AN: This chapter can be thought of as the second half of the prologue; it serves to give a feel for life in the more peaceful years of Johto as well as to offer exposition on the formation and development of the Empire. Hopefully most of these details will be further explored naturally in the main story's progression but I definitely consider it a worthy addition.
Prologue - Days Gone By
Years before the attack
When young Ronan awoke a gentle breeze was softly blowing through the window opposite his bed. Pidgeys and Spearows were singing distinctly different songs in the branches of the cherry blossom trees dotted around buildings in the humble farming village. The summer sun shone brightly and was starting to favour the west side of the sky.
It took longer than usual for the boy's world to come into focus; it was slightly past the middle of the day. As his surroundings began to sharpen so too returned the dizziness that had greeted him when he had briefly awakened in the early morning.
"How are you feeling?" a voice whispered to Ronan from across the room.
The boy fought his light-headedness to sit upright in his bed, turning to face the affectionate voice's direction. Jaden, Ronan's older brother by four years sat a ways away on the other side of the room. He wore wild black hair in a short ponytail and appeared to exude confidence even at thirteen.
"Easy does it Brother," Jaden advised, rising from where he sat observing a detailed scroll. "Father says you're running quite the fever."
Ronan's heartbeat grew steadily faster, he could clearly feel the heat he was radiating, and even at nine years old he knew that a strong fever could hastily become dangerous. Seeing his younger brother's look of worry, Jaden approached his bedside and placed his hand on Ronan's forehead to judge his condition.
"It doesn't feel too bad, and you don't have any other worrisome symptoms." Jaden said reassuringly, Ronan was still tense but didn't look nearly so panicked.
Ronan couldn't help but be apprehensive; he still strongly felt the loss of his mother three years earlier. He remembered that her sickness had featured a relentless fever that burned through her for weeks.
"That's what they said about Mother," Ronan choked out. "Before she…."
"Don't you fret, this is nothing like Mother. No one's going to let anything happen to you," Jaden replied softly, the loss of their mother was still raw for him too but he masked it well. "Father left with some of the farmhands to collect some healing herbs a while ago and Grandfather is back from Hiwada. He's cooking one of his stews so you'll definitely be back to your old self in no time."
The two brothers stared at each other a while, almost communicating by an innate fraternal bond. They both knew that everything would be okay.
"Now cheer up, this isn't the end of you," Jaden said through the slightest of smiles. "I'll go see if Grandfather's nearly ready with that stew."
Jaden took his leave, heading out of the room towards their Grandfather at the cooking range. He had to dodge their younger sister Maisy as she came bounding in. Maisy was six years old, small and energetic like a Rattata. She wore a simple pale pink dress and had her hair in pigtails like her mother used to when she was younger.
Although she was excited to see that her brother was awake again, her running around quickly slowed when seeing him reminded her why he was being looked after. As Maisy approached her brother's bed, it didn't take long before she became transfixed on the small bite mark. The back of Ronan's left forearm bore two dark puncture marks where a young Spinarak had descended onto him and, feeling threatened, sunk its fangs deep into his skin.
Luckily Ronan and his siblings were out learning about the wild with their Grandfather Kurt and he knew exactly which plants possessed juices that would quickly counter the venom.
"Does it hurt?" asked a concerned Maisy who thought the world of her older brother.
"It's really numb still, but it hurt at the time." Ronan replied, looking at the bite, "I'm lucky the Spinarak was a just a baby, a little Maisy Spinarak." He smiled at his sister as her face contorted at the remark.
"I'm six! I'm not a baby!" she declared, hands clenched into fists and pouting.
"Hey there, what's all this noise? You're supposed to be resting young'un." The deep voice of their Grandfather Kurt cautioned. Kurt was fit for an elderly man, he had a stern but approachable face and a full head of long grey hair combed backwards. He was stood in the doorway carrying a tray of gently steaming bowls of stew. "Instead of running your mouths off at each other, why don't you try some of this delicious stew?"
Kurt shuffled into the room and placed a tray with two bowls in front of Ronan for him and Maisy. The two hungry siblings immediately began shovelling food into their mouths. Jaden entered shortly after with a bowl for himself, raising an eyebrow at Ronan and Maisy's unique display of savouring their meal.
"Now if there's anything else I can do for you Grandson, don't hesitate to ask."Kurt offered.
Ronan lowered his bowl as Kurt began to turn away.
"I'd really like to hear one of your stories Grandfather." Ronan requested, clearly drawing Maisy and Jaden's attention.
"One of my stories, hm? Stories about the perilous Johto that existed before unification? Or perhaps legends of Pokemon more dangerous than you can imagine would be more interesting. Maybe tales of the fearsome Blackthorn Dragon Clans would tickle your fancy? Are these the kind of stories you mean? Kurt asked with an enthralling charm. Maisy and Ronan were wide-eyed with anticipation and even Jaden looked uncharacteristically eager as opposed to his usual calm demeanour.
"I think I'd like to hear about the dragon clans Grandfather. I bet they wouldn't be struck down by a bug bite." Ronan said glumly before biting into another mouthful of tangy meat.
"Don't be so quick to put yourself down like that, Spinarak bites are devastating to anyone, that's why they're so vividly coloured, they're telling us to leave them alone. And besides, the Fusube dragon clans were not so invincible themselves, that was proven years ago." Kurt began.
Ronan nodded, "What happened to them?"
Kurt paused, thinking of how best to tell the story of the Dragon Clans of Fusube. "Now, I never encountered the clans for myself but their ferocity is renowned throughout Johto. Their raids were catastrophic to settlements near Fusube, the Town of the Blackthorns for a long time. Despite what people say, they're rarely able to actually control dragons, but when they can, they are truly a force to be reckoned with. Do any of you recall someone who did command a dragon?"
Ronan and Maisy looked dumbfounded, an actual dragon master? They thought.
"Lance." Jaded answered, "The emperor."
"Indeed, right you are Jaden." Kurt replied, "Lance was a true dragon master who rejected the violent ways of his people. He fought bloody battles to protect the people of Johto from his own clan and went on to unite the region in prosperity.
"You were half right," the soft voice of Ronan's father echoed from just outside the room. Lee walked into the room carrying a pouch that carried with it the strong smell of fresh wild herbs. "Sadly, my son, Wataru Lance is no longer our emperor. I was well acquainted with him as you know; he was a good man, one of the best."
Lee opened up the pouch and presented to Kurt some small nodule-bearing twigs as well as veiny leaves much to Ronan's disgust. "Could you work your magic with these ingredients?" Lee asked his father.
"Of course, I'll brew up something to get your boy back on his feet again in no time." Kurt confirmed as he took the pouch of medicinal plants with him on his way.
"I suppose it falls to me to carry on with the storytelling," Lee commented as Kurt left, "But only if you promise to drink every drop of the potion your grandfather is brewing, even if it tastes bad."
Nodding reluctantly, Ronan accepted the deal. He would have to savour Kurt's stew in order to make up for the unpleasantness that was to come.
"Splendid. Now then, where to begin?" Lee pondered as he took the seat by the window. "We humans have an interesting relationship with Pokémon, its possible for us to work together and accomplish great things if we are careful to avoid the initial danger they present. Early in my adulthood, while travelling northern Johto I discovered I possessed a particularly strong affinity with certain Pokémon when I seemed to have this connection that I couldn't explain. There was a wild Growlithe, normally a Pokémon to treat with caution. It followed me for a long while, alone not in a pack, like it just wanted to follow me, not to hunt me. After a day or so it was almost as if I was able to communicate with it. It took a lot of emphasis to get it to follow instructions at first but by the end, we were almost perfectly synchronised, it knew what I was going to say before I did."
Ronan and Maisy were electrified by what they were hearing. Jaden had already heard his father's tales of Pokémon affinity and more focused on finishing his meal.
Lee reclined, his face wearing an expression of pure reminiscence. "Once I had a significant understanding with Growlithe, I actually did something very reckless. I'd heard the tales of the dragon clans, riding on powerful monsters under their command; I sought them out."
"You went looking for the dragon people?" Maisy asked, worried even though her father was safely here with them.
"I did, and it nearly got me killed. I had speculated that they might have possessed secrets to mastery over Pokémon but they had none. They worship dragons, yes. And they seek to embody the spirit of the dragon by pursuing strength through combat but very few among them ever had any real affinity with the beasts." Lee said, looking out of the window up toward the afternoon sky. "He did though; Lance saved my life when the clan was going to kill me for trespassing on sacred ground. Lance's ability was easily as profound as my own, but he commanded a truly formidable Pokémon, a scaled titan he called Dragonite."
"So the Emperor of Johto was a savage once, why did he save you?" Jaden inquired.
"If that's what you want to call him, yes he was once a stranger to what we consider civilisation but his heart was noble and kind. We never discussed why he saved me as so much happened afterwards, only the deed mattered. I know he was tired of violence but I believe that seeing for himself that people from outside of Fusube were also capable of working with Pokémon opened his eyes. He knew that the key to true peace in the World was people working together with Pokémon and he wanted to start making that a reality right then."
"What happened then? How did he become the Emperor?" Ronan asked.
"Yeah, you always told us that you helped to stabilise Johto, what did you do exactly?" Jaden added, overflowing with curiosity.
"After that we began to rally the cities and towns together, promising that together and with help from Pokémon we could stand strong against the raiders and wild Pokémon that threatened us." Lee said as he brought over the scroll that Jaden had studied earlier, a detailed map of the Johto region.
Lee explained at length how Lance had led him and the followers they steadily amassed from city to city and town to town. They organised the isolated communities that were once cut off by wilderness filled with deadly monsters into a true empire. An empire, which maintained secure links between its furthest reaches and was capable of standing against those that would prey on outlying settlements. Lance possessed the vision and together with his dragon, he was the unquestionable manifestation of a champion to look up to. Lee had been his right hand man and taught those with the affinity for it how to better communicate with Pokémon. Kurt too was instrumental in suppressing the ruthless raiders; his brilliant inventions, combined with the strategy and training from Pryce made the imperial army unchallengeable.
"Wow, I never knew my Father was so great!" Maisy exclaimed, in awe of how crucial Lee was. Ronan and Jaden were both temporarily stunned to silence after hearing the full extent of their father's involvement.
"If you and Lance were such good friends and did all that together, why don't we live in the Imperial City with wealth and glory?" Jaden queried.
"Hah, that's easy, when all the fighting was done, all that was left was politics and that just isn't for me. I just wanted to settle down with your mother. I'd been away from you both for too long and I could see nothing better than spending time with a family and a farm somewhere beautiful. Lance gave me this land and I've been content ever since." Lee explained.
"But that's ridiculous!" Jaden declared, "You could have been so rich and powerful and this is all the emperor gave you?"
"All I ever aspired to do was bring peace and me and Lance achieved that with help from Pryce and your grandfather Kurt." Lee clarified, "All I would take from Lance was this land and our family's noble name as a sign of contribution and fidelity to the empire. There aren't many in the empire who do not revere the name Gantetsu."
Jaden looked down, disappointed by his father's decisions.
"Your ambitions aren't a bad thing Jaden but they are misdirected, I achieved everything I set out to do. The peace we won still holds strong today, even though the true emperor was betrayed by a man with similarly misguided ambitions." Lee said, looking slightly uncomfortable and with a drier quality to his tone.
Jaden was actively avoiding looking in Lee's direction; unable to understand how someone could settle for so little.
"This is not a subject I wish to linger on and that medicine should be just about ready, if you wish to know more then ask your grandfather." Lee told his children as he rose and walked through the doorway.
The three were left in a long and unnaturally silent pause. Ronan and Maisy were imagining for themselves what it must have been like to journey to the outer territories of Johto while Jaden's mind wandered to thoughts of what could have been had his father demanded more. Sure enough as Lee predicted, the faint aroma of herbal medicine preceded Kurt as he brought the china cup containing the dark brown liquid over to his grandson.
Ronan was not a stranger to herbal medicine but that didn't make it any easier to drink and this particular potion was as bitter as the atmosphere between Lee and Jaden had just been. Still, he persevered.
"Well done, that'll have you feeling better before you know it," Kurt assured Ronan, "now I had better get back to my work."
"Grandfather, can you tell us about what happened to Lance?" Jaded asked quietly as Kurt collected empty bowls onto the tray and intended to leave.
"I assume your father has already refused to indulge your curiosities with that particular tale. I ought to say the same… but it is an important chapter in our region's history, very well."
Kurt placed the tray down on the floor beside him as he adopted a kneeling position.
"For many years we had undisturbed peace throughout Johto, our armies grew stronger and stronger, always sworn to defend Johto from threats both within and outside of our region, that was Lance's vision. When it became apparent that Johto's unmatched might was enough to conquer neighbouring regions, feelings of discontent spread within the Imperial Army." Kurt proclaimed, his tone was dry and it was clear that he was not trying to infuse the same sense of adventure and wonder into this part of the story.
"Father mentioned one ambitious man in particular, someone I should strive to be less like?" Jaden queried.
"Yokoshima," Kurt answered, "One of the high generals and undoubtedly the instigator of the brief civil war; not brief enough." He lamented, shaking his head.
"Wh-what did he do, Grandfather?" Maisy asked.
"Yokoshima and four other generals began secretly rallying great portions of the Imperial Army to their side when Lance would not hear of declaring war on Kanto. They were overconfident and believed they could persuade Lance to surrender with threats of civil war. Lance would not be so easily intimidated. Over half of the army remained loyal as well as the founders of the unification; your father, Pryce and myself. The uprising was crushed before it could begin." Kurt revealed.
"Then how did Lance come to lose his empire?" a confused Jaden inquired.
"After the surrenders of the upstarts, Lance imprisoned the four generals as accomplices and exiled Yokoshima on pain of death should he ever return to the Johto region." Kurt said, it seemed easier for him to discuss Lance's victories.
"How did he ever return and seize such a powerful empire Grandfather? Ronan wondered.
"Yokoshima did not return alone, he was smuggled back into Johto by his lover, Mikan Jasmine, now leader of Asagi, in the Olivine territory. She had long been fascinated with the Whirl Islands in the sea that laps against her city and all but uncovered their mysteries. Working together with Chuck, the warlord of Cianwood and his impressive fleet, Yokoshima and Jasmine undertook a voyage to the Islands. No one knows what transpired there, but what is known is that when Yokoshima arrived in the Imperial City in Goldenrod territory, he did so on the back of a great winged sea beast." Kurt detailed.
"Yokoshima has a Pokémon as powerful as Dragonite?" Jaden asked in awe.
"Far more powerful," Kurt emphasised, "Before anyone knew what was happening, Yokoshima's monster had levelled half of the Imperial Palace and liberated his co-conspirators. Lance and his Dragonite were no match, even the Imperial Army could do little to halt the beast's rampage. Yokoshima showed his true nature when he executed Lance that very day, it's said that Dragonite escaped the same fate. I sincerely hope it did, any suffering avoided is a victory. If Lance had displayed similar savagery so long ago when Yokoshima was at his mercy it might have ultimately benefited Johto. But perhaps mercy is its own triumph." The children's grandfather pondered.
"You and Father must hate Yokoshima for killing your friend and seizing what you helped to build." Jaden decided.
"I learned long ago that it's pointless to hate something or someone because of their nature. Your father has a somewhat different opinion when it comes to Yokoshima but he'll never let it show, he's stoic that way." Kurt admitted, "Despite his flaws and shortcomings, Yokoshima is a strong leader. You'd never know that Johto was fighting a rebellion in the West, such is the strength of Johto under the new ruler."
"Johto is at war?" Ronan asked with urgency.
"Chuck of Cianwood has tried to lay waste to the empire for a long time now, ever since he was not given what was promised to him for his contribution of ships in Yokoshima's rise to power. But with blockades around all our coastal cities and the emperor's Demon of the Sea, he'll never get close." The grandfather assured them with confidence.
"That's scary." Maisy squeaked.
"Don't worry, Cianwood territory is far to the West, none of this fighting will ever reach the Town of Azaleas." Jaden reassured her.
"Indeed, there's no cause for concern, Imperial Johto has never been mightier. The generals who took Yokoshima's side, the Elite Four, they may have been devious but they are brilliant tacticians working right now to keep us safe. Which reminds me that I had better get back to working on what may yet be my greatest invention ever." Kurt said with cheer starting to return to his mood. "Its shaping up to be a real legacy for you three and it all started with acorns would you believe? Some of the best things in this world come from humble beginnings."
AN: I've decided to try to incorporate both the Japanese names for characters and towns/cities in order to give the story a more authentic feudal feeling to it. At the same time, I'm trying to use to English names as well to keep things clear. For example Olivine City is referred to as Asagi but it can be called the City of Olivine or as being within Olivine territory. The same is true of Japanese character names, which appear as "noble names" in the case of most Gym Leaders and other people of note.