The Pokemon Chronicles
Fanfiction by Sung-Min Kwon. © 2003
Disclaimer: Pokemon and its associated characters are copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc, and 4Kids Productions.
***********************
-Recognition-
The black-cloaked man was walking in what used to be Viridian Forest. Now, it was more of a natural cemetery for Pokemon that were killed for no reason. Everywhere, dead or burned bug Pokemon lined the roads and the grass.
Not that there was much grass left. This "forest" now had less than a hundred trees standing, most of which were dead. It looked as if a band of soldiers with flamethrowers had given this place a thorough decimation, determined to wipe out all traces of life.
But he knew that they could not destroy everything; life was a stubborn thing, determined to stay alive to the end. Especially Pokemon. Pokemon were known to have remarkable recovery powers, and they couldn't die very easily.
The small amount of life survived here would grow quickly and flourish again into a shadow of its former glory, the Viridian Forest of old. However, it would just be destroyed again after some time, leaving a few survivors to propagate and flourish again.
Then they would be decimated again. Then they would flourish again. Then they would be decimated again. It was a sad cycle, a vicious one that could not be broken.
***********************
The man suddenly stopped in his tracks. He sensed something, like how a radar senses something close by and yet can't make it out.
He said to himself, "Someone familiar... but friend or foe?" With his body ready to spring from response to the slightest movement, he slowly looked about his surroundings. He couldn't see anything that moved, but he could still feel it. And it was coming closer. Fight or flight? His muscles tensed, and the hairs on the back of his neck bristled up.
But the feeling was getting faint again... it was getting farther away. He let out a sigh of relief, knowing that something very dangerous could pop up frequently in times like these.
He continued on his way again, towards a clearing in the remains of Viridian Forest.
***********************
An island in the middle of a small archipelago.
A palace on a tall hill in the middle of the island, overlooking the sea.
A big, drafty chamber in the middle of the palace.
***********************
The man stopped by a stream that was miraculously still flowing through the center of the clearing. The water didn't look too clean, but it looked drinkable. He cupped his hands and took a drink of water.
Ah. Cleanest and best water he'd had in days. Water was so scarce now, with the impending drought that plagued the land. Most water was too muddy to drink, and actually, muddy water would have to do for drinking in some cases.
The man took some more drinks, hoping that this water didn't have anything that would make him violently ill. He heard stories that water that was too sparkly and clear actually had a dangerous virus that could kill with ease.
Now if he could only find something to eat... He was pretty hungry as of now, even though he seldom had opportunities to a hearty meal anyway.
He thought about making a meal out of a nearby Pokemon, but decided against it when he saw a flock of Spearow alighting on the bare branches of a nearby tree.
Not that they would be dangerous or anything, but they would put up a fight. Just too bothersome to deal with that, and these Spearow didn't have nearly as much meat as a Pidgey of the same size did. Pidgey were much easier to catch, anyway. He decided to wait until his hunger pang died down.
***********************
A corner of the big chamber full of machines and TV screens.
A mysterious man in an armchair, looking at the TV screens.
A sinister cackle that would make bones rattle.
***********************
Going a bit west from the clearing took him to the ruins of a large, stone temple. It had not been burned during the recent fires, but had been destroyed many, many years ago. Even before he had been born.
The ceiling had once been supported by many thick columns. But now, the columns lay snapped in many pieces, and the ceiling, a huge slab of marble, broke into a hundred pieces of various sizes.
The temple was totally empty, save a few bird Pokemon that were nesting on the one column that remained standing.
Spearow again. Spearow eggs were OK to eat, but the mother would fight like a pest to protect her eggs. Again, too bothersome to deal with just for a few eggs.
The man turned back, going back to the clearing to go his way again. There might be something to eat further down the road.
He trudged on, hoping that his extreme hunger pang would die away soon.
***********************
A maniacal laugh that rings throughout the whole palace.
A palace on a tall hill in the middle of an island, overlooking the sea. Laughter still loud and clear.
An island in the middle of a small archipelago. Laughter still audible.
***********************
The cloaked man was heading south, towards Viridian City.
Or what was left of it.
It had been about a fortnight since Viridian City met the same fate as Pewter did last night. Only that it took the armored riders several days to track down all of the survivors and kill every one of them. The riders did not want anyone to escape the catastrophe and warn residents of other cities. That would create a mass evacuation.
The riders didn't just want to destroy cities, but they wanted to kill, just for the heck of it. They wanted screams of terror and pain. They wanted chases that would always lead to the death of their victims. They wanted to see blood, to let their long swords cut down the bodies of the powerless citizens.
The riders were cruel monsters, human on the outside but demons at heart. They were monsters surrounded by almost impenetrable armor and riding on flighty Ponyta and Rapidash.
The Pokemon weren't bad. Pokemon weren't evil by nature. It was the humans that control the Pokemon who were evil.
The cloaked man had witnessed the events at Viridian City, but he did not expect the riders to continue on to Pewter City. He had been tied up in helping survivors stay alive, and in injuring or killing the riders.
The man just hoped that the invasion on Cerulean would be delayed for a while at Mount Moon. Mount Moon was a very dangerous place now, filled with insanely strong Crobats and Golem instead of the low-level Zubat and Geodude. And they were hungry. Hungry enough to even attack and devour Pokemon of their own kind.
Not many people had gotten through Mount Moon alive recently. No one knew just when the Pokemon at Mount Moon underwent that terrifying change, but no one wanted to go there and investigate.
Maybe the riders and the strong Pokemon would knock each other out, weakening one force or the other, if the riders really did decide to pass through the cursed cave. Either one was life-threatening. Or the riders could take the way around Mount Moon, although that would take a long time as well. Either way, the riders weren't going to go to Cerulean City anytime soon.
The man was asking himself, "What is their purpose? Why are they killing everyone they see? It's not as if they would get anything from killing those people..." His train of thought suddenly skidded to a stop, as he got that feeling again.
It was much stronger now, and he could tell that it was no ordinary thing. It was something of great power, one that would have great chances of defeating him if it did happen to be a foe.
He took his position, and waited...
***********************
Suddenly, the man saw something that he thought he would never see. It darted out like a bullet from behind the burnt stump of a tree.
A Pikachu.
Was it the one? The man browsed through his memories. Yes, it was. However, the Pikachu apparently couldn't recognize the man, since it was on all fours, prepared to spring. It wore a fierce expression on its face, and let out a low yet menacing growl. Its ears were down, and its tail sticking up almost vertically.
It somewhat resembled a Growlithe guarding something with its life, except if looks could kill, this Pikachu's could.
But it was the same Pikachu. It just had to be. Most Pikachu were weak, and many were killed in the recent light of events. Only in colonies in isolated lands did Pikachu survive in large numbers.
And this one looked very powerful. Just too powerful to be a wild Pokemon. He would have to take the chance.
The man hesitated, then asked in broken words, "Pi... kachu?"
The Pikachu suddenly stopped growling backed down. It got on its feet, put on a dumbfounded expression, and its mouth turned into a small O. It asked in an uncertain voice, "Pikapi?"
The man smiled and burst out enthusiastically, "Yes, it's me! It's me, Ash!"
The Pikachu's blank expression slowly transformed into a big smile that matched the one on Ash's face, then the Pikachu launched itself into its trainer's arms as it squealed, "Pika!"
It buried its face into Ash's chest, and gave him a slight jolt for old times' sake. It was surprisingly effective on Ash, who had not been shocked in a long time.
For the first time in years, Ash felt overjoyed. He had found his old friend whom he had lost for what seemed like forever. He had been just searching for a sign, of anyone that he knew, since then.
Searching... searching... Found.
Pikachu was exactly like how he was before they were separated. The same smile, the same black eyes, the same red cheeks, the same pointy ears... This reminded him of when he first met Pikachu and saved him from the pack of Spearow. He recalled the Hoenn Cup once more, where Pikachu had given his best shot for Ash.
Things were starting to look up for him; this could be a very good omen. His eyes were welling up with tears, and Ash did not try to hold them back.
***********************
That night, Pikachu and Ash talked around a fire that they had gathered from twigs that had survived the fire.
What does not kill you makes you stronger. This old saying came to Ash's mind, since twigs that had survived the fire had dried up almost completely and served as excellent fuel for burning.
As the fire was slowly starting to die down, Ash told Pikachu of what had happened to him on that day, starting from how he had saved the little boy from death. Just when he got to explaining about the empty temple, Pikachu stood up and became alert.
Ash stopped talking and held his breath. He, too, could hear something moving. It was not too close, but it was there and coming towards Ash and Pikachu. He thought, "Darn! Must have been the fire that gave us away..."
He waited for what seemed like forever. Suddenly, with a loud yell that almost scared him out of his wits, he saw a figure running towards him step into the light of the fire. No, more like soaring towards him.
Judging from the yell, the figure was a woman. She was coming fast. Too fast. And what was more, Ash saw that she was armed with something, although it was impossible to make out the identity of the weapons because she was moving like a blur.
As she got within a fairly close distance of Ash, he saw that it was a pair of daggers, aimed at his chest. He remembered the daggers of the assassin that had almost killed him in his bed, and panic struck him. The assassin had been a woman, just like the figure. In addition, they were both armed with daggers.
Was there a chance that the assassin had been revived and planning to get revenge on him?
He thought of running into the darkness, but decided against it quickly. Without light, he would be killed for sure, not being able to see the location of his attacker. So he took his position and waited for her to come close...
***********************
Sorry to leave you hanging there... ^^ Updates will be up pretty frequently now. Please Read & Review!
-Latias in Space-
Fanfiction by Sung-Min Kwon. © 2003
Disclaimer: Pokemon and its associated characters are copyrighted by Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures Inc, and 4Kids Productions.
***********************
-Recognition-
The black-cloaked man was walking in what used to be Viridian Forest. Now, it was more of a natural cemetery for Pokemon that were killed for no reason. Everywhere, dead or burned bug Pokemon lined the roads and the grass.
Not that there was much grass left. This "forest" now had less than a hundred trees standing, most of which were dead. It looked as if a band of soldiers with flamethrowers had given this place a thorough decimation, determined to wipe out all traces of life.
But he knew that they could not destroy everything; life was a stubborn thing, determined to stay alive to the end. Especially Pokemon. Pokemon were known to have remarkable recovery powers, and they couldn't die very easily.
The small amount of life survived here would grow quickly and flourish again into a shadow of its former glory, the Viridian Forest of old. However, it would just be destroyed again after some time, leaving a few survivors to propagate and flourish again.
Then they would be decimated again. Then they would flourish again. Then they would be decimated again. It was a sad cycle, a vicious one that could not be broken.
***********************
The man suddenly stopped in his tracks. He sensed something, like how a radar senses something close by and yet can't make it out.
He said to himself, "Someone familiar... but friend or foe?" With his body ready to spring from response to the slightest movement, he slowly looked about his surroundings. He couldn't see anything that moved, but he could still feel it. And it was coming closer. Fight or flight? His muscles tensed, and the hairs on the back of his neck bristled up.
But the feeling was getting faint again... it was getting farther away. He let out a sigh of relief, knowing that something very dangerous could pop up frequently in times like these.
He continued on his way again, towards a clearing in the remains of Viridian Forest.
***********************
An island in the middle of a small archipelago.
A palace on a tall hill in the middle of the island, overlooking the sea.
A big, drafty chamber in the middle of the palace.
***********************
The man stopped by a stream that was miraculously still flowing through the center of the clearing. The water didn't look too clean, but it looked drinkable. He cupped his hands and took a drink of water.
Ah. Cleanest and best water he'd had in days. Water was so scarce now, with the impending drought that plagued the land. Most water was too muddy to drink, and actually, muddy water would have to do for drinking in some cases.
The man took some more drinks, hoping that this water didn't have anything that would make him violently ill. He heard stories that water that was too sparkly and clear actually had a dangerous virus that could kill with ease.
Now if he could only find something to eat... He was pretty hungry as of now, even though he seldom had opportunities to a hearty meal anyway.
He thought about making a meal out of a nearby Pokemon, but decided against it when he saw a flock of Spearow alighting on the bare branches of a nearby tree.
Not that they would be dangerous or anything, but they would put up a fight. Just too bothersome to deal with that, and these Spearow didn't have nearly as much meat as a Pidgey of the same size did. Pidgey were much easier to catch, anyway. He decided to wait until his hunger pang died down.
***********************
A corner of the big chamber full of machines and TV screens.
A mysterious man in an armchair, looking at the TV screens.
A sinister cackle that would make bones rattle.
***********************
Going a bit west from the clearing took him to the ruins of a large, stone temple. It had not been burned during the recent fires, but had been destroyed many, many years ago. Even before he had been born.
The ceiling had once been supported by many thick columns. But now, the columns lay snapped in many pieces, and the ceiling, a huge slab of marble, broke into a hundred pieces of various sizes.
The temple was totally empty, save a few bird Pokemon that were nesting on the one column that remained standing.
Spearow again. Spearow eggs were OK to eat, but the mother would fight like a pest to protect her eggs. Again, too bothersome to deal with just for a few eggs.
The man turned back, going back to the clearing to go his way again. There might be something to eat further down the road.
He trudged on, hoping that his extreme hunger pang would die away soon.
***********************
A maniacal laugh that rings throughout the whole palace.
A palace on a tall hill in the middle of an island, overlooking the sea. Laughter still loud and clear.
An island in the middle of a small archipelago. Laughter still audible.
***********************
The cloaked man was heading south, towards Viridian City.
Or what was left of it.
It had been about a fortnight since Viridian City met the same fate as Pewter did last night. Only that it took the armored riders several days to track down all of the survivors and kill every one of them. The riders did not want anyone to escape the catastrophe and warn residents of other cities. That would create a mass evacuation.
The riders didn't just want to destroy cities, but they wanted to kill, just for the heck of it. They wanted screams of terror and pain. They wanted chases that would always lead to the death of their victims. They wanted to see blood, to let their long swords cut down the bodies of the powerless citizens.
The riders were cruel monsters, human on the outside but demons at heart. They were monsters surrounded by almost impenetrable armor and riding on flighty Ponyta and Rapidash.
The Pokemon weren't bad. Pokemon weren't evil by nature. It was the humans that control the Pokemon who were evil.
The cloaked man had witnessed the events at Viridian City, but he did not expect the riders to continue on to Pewter City. He had been tied up in helping survivors stay alive, and in injuring or killing the riders.
The man just hoped that the invasion on Cerulean would be delayed for a while at Mount Moon. Mount Moon was a very dangerous place now, filled with insanely strong Crobats and Golem instead of the low-level Zubat and Geodude. And they were hungry. Hungry enough to even attack and devour Pokemon of their own kind.
Not many people had gotten through Mount Moon alive recently. No one knew just when the Pokemon at Mount Moon underwent that terrifying change, but no one wanted to go there and investigate.
Maybe the riders and the strong Pokemon would knock each other out, weakening one force or the other, if the riders really did decide to pass through the cursed cave. Either one was life-threatening. Or the riders could take the way around Mount Moon, although that would take a long time as well. Either way, the riders weren't going to go to Cerulean City anytime soon.
The man was asking himself, "What is their purpose? Why are they killing everyone they see? It's not as if they would get anything from killing those people..." His train of thought suddenly skidded to a stop, as he got that feeling again.
It was much stronger now, and he could tell that it was no ordinary thing. It was something of great power, one that would have great chances of defeating him if it did happen to be a foe.
He took his position, and waited...
***********************
Suddenly, the man saw something that he thought he would never see. It darted out like a bullet from behind the burnt stump of a tree.
A Pikachu.
Was it the one? The man browsed through his memories. Yes, it was. However, the Pikachu apparently couldn't recognize the man, since it was on all fours, prepared to spring. It wore a fierce expression on its face, and let out a low yet menacing growl. Its ears were down, and its tail sticking up almost vertically.
It somewhat resembled a Growlithe guarding something with its life, except if looks could kill, this Pikachu's could.
But it was the same Pikachu. It just had to be. Most Pikachu were weak, and many were killed in the recent light of events. Only in colonies in isolated lands did Pikachu survive in large numbers.
And this one looked very powerful. Just too powerful to be a wild Pokemon. He would have to take the chance.
The man hesitated, then asked in broken words, "Pi... kachu?"
The Pikachu suddenly stopped growling backed down. It got on its feet, put on a dumbfounded expression, and its mouth turned into a small O. It asked in an uncertain voice, "Pikapi?"
The man smiled and burst out enthusiastically, "Yes, it's me! It's me, Ash!"
The Pikachu's blank expression slowly transformed into a big smile that matched the one on Ash's face, then the Pikachu launched itself into its trainer's arms as it squealed, "Pika!"
It buried its face into Ash's chest, and gave him a slight jolt for old times' sake. It was surprisingly effective on Ash, who had not been shocked in a long time.
For the first time in years, Ash felt overjoyed. He had found his old friend whom he had lost for what seemed like forever. He had been just searching for a sign, of anyone that he knew, since then.
Searching... searching... Found.
Pikachu was exactly like how he was before they were separated. The same smile, the same black eyes, the same red cheeks, the same pointy ears... This reminded him of when he first met Pikachu and saved him from the pack of Spearow. He recalled the Hoenn Cup once more, where Pikachu had given his best shot for Ash.
Things were starting to look up for him; this could be a very good omen. His eyes were welling up with tears, and Ash did not try to hold them back.
***********************
That night, Pikachu and Ash talked around a fire that they had gathered from twigs that had survived the fire.
What does not kill you makes you stronger. This old saying came to Ash's mind, since twigs that had survived the fire had dried up almost completely and served as excellent fuel for burning.
As the fire was slowly starting to die down, Ash told Pikachu of what had happened to him on that day, starting from how he had saved the little boy from death. Just when he got to explaining about the empty temple, Pikachu stood up and became alert.
Ash stopped talking and held his breath. He, too, could hear something moving. It was not too close, but it was there and coming towards Ash and Pikachu. He thought, "Darn! Must have been the fire that gave us away..."
He waited for what seemed like forever. Suddenly, with a loud yell that almost scared him out of his wits, he saw a figure running towards him step into the light of the fire. No, more like soaring towards him.
Judging from the yell, the figure was a woman. She was coming fast. Too fast. And what was more, Ash saw that she was armed with something, although it was impossible to make out the identity of the weapons because she was moving like a blur.
As she got within a fairly close distance of Ash, he saw that it was a pair of daggers, aimed at his chest. He remembered the daggers of the assassin that had almost killed him in his bed, and panic struck him. The assassin had been a woman, just like the figure. In addition, they were both armed with daggers.
Was there a chance that the assassin had been revived and planning to get revenge on him?
He thought of running into the darkness, but decided against it quickly. Without light, he would be killed for sure, not being able to see the location of his attacker. So he took his position and waited for her to come close...
***********************
Sorry to leave you hanging there... ^^ Updates will be up pretty frequently now. Please Read & Review!
-Latias in Space-