//------------------------------// // From Shadows // Story: Pokemon: World of Remnants // by Metroid Prime //------------------------------// Tsushima Island, 14 Years ago Winter sat in the boat as she and those in the ship floated towards the unsuspecting island. According to the high command, they were going there to liberate the place as a first step in their little “Revolution”, as they put it. “Hey Winter. You okay?” The Frogadier looked up to see her mentor, a Bisharp named Sharp, standing next to her. “I’m okay. Just nervous.” “Well don’t be. We are about to do good work here. General Zard says this will be the spark that will ignite the revolution.” The water type Pokemon looked around. Everymon in this boat signed up to fight for what they believed in, and they wouldn’t do this if they didn’t have it in them. Winter was told that her egg had come from the Kalos Region, that she was born in a Village of humans who trained to be ninjas. They rescued her from being raised as a slave. Since then, she had been told that all humans were evil, that they had apparently enslaved Pokemon as a lesser species. General Voira told her that the leader of the PLA, Commander Viper, was Arceus chosen one to lead all Pokemon kind to freedom and that mankind is a sickness to be cured off the face of the Earth. While she did listen to and acknowledged what was told to her, one thing remained constant. Winter had never actually met a human before. She had seen them during infiltration missions to local settlements, spied on them for PLA, but she never interacted or talked to one. While most of the PLA members had claimed they experienced the cruelty and mistreatment of man, from what she observed, some humans were actually nice to their Pokemon. Even the Pokemon themselves seemed happy with the so called “Slavers”, or “Trainers” as the humans called themselves. Nevertheless, the PLA was the only family Winter had ever known. They kept her fed and gave her a home, and she would remember that. “LAND HO!” a mon shouted. Winter snapped out of her daydream to see the island of Tsushima come into view, the foggy mist of the night hiding the boats from prying human eyes. This night would finally prove whether or not the PLA was right about humans. General Geo surveyed the troops as they climbed off the boats and onto the island before them. He could not be angrier at the actions of General Viper. The PLA was not yet large enough to face the world, despite what the insane old snake claimed about the righteousness of their cause furthering them to victory. Without greater numbers, they were certain to fail. Turning his eyes up toward the island, he noted a forest, a sure site for recruitment; recruitment they needed desperately. The Pidgeot scanned the ships, searching for the Commander. Once he had spotted the Seviper, he swooped in towards him. “Commander, I would like to request permission to take a small group of my recruitment team to the forest farther up the shore. Any reinforcements we can muster could make a large difference.” The great Seviper looked down at the Pidgeot. “If you think you can bring more beings into our cause, then do so.” He hissed. “If we are to defeat the humans on their ground, we shall overwhelm them with our combined might.” “As you see fit, Commander,” the Pidgeot bowed his head slightly, and pushed off from the sand. “Take a few mon with you,” Viper commented. “And do keep silent. The humans can’t be made aware. We must conserve our numbers for the human armies.” “Of course, Commander,” the Pidgeot nodded, hovering above the Seviper, before flying away in search of his choice personnel. As the army made it’s way, Viper narrowed his eyes as he looked at the human town. It honestly filled him with disgust. He turned to look back at his troops. “Brothers and sisters of Arceus. We stand here today, because the humans of Hoenn dared to dictate our lives, treat us as slaves, even push us from our homes. We shan’t live like that anymore. We are free mon and they will know the consequences of their actions soon enough.” A cheer went through the army. The Seviper held up his tail and gestured to the town. “Go and show them the true power of Pokémon.” ______________________________________________________________________________ Tsushima City, 1 Hour later Winter was told that they were going to Liberate the island, she expected the PLA to raid the humans houses and smash the Pokeballs that contained their brothers and sister, she expect to find a city full of tortured and mistreated Pokemon. She never imagined, or at least hoped this would happen. Everywhere she looked, humans and their Pokemon were running and screaming as the PLA set fire to their houses, cause mass panic and chaos, and cut down anyone who resisted. There were some few brave Pokémon Trainers who stood up to the attacks, only to soon fall to the overwhelming numbers of the army. Once the Pokémon were taken care of, the trainers were next. Winter had to look away as a Rhyperior crushed a female trainer beneath its foot, her ribcage collapsing inside her body. It was a painful way to die. “Isn’t it glorious?!” a voice next to her said. Winter turned to see that a male Kirlia had joined her in watching the destruction and work of the PLA, the Frogadier knew him as “Gard”. “Gard, aren’t you suppose to be with your mother?” The Kirlia was never seen without his mother, General Voira, the scariest of the General’s in the Army, and apparently Viper’s new beloved. Gard nodded. “But I wanted to see the battle.” Winter blinked. She was raised alongside both him and Sev. Apparently, they were to be the next generation of mon to lead to PLA: Sev was to replace his father, Gard his mother, and Winter would become General Winter. The name did not roll off the tongue very well. “Well then, knock yourself out. I’m gonna find Sev.” “He should be somewhere back at base, I think,” Gard shrugged. “Alright, see ya.” As Winter left the area, she tried to drown out the screams of both humans and mons who dared resist the army. The “base”, as it was call, was a temporary headquarters that was actually a Silph Co. building which had been….”Cleared out”. Inside, she saw various Pokemon at work. Porygon were hacking the computers and Machamps moved around the furniture to suit their needs. Winter didn’t know why, but out of all the buildings that they had taken so far, this one was the most unscathed. If Winter didn’t know any better, she assumed that they were gonna use the tech for something, but what? “Winter, my friend!” The Frogadier looked to see a young Seviper slither down the hallway. “How goes the glorious work?” The Seviper had always been enthusiastic about the cause. But secretly, he told her that he resented his father, and Winter knew why. “The work is good, Sev. Soon, the island will be under our complete control.” “YES! Soon, just like today, the humans shall know the glorious name that is Commander Sev!” “....You’re not the commander yet.” “I shall. One day, you, me, and Gard shall lead this army to a glorious victory over mankind one day.” The snake then slithered away, shouting nonsense about how great he was, leaving Winter all alone in the hallway. “You can lead this army all you want, Sev,” The Frogadier then walked away. “But if you expect me to be to commit a genocide like we just did today, then count em out” Unfortunately for Geo, pickings seemed to be slim in the nearby habitats for Pokemon interested in joining. He had found his lieutenants easily in the army, and left to the forest with them, but most of the Pokemon nearby seemed to get along well with the humans in the nearby town. This was regrettable, but he was sure more would join over time. The invading force far outnumbered the local Pokemon, and once they secured the island and applied pressure, he was sure they would join. He was about to leave off with the two new members he had found, a Mightyena and a Sandshrew, when he felt a small tap on his leg. At his feet he found a small Eevee, likely no more than a year old. “May I join as well, sir?” The Pidgeot grinned, younger recruits were always better, as they were far easier to convince of the evils of humanity. “Of course young one. But before you join, I’d like to ask our standard question for any new recruit. Why do you wish to join?” The Eevee considered. “My parents were both captured by human trainers a few months ago. I have nowhere else to go, so the arrangement would be convenient.” “Convenient? Is this youngling part Porygon?” Geo stared into the flat, determined eyes of the Eevee. They showed little emotion, but seemed to stare deeply into him. He knew her type from the moment he looked into the twin orbs, which were notably bloodshot as well. It was now that Geo noticed the Eevee was in rather poor condition elsewhere. Her fur was notably patchy and matted in many places, and she seemed far too skinny. It was not a recruit that could be used immediately, but one that would be extremely useful in the long run. “Ah yes, we have many members with similar backgrounds to yours, subjected to the cruelty of humans and left to rot. But together, we Pokemon can rise up against them. We would be happy to have you.” Geo picked the Eevee up and placed his back. “Do you have a name little one?” “No. We don’t name Eevee until they evolve here.” The Pidgeot hummed in response. “I can respect your culture. Once you evolve, we shall pick a proper name for you.” Some Months later “Is everyone here?” Viper narrowed his eyes as he looked over his command center. There was a general sound of ‘yes’. “Good, because we have much to discuss.” He placed a scroll on the table. “What you see here today does not leave this room. If there is any indication of leakage, said leaks will be dealt with swiftly.” He hissed. He was met with silence and uneasy stares, “As you all know, the fighting is still growing in magnitude. The humans are upping their attacks in strengths and numbers. They are turning to new ways to end us, but we still stand strong. However, all this fighting may attract one of the lords of Hoenn, Rayquaza. He will of course come to our aid, but if not-” He unfurled the scroll. “This island now houses one of the few weapons that can best a god, if but temporarily. If fighting breaks out, we can use it and take out Rayquaza. He’ll be brought within our fold thus after.” “Brilliant as always,” Voira smiled. “Are you sure it will go that far, Commander?” General Doom, the Houndoom, asked. “We must be prepared for everything,” Viper said. “Have the troops disciplined in their new maneuvers. He could appear any day.” “And what is this weapon?” Doom spoke up once more. “You’ll see soon enough, General Doom.” Viper responded. “You’ll see soon enough.” ______________________________________________________________________________ Sounds of muffled explosions sounded outside Eevee padded quietly along the hallway towards General Geo’s quarters. The humans had repeatedly attempted to retake the island, but their glorious army had yet to fall. She was sure this attack would end the same. She had quickly become a favorite of the generals, mostly in that she was all business, and no emotion when in the workplace. The only emotion she “showed” when helping with recruitment was faux tears, as she convinced the local Pokemon of the terror that the humans had wreaked on her life. It was mostly made up, meant to appeal to their emotions, sensationalized far beyond a trainer simply meeting her parents and throwing PokéBalls at them. She reached the room she had been asked for in. It was never hard to find Geo’s room; he had a peculiar taste for doors, and preferred them painted red. She had asked other Pokemon about this, and apparently he had done it in other bases before. She found it peculiar, and assumed it had something to do with the royal connotations of the color red, as the blood of one's enemies is not something Geo would spill unneedingly. Everything had to have a motive with him, and he was no soldier. She knocked on the door, and was allowed inside. “You requested to see me sir?” the Eevee queried, after a brief salute. “Yes, I have asked you here to ask you your opinion on something,” he nodded. “As well as inform you that I have filed a recommendation for you to Lieutenant. You should expect a visit from either Voira or Viper himself in the next day or so for a sort of interview. It is a mere formality of promoting someone as new as yourself to that rank.” The Eevee nodded, a small smile on her face, “Thank you, Sir. What is it you needed my opinion on?” “As you likely already know, the humans are bombarding our troops again. I believe another land attack is inevitable, and I believe that this time it may be too much for us in our current state.” “What do you mean by our current state, Sir?” The Eevee raised an eyebrow, “Do you doubt the strength of our army? That could be viewed as treason to the PLA.” “I do question our strength, but do not trifle me with questions of my loyalty,” he screeched slightly, “We are young as an army. I worry we may be in over our heads relative to our numbers and popularity among the world at large. I asked for more time to gain an improved public image before this attack. We needed to paint the humans as monsters so our actions would not be questioned once we slaughtered them, but now… many less radical mon could view us as the monsters. It may be prudent for us to… evacuate ourselves.” “You are beginning to drift farther into treason, Sir,” Eevee warned, “I am loyal to you, and you only, but we must be careful of what we say, even behind closed doors.” ______________________________________________________________________________ Winter removed her ear from the red door as she began to process what she just heard. Was General Geo really considering abandoning the cause? Viper made it very clear that if any hint of doubt, betrayal, or second thoughts was uttered from the mouth of even his highest ranking Generals, they should expect a swift decapitation from him personally, and that was saying something since Viper claimed he could make a clean cut through a full grown Rhyperior if it came to that. Winter now had two choices in her mind: she could report this treachery to the Commander and gain his favor, which would in turn allow her to rise through the ranks faster and by default being closer to getting off her leash. Or…… Later Geo had come to a conclusion. After hearing that the humans were planning to send in a good resupply of 500 soldiers, which would far outnumber what remained of the army, Geo decided that he would not go down with that crazy snake even if he was fighting for the good of all Pokemon. After having another talk with Eevee, the bird planned to use one of the still working boats to take her and what other recruits he had managed to persuade to their cause. He was currently flying over the forest looking for Eevee, who had gone out to collect any herbs and berries nearby that could be useful on the journey. Finally he spotted the Evolution Pokemon. “Eevee!” The little feline mon looked to see her general land next to her. The Pidgeot saw no emotion in her eyes. “I am ready, General,” the Pokémon slugged the bag of berries on her back. “Let us go.” “Going somewhere?” a voice said. Geo immediately snapped his head in the direction of the voice. Within the tree line was a young Frogadier he immediately recognized as Winter, the young best friend of Viper’s son, Sev. “Winter, to what do I owe the pleasure?” The frog let out a low chuckle. “You know, Geo, I could never understand your obsession with red doors.” The bird narrowed his eyes. “If I had my way I would paint it black. No colors any more. I would want it black.” “Spare me the song lyrics, Winter. What do you want?” “Well, I couldn’t help overhear you and Eevee planning to leave the island.” Eevee took a defensive stance, ready to attack at the frogs implications. “And I must wonder how Commander Viper would react if I told him the General in charge of public relations and winning mon over to our side, is turning into a traitor himself? That would be very bad image for the PLA, now would it?” At this point the bird Pokemon began to ready a Tailwind. “And where exactly are you going with this?” “Well, I could just race over to Voira and tell her all about this little splinter in the army.” At this point Eevee was reading a Quick Attack. “Or…..” The Frog jump down and stood before the two mons. “You could take me with you.” Both the Evolution Pokemon and the Bird Pokemon were very surprised when they heard the words leave the Bubble Frog Pokemon’s mouth. “What did you say?” “Take me with you. I want to leave this island and never come back.” Geo and Eevee looked at each other before facing the frog again. “Well then, Winter, allow me to ask you the simple question that I ask for all mon who wish to join us: Why?” Winter looked at the ground, her face showing a bit of sorrow. “I know leaving means I will forever have a target painted on my back by the ones I once called family. I will no doubt miss Sev and Gard, the one mons who I could call friend.” The frog raised her head, a look of determination plastered on it. “But if the cost of family and friendship is the lives of innocent humans and Pokemon, then I want no part of it.” General Geo of the PLA started at the frog for a long time before, calmly replying. “That’s all I needed to hear.” The Froakie looked around as the Pawniard walked her through the cave system. From what he had told her, this was to be her new home. “Mister Sharp? Where are you taking me?” The Pawniard looked back the Frog Pokemon.Sshe had just hatched a day ago and was only beginning to learn about the world around her. “The Commander feels like you should have some interaction with other members of the group, so he has set up a meeting for you and the others.” “Others?” the frog said. Soon, she was brought to a room where a Ralts and a younger looking Seviper were playing with various toys. After the door closed as the Pawniard left, the two noticed the frog in the room. The two started at her before the snake slithered up. “Hi, my name is Sev, and this is Gard! What’s yours?” “...Winter. My name is Winter.” “Well then, Winter, I hope we can all be best friends forever!” Sev said raising his tail for her to shake. The frog started at the tail for a few seconds before smiling and shaking it. “Yeah, me too.” Vale City, Equus present day A white and red Greninja opened her eyes are she looked hard enough into the setting sun. Even though the morning had yet to come, she could still hear the past laughs of her loved ones. Even as the hilltops blotted the sun out from that sky, and the world was painted black, she renewed her resolve to never look inside herself and see that same black.