A/N: Glad that people found an interest in this! I love the plot that I made, and it seems like other people still remember it. You see, this started as a Role-Play plot over on Neopets back in 2007. And to think, people in 2012 still remember me! xD
Warnings: Yes, this is the prequel to Wake Me Up When This Chaos Ends. You don't need to read that other Pokémon fanfiction in order to understand this one, but I encourage you to read it if you want a taste of apocalyptic!Pokémon.
Disclaimer: I don't own Yuugiou (Yu-Gi-Oh) and/or Pokémon.
Redemption
Written by Fenikkusu
Chapter 2 – A New Beginning
"Don't worry, my pharaoh. You'll be reunited with your loved one in due time," a soft, feminine voice whispered from somewhere above. Atem groaned and forced his eyes open, immediately regretting it. Light assaulted his senses, causing the king to close his eyes again. He heard a sigh from above him. "Honestly. You haven't changed a bit."
Who in the world was talking to him? It was almost as if she knew who he was, but Atem was assured that he had never been to this world before. "Who… who are you?" the former king managed to ask once he found his voice.
"Hm, good question," the voice mused. "You could say that I was once a very good friend to you, in a time and dimension far different from this. You believe souls can be reborn, no? In layman's terms, that's what happened to me. In every world you travel to, there's a chance you'll encounter someone like me: a soul of someone you knew raised in a completely different environment."
Time and dimension? Did the Shadows truly have the capability to do such? Atem thought. And what is this about souls crossing dimensions?
It was almost as if she could read his mind, evidenced when she replied. "There's a sorceress… Well, everyone calls her the Dimensional Witch. She's the one who sent you to me." The girl paused and took in a deep breath before continuing. "It was my wish that you arrive in this Ra-forsaken world close to your destination. Goodness knows where you would have ended up otherwise; you may have met a premature end."
A premature end? What in the world have I gotten myself into? Any other person probably would be hyperventilating by now, but Atem had been through his share of adventures. Instead he took a deep breath and tried to calm his rapidly beating heart down some.
"Why don't you try opening your eyes again, my pharaoh? Slowly this time." A giggle accompanied the end of that sentence.
So he did. He found his head resting on the girl's lap, leaving him staring up at her face. Long black hair with blonde side bangs and red highlights framed her face. Her smile accentuated the sparkle in her wide golden eyes. She wore a worn kimono, much like the styles used in his home world during festivals.
"You look familiar," Atem commented. "I… apologize for not remembering."
Her smile did not falter. "No worries, my king. You'll remember when the time is right. This journey… is as much about you trying to regain the memories of your friends in Egypt. You'll see my soul and the soul of Cassius, in every world you encounter. I do hope that this is making some inkling of sense." She giggled nervously, a hand patting the back of her head in a sheepish manner.
Considering all the hell he'd been through on his first journeys, something like reborn souls was nothing. Atem nodded. "I indeed understand. Might I be able to see the surroundings, though?"
The girl gasped and flushed, "Oh, I'm sorry! I should have moved you when you first awoke. I'm really, really sorry! Here, let me give you a hand up." She reached her hands behind his shoulder blades and pushed up. Atem was able to place his own palms on the ground to support himself as he looked around. To his right was a grand lake; from the look of it, it was not manmade. Leading up to it, from Atem's left, was a colonnade made of various deciduous trees.
It wasn't the physical aspects of the forest that interested the man, though. No, it was the spiritual power this place held. Even the trees had a calming, visible aura around them. To the untrained eye there was nothing, but to those like Atem who dabbled in magic, the trees sparkled ever so slightly.
After a bit of shuffling from behind him, Atem heard, "This is Viridian Forest, my pharaoh. This place, as you may have noticed, is a reservoir for magic in this region of the world."
The man stood up and turned around to see the girl. She was just a bit shorter than him, about Yuugi's height. Wait, Atem thought, eyes going wide. If it were not for the difference in gender and eye-color, she looks just like him! But how?As he opened his mouth to ask, the girl tensed. "What's wrong?" he asked, crimson eyes narrowing.
"We have to get away from this place, now!" the girl shouted, grabbing one of his wrists. "C'mon!" She tugged him forward, away from the lake. Out of nowhere, a roar echoed through the Viridian Forest. That caused her to move even faster.
"What are we running from?" Atem managed to gasp as they continued to sprint over fallen branches and poisonous plants.
"It's called a Rogue, and it's only after me. You'll be on your own once we reach the edge of the forest." The girl screamed. "I just need to get you there first!" She cheered as she saw light ahead of them. "What I need you to do is—"
The tackle of a blur of red caused her to stop. The girl released Atem's hand as she was pinned to the ground by a large dog-like creature. The former king called to his Shadows, but to his surprise none came. "What?" he asked, glancing down. The Puzzle wasn't there. "Shit," he swore.
"Get out of here, Atem! Take this!" The girl managed to reach into an inner pocket of her kimono to grab something. She rolled the device to Atem, who snatched it up before the creature could bite his hand.
"I'm not leaving you!" Atem shouted back, fully prepared to take down the beast with his bare hands.
"No, I'll take care of this myself," she replied. The girl took a deep breath then glared up at the creature. "If you let him go freely," she whispered with a tone of finality, "I'll come quietly. Now get off of me, Arcanine, or I'll kill myself before Blood Raven can get a hand on me."
Atem's eyes widened considerably at the statement. The dog backed off the girl slowly, head bowed. Would she have so easily taken her life?
"Now what I need you to do, my pharaoh," the girl said in an even tone, keeping her eyes on the Arcanine, "is follow this path south to the next town. A boy named Satoshi Akai will be more than happy to help you. I've prepared all that you'll need in your upcoming journey. Hide that Pokéball until you get there; the Yami no Kaze shouldn't know that you have a Pokémon, got it?"
Although he still had a million questions running around in his head, Atem nodded dumbly. "I understand."
"Now go, you dolt. I'll see you later."
Atem turned and ran. The last thing he could remember was a flash of heat and a blow to the back of his head before he passed out.
Atem groaned as he attempted to blink his eyes open. What he assumed was the sun blared so bright that he clenched his eyelids shut. He'd wait until much, much later to try again. "Thank goodness!" he heard from his right. "Satoshi, your friend is awake!" The former pharaoh heard a door open and the exchange of footsteps.
"You look like you've been to hell and back," a new voice commented. If Atem guessed correctly, he was probably around Yuugi and his friends' age. "I found you in the Viridian Forest… I'm the friend the Shadows told you about. I guess this would be less awkward if you could actually look at me, but it's pretty bright out there. The blinds are pulled over the windows, but hey, what can you say. It's summer." That explained a few things. Atem managed to nod slightly before dizziness overcame him. "Mom's washing your clothing; it looked pretty beat up but not as bad as you. You'll get them back once they're done drying outside. In the meantime, I hope you don't mind the stuff you have on right now."
It was then that Atem realized he was wearing sweatpants and some kind of cotton shirt. The comforting warmth was quite the change from the icy grip of the Shadows. Atem tried to curb his annoyance at the darkness, but he wasn't too successful judging by his host's next reaction. "Anyway, I can tell that you're pissed over something, so I'll leave you to rest. Mom'll have lunch ready in an hour or so, and you're welcome to join us." A scraping of a chair against a wooden floor and a click later, the room was silent once more.
Where has the kindness in my world gone? Atem thought to himself. This teenager reminds me so much of aibou. They would have been great friends. It all came back to Yuugi, didn't it. The Heba that he talked about in his memory... Heba meant game in ancient Egyptian, and Yuugi meant game in modern Japanese. Although Atem could not remember the boy—a fact that irked him to the extreme—his gut told him that Heba and Yuugi were one and the same, reincarnates if you will.
If Atem did love Yuugi's soul in his past life, wouldn't he remember it?
Atem groaned and pressed his head further back into his pillow. This was far too complex to think about now. What he needed to do was recover… and figure out what to do next.
He didn't know exactly how much time had passed until he felt well enough to get out of the bed. The amount of light filtering through the window told Atem that it was early evening, though. I must have slipped in and out of consciousness for a few hours at least, Atem thought to himself as he stepped outside of his room. The size and layout of the house reminded Atem of the Game Shop. His heart clenched at the thought of his aibou and their friends, but he quickly squashed the feelings down as to not rile the Shadows. Although he didn't have the Puzzle on him, it wouldn't hurt to be too careful.
When Atem reached the kitchen, two people turned to him. One was the young boy he talked to earlier. The boy's mother smiled at him. "You're finally awake! Come and have some dinner." Atem's stomach grumbled, causing a fierce blush to cover his face. He could only hope his dusky skin hid some of the redness. "Don't be embarrassed," the woman continued. "After the state you came in earlier, I assumed you'd be hungry."
Satoshi grinned and bit into a juicy burger. "Mom's cooking is the best! Guaranteed it's not poisoned or anything!" He winced when his mother whacked him on the back of the head. "Mom!"
That caused Atem to chuckle. It was a full, hearty sound, one Atem was sure he hadn't made in quite some time. Apparently it was contagious as both Satoshi and his mother began to laugh as well. That was, until Satoshi began choking on the piece of burger he'd just swallowed. A few pounds on his chest released the piece of meat.
The rest of dinner was a calmer affair as Satoshi and his mother began to explain the basics of the world to him. Apparently there were creatures called Pokémon which people used for many purposes: companionship, battling, performing, everything really. It was a lot to take in, but Atem knew that only time could really tell how much he absorbed.
"Hide that Pokéball until you get there; the Yami no Kaze shouldn't know that you have a Pokémon, got it?"
Atem suddenly remembered the sphere he had hidden in his clothing. He took out the miniaturized Pokéball and held it out in an open palm. "I was given this by a mysterious girl in the forest. I am unsure of what creature may be inside."
Satoshi frowned. "She's a friend of mine, don't worry. Same hair colors as you, right?" A nod. "She wasn't with you when I found you, so she's probably on the run again."
"There was a canine-like creature she called an Arcanine which was tracking her. She also mentioned something about Rogues? Could you clarify?"
The boy and his mother shared a look. "Rogues… Rogues are manmade creations," Satoshi began. "To put it simply, their hearts were unnaturally shut, causing their rage and other negative emotions to grow. There aren't many out there, and I'm part of an organization out there to stop these monsters before they run rampant." The sixteen-year-old trainer held out a small broach. A blue and white shield was surrounded by two golden wings. "They're called the Kibou no Senshi or Warriors of Hope. Most of us use KnS for short."
Satoshi leaned back in his chair. "I'm actually headed to the Isshu region tomorrow to meet up with some allies. I'm no strategist; I just follow my gut!" he exclaimed with a goofy grin.
Atem shook his head with a hint of a smile on his face. Just like Jounouchi.
"But anyway, you can click on the button in front of the Pokéball to enlarge it, and press it again to release the Pokémon inside."
"Very well." Atem pointed the ball at a clear area of the kitchen and followed Satoshi's instructions. The Pokéball split open at its seam, bright red light forming into a tiny form. When the light dispersed, a jackal-like creature appeared, kneeling on one knee. It raised its head and opened its eyes. Bright ruby irises stared into Atem's crimson ones unflinchingly.
"I am Kkwy, a Riolu. I have been given to you as protection, my liege."
There was a tug at Atem's heart. The telepathy felt eerily similar to the Mind Link he and Yuugi once shared. There was something missing, though, something that the pharaoh couldn't quite place. "Protection from the Rogues, I'm assuming?"
A solemn nod. "Yes, along with those who created them. The Yami no Kaze, or Gale of Darkness is responsible for these monsters. They seek to use the Shadows in order to control this dimension, my king." Atem narrowed his eyes at the revelation. "Unfortunately, your mission is far from over."
"Rise and come here, Kkwy." The Riolu immediately obeyed, padding over to Atem. The former pharaoh picked up the small Pokémon and placed him on the table to get a better look at him. "Your name means Dark in ancient Egyptian. Who named you?"
"The woman who met you earlier named me. She mentioned something about history repeating itself." Kkwy shifted uneasily. "Maste—"
"Do not call me that," was the low hiss. "I am no one's master. Do I make this clear?" Atem chuckled softly. "I am no longer pharaoh either."
Kkwy frowned. "What can I call you then? I find it disrespectful to call you by your given name."
"I don't want to keep on calling you 'Spirit' or 'Other Me'," Yuugi said with a frown. "What's your name?"
The spirit of the pharaoh looked away. "I… I do not know."
"What?"
"It is true," the specter replied, his voice dropping in tone. "I recall nothing: not my name, my home, my family, my country… Nothing." He held out an open hand before clenching it into a fist. "All I know is that I was sent here for a reason." He locked gazes with Yuugi. "That we are here for some reason. As for the details, I'm afraid I cannot tell you."
The boy was silent for a few moments.
The spirit continued, "If you wish to get rid of me, I would find no offense with you. After what I nearly put Kaiba through in order to—"
He was cut off by the gentle hands that unraveled his fingers. Yuugi held the spirit of the puzzle's hand between his own. Amethyst eyes shimmered. "No. We're in this together… we'll get your memories back, I promise."
The spirit held his breath. "Aibou," he finally exhaled when Yuugi smiled. Do I truly deserve you? Such a kind-hearted soul…
"What about Yami? It means Darkness in Japanese," Yuugi suggested. "Not all darkness is evil, you know."
"Yami…" the spirit whispered, the foreign word rolling off of his tongue. "That would be acceptable."
"Call me Yami. It means Darkness in Japanese. Not all darkness is evil, Kkwy," Atem continued, shaking himself out of his memories. It wouldn't do any good to dwell upon the past. "Though I do wonder how this YnK is controlling the Shadows."
"I may have an answer to that," Satoshi replied. He reached into his vest pocket and retrieved a photograph. The teen slid it across the table face up. It was a shadowy picture of a man with a golden eye etched across a cape. "See that symbol on his back? Intelligence told us that he has golden items with this eye on it."
"The Eye of Horus… The Sennen Items must be responsible." Atem looked up at Satoshi. "Would I be able to accompany you to this Isshu Region? It is my responsibility to control the Shadows, and in the wrong hands the Sennen Items… The Rogues are a prime example of what they can accomplish."
Satoshi laughed as he held out a hand for Atem to shake. As they linked grips, Satoshi said, "I'm here to help you in any way that I can. Now let's get packed!"