Disclaimer: Nintendo, Game Freak, and The Pokemon Company own all of the poekmon stuff in this story. The plot and original characters though? Those are all me.

Prologue

A roar, weak but defiant, echoed in the crater that was the peak of Mount Silver. Fresh cracks riveted the battlefield, overlaying the scars of other fierce struggles. Free of wild crowds, this crag that dominated the space between Kanto and Johto was the battlefield used only by the strongest of the strong. Where Masters met to assert their dominance of one another. As the sun set on this day, so did one man's belief that he was the greatest trainer that had ever been produced by either region.

The fists of the behemoth crashed down one final time on the chest of the fallen Dragonite. Battered, bleeding, and bruised, the Ace of Champion Lance Wataru fell silent. Trembling hands pressed the recall button that rested on the center of his pokéball , recalling the dragon in a flash of crimson. He would live. The same could not be said for Lance's pride..

Staring at the ball in his hand, Lance wondered how this could happen. Every challenger up to this point had fallen to him. Sure some were hard fought victories, but for the 16 years he had been Champion, he had remained undefeated, the wall against which others broke themselves.

"I am the mountain that cannot be climbed. The pinnacle of what it means to be a trainer!" He forced his eyes up at the beast that stood silent across from him, and its master beyond. Cold eyes stared back. Grimacing, teeth clenched, Lance corrected himself. "I was that man." He shivered as ice clenched his heart. Everything that he had, the money, women, fame, prestige it all came back to the fact that he was the strongest. And after having it for so long, knowing that this man could have seized it at any time, all it did was make him feel as though it meant nothing. That he had never in truth been anything close to that. All he had, he never truly earned. Lance fell heavily to his knees.

"I know what you're thinking."

Lance kept his eyes locked on the man as he recalled that thing, and strode toward the Champion.

"What could you possibly understand?" Lance's voice was rough with anger as he ground out the words. How dare he even speak to him right now? Why could he not just leave him be, take the Mantle as was his right and go? He reached up to unclasp the cape that was the symbol of his office, stopping only as the voice replied.

"Keep it Lance. The last thing I want is for Kanto to lose its leader. As I said, I know what you are thinking. We both value power but utilize it in very different ways. Today, this battle was simply a showing of strength on my part. And to teach you a lesson in it." The man stopped, looking down.

Lance's mouth gaped like a magikarp as he allowed the words to sink in. A showing? That implied that this was not even him at his full might. That the trouncing he had just endured was an exhibition..

"Up until this point in your career you have done just as most Champions have. You let it go to your head and focused the power lended you by the title on the acquisition of trivial things. That is what the people have come to expect and accept of you and your kind. It is why most of those that decide to become trainers even do so." He shook his head with a scoff, before making an openhanded gesture that swept out to take in the cracked and cratered battlefield. "They see the carnage of battle simply as a way to acquire money and prestige." He sneered at Lance. "Women and wine."

Lance could not help but flinch at his words. It was the truth, he was a man that indulged in the finer things. Why shouldn't he though? He had earned those things by virtue of his accomplishments. Grimacing, he thought "No, no I haven't. If I had I would never have lost today."

"If not that, then what is the point of all this? If you don't want those same things, then why even bother battling me? If not greed, then what damn you!?" The last came out as a shout of anger and despair. Tears pricked at the corners of Lance's golden eyes as he met the black of the other man, defiant even as he wallowed in despair. A smirk replaced the man's sneer.

"Because, as the old saying goes, power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. You are a fine example of this. But me?" He shook his head. " I am corrupt as they come. The difference is a matter of viewpoint, drive, and clarity. I have walked this path a long, long time. But I had the will and the foresight to know that all the material wealth in the world was meaningless, other than as a means to an end. No, my corruption runs deeper than that. Would care to venture a guess as to what I want from power? I promise it is very simple."

Wracking his brain, Lance could only draw a blank. If not the vices then what? It wasn't the drive for glory either as it had been for him when he first left Blackthorn. If it had been he would have just taken the title from him.

"No? Nothing? Well that is fine, there is still plenty of time for you to learn. What I crave, what power has made me want more than anything, is this. To dominate, as I have today. And to bring those with me that I find worthy of." His smirk grew. "Well not standing at my side, but who can be of use along the way."

Be of use? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Confusion and intrigue swirled with the other emotions clouding his mind. For all the bitterness he felt at the moment, he could not deny that he did on some level understand where the man was coming from. He remembered what it meant to stand triumphant, to be the underdog and come out on top anyway. It was . . . intoxicating. How long had it been since he truly felt that way?

"What I have for you today, Champion, is an offer. A chance for you to see what it means to be truly powerful. An opportunity to command not, just as a figurehead for the bureaucrats, but as a man who rules by might."

Lance's eyes grew wide. Was he implying what Lance thought he was? It couldn't be.

"Indigo would never stand for it! One man as what? A king? An emperor?" No he had to be wrong. "They would rise up against me, and whoever would be crazy enough to follow!" The man shook his head, hands now folded behind his back.

" Allies can be made Lance. Look at the battlefield around you." As he spoke he took another ball from within the pocket of his jacket. Unlike the one that held the other of his beasts this one was different. The top half a deep purple with an M stamped in the middle, the bottom the common white of a standard pokéball. Lance's eyes widened further in recognition.

" This mountain top is just like Kanto. Riven with cracks, falling apart. Now a patch can be put in place, new stone laid. But all that this leads to is them only spreading wider when that patch fails. No, sometimes it is better to sweep away the pieces and. . ." He tossed the Master Ball in a lazy, underhanded throw.

What emerged was beyond Lance's comprehension. If he thought the man's previous pokémon was a beast, it was nothing compared to this. It landed on the field with a massive tremor. Lance felt a pressure, palpable in the air. If he was not already on his knees he surely would have been now. This was no mere pokémon. This was something primordial, something terrible in might. This was a Legend.

At a gesture from the man, it let out a deep guttural sound before a faint glow suffused its body. The wall of the crater around them shattered, crashing in landslides down the steep sides of the mountain. The hard stone beneath Lance quivered as it shifted, gaps closing. As they met, faint flashes of power shone from the cracks before fading to reveal smooth, whole rock. All around them, as if liquid, new stone flowed up to ring the battlefield once more, smooth and free of any damage, climbing to be twice as high as it was before. All of this occurred in less than ten seconds. In a beam of crimson it was returned, and the pressure left the air. Lance gasped, letting go of a breath he had not realized he was holding. The man finished his sentence.

"Create something new."

After a moment, Lance pulled himself together and found his voice.

"What, what was that?" Again the smirk widened.

"One of the allies that I spoke of Lance. We will need its strength for what is to come. And yours."

Lance would be lying if he said the thought didn't excite him. The idea of breaking down the League, removing the fools who knew nothing of what it meant to be a trainer. To take apart those who sought to constrain when they should encourage. To remove the few who would dare to say no to him like that bitch Erika. His cheek burned at the memory of her slap before she pushed him away.

"I need you Lance, your charisma, your sway with the people. And, despite your loss today, I need your battle prowess." The man's words drew him in. Lance knew that what he said was flattery, but it was a balm to what just happened, and he could not help but feel a bit better. He was undeniably vain.

"And, in return for this assistance, I offer you the chance to be a true Champion. And, perhaps the opportunity to even defeat me. It takes metal to sharpen metal, and together we can hone each other. In fact if I have things my way, you will be able to take on even the legend I just showed you" The promise of power drew Lance further in. The man had him, and they both knew it. He could think of no other way to beat him, no stronger competition, and right now it was all he could focus on. Proving himself once again, making this man feel what he had just been made to. Hatred and respect could work well together as motivators. Most of all though he wanted the power to match the beast he had just seen. The man before him extended his hand to the still kneeling Lance.

"So come Champion, and together, we will first show Kanto, and then the world, the meaning of true power. Together, we will show them our new Dominion." A strange emphasis was placed on the last word. To Lance it held a certain ring, something powerful that resonated through his chest. For the first time in years, since he became champion, since he reached the top, he found something that truly excited him. That wasn't just another empty attempt at feeling alive. Lance reached forward and grabbed the man's hand saying the words that would lead to the destruction of all that was, and the creation of something new.

"To our Dominion."

Authors Note: Alright so here we are. This is a story that I have had brewing in my head for years now, but self doubt has plagued me. It has been a constant companion every step of my life if I am being perfectly honest. I have finally decided to say fuck it. This story needs to be set free. I just hope that you all find it as enthralling as I believe it will be. Some of you may have noticed the dual reference of my username and it should be hint enough that I am an epic fantasy nerd. And in the spirit of the books I love so well I plan for this to be just that. Epic. So in the spirit of some of the other great pokemon stories on this website I have decided to give this story a one word title. Dominion. I hope that this prologue piqued your interest and that you read and review! Chapter One will be dropping soon.

-Kaladin Brood