//------------------------------// // Chapter 2: Philosophy // Story: A New World, a New Way: The Rogue Legendary // by Dolphy Blue Drake //------------------------------// As the landscape passed by beneath them, Jason explained to Lyra the truth that he had pieced together from other humans and the words of Pokémon he met, including his own team. “First of all, Pokémon are perfectly sapient, with intelligence on par with humans,” Jason began.  “They are perfectly capable of understanding human speech without needing to be taught any commands to recognize beforehand.  They engage in communication of complex thoughts to each other, as well.  I should know, since I can understand them, too.  They are also capable of logical decision-making, as well as feeling and expressing human-level emotions.” “But how does that make it any better?” Lyra asked, confused.  “What you just said made it sound even worse!” “Well, there’s still more to it,” Jason continued.  “Take Glitterwings, here.  She’s absolutely massive and weighs over four tons.  She’s also an incredibly-powerful kind of Pokémon that humans call ‘Legendaries’.  Do you really think that I, a completely unarmed, virtually powerless ten-year-old human boy could force her to battle for me?  Of course not!  If she wanted out, she could easily get out.  She could attack me, overwhelm me, destroy her Net Ball and escape, and I’d be powerless to stop her.  Even small ones often have abilities that could easily overpower me.  And yet, instead of overwhelming their Trainers and escaping, Pokémon gladly let us train them and battle with them.” “But it still doesn’t make sense!” Lyra exclaimed, her expression clearly conveying that she was having an incredibly difficult time wrapping her brain around the concept of Pokémon willingly letting their Trainers battle with them.  “Why do they fight for you?  Why would they want to do such a thing when they could get hurt?” “Well, let’s put things together, first,” Jason said while putting up a hand to ask Lyra to wait.  “They are completely sapient and sentient, meaning they know the situation they’re in.  They also know full well that they have the capacity to change their situation if they so desire it.  They are fully conscious of their own power, and with it comes the knowledge that they could easily avoid anything that they don’t want, such as being caught in the first place.  But the big question is:  Why don’t they?” Lyra just stared back, unable to form a response, for he had just posed the very question that her mind just couldn’t answer. “Now, from the human perspective, it’d take a long time to figure out,” Jason added.  “Heck, without help, I still wouldn’t have a clue.  But I can understand them, so I asked them myself!  After talking it over with each Pokémon in my team, I came to a conclusion that opened my eyes to a side of Pokémon I’d never paid attention to before. “Now, let’s start with looking at the situation from their perspective, okay?” Jason asked gently. Lyra nodded, and closed her eyes to better picture what he was about to tell her. “Okay, take a moment and imagine that you’re a Pokémon,” Jason began.  “You know what humans do with other Pokémon—you must’ve seen it and been told about it a thousand times before—and, apparently, you’re horrified by the mere thought of it.  Are you with me so far?” Lyra grimaced, but nodded in confirmation. “Okay.  Let’s say a human kid confronts you somewhere in the wild and, by some means, manages to capture you in a Pokéball.  You’re then sent out in a battle by this same human.  What do you do?  Do you just shrug and do whatever the kid wants you to do even though you don’t want to?  Or do you breathe fire in the kid's face, destroy the Pokéball you came from and make a run for it?  Or, if you're not that violently inclined, just sit down and refuse to fight until you're peacefully released?” Lyra opened her eyes after Jason finished and stared at him.  “I’d take the third option,” she replied.  “But why don’t they do it?  Is there something about being a Trainer that gives you the power to make them follow your orders?” “No,” Jason replied with a shake of his head, “An unarmed human child simply doesn’t have the power to force a Pokémon to do anything it doesn't want to, and yet, Pokémon never just rebel against those pesky Trainers unless they do something particularly awful, despite all Pokémon supposedly hating the idea of being caught in general.  Does that make any sense to you?” “No,” Lyra admitted, her ears flattening.  “Why don’t they escape when they have the power to do so and you have no power to stop them?” “Well some people claim that it’s either through mind control or the concept of one Pokémon against many that coerces them to obey,” Jason replied with a roll of his eyes.  “They claim that either Pokéballs or badges have some kind of power to suppress free will and force Pokémon to obey and love their Trainers, or that if one tried to escape, that Pokémon’s Trainer would simply use the rest of his or her team to threaten the rebellious Pokémon and make them obey out of fear of being punished by their teammates.”  Jason paused for a moment, then broke into a gentle, knowing smile.  “On the other hand, what if they aren’t forced in any way to begin with?  That instead, they don’t really mind getting caught, don’t mind battling, and actually do genuinely love their Trainers?” Lyra’s eyes grew huge when Jason said that last part.  With an unsure tone, she said, “You know the answer, don’t you?  Please, explain!” “Very well,” Jason replied simply before adopting a lecturing tone similar to the one he’d often heard Professor Maple use while she taught him, his little sister Audrey, and his rival and best friend Nancy about Pokémon before the three of them had started their journey.  “If it was mind control, there’d be visible evidence of it:  Pokémon would almost never disobey, loving their Trainers without question, no matter how abusive they are, with the rare exception of the Pokémon that pretty much everyone from my world has seen disobeying their Trainer.  But if this were the case, the disobedient ones would act as if they had temporarily shaken off the mind control and exhibit signs of despair and be visibly desperate to escape.  But no one’s ever seen it happen.  I’ve never heard reports of such things, nor have I seen it happen, myself.  Disobedient Pokemon don’t act like that.  They ignore orders, develop a superiority complex, take a snooze in the middle of a battle, and sometimes even mock their Trainer by using a different move than the one they’re told to use.  They only actually try to escape when the Trainer acts like a complete monster to them, such as punishing their team for losing a battle by beating their already battered team with their own fists while the exhausted Pokémon are too weak to protect themselves.  Such Trainers often get themselves arrested, and have their Pokémon confiscated as well as having their Trainer cards revoked.  Not to mention getting sentenced to decades in prison if the Trainer happens to be an adult.” “Well, such treatment ought to be dealt with that way,” Lyra replied without thinking.  “If what you say about them loving and trusting their Trainers is true, then exacting that kind of punishment on one who repays such devotion with such brutality is simply the right thing to do.”  Then Lyra blinked, realizing what she’d just said.  “Don’t take that the wrong way!” she spluttered, waving her forehooves frantically.  “I’m still not convinced!  What about the claim of using the rest of the team to punish disobedience?” Jason smiled inwardly, knowing he was getting through to her, but simply kept his expression on the outside hopeful.  “Okay, I’ll explain that one, too,” he replied before diving right into another lecture.  He was really starting to sound like Professor Maple.  Well, to his own ears, anyway.  “If it was one against many, wouldn’t people see signs of that, as well?  I know I’ve never seen a Trainer threaten a member of their team with the power of the other Pokémon on their belt.  And even if that was how it worked, there’s one gaping hole in the very first part of the argument that makes the rest of the supporting points to the argument not even matter.” “Wait, there is?” Lyra breathed in shock.  “What would that be, Jason?” She was sounding more curious than doubtful now, and Jason’s internal smile widened.  Bit by bit, she was beginning to understand, and now she was openly asking for help in understanding more!  “Well, it happens to be the way most Trainers begin building a team,” he explained.  “Very few Trainers start with more than just one Pokémon.  For me, Wanda was my first.  When I first received her, I’d never actually seen an actual Pokémon until that day besides in pictures.  I had no idea what to do if she rebelled right then and there.  She could’ve easily attacked me and escaped.  But she didn’t.  She stuck with me, instead.  I even had to send her out into battle almost immediately, giving me only enough time to give her a nickname!  And she even had a type disadvantage in that battle!”  When Lyra tilted her head in confusion, he added, “That means she was weak to her opponent.  Anyway, we won in spite of the opponent having an advantage, and I later learned that she did the whole thing for the thrill of it.  She loves the rush of battle. “Now, there are still points that some raise to try to salvage the ‘one versus many’ argument, so I’ll just address them now,” Jason added.  “Even if Trainers did use the rest of the team to intimidate any rebellious member, there would be many ways a Pokémon who wants freedom badly enough could overcome that:  If the entire team had fainted in battle except for them, their Trainer would be powerless to prevent their escape, for one.  Also, if they had just finished a battle with a wild Pokémon and their Trainer hadn’t returned them to their Pokéball yet, they could easily turn on their Trainer and overpower them before the Trainer had a chance to throw out even one Pokémon to try to subdue them.  And even then, what if the others simply refused to enforce the Trainer’s threats?  What if they all instead turned on their Trainer as one, overpowered them, and escaped?  Not once have I seen or heard of any of those things happening.” “But why would one like being captured and being ordered to beat up their own kind?” Lyra cut in, still confused, torn between partial understanding and her doubt.  “It still makes no sense!” “To grow stronger, and for protection,” Jason replied.  “Adorakill told me that the whole reason he approached me to battle me was he saw me as a skilled Trainer, and he wanted to grow stronger than he could by just staying where he was.  Pokémon are competitive by nature, you see.  Even without humans telling them to do it, they already battle each other in the wild all the time.  He saw the concept of joining my team as a way to ensure his own safety by having others to fall back on if he got hurt.” Lyra nodded, but still looked torn, so Jason continued. “In the wild, one has no teammates to switch out for.  Also, Pokémon don’t make the kinds of things humans do, such as Revives, Full Heals, Max Revives, Full Restores, Max Potions and the like.  In the wild, a Pokémon who gets beat up by another Pokémon has to recover naturally, which takes time.  Sometimes, they get too injured to recover naturally, and they end up dying.”   Lyra covered her mouth with her hooves after she heard that, looking completely mortified. “Humans have created hospitals for Pokémon called ‘Pokémon Centers’ that can heal any Pokémon injury or ailment, no matter how severe, in a matter of seconds,” Jason explained, calming the mare down a bit.  “Also, humans are generally better than most Pokémon at formulating complex battle strategies, so the chances of winning to grow stronger increase astronomically with a Trainer calling the shots.  There are many benefits to having a Trainer, and most Pokémon understand this.  They actively seek us out, hoping to join a skilled Trainer to become far more powerful than they ever could on their own.” Lyra stared, finally understanding in full.  “I see,” she said slowly.  “You train them so they can protect you, but at the same time, you protect them and help them become the best at what they want to be?” “Exactly,” Jason acknowledged with a nod.  “You’ve summarized it quite well, Lyra.  It’s a kind of symbiotic relationship between Trainer and partner.  It’s not slavery.  It’s not abuse.  It’s teamwork.” “Most of the Legendary Council are utter buffoons about that, though,” Glitterwings snarked.  “Sure, Pokéballs are built to focus on the lack of what makes a human a human to make sure they only capture Pokémon, but that’s because trying to make them instead focus on what makes a Pokémon a Pokémon would be nearly impossible!  There are so many different kinds of us, that there’s almost nothing that every single Pokémon has in common!  Besides, humans didn’t know of any lifeforms besides humans and Pokémon, so there really wasn’t anything else in our realm that Pokéballs would work on.  With that in mind, taking a shortcut like that just makes sense!” Jason opened his mouth to translate for Lyra, but Glitterwings cut him off.  “No need, Jason.  Being the guardian of humanity has its perks.  If I want to, I can enable all Pokémon and non-Pokémon in the vicinity to understand each other.  Of course, where we come from, ‘non-Pokémon’ just means humans, but let’s just say Arceus took some shortcuts himself when he gave me my powers, so he’s not really the right Legendary to ask about the morality of how Pokéballs work, though he’d never admit it.  You understood what I said, right, Lyra?” Lyra was just staring at Glitterwings with her mouth slightly open, not saying anything. “Oh come on, Sweetheart!” Glitterwings giggled.  “I know a giant talking moth is far from normal, but seriously.  You must have seen weirder things than little old me, right?” “Uh…  I guess so,” Lyra finally replied, provoking another giggle from Glitterwings. “Take it from me, Sweetheart,” the Legendary chuckled.  “You’re perfectly safe, and me talking isn't going to change a thing.”  Looking down, she spotted a town.  “Hey, civilization!  Say, Darling, do you recognize that town?” “That’s Ponyville,” Lyra replied after taking a quick look of her own.  “Could you let me off here?  I appreciate your offer of protection, but I think I’ll be just as safe at home.” “Sure thing, Sweetums!” Glitterwings replied as she started to gently spiral downwards.  “If you meet Jason again, remember this:  he’s a Champion, so he can keep anyone safe.  I know you’re confused about all of this, and believe me, so am I, but I’m sure everything’ll be made clear soon enough.  And as soon as we figure out what’s going on, we’re gonna set things right!” Lyra smiled at that, and they touched down outside the town long enough to let her off.  She turned around to wave goodbye, but looked at Jason in confusion when he tossed her an aerosol can. “It’s a Max Repel!” Jason called out as Glitterwings started to take off again.  “It’s wild Pokémon repellant!  Just spray yourself with it, and you’ll be good to go for a while!  Take care, now!” “You too!” Lyra called up to him, once again waving a hoof.  “I hope we meet again sometime!” “We just might!” Jason replied.  “Seeya later!” With that, Glitterwings flew high enough where even shouting couldn’t let Jason’s voice reach the ground, and they resumed flying. “So…” Jason chuckled.  “I noticed you were making subtle advances on our passenger…” Glitterwings actually stopped moving for a couple seconds before shaking herself and resuming flight, giving off angry vibes. “I was not making ‘advances’, Jason!” the Legendary snapped.  “I don’t swing that way except in my male form:  Leo Mode.  And in case you didn’t notice, my Stress Morph ability hasn’t changed my Mode at all, so I’m still female, thank you very much.” “Look, really, I don’t judge,” Jason chuckled again, resulting in the moth actually looking back at Jason and fixing her Trainer with a cold glare. “Unlike you humans, we Pokémon stick to the old tried-and-true method of ‘opposites attract’,” Glitterwings huffed as she returned her gaze to forward-facing.  “I’ll have you know that I’m a widow, myself.  I had a husband a very long time ago, Jason.” “Wait, how can Pokémon get married?” Jason inquired, suddenly very confused. “Well, we can’t anymore,” Glitterwings sighed sadly, “But we used to be allowed to.  It was a very long time ago, Jason.” “So, what was he like?  What species was he?” Jason asked next. “Jason, this may come as a shock to you,” she sighed, “But my husband was… Human.” “What?” Jason couldn’t believe it!  Humans marrying Pokémon?  He’d never heard of such a thing! “I know, you can’t believe your ears,” Glitterwings huffed.  “But it’s true.  A long time ago, humans and Pokémon lived together in a different way than they do now.  Emmet was a wonderful man, to be sure.  But if anyone tried to have such a union today, the Pokémon Rangers would hunt them down and arrest them, claiming that Pokémon are incapable of giving consent to such a union.” “But, you just said you were married once!” Jason exclaimed.  “Couldn’t you have calmed things down?” “The banning of Pokémon-human unions happened while I slumbered,” Glitterwings admitted sadly.  “I was aware of all advances of humanity during my sleep, but I lacked the ability to wake myself, for I had taken to my slumber out of great fatigue brought on by centuries of loneliness and depression after Emmet died.  He was actually a lot like you, to be honest.  Kind, gentle, determined…”  Glitterwings sighed fondly before continuing.  “He even had the same gift as you!  For all I know, you might be related to him though a sibling of his.”  To herself, she whispered, “Or maybe even through her.  Wouldn’t it be something if the blood of a Legendary ran through his veins?”  The whisper was so quiet that Jason didn’t even notice it. “So, it’s starting to get a bit late,” Jason noted after looking at his watch.  “What are we going to do for shelter?  I’d rather us not be exposed to the elements in a world I don’t know.  Anything could be here, and it might not be that friendly.” “Too bad you can’t just join me in my Net Ball, huh?” Glitterwings teased.  “There’s an entire village of log cabins in there, with more humans!  Well, they’re only virtual humans, but they’re all very nice!” “Wait, how about that forest?” Jason suggested, completely ignoring Glitterings’ comment as he pointed to a dark forest directly south of the village where they dropped Lyra off. “Looks spooky to me,” Glitterwings grumbled.  “You sure about this?” “Of course!” Jason chuckled.  “If the big, bad Legendary’s too scared of a creepy little forest, I can always have Eternia keep me company while there.  I know she’d like it.” “That’s because she’s a Ghost-type!” Glitterwings snapped.  “She’d feel right at home.  Me?  No thanks.” “Well, I think it’s a good idea,” Jason replied simply.  “The thick cover of trees will provide a kind of shelter from the weather, at least.  Not completely, of course, but Flash and Eternia can help me set up a makeshift camp.” “Fine, fine,” the rainbow moth huffed.  “You win, okay?  Just don’t take me back out of my Ball until we’re no longer there, okay?” “You got it,” Jason assured her while gently rubbing her short neck, causing the Legendary to hum in approval.  That was one of her most favorite spots for being rubbed, and Jason knew it. “Okay, we’re approaching the ground now,” Glitterwings announced as they rapidly descended.  “I’m touching down outside that freaky forest, okay?  I don’t want to be in there except within the safety of my Net Ball.  If you have to battle something, you can still send me out into battle, but don’t.  Make.  Me.  Endure.  That.  Freaky.  Forest!  Got it?” “Understood,” Jason replied gently.  “If it really scares you that much, I’ll keep you away from it.  After all, what kind of Trainer would I be if I didn’t look out for you guys?” “Probably as heartless as Rebecca,” Glitterwings answered.  “You remember her.  The Boss of Team Verdure?” “Of course I remember that horrible woman,” Jason replied as they touched down.  “But don’t worry.  I’ll never be like her, and we’ll likely never see her again, either.  I doubt any of her team got brought along, let alone her.” After giving Glitterwings a hug and a pat on the back, Jason returned her to her Ball and threw two other Pokéballs, letting out Eternia and Flash. “Jason, I was in the middle of reading a novel!” Eternia huffed.  “It was just getting good, too!” “What was it?” Jason asked curiously. “If you must know, I was reading The Mystery of the Niteswift Knight,” Eternia sighed.  “And Detective Flannigan’s Beheeyem partner had just found a really important clue!  You pulled me out before I could find out what the clue even was!” “Oh, I’ve read that before!” Jason exclaimed, his eyes lighting up with excitement.  “You won’t believe how it ends!  Flannigan—” “Jason!  No spoilers!” Eternia snapped, startling her Trainer.  “If you tell me how it ends, what’s the point of me even reading it?” “Sorry,” Jason muttered, scraping one of his sneakers against the ground.  “Well, it’s starting to get dark, and I’m getting tired.  Could you and Flash help me out, Eternia?  I need a temporary camp for the night.” “I can do that,” the Errabush replied before looking to Eternia expectantly. “Of course I’ll help!” the Obliveon giggled.  “You know I can’t stay mad at you, Jason.  I’ll finish the book some other time.  I managed to mark my place right before I left my Pokéball, after all.” “Thanks, guys,” Jason said, breaking into a fond smile.  His team was always so good to him.  If only he could help out, too.  But without tools, a human is only able to provide moral support and give directions. “I know that look, Jason,” Eternia said as they entered the forest.  “That’s the face you make when you wish you could help out but feel powerless to do so.”  Eternia used the soft back of her bladed tail to gently caress her Trainer’s leg as she looked up at him.  “You’re not useless.  You give our team synergy, you heal us up when we’re hurt, and you play with us to keep us happy.  So what if you can’t perform the kind of hard labor we can?  Without you, we never would’ve met and gained so many good friends!  You’re the glue that holds the team together, Jason.  Never forget that.” Jason nodded, but didn’t say anything.  He just found a soft patch of grass in a clearing and settled down to sleep, placing his hat over his face. “You rest, Jason,” Flash said as he and Eternia got to work gathering wood for both a fire and a temporary shelter.  “We’ll take it from here.” Jason yawned, stretched, and then he was out like a light. With their Trainer asleep, the two Pokémon quickly started fetching what they’d need for a temporary camp:  Eternia used the blade on her tail to cut branches from trees, and Flash gathered them up, being extra careful to not let his own branches touch them and set them on fire. After working in silence for half an hour, they had all the supplies they needed and Flash set up a campfire while Eternia worked on a small shelter for their Trainer.  Using vines she had cut away from trees, she carefully tied the branches together using her teeth and paws.  Once the shelter was finished, it resembled a tetrahedron, but with no bottom or front. “Looks good, Eternia,” Flash told her before yawning and touching the button on his Pokéball, letting it take him inside for the night. Now by herself, Eternia considered taking to her own Pokéball and taking a nap in the haunted mansion that served as her virtual habitat.  But she decided against leaving Jason alone and sat herself down in front of the entrance, staring straight forward, letting her eyes glow more brilliantly, bathing everything in her vision in red light.  She then moved her tail so that her scythe was beside her head, its tip digging into the ground by half an inch.  Any Pokémon who saw her like that would immediately know what that posture meant:  it was the stance an Obliveon took to let all others know that their Trainer was nearby and being protected. Any Pokémon worth their salt, even a Legendary, would know that the best choice would be to simply back off and keep their distance.  For Obliveons were unique among Ghost-types.  They had no malevolence in their nature at all.  In fact, the very thing that resulted in a dying Eevee being reborn as an Obliveon was the bond between Trainer and Pokémon, making them actually benevolent spirits as long as their Trainer wasn’t being threatened.  But an Obliveon would use all of their power to protect their beloved Trainer, for they’d already given their life for their Trainer once.  One simply didn’t mess with an Obliveon’s Trainer. But apparently, something wasn’t getting the message, for Eternia felt something in the dreamscape wandering very close to Jason’s dreams.  Snarling, Eternia phased into a more ethereal form and leapt for her Trainer, diving into his mind, and thus, his dreams, leaving a physical echo of herself in the same protective pose she’d been in before sensing the intruder. Whatever was wandering the dreamscape would soon learn to not touch Jason’s dreams, for they were part of him, making them something Eternia would use her full power to defend, even from Arceus himself, if she had to.