Prologue
The world of Pokémon is a vast and varied world. Within its confines are many different regions playing host to hundreds of different species of Pokémon, each playing a different part in the natural cycle of the world.
There are, however, some Pokémon that were created to be greater than their brethren. These were those personally created by the original one, Arceus; whose egg was born at the beginning and whose will created Time, Space, and the other forces responsible for the perpetuation of the world.
After Time and Space were created, Arceus knew that for them to coexist they must have a mediator to oversee the balance between them. So Arceus created Giratina to watch over the Reverse World, a dimension parallel yet opposite to the regular world. Giratina's duty was to oversee the Reverse World and ensure its stability. Dialga and Palkia, who had fought each other since their creation, were sealed in their own dimensions to ensure peace.
After the universe was stabilized, Arceus knew that it would be safe to create a place for the more fragile beings to live.
First though, Arceus needed that place. So among the innumerable stars Arceus created a planet in a place where life would be sustainable. This planet Arceus created imperfect, with many deformities and canyons. To oversee this planet she created Groudon, lord of the Earth.
Next, she knew that life would require safety from the harsh sun that continuously dried out the planet's surface. So she created Rayquaza, lord of the Air. His job was to create an atmosphere around the planet and make sure that it was maintained.
Now Arceus deemed the planet suitable for living things, and so Arceus created the first and only Elemental Dragon, whose job it was to bring life to the world. The Dragon had within it the powers of Fire, Ice, and Lightning, and these it combined, Fire and Ice creating water, and Lightning bringing the first spark of life to the substance.
But the Dragon was unstable in its creation. Even Arceus could not hope to create a being that could contain three primary elements. Soon, the Elemental Dragon split into two others; Fire taking the shape of Reshiram, the White Dragon of Truth, and Lightning taking the shape of Zekrom, the Black Dragon of Ideals. What remained of the original dragon was a shell, and this shell fell to earth from the sky in the form of Kyurem, the Dragon of Ice, who was a shell.
Now Arceus saw what had happened and felt sorrow, for the three primary elements should never have been forced together in one being. Even then they were almost too much for their current wielders; so Arceus created the three Elemental Birds. Zapdos, who was lightning incarnate; Moltres, who took the form of an Inferno; and Articuno, who became a being of ice and blizzards.
These five Pokémon – for Kyurem did not have the will nor the strength to lend its aid – finished the making of life on Earth. This they did in the middle of a mountain range which at the end of their labors filled with water. This range became an Archipelago, and the islands that were the cradle of life became known as Shamouti.
Because of their labors, life took hold first in the oceans of the world, but could not grow from the fierceness of the waters. So Arceus created Kyogre, lord of the oceans, to hold the seas in check. Also she created Lugia, lord of storms, who was charged with keeping the world's oceans at peace.
Finally, life began to take hold and it grew until Arceus was satisfied. To oversee this growth and make sure that it was good, Arceus created Mew, who was the ancestor of all Pokémon, and Mew guided the early life until it formed into modern Pokémon.
Soon, life began to move onto land, and Arceus created Celebi to create and watch over the forests of the world. Celebi did so, and later, when they were released from their prison-dimensions, Dialga often came to Celebi's home. As a kinship grew, Dialga gave Celebi power over time, so that it could move forward and backwards through it.
Palkia became enamored of the growing Pokémon, and admired the works of Mew. It was Palkia who gave Mew her power over matter, and Mew in turn helped to teach this power to some of the Pokémon who were forming.
Arceus began to feel comfortable with how the world was moving, but felt that it would advance too slowly with only Pokémon. So Arceus created the earliest humans, and to give them their driving force Arceus created Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf, who represented Knowledge, Emotion, and Willpower. Thus humans and Pokémon became possessed of sentience, and humans of the drive to improve the world.
Over time Arceus created a few more deity Pokémon, but the rest are minor, and are not spoken of here.
Before Arceus departed to sleep, though, she foresaw a great chain of events which would surround the fate of a single Chosen Human. This vision was recorded in a prophecy, which was kept safe in the cradle of the world, Shamouti.
Then, Arceus slept.
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Now, centuries later, we find that chosen one standing in the center of a congregation of humans and Pokémon.
His name was Ash Ketchum. His dream when his journey began was to become a Pokémon master, and to achieve this dream he spent the greater part of his first five years battling in the Pokémon League tournaments held throughout each of the five League-controlled regions of the world.
During his travels though, he had seen and done things that should have been impossible. Many of the beings he had met were only seen once in a lifetime, and each time he met one his being was set greater on the path of justice.
This path had led him to an organization that was begun by the current Indigo League champion, Lance Wataru, the Pokémon G-Men.
In the G-Men, Ash learned respect, control, and became stronger than ever before. The goal of the G-Men was for the peace between humans and Pokémon worldwide.
He'd quickly risen through the ranks, solving problems and becoming a trusted and respected figure throughout the five regions.
Now, however, he stood at attention before Lance himself, listening to his speech, and having the insignia that represented all of his progress in the G-Men torn off.
"Ash Ketchum," Lance said, strict imperious authority ringing in his voice, "Due to unacceptable misconduct you have hereby been expelled from the ranks of the Pokémon G-Men. Your rank has been taken away from you, and your Pokémon will be confiscated, to be given to a trainer more deserving of them. You will be offered an opportunity of transport to wherever you wish within the five regions, where you will be left to your own devices." Lance continued.
How did it come to this? Ash remembered clearly; a single argument after a short mission to Orre had utterly shattered whatever ambitions he'd had within the League jurisdiction.
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He'd just arrived back from the dusty Orre region, which sat southeast of Hoenn and just Southwest of the Indigo territories.
His first duty was to report to his superior, Lance. He knew it would be a long conversation, since Lance was of the opinion that Orre was a near-hopeless desert land of murderers and thieves.
Ash however, had a different outlook after spending a few weeks there. The Orre region was harsh, yes. Upon entering the desert you were given a dog-tag with your name on it, advice to take a lot of water, and a set of rules that had to be followed else the desert inhabitants would kill you.
The desert itself was merciless. Hot sun beat down on the neck and face, a dry, hot wind squashed any hope of catching a cool refreshing breeze, and the blinding light bounced off of the dunes and into the eyes.
In short, the desert was a type of hell in itself. But that was not even the most dangerous part; that was the inhabitants.
Those who dwelt in the Orrean desert were people who had come to Orre to grow stronger. They tested their mettle constantly in the desert, battling each other in fights to the death that could last anywhere from a minute to weeks on end.
Pokémon and trainer alike fought in these battles, so that it was rare to see any trainer deprived of some sort of blade or bow.
Despite all of this, Ash was impressed by the strict ethics the inhabitants held themselves to.
The instructions given to each new challenger were simple:
Have a method of signaling. It could be a Pokémon that knows Draco Meteor, or Energy Ball, or even a lit-off firework.
-One shot means that an attack is in progress. Any who do not signal this and attack anyways are to be immediately hunted down and killed.
-Two shots are to signal that the battle is over.
-Three shots indicate that there was a death or deaths in the fighting, and any attackers are to stay away upon pain of death for a period of one week.
-Four shots are to signal peace, and any who break this peace do so under penalty of death.
If the three shots are given, do not attack. Death is to be honored in Orre, and always respect the smoke from the honorary funeral pyre. Any who do not do so risk the retaliation of the other inhabitants.
When a human or Pokémon is killed, they must be cremated and their ashes spread to join the dust of Orre, unless requested otherwise. Any who do not do so are to immediately be put to death.
Territory is decided by strength. If a trainer and their Pokémon manage to drive off a former occupant of territory, then that area is deemed theirs until it is taken from them. Strength decides who you are in Orre, whether in strength of body, mind, or will.
Those were the instructions that Ash was given after he put his dog-tag on. They placed extreme stress of importance on honor and strength in the desert. Nobody disrespected the dead, and when someone did die then their ashes were spread to join the dusts of Orre for the rest of time.
Ash spent only a short time travelling the desert, and met a single occupant in the outer territories. They had battled, and though the man didn't bear a candle to any who lived further in, Ash had been thoroughly trounced.
He had found what he'd been sent out to find though; information on the lifestyle of Orre. Lance wanted to know if everybody in Orre followed the lifestyle of killing and lawlessness.
Each person there followed the tenets, it was just that most simply didn't often need to follow them; instead preferring to live in the cities where a more stable lifestyle was maintained.
Orre's power structure was tied into the landscape itself. In the most southern part of the island was a mountain range that was constantly wracked by earthquakes. At the center of this range the Leader of Orre held his territory. Until he was defeated and his territory taken from him Orre followed his orders. Spreading outwards until the northern coast a chain of command was established, with those closest to the mountains holding the highest positions; and being the de facto strongest trainers in Orre.
However, when Ash reported all of this to Lance, he'd taken it that all of Orre was in need of a force to establish order there, and cleanse it of the old system.
When Ash had disagreed, Lance questioned his loyalty to the cause of the G-Men, and soon enough Ash was relieved of his position. To protect his Pokémon, he was deemed an irresponsible trainer, and had his license revoked.
This led to where he stood today.
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Lance stared at him for a long time. An almost sorrowful glint was in his eye, but he would not let that stand in his ways.
Lance Wataru was a stubborn man – much like his dragons, very little could change his mind when he was set on a goal.
"Do you have any place in mind where you'd like to be dropped off, Ash?" Lance asked him finally.
"Pallet town. I need to speak with Professor Oak and my mother before I leave to find something to do." Ash replied, his voice dispassionate.
Lance nodded, "Very well, report to the teleporting chamber. An Alakazam will transport you to your destination." He said.
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"Professor Oak?" Ash called after knocking on the door several times, to no response.
Disappointed by the lack of answer, Ash made his way towards his childhood home. He smiled at some of the Pallet natives, who gave tentative waves back. Nobody knew what to think – normally any person who had been stripped of their position so publically had to have done something terrible. Ash had always been such a selfless person – so thus they couldn't decide how to act around him.
He unlocked the door with a key that he kept on him and called softly into the house, "Mom? It's Ash. I'm home for a few days."
He heard movement from the living room, and Delia Ketchum, with her Mr. Mime in tow, came into view and gave him one of her signature rib-crushing hugs.
"Oh Ash, it's so good to see you!" She said happily, "I've already got dinner cooking, and Professor Oak and Tracey are over for dinner as well."
So that explained the professors' absence from his lab.
Ash smiled back at her and replied; "That sounds great, Mom. I was just over at the lab. I guess I just missed him."
Delia's smile faltered for a moment, before she asked; "Ash, what happened? One day you're a hero, the next you're being stripped of your position."
Ash felt his good mood at seeing his mother for the first time in weeks drop.
"Lance and I had a disagreement of opinion. Afterwards he didn't think I was worthy of the G-Men, or my Pokémon." Ash told her, shaking his head in frustration.
Delia ushered him inside, nearly dragging him to the living room where Professor Oak and Tracey were watching the news.
"Hello there Ash! I'm sorry about the G-Men, and about everything else, really." Professor Oak said, standing up with a little effort to shake his hand.
"It's not a problem Professor. I'll miss my Pokémon, but at least I got to explain the situation to them, and know that they'll at least be in good hands." Ash told him.
The Professor took a moment to study his face, before hesitantly asking him; "What are your plans now Ash? You can't train any more, with your license revoked."
Ash shrugged for a moment, before gathering his courage; "I'm actually planning on going to Orre. It's what started this mess, so I figure that's where it'll end as well. I might try and travel to some other places outside the league. Altomare and Shamouti have a few memories and friends that I haven't seen in a while." He told them.
Professor Oak seemed to recoil a little, "Orre, Ash? Are you insane? That place is lawless. Without a Pokémon, especially not a trained one, you'll be torn to shreds!" He exclaimed. Tracey and Delia both looked at Ash in concern.
"I know Professor. That's all an eventual plan. I'll be travelling around a bit first. Orre is at least a few months away." Ash said.
Oak sighed, but resigned himself to Ash's goal. Ash was just as stubborn, if not even more so than Lance when he had his own goals. It took him five years and countless life-changing experiences before he wavered at all from his quest to become a Pokémon master – and even so he only did it for a goal that was closely tied to being one anyways!
"Very well Ash. I won't argue with you on this, although I disagree." Oak sighed, before changing tact, "On another note, could you take a look at a Pokémon I've got back at the lab? She's been a bit lonely since her mother passed away last month, and I'd be willing to let you take care of her if you can connect to her."
Ash nodded, the old sparkle coming back to his eyes. "I'd love to, Professor."
PROLOGUE END