Rain cascaded from the sky, a sheet of cold, forbidding fury that swept the land and hissed in a gale. The individual raindrops bombed the ground, as hard and forceful as bullets, slamming into the dirt, indenting, with a thud. Slowly eroding the thick-with-vegetation path down only a faint strip of dirt, erasing the minute, doglike paw prints of Bulbasaurs and Venusaurs, it fell unremittingly. The forgotten trail led from the bustling clamor and stress of Celadon city into the dark, shadowy forest edging the human cities. And in the gloomy darkness, the crunching of delicate leaves beneath Pokemon paws was a constant reminder of the war now raging. Eyes gleaming through the dark danced in the forest as the Renegade sentries paced warily. Something had agitated them. Despite their acute sixth sense, the Umbreon sentries felt a wave of apprehension but couldn’t identify the source of their tension.
 Ghost, the scarred lieutenant Umbreon, gazed out across the dusky landscape thick with ominous pressure. The air itself seemed to hang low over the earth, thick and icy, and a sharp prick of psychic energy sparked in her brain. She had more experience and was more attuned to the complex net of telepathic pulses, so the wind howling and the psychic vibes had meaning to her where it was only a sound, a feeling to others. Her black, sleek ears were flattened against her neck, her shadowy black fur prickling, and Ghost began to understand. The landscape that rolled out before the Evil-type Pokemon was scattered with saplings and a dark green in the growing night, ten miles of wilderness separating Celadon and Twilight Forest. Suddenly, the rain stopped; a sign.
 But there wasn’t silence. The anxious, edgy whines and soft yips of her young comrades drifted through the black. They had no idea what was coming. But suddenly, their whines stopped.
 One of the highly ranked sentries favored slightly by Ghost, galloped up, his amber eyes tense and confused but still attentive. Wildfire was his name, and for a good reason. Years back, when he had been an egg, his nest was ignited by a wildfire, and miraculously, he had survived. From that day on, he had been the only Umbreon to take on Fire traits. “Lieutenant…” Ghost suddenly noticed his panting, and focused on him. He raised his head, still exhausted. There was a tint of grim terror in his eyes that told her that her prediction was correct. “All the sentries are dead. They just dropped dead, like they had been shot or something.” His eyes were pleading and anguished. “What’s happening?”
 Ghost turned abruptly, tearing her gaze from him. Her range of vision settled on the midnight black sky scattered with stars, sighing. “The Prophecy has started.”
 Wildfire gazed at her with pained, fading eyes, suddenly stumbled to his knees, and stared at the ground with blank eyes. His breaths came in labored gusts, and the young Umbreon soon collapsed. Dead.
 Ghost looked on with anguished eyes, and she couldn’t deny it. She would soon follow her comrade into the black unknown, and perhaps even find him. Already she felt herself fading, and her vision blurred severely, reducing the dark world into pitch black.
 And she fell dead as the world suddenly became very very silent.
 
 But suddenly, the world was nothing but a deafening roar of explosive red energy streaming upward. The Fire just appeared from nowhere, and blasted skyward in a mushroom cloud, like an atomic bomb, condensing into an ominous black cloud. It thickened, swirling furiously in a tight circle, then imploded.

 She could see those puppy eyes crying, over and over in her mind. They wrenched at her soul, glittering with tears. Her beautiful blue eyes. The creamy, dark aqua eyes of the dainty Eevee that had saved her life, but in the end, watched her die.
 Highlighted against the stormy sky painted with an ominous tint of dark purple, drenched in the cold rain, stood her Eevee, Sugar. Her long, tattered ears were plastered to her cheeks, the ruffs of white fur around her neck drenched and flat against her tan fur. Tears trickled down her face and stung her master’s skin as the Eevee laid down with her delicate paws resting on her chest, gazing dejectedly at her dying master. Gently pushing with her paws, Sugar desperately called to her fading master in a high voice, her sobs blurring her speech. “Eee… Eee.” The human who had been hit by a beam of purple energy that had come out of no where comforted her distressed Pokemon by weakly caressing its cheek, and the tiny, tan fox like creature nuzzled her fingers in response.
 And when the human’s pale, weak hand gradually grew limp against the Eevee’s cheek, it yelped desperately, screaming for Aurora to wake. “EEVEE!”
 Those haunting, disheartening memories unremittingly played back in Aurora’s mind as she drifted in a deep sleep. Lost and detached from conscious thought, the young girl was immersed in eternal blackness, seemingly consumed by the shadows.
 And the mourning whimpers of Sugar echoed through her mind, the lost cries of a little child, resounding forever and ever.

 Aurora woke as the haunting cries of Sugar finally faded, and she began to regain her senses. At first, the world was black and cold, devoid of any sounds, sights, or feelings. Then, after realizing what was happening, jerked open her eyes and bolted up in shock. She was alive! Glancing around with hazy eyes that felt like they hadn’t been opened in eons, the lanky eleven year old ignored the dark, icy surroundings and just inhaled the fresh, autumn air. The cool, soothing wind caressed her skin with revitalizing, icy fingers, erasing the feeling of hot clamminess in her body.
 Blinking once to clear her brilliant amber eyes, Aurora finally stopped to investigate her surroundings. Her ponytail fluttered slightly in the wind, and something brushed her back. Yelping in surprise, her whole body tensed, but she focused herself and extended a hand tentatively behind her. But all she discovered was her own auburn hair, grown out a full three feet, extending down to her butt. Twisting and holding her hair to get a better look at it, it registered just what that meant. She must have been asleep for… years! But then where was…
 Sugar!!
 Frantically, she lashed her head around, desperately searching for her precious Eevee. Aurora was in the center of a small meadow thickly vegetated with tall, golden colored grasses and saplings. Looming, ominous trees edged the clearing, rustling in a non-existent breeze, hissing like as if they were laughing at you. There was a rustling coat of gold, red, yellow, and orange leaves on the ground. But there was no smiling, cute little Eevee to greet her.
 So she lunged forward, scraping at the leaves and brushing them hastily aside, searching for her beloved friend and pet.
 Leaves flew in a tornado as Aurora flung them out of the way. “Sugar!” she shrieked, terrified. “Sugar!” She rapidly crawled forward on her hands and knees, searching for the tiniest sign of her favorite Pokemon, calling and shrieking for the single thing she knew deep down, would never answer.
 Ever.
 Fingers flying and whirling, she kept on searching and searching hopelessly, and tears began to froth, hot and burning, around her anguished gold-yellow eyes. Leaves, brittle and dry from the spell of autumn, brushed against her fingers, and nothing else. Sobs began to crack her voice, and her calls faded to pleading whispers. “No…. Sugar… my baby…”
 Tears glistened in the faint light emitting through the thick storm clouds coating the sky, and she sat down limply, the stray strands of hair hanging over her temple wet from crying. Her precious Sugar was gone. Her baby, her champion. The Eevee who had won Best in Show, two Pokemon Championships, and won her heart, was gone. A vacant crack formed in her heart, and she finally accepted the cruel fact that she would never see those energetic eyes of her best friend.
 Suddenly, her eyes flickered, and she pounded the ground in anger.
CRACK!
 Aurora instantly recoiled her hand, yelping in pain. A black and blue bruise was quickly developing on her wrist, and a trickle of blood was leaking from a scratch ripped down her palm. Nursing her hand, holding it against her chest and stopping the blood, she gritted her teeth in pain. She had hit something hard and sharp, but vaguely round, and the leaves covering it scattered in a surge of light wind.
 A Poke Ball.
 “No…”
 The orb was split open, revealing the dark metal inside, and rusted heavily. The red dust formed a spiky shell over the outside, and the bright red paint had been chipped off. Shabby and punished, the empty Poke Ball was dented severely, and there was multiple claw and teeth marks disorienting its figure. Ignoring the slight pain sparking in her hand, Aurora nervously inched forward her hand, afraid to touch it. Yet she knew that the ghastly sign of her Eevee’s death wasn’t a mirage. As she finally came into contact with it, a tear rolled down her cheek.
 Either Sugar had run away, or she was dead. And the mauled Poke Ball suggested a cruel fate.
 A sudden rustle of leaves jerked her back to her senses, alertly scanning the roughly half-mile big meadow. If there was a Pokemon, she knew that she could only hope it wouldn’t attack. Who knows how what condition her Pokemon were in after years? Aurora clutched her dark blue jacket tighter to her body, her baby blue shirt unable to reflect the ominous cold wind. And if it was a person… well, she could only hope the neighbors were friendly here, wherever she was. Another faint sound of crunching vegetation guided her attention to a thicket of seven-foot saplings edged with tall grass that was almost as tall. The hushed branches had formed a wall of dark gold leaves, hiding the occupant. She brushed off the dead leaves from her dark denim flare jeans, kicking away the Poke Ball, and standing to face the creature.
 The thicket was a good twenty yards from her, but still she could detect tired moans emitting from deep within the thicket, echoed by a shriek of pain as the creature clearly hit a tree. A sapling furiously shook for an instant, and it gradually stopped. But there were no more sounds from the mysterious thing.
 So, cautiously stepping forward, she decided to call out a Pokemon, despite her uncertainty. Silently, swiftly brushing her fingers over the cold, metallic surface of the Poke Ball, Aurora slid it from her pocket and allowed to spit the red capture energy through a tiny crack, without any sound. The lightning like ruby light flowed out in a jagged beam, forming the vague shape of a spiky, weasel like creature. It defined itself, completing the sleek, compact body of a Quilava. She had a two long body that was supported on stunted legs, jagged tufts of fire erupting from her head and a tail of fire, and hot blooded red eyes. Relieved to see that she was in good shape, Aurora causally scratched behind her minute ears.
 “Arashi,” Aurora whispered to her volcano Pokemon, kneeling beside her, “I need to ambush whatever is in that grove over there okay?” She jabbed a finger in its direction, and the curious Quilava gazed at the grove, flicking her ears and intently sniffing with her nose. The jagged fire spikes sparked embers as she detected a smell, and she nuzzled her master’s hand, and then zealously bounded forward.
 Amazingly fast and agile, Arashi raced forward in leaps, her tiny paws darting between the delicate leaves, silent. Crushing a single leaf would give away the tracking Pokemon, so she smartly dived into the clear areas. Arashi soon covered the twenty yards, her fire spikes bristling in anticipation, as she crawled the last two feet toward the grove of trees. They had grown in a tight circle, with hardly any space between the slender trunks. But there was a break in the roughly two yard big grove, which was covered by a blanket of ivy and vines.
 Forming a barrage of flames, she tensed for the attack, and lunged into the trees, spitting fire.
 Aurora watched keenly, slowly approaching as her prized Fire Pokemon leaped aggressively into the trees. An icy wind whipped up, lashing her hair and clothes, predicting a storm. Clutching her arms to her body, trying to warm up, the youth edgily anticipated Arashi’s reaction.
 The answer came in a yelp of surprise, ensued by a spark of fire and the crunching of leaves as the Pokemon swiftly leapt out, staring at the grove. Her eyes were wide and stunned, her mouth agape in a pant from an adrenaline rush. Her flames were animatedly flickering and sparking like fireworks, and she quickly summoned her master over with a yip. Scared and excited, the human raced the last three yards, ignoring the loud snapping of leaves beneath her sneakers. Aurora lunged through the ashes of the vines that had concealed the entrance, and gasped. The inside of the grove was as dark as a closed room at midnight, and the dusky light from outside flooded the room.
 And lying there was a kid.

  Light was a mere toy that was tossed about by the dancing flames, the shadows flickering and dancing as the illumination was distorted. Against the eerie, deathly darkness of the forest, the light was consumed and slain as soon as it touched the black. Outside, sparks of lightning ravaged the taller trees, attacking fiercely with the speed of a devil, leaving the blackened projections smoking. A storm caused the clouds to become a flinty black, and thunderclaps ripped the sky to pieces.
 A thunderbolt suddenly struck a nearby tree, and the air was hissing with sparks. They seemed to rain down like glowing marbles, and cascaded over the entrance to the cave, a veil of glittering gold and white. Aurora jerked back, and nearly smashed her head on the rock. The shelter she had stumbled across was four feet high, with a tight 2’ 6” entrance. The cave spanned a good ten feet, and had an ominous, dark aura to it. Like you were underneath a bed and you knew that monsters were lurking in the dark, but couldn’t hear or see them.
 Bathing in the flickering fire was her Quilava, Arashi, fiery red eyes content and soothed. Laying in the fire and drifting to sleep, the sleek Pokemon welcomed the burning nips and enjoyed it even. Arashi often slept in the glower of a fire, and it amplified her Fire attacks. And, seeing how much she loved to just sit and watch the flames dance and lick the sky lazily, Aurora knew she just needed some relaxation. Arashi’s brilliant ruby eyes gradually sealed and she yawned deeply before scratching a pillow of ashes and dozing off. Also curling beside the campfire, lavishing the soothing warmth was the rest of her Pokemon. Sapphire, the mouse Pokemon Azumarill, his floppy blue ears curled around his cheeks and tail bobbing rhythmically; Kimawari, the sleek, lethally beautiful Persian purring as he rested his head in Aurora’s lap; Jewel, the baby Tauros with lanky legs and a bare neck, leaning against the rock, with the body of a calf; and Leais, the majestic, mysterious Dragonair that slid restlessly, her ears pricked and icy blue eyes keen.
 The Dragon serpent gazed into the dark depths of a tunnel at the back of the cave. No one dared to explore the passage, but Leais warily kept a strict patrol as she slithered agilely back and forth. Watching, Aurora whispered kindly to her agitated Pokemon, “Leais, girl, is everything alright? You aren’t eating any of your favorite food, blueberries.”
 She cocked an eye at her master with grim seriousness, her cerulean colored pearls glinting with an ominous light. Then turned swiftly on her sinewy body and curled up to sleep. But her eyes were locked firmly on the shadows. Waiting. Watching.
 Aurora carefully studied her strangely aloof Pokemon. But she turned to watch the storm.
 Across the fire, propped carefully against the wall and covered in her only blanket, was the kid. She had found him unconscious and he hadn’t woken up even after a Thunder from Dragonair. He had long, spiky brown hair that matched his sharp eyebrows, and he had a mean air to him, like some bully. Stringed around his neck was a yellow and green ying-yang amulet. His purple, longish t-shirt was drenched from the rain and his face was smudged with dark dirt.
 Aurora returned to staring at the fire, and soon began to slip. Her eyelids drooped heavily, and she drowsily yawned before drifting off by the warm caress of the flames.

 Shadows swirled and thickened, an aura of blackness that enveloped the eternally dark world in an ominous wind. Stormy light emitted from the black clouds, painting ghastly silver over the landscape. And in the eerie light, spirits and demons alike flickered their gleaming eyes to the sky, studying it intensely. Some yielded underneath some unknown force, stumbling to their knees and hastily crawling away. Others sucked in a breath of ice-cold air, lavishing the sheer enthrall it gave them, gazing solidly up. Their fur bristled and those with no fur just shivered violently.
 The Pokemon, scarred and battle-worn, looked up with anxious eyes.
The Prophecy was alive.

 Long, regal red feathers blurred into a blazing inferno of ferocious strength as they lashed the air in fury. The flames roared with each powerful flap, spitting embers, which were echoed by long screeches of pain. The air around the massive bird glowed with a fiery red tint, its sleek body slashed badly across its chest. The Moltres twisted away from its opponent that had landed five successful attacks, bloodied and weakening from ruthless assault.
 Snarling in victory, the Houndoom flashed an arsenal of long, flaming fangs and slashed again at its victim. The Fire/Evil Dog snapped and lunged, claws black as night.
 But the lethal weapons only caught air as the majestic Firebird regained its senses and gave one powerful stroke of its flaming wings, which shot it swiftly up. Moltres turned in midair and glared. Screaming in rage, it reared back its head, the tuft of fire flowing around its neck like a cloak, and released a blinding Flamethrower. The gold-white flames whirled straight at the Houndoom with incredible speed, erupting the dark arena with walls tightly bordering it in light.
 Houndoom tensed slightly, planning. Its venomous eyes dripped with malice, as it flicked its tail nonchalantly, as if to say, “And you call yourself the Legendary Bird of Fire?” Raising its tail over its back like a bullwhip and crouching its front close to the ground, it remained silent.
 And the flames hit.
 They cascaded over the dirt like a river, violently slamming into the ground and sending chunks of rock flying as it cut a deep trench until it struck the wall and dissipated.
 Chuckling to itself, the giant bird landed gracefully, the living flames hissing and flowing like silk. It tucked its wings to its body, totally expecting to discover an unconscious or perhaps even dead body after the ash and dust cleared.
 But all it found was an eruption of black and red roaring in its face. The Moltres flinched as the Master Flame hit home, and was sent tumbling over as the dog emerged from the shadows, the bone armor gleaming in the light of the fire. Its lips were curled back in a cruel smile, and its body pulsed with arrogance in every stride. But the Houndoom was not unmarked. A burn had melted its fur from its shoulder, charring the skin a dark red, and the fire clearly had hampered its breathing; it wheezed with every breath.
 Watching from a Barrier-protected corner, sat one of the higher commanders in the Revolt. The dark Nidorino’s spikes bristled in excitement, and his glittering jade eyes were enthralled from the battle. It was violent training, but utterly critical if the Pokemon Renegades wanted to win the war they raged against two enemies. With intelligent, deducing eyes, he watched the two dedicated Renegades fight for the title of West Division Captain, a chance to lead battle against the humans.
 Besides, he liked watching battles.
 Suddenly, a small screen appeared on the wall inside the barrier, and the Nidorino instantly focused on the grim figure staring at him, turning. A Charmeleon glared back, with severe eyes, and whipped out a startling report. “Sir,” it announced, raising a claw in solute, “All contact with the Celadon Umbreon sentries have ceased. They haven’t answered our calls. They’re supposedly dead.”
 Unflinchingly, the Pokemon as hardened and indifferent as ice, Nidorino stared back, his mind furiously racing. Dead? The Celadon Umbreons? But how…
 “Sergeant, this is the day.” Nidorino’s eyes were cold. “The Prophecy has been put in motion. We must dispose of all the Daemons before they have a chance to focus their powers.
 “Send Freeze.”
 The Charmeleon jerked back in surprise. Nidorino was known for his ruthlessness, but this surpassed his reputation. Regaining its composure, the lizard Pokemon nodded and the screen blanked out.
 Nidorino grinned, then continued to watch the battle.
 
 But far away, a very different battle was raging.
 Sparky’s Agility whirled him into a streak of glittering white and gold sparks, a devil of speed to rival Sprint. His long, sharp tipped tail was scolding the wolf as the Pokemon dodged another lunge easily, the Raichu’s fiery, arrogant eyes laughing. But his arrogance was costly. During Sparky’s pause, Fear had regained his feet, a lightning blur, and leaped again. Fear’s long white fur lashed fiercely in Sparky’s eyes, causing him to yield, and a flying tackle sent him tumbling.
 Lethal, whitish volts erupted from the Pokemon Renegade’s cheeks as he rolled, and the Raichu emitted a shrill screech of anger. Sparky gathered the sparks into a white bolt, leapt back up, and lunged, spitting thunder. Brilliant white light flashed in the Shadow Void, and the scream of the Raichu echoed, triumphant, as it died and revealed a bloodied white wolf knocked over. Gore matted his snowy fur, a long, dark red gash slashed into his cheek and down to his withers, but the flame roaring in those red eyes was immortal.
 Fear snapped one last time.
 “Enough games!” he hissed. His venomous red eyes glittered white.
“Nova!”
It became quiet.
Sparky gulped.
Fear’s long white fur bristled like daggers, glowing. A breeze whipped through it, hardly misplacing a hair on the wolf, but knocked the Raichu over. An ominous crack of thunder roared in the Shadow void, splitting the blackness. Fear’s glinting red eyes were aflame with hot blood lust and arrogance, a hell. The wolf raised its silvery voice to the sky one last time, and the dark sky answered.
Everything seemed to shudder before it erupted. A bolt of white light shot at Sparky, faster than light could ever be, and then exploded. One moment, the Thunder Renegade was straining in hot, stinging pain and black and the next, the world bristled with color. Like an exploding star, a rainbow of brilliant hues painted the blackness. Sparky reeled in shock. The intensity was blinding, nothing but a labyrinth of light that screamed in his mind like a thousand banshees. Pain pulsed in his veins, as relentless as toxin.
A malicious, lethal smile crept up the canine’s lips, and Fear flicked his tail nonchalantly before taking a step forward, leaning forward on his leg, and forming the final blast to finish the attack. Flickering into existence, an orb covered with swirling, twisting rainbow clouds roughly the size of a baseball was created under his paw, surrounded in luminous white dust. It sparked and hissed, and glowed.
“Game, set, match.”
Fear tensed and was caught just as he was going to launch by a searing jolt of pain and knocked over violently, the Nova attack dissolving instantly as his focus was crushed. Black reclaimed its space again, and the furious wolf growled heatedly, looking up with deadly red eyes.
A wave of dread sickened him to his stomach.
Because, standing there with sparks dancing around his outstretched arm, was a ghost. His barely-shoulder-length, spiky black hair was lost in the Shadows, and glared intensely at the wolf with fiery hazel eyes. Dressed in worn, torn jeans and a dark blue tank and ivory white vest, he stood ten yards off and raised a hand clutching a jagged knife of electricity. With a mysterious arrogance and swagger, he hissed, “Sparky, git! I have no time for this!”
Narrowing his golden eyes at the wolf in a fading challenge, the Raichu agilely spun and darted away into the shadows.
The man, who wasn’t more than 26, gazed at the white wolf with hot suspicion.
Fear nervously yielded under the look, glancing around, and then suddenly leaped off in the vague direction of the Pokemon, racing for traitorous freedom. His paws frantically scraped for traction. A grin curled back the guy’s lips in a smirk as he whipped out a glistening white Moonstone from his pocket. “Too bad,” he mocked, casually pitching the gem at the retreating, ghostly form of the wolf.
A devil of hate and anger, the white wolf screeched furiously, eyes wild and rabid, as the Moonstone solidly hit his front heels, stealing his balancing. Thrashing and yelping, Fear’s beautiful white fur was charred around his heels and the wolf squealed. Because the white gem began to fade, absorbing him as well. He suddenly became as insubstantial as air, a living ghost, and a potent force yanked him in, enclosing him in the prison of infinite dark. Like a wisp of smoke in a storm, the wolf howled desperately, straining away, before the stone dropped to the ground, and he was gone.
An echo caressed the dark with venomous hate, one last silvery howl.
The unknown person lifted a hand, and the white stone teleported into his palm. Casually, he dropped in his pocket, smiling. He brushed back his wild black hair, a certain childlike quality to his smiling dark brown eyes. But as soon as his eyes fell on the bloodied black wolf, an angry fire and wave of pity both clutched his face. He trotted over to Vision’s side, soothingly scratching the wolf behind the ears, brushing back his silky black fur. “Hey buddy. You okay?” he asked.
A minute, tired twitch of the canine’s tail was the only answer, and it slowly grew into a steady wag. With hazy but bright blue eyes, the dog sorely rose to a sitting position, excitedly licking the face of his previous master. Yelping and whining, Vision thumped the ground with his tail and his tongue lolled.
Laughing and affectionately ruffling the wolf’s fur, the man said to him, “Still the top Daemon huh? So who’s my replacement?”
Vision barked softly, flicking his ears. He turned his head back, and limped off a few feet into the dark.
Confused, he watched with curious eyes.
The wolf crouched in the darkness, almost out of sight, and worriedly gazed at the unconscious kid, licking his bloody cheek to awaken him. Placing a paw on his chest, Vision whined. Suddenly, the guy detected an anguished moan along with movement in the darkness. Although he couldn’t see, he knew…
Vision licked Ash’s cheek, yelping and nuzzling him, and he leaned heavily against the wolf. Dizzy from loss of blood, he kept swooning in and out of black and pain relentlessly. It pounded his brain in harshly, like a horrible nightmare. Gentle, warm licks from the wolf were the single thing that didn’t hurt. Ash stroked Vision back, the black canine almost like a dog, yipping and gazing up with loving puppy eyes. Although he had no idea where he had come from, it seemed like he had known Vision for his whole life. As he continued to lay in his lap loyally, dark, misty dreams and visions flooded his mind. They were of anything, and everything. A thousand voices, infinite smiles and screams, a never-ending whirl of languages and light. Colors and feelings, life and death, heaven and hell.
As they faded, he collapsed in a furious daze against the black wolf, panting. Everything he had known seemed to erupt, fissuring his mind in half and scattering the fragments in the wind, and spin. Pain ravaged his body, while healing at the same time. Everything spun. Everything snapped at him in hate and rage, everything. Confusion and turmoil fumed in his brain. Too much! Ash just wanted to die, from the pain and chaos of information.
But as suddenly as it had begun, the images and emotions vanished like a dream, to far away to touch, but always there. And Ash could see again, but further. As he looked back at Vision, he saw a soul; he knew the wolf’s name. Star. But he could see farther. He could touch his memories like a book, open them, and lose himself in them. They all were there the entire time, but he had been blind until now. Everything had new meaning; everything teemed with light and life.
And when the man walked up, he knew instantly.
Gazing into those eyes so much like his, a shock ripped through his body.
“Dad?”
The man was just as stunned. His smiling eyes were blank with shock and disbelieving. Frozen, his lips formed the name of something he had long since lost.
And blackness once again found Ash.

 “Ash! Wake up! Please Ash, say something!” Misty shrieked at the cold, bloody body of her best friend. Yet her anguished screams fell upon deaf ears and he remained as she had found him, lying on his back and limp. His trusty red-and-white cap was mauled and shredded, and his clothes were bloody and ripped. She had awoken and found him lying beside, not asleep, but not dead either.
 Misty herself was a wreck. Her orange-blonde hair reached down past her butt, and her clothes were darkened from dirt and rain, totally in disarray. Her face was lost in smudges of mud and wet from tears that foamed around her eyes. “Ash! Come on Ash! Wake up right now!” she screamed, her patience evaporating and desolation mounting in defeat. She lost herself in rage and took one last deep breath, trying to stop herself. Yet, as she saw him, lifeless but somehow not dead, it crumbled like a wet cookie.
 So unable to stop herself, Misty raised her mallet sharply and swung across his face.
 The reaction was instantaneous. A pained scream escaped from his bashed in mouth, spitting out a tooth, and was sent tumbling a few yards. Ash clutched his cheek throbbing in pain, eyes glassy but still fiery and angry. He extended his arm to stop himself and gritted his teeth in the pain it inflicted. Wheezing from the throbbing, he angrily steadied himself and sat up, and said, “Misty! What was that for?!” His emotional brown eyes were sparking fire.
 Dumbstruck, she mutely lipped in shock, heart thundering. She limply collapsed to her knees, surprised but stunned with relief. She had thought he was dead. And now, had probably cracked his skull. Despite all that, her heart soared with gratitude, and she lunged forward and hugged him as tight as she could. “Never do that again!” she snapped with tears in her eyes, still locked in a hug. Ash on the other hand, was shocked. Misty was going crazy! But he sort of liked it…
 Misty was fully enjoying it. The warmth from her body drifted into his cold, bloodied skin and she could feel multiple slashes and fang marks down his sides and arms. She curiously stroked her hand down side and jerked back instantly, feeling cold skin where his black shirt had been sliced severely and deep, nearly fresh slashes. A bit pitying, she flickered her gaze back up, locking looks. Ash was surprised and a bit shook, and Misty recoiled from their embrace instantly, deeply embarrassed.
 He quickly brushed off some dried blood from his shirt and pulled the tattered edges to hide his bare flesh, a flush of red betraying him. Ash changed the subjected hurriedly, asking, “What happened?” He turned to look around.
 “What happened to you?” Misty sparked back with her usually rivalry. “I don’t suppose those slashes just got there by magic. Man, you can never be responsible.”
 Ash whipped his head back, discovering Misty innocently glancing around. “Hey,” he hissed angrily, “You aren’t the most mature either, smashing people around with mallets and insulting them! You could at least nag when I’m not listening!”
 Blue eyes burning with unholy rage, the touchy redhead leapt up, furiously countering with an insult. “Well Mr. Hotshot, how many times have you come whining to me for help, huh? And what about my bike, huh??! You never ever repaid me for that stupid thing!” She stomped up to her full height, towering over Ash with angry fire blazing in her azure eyes. But he quickly countered and stood up as well, and the two prone-to-bickering best friends once again furiously glared at each other, growling and gritting teeth. Although Misty had been taller, Ash had evidently grown and now found himself a half an inch taller.
 Only when Misty realized, did the furious stare down, which Ash had been winning, cease. Staggering back as if he had suddenly become a goblin, she nervously asked, eyes wide, “How did you know what I was thinking?”
 “You said it out loud, duh!”
 “No I didn’t.”
 That stopped him cold in his rage. A bit unnerved, he stared back. “About me being irresponsible?”
 Misty shook her head.
 It was all too much. Ash slowly eased himself down to the ground, burying his face in his hands, nothing but confusion ruling in his brain. Again, the swirling, throbbing pain returned, and he was lost in the emotions. “Just leave me alone,” he moaned through his fingers.
 Concerned, she kneeled down beside him. “Ash, are you okay?”
 “I’m fine.”
 “But-”
 “I’m fine.”
 Suddenly, her touchy rage returned, frustrated and fed up. Misty angrily spat back, “Fine!” If she hadn’t remembered the beating she had given him before, he would have been slapped so hard that Misty’s hand would have fallen off. “Be that way! You’re a Pokemon Master, so you don’t have to care.”
 Ash hugged his legs to his chest, burying his face in his arms and remaining silent. Misty suddenly forgot what had just happened and felt her heart wrenching at her chest, realizing he knew the truth.
 Crying into his arms, he asked, “Pikachu’s gone, isn’t he.” The faint, muffled sound of sobs drifted in the ominously cold air, and he made no clear attempt to stop.
 Misty worriedly gazed on, a bitter flush of resent in the wind that ruffled her hair, biting her lip. With a blink, she shed a tear for her missing Togepi, and felt a sheet of guilt fall over her heart. Suddenly, she detected a fleck of rain, cold, on her cheek, looking up. The flinty gray storm clouds rolled and brewed overhead, slowly releasing the storm. A few more raindrops ensued, and a sudden roar of thunder ignited the downpour. As swift as light, a thick barrage of icy rain pounded down on her, instantly drenching her.
 She quickly grabbed Ash and yanked him to his feet, seeing him ignoring the rain, and angrily snapped, “Come on!” A prick of heat in her fingers from his hand and see could again feel that bubbly emotion she denied so much. Ash stumbled to his feet as she looked around for shelter.
 Towering, dark trees hissed in the gale and the drenched and shivering twelve year old clutched her free arm to her chest, trying to reflect the cold. With a shock of fear, she stared deep into the forest around them she had never noticed. The trees were a good fifty feet, howling and dancing in the wind, and they were in a small clearing beside a grassy trail. Fear clutched at her heart, and a flicker of doubt washed over her. Ash yanked his hand from her grasp, staring at her with watery and curious eyes, a limp strand of black hair falling over them. He gazed around also, then quickly dashed over to the nearest tree, pulling Misty along this time. “You come on!”
 Misty’s anger flared dangerously at the spark and as Ash yanked her under the tree’s sheltering branches, glared angrily. She couldn’t control that rage, and when she stopped to think about it, it shamed her. She sighed and miserably squeezed the rain from her hair, turning to sit at the tree. “Great,” she moaned, “I’m soaking wet!” Ash had already sat down, and he remained silent, staring almost angrily at the gray sky. He tucked his knees to his chest again, folded his arms around them, and rested his chin on them.
 Overhead, the stormy sky rumbled with the angry growl of a lion, and lightning painted the dark, looming forest with white. Almost like it was upset, angry. A shiver ran down her spine. Misty sat down next to her companion, brushing back her darkened hair. She turned to look at Ash, and when his chestnut eyes met hers, he abruptly jerked his head away.
 “Ash, what’s the matter?”
 He continued to stare at the branches they sat under and the ring of cascading water off the pine tree needles, impassive. His hat was tilted slightly downward, shielding his eyes from the occasional raindrop that found its way through the branches. He was taking it hard. “You know perfectly well what’s the matter,” he replied coldly.
 Misty blinked in surprise at how cruel his answer had been. Despite everything, Ash had never seemed truly angry before this all happened. With a forced, rueful smile, she caringly placed a hand on his shoulder and said softly, “I know you’re hurt because of Pikachu, but you can’t be like this forever.” But she was violently cut off as he angrily threw her hand off, tears frothing at his eyes, and swiftly turned from her words; from the cruel truth she spoke. “Think of Pikachu. He would of wanted you to go on and become a Pokemon Master.”
 Ash reflected the cruel words of his twisted destiny, closing his eyes, fighting a surge of pain and swirling dark dreams again. They cackled maliciously at him, laughing in infinite alien voices, yet were so familiar. Everything once again blurred and became a spin of confusion and pain and thoughts and dreams.  Clutching his arms to his chest, Ash snapped back, “Shut up, Misty!” His voice cracked. “You don’t understand…. “ His voice softened, hampered by more impending sobs as he paused, thinking, then decided to reveal the reason for his rage. “Pikachu isn’t just gone now, he’s really gone. Before, I could always feel him, always knew that he was okay, in my heart. I don’t know what it really was, but Pikachu felt like my brother, the best friend I could never find in truly find in anybody else. I mean sure, you and Brock are still my best friends.”  Ash stared at the ground, restraining more burning tears. “But you don’t know what its like. It feels like Pikachu’s dead. In my heart.”
 Suddenly, an icy wind conquered the hot flares of lighting and the world fell silent as a gravestone. A few frosty nips alerted them of this subtle stillness, and they both gazed up.
 It was snowing.
 And raining.
 Water and Ice.
 Misty gazed confusedly out at the mystifying storm, but Ash instantly leaped to his feet and quickly ran off in the vague direction of the center of the storm, following the subtle voices hissing “Find it… danger… Freeze…” in his mind.
 “Ash!” Misty yelled after him, irritated, but in the end, raced after. As the snow and rain barrage cascaded from the dark sky, a chill ran down her spine eerily and she could help thinking, ‘Now what?’
 
 Aurora screamed.
 Pain seared her side violently, knocking her angrily to the ground and throwing her out the cave mouth. The rock collided with her head as she rolled, and was caught by the rain-drenched grass, her vision blurred. Blood trickled down her temple, and she barely mustered the energy to raise herself up. With hazy, glazed blue eyes, she saw her beloved Pokemon violently scattered around her with screams and yelps of pain, and a brilliant flash of icy blue within the cave. In the swirling mist of blue, frosty white beams suddenly slashed the air, and a roaring storm leaped at her, a glowing, majestic sapphire figure.
 Fighting the blackness, Aurora struggled to elude it, but her legs numbly lay limp from the icy blast she had survived. Flashing her eyes up, she saw the vaguely canine creature spit frost around her, which fastened her to the ground, wintry ropes that bit her skin rabidly. And she knew she was trapped.
 The Ice/Water creature lunged furiously, its eyes a white in the azure fury. It tensed in mid leap, opening its jaws to reveal a sparking white Ice Beam forming, and it evilly smirked. It neared, its long, slender legs preparing to land and the first, tentative sparks of ice danced, and the ice beam began to shoot…
 “Arcanine! Fire Barrier!”
 The black striped firedog dived forward at impossible speeds for a normal Arcanine, a wild flare of fire enveloping it as it leaped in front of the girl protectively. The blaze blinded Aurora as the massive Arcanine stood before her, lashing its tail and crouching to take impact. With a snap, it met the blur of watery blue and as the Ice dog screamed in pain from the fiery assault, quickly sent it tumbling back with a Fire Blast.
 Aurora, in shock, stared as the fire aura died down and the Arcanine tiredly staggered, its muscular body shivering from the effort and icy pressing of the rain. It emitted a whine of pain to its master, and she tracked its gaze off to the side. Through the mist rolling over the grass and her hazy vision, she defined a boyish figure standing on the grass with wild hair, holding a Poke Ball. Again, he called. “Ponyta, Agility!”
 With a crack, the orb split to leak jagged white energy, and it formed into the tall, silky shape of an equine, which let out a defiant trill. It swiftly obeyed, flashing away, dancing around the Ice/Water Pokemon.
 The dog had recovered its feet, and Aurora quickly scrambled to her feet and dashed back to space her and the demonic creature. It now lifted its head, and a luscious purple mane cloaked its back, framed by two jagged, rigid ears, snorting wrathfully. Silver mist emitted from its nostrils and it screamed before the long, white ribbons whipped at them. They seemed to materialize around its body, not connected to the body but growing from the violet mane. With the swiftness of a striking cobra, the silvery, sinuous ribbons charged at them.
 The Ponyta and Arcanine quickly split from their side-by-side formation, lunging lithely in different directions. Yet, the whips caught their movement and intelligently swerved to track them. With frost violently flying, they pursued unremittingly as the Fire Pokemon darted out of their violent lashes, snorting and panting in aggression and exertion. Their race and dance of speed whirled over the grass, a torrent of crimson and cobalt. The Ponyta wheeled suddenly, screaming a challenge as it adroitly reared, allowing the ribbon that had been gaining, shoot past, and it flailed its diamond-hard hooves. Hitting the drenched ground and flinging water and frost into the stormy air, its hooves pinned the ribbon to the ground, and the sleek Ponyta neighed haughtily. But the neigh melded into a scream as the silvery, sinuous ribbon wrenched itself free and quickly wrapped itself around the slim body of the Fire horse. The blue dog gritted its teeth and labored to lift the hundred pound horse, and as it managed to raise it ten feet, suddenly snapped forward and angrily slammed the equine into the ground.
 Dew and dirt choked the air as the Pokemon was violently thrown, its body shuddering from impact. As the obstruction cleared, the fire equine was unconscious, its sleek body shivering from the harsh affliction of the rain. Lying on it side, the Ponyta struggled to open its ruby eyes and scarcely succeeded before it collapsed utterly with a moan.
 “Ponyta!” the boy yelled, dark hazel eyes determined. Whipping out a slightly rusted Poke Ball, he clutched it, frustrated, in his hand and the lower section swung open, withdrawing the red energy that Ponyta melted into. He grimly turned his gaze toward the loyal, potent Arcanine, and commanded with a tone of valor, expecting it to be everything he asked, “Its up to you know. Please, don’t let me down.”
 Its fiery black eyes zealously shining, the dog nodded obediently, the tan tufts of fur rippling with each smooth, liquid stride. It crouched then leaped forward, baring its fangs and roaring a fierce challenge. “Arcanine!” he yelled, “Dig and Burn Spell! Dispatch Ice attacks with rapid fire. Go!” He flung an arm out to empathize, fiery and concentrated.
 Aurora realized that she might be able to help, watching her Pokemon protectively gather around her. She kneeled besides Arashi and stroked her silky fur, nodding. With a slight whine of fear, the Quilava’s fire spikes bristled and her ruby eyes wavered tentatively. But she obediently trotted out onto the frosted battlefield, glowing red and gathering fire. Her body shivered in the harsh pounding of the rain, and Aurora knew that despite the element advantage over Ice, Water attacks and the rain would definitely thrash them. So she glanced at Kimawari and the swift, graceful cat leaped, yowling savagely, his thin, glaring black eyes pulsing with wrath. Sapphire waddled forward; his sleek, blue body was slick with his focused Water powers. But she quickly restrained her Dragonair and infant Tauros as they loyally tried to follow. They wildly rebelled against her grip but she roughly snapped, “Jewel! You know you’re too young!” The calf like Pokemon stilled his thrashing, innocent eyes wide, and slowly yielded. She turned empathically toward Leais, and an impulse of remorse flickered in her mind. Leais was her best Pokemon, and she had insulted her by holding her back. The Dragonair’s mysterious blue eyes were sulking silently, occasionally sparking her a bitter look.
 “Sorry,” she said gently, “but Dragons are weak against Ice attacks. That thing is too strong, and could really hurt you.” She looked around. “And I don’t see any Pokemon Centers around, so I couldn’t heal you if it did injure you. Don’t you understand?”
 With a sulk, Leais wrenched herself free, the sinewy body sliding over her arm effortlessly, and curled up at her feet, blue eyes devious. Her ears flattened threateningly against her neck. A certain glow emanated from the dragon’s body and it chilled Aurora to bone and broke her heart to see her beloved Pokemon so angry. But it was no time to stall.
 There was work to be done.
 The Arcanine’s body was nothing but the fury of a monster, as it agilely dodged a blasting Water Gun, soared up and revealed its claws as it neared the ground, then charging into the earth, dirt flying in its wake. Like a lightning bolt, it took only a few moments to do everything, and a low, ominous rumble from the ground that gradually died proved that it had been there. Infuriated, the icy blue dog snapped angrily, its fangs glistening. Whipping its silvery ribbons in aggravation, it flung its head to the storming sky, and the sky shuddered from the sheer savageness of the roar. Lighting sparked and thunder rumbled, and the flashes highlighted the fearsome yet majestic creature against a dark sky.
 Arashi raced forward, agilely dashing from thick, tall grass and scouting with attentive eyes. She was as stealthy as a shadow on the wind, alert, conniving, quiet. The Water/Ice dog glared at her, its body shaking with anger, and lunged like a spear forward. Its mane whipped around its body, and its eyes were flaring dangerously.
 Arashi screamed in panic. She stumbled backwards, tripping over her delicate, minute paws and blasting her cover. Hysterical, the Quilava swiftly turned and ran as fast as her legs would tolerate, shrieking like a siren. But as fast as she pressed, the long legged creature coldly pursued, casually loping. It kicked in the speed and the fire Pokemon ran toward her master, whining and yelping. Once there was a 15 foot gap between them, the canine deftly reared back, a icy blue glow surrounding its paws as it extended them out, and thin stream of Water fused with Ice shot straight at Arashi.
 The blast nicked the Pokemon’s heels as she smartly weaved to dodge the icy attack, and was reflected off her fire resistant fur. Arashi quickly ran behind her master, whining for mercy. Shooting in a true flight, the cold blast was redirected at her master.
 “Arashi!” Aurora snapped. “Don’t run- aaahh!” With a shrill hum, the attack missed her feet by a breath and she screamed in an ear-shattering tone.
 Suddenly, enclosed in a storm of shrapnel, the lethal Arcanine exploded from the ground, its body a blur. Nothing but savage fury, it slashed a pair of bared fangs as it slammed into the Water/Ice dog belly. With one liquid, perfectly timed twist, Arcanine shot over its opponent, coming apart, and hit it violently with its body and dove down on its back savagely. It spit a veil of fire over its skin, which pulsed with light. The dog screamed. Arcanine roared and tore wildly at its smooth, glittering skin.
 A whine of pure anguish came from the punished dog and its legs crumpled beneath it like paper. Its body hit the ground with a hiss of frost rising about it, and the Arcanine stood, triumphant, over the icy blue monster.
 “Arcanine! Good boy!” the boy shouted to his loyal Pokemon.
 Swift, he bounded over, knocking over his master nearly and zealously licking his face. “Arrrc! Arrc!” the black-and-red Fire Pokemon growled playfully, his tail wagging furiously.
A smile crept up Aurora’s face, and she glanced around to see Sapphire and Kimawari cringing behind her. Apparently, they had fled even before they could attack. “Well well,” she said, smirking, “what do we have here? A couple of scaredy cats, huh? I thought you two said you weren’t afraid of anything.”
 Kimawari laughed nervously, a flush of red dusting his cheeks. Sapphire laughed along with him, his long, drooping ears flopping in the wind.
Overhead, the flinty storm clouds began to slowly subside in their darkness and thunder. A few, tentative rays of golden light cascaded from the cracks, and Aurora turned to see the boy warily walking over to the body, his Arcanine by his side, releasing a threatening growl at it. They progressed slowly, cautious. The blue dog lay prone and still in the dark shadows of the cloud, its body disoriented slightly from the dark and the blood. Its ethereal, sleek body was scarred and the azure fur was matted. Its head and long, spiky ears were shivering violently and as they came closer, a mere meter away, saw its eyes were wide open in indescribable rage, burning a dangerous red.
    Suddenly, with a cloak of ice and frost swirling around it, the blue dog rose to its feet in the blink of an eye. Snorting rabidly, it spun to face the boy and his Pokemon, its wrath emitting in a blue aura. The kid and Pokemon leapt back, glaring in anticipation as it stumbled.
    The dog fell to its knees, its mane of purple silk glistening with sweat, but its gaze swept powerfully over the dusky landscape, burning with eternal hate as it landed on the boy and her. It stood up defiantly, and it spoke their destiny.

Its voice chanted with the wind, its voice melded with the wind, a serenade of cold howls and gentle purrs.
“Humans! I am Freeze, Suicune of the Renegades. I have come on the eternal hate to kill all elements of the Prophecy, for it is nothing but murder. We Renegades have finally stood up against the torment of the spirits and humans.” The Suicune angrily lashed its sweet/screeching voice to the stars, eyes flaming with frozen, blue antagonism. “WE ARE EQUAL!” Clouds of mist were foaming from its nostrils as it snorted in rage.
“Long ago, Pokemon were equal. Humans and Pokemon lived as one, a nation, ever breathing and co-existing. Humans were kind and considerate. The bitter, hating ones were always changed; the thieves and criminals were always defied. Life was as it should be. But that did not last. Cruel masters overcame the just, and a black cloud descended over the Pokemon world. We were whipped, tormented, starved, hated, feared, killed, hunted; we were nothing anymore. So, the survivors formed a band and found a new home far away from human reach, to a place they had never been: The Shadow World. But, even there, were bullied and looked down upon like we were inferior. And they made the biggest mistake of their lives. We were angry, and we were strong.
“Cringing Pokemon from every cruel hand, every punishment they never deserved came to the Shadow World, and the Renegades were born.
“We knew the ancient laws, and we had respected them. Yet the humans had not, and we could not see their punishment, we could not see their suffering. So we broke them. We rebelled. The long vanished and forgotten powers did not ignore our uprising, though. The Ghost and Psychic gods were angry with us and set the clock for the Prophecy of Strength, Speed, Stealth, and Vision; A clock that has been ticking until now, counting the time until they think we shall fall. But we will NOT!
“Strength, Stealth:” it hissed at the boy and Aurora, “This is not the end…”
The Suicune slowly raised its head to the sky, its violet mane of silky fur flowing in the wind it conjured around itself. Silver ribbons dancing drowsily around, as if trapped by time, it began to glow with a blue and silver haze. Suicune was enveloped in Ice and Water, and its fiercely blazing eyes stared into infinity, glowing with the anger at its kind’s persecution. One last northern wind whipped around it, curling the smoke and mist into a tight twister before it vanished.

Aurora and the boy stood in shock, and their gazes met. The boy stared at her, a lock of brown hair falling over his hazel eyes. He still maintained that air of arrogance, the look of a bully. The Arcanine next to him only stood five feet, and it also had that potent, malicious look in its eyes.
He stared at her like he knew her from some long faded dream. And Aurora knew that feeling. It was as if she had known him before, but never really spoken to each other.
Their trance was shattered suddenly, as the Arcanine savagely barked at the forest banking the clearing. His sinewy body pulsed with fierce power, and he crouched before his master protectively. The Firedog’s nostrils flared as it detected a smell and tensed.
Suddenly, two shadows emerged from the forest, running. As they stopped, the dark clouds subsided and allowed light to flood the grass, lighting up the frost. Aurora made them out as two kids, a girl and a boy. Curious, she stared on and was about to yell a hello when a scream of rivalry came from the two boys.
“YOU!!!! NOT AGAIN!!”
The boy Aurora had found leaped onto the back of his Arcanine, and he leaped forward. The other boy angrily stood his ground, visibly fuming.
Aurora ran after, calling back her Pokemon except Leais, which she jumped on and rode over. Leais raced after on her sinuous, serpent body and quickly caught up. Now she could make out their figures more accurately. The girl had long red hair and was wearing a yellow tank and short blue jean shorts that were held up by suspenders. Her blue eyes were bright and intelligent. The boy was slightly taller than her though, although he seemed the same age. His tattered League cap restrained a tangle of black hair, and his brownish-black eyes burned with rivalry as the two boys stared down each other.
Aurora quickly stepped off her Dragonair and greeted the girl, “Hi! My name’s Aurora. What’s yours?”
The girl smiled and replied, “I’m Misty.”
Aurora turned her attention to the two boys, and sarcastically asked, jamming thumb in their direction, “And they are?”
“Oh… that’s Ash and the kid on the Arcanine is Gary.” She gave a nervous smile back. “They are… um, how should I put this? - Very stubborn. Ever since they became rivals, they act like they would kill each other if they had a butter knife. Its very annoying.”
“I guess…”
Ash and Gary soon were standing face-to-face, glaring and spitting fire silently. Their eyes shot insults rabidly, and Ash suddenly jerked his arm forward in a furious punch. And by the time Misty had angrily grabbed his arm to stop him, the punch had connected with its target. Gary was violently knocked to the ground, blood leaking from his nose and a ring of black around his eye. He recovered himself drunkenly, steadying himself with his arms, and brushed his fingers over his punished face. As they felt the damage, a new flame of hate that hadn’t been there kindled in his eyes and Gary was on his feet, raising a counter-punch and swinging it forward.
“Hey, quit it!” Aurora snapped, yanking back Gary’s arm. But again, the attempt failed and this time Gary’s punch hit Ash squarely in the chest. But instead of being thrown to the ground, Ash and Misty were both sent tumbling back ten feet. Misty screamed in pain and shock, but Ash just winced from the burning pain throbbing in his chest and raised a glaring eye in his rival’s direction.
Gary and Aurora froze in shock. Numb, the prevailing rival stared in pure disbelief at his fist, which seemed to pulse with power. Like it had been a limp stick and just now had yielded its force. He flexed his fingers slowly, letting the newfound power pulse underneath his will, then arrogantly fixed a smile on his face. But besides shock, the girl felt another emotion: Rage.
“Hey! Knock it off!!” she screamed at the two boys, her eyes pure anger. “Don’t you get it?!?! We have no idea where we are, it is very cold and rainy, and we are fighting over what? - NOTHING!” She jabbed an accusing finger in their direction. “We do not have time for foolish bickering. Whatever is with you jerks, get over it! Our lives are in danger. That-that thing, didn’t you hear what it said? It said something about a prophecy, and killing it. Think about it! If it attacked us, there’s a pretty good chance it wants to kill us too. Now just chill and we’ll figure this out after we find a place to spend the night, OKAY???”
Silence. Nobody dared to breathe, if it would set her off again like a bomb. They numbly nodded their heads.
“Good. Now get going.”
 Aurora turned and made a quick survey of their surroundings, and spotted a gap in the thick tree line, which appeared to be a trail. Spitting a fiery glance back, she asked, “Wellll… “
 “Coming!” Misty immediately answered, not to set her off again. She walked after, giving the two boys a warning look.
 Ash staggered up, rubbing his fist against his cheek, and his eyes burned a challenge silently. Gary countered it with the same, fiery gaze, and turned to follow as well.
 But as he fell behind, Ash knew that their fight was just beginning.

 
Moonlight soon subjugated the erratic, healing sunbeams and the dark arose to its full height once again, a menacing cloak of inky blue-black over the sky. In the sea of black, the stars were undying beacons, light from dreams winking. Through the branches over head, they seemed to whisper in anticipation.
 Aurora and Misty led bravely through the blackness, and the wary Quilava lighted the path. They huddled close to the Pokemon as it curled up in her master’s arms, staring into the night. Ash and Gary, on the other hand, were as far apart as was possible without getting off the trail. Still they were sending glares in each other’s direction, but less and less as time went on.
 “Arashi, I don’t like this place… its too dark… too quiet…” Aurora whispered with apprehension, pressing the light-and-warmth-giving Pokemon to her chest and stroking her ears. “I don’t hear any Pokemon, do you?”
 “Yeah, there’s a lot of nocturnal Pokemon, but what would make them disappear like this?” Misty mused.
 From the rear of the group, Gary spoke up softly, his voice wary. “Night Pokemon aren’t scared off easily, being mostly the Dark type. I’ve never heard of a Dark Pokemon running away out of fear, so they must have left on their own, for some reason.”
“All gone…” Ash said sadly, “I wonder what happened. Maybe they’re just-”
“Dead,” Gary interrupted coldly.  He halted suddenly, and the shock from his unexpected answer turned their heads to where he crouched. Ash suddenly got an icy pulse that lingered in his spine, making him shiver violently, and he saw what lay just before his rival.
A dead Umbreon.
Its sleek black body was sprawled out over a pool of blackish blue blood, its fur gory, but it had no obvious wounds. In fact, as Gary carefully inspected it, there was nothing at all, yet the blood kept flowing. Its fierce amber eyes were wide open in horror, and its mouth frozen in a grim look. Gary brushed his hand over its fur, and as a tuft fell away, saw that the skin was charred a smoky black and smelled of charcoal, yet the fur had no sign of fire contact at all.
Misty gasped in horror, tears foaming around her eyes, and she moaned, “Oh…. Ohh… the poor thing… No…” She buried her face in her hands, and didn’t dare look again. Aurora winced at the sight, and then quickly turned away as well, huddling Arashi close to her as she began to cry.
Ash crouched besides it as well, forgetting about his rivalry. He studied the eyes of the dead Umbreon and gently asked, “What could have done this?” He reached down, and tentatively touched the dead Pokemon’s cheek. It was ice cold. Along its face were ragged scars, the sign of a veteran. “Its so cold…. But what would do this to them? Why?”
His question hung unanswered in the air, thick with silence. Misty and Aurora stared on in melancholy as Gary stood up, and said coldly, “Whatever it was, it was powerful enough to kill an Umbreon. It probably killed all the Pokemon in this forest.”
“Let’s keep going,” Misty empathically said to Ash, but he was stubbornly still sitting besides the body. She could see the dejection fuming in his brain, and the oncoming tears. Yet he stood up, silent, and continued to walk on down the road. His cap covered his eyes from sight and she knew that he was taking this even harder. She knew what he was thinking. Pikachu might have been in this forest as well.
Suddenly, Arashi let out an excited yip of joy from her master’s grasp. The Quilava’s flames sparked and she wrenched herself free from Aurora’s arms. And she pointed at something up ahead and tugged at her master’s leg. In the distance, cradled by trees, was the faint glow of a fire. A house.
Misty leaped up for joy, yelling, “Yes! A house!” The two redheads sprinted down the path, the Pokemon racing at their heels. They soon reached the house, and staring at its state, felt their hopes drop. It was a shack. Dirty, run down, rattling in the wind, a few decades old. The door was ripped off its hinges and was covered by a tattered blanket. The girls froze and heard the boys laughing behind them at their expressions.
“’A house! A house! Wow! Oh my god, it’s a house!’” Ash mocked in a high voice. Despite their hate toward each other, Gary laughed along with him. Suddenly Ash felt a sharp, punishing blow across his face and Misty stood with her mallet brandishing dangerously.
“Ash Ketchum shut up before I smash you into a twisted wreck!” She was pulsing with anger and he saw her blue eyes almost spark, literally.
Ash quickly shook his hands in front of him in surrender. The mallet gleamed ominously, and, as Misty reluctantly hid it again, breathed a deep breath of relief. He could still feel the gap in his mouth from that horrible thing.
Gary stopped laughing instantly and followed Aurora into the shack, smirking, as he said, “Such the big man, huh Ketchum?”
“At least I’m human, Oak Tree!”
“Ketchup!”
“Okalahoma!”
“…Uh…. Loser!”
“Ha! Nice comeback, Ultimate Loser!”
“SHUT UP!” (Aurora)
Silence.
 Misty and Aurora and Gary stepped in cautiously, holding back the flap covering the entrance silently and staring in. The steel and wood walls were thickly overgrown with ivy and draped with glittering beads. There were a few crates with dark red and blue shawls over them. And, curled next to a small fireplace, was a Meowth.
 Ash followed them in, falling into the same awestruck silence. Because, wrapped around the waist of the scratch cat was the tattered shirt with a familiar emblem.
 R. Team Rocket.
 Meowth gazed up with the same malicious black eyes, yet his body was a grizzled gray from the years past. The yen on his forehead was tarnished and dull from dirt. “Well, about time,” he said, raising his paw and lazily waving them in.
 Ash and Misty froze in fear, and in pity as well. It hurt to see Meowth like that, and they both wondered, ‘Did we do that?’ Yet Gary and Aurora walked in, and they were forced to follow. Meowth stared venomously at Ash and Misty, but he seemed to recall himself before he spoke.
 “I have one question for you all.” Meowth sat patiently on his heels like a normal cat as the humans gathered around the Pokemon, sitting on the crates. They seemed to be pulled in against their will. His eyes were solemn and grave, like they held a thousand stories of heartache and pain, tragedy and triumphant. And Ash knew, as the dark dreams flashed a few strings of information into his mind that what the cat was about to tell them was dead serious. “Do you know why you are here now?”
 They shook their heads.
 “I’ll tell you then.” He sighed then his voice flowed into a slow chant, a true storyteller. “You have been chosen to stop the Renegades. You have to destroy the rebels. You have to destroy the humans who have disgrace the high Psychic and Ghost gods, Alakazam and Gengar.
 “It is a long story, so the beginning is best. It all started with the ancient peoples. They worshipped Alakazam and Gengar, and led peaceful lives. For a thousand years, most strayed from their beliefs, but the gods were survived by a few dedicated few. The gods were content but alone and frustrated. Yet, being the clever and power-hungry gods they were, they set up a prophecy for an emergency, a time when their power would be challenged. They created the powers of Vision,” – he pointed to Ash - “Strength,” – he pointed to Gary – “Stealth,” – he pointed to Aurora – “and Speed.” He pointed to Misty. “For a while, the powers were kept by the gods. They did not need them. But suddenly, 1,000 years ago, humans disturbed them and the gods fought. They were subdued once they ravaged and turned the city of Pokemopolis into dust. Only their shrine remained. Then, 400 years later, a band of archeologists and three Pokemon trainers discovered the ruins and awakened them. Again, their rage and rivalry sent them on a destruction spree. But the humans and a small Jigglypuff awoke the guardian of Pokemopolis, and the giant Jigglypuff vanquished them to the Shadow World. But the gods were tamed and they were subdued for years before the Renegades were born. The gods traveled freely in time, and they could see the wars starting. So they traveled back in time to take four spirits and four humans, invested them with the Powers of Destruction as they called them, creating Daemons, and tried to stop the war. But before the journey to tame all the Daemons was finished, they rebelled and were killed.
 “So now, as the Renegades are rising back to power, you have been chosen to destroy the Renegades and the humans who have betrayed the great Psychic and Ghost gods. You are Strength, Speed, Stealth, and Vision.”
 
 

Author’s Notes
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What do you think? That chapter took longer cause I had to explain a lot of things, but more action next time. Sorry if I disappointed you with the Sparky vs. Fear battle, but Fear was winning anyway, and I had put in that new character. If you are sharp enough, you know who and why that guy was there ^-^.
 Next time, the journey to tame and capture the Daemons begins.
 
chustang@fcmail.com