So cold, so sleepy, why do things have to be like this? I didn't ask for this, life was fine before I met it, before it gave me these. I need warmth, coffee would do nicely. If only I wasn't stuck here.
A lone man walked down a broken street, looking at the ruin around him. He shook his head, watching as debris slid down a building.
The man was wearing a yellow shirt with white stripes on the sides, a white headband encircling his dark hair. He wore simple black sweatpants, his overall appearance making him seemingly unremarkable.
However, his reason for being here was remarkable. A Pokémon had told him to come here, saying that there were people who needed his assistance. Having made the journey here from a neighboring city, he could definitely see why.
The Gloom Organization, a dangerous organization, had been gathering more and more members, their influence spreading across the region. His past few encounters with them hadn't been by chance.
Now, it was his duty to help those in need.
But where should he start? The Legendary that chose him had told him about other Chosen trapped in the city, so the most obvious approach would be to look for the Gloom Organization. They seemed to have a knack for finding Chosen.
He continued through the city, looking out for any Gloom Agents. From what he could tell, there wasn't any more fighting to be done. The news reports he heard on the train had been hours ago, and the fighting seemed to have been reaching its final stages. Were these Chosen really labeled as terrorists though? It didn't seem right.
He continued walking, keeping himself to his thoughts, when a rumbling sound pierced through the silence of the destroyed city. Snapping to attention, he took cover in a nearby building, watching for the cause of the sound.
Coming down the street was an unidentifiable armored military transport vehicle. The man watched it with interest. Coming to a decision, he waited for the truck to draw level with him before sprinting forward, leaping and grabbing the back of the truck, pulling himself up and onto its top.
His infiltration didn't go unnoticed, but stealth wasn't the purpose.
The truck came to a sudden halt, the man dropping to his hands and staying on. The back of the truck opened as six people ran out, all of them wearing black suits. The man's suspicion had been confirmed, it was the Gloom Organization.
"Watch out!" shouted one of the men, pointing a blaster at him. "He's most likely one of the Chosen!"
Two other men came from the driver's and passengers' side of the vehicle, pointing their own guns. Another man from the original group of six pointed a gun at him as well. Everyone was locked into a tense standstill, trying to see who'd make the first move.
The man took a deep breath, centering himself. His attention sharpened, he dashed forward and slid off the top of the vehicle, dodging multiple shots fired at him. He kicked off one of the Gloom Agents and leapt backwards, bringing his fists up as he prepared himself.
Unable to use their blasters in close proximity, they switched to using their swords. Two men ran forward, their swords at the ready.
Without breaking a sweat, the Chosen unleashed a rapidly flurry of strikes, each of them surrounded with water. His first two strikes disarmed one of the agents while a third one hit the other agent directly in the chest, leaving him open for another set of successive blows.
The disarmed agent leapt for him, only for the Chosen to use his momentum against him, throwing him over his shoulder. He retreated slowly as the other four agents circled him, their swords at the ready. Two agents at the back trained their blasters on him, waiting.
All at once, all four agents came at him, their swords slashing professional cuts all around the Chosen. Switching his stance to a defensive one, he dodged one attack after the other, keeping his breath deep and even as he focused.
Then, sensing an opening. He spun around, dodging a downward cut and retaliating with a single powerful blow. His fist caught his opponent's midsection and released an explosion of dark energy, sending him flying into another opponent.
He dodged a blast from one of the agents in the back, the explosion causing one of the sword users to hesitate. Seizing that opportunity, he switched back to Rapid Style, striking multiple blows on his opponent's midsection before finishing with a powerful Single Strike.
Having seen the ease in which the Chosen took out five of their agents, the remaining three were a lot more cautious. The one who'd been charging before stopped and leapt back, wielding his sword in a defensive position. The other two agents discarded their blasters and pulled out their swords, moving closer together.
"I don't wish to fight any more than I have to," said the Chosen. "You can surrender now if you wish."
One of them seemed ready to surrender, but the driver of the vehicle smacked him, his glare seeming to penetrate through his glasses. Rather than give a response, he pressed on, readying his sword and he brought it backwards, prepared to swing.
The Chosen crouched into a fighting stance, mirroring that of Urshifu's Single Strike Form. He took a deep breath, anticipating his enemy's movement.
Right when the man came into striking range, the Chosen reacted immediately. He stepped forward and threw his fist forward, a surge of dark energy surrounding the powerful blow. The moment his fist hit the opponent, there was a surge of black energy as the man was sent flying, his sword shattering into pieces as he ragdolled across the ground.
That was the turning point for the other two members. They dropped their weapons and retreated backwards slowly, moving towards the truck. The chosen shook his head, pointing down the street.
"I suggest you make yourselves discreet over there. I'm taking the truck."
The Chosen had been driving for about ten minutes, following a preset destination on the vehicle's GPS, when a buzzing sound started playing. Looking around, he noticed a sideboard radio buzzing. He picked it up and examined it for a moment, pressing the button on the side.
"Where are you?" came an angry voice from the other side. "You were supposed to be here by now! Because of your failure to show I had to engage the target with my unit to prevent them from escaping! Now, my unit has been frozen over and we can't do anything!"
That had all but confirmed the Chosen's suspicions of where this transport of Gloom Agents had been going. They had been hunting down another Chosen. All that was left now was to not raise suspicions and get to the destination before they figured him out.
"We were intercepted by a different target on our way here. They've fled, but not before taking out most of us, including my Squad Leader."
The person on the other end was silent for a moment. "It figures, we're not equipped to deal with Chosen in such small numbers. We'll rende-"
Suddenly, the man's voice cut out as a new one crackled onto the speaker, seemingly interrupting all current connections. "All units are to pursue the targets but not engage. The Ideal One shall be taking over this operation."
The Chosen frowned. The Ideal One? That couldn't be their leader, right?
The previous man's voice cut back into the radio. "Never mind. You just head to the nearest target point to your location. I'm not sure if you know, but you don't want to get in the path of the Ideal One during combat."
"Yes sir," said the Chosen, switching the radio off. He looked at the map again, finding his position very close to where this 'target point' was. From what he could tell, this target point was the most likely area for the Chosen to be. He would have too much trouble finding them, all he had to do was find the Gloom Agent he'd been talking to and go from there.
He looked up at the road and saw another armored transport vehicle. Pulling up next to it, he opened the door and exited his own vehicle, taking the keys with him just in case. As he looked around, he was slightly surprised with what he saw.
A layer of frost covered nearby buildings, some places having solid ice on them. As he investigated further, he could definitely see signs of battle between the Gloom Organization and someone else.
Based on what he heard, the Chosen nor the Gloom Agent and his unit could've gotten very far. Which was a good sign. He left the frozen building he'd been investigating and continued down what looked to be a trail of snow, which fortunately didn't melt very quickly in the chilly Fall air.
Up ahead, he saw multiple Gloom Agents located around a building, all of them with guns and pokéballs. The Chosen hid to the side of a building, watching them carefully. It seemed they were trying to wait out the person holed up in the building or were waiting out for the Ideal One to arrive. Counting their Pokémon, they were ten in total, which was significant for two reasons.
One: These people were definitely more elite, considering the ones he fought before didn't have any.
And two: Whatever this new Chosen was, they definitely had some destructive powers if the Gloom Agents weren't willing to strike with their superior numbers.
While he could try and fight them, a better option would be to make contact with the other Chosen and get out of here before this Ideal One showed up. Looking around, he suspected he could get to the top of the building by jumping onto its roof or through one of its many holes from another building. He just had to do so without being seen.
He leapt up and started to scale the building he was next to, taking hold of the irregularities in the worn brick wall. He could feel cold seeping into his hands. He made a mental note not to fight too closely to whoever this Chosen was. It was clear they had little control over their powers.
Pulling himself onto the roof, he looked down at the Gloom Agents. So far, so good. Their attention was completely focused on the building, none of them daring to enter it. Turning away, he ran across the roof and leapt towards a taller office building, grabbing onto one of the windowsills and climbing in, mindful of the broken glass.
After climbing onto the rooftop, he had a clear shot to the building the Gloom Organization was guarding. So far, he saw no signs of this 'Ideal One' showing up. As he prepared to jump, he frowned as he felt the name was familiar. Pulling himself back to the present, he took a few steps back to prepare a running start, leaping towards a window and shielding his body as he flew.
He smashed into the window, causing glass to sprinkle everywhere as he hit the ground on the other side in a roll, coming up to his feet and brushing himself off. As expected, the Gloom Agents would be trying to figure out the cause of the noise, but more evidence pointed to the other Chosen and not to him.
He quickly and quietly made his way down the stairs, trying not to surprise the Chosen.
When he reached the middle floor, he saw a figure huddle up in the corner, shivering slightly. Noticing him, the person stood up, stumbling backwards slightly.
"W-Who're you?" she asked, her voice slurring slightly. "I don't w-want to have to fight you."
She had light blue hair tied in a ponytail and a sleepy look on her face. She wore a white button up shirt with a silver pin that had the numerals 'III' on them, as well as a blue plaid skirt. From the looks of it, she appeared to be a regular looking schoolgirl.
The man raised his hands. "I'm not here to fight. My name's Kai Yang, are you one of the Chosen?"
The girl didn't react. "Yes, I am. I'm guessing you're not part of the group after me."
Kai nodded. "I'm here to get you to safety, I'm Chosen as well, by Urshifu. Are you okay? You seem a bit-"
"I'm fine," said the girl. "I'm Cyan Lowell. Chosen by Articuno."
"Alright, we have to hurry, however. One of the Gloom Agents mentioned something about an Ideal One."
Cyan didn't respond, staring at the ground. Then, realizing Kai had said something, she looked up.
"I'm sorry, what did you say?"
Kai shook his head. "Doesn't matter, let's go."
He started climbing the stairs quickly, taking them two at a time. He looked back and saw that Cyan was following him at a much slower pace, despite her seemingly athletic build, in fact, she seemed to be ready to fall over at any moment.
A flash of annoyance crossed Kai's face, but he automatically recentered himself and breathed. After all, the scene outside told him that this girl had used a lot of her ability. It was only natural she'd feel faint or tired.
"Here, take my hand," said Kai. "I don't mean to rush you, but we have to get out of here as fast as we can."
Cyan looked a bit hesitant at first but outstretched her hand towards him. Kai took her wrist, grimacing a bit at how cold it was. Pulling her forward, they ran up the stairs to where Kai had first entered the building.
Kai looked out the broken window, looking for the nearest jumpable building. "Alright, we're going to go from here to that store roof. Are you able to reach there?"
Cyan nodded. "I have my ways. What about those guys in the black suits?"
"Depending on how we do this, they may-"
He stopped, realizing that the Gloom Agents were all retreating. Leaning slightly out the window, he saw a new person approaching the building.
The person was wearing a metallic black cloak covering most of his body, the ends rough and jagged. Beneath the cloak appeared to be black armor, blue light trails coursing through it. The person wore a Zekrom mask that obscured their face, which was further framed by a black hood. They appeared to have dragon-like claws, but upon further inspection, turned out to be heavy gauntlets.
Kai then realized what the name the Ideal One meant. Zekrom was known as the Pokémon of Ideals, but wouldn't that mean? Kai didn't want to think about it.
"We have to go. There's a transport truck I commandeered down the street, the one farther from the building. Once we start moving, we cannot stop. Ready?"
Cyan nodded, stepping closer to the edge. Kai went first, making a running jump and landing on the building he indicated. Two icy blue wings grew from her back as she jumped from the buildings, the wings leaving trails of frost behind her and she glided onto the building, the wings vanishing as she did.
Kai took Cyan's hand and pulled her along, the two of them running across the building. Looking down at the Ideal One, he noticed in alarm that they were no longer on the street.
However, he didn't have to look far.
There was an explosion of electricity as the roof of the building in front of them exploded. Kai pulled Cyan towards him and leapt off the building, hitting the ground hard and rolling over, Cyan landing a few meters away.
Kai painfully got to his feet, looking over at Cyan, who barely moved. Another explosion of electricity erupted through the air as the Ideal One landed on the ground, a pair of black wings poking out from his suit.
"I was under the assumption there would only be one Chosen here," said a male voice, made even more menacing by the mask. "No matter, both of you will die."
Electricity surged around his body as he dashed forward, aiming for Cyan, who had yet to get up. Leaping in the way, Kai threw a series of Rapid Strikes, all of his punches blocked.
After taking all of his blows, electricity surged around the man's right arm as he brought his fist down for a devastating strike, which Kai barely dodged. He didn't get a chance to recover when the Ideal One flew forward, plowing into him with electricity.
Kai was sent flying backwards, but he quickly recovered his footing, bringing his hands up to prepare for another attack. As the Ideal One flew at him again, he switched his stance, readying a Wicked Blow.
The Ideal One's armor powered up as the two clashed head on, Kai's powerful strike forcing the Ideal One's Bolt Strike to a standstill. Both of them were pushed back as the Ideal One circled around, electricity gathering all over his body.
The Ideal One came in for another strike, missing as Kai sprung to the side. Before he could prepare another strike, Kai came at him, his hands surrounded with water.
The Ideal One raised his arms to guard, but Kai activated his special ability, Unseen Fist. His fists seemed to blur out as he landed multiple strikes, one after the other. Switching his stance, he used a powerful Wicked Blow, sending the Ideal One flying back several meters, digging his gauntlets into the ground to stop himself from falling further back.
Before he could retaliate, Cyan suddenly attacked from her nearby position. Ice swirled around her in a huge radius, enveloping the Ideal One as she focused the ice storm on him. Kai's eyes widened as he felt the intense cold of the attack, understanding why the Gloom Agents had been so scared.
The ice faded as Cyan collapsed to the ground, the Ideal One encased in solid ice. Kai rushed over to Cyan and noticed that ice was growing on her skin and hair, dangerously lowering her body temperature. He picked her up and ran for the transport vehicle, knowing that they didn't have very long. Even as he ran, he could hear the cracking of ice as the Ideal One attempted to free himself with electricity.
Putting her in the passenger seat, he silently thanked her for her sacrifice. He turned on the vehicle and set the heaters to full. He turned the vehicle around and floored it, trying to put as much distance between them and the Ideal One as he could.
It had been about twenty minutes before Cyan woke up, finding herself wrapped with a fire blanket. She groggily looked out the window, trying to comprehend their situation.
She turned to look at Kai. "Where are-"
Her eyes widened in alarm as she saw Kai, completely drenched in sweat. He looked over at her, an expression of relief settling onto his face. He then noticed her expression and laughed.
"It's good to see you're awake. Don't worry about me, it's pretty hot but I'll be fine."
Cyan shook her head. "I'm much warmer now, thank you. You can turn down the heater."
Kai nodded, shutting it down. As Cyan looked outside the window, she could see that they were on a highway, t the roads completely deserted,
"What happened? Everywhere I look, places are destroyed, places abandoned."
Kai seemed a bit surprised at the question, but answered, nonetheless. "The Gloom Organization happened. They'd been growing as a group for years now, and they've pretty much trashed the region. Their agent's roam about, hunting for Chosen and Pokémon alike. They've forced most people to other cities while most places became a warzone, constant battles between them and the Chosen. Not only that, but now Pokémon seek revenge against humanity for what the Gloom Organization have been doing. By the way, is that a school uniform?"
Cyan nodded. "I don't have anything else to wear. I used to have a blazer, but I had to ditch it."
"Hmm. I didn't recognize it from any public owned schools, that's all."
Cyan sighed. "I'm actually a long way from home."
"How long?"
Cyan looked at him. "What if I were to tell you that I'm not from this world? That I fell through one of the Ultra Wormholes and ended up here?"
Kai looked at her. "I would believe you. I've seen the wormholes with my own eyes. How'd it happen?"
Cyan stared out the window, lost in thought. "It had been a normal school day, and I was returning home. At some point, the Incursion Phenomena happened again and this time, I was one of its victims. My first few days in this new world were spent trying to find help, but most of the places I found were deserted. After that, I was just trying to survive while evading the Gloom Organization, who weren't after me, but didn't seem like people to be trusted."
Kai nodded. "A wise decision. I've heard people can be jailed for being outside after curfew."
"At some point, Articuno appeared before me and made me into a Chosen. I don't know what it saw in me, all it said was that time was running out. After that, the Gloom Organization began actively hunting me. I awakened my powers whilst fighting an Arbok, and the rest of the details are fuzzy."
Kai could sense the air of sadness around here. He decided to change the subject, in a way that wouldn't appear obvious.
"What was your world like?" asked Kai. "You've seen plenty of this one, but I'm sure your own world's much safer than this one."
Cyan laughed. "Definitely. My world didn't have many major events happening. Let's see, in my world, Pokémon and humans live together. Most Pokémon are pets, though some people train and battle them in tournaments and stuff. It's really only popular in Unova though, and recently a politician named Ghetsis was making a push for Pokémon battling to be outlawed."
Kai was intrigued, mostly at the part of Pokémon being kept as pets. "You tame Pokémon in your world?" he asked, his voice full of wonder.
"You guys don't do that here? I just assumed you guys did a lot of Pokémon battling considering the size of the Pokémon the Gloom Organization uses."
Kai shook his head. "We've had a long and complicated history with Pokémon. It started out with Pokémon and humans constantly fighting each other. Humans lived in small settlements, with multiple trained village fighters, fearing that a large-scale war would mean extinction for humanity. We didn't really stand much of a chance against Pokémon back then."
"What changed?"
"Humans discovered the art of sorcery, a way for humans to shape the natural forces of the world. This allowed humans to defend themselves against Pokémon. Society rose and flourished as sorcerers were seen as power leaders and protectors. As more and more people learned sorcery, humans gained enough power to rival Pokémon. Mass fighting broke out, it seemed the world was close to ruin."
He briefly paused in his story to turn into an exit, leaving the highway and entering a new city. Signs of people showing for the first time as they drove through.
"Eventually, Arceus knew that a solution must be made. He imbued with each Legendary an ability to choose a champion. These human champions would serve as Ambassadors between humans and Pokémon. The first ever Chosen was a young man by the name of Red, chosen by Mew. Along with other Chosen, they created peace between humans and Pokémon. The two species would coexist separately, neither interfering with the other. This was a peace that would last centuries, until the Gloom Organization."
"Does it have to do with the Pokémon who have dark auras?"
"Yes. The Gloom Organization created a new technology that's called the pokéball. Using it, they captured Pokémon and turned them into Shadow Pokémon through complex sorcery. Now, regular Pokémon have begun to seek revenge, blaming us for breaking the treaty."
"I had no idea," said Cyan. "I was surprised when I didn't see any wild Pokémon around, this is why?"
Kai nodded. "Most cities nowadays are close together, the surrounding areas inhabited by Pokémon. These places are known as the Outlands, pretty much forbidden to humanity."
They were silent for a moment, Cyan looking out the window as they drove down the new city. "Where are we going?" she asked.
"Nowhere in particular. We'll have to ditch the truck and hide somewhere for the night. My place is too far to make it before curfew."
Cyan nodded. "Alright. Nothing I haven't done since entering this world."
They both laughed at that joke, Cyan feeling genuine happiness and hope for the first time since she fell into this world. Kai on the other hand, had a feeling of resolve about him. He had been Chosen for a purpose, and now he was fulfilling that purpose.
The Ideal One punched the ground in anger, electricity coursing through his arm. He'd lost their trail hours ago, and his only clue was a disabled transport vehicle, having been long since abandoned.
There was no avoiding it now, he'd have to tell the Consumer of his failure. Producing a purple crystal from a notch in his armor, he threw it to the ground, mist exploding in front of him and taking the shape of a man.
"I'm sorry Master," said the Ideal One, taking a knee and bowing his head. "I failed to eliminate the Chosen. A second Chosen teamed up with the first one and were able to momentarily incapacitate me and escape through a commandeered vehicle."
"At ease Zek," echoed a smooth and menacing voice. "Dispatching the Chosen is of our least priority. At least you were able to observe a thorough demonstration of their abilities. I have another mission for you."
"Thank you Master!" said the Ideal One, quickly coming to his feet. "I am honored that you chose to overlook my failures."
"I have received reports that the girl may have ended up in Aseilea Town. Find her and be prepared for whatever may appear."
"I won't fail you Master," said the Ideal One, bowing to the figure.
"No, you won't, Zek. Remember, you are the one to carry out our plans, our ideals. The Chosen can wait for another time, we are coming closer to goals. This game of cat and mouse will continue."