AN: Finally someone pointed out how crazy this story is! THANK YOU icewaker22! Trust me when I say that it IS supposed to be this insane and I do have an ending in mind. Also, a general plot for the sequel. But for those who don't believe me, I'll include a little analysis/explanation at the end of the chapter!
But really guys. Had some problems envisioning the battle in this chapter. Thankfully, I saw Wonder Woman this past weekend and all those epic fight scenes gave me some ideas!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or any of the characters. Just the random plot bunnies that my mind creates.
Chapter Warnings: Language, violence, mentions of torture, probably some other stuff I can't think of off the top of my head
Pairing: Ash x Gary
Arc 4 - King of the Drakes
Excerpt from "The History of Our World" by Dr. White Flame
Many would believe that us humans have our own evolution and creation story. But what if I were to tell you something that would blow your mind away? What if I were to tell you if we were created by Arceus, the Alpha pokemon?
I recently stumbled upon the most amazing legend. A legend that states that Arceus created humanity as it was creating the other hundreds of other pokemon species. The Pokemon God created humanity with high levels of intelligence and extraordinary power. However, these newly created humans, for some unknown reason, were unable to access their inner power. Without that inner strength to assist them, they fell at the claws of the wild pokemon. Dropping to the bottom of the food chain.
Taking pity on its weak creation, Arceus had its children, the Creation Trio, combine their powers to form a place for humanity to reside as they wait for the primordial world to stabilize. Waiting for a chance for the energy released from creation to settle down. For the wild pokemon to become less feral and aggressive.
Millennia passed to them in a blink of an eye. Finally, they were released. However, the pokemon still attacked them. Pokemon still saw humanity as an easy food source. Humanity struggled. Using all of their intelligence to just survive.
A war broke out between man and creature. But one group stood above the rest. A small clan that prayed to Arceus to save them.
Arceus heard their prayer and gave them the power to tame pokemon. The power to tame the mighty dragon pokemon, the direct descendants from the mighty legendary pokemon themselves.
With their dragon partners by their side, they quelled the fighting. Through their instruction, humans learned to coexist with other pokemon and there was finally peace. Peace that has extended for hundreds of years.
However, this is no fairy tale. I have seen this clan in person. I have seen their extraordinary dragon pokemon. I have seen their enhanced power and strength.
For these clan members have begun to awaken the inherent power they were created with. This phenomenon is beyond extraordinary. The bond between the trainer and the pokemon broke the barrier surrounding the human's inherent power.
Some gained enhanced strength and reflexes, some gained a higher intelligence, and some even gained powers that rival other pokemon species themselves: healing abilities, control over nature, controlling other emotions, ability to see spirits…
The list goes on and on.
However, the clan's records point to an unbelievable ability that has only ever awakened in one individual. The absolute control over any pokemon. The remarkable power of the King of the Drakes. The strongest warrior that arose to lead the clan to end the war against humanity and pokemon.
This ability has never resurfaced. Just as how no other human has had the ability to bond with more than one dragon pokemon. Legend states that a new King will rise in the future when the world needs him most. Whether he will have the same abilities as the previous King of the Drakes is yet to be determined.
With that in mind, I can only hope that I will live to see the day where I can study this miraculous human.
The one destined to save us all.
Chapter 39 – Trial
The sun beat mercilessly down on them. Even though it was still early spring, the crater swells with heat. Their League-issued black clothing clings to their skin. The Kevlar tightly squeezes their torsos. Making it all the harder to breathe.
They pause at the entrance of the pokemon caves. The Elders and other Riders wait patiently behind them. To either side, rows of Draconids stand silently. Watching. Waiting. Standing there as they wait for their Trial to begin. To see if they are the heroes of legend. If they are the prophesied King and Knight who will save them all from this death and destruction.
They spent the last hour being briefed by the Elders. Once more reaffirming what Carys had told them in their lessons. As they lost more and more soldiers in this war, the Elders sent out the Draconids to seek those outside the clan that might fit the Prophecy. The candidate would take the Trial and if he or she succeeded, but were not the one they were looking for, the candidate still joined the Draconid ranks as Captains. Replenishing their thinning ranks and strengthening their bloodlines.
If they failed, they died. Either by the dragons' wrath or the Draconids' blades. Their secrets must be protected at all costs. If word got out about the guardians who manipulate from the shadows, even if the cause was for the betterment of humanity and pokemon, a world war would be imminent.
Ash and Gary were worried. They knew not many candidates passed but to have the stats told to them so coldly was just shocking. They can still hear Gerlach's steely voice repeating the numbers as if he was rattling off a list of prices at a fruit stand, not the likelihood of their survival.
Pass rate, single candidate - 25%
Pass rate, multiple candidates - 40%
Draconid chance of death - 15%
Outsider chance of death - 66%
That's it. Sixty-six percent. A ⅔ chance that they will die in the next few minutes. All because they were unlucky enough to be born a normal citizen and not a Draconid. Unlucky enough that they didn't have a chance to bond with the Dratinis when they were little. Unlucky enough that there's almost absolutely nothing stopping the dragons from killing them on sight.
Rhythmic pounding echoes around them as one by one the Draconids stomp their feet to a tune unknown to the two soldiers. The signal was clear.
The Trial has begun.
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
Ash walks beside Gary as they slowly make their way down the dimly lit tunnel. Their unease with each other forgotten in the face of the upcoming challenge. Unknowingly matching their steps to the echoing rhythm of the pounding feet outside.
Hands on their swords, they step into the seemingly empty Dragon's Den. They inch forward slowly. Eyes roaming as they search for the dragon pokemon.
The Elders and Riders remain at the entrance to the Den. Blocking the only ground level exit as they wait for the two Dragonairs that will approach to claim the soldiers' badges and officially begin the Trial.
One by one, sleek blue heads break the surface of the underground lake. A small smile forms on Ash's face at the happy cooing of the baby Dratini when they recognize two of their regular playmates. It quickly falls as ominous hissing reverberates throughout the cavern.
Supposedly sensing the upcoming battle, the young dragon pokemon quickly disappear back into the safety of the lake's depths. The Dragonair remain. Staring at them with their glittering violet eyes. Hissing their challenge menacingly.
In a blur of movement, the long serpentine creatures dart out from the lake and circle them. More than twenty of them. Way more than what they've seen on the various playdates they chaperoned.
Dropping their badges at their feet, they quickly draw their swords. The ringing of the steel piercing through the intimidating noise. Gary's warm back presses against his as they slowly turn in a circle. Covering each other's blind spots as they lock eyes with each dragon pokemon. Waiting for some kind of sign that will signify which dragons will challenge them.
"Why are they all out of the water?" Gary whispers. Not wanting to startle any of the agitated pokemon. "Only the two who are compatible with us are supposed to come forward to battle us right? What's going on?"
Ash just shrugs knowing Gary will feel the movement. He chances a glance back toward the entrance. The Elders look tense but he can't tell if it's from the Trial in general or if the situation they've found themselves in is not normal. Carys is staring at him with wide blue eyes. Clearly worried and trying to silently convey something to him.
Brown orbs fly back forward as one by one the Dragonairs begin to move. Dancing back and forth. Slithering over the long tails of their fellow dragon types to create a moving blue ring. Glittering amethyst eyes locked onto his and Gary's faces.
They aren't all going to attack us are they? We can't be that much of a threat to warrant an execution from the entire nest?
Dread quickly fills him as the pokemon dance around the edge of his swords reach.
If that's the case, we're screwed.
Just as one of the larger Dragonairs darts forward in a move to attack, a gust of wind bursts through the cave. Buffeting against them and sending the light dragon pokemon flying back into the lake. Ash quickly buries his sword into the sandy ground. Bracing himself against the sudden Hurricane force gale that sprung to life out of nowhere.
His eyes begin to water from the lashing wind kicking up sand into his face. Ash tenses as he picks up a noise over the howling wind. Steadily growing louder and louder. A mighty roar echoing against the rocks. Chilling his blood and shaking his very bones.
The sound increases in magnitude causing him to flinch. Growing past the point of deafening. Ash quickly covers his ears in a desperate attempt to save his hearing as the roar turns painful. He braces himself against the larger form of his partner behind him.
A white blur bursts from a cave high above them. Rocketing towards them on the whipping air. He stumbles as the blur lands at full speed. The earth shaking at the impact. Knocking him onto his knees as his balance wavers.
He can't make out any details of this new threat. Tears blur his sight. Formed partly in a useless attempt keep his eyes wet in the face of the flying, gritty sand and partly due to the pain of his now ringing ears.
The roar disappears. The wind dissipates instantly. Leaving no trace that it misbehaved to begin with. Everything seems muffled now in the absence of the loud noise.
The white blur slowly comes into focus and he blinks away the liquid. No...Two blurs. Towering above his crouched form. He starts at the loud shout of his partner. Now next to him instead of supporting him from behind. The brunet is easily heard even with his temporarily damaged ears.
"What the fuck?! Who's Dragonites are these? Call them back!" Gary yells out angrily to the Draconids behind them.
Keeping the dragons in his peripheral vision, Ash turns to eye those at the entrance. Brown orbs widen in shock at what he sees. The proud Council of Elders, the leaders of the Draconids and the Dragon Riders, kneeling in deference. Their right arms crossing over their chests. Clenched fists resting above their hearts. Faces clearly in shock at the scene before them.
The Captains behind them mimic the Elders pose. Their faces like stone. Carys alone seems to show any emotion. Widespread panic on her face. Worry for her new friends' lives. Flinching away from the palpable bloodlust in the air. Made all the more powerful to her with her gift.
It's at this point that Ash remembers in a moment of clarity that the Elders don't have any dragons. They all lost theirs at some point in their service as a Captain. Plus, he has seen all of the other Rider's Dragonites before and none of them are this big. Even Cary's partner.
But that means…
Heart rate skyrocketing in time with his rising dread, he spins to face the dragon pokemon head on. Brown orbs quickly scan every inch of the yellow and white scales that he can see. But there is nothing. No oddly colored markings of any kind. These Dragonites never received their bond marks.
It has to be them. The strongest dragons in Kanto and possibly Johto. The dragons who, according to Carys, have enough internal power that they overcame the seal with their own strength to evolve. Without the need to bond themselves to a human.
The Alpha and Beta Dragonites.
Not wanting to know the answer, but knowing he had no choice in the matter now, he forces his gaze downward. His badge is gone. Most likely blown into the lake with all of the Dragonairs.
Their symbols of worth have been accepted. The Alpha and Beta, the rulers of the Dragon's Den, the protectors of Mt. Silver, have challenged their right to form a bond.
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
Gary swears quietly under his breath. His mind whirring as he tries to process what's happening.
What the fuck is going on?! Carys said that the Alpha and Beta only leave their cave to hunt or to deposit an egg into the hatchery. They evolved on their own. They have no need to challenge us like this. They don't need a fucking bond!
The two dragons are beyond massive. Both of them a full head and shoulders above even Carys' enormous dragon. Easily topping 10 feet tall.
The taller one stands slightly in front of the other. As if protecting the "smaller one" from any measly attack they could possibly make against these two behemoths.
Even if their blades could possibly pierce their scales, they can't reach the vulnerable point where the wings attach to their back. The dragons are just too tall. All they have to hope for is to attack the slightly thinner scales on their white underbellies and hope to cause enough damage to fend off any deadly attack.
We just need to survive. Gary reminds himself. We don't need to kill them. Just survive long enough to prove we are strong in our own right.
Gary slowly stands and takes a step in front of his partner who is still kneeling as he stares at the dragons in shock. His tan skin now pale in the face of their opponents before them.
The Alpha glares at him. Seemingly angered by Gary mimicking his protective stance. He can feel the other pokemon's grey eyes on him as well but Gary refuses to break his stare with the larger dragon. Glaring back in turn. Clinging to the small hope that if they just stand up to the two rulers, as no other human appears to have done if the Draconids' actions are used as example, the dragons will accept their show of strength and he and Ash can walk out of this cave alive.
The Alpha's small wings flare wide as he growls. The rumbling sound low and deep. Threatening. Warning.
Gary crouches down. Taking the stance that as familiar to him as breathing. Feet spread wide. Sword held loosely in his hand. Sword point aimed upward at his opponent. Muscles relaxed. Breathing even. Ready to attack at a moment's notice.
The Alpha's eyes drops to its own arm. Gary follows its gaze to see a clawed yellow hand resting on its mate's scales. Following the arm up, he tenses as he meets the smaller dragon's gaze.
While the larger Dragonite is clearly intimidating and powerful, the Beta gives off an aura of deadly grace. Her eyes are hard as steel. Narrowed and analyzing.
Familiar.
She slowly moves away from her mate. Edging around him in a wide arc. Steps slow and fluid.
He can't look away. His green orbs locked onto her like the frightened gaze of prey as it watches a predator stalk towards it just seconds before it moves in for the kill.
She stops once she is completely across from the male Dragonite. Forcing Gary to turn his back on the larger pokemon and his partner. Leaving Ash to defend himself against the titan in order to prevent this cunning, deadly female from striking their blind spot the second they would've gone after the Alpha.
This dragon. This Beta. She's clearly the more dangerous threat. Her mate got his place as leader through sheer power and instinct. That much Gary can clearly see. But this female. She earned the right to rule at her mate's side. Most likely with a combination of intelligence, deceit and deadly poise.
She's just like him. He can sense it.
Which makes him completely and utterly fucked.
He can't outsmart this pokemon. Can't outmaneuver her. Can't overpower or out speed her.
He will lose.
And it chills him to his very core.
The clang of steel against hard scales draws his gaze unwillingly. Just a glance to the side on the sheer instinct to turn around to see if Ash is still alive. But that's all the Beta needs.
In a puff of dirt, she launches toward him. Moving so quickly, it's as if she teleported from twenty feet away to two. Her clenched fish looming next to her ear. Ready to deliver a powerful Focus Punch. Grey orbs locking onto him with no chance of being distracted.
Gary dodges at the last possible moment. Her fist passing inches away from his shoulder. The force of the displaced air still strong enough to send him staggering away.
She presses forward. Not allowing him a chance to regain his footing. Closing the gap instantaneously. Not giving him the space he needs to use his claymore.
Brows scrunching in annoyance, he drops his sword and pulls out his Ka-Bar as he slashes forward in a single movement. While not a strong enough attack to pierce her vulnerable underbelly, he surprises her enough to cause her to retreat a few steps.
Those eyes again. Unblinking grey orbs as they watch him. Unnerving. Scrutinizing. Calculating.
Ignoring the sounds of battle to his left, Gary steps forward quickly. Not wanting the dragon pokemon to have a chance to analyze his fighting techniques any more than she has already.
His years of training take over as he slides through the combinations that he drilled into his body for a countless number of hours.
Thrust. Slice. Pivot. Stab. Dodge.
Every move he makes is blocked by the Dragonite's forearm. Using her thick scales as shield to protect her belly. He can still feel those eyes on him. Staring down at him from above as he focuses on the threat of her claws...
Avoiding her gaze was a mistake.
Suddenly, the temperature plummets past freezing. His breath clouds in front him as it leaves his mouth. Sweat turns to pinpricks of ice on his skin. He looks up quickly to see blue-white energy beginning to form in her open mouth.
Ice Beam.
But it's just a distraction. A means to draw his gaze away from her lower body.
He doesn't see the tail coming towards him until it slams into his side. Flinging him sideways. Rolling and tumbling over the sandy ground before finally coming to a stop once he is half submerged in the lake.
Gary coughs up water and sand that he accidently swallowed in his uncontrollable tumble. Groaning in pain, he shakes his head to clear his vision. His breath comes out in short, agonizing pants. Clutching his side in an attempt to force the tell-tale agonizing throbs of broken ribs away.
Fuck.
His heart drops into his stomach as he looks up. His knife lays several feet away where he dropped it in wake of the Tail Whip that struck him. Green orbs follow the dragon pokemon as she calmly walks over and picks up the weapon he discarded at the beginning of their duel.
His claymore. His trusted sword, with its three and a half foot blade, looks like a mere dagger in her large hands. He stiffens in shock as she perfectly mimics his stance. Blade pointing up towards the ceiling of the cavern. Patiently waiting for him to rise and re-engage.
She somehow managed to memorize his fighting style. In just the few short minutes they battled.
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
Ash pants heavily as sweat drips from his overheated skin. He's completely exhausted. Nothing he tries causes any damage to the massive dragon type in front of him. Hell. He can't even get the pokemon to even look at him.
The Alpha just stares straight ahead. Watching the female dragon battle Gary behind him. Every attack Ash initiates is blocked with a careless swipe of the dragon's tail. He can't even get close enough to use his knife.
Over and over, his sword clangs harmless against the tough yellow scales. It's beginning to piss him off.
They accepted both of our badges. That means that at least one of them should want to challenge me! I am not some helpless kid who needs to be protected at every opportunity and be overlooked in favor of Gary. I am a soldier in my own right too! Dammit!
Ash glances back towards his partner and has to do a double take. He can't believe his eyes. Gary is thirty feet away having a knife fight with the Beta Dragonite. They are too far away to make out any injuries but Ash can tell that Gary's form is off.
His moves are too rigid. His torso is curled slightly in on itself as if straightening it is too painful.
He needs help.
Swallowing his frustration, he eyes the unmoving dragon in front of him. Taking the chance, Ash spins on his heel and darts away to aid his partner.
If this Dragonite refuses to fight me seriously, I'll go help Gary. We are supposed to fight them together anyway.
Before he can take more than a few steps, a gust of wind buffets him. Stopping him in his tracks. He knows the Alpha is coming. Ash doesn't know how. Instinct maybe. But all he knows is that he will be cut off from helping Gary any second.
Ash can see the brunet kneeling in the sand with the female pokemon hovering over him. Blades locked together, Gary struggles to hold off the heavy weight of the sword-wielding dragon pressing him into the ground. Both hands on his grip of his Ka-Bar. Desperately trying to get the leverage he needs to disengage their blades before his energy runs out and he's cut in half.
Without giving a thought to his safety, Ash pulls his knife from its sheath and tosses the heavy blade underhanded towards his partner just as the wind begins to die down. It buries itself in the sand a foot away from Gary's knee. Black blade gleaming in the glowing light of the cavern.
The Alpha dragon lands with a thud. Once more standing in front of him and effectively cutting off the view of his partner with its large body.
The titan glares menacingly at him. Its small wings spread wide. Ready to fly again at any moment. The message clear. He's not allowed to help Gary.
Why the hell do they send us in groups then if we can't help?! I thought we were supposed to prove our teamwork? We can't do that if they won't let us fight together!
Raising his sword and head in defiance, Ash stares down the Alpha Dragonite. Launching forward, he deals blow after blow to the behemoth. Trying every move he can possibly come up with to slip by the dragon pokemon to help his partner. The sounds of their battle have stopped and it's making him nervous. And worried.
Very worried.
"I refuse to give up!" Ash calls out angrily. Each word resonating with another blocked blow against the thick yellow tail. "I won't let either of you kill him! I don't care if he is some super Knight or prophesized King. I will protect him!"
His sword comes to a jarring halt. Straining the muscles in his arms as it stops before its intended target. His limbs shake as he tries to pull the sword free but it holds fast.
Glancing upward, he freezes in confusion. The intimidating aura that surrounded the massive dragon since it appeared has completely vanished. Grey eyes just look at him in an evident mixture of confusion and amusement.
Ash stands helpless as his sword is ripped from his hands and tossed aside carelessly. Now weaponless, he pounds his fists against the heavy scales of the yellow arms that move to encircle him before he can dart away.
Sharp claws prick his sides in warning. He doesn't listen. Struggling with all his worth as the the dragon brings them face to face. Holding him several feet above the ground.
Its eyes seem so much larger up close. Multiple shades of grey swirling together like storm clouds preparing to unleash its liquid burden. Its breath is scalding and reeks of brimstone. As if there is a fire burning deep in its belly to give it life instead of a beating heart.
Ash freezes as its maw opens wider. Small, razor sharp teeth gleam in the cave's light. The Alpha growls once more. Low and threatening.
It takes every ounce of willpower that Ash has to pull his gaze away from those sharp teeth to glare back into its stormy eyes. Then the Dragonite does something he would never have imagined.
It smirks.
Ash is too stunned at the sight to register the Alpha leaning towards him. The next thing he registers are warm scales touching his forehead. The feeling is pleasant. Comforting. Safe.
Until it begins to burn him.
The contact steadily grows hotter. Hotter than the explosion that mauled his back. Hotter than the feeling of Arbok's poison burning through his veins. Hot enough to feel as if his entire head is melting into a puddle of fleshy goo.
Ash's throat is raw. As if he spent all day yelling out orders to younger cadets.
Or hours of screaming in agony.
The darkness calls to him. He can feel the familiar pull of its enticing nothingness. The place where no pain exists. Just the pleasant, calming black river.
With a ragged sigh, he falls.
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
Gary hangs suspended in the air. Just like how Crimson's dragon held him back in Grampa Canyon. Sharp claws are buried deep in the back of his shirt. Holding him several feet off the ground.
The second Ka-Bar appearing out of nowhere had definitely surprised him. And the female dragon as well. Enough for him to quickly grab it and cross it under his own Ka-bar struggling to uphold his sword.
With the necessary leverage now in place, he was able to disengage their blades and land a decent sized cut to the Beta's underbelly while she was distracted with whatever the Alpha and Ash were doing.
She glared at him in irritation. As if the oozing cut was nothing more than a simple paper cut. A stinging annoyance but not particularly painful.
Apparently done with his nonsense, she knocked his blades away with a powerful swing. Way harder than any attack she had used so far. There was absolutely no chance that he would have been able to hold onto his weapons. Not with a strike that powerful.
To his surprise, the dragon pokemon simply tossed his claymore aside and grabbed the back of his shirt. She lifted him elegantly off the ground like a mama Delcatty picking up one of her kittens by the scruff of itd neck.
His cry of protest was cut off by her thick tail wrapping lightly around his mouth. The surface too slick and hard for him to bite.
As she extended her arm away from her body, she gave him a gentle shake. Wanting him to watch Ash's battle as it rages before them.
So Gary watches. Not that he has much of a choice.
He watches Ash attack again and again as he tries to break through the Alpha's defenses. His movements are frantic. His guard slipping as the raven worries about whatever seems to be clearly bothering him.
"I refuse to give up! I won't let either of you kill him! I don't care if he is some super Knight or prophesized King. I will protect him!" Ash calls out. His voice angry and determined as he launches another furious swing at the pokemon only to be blocked again.
Why is the Alpha only defending? The Beta barely let me get any offensive moves in with how hard she pressed me. Is that how their dynamic normally plays out? I don't remember.
Gary searches the depths of his mind for any other information that the Riders might have shared about the ruling dragon pair but can't find anything to dispel his confusion.
Does the Beta attack the enemies while the Alpha defends their nest? I thought it would be the other way around. I don't understand.
A sharp, anguished scream pulls him from his thoughts. Heart in his throat at the familiar noise, green orbs fly to his partner. Having previously been focused on the ground while he was lost in thought.
Ash hangs in the air. Just like him. The Alpha's forehead pressing against his partner's as Ash writhes in agony in the dragon's gasp.
No. Not again.
"What are you doing?!" Gary yells out. Frantically pulling at the claws holding him aloft. Needing to get down to rush to Ash's aid. "Stop it! Let him go!"
I can't lose him again. Arceus won't bring him back a second time.
The Alpha ignores him. Ash's cries are already raw from the sheer intensity of his screams. In his desperation, Gary turns toward those guarding the entrance.
Save him.
"Do something!" He orders. "He's your King isn't he!? You can't let him die here!"
Rescue him.
The Riders look uncertainly at the Elders. Carys steps forward but Aitor's hand on her shoulder stops her from taking another. The Elders continue to look on without expression. Seemingly content to let the dragon lord do as he wishes.
Help me.
Gary's head whips around as an eerie silence falls over the cave. Ash hangs limp in the Alpha's claws. Drops of blood slowly crawling down from his forehead to drip onto the sand below.
Save him.
"Ash!" Gary calls out to his partner. His voice strangled as the words catch in his throat. Yet he continues to struggle in his captor's hold.
Please.
A wave of refreshing calm rushes through him. Like an ocean breeze on a hot day. His vision blurs from the yellow and grey mass inches from his face. But in his mind all he can see is Ash just lying there. Limp and bloody.
Again.
His breath catches in his throat. What little air that escapes puffs out in a cloud of mist in front of his face. His blood seems to freeze in his veins. Muscles locking up to hold on to whatever heat they have left. Tears freeze in rivers down his cheeks.
He can't cry out. All sounds lying trapped in his constricted throat.
As everything fades to black, he sees swirls of red and blue dancing in front of him. Caressing each other in their sensual dance. Reaching out to him. Brushing up against him lovingly.
A gentle humming vibrates through him. Caressing him like a mother comforting her upset child. As if to assure him that everything will be ok.
He can barely pick out the softly repeating pattern. As if the gentle noise is trying to communicate with him. As if it's telling him just five simple words:
"I will protect you both."
xxx-War of the Dragon Riders-xxx
AN: Back to the warped story issue. To begin, keep in mind that both sides are aware of the Prophecy and, as with most stories that include prophecies, it usually doesn't end well or is, at the very least, extremely difficult for those who are the subject of said prophecy.
With that in mind, the League raised Ash and Gary to be killing perfections. Hoping to mold them into the perfect little soldiers they can control with a flick of their wrist. In order to control the Prophecy to assert League dominance over the Riders and the rest of the country and possibly the world. Who knows.
However, as I hope I have shown, Ash and Gary remain defiant to the military power that raised them. Disobeying orders, secluding themselves from their fellow cadets, keeping their morals intact, killing only when they need to or when someone completely goes against their morals and harms humans or pokemon...they've done all they can to rebel without "outright rebelling" before they were taken in by the Riders.
Their driving force behind everything they do is trying to find out the mystery behind the attack on Pallet Town. This was a major turning point in their lives but due to their young age and they traumatic experience, they don't remember it well. Thus, adding to the overall confusion of the incident.
They were raised to believe that the attack was orchestrated by the Dragon Riders. But with the appearance of Team Rocket and the apparent involvement of the military in illegal activities, they are torn by what they have taken to be the truth all of their lives. They don't know what to believe anymore and are struggling to figure out what's true and where they should direct their hatred and revenge.
Ash and Gary need power and information. However, Draconid clan is old and well formed in its out-of-date traditions. They don't hand out information that could be used against them. If you discover them, you either join the Draconids or you die. All in order to keep themselves under the radar as they have done for centuries. Very old fashioned but it's kept them in the dark for millennia until someone slipped and told about the League about the Prophecy. Damn traitor.
Ash's father took a HUGE chance by bringing his dying son to the Rider's base. Obviously, the Draconids are suspicious of having military personnel in their base but they are torn by the Prophecy. For years, they have kept tabs on Ash and Gary for they have the power to save the world as the heroes of old have done. But they also have the power to destroy it and the Draconids don't know where Ash and Gary's loyalties lie. Granted this still only applies if Ash and Gary are truly the ones that are in the Prophecy.
So, in the months it took to gain their trust, Ash and Gary gained friends and new comrades. A feat they didn't think was possible considering they only had each other for so long. As they get closer to the Draconids, they are beginning to trust again.
But we also have the Prophecy, Elders and the higher ups in the military to consider. Is the League or the Riders in the right? Are either of them truly evil or truly good? How does Team Rocket come into play? Who attacked Pallet Town? Who or what attacked Gary in the alley? What about the Rare Candies? What connection does Ash have to the last King of the Drakes? Who was the traitor that started this whole mess to begin with?
So many questions. I wonder if any of you have picked up any foreshadowing yet? Or maybe it was too subtle….Read on to find out!
Favorite/follow/review please!
Next up: Chapter 40 - Bond
