Night had descended upon the village in a silent, uneasy haze. There was a foulness sitting on the air, carrying an ominous chill along the breeze. As the people slept soundly in their homes, young prying eyes peered out over the tops of trees to the lands beyond her home. Eiko hugged her knees to try and ward off the biting wind as it swept through her nightgown, unaware of the warning it tried so desperately to convey with every whispering howl. "Even the trees are restless..I wonder what's wrong.." She pondered, watching the moon's silver bath rustle through the tree tops like waves in an angry sea. Undisclosed by the light of the pale moon, Kenji stood at the window watching Eiko carefully, pondering to himself. He could almost hear the sound of his own heartbeat, the air was so thick with reticence. It wasn't until he found himself moving closer that the voice startled him. "You don't have to stand at the window, you can come sit with me.." Eiko jested, the soft icy gaze inviting him to join her. Without thinking twice, he stepped over the window sill and took a seat on the shingles. The tension in the air held for a while, until Eiko finally sighed. Kenji's ears flicked and twitched at every sound, but at that time he turned his full attention to her. His curiosity peeked as he saw her still pointed towards the forest. Despite their difference, he could feel it calling to her in a way he didn't understand. Their village was small, but filled with people that all adored the Noritaka family and loved one another. To leave would be the same as turning her back on everything she knew, not to mention her people. The oath of the Noritaka was meant to protect their people and their home, until their souls departed. Yet the yearning to be free was so great, sometimes it felt as if she could betray her oath. There was something out there that she had to do; a greater purpose she had to fulfill. The mark of the flame on her shoulder made this very clear to her every time she saw it. She was meant for more, and she wasn't going to find it in this village. "I'll explore the world some day, Kenji..he can't keep me at home forever." Eiko was still fixated on the swaying trees, even when she placed her head at his furry shoulder. Contemplating on her words, the pokemon had one in particular that resounded like a bell in his ears: home.
"Ho..home.." he said softly, but not in his native tongue. He jumped as Eiko sprang away in a fit of surprise. She was now staring at him inquisitively, still unsure of how and why, but all the more interested. Kenji focused, his brows scrunching as he placed one of his paws across his chest and said it once more. "Home."
Eiko stared on, still taken aback at the pokemon's sudden verbalization. Despite the awkwardness of the moment, she knew what he meant exactly. Placing her own hand across her chest, she smiled back at him and nodded. "Home."
"Is it ready?" A voice asked, sprouting from the darkest part of a closed room void of all light. Basement-like in construction, but the entire room felt as though it doubled as a sauna. Rumbling growls could be heard from two large concrete doors that held very ornate designs on each side. It took fifteen to twenty men to open both doors. All measures that had to be taken when housing such a weapon on its caliber. A large beast slumbered behind those doors, cataclysmic in nature and unmatched in force. The two men watched as it snored on from a small window cut into the door. The windows were dual-purposed to pose as pulley points for the door handlers, but made for great use when they wanted to observe their weapon at safe distance. Even in sleep, it was frightening. The voice came from a man clad in expensive silks and armor, decorative yet sturdy. A general that had become feared to all who knew him. As his guard nodded, a grim smile twisted his features as he looked upon the beast with admiration. "Good. That village will soon crumble for making a fool of my son..soon, they will all have to yield to me. And once I have all the land, I can overthrow the entire empire." The worrisome look on the guard stirred his general's moment of contentedness. With a unsure stutter, the question flowed from him without a second thought.
"Sir? What will happen to the pokemon if we completely close off its heart? Its scales are already starting to turn dark and we've lost several men from when it goes into an uncontrollable fury. Are we going to return the orb to him once we are finished using him? And what if-" Before the guard could finish, wide fingers latched themselves around his throat, holding him up against the door. He could feel the heat equivalent to fading embers on the back of his head and body and cried out in pain. "I don't care what happens to the beast as long as he obeys!" The general hissed, tossing the man to the side. "Besides, do you want to be the poor sap handing him back his most prized possession? If so, you could be the first to volunteer so we can make an example of whats left of your steaming corpse.." The grin returned, but this time laced with a poisonous sneer. As the man lay coughing on the floor, trembling from his general's words, he looked up at the crack to look the beast in the eye. Fear and regret struck him so violently he had to look away, and watched his general walk towards the cell doors. "Yes sir.." he muttered, rubbing his neck and looking back at the monstrous pokemon apologetically.
It started with a wave that burned hot and fierce, rivaling the sun's animosity. Next came rain like comets, impaling and igniting everything they touched. A roar followed, shattering the peace of the village. Earthquakes shook the foundations and trees, small and sudden but frequent. The calamity was growing closer, and with it came fire and ruin.
The village streets filled with panic and disarray as people scrambled for weapons and armor, and a causation to the catastrophe that ensued. As its rigid spine pierced the horizon, some stopped and watched as their foe stood towering over the village, casting a grim shadow upon everything it saw. Its very stature blocked out the moon, along with the billowing smoke. All there was to be seen clearly were two shining eyes that reflected the color of lava, and those soon turned dark as it seemingly engulfed its very shadow, becoming it. It had become darkness itself, but with a fiery vengeance. The front gate collapsed with a heavy thud and audible cracking from one of its feet. It pressed on, vomiting fire and lava as it made its way towards the Noritaka house. It seemed drawn to it, yet as it moved through the village, it didn't hesitate to destroy anything and everything in its path.
Eiko and Kenji had been running through the chaos, trying to find ways of taking the beast down as quickly as possible. Much of the village had already been claimed by fire, that of which was catching up to the rest slowly. Her heart bounded in her chest as she raced towards her home. She was wishing – hoping – her father was alive and fighting as they were. As much as she didn't want to admit it, this was undoubtedly a losing battle. This beast had a hide as strong as steel, and the very air boiled around it. She watched as some villagers had their own armor melt as they got too close. Its anger was unparalleled. Their strongest warriors were powerless.
"Father!" She pleaded for him, begging for some sign of life as she entered the home. The hungry flames licked the interior of the home, gorging on it. The sound of their crackling laughter could only be heard as she listened for any word at all. Nothing. Nothing but smoke and searing hissing. The smoke burned her eyes and throat, yet she kept calling, wildly searching with Kenji not too far behind her. "Father, answer me!"
"Eiko-" the rubble spoke, like a clouded whisper.
"Father? Father!" Leaping over a pile of burning house, she rushed over and pushed as much away as she could. There he lay. His sword was stilled cupped in his hand tightly. The will to fight was still strong, but his body seemed crushed under planks and wooden beams. With a steady hand, he gently placed in on her cheek. His face held no discomfort, but a smile. While Kenji tried as hard as he could to pull piece by piece off of his master, he watched the scene unfold and slowed in his actions to listen to what the old man had to say.
"Eiko..your mother – she loved you dearly..and I know she would have preferred you to follow your heart..as she did long ago.." The smoke caused him to sputter, but he tried to continued. "She would have wanted you to have this.." A necklace with a brilliant jewel fell from the hand that was held to her face, dangling off his thumb. The jewel held a tribal flame design in the center as well as a two-tone pattern, changing from red to blue in rapid succession against the fire's glow. "Take it..take it and never stop fighting..for what you believe in.." As the words left him, so did his soul. His eyes drifted shut and the hand that cradled her cheek fell limp. Tears gathered in her eyes as she looked on with disbelief. Her father was gone.
Claws crashed through what was left of the ceiling as the monster peered in, making an effort to grab the girl. A well placed aura sphere knocked him off balance, and Kenji, now possessing his master's sword after prying it from the rubble, dove in to sweep up Eiko and make off back towards the forest. As he ran, a roar followed as with a splash of intense embers from its rage. The embers chased after Kenji, one nailing its mark on one of his hind legs. Growling in agony, he winced from the pain of it piercing his hide but kept his speed. They needed to get away, as far away as possible. The smoke and darkness had made it hard to maneuver through the forest, and soon it claimed them with this wicked magic as Kenji hit the edge of a slope and sent them both tumbling further into the bed of the forest.
Taking one long look at the treeline, the monster let out one more devastating roar before disappearing behind the mountains again, avoiding the forest. It stomped away, leaving the village to burn along with the people in it. The smoke clouded the night sky with death and desolation as it carried on the winds a tale of agony and revenge that fell on deaf ears. The village of Noritaka was no more.