The islands of Alola, several thousand years ago. No humans had ever set foot on these shores or the jungles that lay beyond, and they wouldn't for a few more millennia… but flora and wildlife were thriving. Plants and Pokémon covered the place inland and littered the beaches, a few even making a home for themselves on the slopes of its largest volcano, which at this point had never even been named.
Nature itself seemed to cherish the archipelago, forests and fields ever growing and spreading and turning the land's dull grays to vibrant greens. But like all good things, this had to come to an end eventually.
It was early evening when the first tremors started, and by midnight, flames were bursting from the crater overlooking the islands a dozen times a minute. Molten rock oozed and sprayed from the volcano, lighting up the sky and raining hell down onto the ground below. Clouds of ash formed overhead, blocking what little light the moon and stars were still able to provide for the various living things that scrambled to find safety.
And where the flames couldn't reach, the rain did. Brought on by air pressure and changing currents, a storm brewed within the ashes, sending torrents of water down to the deafening sound of thunder.
Amidst all this force, all these displays of nature's power brought together by fate and pure chance, it was only natural for something to be created.
The first thing the guardian saw was a blinding light, his ears deafened by the sheer force of the same burst that had given birth to him. Still, his mind rang clear with a simple, straightforward drive.
SAVE THEM.It wasn't a command so much as a compulsion, a directive hard-wired into his brain to the point where it was his first conscious thought. As soon as his senses grew accustomed to their surroundings, he overlooked the situation and a plan began to take shape.
He saw trees turning black and going up in smoke, land coming loose and sliding down in devastating avalanches, and most importantly, Pokémon of all shapes and sizes struggling to escape it all. Even the winged ones seemed to have trouble getting themselves to safety because of the heavy rain and thick smoke in the air. The guardian wasn't immune to any of those himself, but with careful, deep breaths, he managed to stay lucid and figure out what to do.
Sparks of electricity arced from his fur to the falling raindrops, growing in number and intensity as the guardian braced himself. One foot in front of the other, fists clenched in anticipation of the work to come, he leapt into action.
A blur of yellow, black and blue crossed the island several times over, scooping up as many creatures as it could, snatching them from trees they were unable to climb back down from, catching them just before they hit the ground and swooping them out of the way of the fiery tide.
Armful by armful, he brought them down to the beach, on the side of the volcano where the fire and smoke wouldn't reach them anytime soon. Even so, the flames had spread to every part of the jungle, engulfing all but the coastline and bathing the sand in its deadly light.
The guardian looked over those he had saved, then back at the flames, silently praying he hadn't missed any. Then, taking a deep breath, he let his gaze wander to the ocean, its dark, glimmering surface as calm and indifferent as though nothing had happened.
It was over… for now.
He had warded off one threat, but the work was far from done. In other places, near and far, other creatures would always find themselves struggling to survive. Overcome by their environment or by those who would do them harm. The same feeling that had shaped his first actions in life told him as much, and he could only come to one conclusion.
He would save them. He had to save them all.