Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and followed so far! Your support is what keeps me motivated. My current release schedule will be one chapter release per month, with release dates on Tuesdays.

And so, without further ado, back to our story.


People yearn for a man to become something, preferably what they are."

-Journal entry dated Fall 1039c, The Third

Ash

"GROOOOOOOOAA-"

In a blinding flash of light, Kade summoned a Pokemon from his belt and in front of them appeared a living, breathing Tyranitar.

The colossal Pokemon stood a head taller than the opposing Nidoking, towering over the swaying grass of the open field. It was clad in overlapping green armor which covered it from head to toe; the only gaps appeared at its joints, which exposed hardened skin buried three full inches beneath the interlocking plates. Both sides of its chest, the center of its back, and both knees contained thinner black scaling whose surface shone in the afternoon sun, blinding the vision of anything that looked directly at it. Its bloodshot eyes burned with intensity, and upon noticing the approaching Nidoking, threw back its head and released an ear-splitting roar.

Kade pushed Ash backwards as the Pokemon approached each other, putting his body between Ash and the impending fight.

"Ash, stay behind me." Kade instructed "Do not call on your Pokemon."

Ash froze, stopping the hand that had been unconsciously reaching for Ares' pokeball.

"Now is not the time to be a hero." Kade continued as he eyed the Nidoking. "Follow my instructions, the situation is under control."

The Nidoking's pace had slowed at the arrival of an unexpected challenger, and as the two behemoth Pokemon sized each other up, Ash felt the anticipation of battle rising in his chest. Anxiety mixed with excitement that spurned him onto action, to do something.

He felt his hand creeping back towards his belt. Nikoking were exceedingly rare to find in the wild, preferring to watch over their herds from the safety of the dense woods rather than risk the open plains. Encountering one, let alone catching it, would be the opportunity of a lifetime for most trainers. If he called upon Ares now, they could gain valuable experience in a battle that would truly push them to their limits. He was a Trainer, a protector of Kanto. It was his duty to become stronger, to protect his family and catch wild Pokemon. He could-

It wouldn't be training, it would be a massacre.

Ash stopped, clarity rushing in like a wave crashing over his mind.

What was he thinking? He cared about the safety of Ares and Splinter, probably more than he did about his own. Did he really believe that battling this monster would put them on the path to greatness? No, it wouldn't. Staying alive, training hard, and overcoming their own challenges would. They had time, and risking their lives on something as dangerous as a fully grown Nidoking would be completely ridiculous. Even in the best case scenario, all they would be doing is distracting Kade from protecting them. Worst case, he, Ares, and Splinter would all die due to his own incompetence and overconfidence. No, the smart choice would be to sit this battle out, observe from a distance, and learn whatever skills he could.

He came to his decision just as Kade spoke.

"Bang, deal with this."

The Tyranitar grinned, an expression that didn't quite fit its prehistoric mouth. It took off into a lumbering gait, heading directly for the Nidoking. It lowered its horn in response, charging forward without a moment's hesitation.

A thousand pounds of flesh and armor collided with a piercing ring, shaking the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust into the air. Ash craned his neck to get a better view, and through the cloud he could see the Nidoking's face twisted in rage as it slowly slid backwards beneath the crushing force of Kade's Tyrannitar.

"Smack down, stone edge."

Bang lifted its arm into the air, focusing energy into a blinding light around its curled claws. With a whoosh of air, it brought the raised first crashing into the side of the Nidoking's head, sending pieces of its armor flying through the air at the force of the impact. The Nidoking staggered to the side, maintaining its footing but reeling from the blow. Without hesitation, Bang stepped forward, stomping its right foot into the ground and sending small cracks rippling in every direction.

Ash winced as a jagged spire shot out of the ground, impaling a stone spike into the armor directly beneath the Nidokings chin.

"Finish, iron head."

Bang showed no mercy. Forming a smooth surface of silver at the crest of its head, it whipped its neck forward, crushing the now impervious surface directly into the Nidokings mouth. A score of teeth flew through the air, and Ash saw the Nidokings eyes become unfocused as it hit the ground. It stayed down.

Incredible.

Twenty seconds, that was all it had taken. Twenty seconds, and the monster that had struck terror into Ash's heart just moments before lay defeated on the ground. It hadn't had the chance to attempt even a single attack.

Glancing over at Bang, he felt awe at the sheer power the titanic pokemon could bring to a battle.

"You're making Bang uncomfortable." Kade said from in front of him. "You can stop staring now."

Ash shook his head softly and pulled himself together.

"What the hell was that?" He asked.

"That," Kade replied. "Is what you will learn, and eventually overcome, if you want to become Champion someday."

"You had a Tyrannitar this entire time?"

"Of course, Samuel Oak requested me specifically. He felt that you might need a touch more oversight than some of your peers… Apparently you have a reputation of getting into mischief."

Ash felt his face warm slightly. So he had snuck onto the ranch a few times as a kid. And maybe he had caused a minor stampede of Tauros ONE time. That didn't mean he needed an Arceus forsaken Tyrannitar to look after him! What did the Professor think he was going to run into between here and Pewter?

Probably something like that. Ash thought, grimacing as he looked over at the mangled body of the Nidoking.

"We will need to report this to the proper authorities." Kade said. "A Nidoking was not known to roam this area, and if there is another it could present a danger to the people who travel through here. We will head to Pallet. I'm sure that your Professor would be interested in hearing about what occurred here."

Just then, a Pidgeot appeared over the edge of the forest, accompanied by a Trainer riding its back. Ash tensed up at the sight, reasonable considering what they had just been through, but Kade held out his arm to signal for patience.

"Hey there!" The Trainer called out as he circled overhead. "I'm coming down, don't do anything crazy, all right?"

The Pidgeot circled twice before swooping down and streaking through the air in a burst of speed. It landed in a cloud of dust, skidding across the ground from the velocity of landing.

"Take it easy next time, will ya?" The Trainer spoke to his Pokemon. "You practically throw me off every time you land."

The bird chirped at him, and Ash could have sworn he saw it roll its eyes slightly. The Trainer chuckled and jumped off before turning towards Kade and Ash.

"Hey," The Trainer said, extending his hand forward. "I'm Carlos, Leader Giovanni's Second. Nice to meet ya."

Kade stepped forward and shook his hand, staying silent.

"I heard the commotion from the forest earlier, went and investigated. Couldn't find out what caused it, but looks like no one was around when the explosion went off. I saw that Nidoking booking it out of the forest on my way over, but I didn't know there were any Trainers in this direction. Sorry about that."

"Understandable." Kade said smoothly. "As you can see, we were fortunate enough to have the situation here handled."

"I'll say." The Trainer chuckled in reply. "Did you have to pummel the thing that badly? You could have killed it with that beast of a Tyranitar you have over there."

Bang grunted from nearby.

"Anyways, we really appreciate your help. Taking down that monster would have been a ton of work, and I may not have been able to do it by myself." The Trainer paused for a second.

"Unfortunately, that doesn't mean I'll be able to let you catch that Nidoking today. Leader Giovanni wants to take him in for examination and recovery."

What?!

"That's unfortunate," Kade replied. "Can you provide an explanation as to why? I did defeat it outside of Viridian's territory."

"We'll be invoking emergency protocol for this situation." The Trainer said, scratching the back of his head. "The area of the explosion has been quarantined, and we'll need you to come to Viridian for debriefing as well, hopefully that's not too much of a problem."

"Not at all." Kade replied. "We'd be happy to help Leader Giovanni with his investigation. Let him know that we don't have any Pokemon equipt for dual Trainer flight at the moment, but we are more than happy to take one if he provides the means."

"That probably won't be necessary." The Trainer said. "These things happen occasionally, and I'll let Leader Giovanni know that you are on the way. Just be sure to drop by the Gym on the way through town, okay?"

With that, he unceremoniously tossed a Pokeball at the Nidoking, who was captured easily.

Picking up the ball, he jumped on his Pidgeot's back in a fluid motion, taking off and flying toward Viridian at a blistering pace.

Ash had managed to stay silent during the exchange, but his frustration bubbled to the surface as soon as the Trainer was out of earshot.

"What the hell was that?" Ash asked "They can really just take away Nidoking after you went through all the work of defeating it?:

"Yes, they can. If they enact an emergency protocol."

"Okay… What's an emergency protocol then?"

Kade looked at him, then shook his head slightly.

"It gives Leaders authority to override certain aspects of League Protocol during a crisis. Namely, those regarding Pokemon capture and ownership, which are generally revoked during extreme situations to prevent Trainers from being distracted from the task at hand.

"How was that a crisis?" Ash asked, growing frustrated. "You already beat the Nidoking. The crisis was unconscious in the dirt by the time he got here!"

"True, but with proper framing, Leader Giovanni could simply argue he wasn't present during the incident and enacted emergency protocol out of an abundance of caution."

"So they can just take whatever they want?"

"No." Kade replied. "The Champion does have some measure of control over their actions should they push too far."

"I-"

"Ash," Kade interrupted, his voice turning sharp. "I, of all people, know that the situation is frustrating. However, you do not want to be the obstacle between a Gym Leader and their desires. Only a fool would stand up against them over something as trivial as catching a single Pokemon."

Kade turned away from him, looking towards the road they had been traveling on.

"My duty as your guardian is to teach you about becoming a Pokemon Trainer." Kade said, his voice softer now. "It is a duty I take very seriously, so please trust that I have your best interest in mind when I say this. Obey all the rules that the Leaders set for you when you are traveling in their cities, it will not end well for you if you choose to break them. "

Ash gritted his teeth but stayed silent, walking ahead so that Kade couldn't carry the conversation on further.

What Kade had said made sense, but Ash could still felt the prickle of irritation across his scalp. The Leaders were supposed to be working together to protect the region, to protect their people. Instead, his only interaction with them so far had involved the use of their power for their own petty reasons. It was infuriating. Were these the types of things Leaders did instead of protecting Pallet or their Trainers?

When he became Champion, he would make sure that would change. Even if it meant taking on all of the Leaders himself.


Pokedex Entry: Pokemon: Rattata: Ethology

Rattata is one of the most abundant Pokemon on Earth with a nearly worldwide distribution. Today, Rattata can be found in multiple variations, leading to a diverse network of environmental and societal interactions.

Despite their prevalence, surprisingly little is known about the Pokemon's individual social behavior under natural conditions. It has been concluded that the Pokemon's subterranean nature and diurnal sleep pattern make them notoriously difficult to observe in the wild. Despite these barriers, there is a general conclusion that wild Ratta's are prosocial animals, collecting together in packs and using their strength of numbers to provide food for their omnivorous diet.

Multiple studies (Oak, 1543a; Birch 1545c) have shown that wild Rattata will quickly adapt to their surroundings within two to three generations, and that the high regional variance of the Pokemon is likely to have stemmed from this adaptational ability.

In the wild, observational studies have provided evidence that Rattata packs will prioritize the acquisition of food by capability; Larger, more senior members will hunt for local bug Pokemon to provide high nutritional value to the pack, while smaller and more inexperienced members will gather berries and local fauna to supplement their diet. It is not known how this selection process occurs, as Rattata will fiercely defend their nests in the event of intruders. Adding further difficulty to this process is the reality that Rattata will abandon their nests completely should any foreign scent invade their subterranean walls.

Ash paused, clicked through the options menu, and found a more promising article.

Pokedex: Pokemon: Rattata: Abilities

It is hypothesized that Rattata's abilities within the Kanto region (Guts, Run Away) were formed in a direct response to its natural predators. The first ability, Guts, supplements Rattata's offensive capabilities when afflicted with a status effect such as poison or burn. This appears to be due to one of their most common predators, the Nidoran. Nidoran are omnivorous Pokemon who rely their poisonous abilities to weaken their prey before they can escape from their keen sense of smell. Likewise, Run Away appears to be an evolutionary response to the common Hoothoot, who possess the ability to lock their prey in place with mean look, preventing smaller Pokemon (ie. Rattata, Caterpie) to flee from them during the hunt.

If we accept the evolutionary hypothesis to be true, then the rise of identical abilities within the Rattata and Caterpie lines comes into focus, despite their physiological differences. These pressures appear to have an exaggerated effect on Rattata (See Rattata:Ethology), allowing them to enjoy increased regional variance in comparison to-

Ash looked up from his pokedex as he heard Splinter's sharp bark. He and Ares were wrestling again, each clambering over the other in a patch of dirt in front of Ash. They fought playfully, with Ares keeping the flame on his tail well away from Splinter's body. That may have factored into the results, as Splinter had taken the advantage of Ares several times in the last few minutes, barking whenever he flipped his opponent onto his back.

The sun hung in the sky above them, casting the shadows of the trees downwards to provide areas of sweet relief from the summer heat. It had been early afternoon Ash and Kade had stopped for the day, allowing themselves time to rest and recuperate from the emotional roller coaster of the encounter with the Nidoking the day before. Ash had taken to reading his Pokedex, while Kade had walked off into the surrounding field, mentioning something about training and the value of staying combat ready.

Ash's venture had been a successful one. After reading the article on Splinter's abilities, he had a new approach he could use on Nidorans moving forward. With the combination of Guts and a Bite attack, he would hopefully be able to finish off a Nidoran quickly if it managed to poison Splinter, snatching a draw from the jaws of defeat. Ash suspected that many Nidoran trainers simply tried to have the Pokemon poison as many opponents as possible before being knocked out, and that going one for one would have to be listed as a victory in his book for now. The only thing left to do was to help Splinter learn Bite. It was already a close imitation to what he had seen from Pokemon using it in the past, and Splinter's teeth glowed slightly every time he took a chunk out of the trees and logs they practiced on. It would be a while before it was fully formed, but there was progress being made every day.

Ares had been making steady progress as well. His control over Ember had grown by leaps and bounds in just a few days, and Ash had taken to teaching him smokescreen this morning. The results had been… less than ideal. While Splinter's bite was an extension of his normal activities, Ares had never attempted to create smoke from the flame at the base of his tail. Ash had tried to direct him as best he could, but they had only been able to create the barest wisps of smoke so far.

He sighed. He had promised that he would limit Ares' and Splinter's training to the mornings, but it was becoming harder to restrain himself with each passing day. Seeing the rapid growth of their strength, agility, and situational awareness made him want to jump up and push his team to the limits of what they could handle. But it was a selfish want. Ares and Splinter needed time to recover, and in their unevolved forms, relentless training would only hinder their growth and maturation.

Besides, Ash thought as he watched the two play, they need some time to grow outside of training as well.

Patting himself off, he stood up and walked over them, watching Ares crow in excitement after pinning Splinter to the ground.

"Hey guys, how's the wrestling going?"

Ares barked happily, looking back at Ash as he held Splinter beneath him. Splinter chittered back angrily.

"I know buddy, I saw you winning earlier, don't worry."

Ares' let go and Splinter wriggled out from underneath, padding over to Ash and affectionately brushing up against his leg.

"How would you guys like to go exploring?" Ash asked.

Both Pokemon jumped at the question, taking off into the grass without a single glance behind them.

"Wait up guys!" Ash said with a laugh. "You can't just go off without me!"

And so they went. They wandered through the fields of lush green grass, enjoying the bright sunlit fields of southern Kanto. As he walked, Ash spotted a number of Rattata and Pidgey watching him from a distance, their heads cocked with idle curiosity. Many would take off as soon as they heard the sound of Ares and Splinter roaming the area, but some strayed closer, investigating the unfamiliar sounds of a human in their presence.

However, none presented a direct challenge to Ash, so he had to be content with watching their comings and goings through the brush. It wasn't unusual for Trainers to hunt down wild pokemon, particularly the rare or more powerful species, and force them onto their teams. However, he had always felt that was a terrible approach. Would he really want to work his hardest after being kidnapped from his home? Unlikely. Still, cities needed protecting, Trainers needed teams, and powerful pokemon would always be highly coveted. So the practice was acceptable, if not encouraged, throughout every region in the world.

His thoughts were broken as he stumbled upon a river filled with cool, clear water. It meandered from north to south, winding through the crevices it had carved in the hardened surface of the plain. Walking alongside the bank for a time, Ash watched Splinter and Ares play as he trailed behind them. They each pranced through the sand, chirping to the other whenever they discovered a new exciting object that had washed up on the shores. Their favorite find so far had been a Magikarp scale, which was now proudly held in the mouth of Splinter, who refused to let it go even after Ares' apparent begging.

Chuckling at their antics, Ash looked up and spotted a small cave nestled at the elbow of the river ahead. Curious, Ash signaled to Ares and Splinter to accompany him as he walked over to its entrance.

It measured six, maybe seven feet tall, and had been carved into the rock by the soft momentum of the stream before turning in another direction. Water lapped into its entrance at waist height, obscuring the pebbled bed of the stream below. As he approached, he heard Ares chuff nervously from behind him, clearly not enthused by the idea of Ash entering the darkened area. Both his pokemon would be next to useless in the water, but Ash's curiosity had already been piqued.

"Don't worry," Ash said, already taking off his shoes and socks. "I'll be right back, just wait outside for me, okay? I'll call out if I need any help."

Ares and Splinter glanced at each other, but nodded and sat on the bank next to the cave entrance in response.

Ash hissed as he wadded in, the ice cold water causing bumps to appear over his forearms he crossed into the entrance to the cave. Touching the smoothed wall for stability, he advanced forward. A minute or two passed as he walked, the light from the entrance receding and giving way to the pitch black darkness of the tunnel. He noticed, maybe later than he should have, that the wall he was touching gently sloped inwards, and he began to feel the first touches of claustrophobia as the ceiling of the tunnel touched the top of his hat. Perhaps traveling in without recalling Ares or Splinter wasn't the smartest idea.

But just as he thought to turn back, the tunnel blissfully opened, revealing a small cave that had been hollowed out of the rock. The first thing he noticed were the holes that had eroded the ceiling, which sent cascading beams of light spilling down onto the water below. Their reflection on the water sent blue and green waves which danced along the cave's walls, illuminating the cool gray stone that surrounded him.

Marveling at the sight, he almost missed the soft touch of something brushing up against his leg.

He jumped back in surprise at the feeling, giving off what was a distinctly manly yelp as he did. The action caused the pebbles underneath his feet to shift, making him lose his footing and sending him crashing into the freezing water beneath him.

He came spluttering to the surface moments later, scrambling backwards and wiping his face to see what had touched him.

It was a body. The bones and clothes a body to be exact. The person appeared to have once been a traveler, and he could make out the remnants of a shirt and rugged hiking boots that survived the damp atmosphere of the cave. The body laid on a gently sloping mound of dirt just to the right of the entrance, which he had missed while staring at the ceiling. The skeleton's arm had fallen into the river, and the cloth sleeve of the shirt gently moved with the flow of the water it was soaking in. The only other article of clothing was a pendant around the neck, which had a small symbol indented on the coin sized rock that hung from the loop of the chain.

Ash forced himself to stay calm, looking away and scanning the surrounding area for anything that could have caused the travelers demise. Seeing nothing, he concluded that the person had run into some sort of trouble and taken shelter here, maybe when the weather was dry. The body had obviously been there for some time, but it was possible that someone was still looking for them. What would be the best course of action?

He looked at the pendant again. It looked vaguely familiar, like a piece of clothing that was worn by a childhood friend. He knew many pieces of jewelry had deep religious significance in Kanto, like the necklaces the William's wore in Pallet, which were said to hold the spirits of their lost Pokemon. He imagined they would be incredibly upset if someone were to take it from them, even after they passed away.

On the other hand, it could be used as a way of identification. Surely someone would still be looking for them?

After wavering back and forth for a few minutes, he finally concluded they wouldn't be upset if he took it with good intentions in mind. With a promise to return it if necessary, he cautiously lifted the necklace off of the body, tucking it into his pocket for safekeeping. Taking one last look around the cave, he headed back out the way he had arrived.

Ares and Splinter stood nervously at the entrance to the cave as he arrived, each pacing back and forth while glancing nervously in the direction Ash had walked off in.

"Don't worry guys, I'm back." Ash called out as he exited the cave.

Ares and Splinter hugged the edge of the water as he stepped out, looking him over as water dripped off of his now soaked clothes.

"I took a little dip while I was inside the cave." Ash said with a chuckle. "But I'm alright. Take a look at what I found inside."

He held the pendant down to their level. Ares and Splinter sniffed it thoroughly, each keeping their nose a mere inch away from the rock.

"Someone…..Someone died in there." Ash stated. "Probably a long time ago. I took this off of their body, I hope they wouldn't mind. I'm thinking that someone might be able to recognize it, and tell us who they were."

Ares and Splinter nodded at the statement, each becoming silent at the thought of a dying traveler.

The sun had begun to set, so they made their way back to camp, though the mood was much more somber than when they departed. Seeing someone who had died shook Ash, he had to admit. That could have easily been them the day before, if Kade had not been there to protect him from the Nidoking.

"Nice to see you back." Kade said as they arrived. "I thought you may have been lost in your own backyard for a moment."

"Yeah….."

"Is something wrong?"

"Just now, I found a dead body. I think it belonged to a traveler of some kind. We found it just up the river, in a cave against the shore. I took this pendant off of it to try to identify them, but I'm not really sure if it was the right thing to do." Ash said, presenting the pendant to Kade.

Kade took the object and observed it closely, allowing it to spin slowly around the chain as he did.

"It looks like it's from Pewter, judging by the Lapis insignia inscribed on the rock." Kade said, handing the pendant back to Ash. "You did the correct thing by retrieving it. The symbol marked on it is a representation of the family the individual belongs to. If you turn it in at the Pokemon Center there, it's likely they will know what family it belongs to."

Nodding, Ash took the pendant and carefully placed it between the blankets in his backpack.

"I think I'm going to head off early tonight."

"A wise decision, goodnight Ash."

Thoughts still circling on lost travelers and missing pendants, Ash crawled into his sleeping bag. Despite his best efforts, it was a long time before he finally drifted off into a fitful sleep.


Lance

Lance walked down the winding stairs, his pace perfected, each tap of his boots against the cold stone floor driving him closer to the center of the earth. Down thirteen steps, turn, down thirteen more. Two hundred eighty six steps. Twenty two flights. Five minutes, eleven seconds.

Surrounding him was solid rock, illuminated by silent purple flames that sat in small hollows carved into the walls. The rough cut of the stone formed overlapping edges, sending shadows cascading down the staircase. Magnificent. What kind of power had it taken to create this everlasting light? Whoever held such knowledge was now long gone, and Lance had not heard a whisper about such an occurrence happening elsewhere despite his best investigations. Perhaps it had been made by the old gods, or even Arceus himself.

It was a ritual by now, walking these steps. Atonement for the sins of the past, of sins he would make in the future. Even now, the repercussions of his follies echoed around the world, destroying the lives of the common man with the fury of a raging storm. Still, he was not one to shirk from duty, and his station was one that required the sins of man to function.

Finally, with his two hundred eighty sixth step he came upon the door. Solid oak, 6 inches thick, one half step. Stopping only for a gentle prayer, he pushed it open, allowing it to swing silently inward towards his destination.

In front of him lay a small alcove carved deep into the rock, the floor of which formed a perfect half circle, ceiling arching overhead to complete a fourth of a sphere. Twelve feet in radius, five steps, then the morning ritual was complete. Taking a deep breath of the cool subterranean air, he walked into the room. Against the back wall lay a podium, carved out of ancient oak which was as unyielding as the stone that surrounded it. Upon it lay a small leather-bound book, its pages wrinkled from the effects of time.

How long had it been here, offering its knowledge to him and the world, only to be ignored entirely? How many other Champions were aware of its presence? He had no answers.

He had tried to bring others here. Blaine and Agatha had come with him to investigate the staircase, only to find that they had other urgent matters to attend to as they passed the entrance, rushing off despite Lance's best attempts to persuade them to stay. Afterward, they expressed no knowledge of the event or the location of the stairwell, leading Lance to look like a madman when he referenced it later that day.

After that, he had been suspicious of the text for years, steadfastly ignoring it and refusing to open the book lest he let some evil out upon the world. What a fool he had been. That time had cost him dearly, had cost the region dearly. The world could have been a different place if he had been brave enough to look upon the ancient text just a few years sooner.

But he had turned a new chapter in his life, and just like the chapters in the ancient tome, it signaled the beginning of a new age. One where he would lead Johto and Kanto back to their former glories, a beacon of light to the rest of the world in these dark times. It may cost him everything, but he trusted the power of his family behind him. With them, he could accomplish anything, even changing the direction of the world. It was his destiny.

Finally looking down, he turned the first page and began to read.


Young Lance had always been an unruly child. Something within him rebelled against the yoke of society, from the iron fist of law that bent the back of a man until he groveled in the dirt. In another time, in another place, this rebellious attitude may have led him down the path of a renegade, or perhaps meet an early death at the mercy of a wild Pokemon. Instead, it had pushed him to overcome the station of his birth, to become one of the greatest men alive. It had pushed him to become Champion.

His father had been an honest, willful man who took pride in his work and demanded that everyone do the same. He would tirelessly to clean the stables of the pride and joy of Blackthorn, the dragons, from dawn until dusk. He asked for no thanks for this and gave none in return. His duty was to be done for the sake of the clan, and little else had mattered. After the sun set, the man would return home, eat his dinner, and hide himself away in the study to read the sacred texts of Blackthorn, as was expected of every citizen that rested within its walls. Lance knew little of his father. He couldn't say what the man's relationship with his dead mother was, his thoughts on his only son, or even his preferences in food. His father was a slave to his duty, to the pride and glory of the Blackthorn clan.

He despised it.

At the age of ten, Lance had come of age and been pressed into his father's service, as dictated by the Blackthorn clan. Everyone had their place, everything was to be given to train and control the dragons. This system allowed the Blackthorn's to become the penultimate power within Jhoto during the war and the years proceeding. Bowing only to the jurisdiction of the League, their pride and power swelled to titanic proportions. And so Lace spent the next seven years shoveling shit. A veritable slave to the excrement that had been created by the source of that power.

With every fiber of his being he wished to have a different life, one away from his stranger of a father, away from the filth and grime that covered him from head to toe each day, infecting him with a smell that permeated his being no matter how hard he washed. And so, as the sun set and his father returned to his study, Lance left the sanctuary of the city walls and ventured into the wild. Being found there by the dragons that roamed the surrounding mountains would mean being torn limb from limb in a territorial rage, while being found by his clan would mean standing trial, working the stalls during his sentencing, and eventually being offered a painless death after years of paying off his debt to society.

He would have preferred the former.

He spent countless nights roaming the mountains surrounding Blackthorn, hiding from humans and dragons alike. Those days taught him valuable lessons, of how to hide your scent and sound from approaching Pokemon, of how to create a shelter that could withstand the mightiest of storms, and most importantly, of how to earn a dragon's allegiance. He had learned that dragons were just like any other Pokemon, only more so. Charizards valued strength, putting those with power at the top of their hierarchy. Dragons required it to live, condemning their weakest members to death by starvation and neglect. Metagross controlled entire clans, directing them to action with a flicker of thought. Dragons demanded absolute obedience, brutally crushing challengers and eliminating foes at the first hint of rebellion. There was a horrific sense of beauty to the dragons society. Power, and the ability to wield it, was the only rule that mattered. No matter the circumstances of birth, a dragon with capability and strength could one day rule over an entire clan.

And so, he had spent years of his life cleaning by day, and plotting by night. Not even the Blackthorns could ignore the power of the dragons, and his only escape from the stalls would be to gain the allegiance of one of them. So he bided his time. One year turned to two, and two to three. Seven years he waited for his opportunity, meticulously planning the capture of one of the fabled dragons. His chance came on the eve of his eighteenth birthday, where he risked his entire being on the back of capturing a lone dratini that had wandered away from their clan. He had been successful, and its capture rocketed him to the top of the society he hated so fiercely.

Lanced looked over the papers in front of him with mild distaste. Ironically, becoming Champion meant he was now in control of very similar chains to the ones that had bound him in his youth. Laws, regulations, punishments, trials. Fortunately, life within Kanto was more just than Blackthorn. Still, he could never shake the lingering feeling of revulsion for the status quo.

"So… Blaine is finally giving up his position, is he?"

The old man had been on the decline for years now, the fiery spirit of the Master giving way to the weariness of an aging veteran. Despite this, Blaine had maintained his status as an Elite well into his 80s, dutifully serving his nation until a challenger was strong enough to rise up and defeat him. That event had occurred four months prior, when a muscle bound man by the name of Bruno won his challenge, ending the second longest tenure of an Elite ever recorded.

"Yes sir," replied Serena. "Bruno will be taking on the full responsibilities of an Elite at the end of next week."

Serena was a clever, studious girl of sixteen who had greatly exceeded his expectations so far. She quickly adapted to her position after a brief period of training, anticipating his needs and relaying vital information to him with efficiency and accuracy. Her daily outfit consisted of a black tank top and knee length red skirt that was stylish, yet professional. He suspected she was very popular with young men her age. Or rather, she would be if she spent time with anyone other than him and the other Elite Four. He had come to rely on her more and more in the last 6 months, and she had lifted an untold number of bureaucratic burdens from his shoulders since she started.

It almost made him regret the fact that he distrusted her.

She was a transfer from Kalos, a region of untold beauty and self imposed isolation. Bordered by a vast ocean to the west, and the sheer peaks of mountains to the east, their isolation had been a boon and a curse for the region for hundreds if not thousands of years. It had played in their favor more recently, allowing them to avoid the wave of destruction brought about by the wars that had swept the globe a hundred years prior. Despite this, their policy had shifted within the last decade, and the Kalos government began exchanging various representatives with each region in an attempt to explore their culture and governance.

As well as relay sensitive information.

"Excellent." Lance commented "Our scheduled meeting for that day will be a briefing and a welcome for the newest addition to the Elites. I assume all the necessary preparations have been made?"

"Yes," Serena replied "Tarus steaks will be the main dish as requested. Other delicacies will be gathered based on a survey that was sent to Bruno and the other sitting Elites."

"Very good, be sure to check on the itinerary and menu the day before the event, and have them sent to my desk for review." With a small wave of his hand, he looked back to the paperwork on his desk. "That will be all for now."

Hearing the soft tap of high heels indicating Serena's departure, he focused on the papers in front of him. They outlined counts of food supplies, status of budgets, happenings of natural disasters, and other various administrative reports from each of the cities within Kanto and Johto.

Shifting those to the side, he began to review the more important documents that lay beneath. The first was an evaluation of Bruno's team, compiled by various experts he had ordered to review the battle. They outlined the nature of a fairly interesting character. Bruno had approached his fight with an absolutely meticulous nature. Each of his pokemon used tactics that had been honed to a point of perfection, countering Blane's strategies without a spoken word from the Trainer throughout the fight. Blaine's Magmar, the pinnacle of its species, had been smothered by the largest onyx Lance had ever seen. Blaine managed to avoid being encircled for nearly 30 minutes, but the onyx had prevailed, wrapping around the Magmar until its massive stone body glowed red from the heat. That continued for nearly five minutes before the Magmar succumbed to its iron grip.

Many of the fights had traveled down the same path. Blaine would initially gain the upper hand with a prodigious mixture of skill and raw power, only for Bruno to counter him with a tactic specifically catered to the situation at hand, all nonverbally. It had been a masterclass in predicting an opponent's tendencies, each turn of the battle revealed itself like a deck of cards that played directly into Bruno's hand. Despite this, the end result was only a five to six victory for Bruno, who finally overcame the Master of fire with that monstrous onyx.

After finishing the summary of Bruno's expected strengths and weaknesses, he flipped the page over and looked at the last sheet of paper on his desk. It was a preliminary report, outlining the reasons for the recent use of Emergency Protocol. Lance despised the protocol, as a single use of it generated an obscene amount of paperwork for him and his staff. Of course, one managed to find its way to his desk nearly every week.

As a rule of thumb, he scoffed at their reasoning. Dull, obvious deflections for Leaders to gain territory or valuable Pokmeon for themselves at the expense of their neighbors.

He hardly had time to contest them all though, as it would take a majority within the council of Leaders to officially condemn such an action. Which meant meetings, votings, and political manipulations he had little time or inclination for. Still, all of the Leaders were cautious, and avoided invoking the protocol too often. If Lance truly felt that they had stepped over the line, he had ways of persuading the Leaders to see his point of view, and they all knew it.

Sighing, he looked up from his papers and out the window which held the breathtaking view of the Indigo Plateau below. The last rays of sun were filtering out from behind a canvas of clouds, painting the blue stone with strokes of burgundy and burnt orange. How had his promise come to this? He had expected the Champion to be about grand feats of strength, of ruling a nation from the forefront of battle and crafting a new society with the force of his will. In reality, it had meant months and months of meetings and paperwork, with the occasional appearance in the event of national emergencies.

Perhaps it was better this way. He now had the ability to read the book, and doing so had given him more perspective on his station than ever before. After all, a leader's true value was not demonstrated by the acts of overwhelming authority and power, but by the minutiae of his just governance.

It didn't make the task any less dull though.

He opened the drawer at his desk, grabbing the folder that would hold his next task.

"Official Correspondence: Discussion of territory rights regarding Viridian Forest's berry supply."

Ugh.