Chapter 6 – Legendary Origins
It took Arthur a couple of weeks to make his way to Lavender town. Nestled in the mountains near the eastern coast of Kanto, the city used to be famous for its tower dedicated to those Pokemon who'd lost their lives. People from all over came to pay their respects. Because of the nature of the people who travelled there however, people were much more subdued and quiet. That didn't keep them from being exceedingly nice and helpful though.
Arthur's thoughts were on past questions as he wandered the quiet mountain town. Blaze was walking alongside his trainer, also keeping quiet, simply taking everything in.
"Think we're doing the right thing?" Blaze looked over at Arthur at his question.
"What do you mean?" the fire type asked in return.
"Are we doing the right thing going up against these legends like this? We don't even know who is coming after us or what they want. I mean, we know next to nothing about what these legendary Pokemon want." Blaze was quiet for a time.
"I'm not sure it's what they want. I think right now it more about what they need" the fire type finally replied.
"Care to elaborate?" Blaze frowned slightly.
"I think that they need trainers like you to help them. I can feel it in the air. There's something coming. A storm of sorts. Things feel off now and if the legends themselves aren't enough, then they'll need whatever help they can get. You're the most powerful trainer in the region so it makes sense they'd ask you."
"If they were after strength alone, they would take those who had already proven themselves powerful" Arthur stated.
"Well then maybe it's something else. I know that Pokemon are not able to reach their true potential unless they are with a trainer. It's why so many of us seek out those who can help us achieve what we believe we are capable of. Why do you hesitate?" Blaze's question caused Arthur to falter.
"I'm not sure its hesitation. I'm just somewhat confused by the lack of information. What is off balance? Where is this threat coming from? Also, I'm not sure this imbalance in nature is from the legends."
"Then where do you think it's from?" Blaze asked.
"Humans."
The fire sent embers up into the sky, watched by the old adventurer. Caleb was already asleep in his tent. They were back outside the outskirts of Ecruteak, about to begin their trek through the wilderness. The people who had been interviewed had all said the same thing. Entei had been heard in the area.
"I never thought I would see you back here" Morty had said when River's entered the dance hall.
"And I thought you said you were the one who was worthy enough to bring Ho-oh back down from the sky." Morty scowled. "Is your friend still here?"
"Eusine? No he left some time ago in pursuit of the ash-born he knows the most about."
"Do you believe him worthy to be noticed by Suicune?" Morty was silent for a time. One of the Kimono girls who had been watching the exchange, held her eyes on Morty as he contemplated his answer.
"No. After having been through what I have lately, I'm no longer certain of anything. Before I battled Arthur, I thought there was no one else but me who could harness the absolute power and sheer force of will that Ho-oh represents. But it wasn't so. Just being strong is not enough. Just being the best in the area is not enough. There is something that both Eusine and I are missing. I don't know what yet, but I know we're missing it." Rivers looked at the gym leader with new eyes. The ghost type trainer had been severe in his battles. Draining trainers of will and energy, it was Morty who forced so many trainers away from pursuing the championship. But something had changed. Now he was sounding far more mature for his years.
"Morty is not missing all of what he thinks he is. He simply has not yet tapped into his potential" the Kimono girl noted.
"And you are?"
"My name is Naoko" The young lady replied. River's nodded.
"So what of the other ash-born."
"Might I ask why you are interested in them?" Naoko interjected.
"Naoko, this man knows almost as much as we do about the legends of this city. He is at the same level as Brandon" Morty replied.
"That does not answer my question." Caleb, who had been silent the entire time was about to speak up but stayed silent at the hand of Rivers.
"No it does not. I had heard rumours that they had been reawakened. Many years ago I came across the three of them while exploring the burned tower. I simply wanted to understand why they had reawakened. And what they were searching for."
"Do you believe you could tame one of them?" Morty asked.
"That is for them to decide. But I've already met some of the other legends of the various lands and seas. I would like to meet the ones who brought about my knowledge of these legends." Caleb stared at the adventurer in a different light. This was most certainly something that not many people knew. If any.
Arthur and Blaze entered a non-descript house along one of the smaller streets in Lavender town. It was here that Mr. Fuji resided. The house was small, and contained places for many smaller Pokemon to sleep and stay safe. The champion smiled as a few Pokemon walked up to inspect both Arthur and Blaze. Both travellers got down closer to their level and greeted the various Pokemon.
"It's always good to see trainers get along with the Pokemon who call this place home" an elderly voice said. Arthur looked up to see a man standing there smiling. The man was bald with a kind face and large bushy eyebrows which had gone white with age. He was wearing a white button down short-sleeved shirt with khaki pants.
"Hello sir. My name is…" The man held up a hand stopping Arthur.
"I know who you are young man. You're Arthur, the current champion. My name is Mr. Fuji."
"A pleasure to meet you sir" Arthur replied as he held out his hand. The elder took it and shook it.
"Please come in." Arthur followed the older man deeper into the house taking a seat at the small kitchen table when Mr. Fuji offered. Both were silent as he went about preparing some hot water. Finally after a few minutes, the elder joined the young champion at the table.
"So what brings you here young man?" Mr. Fuji asked.
"I'm looking for some answers."
"To what questions?"
"Why the legends need trainers." Mr. Fuji was silent in his regard of Arthur. Chocolate brown eyes met deep blue ones.
"You remind me much of another trainer. Though he went by the name of Red."
"You're not the first to make that comparison" Arthur stated.
"No I'm not surprised. Red touched many people's lives, and he helped save this region. His story and yours are shockingly similar." The elder was quiet for a time once more as he drank some tea. Arthur stared into the other room where Blaze was still playing with the younger Pokemon. However, the champion could tell his partner was paying close attention to every word said.
"Why do you believe that the legends need trainers?" Mr. Fuji finally asked.
"It's said that they search out worthy trainers. But why? Would that power not create an imbalance in itself? And to that extent, the power that they hold within themselves is vast. Does that not create the desire from others? Or possibly corrupt the people who can call upon legends to assist them in battle?" Arthur's questions were far reaching, but there were some he knew who may understand and possibly have some answers.
"You ask questions that belay your age. People are not usually concerned with such notions."
"Most people aren't me." To that Mr. Fuji smiled.
"I'll attempt to answer for you what I can. Though I cannot guarantee that my answers will be sufficient." Arthur nodded and so Mr. Fuji continued. "Legends do tend to search out worthy trainers. Does it disrupt the balance? To that I'm not sure. In some cases in history, it has seemed to have the opposite effect. Typically however, the legends search out trainers who can help them, when the world needs them most. Humans are a flawed species. Our drive for power and understanding sometimes has adverse effects that we are not aware of until well after the consequences have been fully fleshed out.
I've researched many things in my life. I have come to love Pokemon for more than just their power. They are as diverse and interesting as humans. However it's the bond created between the two which allows for such power to arise. Legendary Pokemon are indeed naturally powerful. But they become even more powerful when backed by a worthy trainer. So when the time arises, they would look for the trainer who would share the deepest bond with them as to bring about their power to as high of a level as possible."
"But that power could be devastating" Arthur noted. Mr. Fuji nodded and seemed to be reflecting.
"It can be yes. I believe that the chosen trainers however are picked for a reason. They are special in that they are not in need of power. Nor are they searching it out. For this reason, we do not see tyrants typically who use legendary Pokemon as their avatars. We have been wrong before though.
I have researched the legends for a very long time. It's interesting that only in this region do we humans not use stones to differentiate our legends. But stones are very important in understanding some legends."
"So what legends do you know the most about?"
"The legend of Mew. Long ago, my institute found some DNA from that Pokemon. What a special creature. Its DNA contains the code for all other Pokemon. As such, we attempted to play god. And failed. It was a lesson in humility I wish had been headed with more caution. After our failed attempts to clone Mew, I left to research something else entirely. However, my journals were not kept safe enough it would seem. Team Rocket took up where I left off creating two very different types of Pokemon. One became that which we were searching for. The other was powerful enough to challenge any god or legend."
"You created Pokemon?" Arthur asked incredulous.
"As you said earlier, some people are obsessed with power and creating a world more to their liking. This has led to the subversion of science to create that which we should have never played with. The Pokemon Ditto was created by my lab. We tried to clone Mew or at least extract some fragments of DNA which would grant us greater insight into Pokemon at large. Blaine was a vital member in pushing the limits of what we could do. But we failed. The attempts somehow came to life, containing, like Mew, all of the DNA of all known Pokemon.
Team Rocket however, was not interested in simply creating Mew. They wanted a stronger version. They wanted the ultimate bioweapon. A Pokemon unsurpassed in power. Unfortunately I had a hand in this. My research was subverted, by Team Rocket and Blaine. I had left some time before to research another avenue. As I said before, originally stones here in Kanto and Johto were not as important for legends as other regions. I decied to pursue this avenue. When I arrived back to my institute I saw what had befallen it. Blaine and his team had succeeded where we had originally failed. Humans had become god and created a Pokemon of power unsurpassed. And it scared me.
I confronted Blaine about what he had done. He told me that some time before Team Rocket succeeded, he had left the project. He had witnessed the explosion however. The blast had killed all those within. And I had found something of power, something which lead me back to where this new creation had been born. So you ask me if nature can become unbalanced? Why trainers were needed? Because we as a species have started to surpass that which we could maintain. We have individuals who have pushed science past the known limits. To top everything off, we have Pokemon, whose unbelievable powers have allowed us to push the limits known to both species. This is why legends search for those who are capable of helping without falling to the desire for more power." Arthur was silent following this story. It was almost too much to comprehend. The elder got up while Arthur digested everything that had been said.
"Three years ago I gave Red an item to help him continue his journey. I also offered him this, thinking that he would get more out of it than I. However, he refused this particular item saying that someone else would make better use of it than he would." Holding out a box, a tiny stone was nestled within a cushion. Arthur stared at it, a silvery sheen emanating from the orb. It was only about the size of a large marble. The young champion picked it up and instantly the stone seemed to give off a blue glow. Mr. Fuji nodded.
"The stone is yours now young man."
"What is it for?"
"That is something for you to discover."
A small attempt at social commentary. I hope this chapter kept you interested. I've blended some Pokemon theories here to create some further back story. Also, I hope you enjoyed the small amount of foreshadowing. Let me know what you think!