I know that people don't usually read those Author's Notes, but I feel like I need to properly introduce myself and the story I intend to write.

First thing you must know is that English is my second language, so expect some mistakes. I don't think my writing is unreadable, but should you find a grievous error please contact me, whether it be through PM or review, so I can fix it. Needless to say I'm always open for suggestions and advice regarding my writing style.

If you're still undecided whether to read this or not I'd suggest reading the first four five chapters, as I feel this work gets progressively better.

I don't like to put a schedule for updates, as this is a hobby and the real life takes precedence. This first chapter is about five thousand words long, but further chapters will get bigger as the story progresses. Another thing you must know is that I love receiving reviews and interacting with readers, so as dickish as it may sound, know that the speed of updates can be increased by reviews and reader interactions.

Now, regarding the story itself: this will be a heavy Alternate Universe work, with its main inspirations being several other works in this community. Despite those inspirations I fully intend to make something unique, even if I have to delve deeper into some cliches. This story will incorporate several elements of the games, but I might go into the anime and even the manga for storytelling purposes.

Most of the characteristics of the alternate universe will be explained into the story itself, but in case you're still not decided whether to read or not, these are the main changes:

1- Pokémon trainers are only allowed to challenge gyms or the league after finishing their education, so the earlier age you can embark on a journey will be at the age of 18. This also means that some gym leaders, such as Misty, who are younger than eighteen will be substituted.

2- Despite the age restriction, people under that age are allowed to train pokémon, they simply can't compete.

3- A recurring characteristic of this work will be the presence of Academies, or Boarding Schools, a huge part of the events told in this story will happen on those.

4- Here pokémon are much harder to train and maintain, which also reflects into their ability to evolve, so it'll be highly unlikely to find a fourteen-year-old boy with a Dragonite.

Also, those are a few of the ideas and concepts behind this work:

1- This will feature an OC as a main character Those kinds of works are hit or miss as a Gary Stu character will make the story development unrealistic whereas an uninteresting character will fail to captivate readers. Still I'm confident my character will work well for this story.

2- The endgame goal is to have an OC x Harem ending, but that's a long way down the road, until then the OC will get involved with different women, some may end up with him at the epilogue, some may not. I'll not disclose which female characters will be part of the final pairing as I feel it might take away some of the excitement of the story.

3- As the story title suggests, the OC will be constantly making questionable decisions. Whilst I won't qualify him as a villain, he also won't be the conventional hero.

4- The story will be mainly told by a first person (mostly the protagonist) point of view, in a style similar to GRRM's A Song of Ice and Fire chapters. The reasoning behind it is to make the story progress cleanly and with different subjective opinions.

5- I'm considering to do different works as part of the same history, think of it as books in a trilogy. So, even if I tag this as finished, the story is mostly likely still going on at another work. The reason to do so is to split the tags, so a character is wrongly tagged into a part of the story where he doesn't appear. This is not definite decision as it will depend of the number of followers this gets, so further information can come into the next author notes.

6- Last note is that, despite this work being tagged as M, there might be some trigger of sorts in this chapter for some people, namely mentions of suicide/ suicidal thoughts and self-harm. This will probably be one of the darkish chapters in the story, so proceed with caution in case one of the above-mentioned triggers bother you.

If you read though all of this and still intends to read my work, I hereby present Sinner: Darkness Ascendant

"For there to be betrayal, there would have to have been trust first." - Katniss Everdeen

Chapter One: Fall from Grace

The stench of alcohol filled my nostrils as I held my head in annoyance and disgust. I knew it was coming, I braced myself for it, but, even if it pains me to admit, I had a very small flicker of hope that he changed. As usual, I was wrong. The poorly lit and stuffed study was definitively not the place to do anything really, but soon it would not matter anyway. I don't recall ever writing a letter, but it was the only option, I had no access to father's notebook and my smartphone's battery was drained.

"To whoever it may concern,

My name is Peter Axel Thornham, and if you're reading this letter, I'm probably dead, killed by my own hands.

During my entire life I was annoyed by other people's actions, even more when those actions directly affected me. Right now, I'm about to directly, or indirectly impact people's lives with my choices, so I figured out the best way to do so would be in a way that minimized those impacts. A courtesy of sorts. Do not be mistaken that I'm doing this unselfishly; for the last two weeks I have experienced the full onslaught of the media, how they could easily frame and twist other's actions in order to sell more newspapers or to appease others. By leaving this message I depart in my own terms, saying my own words.

There are several reasons that have driven me towards this point, and I'm ashamed to admit other people's actions are a big part of it.

I intend to keep this goodbye as short as possible, but in order to do so I must first delve deeper into my past.

Even when I was younger, I knew I was different. I may risk sounding arrogant, but the truth is that I was far smarter than people my age should be. It was a curse disguised as a blessing. I understood the world better, and by doing so I understood how hopeless we were living in a society. Even so I pressed on; my intellect made me stand out and with that came the expectations. My mother started to demand more and more; my teachers started to act like it was my obligation to outperform others. Now, nearing the end I can recognize that they might had the best for me in their minds, but they made lots of mistakes, mistakes that altered my path into the future.

During those times I was demanded more and more, I grew to have a fascination with the idea of freedom. Making my own choices, regardless of what people wanted of me. Knowing my path was chosen by me, not the others. At the beginning I wanted to be a football player, I was good at it, but then I had a big fight with my father, who happened to be the one who backed me up, and thus I kind of grew out of it. I was a lost sheep who coveted liberty, but who was guided by a tyrannical shepherd.

In my pursuit of freedom, I ended up stumbling at pokémon battles and suddenly I had a dream, a goal in mind. A stray Nickit was all it took. With newfound commitment I managed to stand up against my mother and join the Royal Academy of Galar, a boarding school for Pokémon trainers.

My first few weeks were hard, the school was an expensive one, and whilst I got a scholarship, the rich kids picked on me, a lot. My place in the battling team was in jeopardy, as I couldn't adapt. People were constantly telling me to quit.

But then I met Nessa Ledford. We were so different personality wise… but in this girl found a kindred spirit, she was a scholarship student too, she knew what I was going through, and even with no reason to do so she helped me. Since I'll be dead soon there's no point in holding back: I loved Nessa. It was hard not to love her, and I knew she loved me too. Maybe, just maybe, if I opened up a little more, things would have been different.

Alongside Nessa came other friend with similar background, Hop Brewer. Poor family, absent father… we had these in common, and I truly grew to consider him as a dear friend. His brother, Leon Brewer was someone I admired, even envied to be honest. Leon, despite his clumsiness and total lack of geographical awareness, was what I always wanted to be: strong, respected, admired. What set me and Leon apart was that, unlike me, he embraced the expectations set upon him and used them to propel himself forward. Leon's girlfriend, Sonia Magnolia also was someone I considered to be a friend, our interactions were brief, but she was the kind of girl who would befriend anyone.

Nessa was the girl I loved, but the person I did relate the most was Bruce Rose. Unlike most of my friends he was filthy rich, after all his father is the Chairman Rose, but, despite that, we grew closer due to the nature of the relationships we had with our parents. His mother was dead, my father might as well be dead to me. His father would often overlook his accomplishments and would always demand more and more...my mother was pretty much the same. We both were undeserving of the pressure and the oppressiveness our parents put us through…but we endured…and in the end I truly felt like I've found a friend for live.

With newfound support I've thrived in this hostile environment. My grades upped and soon I was the Academy's newfound hope for yet another championship. It was hard, and extremely draining, but I managed, at first.

Then I made mistakes.

First mistake once again came back to my relationship with my mother. As I grew up, I managed to wither away from her influence a little bit, but I was unable to properly sever the bond we had. Maybe I held a hope that we could get along somehow. It came back to bite me in the ass when she, once again, went onto her controlling rampages, attempting to get me out of pokémon battles and into a 'decent' job, as she wanted. The whole deal was just tiresome, and I must admit I didn't handle it very well, redirecting my frustration at the others, including my friends.

The second mistake came when I started to play football once again. I love football, and when, out of nowhere a scout from the West London Lions appeared, offering me a contract to play in their youth team I was very tempted. But there was a catch, I had to give up pokémon battles in order to focus solely into football. I should've rejected first-hand, but I didn't. Then someone leaked the news to the media and suddenly my classmates were angry at me for abandoning the ship, even though I refused the offer. To make matters worse, they suddenly withdrew the offer, so in the eyes of almost everyone I was the guy coming back to school because I was rejected.

To make things worse, due to the whole drama with my mother and the whole football affair, my performance dropped and, once again, I found myself with my back against the wall. I put in effort, but it wasn't clicking, so I decided to take a different approach. I became a bit more ruthless, nothing too much, but I set myself a goal and pushed through.

It worked at some extent, but my image was still damaged, people started calling me heartless, a man with no compassion for his pokémon, friends or opponents. Those affirmations were greatly overexaggerated: my training was harsh, but it was something me and Thievul agreed upon; I was cold towards my opponents but never did any unsportsmanlike act; and my friends… they couldn't see that I was doing this for them. When backs were turned against me, she came through again. Nessa became once again the beacon that guided me through, acting as a mediator between me and the other friends

For a few months I truly believed that all that I endured made me stronger, after all I pushed through the adversities and ended up with friends, fame and a wonderful girlfriend.

But then, as usual, shit happened. For the semi-finals of the Team Battles School Championship we travelled to face a school from Spikemuth. There I met Marnie Noire, a rival, but also a dear friend. Marnie, if you somehow read this, know that I'm sorry for dragging your name into this mess, you truly didn't deserve it. Despite what other people might say, I never cheated on Nessa with Marnie. She, as I stated before, is a friend, and nothing more. I scorn liars and cheaters and would never bring myself to do that to Nessa, Marnie or anyone else for that matter. Still people talked, and Nessa lost her faith on me. We broke up on Tuesday, 12th of June.

I will not disclose what happened on the next day, I have my reasons to do so. If want the absolute truth you'll have to look things up yourself.

Flashforward one month to this day, where I finish writing this letter. My fate is well known: my trainer license was suspended, my pokémon confiscated and I was banned from amateur pokémon competitions in Galar; and, finally, I was pretty much shipped off to Castelia City and my drunkard of a father without much consideration. If I wanted to, I could probably figure out a way to get back, but frankly I'm tired of this whole mess.

People usually leave one final statement in those kinds of messages, mine will be an advice to whoever is interested.

Live your own life with pride and do not let others get on your way to happiness. Never concede to anyone, relinquishing power was what begun my downfall. Love yourself, by doing so I realized the world is rotten to its core and that as longer as I live, I'll be corrupted by it further. I wish I had a cool quote to leave with but at the moment I'm totally drained.

Goodbye."

I signed my name into the letter, before packing it into my bag. I quickly changed into black sweatshirt and grey sweatpants, despite the summer season, nights in Castelia could be chilly. Father was probably still passed out at the living room's sofa, which also happened to be where I slept, so I sneaked into the bathroom and opened the cabinet under the sink. There I found what I was looking for: a disposable razor. I quickly picked up the item opting to keep it on my bag rather than walking with it on hand or pocket. Glancing at the mirror I realized how different I looked from my usual self. My usually light brown hair had darkened a bit, and grew longer, reaching my chin and covering my right eye. I also spotted dark circles under my green eyes, which held a tired bordering bored expression. I sighed, last year really took a toll on my body.

Before leaving the apartment, I made my way to my father's bedroom and grabbed a blanket, then proceeded to the living room, covering him. I don't know why I did that, maybe an attempt to remember my father's sleeping form rather than his drunken one. Anyway, I took the backpack I've prepared and left the apartment and quietly walked down through the building's corridor and finally downstairs.

I was greeted by an almost empty Northern Avenue, reasonably so, as the area was made mostly of residential buildings and it was late night at a Thursday. The buildings were lot alike my own, rows and rows of apartments blocks, painting the skies with concrete. I've thought about the best way to end it all; and I've decided to jump from height, it wasn't completely fool proof but it would have to do, I knew that I could end up paralyzed or worse, so I brought a plan B; namely the razor at my bag. I figured out that by cutting my wrists and then jumping, I'd be more likely to succeed.

I travelled south, towards my final destination: the Skyarrow Bridge. I've opted off from jumping from a skyscraper because there was a chance of hitting someone below and I wasn't interested in taking anyone's life but mine. Walking through Castelia City at late night was different to say the least, the usual packed streets and vibrating lights were gone, leaving room for deserted alleyways and darkness. After some minutes of walk I've reached the Central Plaza, Castelia wasn't a dangerous city per se, but there were always some places more dangerous than others, the Plaza at night was one of those, as it attracted from drug dealers to prostitutes, looking for customers. I quickly made my way through the place, avoiding people and keeping myself alert to the surroundings.

Passing through the plaza also was the halfway point of my journey, now I just needed to get through the Castelia Avenue and a small part of the Oceanfront Road to get to the Skyarrow Bridge.

The difference of scenarios was immediately felt as I entered the Castelia Avenue, the city's outer areas may have been dormant at this late night, but the avenue that named the city never slept. In fact, the contrast with the other areas made it even more vibrant and overwhelming. Neon signs, huge illuminated billboards and even bigger flatscreen televisions made the avenue a beacon of light in the asleep city. There I saw it all, cars, theatres, skyscrapers, bars, nightclubs… name it and you would find. I was usually a fast walker, but I decided to slow down my pace and observe the area, my life was ending tonight so I might as well leave this world in a good note. I even found time to enter a convenience store and buy a chocolate, my last meal. I frowned after seeing the bursting lights, despite what happens people moved on, the world will not stop if you're down, yet I could not move on from my past…maybe it's why I'm about to kill myself?

It was past four in the morning when I reached the Oceanfront Road, the large southern avenue that connected the entire south side of the city. The five piers were some of the many landmarks the city had, each with its own history. In the way towards the bridge I passed in front of the Cruise Pier, where I could see the lights of several cruises and yachts docked in, and the Thumb Pier, the 'lacklustre' of the group of five, its only noticeable feature being the supposed entry to the Castelia Sewers.

As I reached the gate to the Skyarrow Bridge I looked back, noticing the two well illuminated buildings in the middle of the sea.

The taller one, Unity Tower, a skyscraper with whooping hundred and thirty floors; built as a symbol of convergence between different nations in the world; perhaps if me and my friend had a greater sense of unity things would have been different?

The smaller one was a lighthouse, barely noticeable, sitting atop the famed Liberty Garden; people said you couldn't experience greater freedom than living the Unovan Way of Life; perhaps this was why I'm here? To achieve freedom? Besides, they say that inside the lighthouse lives a pokémon who's the embodiment of victory, but was victory to be kept imprisoned in an island? Maybe ultimate victory was becoming self-sufficient?

I glanced at the telephone booth atop the bridge and at the sign beside it, the suicide hotline number. The idea to install those at the so called suicide sites was indeed a clever one. Suicide should not be taken lightly, and if after a talk you changed your mind the truth is that you were never a hundred percent sure. After all, in most of the cases it was a definite decision, one you wouldn't be able to take back.

Still I was resolute, this was ending today, for the better or worse. I opened my bag, picking up the suicide letter, which went into my pocket, and the razor. Overlooking the Unity Tower and the Liberty Garden I sat at the bridge's railing. The wind was stronger here, mostly likely due to the lack of buildings, making my hair fly to its sides, at movies it would look beautiful, here was simply bothersome.

I held the sharp blade with my right hand pulling the left sleeve of my sweatshirt, exposing my wrist. I thought of the betrayal I felt, the accusing glares, people throwing things at me as I was escorted out of the school by the police, how I was unable to protect from a rotten egg hurled at me due to the handcuffs that chained my arms behind my back. The blade grew closer to my wrist… the slap imprint left by Nessa at my left cheek… the empty courtroom where I faced judgements for sins that were not mine… all alone. Yet the blade would not close the distance out? What if I think about what made me angry?

"You are hereby expelled from the Royal Academy of Galar."

"This is what happens when you give pokémon to those young delinquents like him."

"To think I've considered you a friend, you're the scum of the Earth."

"People like you have no place into the world, I truly hope you die."

"You couldn't lose huh? Now your greed made us all look like fools. Don't talk to me ever again."

"I loved you, but you still cheated on me. People were right about you. I regret from the bottom the day I've met you. You're even worse than your father."

"You're a foolish boy Peter, you threw away the future I've built for you. You're not my son."

"The funniest part is that the man who valued freedom more than anything else was simply a disposable pawn… now you've lost it all. The free man's actions were planned by others all along. Peter, in the end you'll never be free, whether it's me or somebody else, you'll exist to fulfil your purpose to the others."

Maybe I'm not a hundred percent certain about killing myself. This must be why my right arm won't budge, this must be why tears fall from my eyes. Are those tears of sadness or tears of anger?

The razor finally moved but rather than nicking my wrist it slashed through my sweatshirt, making a small cut into my lower bicep.

Hissing in pain I got off the railing and went towards the phone. I glanced at the suicide hotline digits, before dialling a number.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Hello?" a sleepy male voice asked groggily.

"Hey Bruce, it's ya boy Peter."

I heard a startled gasp through the phone. "What you want Axel?"

"Now I go by Thornham. But don't get your knickers in a knot, I'm calling from a public phone. It's not tapped."

"What do you want?" he demanded; a bit louder.

"To talk with my best friend of course." I said cheerfully, Bruce was always easy to anger.

"I'm going to hang up."

"If you do that, you'll never know how to please Nessa."

"Bastard." He yelled.

"My mother is a bitch. What's your point?"

"Leave Nessa out of it."

"Actually, it was you who got her involved in the first place."

"I was protecting her from the likes of you."

"So, you're saying that she's not capable of protecting herself? The feminist movement will be very angry at you."

I held a chuckle as I heard him growl in anger. "Now, that we've exchanged pleasantries let's talk business." His silence was the sign for me to continue. "Right now, I'm at the Skyarrow Bridge…I'm thinking about jumping."

"If you're jumping onto water tie something heavy into your body, so if you don't die from the fall you drown instead." He suggested.

Blinking I nodded, that was indeed a good suggestion, but that wasn't why I called. "To be honest I tried to cut my wrist open already, but I couldn't bring myself to do it."

"Figures." Bruce scoffed from Galar.

"I thought a lot about it, and then I remembered what you said to me the day I was arrested. The 'you'll always be a pawn' part."

"That's the reality of the world, lowly people such as yourself must be sacrificed to protect the truly important."

"That may be so." A pause and a glance at my bleeding arm. "But with strategy even a pawn can kill a king."

"I doubt you called me at this hour to discuss chess."

"At the moment there's not much I can do… the hopelessness almost made me take my own life… but then I realized… freedom must be earned… and sacrifices must be made." Then I felt a rush of energy, my voice loudened by my conviction. "So, I warn you, Bruce Rose, it may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, it could take years, or even decades, but someday I'll be truly free, and then I'll destroy you."

The mute line on the other side of the world signalled that my crusade had begun. I sighed and sat down, resting my back into the cold concrete of the bridge. I took a deep breath, and looked up the rising sun. The letter into my pocket felt heavy. I got up and folded the letter into a paper plane, before tossing it into the ocean. As I saw the plane flying away, I felt the moisture at my face and then I realized. My tears were not tears of sadness nor tears of anger… they were tears of happiness.

Happiness for all the life I've had left.

Since this is still the first chapter, there's not much to say in this final AN, instead I'd rather ask for you to review and interact as it'll make my writing much more enjoyable. I don't how people usually do these kinds of interactions though. It is better if I reply with a PM or to answer all reviews at once into the next chapter?