Well hello everyone! Yeah, this is KaAn, the dude that doesn't seem to update for years on end. Heheh, 'sup?

Anyways, here I go getting inspired from that damn game again; although the first fic could hardly be considered an inspiration . . . I'll shut up before I start rambling again.

So here I am, trying something different . . . something a little more original. This chapter kinda just . . . throws u into the whole thing . . . and it's not exactly the happiest chappie I've ever written.

I also don't think the rest of the fic will be as . . .messy . . . as this chapter . . .

Ah, one more thing, I don't have the story set up like this to make it seem longer. I just like it this way because it's easier for me to read. Feels a bit more like a book. I'll shut up now.

Chapter One: A Different Time

Life is never a straight path. A simple, pretty deep, and over-used quotation passed down through
the ages. A person could never hope to have a simple, easy-going life. Something along the paths
of life would always come in for a sucker-punch and knock you flat on your ass. It was up to you
if you gave up or got back on your feet. Most gave up, making the path seem simple enough; others
stood back up, only to walk a little further before getting their feet swept from under them. It became
so much harder to find the end of the maze with each passing blow.

A bit of a weak analogy, but all the battle-exhausted man could come up with as he pushed himself
to the limit just to keep his feet moving. He finally collapsed at the base of one of many trees in the
unsettling dark red forest. It was also the only bloodless tree that he could see. He was one of many
that battled on this piece of ground. This warrior, or murderer according to many people, had faced
many hardships in his life, but he was always able to get back up and continue. Keeping the pain
bottled in, however, was probably not the best idea. Glass cracks with enough pressure. So does a
person's emotions.

He was mostly in a state of numbing shock. Opening his eyes, he cringed at the sight of the carcasses,
human and Pokémon alike, laying upon the fallen leaves with bloodied weapons protruding from their
backs, stomachs, heads, or any other limb. Many others leaned against the trees, propped up by the
sharp ends of spears, swords, and various other weapons stuck in the tree behind them. The stench
finally got to him, and without the energy to turn his head he deposited what was left in his stomach
upon himself.

He rested his head on the tree and stared off into the sky. What had happened? When in his leadership
had something gone so wrong that blood was spilled within his ranks? His eyes closed and he slid into
unconsciousness . . .

"What the hell!" The warriors stood in shock as they watched their comrade fall to the ground, lifeless,
revealing the Pokémon that had stabbed her from behind. The shock turned into puzzlement, then anger.
She was killed by her own Pokémon partner, who stared back at the group blankly and raised her
bloodied weapon.

The air around them suddenly felt cold . . . lifeless . . .

In the blink of an eye 200 weapons were unsheathed, and the sounds of the elements, steel, and
death rang throughout the forest. In that split second friends, partners, even family became enemies.

The man's eyes shot open and he found himself gasping for air and shaking uncontrollably. That
Pokémon,he just realized, had the look of a possessed being. No, they all did . . . all the Pokémon
looked possessed.

"Do the Legendaries themselves despise me?" he thought aloud. Actually, he wouldn't be all too
surprised. Maybe he was receiving the punishment he probably deserved. Although . . . why did
he survive, and everyone else perished? Of course, the classic why attack the man when you can
attack everyone closest to him? Yes, someone had a very cruel and twisted soul to give that sort
of punishment.

From his left his ear caught the faintest snap of a twig, then a louder grunt and the sound of a body
falling, taking the man out of his thoughts. The man sprang to his feet with a spike of adrenaline and
his heavy blade at the ready. He had already been caught by surprise, he'd be damned if he let that
happen again.

Slowly he crept around the thick tree. On the other side he found a deeply injured Pokémon struggling
back to its feet. A Blaziken . . .

His Blaziken. The once-Torchic that became his partner nearly twenty years ago and went through
all the joys and hardships that he went through.

The same Blaziken that had attacked him with the same lifeless eyes moments after the woman died.

Grinding his teeth in rage he raised his sword above his head and brought it down. Suddenly, he
gasped, and just millimeters from Blaziken's head he managed to stop himself and threw the sword
to the side. He fell to his knees and held Blaziken's head. That blank stare was no longer there. Just
pain and suffering. The man's same pain and suffering. They stayed in that position for hours, mourning
their fallen brethren that had their connections to each other torn apart. Not even family members have
thesame connection as a person and his Pokémon, and these 200 hundred had done the unthinkable.

Unnoticed by either of them, a flash of blue and silver passed overhead.

Short chapter I know. The next few are gonna be kinda short too. I'm setting up the different characters, y'know? I've already got the brooding goth-like character that is essential to every successful manga/story.

So, did you like it? Review please. I want to know what you think.

Hmm . . . this reminds me of Lord of the Rings . . . just, not as good . . . yea definitely not as good.