Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon or anything related to pokemon. Pokemon and its associated characters are copyrighted by Nintendo/Game Freak.
Warning: Loooong explanations ahead. ^___^;;;
Legend:: bla bla are bits and pieces of conversations from the past
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DESCENDANTS OF THE DRAGON
by Crimson Flame
Chapter 3
16th of Summer 510 PY.
"What I am about to tell you now cannot leave this room." Mrs. Ketchum said with a heavy voice.
Both boys nodded and she began her story, the story of how the world of pokemon came to be.
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(Delia Ketchum narrating)
Imagine a world that was completely different yet at the same time completely similar. It yields the same basic elements, the same basic lifeforms. The sky you see here is still the same, as are the waves that break upon the shore now. The main difference is the animals. Where there are pokemon like there are now, there were other kinds of lifeforms in their place. Pidgeys, squirtles, ekans and growlithes for example did not exist but in their place are birds, tortoises, snakes, and dogs. These animals have neither special abilities nor elemental powers.
Among these animals however was an ancient species forgotten by history and remembered only in myths and legends, the Dragons. Once in prosperous numbers, man had hunted these mythical beasts to the point of extinction. To avoid the end of their kind, the few that were left evolved a way of staying hidden, the art of shapeshifting. However the only form they could change into was that of the form they despised and feared most; the form of humans.
The technique proved itself a great ally to the dragons. They blended in with man and lived their lives all the same. Mankind gradually forgot the existence of the magical beasts. The dragons, however stood watch among the humans ever alert to the threats they pose if they were ever to rediscover their existence. Some grew to love them as well after seeing the better side of humanity; the love and kindness it is capable of. Some grew to understand their fear of the unknown, the main reason of their persecution. Time passed and life went on peacefully, as the dragons became more and more of a myth.
Then about 2300 AD, mankind reached the peak of its scientific and technological advances. Nevertheless, in achieving so much, they have forgotten what it really means to live. They drained the earth of its resources. Most forms of life on earth perished along with ¾ of the human population. Before their very eyes, the world became a desolated wasteland.
The humans were in despair. The dragons were at a lost at what to do, to help the humans or to leave them to find a solution on their own. Divided on the issue, some of them wanted to help the humans restore the earth to its former glory and some wanted to leave it as it be so that the humans would die out and they would regain power over earth.
"Don't you see the ways of those fools. They plague the world like a swarm of locusts with little thought of what would happen afterwards. They brought their own destruction upon themselves."
"No! The humans just made a simple mistake. Everyone even we make mistakes. And even with the past between us, how can we not help when we know that we can?"
"Can't you understand!! The past is exactly what's between us. When they discover that we do exist after all and know of our powers, after we help them, history would repeat itself."
"You don't know that for sure. As great as our powers may be, we can't predict the exact future. The least we can do is make sure there IS a future, for them and us. We have the power to save lives. Why won't we use that power?"
And so the debate went on and on. The dragon race became divided into 2 different sects, the Dragons of Heaven; those who wanted to help the human race restore earth, and the Dragons of Earth; those who want to regain power over the earth, each side believing wholeheartedly that they were right. The tension grew and soon a war broke out among the dragons, oblivious to mankind. Many dragons were lost in this seemingly pointless battle that lasted for a year.
In the end, driven by grief and tremendous sorrow at the divided dragon race, the lead dragon of the Dragons of Heaven, Araxa sacrificed his own life in order to bring an end to the war. He had turned his entire chi, his life energy and even his soul into a concentrated Orb of Life. This orb descended into the earth and renewed the earth's chi. Life was renewed and the earth seemed to have been reborn. The world had returned to its original state, desolate lands became fertile grounds and dark liquids became crystal clear waters. However, the animals that emerged this time had special abilities and some even had elemental powers. These new lifeforms are what you call pokemon. The Pokemon Years started from that exact moment.
Touched by the ultimate sacrifice of Araxa, the Dragons of Earth withdrew from their cause and decided to give the human race a second chance. The divided dragon race became one again. With the renewal of earth, the humans now had realized about the existence of dragons. In the beginning, the dragons were considered as their saviors and were very well treated. Sadly, the hearts of men were easily swayed.
Driven by greed and power, a group of men sought out the dragons to capture and harness their power for their own purposes. The Dragons were considered the most powerful of pokemon then, thus the most valuable. The dragons' worst fears have come true. For the second time in world history, they have been betrayed.
Thus, these magical beasts became myths once more. Using the age-old art of shape-shifting, they retraced their steps and disappeared; into bedtime stories and old wives tales. Generations passed and the dragons vowed never again would they reveal themselves to humanity. Blinded by rage and deep hatred however, was one dragon who could not let go of the past.
"His name was Geo, known to you by the name of Giovanni." Mrs. Ketchum said.
"What?!!" Ash exclaimed.
"Giovanni? Is a dragon?!!" Gary could hardly believe it.
"Then, he must have been a Dragon of Earth." Ash said slowly.
Mrs. Ketchum shook her head and said sadly, "No, he was a Dragon of Heaven as well."
"Then why.." Gary started.
"Why didn't he let go of the past?" His mother finished for him. Gary nodded.
"Because Araxa and Geo shared a bond like the one you do now."
"They were brothers?!!" Ash exclaimed.
"Yes. But that was not why he hated humanity so."
"What happened?" They both asked simultaneously.
"Water."
"Water? Did dragons have to compete with man for water?" Ash asked.
"Did man use water to drown dragons?" Gary asked.
"No! I need some water. All these talking has made me thirsty."
Ash and Gary fell over.
After quenching her thirst, Mrs. Ketchum resumed her story.
Araxa and Geo were very close. When Araxa sacrificed himself for the humans, Geo was deeply grieved to lose his dear brother. However he grew to accept his death as an act of honour. He sincerely hoped that humanity would be grateful to their gift and appreciate the second chance that was bestowed upon them. When man tried to hunt them down for their powers, he was devastated and lost faith in humanity. The last straw came when one of them killed his wife and their unborn child along with her when she tried to resist their capture.
Geo was deeply enraged by the loss of his family and vowed to destroy the human race. He sought the help of the remaining dragons and tried to persuade them to his cause. While some agreed and joined him in his quest, most of the dragons refused his offer and did not approve of it.
"Revenge should never be a reason for action. Plus, life is peaceful now. To intervene again would only bring more pain and suffering to all."
"Fine! Then I will find a way to get rid of those heartless pests once and for all. Mark my words, whoever stands in my way, be it human or dragon, I shall eliminate without even thinking twice."
And so his endless quest for revenge began. With the help of the dragons loyal to his cause, and he became a rich and powerful tyrant, using his power and influence to find a way to rid the world of man.
"That is sad. I would never have guessed he went through all that. I would probably have felt the same way" Ash said after hearing about what had happened to Giov..Geo.
After a moment of silence, Gary asked a question, "Um..this is indeed a sad story. And I'm sorry for Geo. But what does it have to do with us?"
"Well….Araxa. He was your father." Came the reply.
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Um……if this chapter confused you….I'll try to summarize it.
(1) Basically, I'm trying to say that our world eventually ends up in ruins but with the help of Araxa and the other dragons it became the Pokemon world. All our animals got replaced by pokemon.
(2) So that means, 2301 AD to us, is actually 1 Pokemon Year (PY)
(3) After the Dragons revealed themselves, they were treated very well. But after sometime people wanted to capture them and train them like pokemon.
(4) Disappointed, they blended into humanity again (as they did in our world before) and vanished without a trace.
(5) Very few in the Pokemon world know about the existence of Dragons because of that. Even if they did, Dragons were dismissed as fairytales.
(6) No one except the Dragons and those they decide to tell, know how the Pokemon World came to be. There was no recorded history before 1 PY. So the Pokemon world is relatively a new world. I'm sorry if this sounds farfetched. (And no, I'm not talking about the pokemon Farfetched. ^___^)
Get that? Any questions? Please ask if you do. I'd be happy to answer them. ^___^
The titles 'Dragon of Heaven' and 'Dragon of Earth' are borrowed from another anime called 'X'
Response to reviewers::
CeruleanNasuti::: Thanx!! And Misty is married to Brock. However things aren't as simple as they seem. ^___^. As for drawing Gary, it'll have to wait. I'm on a writing streak right now ^___^
Nova S.::: As I said above, this is going to be a rather complicated love story. At least I had planned it to be.^___^ And I only post my fanart at Jolt's. I'm quite new at this even though I wrote this long ago.
thunder mouse pikachu::: About Ash, hmm… in a few chapters time. And the years are like our own for example 511, 512, 513 etc. So events in 510 happened first then 522 happened. That means, I'm going to be jumping forwards or backwards in time during this fic. So pay attention to the date.^___^
Alex Warlorn::: You said Gary took over Giovanni's Gym in Viridian city? Are you referring to the game Pokemon Crystal or some other source? Coz I didn't know. ^__^;; So please pardon my ignorance and just ignore that fact. After all I did write this long ago. Anyway, assume that this fic is a bit AU. And for your last evaluation, you are partly right and partly wrong. Keep guessing though!
You notice that I'm always smiling in my response to reviewers?
That's because I'm happy when you review. So…….
Make me HAPPY!!!!! ^___^
Review please!!!! Luv Ya!!!
And..um.. Happy Belated New Year!!! ( Is there such a thing? ^___^ )