it had been deceived - it, a being of light, had twisted itself into a being of darkness, forgetting its roots, forgetting the power of the light. Such light was Alex, and eventually, once all sound of the felines creeping into the undergrowth had dispersed, he raised one hand in triumph, along which his first companion scampered, and sat on his outstretched palm. In a burst of light, three others manifested themselves behind him, each the worse for wear, but each ignoring the pain for their master, each of them loyal, and each of them content with their achievement on this night. Alex smiled. The gathering rejoiced.
**EPILOGUE**
The sky lost the green hue, faded into a calm ultramarine. Wisps of cloud dotted here and there, and many people pinched themselves and asked if they ahd been dreaming, but they couldn't have been, you saw it too, right? The legendary Birds of Mícho soared into the heavy cloud atop Mt Silver, and overlooking, from the safety of its crags, watched Alex fight his way through the underbrush, leaving the scene of his triumph. We wish him well, they thought. He has potential. And through the monochrome eyes of the canine, the three Dogs of Johto also watched, although for entirely different reasons of their own...
There it stood. Seemingly content if viewed casually, the beast gazed down at Alex, deep into his eyes - and there sat the anger, writhing and boiling, utter contempt at the surrounding world and at the humans who had created it. A voice penetrated Alex's mind, washing over all conscious thought, filling all gaps in his perception and honing his attention on the golden body in front of him. "You dare come back in my darkest hour? You, who tormented me? You, who brought me into ths world as nothing but," - it spat out the word - "an experiment?" "You want to control me now, after all you have done? Speak, for I need answers!" All Alex could do was stammer. "I have not seen you since Creation. I was not of bird, fish or mammal born, yet somehow I exist - can you imagine the centuries of torment I have suffered?" Alex shook his head, blandly. "You forced me into solitude-" "I DID NOT!" Alex, suddenly broken from his reverie by this torrent of accusations, yelled at the creature with rage - the rage of centuries, ancient rage from which all rage is born. Thunder rolled overhead. Lightning crackled from Solareon's back, and when the eyes next looked into Alex's eyes, they were cold, bitter, and filled with malice. "You think you can shirk the responsibility of aeons? I remember you from when I was just formed,. How could I forget the face of my condemnant?" "You've... got me mixed up..." Alex withered under the stare of the mighty Pokémon. "But you created me too powerful," mused Solareon, apparently unaware of the slumped figure in front of it. "You made me omnipotent, so much so that I could become a god... Look at your kind! Running about like headless chickens... I was able to control the others, the Ones that made up our land as it is today... I had access to the weather, to the land forms, to everything... "I could control others' minds, young one. Do you have any idea what I could do with this power?" All around, Pokémon had ceased to play. They knew their tranquil lifestyle would have to come to an end someday. All eyes were trained on the young boy with an Eevee, watching, waiting to see the next move in this game. Alex feebly shook his head. Solareon turned to face the sunlight, its golden fur shimmering. "And yet, what makes it so annoying, is that no-one can oppose me, no-one can even put up a resistance. What gives me a purpose if I can win so easily?" A sudden calm drifted through Alex's brain. Like the pinch that awakens you from a bad dream, and shows the peace of reality, so the boy's goal shot through his mind. All of a sudden, he knew exactly what to do. He stood abruptly, and called to the creature. "Then I give a purpose, yours and mine. I will oppose you here and now - winner takes all." Alex closed his mouth slowly after this speech, mind ticking over. That hadn't sounded like him... and yet, it had been him, deep down inside. A welling, a craving to be said, some incantation swam forth and rose to the forefront, and he announced it to Solareon's turned head.
"Creature of the light, yet turned to darkness, I will oppose you. "For as the power of the land will oppose the power of one turned against, it will also support the power of one with heart pure and true. "I, your creator, will defeat you, and give you your 'purpose'. Come, stand your ground."
Solareon turned, and watched the young boy with interest. "I win, I rule the Earth, if you succeed, you do?" "No." "No?" "You win, you do what you want. I win, the land goes back to what it was before you awoke, and you stay dormant and out of my way," Alex replied smoothly. "You do realise you cannot win." "I have the land on my side." "The land shall soon be mine." "I am the last chance we have - if you are able to defeat myself as well as the forces of nature, you truly deserve to rule." Solareon appeared to mull this over for a while. "Acceptable, yes." Alex gently unclipped a Poké Ball from his waist, and relaxed his grip. It fell to the floor with a barely audible click, and swung open. A ruby- coloured streak of light emerged and swam in front of its opponent, lighting the features of Solareon's canine face, playing over the animal eyes, the slight tufts over the eye ridges, the muzzle. The Ball flew back to Alex's hand with a snap. The energy began to take form.
The battle had been short, but with no question who had been the victor. Alex sat, defeated, slumped against a boulder. Power - such raw power - had been unleashed on his fellows. Solareon stood, cackling through his mind, blasting shining energy into the collective, scattering them left, right and centre like cheap rag dolls. Energy created for good, yet used for evil. Eevee, battered and bruised, singed with some unknown energy, crawled up to Alex. It whimpered. "You're right," Alex whispered, "This can't be the way it ends. I was told I was chosen... I was told I was the protector of the world. I've failed, dear partner..." Once again, the words seemed so odd, coming from Alex's mouth, but so mature, so like him in a different way. Almost as if the spirit of his ancestor strived to keep on. As he thought this, a silver light gleamed in the corner of his eye. He searched the landscape for Alex stood, with renewed vigour. The words of the old woman came back to him. "To everything, there must be a balance. Just as you are the cause of good, there will be your equal who uses their power to cause great evil. Be aware of this in your journey." A swift silver streak flashed before his eyes, and tackled Solareon. It flew several feet, landing in the pool which had been the scene of play only a few minutes ago. Alex looked to see the attacker. It stood proud, almost identical to Solareon. Yet it was silver in colour, its fur shimmering in the wind, and with an attitude so different. "I do not want to harm you. I only wish to do what was done to me so long ago." The shining creature appeared to be directing its thoughts at Solareon. Alex, however, could hear them - presumably because he was wanted to. Then came the reply. "I smote you long ago. Why do you return?" "Because now it is time for justice. Just as you drove me into the ground to bring balance, I will do the same to you. You have been corrupted, after you taught me the error of my ways. Now the apprentice must teach the master a lesson taught aeons ago, and lost sight of in the mists of time. Ironic, no?" Alex sat, slumped in his position, wondering what what going on. He felt a sudden prescence in his mind, and focused his attention intently. "Master. I have never let my name be known to you, but I am known as Luneon. Without your help I cannot win this battle, as I myself am not as pure as I may seem. But together, we can perhaps bring balance to Nature once more." "I accept. I must conquer my destiny, one way or another." Luneon seemed to chuckle. "Then we both have something to prove. Then let our refined spirits join and soar, so they may spur us into battle for the nature of all." Alex leapt, a grand leap with renewed strength, landing astride Luneon. With a slight grunt, it sped off in the direction of the downed forgotten One. Solareon started, and with agile steps ran out of the way of the oncoming attack, seemingly teleporting. Luneon skidded to a halt, and looked it down. "Do not attempt to fight. It will only make it easier for me to win!" Luneon dashed again, but once more Solareon dodged. Alex whispered in Luneon's erect ear. "Is there no way for a sneak attack?" It gave Alex the psychic equivalent of a grin. "You got it." Solareon reared back, and began to glow. A pure light shone from Solareon, and it suddenly grew in consistency and sped at Alex, astride the silver beast. Luneon flickered, and suddenly vanished from existence, taking Alex with it, causing Solareon to fly directly through the space they had once been. It skidded to a halt, and quelled its glow, looking triumphant. "You have fled, then. You coward. You know that I have defeated you once, and I have done so again." The gathered animals watched in terror as their new master gazed upon them, smugly, evilly. "You all belong to me."
"Not today, Solareon!" yelled Alex's voice. The pair flickered back into being as a speeding missile, aiming towards their target, shocked into stillness. The Faint Attack struck, and sent it reeling, as Luneon simply landed on its feet, raising a slight dust cloud. "Who would have thought that such a simple attack would be so effective?" asked Alex, in wonder. "Because it was unexpected," came the reply. "Remember this in future - your enemy will always have something up their sleeve. Trickery is a vital component in winning, as much as skill, power, or bravery." "You would do well to take your own advice," came Solareon's voice into their heads. The clouds parted over the arena, and the emerald-tinted sun shone on them, warming them. Solareon rose. "The sunlight will heal me, and I doubt you can keep this battle going until the dusk. For as long as it is daytime, I shall reign." Alex suddenly had a thought. "This sunlight you have brought to our battle here. It is not pure. It is not the remedy you are looking for. You have scarred it with your evil ways - look, it is shining the colour of nature, not the colour of light. Wherever you are, nature will be against you." Solareon screamed in annoyance. "You are wrong, Solareon. You are just as weak as before. Luneon, do as you wish." Luneon reared in an aggressive fashion. It glowed with a silver light, and spat a ball of energy at Solareon. It was not much, but it was enough. Solareon absorbed it, and felt it course through his body, fighting a battle in its very veins. It slumped to a heap, battered and bruised, for the first time showing its fatigue. Alex climbed from the back of Luneon. "My work is done. But it could not have succeeded without you. Congratulations, Alex, you truly are the One of legend. I wish you luck." With that, Luneon vanished into the underbrush. Alex stood, head upturned to the sun, his eyes aglow with triumph. He did not yell. He did not punch the air, or scream in delight. He simply gazed up at the sky, a look of calm upon his face. To look upon him you would say not that he had aged, but had simply grown older - like a distilled wine, achieved a finer quality. Behind him, a hunched Solareon slunk away, in the knowledge that it had been deceived - it, a being of light, had twisted itself into a being of darkness, forgetting its roots, forgetting the power of the light. Such light was Alex, and eventually, once all sound of the felines creeping into the undergrowth had dispersed, he raised one hand in triumph, along which his first companion scampered, and sat on his outstretched palm. In a burst of light, three others manifested themselves behind him, each the worse for wear, but each ignoring the pain for their master, each of them loyal, and each of them content with their achievement on this night. Alex smiled. The gathering rejoiced.
**EPILOGUE**
The sky lost the green hue, faded into a calm ultramarine. Wisps of cloud dotted here and there, and many people pinched themselves and asked if they ahd been dreaming, but they couldn't have been, you saw it too, right? The legendary Birds of Mícho soared into the heavy cloud atop Mt Silver, and overlooking, from the safety of its crags, watched Alex fight his way through the underbrush, leaving the scene of his triumph. We wish him well, they thought. He has potential. And through the monochrome eyes of the canine, the three Dogs of Johto also watched, although for entirely different reasons of their own...