Pokemon: The Lord of the Elements

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Chapter 9

Dragons, Ghosts, and Demons

Ash quickly ran across a small, floating island of stone with Pikachu and Eevee ahead and Mew overhead. On either side of the island was a deep chasm of strange lights that made up the entirety of the strange space around them. The sky, as the immeasurable depths, shone in colors of yellow, green, pink, and even white. Yet, as they knew they would eventually, they came to the edge of the island that was suspended in the strange nothingness.

"Damn!" Pikachu groaned in frustration as he looked over the side of the of the island. "And I never got to boink Buneary!"

"I thought you didn't like her?" Ash looked at his long-time partner in confusion.

"Being chased to the edge of oblivion by a shadow-monster, thing-y, really makes you appreciate the ones who love you, buddy," Pikachu frowned, his ears folding downwards.

"Yeah, no kidding," Ash nodded in despair, his thoughts turning to Misty, May, Dawn, and Serena.

"As great as it is that you're thinking about your hormonal needs," Eevee growled, turning his back to the edge of the island they were against, "I think we have more pressing matters."

Ash and Pikachu turned to see a shadowy creature with great red eyes. It growled at them, making a sinister noise akin to a laugh, and moved closer to them inch by inch, savoring the moment of its triumph.

"I think we're screwed, guys," Pikachu said as his frown deepened.

…

(Some time earlier….)

How long Chie led Ash, Pikachu, and Eevee into the depths of Mount Silver, the three couldn't say, but Ash knew that they delved into a place long vanished from memory. Whether or not Chie was telling the truth about how old the temple was, was one thing, but there they were. What seemed odd to the young man, however, was that the passages, the deeper they delved, seemed to turn more from the appearance of a temple into a mine. Traces of rock glowing rock, that shone with silver starlight, appeared like veins along the tunnel walls. To Ash, the rock seemed like that of mega stones, but these were much more radiant.

"What is it?" Ash asked as the group explored the forgotten tunnel.

"Gaeithium," Chie answered, never stopping, though light now seemed to radiate off the immortal Mew. "The raw and most potent form of it, at any rate. You have seen it before, haven't you?"

"The Sundial of Kalos," Ash said quietly. "But it didn't look like this."

"I know it well," Chie said. "The Sundial had any uses in its beginning. It originally struck Kalos as a comet during the time that Rayquaza swore guardianship over the world. Dragons have ever been the protectors of the world after the Mew race failed."

"Failed?" Pikachu asked with fascination.

"A story for another time," Chie said softly. "There are many tales to tell, and not enough time to tell them in."

"But what was the original purpose of the Sundial?" Ash asked.

"Some thought it was a way to ensure the permanence of mega evolution," Chie said with a tone of amusement. "Others believed it to be a gateway to the Distortion World. Still, there are those who thought it held the full power of Zygarde. In truth, it is the symbol of friendship between Zygarde and Rayquaza, for it touches the land, the sea, and the sky. To that end, Zygarde and Rayquaza have ever kept their vigilant watch over the peace of the world: waiting for the day chaos may rule over us again through the strength of other pokémon that could disrupt that peace."

"Groudon and Kyogre," Ash answered with thought.

"Yes," Chie nodded, "and no. There are many powers in the world. Some of them lie in wait, others want nothing to do with the world. Some are stronger, others are weaker. But the strength, the full strength, at any rate, of many of them have not been tested. Rayquaza and Zygarde ensure that does not happen. Such power could surely mean the end of the world. But I think the two simply keep watch over the Sundial for fear of a different power."

"And what power is that?" Eevee frowned.

"Only Giratina knows," Chie said. "But that answer isn't important."

"Why not?" Ash asked, but was only met by the silence of the immortal Mew.

The rest of the journey was in silence, with only the echoes of footsteps sounding throughout the tunnels of the ancient mine. Though the light of the gaeithium allowed them some vision, it was the light that enveloped Chie that guided them to and fro.

"We haven't seen any pokémon here," Ash mused.

"Nor will we," Chie spoke finally. "Regular pokémon stay away from gaeithium, for some reason. Perhaps they understand what it is, and stay away out of respect. Maybe they fear it. Or perhaps it is the temple itself, though I doubt that."

"I have felt uneasy since we can down here," Pikachu spoke up. "As if messing with the stones could hurt the earth."

"We have Regisians to thank for that," Chie scoffed. "Their greed for gaeithium after the death of King Sato was unparalleled. It is an odd thing that Aegis was so close to a good king but did not learn a thing from Sato. Still, even though the Regisians hurt the world they once loved, weaker forms of gaeithium find their way into the hands of humans. Evolutionary stones, humans use these for."

"Weaker forms?" Ash asked.

"The world is like a body," Chie explained, "and gaeithium truly is the veins of that body. Like every body, however, there is eventual corruption. That corruption is impure gaeithium as a result. It is not raw like was you see in this mine, and it is far less potent. Yet, it still taps into the power and life the immortal Mew gave to the lesser pokémon in the loss of their immortality. Evolutionary stones, mega stones… they serve the power of my kind still. They serve humans still."

Suddenly, Chie came to stop.

"We're here," the ancient Mew said quietly and closed his eyes. Suddenly, the light around him became much brighter and illuminated a large chamber filled with carvings of legendary and mythical pokémon into the stone walls.

At the farthest back of the chamber were two images of what appeared to be Arceus, though the left image was without a face. Below the image of the Arceus on the right were images of Dialga and Palkia, and after them were the three Lake Guardians and Solgaleo and Lunala. Below them, running in a circle across the chamber, were images of all the other legendary and mythical pokémon ending with a Mew and Celebi at the entrance to the chamber. However, at the middle of the chamber, was a statue of Giratina behind a stone arch that appeared to be a mirror.

"What is this place?" Ash frowned.

However, Chie did not answer. Instead, he hovered closer to the mirror. When he came to it, however, he paused, and took a moment to stare at the statue in silence. To Ash, it seemed as if Chie was talking to the statue by the way he looked at it. Yet, before he could even ask, the ancient Mew went forward and touched the mirror. In an instant, it glowed with radiant light. Strange symbols appeared around the arch, glowing as the mirror did, and only then did Chie turn around to look at the young man and the pokémon who followed him.

"The Regisians made many wonders," Chie said softly, "but those wonders were often fraught with peril. This… is the physical door to the Distortion World. The Spirit World, as some would call it. There were once many doors like this, and they were used as highways for the Regisians to travel quickly, before the lesser pokémon came into existence. A fool's business. The Regisians had no idea what they were toying with! But it can't be helped. I felt the call of the tree, and that call has urged me to take you here. Time is not an ally to us, so we must act quickly. You must step through here, and hope you do not draw the attention of whatever might lay beyond."

"What might be in there?" Ash asked with hesitation.

"Answers," Chie said plainly. "Answers you might not like, but answers. In there, time is a strange thing. A thousand years there can be a day here, and a day there can be a thousand years here. You might pass through that door and find yourself in tomorrow or next week when you come out. You might not come out at all. But, if you want to surpass the answers of all those who were before you, I urge you to go in."

"Is there another way?" Ash asked again.

"No," Chie said. "There is no other way. I see what is in your heart, boy. If you do not take this path, you will be found out. There is something coming, and it will not stop until you, everyone you care for, and everything else is dead. I can feel that change in the air around me. Would you risk your life to protect those you love?"

"Yes," Ash answered confidently.

"Love is often the death of duty," Chie snorted in amusement, "but it is also what gives duty a purpose. It gives someone something to fight for. Go in, boy. I won't send you in blind, however. I shall be your guide."

Ash looked at the old Mew and offered a small smile before nodding in thanks. Slowly, and with slight nervousness, he moved ever closer to the glowing mirror. Reaching his right hand forward, he touched the light while Eevee and Pikachu watched behind him. Ash smiled slightly.

"It feels a little cold in there," he chuckled.

"It is a world of the dead," Pikachu smiled slightly. "I'm sure Serena would been on the first flight back to Kalos before going in there."

"She'd kill me for even considering it," Ash chuckled again, remembering her utter fear of ghosts. "But we don't have a choice, do we?"

"Not unless you wish for this girl to die for your reluctance," Chie said before Pikachu could answer.

Ash looked over to Chie, who simply nodded at Ash in reassurance.

"If anything happens to me," Ash said seriously, "get my pokémon out of there immediately."

"You have my word," Chie nodded.

With that, Ash stepped forward and entered the light of the mirror.

…...

Ash gulped, remembering how he, Pikachu, and Eevee found themselves inside this multicolored plane of existence, as he stared at the shadowy creature that was nearing them more and more. Before they met this thing, Chie had gone off in search of Giratina, who would be able to help them. Now he couldn't help but wonder if Chie was going to find their corpses. Yet, even as he felt his blood turn to ice in fear, he felt the power of the gems counteract whatever dark aura was coming from the creature. Suddenly, he felt his courage return and his foolhardy strategies of luck rush into his mind.

"Pikachu," Ash cried, "use thunderbolt!"

Pikachu leapt forward and cried out in fury before letting lose his extraordinary amount of energy. The thunderbolt struck the creature, and it stopped for just a moment, but shook the attack off and continued forward. Its eyes were now filled with rage.

"Great," Eevee muttered in despair. "We pissed it off…."

"Then we use it to our advantage," Ash replied. "Pikachu, electro ball! Eevee, use swift! Attack it with a pincer move!"

With incredible speed, the two pokémon darted off in different directions, getting on either side of the creature and executing their attacks after jumping. But the shadow looked up a burst of energy came from it, sending the attacks back at Pikachu and Eevee before the energy struck them as well. The two went flying off quickly struck the ground, nearly falling off the island. As Pikachu struggled to get up, the creature moved ever closer to Ash.

However, it did not move to throw Ash into the bottomless abyss, but rather tried to grab him. But, Ash dodged the movement by performing a summersault and moving under the creature. The creature then immediately struck Ash on his back and sent him flying deeper into the terrain of the floating island. It snorted in pleasure and turned to face Ash again, eyeing the young man carefully. Before long, however, when it finally reached Ash, it let out a wretched noise that was like diabolical laughter and made a move to attack.

However, before it could strike Ash, two balls of energy struck the creature powerfully and sent it over the island's edge. Yet, it did not all off the edge like Ash would have, but hovered rather gracefully in the air. Looking where the attacks had come from, Ash saw Chie and Giratina. The creature, however, glared with unending hatred and roared furiously at the old Mew and Giratina before making a move to attack. Light clashed around the three contestants as lightning while Ash got up and ran to get Pikachu and Eevee.

"Are you two okay?" Ash asked the injured pokémon, who simply nodded in grimacing pain. Yet, Ash, who felt his own pain increasing, had great sympathy for them while also trying to remain strong. Another clash of energy and light stole the trio's attention as they watched helplessly as Chie and Giratina desperately fought the creature. But the creature had the upper hand over the old Mew, and threw Chie into the island with enough force to crack the earth under him.

Ash, Pikachu, and Eevee went to Chie as quickly as they could, but he was unconscious and bleeding, leaving only Giratina and the creature as the only contenders of the battle. Back and forth they battled: charging each other, throwing bursts of energy at each other, and doing whatever else they could to cause the other yield and submit. Light continued to clash around them, deafening explosions sounded from them and shook the entirety of the Distortion World, and neither gave an inch, seeming as if they would battle for all eternity if need be. However, Giratina had the upper hand when he used a flash of light to blind the shadow creature and create an illusion of himself. And when the creature struck the illusion, Giratina was already behind the creature and struck at it with a fierce blow. Seeing that Giratina could not be overcome, the creature then made a deafening roar and fled into the seemingly endless reaches of the Distortion World. However, Giratina stayed where he was, ensuring that the creature was indeed gone, before gracefully descending to the island.

When Giratina touched the ground, the renegade pokémon stood proud and majestically before Ash as a king would stand tall and proud over his kingdom. Yet, Giratina lowered his head as Ash got up to be eyelevel with him. Ash peered back into Giratina's eyes and smiled widely.

"It's been a long time, old friend," Giratina said, his deep voice even rumbling the earth under him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Ash nodded. "Just a little sore. So are Pikachu and Eevee, though I think Chie got the worst of it."

Giratina merely gazed at the four of them for a moment before closing his eyes. Suddenly, a green energy enveloped them and their injuries healed. Ash stared in amazement at the old Mew, who was bleeding, now was healed completely.

"My powers here are greater than in your world," Giratina answered Ash's thoughts. "Here, I am free to be at my strongest, unbound to the limitations that hold your world from descending into chaos. Yet, even here, I am bound to my limits, and am utterly unable to destroy my ancient enemy."

"That shadow creature?" Ash asked, his confusion growing. "It seemed like a ghost pokémon. What was that thing?"

"It is a temporarily subdued spirit," Chie answered, "but that was no ghost pokémon."

"Too true," Giratina answered grimly. "Subdued, yes, but he getting stronger. I can feel it every time I meet him. As far as human words go, the closest thing that comes to mind that you would call it would be a 'demon.' A good word for it, strong even! But, it isn't truly the correct word."

"Then what is the 'correct word?'" Ash frowned, wondering what could cause Giratina so much trouble.

"I don't suppose there is one," Giratina said after some thought. "He used to have a name, and that is forgotten, even to himself."

"The ancient Regisians had a word for him," Chie added. "The closest translation to would be 'Chaos.'"

"That, too, is a rather good and strong word," Giratina nodded, "but I simply call him 'uncle.'"

"Uncle?!" Eevee and Pikachu shouted in unison.

"Yes," Giratina answered with a sigh. "'The Dark Arceus,' but to even add the name of my father to him is incorrect. 'The Other,' we call him now, and he is the older twin of my father. My father was gifted with superior knowledge and wisdom, but my uncle was gifted with superior strength and power. Together, they were meant to create and rule the universe. But, the Other resented my father and sought to rule the universe by himself in jealousy. After my father made my twin sisters, Dialga and Palkia, and I, my father taught them first. My uncle used that against my father, and enticed me to anger against my sisters. I turned them against each other as a means to destroy them both, but the plan of my uncle was found out and my father stopped the fighting of my sisters. As punishment, I was banished here forever."

"Then how did this 'Other' get here?" Ash asked.

"It wasn't until some thirteen billion years later that his physical form was destroyed," Chie answered. "The Other was killed during the War of Vengeance by Arceus."

"Indeed," Giratina nodded, "but that victory was by luck rather than skill. My uncle had the upper hand the entire time during that last battle, and would have easily killed my father had the humans your kind rescued not intervened and surprised the Other."

"And yet it was the Other's taint on humanity that started that war," Chie mused. "An irony of a long and sad history on the world. And now you are cursed to keep the Other's spirit confined here."

"A curse that he is here, yes," Giratina answered, "and a curse that my father laid upon me to be trapped here. Yet, the task I was assigned here is no curse. It has always been my duty to safeguard and lead the spirits of pokémon to The One."

"The One?" Ash asked, gaining the attention of Giratina.

"Ah, yes," Giratina nodded. "I forget that there is much that you do not know. So much history of the world is indeed lost to the ages. I know as much about The One as you do, but I do know that The One made Arceus and the Other, and I know that The One commanded me to rule this place and lead the spirits of pokémon to Him. Some spirits return to the world as ghost pokemon, acting as my eyes and ears in the world and give me news. Others fall to the corruption of the Other, transforming into what you call 'demons.' But the rest go to The One. Where that is, I do not know, and the Other is the same. All I know is that the spirits I lead go to the very center of the Distortion World, where the Other cannot follow.

The Distortion World, or, 'the Spirit World,' as it may be more accurately known, is an impassable labyrinth that has a straight road that only I can see. The only others who could see it were the ancient Regisians because of their gems. That is why they made this place a highway to quickly get anywhere in the world. Yet, they could not see the road to the center of the Distortion World, for some reason. As for me, I cannot enter the center, only come to its edge."

"I don't understand," Ash frowned slightly.

"I don't expect you to," Giratina said. "But I will grant you some aid. I give you the gift of part of my sight, for your gems will guide you. You must travel this highway and seek out the ancient places of the Regisians, which still stand thanks to the power of the gems. In these places, you shall learn much, and Chie shall help you in such training. To you will be granted Z-powers beyond your imagination. You shall have control over mega evolution the likes you have never seen. You may even be able to call upon the true strength of the gems, the ancient Mew whose souls reside in them still. Yet, even after you understand this power, you must also understand that its abuse shall claim your life or even the lives of your pokémon. And after you are finished, return to me, and I will teach you what I have taught to Chie. You will be made strong, Ash Ketchum, but do not underestimate your enemy, for he is far stronger."

"And who is my enemy?" Ash asked. "That thing I saw?"

"No," Chie answered seriously. "His name is Shin'en, as I have named him before. A mortal Mew who achieved immortality by performing acts of unspeakable evil. He was good in his youth, but his hatred of lesser pokémon and humans drove him to resent the immortal Mew who gave their immortality to give lesser pokémon life. He felt robbed of life, so he partook in a forbidden ancient power humans called 'True Magic,' which helped in the creation of the gems, and crossed it what you would call 'blood magic.'

His lust for life and power sent him here, to the Distortion World, where he was found and caught by the Other. For his desire, he sacrificed his soul to the Other, and became a creature of horrible evil, serving the Other by slaughtering humans and pokemon alike and using their lifeforce to release the Other from his bonds. His use of the power of blood allowed him to create his own gem without a soul. Now he is back to return what he started. Your father's blood released him. I sensed it being spilled long ago, and now you must strike down the enemy of the world. It is the blood of the lesser pokémon he craves, and he will do it by any means. Even causing them to fight each other to the death."

"He won't lay a finger on any of them!" Ash shouted, thinking of Pikachu, and all the other pokémon friends he made.

"As long as you are careful," Giratina said. "Shin'en is highly intelligent. Even now, he knows of your existence. An heir to Regisia is his true fear. He fears you, Ash. He fears what you are, and what you could become. He fears a united world against him. He will work fast to make sure that doesn't happen. He wants you, he wants your gems, and he wants his gem back. If he succeeds, the world will fall. And there will be no one who will be able to stop him. Not even my father."

Ash looked down with a heavy gaze at the medallion around his neck. The gems seemed to sparkle with a soft gleam, but it was as beautiful as clear starlight during the summer. Slowly, he looked back up at Chie and Giratina.

"I'm ready," he said. "What do I do?

…

Hey, everyone! Thanks for reading. Hopefully, as a side project but still in relevance to this story, I will be able to start a fanfic that is a collection of stories that summarizes the backstory history of "Pokemon: The Lord of the Elements" before the events that are taking place. Hopefully I will be able to give more information as to when that will be released in the near future. Please leave your reviews! Have a good day!