Chapter 1:
A half-moon glowed on a ruined village, illuminating an otherwise desecrated scene. The scene was momentarily silent save for the whimpers that echoed out into the night.
There was stirring in the remains of what were once houses as innocent Pokemon were either injured, dead, trembling in fear or crying over the bodies of those close to them. Those brave enough, however, peeked over the wall to view their only hope in the center of what was left of the village.
The two recipients of this attention was a massive Nidoking with a gem shaped mark in his chest and blazing golden eyes. He stood about two feet taller than the average Nidoking. His opponent was a Leavanny that was suffering from numerous injuries that looked almost fatal.
The Leavanny still stared defiantly back. "Thorn," he spat. "You will never get away with attacking this village. The pride of Peridot City's Justice Guild will never allow it."
The Nidoking blitzed him, pinning him to the ground and wrapping his tail around his neck.
He raised his head triumphantly. "Weak deputy…. after tonight this village will be another failure on your Guild." He growled back. "Puny…all of you are nothing to me." The Leavanny's red eyes darted towards the remains of a house a little way away.
Beady eyes peered out from the holes that filled the wall they hid behind. A Raticate who was watching fell backwards with a horrified squeak.
His teeth chattered. "T-there's no way," He whimpered. "He didn't even land a hit on him."
The others murmured anxiously among themselves.
A Torkoal who looked ancient nodded solemnly. "I had heard great things about the Justice Guild. Apparently, they are in charge of fighting the region's most dangerous criminals and are among the strongest Pokemon in the world."
A Ledyba had a dark look. "Deputies are said to be incredible in strength, second only to the Guildmaster." He noted.
The Torkoal nodded. "And yet, compared to that monster…." He said strainfully.
The Leafanny struggled, but Thorn's tail felt like an iron pipe was wrapped around his neck. He coughed as Thorn played with him.
"Rodriguez," He managed to yowl despite the immense pressure on his throat. The Raticate who was cowering looked up. "Take the citizens and get them away now! We are not going to be able to defeat him."
The Raticate got up, slowly. "But, Deputy Paulson, sir-"
"Go!" He urged. "I am replaceable, my life is given for you and your children. The party coming cannot best him! You must all get to Peridot City and warn the Guildmaster!" He met the Torkoal's steady gaze and after a moment of silence, the elderly Pokemon nodded.
"Take the other's and get to that east side. And no back talk!" He suddenly snapped as multiple members attempted to speak up. "I would just cut the speed of all of you in half. I lived more than all of you put together, this old man is going to be just fine."
Thorn chuckled. "Heh, so that's where they were hiding." His low growl of a voice mused. "Saves me the trouble of hunting them down."
Paulson's hands grew a light green and with a slam in the ground, a blizzard of brightly lit leaves surrounded him and Thorn. "Leaf Storm!"
Thorn's tongue clicked as his arms went to his face. While they didn't hurt, they made moving difficult and vision impossible. Losing his grip on Paulson, the deputy slipped out and went to a knee as he struggled to catch his breath.
Using this distraction, the Pokemon, led by Rodriguez, fled eastwards from the Leaf Storm, except the Torkoal. Tears welled in Rodriguez's eyes as he led the villagers away from the battle.
I'm pathetic…
The villagers ran for their lives, heart pounding in their chests as they followed the relatively young Raticate. Most were crying almost in disbelief and ran to escape the monster causing them overwhelming fear.
Paulson had his footing now and had a red aura around his body. His eyes were better suited for the stormage that surrounded them and his nimble body made it easy for him to maneuver in the storm. Thorn, meanwhile, was having trouble moving and seeing the deputy, although he did a good job of firing off Poison Jab attacks which Paulson dodged with a swift roll to the side, then countered with powerful a Struggle Bug.
Thorn stepped back and with a purple glow in his eyes, he slammed his arms into the ground. "Venoshock" He growled, sending purple electricity that vaporized the leaves that surrounded him. Once they did, he was met with a Night Slash over the top of his head.
As Paulson landed, however, a purple flash hammered into his abdomen, slamming him against the wall the citizens hid behind moments earlier. Paulson gritted his teeth in pain against the searing pain in his abdomen as he struggled to catch his breath. Thorn's eyes had returned to the golden yellow glare they once were and the mark on his chest glowed even brighter than before.
"Incredible… the potency needed to vaporize my leaves would need to be strong enough to kill a Rhyperior." He muttered, a clear sticky liquid coming from his mouth.
The Torkoal, who was still close to the wall, huffed. "And your body is currently filled with it." He retorted, plodding out from behind.
"Sir, I told you to get to the evacuation point." Paulson said sternly, although it fell on deaf ears.
"And what? Die when he catches up to me when you die of that poison in your blood." He yelled stubbornly, making Paulson sweatdrop. "I'm not dying with my back turned to no one."
"I applaud your courage," He muttered. Looking up at the sky as he drew what he knew to be his last breaths, he sighed. "What is your name, sir?"
The Torkoal, sharing the same sentiment, gave him a tired look. "Norton. I am, or rather was, the chief of this village." He replied, his body starting to glow a bright orange color.
Thorn cackled as his arms glowed purple once more. Paulson hesitated, glancing at the village, the bodies and the carnage that stained the grounds. With a grim face, his leafy hands glowed a light green as his eyes narrowed into furious slits.
And with a bound forward, he leaped at the menace, giving his all into one final attack….
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A train whistle whizzed as the early morning sun lit up the tracks. The train shone a brilliant gold as it traveled, working its way around the rainbow-colored city.
The city itself was beautiful and massive, with large buildings reaching up to six stories peeking out from the skyline that almost lined up in an arch, giving the impression of a rainbow. Pokemon bustled in the busy streets, each caught up in their own little world. A Tauros with a shopping bag gave a little nod as she passed a Donphan carrying a screaming toddler. Two Machoke were laughing with their arms around each other in front of a coffee shop. A Spinda yelled out the driver side of a taxi as a Slakoth took its time crossing the road. Murmurs of many ages blended with the ambient sounds of cars driving by, and the gust of the wind as it picked up in certain patterns. In the middle of the city, just in view of the train that was making its way downhill to the city, was a thirty-foot tall Gyarados fountain made out of white stone. A few Pokemon gathered around it, either to drop a Poke Coin in for good luck, or just to sit and chat. The city itself was surrounded by a lush evergreen forest with train tracks entering from the west and the east side. However, due to its immense size, the golden tracks also lay in a maze throughout the city.
A Snivy sat in the train, excitement unable to be hidden from her face. A note in her hand was just readable to anyone nosy enough to look.
To Erin Winters,
We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted by the Peridot City Justice Guild as an apprentice. You will be assigned to start May 2 and to be present at headquarters at 6:00 AM sharp. We look forward to your service.
Kind Regards,
Guildmaster Filip Finnegan
She lived in the northern part of the city, and while the building was only on the east side of the city, the trek still would have taken her a couple hours to complete. Although, with the excitement bursting out of her, she felt as though she could have made the trip in a few moments if she ran.
While she still had another 15 minutes until her stop, she settled into her seat, letting herself listen to the murmurs and whispers of the other passengers. A slightly overweight Jolteon sat across from her, skimming through a newspaper and shaking his head in disgust as he read deeper into the headline plastered on the cover.
"I can't believe this…two more killed because of that creature the Guild refuses to do anything about." He grumbled to a Delphox who looked disinterested. "I'm telling you, we are wasting thousands of dollars on this Guild for what?"
The Delphox very obviously put in another Ear Bud and turned up the music. The Jolteon blinked stupidly before turning to a Piloswine that sat next to his other side. Erin, meanwhile, narrowed her eyes in concern at the cover photo which featured Thorn smiling maniacally. As her eyes wandered to the mark on his chest and to the bright gold glow in his eyes, she couldn't help but to look away in uncomfortability. A look of something more blinked in her eyes.
The Jolteon hit the paper to emphasize his point, also snapping Erin out of it. "I can't believe those lazy guild members-"
"You know, if you're so concerned, you could always join instead of complaining." The Jolteons head snapped as an Oshawott who was sitting next to Erin spoke up. He wore a red scarf around his neck with his mouth barely poking out. He didn't look up from his phone. "I heard the Guild was trying to get a little rounder."
Erin was taken aback as a vein formed in the Jolteon's head. "What was that, you delinquent?"
"Just think of it, all the donuts you can eat and-" He cut off as the Jolteon stood up, sparks coming from cheeks. Pokemon scattered as the Jolteon looked ready to fight the cynical otter. While the otter Pokemon didn't seem at all bothered, the Jolteon's earlier aloof, granted pessimistic tone had switched to aggression in just a few moments.
Before either could move, Erin stood up between them. "Hey, come on, let's not resort to insults." Erin tilted her head to look at the Jolteon. "Sir, could you please take your seat."
"Get out of my way little girl, the men are fighting." The Jolteon said, although he puffed out his chest a bit. "Go sit down and the adults-"
Erin sighed and calmly took out her Guild Member badge, making the Jolteon go bright red in the face as he realized she heard everything.
The Oshawott snickered at his misfortune. "Hey, what was that you were saying about the Guild being lazy?" He egged on. The Jolteon, too embarrassed to retort, slinked back into his seat. The Delphox somehow missed everything that happened, but the Piloswine did seem like he was holding in a laugh.
The Jolteon's ear twitched. " I, er, do support the Justice Guild completely, you know. Always paying." He said gruffly, trying to break the awkward silence. The now quiet tone of his voice only made things more painfully awkward and panicking he still tried to fill the quiet void. "Always paying my taxes…. attending BBQ's." To everyone's relief, the stop only seemed a few minutes away.
Erin, glancing again at the newspaper, looked back up with a glance of reassurance. "Don't worry sir, we are going to do everything we can." She told him gently.
The Jolteon didn't looked convinced and glared at the Oshawott, who still looked rather nonchalant about it. "You better watch out for this one, then. Always getting into some kind of trouble with the hoodlums he's hanging out with. Only a matter of time before he ends up on your list."
Erin was going ask him to elaborate but the train came to a halt and the Jolteon made sure to quickly bustle out.
Turning to the Oshawott, who remained silent but unbothered by the incident, she couldn't help but to ask, "Is there something I should know about you?"
The Oshawott sighed unconvinced. "Okay, okay, yes there is something you should know about me?" He motioned her to come closer. "I can juggle five Oran Berries at once." He told her secretively, causing her to sweatdrop.
"Umm…what?"
Axl nodded seriously. "The secret is years of practice and a looooooot of broken dishes." He said turning to walk away, leaving Erin absolutely dumbfounded.
Taking a literal moment to catch herself, she ran after him. "W-wait…"She called, running after him.
He turned with a grin. 'Relax. The name's Axl, I promise to be on my best behavior, the guy just gets mad I play my music loud….at midnight." He said sheepishly. "Besides, you're a guild member, no? You'll be dealing with things far worse than me."
Erin was going to speak, close her mouth, and then continued. "Well…. yeah." She clenched her fists as excitement welled up in her as she remembered her first day. Checking her watch, she realized that, especially since there was nothing she needed to stay for as Axl had done nothing wrong, she had to get going. "My name's Erin and I'd love to stay to chat, but I have to head out. I'll see you around."
Without waiting, she gave adrenaline control of her body and dashed off, making sure to snake her way around people as she felt herself physically feeling like she was unable to wait.
Axl watched her go with the same nonchalant look he carried the entire time. His face being completely unreadable, he turned and walked the other direction, heading for the side of the city that seemed like a gray smudge in the rainbow-colored city.