Seth slowly stirred, distantly hearing the crackle of a fire. His leg ached heavily, reminding him of the events of yesterday.
Man, how dumb could he have been trying to take on a powerful Pokemon like that with his bare hands? He was definitely regretting that now, but he also knew that he hadn't really had a choice.
"Ah, you're awake I see."
Seth sat up to see an old man sitting in a nearby chair, knitting a sweater while rocking back and forth. His head was bald, but he still a long, narrow white beard. His eyes were cold and blue, and seemed lost in the distance. He wore a worn-out black kimono, which seemed to be as old as he was.
A Mimikyu sat at his feet, resembling an oddly shaped mound of cloth with an attempt at a friendly Pikachu face scribbled in crayon upon its face. However, Seth noticed the two slits near the bottom of the cloth, and knew its real eyes were actually looking through them.
"Who are you?", Seth asked.
"I am Warden Whitehair.", he answered, "Master of the Ghost-type, guardian of the Noble that lives on Defiance Peak. And I know who you are, young Legendborn. Your friends are alive and well, and await you in the main hall."
The man gestured to a finely carved wooden staff next to the bed. "That should work more efficiently than that iron rod you were using."
"Um, okay, thanks.", Seth replied, grabbing the staff as he pulled himself off the bed. Whitehair stood up, and walked over to the old wooden door at the end of the room. Seth followed after him, noting how old and dilapidated everything looked.
The old man opened the door, which led to a wide open hall. Seth noticed his friends standing at the edge of the room, staring at the remains of a table and chairs.
"Oh dear, I suppose I'll have to replace those.", Whitehair muttered, "Oh well, join your friends over there, and I shall tell you all more about the story of the Legendborn."
Seth walked over to the others. Selene looked ashamed as she watched him having to use the staff to walk.
Whitehair took a place in front of a painting, which was covered by a dark sheet. His Mimikyu scurried over and seemed rather curious about it.
The old Warden then cleared his throat. "The tale of the Legendborn is a long and complex one. I know you all must be aware of the basics right now, but there is far more to it then that. Much of it has been lost to history, but I will tell you all I can."
He continued, "The first Legendborn were each accompanied by one signature Pokemon, each of which were far stronger than any normal member of their species. They and their Trainers would often spar against each other, both growing stronger for it. These were the ancestors of today's Noble Pokemon. Together the Pokemon and their Trainers thought they were strong enough and unified enough to take on any threat."
Whitehair chuckled. "Overconfidence is the bane of many. Their first fight against the Darkness was a crushing defeat. Even with the aid of the Legendaries, they were unable to defeat him. So a new strategy was devised."
He seized ahold of the curtain and yanked it off, revealing eighteen heroes and their chosen Pokemon looking up at Arceus, who was surrounded by eighteen plates.
"The Lord Arceus and his council expended much of their power to imbue eighteen items with the pure energy of each type. This allowed the Legendborn to not only use the abilities of their chosen Legendary, but to temporarily assume the very form of the Pokemon with all the power associated with it. These artifacts were known as the Souls of Legend. With them, the heroes were finally able to vanquish the Darkness and herald an age of peace.", Whitehair explained.
Everyone was staring at the painting, astonished.
"After the great battle against the Darkness, these eighteen items disappeared from history. Some say they were destroyed; others say they were put into hiding. My belief is a little bit of both. The items were removed from this plane of existence, and only return when a Legendborn unlocks their full potential. But they will still be in hiding even then, just in case the enemy figured out a way to exploit it."
Whitehair sighed. "And clearly they have, what with these Dark Legendborn I am hearing about it. Now you are not only racing to discover your powers and stop the Darkness from getting too strong, but also to prevent the enemy from claiming the Souls."
Everyone looked at each other, rather concerned. This was not good news to hear.
After a moment of silence, Rex asked, "Wait a moment...are you saying these 'Souls' allow people to turn into Legendary Pokemon!?"
"If they are Legendborn, yes.", Whitehair replied.
Zoey cursed. "One of them's already been found, then. We fought a guy who ended up turning into a skeleton dragon or something, although he didn't seem able to control it."
Whitehair frowned. "That is bad news indeed. Our mission grows ever more dire, then. But we cannot even begin searching for the Souls until you all begin to learn how to use your powers and unlock your true potential. You will need to challenge the Noble Pokemon for that. Come with me."
He strode effortlessly to a pair of gilded ancient doors, which he pushed open to reveal a swirling snowstorm outside. Freezing winds whipped through the hall, and snow came rushing in.
"Let's go!", shouted Whitehair.
Everyone followed him out into the storm. Viewing the house from outside, it looked rather much like an abandoned manor, resting at the edge of a mountain cliff. The rest of the mountain loomed far above them, the whistling wind sounding like a chorus of ghostly wailing.
"The Noble awaits us at the top!", Whitehair cried, "Follow me, and be sure to watch your step! It is far too easy to slip and fall to your death out here!"
He slowly started making his way up a steep mountain path, everyone doing their best to follow. Seth was being very careful with each step, knowing that the risk was even greater for him than the others.
The cold whipped at them and bit at their exposed skin, making it quite clear just how underdressed they'd been for this area. Unfortunately, no one had a choice, seeing as their backpacks had been taken with their Pokemon.
After only a few minutes, everyone was already freezing and nervously thinking about frostbite. But Whitehair plodded on without even seeming to care, and even called out for them to hurry up.
"Do you think this guy is crazy or what?", asked Victor, "Why are we climbing a mountain, in summer clothes, during a winter storm? This could kill us!"
Selene growled, "Stop complaining and keep walking. This is a test of its own."
"A test of what?", asked Victor, "How quickly we could die?"
Zoey replied, "Selene is right. This is a challenge, and we must complete it."
Victor grumbled, "But at least you have long sleeves..."
After enduring the cold for several more minutes, Seth noted that he could hardly feel his fingers and toes. And they did not seem to be any closer to the top.
There was a dreadful howl in the distance, and the heroes shuddered. That did not sound good.
Several more minutes, and Whitehair vanished.
"Ack! Where did he go!?", Rex cried.
Cain replied, "I have no idea...but I don't like it."
Selene growled, "We have to hurry."
Suddenly a pack of thick-furred Lycanroc appeared on a cliff above them. They were all Midnight Form, and their eyes gleamed hungrily in the dark. Their leader howled and pointed towards them, and the pack charged.
"Run!", cried Victor, and the heroes took off running up the slope. The Lycanroc plowed through the snow behind them, hungrily trying to reach the Legendborn and attack. The snow was falling furiously now, and it was like running through syrup trying to get through the deep, thick snow.
Thankfully the Lycanrocs seemed to be slowed down, but they were still catching up.
Ahead, Seth could see what appeared to be the summit. Almost there...
Suddenly one of the Lycanrocs lunged for him, claws outstretched and jaws hanging hungrily open. Seth screamed as it came for his throat...
And Zoey blocked it with one of her shields.
"Go! I'll catch up!", she shouted.
"They'll kill you!", Seth replied.
"Not if I can help it.", Zoey countered, kicking away one of them. "Hurry!"
Seth didn't like it, but knew he wasn't much use in a fight right now. He hurried up to the summit, and suddenly the snow stopped there, revealing a clear plateau where everyone else was panting for breath. It was much warmer here too.
Whitehair stood at the edge of the cliff, holding up a purple floating fireball. "Where's the girl?", he asked.
At that moment Zoey rushed into the magically clear zone, clutching her arm. "What is this place?", she asked.
Seth ran over, noticing the blood running across her arm. "You're hurt!", he cried.
Zoey replied, "One of the buggers bit me right as I nearly got up here. It's going to be alright; the bite's not even that deep."
Whitehair said, "Impressive. You all passed my first test, the test of resilience. Now is for the test of strength. You will all battle against me. Together."
"Five on one? Isn't that unfair?", Victor asked.
Whitehair's eyes seemed to light up with a strange red energy. "That makes it all the more exciting. All of you battling me will infuse me with strength, and you will all learn more of your powers. Who knows, perhaps if you win I'll help you find your Pokemon."
He entered a fighting stance. "Come then, show me your power!" (-o-)
AN: Next chapter's certainly going to be interesting, isn't it? We've met a new Warden, a rather odd one as well, and now he seeks to battle our heroes!
Surely Zoey's wound won't hamper anything will it?
As an additional note, a certain plot twist in this chapter was inspired by a fanfic called _ of Sinnoh. The author is rather prolific and I've read several of his works.
Fill in the blank, and perhaps you'll figure out one of the story plot points in the upcoming chapters! Just maybe...
See you all next time!