A/N: Thank you all for clicking and reading! I always appreciate the views. For those that are return readers, you might notice a stylistic change. These are simply cosmetic; the story hasn't changed, and please feel free to skip to the relevant chapter. Enjoy!

PART 1: BEGINNINGS

Chapter 1

~~ Ethan, Lily, Anthony, Gerald ~~

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?"

A wise sage from an era ancient to the Old World. Source unknown, date unknown.

"Dinner!"

In that moment, Ethan had never heard a most beautiful sound before. He hadn't eaten since breakfast, and that meal could barely be considered meager, what with it only consisting of some bread and bacon. He bounced off his bed, making his way downstairs. Ethan was eighteen, well past 'of age' of in New Bark. He brushed away locks of brown hair that fell over his eyes, his arms tanned and muscular due to farm work.

Downstairs was small, but livable. The kitchen and dining room sat in one corner of the room, and the living room was the other. A doorway led to mother's room. Dinner was already set - another meal of rice and oven-cooked mareep, a staple of New Bark. The slice of mareep was smaller than his palm and flat like a cracker.

As with any family, dinner between Ethan and Lily – his mother – consisted of small talk. However, based on the slight downturn of Lily's lips, the subtle furrow of her brow, Ethan could tell it would be another quiet dinner. Another tax collector came from Blackthorn earlier in the day; he had heard his mother arguing with the man earlier in the day. New Bark was a small, sleepy town where the citizens were mostly mareep shepherds, and the appearance of any Silver Prefecture tax collectors usually made for big news. This was the third tax collector Blackthorn sent in six weeks, when in normal times, one wouldn't show for months at a time.

What is going on in Blackthorn? Ethan thought. "How many mareep do we have left? I didn't have a chance to check after he left."

"Two," Lily answered. "The man said it was for another excursion into the Mahogany Prefecture. More food needed for the soldiers, more wool needed for winter, yada yada. He said that this time, Clair would personally lead the troops."

Ethan scrunched his face in disgust. "It's like our livelihood means nothing to them."

Lily shrugged. "I'm sure Clair has her reasons."

"Does she? What's the point of a Supreme Emperor if there is still fighting between the prefectures? Lance's said he would stop the fighting. That's his whole reason for being!" Ethan swallowed a helping of rice, then pointed his spoon at Lily. "Clair only gets away with this because Lance is her brother."

"Lance was the one that stopped all the fighting in Kanto a few years back."

"Yeah, but…" Ethan ran a hand through his hair. "Clair can only march her army into Mahogany if Lance gives his go ahead. You know that."

"You're not wrong, but – well, other's might not take too kindly to your tone. Clair is still the Silver Prefecture's governor, whether you like it or not, and Lance is still Supreme Emperor, whether you like it or not."

Lily looked over Ethan; he could see the love and sadness in her eyes. He hated when she looked at him like that, making him feel all childish and such. Eventually, he would go on his own, and he didn't know how his mother, all alone, would manage.

"You haven't been speaking to Professor Elm again, have you?"

Ethan froze up. "No, you said not to. Why?" That was a lie, of course. When Ethan snuck out to the professor's lab last week, she found out and made a big stink about it. Afterwards, he vowed to be more careful.

"No reason in particular, just… no. No reason."

Ethan swirled the rice in his place, the conversation having made him lose his appetite. That was the same answer Lily gave last time he questioned her. He decided not to follow up. Placing his dishes by the washing bucket, he moved towards the door before his mother stopped him.

"Where are you going? It's almost dark."

"Going to Lyra's house," Ethan answered. Would she see through the lie?

Lily frowned. "Okay then. Just be safe. And make sure the mareep have enough water before you leave!"

As Lily watched Ethan walk out the door, she couldn't help but see him as that small, crying child from years ago. She always had that one distinct memory of when he was six. He was playing outside, too close to the mareep pen, when he annoyed one of the pokemon so much that it shocked him. Nothing strong, of course – mareep had miserably weak lightning shocks for an electric pokemon. Rather than back down and cry, Ethan kicked back, so the mareep shocked him again. While he could be hard-headed, Lily always admired his resolve. The world was harsh, and he would need that resolve and hard-headedness to find his way.

But, he was grown up now. And that stubbornness she admired seemed to drag Ethan down directions that disturbed her. Lily knew that Ethan had lied to her again; he was not going to Lyra's house, he just couldn't stand the girl. Frankly, she found the girl irritating, too.

No, he was going to Elm's house at the edge of town. She could not understand why her son and fallen in with the elusive pokemon professor, but the fact remained the same that he did. She knew that her son had been sneaking off to visit the man for at least a year-and-a-half by now. Ethan suddenly had an interest in Johto's political landscape, whereas previously he had none, and that knowledge certainly didn't come from any of the townfolk. All this talk of prefectures and border skirmishes with him… none of that ever came to New Bark, no one ever cared about it before but that damned pokemon professor.

Lily gut sank every time she thought about Elm; something just seemed wrong about the man. Face-to-face, he was fine; polite, well-spoken, and quick-witted. But, there always seemed to be something hiding behind the surface, as if he was always scheming. Lily didn't know what to make of him when, two-and-a-half years ago, he showed up out of the blue. She still didn't know what to make of the professor.

With a sigh, Lily cleaned off her plate and placed it in the washing bucket. Ethan was his own man, now. She could only pray that he made the best decision for himself.

It was growing dark quickly outside. The sun was below the tree line, but hadn't descended across the horizon just yet. The sky glowed a brilliant mix of yellow and orange in the twilight. The shadows from the trees extended across the house, swathing it and the lawn in near darkness.

Ethan hated lying to his mother, but sometimes he had to do what was necessary. Of course, he was not going to Lyra's house; he found the girl insufferable. But, as a so, he also knew that he had to honor his mother's instructions before leaving. He grabbed a lantern by the door and lit it, then went around the house to check on the mareep. His footfall crunched the grasses underneath, brittle from the ongoing drought.

Around back, the shadows were more severe, contributing to the depressing sight of the mareep pen. Two months ago, they had ten mareep. After the first tax collector came, they still had another six. After the second came, they still had five. But after today, it seemed that there were only two left. Two mareep in a pen built for at least twelve. Ethan scowled; it was pathetic.

Ethan pushed the depressing thought out of his mind as best he could. Swinging to the western side of the pen, checking the water trough. Sure enough, it was running low. So, dropping his lantern, he headed towards the well. He had done the trip enough times to do it in the dark. It wasn't like anything ever changed in New Bark.

But, something was different this time. As he was drawing water, Ethan noticed a silhouetted figure not even thirty yards away. After a moment of fixating on it, he figured it to be a person crouching on the ground. Even though the silhouette was beyond the pen's fence, suspicious activity was suspicious activity, so after drawing the water he needed, Ethan left to investigate.

"Hey, what in Arceus's name are you doing?" Ethan said as he drew closer.

The silhouette jumped to its feet. At first, Ethan thought it was a girl, what with its long, flowing hair. But, then he realized it was a man not much older than him.

The man, with his hands clasped together, eyed Ethan up and down. After a moment, he turned his back to Ethan. "Mind your business, kid. Next time you could get hurt."

"It is my business – you're acting weird next to my property."

And then the man was standing over Ethan. Towering over him, rather. Damn, he's fast, Ethan thought as the man slammed his fist into his face. One moment he was standing; the next, he was on the ground writhing in pain.

After struggling to his feet, Ethan brought his hands up. But, looking around, he saw that the man was nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah, you better run!" He called out, but he didn't put much heart into it. His face was in serious pain. Walking over to where the stranger stood, he found a drawing on the ground. It had a series of rectangles and squares mashed together along with a couple x's and arrows around the periphery. It made no sense to Ethan, so as retribution, he mussed it up with his feet. That would show up the stranger for punching him.

"Serves you right," he muttered, rubbing the raw spot by his eye.

Walking back to the water trough with a bucket of water in his hands, he found the two remaining mareep staring at him with their beady black eyes.

"Fat lot you did back there," he said as the water drained into the trough. The mareep meep'd in response.

Grabbing the lantern, Ethan headed back around to the front of the house. Lyra's house was to the south; of course, he wasn't going that way. Instead, he went west.

The streets of New Bark were thin, dirty trails that coughed up dust on the hot summer days and bogged down in mud during the winter rains. As it was summer, the roads were dusty, but no one had used them in a couple hours, so the dust wasn't too bad. The houses were spread out and quiet; some had farms behind, some didn't, and most were one-story shacks with overgrown yards. Ethan and his mother were on the wealthier side in New Bark.

Everything seemed to be going wrong for New Bark this year: a winter drought and a freakish, early spring freeze crippled any potential harvests. People were already on the brink, and Clair thought she could come in and take what they couldn't afford to give up? Ethan's blood boiled at the thought. The warlords had always been demanding, but so long as people accepted their rule and minded their business, they could carry on in life. No wars; peace and quiet. That was the unwritten contract.

Something changed in the past year. The Daily Shepherd – the town's local paper – brought news of conflicts breaking out in the rest of Johto. The warlords of the Tin Prefecture and the Mahogany Prefecture started bickering over some territory between them, and somehow a small land dispute turned into a standoff. Old issues between the Cianwood and Olivine Prefectures rekindled; The Golden Prefecture decided to flex its muscle over Route 36, which greatly angered the Violet Prefecture; and now, for some reason, the Silver Prefecture was taking an army into the Mahogany Prefecture.

And through it all, Supreme Emperor Lance did nothing. Ethan knew the rumors, everyone did. Lance had seized power three years ago under bizarre circumstances. Lance had been in control for years, and then, nearly three years ago, an up-and-coming warlord only known as Blue seized control. In the most bizarre twist of events, Blue then abdicated, allowing Lance to resume his place as Supreme Emperor of the Indigo Plateau?

Why Blue would willing give up power was beyond Ethan, but there were even more rumors that swirled around that. The whole situation was surrounded by lies, rumors, and subterfuge. Even after the dust of the Kantonese Civil War settled, no one truly knew what actually happened behind the scenes. No one except Lance and Blue.

Yet, here in New Bark, none of that mattered. Whispers of conflicts from the world outside the town's bubble spread from wandering mouths to curious ears, yet no one did anything about it. All the townsfolk did was gossip, bitch about the state of affairs, and then carry on with their day. As if there was no drought. As if there were no tax collectors. As if they weren't ruled by despotic leaders. They claimed to care, but in their hearts, they didn't. It infuriated Ethan that they didn't. Even his own mother didn't seem to care.

"People can still feed their families. There is conflict, yes, but there's no conflict here," she told him once when he broached the subject. "You'll understand the true value of peace when you're older."

Oh, he understood the value of peace. But peace was not a carrot to be dangled by leaders in exchanged for servitude; it was fickle and demanded constant attention to maintain itself. It could be taken away at a moment's notice if one wasn't careful. Peace must be fought for.

Elm's lab was massive; with three full stories, large double-doors, and two distinct wings, it was by far the largest house in New Bark. It was also at the farthest reaches of the town. Any further west, and Ethan would be in the wilds of Route 29.

Like a lighthouse, the glow of artificial light blasted outwards from the double-paned windows, washing the grounds around it in a harsh yellow. Not only was it the largest house, it was also the only house with voltorb generators to power everything. No one else in New Bark was wealthy enough to afford such luxuries, most others making due by fireplace and candlelight.

Ethan entered the premise. "Professor?" he said, voice echoing down the corridors. To his left and right led to entryways that corresponded to the respective wings of the building. Before him stood a pair of stairways that led to a second floor balcony that overlooked the main entrance, and between the stairwells on the first floor was another door. "Professor?"

After a moment, the doors between the stairs slammed open. A slender man with short-cropped gray hair stuck his head out. The white sleeves of his lab coat drooped wide enough to fit another arm. "Yes? Who's there?" He focused his gaze on Ethan. "Oh, you're here! I was expecting you a half-hour ago. You're late. Never mind that, come with, come with."

Professor Elm disappeared behind the door, and Ethan quickly followed.

"My apologies professor. Had to do some chores for my mother." A smile crept on Ethan's face. Despite his mother's reservations, he always enjoyed his time spent with the professor. This is a man that cares! That wants to fix the world!

"Don't worry about that now. I have an important task I need you to –" Elm stopped, and stared at Ethan's bruised eye, tracing a finger along it. "By Arceus, what happened here?"

Ethan's face turned red. "Nothing too bad. Just a scuffle. Some stranger was poking his head around the mareep pen. You should have seen the other guy, though!"

"I'm sure you gave him quite the beating," Elm said. "Can you see okay?"

Ethan nodded.

"Good. I need you in good health – I have a very important favor I need to ask of you." The professor continued to look over Ethan's eye, his face maintaining a look of indifference. "Well, I don't think you have any major bone breakage. Of course, I'm saying this without any equipment. I have a balm for you to apply, but otherwise I think you'll be okay."

Nodding to himself, Elm turned and continued walking down the corridor, Ethan following. Soon, they entered a room full of lights and sleek, metal machines that blinked different colors. Gas pipes along the ceiling coughed steam. It was the inner sanctum of the building, Professor Elm's lab, and Ethan always found himself in awe each time he stepped inside.

"You said you had a favor for me; what was it?" Ethan said as he stared at the modern marvels buzzing and beeping and flashing lights around him.

"Just a moment on that. Let me grab something for your eye." Elm walked towards a messy desk covered in vials and other glassware. The professor was always on the move, always thinking of his next project.

"What did your mother need you to do before you got here?" Elm asked.

"Huh? Oh, nothing much. Just water the mareep trough. Of course, that was also when I met the guy that gave me this." Ethan pointed to his black eye. "By the way, if anyone asks, I'm at Lyra's house." Quietly, he added, "Mother really doesn't like you, you know."

If Elm was surprised by the comment, he didn't show it. He walked back over to Ethan with the ointment. "Here, take this. It won't stop the pain, but it will reduce the bruising. Put a dollop on your finger and massage it around the bruise. Your mother is right to worry about you, you know. She is your mother after all."

"I know." Ethan winced at the sting of the ointment.

"But we are a doing something of importance, too. We are acting for the greater good. Tell me, how many mareep were in your pen before you left?"

"Only two."

"Only two," Elm repeated, nodding. "Taken for Clair's nefarious purposes, I have no doubt. And when will the next shepherd arrive from Viridian?"

"I don't know. They should've came a month ago, but they never came."

"We can't all live like this, Ethan. You know that. Each warlord thinks they can take from the others, but not leave the rest for us?" Elm said. "That is why what we are doing is right. It saddens me that you are the only one that seems to care in this entire town."

Ethan smiled and said nothing. He knew where the professor was going with this. Once he started on the Old Empire, the professor would not stop talking until he finished. Best to let him keep going. Besides, Ethan liked to hear the shpiel.

"Before there was Supreme Emperor Lance, before there were warlords, before there prefectures, before the Reckoning, these lands were united under one flag, one entity. They called it the Land of the Rising Sun, and its rule stretched from Hoenn in the south to Sinnoh in the north. It was a time of peace and prosperity, not petty squabbling and infighting that you see nowadays."

"I can only imagine what it must have been like."

"Truly. Nothing of its like has been seen since the Reckoning. One land, one government, one poeple"

"For Nihon," Ethan said.

"For Nihon," Elm repeated. For the first time since Ethan saw him that night, the professor smiled. "But first, we must start with Johto."

The professor turned and headed towards the large, domed machine at the back of his lab.

"Now, onto that favor I asked of you." Elm grabbed some documents by the machine and handed them to Ethan. "I have known you for some time now, and you continue to impress with your work ethic and commitment to our cause. It is time you took the next step."

Ethan's good eye widened upon reading the document. "This is a pokemon trainer license!"

"A counterfeit, but to most it will pass as the real thing. You have proven yourself to be excellent in commanding pokemon during our lessons, and you will certainly need those skills. Now, listen carefully: your task is to locate a Mister Pokemon. That's an alias, not his real name, and he is part of my organization. I received a telegram – signed by him - from Cherrygrove two days ago. In it, he says he has a package for me and some information. Find him, retrieve the package, and get whatever info he has. Then come back and deliver them to me."

Elm paused for a moment before speaking again: "Remember, time is of the essence of a revolution. The moment comes and goes in a blink of an eye, and if you miss it, it may be gone forever. Each must play their part in this, and this is part I need you to play."

"Understood." Ethan looked at his trainer license, and something caught his eye. "It says my name is Gold. Why is that?"

"That's your alias. Too dangerous to go around using your real name, especially in our line of work. Don't worry: most trainers use a stage name on their license, anyways. You won't stand out."

Ethan nodded. A sensation swelled in his chest, his stomach bubbling as if full of butterfrees. He had rarely left New Bark, and of the times he had, it was always with a group of people. Now? Now he would leave, alone, and on a purpose far greater than himself, than New Bark.

"This task shouldn't be dangerous, but you never know. So, that leaves us with one last thing."

Elm pressed a button on the domed machine, and it snapped open. Inside sat three pokeballs.

The Land of the Rising Sun; Old Empire; Nihon: the various names for the land the peoples of Johto and Kanto use to describe the Old World country that stretched from Hoenn to Sinnoh.

The Reckoning: before the Age of Pokemon, there was the Old World. The Reckoning is the catastrophe that harkened the new age, reshaping the planet and humanity in its wake. The exact circumstances of this event are supposedly lost to history.

A/N: Thank you for reading. Reviews and Likes are always appreciated!