Prologue: All That Glitters

The sun beat down overhead as two Pokemon, a Mashtomp and a Servine, walked through the crowded streets of the City of Paradise. The city, only a hundred years old now, had seemingly sprung up out of nowhere to dominate the local region. Buildings of wood and stone lined the cobbled streets and Pokemon of all sizes made their way to and fro. For the Marshtomp, it was the closest thing he had seen in this world to his old home.

"It's hard to imagine this used to be a small village one hundred years ago," He muttered, as he and his partner weaved their way around a large crowd that had gathered around a street vendor, "This place is bigger than Lively Town by at least a factor of four."

"Well, I suppose living in a town founded by heroes who saved the world has that effect," The Servine muttered, looking down at her map, "Let's see, we should just about see it now…"

The Marshtomp looked up at the large gleaming white palace structure ahead at the top of the hill, "I think I see it."

The Servine looked up from her map and squinted, "A bit ostentatious, don't you think."

"It's rarely just about luxury," The Marshtomp said with a shrug, "Often it's about sending a message as well. Like the prevalence of Haxorus and Raichu statues everywhere. It helps keep societies together."

"Well I don't like it," the Sevine insisted, "If anyone starts building statues of me, I'll personally tear them down."

The Marshtomp shrugged and, now with a proper heading, the duo quickly made their way to the gates of the palace. Now that they were closer, the Marshtomp recognized the Greco-Roman style the palace was built in. The road to the main villa was surrounded by gardens and pristine marble statues while the entrance itself was supported by Ionic-style columns and looked more like a temple than a villa. Before all of this stood a gate guarded by two Bisharps.

"Halt!" The one on the right declared, holding up his armored hand, "Unless you have business with the Prince-Regent, turn back."

"We were requested," the Marshtomp began, fetching a letter from his satchel, "By the queen." He handed the letter to one of the Bisharp, "I'm Mathew, and this is my partner, Amber. We're the co-leaders of Team Trailblazers."

That gave the guards pause. The one to the left looked at the two with a bewildered expression, "You're the Team Trailblazers?"

"The very same," Amber said with a grin, "Now, please do inform Queen Zoe of our arrival." The guard to the right saluted and swiftly departed, leaving the other one to gawk at the two heroes who stood before him. For Team Trailblazers' part, they seemed used to the gawking and promptly ignored it.

"Huh," Mathew said, looking up at the iron gate as they waited, "I didn't notice that before."

"Hmm?" Amber said, looking from the Marshtomp to where his eyes were, "What is it?"

"The gate itself is newer than the wall," The Marshtomp said, "You can tell because they had to fill in some holes left by the previous gate. See those spots in the wall," He pointed past the guard at a lighter patch of stone along the inner part of the wall facing the gate, "It's been plastered over, and recently by the looks of it."

"Astute observation," They both looked up to see a male Haxorus walking briskly to the gate tailed by a Bisharp guard, "Though I suppose we shouldn't expect anything less from a legendary hero who helped take down Dark Matter."

Mathew was instantly put off by the 'mon's manner. The tone of voice and the way the Haxorus carried himself instantly read 'Politician' to the former human. Amber quickly picked up on his unease and took the initiative, "Hello! I am Amber, and this is my partner and co-leader, Mathew. We recently received a letter from Zoe-"

"Queen Zoe," One of the guards interrupted.

Amber sighed internally, but didn't let her frustration show and continued, "Yes, Queen Zoe, and made our way as fast as possible to Paradise."

By this point, the Haxorus had reached the gate and motioned for it to be opened, "Yes, you must forgive us. My grandmother did not tell us we would be expecting visitors. I'll take you to her now," He motioned for them to follow. Mathew and Amber shared a look of concern between them, before following the draconic pokemon. "My grandmother can be quite eccentric at times," the Haxorus continued, "So it's not a terrible shock she invited such esteemed guests without informing the staff. But pardon me, I haven't given a proper introduction, have I?" The Haxorus looked down at the two and gave a toothy smile, "I am Prince Agustus, acting regent of the Kingdom of Mist."

"A bit presumptuous to declare yourselves the master of the entire Mist continent, don't you think?" Amber asked as they reached the entrance proper.

The Haxorus chuckled, "What other entity could? The only major settlement not under our direct control on this continent is Noel Town, and even then, they have been relying on our support for years now."

"Hmm," Mathew said, thinking. He knew pokemon politics was more… complex than what had been portrayed in the games. His own home country was essentially a merchant republic situated on a nexus of trade routes between continents, but this imperialistic attitude he had encountered on the Mist continent gave him pause. He couldn't help but think the human hero had likely influenced this attitude somehow. He looked around as they walked. The palace was beautiful, with clean white walls with marble revetment depicting the many adventures of Team Paradise from the early days of the city's founding, including their fated encounter with Bittercold.

Just as they passed that final revetment, the Haxorus gestured to a room, "Best not keep the queen waiting. She can get a bit cranky."

"Well, thank you for guiding us," Amber said with a curt nod. Mathew nodded as well, still lost in thought, and followed his partner into the room. The room itself was, surprisingly enough, what looked to be the royal library. Scrolls and leather-bound books covered the many rows of shelves while the marble revetment in this room was simpler and patterned. To the side of the rows of shelves and under a grand window was a sitting area with a large table and lounging chairs.

On one of the chairs, casually lounging while eating grapes from a bowl, was an old Haxorus. Her horns were chipped and, in some places, yellowed. Her scales were dull, and the tip of her tail was missing, simply ending with a metal cap fastened to the end. The elder dragon looked up from her scroll, "About time you young'uns showed up." Her voice was old, yet still held onto a regal edge. She beckoned them to come closer, "Come on now, we're burning daylight."

Mathew and Amber hurried over to the queen's table, each sitting somewhat awkwardly in the chairs meant for lounging, "You, err, sent for us?" Mathew began, unsure how to address a queen.

The elderly Haxorus huffed, "Well of course I did. I meant to have this meeting sooner, but things kept getting in the way. Besides, you both deserved a break after defeating Dark Matter."

Amber leaned forward, her brow furrowing, "Five years is quite a time to wait."

"As I said, things came up," the queen said with a dismissive huff, "But now that you're here, I can have a proper discussion with ya' both. Team Poke'Pals had this same discussion with me after they found out about my team's exploits, and team Go-Getters had this discussion as well with them even before that."

"You, you actually met team Poke'Pals?" Mathew asked, "I mean, I knew you were over a hundred years old, but-"

"Yeah, I'm old," the queen interrupted, "And you better thank your lucky stars I held on this long. Draconic blood only goes so far in extending a lifespan, you know."

Mathew looked to Amber and then back to the queen, "Well, I'm here now. So…?"

"Hold your breeches youngster, I was just getting to that," the queen yawned, "Now, I assume you got your chance to go home already?"

Mathew shook his head, "Actually, despite expecting it, I was never given the opportunity. I mean, I had resolved to refuse the offer, but it never technically arrived."

Amber nodded, "I assumed it was because, well, I was the one actually to disappear, having been a reincarnation of Mew and all. But Mathew and my friends were able to find a way for my return."

The queen frowned, "Hmm, well, that ain't good. I suppose things are getting worse then."

"Getting worse?" Mathew asked, sharing a concerned look with Amber.

"Hmm," the elder Haxorus muttered, pulling herself up from her reclined position, "around 170 years ago, team Go-Getters saved this world from annihilation. This period roughly coincides with a period of silence."

"Period of…" Amber's eyes widened, "I think I vaguely remember that terminology. Mew had used it in some conversations…I think."

"Ah, that does make sense. The legendaries would be the most affected," the Haxorus turned away from her two guests, looking at the rows of books and scrolls, "When Kenji and I were informed of the previous heroes' suspicions, we had this research wing built in hopes of learning more. We scoured lands near and far for answers…and paid the price for our curiosity."

Mathew averted his gaze, "Is that how…" he trailed, unsure how to broach the subject more delicately.

"It was a damned temple trap," the queen said, her voice distant, "Quick and sudden, right between the eyes." She looked down, "I was unable to continue after that. I turned tail and fled back here. I built up this city, this kingdom, in hopes of fulfilling his dream."

Mathew felt Amber grip his shoulder tightly, and he scooted a bit closer to her. It was an alarming thought, losing your partner like that. To have it happen so suddenly…

The queen turned back to face them and gestured to a purple leather bound book sitting on the table in front of them, "I compiled our research into that book. I'm afraid it falls to you two then."

Mathew looked down at the strange book, "What exactly are you asking of us?"

"I want you two to find out why Arceus has been silent for the past 200 years," the queen commanded, "and why He has been relying on humans to save this world instead of the legendaries He empowered."

Amber slowly reached out and grabbed the book, "That is quite the task. I can already tell you no legendary pokemon has the answer."

The queen nodded, "First pokemon we started asking. They're completely clueless."

"If the legendaries don't know, what hope do we have?" Mathew asked, a bewildered look in his eyes.

"You two are a human and pokemon team," Zoe said with a smile, "When you work together, nothing can stop you."

Author's Note: Welcome to a new and exciting Fanfic! I hope you all enjoyed the prologue, though I do caution my readers that we won't be focusing on Mathew and Amber's story. Our main characters won't appear until chapter 1, which should be up post-haste! Never fear, though, they will play a role in the future. I also hope y'all accept the explanation that things will be a bit different than they were in the games. Anyway, forwards to the next chapter!